#except i thought i'd already heard about it?? but idk where/when i would have???????

[corvidares]

let it be known that i was on a vc about to watch she ra when it happened

[soaps-mohawk]

me sliding into your asks as soon as i see they're open: HECKIN. YES.

(also i wrote this before the latest update if the vibes seem off)

I know you've been having A Time of it so no pressure to answer this (or if it bothers you! I hope you don't mind but if you do I apologize) 

But I was reading through the CRCB FAQs and you were talking about how a second omega would fit in the pack, with Simon as their "primary" alpha. I was thinking about what kind of omega would be interesting and able to keep up with them....and landed on: well, there have to be SOME omega rights activists, right? It seems like omega suffrage would be a fairly new thing (last 100 years or so), and that generally speaking omegas have the limited rights that American women had prior to women's lib/the advent of no fault divorce (and if you've already talked about this ahhhh don't mind me!)

And I just thought. That would be so delicious. An older omega rights activist (30s? older than reader!omega "Too old" by societal norms) , not super well known but pretty independent for an omega. and the US government can't just KILL them as much as they want to, (the FBI is like wym y not???:( so ooc for us ) so the CIA is like hey UK!!! heard about some omega shit you were doing. Need another one??? But don't look at that file too closely. Actually, you know what, just give the file back to us, you don't need it

Basically the exact opposite reason reader was chosen (military background, textbook good omega , genuinely trying their best to be a good omega vs civilian actively trying to cause a ruckus  who needs to be black bagged) and they know Ghost's reputation and his upbringing, on paper they see a man who will NOT take kindly to this mouthy omega, who will undoubtedly fight him on EVERYTHING, who will certainly hate the good omega the pack already has, so no one will be too concerned if Riley roughs them up a bit. if the omega dies during claiming wah wahhh so sad. but these things happen and now the Brits owe us a favor for killing a US citizen

Of course they don't take into account how much reader!omega has impacted the pack, who is already working on ways to make the new omega feel welcome and cared for, that Ghost would sooner kill himself than put himself in a position where he felt he was unsafe for (his) omega OR that Ghost would probably be really chuffed to have an omega that will stand toe to toe with him and who will be SO EXCITED at learning how to fight alphas. 

idk idk i just had fun thinking about it. reader!omega being very protective of New Packmate, doing things she wish had been done when she was first introduced to the pack (fluffy blanket shopping spree!!) lowkey being a wingman, baking brownies together, HAVING THEIR OWN GROUP CHAT ABOUT THE BOYS!! well i guess it's just a chat if there's only two in it but you get it

anyway thank you for sharing this wonderful world with us :)

(also: i was so scared about the new chapter bcos anxiety! i was worried the boys would just be harsh and angry for the dramatic tension but their reactions were believable and informed by what they've been learning about the realities of being an omega. and it was so well done, it made my heart hurt but the good way.)

Haha yeah, I was getting a ton and didn't want to overwhelm myself so I turned them off for a bit before Saturday since I knew I'd be getting many after I posted the chapter.

Ah yeah, that was an idea I had early on writing this fic. Something similar except Simon doesn't accept the first omega so Laswell sends in a second (the details and world are very different with a few similarities) for Simon and Johnny.

But this would be a good idea too!! Definitely would be some butting heads there and there would be a lot of struggles between them. Angst though. The angst would be chef's kiss

(Yeah, I tried to tone it down more from what it was originally going to be and honestly I made them nicer than they should have been, while also keeping it realistic still. John definitely was the most understanding because he understands why 'mega kept it a secret in the first place. I broke everyone's hearts this week. I can't promise I'm not gonna do it again next week)

[thegeminisage]

ok, now that i've watched all of tos (none of the movies yet...) i am going to do the top ten worst and best episodes, according to Me. they are as follows:

WORST EPISODES

10. the savage curtain - idk who thought putting abe lincoln in a cage match with the vulcan version of ghandi against like, ghengis khan and space hitler would be a good idea. but it wasn't. i did like seeing the vulcan father of logic though like "im gonna go sacrifice myself for peace" ok king

9. i, mudd - all of the mudd episodes are bad. he's not charming at all whatsoever. however, this one is better than the other one because uhura gets to pretend to sell out kirk and they're SOOO cute about it. her little giggle when he PICKS HER UP BY HER SHOULDERS and tells her how proud he is. PLEEEEASE

8. charlie x - the entire premise of this episode is that the bad guy is just autistic. and then they make him live on a planet without people because he can't adjust to normal life ???

7. shore leave - obvious racism of this episode aside, the faux-irish jig that played while kirk was being menaced by his extremely unfunny old bully nearly drove me over the edge. we DO love a good mccoy death fakeout tho

6. a piece of the action - if i had any interest in gangster films before this it's all gone now. that being said. i loved when kirk drove the little car. he was so bad at it. he was so happy.

5. mudd's women - like he's literally just selling women?? and the plot twist is that secretly they're ugly?????

4. who mourns for adonias - this is just "what if ALIENS build the pyramids bro" except for the 1960s. nail in the coffin for this one was kirk proudly declaring they didn't needs gods - because they already had the One God, thank you very much!

3. the paradise syndrome - WHY WOULD YOU HAVE NATIVE AMERICANS MISTAKE KIRK FOR GOD. WHY. like i know why but Why. i think the very worst part of this episode was that it had an amnesia plot that would have FUCKED if you had simply removed the people. if there hadn't been people in this it would've been in my top 10 episodes. i think this broke me.

2. the omega glory - this is the same as the last episode except there's no amnesia, and also the "native americans" are white cosplayers who worship the american flag and mistake kirk for god because he can recite the pledge of allegiance yes really. if i had a nickel for every time this happened i'd only have two nickels etc etc at least kirk didn't knock anybody up in this one ig

1. patterns of force - why would you make your two jewish leads wear swastikas and then literally be whipped by nazis. i know he's such a bad person but not even william shatner deserves that. number one worst episode everyone says it's omega glory but it's this one

BEST EPISODES

10. plato's stepchildren - this episode is hard to rank because like it's both good and bad. the torture scenes were genuinely upsetting, especially the ones at the end w/ spock & nurse chapel, because they weren't just violence being inflicted on tied up guys, but they were SUPPOSED to be upsetting, like it was literally the point. and also this episode bears the distinction of THEEE kirk & uhura kiss. literally historic.

9. the trouble with tribbles - i feel like everyone's heard of this but it really is as good as everyone says. sometimes 1960s humor doesn't translate to 2020s humor but it was genuinely hysterical start to finish. also, the distinct trilling sound was so imprinted in my brain i recognized it in the 2009 movie where i had never registered it before.

8. the naked time - aside from the KING SHIT george takei pulled with the fencing this episode also contains the "i am in control of my emotions [sobbing]" moment and kirk & spock LITERALLY having a slapfight. this episode has everything. an absolute masterpiece

7. the empath - i feel like this paired with "the world is hollow and i have touched the sky" really made me a Bones Understander. i feel a little bad about that bc everyone says the characterizations in s3, or actually that the season as a whole, is kinda shaky? but i watched without knowing that and i feel like i Get It now. also, this was the only score i went and relistened to on spotify

6. tholian web - the spock & mccoy episode ever. there's so many things to say about this from the death fakeout to kirk's little space suit but what TRULY got me was the instant and totally nonverbal agreement to lie straight to kirk's face to both preserve personal dignity and troll the shit out of him (while chekov and sulu are like also silently laughing as they listen in no less). what this episode made me realize was that it's a good thing they argue all the time and make kirk play referee because if they were on the same side kirk wouldn't stand a chance. like he'd be finished.

5. the city on the edge of forever - ok, so, this episode made me feel like i was having a mental break. the time travel. spock's little hat. when he watches kirk kiss edith and then goes back into their room to pretend he didn't see anything. mccoy and kirk basically hugging at the end when edith bites it.

4. requiem for methuselah - the first time i watched this i was kinda like :/ because how does kirk fall in love with a woman in FOUR HOURS? that aside the ending scene blew my tits clean off. i paced around my house for like 30 minutes going "what the FUCK was that" because i couldn't simply lie down and sleep after seeing it. rewatching the episode with uh. new context made me like it a little better. but even if it had been garbage the last scene shook me so thoroughly it would still need to be on this list. i'm getting wound up just thinking about it. number one most shocking tos moment.

3. the dagger of the mind - look, i understand that this episode was technically just run-of-the-mill stuff as far as everybody else is concerned but they put james t kirk in a little brainwashing machine. and the machine was shaped like a chair. and it gives people amnesia sometimes. i don't know how i'm expected to behave normally

2. this side of paradise - this is the episode where a flower jizzes on spock and gives him feelings. and look: it's really funny, and there's a lot to love about it. but the ending where kirk hurls verbal abuse at spock for a solid 92 seconds WITHOUT STOPPING followed by: spock beating the shit out of him until he gets his logic back. i have rewatched this perhaps 1,000 times at minimum. what the fuck were they doing

1. conscience of the king - this episode got me into this mess. i don't think i can elaborate further without significant self-incrimination. let's just say what happened was i thought "oh i'll just watch this one tos episode for context for the fanfiction" and one month later i'm writing fic about [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT

ok, that's my list. i thought about doing honorable mentions for episodes that had scenes i liked even though the overall episode didn't make it into my top 10. but then i realized that would mean recapping basically the entire series and this post is already too long. i do have to give the pon farr episode a shoutout though because even though so much of it was offputting there was literally a titty window in kirk's shirt. like, it's the pon farr episode. ok NOW i'm done

[420technoblazeit]

hello! i'd love to hear your thoughts on hazbin hotel's writing :] i really like the show, but i'm not really sure if i think it's...good? if that makes sense. so i'd love a second opinion :O

oh my god thank you so much for sending this ask bc ive been thinking about this for sooooo long ive got a lot to say about this show. picture that scene in the first episode where charlie whips out her longass pile of drawings to explain the hotel. that's me rn i have many things good and bad to say about this show. first off im gonna keep it a buck fifty with you anyone genuinely saying this show is really bad needs to watch more shows. watch supernatural season 13 or something. this was not by any stretch of the imagination a bad show for me writing-wise and even the criticisms i have here are mostly nitpicks

i actually think they did a pretty good job given the constraints they had. 8 episodes with 25 minutes each is a ridiculously small amount of time. that's less than 4 hours total to tell this whole story and develop, what, 6 main characters? and introduce major antagonists and the minor antagonists for the next season. i don't know how much they had to cut but i'm willing to bet it was a substantial amount since the show in-universe takes place over the span of 6 months. like i know everyone says this about the show but i really do feel bad that they were given such a short amount of time because it's pretty clear to me that there's a lot of passion put behind this project

i've heard a lot of people say that they have issues with the pacing of the show and i kind of agree. i think the timeline of the plot is kind of weird with episode 1 taking place 6 months from the extermination and episode 2 taking place very soon after. if i remember correctly we don't know when episodes 3 and 4 take place but episodes 5, 6, and 7 all take place back to back probably because they didn't want to shove angel, husk, and sir pentious' major character development right at the end of the series as the plot came to its climax. i think i can understand that reasoning but it does make for a very odd structure and leave the story feeling rushed near the end. i don't know what could have fixed this because having vaggie and charlie visit heaven earlier would have meant that a lot of the show had a higher sense of tension and i think that would've been worse. idk. i understand the criticism and i agree with it i just don't know what could have fixed it

the songs are banger. obviously. that's what happens when you hire half of the living tombstone to write your songs theyre just going to be sick as hell. loser, baby was my favorite and the one from dad beat dad was a close second i liked it a lot. i also think they did a great job developing all of the characters and giving them really solid character arcs with a couple exceptions, mostly alastor, niffty, and vaggie. i'll touch on that in a second. to me angel dust is the emotional core of the show and i really like him and husk. theyre my favorites ill b so sad if they get wrenched apart next season

i have some thoughts on vaggie and this comes from a place of love because i think she's an example of a really great character concept with a not-so-great execution. here's what i think. the writers seem to have a tendency of only giving vaggie big character moments that are tied to her relationship with charlie. and it bugs me a little bit. im not saying that vaggie being charlie's girlfriend has to be a smaller part of her character but every time we get a moment with her like her song in episode 3 it's about how she wants to protect charlie. as much as i love 'out for love' in episode 7 it was kind of unnecessary because we already know how devoted vaggie is to charlie. that was never called into question. for her to go to heaven, knowing that they would recognize her there as a fallen angel, just because charlie wanted her to be there really shows how much she loves her. and i think that part of episode 7 could have been better devoted to exploring the reason why she put her faith in the hotel and what charlie was doing in the first place, because she wants to believe that she can find redemption for the crimes she committed as an exorcist. i don't think they talked enough about the idea that vaggie was cast out of heaven for showing mercy to a sinner. and how this shows the very black-and-white view of morality that heaven has. i think i would like vaggie as a character more if the show stopped trying to frame her belief in the hotel as loyalty to her girlfriend and instead talked about how she's trying to find redemption herself, not in trying to get into heaven but in atoning for the many sinners she killed during the exterminations. that's a really big part of her character that i think should be touched on more often

if you follow me you already know my nitpicks about alastor. theyre problems that will almost certainly be fixed in the next season and theyre incredibly minor, i just dont like characters who seem to always inexplicably one step ahead of everyone else and above all sense of consequence. and to me this is made worse by the fact that alastor appears so often in season 1 without having any character development right next to characters like husk and angel who are going through such horrible, horrible things in their lives. and i think the longer we get alastor as a mysterious 5d chessmaster type of character without knowing his true motivations the more annoying it gets. again, nitpicks that almost certainly won't be a problem next season given the way they're setting up his character. you might not have even considered this to be a problem and think that i'm just being a fucked up little whiny bitch. lmao. it's just a personal thing. niffty i think doesn't have to have character development, as it stands she's entertaining enough by herself and i'm fine with having her run around the hotel with no discernible motivations. she's just havin fun

i think the vees are some really strong love to hate them villains. val obviously is a despicable piece of shit and im looking forward to seeing him get what's coming to him. i have no complaints in regards to them i think their moments were tied into the series very well and theyre interesting antagonists already. it's gonna be great seeing them come more into the spotlight in season 2. i will say that i think some of the time dedicated to exploring their characters could have been put towards the actual main villains of this season, heaven and the rest of the angels, but whatever. as i said before i think a lot of the major plot exposition could have been spread out. but in general i think the vees are really interesting

[magentagalaxies]

the lowest show: final thoughts

very good show!!! tbh there wasn't actually a ton of buddy (there was a buddy monologue in an early version that was cut before this run that was recorded but was later used in a different show i've already seen, and the only other buddy cole thing was the encore) but what little buddy cole there was is super important to buddy cole history

i'm also very happy to have the full show beyond just the buddy bit bc like all the other sketches were great and also very fascinating. like even if i don't use much of this material in the doc it was still enjoyable to watch, and tbh even the non-buddy stuff might be covered in the doc bc one of the most interesting things about scott thompson's work to me is how exceedingly personal he gets in his comedy while still being fucking hilarious

many of these sketches made later appearances on scott's podcast ptsdiva which is where i'd already heard them (the fran monologue, the danny husk monologue, scott's grief counselor character rebecca, etc.) fran's monologue was also featured on buddy cole's blog "ewe" in 2007 and danny husks's monologue was in the kids in the hall tour of duty in 2002.

in particular the danny husk monologue has this strange little variation in it across the three different versions. if you haven't seen this monologue, the premise is that danny husk is a vice principal who accidentally thwarts a school shooting that's about to happen. in the 2001 lowest show version, the school danny works at is the school scott attended as a teenager and the shooter is identified by name as the same boy who committed the shooting scott was in. scott has previously said in interviews that he does not like repeating this boy's name since the event haunted him for so long, so this definitely stuck out especially since i've heard the monologue before, so i had to check it against the other versions. in the 2002 tour of duty version, the school is changed to "woodland heights" and the shooter's last name is changed though his first name is not. in the 2019 ptsdiva version, the school is changed again to "william crabtree high" and the shooter's full name is never stated, though one line refers to him with the same first name that's been consistent throughout. i would have never picked up on the first name similarity if not for the more overt reference in 2001, so idk this is kind of a fascinating evolution i definitely want to find out the reason behind it

in any case i think that danny husk monologue was the best sketch in the show. like even though i'd heard it before it's so well written and such a good example of balancing the darkness and the humor that scott's work is known for

however, i think my favorite was the francesca fiore sketch. like, i don't even think the jokes themselves were top tier, but i'm just obsessed with how much scott threw himself into that performance it was such a vibe. like this was the one moment in the whole show that made me genuinely envious of everyone who got to see this show live. also there's a song in this sketch and of course as the certified number one mouth congress fan i have to be a fan of every time scott gets to sing

the buddy cole sketch is just a pure fever dream lmao. if you have not heard the infamous story of buddy cole's sketch in the lowest show on earth, basically it has buddy declaring that he's already done everything and seen everything so there's nothing more to explore... except he's never had sex with a woman! so a nude woman comes out onstage and (with her consent) buddy cole goes on an exploration of the female form. scott actually got arrested at a few shows for public indecency during this bit even tho the woman was fully consenting and the audience was aware of this content ahead of time

i would rank all the sketches but tbh i wasn't even thinking about that when i watched it so i'd inevitably leave something out. maybe someday

anyway watching this show got me thinking i wonder if i can convince scott and paul to make some of these vaulted shows publicly available at some point. like idk if this would be allowed on youtube (nudity, language, etc.) but like. maybe we can make one of the tiers on the crowdfunding campaign for the buddy cole doc have a reward where donors can download the lowest show, champagne soul (which i still haven't watched), scottland, etc. no guarantees on if it will be able to make this accessible but like you better believe i'm trying lmao

it's currently 2 a.m. and i really need to sleep but my last thought is damn i wish scott thompson knew how much thought i'm putting into his show from two decades ago that may as well have been lost media in the public eye. like scott gets surprised at me just caring a normal amount about the stuff he makes but i'm like???? this is just the beginning. idk maybe i'll reach out to him once i finish all the other archive videos with my main thoughts

[gazingatmydoom]

this is IT THIS IS ALL THERE IS. people this google doc started out as 3 pages long which is the longest i think a platinum checklist has ever been for me and now it is all but four things. my GOD. i can probably do this by tomorrow i'm ngl.

priscilla's dagger is a really tricky one to do i might have to ask someone for help or just get a lot more precise cos that tail is fucking tiny. but other than that we're golden. the titanite slabs are both easily acquirable, the red one is in lost izalith which i haven't been to yet but i'll get that up tomorrow, and the blue one is in the crystal cave which i've never explored that much cos the invisible floors always scared me but i'll just check a guide for that on and then that's all good. and then i gotta go into the next ng cycle and speedrun to sif and then to anor londo which hopefully shouldn't take too long.

cos the crest of artorias is super easily obtainable, and sif is really easy to get to so that's all fine, and then it's just ringing the two bells and making my way to the giant blacksmith. i think the only bosses i would have to kill would be uh. sif ofc, bell gargoyles, iron golem and quelaag. ye that should be it. four bosses. pick up two items, do some precise tail whacking, hop into ng+++ and kill four guys total and then that's PLATINUM.

after that the only two fromsoft games i'll have left are ds2 and bloodborne. and ds2 is on 88% rn i just need some dlc spells, but i'm not feeling ds2 so idk. bloodborne is on 35% rn which ik is abysmal but i'm thinking about taking that on next. i could not vibe with bloodborne the first two times i played it, i didn't even finish my first playthrough, but i'm hoping my completionist urge will force me into enjoying it much the same way it has for ds1. otherwise i'll just hit up the CUM dungeon and farm endless blood echoes until i'm so op i one shot everything. i mean dw i'll give it a more than fair chance before that, cos i'd hate for that to be the way i platinum a fromsoft game, when i've done the four i've already got with such dedication and care and thought, but if i just cannot wrap myself around it for whatever reason i'm gonna cheese.

problem i have with bloodborne is its level design and bosses. everything is painfully linear and the bosses are painfully bad. the only other one i've had doubts i'd be able to get into is ds1 and thankfully the level design is exceptional and there's still a good few bosses there, but idk what bloodborne's got. other than like just looking cool ig. which ye it does look cool but its a game not a painting yk. tho to be fair the main reason i continued through ds2 was cos it's whole style is so beautifully unique to all the other games, and visually it's a fucking buffet yk like wow. but then again it also had some interesting bosses. like the one that comes to mind immediately is the snake lady in the windmill, which i HATED, but come ng+ i heard there was a way to disable the poison pool she was in that also healed her, and it's by burning down the windmill. not even with a cutscene or a prompt iirc, u just waltz up to a ledge and hold up ur torch. and actually on the topic of torches ds2 did those brilliantly. everytime u found a torch u got 5 minutes torch time, and u could light it at a bonfire or a conch, and u could then go ahead and light conches later on if u found any. there's no torch item persay and that just adds so many beautiful layers to the games darker places. the questlines were also super unique, like for that one covenant that had u go into these dungeons to defeat a boss three times so u could max it out like that's just exceptional u don't see that in ds1 or ds3. or even elden ring tbh. i mean both ds1 and ds2 have their flaws, enemy ganking, not having and omnidirectional roll, etc etc but the parts where they're good are FLAWLESS. bloodborne idc just doesn't have that for me. and i really hope it proves me wrong when i get round to it yk. i forgot if i was making a point now or what it was but ye.

platinum ds1 tomorrow girls we're getting it

[rage-is-my-fire]

Adventures in boot customizing.

I have these knee high Airwalks. I really only wore them a few times, despite having them for many years, and the reason for that is because they had white laces and white edges. They look a lot like Converse. And like, that's cool and all, but I'm really much more into the all black all black look, not black with white accents. So I decided to change them to suit me better.

First I decided to throw them in with some other things I was dying. The insides of the shoes were white. And while they'd really be largely not visible while being worn, idk, I felt like sometimes it might peek through, and in particular the edges where the outside black canvas met the inside white canvas was visible enough that it would bother me, even if no one else really noticed it much. So yeah, I tossed 'em in to dye the insides black, and I threw in the shoelaces too.

The dye job worked great on the shoes* (*mostly, I'll get back to that). It also worked on the laces except for the ends that were covered in the plastic ends. I was hoping the dye might seep in a bit better, like creep their way down into those, but it didn't really do that much so eh. I painted the ends and that would have been fine except that they weren't really long enough, so I had to get some new laces that were longer anyway. On that note, my calves aren't even like, that wide, but this isn't the first time I've found laces on knee highs being not long enough. Thicker legged folks are being done dirty out here in the shoe world 😔 *Back to the bit about the dye though. The canvas took the dye well - they're a nice, uniform deep black. But it did cause the glue of the edges to come up in a couple of spots. First I tried my E6000 to glue them back together but it didn't stick all that well. I can almost never seem to get my E6000 to stick as well as it seems to for other people. I wonder if it's just a temperature thing or...? Not sure. In any case, it didn't work like I'd hoped, so instead I got out my Aquaseal (glue for shoe soles) out of the freezer and used that. It had a decent sized dried plug that I had to use my Xacto to cut out first though lol. This time I tried to scrape the glue off the opening some so there wouldn't be a flat skin of glue to dry there hopefully. The Aquaseal worked great, sides glued back on - though there's a couple of shiny spots where glue got up onto the canvas. I'll just color that over with a Sharpie or something at some point.

I sewed some chains on the front! I like how those came out :)

I painted the toe caps and sides with black leather paint. Now these parts are rubber, and the paint company doesn't recommend you paint rubber because it won't bond well, but that's not really been the case for me. It seems to stick just as well to that as the leather or faux leathers I've ever painted over so 🤷

I decided this was a tad shinier than I wanted though, so I got some matte finisher. Well. That didn't work so great lol. I thought because it would sit on top of the paint it was made to work with it would be fine, but it wasn't. Probably because of the rubber base...? It didn't exactly like... bead up I'd say, but it didn't... not bead up? I'm not sure how best to describe it. Like it sort of pooled in some areas and not others, and when it dried it was very streaky, like rain lines on something.

The next step is removing all the previous paint and finisher as best I can using 91% rubbing alcohol. This works like a charm, by the way, but it is a lot of work because the edge bit in the front that has a lot of texture to it. The non-textured parts come off pretty quickly with just a little bit of work - if only all of the edge was smooth lol. I've done one shoe already but will save the other for tomorrow. I've kind of had enough of the smell of the rubbing alcohol for tonight. I've heard acetone can also work for this kind of paint removal, but I've also heard mixed results about acetone, and that rubbing alcohol works better. Since I have more rubbing alcohol on hand than I do acetone, I went with that.

Once I finish removal, I can paint the edges and toe cap again. I've gotten a flat black paint which is meant to dry much less shiny. Won't be using a top coat this time, so it may not be as durable as it would have been if the finisher had worked, but ah well. I don't mind if I have to do touch ups now and then if it means I'll actually wear these shoes instead of them sitting around collecting dust.

[salds-miegs]

okay here we finally go: my opinions/first impressions of all 37 eurovision songs.

i listened through them all in alphabetical order by country, choosing a live/national selection clip where available except for albania and ukraine, which i understand have both revamped their song since the selection (i mean i know ukraine has, re: albania i might have hallucinated reading about it?). spoilers: my bottom 3 are poland, israel, and san marino.

albania - i pretty much like albania every year, and i enjoy them this year as well.

armenia - i guess i liked this more than i expected? which isn't to say i liked it much, but, still.

australia - i liked it but not as much as i expected to. i think this will become one of my favourites once i start hearing the song for what it is and not for what i expected, you know? this is kind of why it's hard to do a first reaction when you've already seen other people's opinions and promotional material etc bcos right now i'm reacting more to the gap between "the song" and "what i thought the song would be like", as opposed to just the song itself, and that's going to be a theme throughout this reaction honestly.

austria - first impression: a banger. i feel like i have to return to this one to fully Get It.

azerbaijan - huh. i think i do actually like this one but not in a way i can totally justify.

belgium - camp!!!! is this song anything fresh or groundbreaking? no. is it really fun and giving 00's eurovision? it sure is and i love that for belgium.

croatia - i like that this is at eurovision, i like the vibes, but idk if the song itself is anything too special. that said i don't think that's the point.

cyprus - snoozefest lol.

czechia - i feel like i really enjoyed most of the song but then it also had parts that completely fell flat for me? i'd still rank it as one of my favourites though

denmark - hmm. i feel like the song was just okay, with a side of that vocal effect really not working for it. it might be fine in the studio version but i listened to the live and you know. eurovision's gonna be live. so.

estonia - this is another song that's really giving 00's eurovision but in a very different way to belgium. i find it hard to really say anything about it bcos i can't figure out whether i like it, or whether my 12-y.o. self would like it, you know what i mean?

finland - okay well i have heard this one before. i watched umk. someone i know compared his outfit to vihreät kuulat and i think that's the best way to describe how i feel about this song actually. this song is a vihreä kuula. i enjoy it, in general i think it's one of the best things to come out of finland, but also i get sick of it very quickly.

france - i always enjoy france at eurovision, so. no one will be surprised to hear i like this.

georgia - hmm. this didn't sound like a song made to be performed live. i think with this one and armenia i'm really going to have to wait until i do hear them live to figure out how i feel about them.

germany - i know a lot of people really liked this but… i didn't, sorry. i didn't like how it felt like the song kept stopping and starting, and even aside from that, it just wasn't for me.

greece - see: cyprus.

iceland - it's fine. i liked the vibes of the performance but the song itself was just okay.

ireland - it's fine.

israel - i found myself rolling my eyes at this one, and there was some cringing as well. one of my least faves rip

italy - it's impossible for italy to send a bad song to eurovision, credit where credit is due. but have they not sent this one before?

latvia - it's fine.

lithuania - it's fine.

malta - fun!

moldova - overall i liked it but it did also leave me with some questions. very much the sort of thing that appeals to me at eurovision though.

netherlands - so i reviewed all the songs before listening to them just for my own notes and for this one i wrote: "i won't like this at first and then it'll grow on me". i was right about a lot of the songs and i was right about this one. i think this'll be very lovely live on stage.

norway - i expected to be blown away by this, based on the hype, but instead i only liked it just fine.

poland - i went to karaoke night at my local dive bar last week and heard better performances than this.

portugal - i love that portugal always send something a little offbeat and i do like this, but compared to some of portugal's previous entries it's not… that exciting to me, you know?

romania - i enjoyed the song but the staging was a little questionable was it not

san marino - didn't san marino have like a hundred songs in their selection? and they picked this? not judging, just asking. anyway this is in my bottom 3 for the lyric "i can smell you like an animal".

serbia - i like this guy's vibes but i'm not in love with the song.

slovenia - again based on my notes from before listening, i predicted that out of all the groups of lads these would be my faves, and i was right! i liked this one!!

spain - oh yes i like this!! thank you spain

sweden - i hope sweden knows what they have in loreen. she's an incredible singer and performer, and she makes this song sound completely magical despite the fact it would be bland as hell with any other artist. the massive screen on top of her makes me really nervous though, i hope they don't bring it to liverpool bcos i know how much that thing weighs and i have anxiety.

switzerland - there was a post about switzerland's song last year that was like "i agree but can't y'all say that a little less boring", and, well, that.

ukraine - is it possible for ukraine to send a bad song? no. is it possible for them to send a bland song? maybe!

united kingdom - this was the last song i listened to so i was very tired by this point BUT i did think it was fun, so. there ya have it.

[michaelsbigreddick]

Munson Mondays are for fluff and angst. So I now present to you,

All I Wanted-E.Mxf!reader

Eddie and y/n are ex lovers and ex band mates. Not long after their breakup they bump into eachother at Indianas annual battle of the bands. Was their meet up just some coincidence? Or was it a sign from the universe?

Warnings!! Slight smut. Mention of sex. Mdni!18+ only pls and thx!!

Um eddie crying a bit deserves a warning In itself. He has suffered too much already:(

Idk if eddie is actually the lead singer of his band but for the sake of this story let's pretend.

Songs I mention here are not mine at all..I thought I'd take it back to the old times with this shot. The songs are Nightmare by Halsey, All I wanted and the only exception by Paramore. I don't own any of the songs and don't claim to! I just thought they would help bring the picture to life :)

Anyway hope y'all enjoy!!

“Y/n! You almost done in there? We go on in five!” your bandmate, Donna, yelled from the other side of the bathroom door. You had been crying on the bathroom floor for the last ten minutes. You were never this nervous before a performance. The times where you were nervous you’d fake it till you made it and they would go away halfway through your introduction.

Today that wasn't the case. This isn't some random gig you were getting paid dimes for. It was the battle of the bands where something was actually on the line, new instruments for you and the girls, along with a cash reward. The entrance fee was a fourth of your savings but you had stupidly thought you had a chance. And to be fair, you did. Or at least you thought you did. It wasn't until you bumped into your ex-boyfriend, Eddie Munson, in the hall that it changed.

You froze when you saw him messing around with his bandmates. You must have done something for him to notice you. He must have done something to keep you frozen in place because even though you saw him coming your way, you didn't run.

“Hey y/n..” he looked genuinely happy to see you. You tried to feign the same smile he was giving you, big, happy, real. But all you could force was something small, weak and ingenuine. Which he didn't seem to want to pick up on.

“Hi.” you looked down at the floor. You couldn't dare look at him for any longer. You had only broken up a month and a half ago after you said I love you and he couldn't even make himself lie and say it back. Which is something you probably should have been thankful for, not living a lie. But if you were being completely honest, you would have rather lived in a naive fantasy, than go through the hell that the time without him has been.

“You look great,” he offered. “Are you and the girls playing tonight or uh, did you come to see another group?” he chewed on his lip looking away from you.

“Uh yea, the girls and I are playing tonight. We need new instruments so,” you fiddled with your drum sticks letting them clack against each other.

“Right, right. I wouldn't want to play with anything other than mine but um Garret has been in use of some drums since you took yours.” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. Your face felt hot. Everything about him made you hate him so much. His laugh, his smile, his hair, his eyes, his hands, his dimples and clothes. You spent so much time trying to get over it and here he is again making you start from scratch.

“I have to go.” you said walking past him.

“Oh…. alright.” you heard him say softly behind you. “Good luck today!”

You turn your face back to him but keep walking. “Tell Garrett he can have my set back when I win my new one today!” you hear him laugh from behind you as you run over to your own dressing room and run straight to the bathroom.

Which is where you are now, fixing your eyeliner. You were glad you went for something more messy today as opposed to your regular fun eyeshadow.

“Okay! I'm just about done!” you yell back, looking at yourself in the mirror one last time.

When you walk on stage you remind yourself that you were just going to be on drums. Everyone finds the drummers the least appealing or interesting so you should be fine, you thought reassuring yourself.

Maggie, the lead of your band introduced you all. Her lead and piano, Donna on bass, Jamie on the guitar and you on side vocals and drums.

You were midway through the first song when Maggie stopped mid word and walked off stage.

“We’ll be right back! A technical difficulty!” said the host. You all ran backstage after Maggie.

“What's wrong?” you asked the rest of the band. Maggie had tears streaming down her face. She was scribbling something down on a crumpled up receipt. Donna took the receipt and read it to herself then out loud. “Pineapple lube?”

You shook your head trying to shake your laugh. Jamie pushed you, signaling you to stop but she was holding back giggles herself.

“Aren't you allergic to pineapple?” she nodded her head yes, stomping her foot impatiently and most likely in some sort of pain.

“What were you doing swallowing it?“ Jamie says, finally letting out a stare attracting laughter.

“God, we need to get her to a hospital.” Once the words left Donna's lips you heard her boyfriend calling over to the group.

“Hey we need you guys back up there now!” the host yelled from the side of the stage.

“What are we gonna do?” asked Jamie. Maggie pointed at you.

“Me what? You want me to call it off?” she shook her head. And motioned for you to sing with her hand.

“Maggie, are you nuts? I can’t sing our songs. That's all you.” you weren't being modest. Her screaming was unmatched to any one else you had ever heard before. She pointed at you again. That was when you finally caught onto what she was trying to tell you.

“Sing yours.” she croaked through her swollen throat. Her boyfriend began to walk her away.

“Fuck, fuck. Fuck!” You said beginning to pace. "We haven't even practiced them like that. I can't, we can't possibly do this!" you say on the verge of another breakdown.

“Y/n if we don't try we don't get our deposit money back…and if we win, we get those new instruments. Shiny, new, pretty. You won't have to fix your drums mid practice anymore.” Donna encouraged.

“You guys really think we can do this?”

“We don't have any other choice.” Jamie said grimly.

You were able to get a drummer quickly given how many bands there were.

“Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I'm um y/n, usually behind the drums way back there..we had a bit of a medical emergency. Our lead singer Maggie, she's um, is indisposed, so now we’re gonna play three more songs for you. They're not in our particular genre, but we hope you like them anyway."

You take a step back and take a deep breath, trying your best to calm your anxious core. You looked into the crowd and by some magnetic force your eyes met with Eddies. He said something you couldn't make out. Whatever it was, it gave you the push you needed to start.

“This first one’s called ‘Nightmare’, 'cause there's nothing scarier than an angry woman.”

You began the song with your eyes closed. Scared the drummer wasn't as good as they said they were. The girls were in charge of helping them keep up with the rest of you. By the end of the song you were sure the rest of the songs would go perfectly.

“I wrote this song a while back ago. You know when you grow up not knowing what real love looks like?” The crowd cheered, and suddenly you didn't feel so vulnerable admitting that.

“Okay, good to know I'm not the only one!” You laughed, and they joined. “Um uh yea so this song is about that. About swearing off love, giving up on it. But then finding the love of your life. Or at least the only exception.”

You began to strum the chords on your acoustic. It took you a great deal of strength not to cry. When you wrote the song they were for Eddie's ears, and Eddie's ears only. You never would have thought to share it with your friends or new bandmates. But here you were singing it to a crowd of strangers, unfortunately Eddie now fell into that category as well.

The crowd cheered. You weren't used to having this much attention, much less the spotlight. But you were growing to like it.

“This next one is about losing that only exception. Because of who fucking knows?!”

You begin to sing the next lyrics

Think of me when you're out, when you're out there, I'll beg you nice from my knees,

And when the world treats you way to fairly,

Well it's a shame I'm a dream.

All I wanted was you!" You screamed not caring if it was good or not.

You play the guitar singing and playing hypnotically. It was like you were back on your apartment floor singing this song over and over trying to find some comfort in anything.

'I could follow you to the beginning, just to relive the start

Maybe then we'd remember to slow down at all of our favorite parts.'

You sang the ending lyrics forgetting that he was out there. Truthfully it didn't matter if he was or wasn't. Each and every time you sang it, it was for him. When you were trying to find the right note, changing the lyrics, practicing with the girls, humming it to fall asleep, it was always for him. He was and still is all you want.

You grin at the girls who were cheering you on. And thank the crowd for their great energy and love.

Corroded Coffin played after the band that followed yours. You tried your best not to enjoy them as much as you did. You watched Eddie, his boots stomping as hard as they could land on the stage floor, his flushed face and red lips. What really got you was the way his hands would go white around the mike, putting everything he had into his performance. The way his hair would stick to his neck reminded you of the way you would wipe it away after sex to whisper sweet words and little praises into his ears.

“God y/n, feels like just yesterday we were back at the Hideout.” Donna says taking you out of your trance.

“What?”

“You're giving him fuck me eyes again.”

“Oh my god am not!”

“Last time you looked at him like that was the night you and I quote, 'had to go to the bathroom.' after their show."

“Oh god stop please.” you begged emmbaressed about what she was planning on saying next.

“It took us fifteen minutes to find you. And when we did you were fucking him in their dressing room, closet thing.“

“Jesus Jamie, PLEASE STOP.”

“I'll stop when you stop giving him fuck me eyes.” she laughed. You groan burying your face in your hands.

“We better not have to come find you after the show. We will leave to Bennys without you.” Donna warned.

You let out a dry laugh.

“Yea you don't have to worry about me.”

“We'll see about that.”

By the end of the night when they announced your band as the winner, you couldn't believe it. But graciously accepted it. They even included Maggie in the prize since she did sing the first song.

--

“Ill be right there guys I just need to finish changing!”

“Okay we’ll just finish taking your stuff out.

You changed out of your leather and boots into something more comfortable for chicken and waffles at midnight. When you exit you're surprised to see you're not alone.

“Eddie?”

“Yea hey. Jamie said I could catch you in here, I hope that's okay.” he smiles weakly at you, running his palms up and down his thighs nervously.

“Good job out there today. You did absolutely amazing.”

“Thanks.” you say putting things into your bag.

“I didn't know you wrote songs.”

“I um, I didn't. I just, I think I just said something so much it just ended up falling together? And then bam, a song.” he looked down at the floor chewing on his bottom lip.

“If you came to talk about the drums,” he shook his head.

“No I'm not here to talk about the drums. I,” he walked closer to you.

“I came to say I'm sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize Eddie. You don't owe me anything, and honestly-”

“Y/n I love you.” he said, cutting you off. Your face rushed with heat. You weren't flustered, you were angry, confused.

What kind of games was he playing?

You push him away from you. “Fuck off Munson. This isn't funny.”

“Y/n.” you could hear what you thought was disbelief in his voice. He's gotten better at lying.

“Im not trying to be funny, I fucking love you.”

“If that were true you would have, you, you fucking would've said it when I did.” there was an unmistakable shake to your voice that nothing you could do could disguise it.

You push past him but he grabs your arm pulling you back to him.

“I love you. I should have told you this the same day you told me. I should have told you the day that I realized that I loved you, which was way before you ever said it to me.” his eyes were staring into yours, a gloss covered them.

“I don't, I don't know what I have to do for you to believe me. But God I fucking love you. These last forty five days have been an absolute hell without you.” he realized he was still holding onto you and let go.

You sat down on a red love seat that sat parallel to the rooms door.

“Why are you telling me this now Eddie? Why now?”

“Because I couldn't stay away from you anymore y/n.” he knelt down in front of you. He took his large hand and held yours into them.

“I was going to try asking you if I could meet you after the show when I saw you in the hallway. But then you left, and then I saw you up on stage. And I, you looked so badass.” he took a slow breath. Trying to keep his compsure. “Amazing, just phenomenal.” he looked up at you red in the face, teary eyed.

“After what happened upside down. I realized I was holding you back, without me you've done so much in less than two months. Started a new band, wrote your own songs,” the tears that had been threatening to fall finally did.

“I didn't want to keep holding you back.”

“Eddie,” you caress his cheek, wiping away his tear.

“I don't even know why you would think that.” it broke you to hear that he thought he was hurting you. “I was planning on breaking away from the band for a while, I was just waiting cause I couldn't find a lead.”

“Ouch. he said laughing. “I thought you liked playing with us.”

“I did!” you reassured him. “I just needed, I just wanted to start my own, y'know? A different sound.”

“Yea, I noticed.”

“There's nothing wrong with Corroded Coffin. I didn't want to be known as the leads girlfriend anymore. And with the girls, I have fun. We have fun.” he smiled, content hearing that you're happy.

“I want, can we.” he sighed, frustrated that he couldn't get the right words out. “Can we start over?” he asked with pleading eyes. You brush the hair that stuck to him from tears off his face.

“Of Course we can.” He screamed at the top of his lungs, and jumped around the room. Then ran back to you kissing you like he used to, full of all his energy and love.

“I didn't think you'd actually say yes.” He says between kisses. You wrap your arms around him and pull him towards you onto the couch. He climbs onto the couch practically sitting on your lap. You lean your head onto the back of the couch, he kisses all throughout your neck.

“God Eddie, you know what you do to me when you kiss me like this.” you feel the smile on his lips as he continues. You take your hand and trace it along his belt. When you finally reach the back you untuck his shirt and ride it up. He lets go of your lips and helps you take his shirt off. You missed him yes, his laugh and jokes, sweet words and company. But god did you miss his body.

You trace his chest tattoo. As he reaches towards it, you hear someone open the door.

“Oh, well.” you turn around. It was Donna.

“Uh hey,” Eddie waves at her, grinning like a kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

“I fucking called it.” Jamie said walking up behind her.

“You want us to wait for you or,” Donna said pinching her nose bridge.

“I can give you a ride to wherever you're headed dollface." Eddie says looking down at you. You nod.

“We’ll meet you there.��� You smile feeling the heat in your face beginning to burn.

“Alright see you there then.” Donna says before closing the door. Jamie smiles at you giving you a thumbs up.

When the door closes you bury yourself into Eddie. He breaks into laughter.

“What's the matter babe ashamed of being seen with me again?” He smiles at you, making you face him with the tip of your fingers.

“Never that.”

He kisses you one more time before getting off of you.

"So where we headed?" He asks, slipping his shirt back on.

"Bennys."

"Mind if we have dessert after?" He gives you a cheeky smile.

"Of Course we can have dessert after."

[satanfemme]

hey. i'm thinking of doing my top too but i am: scared and also: worried. how did u know you wanted it?

As a heads up, I'm gonna give you a different answer than what most other trans men are going to tell you about top surgery. ime, most men describe it as necessary, to relieve painful dysphoria, etc. which I'm sure are reasons you've heard before! but just know going into this response that ur gonna get something a lil unusual! thank u

so at the time I received top, I was 18-19 (decided I wanted to go forward it at 18, received it 2 months into being 19), tho ofc I'd already fantasized about it for years at that point too. I also identified as "just" nonbinary at that point, preferred they/them pronouns, and wanted to be fully androgynous in a genderless sort of way.... ironic considering how androgynous in a gender-FULL way I am now hdfjhgdfgfg. but! importantly, I also didn't experience dysphoria!!!!! + I still don't!

I did experience "social dysphoria", but since this was fully in relation to how others were treating me, rather than my actual body or some kind of internal angst, I never felt comfy calling it dysphoria. this is especially relevant in the case of surgery ofc, because I never had a moment where I saw my breasts pre-top and felt miserable over them or anything. no crying in the mirror moments for me, not over this, sorry. like, I've joked on here before about how I prefer being topless/nude whenever in private? well this was completely true pre-top as well, I was constantly tits out a lot of the time and this simply wasn't a problem for me. ffs I was too lazy to bind at ALL in the months leading up to my surgery, and didn't own bras post-middle school. so I was literally counting down the days til my breasts would be removed, while also just kinda letting them do whatever they wanted under my shirt anyway cause I couldn't be bothered. my "problem" with them was only that others would misgender me, whether they knew my pronouns/gender or not. so I wanted to find ways to masculinize myself somewhat, top surgery was one of those ways.

but that's only half the reason ofc! when I refer to transition related surgery as "plastic surgery" I'm only half kidding, because tho I know most others wouldn't label it that way, this is genuinely how I see it personally. idk whether or not I'd have gone thru with it just for strangers to read me a certain way, but it doesn't matter cause in reality a lot of my motivation was internally driven.... in that: I thought it'd look cute 💁‍♂️. u know when you're a kid and you imagine your ideal adulthood self? for me I would imagine a very genderless body, while I played with gothic fashion over it. wrt the former I'd imagine a flat chest, no visible genitalia under my bush, a general twink-y look. and I even briefly considered not getting nipple grafts, to contribute to this fully neutrois, almost inhuman, aesthetic. (my primary gender identities at the time were "neutrois" and "angel" to give u a better taste of the vibes here). but like I said, this wasn't in any way an angst to me, but rather thoughts I had in the same vein as when people casually wish their jawline was a "better" shape, their hair was shinier, or that they had a different eye color or something. u know what I mean? in some ways, I was even a little sad about losing my breasts (pre-top, never post), because I thought they were very cute too! just not cute for my ideal persona 🤷‍♂️.

anyway those were my two reasons, which in my mind at the time weren't even "how do I know I want it" as much as "lol I want it". and I type this out in so much detail on purpose cause like... so much has changed for me since then! I no longer care how others gender me 90% of the time (the exceptions are when my bio family does it, or if I feel the need to be stealth out of safety, like in men's rooms or prev workplaces). I also have a completely different view of my gender now! I'm a femme man :-) I'm still nonbinary, but not in the sense that I'm "neutral". rather, in the sense that I'm everything when I want to be :-)!!! in the years since my top surgery, I've also realized I have DID and psychosis, which greatly influence my gender, and basically guarantee that it'll continue to change over time.

and to conclude: I don't regret the surgery at all!! I LOVE having top surgery I LOVE having stretched out DI scars and I LOVE my hyperpigmented scarred nipples and I LOVE being flat! to be frank, I made this decision as a fucked up and impulsive teenager in the midst of a psychotic episode, with 0 self awareness nor even the healthy amount of pre-surgery anxiety/contemplation -- AND IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS OF MY LIFE! I don't know if these anecdotes help you, and I can not decide for you whether you "should" get top surgery or not. but these are the realities of my transition, and I like being able to offer this perspective for anyone who doesn't connect with the stereotypical ones. cause in my mind, after seeing both "sides" of our oppression claim that you can't make these decisions while mentally ill, or you can't make these decisions on frivolous impulse, or you can't make these decisions when young - lest you regret it for the rest of your life - the heart of my story here is truly "fuck that -- BODY AUTONOMY FOR ALL!"

and I'm very proud of that :-)

[knickynoo]

"Back to the Future": Thoughts, commentary, and general ramblings on the (bonkers) novel by George Gipe. Pt 1

Hello all! As mentioned the other day, I came across a copy of the BTTF novel for sale and bought it. I've always wanted to read it for myself, because I've heard that it's quite The Experience. For those of you that don't know, it's based off of an earlier screenplay of the film and differs pretty wildly from the movie we actually got. I've read several posts elsewhere on the internet where people who have compared draft dates and shooting schedules claim that the script this novel is based on might have actually been close to the version they followed when filming with Eric Stoltz. Which, if true, is interesting, to say the least. But who knows? Either way, we're in for a ride.

I'd normally insert a read more here but I know tumblr is rolling out that feature where it automatically shortens long posts, so hopefully y'all have it already because if not, oops sorry.

- The novel opens with a lovely description of a family horrifically dying in a nuclear explosion. There's fire, the house is blown to bits, body parts are flying. It's. Well, it's something, that's for sure. Turns out Marty's class is watching a film on atomic power, and they're all thoroughly bored out of their minds. Marty's introduction is as follows: "One student, the most daring and enterprising of the class, listened to stereo rock music. His eyes were nearly closed and his limbs had to struggle to remain still rather than follow along with the beat-" Which is a cute way to bring Marty into it. That's our Marty: the most daring and enterprising. And I like that he's got his headphones on and is boppin' away to music instead of paying attention, because the cartoon series also makes mention of college-aged Marty failing a test because he listens to music during class.

- Except, uh oh, the film ends and Marty is oblivious, and accidentally sings out loud and everyone turns to look at him. Marty isn't embarrassed though; he just quickly takes off his headphones and returns them to their hiding spot in his secret, hollowed-out book. ???

- Marty is described as having an "infuriatingly good-looking face" which is as accurate as it is hilarious.

- Marty is excused from class due to an "emergency call" which, surprise! It's Doc, asking Marty to meet him at the mall. Marty's initial response? "I told you to never call me here. I'm at school." Lots of chuckles so far in this here book.

- Strickland finds Marty's Walkman and throws him in detention, along with several other students who were caught listening to music, and is crushing them one by one in a woodworking vice. The Walkmans, not the students...though Strickland would probably enjoy doing that as well. Marty, meanwhile, hatches a clever plan to escape detention. (And I believe this scene was filmed with Stoltz). And let me tell you, I would have LOVED to see our daring, enterprising, infuriatingly good-looking Marty pull this off in the movie. He swipes the lens to a projector while Strickland is distracted, then uses a rubber band to shoot a matchbook up onto the ceiling's smoke detector--he sticks gum on the matchbook so it attaches--then angles the lens so the light from a window is focused on the matches. YES, Marty is starting a FIRE in a public space. He is committing arson. What a guy. Anyway, it works and there's just enough smoke to set off the alarm and sprinklers, allowing the building to be evacuated. Oh, and Marty steals one of his classmate's skateboards on his way out. This is such a bizarre, slightly edgier version of the Marty we end up with and idk how I feel about it?? He's...a little too confident? Too slick? Why is this kid carrying matches around in his pencil pouch?

- A lot of what follows is pretty familiar. Marty fails the band audition, Jen gives him a pep talk, and Save The Clocktower Lady interrupts them in the town square. Except Marty is so emotionally spent from his terrible day that, "Something nearly snapped in Marty," and he almost grabs all the flyers from her and dumps them in a trash can. Thankfully, he regains control of his senses and realizes that would be mean.

And that's the end of chapter 1. Idk if I'll go chapter by chapter or mush a bunch together in future posts, but I think this has been a fun little start to the novel. More to come :)

[kuroos-babie]

Falling in Love with a Single Mom HCs

Akaashi x fem!Reader | Daichi x fem!Reader | Oikawa x fem!Reader

[ Headcanons/MiniFic ]

Request:  🥺👉👈 if you could do more single mom headcanon-fic-things LOL SORRY IDK WHAT TO CALL THEM and w/ akaashi, daichi, and oikawa? THANK U i love u and your writing you're so sweet  —anonymous

a/n: okay so strangely enough, i thoroughly enjoyed writing oikawa's and it's probably my fav out of these three 😳 thank u for giving me the chance to write these and thank u for the kind words! i hope u like it 👉👈

❀ he’s been noticing you more and more — sat on the corner of the cafe he frequents during his breaks

❀ you would always order the same drink and sit on the same table by the window, he would occasionally glance at you, admiring the way sunlight hits your skin and the way the cafe music seemed to be playing solely for you

❀ but you always left too soon for his liking, 15 minutes before 2 in the afternoon to be exact

❀ he never knew where you went or what you did outside of the little cafe he sees you in everyday

❀ but soon enough, he was given a chance

“excuse me, is this seat taken?” 

he saw your eyes look up at him in surprise and your lips curve into a small smile, “oh! no, go ahead”

“sorry for the trouble, i didn’t expect it to be this packed today”, he said in an attempt to engage in small talk

“it’s no problem at all” you assured him with another smile, “i often see you here, do you work nearby?”

❀ the two of you continued to chat until akaashi needed to remind you of the time

❀ but of course before you could even leave he'll ask you for your number saying

"i'd really like to know you more, if that's alright with you"

❀ of course it's alright with you sjckskdks

❀ the two of you would meet at the café everyday, except the weekends — same spot and same time, until it became part of your routines

❀ keiji took his time getting to know you and openly expresses his admiration for you

❀ of course you liked him back, he was sweet and considerate, he was everything you would like in a partner

❀ but you just needed to make sure of one thing before diving headfirst into a relationship

"akaashi-san—"

"keiji", he corrected, reaching out for your hand

the warmth of his hand helped eased your nerves of bringing up something that may potentially be a huge deal breaker

"keiji, we've been meeting for a while and i thought maybe it's time i tell you,"

❀ when you said you have a daughter, you never would've expected him to say "can i meet her?"

❀ you almost cried then and there— it had always been a big deal to the guys you met before, you being a single mother

❀ keiji sensed your relief and squeezed your hand in reassurance that it really was no big deal to him

❀ well it was, but it wasn't something that would easily shake up his resolve of being with you

❀ meeting your daughter for the first time was set in the same café, on a saturday half past noon

❀ he smiled seeing the quiet four year old on your lap, curious eyes and a small smile as he held out the little bunny plushie he got for her as a gift

❀ weekend café dates became frequent with the three of you and soon became home dates— alternating between your and keiji's apartments

❀ your daughter loved when he read to her, having her sat on his lap with a picture book in his hands

❀ more often than not, you would catch him fast asleep on the couch— picture book on the floor and your child snuggled up against his chest

❀ during these moments, especially, you couldn't help but imagine spending every day with them both without having to part ways by the end of it

❀ and of course, when he wakes up, keiji can't help but think the same thing when he wakes up to you smiling softly at him and the little girl who kept a part of his heart inside her tiny little hands

❀ your son met him first

❀ he just got out of the police academy and was assigned near the elementary school gates

❀ kids would often come up to him with fascination in their eyes

❀ and it wasn't a different case with your seven year old son

"hey mister are you a policeman?"

"sure i am, why do you ask?" he answers with the softest smile, crouching down to the child's level

"that's so cool! mom said my dad was a policeman, maybe you're my dad?"

he watched the boy's eyes widen in realization and he couldn't help but chuckle

"sorry, bud, but i don't think i have a child yet neither do i have a wife"

"well do you want one?"

❀ that effectively painted his cheeks in red, standing straight up and ruffling the boy's hair, urging him to go straight home

❀ everyday your son would come up to him to ask him the same questions and saying the same things

"would you want to be my dad?"

"i think it'll be sooo cool to have you as my dad"

"let me ask my mom if you can be my dad"

❀ jesus help this man pls

❀ he found it all to be endearing and soon enough he looked forward to chatting with your son for a few minutes every afternoon on his way home from school

❀ your child would always brag about how nice you are, how pretty, and just how amazing of a mom you are

❀ an amazing lil wingman if u ask me

❀ it wasn't until one of his day offs that he met this wonderful mom that he always heard of— and boy was he stunned

❀ he was out grocery shopping, skimming the aisles when he heard the familiar voice of your son

"mama, it's the policeman i was talking to you about!"

before you even had the chance to react, your child bolted through the spice aisle and cling to this man's leg

you quickly caught up to him and was about to apologize to the stranger when you saw him get to your child's level and pat at his head

"oh hey, didn't know i'd catch you here"

"i'm with mama! now you can see just how pretty she is!"

❀ the comment made both your faces heat up but even moreso when daichi looked up at you, absentmindedly muttering a "she is"

❀ your son had the proudest grin on his face >:)

❀ the three of you went out for lunch then which you insisted to be for all the trouble your son has caused him— who so conveniently disappeared to the playhouse to leave you two to yourselves

❀ it didn't take a lot for daichi to be absolutely smitten by you— admiring how you could handle a child and a job all by yourself and still managing to have that pretty smile on your face

❀ he had to thank your son his little accomplice the next time they have their afternoon chat

❀ and maybe start planning on "Operation Get Mom and Daichi-san Together"

❀ started as students sharing a class and later on became inseparable best friends

❀ you two met in college

❀ tōru would rave on and on about how much better you were than "iwa-chan" whom he never lets you see during their facetimes bec you "might fall for him and choose iwa-chan over me"

❀ he was there to witness you going out with an orgmate, there to listen about the first time you got laid, and of course he was there to comfort you when your ex left the moment you told him you were pregnant during your third year in college

"do you want to keep it?"

tōru held you close as you cried, his soft voice mingling with your sobs

"i d-don't know"

you buried your face on his chest, prompting him to hold you tighter and rub comforting circles on your back

"whatever you choose to do, i'll be here", he promised "i won't leave you"

❀ the moment you decided to keep your baby was the moment it was decided that oikawa would co-parent with you

❀ during your pregnancy, he came to your apartment everyday and stayed over on weekends

❀ he kept his promise and never left your side even after you gave birth

❀ he practically moved in with you, staying up late at night to care for your child so you could get some rest, he changed schedules and skipped classes to let you continue going to yours

❀ it was alright, he said, afterall a pro volleyball team was already eyeing him— he was set even before graduation

❀ the both of you fell into a steady rhythm of domesticity

❀ eating breakfast together, taking turns changing your daughter's diapers, cuddling in the same bed and having sleepy conversations about the future and how you're both thankful of the other

❀ it was never established what you two were— you just knew that you were each other's constant and that you promised to stay with the other until god knows when

"what're you planning to do then?"

"i don't knoooow~ iwa-chan help me out here~"

"well, for starters, you should go and tell her— y'know, about argentina"

there was a moment of silence between the line, tōru mulling over his options

"i don't want to leave her" was his quiet reply

"i know you don't, but this opportunity may never come by again, don't let it slip"

❀ it was a few weeks before your graduation, your daughter now more than a year old, when he received the call inviting him to play for argentina

❀ on one hand he knew it was the chance of a lifetime, but when he looks at you in his arms with your daughter on your chest, he couldn't even think about leaving you

❀ it was less about the promise he made and more about how he couldn't imagine his everyday without the two of you

"y/n-chan~"

you only hummed in response but looked up to meet his eyes

"if i were to get invited to go to the other side of the world to play volleyball, would you come with me?"

he held your gaze with hesitation

"i'll go anywhere with you, tōru, i thought you knew that by now"

a small smile of relief graced his face as he exhaled, closing his eyes and rubbing his face against yours, "thank you"

the next few moments were spent in comfortable silence before he broke it with a chuckle, "is it too late now to ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"tōru, we're basically a married couple for the past two years"

...

...

...

"so will you marry me for real?"

[adelineardn]

Hi! I'm writing a "Voldemort dies early" AU and well, I want Nagini to join the crew. I didn't watch The Crimes of Grindewald but from what I heard, she has very little personality there, and her background is quite the mess. So I'm trying to nitpick good bits from the canon and add enough of irl info to make something that makes sense.

I saw your addition on a post about Nagini, so I hoped you could offer some comments on my thoughts so far. If not that's cool.

Her name

Nāginī, the female counterpart of a Nāga, the king cobra, or a serpentine class of semi-divine deities found in Hindu religion.

Parvati; Almost Perfect

I'm not saying her parents couldn't name her that, but couldn't it also be a nickname she picked up later in life?

The Maledictus curse

I like the idea of the hereditary blood curse. It could be in Nagini's family for several generations, passed from mother to daughters. She could know that she'll start having problems controlling her transformation around (let's say) 30, and the snake form could become permanent in her 40s.

There could be ways of delaying the inevitable permanent transformation, or even a way to lift the curse altogether.

(BTW I looked up the golden snail princess myth you mentioned in the post and it's super similar to some stories of Brother's Grimms, except the girl in the version I remember read turned into an apple tree.)

Life and locations

From what I can tell Nagini's journey goes something like this:

Indonesia

America - the circus, she's at least 20 or at this point.

Europe with Credence (1920-1930s)

Albania, where Voldemort allegedly found her, already fully snake-ified

England

I looked onto Asian - US migration and most commonly it was for cheap labour, namely Japanese, Chinese and South Korean people, and later on Bengali Muslims and Filipinos and others (whenever one group tried to unonize they would start hiring from another ethnics to keep the labour cheap).

Would it be pausible that Nagini's family was partially muggle and they went to chase the American dream? Only to face rampant racism, might I add.

Again, I didn't watch and don't intend to watch The Crimes so everything I know about her time in America comes from gifsets and wikis, and nobody knows what she was doing in Albania...

Since Voldy is dead it would be a group of ex-Death Eater tourists who would find and befriend her in Albania (or somewhere else) circa 1980. I'm thinking since she's not the only one hunted by the law it would be her name on all their paperwork when starting a legit rare potion ingredients collecting business...

Again, feel free to ignore this but I'd love to hear somebody else's thoughts. Finding headcanons on Nagini is surprisingly hard.

omg sorry for only responding now (I’ve been away from tumblr due to the hilarious amount of schoolwork), again I’m so sorry :((  I’ll put my thoughts into points to make it look neater: 1. yes!! the name “nagini” could have been a nickname and not her actual birthname. 2. maybe there could be a potion of some sorts to delay the permanent transformation, or maybe a ritual of some sorts. 3. in the fantastic beasts movies, it was stated that nagini was found in the jungles of Indonesia, so the theory of her family going to america to have a better life being the cause of her getting captured does not work.  4. I have a feeling she went to albania to flee from the whole wizarding war thing. 5. ahh your last point is great, it might be possible IF those death eaters are able to find and “befriend” nagini. idk if the death eaters knew about nagini, but if they do then yeah!! aaaa I have a strong feeling that your work is going to be superrr cool <3333

[lazywonderlvnd]

*hesitantly steps in the box* Umm.. soo.. I was listening to Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift again and that song (is awesome btw if you haven't listened to it already) just gives me such MAJOR drarry vibes .. like -

" And I screamed, 'for whatever it's worth I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?' He looks up grinning like a devil. "

Like if that's not drarry I'd chomp my pillows. So .. *twiddling thumbs* could you pls write something with that line as a prompt?? Pretty please 🥺🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️ maybe use the song as inspiration.. idk? Whatever you like. ALSO, don't forget I STILL LOVE YOU that ain't changing yet and you haven't seen the last of me! Imma tail after you for eternity and you better take that as the threat it is! *throws love at you* BYE!! ❤️❤️ *vaults outside the box*

my sweetest most loved angel!! thank u so much for this prompt based on a BOP i was obsessed w when the album first came out. it got sm longer than it was meant to be, so it can be found on ao3 as well!! i hope u like it ilysm ❤️❤️❤️❤️

warnings for minor drug use (weed) and implied suicide of a minor character (lucius, extremely vague reference but pls be aware!)

rating: e word count: ~5k

When Pansy asked him how it started, Draco discovered that he didn’t know what to tell her.

Technically, though, it had started at Ernie Macmillan’s party in the beginning of summer, with the cloying scent of Freesias and Freedom Roses (“Imported from the States,” Ernie told Draco pompously, when he asked) and all those string-lights dangling from the cedar pergola, perennial balls of fire inside their clear bubbles like tiny trapped suns. Cheap beer in plastic cups, Marlboro cigarettes, and some stupid Muggle game ... darts.

Technically.  

* * * 

“Get off me, Potter,” Draco says in a failed whisper. He’s laughing and drunk and fuzzy warm under a sprawling summer’s night sky that looks like black paint. Potter tastes like Guinness every time he kisses him, and his hands are surprisingly soft. In direct opposition to his own command he pulls Potter in by the face and glues their mouths back together ravenously. The alcohol makes him sloppy (he likes it, though — the sloppiness of it) and Potter’s skin is warm where Draco slides his hand under an ugly Muggle band T-shirt to touch. 

Around the corner, he can hear music coming from the patio where nearly every single one of their former classmates are gathered, drinking and laughing and getting along famously with a much-needed buffer of five years between them and their Hogwarts days.

Much-needed for himself and Potter as well. Apparently.

He sees him sometimes, at get-togethers like this or around the Ministry, once or twice at a dinner party thrown by a mutual friend. They’re always cordial. He hasn’t insulted Potter to his face in five years.

Except for tonight, when he couldn’t help himself loudly drawing attention to the similarities between Potter’s hair and one of the shrubs in the garden. But they’re kissing now round the side of the house and because of that he’s quite glad for his slip. And it’s their five-year reunion, so. What would it be without some bickering between the two of them?

Potter presses him into the bricks and snogs him breathless, only he keeps grinning and laughing and ruining everything just when Draco starts losing himself in it.

“Quit laughing,” he scolds him. “You’re the worst, Potter. No etiquette at all.”

“That’s rude,” Potter says. His breath wafts across Draco’s mouth. His eyes are excessively green behind their round frames, which have not changed since their school days. The scar is mostly hidden beneath his wild fringe, save for the very bottom where it slashes neatly through a dark eyebrow and touches his eyelid. “I can’t help it, I’m pissed good and proper.”

His hand moves to Draco’s hip and even through the thickness of the alcohol coating his brain like a muffler he feels that touch clear and ripe as daybreak.

“So  that’s  why you’ve decided to snog me rather than …” He waves a hand vaguely, in lieu of the proper witticism with which he might normally have trounced Potter. “You know. Beat me to a pulp.”

“I only did that one time,” Potter says, grinning. Grinning and moving his thumb in circles on Draco’s hip. “And it was because you were being a twat. And I didn’t beat you to a pulp. You’re so dramatic.”

“Semantics,” Draco says. “I had a bloody nose.”

“And you deserved it.”

“Now who’s being rude?”

Potter kisses him again.

Guinness and Freesias.

* * * 

“Macmillan’s party,” he told Pansy. “He kissed me.”

“So that’s where you disappeared to.” She looked smug. Her inch-long nails were sharpened to a point and painted a glossy black, and she drummed them against her cheek, the way a cat flicks its tail. “I’m surprised you kept it from me this whole time.”

“Well,” said Draco, lowering his gaze to his glass of wine and watching it flirt dangerously with the lip as he swirled it. His cheeks felt warm, but he wasn’t embarrassed. “We snuck around.”

Right, maybe a little embarrassed. Mostly conflicted.

“Oh?” For a single syllable the laughter underneath was remarkably transparent.

He looked up, eyebrows lifted. “Yes,” he said a little defensively. “For obvious reasons. At first it was just sex. A lot of it, so he usually came here. Apparently Granger and the Weasel are notorious for popping round his place unexpectedly.”

* * *

He feels opened up all over again every time Potter fucks into him, unhurried and so careful. His hand is hot on Draco’s thigh, both of them sticky with sweat and come. This has to be their third round at least, and Draco’s sluggish brain insists it might actually be four.

An open window lets in the late afternoon air, humid and drowsy and perfumed heavily with flowers (a la Macmillan, Draco planted Freesias and Freedom Roses outside his bedroom window and helped them along to full bloom with some careful magic). Potter’s hair is damp with sweat — from exertion and the relentless heat of July — and Draco slides his fingers into it, tangles them and pulls the way he’s learned Potter likes. If he’s honest, he’s harboured a very secret and  very  desperate yearning to touch Potter’s hair since he was quite young. He doesn’t know why.

Well, maybe he knows why.

Potter makes a quiet, whimpered noise that curls Draco’s toes. He speeds up his hips, closing in on his orgasm and putting his face in Draco’s neck even though it’s too fucking hot for it.

“Fuck,” Draco whines. He tries to lift his leg higher, wrap it around Potter’s waist to get that perfect angle, but they’re too slick with sweat and he lets out a frustrated noise when it falls back to the bed. “Potter,” he says helplessly, arching into each thrust and shaking with the effort. This third (fourth?) orgasm is building too slowly, sitting there hard and stubborn and heavy in his gut and refusing to be coaxed to completion. He’s dripping with the effort, muscles quivering. “Please — I need —”

But he seems to have figured it out for himself. He scoots forward, lifting Draco’s arse higher off the bed and bending him nearly in half. The angle helps him go deeper and he’s suddenly nudging Draco’s oversensitive prostate every time he fucks back in.

“Right there,” Draco gasps, tensing as this new angle lights a fire under his elusive orgasm. His cock is leaking but he doesn’t have the strength or energy to get a hand around it. Potter’s grunting with the effort of fucking him, sweat dripping down his temples and making his neck and torso gleam. “Right there, god, right there, please, I’m so close —”

Potter braces himself and redoubles his efforts, and it’s like he’s reached inside Draco and sunk his claws into that building storm in his belly because suddenly it’s ripped right out of him in a colossal wave of euphoria that approaches too much, cock spurting untouched between them  .  Potter keeps moving inside him while he rides it out, and at some point he feels the warm, wet explosion of Potter emptying in him, mumbling incoherent things that include Draco’s name.

They come down together too. Draco is clutching Potter’s arms and trying to catch his breath and Potter is trembling and clutching him back like an anchor in a veritable ocean of sensation. 

It’s like this every time. 

When Potter drops down onto the bed beside him Draco rolls over and kisses him, long and deep and satisfying, and Potter reciprocates with the kind of intensity that is completely unique to him as a person.

“That one was particularly good,” says Potter, and Draco laughs.

When he feels like moving, he knows that Potter will get up and go to Draco’s kitchen and make tea for both of them, and he won’t need to ask what Draco likes, because he remembered after the first time. They’ll drink it naked in bed as the sun sets on another endless summer day and transforms before their eyes into a humid and pungent summer night, in the midst of which they will fuck at least three more times, and Potter will keep smelling like sweat and bergamot and boy, and Draco will keep feeling starved for him.

And they won’t talk about it.

* * *

“And?” Pansy said.

“And what?”

“You said ‘at first,’” she pointed out, and arched a groomed eyebrow. “When did it turn into more than just sex?”

Draco tamped down on a smile, because that would have been more emotion than he cared to show at the moment. To Pansy or to himself.

He swirled his wine again and took a long sip, stalling. He wanted — needed, really — to talk this out with her, but he was becoming aware of an uncomfortable heaviness in his chest which was suggesting to him that he didn’t want to share everything. Not because he was embarrassed, but, well … it was private. It was between him and Harry.

“There was this one night he came over later than he was supposed to because of work,” Draco said. The memory stirred some emotion. He hadn’t thought of it in a while. “He had this bloody huge takeout bag of Thai food.”

 * * *

He sets it down on Draco’s desk, takes out a container, and after toeing off his shoes drops sideways onto Draco’s bed with it and uses chopsticks to shovel in a mouthful of noodles. Draco watches this in awe.

“Want some?” Harry asks once he’s swallowed (small blessings). There’s grease around his mouth. “There’s a million other things in the bag but you have to get it yourself. I’m dead tired.”

Draco thinks of asking what the hell is going on, because they’re supposed to be fucking by now, but something stops him. Harry really does look exhausted but quite content eating his Thai food on Draco’s bed, and he doesn’t have the heart to berate him for it or remind him that they’re fuck buddies, not friends, and that if he’d wanted to eat and lounge about perhaps he should’ve stayed at home.

And the food really does smell good.

He gets up and fishes another container out of the bag that turns out to be some sort of heavenly-smelling marinated beef, which he brings back to the bed. Harry’s rolled onto his back and has the container of noodles balanced on his stomach.

“They thought they found a Horcrux on a raid,” he says. His voice is perfectly casual, but Draco thinks he can see something troubled in his eyes. He has one foot crossed over the other and  it’s bouncing anxiously; he doesn’t think Harry’s aware of doing it. “Wasn’t. Obviously.” 

“But they needed your expert advice to be sure.”

“Yeah.” Harry looks at him, then his food. “Is that the beef?”

“Yes it is.”

“Good?”

“Haven’t tried it yet.”

He opens the container and chooses a piece, but instead of lifting it to his mouth he follows some crazy impulse and hovers it over Harry’s instead.

“Open, Scarhead,” he says. Harry blinks but does it, and Draco drops it in. He smiles, then chews.

“Brilliant.”

* * *

“We ate it instead of fucking. It was the first time I realised something had shifted.”

“And you let it shift?”

The question gave him pause. He didn’t answer right away, mulling it over. It made it sound as if he’d had a choice, and that wasn’t quite right.

“It already had,” he said finally. “It wasn’t a matter of letting it; by the time I noticed, it had already happened. Otherwise he wouldn’t have come over with the food.”

“But you did let it continue,” said Pansy. She wasn’t antagonising him, nor accusing him of anything. She looked amused, but not in a way that was at his expense. Pansy was both a twat and a fiercely good friend, the combination of which meant she would do nothing more or less than hold up a mirror and force you to look at yourself, gruesome as the experience inevitably wound up being. “Even after you realised he had feelings for you.”

Draco swallowed. He’d not heard it said aloud before now.

“Yes,” he said. “It felt good. Knowing he fancied me.”

* * *

Harry’s shameless in his staring.

He stands in the doorway of the ensuite bathroom and watches Draco like he’s been invited to do so. Draco pretends not to notice, stretched out in a tub full of bubbles facing the opposite way. There’s incense burning, and candles. Harry is completely silent, but Draco could feel those eyes on him from across a crowded hall.

They fucked a few hours ago and fell asleep afterwards. Draco pretended not to think about it, but had actually made the conscious decision to let Harry continue sleeping when he woke up and decided he wanted a bath.

When he can’t take it anymore he opens his eyes and tilts his head back and a little to the side, just enough that he gets Potter in his peripherals.

“Well?” he says. 

“Well what?”

“Join me, won’t you?”

Harry snorts. Then there’s a quiver of magic in the air, and a small, utilitarian chair appears out of thin air beside the tub. Harry sits down in it. He’s holding the joint they’d only gotten halfway through earlier. 

He’s in his jeans and nothing else, all limbs and sparse chest hair, and when he crosses a leg over the other one, elbow resting on his knee as he hits the joint, Draco feels a bone-deep attraction to him that’s beyond physical.

“May I?” Draco asks. Harry hands it over and Draco inhales deeply before returning it. The humidity of the room mixes with the smoke and the smell of marijuana, pungent and cloying like the flowers. 

After a length of silence, Draco says, “Will you read me something?”

“Will I what?”

He takes his wand from the floor and Summons a book from the shelf in his room — one of his poetry collections comes sweeping in through the cracked door and into Harry’s lap. Harry sticks the joint between his lips and starts rifling through it with his glasses all fogged up. 

When he starts reading Byron (“I had a dream, which was not all a dream”) Draco smiles and sinks deeper into the hot water and bubbles, letting Harry’s voice lull him into a pleasant stupor. 

 * * *

“So you led him on,” said Pansy. “Because you liked his attention.”

He stared at her, then let his gaze drop to his wine again. Had he?

“It sounds bad when you say it like that.”

“Well,” she said, smiling wryly, “I’m only saying it as you’ve told it to me. Maybe if it sounds bad, it is bad. Some things are that simple, darling. Unless there’s more to it.”

“Like what?” he said, not looking at her. There was a touch of pouty defiance in his voice he knew Pansy would detect instantly. He heard her sigh.

“What exactly happened yesterday, Draco? You didn’t give me any context.”

“What context do you need?” he muttered. “He told me he loved me.”

* * *

They’ve finished an entire bottle of wine between them. He’s not drunk, but he’s pleasantly buzzed. Harry’s sprawled on his back, T-shirt rucked up just below his navel so Draco can see the dark trail of hair leading below his jeans. There’s something implicitly erotic about the movement of his chest when he breathes, his hands folded behind his head, one leg stretched the length of the bed and the other bent at the knee.

He opens his eyes suddenly and grins when he sees Draco looking at him. 

“That wine just made me tired,” he says.

“So go to sleep,” says Draco. He takes a last swig, emptying it, and sets the bottle aside on his night table. He stretches his arms over his head and arches his back, yawning widely, thinking perhaps he’ll give into the tempting allure of sleep as well when Harry says, “I told Hermione about us.”

So he’s not sleeping, then. His stomach clenches hard and a completely irrational sense of panic rises in his throat.

“Us?” he says slowly, sitting up straighter. “What ‘us’?”

Harry looks at him upside-down, then rolls over and rises to his knees. He stares at Draco blankly.

“‘What us?’” he repeats.

“Yes,” says Draco. “What ‘us’?”

“Us,” Harry says. His voice is lower than usual. The word is starting to sound weird and lose meaning. “You and me, Draco.”

“‘You and me?’ Harry, there’s no you and me. We’re just fucking. What do you … what do you mean, you told Granger? Told her what?”

Harry looks … well, he looks fucking crushed. And angry. Draco forces himself not to look away.

“I told her I’d been seeing you,” he says quietly. There’s something … not threatening, but close to it, in his voice.

“Sure,” says Draco. “I see you three times a week, sometimes four. I s’pose if you feel the need to fill Granger in on everything you do with every second of your day —”

“Shut up, Draco,” Harry says. “You know what I meant.”

Draco glares at him. He gets off the bed, slightly lightheaded from the wine, horrified by the emotions welling up inside him right behind the panic, and he points at his bedroom door.

“Get out,” he says. 

“Are you serious?”

“Go!” he says loudly, voice rising. “If you’re gonna start turning this into something it definitely is not then get out of my flat, Potter.” As usual the window is open, but it’s the third of September and getting chilly finally and Draco’s Freesias and Freedom Roses started wilting last week. There’s a chilly breeze coming into that room that is utterly barren of the sweet smells of summer he associates with Harry these days. “It’s time we ended this anyway,” he says. “Summer’s over.”

“So?” From his position kneeling on Draco’s bed Harry shouldn’t feel imposing at all, but he does. There’s no sparkle of humour in his eyes, none of the softness Draco’s gotten used to seeing there. He looks like someone who’s realised they’ve been betrayed.

Worse than that. Someone who’s been betrayed and realises they should have seen it coming.

“What the fuck does summer have to do with anything?”

“Ever heard of a summer fling, Potter? We’re not ‘seeing each other’.”

Harry finally gets off the bed. Draco’s stomach clenches again, more painfully this time. He doesn’t feel bad, he tells himself — this is Harry’s fault. His fault for making a big deal out of something easy and fun and, most of all, temporary. For ruining this with feelings. 

 “That’s not what this was,” Harry says. It’s not an argumentative tone; rather, he sounds disappointed. Devastated, and disappointed. And that look of betrayal, like he’s surprised but not …  that  surprised.

That hurts. 

“This was as real as it gets, Draco,” he says matter-of-factly. “You and I don’t have the capability of doing anything as shallow as a fling.”

“Well, Potter,” says Draco, straining to maintain his level voice, “congratulations, because that is the most disgusting, romanticised, Gryffindorian piece of shit I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah?” He grabs up his wand from the bedside table and stuffs it into his jeans pocket. “Well here’s another: I love you. You complete fucking prick.”

Draco stares after him as he leaves the room, cowed for the moment. He hears Harry take the Floo powder off his mantle, hears the fire start, and then the sound of Potter disappearing. 

And he feels hollow suddenly.

* * *

“And he said it completely out of the blue?” 

Draco set his wine aside. He was suddenly feeling too sick to put anything else in his body.

“Sort of,” he said quietly, avoiding her eyes. “He was trying to make something out of nothing. He was just making a point, trying to guilt me, I don’t even think he meant it.”

Pansy said nothing for so long that Draco finally looked up. She had an eyebrow raised.

“Do you really believe that?” she said.

Draco didn’t answer right away. He glanced at the bottle of wine on the table and thought about the way it always tasted a little sweeter on Harry’s lips.

“I don’t know,” he said. “No. But it doesn’t change anything. It was a summer thing, not a … a relationship, for crying out loud. Like I’d date Potter.”

“Why not?”

Draco scoffed. “Why not? Pansy, please. He’s a …”

“A …?”

“He’s an idiot! He’s Potter!  He’s …” He couldn’t think of the right word, something bad enough to express the audacity, the gall , for Potter to think even for a second  that they could …

“Draco Malfoy,” said Pansy. She was smirking. “You love him too.”

Had he felt sick before?  Now he was going to be sick.

“I never would’ve imagined it,” she went on, seeming to take pleasure from his outrage and humiliation. The bint. “Look at you, you’re blushing! Oh my god,” she laughed. And then she stopped laughing, and instead the weight of her own words appeared to descend on her. “Oh my god. You do, don’t you? You are arse over tits for Harry Potter —”

He was up and out of his chair before she’d finished the last word, absurdly,  embarrassingly on the verge of tears all of a sudden. 

“Draco —”

“I’m glad this can serve as your entertainment for the week, Pansy,” he said. A tear rolled down his cheek — could he be any more histrionic? — and he brushed it away furiously. 

“Draco, no —”

“Call Blaise, tell him!” he shouted. “You two can have a good laugh over it —”

“Draco  —”

“Poor Draco’s  fucked himself over again, what a stupid wanker!” 

Pansy got up. He slapped her hand away when she reached for him, but she only came at him again and grabbed it this time when he swatted at her, enfolding it in both of hers. He closed his eyes and hiccoughed and two more tears came.

“Darling, will you please listen to me?” she said softly. It sounded eerily like his mother, which only made him feel young and childish. He tugged his arm away and she let him go, but he didn’t move any farther away. “I am  not  laughing at you,” she told him. “Blaise might, but that’s because Blaise has a black hole for a heart, Draco, the only emotion he’s ever felt is disdain.” Against his will, Draco chuckled wetly. Pansy smiled and took his hand again, tentatively. He allowed it. “ I think it’s lovely that you have feelings for him. I don’t understand what’s got you so upset, I mean … I know it’s Potter, but we’re not teenagers anymore, right? Who cares?”

Draco exhaled a long sigh.

“He let my father go to Azkaban,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. He saw comprehension dawning. “How can I be with someone who could’ve saved my father’s life and chose not to, Pansy?”

“No one could have saved your father, Draco,” said Pansy gravely. His throat was tight, swollen. He hated that he was hanging on her words, looking for truth in them,  wanting to hear something that would make this okay. “He would have done the same thing if they’d let him go back to the manor. It’s not your fault or your mum’s or Potter’s.”

“But —”

“But what?” she cut him off sharply. “Draco, please don’t let your father keep controlling your life from the grave! My god, you deserve happiness, don’t you see that? Even if it’s Potter! In fact, I … I think that could be really good.”

“What, being with Potter?”

“Yes, being with Potter,” she said. “Darling, I say this because I love you: you need to grow a pair of bollocks and start taking control of your own life. I’m not finished!” she added when he opened his mouth to retort. “I understand that it feels like a betrayal of your father, I do, and I’m not saying you can’t have your cherished memories of him, but Draco … you cannot live your life in his shadow, doing things because it’s what he’d want or wouldn’t want. I think that choosing to explore these feelings you have for Potter is the bravest and healthiest thing you could possibly do for yourself.”

He stared at her for a long moment, eyes wet though the tears had stopped falling. 

“What if it doesn’t last?” he said finally. “What if next week he realises it was a huge mistake?”

“First of all, I doubt that,” said Pansy with a roll of her eyes that was clearly meant to be teasing. “You said you’ve been seeing him all summer, that’s plenty of time to have gotten sick of you. And, even if that did happen, I still think it would be entirely worth that week of being disgustingly in love.”

“Do you?” he drawled.

“Yes! I do!” She picked up his discarded wine glass from before and held it up. “Does the effect of alcohol last forever?”

“No …”

“Of course not! And we don’t expect it to. We expect to have fun while we’re drunk and it’ll last as long as it lasts.”

“Dating someone isn’t like being drunk, Pansy,” Draco said sourly.

“Oh, that’s not the point ,” she huffed. “We don’t do things because we know they’ll last forever, we do them because we want to. In the moment.”

“Sounds irresponsible.”

“Well, of course it is,” she scoffed. “Love is completely irresponsible, that’s the fun of it, Draco. Now take this,” she shoved the glass of wine into his hand, almost spilling it. “Drink up, and then get your arse over to his flat and fix this.”

* * *

Granger opened the door. Draco sighed.

“Hello, Granger,” he said lamely. Her raised eyebrows said she was surprised and thoroughly unimpressed by his appearance.

“Malfoy,” she said.

“Is Potter in?”

“I guess that depends.”

“On?”

She looked at him, dark brown eyes impenetrable. Then she closed the front door behind her.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“To talk to him,” he said tightly. As if this whole thing wasn’t bad enough, now he had to pass a test to get past Granger the bridge troll. “I thought he told you —”

“He did,” she said flatly. “And about yesterday.”

“Well I’m here to apologise,” said Draco. Granger’s eyebrows lifted again. Still unimpressed. “And to tell him …” He sighed again and broke eye contact, willing himself not to give up, not to take this as a sign he should just go home and ream into Pansy for giving him such bad advice.

“Malfoy.” He looked up. Her voice was softer now, and her eyes seemed a little less hard. “What are you doing? You really hurt him, you know.”

“I know,” he said stiffly. “I said I’m here to apologise.”

“Well he doesn’t need an apology,” she said. “If you’re only going to let him down again —”

“I’m not.” He rubbed his forehead and looked at her again, exasperated, defeated. “I’ve … had some sense talked into me.”

She looked like it was the last thing she’d been expecting. 

“Have you?”

“Yes,” he said. “So would you please get him for me before I lose my nerve?”

It was the right thing to say. Her expression melted into something much softer and he fancied he even saw the beginnings of a smile.

“Can I ask who affected this change of heart?”

“Pansy,” he said. And, when Granger seemed taken aback, “She’s very wise when she feels like it.”

“I see. Well …” She still looked a bit conflicted, eyeing him and then putting her hand on the doorknob. “All right. I’ll tell him you’re here, anyway, but he was really hurt, Malfoy. I don’t know if he’ll want to hear it.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he said.

Granger eyed him another moment and then went back inside, shutting the door behind her. Draco only had to wait a minute before it was opening again, and this time Harry came out. The sight of him made Draco’s heart feel tender and sore.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi, Potter.”

He waited to see if Harry would say anything else but he didn’t. He only stared at Draco expectantly, arms folded, in all ways closed off.

“I came to apologise,” said Draco.

“Well you can keep it,” said Harry. “I don’t need an apology because you told me the truth.”

“It wasn’t the truth, Potter,” Draco said quietly. “Opposite, really.”

Harry was silent. Then, “You made me feel like shit, Draco.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You freaked me out, springing it on me like that.”

A beat, then two, and then suddenly Harry was dropping his arms and sighing and he looked at Draco with so much vulnerability he nearly had to turn away from it.

“I didn’t mean to tell you …” He licked his lips, scratched his arm. It reminded Draco that beneath everything, Harry was still the same awkward dorky leader-of-the-losers he’d always been, just with a bit more confidence now and the title of Official Saviour of the Wizarding World. “I wouldn’t have said that if … I was just angry.”

He didn’t need to ask what Harry was referring to.

“I know.”

“Not that I didn’t … I mean, I … I do —”

“Please don’t say it again,” Draco said. Harry laughed.

“Right. I just meant … I really do have feelings for you, Draco. Like … mad, crazy feelings, y’know? I don’t want it to be a fling.”

“It wasn’t a fling,” he said. He moved a little closer and Harry watched him carefully, eyes flickering once down to Draco’s mouth. “I didn’t even sleep with anyone else the whole time.”

“Well that’s good to know,” said Harry sardonically. But he was smiling, so Draco found himself smiling tentatively as well.

“I wanna be with you, Potter. Properly. I thought …” But he shakes his head, deciding that now isn’t the time to explain about his father. “I thought it was a stupid idea. Now I realise that it probably is, but that I don’t really care much. I’ve decided to ignore my better judgment this one time.”

“That’s quite Gryffindor of you,” Harry commented drily.

“Yes, well.”

“So I go against your better judgment, then?”

“Potter,” Draco sighed. “Please, I don’t mean it like —”

“I’m taking the piss, Draco,” Harry cut him off. He reached for Draco’s waist and pulled him close, and before Draco could get his breath back from a short, surprised intake of breath Harry’s mouth was on his, warm and familiar and soothing. He brought his hands to Harry’s face and kissed back without bothering to hide his overwhelming relief.

Harry chased his mouth when he pulled away and Draco breathed out a laugh, holding him at bay with a hand on his chest. 

“We have plenty of time,” he said. “D’you wanna come over later tonight, after your friends leave?”

“What? No, come in.” He took Draco’s hand and gestured with his head towards the door. “Please. It’s just Ron and Hermione. They know everything.”

“Really?” Draco drawled. “And you think Weasley won’t try to kill me?”

“I promise not to let him,” Harry grinned. “Please, Draco. You said you wanted to do this properly, right?”

He thought of what Pansy said about being irresponsible, and decided it was worth a try at least.

“Okay,” he said. Harry beamed and tugged him inside.

Towards his ultimate downfall or towards the beginning of the rest of his life, he didn’t know. That, as Pansy would have said, was the fun of it.

[xiu21chen99]

hxh headcanon/imagine.

again... still about hisoillu but about their engagement instead of illu's influenced fashion choice.

also this is more of... idk it gave reason why they chose to marry instead of uh other ways i guess??

i've seen so many fanarts where illu would break the news to the zoldycks or how killu would react to having hisoka as his brother in law- like srsly it's meme worthy at this point- and lotsa ones that showed how hisoka proposed as a joke or smtg but... I've been overthinking abt it these past few days sO i present to you how i think "the big question aka the proposal" happened... (manga spoilers??)

it's after hisoka resurrected himself obviously, and def after he killed kortopi and shalnark (so he knew there was gonna be empty slots in the spiders' lineup)

i imagine illu went back to the zoldyck estate after the whole fiasco and only heard of hisoka's "death" from rumors while he was on a mission

and then when he was idk maybe contemplating on whether or not he should visit the body(?) to pay respects or something, he gets a text message from the devil himself

their text went like this probably:

hisoka: hey~ where are you right now?♠️ (and no u can't tell me hisoka doesn't text w card suits u just can't-)

illumi: who are you and how did you get the phone you are currently using?

hisoka: ooh~ illu~ i feel betrayed, did you delete my number?♣️

illumi: hisoka is dead

hisoka: *image attached*

illumi: oh

illumi: hello hisoka, how are you still alive?

hisoka: you sound disappointed~♦️

illumi: i kind of am...

hisoka: rude, just tell me where you are♥️

...and that's how they met up?? ngl i think illu has a know-it-all syndrome where he just has to,,, k n o w everything

he's curious so he agrees to the meetup ofc

he's also surprised when he sees hisoka is in good shape when they meet (idk at a bar in an unknown city?)

they drink whiskey on the rocks because... you know...

hisoka explains how he survived and his next plan of action (which is terminate the spiders)

illumi makes a mental note of nen after death bc he's heard and seen it all before but... not to this extent,

this is gonna be,,, bland but i think this is the logic behind why hisoka chose to get married/engaged instead of just paying up front (reference to the ten dons' commission to get chrollo killed and chrollo's commission to get the ten dons killed)--

anyways here's how their conversation goes:

i: "why did you want to talk in person?"

h: "oh y'know, for old times sake."

i: "...right"

hisoka laughs, "okay so maybe i want to ask you for a favor..?"

confused, illumi asks, "why could you not have just texted if you wanted me to kill someone for you?"

h: "no, no- wait, actually, you're not too far off."

i: ~mOrE cOnfUsiOn~ "huh?"

h: "how do contracts for assassination work in your... family business?"

i: "half the promised pay before, the remaining half afterwards. should the target be eliminated by a third party, the assigned zoldyck still gets the pay and should the employer die, then the contract is terminated and the zoldyck will report back immediately."

h: "and has anyone made a contract to have themselves terminated?"

i: "i beg your pardon?"

h: "what complications will arise should your employer's target be... themselves?"

i: "i believe... i have never encountered such circumstance before. the people who hire us are those who have enough money and resource to have their enemies killed quickly. no one's tried to test the zoldyck assassination prowess."

h: "so... how will that work?"

i: "are you implying this is the reason why you have contacted me today?"

h: "yes~ ♥️" (how he said a heart emoji out loud is up to you, reader)

i: "it will be a pointless paradox. logically, the zoldyck will only get the employment bill. and i, myself, do not find pleasure in going for the kill like you lest i get my reward, so you will not get a contract out of me, hisoka."

h: "is there no leeway?"

i: "a zoldyck stands up to their word. so no."

h: "even for a friend?~ ♦️"

i: "we are not friends, hisoka-"

hisoka raises his glass of whiskey along with his eyebrow.

i: "oh..."

h: "didn't you tell dear killua that a zoldyck didn't need friends?"

i: "you... are an associate, someone reliable in the killing world. it's different."

h: "hypocrite"

i: "i ask you for favors and you make me return them. it is not like we spend our time together leisurely like killu with that island boy..."

hisoka clinks their matching glasses of whiskey even though his is already empty, a shit-eating grin on his lips.

i: "you suggested we meet here."

h: "this isn't the first time we went out to drink, right illu?"

i: "regardless!! i will not kill you just for half the money. i do not like wasting efforts on fruitless missions."

h: "as i said, is there no exception, to make sure you get my money if you were to succeed in killing me?"

i: "are you doubting my skill, hisoka?"

h: "that's not the point right now~ ♠️"

i: "wait, why do you want me to get all of your money?"

h: "haven't we just gotten over this subject? because you're my friend, of course."

i: "i... we are not friends, hisoka."

hisoka claps, "that's it! illumi!! ♣️"

i: "eh?"

h: "marry me! that way in our prenup I'll make sure you get all of my money, and even without a prenup you'll still get it since you'll be my only relative! that solves it!"

i: "hisoka, are you sure death did not took a toll on your brain? you did say you used Bungee Gum only on your heart and lungs..."

h: "i'm being serious, illumi!! and doesn't this solve your earlier conflict? we don't have to be friends, we'll be husbands!"

i: "do not use that tactic with me, you manipulative bastard. stop joking."

h: "this is purely beneficial for you, honestly i don't get why you just won't accept it."

i: "then humor me this first, why now?"

h: "dear illu, i've been to literal hell and back. i think it's time to leave my mark in case i fail to escape death again."

i: "was it that bad?"

h: "you'll love it there, illu~ ♥️"

h: "on a more serious note, though, i do plan to marry you. out of everyone i've encountered, you're the most eligible candidate. you're powerful, fully capable and extremely pretty to boot! you're the ideal husband!"

(blushing obviously, illumi downs the remaining whiskey in his glass) i: "death has changed you, hisoka."

h: "so?"

i: "fine."

h: "excellent!"

and in one fell swoop, illumi has a pin against the curve of hisoka's jugular, wrist held tightly by hisoka- a card matching against his own neck.

"not yet, dear husband." hisoka whispered into his ear, "we have to manage the papers first. and i've a request before you do."

they let each other go at the same time, not even breathing an unnecessary breath in the other's personal space (well, they're nearly pressed thigh to thigh anyways, what's the point of personal space anymore-)

"a condition rather than a request, really."

"what?" hisoka orders them refills, and downs his when it arrives.

"join the ryodan first."

glass already pressed on thin lips, illumi's confused hum resonates softly into the concave utensil. "why?"

"so things can get more interesting. i assume you know of the dark continent expedition that's soon to take place?"

"father has advised i take part on it, since kalluto told me the ryodan plans to rob some cliches who'll join the expedition- to look after him. you want me to join them?"

"yes, and i plan to board as well, don't fret."

illumi's eyes turn to slits, "how should i know you would be there? i can't take your word when you might just disappear when we've all boarded."

hisoka grins, wide then wider, "you should know by now illu, i plan to avenge my wounded pride. that damned chrollo didn't even fight me properly."

tilting his head, illumi stared at the man beside him, "is that not contradictory? i thought you did not mind your opponent using whatever means necessary to win?"

"magicians use tricks and misdirection to awe the audience," hisoka says almost thoughtlessly, "chrollo's a narcissistic hypnotist who used the audience as a damned shield because he knew he couldn't handle me face-to-face."

he groans, tinged in regret. "i shouldn't have picked heaven's arena, if i'd chosen a more discreet location then maybe the damage won't be this bad."

"damage?" illumi rests his chin on his palm, facing his husband.

hisoka swipes a hand over his face, and the glamour comes off. the picture he sent illumi now present in front of him. he was missing a nose, his left hand didn't have any finger left and dried blood chipped on his white skin. "oh."

with another swipe, everything's made correct again. hisoka was grinning again. he downs the remaining alcohol and leaves jenny bills under the emptied glass.

"come, lovely husband. we're to elope and legalize our union!"

illumi follows suit after downing his own glass, "i think there might be another loop hole, if you were to join the family. zoldycks do not kill family."

"so if i were to wed you, here and now, you'd think me more of a family than alluka?"

"alluka is not family."

"are those your words, illumi? or silva's?"

"i..."

"wow, you're really just as fucked up as i am."

"where do you plan to take me? i've just said i cannot kill family."

hisoka chuckles, "then you're the one to take my name, of course."

"preposterous!"

"who the hell still uses that word?"

"i am and will always be a zoldyck-"

"exactly. it's just legal papers, if you kill me then you'll just be a widow and even get your name back! see how everything'll work out in the end?"

"hisoka-"

"are you doubting your skill of assassination, my dearest husband?"

"... i better get the most expensive ring in this damned city."

"that's the spirit! now let's go get married!"

"wait, hisoka. what is your last name?"

later that night, when they leave a chapel, something gold glimmers on hisoka's bungee gum/texture surprise ring finger. a matching one around illumi's finger.

unlike hisoka, though, illumi had an extra red glimmer right under that gold, in the dead center of a silver band of intricately designed pattern. hisoka had foregone the traditional diamond in favor of a 16 carat ruby engagement ring, such a curious choice but illumi accepted it all the same...

(much later on, hisoka took both rings as collateral and reminded illumi that he would get them back even if he died bc it was in their damn prenup- and bc it was technically bought under illumis name and that's how hisoka assured illu that he'd be on that black whale,,, bc he had the rings and planned to give them back to him there)

"I thought a red gemstone was better suited for the rather bloody and murderous ending that our relationship will inevitably come to, wouldn't you agree?"

-Hisoka Morow whenever someone mentions his preference of proposal ring...

"I disagree with most of his ideals, our relationship has always had a fragile foundation, and I knew from the start that we'd eventually end up killing each other."

-Illumi Morow, nee Zoldyck when asked about his thoughts on his husband...

[siren-virus]

There's some stuff that has been going around in my head regarding Luckuboy!AU, so I'll just dump everything here and see how you might adapt/change/evolve some of these ideas, or don't use any of them since that's perfectly valid too and it's your au, not mine :3 anyways, this is a long idea that can be divided, so I'll do just that and make a paragraph for each sub-idea.

1) Ben's daily schedule: Ben most likely has a morning schedule in the coffee shop, and as such he would get to work early, now idk how they work, but I imagine Ben's day to day life would go something like this: Ben's alarm goes off at 7:00, he wakes up and leaves bed at 7:15, breakfast and shower before arriving at work at 8:00 (do shops open at 8:00? 8:30? idk :V), keep working until 16:00 with lunchtime tucked in the middle, hang out with friends/relax/naps until 20:00, start his own vigilante work until 2:00, where he goes to sleep and repeats. If his patrol is slow then he would go home earlier to sleep more, if it's hectic and he doesn't get enough sleep, then the afternoon/evening would be used in powernaps.

2) Ben the info brooker, I imagine that Ben would eventually get to know a lot, and I mean A LOT, of information about everyone and everything important that's going on in Undertown (which, considering the situation of Earth and the Plumbers, is probably the only alien world center, would be everything), and when he hears of someone having some kind of trouble, he gives them a nudge in a certain direction for them. Eventually word gets out that there's a new information brooker in town that has scarily accurate info, he works at a coffee shop and you better give him a big tip if you don't want some of your info to get out fast (how real this info is nobody knows, and since Ben hasn't heard of it he can't correct them)

2.5) One day Argit appears and asks for a coffee under a different name, when it's ready Ben calls for him (he used a fake name) and writes with an alcohol marker on the cup "Argit", scaring the hell out of him. "How did you know?" "I'd be shitty at what I do if I couldn't recognize you *wink*", then he tells him that as long as they do nothing dangerous near him he won't tattle him and Kevin to the Plumbers, or worse, Gwen. "Don't you dare" says Argit aghast, "Try me bitch" answers Ben grinning, almost double daring him into doing something dangerous only so he can call his cousin and set up a date

3) The coffee made in the shop is delicious, caters to every species needs, alergies, likes and dislikes, and everyone agrees that the place is the best of the best in the whole world for these reasons and more; thus the shop has been a tentative neutral zone for years, however the lack of "people" (idk what word to use that captures everyone, human or alien) that knows how to fight there has severly dampened the opportunity of it becoming one. Cue Ben beggining to work there, in the beggining it's nothing special, he's just a human who makes good coffee and is surprisingly charming, come a few weeks and months and everyone starts noticing how he's the infamous information brooker that has been the talk of Undertown, thus gathering a bit more attention. Eventually someone (Plumber, civilian, villain, whatever you choose) is more rude to him than needed and tries to get some info from him, even if it's by force... Ben decks him, like, he kicks their ass, defenestrates them, break a chair on them and hands them unconcious to the closest Plumber, bleeding and all while still being intact himself. Everyone glares in awe at the show of badassery and oficially the coffee shop becomes the new true neutral zone, where everyone can get coffee, exchange information and form unlikely friendships. Whenever someone tries to mess with the shop, if Ben isn't present, is busy or it's too much for him, everyone else, Plumber, villain and civilian joins him in defending the shop and getting rid of the nuisancess that mess with the shop.

4) With all the info that Ben gets both as a barista and as a vigilante, one would think that he would give everything out as long as you paid the prize, but surprisingly he has a strong code that he never breaks. If he EVER learns that a piece of information he has with himself is considered confidential, then he'll never speak about it with anyone, no matter how much they offer to pay him. He can't answer for the ones who talks about this info in the shop without saying in any moment that the info is supposed to be confidential, he can't read minds, but everyone catches on fast on this, and some say the keyword when talking in the coffee shop. However many still forget about it once in a while, since the calm atmosphere of the shop is too powerful and slip up often happen. Still Ben can't be blamed, how is he supposed to know if some piece of info is confidential if no one ever says it is? Again, he's not a mindreader nor a telepath.

5) Any info on his vigilante persona he never gives out, however it's not because of not wanting to give out any of that info, but rather because another part of his code is "If I haven't heard people talk about something, then I don't know information about it. All my info is second hand, so unless someone else already knows about it, I won't know about it". That can come in very handy considering the surprisingly little info there is about his vigilante persona out there, despite how famous he kinda is. This more often than not drives Jimmy mad.

Love brainstorms, hate the alien.

1) Most cafes open at 7am from my knowledge, 9am if you're in a sleepy town, so it'd be more like a 6am wake up, optional breakfast- (who eats breakfast these days?), straight to the cafe around 7ish to help with cleaning and setting up for the day.

This cafe is more of a 24/7 place. With 24/7 breakfast! (don't you hate it when places stop doing breakfast at a certain hour?)

Apart from that love what ya got there.

As for the vigilante side, he starts whenever is easiest, it's all dependent if things are hectic or not. Sun goes down roughly 7PM (pretty late I know, but where I live (during summer at least), sun won't go down til 9PM). Sometimes he finishes at 2AM, sometimes a few minutes before work (Incoming animatic!)

2) Love everything about that too! I'd like to think Ben has no idea about it at first, he just notices some days the tip jar is fuller than others. He chocks it up to his charming personality. But eventually he catches on.

Another thing to add, at some point if people wanted to get info from Ben they'd order a "whipped caramel latte with icing sugar, honey, and salt" (gross) Ben has no idea of this, but the weird amount of customers ordering that and asking for intel, kinda makes him think about it.

2.5) This!! good shit right here! Except, you can't call a customer a bitch, trust me... Karen's and Kevin's exist in all shapes, sizes and forms. So Ben uses the kill them with kindness, customer service attitude.

Additionally, sometimes Kevin, although rarely, comes by, hovers around the counter. He'll order a coffee and glare at Ben until, he gets his attention.

"You staring at me for a reason?"

"I need to know about Gwen 10."

Of course, at this Ben would grin devilishly and respond with, "Oh, you wanna take her on date? She loves sappy romance movies, she's also a nerd, so get her a math book instead of flowers."

That always shuts Kevin up, makes him leave most occasions.

3) Everything about this is just!!! Love it. Wouldn't change a thing.

4) Yes yes!!Sometimes, a customer will demand classified info (those that aren't initiated to how the cafe works). When Ben refuses to squawk this can lead to some shouting from a customer sometimes, which leads to a coworker, or a regular shoeing the nasty customer away. Ben can hold his own against most people, as a human, but sometimes they're just a little too big or a little too tough to be able to defend himself against.

5) I like that a lot too.

I also like to think that sometimes, if Ben wants to mess with someone, especially Jimmy. He'll slip a piece of information out that no one else knows.

"I heard from a plumber, that the vigilante guy likes smoothies- specifically [insert favourite smoothie flavour of the week]"

Cue Jimmy buying several of that smoothie to try and lure Luckyboy (still haven't thought of a namee!!!) out. It works, and Ben gets free smoothies almost every week.

This could backfire immensely though.

Woo, sorry about the delay there, been working a few shifts. Work is kicking my ass as usual...