#honestly I think she and I would make great friends. she's only 5 years older than me. 4 and a half even

[malachitezmeyka]

WHY DID MY BIOLOGY TEACHER JUST COME OUT AS ASEXUAL TO ME WTF IS GOING ON

[cupiidzbow]

OK SORRY I WAS THINKING ABOUT THINGS TOO HARD AGAIN here’s an expanded character relationship chart ( there’s placeholders and it’s still not done but here’s a general idea 😭😭) expanded ideas under the cut in case it’s hard to read 😭

- candy, dk , funky and freddie (all childhood friends, grew up together.)

candy + freddie: best friends through and through!! ( Freddie admires her confidence and skills and Candy appreciates his willingness to help his friends and soft heart , but “you gotta stand up for yourself more sweetie.” 😭.) roommates before things started getting serious between freddie and funky.

candy + dk: dated for a point in time but had a mutual breakup, still great friends regardless! ( dk is kinda into people who can kick his ass )

candy + funky: she had the hots for him for a while but he never showed any feelings back. ( she found out he was gay) “OH! Oh, yeah that check out.” she got over him after that. funky appreciates her, one of his closest friends!

freddie + dk: great friends! Freddie had feelings for him but never said anything abt it, thought it wasn’t going to work out so moved on. Dk didn’t realize he had feelings for him until he got with funky ( “why do i feel so jealous?” 🙁 ) figured out that Freddie use to like him at some point and started crying sobbing and throwing up when he realized he fumbled the bag.

funky + freddie: best friends! funky had a crush on freddie for YEARS. he was so down bad abt him and wanted to always make him feel loved and appreciated even if there was the possibility they would never get together. freddie was oblivious to his affections for a bit but started gaining feelings for funky as he noticed the way he treated him as they got older, they want eachother so bad it makes them look stupid. 🫶🏽

Dk + funky: best bros for life!!! funky never noticed any animosity between them and considers dk one of his best friends. dk thinks very highly of funky of course! but he couldn’t help but start getting extremely jealous of funky for getting with freddie after he realized his feelings for him too late. ( biting his fist till it bleeds) “CONGRATULATIONS. IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU…… 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁” ( he then proceeds to drive into traffic)

additional kong relationships!

- freddie + diddy: cousins!! diddy was raised with Freddie when he was born and he has a cool older cousin watching after him always!!! Freddie would kill and die for diddy. that’s his baby cousin 😢😢 when diddy found out funky liked Freddie he was like 🤨. (standing on 5 boxes ) break his heart I will get you. ( He won’t diddy don’t worry.)

dixie + diddy: best friends and first crushes! they’re like 14. watched her punch a guy in the face or something and he started having feelings for her. idk they’re cute 😭😭😭

Blondie (guard kong) + freddie - Freddie befriended him at some point and got to know him!! he’s very kind and he honestly thought he was kinda cute but he probably doesn’t feel that way back so I’m happy being his friend. ^-^ (Blondie in his head) I have loved you for a million lifetimes. He has the biggest crush on freddie but he is not much of a talker and way too shy to ever admit how he feels to him so he will take it to the grave.

( general best friend/ familial relationships between dk/diddy/cranky/dixie/candy/funky/tiny)

bluster + everyone: everyone wants to jump him. kremlings included.

kremling/kong dynamics

everyone can’t stand k. rool he’s literally a public menace.

cranky + k. rool: they had a lil gay thing going on in the 70s and they’re bitter exes now. cranky got over him, k. rool never got over it. “I will torture ur grandson and his friends to get back at you now.”

candy + kalypso- recongnized eachother from the barrel blast completions and were neutral abt eachother even tho they’re on opposite sides. they both ended up being kinda …. “ 😳😳😳” over eachother eventually

funky + kludge + freddie - funky only really saw him as an unserious rival in the barrel blast competitions. Freddie helped Candy during the challenges and never participated….. they both kind where like….. 🧐 hold awn he’s kinda….. Over kludge. kludge does not like the kongs at all so it is not at all reciprocated.

[coraniaid]

Good news: I have objectively ranked Buffy's worst multi-episode subplots. By which I mean, these are the ones that I personally most object to, and I ranked them in a spreadsheet so this is practically science.

7) Willow/Xander secretly cheating (Season 3). Not quite as bad as its reputation, honestly? Yes, it's not much fun to watch and yes, Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon don't have any obvious chemistry (although I really have to think that's intentional). But it at least serves a useful thematic purpose in the season, with Xander and Willow's secrets both mirroring Buffy's own secret about Angel's return and influencing how they react to finding out about it. Plus, it gives the writers an excuse to break up Cordelia and Xander, so it can't be all bad.

Speaking of which:

6) Cordelia and Xander (Seasons 2-3). Yeah, this just sucks, sorry. As a silly one episode gag it was fine, but spinning it out for longer than that was a mistake for both characters. Sure, you can try to retcon it to be something more interesting than it is (especially by taking the more human and sympathetic version of Xander that the show hadn't actually bothered creating yet and projecting him back into it), but as presented on screen this is the closest the show ever comes to writing Xander as an actual Joss Whedon self-insert fantasy. Oh, of course, the pretty and popular cheerleader falls in love with awkward misfit Xander Harris (no doubt won over by his strategy of lingering hostility and constant insults and allegations of promiscuity), and of course she abandons all her friends to be with him. Of course she finds it romantic that he tries to cast a love spell on her "for revenge" after she tries to break up with him. Of course he makes her so much happier than any of her other older or more popular boyfriends did. Uh huh. As is true for so much of Buffy and Angel, Cordelia deserved a lot better than this.

5) Oz and Veruca (Season 4). In which Seth Green annoys Joss Whedon and gets written out of the show in revenge. This wouldn't be the first time that something like this happened, of course. And it's telling that Oz, unlike Darla or Cordelia, is only sent away from town at the end of the arc, rather than killed off outright. But that doesn't change the fact that this is still pretty bad. Oz has been a werewolf for almost two years by this point. It doesn't really make sense that it would suddenly start making him act like this. There were ways to write Oz out that didn't involve such blatant character assassination. (Not that Oz ever had much in the way of characterization.) Oh, and the werewolf costumes are still awful. Only this low on the list because it sets the stage for Willow and Tara.

Speaking of writing characters out of the show:

4) Riley's secret late night vampire visits (Season 5). I don't like Riley. As far as I'm concerned he's one of the weaker links of Season 4. I think he's an incredibly boring character, that he's not particularly likeable as a person and that ultimately he's a poor fit for the show. I'm glad he was written out. However. Writing him out by first making him (at least metaphorically) unfaithful, something he'd never shown any sign of being before, and then having him issue an ultimation to Buffy in which he threatens to join a secret paramilitary squad in South America if she doesn't immediately forgive him for said infidelity, and then having Xander lecture Buffy about how great Riley is, actually, and this is really all Buffy's fault for not paying him enough attention while her mother was in hospital with a brain tumor was ... uh. A choice.

3) Willow's magic addiction (Season 6). The use of magic as a metaphor for drug addiction was not new to Season 6. Arguably it's the first metaphorical use for magic in the show at all, going all the way back to Giles' backstory as revealed in The Dark Age. The show's metaphors are usually a bit subtler than this though. But the real problem is that Willow's magic addiction ends up replacing a much more interesting story the show had been slowly setting up for years, about Willow over-relying on magic to find easy solutions and not particularly concerning herself with other people's opinions or consent and her slightly warped personal morality ("occasionally I'm callous and strange", but also "I've also thought of myself as a good person"). Once all her problems can be reduced to something external, to something which happens to her rather than because of her, something which she's almost tricked into by her (retroactively) bad, unsympathetic drug addict friend Amy, the show just forgets all about this previous character work. What memory spell?

2) Spike's hypnotic trigger (Season 7). Having chosen to interpret soul lore in the least interesting way they could possibly think of (having a soul makes you Good and any of the people you hurt should just get over it), the writers realized they had a problem. Other than sitting around in a basement feeling sorry for himself, they didn't have anything for the newly ensouled Spike to actually do. Their solution -- what if Spike were ... hypnotized? -- does nothing but set up some incredibly boring new conflicts that have absolutely nothing to do with his established character or existing past. Or indeed with much of anything. I mean, come on. If this is all the writers could think of doing with a souled Spike, why even bother giving him a soul at all?

This would be easily the worst of Buffy's subplots, seeing that it throws out five seasons of existing character development, wastes any number of potentially interesting story ideas and culminates in the absolute nadir that is Lies My Parents Told Me, were it not for:

1) "Is Giles the FIrst Evil?" (Season 7). A long-running mystery that spans multiple episodes and which requires all of the characters involved to not only be complete idiots but to actually cease to exist when the camera isn't pointed at them. (None of them ever thought to touch Giles despite knowing about the First? None of them hugged him or shook his hand despite not having seen him in months? None of them ever accidentally touched him while sharing a house for weeks?) And it's a mystery that largely only exists for the audience, a question which the actual characters don't even ask themselves until getting a phone call from a complete stranger who by his own testimony can only still be alive if Giles isn't the First (if Giles had been killed by a Bringer, then why would they have left any witnesses?). All in the service of a subplot which takes up valuable time from an already painfully overcrowded season and whose only actual payoff is a wretched and sordid little joke about Giles touching teenage girls. Just abysmal on every level.

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

I know this is millennia in the future but I'm a sucker for time shenanigans.

What do you think Dr. Light and the rest of the classic crew would feel about X and his family?

Bro as someone who’s also into timeline shenanigans this is gonna be fun!

To note this is Non canon but I will be talking about it since I’m silly >:3

So basically it would be a very interesting scenario where either Classic or Legends gangs end up in either timelines. But for simplicity sake let’s just say through time travel shenanigans that caused Classic gang to end up in the Legends timeline for a short time and encounter X’s Family by accident.

Dr Light would have so many questions about this Era especially seeing X. He recognizes him regardless of his grizzled appearance, and role that he has. He’s still his youngest child in his eyes. My goodness look how he grew! Even if it took thousands of years to get there!

He’s also a father for goodness sake!! Taking care of 5 rambunctious children, who are all different in personality, appearance, age, experiences etc…they are so diverse yet so close with each other! He loves all of his grandchildren to bits! Each and one of them are so unique in their own right! (Despite the MASSIVE time gap in creation dates between the Guardians and Volnutt). But they still have their Father’s traits in their own unique ways. He’ll just just spoil his grandchildren and bond with them.

But notice that Volnutt is also this Era’s Megaman…but thankfully the boy has his family and friends to guide him like Rock has…it’s such an interesting coincidence that his youngest Grandson was named after his other son.

(It would be a silly tradition to name their youngest sons after their fathers aksnskn)

He’s just so proud of X for how far he has come, having to endure so many years of hardships to get there. Basically Dr light is just very happy to finally meet his son and his very colorful children.

Megaman/Rock’s feelings about his little brother’s family were met with enthusiasm and curiosity. He thinks they are the freakin coolest!! Like Dr.Light, he’s proud of his Little brother. He absolutely thinks his nieces and nephews are the coolest!! Absolutely want to get to know them better, especially Volnutt. He spends time with them and definitely is that fun uncle that tries to be a good influence to them.

Roll really said “FINALLY I'M NOT THE ONLY GIRL ANYMORE!!!!!”

Basically she also would love her baby bro’s Fam a lot. They would be very close and have all sorts of fun!! Especially fefnir’s gardening hobby is a constant delight for her. She appreciates X for teaching his kids how to do house work! She and Leviathan often get cute outfits together. Absolutely Taught the rugrats the power of THE BROOM.

Blues like everyone else is proud of X and is so happy to see him and his children. Unlike his younger siblings Blues would be a cool uncle who would get the kids to loving trouble. He’s a great influence for them yeah nothing goes even wrong- Honestly Phantom and Harpuia reminds him a lot of Tangle and Beat. He definitely calls Harpuia “Harpy bird” (For his fucking dismay).

But it’s also really fucking hilarious since Rock, Roll and Blues despite that they are older then X and his fam they are child models so the contrasts with with their brother and his kids. So trips to watch Movies and antics would make the ultimate wacky shenanigans galore!! Especially the reactions they would be priceless (Oh Blues is absolutely taking advantage of this).

X and his Kids would be swarmed by their robot master relatives. Especially volnutt HE HAS SO MANY UNCLES AND AUNTS LIKE DANG-

But yeah the classic gang absolutely loves X and his family very dearly, the same thing goes with them too. After the kids get over the shock of how ridiculously large loving robot family.

[ciciciron]

Random Gen 4 Character Hcs cuz I'm Too Sick to Write Anything Good

Ya boy's got strep, gonna do every Gym Leader and the E4, some characters will have more cuz I'm autism but I'll write something for everyone

Roark;

He's the second youngest Gym Leader, like, 18 - 22 at most

That doesn't mean he's inexperienced, no, it's honestly based upon the timeline of whatever I'm writing but I think he's been a Gym Leader for a good few years

I get the vibe that he's just like really nice, like just a good, reliable dude who needs a break and is fortunately likable enough to escape his father's shadow

Gardenia;

She's afraid of like everything, beyond just ghosts, my girl is a coward

She's pretty close with every other Gym Leader because of this, got em all on speed dial to come get the Spinarak out of her house and all that

Such a cringe fail lesbian

Honestly I see her as such a Kobeni (csm) type character, she knows what you are

Maylene;

Girl is 9 get her out of here

My reasoning for that age is because in pokespe it's mentioned that she's younger than Platinum, who is like 12

She's not weak but like someone help this poor girl she don't know what's going on

Crasher Wake;

Bros like, really good with kids, great at entertaining them, they just think he's cool af

He's not very helpful but he definitely tries, like if you cried he would recommend petting Quagsire, which would probably help tbh

He just gives the vibe like he's the type of guy you'd call uncle your whole life only to learn later on he's just a friend of your dads and not at all related to you

Fantina;

She isn't actually French- I know, who would willingly act French? She would, her real name is Heather because I came up with all of this when I was going through my musical theatre phase

She's Jupiter's older sister, naturally they don't talk much anymore

She isn't very lucky when it comes to love, swears after the end of every bad relationship that she's going to give up and become a nun, she is not religious nor does she ever stick to her word

Byron;

Sometimes he just forgets he's a dad, not like- forgets who Roark is, just that if he got called to come bail him out of jail he'd be confused why he was the one getting the call

Himbo energy, not a thought behind those eyes

Wildly irresponsible but on accident

Candice;

Girl's an influencer, she's the only one of them who knows how to properly work Tiktok, she will send you Tiktoks that remind her of you and you WILL receive those links through Instagram DMs because she forgot to save your phone number or just doesn't have it

Adding onto that- she will post fit checks regardless of what is happening in the background, she doesn't care that that man is drowning, this ain't about him

She is really good at remembering things about her coworkers though, she's in charge of every birthday party, if you forget your birthday don't worry she remembered and she is in your house don't ask how she got in

Volkner;

I don't care if he's canonically just some skinny twink he's big to ME. Like- 6'4", at least 200 pounds, guy is just huge and bulky and built like a brick wall, tons of practical strength because,,,

This is more about his Luxray but his name is Oscar and he's massive, think an Alpha Luxray in Legends Arceus, that cat is huge, Volkner is only even slightly strong just to be able to lift him off of his bed at night when he's trying to sleep

Wildly irresponsible but on purpose, he thinks it's funny to endanger himself, no he won't seek help he doesn't believe in therapy because he wasn't properly helped when he was younger

He does care about Sunyshore though, spent a week fixing that black out that stopped you from visiting the city at first in DPPT, he claims it's Team Galactic's fault but like no one believes him

Sorry to give Volkner 5 I mean what to expect from the guy who named himself Volkner but he's related to like every Electric Type Gym Leader and also whoever I see fit. It's a very large family. He makes frequent trips to Unova to visit his only respected similarly aged cousin Elesa so they can trash talk their not respected similarly aged cousin Colress (Long story). Also yes I do believe Palmer is his dad and Barry is his younger brother and I'm deciding today that they all have a good relationship. (Also I want to elaborate on this all so much like smh I didn't even bring up the Shinx based ceremony but that's gonna have to be a different post)

I don't have biases what are you talking about anyways E4 time.

Aaron;

He may or may not be distantly related to this fellow green hair and prong having man named Ghetsis but that's more lore to unpack on my end and I don't want to explain my real life friendships that make Ghetsis relevant here.

He can't be in the same room with Gardenia for too long because she gets freaked out just knowing Vespiquen is there, they have to be cycled out intermittently at every League meeting

He's been in the E4 the 3rd longest despite the fact he's only slightly older than Flint and Lucian, everyone who doubts Bug Types is amazed

Bertha;

She's been here before Cynthia was Champion and was actually the Champion before the guy who came before Cynthia, there's no getting rid of her

The hair makes it obvious but she's related to Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four, sometimes they meet for tea and to trash talk every challenger they've faced as well as their coworkers

She's excellent at comforting people without even realizing what she said half the time, you'll thank her for the advice and she'll accept that without knowing what she told you to do, she was completely out of it

Flint;

He was the Oreburgh Gym Leader before Roark, however many years before depends on the timeline, but he was second choice to join after Volkner declined for reasons I don't actually have outside of my main au

He acts exactly like one of those straight boys pretending to be gay to make fun of gay people expect it isn't acting and everyone can tell aside from him (i.e. jokingly being incredibly affectionate with Volkner)

He's probably the most reliable friend one could have and is like always ready to throw hands, he has too much energy and just wants to punch someone in the face, please ask him to punch someone in the face he will happily do it he's begging you

Lucian;

Guys a fucking ass, like, he's just very rude. That's not because I hate him he just seems kind of stuck up. (I'm mad that he tells me about how much he reads whenever I talk to him in Pokemas because I can't read large paragraphs without my vision blurring and it feels like he's bragging, and also a specific decision I made for my general lore)

He's genuinely psychic, like, telekinesis style, it comes in handy at sorting books and throwing things at people because that guy ain't got an arm on him to save his life

I think that psychic power could be totally nullified by putting a hat on him. Battle tactic.

Cynthia;

Her father was Champion before her, she's a nepobaby, she would get upset if you called her that though because she worked real hard for her position and is tired of people devaluing her

Her slug is named Sharon and she hates men, specifically blonde ones. If you are near that Gastrodon as a blonde man you are about to be hydropumped. You can't out run Sharon don't even think about it just accept your fate.

Meanwhile her Garchomp is named Joan and she's just a large scaley puppy.

She definitely needs glasses but she's very stubborn

She also can't drive. Don't let her do it. She is going to hit another mythical Pokemon.

Cynthia is also incredibly shocked whenever she learns someone doesn't care about history as much as her. She's just like- in awe, she forgot people could have other interests and it's throwing her for a loop, she'll just kind of stand there with her mouth agape until you speak again and even then she'll never look at you the same again

Okay that's...everyone for today, I would do Team Galactic but at that point I'd feel like I have to write something for every single character in the game and I'm neglecting my homework too hard for that.

[soleilceirinen]

Renaissance | teacher!Cillian Murphy x fem!Reader - Part 5

Summary: you are an Art History student in your last year at university. Cillian is your teacher. A/N: in this story Cillian is about 20 years older than the reader. Everything happens in an alternative universe where he is not an actor or famous, he doesn't have a wife or kids like in real life. Also, English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistake! Part 4 - Cillian Murphy Masterlist - Part 6

The next week passed by in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. You kept yourself busy in order to avoid Brad, which wasn’t very hard to do since you had lectures in the mornings and then you had to go to the gallery for the final preparations before Friday.  

You didn’t say anything about Cillian to your friends. Probably, Olivia would encourage you to have fun but Valerie would freak out, not only due to the age gap but also due to the fact that he was your teacher and someone in a position of power over you. 

So you kept him as your little secret. 

Moreover, he had invited you to have dinner at his place twice during the week. Instead of meeting in the coffee shop or his office to review your project, he suggested doing it at his house. After all, he had a huge collection of books related to the topic of your research that he insisted you could borrow if you needed. You couldn’t be more grateful. 

And finally, Friday night came. You were at the gallery with Maureen and Laura, the exhibition was a great success, eight of the paintings were already sold so you could feel satisfied. 

You were standing in front of the painting which was inspired by Olivia, looking at it and taking small sips from your glass of wine. You loved opening a new exhibition at the gallery, it made you feel mature and elegant just by talking to potential buyers while drinking wine. 

Someone stopped by your side and imitated the way you were standing in front of the painting, he was holding a bottle of beer.

You smiled, without needing to look at him to know that he had the most beautiful pair of blue eyes you had ever seen. He pointed at the painting with the hand that held the beer. 

“It’s interesting how human beings have been painting and sculpting this type of motif since Prehistory. It represents the depth of our desire and the origin of life, is just fascinating. Like a door that we must cross for the world to welcome us ” he spoke nonchalantly. 

You looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“This was inspired by my friend Olivia, you know?” you said, looking directly at him. 

Cillian sighed and took a sip of beer. “I didn’t need that information, Y/N. Honestly, I hope I never have to meet your friend.”

“Why not?” you hit him in the arm playfully. “She’s nice. Also, I think she’s over there with the artist.” 

“It’s a pussy,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“Yes, it is. Olivia’s, to be more precise” you corrected him, ready to tell him how excited was Olivia after being an artist's muse.

Suddenly, Maureen appeared from nowhere and hugged Cillian. You looked at them a bit confused but remained silent. 

“Cillian! It’s been ages since I saw you last time, you’ve been hiding in the basement or what?” she joked. He rolled his eyes and smiled. 

“Just busy with work, lots of essays to mark, you know how it is. Some of them make me want to tear my eyes out.” 

“Mines too?” you asked, staring at him over your now empty glass of wine. 

“Yours are a breath of fresh air, Y/N. Impeccable writing is appreciated from time to time” he said, pointing at you before turning to Maureen. “She’s my favourite student, very hard working.”

Maureen snorted. 

“I know she’s hard working, Cill. “ She put her arm around your waist and turned to you. “Did you know that me and Cillian studied together when we were at the university?” 

You looked between them with wide eyes. “I had no idea, no.” 

“Yes, back then in the Paleolithic” murmured Cillian, earning a pinch in the arm from Maureen.

You frowned and shook your head. “You’re not that old.”

“Thank you, dear” Maureen gave you a little squeeze. “Have fun tonight, both of you. I’d like to stay and talk about those wonderful years with this dork but I have work to do.” 

After that, you gave Cillian a little tour around the gallery, helping Laura and Maureen from time to time until the last visitor left, way after dark. Both of you watched as Maureen closed the door and then kissed Laura, it made you blush just thinking of the affection and delicacy with which both touched each other. 

You sighed, wishing Cillian to show that kind of tenderness to you, to be touched that way by his wide hands and maybe, if you were lucky enough, to be kissed by him. 

He put a hand on your back, snapping you out of your reverie. 

“What are you thinking about? You seemed to be far away from here.” 

You shook your head, thinking of something to say. 

“It’s nothing, just… tonight was a good day at work, we even sold Olivia’s painting” you joked. It was hard to concentrate on saying something coherent with Cillian’s fingertips tracing circles on your back. 

You started walking towards Cillian’s house after saying goodbye to your bosses. His house was close to the art gallery so you didn’t mind the little walk despite your outfit choice. He noticed you shivering a bit due to the autumn wind so before you could refuse, he took off his jacket and put it over your shoulders. 

It seems so cliché, you thought. Still, you couldn't suppress the urge to bury your nose in the soft fabric and inhale. As expected, it smelled like him. 

“Do you mind if I tell you something?” he asked quietly.

“Not at all. What is it?” you looked at him somewhat worried. He kept walking with his hands in his pockets. 

“That dress is nice,” he said, making a pause. "You look beautiful tonight.”

You stopped walking and stared at him, not believing his words. “What?”

“I mean, you always look good but tonight you look like you had been taken out of a painting, so ethereal” he added, caressing your hair. 

“Stop lying…” you muttered. 

He had his eyes fixed on your face, not letting any of your features go unnoticed. To be seen by those eyes was incomparable to anything else, its intensity was quite overwhelming.  

“I don’t need to lie to you, I’m just being honest. It’s okay if…?” Cillian hesitated, still searching your face for any signs of discomfort or rejection. The last thing he wanted after the incident with your roommate was to scare you. 

“If… what?” you whispered with your heart pounding like a wild bird. 

“May I kiss you, Y/N?”

After taking a look at the street and seeing that it was empty except for the two of you, you closed the distance that separated your bodies with a kiss. 

It was slow and delicate, barely a caress from your lips, both of you taking your time while adjusting to each other's rhythm. You had your arms wrapped around his neck with his hair tangled between your fingers as he put his hands on your hips, moving them up and down and making you shiver. 

Once your lips parted away, you looked at each other with parsimony, without letting go. Cillian opened the mouth to say something but nothing came out of it. For the first time, he seemed to have run out of words. 

It made you giggle slightly, although what you really wanted to do was laugh out loud, feeling as light as a feather, as if you had found the place where you belonged right there, in his arms. 

“You know, the first time I saw you, I thought you looked like you'd been taken out of a painting, too” you said, letting your hands slide from his neck to his shoulders and down his arms until resting them in his hands. 

“Oh, really?” he laughed and intertwined his fingers with yours. 

You nodded, smiling. “Like a renaissance prince or a mythological god, something like that.”

[spacerangersam]

Could you tell me more about some of your ocs???? (Only if you’re up for it tho)

I’m always down to gush about my ocs! But I do have a lot of them, especially with the story I'm currently working on, and I don’t always know what to say, so sorry if this is a bit all over the place. This isn’t even everyone, I left out a few like the main antagonist, Irene and a few other side characters for the sake of this not being essay length but yeah. Here are some of the main guys:

(also, unless otherwise specified, they're all welsh)

Simon Huw Taylor, 32, tenant of flat no. 6, he/they, bi and ace (maybe on the aro spectrum, but idk. It’s none of my business).

He’s the main character of my story, Where the Lost Souls Meet. He’s a pretty quiet guy who likes to keep to himself, much to his own detriment. He’s been travelling around all his life, never really interacting with people his own age, leaving him with mediocre socialising skills. He can see ghosts, has been able to since childhood, and is a mortician while doing psychic ghost stuff on the side. His mum could also see ghosts and she also did the ghost business, which is why he and his parents were moving around all the time, basically living in their van/hotels). To honour her, Simon uses her maiden name for ghost work (meaning his name is then Simon Huw Hughes, which I just thought was cute). She died a few years back, his father even earlier, leaving Simon the last of his family line and all alone in the world.

His whole life revolves around death, which isn’t healthy but Simon would rather die than go to therapy and actually address his problems, so it stays that way for a while. He does try to quit smoking though, so that’s something. He is also a liar. Dear god does he love to lie about everything and anything, to everyone. Well, I say loves to lie, he doesn’t really love it. He does it both to keep himself safe and to keep others from worrying about him. Honestly, he’s fine, he’s functional, and he definitely has family who loves him. Just don’t ask to meet his ‘sister’. He also tries to protect people by keeping a certain distance from them, not wanting to hurt them like he’s been hurt because of [REDACTED], which is why he kept moving around even after his mother died. But he desperately wanted top surgery and so stopped in this town with a well-known trans-safe doctor to get it done, and unfortunately for him landed in a manor turned flat filled with people who very much would like to be his friends, please.

He has no hope for the future, no plans, having a fairly pessimistic look on life because of [REDACTED], and is basically just waiting for the day he finally dies. Again, will he do anything about this? Maybe, eventually, at some point.

He doesn’t like / struggles to watch TV and movies, his ideal night involves doing puzzles and maybe a spot of reading, he loves puns and he’s a vegetarian. I love him and his terrible coping mechanism. Go king, communicate absolutely nothing and never let people share your burdens. 

Also, his neighbour dies in front of him during an argument one day, which isn't great, going on to haunt Simon in a distinctly violent fashion, which is the thing he's desperately trying to deal with in the story.

more losers under the cut

Charlie Tops, 35, tenant no. 5, he/him, trans bi+ace. He’s a very sweet guy, very open, with major himbo energy, just without the muscles. He makes the best tea and the worst coffee. He writes kid's books in the vein of Winnie the Pooh / Peter Rabbit, taking over the job after his grandfather passed, now writing them for his own daughter, Lottie. But Lottie’s getting older and losing interest in those types of books, and so he’s losing interest in writing them and having a mild panic over what he’ll do next. He’s kinda obsessed with taxidermies. His flat is quite literally filled with them and no one likes it, nobody wants to be in there, and the vibes are way off (except Will for, who thinks it’s very interesting, actually).

He’s deeply in love with Simon and they have a thing. An unexplained, deeply intimate thing that neither talk about, mostly because Simon can’t communicate for shit (which he feels deeply guilty about, and he keeps telling himself that he’ll break it off but can never quite work up to it), and Charlie’s worried if he asks, Simon will end it. He really struggles with Simon’s whole silent martyr ordeal even outside their thing because even if he doesn’t know the extent to which Simon is trying to hide his problems, he knows there is something being hidden, but again, is worried about pushing too hard and losing him completely. It’s messy, but they’ll work through it. 

He can’t see ghosts but does know about them, unlike the other Woodward tenants, and feels a bit left out /awkward about the whole thing. He had an amicable divorce from his wife Irene after he realised he was ace, she realised she was aro, and that they were both trans, the two staying friends and her staying on as the illustrator for his books. And as I mentioned earlier, he does have a daughter, Lottie.

William Isaiah Beaton, 30, tenant no. 7, he/him, gay, English. An archivist for the local museum who moves into the manor in chapter one, and comes off as a tough, rude ex-vet.  And that is true, to a certain extent. He is rude, and an ex-vet. But he wasn’t in the army for long, he got mowed down by a car on base like, two weeks after arriving, leaving him with a permanent injury to his leg. He feels he failed to live up to his father’s expectations, and in shame, never told the truth to his father about having to leave the forces. Will has… a lot of complicated feelings about that, and his relationship with his father, and his relationship with his religion. He works some of that last one out with help from Penny.

It’s a bit of a spoiler, but whatever- he can see ghosts. He doesn’t realise that’s what’s happening though and instead is fully convinced he’s just losing his mind, and that crash did irreparable damage to his head. Nah though, just ghosts. Has a guilty love of werewolf media and cake, and cares a lot about bugs and plants (he even ends up taking Simon’s plants off him, because Simon kills every plant he owns, without question). He has limited zero social skills and finds big groups overwhelming, but nevertheless, he will be dragged into this friendship group (if Penny has any say in it, at least). He came to Hangar for a reason, though he doesn’t say why.

He also definitely fancies Simon and has no idea how to handle that. It’s the first time he’s fancied a man (or at least, a man-adjecent person) who isn’t straight, and that coupled with the fatc Simon actually seems to like him is just a lot for him to process. The two of them bond over their shared loved of history / interest in the history of the manor.

I should make it clear: this isn’t a love triangle, this is poly thing.

The ghouls:

Florence Blossom (left), 40, and Gwenllian Baker (right), 42. Both were performers in a small acting trope who died in 1941 (though not at the same time or in the same way, funnily enough) in the manor Simon lives in. They love each other very much.

Florence is a bit judgy, loves a good moan, and is very anxious about everything and everyone, always. Her anxiety tends to make her come off as a bit snappy. She can control the lights.

Gwen is a bit vacant, with her head absolutely in the clouds at all times. She struggles a bit with empathy and reading the room, leading her to be mindlessly cruel sometimes. She never means it though and genuinely cares about Simon and Florence, and will look after them both in her own weird ways. she can lock, unlock, close and open doors

Now back to the living:

Agatha Jeorme, 55, tenant  no. 1. She’s kinda like if an angsty teen was stuck in the body of a middle-aged woman, and we love her for that. She’s the daughter of the landlord and hates it. If she had any other skills / if her father had helped her get a better opportunity elsewhere like he did with her brothers, she would have jumped on it. But instead, he gave her the job of looking after Woodward. She hates him, deeply. She often shovels off small jobs onto Simon because she knows he won’t say no, and is having an affair with the next-door neighbour’s wife. I kind of made her sound like a bastard, and she is kinda, but a fun one I hope, and she does learn to be less of a bastard as the story goes on. 

Gwynfor Geraint Jones, 34, tenant no. 2, he/she, bigender, aroace. Just a chill guy who loves rock music and slasher movies. She’s in a QPR with Adam, them being the first two to move into Woodward. this isn't entirely related to his character, but he's called gwynfor geraint after two twins i went to primary school with. their names always stuck in my head, in so i thought i'd put them to good use.

Adam Diana Keats, 36 tenant tenant, no.3, she/her, aroace trans woman, Scottish. She’s a librarian with a love of reading, especially poetry, and a bit pushy, a bit bossy, but ultimately well-meaning. She’ll drag Simon out of his room but with the intent to encourage him to mingle and hang out with the Woodward crew, you know. She hates Will on sight. There’s more I could say, but that would be spoilers. also, despite her dark academic vibes, she does love a good animal print

Penny Sion Seagrove, 29, no.4, she/her, lesbian. A tired, friendly gardener who would love it if everyone would get along and be friendly. She sometimes sticks her nose in places she shouldn’t to figure out people’s beef with each other (cough, Adam and Will, cough) to see if she can find a way to squash it for them, which doesn’t usually work. She tries anyway. She’s Catholic, shares Simon’s love of puns, and is dating Alice.

Alice Rhodri Blackwood, 30, she/her, trans lesbian. She lives in town with her best mate Mickey. She’s a loud, cheery, extroverted goth with an interest in witchcraft who can also see ghosts. She has slightly different opinions about ghosts and how they work from Simon, but she’s still his go-to when he’s having ghost issues. 

Mickey Dolores Palmer, 29, she/her, English (Yorkshire). Idk what her deal is, and she just is, you know. A very nervous, clumsy, mousy person who works at the local museum. She tends to jump to conclusions and is not a fan of ghosts. Unfortunately, she can also see ghosts, so that’s not great for her. She's doing her best.

god i wrote way too much for this, sorry asdfghj. but uh, also, i did a voice claim video for some of these losers, if you're interested. also,t hank you so much for asking. i do love talking about these idiots

[strwbmei]

hey mei, what are your top 10 favourite video games?

1. Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild - Loved everything about it!! The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is amazing, and the story is easy to understand without playing the other games. I have Tears of the Kingdom, but for some reason, I prefer BOTW much more. Also, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing beyond words!! The one that plays whenever a Ruin Guardian spots you sort of gave me PTSD. Whenever I hear it, I can't help but look towards the source of the sound, get up, and run for my life.

2. Ghost of Tsushima - Everything about this game is a 10/10, but I really liked the combat in particular! There are so many ways you can kill someone, from silently assassinating them to poisoning them to beheading them. Even after the main story, there are still so many side quests and content that are just as fun. Jin Sakai is also very cool and I love how he abandoned his honor as a samurai to protect the people.

3. Eastward - Definitely a must-play if you have a Nintendo Switch. The graphics are unique and colorful yet also somewhat mellow at times. The music is great. All of the characters are so fleshed out and lovable. Not to mention the amount of content in the game, where you have at least one other game inside of it. There's the Earthbound(?) (I forgot what it was called) game inside of the arcades which I still haven't been able to finish to this day, and the Octopia DLC (Really cheap by the way, it was 20$ last time I checked) which is basically a whole other farming game.

4. Honkai Impact 3rd - Of course, HI3 is one of my favorite games. The gacha is very generous compared to other games, the rewards are really good, and the rest speaks for itself. Just the story alone would be enough to make it into my top 10. Story aside, I really love the characters and their designs. Their designs reflect their personality perfectly and all of them are just so lovable. Watching Kiana grow up so mature within only 2 years gives me such an odd feeling. I'm so proud of her, but at the same time, where has the "cheerful idiot" Kiana gone? It feels like only yesterday I was playing through the story and she refused to eat the meal Durandal gave her because there was no one to remove the bones of the fish like Mei usually did.

5. Stardew Valley - Call me basic, but I really fell in love with everything about this game. The music in particular makes me feel so oddly nostalgic. I also have a lot of good memories associated with it. It's one of those games that I play on and off but always end up enjoying no matter what, especially with the use of modding.

6. Dead Cells - Loved it! The combat is so fluid, the monsters are all so unique, the animations are so smooth for a pixel art game, and everything about the gameplay is so enjoyable. I'm a sucker for these types of games, honestly. I sadly haven't had the time to play it for a while now, though...

7. Subnautica - I'm not sure if this counts because even though I have a copy of the game, I've made almost zero progress on it. This is mostly only on my list because I'm a really big fan of sea exploration stuff. I was also particularly obsessed with the idea of making the Cyclops fully self sufficient.

8. Minecraft - I had such a big Minecraft phase back then. I would wear merch to school and sing those parodies thinking I was so cool. No wonder I didn't have any friends during that period of my life. Still, I actually wasn't able to buy the game until like... 2018. I think this would be higher on the list if I had people to play it with and if I could recover my account for it.

9. Animal Crossing : New Horizons - I was obsessed with it during the pandemic, but nowadays I play it on and off. As much as I like the older games, being able to freely place furniture outside is life changing. It's also way easier to change outfits because you can actually see what you're wearing. Not to mention, the graphics are way cuter.

10. Osu! - I got into it because a guy I liked did and ended up becoming better than him. I mostly.played standard, but mania was also fun from time to time. I was ranked at around 4 digits before I had to stop because people were complaining that my keyboard was being way too loud. I just didn't have the money to get a new one at the time, so I ended up deleting the game. Really fun, though! There's a mode for everyone.

[toomanysurveys9]

Long time, no post.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Pizza. Jacob went to talk to the Papa John's owner(?) by us to see if he could start sooner.

If you were given a million dollars, what would you spend it on?

Definitely pay off all the debt. Buy a new house for Jake, our kiddos, and I. Buy a house for my parents, so we didn't have to keep living together. Fix our car. Buy Jake a truck. And savings for each of the kiddos.

Have you ever cried in front of your parents over a boyfriend or girlfriend?

I'm sure.

What does your bedroom smell like right now?

Not great - I need to clean it. Pretty sure Nora left a milk cup in there but I can't find it.

Have you ever shaved off your eyebrow before?

I have not.

Do you want to have a boy or girl whenever you have kids?

I have four kids. We have one boy and three girls.

Your pregnant with twins: What do you name them?

I have no idea. I don't want to have anymore kids. Four is more than enough.

Describe your outfit.

Maternity leggings that are now too big and one of Jake's work shirts.

What gigabyte is your memory card?

Don't have one.

What brand is your digital camera?

I just use my phone so I told the camera I did have because we needed the money more.

When was the last time you hung out with your best friend?

A couple weeks ago. Had a baby shower for one of them.

What is a movie you're waiting to see?

I honestly don't even know what's out right now.

Who was the last person to cook something for you?

Whoever made the pizzas from Papa John's.

Do you ever sit and think what if about something?

All the time. It's terrible.

If so, what is it?

So many things. It'd take too long to list but most are bad.

What’s on tv right now?

Jake's playing Rocket League on PS4. I'm waiting until my grandma is allowed to take her meds after I helped my youngest sister do her homework because my mom got pissed at me because she's spying through the ring camera in the dining room and saw I took my 3-year-old and almost 5-month-old up to bed and evidently my grandma then also tried going to bed. And because I didn't feel like fighting my youngest sister about her homework, so I didn't check it.

Do you ever stop and smell the roses?

Not so much.

Where do you download music from?

I use Pandora and Amazon Music.

How many channels do you have on your tv?

Too many. And most of us only use streaming.

What are you most scared of?

Something bad happening to my babies.

If you were given a chance to bring someone back to life, who would you choose?

Justin. He's my cousin that committed suicide.

Do you talk to any of your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend?

Nope.

If so, which one?

None.

What is your mom doing right now?

Probably watching the ring camera and talking shit or complaining to my dad. Because they're in TN right now. And I'm just a big failure that is ruining their vacation and going to make them come home early, which I won't hear the end of for the rest of my life probably. Even though they usually go out of state at least every six months, usually more often. By themselves.

Are you currently listening to music?

Nope.

What is the weather like right now?

45 degrees.

Do you like new music or older music?

Both.

If you could make a law, what would kind of law would you make?

Oof. Where to start with the shit-show that is about to occur in the US in January..

What was the last video game you played?

I don't remember.

What is currently going on in the room you're in right now?

I'm doing this and Jake is playing video games with one of his buddies. I'm about to go to bed when I finish this.

Do you know where your best friend is?

Home. And hospital. My friend in the hospital might be having her baby boy early.

Who was the last person to comment you on Facebook?

I'd have to look but I left my phone upstairs.

What is your display picture of on Facebook?

A picture of Jake, the kiddos, and I from when we went to the apple orchard.

Do you ever sit and think about the past?

Too much. Lately it's been especially bad.

If you could relive any moment in time: what would it be?

Hmm. Has to be one of the times after giving birth to my kids. Like when we went home for the first time. Probably after Olivia since she was our last so we'd have all of our babies.

Are you a talker or a listener?

Listener for sure.

What is one food you will not eat?

I don't do seafood.

Do you eat anything now that you never used to eat?

Lots of stuff. I was super picky before Jacob.

Have you ever kissed the same sex?

On a dare.

When does school start this year?

Whenever I can find a new internship site. Love my life right now.

Do you ever shout for absolutely no reason?

No.

Have you stuck with your new years resolution?

I don't make them.

Do you need to lose any weight right now?

Yeah.

What is something you want right now?

Not have so many extra people living in our house.

Do you hate when you see teachers in stores?

I never cared.

What always puts a smile on your face?

Hugs from my babies. Smiles from them.

Where can I find you on a Saturday night?

At home.

What is the best thing about Sundays?

Nothing really.

What is your music provider (itunes, windows media player)?

Pandora is my preferred if Jake isn't using it. We share his.

How many songs do you have?

A lot.

When was the last time you had a period?

I guess right after I had Olivia if we want to count that. Otherwise it's been over a year.

Why do you think the sky is blue?

Whatever science says..

If you could change the sky to any color, which would you choose?

Maybe a pretty light purple. I don't know. Or just nighttime all the time.

Is there anything wrong with you right now?

My life is a fucking disaster and I feel completely alone. So a lot.

Do you hate when people stare at you?

It makes me uncomfortable, so yes.

[cannoliramblings]

Astrid Louise Ward

Image from here

Tag: #Reluctant Thief

In game account: here

Age: 34 years old

Height: 5' 5"

Weight: 120 lbs

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexuality: Bi (she's into enbies and women)

Open to RP: Yes

Open to shipping: Yes

Her voice is a warm alto.

Affiliation: Criminals (specifically The Cheery Man), The Great Game, and hopefully eventually the Revolutionaries.

Revolutionary-wise, honestly she doesn't get a lot of the big ideas, and I don't think she's that big on the drasticness of the Liberation of Night, but she wants to make London better and she does get more into some of these ideas as time goes on.

Occupation: Thief and enforcer in The Cheery Man's gang, her "day job" is as a waitress at the Medusa's Head

Backstory: Astrid’s family on the surface was not great. Her parents were high society types who abandoned her at birth, and often Astrid would be stuck taking care of her brother and sisters. She was sucked into a life of crime early on to survive, and she got pretty good at petty theft and smaller-scale crime. She probably interacted with Locryn at some point on the surface to try and get them out of danger but she doesn’t remember it that well. She worked her way up in the criminal gangs on the surface, and eventually became a well known thief and con-artist. 

Unfortunately for her, a large-scale heist on the surface went wrong, and she found herself in a worse off position than she had ever been in before. Left for arrest or death by her so-called friends, she realized she had to flee and had to rely on herself, so she found her way to London/The Neath. She did some criminal stuff in the Neath too, mostly just because it was all she had known, and she lived briefly with Timothy, working with The Cheery Man’s gang and making a bit of a name for herself. Her skills continued to improve, and eventually, The Cheery Man trusted her to steal things from the Masters themselves. There were a few missions that went decently against Mr. Pages and Mr. Wines, but Astrid then had a string of missions that ended in utter failure, namely against Mr. Stones. I won’t go in depth about what happened to Astrid here, but she was injured to the point of near perma-death and this all left her with a lot of mental scarring + trauma. After she was physically healed, it was decided that she needed somewhere safe and non-associated with The Cheery Man to live, so Juno reluctantly took her and Locryn in to protect them. 

Once she met Locryn, she immediately felt a need to protect them, so she backed away more from the criminal activity. Unfortunately, recent events have led to her going back to it as the only thing she's known. She wants to stop though, but isn't sure about what her path forward would be and doesn't want to put her friends in danger.

Relationships:

Locryn and Astrid are close friends. Astrid feels oddly protective over Locryn, she didn’t really expect to bond with them as much as she did. Honestly, she has a little bit of a crush on them.

Juno is Astrid's landlady. Astrid always tries to be nice to ver since she knows ve is a dangerous person, but ve could probably get her arrested with a single word so Astrid tries to keep her distance.

Timothy and Astrid are friends. Astrid appreciates Timothy’s loyalty and friendship, and knows that she owes him a lot for his various help on criminal expeditions. They grow a bit closer once Locryn begins seeking.

Astrid wants to fight The Merry Gentleman. She cannot stand his relationship with Locryn.

Her relationship with her parents on the surface was entirely negative, her siblings she had a bit more of a positive relationship with but they haven't seen each other since she came to London. (Oscar is her older brother, Sophia and Clara are her younger sisters).

Personality: Astrid is an energetic and passionate young woman who sometimes struggles at knowing when to shut up. She can be somewhat impulsive, and doesn’t really think before she acts or speaks. She’s usually pretty loyal and if she likes you, she’s going to be nice to you. Even if she’s stressed or anxious, she’s able to keep her wits about her pretty well. She’s fiercely independent and struggles sometimes to trust others or ask for help, having been burned many times. She prefers to work alone.

She currently lives with Locryn and Juno in a house between Veilgarden and Spite (although this is 100% a temporary living situation for both Astrid and Locryn)

If you want other random snippets about Astrid or would like to send them a question, please let me know!

Eventually these OCs will appear in actual written works that aren't just random blurbs on my google drive, I could also post some snippets of interaction on here if that would give y'all a more decent sense of the ocs

[super-rangers]

Hi Alex! If it’s okay I jump on the ask train, I also was recently rereading UIW and I was reminded of something that I actually had been thinking about quite a bit and am so curious to know if you have strong opinions about—In chapter 12, when Janis is teaching Regina how to cook, she mentions that she has a 7 year-old little brother. Is Janis as an older sibling a dynamic that you’ve thought a lot about? If so, has that played in to your characterization of her at all? By extension (and really just for the fun of it 😄), who else in the gang do you think has siblings, if any? Where in the birth order would they be?

(When thinking about it, I definitely see Aaron and Damian being older siblings. Gretchen strikes me as a middle child. Karen, I’m less sure about— I feel like she can go in either direction. I feel like it makes sense that Regina is an only child, but I could also see her having (a) sibling(s) who are a fair amount older than her and that she’s mostly estranged from on her dad’s side. Cady I know is canonically an only child, but I feel like that does check out lol)

Hello!! Of course it's okay!

Janis really does give off older sibling vibes for me. If I really think about it, she gives off oldest of three. Like she's got the aforementioned 7yr old brother, but she also has a 12yr old one. She doesn't get along with the 12yr brother that much - they're too similar and butt heads a lot. The 7yr old thinks Janis is The Coolest Ever, and they get along great. (I didn't realize I had such deep opinions about this until you asked 😂)

I think I recognize older sibling vibes in how she treated Cady at first. Taking her under her wing while making cheesy jokes, the way she reassured Cady that Regina was a bitch for commenting on her shoes only to immediately give them the shadiest 'well Regina wasn't wrong' look. Like. That's shit I would do as an older sister lmao

I think it comes out in her sense of humor, the way she's a little bit goofy like she plays with kids regularly, and the way she helps Regina out even when she's angry with her.

I honestly think Damian is an only child, but if he did have a sibling he'd be older. (He and Regina bond over the weirdness of siblings as they observe their friends at home lol) Aaron also has 2 younger siblings. A baby brother and sister. He's full on doting big brother to his sister; she's his favorite person in the world. She thinks he's the greatest person in the whole wide world. Aaron gets along with his brother too, but it's a different dynamic.

Gretchen is totally a middle child, you're so right. Karen I think would be either the baby of a family of like 5 kids OR she would have one older sister who's like in her 20s, like what you suggested for Regina.

[krakenartificer]

For the "Ask Meme for People in their 30s" (or 40s): 1, 15, 28, 30, 40, 50, 69 (all of those questions were great and it was hard to choose)

(From this post: https://krakenartificer.tumblr.com/post/755367206867681280)

1) First piece of furniture you ever bought?

A tempurpedic mattress. Prior to that, I acquired furniture by waiting until an older friend or relative moved, and then grabbing whatever they decided wasn't worth the effort of moving.

Like a year later, I divorced, and lost that bed in the Dividing Of Stuff.

Nowadays I acquire furniture by letting my mother-in-law know we're in the market for a {whatever}, and she gleefully grabs at the excuse to go to garage sales, and sometime in the next 3-12 months, a high-quality {whatever} shows up in my driveway.

So I think that even now, the only piece of furniture I own that bought is a standing desk that I got at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore when they were on sale for like $100 near the start of the pandemic.

Huh.

15) Do you go down each aisle when you grocery shop, or only the ones you know you need stuff from?

Most definitely the latter. Somewhere in school, as part of some unit (nutrition?? Introduction to Adulting???) it was mentioned that most of the healthy food is on the edges of the store, and most of the expensive high-profit crap is in the aisles, so I have been avoiding the aisles for 30 years or so now, and it's just a habit.

I only do "oh shoot we forgot" grocery runs, though; my spouse does the "real" grocery shopping. So I might behave differently if I needed more than 5 things on any given run.

40) Grocery list or no grocery list?

Oh good heavens, definitely grocery list. Even though I'm only getting 5 things, definitely grocery list.

If there are only 3 things, I might not make a list. But I probably would, on the assumption that I'll probably think of another thing I need before I get to checkout, and then there will be 4 things, and then I'll need a list.

ADHD pro tip: write things down. Your brain sucks at this, and it can be solved with literal stone age technology. Just write it down.

30) How many pairs of scissors do you own?

There is absolutely no way I could possibly guess. Lots. I buy craft scissors once or twice a year, but I lose craft scissors once or twice a year, and honestly, I couldn't estimate how many I've purchased or how many I've lost, much less guess the balance.

50) Pro or anti throw pillows?

Super-torn, tbh. I They're not like, comfortable? Or useful? And I'm opposed to just random decorative shit that serves no purpose except to show off how stressed out about good at arbitrary housekeeping standards you are.

But also, there is no better item than a throw pillow for embroidering "I am going to relentlessly believe in you and there is nothing you can do to stop me" on and then throwing at your friends when they're engaging in negative self-talk, so ....

torn.

69) Are your garbage bags scented or unscented?

Oh, unscented. Commercial scents are The Worst.

28) Answered here: [x]

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Hi I am so enthralled by your mia, ethan and reader dream. Is it possible to know more?

<3<3<3

okay okay okay so- there's not much left of the dream itself that I didn't already go over, at least nothing substantial (in other words basically all that's left would be actually writing it out). it ended right around the time Miranda showed up, I think? honestly at this point the dream and my own daydreaming are blurring together. legit woke up from and went "actually. can we keep going" lmao

anyway, here's some more snippets/ideas/whatnot:

Rose technically didn't show up in the dream, she was just mentioned, so I'm still figuring out how old she should be for the fic. I'm tempted to make her a bit over a year old just so I can use my nephew for reference in terms of what milestones she's hit, but that's a little too close to the end of RE8 for my tastes. I want at least a bit of time to have passed, so she's probably somewhere between 2 and 5?

Speaking of RE8: everybody lived, nobody died. In my mind Mia worked out a deal with Miranda where they worked together to revive Eva + ensure Ethan wouldn't die from the mold. Mia is still working with Miranda, albeit she doesn't love doing so, mainly to make sure they can get support if Rose's health changes as she gets older. The reader has zero idea of any of this.

Mia and Ethan don't do a great job of hiding the fact that their situation is odd, somewhat intentionally, but they keep a very tight lid on the specifics. This leads to the reader coming up with a lot of theories/excuses. The #1 theory is that the Winters are essentially in the international version of Witness Protection, and that's why they moved out to the middle of nowhere Romania with a young child, why Mia is so secretive about her job, and why all of the "babysitters" seem like total badasses. Which is technically pretty close to the truth, lmao

Ethan is initially worried that the reader might be one of Miranda's followers, or be involved with the BSAA in some fashion. But nope! They're a totally normal person, living in a small town even after all of their childhood friends moved away, kind of drifting from job to job. Only point of interest is that they are somewhat aware of the Village, in the same way that most locals know to stay away. This provides a point of tension when Ethan unintentionally makes them think that Mia's work involves the Village

The first time Miranda shows up is also right around the time the romance vibes start up. Reader got a bit too drunk after the girl they were seeing turned out to be lying about some stuff (claimed she'd be staying in town for a while, despite knowing she intended to leave as soon as her work was finished + knowing that the reader wanted something more long term), the Winters go to drive them home only to realize they actually have no idea where Reader lives, so the Reader ends up crashing in their guest room. The three have some nice conversation before Reader falls asleep.

When they wake up, it turns out there was a snowstorm overnight, so Mia can't go to work, and Reader can't go home. Despite this... Miranda shows up, refusing to give a proper explanation for how she got through the storm. She's wary of Reader, claiming to just be protective of her god-daughter, when really she's trying to remind the Winters that they have good reasons for being so isolated.

Miranda's arrival starts the gradual introduction of other Village characters, although only a couple make physical appearances (mainly Lady D's daughters). There's a running joke that they're considered part of the family but no one can agree on how any of them are supposedly related to Rose. Like, are the Dimitrescu daughters her cousins or her aunts?

Ethan reportedly played flag football in college. Mia is insanely good at playing darts. They knew each other before Ethan came out, and Mia was his #1 supporter, the two of them got together around the same time he went on T.

They've gone back and forth on how open their relationship is, not due to disagreement but rather agreeing that at certain points they wanted to focus on each other (like when they were trying for Rose). Ethan implies that he thinks Mia and Miranda had a fling at some point but he's honestly not sure. They're not actively looking for either hookups or a third partner, but they both admit they're growing rather fond of Reader. Mia's flirting is sort of testing the waters, with Ethan slowly joining in. Neither of them want to outright make a move or suggest anything because, well, Reader is the first friend they've made out here and they don't want to mess that up.

(In contrast, Reader is only stopping themselves from making a move because they're worried that the Winters will eventually leave Romania... and leave them, by extension.)

Since this was my dream, and also because it's how I normally write things, the reader is going to be gender-neutral, and probably coded as non-binary.

[ramonag-if]

[Its just me ramblin about the new chapter you dont have to post this or even read this... this got longer than intended]

'Fuck'

Thats what I said out loud when I read the scene with dear mom cause damn even I was flabbergasted. Like I read the random crumbs from Patreon readers so I thought I could handle it but... I could not.

Honestly, if it was me, I dont think I could handle a conversation with her after the prison break, I would probs be balling my eyes out behind my friends, my buddies, my homies [I wanted to read the friendship scenes] cause that was one hell of a talk I would not willingly be in. Like she only thought about fixing the relationship when she saw you in Ishari. AND she brought her kid with her!!! How could you do that??!?! You didnt speak to your kid for 20 YEARS and you thought it was the best time to introduce each other.

It may sound weird but I also never thought Ahlf was a bad dad. He just seemed like a regular asian dad to me. Emotionally constipated, but at least still tries to push thru the constipation you know. Doesn't really succeed but he broke out a sweat. A+ for effort.

My god, Salyra... How was it possible to never even mention your kid in 20 years? I couldnt even shut up about my dog to some random strangers. And it wasn't even my dog, it was my neighbours! The best shih tzu you could ask for honestly. So glad 7 year old me took shitty photos of her that ended up being developed by accident and till this day is still stored in my family photo album.

I dont think I would be able to sit thru the meeting with Salyra there lmao, I probs would bring Crown in as my emotional support animal. Maybe he can give Salyra a good hard glare for making MC go thru this shit.

I wonder how our family in Vinia would take the information? Damn, author you really made me go thru so much in one chapter. You really did a great job writing. I'm sorry for this long ass post, I forgot it's 1 Feb and didn't prepare myself emotionally.

I shall read and answer this because I do love rambling myself 😋😆

I really do love complicated parents in fiction and I really wanted people to realise that not everything is quite clear cut, especially since for many, Ahlf was the somewhat worse of the parents considering his reluctance in becoming a father.

Salyra definitely made mistakes and in a way, she might be a little too hopeful for a huge happy reunion with the MC. She isn't quite aware of what the NC went through, so all she sees is just an older version of the 5 year old child she left behind 😅

You definitely will get to see the Vinia family react to Salyra by Part 3 😊 They'll all be feeling some sort of way, mostly the MC's uncle because Salyra's decision to remain in Ishari routine really hit him hard 👀

Thank you for the long post!

[iguessitsjustme]

Hi ~

Hope you’re having a great day -

For Talk about ~ #1 & #5

Hi! I am having quite possibly the most lazy day I've had in a very long time. It's been great but also it feels wrong somehow.

Talk about the first time you watched your favorite movie.

I have two favorite movies, but i honestly don't remember the first time I watched one of them so I'm going to tell you about the first time I watched Howl's Moving Castle. So my Papa had just recently gotten remarried and I had yet to meet his new wife, but I was curious. (There was some other family drama happening around this time and I'm not including specifics but it is important to understand why I was curious about my new..step-grandmother?) So because I don't post real names here, we're gonna call my Papa's new wife S. So it was summer, and my older brother was going to a music camp and it happened to be in the state that my Papa and his new wife lived. So we took a family trip to go drop my older brother off at his music camp. We got there a bit early so we stopped by my Papa's new home and I got to meet S. S is very different from my Nana and also very similar. Both strong, independent women who are also kind. But my Nana's kindness was...softer. S is very gung-ho, seize control of the situation, make sure everyone is welcome. I was young and wasn't really sure what to make of this new woman that I now had to call family. I didn't know what to call her or what to expect. I don't know if she could sense my apprehension or if she just knew that the best way to entertain children was to put on a movie, but she asked if we wanted to watch Howl's Moving Castle. I had already seen a few Studio Ghibli movies at that point, so of course I said yes. So we watched it and it was truly magical. They made me stop about halfway through the movie because it was time to go to dinner then drop off my brother at the music camp. I didn't want to drive any more to drop off my brother just to come back, so we said our goodbyes and S took me back to their apartment and let me finish the movie. Now, in all honesty, I'm still not sure what to make of S. She can be a bit judgemental of strangers sometimes, but my family is the kind of family that embraces you once you become one of us. Back when I was living with my parents a few years ago, I would drive with my mom ever Friday to go visit my Papa in his nursing home and we would go out to eat with S after. S is the reason I have a couch. S also literally gave me her DVD after I finished watching Howl's Moving Castle because I loved it so much. Didn't even think about it for a second. I watched that DVD so much that it no longer works.

5. Talk about the best birthday you’ve had.

I am not really a birthday person. I had parties as a kid, but as I've gotten older, I don't really care for my birthday so much so I don't really remember them that well. (To clarify, I don't dislike getting older and I don't dislike my birthday, but I do dislike attention which is unavoidable on birthdays). Oddly enough, today is my older brothers birthday. I digress. I'm gonna go with this past birthday I had only because my best friend got me this teddy bear fuzzy jacket and it's the best thing I've ever worn. Possibly the best thing I've ever owned. I feel like a warm and cozy fashion icon when I wear it.

Make me talk about myself

[thx-sunsxts-addrxss]

ok i’ll ask. it you need to answer all of them

0: Height

1: Virgin?

2: Shoe size

3: Do you smoke?

4: Do you drink?

5: Do you take drugs?

6: Age you get mistaken for

7: Have tattoos?

8: Want any tattoos?

9: Got any piercings?

10: Want any piercings?

11: Best friend?

12: Relationship status

13: Biggest turn ons

14: Biggest turn offs

15: Favorite movie

16: I’ll love you if

17: Someone you miss

18: Most traumatic experience

19: A fact about your personality

20: What I hate most about myself

21: What I love most about myself

22: What I want to be when I get older

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)

24: My relationship with my parent(s)

25: My idea of a perfect date

26: My biggest pet peeves

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

28: A description of the person I dislike the most

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend

30: What I hate the most about work/school

31: What your last text message says

32: What words upset me the most

33: What words make me feel the best about myself

34: What I find attractive in women

35: What I find attractive in men

36: Where I would like to live

37: One of my insecurities

38: My childhood career choice

39: My favorite ice cream flavor

40: Who wish I could be

41: Where I want to be right now

42: The last thing I ate

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately

44: A random fact about anything

I need to know who asked me this. WHY WOULD YOU-

okay fine.

0: 5’2 (no don’t make fun of me, looking at you @aylin-hijabi)

1: I’m 14. Yes I’m a virgin.

2: I think it’s a 6? Idk

3: no I’m 14

4: no I’m 14, again.

5: no.

6: answered! it’s under the tag #loife answers

7: no

8: answered!

9: yep! just one pair of piercings tho

10: answered!

11: my bestest friend in the world is from third grade! she’s in us and I’m in India but the fact we haven’t broken apart-

we only had third and fourth together but we’re still best friends and I love her sm

12: single, but I hope that gets changed by one specific dude

13: uhhhhh pass bc idk I’m just a innocent teenager (kay maybe not that innocent)

14: pass again

15: answered!

16: answered (by accident)

17: answered again

18: pass

19: I despise loud noises so much

20: answered

21: I like that I can speak to a public audience well. It’s really improved from last year, and my friend said it sounds like I know what I’m talking about. And it’s funny she gave the example of this one time I talked really good about a topic (I only had 2 mins to think about it) and I didn’t know what I was talking about honestly. So yeah, that’s great ig.

22: answered

23: it’s amazing actually. I think it’s because we’re seven years apart, so there’s nothing really to fight over, just some things to talk about.

24: answered

25: answered

26: when people make a mess and don’t clean it up properly. Like just sweeping it to the side.

27: answered

28: answered

29: answered

30: that they think they’re encouraging us but they put us down a lot. Like, “ I thought you were better than this” they think it encourages us to better, but it makes us feel ashamed. Mental health, down the drain. Especially to teenagers.

31: it literally says. ‘lmfao. what the fuck’ (it’s from lemon dude guys)

32: the word ‘useless’ nothings useless, you’re just not using it properly. No one’s useless, they have their things they’re good at that you’re neglecting

33: answered

34: I’m not interested in women (I don’t think-) but probably confidence and extrovertism.

35: how thoughtful and attentive they are

36: around North Carolina, New Jersey or Georgia

37: answered

38: I wanted to be a teacher lmao

39: chocolate. Yeah, I’m basic

40: answered

41: answered (I’m pretty sure)

42: chocolate :D

43: uhhh. pass. I don’t find lemon dude sexy, I don’t think lmao

44: FINALLY THE LAST ONE! I THINK IVE ANSWERED THIS :D

all my answered questions are under the tag #loife answers !

anyways. time for me to kill the person who asked this /j