#i actually need to fix the phone it looks kinda wonky

[axel-tiredstudent]

Sneak peak! 1 of the 10 characters I've done (so far)

[annab-nana]

Piss Boy Peter - Tom Holland

When you’re best friends, sometimes the lines are blurred and feelings can be confused, but all it takes is one moment for Tom to realize he’s utterly in love with you.

Warnings: some curse words

Word Count: 2.5k+

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“Hey, Mrs. Nikki! It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been?” you gushed as you hugged the woman you would very much consider to be your second mother tightly in your arms. She rolled her eyes playfully at you before chuckling to herself.

“Y/n, you can just call me Nikki now. No need for the other part,” she grinned beautifully before continuing, “I’ve been good, sweetheart. We haven’t seen you in almost three years but we’re all so proud of you for graduating college early. I know how hard you’ve worked but we did miss you. The boys are somewhere around here.” As soon as her words were finished, the familiar pitter-patter of paws clicked against the hardwood flooring as one Tessa Holland came running up to you.

“Hi Tess!” you squealed while you bent down to let the pup show you how much she loved you. “I think you missed me the most, isn’t that right Tess?” you asked her as if she would speak right back to you. Her wide grin and generous licks told you that she did in fact miss you as she hopped into your lap while you petted her.

“Well, I don’t know about that. I think it might’ve been Tom,” Nikki piped up as she walked into the kitchen while the frowning boy appeared from the hallway.

“Mum,” he whined as if you did not already know he missed you the most. His red cheeks could be spotted from a mile away.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Tom. You are my best friend. You’re supposed to miss me the most.” He rolled his eyes and bent down to pet the incredibly happy dog who sat in front of you too.

“Tessa, what am I gonna do? I thought we got rid of her and now she’s back,” the boy joked as he talked to who he called his best girl, but he knew that Tessa was his second-best girl, and you were first.

“Oh, I can go back to The States if you’d like? I��m sure I’m missed over there a lot more than I am over here it seems,” you scoffed in faux annoyance and hurt which caused the boy to snicker. There was a reason he was the actor out of the two of you.

“Get over here, you div,” he told you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his embrace. However, since you both were on your knees just petting Tessa, you both toppled over onto the floor and Tessa wasted no time in joining the party as she wiggled her way between you and Tom. Your laughter sounded throughout the home as you two shared a tight embrace which was soon interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

“Harry!” you stated excitedly before getting up off Tom to give the boy a hug. You grew up around this family, so you were pretty close to them all and you had seen Tom a couple of times since you’ve come back to London. This was your first time seeing Harry in a year when he and Tom came to visit you during the week between your spring semester ending and your summer classes starting. The curly-headed boy let out a small ‘oof’ when your body collided with his, but he was quick to wrap his arms around you.

“Hey y/n,” he spoke above you as you swayed back and forth before pulling away to see Sam right behind him.

“Oh my God, Sam! Hi!” you shouted and gave him a big, long hug.

It had been three years since you saw the rest of the Holland’s. You got an amazing offer at a college in the US and had to go but that meant being away from your home, your friends, and your best friend, Tom. Tom had endured many phone calls where you were homesick and crying but he always assured you that London and all who inhabit it will be waiting for you when you get done. Thankfully, he came over there a good bit for filming purposes and he would always make sure to schedule a few days before and after and sometimes in between filming to spend time with you. Those days were the ones you treasured and held close to your heart, and you wouldn’t have been able to stay away if they hadn’t happened. And yes, you could’ve come back in the summers, but you decided to get it all done at once, taking summer classes and cutting a year off to graduate in three years instead of four.

“Y/n, how are you?” Sam asked as he pulled you away to look at you, a wide smile plastering his features at the sight. As you two kept up a conversation, Harry nudged Tom with his elbow.

“How long are you gonna stare at her, mate?” his younger brother inquired causing Tom to rip his gaze from you and look elsewhere.

“I just can’t believe she’s back,” he muttered before squatting back down to play with Tess, missing the eye roll and head shake from Harry.

“You losers ready to play some kickball?” Paddy shouted as he trotted down the stairs, stopping when he saw you and then running to give you a hug.

“Well hello to you too Padster,” you giggled while reciprocating the hug from the youngest Holland brother.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me she was coming?” he asked, arms still around you as he looked to his brothers.

“They didn’t know except for your mom who I texted like fifteen minutes before I came, but did you say kickball? You know I’d love to play if you let me,” you questioned and by the way the boy’s eyes lit up and he profusely nodded his head, you took that as a yes before he began to head outside. Sam and Harry followed but Tom hung back. “Are you not coming?”

“I’ll be out there in a bit,” he stated which was kinda weird seeing as he was normally so eager to get out and play with his brothers. Your brows furrowed and the mop of brown curls sighed. “Well, if you’re going to make me say it, I have to take a piss. Would you like to come along?”

“Ew no. Keep all that to yourself,” you grimaced before turning to the dog whose eyes flitted from you to Tom. “Come on Tess. Let’s go play outside,” you told her as you patted your leg to get her to follow. “See you out there in a bit, piss boy!” you yelled, closing the back door behind you.

“Hey piss boy,” he heard the soft voice of his mother snicker when she popped out of the kitchen, beckoning him over with the wave of her hand. He obliged and sat down on the stool across from her as she worked at making some tea for you all. “So, I bet you’re excited now that y/n is back,” she spoke up to start a conversation with her son. She has been talking to Harry a little recently about Tom possibly liking you more than a best friend. Harry confirmed her suspicions that it wasn’t too wild of an accusation so of course, she was going to be a little nosy and try to at least get Tom to hint at it. What a meddler mothers are.

“Well yeah. She’s my best friend and as much fun as she did have over there, she called me all the time crying because she missed London and her family and friends. I hate seeing or hearing her cry,” he spoke as he played with the hem of his shirt.

“So, she had a bit of fun, yeah? Did she meet anyone?” Nikki prodded on.

“She made some new friends that I know she’s gonna miss but she said that some of them are coming over here at the end of the month. Cam and Avery I think were their names. Cam was her freshman year roommate and then they met Avery one night at the library and the three hit it off,” Tom explained what he knew to his mum. He actually met Cam when he visited you, but Avery was never around when he was.

“So, she didn’t meet any new guys or anything?”

“Avery is a guy but they’re just friends as far as I know,” Tom told his mother as his eyes found the window and gazed out it to see you on the ground being attacked with loving licks from Tessa. He just couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his lips at the view.

“What about you and her?” his mum interjected, effectively interrupting his trance on you.

“Me and her?” he inquired with a furrowed brow while his eyes found his mother once more. He didn’t understand what she was trying to get at.

“Yeah, you and y/n. Are you two together or do you look at all your friends that way?” she grinned to herself while busying herself with the tea. Heat rushed to his cheeks, and he shook his head immediately.

“N-no, we are just friends. Nothing more,” he mumbled as he let his face fall into his hands.

“But you want to be more?” she continued while Tom let out a sigh, his eyes wandering out the window again. You had gotten up now, Tessa right behind you, and you were walking over to where Paddy was with the ball. Your head snapped up to face Harry when he said something apparently funny and you threw your head back in laughter.

You looked so ethereal in that moment. Little pieces of grass in your hair thanks to Tessa rolling you around in it, a wide genuine and shining smile so radiant it was almost blinding, your shirt was kind of wonky since you were on the ground earlier and you had not bothered to fix it yet, but he liked the way it was sitting on your body beautifully. Everything about you and everything you did, the way you did it, was so captivating. You had Tom wrapped around your little finger and didn’t even know it. He had it bad for you and he hadn’t realized until now. His feelings for you, his true feelings that he could deny no longer, hit him like a freight train in that moment.

“Oh my God, Mum, I think I’m in love with her,” Tom whispered in shock as his wide brown eyes met her face which wore a knowing look.

“Darling, I’ve known that for years. I was just waiting for you to realize it.”

“Do you think she’ll like me back?” he pondered while his mother let out a laugh.

“Yes, just as I’ve seen you swooning over her for years, I’ve seen her doing the same for a while now too. Of course, she will like you back,” she reassured her son before looking out the window at her boys playing around. “She’s coming in, so I’ll leave you two.” His mother took off to somewhere else in the house as you walked in.

“What are you doing? I thought you were coming out after the bathroom,” you asked as you sat down on the seat next to his. Right then, you noticed something was off. You could feel it.

“Yeah, Mum and I just got to talking,” he stated, not giving you any sort of clue as to what was going through that brain of his. All you knew is that you wanted to help him.

“Hey,” you spoke softly as your hand reached out for his, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I- yeah, we were just… uh, can I ask you something?” Now, you were definitely worried. Tom was only a stutterer when he was nervous and why he was nervous in your presence was beyond you.

“Um yeah always. What’s up?” You watched his eyes dart around the room before they landed on his own that rested in his lap, yours held between them.

“This is gonna sound weird, but- Fuck, I’m just going to say it. Do you wanna go out with me?” Hopeful yet cautious brown eyes gazed at you while the breath was knocked out of you.

“Like as your fake girlfriend to get you out of something or for real?” You had to be sure. You could not let your heart go into the fake thing again believing it was real. You did that once and you were heartbroken afterward.

“Something real. Y/n, I like you as more than a friend, more than a best friend. I don’t want to hide it anymore,” he confessed those words you’ve waited to hear for ages while hiding the small grin trying to show on your face before you spoke up again.

“Tom… I don’t know how to say this,” you started, still trying to mask your smile.

“You’re with Avery,” he assumed which you thought was a wild presumption but let it slide.

“Harry asked me out while we were outside.” Tom’s eyes widened and brows shot up. Well, he certainly did not expect that.

“I- uh, what? Really? I had no idea he felt that way,” he tried to play it off. He was never one to impose on his brothers like that and if Harry liked you, then he would for sure back away and let him have his shot with you. Tom would get used to just being your best friend. He’s done it for years so he could continue if need be. Then, you finally let your grin show before you burst into a fit of laughter. His raised brows lowered then furrowed, completely confused with the situation before him as you were doubled over giggling.

“No dumbass, but that’s what you get for making me wait so long,” you breathed out through your chuckles, watching the color return to Tom’s face and a feeble smile show itself on those thin lips you loved so dearly.

“O-oh, sorry,” he laughed nervously along with you before actually processing your words. “Wait, you like me back?”

You nodded your head while rolling your eyes at his stupidity. Wasn’t it painfully obvious? “Yes, I like you back, piss boy, and I will gladly go out with you too. Now, will you come out and play with us?” Well, how could he say no when you asked so nicely?

“Yeah, let’s go.” So, he got up first, you following him out to where the boys were, and you watched as he did a little skip before walking up to Paddy.

“So that’s where Peter Parker gets it from,” you wondered aloud when Sam came up behind you.

“He did the skip, didn’t he?” he asked before you nodded to answer his question.

“So, he made a move, and it went well?” Harry popped up on your other side.

“Yes, he did. He’s a lot more like him than people realize,” you mentioned when Tessa found your side again and watched everyone getting ready to play.

“Maybe, but he is no genius,” Harry quipped, causing laughter to erupt from you and Sam.

“Hey, I heard that!”

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tag list: @rebelemilu @starrybrock @mxltifandoms06 @mendesblurb @dpaccione @msgorillagripcoochie @dpaccione @marjorie189 @sovereignparker @vintageobx @bibliophilewednesday @seventeen-reaction @drewstarkeysbitchh @tomsirishgirlx

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[dear-mrs-otome]

i know you talked about this the other day, but would you happen to have any tips for others that want to read any of the stories on japanese?? ;;

I can share my own awkward method! I’m sure there are others out there who have better ones, but this is what works for me as I’m still trying to teach myself - please bear in mind that my experience is that of an Android user and I’m not sure the best way to reproduce this for iOS.

1. First off - downloading your game!

If you’re looking to play a Cybird game, you’re in luck. They keep their JP apps in the regular Google Play store, and they’re not region locked (except IkeGen so far, their newest game, but we’ll see if that changes when it actually releases) A quick search of Cybird on the Play store will bring up their page and you can download any of their games.

If you’re looking to play something else (say, Tenka, the JP version of SLBP for example) you might need to use a VPN or such to change your location. I personally like to use QooApp to browse region locked games - that’s how I also downloaded and began playing MLQC when the UK version was the only one available. 

2. Ok, I have this thing - now what??

The first thing I do when I’m reading is RECORD MY GAME. Because puzzling over words and kanji and things takes time, and I like to be able to pause and linger at my leisure, etc and not worry about accidentally tapping through a slide. I have a Galaxy S9, which comes with its own built-in screen recorder, but there are also plenty of free options on the Play store - AZ Screen Recorder is one, and I used to use Mobizen with my prior phone. Look around and find something that works for you!

3. Video’s in hand - how the eff do I READ this thing??

Now, you’re gonna have to find a way to get that game into something you can understand. There’s no magical way to just translate an entire app, obviously, so we’re going to have to jump through some extra hoops. The great equalizer here is my favorite app -  Ever Translator. What ET does is puts an overlay on your screen, so that you can use Google Translate without having to navigate away from your current app. Using it will bring up a little box you can drag and highlight the text on your screen you want it to translate, and it will remember the location of the box each time you use it (super helpful for otome games with a fixed letterbox!)

ET isn’t the only screen translator, if you find you don’t like it you could give Screen Translator a try, or poke around for other options.

However...we all know Google Translate can be kinda...wonky at times. So for those times it just throws up its hands, or delivers some terrible result (and trust me, it’ll give you some gems) I like to keep my backup app on hand - Papago. Take a screencap of the slide that’s giving you fits and let Papago take a crack at it. It’s an app more focused on East Asian language translation and I think it tends to do a better job with grammar and smoother translating. The downside is that you have to navigate away from your video to use it, so I keep it on hand mostly for backup. It’s also nice to cross-check your Google Translate with and give you a clearer picture.

4. What if I wanna try and learn Japanese?

There’s lots of blogs and resources out there that’ll have a better plan of what to do for you, but here’s a few basic links that might be useful:

- Tofugu keeps a list of resources to help you learn japanese, and the website itself has a really good mnemonic hiragana lesson to get you started.

- Jisho is a useful kanji dictionary

- Tanoshii is another useful dictionary

- A fun, useful beginner book is Japanese the Manga Way

Again, I’m still a complete noob when it comes to Japanese, and there are literally countless webpages and resources and textbooks out there to help you learn...go forth and find what works best for you! And happy reading!

[minsugapie]

Now You See Me: part 33 (2783 words) - are you still taking your meds?

• • • • • •

You’re a content creator that is wanting to change up your brand a little bit.

Yoongi is a faceless musician. Well, he’s two people at once. He’s Agust D online and while performing, but he’s Min Yoongi in real life.

Who will he be to you?

• • • • • •

PART 32 // PART 33 // PART 34

masterlist

• • • • • •

tags : @dixonsbugaboo @mayumioutloud @xlilybebe @pocketfullofsuga @pwinny00 @rjsmochii @yoonglemickdoongle @live-2-fangirl @cherryicy123 @vernooope @okaysoplshelpme @thebleuprince @minyoongone @original-internetmonster @princesskimnamjoon @waddlingmyg @ur-gunna-h8-ths @zombiewerewolfqueen @spookyricewithsoysauce @tae165 @sunshinedeaa @dreamcatcherjiah @tirednation @labgeek @lyndseygoregasmxo @luwunacy

• • • • • •

Ha ha ha ha ha ... multiple things:

- im sorry for this crap. after everything in my life, this chapter just couldn’t be done the way I wanted it to turn out. i wrote and rewrote so much that I just can’t anymore. I hope it at least helps with the development of the story.

- the next couple of chapters take place kinda throughout this part. you’ll get it if you don’t already.

- i didn’t pass my exam so school is all wonky now

- ANYWAYS — IM BACK, BETCHES

• • • • • •

Your parents knew you were coming to town, well your mother did anyways. You had planned on telling the father figure that you sometimes called dad that you were planning on spending an unknown amount of time at home, but you just could not find the right words. He had told you that he had better not get a call to bail you out of anything, so you just assumed that included your mental health.

Therefore, you didn’t call him; you called your mom.

You weren’t expecting her to be waiting for you at the bus station, but there she was, an extra coffee in hand. She knew that you needed it. You instantly went to her, wrapped your arms around her waist in a tight embrace.

Around you, there were couples kissing, people simply tripping over their own luggage, and children laughing. Although this atmosphere seemed promising, you were not excited for seeing your dad’s disappointed face once again. No matter what you seemed to do, it wasn’t enough for him. There was always something about you that he wished he could have changed. You dreaded the moment that you were going to tell him all about your job and Yoongi in detail.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Bub?” Your mom asked, pulling back from the hug and placing the coffee in your hand.

Nodding your head once, you were sure that you both knew that it wasn’t true. You had to deal with the criticism your whole life, but getting it from people who didn’t even know who you were took a toll on you.

“And you’re still taking your meds?”

“Yes, Mom, I’m still taking my meds…” You groaned because you wished you didn’t have to. You went on a little stint where you refused to take them but that was a disaster, so it was a collective decision to get back on them. You visited your therapist weekly, even to this day, and it helped. But there were just some things that he did not understand. He was the one, however, that suggested that you tried to fix the root of your problems —your relationship with your family and more specifically your dad.

“Let’s go home, okay? He might not show it, but your dad is happy that you’re coming home. The neighbours have also been suspicious about our situation, and you know your father, he can’t lie. So naturally, the whole few miles around us know about our familial situation.”

“He basically told me that he didn’t want to see me until I changed my life. I haven’t exactly done that.” You sighed and looked at your scuffed shoes. You weren’t going to change yourself for anyone, but it definitely hurt to not have your dad as your biggest fan.

So basically when you walked into your house, you were not surprised that he did not talk to your nor make eye contact with you. He barely even acknowledged our existence. There was no reason for you to stick around him, so you simply made your way to your bedroom. It had already been a long day, and you wanted to sleep.

Your room was exactly as you had left it, so you simply dropped your suitcase at the door and flung yourself onto the bed. Grabbing out your phone, you saw the missed call from Yoongi and messages from all your friends, but the only person you responded to was Tae, telling him that you made it home fine.

Only a few seconds after you pressed send, Tae was calling you. The call lasted a long time, mostly you ranting to him about the fact that your dad didn’t even acknowledge your existence, but it was fine. You were fine.

Tae had to leave because Hana was over and they had paused the movie to talk to you, so you let them go.

Briefly, before you fell asleep, you wondered whether or not you should have called Yoongi.

***

The morning after your return, you awoke to the birds outside and your horse looking at you through your window. You had always been lucky enough to have a bedroom overlooking the stables. You hadn’t seen him in a while, and you were excited to get out there later and take care of him like you used to.

Quickly, you put on some clothes and raced outside. Who needed breakfast?

On your way out through the kitchen door, you ran into your mom and dad.

“What are you planning?” Your mom asked, giving you a cup of coffee. You looked over towards your dad, and all he did was read his newspaper, glasses on the end of his nose, sipping his orange juice.

“I’m gonna go riding,” you revealed, putting on your boots that you dragged down from your closet. They were dusty but oh well.

“Gimme a minute to get my boots, and I’ll come out with you,” she suggested, putting her mug in the sink and walking to the hallway closet to grab her boots. You loved riding by yourself, but you were here to make amends with your parents, so riding with your mom needed to happen. Riding was so cathartic. It was bound to be a great day.

Getting your horse ready was such a calming experience for you. On the back of your brain, you realized that you wanted Yoongi to see this part of yourself. It was a thought that quickly came and left, but it stuck with you for a bit.

Your mom must have noticed your expression because when she was brushing Tae’s horse, she asked, “What’s on your mind?”

You bit your lip when you looked into her eyes. “I was thinking about a boy.”

“Ooooo...the boy you told us about?” The horse was temporarily forgotten.

A small smile grew on your face as you thought of him. “Yoongi.”

“Well what about him?”

“He’s such a city boy, but I can’t help but want to show him this side of me. I’m not even sure he really knows about this part of me, and I just want him to come home and see this. I want him to know the person that I am when I’m not doing my job and in the spotlight,” you said, strapping the saddle down. Your horse was getting excited.

You mom answered after she mounted Tae’s horse. “He seems to make you happy.”

Leading the horses out, you couldn’t help but smile wider. “He makes me smile and makes me want to love.”

“You love him.” Not a truer statement had been spoken by your mom before.

“I think so,” you admitted, giving your horse a nice pat. He was doing so well even after not riding with you for so long. Deciding that you needed to up the pace, you brought him to a gallop and sailed forward, urging your mom to follow suit.

The land was beautiful and smelled like grass and flowers. The sun was starting to beat down, so you slowed your pace. Once you made it to a learning between trees, you shrugged off your sweater and tied it around your waist, so you wouldn’t lose it.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

Your mom’s eyes were closed as she smelled the air and soaked up the sun, but she still hummed in response.

“How do you know when something is worth it?”

“Be more specific, baby,” she probed, opening her eyes to look at you. You saw so much of yourself in your mom. Honestly, you were glad that you weren’t too much like your dad.

“I’m worried that I’m making the wrong decisions. I’m not sure if Yoongi is the right fit or if my job is worth all that’s going on.”

“I think your heart has to tell you. I don’t want you living your life based on what your father wants, if that’s what you’re worried about…”

“But I just want to have a good relationship with him,” you admitted with a sigh.

“He’ll come around. And if you want my advice, I’ll tell you. Although your job probably won’t be forever, I think there are a lot of doors that it opens up for you, and if you love creating, don’t let the fear of failure or the fear of your father’s acceptance keep you from your happiness. As for the boy…I know I’ve never met Yoongi before, but he seems to make you happy, and I don’t believe you’d ever date someone that Tae didn’t approve of.”

“Actually, Tae encouraged us to date. Yoongi makes music online and produces, and honestly he’s amazing. He’s been Tae’s favourite artist for years; whereas, I only met him a few months ago.”

“He also has an online presence?”

“Yeah, but it’s more complicated. So Yoongi does music under his alias Agust D and covers his face so no one recognizes him. But the morning that I told you and Dad about him and my job, we had decided that we wanted to start dating. And now I’m getting a tonne of hate from people because they think I’m stringing along two people and sometimes more because of all the guy friends that I have, when in reality, it’s just Yoongi. I haven’t spoken to him in a couple weeks.”

“Oh, y/n, you can’t let what other people say about you affect your decisions. If you want to date the boy just date him.”

“But mom! I don’t want him to have to choose between his career as Agust D and me. He really likes his privacy and being alone, and I don’t want him to have to give that up for me. Especially because I’m not special enough for him to change his whole life.”

Your mom slapped your shoulder after your remark about yourself. “You are so special, and don’t let anyone ever tell you different.”

“And then there’s the fact that his ex-girlfriend still hangs out with him and is trying to be my friend. She’s actually very nice, and I think we’re going to be friends.”

“What do you mean that he still hangs it with her?” You knew that your mom was trying to pry some more, and you would indulge her. This was the time for that.

“I am under the impression that she still likes him but from what I’ve heard, he didn’t ever really like her too much. I don’t know, really, and I don’t really care to find out more. Everyone tells me that he likes me, but she’s just so pretty and perfect and nice and kind. Maybe she’ll rub off on me…”

“Well, she sounds like a lovely person, but the heart wants what the heart wants, kiddo. Now I need to head back because your dad needs my help today. I just wanted to talk to you some this morning.”

***

A week had gone by, and your dad was finally talking to you again. Gradually, he had been looking at you and acknowledging your existence, but this morning, he had actually wished you a good morning and asked how your sleep had been.

It really surprised you. It seemed like ages since you last heard his voice. Hell, the last time that you had properly spoken was a yelling match. Your conversation was strained, but your mom must have told him about your chats and what was really bugging you, so there was a silver lining.

Within that week, you’d also been getting a lot of reading and writing done. You hadn’t told anyone besides Jade that you’d been writing, and she was the most supportive person. She wanted to be a journalist, so it was basically fate that the two of you became friends. It was destined to happen. The book that you started was a story somewhat based on you and Yoongi —something you hadn’t realized until just that morning.

You weren’t talking to anyone else, because you didn’t want to be a bother, and you needed a break from your old life. Jade was still a relatively new addition, and a female, so you just knew that she was going to understand and be of help whenever you needed.

Your mom liked you join you outside whenever she found the chance, and today, she brought out some lemonade and sandwiches for you to have for lunch. “Mom,” you asked with half a sandwich still stuffed in your mouth. Chewing a little and swallowing some, you continued, “Do you think it’s unhealthy that I can’t stop thinking about the one person that I’m trying to avoid? Even with everything going on with dad and my job and school... I still can’t keep my mind off Yoongi and how he’s doing or what he wants.”

After taking a small sip from her glass, your mom sighed and closed her eyes. Her hand found yours when she replied, “I think what you’re experiencing is completely normal. I never told anyone this before, but my parents didn’t approve of your dad. They thought he could never love and they hated the fact that he was a farmer. I went through a similar thing that you are going through now…only we didn’t have the internet.”

Later on, you were sitting outside in the sun, reading, when Yoongi’s daily phone call should have came in. It had gotten harder and harder to decline the calls, and you were sure that you were going to give in, but it did not ring.

You waited for a few more minutes, distracted from your book, but your phone stayed silent. You briefly wondered if something had happened to him. Maybe you had jinxed it from the talk with your mom.

***

It’s now been a month away from social media and your normal life, and you were missing everyone. Yoongi hadn’t called you since that day. You just wanted to see Tae again. That morning, as you were brushing your horse, getting him ready for your daily ride, you spotted your father at the barn door.

He cocked his head, motioning for you to follow him, so that’s exactly what you did. The two of you walked around the yard together in silence for a while, until he finally spoke, “Are you doing this just to spite me?”

“Doing what?” You were watching the sun come over the hills in the distance, waiting for its warmth.

“Your job, school, and the boy…” He answered, taking his hat off and pushing his hair back before putting his hat back on.

“Oh, those things…I want you to know that I am not doing anything to make you purposefully mad. I just want to figure out my life without following anyone else’s orders.”

You were surprised that he was staying so calm. Heck, you were surprised that you were staying so calm. Neither of you were generally known for your calm demeanour, after all. “I just want what’s best for you, y/n. I want you to know that. I’ve been thinking for a long time, and your mother talked to me…we want to see the grandkids, and I do want you to be happy, so I am willing to let you figure it out. I will try to respect your decisions. As long as you talk to us more often and let us know what’s going on in your life, then I’m letting you go.”

“I’ll tell you things, I promise.” The sentence was loaded with worry, and it was awkward between the two of you. Neither of knew what to do about how well you were getting along.

“So tell me about this boy, then,” he probed. You wondered what exactly he was trying to get you to reveal, but you decided to tell hime everything.

You told him that you were sure that you were in love with him. You told him about his subtle, caring nature. You told him about his job. You told him about Tae’s liking him. You told him about Agust D.

When the conversation was over with, you felt a sort of weight lifted off your shoulder. There was no hug or affection shared between you and your dad, but there was a small smile. You would take what you could get.

In fact, you were feeling so much better, that you decided to go inside and film a video.

However, although you’d made peace with your dad, you still needed to figure out how to not let all the hate and negativity that comes from being present online affect your life.

You were going home, sooner rather than later.

[babyruthe]

lies within lies

fake dating au/trody fic!!

————

okay i made this a while ago but i never finish it,, it was a fake dating trody au but i didn’t really have a plan so i got unmotivated and decided to not work on it anymore but i hope you like what i have!! archie (@governmentassignedbaby) proofread the first half so the second half will have a lot grammatical errors compared to the first half🤟😔 rip im illiterate

————

“GUYS!!! Guys, guys, guys! I have a big problem!” I exclaimed as I hastily ran into the green room. Oh, this is bad, really bad. As I gather my breath, I looked to Justin and Harold. Both look up from their activity, Justin was taking selfies of himself and Harold was playing with his Yo-Yo. I think? I must have spooked Harold because he’s currently tied up by said Yo-Yo. 

“What’s up, dude?” Harold questioned while I tried to untangle him. 

“Okay, so you guys know how Tyler is having a wedding, right?”

Justin nodded knowingly. He wasn’t looking at me anymore and went back to his phone, I’m pretty sure he’s looking through filters. Harold looked confused, “Wait, what? I didn’t get an invite.” Oh.

“I’m sure it hasn’t reached your house yet,” I tried to reassure Harold, though he still looked skeptical. “You know me and Tyler are good friends, he texted me the news. And Justin probably heard it from Lindsay and Beth, they have those gossiping date thingies. Is it that right, Justin?” I raise my voice near the end to get the pretty boy’s attention. 

Justin looks at us. I nod my head towards Harold and motion for Justin to agree. “Oh yeah, that. Yes.” Harold still looks sad. 

“Hey, they probably just sent it to Leshawna thinking you guys live together. Take that as a compliment.”

 I can see his face brighten and he mused, “Yeah, you’re right, I’ll talk to her about tonight. It’s date night.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me as I finished untangling him. Being completely honest, Tyler and Lindsay most likely just forgot to send him an invitation. Reminder to self to text Leshawna.

Justin looked sorta amused as he shook his hands up, “So what’s the big problem?” Harold headed to the couch. Great, I have both of my bandmates’ full attention. And I just realized Trent isn’t here yet… Oh well, he’ll have to wait.

“Okay so I maybe, sorta told, just kinda, perhaps havetoldSierrathatI’mbringingadatetothewedding.” I unintentionally closed my eyes and brace myself for their questions. But nothing comes? I opened my eyes to see two puzzled faces. 

“Dude, what.” Justin blankly states. 

I let out a deep breath, “Okay, Sierra texted me this morning and asked if I wanted to go to the wedding.” Justin looked bored and Harold.. looked Haroldly. “Guys! Like we go together like a date or something.” I started pacing around the room.

“And that’s bad because?” Justin countered. 

“You don’t understand, I don’t want to go out with her. I don’t want to date her!”

“You act like I don’t asked out by tons of girls every day, just ghost her. Duh.” And... he’s back to his phone.

“I can’t. We’re both going to the wedding, duh!” I narrow my eyes at Justin. Also, I can’t ghost people. What? It makes me feel bad. 

Harold stands between us, “Chill.” I soften my glare. Justin still looks annoyed, at least he’s still listening. “So what are you going to do?”

My eyes wander, “I told her I have a date already.”

Justin’s eyes widen and Harold turns to me so fast his glasses almost fall off, “WHAT!” Justin is (really badly) hiding his laughter.  “Guys, that’s why I need your help!” I cry out. “Justin, you laughing doesn’t make me feel better.”

“Sorry but you dating? That’s hilarious.” 

I can’t retort anything back because Trent finally gets here. “What’s hilarious?”

“Cody getting a date for Tyler and Lindsay’s wedding,” Justin explains smugly. 

My face heats up, “Guyssss! This isn’t funny!” I’m getting so nervous my voice cracks. Great, more of a reason for Justin to make fun of me.

“Woah, what? You have a date for the wedding?” Trent looks at me questioningly as he sets down his guitar. 

I plop on the couch and huff out, “No.” I put my hands in my face and sigh. Loudly. I can still hear Justin giggling. I hope Justin can tell I’m suFFERING! 

“You need a date for the wedding?” I feel a weight next to me, Someone sat next to me. I crack my eyes opens, Harold got a chair from the other side of the room is now sitting in front of me while Justin is to my left, wiping tears from his eyes from all of his laughing. Jerk. Trent sat to my right, waiting for an answer. 

“Yes, I need a date.”

“Oh.” He’s thinking. He has this thinking face where he pouts and his eyes are scanning the ceiling for some sort of answer. “What about Sierra? She likes you right?” 

I lean back into the cushion and groan. “Sierra asked him out and he told Sierra he had a date so he doesn’t hurt her feelings.” Thank you, Harold. I always liked you the best. 

“Dang.” 

I stared at the ceiling tiles. “Maybe I don’t go to the wedding?” Ew, I hate the words I just said but maybe I should… 

Trent bumps my shoulder, “Tyler is looking forward to seeing you and Lindsay loves you. You have to go.” 

“Ugh, I hate that you’re right.”  

He gives me a tense smile, “I’m sure there’s a website or app where you can hire a girlfriend for the day. Or days?” Right, he never talks about it but Tyler is super rich. He joined Total Drama for “fun” but stayed for Lindsay. His parents own a bunch of hotels, resorts, and cruises. Plus he’s an only child, so of course, they spoil him and make his wedding at some fancy resort in Dominican Republic or something. All their guests get to stay the week there. Man, I really want to go but I need a date. Please help me, gamer gods.

“I can’t. I told her I’ve been dating someone for a while and Sierra knows everything about me, she’ll know if I hire a date. I need someone I already know.”

“Why did you tell her that?” Justin smirked. I hate those perfect white teeth.

“I didn’t mean to, she just guessed so and I panicked and said yes. I’ll show you.” I reach for my phone, it dings. “It’s Sierra.” 

Justin mumbles, “Speak of the devil and she shall appear.” Which, to be fair, is kinda true. 

“She’s asking who my date is, hmmmmm.” I tell I’m busy with practice and silence my phone. I’ll deal with her later.

“So who can you ask, Noah? Y’all are friends, and I’m sure he’ll begrudgingly do it.” Trent contemplated. 

Justin just had to add, “if you do all his work for a month.” 

“Dude, not helping.”

“Thank you, Trent. At least someone is nice.” I look at Justin. He huffs at me, drama queen. “But that won’t work. I already asked him but he’s going with Alejandro.”

“Gosh. Noah and Alejandro, huh. Don’t they hate each other?” Harold chimed in.

“Yeah... their relationship is weird. They’re not official yet, so don’t tell anyone- I’m talking about you, Justin. Or I’ll tell you-know-who that you still like her.”

“Whatever,” he retorts. But I notice him putting his phone down, I’m glad I have some power over him.

“Okay so, Gwen?” Trent offers.

“Nope, she’s dating Zoey.”

“Beth?”

“Umm. No, that’s like dating myself but girl me. Plus she’s got that hot boyfriend.”

“Heather?”

“Pfft, how believable is that?” Justin blurted.

“Hey hey hey, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.” I ranted. I guess I can’t go, or tell her the truth. But I’d rather not go.

Harold gets a text, he takes a quick look and slightly pales. “Sierra is texting me? I never gave her my number…”

“Welcome to my world. So what does it say?”

“She wrote a whole essay. But it’s basically about she thinks one of us is dating you?”

“Ew.” 

“Always the nicest, aren’t you Justin?” 

Harold scrolls through the massive text, “Yeah, she said she had theories about a secret relationship in the group. She’s also crying because, and I quote, ‘the knowledge I possess is too hurtful and I have a Cody shaped hole in my heart.”

I look around to my bandmates, sure, I can’t choose Harold, but maybe one of the others will agree.

“Wait, forget I told you that last part, Sierra just asked me to not tell you. Oops.”

“Nevermind that, she might actually be onto something. Justin can you pleaseeeee pretend.”

He gave me a once over, “Like I’ll be seen with you, there will be photos of this wedding everywhere. No thanks.” 

I knew that would happen, so I turned to Trent. I give him the biggest puppy eyes I can muster. He rubs the back of his neck, “Um... I don’t have a date, so sure?”

 I jump up and give him a big hug, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!”

He gently pushes me off. “No prob… babe,” he says, stiffly. At least he’s trying. Justin winces at the poor attempt at a fake relationship.

“If this is really going to happen, you guys need lessons on dating,” Justin states confidently. “Meet at Cody’s place tonight at 5 for dinner and dating tips. And no, you don’t have to come, Harold.”

While Harold is relieved, I’m not. Noah has plans and I can’t have them over. “What about Trent’s? His place is way better.”

Justin looks at me judgingly. I sighed in defeat, “Noah has a date with Alejandro.”

“Yeah, let’s just go to my place.” Trent gives me a small nudge and smile before advising we actually practice. Tyler asked us to play a song at his wedding, we couldn’t say no. Well, Justin can, but he couldn’t say no to money. 

————

I’m standing in front of Trent’s apartment, carrying an assortment of ingredients. At the end of practice, Trent told me he had no food at his place so I felt obliged to get him some. He’s going to pretend to be my boyfriend, getting him some food as a thank you gift seems reasonable. It’s also understood that I come over earlier so we can cook dinner, I think? This fake boyfriend stuff is hard.

I knock on his door and wait. After a minute I knock again, and the door quickly opened up to a tired Trent, “Sorry I was taking a nap.”

He’s hair is… everywhere. I give him a small smile and tap the top of my head. He gets what I’m trying to say and pats his hair down. It’s not fully fixed but it’s good enough. I give him a thumbs up and a wonky grin as he invites me inside. 

Trent headed to the bathroom to work on his hair. “Where should I put the groceries?” I called out.

He stuck his head out and pointed to a small table on the edge of the living room. I set the bags on the table and pulled out one of the chairs. My chair was lopsided, I didn’t realize but I started to swaying slightly as I waited. Trent exited from the bathroom and went towards me. “Hey, what’d you get?”

“I got all the stuff to make some lasagna. Plus whatever else was on the list,” I told Trent as he unpacked the groceries. He picked up a tub of cookies and cream ice cream, looking amused. “It was on sale.” I mean if you were walking by your favorite ice cream and it was a 40% sale you would buy it too. 

“Was this on sale too?” the other boy murmured as he held up a plastic container of rainbow sprinkles. 

“Maybe…”

That made Trent chuckle. All in a day's work for the Codemister. We quickly put up items and started cooking. Not to brag but I'm a pretty good cook. Although Trent is better than me, so he’s in charge for the most part. 

Before long me and Trent are waiting near the oven as the food cooks. The room fills with a nice aroma. Trent has this really sick record player and has a small collection of records. He has a bunch of random indie bands, some date way back, and a few classics. Some old jazzy music played softly as we tried to kill time. Trent was reading some article on his phone, like a loser. It was something about bees I think… I kind of zoned out because I was playing minecraft on my phone. I was hella stoked when minecraft got cool again. 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I look up to the sound coming from the door, I watch Trent’s backside already heading towards the front door. I watched Trent answer the door, before I know it I hear a small explosion. In those few seconds I was distracted, a creeper decided to show up and blow me up. Luckily, like the pro gamer I am, I’m still alive. I quickly save and close out of the app to greet the new guest, Justin. 

“What’s for dinner?” 

I point to the oven, “Lassaga!” Justin opens the door to the oven and looks on approvingly. 

Trent collects a few plates and hands them to me, “Help me set up.” I place them on the small table and take a seat as Trent gathers cups, “What do you guys want to drink?” 

Justin sat down as he responded, “Do you have sparkling water?” Trent turns around and rolls his eyes. “I’ll take that as a no, I’ll take a coke.”

“I’ll take water.” I like sodas but I can’t have a lot of them, it makes my tummy feel weird and gassy.

Trent comes back with drinks so now class is in session. Sometime between learning about Trent’s brothers and talking about my pet rat in great detail, I love my rat baby, dinner was served. And eaten fast. Justin wants to go to the main thing I dreaded, physical touch. Sierra is… nice and all but she’s way too touchy. Ever since I met Sierra I’ve been more and more closed in and rather not give physical affection to anyone. I mean other than my pet rat, but he likes to bite fingers so I don’t hold him too often. The most I do it give quick hugs, even the thought of handholding is nerve-racking. 

Justin was going off on the importance of being comfortable with your significant other, “if you and your partner don’t look at ease with each other, no one is going to believe you. You got to really sell it. Since Sierra knows you guys have been dating for a few months she’ll expect some action. At least holding hands, it kinda makes sense if Cody doesn’t want to kiss yet.”

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“You’re a loser, you probably haven’t kissed anyone. Other than Sierra, she doesn’t count.” I feel my cheeks burn up, I hate that he’s right. 

“So how should we become believable?” Trent speaks up, the only one with a brain cell. 

“Easy, just hang out with each other. A lot. And hold hands or hug, stuff like that. Overall be comfortable in each other's space.”

I peep out, “What if I’m not comfortable?” I never really told my bandmates about my fear of touch but I guess now is as good as a time as any.

Justin, while he looked slightly sympathetic, overall he didn’t seem to care. “You’ll have to over it then. Just pretend it’s that episode where you guys face your fear.”

“Okay small problem, I didn’t get over my fear and exploded.”

“Gotta do better this time.” Justin is acting so pompous, ugh it’s so annoying. 

I feel a light touch on my arm. I turn to see Trent giving me an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry buddy, we’ll take it slow.” I return the smile, I guess I can get over my fear with Trent. 

Apparently, Justin hates it when couples call their partner ‘buddy’ or ‘pal’ or anything resembling that so Trent heard an earful from him. After Justin finished his rant, he promptly left and now me and Trent are cleaning up.

————

this is where i left off,, i don’t really want to finish it but i am happy with what i have so i hoped you enjoyed! idk how exactly how i would end it but trody becomes canon and they’re very cute and sierre realizes she’s a creep and stops and life is perfect :’)

[ukiy0h]

blog post #2

For the last blog post I made, I seriously underestimated how much time it would take to finish the art and make the blog post, so I decided to start this one earlier (I also just wanted to draw). I’m going to start this blog post today (Sunday, April 26th) and update it over the course of 3 days. 

For this blog post I want to sketch, line, and color an original piece which is much easier said than done but I’m going to start off by going through a pdf of content for Scott Eaton’s Artistic Anatomy for Digital Artists course, which will be cited on my research post.

Honestly, one of the more challenging parts of this project was figuring out what I wanted to draw. I’m super indecisive, so that took a while. Eventually (with the help of my friend), I ended up choosing this as the reference photo:

©: @/fraycosplay on instagram/tiktok (original post)

Sketching has always been something I like to do, so I didn’t really think about it much while doing it. Most of the challenging aspect of digital art for me is the line art and the coloring. I really like the messy aesthetic of a sketch, and sometimes lineart can make it look different from the sketch, so I’m kinda nervous to ink this piece.

Progress picture:

The nose was giving me a little bit of trouble, but I decided not to spend too long on it and when I was about 60% satisfied, I figured I’d just do my best to fix it using the lineart.

Progress picture #2:

The nose was still giving me trouble, so I decided to go a different route and looked at a reference drawing from an artist whose style I liked, and tried to draw the nose that way. It still looks kinda wonky unfortunately :( I also decided not to ink with a proper pen style brush and used a different sketching brush I downloaded because the lighting is so saturated in the original reference photo that I wouldn’t outline the piece but rather use colors and shading without a stark line differentiating the figure from the background.

Progress picture #3:

This is all the flat colors, and that that wasn’t too bad, just a little time consuming to outline each part and then fill it in and go over the edges because the fill tool leaves a really tiny outline. Then I started coloring, and I realized that I chose a reference photo with tricky lighting... I ended up using both normal skin colors and red, pink, and white to shade the skin because a hard light overlay wasn’t getting the colors to be more like what I needed them to be.

Progress picture #4:

(my phone camera messes with the lighting a little)

I honestly started getting a little frustrated coloring this. It’s hard and time consuming and my back, neck, and shoulders hurt a lot, but it really do be that way sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but I’m pretty satisfied with how it’s coming along.

Progress picture #5:

The features took me some time to get right, but I did eventually get them done (it took a lot of trial and error).

I misjudged the amount of time I had to finish again, so I wasn’t able to finish the background before posting this, so I will update it as soon as I finish.

Progress picture #6: 

This is basically the finished product, I just wanted to color the background so it’s darker. My phone camera isn’t great (I have an iPhone 6S) so the lighting of the picture blurs it out a little, but I actually really like how it turned out and only have a few small things I want to fix.

Final product:

I’m actually really pleased with how this came out!! I spent most of yesterday (Monday 4/27) sketching, lining, and coloring the base colors for the shirt, skin, and hair, and then colored the hair and today (Tuesday, 4/28) I finished the rest of it. I spent most of today working on this after finishing an assignment for AP Psych, and it’s really satisfying to see this piece actually done, even if I’m still trying to figure out my art style.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Not the most conventional date- Shiro Ship Week Day 1

Yay, it;s Shiro week, and Lance’s birthday tomorrow. Oddly enough I didn’t write a Shance or Klanro fic for this week tomorrow. Hopefully you enjoy this. First date/Anniversary

“You’re an idiot. Who the hell get themselves sent to the ER the night of their first date with two guys you like?”

Shiro moaned as Matt’s voice vibrated in his head. Everything hurt and he was pretty sure if he opened his eyes, the world would still be spinning.

“Matt, I love you but please stop yelling and it’s not like I planned for this to happen.”

“No but if you moved out of that apartment like I told you to, you wouldn’t have fallen down those crap stairs and hit your head so bad you gave yourself a concussion. Your landlord wasn’t going to fix that wonky board I know you tripped over and the place doesn’t even have an elevator. If this isn’t a wakeup call, I don’t know what is.” Matt sassed.

“Alright, alright. Just stop yelling and give me my phone please.”

He heard Matt sigh before hearing him walk away, muttering something about ruining what could have been a perfect date. In Shiro’s defence, this wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to trip on that wonky floorboard and go flying down the stairs, hitting his head so bad, the room span when he had his eyes open. He was supposed to be on his way to his favourite sushi place to go on a date with a poly couple.

He and Keith worked together as bodyguards. They got along when they were paired together for a few jobs and Shiro guessed feelings started. But when Keith asked him on advice on what to do to get your boyfriend to forgive you for forgetting to let his cat back into the apartment, Shiro tried to stomp out that crush. He was no homewrecker. Then he met Keith’s boyfriend and it started all over again. Shiro was on the verge of asking for a new partner, when Keith came to work one day and seemed extra pissy, like more than he could usually be. Keith didn’t want to say anything when Shiro asked what was wrong but after he snapped at a client, Shiro pulled him aside while said client was in a meeting.

“Ok, what is with you? You’ve been acting all weird and you’re way angrier than you usually are when it comes to difficult clients.”

Keith really looked like he didn’t want to answer but eventually asked, “If I told you that Lance and I are both poly, what would you say?”

Poly, as in polyamorous. What Shiro wanted to say was ‘yes, I have a chance’ but he wasn’t going to push at something that might not happen.

“I’d say thank you for trusting me with that information and ask if has anything to do with why you’re so upset.”

“There was this guy. Lance was interested in him and from the pictures he seemed kinda cute. He knew Lance was with me but still wanted to date him, so we all went on a date together.”

“I take it it ended badly?”

“We were half way through dinner when we decided to talk about what we wanted in the relationship. He seemed like a nice guy but I wasn’t interested but I was more than happy to let Lance date him except he didn’t want to ‘share’ Lance. He told Lance that he had to dump me if he wanted to go out with him. Then he called Lance an attention whore when Lance told him he wasn’t dumping me. I might have punched him.”

“So you’re still upset about that?”

Keith shrugged, “Lance told me it shouldn’t matter. It’s just, we both have this crush on this guy we’re so sure is both straight and not poly and no other relationship is working. We’re kinda scared one of us is gonna say something to the guy and ruin the relationship we have.”

Shiro really wanted to know who the guy was but Keith hadn’t been very forthcoming with the information he got just now so he wasn’t expecting an answer. Instead he just told him what he felt.

“Well one, that guy was an idiot. He obviously didn’t realise how lucky he was to even be considered by you two. I get that poly relationships can be hard, especially when you both want someone else to join your relationship. This guy you two like, I saw go for it. For all you know, he might be interested. Just letting go and going for it might actually make your relationship with Lance even stronger.”

“You really think we should do it?”

“Who knows, you might be surprised with what you might get. It’s better than the two of you torturing yourselves on whether or not this guy feels the same.” Seeing that his words got through to him, Shiro said, “Tell me how it goes ok? And let’s keep the temper to a good level for the rest of the job ok?”

Imagine his surprise when he got a call from Lance that night, asking him out.

“Shiro, you there? I didn’t totally mess up did I?”

“No, no, no. I’m just, kinda confused. Keith told me the two of you had a crush on someone.”

“Yeah, you. I mean drop dead gorgeous, really sweet, all around amazing. Keith told me about you and I got curious and next thing I know, we’re gossiping about you like we’re middle school girls. Trust me, no one’s really had that effect on us for a while.” Shiro felt like preening at that thought. “So um, if you’re interested, we wanted to know if you’d go on a date with the both of us?”

“Oh you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear those words. Yes, absolutely. I’d love to go on a date with you two.” Shiro could hear Lance’s smile from the upbeat tone of Lance’s voice. Finally, he was finally getting the chance to date both the guys he liked. When Matt heard, he insisted that Shiro should stay over at his house so he could leave from there, but Shiro declined.

Now he was really wishing he hadn’t, because instead of having to leave earlier to get to the restaurant in time, he stayed at his place, tripped on the crap floor and tripped down the stairs were a concussion was waiting for him.

He felt something against his cheek and heard Matt say, in a lower tone so his head wouldn’t hurt as much, “here. It’s almost time for you to meet them.”

Pressing his thumb on the home button, he heard his phone unlock. He activated Siri and told her to call Keith. He didn’t hold the phone up to his ear until he heard someone on the other line say, “Hello?”

“Keith, it’s me Shiro.”

“Actually, it’s me Lance. We’re a little late and Keith is driving.”

“Oh. Ok listen. I feel horrible about what I’m going to say, but I need to cancel.”

“Cancel why?” Shiro could hear Keith asking Lance what was going on. He felt horrible. The last date they had gone on was a disaster and he wanted this one to be better.

“This is gonna sound weird but my apartment is kinda crap. I’m still waiting for my lease to be up so I can finally move from the hazard that is my place. I was heading down to the ground level when I tripped on a wonky floorboard and went crashing down the stairs. I’m ok though,” he slipped in before Lance could start freaking out, if the loud shout was anything to go by, “I’ve just got a bad concussion and I’m not moving from this bed. Lance, I am so sorry. Trust me, I really want to go out with you and Keith but I guess that’s not happening today.”

“Are you at the hospital? Which one?”

“Garrison? Why?”

“Why do you think? We’re coming there. We’ll see you soon.”

Shiro couldn’t get another word in when Lance hung up on him. They were coming here?

“What is it?” Matt asked

“I think they’re coming here.”

“Huh. I’ll admit, didn’t see that one coming. But hey, at least your date isn’t completely ruined. A bit unconventional yeah, but not ruined.”

Shiro guessed that if Matt could have a positive outlook on what was happening, then he should too. As long as the room stopped spinning.

Shiro wasn’t sure when he passed out but when he woke up, he saw Lance and Keith sitting next to his bed, preoccupied with their phones. They were both dressed so nicely that another wave of guilt came over him at the thought of their ruined date.

“Hey, you two look nice.”

“Shiro, you’re awake.” Lance said. “You were already asleep when we got here. How are you feeling?”

“Well, my head’s not spinning as badly. I’m more surprised that you two are here.”

“Yeah, well Lance said you tripped in your crap apartment I knew you weren’t lying. You’ve been complaining about living there for as long as I’ve known you.” Keith explained.

“Oh. Still, I’m sorry I ruined our date because of that.”

“Who says we can’t have the date right now?” Keith said, with a sly smirk on his face as he picked up a takeout bag from the sushi place on the floor and placed it on the rolling table. “Hospital food is kinda crap so we just brought the date to you.”

“Well aren’t I lucky? Thank you, not only for dinner but for actually giving me a chance.”

“You have yet to disappoint. Why should something like a slip that wasn’t your fault end a relationship that hasn’t started just yet?” Lance pointed out.

Like Matt said, their first date was a bit unconventional but it was still one of the best Shiro had ever been on.

[mshellbrat]

Hey guys! Next chapter of my Olicity Arrow/BTVS xover is now up! I would love to hear what you think! 

Chapter Summary:  Felicity deals with the very unexpected arrival of her apparently supernatural cousin. She tries to balance the love she feels for her family member with the possibility that she shouldn't trust her and she might be a threat.

Rating: M (for language so far)

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!...except my original characters and their imaginary organization... :-)

Here goes!

She should be calling for help. Felicity knew rationally she should be calling for help right now. Meredith had left, gone to gather her luggage apparently, but she was coming right back. Felicity had time to make a quick call for backup. She should grab her phone and hit speed dial and...but Meredith was her COUSIN! Yes, she was something supernatural and Felicity's stomach still hadn't settled down, but Meredith was still her cousin. If Felicity called Cross or Dare they might kill Meredith! And Oliver? Great google, he might arrow Meredith and then Felicity would have to kill HIM! No one was killing Meredith!

And then the door was opening and Meredith was slinging a duffle onto the floor and the question of calling for help was out the...question.

Felicity frowned at the duffle. “Exactly how long are you planning to be here, Mere?”

Meredith shrugged. “I wasn't sure so I packed up everything. Not like this whole hellmouth thing is going away or anything. And HEY...” she smiled at Felicity and held out her arms, “you know about the supernatural now. It's kinda the club you can't ever get out of. I don't have to avoid you anymore.” Now her expression turned shifty. “And...I might have burned some bridges back in Edencrest...”

Felicity was horrified at the implications. “That's everything you own?” She forced herself to stop freaking out and actually LOOK at her younger cousin. Meredith was still deceptively adorable and sweet looking, but Felicity started to see the cracks in her perky exterior. Meredith's hair was gorgeous...but also pretty messy. Had it even been brushed? The girl wore no makeup and no jewelry. She was wearing an obviously over-sized man's black button-down top. Felicity could see it was high-quality material, but it was also wrinkled and huge and...not appropriate attire for a twenty-one year old young woman. She wore old well-loved blue jeans and a pair of chucks. Meredith was looking rough.

Meredith noticed her gaze and shrugged. “Yea, the jeans and shoes were Lisa's,” she pointed at Felicity and her face screwed up into a scowl, “bitch owes me.” Then she painted a fake smile back on her lips. “But yep, I travel light.”

Felicity thought back and she remembered Lisa. She'd been one of Meredith's best friends back in the day. There had been a foursome of girls who Felicity had been equally amused and annoyed by back then. They'd been two years younger than Felicity and just about to start high school the last time she'd seen them. Lisa was a pretty, doe-eyed girl who had been tooth-ache sweet...never Felicity's favorite of the four. Felicity had actually preferred Chrissy, who was a little bitchy and self-absorbed but at least more real.

But so...so not the point at the moment. Felicity was baffled. “How can that be everything you own?” It was a duffle bag...one freaking duffle bag! And also... “Edencrest?” As in Edencrest, Alabama? As in the location of another of Cross' clubs?

Meredith nodded. She started nosing around Felicity's house and made a satisfied noise when she located the kitchen. Felicity followed her inside and watched as the brunette opened the refrigerator looking for food. “We've been in Edencrest for about four years now. You know it's the location of the largest active hellmouth, right?”

Felicity 'eeped' because she definitely had NOT known that. Meredith grinned at her and pulled a box of left over pizza out of the fridge. She pulled free a couple of slices and replaced the box. “Just how new are you to this game, Lissy?”

“Pretty new,” Felicity mused. Then she shook herself and narrowed her eyes on Meredith. “Meredith, what is going on? I'm a slayer and you are making my instincts go super wonky! I'm supposed to trust my instincts!”

Meredith snorted and rolled her eyes unconcerned. “That's just because I'm half vamp, Lissy,” she paused and tilted her head consideringly, “or possibility because my sire is Satan...one of the two.” She took a big bite of pizza.

“SATAN?!?” Felicity screeched.

Meredith turned and started digging through her cabinets. “Not like the actual Satan. That's just what I call him...cause he's an evil bastard,” she shrugged, “and I like being able to say that I have Satan on speed dial.” She looked back over her shoulder at Felicity. “You got any bourbon?”

“NO!” Felicity used her Loud Voice and pointed at the younger woman, “I do NOT have any bourbon and you could NOT have any even if I did! Now,” she pointed back toward the living room, “go sit on the couch and I will fix you something to drink. Then you are going to eat and explain what the hell is really going on with you!” Meredith opened her mouth and Felicity whipped her finger back around and at her. “NOW!”

Meredith lifted one brow. “You do realize I'm not fourteen anymore,” she made a face, “even if I'm never going to look my age.”

Felicity just continued to glare her down. “I'm still older than you!”

Meredith rolled her big eyes again, took another bite of pizza and strutted past Felicity toward the living room. Felicity dropped her head into her hands and gave a silent frustrated scream. When was she going to catch a fracking break?!?

Felicity sat primly on one end of the couch and stared at her cousin. She was determined not to show the younger girl another freak out. Meredith was...obviously not in a good place. Felicity hadn't seen the girl since she was fourteen, but she'd quickly picked up on her erratic emotional state. She'd also realized Meredith was half-drunk. As passionately as the brunette had declared she was there to save Felicity, the slayer had a feeling she was also running from her old life. Felicity wondered if this “vision” her friend the witch had was strategically planned to get Meredith away from whatever situation she'd been dealing with.

And now she was here...with Felicity...who had just had the slayer thing dropped on her, and the Team Arrow goes supernatural thing dropped on her, and the being trained by vampires thing dropped on her. Felicity would really like to have fifteen minutes alone in a room with this witch. Felicity loved Meredith. Meredith was her cousin and she would do everything she could to help and protect her, but she really didn't need this right now! Oliver was going to shit KITTENS!

The still inebriated brunette was sprawled across an adjacent chair. Meredith gulped down her flavored water and some ranch chips Felicity had found buried in her cabinet. The blonde eyed her with careful neutrality. “So...you're telling me you're ANOTHER type of vampire?”

Meredith frowned at her wording but shrugged. “Traditional technically...but I'm only half.” And apparently to Meredith that made all the difference...as if Felicity had any idea that HALF-vampires even existed or that they were or were not worse than the full variety. Meredith held out her wrist to the blonde. “I have a heartbeat. You can check.”

As tempting as that was, Felicity ignored the offer. She groaned and banged her head back against the couch. “I swear my life was practically normal last week. Now I have different species of vampires running out my ears!”

“Just how many are you dealing with?” Meredith asked. “I mean, Possessed are your priority, right?” She straightened up and glared at Felicity seriously. “You shouldn't be going after the others. It gets more complicated...and a lot more dangerous!”

Felicity took in a deep breath and blew it out. She stared back at the other girl. “Well there's Possessed, Pures, and now whatever you are.” She watched the brunette's eyes for her reaction. “I just found out I'm being trained by a couple of Pures.”

Meredith snorted and waved her hand. “Oh please, Pures are NOT vampires. They don't even drink blood.” She relaxed back into her former position. “And if they're training you that's a good thing. They're like legendary warriors for the Light. It's their 'path' laid down by God or the Powers or whatever.” She used air-quotes on the word path. “And Traditional are not your problem,” she continued, “we govern our own if anyone gets out of line.”

“Well that's reassuring,” Felicity drawled because it was NOT.

“You would probably never even have run across one if it wasn't for me,” Meredith chuckled and pointed a finger at her. “Lucky you!”

“Mere...” Felicity glared at her reprovingly.

The brunette gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. “I'm serious! Traditional tend to avoid slayers and hellmouths like the plague. We only ended up in Edencrest because of Sam, who is a witch by the way.”

Sam, the fourth of Meredith's old quartet of friends. That answered one question. Sam was the culprit she needed to thank for this unexpected visit. “And Sam had a vision that I was going to get eaten?”

“Sam had a vision that you'd been activated as a slayer,” Meredith corrected. “I just happen to know that slayers often get eaten and I wasn't about to let that happen to my Lissy.” She paused and slumped unhappily. “And I was kinda homeless and Nik hates me now and I had nothing else to do with my time...and you are like the only decent family I have left!”

Felicity still smelt a rat and she had no idea who this Nik person was, but she was willing to let it go for the moment. Meredith was getting more and more distraught. The blonde pushed to her feet and walked over to her smaller cousin. She reached down, took the girl's hand, and pulled her up as well. Then she started nudging her toward the guest bathroom. “You will feel much better after you've had a nice long shower, Mere.” She leaned forward and sniffed before making a face. “No offense, but you kinda stink.”

Meredith shrugged. “I don't have any other clothes.”

Felicity patted her shoulder. “I'll lend you some of mine for now.” She pushed her into the bathroom, made sure she had a clean towel and washcloth, then closed the door.

After waiting to hear the shower turn on, Felicity hurried into her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She thought carefully before placing her call. The male voice answered after only three rings. “Felicity?”

Felicity blew out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, “Hi Riley! Sorry to call you so early, but I was wondering if you could help me out with some quick information about another species of vampire I've been looking up.”

“Of course,” Riley answered. “I'll give you any information I have, but you only really need to worry about Possessed. Most other vamps are smart enough to avoid the slayer.”

Felicity rolled her eyes because apparently her cousin wasn't most vampires...and nothing so far about Felicity's slayer life had followed the norm. “I just want to cover all my bases, I guess.” She tried to sound casual. “So, what can you tell me about the Traditional species of vampire?”

Riley hummed. “Well, they're similar in a lot of ways to the Chosen, though they have a higher population. Chosen are very picky about their childre and they don't turn their victims as often. They see their childre as their legacy...as their actual children.” He paused. “Traditional are more...human in a way. They often turn their lovers or their friends or even their families. They turn for companionship and for love.”

Felicity frowned. “That would be almost sweet if they weren't creating bloodsucking fiends in the process.”

“They don't have to kill to feed,” Riley told her. “Don't get me wrong, some of them do, but they don't have to. Traditional have a very dangerous ability called persuasion. It's a form of mind-control that induces humans to submit to their will. It allows them to feed on humans without dealing with a fighting victim and then persuade them to forget it ever happened.”

Felicity's eyes widened and she looked toward the bathroom. “How...how would someone know if they were being persuaded?”

Riley snorted. “They wouldn't. That's the point, but you don't have to worry about that Felicity. If for no other reason, it doesn't work on supernatural creatures. It only works on humans.”

Felicity sighed in relief and looked to the ceiling. Thank google! She ran her free hand over her face. “So, anything else I should know? Weaknesses? Strengths?”

“They share most of the traditional weaknesses of vampires in general,” Riley said. “They burn in direct sunlight. They can be beheaded, burned, or staked. They require an invitation to enter personally owned residences...”

“They do?” Felicity couldn't help interrupting. “You have to invite them in?”

“Oh yes,” Riley told her, “thankfully the only species I know that's immune to that quirk are the Forsaken and there's some debate if they should actually be classified as demons instead of vampires.” He made a disgusted noise. “Forsaken, by the way, are nasty bastards and if you ever run across one just kill the hell out of it.”

Felicity rubbed her fingers over her eyes. “Noted, but about the Traditional?”

“Oh, they are immune to religious artifacts and holy water,” Riley said, “but they have a weakness to silver. Any human wearing pure silver is immune to their persuasion.”

“Good to know,” Felicity said. She bit her lip and cleared her throat. “Uh...what about half-vampires? Any information on them?”

There was a long pause and then Riley whistled, “where did you even dig that up?”

“No comment,” Felicity muttered.

“They say that a master vampire of the species with sufficient power can claim a human, imbuing them with a portion of their own power and effectively putting them into transition,” Riley said. “But they'd become a full Traditional upon their first kill...and until they make that kill they fall into the gray area and aren't really our problem. You don't want to start going after the vamps that don't kill. There are plenty enough of the old fashioned kind to keep you busy.”

“Would they need an invitation into a home?” Felicity asked.

“I honestly have no idea,” Riley admitted. “We don't have that much information on them. I've never run across one.”

Felicity nodded to herself, then she heard the shower turn off and eyed the bathroom door again. “Thank you so much for the information Riley. I guess I'll see you in a bit at 'The Bronze'.”

“My pleasure,” she could hear the warmth in his voice, “I know this has been a crazy time for you, Felicity, but you really are doing great. Things will get better and we are here to help you if you need it.”

“I appreciate that,” she said.

“I hope you know that you are an amazing woman, Felicity,” Riley said. Felicity's eyes widened at his tone. She really hoped she hadn't given him the wrong impression with this call.

The bathroom door opened and Meredith stepped out wrapped in the towel Felicity left her. The brunette was grinning widely as she walked toward her cousin obviously listening in to the conversation.

“Thanks,” Felicity squeaked, “I uh...I really appreciate that.”

“You already said that,” Meredith noted.

Felicity glared at her. “I have to go now, Riley. See you later.” She hung up the phone and groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was lead on Riley Finn. She had more than enough on her plate right now...and she was almost positive Oliver WOULD try to kill him.

“I hope you know that you are an amazing woman, Felicity,” Meredith purred.

Felicity pointed her finger at her. “Don't you start, Mere! If he ends up arrowed it's all your fault!”

Meredith chuckled. “Let me guess, you wanted the Traditional vampire 4-1-1?” She cocked her head to the side. “You could have just asked.”

Felicity ignored that because she knew Meredith was well aware of why she'd called for an outside opinion. She turned and headed for her closet. She eyed Meredith's small frame, she was at least two inches shorter than the slayer, and tried to decide what wouldn't look ridiculous on her. She settled on a hot pink dress the skirt of which was almost indecently short on Felicity (she'd only worn it to drive Isabel up the wall back in the day). She walked back out and held the hanger out to her cousin. “So, apparently Traditional vampires still require an invitation.”

Meredith eyed the pink dress with distaste. “I don't do pink...or dresses.”

Felicity's eyebrows shot up. “Well, I don't do men's shirts or stolen jeans. You'll have to suffer through until we get you some better options.” She continued to stare down her notoriously stubborn cousin. “Invitation?” she prompted.

Meredith sighed and took the hanger. She dropped her towel and pulled the dress over her head. “I told you, Lissy, I'm only half vamp.” She took in Felicity's determined expression and sighed. “I'd really rather skip my hard-knock life story, but basically I've been on this road since I was four.”

There had been a tragedy when Meredith was four. She'd had a twin brother, Felicity remembered, and something horrible had happened, an accident of some kind, and Matthew had died. Felicity was too young to remember the details and no one really talked about it.

“I should have died too,” Meredith told her as if she knew what Felicity was thinking, “but Gabriel saved me. He's my sire and a master vampire. He claimed me and used persuasion on my mother,” her face twisted in disgust, “to make her take care of me until I could care for myself.”

Felicity stared her stunned. “You've been this way since you were four?”

Meredith shrugged. “Only really kicked in at fourteen when I attacked my roommate at boarding school.” Felicity must have looked horrified because she huffed and rolled her eyes. “I didn't kill her OBVIOUSLY or she wouldn't have been around to get me expelled and I wouldn't be a HALF vampire.”

Felicity looked at her closely. “You've never killed anyone?”

“No one human,” Meredith told her. Then she tilted her head to the side and blinked. “Are you really going to make me give you a play-by-play of the last seven years?”

Felicity frowned. “Not at the moment,” she looked at her phone, “frankly I don't have time. I have an appointment in a couple hours.”

“Oh yay,” Meredith clapped her hands with mock-excitement, “where are we going?”

Putting her hands on Meredith's shoulders, Felicity began pushing the girl back toward the living room. She directed her back toward her former chair. “YOU aren't going anywhere until I verify that my friends aren't going to kill you.”

Meredith sighed. “Can I at least have some alcohol? I'm much less pleasant when I'm sober.”

Felicity pointed a warning finger at the brunette. She lifted her phone and hit a name on her favorites list. She spoke as soon as the line picked up. “Hey, I need you to come to my place as quick as you can...and don't bring Dare!”

“I'm hearing that a lot lately,” Cross drawled. “Give me fifteen.”

Felicity disconnected the call and turned to see that her cousin had perked up and was looking at her eagerly. “You know Dare?” Meredith asked. “Is he as hot as they say he is? Do you know they call him 'The Black Tide Ho'?”

Frowning at this new piece of the puzzle, Felicity opened her mouth to reply when another knock sounded from her front door. The blonde told Meredith to stay and hurried to answer. Felicity was distracted and confused and still a little stunned at the massive disaster that was quickly becoming her life. That would later be her excuse. She didn't check the peephole and she was already speaking as she opened the door. “We need to work on your time perception, Cross. It hasn't been fifteen...” her words trailed off and her eyes widened comically. She made a pained face. “You aren't Cross.”

Oliver frowned at her reaction to his presence. He reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “Hey! I was...hoping we could maybe talk before we're due for training. Cross is coming over here?” Then he seemed to notice the panic she was fighting to hide. His eyes narrowed and he straightened up. He tried to look behind her into her home. “Is everything okay?”

“SUCH a good question,” Felicity noted with a nod, “that I honestly do not have a good answer to.”

And then, of course, Meredith appeared behind her. She leaned around Felicity and snorted at her first sight of Oliver. “Aren't you that jackass playboy that everyone thought was a dead for a while?” As both Oliver and Felicity seemed to be frozen at her appearance, Meredith pushed in front of her cousin protectively to face down Oliver. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

Oliver shook himself and looked Meredith over from head to toe. He frowned. Felicity winced at the picture her younger cousin must make...long wet hair, slightly over-sized hot pink dress, bare feet. She wasn't, however, prepared for what he chose to notice first. “Felicity, why is she wearing your dress?”

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

[cosmosogler]

hi i’m starting late again. it’s already 12. i’ll try to write fast. 

after i do the pokemon stuff.

today i got up late because i had so much trouble falling asleep last night. i had to get up to go to the bathroom THREE TIMES. and then i could not get comfortable. my knees and back always feel real stiff when i curl up, but i can’t fall asleep on my back or stomach. and i feel off balance when i lay with my legs straight out on my side. and i don’t know what to do with my arms so i usually pin them under my pillow. then sometimes they get pins and needles and that keeps me up too.

my restless legs syndrome hasn’t been so bad any more. it’s weird how depression meds affect so many other things in your body. like prozac can make you lactose intolerant, and you can’t eat grapefruit when you’re taking ssri’s. i think it was ssri’s.

anyway i whined and got out of bed not too long after 10. then i wasted time on the computer. then i went downstairs just a little bit before lunch to start making something to eat. i made some buffalo “chicken” “wings.” i usually love them, but today i started feeling ill about halfway in. so i took the dogs outside for a bit, and when i came in they were kinda cold, so i just cleaned up.

after that i looked at the florida apartments web site and took a virtual tour of a one-person studio. it looks like a cozy hole to hide away in. and they take pets, so i can adopt an old cat when i get settled in. i do not have the energy for taking care of and raising a sick kitten again. ping is really cute and playful and i love him, but he is a handful. i need a pet that’s going to have about eve’s current energy level.

she really is sleeping a lot...

i coordinated with my mother to settle on one of the available layouts. we’re going to fill out the paperwork tomorrow. then i hung out with oz on discord for a while. we played battleship and tanx and talked about random stuff. it was relaxing. 

at 4:45 dad and i took off for my brother’s track meet. he qualified for the regional competition, which is the level before statewide and then nationwide. he ran the relay race and a 200m dash. when he was done with the relay he came up to the bleachers where i was sitting with mom and dad. i made a joke, i don’t remember what it was, but i was pretty satisfied with my idea. he totally ignored me. like, didn’t even acknowledge i was talking by looking in my general direction.

oh! i commented on the face he made at mom when she insisted on taking a picture of him with his medal. i said it again and he ignored me again, so i gave up.

i had fun watching the kids run around the racetrack. there were two competitors in wheelchairs and they were ripped!!! the poor guy lost every kind of race to the girl though. she was just plain faster than him. and they were going at about the speed i run at. dad commented that they needed more racers so he didn’t have to lose to the same person every time. i actually agreed with him for once? it would be cool if more wheelchair-bound people were encouraged to participate in track. and accommodated for.

i had a good time, except for the shrieking soccer moms. jesus christ! jared can’t hear you from across the field!!! screaming louder won’t fix that!!!!! and you’re telling him to sprint at the worst possible time!!!!!!! SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeah. on the way to the track meet, dad turned on the radio, so i put in my headphones. then he started talking about stupid idiots who work minimum wage jobs and expect to be able to live off that. because you have such good prospects for the future when you have a dead end job?? we talked about some potential business models to cut off the gap between the ceos and the minimum wage employees. i thought it was interesting and possibly a good idea, but i was doing some research. then dad turned up the radio again, so i put back in my headphones. then dad started talking again, without turning down the radio, and i was just like... (knife emoji). i wanted to rip the radio out of the dashboard and throw it at him.

i don’t like loud noises!!! or piercing ones!!!!!!!!

then we came home and i fed the dogs and had a dumb conversation with mom about her opinion on my favorite apartment layout. then she asked me to do stuff while she peed and i was like... i have had to go so bad for the last 40 minutes and not had a single opportunity.

i also talked a little bit with asher. he is doing well, his stitches look healthy, not in too much pain. that was a relief. and i talked to one of my newer mutuals! that was nice. and one of my villanova classmates messaged me on facebook to catch up. and i talked to will about mailing his fire emblem game back... i still have a conversation i haven’t attended to with another tumblr person. i’ll try to follow up tomorrow.

tumblr’s messaging system is so wonky. it’s impossible to keep track of the conversation if you’re communicating through asks. so it’s always a big thing when i reply because i have to break out the word document of all the asks in the conversation so far, and add the message and my new reply to it. it’s not a big deal, but, it is noticeable.

now it is 12:20. not too late! good. i have one more post to make before i go to bed. it’s short though. just gotta get the image from my phone to my computer.

[squeemcsquee]

Prose and Cons: Ideal Anime Zap! 2018 Schedule

Ideal, because, well, every year something goes wonky.  I’m not including panel times/rooms - this is everything I’m hoping to stop in and see...but things like food, friends, fun, and sleep take priority! Plus, this is a winter con - who knows what the weather will be?

So, one thing Anime Zap does if you want to customize your schedule (because it’s either through their site or a physical copy) is to offer it two ways: You can either have the schedule grid be highlighted, like this:

Or you can go to the “list” option and mark it with a black star, like this:

The downside is that you need to make sure the Zap site works on your phone, remember your logon for the Zap site, and need to remain logged in to see it. I’d love to see the AnimeCons.Org group look into something like the Guidebook app, rather than trying to use the mobile version of their website.

BUT! There is one awesome thing! You can click on an item and leave feedback on it! I must remember to use this power for good..yes, only for good...

And here we go with my hopeful schedule, with my thoughts on each item. Gonna break this puppy into each day. I’m about to horribly embarrass myself with my panel choices, aren’t I? Oh well...

Friday

Opening Ceremonies - I go to this if I get to the con on time. I really haven’t been to many opening ceremonies, regardless of the con. I’m usually taking photos or in a panel already, if I’m there. Zap does have photoshoots going on at this time, so depending how quickly the ceremonies are done - or how boring they are - I might wander by the photoshoots, too.

Swim Trunks, and Ravers, and Bears - Oh My!! (An Hour With Greg Ayres) - Greg Ayres is always entertaining. But this will be my 4th year seeing him, I think? So if I miss this, I won’t be heartbroken.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Loon - YES! Fatal Frame! I’m chicken when it comes to actually playing through the games myself, though I do own them. But I love talking about them!

Role-Playing Games: East and West - @lechevaliermalfet is co-running this one. He technically gave me permission to duck out if I want, but why would I do that?

Autographs: Greg Ayres, Shinichi Watanabe - I’ve got almost every Greg Ayres thing I have autographed by now, I think. But I don’t have anything autographed by Nabeshin, and that could be cool. It does conflict with something else at that time, though, which I’ve listed next.

Autism in the Fan Community: An Overview - I attended this one the first time the panelist went for it, and it was interesting. I’d like to check in on it if I get done with the autograph lines in time.

A Brief History of Ys - @lechevaliermalfet  has this other panel. It’s his 3rd year with it, and he keeps getting better!

Dice Roll Live (18+) - To be honest, I don’t know anything about Comcade and this was just the panel of theirs I thought I most likely had a chance to get to. I like checking out groups I don’t know, and seeing if they interest me.

After Hours Love Advice with D.C. Douglas (18+) - I’ve enjoyed his panels in the past, so I expect I’ll enjoy this.

Forbidden Fandom Dames - A Nerdlesque Adventure - I know nothing about burlesque, really. I know last year’s burlesque show (not sure if same group) set off the con fire alarms!

The Fandom Knight 2018 Panel (18+) - It’s fun listening to these guys. Shame their panels aren’t better attended.

Saturday

Let’s Get Tied by Nabeshin (18+) -  To clarify, this would be in the wee morning hours of Saturday, when sensible folk are snoozing. Yes, this is exactly what you think it is - dirty jokes, discussion of Japanese bondage, and ridiculousness. @lechevaliermalfet and I actually went to this panel at Anime Central 2017 without knowing that’s what we were getting into. It was fun - and don’t worry! Everyone stays fully clothed and all volunteers are willing. Not for the faint of heart, perhaps, but for those interested for research, kink info, or just watching people get embarrassed at one Japanese director’s sense of humor...it was definitely an entertaining way to pass the time then and I imagine this would be no different at Zap.

Teaching Disability Awareness Through Anime - I really hope this one turns out well.

Welcome to Idol Hell - I wouldn’t say I’ve really fallen into the depths of Idol Hell, but I definitely am getting more curious about the idol culture in Japan. And I rather adore Love Live!

Whose Line Is It Anime? - I keep hearing about this being one of Zap’s best events, and I never go to it. So, I’m going to try to fix that this year.

Bad Music Videos with V is For Villains - If Whose Line isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, this or the It Gets Better - Anime Con Edition with Greg Ayres are my second choices.

Conspiracy Theories - Because why not? I might learn some new ones!

Kid Yuki and the Otakus Concert - I think they’ve been to Zap before but either when I wasn’t going or when I wasn’t paying attention. So I’m curious to hear them.

DC Douglas’ Erotic Fanfiction Reading Panel  - Been to this before and LOVED it.

Let’s Get Tied Harder by Nabeshin - Maybe? Depends how brave I am. Bondage isn’t really my thing - I’m there for the perverse humor, and so, kinda depends. I figure the humor might be more in the first panel.

Sunday

Meet Chuck Huber - Because meet VA panels always have great stories, and I’ve only seen Chuck Huber once before. Plus, it’s the only thing going on in that time slot.

The Singing Showdown - I’m hoping I can observe. Competitive karaoke sounds like it would be fun to watch. I’m not sure anyone would want to hear me compete, though.

The Mini Cosplay Circus - I haven’t seen these guys before, so I’m curious.

Evenings with Isabelle -  Animal Crossing? Yeah! Discussions about mental health and gaming? Yeah!

Crossplay Goes Both Ways - Always full of useful, practical tips and info I try to keep in my head for when I feel confident enough to try crossplay.

Closing Ceremonies - Maybe. I don’t go to many of these, either.

And that’s that! It’s actually nice to see that Anime Zap has expanded the variety of panels this time around. At the last Zap, I was able to guess what about 85% of the panel content would be, based on the previous years. I won’t be going to some of my tried-and-true standbys, like the My Little Pony history panel, or the Tales panel. But that’s good! It means I’m testing new waters and (hopefully) learning new things!

It’s December 28 as I write this. Zap is a week away from tomorrow, the 29th. I’m definitely excited, and I’m looking forward to improving my writing skills when it comes to covering convention topics.

[sound--life]

Buckle up, losers, it’s STORY TIME.

So a lot of people who know me know that I give blood regularly. I’m O-negative, and since with great power comes great responsibility, I go as soon as I’m eligible again – every 8 weeks exactly. Like, the staff there all knows my name and that sometimes I need a second finger prick to get my hemoglobin over 12.5 and all that fun stuff. Today was the 8 week mark, so in I go for my 2:00 appointment.

During the mini-physical, Phleb A, one of my regular ladies, asks if I’d be okay with letting one of their trainees get some practice by sticking me, since I’m a regular and they know I tend to be pretty chill with the whole process. I say sure – everyone starts somewhere, and I have nowhere else to go all day, so I’m not in any hurry. So we do my second finger prick (12.2 on the first, 12.9 on the second), and I go out to voluntarily let them stick a big needle in my arm and steal my blood.

I notice right away that Trainee is either 1. nervous as fuck, 2. terrified of women, or 3. both. I lie down and immediately after saying hi to me, he drops the pressure cuff in his own foot and moans, “Owwww.” He doesn’t look at my face at all and just does his stuff with his gloves and their little tablet thing and the supplies, all while Phleb A stands there observing, clearly looking like she has more faith that I would be able to stick myself than he would. Trainee puts the pressure cuff on my usual donating arm, the right one, and immediately I’m thinking, “Ummm it’s kinda wonky and loose, but maybe he’ll fix it?”

Narrator: He did not fix it.

So he finds my usual vein no problem his fingers, cleans the area, and takes like 43 years to set up his supplies and the machine. And the time comes for the stick AAAAAND the needle goes in…! No blood flow. Boy missed the damn vein, and he just goes, “Huh, that’s weird.” Bruh. Phleb A comes over and says she’s gonna try moving the needle a little to actually poke the vein, which proves to be unsuccessful. So she calls over Phleb B, who is a literal angel who always calls me sweetie and asks if I’m doing good. Phleb B tries for a couple minutes to move the needle (all of this without actually taking it out of my arm, mind you), but again, no success. The ladies keep asking if I’m okay, since I imagine a lot of people would be a little freaked out at this part, but I’m like, “No, I'm okay. It IS a little weird to see a needle being moved around under my skin though.” Through the whole process, Trainee just stands there not saying anything. Eventually he sees my shirt and says, “You like Zelda?”

BRUH.

The two lady phlebs say they’re gonna take out the needle and ask me if I want to try the left arm. I’m like, “Ummm my iron was high enough, hell yeah we’re trying the other arm!” So they let Trainee take out the needle and put on the bandaids, which he does well! Phleb A brings over a little ice pack and says it’s for my arm to try and reduce the chance of bruising and possible hematoma. She sets it down while she shows Trainee how to fill out the info on their tablet about the process and the ice and the retry and whatnot, and then lets him wrap my arm. Trainee IGNORES THE ICE and wraps my arm one time with their fancy medical tape.

Phleb A: Where’s the ice. Trainee: *points* Right there. Phleb A, slowly: Well put it on her arm. Trainee: *picks up ice pack and places it on top of the wrap* Phleb A: 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

Trainee wraps tape around the ice once to keep it in place. Phleb A moves to my left arm, and within 10 minutes, she finds the vein, sticks me painlessly, and I complete the donation. During the donation, the ice pack falls off because Trainee wrapped it so badly, so Phleb A comes over to fix it and wrap it correctly. Trainee is allowed to apply the bandaids to my left arm, which he does poorly – later, I will use my own stash of bandaids and fix it in my car. I get my snacks and water and 2 Target gift cards, chill for 15 minutes while Phleb B dotes on me, make another appointment for 8 weeks, and go on my way. Then I held the door for a UPS guy at the bank, and their damn window radiator/vent was like 400 degrees and burned my ankle.

I’m not mad or upset or anything – mostly amused that I can never have a calm donation day. One time *I* had to give a donor directions to Chicago via the clinic phone. Another time a girl fainted. I DID learn today from Phleb A, though, that I am negative for the CMV virus. That, combined with the fact that I’m O-negative, means I’m part of the tiny group of people whose blood is allowed to be used in hospitals’ neonatal units and given to babies! So that’s kinda neat.

I hope you enjoyed this shitshow!