#i can afford to do gift bags again haha

[locketsvault]

「 KUNIKIDA WITH A CUDDLY S/O 」

pairing: kunikida doppo x gender neutral reader

tags: gender neutral reader, established relationship, cuddling headcanon, very fluffy

warnings: none!

request: I know you made a post already so only if you have ideas and feel like writing it can you write moreeee about snuggles with kunikida? 🤭 only if you want to :) it doesn't have to be a lot. maybe specifically with a reader who loves cuddles and physical touch and is always hugging him at work and giving him lots of kisses, and also loves plushes 🤭🤭 (original request found here.) (cuddling headcanon post).

word count: 1k

a/n: upon looking for photos for his header I have realized his eyebrows are almost always furrowed lol my poor stressed man. btw, I love stuffies, so I relate a lot to this request.

Man I hate to say it but, you definitely do not fit his ideal type. You were not what he wrote down in his book of ideals. And he couldn’t have asked for anything better. It took him a bit to warm up to the idea of dating you, but once he realized how much he’d fallen for you, and how well you two pair together, he decided to screw the damn book and officially ask you out.

To be honest, he spoils you rotten. As I said in my cuddling headcanon post, if he’s in a relationship with you it’s serious. In my opinion, you ground him. Your happiness is his happiness. He wants you loved and cared for. So, even if physical affection is not his thing (it’s not) he’ll do it for you, he’d do anything for you simp.

When it comes to affection, it goes from quality time, acts of service, gift giving, words of affirmation, and then physical affection. Listen, I know words of affirmation is ranked lowly, but I’m sorry this man with his words sometimes is a mess. He’s not the best at verbally comforting someone.

Now what exactly is it like being a cuddle bug in a relationship with an idealist? Let me bullet that for you.

Cuddles are always initiated by you. Even if you’re not feeling well, you always stretch your arms out for him before he can even blink.

On the off chance it’s initiated by him, it comes out of no where.

I mentioned this in the headcanon but I’ll say it again, after a rough day or mission he craves your touch and comfort. I’m going to assume physical affection is your main love language, so it becomes second nature to him to seek out your touch for affection. He’s the type to bury himself into your arms in that case. He’s vulnerable and sensitive, and while I see him as being only dominant in a relationship, sometimes he just needs to be held and cared for.

Sometimes though he will insist on holding you, and that’s a key indicator that something happened where he felt threatened losing you. If that’s the case, let him holding you and baby you for a bit, he needs to reassurance you’re safe in his arms and not going anywhere.

Wow that got angsty haha, my bad. Let’s move onto something more… fluffy. Literally.

He knew about your love of plushies due to you carrying a couple of small ones in your bags, or having plush keychains. He had to admit at first he didn’t understand the appeal, but it made you happy and, you were quite cute with them. He won’t cuddle them though, I’m sorry.

The first time he saw your plushie collection was when you invited him to your house and allowed him to look around.

He knew you loved plushies but seeing just how many you had, he couldn’t fathom how you afforded them all. Or how you manage to give them all attention, but you do.

He actually sits on your bed and listens intently as you introduce every single stuffie to you. He genuinely cares.

And you better believe he wrote all their names in his notebook. Just please don’t let Dazai see.

He will buy you more plushies for your collection. He keeps tabs on your favorite plushies too. Say you love squish mallows and there’s a rare one coming out, he’ll make sure you get it.

He does sometimes get jealous of your plushies though. There’s been a few times he’s come home to you asleep with your favorite plush in your arms, when it should be him. Eh, it’s his fault for being gone late at work no?

It takes a while for him to let you move in, but he doesn’t stop you from taking over his apartment. There’s always special plushies that stay there. Gifts from him and ones you think resemble him. Whether that’s physical appearance or personality. He found himself comforted by their presence when you aren’t there. The fact they smell like you being a bonus. He will never tell you this though. He will die before admitting it.

The most common cuddle positions involve spooning or laying against his chest. If it’s sitting, then you’re somehow in his lap, or laying your head in it if possible.

It’s become a ritual for you to lay on top of him and tell him all about your day, while he plays with your hair and listens intently. It’s fun listening to his heartbeat pick up as he tells you about the stupid thing Dazai had done today.

It’s also the most convenient if either of you feel like reading a book. He does it a lot, he reads through his book or writes in them to prepare for things.

He’s not the best with you being cuddly and affectionate at work, not at first. It didn’t help that a certain suicidal maniac was his partner and would never leave him alone about it. But after rejecting your affections and see how sad it made you, he learned his lesson and will always allow you to be affectionate with him in public. Not too much though.

Actually now that I think about it Dazai has probably playfully flirted with you (in the dumbest ways) as you sit in Kunikidas lap, asking you to commit double suicide with him, etc. Just to drive his partner insane. You both know that, Kunikida still tries to kill him though. Dazai waits for you to be in his lap since he knows you don’t like to be disturbed and Kunikida can’t get up to hit him.

Funnily enough Ranpo helps ease Kunikidas mind about the affection in the office. You two are great friends by the way. He helped you bully Kunikida into being affectionate with you in the office once. It was great.

I’m sorry though, it doesn’t happen much that you’re affectionate in the office. Cuddles are one thing, which is stretching him enough, but kisses are another. And that’s usually a no. It’s not appropriate in the work place. Sometimes some pecks here and there are okay, but he wouldn’t make out with you.

Behind closed doors or at home though he loves kissing you. I hope you know that. He’s addicted. But that’s a story for another time.

main hub ✦ masterlist ✦ to do list

[imperatoralicia]

Yep, it’s Giveaway time! (Closed)

Howdy! I have accumulated items once again and welcome you all to come on over and take ‘em home with you. Here’s what I’m giving away on my beach today: 

Green leaf pile recipe card

Honeycomb wall recipe card

Peach chair recipe card

Chain link fence wallpaper

Cloud flooring

Light herringbone flooring

Stone tile flooring

Wildflower meadow flooring

Panda umbrella

Apron (orange)

Apron (brown)

School smock (blue)

Breaker

Champion's pennant

Coffee cup (blue/gold)

Cute floor lamp (blue/black) (2)

Cute vanity (blue/black)

Cypress bathtub

Cypress plant

Hamster cage (pink)

Handcart (green)

Lab experiments set

Mounted black bass

Paper lantern

Plasma ball

Rattan low table (brown)

Stand mixer (grey)

Tapestry (white/teal/red)

Tea set (white)

Toolbox (pink)

Unfinished puzzle

Upright locker (grey)

Wall mounted TV 20 in (pink)

Wooden bookshelf

As always: 

Everything is free no payments or trades needed!

If something you really want is gone by the time you arrive, I’d be happy to order it for you from the catalog (if available).

You’re welcome to peruse all of my shops.

You may wander the whole island and chat with villagers.

All guests are welcome to take peaches and gift bags (lined up by the airport)!

Dodo code: Closed

(If there’s anything left up there that you want, just let me know!) 

[iliumheightnights]

Fluff ABC | Shang-Chi x Male Reader

Fandom: Marvel Pairing: Shang-Chi x Male Reader Summary: Fluff ABC

~~~

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?) - He really loves his boyfriend’s heart. He loves it if his boyfriend is kind and caring. A man with a heart and good compassion is what he loves the most.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?) - Yes, he does. He remembers life before his mom died and his dad changed, he remembered how great it was. He would be afraid of what could happen and becoming his father, but he assured himself he wouldn’t end up like that. He would very much love a family with his boyfriend.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?) - Okay but stay with me here...I can see him being a little spoon. Like yeah he’ll be the big spoon sometimes, but he prefers being in his boyfriend’s arms. He just loves the cuddles.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?) - Karaoke date night! For sure he takes his boyfriend on Karaoke date nights the most, but I could also see him taking him to arcades and burger stops. On special occasions like anniversaries and such, he’ll take him somewhere really special, but he wants to have fun.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…)) - “you’re my world M/n. My family. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?) - he knew he was in love with M/n the moment the other man helped pay for an elderly woman’s groceries after leaving her wallet at home. He didn’t have to yet he did. That mixed with other kind acts only made M/n cement his spot in his heart.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?) - he met M/n in college but hadn’t really known him. The first time he ever laid eyes on the boy he knew he was cute, but wasn’t sure how to approach him or well…anything else for the matter. So cue endless pinning.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?) - a little bit. Shang-Chi isn’t one to get jealous easily, but there are a few times he just…he can’t help but get a bit jealous.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?) - Shang-Chi actually did! It would have been very quick…and very sloppy. He’d then pull back with a quick, “I’m sorry.” M/n only chuckled before kissing him back. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?) - this one would be M/n. It would be before Shang-Chi told him his past and real name, when he was still Shaun. M/n could tell something was burdening him and took his face in his hands. “Hey. You know you can tell me anything right?” Shang-Chi smiled. “I know.” M/n smiled seeing his boyfriends smile. “Good. I love you.” Shang-Chi almost died. His boyfriend just told him he loved him! Did you all hear that! He loves him!

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?) - probably when Shang-Chi finally asked M/n out. It was getting close to the end of collage and well…he wasn’t sure if he’d see M/n again. So he built up the courage to ask M/n out, but on his way he ended up tripping over someone’s bag landing into someone’s lap. That someone was M/n. M/n only laughed while Shang-Chi was mortified. “Well, you could at least buy a guy a drink first.” They laugh about it now, Shang Chi still blushes when the story is retold.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?) - He spoils...what he can haha. Really he likes the gifts that come from the hear and believes they’re more important. He usually will buy M/n things if it’s something he REALLY wants and can afford it. But really, he loves to create gifts for him.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?) - The color Orange. He thinks it goes great with Red, his color, and imagines M/n with that color. What? They compliment each other.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?) - Honey and Love are the ones he uses the most. There might be a few more, but really I can see him sticking to those two or just using M/n’s name.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?) - Shang-Chi loves to teach M/n the moves and techniques his mother had taught him when he was young. He finds it nice and relaxing...and a way to keep his mother’s memory alive and to share her with M/n.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?) - He likes to work out when it rains. It’s something he can do from inside and he likes to keep in shape. M/n loves it because he gets to see his boyfriend shirtless and sweaty.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?) - Spending time with M/n. Perhaps having a movie night with M/n and Katy. That usually would be enough to cheer him up.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?) - Well before obtaining the rings, They talked about things like what they’d be doing on the weekend, how work was going, all of that. After getting the rings, Shang-Chi told M/n everything. His life before, his mom, dad and sister, the battle, all of it. Things sure just got more interesting.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?) - Meditation. He finds that meditating usually helps calm everything down. But sometimes he doesn’t do that and just prefers to cuddle with his boyfriend. That’s also a good relaxer.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?) - Call him vain...but he does like to show off his body. He loves the way M/n looks and drools over him when he walks around shirtless.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?) - They get married in Ta Lo. Shang-Chi’s aunt marries them and it’s just a beautiful ceremony.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?) - Anything Phil Collins. He’s a sucker for Disney soundtracks.

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?) - Yes, they do. Shang-Chi actually has thought about it a lot, but Katy had to keep pestering him to actually do it.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?) - I can see him being a dog guy...but I can also see him being a rabbit guy! I have to think he gets one of those two.

[stargazers-telescopes]

The Pains of Anonymity

a/n: I wrote this story, awhile back too, for two of my friends who loved reading short stories like this one. I hope you like it too! its your classic high school shoujo-type confession story with a twist.

one of these friends is my ex and the whole ‘google’ angle was to uh call him out on something dumb he did during the span of our relationship... i hope you find it funny haha.

.......................................................................................................................

Summer of 2018- graduation. The time when we, baby-year-old children are expected to find our way in life. Jobs, university, college. All on the agenda. It is also the last year I will ever have the chance to ask out Emily. Oh yes, I had my priorities completely sorted.

I've had a massive crush on her since the 4th year. 6th year is my last chance, before she goes to study in oxford. She said that she got accepted. Emily has been my friend since the 1st year and she's very cool. She likes to skateboard in the park and drink iced coffee in winter. She has long dark hair and bright green eyes. And after she's done scowling at people and smiles it's like I'm blinded with light...even her scowling is beautiful- ok, you get the idea...

I really wanted to act on my feelings but I was worried she did not feel the same way. Also we are good friends and if she rejected me things would get awkward, not just for me, but the whole gang.

Sam convinced me to confess this year. As classes finished for the day we met outside the locker room. He said, 

"Alex you've been moaning and groaning about her for way too long. JUST ASK HER OUT. I'm tired of listening to your whining… I'm quite sure I've suffered emotional trauma listening to you. I'm sensitive that way", he wiped away a fake tear. 

"But seriously man, this is the last chance you can. And you don't have to do something huge like propose confront of a crowd. We've been friends with Em for so long she would likely accept you and then kill you"

We started walking towards the boys' dorms. "remind me again why I'm taking advice from you, my single friend", I grumbled.

"Hey!", he exclaimed, fake annoyance flashing across his nerdy face.

"I happen to have vast knowledge on romance. NEVER DOUBT THE MANGAS"

"Ok, mr romantic, what should I do according to the great wisdom of the mangas?"

"Well, first off, if you're going to ask her out, do it in person, with some chocolate, maybe a stuffed toy,'' he stated.

I stopped in my tracks. 

"Oh hell no", I said

"But then she wont even-", I interrupted him. 

"It's ok, I'll handle it on my own… besides… Em? And a teddy bear? I really doubt that", I laughed

"If you say so bro, then, handle it on your own",  he replied, smirking.

"I'll be here when you come for help"

And that's how I got myself into my life's (so far) greatest mess.

I looked it up on google. Do not judge me, I am not original. And I could afford flowers. But they had to mean something. So I looked up flower symbolism too. After my planning, I was ready.

Before school started, I placed a bunch of white lilies and roses on Emily's desk. I read somewhere they represented devotion. 4 years of devotion pretty much symbolised those flowers. And a note. But I did not expect Em's reaction.

She dropped her bag at her chair and walked over to me and sam. Sam gave me that look. I stamped on his toe. 

"Gosh, guys I'm soo tired", she yawned. Her nose was red. 

"I had to attend. a funeral of some relative yesterday who I've never met and never known. There were lilies everywhere", she sniffled.

Wait

"I had such a bad allergic reaction, I was up the whole night sneezing my fuckin brains off. That and our algebra work", she said.

The bell rang. Crap.

Emily waved and walked towards her desk.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me alive.

"Who the fuck left their garden at my desk", she exclaimed. My heart dropped. I knew she cursed frequently, but she cursed my gift. My gift for her.

Then she made a funny noise… and started sneezing. She didn't even see the note I tucked into the petals!! On second thought I'm glad she didn't.

Layla, her friend, came and took the bouquet of flowers away. My gift. Agh. 

"Aww Em these flowers are so pretty... I think they are a gift", she said. 

At least one of the girls realised my intentions.

Emily sniffled," I cant keep these… and i don't plan on dying this year… I need to junk them", she sneezed again.

"No! Don't do that, I'll take them", Layla exclaimed. Great. Just great.

 This was not how it was supposed to go. I watched with horror as Layla happily picked up Emily's bouquet. The note fell under their desk. I looked at Sam… who was laughing at me. God dammit.

Well, I wasn't going to give up just because of this tiny setback. I had a plan! Sure I won't do it face to face, but the thought is there and my name too.

Well after that flop I looked up on google again.

Jewelry. Girls liked jewelry. I remember Emily wears this golden locket around her neck. Everywhere. She said it used to be her grandma's. The google page was funny. It said girls like shiny things. They're not magpies, I was laughing while reading. Then I remembered that Emily has this box full of stones and metal pieces and some other junk. She said they have memories. A memory box. Maybe if I got something she liked she would put it in her memory box. Magpie box. I laughed a bit more. 

Oh well. I hope this worked.

Next week before anyone came to class I placed a pendant on Emily's desk. Small and silvery. I managed to get it for £5 which was quite good. Also my kid sister helped me pick it out so it had to count for something. I eagerly waited for Emily to see it. 

She didn't even notice it. I think it even fell off her and Layla's desk during class. Jesus Christ and all that's holy, why isn't this working?????!!!

And then it struck me. I left the note in my pencil case. Of course this would happen.

Finally I saw her pocket it. Only to find out later she didn't even think it was for her. 

Sam and I were loitering in the halls after basketball when I heard Emily say something from inside the classroom.

"Someone lost their necklace", she showed it to Layla. Sam and I peered in. 

"I don't know, Em, I don't think anyone would leave their jewelry lying around", Layla said 

And then Emily dangled the pendant in front of herself

"If I sold it, how much would I get for it?", she asked. 

No. why.

"Why don't you just keep it, Em?"

"Because if it belongs to someone else, it would be rude, Layla", Emily proclaimed

"And selling it isn't??!!"

My next attempt was as cliche as they come. But foolproof. The reason things are labelled cliche is because they never fail. Also I know Emily likes to read romantic stories. So I copied the cheesiest Shakespeare poetry off the net and signed it with my name. There's no way this could fail. 

It failed.

I placed the letter in front of Emily's dorm door. And knocked on it. Then I bolted around the corner and watched as Em looked around. Then she spotted the letter. And saw the blank side. She didn’t even turn it around.

"Who the fu-", she looked around.

"Damn litterers", she crumpled my note

Jesus christ this girl is going to kill me. I really didn't understand. Em was intelligent. She solves those riddles at mad speeds and gets top scores in class. How can someone so smart be so goddamn stupid. 

I didn't know what to do. I kept thinking about it on my way to the dorms after basketball practice.and I met Mr Brown, the boys' dorm chaperone.

"Hi mister brown", I waved dejectedly.

"Oh lad, what's wrong?"

He tried to pat my head. Which must have been difficult considering I was probably 3 feet taller than him.

"Oooh I know that look", he chuckled 

"Lady friend problems, eh?"

I think my red face said it all. 

"Don't worry! Be bold child, faint heart never won the fair maiden. Think outside the box. What does your flame like", he asked me 

I was too busy cringing at 'flame' to respond immediately.

"It's ok mister brown", I think I know what to do…", I thanked him and entered. This is it. My last attempt before I resort to Sam.

The next day I walked into RED. Em's favourite clothes shop. Ripped Jeans and t-shirts with comments were displayed all over the place. A gift voucher. The shop was red lit. Which was a little odd, because how would you know the colours of the clothes?

I walked to the front. Unfortunately I was met with a rather brutal sight… women’s under clothes displayed out and for the first time entering that shop, I was thankful for the red light.

"I want a gift voucher", I mumbled to the cashier who was typing away at something.

She gave me a funny look.

"RED only has vouchers for-", but I interrupted 

"Just give me the damn gift voucher", I pleaded to her. She scoffed and handed me one. I quickly ran out of RED. Well. That was something I never ever want to experience again.

Once again I placed it on her desk. Now I was sure this would work. Boy was I wrong.

Emily waved to us as she entered and sat at her desk. She saw the gift voucher and froze. 

Just froze. She stood there for a good minute before she turned around.

If looks could kill, we would all be dead. Her face was red and her normal laidback expression was pulled into a vicious scowl.

She yelled, "HARRY YOU FUCKING PERVERT IM GOING TO MURDER YOU"

The sleazebag of our class immediately sat up in his seat looking confused. Harry had a… reputation. And every girl in class had at least one unfortunate encounter with him. Except Em, who has threatened to punch the living daylights out of Harry if he pulled any bullshit, which we didn't doubt because we have seen Em get into some street fights… 

"Excuse me, Emily, I haven't done a thing", he raised his hands in front of him. 

She snarled at the class, "If I find the creep who gave me a gift voucher for underwear...", she let her threat hang in the air. Very effective. I wanted to die.

I went to Sam. He was my last hope. My saviour. I knocked on his door. When he opened the door, he laughed at my face

He said, "well I see you've come to consult the mangas. Enter my abode of wisdom", 

He gestured towards his room. I was in the abode of wisdom for a long time.

I was going to do it in person this evening. 

We got a shark plushie whose sneer reminded me of Em's evil look. Very cute. I don't think I've ever been so nervous. 

I knocked on her dorm room, holding the shark toy behind me. When she opened the door she grinned.

"Hey, Alex", she leaned against the door frame, her hair falling in front. 

"What's up", she raised an eyebrow.

I felt like an old car. Big, slow and struggling to start.

"I uh… I like you", I said

"We're old friends Alex, I'm quite sure that has been established", she laughed.

This girl was not making it easy.

"No I like- like you, like as in that like, not the friend like", I forced out.

She smiled sinisterly.

"Took you long enough dumbass", she pulled me towards her and quickly pecked me on my lips.

Alex.exe. stopped working

She grinned again, "Sam told me that the flowers and the other stuff was you and you had no idea what you were doing. Honestly after the flowers I figured it was you because you looked like you wanted to die after I told you about my flower allergy and when I saw the lilies. But Sam confirmed it after the uh… the gift voucher", 

She turned slightly red.

"I probably should have said something but it was really really funny watching you go about confessing"

She turned around and scrambled about her room. And brought out a book. She opened it. On one page was a dried white rose neatly pressed into the book. On the other she taped my letter. She turned it around and the RED gift voucher was taped too. 

She cleared her throat to get my attention and then brought out the pendant from under her shirt where she kept it tucked. She was wearing it. 

"I never threw them away", she was red too.

Yeah… I'm quite sure Emily was going to kill me someday.

Needless to say, I graduated a few weeks later after a week of mind breaking exams. And I have Emily beside me. Let's see how it goes in University.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Exhibition Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

NOTE: @redqueen-hypothesis​​ did the translation for this! All I did was proofread and format! It’s on my blog because Red says so and I have to comply :<

[ This date was released in CN on 7 December 2020 ]

MC: According to the map, it should be… right ahead!

Victor: ...you don’t need to look at the map. Just watch where you’re going.

Victor: Turn at this corner and we’ll be there. There’s no need to keep looking at your phone.

A few days ago, when I was agonising over what television program to produce for the theme ‘Heart’s Whisper While Going into the New Year’, a notification about an exhibition popped up on my phone.

The exhibition hall next to New Light Mall was going to hold a ‘Speak Up’ exhibition. I saw a few recommendations for the exhibit, and thought that it was meaningful, and also felt that it was in line with the New Year atmosphere.

Since the opportunity presented itself, I quickly booked Victor’s Sunday afternoon.

MC: CEO Victor’s rare time off has been taken over by me to do overtime - do you have any complaints?

After hearing what I’ve said, Victor raises an eyebrow, a slight laugh escaping him.

Victor: What if I do?

MC: If that’s the case…

MC: Since I don’t think I could afford your overtime wages, how about I treat you to a cup of coffee later? I’ll look for the nearest cafe in the area…

When I lower my head to look at my phone, searching for a list of cafes in the vicinity, Victor lets out a sigh and grabs my hand, pulling me to turn a right at the corner.

MC: Ahh, the nearest cafe is located right outside the exhibition hall!

MC: Online reviews say that their croissants taste good. From the pictures they’ve posted… it seems to be true.

Victor: And here I was, thinking that you’d really come with the intention of figuring out the plan for your television program.

MC: I do intend to! But right now, I’m missing the… spark of inspiration.

MC: If the afternoon turns out to be fruitless, I’ll simply treat it as a day out! It’s not too bad.

MC: Besides, don’t you think the two of us have very few opportunities to look at these sorts of exhibitions together?

Victor: … yes, it’s my fault for being too busy.

MC: That’s not true. You already take out so much time to accompany me, and I always drag you to all sorts of noisy places.

MC: It’s time to let art nurture my soul, and help me attain a gentler disposition.

Victor’s hand, which had been holding mine earlier, slides down my palm, warm fingertips stroking the back of my hand gently, before lacing his fingers with mine.

Victor: Then, let’s go.

-

Cafe owner: So the both of you haven’t planned the overall route to view the exhibition?

The cafe is located right at the entrance. After securing the tickets to the exhibition, I pull Victor to the cafe first.

However, today’s exhibition hall seems a little deserted, and the cafe has very few customers.

The bespectacled middle-aged owner seems refined and gentle and is a good host. Before long, he’s already started a conversation with the two of us.

MC: Is the exhibition very big?

Cafe owner: There are three floors in total. If you browse every exhibit once, it should take quite a while.

Cafe owner: This is why many visitors choose a single floor to focus their attention on, and give less time to the other two.

When Victor takes his coffee, he nods politely at the cafe owner.

Victor: Do you have any recommendations?

Cafe owner: Haha, if you’re talking about recommendations, I’d suggest the second floor. It’s most popular with visitors, since the main theme of the floor is ‘Love’.

As the cafe owner says this, he places both hands on the bar counter and chuckles at the two of us.

Cafe owner: Stories on the second floor and those related to the exhibits are real. So instead of saying that you’re looking at the exhibits, it’s more of you looking at authentic stories.

I steal a glance at Victor.

Victor: It’s your choice.

MC: Then let’s go to the second floor first!

MC: Coincidentally, most of the exhibits I’m interested in happen to be on the second floor as well.

Happily, I pick up my latte and tuck the exhibition brochure into my bag, determined to explore the second floor.

Victor is one step ahead of me and pushes open the door of the cafe for both of us, giving the cafe owner a slight nod before we leave.

When I turn back to look behind me, he has already taken my hand, pulling me towards the second floor.

After stepping up the last flight of stairs, the large exhibition hall appears before my eyes.

It’s not at all like what I had expected. There aren’t any mundane objects put on display here such as handwritten letters or small gifts. Instead, these are real pieces of artwork.

All sorts of beautiful sculptures, paintings, and musical instruments have been set up. Even the lighting is so beautiful that if I were to use exquisite words to praise it, it would still sound modest.

MC: It really is an art exhibition…

Victor: There are a few works from some of the best artists of their time. You should be careful not to miss any of them.

Even though the silence in this large exhibition hall is only broken by the sound of our footsteps, one lighter and one heavier, the interior decor of the exhibit is very cozy, lacking the coldness that keeps one at bay.

Pure white stone pillars, warm yellow lights, the lack of the usual glass coverings separating exhibits, and every placard for each exhibit seems as though it’s been handwritten by the person who contributed it.

Walking between the exhibits, the feeling I get is one of warmth, and the volume that I had been suppressing since I walked into the exhibition hall steadily grows.

MC: Victor, look at this!

I take out my phone and snap a picture of the oil painting hanging on a wall.

MC: The placard says that the artist’s girlfriend is known as ‘Mouse’. So in every piece of artwork, there’s an adorable mouse subtly hidden somewhere.

After pressing down on the shutter, I look up once again to search the artwork for a little mouse.

MC: Wow, he’s really creative! The mouse in every piece looks completely different!

MC: This chubby little one looks really cute, this one seems really sharp and intelligent… they all suit the theme of each artwork. If you don’t look very carefully, it’s difficult to notice them, and they don’t ruin the art at all.

With a hand stuffed into his pocket, Victor lifts his eyes to stare at these paintings, a look of contemplation surfacing on his face.

Victor: This exhibit is called “Marks”.

MC: Yeah… it’s a title which lets others easily understand what it’s about.

Victor turns around to give me a low chuckle.

Victor: If that’s the case, tell me what you understand from it.

MC: Are you testing me again?

I think about this for a moment, then rush to stop him before he can tell me the answer, shaking my head.

MC: I’ll tell you my answer later! But first, come with me to see another exhibit!

I pull Victor along with me to the walkway, deeper into the exhibition, following my memory of the exhibition brochure I had looked at earlier, and come to a stop in front of several thick diaries.

MC: This exhibit is called ‘Today’s Weather’. It’s the exhibit I wanted to center my program around.

MC: These are the diaries of a woman who wrote down everything about her life for a full ten years. In these diaries, she often mentions “Mr A”, the person she likes very much.

Victor nods, flipping open one of the books silently.

Victor: From what I can see of her personality from her writings, she seems to be quite similar to you.

MC: Do you know what’s written on the last page of her diary? ...‘Congratulations on your marriage’.

MC: The “Mr A” she liked so much rejected her confessions several times, and he later moved overseas, causing them to lose contact with each other. The next time she heard of him, it was an announcement of his marriage, and that’s where her diary stopped.

Victor’s hand pauses in flipping a page, his expression slightly dumbfounded.

Victor: So what was the point of her writing this diary?

I look at the yellowing pages of the diary, and think back to what the brochure had mentioned about it.

MC: There was no reason.

MC: She later said that this was her true life story - a simple and calm one. During these ten years, she studied hard and moved to the city, becoming a person in charge, a manager, and then a director… and never once gave up on herself.

MC: Although the entrance test she took back then was exceptionally difficult, she persevered with the thought that the school was rather close to the high school Mr A had once studied at.

MC: She felt that by attending a school near to his, she could bring their lives closer together.

MC: There were no waves of joy or anguish - only trivial sentiments.

Even though there were some incidents which made her feel sad, from the cute and excitable way she described everything in her diary, she lived rather well despite feeling some regret.

However, after saying so much, Victor doesn’t respond. I walk to his side and tug on his sleeve.

MC: We’ve finished looking at this exhibit. Do you want to leave?

Victor: Since this is the exhibit you wanted to use for your program, shouldn’t you take a few more photos before leaving?

MC: I planned to, but I thought you might find it pointless.

Under his questioning gaze, I answer honestly.

MC: I’m sure in CEO Victor’s mind, there are many more important things going on every day… you wouldn’t be interested in trivial things such as romantic sentiments. And even then, you’d be able to understand them easily.

Victor gives a small laugh.

Victor: If I weren’t interested in such things, why would I be accompanying you here over the weekend?

He glances back at the diaries, his expression one of deep contemplation.

Victor: In truth, the same emotions can be felt by different people. I can understand her feelings.

I never thought Victor would answer in such a manner.

MC: Do you think that it was a waste of her time to write these diaries?

Victor: No.

Victor’s gaze rests on a page.

Victor: The writer wrote it down herself - “The time I spent loving someone, not a single second of it was wasted.”

I rarely hear such words leave Victor’s mouth, and it makes me feel a little surreal. In my memory, we very rarely talk about the topic of ‘love’. Maybe it’s because he rarely says what’s in his heart. Maybe it’s because I’m used to being thick-skinned. We never have the opportunity to seriously understand the meaning in these words.

When he looks at these exhibits, do we feel the same emotions?

I contemplate this for a moment, before looking at him once more.

Victor: What do you want to say?

MC: I was thinking about what you asked me earlier.

I take two steps towards him. Even though the distance between us is small, he doesn’t step backwards. Instead, he simply turns towards me.

MC: I think a love like this is very interesting. You meet a person and feel such emotions.

MC: From that day onwards, you’re never the same person again, and are completely changed. Like some sort of… mark.

MC: It’s a sort of mark that can be left in literature or in a photograph… and I can feel it.

Victor’s eyes are lowered. In his clear and tranquil eyes, there are ripples of light and shadows.

Victor: Such as?

The smile tugging at the corner of his mouth is clear, and I ponder this seriously.

MC: For example, the way I write proposals has changed.

MC: The format of my proposals has changed. The indent of the first line, font size 15, 1.5 spacing between lines... it’s the format you find most pleasing to the eye!

Victor’s eyebrow quirks.

Victor: That’s all?

MC: There’s more! I’ve become so much more picky with food. I never used to complain that food tastes bad, but eating at Souvenir has cultivated my palate. Now, when I eat even Michelin meals, I feel as if something’s lacking…

Victor smiles slightly and shakes his head, taking my hand.

Victor: Come with me.

In the innermost room of the exhibition floor on the second floor is a display board. On it depicts the entire process of how the exhibition first began and how it expanded.

Above all the pictures of the people who’ve helped to plan this exhibition…

MC: It’s the cafe owner from earlier!

Victor: You made preparations before coming here, yet couldn’t recognise him?

MC: I was saying that he seemed very familiar!

MC: If that’s the case… the story of this exhibition - it should be his, isn’t it?

He fell in love with a girl’s literature and art secretly in his youth, yet didn’t know how to confess, and much time passed without progress. When he finally mustered up his courage to confess, the girl passed away from cancer.

Those are all the words written on a whiteboard, and they seem a little simple and stereotypical. But when I think about how a person experienced this, my heart can’t help but feel sad for him.

Victor: That’s why the name of this exhibition is ‘Speak Up’. The existence of these marks is how these feelings are being conveyed.

MC: No matter whether it’s from a tiny mouse hidden in each artwork, the longing written down in a diary, or a sculpture carved in the image of their lover - all of them bear their own longing in some way. Even this exhibition is a voice for the cafe owner to speak up about his past regrets.

All these fragments come together in my mind, moving my heart.

MC: Victor, even though this is a little old-fashioned… if I want to make a program about entering the New Year and about this ‘Speak Up’ exhibition, will you reject my proposal?

Victor’s gaze sweeps over me, his brows smoothening.

Victor: I’ll decide after I see the quality of the proposal.

After we finish viewing the exhibition, cold rain and freezing wind come the moment we step out of the exhibition hall. It was so sunny earlier… Why is it raining all of a sudden?

Victor: I’ll get Goldman to pick us up.

MC: Huh? That’s not needed-

I pull out the tickets for the exhibition in my bag.

MC: I remember that the complimentary gift with this exhibition is an umbrella! All we need to do is exchange the tickets at the counter.

Victor casually takes the tickets from my hand.

Victor: Wait here for me.

MC: Alright.

While waiting, I glance over at the cafe and happen to see the cafe owner closing up his cafe for the day. He turns the sign from OPEN to CLOSE, before locking the door and dropping the key into his pocket.

This seems to be his usual, everyday life.

He notices my gaze on him and gives me a quick wave in greeting, before heading into the exhibition hall.

This world has many people who can’t say what is most important to them… but I’m different.

When I snap out of my thoughts, Victor is already heading back to me, umbrella in hand. In the dark and gloomy night, the lights of the street lamps flicker, silhouetting him in light and shadow as he walks slowly towards me.

I see tiny droplets of water clinging to his hair, the hazy light shining in his eyes.

The marks that I have must be conveyed in the most direct way.

MC: Victor, do you hear the music being played in the exhibition hall?

Victor doesn’t catch the underlying meaning in my tone, and instead begins to explain it to me.

Victor: It’s to alert the people in the exhibition hall that it’s about to close.

I can’t help but give him another hint.

MC: That’s all you thought about? You don’t find the music somewhat familiar?

Victor falls silent, his brow furrowed, as if he’s really thinking hard about this.

Not giving him a second more to think, I run ahead of him with small steps, wearing a smile as I turn back to extend my hand to him.

MC: Would this gentleman honour me with a dance?

Victor’s eyes widen slightly.

MC: The first time you taught me dancing was to this song.

The world around us is silent, and all I can hear is the wild beating of my own heart, pounding with anticipation.

MC: This is how you’ve given me marks of my own… and changed me.

Warm fingers brush my palm. Before I can register what’s happening, he’s already pulled me into his embrace. Along with the violin’s melody, I move my feet to dance with Victor, and the two of us turn in a circle fluidly. Even though night is quickly falling, everything before me is filled with shining light.

Joy blooms in my heart with a thump, like a resplendent firework soaring into the night sky, exchanging greetings with the sky full of starlight.

There are no words to describe the happiness I feel in this moment.

MC: What about you?

Victor: Me?

MC: Don’t you have anything to say to me? After this afternoon of visiting the exhibition, I thought it would have left some sort of impression on you.

Victor pauses in his footsteps, holding me a little tighter. The light and hurried rain droplets are blown over by the gentle wind. He tilts the umbrella, blocking the drizzle completely.

Victor: Dummy.

Raindrops patter down on the umbrella, paired with the sound of his low voice; it’s as if all surrounding noises have faded away to nothing, and he’s the only one who exists in the world.

Victor: Because a certain greedy cat always says she wants to eat something sweet after dinner, I made pudding before leaving the house.

Victor: Do you think this is a mark of how I’ve been changed?

[purplesurveys]

1269

Last thing you bought online? Did you like it? OMG OMG so I got Angela an Army Bomb!!!!!! for her birthday!!!! It was HELLLL looking for sealed ones that were already onhand, but fortunately I was able to find one from this really nice seller a few days ago and the shipping was quick as well. I’m just a little worried because the outbox has a little dent on it :( but it was the best onhand offer I could find so I got it before anybody could call dibs. I still hope she likes it! I got her batteries too so that she can try lighting it up as soon as she has it. :D

Could you date someone who didn’t drive (and didn’t show an interest in ever getting their license, either)?  I feel like this is such a petty thing to make a big deal about...if they knew how to commute or any other way to get to their destination, I don’t think this should be a problem. It would only be an issue to me if they refused to get a license in a very I-generally-lack-ambition kind of way.

How would you react if your artwork became famous?  I don’t have any to show off to begin with. I love appreciating art, but creating it was never a forte of mine.

Would you get your nipples pierced?  No, I don’t plan on getting any piercings. How many people know your birthday?  Outside of my family, my best friends. I think everyone else relies on Facebook to be reminded, which is fine with me.

Has anyone ever tried to ruin a relationship you were in?  No. Quite the contrary, really...I was sometimes informed about red flags taking place, which of course my stubborn ass ignored.

Have you ever watched a whole hour long infomercial?  Probably, as a kid. The channel from which I used to watch WWE aired these really long infomercials so I would watch those while waiting for like Raw or whatever show was going on after.

What is your current MySpace song?  I never hung out on Myspace. I had an account, but I was too young for it so it wasn’t long before I got bored.

What is your favorite kind of meat to put on your sandwich?  Pulled pork or fried chicken.

Which one of your exes do you feel like you have the most chemistry with?  I only have one ex.

How do you feel about people who make Facebook profiles for their pets? I find it really cute. But I personally wouldn’t put in as much effort lol.

Have you ever personally known a pair of conjoined twins?  Hmmmmmmmm I don’t think so.

What was the most disturbing thing you have ever heard your mother say? She threatened suicide in front of me and my dad in a very calm way when I was around 11, I think? Maybe 12, idk. I haven’t actually thought about that moment in an extremely long time until this question. I’ll move on now and shove the memory at the very very back of my head before I get sad.

Is there something in particular you like to look at photos of? What is it?  Aside from members of BTS (lol), interior design inspirations.

Chewy chocolate-chip cookies: like or dislike?  Ooh, love. When I bite into a cookie it hassssss to ooze chocolate, otherwise I would be underwhelmed.

If your boyfriend/girlfriend wanted to dress only in the opposite sex’s clothing, would you support that? If not, would you leave them?  Support.

Do you think your grandmother is/was beautiful?  They both are.

Which of your fields of interest are you a total expert on?  Anything that has to do with writing (except poems), I guess? I like being able to give people advice and tips when it comes to that.

When was the last time you got all dolled up?  Last July when we had a big PR media launch thingy and I couldn’t afford to look like shit on Zoom.

Do you ever name objects? (i.e. mp3 players, guitars, cars, etc.)  Never.

Do you have a criminal record?  Not criminal but it’s possibleeeee that I have some kind of record on my license from the time I got stopped by an officer in Alabang, lmao. It was a minor offense from a tiny part of the town so I don’t actually know if they filed it, but it’s possible.

Last person you took a nap with?  I don’t really nap with other people. I hate falling asleep in front of others to begin with.

Does seeing your mother cry automatically make you feel sad as well?  No.

Do you think someone likes the same person you like?  I don’t like anybody.

Do you want your life to stay the way it is right now forever?  No, I do not want to stay in a pandemic and not get to maximize my life the way it’s supposed to be enjoyed forever.

Have you ever been to craigslist.com?  I’ve never checked it out; idk if we have that here?

What about eBay?  I also dunno if they operate here so no, I’ve never bothered.

Have you ever used Nair?  Not Nair, but I’ve used Veet before.

Are you medicated?  Nope.

Do you shape/fill in your eyebrows?  I never do stuff to my eyebrows except shave them.

Have you ever stolen/borrowed clothes from an ex?  Several articles of clothing were left behind here, yeah. I never had the chance to give them back because I stupidly thought we were going to get back together eventually. By the time I moved on the timing was already off, so the clothes stayed with me untillll...just a few days ago, actually – when I finally cleaned up my room and got rid of a bunch of knickknacks that accumulated here over the years, including all her shirts and sweaters and stuff.

Could you make a statement about anything political?  The 2022 presidential election landscape looks like complete shit and I’m nearly at that point where I want to stop giving a fuck about this country’s future.

Do you think you’ve already met your soulmate?  No.

Do you get the feeling something good will happen in your life soon?  I think I’m already living in it, haha.

Do you enjoy romantic movies, even when they’re cliche?  Sure, but cliché is also hit and miss for me. I love Titanic and Love Actually, but I cannot stand movies like Me Before You and The Notebook. I guess it depends on certain executions, like the acting, screenplay, casting, etc.

Have you been to McDonald’s in the past month?  No, not inside. We did drive-thru within the last month, though.

Have you ever slept over at your best friend’s house?  Not at Andi’s, but I have at Angela’s.

How often do you go bowling?  Extremely rarely. I can’t tell you the last time I went bowling.

Last time you were in an apartment?  Like 2007 when I visited my aunt back when she still lived in one. None of my friends have their own apartments.

Have you ever seen a live seahorse?  I don’t think so.

Would you like to have your own yacht? I mean I wouldn't say no if you offered it to me for free, but I'm not exactly interested in one. < Same.

Winnie the Pooh or Tigger?  Tigger always made me laugh as a kid.

What’s the unhealthiest thing you’ve eaten today?  Luncheon meat, I think? I didn’t go overboard with the junk food today.

Has a stranger ever offered to buy you a drink?  Hm, not that I can recall.

What is something you’d be happy to receive as a gift, that doesn’t cost a lot?  A bag of the salted egg chips that I really like costs like 30 bucks, or roughly 60 US cents.

What kind of music does your significant other/crush like to listen to?  I don’t have any irl crushes, can I use a celebrity crush instead? HAHA he’s heavily into jazz and whenever he gets asked for music recos he always gives jazz artists from like the 50s and 60s.

Who did you have your first kiss with? Do you remember what colour his/her eyes were?  Gab. Dark brown.

Are there any themes from TV shows that you like to sing along to? The Big Bang Theory and Friends; and then I also liked humming to the themes of Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and BoJack Horseman. The Phineas & Ferb theme was also a lot of fun to sing along to.

Do you eat dessert after dinner? No, I never do that. I’m usually already full after dinner, and we don’t always have sweets at home anyway.

Have you ever had too much to drink and felt embarrassed about your behavior the next day?  Sure.

When you go out drinking, what do you prefer to drink?  Cocktails. I very rarely go for hard drinks/shots, especially if I brought my own car.

What was the last animal that you saw?  Dog.

What was the last thing that you said to one of your siblings?  I just told my sister I was done using her laptop so she can have it back. My Memories of 2020 DVD turned out to be region-locked so I have to use her laptop every time I want to watch it :(

What is the most expensive thing that you’ve purchased that you paid for:  My Map of the Soul photobook cost me around 5k in total.

What is your favorite messaging program?  Messenger.

Do you eat fast food more than 5 times a week?  Wow no. Aside from being extremely unhealthy, that’s also a LOT of spending??

Have you ever almost drowned?  Yes.

Have you ever learned something shocking about someone through Facebook?  I mean I’ve had to learn about more than one family death through my Facebook feed, which sucks but is nothing I have control over. Otherwise the most shocking thing I’ve seen is probably classmates from high school having their own kids, but at this point I’m used to it already.

What’s the scariest living animal that you’ve petted?  I’m not really afraid of carrying/petting animals especially if there’s a guide or expert nearby, but the most daring one was probably the crocodile I volunteered to hold in Palawan.

Do you remember the first conversation you ever had with the person you currently have feelings for?  Not at all.

Do you dread certain days of the week? If yes, what day/s and why?  I hate Mondays for obvious reasons lol. I don’t know anyone who is actively cheery about reporting back to work.

If you eat oatmeal, do you have it plain or do you have certain toppings that you like to add to it?  I never eat oatmeal. I had that every single day for breakfast from like kindergarten to 4th grade and I vowed never to take a spoonful of it again.

What is the funniest or strangest thing you’ve ever heard somebody say in their sleep?  I dunno. I used to keep a log of the things my ex used to say in her sleep and a great deal of them were hilarious, but obviously I deleted that note a long time ago.

Choose one - Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers:  Butterfinger.

Do you use Mozilla Firefox? Nopes.

Who is your favorite person to hug? Angela and Laurice.

Have you ever had to have a mug shot?  Nope.

What was the last thing you carried to your room?  Kimi.

When was the last time you had a late night phone call?  WELL over a year ago.

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Djinn’s Bride! ~A Celebration of Love~

Part 9

[Walpurga Nacht Academy]

[Djinn’s Lamp]

Djinn: Woken up from my centuries long nap, I am summoned by a mage of great power back to the realm of the mortals. As a djinn of incredible power and looks, it is no wonder that I am so sought after. To create life from nothing, to bring my Master uncountable riches, even making dancing elephants and camels - that is just scratching the top of the list of my accomplishments. And yet, how dissatisfied I feel with it all. When the call of the lamp pulls me away, I can’t help but think ‘Ah, what menial job will I be made to do again?’ It’s really a drag.

BUT! Instead of the king that I expect to see, or the cunning vizier, I am faced with eight beauties. And what’s more - they all want to marry me?! How did a poor, handsome djinn like me end up in this situation?! Well, if you want to find out-

Marcia: Ha? What the hell are you doing now?

Djinn: Haaaa, and I was just on the last line too. Gotta start from the top, I guess. Don’t interrupt me again, girlie. Ahem. Woken up from my centuries-

Marcia: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!! I’m serious right now! What the hell is this super lame monologue? It gives me the shivers just hearing about it! Seriously, just when you couldn’t get any creepier too… Oops, didn’t mean to say that aloud~

Djinn: To think you would be so out of touch with things… Alright, listen up, girlie, what I’m doing right now is a recap! I’m reminding our lovely audience of what just happened in the previous episodes so they get caught up to speed. So, to get back~ on~ track~! Woken up from my cen-

Marcia: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Wait just a sec! Audience? Recap? Episodes? This isn’t a TV show, you know?! And why’d you make yourself sound way cooler than you are! Don’t think I’ve forgotten your betrayal just that easily! Ugh, I was supposed to get rich in a flash and yet… My heart is still wounded! Women don’t forget slights that easily!!

Djinn: Hm, you’re really not getting the appeal are you… Gonna have to deduct points for that… Hm…

Rosa: Heeeeeeey! Stupid, greedy Marcia!! Stop being useless and pay for your mistakes! Repent! 

Marcia: Grrrr! You sure like to weigh in a lot for a moron, dumb, idiotic, moronic Rosalia!

Rosa: HEY, YOU SAID MORON TWICE!! I HEARD YOU!!

Marcia: Bleh!

Djinn: Hm, kinda childish too… I’d have preferred a more mature style…

Marcia: Geh! You’re taking that into account too?! Haaa, you’re sure taking this seriously…

Djinn: Obviously! This is my future we’re talking about after all. On that note…

[RUMBLE]

Marcia: THE FLOOR IS MOVING AGAIN, UGH!! AND IT’S A PLATFORM TOO??

Djinn: Now!

Marcia: !!!

Djinn: IT’S TIME TO STAAAAAART!

Marcia: …

Djinn: … Hm?

Marcia: Eh?

Djinn: Well?

Marcia: Huh?!

Djinn: Your introduction! In~ tro~ duc~ tion~! It’s essential to getting the fans to root for you, girlie! That’s how you make it through the show~

Marcia: … No, I still haven’t got an idea what you’re talking about… But if it’s about making a pitch, I’m your girl! Ahem! 

[Hey, hey, hey~ Marcia Pyroeis reporting for duty! I’m a third year with a bright future in store, I promise ya! Getting along well with both my juniors and seniors and always knowing how to get out of a pinch! That’s me!]

Hehe, so whatcha think, hm? A keeper right?

Djinn: Hm~ It’s got energy. It’s got charm. I LIKE IT! FULL POINTS!

Marcia: YAHOO! Now, then how about you come closer and-

Djinn: Not so fast!

Marcia: Huh?! What now?! You said “FULL POINTS” didn’t you?! So why-

Djinn: Hm, that’s true. But you can’t think that would be enough! Love at first sight is just a fantasy, you know?! That’s why, we gotta check compatibility too!

Marcia: Co-Compatibility? Ugh, this got a lot more annoying all of a sudden… Do we have to, haha? After all, I’m already heads over heels for you! Anything more and I just might lose my mind~

Rosa: Woah, that scummy power of hers comes in handy at moments like this!

Blanche: It’s… definitely something impressive…

Djinn: Woah, woah, woah, for real?! Hm, I shouldn’t really be doing this, but I guess you’ll be getting a few extra points there, girlie!

Diana: He’s easy to fool.

Marcia: Really~? You’re way too kind~ Now then, now then, how about we-

Djinn: Not so fast! 

Marcia: ???

Djinn: You definitely have a lot of the right qualities. BUT!! I’m not an easy sort of djinn, you know?! I just don’t give my heart out to anybody! That’s why before we tie the knot you must first undergo a SURPRISE SCENARIO!

Marcia: EH?! SURPRISE- EH?! EEEEEH?!

Rosa: HE CAME UP WITH SOMETHING RIDICULOUS AGAIN!

Djinn: To properly test a couple’s compatibility, you can’t just stop at first impressions! There needs to be understanding and cooperation. That’s~ why~ THE SURPRISE SCENARIO WILL TELL US ALL WE NEED TO KNOW! IT’S FOOLPROOF!

Marcia: Crap, and I thought I had this in the bag… Ugh, this is so annoying… But, if it’s just some stupid question, I’m sure I can breeze through it… Alright! Let’s give it a shot! I’ll show you I’m the best suited for this role, dear~!

Agatha: ……. gross….

Djinn: Ooooh! That’s it, girlie! That’s the spirit I’m looking for! That sort of energy - IT’S FANTASTIC! 

Marcia: Hehehe, it’s definitely gonna be my victory, you moron…

Djinn: Ahem. This is your scenario: Adil and Farah have been dating for 5 years now after meeting at a company party, where he accidentally spilled some punch on her dress and was chastised thoroughly for it. Because it was an outfit from a well-recognized brand, Farah demanded that Adil take care of the dry-cleaning himself. Unfortunately coming from a low standing family he could not afford the fee for it, so he decided to make a deal with a corrupt bank manager to get the money in exchange for smuggling a few precious magical gems into the embassy which will be used to blow up the building once the ambassador and the king of the country are inside. Though he’s reluctant to agree he remembers the sick mother who’s at home, and realizes that he cannot burden her with this issue since she has also just started attending college to get her degree as a bread researcher. In order to get access to the basement of the building, Adil calls up some old acquaintance from his time in the magical police who helps him secure an invitation thanks to his cousin who is actually the Prince of a foreign land. They pass Adil off as the royal confectioner, a role he is able to perform thanks to his previous career as a successful movie star actor. On the day of the heist they are able to sneak into the basement, but on their way out they bump into Farah who turns out to also be the Chief of Security for the king that’s coming to visit. In the ensuing scuffle Adil is suddenly reminded that Farah is in fact his long, lost childhood friend that he hasn’t seen since the hurricane hit their town and almost razed everybody to the ground. They embrace tearfully and realize that they have feelings for each other~

Romantic, right~?

Marcia: WHAT’S THE HELL KIND OF SCENARIO IS THIS?!

Djinn: Hm? What do you mean? It’s obviously a romcom!

Marcia: ‘OBVIOUSLY’?! HOW IS ANY OF OBVIOUS?! MY BRAIN IS JUST HURTING FROM TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND IT!!

Djinn: Hey, hey, that’s super rude! It’s a great premise with a cool hook! Anybody would be able to relate to them! Especially Adil! Isn’t he just super cool?

Marcia: Haaaaaaaaa?! What the hell is cool about him?! Rather just what the hell is his deal?!

Djinn: Eh? His deal? Is there something you dislike about him?

Marcia: Dislike?! There are a ton of things I dislike about him! Like, what the hell is up with his thinking process?! He’s gonna make some shady deal with a corrupt banker for some dry-cleaning fee?! Isn’t that way too extreme?! He could have just used a cleaning spell!!

Djinn: ….

Marcia: Or rather!! You’re telling me that somebody who’s been in the magical police and was a famous actor didn’t put some money aside for emergencies?! What kind of negligence is that, huh?! And how old is this guy to have held so many jobs and still be on the bottom rung of a company, huh?! It makes no sense!!

Djinn: …

Marcia: This whole situation is just senseless!! Ain’t he complicating things too much with his insane logic?! I don’t get it!! I don’t get him at all!! Who even came up with this type of story?!

Djinn: … Me…

Marcia: … Huh?

Djinn: It was me. I am the author of “Super Lovey Dovey Secret Agents Who Are Also Childhood Friends, But On Opposite Sides of the Battle Raging On Between Their Two Companies, So They Must Make sure Their Supervisors Don’t Find Out About It”.

Marcia: Crap!

Rosa: IT’S EVEN GOT A RIDICULOUS NAME!

Djinn: You know, I always fancied myself a bit of a screenwriter. This was supposed to be my magnus opus… My masterpiece… The story that would mark my debut in the literary world… and yet…

Marcia: Just joking~!

Djinn: Hm? 

Marcia: Hahaha, you took all that seriously! It was a joke! All just a joke, I swear! You’ve completely misinterpreted my words~

Rosa: SHE’S ACTUALLY MAKING A MOVE TO TRY AND SALVAGE ALL THIS?! SERIOUSLY?! IS SHE FOR REAL?! 

Djinn: … Is that so? 

Rosa: EEEEEH?! HE’S BUYING IT TOO?

Marcia: Yeah, yeah~ That story!! It was, uh, super cool! 

Djinn:... Really?

Marcia: Of course! It was, um, sooooooo dynamic! A lot of things happened and… Adil was such a cool character! Yeah! Yeah! Really, uh, carried the story and all that! 

Djinn: …

Marcia: You have such a gift for this!! Seriously! I’m in awe of your talent!! Hahahaha…

Djinn: … I see.

Marcia: Hm? Se-See what exactly?

Djinn: It’s been made clear to me just what sort of compatibility we have.

Marcia: Th-That soon?! Hey, you barely even gave me a chance to work my char- I mean! Don’t you think that it’s still too early to tell, hm~? We should get to know each other a little better before that~ Hey, hey~!

Djinn: Hm, no, rather I think that it’s [TIME UP]!

Marcia: EEEEEEEEH?!

[CLICK]

Rosa: SHE GOT CAUGHT IN THE HOURGLASS TOO!!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Pyroeis!!

Diana: …

Blanche: This is…

Vita: How unfortunate~

Djinn: And done~ Now, let’s see who’s next, hm~?

Rosa: WAIT JUST A MOMENT!

Djinn: Hm? What is it, fluffy hair? Do you wanna volunteer?

Rosa: E-Eh?! No, no, no, no, no! No way! Absolutely no way!

Djinn: Mm, maybe it’s for the best. Flat types like you are kinda…

Rosa: HEY!

Blanche: Excuse me.

Djinn: Oh, you too, bunny girl? Man, I sure am popular~! Having so many girls after me~

Blanche: … A-Ah. In truth, there was something that I was curious about…

Djinn: Sure, sure~ Go straight ahead~ If it’s from my future cute wife then any request is A-OK with me!

Rosa: Then-

Djinn: Ah, except asking to drop out of the wedding, of course! 

Rosa: Ugh!

Blanche: No, it’s rather… Just what are your specifications for a ‘wife’?

Djinn: Specifications?

Blanche: Yes. I understand why Himalia-senpai was locked up, but even though Marcia was… well, even though she acted the way she did, was just that the reason you locked her up?

Djinn: ‘Just that’?! You don’t get it, bunny girl!

Blanche: Hm?

Djinn: It’s all about compatibility! Com~ pa~ ti~ bi~ li~ ty~! If we’re not a good match then getting married is a no go for me! I don’t wanna get stuck in a loveless relationship and suffer at the hands of somebody cruel~ My heart is too fragile for that!

Blanche: I-I see… then, just what exactly did you find displeasing about Marcia and Himalia-senpai specifically?

Rosa: Ha?! Blanche?! Don’t tell me you’re seriously thinking of going through with it?! After all the time you protested?!

Diana: No. It’s not that.

Rosa: Huh?

Diana: If we want to strike, it’s best to be forewarned. 

Rosa: Eh?

Cass: Um, it, me-means that we should ga-gather as much information a-as possible, Miss Mo-Morgainne…

Blanche: I think it would be beneficial for both of us to understand your preferences a little better, don’t you agree?

Djinn: Hm~ You’re making some sense there, bunny girl. I guess I have nothing to lose from coming forward about this… Alright then! Now listen carefully! I’ll explain to you why compatibility matters!

You see, more than anything… I think violent women are super scary!

Blanche: Huh?

Djinn: Seriously~ When I saw that Amazon pick up that marble table like it was nothing at all, I got super freaked out! That thing was at least around 400 kg, you know? 

Rosa: THA-THAT HEAVY?! WHAT IS HIMALIA-SENPAI?! A MONSTER?! A GODDESS?! 

Djinn: Aaah, just seeing it come flying at me made me so nervous… And I’m made of smoke too! No, no, a violent type just won’t work!

Blanche: I… I suppose that’s understandable… Then Marcia?

Djinn: Hm? The tomboy? Hmmm, well, I have to admit I like the type who’s full of energy. Seeing a girl smile while giving her best really brings out that healing quality~ But…

Blanche: But?

Djinn: WOMEN WHO ARE TWO-FACED ARE NOT CUTE AT ALL!

Blanche: !!!

Djinn: Seriously! Changing her mind like that just because she found out that I was the author! There’s no way I could be able to stand a woman like that!

Blanche: I see, that is-

Djinn: If she started lying from the first and kept at it, that would have been another issue! At least my feelings would have been spared like that! But being told so rudely that my work is bad… NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT THE SORT OF WIFE I WANT!

Blanche: …

Rosa: Hey, isn’t it kinda all about him again?

Marcia: Blegh! Like I could even pretend to like that sort of badly written thing in the first place! There are limits of what you can ask from people, you know?! You moron! Idiot! Lame!

Rosa: Hey, are you seriously still goi- EEEEEEH?!

Marcia: Pffft, the expression you’re making now is even more stupid than usual, Rosalia! Guess it’s nice when you have no brains and a pretty face, huh?

Rosa: GRRRRR! BEING LOCKED UP IN A HOURGLASS IS NOT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH FOR YOU!! YOU OGRE!!

Marcia: Haaaa, you’re still barking? Hahaha, now that's a funny sight, you kno- HUH?! WAIT! HUH?! YOU CAN HEAR ME?!

Rosa: I CAN HEAR YOU! I CAN HEAR JUST FINE! I CAN HEAR YOU GOING ON ABOUT HOW STUPID I AM, YOU JER-

Blanche: This is… 

Djinn: Hm? Ah, so you’ve noticed, didn’t you? 

Rosa: Noticed? Noticed what?

Diana: June’s is soundproof.

Rosa: Soundproof… Huh? You me-mean the hourglass?! Eh?! I-Is that even possible?!

Agatha: Stupid… amoeba… doesn’t… even… know… her… own… dorm… subjects… heheheheh

Rosa: HAAAAAA-

Blanche: Is this related to the complaint about her being violent…?

Djinn: Hm? Well, it’s rather… she’s just kinda annoyingly loud, you know? Loud women are also a no-go for me! I like my peace and quiet~

Blanche: I see…

Rosa: Eh? Hey, is it just me or is this guy’s list of preferences all over the place? 

Diana: Mm.

Cass: It’s, um, ra-rather confusing…

Rosa: Right?! He says he wants somebody energetic then he turns around and goes [I like my peace and quiet~]. It’s completely contradictory!

Blanche: It’s… not ideal… But we must try to figure out a way to escape from here still. Or else…

Rosa: Gulp.

back | next

[justlookfrightened]

Zimbits 32 “You could have died.”

Bitty tucked his laptop in his messenger bag and tried to tiptoe out of the bedroom without waking Jack. No one should be up at 5:30 in the morning – Bitty included himself in that thought, but last night staying with Jack seemed more important than getting to sleep until 6:30 and still make it to seven o’clock practice – and Jack had a game tonight.

It almost worked, until the edge of Bitty’s bag caught the door and bounced off the doorstop. That was enough for Jack to roll over and crack an eye open.

“Leaving already, bud?” he asked, voice raspy from sleep.

“I have to, sweet pea, or I’ll be late for practice,” Bitty said, going back to the bed to lean down and give Jack a kiss. “Love you. Talk after the game?”

Jack mumbled something affirmative and buried his face in Bitty’s pillow.

At least Bitty could take the car and not have to depend on trains and buses or have to do fifty minutes in a rideshare. Jack first suggested buying him a car last summer when Bitty was living in Providence, but Bitty was adamant that a car, even a used car, was too big of a gift.

“I couldn’t,” Bitty said. “My mama and daddy would have a fit, and besides, I can’t afford the insurance and all. And don’t just say you’d pay for that too.”

So Jack had simply gone out and bought himself a second car, a new Prius, and handed the second set of keys to Bitty.

“It’s my car,” Jack said. “But you have blanket permission to drive it whenever you want. And I made sure my insurance would cover you.”

Bitty had squawked, but Jack pointed out that lots of his teammates had two cars, and he didn’t need to have his SUV just to run errands. Then over the summer Bitty got used to having a car when he needed one. He didn’t keep it at Samwell all the time, but knowing he could make the drive from Providence in less than an hour made it easier to see Jack mid-week. Which was important, since neither of them usually had weekends off.

Bitty connected his phone to the car’s speakers, started a peppy playlist to keep himself awake, and headed north. Traffic wasn’t bad this early, so he should even have time to grab a coffee.

Jack’s phone was making noise. It was still dark. His alarm shouldn’t have been going off yet. Did he forget to change it for a game day?

No, not his alarm. That was his phone actually ringing. He grabbed it and looked at it. Bitty? He shouldn’t have made it back to Samwell yet. Maybe he had car trouble?

“Hello? Bits, you okay?”

“Excuse me, with whom am I speaking?”

“Who is this?” Jack’s confusion was rapidly dissolving into fear.

“This is Sergeant Zach Terry with the Massachusetts State Police, and your number is the emergency contact on this phone, which belongs to –”

“Bitty.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Eric Bittle. What happened? Is he okay?”

“First could you confirm your identity, sir.”

“Jack Zimmermann.”

The police officer continued as though he didn’t recognize Jack’s name.

“Mr. Bittle was in a car crash,” he said. “He’s being taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center. The car he was driving – a 2016 Toyota Prius – is registered in Rhode Island in your name –”

“They’re taking him to the hospital?” Jack said. “So he’s alive?”

“I can’t share medical information,” Sgt. Terry said. “The ambulance left here about 20 minutes ago. You can call the hospital, but unless you can demonstrate that you are family –”

“I’m his emergency contact –”

“On his phone,” the sergeant said, not unkindly. “If he’s conscious, he can allow them to share information with you.”

If he’s conscious? Shit, shit, shit, shit.

“In the meantime, sir, once the accident investigation is complete, what do you want to do with your car?” the sergeant said. “It’s going to be totalled, I’m sure of that, but it’s got to go somewhere.”

His car. Who cared? But it hit something. Someone? Or someone hit it?

“I don’t care about the car,” Jack said. “I’ll call my agent, they’ll deal with it. What happened? Was anyone else hurt?”

“The deer that caused the whole mess,” the sergeant said. “And the other driver that swerved to avoid it and hit your car was also injured. He was transported to the local hospital.”

So he wasn’t hurt as badly. Fuck. Jack should be happy someone wasn’t going to a trauma center, unconscious and alone, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

If he wanted information, who would they give it to? Bitty’s parents? He should call them anyway. But Jack looked at himself, sunk onto his bedroom floor with his back against the bed, hands shaking.

He looked at his phone again, searching the contacts.

“Shitty? It’s Bitty.”

Bitty awoke to a pounding headache and the sense that he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. The sheets were scratchy, and the light was too bright and he was flat on his back instead of curled up with Senor Bun.

He tried to turn to his side and found he couldn’t. Also his left shoulder and side were on fire.

“Bits?”

Jack. Jack was here. Was he hurt too?

“What happened?” Bitty asked. “Where are we?”

“UMass hospital,” Jack said, as Bitty slowly turned only his head to the other side. “Worcester. You were in a car accident this morning.”

“Your car –”

“Is not something I’m worried about now,” Jack said. “At all. How’re you feeling?”

“Hurts,” Bitty said.

“Yeah, I imagine,” Jack said. “You were in and out a few times, but they gave you some pain meds, so you probably don’t remember.”

Bitty stared at the ceiling, trying to recall. Nope. Nothing about being in this hospital. Or … a car accident?”

“What happened?” Bitty said. “I have no idea how I got here.”

“You were driving back to Samwell this morning,” Jack said, and Bitty started to nod but stopped because it made his head swim.

“I remember that. Early practice.”

“Yeah, you, um, didn’t make it to practice,” Jack said. “Someone swerved to avoid a deer near Uxbridge and they lost control and hit you in the driver’s side. Got the deer anyway, too.”

“I’m sorry,” Bitty said. “I didn’t –”

“Don’t,” Jack said. “Don’t apologize. You were driving up the highway not doing anything wrong, and some idiot drove into you. Doesn’t everyone know you don’t swerve to avoid a deer because you could cause a worse accident? You might have died.”

“But if I hadn’t driven back this morning …”

“This is not your fault,” Jack said. “It’s not your fault, and it’s not my fault for insisting that you should drive the car. I could have gotten up and taken you in the truck.”

Even in his cloudy state, Bitty got what Jack was saying.

“Sweetpea, maybe it’s not my fault but it most certainly isn’t yours,” he said. “Who’s to say we both wouldn’t have been in the hospital then?”

Jack snorted at that. “Not likely. I don’t have your lead foot.”

“Haha,” Bitty said. “Have they told you what’s wrong with me? Concussion, I’m pretty sure.”

“Yeah, once your parents told them they could let me in and talk to me,” Jack said, trying not to be bitter. At least they had allowed the hospital to pull him into the loop. It was just that they had to in the first place that rankled. “They’ll be here in a couple of hours, by the way. So, concussion, laceration to the side of your face, dislocated left shoulder, badly bruised ribs. They were afraid they were cracked, but you avoided that.”

“Ugh,” Bitty said. “How long before I can skate?”

Jack shrugged. “Too soon to tell,” he said. “Couple weeks at the very least, and longer for contact. But probably not the whole season. I should call your manager – or Hall directly. He’ll want to come see you now you’re awake, too.”

“Now – what time is it?” Bitty asked.

“About three,” Jack said.

“In the afternoon?”

Jack nodded, and Bitty could see how exhausted he looked. He was dressed in full Burger-King-robber getup, dark track pants and hoodie, he hadn’t shaved and the pallor of skin only emphasized the dark circles under his eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Bitty said. “You have a game.”

“I’m not playing tonight,” Jack said. “I’m scratched for a family emergency.”

“Family, huh?” Bitty couldn’t help but smile.

“Family,” Jack said. “They’ll probably let you go either tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll stay here until I can take you home with me.”

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #284

“mama, we’re all full of lies / mama, we’re meant for the flies”

When was the last time you changed a lightbulb? About a month or so back I had to change Venus’ heat lamp. Who was the last person you sent an e-mail to? I emailed my older sister the OneDrive link to her holiday pictures I did. When was the last time you visited the dentist? What about the optician? It’s been quite a few months since I went to the dentist for a normal cleaning. I haven’t seen an eye doctor in around a year or so because it’s a less pressing matter, and we can’t afford to buy me new glasses anyway. I desperately need them. Do you sleep on your side, your back or your front? My side, stomach, or like a contortion of both. Would you rather drive or be the passenger? Let me be shotgun controlling the music and I’m set for a long ride. When was the last time you received a handwritten letter? Sara sent me one I think two years ago for my birthday. If you have pets, do you buy them gifts for Christmas or their birthdays? Ha, yes. We don’t know either’s exact birthday though, so we don’t really “celebrate” those. Do you know how to ride a bike? How about ride a skateboard? A bike, yeah. I don’t know how to skateboard, though. Did you get enough sleep last night? How much sleep is enough sleep for you? No. I don’t even know what “enough sleep” is. I’m always tired. What are your favourite condiments? Do you use those often? Ketchup and honey mustard probably top the list, considering they’re the ones I use most. Peanut butter: crunchy or smooth? Do you have a favorite brand? I trust no one who can enjoy crunchy peanut butter. I like Skippy quite a bit. Do you have any life-threatening allergies? No. Have you had to take a COVID test yet? Was it positive or negative? I haven’t needed to take one. Do you think it’s okay to keep cats indoors for their entire lives? They SHOULD be. Cats are very destructive and disruptive predators of once-stable environments. They fuck up the food chain and have done a lot of damage to native populations. This is coming from a person whose house was an absolute NEST for cats to the point they were taken away. They lived outside, and I can only imagine the harm they really caused. Of course, as a kid, I didn’t understand this, but as an educated and experienced adult when it comes to this subject, it’s saddening to look back on. Please, keep your cats inside. AND FIXED. Hence our cat empire lmao. Do you think people should need a license in order to keep animals, just to make sure they knew how to properly take care of them? That would actually be LOVELY. If only. Not that it would entirely prevent illegal ownership, but I like to think most people are law-abiding citizens… Which meal of the day is your favorite? What’s your favorite thing to eat for that meal? BREAKFAST! Cinnamon rolls just gotta top the list. When was the last time you bounced on a trampoline? Would you ever want to go to one of those indoor trampoline parks? It has to have been so, so many years. My knees could NEVER take that now. I’m not interested in that. What’s your favorite thing to put on a baked potato? Butter, American cheese, and bacon bits… yum. Have you ever made money selling stuff online? What was it you were selling? I don’t think so, at least not successfully. Do you have a valid passport? When was the last time you used it? No. What was the last song you sung along to? I’m unsure. I rarely sing along to songs. What was the last piece of fruit you ate? What about the last vegetable? Fruit: apple. Vegetable: ummm I’m actually unsure. Probably broccoli. Have you ever lied to the police or a customs official? Were you ever found out? No. Are you much of a procrastinator, or would you rather get things out of the way so you can relax? I am a HEAVY procrastinator. When was the last time you took an exam of any kind? I don’t know. Probably not since I was in school. What snacks/drinks from your childhood do you wish they still made? Ah man, I know there’s some… just too many to dig through to try and remember. Are you a fan of techno? Yeah, sometimes. Who's your favorite horror movie villain/monster? I don’t particularly like one over the other. What's an 'obsession' of yours that most people would find odd or amusing? Probably how much I love Mark, given that being a “fangirl” is usually seen as juvenile. What's the sweetest thing another person has said or done for you? Probably Colleen letting me live with her while I was homeless for a month or two. Said to me, actually from Colleen’s sister; I was having a crying episode over Jason and she just grabbed my head and told me with such passion that I was so beautiful, strong, and deserved the world. Safe to say I started crying more lmao but at least it wasn’t from sadness. What's the absolute best feeling in the world? Being in love. Does the person you have feelings for know you feel that way? Yeah. Do you like Tim Burton? Um, duh. How do you feel about hypnotism? I don’t believe it works. It’s just the power of suggestion. How do you feel about Pink Floyd? I’m not a big fan, but I like some songs. What’s your preferred way of keeping fit? Is it something you make time to do on a regular basis? You assume I AM fit… but I really am trying to change that with WiiFit again, once the living room is cleaned up. I plan to insert it into my morning routine. Have you ever raised a puppy? Would you want to or would you prefer to adopt an adult rescued dog? Yes, Teddy. Right now I don’t want another dog, but hypothetically, I’d absolutely go for an adult rescue. Who was the last person to come to your house? Were they an expected visitor? My younger sister. Yes. If you work, is your job the same everyday, or does it vary depending on what you have on? N/A Would you ever be interested in owning your own business? Why or why not? Well, I want to be a freelance photographer, so… It’s not off the ground enough for me to *officially* call it a business, but while it’s absolutely so exciting to picture, it’s also very anxiety-inducing, the idea of it (hopefully) getting to that point since I’m dumb as fuck in regards to business stuff. Do you have your driver’s license? If so, did you find it easy or difficult to learn and pass your test? Ugh, I don’t. I need it so badly, I know, but right now, I couldn’t even if I wanted to because my vision is too bad to possibly pass that part, and I can’t afford to see an eye doctor + get a new prescription. If you have pets, how often do you buy them new treats and toys? Venus is a snake, so… yeah, lol. She needs a bigger terrarium, though, but a 40 gallon is expensive. Roman gets a new toy every now and then, but he doesn’t play with them as much anymore. If you had to work a job that required you to do shifts, would you rather work the early, late or night shift? Early. Get it over with. Do you have a favorite type of survey to take? Yeah; I like the ones that make me think or are just questions I definitely haven’t seen before but are also interesting. Some random questions are way too specific to apply to most people. On a typical day, how long do you spend out of the house? Even before the pandemic, usually zero time. Do you live in a close-kit community? Well we’re the new family on the block, so it’s hard to tell quite yet. People were welcoming, though. Do you have a vlog? NOOOOOOOOOO. If not, have you ever considered starting a vlog? No, I would feel WAY too fuckin awkward. Did you go to AM or PM kindergarten? AM. What are your favorite YouTube channels to watch? The whole world knows Markiplier is my true favorite channel, but lately I’ve really been digging pet (particularly reptile or tarantula) channels, Snake Discovery in specific. I’ve been bingeing the fuck outta them. I’ve officially become the “I know more than you” Petco meme lmao. Which relative(s) do you look the most like? Idk. Have you ever watched a live birth video? FUCK no. I never would. That could be so fucking scarring to middle school kids, for Christ’s sake. I’ve never understood why they show them in a lot of health classes. Have you ever given birth? Fuck to the no; never plan to, either. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender? Nah. Have you ever worn overalls? Ugh, as a kid. They’re so hideous to me now. If you’re a girl, how old were you when you started your period? I was in the 6th grade, so 11-12. Is your mom mentally stable? I mean she has depression, but otherwise, yeah. What color hair did your first crush have? I can’t really remember who my first crush was with certainty… but I think I might. If I’m right, blond. What was the name of your first crush? ^ in minds, I think Aaron. Did you ever play on Mamamedia.com? Doesn’t ring a bell. Do you remember your first email address? Haha, yeah, it’s still my current one… Did you name your Lego characters? I was more of a Lincoln Logs kid. Do you take medication for anxiety or depression? Both. If so, does it work? Does it help you? Or does it make you feel worse? I’d probably be dead without at least my mood stabilizers. Have you ever had a bag stolen? I don’t believe so. Who was your best friend in high school? Hannia. What book or movie gave you nightmares as a child? Ha, no books or movies, I think, but remember King Ramses from that episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog? Oh, trust me, I HAD NIGHTMARES. What song makes you cry? The most, probably “Eternally Yours” by Motionless In White. I physically cannot listen to it. Does anyone know who your first crush was besides you? Maybe Mom? Idk. How many teachers have you had crushes on? None. Did you make your Barbie dolls get crushes on each other? I actually don’t remember? I don’t think we had any male Barbies, and of course as a little kid raised in the South especially, I didn’t even realize homosexuality was a thing, so we never considered the girls dating. Did your Barbie dolls go on dates? ^ How old were you when you had your first kiss? 16. Do you have scars from self-harm? No, they’re long faded and were thankfully never very severe. Did your hair change at all when you went through puberty? Yep, it gradually turned brown. Are you taller, shorter, or the same height as your mom? We’re the same height. Would you ever consider adopting a child? I don’t want kids, period. The only possible case I see is being a stepmom, but even then I can’t visualize me being one to an actual kid-kid. Just like, maybe a mid-teen and above. Do you trim your own hair? No. What are all the things you remember being for Halloween? I’m very surprised that I don’t remember many at all. I know I was a witch multiple times. What was the name of the first pet that you loved? I adored almost every pet my family has ever had. Our first was a stray cat named Chance we took in. INCREDIBLE animal. What color was your nursery? I have zero clue. Do you exercise regularly? Ugh, no, but I genuinely plan on changing that once the living room is cleaned up and Mom moves into her room. I’m very serious about starting Wii Fit again. I WAS gonna start walking once we moved here, but I found I was too scared to alone. I’m way too paranoid. Do you have a healthy BMI? lol What photo editing software do you use? Lightroom, Photoshop, and very rarely PhotoScape if I’m being lazy with watermarking my photography. Do you live somewhere with lots of livestock or wild animals? Livestock, yeah. You pass cows all the time around here. If you’re in a more wooded area, you’ll find roadkill kinda frequently, sadly. Would you rather live somewhere rural or urban? Rural. It’s the only thing that sucks about our new home – we’re in the suburbs. Is there anything (a hobby, for example) that’s guaranteed to always make you feel better when you’ve had a bad day? Not 100%, really. If the day was truly awful, sometimes nothing helps. If you’re struggling with your mental health, who are you most likely to open up to, or would you bottle it up instead? I vent to my mom the most. What room of your house do you spend the most time in? Is this through choice or necessity? My room, and it’s by choice. The second room that I wanna make my “office” is still LOADED with stuff from moving. If you could design your own garden, what would you have in it? Do you think that dream is ever going to be achievable for you? I don’t want a garden. Does it take you a long time to fall asleep at night? What do you if you’re really struggling to get to sleep? It can take me very, very long. I dread lying down some nights just because I know I’ll be tossing and turning for a good while. If I’ve tried to sleep for a long time to no avail, I do what you shouldn’t do and get back on the laptop. Do you think it’s cruel when people keep exotic animals as pets? Or do you think it’s okay as long as they have the space, time and money to dedicate to them? This depends on the animal and situation. I do believe some rescue cases are justified for the animal’s survival, but as the question mentions, you need to be able to provide adequately for it to be moral imo. I do NOT support exotic pet ownership for the average person. If you eat meat, is there a particular animal you’d never eat? If you don’t eat meat, what’s the reason for it? I could never eat a “pet” animal, nor an animal hunted mostly for sport. Even in survival cases, I’d have a hard time eating a wild animal.

[niksixx]

Fortune Cookie

Requested: Anonymously!

Pairing: The Dirt! Mick Mars x Reader

Description: Yaay so glad your requests are open again! If u could write one about being Mick’s kid sister + surprising him on tour for his birthday, and the rest of the band are so shocked to see him being so happy and loving towards another human being haha

*Picture is NOT mine. Found on Google. Credit to the owner.*

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Mick Mars never enjoyed being reminded of his birthday. It was nothing special, just an ordinary day. There was no reason to celebrate another year of life that he struggled with his disease. He’d rather sit at home in a dark room and watch a movie with a bottle of vodka all to himself.

But as Mick’s little sister, you were always devising ways to make his birthday a day filled with joy and happiness, not pain and misery.

Mötley Crüe were in the middle of their second tour so there was no way to convince Mick to come back to Los Angeles to celebrate his birthday. You had called Tommy one morning to see if he had any ideas and to your surprise, he came up with the perfect plan.

“I can fly you out to Virginia within the next three hours,” he said excitedly. Tommy was just as cheerful as you remembered. “That way you’ll be here in time to take him out for dinner or something. Doc will pick you up at the airport and I’ll take care of getting you a room.”

~~~

With your duffel bag in hand and a grin on your face, you maneuvered through the airport in search of Doc. On the ride back to the hotel, you chatted with Doc about the tour and laughed at his stories which mostly involved trying to contain three drunk band members who would find entertainment in trashing their hotel rooms.

Tommy met you at the front desk of the hotel, welcoming you with open arms. Seeing that you were still in your teenage years, your bond with Tommy was the strongest because he was closest to your age. Plus, he had a younger sister of his own.

“Hey kid,” Tommy grabbed your duffel and threw it over his shoulders, slinging his other arm around your neck. “Mick’s in his room with Nikki and Vince. They made him play Scrabble so he wouldn’t leave the room.”

As you approached Mick’s door, your excitement intensified. You hadn’t seen your brother in almost four months. Even though Mick hated surprises, you were eager to see the shocked look on his face when he saw you.

Pushing open the door, you tiptoed into the room with Tommy behind you. Nikki saw you first, offering you a subtle wink before returning to the game. Mick and Vince had their backs toward you.

“Yo, Mick,” Tommy said, grabbing his attention. “I got something for ya.”

And as Mick turned around you saw his face contort into a mixture of pure shock. He looked just the same as he did when you last saw him only this time, his eyes weren’t dull. They were filled with love. “Y/N?”

Squealing, you ran to your brother and grabbed him in a hug, accidentally knocking over some of the Scrabble pieces. “Happy birthday, big brother.”

The boys watched as Mick stood up and tightened his arms around you. They hadn’t seen a genuine smile from Mick the whole day. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I had a little help from drummer boy over here,” Grinning, you gave Tommy a high five before turning back to your brother. “I know how much you hate your birthday, but you also know how much I love surprising you. The rest of the night is ours, so I’m taking you out to dinner, and the boys are welcome to come.”

“Uh, thanks for the offer, Y/N, but we haven’t seen Mick smile all day.” Vince laughed, leaning his arm on Nikki’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to ruin your time with my presence,” Tommy joked, throwing an arm around Mick’s shoulder. “Hey Mick, how come you don’t smile at us like that?”

“Because I missed my sister,” Mick replied, “I’m always with you fuckers.”

Laughing, you grabbed Mick’s hand and retrieved the small present you made for him from your duffel. “I’ll bring my bag to my room after dinner. Come on, I missed you.”

~~~

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was cute and affordable and you knew Mick didn’t care where he had dinner as long as it was with you. The Chinese restaurant was loaded with various cuisines, so you and Mick spent the night ordering different dishes to try, laughing at jokes and telling stories to pass the time.

Growing up you and Mick had never been close because of the age gap between you. It was only when he had left to tour with Mötley Crüe that you realized you had taken for granted the time you spent with him growing up, even if it was brief.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Mick said, handing you a fortune cookie. You accepted the cookie, breaking some of the pieces. “This was really nice of you, Y/N.”

“I wanted to do it,” Chewing the cookie, you fiddled with the fortune in your hand. “I haven’t seen you, either. I’m going through big brother withdraw.”

“The tour is halfway over, kiddo,” Mick answered, laying his hand on yours. “I promise when I get back we’re going to spend some time together. I’ll teach you how to play guitar and you can show me the art work you’ve been painting. Mom said one of your pieces was in the art show at school?”

You filled Mick in on the art show at school, and his eyes lit up when you admitted your piece had won second prize. He in turn told you stories of Tommy’s drunk shenanigans and how Vince got arrested for streaking down a road in New York City. You shared plenty of laughs together, hoping the end of the night wouldn’t come.

“I made this for you,” Placing the gift on the table, you pushed it toward Mick. “I hope you like it.”

Carefully, Mick unwrapped the present, eyes wide as he took in the canvas. It was a painting of you and Mick together from a few years ago, sitting on the floor of your mom’s house playing a card game. She had taken the picture and printed it out, but instead of giving Mick the real picture, you chose to do what you did best and paint the picture for him instead. Every detail was flawless.

“This is incredible,” Mick breathed, running a hand along the edge of the canvas. “You are so talented, Y/N. I love this. I can’t wait to see more of your work.”

You spent the rest of dinner catching up and reliving a few of your shared childhood memories, all the while you would catch Mick sneaking a peek at the present you made him. He’d smile and run a finger over the painting, cherishing the old memories he had with you, but always looking forward to the memories he’d have with you after the tour.

[murdertrialimagines]

Failed Surprises

“Hello, I'm really loving your blog and hope you're having a great day! I was wondering if I could please request Kokichi, Rantaro, Nagito, Gundham, Hajime, and Makoto with a male S/O who they're each trying to surprise (or maybe prank in Kokichi's case haha) but but their attempts end up going terribly yet hilariously wrong because the S/O was trying to surprise/prank them as well?”

I love this trope not gonna lie! Sorry if they seem a bit repetitive!

Imagine: Trying and failing to surprise their S/O because they also set up a surprise with M! S/O

Kokichi Oma

Kokichi was bored

Really bored.

Days like this where neither him or Y/n had anything errands usually consisted of laying around the house, watching t.v. or getting into a heated board game

They had been doing that for hours when Y/n decided he needed to go to the store and pick up a few things

Kokichi, being the mischievous kid he is, saw this as the perfect opportunity to scare him

When Y/n called to say he was on his way home, Kokichi went to their room and hid in the closet, ready to jump out when his boyfriend walked in

After a few minutes, he heard the door open and someone drop some bags near the door. He then heard some shuffling and some more doors shutting, before total silence

Kokichi tried to wait, but with how impatient he is, felt like he had been in their closet for hours

He had really been in there for fifteen minutes but

With a huff, he got out and swung open the bedroom door

“Y/n, this is no fun! I was supposed to scare you!”

He looked around, and realized he was talking to an empty house

“Y/n? Did you finally run away? Or maybe you were kidnapped by a rival secret organization!”

He heard some muffled laughter come from the kitchen, and went to investigate

“Did I hear someone? Maybe an assassin?”

He swung open the cabinet under the sink with his foot, and Y/n tumbled out

“Y/n! This isn’t fair! I was supposed to scare you!”

Y/n got up and brushed himself off, laughing. “I saw you weren’t in here so I wanted to scare you too!”

Kokichi sighed and gently leaned on his S/O

“Oh how could you ever?! I am but a sad, fragile boy!”

Y/n laughed, patting Kokichi on the back

“Sure you are. Now, help me unpack the groceries”

“Ughhhh!”

Rantaro Amami

Rantaro knew how much Y/n wanted to go see their favorite band in concert, but knew he could never afford the tickets

Which is why Rantaro bought them for him

He had planned the whole thing out, he would pretend to take Y/n out to a nice dinner date, and surprise him with tickets, which he must say, had some good seats

But everything halted when Y/n said that they had a family dinner that night, and that they both needed to go

To say he was disappointed would be an understatement, but knew that they had to go to family events

Except they weren’t.

Rantaro was actually pretty close with his boyfriends family, and called his mom and explained the situation

She laughed and told him that yes, it was fine

So when the night came, Y/n and Rantaro were dressed up nice for the family dinner, which they weren’t attending

Rantaro had brought a bag of regular clothes, which contained band tees and a few bottles of water, while Y/n had their overnight bag for the dinner

When they got in the car, Rantaro started driving, saying he needed to make a stop first to get something from the store

When they pulled into the parking lot of the concert, Y/n looked at Rantaro, eyes wide

“I know, we have to go to your family dinner, but I talked to your mom and-”

Y/n stopped him by rummaging through their overnight bag, pulling out two slips of paper

“This isn’t fair! I was supposed to surprise you once we actually got to my moms!”

Rantaro, is very confused.

“What?”

“I won two front row tickets! I made up the family dinner so you could go to my moms, where I’d surprise you there!”

“But...I bought two tickets, and called your mom and said we’d have to cancel...”

Y/n stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, Rantaro following them

“We’re idiots, huh?”

“Yep.”

After they finished laughing they both started pulling out the regular clothing so they could go change

Rantaro spoke up

“I hope you know we’re definitely using your tickets”

Nagito Komada

Nagito prayed luck was on his side today

It was his and Y/n’s anniversary, but his boyfriend seemed to have forgotten

Perfect

Since they hadn’t yet moved in together, Nagito wanted to set up a perfect dinner date in his own home 

He recruited Teruteru to help cook the meal, and began setting up the perfect date for him and his boyfriend

Dim lighting, amazing food, their favorite movie, and all the pillows and blankets anyone would ever want for a perfect night of cuddling

After he had made his house perfect and wished Teruteru goodbye, he texted Y/n, asking him to come over

‘Hey, Y/n, can you come over and help me move my bed? I am super weak and I need someone strong like my S/O’

‘Nagito, I actually need you to come here. My dog got out and I cant find him!’

Crap.

Nagito knew how much he loved his dog, hell, Nagito loved that dog!

Nagito sighed and picked up his keys, this date would have to wait another hour

When he got to Y/n’s house all the lights were turned off and he didn’t see his boyfriend anywhere

“Y/n? Where are you? Did you find Sushi?”

He knocked on the door, surprised when it opened on the first knock

“Surprise!” 

“What?”

All of their friends were there, streamers and a huge banner that read; ‘Happy Anniversary!’

“You thought I forgot, huh? I thought we could have a big party, since it’s also the day that we all first hung out outside of school!”

Shoot, he forgot about that

He saw Teruteru in the background, shit eating grin on his face

He’ll have to kill him later

“Y/n, I really appreciate this, but I kinda had a surprise date waiting at my house...”

Y/n’s face dropped

“Oh no! I’m so sorry Nagito”

“I-it’s fine! What better way to spend the evening than with everyone? We could always just go back to my house after everyone leaves here.”

Y/n smiled again and pulled Nagito into the house

‘this is a good day’

Gundham Tanaka

Gundham knew the perfect way to surprise his boyfriend for his birthday

What better gift than something they both love?

Gundham had been looking at animal shelters for weeks trying to find the perfect puppy to bring into their home

Until, two days before his S/O’s birthday, he found the one

A beautiful baby chocolate lab that practically jumped on him when he first went to pet it

This boy’s heart melted instantly

And he knew his other boy’s heart would too

He planned to get him the next day, but when he came back, the dog was gone

“Sorry, this dog was adopted by someone this morning, but we have plenty of other dogs if you want to look!”

Gundham thanked the nice lady at the counter and started his stroll home, sulking about his missed opportunity

‘Maybe I could him something else to make up for it?’

Gundham started towards the store, picking up ingredients to make a cake and banner

When he got home, he realized he, in fact, didn’t know how to make cake

He tried his best though!

Which was a little lopsided, and having put the icing on too early, a little melted.

He put the banner up, but having realized they had no tacks or scotch tape, he had to settle for duct tape

Finally, he just had to wait for Y/n to get home

When he got home, his boyfriend was sitting on the floor, holding cake away from his dark devas of destruction

“Gundham, what are you doing?”

“I wanted to get you a surprise for your birthday, but since I couldn’t get what I wanted to get you, I tried to make a cake and put up a banner but...”

Gundham looked down at Y/n’s feet, seeing a small creature

“Y/n, what is that?”

“Well, my birthday is tomorrow, and I wanted to get a gift we can both love!”

The chocolate lab jumped from Y/n’s grasp on his leash, bounding towards Gundham, and inevitably, the cake.

It jumped right on it, causing an impact of cake on Gundham, the dog, his hamsters, and the floor

Everything dead silent until the banner fell off the wall

Y/n was the first to break the silence, laughing and going to get a couple towels for his boyfriend

He helped Gundham clean up the cake explosion and hang up the banner once more

Gundham nearly died when Y/n hugged him tightly

“Don’t worry, this was perfect”

Hajime Hinata

There was no occasion, Hajime just wanted to do something nice for his boyfriend

He planned to go to the store, get some nice drinks, a good meal, and the perfect movie for them to watch for the night

Except when he went to the store to get the drinks, Nagito was there, and needed some help finding something

While helping Nagito, they ran into Mikan, quite literally, who crashed into an isle and knocked down dozens of boxes of macaroni and cheese

They helped Mikan up, and before Hajime could say a word, Nagito claimed that he was gonna go find Mikan a doctor and walked off, leaving Hajime to clean the whole place to himself

Right when he finished, he got a phone call

“...Hello?”

“Hajime? It’s Chiaki, can you come over? Akane and Nekomaru are sparring in my backyard and they keep breaking thi- hey! Stop! Please come!” He heard a crash, which was silenced with a ‘click’ of the call ending

He rushed over to Chiaki’s apartment, finding the door wide open, yelling coming from the back

“Chiaki?”

“Please help! Peko’s here too!”

He walked inside to see it looking normal, but the backyard looked like a tornado has swung through

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching Nekomaru and Akane spar, breaking vases and trampling a small garden

“Akane, Nekomaru, what are you doing?”

“We’re training, what does it look like?”

“Could you maybe do it in the park, or your own house?”

“You always need to learn how to fight in new spaces!” Nekomaru shouted, ducking a flying kick from his opponent

At that moment, Peko grabbed Akane midair and threw her to the floor, earning a huff of air from the fallen girl

“Foul move, Peko!”

Akane got up and brushed herself off, before running out of the house

Nekomaru followed, yelling for her to continue the fight

Peko said her goodbyes and left, while Chiaki and Hajime cleaned

“Sorry for the inconvenience, calling you over when you couldn’t help”

“It’s fine, I just really wanted to do something for Y/n today, but I guess I can try tomorrow”

“Well, how about I walk you home, and we can pick up some food on the way?”

“Thanks Chiaki”

They finished cleaning and they went back to the store, picking up some food platters and drinks

When they got to Hajime’s place, the whole house was dark

“Aw shoot, is he already asleep?”

Suddenly all the lights turned on, banners, streamers and balloons littering the house

“SURPRISE!”

“What?”

All of his friends were there, wearing party hats, a cake on the table that read ‘Happy Birthday Hajime”

oh

OH

Y/n broke through the crowd. 

“Chiaki, did you bring the food?”

Chiaki held up the bags of food they just purchased “Yep!”

“Thank you! Happy birthday Hajime!” Y/n hugged him

“T-thank you...”

“Wait...don’t tell me you forgot your own birthday!”

He gave a sheepish smile and Y/n shook his head

“Dummy...”

“How about we get the party started!” Shouted Ibuki, jumping on the couch

“I don’t see why not!”

Makoto Naegi

Makoto his is boyfriend Y/n were officially in an all out prank war

They had done everything, from water guns to throwing flour bombs at each other

But today, Makoto planned to land the final blow

Having purchased the items needed to completely torment Y/n, which included lots of sticky notes, wrapping paper, and multiple alarm clocks, he hurried home to put his plan in motion

What he didn’t expect though, was to walk into the house and step onto a tarp, only to have a bucket of hot pink glitter fall on his head

He reached for the light switch, but instead of being greeted with light, he got the bright flashing on a disco ball and loud music

He stumbled into the house, only to trip on something resting on the floor

He fell and felt what seemed to be whipped cream hit his face

He heard laughing and the music and lights stop, only to look up and see his S/O, grinning and spraying him with neon green silly string

“Y/n!” He stood up and looked around, seeing the mess the living room was now in. “What happened?!” “I finished this prank war, that’s what happened!”

He ran to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing a mess of white, pink, and green all over him

“I swear...I am going to get you back!”

“Well I think you need a shower first!” Y/n swiped a bit of whipped cream off his face and ate it

“You’re so lucky I love you”

________________________________________________________________

Sorry is this isn’t what you wanted, but it was really fun coming up with failed surprises, though I think Gundhams is a little obvious :)

[angelaiswriting]

The Assistant (3 of ?) | Vladimir Ranskahov x reader

[original picture: pinterest]

✏️ Pairings:

(eventual) Vladimir Ranskahov x fem!reader

Anatoly Ranskahov x OC (Paulina)

probably other pairings in the future

✏️ Requested by @kellydixon01 : Y/N–hacker, big mouth, even bigger attitude–is the new addition to Fisk’s team. Sent to help the Ranskahovs, she immediately gets on Vladimir’s nerves. But as time passes, they start to take a liking to each other, even if none of them is willing to admit their feelings. Yet.

✏️ A/N: I am so sorry, I suck at titling chapters HAHA I don’t have anything to say for once. My mind is torn between thinking this story is shittily written and enjoying the process hahaha 

✏️ Warnings: none ? I mean, probably mentions of humping but 🤷🏻‍♀️

✏️ Word-count: 3,253 (finally getting to the length I like hehe)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN IF YOU WANT ME TO WRITE FOR YOU 💛

<< chapter two <<

📚 Translations: bozhe moy! – my God!

🎤 Songs Mentioned: Полегче by MC Doni (I’ve had this on loop for days. Give it a listen when you have time, even just the rhythm is amazing)

CHAPTER THREE: HERE TO HELP OR HERE TO SPY?

The lack of dreams had been a blessing that night. For how good a day Vladimir could have, it was always the often wakeful hours that separated dusk from dawn that tormented him, that ate him alive. At first, he had disguised his lack of sleep by working at night, when Tolya went home to his woman, but when his brother had started to ask questions, he had had to stop and step back behind his walls. He was safe there–he was actually not, but he wasn’t going to acknowledge the problem, either. His cage wasn’t silent–it truly wasn’t–but it was still better than the screams he’d hear at night.

The reason behind his running away from his own problems was that he despised weaknesses–and he did so even more when they were his own. As he had often repeated to his father, he was no pussy. It didn’t matter that he was all broken inside, now, and that it wasn’t his fault, for he still perceived it as a weakness and, therefore, as a failure. The whispers he heard and the touches he felt were a constant reminder of what he tried to avoid day in and day out with all his strength. Unlike Anatoly, though, he didn’t have anyone that could shield him from the shadows that hid inside his head.

But whenever a dreamless night graced him with its undeserved peace, he went back to feeling invincible. And alive. It wasn’t quite like fighting–nothing was like fighting, to be honest–but it was something. Something he never dared hope for, but still, something he’d always cherish.

Those peace and sudden happiness were the reason behind the spring in his step as he closed the door of his apartment behind his back today. That night’s calmness, that had finally gifted him a few hours of rest and sleep, had completely erased the previous day’s unwelcome meeting with Wesley and, though unknowingly, he was content. It allowed him to take a deep breath and think of the day to come with a lighter heart.

However, it didn’t last long–it never lasted long. He had just gotten into his car and deleted the five missed calls from the garage he had received while asleep, when he opened his answering machine.

Aslan had left four messages and their tone went from confused to irritated–even if, as he listened to the last recording, Vlad knew all the guy had wanted to do had been yell at him. He smirked: for some reason he couldn’t quite name, it was always hilarious to see Aslan get mad.

He had half-forgotten about the woman Fisk had forced him and his brother to work with, though, and now she presented herself through his man’s words ready to shatter his newly found inner peace. And to have his day ruined was not something he liked, most of all because it usually ended with his night ruined, too. And that was way worse.

Slowly, the conversation held at the meeting came back to him, one slow word after the other. I want you at the garage tomorrow morning at five, he had ordered her the night before, just before storming out of the building Wesley had chosen for the occasion. He hadn’t thought much of it, back then, but now he found himself gritting his teeth in annoyance.

We hate latecomers, he chuckled as he parked behind the Veles Taxi garage.

He hoped he had at least intimidated her a little, for the idea that he’d have to endure the presence of what could well be a spy in his home still annoyed him to no extent. Still, if they had to be coworkers, he needed to know she’d respect his working hours because none of them could afford to fuck anything up if they still wanted to have a roof above their heads and blood still flowing through their veins in a month’s time.

The will to try and bring back the peace that had welcomed him that morning, though, was stronger than any worries, so he did what he did best: he pushed his thoughts to the side and emptied his mind as much as he could. Squaring his shoulders, he glanced around to make sure that everything looked in order before stepping to the side to let the oncoming car pass. With a wave of his hand at Sergei, who was leaving the garage with his cab for his first ride of the day, he entered the building.

Curses were his only good morning that day–it made him smirk.

“You’re late, you moron!” Y/N complained, voice dangerously raising with each spat word.

“Who the fuck is this chick?” Aslan had made sure to avoid speaking in English: he truly didn’t want this chick to understand what he was saying, for he didn’t want to give her the chance and the excuse to start yelling again. He was tired: he had been last night’s shift supervisor and the last thing he’d have ever imagined to witness (nor wished to witness) was a stubborn girl demanding to see his bosses to ‘start working’. “Bitch says she’s working with us from now on,” he continued, his gaze wandering back to the girl sat at the reception desk. She didn’t look like a prostitute, nor like she had any criminal background that could come in handy for the business. “Should I have given her a car?” He was not sure he should have–she had, after all, taken a taxi to get there and she had a computer bag with her. She looked nothing like the drivers he had always worked with.

When he turned again, Vladimir noticed his features, contorted in an angry and disappointed grimace as his hands clutched at his car keys to speed back home for some rest before his next shift would start again in the afternoon. Aslan’s confusion had quickly dissolved and it had left him upset at the memory of the countless insults she had thrown his way without him having the chance to shut her up.

Vladimir’s only answer was a roll of the eyes at the beginning. He didn’t really want to talk about the new agreement he had unexpectedly found himself being forced to follow, most of all because he hadn’t even wanted to sign it in the first place. Anatoly should make the speech: he was the one who had convinced him to accept the new rules, therefore the dirty work had to be his responsibility. But then he remembered that they had agreed Toly would take a day off of work to celebrate his stupid anniversary with his woman and the realization that he had to deal with the spy–as he thought of her–on his own crushed him under its weight like a demolition ball.

There was no way he would manage to play along, he thought. No chance. Zero. He would have rather had to work with Wesley, for he knew Fisk’s servant had no chance against him. But this… this girl. She was the embodiment of anything that could go wrong. There was a reason if he and Anatoly had always been the only ones doing the real office work: because he trusted no one, not even Anatoly’s woman, no matter how important she could be for his brother. He could accept Sergei, for he trusted him and loved him like a brother, but even then, he had to consider letting him help more than just thoroughly.

And this Y/N… He knew nothing about her: she could be a spy just as she could very well be a saint. It was a fifty-fifty chance of being wrong or right. Yet, he didn’t like the idea of taking such a big risk. That had probably been the mistake that had ended with him and Tolik in–bozhe moy–Utkin in the first place. And now he sure as hell didn’t want history to repeat itself–he was already caged enough, he… he didn’t want the invisible four walls of his mind to become real.

Yet, he should have probably come to work earlier to deliver the news to his men and told Y/N to come later. Just as it was hard for him to face the new reality of things, it would have probably been just as hard for his men–probably not for Piotr, though. No, the smug bastard was going to try to sneak into her panties, Vladimir was sure of this. But the only thought he had had on his mind last night had been his thirst for revenge against that new outrage thrown his way and he hadn’t exactly thought rationally. No one fooled themselves Vladimir Borisovich Ranskahov could be even remotely rational, but at the same time no one knew he always tried his best–it didn’t matter that his best efforts were often–always–met with failures.

“No,” he groaned at Aslan’s questioning look. “She’s working in the office with me. We have a batch of new rules, it seems. When did she arrive?”

“At five. On the dot,” was the answer and Vladimir was pleased and surprised to learn she had followed the order he had given–that had been the last thing he thought she’d do. “Any chance we can hump her or is she yours?”

Vlad scoffed, a frown furrowing his eyebrows. “Not mine at all,” thank God. “But she bites. Wouldn’t surprise me if she had teeth up her cunt.” He didn’t chuckle, but the intention was there, and Aslan, barely containing his laughter, still understood.

*

That day proved itself to be a slow day. Minutes stretched into hours and annoyance into something bigger. It was the deep breath before the jump; the last minute of peace before the storm, when the sun slowly but surely went to hide behind the clouds approaching like a galloping horse.

Vladimir had taken Y/N to his office, sat her down on the couch and started to check that everything was in order for the following week’s shipment. It wasn’t an important order, but he still cared about his job–and the quality of his job–so he treated every customer with the same care.

At first, he had thought of leaving the girl in his brother’s office, just to then realize that Anatoly probably wouldn’t like the idea of having a hacker among his stuff when he wasn’t there. He was not going to ring him a call, either, for he could only imagine how he was spending his free time with Paulina: Vlad had never been a cockblock and he surely didn’t want to turn into one right now.

His second thought had been that he, too, didn’t trust her–not that he was by any means interested into getting to know her and prove wrong the idea he had of her. So he had settled for a compromise: sit in his office with her, plug in his earphones and ignore her presence completely.

If anything, though, she had proved to at least be collaborative and he sure enjoyed that quality in a coworker–even in one he didn’t want to have anything to do with. His work and day-to-day life were already stressful enough and he didn’t want to have to babysit a grown-up woman. Therefore, her silence was a welcome guest as he revised his numbers, MC Doni making his foot lightly tap the floor at the rhythm of his Полегче.

He didn’t like to work with music hammering his eardrums, but it had been a stressful and chaotic past month that had ended up with him picking up his brother’s habit and stealing his iPod. Not that Vladimir was complaining about that subtle distraction, on the contrary.

Moreover, Anatoly still hadn’t found out about the theft–and hadn’t it been for the increased amount of time he had started to spend with Paulina, Vladimir would have found it weird, alarming even–so everything was fine.

“So, when are we starting to work?” Y/N’s voice suddenly covered the song in his ears and he was forced to raise his gaze from his laptop to her. “Any chance the answer’s gonna be ‘soon’?” She didn’t ask when he was going to show her around the place as she had planned to, though. She wanted to personally meet or at least see the people she was going to work with, to put a face to the things she knew about them, but as she stared at Vladimir’s profile, she accepted what she thought was the truth: everything was going to follow his rhythms, not hers.

He looked up and stared long and hard at her. The temptation to ask her if she was making fun of him or what she thought he was doing was strong, but he bit his tongue, swallowed his harsh remarks and grimaced. She was standing in front of the window, back resting against the glass and arms crossed right under her breast.

A smirk tugged at his lips and he didn’t even try to stop it. For how much her presence could annoy him, he was glad she was at least a good view at, bandaged in that suit of hers.

“I am working.” The roll of his eyes made her close her mouth.

It hadn’t simply been the look he had sent her way. There had also been that teeth-gritting jerk of muscle in his jaw, tugging at his cheek, that had seemed to say shut up or else. And she really didn’t want to know what that ‘or else’ could mean, she didn’t want to know that the things Vladimir Ranskahov had done to his victims could happen to her, too. Wesley had promised nothing bad would happen to her, but… Could he guarantee for that?

The fear that Wesley and Fisk could throw her into the lions’ cage and abandon her there was probably the only reason why she let herself be shut up by him.

Silence stretched between the two like the growing distance between diverging galaxies. And while it fed Y/N’s annoyance, it put Vlad’s raging thoughts to rest, allowing his mind to go back to work.

But the more he tried to focus, the farther he got from succeeding.

Y/N’s foot was impatiently tapping against the ruined parquet of the first floor. He could see that movement from the corner of his right eye pretty well. And once he noticed it, there was no going back. It bugged him. It almost felt like it was thrumming in his temples, setting his nerves on fire.

“Stop that,” he ordered, pressing the pause button of Tolya’s old iPod.

She stopped the movement long enough for him to switch his attention back to his task at hand before resuming it.

Fighting a child would have probably been easier. “Stop,” he repeated with a grown as he picked up a pen to take some notes on a loose sheet of paper–he was going to lose it soon, but at the moment, it didn’t matter.

Without any sort of music in his ears, he could now hear the tapping of her foot on the floors and it got on his nerves. She got on his nerves more than she had even just upon his arrival at the garage.

It was an annoying tip-tapping that arrogantly distracted him from his paperwork. It brought him back there–remember rule number one–and it reminded him of the stubborn pitter-patter that dropped down the humidity-soaked ceiling of his cell.

He had to resist the urge to take his gun and unload it into her foot. “What is it that you want?” he eventually asked instead, trying to go through every single bad consequence he’d have to live through if he truly decided to disobey Fisk. Hadn’t it been for the fact that such consequences would have reflected on Anatoly and his woman’s lives, he would have at least used one bullet. Just a little wound, so that Y/N could remember who was boss here and that she should do anything in her power not to piss him off.

“I want to know what I have to do. James said-”

“I don’t care,” Vladimir groaned. He didn’t give a single fuck about what Wesley had said, for that doormat was still alive for the same reason he hadn’t grabbed his gun a few minutes before. “Do what you have to do. I am busy.”

“We’re supposed to be working together,” she reminded him, stepping closer to his desk and planting her hands firmly on its surface. She was imposing herself too much into his personal space and he did not like that. “I’m sure you have enough brain to remember that if you let me do, you and your brother will get richer than you already are.”

Vladimir’s eyes gazed at the ceiling–God, give me the strength–and he heaved a sigh. “I’m already doing my job. If you keep disturbing me, you won’t get part of deal your boss promised you.”

“You did a terrible job with that failed shipment. Stop being stubborn, I am here to help.”

“You are here to spy.”

That was it. Now the truth was out in the open and he could kick her out of his office, his life and his business. He had lasted… what? Two hours in her company? A quick glance at the clock on his wrist revealed that, in fact, he had lasted less than two hours.

He needed Anatoly for this. He was good at this, whatever ‘this’ was. Vladimir… He hadn’t had to deal with people he didn’t like for a long time and he wasn’t able to put his personal likes and dislikes to the side, not anymore at least.

Working side by side with someone else just wasn’t how he worked. Sure, he did go through paperwork and order preparations with Anatoly, but that was his brother, not some stranger he knew nothing about and with whom he wanted to have nothing to do.

Hadn’t it been for his past, still haunting him, he would have never taken orders from some self-proclaimed kingpin dick. He hadn’t had the Russian capital on the palm of his hand just to fall so low he had to become someone else’s dog.

“Is this what worries you?”

Brought back to reality, Vladimir was almost confused to see that her reaction was more surprised than upset.

“Isn’t that why a hacker has been sent here?” He was so confident in his own beliefs that he didn’t even want to listen to her answer. He just couldn’t wait to finish all the preparatory work for that shipment and pass to the next.

But Y/N scoffed, her arms once again resuming their crossed position on her chest. “I could have spied on you from the comfort of my bathtub as I sipped on a margarita. Why come here to work with a dick when I could do much better without you?” she tried to reason, but he was too stubborn to even try and look at the facts from an unbiased perspective. Not that she had expected anything less. “I’m here to make Anatoly’s job and your job, too, a little more efficient and less time-consuming. And if you would kindly stop rolling your eyes, for you will not find a brain in there, I’d be immensely happy.”

>> chapter four >>

*

Hopefully this doesn’t suck. Feedback and suggestions are always appreciated + corrections are also always gratefully welcome.

TAGS (to be added to or to be removed from any list, shoot me an ask. Same goes for ‘Bratva’)

Everything: @idhrenniel @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892  @mblaqgi

Bratva (people not on the lists but that might still be interested): @sweetvengeancee @theranskahovs @brobachev

[jolynreblogs]

Moving - Chapter 3: The Motel

I KNOW IT'S BEEN 3 WEEKS I'M SORRY I got stupidly caught up with commissions for charecters I hardly got any time to do fanart :'D WELL NOT AGAIN FOR FORDAURY

The car screeched to a halt as the four of them arrived at their home away from home.

"We're here." Caryl stated, as she opened the door.

The room seemed spacious, a carpet in the middle separating two beds, each with a night light beside them, and a television. A fancy bathroom sat at the far side of the room, with a wooden closet beside it.

"A motel?" Ford thought aloud, clearly unimpressed.

He wasn't the only one, the room was kinda small for the four of them, same for the bathroom, despite it being fancy. Shermie opened the closet, hoping to find something useful, while Caryl checked for bed bugs.

"It's all I could afford, your father's antiques don't exactly sell much."

The twins grabbed their bags, putting them in a corner so they could unpack. Stan wasn't happy with the place either, no one was, but at the very least he away from his father. For once in 7 years no more canning, no more scolding, that'll be nice.

Something shimmering caught Stan's eye as he was unpacking. Curious, he turned around, and saw his twin brother rubbing the gold chain he had polished for last year's father's day gift.

"You brought that?" He asked, as his brother passed him the gold chain.

"Yeah! I thought you might want to keep it, as a first gift, even if it got both of us grounded."

Stan stared at his brother, his eyes glistering, suprised and touched by the fact that Ford knew how much that meant to him. "Thank you!" Stan cried, forcing Ford into a hug.

"Haha, no problem, Stanley! Just, keep it somewhere safe." Ford replied, expecting him to lose it the next morning.

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

Shermie sat outside, enjoying the breath of fresh air as he stared at the night sky, filled with thousands of stars. It was a rare chance back there, the sky being covered by buildings after buildings.

"Mind if I join?"

Suprised, he turned towards the direction of the voice, only to find his mother standing beside him. Tapping the ground as a way of saying yes, he stared at the scenery beyond them once again.

"Nice night tonight." Caryl said

"Yeah." Shermie replied, leaning on his mother's shoulders

Back in the motel, the twins were sleeping on the same bed, enjoying each other's company. Stanley's gold chain laid on the nighstand beside it.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

(First, Previous, Next)

[stupidnephilimlove]

Office Hours P14

How did we get to p14?! Tagging @kindaresilient @ifthingsgetcrazy @shiningalec & @irisphryneadler . Read on ao3.  Or start at the beginning.

Somehow, being home for the holidays is turning out to be worse than Alec anticipated, and he already anticipated the worst. Their mother is on fine form, fussing and criticising from the moment they walk through the door. Alec wonders how he’s supposed to survive a day of this, let alone two weeks.

Ale pushes his potatoes around on his plate and tries to block out the conversation.

“So, Alec,” his mother addresses him, and Alec has to tune back in. “What’s new with you?”

Nothing, Alec thinks. Or nothing that he’s comfortable sharing with his parents.

“Have you decided to grow up and decide on a career yet?” Alec’s father asks.

“Robert,” Maryse chastises.

Robert sets down his knife and fork, and pulls the napkin from the front of his shirt, tossing it on to the table.

“No, Maryse. We pander to him too much.”

Alec grits his teeth together to stop himself from saying anything. Pander to him? Really? Weren’t they the ones that gave him the ultimatum about college? Hadn’t they told him they wouldn’t pay a cent towards it unless he agreed to a course of their choosing? So Alec had chosen not to go. If he couldn’t go on his terms, he wouldn’t go at all. He’d moved out, worked three shitty jobs to afford food and rent, and two years later they’d acquiesced.

But two years later, Alec had decided he was ready for college. He wouldn’t have them pay for it though. He couldn’t have them holding the threat of money over his head, manipulating him into what they wanted him to do. He’d applied for endless grants and scholarships and eventually been successful enough to support himself without their help.

Alec listens to his parents bicker about him as if he isn’t sitting across the table from them. Izzy and Jace look bored with the proceedings. It’s nothing they haven’t heard before. But Max has this sweet, concerned look on his face. They never used to do this in front of Max, but recently he’s being exposed to more and more of their arguments.

Alec sticks out his tongue at Max, and Max smiles.

“I’ve decided on a career, okay,” Alec interrupts.

Five heads instantly turn to him. Faces of intrigue, apprehension, and pride look at him.

“Well, enlighten us,” his father says, voice derisive.

“I’m thinking about working at a publishing house.” Alec hasn’t voiced the idea to anyone other than Magnus, and he feels a bit sick as he says the words, as he puts it out there. But still, he knows this is what he wants to do.

His father, of course, instantly pounces. “Doing what?”

This is where it gets a little tricky for Alec though.

“I’m not sure… yet.”

Robert scoffs at Alec’s words. “So, you don’t have a plan.” His voice holds this tone, the one that Alec’s always associated with his father telling him ‘I told you so’. It’s superior and condescending, and Alec fucking hates it.

Alec says his next words without really thinking about them. For once, he just wants to be able to prove his father wrong. “Actually, I’ve got a meeting with a publisher in the new year.”

His father’s eyes narrow. “Which publisher?”

Must Alec always have to prove everything? Okay, so he might not have actually scheduled a meeting with a publisher, yet, but Magnus had offered.

“They own Epeolatry.”

Alec’s careful not to say ‘she’. His father will no doubt look down his nose at that. His father doesn’t say anything else, probably because he hasn’t heard of the place so he can’t yet criticise it. Alec looks forward to that phone call or email from his father, telling Alec how he doesn’t approve. Then he’ll send Alec a list of publishing houses that he thinks are appropriate for his son to work at. Alec’s not going to work at any of them purely on principle.

This does kind of pose a problem though. Fuck. He’s going to have to actually ask Magnus to set up that meeting with his friend Cat. Alec feels uncomfortable asking for a favour, but he’s managed to talk himself into a corner now, hasn’t he?

“Did you get new curtains, Mum?” Isabelle asks, quickly diverting the conversation, and Alec’s never been so grateful to his sister.

-

It takes Alec a few days to work up the courage to ask Magnus. He types, scraps, and re-types the email multiple times. Maybe it’s best to start a conversation first. Not just ask outright.

-

From: a.lightwood@nyu.edu.com To: m.bane@nyu.edu.com

Wednesday 20.12.2017 10:07 AM

I’ve made a solid dent in that reading list. Gotta say, Adept was a strange mix of fiction and non-fiction, absolutely chilling in places.

Alec

-

From: m.bane@nyu.edu.com To: a.lightwood@nyu.edu.com

Wednesday 20.12.2017 12:13 PM

Think I slept with the light on, wrapped around my cat, Chairman Meow, for at least a week after that one.

M

-

Magnus has a cat named Chairman Meow? How is Alec only just discovering this? He tries to focus on why he was really getting in touch with Magnus. Right. The meeting. He feels nervous all over again, but in the end, Alec just decides to go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? Magnus says no. That’s it. But even as he presses send, he feels nauseated.

-

From: a.lightwood@nyu.edu.com To: m.bane@nyu.edu.com

Wednesday 20.12.2017 12:20 PM

Chairman Meow? Haha! That’s an epic pun.

I wanted to ask if you were serious when you said you could arrange for me to speak to your friend Cat at EPEOLATRY? Don’t feel obliged or anything, I just wondered.

Alec

-

From: m.bane@nyu.edu.com To: a.lightwood@nyu.edu.com

Wednesday 20.12.2017 12:35 PM

Of course, I was serious Alec. I’m glad you asked. Let me talk to Cat and see when she’s got some free time. Do you have a number I can contact you on? I’m waiting for half five so I can leave and I refuse to look at my work email over the holiday.

M

-

Alec almost can’t believe his eyes when he reads Magnus’ reply. He just stops functioning for a minute, all he can focus on is the fact that Magnus wants his mobile number. What if Magnus phones him? Alec thinks he’d die. What would that sultry voice of his sound like in Alec’s ear?

Alec’s hands shake a little as he writes his number in the reply.

-

Magnus (21.12.17 4:45 PM): Hi Alec. Just wanted to check I had the right number. I know Cat’s out of town most of January, so I think it would be early Feb? That okay with you? Magnus.

 Alec (21.12.17 6:13 PM): This isn’t Alec. Is he giving out this number again?

 Alec groans the minute he’s pressed send. Why did he write that? Why is he like this? He feels like he’s Thirteen and trying to impress Kieran Mitchum all over again. It hadn’t worked out well then - stuffed in a locker - and he doubts it’ll work out well now. Quickly, he writes a follow-up text.

 Alec (21.12.17 6:14 PM): Joking. It’s Alec, of course I gave you the right number. Any time she’s free I will make work. She’s doing me the favour after all. Just wanted to say thanks for offering and organising this for me.

 He hopes that makes up for whatever that first text was. Hopefully, Magnus just won’t notice it.

-

It’s cold when the four of them gather in the tree house in the late hours on Christmas Eve. Max curls into Isabelle’s side, and she wraps a blanket around the two of them.

“Like two bugs snug in a rug,” she tells him, and Max rolls his eyes at her, but Alec catches the way he smiles at her.

Alec leans back against the wood of the wall, pulling his jacket tighter around himself while Jace sets hot cocoa in front of everyone.

“You forgot the marshmallows,” Max complains and pouts.

Alec digs into the bag by his side, pulling out a bag of mini marshmallows. “As if we’d forget the most important part,” Alec says and laughs when Max jumps up from Isabelle’s arms to grab the sweets. He rips the packet open and overflows his cocoa as he tips them into the cup. It’s been a rough couple of days being home, but these moments with Max make it all worthwhile.

“Hey, save some for me,” Izzy teases, and digs her fingers into Max’s side.

Alec’s not sure how many years they’ve done this. He thinks it started as a distraction for Max when their parents had been having a particularly ugly fight one Christmas Eve. The siblings hadn’t wanted Christmas to be spoilt for Max so they’d each taken one gift from below the tree for Max, and come out here to open them.

It’s become something of a tradition for them since then.

“It’s midnight,” Max exclaims as the second hand of his watch ticks past the twelve.

“Oh really?” Alec says.

“Merry Christmas,” Izzy adds.

Then silence falls between them. Max’s eyes dart between the three of them, and Alec can see him getting more and more worried that perhaps there are no gifts this year.

“Here,” Izzy says, the first to crumble. She pulls a small gift from her pocket and hands it to Max.

“Thanks,” Max mumbles as he begins to rip the gift open. It only takes a few seconds for Max to have the binoculars out and pressed against his eyes.

“These are cool,” he tells Izzy, and he stands at the window - a hole cut in the wooden side - to look out. “I can see Dad in the living room.”

Max uses the binoculars to see into every room in the house that he can from the tree, and then he sits back down and looks between Alec and Jace insistently.

Jace is the next to hand Max his gift. It’s wrapped in the same spider-man paper Izzy had used, and Alec can tell that Jace had the same idea as he did. What? Their sister likes to wrap things, why wouldn’t they make use of that?

Max shakes the cube in his hand before tearing the paper away.

“Awesome,” Max exclaims as the slinky comes into view. “I love these.”

Max collects slinkys. He’s got them in all kinds of shapes and size, and Jace makes it his mission to find new ones for him. This one’s on the small side and when lined up it has the poop emoji on the side. Of course, Max loves it.

When Max has finished telling Jace how great it is and settles back down, Alec pulls out his.

“Here,” Alec says.

“No idea what this is,” Max jokes as he turns the thin rectangular gift over in his hands. They all know it’s a book, but he doubts any of them can guess which one.

Max rips the paper in record time and laughs as he reads the title: My brother is a superhero.

“You didn’t mean you, did you?” Max teases.

“Hey, I could be a superhero,” Alec tells him, at which point everyone in the tree house breaks out into laughter.

Max announces they have to read the book there and then, so they settle in to read.

As Alec nears the end of the book, Max falls asleep resting in Alec’s lap. They should put him to bed properly, but Alec wants to enjoy this moment for just a little while longer. Alec strokes his fingers through Max’s hair as Isabelle and Jace bicker over who got the better gift. It’s clearly Alec.

What’s Magnus doing? Alec wonders. Sleeping, probably. It is 1 AM on Christmas morning after all. They all should be sleeping. Max is going to be jumping on their beds at about 5 AM. Yes, sleep... soon. That’s a definite requirement.

When Alec lies in bed later though, he stares up at the ceiling unable to sleep. He’s excited, he realises. More than the normal Christmas excitement. He can’t wait for Magnus to open his gift. Has he done it already? What did he think? Did he like it? Would he ask Alec how he could repay him?

As Alec drifts into sleep, he dreams of Magnus’ lips pressed hotly against his own in thanks. He dreams of Magnus’ mouth stealing his breath; he doesn’t want it back, Magnus can keep it - him - forever.

-

Alec checks his phone first thing when he wakes up. No texts. It’s okay. It’s early. Magnus probably just hasn’t gotten up yet. There’s time.

He keeps his eye on his phone through the present opening. He gets no joy out of it, can’t even really pay attention to what they got each other. Why hasn’t Magnus text him yet?

He’s distracted for most of the day, and as they sit down at the dinner table, his mother calls him on it.

“Alexander, can you please be present and spend some time with our family. Put that damn phone away.”

Alec mumbles an apology and stuffs the phone into his pocket.

“So… are you seeing someone?” She asks.

“No,” Alec says. Much to his dismay, he’s very, very single.

Isabelle chokes on the mouthful of drink she’s just taken. What? He’s not dating anyone. Why do people keep getting it in their heads that he is?

“Come on now. A mother knows when her son has someone new in their life.”

Really? ‘Cos he’s sure she never knew about Harley Walton, who he dated for six months when he was fifteen. He’s sure she doesn’t know that Harley snuck into Alec’s bedroom one summer night and that they had sex for the first time while his parents were downstairs watching the TV.

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Alec reiterates as he swirls his spoon through his soup. He can’t drum up any enthusiasm for food today. He wants to look at his phone, but he knows his mother will kill him if he gets it out again.

Alec’s father is quiet about the whole business. Alec’s love life isn’t his favourite subject. He likes to pretend that Alec isn’t gay, and it becomes increasingly difficult to do that when they get into a conversation like this. Alec usually likes to annoy his father by making it so that he can’t ignore it, but in this case, he’d really rather not.

“Oh fine,” his mother says. “Just promise to bring her for dinner some time.”

“Him,” Alec corrects.

“Sorry, dear?” she says as if she hasn’t heard him. She’s also in denial, but at least she’s upfront with him about it.

“You know I’m-” Alec starts.

“Anyone need a refill?” his father interrupts, rising from the table. Everyone’s drinks are full, so no… none of them needs a fucking refill. They just can’t have Alec say he’s gay at the dinner table now, can they?

Alec stews as he eats the remainder of his soup. If he were to ever date anyone and it got serious, he sure as hell would never bring them here. He couldn’t subject them to his parents. As always, Alec’s mind goes to Magnus. He tries to imagine Magnus here and has to hold back his grin. His mother wouldn’t have a clue how to behave. She’d be scandalised, but have to play the perfect hostess. His father would scowl and degrade Magnus, which would actually be terrible, but Magnus, no doubt, would have a reply that would put his father in his place. And why is he thinking about bringing Magnus home to meet his parents? In what world would that ever happen?

-

Alec’s lounging on the couch, mood terrible, when his phone finally pings with a message. He can’t open it quick enough. It’s Magnus. Thank god.

 Magnus (25.12.17 7:24 PM): Where did you manage to find the book?! I can’t believe it. Thank you. Thank you so much, Alexander. I think I owe you a great debt.

 Alec doesn’t know why he was worried Magnus wouldn’t like it. He clearly wanted the book, and if that text is anything to go by, he’s happy with it. A great debt. Alec has to remind himself not to flirt with Magnus, though he’d dearly like to type that he knows exactly how Magnus could work that off. His fingers move like lightning as they fly over the touchscreen.

 Alec (25.12.17 7:25 PM): Pretty sure the gift was to thank you! No debt. I don’t accept. I’m glad you like it though. It was just from this little, used bookstore near where I live. Saw it, and remembered you were looking for it.

 Magnus (25.12.17 7:27 PM): Well I guess I should just come to you if I need to find a book in the future then. Maybe we’ll agree to disagree on the debt. How’s your Christmas been?

 And just like that, Alec’s Christmas is perfect.

P15 is here

[happypledis]

K-pop Concert Storytime

 First off I already feel like an attention-seeker for writing this BUT as I said before I want people to know that you can get noticed even on the second-floor at concerts! You still have a chance even if you can’t afford (or justify) buying VIP tickets.

 So! Here we go. It was Seventeen’s Diamond Edge concert on August 23, 2017 (no I don’t have the date memorized I had to search it lol) in Dallas, Texas. When I showed up to the concert venue I was shocked at how many people there were--people everywhere outside, and even more people inside. It made me so happy to see so many people who support them! We all had to go through a security check where some guards shuffled through our bags, with  boxes on the floor of each station for fan gifts.

So me and my sister entered the auditorium and immediately I was shocked to see all the people. A lot of people had fan goods, fandom colors, and so on, and there were lighsticks everywhere.

And then we found our seats on the second floor. Our seating was on row three, where there was a tiny bit of an incline compared to the seats in front of us. Also, my sister and I are tall--taller than those in front of us--so it was a good spot! So as soon as the lights turned low and we all saw all 13 members (at the previous concert Hoshi had missed it because he was sick) and we all were so excited! I’m not a screamer but I went home with my throat so hoarse. I won’t go into more detail about the concert itself--ask me if you are interested in that, though!--because the end is when it happened.

So I do have to admit--most of the time, they were interacting with the bottom floor, because naturally they’re closer and see them better. But there were times when they interacted with us (for example Vernon said “we can see you, second floor!” and we all screamed so much haha) and also Jun, Dino, S.Coups (who was Fan Service KING) and Vernon interacted with certain areas of the second floor. (Actually my sis said Vernon looked right at her for a second but didn’t do anything lol)

Then at the end, during the encore stage, I decided to just try my luck (jk I was waving the whole time even when their arms were occupied by dance moves ugh me) and wave. And I was waving at each member, I was going through waving at each one individually cause I’m a little sappy and in the right corner Jeonghan and Coups were standing together a little away from everyone. And so I waved at the member on their left and then I was turning to keep waving to them and somehow--I don’t know how, maybe it looked like I was really waving at him--I caught Seungcheol’s eye. (Oh my gosh his eye contact was actually really intense guys.) And he saw my wave. And he waved back. And then I froze, and then pointed to myself like “me?!” and he saw it and nodded back (again, intensely. I didn’t realize how manly he was until then lol) at me like “yeah, you!” And then he waved again for one last second and I did too. Then immediately he turned away and started whispering to Jeonghan and that was it. And then the song was over, and the concert ended and we all went home and I was telling my sister and I realized just how much of a Fan Service King Seungcheol is. 

[vixey-chakraborty]

The Investment [Part Three] & [Fraxey]

In which Vixey meets with Franny, after Ratigan connects them...[takes place: early July 2021]

@mrsrcbinscn​

[tw -- none]

VIXEY: Vixey was both bolstered with confidence after having already gotten yeses from her last two investors, but filled with nerves to meet Franny Robinson. Of course, she knew who she was. She listened to her music and knew that she lived in town, but Vixey wasn’t the kind to search out famous people. It was--what did people say?--never meet your heroes? Not that Franny was her hero or anything, but like any celebrity, Vixey had an image of her in her mind, and it was going to be really weird to speak to her face to face. 

She had decided to bring her to the lot, which had been redone in the years since it had burned down and had been vacant ever since. Vixey had a key now. It wasn’t hers, officially, but the real estate team had given her access so that she could meet with Franny. She stood nervously outside the shoppe’s entrance, fiddling with the key as she waited for the woman. 

When she saw her walking down the street, she stood up a little straighter, stopping her fiddling. She almost wished she hadn’t been looking for her, because now she was making too much prolonged eye contact with her. 

“Hello, Mrs. Robinson,” Vixey said. I’m a big fan, wanted to jump out of her lips after that, but she didn’t want to appear to be a suck up. “I’m really glad you were able to meet with me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”  [outfit]

FRANNY: Franny thought for a long moment before agreeing to meet with Vixey.  She considered, briefly, that Tallulah might be offended should meeting with Vixey lead to her loaning out some money for her shop, and came to the conclusion that it wasn't really Tallulah’s business who she loaned money to. Now Vixey hadn’t asked her to do anything officially yet, but this wasn’t her first rodeo.

She had an idea where this meeting would lead to so why not consider the possibility beforehand?

“It’s no trouble, thank you for inviting me out of the house. I need more excuses to not be glued to the baby. Seems like I have trouble comin’ up with them myself though.” Franny said, playing with the fabric of her yellow skirt. [fit check]

VIXEY:  Vixey had hesitated to talk with Franny, mostly because of Tallulah. She got on fine with the other girl. They were in the same year at school. But Tallulah and she had certainly not run in the same circles. Plus, she had almost stopped her venture all together when news of Tallulah’s shoppe had broken. She still wasn’t fully confident her own shoppe wouldn’t bomb and Franny would laugh at her for even asking. 

But, everyone in town knew Franny Robinson was a bleeding heart with more money than she knew what to do with. Vixey hoped that would make the difference here. 

She smiled nervously at Franny, fiddling with the keys to the store in her hand. 

This was more of what she was accustomed to than with Seamus and Ratigan. It was clear that Franny was pretending, at least, that she wasn’t in a rush. That they were going to have a chat before getting down to business. 

“I don’t blame you,” Vixey said. “Sovanna is darling. I would never want to leave her!” And yes, Vixey dropped Franny’s baby’s name to try and impress her, but what she said was also true: that baby was cute as could be. 

FRANNY: “Aw, thank you. I don’t care who she ends up looking like, I just hope she gets her father’s personality. Life will be easier for her that way,” Franny sighed. She was a self-aware woman after all. Too opinionated, too loud, too brash, too stubborn, Franny knew she was all of those things and more. “She sometimes makes me miss when our son was little -- but at the same time, it’s been a fascinating experience having two children at two very different main stages of development.”

The stream-of-consciousness minute was intentional. She’d let Vixey broach the subject of whatever it was she was looking for a loan for; and in the meantime, give her enough to latch onto to extend the conversation if she needed time to gather her nerves. Franny always hated asking for money. Even if her ventures in need of investors were creative (invest in this film or tv project, invest in this play), only side projects compared to her career in music, and she had her wealthy husband to fall back on should her career have never worked out in the first place, it was still nerve-wracking.

She could empathize with Vixey there even if she came from a place of privilege she had to check.

VIXEY:  “I can only imagine,” Vixey commented on the development part, not the personality part. It felt prudent not to comment on that. She didn’t know if it was supposed to be rhetorical or something she was supposed to deny in that way people pointed out their flaws so others could make them feel better about them. Safest just to say nothing at all, probably. 

There was an awkward beat where the keys jingled and Vixey looked down at them like she’d forgotten they were in her hand. 

“Right, uh—“ she started and put the key into the lock. “I asked you here on Mr. Ratigan’s suggestion.” She twisted the key in the lock and opened the door. The building had been scraped out and renovated since it had burned down, but the original brick was mostly saved and the upstairs had been mostly alright too. Everything inside had burned, but the skeleton was sturdy. 

“I am thinking of—working on starting a shoppe,” Vixey explained, correcting herself, as they stepped inside. It wasn’t a thought anymore. Vixey should stop thinking about it as such. 

She flicked on the lights. “A thrift shoppe. Mostly for clothes, but maybe some other stuff too. For the house and such. I—am still deciding on that.” 

FRANNY: At the name-drop, Franny’s genuine, polite interest grew. She doubted Pedram would send Vixey to her if he didn’t think she had the ability to make her shop work. Then again, if it failed, it’s not like Franny needed a massive return on her investment. This was more a gift and if it worked out and she got her money back with interest, great!

“Pedram suggested you speak to me?” Franny said, using his first name like it seemed only she could. The looks the other Pride U professors got when they tried it were everything. “He knows me too well. It sounds like a good idea already, and one that’s needed. Especially with our university student population.”

“How do you plan to initially stock the store for opening? Do you have donation events planned?”

VIXEY:  Well, at least Franny didn’t hate the idea. Vixey’s shoulders relaxed, but only slightly. They were twisted so tight that it barely seemed as if they had at all. 

So far, so good, she chanted to herself. 

She tucked some hair behind her ear and reached into her bag where she had her folder and notebook full of all her plans. Budgets and ideas for aesthetics and organization. She laid this on an unsteady table that was tucked in the corner. One of the only furniture pieces in the gutted shoppe. 

“Well, I spoke with the people at the church who run their clothing drive and they said they’d be willing to set aside a few things. And with the hospital so close, they often have a stockpile of things. Which can work both ways: they’ll have somewhere to bring clothes that patients no longer need and patients who are unexpectedly staying long term or whose clothes were ruined can come by—I was even thinking about a discount for them. And yeah, I was planning on asking for donations and doing a drive as part of our grand opening. Which might sound a little counterintuitive but I thought it might get people excited.”

FRANNY: Franny shook her head gently because, no, that did not seem counterintuitive at all. Then again, Franny wasn’t the one in her family with a strong business mind. She was an artist, not a businesswoman.

“I think people like to feel involved, so holding a big donation drive during the grand opening is a great way to do that. You have good ideas, I think that will work well.”

A beat. Okay, perhaps Franny should bring up the elephant in the room.

“And what’s your opening budget looking like?”

VIXEY:  Vixey let out a nervous little laugh of a breath at Franny’s question. She supposed she should be grateful that Franny brought it up, but it was still so uncomfortable for Vixey to ask. Even if she knew the Robinsons were good people and that she’d already gotten two investors to say yes. It still felt like a fluke. Or several flukes in a row. 

What she was trying to say was Vixey was not getting her hopes up. 

But...she was also kind of excited now. And she felt closer than ever. Standing inside the building made it feel real. And if she could get Franny to say yes, well--that would cinch it, wouldn’t it?

“Uhm, well--30,000 total. I’ve already got 20,000 secured in loans. I--” she was struggling with the binder in her bag the whole time, but managed to pull it out at this point. It had gotten even bigger since she’d shown it to Ratigan. “I only need the final 10,000. And I have a budget plan to have it all paid back in the first three years, if things go conservatively well. I have it all mapped out in here.” 

She lay the binder on the flimsy plywood makeshift desk that held nothing other than a dried out paint bucket and now...Vixey’s hopes and dreams. Haha. 

FRANNY: Franny glanced at the budget plan, but to be frank, she wasn’t one for numbers. They made her head hurt. It looked thought out and the business idea had enough profit potential for her to be sure she’d get her money back. Even if she didn’t, she could afford to eat ten grand. 

But Vixey couldn’t do without ten grand to launch her business. 

“I’m not a math person, that’s my husband. I’m also not interested in any long term stake in anything because I really don’t know how to run a business. I had to hire people to handle the more business-y aspects of my career.” Franny said, then broke into a smile. “How does a loan of £10,000 with a 20% simple interest rate sound? I’m not going to think about compound interest. Math is hard. And I don’t need such a massive return that I need to trap you on the hook for repayments for years.”

“So if you pay me back plus £2,000, we’re even.”

VIXEY:  Vixey chewed her lip as Franny flipped through the binder. It wasn’t complete, but it was in its most complete stage. If she found issue with it now, there would be a lot more to unstitch than at the beginning of this process. To Vixey, it felt very much like a house of cards. Fragile. One breath would blow it all down. Even though she’d done the research and even though she’d tried, so hard, to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything, she wasn’t confident. 

Ratigan hadn’t found any flaws, and neither had Seamus, but that didn’t mean Franny wouldn’t. 

Not to mention, Franny was connected with Tallulah and she might decide that this wasn’t in her family’s best interest. Vixey would understand. She teetered between being intimidated and wanting to do better, but either way, she knew that Franny had an obligation to her family. 

Which meant Franny’s offer made Vixey’s jaw drop extremely unprofessionally. 

“What? Oh, I mean—yeah. That would be amazing, lovely. Really. Wow.” She took a deep breath and gathered herself together. 

“I can do that. Definitely. Thank you, so much, Mrs. Robinson. It really means a lot to me.” 

FRANNY: “Of course, you’re very welcome.” Franny said, stopping herself from saying ‘oh it’s no big deal,’ because £10,000 was a big deal to most people. It would’ve been to her twenty years ago. 

Sometimes it was easy to remember where she came from. Other times, she was just so used to her current level of comfort that things like that almost slipped out. 

“You have a good plan and an excellent location. I’m happy to front some of the money to get it off the ground. I’ll have my lawyer—“ she then chuckled, just a little. “— ew, hear that? My. God, as if. It’s my husband’s lawyer, the mathy-finance one is on his payroll. Ahem. I’ll have Harry draw up a contract reflecting those and send it to you. Not that I don’t trust you, but my husband likes me to keep everything financial on paper.”

VIXEY:  Vixey couldn’t believe this was happening.

For the first time, she had a burst of excitement that exploded in her chest. It spread throughout the rest of her body in a tidal wave. She couldn’t stop smiling. It was really happening! Vixey was going to be a shoppe owner. 30,000 pounds in debt, but a shoppe owner, nonetheless! This whole process, Vixey had convinced herself it wasn’t going to happen. That somewhere along the way, there was going to be a problem. Some kink in the plan. Something that stopped her.

But: it was all working out. And now, it was within reach. Or it would be, as soon as she signed the contract that Franny’s lawyer would write up.

There was a feeling of being overwhelmed that rushed in on the heels of her excitement, but she managed to push it away. Lists and to-dos were for later. Right now, she felt like calling Tiana and Jun and Ella and Barbie to celebrate! 

“Sounds perfect!” Vixey enthused, though she tried to tamp down on that bubbling eagerness. “Thank you, so much Mrs. Robinson. Really! Thank you, thank you!”