#i had such good grades for it in highschool...and its just all gone. head in my hands

[digirainebow]

i need to learn spanish. i need to learn japanese. i need to learn ASL. i nee

[saphiccarma]

- Family Line

Relationships -Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal

Summary - Rio had never understood why Agatha didn't pay attention to her at school, but that all comes to light. Highschool au for AAA week.

Warnings: Agatha's mom is a bitch.

Agatha was what every girl at school wanted to be. At least most of them. She seemed perfect. She got the best grades in every class, even though she hardly attended. (Rumors were going around that she used witchcraft to pass all the tests. Rio found that hilarious.) She could have anyone she wanted, and most of the time, she got that. Agatha Harkness was the perfect girl.

Rio Vidal was also what every girl at school wanted to be. She had a slender build but played in all the sports that were available to women and crushed it. Most speculated, she had hooked up with every girl in the school, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Rio was sarcastic and teasing, but she had never been interested in someone like that.

Until Agatha.

She had started to date Agatha a few months ago, and since then it had been going strong, but there was always something off. It could have been the fact that Agatha wanted to keep it a secret and hardly interacted with her. They only met secretly in the stray closets and empty hallways, stealing fiery kisses and steamy words. Not only that, but not once had she been to Agatha's house. Rio had taken Agatha to her house a few times, her 'mother' always 'away', but she had never gone to Agatha's.

In truth Rio didn't have parents, she worked multiple jobs and faked the bills. They had both left a few years ago on a supposed vacation and Rio never saw them again.

"What are you thinking about?" Agatha's finger trailed lightly down the slope of Rio's nose. Rio's fingers came up to intertwine with Agatha's hand and press it to her lips. She hummed into the soft skin and pressed a tender kiss.

"Nothing," she mumbled, "Just how beautiful you are."

Agatha let out an unlady-like snort, "Flatterer."

Chewing on her lower lip, Rio thought over her next question. Agatha raised a brow, seeing the tentative look on her face.

“How come we don’t interact at school?” The question was straightforward, not bothering to sugarcoat the slight layer of hurt in her voice. It hurt, not being able to talk with her girlfriend at school and being ignored in the halls.

Rio never wanted to admit it to Agatha, so she kept it to herself, not once mentioning it to Agatha. But today seemed like a good day, and maybe Agatha would be up for the topic.  

Looking away, Agatha sighed, her fingers twitching in Rio’s hold. Her hopes crashed when the silence dragged on for a while, Rio’s lips pressed onto Agatha’s hand, until it became uncomfortable. Sighing, Rio tried to think of a different topic, and the one she came up with was no less controversial between the two of them.

"Can I come over to your house tonight?" She asked softly, her words careful. There was a very high chance Agatha could, and would, say no. The older girl frowned at the question, looking away. Her finger resumed its path down Rio's face, over the bump of her lips, down the tip of her chin, and tickled like a spider on her neck before trailing back up.

Agatha stared into the distance, not meeting Rio's eyes, even as she continued to stare at her. It worried her, to see Agatha so out of it, just chewing on her lower lip.

"Agatha?"

With a sigh, Agatha shook her head, "I can't, my mother wants to focus on studying now that finals are coming up."

Rio whined, grabbing Agatha's hand again. She used it as leverage and leaned up to press a kiss on Agatha's lips. As always, they were soft and tasted of the chocolate they shared that day. Agatha kissed her back eagerly, readjusting so that she was straddling Rio, and placing tender kisses all over her neck and lips.

"Aggie," she whined, pressing her hands to Agatha's collarbones, "We're in public."

They were in a public park, the one place that they could be themselves without the judgement of their peers, but Rio didn't want to go as far as making out here. Agatha shrugged and didn't stop her feather light kisses onto Rio's neck. Whining, she gripped onto Agatha's collar tightly, tugging her closer despite her worries. She hummed against her lips.

"Agatha Harkness!" A booming voice startled Agatha away from Rio and she jumped off.

Both of them scrambled to their feet, but Agatha's movements were considerably jerkier and more scared. Rio's eyes drifted to a woman standing on the path, her face slightly wrinkled with age and her face was set into a firm frown. Her facial expressions screamed displeasure and annoyance.

"You come here right now."

At some point, their hands had slipped together, and Agatha tore away from Rio. There was clear hesitance in Agatha's posture, her shoulders were stiff and screaming for help, and her eyes were wide with fear. She moved to take a step forward, even though her steps were unsteady, but Rio gripped her arm.

"Who is she?" Rio tried to keep her voice clear and steady, but that didn’t stop the slight waver of worry that leaked through.

Agatha tried to tug her arm away, but Rio didn't let her, holding firm.

"Rio, let go," Agatha pulled again, her voice filled with desperation, "Rio. Let go."

Rio shook her head, "Who is she?"

"Agatha Harkness." The lady called Agatha's name again, her voice had an underlying threat, "Do not make me ask again."

When it was clear that Agatha wouldn't respond to Rio's question, she turned towards the older woman, a glare set onto both of their faces. Rio matched her scowl with equal if not more intensity.

"Who are you?"

"Her mother," The woman spat. How could this woman be Agatha's mother? In just the few seconds she had known her, the woman seemed like an absolute displeasure to be around. She was everything Agatha was not.

Whether it was her sharp facial features that just screamed bitterness, while Agatha's were sharp, but pleasant and inviting. The older woman's hair was gray with age and was unkempt, but Agatha's flowed freely and cascaded down her shoulders like a majestic waterfall. Agatha was always taking everything in, constantly aware of her surroundings. This woman only had eyes for her daughter, unaware of the people that were beginning to stare.

"Rio," Agatha whispered and when Rio glanced at her, she saw tears brimming her eyes, "Let go."

"No," Rio said firmly, turning towards the woman, "Fuck off." She looked aghast, completely shocked and stunned at Rio's words. They didn't stick around to hear her aggressive threats and warnings, Rio dragged Agatha away, running as fast as she could. The wind whipped in their faces and Rio felt her hair brushing against her cheeks. The fall air was slightly cold and tinted her skin a soft pink.

By the time they stopped running, they were all the way across the park, breathless and laughing. Well, Rio was laughing, but Agatha almost looked like she was going to cry. Rio frowned, moving that her fingers were positioned on Agatha's wrist pulse point, tugging her closer. Pressing a tender kiss to Agatha's cheek, she wiped away the stray tear that fell from her cheek.

"Hey, is she like that all the time?" It probably wasn't the best question to ask at the moment, based on the way Agatha flinched away from her touch, another tear falling.

She shrugged, feigning indifference, "Not really."

"Liar," she mumbled against her lips. An impulsive thought popped into her head, and against her better judgement, Rio blurted, "Move in with me."

Agatha blinked, stunned, pulling back.

"What?" Her hands turned to grip Rio's wrists in turn, holding tight as if Rio was a steady anchor in a raging sea, "I can't do that. What will your parents think?"

It was Rio's turn to purse her lips and look away, pulse thrumming beneath her skin. Her parents wouldn't care, seeing as they had left years ago without, probably not even thinking of Rio once. She had no idea what happened, and she didn't care.

"They uh-" she cleared her throat awkwardly, "I don't live with them?" She said it more of a question, wincing at the look on Agatha's face. It was one of utter shock, eyebrows raised and lips parted slightly. "They left me years ago and I never heard from them since, been paying the bills and shit on my own. The power is out right now, I haven't paid for that this month yet, but you could- we could make it work. It's not ideal, but-"

Agatha cut her off with a soft kiss, pulling her close by gripping her cheeks and deepening the kiss. Whimpering into the kiss, Rio held her wrists tightly, grounding her to the present moment.

"I would love to," Agatha was already turning eighteen that summer.

Rio laughed happily, pulling Agatha back into a kiss, melding their lips together. She would get to spend every day with the woman she loved. Both of their parents be dammed.

“I’m sorry,” Agatha mumbled, “That I never paid attention to you at school. I was worried about my mom. She’s not really a fan of…” Her long fingers pressed into Rio’s cheeks, looking her dead in the eyes. It all made sense now for Rio. Why Agatha was always so closed off at school – she was worried her mother would find out.

Rio never had to worry about that.

"Fuck our parents," She muttered.

Agatha smirked, raising a brow, "How about I fuck you instead?"

[fyerdy]

Hey, heres my love story

There was once this girl and she was very smart and beautiful, we're not classmates but we study at the same school, shes older but shes the same batchas me, shes just 1 year older, but im born in november so its like... 14 and 13 but because i was born late its 13 and 15 which i thought was fine, so one day just a few days before valentines, i would have never expected her to have a crush on me but i guess i was lucky, we talked a bit and i guess she just really liked my personality, she ended up giving me gifts on valentines day and she really felt like a childish person despite her being older.

I decided i didnt wanna break her heart and just reject her so i took her in... i opened my arms to her... and so few weeks go by its smooth sailing, then her friends pressured her to ask me to be her bf... its only been a few weeks of dating, mainly it was her rushing but i dont blame her, i could have atleast stopped her but i didnt so its my fault too, but yeah we were couples and we were actually really great and compatible couples, keep in mind this is our first relationship so we're still in the puppy love phase, we both understood that we had to argue innorder to have a stronger relationship, and me being a man, i got jealous easily, she was the touchy type and she hanged out with gay dudes, i despise gay dudes in school because a lot of them are only pretending to be gay just to get closer to women, but anyways she let them lay their head on her lap and sleep, and to the non gay dudes she would just caress their face... right infront of me... and it hurted which is why i argued with her and in the end we resolved the issue, the thing is she didnt really... stop touching men but i guess i moved on since i knew i also had to change... so this continued and stuff but its irrelevant to the story right now since it wasnt really a problem, so yeah we had our first kiss and stuff, and i achieved my goals, she always had all her goals achieved so there wasnt really much to her story in highschool, but me... i used to be top of the class until i got beat up in grade 3 which caused me to loose motivation, but she really kept my head up and motivated me which caused me to be better, oh by the way this happened in grade 8, anyways, people still continued to ship her and stuff, and i guess i was chill with that since i liked that.

But anyways lets fast forward to a few more months because we were basically a great couple and then school ended and we were at the recognition and stuff so like fast forward to a few days before school, she had just arrived from her vacation from the Philippines, and i got bad news just after she came back... it turns out she lost feelings for me... and it happened just beffore oyr geade 9 days are gonna start...

And it really hurt cause i was getting so excited to see her in person again, and i kept trying to salvage our relationship cause i wasn't ready to let go, and i continued doing so even after we broke up, i've been changing myself after our breakup, and im talking good changes, really wanting to become a better person, but she still didnt wanna be with me... and what hurts more is that she was really... like you could sense the difference in her behaviour... and i mean it makes sense cause shes older so she matured but like... atleast let me mature too...

The thing is my parents dont really care abt me, and im the middle child too, but she... she was proud of even my small achievements and progress and it really made me happy, she was the loving mother i never had, but its all gone now and i regret not cherishing her while i was still with her, i didnt recognize her enough for the good things shes done to me... and the reason she lost feelings for me was because she felt that i had no purpose in her life...

My school starts in a few days and i dont know if im ready... i dont know if i want her or not anymore... ive healed to start loving her again... but she doesnt feel the same way for me... wish me luck cause im persistent in what i do and i really believe i can achieve anything i put my mind to.

[resident-leevil-old]

okay well anyways somebody asked me if i felt like talking about my raccoon city survivors au with mia and ethan again and the answer is YES.

> AU MINI FACTS <

- Ethan's mother died while giving birth.

- Ethan Winters and his father moved into Raccoon City when Ethan was a baby, around 3-4 years old.

- Ethan trans ftm because im trans and i said so.

- Mia trans mtf because im trans and i said so.

- Ethan & Mia are childhood friend to lovers in this au.

- Ethan's father worked for Umbrella, and Mia's father worked for the Connections while her mother also worked for Umbrella.

- Mia was born in Texas, but her family moved to Raccoon City after she was born. They still owned property in Texas, though.

- Mia & Carlos are related because I said so.

- so yknow the "dude its been three years" guy? that's their childhood friend and his name is Kyde because i said so.

- Albert Wesker Personally was ordered by Spencer to kill those scientists btw.

- a lot of this au is because i said so tbh

> AU SUMMARY <

Ethan Winters, Mia Oliviera, and Kyde Wells work together to survive six days of the Raccoon City Outbreak. In the process they uncover secrets and encounter many obstacles that just nearly cost them their lives.

> CHAR.BGROUND <

ETHAN W, SR - A scientist who worked for Umbrella. He lost his wife during the birth of his child E///// Winters. Struggling with the death of his wife and the harsh decline of his mental health, he began to experiment with viruses and vaccines in an attempt to bring his wife back, even using his child as a subject at certain points due to the child having strong genes from the mother. He acknowledged that he was a horrid father, but justified his actions by claiming he would bring back a better mother. He thought of Albert Wesker as a friend, and told him the truth of his research.

ETHAN W, JR - A quiet 14 year old that had a hard time making friends. Due to experiments from his father, Ethan is a culmination of infections and viruses that each impact him in different ways. As he grew up Ethan refrained from talking too much as to not interrupt his father's work, causing him to become selectively mute.

MIA OLIVIERA - Younger sister of Carlos Oliviera. Mia skipped a grade due to her intelligence and advanced knowledge on many things kids her age normally didn't. She very easily got sick as a child, though she seemed to outgrow it as she got older. She was schooled both at home and at school before the outbreak. She shared classes with Ethan Winters (Jr) and Kyde Wells.

KYDE WELLS - A friend of Ethan & Mia, known for his cowardice. Kyde has a heavy sense of self preservation, but a weighted sense of compassion as well. He only ever has risked himself for his two friends.

JAMES HARISON - Mia's father. He worked for the Connections as a scientist and a researcher. Harison and his wife often exchanged information they learned from their jobs, aiming to and succeeding at "fixing" their daughter's proneness to viral sicknesses.

MARISA OLIVIERA - Mia's mother. He worked for Umbrella as a researcher. Oliviera and her husband often exchanged information they learned from their jobs, aiming to and succeeding at "fixing" their daughter's proneness to viral sicknesses.

JAKE VERANO - An Umbrella worker who had been trapped in the underground facility for a week, listening to the sound of his coworkers being eaten alive. Unstable because of his experience, he tries to create a cure using the intel of Ethan W (SR).

> FULL AU <

[September, 25, 1998.]

Ethan Winters walked home from school when his father failed to pick him up. He walked through the streets, paying no mind to a big fight breaking out near him. On the way home, he meets up with his friend Kyde who had also been walking home. They talk and walk together for a bit, before splitting up.

When Ethan arrived home, he noticed the front door of his house had been opened slightly. Confused, but wary, he entered the house, knowing it was uncharacteristic for his father to forget the door was open.

He entered the living room, and found his father laying on the ground dead, shot twice in the head, having just been killed moments prior. Ethan moved over to his father, before Albert Wesker walked out of his father's office.

Ethan barely has much time to react to him, overwhelmed by his own panic and the death of the only adult in his life. Wesker - wanting no witnesses - shoots him three times in the chest, and leaves under the impression the child is dead for good.

Ethan Winters dies for the first time that evening.

[September, 27, 1998]

For the past two days, Mia and her parents have been barricaded in their home, unable to leave safely. Mia sat in her room for most of the time, unable to look out of the windows due to boards covering them. During those two days Mia tries to call Ethan and Kyde several times in hopes that they were safe. Neither of them answer.

Until this day, the 27th, at 2:00 am, when she calls Ethan. And he answers.

{TRANSCRIPT OF THEIR CALL:}

Ethan: h-hello?

Mia: [Ethan]! You're alive! Are you okay?

Ethan: I'm breathing. [Pause] I'm breathing. You okay?

Mia: I'm boarded up in my house, we can't leave safely. Everything is a mess. I'm so glad you're alive, [Ethan]. Are you safe? I'm guessing you're safe.

Ethan: Not sure. Not sure. Find you soon, here alone. Alone.

Mia: Alone? What happened? Where's your dad?

Ethan: [Pause.] [Loud sound in the distance.]

Mia: [Ethan]? Are you okay?

Ethan: [Dial tone.]

Mia speaks with her parents about the call, expressing worry about her friend. She spends a while trying to convince her parents that Ethan may be alive (purposefully omitting the dial tone) and need their help. Finally, they agree, and at 12 pm, they head out with all the resources they could gather.

Managing to stay out of sight, the family make it to the Winters' household. They find Ethan hiding in his bedroom, one infected laying in the hallway with a pole through its head and Ethan's father laying in the living room dead.

They rescue Ethan, and flee from the house. Mia's parents explain that they need to evacuate the city, but that they wouldn't be able to drive, so they'd have to move on foot. They returned to their house and rested for the night.

[September, 28, 1998]

The family and Ethan head out again, this time aiming to evacuate the city. After several close encounters with large groups of infected, the kids and Mia's parents are unfortunately separated. Given instructions by her parents, Mia leads Ethan through the city, having to take detours due to infected blocking pathways.

Eventually, during the night, they run into Kyde, who has lost his parents trying to escape the city. The three of them take refuge in an empty abandoned house, and rest for the walk in the morning.

Ethan sits up for a while, thinking about what happened to him, and trying to figure out how to explain it to his friends. Eventually he falls asleep, unable to figure it out. In the morning they head out again.

[September, 29-30, 1998]

During another detour taken due to large groups of infected, Ethan is kidnapped by a man in a white lab coat.

Mia & Kyde go after them, refusing to leave Ethan behind. They manage to find him after roughly half a day had passed.

Ethan had been in a hysterical state and through tears he explains to Mia and Kyde what had happened to him in his house a few days ago, confessing that he had died and revived two days later. He warns the two of them that whatever Jake, the white lab coat man, did to him, it made him dangerous and unstable.

Mia and Kyde refused again to leave him behind, and spend hours gathering information from files and research left scattered around. They manage to make Something that was able to calm him down and cleanse what they had learned had been called the "T-virus" from his body.

As soon as Ethan had woken up again, they fleed the facility, Mia & Kyde both making sure he didn't collapse on the way.

[October, 1, 1998]

They don't stop running when they're out. A broadcast goes out saying that the city will be blown up in four hours due to being unable to contain the outbreak. The three of them realize they won't be able to get out if they take anymore detours unless they find a vehicle with gas in it and a clear road to drive on.

Three hours later, out of options, nearly to the city boarder, and faced with another group of infected blocking the only straight shot out, they decide to risk a run through. However, just as they were pushing through, a helicopter flew overhead and spotted them. Calling to them, the pilot tells them to attempt making it up a building nearby if they could.

Through pure bullshittery and luck, they manage to make it up, and they board the helicopter. Just as it begins to take flight, the city starts to blow up bit by bit. In the distance, they see other helicopters flying.

> AFTER THE AU <

Mia and her parents reunite, her parents having managed to get out before the children did. Kyde goes to live with his relatives in Texas, and Ethan is offered to live with them as well.

Mia's parents move back to their texas home, and everyone who had been in the city were given therapy. Eventually the three grow up and graduate from highschool, and move on to other things, never once separating.

The three of them eventually move into a single house together in California, and some time after that Mia and Ethan get married. And for a while they live happily

And then, Mia witnesses Ethan having some sort of attack in the middle of the night one time, and realizes that he hadn't been completely cured of whatever had been infecting him in the city at all, and that it had only gone dormant for some years. While he wasn't vicious or attacking anyone, Ethan had just been really plagued and didn't even remember the fits that only seemed to happen every other night.

Out of worry and fear, Mia begins to work for the Connections, hoping there was something she could learn from them in order to help her husband finally be cured. And years after, RE7 began.

And THAT, my friends, is my Raccoon City Survivors au with the Winters, also known as Raccoon City Winters.

[loneworldgazer]

Reader Who Is A Sword User

strongest duo x gen!reader

a/n: huge manga spoilers!! also just a bunch of random hcs with them<33

geto finds your style very intriguing, the way you wield your sword and how you slash the curses before gojo could

(that was because he was slow- okay let's go from the very beggining-)

the two were assigned to take on these two second grade curses who were slithering around town so they went right on immediately, just because gojo's favourite sweet shop was close by

they could end the day easily by defeating the two curses,

but the problem is

both of the curses were fast on their feet and manage to dodge them, they were like irritating rodents who teamed up with each other and they didn't let the two have a chance at killing them

gojo was beggining to lose it, even geto showed signs of frustration with the crease of his forehead

then you popped up.

"this is so goddamn annoyinggg" gojo staggered when he stopped running after the curses, just to complain and geto huffed. yes they were annoying but that's a reason why they have to end them quickly.

"step back." a sudden figure sprinted sideways to the curse and manage to cut the side of its head off but another annoying trait about them is healing quickly.

this also was an advantage to the duo since there was a path you opened in which geto could distract the curses with his own as they corner the two while gojo did the finishing blow and puffed out his chest and cheered when they finally vanish.

an action didn't go unnoticed by the two when you pressed your temple with your thumb, thinking to yourself you could've finish this easily if you striked at the right spot but you shook your head to your regrets and went to the two.

"are you okay?" geto's hands were held in yours as he choked a little as a suprised reaction settle on his face when you suddenly held him. "ah i'm okay.." he rubbed his neck and you smiled warmly in which dissappeared quickly when gojo suddenly held onto you.

"that was really cool!! we should celebrate-" suddenly having an arm wrapped around you, he marched alongside with you and rambled about sweetshops and your sword skills while geto shook his head to his partner's overfriendliness.

after getting to know the two, you wanted to know them a lot more now because who wouldn't

nah, it's because they were on the same levels of power and you wanted to know how they got so strong and you constantly spar with them

they also wanted to know you too! your sword skills were a contast to your personality, they enjoyed your company!

they helped you improve a lot with your strength and noticing the change made you smile to yourself,

not only you made a few friends (including shoko and utahime who they later introduced and where you occasionally bake with them) but you've improved yourself from way before

the two would notice if your mood improves from day to day that it makes them all fuzzier inside just like you who would hug your pillow every night and roll around to your self achievements

and they would fistbump each other because of how good they are at teaching

well they're not technically wrong because

they helped you improve hand to hand combat, from days you stumble into them when you couldn't punch them to days where you accidently would slam your fist in their chins, you were a quick learner

"i can't use my sword?" the duo thought the same thing when you slowly slid your sword away , "damn they wanna kill us".

geto would check how you hold your fists and how you strike them and fixing them when you start going back to stage 1 when you forgot how to do it.

kinda grateful that gojo haven't improved his infinity yet so he was your punching bag which you could actually touch and he easily catch your fists but you manage to sneak in a kick or two. you roll your eyes because gojo couldn't take most of the sparring seriously and geto was your main teacher but gojo was slick, he did sneak in some teaching in for you to learn.

and as a punching bag he promised to be, there were some times where you actually did made him faint because you kept hitting his neck so many times, you and geto burst up laughing when he suddenly stop talking when he dodges you because you always had the chance to hit him in the neck because of his ego not covering his throat.

other than sparring and missions which were times where they actually see you, you were pretty much gone for the rest of the day after shoko reported that you did infact had breakfast then dissappeared off to nowhere

easily detecting you to be in the gym? they slowly opened the door to it and gawked and they look towards each other than back to you

you were lifting dumb bells and goddamn you looked so damn attractive doing so

they felt woozy looking at you and how tough you looked not being covered with your uniform

sweating in your tank top, you looked back at them and gasped in pure shock that you dropped your dumb bells which thankfully didn't hit you or your sword

the duo couldn't help but admire you for how strong you are and well it was akward since they just found out you work out and they were just standing there being all shy and squeling silently like highschoolers

but that doesn't mean they won't do anything with this newfound info because they jump right away to exercising!

you muttered a few curses and nonchalantly told them not to push themselves because you might never know with these idiots

"you won't be defeated!" "and i don't want you to die"

it was.. entertaining

gojo had you on your back while you were seated on him and you were likely impressed when he didn't complained to the dumb bell you carried when his chest lifts from off the ground

(even geto was a little shocked at this)

geto dear, he was smooth when he wanted to touch your biceps (when he's supposed to be busy at exercising)

he places it on your shoulder when he complimented you then it starts trailing down to your bicep when he starts throwing questions and squeezes them (yes while you were still on gojo's back)

and the way these boys had to find out about millions ways of stretching to not stay sore and well they were tbh but it felt a lot more better when they went back to their rooms and were able to sleep like babies

geto's question was answered to why you brought your sword in the gym and is because of practising slashes

though it was dangerous but you got it under control and you swing your sword in grace as they watched from their position (cause they were currently exercising, look im not a gym instuctor and im too lazy to search up im sorry i'll do better next time)

the day goes by fast with the chattering and insults and it was such a treat to end it with tea

shoko pulled out cinnamon rolls that were dripping with sweetness and it was love at first sight for gojo

geto expressed his gratitude for it and shoko pointed to you that you were the one that made it

"you really are perfect-" he sobbed dramatically on your shoulder while countinuing to nibble on his roll

talk about dramatic, thank god you see his hand that you slapped reaching for the last one when its well reserved for utahime

(utahime feverishely thanked you)

respectfully they were great people

a sweet tooth who was cocky and messy with a more tamer gentleman who still caused chaos for everyone will never bore you to death with whatever hell they're planning

and you were glad to have them lead the way for you

even if one of them stumbles and takes you with him

[rieson]

 ↱ COMPETITION !  ↲

pairing; gojo satoru ✗ gn!reader

genre; humor

content warning; strong languange, brief mention of violence.

word count; 1,123

authors note; ah, i hate how you can tell I only made this to get out of my writer's block ^^;; sorry it's a bit shit, trying to gain motivation lately </3 i also hereby apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, made this in minutes. prompt can be found here

─ you've been rivals with gojo for as long as you can remember, you can't help but feel ticked off whenever he disturbs your fights.

"when the hell did you get here!?"

“i got bored of waiting around for you to kill me so I wanted to see what you were doing.”

IT'S BEEN awhile since you’ve been feeling the very same adrenaline rush you always felt when fighting curses back in your highschool days ─ the thought of being reminded of your highschool days sent shivers down your spine; it wasn't like something bad happened to you back then, (besides the whole getou choosing another path, you merely chose to forget about it, although it is inevitable) it was just because a face of a gifted white haired sorcerer keeps appearing in your mind whenever you reminisce about your highschool days, and mind you, you hated every fiber of him; which he finds amusing, which just makes you feel more ticked off then ever whenever he tries to strike up a conversation with you.

“Oiii ! Are you even listening to me?!” The snow haired teenager accused a pointing finger at the stoic-faced [Name] ─ in which they only offered the white haired teenager an incredulous look before shoving his finger away harshly in return; imaginary tick marks appearing on the teenager’s forehead.

“Gojo, please just shut up. I’m trying to think of a plan here.” The [hair colour] haired teenager barked as they pinched the bridge of their nose, already feeling a headache coming.

The mentioned ‘Gojo’ let out an exaggerated gasp, “N─No way ! [Name]─ THE [Name] actually thinking for once!?” he lets both of his hands cups his face, as if to emphasize his shock more.

[Name] clenched their hands to fists, resisting the urge to just punch the white haired sorcerer right here and right now.

“Wow! I never thought i’d─”

“AS IF YOU’RE ANY BETTER WITH JUST HEADING HEAD FIRST TO PROBLEMS WITHOUT THINKING OF A PLAN YOU DICKHEA!─” You jumped at the so called ‘strongest sorcerer’ letting out your cursed technique unconsciously.

“Hey ! Atleast i manage to actually finish them ! Unlike yo- AAAH!!” The tall sorcerer screeched as [Name] managed to get by his limitless barrier.

You smirked at the memories, when you first fought with him and managed to land a critical hit on him one or two times; he really thought he was the best til you came in the picture; it didn't take long before he unofficially declared you as his ‘rival’, leading to a lot of childish and unnecessary competitions just to see who could do it best.

Your relationship with the sorcerer was questionable, one moment you both could be just chilling beside each other and then a second later the both of you could be going for each other’s throats.

(Un)fortunately, when you graduated, you got moved to the Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College to become a Teacher instead, as the higher-ups requested; you didn't want to agree to it but it did give you freedom from Gojo Satoru, so you grudgingly agreed.

You still competed with the now Strongest Sorcerer, just not as often; since you chose to focus on teaching your students on how to be stronger instead.

This leads on to him texting you on random occasions, asking bribing you to meet up with him and have a match or two; of course, you always agreed ─ You do need to stretch your muscles every once in awhile.

Today was one of those days, the days where he randomly messages you at 5 AM asking if you wanted to spar, like mentioned, you agreed and were on your way til a bunch of special grade curses decided to ambush you.

You muttered profanities under your breath as you stealthily dodged an incoming attack and crushed another curse’s head that tried to sneak up on you.

It seems like there was another curse popping out everytime you defeated one, it's a never-ending cycle.

‘Where the hell did they all come from!?’ Your train of thoughts was disrupted as you felt a familiar cursed energy ─ His cursed energy; you can tell it from miles away, somehow, Gojo’s cursed energy always stuck out like a sore thumb whenever he releases it.

And before you knew it, All the curses that had been surrounding you was gone and smoke filled your vision, you coughed, covering your mouth and nose so you dont inhale the smoke.

A familiar 6’3 figure appeared once the smoke started to disappear slowly, him walking towards you in a childish manner ─ skipping in his steps.

“When the hell did you get here?!” You questioned the blindfolded man, who merely gave a shrug in response before answering;

“I got bored of waiting around for you to kill me so i wanted to see what you were doing.” He sent you a smug grin, a grin that only you knew that translated to a ‘HA, Beat you!’

You huffed through your nose, patting your clothes to get rid of dusts, “I didnt need your help, i was doing fine.”

“Oh really? You looked like you were─” His words cut off abruptly as you sent him a glare, making him motion something that looks like he’s zipping his mouth before throwing the imaginary zipper away.

You narrowed your eyes at him, eyeing the keys he held on his left arm suspiciously as he fake coughed, “Hoora Horaa, you look and smell bad, i brought extra clothes for you to change into and then we can go to that one cafe thats been popular now adays! I heard they selled good─” You abruptly cut him off as soon as you saw sparkles and flowers float around him.

“I came here to spar─”

“Chocolate cakes.” He grinned at you cheekily as he held out his palms out for you, waving it in front of your face.

You stare at him, he stares back; his smile not faltering a tiny bit before you decide to give in.

“...I’m sold”

“Nice ! Its a date then, here, go change now!~” He threw a bag with your extra clothes inside, leaving you to clumsily catch it before it falls.

“HUH!? I NEVER AGREED TO THA─”

“Hurry up ! Dont stall me for any longer than you have!~ Or else I'm gonna drive away without youu!~" He sing-songed.

You quirk an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't know how to drive?─"

"Let's not talk about that, now Shoo shoo, go change!"

[ongaku-ato-kakikomi]

Reputation - Quinn Fabray x Reader

Day One of Fictober 2020

Prompt: #1 “no, come back!”

Fandom: Glee (Quinn Fabray x Reader)

Word Count: 932 words.

Summary: You finally learn why Quinn has been hanging out with you.

Warning: Angst. 

If someone were to tell you a year ago that the Quinn Fabray would take a liking to you, you would have laughed at their face and say that it was impossible. The blond was literally the queen of the entire highschool; you were just a nobody who draw a little too many doodles on your note pages. The only reason she even knew you existed back then was because you were once forced to be science partners in Freshman year; but now that you’re both in Glee club, you somehow managed to catch her eye.

When she first stopped you from leaving the Glee room, you weren’t sure of her intentions at first. Quinn was known to be quite the superior snob; therefore, you thought that she was going to threaten you into not taking any leadership since you got quite some praise from Mr. Shue after your assignment that day. To your surprise, she instead asked you if you could ‘hang out’ after school. You don’t know why you told her ‘yes’ that day, maybe you believed she would drag you to a bottomless pit of shame if you said her, but you did notice her eyes lightening up when you agreed.

And you had so much fun with her that night.

You didn’t go anywhere public (which should have been the first red sign, now that you think about it) but you did go to her house to help her ‘study’ for a math test. Your first thought was that she was trying to gain your trust so that you would help her get good grades, even if she has proven multiple times in the past that she doesn’t need help with that… but instead of opening her math book like you did, she started questioning you about your personal life: what are your interests, if you’ve always lived in this town, how’s your family like, what you wanna do in the future… You weren’t expecting that, nor were you expecting her to compliment the doodles she spotted inside your math book or the jokes she threw at you just to make you smile. You felt like you were seeing a side of Quinn that no one else got to see, and so against your better judgement, you let your walls crumble down and let her in to your heart.

You were friends at first, then quickly became lovers when she followed you in the bathroom and kissed you. You loved her, you belied she loved you, and you were too lovestruck to even notice that you were only seeing each other when no one was around. You were dumb too; why else would you completely ignore the warnings Tina and Rachel would give you? The weird exchanged looks between Kurt and Mercedes when you would talk so lightly about her? Did you really prefer to stay inside your little fantasy instead of seeing the truth?

But everything came crashing down when Santana and Britney stopped you at your locker, the two girls making you listen to a tape of Quinn demeaning your entire being.

“I’m only hanging out with them because I feel pity for them. They’re like a total lost puppy to me. A dumb, smelly, and desperate puppy that I’m gonna euthanize.”

It hurt. You could feel your chest shrinking its sharp walls against your weakening heart while the tears stream down your face. You barely felt Britney give you a hug of comfort or heard Santana’s word (“You deserve to know the truth”). All you could comprehend was the immense pain going through your body along with the sense of pure betrayal.

You were stupid. You were so stupid.

But right now, as you spot Quinn walking towards you with a smile on her face from the corner of your eyes, you only feel one thing: anger.

“Hey, you.” You tighten your grip on your locker’s door, trying your best to not look at her face. “I’ve texted you a bunch of times but you didn’t answer. Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.” You snap your head at her, her eyes going wide in surprise at your next words. “I am only a dumb, smelly, and desperate puppy after all.”

“You…” She opens and closes her mouth a few times, her head slightly turning towards the hallway filled with people as she lowers her voice. “Who told you that?”

“You did.” She seems taken aback by your answer, your eyes squinting at her. “Santana was smart enough to record you.”

Anger seem to take over her features for a moment. “That bitch-”

“I’m done with you, Quinn.” You slam your locker door shut, making her jump up from the sound. “I may have been stupid enough to believe you cared about me… but not enough to stay after hearing that.”

“Wait, (Y/N), no-” You can hear her voice getting louder as you walk away, desperation starting to appear in her tone. “No, come back!”

She hides her mouth with her hand when she realized that she screamed those words, feeling the eyes of other students on her. She gives them a hard look to make them forget about what happened, though it rapidly falters down to a sad expression when she notices that you’re gone.

She didn’t mean any of what she said to her friends. She loves you, she truly does… she was just terrified of the consequences of people hearing that you two were going out.

And she was dumb enough to believe her reputation was more important than you.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Kevin Pickford

(Not my gif)(requested by anonymous)

(I love this pointless movie)

- You and Kevin meet after your friends convinced you to go to one of his parties. You could of made up ten different activities you’d rather do than go to a highschool keg party but your friends insisted and you soon found yourself packed into their car.

- Now you had had a little crush on Kevin for a while, ever since freshman year when you saw him for the first time, so even though you weren’t very excited to spend your night surrounded by your drunken peers you were a bit excited to maybe, hopefully see him.

- So you arrive at his house; let’s pretend this is another party that didn’t get shut down, and you walk through the front door to see the typical shit show. You stick by your friends for a while, nursing a beer and trying to convince yourself you’re having a good time. That is until your friends all but ditch you to go and mingle.

- Soon enough you’re all alone standing uncomfortably in the relatively abandoned kitchen. You’re debating the idea of just leaving, walking home didn’t seem all to bad given the circumstances, but just as you feel like you’ve made up your mind...in walks the host. You felt like your heart was going to jump out of your chest when you saw him, you stared down at your cup hoping he would just sort of ignore you as he rummaged for whatever it was he was looking for.

“How ya doin?” Shit.

- It seemed like he was just trying to be friendly so you gave him as much of a smile as you could muster and a small “fine” before glancing down at your drink again. From your experience this was usually when the person would just nod and walk out but he didn’t. He gathered the stuff he had came in for but paused at the counter.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before... whats your name?”

- I think you’d have to be a year younger than him because if you were in his grade prior to this he would have asked you out or at least spoken to you before. So you’re a sophomore going into junior year and he’s a junior going into senior year.

“Oh you wouldn’t really know me, I’m a sophomore. My friends brought me, I’m y/n.”

“Oh cool man cool. I’m Kevin.”

“Yeah, I-uh, I know,” you chuckled a little. “Nice party.”

- He smiled and was about to say something before he was called back to the party by a loud shout. “Well I’m gonna go deliver the necess-it-ies. You should come out, join the living, raise a little hell.” And then he was once again lost in the sea of people flooding his living room.

- After he was gone you freaked out for a hot minute over the fact that you had just talked to your longtime crush. You decided that maybe you could stomach a little more of the party and took a deep breath before wandering out of the kitchen. It was maybe thirty minutes later that the two of you found each other again and started up a mini conversation.

- Soon enough the two of you were heading up to his bedroom so that you could actually hear each other speak. You spent a surprisingly long time just talking to each other while the party went on downstairs; it was four in the morning by the time you checked the clock again.

- You figured it was time for you to go home, so you stood up and began to say goodbye before he tried to convince you to stay a little longer. It’s nearly impossible to deny him, it’s pretty much been your dream for this exact scenario to happen. You promise to stay for another hour, which turns into another hour, and finally you really need to go so that you can avoid meeting your parents at the front door. He asks for your number and you write it down for him before you leave.

- You end up walking home in the rising sun which almost feels like the perfect way to end the night.

- He calls you a few days later asking if you’d want to come over which you obviously agree to. You get together, chat some more, listen to music, all that fun teenager shit. But then he leans over and kisses you, pulling away with that gorgeous smile of his and, well, you’re walking on clouds for the rest of the day.

- Later on you kiss some more and he gives you a “so does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend from now on, cause I think I’d like that, a lot”.

- Listen most of your dates are more or less just the two of you hanging out not really doing much besides enjoying each other’s company.

- But he does take you to a drive in restaurant for dinner so you can count that as your first “official” date. He wanted to “give a good first impression for your relationship”.

- You’re together like 90% of the time. The both of you are kind of clingy with each other and neither of you seem to mind.

- Whenever you’re together he always has some form of physical contact with you at all times.

- Sitting on his lap.

- He loves PDA but it’s mostly because he just loves affection in general.

- He’s a big baby who likes being cuddled and that’s a fact. He lowkey loves being the little spoon but it genuinely doesnt matter to him how you cuddle as long as you do it.

- Keeps tabs on you whenever you go out together. He usually stays close by or at least knows where you’re going to be, he likes to make sure you’re alright.

- You definitely have little routines together whether it be when his parents almost catch him smoking or cleaning up after a party or just when coming home from school.

- Helping to make sure his parents don’t catch him smoking in his room. You’re usually sent out to distract them or you clear things up while he talks with them.

- He’s so interested in your talents and hobbies, show him what you’re passionate about baby! He wants to know!

- Always being offered free booze or weed.

- Awkward first introductions to his friends when they crash one of your hangouts to try and buy some herb.

- Being invited to all of his and his friends parties.

- Helping him plan his parties.

- Helping him with all his antics.

- He’s always fiddling with something whenever you’re together so be prepared to see him doing something at any given moment in the corner of your eye.

- Making out, he could kiss for hours.

- Always having shotgun reserved for you.

- Laying on the hood of his car together and talking about random shit.

- Trying to hide your laughter while you listen to his weird weed fueled theories and stories.

- He shows off everything you make or do, he’s a subtle cheerleader.

- You spend most of your time in his room, sitting in his egg chair or on the windowseat while he smokes a joint.

- You’re constantly on the same wavelength.

 “Thats what I was gonna say!!”

- Braiding and running your fingers through his hair.

- He plays with your hair as well, twirling strands between his fingers and stroking it when you’re cuddling.

- He’s honestly so adorable and absolutely smitten with you. All his friends can tell he’s whipped but he doesn’t care.

- He thinks it’s so cute that you had a crush on him, well that’s if you ever admit it to him.

- Hand holding especially whenever you’re walking together.

- Staying up till dawn together.

- Making flower crowns together, dont deny it he’d do it. 

- His parents love you and are always really sweet, his mother is an absolute angel.

- He isnt going to force you to smoke with him but he does need you to accept that hes not stopping just because you dont want to. He’ll agree to not smoke around you because thats fair enough but he’ll still do it with his friends or on his own. I can assume you’re alright with that if you want a relationship with him.

- Kevins pretty chill so there’s rarely any fighting and the fighting you do have are more so just arguments rather than actual fullblown fights. They’re usually over a dangerous idea or stupid action he had/did. These arguments usually end with him realizing and admitting you’re right or saying how he can see why you’d think that. He gets it even if he doesnt think its as big of a deal as you do.

- Kevin is a moderately jealous person, he doesnt think every man you talk to is a threat to your relationship. He’s pretty calm, which is what you’d expect from a stoner, he more so just smirks at the guy he knows is flirting with you and shows that you’re his with an arm around your shoulder and/or a kiss. He never dwells on it or let’s it ruin your night. 

- He’s a very loyal boy, no cheating, no flirting with other girls. You’re the only girl he has eyes for.

- Swapping clothes and accessories.

- You share pretty much everything; food, drinks, homework, joints, a single braincell. 

- Going to the emporium and playing fooseball and pool together or jokingly cheering him on while he plays someone else.

- A lot of nicknames; he definitely calls you flowerchild and other very 70s sounding ones. 

- Having a lot of Polaroids together.

- Concert dates.

- Record store dates.

- Late night hangouts.

- Going on random trips to different stores to get food or drinks.

- Well if you’re becoming a junior then you’ll have a year in highschool without him in the near future. He doesn’t really mind waiting for you to graduate so that you can advance your relationship but it will bother him when he isn’t able to see you for more than six hours, five days a weeks

- Probably proposes to you in bed, late at night with a “how would you like to be a Mrs. Pickford?” while he spins the ring between his fingers.

[seeds-and-sins]

The Seeds accepting you, a young kid, into their family would be like...

• To the surprise of others, cult members and sinners alike, your acceptance into the family happened the moment you met them.

• Your drunk father was being the abusive piece of shit he was at one of Joseph's Sermons and Jacob Seed intervened without hesitation.

• Within weeks John Seed found a way to legally remove you from your father's custody and assign the family as your permanent guardians.

• John pulled some strings even further and your father was sent to prison for child abuse. Needless to say, you won't see him for a while.

• The Seed siblings, at first, had a hard time figuring out who you would live with.

• So you had a room at each of their abodes, free to live with any one of them, whenever you so chose.

• John would spoil you with an endless array of gifts and excessive affectionate hugs and forehead kisses. He would take you flying in his plane whenever you stayed over at his ranch. He even let you fly it one time, but don't tell Joseph.

• Family dinners every friday night were your favorite.

• John would make the meal and it would suck, but nobody wanted to hurt his feelings, so he never would know.

• Jacob would secretly pass his food down to his wolf sitting under the table, motioning for you to be quiet about it with a wink.

• Family conversations sometimes turning into bickering...

• "Unicorns are real! Okay?! The Bible says so!"

• Joseph and you had a garden together that the both of you would work on when you were at his compound. He would read scripture to you, teach you lessons about the world, and talk to you about the collapse.

• Jacob was more about tough love. He had high expectations of you in terms of being efficient when it came to protecting yourself, surviving in the wilderness, and acknowledging your surroundings. (But every now and again, he would allow you to sleep in his arms if you had a nightmare about your abuse, or were afraid).

• Faith, you went to when you had emotional issues, or questions, or when you wanted female company. You both would have sleepovers and she would give you all the sweets you could imagine.

• Family photos where they all are extra and try to get single photos with you. (There might be a fight over who is the favorite parent, but Jacob doesn't call himself parent as much he does guardian).

• Joseph has one really cute photo of John, Jacob and you, that he hides in his journal. It was the day you got officially baptized and as Jacob was trying to help you out of the river, John and you yanked him in.

• You started playing basketball at your highschool, now that your father was gone you had more confidence to explore your interests. And the Seeds were more than enthusiastic about you being more active and social.

• At home games, they would be the ones cheering for you in the stands, the loudest spectators, even Jacob would participate in the madness (mainly to threaten the referee for calling fouls on you).

• Jacob and John worked with you often to make sure that you were the best player on the team. Jacob more so, would force you to train as much as possible.

• The coach let Jacob take over practice one time, since he usually watched on the sidelines. No one made it to the end of pratice, except for you.

• One of your fellow team mates going, "I hope your dad never runs practice ever again."

• Jacob yelling, "Cull the herd!", aggressively, anytime you got the ball.

• Joseph pulling you aside at half time and explaining, "My child, remember when I said violence wasn't the answer? Yes, well, this might be the one time where I am wrong."

• John bragging about you to the opposing team's parents, "Oh look! There they go again! Out running all of your children and scoring on them."

• Your sophmore year you almost failed math, you had good grades in your other classes, but the teacher wouldn't budge. It was your worst subject.

• At away games, it was almost like the whole cult was there to cheer you on. They would take two massive buses of members who would come see you play.

• Your math teacher never called for a parent-teacher conference ever again. Your grade became a C shortly after that meeting.

• John calling your math teacher and saying, "It would be a shame if (insert random blackmail information) became public."

• You being the best in PE class, with none of the kids being able to catch up, because Jacob Seed trained you every early morning. You were a force to be reckoned with.

• When you started dating, the whole family was very protective of you.

• Jacob and John were more direct when it came to threatening your boyfriend/girlfriend about being good to you.

• "If you try anything, I will carve the sin from your flesh myself. No one will be able to save you, and when I am done with you, well..." John's words fading into a deep chuckle, with that leering smile on his expression.

• Jacob crossed arms, stern posture, "Hmm, I hope you know where you belong, you pathetic weak little-" He stopped at Joseph's glare, "Especially where your hands belong, or else you'll lose'em."

• Your first ex ended up finding snakes in their pillow case before they went to bed one night. Jacob swore 'he had nothing to do with it' and John couldn't stop smiling.

• Faith and Joseph were sweet and kind, but their words had a warning lurking beneath them.

• "My child, you are so full of life. I would be very disappointed should something happen that would require that life to be slowly taken from you. I will pray for you." And Joseph traced a cross onto their forehead, which they couldn't have know that that meant they were marked.

• "It's so nice to know that they think you deserve them." Faith placing a hand on her chest, mockingly being kind to your date. "They are so giving and genuine aren't they? Let's hope they are right... for your sake."

• Your boyfriend/girlfriend had to ask permission before taking you to the local drive in.

• Jacob and John stopping you before you leave, "Don't forget that one neck breaking move that I showed you" and "Do you have that knife that I gave you last Christmas".

• When they give you the talk, Jacob was completely absent from the conversation, John wouldn't stop nervously pacing, and Faith and Joseph were mainly doing the talking.

• Jacob piping in at the end, to Joseph's aggravation, "Just make sure you wrap it up, kid."

• "Only when married can two partners share eachother in such an intimate and loving embrace," Joseph explains.

• Jacob admitting, "Ya'know kid, I actually don't mind having you around, and I don't like having anybody around."

• Joseph always saying, "After I lost my daughter, I never thought the Lord would gift me with another child, and then... and then we found you."

• Take your kid to work day, where John takes you to one of the Project's many court hearings at the Missoula courthouse.

• "My daughter/son would be a better lawyer than you ever could be and they haven't even become a lawyer yet."

• All the other cult members practically babysitting you, or watching your back while the Seeds did the Lord's work.

• Jacob giving you your very own Judge, that follows you around the Veteran's Center and elsewhere when he is busy.

• John Seed tried to cook for you one time and it came out horrible, so you both just started get pre-made meals in the mail.

• Prom night at the Hope County Highschool was a night to remember because John, Joseph, Jacob, and Faith all chaperoned.

• When no one wanted to dance with you in fear of your four parents, the Seeds each had one dance with you.

• John, Faith, and you pranked Jacob into beating up your PE teacher, with a disapproving Joseph on the sidelines.

• You all ended up back at the ranch anyways, for a family dinner.

• When you graduated high school, John Seed revealed his secret stash of wine to you, "You are old enough in my book."

• You having trouble figuring out what you want to do in life.

• "Whatever you do, whether its here with us, or not, we will support you."

• Jacob swelling with pride when you join the Army (but secretly afraid because he doesn't want you to go through what he went through), John nearly crying when you explain you want to become a JAG, and be a lawyer like him.

• John calling you to talk about the family and complain, Jacob rarely calling or accepting your phone calls (he doesn't like phones so much, but you know he cares), Joseph and you communicate through letters, and Faith always FaceTimes or Skypes you.

• When the first seal is broken, the Family urges you to return home to help prepare for the collapse.

• Even as you rushed to get back, there was not enough time.

• You don't make it back before the collapse and end up stuck in someone else's bunker, an individual that you soon come to be friends with.

• Joseph gives you a frantic welcome, crying and holding you in his vice grasp. He explains what happened, how Jacob, John and Faith were killed.

• When the seven years ends, you head straight to Hope County, your bunk mate and you head your separate ways. You look for your family with all of the energy you have, and you find them. There is only one left.

• And then you cry and feel guilty, because you blame yourself for not getting back in time. But Joseph talks you out of that guilt and explains to you that what we do now will be in their honor.

• Ethan being slightly jealous when Joseph shows you more love and affection than him.

• Joseph and you talk about them often.

• And he introduces you to the man you would call your brother, Ethan.

• Together, the three of you try to build what your family had always wanted.

• Joseph stating with so much appreciation and gratefulness in his voice, "You came back safe to me, you came back home. I am proud of you, and John, Jacob, and Faith would be so proud of you too."

• And you never once realized that the Judge was, in fact, the murderer of your beloved parents.

• At least you had Joseph and Ethan...

• Since the day Jacob punched your dad across the jaw in the church, "I know what it's like. No one will ever touch you like that ever again", he promised.

• The day that John stood in a court room and fought for you, "You are one of us now, and we Seeds protect eachother."

• The day that Joseph wrapped a blanket around you, "I knew you would come to us, to be part of our family."

• And the day that Faith held you in her loving embrace, "Everything happens for a reason, my little flower."

• That was the day you became a Seed.

[stay-trash-2017]

Wilted Rose

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Gang member!Changbin x fem!OC

Warnings: gangs, mentions of death and parties

      Christopher Bang, He is the King and I am the queen. I’m not the queen in the way you would expect. I am the leader of the highly feared gang called ‘The Poisoned Roses’. Christopher was the leader of his gang ‘Stray Reapers’. We are the 2 most feared gangs in the entire city of Yongin. There was no one in the city that didn't tremble at the mention of our gangs. Strays and Roses kept their distance most of the time but it all changed when I bumped into what I had assumed was a normal man. 

August 15th, 2014 was Lee MiRae’s first day as the official leader of the Roses after her mother was killed protecting MiRae and her younger brother Minho. MiRae and Minho’s dad left them for a much younger woman. MiRae and Minho raised themselves from the age of 12. When Minho turned 13 he stated spending more time away from the small apartment they could barely afford, only coming home for some rest. As much as MiRae wanted to know what her brother was doing she was taught to keep her nose out of the places its not needed. When Minho started coming home with cuts and bruises across his face is when MiRae started questioning him but he always brushed off the questions or flat out ignored them.

MiRae never had time to be a real kid but when the Roses made her their official leader she got to do things that she never had, like go to parties and meet new people without the fear of being snatched because of who she is. The more parties she attended, the more people started to recognize her, which meant she’d have to disappear from the public eye as MiMi leader of the Roses. At 15 she decided to enroll herself at Bora highschool. She would have never thought she would end up going to highschool because she had to work and keep a roof over her and Minho’s heads. 

She severely underestimated  how hard school was when you only have a 7th grade education. MiRae studies hard during the day and manages the Roses at night. MiRae’s grades were okay but not as good as  most. She was just barely passing her classes. She always struggled most in math, no matter how hard she would study. Usually MiRae would stay in class all period because she couldn't miss any of the information, but she was about to pee her pants in this moment so when the teacher granted her permission to go to the bathroom she basically sprinted out of class. MiRae didnt care who she was bumping into as long as she made it to the bathroom.  Once done with her business she washed her hands and started walking back to class.

Lost in her own head MiRae paid no attention to the group of boys walking towards her. Due to her being lost in her own little word MiRae walked straight into a very strong man, Stunned by his presence she stumbled backwards and fell on her butt hard. She looked around her and saw 1 of the 8 sped away from the situation very quickly, what was his deal? Meanwhile 7 of the remaining 8 were laughing and making jokes about MiRae falling, Her eyes flooded with tears as she tried to get up but only fell face first into the floor. The boys laughter got louder and louder until the one boy who wasn't laughing reached his hand out and helped her up. His grip was firm and very gentle at the same time. When MiRae was finally on her feet she looked at the man who helped her in the eyes and automatically felt flustered, her cheeks felt warm and her heart was going a million miles per hour. 

“I am so sorry! I wasnt paying attention like I should have.” MiRae said apologetically. 

“Um, no worries. Im Changbin, we have math together, Or we would if I ever came to class.” He said with a certain nervousness in his voice. His beautiful chocolate eyes met hers and a faint pink painted her pale cheeks. His friends whispered and snickered quietly behind the pair. Mirae was snapped back to reality when the whispering stopped and his friends were gone, Only MiRae and the beautiful stranger standing in the middle of the deserted hallway.

His eyes scanned her body and fell on the rose that was tattooed on her forearm. MiRae’s eyes dropped to her forearm and immediately yanked her sleeve down. He couldn't possibly know what the tattoo meant, could he? Wrong. His eyes went wide and met hers again. He stayed silent until he revealed the tattoo on his collarbone, a shattered compass. He was a Stray Reaper. Neither MiRae nor Changbin knew what to say at this very moment. Without thinking she reached out to touch the ink embedded into his skin. His soft flesh was still swollen, the tattoo was fresh and he was a new member. His hand shot up to grab her wrist. 

“We shouldnt be this close. Its forbidden, the members will kill me if they found out you are a Rose.” He whispered softly with the traces of sadness in his voice. MiRae’s lips parted as a sigh fell off of her tounge and past her lips. She looked looked at her sleeve, where he tattoo was hidden underneath.

“My mother was a Rose, she died protecting my brother and I. A Reaper killed her because my father owed them money before he disappeared. The Roses are the only thing I have left from my mother.” MiRae confessed saddened by the memory of the night her mother died. Chanbin slid his soft hand into hers and gently squeezed. Changbin reached into MiRae’s back pocket and took out her phone, the boy typed his phone number into her phone. She gave him a confused look. 

“I dont care if you are a Rose, I want to take you out and show you my part of town just as long as you keep that ink covered. please ?” 

[hallelujah-lockandload]

Sweet Venom

Its starting! Here is a link to the Wattpad one in case you want to read it there. I also added the 2nd chapter there too!

https://www.wattpad.com/story/243936475-sweet-venom?utm_source=web&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share_mywork

Fic: Vampire Gerard Way x Reader

Setting: High School

Warnings: Language

Chapter 1

“Just think happy thoughts” I mumbled as I held my hand to my bleeding neck.

“Happy thoughts aren’t going to stop me” the voice rang out around me “neither is your little boyfriend” Boyfriend? I pull a face thinking of Gerard as my boyfriend. If only but also… what an interesting time that would be considering he currently hates me. Let’s go back a bit and figure out why exactly I’m stuck in my favorite abandoned building being hunted by an asshole vampire, who if I had the opportunity I would love to shove a stake up their ass.

2 months ago~

I’m just your average high school senior living a relatively chill life. I’ve got semi absent parents which makes my life near fanfiction worthy, ya know. I’ve got enough freedom living in the town of Belleview that I don’t need to let my parents know everything about everything like who I’m with and where I am, as long as it sounds safe or I just lie. Being an only child makes it so easy to lie, well at least I learned to lie very well.

Anyway! It's senior year right! Gonna be the best time of my high school career right? I mean my best friend Mikey is in a few of my classes despite him being a grade below me, he’s smart okay. I’m not dumb, he’s just smart. We hang out a ton which is the best! We also work on dumb lyrics together and I’m trying to get him to sing but he refuses and says its not his thing. Which is crazy cause his voice isn’t even bad. But he always says that his brother is way better at it. Mikey likes to think his brother and I would get along great because we’ve got tons of common interests but… he hates me?

I have zero clue as to why, it’s just been like that the last few years. Gerard’s never really talked to me anyway but we at least used to hang out together when I was over and like in class. Now even when we have classes together he doesn’t even try to talk to me. I have no idea what happened! But freshman year rolled around and suddenly Gerard isn’t talking to me as much and we just lose our friendship? It's shitty. Not only cause I’m best friends with his brother and at his house a lot but… yeah actually that's it. It makes things awkward but like I guess I gotta live with that. And knowing I will never know why he stopped talking to me. Maybe it’s cause Mikey had a crush on me at some point but that went away when we realized we are way too much like siblings to each other.

I’m not really friends with Gerard’s friends. Like Frankie is cool and I mean Ray and I are friends because Ray usually has classes with me. But our friendship got better once he and Mikey became friends too, so we all hang out. I don’t really talk to Bert or the others Gerard sometimes talks to. Gerard usually just sticks to Frank, Ray and Mikey anyways.

If I’m not hanging with Mikey I usually hang out with my friends Patrick, Pete, and my other best friend Kristin that Mikey has a huge crush on. They would be so cute if they got together! But Mikey is shy and Kristin just out right refuses to make the first move, the tension is so thick you need a chainsaw to cut that. It's so frustrating.

Well that’s my friends and my situation so far but now it's time to actually start senior year and honestly this recap of my life so far as I lay in bed waiting for my alarm to go off was really nice. I hate waking up before my alarm, it's like bitch I could’ve slept in more but noooooo my body just had to betray me. I looked to the clock, honestly five minutes before my alarm is whatever so I guess it's time to get ready. Glad I took those last 10 minutes to think about my life and my friends.

Getting up for school is such a hassle, I wish summer didn’t end but like, I guess I’m excited for school too. Mostly my friends and my electives, and the fact that seniors only have to take english, gov/econ, and math. The rest are all mine.

I went through my closet and picked something cute and punk. I consider myself a punk just because I don’t care too much what people think of me and I’m going to be true to myself even if that offends people. But also my music and style choices make me look pretty punk. I picked out my fav blue plaid bottoms (skirt or pants or shorts it's your look) and a plain baseball tee that I tucked into them. Then went and put some makeup on just like I like. Once that was done it was time for hair which I decided could wait cause food is more important so I head downstairs in search for the food.

The kitchen is usually empty but my mom was there today making eggs.

“Any for me?” I asked as I went to the fridge for juice.

“Yup,” she said nodding, “Figured you should get breakfast on your last first day of high school.”

“How sentimental,” I said, giving her a side hug and mumbling a good morning. I then set the table for two seeing as Dad was already gone. We ate in peace and chatted about what I felt like school was going to be this year. If I’m being honest, it will probably be the same as always. Me and the boys (and Kristin) being nerds and having a grand ole time ignoring everyone else.

7:40 rolled around and I said bye to my mom so that I could jump in the Way’s car for a ride to school just like we have done for the past 6 years. Since they only live around the street from me, carpooling is always something we’ve done.

“You ready for the first day of the end?” I asked Mikey as I hopped into the back seat. Mikey was always shotgun since Gerard was now the driver. He got his license two years ago, so no more fun convos with Mrs. Way. Now it is just awkward looks and minimal words from the driver.

“That’s such a shitty way to say that this is your last year in highschool.” He said back, turning in his seat trying to smack me but not reaching me in the slightest.

I chuckled, “That's how it feels Mikes.”

“Yeah, well shut up.” He said. Mikey and I had a nice talk last Saturday at the Last Summer Sleepover Before School. He’s obviously feeling weird and kind of left out now that his brother and his best friends are graduating this year. Mikey is going to be without me next year, and without Gerard,  for the first time in a decade. It’s honestly kind of scary. I don’t blame him for being snappy at the subject.

We rode to the school in comfortable silence with Gerard’s music playing over the speakers, it was some chill summer music. Which is a nice-ish way to start the day. Arriving at the school parking lot it really does feel different this time.  Last time the three of us start together. We get out of the car and start heading towards the school when I’m suddenly grabbed from behind.

“What is up nerds?!” Patrick’s voice rings out next to my ear. We all laugh.

“Just going to hell for another year, what’s up with you?” Mikey says. Patrick moves so his arm is thrown over my shoulder instead.

“Waiting for Pete and whoever else I can find before walking into Hell.” Patrick says and I nod in agreement.

“Sounds reasonable. No one wants to go to hell alone,” I say.

“Did someone say my name earlier?” Pete says walking up to us. Gerard is just hanging with us looking around for Frank and Ray.

“Ayy! What's up dick face?” Patrick says pointing at Pete.

“Nothin much ‘Trick.” Pete responds. “Who else we waiting for before heading in?” He says looking around.

“Other than Kristin, Joe and Andy?” I ask, raising my eyebrow at him.

“Uhh yeah.” He says before starting to talk to Mikey about his summer and what classes he has. I chat with Patrick as we wait a few minutes for Ray and Frank to join us all.

“Who’s ready for another year of the fuckin’ shit show that is called school?” Frank says walking up to us with Ray and Kristin. They have been carpooling for school together since last year because they all live pretty close together. We all laugh and joke about school sucking but I know we are all excited for our electives. Since we are seniors and juniors we all have more electives now, us seniors get three while the juniors get two. It's so nice that the school actually lets us pick some fun classes to do.

After a while we realize it's 10 minutes before the bell rings and we should probably head into the building now.

“Who’s going to step in first?” Patrick asks. I’m sure people look at each other but everything feels different today. It’s time to just get this year started.

I step away from them not realizing that Gerard has too and we walk up the few steps together wordlessly before pausing in front of the doors for a moment. I breathe in deeply and make my way into the building through the giant double doors with Gerard by my side and our friends right behind us. This year is going to be a good one.

[thedankfaerie]

i am posting this here because i am tired of burdening my boyfriend with my feelings. this is a little nsfw. and this is my call for help. i dont know who to talk to anymore about this.

i need someone to hear what i feel

or at least, a free space to say what i feel 

im in a low place. i feel so awful about myself and my body and i hate this feeling. i hate that this time last year, i was so happy about the way i looked. i was working this awful job that had me so overworked and overtired and poorly treated that i skipped meals and slept through meals regularly... i lost so much weight from stress in just a year and was the skinniest i had ever been. mentally, i was not in a good place being exploited by my managers... but my self esteem re: my body was at a new level i never knew could exist for me.

last year, i felt powerful and confident about my body, and i expressed that through sexuality. i was fucking my ex that i still liked (i grew out of wanting him back, but he never did, and it was nice to have the upper hand). i was also fucking an old fwb that i stayed friends with, that was also recently single, so we reunited again at the perfect time. i was also seeing this one guy (now my boyfriend) so if ever i got tired of the sex i at least was able to calm down and settle down with someone who genuinely wanted to know me. of course, i ended up catching feelings for this guy, and cut off the other two to pursue something more serious (we are now dating and are moving in together next month!) anyways, it was so nice to be wanted. to feel... i guess sexy? sex is empowering. and it shouldn’t be taboo to say that as a woman, or anyone really. i dont want to give off the message that a woman’s validation is fueled by men’s desire - but hey, don’t you feel flattered when someone thinks you’re attractive? desire and lust aren’t everything... but they matter. and they have an impact on how you feel about yourself, whether or not you believe me when i say that is up to you. 

 and i hate that i would gladly put myself through the stress that i did just to feel happy about my body. before the summer ended, i finally had enough and i quit my shitty job. i was jobless for a month, but was able to enjoy the rest of the summer with my new ‘skinny’ body - last year i took my first bikini picture ... a 2 piece! i have never done that. i still think about how happy i was that summer to look and feel good about myself. 

i have struggled with self esteem issues since highschool. i always felt like i was too big. i used to follow all these blogs of pretty people and try to copy their poses to feel pretty and i used to spend hours after school trying on short dresses and clothes to stare at my body in the mirror. i used to starve myself to the point of literally wanting to faint on the daily, until finally i admitted it to one of my teachers. she respectfully asked if i wanted to speak with the school guidance counsellor, and i declined. but she encouraged me to speak up to at least a friend, so i did, and it helped, and for a long time, i was okay. after i graduated that teacher still checked up on me for a few years every now and again.

4th year university was when i realized how much i had let myself go. i was the heaviest i had ever been, it was my graduating year, i was looking for a job and was always worried about my grades. every time i was stressed or every time i needed to study i bought pad thai and bubble tea. a ritual. i didnt realize how much that had caught up to me until i saw old pictures of myself. at this point, i started my (shitty) job, straight out of graduation.

i actively avoided scales, i didn’t like looking at the number because it just made me upset. and i already felt upset looking in the mirror, i didn’t need something else to make me upset. but i did. and i was 20 pounds heavier than i was in highschool - the heaviest i had ever been.

i cried.

i didnt do much about it. i was too busy. my first job out of uni was a brand new daycare and i was head teacher of a toddler class - also i was the only staff on floor since there were not as many kids. there was nobody to train me, at all. i had to teach myself everything. i had no time. 

a little while before starting the job, i met this guy. he was so hot, but such a dick - we had a “thing” but it was so toxic. he started off interested in me, but i turned him down. his attitude changed and he started being a douche, but we became friends because we were seeing each other so often. i didn’t have a car yet. he was driving me everywhere. he lived 5 minutes away. he was the type of friend that would text me “im outside, lets go out”. we hung out as friends at first, we would have “study dates”, until we started hooking up. we acted like a thing but he denied we were ever one - but got mad at me whenever i tried to look elsewhere. but i guess in that time, it was nice to be wanted, especially by someone so attractive. 

but again, a year in that shithole job went by fast. i would stay late after work. i would come in on weekends. i was expected to not only help new kids transition, but train new partners. and given that my supers refused to support me, i watched a lot of people quit due to pressure. i had to keep retraining. and kids kept coming. that never stopped. i can honestly say my class wasn’t settled until december, and i started in september. everyday it was ‘its fine, it will get better’. 

a year in that shithole, with 0 support, and i lost all the weight i gained - and more. i was the skinniest i had ever been. even in highschool. i looked at old pictures of myself from when i started the job at my heaviest. i couldnt believe that was me. and i was so happy looking at myself in the mirror. for once! 

after i quit that job, i started another job that i hoped would be a happy ending.

and it wasn’t. it stressed me out just as much. i also moved out by this point, a month after i started this job. my hours are whack. 7-9, 11:30-6. i woke up early and got home late. i never had free time. my last shift at my old job was 7-3:30 and i had the whole day to myself. im someone that needs social interaction and alone time, and by the time i got home i was so tired, i would just cook, clean, shower, and go to bed. and that was my life. sometimes i would get so tired that i couldn’t cook, i just went and ate out. i tried to make personal time with my friends after work but by the time i reached their house, it was late, and places were closed. and id have to leave early anyways because i had work early the next day... so fast food was the only way to make this work. on top of this, this was the most difficult class that i had ever had. the kids behaviours’ were so difficult and i couldn’t handle it. i would cry in my car 3x a week. i would cry 4 minutes before my shift starts in the washroom and walk out and pretend i was okay. i would have my boyfriend come over as much as i could just so i could cry in his arms. i couldnt leave this job because i had just moved out and having a consistent rent payment was a huge responsibility for me. as well, if you know anything about ECEs in canada, just know we make shit pay. but this job pays me better than most ECE jobs... by a landslide. AND gives me benefits, which is so hard to find. i am still at this job - i was at my breaking point at the time covid started, so i was rejoicing when we closed for covid. i havent worked since march, but i needed that time off so desperately. 

with that being said, i gained the weight back.

not everything, but i definitely could tell i was packing on some pounds.

cue covid.

i havent worked since march. i fell back into a lazy routine of ordering fast food. lying in bed. resting. just enjoying NOT dealing with my difficult class. 

but i gained it all back. and i think im back at my heaviest weight. i picked up all my summer clothes from last year from my moms... half of them dont fit me. my favourite pair of shorts won’t close. i just sat and cried in a mess of clothes on my floor in front of the mirror. this was last week.

im trying to tell myself, ‘you’re in the middle of a global pandemic, go easy on yourself’... but do you know what it’s like to finally get what you’re chasing, and have it be taken away from you? i finally had a taste of what it was like to look AND feel good about myself. something ive wanted since i was a teenager...and it’s gone. it’s my fault and i accept that, so please don’t tell me i did this to myself. i know i did. but i can still be upset about it. i look in the mirror and i try to suck my stomach in and pretend nothing changed but its not the same. i see old pictures of myself, especially that bikini pic. ironically, i captioned it “i will never have the confidence to take a bikini pic again”... and here we are. i look at the clothes i wore last year and remember how fucking good i felt wearing them. i try putting them back on and seeing my stomach bulging and my arms looking fat and my love handles, something i didn’t see last year. and i just take them off and opt to wear something frumpier that doesnt hug my figure.

i try to tell people about how i feel but i cant take those ‘love yourself and all your flaws’ campaigns seriously. i dont think i can listen to another ‘you have to just keep faking it until you make it and if u just tell urself ur beautiful u will feel beautiful!’

because if you’re me, you know you cant kid yourself. if you’re me you can’t ‘love every flaw’. you fixate on them. and you let them define you. and if youre me, flaws are all you see.

i hate myself for getting back to this point. 

i have a very supportive boyfriend that knows about all this, who is trying to actively get me to go on runs with him. we are trying to go for walks more and be out and about. he reminds me of little things, like if we are getting bubbletea he will suggest i go with less sugar. he is trying, we are trying. and i appreciate him so much.

today i complained in my car about this to my boyfriend, again. for the millionth time. and he still was supportive. but i just feel like i cant keep doing this to him. he said something today, which i think was him trying to give me a reality check to show me that i cant just wish i could starve myself and overwork myself to lose weight and call it a day... but it stung. he said “i don’t want to be with someone that’s not healthy. i have standards too” and i realized then he deserves so much better than to fucking babysit my complaining ass. i am 24. and i shouldnt be putting this on him. he is an adult with problems just as real as mine and i shouldnt be burdening him with this anymore. 

im scared to talk to him about how that comment made me feel, because he’s so right, and he has every right to leave me. i would honestly. the amount that i worry and fixate on all my flaws and complain and have crying breakdowns about this is not fucking normal. and it shouldnt be his problem. i just want him to be with someone that doesnt give him this baggage. he met me in my ‘prime’ days when i just started getting my skinny body last year. when we finally started dating, we were super sexually active. and i mean, having sex like 15 times a week. im not kidding. now we havent had sex in almost an entire month. i dont feel sexy anymore and its impacting my sex drive.. he tries to start it with me and i just can’t because i feel like he is probably repulsed by my body. this is a huge huge huge problem, seeing as sex was a huge part of our relationship (we are very emotionally in tune with one another, but sex was a great addon because we both love it so much). i hate the way i look without clothes on. i cant bring myself to do it because it makes me feel like shit about myself.

but we are moving in together next month. and that is a huge step. and i am worried that i will never change, and he’s going to feel like he’s stuck with me because he’s moving 40 minutes away from his hometown to live with me. i almost want us to break up so he can be with someone with less baggage but i also love him and i want to be better for him and for us. 

someone please help me. 

[rosesandrorys]

✧･ﾟ(   demeter + alexa demie + cis female  ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !!  have you seen (   veronica “rory” flores ) around ? (   she ) have/has been in kaos for (   two months ). the (   twenty four year old  ) is a/an (   bartender ) from (   los angeles, united states  ). people say they can be (   hot-headed  ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be (   steadfast  ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of (   iced coffee at nine pm, the smell of the earth after rain, a four leafed clover poking out of a crack in the road  ).  ･ﾟ✧  (  penned by neha, 21, est, she/her ).

hiiiii everyone first of all i am so happy to be here the main is b e a u t i f u l and gives me so much greek god inspo! i’m neha this is my bby rory!! i’m going to add my big bio/about blurb that was in my app so if you want to you can read all about her, but if you don’t have time here’s a little tldr; for you! 

rory is my LA club kid QUEEN, she basically grew up super poor but going to a school wanting to fit in with the rich popular kids, long story short she started selling club drugs n stuff to them, gained the friendship and money but once hs ended it, everything ended and she basically had to start over, only now she had the uphill battle w/ addiction to drugs/partying/bad decisions to also handle! she’s on the island bc her mom met a rich guy and he has a villa on the island he wants her to fix up, which is also doubling as a kind of ‘get clean’ retreat tho it ain’t rlly working even tho sgenuinelynunienly sometimes want to do better. she’s a hustler and has a sharp tongue, but on the inside she has a heart of gold and rlly just wants to be loved for who she is for like the first time ever <3

PLOTTING STUFF: she’s been on the island for two months now, but lil girl is all about having those connections bc she thinks its the only way she can have value (ugh poor kid) so lmk!! they could’ve met through the whole partying/drugs route, at the bar where she works at a bartender, or maybe at the hardware stores that she frequents because she’s fixing up the villa! i have more specific plot ideas but i don’t want to make this post too long so hmu or like this post for me to come to you!! 

ok, that’s my two pieces said, now here’s the longish bio section if you want to learn more in depth about her :)Tw for abuse, drug use/dealing, addiction

B I O G R A P H Y

Rory is from LA born and raised! Her mother is a single mom and it was just them for a long time, with the rotating cast of her mother’s boyfriends. The two could just never seem to get close to financial stability and she grew up rough, never having enough money to keep up with the kids at school, then having to fend for herself once she got home because her mother worked nights.

At home, it all depended on what boyfriend out of the rotation her mother was currently seeing. The best strategy for all of them was avoidance, so Rory spent her days on the streets or at work, never really wanting to deal with the boyfriends. Throughout the years, she suffered abuse and neglect from these men, and though she tried to tell her mother, who was always just a little too busy, a little too high, or a little too blind to the effects. Besides, they needed the extra money that the various boyfriends gave. 

Despite it all, at school Rory shined. She was smart, that much was clear, and she exuded a certain aura of warmth that could make anyone, even the girls with birkin bags and ice cold hearts fall in love. Her school was a dichotomy of rich and poor, and if she worked her ass off and put in maximum effort, it seemed she could fit in with both. But she didn’t want both, didn’t want the stigma of her background to follow her everywhere. She wanted to live in the world of marble countertops and athleisure accessorized with diamonds. So, with extreme effort, she pulled herself up to the social ranks of those girls in school, always going over to their houses to study, pretending she never learned how to drive so that they wouldn’t know she couldn’t afford a car, let alone the mercedes and italian sports cars they drove to school.

But keeping up has its price, and that price began to climb as she was integrated deeper. Rory needed money for twelve dollar salads and fifty dollar spin classes, and the money from her job (which she said her mom forced her to do to learn responsibility) wasn’t cutting it. She was a scrappy kid turned into a precocious young adult and she’d been scrambling all her life, this was just another bootstraps moment. She had the connections from her neighborhood, and what did rich kids like more than drugs? The answer was nothing, and Rory made the leap easily, starting off small and gradually building up a mini drug empire in her high school. She finally had spending money, but more importantly she had friends and people who cared about her, and she wasn’t going to give that up for the world. 

Rory wasn’t dumb, she knew this couldn’t last forever, so she was also making solid plans to further herself in life. But an addictive personality ran in her veins as evidenced by her mother who was addicted to it all - drugs, boyfriends, and bad decisions. The moment it all started to go south could be pinpointed to the moment she herself started to use the drugs. Her friends were doing it after all, and she didn’t want to be a buzzkill. The drugs were an escape from her shitty life that was going nowhere, after all. They let her put on the rose-tinted glasses that she’d been denied since birth, and Rory ate it up. 

But with every ascent, comes a crash and as the lag time from the drugs started to affect her performance in everyday life, grades started to slip, dreams fell to the wayside and prospects started to vanish. By the time she finished highschool they’d say - what a fall from grace. Because she’d forgotten one very important thing. If her friends made a mistake, it could all be very easily swept under the rug and forgotten by way of their parents’ money. Rory, however, had no safety net, and at the end of highschool she was left in the lurch: same terrible grades and attendance as her friends, but no large donations to get her into prestigious schools. Or, for a fact, any schools. She’d peaked, and what followed graduation was a spiralling descent back to where she’d started. The friends she’d been so fiercely loyal to moved on to college and beyond and she was left with nothing but the endless LA party scene filled with people she didn’t care about and worse and worse decisions by the day. 

If it’d gone on for a couple more months, she’d probably have died. But the money started to dry up as her friends left, and the final blow was a drop gone wrong - high as a kite, she’d decided that handing off a major package to a much larger man in a dark alley was a good idea, and the inevitable tussle and robbing left her hurting. She was high and dry with no income and no savings. Twenty-two years old and nothing to her name. It was time for that scrappy kid to scramble once again, but that kid now had a mild drug problem and a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas. 

It wasn’t going to be easy. But one thing Rory was always good at was cultivating her connections. Though her friends had moved on, Rory’s combination of dimples, winning smile, and just enough ass kissing had created just enough opportunities with the people in their lives, and the people at the parties she frequented. She had an in to the rich, and damn if she wasn’t going to exploit it. Odd jobs here and there was her life now, just enough to keep her drug addiction alive, just enough to keep her name in the back of the minds of the wealthy. She knew this would change her life somehow, she just wasn’t quite sure how yet.And who could’ve predicted how it happened. 

It was mundane, a job making drinks at a classy party, one of those ones where the host barely shows up, where the adults sip their martinis and the kids do blow in the bathrooms. The party wasn’t anything remarkable, but what followed was. She was getting picked up by her mother, and the host of the party, a middle aged salt and pepper type man recognized her mother. They had gone to school together or something, Rory was exhausted and didn’t really care, but apparently her mother turned on the same charm inherent in Rory, and the next Friday had lined up a date.

Things progressed extremely quickly from there on out, with lavish dinners and getaway weekends for the two lovebirds. It was astonishing to watch, and the whispers of ‘gold-digger’ from the country club ladies couldn’t even come close to puncturing Rory’s mom’s thick skin. Both women had been to hell and back after all, had worked all their lives for pennies, and finally something serendipitous had happened. All the toxic exs were dropped within the first six months, the crappy two bedroom within a year, and after a year and a half marriage and a kid on the way - though nobody could quite say which one came first. It was a strike of lightning, transforming the tiny flores family immediately. Call it fate or fortune, but Rory was finally back in that world that she’d strived to be in.

This time, when the spiral came it was well supported and well recognized by Rory’s new step-father. He’d already been through the gambit of raising rich kids, two who were now nearing their thirties, and he could see the signs instantly. Bloodshot eyes, partying all night, sniffles and gaunt features. Rory was getting pulled in again, and fast, but this time there was finally someone looking out for her. She couldn’t escape the lure of the partying and the drugs alone, and this marriage had essentially busted it wide open for her, kicking away any barriers that had been there before. They couldn’t control her, really. She’d been scrambling so long that cutting off the money didn’t matter, she had her connections and her grit that had gotten her this far. 

What Rory needed was an out, a way to escape the vicious cycle addiction had pulled her into and her step-father had just the thing: a house on a tiny island in Greece,  a fixer upper that needed some love. Of course, he could easily drop a few thousand down and have it renovated much quicker, but he knew Rory had lost her purpose, so he offered it to her on a silver platter.Pride almost kept her in LA. The thinly veiled excuse to get her out wasn’t fooling anyone, but the last straw came when her step father asked her a very simple question: “What’s left for you here?”. For her whole life, LA had only given her pain, hardship, and drugs. Now, the latter was the only thing left. So, she took the deal, and the girl who had never left LA booked a ticket for the other side of the world.

Now, Rory has been on the island for five months. It’s not exactly rehab, but the drug usage has diminished bit by bit, She’s starting to find her footing and become part of the community. She still has that chip on her shoulder, but putting her energy into building something feels good. She’s never built anything in her life, and the house with its extensive gardens needs a lot of work so it’s keeping her extremely busy. When she first got there, the first thing she did was immediately pick up a job as a local bartender because she hates being dependent on her step-father’s money, for fear of him taking it away (trust issues much). The LA dust and glitter is slowly clearing from her eyes, and she’s discovering a much kinder and greener world.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Rory is super charismatic and thus far has been turning on her charm in order to further things in life. She doesn’t have to do this anymore, so her genuine warmness is starting to shine through more. She’s been stung by basically all the relationships in her life, so she holds real companionship extremely close, loyal to the end and extremely passionate and protective. 

Bitch has trust issues and a bit of an edge though, so getting to that deep companionship is really hard.She’s also a rough kid, had to claw and fight her way through her life, so she’s definitely a little rough around the edges. She doesn’t open up quickly, and she has a quick temper that acts as a learned defense mechanism. She definitely has a nasty streak when it comes to defense mechanisms, and can be quick with her wrath.

Years on drugs leading up to this quieter life have made Rory a bit antsy, and though she still does some drugs she’s transitioning to chasing an adrenaline high - her addictive personality is always going to be her fatal flaw.

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2007

18 to 19 years old. Things were slowly starting to get better and better.

15 honorable mentions, but this is still only a top 10. What an incredible, amazing year for music. My favorite hit song for the entire decade is in there! I think everyone already knows what that is because I am, in fact, extremely predictable.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

Second to third year of my History studies. Met a great guy. So great, in fact, that I married him in 2019 because we’re still living together 13 years later. Got my first summer job but spent my first pay on driving lessons, because, again, I needed to get out of my parents’ appartment and knowing how to drive would be good to find a job. I had a much better access to internet. I still had great grades. Things were getting much better.

I stopped making my personal lists of favorite songs that year, and I had an mp3 player, which really opened a world of possibilities even if you could only put something like 40 songs on it, at best.

I was still reading Rock Mag a lot. As you can see, the biggest controversy at the time was what was emo and what wasn’t.

We were alright.

As far as non-elligible songs go, well there’s I Still Remember by Bloc Party (and the fact I can’t put it on the list is a heartbreak and a half) and basically everything from Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails. Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation all had pretty good albums too.

Here’s a metric ton of honorable mentions first!

Snow (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Perfectly pleasant song.

D.A.N.C.E (Justice) - Never understood why this was so popular. Still good.

Love is Gone (David Guetta) - Heyyyy another repetitive dance track, perfect.

Miracle (Cascada), Smack That (Akon), Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol), SexyBack (Justin Timberlake) and Say It Right (Nelly Furtado & Timbaland) - Still elligible songs for that year. Still great songs. Still not making the list.

Butterfly (Superbus) - I didn’t like this band, but I liked that song.

Thanks for the Memories (Fall Out Boy) - Same here basically.

Who Knew (Pink) - Not her best, but not her worst by a mile either.

Walk It Out (Unk) - Stayed in my head for days, I swear. I have no idea what the general opinion about it is nowadays. Maybe that’s a humiliating pick and I genuinely have no idea.

Crank That (Soulja Boy) - I do, however, know that the fact this very nearly made the list IS hilarious.

Alive (Mondotek) - Laugh all you want about the tektonik phenomenon, this is still a banger and a half.

Sound of Freedom (Bob Sinclar & Cutee B) - Not as good as Rock This Party. That’s the only thing I can say against it.

Umbrella (Rihanna) - This is an edit because holy shit I forgot Umbrella. It very nearly made the list too. Sorry.

And now, possibly one of the best top tens yet.

10 - This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race (Fall Out Boy)

US: #32 / FR: #71

Almost everyone got the lyrics wrong. The title is way too long. I really don’t like this band of pretentious idiots; if you’re gonna be pretentious at least write about something more grand and epic than your own navel, and go all out (more on that later). Nobody ever really cared about their supposed feud with Panic! At The Disco. And, to make matters even worse, the singer looked exactly like the terrible ex I had punched in the face the previous year.

This is still a damn good song and it’s on the list instead of any of the honorable mentions.

RIP me.

9 - How To Save A Life (The Fray)

US: #24 / FR: Not on the list

You already know I loved The Fray. This song could have apparently also made the previous list but it’s on this one instead. It was overplayed. I still loved it.

8 - U + Ur Hand (Pink)

US: #29 / FR: Not on the list

In 2002, I bought Pink’s Missundaztood album and as you might remember this was the second album I ever bought in my life, right before the gigantic trainwreck that highschool was.

The fact that about five years (that felt like twelve) later, Pink was on the other side of that trainwreck, back in my earphones, just as energetic and fun as she was before, was nothing short of heartwarming.

7 - Je Suis Un Homme (Zazie)

US: Not on the list / FR: #43

I’m not gonna beat around the bush. This song is terrifying.

Here’s a translation. Yeah, it’s about humanity destroying the Earth and itself in various ways, and it’s preachy, but holy shit, how can something be so bleak, so scary and still so catchy. It’s a mystery.

6 - Double Je (Christophe Willem)

US: Not on the list / FR: #2

When I first heard this song, I genuinely thought that was also Zazie and I was like oh wow, she’s learned to have fun again after that bleak, bleak song.

But no. She only wrote it, and it’s sung by this guy. It’s relatable as hell (”When I grow up it’s gonna be easy, I’ll finally know what I am”, “Who’s fault is it? / I’m something and its opposite / Double me”). The fact that a guy had this kind of voice and that a ton of people loved it (enough for him to win a big talent show and make this the second biggest song of the year!) also did wonders for my dysphoria, by the way.

5 - Ta Meuf (Faf Larage)

US: Not on the list / FR: #19

This is a song applying the most obnoxious rap and hip hop clichés about gangsters (and guys in general) to a woman, and she ends up terrorising all the guys and they’re realising these clichés might, in fact, be really toxic.

It’s a great song about gender roles usually seen in this kind of music and instead of being preachy, it’s hilarious, and well-written (I mean, it’s Faf Larage, it’s a given, but still). Check it out.

4 - Relax Take It Easy (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #12

All hail the new king of pop. He was here to stay and what a breath of fresh air he was. This was very much his year in Europe as soon as the album Life In Cartoon Motion dropped.

My significant other absolutely loved this album and we listened to it wayyyy, way too much, and even with all the radio overplay AND the overplay when we were together, I still can’t get enough of this album.

3 - Love Today (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #39

Here he is again!

If this was any other year this would top the list very easily. What were the US even thinking back then to not let this guy chart. Why isn’t Mika a huge star over there too. What is your problem guys. Do you have something against fun or what.

Anyway, here’s possibly the best comment on the music video:

I mean. You’re not wrong.

2 - What I’ve Done (Linkin Park)

US: #38 / FR: Not on the list

Aaaaaaand they’re back. And they’re once again topping my list. Lord have mercy on me. I loved them so much.

This was the first step into their modern sound, less raw, more U2. A couple of years later, when Lacuna Coil released Shallow Life, I used to joke that Lacuna Coil was trying to sound more and more like Linkin Park, that Linkin Park was trying to sound more and more like U2, and that U2 was trying to sound more and more like boring garbage and. I mean. I wasn’t wrong there.

My absolute favorite part of the song is at 2:24, when the music calms down a bit and the lyrics go “I start again / And whatever pain may come / Today this ends / I’m forgiving what I’ve done” and then the guitar explodes again. So powerful. Love it.

And now you’re probably thinking “so... Linkin Park was back, and with such a top quality song and it’s NOT your #1? After you put a Linkin Park song or a Linkin Park remix at #1 for three years in a row in 2002, 2003 AND 2004? What’s going on, Jo? Are you okay?”

Oh I’m more than okay. Friends and enemies, here comes the absolute best hit song of the entire decade and possibly of my entire life so far.

You probably already know what it is.

1 - Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

US: #59 / FR: Not on the list (shame on you French charts)

I know I keep complaining about stuff I love not charting, or charting but not high enough to make any year-end list, but... How was this even allowed to chart. Why and how did it end up on the US year-end list when so many more radio-friendly hits I loved couldn’t even scratch the hot 100.

I’m not complaining at all. I’m just baffled.

Play the first note on a piano and I’m already a wreck. Heck, I’m pretty sure everyone from my generation is. It was basically our very own Bohemian Rhapsody. It still is. Where do I even start.

Oh. I know. Look at this page from a 2006 Rock Mag, it’s gold.

Yep, they highlighted The Open Door by Evanescence and praised it, and were like “this is very risky and ambitious and we’re not sure you’re gonna like this” for The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Hilarious in hindsight.

A few months later, the same magazine was desesperately using double pages to interview them because everyone adored the album.

So in case you’ve never listened to it (I’m... not even sure why I’m doing this since I’m pretty sure even people who don’t like this type of music have tried to out of sheer curiosity), it’s a concept album about a guy (...possibly. I mean there’s a lot of trans and/or nonbinary hints in the lyrics and did you really NEED to make all of this more relatable? What the hell guys) dying of cancer, remembering all the good and the bad things that happened in his life, and since his fondest memory is seeing a marching band once as a child, death arrives in the form of a marching band. He then settles some scores with his friends and family, says his goodbyes, and... and doesn’t die in the end. He ends up surviving the whole ordeal, and the last song, Famous Last Words, is one the most incredible things I’ve ever heard. It’s so propulsive, uplifting and motivating. “I am not afraid to keep on living / I am not afraid to walk this world alone”. Holy. Shit. Sadly, it’s not elligible.

Welcome to the Black Parade is basically the centerpiece of the album, as you already know or might have guessed, but here’s the thing. It also works out of context because there’s already an entire narrative arc within this one song. It’s larger than life. It’s about death and the meaning of existence. It basically contains all the stages of grief, and the conclusion it reaches is that this guy will be remembered and therefore, he will transcend death. It’s full of rage and passion and triumph. There’s key changes. There’s tempo changes. There’s everything. It’s a rock opera in a single song. I put it on my mp3 player immediately after listening to the album, and it’s still on my mp3 player today. I never, ever removed it. I listened to it countless times and every single time, it feels like rewatching one of my favorite movies.

Best hit song of 2007 by a mile. Best hit song of the decade, hands down, and now that the 2010s are over, I’m pretty confident in saying nothing has topped it so far. I’d say “fight me” if I thought this was a controversial opinion, but it’s not even that controversial.

And that feels damn right.

Next up: Is... is this a list with actual filler? Are you telling us there was ONE mediocre year for music in the 2000s? Sounds fake but okay

[yiriono]

I ESPecially Like You

Description: One day Jaehyun walks in on his classmate, Taeyong, performing an exorcism. 

!highschool au

!psychic au

A/n: Hey guys! This is a high school au Jaeyong fic. Hope you enjoy. Also cross posted on AO3 and AFF. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The ongoing lecture fades into the background, as Jaehyun glances at the clock, eager for class to end. He’s bored, very bored, so bored, in fact he’s resulted to doodling on the corner of his textbook to pass time.

He’d never been a numbers guy, let alone a math person, but here he is anyways, sitting through calculus. Jaehyun didn’t plan on taking the class, considering he barely passed pre-calc, but it was his mom who convinced him to register.

“It’ll be good for your college applications,” she said, “You need to take a harsh course load”.

When he refused, she retaliated with incessant nagging, until Jaehyun eventually caved. She didn’t know the reason he was so hesitant was because it meant removing the class he actually wanted to take: Art.

He hasn’t told her, or anyone really, that he wanted to go to art school. It just didn’t seem like a feasible option, especially when his mom was dead set on his premed pathway. He tried to drop hints, like alluding to RISD’s prestige or talking about the vast career options available for creatives, but each time he gets the same reply. “You can’t make money as an artist, and it’s a dying career. You’re better off as a doctor.”

To that, he scoffs. If anything doctors will get replaced by robots, making med a dying career. But begrudgingly, he listens to her and adds calculus to his course load.

Now sitting here, as the teacher blabbers about derivatives, Jaehyun really regrets the decision. He doesn’t feel like paying attention, instead focusing on his drawing, which is beginning to look less of a doodle but more so a full out sketch. He’s adding contrast to the shadows when his mind drifts to the anime he started last night.

Mob Psycho. A story about an ordinary middle school boy who has special ESP powers.

It occurs to him that he’s an ordinary boy too. Maybe not in middle school but high school should be a fair substitute. What if he actually has powers that have laid dormant in him the whole time? What if, right?

Jaehyun wonders if he concentrates hard enough, maybe he could activate hidden abilities and make time move faster. It’s an immature delusion, but he’s desperate and bored enough to try.

First he clears his mind, before clenching the muscles in his arm, summoning this strange tension that spreads to his fingertips. He points his middle finger at the minute hand, and in one swift motion, moves it up.

As expected, nothing happens. The clock still beats its regular rhythm, continuing it’s dreadfully slow descent to 3pm. He sighs, dropping his hand in defeat. The only thing Jaehyun learns from class was that he has a bad case of eighth grade syndrome.

♥

When the bell finally rings, Jaehyun rushes for the door, only to be blocked by the lanky senior, Doyoung.

“Move” he wails, trying to squish through. But the other boy doesn’t budge.

“Where do you think you’re going”

“Home” Jaehyun retorts, again trying to squirm his way out.

“Oh no you aren’t” Doyoung chuckles. He yanks Jaehyun’s collar, and drags him out into the hall. The brunette tries to free himself, but Doyoung’s grip is firm. “Remember, you still owe me one.”

Jaehyun lets out a low whine. “Please not today”. More than anything, he wants to go home. The day, though mundane and ordinary, felt absolutely draining. What he needs to do right now is plop onto his bed, play his phone games, and recharge before spending the rest of the evening catching up on the wasted calculus lesson.

Unfortunately, the older boy isn’t at all sympathetic. “Lot’s of work to be done,” he says, completely ignoring Jaehyun’s plea, “It’s nearing exam season, so the student council is especially busy. You’re going to help us with the mountain of paperwork piling on my desk.”

Doyoung pinches his nose bridge, as he lets out this frustrated sigh. “I swear it never ends. Just when I think I’m done for the day, the administration needs us to do more.”

To this, Jaehyun can’t help but to feel sorry for the elder.

He’s weak, always has, at rejecting people’s requests, especially Doyoung’s. During freshman year, they shared a class together; the older had forgotten to take his mandatory art credit the year before, which resulted in being placed in a lower grade. The other boy, though irritatingly uptight, had grown to become one of Jaehyun’s best friends. So as much as he’s craving to rewind at home, he’d rather not have Doyoung work till death.

“Okay fine” he concedes.

Doyoung’s taken back, clearly not expecting Jaehyun to agree. He lets out a grating laugh, causing some heads to turn towards them, before his lips settle into a small smirk. “Good boy.”

Jaehyun groans at the reply. “Don’t make me change my mind” he warns, but with no resolution to enforce his words.

♥

By the time Jaehyun finally leaves school, the sun was beginning to set. Orange and purple hues spread across the sky, expansive and continuous like the sea. Slowly, the bustling town begins to retire: with shops flipping their open signs, cats returning to their homes, and children abandoning the park swings.

The walk home gives him mixed feelings. It’s strange seeing the once lively streets desolate. But at the same time, the emptiness is calming, giving Jaehyun the luxury of silence.

He’s about to reach the end of the block, when he hears this loud crash coming from the alley up ahead. It’s followed by a gruff yelp, and the sound of explosions, like those dramatic booms you hear in action movies.

An ominous feeling travels across Jaehyun’s body, causing him to shiver. He should probably turn back now and take another route, whatever's going on sounds like trouble. For all he knows, it's a gang fight or a mugging. He backs away, ready to run away, before he hears this shrill scream.

It’s a woman, and she sounds distressed.

This was probably a signal for him to get the fuck away, but Jaehyun can’t move. Not when someone’s in trouble. Every instinct in him is telling him to withdraw, but he doesn’t break. Instead, he takes a deep breath, before forcing himself to run up to the alley. His feet feel heavy, a sign of his body’s resistance, but he goes through with it anyways.

He’s standing near the entrance, expecting some grand crime to be occurring, but only to be greeted by darkness. But the screams are still ongoing, sounding even more twisted and pained than previously.

Jaehyun takes another step, when he notices something.

There, at the very back of the alleyway, is this boy wearing a red jacket, his face is covered by the hood. His arm is outreached, while his hand is bent in a way that looks like a claw. Jaehyun’s eyes trail up to the direction the boy’s facing, before he sees it.

The source of the eerie noises, also the most disgusting thing Jaehyun has ever seen: a tall, black figure, with what seems like human hands sticking from its sides. The thing suddenly leaps at the boy, but only for him to suddenly disappear, causing the monster to miss and slam right into the floor.

The boy in the red jacket then appears out of nowhere, before raising his arm, positioned in the same way Jaehyun had earlier in class, and flicks his wrist. This causes the black figure to be flung up: and when the boy moves his wrist down, accordingly, the figure is hurled back down. The thing momentarily stops moving, clearly worn out by the battle that’s transpired. Jaehyun watches, absolutely shocked, as the boy walks over to the figure while muttering something Jaehyun can’t make out, lifts his hand and snaps.

The disgusting creature vanishes. Gone. Vamoosh.

Jaehyun blinks hard, several times, but the thing really did disappear. He barely has time to process what had just happened when the boy in the red jacket lets out a satisfied chuckle, and bends over to pick up a blue backpack that was leaning against the brick wall. At some point during the fight, the hood had fallen off, revealing matching bright red hair that messily spikes all over the place. But in the dim lighting, Jaehyun can’t make out the boy’s face.

“Oh shit there’s garbage all over you” the boy mutters to his backpack, as he picks off the unwanted remnants that litter the bag.

It doesn’t strike Jaehyun that he’s been standing there in utter silence the whole time until the boy, who had been walking towards the exit, suddenly stops in his trail when he sees Jaehyun.

As a final departing gesture, the sun travels to where their standing, finally illuminating the murky alley. Nature exposes the boy, thrusting him away from the mask of darkness, revealing a very familiar face.

“Lee Taeyong?” Jaehyun exclaims.

It’s him alright. That unreal beauty and insanely sharp jawline could only belong to one person.

Taeyong lets out a brief gasp, before suddenly, he dissipates into thin air.

“What the fuck..”

Jaehyun looks around, but there’s not a trace of the other boy, just an emptiness and large garbage bins nestled at the end of the alleyway.

Bewildered, Jaehyun pinches himself. Hard.

“Ow”

[lady-of-lyon]

Why I Love Steven Universe the Movie - There Are Spoilers

I saw the Steven Universe movie the day after it came out, on the Cartoon Network app. Immediately after watching it, the first thought I had was, “well, that happened.” It seemed a bit bizarre and empty to me at the time, but after a few weeks of ruminating, it slowly began to connect with me more and more.

I get why people don’t like this movie. There are a lot of things I don’t like about it too. The whole journey with the main characters rediscovering what they had already learned in the show was to me uninteresting and unfulfilling. Amnesia is a tricky plot device because it’s an easy cop out, and it’s often used as nothing other than that especially in this movie, where the characters don’t grow or learn, they just fall back to square one and regrow, which creates an illusion of character development that doesn’t really develop anything. The best this movie does with this concept is with Pearl, by clarifying that it wasn’t Rose who gave her her independence but independence itself, but amnesia wasn’t really necessary to make this statement, and other than that what’s learned leaves no impact. Even Steven’s journey is a retread, and he doesn’t have an excuse, because he doesn’t have amnesia. Cool things can be done with amnesia, the movie Memento for one is a prime example, and I also like to direct you to the Criminal Minds season 3 episode Tabula Rasa, but Steven Universe does not do such things.

A lot of the songs in the movie were also sub-par. Let Us Adore You (especially the reprise), Other Friends and Drift Away stick with you, and system/BOOT. PearlFinal (3).Info is cute, but other than that the songs do what their more memorable colleague mentions - they drift away. Yes, burn me at the stake, I did not care for True Kinda Love. To start with it’s not really my kind of music, and it especially rubbed me the wrong way when its chill elevator jams were chosen to accompany the most desperate and dramatic scene in the movie. The pacing is also messed up; little time is spent showing what Steven’s happily ever after actually looks like, so it feels rushed and low-stakes when Spinel comes in to destroy it. I was also personally a bit miffed when Spinel was briefly reverted to being evil just over a bad word choice on Steven’s part, even after the beautiful garden scene.

And of course, the elephant in the room, the treatment of Pink Diamond, with her splitting the fanbase on whether she’s irredeemable or whether the movie unfairly makes her seem so without playing devil’s advocate and acknowledging the abuse that we learned from the series she was taking and how that effected her actions. I won’t dip my toes too deep in that, but I agree with the fanbase that it could’ve been dealt with better.

Wow, it sounds like I really don’t like this movie, huh? And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have, if it weren’t for Spinel.

From parent’s day out on to today, I’ve always gone to small schools. My graduating highschool class had nine people in it, who were all very different in terms of personality and personal goals, and the same can be said of all my other classes. Small schools love to talk about how great small schools are, and how it builds such a strong community, and how the students become family, but it isn’t true. Instead the result was a group of people who were friendly with one another not because they were actually friends, but because they had no other choice, because these were the only people that were around them. You weren’t ever able to find someone who you can really connect with, and even when you kinda did, despite how much you hugged and hung out and ate lunch together, there was always this sense that it was out of necessity, that you were only friends because no one else had even the slightest hint of being compatible. That’s the reason I love shows and movies so much about strangers being forced together to save the day and become friends in the process, because I know from personal experience that something like that is so impossible that the mere thought of it working out is a world of escapism.

And that was the headspace I was in most of my life - escapism, denial. I really did believe the small schools were right, that me and my classmates were close, that we were family. I went on thinking that they liked me, that I was the class clown, the entertainment, their friend. But I found out, that could not be further from the truth.

I switched schools partway through my sixth grade year, mostly because of this teacher I had. She was disorganized and mean and had a personal vendetta against me, so my parents pulled me out. As I was leaving, though, she told me what I hadn’t seen - my classmates hated me. They thought I was weird, and annoying, and childish, and wanted nothing to do with me. She was right, as was confirmed to me last summer by one of the two classmates who were nice to me from that school that I reconnected with, but her saying that really messed me up. I was eleven, why wouldn’t it?

Moving into my new school I was paranoid. It didn’t help that the students here much more openly showed their disdain for things, so they didn’t talk about me behind my back - I mean, I’m sure they did, but more importantly they talked about me to my face. There was a lot of bullying in that middleschool, so I did what I thought was the only choice I had. I distanced myself from them, isolated myself, and further did everything I could to get back. I was a tattle tale. I threw tantrums, and then ran away. I played into my own negative image, because I knew I wasn’t one of them, they had made that very clear, so surely that meant I was against them, right?

But then highschool rolled around. Things were different. The students in my class were largely different from the ones in middleschool, either because they matured or just came in from another school, replacing many who had left. At the start of my freshman year there was still some of that antagonism left in me, but it slowly faded out because I realized I was really, really lonely. I fell back on my attempts to be a class clown, to be entertainment, not because it was who I was and I was in denial by believing they liked me that way, but as a desperate ploy to get friends back. It was the only thing I knew how to do when it came to connecting with others, and of course I fell on my face. Many times. Sometimes literally. The more I tried and failed, the more sad I became, because this time my conclusion wasn’t that they didn’t like me because they were shallow bullies, my conclusion was that they didn’t like me because I was unlikeable.

I was excited going into college for the chance to start fresh, but that mindset still lingered in the back of my head. It kept me from making a lot of friends, because I wouldn’t try, because the fear of being hated outweighed the hope of being happy.

I was pretty lonely my first two years.

You can probably see a few parallels between me and Spinel, and if you can’t I’ll make it clearer. Obviously our life story isn’t the same, but so much of it is alike. Like Spinel I believed that someone who didn’t love me loved me. It wasn’t my fault, or their’s. It was because we were forced together by an institution that could not allow either of us to be happy, only I was in denial about it, and the other people were just grated by my childish optimism. If course I could never make them happy, we weren’t in the right places. But when I found out I wasn’t wanted, from the teacher telling me I wasn’t, to my school’s girl scout troop quietly ceasing to invite me to campouts, despite assuring me that changing schools wasn’t going to keep me from being a part of the troop, to each of my classmates from there following me when I joined social media just to unfollow me a few weeks later, it was a system shock, and I was devastated. I felt like a fool for ever even giving them the time of day, and so I lashed out. The people who got my wrath didn’t deserve it. The middleschoolers were bullies, yes, but they were going through their own insecurities and were just facing the world in a different way. Neither of us were in the right. And when it finally dawned on me that my treatment of them was unloving, it wasn’t because I came to that conclusion, but because I thought I wasn’t able to be loved - I used to be not good enough for them, and now I wasn’t good at all.

Spinel’s phase of self-hatred after her phase of aggression is brief, but it still speaks to me. She doesn’t want to be seen, and while she wants to make friends again, she’s convinced that she’s already ruined things for the people around her. She needs a fresh start.

And that’s where the happy ending comes. I am now happily in a wonderful group of friends. We all eat dinner together not because we have to, but because we want to. It took me a while to connect with them because I was still learning about myself, but after about a year of therapy and heart-to-hearts, I am happy. They are to me what the diamonds will be to Spinel. It shows that it is possible to be loved, to have friends, even when it seems like you’ve ruined everything for yourself.

And that’s why I love Steven Universe the Movie, because it isn’t Steven’s movie, it’s Spinel’s, and in some ways it’s my own. There’s probably not too many people who connected with Spinel’s story like I did, but it was just so powerful to me. She tries to make friends in a group she’s just not compatible with, and when things obviously don’t work out, she lashes out, assuming first that friends aren’t possible, that they’re just going to use you and talk behind your back and leave you behind, and then assuming that she just isn’t lovable. But she learns that there’s hope. She learns that she’s wrong, and it doesn’t seem to be Steven who teaches her this. Her breakdown of “what am I doing? Why do I want to hurt you so bad” comes when she looks at herself and what she’s become. Steven makes her want to try, to try to be better, but ultimately he’s not the one who can save her. It’s clear throughout the movie that he actually doesn’t want to be Spinel’s friend, so it makes sense that he won’t be, that they’re not compatible - I was wrong for antagonizing my middleschool classmates, but I don’t think we could’ve been friends, same with my highschool classmates - the diamonds, however, who, for all you want to say about them, have a lot of personal growth to do on their own, actually do want her. They latch on to her personality, she genuinely gives them joy where other’s couldn’t, and where she couldn’t to others. So they fly off - and Steven’s right, it’s not quite a happily ever after, because there’s still going to be a lot of work to do, but to me, it is a happy ending.

Because someday, somewhere, somehow, you’ll love again.

You just need to find someone.