#i mean my mom said she would talk over the cost with dad but like. we do not have that money rn.

[vanillabat99]

I just tried registering for a class for September, and it did not go well ._.

First of all, "Highschol Upgrading" and "Continuing Education" are VAGUE AS FUCK!!!! What do those even mean??? Which one am I??? Who knows!! There's no information anywhere on the website for which set of courses I should look at!!!!

And then!! Once I finally found my way to a schedule page, there was tiny print at the bottom that said that the daytime classes are for students 19 and under, which I am not!! So I had to click on the tiny little link next to it saying evening classes were for students 20+ (which is the ONLY thing i ever saw for students 20+ on the entire website 🙃) and look through the even smaller list of available classes!!

There's no mask mandate, nothing listed anywhere for learning accomodations, and you can't miss more than 2 days of class or else they kick you out. The courses are 480$ each. I have a year and a half of school to finish.

To add insult to injury, they don't offer any courses in French, which means I can't get my bilingual certificate, so I spent my entire education in another language just to have it thrown away at the end due to circumstances outside of my control :)))

I really don't know if it's worth it anymore. Especially since I've been out of school for a couple years already, so I don't even know which grade-level I should sign up for. I've already lost my insurance coverage, which was my only reason for trying to stay in school anyways. It's probably for the best that I can't afford the class. I'm still upset about it though ._.

[mind-intheclouds342]

A new ladder - Reader x Curly

Previous - Part 4 - Next

"I really hope Lin doesn't come to check on you, she'll kill me."

You said, sighing and gently applying cream to Curly's face, neck, and collarbone, as it was red from sun exposure after you had fallen asleep in the meadow until a light drizzle woke you up to return to the house. 

Curly: "I don't think so... She'll understand."

"Pfft, yeah right, I'm going to be horribly scolded by her if she finds out, she was always strict with me." 

Curly: "It seems like we're not talking about the same person."

"Of course we don't, you talk about the one who was your fiancée, I talk about my older sister."

Those words lingered in his mind, unwilling to understand that the woman he had met could be so different with him than with her own family. 

Curly: "...How have she been?"

"Mm... She has two children, Mike and Agatha, aged 20 and 15, they are good kids, she is married to Jake, he isn't home much because of his job, but he earns well, they all seem to be happy. Mike left home at 15 anyway, but he keep in contact" 

It certainly hit him hard to know the age of the eldest son, thinking there was an extraordinary chance.

Curly: "Let's say... Mike, how does it look?"

It piqued your curiosity when he asked that, until you put the pieces together. 

"Mike isn't yours, don't worry, he's an exact copy of Jake, even with the same allergies. Trust me"

Curly: "Then I should have been in cryostasis a bit longer... Isn't that right?"

"Didn't those capsules only last 20 years? They found you before the energy ran out."

Curly: "Maybe there was a miscalculation-"

"Lin said you had 2 months left in that capsule, if they found you later you would be dead." 

Curly: "Maybe someone-!"

You were startled when he suddenly approached you, you could see the nerves and desperation in his eye, along with his agitated breathing.

Curly: "If the boy is 20... That means she..."

"...I'm very sorry that... The person you thought you knew wasn't really as perfect as you thought..." 

You shrugged, looking at the ground, not knowing how to console him upon learning that his fiancée, while he was doing his delivery job, had been cheating on him with someone else, with whom she later married after he didn't return. 

In that instant, Curly realized something: all the effort, everything he had achieved, the ladder that had cost him so much to climb to the top, simply crumbled in a second.

You heard him start to laugh, or maybe sob, it was a strange mix of sounds he was producing. 

Curly: "I have nothing left... I can start over-"

"Okay, you're scaring me— I don't know if you're happy or sad—" 

Curly: "I don't know either!" he said, letting out a laugh. 

"I'll go get your pills and water." 

You got up from your seat to go get that, but you stopped when you heard someone knock on the door. 

You sighed, running your hand over your face. 

"It's like she have an alarm and it knows when I do something..." 

You knew very well that he was waiting behind the door, so you went to open it trying to put on your best face. 

Mike: "Hey, aunty" 

What a surprise you got when you saw your nephew with his mother; the boy took a step forward to give you a hug, which you reciprocated. 

"What are you doing here?"

Mike: "Mom told me you were back in town, so I came to see you, can I come in?"

Linda: "Come on, remember there's someone else here, I have to talk to (Y/n)"

The boy rolled his eyes without looking at his mother, as if to say "I didn't ask you" while he walked into the house. 

Linda: "I hope you're not doing the same thing Dad used to do and giving him his pills with chocolate."

You crossed your arms, looking at her in silence, you weren't going to admit that you almost did it once, but then you retracted and you gave him all his medications with a glass of water and maybe a candy if it felt too bitter in his mouth. 

Linda: "Of course," she ran her hand over her face, "You love giving people placebos, you always do the same thing."

"Just so you know, that's how your children learned to swallow pills without fear." 

Linda: "Don't you think what you're doing is horrible? The medications are wasted in your hands."

"I'm not stupid! I haven't done that in years! Stop treating me like a child!"

Linda: "Stop acting like one then!" 

She took you by the arm to pull you outside so you could continue arguing, closing the door so nothing could be heard from inside. 

Curly: "...I had never heard her scream..."

He mentioned sitting in the dining room with the boy in front of him. 

Mike: "That's how she is, she has a nice personality with people outside, but when it comes to family, she scolds you a lot." 

They both stared at each other for a moment, until the boy rested his face in his hand, smiling at him.

Mike: "So you are the famous Curly, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

Curly: "You must be Mike"

Mike: "The same, my mom used to tell me about you, saying that I was your son, that was a great story until I started having suspicions, and at 15 I found out I was the biological son of the man she is married to."

Curly: "Why would she lie about something like that?"

Mike: "Why? So they don't think she was slut, that she got married because she got pregnant, she lied to everyone saying it was your baby, and they believed her. When I was born and you didn't come back, then she could do and say whatever she wanted." 

The man fell silent, thinking about what kind of person he was going to marry, and how he couldn't see through her and notice her deceit. 

Curly: "I was... Used to seeing the image in general..." 

Mike: "At least you got saved, and I'm glad my aunt is taking care of you, she's great, right?" 

Curly: "She is... extravagant, to say the least." 

Both were startled when they heard the door slam open.

Linda: "Mike! We should leave now, darling." 

"Get out of here already! Don't even think about coming back!"

The difference in voices was very striking, one so calm and the other so agitated.

The boy said goodbye to Curly by waving his hand side to side and got up to leave with his mother, despite not liking the idea. 

Once again, the door slammed shut, and a muffled scream was heard; you had taken a pillow from the couch to scream into it and not make too much noise. 

Curly sat there, not knowing what to do or say about it, until he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen, leaving a glass of water and the pills for that schedule. 

You were standing next to him, your head turned in another direction, wanting to leave but knowing he couldn't take the pills on his own. 

You sighed, taking a seat and helping him take the pills. Then he could see it, the red mark on your cheek. 

"You just need to continue with some medications for a couple more months and then you won't have to keep taking all these horrible things." 

Curly: "When I am self-sufficient... What will happen?"

"I guess I'll leave," you shrugged. 

Curly; "Oh"

It was the only thing he said, he wanted to say many more things but, he couldn't, so he just decided to accept the solitary fate that sheltered him. 

[dandylion240]

Returning home Fox wondered what, if anything, he should say to his sister. He doubted Brad would say anything to her. He probably didn’t think he did anything wrong.

“You’re late,” his dad called from the kitchen.

“I’ll be right down,” he called while running up the stairs. Stopping in front of his sister’s bedroom door he took a moment to catch his breath even though he was barely breathing hard. 

Stella spun around in front of her mirror imagining the way her wedding dress would swirl as she danced in her frog prince’s arms. “Come in,” she called in response to the soft knock on her door. 

“Do you have a moment?” Fox asked, sticking his head inside her room.

“What do you want?” she demanded frowning at her older brother. “If you’re here about the tuxedo the complaint department is closed.”

Fox chuckled a little, shaking his head. “It has nothing to do with the tux; although my complaints are valid.”

“Suck it up buttercup,” she said, turning away from him to close her closet door. 

He made a face “ugh Stel you know that tux cost more than it’s worth.”

Putting her hands on her hips “I thought you weren’t here to complain?”

Making hand dampening motions “I’m not.”

“Good,” she said, flopping on her bed. 

“Um,” Fox shuffled in place, shoving his hands in his pockets, he studied the floor at his feet. Looking up he found his sister staring at him.

“You’re making me nervous,” she said. She gave him an appraising look “did you meet someone? You did, didn’t you?”

“What! No,” he denied, unable to meet her gaze.

“You so did,” she bounced on the bed. “What’s she like? Is she pretty? Smart? Do I know her?”

His face was a mixture of exasperation, confusion and dreamy expectation as her questions bombarded him. “Look I didn’t come up here to talk about me.”

“Oh?” her eyes glittering with amusement “then why did you?”

“Are you sure you want to get married? To Brad, I mean.” 

“Of course I do,” she leaned back a dreamy look on her face “I’ve always known I was going to marry him.”

“Why?” the single word coming out more like an angry bark.

Cocking her head to the side “what’s all this about?”

“I um…” his words faltered, “I saw Brad with some girl at the bar.”

Shaking her head “no you’re wrong. He said he was going straight home to help his mom in the garden.”

Fox shrugged “I spoke to him…”

“You’re lying,” she cried “I knew you never liked him but to this…” Grabbing a pillow she threw it at him “get out.”

“Stel listen to me,” he pleaded.

“No,” she ran at him, pushing him towards the door “get out.”

He let her push him. Watched as she slammed her door in his face. Helpless fury poured through him. “Hey don’t shoot the messenger just because you don’t like what you hear,” he shouted.

“Go away,” she shouted back from the otherside of the door. “I hate you.”

“What’s all the shouting about?” Damian demanded coming from his bedroom.

Fox jerked his head towards his father, “sorry,” he mumbled.

Damian gave him an understanding smile. “I know your sister is being a bit of a bridezilla right now but you know she loves you, right?”

Scratching his head Fox looked over his shoulder at his sister’s close door. “It has nothing to do with that.”

Frowning Damian leaned against his door, crossing his arms “then what happened?”

Fox sighed, “maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“Depends on what it is you said,” Damian said. “Was it something she needed to know?”

“Oh yeah,” Fox said empathetically. 

“She’ll get over it,” Damian said.

Looking over his shoulder Fox shook his head “what if she doesn’t?”

Frowning Damian straightened “son I think you need to tell me what happened.”

“I saw Brad making out with a girl,” Fox blurted.

“Oh,” understanding made the simple utterance hang in the air between them. 

“She doesn’t believe me,” Fox said, pushing the words out as his chest tightened. “I thought she needed to know. Now she hates me.”

Before he knew what was happening Fox found himself enveloped in his father’s arms. 

“You did the right thing,” Damian assured him. 

“But she hates me,” Fox said wondering why those words hurt so much when she’d said the very same thing to him in the past.

“She doesn’t,” Damian said, giving him a squeeze before releasing him. “You know how she is. I’ll talk to her.”

“I don’t know,” Fox said, glancing back at his sister’s door “I think this time is different.”

“Supper’s ready so you better go down so your dad doesn’t worry,” Damian said turning towards his daughter’s room “and I’ll talk to your sister.”

“You know he’s going to worry anyway,” Fox said as he started to walk away.

Damian nodded, “just tell him I’ll explain everything later.” As Fox walked away, Damian knocked softly “Stella it’s your dad. Can I come in?”

“Leave me alone,” she cried from somewhere inside.

“Stella, we need to talk about Brad. The wedding.” Damian waited outside, trying the door handle only to find it locked. 

“You never liked Brad,” she shouted back.

Damian let out a heavy sigh. “Let me in so we can talk.”

“Go away,” she said.

Short of breaking down the door Damian knew they weren’t going to be talking anytime soon. “Honey, when you’re ready to talk I’ll be here.” He waited a few more minutes hoping to hear the click of the lock signaling he could go in. Running his fingers through his hair he knew how stubborn his daughter could be and if she made up her mind she didn’t want to talk, nothing was going to change her mind. 

Defeated, he joined the rest of his family in the dining room. 

Fox looked up, “did you talk to her?”

Shaking his head he sat down “I’ll try later.”

“Maybe I should,” Fox got half way up from his chair.

“No,” Jason said “we’ll wait until she’s ready.” He glanced at his husband and son. “You know nothing we say now is going to help, not unless she’s ready to talk to us.”

“You’re right,” Damian agreed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his husband’s cheek.

Previous/Beginning/Next

[candybowbeansies]

Butterflies

warnings/notes: in which Tamaki is the biological father of one scheming littol daughter 🥺 she's on the quiet side like her dad, but she is a genius little mastermind, and he never knows what she's planning behind that sweet smile of hers lmfao told mostly in reader's POV! sfw, gets somewhat suggestive at the end.

All purple like this contains some added tidbits the reader is rather oblivious to/cuteness for the giggles! 

Otherwise, it's for flavor.

P/N means parent name aka Mom, Dad, Parent, etc. to keep it gn and i've decided to write this in a different pattern than usual! I'm taking inspiration from a game from a certain childcare webtoon I am in love with.

ages ago i talked bout DILFs and their daughters trying to hook their dads up with babysitter reader w one of my lovely moots n this came to be 🙏 may or may not write this premise for other guys(definitely Dadzawa n Toshi 🥺👉👈)

Chouka Amajiki.

She was a sweet little angel. A lover of butterflies, just like her father, and avid collector of floral patterns, most of her wardrobe containing flowers she knew the meanings and scientific names of, courtesy of her father.

The flowery butterfly princess, as she so called herself, much similar to her namesake, was on the quiet side like her father. You know the saying, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? This applies to Mr. Amajiki, being the tree, and Chouka, his daughter, being the apple.

They were very similar in a lot of ways, yet while Chouka was on the introverted side, she was highly adventurous and quite charismatic for her age.

And you? You had the honor of being her full-time babysitter, because the moment her full attention landed on you...suffice to say, she clung and would not let go. Poor Mr. Amajiki had a time of it until a happy medium for all three parties was reached, followed by profuse apologies from him.

The reason why she latched onto you at the hip? You didn't know this, but she saw you interacting with her father, who reacted rather suspiciously like the princes do in fairytales around you. So her little mind connected the dots, and after some sneaky probing, she found out her dad has a crush on you, and the feeling was mutual from what she saw of you. From that moment on, she made it her goal to get you two together, no matter the cost! Daddy did like to spoil his little girl, after all. And she'd be so happy to have a P/N.

You were more than happy to take care of her while he was out on his job, having already been unofficially put in charge of gaggles of kids that belonged to his sidekicks and staff members at his main building.

You were happy to play games with her and let her apply makeup to your face-which she was quite good at, much to your surprise. This went on for a good few months, and she had quite the inventive little imagination.

One day, she wanted to play a new game she had made up, with rules and all, just before bedtime. 

"Dad's the octopus," she says, handing him the container full of cards depicting a cartoony mollusc. "Y/N's the butterfly, and I'm the flower!" she hands you your container, proudly holding up hers. 

"Daaad, I said, no peeking." she complains to her father, who's curiosity won over. He chuckles sheepishly, reclosing the container. "Won't peek again, I promise." he smiles to her. In turn, she puffs out her cheeks cutely, squinting at him suspiciously. "The rules are..." she draws out, before turning to you, opening her canister. All of them were facing down, to add an element of surprise.

"We each gotta take turns, being the chooser! Like this, Y/N, pick a card from mine! Only one, only one!" she holds out her canister with childlike glee. You take your pick, pulling out the top card which shows a glittery heart sticker on the cartoony flower's forehead. "Lemme see!" she makes grabby hands, 'oooo'ing when she sees it.

"And then, the chooser turns into the smoocher." she points to her forehead, pointedly ignoring her dad's soft noise of apprehension.

You, ignorant to her scheme, thought her game was cute. Even more so when she pouted, offering to 'give smooches' in his and yours stead when her father expressed his hesitation to go along. Eventually, though, she managed to talk you into going along with it, because it's just an innocent game, after all, right? Except it wasn't, and her father immediately pieced together her shenanigans when he pulled the last card from your container, having already long since promised and swore up and down that he'd at least give the final smooch, all on his honor.

"Princess, I--" he all but chokes, feeling lightheaded as his whole face lights up like a Christmas light, down his shoulders and up his pointed ears. 

"No!" she immediately puts her foot down, "You promised!" tears starting to well up in her eyes signaling an incoming tantrum only a child her age could have.

And your first response was to pacify her-if she got too worked up tonight, she'd never go to bed. There'd be hours of crying and screaming, and poor Mr. Amajiki didn't need to suffer that if it was avoidable.

"What is it?" you began, reaching out for the card. It couldn't be that bad, right?

He hesitantly hands you the card, and you flip it over. A kiss on the corner of the lips.

It wasn't too far-fetched, considering she'd been easing you and her dad into goodbye and good night kisses-mostly with her. She had to get you comfortable with it, unbeknownst to you, but her father proved to be a tough cookie, much to her chagrin.

"Oh..." you sound, cheeks heating up. Your heart patters, and you try not to get your hopes up, instead trying to focus on averting the incoming crisis of Chouka's meltdown.

"It's not...too bad. If...it's not too uncomfortable," you struggle to find words, "Maybe...think of it as a good-night kiss...?" you offer, unable to keep disappointment from seeping into your tone slightly, feeling utterly lame, trying to keep your eyes focused anywhere except for on him.

It's so his daughter doesn't have a conniption fit, you tell yourself a few times.

"Yeah!" Chouka cheers.

Definitely not because you'd like to be kissed by him, you tell yourself. To make his daughter happy, so she doesn't throw--

Your thoughts turn into a trainwreck, when you see him lean in from your peripheral, and they come to a screeching halt when you turn your head just enough in surprise that his lips full-on meet yours.

You hear Chouka clapping and giggling as you hurry to once more avert your gaze from him, barely managing to even register what she says as she bolts off; "Yay! Okay, goodnight Daddy, goodnight Y/N! I'll tuck myself in tonight!"

The few moments that pass seem like an eternity. You had to apologize, you turned your head on accident, you reason. You gape like a freaking goldfish, "S-sorry, Mr. Amajiki, I--" you lose any courage as quickly as you got it when you look up at him.

"Tamaki."

When did he get so close?

"Tamaki..." his name softly escapes you. He smiles, tilting his head, and he leans in, placing a soft kiss on your lips before pulling away. His slightly flushed features, his mesmerizing deep indigos, his closeness, his scent. It was all quickly becoming too much.

"T'ma..." you hum softly. His handsome deep chuckle is music to your ears, the pointed tips of his own twitching receptively. "Yes, butterfly?" he asks.

It’s in that moment you knew he knew about your little crush on him.Before you could even ask, utterly mortified, he's your boss for fuck's sake, you hear him chuckle again. "Well..." he huffs softly, "Couldn't exactly be anymore obvious." he points out.

Now it's your turn to light up like a Christmas light. Next thing, you’re trying to cover your face with your hands, wondering just how long he knew. But his hands loosely curl around yours, coaxingly. “C’mon, lemme see…?” he asks gently, and you let him. “Oh, butterfly…” he sighs, his deep voice husky, sexy, and undeniably lovestruck. “You’re making it harder to look away, tonight…” he whispers, leaning in to gently press his forehead against yours.

“Do you wanna…?” he trails off suggestively. “Yeah…” a soft affirmation escapes you. His features contort into a handsome smile as he tilts his head to place another kiss of your lips. “Good.” you hear him say.

You won’t get any sleep tonight.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓

105 for 🐓:

---

Funny enough, it goes just like it used to. 

“You’re selfish and impulsive and have zero concern about anyone else.”

“You think it’s funny, just disappearing like that? Not answering your phone?”

“You’re not a child anymore, Evan, but you still act like one.”

As a kid, he had cried. As a young teenager, he’d taken pride in their anger. Scorn. Like good, feel something. As an older teen and young adult, he’d fought back. But now, he just stands there in front of him, letting the whole thing wash over him. Like he deserves it. Maybe he does. Deserve it. He didn’t as a kid, but maybe he does now. 

“Sorry,” he eventually mumbles flatly. “I just thought all my moping and sulking wasn’t doing enough to ruin Christmas. Had to figure out a different way to steal Maddie’s attention, you know?”

Instead of seeming embarrassed that he obviously overheard them shit-talking him, they seem enraged that he would bring it up. The lecturing continues. 

“Incredibly shallow and self-centered…”

“...Don’t know how we can ever be expected to have any sort of relationship with someone this vindictive!”

“We have tried!” 

And he understands their meaning. They’re done with trying. The farce is over. They can all stop pretending this has ever intentionally included him. It’s always been about Maddie and access to their grandkids. Maybe that will be a relief, at the end of the day. No more pity invites. No more trying to curl himself into a tighter, more acceptable shape. He can simply be unbothered, alone. 

“Okay,” he says quietly. “I’ll go in the morning, then.”

“We’re not kicking you out,” Margaret sighs. “Don’t make it sound like that’s what we’re doing.”

“Okay,” Buck agrees. “But isn’t that what you want?”

They deny it. But it takes a little too long for them to respond. They have to actually consider. And the thing is, Buck doesn’t. He doesn’t have to wonder at all what the hesitation is. 

“I’ll be out of your hair in the morning,” Buck says, then he turns around and stomps upstairs. 

⬅️

He showers quickly and quietly. He stares at the white bathroom tiles until his eyes hurt. He feels like garbage. Not just body wise. He just feels like garbage. Period. 

He can’t fall asleep right away, so he deals with his flight. The layover will suck, and he won’t get home until the middle of the day on Christmas, but whatever. He changes it. He’d rather be alone than here. And, maybe… Maybe Bobby’s offer still stands. 

Eventually, he puts the phone away, but he still can’t sleep. He finds himself crying. Even though he feels sort of dehydrated and like crying is probably unadvisable. 

He thought he was being quiet, but apparently not so much. Because around three, there’s a soft knock on his door. At first, his instinct is to fake sleep. To avoid his parents at all costs. But he’s not a kid anymore. They’re not going to check on him or tell him to sleep. So that leaves only one realistic option.

The door cracks open.

“Buck?” Maddie says quietly. 

Buck sits up in bed but doesn’t even bother turning on the light. He can picture her easily. Standing there in pink, snowflake print pajamas, the beginnings of a baby bump concealed by the loose fabric, worried expression on her face. 

“I’m fine,” Buck rasps, lying. 

“Well, we can hear you crying, so…”

Buck groans. “Sorry.”

“Not the person whose crying I expected to wake me,” Maddie admits. She walks over and sits on the edge of Buck’s bed. “But it’s okay. Hard to get back to sleep after Mom and Dad’s yelling, anyway.”

Buck doesn’t say anything. She heard it all then.

“I’m sorry,” Maddie says. “I wanted to keep an eye on you over the holidays, but this… This just made everything worse.”

“I’m an adult, Maddie. I could have said no.”

He did, after all, have a warning and another option.

“I should have…” Maddie struggles. “I don’t know. Prevented this.”

“I overheard what they said to you and Chim,” Buck says. “I can’t win, Maddie. I didn’t do anything. So it doesn’t really matter.”

“You’re not really leaving are you?” She asks.

“Already changed my flight,” Buck explains. 

“I’m sorry,” Maddie says again. 

Buck sighs. “Maddie, I knew what I was doing when I came here.”

“What does that mean?” She asks.

“It means… It means I knew they only invited me, through you, because they wanted you to come. It means I know they don’t like me, and don’t really love me,” Buck says. “Or, maybe they do… But, they really don’t like who I am. They try, but they don’t. And it’s… I guess it’s the confirmation I was looking for.”

“Of what?” Maddie asks. 

“That I’m not really what anyone wants around. Not for long.”

[dinkydiamond]

What follows is a detailed, song by song account of my 1st Sparks gig, 30 Oct. 2013 ✨✨

(This is long)

31 October 2013

I SAW SPARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing, just so amazing. I’d go again in a heartbeat, if only I could. I’m still just so amazed from the show last night. I wish I’d taken photos, although they asked for no photos (or charcoal drawings — hah!). I just feel so lucky and so blessed about what I got to see last night. I do regret it was not recorded for posterity. Let me start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

*PROLOGUE*

On the day before the show, the radiator of my car broke and all the radiator fluid leaked out. How was I going to get to Boston now? Urgently, I went on the computer to find alternative means of travelling to Boston. I considered my options, which, coming from rural NH, were slim. I’ve never driven to Boston before, and who knows what could have happened. I looked at buses; I could have taken the Greyhound out of [nearby small city], but that would cost $75 and it would take forever, because the bus would go all over the place. So no.

Then, oh miraculous, Dad offered to drive me down. He’d hang out somewhere, then drive me back! No worries! Oh yes! So that is what happened. The next day I went home, then dad and I left to pick up mom. Apparently she was coming as well. Mom was kind of disappointed that she wasn’t dressed to go out, being still in her work clothes. Mom and dad called [my uncle] and they ended up spending the evening at [my uncle]’s house [just outside Boston] to watch the game (I forgot to mention - it was the same night as the World Series game at Fenway). We listened to some Velvet Underground (White Light/White Heat), then I played mom and dad some Sparks, but they didn’t like it. So I put on New York by Lou Reed, which they did like. When we arrived in Boston we could see the glow of the floodlights at Fenway, and the Prudential Center building had lights that spelled out “Go Sox.”

*FINALLY THE INTERESTING PART*

We got to Brighton Street in Allston, where the Brighton Music Hall is, where Sparks were, at around 7:30 pm, half an hour before the doors open. We parked at a CVS across the street, and walked over. As we walked up to the venue we could hear Sparks practicing!!! They were going through the song B.C. That was wicked exciting. To pass the time we went to a middle eastern restaurant next door. Dad got an iced tea and a lamb dish with rice. We all had a bit of it, it was really good. Mom got a lemonade. At around 8, a line formed outside the window of the restaurant, so I went out.

“Is this the line for Sparks?” I asked.

“Yeah” replied some of the people right outside the door I’d just come out of.

“Wow” I replied, and got into line. I stood in line and listened to a girlfriend and boyfriend ahead of me talk excitedly about Sparks, and two women ahead of them fangirl over Ron and Russell Mael. A guy came by and checked our IDs and gave us all pink wristbands to wear so we could go out and come back if we needed to. Then around 8:09 I said “When is the line gonna move?” The young couple in front of me said “hmm yeah I don’t know.” We chatted briefly about Sparks, how awesome they are. I told them about how I heard them warm up earlier. They thought that was cool. Then we entered the hall.

On the outside of the hall were signs posted that said “Sparks kindly request that no audio, film, photography, or charcoal drawings be made of the show.” Even though I had a camera, and even though other people were taking pictures, I respected their wishes, and did not. When I first got in the hall I went to the bathroom, then I put my coat in the coat check. I went to stand over by the stage, where about fifteen people had already started to congregate. I wanted to be as close to the stage as I could. I stood there for a while, and then the woman standing next to me started talking to me. She asked me about how I got into the band, whether I’d seen them before or not. She told me she’d been to a lot of shows before, having been a fan since the 70’s. She saw all 21 shows of the 21x21 Spectacular back in 2008. I can’t imagine how awesome that must’ve been. I wish I’d seen it. She was with a group of friends. There was a tall Swede called Erik. He told me he was going to see all their shows of this tour, and follow them all the way back to Sweden, where the tour will end. There was also another woman named Virginia, she runs the Tumblr blog Voted Most Likely to Fail. We talked about Sparks for the hour(ish) before they came on.

I was standing directly behind Erik, and knew if I stayed there I wouldn’t be able to see a thing, so I kindly asked him if he could squeeze over a bit so I could stand next to him. He did, although right in front of me was one of the speakers. But I didn’t care, I wanted to see Sparks!

They had Ron’s keyboard set up, with his name on it, and on the other side of the stage was a midi console or something, I don’t actually know. The stage itself was pretty small, only maybe 10’ or 12’ across. I was sandwiched between Erik the Swede and a balding man who was very nice and a big Sparks fan. We noticed another guy, standing pressed to the stage adjacent to us with a blue shirt on with big white letters that said “Practice, man, practice.”

Where I was standing relative to the stage was a little left of center, facing the stage. Ron’s keyboard was right in front of me. The stage would have come up to my waist, but the speaker right in front of me came up to my armpits. I was slightly annoyed about that, but I was grateful that I got to be in the front at all.

Then the lights went dark and everybody cheered. I made sure to cheer loudly throughout. I did not want them to feel unwelcome; I wanted this show to stand out for them. I sort of felt bad that they weren’t playing in a grander venue, but I was also glad that it was a venue that allowed me to get so close.

Russell came out first. He was dressed in a black button down shirt, a black skinny tie (the type that is square at the bottom rather than pointy), what appeared to be black board shorts (but tailored) over black leggings. For shoes he wore black and white faux (I assume) snakeskin shoes with black no-show socks which left the ankle bare. He was dressed in all black, except for his shoes, which were two toned black and white. I thought that was cool, since I too was dressed all in black except for my black and white shoes.

He went over to the console stand, picked up the microphone that was there, and went “dooh dooh dooh dooh dooh dooh dooh dooh” into it. Then he pressed a button or something on the console, and for several seconds nothing happened. He looked into the audience with a slightly amused expression, as if to say “typical.” But then the machine kicked in and his “dooh dooh’s” emanated from the console. This became “Your Call is Very Important to Us - Please Hold.” During the “green light” parts he made a beckoning gesture, and for the “red light” part he put up his hand in a stop gesture.

Halfway through the song Ron appeared through the door at the back of the stage to rapturous applause and made his way to his spot behind his keyboard. He was wearing a classic white button down shirt, red striped tie tucked into too-big trousers secured tightly up around his middle by a belt.

After the first song, they pause in their set to thank us for coming. “No, thank you!” I replied. “We know you had a difficult choice to make,” he continued. He was of course talking about the World Series game happening nearby as he spoke. “We’ll let you know the score later on,” he told us. Everyone cheered again.

The next song was “How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?” Me and the balding guy next to me pointed over towards the Practice Man Practice guy, who looked pleased with his choice of dress. Because I was right in front of the speaker, the bass was very palpable. Ron looked especially menacing during this number, or maybe it was just my imagination. He was right above me, looking directly over my head.

It was difficult to dance, as I was squished up against the stage, and squished by the two people on either side of me. I experimented with different reactions, as I knew just standing there was definitely not going to happen. At first I briefly considered reacting like Ron, and stare them down the whole time, but gave that up pretty quickly (as soon as they entered the stage). There was no way I wasn’t going to allow myself to enjoy this. I tried dancing in the only direction I had available, which was above me and in front of me, except not really because of the speaker. So I did a lot of pogoing, but not very high, it was more like exaggerated bobbing, because I didn’t want to obscure the view for anyone behind me, nor irritate the people pressed up against me on either side. I also tried dancing with my arms, but anything I did was awkward so I sort of just reached out from time to time and drummed my hands on the speaker, though I couldn’t hear myself over the music.

After “Carnegie Hall” was “BC,” the song I’d heard them practicing earlier. In a way, I felt like I got to hear this one twice, which was special. I know this song very well, since it’s on Propaganda, the album I’ve been borrowing from [my cousin] for probably a year now. I gave him The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie in exchange for Propaganda. Then we returned albums to do a re-trade, and I gave him Combat Rock by the Clash to keep Propaganda. I’m secretly hoping that if I keep it long enough he’ll forget about it or just let me have it [2025 update: I still have it].

Russell paused in between the verses, as is BC tradition. We cheered during any moment of dead air, even though we know it's not the end of the song. It reminds me of this video I found on Youtube of them performing this song live around when it came out. Russell introduces the song saying, “This song’s called BC. You don’t know it, so what are you clapping for '' And you can tell, because the crowd cheered after the first verse, thinking it was over. “That’s the second one,” he said, after the second verse, “There’s one more, ‘cause all songs, all good songs are composed of three verses, and the middle part that’s not as good as the other parts of the song. Here’s the third verse.” In the back of my mind I sort of wished Russell made a similar comment at this show, but he did not. No problem though.

During the beats in between the lyrics he did these punches in the air with his microphone. It was really exciting. I tried dancing along, but was too squished so I did weird hand gestures and tapped along. And of course sang along. I couldn’t hear myself anyway. I briefly considered moving back so I could dance, but I knew that if I did that not only would I not be able to see anything, but I wouldn’t get my spot back either. So I stayed put.

The next song was “Here in Heaven.” This was so exciting, since I was just singing this song to myself the other day! So I felt prepared to sing along to this one, which I did. For this one, I tried some acting. I sang along with my hands in a prayer position, imagining myself a member of an angelic choir or something. I think Russell looked at me at one point during this song. I gave Ron a smile, but he never moved his gaze from straight over my head.

The next song was “Academy Award Performance,” and I gave up the shtick or whatever I was doing and just acted like the excited Sparks fan I was coming to terms with that I am (sorry for the jumbled sentence structure). It was really exciting to hear this song, it being one of their I suppose lesser knowns, it not being a single. I thought it was appropriate, because of their upcoming plan to turn their radio play “The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman” into a movie. Wouldn’t it be awesome if it won an academy award?! The performance was great, Russell was animated as ever.

The next song was “Those Mysteries.” It is a really beautiful song. I didn’t remember this song, but it was on the album “Introducing Sparks” which I did listen to once so I know I’ve heard it, but hearing it live really brought out its beauty. I have since gotten more into that album, it’s really excellent. The song is really nice and touching, and not trite or overbearing. It is honest. This was a lovely part of the concert.

And then things got lively again with “Good Morning!” Everyone was clapping along, myself obviously included. It is from “Exotic Creatures from the Deep,” and this song is the reason I got that album. Russell did a lot of skipping around on this one, skipping circles around Ron, which was entertaining. There was a microphone sort of in his way on the far side of Ron (like I said, the stage was small), and every time he passed it he had to put his hand up and duck around it so he wouldn’t bump into it. It was charming to see. So agile, he did not bump it once. I sort of felt bad they came here to such a small stage and venue, but also this made me tenfold grateful that they came at all, so it was a wonderful time. I tried to dance along, did more hand dancing and bounced.

The next song was “Falling in Love with Myself Again” which was also exciting. When Russell sang the chorus, “Yes I think I’m falling in love with myself again,” I punched the air and shouted “yes!” I sang along to the whole song and fell in love with Sparks (platonically) again.

The next song was “Big Boy.” It was surprising to hear this one, from Big Beat. I’d listened to that album only a few times, but this song had been a highlight on that album for me. Hearing it live made me appreciate it more. I really like it; it's silly, but wants to be taken seriously. Like a little boy wanting to be big. When he sang the chorus “big boy, big boy” Russell pounded the air with his fist. He really got into that one.

The next song, “What Would Katherine Hepburn Say,” I hadn’t heard before. I found out later this was because it’s not on any of their albums: they wrote it for their friend (and former drummer) Christi Haydon to record, which she did. It fits in with their cinematic theme, with the Ingmar Bergman project happening, as well as the title of the tour, using the old “revenge” movie sequel trope. I really liked this song, it was really touching. I like Katherine Hepburn.

Then they took a quick break while Russell told us about Sparks’ newest project, “The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, and how they are going to make it into a movie with help from Canadian film director Guy Madden. There was a bit of cheering for this. I am excited about this; I’ve heard of his films and his style seems perfect for this. Also, apparently he is a big Sparks fan, which is cool.

So then Ron donned a beret and they played some songs and a monologue from the album which was also originally a Swedish radio drama they made for Swedish radio. It was very exciting to hear this new material. (well, not actually new, the radio show was broadcast in 2009 and the album was released not long afterwards, but new to me as I hadn’t listened to it yet), and also cool because Ron got a chance at the microphone! He didn’t sing (although he does on the album), but he did have a lengthy speaking part! This was a nice diversion from the rest of the set actually, because it gave me a chance to watch Ron without worrying I’d miss something from Russell in the meanwhile.

In the end I guess I watched Russell more. I frequently felt like I didn’t know where to look. I knew Russell would be exceedingly entertaining to watch, as always, but I also knew Ron would be sure to add in his own little subtle theatrics in the form of eye rolls, eyebrow waggles, and faint mouthing along to the words.

The four songs they did were “I am Ingmar Bergman,” — the one Ron spoke for — “The Studio Commissary,” “Limo Driver (Welcome to Hollywood),” and lastly, “Oh My God.” The Studio Commisary amazing, it was almost an out of body experience to see Russell laugh-sing like that a yard from my face. The last one, “Oh My God” was really beautiful. It was the first time I’d heard this song, having not listened to the Seduction of Ingmar Bergman yet, but I feel so fortunate to have the memory of this performance now every time I listen to it since. The “real” version is sung by the Bergman character, so it was really special to hear it being sung by Russell. This song seemed to really sum up Bergman, from what little I have seen of his films, which always seem to have some sort of existentialist view. In the storyline, this inner crisis is brought into Bergman’s life. The repeated refrain, “Oh my God, do you exist” was really haunting. I was really moved. I am really looking forward to this new movie project, and see more Bergman films.

Then they returned to the straight concert mode and did “Nicotina.” Yeah, an Angst in my Pants song! I really like that album. During the intro Russell was drinking some much needed water and wiping his brow, and only just made his cue. Good showmanship. This was a good foot-stomper. It is interesting they have a song about a feminised cigarette when it is well known that neither of them smoke or even drink. I like this about them. Not only does it mean they won't die from their life choices, but also it is nice to have cool people as role models for that type of lifestyle, since I also don’t smoke nor do I like to drink. This seems rare for rock stars who were big in the ‘70s. It’s cool.

The next song was “Popularity,” from In Outer Space. I really like this song. As soon as I recognised it I broke out into a wide grin, which I think Russell noticed. It is an innocent song about carefree days. It is really lovely.

The next song was “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us.” Of course, they played this song, their biggest hit! As soon as Ron began that unmistakable opening piano riff, the crowd went wild. I wholeheartedly joined the fray. The crowd was louder than ever for this one, and everyone clapped, filling in the spaces where the guitars and gun shots would be. I made especially weird faces for this one, mostly out of sheer exhilaration than anything else. I really bounced to this one. Russell looked at me for another second, during one of my weirder faces, but I didn’t care, because he was dancing strangely, sort of shaking his whole body, as if there was too much energy in him and he was going to explode or something. He bounced and skipped around a lot. It was really fun to witness and experience.

Next was (When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing. I really like this one. Russell sort of does his version of rapping during the verses and sings the chorus in his angelic voice. It's a great song to jump up and down to, with great lyrics.

Next was “Suburban Homeboy.” They played this song during their last tour, the one I saw streamed live on Youtube. I’m so glad I got to hear it in person on this tour. It is such an interesting song. It's about people who are middle class and act like they’re gangster or inner city or whatever. But they’re fake. This performativity is furthered by the show tune style of the music. It's pretty great. Russell got everyone to clap on this one, everyone got really into it. Everyone in the front row was waving their hands out. Russell made like he was going to do one of those wave high fives, but didn’t.

Then they did “When Do I Get To Sing My Way?” I was so glad they did this one! I sang along all the way. When DO I get to sing my way? And then the main part of the show came to an end. I was sad to see them go. So soon! Too soon! Everyone kept cheering after they had said their thank yous and exited through the door at the back of the stage. I was shouting more, more, and “come back”, but I didn’t get any chant going, which was slightly disappointing.

After a few minutes though, they came back, to my (at least) relief. And Russell was wearing a Red Sox shirt! Such a crowd pleaser. Everyone cheered even louder as he showed it off. Then, as he said he would, he gave us the score, as it was then: “It’s the sixth inning and the score,” he said, pausing for suspense, we all waited silently with bated breath, “is Red Sox 6, St. Louis zerooo!” and held up his hand in an o shape. Everyone cheered, but only quickly because we’re here for Sparks, not baseball.

And with that they launched into the first song of their encore, Tryouts for the Human Race. Boy was I happy to hear this, another song from No. 1 in Heaven! I really like the music video for this song, where they turn into werewolves. It's so great to see Russell bouncing around in that Red Sox shirt! At this point of the show I was getting a little cramped, so I bounced along with Russell and took inspiration from Ron, and I got used to it.

Next was the No. 1 Song in Heaven, well, just the fast part. The No. 1 Song in Heaven really is the number one song in heaven. At one point during this song Russell walked over to Ron at the keyboard and placed his hand on the keyboard, looking at Ron impishly. He then pushed Ron away and took over his position at the keyboard. Ron stood there for a second staring at Russell and sulking like a little kid who had his ice cream cone stolen. Then he went out to the center of the stage, Russell’s domain. Revenge. Everyone knows what he’s about to do, so we all cheered with anticipation. He stood there alone in the center of the stage for a few seconds before breaking into a maniacal grin as he danced his trademark sort of speed skater style shuffle. The crowd went wild! Then he went back to his original post, his keyboard, miming disgust at Russell’s having taken it over momentarily. Russell mimes not caring in the first place whether he gives the keyboard back or not, and goes back to the center of the stage for the end of the song. It was glorious.

The last song of the night is a special one made exclusively for this tour, titled “The Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth.” It is beautiful.

And then, the show was over. Ron and Russell thanked us for the show. There was one guy who had his fist raised during almost the whole show. He clearly was looking for either a high five or a fist bump. Russell finally gave it to him. Ron smiled and tried to stop (he tried to pull it down with his hands). Someone gave him an orange tie that he had thrown off into the audience during his I Predict striptease act back in 1983, the last time they were in Boston, which he put on, so momentarily he was wearing two ties. Then he gave it back to the guy.

I really hope they come back to Boston soon, because I missed them the moment they stopped playing. We all cheered and cheered and cheered. And then they slipped behind the door at the back of the stage and they were gone. Everyone kept cheering. I stared longingly at the door. The house lights came up . I stayed there, wishing they’d come back. Everyone else began milling about.

*EPILOGUE*

Suddenly someone came up to me. It was a guy, about a head taller than me with glasses, and carrying a big white cardboard tube. “How old are you?” He said.

“21”

”Oh good,” he replied, “I was afraid I was the youngest one here.”

“Okay” I said.

“I’m 23” he continued.

I nodded.

“I was watching you during the show, you seemed to know all the words, “ he told me.

I shrugged.

“How many Sparks albums do you have? I have Angst in My Pants, Sparks in Outer Space and Music That You Can Dance To.”

“Umm,” I say, a bunch…”

“Which ones? “

“Propaganda, No. 1 in Heaven, Angst in my Pants…” I say.

“Oh cool! I love the cover of Angst in My Pants”

“Yeah,” I say, “with the marriage photo.”

“Yeah” he says, “I got a poster made of the back cover of the album, that’s what’s inside this,” he gestured to the cardboard tube, “Do you know it?”

“Yeah,” I say, with all the band members heads on Russell’s body”

“Yeah!” he says, sounding excited that I know this. He opened the tube and showed me the poster. “I want to get it signed” he tells me, “but I don’t think they’ll be coming out.”

“Yeah I guess not,” I add, looking around the hall which now had significantly fewer people.

“There isn’t even a merch table,'' he laments.

“I know.” I say sadly, I had hoped there would be one as well, I’d brought cash with me specifically for that.

“I’m Joey by the way” and Joey shakes my hand. I introduce myself to him. We discussed how we got into Sparks. His first and favourite album is In Outer Space.

We ask a roadie if Sparks will come out to sign stuff or not. He (kiddingly) scoffs at being called a roadie, then tells us maybe. Well, they didn’t. We retrieve our jackets from the coat check which was closing, and chatted some more.

He asked me what other bands I was into. I didn’t want to think of any other bands. He kept asking me, so I told him Lou Reed, since we’d listened to him on the way down and since he’d died that week. He told me he didn’t know much of his stuff except Metal Machine Music (weird place to start), so he asked me for some recommendations. I told him I didn’t want to think about anything but Sparks, so he told me to friend him on Facebook and then tell him. I did later find him, but I still haven’t recommended any Lou Reed albums to him.

Then mom texted me to say they’d be there soon, so I said I had to go and walked over to the CVS parking lot. One of the guys standing in the bus shelter in front of the parking lot I recognised from the concert. He looked a bit like Steven Tyler but with thinner lips. He told me he’d been a fan of Sparks since 1976. He showed me some footage he filmed of the show on his camcorder in 3D. I told him he should put it on Youtube. He told me his Youtube channel is called Cathode Roy. His name is Roy. I subscribed to his channel, but he still hasn’t posted the footage. I really hope he does, it was really good quality. I sent him a message over Youtube, but no response.

Anyway, then mom and dad arrived and I said goodbye to Cathode Roy. I got in the car, where mom and dad were listening to the tail end of the world series game. The Red Sox won it as we drove out of Boston. I told them how amazing the show was, then snoozed the rest of the ride home. It was fantastic.

[sydwritess]

I'll Always Be Here for You Pt. 2

Hawk x fem!reader

Summary: After the high school fight, hawk's girlfriend, reader, was in the hospital, in a coma. Hawk visited her every day, staying with her until nurses had to escort him even. praying that she would wake up until the day she did. Hawk spends as much time in her room, caring for her, telling her everything will be alright. The hate in his heart for Miyagi Do get pushed deep inside of him, making room for reader as she goes through some hard challenges.

First Person POV

Notes: I did switch the characters around a bit so the reader will be injured by Sam and in the hospital, instead of Robby injuring reader, and Miguel is not the one in the hospital. And I switched a few Miyagi Do characters over to Cobra Kai. A hint of swearing. Y/m/n- your mom's name. y/d/n = your dad's name.

The next morning, I was getting prepared for surgery. My doctor sent in a specialist from out of the state to do surgery on my legs to see if I could walk again.

"You ready for this?" Hawk asked beside me.

"No. I doubt it will work either." I told him.

"I'm not sure, I think if the surgeon is from out of town, then they might a like a magic trick up their sleeve to help you out." He said smiling. Trying to get me to laugh.

"Yeah, maybe your right." I said smiling at him.

"The surgery's going to cost a lot, so my parents might be in debt for a while." I said looking down. As Hawk went to go say something. I heard my name on the news channel.

"Samantha Larusso and the Miyagi Do karate team set up a car wash fund for Y/n Y/L's surgery. Here's more detail coming from Samantha herself." the news reporter said.

"Yes, we are trying to raise enough money for her surgery, giving out hope that she will have a quick and easy recovery. We love you y/n." Sam said.

"Weren't you the Miyagi Do student who pushed y/n off of the balcony?" the reporter asked.

"Yeah, but... that was an accident. I meant no harm, I guess the adrenaline from the entire fight got to me." She said.

"I really am sorry, and I didn't mean for things to end up this way. This is why we are setting up this car wash today. To show our love and appreciation towards her." Sam said smiling.

"Youve got to be f*cking kidding me." I said, turning the TV off after she finished talking.

"How are you going to go on the news, smiling, and everything. You can't be serious." I said aloud.

"I'm sorry y/n." Hawk said.

"I just don't get her." I said.

"Listen, I won't let her bother you. All you have to worry about is getting through this surgery, and I'll go see what this fundraiser is about." Hawk said holding my hand.

"Thank you." I said smiling at him

"Of course, beautiful." He said.

"I'll text you when I'm out." I told him, as the nurses came into my room.

"I'll see you later." He said, exiting the room.

--------------------------

Hawk's POV:

I exited the hospital and made my way to Golf n Stuff where I knew the rest of guys would be. I walked inside and searched for them until I found them at the food area.

"Hey Hawk." Mitch said.

"Oh, hey man what's up?" Miguel asked. The rest of the group saying hi.

"Did you see the news?" I asked.

"Who watches the news?" Mitch said.

"Me, when it comes to y/n it's me. F*cking Sam is running a car wash downtown to try to raise money for y/n, acting like their best friends. We need to end it." I said, pacing back and forth Infront of the table.

"Why don't you take a seat for a second." Miguel said with a worried look on his face, pulling my arm, making me sit.

"Yeah, man, take a chill-"

"Don't." I said, looking at a*sface who instantly stopped talking.

"What do you want us to do?" Demetri said.

"Not sure."

"Why don't we go down there, hide out, and when they close, we take their money. I mean I'm sure it's not going to be a lot." A*sface said.

"For once you actually came up with a good idea." I said smirking.

"Yeah... sure." He said back.

"So, when do we go down there." Kenny said.

"They close in half an hour. Let's start moving." I said. Getting up from the table going outside. We all made our way there and hid out in one of the washing stalls and waited for the team to leave.

"You guys go and get the money, I'll stay here looking out for anyone coming here." I told A*sface, Kenny, and Miguel.

"Wait, why do we have to go. It's your girlfriend?" A*sface said.

"Just do it." I said back.

When the last of the Team left, there was one person left behind. Nate. The guys drove up there on their bikes. Taking the money, Nate trying to take it back, Kenny ended up pushing him around, leaving bruises on his body. We all met up down the street after.

"Thanks. I get you back for this, guys." I said smirking at them.

"Have a good one." Miguel said, as I drove away to the hospital. I got up to the ICU and went up to the receptionist area.

"Hi, I have some money to help out with Y/n Y/l's surgery." I said, handing the women the envelope.

"Wow, thank you so much, I'll be sure to give this to her after she's done." The women said.

"Thanks, if you don't mind, could you just not mention a name or anything." I asked.

"Of course." She said smiling, walking away. I turn around to go sit down when I'm met face to face with Mr. Larusso.

"I should've know it was you." He said.

"What." I said.

"You really had to resort to stealing now?" He said to me.

"That's not half as bad as what your daughter did to y/n. Y/n had a good life ahead of her and your daughter ruined it all in a second. Not even getting jail time or anything." I told him sharply.

"At least she was raising awareness." Mr. Larusso said.

"She was probably going to use that money for herself."

"It's not fair you know. Sam gets to be happy, smiling, getting her face around on the news, "raising awareness", While my girlfriend, is pissed. She thinks there's no purpose with her life now because she's paralyzed. And that's on you guys." I said. Pointing my finger at him.

"Your right. What Sam did wasn't right. but what you don't know is that she is extremely traumatized. Crying almost every night over what she did." Mr. Larusso said.

"Yeah, well crying in bed being comforted by your whole family isn't as bad as not being able to walk again. And it breaks me to hear y/n say her life has no purpose anymore. She thinks her life is ruined. By. Your. Daughter." I said, walking away. Going down to y/n's room as the receptionist said she was done. I walk in to find her sleeping.

--------------------------

Reader POV:

Deep in my sleep, I felt my body become numb. My arms and legs unable to move. Then I see her. Sam. Standing there smirking at me. It felt like my body was tied down. Sam came running to me, kicking me in my chest. My vision becoming blurry. Trying to grasp my hands onto something but nothing's there. My back, hitting something sharp. The air leaving my body, unable to move, unable to breath. Darkness surrounding me. I wake up suddenly, gasping for air, looking around me noticing I'm in the hospital.

"Woah, woah. You okay there?" I hear a voice next to me, turning and seeing that it's Hawk.

"Yeah. What's going on?" I asked. Looking at him.

"You just came out of surgery, for your leg's. You don't remember?" He asked me.

"Oh, yeah."

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked me.

"It started all over again." I started talking, tears in my eyes.

"I was there, on the second floor, but I couldn't move. My whole body was numb." I said, tears streaming down my face.

"I saw Sam. She came running at me, kicking me in the chest, I went flying back off of the second floor. Then I felt a sharp pain in my back and everything went dark." I said, still crying.

"I'm sorry. It's just a dream, you have nothing to worry about." Hawk said hugging me.

"I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you." He said, kissing the top of my forehead. Then the nurse had walked in.

"Miss. y/l, glad to see your awake." She said smiling.

"I have some good news for you." She said.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Somebody came in today and paid for part of your surgery today."

"Wow, that's amazing." I said smiling.

"Who was it?" I ask.

"Well, the first person wanted it to be anonymous, but then Mr. Larusso came in, and donated money for the remainder of your bills." She said.

"Thank you for telling me. It means a lot." I said smiling, she exits out of the room.

"I wonder who paid for the first part." Hawk asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe it was moon? Or Demetri?" I said, trying to think of other names.

"Oh, I can't wait. It was me." Hawk said smiling.

"Really?"

"Really." He said.

"Thank you so much." I said, hugging him.

"Of course, you know I'd always be there for you. Any way possible." Hawk said.

"I love you." I said looking at him.

"I love you to." He said, kissing me passionately.

Hey loves! There might be a part three to this, I'm not quite sure. Should I make another one? If you would like to be added to the tag list, please comment your username and I will add you!

Also, I have no hate towards any of the cobra kai characters or their actors! It is just for the sake of the story!

[alex-guerin]

So, I'm having kind of an AITA moment here. And I'm not real sure what to do...

The company I work for is opening up a new warehouse in Missouri. Now, I'm not a huge fan of the state, but the cost of living is - from what I understand - relatively low, so that's kinda dope. One of my buddies at work went down to the new warehouse (he's a training lead) and while down there, they offered him a job, a couple of raises (one effective as soon as he gets down there and the other in June) AND a "pretty substantial relocation package."

I'm like, dude, that's sick, take me with you! Lucas (buddy) goes, "bro, while I was down there, they literally told me, like, if I knew of anybody here who I thought was good at what they do, to like send them their way cuz they want really good people for the warehouse. So, yeah, they'll relocate you if you transfer down there."

And here is where it began.

They are willing to give relocation packages to people wanting to transfer down there. Like, this is my chance to get my own place and start over fresh. I have no idea how much money Lucas is considering a "substantial" amount, but he is going back down there this week to look at houses, so like, it's enough to at the very least put a down payment on a place. I dunno.

Here's the thing, the only reason my parents moved out of their dilapidated old house (and I mean that literally, it needs to be condemned, not even exaggerating) was because I promised to move with them and go halfsies on the mortgage with my dad. I found this house we're in now, it's great...even if my mom has turned the downstairs and basement into essentially a hoarders den and since my bro's cat has moved in we've become over run with flies...like...SO. MANY. FLIES. But I digress. We've had the house basically 4 years now...it'll be 4 years in July, and here I am suddenly going, "Ooo!! Shiny new air conditioned warehouse where I'd have at least a bit of seniority and a chance to be a primary lift driver instead of the backup, AND I wouldn't have to deal with Chris!!" (Chris is my arch nemesis. I have been complaining about his treatment towards me for the last year, and NOTHING has been done about it) Not only that, there's the whole thing of my dad's health not being fantastic.

Well, I keep thinking about the chance to move out on my own again, actually be handed the money to buy a home (it's just me, I don't need or even want a big place, and I've found quite a few on zillow that I could totally live with) when I had pretty much resigned myself to never being able to save up enough to buy one on my own, start over in a new state, a new warehouse with equipment that most likely WORKS and I'm just like, I think I really wanna give this a try.

So, I texted my mom about it last night, asking how badly me moving to Missouri would screw them over with the house, cuz I know I said I'd help pay for it, etc, but that Ace is offering to pay to relocate me, I'm kind of seriously considering it. She answers back, "Well. I can't stop you, but right now is REALLY not a great time. Especially with your dad's health stuff and all. I can't believe you'd even think about it right now."

And I'm like, right. Okay. Message received. Trapped forever. Got it. Thanks. I'm officially an asshole.

I texted a couple of friends about it, just wanting to vent and cry about missed opportunities and whatever, and they both told me pretty much the same exact thing, "Fuck that!! You take care of you and you GET OUT!! Take that opportunity and run!" But I'm like, I did basically make a commitment to helping them pay for the house, and yeah, I know my dad's health isn't great right now...but I also feel like if I talked to him about it, he'd tell me to "do what you gotta do, Butch. I'm not going anywhere, and we'll get things worked out here. We always do, somehow." But he downplays his health so much, like, yeah. I worry about him a lot and I want to spend as much time with him as I can...but I have no idea when I'll have another opportunity like this. And I have about hit my wits end when it comes to dealing with Chris and his bullshittery. Like, really would like to look for a new job because of him. I have almost 4 years at Ace, I really DON'T want to start over somewhere else, plus there's really NOT a lot around me that pays half-way decently.

I dunno. Am I the Asshole my mother apparently thinks me to be? Am I a horrible person for giving this even a passing consideration? Should I do like my two friends suggested and just go for it anyway? Or do I just go back to my old reliable of grin and bear it and resign myself to the fact I am trapped under their roof forever?

[miheartsedthings]

Part Seven

NSFW ModernBilly x FemReader (Minors DNI)

Summary: Nancy isn't impressed with how you're handling your relationship with Billy, leading to a confrontation neither of you saw coming.

Warnings: Fighting, Angst, Dubious consent, pregnancy risk.

At first, you didn't notice the faces Nancy was making as you told your story. You sat across from her at lunch, so caught up in the details, adding dramatic flourish to make the whole thing as fresh for her as it was for you. The fight with Billy which had felt relationship-ending. The smashed vases and Molly Kellerman. Then, the apology. You arrived at the little slip of envelope with heartfelt joy, which is when you finally noticed her. She was staring back at you with skeptical eyes, one of her brows cocked in judgment. You shrunk, finally understanding why people called her Princess Wheeler. 

“What?” You asked. She sighed. 

“Well, I mean, I know you like him but…are you really gonna forgive him just like that?”

You were a little taken aback. 

“I mean…I know we have a lot to work on. But he apologized and that's not easy for him.” 

She rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, he apologized for one thing and then did like 50 additional things wrong.” 

“It's complicated, Nancy.” 

“Is it? I mean listen to the story you just told me. He was being violent and disrespectful at Amber's house, which probably cost her parents lots of money. Then he was almost inside another girl when you caught him-” 

“He wasn't gonna go through with it.” 

“Yeah, so he says. You put way too much faith in him when his actions are telling a whole different story.” 

You couldn't help feeling hurt by this. Defensive in the face of her accusations. 

“I already made it clear that his behavior has to change. He knows that. But no one gets by in life without making mistakes. Sometimes you have to be patient with people.” 

She scoffed, crossing her arms. 

“Is it patience, or is it being a doormat?” 

Anger flared up in you. 

“Take that back,” you said. “maybe I'm more forgiving than others but I'm not a doormat.” 

“I will not take it back! He's hurting my friend, how am I supposed to forgive that?” 

“Forget I said anything.” 

You gathered your stuff and stood to leave, making her stand, too. She rushed after you as you went out into the hall. 

“Y/N, you know I’m right. You’re being blinded by your feelings for him and it’s making you dumb!.”

You spun to face her, the two of you were alone in the hall now, your raising voices echoing down the empty corridor. 

“If you think I’m so dumb why are you friends with me?” You asked. 

“I didn’t say you’re dumb, I said he’s making you act dumb.” 

“It’s crazy how little faith you have in me. Don’t you think I could tell if someone was taking advantage of me?”

“Obviously you can’t,” she spit back, “Do you know how many girls like you my mom sees at the clinic? They mess up their lives over some pathetic asshole. I never thought you’d be like one of them, but maybe you are.” 

Her words stung you quiet and you fell back a step, searching her face. 

“Are you serious?” 

“Y/n-”

“As if your mom has room to talk.” 

Something flickered through her eyes. 

“Excuse you?” 

“I’ve seen your mom at the pool, Nanc. Eye-fucking a seventeen year old kid whenever she gets the chance. She’s like a cat in heat, it’s gross.” 

Her gaze went cold. 

“Shut up.” 

“Why? If she’s gonna look down at other women we might as well talk about her. Do you know what kind of shit she used to text Billy when he first moved here? Your dad would have a heartattack.” 

Her eyes were burning with anger. 

“As if he doesn’t toss himself around. As if he wouldn’t bang anything with legs if he wasn’t with you. Hell, he probably does it anyway.” 

Your hand flew before you can stop it, making contact with Nancy’s already reddened cheek. The two of you shared a moment of stunned silence before she lashed out at you. Suddenly, the two of you were exchanging blows. A crowd quickly gathers, jeering and hollering as you two wrestle each other to the ground, slapping and clawing and then punching each other. She got a fistful of your hair as you swung blindly, making contact though you couldn’t see where. 

“Hey! HEY!” 

Someone’s yanking you up but the two of you clawed and kicked, desperate to inflict as much pain as possible. Then, you were pulled away, all you saw of her was a rat’s nest of brown hair and blood before you were whisked off to the principal's office. All of it was over in less than a minute. 

You sat in the office with an ice pack on your fist. The side of your head was ringing with pain from where your former best friend had taken a fistful of your hair. You rolled over the fight with Nancy in your mind, amazed at the violence you'd shown each other. Two hours ago, you never could've imagined hitting her, yet you had. Then again, you never thought she'd be so judgemental. Sure, you can admit, she's not wrong to worry about Billy, but it isn't her place to force you into anything. You have your boundaries, and if the time ever came when he crossed the line, you would leave Billy. You know you would. Until then, she should understand. 

“Ms. L/n,”

You looked up to see the secretary waving you into the inner office where the principal's was. On the way in, you passed Nancy and her mom. Nancy held an ice pack to her cheek and avoided your eyes. Her mother, on the other hand, glared at you. You received a week of detention and of course, they called your mom. Leaving the office you saw Billy waiting for you in the hall. His eyes went wide when he sees you, already unable to contain his mishievious smile. 

“Tell me you’re not skipping class,” you said, dragging your feet to him. 

“Baby, what the fuck? You and Wheeler?” 

You sighed, a headache still thumping through your skull. 

“Don’t even ask.”

“Don’t need to,” he says. He turned your head to one side and then the other, examining you for damage. “She couldn���t touch you.” he added with a smirk. You couldn’t help being pleased by this, but groaned and fell into his arms. He pat your back. “C’mon, you’re alright.” 

You rubbed your eyes, mumbling into his chest. 

“God, my mom’s gonna be pissed.” 

“Come over to mine. Old man’s in Nevada on business.” 

You shook your sore head. 

“And piss her off more? What am I even gonna say when she asks me what happened?” 

“Tell er Wheeler’s a bitch,” you can’t help chuckling. 

“Stop,” you whined. 

He rubbed your shoulder as the bell rang. At the same time, your phone vibrated in your pocket. Your mom was there to pick you up. 

“Why? That’s what happened, right?” 

You looked up at him, finally, and noticed that behind all his joking and his lighthearted smirk was a hard stone of concern. 

“She’s worried, which, on Nancy, looks like being a bitch. And she said some really off the wall shit about me and about you, and when I told her the truth about her mom she didn’t take it well.” 

He scoffed, pulling your tired body into a hug. 

“Don’t say I never warned you.” 

“You warned me,” you admitted, “But fuck.”

. . .

“So you’re the bitch who fights her friends over a boy?”

You sat watching the trees roll by the window, regretting the grind of your mom’s voice against your ears, reviving the last of your headache. 

“No,” you said. You’re careful to keep your voice clear of any edge. 

“No? That’s what you did, isn’t it? She told you some hard truth about that raggedy boy and you got so mad-” 

“Why are you taking her side?” 

“I’m not taking her side, obviously you beat her ass, now it’s time to deal with you. You think it’s cute fighting over some boy? You think that’s gonna get you somewhere in life?”

What a dumb question. You conceal your eye-roll. 

“No.” 

“What did she say? I wanna know what’s worth getting in a fight and jeopardizing your future.” 

The car fell into an agitated silence as she waited for you to speak. You sat there leaning against the door, leg bouncing, eyes closed, praying for the thumping in your brain to stop. You saw Nancy’s face, flushed in indignation. Embarrassment crept up your throat when you remembered how excited you’d been to tell her about the little note. The tiny victory of Billy’s apology. It was a victory, but it isn’t exactly untrue that Billy’s behavior has to change. So why does it feel so shitty the way she says it? 

“Not gonna tell me? Then it must be about that boy.” 

Your head rung and you squeezed your eyes shut as hard as you could. When you arrived home, you made a direct line for the stairs, only to be called back by your dad who extended his hand. 

“Phone,” he said. You groaned and handed it over, watching him turn it off (Thankfully. Your life would truly be in danger if they discovered your text thread with Billy) and place it on a high shelf in the pantry. You spent your evening absorbed in homework before getting ready for bed early. By then your headache had faded, and all that’s left of the fight was the lingering hurt of lost friendship. No matter how you tried to lay there without thinking, your mind scrolled back to the fun you’d had at the party. The way she’d been there for you during the pregnancy scare and spent the whole day cheering you up. A painful feeling sank into your chest at the thought that you’d never talk to her again. 

Maybe you had been a bad friend to her. It wasn’t impossible to imagine. You did get selfish sometimes, and Billy took up a lot of your emotional energy. For all you knew, Nancy had been going through things herself and never felt she was able to tell you. Then, the thought flips on its side. How were you supposed to know she needed support if she never said it? You flipped over, unable to find comfort. It’s not your fault she held things in and got all full of resentment. So why do you feel like you failed? 

Maybe you were being stupid about Billy…maybe a little more pliant and patient than a person ought to be. You’ve only been together a handful of months and he’s made you cry so many times. There’s plenty of reason to break up. Except that the thought of it turns your stomach. 

You flipped onto your back with a sigh, staring at the darkened ceiling. Okay, so maybe you were accepting more than you should from him, but it was only to balance out all the contrary treatment he’d gotten thus far. You saw the stark lack of people in his life who loved and prioritized him. Rarely, if ever has he felt safe, and after spending years like that, especially formative years, one can’t be expected to be a perfect partner right off the bat. 

You had your boundaries with his behavior, you made your feelings known, and in the best way he could, he honored them. Plus, he was getting better all the time. You were certain he’d only keep developing the skills to be a better partner and if he didn’t…you flipped onto your stomach. 

If things never changed and your relationship remained in a cycle of secrecy and blame…then you’d handle it. Meaning, of course, you’d leave. The pain in your chest was re-doubled to imagine this. A lost friend, and then a lost love. And what would that make you? 

Your thoughts carried on in a similar, muddled fashion for the next hour until the strain in your body finally pulled you into a dreamless sleep. Two little taps woke you up. You laid there blinking in darkness trying to register your surroundings, then it happens again. Two tiny clicks against glass. Your eyes went to the window and after a moment you realized what you were seeing. A hand tapping the glass. 

You hopped up, rubbing your eyes and crossed the room quickly. When you let Billy in, he was careful to swing his legs into the room without a sound. You took his shoes and tucked them under your study table, where a towel was waiting for them. You'd come to think of it as his Welcome mat. He took you into a hug and, still groggy, you sagged against his body. He closed the window and half carried you to bed where he laid you down before shedding a couple layers. His jacket and jeans got tucked under the bed, and he crawled under the blanket with you in his boxer briefs and T-shirt. 

His warmth filled in the space behind you as his body came in flush with yours. He trailed a few kisses along your neck and ear, a little sigh expressing his contentment. You made your own small sound, wiggling back to press yourself into his body. 

“Couldn't sleep?”

Your voice was low, hardly rising above a whisper. Billy was holding you across the torso with one arm, while the other found your hands and laced his fingers in with yours. 

“You never told me the full story.” He said. His breath was soft against your ear, rising goosebumps along your neck. 

“Mmm. Nothing to tell.” 

There was a stretch of quiet. In it were little gestures, the slow swipe of his thumb across your knuckles, his teeth nibbling the lobe of your ear. You knew what he was asking. Of course, he'd want to know what had driven you to fight your best friend, but you couldn't say it. 

“Well, if it was nothing then you shouldn't have kicked her ass over it,” he said with a little chuckle. 

Something about that struck a nerve. 

“I told you she said something fucked up,” you said. He sensed the tension in your body and turned his face into your neck, as you spoke, breathing softly, his arm curling yours in so he was hugging all of you to his chest. “why do you even wanna know?” 

Now, he had you all collected in his arms, and you couldn't deny how good it felt. How happy you were that he'd shown up. You turned your head until your lips are close enough to touch. He returned the kiss with that private urgency which sometimes took him over. It seems he needed something just as much as you did. He props himself up on his elbow so he could look down at you, the lamppost light outside your window offering plenty of visibility. 

“I won't get mad.” 

You hadn't been prepared for those gentle words. They slipped right through your defenses and pierced you. He was looking at you so sincerely. And so, quietly, you explained the upsetting back and forth from that morning. All the while he watched with intent focus, and remarkable patience. Proving your point all along. You didn't know that he'd ever been so quiet and non-defensive while hearing someone's unkind opinions about him. As you explained, your eyes took breaks from his, falling to where your fingers idly twirled a loc of blond curls. 

When you finished, you found yourself exhausted, your chest aching again. Your eyes burning. 

“So that's it.” You finish, “she's not my friend anymore.” 

Your voice broke and he pulled you close, kissing your forehead. He said you were fine. You didn't need her, and you knew the intent was to uplift but you just felt smaller. You tried to swallow the first sob that came out, but he was so close he heard it and hugged you closer. Kissing your neck. 

“Baby,” he said, softly. He wanted to say more. He wanted to kiss your ear and say baby, my little baby. Really suffocate you with the full force of his affection. But still, even with you, he was terrified of being overwhelmed by these emotions. He wanted to love and care for you from a solid place where he could remain in control of himself. If he spoke too much tonight he knew he would cry. Which he couldn't allow. Not while it was your turn to cry and his turn to comfort. So he fell quiet, and rocked you a little in his arms. 

He kept you. Kissing your neck and holding you so close, and inside regret and anger needled you. You could used more words from him. Added reassurances. 

“She wouldn't listen to me,” you added this useless detail, hoping it triggered extra comforting and he did amp up the tender caressing of your back. He told you she was wrong not to listen. A real friend would listen. But it all served to make you sadder, and you started to cry harder than you could contain. Nancy was your only friend in this town. The only one with whom you could talk about anything without worrying she'd get angry. At least, you thought she was. The loss was monumental and you cried shuddering sobs into Billy's shoulder. 

The more you cried, the more desperately Billy wanted to calm you. Rubbing and kissing wasn't working, you were heartbroken over the loss of your friend. As much as he was battling to keep the thought at bay, he knew it was his fault. The way he was had hurt you yet again. Left you inconsolable. Something in him threatened to break apart if he couldn't fix it. A shiver invaded his body, a thin shudder under the skin of his hands as he held you, touching, rubbing, searching for the friction you needed. 

Shoulders and hips, he massaged down your back and kneaded your ass. All the while you cried. Shattering him. He wanted to say he was sorry for fucking up your friendship. An urgent desire to be forgiven coiled tight in his chest, a taut rubberband threatening to snap. He made a sound, then stifled it by kissing you. His cheeks wet with your tears, his mouth swallowing your mewling sobs. His tongue tasting your salt. His hand was under your chin and you felt it as an insistence to remember that he loved you. In actuality, he couldn't risk you turning away. 

You could’ve easily turned out of his kiss in disgust. Realizing that he was the problem all along. He wasn't worth the trouble. He kissed you harder, stealing your breath, and in a sudden flush of inspiration, sought to overwhelm you. If you couldn't think, you couldn't come to the truth. He rushed, not exactly gentle as his hands removed your thin t shirt and panties. His own nakedness coming so abruptly you were startled by the rush of his skin, his hardness pushed between your spreading thighs. All the while he kept you tangled in frenzied kissing. 

You broke away just enough to breathe and already he was pushing into you. 

“Billy.” your voice was soft and warbled and useless. He shoved his length into you, earning a strangled whimper from your chest. His hand curled around your neck in an effort to keep you quiet and still. Your hand found his chest while the other grabbed his wrist, and yet you knew there was no fighting it. There wasn’t air enough to breathe let alone speak, and truthfully, he felt good inside you. As always. 

His mouth was hot and full of need and his weight rolled onto you as he buried himself fully inside. You were filled to the brink, certain if he was any bigger you couldn't handle it. A chesty groan vibrated in you, in the relative silence of the room, the slight squeaking of bedsprings. He fucked you deeply but without much speed, his skin flush to yours, and suddenly you felt like he was trying to hide all of himself within you. His whole body burrowed to your center where he could remain. 

You realized then that he was feeling something he hadn't explained. His face was obscured, either in kissing you and thus too close to observe, or tucked sweetly into your neck. You pulled his hand from your throat and he rested it on your clavicle. You kissed his cheek a few times, and then his neck. You lifted your hips to meet the rutting of his. He was heavy, his hot skin forcing you to sweat, but you felt no desire to escape. 

You came with his hand clamped over your mouth, legs shuddering around him while he muttered curses into the clammy skin of your neck. Your insides were slick with cum, but your head was too cloudy to worry about that. That would be tomorrow's problem. For now, you let yourself be held, and fell asleep thinking of nothing. 

. . .

In the morning Billy was gone, your window cracked. You rushed to the bathroom full of anxieties. The risk of a UTI the most pressing. Luckily, emptying your bladder felt as it always did and you were free to move on to the next issue. Pregnancy. You’d need money for a pill and thought all through your morning routine about how to get it. Finally, you settled on telling your parents the school was fundraising for a children’s hospital. It’s a terrible thing to lie about, but you figured in a roundabout way it was alright. They’d think they were helping sick kids and really they were preventing unwanted grandchildren. These things were in a similar vein. 

“Nancy’s giving 60,” you said to them over a quick breakfast. 

“Oh? And that matters to you why? I thought you didn’t fuck with her.” Your mom said, giving you cool, scrutinizing eyes. You turned your back to retrieve orange juice. 

“We’re not funding any silly feuds between you and your friends,” your dad added. 

“There’s no feud,” you said, pouring yourself a glass. “I just don’t wanna be the only one giving less.” 

You knew that would get them. As much as they didn’t want you to realize it, your parents compared themselves to other people. They didn’t like the idea of you doing the same. They looked at each other for a long moment, and you saw their desire to discourage this behavior butting up against their need to be on par or superior to other families in town. They gave you 70.

To be continued ~

Thanks for reading ~

[tenshi-agerasia]

ensemble stars characters as things i experienced on a cruise to mexico

i'm waiting for a flight that i'm ten hours early for so here's some rare 鬼畜 text content . incorrect quotes and imagined scenarios, long post under the cut

starting off with some incorrect quotes

rei: can you walk?

eichi: i think so, i'm much more energetic nowadays-

rei: no you're not. shiratori-kun, get him a wheelchair, we're skipping all the lines at the airport‎‎

‎-

eichi, getting physically patted down by tsa in a small dark room because his wheelchair couldn't go through the full-body scanner and it was too much physical effort to stand up: this is all sakuma-kun's fault

-

aira: tenshouin-senpai! you almost left your louis vuitton designer scarf at the security checkpoint! what if someone had stolen it?!

eichi: thank you, shiratori-kun! but it's fake

-

akatsuki in the elevator with a group of strangers

stranger, in a thick southern accent: so what're y'all up to t'night?

silence

souma stares straight ahead. he thinks the stranger isn't talking to them.

stranger, feeling slightly awkward: so, y'all stayin' in your room?

kuro: um... yeah

-

afterwards

keito: how did he know that our room doesn't have a window

kuro: ???

keito: ??? he said something about our stateroom not having a window like his

kuro: you mean when he asked if we were staying in our room?

-

hokuto: how much money have you spent at the arcade

makoto: uhhhh... i don't know, i'm not good at math

mao: how much did each of the figurine blind bags cost you

makoto: four plays is $4.50 and i get an average of 87 tickets at the piano game. the gachapon is 750 tickets each, and 750 / 87 = around 8.62 plays, and 8.62 x 4.50 / 4 = $9.6975

-

wataru: iiiiiit's..... showtiiiiiime....

yuta: can we leave

hinata: the waiters are dancing now, we can't just leave

one minute later

yuta: can we leave

hinata: i'd love to see you try to leave in this situation

three minutes later

yuta: can we leave

hinata: QUICK THEY STOPPED MAKE A RUN FOR IT

-

jun: i don't like my new haircut

jin, shaking his head knowingly: yeah you shouldn't have cut it on a cruise

jun: i lied. i love my new haircut it means the world to me

-

jun, still struggling to come to terms with his new haircut: now i kind of look like the scaramouche guy from genshin

hiyori: i was thinking more like edna from the incredibles

some people that i encountered!

kaoru as the guy that (successfully) invited one of the waitresses to dance

yuzuru as the sweet lady who asked me how to swipe her room card for the arcade because her son (tori) wanted to play a game

ritsu as my mom who spent most of the time sleeping

rinne as the tour guide that would add "rawr" to the end of his jokes

tsumugi as the poor woman who got stuck in a hammock and had to ask me for help

yuta as my brother who i forced to go on a rusty cable sliding thing you could only hold on to by hand, only for it to get stuck before it reached the middle

hinata as me who dragged the rope attached to the handle and tried to run (on sand) to pull yuta/my brother on the cable slide, only for him to fall (on sand)

rei as the people who watched and laughed

yuzuru as me playing the discord golf game with my friends on vc, only to get screwed over by the lag from cruise wifi

anzu as my friends who were still at home and took this chance to win by miles

makoto as my brother and i when we made one of the arcade machines run out of tickets to dispense three times

makoto as my brother who dominated the entire leaderboard of a piano game with his high scores

tomoya as my mom who was upset that she didn't get to see any flamingos up close

mao as the guest services guy who kept getting interrupted by phone calls that lasted less than 50 seconds

tsumugi as the worker who asked me "do you speak mandarin or chinese?"

adonis as my dad who would only eat meat because "it's more worth it that way"

hiyori as the hair stylist that gave me the scaramouche/edna haircut and kept calling me "madame" and insisted that i trust his vision (he was a lovely guy, i just wanted it more short :()

anzu as my aunts that were constantly trying to video call my mom on wechat, only for the call to disconnect because cruise wifi sucks

mayoi as the dinner waiter that jumpscared my mom on the lunch buffet line

midori as the buffet worker who kept sorting the lettuce leaves by size and color

rinne as the guy at the casino who told a worker he wanted to "have a gambling addiction responsibly"

tori and tsukasa as the little girls who tried to convince their mom to let them eat only cake for lunch

kaoru as the white guy who tried to engage in a conversation with me in the elevator but only made the situation more awkward

souma as the guy who got into an argument with someone (kaoru) over whether the fish he ate was bass or salmon (it was salmon with some bass)

shinobu as the boy who ran up and down the stairs yelling that he was looking for ducks (?)

wataru as the russian lady in charge of the dining room who would loudly whisper "iiiiiit's...... showtiiiiiiime" into a microphone every evening

tomoya as the waiter with a tired, dead inside expression who still had to dance for the russian lady's "showtime"

adonis as the guy that woke up at six in the morning to run laps around the deck for some unknown reason

wataru as the guy who posed for a picture like he was pinching the setting sun

hokuto as the guy taking the picture, but from an angle that made wataru look like he was pinching nothing and standing there stupidly

promo time ~ preorders for the niki's cookbook fanzine are open until march 12! i made some recipes for it, go check it out :)

[echowithpain]

Okay... That was... an episode. Damn, I forgot how much stuff they could put in these 😅

Okay um, well first, minus one point for inserting Tonsillitis in the Christopher birthday scene. Wtf, why was he there? It was so jarring. Also why make it seem like it was gonna be Christopher at home instead of over a video call? And then you make Eddie watch as his mom talks about how happy Christopher is without him and how she and his dad are thinking about getting a pool because Christopher loves the water so much, AND THEN KEEP THE CALL GOING BUT DONT BOTHER TO BRING THE CAMERA AS PEOPLE START TO SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY???? WTF GUYS??? WHY DID YOU MAKE HIM SIT THOUGH THAT??? They couldn't even have his mom "accidentally" hang up as she was rushing over? They had to make him SIT and WATCH as his son celebrated his birthday without him... Guys... Why...

Actually -2 points for temu and for the scene being unnecessarily cruel to Eddie

Um... I'm trying to remember cause I legit forgot how full these episodes can be lol.

OH!!! ATHENA PLOT!!!

Okay, I was confused about why she said yes to helping the guy who killed her fiance but as I was going through my notifs, an anon told me "She didn’t say yes, the feds forced her to since that was the only way he’d agree to testify". Which I remember hearing and then promptly forgot because I just kept thinking "what if she said no anyway?" I kept thinking that because they never really gave her a "do this or else" thing. There was no... threat? Like I get the guy said he wouldn't testify if Athena didn't help him, but what if she said "Well I guess he won't be testifying then. Not my problem, this has fuck all to do with me and I want no part in it" Then what? Am I the only one thinking like this? They never showed Athena having her arm twisted or her hands tied (figuratively). I'm genuinely curious about what would've happened if she said no. I get they want the dude to testify but if she really said "No, I'm too emotionally involved with this case, I can't help you"... then what? I'm just saying a line or two about her being on desk duty, or she'd be suspended for a while if she refused wouldn't have hurt.

-1 point

HOLY FUCK I JUST GOT AN AWESOME IDEA!!! THE EPISODE IS CALLED BUZZKILL RIGHT? WHAT IF ITS CALLED THAT BECAUSE YES THE BEES,

BUT WHAT IF IT'S ALSO BECAUSE THE BUZZSAW KILLED CAPTAIN DICKWEED??? 😃😃😃😃😃

Dude holy fuck, if that's the case I'm gonna laugh so hard and give this episode a point back 😂😂😂

OMG speaking of bees, MINUS ONE POINT FOR HOW STUPID THE KID WAS!!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!

You're on the phone with 911 and they're telling you not to swat at the bees because it'll make them angry and you could get stung, AND AS THEY'RE SAYING THIS YOU CONTINUE TO SWAT AT THEM???? BRUH????

A L S O !!!

If you're allergic to bees, YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW THIS???? The kid said she either got stung before or she's used her epi before, which would mean she would've had to have gotten stung or else she wouldn't have needed it. IF YOUVE BEEN STUNG BEFORE YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT NOT TO DO SO THE BEES DONT GET ANGRY AT YOU AND STING YOU CAUSE YOU'RE LITERALLY ALLERGIC???? If you're allergic to something, you usually research it to make sure you avoid the thing you're allergic to at all costs! Everyone knows, or should know, if a bee is flying near you, just leave it alone or try to stay still. It may land on you and crawl around a bit, but you shouldn't freak out cause that could upset it and make it sting you.

Bee fact!: Bees don't sting people for no reason. Mainly because when they sting, it kills them! When they leave behind their stingers it literally rips out their heart so it can keep pumping the bee venom into whatever they stung, and it releases chemicals that not only make you swell up, but alerts other bees that you are a threat that needs to be dealt with. Bees don't sting all willy-nilly like that, you're thinking of asshole wasps or hornets.

The fact that so far the bees were passive to the mom and the kid but the kid was freaking the fuck out and not listening and ended up slapping herself in the face to squish the bee instead of just closing her eyes and scrunching up tight is such bullshit. AND DONT TELL ME SHE WASNT THINKING CLEARLY BECAUSE OF ADRENALINE OR WHATEVER!!!! You're gonna tell me she wasn't thinking clearly enough to literally just close her eyes and hold still, but she could concentrate at a high enough level to inject her mom with the rest of her epi pen? Yeah, okay. Sure. I definitely believe you. This is my believing face 😑

-2 points cause writing all that down actually pissed me off with how absurd it was

At least the mom one was believable (lol bee-lievable) cause she's thinking "oh good, my daughter is fine now, she's breathing again, I can finally relax- what the heck is this thing crawling on my neck- oh crap that's right, we're in a car full of bees". They could've made it so someone outside bumped into the car and they rocked inside the car and the kid accidentally rocks onto a bee, squishing it a little. Not enough to kill it but enough to make it upset and sting her. That would've been better cause the bump or whatever could've been from Captain Dickweed's poor leadership.

... anything else???

Mmm... That's all I can think of for right now, I'd have to rewatch the episode to remember anything else. If I do think of something I'll post it later, but those are my thoughts!

5/10 for the first episode of season 8. Not good, but not bad either... Perfectly mid (unless I remember something else that changes my mind lol)

I forgot how fun this was! See y'all next week 😘✨

[his-tamine]

life update :3 (a little vent-y)

sooo, been over 200 days since the house caught fire and we had to move. obviously, a lot of stuff's been happening. can't go into deep details for fear of someone I don't want to find this, finding this, but I'll say this much: FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've very rarely mentioned family on here (for obvious reasons - this account is NOT made for that lol) but here goes. tw for pretty heavy topics: mentions of abuse, father issues, health issues, transphobia & financial issues. I turned 18 Feb 21st, literally just almost 2 months before the damn house caught fire. Meanwhile, my brother's still a minor. MEANING, I narrowly escaped the custody battle my mom & dad are in. But unfortunately, he's still stuck in the middle of it. :( My pops was not really the nicest person to me when I was a kid -

whooping my ass whenever I did anything wrong, no matter how minor the offense was.

Telling me that he loved God more than he loved me, because "You're God's gift to me. God is the one who gave you to me in the first place," when I was four.

Telling me that if I didn't start being ok with receiving physical affection from family - which he knew made me uncomfortable - I was "going to grow up to be a S3R1AL K1LL3R" (yes he said that.)

Telling me that "God doesn't make mistakes," and that he "made me into a beautiful young woman for a reason" after I came out to him personally at 14 - big mistake 0/10 stars, would never do again. You get the idea. And those are the tame examples I could think of. So, I finally cut him off. As soon as my mom, brother, & I were in our new place, I blocked his number and haven't talked to him since. I was sick of him not respecting my boundaries, and repeatedly demonstrating that he thought of me as nothing more than a possession. Tired of him making me feel crazy all the time too. But now he's fucking with my mom & brother. Intentionally not paying child support till the last minute possible - & then making it in as small of payments at a time as he possibly can (yes he can afford it btw.) Trying to force my brother to go over to his place, even when my brother does NOT want to - which has begun giving my brother psychological issues & issues with school, mirroring the ones I used to struggle with bc of that bastard. My mom is juggling all sorts of things, & I really at least wanna try to help financially by getting a job, but I can't yet because: she says that I'm only 18, & shouldn't have to get a job to help out (I disagree.) I don't have an ID bc she wants me to wait on my legal name change - which costs a pretty decent chunk of change - reason is bc she "wants me to have as easy an early adulthood life as possible" (love her.) AND, I haven't actually graduated - No, I dipped in 11th bc school was hell (not exaggerating,) & instead just decided to pursue a GED, that I haven't been able to work towards bc of the shit show that is life in midwestern america. So I've been very depressed, exhausted, & hopeless. The least I can do is clean up our house while she's at work, & get this - some days I don't even have the physical energy to do THAT! I do not know what the hell is wrong with my body currently, but it absolutely sucks. & I'm really tired of just taking up space all the time. She's dealing with health issues too, & I'm always worried ab her. Idk what the hell to do, but something's gotta give. Everybody needs a fucking break. I keep trying to shoo away all the dark thoughts, push myself as often as possible, & keep my fingers crossed, but jfc... Sorry just needed to yell into the void for a sec. I'll live, I'm sure - I've survived worse. Sometimes things just suck. But I like to think that someday they won't. :,)

[havenmoon1369]

It's Personal- Chapter 5

Drew was watching the Rumble from backstage, CM Punk came out at number 27 and Drew knew his number was coming soon. He began planning his revenge for CM Punk for coming after his family. Drew's music hit at number 29, he rushed to the ring to get in on the action. He eventually got a hold of CM Punk and started wailing on him left and right, not giving him a breather. Before long Drew had him by the throat and looked into Punk's eyes with rage and hatred, "You ever touch my girls again I will slaughter you where you stand!", Drew then performed one of his moves on Punk letting all the weight come down on Punk's arm, making him scream out in pain. Drew then turned his attention to the other wrestlers who were still in the ring but before long Punk rallied and tossed Drew over the top rope, eliminating him from the match. Drew looked into the ring at Punk in shock, Punk looked back and yelled "Go home to your girls as a failure Drew!" Drew stood up and in shock walked to the back, ignoring all the fans and cheers, he zoned out. Punk had just cost him a chance at the title, now what? Drew got backstage and immediately went to the locker room, Amber and Quinn knew he was angry and had every right to be but decided to give him some time alone. They could hear Cody Rhodes theme playing when Punk made his way backstage to the trainer's room to get his injury assessed, he caught a glimpse of Amber and Quinn and stared them down with an evil look in his eye. Amber stood her ground, giving just an equally evil look back but Quinn turned and walked away. Once Punk was in the trainer's room, Amber talked to Quinn; "You okay hun?" "Yeah I just don't like him mom, he's an asshole and needs to leave me alone." Quinn said annoyed. "I know Quinn but he's got it fixed in his head that he can get at Drew through us and we need to show him we're just as tough as Drew is and aren't going to take his shit anymore" Amber said. "If he looks at you, tries to talk to you, or tries to put your hands on you, stand your ground, don't back down" Amber told Quinn. Quinn nodded, "Alright I will" "Alright, let's go wait for your dad out by the car, he should be getting ready to leave anytime now" Amber said.

Amber and Quinn were waiting near the car when they spotted Phil coming out to leave, they both pretended not to notice him and just started scrolling on their phones. "YOU STUPID BITCHES, DREW'S GONNA PAY FOR THIS I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT" Phil screamed as he walked past them, looking like his head would explode from anger. "What does he mean by that?" Quinn asked Amber, "I don't know, I'm just as confused as you, just ignore him. We should be leaving soon" Amber said. Not long after Drew arrived at the car, angry but silent. They all left and headed to the hotel, Drew made sure to pick one that Phil wasn't going to be at to protect his family. Once they had made it back, everyone got ready for bed. They were all exhausted from the day's event, Drew finally spoke after a long time, "Did Phil say anything to you all before I got to the car and be honest with me." Drew asked them, "All he said was you were gonna pay for this after calling us stupid bitches, I don't know what he meant but he was pretty angry." Amber told him, "Pay for what? Him not winning? That's on Cody, not me or you or Quinn. He's just looking for any excuse because he can't blame himself, his ego won't let him." Drew said. "Look, let's not worry about it, it's been a long night. We all need rest, how about tomorrow we order room service, and just spend the day relaxing." Amber said, trying to calm Drew, "I was gonna go see some old friends since we're here in Tampa, I haven't seen them since we left." Quinn said, "Okay, well maybe me and you can have some alone time while she goes out" Amber said as she winked at Drew, Drew gave her a big grin in return, "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to bed goodnight!" Quinn said sarcastically as she headed for her conjoined room. Drew and Amber spent the rest of the night making love and holding each other close.

The next day Drew and Amber decided to stay in and relax in their hotel room, Quinn had already left to go see her old friends. Drew was scrolling on his phone when an article caught his eye. "CM Punk injured in first event back since 2014", he sat straight up and began reading the article. He also began researching to see if this article was true and sure enough multiple sites were reporting on it. Amber noticed Drew smiling "What are you smiling about, did you find a good joke or something?" she asked curiously, "No even better honey, Phil is injured. Must have happened when I gave him the future shock last night, he didn't move for a while after." Drew said with a big grin on his face. "The bastard deserved it after everything that's happened, now I can move on" Drew said leaning back up against the headboard of the bed. "Yeah but now he's going to be even more pissed off at you, you don't think he'll do anything stupid right?" Amber asked, worried. "Nothing to worry about, he knows what's good for him he'll stay far away from me, you, and Quinn." Drew said, trying to reassure her. "Come here honey, let's have another go before Quinn gets back huh?" Drew said with the biggest grin on his face, "Fine, I can't resist that smile" Amber said walking over to the bed. They spent the next couple of hours messing around, until they eventually fell asleep. However, they were rudely awakened by the sound of Quinn knocking on the conjoined room door, "Mom! Dad! Are you in there?" Quinn said with her voice shaking, "One second sweetie!" Amber said as she and Drew scrambled to put some clothes on, once they did Amber opened the door and Quinn immediately ran into her arms crying "Quinn what's wrong?" Amber asked but Quinn was on the verge of another panic attack, "I'll go get her medicine" Drew said worried about daughter, "No wait! Here!" Quinn said as she handed over her phone to her dad, Drew saw the text from an unknown number, "You should have kept your mouth shut you little bitch, now your dad's career is going down the drain because of you! I'll make sure he never works in WWE like I did back when he was a kid. Hell I'll make sure he never wrestles again, hope you thought it was worth it." Drew began shaking with rage, it may have been from an unknown number but he knew it was Phil. "Dad I'm sorry, I don't want you to get into trouble!" Quinn said as she continued sobbing in her mom's arms. "No baby girl come here" Drew said as he took Quinn into his arms and gave her a big hug, "This is not on you, this is not your fault do you understand? He's doing this to get back at me." Drew said, trying to comfort her, "If you get any more texts like this, you forward them to me and you block the numbers, understand?" Quinn nodded. Long after the girls had gone to bed, Drew was wide awake with rage. The unknown number text had brought back bad memories of when Heath had taken Quinn because he wanted money from Drew, but it also showed him Phil wasn't going to leave him or his family alone, he knew he was injured and he knew he had to end his career and get him out of WWE once and for all. He would get his chance the next night when Phil was going to address the fans.

The next night CM Punk came out to address the WWE fans about his injury, he knew he was going to be out 6-9 months with it and that he would miss Wrestlemania for sure. He was getting all the sympathy from the fans and Drew had enough, he came out to confront Punk. He was standing face to face with the man who cost him his WWE career when he was a kid, and was trying to hurt his family. "This couldn't have happened to a better person Punk, now we don't have to see your hideous face around here for a long time. You got exactly what you deserved, for everything you've done to me. And if I get wind that you're still trying to destroy my career, you will never come back from this injury, do we understand each other?" Drew asked him with no emotion. "You took Wrestlemania from me Drew, this isn't over. I'm coming for you as soon as I'm ready to come back" Punk said, getting loud cheers from the fans. "That's the thing Punk, you're never coming back" Drew said and then he gave him a Glasgow Kiss to knock him down. Drew began attacking Punk's injured arm, stomping on it over and over again, and finally giving him a Claymore. Drew got in Punk's face "You ever contact anyone in my family again, you will regret it" Drew said with so much rage. He left the ring with a renewed feeling of hope for his future and the safety of his family. Unfortunately for Drew, it wouldn't last long.

[magnumdays]

Magnum PI - S05E11 - Hit and Run review

We're back. I guess. It feels strange knowing these are the last ten episodes it seems likely we're getting but judging from just this first one it's going to keep on being one heck of a ride at least for that :P

(Full honestly, something is wrong with my internet so I watched this with like 1 million little lags and annoying loading bits so... may have affected my viewer enjoyment. Also gotta go to bed because I gotta work tomorrow so this is a little short and 5% spell checked...)

Miggy

Wham-bam, thank you, ma'am. It would have been more shocking if we hadn't gotten the "I'm late in the promo" but still, it was fun to explore this for an episode. They didn't touch back on what Juliet said about not being sure if she wanted a baby or not, but from how the discussion went today she seemed to have changed her tune. Would have been good to have addressed. I thought the would with Magnum being incredibly award when she told him. (This was low-key a favorite part of mine because not knowing what to say Magnum is pretty rare.)

Loved that they're keeping the Miggy banter and Thomas Magnum logic going strong even with big life-changing-ish news looming on the horizon.

"Yeah but if you are pregnant you will be more pregnant tomorrow."

"Just like how you said you weren't scared of spiders?"

I think this was a big set-up for how the series is going to end. Which I think is going to be very Mentalist and we kind of needed to have them talk about and want a baby, even if not right now. (Seriously, if the show doesn't end with a Miggy wedding and baby on board I'm going to be annoyed.)

So yeah, I'm glad they had the baby talk and that it leads to Confessions! (have I been watching too much K-drama? Maybe. Yes.)

And is it weird that I cried there with them being all "I love you" at the end? Like I thought, kind of that I'd gone through my mourning process for this both with thinking season 4 was the end and during the past few months knowing season 5b is the last. But apparently, I was wrong. I still have tears left.

Watching this episode just kind of made me realize how much I love this show (all over again) and that I'm going to miss it and my babies sooo much.

TC being sad = sadness

It's was kind of hard to watch our favorite guy going through tough stuff. I feel like the *protect TC at all cost* society will sue someone :P no but I was really thankful things seem to be going in the right direction for him both with emotionally dealing and getting some feeling back!

Rick + Piper...

So Rick's got a new GF? I feel like she gotta have some connection to something bigger. Like she's for sure a spy or something right? Wasn't her being all "that dump never" just too great of a start? I mean Rick is cute and all, but just introducing her as a love interest would be a little frivolous? Though they have done that before with Ethan and Lia.

Anyway, Piper is cute and I can't wait to see what happens with it.

The Case!

I really liked this case, even if it the excitement was somewhat lost because my internet kept lagging. It's pretty classic "hitman decides to save victim" only with a Magnum and Higgins twist. It could have gone a lot of different ways and in a way it felt a little too quick for it to end. (I think this might be another K-drama symptom where most things just keep going throughout the season.) I was hoping/thinking when I heard "boarding school, sick mom" that we'd get a Juliet/kid bonding moment.

I would have liked Mr. Hitman to not have died so unceremoniously. I mean this poor kid, her mom is dead, her dad is dead, her brother just tried to kill her with 2 hitmen and now the guy who saved her (even if he was a hitman to start) dies? I mean come on! Couldn't he have gotten caught and she'd be like "I'll come visit you in jail" or something?

The Jin + Book

Are we going to get more flashbacks of Jin imagining the White Knight with superpowers? Because that was so weirdly hilarious. I was like? What? What? WHAT? Then I totally cracked up.

But yeah, hope we have something more with the TR Bell + White Knight. That kiss back from early season 4 is still one of my faves of theirs (even if it wasn't actually 'them'.)

Next week seems fun! Like, repo a fish? What a strange world, but it sure going to be amusing.

[royalwilmon]

Get to Know Me Tag :)

thank you so so much for tagging me @skibasyndrome <3333333

do you make your bed?

almost never. like, when i wash my sheets, and then never again. cant be bothered!!!

what's your favourite number?

i dont really have one but ive been saying 36 for yearssss. from the glee days. iykyk

what is your job?

im a software tester!!

if you could go back to school, would you?

you couldn't pay me to

can you parallel park?

i mean. technically. i avoid it at all costs and if there is someone behind me witnessing me parallel park i will Fully Panic. but i can do it. mostly.

a job you had that would surprise people?

i worked at dunkin' donuts for three years. which isn't surprising, i live in new england. what does surprise people is when i talk about how much i genuinely loved that job and miss it Every Day

do you think aliens are real?

i guess i definitely think there are other life forms out there. hard to say what they'd be like, though

can you drive a manual car?

nah, i've never tried. don't have much of a reason to!

what's your guilty pleasure?

lmaooooo gut instinct is to say jimmy buffett. my spotify wrapped this year is going to be WILD

tattoos?

not yet! once i find an artist i trust, I'm going to get the comet chandelier

favorite color?

blue! i describe the shade as the darkest shade of blue the sky gets

favorite type of music?

my taste of music is absolutely all over the place, this is nearly an impossible question for me to answer. i have a lot of specific pockets of interest. i love anything that came out of laurel canyon -- really, a lot of 70s music i picked up from my dad. obviously i fuck with showtunes big time. and then lately i have a handful of artists im obsessed with that float somewhere in the indie/pop/jazz/folk world. like, so vague, i just cant say any sorta word that would sum it up. oh, also, omar?? seriously, i'm all over the place

do you like puzzles?

yeah! my sister loves them more than i do so i mostly only do them when I'm hanging out with her

any phobias?

birds!!!!!!!!!!!! i hate them!!!!!!!! im so afraid!!!!!!!!!!! so so so scared!!!!!

favorite childhood sport?

i played softball and basketball as a kid, but like. ehhhhhhhh.

do you talk to yourself?

oh, always. look, i work from home most of the time, and my roommates have very different schedules from mine so im home alone a LOT. i like to keep myself company. i am alwayssss chattering to myself. 100% of the time, just nonsense babble

what movies do you adore?

ohhhhh tricky question. i'll pretend im doing one of those letterboxd interviews and I'll give you my top four. fried green tomatoes (1991), camelot (1967), dirty dancing (1987), and everything everywhere all at once (2022)

coffee or tea?

coffee! like i said, i worked at dunks for three years. I'm one of those maniacs that drinks black coffee. i wish i liked tea, i really do, i just. dont

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

HAHA i don't know if it was the first but the story my mom always tells is how i wanted to be a cake decorator at Walmart. specifically walmart. she would encourage me to aim higher, like. 'why don't you be a cake decorator at the white house or something', but no. walmart. i was probably, like. five.

Onward tagging: idk!!!!!!!! im always late to these!!!!!! @goldenwilmon if you haven't done it yet??

[loorain]

Sims 4 Fontenot Legacy - Childhood Begins

The morning after the birthday party, the house is still in disarray. Scarlett wakes up first to start dealing with the mess, followed by the other adults and eventually the kids. The girls have another big day ahead of them, as it is their school orientation day. They're excited to meet other students and find out what elementary school is all about.

While the girls head off to school and Sigrid assists with the day's clean-up process, Robin borrows Sabrina's computer to finish up something he's been wanting to do for a long time.

As the family's youngest residents gain more independence but more costs, Robin decides it's finally time to get a more traditional job to support his family. After a few emails, he's able to secure a job at Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe! It's an entry-level job, but he's confident he has the skill set to work his way up the corporate ladder quickly.

It's not the only big thing happening today. Oh no, the family is having one more big event to celebrate the start of a new chapter in their lives.

The girls return from school with the neighbors' kid, courtesy of Audrey and her ever-friendly personality. However, there's also some additional guests at the house, unbeknownst to them.

Sigrid: Well look who it is! You have a good orientation day? See you've already invited a friend over.

Audrey: Mom, what's this? Why is there a carrier here?

Sigrid can't help but chuckle at the complete ignoring of her comment.

Sigrid: Oh, this old thing? Well, your dad and I thought it might be nice to invite someone over ourselves.

Audrey: What... do you mean-

Alma: A PUPPY!!!!!

Without another word, Alma is rushing to the puppy at the speed of light.

Alma: Hey there, little guy! I'm Alma! You and I are gonna be best friends!

Audrey: A puppy?! Really mom?!

Sigrid: Well your father and I thought it'd be nice for you to have a buddy to play with. You know, someone other than your sister when you two get on each other's nerves.

Audrey: This is the best day ever!

Sigrid: Now remember, caring for a puppy is a lot of responsibility. I need you both to help take care of things, okay?

Alma: We will! We'll go on walks, play with him, train him, everything! Promise!

Audrey: Yeah, what she said!

Sigrid: Okay, okay. Well, don't waste any more time talking to me. Go talk with your sister and decide on a name for him!

Robin has been quietly watching all of this unfold. As the girls greet and play with the puppy, he walks over to his wife.

Robin: Think we did good?

Sigrid: Pft, I think we just earned ourselves "Parents of the Century".

Robin: Ooh, I like the sound of that. Think they'll erect a statue of us in honor of this moment?

Sigrid: If they do, I hope they take some creative license and sculpt a few pounds off my waist.

Robin: Think they'd pump up my muscles a little bit? Oh, maybe a majestic beard would be nice too.

Sigrid: You going full Viking on me now?

Robin: Hey, I'd look good in a tunic! Hand me a sword and shield!

Alma interrupts the banter between the two and comes rushing over to her dad, giving him the biggest hug ever.

Alma: Thank you, thank you! You're the best!

Robin: Aww, you're very welcome, baby.

Sigrid: So have you two thought of a name for him yet?

Alma: I think so!

In the chaos of the new arrival, Audrey's buddy Jalisa gets pushed to the wayside. But, of course, Audrey never abandons her friends.

Audrey: Jalisa! We just got a new puppy! Alma and I decided to name him Ziggy!

Jalisa: So cool! I wish my parents let us get a puppy. Mom's allergic to their saliva, though. Says it gives her the "heebie-geebies".

Audrey: Well you can come over and play with Ziggy as much as you want!

Jalisa: So cool!

Audrey and her pal celebrate the day by spending some time in the treehouse! (Alma was there too, actually, but decided to play by herself in the enclosure. Typical Alma 😆)

All in all, the twins first full day of childhood was a success! A great orientation day, new friendships, and a belated birthday present so wonderful it'll leave a lasting impression on the entire family!

And of course, let's formally introduce the newest addition to the legacy house: Ziggy Lay!