#i say as if i wasn't born in 2005 Tumblr posts

[chrrywvea]

setting up my new portable cd player & testing it with my linkin park cds while i watch saw v, obsess over hoffdaddy and eat sour gummy worms

it's the small things

[simandy]

Being invited to a 2000s party as a plus size woman

[Clown music]

[heyhihellosworld]

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨

Lando Norris x OC Alice Davies

Word Count: 7.6k

Summary: Childhood friends too...?

Warnings: People changing, friendship ending, breakup, very brief smut, Angst!

Notes: Never written for Lando before but this idea seemed fitting for him soo. Also this is not an x reader story but an OC because it felt right and the OC is completely made up, names found on google's first page lol. It's soooo long too hehe. This fic needed so much research and I'm sure it's not all correct, but it is fanfiction, and also it's angstyyyy, probably not a happy ending, sry

2005 Hampshire

"Lando Norris, what are you doing?!" Cisca yelled over the small yard causing the young boy to stop in his tracks. His hand still in Alice's hair as he was in the middle of pulling her to the ground.

"She took my car!" Lando tried to argue but Cisca looked furiously at her young son. "Take your hands out from her hair!"

Lando slowly untangled his hands from Alice's long strands and turned to his mother, having the decency to look slightly ashamed.

He glanced at his younger friend, her face holding a soft pout and her eyes spilling over with tears as she tried to hold them back. Lando always felt guilty when she looked like that, especially when it was his doing.

"Say sorry to Alice!" Lando's mom ordered, the small boy lifting his eyes slightly "Am sorry Alice" he spoke, feeling small under his mothers hard gaze. "You never pull her hair again, okay?"

"Okay, sorry" he muttered, turning around to follow his mother towards the house.

As he started walking he felt sadness creep onto him, he felt sad his mother was angry at him and that Alice had that expression on her face, it was the same one she had when the boys at school poked fun at her or when she knocked at their door because her parents were fighting again. He hated to be the one making her look like that.

Just as the feeling took a hold of him he felt a small hand on his, his head turning to meet Alice's smile, her hand opening his and gently dropping the small car in his palm. It was his favourite which was why she always teased him with it. "I'm sorry I took your car"

"It's okay, as long as you're not mad at me" Lando smiled. His eyes fleeting around before he found what he was looking for, running to the small row of flowers and picking the prettiest one before running back to Alice, hand offering the blue flower.

Her smile split her face open, she loved flowers, especially blue flowers. The girl wrapped her arms around her friend, thanking him with a soft giggle.

Soon enough the two kids happily strutted on, arms around eachother and Cisca looked at them with a fond smile as the kids where all happy again, playing tag in the green grass.

They were innocent, small and new to the world. If only it would always be this easy to forgive and forget.

2006 TeamSport Go track

Alice watched with longing eyes as she watched her friend in the go-kart. It was a competition hense why she was not allowed to join, she didn't necesarily want to compete but she liked to kart and Lando did too. So much he had told his friend he was gonna drive in formula when he got older, he was gonna be in f1 and win the championship.

It was already done

"Are you sure that's possible?" Alice had asked quietly, not to upset him but just because it meant he wouldn't be here, with her forever.

But Lando had told her that of course it was posible and maybe she didn't understand now because she was younger. She was in fact born a year later but she was only barely two months younger, something she had held for herself as she looked at the seven year old boy, his goal already set.

Done and dusted.

It was naive to think that they would spend all summers and years like this even if he wasn't in formula one but it was her thoughts, the underlying inevitable. She didn't want to seperate from him, ever. He was everything she needed and everything she always would need, that she knew.

Even if she was only six.

2008 Hampshire

The sun was bathing on the young girl, her hair sticking out in every directions after their dip in the water, despite the warmth she had a warm smile etched on her face. Laughing with Lando as he threw water on her, chasing her down until she stumbled face first into the cold water.

This was the first time in a long time the two bestfriends were together again. Lando had been busy with his karting and Alice had not been able to follow him around.

The girl squeeled as she found herself underwater, the waves keeping her from the surface as she struggled to get air again. Panic settled in her body before Lando gently pulled her up to the surface, chuckling as she choked on the water she had inhaled. His laughter though, stopped immideately as he watched her face morph from coughing to crying.

"Lando, that was scary" she sobbed softly, wading up to the beach again as Lando followed. He liked teasing the girl but he hated it when he took it to far and she got sad.

"I'm sorry Alice" he pouted, reaching out to help her sort her towel out as it was crumpled to pieces as she tried to smothen it out but she just slapped his hand away.

Lando stood helplessly and watched his friend dry her tears, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I am sorry Alice" Lando said again but her eyes narrowed at him

"I will pick you a flower on our way back" he pleaded, knowing that was gonna make her forgive him, it always did. "Fine, but it's gotta be pretty" she said, a smile slowly forming on her face as he finally relaxed. "Of course" Lando grinned before throwing himself on her towel, pushing her off it as they laughed.

2010 Hampshire

"What do you want to be?"

The question came unexpected and the small girl pouted her lips in thought. Her eyes watching her friend who sat on the soft grass, hand picking on the strands in a way she wanted to tell him off for.

"A vet, a teacher or maybe a doctor" she rambled, Lando giggled, not to poke fun at her but because she looked so deep in thought over this simple question.

Lando already knew his dreams and had always done, it was all they talked about but lately he had pondered about her, had she ever told him? He didn't think so.

It was quite for a little while which made the young girl frown, the silence getting to her, she didn't like silence after she had said something so instead she snapped at Lando.

"Stop picking on the grass, you are destroying it" she muttered sharply, the brunettes hand immideately stopping his assualt on the gren strands. "Sorry" he muttered

Alice gave him a small smile, apologizing. "I think whatever it is you're gonna be great" Lando spoke, gathering the grass he had picked into a pile and blowing it in his friends face.

"Lando!" she half yelled half laughed as she launched over him, pining the laughing brit into the grass, smudging his face with a few strands she had gathered. "Alice!" he laughed, trying to squirm out of her grasp but he didn't have much of a upper-hand to the girl who giggled with him.

2013 Ortona Italy

"You did it!" Alice grinned at her friend as he ran into her open arms, hugging her close to him as he giggled. "I did it" he mumbled into her soft hair. "I told you it was posible! I told you I would do it!" Lando laughed, overjoyed with the result and the win. Alice only giggled, she knew too, she knew anything he set his mind to he could do.

"Karting European Championship winner" he mumbled, smiling as the words reached his ears. This was the beginning, the very beginning to something so much bigger, to his dreams.

Alice watched his smile all afternoon as they celebrated with a big dinner in their rented house. The sun falling beutifully outside of the open deck. The grill was on and their mothers were going around filling up peoples glasses and hugging Lando every chance they got. Everybody was proud, everybody was happy.

It was one of the best days Alice could remember, not an ounce of bad mood everything light hearted and domestic in a way she never realised until years later, looking back at that afternoon.

Sitting with Lando on the edge of the landstrip down to the water, listening to him talk about his race, his dreams his passion as they munched on some sweets they had stolen from the big oak table.

Time seemed to float together as they sat there, feets gently tapping in the water, hands interwined and bodies close to the other. It was the first time they kissed, the two young teenagers to caught up in their own little bubble. To hung up on the sweet love they had always shared for eachother to even realize what kind of territority they stepped into.

2014 World Championship Karting

He could spot her from miles away, her bright smile lightning up in the crowd in front of him. She was the first one with him, the first one aproaching with her arms wide open.

Lando laughed into her embrace as she smiled like an idiot "I'm so happy for you Lando, you are so good!" she praised, his heart swelling twice it's size at her voice and words. "Thank you" he whispererd, meaning it.

When he pulled away from her embrace he had to go back to the track, his friends immideately hogging him up.

"Congrats" George smiled. Lando grinned back, thanking him as he walked with the others to their cars, gathering all of their stuff to go home.

"Hey Lando" Max asked making the boy pull back a little to get even steps with the dutch boy. "Huh?" he questioned, watching his friend pull a slight face. "Just, that girl that is always with you, who is she?" Lando was too stunned to speak, he knew they had grown a lot, to the point were girls and relationship was a hot topic. Someone who had before only been a playmate was now someone people gawked at, rating and thinking up things with. It had been drastic and Lando often thought it got a bit too much.

But he couldn't deny the obvious, the feelings and the thoughts that sometimes bubbled up despite his liking. Alice had grown up to be a beutiful girl, she had always been in Lando's eyes but not in the way he now realized and it hadn't dawned on him that othes thought the same.

Spread laughter sounded around them "Mate, careful" George joked and Max's eyes rolled "Just wondering mate"

"Alice?" Lando stuttered, wanting to scream when Max nodded. She was often with Lando but had never cared for his karting-friends, saying they weren't her type even though she had only watched them from afar.

"Well she is my friend?"

"Friend?" Max repeated "So you are not together?"

Lando conteplated lying but he shook away the thoughts "No, she is my childhood friend"

"Well she is hot"

Lando swallowed hard, gritting his teeth togehter as he didn't say anything else but Max watched him, seeing the obvious discomfort and dislike to his friends comments and decided to let it go, Lando was a good friend and he understood Alice was important for him and he didn't want to step on anyones toes.

"She seems nice, that's all" Max concluded, patting his friend comfortingly on his shoulder before letting the topic change back to the race.

Lando tried to get into the joking mood but he couldn't really let his thoughts move on from Alice. Did she have a boyfriend? It wouldn't surprise him if she had, because she was..hot?

Lando battled with his thoughts. He didn't know, Alice had always been Alice. Nothing more nothing less, feelings had never even been questioned, love as more than friends had never been brought up, not necesary because they were them, togehter. The only time something like it had been talked about was when their mothers joked about them getting married.

Well they had kissed... but still

Was this all as confusing for her as it was for him? Did she have multiple suitors chattting her up and asking her on dates? Lando had no idea. Of all the things they spoke about this was a topic they had never even touched, never felt the need to.

"Come on man, go to your girlfriend" George joked, shoving him towards Alice who stood with his family, an uncertain smile forming on his face.

2014 Costwolds

His eys watched her as she helped his mom set the table. She was wearing a white flowy summerdress, the fabric flowing in the wind. His mom had helped her fix her hair with a flower and she looked absolutely stunning, with that wide smile on her face.

He couldn't pin it down to when she went from his cute best friend to this, to Alice. A young, mature beutiful woman, someone he felt a lot for and not only platonic feelings. Of course this was strictly hidden. After their little kiss nothing else had surfaced, nothing even close to happening. They had brushed it away.

He couldn't help it tough, he was also getting older, close to sixteen now and feelings did surface, thoughts he wasn't proud of circled in his head and he wondered if she had the same thoughts or if it was just his mind that was sick.

"What are you doing?" Alice laughed softly at him as he stood like frozen on the grass. Blinking rapidly as he shrugged, playing it off like always "Nothing, I was just thinking you know?"

"Really, thinking? Seems like out of usual, no?"

He pulled a grimace at her joke, but it soon turned into a smile as her laughter filled his ears. What a sappy sap he was and he hated himself for it. If any of his friends would see him now they would laugh in his face.

"You wanna come with me to pick flowers for the table?"

"Sure" he nodded, following her out of the main door and out on the field behind Alice's house. Her parents had gotten divorced a year ago, her father moving abroad for work whilst her mother stayed with her.

They had newly been able to pull this house, a beutiful small cute little home more on the countryside with fields and forests close by. It was peaceful, comfortable and beutiful, Lando thought it fitted Alice perfectly.

"What is on your mind today? You seem so distant" she pondered softly, her hair falling in her face as she plucked a beutiful pink flower from the field. "I don't know" he shrugged.

"Then talk to me" she smiled gently as she popped the flower into her basket.

"Do you... do you ever feel..." he couldn't figure out the right words to finish his sentence, "Feel? Of course??" she deadpanned and Lando let out a soft chuckle "No, I mean have you ever felt... like... romantic feelings for anyone?"

Alice scrunched her face up as she looked at her friend. "Do you have a girl I don't know of?" she asked, offended. "But I guess?"

Lando's face heated up, hands pressing against his cheeks as he sat down in the grass. "No no I don-wait you have?"

Suddenly his stomach filled with dread, did she have someone he didn't know of?

"I think so but it's a bit weird"

Lando couldn't say anything more before she spoke again, cutting him off. "Please go on, who is this? What are you feeling, it's okay you know"

Lando removed his palms from his cheeks, taking a deep breath. He felt almost overwhelmed by her calm sweet voice, gently nudging him on.

"Well I don't know, I am so unsure on it because it's... it's someone I've known for so long and I am not sure how I got to feel more than friendship. I have no idea if she likes me back but it's just getting clearer and clearer that I can't supress that I feel more and more every day"

Alice only nodded along his fast words, trying to comprehend and figure out who this was. She felt the same, it was a bit complicated because being friends forever made it a bit tricky to point out what was what.

She tried to keep an even face, not to let him know too obviously that her heart slowly cracked at his words, he liked someone else?

His eyes met Alice's, taking another deep breath

"It's you"

2015 Hampshire

"I know" she repeated, it was all she said as she dragged Lando over the grass to the deck where she had been sitting all morning.

"What? You know what?" Lando asked confused, trying to make sense of her enthusiasm and rapid words.

She let go of his hand as they reached the small decktable, the oak scattered with papers, drawing, documents, all kinds of stuff and it didn't make Lando any wiser of what she wanted with all this.

"I know what I wanna do!" she exclaimed, excitment written all over her, from the way her eyes shone, the way her hand gestured over the papers and to how fast she talked and how she practially bounced up and down on the floor.

"Oh?" Lando asked, leaning forwards to see her papers. This had been a big deal for Alice, ever since he brought it up when they were ten she had been pondering over it. It was no stress and she knew that but for some reason, maybe because Lando knew his dream since the age of six, she felt the need to know.

"I want to be a diplomat!"

Lando fell quiet, too stunned to speak. A diplomat.

He was apparently not the only one having big dreams.

"What do you think?!" She asked, her voice so excited he had to be too. "I think it's fantastic!" Lando giggled, just as engrossed as she was as she pointed at the paper with the decsription of her future job, because Lando was sure she would make it.

"How do you become that?" "Well there are different aproaches to it depending on what you are most interested in to major but you need a bachelors degree but you can choose to major in example Law, international studies, political science or history but I think I want to go Law because then if I don't make it I can go into law for real so I'm gonna apply to Lawschool's here in England, Oxford and Cambridge. That's four years"

Lando's eyes followed her every movement as she spoke him through the different stages of how to become a diplomat. It seemed incredibly hard and long way there but she was so excited over this it made it's way over to Lando.

2016 Costwolds

He looked at her so softly she didn't know what to do of herself. His colourmixed eyes filled with so many different emotions, so many questions.

His hair was all wet from the rain that had poured down over England as usual and his lips held a soft smile whilst his hand tilted up her chin.

"You are so pretty" he mumbled softly, Alice feeling her face heating up at the comment. "You are too" she spoke, her voice like silk, so low it was hardly even hearable through their deep breaths.

She couldn't tell what had gotten them here, alone in her house, cuddled up in her bed watching a movie. Watching a movie had turned to a kiss, then a makeout and now here they were, asking eachother silent questions about how to move forward.

They had started to explore more and more ground with eachother after their feeling-revelations. Slowly but surely taking step by step.

"Are you sure?" Lando asked unsurely, his voice deep and ragged, feeling nervous as he looked at the young girl laying so beutifully on his bed. It felt like he was dreaming. Not only was there a beutiful girl half naked in his bed it was also Alice. His teenage hormones were too high to manage at this point.

"Have you... ever?" she asked, watching his head shake "No, I have no idea of how.. this is suposed to g-"

"We will figure it out" she smiled, asking both of his current questions and he smiled, face relaxing as his mouth dived to hers again.

It was slow, gentle and intimate. Both of them taking their sweet time, caring for eachother.

Their bodies moved together, figuring out what felt the best for both. Lando didn't know what to do, what to feel, it was all overwhelming to a point he became blank of thoughts. Hands gently helping her move with him, relishing in her heavy breaths and small sounds as they explored a new part of themself and eachother.

2016 Silverstone

His hand laced in hers as he gently pulled her along the streets in Silverstone. He had bought GP tickets for her birthday, revealing that his parents had helped him out a litttle after her worrying words for his money.

"Thank you" she said softly, smiling at Lando who looked back at her just as fondly. "Of course" was his reply, even though this didn't feel any type of of course

"Just want to make you happy" he murmured, making her heart soar

"I am happy just being with you, this-this is amazing and I am so happy and excited but you, you will always be enough"

Lando's smile got impossible big at that, swinging their hands inbetween their walking bodies. They were both fools, fools in love but they didn't care.

He talked her through the basics even though she already knew it all. But she loved to listen to it, listen to him talk about it with so much passion, blabber about the teams, the rules, the best. Everything he knew he loaded off to her, Alice more then content to walk around the paddock like this, hand in hand listening to his voice.

2017 Hampshire

She watched as Lando helped his mother to set the table in their old summer-house. The tradition continuing on. His hands balanced the plates as his mother directed him to what should go where.

She couldn't pin down the moment when Lando, her gullible dork of a friend became Lando. Lando who got all the girls falling at his feets with his riddicolously attractive smile and brown curls. Lando who got her to feel more than platonic feelings, Lando that got her all hot and bothered just being him, Lando.

But it was still the same Lando who had picked her flowers, held her when she was sad or confused, shared her highs and been there all the time. He was the same but with some additonal things, things she didn't exactly mind.

His eyes met hers over the table, his face of concentration turning into a teasing smirk as he winked at her.

Alice couldn't help but to giggle, moving off the grass and to the table where him and Cisca were talking about something. Lando had currently signed all season in formula 3 with Carlin. But he had been home for the weekend before going off again.

"Hello" Lando smiled like a dork as she reached the two, his smile going over to her, smiling just as widely as his arms reached her body to pull her close. "Are you coming to my next race?" He asked lowly, smile breaking out again as she nodded "Of course" Alice did in difference from Lando still go to school, her goal meant hard school studying for many years forward whilst Lando's goal meant no school studying but a lot of experience gathering. It was different but it didn't bother them. Alice studied, Lando helped her best he could, usually more distracting than helping but he was also useful to use as someone to juggle ideas with and have as a listener when she pracctised her speaches or read through her essays. In return Alice listened to him ramble about motorsports, went to every race she could and simply was there for him when he needed her to be.

Despite their young age they were mature in their relationship and more than anything, they were serious about eachother.

2018 Barcelona

She watched him from a distance, watching how he went around with his friends, joking laughing. It was formula two now, a new world from forumla 3 in some ways but the biggest difference were the publicity.

The fanbase that had before been small had explded as he startde to do well in formula 2 and especially since he started to appear on the internet via social media, interviews and youtube clips. It had exploded so fast neither of them had gathered what had happened.

What Alice had gathered by now though was that this new world of the sport he loved so dearly made him more and more distant. Suddenly he cared more about his appearance than her, cared more about his image than her. It showed in so many situations, him declining to hang out with her to hang out with some friends, telling her she didn't need to come because it was better for his image if they wasn't seen together all the time.

Alice didn't know if it was better for his image or better for keeping the girls that currenly circled aorund him.

He rarely spent any time with her anymore and it was fine Alice thought, but the feeling that he was embarrassed of her, that he didn't want people to know about her or their relationship was something she felt really hurtful.

The most confusing part of it all was how different it was. When it was only them he was the same, the small soft little boy who picked her flowers and helped braid her hair but when they were with others or in public he was someone completely different. One who pushed her away, ignored her and laughed at her.

It was all getting a bit too much. In the begining she could wave it off by him being new to the experience and fame, having to navigate his way around it but it had gone too far. And it felt too much in her heart.

2019 Monza

"I think... I think we should stop seeing eachother"

Lando's words caught something deep within her, felt like a shot right at her heart as she looked at the boy.

"What?" Her words came out weak, like a faint whisper. "I think we should break up, or whatever" he spoke, this time more direct, less feelings in them, more harshness.

Break up or whatever

They had never put a label on it, they were them, nothing more nothing less. But now he wanted to be nothing?

"Why?" she croaked out not getting where it was all coming from. "I want to see other people" he deadpanned, no emotion in his voice as he looked her straight in the eyes.

She felt defeated, nothing to fight with, nothing to fight for. Because he looked so sure, he looked so distant from the person she knew so she had no choice but to let him go, regardless of the feeling of her heart breaking into pieces in her chest.

But she got numb, feelings she could deal with later, she did not want to look weak when he looked like this, acted like this.

"Okay" was all she said, dropping the flower she held in her hand and turning on her heel.

2019 England, contract with Mclaren

"Congrats" she smiled carefully at the cheery boy. Things hadn't been good lately, stifff and tense but this was his long time goal, his dream and there was no way Alice wouldn't congratulate him on it.

Even if he broke her heart.

His eyes glistened as he pulled her into a warm hug, smiling into her hair. "Thank you, really"

Lando was happy, and Alice were happy that he was happy because it felt like it had always done. He spoke about his contract, about the races infront and she listened, just like she had always done. Taking it in and gently quzzing him further. She didn't want to push too hard.

His smile grew more and more as they talked, he even came so far as to ask how she was doing, he hadn't done that in a long time but just as before, in the end of their relationship things changed fast.

He hadn't told her he'd met anyone new, although they had barely spoken at all lately, only the odd hello on their family dinners. Alice felt it was too early for that but she could see it from miles away.

His eyes flickered around as the tall girl moved towards them and she knew it before she was even there. The lump in her stomach exploding into a sick feeling.

Lando fumbled nervously as he introuduced the two, Alice's eyes stuck on her beutiful face and incredible body. She was everything in one package, one stunning package.

"When did you meet?" Alice asked, voice sweetly soft, trying to disguse any hiddden intention but by the way Lando couldn't meet her eyes she already knew it was before they had ended.

"Oh, I don't know, I think it was last year yeah?"

Last year

Lando didn't answer, didn't look at Alice, he couldn't.

"Oh wow that't nice, and it was really nice to meet you but I have to go"

"Okay, nice to meet you too!" she smiled cheerily.

Lando catched up to her before she could leave the grounds completely, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Alice" "Don't tocuh me" she snapped, feeling too many emotions at once to control it. "I'm sorry" he tried but she just waved him off

"Save it" she bit

"Don't be like this Alice, come on" "What? You met her a year ago? When we were still together?" "I did nothing with her until we broke up!" "NO but you LIKED HER?!"

Lando looked down "I don't know"

"Fuck off!

"Stop it, youre making a big deal out of this when it dosen't have to be, we broke up I found someone new" "I-I I don't even know what to say" she spoke, shaking her head at the boy she thought she knew but so clearly didn't

"What did you think Alice? That we would stay in love our whole life and get married with many kids?" "I-I don't know" she whispered because maybe that had been what she thought, or at leat hoped. More importantly she thought they were real, and that they had real feelings. But maybe it was just her.

2019 Bahrain

Alice didn't cheer nor did she congratulate. She stood next to Cisca in the Mclaren garage watching the race. She was there for Cisca and only Cisca. She suposed she had forced Lando to give her a pass as he probably much rather would have wanted to give one to his new girlfriend than Alice. But his mother was good at talking and she guessed she had skills with her son as well. Having dangled the pass in her face as Lando had agreed to give her one.

Lando glanced over at her and gave her a faint smile but he got nothing in return, just a stone face that made him advert his gaze again.

He knew why though, the very reason swinging with her long hair before stepping forward to kiss him, right in front of her. It shouldn't but it made his heart ache, he didn't know if it was because it was Alice or if it was because he was a decent human being, he doubted that though.

"Wow babe! Your first points amazing!" She grinned at him. He forced himself to tip his lips into a forced smile "Thank you babe"

He could se in his imagination how Alice would scrunch her face up in disgust. She always hated those nicknames.

"How should we celebrate?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face. She wanted to go out. Lando wanted to go home, eat dinner with his family and Alice, sit down the water with Alice and talk about everything and anything. But those days were gone and now he had a new life.

"Clubbing?" he suggested, smiling as her face lit up.

"Perfect!" she smiled, turning away from him and to Alice and his mother who stood chatting, not paying any attention at all to him or at least not by the looks of it.

"Lando, we are going home. Are you coming with us for our regular big celebration?" His mother asked and he dreaded having to answer

"No, sorry. We are going out" he voiced softly, watching his mother's smile falter as a disapointed scowl took over her face "Out?"

He didn't even dare to look at Alice, knowing she would look at him with murder in her eyes, not liking his answer.

"Okay, well it was so good seeing you" his mother smiled, hugging him close before giving him one more loook and walking out the garages. He had excpected Alice to follow his mother out but she stayed put, making him feel a bit uneasy.

Alice smiled at her as she gave her a soft wave, telling Lando to catch up with her. Alice's smile fell the second her eyes landed on Lando.

He was thinking about aproaching but decided against it, should he go? As his mind was reeling with options and things he could say Alice was standing in front of him with an uncharacteristic frown on her face.

"You are really choosing clubbing before your family?" she spoke, her words harsh but it was nothing compared to her tone, filled with venom and hard as ice.

Lando tasted different aproaches on his tongue before, of course choosing the worst one. Anger.

"You're just angry I choose her before you"

The words struck, he could see that and in a twisted way it settled something inside him. "This has nothing to do with me" she spoke back, her voice even colder than before.

"I already said I was not gonna come to any celebrations, seriously Lando, who do you think you are?" He swallowed, didn't know what to say next but she beat him to it "And since when do you even go clubbing?" her face twisted with distaste. She had never liked clubbing a lot, only rarely could she enjoy it briefly but Lando had had no problem with that. Not a fan of the crowded rooms either but now, now he wanted to make his words hurt as much as hers did.

"Well maybe that's something I can now feel free to do" he spoke harshly, watching the wave of emotion on her face as she shook her head.

"I never, ever stopped you from it"

Lando shrugged "Didn't matter"

Alice shook her head, baffled. Where had Lando gone? Because this wasn't him.

"I was just going here to ask what the fuck is wrong with you. Your mother traveled here to watch you, to support you but you can't even take the time to celebrate with them over dinner? Go to the fucking club after dinner what do I care! But you don't treat family like that''

"What do you know about family?" The words left a bitter taste in his mouth but they had already tumbled out

"Apparently more than you" she bit and maybe she was right but it didn't stop his words from tumbling out.

"Just stop it Alice, you can't control me like before, let me be"

Alice swallowed, he could practically see the emotions swimming in her eyes but it was his doing. No matter how long it had gone he still hated to be the one that made her look like that, so fragile and so hurt.

"I'm sorry if that's how you felt" she whispered before leaving him feeling like the jerk he was.

2020 Cotswold

Her fingers scrolled through the profile, clicking in to one then the other. Scrolling through comments and reactions.

It was like an addiction, once she'd started she couldn't stop.

She was clicking into his pictures, trying to make out the people he was with like she had any reason to do so.

Her eyes fleeted over it all, drinking it in as this was all she could have. Sulking over her ex 'whatever' and the life he was now living.

Her eyes locked on a particular photo, he was on the podium, the widest of smiles on his face and a cup in his hands.

She would have called herself pathetic for sitting here dreaming of the guy who broke her heart but she couldn't help but to look at the photos and dream of what once used to be.

2021 Cotswold

Stiff was a light word to put it. Everyone felt awkvard as the two 22-year old's adjusted their gaze's over the room. Who's idea it had been to put on a family reunion dinner Alice didn't know but whoever it was had started an bad idea.

She hadn't seen Lando face to face in what felt like forever and it was just as unplesant as she would have thought it would be. Horrible.

"So Alice, how is studying going?" Cisca asked sweetly

"Well it's going great, we haven't completed any major essays or studies yet but it's really interesting so I'm happy" Alice spoke, looking at Cisca who held the most comforting smile ever.

"That's fantastic honey, I always knew you would make out what you wanted, you beutiful soul!" she all but squeked making the young girl feel warm inside out "Thank you"

"So Lando, what about you?" Alice's mom asked, just as politely. Alice busied herself grabbing some more potatoes in the slowest movements she could muster as Lando spoke them very detailed through the season so far. He told them all about the car, how it felt, his teammate, his team, the last race, others on the grid, all of it.

It was a bit weird how something she used to find so intruiging, now made her feel numb. Like a big lump balling up in her stomach. "And how is your girlfriend?" She continued, everyone holding their breath

Lando looked uncomfortable as his eyes fleeted around the table not staying to long anywhere. "Well, eh. We broke up" he revealed, making Alice look at him for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Oh I'm so sorry honey" Alice's mother spoke again but he just waved it off, giving her a reassuring smile "No it's fine. I guess we realized how different we were and how different the things we want are. It was no biggie, mutual decision" he shrugged, not seeeming to care to much about it and something about that made it twist in Alice's stomach.

"And how about you Alice? Your mother told me you were seeing someone?"

Alice and Lando both looked like they were gonna faint with shock. Alice coughing on her potatoes, waving her hand as she took a sip from her glass.

"Noo" she chuckled once she recovered. "It was nothing serious at all, just a bit of...fun" she spoke awkvardly, something about that sentence making Lando's stomach twist unpleasantly.

"Aha" Cisca smiled, her lips twitching as she tried to not chuckle at both the youngsters uncomfortableness.

"I hope you mean fun like jumping into the sea and giggling in the grass" Alice's mother mused, looking at her with amusedly narrowed eyes.

"Of course, that's what I mean..." Alice giggled, hiding behind her tall glass. "Because I have never heard you even say you lost your virginity"

Alice choked at that, spluttering her drink over herself and the table as the others laughed at her.

"Well" she breathed

"Alice! You have but you have not told me?!" Her mother said sarcastically. She had figured she had, they had talked about it vaguely since she had wanted to know it was okay and all and she had also not so sneakily gotten a condom or two plus she had asked for her mother to hellp her with the pills.

"Maybe?" "There is no hard feeling honey" She started, tone warm "And Cisca has told me all about it"

This time it was Lando who choked on his drink, coughing desperately until his airways were free again. He had not been as secretive as Alice apparently had been. He had told his mother the next day about it. Not in detail of course but still.

"Oh really? What did he say?" Alice snickered, throwing a look on Lando who's face had creeped up with colour. "Oh not too much, just that you had had sex and it had been ok"

"OK?!" Alice gasped at Lando who giggled in his hands, face red as he giggled at the awkvardness of it alll

Alice couldn't help but to laugh at his face but stopped abruptly when she realized what she was doing, laughing with him?

No

"No I'm joking it was hideous" she deadpanned, their mothers snickered but Lando looked at her with a glare.

She cracked a sarcastic smile and engrossed herself in the next conversation floating, ignoring his gaze for the rest of the evening.

2022 Monaco

His fingers scrolled through the profile, clicking in to one then the other. Scrolling through comments and reactions.

It was like an addiction, once he'd started he couldn't stop. Obsessing over her life even though he wasn't in it anymore.

Eyes locked on the different pictures he couldn't help but think she was the most stunning person he had ever met.

He also could not stop himself from feeling his heart swell and break at the thought.

2023 Silverstone GP

Alice's hair moved in the windy air of Silverstone. His eyes wandered over her, drinking her in.

He had missed her, really missed her.

Being without her was a test on it's own, one he thoughts was nesecary to live how he wanted, but now he realized he wouldn't ever want to live without her.

It was too late, of course. He knew that, everybody knew that. He had completely wrecked everything they had and shared because of a few years trying to be someone else.

He had been fine though, moved on because he knew that's what she had done, but his heart struggled all the same everytime he saw her or even thought about her.

His mom had tried to push him towards her, saying that he needed to apologize. Lando had never understood why. A simple sorry wouldn't change a thing of what he had done, it was not gonna make anything better.

A sorry was simply not enough.

Despite that he itched to say it, beacuse he was sorry, even if that changed nothing.

-

A GP sunday and Alice hadn't had it in her heart to refuse Cisca's pleas for her to come with her and watch. She had been there more times since they broken up 'or whatever' and it had been fine.

But this time it felt different. From the moment she stepped into the paddock Lando's eyes were on her. Nothing unusual but his eyes were something else, held something else deep within them.

It hadn't even been half an hour after the race when he aproached her carefully. His eyes fleeting around as he stopped in front of her, hand combing through his wet curls.

"Hi" he breathed, meeting her eyes a short second.

"Hi" she answered, her heart picking up in her chest for no reason at all.

Why did it still do that?

"Good race today, congratulations" she smiled weakly making his heart grow wings. "Thank you". He was on the podium, second place, a good weekened for Mclaren, for sure.

"How you been?" he stuttered out, trying to be as normal as possible as she looked at him. "Good, you?" she replied shortly, his breath catching in his throat "Fine" he got out, his words stuck in his throat, sounding like he had just coughed them up. "I- I know this is not gonna change anything and I know I've been a proper dick but I still wanted to.." he murmured, his hand reaching into his suit pocket and bringing out a small blue little flower. Blue ones where her favoruite, it had always been.

"A flower?"

His eyes burned with sadness and regret

"I really am sorry"

Alice's eyes flickered from the sad looking guy and his handpicked beutiful flower, wishing it was enough, wishing it was as easy to forgive him now as it had been when they were small and Lando had teased her or made her cry. But it wasn't and Lando knew that too.

No amount of flowers could possibly make up for this and it absolutely shattered him.

[neil-gaiman]

Hi, Mr. Gaiman! Just gonna say i recently had an encounter w/ a teacher at my high school after rambling about the Corinthian to a friend!

He said he has read your books and comics, even got your autograph when you went to the Philippines in 2005 (I wasn't even born!). He also apparently cosplayed the Corinthian when our school had literacy week last year. I found out about you through your TV shows recently and loving it so far!

It's just interesting to me how your work can connect generations together and relate to one another :)

I'm glad. And it's high time for me to return to the Philippines.

[vodika-vibes]

Hi! Vod’ika! Could I request Dogma x fem!reader with your mermaid AU?💕

Thousand Years

Summary: You know that Dogma loves you, he’s your soulmate and you're his after all, but you know that you’re not like other soulmates, and you hear the comments his brothers make, though you know that they don’t mean for you to hear them. And sometimes you wonder if he would have chosen you if he had the choice.

Pairing: Clone Trooper Dogma x F!Reader

Word Count: 2005

Warnings: Angsty but with a happy ending

Prompt: Mermaid AU

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, this wasn't supposed to be sad, but I had an idea and decided to run with it. As ever, I want to thank @kimiheartblade @the-bad-batch-baroness @mire-draws-things and @t3mpest98 for helping build this AU.

Adjusting to life as a mermaid was easier than you thought it would be. Honestly, the biggest adjustment for you was having to reteach yourself how to swim with one appendage rather than your legs.

According to the other mates who live around you, none of them had as much of an easy time.

Generally, after that, they’ll toss you an odd, awkward, smile and tell you that you’re just unique and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Funnily enough, it never sounds like a compliment when they say it though. You try not to think about it too much, it’s not like you’re unused to not having friends after all.

And some of the other mates are very…well, calling them shallow would be an insult to puddles. At least you’re polite enough to not tell them that if they were a puddle you could stand in them without getting the soles of your boots wet.

You know if you could wear boots.

You just think it. Loudly.

You’re pulled from your thoughts at the sensation of little hands drumming on your torso, and you cast your gaze on the dark-eyed baby resting on your stomach.

Your dark-eyed baby.

Little Faith has the good fortune to look like her father, though it’s starting to look like she has your personality. Dogma claims it’s because you take her everywhere, you point out that a strong parent-child bond is important for a baby's development. 

Luckily, he doesn’t disagree. And he’s just as guilty as carting baby Faith around rather than leaving her in the care of the nanny shark, so it’s not like he has a fin to swim with.

You smile brightly as Faith blows bubbles at you, and you reach out to lightly tap her little nose. Her brow furrows as she tries to watch your finger, and then she releases a happy gurgling noise.

In truth, you should be home, at the grotto. But Faith likes looking at the coral, and watching the clown fish, so here you are, resting on your back on a rock while the fish swim around the pair of you.

You’re close enough to the mervillage that you can still see the arch that leads to the shopping district, and you can even hear some of Dogma’s brothers if you strain your ears.

Faith lets out a happy shout as a clownfish gets close enough to her to bump into her, and you smile fondly at your baby.

She’s something of a miracle, your baby. It normally takes time for a mate to get pregnant, but you wound up pregnant within two weeks of solidifying the bond with Dogma. And the fact that you have a daughter rather than a son? Even more of a miracle.

Natural-born daughters are rare after all.

Faith twists so she’s able to watch the fish a little better, and you allow your attention to wander. Your hands are secure around her waist, so she’s in no danger of getting hurt, after all.

And that’s when the whispers reach your ears.

“—Dogma’s mate? Her?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” As much as you don’t want to listen in, now that you know that they’re talking about you, you can’t not listen to them.

“I feel bad for Dogma,” The first man says with a laugh that sounds cruel to your ears, “I bet, if he had a choice, he wouldn’t have chosen someone like her.”

You keep yourself from flinching through sheer willpower, though there’s no stopping the hurt that blooms in your chest. Because he’s right. Dogma wouldn’t have chosen you.

You’d choose Dogma in every lifetime, but he’d never choose you if given the choice.

“Come on, he loves her.”

“Because of the bond. And I guess she’s pretty enough, but there’s no way that her looks make up for her personality.” The first man replies, “Anyway, someone as steady as Dogma deserves better than her.”

“Yeah, well. The magic makes that choice, not us. So drop it before she hears us.”

Your gaze flickers to the side as the two men stop talking and swim away.

You feel…heavy. And it has nothing to do with the baby sitting on your stomach.

Faith smacks her hands against you again, and you smile weakly at her, “Want to go on an adventure, Faithy?”

Your baby doesn’t, fully, understand what you’re saying to her. Not really, she’s too young, but she does know her name and she knows your voice, so she bubbles happily.

Some of the weight lifts at the sheer delight your baby shows you when she sees you, and you carefully cradle her in your arms as you kick off the rock and head up.

Your heart hurts and you feel sad. And lonely.

The only person who can make you feel better is your mom. And, as luck would have it, after you became a merperson your parents sold their home to buy a houseboat, so they could stay close to you.

You swim towards the surface, moving carefully to make sure that your baby doesn’t get hurt. It’s hardly the first time your baby has been to the surface, though you know it’s just another reason that people think that Dogma shouldn’t leave Faith alone with you.

Your argument has always been that your parents deserve to know their grandchild. Dogma doesn’t like it, he doesn’t like it when you go to the surface either, but he wants you happy more than anything.

Your parents' houseboat is named after you. They love you and have always been your biggest supporters, even when you told them that you were going to become a mermaid.

They, at least, look delighted to see you and Faith as you pop up next to their home.

You hand Faith to your mother, who sets her in a baby pool they have for this very reason, and she lightly places a sun hat on the baby’s head, while you’re father helps you out of the water and then helps you into the, slightly bigger, pool they have for you.

Your parents know you better than anyone, save for Dogma, so your mother takes one look at you, clicks her tongue, and sits in the pool next to you. She wraps her arms around you and pulls your head to her shoulder to stroke your hair.

And that’s all it takes for you to dissolve into tears as the whole story falls from your lips.

“Oh, my little coral,” Your mom says softly, “Why does it seem like your life is always so much harder than the people around you?” She smooths some of your hair off your face, “You can stay as long as you want. You and Faith.”

“Do you agree with them?” You ask as you press the top of your head against your mother’s neck, “That Dogma deserves better than me?”

“Never.” Your father’s answer is immediate, from where he’s sitting next to Faith and feeding her some mashed apples. “Never, sweetheart. Your man is lucky to have you.”

“You have to say that, you’re my parents.”

“Nonsense. We say it because it’s true.” Your mom kisses your forehead, “You and Faithy will stay for a bit, of course.”

You sniffle, “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

Your mom tightens her grip around you and cuddles you as best as she can as your father starts telling a story about your uncle, giving you an update on the rest of your family. And some more of the weight fades from your heart.

It’s later, when the sun is starting to set, that Dogma emerges from the water next to the houseboat. He easily pulls himself up on the deck, and a relieved smile crosses his face when he sees you sitting in a pool with Faith at your side. 

“Cyare,” 

You turn to look at him, and a weak smile crosses your face. “Dogma,”

“I figured I’d find you here when you weren’t at the grotto. Where are your parents?” He asks as he moves over to the pool and smiles at Faith.

“Inside, they’re getting ready for bed.” You reply as you carefully don’t look at him, you know your eyes are still red, and you don’t want him to worry.

“You didn’t mention that you were coming to see your parents today,” He says lightly, there’s no heat in his words but you curl in on yourself as if he just shouted at you.

“Sorry.”

Dogma is silent for a moment before he reaches out and lightly turns your face towards him, “Riduur, I’m not upset at you. Why are you acting as if I am?” His breath catches when he turns you to face him fully, and slowly he brings his other hand up to cup your face, his thumbs smoothing the skin under your eyes, “You’ve been crying.”

“It’s…not important.”

“It’s very important.” He corrects, “Someone made you cry. Upset you badly enough that you fled to your parents.”

You shrug, “It’s dumb.”

“You are many things, Riduur. Dumb isn’t one of them.” Dogma corrects. He carefully leans in so his forehead is pressed against yours, “Tell me?”

“Someone said something that I know is true and it made me feel…bad. So I came to someplace where I never feel bad.”

“What did they say?”

You don’t answer, don’t want to answer. But his gaze is so earnest, and his hands are so gentle, that your lower lip starts trembling again, “The truth.”

“I highly doubt that, riduur.” His voice is so gentle, that it's easy to forget that he didn’t choose you.

“They said that if you had the choice in picking a mate, that you wouldn’t have looked twice at me.” You reply quietly, “And I know that it’s true.” Your lips twist as you try to keep yourself from crying, “If I lived five different lifetimes, I would choose you in all of them. And you—”

“Would pick you.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

Dogma sighs, his breath warm against your face, “I love you, riduur. And don’t even think of trying to say that it’s because the magic chose you for me.” He says quietly, “The magic chose you to be my soul mate, and I chose to love you.”

“But—”

“There are plenty of platonic soulmates, riduur. And I chose to love you. From the beginning, I chose to love you.” He smooths his thumbs across your cheeks, “You doubt that?”

You close your eyes and lean into his touch, “I know I’m not, really, your type—”

“Whoever made you think that is going to get introduced to my fist,” Dogma interrupts, “I don’t want anyone else. You’re perfect for me. And I’m sorry if I made you believe differently.”

You shake your head, “Not your fault.”

“It is my fault. I should have put an end to those comments, but I didn’t think that they bothered you.” Dogma lightly brushes his lips against yours, “I love you. Always. Forever. In this life and every other.”

You sigh softly, though it’s not an unhappy sigh, “I love you too.”

He chuckles, “Oh, I’ve never doubted that.” Dogma drops one of his hands to scoop Faith against his chest, “Now, are we spending the night?”

You shake your head, “Mom and Dad have to head back to shore early. Better we should leave.”

“Then I’ll leave a note.” Dogma leans in and kisses you one more time, “I love you, Riduur.” He murmurs against your lips, “Despite what everyone else thinks.”

You smile at him, believing his words for the first time today. “I know, I’m sorry for doubting you.”

He smiles, reassuringly, and kisses your cheek, before he drops a kiss to Faith’s head, “Come on, Riduur, let’s go home. I’m going to rip my brothers a new one for making you cry.”

At that, you laugh. And, finally, the last of the weight weighing your heart down fades away, as you’re once again secure in Dogma’s feelings towards you.

[justrainandcoffee]

Non, je ne regrette rien (Eames x fem!oc)

Masterlist

Summary: I regret nothing, sang Edith Piaf. Jasmine Prince wished she could say the same. It happened five years ago when she was still living in Los Angeles. It wasn't on purpose, it just happened even when it shouldn't have because Eames was her sister' ex. More than sister, her twin.|| For the past two years she has been living in Paris. She liked France, nothing disturbed her peace. Until that day when heading to her back home, she found him.

Warnings: Mention of sex. Guilt.

Words: 2.1 K || Finally I found a good plot to start this story.

2005.

Sophia was her best friend, her confident, her accomplice, her sibling… her fucking twin. And Jasmine did what it was forbidden, not by law, but by the moral compass. She kissed and she fucked Sophia's ex.

The fact that she was drunk didn't justify a shit. She knew what she was doing, she let him seduce her.

Sophia was back in Canada, where they were born and lived for over a decade ago with their parents, and Jasmine stayed in Los Angeles studying.

Her twin met Eames in 2001, when a mutual friend introduced Sophia to him. It was attraction at first sight. Sophia was beautiful and God gifted her with grace and a charming personality.

By that time the twins were 21 and Eames 26 and the first time Jasmine heard his name when Sophia described him as "weird". Weird but hot, she said. But it was obvious that Eames had caused a good impression on her. And Jasmine knew her sister very well to know that it was matter of time before she claimed that he was in love with that boy.

And for the next two years, they were a couple even when sometimes Sophia felt a bit insecure for his constant trips around the world. But sooner or later he returned to her and Jasmine was sure that Eames was never unfaithful. Or at least he didn't seem to be one of those guys.

She did remember very well the first time she saw him. His hairstyle, his clothes… Eames was the kind of man that she, Jasmine, could never have chosen. That was one of the things that the twins didn't have in common. Their taste in men was very different. As for the rest, they were quite similar.

Both twins had the same height, similar weight and both had the same dark blonde hair colour, except that Jasmine used to dye her hair of different colours. The only natural difference between them were the eyes colour: while Sophia's eyes were green, Jasmine's ones were hazel.

Eames and Sophia lasted two years, till 2003, together before splitting definitely. The last six months of their relationship it was awful to say the least. They tried, and failed, to be together but the constant arguments were tiring both of them. Jasmine was the one who comfort her sister when Eames left the country to move to London. Despite everything, she loved him.

It took over six months to be herself again but Sophia was ready to leave everything behind her and start a new life in their native country. Their city, Calgary in Alberta, was a beautiful place and Sophia needed a change.

And two years later she was still living there.

Mariah Carey was sounding when Jasmine approached the bartender to ask him for another cocktail. She was there with some colleagues celebrating a birthday. It was a small group, only five, but they were having fun. Hearing her name for sure surprised her but not as much when she saw who it was.

There was him, his former brother-in-law, with a bottle of beer in his hand and that typical smile of his.

They greeted each other cordially, despite her sister cried after Eames left the country, Jasmine didn't hate him nor was resentful towards him. And neither was Sophia.

Maybe if her boss hadn't started to flirt with with one of Eames friends the same moment they were greeting each other after those years, then Jasmine hadn't been forced to spend time with him. Because the moment her boss did that, both groups of friends become one.

And it was good. The music was great, the cocktails were amazing and the anecdotes people were telling there were fun.

Eames invited her to dance. 2005 seemed to be a good year for the Black Eyed Peas and they were sounding when he took her hand.

Oh, twins were the fantasy of many. And Eames was too quick-witted to be oblivious to it. It was his first thought as soon as Sophia told him that she had a twin. It was a thought that crossed his mind, joked with Sophia about it and in return she smacked his arm. Jasmine was out of the deal. He knew that and a soon as he met the mentioned sister he understood what Sophia meant. Apart from that, Jasmine become a good friend of his and he loved Sophie.

But that was two years ago. Four if he counted the moment he met his ex. All Eames knew now was that the other twin was dancing with him, that his hands were on her hips and that he was lost in her hair that in 2005 was magenta.

Jasmine was sure she wasn't flirting because she could never do that, not even if she was slightly drunk. Not to Sophie, her goddamn twin! She was just dancing feeling the Black Eyed Peas rhythm. Just dancing, right? Not flirting. It wasn't her fault that music was sexy.

But she didn't stop him when she felt his lips on her neck, either.

Jasmine didn't know what happened with Eames those years but he was… bigger. His arms, his back... Eames was different and she noticed the change even under the intoxication that the alcohol provoked to her. The worst part was that now she liked what she had in front of her. So, not hearing her common sense, she put her lips on his.

Eames wasted no time in pushing her to him, reciprocating her kiss. She tasted like strawberry daiquiri. And tasted like the forbidden should taste: amazing. Sinfully delicious.

For a moment her brain cells synapsed and she pulled away from him. "It's wrong," Jasmine said.

"We can stop if you want," two of his fingers were caressing her lower back so slowly that she felt she was going to collapse.

"Eames, don't you think that…?"

"No, I don't think so," he replied kissing her.

So she let him. Jasmine let her future self deal with the consequences of that night. When finally they found an empty sofa they sat there where they continue making out.

There's an implicit code, law, whatever you want to name it, between good friends, siblings but even more between twins. Because no matter what he or she is your other half. Your twin is the most important person in the world and in the moment that Jasmine kissed Eames she broke the most important code she had.

For the past year and a half, Jasmine had been lonely. Without Sophia, something changed in her. Probably because it was the first time in 25 years that she wasn't with her at all hours. And her love life was a succession of horrible dates and waste of time. All she had was her work. It was a pathetic excuse, she knew that. But it was true that she needed something like that. Like him.

By the end of the night, Eames was going with her to her apartment. A rented place that it was cheaper that it should be but she wasn't going to complain about it.

He asked her again if she was sure and once again she answer him, with a kiss.

The floor was decorated now with his shirt, her trousers and boots and over the small bed were both of them.

"Jas," whispered Eames thrusting her for the first time, she let out a quiet moan. Her legs were around his hips and her eyes were closed.

They were identical, not counting the colour of their hair and eyes, but there was something about Jasmine that Sophia didn't have. But Eames didn't know what it was yet.

After her second orgasm and that Eames finished, too. Her lips found his one last time before falling asleep. She didn't hear him say how beautiful she was.

Eames was still there the next morning when she woke up. His muscular arm was around her waist and his usually combed hair was completely disheveled. Her head hurt, she was thirsty and the sunlight bothered her. She didn't need to be an actual doctor to know that she was suffering from a hangover.

When Jasmine went to the bathroom she drank two glasses of water before looking herself in the mirror. All she could see when she looked at herself was the reflection of her sister. Looking at her, judging her.

You fucked my ex boyfriend.

Kissing him was bad enough. But having sex was completely unforgivable. She betrayed Sophia.

Never in her life she felt so dirty. She hated herself. Those kind of things were unforgivable.

"Jas?" The his voice from the other side of the door made her jump. "Are you there?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she lied. "Eames, you should go."

"Jas, can we talk, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me sweetheart, Eames! We can't talk! Just go!"

"Not until we talk like the adults we are."

Jasmine sighed and opened the door. She thanked that he was dressed by now. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I tried. I asked if you wanted to continue, you said yes. I asked again, you kissed me. I kissed you. I didn't want to stop, but I was aware that maybe you were going to regret it. So I asked again. By the time we arrived here I asked a fifth time and your answer was another kiss. Jas, it just happened. We are adults, we agree. I loved your sister but I didn't see her in two years and the last months of our relationship were awful and you know that. I didn't expect this to happen, but it happened."

"I don't know if you have siblings and I don't care, Eames. But I do have one: Sophie. And I love her! I love my sister… but. You don't understand, do you? It's my fault, I was vulnerable, I needed a good night… just go, Eames. I'm the one who's going to deal with the consequences."

"It can be our secret."

Jasmine looked at him and bit her lower lip. There wasn't any secrets between the sisters. Sophie knew about from Jas' first crush when she was 12, to her first time when she was 20. All their lives they shared everything, even now that they were miles and miles away from each other.

"Just go, Eames."

"I don't regret it, if you want to know. I regret nothing," he said before leaving her apartment and leaving inside a very upset, sad and guilty Jasmine Prince.

2010. Five years later. Paris.

"Mercy," she said to the barista who sold her a cup of coffee and two croissants before going back to her home, after a long day of work.

It was cloudy, but it wasn't raining yet. Jasmine sat in an old bench watching the pigeons and people. Paris was a beautiful place, probably the most beautiful place she ever lived in.

Two and a half years ago she left North America and now was living in the old continent. She had a small dental clinic and even when in the beginning was a bit difficult now she had her patients and new more call asking for an appointment every day. Her new apartment was nice and her ferrets, Lyra and Orion, were a constant source of entertainment. She couldn't complain.

After finishing her coffee and croissants, she stood up from the bench ready to finally go home.

Paris was a very cosmopolitan city and she was used to hear people speaking different languages. But she stopped suddenly when she heard them talking her mother tongue. It wasn't the fact that she heard three men speaking English, it was the fact that she recognized the voice of one of them.

Billions and billions of people living in this world and he was there. Right in front of her.

"We need to go, Eames. Ariadne needs to finish her…" a blond man with blue eyes stopped talking and now was looking at Eames and at the woman who was standing in front of them.

Near them, a street musician picked up his violin to start playing the very famous song in exchange for some money.

Non, je ne regrette rien…

"Jas…"

___

NEXT

[catsgetoutduringmidnight]

Aziraphale & Eddington.

Neil has confirmed us that David Tennant *actually* exists within the Good Omens universe. Thus, we may assume that the whole of his filmography, except for Good Omens, also exists. We may assume as well that Aziraphale has more or less followed Doctor Who over the decades, and that somehow, with time, the actor of his favourite doctor earned an eerie similarity to Job. But this isn't about him, right now. This is about his son in law.

I would like to think Aziraphale did enjoy the utterly handsome Eighth doctor, ending up glued to the screen and getting deeply excited about this incarnation. He probably got upset because of his only appearance on TV, but would still be delighted to see the series coming back to the BBC in 2005. The Ninth doctor may have appeared a bit tough to him at first, but there was something deeply endearing about him. Maybe it was the way he rocked that leather jacket, or his sense of humour, or his bravery, or his charming accent... He never really knew, but it was sad to say goodbye so soon again. "Who will be the new doctor?" He thought to himself. "Will they be blond? Taller? Will they wear a vest? A bowtie perhaps?". When the young man appeared on screen before Rose for the first time, Aziraphale was left completely mesmerised. The young man was... Different. He had slightly long hair and, honestly, he really liked how the leather jacket suited him too. Once the credits rolled, he found out his name: David. "Oh, that's a lovely name," he thought to himself. "That's the name of a king!".

He followed his seasons very carefully, blushing with his cheekiness, chuckling with his jokes, and loving how adventurous and fair the man was. Thanks to Crowley, he even dared to go to "the videoclub" and rent some of his earlier works. Oh, how handsome the man looked in The Last September, what a dear he was in Takin' Over the Asylum, how lovely he was in Duck Patrol, and what a cocky detective he was in Blackpool... Although, he admitted not being too focused on observing his labour as a detective there. The young man was rather handsome. Aziraphale flushed, could this be love? How silly of him! Falling in love with an actor! He was an angel! Which, inherently, also meant he was born to love. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't something bad. It could be silly, of course, but forgivable.

One afternoon, Aziraphale went to the videoclub on his own, and found a movie he hadn't checked out yet. Einstein and Eddington, a scientific movie it was. The young man looked wonderful in those glasses and stunning sandrift linen suit. Humans may say one mustn't judge a book by its cover, but this dvd already seemed perfect for him! Thus, the angel rented it and decided to treat himself with the film. He laid on his white cream sofa, got under his soft tartan blanket, and pressed the play button. A smile came across his face when he saw the man in those light refined clothes. What a delight to the sight that was.

The angel felt it deeply when he learnt that Eddington was in love with a man he couldn't have, but his heart did not only wrench there, no. It was when he saw the man stand before the orrery when things got clearer. He had to pause the video. Aziraphale got up and sat close before the screen, brushing his fingers against the image. "Crowley..." He mumbled. The only thing in his mind was the image of the spectacular ginger angel he met, in their neat white dress, creating a whole universe in front of his eyes. The way their thin fingers moved, the eagerness in their voice, the dark greenish of their gaze, way more breathtaking than the vastness of hues of the newborn nebulae. And when the blond saw, further on, the physicist crying desperately for his vanished love in the wide green garden, his heart shattered into shards.

He would not admit it, but he did not watch the movie just once that night. Not twice either. Eddington was just like his dear boy, not specifically the angel, nor specifically the demon. It was him. With their curiosity, and their passion, and their deep care, and hunger for answers and justice. He felt warm tears threatening to fall from his eyes and his mind started wandering. Because, what if. Just, what if Crowley had ever felt like Eddington? What if he was worried that one day he would never see his angel again? What if there were feelings trapped in his chest he feared never being able to express? Would he be like the astronomer and, once again, question God for her ineffable decisions? It took Aziraphale a good while to get away from the screen, from that eerily familiar image fueling his heart. It took him days for his sorrow over the fictional Eddington's life to lighten, after being the root of many, many wondering.

The next time the angel met his partner, he was certainly still caught up in his thoughts. The demon noticed, so he decided to ask him about his series and that actor that had truly drawn his attention. He didn't really know what he saw in him, but it didn't take much to notice the pure bliss in his blue eyes when he told him about his character's adventures. The way his words flowed in excitement and his hands often moved around to help with it. The angel was finally enjoying himself in something else than books and occasional music, and seeing him so cheerful did really brighten the demon too.

"How are things going with your binge watching? Have you gotten your hands on another series, or...?"

Aziraphale slowly lifted up his head and stared nervously into Crowley's eyes. He did not know what to say, how could he put into words his worry? Even worse, how to explain where all this came from? The ginger would probably laugh. Worrying that deeply about a character? A movie character? The angel got dewy-eyed. Please no, not in front of him, not like this, he prayed. The demon frowned, he sensed there was something his beloved couldn't easily tell.

"Aziraphale? Is everything alright?" The ginger asked softly. The principality breathed deeply and finally, managed to speak, as he fiddled with his vest.

"I- I just watched a movie, a sad one I must say. It made me think." The demon hummed, and answered.

"I get it. It's understandable, and if that David guy is really that good as you say, I bet his acting can move tons of people." Aziraphale's gaze brightened, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "I mean, I can see him being very talented. From what you've told me, the man does really have a range for acting. That's always important, to be able to adapt-."

"You really listened." Crowley was about to keep on rambling when he saw the angel in awe.

"Well, I have ears, what else am I supposed to do with them if its not listening?"

Tears fell off the angel's eyes. Crowley did not hesitate to get closer, inviting him into his arms. In a matter of seconds, the blond was in his embrace. He hugged his Angel tightly, and let him cry as much as he needed, caressing his back. He could not help but mutter in a caring tone.

"You and your stories, Angel."

[doingdathockey]

Dubas' participation in this event said a lot about his leadership style. As he is also handling general manager duties on an interim basis through July, Dubas could have left this portion to the amateur scouting crew. Instead, he made time to travel from Toronto to Buffalo to be involved in a couple long days of draft prep in the midst of a chaotic time for not only Dubas, but also his family - wife Shannon, son Leo, and daughter Lennon.

"I think number one, it was important for me to be here with the staff, because I haven't worked with them the whole year," Dubas said. "So be here in support of them, get to meet people who I don't have as long a track record with.

"But, more importantly, just to get to see the process that the team goes through and learn the way that they go about it, so that I can try to be helpful and help the process as we go through the next few weeks before the draft in Nashville."

And it wasn't just that Dubas was there - it was that he was completely engaged. On Dubas' first day in Buffalo earlier this week, he got to Pittsburgh's suite bright and early before the rest of the crew arrived. Once they did, Dubas greeted everyone warmly, and made it clear right away that he was deferring to them in this process, and that it shouldn't be the other way around.

Dubas was focused and observant during every session, with each player getting his full attention, as he really only looked away to make notes. He was true to his word about not wanting to interrupt the flow, only asking follow-ups here and there. For example, when a forward mentioned that he had driven his line last season, Dubas said, "what exactly does driving a line mean to you?" And when another said he liked listening to podcasts, Dubas wanted to know which ones.

Dubas did have one specific question he asked at the end, which was some variation of: "if I was going to watch one game of you at your absolute best from this year, what game would you tell me to watch?" Some kids answered without much hesitation, but there was one prospect in particular who thought long and hard. And instead of pressuring him for a response, Dubas offered him the chance to think about it more, saying he could text him with his reply by the end of the day, with the two exchanging numbers.

It was clear that Dubas relishes this particular area of the draft process, saying, "I really enjoy this part of it. Enjoy getting to know the players and who they are, in case you draft the players, so you know the type of people that are coming into the organization. And also, I know it's only been a few days, but start to identify the types of people that we want to bring in that are going to become great Pittsburgh Penguins."

And speaking of great Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby was drafted by the organization all the way back in 2005, the year most of these kids were born. Having grown up watching him, they all possess so much admiration and respect for the captain, which definitely came across.

"I know there's no perfect people, but he's as close to perfect as it gets," one prospect said before wanting to know more about what sets Crosby apart from everyone else, as the Penguins gave the kids a chance to ask questions of their own at the end.

Dubas truly lived up to his stellar reputation as a leader who fosters collaborative relationships with everyone around him during his stop in Buffalo, leaving a great impression on the Penguins scouting staff, who appreciated having him around and getting the chance to have some good conversations.

"I think I speak for everybody that's here with the Penguins that we've enjoyed one, getting to know him, and two, learning from him," Pryor said. "Obviously extremely intelligent, and we can learn a lot from him. He's been really open asking us questions. We've been able to ask him questions as well and kind of pick his brain. So, anytime you get a chance to spend with him and get to know him and understand him and his path - he's been extremely successful and he's really intelligent, so it's always good to be able to pick his brain."

people gushing about dubas and sid… excellent

[forever1kay]

HIII I DON'T KNOW IF YOU STILL DO REQUESTS BUT- It you do, may you write this pls🤭

Miles morales x male! Reader who he meets at a school trip? The reader is very sarcastic or chill? (Reader has a personality that's like Mai from ATLA!)

The reader is like famous for their voice and guitar and art skills (brrrr) so when miles met reader he started to get interested in em so he follows reader whenever they go while on a school trip ✨

<3 ignore if you seem uncomfortable with this, lob youuuu

(I've requested to you before ;) )

Summary: Reader and Miles finally confess after years of dancing around each other. But first, let’s go back into where it all started…

Pairing: Miles Morales x M!Reader

Notes: I know exactly who this is. I apologize for not doing this sooner. I know you requested this months ago and I’ve been slacking off. I hope this makes up for it :) I did kinda diverge away from the request a little and went more so towards the direction of your previous requests. I hope that’s okay!

Warnings: Reader is probably more sassy than stoic tbh, Miles is very much aggravating in some of these, Miles and reader were born early 2005 (or late 2004, up to you), mentions of school, graduation, reader is a smoker (not really), Soulja Boy, Nick and Charlie slander, slow burn relationship. Let me know if I forgot anything!

The Ten Times You and Miles Danced Around Your Feelings

I. Taravella Playground - EST. 2008

A red and blue flash from a small size 4 shoe piques Miles' interest as he lazily glances up from his position in the middle of the sandbox. Miles looks up from the intruder's feet to their face after noticing how he’d wordlessly been staring for a while, but the boy's scowl leaves Miles feeling horribly disappointed (and afraid, might I add). He wasn't prepared for such hostility from a fellow Spider-Man fan—not that he knew what hostility meant anyway—but he was sure the expression on the boy’s face would haunt him for many lifetimes. Nevertheless, Miles made an effort to introduce himself and be sociable.

“Hi, I’m Miles.” He says with an apprehensive yet polite smile.

“I’m Y/N.” The boy responds, detaching his shovel from his bucket before settling down on the boards that surrounded the sandbox.

Miles searches his small brain for a conversation starter—not that there were many in there to begin with—and decides on a topic that he’s confident he can discuss without tripping over his words. His favorite hero. Spider-Man.

But, apparently, he asked a question that was entirely too obvious.

“Do you like Spider-Man?”

Y/n looks down at his own shirt and shoes then looks back at Miles, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Miles sighs and gives Y/n a mostly toothless grin before returning his attention to his bucket. "I wanted to be sure.” He says. “I like Spider-Man too, you know.”

“Good for you.” Y/n replies, looking slightly agitated and mildly uninterested.

Suddenly, Miles wants to go home.

———

II. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - EST. 2009

Y/n shakes his head as he watches a small figure run through a large crowd at the parade. He made the decision to turn his head away and pretend he hadn't seen anything, but the next thing he knew, he was lying on his back, staring up at the sky.

His mom had forced him out to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and he was less than thrilled. He tried to avoid it, but wasn’t given much of a choice. Saying as he was under his parents’ rule and wasn’t yet allowed to make his own decisions.

But, after this less than pleasant experience, he knew he should’ve pushed harder to stay home. This kind of stuff wouldn't happen indoors.

“Oops, sorry!” The culprit said with an annoyingly recognizable voice.

It was Miles, the Spider-Man fan who Y/n had to (painfully)endure seeing each Thursday evening in the park.

"Oh, it’s you," Y/n deadpanned. "I knew it."

Y/n sat up, and Miles reached out to help him up. But Y/n quietly declined and stood up for himself.

Miles opened his mouth to speak, but he was suddenly grabbed and placed on the shoulders of a lanky bald man wearing the coolest shoes Y/n had ever seen.

“Sorry about that, little man.” The bald man spoke while lowering himself to Y/n's level. “My little nephew can be a bit much at times.”

"I know him, Uncle Aaron!" Miles informed his uncle, pointing his finger directly in front of Y/n’s face.

Y/n looks at his finger and shakes his head no, slowly lowering Miles’ hand.

“He bothers me at the park.”

"That's not true!"

Aaron looked at Y/n who nodded rapidly, providing a counter argument—or in this case, action—to Miles’ statement.

Standing to his full height, Aaron chuckles, "It's okay little man. You’ll grow to love him.”

Aaron then turns to Y/n's teenage brother, Leon, who was standing next to him silently watching the events unfold.

"I'm sorry my nephew accidentally knocked your brother over."

Leon shrugs. “My dog does it all the time. It isn't anything new.”

Aaron chuckles. "Well, you gentlemen, have an amazing rest of your day."

And as they walked back to wherever they came from, Miles waved to Y/n.

—————

III. Briarwood vs. Montgomery Elementary school field day - EST. 2011

Miles thought Y/n looked silly, watching him emerge from the bathroom wearing a shirt ten times bigger than the one he’d just been wearing. Not too long ago, he’d been pushed fell into ice water when the kids were all instructed to go and grab a juice of their choice from the overly large cooler under the Pavillon.

Today, Miles’ and Y/n’s school were having a field day. It was supposed to be a competition, but it turned into a lot of fun when the kids from both schools started to become friends with each other.

That was cool with Miles, until his his best friend TJ suddenly took interest in playing with Y/n’s best friend Kaiden. This wouldn’t have been an issue if the teachers didn’t say to pick a buddy and stick with them. Miles would walk away if he could. But since he couldn’t, he found himself face to face with his worst enemy while his best friend and his worst enemy’s best friend had their own conversation.

“I know you pushed me into the cooler, Miles.”

“No, I didn't.” Miles promptly refuted. “You’re lying.”

“No, I'm not,” Y/n countered. "Because Toby told me, and Toby never lies."

“Well, maybe you don't know Toby as well as you think.”

Y/n took a breath, seemingly in an effort to calm himself down. “If Toby said he seen you push me in the ice box, it’s true.”

“Toby is a liar.”

Suddenly, everyone in the area gasped, never expecting to hear the truthful Toby labelled a liar.

You could have heard a pin drop in the absolute silence. Or, in this instance, swift footsteps and small but powerful hands pushing past a crowd.

“…’Scuse me, 'Scuse me, 'Scuse me.." Toby finally finds himself in front, face to face with his accuser. "You calling me a liar?"

"Um.." Miles freezes. "N-no, no. Of course I'm not.”

"Yes you are." Toby countered, "I heard you when I was over there with Emily"

“That wasn’t me.”

“…So, like I said.” Toby repeats. “You calling me a liar?”

The whole crowd of grade schoolers started to ooh at the interaction. Quite frankly, Miles is terrified. But his Uncle Aaron always told him it’s best to stand his ground.

“So what if I did call you a liar?”

Miles is given a blank look by Toby before he suddenly lunges at him, grabs his shirt forcefully, and yells at him.

“I am NOT a liar! My grandma told me I’m a good boy and I believe her! Take it back right now, squiggles!”

Squiggles?

“Fellas, fellas!” Miles’ friend Harry butted in, pulling them apart.

“I’m sorry.” Toby said. “I lost control.”

“That’s fine, but I think I know how to fix this.”

Less than two minutes later, Harry had them in court—whatever that means—and all Miles could wonder was where is my teacher?

Harry clears his throat and begins to talk, but is shortly interrupted by his friend (and sidekick), Walter. “We are gathered here today because- wait, what? Oh, sorry that’s for a wedding. ORDER IN THE COURT!”

Let’s just say, Miles pleaded guilty to pushing Y/n into the cooler that afternoon and was given a stern talking to by his best friends when they made it back to their school.

————

IV. Brooklyn Museum - EST. 2012

“Alright, kids! Single file, single file!” Miles’ teacher yelled as the students piled off the bus.

Today, Miles’ elementary school—along with seemingly every other elementary school in the district—have taken a trip to the local museum.

In all honesty, Miles would have preferred to stay at home, but he had no choice. Particularly because when they returned to school, he was given an exhibit to write about. Everyone takes advantage of the opportunity for a free grade!

When all of the children exited the bus, the chaperones divided the single group into smaller groups. Miles voluntarily zoned out for a moment while his group waited patiently for the final few groups to form.

He forced a smile on his face and gave himself a mental pep talk to try and convince himself that this will have a positive outcome. Surprisingly, it was working. But little did he know…

MEANWHILE…

“ALRIGHT, MONTGOMERY!”

“ALRIGHT, MS. BROWN!”

Ms Brown explains that the students will be placed into groups, and must pick a buddy within their groups. They must stay with their buddy and near their chaperones. You know, the usual.

“Do I make myself clear?” Ms Brown asks after the brief explanation.

“Yes Ms. Brown!” The kids reply.

“Alright!” She smiles, grabbing the roster from her seat. “If I call your name, you are in Mr. Kyle’s group!”

Today, Y/n’s school—along with every other elementary school in kings county—were being forced to go on a trip to a children’s museum.

The idea of visiting a museum made Y/n anxious. He had never visited this museum before and had no idea what to expect. For the record, he was expecting dinosaur fossils because, well, he's deathly afraid of dinosaurs. That would be kept a secret from others. Think about how people would respond if the cool, chill Y/N Y/L/N admitted to having a fear of dinosaurs. Y/n doesn't know and never hopes to find out.

Realistically, he could have just dropped the form in a puddle, let his dog eat it, or "forgotten" to get it signed, but his teacher made it his mission to let Y/n's parents know about the trip before the school day was over.

Thanks a lot, Mr. Kyle.

Y/n made the mistake of looking around as the kids, who have now been divided into groups, pile haphazardly off of the yellow school bus.

Unfortunately, Miles also made the same decision at the same time and the two boys unavoidably made eye contact.

Could this day get any worse?

—————-

V. Brooklyn Medical - EST. 2014

Y/n emerges from room 212 with a group of friends and a relaxed look on his face. If people didn't know any better, they would believe that he killed someone right here in the hospital and had no problem with it. But in all honesty, he was on his way back from a visit with his cousin TJ.

In an attempt to skateboard with Y/n and his friends, TJ broke his arm. But if you asked TJ to explain to an adult what happened, he rolled down a hill. Both boys were not yet allowed to ride a skateboard, especially not without an adult present or the necessary equipment, but he wanted to protect his cousin and himself, so blaming the hill seemed like the best course of action.

For Y/n, TJ was always like a breath of fresh air; he was different from the people he hung out with at school, from the people in his area, and even from his immediate family. He thought TJ understood him completely, and he never once thought he needed to disown him. Aside from perhaps the now, when he realizes that TJ is still in fact friends with one Miles Morales.

“Miles?” Y/n speaks softly, surprised, squinting to make sure he’s seeing things correctly. Y/n’s friends leave almost immediately upon seeing Miles’ face.

“Oh hey, Y/n!” Mike’s replied. "I heard that TJ fractured his arm because of you. Disappointed, but not surprised.”

“Actually, it isn’t my fault this time.” Y/n shrugs. "Why are you here anyway?"

“Because TJ is my best friend,” Miles said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Really? He said that he dropped you.”

“Nope.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You never do.” Reaching out to Y/n, Miles says while extending his hand. "Allow me to show you something."

“You don’t need to sound so professional.” Y/n responds under his breath, choosing to ignore the tingling sensation Miles' touch had given him in his hand.

“Sorry.” Miles responded, pulling him toward the front desk to ask for TJ’s room number.

“Where are we going, Morales?” Y/n asked, growing tired of being pulled around.

“To ask which room TJ is in.”

“212.” Y/n curtly responds, nodding his head toward TJ's room.

Miles reads the signs and guides himself and Y/n in the direction of room 212. After finding the room, Miles peaks his head in the doorway and tells Y/n to stay put, to which the boy responds, "I'm not a dog."

“TJ!” Miles yells excitedly, walking into TJ’s room.

“HEY MILES!” TJ yells back, hugging Miles with his left hand because his right one was damaged by the skateboard.

“Your cast is so cool!” Miles yells. “Can I sign it?”

TJ goes to respond when he notices movement at the door.

“Wow,” Y/n lets out an exaggerated sigh, walking into TJ’s hospital room. “I can’t believe you’ve done this.”

“I told him to leave, he wouldn’t leave.” TJ lies terribly. “You’ve gotta believe me.”

“I don’t.” Y/n shrugs before receiving a text message and looking down to see what it said. “My mom asked if you guys want Wendy’s.”

Miles says no to be polite and TJ basically asked for the whole menu. In the end, he ended up with a 4 piece and a frosty. Y/n got a Fanta.

About time Y/n’s parents arrived with the food (and also to retrieve their kid), Y/n despised Miles a little less. Not that he’d ever find that out though.

——————-

VI. Yankee’s Game - EST. 2016

Everyone in the audience holds their breath, sat uncomfortably on the edge of their seat. The Yankees had been behind the entire game, and it's the ninth inning. Jeter had sprained his foot during the sixth, and the Yankees only had about three star players left.

In the hope that his wish come true, Y/n bowed his head and closed his eyes as he began to pray to all the gods and Santa Claus that there’d be a miracle.

He looked up when he heard the crowd cheering, but a fugly red and blue tie-dye shirt sadly blocked his view.

Y/n’s eye twitched and he took a breath to keep his composure, then trailed his vision upwards.

Miles Morales was the perpetrator once again.

“Do you ever go home?” Y/n questions. "Why are you always where I am?"

Miles shrugs and sits stiffly in the empty seat next to Y/n side eyeing him nervously a few times.

“So… how is the the weather?

Y/n gives him a quick blink before returning to the activity.

This is gonna be a really long final inning.

_____

VII. Brooklyn Bridge - EST. 2017

On the trip home from the movie theater, Miles is startled from his nap long blink by a loud "Oh my God, what is that?!" from a few rows behind. Select schools in their county were forced to watch a Nat Geo documentary about Brazilian native animals. Naturally, due to his lack of sleep after staying up late having a solo dance party for quite a bit of the night, Miles slept through it.

However, his dazed state was short-lived as he heard his friend Steven screaming in panic.

"Bro, there's something chasing the fucking bus!"

“Hey! It's crucial that you all keep your composure and refrain from speaking in the same way that Steven did!” Screamed his teacher, Mrs. Nance. “We will all be fine!"

Then, out of nowhere, came a loud thud that landed atop the bus, as if danger itself had been listening in on their conversation.

Mrs. Nance contradicted her statement. "Holy shit, we're all going to die!"

With little explanation and in a hurry, Miles hastily pulled out his phone and texted his parents about the issue. This worried his poor mother, who hurriedly left work and hopped in her car to come get her son.

Miles made the decision to say a quick prayer because they were all genuinely convinced they were only two seconds from dying.

He was about to say amen when a nasty knock on his window forcibly interrupted him. Even though the person who caused it fell, the source of the sound stuck.

There was a web. A very familiar-looking web that Miles was all too familiar with.

"Spider-Man is here!"

As soon as they realized they could be saved, everyone hurried to Miles' side of the bus in joy, but the happiness didn't last long.

A tentacle instantly grabbed Spidey's neck, ripping his mask off his face in the process.

“Welp, nothing to see here! That kids dead.”

Everyone returned to their seats, but Miles remained transfixed.

The face seemed oddly familiar. If only Miles could connect the dots, then-

Miles gasped. "Is that Y/n?"

———-

VII. Brooklyn Visions Academy Valentine’s Day Dance - EST. 2018

“Can you at least smile?” Y/n’s friend Melissa asks him, randomly slapping his forehead to illicit some type of energetic response.

“Yeah, I got you when we’re walking in. We can put on a show for all your pristine rich people friends.”

Melissa rolls her eyes and speaks sarcastically. “That’s the spirit.”

Y/n chuckles for a second until the car comes to a stop in front of the drop off for the dance.

“You mind going in without me? I’ll be in eventually.”

“I don’t trust you not to try to pay off my idiot brother to drop you back off home.” Melissa says. “Let’s go Y/n.”

Y/n sighs and opens the door on his right, stepping out and then holding his hand towards Melissa which she takes happily.

“Smile!” She reminds him, “my dad will be here.”

“Man, fuck yo daddy.”

Melissa deadpanned. “Behave.”

“Why can’t you just tell him that I’m not dating you and the both of us are gay?”

“His image! You know he’s one of the richest men in New York.”

“Nah, I don’t think you’ve said it enough over the four years that I’ve known you. Tell me one more time?”

Melissa slaps his shoulder and he chuckles.

“I’ll behave for you, Melly. But if I see somebody fine, I’m leaving you.”

Melissa shrugs. “Fair enough.”

Finally, the two of them arrive at the school's front door and enter the gym, which has been set up for the event.

Y/n swears he could almost pass out as the smell of several different perfumes suddenly fills his nostrils, but he keeps himself together for Melissa.

“I want something to drink.” Melissa announces, pulling Y/n into the direction of the drink table.

Y/n started to wonder what drinks they’d have available, but unsurprisingly enough there was a large bowl of punch sitting there waiting for them.

“Do you want a cup?”

“Nah.”

As several of Melissa's friends and admirers approach to say hello, Y/n waits at her side.

They had only been here for a few minutes, but it was already starting to get very tiring.

Miles and his friend entered the room, and Y/n swears he has never been happier to see him.

But Miles would never find that out.

“Y/n!” Miles exclaimed before absentmindedly widening his eyes and changing the depth of his voice. “I mean… Y/n, hey.”

Y/n nods. “Morales.”

While Melissa's admirers came and went, the two of them and Miles' friend stood there in awkward silence.

They expected that to continue, but then a group of them first greeted Melissa before heading over to Y/n.

One girl stepped forward and Y/n could tell that the other girls were there merely as moral support.

“Hi! You’re really cute and I-”

Y/n didn’t even look in her direction.“Sorry, I’m gay.”

The girl turned red and the lot of them walked away.

Miles’ friend giggled in the background while Miles himself stared at Y/n incredulously.

“Your mother ever teach you it’s rude to stare, Morales?”

————

VIII. Kings County Schools camping trip - EST. 2019

“For fucks sake, Morales.” Y/n sighed in exasperation. “Go play with your friends or something. You don’t need to follow me around.”

Miles threw his arms up in surrender. “I just want to talk!”

Y/n nodded. “Cool, bro. I support. But you talking doesn’t have to include me.”

“Kind of does, since it’s you I want to talk to.”

“Fuck, okay fine.” Y/n sighs. “Can y’all like… go back to the tent or something? I need to talk to Morales.”

His loud friend Jamari laughs. “GAY! GAY! GAY!”

His other friend Michael sighs and grabs him my the ear, pulling him away. “Shut up, Jamari.”

When his friends are finally out of earshot, he turns to face Miles.

“What’s up, Morales?”

“Well for one, I-“ Miles stopped himself, “Why do you call me that?”

Y/n raised an eyebrow. “Your name?”

“My last name.”

Y/n shrugged. “Feels right.”

“So if I just call you y-“

“No. What do you want?”

Miles took a deep breath. “I seen you!”

“Yeah? When?”

“On the Brooklyn bridge two years ago when I was on a school bus.” Miles said quickly.

“Oh, word? What was I doing?”

“Swinging and flipping and flying and-“

“DANG,” Y/n chuckles. “I almost believed you but last time I checked, humans don’t fly.”

Miles blinked. “You know exactly what I mean.”

Y/n raised an eyebrow. “Do I?”

“Yes!” Miles threw his arms up. “Why do you always deny everything like I don’t have proof?”

“Why do you always lie and say you didn’t push me into the cooler?”

“That wasn’t me.”

“And that guy on the bridge wasn’t me.”

“But I seen you.”

“Everybody has doppelgängers, bro.” Y/n stated nonchalantly. “For all you know, that dude could’ve been named Jimmy.”

“Anyways,” Miles rolls his eyes. “I just wanted to tell you that I know and that your secret is safe with me.”

“There is no secret,” Y/n shrugged, popping a starburst into his mouth. “But, it’s nice to know that if there was a secret, you’d have my back.”

Miles goes to respond to Y/n, but freezes up when he hears something that sounds a lot like a bear growling.

He turns to ask Y/n if he heard it too, but Y/n has already grabbed his hand and started to carefully back the two of them away.

Moments later, Miles' shoe suddenly flies off, and as he races back to get it, the bear charges in their direction.

A lot like the white people in horror movies, Miles fell to the floor and decided to stay there screaming.

With the help of his webs and quick thinking, Y/n easily caught Miles and his sneaker.

So much for not being Spider-Man, right?

When the two of were next to each other again, Miles went to celebrate that he had been right all along when Jamari came around the corner and asked Y/n to play a song on his guitar.

“Yeah,” Y/n said after picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off. “Tell them that I'll be there soon.”

Jamari nodded before returning to the other campers, and when Y/n was sure that Jamari was gone, he turned to face Miles.

“Tell anybody about this and I’ll steal all your money.”

—————-

IX. Lincoln High vs. Beachside Charter basketball game - EST. 2021

Y/n feels out of his element. It’s the first game after quarantine, and a lot has changed.

For one, there’s little to no people in the crowd. There are a few parents there, all of which look uninterested and have definitely been dragged there by their kids. Uninterested attendees result in little to no interaction among the crowd, which makes Y/n unmotivated and unable to concentrate.

On top of that, a few of his teammates are sick, so the team is definitely not at their best.

Y/n could never see himself saying this before, but he wishes there’d be no basketball season until the world got its shit together.

Not even the mascot is helping, nor the music playing lowly in the background to set the vibe.

The team isn’t doing well right now, and they really need a miracle.

The coach calls timeout and calls the team towards her. She tells them to put forth their best effort, but due to circumstances, she can’t get on them about their performance. She tells them to have fun, and that she won’t make them run laps if they lose.

The boys laugh a little before breaking up and making their way back to the court. Everyone’s spirits became the slightest bit higher after that talk, but Y/n’s spirits definitely lifted when he looked into the crowd and spotted one Miles Morales.

Suddenly, Y/n felt like he had to do his best. Even though Miles was his rival by default.

—————

(+ the One Time You Acted On Them)

X. Kings County Class of 2023 graduation trip: Phoenix Arizona - EST: 2023

Miles cautiously walks towards the edge of the ledge after getting the directions from the best friend of a certain someone. It’s been over a year since they last seen each other and Miles has finally accepted the reason why. Miles likes Y/n—he thinks—and he’s finally ready to confess his feelings. He’s hoping that things go right tonight so that he won’t have to hurl himself over the edge.

“Hey.” He starts, standing behind to Y/n who’s sitting dangerously close to the edge with his legs nearly dangling. “Is this seat taken?”

“You don’t see anyone else sitting there, do you?”

Miles chuckles silently and takes the hint, sitting so close yet so far away from Y/n.

He looks to Y/n and takes in his appearance. Hooded eyes, head tilted back to watch the moon, and a hint of sadness in his eyes as he blows a misty cloud of smoke from his lips.

Now that got Miles’ attention.

“You smoke?”

“It’s a fuckin’ Smartie.” Y/n replies with a blank look after hesitating for longer than he’d care to admit.

Miles giggles before he can stop himself. “Wow, Y/n. How cute of you.”

Y/n roles his eyes. “I told my elementary school teachers I’d never do drugs. I’m no liar.”

Miles chuckled then took a deep breath, leaning back before speaking. “Hey, uh…” Y/n looks at him, “I actually need to talk to you about something.”

“Talk to me.”

“So, um…” Miles starts, playing nervously with his fingers.

“…If you need a moment, I can go get another drink and let you marinate.”

Marinate?

“Where would you be getting a drink from? You’re underage.”

Y/n shrugs. “I know a guy.”

“You know more than one!” A random guy whisper yells from the bushes.

“Not now, Carl!” Y/n whisper yells back through gritted teeth. “My bad, Morales. You found your words yet?”

“Yeah, uh…” Miles takes a deep breath. “I know when we were kids we had our differences, but I feel like we’ve come a long way since then. I mean, you haven’t death glared me in a while, and I haven’t pushed you in a cooler since before we were like five.”

“I knew that was you.”

“Uh- Yeah, I’m sorry.” Miles scratches the back of his neck. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is…”

“So this is a love confession, right?”

“Um…”

“Okay, let me stop you there.” Y/n starts, standing up to his feet. “You like me, and I just so happen to not hate you, so I think we have a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yeah, we can be the next Nick and Charlie but better looking.”

“That one guy is cute.” Miles points out.

“Is he?” Miles nods at Y/n’s question. “Mm, okay.”

“So what now?” Miles asks. “Am I your boyfriend?”

“Perhaps…”

“Perhaps?”

“Nah, I’m just kidding. You can be my Soulja Bae.”

“I hate it here.”

Y/n chuckles and takes another hit from his smarties. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, two things.”

“You’re Spider-Man.”

“You knew?”

“You’re not as discreet as you think you are.” Y/n shrugs, standing up and dusting his pants off, then reaching a hand out to Miles. “Let’s go get some drinks, yeah?”

Miles smiled and took Y/n’s outstretched hand. “Yeah.”

© forever1kay, 2023

[iantos-coffeemachine]

read the torchwood archives book today, and felt like sharing some things because this book gave me a headache (ft the ages of tw3 members and when they allegedly got recruited. "allegedly" because the consistency is bar to none and must be taken with a very large grain of salt).

tldr: information is very inconsistent and i would trust information given in the show more than from this book about timelines any day. i apologise in advance if none of this makes any sense lol

explanation under the cut cause this turned out to be much longer than i thought it would be lmaooo

reblogs always appreciated, helps the post circulate 🫶

these are all documents in the torchwood archives book where it says each member's date of birth (among other info) where it does state clearly that ianto is the youngest (1983) but what i Wasn't aware of was that owen was born only a year (+ 6months) before him

here is also a note from the margin on owen's page

now this is where it gets confusing. because s1 came out in late 2006-early 2007, i assumed that that would be more or less when they were set (me when im Wrong). s1e10 (out of time) is very clearly set during/around christmas, despite coming out before christmas, and e11 coming out on christmas eve, which obviously throws the timeline off. we know s1 of tw occurs sometime during 2007 before doctor who s3e10/11 (when jack runs off to the tardis and briefly comes back to the main series), so that matches up with the dates written in the margin of the document page.

in s2e12 (fragments), it says that by that point ianto had been working for tw3 for 21 months (or it had at least been 21 months since the first time he met jack, but i feel like its safe to assume those two didn't happen that far apart), and if that happened in early 2007, it would mean that the end of s2 would be set sometime in late 2008-early 2009 which also matches up with when doctor who s4 was set, when again jack leaves and goes to the doctor (we know this is after the end of tw s2 because the only people in the hub are jack, gwen, and ianto, therefore happened after owen and tosh's deaths. also other pretty obvious things im almost definately forgetting about).

anyways all that to say that during owen's fragment (ha) of fragments, it says he met jack 4 years before late 2008/9ish, and then had spent "months" looking for jack which would set katie's death at around 2004/5, and his torchwood recruitment at mid-late 2005 but. that doesn't make any sense if in the note in the margin it says 2006.

yk what Also doesn't make any sense? tosh apparently joining tw3 in 2005 (and other things mentioned in the tw archives). because we know fragments was set in 2009 at the latest, where it states that tosh got arrested by UNIT 5 years prior, which would mean at the latest in early 2004, which again contradicts the tw archives.

tosh apparently got arrested by UNIT in early 2005ish, which would make it a year later than possible if fragments is in fact set in 2008/9 and her arrest happened 5 years before it. her being held in UNIT makes this worse cause it would mean she joined tw3 somewhere in mid-late 2005, which makes sense with the dates given in only the book, but with nothing else outside it, since the latest it could possibly be if we followed the show would be 2004.

because of the inconsistencies of recruitment dates (and birthdays of everyone apart from ianto and suzie, but i will Not be getting into that rn), it's pretty difficult to put exact dates on recruitment, but what i've generally managed to gather according to information from the book (and other snippets of lore i can remember off the top of my head) is:

owen: joined tw3 2005 or 2006, making him around 23yrs old when recruited, but is stated to have been born in 1980 in s2e13 (exit wounds) so possibly 25/26.

tosh: joined tw3 either in 2004, or 2005, making her around 28-30yrs old, but stated to have been born in 1981 in exit wounds, so possibly 24-25.

suzie: joined tw3 anywhere between 2000-2005, making her 27-32yrs old at recruitment.

gwen: joined late 2007, making her 29yrs old.

ianto: joined tw3 early 2007, making him 23yrs at time of recruitment, would've turned 24 that same year though.

edit: ianto joined tw1 as a junior researcher in 2005, which would make him 21-22yrs old at the time.

in conclusion: the book seems pretty inconsistent with information. birthdays, recruitment days, loads of other things are off, so despite having spend almost a whole day compiling information for this post from this book, i don't think it's a very trustworthy source for timeline stuff (or much else really). i don't think the writers really bothered with making the timeline consistent and accurate because, let's face it, most fans probably don't care enough to make a complete and accurate timeline down to months and years for a spin-off show from the mid-late 2000's. if you're still reading this, you deserve financial compensation. won't be the one providing it though.

[taurusmoonchild]

Next Gen Trio

I never see this version of a next gen trio but they have always been mine so here is a characterisation that no one asked for.

These three grew up like siblings. Since they were born just within in a month there was truly no world where they wouldn't become inseparable.

I have also written like 3 one shots for them :)

Do you get deja-vu?

"They are gonna be trouble, aren't they?"

'Please just shut up!'

Rose Granger-Weasley

Birthday: November 16th 2005

House: Gryffindor

She's the irresponsible mom of the group who will most definitely get you out of trouble after getting you into it.

She'd rather die than turn in an assignment late and will humble you while checking your essays. In general she is the kind to not have to try too hard to get decent grades but she'll hustle to get excellent ones.

Loves Quidditch and plays as Chaser. As a kid she always dared James to a race, beating him quite a few times despite being 2 years younger than him.

She is more of an extrovert that gets into a fair amount of parties. Socialising comes easy to her and she loves small talk.

Very judgy and petty at times. Loves to argue, but takes a while to see when she was wrong. She'll most likely never apologise first.

In the trio, she's the oldest (barely) and has to make sure people know so. She'd do anything for the other two while also verbally dragging them whenever she gets the chance (in a fun way ofc)

Albus *redacted* Potter

Birthday: November 28th 2005

House: Slytherin

He's the introvert in a family full of extroverts and this trio is no exception. He has to be dragged everywhere and always puts up a fight even though he secretly doesn't mind.

He doesn't care too much about school, but loves Potions and Charms. His grades are fine, but Rose is convinced he would be top of his class if he just tried a little.

He hated being sorted into Slytherin until he found it wasn't at all what he had convinced himself it was. He has found a few friends and gets along with a lot of people.

He tolerates those he doesn't like and just tries to ignore comments that get thrown at him on the daily. Though some of them hurt him more than he'd like to admit.

He's an expert at keeping things to himself causing things to explode when he does say what's bothering him. He also apologises for everything and everyone even when he really shouldn't have to.

In the trio he's the certified middle child who has the ability to ground the other two by playing peace maker. Whenever there is a Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Quidditch match he makes sure to where the colours for both teams.

Louis Weasley

Birthday: December 10th 2005

House: Hufflepuff

An absolute menace to society with a golden retriever energy. He cares a lot about the little things and not enough about the big ones. Including grades.

He's the kindest and most loyal person who's had a crush on the same girl since first year. He will mot give up and is convinced the universe will work it out for him.

Loves to play Quidditch, especially against Rose.

Everyone is convinced there's not a single thing that could ruin his mood because he radiates positive energy.

Sometimes he likes to mess with people and will use his Veela powers to get his way. Which he knows is toxic but he calls it "God's will".

He's a bit cocky (it's giving jock) and doesn't think before he speaks. Though he means well he comes across as too much sometimes, which scares people away.

In the trio he is the instigator who will propose a plan and then won't accept a no. He's also the hugger of the trio, much to the disliking of his companions.

[tokillamockingbird427]

hello hello; i've been searching for someone to talk to about this and you seem like a wonderful person to have this discussion with. I've been doing some mathing (because i like to kind of know the ages of the characters and the years everything takes place). On the wiki it says keegan was born in 1989 and he was apart of the original 15 back in 2005 but that doesn't make sense because keegan would have been 16 then. I did consider that maybe there was a typo or whatever when his birth year was revealed, but he also wasn't shown in the flashback from 2005 where we see merrick, rorke, elias, and ajax. I feel like Keegan is younger than 38; maybe early to mid 30's. Thoughts? (if i have any info wrong, sorry, and please correct me. Thank you in advance :D )

Tbh I just wouldn't trust Fandom Wiki to be accurate and I tend to turn to the game itself for any solid Canon I want to draw on HOWEVER that page has led a good handful of people (Myself included) to go "Oh okay, so the tier one thing was bullshit." or alternatively "Keegan being a sneaky bastard snuck where he didn't belong."

My rip on it is that Keegan wasn't the only one and the whole "Tier one" thing was A) Elias lying a bit to his kids so the real story/people couldn't be found by them before anyone was ready OR B) The tier one thing was still bullshit but was actually because the military sent a handful of capable adults and then a lot of greenies to be meat sheilds and then scrambled to "fix" it once some of them actually survived via Radical Field Promotion OR C) Both

Just to touch back on the start; If you ever want SOLID canon, draw on the game. This means some things can never be confirmed because the games info is quite limited, but that's also what fandom is for; Making shit up and having fun. You don't NEED canon, it's just nice to bounce off of.

Thank you for the ask :)

[natlacentral]

Sokka Actor Defends Changes To Live-Action 'Avatar' Series: "You Have To Take Risks"

Sokka actor Ian Ousley opens up on creative changes to Netflix’s ‘Avatar’ series, what he fought to keep in the show, the hilarious cast group chat, and much more.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is in the pantheon of 2000s Nickelodeon shows. 

Since its debut in 2005, the animated series inspired several spinoff projects and a passionate, global fanbase—one that’s been particularly protective of the franchise following M. Night Shyamalan’s disgraceful 2010 adaptation. 

When it was announced that the series would be getting the live-action treatment at Netflix, fans were skeptical. Would this be another bomb, like the canceled Cowboy Bepop series? Or could it actually be something worthwhile for the franchise, like the recent adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece? 

Ian Ousley, the 21-year-old actor born in College Station, Texas, who plays Sokka in the Netflix version, knew it would be a daunting task adapting one of the most beloved animated stories of the 21st Century. But he says the cast had one common goal stepping into the project. 

“We’ve got to do this thing justice,” Ousley says. “What we want is to give people a true and faithful adaptation of a show that people grew up on and still love today.”

It seems like the live-action series has resonated with fans. In its first four days in the US, it secured the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s streaming chart and garnered nearly twice as many views as the debut of One Piece. In a sign of faith, Netflix decided to greenlight Seasons 2 and 3, ensuring the series will at least get the opportunity to tell Aang’s whole story and possibly do right by the franchise’s legacy. 

Ousley sat down with Complex to reflect on the necessary changes for live-action, what he demanded to keep in the series, bonding with the cast, and much more. 

You were 19 when you signed on to the project. We're here now, two years later. How are you feeling?

IAN OUSLEY: Feeling older [Chuckles]. I feel great. We shot this project for 13 months in Vancouver. It's been almost a year and a half since VFX and all of that stuff. So it's kind of a weird situation to go from like, “Oh, you're gonna do 12 hours of work every day for 13 months.” Then it's like, “All right, here's your life for like a year and a half.” 

Then it gets released and it's like, “Oh, by the way, you did this thing and it's awesome, and you're it's going to come out and it's going to be crazy.” So it's been a funny, kind of roller coaster situation.

It was also a massive world tour, from Tudum in Brazil to all across the globe. What’s it been like interacting with fans ever since you joined? 

I mean, great. It is a very passionate fan base. I was part of that fan base at one point, so I really understand. Since it's been released, the fan reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from what I've seen, so I'm just really grateful that the fans like it honestly. Because I was in that same spot where I was like, “Oh my gosh, I really want this to be good.” 

Everyone on the cast and the creative side of things were really fans of the project, which is rare to find, a project that everyone is so passionate about. We were like, “Okay, this has to be good because there might have been a movie at some point that maybe wasn't so good.”

We were like, “Our whole goal is: we’ve got to do this thing justice.”

What was the casting process like? I heard it was done under cover, Ken Leung thoughthe was auditioning for a different franchise. How did all that go down? 

It was under a code name, so I did a self tape under the code name “Tradewinds” and thought it was just some Netflix original because it said Netflix but didn't say anything else. I had no idea it was Avatar at all. 

I did a bunch of Zoom callbacks, chemistry reads over Zoom, which is always funny because if you've ever been on a Zoom meeting in your life, there's that subtle delay, which is kind of awkward. So acting with that was pretty interesting. 

But we were in the midst of COVID, and I got the call that I actually got the role. The first reaction was, “Oh, my God. I'm playing Sokka.” And then I was like, “Oh my God, I'm playing Sokka. What the heck?” Like, so much pressure. 

Once you landed the role, how much Avatar content did you consume to prepare for the project?

To prepare, I just watched season one because I didn't want to have in my mind too much the arc of what Sokka goes through in seasons two and three. So I was religiously watching season one, like three or four times. Throughout the process of filming the show, just reminding myself of like, “Okay, we're here. Sokka is going through this.”

The animated show is basically the heart and soul of our show, but our show is different. It's live-action. Anything's going to be different when you take it from animation and put it into real people. So just trying to add those human elements into it, finding where they really didn’t get to dive into because it’s an animated series, trying to find where we could mix those human elements in. 

What were you most excited to tackle with the project? Anything you were really looking forward to? 

I was most excited for the stunts. Dallas [Liu, who plays Zuko] is a good friend of mine, and those were my favorite days, shadowing and getting to watch him do his martial arts in costume, which is very difficult. We're basically all in leather, so doing what he's doing is insane.

The costumes, that's what really transported us into the world. The first time I got my haircut and I'd put the costume on in the fitting and stuff, I was like, “Okay, this is really cool.” Once I had the wolf tail, it was over. I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is real.” And that's kind of where I saw it through, Not just my imagination anymore, it was like, “Oh, this is real.” 

What were the action and fight scenes like for you?

Great! My job is to lose most of them [Chuckles], but it was actually a really fun experience. We did a six-week-long bootcamp where we all learned how to bend all four elements, even though I'm a non-bender. The rest of that bootcamp was focused on me re-learning my martial arts background, which isn’t very hard.

I'm a third degree black belt in taekwondo and a world champion in weapons. So that was what was fun for me because Sokka's got a lot of weapons. He's got spears, he's got his boomerang, obviously. Later on he'll master the space sword, which I'm very excited for, hopefully. I mean, that's in the animated series. We don't have any scripts yet for season two and three, but yeah, it was really fun to do those scenes.

The behind-the-scenes pictures made it look like y’all were legit family, like homies. What was the bonding experience like on and off set? 

I mean, hopefully me and Dallas didn't seem like actual homies in the show, but we were roommates. We actually knew each other in L.A. beforehand, when we were like 15. It's a very long story, but we really were not fans of each other at all. So when I found out he got cast, I was like, “Oh my God, this is gonna suck. My life is going to suck for a year.”

We were supposed to be friends and then we just bonded throughout the bootcamp and the first month of shooting. We lived a block away from each other and we would always get dropped off at one person's house, go eat, come back to that person's house, and then seven hours before we had to be on set for the next bootcamp day, which is very intense because it's like eight hours of training, we'd be like, “Oh, crap, I've got to go home.” Go sleep in separate places, and then do it all again the next day. 

So after Christmas break, we were just like, “Dude, we've got to move in together.” So we ended up doing that, which was really cool. 

Do you guys have a group chat?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Does it have a special nickname like “OppenHomies” or something?

You know, that sounds more like what the Oppenheimer group chat is, is that what it is? “OppenHomies”? Oh, my God. That's so lit. 

We have one, it's “Shadow Wizard Money Gang.” I think there's a music producer who has that as his producing tag that was big for a while.

One day I opened my text and it said “Shadow Wizard Money Gang” with like a ton of emojis. And I was like, “What the hell?” And it was them. I was like, “Oh, cool.”

What are your cardinal rules for adapting an animated project into live action?

I think that, for one, I'll say that we love the animated show. All of us are fans of that, which is what we are trying to embody instead of emulate, is what I would say. A shot for shot remake of an animation to me personally is unnecessary. What we want is to give people a true and faithful adaptation of a show that people grew up on and still love today. 

That's what I would say to some of the critics: “I hear you and we love the animated show and it exists and is perfect for a reason.” I think that it's necessary to bring some differences to the show so that we can have some new content. You have to take risks, and I think we took some risks. Sometimes that really, really pans out and sometimes it doesn’t. I think that most of our risks really did. 

What I’d also say to this subject in general, I know it's a little bit off topic, but I feel like the first season of the animated show is so good, but it's hopping around a lot. We're going on little side missions here and there because we're trying to get to the Northern Water Tribe, and it really finds its voice in seasons two and three.

It's like, “We know what the show is, we know what we're going after, we know what the plot points are. We have Toph now. We have the Aang Gang. We have a mission. We’ve got to save the world.” I think that our show also has that opportunity in live-action.

We've gotten so much constructive criticism, which is why we all want to make the show as good as possible. Still, not just for season one, but season two and three. I think we really have that opportunity now as well to find our voice in season two and three. 

Was there anything that you felt particularly strong about that you felt Sokka needed to keep in the live-action?

One thing that I asked to keep that was almost not there was I'm wearing the Kyoshi armor in episode two. Originally I wasn't wearing the Kyoshi armor. In the animated show, it's kind of seen as a punch line. It's a punishment, like, “Here, throw this on if you want to train with us.”

For me, I went to the people that wanted to make that change and was like, “You know, I'm a martial artist. If I'm going to a jiu jitsu gym, I'm going to wear their uniform. It can be seen as a sign of honor and respect.” I think that's totally what it is.

So I was really happy that I got to keep that. It really was not anything intense, but it was just advocating for your characters. Always. Everyone always loves that because no one had ego on our set, which is something that's so important when trying to create something that's good is like, “Oh, I'm totally down to be wrong.”

What are your hopes for deepening your portrayal of Sokka? Anything you are excited to explore in Seasons 2 and 3?

I think that he evolves through his sense of responsibility. He evolves through his relationship with his sister a lot. The reason this question is hard to answer is because I don't have scripts yet, which helps me guide where that growth will come from. I'm kind of a psycho about trying to make the performance not one noted, even in one episode or one part of a season.

I had a whole serial killer wall, theories of all like, okay, “This season he's going through this. And then the reason it changes here is because…” and then once you do all of that work, you can throw it all away once you get on set and you kind of have a sense of purpose of why.

So I think I'm going to find out more of those specifics, I will find out more about that when I get those scripts. Hopefully soon. 

[thedawningofthehour]

Honestly, with that last bit of the latest chapter, I kept thinking about that time Galois was talking to one of the turtles (I’m not sure who anymore) about how corporal punishment was bad for child development, hence why his father Draxum didn‘t discipline him that way and how interesting it was that Splinter did smack them once in a while. It really paints Splinter as the worse parent between the two…until you remember how ‚Galois‘ came to be

I've mentioned this before, but this is really where both their backgrounds and knowledge come to a head. Draxum is Norse, born after the Viking Age-but as we've seen, the Yokai are typically slow to change with the times-and I picture his childhood and culture to be pretty similar to that of Viking-era Scandinavia. And Viking children were actually very gently-raised, despite the reputation of Viking warriors. (I realize that Vikings refer specifically to the warriors and everyone else would be Viking-era Scandinavians, but considering the Faroes aren't technically Scandinavia I'm just using it as a catch-all term) They were mostly raised by their mothers, and while they worked like any other non-aristocrat child would in that age they understood the importance of play and allowing kids freedom to grow and discover themselves, and corporal punishment was not common. They were usually quite close with their parents as well, despite their fathers being away from home so often-Viking warriors would wear necklaces made of their children's shed baby teeth for luck in battle.

Add to that, Draxum is highly educated and child development is one of his areas of study-not what he specialized in, but it was relevant to his work in public health-and the Yokai were more advanced that humans in many subjects for most of history, so the lack of benefits of corporal punishment has been known the the Yokai for a while. (the Yokai also didn't really have Dark Ages or periods of religious fanaticism that choked progress-they had some, but they weren't as widespread and their ability to remain connected through magic negated a lot of the repercussions and allowed the rest of society to keep progressing while they got that out of their system) And, to be completely fair here, Draxum has one kid. That he kidnapped as a teenager, already fairly self-sufficient and didn't need to be taught how to take care of himself. He was able to give Bella and Pax back to their parents for the hard stuff, and by the time they came to live with him full-time Bella was seventeen and Pax just kind of did his own thing, they were both very independent kids who didn't require a lot of hands-on parenting. So he was extremely well-prepared for this fatherhood thing, and got to skip the really tough stuff to boot.

Splinter, meanwhile. Hamato Yoshi was raised with the belief that the world would literally end if he didn't dedicate his life to fighting, if he wasn't willing to die and sacrifice those he loved for the cause. And he was primarily raised by his grandfather, so assuming Yoshi was born somewhere around 1960-65 (which would make him early forties in 2005 when the turtles were 'born' and he was mutated, fitting in with his decade in the Battle Nexus and his acting career spanning from his late teens to early thirties) it's likely that Grandpa Sho was born 1900-1920. So...pre-WWII Japanese guy, in a rural area. Obsessed with tradition and willing to sacrifice his own daughter for the clan. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say he was a proponent of physical discipline, and Yoshi was raised pretty harshly.

He's uneducated, having dropped out of high school to move to the US and pursue his acting career, and never expected to have kids. He wanted his line to end with him, I even mentioned that he got a vasectomy when he was with Big Mama because he didn't want any surprises. He did tons of drugs, lived a violent life even before being forced to fight in death matches, and never once gave a thought to how he'd parent. Until he suddenly became a single father of four.

And he did it with zero help. He didn't have the knowledge Draxum had, no social services that would give him free diapers and no babysitters to let him catch some sleep. He didn't even have a home at first, he had to search for a place to keep them safe and hidden and scavenge for food and toys, all while juggling four kids. His kids were super-soldiers, designed to hurt people-and when they got old enough to rough-house, it became very clear that they could hurt each other. And Splinter had to stop Raph from putting his brothers through the drywall because god knows he can't take them to a hospital, and a quick slap hurts less than if Raph had to live with accidentally maiming or killing one of his brothers.

So to me, it was less of a choice and more that corporal punishment was the only way Splinter really knew how to parent. He was exhausted and didn't know how to talk to kids and if he didn't get his point across it could have disastrous consequences for them. So he raised them much in the way his grandfather raised him. It keeps them alive, and Splinter doesn't really have the luxury of prioritizing anything else. After a while he becomes numb to it. So the O'Neils criticizing his use of corporal punishment makes him mad, because it's real easy for them to say that when they hadn't gone through what he had. He did the best he could. How dare they say it wasn't good enough.

[goose-duck]

♡Our World♡ (pt. 1)

Killer x Reader

Killer from One Piece comes to our world and meets u :D

Pt 2

~~~~~~

I was at work, not doing anything really, my boss has me working security at an empty court house. The place smells bad and has a rodent problem, but it's quiet so I don't mind. I was on my phone, writing a One Piece fanfiction. I love One Piece, it's always been my favourite anime. It was made before I was born in 2005, but my mother loved it so I often watched it with her as a child and I fell in love.

As I continued to write I heard a strange sound and saw a headache inducing light in front of me. I had no idea what I was looking at but it sure as hell wasn't normal. I get headaches easily due to a head injury so I wasn't even able to look at the light to see what was going on…to be fair I doubted a person without a head injury would've been able to either. My ears start ringing and my head feels light but not in a good way, the radio feels like it's blaring and I can't keep my eyes open. I was starting to get worried with this strange light, it wasn't coming from anything in the room, it was just there. I hold my head, trying to stay conscious as it feels like my head is exploding.

Suddenly it all stops and there's a man standing in the middle of the courthouse. I recognize him immediately, Killer, from One Piece. What the hell? Why is he here? Am I dead? Is this heaven?? Maybe it's hell…why would it be hell, he's my favourite character..? As I continue to ask myself questions with no tangible answer he turns his mask covered head to me, “hey.” he says, almost in a questioning tone but it sounds more like he’s just trying to get my attention. I quickly snap out of my thoughts and look up at him, “hi.” I say meekly, still confused and even a little scared, the lingering effects of my headache making it hard to keep my eyes open, all lights still bothering me.

He doesn't come any closer to me however he does turn his body to face me, “where am I? Did you do this?” he asks sternly, demanding an immediate answer with his tone. I get scared, I think he's really cool, but I wouldn't doubt he'd make me regret living if he thought I did this, “no…no! Nuh uh! Not me! That sounds really suspicious…uh…it wasn't me, I swear! I do however think you're in a different reality…” I say, trying to sound as normal as possible and quite frankly failing to the largest degree. He relaxes a bit, realizing there's absolutely no way I could have done this. He then sighs again, “another reality? What makes you think that?” he askes, sounding almost stressed, definitely worried and confused. “I mean…your name is Killer, right?” I say, almost unsure despite his appearance. It’s not a common name, if its his it'll be obvious who I'm talking to. He looks stunned, I may not be able to see his face but his body language is more than enough to tell how he feels. “yeah. That's my name.” he somehow seems less trusting of me now. He continues, “how’d you know that?” it's a good question to ask, even if I know he's from an alternate reality it doesn't explain how I know his name. I start sweating a bit, this is getting stressful, “because…um…uuuuhhhhhhh” I start panicking so I just make a weird noise and freeze up.

I stop with my stressed groan and just sit there giving him a very obtuse look. He crosses his arms and I'm sure under his mask he's giving me a look too. This has got to be one of the worst shows of my lack of social skills ever. He sighs and relaxes his body, “I'm not gonna hurt ya” he says, trying to reassure and calm me down so I'll talk. I start trying to stutter out my words but I make no progress, some weird squeak coming out of my throat instead of words. I begin to get annoyed with myself and sigh dropping my head onto my desk, “fuck.” I mumble under my breath. He walks over to me, causing me to quickly sit upright to get further away without looking rude. He notices this action isn't just me sitting up, it's me being afraid. He backs up a little, holding his hands up. I mumble out an apology, “s-sor-fucking…ugh…sorry.” I try to calm myself and speak with more conviction however it doesn't work very well, I sound as pathetic as before, but I've got a calmer look on my face. He nods at me, silently acknowledgeding and returning my apology.

I sigh for the millionth time, still trying to collect myself. I begin trying to explain in terms he’d understand, “I know your name because you're from a book in this world…the author drew you on the cover of one of the books. Does that make sense? Do I sound crazy? Who am I kidding of course I do…especially now that I'm talking to myself…” I start rambling towards the end, changing from talking to him to myself. Killer seems to be a little concerned with whatever my problem is but he understands my explanation. “you sound a little strange, however this whole situation is strange so that's not a big deal.” he responds, reassuring me I don't sound completely deranged. I nod at him, an awkward smile on my face.

I ask the question that needs to be asked, “so what now?” he hums, “I need a place to stay, would you be okay with that place being with you?” he asks politely, he's giving me room to back out but I'm sure he more than knows I'll say yes, either out of pity or because he's a character from a book I like. I nod at him, “yeah, yeah, that's okay, we can do that…uh…yeah.” I squabble out at him in response, trying to hide my excitement. He looks around, “is this your house?” “no, I just work here” “ah, it smells weird” “no kidding, it smells like old people” he seems to hold back a laugh at that…right, he doesn't like his laugh…hm…I wonder at what point in the story is he from..? “hey, Killer..?” I ask tp get his attention, he looks at me, “hm?” I take in a nervous breath of air, “what's the most recent event that’s happened in your life?” his body language screams confused, “what? Why? Shouldn't you know, you've read whatever book I'm from.” I respond quickly, “oh, uh, just so I don't spoil the future potentially” he nods, “Kid and I just left Wano.” he states calmly. “ah…okay…don't read the book or anything then.” I say a little quieter than my previous words. “oh? Okay.” he says, presumably giving me a strange look under his mask.

I sit there for a second before striking up a conversation again, “I'm here for a few more hours, then I can take us to my house.” I inform him. I'm lucky, not many people can afford a house nowadays, many struggle even with an apartment, I'm just lucky my grandparents left me their house. Killer nods at me, he doesn't seem to mind that he’ll have to stay at the courthouse for a few hours. I wonder if that's because he probably does a lot of just sitting around on a pirate ship…they have no internet or anything on one of those…though he'd have people to talk to, at this job it's just me…sometimes I wonder if it'll drive me crazy. At least I have him to talk to now, even if he is a man of notably few words, at least someone's listening and I don't come off as completely nuts.

He seems fascinated by the radio I have on. It makes sense, snails do this stuff in his world. My old school radio from the 80’s definitely isn't a snail. “whatcha thinking about?” I ask, not wanting to just assume I know what he's looking at. “this thing…what…what is it?” he sounds relaxed with me now, however I still sounded skittish. “oh, it's a radio, it's an old one from the 80’s.” I say, then I realize ‘the 80’s’ is probably something he's not gonna get and I mentally slap myself. “a radio? The 80’s? What year is it?” he asks sounding a little distressed again. “a radio works like a snail and its the year 2024.” I respond nervously. “oh.” he says, sounding very perturbed. I try to change the topic, finding the atmosphere is getting uncomfortable, “want a cookie? I bought one at Tim’s earlier.” I hold out a chocolate chip cookie to him. He takes it from me, “thanks.” he then turns away, presumably to eat it. I debate telling him I've already seen his face in the book or not but I decide not to for now, I'll let him show me if he wants to.

After he finishes the cookie he turns back around, “it was good…tell Tim it was good.” He seems to have assumed ‘Tim's’ is a small personal restaurant or maybe a friend, that tracks, in his world it probably would be. “Oh…uh…I can't…it's a restaurant chain.” “A restaurant chain?” “Yeah.” “What's that?” “Corperate business?” “Nope” “ugh” “sorry” “no, don't..I…ugh…it's like if I restaurant had some power in the government?” “Oh…alright.” That was a bit awkard, but I did enjoy hearing his voice a bit more, it's nice, the sub and the dub, he's always got a beautiful voice. I get a bit ballsy and tell him that, “you've got a nice voice.” He turns his head to look at me, seeming to check if i was telling the truth. After a few seconds of stunned silence he responds with an awkward, “thanks.” he then stands there for a few more seconds, thinking about something, “what's your name?” oh right, I hadn't introduced myself, “oh…Y/N.” he nods, “it's nice, suits you.” I giggle a bit, “thanks, picked it myself.” “you did?” “yeah.” “why?” “my old name didn't ‘suit me’.” “ah, I get that.” “you do?” “kinda.” “I belive you.” “thanks?” “you're welcome!” I enjoy the quick conversation, we seem to have a deeper understanding of each other now.

A few hours later and me and him are talking like long time friends. He's still got some walls up, but we're able to just chat, it's nice. I realize it's 5:00pm and I can go home so I start closing up. “what are you doing?” he inquires. “closing up so we can go home.” I respond, flicking the lights off, “can you help me with teh blinds? Some of them are hard to reach.” he nods and gets up, going to a window and twisting the thingy to close the blinds, he continues until they're all closed. “anything else?” he askes, willing to help me further if I need it. “The chairs out front, they're such a pain to bring in…I bet it'd be easy for you.” I ask, giving him a small sweet smirk. “why?” he asks. “why bring them in or why do I think it'd be easy for you?” “both.” “there's gonna be a hurricane, I don't want the chairs to blow away. Regarding the other thing…I think your eyes work well enough for that one.” he lets out what sounds like a scoff and a laugh, “yeah, I can see that.” I giggle a bit, “nah I'm so strong.” “sure, buddy” it feels like he's smiling behind his mask so I smile back. He then nods his head and leaves to bring the chairs in for me.

When he comes inside I ask him to close the door behind him, telling him we'll be leaving through the back door. He closes the door behind him and walks over to me packing up my work stuff, “I have the next two days off so we can spend some time together and I can teach you some basic stuff about this world so it's easier for you to be here.” “alright, sounds good.” he says, picking up my monster energy drink and looking at it a bit strange, “uh, weird drink branding…what is it?” “just an energy drink.?” “why do you need that?” “I've got no energy…also it tastes good.” “why do you have no energy?” “anemia.” my answer is so blunt it seems to stun him a bit before he nods and gives a small hum of acknowledgment. “think you can hold it for me? My hands are full and I gotta be able to lock the door.” I ask him, he once again nods at me. I then head for the back door, unlocking it so we can leave, then locking it behind us once we're bothe out.

“which way to your house?” he inquires. “huh? Oh, right. You don't know what a car is..” I respond sheepishly. “a..a what?” he seems confused, which is the obvious emotion one would feel in this situation. “those things that have been going past the building all day.” “do you live in one of those?” “no, but some people do.” “why mention them then?” “they're a mode of transportation.” “I see.” I then walk over to my car, a small orange car, nothing special, “this is my car.” he looks at it like it's the strangest thing ever, “it's very orange.” “I wanted it to be easy to find.” “you definitely can't miss it.” I giggle in response. I then think for a second…will he fit? Probably…he'll just have to move the seat back. He seems to be thinking the same thing, “will I fit?” he asks, his body language seeming a little worried. “yeah, just put your seat back…wait…no…I'll do it for you.” I unlock the car, putting my things behind my seat in the back. I think walk around to the front passenger seat and get in, pushing it back for him. Instead of getting out and walking around the car like a normal person I just climb over the center console and sit in the driver's seat. “alright, get in, buddy boy!” I say casually. He gets in, seeming to snort under his breath a little at my antics. He closes the door, thank the gods that's obvious enough that I don't have to explain it.

I put my seatbelt on then I look at him in anticipation for him to do the same thing…he doesn't. “uh..um…you see that thing above your right shoulder?” “the metal thing?” “yeah.” “what about it?” “pull on it.” he pulls on it. “put the metal bit in the red thingy” I point at it and he does it. I hear the click and nod, “that's a seatbelt, you gotta wear it in cars for safety.” he nods…he does a lot of nodding. “You can handle being on a ship…so…uh…you probably won't get car sick, but tell me if you feel sick, okay?” I ask him, giving him a lightly worried look. “I will.” he responds, turning his head to look at me. I start the car and his breathing seems to stifle a bit before he calms down. “you good?” he nods at me, “yeah, just wasn't expecting that.” I nod at him, takinga page from his book and not saying anything further. I then start driving, he doesn't seem too worried about this, given he's on Kid’s crew I imagine he's dealt with worse.

Once we get to my house and parked in the driveway I unbuckle my seatbelt and look at him again, hoping he caught onto that. He looks at me awkwardly…clearly he didn't get that. “push on the red thing you put the seatbelt in” I whisper to him as if someone else would hear. He awkwardly nods and does it. I then get out of the car, him following soon after, still holding my monster…he's been holding it this whole time…oops. I grab my things from the back seat and walk up to my house, unlocking the door and walking in, giving Killer a gesture to follow. He follows behind me, closing the door when he gets inside. My house opens to a small space with some stairs upwards. I kick my shoes off and walk upstairs. He follows suit, however being a bit less aggressive about taking his shoes off, opting to slip them off rather than just violently kicking them off. He follows me up the stairs that leaf to the living room, kitchen and a hallway. I set my stuff in the kitchen on the counter by the back door, he sets my drink down there too. “thanks.” I say giving him a soft smile when he sets my drink down. “you're welcome.” he says. I'd half expected to just get a nod but this is nice.

I walk more into the center of the kitchen. “I'll give you a quick tour!” I say with some slight enthusiasm, he nods in return, watching as I walk back over to the back door, “this is the back door…obviously…” I then turn to the right, “this is a washroom.” I turn to the right again, “closet.” he nods at me and watches me slide on my socks back into the center of the kitchen, “kitchen!” I do a large enthusiastic gesture like this is some grand show. I then walk over to the left where the dining room is, it's just a table on the other side of the kitchen counter, “dining room…” I then wonder into the room next door that funnily enough doesn't actually have a door, not from this side at least, “den area.” he follows me into the room, observing it a bit and seeing some things that tip him off that the town he's in is near the ocean.

I then open the folding wooden door and walk through. He doesn't immediately follow, he's looking at a shelf beside the door, it has my graduation picture and pictures of my friends and two of my cousins. “who are these people?” he points at a picture of me and two boys as kids. “oh, that's me and my cousins.” “ah” “why do you ask?” “kid kinda looked like you.” I giggle at the irony of the kid actually being me. He seems to look at the pictures like he's looking for something. “you good?” “huh? Oh, yeah.” I seem to have caught him off guard. I give him a look, one that says ‘what are you looking for’ before shaking my head and continuing with my tour. “This is the living room!” I say enthusiastically, diverting his attention completely away from whatever he was thinking. He looks around in here too, noting how it's more vacant than the well decorated den.

I then go down the earlier mentioned hall, “there's a bigger washroom over here..” I point at the first door on the left, “and every other room is bedrooms. Mine is that one” I point at the last door on the left, there's only four door down this hall, meaning the other two are guest rooms. “the one with the queen size bed is the last door on the right and the other one has two twin beds. He nods at me and goes down to the room with the queen sized bed. He hesitates to open the door, “go in” I encourage. He opens the door and looks I side. He looks at the room like it's the ugliest thing he's ever seen. “something wrong?” “red, green and yellow…um…everything?” “yes?” “why?” “because it is.” he looks at me like there's something wrong with me. The rest of my house looks normal except for this guest room…I couldn't be bothered to fix it because I'm not in there often so it looks like how my grandparents had designed it.

“My room’s right across the hall if you need anything.” I say with a friendly tone. He nods at me and despite his judgment of my guest room he thanks me for giving him a place to stay anyway. “we'll deal with the clothes problem tomorrow, I think you'll be okay for tonight, right?” he nods, “yeah, I'll be okay for now.” I smile at him, “wanna see my room?” “sure.” I open the door to a relatively normal room, a bit messy and there's some One Piece related things but it ultimately looks normal. Why does it looks normal? Because there's a room I haven't shown killer yet. It's got my gaming set up and all my merch from different things i like…it's also got a washing machine and a drier. “nice room.” “thanks.”

“what about that room you walked past earlier?” “what room?” “the door in the kitchen?” “oh.” that's the door to the room…guess I'll have to show him. I signal for him to follow me and I open the door, theres wooden stairs that lead to an open space. I walk down and he follows. Once we get down there and around the stairs he sees many One Piece and other interesting merch items, he also sees my PC set up and a landry machine…he then sees the figures I have of him and he barely contains his laughter. “your laugh is beautiful, however, do not.” I look at him with shame and embarrassment. He struggles to hold in his laughter, snickering under his breath but calms himself and nods. “it's…great.” he tries to tell me, “don't lie.” “it's amazing.” “Killer.” “Y/N.” we stare at each other for a bit before I start laughing and he does too, he clearly is embarrassed by his laugh but can't stop it so I reassure him, “your laugh is so lively, I love it!!” I continue to laugh about my tragic obsession being on full display. He continues to laugh but gives me a genuine thankful smile for my compliment, it's like he's never heard someone say they love his laugh. Maybe he hasn't, but I love it, I do, I really do and I can see he knows it. Even if I can't actually see the smile on his face his body language changed instantly after I said that, he was calm with me anyway but it seemed like any lingering concerns melted away.

Once we both stop laughing we go back upstairs. He offers to make supper since he's gonna be staying with me for a bit and I have to break the news that I have practically no food in my house. He seems confused at that…why did have nothing here? What do I even have? “what do you have?” he asks. “uh…” I'm not even too sure myself anymore. I open the fridge to see milk, orange juice and bread. I then open the freezer, there's microwave steamed buns and some ice cream…and a frozen chocolate bar for some reason?? What the hell was I doing?? I then go to the cupboards, there's bearpaws and goldfish crackers. “um…sorry?” I uppologize confusedly, unsure if he'd be upset with me.

He just pats my head, seemingly feeling bad for me. “I won't take your food tonight.” he says kindly, walking off to the guest room, probably to sleep so he doesn't feel hungry. I feel bad that I have no food…I don't have the money for food…Killer doesn't seem upset with me, but he seems worried, he feels bad for me and my lack of food. I sigh and go to my room too, I didn't even get to show him the TV or my phone but maybe that's for the best for now…give him some time to think about what he's already seen. I go to my bedroom, not to sleep, but just to play games on my phone for a while. I'll wait for him to come talk to me if he wants to tonight and if not then I'll see him in the morning…presuming he's still here in the morning.

[crunchycrystals]

now that pjo is trending i need tell everyone that percy (and annabeth) was not born in 1993 he was born in 1992 and he should be 19 in the books currently and 18 in chalice of the gods despite rick saying he's still 17. everyone thinks he was born in 1993 because he was 12 years old in 2005 but he was actually about to turn 13 and the original series literally says this. explained more under the cut bc it makes me so mad that im the only one who seems to know this lol

so the start of battle of the labyrinth opens with percy going to a high school orientation meaning he's going into 9th grade and it ends with him on his 15th birthday. therefore in chalice of the gods which is during his senior year, he's 18 but the book constantly refers to him and annabeth being 17 which annoys me so bad but the thing that gets me even more is everyone claiming he was born in 1993 when he wasn't it's so stupid that i'm this annoyed but i'm already typing it so you WILL hear this

i'm pretty sure everyone knows that in the lightning thief percy is 12, in sea of monsters percy is 13, and in titan's curse percy's 14. but i'm not sure how many people realize titan's curse and sea of monsters take place in the same year because in battle of the labyrinth percy mentions he only has camp beads from 3 years (chapter 20, page 359 on both of my copies) and those are from the only 3 books that take place in the summer. this might be obvious but it confuses me that people think he was born in 1993 when he would've been turning 13 in the lightning thief.

like percy's birthday is right after the period of summer that most of the books take place in which is something he also mentions in chapter 20 of botl. he directly says his birthday takes place right after the summer sessions of camp end which explains the age difference in sea of monsters and titan's curse even more

so like to wrap up this vaguely confusing and deeply emotional rant here's a timeline to explain what i mean:

1992: percy and annabeth are born

2005: the lightning thief- percy's in 6th grade and it mostly takes place during the summer before 7th. he's 12 years old but turning 13 right after the book ends

2006: sea of monsters- starts on the last day of 7th grade and takes place in the summer before 8th, 13 going on 14

2006: titan's curse- winter break during 8th grade, solidly 14 years old

2007: battle of the labyrinth- summer before 9th grade, 14 going on 15 for most of the book, last chapter is literally his 15th birthday

2008: the last olympian- last weeks of summer before his 16th birthday making it the summer before 10th grade

2010: when chalice of the gods should take place, should be 18 at this point

and percy and annabeth are in college already so they should be 19 years old i truly do not know why rick thinks they're 17. it does not line up at all with the timeline of either pjo or heroes of olympus but even with him saying theyre 17 in cotg they should be at least 18 at this point since they are In College. i am baffled every time i remember he says they're 17