#i should be packing buttttt

[poltergeist-punk]

merlin once again has a grip on me

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Okay, so I’m weirdly into the idea of being someone’s estranged wife???

Imagine being Patrick’s estranged wife?? Like maybe he married you bc he couldn’t have Tashi and then just…never signed the divorce papers? And now he’s knocking on your door bc there’s a challenger he’s gonna play in buttttt his bank account’s a little low so could he pretty please crash with you? He’ll sleep on his couch and be on his best behavior, he swears

Queue him crawling into bed with you at 2 am bc it’s cold in the living room and you’re soft and pretty and whoops, he’s hard

Ooo love this

Warnings: Fingering, Patrick Being Patrick, bitter and estranged ex-wife Reader

"You have any chicken nuggets?"

"What are you, five?"

"Adults can enjoy chicken nuggets."

They certainly could, but you didn't grace that reply with a response, just watched with tepid interest as he rifled through the contents of your fridge.

A single phrase kept resounding in your mind:

I should've left him on the doorstep.

And maybe you should have. It wouldn't be the first time that you'd given Patrick the cold shoulder, and it wouldn't be the first time that he just parked in your driveway and slept in his car. But you just couldn't stand the sight of him out in the cold, pouting and gnawing on his lower lip in the fish-eye lens of your peephole.

"Why don't we order a pizza?" He tacked on.

We. It was always 'we' with him, but never in the action, or the cost—that was a 'you' action, not a 'we' more often than not.

"Who's paying for it?" You asked. Patrick turned to you with a dopey, guilty little smile affixed to his lips as he cocked his hip.

"Well until I sign the papers, the two shall be as one, right?"

"Yeah—Why haven't you signed, by the way?"

"Your guy's never been able to serve 'em." He turned back to the fridge, ducking his head as he looked around. "You got any beer?"

You rolled your eyes. "Third shelf, at the back."

"Bingo. Want one?"

"Not right now. But thanks for offering me something that I bought and paid for. Really appreciate it."

Patrick huffed a soft laugh as he turned toward you again, opening the beer against the edge of the counter.

"Mine mine mine," He teased. "What is it with you and what's yours, huh?"

"Just stating facts, Zweig."

"So self-righteous, Mrs. Zweig." He used your married name with a vinegary smile before taking a deep swig from his bottle, pointedly ignoring the way that you bristled. "So. Pizza?"

--

Just the couch.

Patrick had pleaded it between bites of pizza, scrubbing the back of his hand across his mouth to clear the crumbs and oil left behind. He'd framed it as a reasonable enough request, like it was the easiest thing in the world to let your estranged husband back into your home.

You won't even know I'm there.

As if you hadn't been fighting to find a harmony within yourself for the last year, trying to serve him papers for the last six months, to get your divorce to take, to rid yourself of his last name.

Watching him sort through the garbage bags of clothing that you'd packed up for him to come and take between tours had been a little pitiful, but he'd unearthed what he'd needed to sleep in.

"Still have a toothbrush for me?" He asked.

"No."

"Face wash?"

"Don't you just use soap?"

"Yeah, but you put me on that, uh—That regimen, that routine."

"You never followed it."

"So you threw the stuff out?"

"I wasn't using it, so. Yeah."

"Huh." Patrick straightened, PJs in hand. You couldn't help but watch him strip off as he passed you, eyeing the ripple of his back muscles as he tossed his shirt in the direction of his bag.

"I'm showering," He called over his shoulder, "If you'd like to join me."

"I'd rather chew glass, but thanks."

--

He was sleeping. He had to be, right? It didn't matter if he was or wasn't. It didn't matter that Patrick Zweig was asleep on your couch, just a floor away. It didn't matter that you were worked up, at the midpoint between pissed off and turned on.

How did he always manage to do that to you?

You should've been able to clock early on that it was trouble. None of your friends or family thought it would work out, and you'd been chagrined when they'd been right. For as much as you had once loved him, for as certain as you and Patrick had been sure you would fit, that you would fix whatever needed fixing, no matter what fate had in store for you, you just...Couldn't.

It didn't help that he had been chasing glory on the court, or that you had spent your relationship trying to fill the shoes of a woman that you could never be. It didn't help that the two of you were just fundamentally different, in ways that you either of you were unwilling to compromise. When he'd left, it hadn't been a surprise, but it had been so goddamn hard to serve him papers. But you'd had such trouble trying to pin him down during your relationship, why should the way you broke be any different?

But when you'd been in bed together—Hell, you'd been even more certain that it could work. You and Patrick just fit. Things had been so right with so little conversation or hesitation. Your needs had fueled one another's, and you'd been able to lose yourself in him. It should have been enough.

But it wasn't then, and it wasn't now.

He was asleep. He had a match the next morning, and he needed his rest. You could do the same—You should do the same. You needed to be staring at the ceiling right now like you need a goddamn hole in the head. You drew in a deep breath, closing your eyes and doing your best to focus on your breathing. In for five... Hold...Out...For...Five...In for...One...Two...Three...Four...

Your eyes opened, your breath catching as you heard the door open. You held completely still as you heard the door close again, chased by the soft pad of feet along your floor before the mattress dipped beside you. The covers shifted, lifting and falling as he laid down.

"Are you asleep?" He murmured. It was another moment before his palm skimmed across your belly, his rough cheek nuzzling against the curve of your shoulder. Your breath left you in a soft sigh, your muscles untensing bit by bit.

"I know you haven't been here in a while," You muttered, "But this is not the couch."

He huffed a soft laugh. "I know," He snuggled closer, and it was just a moment before you felt the press of his cock against your hip. You drew in a shaky breath, hands lowering to his arm.

"Patrick," You mumbled. "You should be asleep."

"I can't sleep." His teeth scraped along your jaw as his fingers snaked under the hem of your nightshirt.

"Indigestion?" You squeaked. "Shouldn't've had that third slice of pizza. I told you not to."

Your eyes squeezed shut as he rolled his hips against you.

"This feel like pizza to you?"

"Well—"

"Baby," He pleaded. "You gonna tell me you didn't miss me?"

It took you a moment, and you couldn't help your slight squirming.

"Not even a little."

He laughed again, and you knew that you hadn't been able to sneak a thing by him.

"You don't have to lie. I saw you watching me." He tipped his chin up, sucking a tender kiss to your neck. And you had, but—

"I wasn't."

Patrick tutted disapprovingly. You shuddered, arching up into his touch as his thumb skimmed across your hardening nipple.

"You're a shitty liar, you know that?"

"You're an asshole," You hissed as Patrick lifted his head.

"You like it."

You couldn't get a word out to argue as Patrick's tongue swept between your lips. You whimpered in spite of yourself, sinking back against your pillows and raising your hand to fist in his hair. He was over you in a moment, body shoving your thighs wide as his hands rucked up the bottom of your sleep shirt. You drew in a sharp breath as his head dipped to catch one of your nipples between his lips. You tightened your grip on his, shivering as he teased it with his tongue.

Patrick's hips ground against yours, rolling against where you're growing slick in your sleep shorts.

"How long's it been?" He murmured, "Huh? Since me?"

And it was too embarrassing to say—too embarrassing to admit that you hadn't slept with anyone since Patrick left.

"Shut up," You hissed, "Just—Please, shut up."

His hand snuck beneath the hem of your shorts, swiping gently across your tender clit, and he grinned as your hips hitched up into his deft touch.

"S'okay," He cooed as he eased a couple of fingers into your tight, aching cunt. "I missed you, too."

--

"You gonna come watch me play?"

As with the rest of the last day or so, your answer should be no. You didn't turn to look at Patrick as you rummaged through your dresser for something to wear.

"I've seen you play, Patrick."

"Not lately." He tried again: "It's a challenger."

You hummed, giving a noncommittal shrug as you pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt.

"...Well can I stay here tonight?"

"If you win, sure."

"How will you know I win if you don't come see me?"

You rolled your eyes, hip-checking your drawer shut before pulling up your pants and tugging in your top.

"Fine. Just tonight. You'll have to find somewhere tomorrow night."

"I'll have the prize money by then, I'll crash at a motel."

"Oh, a motel. Hey big spender," You drawled, heading for your door.

"Hey."

"What?"

"You have the papers here?"

It stopped you dead in your tracks, your stomach churning with unease as you looked at him again.

"...What?"

"The divorce papers," He clarified. "I can sign 'em while I'm here."

It would be so easy. It would be so easy to go down to your office and draw the file out of your desk drawer, to plop it down in front of Patrick with your favorite black ballpoint pen, to flip between arrow tabs and instruct, "Sign here, here, here, here, here, and here."

But you found yourself shaking your head.

"I don't have a copy," You fibbed. It took Patrick a moment before he nodded a little.

"Can you get them?"

Hell, were you that out of practice? One night back in bed with you and he was ready to call it? But you were certain that wasn't it—That Patrick was, for once in his goddamn life, trying to make it easy on you after so much hell.

"...Maybe, I don't know," You shrugged. "It's the weekend."

"Okay."

"Coffee?"

"Yeah—Hey."

"What?"

You watched as Patrick pulled the covers away, unashamed of his nakedness as he strode toward you. He grasped your chin, tipping your head for a soft kiss. It took everything in you not to melt into him as he skimmed his hand over your hip, drawing back just enough to give you a sleepy, hazy smile.

"Good morning."

You couldn't help your own, indignant smile.

"Sure, Patrick." You turned away, determined to push on with your day, your life like he wasn't there—like he wouldn't be hanging over you as you made breakfast, or dominating the court as he played, or in your bed again in just a few hours. "Good morning."

[cupid-roses]

I might just be high buttttt

I think the reason I like shuggy now is because I was a massive fluttercord shipper as a kid

Shuggy and fluttercord got the same vibes and I can’t tell you why

(I should not have eaten a quarter of the gummy pack guys-)

[hyunsvngs]

THE SECRET TO PLAYING IS USUALLY LIKE LEARNING THE SONG TO ITS BPM BC THATS WHAT I DO!! like ok so for harder songs like venom, maniac [second verse], venom [verse 2], and BOXER OMG BOXER IS SO HARD…but yk like it’s all based on how much rap and how fast it is in normal. Just literally make sure you press the beat, not too hard bc i have just bought another phone and im so delicate with it. but uhmmmmm like hard mode is where i struggle i literally sweat bc of it!!! Also when trying to get a lineup, buy card packs (DONT SPEND ACTUAL MONEY BC I HAVENT SPENT A DIME AND I HAVE A TOPLINE LINEUP) if you do attendance for two weeks you’ll have some good line up. i just play for like an hour. ALSO upgrade and power up for higher scores. For certain modes there’s an amount of misses you can have at a time [ Easy- 20-27, Normal- 30, Hard -40 but you have to space them out] I SWEAR I STUDY THIS STUFF WHEN I SHOULD BE DOING BETTER IN MY JOB BC I WORK AS A FUCKING OFFICE MANAGER FOR A REALTOR AND I FELL ASLEEP ON THE JOB LIKE A WEEK AGO but besides that, if you have friends on superstar then you have that benefit to be gifted stuff, LMK IF ANYONE WANTS SOME CARDS ON SUPERSTAR I EVEN HAVE JYP SO…😳😳FEEL FREE TO ASK FOR ANY BAND UNDER JYP

I GOT IT BUTTTTT THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE ADVICE.. IM GOING TO TRY AGAIN TONIGHT !!

i dont know how to add people but my username is h4nj1sungz if u wanna add me friends <3

[the-kittens-of-vol-tron]

Hey so I saw this post on Pinterest (it’s really from tumblr but I couldn’t find it here) and I was like “this would be perfect klance tbh” and I thought I should request also you give very good dating advice and I’d like to make sure you’re hydrated 👍

Ok that’s it bye

Hehehe, I've been waiting for this

-----

Keith tied his hair back, taking a deep breath as Lance parked the car. It was that time of the month; time for shopping. They went twice a month and each trip took over an hour. 

In reality, it shouldn’t take them that long, they had a list of everything they needed. But they were Keith and Lance, they never did anything easy. 

“Ready baby?” Lance asked with a smile. 

Keith nodded, opening the passenger door. Lance grabbed their bags from the backseat. “You have the list?” 

Lance nodded, pulling out a piece of paper from his green jacket. “Right here.” 

Keith grabbed the list, waiting for his boyfriend to find a cart that rolled okay and didn't squeak every two feet. “Got us a winner!” He placed the bags in the cart, “let’s start.” 

They headed to pets first, they needed cat litter and cat food. That’s it, two items should be easy enough. 

“Oh my god, we have to get Red and Blue this toy!” Lance lifted up a pack of catnip toys that were shaped like metal lions. 

“They have enough toys dear.” 

Lance frowned, looking down at the toys. “Not metal lion toys.” 

Keith rolled his eyes, “fine.” 

They moved to cosmetics next, needing some face wash and a sleeping mask. Lance grabbed Keith's wrist, immediately swabbing some dark red lipstick on him. "Ugh, this color is so not you."

Keith stared down at it, "you picked it."

"Let's try this one!"

They eventually left the area, with their needed items in their cart and Keith with a line of makeup up his arm.

"Ohmygod baby we need these!" Lance held up a plastic yellow bag.

Keith fought back a sigh, "Lance. We don't need animal crackers."

Lance pouty, like a five-year-old. His eyes filled with tears. "But....they're the frosted ones."

"..put them in the cart."

Lance grinned and borderline slammed dunked the item into the cart. "Thanks, baby!"

Keith found himself moving down the aisles, marking off the list as he did. But it was quiet. Too quiet. He turned around, his boyfriend was nowhere in sight. "God damn it." He said under his breath. 

He gripped the cart handles tighter and went to the main aisle, where did he go? He parked the cart out of the way, beginning to look down each aisle. He passed one, nearly tripping with how fast he turned.

"What are you doing?!"

Lance turned to look at him, holding two bags of ground coffee. “Smelling coffee.” 

Keith smacked his own forehead and groaned. “We don’t even drink coffee.” 

Lance scoffed, “what if I wanted to start?” 

All Keith wanted to do was fall to the floor and disappear. “Lance-” 

His boyfriend took a couple of steps, closing the distance, “smelllllll.” 

He reluctantly did. “Okay...it doesn’t smell that bad.” 

“See?!” Lance wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Fine...how much is it?” 

Lance turned, his eyes scanning the shelf. “Ew like $9.” 

“Yeah, no. We’re broke.” 

Lance nodded, placing the bags back on the shelf. For once not arguing with Keith. They made their way back to the cart, Keith’s eyes immediately falling on a box he defiantly did not put in there. “Orange Crush flavored Poptarts?” 

Lance nodded, “yup a classic.” 

Keith was less concerned about the sticker that said “NEW FLAVOR” and more about when it go in the cart. “How did- when did you put this in the cart? I was with you the entire time?!” 

Lance waved him off, “what’s next on the list?” 

Keith rubbed his eyes, he wanted to be home. 

The refrigerated section was fine. Everything was fine. Until they reached the frozen section. “FOUR CHEESE PIZZA!!!!” Lance bolted to the pizza door, his breath fogging the glass. 

Keith found himself offering an ‘I’m so sorry about him’ nod to everyone that passed them. “Pizza is not on our list.” 

“Buttttt babyyyyyyyyyy it’s four cheese. Our favorite.” Lance presented his pouty eyes again. 

“Correction, it's your favorite. I’m lactose intolerant. Remember?” 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Stop being allergic to dairy, you’re no fun!” 

“When you figure out a cure, just let me know.” 

They ended up getting more than what was on their list. As usual for them. It didn’t matter until they were staring at the multiple nags in the trunk of their car. 

Keith began to grab bag after bag, not noticing Lance not even reaching for one. “Dude, we can take two trips.” 

“No.” 

“Alright, but I wanted to hold hands.” 

Keith looked down at his hands. Both held at least seven bags. He added the bags his right hand was holding to his left and grabbed Lance’s hand. “Just get the door.” 

-----

I hope you liked it!!!!!

Thank you <33333

[sojutrait]

thank you so much!!! 😭💓💓💓hope u feel better omg fuck the plague

i just simply started making sims kdjfkdk

I DO im so happy season 2 has started it reminds me sm of old school sims 4 lets plays with storylines and such UGHHH im so glad that style is making a resurgence

thank u!! again im so unhelpful when it comes to advice on making sims bc i really jus Go for it 😭 i dont really have a different approach when it comes to making masc frame sims either

probably not bc its such a small action (like theres only 2 or 3 steps iirc) it just wouldnt be worth the hassle and i dont think that many ppl would find any use out of it😭😭

well,,,, tis the season 🤔

i highly doubt it dkfdkkd

i didnt its from the gallery! i just decked out the inside

ahhh i play on desktop but theres 3 and 4 columns for different screen sizes u can read more about it on the actual mod page iirc

my defaults should be good but my mods arent but i cba to update them rn 😭

( @simarcana ) TYYYYYYY she really is, i just wanna spin her around in cas all day and gawk dkfndk

my only tip would be dont dress them in clothes only if u would wear it/its your style. more so let it be a reflection of their character and their own fashion sense. theres alot of my sims id never dress like djfdkfkd but i know its something they would like !

NOW- DIFJDIFJDK me and nia orphyd have written many dissertations about... That aspect of dante's life but i will not confirm nor deny if that was included

im drawing up blanks too rn 😭😭😭 id suggest if u already know like the ethnicity of ur founder sim to just google last names from that culture and go from there, thats what i usually do dfjkd

10!

thank u omg but no i would feel bad if anyone gave me their money esp considering my tendency to like.. dip for weeks at a time DFKDJK also love u tumblr but i absolutely do not trust u with my credit card information

strip naked/bald, facial features, skin details, hair, clothes, repeat any steps if i dont like what i picked initially

( @thatoneplumbob ) no thank u for enjoying them !!! 💓💓💓😭😭

thats an easy one i dont JFKDJFK thats all neighborhood stories and mcc, i would simply die if i had to do all that myself 😭😭😭 i just pop in and give them quick makeovers

( @cutie-with-glasses-blog ) thank u so much !!! u have a great day as well 💓💓💓😌

i havent, im not a big marvel movie fan 😭😭 BUTTTTT i have seen edits and fancams of shuris actress and i agree i would also sell my kidneys and yours for her, shes so fine

( @wildsangria ) THE WAY I ALREADY FORGOT THIS DISCOURSE HAPPENEDDHFDJHDJ ugh throwback to when i gatekept the decades old tabletop rpg game dungeons and dragons

ive been staring at this in my inbox for almost a month and it never fails to make me laugh yet also feel horrified great job you two

WELL GOOD NEWS I DID and ive only made one hs so far!! buttttt it was before hsy so it doesnt work with the pack 😭😭 ill prob make one for hsy eventually bc as much as i hate building im also drawn to it like a moth to flame

thank u!! but ahhh no i havent been having any problems with uni

thank u, i hope ur having a great day too! tbh its not like something i put like... effort into if that makes sense KJDSK like for my gameplay sims no matter how casual i try to make it i inevitably start adding unnecessary depth into them 😭😭 like ill just be cleaning my house and think hmmm this sim hates this food or once had this happen to them, so pretty much the same approach i do to my ocs!

I ACTUALLY RECORDED A VIDEO i just gotta grow some bawlz and upload it 😭😭 its just a quick cas vid for a sim i wanna do gameplay with on there but im still peeing in nervousness

TYYYY i am doing well i rlly am 😌😌 im on winterbreak so YIPEEEE hope ur both doing well too!

[tobaccoy]

LMAOO UHH.. well i guess it all starts in the mansion 😈😈 it was a dark and stormy night..

uh jk so basically what happened was that the world randomly went on an apocalypse outbreak, and it took the entire mansion around 2 whole days to figure that out. nobody was bit yet, but when the pastas started to realize this problem the first person they went to was slender. but uh, he up and left! slender has disappeared and hes nowhere to be found. so, everyones now fighting for leadership in the house. if slenders not around, they need a new person to guide everyone and help out. jeff and jane end up getting into an argument because jeff thinks liu and him should run the mansion, but jane thinks she should. but they just end up splitting groups. jane got almost all of the pastas with her except for (obviously) jeff, liu, ben, smiles, kate, and toby. so.. yeah. but uh, further into the lore smiles, kate, and toby end up making their own small group and stick together with hoodie and masky (masky still works for jane though).

basically they spend most of their days eating and drinking what they have (some dont even need to eat so yay). but uh, woops the pantrys out. no more stuff in the fridge. and you cant doordash in the apocalypse, sooo?? jeff and lius group decides to head out and go deep into the forest to make their way to a gas station they are familiar with. uh basically what happens is while they are looting the place for supplies and food, jeff gets bit in his left leg. he hides it from everyone and just tossed on a little bandage disguise (nobody really suspects much. jeff is covered in bandages almost all of the time), but liu get suspicious. jeff is constantly limping and saying how he needs to tie his shoe, and liu just got that older brother instinct in him. he knows whats up.

so after the looting and everyones back at the mansion, they all just chill. but, liu approaches jeff when hes in his room. it takes jeff maybe a minute or two to fess up that he’s been bitten. they basically have an entire emotional sequence about it and lius giving his last goodbyes. theres not much liu can do. and, you might be going “lmao liu just stab him in the brain and move on”, BUTTTTT!! he doesnt have the heart to. he still loves his brother. and then, liu realizes something!! if jeff stays at the house and turns, jane WILL try and murder his walker corpse. so liu needs to help jeff make a run for it. basically, liu helps jeff out of the house and is carrying him into the woods, but ben quickly notices lius silent walk outside and catches onto whats happening. liu of course allows ben to follow them because its jeff platonic husband hellooo 🤨 and they basically just try and survive.

liu, jeff, and ben go to an abandoned cabin and rest there for a bit. but, obviously, jeff will turn. so ben is now sobbing his eyes out while jeff is just telling him to shut up and that he’ll be okay (trying to downplay his situation when in reality hes also really sad about it and kind of annoyed that he got bit). some of the night goes by and jeff turns, jeff attacks liu, blah blah blah. basically time skipping this, it’s just liu being delusional and thinking he can turn jeff back or heal him, but in reality he cant. jeff has grown extremely used to his environment of liu and ben. all theyve done is take care of him, feed him, make sure hes hidden from dangers. its not like hes grateful because he cant have emotions now. hes just distracted and doesnt really seem to care for killing liu or ben. they are simply apart of his pack (until hes alarmed or starving). ben of course is like “liu, jeff is never coming back.” but liu just thinks ben is crazy. and uhh, yeah! zoinks guys! ben is a half human half ghost! he will still live forever and age fine without anything happening to him! walkers cant hurt him and he can’t turn, so what is jeff going to do to him?? nothing! because he cant!

uhh and if you’re wondering, yes jane has found out of his disappearances, she hasnt suspecting that he turned. she just thinks hes a whiny baby and doesnt want to face the hard truth of living with a larger group that doesnt share as much. so she makes her group live out of the mansion. its getting surrounded, walkers are a problem, and the places near them are looted. so janes group ends up leaving and finding their own sites to stay at. jane is in the process of trying to find jeff so that she can kill him, and liu and ben are taking care of walker jeff.

walker jeff is practically a murderer, cannibalistic, noisy, rabid animal in disguise as a rotting corpse. he lives on to the radiation days of twd and ben is still around, keeping him “alive” and watching him closely. all of the other pastas are either immune to the radiation or dead. and, unfortunately, liu is dead too.

uhh there are a ton of parts i left out that are lore important, but thats because i want to tell the story to you guys in well detailed drawings or something.

I WAS SCROLLING THROUGH YOIR BLOG AND

AND

YOU HAVE AN AU BASED OM TWD????

WAAHAHA YESSS i love the walking dead so i made an au specifically for creepypasta 🔥🔥 its called walkerpasta au and its got LOREEE 😈

[the-writer-ofthe-fandoms]

Protective of His (Michael Myers)

Pairing: Michael Myers x GN!Reader (No use of Y/N) Words: 2.1k+ Warning(s): Stalking, harassment, violence, gore/blood, death of character (minor), suggestive tones A/N: HEYO decided to write this as a comfort fic. I have had a stalker before, and I think he is back in my life unintentionally so my anxiety has been on edge these past few weeks, worrying he will recognize me. This may be a weird way to comfort myself/cope buttttt ive been obsessing over michael recently so I thought why not.

---------

You wake up warm and cozy in your bed, nestled against Michaels imposing form. Like many nights, he was lying a bit stiffly on his back while you mostly snuggled against him. He made no indication he minded, and you knew he would let you know for sure if you overstepped a boundary. You stretched an arm over his chest and let out a content sigh, glancing upwards to his masked face. You were sure he was awake, looking back at you. He never slept much.

It was a strange predicament you found yourself in with the infamous Michael Myers. You had first met him when you moved in, completely new to the town and unaware of the local stories. You found him bloodied and injured, and not thinking twice about it you helped him with the best of your abilities. You weren't sure why he didn't kill you after you finished bandaging a gash on his arm, and you weren't sure why you are now snuggled up in bed with him either. He rarely ever talks unless it is something super important. But he must have his reasons.

"I have to leave the house, I got shopping to do." You sighed. Michaels muscles tensed even more when you mentioned leaving. "I know, it is my day off but we are low on food and some other items."

He let out a sigh.

"I will be quick. I'll leave now while its still early to beat the crowds." You hoist yourself up to a sitting position and slowly leaned in and placed a kiss on the latex cheek of the mask. He slowly shifted his head to face yours and you knew what he wanted; it was practically the morning ritual. Carefully you slowly lift the bottom of his mask up, stopping just below his nose, and planted a chaste kiss to his lips. Michael, seemingly wanted more, took his hand and placed it on the back of your head, fingers gripping your hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue evading your mouth.

He allowed you to break away, you were left slightly breathless, as you moved his mask back down. You gave him a grin and a small chuckle before leaving the comfort of your bed to get dressed. Michael followed suit, and just followed you as you did your morning routine. That was the normal. He simply followed you around the house and followed you at a distance while at work. Sometimes he would leave the residence to do who knows what (you chose not to dwell on that too much, but knew perfectly well what he does). Sometimes he would simply stay put in the house, and today seemed to be that day.

"Alright, I should be back in 30 minutes, maybe under that depending on how busy it is. If you leave just place my cat magnet back on the fridge." You exited your home, leaving the door unlocked and made your way to the store on foot. It was about a ten minute walk and you needed to save some money on gas. The scenery was nice this time of year and a little walking never did too much harm

The grocery store was relatively busy when you entered, causing you to mentally curse as you grabbed a cart. You began grabbing the essentials in the health section and the cleaning section. You have used up a lot of bleach and floor cleaner thanks to Michael. Next you moved onto produce starting briefly in the meats and warming your way to snacks and dried produce. You grabbed foods you knew Michael liked and as you reached down to grab a pack of Oreos to share, a strange chill went down your spine.

It felt like eyes were watching you.

Given that you lived with The Shape of Haddonfield, you've grown accustomed to having eyes constantly on you. But you were accustomed to Michaels eyes, not whoever's were on you now. Gripping the cookies tight you glanced around the aisle and saw a tall, lanky man at the far end of aisle, his sunken eyes trained on you. You tossed the snack in the cart and with a quickened pace you head in the direction away from him, hoping it was just a momentary thing or just a weird coincidence.

You grabbed other snacks half hazardly, realizing the man was still following you through the various aisles. Deciding to say fuck it, you hastily went to the check out and entered a lane with no one in it. As the young cashier scanned your items and placed them in three bags, you kept looking at your immediate surroundings for the man. You didn't catch sight of him.

You quickly paid for your goods, gathered them in your hands and left the store and hopefully the man behind. You crossed the street while you had the right of way and made your way down the sidewalk, back to the safety of your residence, feeling slightly at ease. You only spent 15 minutes total in the store despite the busy nature thanks to that creep. You sigh in slight relief.

That momentary moment went away though, as the sensation of being watched again by unwanted eyes creeps back over your being. You cursed under your breath and glanced behind, and sure enough the man was in the distance following you, hunched over with eyes trained on you. You quickened your pace, your heartrate was spiking and tears stung your eyes.

You hadn't felt panic like this for your life since you first discovered who Myers was. You had never felt like fleeting prey like this with him either.

The sight of your car and your house made hope flutter in your being as you practically ran to the door, still feeling the man was following. You didn't spare a second glance as you swung the front door open, practically throwing your groceries on the floor to turn to lock the door. Not thinking straight you ran to the front window and peaked through the blinds. You watched as the stalker stopped in front of your house, his eyes were scanning over the building. His face snarled slightly as he continued to search the building, you were hoping he'd give up and go away.

Your heart dropped when you saw him make his way around your house, still keeping his eyes on the place with a now noticeable smirk.

You your breathing hitched as you backed away from the window. You were starting to hyperventilate, stepping backwards again. Suddenly your back hit against something firm and you almost scream if it weren't for a large, but familiar hand covering your mouth. You almost collapsed back into Michael in relief. Michael maneuvers you around to face him, his hand resting on your cheek while another rested on your upper arm. You blink away tears in subtle surprise at this rare moment of affection initiated from the Shape. He looked to the thrown groceries and back to you.

"Someone followed me home from the store. He started circling the house." You managed to whisper, your voice shaking as you spoke fast. His hand on your arm gripped the skin tightly, you wince from the sudden pain.

*click*

It was like time froze as you heard your back door that was connected to your kitchen squeak open, your eyes widening while Michaels head snapped to the side to listen further. He looked back to you and saw the clear panic on your face as your bottom lip quivered. His head tilted to the side.

You were his. His to protect. His to keep close. If you were to ever be scared or killed he wanted it by his hands. You were his.

He placed a finger to your lips, then pointed it to the ground where you stood before he slowly crept his way to your closet on the right, where you made him hide his knife while in your home. You weren't sure what his plan was but you didn't have time to dwell on it. The man from the grocery store slinked in from the kitchen.

His creepy eyes soaked in your frozen, shaken figure. A wild grin appeared on his face.

'God, Michael just take him out right now.'

"Shouldn't of left your backdoor unlocked, sweetcheeks." His voice was hoarse as he started stalking towards you. As he inched closer and closer. You stayed still despite the urge to run, in hopes this was all apart of whatever fucking plan was. The stalker stopped right in front of you. You glance to the side and saw Michael leave the closet, settling some of the nerves.

"Too scared to run now?" The man chuckled, unaware of the apex predator slowly stalking up to him. "You have no idea what I am going to do-"

He didn't get to explain or imply what he was going to do. Michael gripped the back of his neck and pulled him in close.

"Mine." Michael Myers growled in a guttural tone. The man could only stutter out random words as Michael jerked his head at you towards the backdoor. He dragged the flailing man in that direction. You were hesitant, but you pushed your legs to follow them both. You watched as Michael dragged him down your back porch steps, while you took to watching from the deck.

"Pl-please! It was a mis-mistake!" The intruder choked. Michael had no intentions of listening to his pitiful please. You were lucky your neighbors were out for work today, they would for sure call the police. "T-tell him it was a misunderstanding!" Him addressing you made the Shape angrier, he tightened his hold on the now crying mans neck and kicked down his legs. The sheer force of the kick caused a loud snap to emit from one of his legs, a shrill yell came out of the man.

Michael gripped the handle of his kitchen knife and slowly brought the sharp blade to his throat. He slowly rose his head, the mask completely made the eye holes black, expression unreadable. The man was practically squealing at this point, snot dripping from his nose.

You watched in morbid curiosity. Myers was doing this for you, but the thought of witnessing death first hand left a queasy feeling in your stomach.

In one sudden movement, Michael slashed the creeps throat. Blood spurted out of the wound as Myers let the mans body fall. You couldn't help but to wince. The man grabbed his throat as he gargled and gagged on his own blood. Obviously he was left to choke on his own his own blood as extra punishment. It didn't last, after what felt like hours life faded from his eyes and his body's twitching came to a stop.

You eyed Michael as he stared down at the body and blood. The grip on his knife was tight, his head tilting to the side. You gulped, feeling crash from all the adrenaline hit. You let your back hit your house, the noise causing Michael to turn his attention back to you. In slow, big strides he climbed up the steps to the porch and stood directly in front of you, your bodies practically were touching.

Once again, his large hand found itself on your cheek, something soft you weren't used to from him. You could have melted in his touch, but you think that was the exhaustion kicking in. Michael slowly lifted up the bottom of his mask to his nose. He hungrily pulled you into a deep kiss, his body pushing against you. You gripped the coveralls covering his chest, a low growl came from his chest. His hand that once was on your face now was on your neck, applying minimal pressure.

He bit your lip, drawing blood before pulling away from you. He was going to go back in for another sloppy kiss but you prevented him, resting your forehead against his chest.

"Thank you, Michael." You whispered. "I was so scared, but felt so protected by you." You felt foolish telling this to The Shape himself, but it was the truth. His presence alone was solace when that creep of a guy was finding his way into your home.

He grunted as a reply.

"I need you to get rid of the body while I pick up the groceries. Then we can take ourselves back to bed." You crane your neck back to look at him, noticing his mask was still slightly pulled up. With a small smile, you went on your tiptoes and placed a sweet kiss to his lips. "Get that body tossed and you can have your way with me."

He pulled his mask down and promptly turned to deal with the body. You chuckle and do the same to deal with the groceries.

It was a strange predicament indeed, but so far you haven't regretted a thing.

[popculturebuffet]

Simpsons Review: Simpsons Comics #102 “Uncle Burn$” or Homercore Nudity!

Whelp out of all the commissions Kev has thrown me this one’s kind of a curveball. I mean it makes sense why cover it: It’s a pastiche of Donald Duck Comics done in the pages of the Simpsons long running comics. I cover duck stuff on here, and not only do I love the Simpsons but I tend to reference it for jokes a LOT. I just genuinely never thought of reviewing it till now, likely because earlier on in my new career of reviewing animated shows, I wasn’t really convinced I could do pure comedies. With my regular reviews of Darkwing Duck and as it comes out coverage of the Loud House (I still need to get around to Band Together), that’s no longer a real issue and I should consider doing the show in the future, especially since I have an unabashed love for the first 10 seasons and a few episodes beyond that. 

As you can tell, I love the Simpsons. While I do genuinely wish it would end and have no real intrest in the current seasons, though if you’d like me to take a look i’d be willing to. The show in it’s prime was funny, witty and each episode was crammed with jokes. And refreshingly for an adult cartoon show of it’s time,  the show genuinely wasn’t afraid to mix things up: Milhouse’s parents divorced and stayed that way for so long that them apparently getting back together decades later is itself a huge status quo shake up.  Lisa went Vegetarian which stuck thanks to sir paul mcartney, and then went Buddhist, both of which have never wavered since and both fit her well. Skinner and Krabbable started dating. Barney went sober for a few seasons. Apu got married. These are minor changes but the show does have things happen occasionally and doesn’t just snap everything back and it adds genuine tension to plots knowing they might stay the status quo They usually don’t but the occasional change gives things stakes. I could go on for days, but I couldn’t go on for 8 weeks, point is the Simpsons are awesome, and deserve the praise they get early on I just wish they’d stop as by this point people really have stopped carring and it’s time to pass the torch and Let Bob’s burgers be the wholesome family comedy that runs forever.. and even then that one should stop at 10 seasons. Or if not at least let the kids age dammit.  But that aside, while many of you simpsons fans looking at this probably have at least seen the comics, or a collection of them over the decades, many of you like me are wondering what the hell Bongo Comics is and how they managed to last so long. Bongo was founded by Simpsons Creator Matt Groening in 1993. Matt Groening had noticed that at the time there just weren’t any funny books on the shelves, funny books being comedy based comics primarily targeted for kids, with Archie and Disney being really the only ones left at the time. So he founded Bongo to rectify that, and given Fox naturally liked the sound of more merchandising dollars, the publisher was primarily used to produce simpsons comics, though looking at wikipedia there were one or two that weren’t including, of all things, a Coldplay comic tying into their album. Why did Coldplay publish a comic book at a primarily simpsons comic book company?

Though most series seem to be either short lived or one shots, there were a few exceptions: Naturally the company put out an annual Treehouse of Horror issue, there was a Bart Simpson ongoing focusing on him and the other kids of Springfield, I had a trade for that one once, and once Futurama premiered it too got a comic book that held through both cancelations. But standing above them all was Simpsons Comics, a 245 issue long runner that ran all the way up to the company’s closing, likely due to a combination of a lack of profits and the then upcoming Disney-Fox merger depriving them of the very heart and soul of the company. 

Naturally being a Simpsons fan I have a connection to these comics having gotten the trades out of the library multiple times as well as the collection of Bartman’s solo series, which was my favorite and I might cover some day. In addition to the Free Comic Book Day issues i also picked up scattered issues over my life since, much like Archie, Simpsons comics were a mainstay of bookstores and super markets and the decline of both comic markets is likely why the Simpsons comics started to peter out in the first place. The quality and memorability of the stories varied but they were a fun thing to have around and it’s sad to see them go, as well as see Disney not even make a remote attempt to bring them back or at the very least republish the vast library they now have access to. Also finally if your wondering yes, there indeed was a Simpsons/Futurama crossover. And no I have not read it.  So with that history, most of which I just learned some of which I already knew, in mind, it is very fitting the comic’s did a tribute to the Uncle Scrooge comics. Though it does feel very weird that I have yet to cover any Donald Duck or Scrooge comics.. yet i’ve already covered one of the Ducktales tie in comics and a Simpsons homage to it. I’m going to have to correct that but until then, join me under the cut as I dive into adventure with the Simpsons. 

This issue was written by Ian Boothby and drawn by John Delaney, I feel mentiong the writers and artists should be important in comic reviews and I kick myself for not having done that or gone into them as much before. Boothby was apparently the Ian Flynn of these comics, writing more simpsons comics than any other writer according to wikipedia and winning an Eisner for his work on the comic if sadly not this issue. He was nominated for an outstanding Canadian Writer award for it though so that’s good. Point is the guy is a decorated vetran of this series and it shows in how good this issue is and I felt he deserved some recognition as most Comic Book Readers, myself included up till now, likely weren’t aware he even existed nor took over the comic in the 2000′s. 

We open with Burns getting attacked by a mummy! Gotta say wasn’t expecting this as where we started out but the simpsons have started with wonkier premises to end up somewhere. I mean there was the time a bag boy strike ended up with them in Africa. Also i’d say Burns should call the police, being the kind of privileged white guy they actually care about protecting and all, but frankly the Springfield Cops don’t have the best track records with Mummies:

But no it’s just Smithers, who dove in heroically to save the company 15 dollars after Homer took a bet to see how many fire crackers he could jam in his computer’s disk drive. Lenny said 20 but he proved him wrong. And yes those are all actual jokes from the comic, this issue is very funny and feels very much like a Golden Age Simpsons episode. They also all gather to sign Smither’s cast.. which naturally is a legally binding contract.  Burns takes his loyal minion to get some quality medical care only to find an arcade because he traded the Medical Bay in for one during an outbreak of Pac Man Fever... again I really can’t top that and there may be a good reason why I haven’t covered the Simpsons till now. But yeah as Buns gives Smithers a roll of Pennies, he wonders who to have replace Smither’s on their annual summer treasure hunt.. which would come out of nowhere but we genuinely don’t know what they do most summers. I assumed Burns just road Smithers like a horse to play cricket while Smithers enjoyed it way too much. But a stray comment from Homer getting a Krusty Doll from a crane machine about being king of the treasure hunters leads to this. 

I mean it’s an easy joke but damn if it didn’t get a laugh out of me. So later at the old Simpsons place, because this comic is fantastic, Marge and Homer talk things over, but Homer insists Burns said he’d split the treasure, and Lisa wishes she could come along. And Marge says he should, especially for his own saftey.. and when Bart complains, says all the kids should go, she already packed their bags, she’s heading to Rancho Relaxo byyyyeeeeeee. Once again, this comic is amazing, and I would say this is out of character for Marge, but frankly that’s the whole point. Plus it really isn’t when she has to deal with 4 children on a regular basis, and her sisters, and a town gone mad.. yeah can’t blame her here. 

The next day at Burns Office, Homer is wearing his navy outfit.. or rather Donald’s Navy outfit. But given I did a quick google and found him having at least 4 different outfits during his time in the Naval Reserves, it’s not a stretch to assume the Simpsons Version of the Navy gave these out too. Seriously Ian Boothby has put more thought into continuity than most writers on the show proper. Also Simpsons Tide, season 9 episode, still very memorable and hilarious and not due to childhood nostalgia. Just looking up this bit had me laughing hard. 

I now  want to watch that episode sometime soon so thanks Kev. Anyway Homer seems to have misplaced his plants. Now I could spare you the image since I don’t do things panel by panel anymore and only use panels from a comic when relevant. Buttttt

This traumatizing of my audience brings me to a point about this issue and why it works. While there are tons of nods to the Donald Duck comics and what their homaging is very clear, the issue doesn’t REQUIRE you know them to enjoy it.  Knowing them I obviously enjoy it more, but most of the jokes aren’t reliant on you knowing anything about the barks comics and even someone with a passing knowledge of  the Original Ducktales can still get the reference if not why Donald is here. It helps this is less of a parody, with the exception of some jokes, and more of an homage, using stylistic elements of those comics while telling i’ts own story as a loving tribute to it’s predecessors. Speaking of one of those jokes poking fun at the source material, Burns is delighted Homer brought child labor, which kept me laughing for a good minute, and when the kids introduce themselves we get this bit. 

Not only am I 100% sure every version of Donald or Della did this to make sure they could tell them apart, very much including the reboot with Donald, but it’s a genuine hilarious bit. Donald’s response as they head off is “there’s somehting hooey Dewey and screwy about this. “ Also I will criticize the fact Bart isn’t the one wearing a blue outfit. For those wondering why, after all Maggie wears blue shouldn’t she get it, who haven’t seen this a LOT of merchandise early on had Bart in a blue shirt, due to early Merch being rushed out pre-show and since he wore one in some earlier concept art, he got to wear blue. He also wore it late into the 90′s. 

Sidebar: I just found this and while it isn’t a bad joke given his character it is  questionable to have a fourth grade boy tell you to buy him. Just saying. But the reason I bring it up is partly because the show itself referenced it at one point. 

As well as it’s sister show Futurama

And you remeber that Bart Simpson solo I mentioned? That one frequently, both in and out of story, had Blue Shirt bart show up for some variety. 

Also why yes each issue does have it’s own fun “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Oleson” Esque subtitle. And I love it so. Point is Blue Bart is part of the series legacy and this very comic company, so it’s VERY weird to not have that here. That being said there were  a few Green Shirt barts apparently as a printing error, so he could just as easily be 80 steps ahead of me. I just don’t know. 

Back at the plot Burns and the Simpsons show up at Frink’s lab, Frink rather obviously filling in for Gyro, with his own version of little bulb named F.L.O. who gladly shakes Lisa’s hand.. and releases a Pterodactyl but hey you can’t win em all. It’s a nice nod, though one only fans of the source matieral will really get, but the pterodactyl bit right after helps distract from it. Frink slotts into the roll well, as Frink has no reall affiliation with anyone and is basically, much like Gyro, there for various characters to go too when the story or joke needs him. Frink has two gadgets for them: Some Scuba suits that can go to any depth and a grappling claw that accidently gets him gripped to the pterodactyl. Also homer accidently switches suits with maggie, so we get an adorable shot of her serenely sleeping in a diving helmet while her daddy chokes to death. 

So the next day it’s out to the open seas where The Simpsons are doing all the work while Burns lounges.. which yeah this is a typical uncle scrooge adventure all right. While the man unlike Burns does work hard and do things for himself, he spent most voyages talking about the destination while putting all the hard work on Donald, in case you thought there was at least one universe where Donald isn’t miserable most of the time. Lisa wonders what he’s doing and we get this lovely bit. 

I just.. can’t stop finding that hilarious or a nice way to get the Uncle Scrooge bit in there while still fitting the Simpsons, and it at least explains what happened to Herb, whose been mentioned all of once in the 30 seasons since he last showed up. I checked. And yes for those unaware, which is fair, or who just now remembered Homer does indeed have a brother, one his dad had out of an affair who showed up twice, once with Homer unintentionally, and largely due to Herb’s own foolishness, ruining his life, the other time with Maggie helping him get back on top and him and Homer reconciling. He’s also voiced by comedic legend and your friend and mine, Danny Devito, whose still making us all laugh to this day and is a wonderful person from all accounts. Rock on Danny, here’s the only way I can think to honor you. 

But yeah it’s a good gag. Burns claims to be watching for a Giant Squid.. and turns out to be right. So it’s up to the simpsons to fight the giant squid, a sentence I genuinely didn’t expect.. I thought like the Griffins they’d just ignore it. 

I miss that show.. oh i’m aware Family Guy is still running but much like the Simpsons the show it USED to be is long gone. Anyways Bart tells a worried homer octopus suck out the innards and drink it first quipping “It’s not like you haven’t been drunk in the morning before homer. Homer chokes bart only for the squid to choke him which is easily the second best “Homer getting choked after Choking bart” gag i’ve seen.. the best being this one I found on youtube. 

Though personally my faviorite part of that whole bit is Bart’s proud “THAT’S BECAUSE I SOAKED HIM IN SLIME!” Anyways Lisa figures out a way to beat the squid, painting the likeness of each of them on it’s tentacles and letting the thing devour itself. Lisa lampshades it making no sense PHysics wise but with that she reluctantly accepts calling Mr. Burns, Uncle Burns and we’re off to our next location.  Next up is Mt. Donrosa, a very clear nod to Uncle Scrooge maestro Keno “Don” Rosa, an avid fan of Barks work who expanded on it and turned it into a solid continuity, most famously, and what got me into the ducks in the first place, with the epic “Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck” which I proudly own and.. well I did say watch this space didn’t I?  Enough hinting at the future as the Simpsons scale the mountain with Homer carrying burns up on a rickshaw. Burns however looses his lucky #1 penny, SUBTLE, and cuts Bart down to get it. We then get the best line of the issue:

Bart thankfully survives and we find out the Penny, much like Scrooge’s Dime is how Burns started his fortune.. for this issue and nowhere else but that’s standard for the Simpsons. Specifically loading it into a gun and threatning to kill Jasper’s grandfather with it during the gold rush, a nice twist. At the top of the mountain they find the fabled key of Strobl, which comes from the Taliaferro tribe.. more refrenes this time though I didn’t know them and had to google. Tony Strobl was an artist on the Duck Comics at one ponit  and Al Taliforino id forgotten about. He did the Donald Duck comic strip which I had heard of and weirdly hasn’t been collected yet despite Fantagraphics covering mickey, as well as reprinting barks and rosa’s respective works. 

The key is suspended in the air by what Lisa suspects to be magnetics, and while Burns plan is naturally “Have Bart swim in it and see if he surivives”, Bart, still pissed from the penny and not wanting to die today, grabs the Penny and uses his slingshot to fire it at the Key. The bad luck from the penny casues an erruption, but Bart once again saves the day and has them surf down, with naturally tons more great jokes.  The family enjoys some steamed Seafood, except Lisa whose eating Seaweed, while Homer enjoys a sting ray “It tastes as good as it stings, Ow, Ow.” ON to Goddfrodson Trench, an odd choice given Floyd Goddfrodson was barks equivalent for the Mickey Mouse Comics and not really a duck writer, but he still deserves the honor regardless.  Under the Sea, no accusations just friendly crustaceans here.. our heroes are close to the treasure but loose the map to the Jailbird Boys, aka Snake and his cousins, who found out due to Lisa’s blog. She didn’t want to loose any more readers to Sheri and Teri’s Olson Twin’s Fan Page.. which.. it’s 2004.. weren’t they dead by this point? Nope still alive? Still are today in fact? Alrighty then. Also this bit, and some of the other references are a bit heavy handed, I will admit that, but the jokes are high quality enough otherwise that it just comes off as a bit of an adorable wink more than laziness. 

Snake and co cut their air with Starfish used as throwing stars. 

The gang tie their air suplies to avoid dying, and Maggie, in a clever bit, talks with the starfish, since they communicate via sucking, to attack the Jailbird Boys. Again.. 

I genuinely don’t know, but our heroes find the fabled vault of Barks Billion.. named after Bark Barks, that polar bear from the sonic games.. no of course it’s named after Disney Duck God Carl Barks, who created the Duck’s share of Donald and Scrooge’s supporting cast: Uncle Scrooge himself, Daisy Duck, a fact I just learned but given he created her first short “Mr Duck Steps Out, shouldn’t of surprised me, The Beagle Boys, Magica DeSpell, Goldie O Gilt, Flintheart Glomgold, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander, The Junior Woodchucks as a whole, Neighbor Jones, John D. Rockerduck, The Number One Dime, Gus Goose, April, May, June and Whitewater Duck. Just the sheer impact he’s had on the comics on all continents cannot be overstated. He is also the one who refined Huey Dewey and Louie from hellraising little shits to the good little boys they are today.. well okay they were, thankfully the reboot has created much better versions. Point is what a man, what a man what a mighty good man, he is truly missed.  We get two great homer gags in the same page, one where somehow he’s put the giant key on a key ring and still can’t find it.. with Bart helpfully taking it from him, and then we get this, which I missed on my first read through. 

Naturally Burns betrays them, using a Gold Magnet, kay, to suck up all the gold and naturally planning to leave the Simpsons for dead to no one’s surprise. But thanks to Bart teaching Maggie how to use the spittoons, Homer gets one stuck on his head.. and starts getting sucked up with the Simpsons using them to escape. Naturally Lisa’s first instinct is obvious. 

But Burns weasels his way out by promising them free gold after their free lunch. Naturally the next day this turns out ot be a trick as their lunch came from frinks and thus, for now, their weightless.. but Karma gets Burns when he tries swimming in his new gold vault... only for the natural result of what happens when am an who never exercises and who doctors once described as having so many diseases packed into his body at once they tripped each other off and that a strong wind could kill him, trying to do with a similarly aged but still physically fit and well trained at swimming in money man does on a daily basis. 

We then close on a quick gag of weightless homer getting caught on fire and we’re out. 

Final Thoughts:  This was a really excellent comic. It captured the tone of the Simpsons at their best and while stiff in a place here or there, it’s mostly just really funny, entertaining and a nice and warm tribute to Donald and Scrooge’s long comics history, not really mocking it but instead just homaging it, while still throughly feeling like the Simpsons. It honestly feels like the Treehouse of Horor Segement on the shining, a bit that parodies something, but for the most part the jokes still feel firmly rooted in the simpsons and their cast. This was a treat to review and i’m glad Kev comissoned it and I may take a look at more Simpsons in the future. If you guys like this review, you can follow me on patreon at patreon.com/popculturebuffet, or if  there’s a specific simpsons or ducktales episode or a specific comic you want me to review, you can comission your own review for just five bucks. Just send me a direct message on here through Tumblr, or take a look at my ask box or submit. However you want to do it. I take payments through paypal and until next time: Happy Days are Here Again. 

[midnightknightress]

hi y’all

i’ll be going on a road trip tomorrow for the long weekend!

we’ll be going to somewhere up north for three days, and i’ll only have my phone, so i’ll probably be less active here haha

[voidlitmoon]

I've Lost My Past, But Found My Future

Alright! Virgil time @sugarglider9603!

Oo so originally I was going to have this be a really big chapter including Virgil getting caught.. buttttt it's already super long, so it's going to be a part two. Also hahah, I post like three in a row and then this one takes several days :')

I just.. I saw the opportunity for soft Moxiety making flower crowns and I took it, hope you enjoy!

Also fun fact, today (8/21/19) is fanfiction writers appreciation day!

Edit- adition of art (8/22/19) this will be appearing in every fic now, and I will be adding it to the older ones as well :)

Ao3 link

Ao3 series link

Part 2 Part 4

Master post

Words: 2,417

Summery: 'Just below their room sat a few tipped over metal garbage cans, something small and dark looking in all of them, sniffing. It's tail sank down in disappointment as it backed out the last one, not finding what it was looking for, and Thomas couldn't help but gasp.

The pokemon heard as it's head head shot up, ears pricked in fear as it stared back. Roman flicked his tail against Thomas' arm as the Eevee felt something, something he knew the trainer would be feeling as well. Thomas flinched as his mind snapped back in place, ready to call to the creature, but it was already running back into the forest.

And in a matter of moments, the dark furred Eevee was out of sight.'

 

Making it through half a forest usually means a bit of rest is deserved, right?

Well of course, until you see another soul piece outside your window.

Now, how are we going to befriend this one? Flower crowns? Patton is on the job

Thomas smiled as the path below his feet broke the tree cover, placing him and his team in a large clearing. He did love camping out in the woods, the wind whistling songs throughout the night and the stars danced above, but something about sleeping in an actual bed brought home back.

He stared at the Pokecenter that (from what he read) laid near the middle of the woods, meaning they where about half way through. The sun was still up yes, but was silently sinking closer to disappearing below the thick tree tops.

"Come on, almost there" he reassured Patton who, unlike Roman and Logan who where walking on either side of Thomas, laid across the trainers shoulders, attempting to stay awake either till they reach the Pokecenter or a campsite was set up. Thankfully for the silver Eevee, they entered and booked a room in a matter of minutes. Thomas softly set him down on the bed, slipping off his glasses as Logan jumping up next to the human, giving him a 'thank you' chirp as he pawed off his own pair before curling around his partner. Thomas had to bite his lip to stop the squeal trying to erupt at the soft cuddles, the slightly larger dark silver Eevee laying a tail over the other, heads set next to each other as purrs erupted.

Thomas sat on the bed as he pet Roman, who had plopped into his lap after the trainer had changed into pajamas. The two Eevees had been a part of his team for some time now, Logan even assisting with the last gym battle. He glanced happily at the sleeping two, glad that they felt the connection as strong as Thomas did.

The quiet spell though was brokens as a few quiet sounds of metal on metal crashed outside his second story room. Thomas blinked in confusion, Roman paddling curiously behind the trainer as he opened and looked out the window.

Just below their room sat a few tipped over metal garbage cans, something small and dark looking in all of them, sniffing. It's tail sank down in disappointment as it backed out the last one, not finding what it was looking for, and Thomas couldn't help but gasp.

The pokemon heard as it's head head shot up, ears pricked in fear as it stared back. Roman flicked his tail against Thomas' arm as the Eevee felt something, something he knew the trainer would be feeling as well. Thomas flinched as his mind snapped back in place, ready to call to the creature, but it was already running back into the forest.

And in a matter of moments, the dark furred Eevee was out of sight.

______________________________

 

Thomas stared tiredly onto his breakfast plate, touched as much as Thomas had slept last night. So, naturally, the plate was basically still full.

 

Roman was having the same issue, eating a bit before leaving the bowl of pokefood to the other two.

 

Neither could get their minds off the dark Eevee as it dashed back into the forest, obvious fear fueling each limb. They explained what they saw to Logan and Patton, but the shinies hadn't had that much contact with other pokemon, let alone an Eevee in a different forest.

 

They packed up and, after thanking the Nurse Joy, continued back into the forest.

 

Thomas' mind flicked back to last night, remembering the Eevee had ran away this direction. He wondered if the Eevee had a home out here, or if it was running back to the town. If it was the second option, the kiddo had a long two day journey ahead.

 

Roman nuzzled his cheek in understanding, Patton giving a small chirp of reassurement from his other shoulder. He felt Logan brush against his leg in comfort, feeling the anxiety come off in waves.

 

"Thanks guys" he laughed, giving Roman and Patton a few skritches, feeling Logan hop up onto his messenger bag. He gave a few to Logan before continuing down the path, 

 

not noticing the violet eyes carefully watch the trainer walk away. A skitter of paws, and the curious pokemon followed.

 

______________________________

 

Thomas giggled as a purring Roman attempted to playfully swipe at a Butterfree, failing by a couple of feet as the Butterfree just fluttered higher. During their walk through the woods an enormous field of flowers caught their attention and before he knew what was happening, Patton was already playfully bouncing through them.

 

It was a wonderful sight, emerald green grass poked between hundreds of thousands of flowers, the rainbow spectrum shining off every petal. Delicate green stems dug into the rich soul as Butterfree, Combee, Cutiefly, and so many others drank nectar and fluttered in the sun. Zigzagoon, Oddish, Rattata, and more species of pokemon hopped around in the bright sun shining happily, gladly playing with Roman and Patton. A bright blue sky shone upon Thomas and Logan as they sat watching the others, soft white puffy clouds lazily drifted away by a warm breeze.

 

Since night had not been far off from the horizon as they found the place, Thomas set up the tent by a crystal blue pond as the Eevee's went around assuring they meant no harm. The stars shone brightly as more nocturnal pokemon came out, Thomas even catching Logan laying down on a large rock right by the ponds edge, staring wistfully at the sky as stars reflected in water. It was so peaceful Thomas had stop and watch as not a single ripple disturbed the water, waxing crescent moon shining far above, draping its light across the dark silver Eevee's fur.

Logan was still out there as Thomas fell asleep, but by morning was curled up on Thomas' chest with Patton and Roman.

 

 

Patton pawed at leaves from Oddish's head "so these are plants, but they've always been there?" He wondered, fascinated. The Oddish giggled and nodded as they heard a Vileplume call for its family. The little one hopped away, waving a leaf in goodbye and Patton chirped one back. He looked around exited, now who should he play with next-

 

Gray eyes met Violet.

 

Patton stared at the Eevee, remembering the description Thomas gave them

 

"It was dark outside, but over the trashcans there was a light. It looked like a dark brown furred Eevee, not a shiny dark grey like Logan but a darker Roman. I swear I saw saw Violet eyes stare back before it ran off."

 

Before the Eevee could repeat its actions Patton bounced happily over to it "hi!" He greeted excitedly.

 

"U-uh hi" the Eevee mumble shyly, shrinking back.

 

Patton took no offense "do you wanna play?" He asked, surprising the other "or pick flowers? Oh, or I can teach you how to make flower crowns! I was teaching Roman but he had kinda a hard time with it" the Eevee looked conflicted, not wanting to sadden the Pokepuff in front of him, but..

 

He glanced at Thomas "um.. sure, but c-can we stay away from the trainer?" Patton saddened only for a moment, before perking back up. He had wanted to introduce the Eevee to the others, but it was still a wild pokemon, and even most of the wild pokemon out playing with the Eevees stayed away from the human.

 

"Sure!" The Eevee seemed to relax a bit, following Patton to a patch of purple, light blue, red, and indigo flowers. He saw that Thomas noticed them, but was staying away with a smile.

 

"By the way, I'm Patton" he commented, showing the Eevee how to braid the stems together with their paws and teeth. Eevee looked up from a purple and light blue crown that was going well "you have a name? Does your trainer know?" "Oh, he gave me the name. He asked if I wanted one, and I liked it!" Patton grabbed another red flower, skillfully weaving it in "I think he asked Roman if he wanted a name too, when they first met" Patton flicked his tail to the bandanna wearing Eevee, currently pawing at the water in curiosity. Hearing his name, he popped up and looked around, only for his gaze to lock onto the dark furred Eevee in excitement.

 

He bounded over "hey!" He greeted, softly tapping Patton's head, who giggled in reply.

 

He plopped down next the silver Eevee, curiously staring as the dark furred Eevee shrunk in a little more. Patton sighed, flicking his tail at Roman as he returned to his flower crown "Roman, it's rude to stare" the Eevee blinked, not even realizing the action he was doing as he was enchanted by the others unique eyes.

 

 

After a bit, Patton sprang up holding his flower crown in his mouth, yet.. it seemed too big to fit on an Eevee. "Be right back" his muffled voice told the two as he trotted over to the trainer.

 

Eevee glanced up at Roman, who was uncurling having taken a nap against Patton, before turning to finish his flower crown to avoid eye connection. He'd never been good with others since.. her, only connecting with his family, like their souls were somehow connected. But then..

 

He remembered falling into a crate as he attempted to grab an apple, and then another crate being placed on top. He remembered hearing the cries of his family as the truck drove off, watching his family shrink smaller and smaller through a hole as the truck zoomed faster and faster.

 

As the crate opened to air he leapt out, only to appear into a place he didn't know. He'd realized at that moment he had to search for them find them again, running off before a human could grab his scruff. He could lose them, he couldn't lose his past.

 

He tied the last flower in place as Patton came back, only..

 

He froze as the human sat down next to Roman, now wearing a familiar flower crown. Another Eevee sat next to Patton, curiously tilting his head at the wild pokemon.

 

"Hey kiddo" the human spoke softly, as though sorry if he scared the Eevee. Ha, a trainer being sorry "just wanted to say hi, I didn't know why you ran off the other night so I was a bit worried" his voice sounded genuine, perhaps even happy for something, but Eevee didn't know if it was true.

 

Something though, for the first time, told him it was.

 

The new Eevee blinked behind his glasses "I see Patton has taught you how to make those flower crowns. An impressive feet for someone to learn with paws" Eevee shuffled to a sitting position "its not.. that good" he mumbled, poking the messy braided flowers.

 

"But it is!" Patton cried, jumping up causing Eevee to jolt back in fear "sorry" he apologized. "Really it is" the mystery Eevee commented, blinking as he realized something "I'm Logan by the way."

 

"More like Logay" Roman muttered "though truly, you did a splendid job. In all my attempts I haven't achieved the ability to even braid two flowers together" Eevee nodded, shyly but curiously looking at the trainer. He stayed quiet, legs crossed grinning like a Chansey until the Eevee's eyes met his.

 

"I'm guessing at least Logan introduced himself" he laughed "I'm Thomas" Eevee nodded, conflicted feelings raging inside.

 

"Hey bud, do you have a name?" The Eevee blinked in shock, needing the ground. He couldn't help but drop his ears as he shook his head, a tad ashamed. Thomas just smiled encouragingly "would you like one?"

 

Yes. He couldn't lie, he'd always wanted a name, but never felt the courage to name himself or admit this fact.

 

"you have a name? Does your trainer know?" "Oh, he gave me the name. He asked if I wanted one, and I liked it!"

 

But this trainer.. he had asked before he named the others. He could have forced one, whether they wanted it or not. Maybe..

 

Slowly, he nodded.

 

"Alright hmm.." Thomas seemed to actually think hard, as if this was the biggest decision he'd ever make.

 

What if it was really bad? What if he didn't like it but the trainer wanted to keep it so he was forced to know that that was his name for all existence? What if because of this the trainer would say he belongs to him now and force captures him and-

 

"Do you like the name Virgil?"

 

The Eevee stared. Virgil.. Virgil.. he.. 

 

Virgil looked up and nodded.

 

 

Thomas smiled, giggling a bit. He instinctively went to go pet Virgil, but stopped his hand. No, that wasn't his pokemon, and the poor little one acted extremely frightened.

 

"Sorry" he sheepishly apologized, thankful his hand didn't get far enough to scare the Eevee. It blinked at him before picking up a purple and blue flower crown. Huh, Patton must have shown him how. 

 

And sure enough, the small Eevee cautiously walked forward, placing the flower crown on the light gray Eevee. It backed away and chirped, before turning away to the forest, yet..

 

It seemed to struggle, as though unable to move a paw away. Virigl shook his head before flicking his tail in goodbye, dashing off into the forest.

 

The Eevee's around him cried out at Thomas, wondering why the trainer let the pokemon leave, but Thomas just smiled.

 

"I know he'll come back" he softly said to no one in particular, the Eevee's looking at him in curiosity. He lifted his head up, staring as a small cloud passed above.

 

"It's his choice if he'll join, but I know it. Our puzzle piece will come back."

 

 

The purple eyed Eevee watched the team pack up, laughing together as Roman one last time inspected the water and Logan pushed him in. Virgil skirted around the pond, dashing to the other side of the forest, watching the team finish and continued walking down the path.

 

They didn't notice the dark furred Eevee follow from the shadows, connected souls carving his path.

 

'I've lost my past' he couldn't help but think, watching the team exit the forest. He darted after them, watching the team enter a Pokecenter. He curled in the shadows next to the building, front doors in view. Because he knew, somewhere in him, that this connection was to strong to run from. He didn't want to run from it. He smiled for the first time in a long time, curling up. 'Yes, I've lost my past

 

but found my future."

[mendesbadrepuation]

Assistant! *Series*

A/N : I’ve had this series in the making for almost a year and I just now have gotten the courage to post my work. A good friend of mine encouraged me and so here I am! I should be doing my college work buttttt ya know. Hope everyone is having a great day! :)

Description: It’s your first day as an assistant to Shawn Mendes. Sometimes you know you have to be a professional, but can you ever be just an assistant with those brown curls walking around all the time? Fasten your seat belts. It’s gonna be a bumPy rIdE! 

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

I scan over myself thoroughly in the mirror to make sure I haven’t missed a spot. I’ve done this about 20 times but I had to be positive. The first day as an assistant for the Shawn Mendes. Of course I’ve already went through and had my interview but this is just the make it break it kind of thing for me. First impressions are always a hard thing for me. This was it. I take a deep breath and try to calm all the nervous butterflies from my body. 

“Y/n! I’m so glad that you’re here! We can’t wait to add you to the growing Mendes family. If there is anything you ever need to talk to me about I’m always available!” Andrew tells me when I first greet him. Everyone that I have met so far that’s apart of his team are super sweet. It’s so much more relaxing when he speaks to me and helps me get set in. 

“Thank you Andrew! I’m very excited to start my first day. Maybe just a little nervous.” I smile as Andrew places his arm around my shoulder. 

“Walk with me!” He says and we begin walking towards the backstage area. “Don’t worry about a thing. You’ll fit right in and I promise you you will have a blast with all of us.” Andrew explains. We get closer to where Shawn was at and I started to get nervous again. I haven’t got to meet him yet and the first time I meet him will be before a show of his. 

I see Shawn sitting on a chair tuning his guitar facing away from us. “Shawn.” Andrew gently says so he’s careful not to scare him. Shawn turns around and sees Andrew then he looks at me. My heart flutters when I see his brown eyes look into my very own. Shawn doesn’t take his eyes off of me as he stands up from the chair. 

My legs started to shake slightly from his tall figure. I felt so small around him and he was much more handsome in person. Those curls were just something else and his white shirt hugged his arms in all the right spots. “Shawn this is Y/n your new assistant.” I slowly reach my hand out to shake his and to also snap myself from staring too long. I’m not really sure where my confidence was coming from but I was going with it. 

“Hi Shawn. I’m Y/n. Obviously cause Andrew here just said that..” curses that sounded so dumb. My voice almost cracks but I managed to keep it down so I didn’t make a fool out of myself. 

“Y/n will be doing anything for you and will also be helping me with interviews and all that paperwork stuff.” Andrew explains to Shawn and Shawn was just smiling as he continues to look at me. I notice his cheeks start to turn slightly red and that makes me blush. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask me. I would love to do anything and I’m always here.” I give Shawn another smile this time showing my pearly whites. 

“Sounds great. I’m so glad you have joined the Mendes family. I think you’ll fit in just right.” Shawn’s voice was so soft and sexy. My insides were having a war as he spoke to me. 

“I’ll leave you two alone so you can get to know each other better. You’ll be spending a lot of time together.” Andrew waves goodbye and I wave as he walks off into the backstage area. 

I break the ice and honestly I should have just kept my mouth shut. “So can I get you anything cutie. Since you know it’s my job.” I bounce on my feet and then realize how stupid I just sounded. And I also called him cutie? What the hell is wrong with me? 

Shawn just blushes harder and chuckles at my statement. “Honestly I could really go for some tea right now.” He says. 

“That sounds great. You want me to go get it or do you want to join me?” I ask nicely and I give him options. I’m sure he doesn’t want everything to be handed to him all the time. He’s still human and I respect that. 

“I’ll join you.” He smiles and we begin walking to go find us the drink stand. We started to chat on the way there which made things a lot more comfortable for the both of us. He got to know more about me and where I came from. The whole time he was a total gentlemen and so very sweet about everything. 

“So I have to ask. Did you know that you’d be having your very own assistant?” It was on my mind and part of me thinks that Shawn never intended to have one. 

“Honestly I had no idea. I mentioned like months ago I need a little extra help but I didn’t think Andrew would go to something like an assistant. But don’t get me wrong. You joining is going to be great and I’m very excited about it.” He explains to me which made me feel better about the situation. We look at each other from across the small high tables we were sitting at. It was normal for a moment as we stared. He wasn’t some some famous pop star and I wasn’t his assistant on the first day. It was just us. 

“Shawn.” 

“Shawn!” 

“Shawn Mendes! Who is she?” 

“Who is this girl!?” 

“Shawn. Look over here!” People started to surround us at the table. Shawn breaks the eye contact and I could see those puppy eyes turn to pure frustration and almost anger. My heart rate picks up at all the words being spilled out at once and the cameras flashing. 

“Leave us alone.” Shawn says nicely and in a normal tone of voice. I see it in his eyes and it made my stomach turn. One of my many traits that I hated ever so much was that I care. I care so much and sometimes I don’t even have to know you that well. But I’ll care and I’ll put my heart and soul into you if you join my life. Seeing Shawn change from so happy and at peace to now just disturbed me. 

“Okay. You heard him. Last time I checked he’s human too. So therefore he deserves just as much privacy as YOU do.” I snap and made sure to emphasize the you at all of the paparazzi that surrounded us. The people drop their cameras and I could see the wheels turning in their heads. I knew that wasn’t enough to stop them. “Oh is that Hailey Baldwin and Justin!” I shout and point outside in a direction. In a split second all of them were rushing outside to catch the invisible couple I made up. 

“Thank you. That was really cool of you.” Shawn’s cheeks were rosy again as the blush formed on him. He looks down at his tea glass and bites his lip trying to hold back a bold smile. 

“You’re welcome. I think it might be in my job requirements to help you from crazy paparazzi.” I reach my hand over the table and lightly tug on his forearm. He looks up at me and this time he doesn’t hold back the smile. I pull my arm back and this time it was my turn to blush. That smile of his could stop the whole world from turning. I raise my wrist up to check the time. 

“We should probably get you back so you have time to do some basic check ups.” I say and Shawn agrees. 

“Hey that’s a pretty cool tattoo you have on your forearm.” He adds as we begin to walk back to the venue. 

“Thank you.” I blush and put my hand around the arrow tattoo on my forearm. It makes me stare down at the sidewalk that we were walking upon. This has been a pretty great first day on the job for me and I’m glad I chose to spend it here. 

Once we arrived back at the venue Shawn gets herded towards the backstage. We get one last look at each other and we both smile as we separated. 

“Y/n.” Andrew swings by me and stops me from walking to the chair I was going to sit at. 

“Yes sir!” I reply and meet eyes with Andrew. In his hands he had a stack of paperwork along with a flash drive placed nicely on top. 

“I need these papers to be signed and sent off. Also on the flash drive you’ll find some online marketing things that are very easy to do. Just pick the design that best speaks to you and we will go with it. There should be three. It’s for Shawn’s merch. After that it would be wonderful if you can make sure that Shawn’s flight is booked for New York tomorrow!” My mind was racing as I processed all this information at one time. I nod my head at each to do and gave him a thumbs up. He hands me the papers and I go find a corner to get started. 

As I was finishing the papers the back stage was getting very busy. People were running around and yelling out orders as the show was about to begin. I put my glasses on since my eyes were starting to hurt from staring at the papers for so long. I managed to pull my hair back in this decent messy bun so I wouldn’t mess with it. 

“Hey Y/n.” I look up and in the process push my glasses up. Shawn was looking down at me and he stares for a moment. Almost like his words got caught in his throat. 

“What can I do for you?” I smile up at him. 

“Urm I can see you’re pretty busy but if you want to watch the show here’s a pass.” Shawn hands me a lanyard with the pass and I take it from his hands. I look down at my work and see that I can finish it later tonight. It shouldn’t take long. 

“I’d love to Shawn!” I pack up my things and hear the final call for everything. Shawn was smiling brightly as he starts to back up. 

“Shawn you’re up!” Someone calls from afar. 

“Hope you enjoy.” He seemed so giddy. 

“Good luck!” I say as he smiles even bigger and Shawn was almost bouncing on his feet. He grabs his guitar from a staff members hands and runs out to the stage. In seconds you could hear the crowd roaring with screams and chants. 

I make my way out to the spot that my pass was at. The security guard kindly lets me through and I stand with some random staff members and what I think is some of Shawn’s friends. When Shawn starts singing my heart came to a halt and only my attention was kept on the tall handsome boy. I knew most of his songs already and it was easy for me to sing along. He had so much energy and it created such a thrilling vibe in the arena. Quickly I become close to Shawn’s friends and we engaged in small conversations throughout the concert. There was multiple videos that they put on their socials media’s of me singing along. Also them having a grand time. 

After the show I run backstage and greet Shawn. “Shawn that was epic!” My hands were shaking from the adrenaline. He was beaming with excitement at my words. His hair was sweaty and his shirt was half unbuttoned with even more sweat dripping from his flawless skin. Hell he is so fucking hot. 

“Thanks!” Those cheeks were red from all the heat and my body was on fire from just looking at him. 

“Shawn great show as always! Your room is ready for you. We have to get on the plane tonight.” Andrew announces to him and that’s when I twirl around so fast. I forgot about my tasks and I run over to my laptop. I pull up all the tickets and all were booked for tonight like Andrew said. Everything was ready for the plane and as I’m about to type something else out my laptop dies. 

“Fuck.” I whisper under my breath. As an assistant on her first day I knew I’d be traveling but I was so caught up in all the details I forgot to pack for myself. All my chargers and other necessities were not with me. I curse under my breath again. 

“Hey you kiss your mother with that mouth.” Shawn jokes at me and I turn around and my body crashes into his chest. My legs go weak and Shawn puts his arms around my waist to catch me from literally falling. 

“I’m so sorry!” My hands grip on to his thick arms to steady myself. 

“It’s okay.” He chuckles as he noticed what a hot mess I am right now. “I’m going to go get ready. See you on the plane Y/n.” Once he knows I’m safely back on my feet I watch him turn around to his dressing room. I scramble around like a chicken with its head cut off to get my things together. 

“Andrew I left all my bags at the hotel. I will meet you all at the airport. Is that okay?” I make sure with him first since he is my boss. 

“Y/n don’t worry about that. We have already gotten your things together and they should be loading on the plane now. That’s why I asked what hotel room you were in earlier.” I stood in awe and my back pack drops down to my arm in shock. These people are well put together. 

I sure hope I can keep up.... 

[thewritingstar]

Okay so the anon requested “I’ll keep you warm” Lucy to Natsu BUTTTTT i was dumb and did it the other way around. Sooooo imma post this one and anon if you are not satisfied I will write you one with lucy to Natsu, its late and i don’t feel like changing it im sorry lol. Anyways i hope you enjoy! This prompt was cute and thank you for the request!! 

WC #59

Prompt: “Ill keep you warm”

Pairing: Nalu

----

“So c-cold.” Lucy complained as she hugged her arms around her shivering body. She should have learned by now to dress properly for certain missions, but due to Natsu rushing her out the door, her packing was bare. And she was feeling it. Her boots dug deep into the snow, crunching as the moved up at the mountains trail at a snail like pace. The wind didn’t help either and for a moment she wished Gray and Erza tagged along, at least with an ice mage they would be prepared better.

Her eyes were on Natsu's back as he walked into front of her. She could she the outline of his muscles as he heaved through the snow. After a grueling twenty minutes of shivering and teeth chattering, they reached the snowy town located at the mountains ledge.

“Finally.” Lucy said as her back hit the mattress and her feet had a moment to breath. “But it's still cold.” She complained as she hopped up and turned on the fireplace, letting the slow heat travel to her body. Her body leaned towards the fire, kneeling closer as her body tried to fight the cold.

Strong arms wrapped around her figure and push her against a hard chest, a warm hard chest. “I'll keep you warm.” Natsu whispered into her ear, a new sensation burned within her and she forgot about the cold nipping at her shoulder as his lips found her neck.

“Mm that sounds nice.” Her body leaned into him and let out an airy breath when his finger brushed up her thigh, shuttering at his warmth. Lucy turned around and straddled him, pinning her chest against his so she could soak up his heat.

“Well someone is excited” Natsu smirked and let his hands roam around her backside as their foreheads touched. He smiled against her lips and his hand tangled into her hair and he couldn’t get enough of her intoxicating scent.

An eager look was in her eyes and before he knew it his shirt was off and his back was on the floor. He watched as her shirt joined the pile of clothes and he waited for her lips to find his again.

But they didn’t. Instead Lucy placed her head onto his chest and snuggled against him as the fireplace roared next to them. She had pulled a fluffy blanket on top of them and create a warm chamber for them.

“Lucy?” Natsu asked as he faced the ceiling.

“Hmm?” She responded as she felt his chest rise and fall.

“Are we just snuggling?” But he knew the answer when she let out a yawn. Her eyes looked at him lazily and he just laughed. He reached up and found a pillow on the edge of the bed and pulled it down so he had some support.

“Is that okay?” And by the tone of her voice, tiredness had slammed into her, but he couldn’t blame her as they had travel a few hours through the snow.

“It's perfect.” He kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her. Every so often she would stir and he would crank up his body temperature to make sure she was comfortable.

“Goodnight Natsu.” She muttered as her eyes closed.

“Goodnight Lucy.” He chuckled as he watched the flames dance in the fireplace.

“Do not eat the flames.” she whispered and he let out a loud laugh.

“I love you so much Lucy.”

“I love you too.”

---

I hope you enjoyed. 

[troupe6803]

Ahhhh Nebraska, how I missed you so. What I didn’t miss was the 3:00 am wake up call, buttttt it was necessary to get to one of the best weeks ever. The flights were typical flights, but there was a cute pug in the row behind me and it was an amazing experience. Finally we arrived at campus at 10 am but honestly it felt like it should have been 5. We trekked around in the pouring rain for the godsend that is called canes and ate a spectacular meal of chicken before heading out to our first workshop. British RP 101 was about an upperclass/sophisticated british accent often found in movies or on BBC. We learned about specific vowel changes in words, played fun games, and I really improved on my accent I believe. Next, Izzy, Cami and I went to a dane workshop, not realizing they were doing choreography from a chorus line. Izzy and I already knew it all, but it was interesting to see how a different instructor explained it and to relive the fun of nonstop moving and hardcore dancing. Then, we all ate dinner and chilled a bit to recuperate before our NJ picture and ticketed show. Around 8:30 we met near the Leids center to meet with other NJ thespians for a giant group photo. There I had a heartfelt reunion with one of my best friends in the Robbinsville troupe and decided on doing a partnering workshop tomorrow. For our show, we watched one man two guvnors, a farce about a man employed by two different governors and his attempt at hiding that from eachother. I honestly laughed until I cried at the outrageous comedy, audience interaction, and great improv. It was an incredible show but definitely a little too racy for us to produce. Overall, my first day was pretty packed and I’m already exhausted but I can’t wait for an incredible week full of fun and learning. - Lauren

[vjdarkworld]

The Witcher 3 Quality of Life Tips n Tricks

Tips on everything that is Witcher 3. Whether you are just starting out, OR got through the entire game without learning what the fuck AP is... then this is the place FOR YOU!

Foreword:

This guide goes over various tips that I have curated together to make Geralt receive his butcher title deservingly. This isn’t a tutorial, but more of going over recommendations for character abilities, potions, upgrades, weapons, armor, and wtf AP is. Also explaining the premise of The Witcher series.

I am no Number Crunching expert, I took my 150+ hours of gameplay and looked up other people’s tips and guides to figure out what is the best advice to improve how I play the game. I listed the guides I looked at in end, but spoiler warning since some of those vids show endgame stuff.

Which regarding my guide, there are no story spoilers. The only thing I address is the upgrade paths available through the expansion packs. They really improve the quality of the gameplay once you get to a higher level.

The storytelling of The Witcher is its strong suit, so it’s understandable to kind of not think about the gameplay on a meta level… but it’s sad to see people get frustrated and not get to see the unique stories of the game cus they don’t fully understand Geralt’s POWER.

Thus, this guide is for both complete newbs to Witcher, and people that costed through the main quest and still are completely confused on the gameplay mechanics (like I was lawl). Both shall benefit from understanding the gameplay better, to get to the juicy story bits AND EVEN find some fun in dressing up Geralt and making him POWERFUL AS ALL HELL. Enjoooy.

I HIGHLY Recommend Both Expansion Packs; as they both contain amazing storylines and lots of content, to which some expand the gameplay to improve it substantially. I will talk through this guide assuming you have both.  

Story

First thing a complete newb to the series should know about Witcher 3 is…. The Main Quest, and the context of Geralt’s journey and really the whole world as well only makes sense if you either have played Witcher 1 & 2 OR have read the novels the series is based on.

That’s not to say you can’t just jump in to 3 and coast through it, figuring out the gist of it, you can do that……… but you miss out on the best part of the entire Witcher series…. and that is the storytelling.

Yes, Witcher 1 is janky as fuck, and Witcher 2 is out-dated, buttttt the story continuity, and all the callbacks that Witcher 3 does add to the story and world.

If you are curious as to why The Witcher series is different from all other fantasy RPG worlds is due to it being from Poland. People joke about The Witcher franchise being Poland’s sole entertainment flagship to the entire world, but it kinda is. The whole mythos of the series is based upon old Polish and Pagan mythology and folklore. This edge makes the aesthetic of the medieval fantasy look entirely different than your ordinary Tolkien fantasy that everything else is.

Speaking of edge, did I mention this is Dark Fantasy? Prepare the edge, The Witcher did in fact start out as Pulp Fiction mind you. Everything about The Witcher screams Adult. Of course there’s brutality, but really most games are like that… the difference is the SEX.

Adults have sex, and this aint no Romantic Bioware, no sireeee, this is more akin to …. how most adults have sex. Which is more to just have sex, single fling, casual dating… in fact since witchers shoot blanks they have the stereotype of being promiscuous. But it’s up to the player if Geralt shall succumb to Hook Up Culture, or does get into a monogamous relationship.

One last thing I want to touch on is…. Ok whenever someone is trying to sell the idea of The Witcher to a newb they say “it’s like Game of Thrones: the VIDEOGAME!!” I guess since Game of Thrones and The Witcher are both dark fantasy(cough SEX and fantasy). But when saying that statement it’s undermining The Witcher…  cus the newb is gonna think “oh so The Witcher just copied Game of Thrones and did their own spin on it.. I’ll pass” which just to dispel this:

Not only did The Witcher pulp fiction serial begin before A Song of Ice and Fire novel series did, BUT ALSO Witcher 1 came out before the Game of Thrones TV series began.

Thus, a better way of saying that recommendation is “If you like the dark fantasy aspect of Game of Thrones, then The Witcher series has that and MORE considering it’s an embodiment of Polish folklore and legend.”

Anyyywaysss enough of me trying to hype up the premise of The Witcher, lets get to the GAMEPLAY.

Character

Builds

Of course you design whatever build you want, but for complete newbs it’s hard to know where to start. The freeform unlock progression is daunting, especially when you have no clue what unlocks are good, which are bad, what to invest into, how to even design a build… so I will be going over some of the best and good unlocks that are going to guarantee success for you. Obviously you can experiment with whatever unlocks you want, but it’s frustrating when you start progressing through the game and you feel gimped.

I would like to state though what is potentially the strongest build in the game, and really the most dynamic and fun, and that is the hybrid build. AKA a fusion of combat, signs, and alchemy brought together by a special mutation. What is a mutation you might ask? Well it relates to the last expansion pack of the game, Blood and Wine. I won’t give any details on how it’s acquired and such cus of Spoilers, but I will say what mutation is the best and how it dictates the recommendations I am giving you.

One True Mutation: Euphoria

Again, I’m trying to be as vague as possible the details surround mutations, but there is one that changes the perspective of whole game, and that is Euphoria. What it does is, every point of Toxicity you have will increase your sword damage AND sign intensity. Thus, making an alchemy heavy build including this power up basically makes you powerful at EVERYTHING.

Also, making a hybrid build which incorporates all the abilities is more fun, since your using all the tools that Geralt could possibly do.

Yellow is BEST, Green is Good.

Combat

Best:

Whirl and Rend are really fun and add more depth to the combat. With Whirl, if you hold Quick Attack Geralt will start spinning around doing damage to whoever enters his bubble. Rend is when holding Strong Attack, where Geralt does a charged overhead slash attack that ignores the enemy’s defenses. Both attacks use up stamina by the way. They are fun since it gives you something else to do in the combat rather than dodge, parry, roll, do 3 quick attacks, etc. It’s much more dynamic when you have the options to use these. Whirl helpful for groups of enemies, and Rend for doing massive damage. They are even MORE fun when their distance is upgraded which I will get to later.

Razor Focus is related to Adrenaline Points. It first gives you one free one when entering combat, and increases the gain of AP from sword blows. Thus, the more attacks you do on the enemy, the more AP you get. All around most useful unlock to gain a lot of AP.

Good:

Muscle Memory and Precision Blows obviously are both good if you are going for either Quick Attack build OR just an overall good build. Same thing with Strength Training and Crushing Blows but with Strong Attack. I recommend to get all 4 of them eventually. Since it just overall boosts your attack output, no downside.

I recommend Sunder Armor but not Crippling Strikes. Sunder Armor is beneficial for breaking down enemies defenses so it’s good. But Crippling Strikes is outclassed by another skill in Alchemy, Poisoned Blades which I will get to.

Deadly Precision is a fun one. AP add a small chance of causing an insta-kill on an enemy. If you’re crazy about the AP than of course get this.

Signs 

Best:

Delusion gives Geralt that “these aren’t the druids you’re looking for” jedi mindtricks. Basically, it would be your Charisma or Speech stat in other games. It gives more dialogue options for Geralt to be more Peaceful, rather than having to get into fights all the time. I highly recommend to equip it while doing quests.

Quen is pretty much everyone best friend, so Exploding Shield is a no-brainer to have.

Aard Sweep is part of the alternate modes for the signs. Why I chose this one over the rest is cus it’s the most helpful. This allows you to stagger a crowd of enemies and even bigger monsters. So it’s a safe bet to get it.

Good:  

As I was saying about the alternative modes… really all of them can be useful depending on what the enemy is weak too of course, but there’s two that I think are good.

Magic Trap shoots a laser out at enemies that slows em down and hurts them. Obviously useful for specters, but also helpful for slowly down enemies in general since it has a longer range than regular Yrden circle. Also, with certain upgrades it can become even more useful which I will explain later…

Puppet is kinda bad on its own, but there’s a certain upgrade thing I must explain later… lots of explaining laters but trust me.

Alchemy

Best:

Any witcher should have Acquired Tolerance equipped. It increases your maximum Toxicity level so you can chug more potions and decoctions. Which means you can experiment more with them, have some crazy combinations with em, and this goes hand in hand with Euphoria. Since Euphoria means more toxicity is more damage. It’s an all-around amazing ability to have.

Synergy increases the power that a mutagen gives, up to 50% when maxed out. No matter the mutagen either, but for example if you stacked up on red mutagens your damage output would be doubled soooo really helpful.

Hunter Instinct and Killing Spree go hand in hand. Hunter Instinct increases critical hit damage, based upon the oil your using against and if your adrenaline points are maxed out, and Killing Spree increases critical hit chance if your drunk off that toxicity. Combined your gonna be SLICING out that critical hits.

Good:

Heightened Tolerance is very nice for chugging potions. Though, the way it works apparently is a bit confusing. It seems like what it does is prevents the effects of overdosing, aka loss of HP and AP, so it’s quite beneficial for Euphoria. But some say it doesn’t do that, I still highly recommend getting it.

Poisoned Blades is better than Crippling Strikes cus it scales based upon the tier of oil it is. Higher level means better chance of hitting. Thus should theoretically should hit more than the bleeding one.  

Protective Coating is obviously good if you want to be more tanky.

Tissue Transmutation, Endure Pain, and Refreshment all increase max Vitality. So if you want to have a lot of health, like if you want to be tanky, then GET THAT HP with THESE!

General

Best:

Rage Management allows you to use AP for Sign usage instead of stamina. If you combine this with Razor Focus you basically don’t really need stamina at all, you can just use all that AP you got on Signs. It really adds to the gameplay that you can use a sign with AP and since you still have stamina you can use Whirl/Rend to combo, totally makes the game more dynamic with what you can do with this simple unlock.

Gourmet makes food actually useful. The effects of food lasting 20 minutes instead of like a couple seconds means you don’t need to waste all the food you have in one single combat encounter ;;; P. Highly recommend. I imagine too if you’re on higher difficulties than this’ll be helpful since you can’t meditate to insta-heal.

Cat School Techniques adds 25% critical hit damage for every light armor piece you have, meaning 100% (and some have reported more, unless that depends on the patch) for full armor set. THAT DAMAGE OUTPUT BOY. And putting that together with the other critical hit abilities, it just stacks up that CR1TIKAL HITS BAY BAY.

 Good:

The other armor set boosts, Griffin School Techniques and Bear School Techniques I guess are fine if you are using the respective armors. Probably not as much of a return as the Cat one, but still a nice 20% boost of Sign Intensity or Vitality if you want. Probably best used at lower level and replaced later.  

Quests  

Priority of Quests go like this:

Quests below your level

Quests at your Level

Main Quest

Quests above your Level

The reason is because you get the most XP out of Quests done at around your Level, so you should get done with the low level quests first to get them out of your way, and then to the quests at your level, and tackle the quests above your level probably later once you gotten through more of Main Quest stuff. Cus if you progress through the Main Quest you will probably gain some more levels anyways.

Alchemy

Pick up EVERYTHING from enemies. Collect as much as possible, so you can start making alchemy recipes as soon as possible.

Don’t sweat it on buying recipes, look around first before putting out the cash on em. But I do recommend getting the base level Oils if you see them for sale. As well as any other base level alchemy recipe so you can start leveling them up with the higher levels you acquire by exploration.

OILS are so important. Try to upgrade them as soon as you can if you have the recipe. It helps so much with doing damage to enemies.

Potions:

This is just a highlight of potions, don’t be afraid to experiment of course. But these are some guaranteed goodies.

Blizzard – Gives you Bayonetta Witchtime. After killing an enemy, time slows down. Extremely helpful for groups of enemies, especially if the enemies have very quick attacks.

Thunderbolt – Damage boost, which is always nice.

Swallow – Vitality regeneration boost, for that HP.

Tawny Owl – Stamina regen boost, for those Signs and ROLLS.

Black Blood – Makes vampires get knocked back once hitting Geralt. Very helpful for a certain DLC…

Killer Whale – Gives you more breath while underwater, and ability to see better. Very nice to have for deep sea diving quests!

Maribor Forest – Increases AP generation, must have for maximizing AP growth!

Cat – Ability to see in dark.

White Honey – Clears out all the potion effect you have going, very helpful for ending the Cat potion once you’re out of a cave.

White Raffard’s Decoction– Restores a lot of vitality immediately. If HP regen isn’t your thing…

Golden Oriole – Immunity to poison, and when leveled up all the way, you get healed from poison.

Decoctions:

Werewolf – Running and jumping don’t use Stamina, so you can run wild, BROTHER.

Succubus – Attack power increases over the course of the battle, really maxxing out your POWER.

Ekimmara – Doing damage to enemies heals you. It’s especially helpful if you want to be on the offense instead of tank, you can now kinda tank hits when your wailing on people.

Fiend – If you ever accidentally go over carrying weight, than this is helpful in a pinch so you can race to storage, or

Bombs:

At early levels the damage that bombs do is more helpful, but once you get to a higher level they stop being extremely useful. Always refer to Bestiary to see what bombs are helpful for what enemies.

Runewright

A new upgrade system added via one of the expansion packs. This be an expensive investment to unlock, mind you!

It’s split into 3 levels, and it gets more and more expensive to unlock higher you go. Though…… the upgrades in the 3rd tier aren’t fully worth it. I recommend upgrading up to 2nd tier and waiting till ya get the money for 3.

Best:

Severance(lvl2) – extending the distance of Rend and Whirl. Beforehand the attacks would kinda miss if you weren’t directly in front of your enemy…. But now you can wheel and deal these attacks from a bit of a range. This turns Whirl into a blender, whirling through a massive group of enemies with ease. Or rend a sniper rifle, frickin’ sniping enemies if they try to dodge away from ya. It just makes the swordplay so much more fun.

Heft(lvl1), Balance(lvl2), Levity(lvl3) – aka Changing the armor to light/medium/heavy – Obviously really useful since your armor isn’t bound by armor class anymore. Both helpful for people using whatever armor they want for any certain build, but also people that want to do some Fashion and dress up Geralt and not need to worry about whatever armor class the assorted pieces are.

Good:

Beguilement(lvl2) and it’s upgrade Possession(lvl3) make Axii’s have potential. Nothing OP, but it makes Axii actually fun to use.

Ignition(lvl1) – after igniting someone, there’s a 25% chance that another enemy nearby will be set on fire as well. Nice addition to igni’s arsenal.

Armor and Weapons

Keep in mind that light, medium, and heavy armors have unique attributes.

Light increases crit and Quick Attack

Medium increases Sign and Stamina regen

Heavy increases max vitality and Strong Attack

Witcher gear gets special abilities once fully upgraded, so keep that in mind when figuring out which ones you wanna max out. Also maybe look up what the grandmaster sets look like to see which ones look the coolest to you.

Basically when your starting out you should just look for whatever armor and weapons have highest numbers.

Try not to buy anything, cus you will get some epic loot from doing quests and exploring. Also, schematics too for making epic loot. So only buy if you have the cash, but don’t buy anything too expensive.

And then of course once you’re a higher level then you will be looking to get grandmaster witcher gear and relic level loot.

Also the best silver sword is available via a quest in one of the expansions FYI!!

Adrenaline Points

This is the 3 red bars next to your stamina bar. Honestly, I had no idea what this did even after beating the main quest, most of the side quests, and both DLCs. But… it really helps knowing what the fuck this is.

Basically, think of it as a multiplier. Ala a damage multiplier but more complicated than that.

What the multiplier does is:

Increases damage

Increases sign intensity

And who knows what else. I’m still not sure of its full extent. But those two are the major key.

You gain AP by doing actions, by attacking and hitting the enemies and parrying for example. You lose AP by getting hit by the enemy.

Thus, you want to try and not get hit as you gain AP so then you can do massive damage later on in the fight.

Misc

Sign intensity effects stuff like if igni will set someone on fire for example.

Always refer to the Bestiary!!! So you know what Oils and bombs to use. Of course don’t be afraid to experiment with potions and other bombs, but use the Bestiary article for a reference.

Meditation heals you if you aren’t on the harder difficulties. Though it also clears you of all effects. BUT it also refills your potions.

Potions are auto refilled once you sleep or meditate if you have alcohol on hand. 

Reference

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHbd6ZTHjLo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc5hIUqkOMU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9hDNpmHzWU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWgwjZ0ju68

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATkGx0iFUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WFkCGcLQMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKRS0LD-11k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCctUGAr57A

Links:

http://guides.gamepressure.com/thewitcher3/guide.asp?ID=30859

https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/3864rg/80_hours_in_and_i_still_dont_know_how_adrenaline/

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/702760-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/73210492

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/702760-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/73952691?page=1

https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/6az8wd/overdose_threshold_decoction_toxicity_endure_pain/

 Hope this guide will help some poor soul out there..... Good luck on the path Witcher.....

[the-keionbu]

Never before did I feel the theme of ticking time that K-ON portrays than I did this past year/semester of my college career (and I guess bleeding into my summer)

Well, let me preface first with one of the major themes of K-ON season 2 of time, starting when the girls are recruiting new club members, ultimately deciding not to have new people and Yui saying something along the the lines of that they (the girls) have all the time in the world to spend with one another. To which, Sawako responds, “A year can fly by in a blink of an eye,” or something to that extent.

And then this theme is beautifully portrayed carefully throughout the season with the many “fillers” where you forget time is running out. Then by episode 20, the seniors FEEL the reality of their time as high schoolers, as a band, may soon come to a close.

Past strong character development, I really admire series that can tell relateable stories. And not just stories that are like, easily resonate-able. It’s one thing to portray the importance of friendship, and to be able to look at your own respective groups of friends and say “Yeah, I feel.”

What I REALLY admire, is the realistic portrayal of emotion throughout the course of the characters lives we see. 

Of course that’s a given, but theme analysis (IMHO) is MUCH MUCH stronger when taken from the viewer’s own story. So, let me explain further by my own personal experience.

I’m pretty sure everyone has basically gathered from my personal posts on here that I was heavily involved with a student organization during my time in college. 

I joined the club my spring semester of my freshman year, and that has been one of the most important catalysts that made me into who I am today. During that time, I got involved, served in little parts of this campus ministry, and then as an upperclassman, took up the main leadership role for one year, and was on the leadership team as another leader for a different ministry within the group this past year.

Throughout that time, I grew SO much, personally. God sat down my prideful ass and showed me humility, He showed me what it means/takes to lead, and showed me to truly love myself for as I was made. And the ways that translated to how I see life/interact with people have been life changing (LITERALLY I’M NOT EVEN BEING OVER DRAMATIC I SWEAR)

BUT BUT BUTTTT, another big big thing I can’t be more thankful for during my 4 years was the people that surrounded me.

I have always always valued friendship. Growing up as an only child, friends were a big part of my life, because sitting at home alone is boring and lonely. 

But the group of people I met in college showed me what real family meant.

It started out as seeing them once, maybe twice a week for our official group meetings. Then slowly it would be a few times a week, and for a while, I would be with at least some people (out of ~40 people) nearly everyday.

As someone who grew up essentially being taught crying = weakness, and grew up with an incredibly small emotional support system, I had nearly closed myself emotionally to most people. I HATED showing anything other than positivity, strength, courage.

I went through a lot of ups and downs in college. I was brought to to the aftermath of what happens when you think you can do everything yourself, I can finally sympathize with people who have really low self-esteem, because BOI at one point I lost nearly all self-confidence I once prided myself in, I’ve been in a car accident EVERY YEAR, for the past three years, and suffered lowkey PTSD from getting clipped my a truck, and then getting my back car WRECKED in the rain this past year.

I’m very grateful to say most of my life growing up was very pain-free, for the most part (it also helps when you unconsciously repress many things.)

BUT B O I  did college test my endurance as a person. I’ve had more arguably “BAD” things happen to me in the course of these 4 years than I did my entire 22, but I honestly can’t be more thankful for them.

One of the biggest, yes, each one helped me grow as a person. I can firmly say each was a lesson in life, and has made me stronger from surviving each one (I AM MELODRAMATIC I’M SORRY) and jesus is my boi for being a homie throughout all of them, the dishing out, and the saving

BUT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

AND NOW WE WILL

I can honestly say, I would’ve been much more rekt from all of these if not for my friends, those I call my family.

These people were there for me, right by my side, checking up on me through each stage. It took me 20 years to cry and admit weakness and vulnerability in front of ANYONE, and when I did, the amount of relief and love I felt from them was immeasurable.

TLDR, I LOVE THEM ALL VERY MUCH.

Now, where does time play into this?

I went about my fourth year in college in literally full out Senior Mode.

I did NO T H I NG.

I literally went on a roadtrip with people nearly every other month, I would skip class to go get lunch with someone, my freetime thatt should be spend for classwork WAS MOST CERTAINLY NOT

I was very determined to enjoy my time (which, this was basically me during my entire time but w/e)

And I would always chalk it up to “ya know, I can’t be as lackidasical and lazy when I start working”

Senior year went by so fast. 

I can’t stress that enough.

There’s no way I can intangibly measure the rate at which I felt the year fly by, but boi did it FLY. BY

and literally the next thing I know is that my graduating class in our fellowship and I are having our last offical meeting with everyone, mid-may before club activities end. The ones not graduating (like, ~40 pople,) prayed for the graduating (8 of us) and all of us broke down

Then WE prayed over our underclassman, and I literally couldn’t speak, and I can as I look back, I’m hit with the realization that the emotions of departure that I was feeling were the EXACT same that Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi felt in episode 20.

The underclassman had planned an entire night for us, to thank us for all we’ve done in our fellowship. There was a cute video of them talking about us, they made us presents, wrote notes to all of us, et ecetera. 

But it wasn’t until the very end of the night, as we prayed over each other did I realize that I would not be able to be in the same place as them, fellowship with them, worship with them, really ever. Or at least for a long while.

It it broke my heart (in a good way)

One, because of the sheer “I will very seldom see them all (I mean as a big group) again”

Two, because of the deep, deep gratitude I have in meeting each, and every one of them.

Of course, I still see a bunch of them, hanging out this summer, but as I (kinda) prepare to move for my job, it’s a weird feeling.

During that night, I had thoughts of “man, I wish I reached out to this person more,” or “I wish I spent more time with them,” or “I wish I didn’t miss this event” or “wasn’t busy with x instead” AND SO MANY THOUGHTS

And I’m not saying I live in regrets, nor that I’m nenver gonna see them again. Not at all. I think no matter how much time I spent with this family, I would always think it could be more. Because that’s what happens when you truly find people you love, HOURS of hanging out amount to seconds as you look back on it. And I’m very thankful to say I’m pretty sure I will see most of these people in my life for years to come

BUTTTTT

As I move onto the next stage of my life, Sawako’s words really resonate with me.

What I really want to point out is just how FAST they go from Sawako saying a year goes by fast, to them almost immediately changing the topic and carrying on their daily routine of snacking

Because that’s just so real. The entire concept of how time flies by fast is packed into this 30 second dialogue.

And let me tell, you, is that ever, ever true.

Now,

I was gonna write something here, but I decided now is not the time

BUT BASICALLY as someone who now feels pretty old in this fan base, and advice I can’t stress enOUGH

Open yourself up to possibilities, people, and truly, truly treasure the time you have with your friends.

Yes, opening up to people is SCARY, TRUST ME. But if you really feel it’s someone you can trust, just do it. And even if it turns out bad, it’s okay, you will bounce back, and you will grow.

And when you find those people, those that you feel like they are HOME for you, treasure treasure TREASURE them. Spend more time with them, take more pictures, do MORE dumb things, because that’s what will cling to your memory more than anything. And if my words don’t prove that, go just frickin watch K-ON again and tell me the times that they stalked Sawako, or when Yui got lost during the marathon, TELL. ME. that those weren’t more memorable to them than whhen they just practiced.

With that, let me end this with one story:

I graduated at the end of may in the MLB ballpark in the city my college was in. Which meant, we were all in the stands. Grads were mixed together, we could sti with anyone, and we were able to walk around the stadium during the duration of the ceremony.

Which meant, we got to walk around, get food from the ballpark, meet our friends and family in their stands, it was just, very casual, and not like a usual graduation ceremony.

The actual commencement was so boring. And it was a joy to hear they’d start to let us line up to get our ‘dimplomas.’

So background, since we had it at an MLB ballpark, the team had a game next day, so wwe couldn’t go on the field, or else it’d mess it up. And EVERYONE who was graduating, NOT BY MAJOR, but E V ERY O NE, sat together. 5,000 people graduating at once.

So instead of calling our names one by one, like a usual commencement, all the grads lined up for 4 different cameras set around the field that would be displayed on the Big Screen on the stadium. Our friends and families would have to play “Where’s Waldo” for when their loved one was on the screen.

My friends and I, the ones that were graduating from our fellowship, sat together, got our dipolmas together, and took pics together back in the stands before the fireworks show started.

this whole thing for people to get their degree on camera took over an hour, whic, ofc with 5k people.

We got ours in the middle, and were just chilling with our other friends who came down to see us.

earlier that week, one of our guys (not graduating) joked about bringing his old middle school robe from their promotion and sitting with us, because they don’t check. Only if eveyrone had a purple cap and gown.

He didn’t end up bringing it, and we gave him crap

JOKINGLY, I said to him as were waiting for fireworks, “What if you took one of our cap and gowns and pretened to walk and graduate”

and after a short bet, he had to do it. Borrowed one of our  attires, suited up, and joined the last leg of people receiving their diplomas, dabbed (trash) on screen as he was on the camera, and was stopped by a security asking him “Why did you wait so long to line up??”

and the whole thing was hilarious, and documented HEAVILY on our social medias and phones, and still something we all joke and laugh about.

BUT

the point is, we all remember and cherish the memory him pretending to graduate, over our own graduation

and i hope each and every one of you strives to make memories like those