#i think I prob could go back to it it's just kind of a bummer (to put it lightly) so it's not super high up on my list

[jimmyscocopuff]

Hi, how do you think the crew handles breakups? What if they meet their ex aboard the Tulpar? Maybe it gives them an opportunity to get back together. Or they won't do anything and just awkwardly go about their days for the rest of the haul.

for jimmy, if you break up with him (as opposed to the other way around) errr yeah i think he’s going to be salty no matter what, even if he was just using you. def the kind of guy who says all his ex’s are crazy and it turns out he just constantly gaslit and manipulated them. if he meets his ex on the tulpar he’s def going to subtly make her life hell on their (giving them more work, maybe spits in their coffee even idk LMFAO, making offhanded comments to embarrass you in front of everyone else) i could see him trying to get back with you just so he can end the relationship on his terms

curly…. i think he def gets really hurt about breakups but never lets it get him too down. most of his breakups are probably simply from not having enough time for each other and wanting different things in life. i think would do his best to stay cordial if his ex went on the tulpar, i think if working in the tulpar so much was the reason for a break up it might inspire him to try to get back together if his ex goes on too. ill be real maybe there would be occasional hook ups at least …..

daisuke probably breaks up with a hinge/tinder chick every month 😭 probably just a bummer to him but he doesn’t get too torn up about it, he probably has a “roster” UDHFHDDHHD if his ex goes on the tulpar he’s either going to be a bit awkward or just not really going to care, he might try to flirt with them again just cause why not lol

anya prob gets really torn up and devastated but she prob goes full self care and journals about it maybe. since she’s a nurse who gives psych evals she’s probably able to reflect on her own feelings really well

for swansea idk cause he has a wife 😭

[iminaworldofpureimagination]

For the “give me a character” post: Diane Nguyen! :)

GIVE ME A CHARACTER;

and I’ll break their ass down:

How I feel about this character/ unpopular opinion about character/ writing decisions: combined.

Baby girl perfect in everyway

In all seriousness her goals to want to make the world a better place to make herself feel like a good person reminds me a lot of my morality ocd / hank getting off scott free.. i get it but I do find it kind of a bummer than she had ZERO wins too.. ending with the whole billionaires are excused of murder whale plot like whats even the point of trying to be an activist at this point? .. dianes mental health does take a hit but she deserves at least one win and the view towards activism feels a bit cynical but i aint even acitvist sowhatdoiknow. she also has agood heart but is also very passive aggressive she's a very flawed character and the way she lashes out when feeling wrong is detrimental to relationships and just not cool.. Diane told whatshisname..wayne that she wasn't writing a book to tear bojack apart and then.. proceeds to just do that amuses me. I think in a way its her subconscious lashing out after bojack embarrased her in front of her abusive family. I don't know if i have unpopular opinions I think most agree her approach to dealing with bojack upsetting her in intu sub wasn't beneficial to anyone it wouldn't help him change anyway.. now that i think about it after hearing the audio tape she should have confronted him sooner.. . I just thought of an opinion thats prob unpopular. The argument at philbert premiere.. and how the creator handled knowing real life hank liked his show annoys me. you can't control bad people watching /enjoying your show there are zillions of people in this world ou owe it the fans that get your show that they know bojack isn't a good person and don't approve of his actions with penny/sarah lynn/ ect.. I love bojack but i hate when he did to penny and find his actions not forgiveable while still believing in his ability to change. i just didn't care for being hammered over the head with how the handled the message they wanted to get across. .so I find the confrontation of bojack/diane at Philbert to be beneficial to no one and more Diane venting via the creator than trying to make a point that would even help such bad behavior. .. i also really hate when things get too on the nose i prefer subtly ... minusbojackhatesthetroopsbutnevermindthat..

All the people I ship romantically with this character You know its Bojack maybe when i finally rewatch it fully I'll like her/ Guy but at the times it bojack. sure it could be horrible but i thought they vibes they had when high /drunk as a skunk is kinda fun.. but honestly i also like the sweet moments of bojack being in her corner after everyone is against her with hank (this def made her finding out about penny even more crushing) i like the I need you in my life from both of them/

i feel bojack acutally understands diane more than she understood him as he has crushing depression and def sees a lot of himself in diane I think at their best they bring out good changes like bojack writing his letter to her about how being miserable all your life is stupid and it get her to call Guy back/ or encouraging her to take her meds and thanking her for taking him to rehab that ends up with her taking her meds and being in a happier mental state. I know people think they bring out just the worse in eachother but i think if he stayed sober and never made the phone call he prob be invited to the wedding as a best man.... Its not all sunshine and rainbows they had their fights that took things to far and have hurt eachothers feelings in the process. i go between shipping em to pondering is it more of a famial bond?? cause i can see diane finding comfort in bojack being similar to her famil Diane definitely use to idolize bojack their relationship is an interesting case of befriending your idol and having your idol the man that gave you a safe space as a kid turn out to be someone who did such unforgiveable things.. .. i think at the end she still loves him the sad thing about em is they never stopped loving eachother not completely.. but had to move on ..they make me cry..

My non-romantic OTP for this character PB/Diane I think it was mostly worse than her/bojack minus the message he left her.. we spend a lot of time with pb/diane and im not saying diane is without blame in the fails of it but his lack of respect to listen to her not wanting grand gestures / getting annoyed with her for not apprecating them feels kinda gaslighty.. ... he alos got rather violent after the fracking arguement breaking dianes laptop and pinning her to a wall.. that leadtoangrysex. and his reaction to diane talking about his brother was completely out of line. his Belle Room was also trash.. him wanting diane to have a say in their new home makes sense but that belle room was just trash. I dont want to make it seem like i think diane is flaweless as much as i think pb should have listened more.. I do think she overreacted in after party t to me its just a harmless suprise party with friends but im not diane either. .. Im still confused how they made it work for 10 years..

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Make her family less of a joke and more realistic... might have been nice to see. I wish Diane got a win with her activisim.. one little win.. hmm.. maybe more focus on how going to cordovia traumatized her because some people didn't get she stayed with bojack because her new friend DIED and it traumatized her.. she brings it up at the end of s3 but i think maybe if it was focused more she get more sympathy.. i love how i said i hate things not being subtle then suggest they should have been more in your face .. im such a contradiction .. She's a good rounded character. the kinda of person id love and find annoying at the same time if i knew them in real life.. if that makes any sense. I love people who have passion and she usually means well but i get annoyed by people going a bit over the top with things and she def does. no hat to diane of course im out of things to say. I wish i had a song to share .. songs are usuall good for expressing how i view a character but i got nothing

[museenkuss]

Marieee💗💞💝 angel, how has your Christmas been?

I don't know if you are still interested in boreo, so feel free to ignore this.

The goldfinch isn't an incredible book but boreo makes me crazy.

My favourite parts of it has always been the post Vegas chapter, where weirdly Boris who is my fave isn't present, but theo feels his absence so deeply that they are still together in spirit at least. He goes on with his life like a ghost, accompanied with the ghost memory of his friend, not making new ones at all (this would shatter the illusion) and even learning Russian to feel him near.

Them being each other's enabler, getting drunk and high, not remembering (or not wanting to) last night, being each other salvation from depression and nihilism (being ships in the night, meeting again and again against all the probabilities, there is a destiny, a will in the universe), being the only one the other is serious about (for theo kitsey cheating is no prob, Boris fakeass yoghurt family, even if it was real he didn't care to abandon them for long time), Boris looking for theo after he shot that man, not caring about the police. Theo abandoning the life he carefully built on lies for Boris.

I am so unwell. Maybe it's because I have a long distance bestie, so being hunted by the absence of someone is a concept I feel deeply but I haven't seen something like that anywhere else, to this extent.

Love!!! My Christmas was fun, I just woke up sick on the 25th, which was a bummer :’) I hope your Christmas was fun and relaxing and sickness-free! 🎄🌹

As for Boreo — I’ve actually been thinking about them a lot lately. In fact, I’ve been thinking about rereading the book!

You’re so right, their relationship is very compelling. I Love the way you described them and you’re so right pointing out that no matter what else they’ve got going on, they always gravitate to each other. And it’s so interesting to me that it’s mutual. Theo doesn’t trust Boris but still waltzes out of his own engagement party with him, knowing fully well that Boris is planning something that could be very dangerous for both of them. In the same vein, Boris agrees to let Theo take him to a second location during their first meeting, although he clearly doesn’t trust him, either. What’s going on with these two!!! I love it.

I was convinced Boris would either turn out to be a backstabber or sacrifice himself for Theo in some Hollywood bs. Him coming back for him and just being a genuine friend to Theo surprised me and now I can’t let them go. Many, many faults with this book, but it’s very compelling and fun. Sigh!!!

Also YES I know what you mean. It does hit a lot harder when you have some kind of frame of reference and something to compare it to. I had a friendship with some blurred lines (was terribly in love with her) that ended with us not seeing each other anymore at all, so the strange absence/presence, the mixed feelings towards shared memories… I get that.

Sorry for the messy reply, but what I’m trying to say: I’m very invested and I loved reading your points 🌹♥️

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

10.16: a certain doom

spoilers (both general and caryl) under the cut:

the episode iiiiiissss not super worth the six month wait (like in general, not vis a vis caryl) 

it’s marginally more exciting than the penultimate episode

marginally

i think the problem is they utilized time poorly, so the attack on hilltop was Amazing, but then they accidentally forgot to make the end of the war suspenseful or interesting lol

that being said, it had its moments, so let’s break it down, shall we?

first off, caryl have a brief scene in the beginning in the stairwell where daryl is telling carol that michonne left, and he’s like “everybody leaves and then i never see them again :( “ and carol is like “...i haven’t left” and daryl goes “-sure jan-” and leaves carol looking like a hurt puppy bc she thinks he still hasn’t forgiven her/never really will, more on that later

lydia and carol have a scene where lydia is like:

and carol was like “that’s cuz you should hate me and shouldn’t try and look to me for advice, go find your own way in life” and lydia says “k i’m not asking you to be my mom, i’m asking if we can be bros, but w/e, i’m sure this conversation isn’t foreshadowing to an event that will happen later” 

more on that later

princess & crew broke their bikes so they were running late to the rendezvous, and eugene was about to give up, but zeke gave an empowering speech about Never Giving Up (which is kinda weird coming from a dude with cancer whose wife left him and whose son got murdered, but w/e, you get on with your optimistic self, zeke) and convinced him to carry on, more on that later

(here’s an exclusive sneak peek at the scene tho:)

there’s a two hour long scene of our main peeps walking through the giant horde covered in guts, which would be more interesting if they didn’t do that all the time

beatrice got eaten which would have been more of a bummer if i remembered who beatrice was

it did get lydia involved in the fight tho, so that’s something

side note: negan gave lydia alpha’s mask as if it was supposed to be symbolic or something, instead of incredibly traumatizing to this little girl whose abusive mother just got her head chopped off, like couldn’t she have just put guts on like the other people? ok, my dude, way to be a surrogate father figure ig

while carol is still stuck in the horde daryl asks where carol is, which has been the majority of his lines this season

they try to lead the horde away by blasting talking heads, which is a little on the nose but entertaining nonetheless, but then carol had to go and say “protect the horses,” which is a guarantee that the horses will get eaten, bc it’s twd, so whomp whomp, they lose their apparently only plan for leading the horde away

(how have they not learned better by now?)

(better question: how are there any horses left??)

daryl has an unintentionally funny line where he’s like, “k so this is a super shitty idea, and i am aware of that, but let’s just go fucking kill all of the whisperers”

lydia then volunteers to go throw herself off a cliff to get rid of the horde, and daryl brushes her off, more on that later

anyway they go and just. kill all the whisperers ig? including beta? whose death took like two seconds and involved a brief flashback montage and was incredibly anticlimactic for how fucking badass he was (negan draws him away, daryl stabs him the eyes, which was kinda cool, and then he goes and stands in the middle of the horde and smiles wistfully while he’s eaten alive, like a normal person would do)

up at headquarters gabriel is about to get murdered by whisperers, but then maggie and her masked friend somehow make it past the entire horde and up the stairs in time to save him

sure

cut to lydia leading the entire horde to the cliff, but then carol jumps in and tells her to go and that she’ll do it, and is about to go for a fun tumble, BUT THEN lydia pulls her away and they have a brief argument about it

their whole plotline this episode is very:

anyway

what follows is what’s meant to be a heartwarming scene between the two of them where they put aside all their baggage and hug each other and realize they’re stronger together than at odds, and objectively it’s a good scene, but i couldn’t stop laughing bc they kept showing the walkers falling off the cliff and it looked SO STUPID, it was hilarious

they just. literally kept just stepping off the cliff and falling like bricks askdfljs

and then lydia went and threw alpha’s mask off the cliff and that Did Not make it less funny

idk, i’m probably just a bad person, but it was super fucking funny, anyway

maggie reunited with judith, which was actually very sweet, esp when you remember that she delivered her (in the most traumatic way possible)

the caryl scene was nice. i had to watch it a couple times before i decided how nice, bc like everything else in the episode it felt kind of rushed, but essentially carol and lydia return, and daryl is standing in the exact position he was standing in “no sanctuary”, bc apparently that’s how he leans on trees, and carol approaches him super warily, and they both stare at each other, and carol asks him if he’s good, and he is visibly trying not to cry when he goes “yeah. it’s over. right?” and she says yes, and he asks her if she got what she wanted, and she says no, and he tells her she still has him, and she’s like “yeah?” while crying, bc, per earlier interaction, she was p sure she was never gonna get him back entirely, and he says yeah, and then they hug, and carol makes a little sob noise, and daryl buries his face in her shoulder and is teary, too, and then daryl brings up new mexico, and carol says “maybe someday” and daryl deffo looks disappointed but agrees, and then carol has her “we still have things to do, i’m clearly saying this as a set up for dramatic scenes that are about to follow” line

cue dramatic things following

connie is alive (we been knew), but is banged tf up, and runs into virgil. or more like collapses on the ground and virgil finds her and they stare blankly at each other until connie passes out

and then we jump back to princess & crew, who are sitting there bummed out bc stephanie isn’t there, and eugene is like, “bc of zeke’s wise words, i am Not Giving Up, we set out to find and recruit people (did they? i literally don’t remember) and so that’s what we’ll do!” 

and it’s a Big Moment of Solidarity and Strength

for all of five seconds, bc they are then accosted by stormtroopers, who presumably work for commonwealth. whether or not commonwealth is building a death star is unclear at this time, but i suppose we’ll find out soon

cue end credits!

so overall: the episode occurred. it wasn’t like, devastatingly disappointing, in that the penultimate episode didn’t really set me up for any sort of big anticipation, and also i had spoilers ahead of time. i wish there had been more time for things like beta’s death to be played out properly, but i wonder also if they were limited on what they could do bc of pandemic shit and trying to get it edited as quickly as possible

as it stands, even tho the whisperers are my favorite twd villains, i’m glad they didn’t do what they did with the saviors and have it drag on for ten million years for no reason

the bottle episodes should be interesting, and prob will lead us into commonwealth, which, again, not sure on the status of the death star, but i’m excited to see what happens regardless

on the caryl front i’m about where i was before, which is fully anticipating canon coming, and my guess is the season will really heavily set up their departure, which means we will have many more scenes to come

the end

as usual, stay hype, stan kang, and get daryl to call carol sweetheart 2k20 (i still have three months left, i’m not giving up yet, zeke wouldn’t want me to),

-diz

[lizacstuff]

SCK/Edser ask (33 & 34 spec)

(asks under the cut)

Anonymous said: Do you know what happened with the second set of writers? I know Ayse left on her own accord but why the sudden shift from that second writing team to these new ones? I don't think they even announced that the writers were changing, the fans found out during the credits one day. If that second set of writers was still here, I'd be fully confident that we're going to get a great payoff with Serkan when he remembers but they're not, so my expectations are rock bottom at this point

Such a bummer! No idea what happened to them. I’m wondering if they signed on for a certain number of episodes and when those were done, they moved on? Only being around for 7 or 8 episodes is not a lot though. One wonder if it was them or the production company wasn’t happy with them? Though the episodes were pretty well written so I’d hope the production company didn’t jettison them. Or just a run of the mill scheduling conflict.

In any case I agree, I’d have so much more confidence in their execution of this story if they were still writing. 

With this new team, I honestly thought that episode 32 was decent, but 33 just sort of dashed that away it was so poorly executed. 

Anonymous said: Hi - I always value your thoughts on SCK so thanks for taking the time to reply to asks! :)

Something that’s been plaguing me since the amnesia plot began is that nobody seems to have told Serkan about the BIG DETAIL that his father was responsible for the death of Eda’s parents???! Like surely that would provide some crucial context to Serkan and raise several questions e.g how did I manage to stay in a relationship with this woman, we must have had a strong relationship/overcome huge problems/trusted eachother etc. It just baffles me that everyone seems to have forgotten about what used to be a major plot line. How do you think it could play out if Eda or maybe Aydan revealed that back story to amnesia Serkan?

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words!  Agreed! This is a headscratcher. When he came back I kind of assumed that he knew that part of the history, at least at a superficial level, just because he sat down with Engin and heard the story from his perspective. I can’t imagine Engin would leave that part out, and it’s pretty integral detail in how Eda’s grandmother, and then Eda, ended up with 45% of the company. 

I also would guess that Selin would have told him about it, just because it allows her to paint Eda as potentially someone who was out for revenge from the beginning, someone who targeted him and manipulated him because of it.

So I think he must know, at least something about it about it, what’s frustrating is that it doesn’t seem like something that weighs on him or that he’s curious about. Or perhaps when he first heard about it he compartmentalized it and it didn’t weigh with him because at that time Eda was some evil person out to manipulate him, so he hasn’t paid it much attention, but now that he’s gotten to know her and realizes he has feelings for her, he hasn’t really revisited it? He’s very confused and has a lot going on and he’s thinking about her all the time, while trying not to, so it may have gotten lost in that tug-o-war. 

I do hope it comes up and they have a conversation about it. How has he not already asked her, “If my father was to blame for your parent’s death, why would you want to marry me?” Because regardless whether or not he’s in love with her, this is new information to him.  And he hasn’t dealt with the emotional fallout of finding out his father did that and hid that, and the affect it would have had on Eda.  One would hope that even robot Bolat would feel some compassion toward a woman his father was responsible for orphaning. 

Anonymous said: one of the asks you got about serkan not remembering things via their special "objects" had me thinking about one line he says waaay back during their breakup where he says something along the lines of he "doesn't need things for him to remember her" when he gets rid of her things at his house.. i know the writers aren't writing it with that in mind bc i know even most of the fandom doesn't remember it since it's been so long, but i still think it's quite apt for the situation 🥺

YES! it’s in episode 24, when she is over at his house and she notices that none of the things from their time together are there and she says something like that it’s probably for the best because if they’re here you can’t forget. And that’s when he says:

“In my opinion, things are not needed to remember a person.” 

I agree that it’s quite appropriate for the current situation. It’s not about the things or the objects, it’s about them. 

Anonymous said: i know people feel like we've been going in circles, at to some extent we ARE.. (i mainly think as long as the engagement games keep going it will feel like that) but serkan has made huge progress since he came back in 29.. the serkan in 29 or even 30 would not be reacting like the serkan in 34.. sure he still says things that are frustrating to eda and audience (mainly to rile her up, but also bc he prob doesn't realize it's hurtful) but his progress IS happening even if it doesn't feel like it

Oh, I 100% agree. Serkan has made huge progress, the things he said to Engin this episode would have been unthinkable in any other episode since the amnesia. Serkan going to the flower shop and helping her plant terrariums would also have been unthinkable pre 32. However, I get where the frustration is coming from because he always sort of circles back to a place in his interactions with her where it feels like little to no progress has been made. Though, as I said last week, I do think they show cumulative affect, when they have those big moments where they make progress, he’s further along than he was during the last big moment. But I think him stepping really far back in other interactions is one of the problems of the writing. They need more nuance and they need to let us see more into what’s going on in his brain. 

Anonymous said:  After everything that has happened I cannot see Eda appreciating a kiss from Serkan while he is still engaged to Selin. So maybe her first reaction after the kiss is to ask if he got his memories back and then something about Selin. When it becomes clear that they are still together then I could see her telling him off. Something like “when you’re engaged you aren’t supposed to be kissing other people and if you want to kiss other people then maybe you should not be engaged.” Or even “when we were engaged if I had found out you kissed someone else, it would have killed me” so you need to figure out what you want & stop hurting people. I could care less about Selin being cheated on because she is the worst but Eda deserves way better than that. Plus it would show Serkan that she really is a good person especially since it is very clear how much she dislikes Selin. She gave back the ring after he got engaged to Selin and unlike Selin, is not willing to accept crumbs given to her by anyone let alone Serkan. Maybe that finally results in Serkan dumping Selin by the end of the episode to chase Eda. Probably grasping at straws right now but I so badly want to be positive about this next episode. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes, I could see something like this, but right now, if I had to bet money, I’d say that kiss is his fantasy, so we won’t actually be dealing with this issue. 

We shall see!  

Anonymous said: Will episode 34 finally be when Selin leaves? Surely 6 episodes of her is enough? 😭😭😭

It was spoiled for so long that she’d be leaving in 34, but at this point I don’t see how that would fit! She appears to have been at all the location shoots. 

What do we need to do to get rid of her? Some ancient good riddance ceremony? A gofundme? I’m in!!! Whatever it takes at this point I’ll do any ritual that will get rid of her. 

Anonymous said: I think it's interesting that Ayfer actually hasn't been that anti-Serkan since this amnesia storyline started (maybe its b/c she hasn't had too much time to think about it since she was spending all her time on Alex lol), even though it'd kinda be the perfect time to dig into it since Serkan is now treating Eda differently. But now Ayfer is better than Aydan, Miss "I knew your fiance was alive but didn't tell you." I thought what she told Eda before the restaurant was sweet. She gets 1 point.

Agreed, she gets one point. But just one. We’ll have to see how she does going forward. I kind of assume that she saw Eda’s devastation when Serkan was missing and it sort of snapped her out of her selfishness when it came to her not wanting Eda with Serkan. 

[ohlukcs]

( alex wolff, male ) did you hear how LUKAS TOZER is applying to columbia university as a FILM & MEDIA STUDIES major ?! the 19 year old is living in the WALLACH HALL. i heard that they got in because they are + PASSIONATE and +THOUGHTFUL, but honestly i think HE can be -ASSUMING and -CYNICAL. they’re a real MAVERICK. oh well, only time will tell if the SOPHOMORE will make it til the end.

about the mun !!

hi hello my name is sam (she/her), im 22, and im a big fat mess at all times :) um but a lil more about me is that i’m australian and a recently graduated film student lmao. i’ve been rping for like ten years now i think idk but i am a NERVOUS BITCH !!!!!!! and it sometimes takes me forever to reply to things (ic and ooc) bc of that so pls be patient with me lmao. anyway, happy 2 be here !! if u like this post i’m gonna assume u wanna plot with me and my idiot and hit u up !!! lets mcfreakin lose it !!!!

about lukas !!

full name: lukas joshua tozer

nickname(s): luk-ass idk whatever u can come up with lmao

age: nineteen

gender: cis male

pronouns: he/him

hometown: jackson, new jersey

date of birth: nov 4th

occupation: student ( film and media studies, sophomore ), cook/server at a nearby 24hr pizza joint

relationship status: single

drink / smoke / drugs: yes / yes / yes

faceclaim: alex wolff

positive traits: passionate, thoughtful, creative, ambitious, untethered, humorous

negative traits: assuming, cynical, insensitive, rebellious, resentful, irresponsible

if he was in a hogwarts house: slytherin

now some more dot points that are just me talking about lukas !!

was born in fort lauderdale florida but there is a vERY low chance he will ever admit that, he’ll just say he’s from new jersey. as far as he’s concerned, he’s always been from new jersey even if his family did move there after he turned twelve

speaking of things lukas probably wont ever tell u but i’m including them anyway: his family is kind of messy. not majorly but like a little bit more than average. he had two brothers, now he only has one. i’m not gonna include a whole lot of nitty gritty here i’ll save it for when i write the real bio and can actually do it justice but its the reason they moved from florida and it has had a pretty major effect on lukas over time obviously

he’s the baby of the family and he’s pretty much always been treated like one. it has left him pretty immature and irresponsible. still learning that his actions have consequences and that he cant just be a total dick all the time. he’s improved in those areas a fair bit since he started at columbia a year ago but he still has a long way to go

he didn’t ever really expect to go to columbia, he’s from a middle class family and his dad didn’t even go to college. he applied for columbia just as a might as well give it a go thing. like maybe it will happen. they had a film course and although the course itself isn’t really great, the connections to the industry available at columbia were valuable enough for him to try. he was wait listed up until basically the last minute, preparing to go to a college in boston instead but when he was accepted he knew he had to go. for himself, for his family, and for his lost brother.

obviously irresponsible attitude has led to some Bad Decision Making including but not limited to partying and drugs. he doesn’t prioritise that lifestyle over his school work (bc he knows how lucky he is to be at columbia at all) but he is a big believer that you need to experience things to be a great artist and he plans on being the greatest artist so bad decision town here we come !!!!

he has a pet goldfish named michael bublé pls dont nark

for more info on him click here to check his about page, no bio there yet but hopefully soon

wanted connections babey !!

course friends/rivals/anything: i am writing these before acceptances happen so i have no good god damn idea if any other characters are film majors but hit me the hell up if they are bc i would love to plot some stuff out

old roommate(s) : lukas was probably an entertaining roommate but probably verged on annoying pretty easily. he’s messy, gross, probably didn’t respect the do ur fucking dishes rule in first year ( probs still doesnt tbh ). but he also has a password to every streaming account plus a phat hard drive full of movies and shows that he is absolutely willing to share with u so just depends what ur into i guess. maybe this connection led to friendship or maybe they hate each other now. im down for either/both 

dealer: hi welcome back to bad decision town. lukas isn’t into any hard stuff but is a big weed smoker (to my understanding medicinal cannabis is allowed but lukas def doesn’t have a prescription), then after that it’s kind of just experimenting. will chat more details if u wanna take this connection

booze leachers: so yes lukas is 19 but he has four, thats right, four fake ids. he is not willing to give u his contact for fake ids but he is willing to buy u booze if u pay him. dont hate the player hate the game

gang gang: pretty much just a close group of friends. i imagine all pretty relaxed, all pretty chill. idk what to say here except i want people to care about him and let him put on dumb movies and watch them with him and probably have dumb matching stick and poke tattoos and hog a communal tv to play mario kart but lets talk about it

fast food workers deserve respect too: as mentioned, lukas works at a 24hr pizza joint near campus which means he’s seen some shit. one of the things he’s seen multiple times is drunk student trashing the place. whether it be vomit, forgetting how to hold a cup, or bet try at a food fight lukas has seen it and he’s cleaned it up too. this connection could be that maybe he helped someone out and cleaned them up and got them back to campus when their friends ditched and now they look out for lukas too and its a positive connection. or maybe lukas hates their guts and spits on their food whenever they show up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who’s to say

hot girl bummer by blackbear: now listen here’s an angsty connection i want, and i def want to plot it out way more with whoever takes it on but basic outline of what i have in mind: they’ve kind of sort of been dating for a while but they’re just falling out of whatever they had to begin with. they were never official, they probs def fucked around with other people while they were ““““together”””””, lots of oh sorry ur taking it so seriously i thought we were just chilling bullshit. all of this girls friends probs hate lukas and he definitely hates them back. were probably once really good friends and had a really good time together but they’ve lost it. will they find it again or will it fizzle out? lets find out together xoxo

new girl(s) : i hate the connection title too but i couldnt think of anything better. we’re in bad decision town and now we’re going to thot street babey. since things have been falling apart with hot girl bummer and even before that lukas a little bit of a thottie. this doesnt mean he’s good at it, please also feel free for a part of this to be that they rejected lukas and he got butt hurt about it idk lukas being attracted to them is basically this whole idea and i would wanna plot the rest of it more depending on specific characters wooo

lukas is a bad influence: if u have gotten this far u may have noticed that lukas is not a very good influence at all. this is someone probs his age or younger that wants to loosen up and have a good time and lukas completely encourages that. bonus points if this connection is a combo with the above connection bc lukas is a gross boi and would be like wow listening to my bad ideas thats so sexy and cool of u ya know. but also doesnt have to be that ! could just be lukas thinks its funny and thinks that someone listening to him is just like good content that could get him on barstool

lukas is badly influenced: this is basic as hell but someone that tells him to leave his impluse control at the door and encourages him to be trash. probs older than him and i def see this as more of a masc connection than a fem but like all my plot ideas: lets talk about it. this one probs v much depends on ur character so gonna leave this one nice and short

lukas is good-ly (??????) influenced: also basic as hell and p much just the opposite of above. someone who is a good influence on lukas. encourages creativity and ambition instead of straight up recklessness. again, i see it as an older character but no gender seen here. a lot of this would be based around ur character so lets chat

michael bublé’s co parents: lukas has a goldfish named michael bublé (or just michael), i picture him having got it while high as heck during the day and just being like This Is A Good Idea. maybe ur character was with him and they were co parents from the start or maybbe they came into the picture later ??? i’m honestly down for whichever just give michael the love he deserves pls

and probably just about anything else these are just some ideas, i totally wanna plot further and brainstorm so please still hmu if none of these fit ur character we’ll plot something up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[killian-whump]

Interesting twitter convo by Zac Gorman on over-the-top happy endings. Check it out if you write. He talks about Parks and Rec, also explains probs I had with OUAT.

I gotta say, looking at those tweets, I’m really not a fan of anyone dictating to writers how they should/shouldn’t write their stories. It’s a pet peeve of mine. I think writers should ALWAYS tell their own stories however they want them told and in whatever way feels right to them - and if it resonates with an audience, all the better. I think once people start writing FOR other people or with the intention of being popular or fulfilling set “requirements” of others, their writing ultimately suffers and their stories are crippled. That said, I do understand a lot of what he’s saying as a reader/viewer, and I would agree that endings that leave the audience imagining further adventures beyond the end of a series/story are generally the most satisfying.

But, for me, Once’s ending did that. I’m actually really happy with the endings - both S6′s ending for the original characters, as well as S7′s ending for that season’s characters and the “epilogue” for everyone else.

I do think it’s a bummer that Rumple and Belle were killed off as part of the ending, because that kind of limits their post-series adventuring ;) But I see that as a necessary evil, because I suspect that it was a requirement of Bobby’s that Rumple’s storyline be concluded in S7. He made it VERY clear that HE was done with the show after S7, regardless of whether it continued beyond that or not, so I think Rumple’s death was more of a behind-the-scenes requirement than something the writers opted for. Had they known it would be the final season, or had Bobby been open to further involvement, I bet they would’ve given us a much different S7 with a more “fairytale ending” for Rumple (and Belle, as well).

However, I doubt that’s the issue you’re referring to, as most of my followers and friends seem more upset by Regina’s ending and/or the Golden Hook ending.

As for Regina’s ending... I liked it. Loved it, even. I think it was a fitting fairytale ending for her and I loved the hints at Hooked Queen, and the opportunities for further adventures that her new role promises. I think most people who DO have issues with her ending, quite honestly, have issues with Regina herself that are clouding their judgement of the narrative the show was telling us. Obviously, if someone dislikes her immensely, they’re going to have a hard time believing she’s truly redeemed herself or done enough to atone for her past sins - and if they don’t “believe” those key aspects of her narrative, they’re not going to enjoy her ending. But the show’s narrative IS that she’s redeemed herself. Regardless of how well it was presented or whether an individual viewer believes it or not, THAT is the narrative. And that being the case... Regina’s ending of the “Evil Queen” coming full circle and being crowned the “Good Queen” once and for all is a completely fitting fairytale ending for the story they were trying to tell us.

As for Golden Hook... Well, I liked that, too - but with one caveat. I loved the interplay and added dimensions to Hook and Rumple’s relationship in S7. I loved the enemies to reluctant friends to friends to partners to sacrificing one’s life for the other arc. That was excellent, and I think each step of it was done reasonably enough that I could buy into it. But there’s one thing I’m NOT buying and basically choose to ignore - Rumple’s “You were the closest thing I had to a friend” line. That’s just plain old touchy-feely white-washing bullshit, and I don’t even care how much Colin liked it ;) It was pants. And, honestly, trying to erase the hate those two had for each other, and paint it as a dysfunctional friendship instead, cheapens the entire arc they DID take in S7. And I liked that arc. It was a solid and compelling story arc. But that one line, that one attempt to make them forever besties, ruins the whole fucking thing. So yeah, I loved their ending and their S7 storyline... minus that one line, which I choose to ignore.

So anyway! Back to what Zac Gorman said... I agree with some of it, but overall bristle at attempts to tell other people how to write (or end) their stories.

Also, I disagree that a lot of what he says has any bearing on Once, as well. The very endings he’s complaining about, like characters winning the lottery or becoming the president, are what would be called “fairytale endings” because they’re just not realistic - but Once is and always has been a fairytale show. Literally every episode is full of unrealistic events and storylines - and the only fitting ending for a fairytale IS a fairytale ending. It NEEDS the “happily ever after” - and I think the ending we got gave us that, but also with the promise of more adventures and tales and stories to come. Best of both worlds, really - and I loved it.

[p-artsypants]

Arcadia or Bust (Part 2)

Thank you all for your sweet and kind reviews! They mean a lot to me! :)

I don’t know if this is quite a story with a plot…more like a series of odd circumstances that Jim and Claire get themselves in. And Jim getting used to being himself in general. So…might be a little bit of a rough ride. Hope you enjoy anyway!

( @avannak )

AO3 | FF.net

—

After sunset, Jim and Claire were both awakened by shaking.

“Rise and shine, Mr. and Mrs. reconnaissance!”

“Blinky?” Jim muttered, waking up.

“It’s dark enough out that you can go up and get supplies for us to use! Come on, come on! No time to waste!”

Claire moaned and stretched her arms out, though, one was still in Jim’s grasp.

“Jim?”

“Morning,” he smiled with his sharp teeth.

“What are we…?” She glanced at her surroundings, and then at him. “Where did your armor go?”

He tapped the amulet. “Where it’s supposed to go.”

She sat up. “Was I using you as a mattress?”

“Yeah, but I wanted you to.”

Claire’s eyes widened as she blushed.

“I mean—you’ve been sleeping on rocks for a while now. I thought I might be a little softer.”

She assessed him, feeling his chest and stomach, just like she had in her sleepy state. Then she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “Well, I’m not as sore. So I think it worked.” She leaned in, and kissed his nose. Then she rolled off of him, and stood. “So what are we doing?”

Jim sat up, smacking his lips. “We have to go into town, and find supplies.”

“Oh yeah, we found the stone.” Then she frowned. “You mean, I’ll be going into town, while you watch from the rooftops.”

“Sadly to say.”

Claire glanced over his new found form, instantly noticing his poorly fit clothing.

It was hard dealing with Jim’s transformation. He had struggled tremendously, and still did, to an extent. But Claire had a hard time coping as well, though she never vocalized those thoughts to him. When she told Jim she loved him, she really meant it, not just to make him feel better. She was sixteen, the time when girls start to imagine all the fun things they’ll do in the future with their husbands. Having 2.5 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence. With her love becoming a permanent half-troll, things seemed bleak. She had decidedly given up the idea of a normal marriage.

She’d never admit to anyone, but the idea of never having sex with him, because of his armor, was a real bummer.

But she had just resolved changed her mind. An ideal future with Jim might mean sleeping in caves, and eating nutri-grain bars. But as long as she was with him, it was fine.

But now, seeing the almost human skin poking out from his ripped clothes, the hope of the picket fence began to return.

“Hello? Claire?” He waved.

“Oh! Sorry!” She laughed.

“You okay? Do you need more sleep?”

“No, I’m fine.” She grinned, “I was just admiring you.”

“Me?” He asked, bewildered. “Really?”

“Yeah, you look cute. And…hot.” She added, with a blush.

“Even with the teeth?”

“Even with the teeth.”

“And the horns?”

“Especially the horns.” She reached up and took hold of one, tugging him towards her. “They make it easier to do this.” Then she stood on her tip-toes and kissed him, just long enough to urge him to kiss back. When she pulled away, his lips were still puckered between his teeth.

Then he blinked, and looked at her. “That’s…that’s the first time we’ve kissed since I transformed.”

She shrugged, looking away. “We’ve been busy.”

“Are you two ready yet!?” Blinky shouted. “We’re burning darkness here!”

Jim took Claire’s hand and together, they made their way to the surface.

New Jersey was different from Arcadia. Cooler, for one thing. At least today. They had found a service tunnel that ran under the sidewalk, and using Jim’s strength, they forced open the grate and came out into the city. They had just enough time to close the door before a group of pedestrians came around the corner. But Jim didn’t have the chance to hide. So he acted casual, hoping to pull off a costume.

It was a couple of teenagers that saw them, and as they passed, they both seemed to study Jim for a second.

“Dude, sick costume!” One said.

It worked like a charm. “Thanks!” Jim sighed.

“Are you guys going to the horror convention?” The girl asked.  

Claire muttered over to Jim. “Horror convention?”

“Uhh...yeah! Well, we’re looking for a Walmart first.”

“Well you’re going the wrong way,” the guy stepped up. “I’m Henry, by the way. This is my dear, sweet Astrid.”

“Sup?”

Jim held out his human hand. “I’m Jim, and this is my girlfriend Claire.”

Henry smiled. “Nice to know you. We’re making our way to the convention center now. If you want to come?”

“Are you entering in the costume contest? First place is 5,000 dollars!” Astrid interjected. “I bet you could win!”

5,000 dollars could get a couple of hotel rooms and decent meals for Claire. Not to mention, they could get their cart for the Heartstone. “I’m in,” Jim agreed.

“Awesome!” Said Henry. “I made a costume too, but my dad accidentally trashed it. But there’s always next year!”

The group of four made their way through the city, chatting like normal teens. Passerby stopped them every once in a while to take pictures with Jim.

After several of these, Claire sided up to him, taking his hand. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” She whispered.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure, but we need to act casual. So if people think this is a costume, then so be it.”

“So Jim,” Henry called over, interrupting their conversation. “Those horns are super cool. What are they made of?”

“Oh, uh…real horns! From a ram!”

Claire held back a snort.

“Can I touch them?”

“Yeah, just…don’t yank on them.” Jim bowed his head as his new friends all rubbed his horns, ‘ooh’ing and ‘aww’ing all the while.

Finally, they reached the hotel where the convention was being held.

“Oh, you guys don’t have passes yet, right?” Henry asked. “I think you can still get them. They’re 30 bucks for a day pass.”

Jim winced. 30 bucks each? He had the money, but if he didn’t win the contest, they wouldn’t have much left over for a cart. Claire seemed to notice this too, and nudged him. “Hey, let’s go for it. Let’s be normal kids for a while, huh?”

Jim smiled at her, taking her hand. “Yeah, normal.”

At the ticket booth, the attendee nearly jumped to his feet. “Oh man! That is an awesome costume! What are you?”

“Uh…troll. Trollhunt—…Troll knight.”

“Wicked! Are you entered in the costume contest?”

“Not yet,” Jim smiled, baring his fangs.

“I can get you signed up here. Name?”

“Jim Lake.”

“And you said you’re a Troll knight?”

“That’s right.”

The man tapped away at his iPad. “And qualifying contestants for the contest get in for free.”

“What do I need to qualify?”

The man printed out a pass and put it in a lanyard. “I’m the preliminary judge. You qualify. It’s just to keep people from mediocre costumes from entering, like obviously half-assed costumes to get in for free. Y’know?”

“Gotcha.” Jim grinned, putting on the pass.

“But it is going to be 30 bucks for the lady.”

“If only I had worn my armor.” Claire whispered.

Jim took out his wallet and handed over his card. “No worries, at least I got in.”

“Alright, you both are all set, good luck in the contest! Judging is at midnight!”  

“Thank you!” They both called. Then they met up with their new friends.

“You in, man?” Asked Henry.

“Yep! All set!”

“Awesome!” Astrid took out her phone and checked the time. “Well, it’s nine now. We have some friends here, if you want to come with us to hang out.”

Jim looked at Claire, and she looked back at him. If her face said what he thought it said, he replied, “Uh, I think we’ll catch you guys later.”

“No prob! You guys still want to go to Walmart later, right? We’ll go with you.”

“And we have to see Jim win the competition.”

“We’ll see you later, then!” And off they went.

Jim spoke once they were alone. “That is what that look meant, right?”

“Yeah, as much as I’ve missed human interaction, I also feel really gross.”

“I think you look beautiful.”

She was wearing dirty clothes, her usual jeans and t-shirt. And she hadn’t washed her hair in days. She blushed. “Thanks, Jim.”

“I’m going to call Blinky and tell him what we’re up to. If I may borrow your phone?”

“Sure,” she handed it over. “And while you do that, I’m going to go freshen up in the bathroom.” She bid him adieu by standing on her tip-toes and kissing his cheek. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Take your time, we’re in no rush.”

He unlocked her phone, and found his own picture in her contacts. The line rang twice before Blinky’s cheerful voice picked up.

“Ah Master Jim! Have you and Claire located supplies? Or perhaps a vessel to help us carry our new Heartstone?”

“Um…not quite.”

Blinky paused on the other line, then his voice took on a dangerous tone. “What happened?”

“Okay, so like…we came to the surface, and immediately these teenagers saw us.”

“Don’t tell me you killed them!”

“No! Why would—?! Look, they thought I was in costume. There’s a Horror convention going on a few blocks away, and I entered the costume contest.”

“As what?”

“As myself. Well, a ‘Troll Knight’ is what I put on the application.”

“YOU WHAT?!” Blinky yelled, as Jim moved the phone away from his ear. “How could you ever think this was a good idea!?”

“First prize is 5,000 dollars, okay? I figured if I win, I could have enough money to put Claire and I up in a hotel over night and treat her to a nice meal. Okay? Plus, we could probably buy a really sturdy cart for the stone.”

Blinky was silent, supposedly thinking. “And no one suspects you?”

“Not a bit.”

“Hmm…alright. Just, try to lay low.”

“We will, I promise.”

Right after he hung up, Clair returned. The hair around the edge of her face was wet. “You know, you really stick out. I mean, in this crowd, you still fit really well, but…I’m worried about your clothes.” She hooked a finger in his waistband a gave a gentle tug. It had no give. “Aren’t you dying? Aren’t those pants like…super tight?”

He sighed. “Yeah. I am, actually. But I figured the ripped clothes would help with the costume.”

“But didn’t you say you were a troll knight?”

“Yeah?”

“Then put your armor on! That will win the contest!”

“You think?”

“Yeah! It’s super Tron!”

Jim glanced down at himself, thinking. Some of his clothes were just hanging on by a thread. It would only take a weird, sudden movement for there to be an awkward rip in his pants.

“Yeah, the last thing I want is a Spongebob moment up on stage. We just need to find a secluded place for me to suit up.”

“The bathrooms were pretty crowded.” Claire blanched.

“Wait,” Jim spoke, staring at the stage in the middle of the convention. “I have an idea, but I need you as a lookout.”

“Lead the way.”

The duo snuck their way over to the middle of the room and Jim slipped under the cloth covered stage.

From the outside, there was a brief glow of red that blended in with the other stage lights. Then, Jim emerged again, in his armor. “Ah, much better.”

Claire gazed up at him, a look of adoration on her face.

“What?”

“I love seeing you in your armor. My knight, my prince, my Romeo.”

“Your Trollmeo,” he corrected.  

She scoffed.

“Whoa! Dude, sick costume!” A guy in a realistic Freddy Krueger costume said. “What’s that made out of? Foam?”

The question took Jim off guard, as he touched his armor. He honestly didn’t know. Some kind of metal. “Uh, real steel.”

“What?! Can I touch?” Freddy reached his claws out.

“Yeah, but if you could…not scratch it…?”

“Oh sure!”

Another cosplayer, dressed as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, approached the group and looked in awe.

“Is that like, a medieval Beast from the X-men? No, you’ve got horns…”

Freddy felt the pauldron on Jim’s shoulder. “This is amazing craftsmanship. Did you make this yourself?”

“Ah, no. A…friend did. Custom, just for me. He’s somewhat of a wizard.”

“I’ll say!” Said the Fishman.

Yet another cosplayer came into the group, this one dressed in a black leotard with white and black face paint and a spiky black wig. “And, what…or who, are you supposed to be?” Asked he.

“I’m a troll knight,” answered Jim, becoming more confident in his story.

“A troll knight? There’s no such thing.” Said the newcomer. “Besides, trolls are supposed to be big and ugly with fat noses and beady eyes. In Lord of the Rings, they’re dumb, huge, and hairless. Or the Elder Scroll Trolls, they’re more like three eyed apes.” He narrowed his eyes. “Though, I suppose you got the ugly down.”

Jim’s nose flared and he nearly snarled.

“Dude, chill.” Freddy interrupted. “It’s a costume.”

“That’s why I’m being so picky!” The other kid said. “Last year, some slut painted her body green, glued some leaves on, and called herself Poison Ivy. She won 5,000 dollars.”

Freddy Kruger and the Fishman crossed their arms. “I saw her last year,” said Freddy. “There was a lot more to the costume than that. And who cares if he’s got a different interpretation of Trolls? Dreamworks made the film about the vintage troll dolls from the 80’s! They had long fuzzy hair!”

Jim wanted to speak up, but his knee jerk reaction in arguments now was to roar and snarl, not use his wits. He was not in practice for this.  

“But that’s an established franchise! This is…a bad homestuck OC! His horns aren’t even the right color for that!”

Claire gave Jim a look, and he returned it with a shrug.

“Well,” said the Fishman, “I think your costume is dope…uh…”

“Jim.”

“Jim. You are entered in the contest, right?”

“Yep! I was basically forced into it.” He laughed.

“We are too!”

“As am I,” the rude interloper stated. “It appears as though we are opponents.”

Jim smiled, trying to stay polite and fight back the urge to let his trollish instincts take control. “Fun! What are you supposed to be?”  

“Uh, hello?! I’m Ryuk, from Death Note!?”

Jim stared blankly. “Um, I don’t know who that is.”

“Seriously?! The main Shinigami of the series? The perfect character that crosses the border of both antagonist and protagonist?! The very god of death himself!?”

“It’s an anime,” Freddy added.

“Oh, right right. I see…” Jim lied.

“Anyways,” said Ryuk, “how about you and I make things interesting?”

Jim wasn’t much of a gambling man, but the amount of praise he had received inclined him to believe the odds were in his favor. “Go on…”

“If you win, I will pay for your hotel room and a dinner at a modest restaurant. If I win, I get to destroy your costume and take your friend out on a date.”

Jim’s restraint was reached as he let out an almost tiger-like snarl. “Not on your life!”

Ryuk backed away a step. “What, are you—afraid or something?”

“Claire isn’t a possession, damnit. I will never barter her life or her time. She’s mine, so back off!!”

Claire quickly put a hand on Jim’s chest and urged him to back down. “Jim, honey, you still have that injury. Don’t exert yourself.”

As if she summoned it, a painful throb hit Jim in the chest, and he winced.

“Whoa, you okay dude?” Asked Freddy, “you want some water?”

Jim shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Just a…minor injury.” He took some stabilizing breaths and willed his troll half into submission. Then he re-engaged the enemy. “I’ll pass on that bet.”

“Oh, so you are a chicken!”

“No, I’m just not a moron.”

The other boy crossed his arms, “And I’m not either. I’ve been to hundreds of cons, and seen and smelt every unbathed human you could imagine.”

“Ew…”

“But you two…You don’t have a hotel room, or any place to stay, do you? You look like you’ve been sleeping in the woods somewhere.”

Jim frowned hard, his teeth poking his cheeks. “So what if we have? That’s none of your business.”

“I’ll pay for your hotel room and food, if you drop out of the contest all together.” He challenged.

Claire took Jim’s hand. “Don’t. Even if you don’t win, we’ll still have money to get the cart. For once, Jim, you don’t need to be the hero and protect me. Just don’t let this punk walk all over you.”

She made a good point. Jim shrugged. “You know what? If you didn’t think I was a threat, you wouldn’t have made this bet. So forget it. We need that money.”

Freddy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon stepped up and put a hand each on Jim’s shoulder.

“If I win, I’ll pay for your guy’s stay.”

“Ditto!”

“Then may the best monster win!”  

Ryuk scoffed at the others and stormed off.

Jim snorted. “What a jerk.”

“There’s always guys like that at cons.” Said the Fishman. “Guys that are ‘purist fanboys’, guys that think that girls aren’t allowed to like pop-culture like comics and video games. Basically just asshats.”

“Well, we appreciate the support back there.” Jim grinned. “But you don’t have to pay for our room…”

“Con goers get a special price for rooms here. It’s only a 75 bucks a night. That’s a drop in the bucket for a 5,000 prize.”

“Then,” Jim decided. “If I win, I’ll pay for you!”

“Too bad! We already paid! Guess you just have to accept charity!”

The rest of the con went much smoother. The cosplayers went their separate ways, all enjoying the con at their own pace. Sometimes they’d bump into Henry and Astrid, or Freddy and Fishman.

And for just a few hours, Jim could pretend to be normal.

“You seem pretty chipper.” Claire noted, “don’t relax too much, or your armor is going to disappear.”

“It’s weird how much you forget in a month.” Jim replied. He was looking at Astrid and Henry as they gushed over dragon figurines on a booth. “I’ve spent the last few weeks in the darkness, in caves and sewers, protecting Trolls. I almost forgot that I protect the humans as well.”

“And you did, from Gunmar and Morgana.” Claire assured.

“I just…this is nice.”

Claire’s hand was in his, her thumb rubbed over his knuckles. “We should see what life is like in Arcadia. Maybe people remember the attack. Maybe you won’t have to hide.”

Jim didn’t answer initially, but then finally said. “Except from the sun.”

Finally, 11:45 rolled around. Claire caught up with Astrid and Henry, while Jim went up to the stage with Freddy and Fishman. Ryuk lurked in the background, glaring daggers at Jim.

“Wow! What a great turn out!” The announcer called on stage.

The hall was alive with cheers.

“And we have a lot of contestants in the cosplay contest this year! All competing for that sweet, sweet moola. 5,000 bucks! Cash!”

Somebody whistled.

“But you’re not all gathered here to hear me talk, so without further adieu…Jason McHaughtly as Jason Voorhees!”

There was about 20 contestants. Some had better costumes than others. Others…not so much.

“Ian Reese as Ryuk from Death Note.”

The kid that had harassed Jim earlier walked out on stage, standing ramrod straight. Whether it was stage fright or just an attempt to be creepy was unknown.

There was a polite round of applause.

“Jim Lake, as a ‘Troll Knight’.”

Jim could have simply walked out on stage, but he was in it to win it. So he ran out on stage, did a cartwheel, flipped in the air, landed in a crouch and unsheathed his sword, spinning it in a flurry of twirls. He ended in a fighting pose.

“That’s my man!” Claire shouted over the crowd.

With his advanced hearing, he could just barely hear her.

Jim sheathed his sword and began to walk off stage, when he was suddenly tackled from behind. For being kind of chubby, Ryuk was awfully nimble, as he clambered up on Jim’s back.

“This was my year! I was going to win!” He shouted, yanking on Jim’s horns.

Obviously, they weren’t going to come off, but it was still painful.

“Ouch! Dude! Get off!” Jim reached back and removed the pest with one hand, even as Ryuk held fast to his horns. Jim’s short fuse had reached it’s end as he tore the kid off and easily threw him into the crowd.

An animalistic roar tore from his throat, echoing in the hall.

The audience was silent, before they erupted in deafening cheers.

Jim took several panting breaths, before calming down and smiling awkwardly. Then he hustled off stage and out of the limelight.

“Wow, that’s going to be hard to beat!”

Jim peeked out from behind the curtain, trying to spy the kid he threw. He looked fine, but he was off to the side having a chat with the hotel security.

Jim hoped this wasn’t going to backfire on him.

He watched the rest of the competition from backstage. Everyone else was a lot calmer.

“Hey,” Freddy whispered. “That was awesome! How did you do that roar? Is it like, a speaker?”

“Uh…no, actually. I really am a troll.”

Freddy smiled. “Oh nice, this really isn’t a costume either. I really am a burn victim.”

After a pause, the two snickered.

“Alright, if we could have all the contestants come back out, please.”

Jim and Freddy stood next to each other.

“Good luck,” Jim whispered.

“Nah, you got this in the bag.”

The announcer looked at the card. “And third place, winning the 1,000 dollar prize is…Logan Garfield as Freddy Kruger!”

Jim gave him a friendly pat on the back as Logan gave him a thumbs up and accepted his reward.

“Second place, with the 2,000 dollar prize…Luna Nox as the Creature from the Black Lagoon!”

“Yes!” Jim heard his new friend cheer from the other end of the stage.

“And finally, our first place winner…”

—

Jim, Claire, and a small group of new friends walked down the sidewalk together. They had met up in the hotel lobby, and things quickly got weird once Freddy and Fishman showed up out of costume. Now Jim was the odd one out, though he had found a secluded place to get out of his armor.

“Even if you hadn’t won, I’m sure you easily could have sold that costume for 5,000 dollars.” Henry determined.

Jim had been handed a fat stack of hundreds, which was a good thing in the long run. He didn’t know what he would do if it had been a check. Once he and Claire had had their fun fanning themselves with the cash, he had stashed the money inside his breastplate for safe keeping. When he had dissolved his armor, the money went with it, only leaving 300 bucks for groceries and their room behind in his wallet.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to sell it, you dig?”

The group was making their way to a 24-hour pizza joint for a celebratory dinner, and then to Walmart. After, they’d return to the hotel, where Jim and Claire would spend the day.

Jim bumped his girl’s side. “You doing okay?”

“I’m wonderful,” she smiled at him. “Especially since we’re about to get pizza!”

“It’ll be nice to have a real meal, uh?”

“Yeah,” then she met his eyes. “But Jim, please don’t feel bad. I wanted to come with you, and I knew the circumstances.”

His hand rested on her waist as he gently pulled her to him. “I know…I just want to take care of you.”

They were getting away from downtown now. There were houses all closely gathered together, with wire fences.

Almost immediately, Jim halted.

“What is it?” Claire asked.

Everyone else stopped, wondering what the hold up was.

Jim’s gaze was locked on a ‘For Sale’ sign on a blue pick-up truck. One that looked like it had some lifting power. The price was 2,000 dollars.

“Claire.” He said, pointing at it. “How much weight do you think that truck can carry?”

A smiled stretched over her face. “Probably a boulder that weighs a metric ton.” She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the truck, and then the house it was in front of. “This would be better than a cart.”

“What are you guys carrying?” Henry asked.

“Uh…a rock.”

“A crystal, to be precise. We’re geo-nerds.”

“Like a quartz?”

“Yep! Exactly! A big ole quartz we found.” Despite finding strength in his new form, Jim was still an awkward teenage boy. Luckily, no one noticed.

“Well, if you guys need help loading it, just let us know.” Freddy offered.

“Oh, thanks! That’s so kind!” Claire smiled. They had plenty of help from the Trolls, but it was a nice gesture.

—

Dinner went well, as the kids chowed down on pizza, and Jim snuck a fork when no one was looking. After, Freddy and Fishman bid them adieu and returned to the hotel, while Jim, Claire, Astrid, and Henry went to Walmart.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take your costume off at the hotel,” Astrid noted. “It must be uncomfortable.”

“Well, actually…I can’t take it off yet.” Jim lied, “I used a super powerful glue, and it’s going to take a while before I can take my horns off. And my skin is just stained.”

It was obvious that they didn’t believe him, but they thankfully didn’t press it. “Don’t you have a change of clothes?”

“Nope! That’s why we’re going to Walmart!”

At the store, the group split. Astrid and Henry going for food, while Claire and Jim went to clothes.

“So I’m thinking long sleeves and long pants are going to be important. Maybe something with a hood. We’ll have to cut holes in it, though.” Said Claire, looking at a clearance rack.

“The more I’m protected from the sun, the better.”

“I don’t want you to get overheated though…”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.” He shrugged, flipping through the sweatshirts. “I don’t get cold or hot anymore.”

Claire half-smiled. “Must be convenient.” She pulled a pair of sweatpants off the rack. “Do you think these are big enough?” She held them up to his waist.

“It won’t hurt to try them on.”

Jim went up six sizes in pants, and he went from a medium to a XL in shirts. To say it was weird was an understatement.

Currently, he wore a black T with a skull on it that Claire had picked out, a red zip-up with thumb-holes, gray sweats, and cheap, size 13 wide sneakers. “I feel like an emo.”

Claire almost had stars in her eyes. “You look perfect.”  

He chuckled, “well, as long as I’m covered, I don’t care. Did you find a few things?”

“If we stop at the laundromat before we leave, I’ll be fine with just these.” She held up a pair of black sweatpants, something comfier to sleep in than jeans.

“Awesome. Snacks?”

“Snacks.”

—

The sun was just barely starting to poke over the corner when they returned to the hotel and got a room. Once inside, Claire dropped all the supplies on the floor as she resisted on leaping on the bed.

“I’m going to take a shower, immediately.” She stated. “I can’t wait to sleep in a nice warm bed.”

“Go for it, if I may use your phone?”

She handed it to him, then found her new pajamas in their bags.

As the bathroom door closed, Jim called Blinky and found the hidden bag of groceries he had purchased without telling Claire.

“Ah, Master Jim. We were beginning to wonder when you would call. What became of the costume contest?”

“I won! We got 5,000 bucks.”

“Wonderful! I assume at least. And what of the cart?”

Jim set the avocados, veggies, and spices on the counter. It had been a while since he had made anything, but the muscle memory was there. “We found something even better. There’s a truck for sale just down the road, and it’s in our price range.”

“Excellent! What is...a truck?”

“You’ve seen them. It’s like a car, but the back is like a cart, and people put stuff in them.”

“Oh yes! Now I understand. You think that will be strong enough? It is quite the hefty stone.”

“I think we can get it. The thing is, a truck is a lot faster than Trolls. So some of us will get back before the others. I’m the one who knows how to operate it, and I think Claire and Merlin should come as well, since they’re human and will need to sleep and eat.”

“I see.” Blinky paused. “We will discuss this among the group. For now, just secure the vehicle.”

“We will, later in the day. Talk to you later.” Jim hung up, and finished mixing the guacamole. He munched on the spoon idly as he set the bowl and tortilla chips on the table.

Then he poked through the items he bought, finding soap and shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, clean socks and underwear, and a wide hairbrush. He might have been a troll, but he wasn’t a wild animal.

The bathroom door opened in a billow of steam.

“Ahh…” said Claire. “I’ve never felt so clean in my life.”

Jim gathered his belongings. “Then it’s my turn.” He kissed her cheek as he passed. He got a whiff of her smell and almost went back to kiss her again.

“Jim!” She shouted.

“Hmm?”

“Did you make me guacamole!?”

He grinned. “Maybe.”

He could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you, you’re so good to me.”

“I try.”

In the bathroom, Jim stripped and climbed into the shower. It was a weird moment remembering that the temperature of the water didn’t bother him. He felt it more on some of his more human parts, like his chest and his five fingered hand.

He lathered up well, using the loofa he bought as well.

It was like scrubbing a rock. He couldn’t exactly tell when he was clean, but he did his best. His horns got in the way as he shampooed his hair and scruff, but he made sure they got cleaned as well.

Finally, he decided he was done and dried off, rubbing the towel frantically through his hair. It fluffed up, and made him look wild. He brushed his teeth and then combed through his mane.

When he emerged, Claire was laying on her stomach on the bed, idly watching cartoons.

“There’s my fluffy boy.” She grinned, seeing him without his shirt.

“I tried to comb it out.”

“Come here,��� she urged, sitting up.

Jim sat on the floor by her feet.

The brushing felt nice. Not so much the brush itself, but the way Claire’s hand ran over the hair after.

“So…” she began. “What are we?”

Jim was confused, and turned slightly to give her a look, but she forced him to sit straight. “I thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Still?”

The question had hurt a little, honestly.

“You’ve…we’ve been kind of distant. I thought things…had changed.”

He curled in on himself a little. “I didn’t know if you would think it was weird…I’m not exactly human anymore.”

“No, no you’re not.” She agreed.

He looked at his hands. “I still love you, I’m just scared.”

She finished brushing out his hair and allowed him to move. He stayed on the ground, kneeling in front of her.

“You’ve never said you loved me before.”

Jim opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it, frowning hard.

“Are you scared of me?”

He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either.

She reached out and held his face with her hands. “Jim, I told you before, whatever you are…I love you. Please, don’t pull away from me.”

She watched his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

She continued, “My life was…boring without you. I thought a play was important! But since I met you, my life has been nothing but adventure. Even our dullest days are exciting, because you’re here.”

He shook his head as his eyes started to water. “I tried my damnedest to impress you.” His voice broke, “I did the play because I was crushing on you. And I was so hoping to get the girl in the end…but…” A few tears escaped, as he sniffed. “I can’t.”

“You can, and you have.” She pulled him closer by the horns. “Because unless you tell me to leave, I will stay by your side.” She brushed his tears away with her thumbs. “So don’t cry, Trollhunter. Your sacrifices weren’t in vain.”

He nodded, rising to his feet. He scooped Claire up, holding her to him close as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

Finally, he laid her down on the bed, giving her a cute kiss to the forehead. He climbed up on the bed with her, and reclined on his side, looking at her.

And in the quiet moment of serenity, the two just looked at each other. With their souls this time, looking past outside appearances and just living in the moment. For words were not enough to convey what needed to be said.

Still, something nagged at Claire’s mind, and she sat up, crossing her legs.

“So, I…I actually meant something else when I asked what we were,” she began. “My parents kind of figured if I was leaving with you, that meant…well, when we came back…we’d be married.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh.”

“Yeah…”

His lower lip stuck out, a quizzical look. “We’re kind of young, don’t you think?”

She leaned back on her arms. “Yeah, I suppose. But the thing is…I can’t see myself with anyone else. I’ve crushed on and dated a handful of guys…and none of them are like you.”

“As far as we know, I’m the only half-troll in the world.” He giggled.

Claire hit him with a pillow. “That’s not what I meant! You’re just putting words in my mouth!”

“That’s not the only thing I’m going to put in your mouth.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Two could play at this game, “oh yeah, and what’s that? Hmm?”

He hadn’t expected her to call him on his bluff. “Uhh…my…tongue?”

She giggled. “Ooo, risky!”

His nostrils flared. “What were you saying about me being different?”

She sobered, and leaned closer to him. “No one, not a single man I’ve met in my life, was willing to sacrifice what you did. You risked not only your life, but everything else you had to save my baby brother from the Darklands. You came for me in the void…Then…you gave up your body…your freedom…to save us. You could have just risked it, but you made the extra decision to ensure we were safe.”

He looked up at her with his blue, blue eyes. “I had to Claire. I…I couldn’t just…”

She cupped his face. “You are fantastic, and lovely, and wonderful. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, my Romeo.”

Jim tugged on her, pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, breathing in her shampoo. “And I want you, too.” Then he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled away, he smiled at her warmly. “I want to make sure I can take care of you, though. I don’t want our married life to be remembered by sleeping on hard rocks and not bathing for weeks.”

“I mean…”

“I know you can handle it.” He interjected. “But I can’t. I can’t handle seeing you uncomfortable. You deserve the very best.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “So, when we return to Arcadia…I’m going to make us a home in Troll market. Then I will ask, officially. I’ll get permission and everything.”

Claire smiled, her cheeks hurting. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He kissed her, slow and deep, making her toes curl. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his still damp hair as his hands ran over her body.

Claire’s heart thudded in her chest and Jim teased her with his tongue, and idly played with the waistband of her pants.

She tugged on his horn, pulling him even closer and returning his kiss with vigor.

They pulled apart, resting their foreheads together.

“I told you—“

“Yeah, yeah.” She giggled. “I liked it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she pecked him gently.

“Even with the teeth?”

She snickered. “Even with the teeth.”

“And the horns?”

She tugged on them. “What do you think?”

[modernlcve]

- ̗̀ * ( dylan minnette + cismale + he/him ) have you seen ( spencer meyers ) walking around campus ?    they are a ( twenty ) year old ( junior ) studying ( urban sustainability ). we hear they are a ( member ) in ( upilson nu alpha ), and can be ( jocular & melodramatic ), maybe it’s because they are a ( leo ). they sort of remind us of ( a wind-up toy, a loud pen clicking in the back of the library, and an insurmountable level of urgency for every fleeting whim ), maybe we can find out more !  *  ̖́-  

HISTORY.

spencer grew up in the kind of family that simultaneously feels miles and miles away but claustrophobic. his family was old money, some industry he was destined to never understand. appearances were important. so while his father was always off at meetings and his mother doing whatever a woman of the world does, out of the home and away from spencer and his brother, there was still an overarching sense of pressure to please them. though they could be physically far, there was a hand spencer knew was always on his shoulder.

the biggest problem with this was spencer’s insisting to march to the beat of his own drum. in subtle ways, he spent much of his childhood and adolescence rebelling against the standards set for him. he hated the box his father was so set on putting him in and through his own parallel bull-headedness, he’s always been someone who’s unapologetically themselves, no matter how unconventional that is.

tw illness. tw death. he singles out his father when he complains about this because, in her last days, his mother was willing to make peace with who he was. she was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was in eighth grade and they moved out of the city so she could have a little peace from the hustle and bustle of it all while she got treatment. spencer grew much closer to her during this time and came to understand more of how that pressure from his parents was something they felt too. this didn’t fix things, but it made him wonder.

his dad married his step-mom a year later. she’s nice, for all its worth, but its been a bummer to watch him try and assimilate her and spencer’s new step-siblings into his grand plan. but he likes them all the same he thinks they’re a good breath of fresh air compared to the kind of people he expected his father to flock to.

high school he went,,, off the rails a little bit. like after cooling it while his mom was sick he really went back hard into standing apart from his dad but now w/ added encouragement from his step family. he got really involved in environmental and somewhat political activism and petitioned to get his high school their first gsa and found a lot of passions he probably wouldn’t know he had if he hadn’t been doing things out of spite so it paid off in the long run

after he graduated he told his dad that he wanted to clean himself up and go to college do the whole shebang. he’s under the impression that spencer is a biology major and completely unaware that he swapped to urban sustainability at the start of his second semester  ( something he’s still bribing his step-sister, kaia, to not snitch him out on ). he knows he’ll have to come clean eventually, but, for now, it’s still a part of that little rebellion.

HEADCANONS.

he’s originally from san francisco and remembers it being like . literally the greatest place in the world all things considered but he also knows himself and knows he would have been way too distracted to actually go to college there so like .  he’ll probs still talk abt it a lot and i apologize 4 that.

unlike kaia, who’s more refined in exerting her beliefs, spencer is not afraid 2 make a scene over waste management in the middle of a party. he’s got a lot to say and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t say it, stream of consciousness style as it comes to him. it doesnt make him the most popular, but it helps him sleep at night

hopeless gay romantic . just wants a man to hold his hand and preferably sooner than later . if he has a crush on ur muse im gna go ahead and apologize in advance

he’s just literally such a hyperbolic speaker and everything seems like life or death w him but its really not . he just needs a nap or some milk or something .

lives in the house w his bros whom he loves and trusts

on the swim team and part of habitat, looking 2 set up some kinda qsu/alphabet club before he graduates

probably leaving off a bunch but per usual i’ve got my ims and discord available for plotting and i’ll hopefully have a starter up soon get some more stuff a Rolling,

[fanfictionsrookie]

Cookies And Cabernet: Chapter 2

Ruby could not, for the love of Vale get her homework done. She had been sitting for at least an hour…on a Friday, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. But the new chemistry module that they were covering this term proved to be even more mindboggling than she thought.

So with a heavy sigh the girl plopped her pen down on her desk and spinned around in her seat, hoping that some kind of knowledge would come loose. But all she succeeded in was to cool herself down a little. It was unusually hot that day, even if it was the beginning of spring.

With her options now running out Ruby picked up her scroll, hoping that her distress call had been answered.

'Eeeyyy Weiss! Brain won't work lol. HEEELLP MEEEEEE!'

Last seen: 06:37

Yeah…Weiss wasn't picking up her scroll today, that much was very clear. To be fair there was that fencing tournament coming up and her sister was in town. Ruby couldn't blame her friend for her absence. But the problem still remained, she had homework to do. Then again she could just fill in some gibberish and tell the teacher that she tried. But that idea quickly went out the window as it meant that she would probably be signed up for extra classes.

With her backup plan now depending on whoever was available, she scrolled down her contact list.

Blake

Blake majored in Political Science, but the 'Science' part in the name was really all that their subjects had in common.

Cinder

Ruby paused for a moment, thumb hovering over the contact. Cinder should've been the obvious choice, but the girl didn't want to unnecessarily bother her either. Maybe she should just ask some kids in her own grade, they most likely remember the work in the first place but she wasn't convinced. In a silent debate Ruby titled her head from side to side, biting her lip as she typed the message.

'Hey:) Uhm could you maybe help me with this? Homework is super hard lol.'

Then quickly adding.

'Only if you have time.' If she wasn't nervous before, she certainly was now, wildly spinning around in her chair as she waited for a reply. Nearly jumping up in surprise when she received a reply.

'Hello to you too. Of course.'

Then like it was some kind of model Ruby took a picture of her paper and sent it with a few taps against the screen.

'I'll take a look;)' All it took was that single sentence to bring a smile to her lips, giving her homework one more look before her attention shifted with the chime of her scroll.

Quickly her eyes flew across the screen.

'Your substitution is incorrect. It is not stated that the experiment takes place in STP conditions, therefore you cannot assume that the pressure is 101.3 kPa.'

'Oooooh.'

She typed back with a figurative droplet of sweat running down her forehead, feeling like a complete idiot at the fact that she didn't even read it properly.

'You might want to try reading the question. It does tend to help;)' 'I have noooo idea what I'm doing.' Unexpectedly a laugh escaped her lips, the next message catching her completely off guard.

'Do you need some help? I wouldn't mind some company.' Was Cinder inviting her over? At the thought Ruby shook her head, she was just offering to help. But even so Ruby couldn't stop her cheeks from lighting up with a blush.

'I don't want to bother you tho.'

'It's no trouble at all:)'

The girl tapped her scroll against her chin, seemingly in though before looking down at the address Cinder sent, not too far from here and on the way to Signal actually. It would be nice to see her again, even it was just while doing homework, after all the last time that they saw each other was at Yang's party about two weeks ago.

A soft smile crept onto her lips when she remembered that following morning. Ruby woke up with a searing headache and black ink lines and swirls all over her arm. A phone number.

'Uhm h-hello?'

'I'm glad to hear you survived the night little Rose.'

It was Cinder's.

The moment was embarrassing to say the least with her still slurring, stuttering and recovering from the previous night. But now…looking back the memory was a happy one. So after she typed her reply, Ruby got up and headed to the garage.

'I'll be right over:)'

Finding the right apartment in the complex was harder than the girl thought, this was without the fact that she had to turn around after realizing that she had forgotten her books.

Now standing in front of the door, with her bike lying on the small strip of grass that must've been the lawn, Ruby felt a bit nervous…okay a lot nervous. When she rang the doorbell, the girl found her hands to be sweatier than usual. She hoped that Cinder wouldn't notice. The door opened and a shock of electricity shot down her spine, before she even realised it Cinder stood in the doorway, dressed in a dark red button up, black jeans and heels. Casual but always beautiful.

The girl instantly blushed at the thought.

"Looks like you didn't waste any time in getting here." Cinder mentioned with amusement clear in her tone once she saw Ruby's windswept hair.

The girl only then noticed and patted it down with a embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah finals and all that stuff's coming up so..."

"Look's like I have my work cut out for me." Cinder stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Ruby wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting when she entered the apartment. Immaculate with a few vases of flowers and paintings here and there, but other than that it was fairly simple.

"Did you get sick from the party?" The girl asked as her eyes swept across the living room and kitchen, confusing Cinder as to why she would ask that. Until she spotted the small plastic bag of medicine that's she had forgotten to put away.

"Ah…spring allergies I'm afraid." The woman explained with a tight lipped smile as she glanced back at Ruby, leading her into the study. This room a bit busier with the sheer amount of books and paper stacked all over. But it was the half opened archery kit on another table that completely caught Ruby's intention.

"Whoooaaa." Her fingers were itching to pick it up and give it a try.

"It seems like we need to work on concentration instead." Cinder teased from behind and watched with mirth as the girl's shoulders tense and her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Ah sorry I just…really like weapons and stuff." Her gaze never quite met the other's as she scratched the back of her head.

"Its no problem." Cinder assured and patted the seat next to her before mentioning for the girl to hand over her books.

"Now let's tackle this chemistry problem shall we?"

Ruby wasn't quite sure when it had become a habit but over the past few months the girl had found herself either going over to Cinder's or texting her when she was struggling with something. Needless to say there had been a definite improvement in her marks and although Ruby still went to Weiss for help, the girl went to Cinder more often.

Ruby wasn't quite sure why that was.

She didn't think that either was busier or more capable than the other, but perhaps it was because Ruby had found Cinder to be more patient. Even when her attention faltered or she couldn't quite wrap her head around a subject, the woman never raised her voice. Whereas Weiss would have given her a stern talking to. But that didn't mean that she wasn't without discipline, Cinder was easily just as strict if not stricter when it came to assigned homework or exercises.

So it was only fair that she thanked her for all her trouble.

'I was thinking that we…go somewhere sometime- if you want to.'

'I'd like that.'

'Great! We're do you wanna go?'

'…Surprise me.'

…

When Ruby woke up one Saturday, the day that Yang called 'a date', even after she told her sister countless times that it wasn't like that, the girl was a walking wreck of nerves and excitement. Even Yang couldn't decide whether to be worried of double over with laughter when she found out that Ruby had gotten up at six to take a shower. When they were only supposed to meet up at one.

"Slow down Rubes, the cereal isn't going anywhere." The woman joked and nudged her side with an elbow.

"I'm not getting one of dad's gross speeches again." With her crimson cheeks nearly buried into the bowl, she continued to wolf down her breakfast before her father returned from Signal Primary's National soccer tournament. It was times like these where she was really glad that he was chosen as coach... even if she did feel sorry for the kids. Despite what Tai Yang thought he didn't quite fit into the category of being a 'cool dad', but then again when were dad's ever cool?

"I'm sure Cinnabun will show you nicely." She jested with a wink and sly grin, nearly making Ruby spit out her breakfast.

Just when she wanted to scold her about how 'gross' she was being, Ruby's scroll buzzed on the counter.

"Speak of the she- devil." Yang mumbled between a mouthful of cereal, leaning over her sister's shoulder to catch a glance of their conversation before Ruby turned away.

Her eyes flew over the message and again...and again.

'I apologise for the inconvenience but I will not be able to attend our outing. Can we reschedule?' "What's up?" Yang's tone seemed casual but she could see when there was something bothering her sister. Not that Ruby was the hardest person to read, but even so Yang was quick to pick up the slightest change in her demeanour. Something that came with being so close as sisters.

Ruby paused for a moment before typing.

'Yeah no prob.' She let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair, suddenly the air she was walking on turned into a pit of disappointment.

'Are you okay?'

"Cinder can't come today." The girl mumbled her head lolling to the side as if she had lost all the energy that she had for the day. Yang saw the perfect opportunity for a pun but the woman decided that it was better to pass on this one.

"Ah bummer why not?"

Ruby just shrugged, her eyes warily glancing down at the screen in her hands. 'Cinder is typing…'

Even in her downcast state Ruby remained optimistic, hoping for another date where everything would work out just fine.

'Cinder is typing…'

'This message was recalled'

"Yang something's wrong." Ruby's voice was suddenly laced with panic. But even after reading the message with a frown, Yang still managed to crack a light hearted smile.

"Looks like she's even more nervous than you are Rubes."

"That's not funny Yang!" Ruby yelled in defence and before she could storm off Yang wrapped her arm around her sister in reassurance.

"Calm down Rubes, you of all people know how many times Weiss changes plans and stuff, maybe Cinder's just a bit swamped right now."

The girl couldn't help but nod in agreement, pouting as she did so and as much as she felt upset Ruby knew that it was a fair reason. She had been keeping Cinder very busy this past month and most likely out of her own work. Her mind flashed to the last time they met up for the woman to go over the details of her report…her one hundred and fifty five page report. The girl could see that Cinder wasn't her usual self and that should've been the first warning. Instead Ruby did nothing about it and the thought made her heart sink with guilt.

"I have to go see if she's okay." The girl proclaimed, halfway down the hall before Yang caught up to her, grabbing hold of her hand.

"Hey whoa!"

"Please just let me go and check." She pleaded and for a moment Yang hesitated before letting go with a sigh.

"…Fine, but text me when there's trouble okay?"

Ruby nodded quickly in return before storming off to the garage, hopping onto her bike and riding down the street in a flash.

The passing cars were nothing but a blur of colour as the wind rushed past her ears, almost deafening her to the sound of the bustling city. To Ruby she couldn't get there fast enough and for some reason the girl expected the door to be broken down or to see a fire consuming the building. Instead the complex was standing with nothing out of place…not even a blade of grass. Still Ruby stayed for a few moments, making sure that she was nothing but paranoid.

She was tempted to go inside and apologise or ask if there was anything that she could do to help out, then again Ruby would probably only be unnecessary trouble. But when the girl climbed atop her bike, ready to head back home, a distant crash could be heard coming from inside the apartment. There was only one thing that flashed through her mind at that moment.

'Cinder!'

It wasn't even a second before Ruby was hammering with her first on the door, locked, calling her name. "Cinder!" But she wouldn't know if Cinder didn't or couldn't answer her call.

Quickly her eyes scanned for a way in before landing on a window, although closed, didn't seem locked and the girl decided that the risk was worth it. It would be a tight squeeze but she would be able to fit through. So after looking around for someone and finding none, she clambered through the window. The girl clearly didn't think things through as to how she was going to land because it was hard on her shoulder and when she found herself in a small kitchen, Ruby realized that she didn't know how to get back through either.

For a moment she wondered if this was even the right building and her heart sank to her shoes when she recognised the book bag and clothes among the mess. Broken bottles, plates and furniture lied scattered about and if it wasn't for the locked door Ruby would've thought someone had broken in for sure.

'Did Cinder do all this?'

When another sickening crash followed a part of her just didn't want to accept the answer.

Even if all of her friends were happy most of the time the girl knew that all of them struggled with insecurities and other obstacles in their life, they confided in her after all. When Ruby met Cinder she was confident, smart and proud of both herself and her work and it was most definitely the reason why Ruby didn't think that Cinder might have any struggles herself. And along with the thickening mixture of smoke in the air that made Ruby want to gag, it became painfully obvious that that was not the case. Cinder's apartment always had a distinct scent of perfume and cigarette smoke but it was light…a scent at the very back of your mind.

When Ruby entered the small living room her breath instantly got caught in her throat. Dressed in nothing but a black t-shirt and boy shorts Cinder paced, or rather stumbled around the room, muttering incoherent words to herself. Once Ruby stepped into her field of vision the woman froze, but whether it was in shock or fear she didn't know.

Her hair was un kept, standing in all directions and her make up seemed to be hastily washed off with the ashen colour still under her eyes. The makeup that she was going to put on for their day together ,she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Ruby wondered if she had cried but she didn't want to think about that. The two of them simply stared at each other for what seemed to be hours, neither blinking as Ruby's eyes shone clear concern and fear but Cinder's betrayed no emotion at all.

"I got your text…" The girl finally managed to find her words, trying to answer the question that was undoubtedly in Cinder's mind. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

It was only when Ruby took a step forward that the woman snapped out of her trance.

"You…s-shouldn't…" She struggled to get a words out, giving up after a silent defeat and closed her eye in frustration.

"I was worried about you." Ruby confessed, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke, making her way towards the other but Cinder raised her hand, stopping the girl.

"L…eave." She choked, voice nearly failing her.

Ruby didn't move an inch.

"I'm not leaving you Cinder…not like this." She kept her gaze on the other's that was slowly starting to glisten with emotion before looking away, shielding it with ebony hair.

Not like this?

Pathetic.

That's how the woman felt as she stood before her and Cinder loathed every second of it, but even so she couldn't bring it upon herself to chase her away.

"Why didn't you tell me something was wrong? Were friends right?" The question caught Cinder completely off guard and when she stared at the girl, now standing in front of her, she couldn't stop the flicker of sadness in her eye.

"You w...ou-"

It wasn't uncommon for Cinder to lose her voice when they talked a lot and although the woman played it off as nothing but a minor nuisance. Ruby only then understood how frustrating it must be for her. When the fire of frustration and anger lit up in her eye, Ruby closed the distance between them and wrapped her in a tight hug before the woman could break anything else. To see her like this… Ruby couldn't decide whether she was upset or angry… but either way…it still hurt.

"Yeah you're right. I have no idea what you are going through, but the least I can do is try and understand. Not because I feel sorry about you or anything, but because every one deserves someone looking out for them."

Only when Ruby could feel Cinder relax in her arms did she let go, offering her a comforting smile.

"Come on." The girl took her hand and tried to usher her out of the room, careful to avoid the broken glass on the floor. "You're tired and it isn't good to stay up this long."

Defiantly, Cinder stood her ground and shook her head in silent protest. There was no point in it. She had been trying for almost two weeks to get some proper rest, but nothing had worked. Even though Ruby knew that is was important to get her to sleep she didn't want to force her either, not when she was already so on edge. Luckily she at least got Cinder to sit down and her rigid defiance faded away once exhaustion finally caught up to her. The woman soon found herself lying down on her unmade bed with Ruby wrapped in her arms.

As the girl lied there with her eyes closed and seemingly at peace she couldn't help but savour the heat that Cinder radiated. She was nice and warm and her arms that held her close made Ruby feel safe in a sense. Although they were not nearly as defined as Yang's, Ruby could tell that she was the best shooter of the archery team.

Cinder didn't seem all that interested in anything, well not that Ruby knew off and she wondered if archery was different. Was archery the one thing that she was passionate about? Does a good shot ever bring a smile to her face, one that was sincere and joyous? Or was it something else that brought her happiness?

Was there something that brought her happiness?

And it was then and there that Ruby decided that wanted she wanted to see her smile one day, to see and find out what made her trully happy. If Cinder didn't have anything like that she would help her find it. But for now Ruby was content with just being next to her and listening as Cinder fade into a dreamless sleep...

When the woman started to stir after about an hour, Ruby grew worried that she had woken her by accident. Once she could feel the rhythm of shallow breaths turn irregular the girl knew for sure that she was awake.

"...I was…sixteen when I left high school." Cinder's calloused words came out of nowhere and they sent a shiver down Ruby's spine as she listened.

"Through fear and manipulation my…mother had risen to the top of the criminal hierarchy and had full control over the black market." Ruby wanted to tell her to stop, that she didn't have to tell her this.

"She would always spew nonsense about how…how she was empowering the oppressed… I don't know if I ever believed her, but it didn't matter. I wanted the power she wielded." The girl could feel her heart turn into lead, slowly releasing a sense of dread and sadness within her when she heard the strain in Cinder's voice.

"For...years I supplied criminals and paying customers with illegal weapons, Dust and drugs until my name struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it…But when it reached the authorities they knew that I would be the link that could lead them to my mother. We were nearly impossible to track, but hiding became difficult when Winter Schnee was assigned to our case."

There was no stopping the silent gasp that escaped Ruby's lips and Cinder found herself pulled into a memory so vivid that she would've thought it to be real if it wasn't for the calming presence next to her.

'No where left to run Fall!'

" …And when they had us…cornered in a warehouse stacked with crates full of reactive Dust crystals, she decided that she'd rather dig her own grave than be caught."

"Cinder..."

"…When that Schnee had me closing in on a dust reactor…I didn't know that… but when I…"

"It's okay." The girl turned around to face the other before wrapping her in a one armed hug. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

Cinder let out a heavy sigh and her shoulders visibly relaxed as if a heavy burden has been lifted off her. "It's been three years since that accident, but when I least expect it the memories find me again."

"I'm sorry...I didn't know." The girl mumbled and when Ruby found Cinder's eye again the woman had a bittersweet smile on her lips.

"Don't be...you had no way of knowing and I…didn't want you to… see me like that." She confessed and lazily started to brush the strands of hair out of Ruby's face.

"Is it…always that bad?" Ruby wondered. Was this episode better than the previous ones…or were they getting worse? Did it happen often? She couldn't stop the questions from flooding her mind and she suddenly remembered the allergy pills that Cinder left out that one day. Was it really for that..or something else? Did she have anxiety, stress, PTSD? But before Ruby could come to an answer ,the woman pulled her away from those thoughts with a warm hand cupping her cheek.

"You just caught me on a bad day I'm afraid. No need to worry."

Cinder was relieved when she saw Ruby's agonized expression grow soft. This girl was always burdening herself with her worry for others. The last thing she wanted was to see that lively glint in her eye, be stomped out by those burdens.

"But I do have to worry about you." She insisted, tone unwavering as she held Cinder's gaze. The woman couldn't help but wonder how it happened. How in over the course of a few months a chance meeting by had grown into…something.

"That's what you do when you care about someone..."

The girl somehow slipped in between the small cracks in the walls that she had built around herself, but could she trust Ruby to come closer? Trust her to be there when her mask started to crack and peel off, revealing the broken person she was underneath?

"…You worry about them when they are hurt." But when she looked into Ruby's eyes, shining so bright with sincerity Cinder knew that she could. She could trust Ruby.

"I don't want you to."

The woman just couldn't find it within to trust herself to let Ruby come that close.

The words formed a crease in her brow, not fully comprehending what those words meant but the girl pushed it aside for now. All that mattered was making Cinder feel better.

"Will you at least let me cheer you up?" The girl offered, voice hopeful as she put on her best puppy dog face. But all she got was an eyebrow raised in question.

"It'll be fun I promise." A small smile played at Cinder's lips, wondering what she had in store once Ruby look hold of her hand and gently ushered her out of the room.

"Come on...let's make you some pancakes..."

Their first few meetings and interactions after Cinder's incident were a bit awkward in the beginning, but that was to be expected since neither of the two women knew exactly where they stood with each other. Cinder had opened up to someone like she was done never before and in her mind that made them more than just acquaintances or even friends. So what were they?

Even with all the questions swirling around in her mind, the two of them continued to see each other and not just for tutoring either. In fact most of the times it were just to 'hang out and stuff' as Ruby had said.

Cinder had come to cherish these moments with Ruby…wherever they might be, it brought the woman moments of peace and happiness in her…complicated life. Since their first meeting Ruby had undoubtedly worn off on her and while debateable in terms of whether she should be concerned, the opposite was also true. She had noticed that Ruby started to speak and act more confidently around her, but of course it didn't take much teasing ,although playful, to turn her into a blushing, stuttering mess.

So with the girl's influence on her it should only be natural that Cinder would want to repay her for all the things she had done for her. Even if those things were making time to spend with her. But it was more than a settlement of debt. Cinder didn't want to return the gesture because she felt like she needed to, rather because she wanted to.

'Ruby, are you at all busy next Friday?'

'Nope not really, why?'

'I was hoping you'd accompany me on a date.'

'A d-date?'

'Only if you want to that is.'

'Yes! Ah..I mean yes…That'd be great.'

But planning it was much more difficult than she had anticipated. Usually Cinder would just go to the most well known restaurant in the city, this time it was not the same as her source of 'income' was not as it had been years ago. Even if she could afford a meal at the best restaurant in Vale, it wouldn't feel right. It would feel…more for her. Cinder didn't want that, she wanted this to be for Ruby, but a stop at a casual fast food chain wouldn't have the desired effect.

Dropping hints Blake's way wasn't that either as the girl couldn't really tell her something that she didn't know herself. Of course Ruby assured her that she'd be happy no matter where they went.

In the end all Cinder could do was hope that what she came up with would be adequate.

The Friday of their first official date came much to quick.

Currently it was only a few minutes before Cinder was due to arrive and pick her up and Ruby couldn't have been more nervous. She had been running scenarios and conversation topics through her mind non stop while Yang was busy fishing out something for her to wear.

In the end they decided on a simple red and black dress, not too flashy, the most comfortable and basically the only thing that still fitted her. The girl doubted that the day would ever come when she and Yang could share clothes.

"Chill out Rubes it's just a date." Her sister assured with a wide grin and a half hug - half affectionate pat on her shoulder, nearly throwing the girl off her feet as she struggled to keep her balance.

"Yaaang be careful." She scolded, flailing her arms and wobbling on the black heels that were barely three inches high. "I still don't know how to walk in these…stilts."

Suddenly she wished that she had asked Weiss about how to walk in them or at least practised beforehand. Instead she convinced herself that walking in heels would be a piece of cake, unfortunately for her…it wasn't.

"You know I'm sure Cinder wouldn't mind you going on your date with those pump shoes or something." Her father offered as he exited the front door, scratching his head as he didn't quite know what to say.

Ruby smiled at him before her gaze dropped shyly to the pavement. "Yeah I know but..."

This was something different than a casual get together. It was a date and whether they were official or not, Ruby wanted to put a little more effort into it than she did during their usual outings.

"Looks like someone's in looooveee." Yang jested as she elbowed her sister playfully, Ruby blushing in return and trying her best to hide it as she looked away.

"N-no I'm not." The girl stuttered, her frown curling her lip into a pout.

Two laughed heartedly as Tai wrapped a hand around his youngest's shoulder and squeezing affectionately. His cerulean eyes glinted with amusement as he spoke.

"First let us meet the girl… we can talk about marriage proposals when your mom comes back." He too joined in Yang's harmless teasing and the older of the sisters giggled in return.

"Dad!" By now Ruby refused to look either in the eye as she defensively crossed her arms before her, groaning in protest when he shook her gently as if to cheer her up.

"I'm just teasing Ruby." But before Tai Yang could say anything else, a cab rolled into view, slowly coming to a halt on the side of the street. Ruby instantly perked and her heart got a jumpstart.

When the cab came to a complete halt there was a moment where Ruby didn't breathe at all, but whether it was because she forgot or because it was taken away by the her date's presence the girl didn't know. Dressed in a midnight gown decorated with ashen patterns twisting down the fabric, Cinder made her way up the driveway of the Rose- Xiao Long household as her hips swayed to the rhythmic 'click' 'click'of her heels.

Ruby was at a complete loss of words and when she caught Cinder's smouldering gaze it felt like her heart was going to explode with how fast it was beating. The girl wanted to say something, tell her how beautiful she looked but all she could muster was empty words to which the other smiled before turning her attention to Tai Yang.

"You must be Cinder." He stated, smiling warmly at her and offering a hand.

"Mr. Xiao Long." She breathed, gloved hand shaking his own with a firm, yet gentle grip. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I do apologize that it hasn't been sooner."

There seemed to be a bit of strain in her voice and for a moment Ruby wished that she'd introduced them to each other earlier. Surely it would've been less awkward for everyone. But still Ruby's father exerted a warm and calming presence as he spoke in between chuckles. "Please, mister is way too formal… just call me Tai, the pleasure is all mine." It caught Cinder off guard for a but somehow she should've expected it. "Glad to hear you've been keeping my little girl out of trouble."

At the mention of her date, Cinder's gaze drifted towards Ruby. There was a knowing smile on her lips that the girl returned with red faced embarrassment. "That's hardly true Mr. Xiao Long, Ruby is a pleasure to have around."

"Is she now?" Tai raised an eyebrow at his daughter and Yang couldn't stop the giggles that escaped her. "I'm glad to hear that." For a moment there was a period of silence, but with a clap of his hands Tai kept it from becoming uncomfortable. "Well I hate to keep you ladies waiting, I'm sure you'd rather be off on your date."

Cinder nodded and when she extended her hand towards Ruby, the girl wasted no time in taking it and wobbled over to her side. The woman watched the sight with amusement before turning her attention back to Tai.

"Is there an appointed time when I should have Ruby back home?"

He replied with a shake of his head and casual wave as he looked at his daughter. "Don't worry about the timing, you two enjoy yourselves... Just make sure you send your old man a text of when you'll be back…or sleeping over if…that's how it goes." He added and nervously scratched the back of his head. Yang instantly burst out laughing.

"Dad!" Ruby scolded, heating up under all the gazes.

"I'll be sure to have her back before midnight." Cinder interjected, amusement clear in her tone but Ruby was glad that she said something. "Shall we get going?"

Before either could do so, Yang stepped forward, her expression dark and eyes narrowed, almost glowing with intensity. "Just remember that if you hurt my little sister I'll beat you to a pulp." She warned and slammed her fist into her palm for emphasis.

Cinder was unfazed as she looked the woman over. "I wouldn't expect anything less." The gave Tai an acknowledged nod. "It was a pleasure Mr. Xiao Long...little Xiao Long." And Yang a teasing smile as they headed back to the cab waiting for them.

One was confidently striding and the other half wobbling half holding on before they got into the vehicle and drove off, leaving both Xiao Longs in a moment of silence before Tai Yang let out a whistle.

"Man…Where did Ruby find that girl?"

"Ah gross dad!"

The moment that Ruby got into the car she let out a sigh, slouching deep into her chair. "Why did that have to be so awkward?" With the only thing catching her attention being Cinder's amused tone. "Apologies. I wasn't quite sure what to expect myself."

"Oh nononono." The girl insisted, assuring Cinder that it had nothing to do with her, then realising that she was probably making her nervous as well. "You were good… great…you look great. It's just my dad that keeps embarrassing me and stuff. But you're fine… more than fine."

Ruby didn't know if her frantic mumbling was doing any good but she was relieved when she saw the woman smile in return. "Thank you." Only then getting the chance to appreciate the girl's appearance as her gaze swept over her. "You look lovely as well." The woman breathed, darkening Ruby's blush when she shifted closer next to her.

She couldn't bring it upon herself to look directly at Cinder but Ruby wasn't particularly fond of the idea of not looking either.

"You're staring little Rose." The woman mused, enjoying the look for pure surprise when the girl realised her eyes were still on the other. "S-sorry." She stuttered and quickly turned her head to look out the window. "So uhm where are we going?" She asked, hoping that Cinder would forget the fact that she was just caught ogling her.

"Still as impatient as ever I see." The woman teased, amusement clear in her eye when she saw that Ruby was still quite embarrassed. "We'll be there in a few minutes, no need to worry..."

When they did arrive it was at a small restaurant near the waterfront of Vale. Inside the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, well decorated but the aesthetic not overly fancy in Ruby's eye. In fact it was really nice and after being seated within the first two minutes the girl knew that Cinder had gone to a lot of trouble in planning this date. It made both a mixture of warmth and anxiety brew in her stomach.

"So tell me…have you dated before?" Cinder asked as she took a sip of her water, deeming it as good a topic as any to start the night with.

Ruby thought for awhile but shook her head with a shrug. "Nah not really I mean…I've been on a few dates before but never officially y'know. I guess you could say I never had the guts to make the first move." She finished with a nervous chuckle as she smoothed out a few stands of stray hair.

Relationships, especially official ones were never her strong suit. Perhaps it was the sudden worry of somehow messing things up that kept her away…not being good enough.

"I find that hard to believe." Cinder inquiringly raised an eyebrow at the girl. "After all relationships go both ways, don't they?"

"Yeah I guess you're right." The girl agreed and found herself wishing that she had had gone one more dates before. Maybe then she wouldn't be so nervous and unsure of what to say while drinking more water as an attempt to run topics through her mind.

"Have you? Dated I mean."

"Once or twice but those relationships never lasted very long." For a second she seemed to be lost in thought as she ran her fingertips along the smooth edge of the glass. "…I suppose you could say we both wanted different things out of it."

Although that might have been putting it lightly.

In the past most who claimed to be interested weren't because of her, but rather in what she could give. They only used her and when Cinder could see profit in a similar goal she would entertain the idea for a while. That was until she saw no use in them anymore, then she would simply cast them aside without a second thought. And so the cycle of using and being used continued, a warped game of cat and mouse that Cinder eventually grew tired of.

After which she decided that relationships simply weren't worth her trouble. But now…as she looked at Ruby, Cinder found herself wondering when that mindset had changed.

"Ah that's too bad, you'd make a great girlfriend." Ruby quipped and smiled warmly at the other woman with a soft blush growing on her cheeks. It caught Cindecr of guard, something that the girl was gradually getting better at.

"Oh? Do tell." But even so that didn't stop Cinder from firing back a reply ,smirking slyly to herself when Ruby once again became a stuttering mess.

"W-well I mean you're super smart and talented and nice….and also super pretty sooo...yeah." She finished awkwardly, gaze wandering about before widening in surprise when she heard the woman's soft chuckle.

"You flatter me Ruby."

The girl giddily shuffled in her seat, cheeks a glowing red after realising that she just made Cinder laugh a little.

"I try."

It was then when the waiter finally came to serve them their drinks. Glass of red for Cinder and a strawberry milkshake for Ruby, that the girl nearly halved within her first sip.

"Have you eaten here before?" Ruby asked as she took hold of a menu, eyes flying over the dishes listed with a slight frown on her features. "I'm not really sure what to order."

"I was hoping you'd know, I've never been here myself." The woman admitted before turning to the waiter. "Any recommendations?"

"This evening have a special on our fillet. We also serve an excellent range of pasta dishes, of which the seafood is which we are most known for."

"Ooooh." Ruby's eyes instantly shifted to the picture of the dish described and Cinder couldn't help but to crack a small smile.

"I think it's settled then." With that said the woman handed him the menus and he left with a polite smile and curt nod. Leaving the two women in a moment of silence.

"So how was your first year at University?" Ruby asked after finishing her milkshake in just a few gulps. "Blake and Weiss keep telling me how glad they are that they finally finished with exams." Cinder then watched amused as the girl tried to wipe the residue off her face.

"For the most part…Uneventful." The woman then grabbed a napkin of her own and wiped away the blotches of pink that the girl had missed. "But I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't anything worth noting." When Cinder was done she smirked at the girl before her, wide eyed and her ears completely red. "After all I did meet you, didn't I?"

And when her fingers slid down to cup her chin between thumb and forefinger, Ruby's mind struck a blank. She could hear a faint and distinctive wheeze of a kettle boiling on a stove but then again it probably was her brain. Desperately trying to scramble words around to form a sentence.

"An-and I met you too." The moment Ruby uttered those words her mind flashed back to that day and she was reminded that they had known each other for months now. They had gone from complete strangers to Ruby wanting to call her a friend. Knowing that…it made her sigh internally with relief and when her anxiousness came to pass, she smiled warmly at the other. "So I guess it was a pretty great year for both of us."

Cinder's eye widened slightly in surprise but it's shock slowly faded into something softer as she leaned back, voice now more than a breath as she spoke."You never seem to stop surprising me, Ruby."

The girl giggled in return and closed her eyes as she grinned back at Cinder. "I guess that just means that I have to compliment you more."

Ruby's grin had to be contagious for the woman found herself returning it as her the girl's words rang through her mind. Without meaning to a delicate pink blush started to dust her cheeks. It was the first time since Cinder could remember. As she reached to take another sip of her glass the woman hoped that Ruby wouldn't notice while trying to regain her composure, tone cool and even as she spoke.

"Are you looking forward to your last year in high school?"

Just like that Ruby's forehead found the table as she crossed her arms, letting out a dissatisfied groan.

"Ugh."

For what must've been the umpteenth time that night Cinder found herself smiling at her date's antics as she let out a chuckle.

"It seems like we have a common reaction."

With a pout on her lips Ruby's eyes found Cinder's as she let out a sigh, fingers playing absentmindedly with the napkin on the table. "It's just gonna be haaard and I don't know what I'm gonna do and I'll probably need to get an part time job if I wanna go study the year after that."

It was then when Cinder's hand found Ruby's, gently cupping it in an attempt to put the girl at ease.

"No need to worry, I'm sure if you work hard you'll be able to pull it off. Who knows…maybe you'll have a scholarship coming your way."

Ruby's gaze shifted to the hand covering hers and then back to Cinder. The smile on her face different than all of her previous ones, not enthusiastic but rather endearing in a way, the woman couldn't quite place it.

"You sound like you were super good in high school, like you got all the prizes and trophies and stuff."

Cinder couldn't help but to playfully scoff at the notion and strangely she was able to look back at those memories with bittersweet nostalgia. "Unfortunately I was quite the delinquent." She now had a different perspective. For a moment the woman was caught up in how drastically her life changed in but a few years. "That is before I came back and decided to get my life on track."

Ruby looked confused, but then her silwer eyes lit up with realization. "Oh yeah you had to finish high school first…" The girl blinked once..twice. When she tried to think back her mind struck a blank. "Wait how old are you?"

Embarrassment. There really wasn't another word for it. Ruby felt like a complete…dolt when she realised that she never once asked Cinder about that at all. But on the other side of the table Cinder instantly started to chuckle. "Don't let your father hear that."

She couldn't blame the girl for asking, the topic never came up before and she never felt the need to mention it either so Ruby's question shouldn't be surprising. With an amused glint in her eye the woman took another sip of her wine. "I am turning twenty one this year."

The girl let out a groan as she rested her forehead against the table once more. "How do I not know when your birthday is? I mean you know mine sooo..." Then quickly looking up at the other. "When is it? I have to know!"

Cinder paused for a moment, watching with mirth as the girl listen intently, determined to never forget it.

"The 25th of December."

"On Christmas!" She exclaimed with wonder, once again straight up in her chair. Nearby diners gave the girl questioning glances, but Ruby didn't seem to notice and Cinder paid them no mind. It was much more entertaining and adorable to see the girl fawn over something as simple as birthdays.

"Are you gonna throw a party?"

Truly a child at heart.

"…I stopped celebrating after sixteen."

Cinder would be lying, if she said that there weren't times when she wished that she still had a lingering sense of childish wonder.

"Aaaah nooo you have to, birthday parties are fun and tradition so you have toooo."

Perhaps then she would no longer look at the world with such cynicism, but then again blind optimism was hardly any better.

Still… she didn't have to cast it all away.

"Please? I'll bake you a cake."

And with Ruby she didn't have to.

"Only if I get to share it with you." The woman finally gave in and as if on cue, the waiter brought them their servings of food.

Two plates of steaming seafood pasta that looked absolutely mouth watering and Ruby had to remind herself that she was in a public place when she dug in.

"It seems like you worked up quite the appetite." The older woman remarked when Ruby finished her dish in the time that she got halfway through. The girl let out a contented sigh as she grabbed hold of her napkin yet again.

"That was the best pasta I had in like ever." Followed by a sheepish chuckle as she pointed to her face. "Did I get it all this time?"

"It seems so, yes and that's high praise coming from someone who can bake at the top of her head." The woman briefly remembered all the times Ruby insisted on making lunch when she visited. Honestly home cooking at its finest. "Were you self taught?"

"Well not exactly. When my mom comes back home from a mission we always bake together and when she's away I just bake things on my own or with Yang. Mom taught me a lot." The girl exclaimed and slowly her memories started to drift to that of her mother.

"She's in Vacuo, no?" Cinder was mindful of her questions as this was not familiar terrain.

The girl stopped for a moment to think. "Aaah yeah, she should be coming home in a few months so maybe you two could meet."

The thought brought along a sense of dread and when she looked at Ruby's glittering smile she couldn't help but to feel bad. She was judging a woman she had never met.

"I'm a bit hesitant to be honest, I doubt she'd find me…acceptable." But this wouldn't be the first time that she had gone to meet the parents…and having it end in a catastrophe.

"Nah she'd like you." Ruby insisted with a wave of her hand and although it brought her some sense of relief, Cinder was still sceptical. "Aaand she doesn't really have a choice cause I already like you."

The woman instantly cracked a sly grin at the comment, rising her brow inquiringly. "Is that so?" Her voice just above a whisper, successful in setting Ruby's cheeks on fire.

"Yeah…I mean not like that not like…like like- not that that there's anything wrong with that I'm sure that I can like like you…anyone can…but what I-oh no not again." She sighed in defeat, burrying her face into her hands as she tried to escape the embarrassment but Cinder's chuckle made it completely impossible. "You're too easy to tease Little Rose."

And so the rest of the night continued with them talking about everything and anything that came to mind and it grew to be a very enjoyable night.

"Well that was certainly satisfying." Cinder affirmed with contentment as she neatly placed her knife and fork down on her plate. Then turning to Ruby who had turned to a glass of wine. "I'm sure you still have an appetite for dessert?"

The girl grinned back at her and Cinder already knew the answer as it was the girl's favourite.

"You know there's actually the greatest ice cream place a few streets down from here." The girl commented and it quickly drew the other's attention.

"Oh?"

"Yeah the best part is that they're open until late so when Weiss, Blake and Yang go shopping all day I at least get to have some ice cream."

"You should take me there sometime."

"Yeah that'd be great!" Her eyes instantly lit up with barely contained excitement.

"Then it's settled." Cinder stated and mentioned for the waiter to bring her the bill.

"I mean we don't have to go right now." Ruby insisted and a pout quickly formed on her features when she realised that she was probably sounding really selfish right now. "I don't wanna mess up your plans or anything."

But Cinder simply waved her off. "You're not messing anything up Ruby."

And after giving her a reassuring smile, the girl's worry instantly faded away, replaced by excitement.

"Then I'm gonna make sure you get the best ice cream ever!"

Cinder then quickly signed her bill and placed her card in the booklet while Ruby searched her hand bag for money. "Let me just get my-" Her dad even gave her some extra allowance for tonight.

"There's no need for that, Ruby."

Then the girl watched as the waiter took the booklet from her hands, half wanting to grab it before she turned back to the other.

"I- I couldn't let you cover everything." She stuttered while pushing some notes her way, but Cinder paid it no mind when she received her card back.

"I asked you out to dinner, didn't I?"

"Yeah but.." There was nothing that Ruby could say to change the woman's mind and shovelled the notes back into her handbag instead. "But next time I'm covering it." She insisted, tone unwavering and Cinder happily agreed with a nod as she got up.

"Of course."

When the two women stepped outside into the night the air was cool but not unpleasant and with no breeze in the air it was a perfect night to stroll around the waterfront. Everything around them was set alight, still buzzing with a warm yellow glow to it.

Ruby quickly checked her scroll, seeing that it was 10:24 before sending her dad a quick text, telling him that everything was going well.

"Where to Little Rose?" The woman breathed as she looked both ways down the street. Ruby thought for a moment, brow scrunching up in thought.

"Uhmm…this way." Then without looking twice she grabbed hold of her hand and started leading the way, Cinder happily following from behind. "So have you ever walked around Vale like this?"

"On a few occasions, but this would the first time that I've been to the waterfront." She admitted, gaze drifting from the passing couples, shops bathed in light then back to Ruby. "And that I've been accompanied."

Ruby grinned back at her. "Well I'm happy to show you around then." It was only then that the girl realised that she was still holding onto Cinder's hand, radiating a soft heat that slowly made it's way onto her cheeks. She timidly looked up at the woman next to her and Cinder smiled slightly when she felt the other's eyes on her. But she said nothing and for awhile the two of them walked in silence, listening to the incoherent chattering and laughs of people walking past and the rise and fall of the ocean nearby.

"So what's your favourite ice cream flavour." Ruby quipped once they came into a clearing, surrounded by shops with a glittering fountain situated in the middle.

"Mmmn that is quite a difficult question, but I suppose you can never go wrong with plain vanilla."

"One of the classics." Ruby nodded in agreement. "My favourite one is a triple scoop of chocolate, strawberry and caramel ice cream with chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows …with extra sprinkles."

Cinder chucked at the sound of what she guessed must be quite the spectacle and experimental treat.

"You sound like quite the connoisseur."

"There it is!" The girl exclaimed and Cinder could only watch in utter disbelief as Ruby ran towards the small ice cream shop. Nearly running into the glass door before stumbling inside while she trailed from behind. Breathing heavily her silver eyes darted from left to right, finding the place not as busy she would've expected. "You're…you're not closed right?"

The man behind the counter instantly recognised their most frequent and valued customer.

"Luckily not yet miss Rose." As he noticed her unusually formal clothing he was about to ask when Cinder stepped in, sauntering over to stand next to the girl. And that's when it clicked.

"What will it be for you ladies?"

Ruby didn't need asking twice. "I'll just have my usual thanks." She chirped and questioningly looked up at Cinder who was honestly at a loss, letting out a sigh as a smile touched her lips.

"Surprise me."

"She'll have the same." The girl ordered and Cinder didn't quite know whether she should be worried or not. Perhaps a bit for when the two of them were seated on a wooden bench outside, Cinder had no idea how she was going to finish her dessert.

The woman initially thought that it would be saccharine sweet, but found the mingling flavours quite enjoyable. Although she couldn't help but feel a tad childish, for once Cinder didn't mind... Ruby on the other hand had polished her treat long ago, now happily swinging her feet back and forward.

"You wouldn't mind helping me finish this?" She offered and the girl burst out in a fit of giggles at the sight of the dash of chocolate peeking out from the side of Cinder's mouth.

"Looks I found your weakness." She teased and took the cone from hands, then the napkin around it to dap off the stray splotch of ice cream. Cinder's eye widened in surprise at Ruby's action but softened again when she met her gaze. "That you have. I haven't had I've cream like that in quite some time."

"I'm glad then…that I could take you." The girl's eyes seemed to twinkle in the starlight in the sky.

"So am I."

For a while the two of them sat in comfortable silence, contempt with holding the other's hand. Ruby was in pure bliss, thinking about her amazing night as she listened to the distinct sound of a saxophone being played in the distance. It gradually grew louder and soon stray couples nearby started to sway along to the music.

Subconsciously Ruby started to tap her foot to the rhythm and Cinder smiled to herself before checking the time on her scroll. "It appears to be getting late, I should be taking you home soon."

Ruby's expression visibly fell as they got up from the bench, she was just starting to enjoy herself and didn't want to go home just yet. When they started walking, her silver eyes searched the area around them.

"Something bothering you Little Rose?"

"We should do one last thing." The girl insisted as she grabbed hold of Cinder's hand. "…Before we go."

There was that look in her eye again, completely unwavering but the pleading glint to it still remained. Cinder's attention drifted to the musician standing at the edge of the fountain before offering the girl her hand.

"In that case…may I have this dance?"

Ruby's blush darkened tenfold, shuffling on the spot. Dancing had completely slipped her mind and yet again she wished that she was a little bit more prepared, but wasn't about to deny the woman her request.

"Can I take my shoes off first?"

With a chuckle Cinder nodded and started leading her to a more open space, Ruby almost jumping at the touch of cool cobblestone under her feet.

"Okay uhm I don't really how to do this." She confessed shyly when Cinder placed Ruby's hands on her shoulders and her own on the woman's hips. Their sudden closeness sent a shiver down her spine, but Cinder seemed to be un phased and confident as ever.

"No need to worry, just follow my lead."

Cinder rook a slow step forward and then another, Ruby in turn took steps back. Then to the left and forward again, almost tripping over her own feet and she nearly knocked into her partner.

"S-sorry." But Cinder didn't say anything, gradually picking up the pace until both were gliding over the cobblestone pavement.

"Well look at you." Her amber eye shone with praise and pleasant surprise as she slowly twirled the girl around, following her movement seamlessly. "You're a natural."

Ruby smiled sheepishly in reply and looked down at her bare feet and the pair of heels in front of them. "I have no idea how anyone can do this in heels."

"There's not much to it Ruby...simply practice." And when Cinder drew the girl in closer they settled into a swaying rhythm with Ruby gently leaning against the other's chest. Her scent, a blossoming inferno, was warm and welcoming.

"Cinder?"

This time when they looked at each other there was no anxiety or nerves, simply peace and fondness.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Thanks." A single word. So simple. Still Cinder couldn't quite comprehend the meaning behind it. "And for what might you be thanking me?" To which the girl seemed unsure on how to reply as she shuffled on the spot.

"Y'know…taking me out on this date and I guess helping me and sticking with me this last few terms. I know I'm not really the most mature person out there."

Cinder wondered how many times those words had been said to her, how many times others had to change her. Why else would Ruby be thanking her for something as simple as that?

And yet there she was, loving, kind, trusting and always seeing the potential in others where Cinder would've though there to be none. Ruby was honestly too good for this world and the woman knew that she paled in comparison

If anything Cinder should be one thanking her.

Vale knows how many times she went down the wrong path in her life and continued to stray at times. But Ruby never...not once even considered giving up or cutting her out.

For that reason Cinder would always be grateful, even if she didn't say it. But that didn't mean that she didn't want to. There was so much that she wanted to say, but no amount of words would be able to express how she felt. Perhaps she too didn't quite understand what she was feeling.

"I think youthful is a better word, but I wouldn't want to you to be anything... anyone else." She gingerly cupped the girl's chin between her thumb and forefinger, titling her head just a bit so that she could stare at those shining silver orbs. "...Just you."

And when her lips brushed against the girl's forehead it was like she didn't need to say anything at all.

The soft touch sent an electric jolt down Ruby's spine, all of the blood in her body went up to her cheeks and her mind felt like it was going into overload, but even with all that was happening, Ruby understood. She understood Cinder like no one else. Not perfectly and not without patience and a bit of prodding.

Eventually the time came when simple curiosity turned into genuine interest and at times...concern. And the girl would continue to do so, to try and understand who Cinder is now and who she one was. In turn Ruby showed her both the good and the not so good in her life. Cinder was the only person who could touch her jagged edges without the fear of being cut, to look at the parts Ruby tried to hide without pity or scorn.

And when the girl looked up, Cinder's smouldering gaze was no longer guarded from her. It's unwavering intensity melted into a gentle warmth that seemed to ignite the girl's chest. The sensation was foreign to her, but she welcomed it. The woman stepped back and just like a few moments ago Ruby stepped forward before wrapping her in her arms.

Cinder was rigid at first until she slowly melted into the girl's tender affection, returning the embrace in kind. A smile graced her lips when Ruby's whispered words reached her and along with it, a new memory.

"Just you too."

Ruby never quite understood how her brain worked, but then again she pretty much over dosed on ice cream that night. But strangely this time...when she sat next to Cinder on their way back to the Rose - Xiao Long household, Ruby could do so with ease. The girl leaned against the other's shoulder while Cinder combed her fingers through Ruby's hair, a habit that was getting rather frequent, and both of them just felt so... relaxed, like it has been done countless time before.

Only this time Ruby could understand what she felt. Why it felt so different.

Over the last few months neither of the woman knew were they stood with one another. Cinder wasn't sure how much she could reveal about herself or how close she could come and Ruby in turn didn't know when she was overstepping a boundary. Navigating social cues and trying to decipher unsaid words had become... confusing to the girl. Now...after tonight... that kiss, that single kiss that made her heart flutter and fingers grace her forehead upon trying to remember it.

They finally understood that they were not strangers, not acquaintances and at times 'just friends' weren't accurate either, but that hardly mattered. What mattered is the possibility of what they could become...what they could mean to the other in the future.

And when the two women glanced back at their past memories together, flashing by in a blur of colour like the cars racing past, they couldn't help but to smile at how their relationship came to be.

All of it thanks to a chance meeting.

...a packet of cigarettes

...a few scoops of ice cream...

...Cookies and Cabernet.

[stainedglassmaiden]

spoilers ahead - okay - so i just watched the siren on xfinitystream.

im so disappointed - or maybe ive just gotta think harder about it/watch the ending again - because it wasnt a common kind of style of a movie, and during most of it, i felt like it was going somewhere interesting . but thenn, at the end like in the last 5-10 minutes, idk, there were flashbacks or fantasies or something, i wasnt suree what was real or not, and it made the end confusing, and there be wayy less closure than i feel like there could have been!!! cause i feelll like maybee if they picked maybe onee of the confusing scenes/fantasies or something at the end, it could’ve made the closure and whole movie seem like 40% better and have more of a clear message. ughhh! they were soo close to having something interesting [and good+clear]!

some ppl had very negative reviews of it, because they didnt understand how the details related, but i think those were some of the most significant parts, and found how i thought they related, to explain and explore some themes in the story.

--

so the movies about a young man, whod never been in love and is mute and v christian, who is taking a break from his life in the church, to stay at a cabin on a lake. [although he had lost his voice in the first place when he was drowned type thing when he was young]. and his neighbor is a man whos lookin kinda rough, cause he lost his husband to what he thinks is a folklore of a monster in this lake, who drowned the husband. so now, this widower wants to find the monster and get revenge and kill the monster. and the background is, that the monster is supposed to be a woman based on like a siren [bc of the title] orr? -a slavic myth of a woman whos undead and haunts a body of water where she had drowned herself when she was unhappy with her husband/was heartbroken.

-

so! i thought it was unique bc it was a very simple set, and not much dialogue probs cause the man was mute, but that was alright with me! it wasnt uncomfortablyy quiet. it was fun for a rainy day, like a little melancholy and a little spooky and a little lovesick . idkk, it was a moodd, if youre in that mood lols, and want solidarity with a movie.

fun how they had diversity, with an asian woman playing the siren - you dont see much asian representation in western movies. and a gay man just casually thrown in there, not a big deal, which is also cool uncommon diversity representation a little bit . andd likee, ability-diversity with a mute character, and its not like a big deal, but maybe people like that would like to see people like their own selves reflected/represented in movies tooo, so they dont feel on the outsidee of the realm of “kinds of people who can be starred as kinds of movie characters” usually, you know? :).

-

some details that other people thought werent relevant and annoyingly random, were things that i thought weree very interesting and related to a message of the movie!

-like i thought the music was significant. it was this very like, etherial possibly what would you call it - like monk like, cathedral echo-y singing. you  know how theres that kind of music like in cathedrals? etherial? -andd its like the kind of music that sirens are traditionally thought to sing. like echo-y and kinda haunting. so i thought that tied the siren and the religious mute characters together. andd they were falling in love anyway. andd it sounds haunting-y and theyre both kindaa haunted by stuff in the back of their minds, like she, by her curse and her lost love in the past or whatever, and she wishes she could come back to land and be normal, but this curse is keeping her in the water - and him, by whether he should return to his church or not - since he had gotten a phone message from them saying like, dont strayyy from the churchh and dont sinnn come back to us!

thenn, i dont think his mute-ness is random either. i think it signifies the theme of like, misunderstanding and miscommunication [and how that can be frustrating]. like how she is frustrated bc shes seen as a monster [and is one] but shes also, sometimes just a normal girl, when the curse isn’t taking a hold of her. and the widower thoughtt he misunderstood her, when he wasnt sure if she wass actually the monster, because sometimes, she just acts like a lady, and he felt sorry that he was blaming her, since he was like, “theres probs no such thing as monsters, shes probs justt a normal lady”.

thenn, i dont think him being gay was random either i guess . people were annoyed about all these random choices about the characters’ characteristics, because they seemed random and distractingly irrelevant. but i think its relevant because idk i thought maybe because sirens were originally supposed to lure menn to their graves. so it makes it easier for him maybe, and more believeable that he wouldnt be able to be more focused, to try to kill her, and not be lured. even if it wouldnt literallyy work, maybe its just supposed to be symbolicc for their repellant -rather than luring - relationship.

something lacking in love - is another theme i think it was cool how they explored it in different ways. like how the mute man had never been in love, and when talking about that, the neighbor was like, “i dont know if i should feel sorry about that or not. can you imagine that?!”. and even when he did nearly get love with the siren, they could never really comfortablyy be alll the way in each others’ worlds, either on land or in the water. -not on land, because she has to always have atleast part of her body in the water, so shes always just kinda soggily, uncomfortably, sitting on the edge of the dock. they cant comfortably be in the water either, because firstly, he doesn’t know how to swim/is afraid of getting in the water, since thats how hed lost his voice as a child - and, because i guess the curse starts to take control of her when shes near other people when theyre in the water, and she needs to drown them. and, how both the other couples had had love, but then i guess they either lost their partner, or it ended in heartbreak.

it made me sad but was moving in a good way, how when she wasnt feeling the siren curse, they did try their best to change to be able to hang out. like she triedd to resist the curse and climbb out of the water to join him on land (although it didnt work). and how since she couldnt come out, hed lie on the dock withh her so she could stilll put her foot in the water. that was cute and thoughtful.

v low lighting though. like, i know we’re trying to make it spooky and a bummer, but also, i can barely see what youre doing. ever heard of likee, idk, a gray or dark blue filter for the camera, so its like the illusionn of night time, but doesnt actuallyy make things too obscure to see things?!

the choices of casting were nice though. i feel like the mute man and siren had chemistry you can feel, evenn if they couldn’t even talk much!.

the ending couldvee been clever. i just didnt really understand. but there wass a flashback or fantasy where idk, i think it was the mute man ended up becoming a siren tooo! (you could tell because his eyes became as big and dark as herss when she was under the curse being a siren), and then that was cooll cause thenn they were shown just bothh being sirenss in her little cove in the waterr, so they couldd be happy and togetherr all the time actuallyy, in the water! thatd’ve been a nice ending. although they would have to explain why hes a siren now, cause they hadn’t. i guess hed have to drown himself or get drowned, with/from a broken heart, just like she did, to become one. but why would his heart be broken, cause theyre ablee to hang out pretty much, when shes nott a siren, and shes not dead ..

butt, they did just end the movie (spoiler!) with him deciding to leave the lake (i didnt understand why?), and when he leaves, she seen kinda swimming up in the distance, to/towards his empty cabin. maybe thats just saying, “and thenn, they were never ablee to be together anywayy, and itd alwayss be like this imagee for them - how it was in the first place, with him on just on land, and herr, only and forever just kinda stuck lurkingg in the distancee, in the waterr - tooo far away from him/remote/[misunderstood! -and cant fix that [monster part] about herself] - to ever really be with him for real. :(.

hm. so i think idk, either make it clearerr, which of these endings are just fantasies,/why, or just choose onee of them, and committ to thatt message. for the movie. lols. orr if you choose the ending where he becomes a siren too, you gotta explain why that happened better.

plus, (spoiler) when the widower got killed and joined his husband at the bottom of the lake, i feel like that couldve been used to say something significant or to bring something full circle or make a point of some kind. but it didnt, so.. i kind of dont understand why that was done. although i cant think of a better ending for that character, and cant think of how else his story could’ve played out - because either he has to get killed by the siren, he has to kill the siren, or he has to never be able to catch and kill the siren - but either way, idk howw youd make eitherr of these possible endings come to an interesting and satisfying solution, for the scheme of the rest of the movie’s story. i guessss its kindaa cool that atleastt he ended up with his husband againn.. [at the bottom of the lake..] which is kinda dark - but its like , ..so ? that wasnt even his/the goal..!

so yea. i like this movie. its quiet and oddly sweet and kinda moody, which sometimes youre actually in the mood to watch. just kinda chilly. and spooky and nostolgic. im just frustrating cause i felt like it was onto something brilliant, then the ending was kinda noncommital and a flop.

but it seemed kinda thoughtful and cool how it was somethingg about like - the themes of frustration, misunderstanding, things not quitee fitting together in life, longing. which are things that arent usuallyy the point of most movies, so it was cool to get to reflect on those things [in media], uncommonly/for once, through watching this one.

[maybe the point/message of this movie was: Sometimes, you just try your best to make things work out (from the various examples of this being tried throughout the movie), but its okay to be sad and bummed when it doesn’t work out how you wanted it too, because that is how it has to end up sometimes (likethe husbands wanted to be together - and they didnt quite get what they wanted cause they didd end up together - but it was when theyre Dead at the bottom of the lake, -or how the siren wantss to overcome her curse, by healing and moving on from her previously broken heart, by trying to overcome riskss to fall in love againn with a neww man, and defying the curse trying to climb out of the water - but (for some reason?) sometimes, i guess thats just a fantasy, like all their flashbacks. so now shes just gonna be soggy and dripping and uncomfortable (physically and emotionally) in her humans clothes (not like, traditionally fun and comfortable and alluring like how mermaids who weree made to originallyy belong in the water, look.), just watching her potential [future] lovers and things she thoughtt were opportunitiess to heal from the curse, pass her by on land - while she watches them from very far away in the water. [im not suree how the mute one fits in to this message perfectly - but i guess maybe hes just the accessory to the siren’s part of the message].

[attina-the-responsible]

Tails, Boobs, and Second Dates ~*~ [Mersisters]

In which Attina has a second date and needs to share it with the troops

[feat. Andrina, Adella, Arista, Aquata, Alana. Ariel in spirit. <3]

@andrina-the-amazingsupergenius, @adella-the-romantic, @arista-the-musical, @aquata-the-bold, @alana-the-badbitch

Attina UPDATE: I GOT AN INVITE TO DATE TOO i mean he's calling them challenges but pretty sure that's the same thing. Attina also *two im excited dont judge me

Aquata is this the shit you guys were all talking about while I was gone?

Alana time to break out the lingerie

Adella oh my god atty do you own lingerie

Attina OMG AQUATA you don't know about paul wow okay where do i start.

Arista Ohhhh challenges I like it

Andrina wow is he going to make you walk a tightrope over fire

Attina of course i own lingerie it makes me feel pretty

Andrina or like a hot dog eating contest Andrina swallowing knives

Adella that doesn't sound as cute as hopscotch

Andrina hula hooping tbh

Aquata you all sent so many messages did you really think I was gonna be able to get through them all?

Attina oh i hope not, i'd take the tightrope over fire over hot dog eating

Alana hula hooping on fire

Andrina walking on a tightrope Andrina while eating hotdogs

Attina WeLL what else are you going to do in your downtime Attina my love live is VERY IMPORTANT

Alana life

Attina thank you alana what would i do without you

Adella super important

Attina thanks dell

Aquata so are you going to give me the spark notes version of this or what?

Alana tldr, aqua: atty got a boys number they went on a date Alana it went well Alana woohoo

Attina a HOPSCOTCH date it was so cute

Adella lol

Alana each and every decision, of course, needs a conference Alana hence why we are here

Aquata ...hopscotch?

Attina of course

Arista He's got two kids. Have you met the kids are they cuuuute? Is the next challenge meeting the kids????

Aquata alright whatever not judging, let's dive in

Alana oh yeah he's a daddy Alana atty got herself a daddy

Attina oh goodness i hope he doesn't just spring the children on me.

Adella the children Adella he has more than one?

Arista he said challenge though and springing children is a challenge. They're kinda heavy

Alana super daddy

Attina he's got twins dell just like you! except a boy and a girl

Aquata alright so date two...?

Arista Dell has twins?

Alana oh you didnt know?

Adella wow how weird would it have been if one of us was a boy

Attina RIGHT get this!

Alana she keeps them in your closet

Adella ris jfc

Arista but like twin what?

Adella US WE ARE TWINS

Arista is she keeping twin puppies in my close--oh Arista riiiight

Attina /Simba/ came into the shoppe and had a note tied onto Bowie's collar asking me to the lakeside for idk hopefully a picnic or something! but i have no idea what. he said date two was goingto be an obstacle course but i'm like 70% sure he was kidding.

Arista aw it was a doggy note

Adella what's sim and bowie got to do with it

Aquata well I mean you did hopscotch so an obstacle course is in the realm of possibilities

Attina yeah i dunno if the whole collar thing was simba's idea or paul's, could be either tbh

Andrina best wear kneepads, elbow pads, and a helmet just in case t b q h

Aquata did hopscotch? play hopscotch? Aquata I don't know how the hell you say that

Attina play?

Alana wow

Arista oh what if its like one of those obstacles courses they had on the Bachelorette the other night where they test your kid skills

Attina my kid skills?

Aquata And the Waboom guy drowned the baby.

Adella oh my god

Arista and still won. Which was so UNFAIR

Alana extreme breastfeeding

Attina alana.

Aquata Kenny deserved to win tbh

Adella ew

Attina noT helPING

Alana that's a skill

Andrina oh yeah wear a really busty t-shirt

Arista he totally did. Wow Aquata we need to watch on Monday together

Alana hey can we breastfeed

Andrina it will activate his dad senses

Attina I'm not going to show off my breasts.

Alana i legit don't know

Aquata I had to make my roommates watch it with me in London, they were not thrilled.

Attina we're mammals of course we can breast feed

Aquata ALRIGHT BACK ON TRACK THOUGH

Adella wait what do you mean can we

Aquata DATE TWO Aquata OBSTACLE COURSE

Alana have you seen a mermaid breastfeed Alana because I DO NOT REMEMBER

Arista OH right! as I was saying on the Bachelorette they had like vaccumming races and like changing diaper races and stuff

Attina I /really/ hope it's not an obstacle course. hey aqua think you can go in my place? There is no way i'm getting through an obstacle course.

Adella i assume we were breastfed?

Attina we were della.

Alana nice good to know

Adella see atty remembers

Alana i hear some people are into adult lactation

Aquata Yeah, I'll just sneak in when it's time to run it. He definitely won't notice the change in appearance

Adella yikes

Alana wear a wig aqua

Aquata I'm not wearing a fucking wig.

Attina yes! exactly.

Aquata let alone running in one

Attina aw c'mon! true love could be at stake!!

Arista does anyone ever think that like... its super unnatural for us to drink milk because you're like breastfeeding from a cow like baby cows need that

Aquata just dye your hair

Adella wow true love Adella this escalated quickly

Alana tell me more ris

Adella no ris

Alana have you thought about becoming vegan

Attina dye /my/ hair no thank you. i love my hair.

Andrina i geniunely cannot concentrate on this conversation Andrina the fuck are we talking about cows

Arista I mean I have. I'm already a vegetarian

Attina ALSO it's not true love /yet/ but it /could/ be that's why i said /could/

Alana you mean it wasnt at first sight

Adella bummer

Alana *gasp*

Aquata I'm sorry but I'm still not wearing a wig

Alana ris if u switch to soy or almond milk then baby cows can have more cow milk!

Arista wait is it bad that I didn't like love Van at first sight, is that a thing guys

Adella almond milk is yummy

Attina ugh. fine. i'll just have to keep my fingers crossed for no obstacle course.

Alana i dont date anyone unless i fall in love wtih them on first sight

Aquata No it is not a bad thing.

Alana hence why i have not dated anyone

Adella lana's just being a jerk ris

Attina and it's not bad arista, sometimes love takes a while.

Andrina i only date cows

Arista okay, cause like I could definitely I'm just like not ready yet

Aquata just make sure that if it's a race it's in a pool because then I can wear a cap. Problem solved

Attina oh! well we'll be at the lake so, but i mean i could take paul in a race if we were just swimming pfft he's /human/

Arista I dunno, swim caps aren't cute. Like no offense Aquata but its like weird looking

Alana i think she looks rather fetching in her swim cap

Adella you could find a cute one i'm sure

Aquata They make fun ones Ris

Alana it brings out her cheekbones and face structure when her hair's not a mess

Attina though i mean wait what if he /does/ ask to go in the water that's like--i should pretend i can't swim or something right i just that freaks me out we shouldn't do that oh god i didn't actually think about this at all he wants to go down to the /lake/

Aquata thanks lana

Alana i read "he wants to go down" Alana and i was like "bow chicka chicka"

Aquata Do you want me to be on standby for the lake just in case?

Attina ugh i dunno is that weird? if you're just like...hanging around? though he hasn't met you yet so maybe that's a good thing he wouldn't know

Arista Maybe you guys should have like walkie talkies.... or text each other... but walkie talkies are more fun

Alana lurk in a bush Alana we also have phones Alana modern day walkie talkies

Attina walkie talkies /are/ fun but bulky but i can't be on my phone that's rude!

Aquata then just like send me a signal or something

Arista I dunno you could always say its a "sister emergency" he should understand what he's getting into with all of us

Andrina just do ur hair super nice and then if he's like dur dur dur lets go in the lake be all "but my HAIR"

Adella keep a pigeon nearby

Andrina then flash him some tit, you're good to go

Adella tie a lil message to its leg

Alana or make up mhm

Attina i don't want him to think i'm /vapid/

Arista I dunno his ex seems kinda like that, he's probs used to it

Attina also dell that's a brilliant idea know of any pigeons that'll help out? oh! what if i asked one of the fish! they could tell you aquata.

Alana or you can say you cant swim

Attina wait ris do you know his ex???

Andrina oh here we go

Aquata that's what I was kind of getting at? That I just like, stay in the lake and I'll be able to see you guys

Adella oh no

Arista I know Roger who is his best friend who knows his ex

Alana oooo spill the tea

Aquata oh god Ris why

Attina wait you know roger?! he mentioned him on our date. is he nice?

Alana that's that dog walker bloke with the hair right

Adella i think so

Alana he works at the record shop Alana i think?

Adella yeah him

Arista Yeah he's super nice! We've worked on some music together

Attina yeah yeah i've run into him once or twice but that was before i didn't really get a read

Alana he has a nice butt

Arista I didn't look at his butt. He's usually sitting at a piano

Adella wow

Andrina is it better or worse than paul's butt Andrina bc not too late attina could switch london blokes

Attina paul has a /very/ nice butt, i got to watch as he drew chalk for like three minutes.

Adella also wow

Andrina [highfive emoji]

Attina 😉

Alana okay back to Alana EX???

Adella dun dun DUN

Attina i dont think anyone knows her do they?

Andrina uk idk what's her name

Attina uhm i think it's like--perdita? some weird name though i guess we have weird names too so that's not saying much

Alana oi is she doing the play Alana is she /juliet/ in the play

Attina what how do you knwo that

Andrina i'd rather know why it ended is no one else curious about /that/

Arista yeah she's totally juliet

Alana bc i saw the announcement for the cast bc mags wanted to go for juliet and i noticed the name and like

Arista and he's romeo

Andrina why do we care Andrina oh

Alana how many perditas Alana lmao

Adella wow that's not good

Alana wow atty, time to flash the tits

Andrina ok my question is more relevant

Attina well maybe it's fine it's not like they did that on purpose or anything

Andrina now

Arista I forgot about that. You'd think I'd remember from all the music practice for the play

Alana just be like SO HEARTBREAK HERE'S WHEN I HAD HEARTBREAK HAHA

Adella that's just asking a question

Attina that's totally prying it's being /completely/ nerdy Attina NOSY

Alana idk when does one normally bring up exes

Adella wow called me nerdy Adella out of me and ris

Attina we aren't even official or anything it's not a big deal people break p all the time

Alana but kids Alana that's a whole other level Alana mhm

Adella right that's like

Attina what do you know about it alana

Adella extra baggage Adella more than normal

Alana i watch reality tv i know things

Andrina what if he's like divorced too Andrina you could be dating a young divorcee and not know it

Attina so what's that matter? they're not together anymore

Andrina i dunno i'd like to /know/ if the bloke i'm into was married before Andrina for how long Andrina when it ended

Attina this is the /second/ date that's like a DTR talk

Andrina if he ever wants to get married again like /some/ people do hint hint nudge nudge

Attina i dont want to scare him off

Andrina ok fair point Andrina new plan: sisters, dig. attina, charm. wear a busty dress.

Adella to the lake

Andrina she's got a sundress that shows off some cleavage that's appropriate

Attina what if he makes me do another ridiculous task

Adella then you'll show him more than some cleavage

Arista why is everyone showing paul boobs in their plan

Attina it's not in /my/ plan

Arista good boobs are for later

Attina i'm glad arista gets it. i'm in the same boat, sister.

Adella i didn't say i liked that plan!

Attina oh, true. ahha. lOOK everyone else just keeps telling me to show my boobs and shit, so it's just my assumption

Arista third date material probably. I dunno I feel like Attina is a beyond third date kinda person. I mean I showed Van my boobs like before we were actually dating /officially/ but everyone has their own pace

Attina lord

Adella i wasn't gonna call her out on it Adella but here we are

Attina wow now i feel betrayed am i the oNLY CONSERVATIVE ONE ugh im a freak what if he is /expecting/ boobs

Adella AHEM

Arista Adella didn't show her boyf her boobs for a whileeeee

Attina at least that makes two of us della

Alana are we talking about boobs again

Attina nO no we are nOT

Alana bummer

Adella i'd rather not talk about atty's boobs

Adella or any of your boobs really

Andrina that's a shame, i've got great ones Andrina as does atty

Adella right okay we aren't all that blessed

Alana atty does have great boobs

Arista I have good boobs too

Alana so do u sells Alana **DELLA Alana sorry nails drying

Adella i mean i guess

Andrina we've all great boobs it's in the genes

Adella all boobs are good boobs

Arista I agree Arista I like boobs

Adella we know

Attina i dont think that's really here nor there to be perfectly honest because im /not/ wearing a dress this time

Alana write a song about boobs

Attina or pants because it will be hot and also they make my legs looks stumpy Attina though shorts kind of make me look fat so lose lose lol

Alana oh well U have lovely legs 2

Adella true

Arista ohh I totally should. Make it like Your Body is a Wonderland John Mayer type vibe

Andrina oi attina come off that Andrina where those high waisted shorts with the flowers you love those

Alana atty u r hot

Adella ooo those are nice

Attina i dunno they're kind of childish

Alana ^^ yes

Arista yeah and if you think you look stumpy that's what heels are for. Shoes solve everything

Alana not that they r childish I like them

Attina i can't wear heels down to the lake i'll fall flat on my face

Arista oh right. Well still you can get shoes that help

Andrina sides paul likes children he's a dad

Adella tbf you could do that anyway atty

Andrina wait Andrina not what i meant

Alana hot

Attina jesus andy

Attina also thanks della really great way to boost my confidence there

Adella i was just giving you a heads up

Attina it's already a miracle i didn't do it during hopscotch i guess he'll find out eventually how klutzy /all/ of us are

Adella no need to be snippy

Andrina um i'm the picture of grace Andrina but anyway: Andrina you survived hopscotch in a dress and he invited you to a SECOND date clearly stumpy legs don't matter

Adella i don't think you have stumpy legs anyway! Adella if they were as long as mine you'd just be /lanky/ and klutzy like me

Alana oh my god Alana I am drowning in your pity party

Arista snap out of it Atty you're being self-decapitating again

Alana look we are all hot and we all have our quirks and the key is being proud of them and owning them and boys eat that shit up Alana boys and girls and whatever

Arista ^^^

Adella thank u for the inclusion

Attina okay but /cleaning/

Arista but he DIDNT CARE because he LIKES YOU

Adella yeah but that's... Adella very adult of you?

Alana yah and andrina takes pics of strangers and she's gotten laid loads

Andrina when it doubt, tits out Andrina kidding

Arista I'm a nerd who sings at all hours of the day and hangs out in an arcade and I don't always say the smartest things and yet I have a girlfriend so

Adella no u arn't

Attina yeah but you've got like talents and shit like photography is great and alana u have your make up and arista you have your music and so do you della and i've got...cleaning. YOU KNOW WHAt it doesn't matter that's not the point, i'm just saying i don't like shorts but im probably stuck in shorts so we're goign with shorts, but not the flower ones.

Arista actually I'm a geek not a nerd. I was told the difference and I don't remember it

Alana I don't know a single boy who was ever impressed by make up lmao

Arista REGARDLESS you are talented you like keep a business afloat and stuff

Andrina ok seems like u got this then Andrina live ur life Andrina follow ur compass

Arista plenty of girls are Lans maybe you're looking at the wrong gender

Alana yah ur responsible Alana I'm like p sure I prefer dick

Arista prefer

Attina right yes yeah definitely, thanks ladies. i'm sure it'll be fine.

Alana we love u and u r beautiful and talented and awesome Alana 💗

Attina wow lana are you high or smth

Andrina 💗 rock it

Arista she was painting her nails, maybe she sniffed some remover

Alana why r u doubting my kindness

Andrina im proud of u lan

Adella srsly don't ask questions Adella i like when lan is nice

Alana it's bc aqauta is back and she's meaner than I am so whatever I say sounds lovely

Attina all of you are perfectly capable of being lovely

Adella some of us just have a harder time with it

Alana aquata most of all mhm

Arista I think she went to swim practice or something she hasn't talked in a while

Adella that or she's taking all of her clothes back out of your closet

Alana lmao

[36incheshigh]

http://academics.cehd.umn.edu/hatch/research/fish/fishes/american_eel.html So if I had to choose a patronus ir soul animal or something, especially for my villain alter ego itd be an american freshwater eel. I choose the word patronus or soul animal because im not sure the relationship i want to it to be that ii physically become it or am it in another life but maybe something that i live vicariously through it or something ha whatever thatd be called! Id always kinda thought of a snake bc theyre so svelte but also i wanted an aquatic animal bc what a different world in the water and that must be soft getting to move smoothly in more than two dimensions. So its cool bc it says these guys can go on land and mostlyin water. Plus their little fins look cool and they still look sleek. I didnt want an animal that looks too much . Plus its a good size, 3-5ft, 5-7 pounds - thats a size thats not easily smooshed and stepped on its substantial but not overbearing or threatening or something that cant fit anywhere lol. Plus i kinda like its life. Nocturnal so i dont have to deal with the sun or looking at all kinds of crazy stuff sometimes a lot of visual stimulation is overwhelming lol. Just everybody be quiet and dont look at me loll. I mean idk. It uses mostly smell to get its food which is also my fav sense lol. Its like a magic sense because its like invisible and you cant even see or feel anything, its like its just telepathy lol. I like how it only eats small things without blood that arent a big deal to eat and that probs dont have many feelings, like bugs . Because like, chill down!. I like its choice of habitat. Freshwater bodies of water are like, my favorite thing in a habitat, even as a human. So fresh and refreshing and invigoratig yet safe lol. One of my fav landscapes. Because it has so many elements to it to ground and engage you, in good ways that arent gross or overwhelming. Sound of waves lapping a distinct but nice smell. Water and mud are gentler than like trees and ground and rock. Plus they get born in the gulf of mexico apparently - all of them lol?!. Thats cool, it mist be nice and warm there, neat place to start-and end apparently. Yea i also like how they do get to stay in like one spot all their lives, but at the begining and end they get to do some travelling alll the way back to their birth place. I like an athletic animal, especially ones that can swim. Amazing not to even drown lol maybe its hust bc i see it from a human perspective. I like this sense of loyalty which i value in this life-even if for them its just biological rather than emotional.. how nice, i love that , they go backk to theirr birth place to give birth again and die. After spending all their life in one place . I also like their predators even. Theyre just these chilll big fish and like herrons. I could respect a chill big fish like a bass. Bass has fed my human species so why not give back. Yea i mean i respect all species but if i had to pick my predator id rather have someone whos not gonna get all dramatic and violent and obnoxious about it lol. Like a shark w all their scary teeth or like a raptor with its hella claws and sharp beak . Just just like a graceful herron whos like kinda respectful to me and is as quiet as it can be before it comes for me, disrupting as little of my life as possible before it kills me, and then you dont even notice it w its little legs and narrow beak, just going like ploop!, i imagine, and nabbing me up before i can realize it lol. Or like the bass, does it even have teeth? Idk i dont imagine it making much of a fuss, just cooly coming by and slurp! In i go, dead! Sure i can accept that probably lol if i had to. Plus its not scary but its not gonna be anyones bitch. Hopefully all animals wont in their own way. But its fun to me how ironic it is that ud think out if all the animals these snake like eels would have the short end of the stick youd think, because they dont even have any damn like legs or arms or barely any teeth! But. They can live allll the way under the ground like a meter under the ground and theyre slippery on purpose so u cant catch them And they can swim as fuck it looks like which is cool. Like its cool when they can survive because of skillz and abilities not just because they got a good bod built like that they dont have to contribute anything about. #ugh english is hard today lol.

On the downside theyre a little ugly and i sure wouldnt wanna touch one all slimy for goodbess sake. And it might get lonely and cold living at the bottom of a river during the day all day erry day. The heck how are you supposed to make friends. Cant even get a spouse which couldve been nice like penguins, they just layy eggs for the dude to fertilize - and then the mon dies! Bummer. But they can live to like 30. For an animal who just idk, doesnt make friends or learn about the world butt who can swim which is cool - i guess thats a substantial amount if time to do enough fish stuff and have a good time with fish things - i like how they doo get to travel. Always thought that was impressive and must be fulfilling like wih geese who fly far- what an accomplishment.

I have class in a few hours and im not a loon i just have some musings as i wait for sleep lolll. So here we are

[punkscowardschampions]

Jimmy & Janis

Jimmy: 💕 Janis: feeling the love 'cos corporate making ya, hey? Janis: how many holiday drinks you made today Jimmy: feels like billions Jimmy: not the kinda wrist action to be #buzzing about Janis: here's hoping you working commission lad Janis: is any? 🤔 #hotdatewithjane Jimmy: Tam's been in and out all day earning you those kicks you desire Jimmy: #notsosecretadmirer Jimmy: can't stay away on this special day Janis: Christ, you'd think she wouldn't wanna be seen DEAD outside her house, single, on this most sacred day Janis: gotta be stringing her along with lingering just a little too long when handing over the caffeine, good job babe 👏 Janis: think Grace is lowkey in hiding Janis: too late to even frantically swipe right on tinder now ladies Jimmy: Tell her Bobby'll be round Jimmy: He would if date night wasn't past his bedtime like Janis: 😂 bless Janis: all got our cross to bear, kid Janis: can't get my date out without a leash and promises of treats 🤷 Jimmy: Speaking of bitches, I seen Mia's timed her latest for the stockholm syndrome to kick in right on time Janis: look, i know you're bitter 'cos i've chucked you for better but don't bad mouth the bae, ok? Janis: forreal tho, they have schedules, like clockwork Janis: a new man for every occasion, this one won't last 'til her bday Jimmy: Keeping my hands where Tams can't see or cuff 'em Janis: 😏 tmi Janis: and unhygienic to boot, you serve lattes with those hands Jimmy: filthy 🧠 Jimmy: it's the company you keep Jimmy: Twix's gone from trying to shit in my dad's shoes to humping 'em Janis: whoa now, i didn't teach her that Janis: but think about it, from a scatological foot fetish to just a bit of vanilla pre-teen humping of inanimate objects Janis: it IS a step in the right direction Jimmy: But you are about treating 'em mean to keep 'em keen Janis: Your kicks are safe, dun' worry Janis: if she's taught me anything, not the way into the good books 😇 Jimmy: If you wanna aim for my work shoes I won't complain Jimmy: A day off is a day off Jimmy: Warn me first though, unless you're into those kind of surprises Janis: Best not to be seen with each other today Janis: don't wanna give everyone the wrong idea Janis: but nice try, you'll have to stick to burning yaself and the like if you wanna bunk Jimmy: Tammy's bound to help me with that Jimmy: #likeagiraffeonice Janis: She's beauty, she's graces Janis: wants you to cum all over her face Jimmy: fingers crossed she'll melt mine off first Jimmy: Better with that Janis: fair Janis: no way you've got the reach Jimmy: 💕 #whenbaebelievesinyou Janis: what, you want me to offer help with target practice? Janis: nice try dickhead 😜 Jimmy: Romance isn't dead there's the proof Jimmy: What are you doing today, aside from belly rubs for the bae Janis: gotta do something, don't I? feel bad like Janis: slayed the gift game and I really phoned it in so obvs gotta give out those sexual favours Janis: nowt though, trying to avoid seeing all the lovey-dovey couples making me wanna vom Janis: letting Tam work her magic in peace 😘 welcome like Jimmy: 💔🐶🎻 Jimmy: Making drinks with my eyes closed 'cause same Jimmy: Crack on Tam #tallgirlsneedlovetoo Janis: any barista will do 🎶 Janis: wanna hang when the madness is over Jimmy: The way this queue is going there isn't gonna be goodies left to bring you Jimmy: But I'm sweet enough😎 Jimmy: So yeah Janis: Bummer Janis: guess I can't kick you outta bed for that alone Janis: let you tot up negatives throughout the day, standard Jimmy: Got a pen behind my ear Jimmy: Come at me Janis: never could resist a challenge Janis: 🙄 walked into that one Janis: can we do something not shit Janis: don't need to see you slurping down spaghetti lady and the tramp stylee Jimmy: 💔 I'll shoo away all the strays I've gathered Jimmy: Only one dog for you like Jimmy: But of course that's how we stay goals Jimmy: any old shit won't do 💪🏆 Janis: 🎻 Janis: okay good Janis: play your cards right and get it right Janis: i'll spring for the motel 😉 Jimmy: Challenge accepted Janis: for once i'll be rooting for you Janis: my parents are unbearable at the best of times Janis: 🤢 Janis: actually cannot deal Jimmy: My dad and his girlfriend are still early days enough that they can bear to be in the same room Jimmy: I won't fail Janis: oh the honeymoon period Janis: disgusting Janis: thank god we got that out of the way with a fake relationship so you know my true feelings 😏 Jimmy: yeah thanks mate Jimmy: 👍 Janis: welcome, buddy o' pal o' mine Jimmy: Done Jimmy: I've worked it out Janis: taking a particularly difficult shit? Janis: again, don't need these intimate updates honey Janis: not #goals Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: No, what's goals is what we're gonna do, babe 😏 Jimmy: Keeping you outta the house 'til there's no cringe factor left Janis: Ahh Janis: colour me intrigued Jimothy Janis: what's the dress code? Jimmy: 🤔 Jimmy: Nothing Tam would be seen dead in Janis: Alright, no body con that shows all my worst bits, gotcha Janis: do I get ANY clues? Curious 🙀 right here Jimmy: You might just make yourself a new bae Jimmy: But pace yourself mate Janis: 😳 Janis: i don't own any PVC clothing, you know that, yeah? Jimmy: I do now 🎻 Janis: 😂 can literally hear Gracie in my head asking me what i'm like rn Janis: letting ya man down on vday Janis: honestly Jimmy: when one twin's a giver and the other's a taker 😂 Janis: tbf, we BOTH told you you'd got the wrong one but Janis: cloth ears you Jimmy: Down for the challenge Jimmy: Too late to not be a stubborn dickhead, me Janis: looks like we're both stuck then, lad Jimmy: there's that #realtalk mate Janis: can't say we didn't both give it a fair go Janis: #longdistanceloveinskerries #teenagerunaway Jimmy: You'll always have Twix 💕 Janis: gotta have someone to rely on init Jimmy: #tea Janis: #scaldedagain #jobhazard Jimmy: [Sends a selfie of an actual burn/on the job hazard] Jimmy: Stuff of fantasies that Janis: Poor baby! Has Tam not offered to 💋 it better? Janis: #slacking Jimmy: She's got her 👀 a bit lower down Jimmy: I'm just a piece of 🍖 Jimmy: The real hazard Janis: start a # about it Janis: 'cos can't blame her Janis: part of the problem, truly Jimmy: Will do Janis: being all distracting there with your apron and that Janis: asking for it Jimmy: I thought it was the shoes Jimmy: Sexy from head to toe like Jimmy: 🐶💗 Janis: 😋 something certainly got tongues n tails wagging Jimmy: 😎 Jimmy: The company I keep, I think 😉 Janis: valid, the bitches love me 😍 Jimmy: Alright, save it for the 'gram Jimmy: #humblebrag Janis: Twix is a busy lady, only got you scheduled in so far Janis: guess the fans will have to make do with your mug 😜 Jimmy: unlucky lads and lasses Janis: they love it Janis: 'til some other cunt is unlucky enough to be enrolled in our school, you're gonna stay flavour of the month 🍦 Jimmy: 💪🥇 Janis: meanwhile, i gotta wait 'til the next fam scandal 'til I'm relevant again Janis: such is life Janis: not that its ever THAT long 🙄 Jimmy: Whip up some fake drama for you to hide in if you want Jimmy: Crack 'em out with the lattes Janis: I don't doubt you're capable Janis: just getting over sinkgate 😏 Mr. Lucas never will 😉 Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: He's one of the only dickheads who hasn't been in today Jimmy: Still time 🤞 Janis: think a milky earl grey is his shout Janis: get it ready, really impress him Janis: more than you did, obvs Jimmy: The coffee breath and forehead vein says espresso though 🤔 Jimmy: Man o mystery Janis: 🤤 Janis: so hot Jimmy: More competition is it? Jimmy: 💔🎻 Janis: Using you as a ploy to get him hot under that starched collar all along Janis: soz babes 😘 Jimmy: I should've known your real goal was to get under that lumpy jumper Janis: 😂 Janis: know he's got the goods under it Jimmy: Can't fight the feeling Janis: s'a real shame the hottest female teacher we've got is that TA with the wonky fringe and clompy shoes Janis: who you got your sights set on next? Jimmy: always been about a wonky fringe meself Jimmy: Clompy shoes are a massive bonus when Twix is being a mad bitch underfoot too like Janis: draw the line there pal Janis: gotta get the dog in the divorce like Janis: not letting that hipster bitch anywhere near Jimmy: 🥊 Jimmy: going down swinging Janis: if she doesn't scream cat lady as is, she's defs into weird pets like fucking Janis: stick insects Janis: hope you're soooo happy together like 🖕 not even mad Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: nice to have your blessing, mate Jimmy: be my best man on the day Janis: literally fuck off Janis: only just got rid of the lesbian rumours and you wanna put me in a suit WHILST friendzoning me Janis: nah 😤 Jimmy: spoilsport Jimmy: found a challenge she won't accept Janis: only way i'm showing up is if you invite all your exes and put us on a table so we can chat mad shit on you Janis: be a man about it, boy Jimmy: card table at the back, couple of chairs so you can place your bets 👍 Janis: more like it Janis: hook up with your actual best man Janis: pure spite and alcohol fuelling me Jimmy: It'd probs be Cass so best not Jimmy: no good for the rep Janis: 😡 Janis: same tho, if i ever got hitched (ignoring the unlikeliness of that) i'd have to hit up the sibs for those bridesmaids and ting Janis: least my fam is good for numbers if not company like Jimmy: Grace has used her twin senses and is moodboarding somewhere rn Jimmy: Unlucky Janis: 🤢 don't Janis: vietnam flashbacks rn Janis: you know how many fake weddings of hers i've attended Jimmy: I can imagine Jimmy: And am Jimmy: Cute 😂 Janis: Fuck off Janis: shame your dad don't wanna be bffs Janis: can't hit him up for embarrassing pics and stories to use against you Jimmy: Another win to my name Janis: 🖕 Janis: sincerely hope you get a beverage thrown in ur face Jimmy: 💕 Janis: Wish you'da got me some earplugs Jimmy: Come on over mate, I've got loads Jimmy: #whenyourdadisdating Janis: literally Janis: at least you know its the same woman to avoid when she runs to the bog to clean herself up Janis: Pablo already on 2nd of the day Janis: Need a way to let 'em know Jimmy: Gotta have a sleepover with your real bae Jimmy: Twix'll sort 'em Jimmy: Sticking her nose in, literally like Janis: Oh that sweet curious girl Janis: some things she never need see 🙈 Jimmy: #nosybitchproblems Janis: getting dirt on enemy #1 anyway she can Janis: those bribe bones coming her way Jimmy: Happy v-day to her Janis: Maybe you and wonky fringe can have a fuck-off Janis: bet she's a right goer when you get the hair down and glasses off like Jimmy: Invite you and Mr Lucas for the post shag debrief Jimmy: Give you a /10 Janis: Naturally Janis: so curious to know how I rank 😒 Jimmy: Always a 10 with Twix Janis: 🙌 Janis: that'll help with the rep Jimmy: Me and Killer'll take the heat off with our new relationship shine Janis: yeah it loves you Janis: daft fucking dog Jimmy: Pity I can't turn the 💕 into 💰 Jimmy: Loads of lattes no will to keep slinging 'em Janis: Looking for a career change? Janis: fame getting too real? Jimmy: Got me looking like a deer in the headlights Jimmy: Tammy's livid Jimmy: There can only be one Janis: 'bout to be a bloodbath in CG Jimmy: Place your bets, mate Janis: hmm Janis: Tams got the reach like but reckon she's mostly talk n neck Janis: nan's not been in has she? 😉 Jimmy: She's serving me that 💔 while I crane my own neck looking out for her all day long Jimmy: no sign yet Janis: Gutted Janis: even she's feeling the lurve today Janis: literally no place to go Janis: so tragic Jimmy: About to eat my feelings like a proper flat white squad member Jimmy: Speaking of feeling that l.u.r.v.e did you hear how many cards Cass got sent? Jimmy: 7 Janis: WHAT Janis: get it gurl but also fuck off lads she's too lil Jimmy: walking about like its nowt Jimmy: 😎 Janis: thank god Janis: no one needs that ego boost Janis: fuming tbh Jimmy: Bobs made one at school Jimmy: guess who for Janis: Aww, bless him Janis: she does need that boost Janis: he gonna hand-deliver? Jimmy: He's insisting Jimmy: So be about Jimmy: You got one too Jimmy: moving in on my lass Janis: we in, have to kick the empty ice cream cartons out the way like but find us in front of bridget jones or similar Janis: i'm honoured like 😊 Jimmy: Yours is bigger but hers has more glitter Jimmy: Can't call a winner Janis: size matters Janis: #facts Janis: soz Gracie, gotta fight you or you'll get too comfy Jimmy: Just don't let her vlog it Jimmy: Don't need porno style #s going viral Janis: MY TWIN ATTACKED ME!?!?!?! (NOT CLICKBAIT) Jimmy: Haters, on this sacred day Jimmy: #savage Janis: Glad to keep her in #content Janis: who's the real ⭐ baby Jimmy: 🤩 Jimmy: Better than 💝 chocs Janis: the calories! 😱 Jimmy: who needs food when you can exist on ☕ and even hotter goss 💋 Janis: diet of champions that 🙄 Janis: mia be bullshitting them that she doesn't run on sheer cuntiness Jimmy: Mia? A bullshitter? 😲 Jimmy: Nope Janis: awks 😕 Janis: did you think you was forever? Jimmy: she was my fucking cinnamon apple Janis: 😂 Janis: at least i've got an excuse to fight her again Janis: try not to get in the way this time Jimmy: Will do Jimmy: 2nd rule of fight club, get out the way dickhead Janis: brad pitt in that film Janis: mwah 💋👌 Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: I got no retort because Helena, not the one like Janis: crazy bitch not your type, eh? Janis: think the masses would have to disagree 😏 Jimmy: Start a # or I'm not listening, sorry everyone Janis: he's a modern man Jimmy: 💪😎 Janis: wonder if anyone will get pregnant tonight Janis: wanna make a bet? Jimmy: yeah Jimmy: I'll put today's wage on it Jimmy: No tips Jimmy: Need them for our big 💕 plans Janis: alright, you're on Janis: here's hoping its only the tip for all the other lads like Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: Walked into that one Janis: 💁 Janis: shame we're not a hardcore catholic school #upthebuttforjesus Jimmy: I'd have to pray meself if I'd made a bet under them conditions Janis: what can i say? just like me, showing faith in our peers Janis: ur so negative, babe Janis: like dem tests 🤞 Jimmy: don't need to be an optimist to wait for those positives Janis: we'll see Jimmy: what to I get when I win this one Jimmy: quite a streak now babe 😏 Janis: 😣 Janis: on the off chance you manage to scrape a win Janis: what do you want? Jimmy: 🤔 Jimmy: Escape route for longer than a night for starters Jimmy: Lovebirds doing my head in Jimmy: I'm thinking a weekend break that isn't #cursed like Janis: Always down for running Janis: up for it not being away from you this time 😉 Janis: bringing the kiddos or? Jimmy: Depends if they kick off Jimmy: Got time to work on bribes Jimmy: Dad's Valerie might wanna play happy families 😒 Janis: 😬 Janis: that'll be fun Janis: can't have you dealing with that Janis: at least their tales of woe whilst you were gone will be packed with that #scandal and #drama Jimmy: might be easier to take 'em amount of SOS's we'd get Jimmy: Cass blowing up both our phones before we're out the door Jimmy: fuck knows Janis: Eithers cool Janis: just leave the hardcore whips n chains at home like Jimmy: Damn Jimmy: Alright done Jimmy: If we stick 'em on their own does that make us the mccanns Janis: not if we don't drug 'em Janis: stick to sweets and other such bribes and we'll be alright Jimmy: Gonna be enough of a plan getting there without adding a murder cover up Janis: honestly Janis: not on the agenda Janis: not a nice pretty white doctor like, never getting away with it Jimmy: not the 💕 american films'd have you believe either I reckon Jimmy: Surrounded by a cloud of smoke already cheers don't need a hail of bullets Janis: yeah if #blacklivesmatter taught us anything Janis: not the ideal way to spend a weekend Janis: also, still creasing at her name Janis: such middle aged hot piece of ass vibes Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: definitely can't promise you any of that Jimmy: but if you win, I'll 🚭 and hopefully run like less of a middle aged dickhead with a dad bod Jimmy: less of an evidence trail an' all Jimmy: win win Janis: whoa, that's awful big talk from the resident chimney Janis: you are sure you're gonna win 😉 Janis: but i accept the full Ts and Cs Janis: you should train with me Janis: not just an excuse to 👀 the dad bod Jimmy: Deal done then Jimmy: Trying to see me in my short shorts Jimmy: You'll have to catch me first like Janis: wouldn't even be fair to make it a competition like Jimmy: If you're too shit scared, mate Janis: just curious why you wanna lose so bad Janis: thinking you might love what punishment i have in mind? Jimmy: Wondering what it feels like 'cause it never happens Jimmy: You seem to be about it with all your repeats Janis: I'm going to enjoy making you suffer Jimmy: 😏 Jimmy: Gonna start a club with Mr Lucas? Janis: any time i get to spend with him like Janis: not like I wanna think up new cruel and unusual ways to get you but Janis: needs must Jimmy: 💕 cute Jimmy: I'd tell him to get his 🎻 out but we know what those hands are busy doing Janis: eurgh 😂 too far Janis: my 'rents reckon he's an actual predator, like, there are stories Janis: do not wanna commit so hard to this bit that I become his next victim forreal Jimmy: Not gonna happen babe 💪😎🐶 Jimmy: Squad got you covered Janis: My heroes 😍 Jimmy: If Twix isn't up to it my bae'll come through Jimmy: Named for it literally Janis: Reckon that was the idea Janis: or they were being ironic with it Janis: #sojokes Jimmy: either way I'll knock him out before its a drama Jimmy: as long as you don't get in my way naturally Janis: don't worry, got the sense I was born with 😜 Janis: dickhead Jimmy: Lucky you were born with it Jimmy: Some of us have neither Janis: 🎻 Janis: so what part of pretty woman you looking to recreate this time Janis: what's your artistic vision? 😏 Jimmy: I haven't seen it Jimmy: Bound to be an aesthetic montage though, isn't there? Janis: don't let my sister hear you Janis: roped into GIRLS NIGHT! before you know it Jimmy: Get the popcorn in Gracie, mine's salted Jimmy: Shout you a diet something if you keep the noise down, hun Janis: #romanticvdaynightplans Janis: i get why she got confused, you have #boundaryissues mate 😂 Jimmy: Living up to that dating a twin stereotype Jimmy: The people in my comment section DEMAND it, alright? Jimmy: #gottagiveemwhattheywant Janis: Nah, bitch, you can only play that if we're identical Janis: its not like whoops thought it was u Janis: on ANY level 😤 Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: Oh shit the boss is the embodiment of that emoji Jimmy: Yours not mine Jimmy: Gonna have to get a room Jimmy: Ban him, that's not how I'm earning employee of the month perks, sorry lad Janis: Convenient 😒 Janis: lemme catch u in her inbox boi 🥊 Janis: jk, get to work slacker, catch you in a mo Jimmy: 🐊 Jimmy: In a bit 💕 Janis: 🖤