#i think i prefer him with the buzzcut for this but heres both

[esaari]

🩸.

[kissitbttr]

Can we see some jealous and protective frat!miguel 🙏🏻🙏🏻

miguel is cocky. and he never admits himself of being jealous. why would he when he knows that no one is able to one up to him in any way?

but you beg to differ. always seeming to point out his expression when a guy gets too close to you, burning holes in the back of the stranger’s head. somehow plotting the most gruesome and murderous plot he has in mind.

“shit, shit, o’hara! lay off the grip man! you’re going to break the damn glass!”

miguel hears one of his teammates, groans. snatching the cup from miguel’s hand and not even bothering to hear his protests.

“what—oh, my bad” he lamely responds, gaze returning back to watch you. his girlfriend, laughing at some lame joke being told by a guy in front of you.

he feels betrayed. how could you do this to him?!

“the healthiest way to cope with jealousy is to communicate with your girlfriend, o’hara—healthiest” carlos rolls his eyes at the chocolate haired man who seems to not be listening to a word he says. “but shit, knowing you? chances of a hot giant meteor hitting us right now is far bigger”

“mind your shit, man” miguel frowns deepening at the sight of that fucker checking you out in your outfit,

you’re sexy. there’s no doubt about that. especially in that cheerleading uniform you’re wearing when you just got off the practice.

there is a reason why guys are lining up to be your boyfriend before you and miguel started dating. other than because being extremely beautiful and sickeningly sweet, you have a way of staring into people’s eyes like you’re about to pluck a soul out of them and them not having a problem with it.

i mean, jesus, you got him hooked didn’t you?

“so let’s say he did try to take her home or—“

“didn’t i tell you to mind your shit?!” miguel cuts carlos off with a grumble, not even wanting to imagine if you were getting taken home by another man. not that you’d let them anyway. you’re too crazy about miguel and vice versa,

the buzzcut kid raises his hands up in defense, as if to prove his innocence. “don’t get mad at me for speaking up facts!” with that, he bolts out of the way before miguel could get to him,

it’s not like miguel is one crazy and possessive boyfriend who prefers having his girl all to himself (despite him wanting her to), he still gives access to whomever you want to speak with.

but he just despises the fact that everyone is crushing on his girl. she’s his and his only. so seeing another man getting far too comfortable in invading your space, making you laugh and shit just stirs something within him.

miguel slowly makes his way towards you and the punk, fists clenching by the side. he hears your beautiful laugh one more time and holy hell, he feels like he’s going insane knowing you’re not laughing because of him.

“so was that the one professor who had his—oh!—what the—? baby! you found my tickle spot!” you giggle as you jump a little out of surprise, head craning over your shoulder to see your big and tall boyfriend wrapping his arms around your waist and pull you closer to his chest. “did you had the drinks yet?”

“mhm, a few” he kisses the corner of your mouth, eyes looking straight to the boy in front of you as if showing him off that you’re taken. “missed you, muñeca”

“you saw me like two hours ago, you big baby” a giggle escapes your mouth when you see him pout, kissing it. “oh! this aaron, by the way. i don’t think the two of you have met!”

aaron shoots miguel a toothy grin and a wave, in which miguel doesn’t mirror both actions. only simply glaring at him. “nice party you got going on here, man”

“thanks” miguel nods in acknowledgement, simply not entertaining the man with more than two words. because that’s what you get for hitting on his girl!

“it’s so crowded here though, thankfully she saw me looking scared and shit. saved me from getting swarmed” aaron laughs making you laugh as well and miguel’s grip tighten around you. “she’s definitely a keeper”

that comment somehow irks him a bit. “yeah, that’s why she’s my girlfriend. and i’m the boyfriend, y’know—in case you’re wondering” miguel’s hands wander lower to your hips, settling it there,

the response seems weird to you, making you shoot him a look with your eyebrow raising in which miguel ignores,

“i can definitely see that, big guy” aaron chuckles, not seemingly bothered by it. “if i had a girl like her, i think i’d be keeping her to myself far too much”

miguel’s jaw clenches at that, and it seems to pisses him even more when you decide to just laugh and not tell this aaron man off for saying that,

“you’re just saying thaaat” a blush creeps into your cheeks, holding onto miguel’s arms before your eyes widen. “oh! i forgot to mention! i brought fruit punch earlier! aaron you must have a taste, i’ll bring a cup for you. and you too” your turn around and smile at miguel, kissing his lips before muttering ‘be right back’

‘ah perfect, time to grill this motherfucker’ miguel smirks before watching you walk away,

his arms crossed, eyes looking down at the shorter guy who seems oblivious of what’s happening,

“so uh, you and—“

“look man, i don’t know what your deal is—but y/n is fucking mine” miguel cuts to the chase, eyes deepening into a frown. “and i don’t appreciate you’re hitting on my girl, looking at her legs and touching her skirt. just because she doesn’t tell you off that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate! you know she’s taken right?”

aaron raises both brows, eyes glancing left and right in confusion. “uhm, yes?”

“so back off then will you?! i worked my ass off trying to get her be my girlfriend, had to compete with other guys from soccer team and faculties, memorized her schedules and—shit, i promise her that i’ll tone down with this jealousy shit because she doesn’t like it when i get into a fist fight over her. so do me a favor, if you don’t like getting punched right now, leave me and my girl alone or i fucking swear—“

“jesus, man—i’m gay!”

and miguel immediately clamps up at that, eyes widening at the sudden burst from aaron but only enough for the two of them to hear,

“wait, what?!”

“i’m gay, dude” aaron laughs, amused by the expression miguel is putting on right now. “100% not into girls”

“oh..” miguel gets a bit quiet after, not knowing what to say next. shit. this is awkward. “i didn’t know that—you don’t look like one..”

“jeez, sorry if I don’t fit into the stereotype. i’ll put on my knitted rainbow scarf next time i stop by. want me to pierce my right ear too?”

“oh shit, that’s not what i meant! fuck—sorry man, i—“ miguel stutters. the last thing he wants to do is to make a gay person offended. he doesn’t know what to do in this situation. “i mean—why didn’t you start with that?!”

aaron laughs, shaking his head. “don’t sweat it—and uh, was just cute how you get all protective and shit over your girl. i can definitely see why you’re like that” he shrugs, looking over at you who’s laughing with couple of miguel’s frat brothers,

miguel smiles, looking over to see you by the drinks. heart swelling at the sight of his girlfriend being comfortable with glen and carlos. almost laughing to himself when you spill a bit of your drink onto carlos’s shirt making him pout.

“no offense, but i’d tap your girlfriend if i was into girls” aaron says, nudging him with his elbow.

miguel’s head turns around to look back at him in quick motion, one eyebrow raising at the comment.

“no offense back, but you sure you’re 100% gay?!”

[myballsitchaurghouchie]

Do u have like ref sheets or smth of your characters?

I think your ocs look rlly interesting and i would like to scribble them pls 👉👈

Also please use this ask to info dump about your characters i would like to learn about them!!

YOU WANT TO SCRIBBLE THEM???? THAT'S SO NICE I MIGHT EXPLODE.

Okay i'm pretty sure you were referring to the OCs in my drawing of that one guy digging his hand in that other guy's guts so here i drew a proper "reference" for them + the third guy who's with them

They are my silly billies, Ceaser (he/him), Missy (who goes by many names)(she/he) and Remy (he/him).

Remy is like a thousand years old vampire, Ceaser is a much younger vampire (turned around the 1970's or something idk) and Missy is a former vampire hunter. Shenanigans happened where Missy was supposed to kill Remy but is now living with the both of them.

I have a whole story of how they all met and how Missy ends up staying with them, but i prefer focusing on using them for worldbuilding of my own take on vampires + i like just thinking about them chilling together.

Ceaser is almost always tipsy or straight up drunk to cope with his vampirism. Him and Remy have a little sewing/tailoring business going on + Remy owns an antique shop (a lot of the items he sells are stuff he found dumpster diving and decided to repair). Missy is trying not to lose his mind over his cultist vampire-hunting family that may or may not be looking for him, and Remy is just chilling taking care of the two of them in his manor.

Here's more drawings of them. Ceaser's tattoos always change that's normal i just can't decide. Let's say they're all tattoos he drew himself with sharpie ♡

There's a lot more about them and the things around them and the vampire lore i make up (like. Remy feeds on blood and Ceaser feeds on thoughts or whatever) but i don't like making long posts so. Yea ♡

Thank you for asking about them this is so nice and so enabling for me to get an opportunity to talk about them

[Image Description in Alt Text and under the cut.]

Image 1: A digital drawing of 3 characters drawn from the shoulders up.

One the left is a character named "Ceaser"; he has light brown skin, a long face and droopey eyes with eyebads, long messy and wavy white hair that has black roots showing, and various piercings. He wears round glasses, has tattooed sclera and white irises, and tattoos on his cheek, neck, collarbone and torso.

The next character is bamed "Missy"; she is lighter skinned and is shorter with a rougher face, a short buzzcut with a few white hair, and wears square glasses. She also has an eyebrow piercing, a tattooed line going from her lower lip to further down her body, and scars on her torso.

The third character is named "Remy"; he is darker skinned and looks much older, has long, greying black hair in dreadlocks and a beard that is also greying. His eyes are almost entirely white.

Ceaser and Remy are vampires, while Missy is a human.

Image 2: A drawing of the previous three characters, now in a chibi-esque style, seen entirely. Ceaser is wearing a black sleeveless top and baggy pants, and he has tattoos on almost the entirety of his arms. Missy is wearing slim clothing in shades of black and combat boots. Remy is wearing Victiorian-era adjacent clothing in hues of purple and white.

Image 3: Another drawing of the same characters, very similar to the previous one. Missy this time is wearing a red tank top and jeans, and Remy is wearing a turquoise vest.

Image 4: Various sketches of the same three characters in different styles and situations.

At the top left is Remy holding a bag happily, saying "Today's dumpster diving was fruitful ! Thank you lots, kids !". In the background is Ceaser laying on the floor saying "Anything for you Remy", and Missy standing with text next to her that says "I used to kill people".

next to it is an exchange between Missy and Remy; Missy is gripping Remy's shirt threateningly saying "Look at me in the eyes when i talk to you", to which Remy responds "I don't know... That's scary....".

At the bottom left is Ceaser hugging Remy while saying his name, and Remy responds "Good morning to you too, Ceaser".

At the bottom right is Ceaser sitting on a couch, holding a phone and a jpeg of a Heineken bottle to his lips, and Missy is leaning over the couch, talking to him.

Image 5: A traditional drawing of the same characters. Missy and Remy are sitting on a couch, covered in lipstick marks from Ceaser who is standing behind, smilling and drooling. Missy is sitting bewildered and confused while Remy is wiping the lipstick off and smilling.

Image 6: A doodle of Ceaser and Missy fighting. Ceaser is saying "Bitchass dyke let go of my hair, motherfucker", while Missy is yelling "I should have let you kill yourself, you're too dumb to live".

Image 7: A drawing of Ceaser and Missy sitting on a couch; Ceaser is laying on the couch looking at his phone and Missy is sitting with a leg over him, looking directly in front of her. Ceaser is saying "Erm... okay pussy eater ?", to which Missy responds "Dick licker".

[greyspirehollow]

MURDER AT THE HOSPITAL

Chapter 1

Warnings : medical talk ; mentions of violence ; interrogation ; pictures of a corpse ; swearing ; I may have not listed it all, viewer discretion is advised

I would rate this chapter and the overall fic 16 +

Julian Devorak sat in the interrogation room, his fingers nervously tapping on the table in front of him. The room had dark walls, ceiling and floor, and he couldn’t see the people watching him on the other side of the glass. There was a single light bulb illuminating the room in a cold light, making the room even more oppressing. He could hear his heart hammering against his ribs restlessly, his leg twitching. He was on the verge of counting the seconds he was spending there – he felt as if he’d been waiting here for an eternity… Julian couldn’t deny all of this was eating at him already…

He jolted when the door to the interrogation room opened, quite harshly, and he tried his best to sit straight and not look nervous. The same red-haired police officer came in and sat down, giving him an annoyed glare. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t think he ever caught their name…

“Alright.” they started with a heavy sigh, letting the folder in their hands fall on the table. They opened it, and by their demeanor, Julian could tell they were already pissed and tense. He swallowed thickly as they started dispatching pictures onto the table. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he recognized the cadaver of the morgue.

Teeth.

Jaw.

Skull.

He looked away, exhaling a shuddering breath. The officer crossed their arms onto the table, frowning at him. “what, can’t bear to look at it?” the doctor got a hold of himself and looked back at the officer. Gods, they looked merciless… “I-I have… I mean I’ve seen it in person but it’s still… It… It used to be a person, you know…?” the officer didn’t reply right away, their eyes still fixated on him. He knew it was an intimidation technique… It was working-

“I recall you told me you worked in the army? Care to expand on that?” they said

“I… yes.” this was easier to talk about at least. “I was in CCC. Uhm- Combat Casualty Care… Or field surgery, if you prefer. I had to… Treat the wounds of the soldiers on the battlefield.” the officer nodded, and once again, Julian noticed how their eyebrows relaxed slightly. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was because that fact inspired them some sort of respect… He shook his head slightly. He was probably getting the wrong idea…

The officer then took out another two pictures from the files. A family photo and a picture of a man’s face. A picture which had probably been taken for an ID or similar things. The man had short buzzcut hair and a few tattoos on his neck.

“do you recognize any of the people in these pictures?” the officer asked coldly. Julian shook his head.

“no. They… I’ve never seen any of them before.”

The officer nodded and then tapped the picture of only the man’s face.

“Ronald Averton. Went by ‘Rick’ with his friends. 36 years old, no criminal record whatsoever. I wonder what the hell drove his rotting corpse into the morgue of your hospital…”

Julian was convinced he was sweating. He swallowed thickly and shook his head.

“I have no idea, ss…-” he squeezed his eyes, momentarily confused “-...ir?”

“officer.”

“officer.” he hurriedly corrected himself, nodding. He could feel both his legs drumming under the table. Meanwhile, they looked down at the pictures again. It was clear they were still annoyed but the way they drew out the silence… He knew it was a trick. He knew it was on purpose. But… But hells, it worked too damn well on him. He just started nervously nipping at his lower lip when the officer spoke again

“I get it you spend most of your time at the hospital?”

Julian nodded quickly

“Y-yes. The whole day.”

“You know I was wondering- you’re a hematologist right?”

“Yes officer.”

“wouldn’t you have a clinic outside of the hospital? I’m guessing you have your own patients…”

“I do, it’s just… Vesuvia’s Central Hospital gathers different medical fields all in one, uhm, a-and well its surface being big it allows more… L-like there are a lot more wings than in a regular hospital – of course it can’t possibly compare to Prakran hospitals but – the point is there are clinics inside the hospital. A-and uhm… mine is situated in the East wing.”

The officer raised an eyebrow at Julian’s explanation, almost looking bored

“So you’re just at the Hospital all the time?”

“Yes officer.” Julian replied again, feel like his spine was about to snap with how tense it was.

“oh.” they leaned back in their chair, crossing their arms over their chest. How come they be so calm ??? He felt like a piece of jelly on top of a washing machine ! Besides, it’s not like he never managed to tame his stress – he had amputated people on the battlefield for goodness sake!

… But this was no battlefield. There were no bombs, no shots, no grenades… Everything was eerily still, and the air felt thick and dense with tension. The implications of this case were significant… There was a threat out there. A tangible one. Not like the war, where the threat was in front of you, loud, facing you ; the enemy was there, a few meters away from you. But this enemy…? It was invisible for now. It would sneak around. It would not say it’s here, or fire an arm at you. It would do everything to avoid being seen… Because this wasn’t war. This was probably a single human being actively ending the lives of others.

As his thoughts and heart raced with the sheer gravity of the situation dawning on him, Julian looked into the officer’s eyes. What were they thinking…? He tried his best to try and read the lines of their face but… He could only make out their furrowed brows and slightly pursed lips. They seemed annoyed, but Julian couldn’t make out anything other than that… Maybe he just wasn’t able to. He hadn’t made psychology studies anyway…

They sighed and briefly closed their eyes.

“Where were you on Monday ? During the afternoon?”

Julian blinked, trying to grasp at his memories of that day

“Uuh… Monday….” he paused, his gaze drifting to the empty wall to think better. “I was in the lab. I didn’t have any appointments that day, and it was… Less busy than others. It was a good day, you can say.” Once he was done replying, he looked back at the officer, who nodded slowly. He could feel they were getting a little frustrated, but kept it to themselves for the sake of the procedure. Their fingers drummed on their arm as they thought about what to ask next. They reached for the file again, their biceps and forearm muscles flexing slightly. That’s when Julian realized their arms weren’t chubby, but muscular. His eyes widened at the unfortunate realization they could probably body slam him if they wanted to. Well this was just getting better and better…

The red-haired officer heavily sighed again, their head leaning back briefly, exasperated. “Well ! You’re obviously not our man. You would’ve spilled the beans by now…” ...would he? Julian frowned. He was a little skeptical, and felt as if they probably were drawing conclusions too soon… But why did he even care? He was innocent-

The officer gathered the pictures back into the file and stood up from the chair. They undid their low bun and ran a hand through their shoulder length bright red hair with another heavy sigh. They walked towards the door, grumbling : “You can leave.” They promptly left the door open for Julian to do so.

He sat a moment longer in the room, slightly dumbfounded. He blinked a few times. Was that a test? His brows furrowed together. He stood up from the chair slowly and looked out in the corridor. There was only one other officer ; however they saw the one who had interrogated him come to a halt further to the right. His eyes widened when he saw they were talking with Valdemar. He felt his stomach churn anxiously… If Valdemar was involved, he had to know, if only for his own safety.

He nonchalantly walked towards a vending machine which was within eavesdropping distance from the two. Valdemar was smiling – of course they were – and the red-haired officer was looking up at them with a very annoyed frown. They hadn’t started talking just yet, they were just glaring at each other… Julian pretended to look through the vending machine’s snacks, hands in his pockets.

“… So. Back at it again, huh?” the red-haired officer started.

“I believe you interrogated me already, Vulgora” Valdemar argued, calm as ever.

“I know I did ! But I also know this isn’t the first time you come here -”

“I have bailed myself out ; I have no charges against me anymore…” they said smugly

“You are !! That’s the most infuriating part !!”

Oh right… Julian had heard of that before… Rumors about the chief of neurosurgery participating in organ trafficking. He shivered at the thought, and forced himself to look back at the snack bars in the vending machine…

Vulgora continued.

“Why do you think you’re my prime suspect??”

“Your? So you’re the one leading the case? My…”

“D-! j-!! don’t you give me none of that shit -!!”

“Well if you want to have the most chances on your side…” they looked at Julian. He just knew it. His heart hammered in his chest. “… You might want to be warry of nosey little ears…” They smirked and looked back at Vulgora, who sharply looked at Julian.

The doctor shakily slid a coin in the machine, before chosing a can of ice-tea. He slowly and awkwardly picked it up as he heard the footsteps of the officer stomp towards him. He gulped and before they could reach him he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Fast.

“HEY !!”

Then ran down the corridor, Vulgora on his tail, while Valdemar smirked to themselves. Julian turned a corner and scarcely avoided collision with someone midway through the next corridor.

“woah there !” Liam’s voice rang with a slight awkward chuckle as he took a few steps back. Julian stopped in his tracks, ready to apologize but let out a startled yelp when he felt Vulgora’s grip on his wrist. “YOU ARE NOT G- oh-” They stopped, looking at Liam. They looked between the two men before harshly letting go of Julian, a flush of embarrassment on their cheeks. They turned to Liam. “WHAT?!”

The scientist just raised his hands in surrender “I simply came around to… See how things went.” he cleared his throat. “The lab’s results should arrive by tomorrow. Most of them, anyway.” Vulgora calmed down slightly, nodding. Julian tried to fix his stance again and to look casual, but he couldn’t help his eyes from wandering over Liam’s face, not paying too much attention to the conversation. Gods… He was really cute.

His heard did a little leap when his grey eyes met Liam’s nearly black own. The scientist raised a cruious eyebrow and smiled “if it isn’t our third prime suspect…” Julian cringed a little but chuckled it off

“In the flesh.”

“Ah- I would hope so!” Liam laughed, and Julian found himself chuckling along. Much to Vulgora’s despair, it seemed. They cringed themselves when a certain someone peeked around the corner, their curious eyes coming in to spy on the scenery.

“What do we have here?” they asked, tilting their head. Julian internally sighed and looked towards Liam instead. He was… Surprised to find him equally intrigued by Valdemar’s arrival, and not off-put right away like most were. But before they could exchange a word, Vulgora chimed in “OK, alright -!! Thanks Liam for the info,, and Valdemar and Devorak I’m done with you both, you can respectively walk back to your vehicles and GO HOME !!” they said, as they pushed the two doctors towards the exit of the station, leaving them a little confused. Julian tried to protest, but the doors of the police station drew closer, and so ultimately he gave up. He sighed, and watched as Valdemar stepped out, subtly rolling their eyes at Vulgora’s behavior. He stood in the hall awkwardly, waiting for the neurosurgeon to be at a good distance before reaching for the door. However Liam’s hand stopped him. He felt his heart jump as he whipped around to look at him. Gods, he could feel the flush on his face… It was embarrassing-

The scientist slipped a little piece of paper in his hand, smiling. He looked aside briefly, a bit of a flush onto his own cheeks “Just in case you get bored.” he simply said. With that, he gave Julian one last, slightly nervous smile. The doctor watched him go, slightly taken aback. He then came back to his senses and opened the folded piece of paper, revealing the scientist’s phone number.

Julian chuckled. “The oldest trick in the book…” he mumbled to himself, genuinely amused. With that, he left the police station, his chest feeling less tight with anxiety than when he came in.

Author's note : I apologize if this first chapter is a little rushed, I just really was excited to share :')) I may or may not come back to it to make some adjustments/modifications, and if so, I will let you know if it happens !

feedback is highly appreciated !! especially about the overall writing and what kind of warnings there should be,, or the rating

[fiveeatseight]

hi! came back here again to giggle at your tag abt disney's terrorism on the pitch, found out that youre receiving anon hate??? wtf! horrible thing to happen, but dont listen to them! they also hated jesus for speaking the truth, his gospel was the bible and yours is bottom pedri. both holy imo.

im guessing they were upset at you for shipping pedro with judas. or for bottom pedri posting. or for both! either way theyre both stupid reasons 🥱 the block button literally exists. i find it so dumb to hate on jude/pedri because theyre madrid and barca so therefore can never be shipped together. guys, please take a lesson on yaoi 101. rivals to lovers is literally one of the most common tropes oat!

as for bottom pedri posting... there is literally no crime to be found there in my opinion. like its our god given right to expose him. just look at pedri :/ what do you want us to do :/ IGNORE ALL OF THAT?

https://x.com/iku_lover/status/1882905409591357624?t=O2DNfv-CFraJSqKAbvWV1Q&s=19

anyway, i just noticed from pedris renewal poster that he has a mole(?) on his upper lip? thats so adorable...

https://x.com/FCBarcelona/status/1884957376702210287?t=cgPpK59z8pzcsoYpfS2DOg&s=19

our culer marilyn monroe... what a diva. such a shame they had to use a pic with the buzzcut, am i wrong for thinking it doesnt suit him that much? i miss his fringe and im glad its growing back tbh

bottom pedri you smoke too tough. your swag too different. your contents too delicious, people will kill you🗣️

LOL they are upset at both bottom pedri and judepedri🤭 it’s nothing unexpected tbh! im surprised it took them long enough to spout hates on this blog lol. speak of judepedri in twitter best believe they will come at you with torch and pitch forks

exactly anon. aside from the ultimate juice of rivals AND lovers trope that only judepedri has, pedri is out there looking like #this and you expect me not to ignore?

barca princess! the wife! the girlfriend!

i prefer his fluffy fringe all day, but tbh his short bangs era is also super cute! the way it sharpens his feature🙂‍↕️ (ngl it’s thanks to his natural lethal face card that he can pull this hair style)

absolute beauty

[chaeinedup]

Hot and cold

CH08- Family hangout

Warning: mentions of kissing

previous// //next

[9:00PM]

Practice went really well, maybe too well. You were super excited to hangout afterwards and having your friends cheer you and hoon on did help. Unfortunately your teacher almost regreted letting them watch, lets just say there was a lot of echo.

You weren't sure if he had noticed but you kept stealing glances at Jake. He had bleached his hair, without telling a single soul. Very brave and so much better than the horrid buzzcut phase some guys have. And because of such stunt your dear friends for sure knew who J was. You so clearly saw them laughing in a hysterical way to each other which made you sigh to yourself. They were already embarassing you.

Your teacher finally dismissed you and your team members. You almost ran to the lockers room with excitment but Sunghoon grabbed you by the arm.

Sunghoon: I promise you I had nothing to do with this.

Y/n: You mean his hair?

Sunghoon: Yeah it wasn't a bet, I have no idea why he did it so if you don't like it it's all on him.

Y/n: If I don't like it???!!! dude he looks hoooot.

Sunghoon: You know what?? I shouldn't have said anything.

You both went your seperate ways, rushing to get ready so your friends wouldn't have to wait any longer. While you were getting dressed your phone buzzed making you peek at the screen. It was NingNing.

"Ningz <3: Stay there, we're coming yo you."

Before you could reply you heard the loud sound of laughing. signaling they were here.

Yunjin: You didn't tell us he was a blonde.

Y/n: Yeah I would've if I had known.

NingNing: WAIT?? HE JUST GOT IT DONE??

Y/n: Yeah it's as new to you as it is to me.

Yunjin: Oh bold I like him already.

NingNing: Okay take that off, you're not wearing that.

Y/n: What's wrong with my clothes? It's not like we're going to a party.

They looked at each other and then back at you with nervous smiles.

Y/n: Oh NingNing what did you do?

Ningning: Whaaaaat for once it wasn't my idea. It was Heeseung's.

Yunjin: It's true I can back her up.

NingNing: And because I'm prepared I always keep a change of clothes in my car. So here you go missy. I also brought my travel make up bag.

After you changed outfits you camped in front of the full length mirror to do your make up. You should really ask NingNing where she gets such good outfits but you know that her answer would be her big brain.

Y/n: So what did you guys think of the boys?? They're really cool right??

Yunjin: So far so good, I was talking to Jay and he's really into fashion so we kinda bonded over that.

NingNing: Sunoo is so cute!! I asked him about his skincare and he gave me the full list. We're planning to go to sephora next week if you want to come.

Y/n: And you were the one accusing me of prefering them over you?? looks like I'm the one that's been replaced.

You quickly finished getting ready, handed all of your friends bellongings back to her, did a little spin for them and they gave you their, very appreciated, feedback. The 3 of you walked out of the locker rooms meeting a very confused Sunghoon.

Sunghoon: Since when were they in there?

NingNing: It's none of your business.

Y/n: You know I never understood the beef between you guys.

Yunjin: You mean this one sided beef ?? Ning used to like someone from Hoon's class and they never gave her a chance so she's butt hurt and Hoon is the punching bag.

NingNing: Why are you airing out my business like that damn girl.

Sunghoon: Well for all it's worth, I'm sorry in their behalf.

NingNing:...thank you.... NOW QUICK WE HAVE TO GO HAVE DINNER. WE HAVE A PARTY TO GO TO.

She quickly ran off with Yunjin.

Sunghoon: Wait what?? A party??

Y/n: It was Heeseung's idea, take it up with him.

Sunghoon: Oh I'm gonna kill him. And that's why you look like that.

Y/n: Like what??!!

Sunghoon: Like Jake's gonna like it.

Y/n: OH SHUT UUUUUP.

[11:24PM]

This was being way more fun than you ever expected. You had dinner at a very fancy restaraunt called Mc Donald's. Well at least in their parking lot. You sat on the hood of Jake's car with him while enjoying the little dance battle Niki, Heeseung and Jungwon had put on as free entertainment. You almost didn't want to go to that random party, but you also didn't want to just bail on your friends without a good reason. Well you had a reason, you wanted to have more time with Jake, as selfish as it sounds it's the truth. And you two were together last night but the more time you spend with him, the less you can bare without him.

But off you were to some house you had no idea where it was located with your best friends singing Britney Spears as loudly as possible. Thakfully NingNing was great at multitasking or someone else would have to do the driving for the 3 of you. The car was stopped at a red light and soon enough 2 more cars came to a halt, Jake's first and Jay's a close second. You quickly rolled down the window starting to sing "If U seek amy", followed by Yunjin doing the same. Sunoo was recording in the backseat of Jay's car having a privileged view thanks to his phone's zoom setting.

Sadly the musical number was cut short due to the light finally turning green. You sat yourself, high fiving your friend for the 5 star performance giggling at how the entire neighbourhood probably woke up. In a matter of minutes you finally got to your destination, a lot more excited than before and ready to dance.

You rushed inside grabbing Yunjin and Ning and leaving the guys to themselves. As the door opens you're immediately intoxicated but the loud music, maybe Heeseung's idea wasn't so bad.

[1:44AM]

1, 2, 3, 4, .... you counted in your head how many drinks you've had so far and it was looking like one too many, sure you're not the designated driver but you didn't want to get absolutely hammered. Yunjin and Ning were dancing their worries away and you couldn't help but smile. You just love them so dearly. Your ride or dies.

Jake: I almost thought you had ran away?

Y/n: Without you? I'm not that mean.

You were both caught off guard by your answer. The liquor really made your flirt levels sky rocket. But you needed them right now so you made sure to use and abuse them.

Y/n: Do you want to dance ?

Jake: I'm not really that good.

Y/n: Well your loss. I'll make sure to put on a good show.

You sent a kiss his way while walking towards your roommates, leaving Jake all alone and regretting his decision of not accepting your request.

[2:22AM]

Exhaustion was getting to you, all this dancing was kicking your ass, that and the fact that you had practice just a few hours ago. You climbed up the first flight of stairs that you found, praying to find a bathroom to get some peace and serenity for a while. Of course there was a huge line for the guests bathroom but you wouldn't settle for that, master's bathroom it is. You knocked a couple of times like it was gonna be audible through all the commotion. Someone did reply making you wonder how they heard it, but you yelled if you could come in. The door opened and it was Jake. You smiled grateful that it wasn't a stranger. You pulled him inside with you.

Y/n: I guess you had the same idea as me. I knew you were smart.

You layed in bed, closing your eyes, taking in how comfortable it was.

Jake: Are you okay?

Y/n: Yeah it takes me a lot to get drunk don't worry.

He layed next to you sighing.

Y/n: Yeah being sober kinda sucks doesn't it? at least in the middle of a lot of drunk people.

Jake: Sacrifices have to be made.

Y/n: I can give you a taste if you want.

Jake: I'm okay thanks tho.

Y/n: So you don't want to kiss me?

The room was dark, he felt he was getting hit by his beating heart because of how loud it was, there's no way he's turning this down. In a heartbeat he turned to his side so he could press his lips against yours. He put his hand on your face turning it slightly.

You were tipsy but very concious, your words were sober thoughts with a hint of alcohool. Since last night all you could think about was how he kissed you on your temple and how much better it would've been if it was placed on your lips. You just knew he tasted like honey and chocolate, you never craved anyone like this.

Jake: There's nothing I'd like to do more.

[incorrectgallaghergirlsquotes]

Aside from the height, what do you think are Zach and Josh's differences when it comes to looks? Do you think Zach looks more handsome than Josh?

Don't mind me here, just further procrastinating my essay writing (I will regret this).

So, I know Cammie says that in the elevator reflection Zach looks kinda like Josh. I personally have never imagined them looking very similar. I'd even go a step farther and say that Cammie is kind of an unreliable narrator in this moment. Like when you break up with someone you can see them anywhere and in anything. She said 'yeah this is another boy so if I look at him in this weird, elevator reflection he looks like that other boy'. This is also 16 year old Zach, fresh from Blackthorne so he's got his hair as like a buzzcut and still has time to grow into his features a bit more.

I imagine Josh with light brown or blonde hair and either blue or again light/honey brown eyes. Maybe hazel? Probably straight hair.

Zach I always picture with darker hair than Josh, either dark brown or black and it probably curls when it gets long enough. His eyes I also imagine as darker. I'll die on the Zach has green eyes hill but canon says they at least have to be dark so a dark brown is also acceptable lol

As far as who's more handsome it comes down to preference. We obviously get more of Zach and I like him more so it's probably him but I'd be willing to bet that by conventional standards the spy guy is probably more handsome than the guy next door but they're both fine in their own right.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Don't Go to Work, I'll Take Care of You

I have been waiting and waiting for this fig set, which is funny, because I almost didn't buy it.

Gentle figthusiast, let's take a trip back in time - back to the days of yore, before October 15, 2022. Yes, that far back. It seems both like yesterday, and like ten years ago, in this strange warping of time that has occurred since the pandemic hit back in 2020. These figs went up for sale early September 2022, and I had hemmed and hawed over them for a while. If you've been reading for a while, you know I really don't prefer teary-eyed figs, and I knew nothing about either Zhang Min (Zhehan's character from Everyone Wants to Meet You) or Zhao Fanzhou (Gong Jun's character from The Love Equations). These looked like fairly plain figs, and while the name of them was super cute, I thought I could probably live without them.

At the time, I was at one of those inflection points (I've had a couple) where my heart wanted to collect all the figs, and my brain was aghast at the absolute pure insanity. My brain was trying to bargain with my heart by telling it that it could have all the figs that were Special, and Important, and had Meaning, and hey, maybe we didn't need ones we didn't necessarily know anything/care about.

But, thankfully, I had been down That Path before, and I knew where it led. It led to me finding out just how Special, and Important, and Meaningful those figs were that I didn't buy (via the story, or a Twitter post, or a picture) after sales had already closed, and me suffering paroxysms of regret. So I told myself, no, there's a story here, and I just haven't had a chance to watch the show and I don't want to Regret It (tm), so I bought them. But that being said, I promptly forgot about them, because I just didn't find them that interesting and I really wished Zhang Min was not so unhappy.

And then October 15, 2022 hit, and 61K words of the most incredibly perfect Zhoumin story landed at Ao3:

Cross Contamination: an Inadvertent Transfer of Materials and Affections

If I do nothing else with this blog but convince someone to read this story, it will be well worth it. I'm absolutely tempted to re-read it for the nth time (I don't dare put the actual number on the grounds it may incriminate me for how I'm obsessed with this story).

It may amuse you to know that as I was reading this and nearing the end, I actually was thinking about this fig set, how perfect it was, and congratulating myself on listening to my heart and buying them! I would have been crushed logging onto Xianyu immediately after finishing and buying it, no question, at whatever price, scalpers be damned.

I still have not watched either show, and I'm totally ok with that (I will eventually!), because frankly all I need is this story in my life. In brief, Zhang Min is a harried hotel CEO, and Fanzhou is a forensics college student. I won't spoil anything, but Zhang Min does seem to have had a tough run of things, and definitely could stand to not go to work and let Fanzhou take care of him. (Sometimes I think we could all stand to not go to work and let Fanzhou take care of us, but moving on!)

Let's have a few pics before we get started - and kick it off with Zhehan/Zhang Min:

And of course, the inspiration for the fig:

Mostly I know Everyone Wants to Meet You as the show where Zhang Zhehan looks exceptionally fine wearing suits and sporting a buzzcut. You know I am a proud member of Team Long-Hair Zhehan, but I have eyes.

And now Gong Jun/Fanzhou:

I don't remember college seniors looking like this, I'm just gonna say.

Here we have our favorite hotel magnate having a tough day, and here we also have our favorite big eyed, sweet-faced college senior. I must say the fig maker absolutely nailed Zhehan's teary pout! Poor guy!

That's right, Fanzhou, patiently listening when someone's had a hard day is always welcome.

I never like the side shots where they're facing away from each other! Maybe sometimes difficult secrets can only be said when someone isn't looking directly at you.

There we go, sometimes secrets are best told to walls with someone patiently and calmly sitting next to you. I see the fig maker decided to keep to the theme of Zhang Min's form fitting, slim-cut suit.

I'm trying out doing three-quarter angles on these fig photos now, I feel like we get some nice views this way.

We definitely do! I'll try to be consistent with this from here on out.

These figs sit decently well, but for all that you might think they'd be solidly stable, they're not tremendously so. Like they won't spontaneously fall over or anything, but it's one of those things where if you bumped the table or cabinet (hard) they might. I put them on fig stands and feel much better about it.

Hehe, Zhehan's buzz cut in fig form is always so funny to me!

I was so busy narrating the tale of my purchase of these figs that I neglected to put their packaging pic up first. These little guys came very securely wrapped and arrived perfectly in their plain white box.

Here's the box card - it's so cute! We have the cat and the tears on Zhang Min's side, and the puppy and hearts on Fanzhou's size. They're safe and cozy together!

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 225

Scene Count: 18

Rating: Husbands take care of each other!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[andreafmn]

I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 1

Word Count: 3,325

Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore

Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father's sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin's, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others' storyline.

Chapter: 1/?

Chapter Description: (Y/N) finally arrives at Beacon Hills for the funeral of her aunt and meets a certain wolf to which she feels a special connection.

A/N: Second fandom I'm writing for. I love Teen Wolf so much and the trope of hard Derek but only soft for you makes my heart sing. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

Next ->

Chapter 1

I hugged the black coat to my body as hard as I could whilst pushing through the sea of press. Our family's last name became quite known after the reports about my aunt, whose burial we were attending. She had allegedly burned down a house with people in it.  She killed them in cold blood. I hugged my grieving uncle and his less grieving wife, then my cousin who had a painful look on her face. I hugged her the longest. She let herself crumble on my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though she was a horrible person she was still our aunt, family.

I took my seat behind Allison when my father, my mother, uncle Chris, and aunt Victoria stood up. Allison didn't lift her head and neither did I. I just tried to comfort her.

"It's been such a long time I don't expect you to call me grandpa." We both looked up to see a white-haired man who resembled the Argent features. "Don't worry about it, just call me Gerard." He hugged both of us, an overpowering aura emanating from his being. When we were engulfed, I looked to the side and saw two boys squatting behind a gravestone. If they were hiding, they were doing a horrible job at it.

"But I prefer Grandpa," Gerard said walking to his seat. I sat back down and drifted off during the whole ceremony. Once it was over, I joined my parents and we drove to our new house. I have a feeling that life here will be very interesting.

That weekend I decided that I had been putting working out off for too long. I changed into comfortable workout clothes and gave food to my dog, Brody. I headed out the door, put my earbuds on, and started to jog. I really didn't know where I was going since it was a new place for me, all I know is that I kept running until I reached the woods. The bad thing about this, I had no idea how to get back home. Even though I knew of this sidetrack and I knew I would be late to get back home, I kept running, needing a release from the mundane feeling of being new in town and having to reunite from our estranged family in a funeral.

I had gained a lot of momentum. God knows how fast I was running at this point that is until I hit something, it almost felt like a wall. When I looked up, I saw a very handsome guy. Spiked hair, green eyes, and slight stubble. If it weren't for the fact that I was already sweaty I would have started to sweat showers of how nervous I was. That is until he opened his mouth.

"Watch where you're going." He growled at me.

"How about you fucking move and not be a prick?" He looked at me with big eyes, probably in surprise, but quickly changed to his menacing look. Who was he trying to fool?

"Well, this is private property, which means that you're trespassing, meaning you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"I'm sorry but a burnt-down house with almost no walls or roof is barely a property. So, how about you stop being an idiot and I can be on my way." I started to jog once again but he gained my attention once more.

"You're new here, aren't you?" I turned around to face him.

"What's it to you?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a yes." The cockiness oozed out of his pores.

"And why the hell should that matter?"

"Because no one would dare talk to me that way."

"Who would be afraid of a little sour wolf?" He tensed up. "Dude, chill. I'm just kidding. But I doubt anyone would be afraid of Mr...."

"Hale. Derek Hale." He said extending his hand to me. Gee, after screaming at me he wants us to be acquaintances. I thought about not shaking his hand, but I didn't want to be rude. Well, more than I have been already.

"(Y/N). Argent." I shook his hand. Strong grip. Suddenly I felt a rush of déjà vu; I had met him the day before. "Wait, aren't you that guy I accidentally hit with my grocery cart yesterday?"

"Yeah, that really hurt. You hit my ankle. You could've had me limping."

"But you're not, so be grateful I didn't break your ankle." He laughed. "Damn, if I had known how cocky you really were, I would've hit you harder."

"So, you admit that you hit me?"

"Oh yeah, of course, I hit you. Accidentally that is."

"Yeah, yeah."

I looked around trying to find where the hell I had come from but there wasn't even the slightest trail as to where I was to go.

"So, miss (Y/N). Do you even know your way home?"

"No, but I'm sure I can find my way back." Then, he took keys out of his pocket and pointed to his car.

"Come on, I'll drive you around and you just tell me when something seems familiar."

"And why should I go with the guy that almost ripped out my throat for bumping into him? For all I know you could be driving me to my death." I crossed my arms over my chest, and he let out a loud sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping. But I'm trying to be nice. That doesn't happen very often."

"Alright, Mr. Hale. I'll let you take me home just because you are being nice now, after being a prick, and I'm exhausted."

"See, no one can resist me." I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. Seriously does he buy cans of it on eBay?

"Don't get cocky with me. I can punch the living daylights out of you." He chuckled and started to drive.

We drove for about 20 minutes until I finally recognized the curb that led to my house. Upon arriving at my driveway, I got out of the car and walked to the driver’s side.

"Give me your hand” For some reason, I felt compelled to do so. He took a pen and wrote down a number. "Call me if you ever need a tour of the town."

Three weeks later, I walked inside the school to meet up with Allison. I moved here with my family since dad had some business taking float. Being the new kid in town is never fun. I would know. I switch schools almost every year. The pro and con about this would be not being attached to anyone. Usually, I'm the one who doesn't talk to anyone and is called a freak. A derogatory term given to people who are way too different from others, but a title I wore proudly.

"Oh my gosh, (Y/N)! How have you been?" Allison wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. It was as if she hadn't seen me just three weeks ago.

"Hi, Allison. I've been good, getting acclimated to the new town. You?" You would think that because we were cousins, I would be more affectionate towards her but honestly, I wouldn't see her again for like three more years, so what's the point?

"I'm good. A little rocky at the start of coming here but good." Then, a boy with a buzz cut and one with great brown hair walked by and smiled at Alli. "Ooh, you should come meet my friends. Stiles, Scott!! Come here." The boys turned around with goofy grins on their faces.

"Hey, Allison. Who's this?" Buzzcut kid said.

"This is my cousin, (Y/N). She just moved here from Virginia."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Scott." The one with the great hair said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Stiles." I shook their hands and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too, buzzcut." Allison and Scott laughed but Stiles only ran his hand through his hair, suddenly becoming hyperaware of his lack of locks.

"Allison. Who might this sexy lady be?" I rolled my eyes. The last thing I need is a narcissist with a god-complex trying to get close.

"Oh, Jackson, this is my cousin, (Y/N)."

"Hi." He extended his hand and looked me up and down.

"Hi." I smiled sarcastically, and when I didn't extend my hand, he dropped his.

Finally, after standing awkwardly behind Allison whilst her friends talked, the bell rang. Talk about saved by the bell.

"Hey, (Y/N), what's your first class?" I checked my schedule.

"Um, chemistry."

"Oh, good, then you're coming with us to Mr. Harris' class," Scott said pointing towards him and Stiles. I smiled and walked behind them.

Once we got to the classroom everyone turned to me, the ever-present sign of being new in the class evident in the stare of my classmates.

"Um, hi, my name is (Y/N) Argent and I'm new." The teacher, whom I guess is Mr. Harris, turned around to face me.

"Oh, yes, Miss Argent. Welcome. You will be sitting next to Isaac Lahey. Lahey, raise your hand." Once Isaac raised his hand, I noticed he was sat near Stiles and Scott. Two people I was trying to avoid. As I walked past, I accidentally pushed Stiles' book on his lap, startling him, resulting in an awkward descent from his lab stool onto the floor.

"Hi, again. I guess we are gonna see a lot of each other for the rest of the school year." I nodded and he scratched the back of his neck. "So, um, what school did you come from?"

"Lancaster High," I responded whilst writing down what Mr. Harris was writing on the board. Stiles kept trying to talk to me, but I would only give him short, cold answers or just ignore him. That is until Mr. Harris called our attention, that's when he finally got the memo to shut up.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to introduce myself since we're gonna be seated next to each other all year. I'm Isaac."

"I figured." I tried giving him my best smile. The vibe he was giving off seemed like he needed it. "I'm (Y/N)."

"Well, nice to meet you, (Y/N). Now I'll leave you to the class because if I don't I know I'll be failing even more than I am."

"Oh, well, maybe I can tutor you some time. I'm actually really good at science. My mom was a chemist professor once upon a time so I'm bound to understand all this."

"Really?!" His puppy eyes seemed to light up and I nodded. "That would actually be amazing."

"Sure thing. Now let's get back to class."

After Chemistry finished, I put everything in my bag as quickly as possible and sped to my next class, Math. Thankfully, none of Allison's friends shared this class with me but I did share it with Isaac.  I didn't consider him much a friend but more an acquaintance in desperate need of help.

As the day progressed, I noticed the rest of my classes were shared with one or more of Allison's friends. They all tried to strike up a conversation but were quickly discouraged when met with my one-worded or vague answers. Especially, Stiles. He tried especially hard to get answers out of me, only being met with the occasional laugh or stare at his comical occurrences. He seemed like the kind of person you could just open up to. The same could be said about Scott. His shy nature was alluring, and he portrayed himself as a very trustworthy and loyal being.

But I would not allow myself to let them in. My whole being yearned for a real friendship, someone to share nothing and everything; never again.

At lunch, I sat outside and ate my food quietly, a book in front of my face to shield my eyes from the sun the prevalent stares of my peers. After some minutes of appreciated loneliness, the empty table was filled with conversating teenage bodies. I smiled politely but, in my mind, I was cursing them out.

"So, (Y/N), how's your day been?" Allison asked whilst munching on an apple. I swallowed what was left of my bite and answered.

"Fine, thank you." This time no one pressed on after my short answers, finally getting the hint of my disinterest. In the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac sitting under a tree munching on half a sandwich. I excused myself and went to join him, heavily enjoying his tranquil aura.

"Oh, hi, (Y/N)." He smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Isaac. Is that all you're eating?"

"Yeah. I'm not very hungry." He looked down as if he were ashamed.

"Nonsense! Here," I gave him the other half of my burger and another bag of chips I had in my bag. "You can't tell me you're not hungry. You're a boy in peak development."

"Thanks." He smiled as he continued munching on his food. I put on some music and we continued eating in silence. No conversation required.

The day went on smoother than it started. Classes flew by fairly quickly and the incessant chit-chat seemed to diminish. During last period I was like every other student, anxiously waiting for the bell to signal the end of the school day. When my pleads were answered, I packed the necessary book into my bag and left the rest in my locker, expertly avoiding any more social encounters. Quickly, I made my way to the waiting open car door of my father's car, ignoring Allison's beckoning me t.wards the small group of friends.

"How was your first day, darling?" My father spoke up breaking my attention from the scenery.

"Like any other first day I've had." I smiled. "The towns might change but school is always the same."

Finally at home, we were greeted with the sight of my mother cooking; people were coming over.

"(Y/N), honey, Chris, Victoria, and Allison are coming over tonight. So, go do a quick workout and come back to get ready." I nodded and ran to my room to change into workout clothes.

My routine would normally consist of waking up, working out, go to school for a dreading eight hours, come back home, workout again, do my homework, eat, and go to sleep. I lead a very monotonous life and it had been this way since I could remember. One of my earliest memories was of my father teaching me archery alongside Allison, a great distraction to our always disrupted home life. As I got older, my father started training me in boxing and knife maneuvering. How would these skills help me in life were still a mystery but I felt safe knowing them.

I got changed and decided to take Brody out with me on a quick jog through the woods. "Hey, boy, ready to go?"

He jumped on me which I took as a yes and started for the woods. We ran down the same trail I had been going on for the past three weeks. Mostly, I went down this track in hopes that Derek would make an appearance, and today was not the exception. As the ruins of his house came to view so did his tall figure.

"Trespassing again?"

"It doesn't count if I know the owner." During our greeting, Brody's leash slipped out of my hand and he ran to jump on Derek, leaving slobbering licks on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled and helped me bring him down.

"I guess he likes you, even though he doesn't like anyone but me. Guess you're special."

"Maybe." He grinned.

Out of nowhere, I hit him in the shoulder. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to run me over with your shopping cart two days ago. It was uncalled for."

"No, it was revenge. You hit ME first. In the ankle."

"You're still on with that. Come on, sour wolf. That happened three weeks ago, and it was an accident."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll give you a ride home. It's getting kind of dark." This had also become part of my routine. After "bumping" into Derek he would offer to drop me off at my house, claiming it was for security.

"Okay, we're here. By the way, the offer to show you around town is still up. Just call me whenever." He said as he stopped the car in front of my house.

"Alright, will do, and thanks for the ride, Derek. I'd invite you in, but my family is coming over."

"No worries, maybe another time."

"It's a date. Anyways, thanks again. See you when I see you."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night." He waited until I entered the house and drove away.

"Munchkin, is that you?" My father screamed from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" I screamed back.

"Okay, well, go take a shower and get ready your uncle will get here soon."

I hurried up the stairs and hopped in the shower letting the hot water stream down my body calming any aching muscle that was palpitating. In my room, I searched through my closet for an acceptable family dinner outfit, deciding a grey sweater and black jeans would be enough. I braided my hair out of my face and went downstairs to help my mother set the table.

After we put the last plate the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I ran to the door and was greeted by my uncle. "Uncle Chris!" I jumped and he hugged me. There was no doubt that he was my favorite family member, his presence was always welcoming. His wife on the other hand was as cold as the winters we spent in New York. She was nice but absolutely scary. "Hi, Aunt Victoria."

"Hello, (Y/N)." I hugged her and said hi to Allison.

"Come in, guys." They walked in and I closed the door behind them.

"So, (Y/N), how have you been?" Uncle Chris asked while stuffing his mouth with mom's famous lasagna.

"I've been good. I mean, moving all the time takes a toll on you at first, but I got used to it. It's easy now to pack it all up once the school year ends."

"Oh, honey, that must be so hard on you," Victoria said. I could not read her tone, her words spoke in sympathetic notes with an underlying melody of sarcasm.  Not knowing what to answer, I bit my lip and nodded.

The whole evening was spent on us catching up and eating, laughing, playing games, but the good times came to an end when the clock hit 9:00 pm. It was stupid to set a curfew, but my mom usually had everyone in bed at this time, 10:30 as of late.

"You better come around the house more often." Uncle Chris demanded and hugged me.

"Yes, sir." I raised my hand to my eyebrow and saluted, as did he.

"Let's go, Chris. And thank you for the lovely dinner, Rebecca," Victoria said linking arms with my uncle and smiling at mom.

"No problem. Come by any time." They talked for a bit more and after they left, I went upstairs to change for bed.

"Momma, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Okay, honey. Goodnight." I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail.

Before bed, I made sure everything I would need for the next day was packed into my bag and made sure my alarm was set. I pulled all the throw pillows from my bed and set them aside, then making my way to the window to draw the curtains. Something caught my attention in the backyard, though. My eyes squinted trying to make out the figure in front of me. Blinking the confusion away, I made a double-take and looked back at an empty yard. I laughed to myself as I crept into bed. Why would Derek be in my backyard?

Next ->

[callmecallmecrazy]

Preppy 1

*****

Warning!  This is not my usual fare.  Back in college I got very into preppy clothing and wrote a few short stories that I never shared anywhere.  Figure I might as well post them for posterity.  Enjoy this 2007/8 flashback!

*****

Two athletic men hauled Shawn into a dark room with a gurney table, and strapped his arms and legs down.

 "What the fuck?" Shawn shouted, his shaggy hair covering his eyes.  His muscular body struggled uselessly against the leather restraints holding down his body.  "Who the hell are you fuckers?"

This caused the two men to stop suddenly.

"My goodness, how rude of me," one spoke.  He was a tall man.  He was wearing Sahara Sperry topsiders, pleated khakis, and a hunter green sweater. Peaking out from under the sweater was a blue and yellow striped oxford shirt.  The collar was buttoned tightly around his neck, which was adorned with a simple yellow tie.  His hair was cut in a short buzzcut.

 He offered his hand out in the gesture of greeting and smiled at the man he had strapped down. "My name is Cody Bellford, please call me Skip.  And this," he said as he pulled the other man towards him in a sort of man hug, "is Ace."  The shorter man smiled.  He too was dressed in pleated khakis, but was wearing a light blue polo with a popped collar. His hair was longer than Skip's, cut into a crisp flattop.  Both men had athletic, strong bodies that were highlighted by their attire, but still looking very dressy.

 "What the hell is going on?" Shawn screamed.

"Ugh, so barbaric," Ace sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll get you cleaned up."

"Cleaned up?" Shawn asked.

"Yes," Skip began to explain.  "Cleaned up.  Groomed. Presentable.  Your appearance and mouth reflect poorly on yourself and the school.  Wouldn't you be happier if you were groomed and proper?"

"Fuck you!" Shawn retorted.  The two preppy men just smiled to each other and began their work.

 Ace walked up to Shawn's chest and proceeded to rip the oversized t-shirt off his chest, exposing Shawn's voluptuous pecs covered in fur.  At the same time, Skip had proceeded to cut the sweat pants off of Shawn's legs.  In few more simple motions, Shawn was lying nearly naked on the table, only his privates covered by a pair of striped boxers.  His strong legs were lurching against the confines of the straps, and the veins in his arms and neck were bulging from his constant resistance. Shawn finally glanced upwards to realize that a full size mirror hung over him.

 "You have a good physique, Shawn.  You should take better care of yourself," Skip said.

"What?"

"This hair is disgusting.  You would look so much better if you were more streamlined."

"Shit, shaving body hair is for fags!"  Shawn was still struggling against the restraints but it was useless.  He was exhausted, and the reflections of the two groomed, calm men standing over him confused him.  Here he was, stressing and fighting, and they were calm and collected. In charge.

"Lots of men shave their body hair," Ace explained.  "It works for some, but you would look better trimmed." Skip handed Ace an electric trimmer, which he turned on and waved delicately in front of Shawn's face. Shawn looked in terror as Ace took the blade over his chest and began to strike down the forest of hair growing across. He could only look forward and watch as his reflection was slowly denuded across the chest and abs.  Skip made eye contact in the mirror and smiled brightly at the terrified man.

 Next, Ace continued his swarthy path on the legs, reducing the long hairs to fine fibers, highlighting the deep cuts along his quads and calves.  Beyond his range of vision, Skip had been stirring a pot of hot wax, and now sat down next to Shawn.  He took one of Shawn's hands and applied the wax on the hair covering his fingers. With a quick rip, and a tired yelp from Shawn, one finger was clean of unsightly hair.  Skip continued the process across all five digits and the back of the hand, then proceeded to do the other hand.  Ace had moved on to the arm that Skip had finished and removed all the hair from Shawn's wrist to his shoulder.  Skip went down to Shawn's feet and quickly ripped the hair off of his feet and toes.

 "Goodness, Shawn," Ace smiled at Shawn in the mirror.  "You look so much better now."

"Yes, I think so too. You should keep this look." Shawn stared at the two smiling men in the mirror, finding himself drawn into their bright smiles and amber eyes. He wanted to look away, but his face was held in place.  He tried to close his eyes, but he was constantly drawn back into the soothing haze of their white teeth and tan skin.  His skin did look good.  His skin had a natural tan and without the hair it seemed that his muscles were bigger, more cut, more defined. Maybe it wasn't, no, he hated it.  Shaving body hair was stupid.  But kind of sexy...

 "Now, about these," Skip said as he cut the boxer shorts from Shawn's body.  Shawn was shocked into silence as Ace roughly gripped his package.

"Don't worry," Ace said, again smiling.  "I'm not a pervert.  I just want you to be the best you can be."  And with those words, he once again turned on the electric trimmer and carefully reduced his pubic hair to a short stubble.  A few more quick strokes near the inner thigh, and both preppy boys stepped back and addressed Shawn in the mirror.

 "You look swell, Shawn," Ace said.  "This clean look really suits you."

"Yes, I agree," Skip said.  "I think everything we're doing you should maintain.  Weekly should be enough for you to look presentable everywhere. It's important to be groomed and presentable at all times.  You don't want to meet the wrong person looking poorly."

"Wrong... person?" Shawn stammered, he was nearly overwhelmed by the whole situation and found himself increasingly groggy and incoherent.

"Yes, there are the right people and the wrong people," Ace explained.  "If you meet a bank president, you don't want to look like a grunge band member.  You want to look like you know a Brooks Brothers inside and out.  That's how you get ahead."

"Oh, but... I ... umm.... shit," Shawn said, exerting a tiny bit of resistance in an attempt to move his head to the side.

"And don't swear, Shawn," Skip said.  "You sound unprofessional and uneducated.  Looking your best means acting your best."

"Umm, okay."

"Don't stutter or stammer.  Speak clearly and decisively.  A man."

"Okay."  Ace and Skip smiled to each other, and for just a single moment, Shawn smiled himself.

 "You are coming along very well, Shawn.  Just a tad more and I think you'll be a new man."

"Yes, I agree. Shawn just needs a few touch-ups and he will be an ideal gentleman."  Skip stepped out of view for just a second and then reappeared. Into the mirror, he held up a pair of classic y-front briefs.  He pulled on them slightly to emphasize the item.

 "These, are the ideal underwear for a conservative, preppy man.  That's what we want you to become.  That's what you want to be Shawn.  All of this is just so you can be a gentleman."  Shawn's eyes bulged as he saw the old-fashioned underwear. Ace undid the straps on his legs, but Shawn found himself too exhausted to move.  The boys gently lifted up his legs and slip down the tight, white briefs. They traced up his thighs and gently began to engulf his crotch and butt.  With a sharp elastic snap, he felt the band settle against his waist.  He had resisted looking, but curiously he peered at his image.  He looked amazing.  The briefs looked so presentable and manly.  He felt powerful and in control.  Once again, Shawn found himself smiling pleasantly.

 "Feeling a tad preppy?" Ace teased.  "Don't worry, only one thing left."

"Your hair," Skip said.  "It's so rough and wild.  Not the image one wants to send."  Shawn had nothing left inside himself to resist.  He merely nodded as well as the straps would let him.  The table holding up his head receded, and Shawn saw Ace holding his neck up while Skip brought over a pair of clippers.  They sprang to life with a low growl.  Skip wasted no time in reducing the sides of his head to nothing.  The shaggy haircut was being quickly reduced.  He ran the clippers over the sides of his head, leaving a white wall of flesh behind in its wake.  That finished, he proceeded to comb the hair back and began hacking it off.  Large chunks of brown hair fell to the floor as Shawn was shorn.  Finally, with about an inch left, Skip wet the hair and brushed it all up.  Using a small trimmer, he proceeded to flatten out his hair, until the top was a level plain identical to Ace's square hair.

 "You need something drastically different," Ace explained.  "Such a dramatic change proves how intent you are on improving yourself."  Skip just nodded as he continued to even out the top of the hair.  Shawn was nearing his breaking point, as he watched his long, mangled hair replaced with a corporate hairstyle of precision and execution. Skip applied some strange wax to the hair forcing it to stand up straight.

 "After some practice," Skip began, "your hair will hold itself up.  But the wax is still good measure."  Shawn found himself nodding as the knowledge of how to maintain his new hairstyle sunk into his freshly exposed head.  Skip pulled the head piece out from the table, and Ace let Shawn's head rest on the table.  The two prepsters stood back and admired their work.

 "You look like a decent guy now.  No more grunge or nasty college boy."

"No, you look like the prefect preppy."

"You are going places. Meeting the right people."

"I'm sure you'll get a great job and make lots of money."

"You've already met us. And there is a bunch of men back at the house excited to meet you."

"Of course, you should join the fraternity.  Men like us need to stick together."

"Don't you like this Shawn.  Being preppy. You look so much better."

"You're a born-again preppy.  We prefer you like this.  And all the brothers want you like this.  You want to be like this, don't you?"

 Staring at himself in the overhead mirror, Shawn was shocked at how much he liked his reflection. Formerly shaggy hair now stood straight up over his head, looking stiff as a board.  Whitewalls on the sides, his ears seemed to stick out a little - something else he found surprisingly appealing.  His tan, muscular body was shown to all its glory, his former resistance giving his body a sheen from sweat and muscle tension.  Without his body hair, he looked bigger, stronger, and cleaner.  He had always thought that shaving body hair was nelly and silly, but he looked much better now.  And then the briefs.  Tight, white briefs with a full cut covered his nether regions.  He had always worn boxers.  But there was something alluring about the underwear, with its clean-cut lines. Almost unconsciously, Shawn found his face slowly being filled with a charming, pleasant smile.  His dazzling white teeth began to cover more of his face as the empty grin consumed him.  Brown eyes lit up with a sort of cordial ambiance.  

 He liked it.  He really did.  Shawn was suddenly overwhelmed with a dire urgency. Something he had never felt before welling up inside of him.  He wanted to be like the preppy boys.  To be like this.  Attractive and fit and well liked and happy.  To be successful and entitled and self-assured.  And surrounded by men his equal.  Men as fit and clean and productive.  To be engulfed in their manly etiquette and mannerisms.  Better yet, be a part of group of such men.  To be part of a fraternity.

 All at once, Shawn's sudden pleasant nature began to override the rest of his personality.  So what if he wanted to dress, act, be one of the preppy boys?  If anything, being a preppy boy would be good for him.  He would get in with the right people, wear the right clothes, be the right kind of man. The kind of man Shawn would never have been on his own.  And he'd be happy.  It sounded pretty great to Shawn, who continued to sink into a cheerful bliss.

 At this point, Skip and Ace proceeded to undo the straps holding Shawn down.  He allowed the two well-dressed boys to help him off the table and he thanked them politely.  Manners were always important after all, but too much thanks sounded sarcastic or desperate - neither of which were admirable qualities in a man.  Ace gave Shawn a gentle pat on the back and a bright smile.

 "Feeling better?"

"Yessir, thank you both very much," Shawn replied.

"Of course," Skip replied eloquently.  "Here, you might want to get dressed."  

 The boys handed Shawn a pair of khaki Dockers’.  He slipped the pants up his muscular legs and pulled them high over his briefs.  The khakis sat a little higher than his normal baggy pants had, and Shawn liked it.  It was a much classier fit.  As he zipped up the fly and buttoned the top, he noticed the pants were pleated.  Actually, it was a double pleat, he was pleased to note. For some reason, he had always hated pleated pants.  He didn't know why.  Clearly, they were a much smarter look on a man.  More formal.  Next, the two fraternity boys gave Shawn a light blue oxford shirt, complete with a little polo player on the left breast.  They helped him tuck the shirt gently into his pants as he began to button the shirt up. He stopped before the very top, but Ace flipped up Shawn's collar and proceeded to button it to the very top. His neck was a little too thick for the buttoned collar, but he realized it would force him to carry his chin high, with pride and confidence.  Yes, a high collar was definitely better for his posture.

 "A proper man doesn't wear a button-down shirt without a tie of some sort," Skip said coyly as he approached Shawn, a line of fabric resting in his hands.  Shawn couldn't see what was happening as Skip proceeded to tie a tie on his neck.  At the same time, he felt Ace fumbling with the cuffs of his shirt.

 Skip stepped back and admired his handiwork and once again presented that gorgeous white smile to Shawn, who was pleased to return the cordial charm of the other man.  Ace was working away at his hips, looping a brown leather belt through the hoops of his Dockers.  Skip held up a pair of blue dress socks with a purple and yellow argyle pattern on them.  Shawn smiled and lifted up one leg, and then the other, feeling the stretch of the fabric engulf his feet.  When he set each foot down, a pair of penny loafers had been set in the way, forcing his foot to slide elegantly into the leather classics.

 "Just a tad preppier," Ace said as he pulled up the final item.  A sweater vest, with a black, grey, and white argyle pattern on it. Shawn could see thin yellow and blue lines running between the diamonds.  He lost his vision as the sweater was pulled over his hair and rested on his broad shoulders.  Rough hands began adjusting the sweater across his body.  It was a bit of tight fit given the size of his pecs and shoulders. The belt was adjusted, the tie straighten, the hair fluffed.  Meanwhile, Skip had pulled over a full-size mirror.  When Ace stepped away from Shawn, taking his place next to Skip, Shawn could finally see his new visage.

 He was a preppy boy. Pleated khakis over an oxford shirt and sweater vest.  It hadn't been a traditional tie that was put around his neck, but rather a purple and yellow bowtie.  Classic cufflinks had been used on the cuffs of his shirt.  Combined with the brown loafers and belt, he was the spitting image of a preppy boy.

 Spitting image?  Shawn thought to himself.  How inappropriate.  More like the classic construct of a prepster.

 "I think Tad is preppy now," Ace said as he looked over the new prep's outfit.

"Think you are a Tad now?" Skip said as he slipped his hand on the recently madeover man's shoulder.

"Skip, Ace, thank you both very much.  I would be pleased if you called me Tad.  Shawn is so uncouth."

"We understand, Tad," Ace said. "Neither of our names befit our preppiness.  Hence, we have preppy nicknames."

"Well, Tad, I think that it's time you went upstairs and met the rest of the men.  You are in the fraternity now, correct?"

"I would be honored to be a brother. Rush begins today?"

"Oh, you're not going to need to rush.  In fact, we would like you to greet the rushees."

"Absolutely!" Tad exclaimed.  "I am honored to represent our brothers and our fraternity."

"Great, let's get you settled in."  The three brothers walk upstairs into the house, to introduce Tad to his new life.

 Later that day, as the rushees came into the house, the brother meeted and greeted all the potential men.  Among them, was a preppy man with a flattop and a purple and yellow bowtie.  He was wearing pleated khakis and a sweater vest. And his nametag had 'TAD' written in bold letters.  It crossed his chest in the same place the little polo player did.  Aside from the nametag, he was nearly indistinguishable form the other brothers.  And in the next week, a few more good men would find themselves proud brothers of the fraternity and brothers in preppiness.

[nothingunrealistic]

naturally was going "hmm what kind of fins (fish) would young taylor in the bathtub wish for. how would we know what they think would be the best fish tail to have" & then was just thinking of Younger Taylor Hcs just in general. got any you'd wanna share, or like, any faves from what's been provided either as unofficial ideas or via those glimpses of info in the show's text. Fave can be in a "truly enjoy this" way & or simply more of a "truly Thinking About This An Extra Lot" sense lol. They

Boy Do I… first, a listing of everything we Know from canon about their childhood / early life / family:

taylor grew up in “a place like” connerty’s small apartment where “the heat pipes bang practically all night” in the winter [2x11]

taylor’s mom would deem the apartment they rented for her & douglas too expensive, and if she & douglas were shopping for furniture, they’d argue about how much things cost [4x07]

taylor never thought they’d be thinking about living a life where they book private jets [2x09]

the masons’ home is hundreds of miles from any body of water (as shown here) and douglas had to fly to nyc to see taylor [4x03]

douglas figures taylor’s mom won’t miss him getting in her way back home [4x03]

taylor has a sister; when she gets married, in michigan, taylor is part of the wedding party [2x09]

at a young age, taylor was always measuring information around them, and sweet / affectionate, especially toward douglas [4x03]

taylor’s favorite cereal as a kid was frosted flakes [4x09]

taylor was never really douglas’s “little girl” like he claims [4x03]

the first time douglas brought taylor to his lab, it meant a lot to them, and the next day they gave him designs to remake it [4x06]

douglas taught taylor: “don’t just have an idea, build the model that proves it” [4x07]

according to douglas, taylor gets the “unyielding compulsion to get it right” from him, and their relationship was best when they “kept things mathematical” [4x03]

douglas wishes he could have built real wealth / success and given it all to taylor [4x03]

wendy mentions to taylor that douglas has “exploited your need for his approval,” and taylor agrees that douglas only cares about his own advancement rather than being a father first [4x07]

douglas dislikes the military / the government [4x06]

taylor is surprised by douglas quoting a pop song [4x07]

when taylor was younger, the bathtub was the only place they could go to be alone and think, and they’d press their legs against the sides hard enough to make them go numb [3x11]

taylor started playing online poker at age 12 under the screen name ZackCody892 and played up to 16 tables at a time (and for thousands of hours) [2x03]

douglas was fired from his job at an aerospace firm when taylor was in 7th grade. this firing damaged their relationship with him and “affected the home life.” for years, taylor thought douglas had been fired so that the firm could steal his invention, and only found out the truth from his personnel file [2x11, 4x05, 4x06]

taylor has had 927 hours of therapy prior to their session with dr. gus, and that number hasn’t changed at their first session with wendy [2x03, 2x08]

douglas, in bringing taylor food and coffee, claims they rarely take the time to look after themself [4x04]

taylor used to lie to themself and others but is now past that, and knows “how hard it is to have things inside you that you can’t communicate” and “what it’s like to face public scrutiny over who you are” [2x08, 3x02, 4x04]

when taylor reminds douglas about their pronouns, he says “this talk again?”, implying it’s a discussion they’ve had before [4x03]

taylor once got into a bar fight with a high school classmate (it’s unclear whether they were still in high school at the time) after seeing y tu mamá también in a theater [5x07]

taylor was active in occupy wall street in college [2x10]

taylor played poker in college against classmates, grad students, & professors, but their opponents kicked them out for winning too much; additionally, the competitive aspect made them sick (described as “malaise” or “vertigo-like symptoms”) [2x03, 4x12]

taylor planned to go to chicago for grad school and study with eugene fama [2x02]

mafee picked taylor as his intern because they were the only applicant who wasn’t boring / didn’t care about the same bullshit that everyone from wharton or harvard did [5x04]

douglas initiated the visit to taylor, claiming it was because he’d missed them, after not being ready to see them even though taylor’s mother wanted to visit countless times [4x03, 4x07]

taylor is trying to be “everything to their father” in funding his company, and neither of them will be able to come back from taylor being forced to betray him [4x06, 4x07]

wow that’s a long list. and now, my own thoughts and extrapolations:

taylor grew up somewhere in the west / midwest with their parents and sister, who’s a few years older than them, in a house small enough that they had to share a bedroom with her. hence, needing to hide out in the bathtub to get any space & time alone.

from very early on, taylor was douglas’s favorite child and he was their favorite parent — douglas saw taylor’s intelligence & insight (and saw himself in them) and chose to put time & effort into teaching / guiding / molding them, hoping they’d one day follow in his footsteps / support his ambitions, and taylor liked that attention & recognition. (douglas’s attitude toward taylor’s sister is essentially “well she’s here too i guess.”)

douglas taught taylor enough about aerospace engineering & mathematics for them to understand the value of his lattice fin concept, and to generally have a better grasp of engineering concepts than your average (even very well-read) business major / financier. (remember how rebecca knew a robot’s “proprietary” power source was a combustion engine because her father was a mechanic? same deal here. see also: the “smash electronics apart to find the microchips inside and figure out who makes them” strategy; taylor comparing losing grigor’s money to building a turbo engine and having the nitrous tank blow up in their face.) this manifested in both directly teaching them in his lab and in playing games like the silverware-stacking game we see in 4x03, or like douglas throwing out math problems for taylor to solve on the spot, or the two of them solving math problems together.

douglas also imparted his taste in music (which does not include anything new / popular) to taylor, though their taste as an adult (or even as, like, a teenager) isn’t identical to his. this is how they discovered rush in the first place and why they have such strong opinions about The Best Rush Albums. (if douglas had such a ranking, it’d be closer to axe’s than to taylor’s.)

listening to rush helped make taylor a libertarian 😔 that’s just life when you’re a neil peart stan, which of course they are. they admire his lyrics + his drumming talent + his absolute poker face in performances.

douglas also taught taylor to play blackjack, which inspired them to go and learn poker on their own and start playing online. they tried to keep it a secret, but it's hard to be secretive about spending hours a day playing online poker on the family computer. (this is 2006 or so, after all.)

taylor figured out that they were Not A Girl (or at least had thoughts of “hm i don’t enjoy being addressed / perceived as A Girl”) fairly young but didn’t acquire a concrete vocabulary for / specific understanding of that for some time. (if douglas is calling they/them pronouns “that woke stuff” in 2019, he sure wasn’t saying anything clear or favorable about trans people in 2009 or 1999. ditto for online poker sites.)

douglas’s firing exacerbated every negative aspect of the mason family dynamic. he doubled down on pushing taylor toward his field, urging them to succeed where he’d failed, and warning them against letting anyone Steal Their Value. money got tighter, taylor’s parents argued more, and any activities taylor was in (like, say, swimming at the ymca) that required payment got cut; they may have figured out how to make money (illegally!) from online poker at this point. the combined stress of financial instability, being torn between pursuing their own ambitions and fulfilling douglas’s expectations for them, and increasing Gendered Expectations in general — plus the whole “playing online poker for hours a day” thing — probably put taylor in therapy within a few months, if they weren’t in therapy already. (how did their parents pay for it? i don’t know either.)

stealing this from that interview asia & brian & david did in 2017: if taylor had not already taught themself to think and speak directly & incisively and look people in the eye when they talk, et cetera, it started here, whether in therapy or on their own time.

taylor went to college in new york city. douglas did not want them to do this, for a number of reasons, and would have preferred they stick closer to home (and study something other than finance), but doing so would have made them miserable.

by the time they finished high school (circa 2012), taylor had properly heard of trans people and figured that they were somehow One Of Them, but not until college did they hear of people being nonbinary and go “ohhhh yeah that’s me.” (they’d also gotten a Short Haircut in high school, but didn’t go full buzzcut until college. unsurprisingly, they got some shit in high school for being Visibly gnc.)

for some period of time while figuring out their gender situation, taylor went by the name neil as a nod to neil peart. (it’s fun to imagine that they still have a faceless twitter / tumblr account where they go by neil. doubles as a way to prevent anyone connecting it to their real life.)

taylor came out to their family while in college. their mom and sister had fairly similar reactions of “well i don’t Get this exactly, but i love you and want to support you and i’m sure you know what you're talking about better than i do and you did clearly hate it every time i urged you to conform to Standards Of Womanhood so sure i can call you Them and my [child / sibling] :)” given some time to think about it. douglas… well. if he’s starting from a place of “i don’t get this,” he’ll end up at “so it must be wrong and stupid, because i’m always right,” especially if This = his favorite child being different in some significant way from who / what he thought they were. obviously he doesn’t react well or supportively, and the strain in his relationship with taylor tips over into full-blown estrangement. bad times for everyone.

if taylor’s bar fight happened when they were old enough to legally enter a bar, it happened after coming out to their family (also after the live poker fiasco), and before making plans for grad school / internships. most likely it was on a summer break they were spending back in their hometown. (another fun thought: taylor seeing the video of axe punching a guy, just weeks after they punched a guy, and going “well maybe i should work for him.”)

if douglas was at taylor’s sister’s wedding (and maybe he wasn’t!), it was awkward for everyone when he and taylor crossed paths again. barest of pleasantries, passive-aggressive comments, et cetera. naturally, it took a few more years — and douglas realizing that taylor, now being fairly wealthy and successful, could probably fund his dream project if they didn’t hate him — for him to decide to visit them.

[kyberconfessions]

Omega Squadron - Clones

Please don't use them. These are mine and I created them and I love them.

Do not steal. Thank you.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Delta - Commander CC -7767

Stoic, kind, quiet, always has his arms crossed. Completely and utterly in love with his General. But knows she loves another. Still loves her. Will still give his life for her. Will follow his general to the ends of the earth. Protective of his team and family. Fuck you, you're not Omega. Really, really loves tea and meditation. Will meditate long into the day with Chidori and Maul. He doesn't have the connection to the force they have, but being able to clear his mind and have a moment of silence is more than enough. Best friends with Captain Rex of the 501st and Commander Cody of the 212nd. Will frequent 79s with them when they're all planetside and complain, er discuss, about their Generals and the crazy situations they put themselves into.

Has military cropped hair with one side shaved and the GAR symbol tattoo'd. Small smattering of grey at his temples. Not a fan of it, but his General said it made him look distinguished, so he kept it. Has one line on his chest and neck for each member of his squad in their company purple.

large scar across the bridge of his nose. Not from the war, but from breaking up a fight in 79s and getting a glass slammed into his face.

Jedi symbol tattood on inside of left wrist, keeps it hidden.

Donner - Communications CT - 4459

Prankster, always cracking jokes, knows that making someone laugh can usually help alleviate the pain they're feeling. Enjoys fried foods, thinks of others, always has the biggest and most genuine smile. Really loves those scented oils he got from naboo, especially the cardamom.

Long hair on top, undercut buzzed on bottom. Wears hair in topknot. Two tattooed rectangles under right eye, three lines shaved into left eyebrow, black out tattoo on entire right arm. May or may not have been involved in the '79s Incident'.

Niner - sniper CT-9999

Gentle. The most gentle man in the entire GAR. so very kind. Will give all of his food rations away to street urchins, just so they know someone cares for them. Has tried to adopt lothcats multiple times, but a stern glare from Delta usually has him putting it back.

Amazing shot. Will be the first to volunteer for whatever mission his General has. Always tries to talk down situations. Prefers to use his words over his fists. But will finish fights if he has too. Heart is to big for war, will sit and let you cry on his shoulder if its needed. Gives the best hugs. Best friends with Donner.

Regular military issued hair cut, nothing fancy, no facial tattoos, has the republic gear on his entire left shoulder, chest, deltoid, trapezius, and into his back. Still sees everything with wonder and big eyes.

Bama - Medic CT-3524

No nonsense guy, will call you out for making stupid mistakes. Dry bedside manner. Oh? You've got a hunk of shrapnel lodged in your side? Here, let him rip it out if you all the while telling you how stupid you were for standing to close to a bomb. Can and will drug Delta if he thinks he's not sleeping enough.

Had to learn a lot about Zabrak anatomy when Maul was added to the team.

'Two hearts! Why the kriff does he have two hearts?!'

Will drink everyone under the table. Once ran into a dangerous warzone to grab a kid who had wandered from the alleys.

Shaved head, sometimes sports a few days old shadow, but likes to keep it clean. Black out tattoos on both arms, completely covered. Wears a necklace with the Republic Gear. Has heteochromia from an injury sustained on Geonosis. Basically one normal colored eye and one almost completely black eye (can still see fine and doesn't want a stupid kriffing implant.)

Familial grump.

Ares - Weapons Specialist ARC-8599

CONTRABAND EXTRAORDINAIRE. You want something, he can get it! Correlian wine? Easy. Sabaac game from the Palace of Naboo? Childs play. Religious regalia from the Chiss? Please, find me something hard.

loves his gun. Named it Mesh'la. Yeah its Mando'a. Fuck off. can and will shoot every weapon in the GAR. Usually is the one laying down heavy fire so his brothers can maneuver or escape. Can curse you out in 6 different languages. Was the first to accept Maul into their ranks.

'So what if he was a sith? We've all done stuff we're not proud of. Who are we to judge? The General trusts him and thats all that matters to me.'

loves working out. Will workout every chance he gets. "Mesh'la isn't the only big gun I've got! BAM!" MASSIVE FLIRT.

Has a more stylized version of the military cut, bottom fades into the top with a longer section on top towards the front. Two red bands on upper right arm, Omega symbol branded into chest. Not tattoo'd, branded. Bama had a field day cursing him out in Mando'a and applying bacta patches.

Nero - pilot CT-1966

Great pilot, best pilot, can fly around the best of those clankers. Not very smart. Look, don't expect him to be able to recite Alderaani Poetry, but has read every manual for every cruiser this side of the galaxy. Really wants to do the Kessel run, Delta told him no. Rrreeeaaallly wants to though. Donner and Ares may sneak him off with one of the y wings, see if they can do some damage. Has a crush on the Civilian Auxiliary that helps fuel their ship. Stumbles over words, very shy, turns hot faced and wide eyed when Ares flirts for him. Boy is pretty and has a good heart, but definitely will not become a Senator any time soon. Everyone thinks he and Maul are best friends, when really he's absolutely terrified of the red and black Zabrak and can't physically speak when he's around. Maul on the other hand finds Nero's silence and calm demeanor relaxing and enjoys watching space go by, so he will sit with Nero as they go through hyperspace. So Maul sits up with him in copilot chair and Nero sweats bullets and internally screams the entire time.

Buzzcut and intricate pattern shaved in, swears its a map into Wild Space, Bama told him it looks like he list a fight with his clippers.

Soul patch and checkerboard diamond tattoos on left forearm GAR symbol on left calf.

[that-fictional-dad]

There has been more and more talk on my dash of this community not being inclusive enough. I would like to say a couple things, I am a trans man on the arospec and I’m Nuerodivergent. I more than welcome nonbinary folx and POC to add to this if there's something I miss or couldn’t be as detaied about! I’m mainly trying to start of conversation. Sorry for any typos I’m on my own out here with my issues lmao.

I'm going to start this post by tagging blogs I know of that do masc and non gendered content. @fictionalloversclub @mascxreaders and my blog @not-that-girl-imagines

I do agree, and while I am a huge advocate for "Write for you but warn and tag" which does apply to pronouns. We are still, in fandom as a whole, assuming fandoms are only made up of women who are straight, cis, allo*1, thin and white.

I've often seen people claiming they don't know how to write from a different point of view. So under the cut I'm going to list some ways to make language more neutral you can take the advice or not but there are lots of ways to just “degender” and vague imagines and once you get into a habit of it it's very easy! You don't have to change the entire imagine. You can keep up your storyline 9/10.

I’ve broken this into two sections. gender and appearance. Would love if someone took over this post with a some disability stuff! Also, if anyone who’s nonbinary has any corrections and is willing to make them, I will step aside and let them take the wheel!

Gender:

Crash course in They/Them

She/he was looking for his/her book. -> “They were looking for their book.”

Did you find his/her/their book?

Did you give him/her/them the book?

I’ve read so many fics and things the felt neutral only to get slapped in the face with “she/girl/etc” near the end and a lot of the time it’s pretty avoidable.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world."/"They thought she was the most beautiful girl in the the world." -> "You're beautiful."/"They thought they were the most beautiful thing in the world"

“The girl I love.” -> “The one/person I love.”

For nickname preferences most pet names aren’t gendered and it’s easy to add both for the ones that are! “Princess” -> “Princess/Prince” Neutral pet names include: babe, baby, sweetheart/sweetie, darling, muffin, honey, sweetroll, muffin.

Appearence Complements: Attractive, lovely, easy on the eyes, stunning, cute. [I am admittedly not as good at complements, so others feel free to add to this!]

Apparence:

“They wrapped their arms around your tiny waist.” -> “They set their hands on your waist.”/”They wrapped their arms around your waist.” If you really want detail, put the detail into the action, not the reader. “They placed their strong hands firmly and surely on your waist.”

Avoid overly describing hair at all. You can play with someone's hair even if it's very short. Some of my f/os often have a buzzcut and I had an IRL boyfriend with really thick curls but I can still run my hand over their hair and give them affection that way.

It's easier in English than you think to adjust even the most gendered of things. I've actually read some pregnancy imagines that never once used a pronoun and I don’t think it was on purpose. Which has been great for a trans guy like me who is interested in having kids using my own anatomy! [But a lot of people aren’t comfortable with that in general, so please put a warning for that kind of stuff!]

Allo is short for “Alloromantic” or “Allosexual” meaning people who do not fall into either the asexual or aromantic spectrums. Simmilar to how Cisgender/Cis is to Transgender/Trans.

[bulletballetarchive1]

@hammurabicomplex​   said  :   🔪 ( any verse, can be +reverse but whatever you think works best ) TROPE PROMPT MEME. ACCEPTING, BUT YA’LL WANNA PASS ON IT..

         It was 10:45 pm and Pat wanted to talk some serious shit. Now Sal wasn't personally opposed to it - annoying as it was, because while he had his sins to atone for (like being caught allowing Didi to rest her head on his chest in a moment of vulnerability) Pat had her own, bigger sins to address, like - he didn’t know - failing to be incognito.          Sal guessed he understood the difficulty in Pat keeping a low profile. He means, this is California, but still, she probably shouldn’t be picking fights with every fucking guy she sees. But, all and all, if they were going to talk about deep shit, he would have preferred to have something to eat and drink. Something quick, something greasy - something that would prevent him from cooking and simultaneously getting an earful of Pat’s bitching.        This is why he loved his dump of a neighborhood that Pat, for whatever reason, wanted to force him out of. He knew people and people knew him. He means, although it was nearing 11:30 pm and many shops were closing up for the night, that one localized burger chain up the street from his apartment didn't turn Sal away when he approached the glass door. Just for him ( and his sister, by that extent ) the cashier unlocked the door with even the cook willing to rev up the fryer one more time.      When Sal had his greasy burger and Pat picked at her leafy “rabbit food,” he thought that it was as if he and she were the cleverest, most dangerous criminals in LA. Of course, the “most cleverest, most dangerous criminals of LA” definitely would not be eating in a place that had a few human rights violations - and a exterminator that recently came through - but still. The privacy had him at peace.       This is why when a tanned man entered the door, he held Sal’s attention immediately.         He didn’t recognize him. That was the first strike Sal had against this guy, for he prided himself in recognizing everybody who lived here. His eyes were cold as steel, dark hair trimmed to a low buzzcut. He wondered if Santa Muerte was on him, somewhere.         Even as the sibling’s conversation commenced without a beat, Sal kept an eye on the stranger. Overheard him say that he wanted fries, which both the cashier and cook rejected. After momentary hassle, the man settled for getting one of their plastic, white cups to fill it with whatever.       Now, Sal’s skin didn’t crawl or anything, but he didn’t know, this was a weird fuck. Sketchy as hell. But maybe, Sal additionally thought, he was just being hard on the guy. He could be weird - but in a good way. Ultimately, suspicious thoughts would fade when the thirsty man made his exit.

     “Y’know what I’m thinkin’?” Sal would later ask once the two of them stepped into the night yet again. “You n’ me should probably get outta here. In general. I’m talkin’ vanishin’ in Russia. Poland. I bet it’s cold as hell...and the food’s probably shit, but they won’t give a fuck who we are, y’know?”

     When Pat gives her response as they casually walk onward, Sal can’t help but feel that familiar skepticism once more. At the end of the block stands a figure. Although partially shrouded by the dark night, Sal distinctly recognizes him. When he looks to them, Sal can see he has a lit cigarette flung to the concrete.     He’s too close. He’s been lingering in this area for too long. Sal thinks. He has an issue with them...no - with Pat. But Sal knows damn well that’s not going to stop him from maybe getting his blood splattered everywhere too.       “Hey,” Sal finds himself speaking before anything has happened, “Stay back.”        He isn’t aware that he’s being vague, nor does he know of the precise expression on Pat’s face. Eyes on the man, he can see as the other shifts, unsheathing something from his belt - it’s definitely a gun. Sal doesn’t pay mind to whether Pat has moved, or even recognized the weapon unsheathed.       Now, Sal is also reaching into his belt, whipping out his own pistol and pulling the trigger. There’s one shot, two shot, three shots: in due time, the man has collapsed. Is he breathing? Well, if he is, Sal isn’t worried about anyone calling the ambulance for him too soon.

      “Goddammit...” It’s enough Pat has guys on her trial, but now they probably - scratch that, DEFINITELY knew where his apartment is. It’s official, her problems are his problems. Tucking away his weapon, repercussions are the last thing on Sal’s mind. The particular area is notorious for gun violence and slow law enforcement.         Overall calm, he looks Pat’s way:        “You good?” 

[wolferals]

⭐️he‘s the bad guy⭐️

arón piper preference

*

*

(This is inspired by the movie „tres metros sobre el cielo")

*WARNING: mentions of kinks, no smut included tho

*

-it was a pretty normal tuesday for you

-you went to college, spent your afternoon with some friends and then slowly made your way home at around 8:30

-your best friend had promised to take you home after work

-you were about to meet her at your guys' favorite ice cream place

-since it was mid july it was still pretty hot out

-you were wearing a knee long summery dress and some sandals when you walked around the corner in a usually pretty quiet neighborhood in Madrid

-but as you continued walking you saw a huge croud of people, cheering

-and you saw a lot of motorcycles

-it looked like they were about to have an illegal motorcycle race in the middle of the streets

-but you got curious and got a little closer

-once you were able to see the men on their motorcycles closeup you noticed this one guy

-he was wearing a leatherjacket

-had a buzzcut

-and a single silver hoop dangling from his left earlobe

-and his face told you he'd go all in in this race

-he looked furious

-but for some reason you found him attractive

-maybe even more attractive than your own boyfriend?

-shortly after they started the race and some people ran after the motorcycles

-and you were just standing there thinking about this handsome badass

-obviously you knew you'd never see him again so

-and of course you also had a boyfriend so you didn't actually want to see him again

-so you decided to just wait for your best friend to pick you up

-she had planned to pick you up right after you texted hr but she didnt even get your text

-so you just sat down on a bench and called him

-„hey girl! I know i promised id be there at 9 but im still at work, my boss is pretty mad right now because things disappeared and he's blaming everyone."

-you nodded even though she obviously couldnt see that

-„yeah okay, ill ask Julio to pick me up."

-theoretically you couldve taken the bus or the subway but you didnt have any money left because you spent all you had with you for lunch

-you then called your boyfriend of almost 4 months who picked you up immediately

-on the drive to your place you guys talked about your day and your plans for the rest of the week

-„why didnt your wonderful best friend pick you up?" he then asked you

-he emphasized the word „wonderful"

-he hated your best friend

-like really hated her

-he said she was bad for you

-she got mad easily and blamed it all on you

-but she's never actually quit the friendship with you before

-and sometimes she could be really sweet

-„she's working." you replied

-julio nodded and then drove the car into a tunnel

-he knew how you hated tunnels so he put his right hand on your thigh to reassure you

-you smiled at him and then placed a small kiss on his cheek

-„i love you hun." he then said for the first time

-but before you could reply something rammed the car

-you both got scared and he checked the mirrors

-you turned around and saw three guys on motorcycles behind you

-„eh cabrón! We need to talk to you Julio!"

-„do you know these guys??" you asked him full of fear

-„no what are you saying? Of course not." he replied and drove even faster

-„slow down! You're way too fast!" you yelled at him because he was far over the speed limit

-„we need to get rid of them!" he explained and drove about 160 on a street that said limit 100

-„STOP THE CAR!" you screamed at his face

-„yeah listen to your girlfriend Ju." a guy on the motorcycle spoke while driving right next to your window

-you just looked at him for a second and then just closed your eyes

-you were scared of tunnels and of driving too fast

-it was a lot for you

-„STOP THE FUCKING CAR!" you screamed again

-finally julio slowed down and stopped on the side of the road

-furiously you got out of the car to take a deep breath

-„you couldve killed us!" you screamed at your boyfriend

-the guys stopped on the side too and one took off his helmet

-„Julio get outta there puta!" He said rather harshly

-you looked at your boyfriend who was still sitting in the car

-„please do what he says, im scared."

-but before anything happened your boyfriend took off

-he left you in the middle of nowhere with three angry guys on motorcycles that had almost killed you

-you just stared at his car getting more and more distant

-two of the three immediately drove after him

-the third stared directly into your eyes for a little while before then taking off as well

-„you cant just leave me here you fucking dick!" you screamed at him

-you didnt even care who he was but he was the last person there and you were genuinely scared

-you expected him to keep driving

-why would he care

-but he turned around again and stopped his motorcycle in front of you

-„you expect me to be nice to you even though you just called me a fucking dick?"

-his voice was deep

-you lowkey had a thing for deep raspy voices

-you didnt know how to respond

-„alright then have fun finding a way how to get home."

-he started the engine again but you stopped him

-„please take me home. Im sorry."

-you sounded so damn desperate

-and you couldnt believe that your boyfriend had just left you there

-„get on." he demanded

-„but i need a helmet." your sassy soul complained

-„jeez woman."

-he then took off his helmet

-and you saw his face for the first time

-„you." you then said as a first reaction

-the handsome stranger looked at you in confusion

-„me?"

-„you're the guy from the race before. Ive seen you."

-he laughed at you and then asked:"you were at the race? A girl like you?"

-„yeah i was passing by and i saw you."

-he started grinning

-„and let me guess you were staring at my oh so hot face and couldn't resist but remember me cause youve been dreaming about me ever since?"

-his cocky personality turned you on

-you grinned a little

-„right." you grabbed the helmet from his hands and sat down behind him

-„you gotta hold onto me tight princesa."

-the word „princesa" got you a little wet

-you put your hands around his torso

-„you gotta really hold onto me bebe, we dont want you to fall off do we?" he spoke provocative

-„shut up and drive."

-he laughed and then started the engine

-it felt good driving through the night on a motorcycle

-you could feel the hot air hitting your bare thighs

-and you felt his breathing as you were holding onto this guy whose name you didnt even know

-but unfortunately all things have to end some time and he stopped at your house

-„there we are princesa." he spoke

-but you were still in your own state that you didn't really realize

-so your hands were still placed on his muscular chest

-„ey girly, id love to continue this another day but i gotta get home eventually too."

-you then got off the motorcycle, gave him his helmet and just made your way to the front door

-„ey!" he yelled

-„qué?" you asked him

-„come back!" he demanded

-so you walked back to him and just stood there about 2 meters away from him

-„closer bebe."

-you took a step closer to him

-„listen. When i take you home you say thank you alright?"

-you didn't expect him to be so blunt

-you just nodded and said:"thanks."

-he nodded back and then slightly grabbed you by your arm to pull you down to meet him face to face

-„your boyfriend's an asshole for leaving you there. Remember, daddy will always be there for you."

-you just stared at him in confusion

-you didnt even know you had a daddy kink

-but you did know that he turned you on as hell and that your panties were fucking wet by now

-„and i know in fact that we both feel the same here, even though your stubborn little body wont deny it. If you wanna have a good time, meet me friday 8pm at the race track."

-you didnt reply at all

-„goodnight princesa." he grinned and put on his helmet

-„ya." you just spoke and turned around but he pulled you back again

-„es goodnight papi, lo entiendes?"

[eryiss]

Fraxus Week Day 5: Hope/ Despair/Complicated/Easy

Summary: Sitting in his bed, Laxus beside him, Freed's mind starts to wonder. He thinks back to the first time he met the man he would fall in love with, and the hope that came with that meeting. A complicated type of hope, but hope none the less.

This is my fifth admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user @fuckyeahfraxus. This one is a little bit angsty, and an exploration of a character's backstory. It's based off the prompt 'Hope/Despair/Complicated/Easy.'

You can read it on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, or under the cut. I hope you all enjoy it!

Day 5: A Complicated Type of Hope

Freed slowly, carefully placed the novel he had finished reading down on his bedside table. He reached for the lamp beside him, flicking it off and slowly letting his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness of the room. He removed the small band that was keeping his hair tied up, yawning slightly as he looked towards the man who was sleeping soundly next to him.

Laxus had been asleep for about an hour, his back facing the ceiling and a large pillow wrapped up in his arms. The bed covers were only halfway up his torso, something Freed carefully remedied so his husband wouldn't wake up cold in the middle of the night. The sensation of the fabric running against his skin must have been recognised by the sleeping man, as he shuffled slightly, let out a small sound with no distinguishable meaning to it, and nuzzled his face further into the pillow before settling again.

It was a cute sight, to say the least.

As he looked over his sleeping husband through the darkness, Freed thought back to the book he had been reading. It was called 'Hope' and told the fictional story of someone living a hellish life and their slow accent to happiness. It somewhat made Freed think back to his life before Fairy Tail, and how Laxus had become something of a beacon of hope to him.

The memories made him smile as he slowly readjusted himself so that he could lie beside his husband, yawning again.

-~~~-

The first time Freed had seen Fairy Tail, he had been fifteen years old.

It was in the second month of him being enrolled in the Rune Army's cadet scheme. The program was advertised as a way to teach young men responsibility as well as setting them up for a successful career in the Rune Army, allowing them to begin active duty the day they turned eighteen. Even in the short time Freed had been involved, he realised that the program was a thinly veiled way that the army could get their grunt-work done for free while pretending that they were teaching their recruits discipline.

Freed hadn't had any say in joining the program. It seemed that the moment his parents realised he had magic that would be appealing to the army, he was being told to pack his bags so that he could be shipped to the army base where he would live. He had no doubts as to why his parents wanted him there; he was an inconvenience to them, and this allowed them to be rid of him in a way that was socially acceptable

He wasn't angry at them. He'd long since been aware of his parents' feelings about him.

Even after spending only two months as a cadet, Freed had decided that he would leave the moment he could. Until then, he knew he had to go along with whatever the power-mad generals wanted without much objection. Despite their ages, if the cadets were seen to be disobedient, they were punished in the same way real troops were. Physical labour that, for their age, was dangerously strenuous.

"In line, now!" Was yelled to the cadets, who all straightened themselves and stood to attention.

The general who had addressed them was known only as Takin. Though Freed didn't know for sure, he had assumed that their leader was resentful of being in charge of cadets rather than official troops and thought it useful to take out his anger on the teenagers who he was in charge of. He was relentless, thoughtless, and saw respect and fear as interchangeable.

Looking impassive, Takin walked through the four rows of young cadets. There was twenty of them altogether, all standing to attention in uniform, wearing buzzcut hair styles and stoic expressions. None of them wanted to stand out, as getting attention from their general was not a good thing.

They weren't in their barracks as they normally would be. In an attempt to make the cadet scheme look more legitimate to the public, they would often be involved public celebrations or parades. Takin had stated that they would take twenty of the most respectable – which meant most obedient – cadets to the Magnolia harvest festival. They were to be part of the carnival procession, simply marching in line as they did every day, and as a reward of some kind they would be given a short amount of time to roam free throughout the city before they returned.

The whole thing was a publicity stunt, but Freed was craving any sense of freedom so wouldn't complain.

"You will walk in time," Takin demanded. "You will not speak. If you see your families, you will not address or look at them. You represent me and if I end up looking bad because of you, you will be reprimanded the minute we return to the barracks. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" A chorus of well rehearsed yells followed his questions.

Takin continued his pep talk, as he called them, for a few more minutes. As Freed's eyes were set straight forward on his commander, he couldn't see if anyone had taken issue with the way the young men were being treated. Although Freed considered himself old enough and mature enough to take the verbal onslaught, he knew that some of the assembled teenagers couldn't deal with the constant abuse from their leader.

It wasn't long after the supposed pep talk that the carnival had begun. Freed hadn't gotten a good gage as to where in the possession they were, but he had figured out that the float in front of their designated space had someone dressed up as a turkey that danced. The juxtaposition of the that compared to the regimented group of teenagers was almost funny.

Freed didn't laugh, though.

Doing so would make him stand out which would lead to reprimanding.

When they made their way to the main part of Magnolia, walking in complete unison with their boot slamming against the cobbles simultaneously, they were presented with people cheering and laughing and applauding. The sun was warm and almost comforting, and if he were allowed to then Freed may have smiled.

They continued to walk, and that was when he saw the guildhall. Illuminated by the rising morning sun, a large and grand looking building appeared ahead of them. The insignia of the Fairy Tail guild was presented at the forefront of the building, so it didn't take the rune mage long to realise what exactly it was.

From what he'd been told about guilds, both from his parents and from the generals in charge of him, guilds were something of a necessary evil. His parents had shown them as vigilantes who were getting in the way of 'real' law officials who should be stopped, and the army had portrayed them as lower rungs on the ladder of authority. The image these stories had led him to believe they were full of miscreates and undesirable people; nothing more than troublemakers who needed to stop interfering with things that didn't concern them.

But as he glanced towards the group assembled before the guild – only for a second as not to be seen – he saw a group of happy people. Children and adults alike smiling, a heavy mixture of all people. Not anything like he had been told.

As he continued, he saw people were carrying small flags that contained the Fairy Tail logo. They weren't seen as troublemakers by the people living here, they were almost celebrated. It seemed as though Freed had been mislead about what place in society Wizard Guild's held; it wasn't surprising, given who he had got this information from.

He couldn't dwell on it for too long, however, as the further away he got from the guildhall the less traces of their influence could be seen. He put his focus back onto marching and walked the rest of the way through the carnival route; all the while ignoring the pain, he felt in his feet because of the ill-fitting boots.

"Right," Takin began as they assembled at the end of the route. "You have two hours. Be here on time, and remember you still represent me. Behave, and if I hear you disrespect me then you'll be on latrine duty."

It said something about Takin that, when hearing this threat, Freed wondered why he was being lenient.

After being dismissed, most members of the troop began to walk towards their families who had come to watch them. Obviously not having anyone to talk to, Freed had decided to look around the unfamiliar town. He had accrued a small amount of money from doing extra work around the barracks, so could perhaps afford something. Shining Takin's shoes for a week was particularly humiliating, but hopefully worth it.

He walked past all the meaningless things without a word; why waste money on candy-apples and shoddily made stalls when he could do something more permanent. He didn't know when the next time he would be let out like this would be, so he was intending to make the most of his money while he had the chance.

It was when he saw a bookshop that he realised the best use of his money. It was small and perhaps a little dingy, but it was open and that was all Freed required. He walked in without thinking.

Browsing through the unorganised selection of books in silence, only vaguely aware of the old man who owned the shop watching him, Freed tried to find something that interested him. When he had lived in his parent's manor, he had always preferred reading something factual. But now, presented with a reality that he had little control over, he found himself craving some escapism. He ended up finding this in a dusty corner, with a leather-bound book containing a blurb that explained the fantasy elements of the story. When he took it to the shopkeeper, he was forced to spend basically all the money he had gotten; not as much as he thought, apparently.

As he took the book from the man, he felt a small fizzing on the back of his hand. He winced slightly as a thought was pushed into his head, something which should have become familiar now but hadn't. This was how the army gave instructions, with a rune on the back of his hand that took the words of his commander and imprinted them in his mind.

Their time alone had been shortened to an hour. He would have to leave soon to get back in time.

Fantastic.

He thanked the shopkeeper and left immediately, turning towards the dark and wet alleyway he had walked through to get to the bookstore. He held the book as he walked, glancing up to see another person enter the alleyway from the other side. He shifted slightly to the side to not fully take the confined space and continued walking.

It was the cadet's expectation that, just like he had, the man on the other side of the alley would shift slightly so they could walk past each other without issue. This turned out to be untrue, as the older man shoved their shoulders against each other roughly as he passed.

"Fuckin' watch where you're going," He even had the arrogance to say.

Freed felt his chest tighten slightly in perhaps anger. He admitted it was a small thing, but it felt as though he was reaching the final straw. He already had to deal with dismissive parents, a borderline abusive general who was in control of him, and a lack of any freedom. And now he was expected to deal with an asshole blaming him for something that wasn't his fault.

No. No way in hell.

He spun on his heel to see the retreating figure of the man. He was taller than Freed, with unkept blonde hair and a body that was relatively muscular. When he had been approaching him, Freed had seen the other man had a scar covering his eye and was probably older than the rune mage by a few years.

"Hey," He shouted slightly, knowing his voice was carried loud enough for the other man to hear.

The blonde ignored him completely, and Freed snapped. It was all too much, and being ignored while still feeling that stupid, invasive fuzzing from the rune on his hand had driven him to a point where it felt all his senses were overloading. It was all too much.

"I am talking to you!" He yelled, but something was different.

His voice was different, mutated into an otherworldly snarl. It hadn't been his intention to sound like that, and he felt as though it could have only happened with some kind of magical interference. He chose to ignore this, stalking forward towards the other man, who seemed to have definitely heard him this time, as he turned.

"The hell do you want?" The blonde almost spat as he spoke, voice gravely and seemingly annoyed. "Thought you little army pricks were kept on a leash."

Freed didn't think through his actions. He dropped the book to the floor and slammed his fist into the taller mans jawline, sadistically loving the small crack he felt reverberate through his bones. Part of his mind imagined doing that to the people who had pushed him to this point of anger; to his parents and to his generals. To punch Takin, bring him to the floor and hurt him, was something Freed was craving.

The power fantasy went as fast as it came, and Freed saw that his punch had been more powerful than he had expected. The blonde's head had been slammed against the wall by the force of the punch and was rubbing his head in pain. Freed hadn't punched someone that hard before and looked down at his hands for any kind of explanation.

He was met with one. His right hand was not his own, but a monster's.

"Shit," He whispered, looking down at his hand with wide eyes. "No. Fuck, why are you doing this now."

This wasn't the first time this had happened. Freed had always known that he had some kind of connection to a demon of some kind, something he had tried to rid himself of many times. It had been nearly a year since he had undergone any kind of transformation, which he had accredited to the runes that he had written on himself. The demon was the reason he had learnt rune magic before, and it had been worthwhile to keep the creature hidden. But now it seemed that the emotional state he had been in had overthrown his writings and the demon was coming back again.

He was quick to act, knowing how to deal with it for a short time at least. He pulled out the dagger that was part of his uniform, placed the demonic hand on the wall and slammed the weapon down, impaling himself with it though not feeling a thing. He knew that the demo would retreat if put through enough pain.

As he did this, he was unaware of the blonde looking at him with wide eyes.

The rune mage watched as the demonic claw slowly reverted back into his normal hand, melting the blade as it did and ruining the sleeve of his uniform. He couldn't explain to Takin what had happened, so would have to lie about what had happened. He would be reprimanded without a doubt the moment he returned, and the rune mage felt a sickness grow in his stomach as he came to terms with this fact.

"The fuck was that?" The blonde demanded, and Freed snapped his head towards him.

"Nothing," He said with rigidity, and went to walk away. A hand landed on his shoulder and turned him around.

"Nothing?" The blonde quoted with an incredulous tone. "You just fucking stabbed yourself and you called it nothing?"

"That wasn't part of me," Freed insisted, voice harsh as he shook the stranger's hand off him. "I have to go."

Again, he went to walk down the alley again, but heard footsteps jogging to keep up with him. When he was turned around for the second time, he saw that the blonde had picked up the book that he had dropped when dealing with the claw he had grown. He snatched the book from the blonde's hands immediately and went to walk away, but the blonde was grabbing his arm and not allowing him to leave. He tried to shrug the man off but the grip simply got tighter and his chances of leaving on his own terms lessened slightly.

"What did you mean by it wasn't part of you?" The blonde demanded. "It looks like take-over magic or something? Pretty fucking powerful too," He rubbed his jaw to highlight his claim.

"It isn't magic. It's a curse," Freed spoke adamantly.

"Who the fuck told you that?" The blonde laughed a little at the idea, and Freed bristled. "Because whoever it was, they were bullshitting you. You weren't being taken over by some random monster or anything. You swung that punch, you wanted to do it. Not some demon. Just a spell or something"

Freed didn't say anything immediately. This wasn't an opinion he had heard before. Everyone who had seen this demonic side of him had called it a curse. This included his parents and the doctors that had been taken to the household when Freed had been there.

"That isn't my magic," Freed denied. "I am well versed in enchantments and runes. Not demons."

The blonde seemed to ignore him. "Why the hell are you part of the fucking army with a takeover spell like that? You can't wanna be some faceless foot soldier, right?"

"I wasn't exactly involved in the decision," Freed muttered harshly, mainly speaking to himself.

"Then fucking leave," The blonde spoke as if it were obvious. "If you don't wanna be there and they're not gonna let you use any of your actual magic, what's the point in being there. The guild's always taking in runaways and fuckups, half the people there are orphans or whatever. That ain't gonna stop anytime soon, but if you joined at least you'll be a runaway with a bit of power inside of you."

Not knowing what to say to the invitation – if it could even be called that – Freed made a final effort to shrug himself free of the mans grasp. He succeeded this time and started to walk away for the final time; he knew that the time he had to get back to Takin was slipping away from him. This time, the blonde didn't follow him.

"Hey," The blonde shouted again. "If you join the guild, I want you on my team. Name's Laxus."

Freed paused for a moment. Laxus. What he was offering was something that Freed had never had. He thought back to the faces of the guildmembers he had marched past and almost yearned for it. They were all individual, happy, and seemed to be acting as a family despite having no relation. And a stranger was offering him that based on a power that he hated.

After a moment, he looked over and spoke. "Freed."

That was all he said before he continued walking.

-~~~-

The memory of his first meeting with the man who was to be his husband made Freed laugh. Some people had a story that was grand and romantic that would make anyone who listened to cry; the two of them had a confrontation with each other in an alleyway wherein Freed had punched Laxus with a magic he refused to admit was his own.

Although it had been a chance meeting, Freed felt it to be one of the most important moments in his life. Not only had he met his husband that day, but he had also been given the first taste of independence in his life. It had been a turning point, and the offer of joining a guild had been something that hadn't left his mind since the moment it entered. It had given him hope that he wasn't destined to follow the demands of other people; be it a general of his cadets troop or his parents.

In many ways, he owed that to Laxus. He owed his hope to Laxus.

The decision to leave the cadets when he was sixteen had been hard. It wasn't as if he could leave without difficulty. His previous obedience meant the generals had been careful not to give him any hope of another life, and he knew that his parents would rather have him there than at home, so returning to the manor wasn't an option. He would have never seriously considered leaving if it hadn't been for Laxus, most likely, as the blonde had offered him some kind of security.

And although his time in Fairy Tail hadn't gone exactly as he had planned – Laxus having become more involved in his own plans by the time had managed to escape from the cadets – Freed did find something of a real family in the guildhall. This was only possible because of his husband, he had concluded.

He had asked some point later in their relationship why Laxus had offered him a place in the guild. Apparently, it had bene over a year since Laxus had been hit in any capacity, and he was impressed by the ease in which Freed had managed it.

It was funny to think that the man who had calculated people's worth by their usefulness had become the same man drooling into his pillow beside him.

Freed's life had never been particularly logical. His formative years had been governed by guardians who were equally dismissive of him as well as being overbearing. And then Laxus had entered his life, acting as a figurehead for individuality and being himself. No more controlling figures dominating his life, simply being in control of his own destiny. Laxus offered him a sense of hope that his life had lacked up until that point; a complicated kind of hope that made Freed become the man who would eventually run the Raijinshuu and marry Laxus Dreyar.

"Night Laxus," He whispered, pressing his lips against Laxus' head.

The blonde let out a small groan. "Night Freed."