#i'm sad i'm gonna have to tell a friend i probably can't hang out this week :/

[tamayokny]

i think i may be started all three classes tomorrow instead of two and if so i'm gonna kms.

[impactrueno]

it helps me to remember when i get sad about how annoyed lydia gets in s4 is that she’s fourteen at that point so she is ACTIVELY going through puberty. and we’re all kind of annoyed with the world at that point, even the people we love.

that's very true. she's also known him for years at that point, and he can be uhh a lot. he can't get away with displaying his huge flaws as often as he used to, lydia doesn't allow it, and when he DOES get away with it, the episode ends with lydia disappointed and even outright mad at him. Midnight Scum in particular is so hard to watch, you can see her losing respect for him as the episode progresses and...then it ends. episode over. beetlejuice is horrible, what did we expect?

but yeah season 4 is. whoof man.

sure, you can chalk up part of it to teenage hormones making her more irritable, but i really do think she's just like, at her limit sometimes. i can't blame her, i too want to strangle him a lot of the time and i'm not even the one putting up with his shit, babysitting him or having to deal with the consequences of HIS actions.

this isn't Critter Sitters anymore, she is simply not having it and she won't make a cute little excuse for him "oh he makes me laugh and eats bugs hee hee"

season 4 lydia reacting at his jokes like 😒🙄

she's probably heard that one a thousand times by now. beetlejuice is a static character; he doesn't change, he doesn't go through character development, he doesn't learn his lesson (outright refuses to) but lydia DOES change. and she will continue to change as she grows older. and i KNOW this is a sad theory but i can't help but think that, as she grows and moves forward, she's just...gonna leave him behind.

it'll be hard for her not to. not only is she starting to make her own life and will continue to get busier and busier and not having time to hang out with her ghoulish best friend...she's also maturing. something beetlejuice has never done, and seemingly never will. and as she grows more mature, those puns and pranks and hijinks will become less funny, and his lying, clinginess and refusal to grow will become more evident. season 4 has lydia expecting better of him and being let down, constantly. if it's exasperating for us imagine how it must be for her.

at what point does it become too much? how often has lydia sat and thought about this kind of thing? considering how intelligent and sensible she is for her age, probably more than a few times. this dead guy inadvertently saved this depressed little girl by becoming friends with her and giving her the confidence to be herself and make her own friends. does she know that though? beetlejuice does, he saw it when they showed him the reality in which lydia never meets him. but lydia has no idea (and he will never tell her) so sometimes i wonder if she's missing that key aspect of why he's so important in her life. it's possible she might've come to the same conclusion herself; but even then, these things can be hard to remember when you're having to, once more, clean up after him and the messes he gets them into because his chaotic impulses are always stronger than him. you can tell she's very tired of this. and she will become even more so as time passes.

best friends forever though.

...

...right?

[pomefioredove]

@hxney-lemcn said more cater fics and I am here 2 deliver ✌️✌️

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ friends kiss, too

type of post: short fic characters: cater additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, friends 2 lovers ON TOP! a little making out

Every time Cater drags you through one of these things, you ask yourself why you let him, and every time, the answer is the same: he's your best friend, and you love him.

It's the very same reason you let him spam you with texts and annoy you with surprise selfies. It's the reason you rarely hang out with anyone else, because you know it makes him jealous, though he'd never admit that.

It's the reason you're here, now, awake in your room well past curfew.

Despite the threat of a Housewarden who would flay you alive if he caught you and Cater sneaking around in the dead hours of the night, your bestie was absolutely insistent on this all-nighter.

It's a trend on Magicam, he said, and he had, of course, pouted and whined like a sad puppy until you agreed to "support him" by keeping him awake.

By two in the morning, you were more bored than tired.

"Pass. Pass," Cater says, swiping through dating profiles on his phone. "Hm... no, pass."

You sigh and slump against the headboard of your bed. "You've said that word so many times, it doesn't sound real anymore,"

"Ughhhh. Is Sage's Island where hotties go to die? I just want a cute holiday romance!" he exclaims. "Think of the pics!"

You roll your eyes. You'd heard that exact string of words probably ten times in the past few days.

"You can't date someone just for couple photo ops,"

Cater pouts. "Oh, yes I can. I specify "nothing serious" on my profile! It's not like I'm lying!"

Another eye-roll. He's technically right, as always, which just makes you even more annoyed.

But you don't want to get into an argument about the morality of flings right now.

"And it's cold out. Who am I gonna hold when it gets even colder? It's cuffing season, hon,"

Something about the way he says that bothers you. You try not to think about it so much.

"Well, you'll always have me," you tease.

Cater giggles, and sets his phone down on the bed, a subtle way of showing you that you have his full attention now. "Oh? What's this? Sounds like you're offering,"

"Not what I meant," you counter. "I'm your bestie, not your bae."

"Boooo. What are you, a nun? Friends cuddle all the time,"

Again, he's right. He likes being right, and you can see that on him now, too. He has that competitive glow on his face.

You smile. "Sure, sure, but we all know that cuddling isn't what you're looking for,"

Cater gasps, feigning offense with a hand placed delicately over his heart. "I am not that easy! I'm starting to think you really do want me all to yourself,"

If anything, it's the other way around. Since befriending him at the start of the school year, you'd always had the feeling that he took up all your time on purpose. But you don't say that.

"Besides," he goes on. "There are a lot of things that besties can do that are perfectly friend-like. The segregation of romantic and platonic is a totally oppressive amatonormative structure, anyway."

You roll your eyes. "You have got to stop reading those infographics. Do you even know what any of those words mean?"

"Not the point! I'm saying that there's lots of cute stuff we can do while remaining besties,"

He's very enthusiastic about this. You can't tell if it's his penchant for being right, or something more.

"Pfft. Okay. So, what, friends can kiss?"

"Obviously," Cater crosses his arms over his chest, giving you that smug look of his. "Friends kiss, too."

"Then prove it,"

The words that had you had been holding in the back of your mouth for the past few minutes escape before your brain can stop them.

Even Cater, who's never surprised, pales a little.

Your mouth opens, then closes, then opens, again without your thoughts offering any support.

"I didn't mean-"

"Okay,"

You blink. Something hot and cold at the same time runs through your body- adrenaline, anxiety, maybe it's just your own blood heating up at the way Cater leans closer, cupping your face in his hand, his fingers curled under your jaw and thumb gently brushing against your cheek.

His hands are kinda sweaty. You don't really mind, and even if you did, it wouldn't have mattered, because his lips are now sweetly pressing against yours.

You fit together quite nicely. As if he was just meant to kiss you.

It's hard not to think about everything all at once; his warm hand moving to cup your chin and hold you close to him, his hair brushing against your face, the way his lips still linger with spice from whatever he'd eaten earlier...

It's not perfect. But it's him, which is close enough.

Cater pulls away, his breath dancing across your lips, but he gives you no time to recover before he's closer, kissing you again with a sort of heat that matched the taste of his mouth.

He holds your face in both hands, shamelessly pinning you against the headboard and sitting in your lap as if he belonged there, always.

Minutes go by. Maybe hours. You wouldn't have noticed, or cared, either way. When you finally part from one another, it's felt like years.

You feel like an entirely different person. As if the world had ended and begun again in the six minutes you had been kissing him.

Cater sits atop your thighs, panting, his face redder than his Housewarden's hair, that of which would have flayed you both if he were to catch you like this.

Luckily, it's just the two of you.

"See?" Cater finally mumbles, dismounting you and scooting back to where he left his phone. "Platonic."

You're too breathless to argue.

You suppose you'll let him be right again.

[lackofspace]

Hey! this has been on my head for a while, so I'm just gonna leave it here and hope that it leaves my mind :)

ps: I wrote this really fast, I did not check for misspellings at all, english is not my first language and it's my first time writing anything!!! so please thread lightly lol

birdflash where they've been friends so long that Wally has known Dick's and Bruce's id's before most of the rest of the family were even adopted, close enough that when Wally 'retires' and goes to college he still recieves texts from Dick's siblings asking for help with cases or homework when Dick himself isn't available and so, we come to our plot

Bruce is getting married (to whom is up to you) and while Wally sees himself as a close family friend he doesn't get an invite, which, in his mind it's fine since well it's Bruce Wayne/Batman it'll probably be a really small lowkey thing only family and some friends and he's honestly not upset at all until he's hanging out in the Manor a couple of weeks before the wedding with Jason and Damian that it comes up

'Did you get fitted today?' Jason asks Damian, he's typing in his phone slanted over a armchair in the corner of the library

'Yes, although I do not see the need for another suit' He's in front of Wally with his physics homework open in the room's coffe table, 'Father seems to think we are all heathens who cannot keep a suit intact for more than a night' the comment clearly a jab

'Ah yes, I'm sorry mister prim and proper, it was not my intention to inconvenience you' Jason rolls his eyes still glued to his phone

'What about you, Wallace? Do you have a suit? Do make sure you get an approval from Alfred, the ceremony will be an informal one but he would hate the family photos not looking proper because of your two sizes bigger attire' Damian says not even looking up from his notebook

'Well then Alfred will be happy to hear he does not have to worry because I'm not coming' He responds laughing a bit

And that makes them both look up in sync with matching glares that make Wally jump a bit

'Why ever not? Do you have prior arrangements? I understand if that's the case but surely they can be postponed?' Damian frowns

'Is it college stuff? The wedding is going to be on a sunday, no way it's college, you're a nerd so there's also no way you can't skip having to study for a test for one day' Jason remarks, he's sitting up now phone forgotten

Wally is surprised with how much his absence at the wedding seems to annoy them

'It's nothing like that guys, I just didn't get an invitation, I figured your dad is doing a lowkey thing and there's not going to be many guests so I get it, I'm not mad or anything' He says in a tone that seems to be to placate them and he does not understand why

'But I swear I'm not upset! Don't tell your dad, I don't want to cause any trouble for the preparations and I'm sure everything will be beautiful' he spills the words quickly before they can interrupt him

'You were not invited?' Damian says face contorting into a frown even more

'Uh yeah, Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris got one, it wasn't metioned I could come and I swear I wasn't- am not! upset but, I asked Donna if she was invited and she said that she was, through Diana, so I guessed that if Barry and Iris' invitation didn't mention anything then... yeah' he says shrugging

'What the hell?' Jason exclaims picking up his phone and texting someone 'Did you only ask Donna?'

'Yeah?' Wally says, unsure

'Roy is coming too' Jason tells him

'Oh?' Wally doesn't know if that's supposed to make him feel better

'I invited him, dipshit, we were all granted plus ones, even the demon brat is bringing someone'

'They are coming as a friend' Damian remarks glaring 'Richard should have communicated you sooner'

'Uh well maybe Dick is bringing someone else?' and if until now nothing about the situation had particularly made him sad, this thought springing in to his head and out his mouth made his hands ache because of course, of course he was just another among many in love with the absolute sun that was Dick Grayson

While they remained friends Wally had made his feelings known sometime ago, the rejection had hit hard but it was true that their friendship was more important so they tried to keep as they were, unfortunately communication became strained and they didn't hang out as much that with college and Wally's feelings between them and so it escaped Wally why his siblings thought that he would be Dick's plus one for a wedding, his father's wedding no less

'This is important, maybe he thought bringing me might be weird?' This is not where Wally thought his impromptu tutoring session/hang out was going to go, he feels somehow like he's in the wrong for not getting an invitation with the way they are looking at him

'Bruce didn't send invites to those he knew were coming anyway' Jason states 'Dickhead was supposed to invite you'

'I'm sorry...? but he didn't, guys let's forget about this ok? I'm sure Dick has his reasons, the ceremony is going to look amazing and you guys can show me pictures later, how about that?' trying to end the subject less they discover why he does not appear at the manor unannounced anymore and why he chose a university so far away

that's kind all I have in me ya'll, this was mostly trying to show how much Dick and Wally are so involved in each other's lives that they become a package deal to everyone else, the story is supposed to go: batgossip and confusion since they know Dick is in fact in L O V E with Wally and bat siblings scheming while birdflash pine, ANGST!!! (the whole reason I wrote this honestly, I love angst and requited unrequited feelings), feelings realization and their happy ever after weeks later when Wally shows up as Dick's plus one

[voidartisan]

Anyway. Survived another semester. So. Star Wars characters as things my friends, professors, and classmates have said (plus a few things i've overheard on campus). two for the price of one bc in spring I forgor

Echo: Fives! GO!

Fives: NO! It's a free country!

Fives: *starts singing Republic anthem*

Echo: you can't sing the national anthem and BE A COWARD!!!

Ahsoka: Maybe they just really wanted there to be a gay weasel

Barriss: Hello. We were just talking about how my grandma's dog has a foot fetish

Sabine, in a class discussing ancient Egyptian art: Okay, don't hate me for this question, but, in the movie The Mummy---

Anakin: I didn't hit him that hard!

Obi-Wan: YOU BROKE HIS NOSE.

Omega: How’d you get those washboard abs, grandma?

Rex: I'd never say anything like that to you on purpose. You're like a daughter to me.

Echo: Thank you

Kanan: I watched two squirrels fighting in the middle of the street this morning. Kinda gave me Hector and Achilles

Din Djarin: WHO IS THIS BABY?

Rex: WHO DID YOU MARRY????

Luke: OH! I got t-boned to this song! :D

Kanan: Thou art the bomb dot com

Hound, dreamily: I want my ashes tested for narcotics

Thorn: They got a dried llama fetus. From Bolivia

Thire: Not the llama fetus

Jesse: Do you eat the cherry pits?

Kix: No? I'm pretty sure those have cyanide in them.

Jesse: *slowly removes cherry pit from mouth*

Obi-Wan: You'd think that with my very high reading level I would have figured that out sooner

Ahsoka: I mean, Yoda's made it that long

Barriss: Okay, but he's filled with happiness and good thoughts. I'm filled with bitterness and ibuprofen.

Ahsoka: This is why we have repentance and insurance

Cody, speaking to a spider in the shower: First of all, you're a pervert

Wooley, awake at 1 am: Next time, we should do drugs

Ezra: I thought I was about to have my Snow White moment, but instead, I almost got rabies

Leia: I'm trying to tell a story, and you're BOOGIEING

Hunter: I like where I am.

Phee: Surrounded by girls?

Hunter: No. Dirt.

Ventress: Give that man some cleavage

Riyo: When I say I've got that dog in me, it's Snoopy

Crosshair: If I was a bird, I would be homicidal

Luke: They made him straight. And SAD.

Wrecker: I don't need you to tell me what to do, number man!

Quinlan: Hear me out---

Luminara: You are NOT allowed to say that

Anakin: Arsonists are easy to catch. They leave a bunch of evidence.

Ahsoka: Like fire?

Anakin: Like fire.

Anakin, to Obi-Wan: You like blondes so blond that you can't tell if they have receding hairlines or not

Leia: I have no moral code when it comes to my father.

Hunter: I just love you, okay?

Crosshair: Okay.

Hunter: And I'm gonna slap you in the face the next time I see you.

Phee: They de-'tismed my boy

Fives, singing weakly, laying the wrong way on a mattress, with his legs up against the wall and head and arms hanging off the edge: 🎶H-O-T-T-O-G-O, you can take me hot to go~🎶

Anakin: *shows Ahsoka a clip of the Grinch*

Ahsoka: How did they get live footage of you?

Obi-Wan: What were you saying?

Quinlan: I forgot

Obi-Wan: I know; I was just asking out of courtesy

Luke: A FULL rye chip?! Alms for the poor!

Ventress: Hold on, he's gonna do the slutty cape wave again

Rig Nema: He died of a pulmonary embolism

Kix: Happens to the best of us

Ezra: Should I have known that talking in a spoon in my mouth would make it fall? PROBABLY. But what if this ONE TIME it was DIFFERENT

Hera, abruptly: I need to start listening to more ABBA

Tech: I'm too weird and I need to get weirder.

Obi-Wan: Dead husband. With cancer. At least it's in a nice font.

Satine: Hmm. No.

Obi-Wan: I'm sorry, would it be easier to break the news in Times New Roman?

Phee: I am a very patient woman in terms of patience

Fives: *hands Tup his toast in order to take a picture of Jesse lying next to the trashcan*

Fives: *takes picture*

Fives: *holds out hand* Toast me

Padme: He can make that Perry the Platypus noise- and I think that's hot, by the way-

Echo: I’m going to commit a crime if I have to move these gnomes again

Kanan: My gym skills are akin to a headless chicken attempting hopscotch

[rah1457]

what the hell do you MEAN its finals week and i dont have anything done of COURSE i have stuff done.

erm....

anyway back to the subject matter at hand. WOMEN *boom sfx*

_______________________________________

you reached the end of HALL OF with ease, leaping and dodging past the flames. as you slowed to a jog, you exhaled with relief. you were barely sweating, and considering the fact that you were being chased by an actual line of FIRE, that was pretty damn good.

The woman on the catwalk gazed down at you with a small smile. Inside her heart was a swell of pride that showed its face every time she noticed you, and you alone, beat the insanely hard obstacle course. she had taught you well.

"Mach! Gonna let me up or what?"

Silently she extended her massive red hammer down to the victory platform. Grabbing onto the end, you were swung onto the catwalk, with a landing that was anything but graceful. you groaned from the collision, coming to your knees.

"Damn, could you even be a little gentler with the swing? Every time I get up here it feels like you're gonna slam me into the wall..." you complained.

"Takes momentum to gather the force to get up here, don't blame me," Mach shrugged, although you noticed a teasing lilt to her tone.

"Yeah, whatever," you grumbled, "How do YOU even get down there anyway? Do you just jump?"

"Stairs," she pointed to a door you hadn't noticed until this very moment.

You deadpanned.

"We had STAIRS. and you continue. to swing me up. on your HAMMER. AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME?!"

"You never asked," a small smirk appeared on her face.

You scrunched your face and walked into your shared home. The smell of nutmeg and vanilla calmed your senses. It was from a candle that you had bought for Mach a while back, as a sort of thanks for letting you stay with her. She lit it every day.

Calling the building a "home" was a bit of a stretch, considering it was actually an abandoned facility. But, you pondered, home is really about the people you come to associate it with anyway. You didn't know how Mach came to own this place, but you didn't really want to question it much. What you DID question was the severe lack of furniture. In the "living room" there were two large chairs in the center, with a plain tan rug underneath them. That was it.

...you really needed to get Mach to an outlet store or something.

"Hey. I have some food, if you're hungry," Mach called to you from the "kitchen", a small room comprised of a fridge, a microwave, and a table with three chairs.

"I'm down," you stated as you sidled over to one of the chairs. it was your designated chair, as Mach was too tall, and Pilby was too short to comfortably fit. Speaking of which, you wondered where Pilby was at this hour. Probably on the elevator. They seemed to enjoy it there, despite the constant sad aura that seemed to hang over them like a cloud.

Mach pulled out the leftover mac n cheese from your previous night's dinner and put it in the microwave.

"Did anything happen on the elevator that I should be aware of?" she asked, looking back at you.

"Nah, everything was pretty normal," you replied.

"Hm," Her eyebrows were knitted together, displaying an emotion like confusion, concern, and focus all in one.

"What's up? It seems like something's bothering you,"

"Listen. I'm more than happy to have you here. I quite enjoy your company, actually. However..." She paused, trying to find the words, "I often wonder if you ever want to go home. Or, well, to the place you were before you showed up on the elevator,"

"I mean, I can't really remember it anyway, so what's there to miss?" You shrugged coolly.

You could still recall the day Mach found you unconcious in Rock Park, passed out in front of a bench. Everything before then was a little fuzzy, to be honest. You remembered some friends, and that you indeed had a life before entering the Regretevator, but every time you tried to think about details of the people you knew before, it mostly came up blank. Sometimes you wondered what they were doing now. You never stuck on it though.

Mach looked at you for a second before nodding and setting out two plates. You began to eat, while she sat. Her heel tapped the hardwood floor, a rare sign of anxiety.

"No, seriously, what's going on, Mach? Was your day just stressful or something? Do you want to talk about it?" It was unusual for the stoic woman to be this...nervous.

"I...I just know what it's like to not be able to see your family again..." her words came out almost like she was fighting with herself to even say them, "Are you sure you're alright?"

" 'bout as good as I can be!" You tried to be lighthearted, since Mach looked like she was having some serious war flashbacks.

She had told you a bit of her past, and you had pieced some of it together yourself, but the main gist you understood was that she had lost someone very important to her. and you feared that she lost that someone in a not very nice way.

"Okay...If you do ever want to... talk about it, I'm...usually nearby..," Mach shook herself out of her trance.

"Thank you, Mach. I mean it," you replied genuinely.

She stood without a word, looking deep in thought. You wondered what must have come up within her to make her feel all this at once. Must not have been pleasant. Suddenly you remembered something.

"Wait, I have a gift for you!" you called after her.

"Hm?" She turned to make eye contact.

You pulled a Katkot out of your pocket. Luckily it hadn't been burned by the incinerator.

"What flavor is it?" She squinted to read the label, " 'Gleebzarp lemon' flavor?"

"Yeah, Gnarpy gave it to me. Said xe hated this flavor," you beamed with pride.

"Oh. Huh,"

"Do you wanna try it with me...?" you added a lilt to your voice, to make it sound like it would be a fun experience. In all honesty, it was probably going to taste awful.

"Would I ever," a smirk graced Mach's usually blank countenance.

You excitedly unwrapped the candy bar and gave her half. You both cringed. It did taste awful. But it didn't really bother you, because the smile on the broken woman's face was worth more than a thousand good chocolates, so to speak.

You recalled that sometimes the greatest (and worst) things in life are best shared with someone else.

________________________________________

(A/N): Hi there! I would like to add some additional info regarding this fic. I am a writer who likes to keep their characters as close to the canon as possible, while still writing a decent story with a decent "plot". As such, it's canon that Mach is aromantic and asexual. Now, that isn't to say that this cannot be read as her having romantic feelings for you, but I would just like to note that the way I intend this is that it's more leaning torward platonic. It should also be noted that AroAce individuals, including characters, each express their sexuality in different ways. I don't mean to break any Mach fans' hearts, I just wanted to put this out here.

The reason I say all this is to justify calling this fic an "x reader". Typically the term implies romance and/or sexual attraction, but as I just said, this fic....doesn't include either of those. I apologize if you were looking for a steamy makeout session with Mach.

Oh and also if you like this and my other lil writings I have a bunch more ideas and I'll probably be posting more info on a small "series" I might be doing very soon.

[wizardsnorlax]

Ok so I started working on a Spiral!Jon fanfic in a physical notebook and it's coming along well, I'm gonna start off with some bullet points about the childhood stage of it

Ok so be honest with yourself, who would believe a neglected child who says they saw the person they like least in the world get eaten?

At best the adults would think he was talking about a dream but knowing how kids were he'd probably get viciously mocked for "telling lies"

Poor kid wants to stop but he's desperate for somebody, ANYBODY to believe him

Granny has done her best but she's unable to do anything on her own so she sends him to a boarding school

The same boarding school that Martin was sent to when his father left

Jon is having such a hard time making friends

Ends up sitting in the favorite spot of a certain red haired child at recess

Insert scared kitten hiss from Jon here->😾

Martin not scared off tries making friends

Jon doesn't understand what to do with positive attention and has the expected response

Martin refuses to leave

Jon gets around to saying why he's there

Martin might not believe him but Jon is just so small and scared and hurt he cannot in good conscience just leave him

Martin lies and says he believes him

Martin agrees to "stand guard" when Jon reads because Jon still loves to read but is worried about the possibility of another book being cursed

Jon is so unused to positive attention he has a bit of a mental break (season 2 style) but Martin is literally the only one who will make sure he doesn't get eaten so they continue meeting up

School year goes on, trust forms, friendship grows, Jon turns out to be a little gremlin when given the opportunity but nobody has actually caught him in the act

One of the other kids finds out what got Jon put in there

Bullying starts back up

Adults don't believe anything is wrong because there are no bruises

Bullying turns physical but nobody believes the bruises are from the other students because it's the headmaster's kids doing it

Martin believes him but he can't really do anything to help because what's a nine year old to do?

The kids start targeting Martin for hanging out with "the school liar"

This causes Jon to retaliate

Both he and the headmaster's son show up in the disciplinary office with assorted bruises (the little shit bully got it worse surprisingly)

Jon gets expelled for fighting

Sad decade and a half

Both boys grow up not seeing each other until the Institute reunites them working as Sasha's assistants

This is what I have so far

[stxrr-strxckk]

hi! can you do headcanons of what is it like to date quackity in 2018/2019? your writing is really good btw 🫶🏻

Aww, ty! Gonna be honest, I don't know too much about 2018/2019 Quackity (I didn't watch him as much as I did in 2021/2022) but I'll try anyways!

You're just one click away!

(Dating 2018/19 era quackity!)

Pairing: Quackity x gn!reader

Any warnings?: Nope!

Whats that on the record player?: Hello?; Clairo

✭First off: You probably met him online. Whether that was during one of his raids, in an online chatroom, discord's got talent, or just through common interests, one things for sure: he was smitten.

✭Always calling you, texting you, inviting you to hang out, whatever you want. Anything for his princesa <3

✭Probably tells chat about you.

"Gamers, I have to confess something." Alex states dramatically. "So, there's this person, right? And they're SO cool. Like, the coolest person I know. And I need to impress them so lets make this raid turn out good, okay?"

✭You have a feeling it's you and it's a bit silly seeing him be so whipped

✭When you guys get together he's so happy he's yapping about it to all of his friends and fans.

"Gamers, remember that person I told you about? Well I finally fucking pulled them, thank god! Yeah, hide your girl 'cause I've got game over here. The people love me!"

✭Invites you to judge Discord's got talent with him and spends the entire time flirting with you.

"Okay, so you're talent is singing, correct?" Quackity asks. The contestant replies and you smile. "I love guys who sing. It's so romantic!" Alex perks up at this. "Actually, you know, I'm a pretty good singer myself. Yeah, uh, I'll actually- I'll actually serenade you guys right here. Right now. And you can see who's the better singer." He grins when he hears you and the other judges laughing at his singing. "So, how was that?" he asks when he's done. "It's gonna be a no for me." you laugh, and the other judge agrees. "What? After all that? This is crazy. You guys can't judge anymore." He laughs, kicking the other judge from the call. "Aah, don't kick me! I'm too young to die!" you joke. "Okay, fine. You're too cute to kick anyways..."

✭Also features you in raids like all the time. Lets you pick out the games he raids.

✭You two make so many roblox videos with the craziest fucking clips ever. They're titled stuff like: Roblox with my s/o is the funniest thing ever and roblox sucks way less with my s/o (kinda corny but still really cute)

✭You two play crappy games together and make fun of them in videos

✭When he gets banned from twitter and discord and other sites he has you make a cameo in his video and ask for his account back.

"Okay, so I just read the card?" you ask Alex, who's behind the camera. He nods. "But this doesn't sound like me at all." You deadpan, and he laughs, almost dropping the camera. "Just read it anyways, for the clout!" "Fine." you roll your eyes. "You're lucky I love you." you clear your throat as Alex straightens the camera and focuses the lens. "Dear twitter: please please please give my super handsome boyfriend his account back. He is too hot and too cool to be banned, and it makes me very very sad. If he remains banned I'll cry forever- Alex, this doesn't sound like me at all." you laugh. "Hey, you're not getting paid to complain!" "I'm not getting paid at all!" "Shhh, they don't know that!"

✭Overall very cute and funny. 10/10 would ship again.

A/n: first set of hcs! Hope you enjoyed, make sure to like, follow, reblog, and submit any requests!

wordcount:618

[schizoprophet]

It is not a secret about me that one of the things I like to do is read stories in the Bible and get sad about it. That's like, that's been a pastime of mine since I was a child. Let me find the story that really makes me feel sad for the person in the story who I can't help because one, they've been dead for years if they ever existed in the first place. And two, if you're reading a story to try and help the people in the story, then you have approached the whole thing from the wrong end. Because you can't, that's the thing you cannot really do except to choose your own adventure books. And the Bible is not one of those. So one of the best stories to read if you like to read the Bible and make yourself feel sad for the people in it is the story of The Last Supper. Jesus Christ gets a bunch of his friends together, right? And then let's take the Jesus part off just as a person. You get a bunch of your friends together, right? And you have dinner, this big old dinner, you know, some bread and whatever, some wine and it's cool to be with your friends. It's fun, it's a good feeling, you know. And then you just get a vibe, there's a very, very, very specific vibe that you get. Right. And these are your friends so you can speak your mind around them. You can tell them how you feel and you say, you know, one of you is gonna sell me out. I just know it. You've - you've had some wine at this point. So you know, you can say that. Your friends will not judge you for speaking what's in your heart at this moment, and some of them are also, they've had a couple of glasses of wine themselves. They immediately go God, no, you are my friend. I would never, I would never, man. I want you to know person to person tonight. I will never sell you out. You, we've meant a lot to each other over the past couple of years and I will not sell you out man. And Jesus is like, OK, it's all good, you know, and they all do this. And one of 'em doesn't say shit. And he knows and he knows they both know and the one who's gonna do it feels worse than the one who's gonna suffer for it. Because he sort of knows I'm gonna do this thing. I guess I am. I don't want to. These are my friends, they're all gonna hate me. And in one version of the four gospels, Judas, uh, having sold Christ out, who normally then gets arrested and murdered by the state. Right? Um, in one version of the gospel Judas immediately goes and hangs himself. I've always - when I was a child I was like, oh, man. I mean, I understand that it'd probably be a tough one to live down in Jerusalem if you're the guy who killed Jesus. But, I mean, you know, that seems like kind of an extreme. This song is called cry for Judas.

-- John Darnielle about Cry for Judas, Tivoli de Helling on 2019-11-14

[rosearcanaeum]

(Ten) people I'd like to know better

Tagged by: @screechingfromthevoid <3

Last song: Far From Me by Chase Noseworthy is just on repeat. Sad boy Vax and perfect for my range!

Favorite color: it really depends on context honestly. But the most general is soft pink.

Last book: 😅 I've been struggling through Nein Eyes of Lucien for a while.... more honestly its Call of the Netherdeep and Explorers Guide to Wildemount. I truely read far more fanfic than anything else.

Last movie: I watched Night at the Museum for the first time this week. It was waaaaaay better than I ever imagined. I knew it was good and funny. It was also incredibly sincere and I can't get enough of that.

Last show: speaking of sincere, I'm about halfway through Frieren: beyond journey's end. And holy shit! I have never seen any media with a character who views and interacts with death the way i do. Its pretty heavy as shows go but its trustworthy. (I have a hard time with new stuff most of the time. Cr is one exception and this is too apparently)

Sweet/spicy/savory: no joke I've eaten salt before lol. But i prefer combos or all 3. Sweet spicy is underrated.

Relationship status: I live with my queer platonic partner. Its still just buckwild to me. As a kid i hated the idea of living with a partner cuz i didnt want so many aspects of what i was told that looked like. But hey guess what, y'all can decide what your relationships look like. We have separate rooms, are not sexually involved, rarely even touch tbh. And we love each other very much and want to grow old together in a house with cats.

They're touch averse and I'm sensory seeking. My fun Sunday night (out dancing) is their nightmare. But because we are who we are and how we understand and communicate in our relationship we rely on each other for only things that are available. I'll tell them all the dumb shit i see and do on Grindr and we'll sit on the couch and knit together.

Also my brain nearly explodes everytime I realize not only do we do couple stuff, we have couple friends we do couple stuff with. 18 year old me would have never believed you if you told them.

Last thing I looked up: I looked up the caffeine content of the thai tea concentrate I got my partner to see if i could try it. And shockingly i should be able to. Still gonna eat first and be careful though.

Current obsession: I'm pretty spread out rn, unusually. Ive got a sweater im excited about. And I'm on my 3rd attempt at a dorym water bottle sleeve I'm designing. This one should work now. Honestly dorym is probably no. 1 on my list. I shipped that back in exu, along with a bunch of stuff cuz I'm a delightful multishipper. So i feel particularly excited about dorym finally taking off. But also that while dorian was always looking to orym if anything else had come along he was there for the ride. I love robbie so so much. He is such a good character storyteller!

Looking forward to: today im hanging with 2 friends im usually in a larger group with so thats gonna be fun. Looking forward to baking off the beef wellingtons i made for my partner for xmas. And im looking forward to being able to work full time again in the new year. Ive been on part time for health reasons and stayed because i was spending hours on the phone fighting for insurance coverage. Now that both a done i can work more. I love my job and its a particular kind of boredom that i get when i cant work. Lol speaking of, im looking forward to the holidays being over. The office closures normally screw us but now im only working thurs fri for the next 2 weeks and I'll have try really hard to keep busy enough. At least my partner has 2 of the days off with me!

No pressure tags; not sure I can get to 10 and please dont feel obligated but I'd love to see yours (if you havent already. Ive been avoiding spoilers a lot recently so may not have seen it): @vigilante-apologist @standbyyourmantis @soedblackchaos @forestthechonkykitty @corrrvid @local-redhead-bookworm and luddles looks like you did already do this.

Thats all i got. If you see this and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[kk-cats]

TLDR: Found out death threats and like . other really terrible threats are being sent to people.

The situation (as far as I can tell) started in the server I made. I am taking a break from Tumblr for a while. probably. might doomscroll.

you know if i had known making a discord server for people to HANG OUT WITH OTHER ROLEPLAYERS WOULD LEAD TO THIS KIND OF DEATH THREATS AND SHIT I WOULDN'T HAVE MADE THIS SERVER IN THE FIRST PLACE

to whoever the hell is going around stirring shit when i thought the situation was over or at the very least calming down: get out. grow up.

is this fun to you making people miserable sending threats being a jerk

i wanted people to hang out and be friends but everything's miserable everyone's accusing others and i'm just so sick and tired of all this i didn't make the server for people to be miserable

i'm staying off tumblr for a while (or i'll try. might doomscroll) for the sake of my mental health contact me on discord if you need me i don't even know what's going on anymore. might not reply well. sorry chat

i just don't understand how this happened

people were getting along! making jokes and being friends and then stuff blows up people start saying shit and i just don't get it

weren't we all friends?? we were roleplaying together! i was drawing with my friends and making silly announcements for jokes . i logged on every morning to say hi to people and make bad puns

and now it's just

awful and

and i didn't start the fighting but somehow it

sometimes i wish i didn't make the server

but i met so many friends through it and i want to be with my friends but

i don't know anymore i'm just really tired

today i was gonna try to set up some roleplay ideas for my friends but i don't think i have the energy for any of this . haven't i cried over this server enough? i'm overemotional and . i know people think i'm immature and i can't handle one but

i just wanted to get along with everyone and now it feels like all my friends hate each other or hate me or hate someone and

i'm sorry ii don't know anymore. i should be more mature i know but everything's too much always too much too overwhelming

roleplaying doesn't feel as fun as it used to i was going to catch up on roleplays i owe people but now i'm just sad

would this not have happened if i was a better server owner i don't know . it was supposed to be so people had fun. i didn't expect this kind of

i dont know how to describe it

misery?? to come out of this i didn't expect people to be threatened over it i didn't want anyone to get hurt i don't know what happened anf iid on't know anymore i'm just sick and tired of all of this

to whoeever is threatening people please just

stop it stop it it's not funny it's not grand it's not anything good it's just awful i don't know what you're trying to achieve but please just stop

i'm sorry guys i know i said you could like

come to me if you needed anything or stuff like that my dms always open and stuff but id ont know what to do in this situation i don't know how to fix this.

i've been tryihg to be postive throug h these situations but i keep failing an d messing up and i dont mean to i'm sorry i really am sorry i don't know what to do anymore

[my-castles-crumbling]

Anon Advice Asks - February 7th

Social Cues Anon, 14 anon, avoidant anon (new), disclaimer anon (new), therapist anon, yourself anon, tired anon (new)

Social Cues Anon

Heyyy- it's social cues anon!

And first I want to say I am sorryyyy I didn't mean to offend or anything by the 'passing', thing, it was a description and Its mostly my English sucking and I couldn't find a better wording than that, and also I am dumb and couldn't think it would offend- I obviously would never say anyone anything about their appearance if they didn't ask, it's not my business after all, I am sorry again I want you to know I didn't have any bad thoughts about it and I understand I should be more considerate.

Anyway, I apologized! Like, really I managed! He was so cute and accepting- (it actually took me a lot time to be forgiven and I understand it but I suffered lol😭/jk) anyway, after I apologized and explained I used it as a gender neutral term and never once viewed him as a woman etc- he was sad because people usually questions him about his gender and he isn't mad at me bc I didn't mean it like that and all those (because why would I, he said he was a man and I don't understand how he can be something else? I never questioned it, I am surprised others did.) anyway, we are good I guess? (Btw I will call him sev bc I don't remember if I gave him a name or not here)

I saw him at a cafe and I apologized him there, and sadly I had to pay for his coffee too, here goes my last 5€- tbh best money I spent. I was all so nervous and excited and so worried I don't know how I survived.

if I manage to actually talk I want to ask him if he wants to go to an art exhibit he talked about before- but I don't know if it would be weird, like yes, he forgave me but I don't know if I should invite him. I obviously would pay for it and all, but what if he doesn't want to come but feels obligated to because we are recently on good terms? I am so nervous😭😭 I don't have any other people I know who wants to go to the art exhibit.

And off topic but my other friend (let's call her Sara) she acts weird? Like we were studying in the library as a group and she insisted on not sitting near sev, and made me sit near him. I don't understand, she was getting along with him a week ago? She started to do those often, like we were talking with Sara and Sev came and Sara suddenly left? And she talks to him just fine on the phone or when I am not around, I saw from videos (silly videos for memories).

So did I do something why she does that I don't understand- I feel sad because Sara and her girlfriend are my close friends and I really like sev like he is so cute and so full of life he is great, he loves a lot of cool things, easy to talk, and naturally I want to hang out with him and my friends too since they are friends with him but Sara just don't? I hope I didn't do anything.. but it's probably not my business.. but I am worried.

I am sorry if I did/said anything wrong I didn't mean to

Hi! Please don't apologize, I don't want you to feel bad I just wanted to make sure you know. I'm glad you and Sev are doing better! Honestly I think you should ask him! It sounds like a really fun date and he sounds like a really cool guy!.

As far as Sara...whatever she's up to, it's not about you. I honestly can't decide if she doesn't like Sev or if she can tell you like Sev and is trying to help. But either way, you didn't do anything wrong <3

_________________________

14 anon

Hi <3 I'm so sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Please let me know how you are! I hope your mom didn;t get mad? Also please remember that if you're truly scared of your mom, that's something to consider telling another adult. You shouldn't be afraid of your mom <3

______________________

Avoidant Anon

Hey Cas! I hope you're well <3

I haven't really been on much, I opened this app like 30 minutes ago and saw your post and wanted to ask your thought or advice or anything at all because I'm gonna crash out soon if I don't get this out my chest.

So basically I don't know what to feel or do rn because my boyfriend's best friend seems like he has a crush on my bf and my bf sounds like he's having mixed feelings about him as well, when he told me he's been overthinking about his best friend and asked if he's giving "mixed signals" and said he wanna make sure he wasn't cheating on me and not hurting his best friend's feelings and also told me he doesn't know what he's feeling anymore which is sus to me but idk if I'm overthinking it and I'm confused as hell. He's also been distance and I'm giving him some space so he can deal with his feelings.

We've only been dating for a month and he's the first guy I've dated in like, 3 or 4 years because I stopped dating due to my avoidant attachment issues but I'm really healing for him and now this is all happening I have no idea what to feel or do and I don't wnana lose him to this because it's the first time I actually feel in love (if that make sense) and it's the first time I didn't run or feel uncomfortable when someone say they love/like me romantically. I am so confused and lost and I don't dare tell my friends about it because they'd definitely give the poor dude a hard time. I didn't expect my rant to be this long, I hope you don't mind😭

And Im so sorry if I confused you with my rant, I'm very confused as well🥹

Ty for reading this and I wish you the best <3

Hi <3 I completely understand why you're upset, I would be too! I think you're doing the best thing you can do- give him some space to figure his shit out. But also know that if this is too much for you, you have a right to tell him that and to break up with him. While I don't think he's doing anything wrong, it's still and upsetting and confusing situation, and you're allowed to not want to be in it.

I'm here for you and I'm sending you love. Keep me updated <3

_____________________

Disclaimer Anon

okay so disclaimer, i've identified as sapphic for a few years now so i'm not completely ignorant about the community and none of these questions are meant to be offensive i'm genuinely curious

i believe in the whole "sexuality and gender are fluid" and also "sexuality and gender aren't a choice, it's something we're born with" but they're actually a bit contradictory. like if it's something inherent, how can it change? i mean, you could say that you discovered a new part of yourself but like that explains identifying as pansexual after you've been going by bisexual because you're just expanding under the label of multisexuality and identifying as gay or lesbian after going by bisexual. but what about going from identifying as lesbian or gay or pansexual to identifying as bisexual? what about going from identifying as agender to trigender or another label under polygender?

I think for this, the idea is that even if things change, you can;t control how they change. Sexuality and gender are not a choice, you know? So even if your sexuality or gender changes over time, you don't decide that.

ik people can have like different romantic and sexual orientations but how? i don't mean it in the being aro but not ace (ace-spec is different from ace) and vice versa but being bisexual but homoromantic or being pansexual and biromantic like i kinda am confused about that

This is because people can be attracted to people in different ways than they want an emotional connection to people. Physical connection and emotional connection are different. For example, I'm finding that I can be attracted to any gender, but I really only can make emotional connections with non-men.

what's the whole concept of neopronouns and being a furry? i personally don't understand it but i'll respect it anyway but i want to try to understand it

Honestly, I'm not well-versed in either concept, either. I know neopronouns are just other pronouns besides she/he/they. People use them if those three do not feel right. But I don't know much more, nor do I know a lot about furries. But to me...if it's not hurting me or others, I respect it!

what's the whole he/him lesbian thing? disclaimer once again, i'm not hating but while i'm not completely ignorant about my own sexuality and it's definitions i'm also a bit unaware of certain things. like, by definition, lesbian means non men who like non men and i know he/him pronouns doesn't necessarily mean you identify as male but i'm still a bit confused about that? again, this is probably a bit ignorant of me but genderfluid people who like non men do fall under the category of lesbians right? but they also identify as men at times but again not always so i'm a bit confused

Honestly, I don't completely understand this one either. But again...it's not hurting anyone so I don't mind. I think labels and identities are so specific from person to person that as long as they're being genuinely used (not as a joke), that's totally within their right and I respect it.

i don't mean to offend or hate on anyone or question their right to identify as a certain label i'm just a bit confused and unaware of certain things

I don't think you're being offensive! It's okay to ask these questions! For the ones I don't know...honestly, if you can find someone with that identity willing to answer your questions, that might be your best bet.

If you have any more questions, feel free to send them! I'll do my best to answer!

___________________

Therapist Anon

Hi cassssss

Therapist anon here, am I allowed to be happy?

Stupid question but anywaysss

Recently I did a 30 marker for sociology (which I was forced to take cos the school sucks) and it was my first one ever and I spent way too fucking long on it BUT!!!!! I got 25/30 AND on another question I got 6/6!!!!!!

Please accept my apologies if I seem to be gloating I'm just really happy cos I didn't gwt the best grade in the winter exam so....I'm juts happy with my progress :)

Okay have a great day you're the best MWAH

OF COURSE you can be happy! That's amazing, and you should be so proud! I'm proud of you!

___________________

Yourself anon

Hi <3

Okay I want to make it clear: You are allowed to be very mad at your dad and still feel bad about what you did. Those two things don't have to rely on each other, they're separate situations. And it sounds like you have every right to be very mad at your dad. And I'm proud of you for telling him so.

But as far as what YOU did...I understand why you feel bad but it also sounds like it's not that simple. I'm nervous to say more because of the situation, but I really think you need to talk to someone about this. Do you have any trusted adult in your life you could share this with? I just know that all seems like it could be really confusing, but I think you're holding way too much guilt.

___________________

Tired anon

Here's the beginning of your post!

Hello, I am so tired. I know I am being emotionally ridiculous but I really need to rant. First things first: I know I need therapy, it is expensive, I feel too bad for spending so much money on something that just generally doesn’t seem like it works for me. Two: I am using fake names so dw about privacy stuff, and at last three, I do curse a bunch in here, sorry, I usually try not to, but I am feeling very strongly rn and sometimes it just slips.

Hi <3

It sounds like you're going through a LOT right now and you're feeling overwhelmed. I think talking to your mom kind of depends on how things with her have been in the past. Is she usually receptive? If so, then yes, try it. If not, do you have another adult you can talk to?

Either way though, I really want to try to convince you to try therapy. I know it seems like a waste but I promise it's not. Not only that, but a lot of colleges offer it for free!

Also I want you to know that I know things feel crazy right now but I believe in you and I know you can do this. You are NOT a failure, and you're doing great.

Sending love <3

[russilton]

Heyy, hope you’re doing well! I was wondering if you had any more thoughts on Brake Balance gewis? Do they start dating eventually?

I’ve tried to answer this like three times but tumblr kept deleting it, then it sat in my drafts for 8 months because you know what, it's been a year, it really has.

Brake Balance, my longest fic, for anyone new here, and probably what I'm best known for? I dunno, 25k of porn-age gap-one night stand-trans-fic tends to define people.

Originally the fic was actually supposed to have a mildly different ending. It really was meant to end with a much more open question as to what they were- I even wrote that ending! The plan was to delve into a sequel all about how their fling would continue across the following season as George adjusted to his Williams seat, Lewis winning his 6th title, and how their friends with benefits style relationship would continue and effect those things, while Lewis pined quietly and George also pined, but handled it much better.

But as I was finishing up the original I realised just how much I was committing to with that, when this fic had already months to wrap up, and that writing the open ending actually made me kinda sad. It just felt a bit cruel, to leave them hanging like that, especially when a sequel actually happening was a bit of a low likelihood. So I changed it and made lewis kind of lean instead into a more open ended acceptance. I didn't really need to define WHAT they were going to be, because...don't make major life decisions post coitus, but they're going to be something.

Eventually they'd sort of start texting over the off season very casually, and let that evolve into hanging out casually when the season resumed and Mercedes has them in the same place. It would be weird! George is so young and Lewis is uncomfortably aware of that at times, he feels excruciatingly aware of how he has routines and things he follows through a decade on the grid and George is fresh and new and just.. not accustomed to that. Lewis feels a bit like he's not letting George develop on his own, and George worries somewhat that Lewis find him cumbersome or a drag. They'd talk about it, because you kind of have to, and Georg would reinforce firmly Lewis can't make his choices for him, but also that he accepts he's gonna need to do some stuff on his own.

The more he DOES go out and seek on his own, the more relaxed they actually start to feel. George has stuff to share and talk about when they do fall into bed together at various races, and Lewis doesn't feel like he's robbing a cradle or... grooming George in some way. It works better. They don't really have a label for what they are, but Lewis stops sleeping with anyone else, much to the general surprise of the paddock, though nobody is sure why (and they won't figure it out for a long time, bc I think those two know how to keep a secret and I hate that trope). At most Valtteri knows, because he's watched George go tumbling out of Lewis' motorhome at 5am in Silverstone, but frankly he wants to know as little about what's going on there as possible. He just rolls his eyes when Lewis asks Shov casually not casually where George finishes in any given race in debrief.

And it continues like that! Casual until it's not casual anymore, and the older George gets, the more comfortable Lewis feels. Until they do eventually have to tell Toto, and he turns a colour Lewis has never witnessed before eventually telling them to be adults about it. Neither of them tell him quite how long they've been together.

[ladyloveandjustice]

for someone wanting to get into Natsumes book of friends, would you recommend the show or the manga/ what are the pros or cons of each?

(I'm gonna tag this for my own archival but please don't argue with me about this it's just my opinion and I don't feel like it)

I haven't really read the full manga so I might not be the exact best person to ask on that! However, my introduction was the anime and I think it's a great intro.

For the manga...I don't want to anger anyone but I gotta be honest here...the art doesn't really do it for me a lot of the time especially compared to the anime. It's a very loose, sketchy style, and sometimes it an be a little hard to tell characters apart or they look just a little less cohesive in the anime (Hinoe is an example, she's got such a flashy vibe in the anime but looks a little weird in the manga imo, at least in the early chapters).

There's not a lot of backgrounds, which is a kind of common shoujo style and works for a lot of shoujo, but a big charm point in the anime is the pastoral vibes, the feeling of this vast wilderness Natsume is exploring and the sleepy small town vibes, you really feel whatever season it is...the anime's art is just generally more detailed and expansive.

The anime also has the luxury of arranging things to have more narrative cohesion. The story is fairly episodic, so though it does have character development and ongoing plotlines, the chapters can be moved around easily.

It's pretty clear in the manga Midorikawa is making it up as she goes along (she directly says this) so chapters that involving a character or theme can be father apart in the manga, while the anime generally tries to arrange things so it fits a certain theme or arc, so we get a little focus on each reoccurring character at least once per season, the first season especially. I think a big example of this was I was really surprised it took so long to introduce Natsume's foster dad in the manga (he shows up in ep 6 of the anime and chapter 19 in the manga) and in the mangaka's notes she says she was just maybe going to allude to him like Columbo's wife (lol) at first and didn't have a place to fit him in until this chapter. He's a pretty important presence in Natsume's life, so it made sense the anime introduces him a bit earlier.

The anime also adds a lot of original content, and integrates it so well I can't really tell it apart most of the time! I was surprised most of seaon 2 episode 5 was anime original because it lines up so well with the rest and is an episode I really love.

And there were some mild characterization changes I like, such as with Hinoe. I like that the anime also apparently integrates Natsume's gal pals into the friend group much more. According to a post I saw trawling through Taki's tag, she doesn't actually hang out with the broader friend group in the manga? Like we don't really see her with Nishimura and Kitamoto (natsume's "average guy" friends), just as part of a trio, whereas in the anime there's lots of time she's just included in the full group. And there was an entire backstory focus episode on a (older and morally ambigious!!!) female character that was anime original too, so that's nice.

There's also the soundtrack which is SUCH an all time great, it's so soothing and chill.

ON THE OTHER HAND, the manga is still great, and there are a lot of little moments I'm noticing that the anime misses that are pretty cool. Bits of backstory, extra characterization flourishes, sad and sweet moments, sometimes a plot point makes a lot more sense, and so on.

There's also the occasional "something I didn't quite like in the anime isn't in the manga" moment, but nothing major.

So I think reading the manga is a great experience, but you should probably check out the anime first, I think it's a better entry point, and after that you can read the manga.

[aylacavebear]

She Thought She was Normal

Chapter 1 - In case you missed it :)

Story Summary: Maria really thought she was normal, for most of her life. It was normal for people to have natural talent, she would tell herself the older she got. Many things came easy for her, and that was probably how their rivalry began when she was five and he was seven and she met the Winchesters. Little did either of them know that it wouldn't stay like that forever, both having a far larger destiny than they could imagine

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. Will eventually be 18+!

Word Count: 3578

Warnings: Childhood rivalry, mention of deceased parent

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

Chapter 2

The team-up of their fathers lasted for two months. Maria and Dean butted heads when their fathers weren't around. Dean didn't like the fact that a girl who was two years younger than him was better at anything he could do. In a way, it had helped push him at a time when he needed it. Sam adored her as she was always making him laugh at, and with her, it was always play time. John and William parted ways but agreed to stay in touch and try to give the kids time together if they ever happened to be in the same area. Maria had enjoyed it, to a point. Dean was competitive and she'd noticed that the first day they'd met. She didn't enjoy being put in a position that required her to prove a point, but she wasn't going to let him win either, it just wasn't in her, even at five.

After she and her father had driven away, he glanced at her briefly. Her mother had always been better at this than he was, “Did you enjoy being able to hang out with other kids that are hunters?” he asked her, being as soft with his tone as he could.

“It was okay, Pappa,” she answered. 

He pursed his lips, debating his next words, “That's not what I'm asking.”

She looked over at him and sighed, “Dean is really competitive. I didn't like it, and… I wouldn't just let him win like you don't let me win. I have to do it on my own. Sammy was sweet though, and I enjoyed playing with him and making him laugh and smile.”

William smiled, “I'm proud of you for that, even with it being hard on you. I think it's just how John's raised Dean as to why he's that way. Who knows, maybe it will help him be able to get better,” he chuckled a little, “Might be interesting when you see him again and he might win.”

Maria scoffed at that, “Just means I'll make sure to train more so he won't beat me.”

That made her father laugh, that deep, belly laugh of amusement and adoration, “Don't forget to be a kid sometimes though. There's nothing wrong with having a rival, even with a possible friend.”

To that, she crossed her arms across her chest, “He didn't want to be my friend. He was just mean, teasing me that I didn't act like a girl, that I was a tomboy. He said that girls can't hunt because we're weaker,” she huffed, annoyed.

William chuckled, “Munchkin, that's how boys are. They tease a girl like that when they like them,” he chuckled, finding it kind of cute how his daughter was reacting, but made a note to talk to John about this.

“Well, he's mean and I don't like him and I'm not gonna let him win. I'm gonna prove girls can hunt better than boys,” she huffed, then got quiet, “You don't count though, neither does Uncle Bobby or John.”

“Girls are smarter and some hunt better than boys, so keep that in mind,” he said softly, and fought back his tears, remembering her mother, his wife. The yellow-eyed demon was a type of demon they'd never encountered before, and she had no chance, no one did.

She smiled, “Work smarter, not harder,” she told him, something her mother had said to her often.

Maria still refused to give into the pain of the loss of her mother, wanting to feel happy remembering her mother and not sad. So, she made a choice, that no matter what, she’d feel the happiness that her mother’s memories brought her. In her five-year-old mind, it made sense to her. Just because someone was gone didn’t mean that they weren’t still with you, so that was when she held onto.

For the next three years, the two of them traveled around, her father hunting supernatural creatures while she helped with research. It was something she found she was a natural at. She always seemed to be able to put the pieces together in ways her father never saw or had even thought to. Even her Uncle called and had her help with a few different cases after William had noticed her knack for it. She'd seen the Winchesters a few different times as well, still beating Dean at whatever challenge he came up with. She did notice the last couple of times, he'd actually seemed to put more thought into what he'd come up with compared to in the beginning. Back then he'd seem to come up with something on the spot, and it was usually stupidly easy.

Two years later, her father dropped her off at her Uncle's, as William and John thought they found another lead on the yellow-eyed demon and didn't want the kids anywhere near harm's way. Dean was twelve and Sam was eight now. Maria wondered what Dean would come up with this time. 

When the two pulled up to her Uncle's, she grabbed both her bags out of the truck, as well as flung her backpack over her shoulder. Bobby met them at the door, happy to have her stay for more than just a couple of days this time. He'd set up the room for her, so that was where she took her things.

“You got a time frame?” Bobby asked William. 

“No, sadly, I don't. Here's her schedule. Her gun, ammo, and knives are in her duffle. She's got shooting practice and three different knife routines,” William explained. 

“Damn, Will, she's only ten,” Bobby exclaimed. 

“Bobby, we've had this talk already. She needs this, okay,” William told him just as she rejoined them in the living room.

Maria went over and gave her Uncle a hug, “Are we gonna get to cook again?” she asked him, curiously. 

“Of course munchkin, you gotta eat,” he chuckled.

That made her happy, causing a smile to match. She excused herself to settle in, knowing her stay would be at least two weeks long, but it could last for a couple of months. Maria was looking forward to reading more of her Uncle's books. He had so many that she could never find in Libraries, no matter what town she and her father had been in. She had a thirst for knowledge that never seemed to be satiated, no matter what books her father had given her, and the amount she retained, even after years of having read it, was almost photogenic. 

Maria unpacked her clothes into the dresser, keeping things neat before taking her toiletries to the bathroom down the hall. Once her bag was empty, she tossed it into the laundry bin Bobby had gotten for her during her first stay when she was five.

“Five years, momma…” she whispered to herself as she opened her weapons bag.

The gun her father had given her was placed under her pillow with the silver knife she usually kept on her. While she was at her Uncle's, she'd decided to keep her boot knife on her as a ‘just in case’. Maria looked at the other weapons in her bag; a machete, a small hatchett, a shotgun with plenty of salt rounds, a bottle of holy water, and her set of throwing knives. She decided to leave those in the bag and slid it under her bed, near the head of it. She placed her school books neatly on the desk that her Uncle had added a few years ago when she spent two weeks with him. It was at that moment she heard the familiar purr of John's Impala pull up in the driveway. Ever since she'd first met them, she had adopted Sammy as her little brother, which had only partially annoyed Dean. She smirked, thinking about what challenge Dean would come up with this time. She pulled on her flannel before heading back out to the living room.

Maria excitedly ran outside, “Little brother!” she exclaimed, as she opened the kitchen door and ran over to Sammy, who was still two inches shorter than she was.

“Sis!” he exclaimed as she practically picked him up in a hug.

Dean just rolled his eyes, discreetly taking note of how she had changed since the last time he'd seen her, and John just chuckled at all three of them.

“So, ready for the challenge?” Dean asked her, somewhat smugly. 

She smirked as she looked over at him, “Ready to watch you lose again.”

“You two can do that another time,” John told them, doing his best not to chuckle, “We're gonna be heading out before dinner, so let's enjoy the visit.”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied, respectfully as the four of them went inside. 

Maria hugged John after they made it into the house, and the boys shook William and Bobby's hands. She headed back into the kitchen and pulled out the hamburger patties and the package of bacon from the freezer to defrost. She noticed Dean just watching her but she pretended that she hadn't. She saw Dean as an annoying rival that she refused to let win. Little did she know that one day, all that would change with what was ahead for all of them.

John and William only stayed for an hour, catching Bobby up on the lead they had and that it hopefully would take little time to investigate. Maria hugged her father, shook John's hand, and wished them luck on the hunt. She watched them drive away in the Impala, leaving the truck behind since they would be working together for a while. She knew she'd miss her dad, but she was going to enjoy the time at her Uncle's and getting to hang out with Sammy. She was really looking forward to watching Dean lose another challenge of his choosing. 

Maria didn’t get the opportunity to cook very often while she and her father were on the road. It was very rare for her father to get a motel room with a kitchen. She set up the pans she'd need for burgers before getting the frozen fries in the oven on a greased cookie sheet. She also made sure to season them, something she'd been wanting to try since she'd had them at one of the diners. She smirked when she realized that again, Dean was watching her. 

Dean, being twelve, girls were an enigma and annoying at the same time. Maria was both of those on the furthest end. He'd never met any girl like her before. She was confident on a level he'd never seen, nor had even within himself. Due to her consistently beating him at every challenge he'd come up with over the years, had pushed him to hone his skills and learn more. William had informed John of their interactions five years ago, to which John sat Dean down and explained she was to be respected and not flirted with. She was also the only ten-year-old girl he knew who could cook with the confidence she showed.

“Do you let her do that all the time?” Dean asked Bobby as Sammy made his way into the kitchen. 

“Yup. She's good at it and enjoys it, why wouldn't I?” Bobby replied, paying attention to how Dean was watching her.

“What are you cooking sis?” Sammy asked.

“Bacon burgers and seasoned fries. You hungry little brother?” she replied softly, a smile to match.

“I am now,” he laughed.

“Good. I think you'll like it,” she smiled.

Dean was almost mesmerized by her, and how she was with his little brother, who adored her. He had to act cool though, it's what boys his age did.

Maria talked to Sammy while she cooked the burgers and bacon, explaining each step to him and why she did it the way she did. She had Sammy's full attention, as his stomach had begun grumbling the closer it got to being done.

“Hey, Uncle Bobby, can you get one of those dinner bells, so I can ring it when I cook?” she asked as she pulled the fries out of the oven.

He chuckled a little, “We'll see. Dean, go set the table,” he replied, leaning back in his chair to watch them.

He'd let Maria do her own thing as she was one of the most mature girls he'd ever interacted with no matter what age she was. He wasn't about to tell her she wasn't allowed to cook, not with as good a cook as she'd become. Bobby also noticed the grumble Dean attempted to hide as he went into the kitchen to do what he'd been told. Bobby shook his head a bit, quickly realizing the difference between Dean and Maria. Sammy even pitched in, getting the ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard out of the fridge and put them on the table.

Maria put the cheese on the burgers, turned off the burner, and covered the pan before she put the bacon on a plate that had a paper towel laid out on it to catch the grease. She carefully put the seasoned fries in a big bowl and almost jumped when Dean grabbed it to put it on the table. 

“Smells amazing,” Bobby told her as he sat down at the table, knowing she liked to do things her way when it came to food since she'd gotten a little older.

“Thanks. I tried something new with the fries this time. I had em’ like this in a diner once and wanted to try to make em’. Please be honest, on how they taste,” she replied while she put the burgers on a plate, and then brought them to the table.

Sammy grabbed the plate of bacon before Dean could, sticking his tongue out at his older brother, which made Maria stifle a giggle. Dean grabbed the buns before he sat down as far away from her as possible, which put him next to Bobby but across from his brother. Things were quiet until they bit into the burgers.

“You've become quite the cook,” Bobby told her, surprised at how the burger had come out, now curious about the fries. 

“Thanks, Uncle Bobby, I don't get to do it as often as I want to though,” she answered before eating one of the fries.

She was her worst critic, mentally making notes on how to change the amount of seasonings she'd used, also deciding it needed a dash of chili powder. She barely noticed Sammy scarfing the fries. Dean even liked them, but he wasn't about to say that.

“The fries are pretty good too, but it's like they're missing something,” Bobby told her, honestly. 

“Yeah, they needed a dash of chili powder and the spices aren't quite right. I'll have to try again while I'm here,’ she replied looking up at him.

“But, they taste fine, sis,” Sammy argued. 

She looked over at him and smiled, “Thanks, little brother. You like everything I cook.”

“Cause you make yummy food,” he told her. 

Maria only glanced at Dean briefly, managing to see a small amount of enjoyment in his expression before he quickly got a plain look. She rolled her eyes and went back to her dinner. Why did boys have to be so immature, she thought to herself. What she didn't understand was that boys, especially hunters, needed to be a certain way. The biggest was to keep their emotions out of their expression, and whether she liked it or not, she was helping Dean learn how to be a better hunter.

“I'll clean up tonight, okay munchkin,” Bobby told her, proud of her in ways he couldn't express, partly because he didn't know how.

She was a little surprised, but smiled over at him, “Thank you, Uncle Bobby. I'm glad you liked dinner.”

Maria went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, then her hair, and headed to her room where she sat down at her desk to do some reading. She knew her Uncle wouldn't quiz her on it, as it wasn't part of her daily schedule. It wasn't long before Ssmmy made his way into her room and looked over her shoulder. 

“What are you reading?” he asked curiously. 

“A book about witches,” she replied as she flipped to the next page.

“How come?” he asked, not understanding why she'd be doing that of her own choice. 

This time she looked over at him, still seeing that three-year-old boy she'd met five years ago, which made a soft smile cross her lips, “Well little brother, I'm going to be a hunter and I want to know everything I can so I am prepared and can kill what needs killing, without getting hurt,” she explained. 

Sammy thought about what she said for a minute. He too, loved learning but hadn't considered doing it like she was, “Makes sense I guess, but I like reading other stuff.”

What she didn't realize was that even now, Sammy was having his own internal battle. On one hand, he wanted to be a hunter like his brother, and father, and even like her, but on the other, he didn't want to. Dean had been listening from the hallway, unseen by either of them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, annoyed. 

Dean moved so that he was in her doorway, “Challenge tomorrow, after breakfast.”

She smirked when she looked over at him, “What is it this time?”

“Knife throwing,” he said, confidently. 

“You brought the knives or am I using mine?” she asked.

“I brought mine,” he said before he walked away, feeling as though he would finally win one of these.

Sammy had been watching his brother, but turned back to her, “How come you two do those?” he asked her, not understanding the point of it.

“Pretty sure Dean doesn't like losing, let alone to a girl younger than him,” she chuckled. 

“Are you gonna win again?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she replied, as she got up and pulled her bag out from under her bed. Maria sifted through it and pulled out her throwing knives, showing Sammy, “I've been practicing,” she winked before putting them away.

Sammy giggled just as Bobby showed up in her doorway, “Time to clean up for bed,” he told Sammy, knowing Maria had already done her stuff.

“Okay Bobby,” Sammy replied, heading out of her room.

Bobby watched him leave before he looked back over at her, noticing she had sat back at her desk, “Dean told me about the challenge he came up with. Just make sure it's out in the scrapyard and not in the driveway,” he told her.

“Of course, Uncle Bobby,” she answered looking over at him, “You think he'll ever get tired of losing?”

Bobby sighed, “Probably not,” he replied, then chuckled, “Give him a run for his money, 'cause I'm bettin' on you.”

That made her smile, “Always Uncle Bobby. I'm not gonna let him win. He's gotta earn it,” she winked, “Not like a monster will let him kill 'em, same principle.”

“That's my girl,” he smiled before he left to check on the boys.

Once her Uncle left, she closed her door and changed into her pajamas, still thinking about what book she'd snag out of her Uncle's collection to read that night. He had so many options and they were all interesting. Maria wasn't even concerned about the challenge with Dean the following day, in fact, she was looking forward to it.

Maria waited till her Uncle wasn't in the living room, roughly an hour later, before she crept out there and grabbed one of his books as quickly as she could. She closed her door and got comfortable on her bed, gently running her hand over the raised letters of the book, Angels: Myth VS Facts. She knew that she couldn't believe everything she read. No one ever seemed to have all the truth of anything in just one book, hence why she loved her Uncle's collection. She read for an hour, finding the book fascinating before she heard a knock on her door, quickly shoving the book under her pillow behind her.

“Come in,” she hollered. 

It was her Uncle and Sammy, “He just wanted to say good night,” Bobby told her.

She smiled and climbed off her bed as Sammy met her in the middle of her room, “Night sis. Don't let me sleep through the challenge please. I wanna watch,” he told her, grinning. 

“Night little brother, and I promise, I'll wake you up,” she replied before she hugged him. 

Bobby watched from her doorway, smiling at the two of them, grateful they had each other. Most kids of hunters didn't ever get to interact with other kids in the same line of work, just getting jostled from school to school, always being the new kid, and it never lasted long.

“Night munchkin, lookin’ forward to Dean's sour face tomorrow,” he chuckled. 

“Same, and goodnight Uncle Bobby,” she replied. 

She glanced at her clock after her Uncle left. Eight, she thought to herself before calculating how long she could read before she had to sleep. Maria set her alarm for five, and then read the book for another hour before she reached the chapter on Nephilim.

It was eleven before she realized it, closing the book and sliding it under her pillow before going to bed.

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Chapter 3

Tag List

@deans-spinster-witch

Link to the master list for this story.

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[lovelyd0gg]

"My dear, we will find each other." Pt. 2

Summary: Eugene and you parted ways because you both had to move to your families in different states. You both lived far away and were in a long-distance relationship. You both called at times and texted, but, one day, on your birthday, you are greeted with a very happy surprise.

Warnings: FLUFFY, tiny bit angst.

After the war, you and Eugene went to different states and officially were in a long distance relationship. You missed him a lot and he was hoping that one day he could see you again. You guys have called sometimes but not a lot because he was busy. You were pretty sad that he wasn't there and he was missing you like hell. It wasn't enough to just hear your voice and see your face through a little screen. He wanted to see you to the fullest. And the worst part? How was he gonna be there for your birthday?! It was just around the corner! He had to think of something soon!

Meanwhile, you are with your friends outside, you all are chatting and just hanging out, having a good time. When suddenly you get a notification from Eugene. It said, "Cher, you forgot to call me yesterday." Your eyes widened and then you realized you indeed didn't call him yesterday. Which was really bad because he was probably missing you a lot and was craving to see you. You felt is guilty and told your friends that you had to go home. As soon as you got home, you immediately called him. Hoping he'd pick up the phone. And fortunately, he did. You kept apologizing and telling him that you completely forgot, he just chuckled and said it was okay. But he didn't want to only see you for the call. He asked, "What do you think would be a good birthday gift? It's almost your birthday, might as well ask ya what ya want." You thought for a little and you told him what you wanted. Flowers, your favorite chocolates, maybe even a little stuffed bear, all that jazz. You didn't really ask for a lot. But then you said, "But the best gift would be having you here.." He looked down, he knew that it probably wasn't possible... Wait.. But it's probably, not 100% impossible... He nodded and said. "We both know it's probably not possible, mon amour. But, I'll see what I can do with the other gifts, alright?" You nodded. You knew it wasn't really possible, but you hoped. You wondered when would be the next time you'd see him..

Tomorrow is your birthday. You're very excited! But also kinda sad that some of your friends and family members weren't gonna be there to celebrate it with you, and Eugene wouldn't be there too.. It was definitely gonna be a boring and sad birthday. But you kept thinking positively. You were more just on your phone today and maybe reading a book at times, then you got a call from Eugene. You picked up. "Hey cher, just letting you know, the presents will be sent in a box and delivered to you. I'm sorry I can't make it, mon amour. Next year. I love you." You frowned a little, you really wished he would be here for your birthday, oh well. There's always next year. The rest of the day, you just relaxed and talked with some of your friends. Some of them would come to your birthday and a couple of your family members too would come, you were planning the time when they would come to your place, and more. At least you could see them.

The day of your birthday was here! You got dressed and you agreed with the people who would come, would come at 3.00PM. You were patiently waiting for your friends and family members to arrive. Once everyone did, your mom brought you the cake and some other relatives came with the presents, and soon enough your friends came. When you were chatting with your friends and family, your mom started to talk. "Hey, there's a really big gift that's going to arrive soon, but it's a surprise! So one of your friends can cover your eyes until the gift comes!" You tilted your head, a big gift? Why would you need to have your eyes covered if it's wrapped, right? Well, maybe it was different. A couple minutes later, your friend covers your eyes with her hands and puts you to sit down on the couch. You heard some giggling in the background and the outside door opening, maybe the gift was being transported inside? Then you felt arms around your neck, but hands still covering your eyes. Suddenly, you heard a soft and gentle southern accent, "Guess who?" Your friend removed her hands off your eyes and you turned around. Eugene behind you, with a smile. "Bonjour, mon amour." You felt the need to cry, luckily you didn't. You hugged him tight and you felt so happy to see him. "Eugene! But.. How did you get here?" You asked with a soft voice. "I never said it was impossible to come here." You smiled and kissed him gently, he returned the kiss back. The rest of the day you celebrated your birthday with the ones you cared, sadly, the day came to an end and you said your goodbyes to your family and your friends. You were left alone with Eugene. You turned around to look at him, he looked.. Sad and guilty. "I got some bad news for ya, darlin'.." You tilted your head and wondered what he was talking about. "I... Gotta go back to Louisiana.. I have to stay there.." Your eyes widened and tears welled in your eyes. He immediately pulled you into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry love.. I know.. It's hard." You started to cry in his arms, him coming back to you just for a day?! What is this?! "But, you can't.. You landed hours ago.. You can't!" You protested, you were irritated at the fact he had to go. "I'll see you again baby, I promise." You shaked your head, this wasn't acceptable in your head. "Why can't you stay just for a couple more days..?" He shaked his head. "I can't, I got work too, you know that." Eventually, you gave up. There was no point in arguing back. You looked up at him. "I love you.. Don't forget about me." He looked down at you and gave you a tender kiss on your forehead. "Only a dumbass would forget a woman like you." You smiled. "Safe travels.. Text me as soon as you land or I'll strangle you from here.." You joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah? Well next time, don't forget to call me. Otherwise I'll strangle you from there." You both laughed a little. Saying your goodbyes, he left. It was gonna be a while till you'll see him again.