#id like to formally Apologize to all of you but also myself-

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I'm about to steal Howdy's man with the way you draw Barnaby /hj

you're gonna have to fight for him, good luck

[fire-in-my-woods]

Having a trans man existential crises YIPPEE

[riallasheng]

Good day, Sheng I hope you've had a lovely day!

I was curious to know if you had any information on what the TB TOS boys studied and specialized in? Were they awarded with anything?

Hello my lovely anon! I apologize for the delay, but I was out visiting friends until late yesterday. ^^ I'm home again, which means I can dig through my novels and comics to answer this as best I am able!

Of the various sources, the official bios (there's at least 3 versions there of), the TV21 comics, and the Fleetway comics are the ones that are most likely to give the answers. There are also bits and bobs scattered around the various canon sources. Overall, I'm pulling mostly from the Fleetway for this, as it actually went the most into depth for what you're asking and while Fleetway / complete Thunderbirds Story DOES have some continuity / canonicity issues the education and specializations parts overall are solid.

Going in my preferred age order (because there's actually more than one XD )

This got long, so readmore deployed! ^^

Scott:

Given the ages involved, Scott skipped grades to one degree or another, because he seems to have graduated high school at 16-17 rather than 18. (Spoiler Warning: Gordon is the only Tracy that didn't skip grades. TinTin and Brains skip grades too, although Penny did not)

Scott seemingly went to a 'normal' college / university for ~2 years (Fleetway puts it as Tracy University, where Scott specialized in astronautics and got his astronaut wings, which at minimum DOES explain where / when Scott GOT his astronaut wings, which he DOES canonically have as all his official bios mention he is a trained astronaut and he is one of Three's canon pilots with a fair amount of knowledge / skill in space) as he doesn't start Yale until 18

At 18, Scott went to Yale for 2-3 years and finished his formal education at Oxford for 1-2 years (these numbers bounce around a bit in the various bios/mentions - though it being ~4 years in total is constant across all of them) and graduated top of his class - though not valedictorian or salutatorian, simply in the top 10 / top 5 - specializing in aeronautics / aeronautic engineering, mathematics, and navigation. We know he does have SOME education / degree in engineering as he the one that helps in designing / engineering / etc alongside Virgil. We also know he was heavily involved in the design of Thunderbird 1 and 2, with some refs to him being the primary designer on One. Scott definitely has a Bachelors and might have a Masters in one / two / all of his three degrees, but there's no indication that he has a Doctorate in anything. He seems to have had aeronautics / aeronautic engineering as his primary.

All of Scott's bios state that he served in the Air Force right out of College (so he would have joined at 22 to 23 years of age, then would have served 4-6 years). He was an officer, rather than enlisted, although his stated final rank ranges between Captain (of-3) to Colonel (of-6) so you likely can go with what you please there, although Scott IS referred to as a 'commanding officer' in the Air Force, which usually means Major (of-4), Lieutenant Colonel (of-5), or Colonel (of-6) though. We've no idea what his callsign would have been, though some fanon ones I've seen are Flyboy, Ace, Scooter, Falcon and Eagle. I use Mercury myself (Mercury Seven, and it refs his speed AND 'silver tongue'/communication skills)

There's multiple references to Scott serving in 'the War', although what War that is is VERY vague and hard to pinpoint. (Oddly, Fleetway using the 2020s timeline DOES make IDing the war in question easier... With Scott serving in his 20s, that would make the war in Fleetway the Global Conflict / WW3, which took place ~2010 and was how the Global Government / World Government formed.) For the most common 2060s timeline, it's really unclear what 'war' Scott would have been fighting in in the 2050s. outside of the confusion of 'what war', Scott was at minimum an 'ace' (5 kills in aerial combat / dogfighting), might have been an 'ace ace' (25+ kills) although that one MIGHT be a misprint where the word ace was accidently doubled, and there is a passing reference in either the novels or comics (I forget which ^^;; ) to him being 'War Ace', which is a title awarded to the 'best pilot / most skilled ace' in a war. So 'War Ace' is a potential accomplishment for him

He is officially a 'test pilot', and can fly pretty much anything / everything. It's mentioned he CAN fly the Tiger Moth so he can mange bi-planes, he apparently flew a stunt plane (so propeller), he's helicopter (and apparently helijet) certified, and he's flown a wide array of jets, rocket-planes, and space craft. (He has a pilot's license, helicopter / helijet license, and astropilot license). He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and he apparently knows how to drive a motorcycle so a Class-M license too. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and would have had a military license that functioned as a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license and might have gone through the work to get that again as a civilian. We do see Scott driving heavy equipment and the like when not 'IR' so he might have the commercial license. He has a non-commercial boating license, and miiiiight have a civilian submarine-craft license. Seems to have a diving license. Definitely has a sky-diving and paragliding license.

Scott somehow was given the Medal of Valor and quite possibly Medal of Honor as well. both are EXTREMLY difficult to achieve medals, almost always only given out in wartime, and we never are told what he did to achieve them

Scott retired in his 'late 20s' (probably around 28) 'with honors', which would mean an Honorable Discharge. That's right about when IR would be in the final set up stages / Tracy Island buildings and silos being built and the like.

It's strongly implied in the comics that Scott was a POW at some point, but nothing officially states it flat out. There's a vague refence to him having been shot down at some point in the comics as well. These have lead to the widespread fanon that Scott was a POW, usually in Bereznik. If this is the case, Scott would have a Purple Heart Medal and a Prisoner of War Medal. It also would explain why no one finds it odd that he retired as young / early as he did.

John:

Rather like Scott, John seems to have skipped grades, as he graduates High School at ~15 years of age (there's a VAGUE hint in TV21 that it might have been as low as 14. It's also implied to have been that low in Fleetway because John is only around 21 when he starts at Tracy University, AFTER finishing 6 years at Harvard).

While John has always been deeply interested in manned space flight and the heavens in general, his real passion (and career) is canonically in communications.

John starts attending Harvard University, and graduates as Valedictorian (he's top of his class, but there's a mention to him giving a speech at his graduation, which usually goes to Valedictorian) getting his degree in electronics and laser communications / communications in general. Since he wrote a thesis, he must have gotten a doctorate in ONE of these fields (likely communications)

John was HEAVILY involved in the design / building of IRs communications gear and might even have been the lead in it. both the 'listening in' and the 'communicating between each other' parts. He also seemingly was very heavily involved in the designing of TB5

He created a laser communications device that was 'revolutionary' and won him awards and accolades. (An achievement that was later stolen by Lt. Green in his bio... Spectrum bios had a VERY bad habit of stealing accomplishments of previously existing characters. In further example, Green also stole 'best communications officer / specialist WASP has ever had' from Phones, Harmony stole 'best pilot alive' from Scott, Grey stole 'back messed up and 4 months in hospital after a sub/high speed boat crash from Gordon AND 'first captain of the Stingray' from Troy, and Rhapsody stole quite a few of Penny's spy achievements)

John also located a previously unknown quasar, which became known as the Tracy Quasar System.

He's published at minimum 4 astronomy and outer-space textbooks, and at least 1 book on communications

After getting a doctorate in ~6 years at Harvard at 20-21 years of age, John then got his astronaut wings / became an astronaut. Fleetway puts him at Tracy University for this as well. (He might have been Valedictorian again, as he's referred to as being such for his astronaut training in... Countdown? I legit forget where the ref is. There's an implication that John was Valedictorian more than once, basically). All of the Tracys are genius level smart, but John seems to be the brightest star of them all

John worked on a civilian (or at least non-military) space station / space program for at least a few years. What group and station is debatable. It could be NASA, the World Space Program, etc. He further could have been on the International Space Station, Freedom Station, etc. The only things off the table are military groups, and he CAN'T have served in the World Space Patrol (Fireball XL5)

John has his pilot's license and space-pilot / astropilot license. He likely has a rocket-plane license (ie: a atmospheric craft that can escape the atmosphere and is space capable). He MIGHT have a helijet license, but he doesn't have a helicopter license. He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and he apparently knows how to drive a motorcycle so a Class-M license too. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license. He has a non-commerical boating license, and miiiiight have a civilian submarine-craft license. Seems to have diving license. Might have a sky-diving and paragliding license.

John also is a highly skilled athlete, having achieved many awards and records. We only know about him being involved in running, but WHAT KIND of running varies between sprinting (rare), long-distance (more commonly reffed) and cross-country (most commonly reffed), or trail or obstacle course (middling)

I'm not sure how John left his space career / stopped working on the space station without attracting attention, oddly he's the ONLY one that doesn't have an easy excuse for joining IR! Scott apparently had SOMETHING happen that gave him an honorable discharge and had no one questioning him retiring from the Air Force, Virgil apparently intended to work as an engineer FOR Jeff's company once he graduated, Gordon had the hydrofoil crash and an Honorable or Medical Discharge from WASP, and Alan was only 19 and hadn't really STARTED a career. TinTin either was just finishing her University education and/or like Virgil was working for Jeff's company as an engineer. Brains started working for Jeff at his company while Brains was still in college. John's the only one with a career outside of Jeff's company that DOESN'T have a coinvent 'stop working there' excuse.

Virgil:

continuing the running theme, Virgil seems to have skipped grades - more than Scott did, but less than John, graduating High School at 15-16.

Virgil started higher education at 16 at Denver School for Advanced Technology, but he's sometimes put in Yale or another Tech school. What his degree was varies. Fleetway has it as 'Advanced Technology', but he's also had Engineering / Nuclear Engineering listed in his official bios. He usually took art classes and music classes, and sometimes he has a degree in art or music mentioned, so he likely minored in art and/or music alongside his Advanced Technology / engineering major. He seems to have graduated at 20-21 with a Masters in Tech/Engineering and a Bachelors in art/music. There's no refences at all to him having a doctorate (only John and Brains have that), and while he seems to have been 'top of his class', there's no indication he was Valedictorian or Salutatorian. So, like Scott he would have been in the top 10 or top 5, but not the number 1 or 2 slots.

Fleetway claims that Virgil was on the Denver Football team and was a good player on it, but that is the only reference to it or sports in general. Something to remember is that Virgil is actually NOT the heaviest / buffiest in build of the brothers in TOS. He's well built, but Scott and Alan are both heavier /buffer in build than he is, as is his father. Virgil isn't LEAN, but he'd be a Middleweight, built sort of like Tony or tom Cruise or the like. Muscled, but not a brick house. Scott is consistantly referred to as 'powerful' in build, and is drawn as heavier / bulkier in muscles than Virgil. Heavyweight class or something like the traditional 'superman' build like Cavill or the like. Alan and Jeff are a bit more powerful / bulky in build than Scott, so upper end of the Heavyweight. Not modern day Body builder / the Hulk bulk, but say Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, Arnold in Terminator / Predator type build. Gordon is about Virgil's build / a swimmer's build. John is lean /lithe but not lanky. Built like a runner.

Virgil HAS sold art and had it on display at galleries, possibly even at a museum or two, which is quite the accomplishment. He's also played music semi-professionally, although I can't find or recall an refences to him winning awards or contests in music.

Like John, Virgil got his astronaut wings / went to a second school after his primary (Fleetway again puts this as Tracy University) and he seems to have gone to this second school when he was ~21. Fleetway has a fun incident where, while at Tracy U, he used his advanced technology degree to service a faulty space capsule during a training space-flight.

So far as I can tell, Virgil's plan was to graduate and work for Tracy Tech / Tracy Industries / whatever version of the MULTIPLE names that Jeff's company has you'd like to use XD upon graduation. He likely DOES officially work as an engineer for his Dad's company (his brothers as well) on top of IR duties.

Given when IR got started (September of 2065) and Virgil's age AND his graduation date(s), Virgil would have been working at Jeff's company for at least a couple of years before IR got started.

He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, but no Class-M / motorcyle that we're aware of. He ABSOLUTELY has a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and has a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license. We know he has a pilot's license. While he has his astronaut wings, he might not have an astropilot license, but he would at least he have a 'limited' one - equivalent of a 'student driver' where he can be a co-pilot but not a solo. He has a helicopter and helijet license. Seems to have both a commerical and non-commerical boating license. Seems to have a civilian submarine craft license. Might have a diving license. Probably has a skydiving and paragliding license.

Gordon:

Only one of the brothers NOT to skip grades, as he goes straight from High School to WASP Academy at ~18.

Gordon was showing skill in swimming at only 3 years of age, and joined a professional swim team as early as possible (13 or so, though he would have been on school swim teams / training prior to that)

Gordon was one of, if not the, fastest freestyle swimmers in his prime. We know he won Gold in the Olympics for the Butterfly Stroke at 16 (Considering his birthyear, he might actually have been 17 given the years the Olympics fall on). We know he also got other awards / medals, but we can take it as fact that his only Olympic Gold was this. He might have gotten Silver and Bronze in other races. However given the 4 year gaps, this would have been the ONLY Olympics Gordon took part in - he would have been too young for the previous, and the ones after would be either after his hyrdofoil accident or IR.

Gordon went from high school straight into WASP. He probably was 18, buuuuuuuut there are hints that Gordon might have served in whatever War Scott and Phones and Troy and others in that age group fought in, so Gordon MIGHT have been able to sign up for WASP at 17 and basically before he graduated high school. To quickly explain, while you can sign up for the military at 17 with a guardian's permission for most branches… submarine service (and thus WASP) is not one of them, as it's strictly volunteer and 18+. You have to VOLUNTEER to be on a sub, and outside of wartimes you must be 18 or older. Thus IF, and only if, there was a 'War' on, Gordon could have joined WASP at 17.

Gordon was put in command of a bathyscape, which means he was an officer. You usually have to be 19 to become an officer / begin officer training BUT you can start at 18 during wartimes so... Gordon would have started his officer training at 18-19 and become an officer at 19-20. We've no mention of what rank Gordon was at his retirement, but to command a submarine, even a bathyscape, he has to have been a Lieutenant-Commander (of-3) minimum, but he can't have been more than a Captain (of-5) as he wasn't part of the admiralty. I make him a Commander (of-4) because I am an old geek woman and I love him having the rank level of 4 XD

While in WASP, Gordon came up with a revolutionary and unique underwater breathing apparatus... it's implied that the scuba gear we see used in Stingray are the ones that Gordon designed. Gordon later improved these for IR.

Gordon was in a high speed hyrdofoil crash (I know it says 400 mph, but I honestly would prefer it to have been going FAR slower... 400 km/h maybe XD ) that almost killed him, injured his back, and left him in a WASP hospital for 4 months (note that is his FULL TIME in the hospital, including his initial / in hospital Physical Therapy). The crash happened VERY recently, btw, like two years MAX before the pilot episode, but no less than a year and a half prior to the pilot, so it would have happened no earlier than Sept 2063 and no later than Mar 2064. A lot of fans give him lingering physical issues from this (heck I'm one of them), BUT it's important to remember that we see Gordon getting up to fairly normal physical activities in all canon material (even Fleetway where his accident is directly mentioned / shown), so he is not HEAVILY impacted by this. If he has chronic pain, it's mild for instance. If he throws his back out on occasion, it's rare and he recovers quickly, etc.

He has a military boating and submarine license, as well as a non-commercial boating license and civilian submarine-craft license. he miiiiiight have a commercial boating license, but he's never shown with commercial craft so *shrug emoji*. he ABSOLUTELY has a diving license. He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and would have had a military license that functioned as a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license and might have gone through the work to get that again as a civilian. Likely has a piloting license, might have a helicopter and helijet license.

Alan:

Alan was interested in both car racing and space from a young age (and unlike TaG, it looks like he actually had a stronger interest in CARS than in rockets). He seems to have skipped grades, as he was in college by 15 years of age as he was far enough into his astronaut training to be in space at 16 as one of Alan's accomplishments is that he is the youngest astronaut / lunarnaut known, having been either in space OR on the moon (or at minimum he got his astronaut wings) at only 16 years of age AND he still holds the record for highest number of passes and holds the current record for graduating in record time.

It looks like Alan went first to college for his astronaut wings (Fleetway has it as Tracy University) and likely got a Bachelors, graduating at 16 years of age.

He then went to another school (Fleetway lists Colorado Tech / Denver Tech) and got a Masters at 17 (maaaaybe 18). WHAT he got it in varies wildly across canon sources though. He's got astronatical engineering, space travel, CAR engineering / design, and communications listed. So likely pick and choose as ye please. I personally go for Vehicular (car) and astronautical engineering. To be totally honest, I'd replace the Tech school with a Racing Academy and have it where Alan got a Bachelors in astronatical engineering at Tracy University at 16, and a second Bachelors in Vehicular Engineering & Design at a Racing School at 17, then went from there to join the World Space Patrol Astopilot Academy for 1-2 years before going back to his racing career for the 1-2 years before he joins IR

Alan then joined the World Astronaut Patrol Academy... aka the military branch that Fireball XL5 is part of. Alan was in the Astropilot program, but for unknown reasons in canon, he left WSP / Astropilot program before graduating when he was still 18. To solve this issue, I replaced one of the astronovices in the Fireball comic story 'The Astronovices' with Alan, as that would have given him a General or Dishonorable Discharge. Alan DOES hold the record for youngest Astronovice as he joined at ~17 or so, and he apparently was pretty likely to be one of the few to pass the grueling requirements and graduate (seriously, out of an intake of 200 potentials, less that 25 graduate for each 2-3 year training cycle).

Alan started his racing career while still in college, likely starting driving at 16-17 as it's said he's been racing for 'a few years' when he wins Pararola at 19/20. He probably paused the racing career for the 1-2 years he was in the Astronovice program, then resumed it at 18 when he left WSP (for whatever reason he DID leave). He apparently has a few wins / medals in racing under his belt and left a successful racing career to join IR, although he WAS young enough (only 19) that him deciding to join Jeff's company as a vehicle engineer who occasionally tests the vehicles the company makes likely wouldn't draw too much attention. (Alan was a 'champion' race driver and officially a car designer by the time he joined IR at 19.)

He ABSOLUTELY has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and seemingly has a Class-M / motorcyle, and obviously has a SCCA (racing) license. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, but that's debatable. We know he has a pilot's license. He might have a helicopter license, but we never once see him piloting a helicopter. He's a bit more likely to have his helijet license. He ABSOLUTELY has an astropilot license, even if he didn't get the military / Fireball craft license. Seems to have a non-commerical boating license and a civilian submarine craft license. Has a diving license. Probably has a skydiving and paragliding license. Certainly has a rocket-plane (aka astmospheric craft that can escape gravitational pull and is space capable) license.

If anyone wants, I'll do these for TinTin, Brains and Penny - I'll even try it for Jeff, Kyrano, and Grandma Tracy, although we have FAR less to go on for them

[tarpitbell]

10:30 (February 3rd) / *5:27 / *9:14 / *1:38 / *2:46

This is the journal(ish) I've talked about before. Or, I'm going to be treating it as a journal. This is just my vent account though.

My main blog ( @sotogalmo ) will only reblog the most important posts, while the rest is going to stay on this blog.

Very “semi-personal” entries are going to be under the “read more”. I do advise for you to not interact with those posts if the tags trigger something (but I cannot fully stop you from reading my posts). — all of my posts are (kinda) 'semi-personal' though. But some time I know I'll make some non-personal entries, some day.

I suggest you turn on the setting to see the day on my posts, since the time can be weird for others. But it's alright if you don't do that.

But do know, that my typing quirk is setting the time on top. If that bothers you, then I suggest you don't hang around here or my main blog(I do that there too).

I might already say that this is a vent blog for @sotogalmo , but this will also just be more exploring who I am, finding some terms that might fit and such. Almost a lot of my posts would be me wondering about my identity (as of now, I feel I might be a therian? Feline to be exact; maybe a domestic cat, probably a Maine Coon? — But I also might say I "kin id" with Satan from Obey Me! Shall We Date?, but I'll get more into his character to make sure I'm not making a mistake on what I said, but as a small overall of what I got from him from past interest in said fandom, I do heavily relate to him. Maybe even Itzusumi from Dungeon Meshi too, I'll get into that fandom to know if I do)

And just general rambles. (I'm also questioning therian; and my Theriotypes— Maine Coon cat, husky, bleeding heart dove, and probably more? (I feel like there's more due to some shifts with scales and such). Also with being a copinglinker too)

I might even think I have other mental illnesses. But I'll make sure of that with my therapist (I most definitely have some sort of derealization/depersonalization of sorts, maybe OCD? maybe BPD? depression of a weird kind, etc. but I'm just a weird girl)

Emojis: to explain why my posts are the way they are ↓

🕵️‍♂️🌂 -> Shuichi Saihara, DRV3

🌘🕵️‍♂️🕳️🧿 and 🟦🤖 -> Avoid/Detach Eye & Blue Robot.

⚡🔥 🐍🧶👾-> Raph, TMNT12/TMNT:MM, Needlem0use & Nemesis/Surge, Satan.

🔮🩹 -> Casey Jr, ROTTMNT: Movie

🫧🩺 -> Gaster mixed with rise Leo?

👁️‍🗨️⛳🧩 -> Tony Becker: GGY FNAF

🐕‍🦺🐕⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌕 -> Servant.

🕷️🌸🦚💞💞 -> Voice of the Smitten & Angel Dust(ish)

🍝🍊 -> THE GREAT PAPYRUS!

🧸🌀 -> CC

Shuichi: remembering, finding out, piano music & stars. Justice seeking and friendship.

Avoid/Robot: detachment, wanting to be detached from a situation/feeling detached from a situation. Feeling robotic or even sounding robotic/too formal. Only when talking about trauma(or just anything serious)

Raph/Needlem0use/Nemesis/Surge/Santan: my anger part. Quite obviously and is most present almost all of the time. Many faces for that part but you get the idea

Casey: family issues part. Finding comfort in ROTTMNT/how families are portrayed in ROTTMNT.

🩺🫧: mentality, “fascinating”, “oh! my apologies!”, old timey quotes(??), fancy talk part

Tony: Casey & Shuichi mix. Tony is all about how families work and how friendships work. Mainly will be talking about siblings and what I have left of them in my mind

Servant: how I act in school/me just following rules

Smitten & Angel Dust: love, desires, relationships(romantic), sexual & emotional intimacy part of myself. Also sin, since that connects very much to desires (for me). Validation as well

PAPYRUS: only(maybe?) in all caps. Bravery, autism autisming. General excitement!! Very expressive part of me

CC: little me/me feeling little. Mainly just gonna be emojis of plushies or talk of toys. Ig (if something so serious happens and I regress into them)

I separate a lot of my feelings to be their own characters. And then those characters would be then influenced by other characters. And then they just become different parts of me. That's why I use their names and such. — maybe this means, I'm probably a copinglinker !

[mafia-rabid-mercenary2]

A bit of static can be heard, and a small bit of space started glitching, it stopped soon after, now a note in the previously glitched place, it said

“My apologizes, Ms.Rabid, for all the somewhat random asks that these curious anons have been giving you, especially about romance and stuff. Do not worry, I have seen them asking Dia a bit about them, along with Moshieee, who I explained to what flirting actually is so they wouldn’t be confused, and I myself have gotten many requests to know of my romantic situation… I just wanted to inform you that at least you are not the only one being troubled with all the romance related questions. And they might have originated from me, possibly since I mentioned you being ‘cool’ at some point… of it’s just a coincidence that after that, anons started to suddenly ask about your romantic interests.”

Ps. The anons are telling me not to wash the dishes, but really I do not mind, so don’t worry about that. Also don’t worry how I knew where you were when I sent this note

- The informant (@mafia-kay)

(I feel like they do this all the time, just like— send way too formal letters to people in the mob)

“Interesting. And don’t sweat it kid I appreciate your little “jesters” hehe get it? Anyways the question aren’t really your fault though so I’m not mad. And for the question it self, well they were hitting to close to home so I don’t want anymore of them”

[m!rabid looked around after practically talking to herself…]

“If you can hear me in whatever meta space your in, swing by my office id like to get to know you”

[starg1rlie]

hihi! hope youre doing well! ♡ ive never done one of these ask games before but they seem sups cute so i thought id give it a shot ! 💍 for scara please !!

im ambivert!! i really enjoy talking to people and love being around them! id describe myself as a rather calm and go with the flow. im a very patient person and like to see the brighter side of things. im a very physically affectionate person and generally just a pretty happy person 😭 i dont really like confrontation all too much but i will engage in some teasing if i know the other person is okay w it. unfortunately im also the victim of being a HUGE sappy hopeless romantic too 😔 i really enjoy writing :> music and nature are huge inspirations for me and are a big part of my life ! i also draw quite a lot too, it helps relax me and i love making things. i hope you have a great day and thank you for your time! <3 (apologies if this is too long! ^^;;)

(hello, my apologies for taking so long to get to your request, i hope that you haven't been waiting too long...i got a bit sick and i lost my motivation to write, since i dont feel like i'd be pushing out anything worthwhile for my readers at the time, but here i am <3 hope you enjoy)

biking around the city

its dangerous, he says, and yet, he still goes along with it. you first suggested it as a way to get some fresh air (as if the two of you couldn't receive fresh air from the front porch of your house), and he agreed, only because he knows how much you enjoy taking in the scenery of mother nature. of course he didn't expect for you to ask him to hold hands while doing so. if he had, he'd have refused to accompany you and would probably force you to do something else inside the house that wasn't quite so dangerous. he went along with it anyways, linking his fingers through yours as the two of you biked around the neighborhood for a bit. then scaramouche insisted the two of you head back, because it was getting late and your parents would probably murder him if he kept you out for too long.

he'll play the piano in the middle of the night

even though his mother had previously forced him to learn how to play the piano, he still secretly enjoyed it, despite all the smacks to the hand he received from his instructor. he hadn't played in a while and he felt a little nostalgic one night, so he plopped himself down in front of the grand piano, flipping the cover open and letting his fingers brush against the piano keys. slowly, he dipped into a simple melody he first learned, then ascended into a more complicated tune. all the while, he never looked up from his work, playing and playing until he played the last note. a clap startled him and he jumped up from his seat, whirling around to face you. you didn't tell me you played the piano, you'd say as he came over to wrap his arms around you. that's a one-time thing, he replied. only it wasn't; he started playing more and more every night, and you, upstairs in the bedroom, would listen contentedly under the covers, happy that he continues to play.

introduce him to romance

he legit hasn't had a single romancic occurence in his life (poor boy), and does not understand how you can be so sappy and romantic all of the time. so when you sat him down one night, scaramouche couldn't help but feel a little skeptical about the whole ordeal. romance wasn't his thing, not really, anyways. but you tossed a copy of "to all the boys i've loved before" and left him to "do his thing". a few hours later, you hear sobbing from downstairs and rush to see what's the matter. why are you crying? you asked him, rubbing a hand soothingly over his back. this book is so fucking sad, he'd say, wiping at his runny nose first and then his eyes. honey...it's a romance book...you replied, a little confused. i know. it's so fucking bad.

he'll teach you how to waltz

scaramouche isn't much of a dancer himself, but since there is a formal dance coming up at his school, and he wants to take you as his date, he practiced for weeks on end, ever since the school announced the dance. when he finally felt good about his performances, scaramouche invited you to his living room and placed a hand over your waist, the other gently clasping your hand in his. together the two of you swayed around the room until you collapsed into an exahusted heap, erupting into giggles. what's this for? you inquired, gesturing at his tuxedo and neatly combed hair the next day. what did you think i asked you to dance with me for last night? he shot back, re-adjusting his tie. we're going to the dance. with that, he promptly drags you out of the house to drive to the dance.

listens to your onslaught of playlists

it seems every day you manage to make a new playlist for him to listen to. him? he prefers indie pop and would rather slit his throat than listen to anything other than his chill music. however, since you put time and effort into the playlists, he'll scroll through it and play some of the songs in there. eventually, he'll find his head bobbing along to the songs and will scowl to himself, ripping his headphones off and glaring at his phone. your playlists...aren't as bad as i thought they'd be, scaramouche said the next day. his eyes narrowed just a bit. but we'll be talking more about your music taste in the future.

he'll organize a hike and picnic

since you seem to love nature so much, scaramouche mentally mapped out a plan for taking you out one weekend for a hike, and then a picnic at a pretty area, even going so far to take the scenic route instead of the shorter route. backpack and picnic basket in tow, he'll determindely hike up the hill with you, even though his feet are killing him and he'd much rather be relaxing back at home, watching riverdale. when the two of you finally reached the summit, he keeled over on his hands and knees, gasping and panting heavily. nope, this man is not in shape. want some water? you offer him, holding out a bottle of cold water for him. scaramouche accepted it gratefully and gulped half of it down before swiping at his chin. you're lucky that i decided to go through with this, otherwise we'd be rewatching riverdale again at home, he said pointedly, wiggling his index finger at you while he tried controlling his breathing.

[kidfoundonstreets]

i'm glad to hear you enjoyed the coffin of andy and leyley, as well as no-good noelle! sorry for only just getting back to you on this—it completely slipped my mind until now

i agree that it was definitely a delight to see the improvements in tcoaal compared to earlier games, and yes! it was very much made in rpgmaker. i'm ALWAYS a massive sucker for comic panel-styled cgs

and i think what andrew meant by discarding andy and leyley to die in the coffin was him essentially. swearing to drop the power imbalance he and ashley once had as children and instead have the both of them stand on equal footing? i'm not sure, but that's what it read to me.

as for the parasite thing—who knows? nemlei apparently did go through with making a continuation to this game, so maybe we'll learn more about it there. the fact they're siblings roughly around the same age is also so tastefully fucked up by the way because like… how do i explain it. siblings usually live together ever since childhood so they have more time to affect each other growing up, and there's ALSO this general """agreement""" that family should always be your no. 1 priority when it comes to the people you choose to keep in your life or whatever, so it's like. yeah

(this is NOT meant in a weird way btw i'm a youngest sibling with two older sisters myself)

anyways yule nogoodnoelle is built different and i would drench him in milk until he's sopping wet before slamming him against the wall. real. 💯

DONT WORTRY ABOUT IT!! i apologize for the laytre response as well :3

discussing this with you is v fun i love hearing your thoughts on it,,

the equal footing makes a lot more sense! it literally says in the description of the game "co-dependency" and discarding how it's been for years is just so. well took a couple murders to get to that moment but yk (it was also mentioned i think they've had these types of arguments before and i find that interesting though im sure its never gone this far) anyway it also reminds me of a song called Evelyn Evelyn. don't know how well that works though. i need to stop getting off track

stuck with eachother and moving towards something that doesn't have the other as a doormat or the other as the boss . i don't know how possible that is for them but if there is a continuation id love to see it <3

heyy youngest kids gang. the "agreement" of family being no.1 priority and the same ages.. i didnt even think of thst but aaa. "your priority should be me!" as the rules say aswell its also like andy since the start his personality wasnt stronger than leyleys anyway he ended up as the quick go to (you live with him, it feels like obligation, he's as bendable as a rubber band) and i guess there's a line of friendship and family that is hard to clear unless you get rid of all the formalities and morals- which is also like. not only are your lives centered around your family now it also could be centered around a stranger,, but once that person is gone it'll forever have a gaping hole you can't get rid of unless theyre back. because youve known them so long. adapting to everything especially the tough situations that argumens and misunderstandings make your bond stronger

i dont know what im saying or what that means but i will eat your ideas ok

that's one of the most perfect descriptions of yule you get it you literally do. playing ivys route made me feel dirty after goig throigh all of yules bullshit (i would willingly click play on him again while insulting him)

[narwhalpanda]

15 questions/15 people

thank you @angry-velociraptor for tagging me! im usually horrible at filling these (i tell myself aw thats sweet, ill do it later and then ill NEVER get back to it) but today im determined to answer some questions >:3c

1. are you named after anyone?

nope, my mom had to change plans for my name last minute so that my birthday and name day didn't fall on the same day. but even the planned name still wasn't an homage to anyone

2. when was the last time you cried?

about two days ago watching the end of Search for Bob (CR1 oneshot) when Liev'tel asks the Raven Queen whether Vex and Keyleth will be happy. that got me good, dammit Liam and Matthew

but overall i am so easily moved to tears its ridiculous

3. do you have kids?

nu-uh

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

lately i've noticed that it's not always obvious to some of my friends when im joking/sarcastic without malice, so im trying not to unless im sure there cannot be a misunderstanding

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

their neutral facial expression (or how the look at me) and height i think?

6. what’s your eye color?

grey-blue, got that from dad's side

7. scary movie or happy endings?

im not much into movies but ive definitely watched more horrors than romantic comedies, so ill go with scary (ive got Mouth of Madness on my list rn)

8. any special talents?

not exactly a talent but id say im weirdly lucky when it counts

9. where were you born?

in czech republic, normal hospital baby

10. what are your hobbies?

drawing is my life long hobby, something i keep coming back to. lately ive become the filthiest of casuals of ttrpgs and im having a blast. also i have been housebound for past three months (icky leg injury) and in that time i got to come back to reading which has also always been my beloved activity, as well as pick up new things like painting minis (ive got little ranger/fighter/wizard mice miniatures and the are tiny and adorable af) and in past few days i got into neocities so im learning html and css to make my own little website and im having so much fun. id like to formally apologize to all my for the time abandoned hobbies, including but not limited to writing, embroidery, linocut and sewing, i swear ill get back to yall some time but now is just not that time.

11. do you have any pets?

currently not :c

12. what sports do you play/have you played?

ive played volleyball for ten years, i stopped playing when i went to college. after that ive done tai-chi for a year, then nothing for a loong time, then i finally decided to hit the gym and get some shoulders, which went great before i felt fit enough to try volleyball again and that is where my 3 month long icky leg injury comes from lmao. but when im healed id love to get fit again (not sure about the volleyball, im super scared but asasdgf it made me so happy to play again), it was brief but awesome, it really is so good for my body and brain to exercise regularly

13. how tall are you?

169 cm, which i think is about 5'6"

14. favorite subject in school?

geography and literature. i wish i remembered more from both high school and uni, man, it was cool to know things about these

15. dream job?

my dream job used to be book editor or librarian. now... ive worked as a librarian for two years now, on two different posts, and i really like the job, tho i eventually wish to do something that is paid a bit better and/or more creative. id like some fun job sometime in my life. but who wouldnt :D

tagging: @lawful-goof @mu-mumie @zraloci-cpr @picachews @zelvuska (feel no obligation you know how it goes :3)

[beautyofsorrow]

🍓🛼🥤(<- doesnt have to be fic author)🍬

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

grew out of the "cosplaying the battle of helm's deep in the woods with my friends" phase of liking lotr and into the "reading everyone's weird arwen vs eowyn wars as posted on blogspot in the 2000s" phase and decided to write my own massively detailed eowyn backstory as a sort of defense of her character, ended up getting mired in trying to teach myself old english for some godforsaken reason and never finished (as one does), mentioned the failed project to a new friend who had much more life experience than me and she was like, ah yes, fanfiction, and i was like, wait, what, i'm not inventing the wheel here, this is a THING? then i found FFN, made an account, got incredibly maudlin about jadzia dax on main, and left a bunch of embarrassing comments like "this would have been better if you didn't use any curse words" because i was a baby very much mired in my fundamentalist upbringing who didn't know how to stfu and click away. anyway this is a formal apology to anyone who knew me back then, i really hope you're not still here but if you are i know how to curse now and also i write porn. peace and love and character growth.

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

why do i always reblog these ask memes when all i'm working on is exchange pieces

anyway [flips through personal projects languishing in the corner of my brain] b7 griddlehark au chapter 3: 👕🖕🏾👀☕🥞

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

i was just gifted theeeeeeeeeeeee most incredible creepy mermaid comic for fffx. just absolutely spectacular vibes. it's still on anon for another week or so but i'm in awe and so so thankful to my creator for looking directly into my id and translating it onto the page.

& because i have not talked about books enough lately, here are some evergreen author recs: becky chambers (cozy queer space opera), kate dicamillo (middle grade fiction that will change the landscape of your brain) (don't skip her younger books tho) (the tales from deckawoo drive series made my honorable mentions list last year for favorite reads), ann patchett (beloved), lucille clifton (BELOVED), and stephen graham jones (because in my heart of hearts i fucking love a good slasher)

[foxfirexo]

oh uh ah uh ya uhhhh this shit

i dont remember all of it lmao but i did discover that it is in fact incredibly hot to grind against ur favorite plushie and not at all weird

oh also turns out my masochistic ass gets extra turned on when i eat spicy food while horni (id like to formally apologize to my stomach for the number of spicy takis i ate last night. sorry bb)

and i think the rest was just thinking ab being ganged up on by multiple cute trans girls at once and/or being watched and degraded as i touch myself "you're such a dirty girl~ keep going, you look pretty when you're being a desperate lil slut" nnnnnnnghh

this past several days has been weirdly self-healing cuz i realized how fucking hot i find other transfems and that's made me feel so good ab myself too but on the other hand im like flustered 24/7 atm x3

thx for coming to my ted talk these have been my magic gummy fueled revelations have a good day

as happens every time I get way too high, I traveled beyond the realm of human consciousness and had like 4 new fantasies unlocked in my sexuality skill tree

if I still remember them in the morning perhaps I will share aaaAaa

[thetriggeredhappy]

recently rediscovered your blog and read the fic from your dad spy au where scout starts out as the "guard" and then becomes scout from there and lemme tell you that shit put me on some s-tier brainrot. like a cranial decay type beat.

i had a concept in my head that instead of being hired as a guard, he could have been hired as a right hand man to the administrator like pauling, because i think hed be awesome in that position. like imagine having a personal merc who can get in fast and out even faster. but maybe he would stay in the base like the rest of them, sort of like a secret on call intel gatherer, who also maybe sometimes has to dig a couple graves. and also like, nobody on the team expects anything from him at first because its this 20 year old newbie kid. hes dressed in his formal clothes and he talks like somebody from relatively around boston but not quite. i can just imagine one day he comes back during a team dinner with his shirt half untucked and stained with blood, hair disheveled as he asks soldier if he can borrow his shovel, or him debriefing them for a mission when miss pauling is busy. same vibe as the fic i mentioned before but scout gets to have a job as cool as miss paulings. honestly id write it myself if i didnt have the attention span of a fly

anyways your scout content gives me life thank you

scout teamfortress but 20% more competent standing next to miss pauling teamfortress while she's doing her job and doing like silly quips and otherwise contributing nothing like it's a buddy cop film is literally my fucking ideal

(warnings for some canon-typical violence)

-

“Oh, Pauling, it’s good to see you again,” greeted the chairman, smiling in an imitation of a grandfather and clasping her hands perhaps too-kindly considering she barely knew him. “Young as ever, and still so stylish, I see. And who’s the new fellow?”

“He’s just here to help with transport, Mr. Montgomery, nothing unusual,” Miss Pauling replied, returning his smile and adjusting her glasses. “Heavy cases, you know how it is.”

“Of course, I remember you almost toppling clean over last time we made a trade!” Montgomery agreed, frowning at the memory. “You’ll pull a muscle that way, better to be careful. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young man. And your name?”

“Mr. Normandy, sir,” the new kid replied easily enough despite his slight East Coast accent, giving the man a firm handshake, expression neutral and stony, the picture of professionalism. Internally, Pauling breathed a sigh of relief.

“Firm grip there, young man,” Montgomery praised, nodding approvingly. “Tennis player, perhaps? Or golf?”

“Baseball, sir,” he replied, still evenly. “First baseman.”

“Ah! Of course! Were you any good?” Montgomery joked.

“At everything but playing in front of the crowds, otherwise I’d be in the major leagues,” he replied, tilting his head just slightly to imply that he was joking, his sunglasses glinting at the movement, and Montgomery barked a laugh.

“I like this one, Miss Pauling!” Montgomery said, and Pauling just barely caught herself from physically relaxing at it.

“We do too, Mr. Montgomery,” she agreed. “I was under the impression that you’re very busy today, so we won’t keep you for too long, we just wanted to sort out the final details surrounding the manufacturing rights for the—“

“—Pacific Northwest branch, up into British Columbia and Alberta, of course,” Montgomery agreed, nodding faintly. “Of course, of course.” He turned to regard his own man in a dark suit, the one standing to the right, who appeared to be unsuccessfully trying to stare down Normandy, who was completely ignoring him. “My briefcase, please.”

The man handed over the briefcase, and Montgomery put it on his desk, opening it and pulling out a sheaf of papers. “All our requests are submitted and approved, at this point we just had a few dustbins to take care of regarding initial percentages and making sure everything is wired to the correct accounts, which names are undisclosed, things like that,” Pauling explained as he glanced through the papers.

“Right, right, everything looks good here,” the man murmured, nodding to himself, sending his long-white hair just ever-so-slightly out of place. “I’m assuming these more sensitive documents should be sent some way besides through the mail?”

“If you finish them today I can take them with me, otherwise either me or Mr. Normandy can return to pick them up at your convenience,” she replied, to which Normandy gave a singular nod.

“Oh, it would only take me a short while,” Montgomery said, waving a hand. “We have a lovely lounge just down the hall from here if you’d prefer to wait there, it should only take me ten, fifteen minutes at most. In the meantime, I do believe there’s also the manner of payment for services rendered.”

Miss Pauling tilted her head just slightly to one side, confused.

“I arranged with Helen already,” Montgomery explained, not looking up from where he was initialing a few things. “The payment, rather than being wired, she asked to be made in material investment. A venture of mine from years ago that she’s willing to sit on. Rather than gold or bonds, she agreed to take some old currency of mine that my family collected, from early 18th century New Zealand and Australia. Monetarily it’s worth around the same, and I’m quite a bit attached to it to be entirely frank, but it was at her request to buy the whole collection from me, and after years of the work we’ve been doing together, well, I’d never trust it with anyone else.”

He gestured to the other man, the one on his left, who stepped forward to hand him a manila envelope, which he passed to Pauling.

“Inside is both keys, the door alarm codes, and all other security information for the building where the collection is being stored. They’ll ask for a few codes and confirmation of identity, only because several other art collections and artifacts are being stored there by other affluent individuals such as myself.”

“Thank you, Mr. Montgomery,” Pauling said, taking the envelope gratefully.

“Think nothing of it, my dear. Helen talked me into it all her own,” he said easily enough. “Now, gentlemen, if you would let Miss Pauling and Mr. Normandy into our lounge? I should have these wrapped up before any of us can even think about lunch, eh?”

One of the suits showed the two of them through the doors and down the hallway, through two doors bracketed by similar suits who simply nodded politely at Pauling and ticked their chins at Normandy as they passed them.

Normandy posted up beside the door for all of three seconds before they shut and Pauling pulled her glasses up, rubbing at the bridge of her nose and making a vaguely distressed noise. He then promptly relaxed, instead leaning his hip against an armchair probably worth the same amount as a small car. “So, uh, we’re glad that he’s giving us a bunch of commemorative coins from when dinosaurs still walked the earth?” he asked just below normal speaking volume, eyebrows raised.

“Yes. Very glad. Because unlike about six people total on the planet, he hasn’t figured out yet how valuable those are.”

“What, is a picture of a kangaroo on some copper really gonna make up for a couple hundred thousand American dollars?” Normandy asked, sounding doubtful.

“Not copper. Something else,” she replied. “I can’t tell you much more about it other than that, but these coins are made of something priceless to us. And to the Administrator.”

“…Love? Memories? The magic of family?” he joked, cracking a smile, and she rolled her eyes, moving to open the envelope and start reading the papers inside. “Hey, uh, not to question whether my job should exist, but what the hell am I doing here, exactly? Besides carrying a briefcase. Like, chivalry isn’t dead but I really don’t think you need me carrying your bags and holding the door for you.”

“You’re helping with security, basically,” she replied, adjusting her glasses to squint at tiny handwriting about the collection. “Mr. Montgomery is trustworthy, but he mostly hires out to… well, people like us. His security detail is mostly people we’d rather have screened, freelancers, stuff like that. A lot of people we contract out to are like that. Most of them have heard about me and know better than to try and pull something, since I can hold my own pretty well, but if they haven’t, seeing a second person might persuade them to think it over again.”

“Oh, so I’m like, uh, when it says ‘tow zone’ next to the no parking signs even though nobody checks, or when they’ve got a camera in the corner of the store that isn’t even plugged into anything,” he said, and the looked up at him, confused. “Like, uh, what’s the word… I’m a casual deterrent.”

“Sure,” she said, because it sounded like he knew what he was talking about, shuffling the papers back away and closing the envelope again, making a note to ask the Administrator if she should change their current containment procedures to be closer to Mr. Montgomery’s. “Just… if there’s a fight, you deal with it, otherwise you just stand there and look like you’re paying attention.”

“That’s what the sunglasses are for,” he agreed. “I was blinking morse code at the guy across from me literally the whole time.”

“You know morse code?” Pauling asked, surprised.

“Just the alphabet, ‘S.O.S.’, and ‘ass’.”

She rolled her eyes again, and that’s when the door opened.

She expected Mr. Montgomery, not one of the men in suits. “Excuse me, both of you, if you don’t mind,”the man said, accent having the slightest English tilt to it, a Londoner if Pauling had to guess. “You’re Miss Pauling, the Mann Co. affiliate, yes?”

“That’s me,” she agreed, hesitant, and glanced at Normandy.

“I’m afraid there’s been a mistake. Mr. Montgomery have you the wrong envelope on accident,” the man said apologetically, extending a hand forward. “We apologize for this unfortunate mix-up, it’s really quite embarrassing, but those documents are sensitive and we’ll be needing to see them back now.”

Pauling looked at him, and within a moment, shifted her expression. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she agreed, nodding. “No, right, of course. These aren’t the papers for the currency collection?”

“I’m afraid not,” the Brit agreed, head tilting just slightly, hand still extended, moving a fraction further forward.

“Well, thank goodness we figured out now and not with us halfway back,” she joked, and moved to hold the folder closer to her body. “I’ll take this right back to Mr. Montgomery, then.”

“He’s sent me to correct the error,” the man explained simply.

“Right,” she said, and saw in her periphery that Normandy had already started sneaking a hand in towards his primary, clearly having pieced together something she was only suspecting. “We can bring this to his office, then, right down the hall.”

“You misunderstand,” the man said, taking a step forward again. “I’ll be taking it to his office myself.”

“That’s funny,” Pauling said. “I didn’t realize you had clearance to be in there. Or to be carrying a semi-automatic instead of a standard handgun.”

The Brit reached for the semi-automatic, and before he could even get it out properly, Normandy hit one clean shot to the side of his head and another to his thigh, sending him crumpling to the ground.

Pauling had only as far as pulling her own handgun free, thumb on the safety, and breathed a sigh of relief, glancing over at Normandy, shifting to more comfortably hold her gun. “Quick reflexes,” she noted.

“Just noticed a lot sooner, maybe,” he shrugged, stepping forward to glance over the body, tucking his gun back away.

“What was your hint?”

“He’s here to give us the right folder, yeah? Well, why were his hands empty, then?”

She was just starting to nod and realize that as well when a second man shouldered through the door, holding a gun at the ready. Normandy scrambled to draw his own, but Pauling fired a shot into his knee, shoulder, and neck to send him dropping before he was even close. “There’s quick on the draw, and then there’s prepared,” she said pointedly. “Gotta think of if there’s more than one, new guy.”

He nodded, and drew his gun again, bending to hit the guy on the ground at the temple hard enough to knock him out if he wasn’t unconscious already. He then glanced up at the sound of a shout from the other side of the door, two men shouldering through, guns drawn but lowered. It was only the firm eye contact they made with both her and Normandy that made her pause the millisecond it took to realize these ones weren’t trying to kill them.

“Pauling, what on earth is going on here?!” Montgomery demanded, entering the room and staring with wide eyes at the bodies on the ground. “What could’ve possessed you to—“

“He was trying to run off with these documents,” she explained quickly, gesturing with the envelope. “He knew whatever was in here was valuable.”

“He drew his gun, sir,” Normandy added, tipping his head down towards the body, and Pauling glanced down as well and found herself a little surprised. He’d rearranged the man just slightly, apparently, adjusting the arm to be holding the gun a bit further outward. “Other one was aiming to kill.”

“My, my,” Montgomery tsk’d, shaking his head as he surveyed the scene. “What a mess. My apologies, Miss Pauling, Mr. Normandy.”

“It’s alright, but you need to start doing more thorough checks on your staff, Mr. Montgomery,” Pauling stressed.

“He’s only been here two weeks, sir, he was one of the men we hired in a hurry after the incident last month,” one of the bodyguards said, and Montgomery shook his head.

“Thank goodness nobody was hurt,” he sighed. “Mutiny, and besides that, they’re bleeding on my carpet. Here are those papers, Miss Pauling—what a day, eh?”

“It’s really alright, we handled it,” Pauling assured him, giving her bravest smile, a little exasperated now.

“Right, right, you and the first baseman,” he agreed, and Normandy fought back an actual smile.

“If you’d like, we can take care of those for you,” Pauling said, gesturing at the bodies. “To pay you back for the carpet and the scare.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Montgomery agreed, clearly relieved.

-

“My dad’s gonna be pissed, by the way,” Normandy was so helpful as to say on the way back up the path to the base. “And you’re fielding that.”

“About the suit, or the fight?” she asked, glancing at his clothes where he was somewhat covered in a fine dusting of mud and grime from the gravedigging, shovel still in his free hand.

“Both. Mostly the fight. Your fault for saying it’d be an easy one to start with,” he said.

“If it was going to be that much of a problem, you wouldn’t have gotten this job. I’d just have made you go do dishes all day or something,” Pauling replied.

“Point taken,” he said, walking ahead to get the door, holding it open for her. “Wait, we’re allowed to mention what we do, right? Just not names?”

“Or locations, even with travel distance. Round up to the hour if it comes up,” she replied.

“Sure, sure,” he agreed, trailing a step behind her as she led the way through the base.

In the common area, there was a bit of a ruckus happening. Soldier, Heavy, and Demo appeared to be having some kind of arm wrestling competition on a rapidly-toppling table, the Engineer was on a stepstool trying to fix the ceiling fan, and Sniper appeared to be half-watching the beginnings of an argument between Pyro and the Spy regarding use of the oven as Medic patched up a burn on his arm.

“Hullo,” Sniper greeted the two of them, sounding a little bored, Medic giving them a brief, polite nod. Normandy’s eyebrows were raised pretty far as he surveyed the room.

“Hi, Sniper,” she greeted in return, then cleared her throat, raised her voice. “Team meeting in five minutes! New mission for next week!”

Groans from the room at large, the eight mercenaries starting to finish up what they were doing and filing out. Spy moved over, glancing over Normandy and starting to talk to him in rapid-fire French, picking smaller bits of gravel off of his suit as they walked.

“Alright,” she addressed the room, Normandy peeling off from getting mother hen’d by Spy to stand next to the blackboard with her. “Monday, you’re all going on a transport mission. Getting the truck from point A to point B with everything in the boxes intact. Already we’ve had to put up with some people trying to get ahold of these things, so bring your guns.”

“Oh, our guns, you said? Lads, this is a serious one, keep your heads on a feckin' swivel, she’s sayin’ we might even need guns, can you believe it?” Demo faux-gasped, and chuckled when Spy bopped him on the arm, rolling his eyes at the Scot's theatrics.

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved off, flipping through the papers a bit. “So Engie, I’ll need the keys to the truck, me and Normandy are going to be loading those tomorrow, all of you need to be at this drop point bright and early.”

“How early?” Heavy rumbled.

“Six. Hour and a half of drive from here.”

Some complaints from the room that she sighed at.

“Hey, hey, calm the hell down,” Normandy cut in, and she glanced over at him where he had his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. “You chuckleheads get to have all eight of you to unload the damn thing, me and Miss P gotta do all the rest of this on our own and probably kill twenty guys on the way there and back. She had to be up at 6 AM, workin’ since 7 AM, lunch break at noon and nothin’ else, and we just got back now at, what, fuckin’, 10, 11 PM? Any of you work her shift and then see if you even got the energy to complain about wakin’ up early, how about that?”

The room went utterly devoid of complaint or backsass. “Thank you, Normandy,” she said politely, and he just nodded once, glancing off to the side. “Anyways, anything new on this end? Spy, how are you adjusting?”

“Very well,” he said simply. “I have nothing pressing to say. Once I’ve been updated from the stock weaponry provided here to my requested preferred weaponry, I believe I should do just fine.”

“I see you already have Herr Normandy digging graves,” Medic chimed in. “Straight into the hard labor, ja?”

“Eh, hey, y’know, it’s why they keep us young people around,” he shrugged, grinning, and there was a brief uproar to drown out Medic’s entirely offended scoffing and Spy’s snort-laughing.

“Get ‘im, lad!” Demo cheered, and Normandy indeed looked fairly proud of himself.

“Monday, transport mission,” Pauling noted over the noise, writing it up on the chalkboard to hide her own smile from the room. “Normandy, you and me are doing the boxes tomorrow. Everyone on the same page? Good. Dismissed. Oh, and Pyro—stop taking the fire alarms down when they beep. They’re beeping because you light things on fire in the base. Do that outside.”

“Oh, hey, uh, helmet guy, All-American Beef,” Normandy called, and Soldier straightened up. “Here’s your shovel back. Gettin’ my own tomorrow.”


Soldier walked directly over to him, clasping a hand on his shoulder. “That’s a high honor, Cadet,” he said, tone grave. “Do not take this responsibility lightly.”

“I, uh, I won’t?” he said hesitantly, and blinked a few times as the shovel was carefully taken from him before it was promptly marched from the room in double-time. Only then did Normandy look over at her. “So he’s always like that?”

“You’ll get used to it,” she assured, dusting chalk from her hands. “You should get to sleep soon, we have to be up early.”

“Sure thing, Miss P.”

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Evan’s Personal Route Chapter 1-1: Unexpected Request (意外之请) Translation

“Just who is the dinner party’s esteemed guest…?”

*Light and Night Master-list | Evan’s Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Evan’s tag will be #For Night, For Revolution

In the afternoon of a rare day off from work. So very rare, that even the air seems to be much fresher than ever before.

The sunlight shines upon my body, warm and fuzzy, as I lay on the sofa, yawning as I scrolled through my social media feed.

MC: Hmm? This post…

There was no description attached to this post, only a mere photograph. It was one of Zee, the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Zeal & Company Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd.

Zeal was one of the top FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies in the world. It has now expanded to cover a wide expanse of industries, not limited to: Finance, Real Estate, Beauty, Household Products, and many more. 

Zeal had just announced their high-profile entry into the Apparel Market recently by forcibly acquiring an internationally worldwide renowned clothing brand.

This bold move of theirs had caused a huge stir.

MC: The background in this picture looks a little familiar…

I enlarged the photo. The tower depicted in the picture was a little blurry, but I could still make out its iconic turret.

MC: Zee's here in Guangqi City?

The sudden realization made me recall the one rumour I'd heard back in the office.

To further expand their reach in the Apparel Market, Zeal was actively looking for worldwide partners to aid in their cause.

MC: Is Zee's sudden arrival here because of that?

However, the phone in my hand rang before I could delve any further into my thoughts about it.

I glanced at the incoming Caller ID…

MC: Evan? Why would he suddenly be calling me?

I straightened myself up and answered the call.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Evan: Good afternoon, (Y/n).

Evan: It's Saturday today. I'm not disturbing you, am I?

His voice was deep and gentle, tinged with a slight cheery undertone.

MC: Nope, you aren't.

I could hear the low background music playing in the background, its melody was a little familiar. My heart leapt at the realization.

MC: Are you at a cafe?

Evan: Yes. Guessed it with your ears now, did you?

He seemed to be stirring his coffee as he spoke, the crisp sound blending in with the flowing piano notes in the background. It made me unwittingly picture him leisurely seated by the windowsill, relaxing.

I wonder if he’s in the same cafe where we met?

Then came Evan’s reply, almost as if he could read my thoughts.

Evan: It's the same one I first met you at.

Evan: Let's come here together again when we have the chance.

MC: … Yeah!

I froze, coming back to my senses a few moments later, the corners of my lips subconsciously lifting.

Evan: But, I'm calling you today for other matters.

Evan: Do you have any plans tonight?

MC: Not at the moment. Why?

Evan: How about joining me for a dinner party if you're free?

His voice sounded from the receiver, crystal clear to my ears, and igniting my fluttering heart.

Me? Join him for a dinner party…?

❖ Choice A: Sure

MC: Sure. What kind of dinner party is it, though?

❖ Choice B: That doesn't seem too appropriate

MC: A dinner party is a far cry from a normal dinner… Wouldn't it be too inappropriate if I went?

Although he was the one who’s taking the initiative to invite me, I wasn’t exactly sure just how I should be presenting myself.

And, just how will he be introducing me to others once we get there? As his colleague? His friend? Or… something else?

Evan’s voice sounded from the receiver once more after a brief moment of silence.

Evan: Sorry, it was a lack of consideration on my part.

Evan: I'll go alone if you think it's no good then.

It might have just been my imagination, but I could hear the faint disappointment colouring his voice.

MC: I… Sorry…

Evan: There is no need for you to be apologizing. This isn't your fault.

Even after cutting the call, I could still hear his gentle and comforting words, as if his words still lingered by my ear.

I curled back up on the sofa and looked out the window. The skies outside had already been dyed by the faint scarlet hue of the setting sun.

I couldn't help but be a little entranced by the warm yellow light of the sunset.

MC: He should be on his way there now...

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Night slowly falls, and I feel like it's the longest night I've ever experienced…

☆ NORMAL END: A Missed Opportunity ☆ "Be brave and step out of your comfort zone to explore a whole new world!"

❖ Choice C: Do nothing 

Evan: How about it, (Y/n)? Or are you concerned about something else, perhaps?

It was only when I heard his voice again that I realized I'd probably been thinking about it for too long. I tightened my grip on my phone and hurriedly tried to explain myself.

MC: Sorry. I'd honestly love to go with you, but I think it's too short notice this time.

MC: If I were to attend a dinner party, I'd have to prepare an adequate dress, put on proper make-up, fix up my hair and much more…

The other end of the line falls silent. It was only after a few seconds of prolonged silence that Evan's voice came through again.

Evan: I should be the one apologizing.

Evan: The invitation I extended to you was way too abrupt and it has troubled you.

Evan: Even so, would you be willing to go out for dinner with me if it wasn't a dinner party?

MC: Huh?

Evan: I'll take you out for dinner tomorrow. Just treat it as an apology for the sudden request I sprung on you.

Evan: No need for any dresses or hair styling. It is just a dinner for us two.

Evan's tone was very light and had a faintly joyful lilt to it. It made me unable to suppress the smile that came in response. 

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

It felt as if I could still hear his gentle voice lingering by my ear even after I’d cut the call.

The sunset outside was a warm yellow, making my heart feel all toasty and pleasant.

☆ NORMAL END: An Ordinary Night ☆ "Your opportunity gradually slips away as you lay back and relax…"

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

MC: Is there anything I should take note of? You know, dress codes and the like…?

You'd only just finished speaking when you heard the small, yet short, chuckle coming from him.

Evan: Normal formal attire works just fine. Don't worry about it.

Evan: One of the attendees is an avid fan of antiques and is quite knowledgeable in that field.

Evan: I recall that you have a keen interest in these things, so I'm inviting you to attend.

MC: I see… but I'm no professional. Wouldn't that only trouble you?

Evan: You won't. I trust you.

The firmness in his words assured me, immediately appeasing my worries. I clutched the phone tighter and voiced my assent.

Evan: I'll come pick you up downstairs in two hours then.

MC: Yeah, sure.

Evan: I'll be seeing you later then.

It felt as if his gentle voice was still lingering by my ear even after the call ended.

A sliver of expectation arose in my heart. I couldn’t tell if it was the expectation for the dinner party, or if it was Evan who’d invited me to said party.

I put my phone down and went to my wardrobe to select my outfit for the night.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I dug out all the formal dresses I had within my wardrobe. After hesitating for a good long while, I finally went with a wine-red one-shouldered dress.

MC: Also, shoes, accessories, hairstyle and make-up… I’ll have to think about how to match all of these things with my outfit...

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I hurried back and forth to make myself look presentable. By the time I looked up at the clock, it was already nearing our promised time.

I returned to my full-length mirror, checking over the accessories and the colour of my lipstick that I’d paired with my outfit. After I’d confirmed that everything was in place, I put on my high heels and made my way downstairs.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I could see Evan’s car parked out front the moment I stepped out of the elevator.

Evan was basked in the orange light of the streetlight he stood under. His mouth curved into a gentle smile as he invited me into his car.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Evan: You're very beautiful today.

He turned his head to face me from the driver’s seat. Light seems to have settled within his orbs, reflecting the image of my reflection within.

Flustered, I broke eye contact with him, clutching at my dress.

MC: Thank you. You're also very...

I’d yet to finish when I felt a slight coolness at my neck.

I stiffened, my head shooting upwards.

Evan had his hand raised, tucking the strands of hair near my temple that had fallen out of place behind my ear, his cool fingers brushing across my neck.

Evan: Your hairdo is coming loose.

The night was akin to a dark-set heavy velvet, yet the smile reflected within his eyes was crystal clear.

MC: Thanks…

I could subconsciously feel the tips of my ears grow a little hot. I lowered my head and turned my attention to the unwitting seat belt.

Evan: Do you need help?

MC: No need. I can do it up myself.

I struggled for a bit before buckling my seatbelt in, leaning back against the chair, and letting out a soft sigh.

The hair he’d tucked behind my ear for me earlier fell back down again.

A faint smile played at his lips as he started the car back up.

I collected myself, turning my eyes towards the window and gazing outwards. 

I threaded my fingers through my hair and touched the shell of my ear, only to find that the burning had yet to cease.

❖☆————— ⊹ Oblique Curtains of the Night⊹ —————★❖

⊹ Next Part: (Chapter 1-2: Candle-Lit Game)

[generallybarzy]

hey there, stranger. ii

SERIES MASTERLIST. one,

summary: after months of failed dates, this handsome mat guy seems like the one you’re gonna keep around for a while

an: i accidentally deleted the first edited draft i made asdwgf this was supposed to be up a while ago. Anyway, this is going to be the softest, lightest series ever. Just something to help me

word count: 1.8k

"(Y/N)?"

"Hey there, stranger."

As soon as the words left your lips, his own were parting in a little laugh, humored by your little phrase. "Hey there." He held out a hand, a big hand, for you to shake. It was soft and warm and pretty much swallowed up yours, but you didn't mind. You couldn't help but worry that maybe your hand was a bit clammy from the nerves, but if it was, it either didn't bother him or he didn't let it show. "I'm Mat." Then, as if suddenly confused as to why he was shaking your hand, his eyebrows furrowed up. "Uh, is this too weirdly formal? Would a hug be better?"

This time you were the one laughing. "The handshake is fine for now. We don't really know each other. Not yet, anyway, Mat."

"Right, okay." He smiled sheepishly and slid down into the booth seat across from you, glancing down at the drink you had already ordered. “Am I late?”

“No, no, you’re on time!” You were the embarrassed one now, worried you had already made a bad impression on your date. “Sorry, I guess it was rude to order without you.”

“No, it’s fine.” He played with his hands, you figured it was a nervous tick, and it was kinda cute. But he must have noticed your eyes glance down to his hands, because he flattened them awkwardly against the table. “Sounds tasty.” He had been too nervous to meet your eyes and instead busied himself with reading the label that was stuck on your cup. Before you could respond, a waitress appeared to take this new customer’s order. You watched the polite smile on Mat’s face when he spoke. Watching the way someone talks to waiters and workers is a good test of how nice someone is, and Mat was passing with flying colors. And when she left after Mat’s sweet little “thank you!”, you couldn’t help but smile.

"Sorry.” You apologized again. This guy seemed so much different from your exes. He was sweet, respectful, and funny, from what you could tell by the last few minutes. You were practically praying that your date would last longer than just today. “I kinda forget the ‘date etiquette’. It's been a while since I've done this."

"Really? You’re having dating trouble?" You nodded, and Mat shook his head in response as if shocked, an amused smile on his face. “Someone like you? No way.” Your face heated up at that, but you brushed it off as playful flirting and pushed your limits a little bit to try and flirt back.

"Yeah. I mean, not like you’d understand what bad dates are, as handsome as you are.”

“Oh, handsome?”

“Yeah, handsome.” You watched his cheeks go a soft shade of pink, and he bit back a grin, trying to seem cool. “You probably get so many dates, and I haven’t had a date go right since I moved here.” He had been shaking his head through your statement, ready to jump in and tell you how wrong you were about his love life, but his eyebrows quirked up at the end of your sentence.

“Oh?” Mat raised his eyebrows “You’re new to New York?”

“Well, I don’t know how new I am anymore. I moved in last September for college. I’m studying over in Manhattan.”

“Ooh, so she’s smart too!” Your cheeks went hot at the smile he was giving you- wide and gleaming and admiring.

“I’m in my second year, yeah.”

“What are you studying?” You honestly weren’t used to all the attention he was giving you. As sad as it was, none of your past dates ever asked about you or complimented you on furthering your education. Not that you needed their compliments or approval, but it would’ve been nice if they at least seemed interested, and Mat did.

He prompted you to talk, listened intently as you ranted about your education and your time with the Seidenbergs and fantasized about your dream career, about all the classes you were taking this year. He listened, and smiled and commented and asked questions. He cared. You didn’t even realize how you’d been rambling, but he just made you feel so comfortable. Comfortable enough to open up more about yourself than you’d ever done before on a first date. You stopped for a breath and saw him, leaning forward on the table on his elbows with a stupid little amused smile as you talked on and on and on. He was interested in you. “Oh my god, I’ve been talking about myself for so long, I don’t even know what you do for a living!”

“Hmm, Rebecca really didn’t tell you anything about me, huh?”

“I guess she didn't…” You pondered for a moment at how stupid you were, opening up and feeling so comfortable around this guy without even knowing anything about him. “How do you even know her, anyway? Now I’m curious about you. What do you do?”

He seemed to hesitate for a bit, biting his lip in thought. “I play hockey.”

He had a modest smile on his face as if it meant nothing, as if it wasn’t a huge accomplishment, but your eyes widened. Of course Rebecca would set you up with a hockey player. “Like, professionally?”

“Yeah. The Islanders. The Seidenbergs let me stay with them when I first moved here to play, so that’s how I know them. I lived in their basement my first year.”

“What?” You let your head fall on the table dramatically, suddenly embarrassed that you knew so little about him and had practically been spewing about your life to him. “Oh my god, now I feel really stupid.”

Mat let out another laugh, this time loud and boisterous but beautiful. “Why?”

“I feel like I should know who you are. I’m at the Seid’s pretty much every weekend, you play with Dennis, I can’t believe I don’t know you. I’m sure they’ve mentioned you before.”

“I’m sure they have,” Mat laughed, considering the fact that he had lived with them for his rookie year, of course they would’ve mentioned him. “But I don’t mind it, actually.” He smiled, softer, more serious than before, taking a sip of his drink. “I like that you don’t know me as a player. So I know you’re really into me. Like, me me.” His statement made your heart ache a little. Maybe this was a tiny glimpse into his past love life. Maybe he’d been hurt by someone who claimed to love him but was only there for the clout. But that wasn’t your place to ask. “Do you know anything about hockey?”

“I’ve seen a few games, it looks really cool, but I don’t know anything about it.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Well,” he leaned back in the seat in a flirty way, giving you a cute little side grin and shrugging. “I guess you’re gonna have to learn.”

The night continued just as amazing as it had begun. You fell into more and more conversation, everything seemed to come so naturally for one and, for the first date in a long, long time, you actually dreaded having to leave. You haven’t felt this way since dates in highschool, before moving to New York, and even then there was something missing that you found with Mat tonight. You felt something tonight that you hadn’t felt on another date in a long time. And as you crowded into the back of an uber with him to head back to your dorm, you knew, feeling his presence so close next to you, that you wanted him around for a while. As long as you could have him.

“I like hanging out with you.”

“Yeah?” Mat grinned down at you in the dark, his smile genuine and warm and shining, as if he was maybe even more excited than you about this.

“Yeah, and you’re also pretty handsome, Mat.”

He laughed loudly at that, and you knew that was a noise you could get used to. “Like me enough to hang out again?”

In a quick act of confidence, you reached your hand over and curled it against his, palm to palm, and squeezed reassuringly as you nodded. “Enough to hang out again.” The smile on his face grew.

“Ooh, alright!’ He cheered quietly to himself and made you giggle. “It’ll be a more fun setting next time, I promise.”

You sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, your hand cradled in his own and resting on his thigh, both high on the ecstasy of finally having at least someone, no matter how new, to try things out with, to hold, to smile with, to grow into love with. High on how great the date went, how compatible you were with each other. On how finally, after months of bad dates, you may have found someone perfect for you. And you both had stupid, silly smiles on your face as you exchanged glances in the back seat, giggling over nothing and fantasizing about how great your next date would be. Your next date… As the uber pulled up to your dorm apartment building, you fiddled with the sleeve of your sweater again.

“So, now that I got you here all safe, I- I guess I’ll head back to my place, alright?”

“You want me to pitch in to pay for the Uber? I know going from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back could get pricey.”

“No, no not at all. It’s on me.”

You pulled out your university ID, ready to head inside, but not ready to leave this moment in the car with him. “Mat,” You tried your best to refocus him after a few shared moments of quiet, happy staring and grinning between the two of you. He looked so happy to be able to spend more time with you, but in all his glee he was forgetting something, something crucial, something there was no way you were leaving without. “Can we exchange numbers?”

“Oh, shit, yeah!” He laughed almost nervously as he scrambled to pull his phone out of his pocket, handing it to you to let you put in your digits as the uber came to a stop.

You didn’t want to leave. You would’ve stayed longer, would’ve sat with him and laid your head against his shoulder and gazed mindlessly out the window at all the skyscrapers passing by. You would’ve taken a moment to stroke his face and kiss his cheek, but you pulled away and dropped Mat’s hand with one last smile. The uber had to leave.

“Bye, Mat.”

He waved at you again after shutting the door, and you stood and watched the uber leave before turning to enter the residency building.

Only minutes after you set foot in your dorm room a few stories up and flopped down in bed to clutch a pillow to your burning cheeks, you received a text. When the screen lit up, you were immediately greeted by a name that would soon become familiar, that would soon become your haven, and your face lifted in a little smile.

[olivetheonlinemother]

Hitoshi Shinso part 1

𝐻𝑒𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒! 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒! 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠!

𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕗: 𝟚𝟘𝟟𝟛 / 𝟚𝕜

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Finally, break. I sat down on a bench nearby my office, my hot steaming coffee in one hand, the other holding some taiyaki, which was warmed.

I took a bite of my taiyaki, enjoying it as I began chewing. I had about 7 minutes left already so I had to eat quickly, taking sips of my coffee from time to time.

When I had about 3 minutes left of break I had drank all my coffee and my taiyaki was all eaten, so I decided to quickly head to the break room to refill my coffee since I didn't have any taiyaki left so there was no point in trying to get more of that. Luckily though, the break room had a coffee machine, so that’s where I decided to go.

After walking down the halls of the hero agency I worked at, I found the door with the sign that read: ‘Break room’ and by now I had to be quick, with only 2 minutes left until I needed to be back in my office so I opened the door and quickly went over to the coffee machine.

The machine had been a little dirty and any other day when I wasn't in a hurry, I would quickly clean it but there wasn't nearly enough time for that.

I quickly made my coffee, putting in my desired amount of cream and sugar into it before quickly putting the lid on and turning around and dashing off, although I didn't get far as someone bumped into me, causing me to trip.

I, of course, was completely pissed off and turned over to see who had tripped me and hadn't even bothered to apologize or help me up.

Who I looked up to see was a man with violet hair that stuck up, and he had dark purple eyes to match his hair, he was also in some not very professional wear, not to mention this weird, almost mechanical looking mask, it appeared almost like he was wearing some sort of hero costume, although I doubt that he was a hero looking like that, he gave more of a hobo look then a hero.

“Is there a problem?” the man gruffed in a low tone, and it also sounded slightly irritated, his face deadpanning as he stared at me on the floor.

“Yea there's a problem! You shoved me over and acted like it didn't happen!” I snarled at him, attempting to contain my teeth from my quirk to appear.

I got onto my feet and wiped the dust off my clothes as the man just stared at me “And? It's not my problem, maybe you should have been looking.” he replied calmly but also in a strict tone, which only pissed me off more. By now I knew I wasn't going to make it back before my break was done.

“Well at least apologize or something! I’m already gonna be late to get back to my office because of some hobo with an attitude, I have respect for homeless people who aren't all attitude-filled.” I shot back at him, picking up my coffee that somehow managed to not spill, and then turned to face him one final time, before turning on my heel and began going back to my office.

The man seemed to be following me, which was concerning but I continued until I turned quickly into my office and the man walked past it, glancing at the door for a second which unfortunately had my profession and name on it, which meant now he knew my name, which is what truly concerned me.

About 10 minutes later the man was slowly starting to leave my mind when a coworker knocked on my door to which I allowed them in.

“Yes, Eri?” I asked the teen with extremely lightly colored blue hair and little horn on the side of her head and crimson red eyes.

Eri was a trainee coming over for her hero work studies from UA, she apparently knew the head of this agency, her quirk and backstory was an interesting one too.

Eri looked up at me slightly “The boss wants to speak with you” she said quietly, but I was able to hear her, but the words were enough to make me falter in my professional standing in pure fear.

The boss was someone to only call employees if they were in trouble or they did something wrong, and I know I was late to get back, but usually, they don’t get upset about something like that, so why did they need to see me?

As millions of thoughts clouded my thoughts I felt Eri poke my shoulder “Miss? Are you okay..?” Which was enough to pull me out of my thoughts

“Y-yes of course! I'm fine Eri, thank you for telling me, I’ll be right there.” I said, composing myself once again.

Eri nodded and left, and I soon left as well and shut my door, then headed up the stairs to the boss’s office, on the door it read: ‘Hitoshi Shinso <Puppeteer>’ which was the name of the hero that runs this agency.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, too which it opens, and suddenly, my stomach dropped, my mind was going crazy. Shitshitshitshitshit! That was all I could think.

There in front of me was the same man I had seen before, and he just stared at me, as he slowly backed away to let me in.

I slowly entered his office, it looked like a normal office, with a black fluffy rug under his desk and a black couch with yellow pillows.

He went over to the desk and sat down, then gestured to the seat in front of his desk, while I of course didn't hesitate and walked over onto the rug and sat on the chair.

“So… would you like to make an assumption as to why you’re here…?” He asked in a calm and almost amused tone, his face twisting into a slight smirk. I slowly shook my head “No sir, I think I’m well aware as to why I’m here” I replied, trying to hide the worry in my voice.

Mr.Shinso only chuckled “Then please, tell me why you think you’re here.. And I’ll tell you if you’re right or wrong” he hummed out smoothly, making me much more worried by how calm he was.

I let out an audible sigh and nodded “I was disrespecting you, sir..” I said, looking down in my own shame, only for him to tsk at me.

“Wrong.” He said, still smirking “Now look at me.” He said, snapping his fingers and making me immediately listen and shoot my head up to be even with him, well other than me being slightly shorter.

“Well then why did you call me sir..?” I asked meekly, while he just chuckled at me some more. “I called you here because of yes, what happened in the break room but not to give any trouble to you, in fact, I’d like to commend you for the fact that you stood up to yourself. Most in this agency just let me push them around, but you… you’re different as you stood up for yourself, lecturing me which was certainly appropriate. Although for next time, please refrain from referring me as a homeless person.” He explained to me, as I blunk there in confusion.

I just sat there dumbfounded, my hands on my lap, that was until he cleared his throat “You mean it?” I confirmed, tilting my head which made him nod “And to apologize for my rudeness maybe I could let you off work early and we could go eat someplace?” He asked, hiding his face behind his mask slightly and I had a pretty good idea on why.

“Is this your attempt at asking me out sir?” I giggled a bit, while his eyes slightly widened “What if it is? Are you judging me?” He retorted while I could only smile back “No no, just simply questioning” I hummed while he smirked more and pulled his head away from the mask, revealing a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Then it’s a date, see you when?” I asked when I realized he was packing his stuff up. “Now if that works for you and you aren’t in the middle of something too important.” He said, glancing at me as he placed different files into his bag.

“W-Well yea I don’t have that many important things coming up-” I was cut short by him grabbing my arms and dragging me out of his office “Good, go to your office and pack up for the day then we can leave.” He said, giving me a side glare.

It’s like he just flipped a switch and went to the cold person I met in the break room, except for this gentle softness I now saw in his face.

I did as he told me to and went over to my office and grabbed all my stuff, placing it in my own bag, and then walked out where he was waiting by the exit of the building.

I quickly went over, although I struggled as I had heels on.

Once I was in front of him, he nodded and began walking out with me following him.

After walking for a bit we arrived at a restaurant, it looked decently pricey too, so I glanced at my boss “Isn’t this a bit… much?” I asked, to which he only shrugged “You’re a colleague, and this isn’t much of a problem to me money-wise anyway.” he explained, patting my shoulder.

I took that as an okay to start going inside, and I seemed to be right as he followed me inside and went to the front and he switched places with me and was now in front.

“I’m here for my reservation.” He said in a calm and collected tone, the waitress nodding and asking for his ID to which he complied and pulled out for her.

Once seated, he began some small talk. “I was looking through your files.. And your quirk is called Neko, correct?” He asked, which was slightly concerning but I nodded “yes, it allows me to either turn into a cat or grow certain attributes of one, such as ears or a tail” I explained, making him nod “I see.. Do you use it often?” He asked, just as the waiter came and asked for our orders.

After quickly ordering I responded to his question “No, I don’t really have reason to sir” I explained smiling a bit, making him nod “Hm.. formalities are not needed, Shinso will do just fine.” he nodded, making me smile a bit.

“A-Alright Shinso!” I said, the name rolling off my tongue smoothly as the blush on his face soon came to slowly flutter back, while I just giggled at him.

“So, you’re a pro hero?” I asked, once our food had arrived, and he nodded “mhm, underground one though so I’m not as well known.” He said just in a tired tone, so I decided to get him slightly interested.

“Y’know if you weren’t underground I bet you’d be popular with those looks of yours, that is if you at least tried putting a brush through that hair of yours” I giggled, while I saw the blush on his face grow.

“What do you mean by ‘tried’? Are you implying that I can’t brush my hair due to how messy it is?” He said, staring me right down as if he were trying to intimidate me. It didn’t work though as I continued giggling.

“Maybe, maybe not~” I hummed, eating some of my food while Shinso grinned again. “We’ll have to see won’t we miss [L/n]?” he smirked, challenging me to something but what?

“Sure, but what’re you placing down?” I asked, making Shinsou smirk “If I can get a brush through my hair and style it tomorrow, you’ll work as one of my assistants, meaning moving in with me as well, if you win, however, and I’m unable to, ill allow you to run the agency for 24 hours exact.” He said emphasizing the ‘t’ in ‘exact’.

“Must be pretty bold to put conditions down like those, but I’m not objecting” I hummed, smirking at him

“We shall see who wins Miss [L/n]”

[pointy-hat-witch]

Title: ‘s fine

Show: One-Punch Man

Pairing: Genos/Saitama

TW: Domestic Abuse, Unhealthy Relationships

You can read it on AO3 if you want to! :)

Saitama was laying on the floor, supporting himself with on arm in which he also held the manga he was reading and scratched his butt with his other hand. It was silent except for the occasional chirp of cicadas in the late summer. Genos had been called to deal with a threat around an hour ago and should be back every minute now. Saitama was waiting for him patiently, hoping Genos wouldn’t forget to go grocery shopping on his way back, so they could eat dinner.

Well, if he wouldn’t be home in another half an hour, he would be on his way to help and then they could buy groceries together.

Just when he was staring out of the window, face blank, he heard the lock of the door being turned. It wasn’t that he felt happiness, but Genos had this effect on him that he didn’t feel not anything anymore. It was a welcomed change, Saitama thought.

He bend his head back, so his head was upside down, waiting for Genos to come into view and threw up his empty hand.

“Yo.”

Genos stood straight, “I’m back, Sensei”, came the formal reply before he put down the plastic bags. Saitama’s face lightened up.

“What’s for dinner?” He had already forgotten where he was in the manga as he put it back into place in the shelf. Oh well, he could always reread it. He yawned, both arms stretched wide above his head until he noticed the lack of reply.

“Oi, Genos”, Saitama said confused. He wasn’t worried or anything but it was unusual that Genos didn’t answer immediately. He got up and walked around the corner into the kitchen to find Genos fumbling with his arm, that spasmed slightly next to him.

“Oh”, Saitama leaned against the doorframe, “you got hurt?”

Genos startled as if he didn’t noticed Saitama coming. His face was cracked at the side as well, his right pupil jumping back and forth.

“Just a minor injury, Sensei”, Genos caught himself, “it will only take a few minutes for me to reconnect the defect junctions. Dinner will be ready right after.”

“Alright”, Saitama huffed, a little relieved. He walked back into the living space, turning on the TV to see a report on the monster Genos had fought. Said cyborg followed into the room with a small pouch of utensils to work on himself. Saitama only glanced at them shortly, not knowing what they were good for anyway.

Genos' back was turned to him as he muttered under his breath, carefully working on the connections in his face with the help of a mirror. Saitama could make out the self-deprecating insults his self-proclaimed disciple threw at himself.

He sighed. Saitama sure wasn’t one to preach about this, putting himself down more often than not, but something about Genos doing it rubbed him in the wrong way. He scooted a little closer before putting one hand on Genos shoulder. He didn’t know what he was about to say, he never knew, but until now it always kind of worked out anyway.

But before Saitama could even open his mouth, Genos' arm jerked again and shot up in a weird angle, hand clenched to a fist, and punched Saitama square in the face with its back.

Time stood still for a minute.

Saitama blinked. It didn’t hurt in the least, he even saw it coming and could’ve dodged or repelled it. But it somehow was so strange to have Genos of all people punch him that he couldn’t react.

Genos jerked around utter shock plastered over his face. “I sincerely apologize, Saitama-sensei. That was an accident. It doesn’t undo my action, however, please forgive me.” His eyes were wide open, staring almost afraid at his master.

“’s all good”, Saitama almost chuckled, “didn’t expect that one.” He patted Genos shoulder as he had intended. “Just take it easy, nothing to fret about.”

Genos worked silently on his repairs, if not a little ashamed. Saitama kept watching the news, scratching his stomach.

--

The next time Genos came home after a monster attack, he wasn’t injured at all. Saitama was pleased, even a little proud. Did Genos finally learn to take care of himself? Did he take some of his advice he actually meant to heart?

With a small smile on his lips, Saitama walked up to him, hands propped on his hips.

“Yo, Genos, I see you’re all well. How did it go?”

Genos head whipped up from where he took off his shoes and Saitama could have sworn, there was something in Genos’ eyes. Something … he couldn’t place it and before he could even think about it, it was gone.

“All went well, Sensei, thank you. Though, I wasn’t even able to fight as Tatsumaki arrived before me and took care of the monster all by herself.”

“Oh”, Saitama nodded, “well, anyway, you’re all good, that’s good.”

“Yes, sensei.” It sounded a little subdued, but Saitama just shrugged it off and walked back to his futon. “How about lunch?”

“Very well”, Genos answered. And not soon later, Saitama heard Genos rummage through the cupboards to get his utensils.

“Oh, yeah”, he muttered under his breath, thinking about the funny commercial about sponges and he just needed to tell Genos about it. He walked up to the kitchen, standing in the doorframe.

He didn’t really notice Genos’ tense shoulders and slightly stiffer movements. “Oi, Genos, listen to th-“

“I’m sorry, Sensei, could I please cook in silence?”

“Uh”, Saitama was stunned for a moment. Genos had never brushed him off like this. “Yeah, sure. You alright?”

“Of course, Sensei. Please.”

“Yeah, yeah”, Saitama sauntered back slowly, a small pout on his lips. Genos was definitely in a bad mood. And this commercial had been really funny, it definitely would lighten up his mood. He turned back around.

“Just, real quick, Genos. Listen to-“ He saw the metallic fist, saw it almost in slow motion and this time he saw the anger that flickered for a friction of a second over Genos face, before the metal collided with his cheek. Again, it didn’t hurt but just the action alone, Genos’ punching him, him, rendered him motionless.

“I’m- I’m so sorry, Sensei!” Genos pulled his fist back, guilt flashing over his face. “I’m just … really not in a good mood.”

“’s fine.” Saitama blinked, slowly turning back around. What was he going to tell Genos again?

“It didn’t hurt anyway, did it?” Genos asked from the kitchen.

Saitama nodded absentmindedly. “No, it didn’t.”

--

The door slammed shut when Genos came back from his last HA call. It was only a meeting, S-Class Heroes apparently had to have them at least once a month and Genos repeatedly lamented over how boring they were. Saitama looked up from his cactus he was watering, cocking his head. It put him in a bad mood when Genos was in a bad mood, he rather saw him smiling, rambling about something-something-technical or humming as he cooked.

“Hey, Genos”, Saitama pulled the window close behind him, putting the watering can down. “How did it go? Boring?” His lips twitched as he tried to joke.

“Yes, sensei”, Genos pressed through tight lips. “And unnecessary. They actually want us to waste even more time to organize public events to grow closer to the population of each city.”

“Huh”, Saitama crunched his eyebrows, “well, here in Z City aren’t a lot of people anyway, so it’s one city less, am I right?”

“That’s not really a laughing matter, Sensei”, Genos shot back, clearly irritated.

“Mhm”, Saitama hummed, rocking on his feet back and forth. “Wanna see a movie to relax?”

“No”, Genos was sitting down at the coffee table, already scribbling furiously to clear his mind, “I need to brainstorm an event I can host.”

“Oh!” Saitama’s face brightened, plunging himself down next to his disciple. “I can help with that.”

“Sensei”, Genos shot him a glance, raising an eyebrow, “I know your intent is well but I think this is something I need to accomplish myself.”

“Oh”, Saitama pursed his lips, “yeah, sure.” He leaned back on one hand, looking around a little lost for a moment, then changed his mind and leaned forward again. “But I have this really good id-“

Genos’ hand shoved him back only slightly, but still even a slight shove by the cyborg could be considered hard by normal human standards. Good thing, Saitama wasn’t a normal human by any standards. Still, he let himself fall backwards, staring at the ceiling.

“Sensei!” Genos was over him in an instant, shocked that his shove could have actually do anything to him.

“’s fine”, Saitama waved him away. “Sometimes it’s better to let it out instead of letting it eat you up inside.”

“Y-yes, sensei. I apologize.” Genos bowed deeply until Saitama ruffled his hair.

“Don’t be”, he cocked a small smile, “I said it’s all fine. Feel a little better?”

Genos looked up, eyes still a little sad but he nodded. “Y-yes.”

“See?” Saitama turned on the TV, not moving from his position on the floor and soon he heard Genos writing again.

--

“… and that’s when the second sponge comes back, sliding down the pan to make a double flip into the water. And this time with boobs? Can you imagine what idiot even had the idea and was paid for it?!” Saitama laughed, head thrown back, clapping his thigh.

Genos was stirring the curry, listening dutifully in silence. He nodded here and there, throwing a glance over his shoulder to indicate that he was listening.

Saitama sighed and as he stood back up from bending over and as he wiped away a laughing tear, he knocked one of the bottles of spices over that were still standing on the counter. The small bottle tumbled down and neither of them could catch it before it landed on the kitchen floor, shattering on impact.

“Aw, man”, Saitama sighed, looking at the mess he made, “I’m getting a br-“

“Can’t you be more careful, sensei?” Genos sighed exasperated. There was no heat in his words, but it was the first time he openly was displeased with Saitama.

“I- uh, yeah, sorry. My bad.” Saitama scratched his cheek, crouching down to pick up the bigger pieces of shards. Genos slapped his hand away, though. Saitama stared at hand that was slapped away and when he looked back again at Genos, he almost anticipated the fist that came flying his way.

For a reason unknown to Saitama, though it still didn’t do any damage whatsoever, he let himself fall backward. His back collided with the floor, his eyes blinking at the ceiling. Déjà vu, he thought for a moment but the next moment Genos was hovering over him and where he expected him to look remorseful, Genos looked at him with disdain.

Neither said a word. And then Genos punched him in the face. His head lulled to one side and with the next punch to the other cheek, his head rolled over to the other side.

“Just get a broom.” Genos sighed after a second, getting up to go back to stir the curry.

“Uh, yeah”, Saitama got back up again. ‘s fine, he thought when he came back from the bathroom with a hand broom to brush away the powder and little glass shards and Genos chattering away about the monster fight he had today.

--

“Humpf”, Saitama huffed, as he bent over after Genos’ fist struck him into his abdomen. It was kind of strange to make this make believe fight, considering he didn’t feel any pain and Genos knew he didn’t deal any damage. Still, there was something satisfying in pretending someone could throw punches that brought him to his knees.

Saitama held himself up with on arm, about to stand up again but Genos kicked him in his stomach once, twice and then kicked his leg back to make him fall flat on his face. Then he continued to kicked into his side and after a few kicks, Saitama curled up, letting Genos kick him against his arms he had wrapped around his head, against his unguarded stomach.

Genos kneeled down, praying Saitama’s arms away to punch him against his mouth. Saitama imagined his lips split open, blood gushing out and for a moment he thought it actually did happen when he felt liquid on his chin rolling down.

When his eyes sprung open in surprise, he saw Genos eyes welled up with oil that kept falling on his face. With every punch the oil splashed everywhere and Saitama distantly thought about the mess they made.

However, he stretched his arms up, wiping the oily tears away.

“Sens-“, Genos hiccuped and clasped both his hands around Saitama’s throat in an attempt to crush his windpipe. Saitama kept looking up at him, wiping over his cheeks.

“Sensei”, Genos whispered, almost in awe and Saitama cupped his face with both his hands.

“’s fine”, he mumbled, mouth a little dry. Genos leaned down, brushing their foreheads against each other.

“It doesn’t hurt anyway, remember?” Saitama almost chuckled, thinking about all the dents and broken pieces of Genos’ armored body.

“I know”, Genos sighed, nuzzling their noses together. There was a moment of hesitation and then a second later, Genos crossed the last distance between them, brushing their lips together.

The kiss was tender, not forceful, not too deep, just lips brushing against each other. Saitama could feel Genos’ breath on his cheek, feeling his core heating up just a little. He angled his head, straining against Genos’ tight grip on his throat, to deepen the kiss.

After a few lingering seconds, Genos pulled back and looked into Saitama’s eyes. Full of admiration, awe, Saitama was almost overwhelmed with all the feelings Genos regarded him. The only person who had ever looked at him like this.

This was the least he could do for the one person that made him feel something.

--

Saitama was staring at the ceiling, arms and legs spread away from his body. Lethargy was making his limbs feel like lead and moving was too much of a hassle, so he just didn’t bother. Genos had made him a small breakfast this morning before he had been called away to another HA meeting, promising to make Saitama’s favorite meal when he came back.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, the sun wandered quite some bit at least, when the door handle turned. There where heavy steps on the wooden floor, making Saitama sigh in relief, some of the tightness that made it hard to breathe left his chest.

The footsteps came closer and only when Saitama felt Genos’ thighs next to his hip, he opened his eyes again to look up into Genos angry face.

“You didn’t do anything all morning, did you?”

“Nah”, Saitama sighed, heart racing in heavy anticipation. There was a flash of anger in Genos’ eyes and then cold metal found its way against Saitama’s nose. It screeched, bending slightly as Saitama’s skin and bones didn’t give in.

Genos retracted his fist, pulling his entire arm back to slam his fist against Saitama’s temple. Again and again. And again, for good measure.

Saitama didn’t feel any pain, there was no blood, not even a bruise will form. But his chest felt lighter and when he opened his eyes to look at Genos out of the corner of his eye, seeing how the tension eased out of his shoulders, a small smile formed on his lips.

This is fine.

Genos answered with a small smile on his own, bending down to place a soft kiss on the spot he just assaulted. With a tight grip on Saitama’s throat, turning his head forcefully to face him frontally, their lips slotted together as if meant to be.

Saitama’s fingers switched, the heaviness in his limbs slowly lifting and he felt how he got control over his body again.

‘s fine.

[dykerightsmp3]

4, 14, 24, 34, 43, 53, 64, 75, 84, 94 :* (i was going to do all the 4s but some of the questions were weird lol)

OOOOH thank you i love the detail

1. Have you lived together with someone during lockdown? uhhh at first with my aunt & cousins for two months, then with one of my best friends for three months, then with my dad for like two weeks, then i went to college, and now i am in an apartment near my college with a good friend. so.... yes

14. Anything new you tried to learn during lockdown?  ummmm. definitely cooked a lot more at my aunt’s house. also have been writing more short fiction! maybe video editing. also, this is more at college, which was technically lockdown but didn’t feel like it, but journalistic writing! 

24. Any small artist you support? ...i honestly don’t have the money for that sorry y’all

34. Favorite movie you watched this year?  I watched Knives Out for the first time in January and that was a m a s t e r p i e c e, iconic picture. also Maurice although i think the book is also very important, but the movie did make me feel very wild

43. Favorite song you listened to this year?  HEAD ALONE BY JULIA JACKLIN. i listened to this an INSANE amount of times, when i tell you this set of lyrics changed me as a person: 

53. Did you achieve more or less than in a normal year? Explain.  in may-aug way less, but in aug-dec way more. one of my resolutions for the year was to start working more, so I did a lot of applications in like feb-april, and this summer I got a job and this fall I got three jobs which was really really hot of me. I also just was doing a lot of cool stuff in jan-feb and set myself up for a bunch of club leadership roles etc which is neat! 

64. What were you doing when you found out about the announcement of the first lockdown? Oh god, this is actually pre-first lockdown, but i remember where i was when i found out my college might get cancelled; I was at a law office in San Francisco shadowing a lawyer. Horrifying. 

75. Favorite memory of this year?  okay i have a lot and i wont be apologizing for this, in terms of friend things it was a really neat year

the tits-out dance in February

this one really cursed dnd call with Caroline Elizabeth & Alan in April (@ the two of you who follow me you know what im referring to) 

watching the She-Ra finale with my friend Madi in May

this one day i did fanfiction reading with Clare Alan & Elizabeth in July and generated like 3 inside jokes in one hour. also several of our dnd ‘one-shots’ (they were not one shots)

the first time I got out of college quarantine and got drunk outside with my friends Al & Ashlee in September

the night i started officially bubbling w Al & Ash (ie basically the first night id touched someone in a month) in October

first session of Fantasy Italy with Elizabeth Clare Alan Caroline & Jordan<3 ideal group for playing dnd!!

this time my friend Charley (who became 4th member of said bubble) made me hot chocolate while i had a breakdown in November

facetiming Elizabeth on November 5th and then when Georgia flipped six hours later and i was AWAKE for it

aaaaaaand the last night before Clare left campus in November and we just hung out for like six hours and i hugged her for like the second time ever (and then like the fortieth) it was really nice<3

84. Did you win anything this year?  three jobs counts<3

94. NYRs you have for next year?  Aaaah I don’t know yet! I wrote a big review of the year but I haven’t written formal New Year’s Resolutions yet. and i need to go fix that

thank you!! (send me numbers about my year)