#im guessing it probably is and they didn’t color it right so it looks like her shirt

[princescar]

Did a bit more digging and decided to add on to this post:

turns out i was wrong about the crest thing, they do appear on ultimate uniforms. but in my defense, its on in dr0 illstrations and difficult to see

BUT, i took a closer look at this photo

and noticed that Junko does have a custom HPA cardigan, with the crest on the breast and the motifs on her shoulders!!

it seems to be the same cardigan from the thh photo, but her tie and black bunny seem to be the same in udg. She also is wearing her old school pins still.

Anyway, i will never shut up about junko and her cardigans. I love how she clearly loves them, even outside of her fashion persona. let her find happiness outside of despair

[iuspired]

confessions - suna rintarou

about: DEFINITELY ooc but we don’t talk about that 😙 just you nd ur bsf sunarin catching up as per usual with tea to spill from the past 😝 we love to see it!

a/n: i wrote this awhile ago actually🫣 im fully done w finals………. idk what to think im so scared for the future. also trying diff formats and will actually work on my navi post during the summer so bare w me lol. anyways thank u for all the love on my last post mwahhh <3

“you know i used to have a crush on you?” you say, in between bites of your food.

you and your childhood best friend, suna rintarou, are at your promised monthly hangout, which ended up only being every couple months because your universities were far away from each other, so you both settled to meet up whenever your breaks overlapped. but it didn’t matter to you either way because you texted each other almost every other day. whether it was a tiktok link or an 8 ball.

“you used to what?” he replies, mouth agape as he sets his chopsticks down.

“i mean, it wasn’t a huge crush,” you say, … “maybe i was gaslighting myself but we were really close back then y’know?”

“oh? why didn’t you ask me out then?”

“mmm not sure. i guess..” you think about it. it was probably because starting high school, girls were all over him. it was also probably because those same girls would come up to you. passive aggressively ask if you were his girlfriend. you’d reply with a lighthearted laugh, “noo! we’re just close friends. he’s all yours if you want him.” maybe it was because he wouldn’t reciprocate any of the interest and love he received. he always replied, saying something along the lines of ‘oh i’m focusing on school” or just a simple, “i’m not interested”

it was mostly though, because you thought he’d reject you if you initiated something. and not wanting to ruin the relationship you had already built throughout the years, you suppress your feelings.

“you guess?”

“fear of rejection?” you laugh nervously.

“you think i would’ve rejected you?” he asks. he tilts his head, raising his eyebrows, giving you a look as if you were supposed to know.

“you had no interest for anyone so… i mean. i-” you stammer. fuck, why did i even bring this up?!

“well, believe it or not, i too, had a crush on my bestfriend.”

and just like that, you almost spit out your drink. “sorry, you- you liked me?”

“and that’s so surprising because?” he questions.

he really cannot wrap his head around this, huh. “you turned everyone and their mother down? mr. i’m too focused on school and i’m not interested? i could only assume that i was not wanted.”

“but did i ever directly say that to you?”

“no, but you wouldn’t need to. i listened when you rejected their advances, i can take a hint y’know.”

he sighed. “if you had asked me out back then, my answer would be different.”

“really?” you ask.

“really.”

you raise your eyebrows as you sip your drink.

“don’t believe me? you can try me now.” he smirks, flashing the smile you had fallen for back then, and you almost fold right then and there. though despite his confident demeanor, the slight rosy tint on his cheeks gives his nervousness away.

“oh? it’s almost as if you want me to ask you out.”

he playfully rolls his eyes. “okay, so maybe i do, but only if you want to..”

you do your best to suppress a smile as your cheeks turn into the same rosy color.

“here goes. ahem.. i uh-” your mind goes blank.

“wait so.. how do you ask someone out?”

“well, i’ve never asked someone out before because they always ask me” he winks.

you playfully roll your eyes.

“don’t overthink it. it’s just me right?”

you almost forgot. it’s just rin. the same rin who’s always there for you. but this is different.

“right.. i say this in almost all your birthday cards but you’re truly my rock in life, and i reaally want to be yours, and maybe more so.. may i be your girlfriend, suna rintarou?”

“well, if you insist i guess,” he shrugs.

“wooooww.. i see how it is” you say, crossing your arms teasingly.

“r-rin..” he catches you off-guard as he takes your hand in his.

“yeess?” he grins.

you remove your hands, immediately missing the warmth from his hands.

“first date jitters?” he chuckles.

“this is our first date?”

“technically, i guess, but-“

“no way this is our official first date. i’m wearing sweats!” you exclaim, looking down at what you’re wearing.

“i don’t see an issue, you always look pretty in anything you wear.”

“th- thanks,” you blurt out. well that’s new.

but it’s something you could deeefinitely get used to.

[etoileee]

GUYSSS IM SORRY I FORGOT MY DAMN PASSWORD LMAO

I’m here and I’m gonna give you guys some pjo shifting motivation because I think some of you need it 🫶🏼

i think a lot of people love and find comfort in percy jackson because a lot of us do struggle with adhd and dyslexia (I myself am one of them) and see ourselves in these characters. struggling with feeling like nobody gets you, like you don’t belong, that you’re dumb… its definitely not fun but these books had provided an outlet that made me and a whole lot of others feel seen.

when I came back from my percy jackson dr for the first time I didn’t think I was gonna get so emotional, but I did. I speak for a lot of us when I say we’ve grown up with these characters and MEETING them is something absolutely mind blowing. not only because they are so loved, but because all of us had gone through similar struggles. to this day at my big junior in high school age I don’t know what the fuck 9 x 8 is, the words still seem to rearrange themselves when I try to read…

I guess what I’m saying is yes, when you shift, you’ll meet the characters you love so so much, but you’ll also relate and connect to them in a way that you probably can’t even imagine.

I think a lot of people haven’t shifted yet because they think that shifting is like dreaming, that it’s something that will slip through your fingers, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m sure a lot of you are thinking “but I do believe in shifting?” but I think some of you have a hard time actually wrapping your mind around it.

look around you right now. notice the temperature, the textures, the colors, the sensations, the smell, the sounds. notice how you are not dreaming.

THIS is EXACTLY what shifting is like. it is not like dreaming, because it’s NOT a dream it’s REAL.

look around you and imagine that you had shifted into where you are right now. its a bit trippy, isn’t it? looking at the world around you as if it isn’t your cr.

for example, look up from your device and imagine percy jackson in front of you right now. how does it make you feel? are you shocked? happy? afraid?

I really do believe that some people haven’t shifted yet because they think shifting will be like dreaming, and when they realize it isn’t like dreaming they are afraid of it subconsciously.

I’m here to tell you that it’s not scary at all. sure, you may wake up in your dr and start crashing out (which is totally understandable) but its not something you need to FEAR. please remember everything you desire will be there. it will be PERFECT and more than what you could ever imagine.

If you’re still worried you’ll start tweakin once you do shift, I find that scripting you’ll be calm and that you forgot you’ve shifted helps a lot. sure you’ll feel massive shock when you get back to your cr but initially when you wake up in your dr if you have those two things scripted you should be fine.

good luck to all you, sending so much love and good vibes. 🤍🖤✨🌊

[jqmalikhsgib]

midnight sky

one

what you were doing was absolutely insane! you just met the man not even twenty four hours ago. but the connection the two of you had was incredible, almost like you were made for each other. maybe you were.

the day started off like every other morning. you groaned as your alarm clock went off, got out of bed, took a quick shower, brushed your teeth, and finally made it down town to your favorite local coffee shop.

you ordered a basic coffee and a pastry before sitting in your normal spot, far in the back. you took your laptop out of your bag and began grading papers, groaning and rolling your eyes at the students who didn’t turn in a paper yet.

after about thirty minutes you heard commotion outside. normally you’d ignore it. it’s new york city after all, it was always filled with nosy people. today was different! flashes came from the window, almost blinding you more than the sun.

you heard people screaming as if someone fell and died. you looked up and saw the paparazzi outside. frowning, you grabbed your things and headed for the door.

“shit! im sorry, love!”

groaning at your coffee spilling on the ground, you were ready to yell at whoever this pretentious actor or whatever he was! not caring if the media and his fans tore you a new one.

“watch where you—”

you couldn’t even finish your sentence. he was the most beautiful man you had ever seen. from his buzzed hair cut, beautiful brown eyes, tattooed neck, and his attire. he was the most attractive man you’ve ever seen.

“are you alright, babe?” even his accent was perfect.

“uh—yeah—yeah! im sorry.”

he chuckles, “it’s my fault, really.”

you were frozen. completely mesmerized by this beautiful man in front of you. your heart skipped a beat.

“it’s fine—um, i should get going.” you began walking away, pushing through the loads of paps. you needed to get far away so you could get that man out of your mind.

unfortunately the moment you got home you looked him up. you needed to know who he was and where he was from. you searched the location of the coffee shop and found tmz reporting the images.

“zayn malik. fuck, even his name is perfect!” you dived into everything zayn malik and began to sigh. soon you find his instagram, noticing he only had a few post. you assumed he deleted his old post due to him starting a new era for his next album.

biting your lip you sigh as you close your eyes processing. god, where you an idiot for even thinking about messaging him. maybe? you knew he probably got thousands of messages everyday, but it was something about him. you click on his profile, clicked on message, and began typing.

‘hi..god, you probably won’t see this, most likely won’t even open it, won’t bat an eye, but i thought i should text you. i guess im intrigued you could say.’

you wait patiently until you heard your phone vibrate. you had never picked up your phone so quickly. you smiled hugely when you saw it was him that sent you a message.

‘hey! normally i don’t open this app unless im posting something about me music or a selfie. coffee shop girl, right?’

smiling, you typed,

‘yeah! sorry about spilling that coffee by the way. im normally not that clumsy.’

‘haha!’

‘it’s cool, babe. got a three year old! use to clumsy.’

‘oh? didn’t noticed you had a kid. gonna be honest, i kinda went on a bit of a stalker session finding you.’

‘really? that’s cute!’

‘yeah! got a daughter. she’s the sweetest thing ever!’

‘i love kids! i always wanted to teach kids instead of middle schoolers. kids love to color and draw. middle schoolers love to gossip and fight.’

‘ha! not ready for that at all!’

‘you’re a teacher, huh? that was my career path before i became a musician.’

‘i enjoy teaching! wanted to since i could remember!’

‘you guys are doing great work! deserve a pay raise!!’

‘tell that to the us government. 😩’

‘fuck them all!!!’

‘agreed!’

‘how bout i meet you up for a coffee? promise, no paps this time?’

‘right now?’

‘yeah…is that okay, babe?’

‘yeah—yeah! ill be there in twenty.’

‘cool! see you soon ;)’

you never got ready so fast in your life. heading downstairs from your building and walking a few blocks to the coffee shop, you spot zero paps and zayn sitting inside your booth. you smile before walking into the building. when he spots you, he smiles at you, stands up, and gives you a hug.

“hey.”

“hi.” you sit in the seat right across from him.

“never got your name. your instagram account doesn’t give it away.”

you blush. you created your instagram when you were in middle school. being overly obsessed with harry potter as a kid and extremely dorky, you had to go with ‘voldedork_hp,’

you never got around to changing it. now you regret that decision one hundred percent. “im sorry about that. a little embarrassed.”

“don’t be! it’s cute. im a huge harry potter fan myself. i went as voldemort last halloween as a mater-of-fact.”

“my names yn.”

“it’s nice to meet you yn. you have a lovely name by the way.”

you snort. feeling like your name was completely bland compared to his!

“may i ask where you’re from? your accent, it’s pretty thick, even for someone born in the uk.”

zayn chuckles. “yeah! m’from bradford england. my pops is pakistani so my accent comes out a little bit stronger i guess. what about you? you don’t sound like a new yorker.” he takes a sip of his coffee.

“im not! born and raised in texas actually.”

“texas, huh? you’re a little way from home, yeah?”

“i got a full scholarship for new york university! i couldn’t pass on that opportunity.”

“brains and beauty, huh?”

you blush. he was definitely a flirt! the two of you got to know one another for the next four hours. you both lost track of time. zayn phone blows up and he continues to ignore it. enjoying his time getting to know the pretty woman across from him. you were loving the company and conversation. it felt like you knew each other for the longest time. you were both laughing and listening to each other tell some crazy story. it felt right.

“how about we get out of this coffee shop, yeah? maybe walk around new york? i promise, no paps. i know places they’ll never go.” he winks at you. you nod before getting out of the booth. zayn grabs your hand and interlocks your fingers.

you were surprised but you didn’t object or pull away. zayn paid for his coffee, leaving a generous tip before leaving. you walk hand and hand around new york, enjoying each other’s company. you continued to talk about everything. the two of you got along so well, you felt crazy for already falling for him. you just met the man! how could you already have such strong feelings for the musician? were you seriously losing your mind? you just couldn’t help how you felt though.

zayn felt the same way. it’s why, standing in front of a courthouse, holding your hand as the moonlight shines, he got the craziest idea. he stops, looks you in the eye, and caresses your cheek. “may i kiss you, babe?”

you blushed, nodding nonetheless. when his lips touched yours, you felt the whole world stopped. god, how could such a beautiful man be this perfect? when he pulls away he grabs your hand and runs across the street. it was like faith, standing in front of a kay jewelers and a bridal shop. you laugh as he looks at you with the biggest grin on his face.

“what?”

“this is gonna be the craziest thing ive ever done or said but, i just—i feel like ive known you for the longest time. you’re beautiful, funny, smart, and amazing. i—i feel like we’re meant to be, meant to meet each other. and you, god maybe this is insane! you can totally say no, kick my ass, slap me, whatever you want, but this is just perfect. it’s almost like faith,”

“what is it?” you asked nervously.

“a jeweler, a bridal shop, and a courthouse right across the street. maybe this is the universe telling us to just go for it. let’s get married.”

normally if a man had asked you this you’d laugh in his face. you’d think he was absolutely insane for even suggesting this idea. but seeing all the key details, it’s like a story from a fairytale! who were you to pass up a fairytale story?

“okay!”

“yeah?”

you nod your head. zayn kisses you passionately before calling up taryn to be a witness! once he convinced her, he grabs your hand, head into the jewelry parlor, the two of you pick your rings before going to the bridal shop and grabbing the most gorgeous dress and a suit, before heading across the street to officially get married.

“are we doing this, forreal?”

“yeah, yeah we are! let’s get married, baby!”

and before you know it, you become misses malik. a true fairytale.

i really hope you all like this fic! it’s not enough zayn fics out there and i need people to make some!

what do you think?

if you wanna be added to taglist please don’t hesitate to ask!!!

[wqxianwriting]

how to make a golden retriever happy.

SLIGHTLY proofread | f!reader | poly relationship with nick & charlie though reader isn’t dating charlie | pretty damn long i got ahead of myself, sorry :,) | they’re so cute but im so bad at details fr | lunch date, walks, stargazing w fireflies & movie night! (you got headbands to wear… guess what movie charlie is having y’all watch rn) | what is stargazing | author questioning what color sonic’s eyes are | theres some crying at the end and a mention of breaking up but its just those negative thoughts actin up, theyre all okay :) | angst/comfort? | not many kisses unfortunately but THERE ARE SOME, like three scenes… two? | there is cussing, not much | nick & reader flashbacks

#%a/n%#;; first request done! thanks for it, they mean so much to me. i didn’t wanna make it too long but here we are lolol, hope it’s enjoyable though 🥹💜 also ntm on your family details but your mom does appear and she has a “set” personality! no one else appears though so you can imagine the reader’s family how you want, though it is mentioned your mom is married. also note, since reader is a lady she goes to the same school as like, elle darcy tara (and probably imogen too, right?). meant to post this yesterday but i wanted to add some stuff at the end haha, sorry sorry this is a whole ass wattpad book fr, feel like i wrote so much and nothing at the same time. hope you enjoy if you give it a read thought fhdhdj

OH YEAH last thing, the emotions in this story is kind of a whiplash 💀 one minute they’re happy the next theyre kinda sad or bittersweet so- hopefully the pacing doesnt seem bad… BE WARNED. shouldn’t be too crazy. okay thats it this time do enjoy

character(s):

nick & charlie (heartstopper)

elle & tao cameo

reader’s mom omg she’s a sweetheart, charlie’s parents are mentioned/super small cameo, nick’s mom also has a small cameo/is mentioned

darcy, imogen and sahar are very briefly mentioned!

The sweet sound of the school bell rings throughout and the school and every single student sighs in relief of the noise. You glance up at the clock on the wall before looking around the classroom where students are packing up their bags while talking noisily to one another.

You allow yourself to recline in your chair, left arm reaching back to where your backpack dangles off the seat and slide your hands into the side pocket, grabbing your phone.

Nicky Ricky Dicky: I’m alive!

Char: you live! i live too :) wanna walk together today or are you both busy? (gonna pick you up bestie)

Y/N: i’ll meet you outside (ty loveliest)

Char: awesome!!! nick?

Nicky Ricky Dicky: Sorry aha, I need to go home quickly today but I’ll be sure to join tomorrow!

This makes you pout and you can imagine your bestfriend having the same expression because the sad emoji he wrote in the group-chat even makes you sadder.

Char: ☹️

Y/N: don’f worry charlie

Y/N: Don’t*

Nicky Ricky Dicky: Sorry :,)

Char: It’s fine! Do what you have to do… we gonna facetime tonight though?

Char hearts your message ‘don’f worry charlie’.

Nicky Ricky Dicky: No promises but I’ll do my best. 😠❤️

Nicky Ricky Dicky: i gtg now, love you both <3

Y/N: lym! ❤️

Char: love you! ❤️❤️❤️

Y/N: three hearts 🥹

Char: y/n. STOP. come outside before i die

Y/N: omg… such a drama king like okay

You write and yet, you’re quick to jump from your chair and snatch your bag before sliding it on your shoulder. You push in your chair and skip out into the hallways where you see Elle. “Heya, Elle!”

She smiles warmly and waves goodbye to her friends before stepping in sync with you. “Hey there, Miss, didn’t catch your name.” You bump her shoulder and she bumps you back. “What’re you up to?”

“Charlie’s gonna come pick me up, hopefully via bike… mines broke the other day.” You sigh and she gives you a look of pity while trying to bite back a grin. Then she perks up.

“Not Nick?”

You shake your head, rubbing a hand against your temple. “Mm-mm, you ever just get a feeling something is off?”

Elle nods, turning her face away from you and her hands grip onto the handle of her bag that bounces against her legs. “Yeah, just putting it out there… graduation may be on his mind, I know its on mine and it’s been kicking my ass to be honest,” You wrap an arm around her in comfort and she hums in appreciation. “Just all that weird stuff, weird thoughts and anxiety…” Then she pauses, raising a hand and flicking her wrist. “Okay- not weird, but you know.”

That makes you snort, “Yeah, I get’cha… maybe, but we’ve always been open about that kind of stuff, I just don’t understand why it’d be a issue… I mean, we’ve talked about it many times before so it’s kind of odd, I guess?” You and Elle share a look of confusion before shrugging.

“Maybe it’s been having more of an impact y’know? You can speak easily about something when you’re not there yet but… graduation is coming up and everyone is worried about the future. You know how things don’t hit you till it’s happening literally next week or something? Maybe its hitting harder.”

Your heart clenches in pain at those words. She’s not wrong, there is a high chance it’s staring to affect him more… hitting harder than you’d know. You nibble on your bottom lip in concern and furrow your eyebrows,

“Well. If he’s being an idiot and isn’t gonna come to us about it then I’ll beat him up.” You place your hands on your hips, lightly joking to disperse the tense air between the two of you. Of course he isn’t being an idiot but you refuse to let him stress on his own. Elle chokes out a laugh in surprise.

“Oh god, he better run, she’s scary when she’s angry.” One of her hands let go of her bag and she hold her stomach while laughing a bit more. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?”

You scoff, “Like we haven’t argued before.”

“You argue about literal video games.”

“Stop.” You laugh and push at her shoulder. “Oh, and Elle, you know I’m your friend and if you ever need an ear to lend about college talk or need help to get your mind off of it to just relax, you got me.” She stares at you for a few beats before cracking into a grin.

“Thank you, Y/N. You know you got me too.”

Outside the school building you’re quick to spot two familiar figures by the gate. “Yes, he’s here!” Your arms raise in celebration then instantly flop down, “There’s no bike…!”

Elle calls out which makes the two boys stiff in seconds.

“Get your butts over here, Mr. Xu and Mr. Spring!” They awkwardly crane their necks to your direction and simultaneously sigh in relief – probably thinking you were teachers.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Tao exclaims as you and Elle once you’re right infront of the two, gesturing to his heart. Elle is quick to place a hand over his chest – Tao’s cheeks lowkey reddening but you decide not to point it out for his sake – and her eyes widen a bit.

“Tao, your chest is gonna shoot out your chest.”

“See?”

“That is the goal, sire.” You finger gun at him and he smacks your hand away lightly with an exasperated look. It makes you giggle. “Elle is just feeling a little silly today.”

“It’s my agenda.” She grins before engulfing Charlie into a hug and he squeaks in surprise before squeezing her back. “Hello, Charlie!”

“Are you sure your heart isn’t pounding because you’ve gotten your daily dose of Elle?” You whisper while stepping in line next to Tao, facing your head to your other friends but you can see him tense at the corner of your eye.

He pinches his nose bridge, mumbling and you catch some of the words, suspiciously sounding like him saying he’s gonna fight you. His cheeks bloom a rosy rose so you take the win either way and smugly smirk at him.

“Hi, Elle!” His muffled laugh catches your attention, making you and Tao smile at the interaction before you wrap an arm around the latter, making him eyeroll, of course he does, but he wraps an arm around your shoulder and gives you a light squeeze in response.

“We best be off on our merry way,” You speak up, checking the time as the two friends let go of eachother. “I wanna stop by that new shop that opened a few weeks ago… Is that fine, Char?”

He gives you a thumbs up and Elle speaks, “Let me know how their desserts taste, I’ve been wondering but honestly they don’t look that good so…” She stares at you with a grimace before shrugging.

“Noted~” You say in a singsong voice before wrapping your arms around Charlie. “I’ll call you later, enjoy your afternoon date.” You and Charlie give the couple teasing grins and they take the bait, looking away in shyness but Tao takes the initiative and connects their hands together. It makes you melt.

“Shut up.” He groans, snapping but tone very much unthreatening adding on the fact he’s trying to cover his flustered face with his free hand.

“Yes, yes grumpy old man, we’ll see you later.” You and Charlie waist no time to start down the road with waves.

“Bye!” He shouts.

“I’m not a grumpy old man!” Tao stomps his foot, comedically. Right. How could you make that mistake?

“Bye, Y/N and Charlie!” Elle laughs with a wave and tugs her totally-not-grumpy boyfriend off in the other direction. You watch their hands tighten around eachother, squinting in amusement when Tao’s scowl instantly softens into a lovestruck gaze.

“Ahhh, young love.”

“You’re starting to sound like the old one here.” Charlie snickers, hands coming up to hold onto your forearms that are still bounded around him.

“You wound me, Char.” You squeeze him and he huffs. “I literally think the same when you and Nick are interacting, it’s so,” You make weird noises, fingers wiggling. “Y’know? Very sweet. Very cute, I even have some photos of you latching onto eachother while sleeping. Wanna see-?”

His brain feels like it’s shutting down, lightly smacking your arm when you lift it as to grab your phone. “Stop it.” You could practically see those animated stars swirling around his head and laugh.

You relent and unwrap your arms with a cheeky smile. He glances at you before hiding his face in his hands. “Ughh, whatever. You act like you don’t jump Nick the minute you see him.” Yeah, that’s crazy. You feel your own cheeks flaring up.

“You must be blind.”

“No, no, no. Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Lie!” He exclaims in a joking tone, uncovering his face and poking you in accusation. You lean away, losing your balance and forcing yourself to lean on your tippy toe. Your other foot comes down onto pavement with a stomp and you twirl like you’re dancing. Charlie definitely notices this misstep, doesn’t say anything but you see his shoulders shaking in silence. He’s laughing.

“I never lie?” You pick off the conversation.

“Was that a question?” He tilts his head back at you.

“No?”

He stares at you, eyebrow twitching and you puff out your cheeks like a frog, looking anywhere but in his direction. “You’re awfully cheeky today.”

“How am I being cheeky?” He gives you a look like you’re being ridiculous.

“Charlie Spring is a little cheeky today, my oh my, what have I done to deserve this.” Then you raise your voice in a slight yell, “Ahhh! Who is this?! This isn’t my Charlieeee…!” Your arms reach for the sky.

“You’re an idiot.” He takes the chance and poke you again which makes you yelp. You narrow your eyes. He runs off, you chase.

That was last week. You haven’t seen your boyfriend in a couple of days and it’s concerning. He responds hours late to your messages, doesn’t even respond in your group chat with Charlie, his calls barely last ten minutes and you literally haven’t seen this man in person. Charlie tells you he still shows up at school but his eye-bags are pretty bad.

“Is he avoiding me? I’m confused.” You frown, balled up on Charlie’s bed and feeling very mixed. A little annoyed, a little sad, and alot of worried. Charlie sets down two mugs on his bedside table and sits next to you on the bed. His rests a hand atop of your head and lightly taps it.

“No… I don’t think so. I see him at school and he tries to act normal but even he doesn’t respond to me like that outside of school.” The scowl his face makes has deepened and you’re quick to wrap an arm around his leg in comfort. He lets out a weak smile but it’s quick to fall off his face. “I’m confused too…”

You both stay silent, it’s nearly deafening. “I don’t wanna force him to tell us anything – I mean, he knows he can come to us if he needs it but if he’s really stressed about school maybe we can help give him some space to not think about it. Even if its only for a bit, you know?” Charlie listens to you mumble while tugging at a loose thread on his sweater and nods slowly, eyes lost in thought.

“Should we go somewhere?” He tilts his head back to look at the ceiling before his gaze travels around his room’s walls, hoping to find an inkling of inspection.

“That sounds fine.” The somber feeling in the room lifts a bit when you start to grin. You shift onto your back, raising your right arm in the air and sprawl out your fingers. “We could go out, do something and eat… I kinda wanna stargaze, is that weird?”

He lets out a chuckle, glancing down at you with a teasing glint in his eyes, “Wow, you’re such a romantic, Y/N. I’m shocked.” To which you scoff.

“Well, duh. Who makes all the date plans?”

“Okay, no, that’s because you say we’re bad at planning dates – you refuse us to even be involved.”

“Charlie, Nick brought you to a dog park as a date.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“You both stayed there till nine.”

He full on laughs now, bumping you with his knee and you smack it back in retort. “No judgement though, I would do the same but that was for the whole day! Who stays at a dog park from Eleven to Nine?” He continues to laugh until they turn into giggles.

“Maybe… we’re unique.”

“True that. You didn’t even bring baby Nells, shaking my head.” To put emphasis, you shake your head and your friend has to gasp out for air. “Don’t die, now.”

“Whatever whatever.” He brings his hands to his face and rubs his cheeks in circular motion to calm himself. His face is flushed and he exhales slowly before reaching for his phone. “Do you want your drink?”

You remove your arm from his leg and sit up properly, holding on your hands and he complies, placing the mug between them. “Thank you~” You lean on the wall, flopping your legs onto Charlie’s before crossing them at the ankles – to which he sighs in annoyance and it makes you grin. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m gonna search for places to go that is nearby but not too close… you have a place in mind for stargazing?” He grabs his own mug that is black and littered with yellow stars, how ironic. You nod sleepily, slowly sipping your preferred drink and tap at the cup absentmindedly.

“Yeah, it’s near my house.”

He flicks his eyes towards you for a second.

Then goes back to typing on his phone.

“You mean it is your home.”

“Maybe.”

You smirk, he sighs and you both go back to planning. Nick honestly better be willing to get his ass dragged out of the house by his lovely girlfriend and boyfriend because money is involved and you both would be damned if he just wallows in self despair, alone.

So, that’s what happens, you fill Charlie’s parents in on needing to steal your bestfriend during the weekend and some of the plans involved like a movie night. They agreed to let him stay over for the night but he must call every few hours or atleast text.

Your parents love the boys and were completely down with the idea. Of course you also secretly called Nick’s mum and she had filled you in on a couple things that made you a tad bit more nervous to see your boyfriend.

Seems like your assumption was correct (more like Elle’s). “Lately he’s been talking about colleges, right… he’s planning to go on a trip sometime this month to check them out but he seems stressed, it’s been worrying me. You know though, kids probably don’t want their parents all in their business, haha,” She laughs softly and you can hear running water cut off on her end – probably washing something – “He knows he can come to me so I’m just letting him have his space. It’s lovely you and Charlie want to ease his mind! Glad he’s with and friends with two sweethearts,” This makes your face flare up in embarrassment but your chest puffs with pride.

“Of course, and I know he appreciates you being patient and understanding with him. The thing we don’t wanna do is pressure him… I just hope this can help take his mind off of the stress and you know… relax?” You grimace a bit, tugging at the end of your sleeve as the phone sits between your ear and shoulder.

“I get it, mhm. Thank you, Y/N.” Her voice is still soft but gets even more sincere with a hint of emotion. Had you feeling emotional too.

Saturday is quick to arrive and you stare at your reflection with determination. Brushing down your outfit, you admire your date look a bit more before turning around slowly and snatch your bag off the bed which is filled with random necessities that you may or may not need along with your wallet.

“Alright, Nick Nelson, prepare yourself for the best date you’ll ever be on.” You puff out your cheeks, grab you phone of the charger and exit your room. “I’ll be off, Mother~” You hum once you reach the end of the staircase and spot your Mom on the couch with a paper in hand.

“What is with the formal address?” She chuckles behind her hand, standing up and following you towards the front door. “I’ll see you later tonight with Nick and Charlie, right? Enjoy yourselves.” She smiles, wrapping her arms around your head and you hug her back with a gentle squeeze.

“Oh! Wait.”

She quickly unravels herself from you and speeds down the hall to the kitchen. Your eyes stare down the direction she went for a few seconds before deciding to slip on your shoes.

“Okay, here you go.” You’re standing with the door open by the time she comes back and she gives you a picnic basket. It’s not super big but you have to grab it with two hands. Less from the size, more from the weight.

“Mom. What did you pack in here?” You huff out a laugh, going to open the lid but she stops you.

“No, do not open it. It’s like… a wedding. You can’t see your spouse or it’ll be bad luck!” She speaks with a finger raised and you cock an eyebrow up. Whatever you say, Mom is basically your expression and she seems to notice because she places her hands on her hips with an exasperated look. “Just trust me, I’ve done it before and it was bad luck all day.”

“Mhm, mhm, right.” You nod, half listening and backing up on your porch. She follows, hand on the doorknob with a soft smile and she pinches your cheek with her other hand. “Thanks, I love you.”

“Love you too, honey.” She full on grins now and waves. After your ‘see you later’ promises, you’re quick to dart down the street and across the roads to a nearby park where Charlie said he’d meet you after picking up Nick. It gives you enough time to unload the nice lunch packed for the three of you and hopefully buy some refreshing popsicles or ice creams before they arrive.

Seems like luck is on your side though – maybe your Mom was right – because the minute you finish laying out the huge blanket in a nice shaded area you hear the sound of someone ringing a familiar bell sound. You turn your head so quick it nearly gave you whiplash and your eyes widen at the person walking along the park’s path, pushing a white squared cart decorated with photos of different types of cold treats.

You take your bag and phone, dialing Charlie’s number while speedwalking across the grassy field. It takes two rings before you hear his voice.

“Yes, partner in crime?” His voice comes off as staticky for a moment.

“What the hell are you doin’, your mic is scuffed as hell…”

“I’m walking!” You could imagine the eyeroll Charlie would do and bite your cheek to not laugh.

“Are you with Nick?” You continue to talk but smile in greeting when the ice cream seller stops at you coming over. He says hello and you wave before looking over all the choices on the cart.

“Yes. We’re grabbing drinks right now, you okay?”

“Yeah! I’m at the park, set up the picnic – though the food is still in the basket,” You glance back at your spot and after making sure nothing seems out of the ordinary you look back at the cart. “You remember those ice cream cart things? You want something?”

It’s silent between the two of you as Charlie ponders, in the meantime you point to your desired choice and the guy nods with a smile, opening the ice cream cart before digging around in the pile of cold desserts until he finds the one you want.

“Do they-“ He cuts himself off with a chuckle and you perk up at his voice, “Do they um,” He snorts this time then sighs to calm himself, “The ones with the bubblegum eyes. I wanna try one.”

You laugh a little, thanking the ice cream man as he sets the packaged treat in your hand. “Do you want the sonic one or something?”

“Whatever you spot first or whichever is given. Oh wait- Nick-“ You zone out a bit as he speaks to the blond and point to the blue hedgehog. The ice cream man continues his search. “He said he wants the crybaby ice cream.”

“Oh god.” You sigh in adoration, tilting your head back to the clear blue sky. “Weren’t they, like, terrible the last time we tried them?”

This time you hear Nick’s cheerful voice and he scoffs, “Okay, no. That was because for some weird reason you and Darcy wanted to put warheads into the mix.”

“Thank you,” You say to the nice man, grabbing a ten and a five dollar bill as a tip out of your wallet with a smile. You then put all the treats into your bag along with the wallet, waving the man bye which he returns and goes on his merry way. Your focus goes back to the two boys. “Ah yes, I remember the part where your face went sooo red. Hilarious, I have videos I think.”

He groans in prospect and you hear muffled giggles erupt from Charlie. “Why do you do this to me?”

“What are you talking about?” You tease and he groans again.

Charlie then speaks up, sounding way closer to the phone. “Alright! We’ll see you in two-point-five seconds.” You hum in response and say your goodbyes before hanging up the phone.

You reach the blanket again, flopping on your tush and take the ice creams out, aligning them with precision on top of the picnic basket. Charlie doesn’t disappoint because not two minutes later you see two familiar figures walking down the park path, one of them pointing towards your general direction and ditching the path to the grass.

You could feel your heart pound from… nervousness or excitement? Maybe both and it makes you grin, waving at the two. They get closer and Charlie waves awkwardly with a hand that has a drink in it, to which you notice his other hand also had a drink… and one of Nick’s. The blond’s other hand is carrying headbands of some sort and a bag is hanging off his arm.

“Char told me to get these while we were in the grocery store.” Nick speaks first when they get to you, he lifts the hand with headbands. “I decided not to question it.” You raise your hands and he carefully sets the accessories in them. Ah. Barbie headbands.

“Charlie…” Your brows pinch in amusement but also bewilderment. “What have you decided?”

He chuckles mysteriously, lifting a foot off the ground to point at your hand. “Put those down and take your drink, please. My hands are freezing.”

“Oops.” You comply and take the cup. The two eventual settle down with Nick in the middle and you quietly take a nice sip of the beverages. “Thank you.”

The boys nod and you glance at Nick, noticing the shadows of bags under his eyes. It makes you frown for a second, “So, what am I doing here on this lovely day.” Before you could inquire, Nick speaks up first, eyes shutting in contentment and a pretty smile adoring his face.

You lean back on the palm of your hand, eyeing Charlie and he meets your gaze. “Can we not want to hang out with the one and only, Mr. Nick Nelson?” You speak with a teasing tone, leaning into his side. His smile goes wider and he opens his eyes to meet yours.

“You make me sound like some big shot.”

Your eyes narrow.

“Well it was hard to reach you… so…” His gaze falters along with his smile, nervously tapping the top of his cup. “Not to pressure you, you know that but Charlie and I will always be there to listen if you need it.” You poke his arm gently and you spot Charlie’s hand sliding into Nick’s.

“Yeah.” Charlie nods, squeezing their hands, “But if not, that’s fine too. Y/N and I wanted to just, relax with you. Spend some time together.”

That makes Nick let out a shaky laugh and a wobbly smile. “Thanks.” He pauses. “Really. It’s just been, crazy?” He nibbles at his bottom lip before sighing and flops on his back, leaving his cup between his crossed legs and dragging the two of you down with him – which makes you all share a laugh.

Charlie rests against his boyfriend’s chest – facing his direction and you flip onto your stomach to play with both of their soft locks. “What has?” You ask softly.

He’s silent for a bit, tapping his fingers on your back with his free hand. “I’m not sure, school? Life? …Me? There’s no exact reason, everything just seems to be crashing down in my brain and it’s annoying to say the least.” He sighs heavily, “I’m probably just having that kind of month where everything is just feels like alot.” He frowns and you move the hand in his hair down under his chin, gently squeezing his cheeks and he chuckles.

“That’s perfectly fine, it happens.” You move the hand to trail up the left side of his face and place your palm over his forehead like you’re checking his temperature and it makes Charlie join in, prodding at Nick’s neck gently.

“There’s a lot going through your life right now, perfectly understandable why it feels overwhelming and such. Thank you for talking to us about it.” Charlie speaks softly.

“Of course. I don’t,” Nick pauses, opening his eyes with a flash of worry, “I don’t want it to feel like I’m shutting you both out or anything, or if it feels like you’ve done something wrong. I feel less weird thinking I’m overreacting, haha…” The laugh comes off flat but from the reassuring smiles from his lovers, he feels at ease.

“You’re not.”

“Nuh-uh.” You and Charlie speak simultaneously, denying such thoughts. It makes Nick laugh which sounds less forceful.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to talk about everything right now since I don’t even think I’m done… accessing everything but really, thank you. You both are my anchors.” If you didn’t tear up from that, your heart definitely did. Charlie gets up off Nick, letting go of the blond’s hand and tilts his head back with his hands over his face.

“Same, Charlie.” You cover your own face and lay flat against the blanket.

“I…” Nick trails off with another laugh and he sits back up which catches both of your attention. “Can we eat though, I’m getting a little hungry.” He gives a shy smile and you also sit up.

“Oh shit, what if the ice cream melted?!” This realization has the three of you shooting towards the basket, grabbing the packaged delights and simultaneously sigh in relief. They’re not melted… yet.

“Should we just eat these first and then eat the actual lunch next?” Charlie bites back a laugh, already opening up the plastic and pulling out the bubblegum eye Sonic, wasting no time to put it in his mouth with wide adorning eyes.

You and Nick watch him in amusement before opening your own. “I wanted this lime popsicle they usually sell but there were none.” You sigh before eyeing Nick’s container of airhead ice cream. He opens the top and it reveals the swirls of… red? Or pink and green.

“That’s funny, we saw those while we were at the store. There were these coconut flavors too.” Nick reminisces, plucking the taped but wrapped in it’s own plastic wooden spoon off the side of the ice cream container.

Charlie hums before looking down at the bitten into Sonic, “Why does Sonic have green eyes? Are they actually green?”

You all stay silent.

“I thought they were black or brown?” You speak in confusion.

“Right? Even blue….” Charlie tilts his head.

“Technically all of those are correct though they turn red as well… It’s the different franchises, I guess?” Nick furrows his brows in thought, scooping into his sour treat after freeing the wooden stick and eats away, wincing here and there. You watch with amusement.

The lunch date you can say with absolute certainty was very successful. You all catch up on things that have been going on and different shows you’ve been watching. Sharing ice cream, stuffing yourselves full with your Mom’s cooking – there was even a drink war? All you knew was one minute you were nearly done with your beverage and the next it’s being tossed in Nick’s direction as you try and run away from Charlie’s retort from you getting him seconds before. Ah, can’t forget the classic kisses shared under one of the many trees at the park and the newest photos stored in your ‘Nick & Char ❤️’ album, like the picture of Charlie ‘painting’ Nick’s face with whip cream. Where the fuck did you get whip cream from? Ask your mother.

Around the time you were all packing up, a teenager around your age ran up with their four other friends and inform you there is a nice walking trail – pointing towards the area where the park path splits, one continuing into a circle around the whole field and the other going into an area with rows of trees.

“Y’think we’ll get jumpscared? Like a haunted path or something.” You joked.

“They said there’s a nice stream down the path.” Nick smirks at your joking, placing a hand on your head and you puff out your cheeks, feeling them heat up a bit.

“Ah yes, you can take a nice swim in it when I push you in there, Y/N.” Charlie hums, quick to dart his eyes away when you flip your head in his direction.

“You’re so evil to me?” You watch him with wild eyes, mouth agape and he laughs.

“Do you think we’ll actually able to get in?” Nick ponders and you flip the wild gaze to him now.

“With us three, I’m sure we can pull it off.” Charlie responds with a menacing grin, mischief all up in his eyes and you’re playing ping pong with your eyes, flitting back and forth between them.

“I’m gonna be arrested today, huh…” Your boyfriend and bestfriend just giggle like evil people.

In the end, you three didn’t get in the stream’s water but there were some fishes so you decided to feel them the crust that Charlie didn’t eat from his sandwich and take some more photos. Nick had picked Charlie up bridal-style, getting dangerously close to the water and you record it all.

“Don’t drop me!” Charlie tightens his hold around Nick, fear and excitement in his tone.

“This takes me back to the beach…” Nick ignores his boyfriend’s pleas and spins around carefully.

“Do not reminisce while I’m in your arms, please and thank you?!” He exclaims and it makes you full on laugh, an arm over your stomach while watching the whole exchange happen.

It’s not long before it turns from afternoon to evening, you three return back from the area with Nick and Charlie debating on if they saw a deer or not. Charlie saying it was definitely there and Nick saying it wasn’t there.

“Carl Grimes flashbacks…” You hum and Charlie puts you in a headlock.

“Do not. I will cry right here.” He pouts and pulls at your cheeks, ignoring your protests. Nick watches with a soft gleam in his eyes, rocking the picnic basket back and forth with a hand.

You all walk down the sidewalk side by side once Charlie lets you go, talking about random things before Nick realizes the direction you’re going.

“Are we dropping Y/N off?” He frowns.

It catches you and Charlie off guard. “What? What makes you think that?” You raise an eyebrow. Nick points ahead and your house in slowly coming up in view. Ah.

“Ah.” Charlie speaks your thought and you both share a laugh. “No, we’re not dropping her off.” Charlie stretches his arms with a grunt before eyeing the bag strapped around Nick. “You brought pajamas and clothes for tomorrow, right?”

Nick nods, pursing his lips. “Still confused about that.”

You scoff in amusement and place a hand on your forehead with an endearing smile. “Nick…”

“Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon.” Charlie gives him a thumbs up, paired with a wink before darting ahead of the two of you. Nick flicks his gaze to you in question but you put on an act and shrug.

“What he said,” You pause for a moment, eyes burning into Nick’s, “Do you like stargazing?”

He moves closer to you, closing the gap and tugs your hand in his. The question makes him look up at the sky for a moment. “Mmm. Never tried it before? What counts as stargazing? I’ve… been in the car on trips and looked out the window…?” You give him a perplexed look which he returns.

“Alright, well-“ You chuckle, “That can… technically count? I guess? Just… Yeah.” You give up midway, tugging Nick along when you get closer to the front of your house where Charlie awaits. “You’re on your phone while you’re on a date? Tsk tsk.” You tut your lips in disapproval and Charlie startles.

He rolls his eyes, flipping his phone to the two of you bounding up the steps. “I was texting Saha- oops, hold on-“ He cuts himself off, flipping the phone back around with a nervous smile.

You glance at Nick before moving your hand to cover his eyes with your other hand. He gasps in surprise but doesn’t question it any further, grinning a bit. Facing back to Charlie you mouth the word, ‘Barbie?’ and tilt your head in confusion. He nods.

“You’re silly.” You remove your hand from Nick’s face and flatten your hand, tapping Charlie’s forehead in a chopping motion. He rubs the area with a laugh and you knock on your front door.

“Did you forget your keys?” Nick giggles when you give him a look of shame.

“Maybe.”

Your Mom is quick to open the door, grinning widely. “Welcome back. Hello, Charlie and Nick.” They wave in shyness and she scoots back to let the three of you in. “What’s the plan next, soldier?” She bumps the door closed with her hip and loosely crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow at you specifically.

“Gonna go in the back for about an hour…” You trail off, taking your shoes off in the most complicated way. With your feet, or the heels per-say. When you finish you take the basket from Nick and walk to the kitchen with your mom as the boys finish taking off their own shoes. “To stargaze.” You finally finish when Nick’s ears are out of reach.

She pats you on the back with approval, “Attagirl. How was lunch?”

“It was fun! We spoke a bit, ate and went down a trail.” You bounce your head to the side while listening the activities before pausing. “He seems more… energized?” Your lips purse.

“Was that a question?” She leans against the counter, one arm coming out of the self-hug and she combs her hand through your hair. You give her an awkward look and she breathes out a laugh. Tapping the crown of your forehead, she moves away to the fridge with a soft smile. “Well, if he seems to be uplifted,” She eyes you before taking out three water bottles. “That’s great news, no?” Then sets them infront of you on counter.

“You’re right but… I don’t know. I just feel like I can do more,” You huff. “But that’s dumb because of course I can’t, this has to be something Nick figures out and all I can do is support him.”

“Honey, that is doing more for him. Supporting him is the biggest help you can five someone, along with what you’re already doing. Taking him out, letting him have space to clear his mind and being a safe net. Same thing with Charlie, no?“ Her hands latch onto your shoulders and give the muscles a gentle squeeze. “I know it feels like you want to do so much more but, there’s only so much.” You tilt your head back and look up at her with a half-smile before relenting.

“You’re right.”

“A mother is always right.” She lets go and moves towards the stove, giving you a smug side eye… which you return with an unamused eyeroll.

“Yes, yes. My mother is always right. Sometimes.”

“About ninety-nine percent.”

“Ninety-five…” You lift an eyebrow and give her pointed look. She has a spoon in her hand when she looks over you and points it to her chin in thought, it’s just a bit though.

“Ninety-seven. Take it or leave it.”

You scoff in amusement before scooping up the bottles, “Whatever you say, ma’am. We’ll be outside.” She hums in understanding and you exit out the kitchen, walking into the dining room before reaching the living room where the duo waits.

“Pleasure for you to join us.” Charlie smirks and takes two of the bottles from your arms with a nod of thanks.

“Be welcomed.” Nick muses with a grin and cracks open the bottle, taking a quick refreshing sip.

“What is this speech? I hate it.” Your face scrunches up in disgust before gesturing to the sliding glass door. “Shall we?”

“Look who’s doing it now…” Charlie stares at you cheekily. You give him the finger, he returns it.

There are slides in a shoe rack near the door and you three take a pair before stepping out. Nick’s eyes widen in wonder. Your backyard has a big blanket – similar to the one from the picnic – sitting in the middle of the area that has a plot of grass and lanterns that hang off metal rods sit nicely around in the grass that have curves at the end, doing nicely as handles. What surprises you are the little bugs that fly and flicker with a yellow-green gleam in the air.

“Since when do we get fireflies?” You speak first.

“Since forever, Y/N.” Charlie poked your back and you jump, flipping around to get him back but he’s already slipped behind Nick.

“You little…”

“Ah, ah ah, you have to be nice to me.”

“Says who?” He’s being ridiculous.

“Says me. Your bestfriend.” He peaks around Nick’s side – who, mind you, is still focusing on the backyard’s look – with a teasing grin.

“I’mma beat you up.”

“No!” He lets out a laugh when you lunge towards him, twirling out of your reach and running around with you flailing behind.

It felt special to Nick. The orange-red sky turning into it’s pitch dark blue color, stars twinkling down on you three with a full moon bright. His eyes are stuck on his two partners, the fireflies swirling around them out of disturbance but still they still decorate the backyard with green-yellow hues, not ready to leave. He remembers this conversation you had in this backyard a year ago…

“Do you think fireflies come around this area?” You were sitting on a bean bag, legs tucked beneath yourself and were practically sunken into the ‘seat.’ Charlie had insisted you to put it on the concrete side of the backyard so you did and now your face is hidden behind Nick’s switch in your hands.

Speaking of who, Nick is currently soaked wet, wringing out the ends of his shirt and Charlie wraps himself up in a towel. It’s late night, pitch dark but they wanted to play with water balloons and your Mom happened to be out of the house to pick up dinner.

“Maybe…” He leans back to look at the sky. “Why? Do you like fireflies or something?” He looks back down at you. The question has you silent for a couple of beats before you set down the console. He watches you with an amused twinkle in his gaze, puffing out his chest in pride at seeing you in his sweater. Charlie had been wearing it earlier and you both traded before they brought out the balloons.

“I mean, I have never seen any so, maybe, maybe not.” You shrug, unfolding your legs and stretching them out with a groan. Your socked feet slap down against the concrete and you sit up a bit. “Don’t you think they’re kinda special though? My Mom said it’s like they’re glowing up your night, dancing around you and stuff.” You eye the floor. “Appearing on specials occasions like they know,” You lean back into the seat with a sigh, “Said that’s how she got married. Isn’t that crazy?”

Charlie purses his lips, tilting his head to the side before smiling, “Sounds magical. They’re the ‘true love’ bugs.” His smile widens into a grin.

“Exactly!” You snap your fingers with a nod, bumping your heel against the stone pavement.

“I’m sure they do appear out here though, don’t they come out at Midnight?” Charlie shivers while speaking, hugging the towel around himself tighter. You sympathize with a playful grin.

“Maybe. But well, you boys should get inside and warm up. We’ll try next time.”

“Nick! Are you gonna come and lay down?” He snaps out of his head, eyes darting to you and Charlie lying on the blanket though Charlie is trying to tap out from a leg lock you have him in.

He snorts in surprise, not missing a beat and closing the distance. “How the hell did this happen?”

“Nick! Help me~” Charlie wails before pinching your thigh, making you yelp and quickly let go.

“That is cheating!” You exclaim, rubbing your leg with a wince.

“All’s fair in war.” He snickers, reaching a hand out to Nick who takes it and sits down between you two.

It’s a nice silence between the three of you, you’re not sure who laid down first but you eventually followed. Nick has his arms wrapped around the two of you and you’ve glanced up at his face which shows contentment. You even met his gaze while peeking and it caught you off guard with how much his brown orbs were filled with much love and affection.

You reach a hand out towards Charlie and tussle at curls, making him whine in protest but lets you continue anyway. “I’m not good with constellations so you’re not gonna be getting that during this stargaze adventure.” You mumble against Nick with a laugh and it makes the other two chuckle.

“Nah, that’s alright… I’m happy with this…” You and Charlie freeze at how soft Nick’s voice sounds. Serene. Content. More than happy but not quite ecstatic. Filled with much love directed towards the two of you and it has your heart pounding.

You sit up on your elbow, making Nick’s arm slip off of you and he eyes you with suspicion. “Actually…” This would be way more comfortable on your knees so you sit up, tuck your calves beneath you and cuff Charlie’s face into your hands. It’s nearly laugh worthy of how quick his face turns a deep red and how you felt it happen under your touch.

You lean forward, careful not to face-plant into him – that would be awkward… and painful – pressing your lips against him. You both move into a soft but passionate rhythm. Your thumb brushes against his dusted cheeks, pressing hard against his lips one final time before moving back with a dazed grin.

He returns it, chuckling shyly before meeting Charlie’s intense gaze. You choke back a laugh with the swiftness of your friend sliding up a bit, hand softly cupping the side of Nick’s face and sharing their own kiss. Also very slow, and passionate. Your tilt your head up towards your house, eyeing the sliding door and sigh in relief to not see your Mom near it. By the time your gaze returns you’re meeting with the two boys staring at you with flushed faces.

“Oh my god, you’re so red.” You laugh.

“Shut up?” Charlie hands an arm over his face, probably burning up a bit more from the teasing.

The fireflies have died down, some still hanging around but you notice most are gone and a smile tugs at your lips. “Wanna go inside now?”

Charlie removes his arm with a sharp inhale and the two nod. “Do you need to bring the blanket in?” He points to the cloth when you all stand and you’re quick to shake your head.

“Nah. I’ll grab and wash it tomorrow,” You stretch your limbs, hearing some pop. “I need new bones…”

Nick sticks his tongue out in playful disgust, “That sounds horrific.”

“Wouldn’t that be crazy though? If we needed to trade in new bones when we’re old and seniors.”

“Y/N.” Charlie’s eyebrows bend and he grimaces, “Why do you come up with the most freaky scenarios.” It’s not a question.

“Yeah, like the apocalypse one from before.” Nick pitches in with a frown that falters into a smile.

You all step into the living room after you’re done turning off the lanterns and have grabbed your bottles, “Because my brain is so amazing that I just think of things you would never think of.” You make a gesture to your brain before wiggling your fingers like you’ve done a magic trick.

“Or so you say…” Charlie glances somewhere else before meeting your eyes, “Less would never think of more, shouldn’t think of.” He flicks his hand towards you, thumb and index finger out in a finger gun.

“Hey, these could be real life events soon to happen.”

“Yeah the bones theory would happen when we all become immortal.” He chuckles and you roll your eyes.

Then boom, jumpscare. Your Mom appears just as you’re settling on the couch. A screech leaves all of your mouths and she stares in shock with mild confusion and amusement.

“Hello to you three, too.” She giggles, walking over to the glass door, tugging the lock between the handle down and pulls the thick curtains down. “Enjoy stargazing?” She turns back around with a soft smile.

You three shift your gazes away. Apparently it wasn’t just you that still had the intimate moment in the back of your brain, huh? “Yeah, thanks Mom.”

If she noticed the slight awkwardness building up, she doesn’t mention it nor show it and instead clasps her hands together, “That’s wonderful! Dinner is finished so feel free to grab whatever you want. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” She fills you in on her own plan for the night which is pretty much staying in her room so you all have your own time. She then tilts her head, eyes spacing out until she perks up, “And then there’s brownies that are baking, should be finished soon. I set a timer so when you hear it please take it our for me, Y/N.”

You nod before frowning, “Why does it have to be me?” Apparently she didn’t understand from the confusion crossing her face. You then point to Charlie and Nick.

Charlie looks offended, “We are a guest?” but his tone is light.

“You practically live here? Your clothes are in my closet, mind you.” Nick and your Mom choke out a laugh while Charlie flares up, flustered.

“Nick’s are too?!”

“Which is why I included him in my pointing?!”

Two people are bickering, two people laughing at the scene. It doesn’t take long for you Mom to calm you both down, “It doesn’t matter who, it doesn’t matter if it’s all three of you. Please just don’t let them burn.” She chuckles a bit more before rubbing her hand against her collarbone to calm herself, “Have a great time. I’ll be in my room.” You all wave her ‘goodnight’ and she retreats upstairs.

You three share a silence. Then Nick speaks,

“…So what exactly are we doing? It seems you both are full of surprises today,” He wears a teasing look which makes you and Charlie look away.

“Don’t worry about it, mister. You enjoy the ride.” You talk first before nudging Charlie with your leg. “You put the movie on, I’ll go make our plates and...” You eye Nick for a moment not knowing what he should do.

“Nick, I put the backpack in Y/N’s room, could you go get it while we set up? Oh! The headbands too.” Charlie pitches in and grins at the mention of the headbands. You and Nick blink at him before standing up to dart down your own paths.

While you’re making the plates the oven timer does go off. You take a toothpick from one of the drawers, flick on the oven light, open the oven – making you flinch back from the heat – then poke the dark chocolate fudge goodness. It has baked all the way so you grab oven mitts and drag the pan of brownies out of it’s cooker, sets it on the stove and flick turn the oven off.

After making sure everything was set in the kitchen you grab two plates and exit the kitchen, back into the living room where the movie is paused on the TV right before it begins. Charlie stands up and helps grab the two plates, letting you dart back into the kitchen again for the last one just in time for Nick to return.

“Do you want drinks? We got juices, sodas, water, you name it.” You peak your head out behind the dining room wall and the two boys pause midway in putting on the barbie headbands. You bite your lip to hold back a laugh.

“Do you have that tropical mix?” Nick speaks and you nod, he points at you in affirmation of the drink then finishes adjusting the plastic accessory around his hair.

“Root beer, please.” Charlie speaks next before his eyes shine open and wide, “Do you think we can have floats…”

Your eyebrows perk up, “I think we have vanilla? But you’re not getting that till the brownies cool down.”

“Oh, they’re out? Thank Barbie.” He holds his hands up in a prayer.

You stare at him, very much unamused and he gives you a cheeky grin.

“I’ll have tropical juice for now then.”

With a thumbs up you return to the kitchen once more, grabbing three tall glass cups from the cabinet and grab the carton juice out the fridge. You fill up two cups before staring at your own. After deciding your choice of drink, you put everything away and startle while turning around and seeing Nick in the doorway.

“Sorry,” He smiles apologetically, walking up to you and grabbing the cups filled with juice that is his and Charlie’s. He catches you off guard once again, planting a soft kiss on your cheek before bounding off to the living room again.

“What the fuck.” You stand in oblivion, feeling your face heat up. You decide you won’t unpack that tonight, flicking off the kitchen light and rejoining your movie mates.

Nick and Charlie had switched spots to where the blond was in the middle like he had been all day and your boyfriend pats the free spot next to him. You comply, setting your cup on the table while sitting and you lean into Nick with a soft smile.

“You forgot this, kind ma’am.” Charlie grabs the plastic pink band and you lean forward. He puts it on carefully and leans back with a self-satisfied expression, grabbing the remote with a quite cheer. “Are we ready for the best movie night ever?”

You and Nick watch him with amusement, “Yes, Charles, we are.”

“Not Charles, I will fight you.” He shivers at the name.

“You call me Nicholas?” Nick speaks. It makes you laugh.

“It’s your real name.” He grins.

“Is Charles not your real name, Char?” You lift an eyebrow and he rolls his eyes, still wearing the grin.

“No, it is ‘Charlie “Char” Spring’.”

You let out an insufferable sigh.

“Y’know, Y/N has called me ‘Luke’ before.” Nick leans his head back with a scoff. This makes you have a full on belly laugh which makes Charlie react the same way. “Yes, yes laugh it away.” He sighs like he’s in pain.

It takes five minutes to calm down. You wipe a precious tear away, “It was on call too and he hung up. Would not answer for like, an hour.” You inhale deeply at the memory before laughing again.

“Should we start calling him Luke as a nickname?”

“Please, please don’t.” Nick squeezes the arm wrapped around Charlie’s waist with a pleading look.

“Awwe you can’t do that.” He pouts, reaching up to pinch Nick’s face.

“Dho wha?” He sounds funny with Charlie tugging at his face.

“The puppy eyed look. The doe eyes.” You bat your eyelashes at Nick when he eyes you from the corner of his eyes before rolling them.

“We’ve gone all dahy withosut this, nowh yuu wanna shtart?” Now he’s the one doing the insufferable sighing.

“It’s a daily mission.” Charlie nods, a serious expression crossing his looks – putting on an act. He then lets go and grabs the remote again, “Movie time!”

“Movie time!” You cheer afterwards.

You three are silent for a bit as the movie plays, you and Charlie cuddling into Nick. He plants soft kisses down your face and you flush a bit. Then he moves to Charlie, repeating the action, who giggles quietly and eyes Nick with a shy look. It makes you laugh under your breath and Charlie doesn’t miss it, pointing to you with a brow raised and expression saying, ‘Don’t laugh at me when you’re acting the same.’ You look away.

“Hey,” Nick suddenly speaks up and the two of you look over. “Thanks for today. It really helped calm me down…” He continues to train his eyes on the TV but his ears burn from you and Charlie giving him your undivided attention. “And reassured me about a few things…” He purses his lips.

“Reassured?” Charlie asks quietly, as if afraid to make Nick snap his mouth shut and not speak again.

Nick sucks in a breath and you shiver from his fingers crawling up your arm. You watch Charlie lift his own hand and hold the arm wrapped around him.

“Yeah. Since everything felt like it was crashing down, I don’t know. It kinda made me feel… negative? About certain stuff. Between us. Not that I’m not happy, I’m more than thankful to be with you two but just like, how you both felt towards me…” His pursed lips flatten and your brows bend at the way his eyes dim.

“Breaking up with me for example because maybe you felt neglected or such. It made me so scared to think about I stopped responding to both of your messages most of the time and barely wanted to call because you know, what if one day you just went, ‘Yeah I don’t think we should be together,’ such and such.” You both stay quiet to let him speak his mind and you hate that he ever thought such things.

When Nick stays silent you take a sharp inhale, meeting eyes with Charlie’s glossed ones. The sight breaks your heart. “Nick…” You start off carefully and he looks over to you with so much exhaust. Slowly, you cuff his face – the same way you did outside – brushing your thumbs against him cheeks. Your right hand moves down, playfully you press your thumb against his bottom lip and smile gently.

“I’m sorry that you ever felt that way. It’s far from the truth, sweetheart.” He lets out an airy chuckle and you watch with adoration. “Y’know brains come up with the craziest scenarios when you’re stressed and it’s annoying, and stupid.” You huff, left hand moving against his cheek and he leans into the touch. Your thumb and index finger latch onto his ear and you pinch it lightly. “Do you know that, that would never happen unless you came to me asking for such a thing?” You pucker out your lips.

He watches you in a daze before laughing. “Do you know that would never happen?” Then he turns to Charlie with a soft look. “And you, Char?”

Charlie rubs at his reddening eyes and inhales. He then nods, opening his mouth before faltering. You both give him and moment and he closes his eyes in frustration before heaving out a sigh. Concern is evident in both of your expressions but Charlie opens his eyes with a new look of determination, straight at Nick.

He smacks his hands against Nick’s shoulders which makes the latter’s mouth hang open in surprise. “Nick. I love you. A lot. It hurts to know that you were dealing with these emotions, but know I’m not blaming you. How could I? It’s not your fault. Never feel bad for needing to take your time to sort out your own feelings and what’s going on with yourself. We’d never blame you for that because in the end, you know we have you, right?”

Nick nods and you can see his own eyes get glossy as well. Charlie then looks at you, “I love you too, Y/N, don’t tell Tao but you’re my bestfriend.” He chuckles, wiping at his eye again and you wipe at your owns.

“Hey, he can be your guy bestfriend and we wouldn’t have to fight over titles.” You wink, before leaning to Nick and kissing him softly. “I love you both, very much so. I’m glad you were able to talk to us, Nick.”

“Was that your goal today?” He grins in a joking manner, tilting his head in the crook of Charlie’s neck while entangling his fingers with yours.

“Did it work?” Charlie sniffles a bit before laughing. You laugh as well, “This is ridiculous we’re supposed to be watching Barbie and now we’re sobbing.”

“I give up.” You throw your head back, side eyeing the TV.

“Nooo, don’t give up.” Nicks chuckles before sitting upright. “We can still watch… we should probably eat too.” He points to the lonely plates on the table.

“True.” You and Charlie agree. You three take a moment to collect yourselves with a few embarrassed laughs here and there before settling back down.

“What’s in the bag, by the way?” You gesture to the backpack under the coffee table as Charlie rewinds the movie back to the beginning. He glances down.

“Snacks.”

“It’s good.” You hum in approval, taking a bite of your food. The three of you enjoy the movie and dinner, later on making those root beer floats paired with the brownies. Charlie had explained to Nick that he was texting Sahar about the Barbie Movie and she told him she went with Imogen. Apparently, Imogen gives the movie a 2/10 because she messed up her outfit at the theaters.

“That’s terrible.” Nick stares at Charlie in shock but it doesn’t last long with the way his lips curve into a smirk, “That’s not her real rating though, is it?”

“Of course not, she loved it.” Charlie laughs.

You’ve been quiet this whole time but suddenly loll your head to face them. Nick already giving you an exasperated look when you got their attention. “Nick. Your new name in my phone is Ken Nelson.”

[truths33k3r4]

CHAPTER 1 - BREATHE

Raph’s mind was drawing a gaping blank... Well, besides the panicked screaming echoing on repeat...

WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO???????!!

Today had already been full of uncomfortable situations. Enough tears had leaked through his eye sockets to rival those bad actors on one of Sensei’s tv shows. He became a stinkin’ breathing waterfall. Of..emotions. And now, here he was being clung to by a complete stranger. A stranger like him, but still a stranger. And now she’s crying TOO.

Raph lifted his eyes to the sky in a desperate plea.

Why did it have to be me?? Why couldn’t Mikey have done this?? Why do You enjoy stretchin’ me to my limit??? I’ve already been FEELING enough, now I got to deal with OTHER’S EMOTIONS???

Small hands continued to latch onto his. He didn’t try to pull away, but DANG IT ALL he was fighting against the constant urge not to.

I could text Mikey. Y-yeah, I could text him, he could come, do his little empathy magic, while I leave and sort things out… Ughhh but he doesn’t always carry his phone on ‘im. UNLESS OF COURSE HE NEEDS BLACKMAIL AGAINST ME- THEN IT MAGICALLY APPEARS IN HIS FLIPPIN’ HANDS.

The silence in the room amplified the awkwardness of his situation a staggering amount.

I could text Leo……

He wasn’t that desperate yet.

As he continued to try to make a plan of escape, a small sniffle pulled him out of his thoughts. He lowered his gaze back onto Lotus. However much of a complete stranger she was, she was still- well she looked just like a kid; So small and skinny.

And scared.

This… isn’t about me….right..

“Hey- hey, kid. It’s.. it’s ok. Ya need to calm down. At least take a breath.”

Lotus’ shoulders rose and fell as she forced a small puff of air into her lungs. It was pathetic, but at least she tried.

“I guess that’ll do for now.” Raph mumbled as he changed his position on the floor to something a bit more comfortable. “How about you do it again? In and out. Just try to hold it for three seconds.”

Lotus took another shaky breath in and was able to hold it for a little over two seconds, before she let it out again.

Still pathetic, but still progress.

“That’s it. Keep doin’ that. I know it’s been a bit.. scary comin’ here. Especially with my crackhead brother freakin’ you out… But uh- we may be freaks, but we don’t bite.”

Lotus finally looked up, and released some of her grip on Raph’s hand. It seemed that all of her tears had finally been spent, now replaced with a look of complete exhaustion.

It hadn’t been an easy day for anyone.

“Th- thank you, Rapha-…. Raph.” Lotus brokenly squeaked with a grateful smile. “You- you sound just like your brother.. The blue one- Um…Leo.”

Raph jolted in surprise as his brows creased in doubt.

“I’m nothin’ like him.” Raph offhandedly stated.

“Yeah sure,” Lotus scoffed, highlighting her exhausted complexion with a tinge of playful sarcasm, “ how could brothers ever act alike? My bad.”

Raph sat there with his mouth slightly ajar, blinking.

“I mean- YEAH, we’re brothers, but that doesn’t mean we’re all the same! This ain’t no cartoon where the only thing that defines us is our costume colors!”

“Huh. But you’re all soooo alike.. It’s probably a good thing you wear different colored masks, so people can tell you apart.” Lotus taunted, making Raph’s face burn in exasperation and a hint of embarrassment.

“N-NO, WE ARE NOT.” Raph sputtered indignantly, “I’M the tough guy, Don does machines, Leo’s the leader, and Mikey-” Raph takes a millisecond to think, “-We don’t know what Mikey is- But we are NOT ALL THE SAME.”

Raph looks back at Lotus and notices the gigantic, Mikey-Grade smile now shining on her face.

Little. Twerp.

Raph had to admit, it was funny. Clearly Lotus had enjoyed every second of tormenting him, but there was no way he was going to let her get away with it.

“Ya little brat! You’re trying to tick me off on purpose- what, did Mikey put you up to this???”

Raph playfully punched Lotus’ shoulder to congratulate her on a job well done. Though, going by her slightly pained expression after the hit, he realized he apparently punched her a little too hard..

“Heheh.. My bad..” He apologized as Lotus began rubbing her now sore arm.

“It’s fine..” Lotus snickered through a wince.

The room went silent.

Great. First emotions, now awkward silence. Just hittin’ all the marks today.

Raph used his unclutched hand to rub at his neck, as Lotus began looking around the room. Normally, during a moment of silence, a person would be contemplating what their next opener will be to a conversation, or even just taking in the scenery around them.

Not Raph.

No, he was too busy shriveling in the burning heat of awkwardness and feelings. He felt like a worm slowly getting cooked on the sidewalk.

Master Splinter had always taught Raph and his brothers the importance of caring for others; Putting their needs before your own and all that jazz. But just because he was taught that from a young age, didn’t make it any easier for him to do. He tried though! .. In his own way. A little jab to the arm here, a quick “good job” there… But that was the extent of his emotional capabilities.

And now here he is. The most emotionally-inept brother stuck with the impossible goal to comfort a weeping female turtle mutant. Fantastic.

The grating silence was disturbed by a prompt “SORRY!” from Lotus, as she finally released Raph from his prison her grip. Raph chuckled to himself as he began massaging his now freed wrist.

“It’s fine. You got a good grip on ya.” Raph was very grateful Lotus had decided to cling to his left arm.

“O-Oh.. Uh.. thanks.” Lotus shrugged, as she forced her hands back under the covers. She then tried to lay back down, but winced as she moved her recovering leg.

“O-ow!”

“Hey, you ok?” Raph turned to her, gripping his hand steadily on her shoulder to hopefully grant her more stability, “You shouldn’t be movin’ around too much. You still gotta heal.”

Lotus only nodded as a response, as Raph helped her lower her head back down to the pillow.

Ok- before things get quiet again- JUST SAY SOMETHING. Chat about the weather, favorite tv series- SOMETHING.

“Soo..Where’d you get those marks on your head and arms?”

REALLY?? THAT’S THE BEST YOU CAN DO??? Where do ya THINK SHE-

“..Um.. I was born with them?.. I think?” Lotus said in uncertainty as she looked over the star-like markings decorating her shoulders.

..She thinks?

“..How about you?” Lotus gestured to Raph’s arms.

“I was born with em’ too.”

“Even those scars?”

Raph’s pupils constricted as his eyes widened. His hand slowly raised to touch the deep green slash over his right eye, as his gaze lowered to peer at the lightning bolt scar imprinted into his skin at the tip of his plastron.

“N-nah. Didn’t get these until I got older.” His voice lowered almost to a whisper as memories replayed in his mind. He had to take a deep inhale to slow his brain down. He pointed up to the scar on his face. “This was an accident.”

Please change the subject.

“Oh..” Lotus nodded in understanding, “What about-”

Raph and Lotus both flinched as Don came staggering into the bedroom. His throat choked on every breath being squeezed out of his lungs, and his shoulders trembled.

“-DON?? What’s goin’ on? Are you oka-”

Raph looked into his twin’s eyes. He recognized the overwhelming fear plaguing his brother’s face. He knew it all too well. The silent link between the two connected in an instant, with message after message from Donatello.

( HELP. HELP. THEY WON’T STOP- I CAN’T MAKE THEM STOP. )

“Don, it’s ok! BREATHE.”

Raph watched as his twin’s gaze went from panicked to unfocused. He probably didn’t hear a word Raph had said.

The crimson-clad brother got off the floor and turned to Lotus.

“You good? I- I gotta take care of my brother-” He promptly asked, twisting his head from Lotus to Don with each word.

“Yeah, I’m fine-”

“-Kay. Rest up. Chill. Don’t move your leg. Take the two pills on the side table.”

And with that, Raph ran to his twin just in time to catch him before the purple-clad brother fell to the ground in a wheezing heap.

. . .

Donatello’s head pulsed with a deep ache as all his anxiety and fear combined into a tormenting storm in his body. Thunderbolts of adrenaline shot through his arms and legs forcing them to tremble. His instincts shouted for him to find help. GET HELP. GET HELP NOW.

Without his permission, his legs began moving towards the brothers’ bedroom. He didn’t register quite yet what he was doing, but it felt right to search for some semblance of comfort from one of his brothers. And by the fact that his heart rate and breathing were accelerating at a dangerous pace, he knew he needed to move as fast as he could before his low oxygen levels caught up.

HELP.

Donatello’s mind still thundered loudly with the echoes of his horrible memories, but then the sound of someone’s worried tone parted some of the clouds.

“-D-N?? W-’s goin’ on? - yo- oka-”

( HELP. HELP. THEY WON’T STOP- I CAN’T MAKE THEM STOP. )

The world remained a shadowed blur as he fought to gain back control of his body. The voice- Raphael’s voice, was telling him to breathe, which sounded like a wise thing to do. With each forced breath, Don’s vision slowly cleared. The red and green blur in front of him crystallized into the face of his worried twin. Don’s head continued to swim in the raging currents of adrenaline, but at least now he knew he was safe. The subtle waves of his brother’s comfort washed over him in a cool, refreshing tide. Fear and panic drained from his mind, leaving nothing but peaceful exhaustion. With a deep sigh, every ounce of adrenaline left him.

Quickly following his sigh, he all of a sudden felt the sensation of his brother’s arms wrapped around him, along with the coarse texture of grout and tiles scratching into his knees.

How did I get on the floor??..

Oh- right- Hyperventilation leads to low oxygen levels.. which leads to dizziness..

which leads to f- faaaain-

..I don’t feel so good…

“DUDE WHAT DID I JUST SAY!??! BREATHE GOSH DANG IT!!!!”

Ahhh my loving brother. So gentle. So polite.

“DON- Dude- DON’T MAKE ME SMACK YOU.”

Well that would be rude.

“I’M GIVIN YA TO THE COUNT OF THREE.”

..Why are we counting?

“ONE.”

Wait- what did he say again?

“TWO.”

Oh- he wants me to take a breath so my oxygen levels will return to normal leading to-

Don’s thought was literally smacked out of his head.

“H-heyyy!” Don coughed, after taking a big gasp after the blow, “Ow.”

“WELL- Ya wouldn’t BREATHE. I PANICKED.”

Raph’s smack wasn’t even that hard compared to those he’d given during one of their thousands of arguments. It was quite successful in clearing Don’s head..

Still though- ow.

And that's it for this chapter! :)

WE MADE IT GUYS!!! WE'RE OFFICIALLY IN BOOK TWO!!!!!! :) WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I have SO MANY PLANS for this book guys- I have a timeline, notes in my phone, in my notebook, AND on my computer!!!! THIS IS GONNA BE FUNNN~

I know my last book ended on a cliffhanger with the flashback, and TRUST ME- WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THAT- But first, I wanted to slowly bring you all back to the current story, where it's a bit more... calm, before I explain what happened to Don, Lotus, and Raph. Just take this little breath..

..cause you're gonna need it.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!! If you liked it, please feel free to reblog this!

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

MASTERPOST <- PRIOR CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER ->

[dirtybitfic]

BOOTS WITH THE FUR

Chris sturniolo x Y/n

Smuttt,party, drinking, smoking

Y/n pov-

I’m gonna be so honest I love partys, going out , meeting new people and ofc having a couple drinks maybe even getting crossed if I’m feeling it.

Tonight I’m going to some influencers New Year’s party with my best friend Athena.

The party has a theme. It’s decades/year so we’re supposed to dress like our favorite decade or just a specific year.

I was born in the early 2000’s and it just so happens to be my favorite style era. So I’m dressing in the best y2k outfit I can .

Athena is going with 90’s streetwear . We decided to keep our outfits a surprise from each other. It just adds some extra excitement.

She said that she knows for sure I’ll love it so I trust her on that.

I started doing my makeup trying to match the colors with my outfit the best I can. Luckily I bought a wig for my outfit so I don’t have to worry about doing much to my hair.

(Imagine her hair as a wig )

As I started to put the wig on over the cap and secure it with some pins and shit Athena came barging into my room scared the absolute Fuck out of me.

“JESUS ATHENA YOU SCARED ME” I screamed.

“IM SORRYYYYY ! I’m so fucking exited for you to see my fucking outfit. Also YOU MAKUP LOOKS SO GOOD. AND THE WIG HELLOOOO. “ Athena says looking me up and down.

“Thanksss bitch . Your hair looks so good and also your makeup . I cant wait to see how it ties into your outfit” I say.

“Same bitch . Ima go down stairs real quick and make us some pregame drinks and then we can get dressed” Athena says walking back to the door after setting her stuff down.

“ okay ima finish getting this wig to stay on then I’ll be ready to put on our fits” I say .

She smile and walks downstairs.

I just finished with pinning in my wig and spraying some more setting spray on my face to really lock in the makeup since it’s gonna be a long night and probably sweaty .

Me and Athena turned on some music to start hyping ourselves up a bit as we downed our drinks.

We were dancing around singing along and shakin some ass.

“Okay but fr we need to get dressed out Uber is about 10 minutes away” I say to Athena .

“ yeah your right. Okay let’s face our backs to each other and once we’re dressed we’ll turn around okay” she say’s excitedly .

“Alright “ I say turning around and start getting my pants and top on then waiting for her to say she was done and ready to turn around.

“Okay bitch on the count of three turn around “

“Okay . 1…2..3” I say as we both turn around .

“HOLY FUCK y/n ! YOU LOOK SO GOOD”

“ ME BITCH ! LOOK AT YOUUUU” I say looking her up and down moving my hand up and down gesturing to her.

(Athena’s outfit).

My outfit

Not gonna lie I think I nailed 2000’s fashion to the best of my abilities.

About 5 minutes after we were done getting dressed and had our shoes on the Uber was outside.

We chugged the rest of our second drinks and headed out of the door locking it then getting into the Uber.

“ so where you girls headed tonight “ the Uber driver asked.

He was honestly young which I didn’t expect but hey I ain’t complaining.

“Oh we’re just going to a party” I said honestly. Feeling the strong drinks we chugged setting in a bit.

“Oh nice. I’m guessing it’s a theme from your outfits “ he said .

“Oh yeah ! We’re supposed to dress as our favorite decade” I said smiling at him through the rear view mirror .

“ I’m guessing your … 2000’s “ he says to me, “and your 90’s he says to Athena.

“ wow you got that easily” I say laughing a little bit.

“Alright looks like we’re here lady’s” he says as the car comes to a stop.

“Thank you so much . Have a good night” I say as we got out.

“You too . Be safe” he says smiling and waving before pulling away.

Me and Athena walk hand and hand up the driveway and through the gates to the huge front door. We walked in immediately hit with the smell of weed and alcohol and loud music.

“Let’s go get some drinks” I yell into Athena’s ear.

“Lead the way” she says as I grab her hand and we weave through the crowd of people.

“Okay what you want” I say grabbing two cups to mix up our drinks in.

“Ummmm tequila and sprite” she says to me.

“God that’s nasty but okay” I say as I start pouring the tequila and sprite into her cup and swirling it around with my finger to mix it the best I can then I hand it to her.

I mix up some rum and coke in my cup .

They start playing

“BITCH THIS IS MY MF SONG “ I yell at Athena and grab her hand leading her to where everyone else is dancing around.

Me and Athena start dancing as I turn around facing my back to her front as she puts an arm around my shoulders as we sway and grind to the music.

“Girl look at that guy over by the right wall he is stariiiiing “ Athena whispers in my ear.

I look over to the wall slowly scanning it to find who’s she’s talking about. I meet eyes with the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Chris fucking sturniolo. Holy fuck why would HE be looking at me I thought.

I break I contact and turn to say something to Athena.

“That’s Chris sturniolo Athena omg” I say nervously .

I’ve had a crush on him for a while ever since I watched one of their videos when I was bored on YouTube one day then fell down a rabbit hole of their videos .

“Oh shit he’s one of the triplets you watch on YouTube “ Athena says and all I can do is nod.

As I turn to say something else I make eye contact with Chris again only now he’s at the dj booth saying something to the dj.

After a couple seconds a interesting song plays…

As the song starts playing I realize that must have been what Chris had asked the dj to play. I maintained eye contact with him as he slowly approached me all I could do was gulp nervously . It hit the line boots with the fur and Chris looked down smirking at my boots. AHHH SHIT IM WEARING BOOTS WITH FUR. Is all I thought to myself finally understanding the context of his song choice.

He finally stood right in-front of me . He leaned down to my ear causing my breathe to hitch.

“I guess all your missing is the apple bottom jeans huh?” He asks seductively. All I could do was giggle a little from him comment. “Okay funny guy” I say in his ear.

He retreats from my neck mere inches from my face now.

“Y/n right? “ he asks

“Y-yeah how do you kno—“ was all I got out before he answered me.

“Oh I’ve been watching your videos for a while you and your friend are funny as fuck” he says smiling widely at me.

“Th-thank you. You and your brothers are pretty funny too” I say smiling back at him.

“Oh you watch our videos “ he asks smirking at me.

“Yep but I do have to say … Nick is the funniest “ I say giving him a playful smirk.

“Cute” he says as he comes back to my ear.

“He may be the funniest but who’s the hottest” he asks deeply sending shivers down my back.

“Mmmmm idk maybeeee Matt” I say trying to hold in a laugh seeing if I could upset him a little bit.

“Oh you think your funny huh “ he asks as he hears a muffled giggle coming from me.

“Yeah I do think I’m a little funny” I say letting my laugh out .

“Wanna go outside ma” he asks me the Nick name sending shock waves through me.

“Y-yeah sure” I say kinda confused as to why he’d wanna go outside but hey I wasn’t complaining.

“Come on” he says grabbing my hand and leading me out the back door and to a secluded area outback where no one is around.

“Do you smoke “ Chris asks. “Yeah “ I answer honestly.

“Good cause I got a j right here just begging for us to smoke it” he says causing me to laugh a little.

“We’ll what are we waiting for then “ I say taking a sip of my drink.

He lights it up and takes a couple drags before handing it to me.

“So y/n , you talking to anybody “ he asks while watching me blow out smoke.

“Nope haven’t really found any guy out here worth my time” I say smiling at him.

“Yeah I get that. Honestly most of the girls I’ve met and been around are so insufferably annoying “ he says . I laugh cause honesty he’s right.

“Yeah I get that. that’s why I really only hang out with Athena and a couple other guys out here. Most of the girls are just cunts always judging every move I make and I just don’t have the energy for it” I say then taking a mother hit and handing it back to him.

“Oh yeah Larray said he started hanging out with you a couple weeks ago and that we’d really like you so “ he says looking at me and smiling.

“Aww I love larray he’s one of the most sweet and genuine people I’ve met since moving out here” I say as I look deeply into his piercing blue eyes .

“You look really hot high “ he says staring into my eyes deeply.

“Oh uhh t-thank you” I say as my cheeks flush a deep red. He’s so hot it’s making me nervous.

“ what do you say we get out of here maybe go back to yours or even mine ?” He asks after finishing off the last of the joint and dropping what little remains on the stone next to us.

“Yeah sure I’m honestly kinda over this party anyways” I answer honestly as we start walking back to the door .

“I just need to check on Athena real quick and let her know where I’m going and make sure she’ll be okay if I leave” I say looking up at him.

He grabs my hand and tells me to lead the way to her.

I spot her over in a group of people playing beer pong. I start to walk up to her .

“Hey Athena are you good if I head out with Chris. If not I can absolutely stay I will not leave you if you aren’t comfortable “ I say making it clear to her she can tell me no even though I’d be a little sad I would never leave my best friend alone for a guy.

“ No bitch go have fun I’ll be fine I actually was gonna tell you I’m staying the night at this guy chases house so I won’t be home at all tonight.” She says smiling at me and glancing back at Chris behind me.

“Okay bitch well I love you see you tomorrow “ I say as I give her a hug and Chris takes my hand again leading me to the front door and exit the house.

“Okay I ordered a Uber it should be a black jeep” he says looking up at the street looking for the Uber.

“Oh I see it over there “ I say pointing to a Jeep parked on the left side of the rode .

“Alright let’s go “ Chris says grabbing my hand.

I walk beside him as he throws his arm around my shoulder and once we get to the Uber he opens the door for me to hop in first then he gets in after me .

After about a 30 minute drive we reach the destination. His house.

I hop out thanking the Uber driver and then following Chris to the front door as he unlocks it then holds it open for me.

“Come on in ma” he motions me to enter and I follow direction easily entering.

“ do you mind if I take my shoes off my feet are fucking killing me” I ask him .

“Yeah ofc make your self at home . Get as comfortable as you need to be” he says as he looks me up and down.

I sit on the couch trying to get my boot off and failing since I’m a bit crossed and it’s making it harder than it should be. I wined out of annoyance of not being able to get the damn shoes off.

“ would you like some help ma” he asks smiling at me laughing a little from noticing my frustration.

“ yes please “ I say out of relief.

He knelt down infront of me as his hands moved to my boot to pull in off. I lifted my leg a little to help him pull it off easier. He gets the first one off then moved to the other leg to get my other boot off. As he was pulling it off he looked Down eyes widening a little . It took me a second to register what he was looking at . I had completely forgotten I went commando tonight since my skirt was so low waisted that all my thongs showed on the sides and I didn’t like that.

“ oh fuck … I’m so sorry I completely forgot I didn’t wear underwear. Got that’s so awkward. I’m really really sorry if I made you uncomfortable “ I say shyly as I snap my legs shut.

He looks up at me but his eyes have darkened and he has a smirk on his face that I just love.

“ no no you did not make me uncomfortable at all gorgeous . I was just thinking about how much I wanna bury my face in between your thighs.” Chris says looking into my eyes causing my breathe to hitch and rub my thighs together feeling my pussy pulsing from his words.

“ sorry I shouldn’t have said that “ he says chuckling a little .

“Oh no your good I just… well uh you know umm” I say stuttering my words not wanting to say his words turned me on but the blush creeping up my chest and face must have been a dead give away.

“ Awww look at you blushing . Did my words turn you on ma” he asks standing above me now .

“I.. “ was all I got out as he stared down at me with darkened eyes that made me feel like I was melting into the couch.

“Words ma… tell me what your feeling “ Chris says as he bends down and puts his arms on each side of the back of the couch locking me in.

“I feel… really ducking turned on right now “ I say as I part my legs slightly so he could see how wet I was.

“Oh ma look how wet you are I haven’t even touched you at all” he says as he starts kneeling infront of me moving his hands to rub my thighs.

The touch of his hands causing me to whimper.

“Want me to touch you ma. Make you feel good”he asks in a husky voice making me squirm a little bit.

All I could do was nod .

“Use your words ma I’m not gonna tell you again” he says sternly.

“Yes Chris please I need you so bad” I wimped out .

“Good girl now spread your legs wide for me “ he says and I do as I’m told I think he’s starting to catch on to how submissive I really am for him.

“Look at you being such a submissive little slut for me . Doing exactly what I tell you god you listen so well” he says before diving his head between my thighs and flicking his tongue on my throbbing clit causing me to moan out his name.

“F-Fuck Chris so fucking good” I moan as he starts sucking on my clit sending my head flying back and louder moans to escape my mouth.

“Feel good ma” he asks and the vibrations of his voice on my pussy causing me to shiver.

“Yes Fuck Chris keep going it feels so good” I moan out .

He goes right back to licking and sucking my clit making my legs start to shake. He inserts two fingers into me causing me to gasp and buck into his face from surprise.

He sucks on my clit as he curls his long slender fingers hitting the perfect spot but I know I need to warn him if he keeps finger fucking me I’ll squirt some guys have gotten angry with me over squirting on their face and I don’t want him to do the same .

“Fu-Fuck Chris if you keep doing that I’m gonna squirt “ I say half whimpering and sounding concerned trying to warn him .

“Fuck ma that’s so hot give it to me . Soak me like the little slut you are” he says as he thrust his fingers deeper and sucks my clit harder .

At this point my legs are shaking so hard that I can’t even try to stop them and I start to feel the build up in my stomach feeling my climax rushing in fast and hard.

“FUCK CHRIS IM GONNA …” was all I got out before I felt myself release all over him and I could feel my squirt dripping out of me .

I looked down to see Chris smirking with a pussy drunk expression on his soaked face .

“Fuckkk ma that was so hot … I always wandered if you’d be a squiter” he says honestly causing em to tilt my head and furrow my brows .

“You had sexual thoughts about me before” I ask a little shocked.

“Oh trust me ma I’ve had many thoughts … and dreams about you” he answered honestly with a smirk causing me to tilt my head back and whimper. That was so hot to me for some reason .

“Let’s go to my room we’ll have more space on the bed for what in about to do to you” he says as he pulls me up by my thighs holding me as I wrap my legs around his waist .

He starts walking down the stairs as we reach his room he enters and kicks the door closed behind him and walks to the bed throwing me down onto it before tearing his shirt and pants off then coming back to me.

“Let’s get this sexy little outfit of of you .yeah?” He says as he pulls my top off and moves to my skirt and yanks it off after undoing the button.

“Fuck your so beautiful y/n” he whispers causing my face to get hot as a blush washes over my face.

“Thank you “ I say as he looks over me .

“Turn around on all fours now I wanna see that ass” he says and I do as I’m told .

He slaps my ass hard causing me to moan .

“Yeah you like that don’t you “ he says as I cry out as he slaps it again a little harder .

“Answer me “ he says and he slaps my ass even harder .

“YES Fuck Chris I love it . “ I say as more of a moan .

“I’ll go slow at first ma so you can adjust. I’m not huge but it will hurt” he says as I feel him rubbing his tip on my entrance.

“Okay” I say as I feel him starting to enter me and Jesus Christ he’s thick I can feel how much he’s stretching me out and it ducking hurts.

“Ow Fuck chris” I say reaching back to push him away but he just grabs my arm and holds it behind my back.

“I know ma shhh you’ll be okay I got you “ he says making me feel a little calmer and less tense.

“I’m gonna slide all the way in okay ma” he says as he caressed my back with his other hand .

“Mmhm “ was all I could get out .

He thrusted into me bottoming out causing me to let out a scream.

“FUCK CHRIS “ I screamed as I felt a burning sensation flow through my pussy from the stretch of him.

“I know ma I’m sorry but it would have hurt more if I did it slowly “ he says sympathetically knowing I was probably in pain.

“Just tell me when to move okay gorgeous “ he says I tried to calm my breathing as I adjusted to his size.

“Okay yo-you can move “ I say as the burning sensation started to die down.

He starts thrusting slowly but deeply causing my breathe to hitch from the pleaser of his deep thrusts.

“Faster Chris please “ I wined to him.

He starts thrusting faster hitting my gspot perfectly.

“Fuck ma your so tight” he groaned as he felt me clenching around him already getting close to another orgasm which shocking me because I’ve never been with a man who can make me orgasm at all let alone this fast.

“FUCK CHRIS OMG IM SO CLOSE” I screamed out feeling my orgasm approaching.

“Suck a good girl for me ma give it to me . Cum all over my dick” he says and his words send me over the edge causing me to be a shaking whimpering mess under him.

“Fuckkk that’s it ma such a good girl “

“Ughhh Fuck Chris “ I loaned out as my orgasm died down but my legs shaking was becoming so much that my legs started to give out from holding my weight up.

“C-Chris my legs I -c-can’t hold my self up for much l-longer” I try to get out as he’s still thrusting deeply into me.

“That’s okay ma get on your back for me” he says as he pulls out letting me readjust my position.

He hovers over me and moves my legs onto his shoulders and repositions his dick back at my entrance before slamming back into me . Him having my legs on his shoulders has him hitting new spots even deeper in me I feel like he’s in my stomach right now.

“FU-FUCK CHRIS YOUR SO BIG AND DEEP OMG” I scream moan as he keeps thrusting hard into me.

“Yeah ma you feel how deep I am in you” he says as he moves one hand to my neck chocking me and his other to my lower stomach feeling himself deep inside me . The pressure of his hand causing more pleasure to run through me .

“Fuckkk ma I can feel you squeezing me you gonna squirt all over my dick like a good girl” he says as his hand around my neck squeezes a little harder .

“Yes FUCK YES CHRIS “ I scream out as I get the familiar feeling that I’m about to squirt and my legs start shaking uncontrollably.

“Fuck .give it to me slut show me how much you love the way I fuck you” he says as he applies a little more pressure of my stomach causing me to squirt all over him and the sheets . It’s so much I feel it soaking the sheets under my ass and a little at my lower back.

“Holy fuck that’s so hot ma “ he moans out into my ear causing me to shudder under him as my legs are still shaking on his shoulders .

“F-Fuck Chris I can’t t-take anymore it-s to mu-much” I try and get out and it come out in just a pathetic tone that has Chris smirking as he stares into my eyes.

“Awww ma you can take it I know you can . Your gonna quirt for me one more time “ he says into my ear deeply causing me to moan .

I’m moaning and whimpering as my nails start dragging down his back so deep it causes him to thrust harder into me making me scream as I feel my third climax approaching.

“JESU CHRIST CHRIS IM GONNA SQUIRT AGAIN” I scream as my head flies back and my legs start shaking harder .

“Yeah give it to me slut your taking me so well” he says and I squirt so hard that my hips lift off the bed and he has to pull out from the force .

“Jesus ma that’s a lot “ he says as he watches me squirm under him.

“F-Fuck Chris I don’t know if I can take anymore” I whimper out feeling so overstimulated at this point .

“ I know you can ma I promise I’m close “ he says as he slides back into me causing me to shake and whimper .

He starts thrusting fast and hard into me causing my hands to fly back to his back scratching deeply again I know those scratches are gonna hurt tomorrow but he doesn’t seem to mind he actually seems to like it a lot judging by the way he groans and his thrust speed up.

“Fuck you gonna let me cum in you ma” he asks me as I feel him start to twitch in me and his thrust to start getting more sloppy.

“Yes Chris Fuck please fill me up “ I moan out as I feel my final orgasm approaching quickly .

“Fuck I know your close mama cum with me okay” he says as my nails continue to scratch up his back.

“YES FUCK CHRIS P-PLEASE” I scream out as he hits my gspot over and over I start to cum as I feel his cum filling me up.

“Fuckkk such a good girl ma letting me fill you up” he groans in my ear as I moan and shake under him. His thrusts slow and he slowly pulls out of me causing me to whimper.

My legs are shaking and I can feel our mixed juices leaking out of me .

“Fuck you look so hot with my cum dripping out of you” he says as he just watching it drip out .

“Take a picture it’ll last longer “ I say as I laugh a little bit.

“Can I “ he asks seriously and a little excitedly .

“Sure why not “ I say to tired to fight him on it.

He rushes to grab his phone and takes a picture and video saving them to his my eyes only .

“I just wanna remember the first time a girl let me cum In her “ he says with a cute smile making me laugh.

“Can I tell you something” I ask Chris.

“Ofc ma you can tell me anything” he says as he lays down next to me bringing me into a hug.

“Your the first guy who’s ever made me cum and the first guy I’ve ever leg cum in me” I say looking into his eyes smiling .

“Wow I feel very special right now” he says smiling at me.

“Yeah yeah whatever “ I say feeling a little shy now.

“ you wanna shower and stay the night” he asks me .

“Yeah ofc but your probably gonna have to help me walk to the bathroom my legs are like hello right now “ I say laughing a little.

“Alright ma come on” he says as he helps lift me up and carry me to the shower . He sets me down on the little seat in to shower and turns it on letting it get hot. He steps in and his dick is right in my face causing me to giggle a little as I grab it and give his head a little kiss.

“Fu-Fuck ma “ he says in shock of what I just did I just smiled up at him as I let go of his dick and he helped me get up so he can wash my body and then his as we both are clean he turns off the water helps me dry off and throw one of his sweatshirts on since it’s so damn cold in there house and then get into bed.

“Hey do you think I could take you out on a date sometime “ he asks as I cuddle into his chest.

“Ofc Chris I’d love that “ I say as I give his chest a little his.

“Yayy” he says all giddy making me smile .

“Hey can you turn over for a second “ I ask him . He looks at me confused .

“I wanna see the damage I did” I say sweetly .

“Okayyy” he says smiling as he flips over and I gasp . I knew I scratches a lot but fucking hell I feel kinda bad now.

“ god damn Chris I’m sorry I didn’t think I scratched that hard” I say as he flips over.

“ ma it’s okay I loved that shit” he says as he moved some of my hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead .

“I’m gonna turn on the fan and then we can go to sleep” he says as he gets up and runs the fan in and turns off the lamp on his bedside table pulling me into him so I’m the little spoon.

“Good night my beautiful girl “ he says softly I. My ear.

“Good night Chris “ I say rubbing soft circles in the back of his hand as we drift off to sleep.

THE END.

[kani-miso]

mini analysis on route 1 ch 3

@hectorthedoggo

alot of words = alot of lore drop

tw : child neglect, child abuse, murder

THIS IS SO GOOD AND AMAZING OMG MY GOODNESS 5K??? ILYSM/P

pst, as per usual

red colored words= important but not about the keyring/jackalope

bolded words=keyring/jackalope information

italic words= reusing from fic

p_1

'Her defensiveness reminded them of Jackalope, when he- wait, what did he do again? He did something bad, but…'

They stopped their thoughts before they could think something they shouldn't think.

(i think jackalope is narcissistic, here's why: narcissistic people tend to be defensive of their own opinion caused by their sense of superiority.) alright, what the hell did he do. es' sense of morality is black and white if its someone close to them (jackalope). if so, then that means jackalope did something pretty bad for es to think of that.

'They stopped their thoughts before they could think something they shouldn't think.' something makes me concerned by the way es just disregarded that memory. they're trying to make a pure and clear image for jackalope due to their closeness. victims of abuse by family members/guardians usually stay silent about their situation fearing they were responsible for the abuse they endured or that speaking up can cause physical harm to their abuser (which some victims dont want to happen).

p_2

“Humans are bad influences, of course. I shouldn’t be here right now.” Es repeated the previous thought that wasn't quite theirs.'

“Humans are bad influences, of course. I shouldn’t be here right now.” they are always teached by jackalope that they shouldn't, no, mustn't interact with any other being that is not jackalope (especially humans), why though? im guessing its a. because jackalope does not want es to find a new guardian to latch on. b. jackalope has a poor relationship with humans (john/mikoto's attack at the tower) or c. some sort of traumatic event that happened to them due to abusive human behavior which causes jackalope to become more defensive and cautious about es' safety (< previously abused theory), but with the way you write jackalope, it's very unlikely to be c., it'll probably be b. imo.

''Es repeated the previous thought that wasn't quite theirs.' aha, there it is. es' thoughts are based off of jackalopes ideals as they do not have free will. this could possibly affect the growth of their mindset and brain with irreversible changes.

p_3

'Everything about that statement was strange. Form their own opinions? That would only lead to disaster, didn’t he know that?

They didn’t remember why that was true, they just… knew.'

'Form their own opinions? That would only lead to disaster' oh!/neg. more proof of them not having any free will. from this sentence, it sounded like they have done a mistake of forming their own opinion which caused something horrible to happen. es is an obedient child so one time punishments could change their whole perception on said subject. no wonder they always follow jackalopes ideals and opinions even if they have no idea if its right or not.

'They didn’t remember why that was true, they just… knew.'' uh huh. for me, it has some parallels with the previous chapters (e.g : ch 2 'Es never really questioned the origin of the keyring, just knew that they should always have it, no matter what.'). when a naive child is told something crucial, it WILL be implanted in their mind.

p_4

'He had been nothing but nice to them, probably just because he was in a good mood right now. But what if they induced a bad mood? Es didn’t know what his bad mood would look like, but-'

'He had been nothing but nice to them-', more parallels?? (route 2 ch 3 These people had been nothing but nice to them, and this is what they traitorously thought.) i know its from a different route, but it still feels so similiar.

'-probably just because he was in a good mood right now.' ouch, the eggshell parenting is parenting/negnegneg. how much more toxic could es' relationship with jackalope??? first, he's a neglectful guardian. second, he is an eggshell parent. third, he socially isolates them. (they cling to him, like he's their savior, yet they're scared of him, like he's a monster.)

'But what if they induced a bad mood? Es didn’t know what his bad mood would look like, but-' omg, the survival instinct is instincting. when children are in unsafe enviroments, they tend to recognize the daily patterns of their predator/abuser, such as: their footsteps (if there are multiple predators), sleep schedule, and their emotions based off of physical appearance. since es only knew shidou for like, less then 2 days, they cant read what his emotions are since they're yet to recognize his patterns.

p_5

It was more of a question. The color was all over their overly formal clothes, so maybe? They preferred the slightly different shade that made up the tie around their waist.

'Hm… Jackalope didn’t give that to them, did he? It didn’t exactly match their uniform, and it was a little off-color. Who gave-

One of the keys around their neck warmed up in recognition of the thought.

They decided that it was time to stop thinking about that topic. They didn’t want to remember it.'

'Hm… Jackalope didn’t give that to them, did he? It didn’t exactly match their uniform, and it was a little off-color. Who gave-' what.. i think i have a theory for this. lets start with

'who gave this to them?' : i suspect it might be from their past abusers

'what's the purpose of it?' : the tie on their waist is tied into a knot. many cultures including japan use knots to symbolize unity. es and their past abuser will always be tied into a knot together because no matter where they go, the abuse stays. it either continues from another person, or the previous scars of abuse never heal (both physically and mentally)

'the tie has 2 ends, what's the meaning?' : the number 2 usually symbolize the duality of two subjects, the ones that are important to note are : yes/no, true/false, and yin/yang. yes/no, true/false are self explanatory, yin/yang on the other hand. 'yin' represents coldness and darkness (< es' uniform overall colorscheme is cold representing yin, mind you this is give by jackalope). and 'yang' represents light and warmth (< es' tie on their waist is a warm color, this is given by their past abusers). i wonder if this is implying that es still cares and resonate warmth from their past abusers and feels coldness and a sense of darkness when getting taken care of by jackalope..(no wonder pain is nostalgic for them) also, in japan, 二 (ni). It represents creation, time (past, present, and future)

'why does the end of their tie look like a teru teru bozu?' : a teru teru bozu is a traditional japanese talisman used to bring good weathers and to stop or prevent rainy days. rain is essential when growing crops, so it symbolizes the growth of a new family (found family and biological). the fact that they are using a teru teru bozu that prevents rain implies that they are being held back in finding a "new family" :(.

'One of the keys around their neck warmed up in recognition of the thought.' woah okay were getting there.. usually the keyring gets warmer because of the mention of jackalope, mind you, the WHOLE keyring. then, when a past abuser is mentioned only one of their keys get warmer. jackalope can be taken as the embodiment of all of the abusers, down to the manipulation, neglect, physical abuse (?), emotional abuse, and domestic abuse.

'They decided that it was time to stop thinking about that topic. They didn’t want to remember it.' this has become the fugue es™ movement omg. i dont remember how many times they did this but its definitely more than 3 times.

p_6

'Their feelings were taken into account; that was new. Es took a second to consider the choice

He patiently waited for them to make a choice, which was another foreign action.'

'Their feelings were taken into account; that was new.' 'He patiently waited for them to make a choice, which was another foreign action.' ARE YOU KIDDING ME IM GONNA CRY IN THE CORNER. more of the 'victim falls to good hands and is confused' type of thing. i guess this implies that jackalope is also very impatient, this idea clashes with the canon autistic es here. people with autism needs others to be patient due to their different mind set and thinking pattern with neurotypicals. its really bad if you force a person with autism to be quicker because that could overstimulate them. (again, im not good with these topics so correct me if anything bothers you)

p_7

'This line of thought was getting dangerous, but Es lingered on it for a bit before trying to shut it down. Jackalope wouldn’t like them thinking like this.

However, their traitorous emotions still supplied a craving for a different life. Some teens about their age passed by, laughing with some ice cream, something Es never remembered tasting.

Would they have been with those teens, in another-

Get back to the tower. Get back to the tower. Get back to the tower. Get back-

A sharp pain shot through their head, and they let out a little whine. Of course this would happen, they thought too much, after all.'

'Jackalope wouldn’t like them thinking like this.' everytime they think of something, they will always prioritize jackalopes feeling first.. even if its something they want, something they crave, something they NEED.

'Would they have been with those teens, in another-' no, no they wouldn't. if they were never taken by jackalope, they'll never escape from the hell hole of abuse (if the theory's true). when they were taken by jackalope, they have no other choice but stay in the tower for eternity. both choices are a lose lose.

'Get back to the tower. Get back to the tower. Get back to the tower. Get back-' the more i read it, the more it doesnt feel like es' thoughts. especially from the previous chapters and other routes, everytime it (e.g. they should always have it, no matter what. 'But, they decided to think about it, idiotically, so their head started throbbing. They let out a little pained yelp.')' they should always have it, no matter what,' that sounds like jackalopes orders, same thing with 'get back to the tower'.

A sharp pain shot through their head, and they let out a little whine. Of course this would happen, they thought too much, after all.' also, im kinda doubting that the reason they feel the sharp pain is because of overthinking, it feels like jackalope is controlling their mind during those moments and when he's done possessing them, they'll feel pain.

p_8

'They didn’t deserve to be forgiven like this. They were having bad thoughts, thoughts that Jackalope wouldn’t like, so Shidou should hate them, too. He assessed their pathetic state, then reassured in a calming voice. “It’s alright.”

How come his expression showed no hints of anger? His voice was nothing but gentle, no annoyance hidden by his concern.

p_9

Guilt clogged up their throat. So, he must not have noticed their bad thoughts. That was the only justification for why he wasn’t mad.'

'They didn’t deserve to be forgiven like this.' oh, abuse victims usually feel a sense of burdening others and feeling guilty about it (omg forgiven and guilty milgram reff/j)

'thoughts that Jackalope wouldn’t like, so Shidou should hate them, too.' due to jackalope being the only living being es knew from the very start of their life (from waking up of the coma-ish state) they thought all adults would act the same just like jackalope. also, just because they had bad thoughts jackalope hated them? wow im gonna burn him 🌹

'How come his expression showed no hints of anger?' dont tell me jackalope also gives them the sarcastic smile treatment. even below his smile, they can feel the anger in him (because of the emotion pattern recognition)

'So, he must not have noticed their bad thoughts. That was the only justification for why he wasn’t mad.' the fact that they only think he didnt get mad was because he didn't feel their aura makes me sick. maybe they've gotten away with their bad thoughts once for them to think this is the only justifiable reason (or not)

'How did he know they were scared that he was mad at them?'

istg shidou is a mind reader you cant convince me otherwise or maybe its just because of es' obvious vulnerable state that makes them look like a pathetic scared child (just like the past)

p_10

'Jackalope usually didn’t cook his meat that much but did cook it some so that it was edible. Es preferred it cooked.

IM SORRY DOES JACKALOPE SOMETIME FEED THEM RAW MEAT??? i swear the neglect gets crazier from chapter to chapter. '-but did cook it some so that it was edible.' key word: some. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SOME?? he is giving them the bare minimum, the only one essential for living.

p_11

She growled, “I’m sorry, I guess. You showed clear signs of neglect, I had to get you away from that place! But here-”

“There’s no way I’m going back to your cave! I’m staying with these people!”

“These people are dangerous!”

“How? Is it some sort of wild assumption that you made?”

She took a breath, and with a face and voice full of hatred, she said,

“Of course they’re dangerous.

They’re murderers, Es.”'

thank you for reading this, have a reward

WHAT

'You showed clear signs of neglect, I had to get you away from that place!' she was the only one who knew.. im crying

“Of course they’re dangerous. They’re murderers, Es.”' omg ARE YOU KIDDING ME THEY WILL NEVER TRUST A SINGLE HUMAN BEING EVER AGAIN, NOT EVEN KOTOKO.

me(es) when reading this chapter

(did not proof read lol)

[pebiejeebies]

ISNT IT FUNNY? - Poll below.. read warnings please.

TW: Curse words, Full caps, Vent/Rant (I got very angry here.. sorry)

(If you are sensitive to the topic of LGBT, Alterhumanity, Vents/Rants, please do not read.)

Before you read, understand that most of what I say is an example, nothing more, nothing less. And I support and love Alterhumanity and LGBTQ+ equally, no more, no less. And If I worded something wrong, do tell!

Im glad to hear you two aren’t actually mad at me.. (Talking specifically to @chocolatespyro and @thelittleprinceconfirmed , but this is for everyone, don’t leave yet!)

I kinda feel like a little child or something— you know, for telling me I’m not wrong.. hah.. but eitherway thank you both for explaining what’s right and wrong, I “sorta” thought I did like a HUUGGGEE horrible thing so like I took a moment alone for a bit, then I came back to your very calm words.

I’m never used to people talking to me so.. nicely, (especially in a sensitive topic like this) that’s why I might fuck up and say I messed up even though I had the complete right to speak. (Which shows in my “apology” post, I literally deleted everything cause I thought it was a stupid idea to talk about)

Sigh, I guess since it’s fine from the both of you, I guess I can talk about it again. Honestly thank you for comforting me and such. I expected WAAAAAAYYYY worse.. (haha trauma go brrr) but yeah, back onto the topic.

(THIS IS THE START OF THE TOPIC IF UR UNINTERESTED IN WHAT I SAY FOR THEM <;3)

The topic (if you didn’t know) was basically about how people reacted towards LGBTQ+ and Alterhuman coming out situations..

(I think if you go to my profile and use #my polls you might find a broken and messy reblog of it, cause I deleted the text/poll aha..)

Let’s do an example, shall we? (NO HATE TOWARDS LGBT. JUST AN EXAMPLE)

We all love it when we hear the appreciation posts say: “Be who you are! Never hide your true colors! Show yourself to the world! Never be scared to shine!” And so on.. but why do I feel like it’s mostly aimed for humans (aka LGBT), not Alterhumans.. (IK THERE ARE APPRECIATION POSTS FOR THEM/GEN)

If an Enby came out to their parents, (like in America or a country that supports lgbt) there’s a good chance they’d be supported by their parents, or friends, or both! (WHICH IS VERY GOOD, DONT TAKE IT THE WRONG WAY!)

But alterhumanity has an issue with that, (Still in America or a country similar to it) if I ever said to my parents that I was a therian and a fictkin, they’d either laugh thinking I’m joking or smth, or they’d think I’m out of my religion for being an Alterhuman (WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC! SEARCH IT UP!) I researched so much for a good week or two, learning about therianthropy and fictkinity, and it doesn’t even affect your religion! Satanist? You can be a Alterhuman! Christian? You can still be Alterhuman! Etc etc..

It is an Identity, you identify as an Alterhuman, just like how you would identify as a part of the LGBT!

(Keep in mind that I know what LGBTQ+ people go through, and I’m so proud of them for fighting back all this horrible hate)

Back to the main issue, which was the “Coming out” issue. like I said earlier, if you came out as an enby you’d most likely get good treatment, like flags around pride month, and freedom of expression! (And Like hearing people use your pronouns, which probably feels so great <3)

Now let’s look at alterhumanity.. If I wore a tail or ears out in the public.. will I get the feeling of “Be who you are! Never hide your true self!” In those painful stares of disgust and shame? If I ever hissed “accidentally” in public, wouldn’t they just make fun of me? (Which.. sadly happened once.. never again.) and so on..

What’s my point you say?

LET. EVERY. CREATURE. EXPRESS. THEMSELVES.

Where is the equality everyone talks about?! Have you seen how much HATE VIDEOS of THERIANS, OTHERKINS, AND SUCH?! It’s RIDICULOUS.

It only infuriates me because you (not targeted dw) say “Be who you are! Never hide! Show yourself to the world” then go all “What the fuck are you wearing.. are you a cat boy?! Cringe asf..” or “You do know ur human right?” OR ONE OF THE MOST INFURIATING THINGS TO SAY TO US “You wanna get treated like wild animals? I’ll get my shotgun and hunt you down lolol”

Aaahhaha funny indeed! (I might be overthinking again, sorry)

You don’t see enbys (NOT TARGETED. ITS AN EXAMPLE) Get called “You know you’re human right?” Yet every day (not literally) I see a new post on therianthropy hate, mocking of them walking on all 4s or showing their beautiful howls/roars/meows/squaks.. etc etc.. (This sort of happens to furries as well, they are so misunderstood. </3)

It’s frustrating when I show myself to this world after they ASSURE me and TELL ME ITS FINE.

then all I get is a

mocking

stare

of

DISGUST.

even after they say “I’ll never judge you”

(Take a moment to breathe, and think about this so far, I don’t want you to get tired because of me, <3)

Sigh. I guess this accidentally turned into a vent/rant (since I was more comfortable talking about it.. makes sense I guess)

Now, the thing you (probably) came here for.. The Poll.

(Be a little more detailed in your opinion please and explain if ur talking to me or not/gen, and please reblog/nf so more people can vote/nfnfnf)

Thank you for voting/reading (I like looking at statistics, that’s why I made a poll btw.)

Here, have a cookie for being so patient!

🍪

[mayordeas-clone]

detailed thoughts on the new designs for the crypton superpack :]

(i drafted this post when they were initially announced and before their release so i know this isn’t exactly relevant but it was so close to finished anyway that i might as well publish it while cleaning my drafts)

miku

finally, FINALLY ixima got miku’s hair weight right. my main gripe with the nt design, for as much as i loved it, was that her hair was a little too top heavy. the hair getting wider at the bottom is reminiscent of the v2 and v3 designs and looks much better (i will note that i didn’t even mind miku’s hair getting thinner that much, i think it suits her but aesthetically i will always prefer bigger hair)

a little more minimalistic compared to NT. i guess they wanted to keep things more classic here. kind of a shame since i loved all the scalloped edges of NT 😭😭 miku’s top is on the plain side again but im glad it’s still white

the new tie shape is interesting. i know it’s subtle but i wanna say something anyway. im glad they’re back to the tie instead of the ribbon like in nt, but idk the shape sorta overlaps with len’s who i think suits it more. i think i prefer the traditionally diamond shape it has

a liiiitle mixed on the hair tie things. very reminiscent of v4 but less tall. they’re definitely easier to draw i’ll give it that but it does feel like something is missing with them

overall miku is pretty much unchanged, she’s sort of back to basics after the bigger departure of her NT design but the hair really does sell it for me

rin

my girl! :D they’re still doing the thing where rin wears a lighter grey while len wears black which i just don’t get 😭😭😭i feel like the value gap is even wider here. it’s nice they let her have a little black in her belt but now im just thinking, why couldn’t the rest of her dark clothes be black?

I LOVE HER SHORTS… that style with the two buttons is right up my alley. my personal designs may or may not see some edits in the future

they’re back to the belts on their hips which i like to see. the two toned effect is nice

the ribbon thing on her chest sort of returns from her v4 but different. i did not like it there but i think it’s improved a little bit here. its more loose and not as voluminous i guess, so its shaped more like her hair bow, which is nice. not sure if i prefer it over how it originally looked but its growing on me

i’ll miss her garters from v4 TwT not much else to comment on the foot/leg wear besides that

overall she’s cute as always but i will never get over the grey, please let my girl wear black im begging!!!!

len

definitely the most familiar-feeling of the group. i might have the least to say about him

i forgot to mention this in the others’ but the two black clips are a thing that’s included in everyone’s design in some way (except rin? maybe it’s her hair clips but they didn’t want to make them black). len’s are on his tie and while it’s a small detail i’m just like…. you are cramping miku’s style man. especially since their ties are shaped the same! anyway i know that’s a small nitpick but it’s something i noticed. that’s probably the most notable change in len’s design

it’s len

luka

yes….. YESS this feels like the proper upgrade and evolution of her v2 design i have been WAITING for, combined with some of the elegance and class of her v4x

her hair doesn’t seem as thin as it did in v4x??? (this is the actual hair loss that mattered not miku’s). maybe i’m coping though

her chest plate (ripped straight from v4x) is kind of strange but i’m glad the rest of her bodice isn’t that weird nude color 😭😭

her emblem is finally in a normal place again yay (really did not like where it was in v4x)

rejoice!!!! her ugly ass gold boots are gone!! her shoe game now is sort of overlapping with miku but i do like the situation here, it’s very sleek

i love those sleeves and the little chest window. so glad to see that damn mesh gone

her single sleeve from v2 is gone which sort of removes an element of asymmetry that was a main ingredient of her whole design but i do like this approach more. it was a bit of a clunky element that got in the way of the elegant character luka’s voice is meant to embody. they probably could have implemented some sort of asymmetry on her arms or neck in a more subtle way but i like the look of her exposed arms a lot

this is easily luka’s best iteration yet (i know there’s not a whole lot of competition but still). it sort of meets her v2 and v4x incarnations in the middle with the familiar feeling with new tweaks to make it feel cleaner and more classy. i love her a lot

meiko

oooh i love all the additional black elements in her outfit, adds some value to her fit compared to the white elements. i believe the black was an invention of her design in project sekai?

oh my god… her popped collar, it’s everything to me. has a lot of attitude that i’d expect from meiko

love the new wrist cuffs, not much notes there i just think they’re cool

the black goes a long way in enhancing what was great about her v3 incarnation and she definitely feels COOLER now. i love her

kaito

oh kaito… he’s seen a few small changes and i really love them!

his coat is fully opened now which i think really adds a lot. it sorta makes him feel less stuffy and he can breathe a little. makes him feel more casual which i do like

THE GLOVES!!!! they’re a small detail but i am glad they’re here!! super cool

boots are slightly different and they got shorter. they look…. a little goofy ngl, i do miss the higher boots of V3

coat design is virtually unchanged from v3 without the small unnecessary details and colors. i know they were tiny in the grand scheme of things, but their removal does clean his design up substantially. overall an improvement and one of my faves in the lineup

[destinygoldenstar]

Golden Analyzes 2001 Nominees “Shrek”

*Have Not Seen Prior, GF Has*

We’ve reached it. The very first Best Animated Feature Winner.

Pay Respects.

So this is the first case scenario where me and my GF, (we’re watching these together) have totally different experiences with a movie on the list.

Jimmy Neutron - We both never seen it

Monsters Inc - We both seen it

THIS movie, I hadn’t watched it in full prior to this. But she has.

Actually, I think I should clarify my stance when I say ‘haven’t seen it’. Cause with Jimmy Neutron, I actually hadn’t seen a single clip of it and knew nothing going in.

With this movie? I mean I haven’t sat down and watched the movie in full before this.

I’ve been SPOILED TO DEATH about this movie. So I know the plot. I know what happens. There are no surprises waiting for me.

But I’ve only sat down and seen a few clips. One was the very end of the second movie years ago when I was walking in on a babysitting watch party. Another was that scene in the third movie of that ogre baby doing a vomit rocket, which was even longer ago back when I was a kid with Windows XP. (Come on Microsoft, make Windows interesting again!)

And we also went on a Shrek themed VR ride at Universal. I don’t remember anything about it aside from we rode it.

Though to be fair I never remember VR rides that well.

So I know Shrek. I know it’s story. I know the impact it’s had on the industry. I just never found time or interest to sit down and watch the full movie.

My GF on the other hand has seen all the movies and spin-offs, and she is a pretty casual fan. She’s rather indifferent to these movies, and said they’re good movies.

So… she’s gonna have more to say in the reactions than usual. While I descend into madness.

But due to the Oscars nominations, I will get a descent Shrek fill in. Shrek 2 is 2004. Puss N Boots & Puss N Boots The Last Wish we’re both nominated. I will be required to watch those.

But not the third of fourth movies. I am not required to watch those. And I heard they were the worst of the franchise so I probably won’t. Depends if I get that invested in Shrek.

Okay… let’s go in.

Reaction:

Bold is my GF’s words

“Did this storybook rip off Sleeping Beauty? That looks familiar.” “It’s also odd as these characters don’t look like that in the movie.”

“Sorry, my mind is dirty. That F is way too big. Replace ‘for’ with the f word. Completely changed the sentence.”

“SOME-BODY ONCE TOLD ME- I’m sorry.”

“YOU EAT MUD?!”

“He’s so ugly that the mirror couldn’t stand to look at him.”

”He murdered a fish with his farts. Oh dear gosh he murdered a lot of fish with his farts.” “That’s one way to go fishing I guess.” “Why would you shower in mud if you’re just gonna take a bath right after?”

”This movie’s gross. Especially those slugs just… they don’t look right.”

“Okay, eating eyeballs?! No no no no. Nope… I’ve watched Total Drama though. I havent had a movie that’s made me lose my appetite for Cheeze-It’s yet. Let’s see if this one breaks me.”

(It didn’t. I could still eat Cheeze-Its throughout the movie)

“I wonder if he traumatized these people for sport.”

*He puts the fire out like it’s nothing* “😂” “😂 They’re a bunch of cowards.”

”I’ve had this headcanon as to why Donkey is being sold along with the other fairy tale creatures when he’s not a fairy tale character. You know in Pinocchio the island that turns people into donkeys and one of them talks still? He’s that donkey.”

”Those banners are the Facebook logo!” “Huh? Oh yeah… I was always confused by that cause Farquad’s colors are red and yellow.” “He’s Lord Facebook! He’s the head of Facebook!”

*’Im a real boy’ *nose grows** “That is so depressing.”

“Dang, Tinker Bell is either a failure or a sociopath.”

“I mean, you did save him with no reason to, so…”

“Oh he’s so us.”

“I mean technically it’s his property, and you’re a stranger. He kinda has a right to not let you in.”

“One thing that always bothered me was how everyone looks so old.” “Yeah.” “Is it because fairy tales are old??”

“NOOOO” “What?” “I thought he was gonna eat it for a second. Whatever he pulled out of his ear.” “Ear wax candle.”

”You can’t just put a CORPSE on the table!”

“Over a DAY, they ALL set up a whole civilization here.”

*Does anyone else know where to find him?* “No trust. No respect.”

”‘I am going to save your lives! But only for my own selfish reasons. But I’m still doing it!’”

“Oh yeah, this gingerbread man suffers a lot.”

“NO NOT THE LEGS. COME ON.”

*I tried to be fair to you creatures* “So murder and enslavement is fair.”

“How is he not a king? He has a castle and is a dictator and everything.”

“She’s DEAD. 😂 Yes marry a corpse. Would you like your bride alive or dead?”

“That’s gotta be one of the worst designed castles I’ve ever seen in a movie.”

“Hi welcome to Facebook.”

”I’m perfectly okay with sacrificing all of you.”

*oh that’s not very nice…* “Shrek gets so much mistreatment that he-“ *Its just a donkey* “Oh… 😂”

”GET DRUNK YOU GOONS”

*Onions have layers* *Ogres are like onions* "...THAT had to be the WORST metaphor you could've possible come up with."

(It's a SIMILE, actually. I thought I was a writer)

“Honestly I’m with Donkey on this one.”

“I can never look at this scene the same way again knowing they have those hybrid babies” “…THE DONKEY AND DRAGON DO IT?!”

“I don’t ship this. Ew. Ew. Ew.”

“She speaks in old English?” “Yeah. She doesn’t do it all the time though.”

*well I have to save my ass* “😯” “Oh yeah, also there’s swearing in this.” “No I’m fine I just didn’t expect that reply.”

”I don’t ship this… I’m deeply uncomfortable. A dragon is trying to S/A a donkey.”

*Shrek gets his ass kissed* “AAAHHH! NOO!! NO NO NO NO NO!!” “…I forgot about that part…” “AAAAAHHH! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THIS MOVIE?!”

”…oh okay… she has wings…” “Yeah good thing.” “I thought the dragon was gonna get hanged for a second.”

*Why didn’t he come rescue me?* “Yeah. Exactly.”

“No consent. Dragging a woman away without consent.”

“He’s already got the wedding outfits set up…” *sees the bear rug* “OH MY GOD.” “Yeah…” “I’m actually jumpscared…” “Earlier in the movie, the three bears were locked up together and the bears were crying for her… and then at another point in the movie she’s not there and the dad and baby are crying.” “😨NOO.”

(RIP Mama Bear)

*singing to the bird* “Awww…” *the bird explodes* “😳… actually I saw that coming. Still messed up.” *takes the eggs to cook* “NO!!!! NO. NO. NO. NO. THATS ANOTHER LEVEL OF SCREWED UP! NO! NO! IM LOSING MY MIND!!!” “Im gonna go…”

(We took a five minute break)

“Huh. A crass princess. Interesting.”

“…is it bad that I was kinda vibing with that?” “It wasn’t good. And they’re misogynistic… but yeah, I was vibing with that too.”

“…Im deeply uncomfortable but what do I expect now?”

“I was waiting for those frog balloons, oh gosh…” “It doesn’t phase me anymore.”

“…so are those animals dead?”

“She’s gonna marry Facebook.”

“DONKEY. I was digging that!”

“Is it bad that I think she’s really pretty as an ogre?” “Yes! Definitely! She’s real cute like this. Love the curves.”

“I wonder if her dress was designed specifically for this transformation.” “Im pretty sure it’s just magic.” “I think it’s just a very stretchy dress.”

*I thought that wouldn’t matter to you* “What?”

(REWINDED)

“…what’d she say?”

(REWINDED AGAIN)

“Yeah I’m not crazy. She said that SO quiet I can’t even hear it.”

(At least the version we watched, idk)

“Oh here’s the part. The leg part.” *the leg part* “😂”

“Uh…” *she presses the Farquad figure in the cake* “Yeah.”

“I’m very surprised there’s no guards blocking the door.”

“Why don’t you just go in? What’s stopping you?”

“The domino effect on the people 😂”

“…oh it does magic her clothes too.”

”😳 OKAY THEN.” “That’s a dark way to die for sure.” “I was expecting him to put up a fight, but THAT’S how he dies… that’s kinda pathetic.”

“😂” “Wait, this one window didn’t smash. Hold on.”

“I LOVE that she stays an ogre. That’s such a great message.”

(We Stan Fiona in this household)

“And then they all sing Shrek’s style in the end. Having accepted him.” “I didnt even notice that.”

Review:

Yeah, uh… I think I lost it far more than I thought I would. XD

And I’m a Total Drama viewer, which is pretty much this franchise but parodying reality Tv instead of fairy tales.

This is one of those movies that would probably not fly today from how much… rancidness is here. But apparently they’re making a fifth movie, which I, who has only seen the first movie so far, cannot comment feelings about.

I won’t dock points for it though, as it’s pretty clear it’s all done on purpose to serve as the movies distinct identity…

…you know, as one giant hate letter to Disney. If you know its history.

Okay, but putting that aside, this movie was a cultural phenomenon and a huge deal… and I get why.

Nowadays everyone’s trying to copy it, pretty much anyone under the Universal belt copied it at least once. But back then… yeah there wasn’t anything like it. And unlike those imitators that make their movies as childish garbage, this movie knows exactly what it’s doing and what it wants to say.

So much so that they repeat the message of the movie over and over and OVER again. And ngl, I felt pretty bashed in the face every time they said something under the likes of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Because it was NOT SUBTLE AT ALL.

I think that’s a dialogue issue more than anything else. I would say kids movie, they have to use subtext less, but then I remember Monsters Inc was also an Oscar nomination and that movie knew subtext pretty well.

I think this is my biggest critique of the movie. There’s a bit of a lack of subtext.

There’s a lot of telling instead of showing. And I think the story and the message would’ve hit a whole lot harder if they showed things instead of just saying them.

For example, Shrek talks about how everyone immediately called him a monster before knowing him… but that’s it. He talks about it. What we’re shown is the aftermath of such where HE’S purposefully scaring THEM. Yeah I know he’s not attempting to murder anyone doing this he just wants privacy, but I think they could’ve made these civilians a bit more unlikeable, unreasonable, and unfair going in to make Shrek’s point have more ground to stand on. I think the scene would’ve hit a lot harder for me.

I do have other critiques as well

The animation is… actually not as bad as people make it out to be now. Yeah it aged badly but there are some really pretty skies.

Mostly the problem isn’t even the animation, it’s the designs.

That Lord Facebook castle is… YIKES, that’s bad looking.

The ogres look fine, but the people just look… OLD. Like, far older than I think they’re supposed to be. I think the only human character that looks like the age they’re supposed to be is Fiona.

My GF pointed this out too. She suggested that maybe everyone looking like this is on purpose to add to the fairytale satire angle. And maybe.

Now I have my fair share of fairytale satires in my life… but I am a little confused on how fairytales function in this world??

Like obviously the characters are there, but do they live out their respective fairytale stories? Are they aware their stories are written in stone? What about the people who aren’t fairytale characters? What do they do?

None of these world building questions get answered, at least not in this movie. Like, maybe if Shrek was a fairytale character, even if a very minor monster obstacle character, then the hatred towards him would be much more understandable?? Like, on the civilian’s end not on the message’s end.

Lord Facebook is also probably the weakest character in the movie.

Yes I know it’s Lord Farquad, but over the reaction we made a joke about the Facebook looking banners so we’re calling him Lord Facebook.

There’s really only one scene where I’m convinced he’s a threat as a villain, and that’s him torturing the gingerbread man. He hates and slaughters fairy tale creatures because… why not? (I forgot) And he somehow is not the king??

Why would he need to be king if he already has this much power?

And even then most of his power is used off screen. Like the Mama Bear murder. ON SCREEN, aside from that one scene I already mentioned, he poses pretty little threat. The heroes don’t really try to stop him until the end of the movie, Fiona puts up very little fight for her own character reasons, and in the final battle, Facebook gets eaten and killed very early and very easily without much of a fight. A fight that his GUARDS do.

I’m just saying, the main villain kinda doesn’t have too much of a ‘role’ dictating the narrative. Cause again, it was Fiona’s choice to go with him. She’s not being held captive by him or anything. He’s not the guy that locked her up in that tower.

So this movie has some issues…

I still very much appreciate it.

Despite the movie being made out of spite (if you go behind the scenes) it has a strong heart of a story of an outcast learning to let people in his life.

Shrek is not a monster. That’s just the stereotype people put on ogres. But he acts like that monster as a coping mechanism for loneliness. Which is a very real psychological thing.

I first assumed the movie was about this ogre getting a redemption arc and changing into a better person, but this is a subversion I’m pretty pleased with. I mean yeah Shrek is… flawed, but so is everyone. And he shouldn’t have to, say, remove his ogre side to fit in.

(Wait is that the plot of the second movie??)

And it’s also why his relationships with Donkey and Fiona, who accept him for who he is, is very important for both him and the story.

And I really liked these two characters in particular. MUCH more than I thought I would going in.

Except eating birds eggs. That’s a big no no.

Donkey, I suppose, fits the ‘comedic sidekick’ role, and I was prepared to be extremely annoyed by him throughout the movie…

…what I got instead was a very wholesomely pure character that was vital to the story. Yeah he’s a loudmouth, but he has by far the best heart in the movie and such an amazing friend to Shrek. Even when Shrek snaps at Donkey for a misunderstanding, he never blames Shrek for anything and remains emotionally supportive and open to listening to Shrek. It’s a friendship I completely bought from beginning to end.

I also completely bought the love story from beginning to end. The main character literally wiping his ass with the notion of true love only to find said true love? Irony at its peak.

And I will say that after watching this movie fully for the first time, I am a Fiona STAN.

I knew the twist with her being an ogre even before I watched the movie, so no surprise there. Again, I’ve been spoiled to death of this movie. What I wasn’t expecting was how well it was used as a thematic purpose to parallel Shrek.

This is something she can’t control. There is nothing she can do about it. Shrek can’t either cause he was born an ogre, but they’re both in the similar situation. In Fiona’s case however, she lies about it. She hides it. She masks herself to fit the society norm of a princess because that is what she’s supposed to be.

And being locked in a tower for god knows how long with no social contact? Of course she’d think no one would love that side of her. All she has to go off of is fairy tale logic, which is why she speaks in Old English at her debut scene.

Kinda wish they kept that part as a running thing for her, cause they kinda drop it after the rescue. That’s a nitpick though.

But after hearing Shrek having experiences that are relatable to her fears, she opens up far more to her real personality, which Shrek falls for. She’s crude, she’s cynical, she has no problem getting her hands dirty, she can kick ass without much issue. That’s another thing I like. She played the traditional damsel in distress at the tower, but it was clear it was just a gig for her and she could’ve escaped if she wanted. But it’s her willing choice to go to Farquad after the misunderstanding, and Shrek isn’t saving her physically at the wedding, he’s saving her mentally.

That was a nice subversion of the trope.

I also LOVE that she stays an ogre at the end and that’s her ‘beauty’. Cause despite not being born an ogre, it IS her. It’s genuinely very beautiful.

“Man, gotta love ogre, one of my favorite genders”

Idk how much of a hot take this is, but she’s prettier as an ogre than she is as a human. I said it.

I’m not one of those people that love romanticizing obesity, as it is a genuine health concern that be damaging to one’s life. But there is a good line between that and just having a body type that is more plus sized than others. And that’s okay. Especially if there’s nothing that can be done in some cases. I cannot speak for the plus sized women that watched this movie, but I hope it really touched them in a positive way and made them appreciate themselves more.

And to this day, Disney hasn’t made a princess with a chubbier body type. But if they ever do we all get to claim that Fiona was the first.

…and also that Red Shoes movie that’s pretty good and also did body positivity well.

Shrek’s bond with both of these characters is the heart of the movie, at least for me. It’s genuinely so touching to watch a guy who got isolated for so long be able to open up again to people who can love and care for him for who he is. Maybe it’s not the best version of this story in the world, but it’s still a well told one.

And, uh… idk how controversial it is… I like the pop music in this movie.

Nowadays its overdone and serves no purpose besides advertisement and songwriters getting a paycheck, but in this movie it serves a genuine narrative purpose and the movie would be worse without it.

It’s SHREK’s style of music. It’s HIS narrative being narrated not in a traditional fairy tale way, but by his playlist.

Every other character in the movie tries to sing traditionally like a Disney Movie. Donkey tries a lot and Shrek keeps stopping him. Fiona sings and kills a bird with her voice. (Yeah the mockery of Disney is strong here) Shrek meanwhile doesn’t give a damn about his reputation.

(I’m sorry)

And it really works for the ending after everyone else is singing the song ‘I’m a Believer’ together at Shrek and Fiona’s wedding. They join in on Shrek’s style of music because they have grown a sense of acceptance of Shrek.

(At least I think they did)

So yeah, good movie with some rough edges to it. I honestly wish I loved it more than I did. But I’m glad I didn’t hate it. At least I am now scarred by a dragon sexually harassing people.

And according to the nomination list, I will be required to watch the second movie and both of the spin-off movies.

Anyway, that's it for this movie and this concludes all the 2001 Oscar Nominated Movies For Best Animated Feature. I'll make a post where we come to our own conclusions on our opinions on the win and what movie we think should've won instead.

[chocolatechibi]

Nuts n Dolts week: Day 1

@nuts-and-dolts-week

Prompt: Atlas Ball

Different Now

There was rarely a hot day in Atlas. Or, more like never. Not once, in Ruby’s experience since arriving there.

It was just cold cold cold, all the time. The kind of cold that bit.

Ruby tugged on her thin blanket, trying to untangle it from around her legs and pull it over herself. She didn’t really have much energy to put into it though, and it only made her arms sore.

She rolled over, staring blankly towards where Blake sat in front of the mirror, gently rubbing the makeup away from her eyes with a makeup wipe.

Ruby didn’t really get makeup, or why girls wore it.

But the bigger question just then was why did she feel so dull?

It seemed as if she had no energy, and was instead just laying there like a log.

Maybe she was just tired! Or maybe she needed something to do. Shouldn’t something be happening?

“Blake!”

Ruby nearly fell out of the bunk bed in shock, utterly caught off guard by her sister’s hollering.

She rolled over, and Yang smiled at her.

“Oh, you too Ruby. Guess what you guys? There’s gonna be a ball!”

Blake turned in her chair, makeup wipe still in hand.

“A ball? Like a dance? When?”

“Only the day after tomorrow! We have to get ready!”

After that the two got into an animated conversation about makeup and outfits and shoes and such, while Ruby just faced the wall.

A ball, huh?

She wasn’t so sure. At the dance at Beacon, all she’d done was stumble around awkwardly in uncomfortable shoes before leaving the party to go fight with Cinder. She had no idea what to do at parties like that, and she doubted this one would be any better. Worse, probably.

Atlas nobility, ugh.

Still, she doubted she was being given a choice in the matter.

She rolled over again to face her teammates, only to find Yang in the process of whispering something in Blake’s ear, looking a bit flustered. They both blushed upon seeing Ruby looking at them.

“O-oh, yeah, sure,” Blake responded, rubbing the back of her head, a blush on her face.

Ruby smiled.

It seemed her sister had actually asked the girl to be her date this time, instead of just letting her go with Sun. Not that he was even there, but regardless.

“Hey Ruby, you’ll go shopping with us, right? To prepare for the ball?”

Ruby’s smile turned into a little frown.

“Yeah, I guess.”

She just didn’t know what to do at parties. This was going to be a mess, and she just knew it.

—

“Ughh, not these shoes again!” Ruby whined, stumbling as she tried to slip into the short black heels.

“Oh, quit your bitching,” Yang said lightly, adjusting the tie of the smart black suit she wore, “I’ve worn heels with at least two inches more than those, you’ll survive.”

“Says the girl wearing dress shoes!”

“You could’ve worn dress shoes, too, sis. Literally no one was stopping you,” Yang replied.

“Not with a dress!”

“Guys, stop!” Weiss said, “Let’s just get this over with.”

Having had to attend these parties for years growing up, Weiss seemed to be dreading it more than anyone. Ruby felt bad for her. She felt bad for herself, too. At least Weiss could walk in heels without falling over!

“We should go,” Blake said, checking the time on her scroll, “No one’s gonna be happy if we’re late.”

And so the four girls left their room, navigating the winding hallways until they came to the ballroom.

It was pretty big, with high ceilings and the classic Atlas color scheme of silver metal and blue and white trim. Atlas banners hung around looking classy, and waiters in tuxedos made the rounds with trays of champagne and other drinks that none of them were old enough to drink, but Yang surely would anyway.

A large portion of the room was the dance floor, as was typical for a ball, but not many people were dancing yet. It was still early in the night, and everyone just milled around, making fancy people conversation.

As soon as they walked in, Ruby immediately found herself alone. Weiss had been roped into whatever conversation Winter was having, and Blake and Yang were in their own world. Just as Ruby had predicted, the two already had champagne flukes in their hands. Blake was giggling at something Yang said as they stood arm in arm. Ruby sighed. She only hoped her sister didn’t get drunk and do something stupid.

Now Ruby was left to stumble around awkwardly in her uncomfortable shoes, yet again. She did that for a while, until-

“Oh, there’s Ren and Nora!” she thought aloud.

Nora was always good at connecting people and talking. Now Ruby wouldn’t be alone!

But just as she was about to rush over, she saw the two take hands, stepping gingerly onto the dance floor, where the first couples were beginning to dance. Ren and Nora fit right in as they joined them, leaning on each other as they swayed softly.

So they were in their own world, too.

Ruby sighed. Was it really going to be like this all night?

How she had forgotten the most important person, she would never know.

“Sal-u-tations friend Ruby!”

Ruby’s face lit up for the first time in a while.

“Penny!”

The android girl was looking her best, in a melon-green dress with a sash and dark green accents. She wore white heels, and the ribbon in her hair was green.

Ruby had never understood makeup, ever, but on Penny, it seemed like the most beautiful thing. Or maybe that was just Penny herself as well. The eye makeup her friend wore accented her big teal eyes perfectly. The mascara and eyeliner only added more depth to her dark lashes, and the green eyeshadow dusted above her eyes was the perfect finishing touch.

“I was hoping you’d be here, too!” Penny cried, “Oh- Ruby?”

She was cut off as Ruby pulled her into a tight hug, just holding her there. Penny hugged back just as eagerly, leaning her head on Ruby’s shoulder.

All of a sudden, the party didn’t seem so bad to Ruby anymore. Her anxiety seemed to soften, the chatter melting away as she basked in the android girl’s calming presence. She was happy.

“I’m glad you’re here, Penny.”

“Me too!”

Ever since her friend had returned, Ruby had just wanted to hug her. It seemed like no amount would be enough. She just wanted to hug her for ever and ever, to never let go. Just the two of them.

But eventually, she had to pull away, and they just smiled at each other. Penny had a pretty smile, it made Ruby feel warm inside.

Just then a tuxedoed waiter passed by, and Penny grabbed two glasses from his tray, muttering a soft thanks as she did so.

“Here you go,” she said, offering one glass to Ruby.

At first, Ruby was confused, but Penny’s reaction soon set things straight as she took her first sip.

“So Ruby, I- this is alcohol.”

Penny took the cup away from her lips and stared at in horror. Ruby burst out laughing. She simply couldn’t help it!

“Yeah, I know, it’s champagne,” she told the other girl, taking a sip herself.

It did taste pretty awful. Ruby didn’t understand what made people wanna drink this crap when they could just drink milk, but whatever.

“But- Ruby- We are underage! We must not drink these!”

“It doesn’t matter, Penny. Just sip on it a little, it’s the only party thing I know how to do.”

Penny looked about to protest, but then confusion and a bit of concern took over her expression.

“What do you mean?”

Ruby sighed.

“I dunno. I’m just not very good at parties. I never know what to do. And these shoes are killing me.”

Penny frowned, looking down at her own shoes.

“It is kind of uncomfortable, huh? The party and the shoes.”

Ruby laughed, albeit a little bitterly.

“Yeah. It’s just not my strong suit.”

“Hmm,” Penny mused, “I see what you mean. Well then, let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where-?”

But Penny didn’t answer, only grabbed Ruby’s hand, pulling her away. Ruby didn’t even protest, just followed her. Penny’s hand was smooth and cold, but it seemed to shoot a spark of warmth through Ruby, and she held on tighter.

Together, they left the ballroom entirely, heading back into the maze of hallways that seemed to make up everything in Atlas. It was so confusing, Ruby knew she would never have been able to navigate it on her own. Penny led the way with confidence, though, so for once, Ruby didn’t feel lost. Lots of turns and a couple flights of stairs later, Penny seemed to have found what she was looking for.

She pushed open a door, leading Ruby out onto a large stone patio that overlooked the courtyard. It was quiet, and freezing cold, but the night air was somehow so refreshing after the stuffiness of the ballroom. The stars were out as well, and from high up, it seemed like there were so many more than ever before. The sky was clear, and the stars were so bright, like sharp pricks of glass against the black velvet of the night sky.

Ruby took a deep breath of the night air, setting her champagne glass down on the ledge. She could still taste the alcohol on her tongue, the flavor woozy.

“Ah. This is much better,” she said.

“Yes, I agree,” Penny replied, “I’ve come out here on occasion just to think. It’s a nice place to get away.”

Ruby nodded, then before she could think twice about it, she took off her shoes and chucked them over the patio railing.

“Ruby!” Penny cried in surprise, “Why did you do that?”

Ruby just laughed.

“I’ll be better off without them, anyway, unless you wanna see me trip and fall off this patio.”

Penny giggled.

“I suppose you’re right. I shall take off mine as well.”

The orange haired girl bent down to undo the Mary Jane straps of her heels, taking them off one at a time and tucking them under her arm.

“Alright, throw ‘em!” Ruby encouraged once she was done.

The stone patio was poky and cold under their bare feet, but neither of them cared.

“I’m not going to throw them!” Penny protested.

“C’mon, just throw them! We’ll go look for them later, if it means that much to you.”

Something about Ruby’s free spirit must’ve been contagious, because all of a sudden, Penny was doing it. She was throwing her shoes, and they both stood there watching them as they soared out of sight.

“I missed you.”

Penny turned in surprise, and Ruby just observed her. She wanted to memorize every little detail of the girl before her, so she’d never forgot. Really, she just never wanted to have to miss her again.

Penny’s expression softened.

“I missed you, too, Ruby.”

Ruby felt her eyes fill with tears, and before they could fall, she pulled Penny into a hug, holding her close.

“Ruby?” Penny questioned, nuzzling into her shoulder.

“I just… I want you to know that there was never a day when I didn’t think about you. God I just- I just missed you so much.”

“Ruby.”

Ruby let go, and their eyes met, Penny’s hand brushing her cheek.

“I thought about you, too. All the time. And I was always with you. Every day you thought of me, I was with you.”

Ruby shook her head slowly, breaking eye contact as she tried not to break down.

“It’s not enough,” she mumbled.

“What was that?”

“It’s not enough!” Ruby snapped, making the android girl flinch.

She stared at Ruby with confusion, not understanding why the girl had lashed out at her.

“I- I’m sorry. I just… I thought you were gone. I don’t want you to leave again. Please, don’t ever leave again,” Ruby begged, leaning on Penny as if she was her lifeline.

Penny squeezed her tight, leaning on her and burying her face in Ruby’s dark hair.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, “I don’t want to. I just want us to be together.”

“I want that, too.”

“Then smile!”

Ruby looked up.

“What?”

Penny smiled.

“You should smile!” she said, “We’re together now, so we should smile, and promise never to be apart again.”

And even through her tears, Ruby did smile, for the sight of Penny’s happy face seemed to light her up inside.

“I promise you, Penny.”

Penny nodded, brushing the tears from Ruby’s cheeks.

So Ruby took her hand, pulling her across the patio.

“What’re you doing?” the android girl questioned as Ruby began to sway.

“It’s supposed to be the night of a ball, right? Let’s dance.”

“Oh. Okay.”

So they danced, just the two of them. They danced, barefoot on the patio with no music to guide them, just the feel of each other and the swish of the night wind in their dresses. They swayed and swirled around each other, hand in hand, and their hearts beat together, almost as one.

When they met close once again, Ruby leaned her head on Penny’s shoulder, whispering something softly into her ear.

“I love you-“

Penny barely even let her finish.

“I love you too. I think… I think I always have. For the longest time.”

Ruby smiled, basking in the warmth of the girl beside her.

“Maybe it was always meant to be,” she said.

“Maybe. And we’ll always be together,” Penny responded softly.

“Always. I’m not going anywhere without you, Penny. Never again.”

“I’m so glad.”

They were different girls than they were in the days of Beacon. They were growing up. They were going to change.

But through it all, their bond was still strong. It always had been.

They were still Ruby and Penny, and they would always be together.

[mrm-pachypoda]

Idk who the fuck I can talk to about this, so I’m writing it here just so it’s Somewhere™️

So, to lay a bit of background, I may or may not have psychosis. I’m going to get officially tested in early May, so we’ll see soon.

Another thing to note is that I’m a fan of the Magnus Archives. So, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that I’ve been having hallucinations regarding the Distortion. Specifically Michael, I think. It’s probably because it was my comfort character when listening through the podcast?

Anyway.

I started seeing it a month ago, outside my window at night, or on the opposite side of the street, to eventually being right behind me. However, usually if I looked at it directly, it was gone.

I was feeling its Presence months before that, since November at the earliest. I was oddly never perturbed by Knowing that it was there, even when I somehow Knew what it was.

I’m a city guy, who insists on taking public transport everywhere instead of figuring out how to drive. Today was no different, sitting down at the second closest seat to the front door of the bus, on a weird elevated platform directly over one of the front wheels. Before the bus takes off, I see him. Or it.

Based on a generous guesstimate, it was broadly six and a half feet tall. Clad in thick black snow boots, snow pants (?) and a long winter coat with synthetic fur lining the hood. It was a lot more muted than I thought, actually. It had skin. Don’t know what color, but it was human. It did have unruly, curly shoulder-length blond hair, but it could’ve been anywhere between dirty blond to golden to platinum: I truly couldn’t tell. I think it had eyes, but I could only ever see its irises. I never could see a sclera, and I couldn’t tell where its eyelids began. Every time I looked at it, the color of its hair and eyes(?) shifted. However, its eyes were usually green, I think. I think it had a nose, and it must have had a mouth, but I never really saw them. It was like looking at an outline of a person, where inside it was fuzzy, and the edges weren’t exact sharp. Its image was clearer when I didn’t fully look at it.

After the bus started moving, It pulled itself up by the bars overhead, moving towards me, but gripping on those bars like inertia had an effect on it. While it was walking, its hands seemed larger, its legs distended, before looking broadly normal again when it sat down on the seat next to me.

We didn’t have conversations. It could communicate negatives and affirmatives, along with general emotions which in combination could tell me basic things when combined with the gestures it made. However, when it tried to Talk, its mouth didn’t move, and it made no sound, but I knew that it was talking. It almost felt like it was speaking at a frequency that only dogs could hear, and its non-mouth that was maybe smiling simply wasn’t animated.

I Knew that it didn’t like my taste in music. I Knew that it was encouraging me to open the monster can that was in the bottle pocket of my bag. I Knew that it found the flannel that I was wearing to be distasteful, especially considering the patches that I’d recently sewed on its elbows were very obviously eye-shaped. I knew that it wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.

It followed me off the bus, moved along with the foot traffic, and didn’t’n’t comment on how the weather was ‘too cold’ for my outfit, even though it was in the mid-forties. It seemed.. certain? Smug? That it.. dressed, I think, ready for the weather. It was 44*F. It’s in hardcore winter camping but also maybe instagram-able clothing (that is, if you applied enough filters). Im definitely tangenting now, but dude’s deranged (no shit).

Yet another case of the pot calling the kettle black, I guess.

It both was and wasn’t tangible. I put a hand on its shoulder, at one point, and nothing was stopping gravity from having an effect on my hand to let it drop, but it didn’t. I quickly snapped my hand away, obviously. That wasn’t a not-sensation that I would ever want to experience again.

Eventually, it didn’t leave. But it did. I saw it get off the second bus and leave, but it also didn’t move at all, just disappearing.

I still don’t know how to feel about it. I wasn’t scared at all, but I know I should be disturbed by this. I know that I should bring this up with someone.

As a side note before I forget:

I’ve drawn Michael before. What I saw today really doesn’t reflect how I have drawn it in the past. This looked almost human, where in my illustrations I tended to lean into it being something Other Than. Don’t know how to feel about that, either.

So, that’s all I have for now. Any thoughts?

[uttercolor]

every monday on r/vexillology it’s the only time of the week you are allowed to upload mashup flags, i can’t take it anymore.

here are some mashed flags with similar names

Guinea Guinea Guinea Guinea Guiana

guinea + guinea bissau + guinea ecuatorial + papua new guinea + french guiana

last time i completely forgot about papua new guinea somehow, so now i'm also throwing in french guiana.

macatlonia

macedonia + catalonia the similar colors lend themselves well to each other, i think they are both easily identifiable in this one flag, also pacman.

zgambia

gambia + zambia gambia gets kind of obscured, but it doesn't look bad at least.

Ericeland

iceland + ireland i remember i tried to do this one a while back, but nothing felt right, im happy where i ended up, don't think the implications of putting a red cross on ireland are lost on me.

sbudan

sudan + bhutan i feel pretty clever for this one, with the negetive white space symbolising the dragon.

The Congo of The Congo

congo + democratic republic of the congo there's probably a million ways to mash these two, mine is just one of them, i guess that's true for all of these, but it feels evident here especially.

indiona

india + indonesia such a bright red didn't feel right on india's flag at first, this feels like a nice compromise.

slovaknia

slovakia + slovenia i initially avoided this one out of fear i won't have anything to change, i was mostly right, had fun with the coat of arms though.

tongo

togo + tonga switching in and out some parts, fine enough.

nigeri

niger + nigeria niger has horizontal stripes, nigeria has vertical ones, diagonal it is then.

only two of these don’t have green.

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Clone high living blogging

Episode 2

Oh wow the second hand embarrassment is SO strong when Joan was asleep in class…..

……..Joan knows about Wiccan stuff AND she practices it?? I mean I guess that makes sense seeing as her clone mother was a French saint?

“Women just weren’t friends with each other like that” GIRL what do you mean?????? Like in context Joan is saying she wants friends. I know that the show had a very small character group but ?????? That didn’t mean girls didn’t have girl fiends???

Oh there breaking the 4th wall again…….i feel like this is gonna happen a lot.

Joan really said “im not like other girls”

Harriet and Frida give those vibes of girls who pretend to be friends with the outcast only to betray and bully them…I don’t trust them.

Nooooo jfk don’t have any guy friends because ponce is dead noooooooo :(

Ah hell yeahhhhhh the blue background bathroom are back!!!! :)

Nooooooo Joan had a new foster mom!!!! Cleo’s mom and toots are probably dead :(. Hmmm that makes me wonder, HOW do the clones feel about their family might be dead? Like to them it’s what, been a day? 2? Since they got unfrozen, so it must be so jarring to hear that their family might be dead or something. :(

NOOOOOOOOOO TOOTS IS CANOTICAaly dead :(

Oh no jfk learned out the internet/tiktok

Frida and Harriet murder someone….surprise but not really….

JFK and there getting into an internet battle? :/ ok…do those “correct grammar in arguments” things really happen??? Like in real like?? It feel very specific……

Episode 3

“My boy toy jfk”

Seeing the gang having anxiety is interesting….Lind of gives them characterization…

I feel like this season is very Joan-centric while last was Abe-centric. Mmmm if there is a third season will it be focused on jfk? Or Cleo?

Topher has a emotional support possum :)

It’s neat to see Harriet fear/anxiety of being a “basic wine mom”. I like to think that she just has a fear of motherhood, or like, Amatonormativity.

Them beat the heck out of the monster while saying their fears is so cheesy. Then them saying “oh it’s (insert celebrity name here) from (xyz) is soooo scoops doo like. It’s also cheesy.

Doc….why do your nipple look so gross?

Ooohhh 👀 the clones that got taken are mind controlled 👀

Episode 4

Weird….zombies??? Goblin??? Things

I feel like the reason Joan feels odd this season is because she actually feels very passionate about stuff? Like off the top of my head the only times I remember seeing her very emotional was over Abe, not being allowed to play baseball, anything with Cleo, and the snowflake day. Like, all those time where of anger or yearning so seeing Joan happy/motivated is…..odd.

I still can’t get over Cleo voice. It sound so…high? I’ll why but I keep remembering Cleo old voice as lower?

Oh! I’m right! Her voice WAS lower, (watch a video complicated in Cleo and compare it to her new voice) :/

Ha. Cha cha smooth parody.

Oh sweet! Finally some cool stuff on how the old clones interact with the new one. Aka Joan lie and say the coffe is made from child labor and everyone believes it. Hmm very interesting take on stuff! Like ughhhh media criticism and cancel culture and stuff. Idk man I can’t explain it…

…….. awww we could had have a Joan and Cleo moment were they bond and stuff :(

Did Abe and Cleo ever breakup or are they still a couple?

Hehehe valley girl accent <3

:0 homesteader Cleo!!! Joan did a backflip….neat

:( I just realized I laugh more/chuckled more in season 1 than in season 2. So far the only time I laugh is when slow float about to hit Joan. :(

God I hate Confucius outfit. Dude why are you a triangle??? Why do you’re legs not match you’re top??? Harriet outfit is fine, still an eyesore color wise but fine.

YAY MR B AND JOAN!!!!! Love their friendship :)

YES!!! YES!!!! JOAN AND CLEO FRIENDSHIP???? Or at least no longer enemies!!! Whooo!!!!!!!!

Episode 5

10 years non union internship…..damn. 👀 hmmm would that be a good job? Like if the pay is good and manageable hours then 👀

*looking up clone high Harriet because I was curious why Harriet wants to distrance herself from her clone mom* *see that in season 1 there was already a Harriet* ???????? What….what happened to the original clone? Was she not frozen and she died and Doc was like “yeah likes remake a new Harriet clone lol”

Yay musical episode :)

Oh wow they are good singers, mostly Harriet and Frida

OMG PONCE’s DAD IS BACK yippie!!! :)

I’m like 99% sure that’s not how Footloose works. Wasn’t the dancing ban happen because of a drunk driver or something in the movie?

:( the husbands don’t get along anymore :( Mr b is so catty now

“Abe can’t sing, can’t dance…” i don’t think he even knows karate? I don’t think he’s going make it/lyrics

✨ white guy confidence✨ …………….don’t drink Abe sweat….

Harriet being a pushover/not wanting to speak up against her friend 👀 (also side note it seems like Frida and Harriet stop hang out? Or rather Joan and Harriet are closer friends then with Frida??)

Oh gross they actually drank Abe’s sweat….

Harriet likes her play! It’s different from Joan’s and that fine! Love that Harriet stood up for herself and wants to do her own thing

Oh hey Vincent van go! :) he spoke!!

The said fuck! Literally the first time it happen on the show!! :0

The quiche medphor is nice :)

…..these nerd didn’t try a second time? Also Cleo can dance! She did it with Ashley angel (no pun intended) and she dance at prom????

“Practice makes progress” :) wise words Frida!

Harriet is a good singer

Oh no is jfk and Harriet going to get together???

Ok I think Harriet may be my favorite new clone…

NoOOOOOOOOO NOT THE DINNER !!!!! :0 it’s burning!!!!! Nooooooooooo

[justafrogandherumbrella]

Welcome to Nowhere: Jerrell

Jerrel has a perfectly human face. That’s the first thought that comes to you when you look at him, even though you’re not entirely sure what it means. He has eyes, a nose, and a mouth- like Aderyn does. However, unlike Aderyn, he doesn’t have succulents sprouting from his skin, covering half of his face. He doesn’t have a lot of hair- just a few, wispy gray strands atop his head. He has brown eyes, cracked and dried lips, and a wrinkled face.  No strange object in place of a head, no animalistic features, no strange colors or patterns, and no extra eyes, ears, noses or mouths.  Nothing inhuman at all. He seems… right. He seems like what should be. WHat’s normal and what’s familiar. But… that can’t be right. You’ve never seen anyone like him, you don’t think. And what does that even mean anyways? Normal or human? Does it even matter? 

“Who the fuck are you?” He snarls, looking you up and down. 

“I could ask you the same question.” You step forward, trying to figure out the mystery of his oh-so-human face. 

Jerrell scoffs, pushing you back. “I don’t need to explain anything to you. I’m supposed to be here. You are not.”

“Are you?” Aderyn says, stepping up beside you. “Are you really supposed to be here? From my understanding- based on the insidious amount of- erm, a while, I’ve had to spend with a certain CEO- you’re just a fling to him. So, why would you be important enough to be allowed inside his super-important, top-secret office?”

“How’d you get past the lock?” He glares at you, ignoring Aderyn. 

“Pretty sure it let me in.” You shrug. “How’d you get in?”

“Don’t lie to me!” Jerrell snapped. “It didn’t let you in! That’s not possible!”

“Shut up and stop shouting,” Aderyn hisses, stepping forward to clamp her hand over his mouth. “I’m gonna guess that you don’t want to be caught here either, so be quiet.”

Angrily, Jerrell shoved Aderyn away from him. “Get off of me- what is wrong with you?”

Aderyn smirks at him. He isn’t shouting anymore- so he is listening. 

“Look,” Jenny sighs, looking at the rest at everyone with the most confused expression you’ve ever seen. “Uhm- we won’t tell if you don’t?”

Jerrel whips around, glaring at the girl. “Oh absolutely not. You’re right that I don’t want to get caught- but I’ve got that man wrapped around my finger. So long I’m caught with you- he won’t even notice my sins. He’ll be to busy punishing yours.”

“Uhm, W-well…”  Jenny falters, stepping backward. “Why would you… want that?”

A small laugh escapes his lips. “Why wouldn’t I? You being here really, really, gets in my way, y’know. But listen perhaps we can-”

“Now, guys!” Jenny says, rushing forward suddenly. “Get ‘im!”

Nobody moves. 

“Uhm… Guys? You  kinda ruined the ‘sudden and unexpected’ attack plan I had goin’ here.”

“Oh,” You say, raising your fists. “Is that what we’re doing?”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait…” Jerrel mutters. “I don't want to fight you. I was just saying that perhaps we could reach a compromise if we-”

He never got to finish his sentence. Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Gia had too. They’re out of breath- probably from running up all those stairs. They stand over the now passed out Jerrell, sword in hand.

“Oh, yikes!” Jenny shouts. “You didn’t kill ‘im, did ya’?” “Probably not,” Gia huffs. “I hit him pretty lightly- and with the flat end of the blade. But, I mean- you never really know when you hit someone over the head with something heavy.”

Jenny looks a little sick. 

“Uhm-” You ask. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh,” they say , finally catching their breath. “I just kind of got thrown out by Bianca I guess? I was fighting pretty close to the door and Bianca just shoved Bea and I through the doors and I remembered I was supposed to be guarding you guys.”

“Great, so uh…” Aderyn trails off looking around. “Where’s Bea then?”

“She’s at the bottom of the stairs.” Gia responds cheerfully, puffing their chest. “She’s a good dog- and she needs her rest.”

“So then,” Jenny gestures down at Jerrel,  who’s lying face down on the floor. “What do we do with him?”

Gia shrugs. “Probably tie him up? I mean… if he’s all the way up here, then he’s gotta have some… answers for us, don’t you think?”

Jenny nods. “I’ll go find some rope.”