#like i live to tell bad customer stories to my family and friends

[starrsbby]

i think it’s so cute when i compliment or even just say smth to a customer and then they tell me a story about said thing. it’s so cute, like yes babe tell me about how u haven’t worn overalls since u were pregnant and how that used to be your Thing and ur finally back to it. Tell me how you’ve had that beautiful gold necklace in your family for generations and you don’t know which grandchild to give it to. Tell me that ur kid loves these dolls and this is the one she didn’t have and yeah maybe it’s $40 and she’s only gonna play with it for a week but you’ll buy it for her anyways. tell me, tell me, tell me <3

[respectthepetty]

The Loyal Pin - Episode 2

I have no idea what I am doing with this space each week. Am I thinking thoughts? Am I recapping the episode? Am I getting anxiety that I'll have to be more selective with the images I use since I'm only allowed thirty yet every second of this show is color-coded? Am I lusting after Pin and my girl Prik? All of the above?! Once again, I have no idea, so let me just get this post started at the beginning with Pin being the saddest Pink Person and cutting all the mangoes within 50 miles because her girlfriend is leaving.

The Blue Beauty Anin sends her loyal and trusty sidekick Prik to keep her girlfriend company while she is busy preparing for her move.

Because she knows no mangoes are safe and apparently papayas too! And while we get a flashback, we see that Pin is wearing blue ribbons in her hair because even if she can't put words to it, she's been in love with her Blue Beauty for a long time.

Probably before she even knew the word "love"

So while Anin is busy making arrangements with her color-coded brother,

Pin is haunting the halls already grieving her loss

Refusing to acknowledge that Anin is leaving (same girl, same)

Losing her appetite (and will to live), which her color-coded mother picks up on

And crushing Prik's spirit with the realization that Anin will be abroad for SEVEN DAMN YEARS!

Basically, Pin is in her sad girl era as she holds Anin's handkerchief and cries into her pillow.

But thankfully Prik acts like a ghost and snitches to her Blue Beauty Boss that their Pink Person is turning into Britney Spear's 2000 classic "Lucky" since "she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking 'if there's nothing missing in my life then why do these tears come at night?'"

So Anin, in true Blue Beauty, fashion decides to make her girl happy by making food with her and eating it . . . alone since Pin still isn't eating.

And takes up every single waking moment of Pin's time.

They even celebrate Loy Krathong together, but the mood turns sad once Pin finally vocalizes that Anin is leaving FOR SEVEN DAMN YEARS!

So it's time for Anin to leave, and she says goodbye to her color-coded girlfriend and her color-coded aunt.

Oh, and her color-coded brothers!

But she immediately gets to writing her girl because if a letter is late, according to Prik, Pin is painting her nails black and listening to My Chemical Romance's "Ghost of You" on repeat until the letter arrives. Same girl, same.

However, Pin can read between the lines, and even though Anin is saying she is happy and writing about other friends (Anin knows other women?! Not in this sapphic love story she don't!),

Pin knows Anin is not happy and can see the teardrops on the letter as clear as day because they are the same album, but different songs. Alexa, play My Chemical Romance's "I'm Not Okay"!

Fuck it! Just play all of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge! I'M in my emo feels!

But their SEVEN DAMN YEAR separation is coming to in end which we can tell because their hairstyles have changed, and our Blue Beauty has a plan up her sleeve!

Sidenote: The snow globe on her desk has one character in green and blue and the other is in red and pink. It's them!

But back to the plan! Now that Anin is graduating, she triple-checks with her color-coded family that the highly esteemed prince who just happens to be her dad is going to keep his promise of giving her anything she wants.

Because this bad (blue) bitch is getting the custom-made house she promised her girl! Sis secured the bag!

And Pin is proud as hell of her smarty-pants skirt (since the clothing is historical accurate?).

But as proud as she is of her, in the middle of a room filled with pink, blue, and purple (!!!!) flowers, she looks shocked to see her Blue Beauty right in front of her when the episode ends.

Anin is just full of surprises like appearing out of nowhere and coming back queerer than when she left. Good for her!

Bonus: Anin's mom is a Yellow/Orange Oddity, and I think as the girls continue to age, they will inherit more of their moms' colors into their wardrobes because of generational trauma, gender norms, and whatnot until they break against tradition and be gay do crime each other.

But either way, me and my huge emo album collection will be here doing whatever this is all season!

[sierrawitch]

Celtic Customs: Death

by autumn sierra

In honor of my friend who just recently lost a loved one, and my sister who witnessed a tragic death that she was helpless to prevent, I thought it the proper moment to reflect and write on some Celtic death customs and traditions of remembering passed loved ones.

Scotland

Before burial, the body of recently passed relatives were kept in the home, dressed and in their own beds. Family and friends would throw a celebration in honor of their lives. The Scots view death as an opportunity to both mourn the loss of a soul, but to laugh and be merry in their memory to find balance in contrary. All the furniture in the departed’s home—especially mirrors—would be covered with white linens and everyone would play music, dance, sing, and share stories around the hearth to keep memories alive.

A traditional custom practiced by the older members of the family and community include a plate of salt and a plate of soil laid on the chest of the deceased person. The soil represents the body as a physical vessel, and the salt represent the purity of the soul. It was thought that without this ritual, the ghost would not be able to rest, and would haunt their family.

Another custom was to stay up at night and watch the body, also known as a lykewake. This is now seen as a sign of respect for the deceased, but in olden times people believed that the devil would steal the body of their loved one unless they kept safe watch over it. The youth of the family were given whiskey at the beginning of the night and some tea or beer with bread at some point in the middle of the night, and would take on this responsibility for the family. The watchers would tell stories, reminisce, and sometimes recite verses from the Bible.

It was also considered bad luck to see the body of the recently deceased without touching it. A week of bad dreams would follow unless this superstition was taken seriously.

Our perception of death in the modern world is one of detachment and taboo. Many people are squeamish about even seeing a dead body, much less watching or touching one in the night. But to the Celtic people, death was not a taboo thing which had to be hidden, as it is a natural, inevitable part of being alive.

The pivotal connecting moments of birth and death link the physical and metaphysical worlds to each other. Similar to the thinning of the veil during Samhain, we each witness a thinning of the veil when we are born, and when we die. In death, the spirit of the deceased moves across the veil and into the Otherworld, the lands of gods, sìth (spirits), and the deceased.

Ireland

The Irish are no strangers to pain and loss, having experienced famine, colonization, and poverty over its long history. There are many customs that have been cultivated over generations to venerate and remember the dead which are unique to their culture, but the Irish Wake is one of the most well known funeral traditions around the world.

Most likely giving root to Scottish customs, the tone of an Irish Wake is a time of mourning and celebration. It’s an opportunity to grieve and and honor life as a treasured miracle. Those attending an Irish Wake will participate and music making, singing, and drinking, especially if the deceased was an elderly member of the community, or ill long term. However, in the instance of a young person’s or child’s death, the wakes are much more solemn and respectful of the tragedy. Family and friends meet in the home of the deceased to recount memories together, grieve, and celebrate the life lost.

The exact origins of the Irish Wake are unknown, but it’s believed that it was heavily influenced by elements of Paganism and may have originated with the Ancient Celts. The Celts believed in life after death and thought that when a person died, they then moved onto a better life in the Otherworld. The Ancient Celts saw death only as a means for a new beginning, which is where the festivities come into play.

The Irish Wake incorporates the tradition of watching over the bodies of the deceased, and some say that the term ‘wake’ originates from the Irish tradition. Lit candles were placed closely around the body and tobacco was smoked by male attendees as they stood guard against the potential of the devil seizing the deceased. It was believed that the smoke would help keep malicious spirits at bay and stop the devil from stealing the soul. Clocks were also often stopped at the time of death and mirrors covered to further protect the body, as mirrors can act as portals to other—maybe not so friendly—worlds.

The Afterlife

In ancient Celtic religion, there was a belief in an afterlife in the Otherworld (as mentioned earlier), which is considered almost like a mirror of life on Earth but without disease, pain, and sorrow. This eliminated the aspect of fear when it came to passing on since the soul continues to live following its leaving the head (where it was believed to reside). Prayers were made to the Celtic gods, and sacrifices—both animal and human—food, weapons, and precious items were ritually offered to them to bless and allow safe passage of the deceased to the Otherworld.

The gods played a fairly significant role in the lives of the Ancient Celts as evidenced by their religious practices and the existence of protective amulets and talismans within their tombs. Alongside these, Celtic tombs and burial sites contained a wide range of objects, from tools to jewellery, which prepared the soul for the journey to the Otherworld (similarly to how the Egyptians prepared their deceased for the journey in the Duat).

Cremations & Burials

The Ancient Celts buried the deceased in tombs, and alternatively cremated their bodies, a practice beginning in the early second century. Excarnation was also not uncommon, during which the body was left exposed to the elements for a period and the bones were then either buried or kept for religious ceremony.

Burials of warriors and rulers were often rife with personal belongings and other treasures including weapons, armour, gold jewellery, and even large objects like chariots and waggons. Other common items included tools, extra clothing, grooming equipment, oil lamps, food, drink, eating utensils, and gaming counters, again, in preparation for their journey through the veil.

How do these customs compare to the ones of your culture, and your family?

What is your perception of death in relation to life, and how does it mentally or emotionally affect you?

Are you afraid of death? Why?

If you could personify who or what death is, what would that look like?

I urge everyone to challenge their instilled views of what death is and what it means not only for the people witnessing it, but also for those who go through its process. Many people fear that unknown reality, but it’s something we all share and experience eventually in life. You’re never truly alone. And isn’t that thought a bit comforting?

[that-writing-raccoon]

MEET CHAOTIC PROMPTS

Alright, kids, listen up.

We’re all suckers for a good meet-cute. Don’t even try to lie to me. Like, yeah, they’re cliché, but, if done well, it can be really cute, hence the name.

Meet-uglies on the other hand can be super funny, and they almost always lead to enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers, even if just for a hot second. They’re great, too.

But here’s the thing:

I want more meet-chaotics. Not meet-cutes, not meet-uglies, meet-chaotics.

What do I mean by this?

Well, you know how crazy life can be sometimes? How wack shit happens, it makes a good story to tell your friends, and it makes you low-key question reality for a second? Yeah. Meet-chaotics are like that. How you met is just so weird and chaotic that it was a bonding experience.

Here are some prompts/concepts so you understand what I’m getting at:

“Normal”/Humor:

 “I’m an uber driver dropping off my last customer, and you and your friends(?) just jumped into my backseat right as they got out and yelled a variety of ‘DRIVE! FUCKING DRIVE!’ and ‘FLOOR IT!’ There are flashing lights behind me, but I panicked and stepped on the gas, and now you’re trying to assure me that it’s not what it looks like, but I’m too busy worrying that I’m a wanted criminal now.” 

Bonus points for found family and/or polyamory!

“I’ve had a really bad day, and it started to rain, so, because I’m dramatic, I blasted my ‘*insert playlist name here*’ and lied down on my sidewalk/lawn/driveway facing the sky, and you just drove by, backed up, and ran out to join me as ‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol was playing. I have never met you before, but I’m pretty sure we’ve bonded and might be soulmates.” (Yes, I got this idea from a TikTok. What of it?).

“I was walking my dog at the park when he got off his leash, and now I’m running after him through the park calling his name and yelling to ‘GET THAT DOG!’ You’re having a barbecue/family reunion/birthday party, and my dog sprints towards you, knocks someone over, and begins eating your food. You see me sprinting towards you and trying to catch my dog, but he’s faster, so now we’re both chasing my dog, and I may or may not be swearing words that’d make a sailor blush. Eventually, one of us or a random stranger catches him, and we finally stop, and, hey, sorry about that, but, wazow! You’re pretty cute.” 

Bonus points for anyone vaulting over a table or something.

“We’re on our way to class, and I just witnessed you run past me down the stairs holding a bunch of books, trip, roll down two flights, and roll to your feet and keep running like nothing happened. And, like, we didn’t talk, and I don’t think you noticed me, but now I can’t help thinking of you. Like, that was impressive, but are you okay?”

“We’re at a house party, and it’s gotten pretty wild. Music is blasting from the speakers, people are dancing on tables, stuff is breaking, etc. Suddenly, the music shuts off, and someone yells, “POLICE!” and everyone s c a t t e r s. It’s pure chaos. I trip while running outside and curl up in a ball to not get trampled, but then a hand reaches down and pulls me up, it’s you, and we run off together still holding hands. Who are you, again?”

Bonus points if this goes back to the uber driver prompt. 

Bonus bonus points if this couple is coming from the same place as the folks from the first prompt, so it’s same universe, but they’re completely different people having their own meet-chaotics running from the police ‘cause they were at the same party.

Could be any illegal/big crowd scenario. A concert, a protest, etc. 

Sci-Fi:

“We live in a world where superheroes exist. One day, I’m minding my own business in my own apartment when you, *insert superhero name here,* crash through my wall while I’m just lounging on the couch, mug of coffee/preferred drink to my lips, feet up on my coffee table, and laptop open on my lap. We stare at each other. You get up, apologize, and fly off through the hole in the wall. Little do I know, you feel bad about the whole thing and decide to try making it up to me, except every thing you try just descends us more and more into chaos.”

Bonus points if this ends up being enemies to lovers, seeing as the protagonist, Character A, would probably be hella bitter about not having the specific superhero insurance needed to fix their wall. 

Bonus bonus points if Superhero has to save A from x during one of their attempts to fix the situation. 

“It’s the zombie apocalypse. I’ve set up camp in a (mostly) abandoned town, scavenging to survive. One day, there’s an unusual amount of zombies in the road. Panicked, I start to climb something. When I’m about halfway up, I hear a weird noise, and look down just in time to see you and your friend whizzing by on a shopping cart down the incline- you in the basket and your friend riding on the back. You’re screaming/yelling and swinging a bat around. The zombies are too slow and uncoordinated to catch up with you. At the last second, you look up at me and we make eye-contact mid-me making at wtf face. It’s such a stupid strategy that I’m low key in love.”

“It’s an alien invasion. We’re all running and screaming for our lives. Suddenly, there’s a spot light, and you start being pulled up into a ship. You panic and grab something. For some unknown, ungodly reason, I try to help you. It goes as well as it sounds. Cue us both getting beamed up while holding on to each other for dear life.”

“We’re on a spaceship. There are so many people on board that it’s impossible to truly know or recognize anyone. I’m working or reading or what have you, when I so happened to glance up at my porthole/window, just in time to see you, who’d been fixing something on the outside of the ship, floating away and doing some space gymnastics with your lead and etc., and swimming, to get back to the ship. I do what anyone responsible would do and sprint off to the docks to get you back safe inside.”

Bonus if Floating Person is just doing the absolute most ridiculous things to make it back.

I have more, but I feel like this post is long enough. But yeah. Something something meeting someone in the most chaotic, stupid, and unhinged way gets to me. Like, we’ve all have shared moments with a stranger because we both witnessed something or been involved in something dumb or crazy. And usually it’s like, eye-contact or brief, awkward commentary, then at the end of the day you go home and it’s just a funny story that only you guys experienced. Something about it just speaks to me.

[secretsandpurplethoughtss]

Candy's / Ysaline's Backstory

I decided to write a story based on what we already know about our Candy in MCL New Gen. I obviously took some creative liberties and I am imaginaing this to be my Candy's story, but I hope you guys like it. As the game goes on I might turn this into a full on fanfic! :)

Enjoy:

I studied journalism at university, because writing is truly my passion and I’ve always wanted to become a writer, a journalist. Following said dream, I moved to Spokane after graduation to work at my dream company as a “Staff Writer and Analytical Assistant”. EPMC had its headquarters in Los Angeles, but they were a huge company and so they had a couple of offices around the U.S. I always thought that EPMC seemed fun and lively, but I realized on my first day already that it was all just an appearance to please the readers, the content consumers, its customers. The company was cold, and it was extremely competitive – something I wouldn’t necessarily mind normally, but I was raised to believe that competitions should be fair and honest. At EPMC, backstabbing and sabotage was not just allowed but encouraged.

The only person I trusted at the company was my boss. It felt like we pretty much had the same values and he always voiced to me how “he hated the atmosphere in the office” and how “barbaric these competitions were”. Because I felt lonely and most of my days were filled with fights with colleagues I couldn’t stand, I was a more than frequent visitor in my boss’ office. We’ve became friends and soon… more. I should have known that dating my boss would bite me in the ass, but he seemed like such a great guy, and I was so lonely and desperate for kindness and companionship. Not to mention that I upkept the “happy façade” to my friends and family, because I didn’t want them to worry about me. My boss, my boyfriend was the only person I could confide in. My colleagues soon caught onto the fact that we were dating, but I didn’t really care about them gossiping about me. Even before my boss and I got together they would gossip and try to make me feel bad just for existing in the same space as them, so… it didn’t really matter. I was happy with him; at the time he might have been my only source of happiness.

That and my weekends where I ventured out into the city to explore it – museums, coffee shops, hikes. I liked the city: Spokane was breathtaking.

Things started to go even more downhill one day however, when I was in the office of my boyfriend waiting for him to return from a meeting. We were scheduled to discuss the analytics of the EPMC website, but his meeting was running late. He left his phone on his desk, and it kept buzzing, buzzing, and buzzing. It was unusual for him to forget about his phone and although he did get a lot of texts – the company didn’t provide us with separate work phones, so his phone was always going off, my mind went to darker places. What if his phone wasn’t buzzing itself practically off the table because a lot of people emailed him, but because there was an emergency? What if something happened with his family?

I was an overthinker and so my panicked thoughts led me to picking up his phone. I couldn’t see the texts he was receiving since they only showed themselves through face ID, but I could see the name of the person who sent them – “my love”.

My heart skipped several beats, before I put the phone back on the table. Could “my love” be anyone else besides a lover? No… he was cheating on me.

Soon, after I came to the shocking realization that he was unfaithful, he came back to his office, and he acted like everything was normal. Like he wasn’t a cheater. He gave me a kiss on my cheek and started apologizing for being late, cracking jokes and laughing at them.

I knew I needed to confront him, but I questioned myself – what if I was somehow wrong? What if he wasn’t cheating? I went on, telling him about the analytics and at the end of my presentation he commented on my “strange behavior”. I just lied about having a headache and left his office shortly after. At my cubicle I was bombarded with mean comments by my colleagues (as always), telling me how “I was sleeping my way to the top”. Usually, I didn’t give any attention to these comments, but that day I did. And then someone called me “a dirty mistress”.

“I’m a mistress?”, I asked the colleague that called me that word with genuine confusion. “Why would I be a mistress?”

“Are you really that stupid?”, he lifted an eyebrow.

I truly didn’t know what he was getting at.

“Wait, NO! DON’T TELL ME! HAHAHAHA!”, he started laughing and kept calling attention to himself. “She doesn’t know guys! She really doesn’t know!”

Other people caught on and started laughing with him and kept giving me certain looks. Their behavior always reminded me of high school or those nightmares where I was naked and people pointed at me, all while also ridiculing me.

“What are you talking about?” Anger was boiling inside me, but I knew that giving them what they wanted, an angry reaction, wouldn’t benefit me at all. Plus, then they’d win.

“He is married! You’re his mistress, his side peace. He doesn’t wear his ring at work but come on! Did you really not know?”, the guy finally explained with tears in his eyes from laughter.  

My entire world shattered in that moment. They were liars, they were jealous, they were competitive assholes, but I knew they were telling the truth just for once. It would explain why I never stayed at my boyfriend’s place after all these months (he said that they were doing construction at his place and that he was currently staying at some hotel), why he had someone in his phone under the name of “my love” and why I barely met anyone from his private life. He wasn’t really unfaithful to me; he was truly unfaithful to his wife. I was the other woman, not the woman in his phone named “my love”.

All the frustration inside me just broke loose – I hated my job; I hated my colleagues, and I hated my boyfriend for being a lying, cheating bastard. I got up from my desk and marched straight into his office, determined to break up with him, to let everything out. He was on the phone, but when our eyes met, he quickly ended the conversation. I closed the door behind me – quiet forcefully – and started chewing him out.

Normally, I wouldn’t let myself get so off the rails, as I always tried to rail in my negative emotions, to have some kind of control over myself, but I’ve been through hell ever since I walked inside EPMC building on my first day of work. He was the only one I trusted, the only one who made me happy in Spokane and he wasn’t even the person I thought he was. I quit right then and there and packed up my desk on the same day. I threw every gift, every memory of him and I in the trash, when I got home and called my mother, telling her, crying to her about the whole thing.

“Come home, baby. Just come home! We’ll work this out, I promise!”

So, I did. After that phone call, I put on some music and packed all my things. I started to re-assemble all my furniture, despite my inability to be handy. I blocked all my previous colleagues’ and my ex’s phone number, and I booked a ticket to Seattle for the next day. I was exhausted and I was in pain – all I needed was my mom and my sometimes-annoying little sister.

Seven hours later, my apartment looked just like the way it did when I moved in almost a year ago. My entire life was in boxes and in a couple of hours, movers would come around to get all my things. Almost all my furniture would go to a storage unit, and I’ll sell them on Facebook Marketplace as cheap and as soon as possible – I didn’t want to own the things he touched, where memories with him and his bittersweet-lies would always hunt me.

This new chapter of my life closed too soon. Not even an entire year did I live in this apartment, in Spokane and worked at EPMC. This was not at all how I imagined it to go: I was mentally drained and heartbroken. My dreams shattered and now I was left with anger and embarrassment. Despite all of this I tried my best to look at the bright side of things. I missed mom, I missed Tasha, Taki and I missed Seattle, so going home would be good. I would start therapy again – My God, I so was desperate to message my therapist this entire time, but because I moved and felt confident in myself, I broke it off with her before I moved to Spokane.  So maybe, when I focused on all these things this will be good – I’d find a good place to work, would spend some desperately needed time with my family (maybe even dad).

A new start. A fresh start. Truly, what are your twenties for if not that, right?

With a sad and somewhat forced smile on my face I closed the door of my apartment one last time.

I would focus on the positive from now on. It’ll all be okay… this is just a new chapter in my life.

I will welcome it with open arms.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: Elemental

(Get it, cause there is a character named Gale thats an air elemental. Lol. thanks @knightsweeties for the GP)

Now Elemental is the most recent Pixar film and it was marketed Poorly. With the recent mid to bad movies Pixar had been putting out, Disney likely wanted to just let this movie rot.

Is this a pixar flop or is it a Gem put off too soon?

Animation

Plot

The Characters

The Romance

The Lesson

Final Thoughts

_____________________________________________________________

Animation

Look, if there is one thing Pixar does is good animation.

Elemental is a good looking film, there is detail and the way the characters move and interact with the area of Element city is phenomenal. Its clear that the animation team wanted to really show how each elemental worked and went about their day.

My favorite bit of animation had to be when Ember and Wade were in the underwater museum, it was gorgeous and had a beautiful moment.

While it is great, it is also nothing ground breaking. Its a good looking animated film, but compared to the caliber I have seen this year it doesnt stand out as something astounding. But it is still very good animation

9/10

_____________________________________________________________

Plot

Ember is a fire elemental that is being prepared to take over her father's store. But as her first chance to prove herself pops up, she has a fiery outburst and it causes Wade to pop out of the store's pipes.

After chasing him around element city trying to stop him from submitting the citations to have her dad's store closed down, they end up on the same side trying to fix the leak that started it in the first place.

The two, while being opposite elementals, end up gaining a spark for one another. But her being a fire elemental and him being a Water one causes more than just a physical clash, but a cultural clash.

The rest of the film is exploring their relationship and helping Ember realize what she really wants to do with her life.

The film's plot isnt an epic adventure its actually quite grounded in reality. Its a story of a child of Immigrants that feels like she owes her parents for the life she leads and wanting to meet their expectations while also finding out things about herself. The movie also explores themes of racism, culture clash, as well as other themes that make the film more real in ways one wouldnt expect. Honestly handling the racism thing better than Zootopia, especially because there was no bad guy in this, just real life obstacles and dealing with coming of age.

But, the problems around the Film start to crack when the main reason Ember's parents left Fire land makes no f***ing sense. Only their house was destroyed, they had family and friends in fireland that could have helped them, especially because it was only their house!

Also Wade's mention of not getting along with his dad is interesting but without having a single flashback or interaction with the long gone daddy of Wade makes it ring hollow.

Then there is how things in the film wrapped up a bit to quickly in the third act.

Though with those problems aside it is a very heartfelt film.

7/10

____________________________________________________________

The Characters

Ember: A Fire elemental that had spent her entire life learning and training to be ready to take over her father's store. She is confident, quick thinking, artistic, abrasive and short tempered. Which unfortunately makes it hard for her to deal with customers, her temper. And while initially seen as a negative, Wade's perspective on her anger wasnt negative, he phrased it as a positive, that her emotions were trying to tell her something. Sure enough, he was right and it was that despite living her entire life groomed to take over... she didnt want to take over the store. And hearing about other avenues and jobs made her wonder if maybe there was more to life. She loves her family to the point that she felt obligated to take care of the store. Ember is probably one of the most in depth characters Pixar has ever written and I wish there was even more explored with her.

Wade: A water elemental that is super emotional. He is in many ways the exact opposite of Ember. He is nervous, clumsy, great at communicating, emotionally secure and kind. He is lost and looking for a purpose to drive him, taking different jobs to try and find his path. After meeting Ember and seeing how driven she was he couldnt help but fall in love with her. Ember becomes the focus and drive for him as he wants to be a better person for her. Despite being smitten he is also ready to call her out on her BS, and he wants her to acknowledge her emotions. He wears his heart on his sleeve and when he cares for someone he goes the extra mile.

The rest of the characters are solid. Ember's and Wade's families being rather hilarious in their own way. And of course Clod, the GOAT. Gale is also an interesting character that shows how family memories can help shape us as people.

The characters are solid and I do wish Wade was explored more, I know the movie had only so long.

8/10

_____________________________________________________________

The Romance

I liked it. I think it is very well done and pulls the audience in.

It never feels awkward or weird, it just feels like seeing a relationship that wants to work despite everything going against it. Honestly it is a good allegory for couples with Cultures that are different from one another. The culture shock and how families can initially view your SO as an outsider or have a negative bias against them.

Ember and Wade bring out the best and worst out of eachother and it works because they both care about the other and want the other person to be happy. Its a love that grows and adds so much as each scene adds more.

Now since its a movie it might seem like it happens fast, but it actually is well paced.

And lets be real, you were on board once 'Steal the show' started playing over their dating montage.

9/10

_____________________________________________________________

The Lesson

The movie has several lessons that I think could fill this spot and it tackles each with varying degrees of success.

Loving your parents and understanding that you are not obligated to follow their dreams.

You never know who you will fall for, and even if they seem different they can show you great things

Understanding one's emotions and heart is the first step in pursuing what one wants

There are also talks on how having bias against others is bad, which is true, but I think the 3 listed address more of the core themes of the movie.

They are good lessons and some are done better then others.

7/10

____________________________________________________________

Final Thoughts.

Its a solid 8/10 for me.

Pixar has been going through a weird period but this film is more in line with their better films.

I cant say I think it is one of their best, but its far from their worst. If this is the direction Pixar wants to go in then I will call it an improvement.

This film is underrated and could use more love

[jinkoh]

surprise me

minhyuk x fem!reader

summary: you feel like nothing exciting happened to you all year but your best friend is keen on helping you change that. after all, the year isn't over yet~

tags: best friends to lovers, fluff, lots of stupid shenanigans and friendly teasing, new yers eve celebrations, alcohol consumption, food mentions, SFW

word count: ~3,7k

a/n: i'm rlly rlly in my mx feels these days so it was high time to write a minhyuk fic (did y'all know i'm actually ulting this guy?) it's kind of a silly and cliché plot but what's a better time for these kinda stories than december?

i hope you had a merry merry christmas (if you celebrate) and will get to end this year happily 🎄❤️

Masterlist

Minhyuk was already sitting at your regular seats when you walked into the café, sipping on his latte while your drink was waiting for you on the table. It was a small shop next to a mall, a little on the expensive side, but their coffee was the best (and you got a discount on days your friend Kihyun was on shift). 

It was unusually calm today, perhaps people were still with their families or too busy returning unwanted gifts to take a coffee break. Aside from Minhyuk, there was only one other customer, a woman, sitting at a small table by the window. There wasn’t anyone behind the counter but you caught a glimpse of bright orange hair disappearing to the back right as you walked in. A new barista, you supposed, or at least you didn’t remember anyone that eye-catching to work here.

“You’re late,” Minhyuk complained, when you made your way over. “You’re worse than Hyungwon.”

You chuckled and slipped out of your winter coat before sitting down, immediately warming your frozen fingers on the warm glass in front of you. “It's not my fault. It snows once and everyone forgets how to drive. Took me ages to get here.”

“I was on time,” he grumbled, but you knew he wasn’t actually pissed at you. 

“So, how was Christmas?” you switched topics, hoping to hear some fun stories from his holidays.

He shrugged. “The usual. I was home. Actually Hyungwon celebrated with us too. He spends so much time with my family, I’m sure one of these days his parents are going to call me to complain.” Minhyuk laughed before taking another sip of his drink. “Oh, also, Changkyunnie helped Kihyun to dye his hair. Did you see him yet?”

You shook your head. “How did it go?”

Minhyuk drew in air through his teeth. “Well, at least the hair is still on his head?”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Depends on who you’re asking.” He shook his head in amusement, as if he was recalling the disaster in front of his inner eye. “Anway, how was your christmas?”

You nodded slowly. “Fine, I guess?”

“You guess?”

“No, no, it was fine, it was nice.”

Minhyuk looked at you with a raised eyebrow. He knew you too well to be fooled. “But?”

“I just—I met up with some friends back from high school, you know, since everyone was home for the holidays.”

“Sounds nice. So, where’s the problem?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged. “Everyone was talking about all the things happening in their lives and I realized that nothing happened in mine.”

“You literally started a new job this year?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

You shrugged again. “It’s not about, like, achievements or whatever. I mean fun things, exciting things. The year is over and I can’t think of a single story to tell. It feels like I’ve become a really boring person.”

“Hm,” Minhyuk hummed. “It’s not over yet though.”

“Huh?”

“The year isn’t over yet. It’s only the 27th. That’s 4 days. Plenty of time to create some stories.”

“Stop joking around,” you frowned. “I’m actually upset about this, you know?”

“Yeah, but complaining won’t change anything. So, let’s do something about it.”

“Like what?”

Minhyuk kept quiet for a moment, his gaze following the people passing by the window. When a couple walked by, his expression suddenly lit up with a mischievous grin. “Hit on someone.”

“What? Now?”

“Yeah, why not?”

For one, because you weren’t the type to do that. You’d never hit on anyone before, in fact you barely managed to ask strangers for directions. But maybe Minhyuk was right. Maybe you should try to make some changes, if you weren’t satisfied with how things were. Becoming a little more daring seemed to be a good idea. 

Your gaze flicked outside. It still was snowing, the white cold piling up on the pavement. You’d only just warmed up after being out there—you weren’t all that keen on freezing to death all over again.

“Too scared to do it?” He teased, when you still hadn’t moved. “Thought you wanted to create some stories.”

“Shut up for a minute, will you?” you playfully shoved him away. “I’m trying to think here.” 

Since going outside was out of the question, you looked around the café. The woman was still sitting by the window, her nose buried in a thick book as she sipped on her coffee. You would have felt bad to disrupt her peace. Other than that—well, the new barista would be an option. He was still in the back, but the door was open and you knew the room was small enough that he’d still hear you if you stood by the counter. 

“Alright,” you declared and got up from your chair.

“Alright?” Minhyuk repeated with a laugh.

“I’m doing it.” With bold steps and a racing heart you made your way over to the counter. Minhyuk started saying something else, but you didn’t pay it any attention. You’d just get this over with.

You pushed your hair behind your ear and leaned over the counter, glancing through the open door.  The barista had his back to you, sorting coffee into the shelves. His almost neon orange hair really stood out against the muted colors of the café and you wondered what kind of person he was to choose a color that bold. 

“Excuse me,” you started, “I was wondering—are you here often?”

The moment the words were out you wanted to bite off your tongue. Are you here often? Well, probably, after all this was his workplace. You felt your face heating up and you heard Minhyuk snorting behind you. You shot him a warning glare, but it didn’t really keep him in line. 

The Barista finally turned around, and now you wanted to bite off your tongue even more. “Kihyun?!”

Minhyuk was full on laughing behind you now, clapping his thigh in amusement as he watched the scene unfold. Meanwhile, your eyes were still fixed on Kihyun’s hair. You briefly wondered if Changkyun was alive.

“Y/n, did you just try to hit on me?”

You reluctantly tore your gaze away from his hair to meet his gaze, before stuttering out an excuse. “What? No. Noo, of course not. I just meant like—are you here often? As in, this week. Are you here often this week?”

Kihyun didn’t seem to entirely believe you, his eyes wandering between you and the still laughing Minhyuk in suspicion. “Yeah, I work through until Saturday,” he replied anyway. “Why?”

“Just because. Can’t I care about my friend’s work schedule?”

He huffed a laugh. “Sure, you can. Just a little weird.”

“You know me, I’m weird,” you mumbled, your attention once again taken by his bright hair. “Sorry, Ki, I just can’t stop staring. Did you—was this intentional?”

Kihyun shot you a glare, flicking some strands out of his forehead. “We’re not talking about this.”

You nodded. “If it makes you feel better.”

“At least I didn’t try to hit on you.”

“I didn’t—!”

“You hit on Kihyun?!” Jooheon asked, scandalized, when you were strolling the mall the next day. Minhyuk had convinced you to come out with him, Jooheon and Shownu, which didn’t happen all that often since Minhyuk tended to be a homebody himself. But he’d claimed that you couldn’t make stories at home and you supposed he had a point there.

“Totally did,” Minhyuk answered in your stead, his eyes wandering over the things on display in the shop windows. 

“You made me do it in the first place.”

“Oh, don’t push the blame on me. I said someone, not Kihyun.”

“So, did he reject you?” Shownu chimed in, genuine concern in his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Shownu, I wasn’t actually hitting on Kihyun.”

He nodded understandingly. You didn’t think he actually understood at all, but you also didn’t want to dwell on the topic any longer, so you tried to steer the attention away by pointing out the karaoke stage that was set up a little further down the hall. A few people were gathered around it, but not too many since the mall wasn’t very crowded overall.

“That’s so perfect,” Minhyuk exclaimed and you knew from the color of his voice that you wouldn’t like what was going to follow. “I think y/n should sing Last Christmas to commemorate her painful rejection.”

“I didn’t get—and Christmas is over anyway!”

“Only if you let it be over,” Jooheon tutted. “It can always be Christmas in your heart.”

“Agreed,” Minhyuk nodded.

Your eyes wandered to the stage. It would surely be a story, you supposed. But you weren’t sure it would be the kind you wanted—you weren’t the best singer out there nor did you fancy being the center of attention.

“Wanna sing together?” Shownu offered, following your gaze.

“No way, not happening,” you declined maybe a little too quickly. “I’d sound even worse next to you with your silky voice.” 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Shownu started but you just shook your head.

“You wouldn’t be saying this if you’d heard me sing before.”

Jooheon put his hand on Shownu’s shoulder. “Trust her on this.”

“Rude!” you complained with a laugh, boxing him in the side.

“You said it yourself!”

“It’s different when someone else does!”

“Anyway,” Minhyuk interrupted, jogging back to the three of you. You hadn’t even noticed he’d run off but maybe you should have paid more attention. He was smiling widely. “I signed you up, it’s your turn next.”

“I really hate you.”

“You really don’t, though.”

As he predicted, you were called on stage a few minutes after and you definitely did not want to be doing this. You held onto the mic with shaking hands when the song started playing and you timidly started to sing. It was truly awful and you were convinced these would be the longest 4 minutes and 22 seconds of your life. But then Minhyuk started to sing along loudly, making the people around him join in, until the little crowd in front of the stage was singing and laughing along with him (with you, he would argue later, but that was just flattery). It was stupid—after all he was the one who had made you do this in the first place—but knowing he wasn't going to leave you alone with it somehow made your heart feel warm and fuzzy. With everyone singing together, it wasn’t humiliating at all. Instead it was becoming pretty fun and you soon found yourself gaining some confidence, belting out the (wrong) notes and moving your body to the music. You were still laughing and full of adrenaline when you were coming down the stage, and so was the audience as they clapped and let you through to your friends. Jooheon held out his hand for a high five and Shownu gave you a thumbs up.

“You’re not that bad of a singer,” he insisted, making Jooheon snort. 

“It’s okay, you can stop lying now,” you giggled while Minhyuk linked arms with you. 

“I knew you could do it,” he said all proud, slightly nudging you in the side.

"Oh, come on, I barely did anything."

"No, you did plenty. Be a little proud!"

The door to Shownu, Hyungwon and Jooheon’s apartment wasn’t locked when you arrived, so you let yourself in, glad to escape the cold. You heard the guys as soon as you were inside, Minhyuk’s voice especially standing out in between the chatter that was coming from the living room. You quickly slipped out of your shoes and coat before making your way to where Minhyuk, Kihyun, Jooheon and Changkyun were already sitting on the floor, munching on sweet and savory treats and looking at something on Jooheon’s phone.

“Where is the rest?” you asked, instead of a greeting.

“Hyungwon is late as usual,” Jooheon replied with a shrug.

“But he lives here.”

Shownu huffed a small laugh as he came into the room with some soda and cups in his hand that he set down next to the snacks. “He’s grabbing some soju from the store,” he explained helpfully before taking a seat on a pillow and handing one to you too. You’d barely gotten comfortable when your phone lit up with a message from Minhyuk, which, considering he was sitting across from you, barely a meter away, didn’t make a ton of sense. You unlocked your phone anyway to take a look. 

Surprise everyone in this room, it said.

You looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. What does that mean?, you mouthed at him, and he promptly started typing again.

Think of something. Do something daring.

He poked out his tongue at you and you started to question your sanity for still going along with this silly game. Maybe you should call it quits already, singing in front of a (half empty) mall should be enough of a story, right?

Still, you couldn’t just let it go, a weird sense of pride telling you not to lose. So, you were looking around the room for inspiration. You’d  for sure think of something daring to do. You'd surprise everyone. You’d surprise him.

You hadn’t come up with an idea yet when Hyungwon came back, complaining about the cold outside and warming up his frozen fingers in your neck, earning him a screech from you and amused laughter from Minhyuk. For someone who was supposed to be your best friend Minhyuk seemed to have plenty of fun at your expense. Not like you were seriously bothered by it—the two of you had always been like that. But it was high time to get back at him. Perhaps you could kill two birds with one stone tonight.

With the soju being poured in generous amounts and most of your friends being crackheads either way, the atmosphere felt light and you were buzzing with laughter and alcohol. Minhyuk had been sticking to soda, but he never needed to drink to loosen up, so he was leisurely laughing with everyone and snacking on the box of pocky sticks in front of him. That gave you some sort of idea, not the best idea honestly, but to be fair unlike Minhyuk you hadn’t abstained from drinking so you weren’t exactly in your right mind. When Minhyuk reached for the last pocky in the box, you interrupted him with a decided “Gimme that.”

Instead of aborting mission, he seemed to bring it to his lips even more quickly, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes when he mumbled out a “Sorry, too late” around the pocky stuck between his teeth. You hadn’t expected anything less though. Without thinking, you crawled over to him, grabbed his face with both hands, squeezing his cheeks together and making him look at you. 

“I don’t mind,” you said before nonchalantly taking a bite of the pocky, and then in a whisper that only Minhyuk could hear, you asked “Surprised?” He didn’t get the chance to reply though, because you were already scooting back to your pillow.

“Y/n!” Jooheon blurted out, “First Kihyun and now Minhyuk? Is no one safe from you? Am I next?” He dramatically crossed his arms in front of his chest as if to cover himself. The other guys broke out in laughter and you joined in, but the laughter got stuck in your throat when your gaze met Minhyuk’s. He was staring at you with wide eyes and red cheeks, the half eaten pocky still stuck between his teeth. 

“Can’t believe you’re taking her away from me after we only just got started,” Kihyun joked along, lightly bumping into Minhyuk’s side. That made him snap out of his trance. He huffed a halfhearted laugh. “I think it’s reasonable to have second thoughts about dating a literal orange,” he teased.

“Come on, let’s stop it with the jokes,” Changkyun interrupted with a light pout, seemingly more offended about it than Kihyun himself. “It looks fine.”

 “I agree, it suits him,” Shownu nodded and with that the topic seemed to be done. The pocky topic too was off the table, but you couldn’t stop thinking about it. The look on Minhyuk’s face wouldn’t leave your mind. You hadn’t really thought much of it when you’d done it—you’d just wanted to surprise him—but now you wondered if you had crossed a line? The two of you were usually touchy but perhaps this was different to him. Perhaps it was different to you, too, because why else would your chest suddenly feel so strange?

It was still on your mind when you got home that night and still when you were getting ready for the New Year's Eve party two days later. You’d planned to go to that party with everyone ages ago and even though you weren’t usually a New Year's Eve kinda person you’d been looking forward to it. But now you were suddenly feeling so nervous about it. You kept changing in and out of outfits just to end up settling for the first one after all, this strange voice in the back of your mind wondering if Minhyuk would like it. You’d never wondered about things like that before—Minhyuk had seen you at your worst, with greasy hair and tomato sauce on your sweatpants and it hadn’t bothered either one of you. But now things suddenly felt different, all because of a dumb pocky stick. You hadn’t seen or talked to him since and you kept worrying about whether things between the two of you had changed or if you were overthinking this by yourself.

The sound of your doorbell pulled you out of your thoughts, and a quick glance to the clock told you that it had to be the boys who had promised to pick you up. You hastily gathered your things and threw on your jacket before rushing to open the door.

“Oooh,” Jooheon nodded approvingly as he gave you a once over. “Looking good.”

You grinned. “Not bad yourself.”

He swooshed an imaginary strand of hair out of his forehead. “I knew the day would come when you’d fall for my charms.”

With a giggle you linked arms and made your way to where Shownu and Hyungwon were waiting in the car. The other three would drive there separately and you weren’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing because as much as you were nervous about meeting Minhyuk you were also dying to see him.

The ride to the party took your mind off things or a little bit though. Jooheon had connected his phone to the speakers and was playing upbeat music to get you all in the mood and it was more or less working. The party was already in full swing when you got there, loud music coming from inside the club and people standing outside to smoke. It was less than an hour until midnight, but that had been the plan from the get go. The real party only just starts at midnight, Jooheon had insisted, so it’s better not to come too early. 

The others were already inside, somewhere in the crowd. Hyungwon, Shownu, Jooheon and you got some drinks at the bar first and then split up to look for them. You agreed to meet up outside a few minutes before midnight, whether you found them or not, to see the fireworks. Obviously it would have been smarter to make that agreement with everyone beforehand, but somehow no one had thought of that and texting them now was fruitless since there was no reception inside the club. Hence, you pushed yourself through the crowd of dancing people, trying to spot your friends. You hadn’t expected it to be so difficult to find them, the location was a lot bigger and busier than anticipated, and slowly but surely you were running out of time. Maybe it was smarter to make your way outside now, to see the fireworks with the others. Maybe they’d already found them and were just waiting for you—but something was urging you to keep looking. It was silly, it was just New Year's Eve, but your chest was filled with desperation to find them. All three of them, you told yourself, but you knew that wasn’t exactly true. It was Minhyuk you wanted to find. It was him you wanted to spend the last minutes of this year with.

Just when you wanted to go back to search the places you’d already searched to make sure you hadn't missed them, you felt someone grabbing your wrist and stopping you. 

“Y/n.” Minhyuk was standing behind you, a little breathless. Relief washed over you. “I was looking for you,” you said, your voice barely audible over the loud music. Minhyuk understood you anyway. He smiled. “Me too.”

For a moment you just looked at each other and there was this weird tingling feeling in your stomach. He was still holding onto your wrist but you didn’t try to pull away.

“You look pretty,” he eventually said and it made your heart skip a beat. Jooheon had complimented you earlier too, but this felt completely different. At a loss of how to respond, you averted your gaze.

“The others are outside,” you changed the topic. “We’ll miss the fireworks.”

“Yeah.” Still, he didn’t show any intention to move.

Suddenly the music stopped, and the people around you started cheering excitedly before collectively yelling a loud TEN!

Your gaze shot back to Minhyuk whose eyes had never left you.

 NINE!

 He leaned in a little. 

EIGHT!

“Surprise me,” he whispered right into your ear, making a shiver run down your spine.

SEVEN!

He pulled away again.

SIX!

You stared at him with wide eyes, your gaze briefly flicking to his lips.

FIVE!

Your mouth felt dry.

FOUR!

Was he really implying what you thought he was implying?

THREE!

Your heart was racing in your chest like crazy.

TWO!

Only one way to find out. 

ONE!

You reached for his collar and pulled him closer, smashing your lips into his with a little too much fervor. He didn’t hesitate to bring his hands up to cup your jaw, kissing you back as the people around you celebrated and the music turned back on. You kissed until you felt out of breath, and even then you didn’t go far, his forehead resting against yours.

“Is this good enough of a story to tell?”

“I don’t care about that anymore,” you replied. “This is better than a story.”

He broke into a smile, crinkles forming around his eyes and his gums showing. “Is it?”

“Mhm,” you leaned in again to leave another peck on his lips. “It is.”

Masterlist

[riptunezune]

My hcs of Clovis x Child of Aphrodite Pt.2

*reminder: CoA (child of Aphrodite, any gender but in this case mostly female)

*** TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of SA on bullets 8-11***

Love languages: Clovis’s is acts of services (based off the impression I get from the series) and the CoA’s are words of affirmation and quality time. Both have a common love language of physical touch (Clovis gets anxious when it comes to physical touch because he’s not sure if he’s holding their hand or doing anything affectionate right except hugs and snuggling- he feels confident in that, CoA is nervous because they don’t want to make Clovis feel rushed or really uncomfortable. It took them 3 weeks to hold hands when they started dating).

Clovis did find a way to put CoA to sleep through kisses (foreheads mostly) but only does it to avoid arguments or certain topics which he rarely does

CoA can adjust their height be around Clovis’s height or a head taller than him depending on their mood/outfit (including shoes), imo I don’t think Clovis really cares but if someone does point it out that the COA is taller. He puts his hand on their hip and pulls them closer to him and goes “I know and they’re all mine!”

Clovis is always prepared and does miraculously know what to do to get them comfortable if they’re sick or have period cramps/body aches without needing to be asked~ sometimes what Clovis does is a lot better than what the CoA expects.

Both get along really well with each other’s family outside of camp (CoA is best friends with Clovis’s mom who does teach her how to tell how Clovis is feeling if he’s being a distant; CoA’s dad views Clovis as one of his and does occasionally help Clovis out if CoA is being a little toxic-I feel that their start of/parts of the relationship does get a little abusive/ one sided from an outsider’s pov but also both are dating someone that’s different from their personalities

They do get along with Clovis’ paternal half siblings at camp who have helped them learn more about Clovis in exchange for other favors involving their (Clovis’ siblings’) personal dating lives but also they just wanted Clovis to get into a relationship so they can easily bend some of the rules for their own relationship benefits without Clovis lecturing them the importance of privacy and boundaries esp when the Hypnos kids have full control of themselves in the dreamscape world as well as teaching them how to use their powers in the dreamscape world (Clovis may seem chill all the time, but when it comes to teaching his siblings about their powers, he’s a bit strict only because he really cares about them and doesn’t want them to get themselves into trouble)

Both Clovis and CoA took time to learn more about each other through each other’s mortal parent: CoA learned Clovis’s fav baked good and which foods triggers him to sleep~narcolepsy and Clovis learned their fav drink order, favorite authors, and their favorite materials to use when making their own bags~which many assume it was a customized purchase, not handmade (I like to think that before Clovis and CoA made it official, both their mortal parents shipped them after a traumatic experience-outside of camp (long story).

The reason why the CoA got interested in Clovis is because he saved them from an attempt SA attack from their “then” boyfriend who wouldn’t take no for an answer (Clovis had to fully body cover them). Clovis had a few bad bruises while CoA had a few scratches and this is where his fractures come in and hand feeding-this event occurred near the end of the school year to the start of summer, I also like to think this is where Clovis is a seasonal camper instead of full year round/if he is a year round, then this is one of the few weeks of each month that Clovis visits his mom and coincidentally ran into CoA being attacked.

They (CoA) felt extremely guilty and worried for Clovis , who told them it was no big deal and it’s not their fault. Clovis also secretly took vengeance for CoA, their “then” bf got punished in court (they appeared court looking really awful like weeks without sleep due some “gruesome nightmares”) and court gave CoA a restraining order against their ex.

CoA and Clovis started hanging around each other’s place before camp because Clovis needed a bit of help getting around with some upper extremity limitations and CoA needed to be reassured that Clovis was still okay and felt that helping Clovis out made them feel less guily and better plus they just felt really safe with Clovis after what happened (CoA’s dad is really grateful for Clovis’s actions and occasionally allows Clovis to sleep over on the couch since his presence does help CoA sleep better-sometimes CoA sneaks in hugs/snuggles just to help with the reoccurring nightmares of the trauma, and at camp sometimes Clovis and CoA meet in the dreamworld when CoA needs someone to talk to as well as helping them process the traumatic experience; post trauma after healing- they just wanted Clovis’ company).

Chiron was informed by both Clovis’ and CoA’s parents of what happened and made sure that CoA is well supported (even their maternal half siblings at camp were very supportive and shocked that Clovis was the one who saved her, but had a whole new level of respect for him). Clovis was more grateful that he could stay in his bed and sleep a bit longer, but still had to have someone from Apollo’s cabin to check his healing progress (Half the Apollo’s cabin weren’t surprise when they got together due to CoA pestering them multiple times to check if Clovis is okay).

When Clovis was in the infirmary for a couple of weeks before he was allowed to just heal at his own cabin, he always had the privacy curtains drawn before the CoA could feed him~which they hated with a burning passion but also decided to put up with it if it that’s what makes Clovis feel at ease (Clovis was mainly doing it thinking that he was doing the CoA a favor for their reputation but it actually made the CoA feel like they have to be keep their friendship a secret and feel that Clovis might be a little embarrass about them )

Before they got together, Clovis had the CoA really think about the relationship and if they really did like him or it was just his actions that they like (trauma bonding) and he told them that no matter what the decision, they make, he will always support them.

Clovis did manipulate the CoA’s dreams once to consider other people to date/encouraged the CoA to try to date other people in concerns that their feelings for him might’ve only been temporary but that backfired horribly- Clovis never did that again (he thought he was doing it in the best interests of CoA but instead the next day he got requests from Mitchell and half of the Aphrodite Cabin to fix it ~CoA refused to sleep for a few nights which ofc affected the other children of Aphrodite from getting good sleep)

*saw this from an ig post (link below if curious) and felt inspired to have CoA who likes to adjust their height to be taller than their normal height plus I just felt like it’s something Clovis and a CoA would wear

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1HFmYpO38x/?igsh=ZXZlY3R1NXRzbmYw

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DanScarf (@dan_scarf_)

Part 1

[ltbarnes]

Anachronism - Part III

Or the placing of persons, events, objects, or customs in times to which they do not belong

Summary: Sprained ankles, snowstorms, blood-thirsty wolves and feral super soldiers. What was supposed to be a peaceful walk in the woods surrounding the cabin you're staying in with your best friend Steve quickly turns devastating, forcing your path to cross with the mysterious and burly man who can't seem to grasp social cues and the concept of privacy. His past is a puzzle that can't seem to be solved and your feelings for the sweet and giant man quickly develop from friendly gratitude to something neither of you can't quite grasp.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader, Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Word count: 9.5k (this got out of hand)

Warnings: Bigfoot!Bucky, 6'6" Bucky (he's massive. so beefy), manhandling, SMUT (18+), p in v sex, oral (f receiving), angst

A/N: this is almost a week late, I’m so sorry!! school has been crazy now before the break, but I finally got this part done. things happen in this one! a lot of progress in the relationship and some drama too

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Read my new story Resurrection here!

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • •

Three days.

The sun has once more set and you're still left in the cabin, three days after you first left the safe and nice house belonging to your boss. Three days since you met what could possibly be the sweetest and most caring person you have ever gotten the chance to know. Three days of Steve not knowing where you are.

You've been stuck in your own thoughts the entire evening, staring out of the window into the snow-covered evergreens. Winter is sulking because of your distance by interrupting the silence with a grunt or huff every now and then, trying to get your attention without saying anything. It reminds you a little bit of the dog your family had when you were a child.

And it's cute, a few hours ago you would have to stop yourself from throwing yourself at him, but you're just too worried. The thought of Steve being out there in the snow all alone searching for you is terrifying. The thought that he's not, that no one is looking, is even more terrifying. In reality, spending resources on a mere assistant who got herself lost in the woods during a snowstorm might not be very tempting for anyone. But you mean more than that to him, don't you? Steve might not be head over heels for you, but you're still best friends.

Five minutes ago, you think, Winter put food in front of you and nudged the plate your way. You haven't touched it yet, despite him looking at you expectantly for the entirety of the duration.

"Do you know what Christmas is?" you ask him suddenly, as if your mind hasn't been occupied by the most depressing thoughts known to man for several hours.

Winter does something likened to a flinch when he hears your voice. It makes you feel bad. You've been neglecting him the entire evening to feel sorry for yourself.

He only shakes his head in answer, nibbling on his food silently. He's not looking at you.

"It's Christmas in a few days. I was supposed to spend it with my friends back in upstate New York where I live," you tell him, lowering your gaze to the plate in front of you.

Your stomach is two seconds away from grumbling, yet you have no appetite. But Winter has been looking so upset over you not eating that you take a bite anyways.

With food in your mouth, and his gaze on you once more, you continue to tell him about something he probably does not care about.

"Usually this time of year everyone puts colorful lights up on their houses, and eat a lot of good food. And give each other presents if they can afford it."

"Presents?" Winter asks, a low mumble that sounds uninterested, but the twinkle in his eyes says differently about his curiosity.

You smile, the first one for the day. "Yes, presents. Things that you give each other to show how much you appreciate and like them. Maybe to family or friends or if you have someone you're in love with."

Winter looks like he contemplates something—thinking it over so thoroughly that his brows furrow—before he gives you a gentle nod.

"And some people have a Christmas tree. Just like the ones right outside here." You point out through the window. "You put lights in them and colorful things so they're all pretty."

"Sounds so weird," he murmurs in answer, drawing a faint chuckle from your lips.

"Yeah, it is kind of weird."

A sigh leaves you that leads into several seconds of silence. There's still a cloud hanging over the two of you that hasn't really been dissolved. You haven't been fair to him and the both of you know that.

"I'm sorry for not talking to you tonight," you say. "I've just been a little sad."

Winter looks up at you hastily, drilling those icy blue eyes into your flesh until it heats under his attention. His lips have never looked as pink and full as they do right now. At least for the duration of your unconventional friendship.

"Why?" he asks, moving a barely noticeable inch closer along with your words.

"I'm worried that the ones looking for me might get hurt out in the snowstorm. Or that no one is looking for me at all."

You exhale loudly with a sniffle, more so because of the incoming cold rather than tears. 

"Can stay here. With me." He barely looks at you, cheeks and ears flushing a shade of red you have yet to witness on him.

"I know, Winter. I know."

After the food is cleared from your plate and a few hours of talking, of Winter asking you endless questions about the peculiar things you tell him about, you're laying next to him in the tiny bed. He's wrapped and tangled around you so tightly you wouldn't be able to escape even if you wanted to.

It's starting to become a comfortable habit, sleeping next to him. You're afraid you won't be able to fall asleep without him when you get back.

"Why awake?" he whispers after what must have been an hour of you staring up into the dark ceiling. Winter's head rests on your chest, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. Giant.

"Just thinking," you answer quietly.

"No sad?" he asks without ever opening his eyes. "Don't like when you are sad."

Your lips find their way to his head, resting softly before pressing against his hair. "No sad this time. Go back to sleep, okay?"

He nods reluctantly. Winter doesn't fall asleep until he hears your breathing even out, until your eyes have fluttered closed and tiredness has finally dragged you down.

Sweet man.

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 

When you wake up, Winter is not there. By the light you can tell it's already long past morning, and you've probably been sleeping for a long time.

Stretching out in the bed with a yawn, a few minutes pass by before manage to sit up. The daily check up on your foot reveals that the swelling is almost entirely gone. It didn't hurt as much last night, but there's still pain each time you put too much pressure on it.

Instead of panicking over Winter's absence, you pin it down to him being out on a food run and instead haul yourself over to the fireplace to grab the empty pot standing beside it.

It's freezing cold outside when you scoop up snow into the copper, and shiver still when you're watching the water move up to a boil over the fire.

What must be a good while later, after heavy reflection and discussion with yourself, you know you have to change shirts. The one you're wearing right now is sweaty and stained and outright gross. The one you came in has been hand washed in warm water you boiled yesterday, and has dried completely by now.

The old shirt is thrown over a chair while the new is searched for inside of the cabin. And you find it, laid prettily on the couch underneath a knife. Limping to the other side of the room, you squint until you can really see what it is. It's the one Winter was carving the first night.

Smooth wooden carvings are turned around in your palm as the door is opened, bringing in a snow-covered Winter to the cabin with dozens of newly chopped logs in his arms. You're not really paying attention and neither is he, because while he thinks you're still sleeping, you get up to your feet with your gaze still stuck on the handmade knife.

"Did you make th—"

A shirtless Winter stands with his back turned, revealing the intricate map of muscles underneath his skin. Sweat coats his body from what must have been a grueling session of chopping firewood and you're suddenly speechless.

The power you've possessed these past few days, the one that made you hold back and control yourself, is slipping out of your grasp. When Winter turns around, he's met with your gaze boring into his very soul, pupils blown wide and chest heaving.

He must notice the change in you—it feels so painstakingly obvious, the way your thighs are pressing together and lips part in lust.

There's a low rumble coming from the very depths of his chest, skin flushed and glistening with sweat. His long hair covers his face but you can still see his eyes—the ones that are pinpointing you in place where you stand breathing shallowly. You don't know if you should run away or towards him. He's big and threatening and so beautiful as he stands there wanting you.

An involuntary whine from your throat breaks the trance-like staring contest that has occupied you for half a minute, and you know in your gut that you can't even stop yourself now. It's him, thoroughly and completely, the only remedy to the incurable condition of being so taken by someone you can barely breathe without them.

Winter crosses the room and has his hands on you in a mere second. And there's not a passionate and heart stopping meeting of your lips that follows—instead his face snuggles into the crook of your neck while he presses your body into his.

He's rubbing his face against yours, inhaling your scent and licking your skin. It's shameless and so very him. Winter is humming and growling while you're whining for more. All you manage to do is squeeze his arms, holding him closer despite it being impossible.

"Winter," you pant, sliding your hands up to his face. The skin of your palms meets the rough stubble on his cheeks, creating friction that is slightly painful but entirely ignored.

His pupils are blown wide as you guide your lips to his, pressing softly to begin with before Winter has had enough of your gentleness. It's messy and not entirely comfortable when your teeth clash and he uses too much tongue, but you love it—the unrestrained need overtaking his urges to the point where he doesn't care as long as he can have his mouth on you.

Winter ruts against your legs, pressing his hardened cock against you like an animal in heat. You think maybe that is exactly what he is. And the kiss doesn't last longer than a minute—he has so many parts of you that needs to be discovered. Frustrated and impatient hands grab at the fabric of your shirt, tugging instead of tearing it away as it seems like he wants to do.

"Off. Off, please," he breathes out, eyes zoned in on the outline of your pebbled nipples against the burgundy fabric.

Your shirt is thrown away carelessly and without aim a few seconds later. And there they are—your breasts right in front of Winter once more. Those wonderful and soft things that has made him go crazy these past four days. Ever since you let him touch them the second day he's been staring at them every now and then without subtlety, shamelessly ogling even with a shirt covering you.

When you push the straps off your shoulders, reaching behind your back to unclasp, Winter seems like he forgot to breathe for a few seconds. The bra falls to the ground, baring your breasts completely for him.

A growl fades into a near whine as he instantly reaches out, with both hands, gently running his fingers over your skin despite the aggressive urgency he showed only a few moments prior. He touches you as if you are fragile, delicate and valuable, despite having been treated as anything but for such a long time.

Winter gives out pleased hums while lowering himself down to his knees without his hands ever leaving your breasts, lips trailing down your skin until they meet the hindrance of your leggings.

"Smell so good. Taste too," he mumbles against your skin, desperately trying to rub himself against every naked spot.

Your fingers are tangled up in his hair, pulling at the strands while trying to get actual thoughts into your head instead of only thinking about the way your thighs clench together with each swipe of his tongue on your skin.

"Honey," you breathe out with a gentle tug of his hair to tilt his face upwards. "Winter."

Pale frozen lakes swallowed by dark pupils snap their attention up to your panting face. Your lips part in slight shock as you see how obvious it is that he wants you—that he wants nothing more in this moment than to have you. And god, you want to feel him inside of you just as much.

"Do you want this? Do you know what you are doing?" you ask him, your lustful eyes turning soft for a few seconds of concern.

Winter squeezes your thighs while letting out a quick puff of air through his nose.

"Am not stupid. Know that, uh—know what to do. What this is."

His hands almost subconsciously move over to your ass, palming the soft flesh with his fingers digging into your skin. You nod with a smile suppressed by your teeth biting into your lower lip.

It's enough confirmation for him, you think, when his arms snake around your waist and haul you down onto the floor. A piercing shriek followed by manic giggles sounds from your now heaving figure, splayed out underneath Winter's hovering body.

He only frowns in response—he's probably about to combust and tear the rest of your clothes off your body, take you right here on the floor while you're laughing at him.

"Why laugh? Not funny." He frowns, earning a soft carress of your hand against his cheek.

"No, no, honey," you force out through chuckles. "You've done nothing wrong. I'm happy, okay? This doesn't have to be so serious all the time. Sex is fun too, you know?"

His lips find the sensitive skin right beneath your ear, trailing over gently before inhaling heavily, biting down just enough for a shallow mark to form. A soft gasp sounds from you, drawing his hips to press down between your legs. That shut you up quickly.

"Want Bunny to be mine. Like wolves," he murmurs while shamelessly rutting himself against you. You can feel the outline of his cock through the barrier of his pants and the thin layer of your leggings. It scares you as much as it makes pools of heat soak through the fabric of your underwear. "Together the whole life. Want to be with you."

His words throw out all logic and memories of the man out looking for you in the snow. In this moment, the only man existing is the one panting above you, creating marks on your skin and telling you he wants to be with you for the rest of his life, despite having only met you four days ago.

"I'm yours," you breathe out in a choked attempt of regaining your composure. A deep rumble emits from his chest, a pleased and wild one, that tells you exactly how he feels about your answer.

Your head is pressed against the fur laying underneath your figure as your back arches, trying to increase the friction between you while feeling yourself start to rut back against him.

"Mine," he growls every other second while rubbing his cheek against yours.

Winter is starting to lose his own composure, growing frantic in his movements and you think he's going to come in his pants soon if you don't slow down.

A gentle hand to his chest and a slight push stop him, earning a confused stare from your big bear.

"Slow down. I don't want it to be over so soon," you whisper, eyes stuck on his pink and full lips, parted with each agitated breath.

He doesn't answer, because how could he, when your hand starts to trail down his stomach. It's his turn to gasp with the feeling of your cold palm running over his skin without you ever breaking eye contact.

You're not usually a shallow person but, god—the built muscle covered by soft flesh underneath his skin has turned him into a bulging Hercules. You've barely even noticed the mass of scars running along his left shoulder until your fingers touch the uneven skin. He's beautiful.

"You're so handsome, my love," you whisper with your lips hovering over his soft skin, pressing barely-there kisses to his chest.

Winter has stilled above you, letting you have your moment of worship without disturbance. You pull his face down to your lips for one last kiss before your hands wander further down.

"Will you take these off for me?" you ask him, tugging at the waist of his pants.

An adorable, enthusiastic nod is all the answer you get before he frantically rids himself off his last layer of clothing. No underwear. Interesting and slightly concerning. No complaint from your side—but the shock is absolutely present.

Large, throbbing and veiny. His cock stands proud, on the verge of bursting in front of you. Winter is entirely naked and you forgot how to breathe. Exhale on three? Inhale first?

Leaning on your elbows, you push yourself up just slightly to see him even better. You can't help it. Winter wears a smirk so devastating you don't even care how proud he looks—he knows the effect he has on your poor body and there's no use in hiding it.

"Don't look so smug, Bigfoot. You already knew," you tell him, heat plaguing your face to the point where you have to press your cold hands against your cheeks to calm yourself down.

The eye contact soon becomes too much and you reside to start peeling your leggings away from your skin. An impatient huff follows almost immediately from Winter.

"I want to," he says, pulling you closer to him with the same amount of effort as moving a glass of water.

There's not much grace in the way he pulls them off—they're tight and tricky and he almost tears them when he grows impatient. But you give him a raised eyebrow when you spot the thoughts turning inside that pretty head of his.

"Ugh, so hard. Why even have these?"

Winter's tongue sticks out from his mouth as he struggles through your fit of laughter, huffing in frustration. The pants are thrown across the room, landing over by the door. And the patience he previously showed is thrown away too, when his metal fingers clasp around the band of your underwear and tear them right off your body.

"Wha—"

Winter leans back on his knees with a sigh, as if he has just ran a marathon, while your wide-eyed shock tries to recover from what the hell he just did. Oh god, he's so hot.

You think he wants to be annoyed about his battle but doesn't really succeed—his hard-on still stands tall as ever and the red tip seems to be aching at this point. Your laughter quickly dies down into a simple smile, staring up at the soft giant crawling over you.

Fingers tangle up in dark strands, nails scraping over scalp, and Winter cradles your body so gently you might just fall in love with him completely. He's strong and big and so rough around the edges the phrase doesn't even cut it, but this man is so soft with you. All the throwing around and carrying is still done with such care, with the exception of that first day. Then it was a little frightening but now you don't even want to walk on your own anymore. He can throw you over his shoulder anytime.

"Cute. Pretty bunny," Winter whispers, pressing his lips against your forehead just as softly as you did to him before. He's mimicking, reciprocating what you've shown him. "So pretty."

Your hands sneak around until they are resting on his back, splayed out across his scarred skin. With a tug, you push him towards you until the head of his cock nudges against your wet folds. A guttural groan escapes his lips, eyelids closing as he takes in the new, yet not, feeling.

You know he's done it before somehow, but it has to have been such a long time ago. He doesn't even remember seeing a pair of breasts—the feeling of being inside someone has probably escaped his mind entirely.

"So wet." His head hangs down, muscles in his arms bulging with restraint.

"Winter," you breathe out so quietly he probably can't hear you. "Please."

It's the soft permission that allows him to finally push inside. Your mouth falls open, limbs tensing tightly, as his cock stretches you out completely with a single stroke. It's a little too fast for your liking, but he doesn't know any better. And you haven't really told him what to do.

But the feeling of him. He fills you completely, stays so dangerously still while he grunts and huffs with the feeling of you wrapped around him.

"Oh," he says. "Mhm."

He still hasn't moved but his little sounds drive you crazy. You're still getting adjusted to him inside of you and you like this moment where the two of you are the closest you can be. But after what must be at least a minute of relative stillness, you want him to push inside again.

"Move...please?" he asks, sounding a little too choked for his own well-being.

"You can move now, honey," you tell him, lips just hovering over the corner of his mouth and finding it hard yourself to form coherent sounds through your small whimpers.

And the gentleness suddenly disappears with a good thrust into you that steals every last ounce of air out of your lungs.

"Soft," he murmurs into your ear. "So small. Mhm."

All you can do is moan and whine and whimper because holy fuck you never knew sex could feel this good. It's not so much about his technique or attentiveness as it is about the pure want. Each thrust signals a lack of constraint so wild he barely has any control of his sloppy movements.

The entirety of him is pressing you down into the floor, chests rubbing against each other. Winter soon seems to have some form epiphany about your breasts—his right hand cups one of them while pure adoration shines in his eyes, squeezing and massaging out of tune with his thrusts. Poor guy barely knows what he's doing but it doesn't matter to you. You're so deliriously euphoric underneath him, filled by his large cock and fondled by his mouth and hands.

"Love these," Winter whispers, eyes still locked on your breasts. An out of breath laugh escapes you in between the whimpers, palm traveling up to his cheek. "So pretty. Cute."

He's so beautiful like this, with beads of sweat running down his face and lips parted for heavy breaths. Not a lot of time passes before he starts to whine, and you're done as soon as that sound comes from his lips.

Your legs nearly shake as they cling onto Winter's waist, pulling him in closer subconsciously while your head is thrown back in ecstasy.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," you ramble on mindlessly while Winter's thrusts get sloppier and quicker with each second. He's grunting like a madman, rid of all sense of carefulness he possessed when you started.

"Bunny...feel—oh—so good."

His words are choked and breathless, as if he's forcing himself to tell you just how good you're making him feel. Sweet, sweet man. And according to him, entirely yours.

Winter stills above you, letting out the loudest and most wanton moan you have ever heard from a man as he comes inside of you. Your breath stutters, lips falling open while feeling his pulsing cock throb with each load.

The two of you stay there for several minutes, calming yourselves down from your heavy breathing with him still inside of you. His arms are cradling you tightly to him, somehow mindful of not crushing you under his weight despite everything. Despite him not knowing and still being so gentle.

When you finally open your eyes, it's with a ridiculously large, but tired smile. He's nuzzling into your sweaty neck, rubbing his nose against you.

"Liked very much. Mine now?" he asks suddenly.

A startled chuckle is forced out of you, fingers tangling themselves up in his hair, stroking and scratching gently over his scalp. God, can someone stop this man before you quit your job and stay here?

"Yours now," you whisper, pressing your lips against his head.

Winter hums in delight, squeezing you just a little tighter. He grows half-hard inside of you again, but you know you can't take another round of this tonight. You're sore like never before after taking his, to be frank, giant cock. Honestly, you're surprised you didn't make a big fuzz over it in the first place.

But he doesn't seem to have any more intentions of a second go. Instead, Winter stands up with you still in his arms to walk towards the bed while his free hand strokes the back of your head softly.

"Sleep. Little bunny so tired."

And you are. But as much as you would have liked to just fall asleep right now with his softening length inside of you, UTIs do not go well together with that kind of behavior.

"Any chance you might be able to carry me outside?" you ask him, finger trailing over his nose until it touches his upper lip. "It's been a whole day without you throwing me over your shoulder. That's too long."

Winter gives you a look that tells you he finds it funny and you find it even more fun that he gets humor. The progress he's made in just a few days is amazing.

When you go inside again, you're clinging on to his front instead with your legs wrapped around his waist, face nuzzled into the crook of his neck. How does a man who has probably not showered for ages smell good? Are you becoming delusional?

Winter halts his pace towards the bed for just a second, bending down slightly before laying himself down with you on top of him. Face to face, just like that first night. Maybe a little more tired this time and definitely happier. Also stark naked.

When you're preoccupied with tracing the scars on his chest, Winter brings forward the thing he picked up just a minute earlier to lay right in front of your line of sight.

"Made myself," he whispers proudly.

The knife lies there, the one you saw a few hours earlier. A bunny is ingrained on the handle.

"A present. For you."

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

You woke up to Winter running his tongue down your naked body, pressing kisses to your stomach while waiting for you to wake up. Or, he kind of woke you up by repeatedly poking your cheek while saying your name. You didn't mind all that much.

"More," he told you, looking up through his lashes with that innocent gaze of his. You had no plans of saying no from the beginning, but it would be impossible doing so with those eyes of his pleading.

Five times. That's how many times you came this morning. After the first round Winter realized he liked the feeling of your slick so much he wanted to taste it. Then he proceeded to ask if that's something people do—you told him that, yes, that is very much appreciated.

For an hour Winter was buried between your thighs, ferociously lapping up your wetness without as much as a pause for breath. It seemed to make him genuinely upset when you told him that you couldn't take anymore. A promise of more later was what it took for him to get rid of his pouting.

Now you're sitting on the couch, alone, feeling remorse for making him stop. Winter has been gone for about an hour now and you miss him unreasonably much.

The better part of the hour has been spent running your fingers over the knife he gave you yesterday. You hope you won't have to use it, but it feels like a crime to not carry it with you constantly now.

A present. Did Winter remember what you told him about why you give them? He cares about you, you know that already, but to give up something he started working on before you even met is so...loving. It's the sweetest thing someone has given you.

You're also begin to suspect that a cold has struck you down. Yesterday your nose started to become runny and now your temperature seems to have a hard time deciding where it should be. In this moment you're unreasonably warm, and the fire feels much more burning than it has done before. Goddamn sickness.

The fresh air is equally relieving and excruciating. Even though you're sweating profusely, goosebumps appear on your poor skin as you stand on the porch. Fevers suck.

At least it's not snowing as much anymore. It's more of a calm snowfall than a storm now. You wonder if that bear ever found their mom again. If it shows up again you will probably adopt it because you can't stand the thought of a bear cub wandering around all alone looking for their family.

It's not until you turn around, hand on the door handle and halfway through closing it behind you that you hear the rustle. And you almost think that it might be the bear again, or maybe Winter has come back, but when you hear your name being shouted desperately chills run through your spine.

"Y/n! Good god."

Steve is wading through the snow to his best ability, because even super soldiers have a hard time getting forward in this weather. And he's exhausted and devastated and so goddamn relieved, you see that clearly as you stand shocked in the doorway. He throws his shield to the ground, palm running over his face as he nears the stairs leading up to the porch.

You stumble inside as he throws his arms around you, bringing you tightly into his chest that is heaving out of exertion. It takes a few seconds to adjust to fact that he is here, and he found you.

Relaxing into his hold is an euphoric feeling. His suit-clad chest is cold against your cheek but you don't care. It's Steve, for god's sake. Steve who was spent the last five days searching for you in a snowstorm.

"I thought you were dead. God, sweetheart," he murmurs into your hair, lips pressing against your head. "Don't leave like that again, Y/n. Please don't."

Steve's familiar hold draws unusual tears from your eyes as you press your face further into his chest. He holds you so tightly, uncaring about his strength when he has you back. You're alive and he's damn sure of not leaving you out of his sight again.

With a step back, Steve forces himself to release the tight hug so he can get a good look on you. His eyes, that are almost as blue as Winter's, you realize now, rake over your figure with brows furrowed in concern and a hard stare.

"Your foot. It's hurt," he remarks, hands lingering on your shoulders while eyeing your perfectly normal looking feet. ”And you have a fever.”

"Wha—how did you know my foot was hurt?" you ask him, entirely baffled by his observation. Damn super soldier genes.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt?" Steve ignores your question. "Have you iced it?"

"Well, I don't exactly have an overflow of ice packs out here."

"There's 2 feet of snow right outside the door." He nods towards the window and the soft snowfall that has drastically calmed down from the storm that has plagued the last few days.

"Don't be a smartass," you mumble through an unconvincing attempt at repressing your amused smile.

"Brat," Steve whispers to himself while pulling you in for another hug, resting his chin on top of your head.

You don't even comment on that—having your safe place back with his arms around you makes you so deliriously relieved that you don't have it in you to talk back. It's actually infuriating how good you fit against him, almost like it shouldn't be this natural.

The warmth spreading from your chest sends spirals of anxiety and doubt into your already overfilled mind. You slept with Winter last night, and it was possibly the most wonderful you had ever felt. This same warmth that erupts each time you lay eyes on Steve now finds a way to come forward in Winter's presence too. But the love you have for the blonde super soldier hasn't resided because of your newfound feelings for the gruff Bigfoot. What does that even mean? That you're turning into some lesser version of Katherine "it's okay to love them both" Pierce?

“Are you okay, Steve?” you ask suddenly, moving your hands up to his cheeks. “How long have you—have you been looking for me this entire time? Five days? Oh, god, Steve. You can’t be out in a snowstorm for that long, you idiot!”

“Woah. I never said I was out that long. You’re drawing hasty conclusions.”

“You weren’t out all this time?”

“Well, yes, I was—“

“God, you absolute jerk. You could’ve died!”

“I wasn’t unprepared, Y/n. I had supplies with me an—“

Steve’s head suddenly snaps towards the door. Within a second the hold goes from relieved and exhausted to stiff, tense to the point where you immediately notice Steve's change in demeanor. His arms slowly slip away from encasing you entirely to his hands holding onto your upper arms tightly.

Going unknowing of Steve's abilities is not difficult, even while spending each and every day in his presence. He doesn't flaunt his advantages, instead reveals them in the subtlest ways—like now. You know that he hears better than a goddamn cat and can smell someone's cooking from a mile away, but sometimes when you're reminded it comes as a surprise.

Without even tearing his rigid gaze away from the door, his voice that was tender a few seconds ago turns stern.

"Y/n, get behind me."

Steve doesn't give you time to react before he shuffles you behind him, gently, covering your figure with the entirety of his. God, those shoulders really are broad. You never really understood what Tony was making fun of until now.

Your initial confusion quickly turns into slight dread as you realize exactly who will soon come in through the door. Opening your mouth to calm Steve's fighting mode down is futile—you're not quick enough.

The door is thrown open, smashing against the wall. Winter stands heaving, zeroed in on the threatening man standing a mere inch away from you. What feels like a minute is no longer than a few seconds of him assessing the situation, but you see so clearly that what he judges it to be is danger.

"Wint—"

Your words die in your throat as Steve is ripped away from you in a mere blink, thrown against the wall with a too strong metal arm before he can react. Before you can react. A punch is launched towards his face, just barely missing before the second hits his cheek.

The scream echoing through the cabin is yours, running up to the scene without even thinking. "Stop! Winter, stop!"

Hands pull at his shoulders, frantically trying to get his hand away from Steve's throat. You're already crying and Steve is bleeding.

All of a sudden, blinding pain shoots up your nose, launching you back with a stumble that sends you to the floor. That goddamn foot. Winter's elbow must've connected with your face while throwing another punch towards Steve.

With your hand covering your now bleeding nose and tears blurring your sight, sitting on the floor, you open your mouth once more.

Winter's name is called out in a pained whimper. Steve's too, because he's fighting back just as strongly. None of them know how little threat they are to each other in reality.

"Please stop! I know you both!" you sob.

Winter falters for just a second, allowing Steve to get the upper hand until he manages to grab Winter's arms, gathering them behind his back while turning around to face you.

It's as if the rivalry dissipates in a second as they catch sight of your bloody and tear-streaked face. Steve releases your newfound friend's arms, allowing the latter to slip away. He rushes up to you, hands lifting you up from the floor until you're standing in front of him.

"That's Steve. My friend, okay? He's my friend," you tell him through a sniffle, trying to rid yourself of the tears.

But Winter is barely listening. His eyes take over your face, frown so deeply etched in between his eyebrows it might just become permanent. The heavy breathing is unsual for your Bigfoot, but so is it for Steve.

"I did this? I hurt?" Winter breathes out, both hands traveling up to cup your cheeks.

"You didn't mean to—it's okay, Winter, really—"

"No," he growls. "Am sorry. Not okay, I hurt you."

"Y/n."

Steve speaks up, stealing your attention to look at him over Winter's shoulder. The poor super soldier is so lost and concerned, standing dumbfounded and still rigid a few feet away.

You wipe underneath your nose with the sleeve of your shirt, soaking the fabric with your blood and snot and tears.

"Who is this?" he asks you, stern and tense.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you when you came," you sniffle. "This is Winter. He took me in when I got lost and hurt myself. Or Winter is not his real name, we don't know what it is. He doesn't remember much."

Winter has turned around, covering you like Steve did only a few minutes prior. None of them has yet backed down entirely from their suspicion, still puffed up and glaring. But that glare quickly disappears from Steve's face as soon as he looks Winter in the eyes.

Fear, contempt and hesitancy turns into shock. A sadness so deeply etched into his very being that instant tears spring to his eyes. All you can do is be confused in the turnaround of expression in your best friend.

"Bucky?"

An immediate flinch runs through your limbs when you hear Steve's small voice—as if he's back into the weak body he possessed all those decades ago.

Bucky. Bucky is dead, has been so for a long, long time. You know how much Steve misses him, but the mention of his name in this moment makes no sense.

And Winter seems to agree. His left arm reaches behind him, grabbing your upper arm until you're pressed tightly against him. If it's for your comfort or his, you're not sure.

But when you look up at Steve, and see the grief emitting from his entire body, you know somehow that the person you've been calling Winter for five days is in fact the person who has been lost for a near century.

Bucky Barnes—alive and well, clinging onto you for dear life. Shit.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Steve and Bucky have been talking for thirty minutes. Or, Steve has done most of the talking despite feeling like he should just cry for five years first. His best friend, the one who was more family at one point than his real one ever was, is alive after being presumed dead since the 40's.

And Steve didn't do a goddamn thing. He did not search for him when he fell off that damn train, did not search for as much as a blood fleck. He's just been grieving for a near century instead, feeling sorry for himself when his brother was tortured and brainwashed for decades.

Bucky is nowhere near the man he was before. He doesn't exactly remember Steve, despite feeling like there is some familiarity there. Steve would like to think there is, at least. And the man has spent so much time deprived of his own language that he can barely speak it anymore. The lame jokes Steve tries to tell him go right over Bucky's head.

Mostly he has been suspicious regarding Steve's relationship to you. That's practically all he's been doing—asking about you. It prides Steve that you've been talking about him, but it hurts even more that Bucky is completely infatuated with the woman he loves.

"So...uh, what have you been doing these past days?" Steve finally asks, twisting his fingers back and forth.

"Have been telling things. Like about Y/n and Christmas and, uh, movies. Also eat and sleep much because Y/n is so small."

Steve can't help but laugh. Of course Bucky thinks you're bordering on unhealthy when he's a giant now. He's always viewed Bucky as this big and strong man he could never live up to, but even now when Steve is big himself, Bucky seems massive.

"Meet bear other day. Small but was so scared when saw Y/n outside with bear over her. Thought she was dead."

"A bear?" Steve asks, tensing up instantly.

"Yes. Small child bear. Just wanted to play. Y/n say it was kind."

All Steve can do is shake his head. Sounds like you but also not. You'd be reckless enough to play with a bear, but should have been scared mindless by it too.

"Do you remember me at all?" he asks after the comfortable silence allows him to think too much.

"Remember small man. Also light hair like you and blue eyes but very small."

A loud crash sounds from inside, hindering Steve from asking anything further because now the concern takes over entirely and both of them rise from where they sit on the stairs.

Another time, then.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Thirty minutes of incessant tapping with your foot against the floor. You're starting to  become annoyed with yourself. An old rag filled with snow is pressed against your nose that hurts like a son of a bitch. At least it's not broken.

Steve and Bucky are talking outside, you think. You can't hear sounds from two miles, or through a thick door, unlike the two men. It's driving you crazy.

1945. That's when they last saw each other, and your imagination has been digging itself deeper and darker with each minute. What if Winter was tortured and held captive for all this time? What if he'll never remember again and Steve is left heartbroken? What if they're both just sitting in awkward silence or have beaten each other half to death?

James. Bucky. That his name is not Winter is hard to process and you will have a tough time calling himself something else than the nickname you've given him. This person that you've become so infatuated with is also the same person Steve grew up with. Winter is just as much his as he's yours.

When the waiting turns torturous and you haven't heard so much as a sound from them in a long time, you can't bear to sit in silence any longer. You stand up from the chair too quickly—it shoots back and falls over against the floor, earning a few chosen curse words from your mouth. Those bastards out there probably heard it.

You almost get the door thrown in your face when you've walk up to it. They absolutely heard you.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Steve asks.

"I just pushed off the chair too hard. It fell over," you answer while letting them inside.

Steve instantly takes your arm over his, taking on your weight as you walk. Why does he have to be such a gentleman all the time? Hate him. Perfect bastard. Winter, or Bucky, is more chivalrous than the average man but in more...brutal ways. You would never find Steve throwing you over his shoulder. You kind of like the contrast.

You glance over your shoulder to see Winter's reaction to Steve having his hands on you. It's not horrible—he's staring at the point of contact but it doesn't look like he will attack him any soon. Progress, maybe?

By the fireplace is where you let go of him, bending down to throw more logs to fuel the fire. Even Steve can feel how cold it is, and that makes him worry for how it feels for you.

He and Bucky stand with a good distance between them, waiting for you to sit down. But you don’t.

“Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything?” you ask instead, pointing toward the pot hanging over the fireplace.

“I’m fine. I was well prepared,” Steve answers.

“Oh. Uh—water?”

“Sure,” he says, because you look like you’re desperate for something to do other than stand in this tense silence.

The pot is hung on a hook too far up for you to reach, and it’s obvious as you stand on your tiptoes while stretching your arm as far as it goes. That’s Steve’s sweet girl as he knows you.

Soon enough you have a 6’6” man crowding up behind you, taking down the pot for you without even trying. Damn Winter. He is a gentleman.

“Here,” he tells you, patting you on the head like he did a few times when you first met.

Fighting the smile desperate to break through is futile. It’s just too sweet to not react. Steve probably thinks it’s condescending or something, but you know that’s not his intention.

“Thank you, honey,” you whisper, fighting the urge to kiss him. God, his lips are right there. “Steve, could you just go outside and get some snow real quick?” You reach the pot over towards him.

With a nod and attempt of a smile, he turns around and goes outside for barely a minute. When he gets back, Winter has his nose pressed against your neck and arms wrapped around your waist. A sweet giggle sounds from your lips, filling the house with more warmth than fire ever could.

The sound of his footsteps snaps you out of the short lived trance, pushing away gently from Bucky’s hold while accepting the pot back with a soft ‘thank you’.

Steve sees the strain in Bucky's pants, how his cock grows with each second as he stares at the outline of your nipples through your shirt. Steve's shirt. There’s no subtlety in his attraction in the least, and no thought to other people being present in the room either.

Bucky's hand reaches out for you hesitantly, but is quickly swatted away by yours.

"Not now, Winter," you whisper as quietly as possible, wishing desperately that Steve has temporary hearing issues.

"Later? Sex again?"

The words come crashing down over the room, halting your breathing just as heavily as if someone had their hand around your throat. And you know he doesn't understand why what he just said is devastating and excruciating and deadly. But god, you could cry right now.

Your head instantly snaps up until you catch sight of the wide-eyed Steve Rogers who's clenching his jaw ridiculously tightly. His lips part in quiet shock, eyes flickering everywhere in the room but at you and Winter.

"You—you slept with him? You've had...sex?" Steve asks, ears suddenly burning red and his cheeks too and god, why is the picture of you and Bucky together not heartbreaking? Why is all of his blood suddenly moving away from his head to his cock when he should be burning with jealousy?

But you don't notice. No, all you see is disappointment and disgust. Steve probably hates you and the feeling is so debilitating that you'd do anything to fix it. The sudden desperation bubbles up so quickly that you can't control what comes out of your mouth next.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." You bury your face in your hands for just a moment. "I'm just...I don't know what to do anymore."

A pause. A gulp. Are you doing this? Are you finally confessing after ten years? You don’t know what to say because you love him but you also just slept with his best friend but the both of you thought he was dead and you didn’t know that it was Bucky out of all people. How could you ever have known when you haven’t even seen so much as a photograph of the man? Or, you probably have in some history book but it was such a long time ago.

The tears spring to your eyes before you even give them permission to, desperately trying to blink them away. You’re not going to cry. You’re going to stand here and tell Steve the truth like an adult.

"I've spent the last decade being so goddamn in love with you, Steve, and I've never even had a chance. Now I think I might love someone I met five days ago. I don’t even know anymore, it’s all just...”

"Love?" Winter breathes out, but you're not even listening.

"And it's not even enough, is it? Of course it had to be your best friend who you thought were dead and has been gone for 80 fucking years. It’s not enough that I’ve spent a decade of my life in vain, only to finally find someone that likes me that—that’s Bucky Barnes. Your Bucky.”

Silence. Excruciating silence as you realize what you just confessed, as you wait for any kind of reaction. But you wouldn't even know what to say if someone else told you this.

"You're in love with me?" Steve asks, sounding like he had the breath knocked out of him. "All this time, you've..."

With his hands on his hips and gaze on anything but you, a minute passes by of his silence and your tears. Winter just stands there, entirely dumbfounded and that worries you too because that man hasn't spent a minute longer than an inch away since you came here.

It just becomes too much. Wiping away your tears with the palms of your hands, you walk away without a word towards the door.

"Leaving?" Winter asks, sounding much more upset than what he's displayed these past minutes.

You nod, back turned away from the two of them. You still feel their stares.

"Just for a while. I need to breathe."

The door closes gently behind you, and the cabin is left feeling empty despite the two people still standing. Winter starts heading towards the door as well, but is stopped by a hand to his arm.

"Don't. Let her be alone for a few minutes, okay?" Steve says, even though he doesn't want to leave you be anymore than his friend.

The feeling of hard metal where soft flesh should be underneath his hand is heartbreaking. Steve tries not to show it. Bucky has been through enough and someone sulking out of guilt is not what he needs. It's not about Steve and he needs to stop feeling sorry for himself.

In reality, he should push away the sorrow and allow himself to feel happy. Because you just said you loved him. You love him. And yes, you just confessed your feelings for the punk beside him as well. But it doesn't matter that much, he finds. It should, because Steve has always been traditional but it when it comes to his best friend he usually finds himself breaking the rules.

Whatever happened between waking up in New York 2012 and now standing a completely changed man in a cabin, discussing with himself wether or not he could ever share a person with someone else? He knows the answer is you—this goddamn woman who has taken up every single waken thought for a decade.

But he doesn’t really know if you want to be with him. That’s not always the case, he’s learnt. He loves Peggy, but he would not want to go back even if he could. That is not the person he is anymore, and that’s damn sure when he’s considering a—what do you call it again?

“Y/n okay?” Bucky asks him after a while. He’s standing in line with the window, watching you were you sit on the porch.

You don’t have a jacket or shoes on, which is very typical of you. Stubborn. Steve always have to tell you to put more clothes on.

“I think she just needs to think. I didn’t—my reaction wasn’t very great. I should have told her how I felt instead of keeping silent,” Steve answers.

“Love her too? Back?”

“Yes. Of course I love her back. More than anything. You know her—it’s hard not to.”

“Winter loves her too. So much,” Bucky says, eyes never straying from your figure. “But still mine?”

“That’s for her to decide. And you can’t own a person, Bucky.”

“No?”

“No. All you can hope for is that she chooses to love you, chooses to show up everyday. But you can't say that she has to be with you. It's not fair and not right. You can just hope that it'll turn out that way."

Bucky is quiet. Steve doesn't really know if he understood.

"Then want that," he says after a minute of silence. "Want Y/n happy all the time.”

Steve gulps. And it’s not because he’s upset—he feels calm. Like if Bucky feels it too, maybe he’s not so far from the right thing.

“Winter, huh? That’s what she calls you?”

“Yes. Nickname. Like bunny.”

Bunny. Steve have always stuck to the classics—sweetheart, honey, darling. But it fits you. Might not be the thing he would come up with initially, but it feels natural.

“So cute and pretty. Like bunny we saw.”

A particularly loud sob sounds through the door, drawing the attention away from their conversation to your figure. You’ve sat down on the porch stairs, head buried in your arms.

“C’mon,” Steve mumbles, nodding towards the door.

You hear the door being opened, two sets of footsteps walking on the creaky, old wooden floor. You don’t want them to see you like this—all weepy and broken and sad. Rejected.

But god, when a warm jacket is placed over your shoulders you cry even more. Strong arms lift you from your seat, sitting down again before placing you in their lap. Your head falls back against their chest—Winter.

Steve crouches down in front of you with that stoic but solemn expression he so often wears. You never know what he’s thinking in these moments and it bothers you. But it feels okay to some point when he takes your cold fingers in his hands, rubbing them warm again.

Despite the affectionate gesture you can’t bear to look at him. Instead you bury your face into Winter’s shoulder, inhaling his scent. It actually, somehow, calms you down. The sobs soon turn down into sniffles and your breathing goes back to relatively normal.

“Y/n,” Steve says gently, as if he’s afraid the mere sound of his voice would upset you. It never could. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act like such a jerk. I was just shocked.”

His fingers run over the back of your hand, tracing invisible patterns over your skin that leave shivers in their wake. Winter has his face buried in your hair, nuzzling shamelessly. He’s in his own world right now, and you suspect he’s not listening to a word being said.

“Sweetheart, you just told me you loved me. That you love this old punk after knowing me for a near decade is…it’s the most wonderful news I could have ever gotten.” Steve has brought your hands up to rest against his chin, lips aching to touch your skin. “I didn’t know I was allowed to feel this way any longer and you just made me the happiest man in the goddamn world.”

The reveal of your face once more is torturously slow. He wants to see the entirety of you, regardless of the tears and snot and what not.

“Of course I love you, Y/n. I’ve loved you for the better part of 8 years. And I wish we had gotten over ourselves a bit earlier so I could’ve had you all this time instead of pining after you like a damn punk.”

A loud sniffle sounds through the space between you. Your hand is gripping Winter’s tightly enough to bruise a normal person while blinking furiously. Have you gone mad? Do you miss Steve so much that you’ve conjured up this fantasy of him in some weird fever dream?

“You do?” you ask weakly.

“I do, sweet girl. More than anything.”

“Me too,” Winter chimes in from where his face is pressed against your skin. His voice is muffled and sounds on the verge of humorous considering everything. “Love bunny so much. Want to be with you all time.”

A laughing sob escapes you, shaking you where sit perched in his lap. All you can do is bury your face in your hands again, pressing the heels of your palms into your eyes.

“No cry. Happy, okay?” Winter says.

“I’m not sad, honey. I’m happy. Happier than ever.”

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • •

TAGLIST: @enchantedbarnes @imyourbratzdoll @cjand10

Part IV

[stephstars08]

The Only Exception

River Phoenix x Reader

Warnings: Some Adult Language, Angst, Fluff, Mention of Messy Divorce, Mention of Fighting, Abandonment, Mention of Sexual Activities, Daddy Issues, and Possible Grammar Errors (Sorry if I Forgot Any!!)

Summary: Growing up Y/N’s mother always told her that there is no such thing as true love and for a long time Y/N believed her mother. Well, until she met a blonde haired boy named River Phoenix.

Song Inspiration: The Only Exception by Paramore

Word Count: 1,451

Author’s Note: This is my first River Phoenix story. I know there aren’t a lot of River Phoenix stories on here and some people wanted me to write for him so I finally did! I’ve been wanting to write a story based off this song forever since it’s been one of my favorite songs ever since I was a little girl so I definitely suggest listening to the song before reading! I hope you all enjoy!🩵

Y/N is from a small town in Ohio but moved to California after she turned eighteen and has now lived there for almost two years. The reason why Y/N left Ohio was because of the bad memories that were made there. Y/N doesn’t just come from a single broken home, she comes from two broken homes.

When Y/N was just four years old her parents split up from a marriage that wasn’t filled with love. The only reason why her parents got married was because her mom got pregnant with her. Y/N would constantly hear her parents yell and scream at one another. Sometimes she would hear glass and furniture slamming against the walls and shattering.

When they finally divorced Y/N thought things would get better but they didn’t. In the beginning of the divorce Y/N lived with both of her parents separately. One week she would be living with her mom and then the next week with her dad but that didn’t last long. When she turned ten her father remarried and started another family. He wanted nothing to do with her or her mother. He just cared for his new wife and kids.

Y/N’s mother never remarried because of the heartbreak Y/N’s fathers caused not just her but Y/N as well. As Y/N grew up her mom would always tell to never fall in love because love doesn’t exist. All love does is crush you into a million pieces and most of Y/N’s life she believed what her mother said to her was true. There is no such thing as true love.

Well, she thought that until she met the one and only River Phoenix.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It was an early Friday morning and Y/N just started her shift at the 50’s style diner she works at. As she was cleaning off the counter she would glance up at the glass doors from time to time. “You on the look out for your boyfriend?” She heard a voice say. When Y/N looked over she saw her best friend/co worker Lori looking at her with a teasing look in her green eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend.” Y/N told her in a stern tone. “But you want him to be your boyfriend.” Lori said to her. Y/N just stayed silent.

Yes, what Lori just said was very true but Y/N doesn’t feel like she’s ready to admit it out loud.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.” Lori told her and walked into the back where the kitchen is. Y/N let out a heavy sigh and went back to wiping down the counter.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A couple of hours passed when River finally walked through the glass doors with the same couple of friends he always comes in with. Y/N was waiting on a couple and their three children at the counter so she didn’t notice River had showed up. When she walked over to the cash register to put the money the customers gave her was when her Y/E/C eyes met River’s memorizing ones.

Y/N just shook it off and opened the cash register to put the money in it. As she waited for the receipt to print she could feel River’s strong gaze on her. That strong gaze he has always makes her feel like her heart is going to beat out of her fucking chest. That’s the effect River has on her.

“Here comes your boyfriend.” She heard Lori whisper into her ear as she walked behind her to the coffee machine. Before Y/N could say anything back at Lori she heard River say her name. There he is. The man that is making her doubt what her mother always told her.

“Sorry to bother you while you’re working but I need to talk to you about something.” River told her. “It’s okay. You could never bother me.” Y/N told him in a reassuring tone in her voice. “What do you need to talk about?” Y/N asked him with curious in her voice. “Are you and Lori doing anything tonight?” River asked her. Y/N answered his question with a shake of the head. “My guys and I are having a party on the beach tonight and we would love it for you two to come.” River told her. Before Y/N could say anything Lori appeared behind Y/N. “We’ll be there!” Lori told River with an exciting smile on her face. “Cool, party starts at seven.” River said as his lips curved into a smirk. “See you tonight.” River added and turned back around to walk back to the table where is friends are sitting.

“Lori! What the fuck was that?” Y/N said with a hiss as she looked at her with a glare in her eyes. “What? What did I do?” Lori asked with confusion in her tone. “You know how I feel about parties.” Y/N reminded her with frustration in her voice. “Y/N, this is your chance with River.” Lori told her. “I know you two are crazy about one another. Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone to get with the boy you like.” Lori explained to her.

Y/N knew that Lori again was one hundred percent right. “Okay.” Y/N told her with a nod. “That’s my girl.” Lori said giving her a pat on the shoulder. Lori walked away back over to the coffee maker. Y/N let out a sigh as she grabbed the receipt out of the printer of the cash register.

Y/N glanced over at River. He was laughing at something on of his friends said. Y/N couldn’t help but put on a soft smile. She looked away and walked over to the family she was waiting on.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When Y/N arrived at the party with Lori she could feel her nerves start to pace. There is a lot more people at the party than she thought. As the night went on, Y/N would mingle around with Lori but once she started to talking to this one guy, she forgot all about Y/N.

Y/N decided to go sit down in the sand by herself a little bit away from the loud crowd of people. As she sat there she watched the waves crash on the shore line in front of her. “Hey.” She heard a familiar voice say to her. When she looked up she saw that the voice belonged to River. “Hi.” Y/N said in a soft voice. “Can I sit with you?” River asked her in a curious tone. After Y/N answered his question with a nod he bent down and sat right down next to her. Y/N could feel the butterflies in her stomach go into a frenzy.

“Where did Lori go?” River asked her. “Probably fucking with the random guy she ditched me for.” Y/N told him with annoyance as she stared out at the ocean. “Does she always ditch you to go fuck with a random guy?” River asked her which made her let out a sigh in frustration. “Pretty much. That’s why I don’t like coming to parties.” Y/N told him.

A comforting silence fell between the two as they both looked out at the beautiful blue water.

“What are you hiding from me?” River asked her breaking the silence. That question took Y/N by surprise. “What?” Y/N asked with confusion looking over at him. “I don’t know about you but I can feel something between us but when I go to make a move I feel like you shut your feelings away from me.” River explained to her looking at her with softness in his eyes. “When it comes to love, I caution myself.” Y/N told him. “May I ask why?” River asked her.

Y/N looked back out at the water. This will be the first time she’s told someone about her childhood. “Growing up, my mom always told me that love doesn’t exist and it’s just a shit show that breaks you down.” Y/N told him. “But?” River said sensing that there is more. “I recently made one exception.” Y/N told him still not looking at his strong gaze.

River used one of his hands to her chin to move her head towards him so that they were looking at each other in the eyes. “What is that exception?” River asked as his eyes locked onto hers. “You.” Y/N answered in a soft tone.

River moved his hand from her chin to one of her cheeks. Y/N leaned into his touch as his thumb gently stroked her cheek. River leaned in and connected his lips with her’s. As Y/N kissed him back she felt like she was on cloud nine.

Thanks to a boy named River, she believes that there is such a thing called true love.

[ace-is-bby]

This next piece is a picture I've literally been working on all damn day.

This Idea has been legitimately plaguing my mind for like ever.

It's a modern day Au (where they are of course gender swapped one day I will draw them normally but that day is not today)

Maybe sometimes this month or next month but no promises

Info about the modern Au

LAW

Is a surgeon

Loves the color black

Luffy attached herself one day and now Law can't avoid the strange ASL siblings and is now the unspoken fourth member of the family

Clearly and insomniac

Has Zero tolerance for bullshit

Has an on and off relationship with Eustass Kidd ( everytime there's a girls night they just so happen to be broken up) And somehow Luffy always knows when to invite her out

Regrets the company she hangs around since they constantly get her in trouble.

ACE

The responsible one but no one will believe it when she stands next to Sabo

Has Daddy issues and that's why she has a specific taste in men

A professional arsonist and loves to get on Dr.Newgate (MARCOS) Nerves

Is a Narcoleptic and eats a lot

Is kind of a guppy when you get her mad enough.

Works as a bartender and occasionally a stripper and gets paid a lot.

SABO

The fancy one who everyone thinks is super responsible but is actually chaotic.

Tells people that she is the responsible one knowing that everyone will believe her and she does this because according to Ace "she is a little shit that likes to get on my nerves"

Can't remember names for the life of her she blames it on her scar but it's not the scars fault

Works in a corporate building as a spy for another company called the Revolutionaries

Purposely gets her co-workers upset over shit whenever they get too close to the truth and it works everytime

Is super rich but uses the money for actual useful things

Sometimes has a hard time remembering other things aside from names due to her eye scar which she got some time ago.

LUFFY

The one that is always acting on intrusive thoughts.

Hangs out with Traffy because apparently she can tell Traffy is lonely.

Works as a waitress

Usopp and Sanji got her the job and every week she is seconds away from getting fired

Loves Meat and is always attempting to eat the food shes supposed to give to the customers.

Doesn't care about stuff until her friends and family are involved and then all hell breaks loose

Loves going to the underground fight club where she convinces Kidd to apologize and go back out with Law like every week.

The story behind the picture ⤵

In the modern day AU, they are going for a "girls night out" trip however it goes horribly wrong after they come across a dead body it the Alley way. Anyways They have all had bad run in with the cops and they all all taken to hail for 24 hours because every last one of them is shady but none of them killed the guy

In the end they get let out since there was no evidence to incriminate them except for the fact that ASL knew who the man was but pretended like they had no clue and Law knows this but kept quiet because clearly they all ride or die for one another. Anyways, the man who died was a random OC dude named Pastor John who had a thing for Ace ever since Ace was 14 (Nasty ass dirtbag). At that time ASL were abducted but they escaped. They needed help getting home and Pastor John took them there but he had other intentions that he was never able to see through.

After that, day that had never seen or heard from Pastor John again until they saw him dead in the Alley way.

Later they find out Shanks killed the guy for attempting to creep on Ace

And the group lives Happily Ever after until the next problem arises for them again.

Sorry for rambling but sometimes I have stories to these pictures and I need everyone who is willing to read this to know it.

[elisysd]

22. It’s a love story baby just say yes

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: Love Story - Taylo Swift

Julia had spent her entire flight from Shanghai to Milan making phone calls and sending emails. She was a girl on a mission and it was a welcome distraction, the opportunity for her to take her mind off of Ethan. Her dad had a clear vision of what he wanted and her job was to make it happen. No matter what. It had been settled, the proposal would happen on the Thursday morning, before the media activities, so it would still be calm. A lot of people were expected which wouldn’t surprise Lyanna as Monza was a family tradition and friends and family were always attending. This year, there would be a little bit more of loved ones but Julia hoped her mom would not find that weird.

Beside being excited about the proposal, she couldn’t wait to meet someone that was dear to her. Her cousin, Daphne. She was not really her cousin by blood but they had basically grown up together until life got in the way and they had to go on their separate ways. But Daphne lived in Italy and she would be in Monza, as her parents, Lily and Lando would be there. She had texted her as soon as she had landed and agreed to meet up in a coffee shop in Milan where Julia would spend a few days before she was needed on the track.

It wasn’t hard for her to find Daphne. She hadn’t change. She still had the same dark hair and tanned skin, the result of years spent in Greece and now in Italy for her art studies. She was casually working on her laptop, taking notes on the side but as soon as Julia appeared in her field of vision, she squealed before getting up and running to her.

“Dane! Oh my gosh, it’s been so long!” Julia exclaimed, attracting weird looks from customers.

“Julia! I’m so happy to see you! It’s been so long, oh my gosh I have so many questions. We need to catch up, come here.” the girl retorted, taking her by the arm and dragging her to the area she was sitting in.

Julia ordered a cappuccino before they started talking. Daphne hadn’t changed. She was still passionate about art and could spent hours talking about it, without it being annoying. Julia told her all about her job, avoiding mentioning her struggles, she wanted to have a day without thinking about them.

“And… who is that mystery man you are soft-launching on your social media for weeks now? I saw the rumours but I can’t believe that it could be Ethan. You have always hated him.”

Julia winced. She knew the history between Daphne and Ethan. How he was her first love and first kiss and how he had been an asshole to her, playing her and making her believe that he loved her. It took months for Daphne to forget him and with time, she had become an ally whenever Julia needed to rant and vent about him. She knew that Daphne hated him as much as her. And that’s why she didn’t know how to announce to her that they were dating. She was scared of how the brunette would react.

“Yeah… about that…” she started.

“Is it a guy from Lamborghini? Or Ferrari? I have to admit that Elijah is pretty good looking. I always had a thing for Spanish men. I have a Spanish teacher and let me tell you that he is hot as hell.” Daphne told her, excitedly.

“Daphne, you have to promise you won’t get mad.”

“Why would I be?”

“Just promise me you will let me explain everything before jumping to conclusions, okay.”

“Ju, you are scaring me.”

“Just promise!”

“Okay, fine! Oh gosh, don’t need to get your knickers in a twist!”

Julia sighed and took a deep mouthful of her cappuccino.

“I didn’t expect it, you have to believe me. It just… happened. Ethan and I are dating. And I didn’t plan it you have to believe me. We spent time together and he is not that bad, he definitely is a great guy. A bit stupid and arrogant sometimes and he likes to joke around and to tease me more than necessary but… I really like him. I feel… seen with him you know. I can be myself with him he won’t judge me or use me. I feel safe and I feel good about myself. It has not happened in a long time. You know how hard it is for me to trust people and to create friendships and relationships. You know that it wouldn’t have happened if I had any doubts about him. Right?”

Daphne was quiet. Too quiet. She was avoiding Julia’s gaze and when she finally looked at her, she could see how angry she was.

“Okay.”

“Okay? You… you are okay with it? Like one hundred percent sure?”

She could see Daphne scribbling furiously on her notebooks and drawing shapes and lines, as if she was trying to contain her anger.

“What is done is done, anyway. It’s not as if I had something to say about it. You won’t care. So you do you, Julia.”

“I don’t want things to get weird and uncomfortable for you… I wanted you yo know before we make our first public apparition together this weekend.”

“Oh, so it is that serious, then. Great. Amazing. Perfect. What is the next step? You are going to ask me to be your maid of honour for your wedding? The godmother of your kid?”

“Dane… please…”

She snapped her head to Julia and that’s when she finally exploded.

“You know how bad he hurt me. You know how many nights I spent thinking that something was wrong with me because of him. How it affected the image I had of myself. I was fourteen at the time but his words and the feeling I won’t ever be enough for someone is something that I still carry with me. You know all of that. And still, you decide to be with him? After all he has done to me and has done to other girls? You will just be another name on his list, Julia! Nothing else! He doesn’t love you, he is incapable of that! I thought you, out of all people, would know that and would never fall for that.”

She was standing now and with rage started to put back in her bag her things.

“Dane… please…” begged Julia.

“No. From now on, it’s Daphne for you.” said the brunette and without a second glance, left Julia here, thinking that she had lost one of her best friend for a boy, something she had swore to herself would never happened.

She wandered the streets of Milan, lost in thoughts. She knew telling about Ethan to Daphne would be hard but she hadn’t expected this reaction. It had always been a sensitive topic but it had been year snow since the holidays in Greece, there was water under the bridge. But not for everyone apparently. Now, she could only hope that Daphne wouldn’t be mad for long. She would hate herself if she had sacrificed a friendship for a boy. But it would be a problem for later, for now she needed to finalised the last detail for her dad’s big day.

“You look gorgeous, Julia.” said her aunt Kika.

She was wearing the exact replica of the dress her mom had worn the night she won her Oscar. It had taken a lot of time for her aunt but she managed to work her magic and find it in a vintage shop.

“Thank you. I’m so stressed out. I hope everything will be perfect. They deserve it.”

“You managed to make it happen, Julia. And it looks so amazing. They will love it.”

A few seconds later, Louis went out of the bathroom, wearing the special merch of the year her dad and mom had gotten together. He looked really cute but was looking very uncomfortable.

“It was in the attic. We should have cleaned it before I got to wear that.” he complained.

“You look fine, don’t worry. And I promise that I soon as dad got on one knee, you can remove it.”

The group soon headed to the reception where Pierre was waiting for them, along with both Julia’s uncles, Lorenzo and Arthur. They were all dressed in their best tuxedos, holding presents and red roses to give to Lyanna. Julia checked her phone, they still had one hour to get into position and be ready for when her mom would arrive with Kat and Lily. She had to leave now to make sure everything was in place and give the last instructions.

In the Ferrari hospitality, Charles had never felt so stressed out in his entire life. Winning a championship, marrying Lyanna, having their kids, all had been stressful moments, but the idea of asking his wife a second time to marry him… that was another level of stress. Of course he knew she would say yes, there was not a doubt in his mind. But still, he was asking her to keep trusting him with her heart. He was asking her to keep promising they would be there for one another. Officially. And he was scared, so scared that his fingers were shaking as he tried to put on his racing suit.

“Do you need help?” Julia entered the room, a soft smile on her face as she saw her dad struggling.

“Please. I look stupid.”

“No, you don’t. Sure the suit is a bit tighter that on the pictures but hey, you are an old man now.”

“I’m not that old.”

“You are vintage.”

A laugh escaped him and Julia soon joined him.

“Thank you, Ju’. For everything. I couldn’t have done it without your help.” he said squeezing her to his side.

“Don’t make me cry right know. Are you sure you have everything? Your wedding ring?”

“With Elijah.”

She nodded. One last hug to her dad and a kiss on his cheek and she was out. He feet drove her to the end of the pitlane where was exposed her dad’s first world championship car. It was still looking perfect, even after all this time. She was taking the time to inspect it when she saw a bright red suit coming in her direction.

“Wow, Julia you look… I have no words.”

“Thanks. I tried to reproduce my mom’s Oscar winning look. I hope she will like it.”

Martin kept on staring at her, making her slightly uncomfortable until Elijah came to them, his helmet on, completely in his world. They were soon joined by Louis and her dad, that sat in the car. She addressed a reassuring smile to her dad as he kept fidgeting with his fingers.

Soon, Ethan arrived next to Max, telling Julia that her mom was on her way.

When Lyanna arrived in the paddock with Kat, she knew that there was something weird about this day. Everyone had been vague when talking to her and she had barely seen her husband and children when usually they were all glued together when Monza was happening. She knew Julia had stuff to do but Charles… He always managed to find time for her, to take her out for dinner or to walk around the track after the qualifying to reminisce about the past. But this year, they didn’t do it and she had to admit that it was bothering her. As she was heading to the Ferrari hospitality, Kat quickly took her by the arms to give her an envelope.

“What is this?”

“A present. Kika and Pierre have another one that is waiting for you.”

Lyanna looked at her in disbelief, not understanding what was going on. Still, she opened it to find a framed picture in black and white of Charles and herself, in Abu Dhabi right after he finished the race and got his first title. This moment would always hold a special place in Lya’s heart, she was pregnant with Julia at the time and it was also that day, Charles had asked her to marry him. She blinked quickly to prevent the tears to fall down and walked in the direction Kat was pointing to her.

There, in front of what was once where Alpine’s hospitality was standing, she found the couple and their two boys, twins, waiting for her, with a big piece of what she guessed was art in front of them.

“I’m so happy to see you all. It’s been a while. Tristan, Leo, you boys are so tall now! Taller than your dad.”

“Or maybe it’s just him who is getting smaller with the age.” shrugged Tristan making his brother laugh.

“Ahahah. You boys are funny. Anyway, there you go. For you.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that it was very on brand from the Gaslys. She remembered the picture all too well, it was engraved in her memory forever. Kika, Pierre and her, all wearing Pierre’s t-shirt with his name and driver’s number, laughing their asses off. They already had the almost same picture at home that Charles was hellbent on keeping it hidden.

“Charles will love it, I’m sure.” she said between two laughs.

“Lily and Lando are waiting for you, a few meters away from here.” added Kika.

As Lyanna was about to head there, she got stopped by Kika that threw her arms around her.

“I love you. You are like the sister I’ve never had and I admire you so much.”

“Kika! Don’t say that, I’m already about to cry…”

Reluctantly, they let go of each other and Lyanna headed to Lily and Lando. Daphne and her brother, Percy were there too. That made her happy, she knew how close Julia and Daphne were and how Percy was what was the closest thing a friend would be for Louis.

“So what do you guys have for me? A painting?” she asked. She knew what to expect now.

“No, better than that. Even though I had to stop Lily to make one.”

“There will always have other opportunities…” she smiled, handing to Lyanna a small package.

It was a gorgeous necklace made of seashells. She put it around her neck quickly.

“Santorini seashells.” Lily added.

“Your wedding…”

“We know how important that place is both for you and Charles.” said Lando, an arm around his wife waist and the other around Daphne.

“Where am I supposed to go next?” asked Lyanna.

“You learn fast. Joris is waiting by the Ferrari’s hospitality.”

And indeed he was there, sitting on the steps leading inside the building. He had a bag next to him and waved when he finally saw Lyanna. He scooted over, inviting her to sit by his side.

“So what do we remind you of? Because that’s the whole deal, right? Giving me things that are reminders of Charles and I relationship.”

“I think you will like this one. Everyone went with thoughtful and emotional gift, I presume. I chose one of my favourite moment.”

Inside the package, Lyanna found black pants, a black hoodie and a black balaclava. She shot a curious glance to Joris, waiting for him to explain.

“The day Charles dragged me along because you were going Christmas shopping with his ex-girlfriend. I felt like going on a spy mission. It was pathetic but cute and funny and I remembered thinking, if my best friend is ready to do go this far for this girl, then I’m sure she is the one and they will get married. I wasn’t wrong. Thank you for being there for him, for not letting him down. And thank you for being one of my best friend too. I love you, Lyanna. I don’t think I’ve ever told you.”

“Oh Joris. Come here.” She knew she would cry but never did she think it would be Joris that would give her the final blow.

They hugged for a moment and she swore Joris was crying too.

“So who is next?”

“Lorenzo and Arthur. They are the last ones before your husband. They are waiting for you at the garage.”

So she went there. She didn’t need to guess for long about the present, it was right in Arthur’s hands.

“A crown of flowers?” she smiled when she finally got to them.

“We don’t have to explain the reference, right?” asked Arthur.

“No you don’t. This movie will forever hold a special place in my heart, for more reasons than one.”

“It’s the beginning of your story. It’s how you met Charles. Everything led back to you so, a crown of flowers, a never ending circle… it was fitting.” explained Lorenzo.

“Can I wear it?”

Arthur put it on the top of her head as Lorenzo made her spin around.

“So… time to go meet Charles and your children. They are waiting at the end of the pitlane.”

They made their way together and Lyanna gasped when saw what was waiting for her there. Firstly, she noticed everyone standing there, looking at her as Arthur put a hand on the small of her back to make her move forward. She saw the smiles and how Kat, Kika and Lily were on the verge of tears. Then, she noticed Julia and Louis, perfect carbon copy of her and Charles. She went to them as they were handing her a bouquet of red and yellow roses with a prancing horse in it.

“You two… if I had known…” she started, taking both of them in her arms.

“That’s the whole point of a surprise, mom. For you not to know.” Julia joked, her throat sore as she was trying her best to not cry.

Lyanna kissed them both on the cheek before finally turning to her husband. He was still as handsome as when she first met him and suddenly it was like she went back in time to twenty-five years ago. Same place, same suit, same smile and same butterflies when he was near her. They went though hell and back, alone and together but managed to find their way back to each other every time. And she would do it all over again if given the chance. Martin and Elijah were next to him, entirely dressed and with their helmets on and visor down, looking like bodyguards and she couldn’t help but laugh through the tears. Finally, Charles stood up and went to her taking both of her hands in his.

“Lyanna, my love and the better part of me… I swore to you almost twenty-five years ago that I would always be fast, that I would always come back to you and that I would always love you. There has not been a day when this promise was not in the back of my mind. You complete me. It had always been you and I against the world. And then Julia came along and it was us three against the world. And then came Louis and it was us four against the world. You guys are my biggest strength but you, you are my everything. You are not only my wife or the mother of my children, or an Oscar-winning actress. You are my soulmate. You are my best friend, sorry Joris, my shoulder to lean on and my home. You are my lighthouse. You’re the only constant in my life. I’ve not always been the best dad or the best husband, I made mistakes, I keep on making them but you’ve always been by my side to help me get through them or to slap me in the back of the head. I’m still thanking the stars and my guardian angels that they put you on my path. I love you is not strong enough to express what I feel for you, Lya. It had never been. I wish a word could exist to tell you exactly what you are for me. So, Lyanna… would you keep on making me the happiest man on earth and to become my wife? A second time? Would you accept to keep on walking together on the life’s path and grow old together?”

Julia couldn’t help but cry as she saw her mom sobbing and profusely nodding. She felt a hot hand on her shoulder and someone pulling her against a chest. She recognised Ethan’s scent as he kissed the side of her head, still holding her close and rocking her slowly. She knew the photographers would have a field day between her parents and Ethan and herself but frankly, she didn’t care.

“I want to thank our Ju’ who helped me putting all of that in place. It wouldn’t have been this magical without her help.” said her dad, his voice filled with emotion.

She waved awkwardly, burying her head in Ethan’s chest as everyone was clapping and cheering for her. She felt happy for her parents but if she could hide somewhere she would. It was their day, not hers. She had only helped his dad to make his vision alive. Nothing else. She felt colder as Ethan let go of her but soon she was engulfed in a hug by her mom as she recognised her perfume. And then, two arms circled her waist and she knew it was her brother. Finally, two other strong arms pulled them all together against a hard chest and she knew it was her dad. She was hearing her mother’s sobs and feeling the awkward pat in the back that her brother was giving her. Knowing how much he was taking it upon himself to participate in the family hug made her heart full and made her want to cry even more.

“I love you all. More than anything. You guys are my biggest trophies and my biggest victory.” said Charles in their ears.

Author's note: I was so excited for this chapter I couldn't wait for you all to read it! A big thank you to @smoooothoperator for allowing me to borrow Daphne and her family. If you want to read about them, please check out her story Beautiful Stranger! What do you think will happen next? Let me know your theories, I love to read them.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. It helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

[skellymom]

"Redneck Doug's Bad Batch Family BBQ"

Cool divider by the talented @cafekitsune

Background: Bad Batch Family BBQ is crashed by Tech's crazy ex-wife. This one shot includes Maadienne "Mad Momma" my OC character from Vagabonds. This story takes place in the BB future when everyone is safe, settled down, and enemies can be friends (except for Hunter and Crosshair-they're family frenemies).

Word count: 2K

Warning: swearing, the "C" word, alcohol, sexual references, drunkenness, Crosshair being inappropriate with Hunter's wife (she no stand for it), Wrecker/Crosshair pyromania, Tech losing his temper/ vomiting, nasty/horrible ex-wife, messy family shenanigans.

This One Shot is based on Tumblr user @talesfrommedinastation post about their Redneck neighbor Doug who has a very fun take on the Batch. To read it (which will make everything in this story more understandable):

https://www.tumblr.com/talesfrommedinastation/727350948139302912/my-redneck-neighbor-dougs-interpretations-on?source=share

Mad heard the Batcher Brothers before they even turned into the driveway...well, at least Wrecker. Tech had driven his extremely quiet fully loaded Tesla. But Wrecker screamed down the dirt road in his “custom” painted LOLAMOBILE (Omega and “The Littles” did the custom work) with Down blasting at an ear shattering volume. He was kicking up dust like a desert storm. Crosshair was in the front seat and Echo holding on for dear life to the roll bars in the back. 

Mad met the brothers at the door to her and Hunter’s home. She and Hunter had been preparing a huge meal all morning for their family gathering. Hunter barbequed a huge side of pork to perfection and Mad heated up the kitchen with her famous delicious side dishes. She wore her comfy black cotton body hugging T-shirt dress and kitchen apron with the words “I poisoned your food” emblazoned on it. Her long undercut was braided with the end barely tickling the top of her butt. She was still fit after birthing 5 children with Hunter, just with a bit more curves and tattoos. Hunter lovingly referred to her as his “Big Tiddie Goth Momma.”  

The Brothers took turns entering their humble abode and greeting the hostess.  

Echo stepped in first, pecked Mad on the cheek, and gave her a bouquet of wildflowers and then handed over a box of Cinnabun toaster treats “This is for Omega. Tell my loveable smartass sister Toaster Strudel thought of her!” They both broke out in laughter. 

“I’ll give this to her when she comes back from the Tipoca City Mall on the Ocean. She took The Littles so Hunter and I could cook without them getting in our way.”  

Next was Wrecker, “Hey Julio, my big beefcake. How ya doin’? As he picked her up and hugged the total stuffing out of her with his huge arms.  

“OHHH Mad, thank you so much for feeding us! I NEVER leave your place hungry!!! Looking forward to those amazing biscuits you make.” He let go and handed her a huge tub of Mantell Mix. “For dessert!” 

“Thanks, Wrecker.” 

Then Crosshair, who removed the toothpick from his mouth to lean down and smootch Mad on the cheek...while grabbing a handful of her generous derriere, “Daddy Warcrimes has been looking forward to those ‘biscuits’, too.” 

Mad immediately slapped Cross upside the head with the kitchen towel that was slung over her shoulder “Hands off or I’ll Daddy Whip Your Ass!” 

“Whatever you say, Vixen” he winked and removed his hand. 

Hunter was used to his sibling pining after his wife since returning from Mount Tantiss. Crosshair could get any woman he wanted, and usually did. But he carried on like he really wanted Mad... or thought he did. She was more than Crosshair could handle, and Hunter liked it that way. Hunter and Mad were over the moon sweet on each other, even after being married all this time. 

“You look like Daddy Womp-Womp to me. Touch my wife again and I’ll snap your skinny ass in half like those Slim Jim’s you live on.” 

“Got your weekly shower I see Hunter. She must have felt randy today and wanted you sweet smelling.” 

“OH, KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO!!!  

Mad turned to see poor Tech standing silently in the doorway looking anxious and forlorn. He handed Mad his 6 pack of fancy IPA’s (he always brought his own booze and refused to drink anything else Hunter or Mad stocked) and a bottle of Mad’s favorite. “Oh honey, thank you!” She put her arm around Tech and led him into the house. Then put the alcohol on the counter. “I’m SO proud of you finally serving divorce papers to Laura. I know it was hard, but she’s not treated you well at all.” 

“Hunter, get everyone a drink, will ya?” She ran to the stove to stir the homemade Mac and Cheese. 

“I’m on it hon.” Catching a glimpse of her beautiful bottom jiggling as she sprinted across the kitchen. He shot a look at Crosshair with an antagonizing expression of “Mine, NOT yours”. Crosshair sneered back. 

Wrecker patted Tech on the back as the brothers sat down at the kitchen table with their drinks, “So ya FINALLY did it! You’re free!!!” Tech flinched and looked guilty. 

“About time!” Added Echo 

“Hated that crazy bitch Laura” Crosshair squinted while inserting a fresh toothpick into his mouth. 

“Oof, she made everyone else around her miserable, too” Hunter put his hand up to his head, like the mere thought of Laura was giving him a migraine. 

“OH GAWD...remember when she nearly ruined Rex and Ashoka’s wedding?” Mad gestured to Tech with potholders before checking on the biscuits, “Had to get nasty jealous when all you did was say ‘Hi’ to Phee Genoa during the reception.” 

“Ashoka using the Force to shut her ass up. That was GOLD!” Echo threw his head back and laughed. 

“Well, no matter. Better fish in the sea. You know Phee asks about you all the time when I’m at my Ladies Group...so I invited them over tonight.” Mad winked at Tech and bent over to pull out the biscuits. 

Crosshair craned his neck hoping to see Mad’s shirt dress ride up her thigh. 

Hunter punched his brother in the arm. 

“Oww, FUCK Hunter!” 

“HAAA, caught ya lookin!” Wrecker gleefully pushed Cross back into Hunter, who gleefully punched his brother in the arm again and sent him back towards Wrecker. Cross managed to stay in his chair but lost his toothpick. 

“The whole Group is coming...The Martez Sisters...” Mad wasn’t even paying attention to the shit going on at the table. 

“YEAH! My honeys!!!” Wrecker grabbed Cross and shook him in excitement. 

“You’re spilling my beer, Wrecker!” Crosshair pushed Wrecker away. 

“...Fennec Shand...” Cross stopped. Mad had gotten his attention. They liked to talk guns, plus Cross thought she was a hot little honey. 

“…mmm...and Riyo Chuchi.” Echo grinned, tipped back the chair, and crossed his arms behind his head. 

Tech didn’t look excited at all. He was unnaturally quiet and halfway through his second IPA already. Not a fast drinker and it seemed like he was sucking them down tonight. 

“Ok, sides are done. You boys go out and start up the bonfire, it’ll be dark soon and the ladies should be arriving.” 

Wrecker got up and hurried toward the door, excited to set something on fire. Crosshair followed him. “I’ll make sure they don’t set fire to the backyard...again.” Echo promised as the screen door slammed shut. 

Hunter got up from the table and looked at Tech. He had peeled the label off the now empty second bottle of IPA. “What’s up? You’re not usually like this.” 

Tech barely looked at his brother, attempted to say something, “...nothing!” He ignored the rest of his fancy beers, grabbed the full bottle of Jack Daniels, and sprinted out the back door. 

Mad and Hunter looked at each other. Tech was acting strange and extremely out of character. He almost looked scared. 

Hunter walked over and embraced Mad, “Man, Laura did a number on him. Glad I don’t have that problem.” 

“Yeah, not into yelling at my hubby. But I WILL punish you accordingly if you’re bad” Mad sassed.  

“Oh, I’ve been SO bad” Hunter growled and nipped at Mad’s neck while squeezing her bum. 

Mad growled back and was about to give Hunter a huge passionate kiss when a small, controlled explosion rocked the house...followed by Wrecker wooping loudly.  

“For KRIFF SAKE! NOT AGAIN!!!” Hunter let go of Mad and ran outside. Mad decided to wait on bringing the food out and survey the damage. 

Apparently, Wrecker had found Omega’s four-wheeler gasoline can, emptied it onto the fire pit, and Crosshair climbing the old Oak tree across the yard decided to show off. He shot into the pit from 40 feet up and several yards over to start the fire. Echo was mortified and immediately apologized when Hunter ran out of the house. 

“It’s ok brother. At least they contained the fire and didn’t burn down my shed...again.” 

The timing was perfect, as The Ladies Group screeched up to the house in a modified topless Humvee. 

Fennec, Riyo, Phee, and the Martez Sisters descended on the backyard inferno whooping and hollering in excitement. They brought booze, music, and a large sheet cake. 

Phee made a beeline for Tech, who was now sitting on a plastic lawn chair dangerously near the fire and getting clearly inebriated on the Jack. The alcohol and heat made him sweat, and he uncharacteristically shed his whole shirt (a very expensive one) ...which was now burning in the bonfire. So now he was shirtless AND drunk. 

“Hey Brown Eyes” Phee regarded Tech with interest. She had never seen him like this. He looked slightly scared but working on being drunkenly feral. 

Phee opened her mouth to speak again to get Tech’s attention, but was cut off... 

“I HAVE A CONFUSION TO MAKE!” Tech slurred loudly. He had everyone’s full attention. 

“Huh? What did he say???” Wrecker looked around for clarity. 

Echo translated, “I think he has a confession to make.” 

Tech pointed at Echo then comically pointed at his nose. 

“I LLIED ABOUT SERVICING DIVORSH PAPERTHS TO LAURA LAST WEEK. DIDN’T HAVE THE BALLTHS. OH MAKER...” Tech tipped Jack Daniels back and chugged another third of it down. 

“Shit, I didn’t expect dinner AND a show!” Crosshair leaned back in a large sprawling settee with a shit eating grin. 

“Shut up Cross! What do you mean Tech? Hunter inquired. “So, you didn’t serve the papers at all, and she doesn’t know you want a divorce? How did she let you come here by yourself if you’re both still together??” 

“OH...MY TIMING...” Tech looked up at Phee with total drunken embarrassment. 

“Come on honey, you can say it” Mad tried to coax Tech to get to the point. 

“You got this Brown Eyes” Phee smiled at Tech with reassurance. 

Tech tipped back the Jack and downed several gulps. He was applying liquid courage. He was sweating like a mad man. 

“I FFINALLY DIDIT THIS WEEK...” 

“When???” Wrecker threw up his hands. He couldn’t stand the suspense! 

“ABOUTH AND HOUR AGOO.” 

And that is when everyone at the party heard the angry roar of a Hyundai Kia approaching at top speed towards the house.  

“Oh, this is getting good” Crosshair cracked a cold one and waited for all Hell to break loose. Fennec slid in next to him on the settee, stole his bottle, took a swig and handed it back. Her eyes locked on the epic clusterfuck that was to unfold. Laura’s bitchiness was legendary in the Batcher Circle.  

“I’M STHO FUCKED!” Tech screamed 

The Kia skidded to a dramatic stop next to the Humvee, the driver’s door thrown open, Laura emerged with hateful toxic fury, screaming at the top of her lungs as she advanced upon the party. A skinny, overly processed blond, overly make upped, overly augmented, hateful harpy of a woman. “RYAN! (her despicable pet name for Tech). RYAN, YOU FUCKING USELESS TIT OF A MAN! YOU CAN’T PULL THIS SHIT ON ME! WHERE ARE YOU?” 

Echo grabbed Riyo and led her away from Laura’s path. The Martez Sister’s weren’t so lucky as Laura slapped the sheet cake from their hands and it hit the ground. Wrecker was offended at the total waste of cake and the treatment of His Honey’s. “Eyyy, what the fuck, Laura!”  

Brave Hunter stepped in front of Laura and put his hand up in protest “Now Laura...” 

She slapped his hand away, “GET FUCK OUT OF MY WAY YOU SKEEZY REDNECK BASTARD!” 

“OH NO, YOU DON’T DO MY MAN LIKE THAT!” Mad ran up on Laura, but Hunter was faster. He picked up Mad and threw her over his shoulder walking away “Nope, we aren’t doing this tonight.” 

Then Laura noticed Phee Genoa standing there next to Tech and she totally lost her shit, “OH, SO YOU’RE LEAVING ME FOR HER? HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING HER SINCE THAT REXSHOKA WEDDING???” Tech sat there mortified to be accused of infidelity. He kept silently nodding no over and over while Laura screeched at him.  

“JUST AS WELL, I’M LEAVING YOU FOR ADMIRAL RAMPART. HE’S BETTER THAN YOU, FUCKING RYAN-FROM-ACCOUNTING!!!”   

Tech took another few swigs from the bottle, stood up, swayed a bit, then with the fury of a man who had been kicked too many times, slammed the Jack into the bonfire. There was a sound of glass breaking and the fire roared up as the rest of the alcohol ignited. The fire reflected in his glasses, totally hiding his eyes. He was wet with sweat and his hair was an unruly mess. His chest, since it was bare, and close to the fire was red hot. Tech advanced on Laura with rage from years of abuse and seeing her treat his family and friends so horribly. 

“YESTH I FUCKING SERVICED YOUTHE PAPERSS, YOU FUCKIN HORRIBL CUNT! COULDNOT STAND ANOVER DAY WIF YOU! RUMPFART CAN HAF YU!!! The last sentence was right in Laura’s face, and she got the brunt of Tech’s drunken breath. She reeled back, but Tech advanced on her. He obviously wasn’t done, either. He pointed his index finger at Laura, poking her sharply in the chest, “I DIVORTH YOU!” Poke. “I DIVORTH YOU! Poke. “I DIVORTH YOU! Poke. She kept backing up with each poke. “BEGONE YU VILE BEASTH! FUCK OFTH TO TH DEPFTHS OF HELL YU COME FRUM!!! 

Tech stood there looking Laura right in the eye. She had never seen him stand up to her like this. 

“BY THEWAY...” he swayed unsteadily “...MY NAME ISSNOT RYAN. ITS TEEEECBLAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” Tech projectile vomited violently upon Laura.  

There was a collective gasp from the group. Then everyone started laughing.  

Tech still wasn’t done. He vomited a second time on Laura’s expensive heels for good measure. 

“This is fucking GOLD!” Crosshair smiled, threw his arm around Fennec and pulled her close. This barbeque was going down in Batcher history as LEGENDARY! 

Laura, thoroughly disgusted, screamed, cried, and made her way to her Kia. She got in and tore away from the scene narrowly sideswiping a red Jeep Cherokee that was coming down the road. 

The Jeep Cherokee carefully pulled into the driveway and parked. Omega and The Littles emerged and walked down to the bonfire.  

“Some crazy driver almost wrecked us!”   

Hunter replied, “Yeah, that was Laura.” 

“Glad we missed her” 

“She’s a BITCH!” The littlest little chirped 

Hunter sternly corrected his youngest “Language, young man!” 

(NOTE: I heavily considered Phee just pounding Laura into the pavement. But then, I thought Tech needed to take a stand for himself...even if he needed the help of Jack Daniels).

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED OR DROPPED FROM MY TAG LIST, PLEASE MESSAGE ME! Don't just comment as I might miss it. Thanks!!! <3

[synergysilhouette]

I miss Fictif, but it was far from flawless

I actually got into this series because of "The Arcana" (plus romance games don't often let you play as anything other than a female lead), but I found that even though I liked it's potential, it fell short a lot of the time, either romantically or story-wise. I'm obviously disappointed that I can't customize my character's appearence, but I think I'm in the minority with that one. Allow me to list my grievances and nit-picks with the app.

In general--Female routes are short and underdeveloped. I don't even romance women IRL, but this was just sad. Anika, Tess, Valentina, and Celia are the only female love interests to have solo routes while the rest are in one-route stories--and Valentina didn't even get a route before Dorian took over and effectively stopped updating the app!

"Two Against the World"--As much as I love Nicky, this story turned me off as a gay male player. The writing feels female-coded, and no acknowledgement of the stigma of two men being in a relationship in 1920s New York is ever mentioned. It'd make more sense if the setting was INSPIRED by 1920s New York, but in reality was a completely different location--but that wasn't the case. It felt like a big mifire in storytelling.

"Heir to Love & Lies"--I cannot overstate how much of a disappointment this story was. In both Sergio and Chava's route, Chava starts off very friendly and sweet before becoming aggressive and secretive. This doesn't really make any sense since he's your childhood best friend and (spoiler) he doesn't kill La Dama Rosa in either route. Plus in Chava's route, Aurora becomes very cruel and blames us for getting her family (re)involved with the cartel, even though in actuality she involved us--a point Chava tells us to let go, and then we apologize. For what?! And the end of Sergio's route is confusing, as you go through a dream sequence where he either kills you and takes your money or you get him arrested for killing La Dama Rosa. I think it's supposed to represent your fears and mistrust of him and symbolize how you need to let your concerns go if you wanna marry him, but it feels uncomfortable since it's not explained well at all. It felt like we just saw the future and we said "I don't care." Plus he asks us stuff about kids, our wedding, and where we'd live, and he took NONE of my decisions into account for the final chapter.

"Roadkill"--I was SO confused on what was the result of the wish and what wasn't. Did Douglas' wish create werewolves, vampires, and witches along with zombies? Or did they already exist before the zombie wish? If it's the latter, there's no need to involve zombies. Plus Howie's amnesia arc in the last chapter was rushed and unnecessary, while Poe came off as judgmental and snarky and Tess' route was short and rushed.

"Catch Me in Miami"--I couldn't get into Miguel because he was so obviously a bad boy and I don't do bad boys. Maybe if he was more coy about it like Nicky than being obvious about it, I'd be into him.

"For the Love of Gods"--Great potential, but rushed and I DESPISE how we're forced to romance everyone. Why can't I just choose how many people I'm interested in?

"Ghosted"--Probably my least favorite story. Jesse's ghost story does sound interesting, but his personality and how rushed it was ruined it for me.

"Hollywoodland"--Rushed, but it had great potential.

"Snow Falling in Love"--It felt like a waste not to tie this with "Roadkill" due to Sawyer's involvement, and Elise was CRAZY obsessed with us.

"Courting the Crown"--Beautiful Potential, but again, rushed, rushed, rushed.

"The Last Legacy"--Probably the best plot of them all, but Felix and Sage weren't my type physically or personality-wise; I'd rather go for Felix's dads.

I didn't include other stories because they either weren't finished or I didn't complete them.

[dogwittaablog]

community note anon here. i didn’t insinuate to ‘know them so well’, my point was being from manitoba is not a write off for being a horrible human being. i pointed out that the way in which Steve was raised, socioeconomically, geographically, culturally, and family make up was very similar to my dads, and yet he and his friends are not like steve.

i moved away from manitoba for work but still keep close with all my friends from back home. i have never personally met nolan, or his dad or younger sister. i met his older sister once (at a friends graduation. very nice. literally just a hi, very pretty smile). but his mother several times and let me tell you that woman is a piece of work imo. a lot of people in town like her but i’ve never had a good experience at her store or seeing her around. my friends who have met her said she is a rude customer at their places of employment.

am i biased? hell yeah. there is a brand of “tough hockey mom” in manitoba that i do not fuck with. they make excuses for their sons behaviour, talk badly about their girlfriends and female friends, drink with the kids, and are so focused on the horrible

CP is openly conservative. no one is that family has ever hid how conservative they are. conservative where you live might be different from conservative here. Here, it’s anti immigration, anti social welfare/“govt handouts”, it’s anti tech or anything that impacts farmers, it’s anti urbanization or public transit. you guys keep talking about their daughters being progressive and our group chats are cackling. no, i’m not gonna air that laundry out because they were teens at the time and i believe everyone grows up. HOWEVER, if they decide to take nolan’s route then i’ll be more than happy to ask my hometown friends for specific stories.

for your last question was i shocked? ha. no.

the brendan liepsic group chat wasn’t even shocking my dude. most of the people i grew up with spoke that way. it’s not just the norm, it’s encouraged. my teachers used to make jokes WITH the boys. and the teacher would remind everyone that “so and so” was gonna be in the Chel one day and we’d all got to say we know him (none of the boys from my school made it. not one.)

almost every man from home that i am friends with/associate with/have dated, has played hockey. they all quit before 16 because of the culture. they loved the sport but realized they were hanging out with racist, misogynistic, homophobic, hateful, young boys who DIDNT WANT to change. they loved that people were disgusted by their behaviour. they loved that some girls thought they were bad boys for their behaviour. that egged them on. the 4 that i still speak with who stayed behind that and now work in hockey, are all the first to say how terrible the culture is. they do not want to be defined by that and have done so much work to try and undo the norms they accepted while playing.

tldr: only met older sister once, mom is a c u next tuesday, hockey celebrates misogyny.

(i wrote this on the bud to work so forgive the grammar and spelling errors i didn’t reread it)

.

[colemillerg]

Probably the most unique thing about me is that I am a transgender male (FTM). While it’s extremely unique, it doesn’t define who I am. I am simply a man who was born in the wrong body and was assigned female at birth. No matter what you believe at the end of the day, my journey in uncovering Cole is a choice I am happy and at peace with. I am a good son, brother, friend, and uncle who contributes to the world around me. My journey is not your journey and you aren’t able to judge my path without first walking in my shoes. Sorry, not sorry. So here are some questions I get about being transgender I thought I would address:

Did you alway know you’re a boy?

Yes. From as early on as I can remember, I felt like a boy trapped in a female body. I liked male toys, wanted to look like a boy, behaved as a stereotypical little boy and didn’t understand how I was different from my male cousin Zach who was just a little younger than I. I have a sister who is 4 years older than me and I have never identified with being female the way she has. There was just something “off”. Growing up, it was made very clear to me that I was in the wrong for behaving like a boy or wanting to look like a boy. It was so engrained in me that this was wrong, I began to hide those parts of me.

What was it like to come out?

Well first and foremost, I didn’t come out as transgender right off the bat. I came out as a lesbian. Which to me was a huge step but a smaller step than declaring that I was transgender. Coming out was a nightmare. There’s no other way to describe it. I was secretly dating my first girlfriend and ex-fiancé Kim. She made me so incredibly happy that I knew if I was going to have a future with her it would require me to be open about her and not hide her in the shadows. I decided one day to tell my sister first. She listened to me on the phone and at the time seemed to recognize that this was something very difficult for me to admit. Then came my mother. I came home one day to my mother who confronted me about alcohol my stepfather had found in my room. There was a strict NO ALCOHOL policy in my house because my stepdad is a recovered alcoholic. Why he was in my room, I will never know. But I was 25 years old and like most young people my age, rebelling and drinking wasn’t a crazy idea. My mother was so angry with me she said some things to me that I never thought my mother would utter. I felt like at this point I was going to burst if I didn’t just confess to her that I was in a relationship with the girl she assumed to just be my friend. Bad timing? Probably. But I felt so betrayed by my mother that I thought why the hell not? She was disgusted and heartbroken with what I told her. She allowed me to continue to live with her but under numerous restrictions including taking on all financial responsibility. I lived with my mother and stepfather for a short period longer and it was horrific. My mother made it a nightmare. To just give you a sample, she took a stack of index cards and on each index card wrote a question or Bible verse to which she expected a response. I was to read and respond to her notes. She would either respond with disgusting/degrading insults, Bible verses, or leave it blank. I still have the index cards because I forgive but never forget. One day I finally broke and while she wasn’t home, I gathered as much as could fit in a laundry basket and I moved out. I had nowhere to go except my place of work (a small coffee shop). Long story short, I was homeless until a customer of mine offered that I could live in her attic. So with no heat or air and only a mattress on a box spring, I moved into a tiny house’s attic in the ghetto.

Have I had any surgeries?

I had top surgery January of 2023. Best decision ever! Surgery was performed by Dr. Hope Sherie in Charlotte, NC. It was an easy surgery and fairly easy recovery. I’ll include pics below.

Have I received hate for transitioning?

Absolutely. If not from my own family and others that I knew personally, coworkers at one point made my life a living Hell. I’ve had trash thrown at me, had bathroom signs changed at work to exclude me, been told I’m going to Hell and that no wonder my mother disowned me, had faggot written on my truck, been sexually harassed, and as of 2020 I was attacked and raped by a stranger. That is a whole different post for another time.

Do I regret transitioning?

Transitioning allowed me to become my true self. No I don’t regret it.