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emblemxeno · 3 years ago

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JP vs. Localization in Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation

(Okay, for real this time lol)

Again, here’s a link to my sources post.

Fortunately, this route follows suit in terms of good localization quality after Conquest. It’s the shortest out of all the posts, since I don’t really have a lot to talk about. Mostly subtle line changes, references and a few key points of information that were cut out. I also went through Hidden Truths and Heirs of Fate to see if I could add stuff from those on here, but there were no big problems that I found.

Once again, the main part of this post will all be put under the cut. If a chapter isn’t covered, it means I didn’t think there were any differences worth talking about.

I’ll use localized names for characters and locations, unless I feel the need to do otherwise.

I’ll be using she/her when referring to Corrin in this post. (I flipped a coin to decide the gender lol)

Also, note that after Chapter 14, the translation of this route on Fateswartable ends, so I mostly relied on the English patch done by Serenes at that point forward. (I also used PegasusKnight.com as a reference to fall back on if I needed it)

Chapter 7

-A minor gripe I have with localization. The JP version compares Touma (Valla) to hell constantly. To jump ahead a bit, I believe in the JP versions of the End of All Sky/Land/Below tracks are even called The End of All Roads Heaven/Earth/Hell. The Vallites are also often called demons in the JP version, and Anankos himself is known as the ‘Invisible Demon Dragon’.

Another cool thing I just thought of too, is a connection to a popular Japanese short story. Zelda fans might be familiar with the story, “The Spider’s Thread”, which inspired the Ancient Cistern dungeon in Skyward Sword.

The beginning of the story has Buddha walking through paradise (heaven), before coming across a pond. The pond is filled with crystal clear water, and covered with water lilies/lotuses. As Buddha gazes further into the pond, he begins to see the depths of hell.

Sound familiar? “Azura is walking through Hoshido, before coming across a lake. The lake is filled with crystal clear water, and when she gazes into the lake she sees the fallen kingdom of her birth. Valla, the kingdom associated with water lilies/lotuses in the game, has been turned into hell itself.”

This association loses its meaning a bit when the comparisons to hell are a bit toned down, as well as when the Buddhist inspirations were kind of supplanted in favor of Greek renames. It’s not supremely important to the plot as a whole, but it’s something interesting I wanted to bring up.

-In the JP version, while explaining what happened in Valla, Azura eventually says “Using the art of manipulating people’s souls, he (Hydra/Anankos) made the people kill each other.” This bit of the people killing each other was cut in localization.

Chapter 12

-In the JP version, when Corrin asks Flora if she knows anything about dragons, Flora says “Sorry, I don’t know…The ancestral dragon of the Ice Clan has already perished and isn’t part of the legend. I don’t know what role it plays, sorry…” Localization makes her response “I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything... They've been gone so long that we don't even have tales of dragons in the Ice Tribe. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance...”

So, the JP version explicitly says the Ice Dragon is dead (I believe Fates’ second artbook mentioned this as well), whereas the localization only says the First Dragons have been gone for a long time.

Chapter 16

-There’s not really much of a problem that I have with what Ryoma says about Corrin “having leadership qualities at a young age” but I wanted to do comparisons regardless cuz the word choice might lead one to different conclusions. In localization, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Huh... So she told us the same thing... I don't think it's in Corrin's nature to lie. And there's a leadership quality about her that just attracts followers. I remember being jealous of her as a child, in fact. Even at such a young age, she displayed the characteristics of a ruler. Silly to be jealous of her, right?

In the JP version, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Oh... So, she told you the same thing. …Corrin isn’t one to tell lies. She’s been like that since childhood. She’s always genuine and honest... She has this mysterious appeal that draws people to her. Seeing my younger sister with the qualities of being a ruler... Honestly, it makes me feel envious. …What a ridiculous thing to say, right?

Again, I don’t necessarily have a problem with how it was localized, but some might. The localization version might have people think that Corrin somehow was a fantastic leader at such a young age, but JP is more clear that it was about the qualities she had at a young age that would be valuable as a leader.

Chapter 19

-A minor gripe. In the localization, Azura says that Anankos uses his magic to send Vallites to Nohr and Hoshido to stir up conflict. In the JP version, she says he uses magic, along with the help of a body of water. That’s why whenever you fight Vallites outside of Valla proper, there’s a body of water nearby; Hoshido’s lake (and the ponds shown in Hinoka’s CQ battle which are in the capital) for Chapter 5, the sea for BR chapter 11, the burning falls for BR chapter 21, and the city for Rev chapter 13. Similarly, the consequences of being a victim to the curse are described as “turning into sea foam” in the JP version. Localization as a whole kind of toned down how much water has an influence on the story.

Chapter 23

-Probably the pettiest gripe I have lol. As Arete is fading away from Azura’s arms, Azura has a different reaction in localization and Japanese. In localization, Azura says “Mother? Mother!” while a voice clip of her in-battle pain cries plays. In the JP, she says “*Sob... Sob*…! Mother... Mother...!”, while a voice clip of her crying plays. Her crying voice clip I don’t recall hearing anywhere else.

This is one of the few times in the you get to see Azura express a heavy and heartfelt emotion, since her rough childhood caused her to remain guarded and stoic around everyone. The equivalents to this scene in other routes is her death scene in Birthright, and her crying with Corrin over Ryoma’s death in Conquest; a normally unflinching and aloof character breaking down is a rarity, and indicates that the cause of it is something to take note of for the character as a whole. Localization softened this aspect, and I take issue with it, despite it probably seeming trivial to most other people.

Chapter 24

-When Corrin is questioning the phantom Mikoto, an exchange happens. In localization, part of it goes like this:

Corrin: But this can't be... Are you truly my mother?

Mikoto: I am. Even as a puppet of Anankos, my spirit at least remains my own.

Corrin: I... I believe you.

In the JP version, it goes like this:

Corrin: It can’t be... …Are you really my mother?

Mikoto: Yes... I became an Invisible servant, controlled by the Invisible King... Even so, I am your mother.

Corrin: …………

Again, a minor thing that I don’t personally have issue with, but replacing Corrin’s silence with an admittance of belief could make some believe she has “reverted” back to being too naïve.

Chapter 26

-While Gunter is relaying his past, an exchange happens. In localization, it goes like this:

Gunter: I ask myself that, every day. I cannot understand the minds of royals. To you all, we commoners are little more than pawns in your schemes... Or weeds to be killed on a whim.

Corrin: That's not true...

Xander: Is that how people view the royalty?

Ryoma: Such an impression would easily breed powerful resentment...

In the JP version, Corrin, Xander and Ryoma don’t say anything. They just remain silent.

Endgame

-Not a major problem so much as a general thing about the game, but I can think of like... at least three memes that Treehouse inserted into the localization. Now I like memes, but there is no better way to date your media nowadays. One of them was Kana’s “That’s dragon for I love you” which tbh, is kind of cute and isn’t the most well known meme so I guess I can let it slide. Another is Felicia saying “I had one job!” when she messes up in the dining hall, which isn’t that big of a deal since the dining hall is very optional.

The last one I can think of is why I put this specific grievance here, and it’s during Corrin’s speech before facing Anankos.

Corrin: We won't back down! This is my... This is our destiny! Ready your weapons! Fight for your friends! With the Seal of Flames... With the Fire Emblem on our side! We fight for our world!!

Yeah, she says “Fight for your friends” which is everyone’s favorite Ike line from Brawl. Now, this isn’t even a totally inaccurate translation either, but it kind of just... makes the moment funny for the player when it’s supposed to be commanding and serious I guess.

But yeah, not the most important issue by far, but something I’d thought to mention. Hell, it’s not even that bad compared to how they made Peri’s, Effie’s and Hisame’s quirks into exaggerated and tired jokes. And the Beruka-Saizo support. Never forget.

-When Azura and Corrin are by the lake and discuss the latter’s plans to rule, Corrin says this in localization:

Corrin: I'm going to make Valla a wonderful place! In honor of the true last king and for Queen Arete. And everyone who fought... I promise to make them all proud.

In the JP version, she says this:

Corrin: I’ll make the Invisible Kingdom (Valla) into a great land. For the previous monarch, Queen Shenmei (Arete)… And for all of my allies who fought beside me. I promise.

So, JP version only mentions Arete as the reigning monarch of Valla. Which makes sense, cuz unless there was some wild “keeping the bloodline pure” shenanigans in Valla, Arete being the Queen keeps in line with what we know about the rest of Valla’s history. Arete was royalty from birth, as was her sister Mikoto. Arete is the one who passed down Lost in Thoughts and the pendant to Azura.

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hyperion-moonbabe-art3mis · 4 years ago

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Caught In Between 34. The Final Location

Summary: Athena Dumont has finally found a place to call home after many years of foster homes and traveling. She had finally tamed her supernatural side and just wanted to live a normal teenage life. She quickly discovers that there is nothing normal about her hometown, Mystic Falls and gets sucked right back into the supernatural world.

Post Date: 02.16.21

Word count: 2.6k

Based off: 04x17 “Because the Night” || 04x18 “American Gothic”

Masterlist

CIB Masterlist

A/N: This part is quite a doozy for Klaus and Athena. I decided to stick the two eps together because the 04x18 scenes I picked were fairly short and I wanted to share the piece of info that reveals a bit about them. I hope you enjoy!

Even though I wasn’t present for the little party Elena decided to throw. I thought it’d be nice to help Caroline clean the Salvatore house up. After I got ready I head over. As soon as I made my way in I could see why Caroline needed my help.

“It looks like a tornado blew through here,” I say walking into the house.

“Tell me about it,” Caroline says taking a sip from a random cup.

“Well, what can I help with? Well, I mean where can I start?” I ask.

“Anywhere. The trash bags are in the kitchen,” Caroline says. I head to the kitchen and grab a trash bag. As I head back into the main room I hear a voice I’m not particularly keen on hearing.

“Tyler made it his life’s mission to kill me. You can’t hate me for driving him away,” Klaus says.

“She can and so can I,” I say walking into the room. Klaus looks up at me, almost with a guilty expression, but I just write it off as Klaus being broody.

“Hello, love,” Klaus says almost returning to his normal self.

“Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to spiraling, so go away,” Caroline says.

“Actually, I asked him to be here. We need his help. I think Silas is in Mystic Falls,” Stefan says walking up next to me. Stefan explains the situation to us as we continue to clean up.

“So some blood went missing from a few hospitals. What about Elena? Don’t vampires with their humanity off tend to overindulge in human blood, or were you the exception?” Klaus says turning to Stefan.

“It’s not Elena,” Stefan says.

“Well, let’s just say for a moment that it was Silas. I’m struggling to see how this affects me,” Klaus says sitting down.

“Look. Silas wants to die and be reunited with his one true love, but he’s supernatural, so if he takes the cure and dies, he gets stuck on the other side,” Stefan explains.

“How Shakespearian,” Klaus responds taking a sip of his drink.

“But if he destroys the other side altogether, he can take the cure, die, and pass on, but in destroying it, every dead supernatural being will return to our side,” Stefan explains further.

“That means every werewolf, every witch, every vampire,” Caroline starts.

“Every hybrid,” I add.

“I wonder how many of those you personally killed. Care yet?” Caroline finishes.

“My interest is piqued. How do we stop him?” Klaus asks.

“Bonnie said Silas needs to complete 3 massacres to do this spell. Before Professor Shane died, he convinced the pastor to blow up the council. Next, he had you kill your hybrids, and now he only needs one more massacre. So if he’s here, that’s what he’s doing. We need to find him,” Stefan says.

“So what’s the play?” I ask.

“We look to see if Shane had any info we didn’t know,” Stefan says. We all nod and head to Shane’s office.

“What are we even looking for?” Caroline asks as we walk in.

“Well, If Shane really was working with Silas, chances are he was helping him plan his next move,” Stefan says as we look around.

“Where, on his evil villain to do list-- steal blood, perform 3 massacres, pick up dry cleaning?” Caroline says.

“Actually not to nit-pick, but we evil villains usually use minions to pick up our dry cleaning, that sort of thing,” Klaus says.

“Why is he necessary again?” I ask.

“I second that,” Caroline says.

“Well, we don’t know what Silas can do, so if we do have to go head to head with him, an original hybrid who can’t die might come in handy,” Stefan explains.

“Would a hybrid who doesn’t want her friends to die be a good enough substitute? Cuz you got one right here,” I say raising my hand.

“Sorry love. But I’m not letting you go head to head with another immortal being,” Klaus says.

“Was I asking you? Was I asking him?” I ask looking at Caroline and Stefan.

“Besides the point. Stefan and I work well together, or at least we did in the Twenties,” Klaus says.

“Well, granted my emotions were off,” Stefan says.

“And that’s why you were way more fun. Just as Damon is probably relishing in Elena’s emotionless company in New York,” Klaus says.

“My brother knows what he’s doing,” Stefan says.

“Does he? Don’t underestimate the allure of darkness, Stefan. Even the purest of hearts are drawn to it,” Klaus says looking over at me. “Still, I’m sure it will all be fine,”

“I think I found something,” I say looking at the book I have in my hand. “‘Symbolic Figures in the Dark Arts’ Didn’t Bonnie talk about expression triangles?” I say bringing the book to the desk and pointing to the picture on the page I had open.

“‘In some schools of magic such as expression, human sacrifice can be used as a focus for power. It’s rumored that the addition of two supernatural sacrifices compounds the mystical energy creating an expression triangle,’” Stefan reads.

“Humans, that was the council fire. Demons, Klaus’ hybrid failure,” Caroline says.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a failure. What’s the third?” Klaus says wanting to move past the statement.

“Oh, no. Witches,” Caroline says.

“Great. I can’t believe Bonnie is gonna go through with this,” I say.

“Well, we need to figure out where it’s gonna happen. I’m gonna see if I can find or contact Bonnie,” Stefan says and leaves the room.

“Is there a map?” Caroline asks. We look around and Klaus finds one and sets it on the desk.

“There’s been two massacres. Pastor Young’s Farm,” I say and Caroline points to where it is on the map and I make an X.

“And the old Lockwood cellar. Where you spitefully slaughtered 12 of your own hybrids is here,” Caroline and points to the cellar. I make another X and draw a line to connect them.

“According to the book, the expression triangle is equilateral, putting it here,” I say drawing an X and two lines to find where the witch massacre would happen.

“Somebody’s been skipping their geometry classes. There are actually two places where the massacre could be,” Klaus says and draws another triangle below mine.

“Well, you didn’t let me finish,” I say.

“Hey. What’s going on? Did you find Bonnie?” Caroline asks as Stefan walks into the room.

“No, but I talked to her dad. I think I found Silas,” Stefan says. We all split up to find which location where the massacre was taking place.

“I just want to see where we are,” I say as Klaus and I walk through the forest.

“You know, when we split up, you did have the option of going with Stefan and Caroline,” Klaus says.

“I don’t think so. If I recall the conversation correctly. You said ‘Athena and I will go together’ and then you whisked me away...again. You know is this just another one of your little ploys to get me talking to you alone, and not about Silas or the cure, right?” I ask but get no response. “Do you know how to read a map?” I ask.

“Yes, and do you know who taught me? My friend Magellan,” Klaus says.

“I didn’t know you could make multiple friends. Was he drawn to your darkness too?” I ask.

“Actually, I was referring to Damon and Elena when I said that, but clearly it struck a chord with you,” Klaus says.

“It’s because it’s not true. There’s no allure to darkness,” I say.

“Really?” Klaus says and turns to me. “So you’ve never felt the attraction that comes when someone who’s capable of doing terrible things for some reason only cares about you?” Klaus asks me.

“Are you referring to you and me?! Because I never knew this side of you until you decided to rain all hell on my family and friends. And before you say anything about Ray’s pack, they were my family. They’re the ones who helped me become the person I am today. The fearless werewolf you decided to make a hybrid of your own will, not mine. So no, I don’t know the feeling you’re talking about, because the man that I knew you as was the one who loved me unconditionally. I heard the stories, but I only saw the good in you, until you decided to mix me up in your supernatural--I don’t even know what this is,” I say feeling a tear fall down my face.

“We’re here, although judging by the lack of witches, here is not the correct location,” Klaus says. We start to head to the other location where Caroline and Stefan went to.

“They’re linked. Bonnie’s gonna kill them,” Stefan says.

“Not if the witches kill her first,” Klaus says.

“Klaus we need to save her,” I say after he pushes Stefan against a tree.

“How? The only way to stop the witches is to kill them, and then Silas gets what he wants,” Klaus says.

“Spirits, take her soul. Free her from darkness,” One of the witches says holding a knife above Bonnie. Caroline doesn’t hesitate for a moment before stabbing the witch with her own knife, stopping the ritual.

“No!” Klaus yells. All the other witches die, completing the expression triangle.

“The triangle is complete,” Bonnie says. We quickly get Bonnie and head out of the location. After we made sure Bonnie was safe, I headed back to my house, trying to take in what happened tonight.

“Hey. How’s Bonnie,” I say answering the phone.

“She’s fine. But she doesn’t remember anything past the island,” Stefan explains.

“I’m just glad she’s ok,” I say.

“Me too. I’m gonna let Caroline know,” Stefan says before hanging up.

The next morning I was going to head out to check on Bonnie until I noticed an unnatural amount of messages on my phone from Klaus. Knowing he wouldn’t leave me alone with this many messages, I thought I’d go see what he wanted.

“I got you messages...All of them. This better be life and death,” I say walking into Klaus’ mansion.

“Go away,” I hear Klaus say.

“Klaus? Where are you?” I say. I walk towards where I heard his voice until I saw him clenching the piano seat on the ground. “What happened to you?” I ask as it looked like he was in pain.

“I need more time. Stop hounding me!” Klaus yells.

“Excuse me? You messaged me more times than I can count,” I reply.

“Athena. Is it really you?” Klaus asks shakily.

“Of course it is,” I respond. Klaus sighs in relief. He struggles to sit on the piano seat but manages to anyways.

“Prove it to me,” Klaus says.

“I really don’t have time for you to want to solve our relationship problem right now. I have more important things to deal with,” I say before turning around.

“Wait, please. Silas. He stabbed me with a white oak stake. There’s a little piece of it stuck inside of me,” Klaus explains.

“Why would Silas attack you?” I ask.

“Well, I was in no position to ask questions. Suffice it to say, I’m hurt. So you can understand why I called you,” Klaus says.

“I’m not really sure what I could do to help you,” I respond.

“If I die, you, Caroline, Tyler, all of your friends die with me,” Klaus says.

“Fine, just tell me what to do,” I say.

“Well, it’s quite simple, really. I need you to cut the stake out of me,” Klaus says pointing to the already bloody shears on the floor. I pick up the shears and Klaus turns around so I could start to try and get the stake out.

“I swear there’s nothing in here,” I say before digging a little deeper. Klaus screams and slams his hand against the piano. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry... You know what, I’m not,” I say ripping the shears out. “I’ve already got my hands full with helping my friends and you trying to pine for me is not helping. So if you want my help, stop getting in the way,” I say. I move to the couch as Klaus struggles to try to get the stake out himself.

“I can feel the splinters moving towards my heart. Help me!” Klaus yells.

“Will you stop getting in the way?” I ask.

“You really think I’m just going to stop getting in the way when your life could be in danger?” Klaus asks.

“And you know how many times my life was in danger because of you? If you want to get in the way, why can’t you just do something decent for once?” I ask back.

“Because Tyler Lockwood tried to kill me,” Klaus says.

“We’ve all tried to kill you. Hell, I even put you down for a time. But you’ve tried to kill most of us. Why are you going through all this effort to keep me safe when I don’t even need you to. You made me who I am, so why am I not strong enough to protect myself?” I ask.

“Because I can’t lose you again!” Klaus yells.

“And I’m strong enough to protect myself, hybrid or not. Why can’t you see that?” I ask.

“Because I lost you the first time I met you! You...you we’re in my arms and I let you slip away,” Klaus says.

“Because I wanted to,” I responded.

“No...no. The first time we met. The very first time,” Klaus says confusing me.

“What do you mean? I didn’t even know who you were when we met,” I say.

“It’s gone,” Klaus says quieter, ignoring my question.

“What?” I ask.

“The pain. The pain is gone,” Klaus says feeling his back. “Oh, see, it was never there. He got in my head. Silas got inside my head,” Klaus says shakily. “You took my mind off it. You brought me back, Athena,” Klaus says cupping my cheek with his hand.

I move his hand off of my face, “If Silas can make you of all people, believe that you’re dying...what can he do to the rest of us?” I ask. Klaus goes to clean himself up, leaving me to process and figure out what Klaus meant by the “very first time” we met while I cleaned myself up.

“I’m heading back to mine,” I say walking past Klaus.

“Hey,” He grabs my arm and pulls me to face him. “Thank you for helping me,” Klaus says.

“Of course. Just don’t think I’ll come running every time you scream for help. And don’t spam my phone either” I say.

“Promise,” Klaus smiles.

“I just have one question. What did you mean by the very first time we met? When was that? I remember the first time we met, we bumped into eachother when I was leaving a cafe,” I say.

“My love. That is a story for a different day, but I promise I’ll tell you one day,” Klaus says and kisses my forehead.

“So you’re just gonna leave me guessing?” I ask.

“There are more pressing matters right now. But I promise I’ll tell you soon,” He says.

“Fine. But you can’t break that promise, seriously,” I say.

“Promise. Can I ask you a question?” He asks and I nod. “Will you ever love me again?”

“Uhh...I--I can’t really answer that question right now. That’s pretty loaded. But I’ll think about it. I uh guess,” I say and head out.

#the vampire diaries #the vampire diaries fanfiction #the vampire diaries imagine #the vampire diaries series #the vampire diaries rewrite #the originals #the originals fanfiction #The Originals Series #the originals rewrite #Stefan Salvatore #caroline forbes #niklaus mikaelson #klaus mikaleson imagine #bonnie bennett #TVDCIB

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years ago

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The Violet Hour (Chop and Change, Part 2.)

Series Description: Twenty years ago, a pact was made between an imprinted shape-shifter and a vampire. Against your better judgment and wish for Seth to live out his days like a normal human being, you find yourself in La Push in Washington to see if anything’s changed.

Part Summary: There are questions you shouldn't be asking, but the curiosity inside of you is larger than any reasonable gasp of reality.

A/N: I think we all know that Seth just downloaded the whole Eclipse and New Moon soundtrack on that fucking CD. All of us know it.

Word count: -K

My Twilight Playlist: This is Radio Forks 📻

"Your lips are nettles, your tongue is wine; your laughter’s liquid, but your body's pine." - The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf (2009)

A sensible rainstorm started raging the following day, so you opted for a quick hunt before receiving a call from Jake. He asked if you'd like to hang around his garage to chat. Without giving it much thought, you accepted. That's how you found yourself sitting on a wooden crate, listening to hypnotizing guitar rhythms. You've noted the CD's name before sitting down; 'Bella's Mix'. You didn't poke around the topic but realized it must've been Edward's Bella. The 'Swan' incident Leah Clearwater alluded to twenty years ago. This one, you liked the most far. You enjoyed it so far that you quirkily danced while searching for one of Jake's screwdrivers. That was a sight he wouldn't expect to see. Jake's workshop was homely, for sure. Dirty, chaotic, and covered in slick, black oil. Just like any workshop would be. Old, broken bikes leaned into the sturdy wooden walls, pneumatics neatly organized according to their size and attributes, various small components just lying about. The smell of oil and gasoline filled the entire premises, which you also enjoyed.

"Heard you left alone… After the gathering." - Jake furrowed into one of the machines as you swayed your hips away, looking like a happy-go-lucky idiot while handing him the screwdriver. You were dressed the most inappropriately - tight jeans, a pastel pink blouse, and comfortable sneakers. And yet, you remained perfectly clean. "Didn't know your people were such gossip." - Not dwelling on the topic, you jammed to the last verse with high-pitched guitar tones layered under the main melody. If you weren't a piece of a living stone, Jacob would've been worried you could've had some sort of a seizure. So this was how it looked when a vampire loved something. Noted. "… Don't let me start on the rest, then." "There's more?" "Oh, yeah, there's plenty." - Black scoffed, sending you a rascalous wink. With a nod, you nudged him to go on. - "… Like the lovey-dovey stares you two shared throughout the entire ordeal? Sam mentioned you were mesmerized." "That snitch! The stories were interesting. That's why I stared." "Uh-uh, sure, Y/N, sure. Uley's a known gossip. Better watch your six whenever he's around." - The man laughed, making you laugh too. - "Said he hadn't seen Seth radiating like that ever before. And mind you, Seth's the only positive guy amongst our grumpy asses."

"What's everyone after? Seth offered to meet up with his friends and I agreed. Couldn't have known I stumbled into an exclusive super-secret shape-shifters meeting." - Muttering this, you couldn't help but smile, Jake's amused expression was making you grin mischievously too. "Doesn't sound like anything you'd said over the phone's what I'm after." - Jake explained, biting on his lower lip as he furrowed in concentration. As the song faded away, you sat back onto the box of old engine parts. "One more suggestion and I'll kick your fucking bike, Black. I'm serious." "Oh, you wouldn't do that. You're all bark but no bite." - With portrayed drama, Jacob sent you a boyish wink. Then, he got back to work, and both of you fell into an uncomfortable silence. Sighing, you started talking - Black assumed something was eating you up (otherwise, you wouldn't agree to see him as fast as you did) but he also knew better than forcing you to talk.

"I have a few questions about the whole… Wolf thing ordeal." - Suddenly, you were elegantly kneeling next to him, watching as his fingers masterfully moved around the machine's mechanical heart. You also noted his workshop could've acted as an antiquarian for super-old and weirdly specific car and motorbike parts he'd 'saved' before the cruel fate of ending in a wrecker. Most of these weren't in the making or produced in masses, making them very rare. Jake also had about twenty bikes displayed, thirteen of them out of order. Right now, he was working on a massive Harvey-Davidson, a symbolic crown jewel of his collection. It was a nice hobby, for sure, but it must've been very expensive. Especially for a mechanic like Jake. You wouldn't assume his car service in Forks was making enough to support this hobby entirely. All you could do was respect Jacob's bold choices. "… Yes, this motorbike will break if you kick it, if that's what bugging you." "Oh, fuck off." "Aight, shoot and I'll do my best to answer." - Jacob muttered while using your palm as a storage for discarded nuts covered in oil as he kept on pulling more and more of them.

"It's about that… Imprinting as you call it." - The man froze in motion, deadpanning you in the face. "That's funny." - It was a whisper, but you heard it clear as day. - "I explained imprinting to someone I loved… Right at this damn spot. She was sitting there, on the crates, her hands in her pockets, watching everything I did. Fuck… Feels like it happened centuries ago." - His expression was somber as he turned back to his machine with a heavy sigh. It must've been a sensitive spot, but you needed to push deeper. You wanted to know as there was to know, just so you'd be prepared… And you didn't have the guts to ask Seth. "Can you run it by me again? Seth did his best, but let's be honest - I was distraught because a teenager was proclaiming undying love and loyalty to me." "Listen. If it's about how you hoped to walk in here, finding happiness with a girl wrapped around him, presumably already having children… I'm sorry to disappoint. That's not how any of this works." - Jake stood up and stretched his back, watching Emmett and Sakari running around a brook circling the house.

Both were dressed from head to toe, wearing hilarious wellies, and catching and watching frogs. Sakari was seemingly overjoyed as Emmett showed her an enormous toad. He, the grown-ass, 6'5" vampire built like a massive statue, seemingly enjoyed it too. As you've said, you had a raising suspicion Emmett never mentally grew past the age of six, so this sort of activity was right up his alley. It was easy to imagine Seth leaning over his little girl just like Emmett, joyously smiling as she cracked up… As easy as breathing. If there was anyone fit for fatherhood, you'd assume it was Seth. Going over his social media, you noted every photo from his days as a kindergarten teacher. The man was glowing in each post, hinting at being the best father ever. With you… It would be hard to achieve such a goal. There were ways, like adoption or surrogacy, but he'd miss the best part. Your nature would rob him of this experience.

"Can I be honest?" - Jake muttered, still facing away from you. His tone indicated an incoming bombshell. "Yeah?" "Seth's still alive just because you promised you'd be back one day. He hung onto that promise for his dear life." - Each syllable sent chills down your spine. Putting all the nuts in a neat pile, you sat back on the crates and attempted to clean your hand while fighting tears. "Clearwater… He wouldn't…" - Your voice was breaking, throat dry. What fucking world would it be if there wasn't Seth fucking Clearwater roaming somewhere out there, making everyone's day ten times better? There wouldn't be one. The selfish, self-indulged side of you wasn't accepting his death as a viable option. Seth was your warmth, as Edward put it. The fact Seth simply existed somewhere in the aether quickly became one of the things that still made you go… And… There wasn't much more on that meager list.

"Trust me, he would." - Jacob's voice cut like razors, each word making you squirm. - "And he contemplated it… Shortly after you've left. Never seen him like that and I hope we won't have to deal with it again. It took Sue two months to slap him out of that state, that's why Seth moved to Forks with him for a bit. Thankfully, he'd matured a lot since then - and believed you'd show up." "But why would he…" "It's not just falling in love, okay? It is something much more crazier and personal than you'd ever imagine, Y/N. That feeling… It sends you off to fly in the clouds. Being around your imprintee equals having each day filled with this endless love and sunshine that doesn't cease to exist. It's all the fucking warmth and light of the universe pressed into one singular being. That guy won't rest until you're both living in peace. He'd be anything you need; lover, friend, romantic partner, husband, the father to your kids… Just so you stay." - With that, Jacob gave you a meaningful look. You were crying silently, nodding as you absentmindedly looked at Sakari and Emmett. They were picking snails and making them race. Uncle Edward would be proud.

"I've only told Edward, but…" - Sobbing, you nodded to yourself. - "Before I left Forks, I knew I wouldn't ever be the same. You and your folk see us vampires as pieces of living, breathing stone that pretend to be alive, have a personality and a life, but… We change. Once the change is done, it can't be undone, that's how we function. And Seth, dear fucking god…" - Jacob watched you grow vulnerable, glowing as you recalled the moment radiant, golden warmth spread to every inch of your body. - "No idea what happened, but he changed me. It's like my heart beats again and all the holes in my chest fill with emotion I can't describe." "You're more stupid than I thought." - Black assessed. "What? I disclose something personal and…" "You were in love with Seth twenty years ago and still left? That means you're a fucking idiot. Good luck to Clearwater trying to deal with that mess."

"I left because I felt like either of us had a say in this whole fucking mess!" - You screamed, making Emmett's glace fly in your direction for a fraction of a second. Soon, he got back to being thrilled with all of Sakari's earthworms. - "Humor me this - you come to see your friends after twenty years and they introduce you to their friends. And suddenly, after four centuries of voluntary isolation, someone proclaims you're their person and that they'd follow you to the ends of the world just to be by your side. The worst part is, everything makes clear fucking sense because you feel the same! But you're horrified when you realize this fate is a death sentence for someone like him. Cullens might be the 'good vampires', but I'm far away from being the good guy. I've done a lot of shitty things that still haunt me 'till this day and Seth Clearwater doesn't deserve any piece of this cake." - After almost screaming your lungs out, you turned away and paced around the workshop, stretching your shoulders to relieve the stress. - "Have you seen it? Someone… Doing that?" - You alluded, voice empty.

"Yes." - Jake answered, quite simply. Without waiting for your answer, he'd started recalling the story of rejection costing someone's life and future. "After Leah, there were another two female shape shifters - Sam's twin daughters. One of them was Bri - Brianna Uley. The girls had been born shortly after Cullens left Forks. One summer, some pack of nomadic vampires traveled through the territory; they meant no harm, only fasted on animals, and asked us if they could hunt on the perimeter. They were cool, so Sam allowed it. The more vampires gather 'round, the more smell - that's enough for the younglings to start truly shifting." - Jacob had you hooked onto the story. Teary-eyed, you hummed, listening on. This moment was extraordinary. A shapeshifter explaining his nature to a vampire? Sounded like the start of a good anecdote, not like a real-life situation. But there you were. "We knew girls could shift too, thanks to Leah, so when the twins shifted, it wasn't as much of a surprise. Honestly? Sam was so proud he got hammered for a week. Emily was worried, but isn't that all mums do?" - Black smiled, having you return the sentiment. "Of course." - You muttered.

"Brianna imprinted soon after. It was magical listening to her yapping about 'her crush this' and 'her crush that'. To put it mildly, she was in high school and that guy just swept her off her feet. The guy was one of her classmates and, well, you know how middle school kids get. They are fucking annoying and stupid. After a year, she got to confess her feelings. And, unfortunately, he rejected her. Pretty harshly, I remember. Brianna came home running, crying, detailing everything that happened earlier. Just a dramatic heartbreak, we thought, she could give it a few years and try again after that idiot matures. She was headstrong after Emily and hot-blooded like her dad, so we thought she'd fight and deal with it…" - Jake smiled, his voice cracking. Realizing where this story was headed made you uneasy. Just so wouldn't have to face you, Jake kneeled back in front of his motorbike and started working again. "The girl jumped under the train last summer. She just turned eighteen."

"God…" - That was all you could think of. Black unhappily grinned into the motorbike before giving you a look over his shoulder. "Sam and Em have their pictures hung all around their house. Wouldn't be too wise to stare at them, let alone ask. That pain still hasn't disappeared, but they are fighting grief as well as they can. Ellie's finally smiling again and Emily doesn't look like a piece of chalk when she thinks nobody pays her attention. Brianna's untimely death almost broke the tribe, but we stayed strong. And I don't think the community could handle another loss like this… Especially not Seth." - Scoffing, he searched around for some part. - "If you think Seth didn't try to forget you, you're dead wrong, okay?" - Jacob started abruptly.

"There were girls, jobs, traveling - he even borrowed one of my bikes to ride cross country. And there were even two girls he'd brought home to introduce to the pack and to Sue, but, God…" - Jacob couldn't but snicker ironically. "They both looked like your uncanny copy - no offense to these ladies, they were wonderful. They had similar hairstyles and colors, similar smiles, faces, eyes… All of his romantic endeavors were just a copy of someone Seth couldn't have at that time. Both times the relationship would end abruptly, shortly after he'd introduced them. Clearwater searched for a fragment of you on each of his dates. As I've said, knowing you'd come back home to him kept him at ease, partially. And I'm not sure Seth's capable of enduring such loss again." - And with that, Black's list of bad news was seemingly over. Matching him, you got up too, pretending to search for the part too.

"All I'm saying is that this whole wolf thing imprinting business isn't fair to anyone. Seth should be able to choose who he wants to be with. Shouldn't this function as a way to preserve your kind, like some weirdly specific way to determine who's the best for carrying on the shapeshifter genes?" - You wondered, making Jake hum in agreement. "That was our working theory until Seth's dumb ass imprinted on you… And until Leah found Sammy on her trip to Washington. We're just in the dark as you are on this one. But humor me this - look me in the eyes and tell me you're not just frightened that someone might be in love with you. And don't forget to skip the part where you made up all the reasons for rejecting Seth before he had a fighting chance."

Trying to grasp for air, you couldn't move. Your face was devoid of any emotion, lips parted slightly as your body stopped moving. Now, you truly appeared to be just a statue of an ethereally beautiful goddess. Seth adhered to his end of the bargain. As he promised, he aged, matured, explored, and learned new things, living his best life without you. Now look at you. What the fuck had you been doing with your life? That's right. You spent all the time hiding in a cottage in the middle of nowhere in the deep Canadian wilderness in total isolation, horrified and strangely excited for the day you'd face Seth again. Your life revolved around this visit and the promise, in one way or another. The thought of belonging, the prospect of home, and indulging in Seth's neverending light sounded like a fantasy you didn't deserve - the longer you were horrified of it, the more you craved it. It made you smile, the thought of settling down in a neighborhood, seeing the same neighbors, indulging in their stories and simple lives. Lives you'd be a frequent part of. The imagination of a household filled with love and trust… You gasped, silent tears rolling down your face, a peal of unbelievable laughter filling the silent workshop.

Jacob put on his raincoat five minutes ago, leaving you alone with your greatest enemy - yourself. He was studying whatever poor creature Sakari decided to embrace with love. You were shaking, you realized. Every word Jacob shared was carefully chosen just so you'd realize how fucking stupid you were. An idiot. A bold move on Black's side, prompts to him. He must've known a self-destructive type like you before since he easily recognized it. Emmett alluded to the Jacob-Edward-Bella love triangle during your drive to Forks, of which Jake became a self-inserted part. He hadn't detailed it, but Jake must've seen it back then - how much one wills to sacrifice in the name of love. How much they're willing to go to protect their loved one. He might've even indulged in the same pitiful behavior.

Emmett spotted you first - your blouse was drenched in a matter of a minute as you stomped towards the forest, your sneakers getting muddy beyond saving; you've picked your bag from the back seat of your car and pushed the sneakers off, leaving them behind. Emmett would bring them later. Jake noticed soon after. Sakari was trying to go after you as if she wanted to hug you goodbye. If that was the reason, you didn't get to know. You weren't in the mood to investigate. "Where are you going, Y/N? Have I said something wrong?" "No!" - You screamed back, an uneasy smile ghosting over your pained expression. The least you could do was to send Sakari a kiss, so you did. - "You hadn't said anything wrong! And that's the problem!" "Should I be worried?" - Emmett wondered, approaching as only vampires could; phasing close to you, catching your shoulder in his palm. You understood the meaning of Emmett's question. Are you running away? Will it be just for a few days, or will you disappear? Will you indulge in something that could potentially kill you? If so, I'll join you without a question. You're my dude bro. Thus, you simply shook your head to lower the suspicion.

"After you're done with the bugs, you'll find me in the house." - Meaning the Cullen residence hidden in the woods. - "And in case you'd need me, I'm on the phone, yeah? I'm not running away… Not this time." "Okay. The same goes for you." - Emmett nodded, sending you a careful smile. "Say hi to Jean for me. I'll swing by with a pie to apologize or something." "She prefers donuts." "Fine, smart pants. I'll run to the nearest Dunkin' and bring it freshly baked." - And with that, you were gone. Only Emmett could watch you disappear amidst the dense tree coverage of La Push. For the other two, you became a smudge disappearing in a second. You got lost in the woods a few times, but eventually, thanks to the Cullens' malodor helped you orientate. Soon, you walked into the meadow in front of Esme's most beloved house - the warm, faded white walls were inviting you inside alongside the homey porch. The house didn't even look abandoned.

Esme wasn't shying away from yapping away about how much she missed this house. It was her magnum opus, she often said… Well, throughout the weekend you've spent with her, anyway. The building felt timeless, graceful, and around a hundred years old. Esme's vision was all over it, hiding in the detailing - perfectly matched furniture, beautiful decorations, and enormous windows that let sunshine through on a nice day. Most of the personal belongings were long missing, of course; the Cullens packed them up and moved them. As you found your sanctum in Carlisle's old office, you leaned into his desk. As usual, your eyes searched for your beloved painting. Now, there was just an empty spot on the wall. There wasn't a dust particle in sight, everything was just as polished as you remembered it. As if the house was waiting for new tenants. After changing into a fresh batch of clothes, you started a fire and stared in the firepit for hours on end without moving, hybernating to deal with all the thoughts plaguing your mind. Where else would you go? To Jacob's? Funny. No way.

Why was the idea of someone loving you so scary? Never before could you imagine being cared for. The idea of being in a relationship was freaking you the fuck out. As you've outlined, you've completed a shit load of tasks while being in Aro's services… And those demons never went away. They never disappeared, they were just slumbering. They could wake up at any time and ruin your entire life - therefore, you've spent most of your existence in hiding, just so they couldn't find you. As everybody knew, some vampires had unnatural skills. Alice could see the future. Jane could inflict physical pain through mental manipulation. Edward could read minds. Yours wasn't anything of this sort, it wasn't easy to describe - it was a set of skills making you out to be a professional hunter… One of the best to ever side with Aro throughout the entire existence of the Volturi, in fact.

If your existence consisted of shadows, you had to become one. You knew how to become untraceable just because you knew everything about the hunt. It took Aro and his underlings ten years just to find you so he could ask for your services - both of you knew that let his underlings catch you. On top of this, all the training Volturi gave you enhanced those skills. My Hand of Justice, that was how Aro affectionately addressed you. Under his rule, you became a merciless hunter - he'd always sent you on his most vexing issues. The moment you were called to step it, it always ended in a notional bloodbath. Screaming, fighting, setting vampires ablaze, destroying entire communities for him, them begging for dear fucking life… You've lived through it all.

Some of the issues had to do with the actual vampire law. In some instances, you dealt with serving true justice. Most of Aro's 'issues', however… They were usually just his petty little dramas. You've destroyed and torn apart peaceful covens Aro despised for simply existing. Sometimes, Aro would attempt to gain a new, gifted follower - so you'd ride out, tracking the entire coven, torturing them for months, even years on end. Your favorites were years-lasting hunts and all the horror you've instilled inside your prey. Well, back then, you were a sadistic maniac. Until… You changed Carlisle. That was shortly after the first cracks started showing. Your devotion was fading, you felt lost. All the blood you had on your hands, innocent lives you've snuffed… The screams and animosities you'd do in the name of 'justice'… And suddenly, there he was. Everything about him shaped you. Carlicle's conviction, devotion, and natural curiosity mesmerized you. Shortly after changing him, you'd disappear like a cloud of smoke, sticking by Carlisle's side, ensuring he wouldn't get destroyed.

You've learned a great deal from your only creation. You hadn't changed any other human before or after Cullen. His philosophies crawled under your skin, changing your outlook greatly. Could you also live in peace with the world, just like Carlisle envisioned? Could you find a mate, start your coven, and live out the rest of your existence in peace? You've found the idea alluring, but never got to the part of settling down. When Carlisle left to personally speak with the Volturi on the verge of the 18th century, you got lonely. Lots of space for thinking through, time for preparations… That's when the first encounter took place. One of the vampires you've let live to tell the tale, a member of the Tobin coven, tracked you. He'd appear uninvited, in the middle of winter after tracking you down for half a century. Craze and insanity were instilled deep within his face. No wonder - you took your sweet time tearing his mate apart piece by piece because, according to Aro, she created a whole bunch of immortal children. The fight was long, very long. The man was a strong, capable fighter overshadowing you physically. The saving grace was your hunt. Once he'd caught your track, he hadn't stopped until he towered over you. His plan of action had a major oversight - he hadn't stopped to hunt and therefore, the vampire was weaker sooner than you. That night you realized the reality you've chosen. As you apologized while setting him ablaze, you accepted you won't ever find your happily ever after. Now, it was your time to repent for all your wrongdoings until you'd pay with your life. You couldn't start a coven and have a family. Once you'd let your guard down, you'd be dead. It would've been so easy to let Aro destroy you - but Carlisle asked (begged) for you to stay alive. Even if for him and anyone else.

The truth was that you envied Carlisle Cullen for the last four centuries. Everything about his life was nearly perfect; amazing adopted 'children', the most wonderful and loving wife, and his willingness to repent and stay in his lane. All the control he had over life, the freedom…

… Until now. Until Seth Clearwater and his shape-shifting business came by. As Sam and Jake repeatedly alluded, his imprinting didn't only mean he was in love. It gave you a home, a place you could let your guard down and be yourself. The pact, as Sam addressed, accepted you as their member twenty years ago. Even though you wouldn't have it, you were already a part of the La Push family thanks to Seth's imprinting. Thanks to that, despite your will, you already belonged to a place where people would fight for your well-being and life. You'd also had the Cullens, but just like with the tribe, you wouldn't have it. It was up to you to resolve all this information in that dense head of yours.

Even though you weren't willing to accept it, Seth was your warmth. Your match made in heaven, or something like that. He'd become the one thing you'd always craved - a mate. A ride-or-die. Someone who'd go to the deepest ends of hell. And even though you were very reluctant about it, Seth meant the same to you. You'd give him all the stars in the universe if that would make him happy. You'd hunt down every soul that'd mean a threat to him; Aro included. You'd accept your day of reckoning if it'd ensure Seth would be unharmed. You'd erase yourself if it meant Seth could have a chance at life with a normal woman. No, you smiled lazily, you were too selfish to see him loving anyone else. He was yours just as you were his.

You could've been sitting in front of the fireplace for hours until Emmett found you. His palm smoothed your shoulder blades to warn you about his presence. While not looking at him, your palm squeezed him with an unnoticeable nod. "What you're up to?" - The man whispered, sitting on the sofa beside you. One glance through the window hinted it's way past 7 pm. It was dark and pouring again, all hell broke loose. "Thinking. A lot of it." "Anything you'd like to share with the class?" "Don't think so." - You hummed, sending Emmett a grateful smile. Even though he was one of the loudest, most annoying people you've run into, you loved him to death. He became your notional brother, sharing most of his excitements and ailments with you. He'd been this forthcoming ever since you first met; and God, there was something so endearing about his raw honesty and pure fondness. The first day he'd met you, Emmett Cullen proclaimed you his best friend. And for the first time, much to Carlisle's delight, you didn't dispute. - "… Would you happen to have Seth's phone number? Need to call him." "… And tell him you're a dunce who's deeply in love with him?" "If you've read me this easily, I'm in deep shit. Is it so apparent?" "Y/N, I've never seen you like this, not even Carlisle did."

"How did Carlisle get to know?" - You wondered, mouth agape when you realized. - "Did he call you?" "Listen, Carlisle's just worried you might do something stupid and asked me to keep an eye out for you. Our parents went through this with Edward when he met Bella. It was crazy - all sorts of nonsensical, self-destructive behavior bringing you to a suicidal state. I'd deal with it fast - either kill her or change her, bro. Problem solved. And for your information; it's not apparent, but I can feel you're finally alive. You're glowing, flourishing whenever Clearwater's around. Can't wait for him to be my brother-in-law." "Emmett!" - It was a disbelieving squeal at the top of your lungs. Flourishing. Glowing. Alive. A set of adjectives you wouldn't ever use when it came to you. "I got Clearwater's number." - Emmett ended the discussion, handing you the intel. His shit-eating grin annoyed the ever-living shit out of you… God, you loved Emmett so much.

The clock showed 8 in the evening as you paced on the roof, playing with your bottom lip. The phone was ringing - it took exactly three rings before Seth picked up. And the moment he did, your brain went blank. "Seth Clearwater on the phone!" - He'd greet cheerfully, laughing at something. You heard female voices in the background… Where was he? Who was he with? - "… Hello? Anyone there?" "Oh, yeah, Y/N here. Hi. Hey." - There you were, a stuttering, flustered mess. The moment you'd speak, the female voice subdued. Seth left whoever he was with to talk with you in private. As he bumped something with his shoulder (the bang was loud) and cursed, you giggled. "Wow. Just… Wow. Hi. How did you get this number?" - The man wondered. "Emmett had it and I asked for it nicely." "Is everything okay? Do you need anything?" - The emphasis on 'anything' was palpable. By anything, Seth meant everything. - "Where are you?" "Clearwater, take a breath. I'm okay. Nothing's wrong." "Then… Wouldn't suspect you to be someone calling on the phone…" - God. Seth was a flustered, stuttering mess too.

"As far as I know, there isn't any danger and everything's just fine. Stop freaking out." - His nerves gave you the upper hand as you found your confidence. The one Seth destroyed with one look. "Yes, ma'am. How you're doing?" "Well, had a very informative talk with Jake earlier…" "What did you talk about?" - Clearwater wondered. The man must've had a suspicion because his tone became devoid of its typical happy-go-lucky edge. "Brianna." - There wasn't more to be said. The girl's name was enough. After an uncomfortable silence, you started talking just to change the subject. - "Listen, I've been wondering what you're up to tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure yet. What's on the agenda, ma'am?" - Ah, there he was. Seth fucking Clearwater at his best. The question changed his entire demeanor. It was amazing what a striking difference could few well-aimed words make. Suddenly, his voice was smooth and buttery, one you'd imagine whispering sweet nothings to your ear while… You weren't naïve and it wasn't hard to figure out the scenarios on Seth's mind. The thought made you grin. In most of said scenarios, the two of you have been alone - a walk, a movie night, a date night… Well, time to crush his little heart. "You'll have a nice family evening, whaddayasay?" "Oh, shit, did mom call you?" - Seth mumbled in horror. The panic made you burst with laughter. "Not exactly. Sam and Em are assembling everyone in the area for a gathering, including me, Emmett, and Jake." - It was easy to understand what Seth's feeling.

You had the exact panic attack just an hour earlier when Emmett explained why Carlisle's keeping an eye out. All these annoying little questions like 'are you okay?', 'how's things?', 'wanna talk about it?' or 'are you feeling suicidal?' got aggravating rather quickly. They were too much to take in at times. This constant watch was the reason why Seth hadn't shown up for one of Sam's infamous assemblies since last November. Nine months ago. After Brianna's death, Sam watched every move Seth made like a hawk - every damn word, expression, thought… Sam was fucking restless. "I'm working overtime, actually, just realized…" - Oh, Emmett warned you about this excuse. Jacob ran his fucking mouth and gave Emmett tips on what to look out for. Well, thankfully, you would figure out nonetheless - kindergartens were closed on Saturdays, even in La Push. "Nice try, sunshine boy. Is eleven good for you? Emmett has his car over here, but I doubt he'll use it, so I'm free to pick you up. I'm sixty percent sure Emmett's able to transport alone." - As you've listened to your tone, you realized you were supportive, assuring. Every fiber of your undead body wished Seth felt safe around you… For a very selfish fucking reason.

"Are you coming along?" - Clearwater whispered, voice filled with worries and fear. Sighing, you nodded as if he could see you. Seth was struggling on the other end. The entire situation put a load of pressure on Clearwater's shoulders. He'd been feeling like an asshole for being unable to withstand Sam's fatherly love and care, Seth felt like a jackass after running off… Like a fucking coward. Also, he wished to be alone with you, only you. He'd gladly listen to everything on your mind, all your stories of how you evolved into the most breathtaking woman he met. Well, at least you'd be around after twenty years of waiting. Your scent would invade his brain, your smile intoxicate him with pure happiness… And on top, you whispered: "Of course, I'll be there… We're in this together, Clearwater." "Okay, fine, you got me. I'll be waiting." - Seth promised.

For a bit, you sat on the rooftop and talked to Seth on his way home. He'd said goodbye to whomever he'd been hanging out with, gladly staying on the line with you. Clearwater told you all about his workday, what he'd been eating, and what the kids in kindergarten had been up to. Today, as you learned, was arts day - the weather wasn't good enough for a walk or playing on the nearby playground. They'd been painting frogs, which also explained Sakari's sudden obsession with them. After you heard his front door closing, you said your goodbyes. It was time for Seth to get some sleep… Finally. It felt like he hadn't slept a day in the last twenty years, longing for you in the still of the night.

As you walked into the living room, you noticed Emmett was on a call with Rosalie. As a true dude-bro, he only sent you a knowing smile but didn't poke around the phone call one bit. Instead, the three of you settled on watching some stupid TV show, betting on the outcome. At times like these, it sucked ass to be a vampire. You didn't need to sleep, you didn't have to eat or exude. While Seth could rest by sleeping, you had to stay awake with all your thoughts, excitement, worries, and expectations. On nights like these, it felt like an infinity. As you watched one of the contestants propose, you leaned your elbow into the backseat and realized you couldn't wait to be near Clearwater again. Your mind wandered back to his lips, beautiful glowy russet skin, and the invisible blush spreading on his cheeks whenever you were around. You even memorized the sound of his heartbeat… That's how fucked you were.

Around three in the morning, you couldn't stand it anymore - you and Emmett set out on a hunt. As per usual, Emmett looked for the biggest prey; anything that could tear his fucking head off, to be precise. You've settled for a couple of hinds, but Emmett roared as he and a mountain lion clashed it out. It was an amusing watch. You've spent the rest preparing an outfit and taking a proper, boiling bath. You've soaked in the water for almost three hours, helping your body to be seemingly warm. Sure, it'd drop to your usual temperature after a few hours, but long soaks were a neat trick when you wished to appear more human.

"I'm on my way." - You've finished preparations just five minutes ago. Since it was an informal event, you opted for a comfy pair of jeans, a striped t-shirt, and matching sneakers; you hadn't put on any makeup and let hair frame your face naturally. Just you, nothing else. All natural. - "We'll meet at Sam and Emily's at noon, you got that?" "Yes, admiral Y/N." - Cullen muffled, eyes fixed on some football. - "Say hi to Romeo." "Oh, you can do that to yourself."

Suddenly, the ride to La Push was too short for your liking. Your head was a mess - preoccupied with thoughts and a million of what-if scenarios. You've lost yourself to the train of thoughts, parking in front of Clearwater's residence before you could say Mississippi. It was a cute little house. Just like Black's, he'd most likely inherited it after his dad passed and Sue moved to Charlie's. It was a small, four-room home with big windows. As you subconsciously suspected, Seth must be a fan of sunshine and letting it in. The land was big enough for Seth to have a decent garden decorating the front porch. From what you could see through the window, Seth was a chaotic person. You'd assume he got distracted easily, the thought making you smile - multiple art projects were lying all over, all filled with jottings and ideas. You assumed they were meant for the kindergarten. Also, the decorations… His house was filled to the brim with souvenirs, framed photos, and hangings of pictures from kids. And the t-shirts and flannels laying all over the plates, half-used dishes that Seth was lazy taking care of, warm colors that not only optically enlarged the space but also must've looked amazing in sunlight. This house looked experienced and lived-in. It looked like a home.

The longer you waited around, the more nervous you became. After ten minutes of being patient, you've tried knocking, ringing the bell, calling him… Nothing helped. Where the hell was he? You've struck a deal and Seth didn't feel like the person to break it. For some time, you believed you'd been left behind, the feral vampire inside you howling with pain. At the thirty-minute mark, you started biting your lips as they quivered, your eyes swelling with tears. Maybe he'd bailed. Maybe Seth would arrive later? No, Seth would let you know, at least over texts or anything. He must've been inside that house. Now, you started full-on panicking as you circled frantically. With each step, you went into full emergency mode. Seth was a shape-shifter. Could that be dangerous, perhaps life-threatening? You ruled this possibility pretty fast - tracks and his scent trail were leading out of the woods, but it was around eight hours old. And there wasn't a fresher path created after. Well, he must've been inside, then. What if he was in danger? What if something happened? Could he fall from a cliff? Maybe into a canyon, some sort of ravine he was so obsessed with? What if he got crushed by a boulder? Or a tree? Or got bit by some unknown species? It was a long time since you became a vampire and all the listed possibilities appeared fucking likely and life-threatening. It wasn't a secret you lost touch with humanhood after a century or two… Let alone five. In hindsight, your imagination was running wild and adrenaline filled you up as your eyes scanned the windows, looking for any sight of life - none of these catastrophes could've endangered Seth. Panic ensued you. Well, you were still just a vampire who could only see how fragile could Seth be.

It'd be wiser to take a long breath, think it through, and think of a feasible explanation. If you'd stop then, you'd realized how fucked you were - there you were, worried to death for a man you proclaimed not to be in love with. What a liar you were, huh? Just the thought of not hearing Seth's heartbeat again, the thought of not ever seeing him again… Your mind constantly returned to Brianna's untimely demise over one-sided love. If Seth would… You'd never forgive yourself. Never. You'd give everything just to know he's safe.

Just like the idiot you were, you were breaking into his house just a minute later, trying to open both entrances and all the windows. If there wasn't anything to open easily, you wouldn't shy away from breaking some glass. You felt like a damn stalker. As you found his kitchen window cracked open, you thanked all the Gods above. Without thinking it through, you cheered and started opening it. You were more than happy to acrobatically climb over the kitchen sink. With a soft thud, you landed on the wooden floor, listening to the silent house.

Trying to remain unnoticed, just in case your brain freaked out over nothing, you took a good look around. There wasn't a sign of an abrupt departure, any signs of a break-in or unauthorized entry. Seth's scent filled your nose, making you hum subconsciously. God, he smelled so good. As you heard the sounds, your entire world stopped for a second, all the panic and irrationality subduing with a snap of a finger. The snoring. His breathing. His heartbeat.

Taking a few steps, you followed the sounds. That was when you faced Seth's bedroom door cracked open, seeing him tangled up under his blankets. His hair was let down, his features relaxed and his cheeks pink. Gods, Seth Clearwater was so fucking beautiful. The bedroom itself was untidy but homely, lived-in. His clothes were thrown on the floor and chair, hinting at Seth's relationship with the washing machine. Photos of family members were, again plastered all over the room, books and various notebooks lying everywhere. There was also an acoustic guitar in the corner of the room. Every inch of this room was filled with personality, just like Seth was.

A content smile spread across your lips as you opened the door. You walked over to him silently and however over him with a childish fascination making you smile. The blanket covered most of his body, only his shoulders peaking out, his heart beating steadily in his chest. God, you were such an idiot. He'd just overslept, no big deal. Should you just let him rest? Should you stay here in case he needs anything? You'd sit in the corner and disappear the moment Seth would wake up. Or, you could go ahead and arrive at the gathering, explaining Seth's asleep and will arrive later. Well, in that case, the others would ask how you got to know… You had to wake Seth up.

-WIP-

You’d have to explain yourself anyway since Seth clearly remembered your smell. He’d know you were there. Nervously, you walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it. For a moment, you just leaned into the mattress and watched Seth’s sleeping face. The long hair suited him, a lot. Before, you hadn’t caught that he had a small silver ring pricked into his ear; you also didn’t catch how long lashes he had or the small scar in his eyebrow. Dear fuck, how come you hadn’t noticed how pretty the man was? Wait. What the hell was this? A sudden melancholy coming out of nowhere? Did that happen to you around anyone you’ve known? Well, you couldn’t recall it.

“Hey. Wake up, sleepyhead. Come on.” - Slowly, you rose one of your palms and smoothed his shoulder, shaking him in the process. The man opened up his eyes for a moment and saw you sitting on the edge of the bed with one of your knees thrown over the other with your palm pressed on the hot skin of his body. Immediately, his brain assumed that you’re not real. How would you get there, huh? And why would you smooth his shoulder? Without putting any thought into it, he just threw palm over your knee, smoothing it back. Yet when he heard the gasp, he opened his eyes once more - and he saw that you were indeed more than real. Seth’s palm flew back to his body.

“Hey.” - He took a good look around the bed, realizing that he was still in his bedroom. - “You’re inside my house.” - This made you laugh. He informed you as if you weren’t supposed to know about it. - “I know.” - “Let me rephrase it. What are you doing in my house?” - At that, you finally got up from the bed. - “I was worried that something had happened to you. So I kinda broke inside through the bathroom.” - “You’re not even going to deny any of it?” - The man slipped a few strands of hair behind his ear, sitting up - stopping as he realized he’s more or less naked under the blanket. Seth held one of the hems around his chest, covering himself. Surely, you hadn’t seen anything you weren’t supposed to and you didn’t try to look for it.

“You saw me here and I did it, so why would I try to deny anything? Just do me a favor and move it, we’re supposed to be at Emily’s in twenty minutes and I’m helping with the lunch.” - With that, you left to sit in the car for a moment. Seth rushed out in the following minute, barely dressed up. Just as he locked the door, he was still putting on his sweatshirt and balanced on one foot.

Something else had caught your eye. It was the damn bun on the back of his head. Few strands of hair were flying around his ears and on his forehead, but fuck, you could see that he’s handsome. Only God was there to help you because you were starting to soften around the boy. - “I might fall asleep like that often.” - Seth told you as he fell onto the co-driver’s seat. - “Oh, sure. I’ll kick your door out next time, be sure of that.” - “You know, Jake told me you liked the Sea Wolf you’ve listened yesterday, so…” - He popped out a CD, wiggling his eyebrows. - “I liked what..?” - You asked back with confusion, leaving the road to Seth’s house.

Without any more explanations, the man just popped the CD in - it didn’t escape your attention that he hadn’t used the seatbelts, which took one furrow to fix. If you’d got into a car crash, you’d most likely just fly through the forth part of the car - but Seth was still kind of human, in the end. There was no excuse for him to not wear the damn seatbelt, no matter how hard would be to try.

It took him a minute to find the song question, which made you realize that he made you… A playlist. Yet as soon as you realized what song was playing, there was a huge smile on your face. It was the song you danced around in Jacob’s workshop. As you started to drum the rhythm into the steering wheel, Seth realized that this is maybe the biggest giveaway that you’re enjoying it. This alone made the man grin as he leaned back to the seat, looking on the road.

“There’s a lot more songs I thought you’ll vibe to. It’s… Old songs. Bella taught me to listen to most of them. Do you like it?” - He turned at you as another tune started to play. - “I do. Thanks.” - You loved it. The work he put into it, even though it was just a dumb CD with songs he thought you might like… You hadn’t received such a present in centuries. And for a minute, there you both were, just grinning back and forth at each other like two absolute idiots when you were standing on a turn on the main communication.

Well…

This wasn’t going as you hoped it would.

#the twilight saga #twilight saga #twilight crackheads #we stan side characters with little to no development #yaaas queen #seth clearwater is one of them ffs #and he's such a ray of sunshine #seth Clearwater #jacob black #emmett cullen #the cullens #the quileutes #sam uley #emily uley #we stan

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bonzhur · 5 years ago

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"I have 4 brothers (one of them is younger and the two oldest are quite a lot older) so I was thinking maybe a Damian Wayne x reader (16+) where Damian and reader are secretly dating and Damian bumps in to the reader whilst they are both out with their siblings. Maybe a few of them know each other from school and they wanna hang out and Damian and the reader try and pretend they don’t know each other so their siblings don’t make a big deal about their relationship but maybe somehow they let it slip."

~♪~♪~♪~♪~♪~

Oh my gosh...

First off, I'm so sorry for not checking my asks, college and now this world wide issue. I'm so sorry!! *Bows* Please forgive me!!!

Second, I hope you can still enjoy this late reply, I'm really sorry ;-;

Guys, the keys for this story are these;

B1- Brother 1

B2- Brother 2

B3- Brother 3

Again, I am so sorry! P.S. details are lacking so I choose them for you... You'll see what mean later. Please enjoy this late reply, again, I'm so sorry!

~•~•~•~•~

I sighed as I sat on the mahogany bench, my sweat rolling down my skin as I tried to catch my breath.

"B1!"

The screech of my younger brother can probably be heard throughout the entire park, heck, maybe even Gotham. But I get how he's feeling, I'm ticked as well after all.

"What on earth gave you the great idea to drag me out of my bed to go jogging with you!" I turned my head to see B3 jabbing his finger at B1, who's just trying not to laugh. Yea, let's see that smug grin later when I beat ya for interrupting my sleep.

"What's wrong, lil bro?" B1 chuckled as he skipped a few feet away from him, holding his hands up in defense. "Not my fault you lack vitamin D and been hold up in your room with your video games, you and y/n both."

"Excuse you!" I immediately sat up and glare at my brother. "But my babies needed me, okay!"

A hand came suddenly and messed up my already bad bed hair. Not my fault B1 dragged me out of bed with no preparations, again whatever. I swatted the hand away, glaring at B2.

"Hey, I understand your struggle." He said with a look of understanding. "I bought you that switch with animal crossing remember."

I huffed and crossed my arms. Not my fault I got addicted to the game, not my fault it's one of the only games I can play with him.

A smile started forming on my face as I thought of him. Damian Wayne, son of billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne, a student in Gotham High, and my absolutely hot boyfriend. Can't deny how toned and defined his body is~ And that ass is mine, so back off bishes! If only I can say that...

You see Damian may be my boyfriend, but we're in a secret relationship. Yea, sucks to be me alright. I do understand where he's coming from though. It's not about his image (he'd throw that away cuz he don't care) and definitely not his family, though he's adamant that I can't meet them yet (something about them never ending teasing and him not trusting they can keep a secret, also the fact that he wants to know how long it takes for them to figure it out). It's about me.

In Gotham High, I'm just a lucky smart kid, who got a scholarship. No one really pays attention to me, especially since there's more interesting people. So finding out a normal person like me is his girlfriend, let's just say it wouldn't end well. His fans would bully me relentlessly, people would assume I'm a gold digger or just a hoe. The rumours, the lies, the fights, the many ways this can go from great to worst. It's not the best situation to be, especially when Damian isn't always there to be by my side. Anything can happen and that anything scares both of us.

I groan as I quickly fixed up my hair into a high pony. It's bad enough that Damian doesn't go easy on me during training and now my big bro wants me to exercise in my rest day, not cool.

"let's just get this over with." I stood up, glaring at B1 as he innocently whistles. "I have a date with my bed and switch after this."

"So you're cheating on Pizza? With bed and switch? That's harsh." B2 cried as he clenched his hand over his chest, like the drama queen that he is.

"Maybe I should take Pizza out on a date later? Seeing as you're busy." B1 joked, fixing his black tank top like it was a suit.

"ha ha, very funny you two." Rolling my e/c eyes, I crossed my arms and walked towards them. "Now can we please just go?"

"fine, as soon as B3 stops complaining." B1 chuckled, causing me to sigh.

"I swear you three are making me loo-" All of a sudden, I felt someone bump into me and like dramatic girl, I nearly fell. But thankfully the culprit grabbed my wrist, saving me from the fall. I turn to the next victim on my list and was met with the mesmerizing green eyes of my surprised boyfriend. Shock dawned on my expression as I could only whisper. "Dami?"

"Habibti." Damian whispered back, I assume getting lost in my e/c eyes as well. Or maybe it was my sports outfit, who knows.

He pulled me up to stand and I was about to say something when I heard my brother called for me in the background. This snapped me back to reality and away from the Dreamland of Damian's eyes, pulling my hand back and stepping away from him. He did the same, now definitely looking at my outfit.

Now remember how B1 dragged me to the park for a jog. Well, it's extremely hot today and I'm not about to get out in the burning sun without a proper outfit. I.E. shorts, a tank top, running shoes, and my Batfam cap (a humor gift from B3. jokes on him, I love this hat). Now seeing how Damian is looking at my outfit, I can already tell what he's thinking, he's look at me with lust and want after all. Sweet Lord, if you're there. Please say me from this predicament I'm in. I want to walk please!

"Yo Dick, how ya been?" The voice of B1, surprised me as I turn to them. Eyes widening when I realized that Damian was with his brothers and sister. I think it dawned on Damian too, because now he moved more away from me. Sad but hey, secret relationship after all.

"Nothing much B1." Dick Grayson turned to me, eyes holding a flirtious glint when he saw me. "This your younger sister? Y/n?" He asked naturally, not like he ate me up with his eyes.

"Yea, she is." B1 said, like the confused idiot that he is. "Y/n, this is one of my old friends, Dick."

"Hi..." That's my poor attempt at interacting with people, brought to you by Social Anxiety and Depression!

"Name's Dick Grayson, this is my sister, Cass. My brothers, Jason, Tim, and Damian, who I think you met."

"Don't fool around, Grayson." Damian interrupted him. "I don't even know her."

"But you guys had a connection! Don't deny it!" Dick defended, while Cass giggled and Jason smirked at this, knowing a fight is near. Tim just went and laid on the bench, within seconds, he's asleep. Dude, the fu-

"Okay! Break it off." B2 said, pushing Dick away from Damian. "Me and my siblings have to go and finish our jog."

"oh, us too." Jason piped up. "Mind if we joined?"

"Sure, why not." B1 said instantly.

"wait, what?" Says my confused brain.

So during the jog, they explained how they knew each other, Jason to B2 and Dick to B1. Being from the same school and all that stuff, having a little fun reunion. Cass and B3 are watching Tim, who is barely awake but jogging too. I'm both amazing and confused at the same time. As for me and Damian, well..

We decided to jog the slowest, being at the back where none of them can see us or barely hear us. You can imagine how Damian teased me about my outfit and how after he's done with me, I can't stand for a week. Add some 'accidental' touching here and there, maybe a peck or two in secret. I'm actually surprised no one saw or questioned us.

Yea, that's how I felt until the end. Where Tim and B3 basically almost threw up because me and Damian are being too lovey dovey in the back.

"WHAT!"

Oh the chaos, how both B1 and Dick were celebrating about their siblings having a significant other, how B2 and Jason had a talk with each other about what to do if one of us broke the other's heart, and Cass being a sweet girl and congratulating us. She's the best.

At first, we tried to deny it, it's not like that, etc, etc. Then Tim pointed out that Damian called me Habibti, which we both, again, tried to deny it. Until Dick kabedons me and Damian attacked him. So now, they know that we're dating... Great.

Atleast now I can go to his house and be with him without fearing if his siblings see. Let me tell you, it was hella alot more fun than before.

~•~•~•~

First off, again I'm so sorry. Second, I literally typed this for an hour and a half. I need sleep.. Not my best work, please forgive me at that. It's been years or months since I last made a one shot and it's obvious in the fic, Atleast to me.

Thanks for reading this late reply post!

#damian wayne imagine #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne #batfamily #latepost #writing shit #itslateiwanttosleep #sorryreaderforlatereply #submission

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heathinator · 5 years ago

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Some thoughts about Toy Story 4 :D

Spoilers included friends! Don’t read on if you’re avoiding those!

Doing the bullet point thing again cuz I don’t know how to write cohesively lol

Forky was such a wonderful character, and him and Woody interacting was super sweet. The part when they start to bond while walking in the middle of the night really got me. I remember back when the teaser came out I was so skeptical. But by the time the first full trailer came out, he totally won me over.

Woody has been my favorite for a long time. I keep thinking there is nothing that he can do that will make me love him even more than I normally do but DANG. He was just so stellar. His loyalty and selfless nature is made so much better because we have seen him at his very worst, and he has grown so much from there. If I really had to boil down a concise reason why I love him so much is because he is SO relatable to me. His character represents the ability to grow and evolve, to work towards being the best versions of ourselves. I can’t even express how much I love that.

Buzz. OH BUZZ. I love that Space Ranger with all of my heart. His concern and love for his friends is so wonderful, especially for Woody. He learned in this movie how to really stand on his own two feet. The inner voice bit was also probably my favorite running gag of the whole movie, which is saying a lot because there were so many hilarious running gags. It was just brilliant. Buzz is just a good guy I just love him.

Woody and Buzz’s friendship, oh my gosh. What can I even say about these two? They are just so precious. From that moment when the two of them are talking in the RV, to them after Woody’s argument with Bo, and the ENDING OH GEEZ I’ll talk about that in a bit though. I just love them.

I loved that Bo Peep had a great character arc in this movie. It was a little bit more subtle, but it was great. Bo’s been living her life freely outside of the Antique shop, totally accepting what’s been given to her but also choosing to make her own path. She’s been fine all this time without Woody, and Woody’s been fine all this time without her. But together they are so much more. That whole bit when they were arguing showed that maybe she was just a little bitter(? probably not the right term) that Woody had sorta always placed his loyalty in his kid over everything else, even over her. And that’s so hard, cause Andy did need Woody, and I think she probably understood that too, but dang. So when she decides to go back to help Woody again, knowing that he will still probably return to his kid, I really fell in love with her all over again.

One of the few complaints about this movie was honestly I just needed more Jessie. But the stuff she was in was soooo good. She is such an amazing compassionate character. She was clever and a great leader, and totally capable. OH AND ALSO HER AND BO BEING FRIENDS IS TOTALLY CANON NOW SO THAT DREAM IS FULFILLED LOL. I need like a prequel short of the two of them being bffs like PLZ PIXAR

I’ve been a steady shipper of Bo Peep and Woody for forever so obviously I soaked in all the glory of those little looks, playful gestures, the HUGS. OH GOSH THE HUGS. I love how Woody has like no chill in hiding his feelings for her. He just loves her so much and it melts me. Bo’s better at hiding it at first, but by the end they’re just totally into it. It killed me. I am just #ded over them.

I wasn’t really feeling much for Gabby the first time I watched the movie, but after seeing it a second time I do feel for her a bit more. The Dummies on the other hand? They’re still a whole lotta NOPE. That scene with the sewing machine is probably gonna be in my nightmares forever.

The other newbies? I mean what can I say? They all did such a fantastic job. I think other animation companies lean too heavily into their star power and what’s left is a lackluster performance. Pixar dug into each new character just enough, but I never thought they upstaged the main cast, which is important.

My only other minor complaint was that the pacing towards the end was SO FAST. It worked for earlier in the movie because it carried the comedy well, but dang I needed like at least an additional two minutes at the end haha.

Ok. So the ending. Not gonna lie, the first time I watched it I went home just feeling empty. I was so sad haha. But watching it again went so much better. I still cried, probably even harder than the first time. When Woody approaches Buzz after saying goodbye to Bo, he is totally resolved to Buzz’s advice “she’ll be alright.” But of course Buzz was talking about how Bonnie would be alright (and I dunno, I think what he was really saying was ‘WE will be alright.’) That moment probably will tell you more about what friendship is supposed to be more than any other piece of cinema.

I thought it was interesting that this real goodbye was so much more happy than the fakeout goodbye in TS3, even though in that movie at least there was the potential that they would all see each other again, whereas in this movie it’s uncertain. Oh that beautiful BEAUTIFUL poignant moment where Woody passes on the badge to Jessie, none of them have to ask whether he’s staying with Bo. It just seems like they are all so happy for him. And that hug between Buzz and Woody, gahhhhhhh. That is reason enough for this movie being made.

I loved this movie. It was hard to get through the end the first time, but every minute I love it more. I don’t think I’ve ever had a movie do that to me before.

Basically. I loved it. I love these characters. They mean so much to me, and I know I’m not the only one.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my ramblings. And thank you for being so kind.

#toy story #toy story 4 #toy story 4 spoilers #spoilers #personal #Thoughts

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steve0discusses · 5 years ago

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Yugioh S4 Ep10 pt2: Yugi’s Never Ceasing Commute Continues

Last we left off, it was time to eat. Thank you. Thank you, Yugioh. You get me.

Not one of their better spreads, TBH.

No cheese wheels, too. They are truly living in hard times.

(read more under the cut)

Rex and Weevil decided to look for rare cards in the rubble of Arthur Hawkin’s house.

I don’t know why they bothered with this, everything was very clearly exploded and on fire, but youknow, these two just seem to be very hellbent on being bad at life. Just two jokes that are here just to be jokes, wearing these duel disks that they’re not going to use until it’s finally time for them to betray us. Checkov’s jokes.

And I hate to say this but they really are this season’s Bakura.

I know I just said that.

But this show really likes having at least one character that might turn at any moment and stab our protagonist in the back. They like to have at least one at all times there, hovering over Yugi’s oblivious shoulders, with that figurative knife (or literal, in the case of that time when Bakura stabbed himself without nearly any provocation).

In the past, when Bakura was out to lunch, we would have betraying friends like Kaiba, who would go solo in the middle of his own card game and end up throwing everyone in danger, and also Tristan who got full on possessed by the Big 5 and tried to murder everyone, but I guess after 4 seasons they were like “Youknow...I think Kaiba got over it.” and like...you can’t have Rebecca stab us in the back so lets bring Rex and Weevil.

At least their showtime is minimal, because unlike Bakura, who is pretty likeable even when he’s being an asshole, Rex and Weevil never turn off the asshole and are mostly just visual gags stumbling over eachother. Bakura was quite clever and had a bit of depth and mystery, while I don’t think Rex and Weevil are smart enough to even know how to spell mystery.

And if Rex and Weevil end up being good guys and the saviors of the whole show then my sincere apologies, but they are still kind of grating.

Now Rebecca gets a duel monster’s card that has a death threat on it, which is probably the normal way to sign your duel monsters cards in this universe. I imagine every card in Yugi’s deck has a couple death threats on each of them by now. Probably makes them more lucky.

Ya so...

I can forgive this. The people who made this looked at a map of California, forgot that California is roughly the same size as Japan, and were like “I mean, there’s like 50 states, it can’t be that big.”

But here’s the thing about Death Valley. I am a Californian, but I have never been there. This is why.

Death Valley is ASS to get to. Barely anyone lives there. Nothing goes there. You can’t just take a train, you have to drive there by going south past it and then turning around. It’s real round about and just in the middle of nowhere. May as well get there by flying into Las Vegas, and if you are flying into Las Vegas, chances are slim that you will leave that Vacation Town USA to vacation in a literal desert.

Clearly they saw the name “Death Valley” and got super excited but y’all...there’s a reason why we call it that, and everyone who knows about geography or is a Californian is kind of like “um...is Yugi...going to Death Valley???? That city slicker?”

Cuz this is not a normal desert. Normally, a human can survive 3 days without water, in Death Valley you apparently can only survive for 14 hours. It is the lowest point in the US and also the hottest point in the US and the place where the highest temperature was ever recorded on the Earth. And while that heat is only for 5 months of the year...it’s not winter in the show, is it? It’s fairly warm. San Fransisco wasn’t even foggy?

Like even the Death Valley website is like “please don’t leave the main roads and hike during the hot months” because y’all, this park is damn serious. Like this is one of the only National Parks that has not just one, but multiple ghost towns in it.

Don’t get me wrong, Death Valley’s very pretty and very fun I’ve heard, and it has like a very fancy dayspa in it, and if you like geography and like to rough it, then you will absolutely love how freakin weird Death Valley is. So, if you’re safe and know how to pack your gear, you’ll have no problem, but...Y’all, Yugi Muto, who barely survived Pegasus’ island (and only because Mai fed him) is going to just casually go into Death Valley.

In that outfit.

Then, in some barn somewhere (I have NO IDEA where this exchange takes place) Rafael is grilling Arthur only to realize that this is a very pointless conversation.

And in case you forgot Darts exist, he’s still out there, murdering people off for kicks. we’ll just add 20 more to the death count, the internet told me that’s the average amount of people on a fish boat of average size (although sometimes this boat seemed like the size of a shipping container barge but youknow...)

And in case you missed it, I have been doing the death counter wrong so I was 2 people behind--it’s correct now. With the rate this show goes I feel like we might see death 666 eventually. But, yes we did pass 269 so we’ll have to wait another 100, I guess, because it went to some rando on this boat. Nice.

(The highest surface temperature of Death Valley ((not the air, but the ground)) ever recorded, was 201° F.)

(That’s 94° C for those in the back.)

I mean Yugi is part Pharaoh so I guess he just has a strong attraction to really terrible deserts. He’s also half a dead guy so maybe he also just has a strong attraction to being dead.

But I dunno, maybe this is the months of the year where Death Valley is manageable? Maybe? Possibly? We’ll just assume that it is.

Now you can go horseback riding in Death Valley, as you can in any National Park, but it isn’t real normal to ride your horse all the way from San Fransisco. And like you can’t even let your dog off a leash in Death Valley. This is such a bad park for pets!

Also, I found out some fun facts about horse travel, for anyone interested in writing fantasy and wants to know the average speed of a horse.

So a horse can go about 100 miles in a day, but only for one day. If you do 250 miles, the time has to be more spread out since you must recharge your horse. According to some horse-specialist on the internet who does horse marathons from coast to coast, if you have to do 500 miles, then you average about 24 miles a day, accounting for horse-recovery time and assuming it’s a horse that wasn’t bred for super long distances. (this is about a 500 mi horse ride, ps)

The pony express of old, the iconic Wells Fargo, would actually have horse stations along the prairie, where you would trade in your tired horse for a new horse, so that way you would never have to stop going 100 miles in a day. Since Yugi never changed his horse, this ride would have been absolutely ridiculous, and Copernicus the horse, would have stopped somewhere in Gilroy.

But this is a kid’s show so wtv, we’re gonna ignore that.

(reminder that Yugi decided not to unhitch the perfectly serviceable truck and drive away with air conditioning.)

And Yugi really did make Rebecca promise not to tell these much older teens that he took off (something about how he doesn’t want to put more people in danger yada yada, normal Yugi stuff), but the show kind of blames this on Rebecca...but like...she’s 12. This one is on Yugi.

But, if Rebecca were older, maybe she would have done the same thing. Rebecca seems like maybe the type that realizes that when you like an idiot boy, you gotta let them do idiot things, and make idiot mistakes. You can’t just control what your friends do all the time, unlike this crew, which is controlling because that is the only way they keep eachother alive.

So Joey decides to ignore both of the cars right next to him, and just book it to save his stupid ass friend. On foot. To Death Valley. From what the show insisted was just outside San Fransisco.

And I guess that Rafael decided to just let Hawkins go?

Probably because Yugi got on a horse and Rafael was like “of course I know Yugi is chasing me on horseback off the main roads. Of course I know that.” and then he just...let Hawkins walk all the way back...

Hawkins should be dead, but not yet.

So lets check out Death Valley.

So like...again I just think they probably boarded everything and had a rough idea of “America has a bunch of natural canyons, right?” and didn’t realize that the Grand Canyon was soooo far from California.

There are actually canyons in Death Valley but like...I dunno if the art matches that so much? They aren’t nearly as massive as the canyon situation farther East.

Again this was their art choice that they made and it’s...a choice. And they committed to it.

And this bike thing happened?

This tandem bicycle for children lost among the wreckage of Rebecca Hawkin’s home is like a whole “baby shoes, never worn” short story in itself. Rebecca has nooo siblings or parents, right? She has a really old grandpa who is like 80 and doesn’t bike? Just uh...bringing that up...was this tandem bike for her to hang out with Yugi? Does Rebecca even have friends her own age? She already graduated college.

So much inferred by the bike that I know is just here because it’s a funny joke to see Rex and Weevil on a stupid tandem bike.

So I’ve heard about the bike/car/horse paradox before in regards to this season, (it’s one of the few things I knew about this season before going in) so I’m happy to see I’ve recapped enough Yugioh to see it play out.

The paradox being, if Yugi is on horseback, and Rex and Weevil are on a bike, and the rest are in a car, who arrives first?

Apparently the show itself isn’t even sure because Rex and Weevil can keep up with a horse???

Anyway, the correct answer to the paradox is that everyone not in a car is dead for not bringing any water.

Everyone except for Raphael, who probably put a camel pack into each of his shoulder pads.

OH NOW IT’S AN ANIME.

I don’t get why this is happening. But it’s a thing now. Rafael has either literal or metaphoric wings. Bear in mind I thought Pharaoh was Metaphoric for like 14 episodes. These Icarus wings might just be real. Rafael might have been a card this entire time, and I wouldn’t even blink.

Anyway, if this is your first post of mine you’ve seen of this, my apologies, we’re in S4 and this is very confusing. You can read from S1 ep 1 in chrono order by clicking this very handy link here!

#yugioh #ygo #Episode Recap #photo recap #yugi muto #joey wheeler #rebecca hawkins #raphael #rex raptor #weevil underwood #duke devlin #tea gardner #anime food #s4 #ep 10 #fully prepared for Rafael to be a card

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skzhabibi · 4 years ago

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An Old Crush (A Long, Bittersweet Personal Storytime/Rant)

When I was in Junior High, I had really, REALLY low self esteem. I was still very much in the awkward phase of puberty and all of those hormones paired with the fact I was having lots of problems at home resulted in some pretty severe mental health issues (which I won’t get too much into, because I don’t wanna trigger anyone). Not only that, but I’m naturally pretty sensitive, so any negative comments people had made about my appearance in the past, whether they were trash talking my hand-me-down clothes, pale ass skin, acne, big nose, etc., it really stuck with me. I was a mess, basically. And I’m part Arab on my mom’s side, so seeing a psychiatrist was never really an option.

Anyways, I was 13 or 14 (8th grade) when I took my 1st Spanish class. This had a bunch of the more “popular” kids in it, because they were trying to get the credit out of the way before High School and there were only 2 teachers who taught Spanish at my school, so it was bound to happen. There was a popular boy in my class, called T for the sake of the story, who sat a seat in front and to the left. I don’t know how we first started talking, but it was probably because of many factors. I laughed at his jokes, he sat near me in Spanish and English which we had right after, I was pretty solid academically at the time and he wasn’t, we had a couple mutual friends/acquaintances, etc... I guess it’s also good to mention he was known for his good looks and the fact he was A-string quarterback on our shitty little football team while I was kind of a social floater; a decent amount of people knew of me, but not many people actually knew me well, if at all.

I didn’t really pay him any mind in a romantic way at first, to be honest. I just thought he was reasonably attractive, but I figured he’d think himself “too cool” to be associated with me since that’s the vibe a lot of the other popular boys in the class had given me if I ever tried making friends with them. People really just gave me the cold shoulder in general, which hurt my feelings, so I wasn’t gonna risk it anymore. But what really made that first little crush for him start was when one day as I was rushing to get out the door first after the bell rang (which I always did because I’m impatient as fUCK and hate that huge ass crowd you had to shove through or come out last), he rushed forward, squeezing through the door around the other jocks and practically pushing them out of the way, to catch up to me and ask me to walk to English together. As an inexperienced little simp, that shit really looked like something out of a movie. It gave me such a needed boost of confidence that I actually started beaming, which was REALLY out of character for me (I’ve always been known for my “resting bitch face”).

So this became such a regular thing, walking to English, that we actually began waiting for each other by our desks to pack our stuff up, and we were usually around the last 2 to leave the room. At some point I finally plucked up the courage to ask him for his number, which was TERRIFYING because I’d never done anything like that. I think I made some excuse that since we had 2 classes together if we forgot about the homework we could remind each other (holy shit I was such a nerd). We texted a few times, but it never got super deep that I remember. I never really initiated the conversations because I didn’t want to make it seem like I liked him even though at this point I REALLY did; I even told a couple of my friends, which I didn’t normally do either. I was always someone to bottle up that shit and bury it so it never saw the light of day because I was so fucking afraid of rejection (Fragile Ass Self Esteem wants to know your location).

I literally thought that I was unlikeable in every sense of the word, so a bunch of the signs that he liked me back at the time never dawned on me. He could’ve literally screamed in my face that he liked me and I’d probably be like “As a Friend, right???”

I guess I’ll just take this moment to tell you about a bunch of the things that should’ve bee HUGE ASS signs he liked me:

1.) This girl on the volleyball team at our table in English that T knew would make passes about how he was really sought-after by a shit ton of girls and then look at me. He also looked at me afterwards like he was shy but gauging my reaction. She had a sort of Jade from Victorious vibe to her so I figured she saw through me and was trying to embarrass me by getting a reaction, so I kept my face straight.

2.) He would compliment me more than anyone else I spoke to (which was uhhhh never. I never got complimented.) For example: He was always calling me smart or a “try hard” to joke with me. I took it as an expression of friendly jealousy. When I curled my hair one day he noticed and literally said, “Can we all take a moment to appreciate (my name)’s hair?” It made me blush so hard, but I thought he was making fun of me. He would also insist on reading my shit or me reading his when the English teacher made us peer review/journal check and would compliment the work I did or my handwriting or how organized it looked. Living that emotionally stunted Y/N life.

3.) The Spanish teacher made us partner up any time there was group work, and she moved his seat to right next to mine every routine seat change. I was gullible as shit thinking that that was coincidental when he had other friends in class. I figured it was cuz I was good and he sucked at Spanish lmaooo. I’ve since read posts on reddit where teachers have confirmed that they can tell when kids have crushes on each other and they’ll play wingman/woman. When I read that I was like WAIT A DAMN MINUTE. Mrs. G was a real one and I was so fucking oblivious to it.

4.) Another girl on the volleyball team asked if he and I were dating. I was taken aback and said no, we weren’t (conveniently leaving out the “I wish”) and asked why she would think that. The reason she gave was that since people saw us walk together between classes, a lot of people figured we were together. I chalked it up to stupid gossip that had no roots in anything he said, so I laughed it off to keep from getting my hopes up.

5.) A similar thing happened AGAIN with a guy who was also on the football team. When he learned my name, he was like, “Wait, (my first and last)?” And I was like yeah wtf how did you know my last without me telling you? And he’s straight up like, “Oh, you’re the girl T has a thing for.” AND I WAS SO FUCKING BLIND OMFG I was just like well he’s never told me he likes me so even though multiple people at this point have said something I think that is completely baseless fake news.

6.) One of the MOST telling signs: he would always say hi to me outside of classes when I was alone. He found me outside my locker one day and started talking to me. The coaches would make the kids on sports teams run back to locker room, and one day he was doing that when he saw me at my locker (which was right by the sport locker rooms since I was in girls’ athletics). His teammates would glance at me while they ran by, and he told me to wait for him while he changed so we could walk to Spanish (1st period) together. Ngl, this really sealed the nail in the coffin for my huge ass crush on this kid. I was taken aback because I thought our friendship was just for convenience and he didn’t actually see me as a real friend he would be seen outside of class with. But in the end I still psyched myself out by saying I was just something to entertain him.

7.) One time in the library, I was working on printing out some paper. An annoying ass kid who was overly friendly and rode the bus with me was talking to me a lot, and I was pretty clearly not interested in my mind at least. T walked in for some reason and smiled and said “Hey, (my name)” pretty loudly. I wasn’t expecting to see him, so I was just like “Oh, hey, T,” because I lack social skills. He glanced at the kid and back at me and his face kinda dropped before he kept walking. I think the kid asked me to hang out with him and our mutual friend and I was basically like no thanks man I’m kinda busy.

8.) Other times he would do this as well. One time my girl friend and I were sitting across from each other at a lunch table in the morning after getting off the bus. Out of LITERALLY NOWHERE he just swoops in and sits next to my friend across from me and starts talking to me about some project in Spanish he finished, showing me excitedly what he wrote and asking if it was right. He pretty much ignored my friend, and she was hella socially anxious and knew about my crush on him so she kinda got huge eyes and shut down socially. He and I talked for a bit before it got awkward because we ran out of shit to say and it was awkward now that we had an extra person and we pretty much only talked to each other without anyone else in the conversation. He left after that and my friend and I freaked tf out.

9.) One time while I was waiting for the bus in the cafeteria after school, I was alone because my friends were taking too long. I was on my phone when he comes up and starts talking to me. I was hella fucking awkward because for some reason I‘m always a fucking stiff around the person I like. Then my guy friend who rode the same bus came up and cock blocked the shit out of T because he’s super fucking loud and just starts fucking around. He and I are super close even to this day and I guess T got intimidated by how easily we were joking around and kinda saw himself out before I could say anything.

10.) THIS LIST IS GETTING TOO LONG SKDJDJASKDJDJ BUT I FUCKIN FORGOT whenever we would walk between classes we would sometimes not even talk. Like whenever the conversation died we would just kinda stare into each other’s eyes 😂 I thought I was just being creepy, but he fucking smiled at me when it happened why am I so dUmB fUUUCK. Also sometimes the popular kids would run up behind us and fuck with him like make fun of him or make some sort of awkward pass that I wouldn’t react to before running down the hall ahead of us. My guess now is that he was meaning to make a move but my neutral reaction to whatever dumbass thing they said made it impossible to tell if I felt the same so he chickened out.

ANYWAYS I think our little friendship/mutual pining fizzled our after one time he made a more up front attempt because at this point he was probably fed up with waiting for me to get the hint but this exchange really fucking backfired:

Basically he got a girlfriend, this girl on GUESS WHAT??! THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM. I heard about it straight from him while we’re walking to English together and that shit hurted but I was like whatever I still want him as a friend and this pretty much confirmed in my mind that he NEVER liked me. So basically he’s talking about how he’s been seeing her to pass the time but he doesn’t actually like her. And I was like why not? She’s really cool/nice and REALLY pretty. But if you don’t like her then why date her? Seems like a waste of time. He’s like yeah well basically she said she liked me so I asked her out but tbh I think she’s annoying. And I’m like what did she do something on a date that was annoying? STILL UTTERLY CLUELESS AND HES DEADASS LIKE what are you jealous like in a flirty way and my DUMB. ASS. Is like.... WHATTTT PSHHH NO I MEAN WE’RE JUST BROSSS AHAHA.

Can I get an F in the chat pls?

Basically we just stopped talking after a while. I think my friend texting his brother officially knifed the shit out of that ship’s sail. Years later I confessed that I liked him back then and asked if he liked me back back then so I could stop worrying about gaslighting myself and he’s basically like yeah I would’ve tried something with you (came across really unenthusiastic). And then one time in like my freshman year of community college I was with my bio study group in the library going to where we were meeting up for a project when I felt eyes on me from the computers and literally LOCKED EYES WITH HIM AND HES JUST LIKE 👁👄👁

LMAO I PRETENDED LIKE I DIDNT KNOW THAT BITCH

OH TO SEE WITHOUT MY EYES

1 like = 1 smash of your head against the wall at my fucking idiocy

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whats-the-story-tc · 5 years ago

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3rd of March, 2020

"The One with the Alpha and the Omega"

Another day, another flannel.

This morning, I got ready surprisingly fast, and went to school earlier than I normally do. As I was nearing the gates, I realised why the universe arranged that for me. In the crowd, my eyes immediately found V, wrapped up in her great big scarf, walking in. Though I didn't go up to her, as I didn't want to bother her, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. It's entirely unfair that she's so beautiful in everything.

I was, once again, forced to realise how rarely we say hello to each other verbally. Today's form of non-verbal "hi!" was us locking eyes and smiling, as we went in separate directions. We did this twice, on two different stairways. Interesting dynamic, that of ours.

An hour before our upcoming test in her class, she came up to my class, a stack of papers in hand. "Are a lot of people absent?" she asked us. When I noticed the people nearer to her couldn't respond, I chimed in with the answer, specifying when she asked me to specify. "Thanks." she told me, then walked away, passing behind my back. While we were talking, there was a kind of sleepy softness in her eyes. Not the usual heavy sharpness when she's really tired, just... the morning coffee probably hadn't kicked in yet.

As we write our tests in English, V is grading at her desk. Me being me, I look up whenever she makes the slightest sound. The test, like all of V's tests, isn't hard at all if you studied properly, so I can afford it. She starts laughing at something, then shows it to us: someone drew flowers in place of an answer, because they admittedly didn't know anything. Huh. Blond Boy in the Back is, once again, sitting in front of me and often tries to cheat. V keeps an eye on both him, and another boy, calling them amateurs and lazy, and, at one point, she said she'd need one of those spray bottles full of water. "To spray water on them like on the cat when it starts eating the plants," she explains. It seems V's cat is every bit as extra as their owner. Meanwhile, I'm my own kinda extra, as per usual when it comes to V's essay questions. I roast Akaky Akakievich in one short essay, and in the other, about Onegin as a romanticism-era novel, I write: "It also contains many other attributes of romanticism, and my reason for not listing them definitely isn't that I don't know them." I said no, you know, like a liar.

Although V keeps reminding us that there isn't much time left until the bell, she ends up staying an extra five minutes after class, to wait for everyone to be done. "Guess I'm not having lunch anymore..." she mutters to herself, then checks her phone. "Oh, my battery's so gonna die..." she says. "Metaphorically, or...?" I ask her, and get a short, tired little laugh in return.

Next class' topic is drama and our own national theatre. I'm shouldering an unexpected anxiety attack, so I can't pay attention as much as I would've liked to, but I made it somehow. The fact that I won't have class with her for another week only worsened my mood. So after class, I trodded up to her saying "Oh, so period-accurate costumes were in style, that's why we didn't win!", referring to the drama competition I've been on last Friday. She tells me a bit about costumes, and that's when she starts getting curious. She asks me where we placed and who beat us, and calls the fact that the local team won "bias, you know how it goes". "Do you consider [third place] a disappointment?" she asks me, and after I answered I no longer do, but I did then, she tells me: "Well, you can't always win." I can't see her face, as she's packing as we speak, but I definitely heard that playful smile of hers in her voice.

Debate Friend enters stage right, and we start talking gaming. They talk Skyrim, and Life is Strange also comes up. When we discuss our choices, it turns out that V and I made completely different choices in the two biggest dealbreakers of the game — both of which entirely reflective of who we are as people. Then, this friend of ours in our year (from here on: Curly Friend, cuz I mention him often enough) shows up, and tells us that he'll be skipping class. "Let's pretend I didn't hear that," V says with a stage gasp. We remind her that the other class are attending this lecture, and she even remembers that our class has a similar lecture tomorrow. "We have to go to class while they're just sitting and listening to that lecture! Can you believe that, Miss?" I tell her. Bless her soul, she tries to encourage us that it's gonna be interesting. Then, as this girl asks V to look at what she painted, she's surprised when V recognises gore. "I'm not that old, you know." she tells her, grinning. "Not at all!" I responded, but I don't know if she heard it.

After all these groundbreaking things happening recently, I wasn't satisfied with how this day ended. It's a really ugly flaw of mine, no longer being satisfied with the little things. So when I went back for training, and saw that it was parents' evening, I got excited. I shit you not, I went outside every 20 minutes to try and catch a glimpse of her. But it took until the end of training until I actually saw her walk by, so I waited till she'd come back and see me there.

"What, are you not bored of school yet?" she asked me with a faint surprise when she saw me, eyeing my training gear, especially my shirt rather curiously. (It's my work uniform from this one sports event where I volunteered, you see.) After I explained her everything, and asked her how she is, she told me that they — as in the teachers — are, in fact, bored, but there were only a couple minutes left. She then proceeded to give directions/help out a lost seeming parent who showed up on the stairs beside us. As usual, I told her "Keep holding on, Miss!" when she walked away, to which she replied "Thanks! It won't be long now!" I think various forms of thank you might be what we say to each other most often.

You see, V is very different from all the other teachers who like me. Her grin, as we were talking, weren't the same as my Religion teacher's awe of me being an assistant coach, or A grinning at me like I hung the stars in the sky. I probably wouldn't even have noticed V being glad to see me if it weren't for me knowing her expressions so well. Because that's her. She doesn't put me on a pedestal higher than I will ever deserve to be on, unlike most people I meet. She just calmly enjoyed the fact that someone who likes her and is easy to talk to showed up, who isn't the same people she sat two hours in the same room with. It's like how cats like sunlight, in a way.

My day started and ended with her. How interesting. In honour of this, I want to quote a poem I know V loves:

"I remain a prison for myself,

For I am the subject and the object,

Oh, I am the omega and the alpha."

~ S ♡

[Every story I share here, no matter how specific I get with my wording, depicts actual events from my own life.]

#tc #tcc #teacher crush community #female tc #female teacher crush

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dyde21 · 5 years ago

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Marching On 2: The Auditions

I’m happy with how well received this story has been! The engagement definitely makes me want to keep pumping out chapters for this AU, even if they take a while. These chapters are pretty long. Fair warning, this one is kinda heavy on drum line, but I also used it to explain some stuff for later on. I hope it’s all understandable! More after the story!

ALSO ON AO3 HERE

XxXxXxXxX

Pausing outside the door, Percy was starting to feel a little nervous. Today was the day of tryouts and he was going in with barely any practice in snare drumming. A week ago he couldn’t have cared less about it, but now he was actually feeling nervous.

He was pretty sure that it wasn’t because he was invested in band. His opinion of it had moved from lame to “pretty okay”. The first week had been fine overall. They went over the basics of how the year long class worked, how much money they needed to provide and what fundraisers were available throughout the year to help out. They had even had their first lesson on music theory, which confused him quite a bit but Piper was helping him out so he could at least read music now. Plus he found it a little easier to study than the normal junk he had to for school. Music was rewarding when you learned it at least, you could make a cool sound or melody.

No, he was mostly nervous that he was going to make a fool of himself. He had seen the options for drumline, and he was pretty sure the snare was the coolest to him. But also usually the most popular according to Piper so that meant he was going to have to pull off something.

“Nervous?”

Piper said suddenly, making him jump. He hadn’t noticed her approaching. She just laughed, throwing an arm over his shoulder. “You’ll be fine. If you have two talents, it’s getting in to trouble, and pulling through sketchy situations by some miracle.” She teased. Percy glared slightly, but couldn’t exactly argue with her. It was pretty accurate.

Removing her arm, she just shifted and leaned against the wall next to him. “I’m honestly surprised you’re willingly here. I figured you would have ran away after class ended. You staying after school for band? Who would have thought.” She said, a hint of teasing in her tone, but she looked sideways at him showing a genuine interest.

Percy shrugged. “I told you guys, I’m going to try it out at least. Besides, my mom has been really happy that I’ve been going and I kinda owe her for not signing me up for military school or something. It’s nice seeing her smile.” He confessed, looking off to the side away from his friend, already knowing her reaction.

Piper just let out a soft coo at him. “There’s hope for you yet.” She teased, pulling off his beanie to mess with his hair, before pulling it over her own head and heading into the band room.

Percy followed her, trying to fix his horrible case of beanie-hair from wearing it all day.

“What are you doing here anyway, are you trying out for drumline?”

Piper laughed at him. “Please. I’m actually trying out for color guard this year. Tryouts are today as well.”

She turned to see his dumbfounded expression and rolled her eyes. “Flags.”

“Oh!” Percy announced, finally understanding. “Why is called color guard? Are you like supposed to protect the band with those poles?” He asked, earning a sign from Piper who just ignored his stupid question.

All the chairs that normally filled the band room had been stacked neatly along the walls, freeing up most of the room. There were large drums on harnesses lined up in a semi-circle and a smattering of students gathered around. Annabeth caught their eye and made her way over. “You showed up, I’m impressed. Piper said you might bail.”

Percy shot a glare at his friend who just stuck her tongue out. “You have to admit there was like a fifty percent chance.”

“Maybe.”

Annabeth let out a laugh and smiled at him. “Well you’re here, and that’s all that matters. Based off your playing, I’m sure you can get a spot.”

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope so.”

The blonde turned to Piper. “So you’re trying for color guard this year?”

Setting her bag next to where Percy had stowed his, Piper turned around. “Yeah, I think I am. Marching is fun, but seeing Hazel and Silena having so much fun last year made me want to try it out.”

Annabeth grinned. “That’s awesome. I know you’ll do amazingly. Just listen to Hylla and I’m sure you won’t have much issue getting on the line.”

Piper nodded. “Hylla is teaching it again? Awesome. She seemed cool.” Looking over at Percy who was clearly out of place in the conversation but didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go. “Sorry. Reyna’s older sister. She graduated a while ago. She runs colorguard here now. Strict, but a beautiful dancer and she’s the reason our colorguard always gets great scores.

Percy nodded. “I see. Stricter than Reyna?” He said, pausing at the thought. Reyna already put on a tough act, he couldn’t imagine what her older sister would be like if she was even more serious. He had a feeling she wouldn’t like him much.

Both girls laughed at his expression, so he clearly wasn’t hiding it well.

“Don’t worry. Drumline has its own instructor. Honestly you’ll probably get along with her well. Or hate her. Either or.” Annabeth offered with a shrug while Percy didn’t exactly feel much more reassured.

“What’s he like?” Percy asked, suddenly worried he was going to have to deal with a hardass for drumline. Which probably wouldn’t end well, and end up with him quitting if he was honest with himself. He really did have a problem with authority.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “She’s… probably not what you’re imagining.”

Just then the doors on the other side of the band room flew open and a woman with a short pixie cut walked in, a bag and drumsticks in one hand while the other was filled with a starbucks cup. Her foot was raised from where she pulled open the door with her foot.

“‘Sup Nerds.”

She said, smirking from behind her sunglasses.

Every preconceived notion had just shattered to pieces, meanwhile Annabeth just ran over and over and once the woman set down her bag and sticks, she pulled Annabeth into a tight hug.

“Thalia!” Annabeth said, grinning ear to ear.

Piper dragged Percy by the hand over to her.

“Hey Thalia.”

Piper said, giving her a quick hug too. Thalia just grinned at her and return the hug. “Long time no see.”

Meanwhile Percy was staring at her. “Thalia? Grace?”

“‘Sup?” She said, shifting her eyes towards him.

Annabeth was still all giddy while she motioned to Percy. “This is Percy. New this year, trying out for drumline.” She explained, but this was still the happiest Percy had seen Annabeth. Ever Piper seemed thrilled to see her.

Thalia removed her sunglasses, hanging them on the front of her shirt. “Wait. Jackson?” A grin crept across her face as messed his hair up. “Hey cuz, it’s been years.”

Both of the other girls stared between them surprised.

“You know each other?”

Percy just smiled and shared a brief hug with her. “Kinda. When I was really little I used to go to some family reunions on my dad’s side. Our dads are brothers but I haven’t seen her in years.”

Thalia nodded. “You were like 5 the last time I saw you. You got big.”

Percy shifted his gaze towards Annabeth. “How do you know her? You seem like you two have a history.”

Annabeth nodded. “Thalia was a senior when I was a freshman. She was center snare here, then went off and was center snare at Olympus University for four years. She’s the reason I joined band in the first place. I owe her a lot.”

The older woman just grinned and threw her arm around Annabeth’s shoulders. “I missed you a lot too. We don’t see each other nearly enough anymore. College was busy. But when Hedge quit, Chiron called me. Asked if I would be willing to coach you guys. Figured my music degree could be useful for something after all.” She said with a laugh.

“Ms. Grace! It’s good to see you again.” Chiron’s voice cut in. “Do you have a minute?”

Thalia nodded, rubbing Annabeth’s shoulder once before she walked past them to go talk to Chiron.

Jason wandered over not to long after looking after Thalia.

“It’s gonna be weird having my sister coach me.” He offered, but his grin showed he didn’t mind much.

“We’re cousins?” Percy asked Jason, surprised.

“We are?” Jason countered.

“You are.” Annabeth offered.

Percy frowned, rubbing his neck. “I don’t remember seeing you at the reunions.”

The blonde thought for a moment. “Probably because I was with my mom. My parent’s divorced shortly after I was born. Dad got Thalia, Mom got me.” He offered, a hint of sadness in his tone that Percy felt bad inducing. “Still, we’re family now I guess. Can I borrow money?” He teased, earning a laugh from Jason.

“Maybe if I had any.” He countered.

Another tall woman entered the room, a bag over her shoulder with various long objects sticking out of it.

“Hylla!” Piper said, moving over to talk to her.

The woman offered her a patient smile, staring to chat with her. Percy realized that must be the color guard instructor.

Jason nudged Percy’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the snares a little before we start. Just so you can see what they’re like. It’s not like a set.”

As they moved towards the drums, they saw that guy from the other day, Tyler enter the room too. Ashe was already at his side and they both had cups of coffee. Percy had a sneaking suspicion that Ashe had dragged him in here today a lot like Piper did.

Jason was standing next to the line of five snare drums. They were much longer than normal snare drums, and had metal harnesses attached to them. “Here.” He offered, lifting one up. Stepping forward, Percy ducked his head slightly as the harness slipped over it, resting on his shoulders. He shifted, trying to get used to the sudden increase of weight in front of him, and the metal harness that wasn’t quite cushioned enough to be comfortable. Apparently he looked as uncomfortable as he felt because Jason let out a slight laugh before he effortless slipped one on himself. “You’ll get used to it. It’s really awkward at first, especially once we start marching. The weight hanging out front isn’t really comfortable ever though.”

Percy nodded, fidgeting with the harness again. He could already tell his shoulders would be sore after a while in this.

“Here.” Jason said, grabbing a sweater and draping it over the top of the snare, pulling it pretty flat. He hit the top of snare and it was a much more muffled sound.

“I’m pretty sure Thalia would kill us if we started playing normally before it was time. It’s loud.” To prove a point, he hit a single accented note on his snare and the entire room turned to look at him. Even Percy flinched slightly at the sudden noise that he knew was coming.

Thalia shot him a glare and he raised his hands.

“Just proving a point. Promise.”

She did the two fingers “I’m watching you” gesture, though she was smiling as she turned back to Chiron.

Jason just laughed and moved a sweater over his own drum, before tapping it and show how much more muted it was.

“You can see why we usually practice outdoors.”

Percy nodded, noticing the bag hanging from the side of the snare.

“Sticks.” Jason answered following his gaze. “We tend to include stick tricks into the show, and flips don’t always go right. Sometimes you drop a stick and the last thing you want to do is be stuck without one and having to play with one stick. They will give you points for playing it off well, but it’s still not the best option so always have some spares on you.”

“Makes sense.” Was Percy’s reply.

“First things first. Snare drum sticks.” He held out a set to Percy.

Percy’s eyes widened slightly. “The hell?” Earning a laugh from Jason, and Piper who had made her way over.

The drumstick was about twice the size of a normal drumstick and way heavier.

“These are what we use for marching snares. It definitely takes a while to get used to, but use need the weight to get the sound right.” Jason explained mechanically, and Percy had a feeling he had said it a few times before.

Tentatively Percy played a few muted notes, everything about it feeling wrong. It strained his wrists in a way he wasn’t used to and the snare was super bouncy, even through the sweater.

“One last thing, do you know how to hold sticks traditional?” He asked, flipping his left stick around and holding it underhanded.

Percy stared at the stick, then at him. “Like… jazz right?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, Jazz players tend to use it too. But that’s how snare drummers drum in drumline.

Awkwardly, Percy flipped the stick around and tried hitting the snare a few times. Jason had a tightlipped smile, as he was clearly trying not to laugh at Percy.

“This is stupid.” Percy mumbled, unable to get his left hand to behave as well as he needed it to.

Jason laughed. “You get used to it.” He said, patting him on the shoulder. He looked off to the side, and saw another student standing around a snare, looking awkward. Jason nodded at him before moving off to help the other guy. Percy continued to flail a bit, feeling his left elbow bouncing up and down as he tried to drum right. “Shit.” He muttered again, as the stick slipped out of his hands and clattered.

He tried to bend down to get it, but the harness was awkward and restricting his movement.

“Here, I got it.” Piper said, handing him back his stick. “How’s it feel?”

Percy shifted slightly. “Heavy. And awkward. Drumming like this is so unnatural.” He complained.

Piper laughed. “It does look pretty bad. But when you see good snare drummers do it? In sync? It’s actually super badass.” She offered. Piper rolled her eyes when she saw his doubtful look. “You’ll see in a bit, I’m sure. Trust me.”

Nodding, Percy went back to trying to find a motion that seemed even relatively natural to him.

“All right boy scouts, let’s do this.” Thalia’s voice boomed, cutting through the murmurs and muted drumming. Everyone looked over, seeing Thalia standing with a hand on her hip grinning at the group of hopefuls.

“Color guard with me. We’re going to hold our auditions in the gym. Let’s move.” Hylla called out, giving a nod to Thalia before they ushered the group of girls out of the room. Piper had given Percy a pat on the back on her way out, wishing him luck.

“So who here is new to drumline? I heard from Chiron we have a bunch of new people and a tight schedule.”

Percy raised his hand, and glanced around. Maybe a third of the people were also raising their hands. Tyler was standing next to a weird set of four drums next to two other guys Percy didn’t recognize.

“That’s a lot of you. But that means I have a bunch of raw talent to beat into shape.” Thalia offered. “We’re going to break up auditions into each set. Feel free to try out for different drums if you want. I may call on people if we need more filled.”

She paused, looking around. “Let’s just get the snares over with.”

Everyone looked nervous who was new and Percy felt his pulse race a bit. It seemed Thalia didn’t like wasting time.

“So snare drums are the flashiest of the group. They have the most stick tricks, they drum in unison often, and if we actually get good there’s a lot of fun you can do with drumming on other people’s drums as well. But for now you just need to worry about hitting it in time. Percy, come here.” She ordered, surprising him.

He walked over, anxiety starting to spike. Thalia ripped off the hoodie that was still draped over it and tossed it across the room. “These are loud. Get used to it.” She held out her hand for his sticks and he offered them to her, before holding onto the harness awkwardly.

With a sharp hit, she did a loud note hitting the drum. Percy flinched again, much to his annoyance.

“It’s much worse indoors, but if you’re marching with it you need to get used to not hearing much aside from the drums while you’re playing.”

She grabbed Percy’s drum, shifting him so he was parallel to the group and stood in front of him, taking up a proper stance on the other side of his drum. “Stay still.” She ordered him, smirking.

“Playing isn’t just about hitting the right note at the right time. I’ll go over the details later, but it’s all about putting on a show. When the attention is supposed to be on you, make sure they never look away.”

Percy glanced over at the students watching with intensity. Annabeth was in the back of the room, giving him a patient encouraging smile.

Another sharp hit had Percy’s head snap back to Thalia who was grinning.

“Now watch.” Another sharp hit, before she hit her stick three times, and she started counting down.

“Jason, pay attention. I need you up here next.” She said, right before she started playing. Percy’s jaw dropped at it as he watched it close up. Her playing was mesmerizing. Switching seemlessly between fast and slow notes, some notes were sharp while others buzzed a little on the drum. Then she started adding in stick tricks, spinning them and tossing them effortlessly as she played. The entire time her sharp blue eyes were staring directly at him, a very intentional smirk never faltering.

She finished with one last little flair of notes, before she thrust her hands down at her sides. Percy noted she was breathing slightly heavier but her eyes were still piercing into him. Intimidated hardly covered how he felt.

“Holy shit.” He muttered.

The room broke into applause as he looked over to Annabeth was just beaming at him with a smug look. He could hear her thoughts practically.

Told you it was cool.

“Jason, come on. Let’s show them what it’s like when it’s synced up.”

Jason walked over with his drum, pulling out a set of sticks. “You’re kidding me right? That was like an entire solo. People can’t memorize that instantly.”

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Some center snare you are.” She teased. “You still remember last year’s show right? Start of the closer. I think I remember it enough from helping you. Here, Percy give me that snare real quick.”

He quickly pulled it over his head, handing it to her. “Why didn’t you ask for it first.”

Thalia laughed and winked at him. “Cause I heard you don’t know how cool drumline is yet, and stubborn asses like you need to be shown first hand.”

Percy was just quiet and as he went back to the group. As much as her cocky attitude pissed him off, she was completely right. Her show had completely enthralled him. He couldn’t even fairly call that lame if he wanted to.

Thalia put on her drum and Jason came back with a sheet of music. “I still have it, thankfully.” He grabbed a music stand and put it on it, tapping out a few notes.

Thalia leaned in, muttering to herself as she watched it and tapped out some parts as well.

“Okay, we’ll go to the quad fill here. You got it?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I messed around with it to stay practiced over the summer. You good?”

Thalia scoffed at him. “You do know I played center snare for 4 years in college right? That stuff is harder than what you do here. I’ll be fine.” She said. “Here.”

She counted off, and soon they were playing in harmony.

Percy had to admit he was impressed. He had never seen two people move in sync so well before. Their sticks were flying up and down, clacking on the rim of the drum, before buzzing perfectly in sync. It was still hard to wrap his head around the precision.

Eventually they stopped and another small round of applause happened.

“You were dragging.” Thalia said to Jason.

Jason rolled his eyes. “You were rushing. You hit the paradiddles and sped through them. I had to speed up to catch up.”

Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Don’t talk back to your teacher. I have way more experience than you, kid.” She said, making him squirm for a moment. “Besides, those are separate things. Me rushing the paradiddles had nothing to do with you dragging the low buzzes. Don’t blame your screw ups on mine.” She said, sticking out her tongue and smirking at him.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

Thalia laughed before turning back to the group. “My idiot brother aside, we have five snare drums so let’s have… Percy, Leo, Jason can stay, Clarrise and Bianca.” They all made their way up and Thalia handed Percy back the snare. It took a minute for some harnesses to be adjusted. From what Percy could tell, Jason and Clarisse both played snares last year so they were probably guaranteed a spot on the line. The rest of them were up for the same spots, along with a few others sitting down.

Once they were lined up, Thalia moved to the front of them holding out her sticks in the awkward traditional grip.

“Okay everyone, hold your sticks like this.” She said, looking at each of their hands before she moved over to Percy first. “Here, shift the stick up and keep your middle finger loose and bounce it here…” She moved his fingers around a bit, until they were in something that looked more like what she did but felt even more uncomfortable.

All the new people had their grips corrected as Thalia stepped back.

“Okay, we’re going to start simple. Jason will count off a tempo, then were going to do 8 4 2 1, then back up. So Eight hits with the right hand, then left, then 4 right, then left hand etc. We’ll do one of each hand twice then go back up. It’s really important to pay attention to your sticking patterns. It makes a very big difference for both practical and showy reasons.” She turned to her brother. “Okay, Jason. Take it slow to start. Like 80 bpm at eighth notes. Here, watch.”

She said, grabbing Jason’s sticks and doing the pattern on her drum after counting it off.

They all watched closely, except for clarisse who seemed exceedingly bored. Then again, if she had already marched snare he doubted this was even noteworthy.

“The most important thing is don’t stop if you screw up. I don’t care if you have to stop, take a deep breath, and join back in. Do that, it’s fine. Collect yourself then get back right back on track. This is a test of how well you handle pressure as much as it is how well you can keep a rhythm. “I can fix bad playing, I can’t fix a weak will.” She said.

“Enough rambling now though. Jason, count it.”

Jason stood up straight, before counting off a leisurely pace. Percy took a deep breath and prepared.

It was slow enough, especially after his drumming experience so the first eight hits weren’t bad. They switched the left hand and what was a relatively uniform sound ended up being a disaster. Ever Thalia winced at the sound, but a smile was creeping on her face. “Keep going!” She called out over the drums. “4 now!” The sound was anything but smooth, but Percy pushed on. His left hand was starting to hurt a bit and he couldn’t get a comfortable grip but the pattern wasn’t screwing him up. At least until they got the single notes. He forgot they were supposed to repeat the single notes and fumbled. Pausing, he felt things starting to crash and burn.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Annabeth’s. She made a dramatic motion with her hands of breathing in and out. Percy paused a beat or two, glancing at Jason’s sticks to see him switch. Hopping back in, he hadn’t missed too many notes and Thalia was looking at him with an approving grin.

Eventually they ended and Thalia was laughing.

The new people shared some nervous looks, and Thalia raised her hand in apology as he tried to regain her composure. “You guys did fine. But watching you all try to drum with your left hand, your elbows were waving everywhere like chickens. I never get tired of seeing that.”

She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

Clarisse was snickering too while Jason rolled with his eyes with a slight smile.

“Everyone I teach has to do that their first time. It’s initiation. For now though, everyone can go back to the regular grip. If you march snare you WILL have to learn traditional grip. But I’m more worried about rhythm and pattern right now. “We’ll try it again, and you can stick normally. Except Jason and Clarisse. Don’t get lazy. Accent the switches properly and softer on the off beats.” She said, with a pointed look at the two veterans.

Jason counted it off again, and the sound was much better this time. Even Thalia seemed impressed.

Percy had been hyper aware of the single note switches so he managed to avoid screwing them up, and being able to stick how he was used to took a lot of the pressure off as well.

“Good.” Thalia said when they finished. “Looks like you all have rhythm at least.”

For the next little while, Thalia ran them through another few basic exercises. On one of them, she even had them stand on one foot then switch to test their balance for marching, which Percy was not graceful at in the least. Then she had them sit down and let a few other students come up to try out the snare.

Once everyone who wanted to try the snare went she smiled. “Good job. Now the quads. Frank, if you will?”

A large man walked over wearing that weird set of drums Percy noticed before. It had four large drums in a half circle with two tiny drums on the inside near the harness.

“These are quads. The most melodic of the drums in a sense. The most like a set, but they’re heavy and kind of awkward. A little less flashy, but they have their own kind of presence on the field. Frank, do you remember any of the show last year?”

Frank nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

A wry smile crept across Thalia’s face. “Ma’am? You’re polite. I like that. You got the spot. Sit down.” She said, before laughing. “I’m kidding. Just play what you remember for a bit.”

Frank nodded and counted off a tempo. Percy had to admit, quads were impressive. His hands moved around a lot more than they did with snare. While snare looked super technical, this was different. He was balancing moving to different drums with a smooth tempo. It looked intimidating in its own way.” He finished and looked to Thalia who seemed impressed. “Damn, nice job. You probably won’t have any issue in college if you continue playing. That was solid drumming.”

“Now who wants to give it a try?”

The room looked at each other, everyone nervous after that performance.

Percy considered raising his hand for it, it reminded him of set a bit.

“You, come up.” Thalia said pointing somewhere behind Percy.

Looking around, he saw Tyler had his hand up. He seemed a little pale, but he had his hand raised.

Thalia grinned at him. “Don’t worry. Quads are a beast in their own right. Messing up is fine, like I said. Just don’t give up.”

Thalia helped him get settled in the harness, adjusting it to a good height before he stood a little awkwardly next to Frank. Frank gave him a friendly smile, showing him a good place to hold out his arms.

“We’ll start with the same exercise. Except every time you change numbers, move to the next drum. Frank, show him.”

Frank nodded before playing the same one Percy had started with, but each time he reduced the number of hits he jumped to the next on in the circle before going back up.

Tyler was watching Frank with a deadly focus, his own hands mirroring Frank’s as Frank played. Percy could see Thalia staring at Tyler’s hands too.

“Ready?” She said as Frank counted it off.

Tyler started off pretty smooth, but when he was switching to the double hits, his stick hit in between the drums and you could see the panic set in. He tried to get back on track, but didn’t manage to until they were almost back on the eights.

The room clapped for him, but Percy was close enough to see how tight Tyler was gripping his sticks out of frustration. “Okay, not bad. Next let-”

“Can we try again?” Tyler blurted out, before his eyes widened. “Sorry.”

Thalia just looked at him for a moment, a grin creeping on her face. “Of course. I like that. One more time, Frank.”

Frank was also grinning. “Yeah.” He counted it off and Percy saw Tyler silently counting with him. He was focusing sharply again and this time he made it through without much issue. Thalia was smirking as they finished. “Much better. Nice focus, kid. Next is..”

Thalia ran him through some more exercises before letting a few other people try. Percy had even hopped up there, but he found he didn’t like quads nearly as much as he thought he might. The drums were low, and the weight was super annoying as it kept pulling him forward. The multiple drums were fun, but it didn’t really have the same vibe as doing a fill on a set.

Eventually everyone who wanted a chance went and she moved over to the last line of drums.

“These are the bass drums. We have five, some lines have more, some less. This drum is both the most simple, and the hardest. Each drum makes up a part of a group.” She hit the smallest drum, which had a relatively light tom-sounding hit. Then she moved towards the biggest one which had a loud resounding dull hit to it, hitting each one in between.

“Bass drums have cool fills, but their parts are split between each drum. So excellent rhythm is a must and dedication. You can do cool drum fills on basses, and when a full bass line is in sync, it’s wicked. Seeing five people play the same part split between them is incredible, if not a little under appreciated. But if you screw up it sounds muddy.” She explained.

“Beckendorf, you were fifth right?”

A large man stood up and made his way over to the biggest bass drum. Percy was genuinely impressed as the man hoisted it over his shoulders and put on the harness. There was no way he could see around it, the top of it went a good foot past his head.

“For this one, we’ll get some people to try it out because it’s a team effort.”

She gathered some students, including a set of twins who all tried it out. Their exercises were similar, switching between hitting the large sides of the drums, then having them try and go up and down the line one at a time on rhythm. Percy didn’t try out for that one, because he didn’t feel confident enough about his teamwork to try and tackle that challenge. A flashy snare fit him much better.

A little while later they all wrapped up and everyone was looking nervous.

“Great job everyone, honestly. I know how scary auditions can be, and the fact you got up here and flailed around is half the battle. The school has a limited number of spots, and I’m going to chat with Chiron a little more before announcing tomorrow. If you don’t get a post, there are plenty of positions open in pit that will need to be filled, and I’m talking to Chiron to see if we can get a Cymbal line going as well. For now though, thank you all for coming and I look forward to working with those of you who make it.” She finished, offering a salute.

Everyone stood up and started murmuring. Around the middle of the bass drum auditions color guard had made their way back in to watch them and Piper made her way to Percy after it was over.

“How’d it go?” She asked, studying his face for any signs.

Percy shrugged. “I think pretty well. The fact I’ve drummed before definitely helped. Marching seems like it’s going to suck though, those things are heavy and moving around a lot doesn’t sound fun.”

Piper nodded. “It definitely takes some getting used to, but I can help you practice with that. Think you’ll get a spot?”

Percy pulled his beanie back on. “I dunno. That’s up to Thalia. I’m sure Jason will though.” He said, earning a punch in the arm from Piper.

Annabeth made her way over to Percy. “Good job today. You recovered nicely.” She offered

Percy blushed slightly. “Uh… yeah. I meant to say thank you. You helped for sure.”

Meanwhile Piper was looking between the two of them with a growing grin.

Annabeth smiled down at the floor before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well I hope you make it. I wanna talk to Thalia before she leaves so I’m gonna go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Percy nodded as Annabeth patted Piper on the shoulder and made her way over to Thalia.

Piper gave him the biggest grin.

“She helped you, eh?”

“Shut up McLean. She just reminded me to breathe.”

“Weird, I thought she took your breath away.” She countered, laughing at Percy’s groan as she started walking out of the room.

“How’d your auditions go?”

Piper grinned. “I nailed them. It helped I had practiced with Silena over the summer. I think I made it.”

Percy pulled her into a side hug. “That’s awesome! I’m proud of you.”

“When we both make it, we’ll go get pizza to celebrate. My treat. Deal?”

Grinning, Percy nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever say no to that.”

As they piled into the car, Percy sighed looking out at the darkening sky.

“That was… honestly a lot of fun. More fun than I’ve had in awhile. Thank you Piper, for real. I really hope I can make it.”

Piper just gave him the warmest smile. “I’m proud of you. I know you’ll make it. Otherwise, I can take out whoever else made it and get you a spot.”

Percy laughed as they drove away. It felt like things were finally starting to click in place a little more.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for sticking through the chapter! I know it was a long one and kinda dense. I hope it was enjoyable though. And if it wasn’t obvious, I freaking love Thalia. She’s so badass. I hope you enjoyed her too! Thank you for all the engagement with this story, it really does motivate me, even if my time is starting to get limited due to being broke. xD Hopefully I wont have too long of a delay before the next chapter! Just need to plan a little more for it out.

If you want to help me write and paint more please consider checking out either my art commissions HERE or even just buying me a coffee on my Ko-Fi HERE

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warletscitch · 6 years ago

Text

Bad Things [ 3 ]

Pairing: Tom Holland x Harrison Osterfield x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, ANGST, like one sexual reference

Summary: Y/n is so hypnotized with Tom, it’s effecting her relationship with Harrison

A/N: Ok so Tumblr is trash and it won’t let me add a title for some reason so I had to do this weird huge ass font. But anyway, thank you all so much to those giving me feedback on this story. I hope y’all know I work so hard on my writings and to know that at least one person likes them means the whole world. Anyway, this chapter was hella fun to write. Also my taglist is growing which I’m super excited about! Just message me or shoot me an ask if you’d like to be added

Chapter 1, 2

Don’t forget to brush your hair, you thought to yourself as you scurried around the kitchen searching for something small and quick to eat. You were running behind because you slept in and now you had less time to get ready for work. The only good thing about waking up early at this moment was that Harrison and Tom were still sleeping. Haz didn’t have work until later and you didn’t know about Tom but you also didn’t really care. Whenever you slept at Harrison’s, you would set an alarm to wake up and go back to your apartment that was downstairs and you’d get ready for work at home but today was not working like that. So you wore the same shorts you did the day before and stole one of Harrison’s tee shirts and cinched it up, attempting to make it look cute. After grabbing a water bottle and a granola bar, you were finally in your car driving to the studio you worked at. You ran your hands through your hair in distress only to realize you completely forgot to brush it. Well, at least you weren’t going to be late.

—

“Y/n someone just came in, asking for you.” You whipped around to face your co-worker who tapped your shoulder. You worked as an assistant to a fashion photographer. Why would someone be looking for you? It couldn’t be Harrison because everyone in the studio knows him because of how often he stops by to bring you lunch, or pick you up. You gave your co-worker Laura, a weird look and then walked over to the front door. Standing behind the front desk was Tom. This fucking boy, you wished you could scream but you just smiled at him, “Hey?”

“I want some headshots.” His hands were stuffed in his pockets but he stood still with confidence. The confidence you’d find in a narcissist.

“Did you schedule a shoot?” He easily could’ve gone online and planned something or even called the studio but there’s no way he did. That would make your life easier so why would he?

“I figured our chat last night counted as a scheduling.” You look at him with anger and even though you want to yell at him for being so childish, you also want to give him everything he wants. His golden eyes shine onto you like sunlight and it burns, it hurts but it also feels good, warm and comfortable. But you don’t say anything, you just walk towards the back space of the room where another small studio is set up. It was a good thing you were friends with almost everyone at the studio or else you wouldn’t know how to explain yourself.

“My friend Sadie will take some pictures of you, just go over to her when she’s done with her client and tell her I sent you.” You pointed to Sadie who wore a bright yellow flowy tank top with flowers on it.

“She’s cute.” Tom said before slowly walking over to her. You just rolled your eyes knowing that Sadie wouldn’t even look twice at him since she had a boyfriend. You stood in the corner of the room, near a closet filled with props and clothes. Watching Tom walk and talk with other people was interesting. You could clearly see manipulation in his hand movements and the way he titled his head when he spoke. He was definitely attractive and that’s probably why he so easily got what he wanted all the time. He changed into a few different outfits at Sadie’s request. There was something about the way black looked on him that was enthralling. It matched his dark aura, but you liked it. Sadie took pictures of him and giving you looks after each shot, with an expression that basically said “What the fuck?” After she took the headshots she directed Tom to the changing room where he could put back on his normal clothes. As soon as he was gone Sadie was running right up to you.

“Is he your boyfriend? He’s an ass, but he’s definitely cute.” Sadie talked fast and you tried to keep up. Sad to see that Sadie could already tell he was a douche bag in the short amount of time she had to deal with him.

“No he’s not my boyfriend. He is an ass though and I’m sorry I just threw him at you. It’s a long story.”

“He said you slept at his place last night?” Of course he did. Of course he told some twisted truth just to start drama.

“No, oh my gosh, no! We both slept at Harrison’s last night. He’s calling it his place because he’s staying with Haz. Like I said, long story.” Sadie just gave you a nervous look and you told her you would tell her more later. Soon enough Tom came rolling out of the changing rooms and leaned against the wall, looking right at you.

“If you go on our website and type in this code, you can find your headshots there.” You handed him a piece of paper with the code on it. He smiled, taking the paper and shoving it in his pocket. It felt a little like Tom didn’t actually want pictures of himself and he just wanted to see you. You didn’t want to think like that, but that’s how it felt.

“What time do you get off?” You could feel his eyes on you and you wanted to look back, with your head high and shoulders back but you couldn’t so you just looked at his forehead, the space between his eyebrows. It was a stupid trick but it worked whenever you didn’t want to look someone in the eye. For you, it was risky business making eye contact, especially with someone like Tom.

“I have a lunch break in five minutes actually and then I’ll be home around 3.” You looked at the clock on the wall behind Tom, 11:55.

“Lunch break. Let me get you lunch. Since you got me pictures.” Tom was leaning closer and closer towards you, his smile widening. You leaned further away even though you didn’t mind being close to him. His energy was somehow soft, but in a dangerous way. Danger. Tom wasn’t anything dangerous, just a fuckboy with a rude attitude. You had to stop thinking so badly of him. There’s no reason for you to be afraid, right? The walls around you and him were getting smaller and it was like you were in this tiny space with only Tom. You moved backward, your shoulder hitting the wall behind you before calmly saying, “You don’t have to.” He touched your shoulder, moving it away from the wall. His grip on your shoulder was strong but his hands were soft on your bare skin. It was...nice. His touch was cooling, as if it relaxed all the tense muscles in your arm.

“It’s okay love, I want to.” And you couldn’t say no to his honey dripping voice, so the only word left was yes.

“You can leave the building for your break right?” Yes.

“Do you like coffee?” Yes.

Tom’s car was surprisingly clean, it even smelled nice. He drove pretty fast and you clung onto the leather seat below you, trying to look collected. So you opened your window and relaxed, letting the wind toss around your hair. The conversation in the car was small and short. He asked you about how long you worked at the studio and how long you knew Harrison. It wasn’t until the ride was over that you noticed he was only asking you questions and you didn’t get to learn anything about him. You hoped that would change though as you entered the small coffee shop.

“So, what’s your story?” It may have been blunt but you wanted to know so you figured you would just ask instead of trying to dance around certain topics in conversation.

“Don’t really have one. Just your average guy, living life the best he can.” He sat right across from you, his arms crossed. He was lying.

“Everyone has a story. Why’d you get kicked out of your apartment?” You said, pretending that you didn’t hear what he said to Harrison last night about how people didn’t like his lifestyle. Well what the hell lifestyle was that?

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Don’t worry, it was nothing illegal.” You just frowned wishing he’d tell you more.

“How was sleeping with Haz last night? You guys have any fun?” Tom grinned, propping his elbows up on the table.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You mocked him, laughing. The rest of the time spent at the coffee shop was actually good. He payed for everything like he said he would, he even opened the car door for you. It wasn’t until you finally made it back to the studio that you pulled out your phone to see 6 texts and 3 missed calls from Harrison. You read the first one you saw.

You still wanting pizza for lunch? Cuz I was thinking about sandwiches tbh. I’ll be at the studio around 12.

Shit. Harrison was going to pick you up for lunch today. How could you forget about the plans you two had made yesterday? You both wanted to go check out that new pizza place down the road from the studio. Although Harrison apparently wanted a sandwich now. The events that happened last night seemed to throw you way off. You honestly couldn’t even remember what happened yesterday, you only remembered last night when your high school dreams of kissing Harrison were about to come true, only for Tom to ruin them. But how could you be so forgetful and irresponsible?

“Everything okay?” Tom’s voice took you out of your thoughts as he opened the door for you. You walked into the building of the studio.

“I was supposed to get lunch with Haz. Ugh, he’s gunna be wondering where I am.”

“You don’t have to tell him where you are or what you do. He doesn’t control you.” Tom started slowly walking away and you just looked at him with your jaw dropped. It wasn’t like that with Harrison at all. Why would Tom say that? You went to say something but your phone screen lit up with another text. You looked down to see Harrison’s name on the screen.

Wow. Thanks for telling me. Hope you had fun with Tom.

How did he know you were with Tom? You looked up from your phone to ask Tom if he told Harrison, but he wasn’t in sight.

Taglist: @johnmurphys-sass @lemirabitur @noodleboylester @nerdy-devil @slut-for-fandoms @ironspydey @hifriendssss @sighspidey @foodlyhallows

#tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #peter parker #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker imagine #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader #avengers #infinity war #spider man: homecoming #spiderman #harrison osterfield smut #harrison osterfield fanfiction #harrison osterfield x reader #harrison osterfield imagine #harrison osterfield #bad things

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anyu-blue · 4 years ago

Text

*collapses onto bed*

My chest is killing me today... Been hard to breathe for a few days now. I don't think it's anything particularly serious (no crackling noises, so probably just anxiety or whatever is wrong with my heart- obvs not a big deal cuz those test results are still not in my chart)... But I also just feel so drained after work... Struggled through every day this week and have today and tomorrow of not easy as well... Though hopefully more pleasant...

I'm so tired of... Everything in the world. I just want to crawl into my shell and hide away for a while.. but I can't do that. Adulting and responsibilities for one, and obligations to be a good friend and family member for two... Though less now because I no longer have at least one other friend... Which means I don't have any of his friends either by all reports... Woo...

...

I don't want to kick People out of my work anymore... And it appears the owner of the place doesn't want me even asking people to wear masks despite our county AND branch mandate... So the 'solution' is for me to leave people alone. I'm supposed to just let people get away with anything and everything and serve them and more... And I just.. yeah probably anxiety. Makes my chest hurt to think about. Not only ILLEGAL to ask me to do... But so wrong...

Of course I can... But I just.. CAN'T, you know? Sure it's technically possible... But it's one of those invisible barrier things. Morally it's SO wrong I just... Can't bring myself to... To do it.

Sure it's mostly for me because I'm FREAKED OUT I'm going to get Covid (or something else) and be unable to work.. But also I've got 13 People I'm in direct contact with to worry about... Let alone who THEY are in contact with!!! 💔 And that doesn't include my coworkers... The other guests... Or even the other workers who enter our establishment. My heart seizes every time I think about it. Like NO!!! We should NOT be letting people COMING FROM OUT OF STATE AND INFECTED COUNTIES get away with not wearing masks!!! Because if they don't HERE, who's to say they're aren't wearing them elsewhere?! In fact it's HIGHLY LIKELY they're NOT 😭😭😭

... oof... Ouch ouch ouch...

*sigh*

I need this job. Badly. Do I want it? *Laughs quietly* .. I want to help my friends and co-workers, sure... But if I could be doing a remote job instead.. or even one that doesn't face People... Oh how I wish I could have that instead... Or, you know... Be able to sit at home doing what I want while collecting unemployment? YES PLEASE... But nah... Only my ex has the privilege of doing that. Not even his parents get to do that... But judging by his mail still being sent here... He's on it again. And he was on it for so long with those bonuses (and not going out and spending every week due to my worry) that he was able to afford a brand new Lexus...

I should probably not let myself think of that... But I'm so hurt that shitbags get to sit on their asses and be rewarded while those of us who are doing our best and mean every kindness get shit on and walk away with wounds and fear and STILL barely enough to scrape by.... It's no wonder I'm insane and drive everything good out of my life... I want to break out of the poverty cycle... And yet... Idk how. To scared to go back and finish school... I'm almost out of debt for going one year... And it's been 8 since I took that year. 8 years to pay off ONE year of schooling.. and people in the fields I want to pursue aren't doing any better unless they're PERFECT at their job... Which I'm not perfect. 😅 ... I try to apply for better positions to finally kickstart a career, but I'm not the young person with potential anymore so I get passed up for younger people or (more understandably) People with more experience in the area they're looking OR (worst of all) for more well liked friends and family members of the hiring managers... I can't even get work at places my family is anymore because I'm just... Me and problematic... I can't work as hard as I used to (and even when I did work that hard, again, I'm nuts so I've used all my chances and scared them all away).... It's disheartening. It makes the insanity worse because I'm scared all the time and get more hopeless with each 'we've gone another direction'...

It's the same story.. again and again and again with me.... And idk what to do...

I'm in therapy... I'm TRYING very hard... I'm doing good every place I can... But it just doesn't feel like enough.

I'm trying so hard not to feel depressed and so low too... To not throw myself pity parties and just do better!! Do better!! Do better!! .... Wait it out!! It'll get better!!!

Well... It never has... It's only gotten worse... The best I had was that Phlebotomy gig... And that was a whole bag of bad in itself... The only good thing about it at all, really, was that I enjoyed my hours and the work. That's it. Even that wasn't enough to make me stay with it when I stopped being treated as a person but just a money maker when the company got bought out... When they moved my hours and started demanding more for the same pay...

I imagine it's only going to get worse because I can't get a shoe in anywhere.... All the good jobs are already taken or have someone lined up for them... And I just... It's so hard not to be depressed by that. Especially being stuck on Night audit when the rest of the world is day shift... Having to fuck up my sleep and more just to get groceries even... (I totally understand pandemic stuff, but it's supposed to turn permanent so... All night shifters get shafted anyway)... It's not healthy...

But I don't have a choice. Even when I try to... I don't have a choice... And annoyingly of course I have that stupid shitbag's voice going through my head of 'oh they won't hire you for this reason' or 'oh that's a shit job, don't apply for that' or.. or... Ugh... I need to let all that go on top of all of this... But damn it all... Once the dam breaks, EVERYTHING floods out... Everything I've kept at bay...

There's nothing anyone can do for me unless I do stuff myself... More than I am doing... And it hurts too because I'm pushing myself as hard as I can... But it's not as hard as others can and I'm so far behind... I can't... I can't fix it fast enough... Doesn't matter how much I focus on it!!

I ask how I can help or how I can get into Peoples good graces again or if I can ask a favor and all they tell me is 'focus on yourself'... Not realizing (even though I've told them) I need your HELP!! I need other ideas!!! better work!! I need your good word even and my mental state will Drastically improve!!! Please!!! But I'm just nuts... And need to be less nuts... on my own... And it's just.. THIS IS HOW PEOPLE GO NUTS... Being alone all the time. Being the responsible party all the time.. never getting breaks... Like I said... I know I've used all my breaks up... So I shouldn't even be asking or complaining.. I know...

If I want people to reach out to me.. nope. sorry, not going to happen. It's up to me to reach out to them.

If I ask people to do me a favor like looking into a job... Nope, sorry already taken, or (more commonly) just apply and see what happens!! I can't help you (though they help others and even OFFER the position to other friends/family--- namely my step mom offering a position to my little sister that she doesn't want, that I've expressed real interest in AND have mentioned I'm looking for work in... aND I have experience in!! Nope.. completely.. completely ignored AND despite the fact that she has sway... My application will probably be tossed anyway... And I'm Just... I feel destroyed by this)

I should probably just stop here. I'm.. I'm so upset and yet I know.. I KNOW this is all my fault... I've.. made mistakes.. and gone without help I need for so long.. and pushed people away (mostly unintentionally, but obvs that doesn't matter)... And now I'm in this spot where I can ONLY help myself.. and it's so obvious to everyone else, though I feel I could use help people are capable of providing...

I just want to die...

But I don't even want to do that because I actually want so much more for my life and those around me... But not being here would be so much easier and less painful... I'm just a stupid placeholder to make other people feel better. Which, as important as that is, REALLY SUCKS for the person stuck with the job.

I tried so hard for so long.. and I THINK I did good to lift others up, to support them and help them get themselves out of the holes they've dug- those mostly older than myself even.... But to get to the point where that's where I'm at... And simply to have a shovel dropped on my head because I'm 'old enough' to do everything on my own... Despite being told I needn't do it on my own and should ask for help whenever I need it, only to be denied and hurt and have more dirt pulled out from under me instead... (It's very confusing and not at all helping the insane issue I have going on)... It hurts so God damned bad.... And it makes me think that maybe... Maybe I'm NOT wrong about being nuts... That maybe all that 'help' I gave to people wasn't actually me or my help at all... Just People humoring me and pretending.

Idk..

I sound like that awful ex friend of mine...

But honestly... Idk what to do anymore...

My hope... My hope is just about all gone....

And when it is... What do I do? Where do I go?

I'm more like my disgusting mother every day (except the drugs and alcohol abuse)... And I just can't find a way out that isn't wildly hard for me.

I swear I'm suffering undiagnosed Something (asperger's, ADHD, ect?)... Maybe it's just me being a hypochondriac... And lazy... And wishful.. to blame all my problems on an unseen force beyond my control... And that's why everyone tells me to just pick myself up... Because I'm actually normal and just crying for unneeded attention...

#personal #random #ignore me #life in general #don't read this #im just stupid #don't have the heart to delete all of it rn tho #partly because wasteful #partly because i hope against hope it'll be useful or maybe i can prove im not so bad somehow #idk..#i just... idk anymore #idk if i ever did #trigger warnings apply #i didn't kean for this post to go this direction either #i wanted to make a funny jab at how i want merch of a character but have to make it myself #agian if i actually want any.. because it doesn't exist #oops... well.. that's where my head is I sup

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angryhausfrau-writes · 4 years ago

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You Can’t Cross the Same River Twice - Chapter 6

Hawkeye and Trapper fall into a household routine over the next few weeks, based around their respective work schedules. They figure out things like which nights they each cook dinner, when to go grocery shopping, when Trapper goes to the gym - usually while Hawkeye sleeps the sleep of the blameless - and all the other little domestic tasks that come with sharing a home. Because for all that the Swamp was an absolute pit, now that they have a home - a real one - they want it to be well, homey.

They even make time for dates. Sometimes going out to the bar they'd gone to Hawkeye's first night in Boston where they can dance together somewhere other than their own living room. Sometimes they go out to the neighborhood bar to dance and flirt with women - the girls lovely and fun and sweet - and a necessary cover for two bachelors living together. And it's almost like foreplay. Attraction stretching and spooling out between them as they dance on opposite sides of the room, heated glances exchanged over their partners' heads. And when they come together at the end of the night, it's all the sweeter for having to wait for it.

Frankly, their sex life has been pretty fantastic all around. Ever since that first night they'd fucked - the night Hawkeye had taken a desperate, begging Trapper apart and then been taken in turn - it was like a dam had burst. Like Trapper realized he could have this - have Hawkeye - whenever he wanted. And he'd wanted a lot. Which was good because so had Hawkeye. So they've moved back into the sexual relationship they'd had in Korea - fun and hot and ravenous. But something is different. There's an added element of stability. Or a removal of the stress and the fear and the unfun kind of desperation. They have the time to just kiss and hold one another. The time to bring the intimacy and love of their friendship into the sack. And it turns out that's a really nice combination.

Hawkeye's life is domestic in a way he never thought he'd have, didn't know he'd wanted after Carlye walked out. But now that he's had a taste of it, he can't imagine going without. And he and Trapper haven't explicitly said what this is - maybe there isn't a word for it - but they've each made it clear that they're in this for the long haul.

The only thing that breaks their newly established routine is Trapper's daughters coming over for the weekend. Trapper only gets to see them once a month due to his weekend-heavy ER schedule. Hawkeye figures he ought to gracefully bow out so Trapper can have as much time with them as possible. Plus, he's still not one hundred percent comfortable around small children, despite having made progress in interacting with them as patients.

So that Saturday morning, Hawkeye moves enough of his stuff into the guestroom to make it look like he normally sleeps there. And it will feel strange to sleep alone - something he hasn't really done since before Korea, not if he's counting having tent mates - but it's only for the one night anyway. And he's finally gotten his luggage back from the army so he can keep some of the less viscerally sickening items - he hadn't even been able to look at the olive drab fatigues, just told Trapper to toss them before he tossed his cookies - in the guestroom permanently. Less work for future visits.

And Hawkeye pulls an extra Saturday shift at the clinic. It keeps him out from underfoot and they can always use the extra hands. He gets to take the cast off a very exuberant seven year old boy's arm - and learns all about his little league team and the home-stealing slide that caused it - for his troubles. And then it's dinner time and he heads home. Trapper had practically demanded his presence at the meal - and besides, he made a chocolate cake for the occasion and Hawkeye's not missing out on that.

Dinner is fine. Even fun. The girls are happy to talk about anything and everything under the sun. Trapper's conversational efforts amount to reminding the girls to eat their veggies. And Hawkeye just listens. Lets the chatter wash over him. It's almost soothing. The biggest problems these girls have are homework and schoolyard squabbles. Of course, these problems seem like direst threats - and Trapper treats them with all the seriousness of an unexploded hand grenade. But to Hawkeye, they're a reminder that there's still innocence in the world. And that's a balm to his very soul.

After dinner is when things get tricky. Hawkeye's knitting in the living room, his usual after dinner ritual, and Cathy is watching him with the same degree of focus as he'd watch the demonstration of a new surgical technique. She's sitting cross legged on the living room floor next to her abandoned book, looking up at him, eyes following the knitting needles like a tennis match.

"What are you doing?" her little voice pipes up.

Hawkeye leans in to mock whisper, "Knitting a sweater for your dad. Shhh! It's a surprise."

Trapper's at the dining room table, listening to Becky regale him with the story of the very gross but very neat frog dissection she got to watch in science class. And he's paying very close attention to her - even drawing out little diagrams to help Becky show off her new knowledge of amphibious internal organs - so Hawkeye knows he won't overhear. But it's still fun to see Cathy's face split into a wide, conspiratorial grin.

"A secret!"

He nods seriously.

"But why are you knitting? That's for old ladies." Her expression is derisive.

"Well, when I was in Korea, it got sooo cold that even the animals put on parkas." Cathy giggles. "Wool clothing was worth its weight in gold. So I learned how to make socks and scarves and hats just to keep myself warm. And the first things I made were pretty bad. The socks were just lumpy wool bags - even the snakes wouldn't wear them! But I got better and started giving them away as gifts."

Cathy still looks skeptical. "But you're not in Korea anymore."

If only he were so certain of that all the time.

"That's true. But I still like to make presents for my friends. And I think it's fun."

She's still looking at him intently.

"Do you want to learn?"

She considers the question and then nods with all the gravitas of a judge in court. So Hawkeye digs out his old needles from Korea and some fluffy pink yarn that he'd originally bought with Margaret in mind that ought to be easier for her to work with. And the needles are awkward in her small hands but he gets her started on a scarf - the easiest project, just rows of stitches back and forth. And Cathy seems to enjoy it, tongue sticking out in concentration as she counts stitches. She finishes a handful of rows before Trapper deems it bedtime and Hawkeye gives her a congratulatory handshake, acting as if she'd won some prestigious award. She's tickled pink by the game and Hawkeye thinks maybe this kid thing isn't so hard. He hadn't once seen her as anyone other than Cathy.

"Thanks for teaching Cathy how to knit," Trapper says after tucking the girls into bed. "She can be kinda difficult to keep interested in stuff that don't involve running around outside."

"No problem, I'm always glad to convert outsiders to the gory of homemade woolens! Besides, I had fun. She's a funny kid."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time cuz your presence has been requested at the zoo tomorrow. If you think you're up to it."

"Yeah, I think I am. As long as I'm not intruding on your family time. You get little enough of that as it is."

"You are family, Hawkeye." Trapper's expression turns serious. "I know we ain't exactly talked about it, but I figure we'll be in each other's lives for a while and I don't wanna hide one part of my family from the other. Not more than I have to."

Hawkeye gets a little misty eyed, he's not ashamed to admit. "I'd love to go to the zoo with you tomorrow." He gives Trapper a hug. Because if he gave him anything else, he'd never stop giving. "Goodnight, Trap."

Trapper holds him back just as tightly. "Goodnight, Hawk."

And then they go sleep in separate bedrooms.

Trapper comes home from the gym to find Hawkeye awake and making the famous Pierce family French toast. It fills Trapper with an unspeakable joy that Hawkeye is willing to bring Trapper's family into his own like that. That Hawkeye feels the same way about being family as he does. And Trapper knows he's gotta go take a shower and get the girls up and ready for the day, but he can't wait for tonight when they can be together again and he can show Hawkeye just how much he appreciates it.

Half an hour later, syrup sticky and bouncing off the walls with a combination of sugar and excitement, Cathy and Becky practically drag him and Hawkeye out the door. And the zoo's crowded but a lot of fun. He's dragged along by Cathy who's pointing out the animals she likes the best - usually the biggest and bloodthirstiest but she's also taken a shine to the lizards in the reptile house. Meanwhile, Becky tells a very patient Hawkeye all about the animals at the zoo, reading from the signs and information cards at each enclosure. And Hawkeye tells her about Radar's collection of animals - started after Trapper left, so he enjoys hearing about it too - and the various surgeries and medical procedures he's done on them - in child appropriate terms, thank God. This prompts a whole new series of questions from Becky and Cathy about the inner workings of animals that Hawkeye seems to enjoy answering. Including things about rabbit ovaries that Trapper doesn't envy Louise having to field follow ups about.

And then it's time to go home so that Louise can come pick up the kids.

"You mean I can keep them?" Cathy looks up at Hawkeye, overjoyed.

"Sure, sweetheart. After the army lost all my luggage, I went out and bought all new stuff. Those knitting needles are extras. Besides, you still have your scarf on them."

She hugs him, tight enough to push all the air out of his lungs.

"Thanks, Uncle Hawkeye!"

And that. That gets him.

And so does Becky's "Bye, Uncle Hawkeye!" delivered almost carelessly as she runs out the door.

Like it's natural. Like he's family.

Hawkeye seems to be thinking about something pretty big, judging by how tense he's getting. They're lying in bed together after a vigorous and enjoyable reunion - one that had involved Hawkeye clutching desperately at the sheets as he gasped Trapper's name - but it appears that the afterglow is fading. And as good as the sex had been, Trapper doesn't figure it warrented this level of contemplation.

So after what he considers a reasonable interval, where Hawkeye just gets tenser and tenser, Trapper asks, "Something on your mind, Hawk?"

"Just thinking about family."

A pause.

"I still haven't seen my dad. It's been over a month and all I've done is send a few letters. Like he's a friend across the country instead of my own father, only two hours away."

A longer pause.

"I guess I'm feeling guilty because I've met your family now and I still haven't been up to see mine. But I don't know if I'm ready yet."

Trapper thinks about that a minute. "Well, I think you've done a bunch of stuff since getting back that you didn't feel ready for. And that's turned out ok."

Hawkeye laughs. "True, I've only had the one mental crisis. And I'm probably making this out to be a bigger deal than it is. He's my dad. He loves me no matter what."

Trapper figures Hawkeye's luckier than he knows if that's the case.

"I'll go up to see him next weekend. And if it's too much, I can come right back home the same day."

With that decided, Hawkeye snuggles further into Trapper. Mind quiet enough for him to sleep.

#mash #piercintyre #fanfic archive #you can't cross the same river twice #chapter 6

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thecreativeangel · 7 years ago

Text

Popular (Peter Parker x Reader)

Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

*Please don’t plagiarize my work, thank you :3*

Summary: Peter wants to abandon your friendship? Cool. Brags about getting laid every other day? Okay. Is a complete jackass in general? Fine with you. But when he dares to flirt with you after a year since becoming a player? You won’t hesitate to punch him in the face.

Warnings: Swearing. Like, a lot of swearing. Oops, oh well. And Peter being kind of an ass cuz this is angst and it’s what I do.

Words: 2,146

You used to be friends with Peter. Now? Definitely not. You didn’t know how it happened and if you did know it wasn’t something you wanted to explain but Peter…changed. You blamed yourself for not noticing soon enough and still considering him a friend. Too late now, it’s been at least a year. If you wanted to go into detail you’d say he became closed off, talking to you less often and more to people in the popular crowd. After that Peter would always look like he wanted to tell you something but he always walked away. Time passed before finally, you and him didn’t talk at all, and you didn’t want to interact with him, even if for a science project or something small. Ned and Michelle were also having trouble being around him, because even when he stayed, he was different. The old Peter Parker was on the shy side but talkative when you got to know him, innocent with child like hope. The new Peter wasn’t even interested in Academothon. He was more confident, but in a bad way. Darker personality, less words spoken. He made a lot of small gestures, shrugs, tilts of the head that meant he was listening but not really. You were done with that, and so was he apparently, so one day he just...stopped. Stopped walking to school with you, stopped talking to you, approaching you, everything.

The next time you heard of Peter was in a surprising way: gossip. According to Gianna from fifth period, he went to a party, disappeared with Gianna’s friend Mia, and both weren’t seen the rest of the night. Everyone crowded around her to listen to the story. If you had rolled your eyes any more they would have gotten stuck in the back of your head. Please. You think. Peter changed, but it’s not like he would sleep with a random…

Your thoughts were interrupted when Mia strut into the room, her head high, obviously not covering the purple bruises on her neck and collar bones. You stared her down as she came in, your face completely blank. The sonovabitch got laid after all…

You turned back to your countless pages of AP Chem notes you took, adding another line to the last thing you wrote. Mia was sitting smugly in the back, only answering certain questions that were fired by the kids who surrounded her desk. She was actually proud that she got laid, and that made you shiver in revoltion. Mia would parade around the school with hickeys given to her by a guy she barely knew, from a party she was probably too drunk to remember.

“-it was amazing.” She gushed, all while faking embarrassment. “Like, how lucky was I to snag him before anyone else?”

You looked twisted around in your seat so your chest was pressed against the back of the chair, observing her. “-oh, my god. He was so good with his-”

“Can you shut up?” You ask, somewhat more rude than you wanted. Everyone turned to you, Mia and Gianna looking shocked and angry. Yeah, you weren’t the most confident and loud girl in the class, so it was a surprise to everyone.

“I wasn’t, like, talking to you…” Mia trails off. “But okay. I guess your delicate ears can’t handle it.”

You roll your eyes again. “Sure, whatever you want princess.” You mumble, turning back to your notes. “As long as it keeps ya happy.”

Over time, it became a norm. Peter would come to school with hickeys and lipstick marks, messed up sex hair and the girls were all over him. Frankly, it was gross. Yes, he was attractive. Even you could admit that, and you had been his best friend. But the way he would walk around school like he owned the place, all the jocks and cheerleaders and pretty girls including him in their circle at lunch… You noticed his academic achievements weren’t as well known anymore. The old Peter would get an announcement on the school’s news show every other week about some award he won. Those never came anymore. The world lost a brilliant mind. You think, poking your lunch with a fork. Or rather, the world corrupted a brilliant mind. Same difference.

See, what you didn’t expect was the next time Peter spoke to you. It seemed that he had exhausted his pathetic and easy to catch one night stands, and was looking for new targets. And he dared come to you. Moron.

It was: “There’s a party at Luke’s this weekend. You should come.” and “Ryan’s renting out his dad’s club, it’s going to be great.” from different guys in his new friend group, each hotter than the next. You refused. Every. Single. Time. No matter how hot the guy were, it was always a no. If Peter wanted to ask you, he’d at least grow a pair and do it himself.

“Hey.”

You stopped shoving books in your locker but didn’t turn around. That voice. You knew that voice, and you wished it would go away.

“Luke and Donovan are inviting people to a party. They asked if you wanted to-”

You slammed your locker shut so hard the entire hall became silent for a moment. “No.”

Peter quickly recovered from his shock and raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Well see, there’s a perfectly good reason is why,” You say, shouldering your bag and walking towards the exit. Peter followed. “And that reason is fuck you.”

“Who shoved something up your ass this morning?” Peter asks snidely.

“I don’t have anything up my ass,” You answer, speeding up to lose him. “But if you’re looking to stick something up there like you do to all the other bimbos in this school then I’ll pass.”

“Damn, relax.”

“I will not.”

“God, can you just learn to take a joke?”

“Only if the joke is funny,” You fire back, stopping to lean on a wall and let the flow of students pass. “The old Peter told funny jokes. When can I have him back?”

“The old Peter isn’t here, sorry.” He says scathingly, his eyes narrowing.

“Then I’m not interested.”

“Damn, why are you so uptight?”

“Because I miss the old Peter!” You exclaim, tugging harder at the straps of your backpack. “You act like you don’t know me, and I’m sick of it!”

“I’ve done nothing wrong.” Peter says defensively. You scoff and turn your head away.

“You know why you came here, Peter?” You ask. “You came here to tell me that there’s a party, and you want me to come, and when I go to said party, I’ll get drunk and so will you. The thing is, you think we’re gonna have sex, after which you will leave me, ‘cuz it’s a one night stand. In reality, though…”

“In reality, I’m saying no. I’m not going to the party, getting drunk and becoming your play thing. I’m not going to come to school tomorrow with bite marks and be happy that I got them. I thought you knew better than to ask me, Peter.”

“What do you think I am?” Peter asks loudly. “A-”

“A man whore, a player,” You say in a bored tone, picking at a loose thread on your shirt. “An idiot if you think I’d say yes. You changed, Peter.”

Peter leaned closer to you. “I changed? Ha! Look at yourself,” He says. “You’re kind of a bitch now, huh?”

“Shut up before I make you.”

“What? Are you going to kiss me? That’s a little bit cliche, don’t you t-”

With one hand still holding the strap of your backpack, you punched him straight in the nose. Peter stumbled back and almost fell on a passing girl.

“Parker! (Surname)! My office. Now.” Principal Morita was suddenly a couple feet away, glaring at you and Peter.

You groaned and put your head in your hands. You were sitting in a chair outside Morita’s office, waiting for Peter to come out of the integration. When Principal Morita stepped out, you expected to be dismissed, but he called you inside his office and sat you down next to Peter.

“I know that you and Peter used to be friends.” The principal looked at a sticky note, reading off of it. “According to Mrs. Steiner you two were always partners in science, always double delegation in Model United Nations meetings… What happened?”

You refused to look anywhere but your shoes. Principal Morita sighed and drummed his fingers on his desk, deep in thought. “I suppose you two need to talk it out, then. I’m going to leave and shut the door, and both of you are to discuss what happened. Clear?”

You looked up so quickly you almost got whiplash. “What? Wait, sir-”

“Or I could ask Mrs. Steiner to ban you from debate club, (Name).” Principal Morita proposed casually.

You bit your lip and nodded as Morita stepped out of his own office and shut the door. You looked back at the big window spanning an entire walls length and saw the principal walking away. Peter took his phone out and began to plug in earbuds.

“We’re supposed to be talking things out.” You say through gritted teeth, swatting his hand.

“I don’t want to.” Peter mumbles. “Sue me.”

“You’re a disappointment.” You say, staring ahead intently. Out of the corner of your eye, Peter stops fiddling with his earbuds and puts his phone down entirely.

“Yeah?” He snarls. “Well you’re a bitch.”

You put a hand on your chest, faking a hurt expression. “Oh no, the famous hottie Peter Parker thinks I’m a bitch. How shall I live like this?”

You pause and consider shutting up, but pent up anger stops you. “I’m going to ask something and you have to answer honestly,” You say, poking at a piece of lint on your jeans. “What happened to you?”

“I have no idea what-”

“That’s bullshit, Peter!” You shout.

“Fine, holy crap! You wanna know what happened?” Peter snaps. “I gave in! Liz left, my chances of getting the dream girl-gone! And then you were there, fucking helpful as always, and I was complete shit to you for no reason. I was terrible! So instead of saying sorry like a normal person, I avoided you. I’m a coward when it comes to you! I always lose my shit and I don’t know why!”

“Asshole!” You yell, punching his shoulder. “That’s not a reason to walk away! My god, I thought I did something wrong! Ned and Michelle are pissed!”

You leap out of your chair to stand over him. “You’re right, you are a coward. God dammit, I thought you were smart, Parker!”

Peter also stood up, backing you against the principal's desk. “Piss off, will you-”

“Don’t tell me what to-”

“I already confessed-”

“That’s not enough! Go roast in hell!”

Both of you were standing almost chest to chest, hands clenched into fists. You opened your mouth just as he did, and both of you yelled the same the exact same thing.

“FUCK YOU!”

You pressed your lips to his. Peter didn’t react, only stood there with wide eyes as you pulled away. Both of you stared at each other, then leaned in again at the exact same time, lips meeting in a hungry kiss. Without breaking the kiss, Peter hoisted you up on the principal's desk, scattering pens and documents. His hands rested on your hips while yours tangled themselves in his wavy hair, messing it up. You nipped at his bottom lip, earning a suppressed moan from Peter.

The door slapped open and Principal Morita walked in, looking surprisingly pleased instead of angry. Peter and you pulled apart as if shocked, both of you turning a deep scarlet.

“I suppose I should be angry,” Principal Morita says calmly. “But I also think Coach Wilson owes me ten dollars, so I’ll keep it a secret if (Name) promises to keep Parker in check. Understood?”

You and Peter nodded and almost ran out of the office and to the school’s exit. You burst out cackling midway at how ridiculously embarrassing the situation was. Peter skidded to a halt next to the front doors to the school, panting slightly.

“Our principal ships us.” You manage to get out between laughs. “Our fricking principal ships us!”

“I’m not sure how to react.” Peter says, smiling widely.

“Who cares?” You exclaim. “We made out in the principal's office! Holy shit!”

“Does that mean we’re dating?” Peter asks.

“I think so…” You grab his wrist and begin to lead him out of the school, considering the idea of dating. Your expression turns playfully serious. “But if I become your trophy girl I’ll cut your dick off with a pencil sharpener.”

Peter simply beams at you, lacing your fingers in his. “And I’d somehow be okay with that.”

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