#neon dreams ate everyone up | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

goldeneyedgirl · 2 years ago

Text

Ficmas22: Day 5: Hybrid Smut

Happy holidays, I hope everyone is having a good time.

This is something I wrote for Enimia a hot minute ago, but I thought why not. Something spicy to round out the week.

This is for those 18 and older, if you're underage please keep scrolling!

Also, this might be the only first-person smut because wow, that's impossible. Do I regret first-person? Always.

I hadn’t realised that sleeping with Jasper would change our relationship so much, honestly. And Mommy Dearest had told me so many lies and half-truths about vampires, I wasn’t going to rely on half-remembered conversations designed to scare me to guide me through this.

After that first night, Jasper had appeared that afternoon, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek as he sat next to be at the kitchen bench, as Cynthia and I ate lunch. I felt very obvious, like I had a neon sign over my head, and also warm and wondering if it was inappropriate to drag my boyfriend upstairs and into my bed with the entire family home.

Catching the tone of my emotions, Jasper just smirked at me and then asked Cynthia how school was. Cynthia was still riding the high of knowing her sister was dating one of the Cullens; as far as I could tell, my romance with Jasper had increased her social standing, which both Simon and I found hysterically funny.

The closest we got to each other for the next week and a half was a few scorching kisses in my bedroom, Jasper’s hand fumbling under my top and bra to stroke the bite-mark he’d left, something that made me gasp and, unfortunately, alert my father to the fact that we were alone in a room with a bed and the door closed. He and Simon were still determined to slow the pace of my relationship with Jasper, as if that ship hadn’t sailed the second we’d kissed.

I truly wished I could explain everything to them, between my dreams and Jasper’s gift, our relationship, the pace, everything about us was never going to look right to other people. And whilst that didn’t bother me, I wished Dad and Simon would stop trying to get me to confide in them, confess fears to them I didn’t even have. Jasper was and always would be my resting point, my sanctuary. It was how it was always supposed to be.

After Dad banished Jasper and I to the communal areas of the house, we had planned to go to the Cullens; Jasper assured me that most of the rooms were sound-proofed so that they didn’t drive each other nuts, and that no one would question my appearance or our activities.

Except it didn’t go to plan. Everything had gone sour when one of Jasper’s old friends called, needing help. Which had resulted in Jasper and Emmett heading off into the unknown for a week and a half, with only a whispered promise that he’d be back soon to keep me company.

“We’ve got forty five minutes,” I said, as I kicked off my shoes and peeled off my sweater. “Until Dad and Simon get home.”

“Only forty five?” Jasper teased, as he pulled off his shirt and I stopped dead. The boy really was the most delicious thing I’d ever seen, and I was still struck dumb at how handsome he was, and that he was mine.

His chuckle broke my train of thoughts - mostly me picturing all the things I wanted to try out on him - and I looked up into his smug face.

“Enjoying yourself?” he said, pulling me against him. Even though my camisole and bra, I could feel the cool of his skin, and it was making me feel warm. The sensation of skin on skin was intoxicating, and I wanted it again, even if the rational side of my brain was telling me that we were on the clock, and getting completely naked was not the recipe for an efficient encounter.

“I’m going to,” I said as he snagged the hem of my camisole and pulled it up, and over my head.

“I’m sorry we haven’t got longer,” he said, pulling me with him as he sat on my bed, guiding me to straddle his lap. We were both still wearing jeans, but that seemed like a minor issue that would be dealt with later. “I’ve been looking forward to lingering over you.”

“We’ll get time,” I promised, though I had no idea how. “We’ll figure it out.” My hands dropped to his belt, and I felt his hands fumbling at my bra clasp; I smirked when I realised even vampires - specifically mostly-celibate Southern ones - had trouble getting a bra undone.

He tossed my bra aside and then jerked against me as I cupped him through his jeans, and he immediately had me back on my feet to strip my jeans and panties off in one smooth action, before scooping me up and depositing me back amongst the pillows, his eyes dark and laser focused on me as he unzipped his jeans.

I suddenly felt nervous; maybe because it was still afternoon, there was still sunlight filtering through my bedroom window and I felt more aware, more alert in the harsh light of day than I had, cocooned here in my room with Jasper my first time. Or maybe because I knew exactly what was going to happen, how it was going to feel. Somehow anticipation was more nerve wracking than ignorance. Looming over me, Jasper smiled and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

“You’re a maelstrom of emotions right now,” he murmured. “You know we don’t have to...”

“I want to,” I interrupted, staring up into his eyes. Everything about him was safe, was good, and what I wanted. I just had to get out of my own head. “God, I’ve been thinking about this since you left, I’m just a mess.”

“You’re perfect,” Jasper kissed me again and I sighed and leant into it, my hands running through his hair as he began kissing a path down my throat to shoulder and to my breasts. “God, darlin’, I want time to savour you,” he murmured against my skin as his hands grazed over my body; I knew what he wanted, and I was ready and willing. I’d been picturing this since he’d left, imagining how it would feel.

His lips grazed the inside of my thigh suddenly, and I jumped but somehow managed to press closer to his mouth. It felt like nothing else in this world - the grip he had on my thighs, the feeling of his breath and mouth against me, the fact I knew what came next...

It felt wrong in an entirely delicious way, but I wanted him to touch me, to lick me, and to bite into my thigh hard. I wanted him to make me scream, even though that was a terrible idea right now. We needed privacy and time, two things that were elusive right now.

I know I moaned when his fingers filled me, a kiss to my hip as my head fell back into the pillows. My legs were spread obscenely wide, and I could almost make out the murmurs he was muttering into my skin, telling me how much he loved me, how good he wanted me to feel. His thumb brushed against my clit, and I cried out, raising my hips to get closer. I was so close, and it happened so fast.

Without warning, Jasper slid away from me moving up the bed over me, and I whined in protest as he pulled me flush against him, kissing me hard. “I had a thought,” he managed to tell me between kisses.

“A whole one?” I asked, half-panting as Jasper wrapped his arms around me and rolled us over, so I was sprawled out on top of him.

“I want to see you like this,” he said, his voice rough. “It might be... easier for both of us.”

I gaped at him for a moment; the idea of being astride him was a lot but my mind had already run with the idea - how it would feel, the idea of me being bare and exposed to him, how he would look beneath me, and I felt myself nodding as I sat up, Jasper’s eyes focused on me as I knelt up, slowly sinking down on him, my eyes falling closed.

I felt a little punch drunk as I settled against him - I was so goddamn small, and he was big, and felt huge in this position, and it was an intense feeling. His hands stroked over my thighs, before moving to my hips. As soon as I moved against him, I was whimpering; it was like sparks travelling down all my limbs, it was like our first time except magnified. I was already declaring this his very best idea, having me ride him like this.

The pace I set was rough enough for my bed to start rocking, and I knew I’d be feeling this tomorrow, but it was so good, I couldn’t stop myself from rocking against Jasper harder, panting and gasping and begging him. Jasper was holding me tight against him, egging me on and praising me, spitting out filthy suggestions of things we could do with each other.

When Jasper’s hand slipped between my legs to stroke, I cried out, grinding down on him hard as I rode out the wave, before half collapsing on him, letting him thrust into me hard, once, twice, before he clutched at me, half gasping out my name.

Carefully settling me in the bed next to him, Jasper pulled me close, letting me curl up half on him. “That was...” he began. “Fun,” I said, looking up at him. “Your best idea.” “Fun?” he repeated, with a strange look on his face.

“Well, it would have been more fun if you’d gone down on me and bitten me first, but we can workshop it,” I shrugged, trying not to giggle at the look on his face. “You are...” he began, covering his face with his hand, “an absolute terror.” “Perfect, you said earlier. You said I was perfect,” I poked him.

We lay together for a little while; I could easily have dozen off, but that was a recipe for disaster. It wasn’t very long before we heard the backdoor open, and we both rolled out of bed to find our clothes. It was one thing to be caught in my bedroom with my boyfriend, another entirely to be caught naked in bed with him. As Jasper went to kiss me again, he froze, his eyes wide. “What?”

Jasper shook his head, and looked like he simultaneously wanted to laugh and die.

“Cynthia’s training was cancelled this afternoon,” he managed, dragging me out of my bedroom and onto the landing, as my stomach sank.

“...I got home about four,” I could hear Cynthia saying. The girl had been born with a voice that could function as an efficient public-address system. “Alice was definitely having sex with Jasper in her bedroom all afternoon.”

Shit.

#alice cullen #jasper hale #twilight saga #twilight fic #jalice #my fic #my fic: hybrid #my writing #my writing: hybrid #smut #romance #cynthia is there to chaos anarchy at every step

32 notes · View notes

sunnydaleherald · 1 year ago

Text

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, July 13

Spike looks at Tara with a slightly nervous smile. Tara looks innocent. SPIKE: I had ... a ... muscle cramp. Buffy was, uh, helping. TARA: (small grin) A muscle cramp? In your ... (looks down at him, then away) pants? SPIKE: What, it's a thing. TARA: (grinning) Right.

~~Older and Far Away~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

summer_of_giles fic: (if only i could) see the stars by Melacka (Giles/Jenny, PG)

Unpleasant Dreams by fatalfae (Buffy/Angel, T)

(if only i could) see the stars by Melacka (Jenny/Giles, T)

A Moon’s Caring Touch by VolcanicThread (Tara/Spike, Tara/Willow, Buffy/Spike, M)

fear is gonna cost a lot, but courage comes for free by bodytoflame (Xander, Willow, T)

Head Over Feet by TheSunnySlayer (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

just too unreal, all this (haven't you heard a word, how i want you?) - Ch. 1 by BeatriceEveryTuesday (Buffy/Faith, E)

Dream - Ch. 1 by Dusty87 (Buffy/Spike, T)

Slayer and Shadow - Ch. 1-8 by Shanejayell (Buffy/Willow, Faith/Tara, M) COMPLETE!

UCSDoppelganger - Ch. 1 by Amina (Buffy/Spike, G)

Buzzkill - Ch. 1-3 by Blackmysteria (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Don't Fall for Rock Stars - Ch. 5-11 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Keeping Up with Spuffy - Ch. 2 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Part of the Family - Ch. 14-15 by Harlow Turner (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Art of Dying - Ch. 10 by disco-tea (Buffy/Spike, R)

Word of the Day - Ch. 15 by Nupalie (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Neon - Ch. 18-20 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Vampire's Guide to Dating the Slayer - Ch. 10 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Ephemera - Ch. 21-22 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Text Message Memories of Buffy & Spike - Ch. 12 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, G)

Through the Years - Ch. 12 by DarkVoid116 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Dream - Ch. 31-33 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, R)

Doing my best to get back to you (Ain’t nothing I’d rather do) - Ch. 8 by fortes775 (Buffy/Spike, R)

100% pure fluff (ish) - Ch. 14-15 by Amina (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Becoming Us - Ch. 46-47 by BewitchedXx (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Excerpts - Ch. 15 by Holly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Hold My Hand Even Though I’m a Sinner! - Ch. 36 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Seven - Ch. 49 by Holly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Girls Invented Punk Rock, Not England - Ch. 1 by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

The Alphabet of Spuffy - Ch. 5 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Don't Fall for Rock Stars - Ch. 5-11 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Rewatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S6, E3-4 by kimannebb

[Fandom Discussions]

idle thought #482 [characters written by Joss] by madimpossibledreamer

POLL: The Died But Not Dead Tournament - Buffy vs Yharon

What is YOUR Buffy origin story? by nfw22

Does Anya want children? by LittleRoundPika

Reunion: Possibly one of my favourite episodes! [Drusilla discussion] by NewShinyThings

About the Mayor... by C7rl_Al7_1337

I love Spike reaction to seeing Buffy and that his prayers were answered by aeryn1227

Spike getting thrown off by the doc is so unrealistic by sushibananawater

Spike redemption by doraisnotthere

What was your favorite "once more with feeling" song? by Lazy-Aerie7437

What does everyone think of the original Buffy the vampire slayer movie? by Dawny19

Spike and Willow (S4 E7) by cavaliereternally

POLL: Which Buffyverse ship do you prefer of these two? [Lilah x Wesley or Buffy x Spike] by jdpm1991

POLL: who would win in a fight Xander or Wesley by iwillremember4sure

POLL: Best Spike line? by Opening_Knowledge868

Angel Season 3: Becoming a Parent [discussion of ATS S3 and article] by AndrewHeard

The return of Angelus in season 4 [ATS] is disappointing and underwhelming... by jdpm1991

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Angel Season 3: Becoming a Parent - by Andrew Heard

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

#ats #angel the series #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #fan fiction #meta #fan art

2 notes · View notes

cthonicascendant · 2 years ago

Note

Just fucking all of them

vvell if you in5i5t

Fuzzy socks - What is something that made you smile today? vve got to meet tvvo of our tumblr friend5 in per5on vvhich vva5 technically la5t night but 5ince it happened on the 11th an im 5tartin to an5vver thi5 on the 11th im callin it today Soft blanket - Did you drink and eat enough today? maybe not 5ure Strawberry milk - What is your favorite (hot) beverage? black coffee not that i eVer get to drink it no more thank5 to mir Cupcake - Do you have a comfort food? If so, what is it? uh chocolate i gue55 i alvvay5 vvant chocolate vvhen im 5ad Teddy bear - Do you own any plushies? Please tell me about them! i only ovvn a manta ray plu5h it5 about the 5ize of a dinner plate an dark blue rainbovvy fabric Tulip - What is your favorite flower? one a them i5 dandelion5 Bunny - When was the last time you saw a wild animal and what was it? 5ome kind a bird out in the parkin lot here earlier Fluffy cloud - Do you think clouds are made of cotton candy? im too auti5tic for thi5 all i can think i5 they are literally vvater Vapor Warm milk - What is something that makes you feel comfortable? haVin 5omethin around my neck Angel - What was your last dream about? it vva5 i dont knovv i had the Vague impre55ion a bein at vvork but that dont make 5en5e becau5e that vvould be a nightmare an i mo5tly vvoke up thinkin that it vva5 a vveird dream Vanilla - What is your favorite scent? campfire 5moke Biscuit - Do you like to cook / to bake? no not really crovv i5 the baker Kitty paw - Do you have any pets? not at the moment Sprinkle - How old are you? (if you are comfortable sharing) fifteen 5vveep5 Pillow - What are five (or more) things that make you happy? bein in bed gettin attention uh vveed uh chocolate uhhh 5pendin time vvith friend5 vvait that5 ju5t gettin attention Puppy - What is something that you like about yourself? eVerythin vvhat5 there to not like

Pastel - What is your favorite color? Violet an teal Slipper - What is your favorite clothes? current faVorite outfit i5 thi5 turtleneck vve got vvith me5h 5leeVe5 an a royal blue an neon green plaid 5kirt got to be vvorn vvith boot5 an 5ome kind a bright legging5 la5t time i vvore it i vvent vvith the glittery 5tar print tight5 Cat nose - What color does your phone-case have? it5 a gradient from neon green through yellovv orange an then finally pink Soft fur - How are you feeling right now? Vaguely entertained Chocolate milk - If you are comfortable with it, share your phone’s wallpaper im goin to pa55 on thi5 one becau5e i think my notification5 vvould giVe eVeryone el5e anxiety /lighthearted actually im 5kippin becau5e im doin thi5 on my computer an dont feel like figurin out hovv to get a 5creen5hot in here vvithout fuckin up the formattin Animal Crossing - What is the last video game you played? pokemon cry5tal Sugar - How many siblings do you have? tvvo Popcorn - Do you prefer movies or shows? moVie5 Blush - What is your favorite season and why? fall it5 nice an cool an the leaVe5 are pretty Sparkle - What are some of your wishes? not feelin like an5vverin thi5 one 5orry Love - Are you in a relationship? all in 5y5 at the moment but yeah Pajamas - Are you an early bird or do you rather sleep in? vvere nocturnal Cream puff - What was the last thing you ate and did you like it? it vva5 a burger from vvendy5 an it vva5 alright Meow - Share a random fact about yourself, please ok you knovv thi5 i5 really long did you really haVe to 5ay all of them im tired here uhhhh the only thing i cant do left handed i5 vvrite neatly Warmth - Do you like to cuddle? once i get to knovv you ye5 Cozy - How many pillows do you have in your bed? like four or fiVe Glitter - What color are your eyes? MY eye5 are Purple like in my icon the body ha5 a different eye color obViou5ly Cinnamon - What are some about your hobbies? obViou5ly dravvin i al5o do a bit a paintin on the 5ide an knittin an im 5till tryin to learn diVination vvith card5 Unicorn - Do you believe in magic? i think it5 fake but vvhateVer im not goin to go policin vvhat other people do Butterfly - If you could live anywhere you like, what would you choose? i vvould vvant a nice hou5e near a city or eVen better like the entire floor of a buildin in the city dont knovv exactly vvhich one yet Princess - Do you prefer to wear skirts, dresses or pants? 5kirt5 not that i get to much Bonbon - Do you rather like sweet or salty snacks? 5alty

#Void5ong #ask game response #anonymous #long post #me i hope that fuckin read more vvork5 #there you go #fuckin #all a them

2 notes · View notes

albinoratman2200 · 22 days ago

Text

heres the dream I had with Killian!

okay, CW ahead as it does deal with rape, this is Killian after all

we start out walking together down a street in evening, his arm around me as either a romantic gesture or to keep me from running

he takes me to a dive bar, everyone there seems to know him and the places only light is a neon wall sign

we sit together at a table

as I sit there, a vision of his past victims being abused in the dive flash before my eyes, I know I'm not going to get out of this though

so, I drink a long island cocktail and hope to black out and forget it in the morning

I start to get bleary eyed and drunk

thats when Lynch reaches for his zipper

he took me by the shoulders and lead me to the center of the room

and pushed me down to my knees

click here for the next panel as it's too much for tumblr, then here for the next

the patrons begin to laugh at the show

I could tell Killian was amused too

my throat was thoroughly destroyed and I swallowed most of it

I rushed to the restroom, needing to be alone and to clean up

I said in my shaking voice, some latin song that I do to calm down, Killian watches from the corridor

a meal was at our table and I ate it, feeling hungry

I realize Lynch wasn't there and make a break for it

I run and run for my life out into the night

m legs felt heavy, like they were made of lead

Killian didn't even need to sprint to catch up to me

he puts his arm around my shoulder and asks me if I want lunch, I point out that we just ate

and he walked away with me

#julius doherty #killian lynch #sanityshorror #hellcrew #hellcrew fanart #once I dreamnt

0 notes

saltymcsaltything · 2 years ago

Photo

Hard no to the "Babies NEED color and bold designs" comment, because babies are individuals with individual neurology and sensory needs. Sometimes those needs are very different from the norm and bright colors can be painfully intense, sometimes those needs mean living on the surface of the sun might not be stimulating enough.

There is nothing wrong or harmful about a muted, or even monochrome nursery if that is what works best for the child. Looking through some of these photos I see plenty of options that would have been fine for me, but others would be painfully intense or visually overstimulating (those yellow curtains are horrifying and the multicolored walls with what I think is some sort of stylized rainforest pattern would give me vertigo) but I would have lived the monochrome hellscape as a kid with maybe some purple or dark blue thrown in because it would be calming.

Yes, it is bad to force a near colorless aesthetic on your child if that isn't their sensory need, but it is just as bad to default to hypersaturated primary colors and busy patterns. Kids with sensory differences need accessible spaces in both directions and parents and educators need to learn to figure out how to understand a child's needs and try different options to accommodate. My room as a kid was usually pretty plain out of necessity because we moved a lot and rented so we weren't painting walls, and my mom and dad kept to darker, less saturated solid colors for decor because the toys of our era were more than enough color to brighten the room, and it was pretty clear that for my brother and I, but *especially* me, we would not play with toys that were too bright. I hated yellow as an infant to the point where my Dad didn't even wear his default Dad costume of a worn bright yellow t-shirt or polo on me because they figured out made me nauseous.

Once we were old enough to articulate our needs, we picked our own colors. We got to veto any clothes that were bought without our input (gifts from relatives).

At school, the worst time for me was at an off base school in 2nd grade with a very "modern" (for the 80's) design. The colors were nauseatingly bright, there were no real walls between classrooms (just accordion fold partitions). The walls were a sickly yellow. I had meltdowns for the first time at that school and cried almost every day. I hated school until we moved on base where the school was a historical building in Spanish colonial style built in the early 1930's with bare stucco walls and earthy reds and oranges as the only accent color. I didn't get vertigo or throw up multiple times a week, and I couldn't hear everyone on the entire wing through paper-thin non-walls. I loved that environment so much that it is still the default setting for every dream I have about school, even when it's a dream about going back to college.

There is no one right answer for the right environment for kids. Keep the normative bullshit out of the conversation and treat babies like humans who have needs that you are responsible for addressing. Nobody is a psychopath for having a monochrome nursery - you do not know if that is the right chooofor that baby. And neurodivergent parents exist too and have to be able to tolerate the space too. It may require compromise.

Learn your kids sensory needs, and don't act like growing up without sleeping and playing in a neon striped hellscape creates unhealthy minds. For some of us, it was very much the opposite - most of the child psychologists pushing the "kids need stimulation" shit were coming up during my childhood. You wanna know the only place in my base school that I literally dreaded? The counselor's office. He ate that crap up, and the times I was required to talk to him - we all had a consult annually back then - I kept my eyes averted from the toys and posters and other decorations as much as possible.

Half of the posts in this thread are actively hostile to sensory sensitive minds and bodies, the rest are casually hostile. All if you need to do better.

109K notes · View notes

campmurderparty · 9 months ago

Text

prudencia & arjun.

She never had such a sweet dream before. She never had recurring dreams, certainly not dreams where she returned to the same place every night for two weeks straight. Mostly, she dreamt in artistic splotches of color, vague figures, and memories that played out differently than the reality of what happened. In this place, this park with its beautiful neon butterflies and vibrant greens, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It felt like a fairyland, a magical realm she had all to herself, where nothing bad ever happened and she never remembered all the pain of her past. The sun always shined, unlike the overcast days of her waking world, and it never rained. In her sleep, she was alice and she never wanted to leave wonderland—there were no evil queens or cheshire cats, only herself and the most pure feeling of happiness she ever experienced in her life.

Only she didn’t have it all to herself. Not anymore. The stranger in front of her, his face finally revealed after days of only seeing him in her periphery, didn’t seem to quite fit their fantastical surroundings. He felt real. He didn’t feel like a dream—a reminder of the real world that waited for when she would wake up in the morning. At his comment, she leaned forward instinctively to study his face. “Is that true?” prudencia asked. She had never heard that before, but she supposed it made sense. Only… “because i don’t think i’ve seen you before? I think i would’ve remembered you.” because he was handsome, she meant, but her meaning was obvious in a coquettish fluttering of her lashes.

“Pomegranates?” prue parroted, eyes widening slightly. There was a brush of recognition in her, but she couldn’t parse out the reference. She looked back over her shoulder at the picnic basket. “Nope, no fruit. Just sandwiches and juice.” prue returned her gaze to her dream-sharer. “Why? Are you hungry?” she was a naturally caring person, but her job as an elementary school teacher forced her to be overly attentive to everyone’s needs. Now that she thought about it, though, she never actually ate the food in her picnic basket—perhaps she had been waiting for him all this time. Did one person a picnic make, or could it only be called that if there were two?

“What’s your name?” prue asked suddenly, her hands clasping together at her front. If this dream was to be her perfect world, then she’d enjoy a meal with a man that liked her in a warm world where it was always spring. “I’m prudencia, but you can call me prue. Everyone does… except for my students. Then I’m Ms. Diaz.” there was a slight girlish giggle to her voice. If there was anything she loved more than her dream world, it was the students at her school.

0 notes

tokyoheiku · 9 months ago

Text

Japan 2024

Finally, after 12 years, I went back to Japan for nearly a month! It's a trip that's been a long time coming; a trip I've had many, many dreams about lol. After losing my passion for Japan/Japanese by the time my degree ended (for various reasons), it took a few years before I was toying with the idea of going back, particularly to see friends who had decided to go and move there (or already lived there) post-university. And then of course you've got to factor in time and cost. 2020 was the first time things seemded to be aligning and I really thought I might go back, but then, well, obviously I couldn't.

Then late last year, a friend (let's call her M) I recently got back in contact with happened to be planning her own Japan trip, and from time to time would mention that I should come along. I was hesitant at first (time and money!) but after thinking it over I realised that actually, for lots of reasons, this lined up pretty perfectly with my current life situation. So I agreed and we booked the trip!

This is a summation of that trip :D In parts cuz I can only upload so many photos per post -

Week 1! Tokyo

Our flight was indirect: Heathrow --> Helsinki --> Narita, with Finnair, who I have to hand it to, did a fantastic job. The planes were so nice and modern, and neither flight caused me any ear pain, which is a massive deal for me - if you've flown with me before, you'll know. Not to mention, the second flight only had 70 people on it...! So we were able to lay down. In economy! Plus we had some reindeer pasta during our layover in Helsinki, so now I can say I've done that. As flights go, (and for my first ever layover flight) it was possibly one of the best I've ever been on. Even though it was dragging toward the end of the 13 hours.

I don't know exactly what I had expected when arriving back in Japan, but it was so easy to just pick up where I left off. Everything was familiar, I was able to speak the language, I was finally returning to places I used to live.. it's amazing how quicky the brain just normalises these things. It was almost like I'd never left and those 12 years turned into nothing. This time I also had the added bonus of lots of pre-trip research, and google maps/translate (which I mostly needed for kanji every so often.!). I felt more at home than I did during my year abroad, I think. And in a far, far better mindset, to boot. I feel like I was able to take things in more; to experience the differences more. Or maybe I just don't remember what it was like 12 years ago lol

Something that catches your attention immediately in Japanese cities (apart from the neon) are the smells - walking by the many, many restaurants you'll get passing wafts of amazing smelling Japanese food. London cannot compete...! And for our first meal we ate at Torikizoku, an izakaya (pub-esque places where you can order Japanese 'tapas' style dishes for cheap) chain, and it was just immediately so heartening; even chain Japanese food is better than any Japanese food we can get in the UK. And my god, the price. I know the yen is weak right now which really worked in our favour this trip, but even so. A full meal for around £7 each.

It'd be an incredibly long post if I went day by day, so here are highlights of week one, separated by activities, and food

Activities:

Wandering around Shimokitazawa! I used to go fairly frequently since it was only a couple of stops away from Meidaimae, my station, which we also dropped into for that taste of nostalgia. Shimokitazawa is known for being a bit hipster, with a lot of vintage clothing shops. It's a nice change of vibe from the bigger areas like Shinjuku/Shibuya etc.

Night out in Shinjuku, at Psy Bar! One of the many, many tiny little bars dotted around Shinjuku/Kabukicho, this one was specifically rock/metal music themed and could house maybe 15 people? The guy behind the bar was already wasted, and a huge personality. Everyone was really friendly and the music was great. Definitely worth experiencing :D

Magical Lollipop Maid Cafe - we had to go to at least one! This one was themed around magical girls in training trying to become powerful enough to protect their customers. Despite the theme, it was pretty subdued compared to some other maid cafes but it was nice to chat to the maids and, of course, have our own omuraisu drawn on

Team Lab Planets - worth a mention mainly for the LED room tbh. I didn't think it was as good as it's made out to be, but then again it's so overhyped that that's pretty difficult. Worth experiencing, I think.

Muscle Girl Bar - absolutely fantastic. A++++. Only in Japan. The photos speak for themselves. M got slapped by like 8 muscley women and I got carried by two.

Food:

Fluffy Japanese pancakes from Flippers - dear god these are so light and fluffy and delicious and absolutely worth having if you ever go

Nabezou - a restaurant chain that does hotpot style dishes - specifically, in my case, SUKIYAKI! This is maybe my favourite meal of all time

Fancy yakiniku - yakiniku, but fancy

Zarusoba - a dish I'd never had before but have really come to enjoy: cold soba noodles you dip in a sauce. M ordered this tempura squid side dish which I ended up absolutely loving despite always having had reservations about squid in the past

Konbini bento boxes - the fried chicken/rice one was particularly good :D

Noteworthy mentions:

Shopping in Shibuya - it's worth traversing around 109 just to have a look.

Pokemon Centres - by the end of week 1 we'd already hit up a few

Cat Cafes - same here lol

Atami - a seaside town 40 minutes away from Tokyo by bullet train, where we went to the plum blossom garden

It's possible I front-loaded week 1 a little too much, but it ended up being so, so much fun - even if incredibly exhausting lol. By week 2 I was already feeling like I had eaten too much...!

A few things I took note of -

Japan is just so convenient. Everything this country does is to aid in helping make people's lives a little bit easier; diametrically opposed to England in that sense...! Having convenience stores literally everywhere really is so convenient, and the vending machines as well. There are drug stores on every corner, Starbucks on every other corner.. you could come to Japan with your passport and phone and immediately be within 5 minutes of everything you could possibly need.

On the flip side, they're obsessed with 1 ply toilet paper??? I get it, conservation etc, but if you're gonna go hard on conservation efforts, cut down on the plastic, Japan, not the toilet paper lol

Getting around takes time. Even if a train journey only takes 5 minutes, walking around the massive stations will take 10, and if you're outside, you've got to wait ages for traffic lights to change..!!! This was true everywhere I went, not just the metropolis that is Tokyo. Maybe it's different further out from the cities though.

Oh, and jingles. Jingles everywhere. I love them :')

Week 2 next!

0 notes

madaboutmunson · 2 years ago

Text

Everlong - Part 1 - Stacked Actors (Let Me Call You Sweetheart Part 2)

Warnings: References to violence, murder, injury. imprisonment. Guitars. Otherworldly communication. Angst. Fluff. Monitoring.

Taglist (if you want to be added/removed let me know 💚):

@aedicn

@munchabunch

"You know, I count myself lucky to be one of the few that got out alive that night, and having the privilege of a safe space, with friends, to recover." You smile and force the tears to come, just like you rehearsed, just like you did for every reporter.

"So, why do you think you are in there whilst the rest of your alleged friends are out here on the other side of the glass?" The reporter, thinks they're asking a revolutionary question, giving a slight side eye to Dustin and Steve, but it's just like clockwork. They all did this they all wanted you to know they were on your side, but they had absolutely no idea what happened that night. Henderson, Harrington and the rest of the band did.

The government had obviously got involved, convinced people of other things, another big fire for the history books. You were labelled an arsonist, a disgruntled young person, who had been brainwashed by enigmatic man who had apparently also died in the fire. A big neon sign so that people had nothing to fear from you personally, you were just a confused kid, who made a bad choice. It just happened to be a big one.

A year and a half later and the reporters were still coming, less now, but much more niche.

The initially reporters wanted to paint you as what you deserved, a killer, a devil, a demon, born evil, corruptor.

Over the last month or so they'd changed, the people coming wanted to hear your story, the harsh environment you had grown up in, how that had thrust you into the arms of someone who showed you an ounce of care, Eddie. It killed you to lie about him, but Mr Harrington did not believe for second, you would have been capable of anything you had done, if Eddie hadn't been involved. You were such a good kid before meeting Eddie. Part of you knew you were a timebomb, part of you didn't know if Eddie had been the spark or not, but you blamed him for nothing.

"I've been told that I caused some people serious injury that night. No part of me wants to be out there until everyone, including myself, is happy I won't do anything like that again. I can't take back what happened, but I just want to assure everyone that I am genuinely deeply sorry and want to make amends if they will allow me" You give the reporter the look they want as the camera next to them snaps. That doe eyed pout look, the slightly furrowed brow, on the verge of tears. They just ate up that shit.

It wasn't that you didn't care about the lives lost, you did, truly. The scenes haunted your wandering thoughts and dreams, but it all would have been worth it, if you hadn't been interrupted, if you hadn't had to make that choice. Fix everything, or save Eddie. Though in the moment it didn't feel like much of a choice, her voice screamed in your brain to save him, so you did.

Communities of people online campaigned for your release, labelling Dustin as a rich tyrant, Mr Harrington as his accomplice.

You look behind the reporter for a second and meet the eyes of Dustin Henderson, who is watching your every micro expression, and has a drone trained on you with a sedative if you make one false move. You look to the other side and meet Mr Harrington's happy face. He's beaming at you proudly, giving you a secret thumbs up when the visitors and Dustin aren't looking.

"Do we mind if we get a shot of the scar?" She asks politely, but you can see the morbid fascination in her eyes. She wanted to see want it looks like after you get impaled on a guitar and live.

"Absolutely, no problem" you smile, stand up, take off your suit jacket and gently lift your shirt, untucking it to reveal the uneven divoted flesh at the site of impact and exit. You move side to side as the camera rapidly clicks.

"Does it still hurt?", She asks, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, drinking in that delicious scar tissue.

"Sometimes I get these twinges, but it's nothing compared to what happened to others. I am very lucky, truly." You say tucking your shirt back in and putting your blazer back on.

Softly smiling back at her and the photographer, who is now taking some wider shots of your living quarters, or as most people would call it, your cell. Mr Harrington had encouraged you to be using positive language to keep your spirits up.

"Do you think, you will ever play again?" She asks tilting her head, purposefully revealing the pick necklace that matched the one you had played with that night at The Jackroller. She wanted you to know, she was entirely on your side, but they all did. They wanted something exclusive.

You weren't allowed to see it, but every single interview they brought up that video of you in the bar 'The Jackroller'. How it's still circulated. The thousands of copies of the guitar that had been made. The copies of the picks. Even your handmade Unholy Angel t-shirt had been officially released as merch by the band. And the song? That was played everywhere now, not just in metal clubs, but in restaurants, at parties, in the background of adverts.

All battle of the bands footage and photos had been allegedly lost, anything that ever did crop up was so unbelievable it was dismissed as fake, because how could any of that have possibly happened.

"I'll play again when it's deemed safe for me to do so." You answer kindly and smile over at Dustin and Mr Harrington, then back to her.

"Do you miss it?" She almost whispers, leaning forward in her seat.

You venture into the dramatic for her. You look down at the ground and swallow. Look back up to lock her eyes with yours, and sigh, "Desperately" you say etching pain across your face and touching at your scar.

And there it is, the pity on her face, even the photographer this time. You were getting better at this.

She shuffles forward to ask another, but she is interrupted, "That's your time up." Dustin says sharply.

The reporters expression for a second changes to anger, before putting her own mask on to address Dustin, a big brilliant white smile, "So, sorry, I lost track of time. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Do you mind if I get a picture with them?"

Dustin hated this part. He felt as though he was putting someone in danger every time he allowed it. That this time you'd flip out and do something.

Unfortunately this was Mr Harrington's idea, showing people they had nothing to fear from you, you could be rehabilitated, you had been rehabilitated.

As everyone steps into the cell, you stand back giving them room and position yourself in a space, so they could organise you all however they wanted. She goes for an arm around the waist, her fingers hovering over the scar, she's so desperate to touch, and your arm around her shoulders. You have your other hand in your pocket.

You feel her arm tremble against you, "It's alright" you say gently, "You look great" she beams up at you and you both turn to the camera as the shutter snaps a few times.

As the photographer sets the timer for his own photo opportunity, she turns to you for a hug and whilst embraced whispers, "We're so close to getting you out of here. They can't keep you here forever."

As you part you say, "I have to stay here as long as it takes, but thank you for your support. It means a lot. Truly" You say as you put your hands over your heart.

The photographer wants a picture where you throw up the devil horns on your hands and Mr Harrington looks unsure, "Y/N I just don't think it's a good look, you know? You've been doing so well, and a picture like that on the wrong side of social media could be bad news"

You nod at Mr Harrington, and settle into the same arm drape as previously.

Once your visitors leave, Dustin is on you straight away, "What did she say to you?" He asks impatiently locking you back up.

"Same thing they always say, They'll get me out of here. They don't understand how much I want that, but I have to get better first." You glance over at Mr Harrington with slight forced smile, and he returns a proud one.

Dustin was a brick wall when it came to you, but Steve Harrington was malleable, he truly believed in you.

He'd been your boss at Harrington's Records for a while before the incident, in his 50's now, still a full head of head, always dressed in some variety of suit and loafer combo, unless it was a cookout, then it was those retro shorts and a polo or t-shirt. He had a bus load of kids, never could keep a romantic relationship together for long, even when trying his hardest. Despite everything he treated you like one of his own, he sincerely believed you'd done the work and got well enough.

Whilst Dustin Henderson was resistant to you, he was not resistant to his buddy Steve, and that's how you were making steps. Your bargains with Mr Harrington transformed into bargains with Henderson.

Eat your food for a while week, you'd get to see the guitar. Do your therapy work and you'd get to walk around outside, under intense guard of course. Complete interviews and paint your captors in a good light, and maybe your get a step closer to freedom.

Other things effecting the situation in your favour, the backlash that their businesses were taking by keeping you locked up here. Individually they could live comfortably, but it was their dependants, their families and their employees that were suffering.

Apparently the twist of opinion in the public court could be traced back to one source. A social media group had popped up one day "Free Our Guitar Hero", original creator unknown.

It sat with one post for months, just the video of you playing at The Jackroller.

Then a comment "Are they saying this kid caused absolute carnage in a room full of security, and all they had was their guitar, and then some how escaped past all of them and set fire to everything? Please make it make sense at least 😂"

Then leaked photos of injuries on bodies, "There is no sign of fire damage at all".

Analysis of photos taken outside immediately after the incident, "These are government agent vehicles, not a standard fire department vehicle in sight"

That was all the internet needed, a drop in the ocean.

A snowflake, that formed a snowball, that caused an avalanche.

Mr Harrington points his hand towards you from the other side of the transparent wall, "See, Henderson? They know, and they're trying, even their therapist is satisfied. We absolutely cannot keep them locked up in here forever. You have enough security on them to take down a tank. The ankle bracelet, the drones and the occasional sniper. They are just a kid, Dustin. A kid who made a bad choice. Let's not repeat the mistakes we made with Eddie, ok?" Mr Harrington implores Dustin, "And besides they can get back out there, everyone will be off our backs, and they get a chance at a life."

"Steve, you were in that auditorium too. You saw what they did. It's too dangerous." Dustin says flatly.

"Yes, I was there, and you know what I saw. Eddie, and those guitars. They don't have any of those things anymore, come on Dustin. You know this." He's practically begging.

"Has it occurred to you, at all, Steve, that one of the most dangerous things, about all of this is, we only know where one of those things is?!!" Dustin snaps at him.

"Dustin, please, we don't want an Eddie version two point zero ok. There hasn't been any indication of an incident for over a year and a half now."

"Oh yeah? What about all the outbursts, and the talking to themselves, huh? What about that?" Dustin counters.

Steve's hands go to his hips pushing his blazer open, and he frowns at Dustin with absolute disappointment, "And if you were trapped in a cell, with nothing to do, with no visitors for the last six months, no creative outlet, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you maybe, get a little wound up? Wouldn't you maybe lose your temper? Wouldn't you self soothe, Dustin?"

Dustin's eyes go to Steve's and he softens a tiny amount.

Steve takes his opportunity, "All I'm saying is, with all the security measures we have in place. They could do some things. They could play *a* guitar, one that you have built, one that has some fancy do-hickey shut off or something, ok? The phone is ringing off the hook for them to perform again, just like one song. They'd love it, it'd get those fanatics off our backs and they'd leave our families alone, Dustin." Mr Harrington gestures to you again, "They are just a kid. Let's not let history repeat itself Dustin, please. I can't...I can't go through that again."

Dustin looks at the ground, then at you and back up at Steve, "I build the guitar" is all he says before walking out of the area.

Your face erupts into a giant smile, setting off the ever circling drone to scan you for a sudden change in mood. Mr Harrington frantically flips out his tablet and starts jabbing at the buttons.

"It's fucking joy, you piece of robotic shit! It's joy alright???! Calm the fuck down" he shouts at the drone, as it dances around you threatening you with its dart.

For effect you cower, sending Mr Harrington into full Dad mode, his hands planted on his hips, as he shouts into the camera, "THEY'RE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY MIGHT GET TO PLAY A GUITAR ALRIGHT ITS NOT A THREAT. AT LEAST ONE OF YOU NERDS UP THERE SHOULD KNOW WHAT HAPPINESS IS. JESUS CHRIST, TURN IT OFF, BEFORE I GO GET MY BAT AND TURN IT OFF FOR YOU!"

The dart immediately clicks back up into the drone, and Mr Harrington re-enters the cell to embrace you, "Hey there champ, it's ok. It's ok now" he gently shushes and brushes over your hair with his hands, as your face is firmly planted into his shoulder.

"Champ, Ha!" You hear Eddie scoff "He used to hug me like that too you know, before he stopped visiting, and left me to rot. Fucking Coward. Do not trust him to have your best interests, he's thinking about his family first Y/N. Not you." Eddie tone softens, " However he is proving to be invaluable, so you just need to keep this facade up a little more, ok? We're almost there." You hear Eddie whisper in your mind.

You take a peek over Mr Harrington's shoulder, and can just about make the glimmer of Eddie as he passes. He's so faint to the eye, to see him he had to be in motion and it almost looked like dust particles dancing through rays of light, impossible to detect. However, his touch and his words in your mind were by far the easiest ways to know he was there without alerting anyone else. So this kind of telepathic walkie channel is all you really had to communicate with one another.

It had started with the dance around your cell, but there had been the lights and the radio, all of which were dead giveaways to Steve and Dustin. The talking to him aloud had caused a stir, and you couldn't write to him he couldn't see anything here. Wherever he was, it was this location, but somewhere else in time. Even if Eddie did had the power to do so, making a tear between planes in this cell could mean trouble for you both.

You just had to be so careful, freedom was so close you could almost reach out and grab it. Once you were out of here, once you weren't under cameras 24/7 you could talk freely, maybe even meet up.

Eddie still had his guitar, so he had the means to generate the gateway, but yours was locked up tight and that was under stricter surveillance than you were.

Mr Harrington releases you and holds your chin up, "Not long now kiddo, and you can come home, ok? You're doing so well"

You give him a warm smile, "Thanks for believing in me Mr Harrington. Especially when no one else seems to. Any word from my folks or the band?" You inquire with your most needy voice.

You know full well you'll never hear from your parents again, that was completely impossible on the grounds you'd murdered them. The members of Unholy Angel were unlikely to speak to you again until they ran out of material or Terry's recent marriage failed.

Mr Harrington puts a hand on your shoulder, and looks down at the ground sadly before looking back up at you, "Nothing just yet, champ. Nothing just yet."

"Are people really asking for me to play Mr Harrington? Even after what I did?" You call after him as he's leaving and locking you back up again. A huge smile spreads across his face, "Every single day. You would not believe the offers we've had through. I'm not just talking about pay to play, I'm talking people that want to send you to college. Musicians from all over want you on their record, even if it's recorded right here, and they have to sample it. Don't even get me started on the fan mail" he says flicking his hand down at you.

"I get fan mail?" You ask, this is genuinely news to you. You knew about the support online, you had no idea they knew where you were. That had its own concerns attached to it.

"You sure do. I mean all the gifts we donate elsewhere, you know?" He gulps nervously, "And I've saved you most of the letters. Understandably I can't give you them now"

You nod in agreement, "Thank you for donating the gifts it's the best place for them. I don't deserve them really. Same with the letters. They should probably go too" you worry if that might have been a step too far, a sprinkling too much of martyr, but Eddie disagrees.

"Oooof, right in the ventricles" Eddie laughs for only you to hear. You peer up at Mr Harrington, who's hand is literally in the center of his chest, clutching at the heart you just smashed.

"Everything ok Mr Harrington?" You say sweetly moving you chair back to its usual corner

"Yep" he croaks through a breaking voice.

"See you tomorrow then, maybe?" You smile over at him.

"Yep" he manages again holding back his tears, before leaving.

"Wow! He's going straight up there now... He's...oh shit, he's pulling that card...fuck...right ok act normal...act normal" Eddie says frantically.

The door to the visiting area bursts open. It's Dustin, "Look I don't know what kind of games your playing with Steve but it needs to stop, ok? I have an idea, that Steve is happy with, but you just need to be patient, right? I have a busines to run. I don't need Steve bending my ear about you all day"

"I'm in no rush for anything" you offer innocently.

A micro sneer appears on Dustin's mouth. You couldn't win him over this way, it had to be via his own methods, it had to be trust.

You approach the cell wall nearest him, and he steps back the drone zooms right up to your neck, and you shut your eyes bracing for the sharp sting, but it doesn't come, you open one eye cautiously, and then the other.

"Listen I am really trying here Mr Henderson. Being cooped up in here is taking a toll on me, and I know...god I know I deserve worse, but please if there is a way to prove to you I can live out there, keep my head down, let me, please." This might be the most genuine thing you've said all day.

You look him in his tired eyes, all of this was affecting him too. For a moment there is a glimmer of belief, but something must occur to him and the stern expression is back.

"You'll get your chance soon enough" he says leaving, and trying in vain to slam the door behind him.

"It's messing up our plans, but I kinda admire the little shrimp, sticking to his guns like that." Eddie chuckles, "Veeeery smart, that one. I'm fairly certain you'll end up at Harrington's though, and I can get there easy enough. Well not like turning up on the doorstep, but in the vicinity"

Your heart races at the thought. You hadn't felt anything other than a shared common goal with Eddie previously, except for the moments the guitar had been around. However since Terry stopped visiting, Eddie was all you had for comfort, and more than that you had nothing to hide from him. You weren't sure how much you could hide from him, even if you wanted too, with him floating around in your mind and such.

He'd never brought it up, but you did wonder if he knew. If he new that something was growing. You tried to keep it buried deep or shut it down when it flurried in your mind, but you could feel those feelings of infatuation creeping their way through you. Sometimes it felt like nothing more than a sigh, other times it was verging on yearning.

Thinking about it like this now, and Eddie being silent, made you wonder still. You decide to grab a book and start reading. Your hand has instinctively reached for a random book, you turn it in your hands, Dracula, and you immediately go to return it.

"Dracula, huh? Interesting choice for the evening" you can hear him grin.

"How did you..." You start to think, as he can't see what you can see here.

"You thought the title and this is where I've mapped the bookcase to" he interrupts matter of factly.

"Of course yeah. I'm always surprised this title made it in here." You say lying on your bed, opening up the book.

"Oh I'll think you'll find it's one of Steve's favourites, or at least it was" You hear the tinge of sadness in his tone. Something had happened between Eddie, Dustin and Steve. Dustin hardly got any of Eddie's ire, but Steve got it with both barrels.

It sounded as though Eddie becoming a vampire, had made them much closer initially, but then something changed and Steve left Eddie behind. And that, had completely broken Eddie. Broken him to the point of attempting to alter time.

"Read it to me?" Eddie asks as gently as he can. His voice always with an air of command. Maybe over the years he'd just got used to talking to people like that, it was a much easier way to get what he wanted out of them.

It was an easy enough request to fulfill because Eddie could hear your thoughts anyway, you just couldn't skim read anything. As you start reading you, feel the slightest of something brush your arm, your try to keep your eyes focused on the words but the emerging goosebumps are terribly distracting.

"Don't mind me" Eddie says, "Continue" .

You aren't sure when it happens exactly but you've fallen asleep, at first all you see is darkness but then your eyes open to a meadow, in its spring prime. In your hand a basket filled with purples, yellows and greens. The wicker of the basket gently rustles over the long grass, your free hand dancing over its blades as you walk through it. You feel more peaceful and content than you have ever done in your entire life, the sun is doing just the right amount of shining, and if it gets a bit too enthusiastic a breeze swings through the landscape, to remind it, this day is for you.

As you walk further, the tranquillity subsides as a creeping dread crawls up your spine as you step from the wild grass to the man-worn path, to leave the comfort of the wilderness behind for the necessary evil of civilisation.

Passing the first store the head turns, whispers and glares begin. You don’t understand why, you look down at yourself for any horrors but other than having grubby bare feet you cannot understand what makes them look at you this way.

You walk deeper into the town, the buildings start to become more tightly packed together and they grow in height, looming over you, giving you a sense of being trapped. Your eyes dart around and you pick up your place, if you could just get there, wherever there was, you would be safe.

As your pace picks up so do the whispers and gossiping, “Witch” you hear one say, another spits on the ground towards you, but you give them no attention and continue on your way.

Your hand lunges for the door handle and the bell above it chimes as you enter, a little out of breath, taking a deep breath in, the multitude of scents around the place fill your senses. Lavender, Rose, Mint, and Camomile and you feel some of that fear lift from your shoulders.

“Ah there you are” an older voice croaks out, “Lets see what you have for me today”. Your head turns to a wizened old man behind the counter, and a wave of relief washes over you as you make your way over offering up the basket to him.

“Ah wonderful, wonderful, yes exactly what we needed today, how did you know?” the old man smiles and chuckles, “No, no don't tell me your secrets, girl. I enjoy the magic of it all.”

The man turns his head to the doorway behind him, “Aimon, come out here lad, there is someone you need to meet.”

The hurried sound of shoes on wood, and a young man appears, tight dark curls atop his head, in his finery, but also smudges on his fingertips and face, probably from working the pestle and mortar you figure.

“Aimon, this is Yedda, one of our most valued suppliers. Yedda this is my new apprentice Aimon” You brace yourself with a smile, unsure how someone new might react to you. The apprentice turns to you and time slows.

Some of the deep brown curls that had escaped the pomade pushed through them, like falling springs on his forehead, as he swings his head toward you, an initial blank expression on his face. He slowly blinks his round dark mahogany eyes at you one…two times. One side of his mouth curls up first, revealing the sweetest dimple next to his mouth, and soon the other side follows obediently. His eyes trail side to side from the floor at your feet, quickly zig-zagging right up to the scarf around your hair.

When his eyes meet yours, the sensation from the meadow returns again. You felt at home.

Your eyes flutter open, and you take in your surroundings. You're back in your cell, the book clutched to your chest, as a food tray is pushed through the door. Mr Harrington's face the other side of it, he looks excited about something.

"Mr Harrington, everything ok?" you smile at him, getting up and collecting your food.

"Look, I can't say much, but, you should really, like definitely, eat your breakfast this morning. You might even need it all" Mr Harrington is trying to hide a big smile, he keeps looking up at the camera.

The little drone circles you and you try to relax so it backs off a little.

You eat a big mouthful of your breakfast, as Mr Harrington sits in the visitors area scrolling through the news, occasionally looking up at you, checking your tray and then smiling slightly, his eyes sparkling.

You finish your food. It's the most you've eaten in such a long time, you almost feel glassy eyed full.

You gently push the tray through. Mr Harrington snatches it up quickly and leaves you standing there in confusion.

You laugh, puzzled, and go back to make your bed, and put away your book. You sit in your arm chair and pull at the bare threads, twisting them around your fingers, in anticipation. It was strange to be waiting and not have a clue what you were waiting for, if anything at all.

Your mind drifts back to your dream, you don't recall reading anything like that in your book, but the imagery was so vivid and the feelings felt so very real. You'd check with Eddie later, see if he knew anything about it, but as far as you knew Eddie got turned in the 80s, not in whatever age your dream was set. There again, it might not have been anything at all. Maybe your brain was still trying to process certain feelings of your own and just twisted things a little.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sounds of the visitor door opening, you stand up and go to see what is going on.

You see a very excited Mr Harrington, and an almost nervous Dustin Henderson.

"Ok, back up. All the way to the other wall!" Dustin barks at you.

You do as instructed, your ever present friend the drone hurrying you along.

Once satisfied something is pushed through the door.

It looks like someone has wrapped up a plank of wood, badly. You stay perfectly still, looking between it and Dustin and Mr Harrington.

Mr Harrington's big smile dissolves a little, he's realised you're afraid to take it, and the shame creeps up on him, as he stares at you for a few moments. He looks at Dustin and then back you, he's seen your expression before on a different face. He composes himself and swallows hard, making eye contact with you again.

"Why don't you open it? It's for you, it's all yours. A reward, you know" he puts on a smile and says encouragingly.

Your eyes shoot to Dustin, he nods.

You walk forward slowly, take the wrapped gift from the ground, and take it over to your bed to open it. You take your time, and try to remain as calm as you can, because you can see a new red dot trained on you from somewhere.

As the paper parts the gift is revealed. The dark wood feels cold under your hand, as you run your fingers along it, occasionally bumping over the metal strips. It's a fret board. No headstock, no body, no strings. Just the maple neck and the ebony frets.

You let out a gutteral sob hunched over it whilst gripping it in your hands, the tears will not stop coming, as you try to get out a 'Thank you' as you look over to them.

Dustin eyes are trained on you, his hand ready, hovering over something.

Mr Harrington is almost in a similar state to you. His hand clasped over his mouth, turning around to look away occasionally, but he can't hold back his tears this time, his shoulders shaking with an outburst of repressed emotions.

You weren't sure if it was all for you, or if in some way it was to do with repentance, making up for what they did to Eddie through you. They had kept him trapped, then worse taken away all he had left, and finally left him with nothing. This time they hadn't left you and they given you a chance.

You slowly pick up the fret board from the paper and gently move your fingers along it tapping out notes you could only hear in your mind.

A whole week you trained on that thing, Eddie would come by sometimes and sing out the notes for you as you tapped against the wood. After no incidents and good behaviour it was then replaced by a version with a body and head stock.

A week with that and you were given a singular string at a time. You'd worked your way to a full guitar. If you weren't having to do something required (eating, sleeping, therapy, interviews) you were playing. Playing until your arms ached, until your finger tips were sore or until your eyes couldn't stay open anymore. A few times you had fallen asleep holding it.

The first few times Mr Harrington had removed it and woken you up, but he eventually stopped, his excuse was you'd only pick it up first thing anyway. Eddie had said it was probably because "You looked damn adorable" sleeping that way.

Finally the day came where they were gonna let you play through an amp. You had wires and pads all over you for monitoring your vitals and then some.

You were so nervous, sure it was exciting and exhilarating, but you also had to keep it together to make sure it didn't worry anyone.

You plug in, and pluck a few notes, a scale, some chords, a nice mellow song. You look over at everyone standing in the visiting section.

Dustin looks up from his screen as you stop, "You need to play the song from The Jackroller" he stares at you carefully and then looks down at his screen.

Mr Harrington folds his arms and looks very nervous now, his smiled pulled back into a partial grimace. Normally he looked so sure, but with his confidence flagging, your heart raced.

You squeeze you eyes shut, bracing for the worst, and launch into the song. You feel a sweat break out, remembering that night. Seeing Eddie wide eyed up you in the crowd, your band mates looks of horror as their bodies were taken over by some other force, bending them to its will.

Then that person dancing, they were too close to Eddie. Way too close, and before you knew it they been thrown against a wall and through a table by some invisible force.

The song finishes and you open your eyes, you are drenched in sweat, and your limbs tremble, as you look over at those studying you. They ask you to unplug, put the guitar down and walk over to them so they can remove all the monitors from you.

Everyone eventually leaves, and you pace around the cell for a bit, nervously biting your fingernails, wondering what would happen now.

You feel that tingling sensation on your shoulder, "Hey, good job today." Eddie says kindly, "I wouldn't wear yourself out waiting to an answer. They might be some time. Come and sit down" you feel the tingle on your shoulder move down to your hand, and although he can't possibly be, it is almost like Eddie's holding it, maybe it was what you wanted it to be.

With all the guitar stuff happening, you knew Eddie had been around a lot less, you hadn't asked why, you'd been too busy with the guitar. Sometimes you'd forget all about him, and that made you feel like absolute dirt, but part of you knew he understood. When you had eternity, what did a few days matter?

You pick up your guitar and start playing around on it,a few minutes later you feel a total body freeze. The sun beams down through your window, and in the golden hour rays you see dust particles condense around your own fingers.

"Maybe, I should have asked first?" Eddie asks as there is a shift again.

You chase the particles around the guitar, playing different famous guitar riffs. Eddie praising or chastising you in your head, depending on the results. One you recognise immediately and refuse to play it. You'd heard all about Master of Puppets on the trailer. Eddie laughs "Too on the nose, maybe?"

"This close to potential freedom and you want to play that? No way, buddy!" You think.

"You looked scared out there earlier, what were you afraid of?" He asks curiously, but you can tell by his tone he already knows the answer.

"You know I'm just so close to getting out of here, and they threw me that curve ball. I mean nothing happened so I'm hoping thats enough" you tell part of the truth and hope for the best.

Eddie tuts a few times and makes a buzzer noise, "Wrong, try again"

You stop playing for a minute and lean your head against the wall behind you, "Ok, I was scared I'd feel that power again. I was scared they would be able to tell I liked it, and they'd stop everything."

"I'm tired of not being able to see you too." He says quietly, as the flecks in the light condense around your arms and hands

"I didn't say that..." You start to say, feeling a little flustered. He can't help but know. You had tried to quieten your feelings but it was futile.

"You didn't have to say anything. If this does not go our way. I'll figure something out. I promise." He vows, "I've played nice for nearly two years. I will not let them hold you prisoner forever. I'm trying it this way for you, and it's smarter I'll give you that, but it is wearing thin" you hear the slight growl in his voice.

"So how long have you been able to do this neat trick?" You say wiggling your fingers, through the minuscule fragments in the fading light.

Eddie giggles a little, "Hey, stop that! Oh since forever...it's just...well...when you are doing something you enjoy, you're louder to me. Reading is good, sometimes certain visitors, the bits of guitar, like wow, but today when you plugged in and played that song...you were like a hologram." He says almost sweetly.

"And now?" You ask carefully.

"Now...well you're definition is fading..." He voice trails off a little, "but you are glowing" he whispers, and you close your eyes as he does so.

You were currently in a whole heap of actual lawful trouble, but this thought exchange made you feel like you were headed for another kind.

You squeeze you're eyes shut more tightly, and just start of thinking things from around the room.

"Hey! Just when it was starting to get good in here, you go and change the channel? No fair!" Eddie complains with a laugh.

You hear a rumble followed by the visitors doors opening up. Mr Harrington is standing there with two cases, "Get your stuff Y/N. You're coming home"

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddiemunson #eddie stranger things #eddie the freak munson #stranger things fanfiction #fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie x reader #modern au #vampire eddie munson #steve harrington #dustinhenderson #steve stranger things #dustin stranger things

19 notes · View notes

water1oo · 11 months ago

Text

reading this questionnaire i completed from almost 10 years ago and reading the answer to number one makes me want to cry

18 year old me, we did it. you don't know it but you get to make that dream come true. we are finishing up our first semester to make this exact dream come true 😭

and bc why not let me answer these questions in 2023:

Whats your dream job? a counselor for teens and young adults (and everyone really :'))

Whats your dream house? bro the economy has shown me idc anymore give me anywhere that has a backyard and a lot of windows

What fictional character do you relate with most?

Whats your favorite pokemon? sylveon

Least favorite color? i hate neon colors, maybe neon red?

Do you have any posters? none in display

Whats your favorite book? idk maybe evelyn hugo

What was the last movie you watched? ballad of songbirds and snakes

Whats your all-time favorite ship? tbh??? still percy and annabeth oop

What was the last thing you ate? popusas :')

Whats your favorite word? i still love fickle lolol

- ALWAYS POST THE RULES.

- ANSWER THE QUESTIONS OF THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU.

- THEN WRITE 11 NEW ONES.

 - TAG 11 PEOPLE.

- LET THEM KNOW YOU TAGGED THEM

tagged by princessespeach C:

Whats your dream job? i want to be a psychologist and help out kids/teens

Whats your dream house? a loft

What fictional character do you relate with most? it’s a tie between Craig Gilner and Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower

Whats your favorite pokemon? …..i’ve never watched pokemon uh….

Least favorite color? orange

Do you have any posters? nope

Whats your favorite book? the titan’s curse /shrug

What was the last movie you watched? tasm 2 ;_;

Whats your all-time favorite ship? i don’t really know anymore but imma just go with percy + annabeth

What was the last thing you ate? popusas C:

Whats your favorite word? fickle

tagging: livefortodaynottmw, stagtaire, culst (and as always, ignore if you don’t wanna and pretend i tagged you if you wanna)

my 11 questions

1. favorite school subject?

2. most influential work of fiction you’ve watched/read?

3. the last book you read that you didn’t enjoy?

4. would you rather read a book or watch a movie?

5. favorite song?

6. your favorite birthday?

7. your least favorite character?

8. are you currently procrastinating on something?

9. your favorite quote?

10. cutest animal?

11. what was the last thing that made you smile?

#emo

4 notes · View notes

emerald-chaos · 4 years ago

Text

Touchdown

*gif not mine, credit goes to the owner*

I just want to take a moment to say thank you for the love on my last fic! It made my lil ole heart swell to see that peopled enjoyed it enough to leave a like or reblog.

This is just something special I had in my arsenal that I wrote for a friend a few months ago. I touched it up a bit and added a few things here and there. It all started when we were talking about how much we loved when Chris' accent got heavier after he'd been drinking, and well, I couldn't help myself lol. I hope you enjoy the fluff! xoxo

I apologize for any grammatical errors, I tried to proof-read but am also a little exhausted lol.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Word Count: 2844

Warnings: I don't think there's anyway? Mentions of being drunk/drinking alcohol, cursing, and illusions to sexy times, but that's about it.

You hadn’t noticed how furiously your knee was bouncing up and down until the person sitting next to you on the subway got up to move seats once the train squealed to a stop. You sighed and ran your hands down the front of your thighs. Normally being a little late didn’t bother you as much, but tonight you were meeting him.

You flipped your wrist over to check your watch. 8:30pm. In all honesty, it had probably been only thirty seconds later than when you checked it the last time. Another deep sigh escaped from your lips as you started to become hyper aware of the train remaining still at the current stop. What could possibly be taking so long? You knew he wouldn’t care if you were running late, but the time the two of you had together already felt so minuscule. You wanted to capitalize on every second you could.

The train began moving again and you slumped back into your seat, feeling only a small amount of relief. It was becoming painfully apparent that you needed to try and relax. You could feel the sweat building up on your body, the sting on your palms from where your fingernails were pressing in with a vengeance moments ago, and you could hear your heart thumping in your ears. Your hand dug around in your purse for a few moments before finding the small case you were looking for. Opening it, you slipped your headphones into your ears and let your head rest on the window behind you as music intertwined with your thoughts.

Once upon a time, you made fun of people who decided to go to grad school. What kind of a clown would spend thousands of MORE dollars and go BACK to school?? Not to mention the stress of the assignments, the due dates - it was not for you...or so you thought.

Now here you are, a regular booboo the fool.

NYU’s graduate program for design and merchandising wasn’t necessarily part of your 5-year plan, but when the opportunity landed in front of you it was difficult to pass up. NYU was a school you had only dreamt of attending back in high school. When you were a senior in high school you were able to tour the campus and fell in love immediately. Hours upon hours were spent researching grants, scholarships, and all sorts of ways to try to make it happen. However, the dream ended as most teenage dreams do - crushed. There was no way you or your parents could afford the loans that it would surely wrack up to attend the out of state university, and there was no way you could ask your parents take on that kind of debt just so you could go to college. UMass was the way to go - close to home and familiar. Not to mention you were able to obtain several scholarships and grants that helped bring down the cost tremendously. Little did you know, boring ole UMass would bring you one of the most important things in your life.

Applying for graduate school wasn’t an easy decision and one you couldn’t really take all the credit for. A smile crept across your face as you reminisced on the night you nervously brought up the idea to your long-term boyfriend.

“I think you should do it,”

“I know, right?” you scoffed, “it’s insane, why would I do something so stup...wait, what? You do?”

“Of course I do. This is something you love and that you’re passionate about. Do you know how many hours of my life were spent listening to you ramble about NYU?” he questioned with a grin.

“It will open up so many doors for you. We can make things work,” a chuckle escaped from those beautiful lips as he saw your dumbfounded expression. He wrapped his fingers around your waist and pulled you close, “What? Did you expect me to forbid it? Cmon, baby, what kind of guy do you take me for?”

You didn’t have a lot of wins in your life, but you did have Chris.

When you got accepted, he took off a week from work to drive you 3 and a half hours south to help get you settled and moved into your temporary new home. The two of you ate a disgusting amount of pizza, moved a ridiculous amount of heavy furniture in the middle of a summer heat wave, and enjoyed each other’s company before the long-distance thing would set in. Chris spent that week encouraging you every step of the way, talking you off the ledge when you were convinced you had made the wrong decision, and made sure to help you christen every possible surface of your new place in the most deliciously sinful way.

You bit your lip slightly at the thought and a warm feeling spread across your face. Chris was one of the most incredible people you had met in this world. Kind, caring, funny, intelligent, passionate, and god was he sexy. The connection the two of you had was scary at first, but now you just couldn’t imagine spending your life with anyone else.

The robotic voice came over the loud-speaker in the subway car and you were rudely ripped back to reality as it pulled into your stop. You hurriedly scooped up your bag and jogged off the train.

It had been a promise between the two of you when you moved that there would be equal effort when it came to visiting and keeping in contact while having good, open communication. Long distance was hard but the two of you were determined to make it work. FaceTime calls, hours upon hours of texting, and even as far as writing the occasional letter back and forth (because your boyfriend was a hopeless romantic and you loved it so much). This weekend was your turn to come home to visit, and of course your last class had to go longer than anticipated. Fuckin’ Tiffany and her stupid ass questions.

The muscles of your calves burned as you kept up your hurried pace, weaving through the crowds of people gathered on sidewalks outside of various clubs and restaurants. It was a weekend night and the Patriots were playing, which meant the city was more alive than usual. New York was it's own beast, but it was a different type of hustle and bustle. Nights like these made your heart ache for home - the thick Massachusetts accents, the rowdy voices of bar patrons arguing about the game, the hugs shared between family members as they parted after dinner, and the faint smell of nicotine and alcohol that hung in the air.

As the neon sign that hung in the pub window came in to view you felt your heart dip down into your stomach. Last weekend’s visit had to be cancelled due to some stuff coming up with Chris’ work and a surprise assignment for you, so you hadn’t seen your boyfriend in 2 weeks. With a deep breath you swung open the door and scanned the crowd for him. He told you that he would be there promptly at 7:15pm for pregame shenanigans with his friends - which actually translated to how many pitchers of beer could they suck down before kick off.

“Aw, come ON! That is such a bullshit call!”

You heard him before you saw him. Of course. A grin spread across your lips as you shook your head. The thought of leaving to avoid secondhand embarrassment crossed your mind briefly before you picked up your feet and made your way through the crowd toward the sound. A room full of people from New England and you would still recognize that voice anywhere.

Everyone else seemed to fade away as you saw the outline of the tall, dark haired man standing at the bar. The slight freckles that spattered the back of his neck, the Brady jersey that he spent WAY too much money customizing, and the signature backward ball cap were ingrained in your subconscious memory. Not to mention if you didn’t recognize his outline or his voice, you would definitely recognize that ass anywhere.

You loved how passionate he got about sports and the way his Boston accent seemed to get thicker with each beer he consumed. Growing up in the area, you wouldn't think the accent would send a tingle down your spine the way it does, but it was different - it was Chris. Not to mention the sparkle in his eye when he would watch his favorite team or the way he would get in to arguments whenever someone tried to say something negative about them. You loved your big, handsome, over-sized toddler man so damn much.

A light tap on his shoulder made him whip around, his slightly opened mouth from his interrupted conversation curved upwards into a wicked grin as he made the connection of who was finally standing in front of him.

“Hey there, handsome. I don’t see a ring on your finger. You single?” You grinned, feeling your entire body fill with warmth as Chris leaned back and grabbed his chest as he erupted in laughter.

“Nah, nah, nah, unfortunately for you I am taken” he responded as he snaked his arms around your waist, sliding his hands into your back pockets as he pulled you into his figure.

“That is too bad,” you tsk'd, running a finger down his toned bicep, “she’s one lucky girl.”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” he grinned. He leaned down to meet your lips in a kiss. You sighed into it, allowing your body to mold itself so perfectly into his. The taste of beer on his lips and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating - it was home. You immediately allowed him entrance as you felt his tongue glide along your bottom lip. Your body felt small in his strong grip and you couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he gave your ass a firm squeeze. Normally, this type of bold, public display of affection would make you cringe away but at this point you were lost in Chris that you had absolutely no shame. Each time the two of you embraced had always felt like the first. Your heart still fluttered and your knees still got weak, like you were a 16 year old being kissed for the first time.

In the middle of your reunion moment, however, something happened in the game that made the entire bar erupt in boo’s and curses. Chris lifted his lips from yours to look over his shoulder and inspect what he had missed. You laughed and shook your head as you pushed him back towards his friends and took a seat in the bar stool he had been standing behind initially. His large hands found a natural place on your shoulders. While his eyes remained glued on the TV he began applying a moderate amount of pressure to your neck and shoulders. You didn’t realize how much your body craved that touch, his touch, until you immediately melted back into him.

The bartender slid a beer in front of you with a wink and you mouthed your thanks. You felt a twinge in your heart as you looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the bar. This was a typical weekend night for the two of you whenever you were living together. Football, drinks, pub food, and friends. If it wasn’t this pub it was your living room, just a couple blocks away. You didn’t even mind that it was your first night back and you weren’t alone, spending it immediately wrapped up in your satin sheets. The atmosphere, the people - it was so warm and familiar that you really wouldn’t rather be doing anything else. Plus, being wrapped up together in the sheets was sure to follow.

“I missed you,” hummed a pair of lips as they placed a kiss on the shell of your ear. A shiver shot down your spine at the sensation of his warm breath fanning over your neck. You reached up a hand and connected it to the nape of his neck.

“I missed you too,” you replied, turning your head to plant a kiss on his stubbled cheek.

His arms changed position as he wrapped them in front of your shoulders and crossed them, resting his chin on the top of your head. Your hand absentmindedly rubbed his forearms as you nursed your beer and placed your focus onto the game for the first time tonight.

The laughter seemed to escape from your chest naturally and effortlessly the entire night, as it always had a habit of doing when Chris was around. The camaraderie between him and his buddies during a game was something you’d grown to enjoy over the years. Chris’ competitive nature and the way his jaw clenched when something wasn’t going the way he wanted was always kinda...hot. All of his friends were huge assholes, but in the best way. It was always entertaining to hear them jab at each other and do what they could to rile someone up. They were the life of every party you had ever attended and they had a way of making a boring night a lot more interesting.

Thankfully (for the integrity of the bar) the Pats won the game with a surprise touchdown in the last 30 seconds of the game. Chris, being the guy he is, bought a final round for his friends and a nearby group they had been going back and forth with all night. You couldn’t help but laugh as he drunkenly leaned across the counter and slurred his order to the bartender.

“I need a round for m’friends and for these assholes over here who thought Tom Brady was anything but a winner!” the group started yelling in protest and he simply waved them off and started sliding beers down the bar.

The group eventually moved to a bigger round top so everyone could shoot the shit and banter about the outcome of the game. You were tucked into Chris’ side, hands intertwined as he was passionately discussing the importance of Brady’s legacy with a stranger who made the mistake of stopping to talk to him. Your eyes followed the motion of your thumb as it traced small circles onto the back of his. Your other hand under your chin, holding up the weight of your head as your exhaustion started to catch up with you. Chris, although slightly drunk, picked up on your body language and raised your hand to his lips for a kiss.

“Alright, fellas,” he said as he stood up from his seat, pulling you up with him, “the lady and I are gonna call it a night. See you boys next weekend”.

“Chris, we don’t have to go,” you began to protest as he tucked his jacket around your shoulders.

“Mm, ‘course we do,” he replied with a soft smile, “you’re so tired, baby. I can see it in those beautiful eyes”.

You could feel your cheeks turn a light shade of pink as you rolled your eyes at his attempt at laying it on thick. After what felt like a proper 10 minute goodbye session, the group said their final goodbyes, hugs included, and you walked out of the pub hand in hand.

The walk home was filled with the sounds of cars passing by and conversation of what each other had missed in the week prior. Small talk typically felt like such a chore, but with Chris every conversation came naturally. Even when he had absolutely no idea what you were talking about, he would listen intently and ask all the questions as if it was the most interesting conversation in the world.

The lock on the apartment door clicked as you pushed it open and entered. You smiled as you stopped into the middle of the living room, taking in the home you missed so dearly. A soft tapping of toenails against the hardwood made your heart soar as you met the eyes of your sweet pup, Dodger. A squeal left your lips as you squatted down to give love to the sweet boy. Chris always made fun of you when you came home, saying that you always seemed to miss Dodger more than you did him and I mean, he wasn’t entirely wrong about that statement.

Once again lost in your own world, you didn’t even notice Chris leaned up against the wall watching you with a smile.

“Oh my god,” you gushed, standing up, “do you like...like me or something?”

Chris grinned as he crossed the room and caught your belt loop with his finger, pulling you into him slowly.

“Yeah,” his voice had dropped down an octave, “you could say that”.

“Mm,” your tongue swiped across your lower lip and you wrapped your arms around his neck, “care to show me how much?”

The look in his eyes made your core burn. The tension building between you two became too much to handle as you crashed your lips into his. The kisses were messy and you could feel the sense of urgency between you two. His beard scratched against the column of your throat with a delicious burn as he left wet kisses across your jaw and down the side of your neck. Chris’ hands found their way back into the ass pockets of your jeans as he started walking you back towards the direction of the bedroom.

Soon, there was a trail of clothes leading to your bedroom and you felt very sorry for your neighbors. It had been a long time, but Chris always had a way of welcoming you home.

#eeeeeeee #i love soft drunk boston frat chris so much it pains me #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #chris evans #chris evans headcanons #chris evans imagines #chris evans fic #chris evans fluff #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #chris evans/reader #chris evans/you #fluff #imagines #headcanons

545 notes · View notes

five-rivers · 4 years ago

Text

Loved 6

Written for Dannymay 2021 Day 15: Nature

“Danny,” said Sam, “what’s wrong?”

The question was, really, far too vague. Many things were wrong all the time, especially with Danny. Part and parcel of being what he was, living where they were, and doing what he did. Although she was more comfortable with it all than Tucker, she could acknowledge that things were… bad. That the world was messed up. That, although people could be horrible to each other on their own, the monstrous beings lurking under the fabric of reality did not help.

But Danny had been in especially low spirits for the last few days. She’d almost say he was depressed, but she was hesitant to apply mental health disorders to someone who wasn’t even entirely human anymore. He’d also been unusually quiet, but he had admitted some time ago that he was having progressively more difficulty ‘finding words,’ so that could be the reason instead.

If she could find out why he was upset, maybe she could cheer him up. Or at least support him.

He made a face, one hand covering his mouth as he talked. “You remember that time, um, when Clockwork… The gifts?” He touched his wrist.

“Yes?” said Sam, prompting him to continue.

Danny glanced down the otherwise oddly-deserted school hallway. “It’s… He had me eat with him. Sort of. Ever since then, my teeth have been…” He paused his hand now firmly pressed to his face.

“Weird?” suggested Tucker, voice low.

Danny nodded. “I had – I was venomous, in the Dream, I don’t—” He faltered.

“Do they hurt?” asked Sam.

“Mhm.”

“Do you think biting into something might help?” asked Sam as she swung her backpack off her shoulder and rummaged in it.

Danny’s eyes seemed to glaze over as he considered the question. Finally, he shrugged.

Sam found what she was looking for. “Here,” she said, holding out the shiny red apple. “Try this.”

Danny examined the apple, careful and silent. The fruit was reflected, vividly, in his eyes. Once. Twice. Three times? No. Danny had two eyes. Two perfect, insightful, soulful eyes.

Delicately, he took it. He still didn’t remove the hand over his mouth.

“We’ve seen worse, man,” mumbled Tucker.

“Not when I’m being human,” protested Danny. Gingerly, he removed his other hand from his mouth and brought the apple to his lips.

When his lips parted, Sam could see what he was talking about. Those were definitely, clearly, fangs. Sharp, smooth, and white. They sparkled even in the flat overhead school lights. Something bluish and clear glistened at their tips.

Was Danny venomous?

(Why did that excite her?)

They crunched into the apple. Danny held it there, still and tense, for a few seconds before his expression melted into absolute bliss.

“Feel better?” asked Sam.

“Mmmhmm,” said Danny, eyes half closed.

“Guys?” said Tucker. “We should probably go now. Before they kick us out.”

“Huh?”

“It’s the end of the school day. School’s been out for half an hour.”

Sam frowned. Was it? She… Did she… She did remember going to all her classes. She shook her head, dismissing the momentary lapse.

Danny regretfully disengaged from the apple, blinked, and swayed. His outline wavered. Sam grabbed his wrist, and a jolt ran up her bones, making her teeth hurt as if she had just bitten down on ice. He stabilized again.

“Thank you,” he said.

He did not notice that she had taken the apple.

She set the apple on her desk, and the color stood out vibrantly against the dark-stained wood and her black, goth-themed knickknacks. The color, which was a different than what it had been when she had given the apple to Danny.

The neon blue skin was cold enough to gather condensation and smooth under her fingers. There was otherwise little evidence that Danny had bitten into it. The holes had sealed over, leaving only small depressions.

She knew what she wanted to do. She knew what she shouldn’t do.

Danny said she couldn’t die. That he had destroyed her death, among others. She trusted him.

But it was always good to be prepared.

She set up a text on a timer. If she wasn’t able to cancel it in the next ten minutes, it would go out to Danny and Tucker.

The bed would be the best place to do this. She sat down on the edge, feet firmly planted on the floor.

She bit into the apple.

For a few seconds, she was disappointed, but then.

Then.

She let herself drop back onto her bed, the springs creaking slightly and the covers gently fluttering. She exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. Blinked. Closed her eyes. Opened them again.

Everything. Everything.

It was like seeing for the first time. The world was as thin as rice paper. The light was shinning through. It’s true nature.

And all the people. Everywhere. Everyone. Connected.

She—

Everyone.

Beyond the rice paper they could see and touch and feel, the false veil above the truth they couldn’t look at directly, but Danny could and, oh.

Was this what he saw all the time? Was he always filled with this sense of—

Of charity? Of- of—

What could she call this? Care? Empathy?

Could she call it love?

(She could. He was. Because he was loving. But his understanding of love was overwritten and subsumed by his understanding of Love. There could be no other way.)

(To love was human. Love was divine.)

If everyone could feel like this…

Sam knew how much people could hurt each other. She knew how terrible the world was.

(Her grandfather had only died a few years ago. He’d been born in Germany.)

She knew how stressed Danny was about hurting others, even when it was his mere existence that was harmful – And Sam wasn’t so sure that it was harmful. If Danny hadn’t just internalized the vitriol and hate that his parents practically consisted of.

If everyone could feel like this…

They’d had a conversation, back when they’d connected the others to cults, about whether or not cults were a natural result of the others’ presence, or if they were actually encouraged by the others. Maybe it was a combination of the two, but Sam now had good evidence for the former.

This. This was natural. This was right.

And she would work hard to make everything else right, too.

The feeling faded after another few… minutes? Hours?

Minutes. It had to be minutes. Otherwise, Danny and Tucker would be here.

The timer.

She fumbled her phone open just in time to cancel the text.

Sam was tempted to take another bite of the apple, but she knew that she had to be careful with her resources. She had her vision. Her goal. Her plan to make the world a better place.

It started here.

She leaned on her shovel and checked the depth of the hole in the ground. Good. Good. Room enough for the apple and room enough for the fertilizer.

She used her fingernails to slit open a bag of the latter and then placed the apple reverently on top of the small pile. A shadow passed over her. It didn’t seem like quite enough, did it?

Perhaps… an offering? She emptied the contents of her pocket. Coins. A six-sided die with a bat in place of its ‘one’ pip. A caramel and a strawberry candy her grandmother had given her that morning. A small picture of herself, Danny, and Tucker. A safely pin.

She arranged them carefully around the apple. The safety pin gleamed in the light.

Staring at her. She stared back.

Maybe…

She picked up the pin and squeezed it to free the sharp end. Then, before she could hesitate, before she could have second thoughts, she drew it over the ball of her thumb. Blood welled up from the small wound, and she let it drip on the soil surrounding the apple.

The tree grew into a sapling overnight. The next day, it was taller than Sam. On the third, the trunk was thicker than both her wrists together. By the end of the week, it had burst into bloom.

Sam made sure to water it every day.

Danny, meanwhile, continued to have problems with his teeth. He spoke less, his words slurred and lisping around his still-growing fangs, but that didn’t matter to her and Tucker. After the years they’d spent together, they could read each other pretty well.

Sam maintained a constant supply of apples for him to bite down on. Most of the time, he ate them afterwards, which she couldn’t really begrudge him, but sometimes he’d leave them on his desk or on the table or just out and Sam would put aside her next afternoon for experimentation.

Before she knew it, the tree was bearing fruit. Rose-red and perfectly shaped, not a trace of scale or insects. Sam knew exactly what to do with them.

“Hey,” she said, as her parents walked in, “I made an apple pie. Tell me if it’s any good.”

#danny phantom #loved #dannymay 2021 #dannymay #dannymay 2021 day 15: nature #eldritch abomination au

119 notes · View notes

ohheyitsokay · 3 years ago

Text

concessions

part 2 of the ‘hey batter batter’ series

pairing: Francesco Morales (Frankie, Catfish) x reader

wordcount: 2.4k

warnings: none (yet)

summary: it’s a Triple Frontier baseball AU - trust me, you don’t need to know anything about baseball.

In this chapter, you run into the guys outside of the stadium and they promptly decide you’re going to be friends with them.

Your friend was twelve minutes late. Not overly long but you could already tell what was going to happen.

It had been a long shot, anyway, an old classmate with little lasting connection. You had been trying to push yourself outside of your comfort zone anyway, why not? When she had originally reached out you’d been full of hope, enough to foolishly order your favorite appetizer as a ice breaker but the effort was in vain.

Fingernails gently clicking against the table, you caved and allowed yourself to look at your phone. It brought instant comfort, to escape the exposure of sitting alone in a restaurant, but you couldn’t stay. The air was cold as you sucked it through your teeth, weighing your options. The confidence it took to eat alone after being stood up was facing a strong competitor: your general policy not to waste good food and good money.

Shifting, you tried to settle, tried to pose yourself like you were in control, looking around the room as nonchalantly as you could. It was silly, your urge to keep moving, your feet on the ground, your hands on the table, your eyes on the other patrons, but you couldn’t help it. It was a nice place, nothing fancy, just a hole in the wall restaurant, filled only with a few locals.

Until your appetizer came around the corner, followed by a much more handsome man than you were prepared for.

His already smiling eyes met yours, and you looked away, startled, maybe blushing a little. He was familiar, too familiar. You tried to focus on the young lady waiting on you, and the steam coming from the plate in her hands.

Just focus on the food, you scolded yourself silently, thanking her and not ordering anything else. He was not your friend, he didn’t even know you, really. There was no need to make him feel uncomfortable.

Except, he wasn’t really worried about that, because he was sliding into the seat across from you.

“Hi,” he was grinning, confident and friendly, and your instincts raised no alarms other than confusion.

“Hello,” you replied, wondering honestly if you were dreaming. This was one of the men you’d met before, in that chaotic, over decorated room in the baseball stadium. He had been in front of you maybe fifteen total seconds, talking to James, before melting back into the sea of uniforms and caps. There was no reason he should remember you much less… be doing whatever was happening now.

The man mistook your expression for panicked forgetfulness and reintroduced himself.

“I’m Ben, Ben Miller? We met a a week or two ago,” he was searching your face for recognition, which of course was not the problem at all. It was sweet, how bashful he was when he pointed to the picture of the team’s logo on the poster by your table, and mouthed “the shortstop?”.

It seemed like he wasn’t trying to draw extra attention to himself, which was almost comical. Even with his casual tshirt and jeans he was easily the most noticeable person in the room – that’s how good he looked, and a testament to the visible confidence of men like him. He was all limber muscles and strong jaw and kind eyes and it wasn’t easy to just tuck that away.

“I – yeah,” this was awkward. “I’m sorry for staring at you, I just don’t normally see … non-locals here.” You smiled, weakly.

There was something in his voice and a glint in his eyes as his blue eyes glanced behind you.

“Would you believe it if I said we were locals?”

All of a sudden his looks were commonplace, because there was another man next to him who was a little broader and a little rougher around the edges- but surprisingly similar in casual masculinity. The “we" clicked into place.

“What’s this?” the first-baseman said, his expression more or less mirroring your own.

A handful of other men followed him and you wanted to melt into the chair. It was too much, too weird. They were all peering at you, dark eyebrows and cool toned cloth stretched over broad chests and it was the most bizarre thing. You weren’t really shy, per se, but stuff like this didn’t happen to you. Fidgeting you stared back at them, feeling helpless.

Ben came to your rescue again, guilty, but far too friendly to stop, like runaway dog at a park.

“I was just telling her that Will and I are from town! And we love it here,” he grinned, winningly, still failing to explain why he was seated with you.

Their hellos were amused and charismatic, for the most part, save the man in the back. It was… Francisco. Or rather, Mr. Morales.

Your heart thumped the same thump that you’d been feeling whenever you thought of him.

His voice was quieter, eyes reaching into yours like he had questions to ask, before he fixed them on the surroundings instead. They were crowding the area, all tall and much to large to fit in between tables. It would have been annoying if this were a busier place.

“You guys go on, I’ll be right there,” the shortstop across from you ushered them away, out of politeness or something else you weren’t sure. It was sad, to see him go again but the absence of attention made you breathe again. You waved, sure you looked ridiculous, and wondering if other women would be dying to be in your stead.

“Sorry, I just wanted to say hi,” Ben seemed earnest again, and you couldn’t help but relax. It was charming, the way his eyebrows dipped and he fidgeted, just a little. “You looked… lonely,” he added, hesitating before standing up with a gentle slap to the table. “Come join us if they don’t show, I’m sure the guys wont mind!”

You nodded, still more or less in shock, and he walked off, strides long and easy, like there was hardly anything weighing on his shoulders.

If they hadn’t been but 20 paces away, you would have shoved the plate aside and replaced its spot on the table with your face, and groaned aloud. You barely registered your food as you ate, wondering at the whole thing in awe as you took out your phone again to text James.

Frankie tried not to watch you. He really did. He loved his friends and they seldom got a chance, just the five of them to eat somewhere so homey and casual, without the whole crew, or fans and cameras, or other things to attend to. They’d been close for a long time, happy they enjoyed one another and trusted one another more than the rest of the team. It was what made them so good in the starting lineup – their communication and comradery off field translated into their game.

For awhile he was doing well. He wasn’t watching as you finished your food, hardly noticed the way your hands ran through your hair, barely registered when you stood up, brushing crumbs off your legs, and walked towards the front to pay.

But he did notice when you slid over to their table and… he couldn’t tear his eyes away as your hand touched Benny's shoulder. The movement was smooth and gentle and there was a sharp feeling in his gut.

“Thanks for before,” your voice was quite, more composed than before, now that your feet were under you properly. It wasn’t meant for him, wasn’t his to hear, but he listened anyway. The group was seated at one of those round corner booths, and really, there was no escaping it – they were on the ends.

Benny was saying no problem and Frankie took a long sip of his drink trying to cool down before he was choking on it as his friend invited you to join.

The idea of you sitting here was… a double edged sword. On one side, the chance to talk to you, be around you even in the low lights of the restaurant neons – was too good to be true. His daydreams of you hadn’t slowed down nearly as much as he had hoped after you were gone. And on the other… of all the men here, he didn’t stand much of a chance. The flicker of warmth your little wave had given him began to fade and he tried too late to get in control of his facial expressions as you considered the offer.

When Redfly reached across Ben, though, shoving the younger man to grab your hand, suppressing the growl in his throat was more important than the glare. Next to him, Pope eyes were sharp, catching everything unsaid. His friend was as tense as he was, feeling the charged energy fill the booth.

Some ridiculous part of Frankie was wanting to pull you away, tuck you under his arm, and keep you all to himself. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t. He didn’t even know your name.

Then Will was pulling Tom back with laughter that didn't reach his eyes and Santi was apologizing, saying smooth words and coaxing you to reintrodunce yourself and pull up a chair and hang out.

Frankie would never know how Pope was so good at these things, how his passion made other people relent and reconsider and made them feel safe, but he was grateful for it. He tucked your name away, sure he wouldn’t forget it again. Especially because you pulled your chair up by him, and his heart swelled with something akin to pride as you leaned towards him, more than even Ben.

It could have been politeness, making room for the waitress, it could have been a coincidence, or that you wanted to be further from Tom, but he could quite bring himself to care. Having you close felt good, so much better than it should’ve, given the circumstances.

Even more than normal athletes, the Miller boys ate like they were hollow, and had ordered enough food for a week. There was plenty of talk and teasing and tossing of rolls, and it took you no time at all to settle in.

You found out you had some mutual acquaintances with Will, which helped, as you launched into comparisons of the town and laughed over shared observations. It made you feel at home, with him and Ben, and you understood how the brothers made everyone feel like family. Apparently there was girl Benny liked, who worked with the team’s athletic trainers. None of the boys had wheeled it out of him, but it took you less than fifteen minutes, your smile brighter as you sorted through his intentions.

Santi had a quick tongue, and you matched it. There was respect in his eyes as you leveled with Redfly, efficiently and effectively putting him back in his place. The older man head leaned back, nonchalantly, with raised eyebrows and low whistle, but Pope knew when Tom was embarrassed. There was an almost indiscernible bite onto the inside of the outfielder’s lower lip, a child’s tell.

He watched everyone, really, especially Frankie. They’d been playing together the longest and saw the best and worst of each other. It was fun, for him to watch his friend watch you. When you puckered your lips to suck a bead of water off your finger, Frankie’s jaw twitched. Like he was thinking of tilting his cheek towards you as you leaned in to kiss it – and Santi grinned, the gears in his mind turning.

For being as confused and awkward as you were before, it was crazy how well you fit.

Frankie liked your laugh, easy and pure, and the glint in your eyes when someone said something clever. He liked how friendly you were, even to Tom, and how you treated them like people. You never once stepped into the role of flirtatiously asking about the sport – or about being professional athletes all, and it was a breath of fresh air. Most outsiders would have their fingers tracing the curves of the muscles on Pope's arm as they asked him about pitching or would be tugging down the necklines of their shirts as they tried to be subtle about salaries. He liked how you talked about the food, asked them what they were up to that day, and actually listened when they answered. It was graceful, more that even Ironhead’s throw, how you managed to give each one of them attention, without controlling the conversation.

What Frankie liked best of all, though, was when yours eyes would meet his. They were narrow with laughter, and it was almost as if he were an hour away from know exactly what you were thinking. You’d lean towards him, just a hair, and under the thrum of conversations you would tell him little things, jokes or confessions like you were the best of friends.

When you murmured, “I actually don’t know anything about baseball,” he choked on his drink again, mind filled with unreachable moments. The boys were laughing at him, but he ignored it because they hadn’t heard you and... he could almost feel it – you against his chest as he showed how to swing a bat, your hand in his as he leaned in close, explaining, and him spinning you around in a victory hug.

All too soon the plates were being cleared and everyone was arguing over who should be paying. It made them smile, how earnestly you were offering, but there was no way in hell.

You thanked them all verbally, but when Santi ended up paying, he got a quick peck on the cheek and that sharp feeling in Frankie’s gut returned with force.

As you left, before they could walk you out, you cherished the experience like a drop of honey on your tongue, confident this was a once in a life time thing, and excited to tell James about it. Of course you had texted him – he was the one who told you if you didn’t sit with them he’d never forgive you.

Then men behind you continued to talk, each silently thinking of their own reasons for being sure they’d see you again soon.

And when you walked past the window by the corner on the way to your car, a pair of deep brown eyes found yours through the glass. You waved, goodbye, and this time, the ache in your heart was aligned with the ache in his.

Thank goodness that old classmate never showed up.

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms

hey batter batter taglist:

@icanbeyourjedi

#francisco morales #francisco morales x reader #francisco morales x you #frankie x you #frankie x reader #catfish x you #triple frontier #triple frontier baseball au #baseball au #maybe i don't know people

92 notes · View notes

someotherdog · 9 months ago

Text

she never had such a sweet dream before. she never had recurring dreams, certainly not dreams where she returned to the same place every night for two weeks straight. mostly, she dreamt in artistic splotches of color, vague figures, and memories that played out differently than the reality of what happened. in this place, this park with its beautiful neon butterflies and vibrant greens, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. it felt like a fairyland, a magical realm she had all to herself, where nothing bad ever happened and she never remembered all the pain of her past. the sun always shined, unlike the overcast days of her waking world, and it never rained. in her sleep, she was alice and she never wanted to leave wonderland—there were no evil queens or cheshire cats, only herself and the most pure feeling of happiness she ever experienced in her life.

only she didn’t have it all to herself. not anymore. the stranger in front of her, his face finally revealed after days of only seeing him in her periphery, didn’t seem to quite fit their fantastical surroundings. he felt real. he didn’t feel like a dream—a reminder of the real world that waited for when she would wake up in the morning. at his comment, she leaned forward instinctively to study his face. “is that true?” prudencia asked. she had never heard that before, but she supposed it made sense. only… “because i don’t think i’ve seen you before? i think i would’ve remembered you.” because he was handsome, she meant, but her meaning was obvious in a coquettish fluttering of her lashes.

“pomegranates?” prue parroted, eyes widening slightly. there was a brush of recognition in her, but she couldn’t parse out the reference. she looked back over her shoulder at the picnic basket. “nope, no fruit. just sandwiches and juice.” prue returned her gaze to her dream-sharer. “why? are you hungry?” she was a naturally caring person, but her job as an elementary school teacher forced her to be overly attentive to everyone’s needs. now that she thought about it, though, she never actually ate the food in her picnic basket—perhaps she had been waiting for him all this time. did one person a picnic make, or could it only be called that if there were two?

“what’s your name?” prue asked suddenly, her hands clasping together at her front. if this dream was to be her perfect world, then she’d enjoy a meal with a man that liked her in a warm world where it was always spring. “i’m prudencia, but you can call me prue. everyone does… except for my students. then i’m ms. diaz.” there was a slight girlish giggle to her voice. if there was anything she loved more than her dream world, it was the students at her school.

If there was one thing he yearned for, it was a dreamless sleep. Or at least to have such REM sleep that he didn't remember them. His mind was constantly too active. Facts and theories dominated his every moment from the second he went to work to the moment he laid his head on the pillow. Pediatrics was not nearly as hectic as working in the Emergency Room but it got in his head. It drilled in, the faces that he got to know so well. Seeing babies for their first series of shots and then when they break their arms riding a bike for the 10th time. Arjun had not been a doctor for all that long, about a decade with his own practice for half of that, but there were those children that stuck with him.

He dreaded seeing them in his dreams. Too much emotional investment proved to be a problem and not one he wanted to dwell in. That's why dreams were dangerous. When the subconscious ran unbridled, the darkest thoughts and most painful memories rising to the surface. The first time he opened his eyes to see the garden, he was rather shocked. He wasn't Christopher Nolan. Possessing an excessive imagination wasn't in his repertoire and the detail of the park was surprising. That was why he assumed things were going to turn dark almost immediately. It was cosmic retribution for the wrongs he committed.

His suspicions didn't dissipate as the dreams continued every night. In fact, he grew angrier that his rare moment of solitude was disrupted by his brain forcing him to enjoy nature. Arjun was tired. He wanted a dreamless slumber. He didn't want to be wandering around a park without even a book to entertain himself with. So he decided to explore. Walking in bigger and bigger circles from where he woke up each day and waiting to find what he was placed there for. At least there was no guilt trip waiting for him to let down his guard and suffer.

"They say that there are no original faces in your dreams. They're all people that you've seen before." Arjun mused, his hands in his pockets. Being so comfortable surely was a dream. The park was the perfect temperature as though someone fine tuned the thermostat to be warm enough for short sleeves but with a pleasant breeze to keep him cool. "So you must be someone I know. I wasn't expecting another person to show up but it would have made more sense to be someone I'm familiar with." He shrugged. Finally running into another being was a surprise but it was a welcome change to the ages of solitude he had been trudging for so long. Arjun looked down at the basket and frowned. "Food?" An ancient Greek myth was begging to be remembered. Something about eating fruit and getting trapped. "Any pomegranates?"

#grapefruitey #* PRUDENCIA DIAZ IGLESIAS / narrative .#* PRUDENCIA DIAZ IGLESIAS / thread / arjun .#once again i only proofread this once so hopefully this makes sense lmfao #but i love the lowkey grumpy x sunshine thing we got going here #queue are my queen rebecca!

2 notes · View notes

kiryuun-blog · 3 years ago

Text

Attack on School Caste ep 4 english translation (Attack on titan drama CD)

Here’s the english translation of the 4th and last episode of the drama CD “Attack on School Caste”. Kind of sad it’s over but it was fun to translate ! Also, I’ve uploaded on my Youtube channel all of the episodes subbed, so check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQXkQAha6FpPBkUTg1qB9rA/featured

Translation below:

After spending some time together, and confronting each other several times, they ended up exposing little by little their real personalities. And after they divulgated the reasons why they were in detention, they opened up about their worries and dreams.

A: The reason why I ended up in detention is only known to some of the teachers, and I haven't talked to anyone about it. If it was known, it would be a big problem. J: What the hell did you do ? A: To tell you the truth...with this laptop, World-kun, I created a pirate anime site. R: What ?! A pirate anime site ? I can't believe that. Well, I heard that around Somalia there were pirates, but to think that there was one in our school...and that you tainted your hands with that kind of business, using anime... H: Reiner, it's fine if you don't know about it but there's no need to be that surprised. R: Sorry... H: A pirate site is one that illegally uploads anime, and that is a crime. J: So that's the kind of site where you can watch anime without spending a penny, huh. R: I see. That's definitely not forgivable. M: A complete evil which no one can prevent. A: Yeah...you're right. Not only it's an infringement to copyrights, but it also infringes the rights of all the staff that worked hard to produce these animes. It's the worst, it also tramples on the audience that loves these animes. J: And why did you do that kind of thing ? A: Because I'm someone like that ! I'm made fun of at school for being a geek, I'm not good at sports and I'm not even good at studying, and I don't have a lot of friends. I'm a grandpa's kid and weak, and I can't even tell others what I want. I'm just a pathetic and worthless geek. And that's because I'm this kind of guy that I wanted to, at least, shine on the net ! At the beginning, it was just a site where I recommended my favorite animes, but then, the views increased and I was thanked in the comments, so I wanted even more popularity and started to upload illegally episodes. And one day I realized that it ended up being a complete illegal site. I couldn't bring myself to stop... R: When did you realize it was bad ? A: My friend, Marco, warned me, saying that this was a complete crime. And, in order to stop me, he talked about it with the teachers. J: Huh, so he snitched. That sounds like what a serious ass like him would do. A: But thanks to Marco, I finally realized what I was doing. So that's why I immediately closed the site and it didn't become a serious problem. Well, I ended up in detention though. J: To think that you were a potential criminal. H: That's not a potential criminal, but a criminal indeed. M: One's outward appearance and one's real identity is completely different. Once the mask is removed, the truth shows its face. R: And I thought that you were just an otaku... A: Even someone like me has things I want to do and dreams...One day, I want to go to Akihabara, the sanctuary of anime ! Neons illuminating the high buildings, and posters of my favorite anime characters plastered everywhere...the sanctuary I'm yearning for ! A market so wide and deep that even if the geeks from all over the world were to assemblate, they wouldn't be able to buy everything ! When I was administrating that site, I felt that I was able to touch a little that world... But in truth, I was just drowning in the deep sea of the net... R: Dreams, huh. Up till now, I never even thought about that. H: Are you serious ?! Didn't you want to become a football player ? M: What about those titanic muscles...and that robust body...? R: Those were obtained after training regularly. But that was not because I wanted to become a football player. H: Then, why ? R: It's because I wanted to be acclaimed as an excellent sportsman and obtain a scholarship. J: Ha, what's with that. Such a petty reason ! R: Well, I was brought up by my mother only. It's already tough to let me go to school. I was born in a country beyond the sea. When I was young, my mother and father separated, and me and my mother moved here. After that, there were only hardships. It was tough to only feed ourselves in a foreign land. I want to provide for my mother and let her rest, that's what I always thought. J: H-huh ! After calling me a mother complex, you're not one to say ! R: Yeah, you're right. If I did my best in the football team, it was to make my mother happy. I trained myself everyday, in order to obtain this armor-like body, and even became the captain. And even for my caste, I became the president of the clubs, and volunteered for cleaning garbage, I gained popularity with the students and took special attention of the teacher's moods. I did all I could. And I finally became the jock. A: So you suffered a lot too... H: And why someone like you ended up in detention ? R: On the last physics exams, I had some difficulties... H: So you didn't pass ? R: Y-yeah...that's right. But, no, what I want to say is that...I scored 0 points. J: 0 points ?! For real ?! You must be lying, even I scored 17 points ! R: To tell you the truth...I'm really hopeless with studying. No matter how much I try, I never do well, and up until now, I've managed to barely pass. And physics is my worst enemy. I don't understand a single thing. Like you all said, maybe even my brain has become only muscles. A: But even so, 0 points...? R: That day, during the exam...I lost sight of myself. Until that moment, I always thought that I wanted to let my mother rest, and she has big expectations. In order to meet those expectations, I became the jock, the captain of the football team, the president of all the clubs, and I had to always be strong and right. And when I thought "do I have any dreams of my own ?" "do I have something I really want to do ?", my mind went completely blank, and without realizing, the exam was already over. I couldn't write anything other than my name. J: Well...that explains the score. R: But, even without that happening, it would still have been hard to score more than 10. Armin, before, I said that you were miserable, but, like Jean said, it was me, who has no dreams of his own, that was miserable. A: N-no...that's not true, you're doing your best aren't you ? H: After all, you were just a king in name. That's so stupid. J: Hey ! You don't have to say it like that ! H: It's already great that his mother has expectations of him. Unlike him, no one cares about me, and that includes my own parents. Laughable, isn't it ? R: Hey, Historia, you're a rich lady, there's no way what you say is true ! H: Here's the problem. Just because I’m crazy rich and the cutest, not only in this school but in the entire state, everyone's spoiling me. But no one cares about the real me. J: Huh, that's some luxury ! H: And what do you think you know, Jean ? What do you know, you, who has a mother kind and loving enough to bring your lunch to school just because you forgot it ? I only picked up some fruits that were left on the table. My parents never cared about my lunch. And we never eat together, the last time we ate dinner together was when I was five. They leave my care to the butler, and only see me as a tool for the succession of the family. R: But they're your parents...there's no way they think like that ! H: No, I'm only a tool, and a doll. I've been raised as a rich lady, with disinterested parents, and then I'll marry with a dull man who only has reputation, then give birth to a child and success this house. My parents, teachers and the people surrounding me at school, they're all stupid ! I'm fed up ! School caste ? Queen bee ?! What does that even mean ! A: I understand the situation...but you must have things you want to do, right ? If so- H: Are you really in a position to say that, Armin ? A: Huh ? What do you mean ? H: I also like japanese anime ! I can't help it ! Shugo Chara and Sugar Sugar Rune, they're all the best ! And I'm so envious of your bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo ! I want to go to Akihabara and Ikebukuro and buy all the goods I want ! Armin, you said it, right ? That even if geeks from all over the world couldn't buy everything. But that's not true ! If it's me, I can do it ! With the assets of the Reiss family, I can buy it all ! But I can't ! That's all because I have to be the queen everywhere I go ! I can't like anime ! A: Historia... H: I ended up in detention because I tried to steal an anime magazine, and I got caught. Of course, I had the money. I could have even bought 100 copies of it. But I couldn't let anyone see me buying it. So, I had no other choice but to steal it. J: Being the queen is quite burdening, huh... H: One day, I want my parents to look at the real me. I just want to have fun with real friends and talk about anime. Maybe it's a small thing, but I think that's my dream. I doubt that you all would understand me though. M: That's right, there's no way I would understand. J: Hey, you don't have to say it like that ! M: But, I am aware of the fact that I cannot understand you. You and I are completely different, and we don't live with the same worries. However, it doesn't change the fact that we are together in this darkness. H: Mikasa...how did you end up in detention ? M: After school in an empty classroom, I tried to perform a ritual to summon the goat-faced devil, Baphomet, who has the power to destroy this world and engulf it in flames. And I got caught by the History teacher. J: Ha ! Are you serious ? You should know when to stop with that persona of yours. M: I don't want to hear that from you. J: Well, my apologies ! But that's the truth, isn't it ? It's just a persona. H: Why are you a goth, Mikasa ? Do you really like gothic things ? Or is there another reason that you ended up in this caste ? M: It is...to have perfect control of myself. J: Huh ? What do you mean ? M: Before, I was a normal student. I didn't belong neither to light, neither to darkness, just a normal person. I had a friend, and lived nonchalantly. I had no complaints towards that kind of life. But one day, my friend went up a caste higher. And after that, that friend began to avoid me. R: They didn't want to mingle with a lower caste, huh... H: Well, that does happen often. M: Yes, it's a common story. But to me, that was an unbearable shock. That's when I realized, that this world is cruel. So, I have to have perfect control over myself in order to keep on fighting... J: And that's how you became a goth ? That escalated quickly ! That's crazy ! M: No, occult and curses are helpful to strengthen one's soul. Thanks to that, I managed to remain myself. Also, since I'm asian and my hair is black, it goes well with black clothes. H: It's true that it suits you. M: Also, goth is a caste that isn't bothered by others as much as other castes. If I keep on being immersed in my own world, no one talks to me. It's not that I'm avoided by others, but I do things so that they avoid me. I can think of it that way. R: So, you chose solitude ? M: I want to become stonger. I have to be strong. And one day, I'll become a strong woman like a fearless dark knight. J: Well...you don't have to be that stubborn, don't you think ? And right now, you're talking with everyone just fine. Who knows, you might make another friend ? M: I don't need that. J: Don't say that ! The six of us, who didn't have anything to do with each other, opened up and all ! R: Hey, wait a minute, Jean. J: What ? You want to be in charge again, is that it ? R: No, did you say the six of us ? A: Eren hasn't said a thing yet... E: Huh, me ? J: Don't "huh, me ?" me ! Take part to the conversation ! E: I did listen to you all. I went to the toilet twice though. J: Always about the toilet...what are you, an old man ?! E: I know right, to say the truth, I'm a little concerned about that... My organs may have some problems. Everyone, how frequently do you go to the toilet ? How about you, Historia ? H: Me ?? J: What's with you, Eren ?! No one wants to talk about that ! A: H-hey, Eren...why did you end up in detention ? E: I'm not sure, but I think it's because I skipped the History exam. R: So you skipped, huh. Are you bad with History ? Or, do you have any worries that you can't say to people ? E: Not really, I just forgot about it. When Mr. Smith talked to me about it, that's when I remembered. H: So, is that not because of worries, but because you couldn't think of anything else other than your dreams ? E: Not at all. I really just forgot about it. I don't have any dreams. M: It's complete nought, and thoroughly normal. E: Is that bad to be normal ? I don't really love or hate this world, and I don't have particular worries or dreams. I really don't care about school castes either. Even so, I'm living normally everyday. R: Well, that's true. H: Everyone's worries are different after all... M: Everything comes in all colors. So many men, so many minds. A: Why is it that even though everyone carries its own worries, we all become the same adults...? M: That's because everyone loses to something, and ends up giving up. H: We become arrogant and showy adults, full of deception, huh... A: Hey, in truth, there was something I was thinking about. I know it's weird to ask that, but, when we meet again in school on Monday, what should we do ? J: Huh ? R: What do you mean ? A: We are...friends, right ? H: Do you mean to ask if we should keep up our relationship, where we can talk freely to each other just like now ? A: Yeah. H: Do you really want me to answer ? A: I want to hear it. H: I'll ignore you. A: Is that so... M: Do you mean only Armin, or everyone here ? H: Everyone. I'll pretend that I never met you all. Well, I don't mind Reiner though. R: That's some attitude here. But you like anime, right ? You could talk about it all you want with Armin ! H: Ha, there's no way I could. And that's the same for you, Reiner. When you're with people from the football club, what would you do if Armin, wearing an anime t-shirt and carrying a bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo, went to you and spoke to you ? R: Well, that's... H: Even though you could exchange a few words with him, you would go back to saying bad things about him when he's gone, right ? "What's with that otaku, even though he's a geek, he has the gall to talk to me !" for example. R: I'll never do that, and I don't even sound like that ! H: Then what about that, "Hey, Armin. Everyone, let me introduce my new friend.", would you introduce him to your friends like that ?! They'll just end up mocking you. And without a fault, you'll lose your position as a jock ! Are you fine with that ? Even though you did so much to gain that title- R: Stop that, Historia ! J: Cut that crap... H: You two are liars and hypocrites ! Jean, could you introduce Armin to your delinquent friends ? Could you cosplay as a character from Twilight with Mikasa and go to a party ? J: Shut up ! H: You can't, right ?! There's no way you could ! I'm just being honest. I can't be on good terms with you all ! And why ? Because our castes are different ! A: Then...it's better to be a geek like me. Even if people call me weird, I don't have to care about my surroundings and avoid my friends... M: Armin's right. A: And you, Mikasa ? Would you avoid me if I were to talk to you ? M: No. A: Even if you're with other friends ? M: I don't have any other friends. Even if I had, they wouldn't hate you. J: Mikasa... A: Let me say that, I won't ever avoid anyone here ! That would be too mean. H: Say what you want. I'm different than you, because I'm the queen...the most popular girl in school ! I can't walk alongside with you ! J: I'm astonished...how conceited can you be ? H: I'm not conceited ! It's the truth ! It's because it's the truth that it hurts ! Do you know anything about my pressure ?! The pressure of having to be a good girl at home and at school ! I have to smile all the time to be loved by everyone ! I have to make fun of the anime that I like the most ! I'm fed up with all that ! R: Historia, that's enough ! H: No, it's not ! Nothing's fine ! There's no way it is... E: Hey, sorry to interrupt, but... H: What ? J: What, Eren ? A: Does something bother you ? Feel free to say it. M: You can open up about everything. E: Can I go to the toilet ? J: You...cut it out ! H: How about you try read the room ?? Why do you even ask us permission ! E: If I go on my own, Jean's gonna complaint about it...that's really bothersome. M: Even though he's normal, he's the weirdest... E: Really ? I think it's pretty normal. I just go to the toilet more often that everyone. H: Hah...that's so stupid. J: We were the ones at fault for believing you would say something serious. A: How about you just write your essay in the toilet ? E: Huh ? I don't want to. R: Come to think of it, I completely forgot about the essay. H: We should finish it first. M: Once again, we are back to the cruel reality. J: Let's just do it. A: Yeah. R: Okay everyone, let's finish it quickly and go home. J: Don't you try to be in charge of everything again ! E: Then, I'm going to the toilet. *bell ringing* E: It's finally over. J: I'm so tired. R: We finished just in time. M: We are finally freed from that cage. H: After all it was not impossible huh. Well, as expected of us. A: You all made me write in your place though... L: What, so you're finally going home ? J: Yeah ! R: Mr Levi, thanks for your work. L: Well, that is my work after all. Leaving that aside, what happened ? Your expressions changed since I last saw you. H: Is that so ? I was just having detention, with those five weirdos. M: That's what I want to say. A: Historia was the most surprising, right ? H: Huh ? Did you say something ? A: No, nothing ! L: Whatever. But if you've finished, then hurry and go home. You're going to dirty the floor. R: Mr Levi's right. Let's go home quickly, drink proteins and do some training. A: My World-kun's battery is running low. J: What about you, Mikasa ? Do you have someone to pick you up ? If not, then I don't mind walking you home... M: Huh ? H: Oh my, a bad boy being kind to a goth, what a sight ! J: Shut up ! That doesn't matter ! Right, Eren ? E: What ? J: The castes ! E: That kind of thing doesn't matter. J: Haha ! See ! *everyone laughing*

That is how the six who belonged to different castes, while carrying their own worries and dreams, went home, with the same bright mood. Meanwhile, the History teacher Erwin was in the library, checking their essays.

Er: Hm. "Mr. Smith, thinking about what we all did, it was a given that we ended up in detention. However, the theme "Who I am" was so stupid that it made us want to throw up. This school fixed upon us statuses like the "bad boy", "queen bee", "jock", "geek", "goth" and...the "normal person". Nevertheless, we will keep on moving forward. Without caring about other's expectations, we will do as our hearts please, and this world, this school caste...You will probably say that it isn't the right path, but still, it will surely connect to a future. To a future decided by none other than us."...they're really idiots to the end.

Erwin left with a mysterious laugh. The evening sun illuminated the empty library through the window, and their essay was left there, dyed in gold, like the sun was shining upon their hopes.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #attack on school caste #attack on school castes #snk drama cd #aot drama cd #my translation #Eren Jaeger #Mikasa Ackerman #armin arlert #reiner braun #historia reiss #Jean Kirschtein #levi ackerman #Erwin Smith

98 notes · View notes