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saltygilmores · 2 years

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Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls-Season 2, Episode 3 ("Red Light On The Wedding Night")

Don't forget to visit the Denise Rewatches Gilmore Girls tag for all of my past reviews! Rory: Mom, the house is burning down, and you can save the cake or me, what do you choose? Lorelai: Well, the cake doesn't have legs. Rory In A Later Episode: Mom, the house is burning down and you can save Jess or your shoes, what do you save? Lorelai: That depends, did he start the fire? So what's up with Rory and this very specific hypothetical about her house burning down, incinerating herself and her loved ones, and Lorelai's nonchalant responses?

Kirk Job: Wedding Photographer

Is this how Milo Ventimiglia talks on dates? This is definitely how Milo Ventimiglia talks on dates.

M&L: "Are you ready for me?" "I'm always ready for you." "Full time?" "I insist." Gross. Lorelai casually mentions that Max will be moving in *cough* No he Wont* *cough* so at least they had that discussion. Dean and Rory are walking and talking about what movies to watch and apparently Rory has seen several movies where someone "does something disgusting with a cow". What the hell kind of tapes are they carrying at Stars Hollow Video, exactly? Also who the hell do these two they think they are, Jess and Rory in Season 3, Episode 18, Happy Birthday Baby? Walking hand in hand while talking about movies? Luckily Lane is nowhere to be found to call them a cute agoraphobic couple. Can we also talk about Rory's obsession with making her boyfriends go on double dates with her mother? Another case for Rory desperately needing another friend her own age, one who's actually allowed to leave the house and interact with the opposite sex. I heard that Lindsay Lister is a nice gal. Dean will eventually go on at least two double dates with Lorelai that I can recall. Three if you count that episode where they watched Willy Wonka. There's this episode and another with Luke in season 5, the one with the Bop It (and what a great scene it was, because Luke was really sick of Dean's shit at that point). Then Rory/Logan Lorelai/Luke go to Martha's Vineyard (isn't this one of the most hated episodes of the entire series?) Poor Luke and Max just want some special grown up alone time with Lorelai without her daughter and her boyfriends getting in the way. I'm telling you once more that the men of Stars Hollow would all be a lot less cranky if handjobs were given more freely. Now there's a town event that everyone could get behind (or in front of). Dean and Rory also have a secondary, looong, pointless discussion about the precise date of their anniversary (since they keep breaking up and geting back together). Why do I feel a sense of DeJaVu? It's because a walk-n-talk discussion about the precise date of their anniversary already happened once before.

Between the Donna Reed dinner, this, the Debuntate Ball, and all the other wacky endeavors that Rory ropes Dean into, you can't help but feel a small pang of sympathy for ol GarbageFace McButt Forrester.

Dean: "One handjob per anniversary? Please?" I feel so lost and without purpose whenever Dean isn't acting like a total Turtle Anus. LG to Max: I like watching you cook. Max: I like you watching me cook. Gross.

What's with all the cow jokes in this episode? Rory's top is a pretty color. Dean's advice to Max re: The Gilly Girls

Don't use the last of the parmesan cheese because Rory likes to take it into her room and do mysterious things with it. Dean's other pieces of advice to Max for surviving the Gilly Girls are: Don't start a discussion late at night because that's when they're cranky, go along with their jokes, they'll blame you if they over eat, and no matter how crazy you think they are they'll just keep upping the crazy and you won't be able to keep up. "If you're eating pizza and Lorelai decides that the pepperoni is mad at the mushrooms because the mushrooms have attitude and then she holds up a pepperoni and the pepperoni asks for your opinion, don't just laugh. Answer the pepperoni." Ah yes this all sounds perfectly normal and sane Max should not be at all concerned about who he's about to (not) marry.

One small step above vanilla is just about what I would have guessed for Max's favorite ice cream flavor. Lor & Max are having a discussion about what it means for Max to be Rory's stepdaddy. Which brings us to another installment (one of many) of Lorelai Gilmore The Big Huge Fucking God Damn Hypocrite Theater. Max: Say you're not here, and I come home at 11pm and I find Dean and Rory making out on the couch? What do I do? Lorelai BHFGD Hypocrite Gilmore *shrugs*: They're teenagers, they can kiss. Lorelai BHFGD Hypocrite when she finds (teenagers, actually 18 year old adults at that point) Jess and Rory making out on the couch (during the daytime):

People I am NOT looking forward to suffering through the Jess seasons again. Stick a fork in my eye, it would be less painful.

Lorelai: I've already raised Rory. Max: So what is my role here?

I don't typically say my thoughts out loud as I'm watching but this time I said "Lorelai you dumbass" outloud. Max: What does being your "fella" entail? Lorelai: All things dirty. Gross. Max: Marriage is taking two seperate lives and melding together. How is that gonna work? Lorelai: Idk. Max: Have you given it any thought at all? Lorelai: Not really. Yeah Lorelai is a dumbass but to be fair they don't call him Max Proposes Marriage Over The Phone Twice Medina for nothing, either. Lorelai kisses Max to distract him from thinking about the fact that she has given no thought to their future. Max:Not fair. Lorelai: I have a lingerie drawer full of Not Fair, Mister. Gross.

Luke beans Taylor right in the eye with some kind of unidentified flying object. Beautiful. Taylor has bought in a crew to install a traffic light and metered crosswalk in front of Luke's, and boy is he unhappy about that. The usual gaggle of unemployed townies without anything productive to do have also gathered in front of the diner. Taylor asks if anyone is concerned about a recent spate of near fatal car accidents. Here is where I'd usually wish for a car to hit Dean Forrester but he hasn't been terrible in this episode so I guess I'll lay off the death wishes just this once.

God, Luke was hot. How did Lorelai even entertain the thought of boring, chocolate-chip-ice-cream loving Max Medina? How did she manage to wait 5+ years to finally fuck Luke?

Babette: Stick your hand down the front of a guy's pants for me! She is my kindred spirit.

He gets me hot when he talks like that. #Quack Needless to say, this was the start of a (mini) Luke Rant™ about marriage.

The gals + MIchel have managed to escape The Hollow for one night. They venture into the Real World™ to visit a drag club for Lorelai's bachelorette party, where they think they have any shot in hell of convincing a bouncer that 16 year old shivering chihuahua Rory is an adult who belongs there.

Max phones Lorelai during his bachelor party from the hospital after his brother tried to leapfrog over a parking meter. Max is shown in the hospital waiting room . His brother is released. Absolutely nothing comes of this pointless scene. Lorelai tells him to take his brother to a strip club, because as we saw when Luke visits a strip club with his teenage nephew and brother in law, nothing says male family bonding like naked ladies.

Excellent word, I approve.

Rory and Lorelai give a stumbling and unconvincing speech about Rory being an 18 year old model from Germany and Meathead McGee here gives her a sly smile and lets her in without checking any ID. Yep.

Remember how I said I don't actually talk to myself outloud while watching this show? Well, that's twice in one episode now because I just said "What the fuck!" very loudly. No seriously what the fuck? We learn this is Michel's evil doing. Inviting Emily just for shits and giggles. Emily has had too much to drink so she is actually pleasant company for once and barely complains. Emily and Dean are both on their best behavior in this episode, hell hath frozen over. Emily and Patty trade marriage/wedding stories. Patty has been married four times. Emily fries Lorelai's brain by making her realize she doesn't love Max as much as Emily loved Richard.

Nevermind Dean Forrester Face-Looks-Like-A-Butt, the more important question is, what is she holding? As a fellow Millennial like Rory, I love seeing old, early 2000's technology on tv shows. I took a deep dive and it was called an AOL Mobile Communicator.

Rory is recieving instant messages from Butthead, Sookie calls Jackson (even though she told everyone "no one is allowed to call boys tonight" before they got into the club), Emily is wistful about Richard, and Lorelai is just getting bummed the hell out surrounded by all these ladies happy with their romantic lives. Lorelai picks up her cell phone. Me Having a Casual Thought: Okay, Lorelai is drunk and depressed and lonely. What is she going to do? Ha, I bet she'll call Christopher or something!

Okay Ladies and Gents, we now have our third outloud WHAT THE FUCK of this episode. MAJOR what the fuck! This is my fourth time watching the show and I don't remember this happening. It goes to show you this show is unpredictable in its predictability and how endlessly rewatchable it is because you just FORGET stuff. And what is the purpose of this call? It's to rub it in Christopher's face that she's getting married. Not so fast there, Lorelai. *points to the title of the episode*

Did you know the actor who plays Christopher, David Sutcliffe, is actually a total douchecanoe in real life too? #DoucheCanoeTrivia

Christopher DoucheCanoe asking the important 2001 questions. In the fashion of the many other long and pointless conversations in this episode, they have a long, pointless conversation about Max's taste in music which Lorelai hints at but won't outright admit is (obviously) very lame. Lorelai is trying to convince herself that Max is worth marrying because her feet are getting brrr chilly cold and for some reason she thought Christopher DoucheCanoe would settle her doubts, it doesn't work. Obviously.

This will be me after watching every Jess episode again. The next day Lorelai is hung over and Max shows up at the Inn where Max is upset that their wedding is like, tomorrow, and Lorelai still hasn't given him a set of keys to her (their) house. Max tells Lorelai to "think about someone other than yourself for a few minutes a day." Ah, the sweet sounds of stark, brutal honesty.

Luke is a darling. Luke: You can't stand under the hot sun, on this lawn that hasn't been mowed in weeks. I guess he doesn't mow. Lorelai: Max isn't a mower. Luke: I'll mow it if you want. He's hot, he's opinionated, he builds stuff AND he mows women's lawns freely and without complaint. Of course Max doesn't "mow Lorelai's lawn." But Luke is up for the job. Lorelai: Is it okay that we're not Jewish? Will God smite us if we stand underneath it? Luke: God would probably have to get a permit from Taylor to do any smiting on a weekend. That made me laugh out loud. Luke slightly softens his stance on marriage. "I guess if you can find that one person who is willing to put up with all your crap and doesn't want to change you or dress you or make you eat French food, then marriage can be alright. But only if you find the right person." The episode ends with Lorelai telling Rory to pack for a road trip as she's backing out of her engagement because Max is boring and Luke is hot and better and can mow her lawn all day and night. Here's Michel dancing:

The next episode, Road Trip to Harvard, is one of my top 10 favorite episodes. It's light, breezy fun so I'm looking forward to the last bit of calm before the Jess Mariano ShitStorm blows in.

#kirk jobs #gilmore girls #rory gilmore #lorelai gilmore #max medina #Luke Danes #Early 2000s technology #Denise Rewatches Gilmore Girls #Gilmore Girls Season 2 #Red Light On The Wedding Night #Dean Forrester Not Acting Like Buttzilla For Once #Jess is on the bus from New York as we speak #RLOTWN

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slaasherslut · 1 year

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Heya Slaashy! 💖👋

I dunno if you are (/still) doing the ship ask game or not, because I just saw the ask from Sol you answered 👀 if you don't do it then please just ignore this ask 🫶

We already write about Milo and AJ as friends, which I absolutely love and their friendship is really dear to me, but I wondered what you'd think about them as.. lovers? 👉👈

Also, if you don't mind, what do you think about Kari and AJ? Maybe not romantically speaking, but platonically? 👀

I wish you a lovely day 💖

For you Goldy, of course I am!

Milo x AJ are so sweet to me omg. Like weve talked about it before but theyre definitely gaming buddies who lug consoles and games to each others house for a weekend of gaming, movies, and AJ forcing Milo to eat decently🤣 She would see how he eats and be like "damn this man needs more vegetables" and cook him a decent meal with some fresh veggies from her garden. I can definitely see Milo falling for someone who makes him feel cared for that he can also have fun with and bond with. The two of them having a connection to spirits, Milo definitely likes having someone around who doesnt think hes crazy and that immediately makes him feel fuzzy inside. Like over the many weekend excursions he slowly starts to fall for her. Plus, AJ is totally his type. He can be attracted to any kind of girl but theres something he loves about a girl in a pretty dress or a pretty skirt.

I can see Kari x AJ as romantically involved but I definitely see them more as incredibly good friends, sisters almost. Like when I picture these two together, my first thought is the two of them walking through a shopping district. They're holding hands, talking and giggling while they pull each other into stores that capture their interest, maybe stopping at a cafe for lunch. Kari always has some little braids on the underside of her hair behind her ears and i could see her doing the same with AJ! Oh now im just picturing them sharing clothes and having sleepovers and getting brunch together GAAAAAH GOLDY THESE TWO WOULD BE SUCH SWEET FRIENDS IM MELTING AT THE THOUGHT OF IT everyone stop what youre doing its ✨️them✨️. Also sorry if this seemed like a jumble of thoughts thats how my brain is right now cause it wont stop thinking about them

#i had to answer this rn cause i was having kari and aj feelings #its 4am and im feeling feelings #THEYRE MY BABIES I LOVE THEM #milo vess oc #aj riley oc #kari belmont oc

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saintseiya-zone · 2 years

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SSZ Secret Santa 2022 Wishlist

1. Jinbeizaki

Sagicorn (Aiolos/Shura or Sisyphus/El Cid), Episode Assassin Arthur/Shura (I bet no one would know so here it's wishful thinking) or fluff family things between Aiolos & Aiolia & Shura. Could be AU or canon.

2. Macarro Nii

Algún Marina, Poseidon o algo referente a ese arco

3. Sharkxym

Saga with my OC Sharky spending Xmas together at the Sanctuary. Doesn't have to be shippy romantic, but I do want them to be happy and close cute. Ref of her.

4. Swan

Any thing with Ikki would be great honestly. I also have OCs that I can provide refs for and my biggest ships are RhadaKanon, IkkiPan, and HyoShun. If anything more's needed, I'm open

5. Leika-Kannon

Algo lindo de Kanon, no se exactamente que algo cute

6. Navysodas

Seiya, Aiolos, and Aiolia acting like a found family and doing Christmas activities together like decorating a tree or baking cookies pls and thank you 🥺🥺

7. DarkWolfKnight

My gift will be an artwork of Algol in a 1950s AU.

8. Codec

Shaina in an ugly sweater drinking hot cocoa

9. Midostree

Option 1: Sigh.... Sphinx Pharaoh doing whatever, it can be holiday related. Option 2: Milo & Aiolia hugging, kissing, holding hands, just them being happy or awkward cute.

10. Ganymede_Lorena

Shun o si se puede en ships, Seiya x Shun. Si es fanart podría ser algo con vibras de invierno, ambos tratando de estar cozy, aunque sin imágenes navideñas per se. Si es fanfic podría ser también Seiya x Shun. Ambos estando en la Mansión Kido, Shun ha estado estudiando duro para los exámenes de admisión a la escuela de medicina, y Seiya cree que necesita un descanso. También que sea algo en época de invierno aunque no necesariamente de setting navideño.

11. Octoj3lly

Wyvern Rhadamanthys or Cancer Deathmask beside an old fashioned lamp post, with a snowy forest kinda surrounding. At night of course.

12. Akiko_Kuro

I would like to have Thanatos and Hypnos just chilling together meanwhile hades and Pandora are talking together about their passion over a cup of hot chocolat 💪✨

13. PoisonDaimon

AAAAAAH- So what I would like is obviously everyone to have good holiday and give you the best of luck in attempting to do my gift and try your best. Here are the directions, you can pick one prompt below or mix them together, it is up to you. The prompts are: General: - practice for a first/important dance and the relationship (platonic or romantic) get closer - volunteering at a shelter to improve their resume and found themselves loving the working there but circumstances changed. (you can make it super angsty if you like) - a cooking class went wrong haha. - surprising someone with tickets of their favourite band concert and how it turn out. Christmas/Holiday specific (can interchange the terms) Prompts: - post-Christmas party chaos involved some arrests and a few fights (or anything resembles to chaos in a party) - a Christmas Carol parody/recreation (the one with ghosts of christmas past/present/future), it is to you to show if the character redeems or not. - A music war between any song of any genre of their choice and "All I Want for Christmas is you" in the shopping mall/Christmas mall/or anywhere public and big - I can't think anymore Christmas/Holiday hahahaha For the pairings/main characters/main focus, they can be platonic or romantic: - Kardia + Degel - Sisyphus + El Cid (El Kids can be considered) - Hades and the Twin Gods - ND Earth Signs trio (Ox, Shijima, Izo) - Regulus + Sasha - Mu + Aldebaran (Kiki can be considered) - The Aries family (Mu, Kiki, Shion) - Aioros + Shura (Aiolia can be considered in this if you wish) I wish you the best! Good luck 💗

14. Pegasus LauraNiko

Personajes de StS: Seiya, Koga, Ryuho, Camus, Afrodita, Saga. Mis Ocs: Todos ellos se encuentran en este hilo

15. Lady Heinstein

Hades y Gabrielle Persephone (mi personaje) bajo el muérdago

16. AngelosCrux

A fanwork featuring Hypnos with his wife Pasithea (my design) doing whatever the artist wants (surprise me! haha)

17. Lemonade Moon

1) Manigoldo de Cáncer tomando chocolate caliente con nubes mientras mira por la ventana ya que afuera está nevando. 2) Aiolia de Leo abriendo su regalo junto a su hermano y que su regalo sea unos guantes y una bufanda . Si es posible que sea bajo el árbol de navidad y con ropa a juego que lleven los 2.

18. QuixoticPrince

Characters and Ships: - Shuralia or Shurros - SisyCid - Any of those characters individually lol ^ Prompts: - Watching snow through a window - Being cozy reading/cuddling by a hearth or fire - mistletoe kisses... Mix and match however

19. Hazz

Opción 1- Saga y Aioros, en una dinámica festiva o fluffy :3 Opción 2- Shun (como prefieran tematizarlo <3 o recibiendo un regalo ;u;)

20. Yuunsoba

Tara y Shion, abrazados y abrigados debajo del muérdago, con ropas casuales o tradicionales del Tibet (o similares si se complican los detalles), Shion puede usar las túnicas de patriarca. (reference dump) // PALETA DE COLOR para ropa de Tara // referencia de color para ambos (si esta ropa es más sencilla, se puede utilizar, solo agregar una capa para invierno o bufanda)

#sszss #ignore this post if you arent taking part in the activity

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2aish-iteru3 · 3 years

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Married In A Hurricane (Final Part/Part 5)

Camilo Madrigal x Reader

All characters written in this story is 18+.

This will be the last part for Married In A Hurricane, I just wanted to thank each and everyone of you guys for commenting, leaving hearts. I am absolutely over joyed with the overwhelming support.

With that being said. REQUEST SOME ANGSTY PROMPTS I NEED MY HEART TO BE TORN AND SEWED BACK TOGETHER!

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5(finale). Bonus.

xxxx

(Camilo’s POV)

My lungs were burning.

My feet slammed against the concrete slabs of Encanto.

(Y/n). I needed to find (Y/n) before she left.

She needed to know that I felt the same way.

She needed to know that I love her too.

(Reader’s POV)

“I’m going to miss you so much Mirabel, thank you for everything. You truly are my best friend and I will forever be great full that I had you in my life”I hugged Mirabel for the 13th time that day. I couldn’t help it, I was going to miss her so bad. We had just finished packing and it seemed like the only thing that was left was our goodbyes. Earlier than week/day I had already said my goodbyes to the Madrigals, they all showered me in tears and hugs. The only one I hadn’t said goodbye to was Camilo, but it looked like I was never going to see that boy ever again. I had heard that the engagement had gone through and that they were to be wed in a few months. I started looking for new towns to move into shortly after.

“I’m going to miss you so much more (Y/n), you better come visit!”Mirabel has tears in her eyes. I smiled at her and wiped the tear that managed to escaped.

“Of course Mira, you better come visit me too”She nodded profusely attempting to shoo away the tears that began pouring down. I laughed at her, she was so adorable.

“How about we go grab something to eat before I head out? Lets go to your mama Julieta’s restaurant, I need to taste her cooking before I leave. Plus I don’t need to leave until later tonight”I suggested in hopes that it would make her feel better. It seemed like it had. She gave me a smile and we proceeded to be on our way. For the last time.

(Camilo’s POV)

I’m so stupid, so blind. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner, why hadn’t I realized that she was right in front of me the whole time. It felt like big hunky Mariano, so blind that he couldn’t see Dolores until she spelt it out to him. At least he was smart enough to accept Dolores confession, meanwhile I rejected mine.

I continued running to the direction of her house, by the time that I got there I was nearly out of breath. I briefly looked up and noticed that her room light was off, oh god I hope I wasn’t too late. I began to knock at the door.

“(Y/n)! It’s me Camilo, can we talk please?!”My voice cracked. No answer. I knocked again. Again no answer.

“DAMN!”I slammed up fist on the front door. The people around me were definitely giving me eyes but I didn’t care, she was gone and it was all.my.fault.

I pressed my forehead against the hardwood door. I felt my eyes burn, then a second later a stream line of tears just began flowing down my cheeks. I let out a choked sob.

“Camilo?”It was a faint sound of her voice.

I was definitely going insane. I could still hear her in my head. As if she was still there.

“Camilo. Why are you crying?”It was her voice again, I let out a sigh.

“Why am I crying?!Because I just lost you! I’m so sorry (Y/n).I’m so sorry. I fucked up bad. I let you go. I made you cry. I hurt you. I let you walk away, broken. I was so ignorant, so blind, so stupid. I called you mi vida but I know now that I never should have. Not when I gave you up that easily. I love you (Y/n), I really fucking do. It hurts.”I was full on sobbing at this point. I clutched at my heart, it burned.

“Milo…I’m right here…”The voice in my “head” grew closer. My eyes flew open, and I immediately turned around to where the voice had come from. There stood her.

(Y/n) stood there, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

~~(Reader’s POV)~~

We stared at each other for what it felt like an eternity. No one moved a muscle, we were both shocked at the event that just happened. It was then Camilo took a cautious step, as if he was scared that I was going to run off. I didn’t though, I stood planted at my spot.

“Y-you’re here”He said shakily. I nodded still unable to process what he had just said.

‘I love you (Y/n), I really fucking do. It hurts’

Camilo.Madrigal.loves.me.

“Camil-“His whole body slams into me. I felt his arm wrap around my upper body, other hand on the back of my neck. His head finding the crook of my neck.

(Visual representation)

“Your still here..I’m so happy your still here”He breathed out. I closed my eyes and hugged him back.

“Yes mi vida, I’m still here”

xxxx

Part 5.

Please comment if you guys would like a bonus chapter.

Thank you for reading.

2aish-iteru3

#camilo x y/n #camilo madrigal x reader #x reader #encanto #camilo madrigal

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pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword · 3 years

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I recently read one of your posts about what the gym leaders dislike the most about each other, so I want to request a post about what they like the most about each other :)

Hell yeah, spread positivity.

Milo:

-Nessa: Her confidence. Milo admires the way she seems to never let anyone get her down.

-Kabu: His advice. Kabu always seems to know what to say, and Milo really appreciates that.

-Bea: Her care for her pokemon. For as strong as she gets, and as hard as she trains her team, she always makes sure to keep her pokemon healthy and happy.

-Allister: His individuality. Milo knows Allister the least, but the fact that he stands out unapologetically is something Milo can appreciate.

-Opal: Her tea. Milo loves visiting Opal because she gives great tea and snacks. Visits are very pleasant.

-Gordie: His jokes. Milo and Gordie share very similar humor.

-Melony: Her cooking. Milo loves a good home cooked meal and Melony’s dishes are welcome in the middle of the Circhester cold.

-Piers: His ambition. Piers was scary to Milo at first, but once they got to know each other, Milo began to realize that Piers has a lot of goals, most of which are to benefit others.

-Raihan: The way he treats his fans. Raihan seems like the type to brag and boast, but Raihan is a really cool dude. Milo can’t stand people who flaunt things too much, so the fact that Raihan could and doesn’t is appreciated.

-Leon: The way he cares about other people. Leon is always looking out for other people, and he always strives to help others around him.

Nessa:

-Milo: The way he supports his friends. Milo does a lot for his friends and supports them no matter what.

-Kabu: His passion. Kabu very clearly cares about his career, and not much holds him back. Nessa is inspired by that.

-Bea: Her strength. Nessa appreciates that Bea is super strong and doesn’t let the fact that she’s a girl hold her back. Nessa’s all about girl power.

-Allister: His humor. Not many people hear Allister tell jokes, but Nessa gets to hear pretty frequently, and he’s funny.

-Opal: Her stories. Every times Nessa sees Opal, she has another exciting story to tell about when she was younger.

-Gordie: How he stands up for himself. Nessa is on Gordie’s side when it comes to the fight with Melony. The fact that Gordie keeps going with rock types no matter is really cool.

-Melony: The way she’s a mom to everyone. Melony takes care of people no matter what, and Nessa appreciates that. Melony proves that you can be kind and strong.

-Piers: The way he does music. Nessa knows how hard it is to be a model and a gym leader at the same time. She understands how much work Piers puts in to do music and pokemon training, even when no one sees it.

-Raihan: His personality. Raihan is a lot of fun to hang out with. He and Nessa have similar personalities, so they get along well.

-Leon: The way he looks out for the rest of the league. Leon is the reason Rose never got the chance to pass a rule to stop the Gym Leaders from doing outside work. Leon protected Nessa’s modeling career, despite all the trouble it put him through.

Kabu:

-Milo: His commitment. Milo always follows through on promises and agreements. Kabu really appreciates that.

-Nessa: Nessa’s work ethic. Nessa puts in a lot of work to do all the things she wants to do. Kabu knows that not everyone would be able to do that.

-Bea: How hard she works. Bea is always training. Kabu always admires those who work hard to get stronger.

-Allister: How advanced he is. Allister is the youngest gym leader Galar has ever seen. Kabu is very impressed.

-Opal: Her attitude. She’s always sarcastic and sassy, and Kabu thinks it’s funny.

-Gordie: The way he looks after Piers. Kabu has known Gordie since he was very young, and he knows that Piers is his best friend. Gordie has always been there to support Piers when he needs it, and it reminds Kabu of his friendship with Melony.

-Melony: She’s a good friend. Kabu and Melony have been best friends for a very long time. And despite how long it’s been, Melony and Kabu are still as close as ever.

-Piers: How hard he works. Not everyone sees it, but Piers puts everything he has into taking care of Spikemuth and following his own ambitions.

-Raihan: His passion. Kabu relates to and admires Raihan’s commitment to becoming stronger than Leon.

-Leon: His strength. Leon is so strong it’s unreal, and yet he’s still very humble. It’s a source of inspiration.

Bea:

-Milo: His physical strength. Bea loves to spar, and Milo is a formidable match.

-Nessa: Her involvement. Nessa is always seen doing something for her community. Bea teaches martial arts, so seeing Nessa teaching swimming is something they bond over.

-Kabu: His desire to better himself. Kabu and Bea train together relatively often.

-Allister: His childishness. No one knows Allister as well as Bea, and it’s refreshing to see him act like a kid.

-Opal: Her stories. Opal was very strong and chaotic when she was younger. Bea loves to hear about it.

-Gordie: His type specialty. Bea loves to train her pokemon against Gordie’s because of how tough they are.

-Melony: Her kindness. Melony is very strong, but she’s also very kind and generous. Bea always loves seeing her fellow female gym leaders proving their strength.

-Piers: His advocacy for his pokemon. Bea knows that Dark Type pokemon have a huge stigma, and she appreciates that Piers works to change that.

-Raihan: His drive. He’s great to train with because he wants to get stronger so badly.

-Leon: His generosity. Bea would understand if Leon refused to help the gym leaders so he could stay stronger, but Leon is always happy to help the gym leaders train.

Allister:

-Milo: His food. Milo always has something tasty to share with Allister.

-Nessa: How nice she is. Nessa is always thoughtful and kind to Allister. She laughs at all his jokes, so it makes him feel confident.

-Kabu: His stories from Hoenn. Kabu visits Hoenn pretty often and brings snacks and other things back for Allister. And his stories are interesting.

-Bea: Her care. Bea is usually seen as strong and cold, but Allister knows that she takes care of him. He thinks of her as an older sister.

-Opal: Visiting her. Visiting Opal is very nice. The visits are always peaceful and quiet. Opal gives him good snacks, and she seems to understand him.

-Gordie: His gifts. Gordie loves to give material gifts for any occasion he can. Gordie is a really good gift giver, too. Allister doesn’t know Gordie well enough to think of something better.

-Melony: How she takes care of him. Melony is very understanding and accommodating for Allister. She also takes care of Bea, which makes Allister feel better.

-Piers: He accommodates for Allister. Allister used to think Piers was loud and scary, but he’s actually really calm and quiet. Piers is able to take Allister somewhere quiet and keep people away when he’s overwhelmed.

-Raihan: His love of books. Allister likes to read, and Raihan is a good person to talk to about books. Raihan also lends Allister really good books.

-Leon: His understanding. Leon is very loud and energetic. He knows he’s a lot for Allister. He just really appreciates that Leon doesn’t get offended when Allister gets too overwhelmed.

Opal:

-Milo: His connection to nature. Milo gets plants, and bonds with Opal over the forests around Ballonlea.

-Nessa: Her advocacy for strong women. Opal grew up in a really sexist time. She really appreciates Nessa encouraging girls to be strong.

-Kabu: His humor. Opal thinks Kabu’s humor is hilarious. She gets along will with him and Melony.

-Bea: Her care for Allister. Opal thinks it’s fascinating that Bea cares so gently for Allister while she’s still so stoic and strong.

-Allister: His mystery. Opal relates to him more than anyone else. How different he is from others is endearing.

-Gordie: His kindness. Gordie is really supportive and kind to everyone, especially his friends. Gordie takes a lot of time to make sure his friends are okay.

-Melony: Her stories. Opal likes to tell stories, but she loves to hear about when Melony was young and wild.

-Piers: His resilience. Opal can tell that Piers is a survivor. He adapts to everything and has achieved success despite everything he’s been through.

-Raihan: His history knowledge. Raihan likes to ask questions about events that Opal lived through and Opal likes to share those stories with him.

-Leon: His care for Hop. Opal’s favorite side of Leon is the caring brother side. She knows how happy it makes Hop when Leon is with him. It’s heartwarming.

Gordie:

-Milo: His humor. Gordie likes to crack jokes with Milo because they always seem to land.

-Nessa: Her attitude. To Gordie, nothing is funnier than watching Nessa put someone down for being a jerk.

-Kabu: His involvement. Kabu is a close friend of his mother, so Gordie saw him a lot when he was a child. Kabu is like a father figure to Gordie in a way.

-Bea: Her eagerness to fight. Gordie loves pokemon battles against her because she understands rock types really well.

-Allister: His ambition. Gordie knows that Allister has goals for his future, and he can admire that.

-Opal: Her gossip. Gordie gets to hear juicy secrets, either from Opal herself or from Melony, who heard it from the source herself.

-Melony: Her love. No matter how much they fight, Gordie knows Melony was a good mother to him. He can’t hate her ever.

-Piers: His supportiveness. Piers has been Gordie’s best friend since they were children. Piers puts his entire self into being a good friend and helping Gordie. Piers has done a lot for Gordie, especially with the fight going on.

-Raihan: His energy. It’s tough to keep up with Raihan, but it’s an adrenaline rush to hang out because of how much always seems to happen.

-Leon: His involvement with the rest of the league. Leon could be some greater presence, but he isn’t. He’s a friend to the gym leaders, and stands up for them when they need. Gordie really appreciates it.

Melony:

-Milo: The way he takes care of his Pokémon. His flock of Wooloo are well loved and it shows.

-Nessa: Her unwavering determination. Melony admires the way Nessa sticks to her choices and hardly ever budges for other people.

-Kabu: His sense of adventure. Especially when he was younger, Kabu would take Melony on plenty of exciting adventures. Even now that they’re older, her best friend is still a lot of fun.

-Bea: Her care for Allister. Melony is one of the few who knows how kind Bea is to Allister. All they have is each other in essence. And Melony is glad Allister has a solid person to stick to.

-Allister: His childlike curiosity. Melony adores kids, and Allister is no exception. She loves that he asks so many questions and it always learning.

-Opal: Her wisdom. Melony is hardly ever caught off guard or at a loss, but when she is, Opal always knows what to say.

-Gordie: His independence. Even though Melony doesn’t like that Gordie doesn’t train Ice Types, she has to admit that he does well for himself. He’s a big presence without riding the traditions of his family, and he built that himself.

-Piers: The way he cares for Marnie. Melony has known Piers and Marnie since they were kids. Melony is grateful that Piers is such a good caretaker for Marnie, even though the fact that they’re in this position breaks her heart.

-Raihan: His generosity. Raihan is very famous and rich, so he’s always donating things or giving to the people around him. Melony thinks that’s a good attitude for someone like Raihan.

-Leon: His humbleness. Melony remembered when Leon first became champion. He’d been a little arrogant at the time, but he’s humbled himself a lot. She’s glad for it.

Piers:

-Milo: His open mindedness. Piers knows Milo was afraid of him at first, so he was surprised when Milo tried to get to know him. He’s glad for it.

-Nessa: Her confidence. Nessa never lets hurtful comments get her down. That’s something Piers admires and is a little jealous of.

-Kabu: His patience. Kabu and Piers aren’t the closest, but Kabu was there for Piers when he needed him. Piers had been a lot of trouble for Kabu to deal with then, but Kabu never lost his temper with him and was patient the whole time.

-Bea: Her relationship with Allister. Piers know what it’s like to be a kid responsible for an even younger kid. Bea’s not exactly in the same situation he was in, but he still admires her resilience.

-Allister: That he’s introverted. Piers relates to Allister not wanting to be around people. Allister also gives Piers and excuse to get to a quieter place to rest in big events.

-Opal: Her ability to read people. That skill has saved Opal and the people around her a few times. Piers included.

-Gordie: His consistency. Gordie has always been a safe haven for Piers. He’s always been sturdy and supportive and hardly ever wavers when Piers needs him.

-Melony: Her care. Melony is the closest thing to a mom Piers has ever had. He doesn’t know where he’d be if she didn’t insist on taking care of him any way she could.

-Raihan: The fact that he’s extroverted. Raihan can be a chore to deal with sometimes, but Piers also appreciates him because he takes the lead. It’s refreshing to just be dragged around and not have to make any decisions.

-Leon: His understanding. Leon has always been someone who wants to understand and accommodate people. He’s saved Piers’ hide many times because he made the attempt to understand Piers.

Raihan:

-Milo: His laid back view of training. Milo is a strong trainer, but he’s friendly about it. Milo makes for a good relaxing warm up or wind down battle.

-Nessa: Her attitude. Raihan and Nessa are a force to be reckoned with when they’re together. Nessa makes Raihan feel even stronger.

-Kabu: His passion. Kabu is an intense trainer because he wants to better himself. This is a trait they both share.

-Bea: Her intensity. Raihan loves training with her because it’s so difficult to keep up. Certainly, a welcome challenge.

-Allister: His mystery. Understanding Allister the way Raihan does makes him feel exclusive. Also, they talk about books a lot, and that’s fun.

-Opal: Her gossiping. Raihan loves to be in the know, and he’s glad Opal is willing to share with him.

-Gordie: Hanging out with him. Gordie is a fun person to hang out with casually. He always seems to know someone or have something to do.

-Melony: Her cooking. Raihan is a sucker for home cooked meals made with love. When he’s in the area, he always wants to stop by for dinner.

-Piers: His reliability. Piers puts up with a lot, but he always follows through on his promises. He may not seem like it at first, but Piers is a very trustworthy person.

-Leon: His strength. Raihan always looks up to Leon. He worries that if he ever does surpass him, he’ll be without a goal and start to decline.

Leon:

-Milo: His love of kids. Milo is an old friend of Leon’s, since they used to live so close together. Milo was always there to help out with Hop when Leon needed, and he taught Hop a lot of important things.

-Nessa: Her dedication. Leon knows she models and trains Pokémon at the same time. She works hard to do her best with both.

-Kabu: His want to be better. Kabu is always working hard, and it pays off. Leon cares a lot about people who want to be stronger.

-Bea: Her training. Bea throws everything into being a Pokémon trainer, and Leon looks up to her for that.

-Allister: He’s a prodigy. Allister is the youngest gym leader Galar has ever seen. He’s also very strong at the same time. Leon has high hopes for his future.

-Opal: Her experience. When Leon has a problem, Opal always knows how to help. She’s gotten him through a lot.

-Gordie: He’s fun. Whenever Leon needs to go out casually, Gordie knows how to help. Hanging out with Gordie is a good stress reliever.

-Melony: She cares about him and Hop. Melony is very sweet, and Leon knows that she took care of him when he was first settling into the league. He was very grateful, but not surprised, to know that she did the same for Hop later on.

-Piers: His dedication. Piers juggles a lot of things. Being a gym leader, his music, taking care of Marnie and Spikemuth. It’s a lot for one person, but Piers perseveres. Leon doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle all that.

-Raihan: His rivalry. Raihan is always at Leon’s heels. He inspires Leon to keep working hard for himself and the people around him. He knows how important he is for Raihan, too.

I tried to do my best but for some reason it took me three days to get through this.

#pokemon swsh #pokemon milo #pokemon nessa #pokemon kabu #pokemon bea #pokemon allister #pokemon opal #pokemon gordie #pokemon melony #pokemon piers #pokemon raihan #pokemon leon #ask #bigwagonpiepainter

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majorxmaggiexboy · 3 years

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on that note, since i still haven’t seen it and am Bitter

The Plot of Encanto, as i’ve been able to extrapolate from memes and like, three songs

Alma has like three kids and i think in order of age they’re Julietta, Pepa, and Bruno, or they might actually be triplets. Some guy murders her husband (murder to kick off the plot? finding nemo vibes) and, idk if it’s the power of love or just a random, accidental like tertiary terrestrial big bang or what but it’s like this almost kind of pocket universe is created like it sounds like some extra mountains and stuff spring up from the earth between Ms Alma and the murderer dude.

I haven’t seen anything about why this murderer dude was after her but maybe he knew she was magic or smthn and was like “i need that in my life, world conqueration” and she and her husband were like “ew idk wtf youre talking about, we have three kids do you think we have time” so he just figured he’d murder them and now he’s probably calcified inside a mountain regretting his decisions

somehow Ms Alma gets a candle and, builds a house? With her kids? and the house is like Actually I’m Also Magic, Your Children Will Rise Up And Call You Blessed, Boom, and then her kids get magic abilities. Julietta gets cooking-activated healing powers, Pepa is Storm, and Bruno becomes a prophet.

Unfortunately though Bruno’s prophecy powers come with classic villain coding in the form of green lighting so everyone’s like “Oh my god, he’s Evil, right? Is your kid evil, Alma? Did you have an evil son?”

I think they kind of shelve that for a while and just kind of side-eye the dude for like fifty years or so.

Oh and at least two of the kids seem to have anxiety bc it looks like Pepa tends to get super upset and cause major weather issues, and Bruno’s premonitions are at least mostly negative so most people see him coming and they have that kind of MoonMoon reaction. Anyway

So Julietta gets married and so does Pepa, just to a couple of normal dudes since nobody else has magic powers. Both great dudes. Bruno’s either Ace, Gay, or Just Can’t Get A Date. Or probably a combination. He messes up Pepa’s wedding by doing a weather forecast that upsets her.

I’d think that’d be the catalyst to Not One Of Us over the loudspeakers and him slinking off into the walls but ????? I guess they kind of still tolerated him?

The couples start having kids and each couple happens to have three kids which makes me think the Magic has a thing about the number three

Also the kids get magic abilities and their own room when they turn five and wait a second just as an aside- the House is magic too right? So is it actually haunted? Is it the dead husband’s spirit? Was the husband a wizard? - so we’ve got

Luisa, my favorite, who has super strength and an anxiety/depression disorder Dolores, my favorite, who has super hearing and an anxiety disorder Isabella, who makes the flowers bloom again and is doing the best she can and has an anxiety disorder Ca(r?)milo, my favorite, who’s a shapeshifter and probably bi, very gender, love that funky lil dude. Mirabel, my favorite, probably also has an anxiety disorder. No gift because either the magic ran out of ideas for a minute when it was her turn or maybe the magic was like, “youre the designated next abuela” Antonio, whose voice makes me long for death but who’s otherwise quite cute, can talk to animals

So the actual plot of the movie is then that Mirabel’s like Damn Wow I Don’t Have Superpowers, This Is An Awkward And Uncomfortable Position To Be In

and wait actually, also, going back, i think around the time the magic was like “lol not u mirabel” that’s when everyone started looking at Bruno like “man what now? did you do this? Are you evil? Are you Maleficent from the original cartoon sleeping beauty? Did you put a curse on this kid? Are you gay?” and Bruno was like “Idk lemme go check wikipedia” and noped out to go live in the walls and collect rats

i don’t think anyone was particularly upset by that, i haven’t seen any implication of a missing person’s report being filed. Everyone was just kind of like “Oh damn he gone”

anyway so Mirabel doesn’t have a magic power and she’s self-conscious about that but her little brother? cousin? Antonio gets a magic power of being able to talk to animals and so everybody’s having a party to celebrate.

Meanwhile Isabella has an arranged marriage situation with this guy and she’s going along with it to make grandma happy because she’s the favorite and is scared to not be the favorite but then actually Dolores likes the guy who’s engaged to Isabella

And for some reason the magic starts wheezing and crumbling. Possibly due to the ghost or the magic or whatever being upset about how everyone’s side-eying Mirabel like “You don’t have powers,,,oh, are you Evil? Evil like your Uncle?” so naturally when the magic starts glitching people are like “Wow, Mirabel, you really did this, just like your evil uncle”

so Mirabel decides that that can’t be right and that she’s going to solve the mystery of why the house is haunted and magical and what’s glitching with the magic so she starts asking questions about her evil uncle in case he’s still alive and is why the magic is glitching, and literally the whole family and town are all unanimously like “we don’t talk about that dude, he’s Evil”

so she goes on a quest and somehow finds her way into the walls of the house and meets Bruno and finds out he’s not evil, he’s just Some Guy and she’s like Okay Prophet, What’s The Deal With The Magic, and he’s like Idk But You’re Involved, and she’s like Oh Sh**

and it’s a little bit of a Brave situation because she’s got these side quests to make things okay with her sister whom she can’t stand but also has to fight the grandma in the end and the whole house turns out to have just been crumbling due to domestic distress rather than a curse or anything, like the magic was just buckling under the tension of family gatherings which, aren’t we all,

so at some point Mirabel makes her sister angry enough to conjure up succulents and rediscover her life’s purpose so they’re cool again and then Mirabel gets to the final boss battle and is like, “Grandma, Grandpa is Dead. I don’t have magic powers but you don’t either so, if I Suck for not having powers, so do you. Also, stop making everyone enter the workforce at five years old. With great power comes great responsibility but sometimes even demigods need a nap”

and Grandma is like, “oh. Okay, yeah, that sounds right”

and Bruno comes out of the wall on a horse and is like “Please do not kill Mirabel for my transgressions, I didn’t put a curse on her” and Grandma is like “Oh hey I did have a third kid”

and the townspeople are like “We don’t have magical powers either but most of us have practical carpentry experience and know about building stuff” so they do an HGTV Rebuild and the family is like, “the real reason Mirabel doesn’t have powers is because god wanted to give everybody else a chance. If Mirabel didn’t get nerfed on the powers she’d be too much”

And the donkeys were animated by furries.

#encanto #im wait for digital release DX

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rbbalmung · 4 years

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Pokemon SwSh GPL AU: Character Analysis P2

Hey all! I was going to call this “Gym Leader Analysis”, but I really wanted to talk about Leon and Sonia too. We’re just keeping this series going! Keep an eye out for P3 (It’ll probably be posted in the same night).

LEON:

AGE: 26

ETHNICITY: Half Hispanic, Half Black

GENERAL HEADCANNONS:

Leon is definitely cool uncle friend. I know he is a hot mess and can barely look after himself, but I just feel like he is so good at taking care of other people.

Leon is a man of many faces. He can pump up a crowd one moment and rid his face of emotion the next. It is definitely jarring when someone first gets to know him.

Leon is pansexual. He pretty much flirts with anyone (within his age range, of course). That being said, he isn’t out to the public yet. He isn’t ashamed of it at all; he just doesn’t want his sexuality to be the only thing he’s known for.

Speaking of flirting, there is nobody he flirts harder with than Raihan ;)

Leon was 12 when his dad died, and it hit him really hard. Since the rest of his family took it even harder than he did, he internalised a lot of his pain and focused on trying to help raise Hop. He doesn’t really feel like he ever got the closure he needed.

Oh boy, is Leon protective over Hop. There is a 10 year age difference between them, so he will always feel like Hop is his “Baby Brother”.

(Fun fact: He develops a similar relationship to Gloria when he becomes her Champion Mentor).

Leon is a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He doesn’t really process the fact that some of the things he deals with are incredibly dangerous, which is a bit concerning to his friends. On a more lighthearted note, this means that he will ride any roller coaster without breaking a sweat.

Cannot cook to save his life.

Leon, like Hop, has ADD. That’s why he’s always getting lost/seems to have trouble keeping focus.

SONIA:

AGE: 26

ETHNICITY: White

GENERAL HEADCANNONS:

Sonia is the smartest out of our gaggle of characters and she knows it.

She and Leon entered the GPL together, but she dropped out before going to Hammerlock. Sonia originally joined the league thinking it was something she wanted to do because she was good at pokemon battles, but she quickly learned that the rigorous lifestyle trainers live wasn’t for her.

Sonia had an uncertain period of her life where her best friends had all become gym leaders and she was stuck in Wedgehurst helping her grandmother. She definitely had imposter syndrome when hanging around them, so for a few years, she kept her distance. Attending University really helped her start to find her footing, though she wasn’t sure what branch of pokemon studies she wanted to focus on (until the game starts).

She has a strong pokemon team, but she doesn’t fight with them anymore. She mostly keeps them around for company and they help her with her research!

Sonia is super close with Hop. After becoming champion, Leon asked her to keep an eye on him. They very much have a sibling relationship (though neither will admit it).

She is the friend that is overly invested in everyone’s love lives. Sonia is constantly trying to set everyone up together because she “just loves love”.

RAIHAN:

AGE: 25

ETHNICITY: Black

GENERAL HEADCANNONS:

Tall boy! Raihan is freaking huge, and being around everyone else in the League only heightens this fact. He jokes that the one thing he will always hold over Leon is their height difference.

You would think Sonia is the biggest gossip, but we all know that Raihan is. You can trust him if it’s something serious, but you have to preface that. If you don’t, you may as well kiss your secrets goodbye.

Raihan is the best person to go to when you need help. He has big Gryffindor energy and will literally do anything you need him to. If he doesn’t, you just have to call him out for “being a coward”. His pride will definitely be the death of him.

Raihan has the biggest social media presence despite not being champion. He is really good to his fans and will try to interact with them as much as possible. Will always sign autographs or stop to take a picture.

He met Sonia, Leon, and Nessa through the GPL (they were all in the same season). He beat out Nessa but lost to Leon in the finals. Raihan took the defeat pretty hard and made it his goal to dethrone Leon, so he fought Hammerlocke’s previous gym leader and the rest is history.

He really wants to impress Leon ;)

Bede once challenged his for his throne, but lost. Raihan always brings this up to him now that they’re both gym leaders just to piss Bede off.

He really likes egging on his friends. Raihan never crosses the line, but he’ll say just the right thing to make you challenge him to a pokemon battle.

Puts on a brave face, but definitely lets negative comments get to him.

The chaotic one in the friend group.

PIERS:

AGE: 22

ETHNICITY: White

GENERAL HEADCANNONS:

Such a pure, soft boy. Literally the nicest, chillest person. He just scares people off with his edgy demeanour.

He cares a lot about the people in his town. Since Spikemuth is small, it definitely feels like everyone there is a family. It was the main reason he refused to move the Dark Type Gym to a different location to obtain a Dynamax hotspot. (That, and he hates Dynamaxing).

Speaking of, he is fairly new as a gym leader! Leon nominated him to participate in the GPL after noticing his raw talent in the GJPL (Galarian Junior Pokemon League). Piers didn’t expect to make it as far as he did, but he was truly the dark horse of his season. He made it all the way to finals and wiped the floor with the gym leaders he went up against. He did end up losing, but he used the newfound fame he received from participating to kickstart his band.

Two years later, Leon approached him again and asked if he was still interested in becoming a new gym leader. It started as a small, non league Gym, but his notoriety quickly gained Spikemuth new attention. He joined the League only one year after debuting.

Despite being crazy talented at being a pokemon trainer, Piers really isn’t interested in it anymore. He likes the freedom that comes with pursuing his music career. (It definitely helped that his little sister shaped up to be an astounding pokemon trainer herself).

Coolest big brother ever. Marnie chastises him for pampering her, but they are definitely best friends. They’re the type of siblings that, if one of them goes to the grocery store, the other will just tag along.

Dad Friend. 100% a Dad Friend. Literally adopts Marnie’s friends the second he sees them. (Who are these twerps? Ok, I guess they’re my children now). Would never admit to this fact.

Vegan.

Piers and Marnie grew up in an artsy family with three other brothers (he is the exact middle child). They weren’t rich, but they are all super close and supportive of each other.

NESSA:

AGE: 25

ETHNICITY: Black

GENERAL HEADCANNONS:

Looks are definitely deceiving with this one. Nessa is good at keeping a serene face, but if she loses, she is definitely seething underneath.

So pretty, oh my god. She was scouted by a modelling agent during her GPL season. Nessa only signed after she lost the Finals Tournament. Her career started as something to keep food on the table now that she couldn’t become champion, but she has grown to respect her craft. She likes to use it to promote small businesses and make political statements.

Nessa was trained by the previous gym leader of Hulbury (another water type trainer), so it was no surprise to anybody when she tried to hand their title off to her. Nessa refused to take it without winning a pokemon battle, fair and square.

She is super athletic! Nessa was on the swimming team throughout school and won several region championships! Sometimes during the off season, she’ll help teach swim classes to younger kids.

Best friends to lovers with Sonia! They met during their GPL but didn’t start to get romantic feelings towards each other until 6 years later. Everyone knows that Nessa has a girlfriend, but she keeps the fact that it is Sonia private because she doesn’t want the crazy fanboys to target her.

Nessa takes on a big-sister-role to all of the new female gym leaders (Gloria, Marnie, and Bea). She and Melody will literally strike down anyone who even looks at their girls funny.

Her relationship with Milo is hilarious to anyone who isn’t them. Nessa is convinced that they are rivals and must constantly train against each other in order to get stronger. Milo sees her as his best friend and will bake her treats for when they meet up. (Also, Kabu is their dad. I’m just stating facts).

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mihidecet · 4 years

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SBI d&d AU: Ph1lza

First of all, I want to thank each and everyone of you who's liked, reblogged and left a comment (even in private) on my last story! I'd never received such positive feedback and it absolutely made my day (and my week)! So thank you all so so much! <33

A special thank you goes to @whatimevendoinhere , who is an endless source of inspiration and honestly such a cool person to just hang out with akdgaha

Go check out their drawings! They made so much art for this au, and a stunning animatic!! Go show them all the love! <3

Despite what most would think, His Majesty, King Philza of the Greenwoods, does not miss the commodities that come from being royalty. He does not miss them at all, but it would be better to specify why.

He did enjoy sleeping in his wonderfully big bed, with as many soft as cloud pillows as he wished, with sheets made of the finest silks in the summer and of the warmest wool in the winter. But he very much prefers the current warmth of the campfire in front of him, as he moves around a log and watches sparks fly off into the night, and the familiar weight of the head resting on his lap - Tommy had insisted on listening to stories of his time back at the castle, and then he'd promptly fell asleep halfway through him talking about his horseback riding classes.

He did like taking care of his horses, endless stables with elven bred mares and elks. He remembers Roheryn, his first pony, a docile animal that grew up with him, and Firefoot, a fiery mare whose temper he could hardly match.

Still, they are no match for Milo, Barnaby, Peter and Fraiser, the four horses they managed to buy after successfully freeing a nobleman's son. Sometimes Phil catches Wilbur talking to his own as if he could respond; one of these days he'll tell the young bard that, being a druid, he'd be able to translate sweet Milo's answers.

Phil loved the food they would cook in the kitchens, how his nanny would sneak him sweets when he was a child, or how the head chef had caved in and started teaching him how to bake bread after years of insisting it wouldn't be proper for a king to spend his day in the kitchens.

These days he's especially thankful for all the recipes he'd been taught, as food is not that easy to find when you're travelling through endless enchanted woods. And nothing beats the joyful expressions colouring the faces of his companions every time he announces he'll be making his special soup.

The one thing he misses are his friends back home, the people he grew up with. His travels have brought him far away, but they still hold a special place in his mind. Under his linen shirt - once a pristine, perfectly clean thing, now stitched up with different coloured threads and forever stained on his right side where a wolf managed to bite him - rests a thin chain of mythrill, where he keeps what he holds most sacred: his wedding ring, the one he will wear once he'll come back, once his travels and trials have ended.

He never fiddles with it, never exposes it to the light in hope time and weather won't ruin its beauty. Not that its meaning would be lost, even in the hundreds of years Phil will hopefully live, but he did spend two whole years crafting each and every silvery strand - he's not about to let his hard work go to waste. Still, its weight is a constant source of comfort, and even in the worst moments it gives him strength.

A quiet huff of breath next to him catches his attention and, a moment later, Techno lets himself fall down at his side.

While it's good to see him so relaxed, less careful with every move - hands no longer constantly busy in order to keep his mind at bay - he can sense that the thief is anxious: his shoulders are set in a tense line and he seems to be trying to sneak glances at him before quickly looking back towards the rest of the camp. So, Phil waits. He can give him the time he needs, after all he's already slept the four hours he needs to survive.

A couple of minutes later, Techno's rough voice pierces the comfortable silence they'd fallen into.

"Give me your hand." Is not exactly what the druid had expected, but he extends his hand nevertheless, raising an eyebrow curiously. Not even a second later, there's a small green and golden bracelet in his palm.

"Listen, you've saved my bacon more time than I can count, and we've worked together a long ass time, so now we're friends. I just decided it, there's no take backs." Techno states, adopting what Phil has now learnt to know is the tone of voice he uses when he's trying to be intimidating due to his own nerves.

Phil looks down at the bracelet in his hand, picking it up in order to better study it. It's objectively beautiful, the multiple threads of coloured material having been woven by hand, with an added string of gold-like material and a handful of deep red beads.

But most of all- the most stunning thing is that he's holding something Techno made, for him, as proof of their friendship. It tugs at Phil's heartstrings, making his throat squeeze around his words.

"Techno, mate, this is stunning. I- I will keep it forever. Thank you."

One of the thief's eyebrows raises as he looks back at him, staring quietly as if expecting a joke or a quick negation - as if, Phil thinks to himself.

For a moment they're both silent as Phil tries to convince the man sitting next to him of how much he appreciates this token of friendship, after months of fighting side by side.

Techno's mask of impassibility breaks first. He huffs out and turns back towards the fire, but Phil's an elf: he can clearly see the crinkle in his eyes and the smile that breaks open his face, from how it glints in the feeble light, to how one of his tusks pushes up into his cheek.

"Alright, enough with the sappiness. Go to sleep or something, you're distracting me from keeping watch." Techno grumbles, using a stick to move around the embers in the campfire.

With a small chuckle, Phil nods and doesn't point out that he's the one who's supposed to be keeping watch, opting instead to figure out where to keep this precious gift.

While it takes him a while to make up his mind, once he's made his choice he knows it's the right one. It's almost surreal taking hold of the mythrill chain, because he's so used to it resting over his heart, but that is also why he's chosen to tie the bracelet there.

Phil has been travelling for a while - some years now. He has met many people, fought many fights and visited many places, but he knows this is it.

The brilliant thief next to him, the wonderfully talented bard sleeping on the other side of the fire, and the little maniac sleeping with his head in his lap.

These are the companions he will spend the rest of his travels with, for as long as they'll have him.

Next to him, Techno chokes on seemingly nothing.

"You alright?" Phil asks, turning a concerned eye towards him: the thief is a couple of shades lighter than usual and is waving a hand towards his chain.

"You're *married*?!" He yells under his breath, voice reaching a pitch that Phil didn't expect he could.

Tommy grumbles in his sleep, apparently disturbed by the sound of Techno's protest, but he seems to fall back asleep rather quickly once Phil places a reassuring hand over his curls. The boy mumbles something about bees before rolling on his side, head tilting up into his hand, and Phil has to quickly dodge one of his horns - still growing, but nevertheless rather sharp and definitely solid.

Once his movement has stopped, Phil turns to Techno with a small smile.

"Not yet. It is tradition in my family, that one must prove their worth before taking their spouse's hand in marriage." He explains, Techno's expression turning from confusion to understanding.

"And that's why you're travelling. Is it an arranged marriage?"

Phil can't help but laugh a little, despite the ache that burns deep into his chest, shaking his head as he clutches the ring in his hand.

"She is the love of my life. My light, my sun and my moon. I'll spend the rest of eternity with her, for as long as she'll have me. My heart is hers, as is my whole being."

A beat of silence passes, as Phil stares into the moonlight, looking into the same sky that hopefully his love is seeing too, feeling the weight of his affection lift him up towards her. One day, one day they'll meet again, and they'll be able to finally officiate in front of the whole world what is already true. And then, they'll be able to travel together - oh, how his companions will love her, how she will care about them.

King Philza does not miss anything but he does miss her.

"I- I'll take it as a no on the arranged thing, then. I guess."

This time, when Phil bursts out laughing, it's loud, joyous and brings tears to his eyes.

It also makes Tommy wake up with a yell and Wilbur throw his pack at him - a cursed protest for him to *shut the hell up, we're trying to sleep* - but that is absolutely worth it.

________

Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed!<3

I have plans for a Tommy part, once again regarding the friendship bracelets, which will hopefully arrive in the near future!

If anyone would like to see any particular scene or character, let me know! Even in private messages, or anon asks, I will absolutely not mind (I'm just an awkward nerd)!!!

#sbi dnd au #dnd au #ph1lza #philza #technoblade #tommyinnit #wilbur soot #my writing

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elsanna-shenanigans · 3 years

Text

April Contest Submission #4: Stupid For You

Words: ca. 6,100 Setting: Modern AU Lemon: No CW: None

Anna adjusts her car visor to block out as much of the sun as possible. Just because the weather feels nice enough to keep her windows down, doesn’t mean she’ll allow the sun cook her through the windshield.

It’s 2:25 PM on a Friday. Back in college, she would have been powering through her final class of the week, racing back to her dorm on her longboard, changing into her pajamas, and replaying the entire Mass Effect trilogy for the fifth time. Now, she spends it idling in the parking lot of West Arendelle Elementary, breathing in exhaust fumes from other idling cars, and pitifully swiping through a dating app.

And to be honest, she might like this routine a little more.

But only because, in a couple of minutes the bell will ring and her favorite ten-year-old will burst through the front doors, skip down to her car, and tap on the passenger windows with both hands.

Not that…she knows any other ten-year-olds, she only knows this one. She doesn’t have like a top ten list of favorite children.

Anyway yeah.

Anna presses against the corner of a parking sticker peeling off at the bottom of her windshield, knowing she’ll have to get a new one soon. The sound of her phone buzzing grabs her attention, and a little bit of hope rises in her as she checks the notification. Unfortunately, it’s just a text from her mother saying not to park behind her when she gets back home.

Anna grumbles, “I swear there’s like zero lesbians in this entire freaking city.”

She’s saved from her petty lamenting by the forementioned bell, and suddenly the barren entrance of the elementary school is buzzing with activity as children pour out of the doors in droves. Some are running, some are walking slowly with their group of friends, but only one of them is skipping.

Or at least Anna could only see one skipping since she wasn’t focusing on any other kid.

Gleefully making her way to Anna’s car is a little girl in a bright-blue skirt, a clean white polo, and a messy braid. Her hands are clutching the straps of her glittery backpack and her lunch box is hanging on for dear life around her neck.

Serah Langford, the self-proclaimed “cooliest” ten year-old in Arendelle.

Serah predictably taps her knuckles against the passenger window and Anna rolls it down. “What’s the password?” she asks.

“Fart Sniffer,” Serah says confidently.

Anna shakes her head, “That was last week’s password. What’s this week’s?”

Serah looks off in the distance and purses her lips. A second later, she says, “Alright I said it!”

“Say it out loud.”

Serah rolls her eyes and says in a dramatically bored voice, “Anna de Milo is the greatest, prettiest, most wonderful babysitter in the world and deserves a million dollars.”

Anna unlocks the door and grins, “That’s the one!”

The embarrassed fourth-grader shuffles into the car, placing her bag by her feet, her lunch box in her lap, and her phone plugged into the AUX cord. Anna would be offended if they didn’t have the exact same taste in music.

A babysitting job wasn’t at the top of her list after she graduated, but when months passed and she exhausted all the search results for “Writer” on Indeed, she was starting to get desperate. Her mother advised her to look for any job so at the very least she could have a steady source of income while she continued to look for writing gigs.

That’s when she found Bizzybee.

Bizzybee is a company that prides itself on being “Tinder for babysitters”, which is a horrible vision statement but she kept from mentioning that during her interview. After a surprisingly long assessment process, Anna was placed into their system and she was free to take on any babysitting/housesitting job she wanted based on the profile of the parent and their needs. Everyone started with the same hourly rate, but with enough good reviews she would be eligible for raises.

The first five families she worked for weren’t a good fit for different reasons (one of the fathers actually tried to make a move on her, which is an entirely different, creepier story). She was beginning to lose hope until she stumbled on the profile of a recently divorced mother named Elsa Langford.

From the very first interview with Elsa, Anna knew she’d finally found the right babysitting job for her. She and Serah hit it off right away, and they worked out a Monday-Friday schedule which allowed Anna to continue searching for jobs while still getting great hours.

Six months later and, despite a couple of job offers, Anna decided to stay on as Serah’s babysitter. It was risky and not at all the path she set out for herself after college, but she found herself enjoying babysitting much more than she thought she would. And because of that, she stayed.

Well…that, and another reason.

Anna snuck a peek inside the lunch box at a red light and frowned at the unopened bag of cookies inside. “Seriously?! I thought you liked Chips Ahoy!”

“Only the chewy ones,” Serah argued.

“They can get chewy if you dip them in milk.” Anna waved the bag obnoxiously close to the little girl’s face. “These things are expensive, you know.”

“They’re $20 on Amazon if you buy them in bulk.”

“$20 is still a lot of money.” The light’s turned green, so Anna has to open the bag with her teeth. When she does so successfully, she pours a couple of the cookies right into her mouth. Chewing with righteous indignation, she says, “You know what you can buy with $20?”

“Dinner with my mom?”

Anna almost chokes on the cookies.

She hears Serah giggling up a storm while handing her a water bottle to keep from dying. After downing half the bottle, Anna takes a deep breath and gets back into the center of her lane to ensure neither of them is going to die. “Serah! What did I tell you about saying that kinda stuff while I’m driving?!”

Serah bounces proudly in her seat, “Well maaaaybe if you didn’t have a crush on my mom, I wouldn’t have to bring it up.”

“It’s not…I’m not…” Anna slumps in her chair, wondering why she even bothers denying it. “Whatever.”

Yes, she has a big, stupid gay crush on the mom of the kid she’s babysitting. But have you seen Elsa Langford? She’s gorgeous. Pale skin, light blonde hair always in a neat, tight ponytail, eyes like calm pools of water, and a killer body she worked tirelessly on after giving birth to Serah. Anna had to drink three glasses of water just to get through the interview with her.

But there’s nothing to it, and nothing’s gonna happen anyway. It’s just a crush.

A stupid, dumb, big, stupid, fleeting, doesn’t-mean-anything, stupid crush on a stupid, sexy mom.

It’s stupid.

[Line Break]

Anna pulls right into the driveway of the Langford’s small, one-story house. It’s in the middle of a long suburbian row of houses that look nearly identical in their mundanity, but this one always stands out to Anna. Not because she’s been to this house countless times, but also because it’s got a vibrant feel to it; like you can feel two main characters live here. Serah skips over to her front door with Anna close behind. She notices the grass is getting a little tall and wonders if Elsa might need some help mowing it this weekend.

She unlocks the front door and Serah immediately takes off her shoes by the front door, places her lunch box on the kitchen table, and hums to herself while she walks to her room. The schedule used to be on the fridge, but by this point Anna’s memorized it.

Make a light snack for Serah, help her with her homework before dinner’s done, clean around the house (that’s not a requirement, Anna just does it), make sure she doesn’t watch the next episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix yet, and then kick back until Elsa gets home. In between this time, Serah continues to tease her about her crush.

It’s been like that for weeks now, ever since Serah stole her phone one day and read the text Kristoff sent to her about Elsa. The subsequent conversation about what a “MILF” was didn’t exactly help things either.

This time, however, is different. Around 7 PM, while they’re watching an episode of American Ninja Warrior, Serah says something that doesn’t sound like a joke.

“She’d say yes, you know.”

“What are you talking about?” Anna asks cautiously.

“If you asked my mom out, she’d say yes.”

Unsure of how she’s supposed to react, Anna goes with an uncomfortable snort/laugh, “Wh- stop it. Stop kidding around, that’s…that’s silly.”

Serah shrugs like she didn’t say something crazy, and then she proceeds to say something even crazier, “She talks about you all the time.”

“Well yeah, I mean duh. I’m the babysitter,” Anna says like that’s supposed to be her superhero identity.

“No, she doesn’t talk about babysitting stuff.”

Finally, unable to help her curiosity, Anna asks, “What does she talk about then?”

Of course, she doesn’t get a chance to hear the answer. The front door unlocks and the woman they were just talking about arrives from work. Serah rushes to greet her mom and Anna stays sitting to let them spend their mother-daughter time together. And also because, like usual, she’s trying to figure out how to greet Elsa.

She decides on a cheerful ��Hi!” followed by asking how work went; it’s casual and unassuming, but shows she cares about her. With that game plan prepared, she takes a quick breath, stands up, and walks over to the happy, little family.

“Hi!” she says with a practiced wave of her hand, though her voice is a little higher pitched than she’d like it to be.

Elsa’s clearly tired by the look of her, but when she smiles at Anna it feels like she’s genuinely happy to see her. Which of course makes Anna’s stomach do backflips, especially when Elsa walks over to her and gives her a hug. Even after taking off her heels, the exhausted banker still has a couple of inches on her.

“How are you?” she asks with her sweet, caring voice.

Anna tries to ignore the faint, flowery scent of perfume on Elsa’s neck, and the intrusive thought of wanting to hold her until all of Elsa’s troubles melt away. “Doing good,” she finally answers with her voice still an octave too high.

Elsa pulls away far too soon, keeping Anna at arm’s length while the younger woman is trying her best to pretend she doesn’t want to know how those lips would feel against hers. “Well let me write you a check and you can head out.”

What? No! Thinking fast, she replies, “No, you look exhausted. You can just rest, you don’t need to pay me right away.” Which is a lie, she has bills due next week.

“No I’d feel terrible if I let you go empty-handed. Trust me, it’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Ms. Langford, it’s okay. I’m in no rush tonight. Give yourself a minute to breathe, at least.”

Elsa frowns, but whatever she’s about to say gets interrupted by a long yawn. “Okay fine, if you can give me half an hour, I’ll have your check ready by then.”

“Sounds perfect!” Anna squeaks.

“And again, you don't have to call me Ms. Langford. Elsa’s fine.”

Elsa pats her on the shoulder and walks over to her room, Anna gets a glimpse of it before the door shuts and she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be in Elsa’s room one day. Her shameful thought is interrupted by someone bumping her hip.

She looks down and sees Serah with a smug grin on her face.

“Oh hush,” Anna says.

[Line Break]

Anna hates taking breaks, and she especially hates days off. Not just because that’s one less day she gets to see Elsa, but also because that’s who she is as a person. Days she isn’t working provide zero structure, and she forgets how to be a human being without a structure.

The weekends, then, are a tumultuous time for her. If she doesn’t have pre-made plans with her friends, she’ll spend the days thinking about doing everything, inevitably end up doing nothing, and then dragging herself out of the house to do something.

This particular Saturday, that “something” happens to be grocery shopping. With a list that only has “Eggs?” on it, she ventures through every single aisle, wondering if she could get herself hungry enough to buy whatever she’s currently looking at.

So far, aside from the eggs, there’s only one other thing in her cart. And it’s not even for her.

“Pop-Tarts…I don’t know, they might sound good later.” She reaches to grab a box of the frosted strawberry ones but waves it off at the last second. Maybe the next aisle will have something she thinks absentmindedly as her cart almost hits the person in front of her.

Who somehow happens to be Elsa.

“Hi! Hey! Wow hi!” Anna says while Elsa looks at her like she’s genuinely startled. “H-hey there, Ms. Langford.”

After registering that the person yelling at her isn’t a threat, Elsa smiles. “Anna! It’s so wonderful to see you.” She looks as if she’s going to take a step towards Anna, but changes her mind at the last second.

Unfortunately, Anna took that as a cue to also step forward and didn’t move back fast enough. So now, she’s just standing between both carts like she’s commandeering both. “I-I didn’t know you went grocery shopping. Here, I mean. I’m sure you shop, but like…I live near here. Like five minutes away actually.”

Elsa chuckles, and honestly it sounds like honey-dipped guitar strings. But less sticky, and more sexy. “Well I was in the area dropping Serah off to her karate lesson, so I figured I might as well do some shopping while I wait.”

Right, Serah started her lessons last week. She told Anna that she was super excited about “getting to punch bricks and stuff”. Still unsure if she should move yet, Anna adds, “Well I like this place a lot. It’s like one of my top ten places to be- to go. Maybe top five.”

“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind,” Elsa grins like she really is happy to have run into her. She shifts her gaze down and remarks, “Oh, that’s a really nice chopping board.”

Oh. Right. The chopping board’s…still in her cart. Anna lifts it up and holds it like she’s showing off the finest new features in chopping board technology. “Yeah thanks, it’s on sale actually.”

“That’s good news, I’m looking to replace the one we have. I’m tired of scraping plastic off my chicken when I’m cutting it.” Anna knows this, of course, because Elsa’s muttered it to herself every time she’s in the kitchen. “Which aisle did you find that in?”

Forgetting why she has the chopping board in the first place, Anna holds it out and says, “Oh it’s okay, you can just have this one?”

“Are you sure? Don’t you need it?”

Now remembering why she has it, Anna shamefully pulls it away, “Yes. I mean no. No I don’t, I don’t need it. It’s in my cart, but I don’t need it.”

Elsa’s eyes narrow, “I-I’m sorry, I’m confused.”

Well this is happening. And it’ll be even more awkward to explain things if she shows up with the chopping board on Monday. She sighs, finally admitting defeat, “I…I heard you mention you needed a new chopping board, so I wanted to get one for you. This one, actually. This is the one I was going to buy. And then give it to you on Monday.”

Elsa goes from confused to flattered in a second, and much like all of her expressions there’s an inarguable authenticity to it. There’s no exaggerated gasp or a drawn-out “Awww”, instead there’s a smile that could melt a million hearts and a casual touching of Anna’s upper arm.

“I knew I picked a good one,” Elsa says, oblivious to the screaming and fireworks occurring in Anna’s head.

“Ah, i-it’s nothing really. I’m using my paycheck, so in a way you’re buying it yourself haha,” Anna tries to laugh but she squeaks like someone’s just pumped her full of helium.

“Nonetheless, you’ve helped lift so much stress off your shoulders and I want to show how much I appreciate you.” Elsa straightens up a little and looks at the frazzled redhead curiously, “What do you think about coffee?”

“You mean like a coupon?” Anna shakes her head. “I mean a gift card?”

Elsa opens her mouth to respond, but another thought seemingly goes through her head and she purses her lips. A second later, she smiles again, “Yes. Like a gift card. Young people still drink Starbucks, right?”

Anna scoffs, “Ms. Langford, you’re only nine years older than me.”

“And yet you still insist on calling me ‘Ms. Langford’, which always makes me feel much older than I actually am.”

A ton of bricks falls on Anna as she realizes her grave mistake. “Oh my goodness, Ms. La- ah I mean I uh…I’m so sorry. I didn’t- I mean that wasn’t my intention. You’re young, a-and beautiful, and still in your prime. No you haven’t even reached your prime yet! If I made you feel like you weren’t, I’m-”

She’s silenced by the feel of Elsa’s hand coming to rest on…her shoulder? Well that’s new. And exciting. Anna focuses half of her mind on calming down and the other half on what Elsa’s saying.

“Relax Anna, it was just a joke. You can call me whatever you want.” Though Elsa’s voice is reassuring, her smile has a glint of proud mischief from catching her off-guard. “I’m not about to police my favorite babysitter on what words she can use.”

Anna tries to speak but finds her throat too dry. She clears it and tries again, “Really? I’m your favorite babysitter? You’re not just saying that?”

“I went through far too many babysitters before I found you,” Elsa lets out a breathy laugh, eyes glancing to the side as if she’s remembering back to the years she’d had to find the right fit to take care of Serah. Anna wonders what makes her so different from the others, but thinks that’s too invasive to ask. “You’re the best.”

The casual yet loaded compliments and the feel of Elsa’s fingers so close to her bare skin combine to create a dangerous, stomach-churning reaction in Anna. One that sets all her impulses alight, screaming at her to kiss Elsa.

Before she even has the chance to compose herself, Elsa’s already pulled away and is back by the safety of the handrails on her cart. “Well I think I’ve used up enough of your time this weekend. And besides, I need to find something for dinner tonight. I’ll see you Monday, okay?”

Anna blinks, still trying to register things that happened five minutes ago. “Uh yeah, no problem. Sounds great,” she replies without knowing what she’s saying.

Elsa smiles at her and turns the corner, disappearing from direct sight. After an eternity of standing at the end of the aisle like an idiot, Anna groans and covers her face with her hands.

“Stupid,” she mumbles to herself.

[Line Break]

“The evil scientist shouted, ‘This ain’t over, Super Gal! One day-”

Anna presses the buzzer she bought at a dollar store. “There’s no such thing as the word 'ain’t’,” she corrects.

Serah groans, “You’re the worst.”

“You asked a girl with an English degree for help with your story. What did you expect would happen?” Anna taps against the table like an evil villain.

’“I didn’t expect you to not go easy on-”

Anna presses the buzzer again. “Double negative!”

“I’m not even writing!” Serah protests.

“My buzzer, my rules.”

The sound of the front door opening interrupts them bickering like long-lost sisters. Instead of running over to greet Elsa by the door, Serah shouts with exasperation, “Moooom! Anna’s being a jerk!”

“Well that’s what happens when you ask an English major to look over your story, honey,” Elsa replies.

Anna gives Serah a smug grin, the little girl sticks her tongue out in response. Elsa joins them at the dinner table, the tiredness on her face is less concerning tonight but Anna catches her wince when she sits down.

“You okay?” she asks.

Elsa smiles, “Fell off a ladder at work.”

“Oh my gosh, how bad does it hurt? I could-” Anna has to take a pause to let the unhelpful thought of massaging Elsa’s back go away. “-get you some ibuprofen or an ice pack.”

“Thank you, Anna, but I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning once I sleep it off. After all, I’m not even in my prime yet.” Elsa winks at her, and Anna has to pretend her insides haven’t turned to jelly.

“Is this like that time you fell in the bathroom while trying to pull your pants up?” Serah asks.

“Serah!” Elsa hides her face in her hands, though it’s still possible to tell the remorse she feels through her voice. “Why did I even tell you that story?”

Serah feigns innocence and shrugs, “Because I’m your daughter and you like telling me things?”

Elsa sticks her tongue out in response and it’s much cuter than it has any right to be. Unable to help herself, Anna asks, “Are you sure I can’t do anything for you? I mean like with your back…or whatever.”

Elsa rests her head against one of her hands and doesn’t try to hold back the tiredness in her smile this time. “You’re very sweet, Anna, but I’ll be okay. Just need some rest.” She mumbles afterward, “And a vacation…”

Anna lets her mind wander for a second, thinking of what it would feel like to take Elsa somewhere she could unwind. Like to a spa, or a lake. Elsa feels like the kind of person who finds solitude near water. In her mind, she sees Elsa in a baby blue sundress and a wide brim hat, looking out at the crystal clear waters from a creaky, wooden dock. She sees herself walking down the same dock and Elsa turning to her with a smile, holding a hand out and beckoning her to come over.

“What do you think, Anna?”

The wishful thought dissipates, and Anna’s pulled back into reality by a question she’s not ready for. “Sorry, I was uh…thinking of a story idea. What were you guys talking about?”

Thankfully not asking where Anna’s mind was really at, Elsa repeats herself, “Serah was wondering if you wanted to go to her play tomorrow.”

“I’m playing a tree!” Serah says proudly.

This invitation comes as a wonderful surprise. Serah’s been hyping this play up for forever, but Anna always assumed she would want Elsa to be there. “Oh, I…did something happen? Can you not make it?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare miss seeing my little girl play the part of Tree #2. But I really-”

Serah clears her throat obnoxiously loud.

“Right. We would really love it if you came. Tickets are free, but they’ll be selling popcorn and soda for $2.”

“You can sit next to my mom!” Serah adds, and her failed blink shows she knows exactly what she’s implying. It feels odd having a ten-year-old be her wing woman, but Anna’s learning to roll with it.

“No pressure, though,” Elsa says while wringing her hands together. “It’s on a Friday night, and I know you might already have plans.”

“I don’t,” Anna responds far too fast.

Elsa’s eyes widen in surprise, “Oh. Then do you want to go?”

The chance to sit next to Elsa for an hour in a dark auditorium? Anna would be an idiot to pass that opportunity up. And it isn’t lost on her that it felt like Elsa was about to say she would personally love it if she went.

“Sure, I’d love to go.”

[Line Break]

Far too many questions are still punching Anna in the brain as she pulls into West Arendelle Elementary’s parking lot and walks towards the auditorium. Should she have eaten something beforehand? Is she overdressed? Is she underdressed? Should she have texted Elsa to coordinate outfits? What if this is all some elaborate prank to make fun of her for her stupid mom crush? Did she sweat through her shirt? Is it noticeable?

Her crazy thoughts are interrupted by her phone buzzing. She pulls it out of the back pocket of her jeans and sees it’s a text from Elsa. She’s waiting by the door so they can find some seats together.

Well, that eases her worry about trying to find Elsa in a crowded auditorium. Though crowded might be an understatement. It’s a fourth-grade play, not an opera at The Met.

Once inside, Anna takes a second to admire the impressive renovations of what used to be a musty, old gymnasium (they even put in carpets and sound dampeners). But she’s not here to appraise this place, she’s here to root for her favorite fourth grader/tree and keep the ogling of Elsa to a minimum-

Holy baloney, Elsa’s wearing a dress.

It’s got blue-and-white stripes, short sleeves, and a similar colored waist sash. And instead of her hair being in a tight ponytail, the nearly silver locks fall across her shoulders and down her back.

It’s casual, it’s cute, it’s gorgeous, it’s beautiful, and it’s a stark reminder of how absolutely smitten Anna is.

“I was getting worried you might not show up,” Elsa says with a smile akin to the one she showed off at the grocery store.

Up close, Anna also notices a thin, snowflake necklace around Elsa’s slender neck and she’s already failed in keeping her ogling to a minimum. “You can always trust me to keep my promises, Ms. Langford,” she says with a goofy grin meant to reflect something called confidence.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elsa responds.

Feeling like she has to mention it, and also because her brain’s still currently fried from seeing an angel, Anna adds, “You look beautifuller. I-I mean not like fuller, I just mean you look more beautiful than usual. Oh gosh, not that you usually look bad because you don’t. You never look bad, you’re-”

Elsa lays a hand on Anna’s shoulder again, which might as well be her reset button. “Anna, do me a favor and take a breath.”

Anna takes a breath.

“Good job. Now let’s go find some seats, okay?”

Anna follows her, too caught up on the feeling of being told she did a good job.

They find a spot at the end of an aisle and close enough to the stage that Serah will be able to find them without looking too hard. Elsa takes the seat on the left, Anna takes the seat on the right. They don’t start talking again right away, not until the conversations all across the auditorium become a blanket of white noise.

And then Elsa lets out a breath, “This feels nice.”

Anna turns to her and notices her eyes are closed, but she still commits to perfect posture so it looks like she’s meditating. “What do you mean?” Anna asks.

“Being…present. Not having to rush to make dinner or beat traffic or anything like that. It feels nice to have a break and just be.”

Anna finds it hard to understand what constitutes this as a break, but then again she isn’t a mother. And she doesn’t know much about what it means to take a break anyway.

Elsa tilts her head like she’s about to rest it on Anna’s shoulder, but instead, she turns to look at her. “Thank you again.”

“For the chopping board?”

“For the chopping board, for taking care of Serah, for being someone I can trust…for everything. It’s hard to- I mean you know it hasn’t been easy for me relationship-wise.”

Anna nods. Learning about Elsa’s divorce and her subsequent failed relationships was a part of why she took this job in the first place. She sympathized with the single mother and knew even then that Elsa could really use someone to have her back too.

“So thank you, for being my…the person I needed through all this. My knight in shining armor.”

The lights haven’t dimmed yet, so she needs to hope the blush on her cheeks isn’t too noticeable. She bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too wide, and then says, “Well, outstanding service is the Bizzybee guarantee.” It’s supposed to be a playful joke, but Elsa doesn’t seem to take it as such.

She frowns, “Do you really only see this as a job?”

This is different, but it doesn’t feel like a good different. Elsa doesn’t usually look like she’s staring into her soul, and she hasn’t asked anything this personal since the initial interview. To Anna, the answer is obvious, but she’s also caught up on wondering what answer Elsa wants to hear. If she says the wrong thing, will she lose her job? What’s the right thing to say? When did it get so warm? And is that citrus she smells in Elsa’s hair? Gosh, why is she so weird?

Shrinking further underneath Elsa’s stone-cold curiosity, Anna finally decides to approach this with honesty. “No,” she starts far too softly. “No, I think I would probably do anything for you…r family. You mean a lot to me. Y-you and Serah, I mean.”

She really hopes that doesn’t sound like a confession. The last thing she wants to do is get fired and have to run out of an elementary school auditorium in tears.

A soft, warmth presses against her hand that’s been resting on her seat. Anna looks down and sees Elsa’s hand on top of where hers should be. If this is a dream, then she never wants to wake up.

“Thank you for saying that,” Elsa replies just as softly.

Finally, the lights dim and the principal is on the stage talking about how hard the fourth-graders have worked on this rendition of The Giving Tree. And maybe it means nothing, but Elsa still hasn’t pulled away. Anna pushes away the thought of her own hand being too sweaty, and the notion that this could be a fulfillment of her craziest wish. Right now, she just tries to enjoy the feeling.

Serah turned out to be an excellent Tree #2.

[Line Break]

Next Monday, everything falls apart.

Or at least that’s what it feels like is going to happen when Elsa gets back from work and immediately asks Serah to go to her room so they can talk alone.

Anna’s never seen her this distraught before. Her ponytail is poorly put together, she’s not wearing any makeup, and there’s a coffee stain below her collar. When she asks if she can do anything to help, Elsa’s response is a quick but harsh, “No.”

She stiffens up. “Oh. O-okay, I’m sorry.”

Elsa shakes her head, places her hand on top of one of the kitchen chairs, but then pulls back like it’s hot to the touch. “Could we maybe sit on the couch?”

Right now, Elsa could tell her to cut off her hand and Anna would do it. She nearly trips walking the five feet from the kitchen to the living room couch, and tries to take up the least amount of space as possible when she sits down. Elsa sits on the far side, clutching a pillow to her chest with her mind probably anywhere else but here.

It’s not a good sight, and Anna’s not only worried about the safety of her job, but Elsa’s condition. She purses her lips to keep from saying anything stupid, and hopes this isn’t the horrible nightmare she’s expecting it to be.

Elsa closes her eyes tight, “I’m afraid I have to let you go, Anna.”

Anna completely deflates. Had she not been expecting this, it would have come as a greater shock to her. But when she pushed her luck at the play by trying to hold Elsa’s hand…she knew her days as a babysitter were numbered. “I understand,” she says sadly.

“I don’t think you do,” Elsa replies, quickly turning to look at Anna. Her eyes look like they’re pleading with her, like she doesn’t want to do this. “You were amazing, and I will give you the best endorsement for any job you apply for. But after the play-”

“I know. I was out of line.”

There’s a tense, awkward second of silence where the two women are looking at each other with equal levels of guilt and remorse. Though their reasons are vastly different. Elsa sighs and places the final nail in the coffin, “No, you weren’t.”

…what?

“Anna, I wanted you to hold my hand.”

What?

“You did?” Anna asks, trying her best to curb her optimism. This can’t possibly be going the way she thinks it is.

Elsa nods, “I’m not- well okay, first of all, I don't want to fire you. Serah, she thinks of you as her big sister, and the thought of separating you two tears me up. But this needs to happen because I…having you around…I feel something for you.”

“Feel something?” Maybe someday she’ll be able to say more than two sentences again.

Again, Elsa closes her eyes. A sternness falls on her face which Anna can tell she’s had to use a lot “Say it out loud,” Elsa mutters.

“What’s wrong?”

One agonizing moment later, Elsa reopens her eyes, and the guilt in them has worsened. “I-I’m attracted to you, Anna, and it’s getting to me. Really bad. I can’t sleep without thinking of you, I got a ticket for speeding a couple of weeks ago because I couldn’t wait to get home to you and Serah, and when you held my hand? Gosh, I felt something I never felt with anyone I’ve ever been with. I have feelings for you, and I have to let you go before I do something I might regret.”

She’s not dreaming, Anna knows that for sure because there’s no weird fog around her and Elsa doesn’t have a horse head. Yet she still can’t wrap her mind around the fact that this is happening.

Elsa Langford, the most beautiful mom- hell, the most beautiful woman- she’s ever known has just confessed she has feelings for her.

But she has to know for certain, so she finally musters up the lucidity to ask more than two words. “Do you really mean that?”

Elsa laughs. But it’s not a “gotcha” laugh, it’s a deeply embarrassed, caught-in-the-act laugh Anna’s far too familiar with. “Yes. I like you a lot.”

That’s all the confirmation she needs. With all the social grace of a bowling ball tumbling down the stairs, Anna responds. “I like you a lot too. Like attractively, I-I mean romantically.”

Elsa’s eyes widen, “Really?”

Anna shows off her expertly crafted awkward laugh. “Of course! You’re sweet, caring, and you’re so beautiful I bet a potato sack would look good on you. When I look at you or even think of you, I just see like rainbows and flutes and warm stuff like blankets or bedrooms- I uh, I mean like…soup. It was just a stupid crush at first, but honestly I don’t think I’ve ever felt this strongly for anyone before. Elsa, you’re a dream come true.”

Elsa’s pale complexion makes the redness that appears on her cheeks much brighter and more beautiful than Anna could ever imagine. This magical moment…it’s something she’ll always cherish and will never forget.

“I love the way you say my name,” Elsa says quietly.

“It’s a very pretty name,” Anna adds.

“Gosh, just kiss each other already!” Serah shouts from the hallway.

They talk for another hour. Despite the looming threat of being fired disappearing, Anna still agrees it’s best she stops working for Elsa. There’s now a conflict of interest, and the last thing they want is for either of them to get in trouble. Which means it’s back to job hunting. On the bright side, however, Anna can now come over whenever she wants so Serah will still have her “big sister”.

As for her and Elsa, they both agree to take things slow to make sure they won’t drive each other crazy. In a bad way, obviously. They both have big, stupid crushes on each other, but with Elsa’s track record for relationships and Anna’s overall social awkwardness, it’s clear that attraction will only get them so far. They have to work for this, if this was something to work for. Nonetheless, they remain optimistic and their first date is set for next week.

Elsa just needs to find a babysitter first.

#elsanna #submission #April 2021 contest #prompt: break

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the-ever-humming-girl · 3 years

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Atlantis: Tie Breaker

“Blondie!”

Cookie’s voice rang out across the camp startling Helga. She’d been halfheartedly poking at her food for the last few minutes trying to talk herself into eating it. The brown sludge was the same thing that had been on hers and everyone else’s trays three meals a day for the last month. Helga wasn’t sure what all was in Cookie’s “vittles”, but she’d long suspected it was the beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard he so famously claimed were the four basic food groups. She even had a bet with Sweet about it. She’d managed a few mouthfuls before her stomach had gone queasy. There was only so much grease a person could be expected to consume, and she’d reached her limit on their first day of travel.

Grateful for any distraction Helga tipped her tray over the fire and watched in satisfaction as her breakfast slid into the flames. The small mushroom cloud of acrid smoke that wafted up in its wake was both fascinating and disturbing to see; it served to reinforce her theory as to the ingredients in the food.

She rose slowly and stretched, hands on her lower back. Riding in a truck for so many hours a day was starting to take a toll. Helga had always been an athletic person and wasn’t used to so much sitting. She walked as much as she was able to, but it was still less than she’d have liked.

Helga began making her way across the space that served as the crew’s mess. It was dotted with a handful of campfires, each surrounded with a handful of Rourke’s troopers. On the far side she could see Cookie standing with the other key members of the expedition who all seemed to be having a heated discussion of some sort.

Cookie looked up at her as she approached and crossed his arms.

“What’s happened? “She asked wearily. By her watch it was barely six thirty in the morning and she was in no mood to settle any disputes.

Helga sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. This could be the beginning of a long, long day, and she wasn’t sure if she were up to it. There was a motion at her elbow, and she looked over to see Dr. Sweet offering her a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The food might be shit but at least coffee was still coffee.

“Thank you,” she breathed, taking the proffered cup gratefully. Blowing gently on the scalding liquid she turned back to Cookie.

“Alright, tell me what the problem is.” She said dropping down on a crate beside Audrey and taking a sip of her coffee.

Cookie stood to his full height of five feet two* inches and began his explanation.

“Bacon and eggs or pancakes and eggs,” he stated.

Helga frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” And she didn’t. He couldn’t mean they were arguing over food. Then again, this was Cookie.

He sighed in annoyance and fidgeted with the handcart on which he’d strapped his cauldron of delights.

“Us here were having a discussion about breakfast, specifically, what to eat at breakfast,” He gestured wildly at both sides of the group. “One half says bacon and eggs, the other says pancakes and eggs. And that leaves us divided three for three and we need you to take a side and end the debate.”

Helga sat momentarily stunned into silence, coffee halfway to her mouth. Then she looked around the circle of expectant faces.

“Are you serious, right now?” she asked in disbelief. He’d called her over here for a breakfast dispute, which she half suspected was a joke. She stood up.

“You don’t need me for this.”

Dr. Sweet grinned at her. “Come on, girl, you got anything better to do? Give us an answer.”

She glared at him and took a long drink of coffee before answering. “You have seven people here. How does that leave you deadlocked?”

Mole spoke up. “Packard refuses to eat the breakfast.” He announced derisively.

In reply Packard flicked ash from her cigarette in his direction, then spoke. “I don’t eat breakfast. All I need is black coffee and my smokes. How else would I be able to maintain my girlish figure?” She patted her hip for emphasis.

There was a pause in which Audrey snickered under her breath and Helga realized Mrs. Packard was completely serious.

“Well, whatever works for you,” Was all she could think to say. Turning back, she looked around the group. She couldn’t believe she going to humor them.

“What about the rest of you?”

Next to her Audrey spoke up. “Pancakes and eggs. My mami and papi used to make pancakes and eggs for Nena and me every Sunday morning when we were kids.” She smiled fondly at the memory.

“Same with me.” Milo spoke up enthusiastically. “My grandpa used to make us pancakes and eggs, except it was on Saturday mornings.”

Helga figured all this had already been discussed before her arrival and was only being rehashed for her benefit.

Mole was next. “You cannot go wrong with the crepes. They are a bit like pancakes only better.”

She crossed her arms and sipped her coffee as Vinny spoke up. “You know, since I came to the U.S. I’ve really started to enjoy bacon and eggs.”

“Hell yeah,” Cookie exclaimed. “Nice and greasy.”

Helga raised an eyebrow and wondered not for the first time why Cookie was so obsessed with lard.

Vinny stared off into the darkness of the cave and stroked his mustache. “A light red wine goes beautifully with bacon and eggs.” He said thoughtfully.

Helga wrinkled her nose in disgust. Just how early in the morning did Vinny start drinking anyway?

Sweet was last. “I have to say bacon and eggs. Can’t go wrong with a classic breakfast food.”

Cookie smacked his leg emphatically with his hat. “Okay, you’ve heard everyone. Now, what’s your answer, blondie?”

Helga looked around the circle before answering. She wanted to say pancakes, if only to spite Sweet for pulling her into this nonsense but she’d never been the big breakfast type. She’d have given anything for some toast right about then.

“Bacon and eggs.” She said, putting an end to the debate.

Cookie slapped her on the back good naturedly while Milo, Audrey, and Mole groaned halfheartedly and then laughed at having lost.

“I knew I liked you,” Cookie affirmed, settling his bowler hat back on his head.

Helga let out a short laugh and drained the last of her now tepid coffee. “I would hope so after three years of knowing each other.”

Cookie gathered the hand truck and started to push but stopped to look over his shoulder. “I like all y’all and just to prove it I’ll cook y’all some real food when we get back to the good old United States.”

He started wheeling the cart again but kept talking. “Can’t cook anything special down here because I have to work with my trusty food groups: beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard.”

Helga turned to look Dr. Sweet in the eye. “Pay up,” She deadpanned.

#30 days of writing prompts #atlantis: the lost empire #fanfiction #helga sinclair #cookie farnsworth #joshua sweet #audrey ramirez #vinny santorini #my fanfics #fanfiction.net #ao3 #and the world goes 'round

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stones-x-bones · 3 years

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Pretty Weird Problems || Milo and Bex

TIMING: Last Night PARTIES: @wickedmilo and @inbextween SUMMARY: Bex runs into Milo on a midnight walk and the two decide to stop skirting around what they both already suspect. CONTENT: Domestic abuse mentions, internalized homophobia, Medical blood

Bex was having a good day, and good days usually led to good nights. She’d opted to go for a walk through the Commons, enjoying the fact that it was no longer so flooded. They’d even managed to get the fairy lights that lined the gazebo working and Bex cut across the field to stroll over to it. Mina was busy this evening and Bex had needed a distraction, and what better way to distract herself than taking a nice, long walk. She’d...walked really far, actually. It was strange how free she felt. She’d rode the ferry across the canal and walked all the way from the station to here, without missing a beat. Being normal felt so-- normal. No aches in her body, no fear about being seen, no worries about having to go home and wondering which set of hands was waiting for her. No, she could just go out and do what she wanted, live her life. Live the life she’d always wanted. She finally had everything she wanted.

She wondered if it would all go wrong at some point. That was something that would happen, especially here, especially to her. But, for now, she’d enjoy it. She circled back around the gazebo to the little rock archway and started down, when she heard a familiar voice. It was hazy through her drunken mind, but she recognized it. Moving quickly through the brush, she turned and came upon the boy that had helped her out not too long ago, by swiping a bottle of alcohol for her. She beamed, she couldn’t wait to tell him she was normal. And if she could get what she wanted, maybe he could, too. “Milo!” she called out, waving, “It’s Bex. What’re you doing here?”

Milo had been on the phone to Rio, talking about next to nothing as he cut across the common in a bid to make it home. There was plenty of time before the sunrise was due, but sometimes it was a nice change of pace to sit in the apartment he shared with Harsh. They would cook together, or watch tv, or even pay Summer and Quinn some attention. The older vampire had become a comfort, though he would never admit that out loud. When things were beginning to overwhelm him, he felt safe with Harsh. He felt capable. White Crest, as always, had other plans for him though. And despite having just left Orion’s home, he begrudgingly said goodbye, ending the call as he turned to face whoever had called his name. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, it didn’t take him long to notice Bex. She looked decidedly more upbeat than the last time he had seen her. He wasn’t sure whether that was due to the lack of alcohol in her system, or something else entirely. Glancing up at the sky, as though double checking it was dark, he caught her eye again with a quizzical grin. “How could I forget?” He teased, crossing the distance between them both so that she would no longer feel the need to shout. “What are you doing here?” He countered. “Isn’t it a bit late for a walk?”

“No, I don’t really think so,” Bex said, shrugging. She looked back up and to the sky, fading quickly from sunset oranges to nighttime blues. “I mean, maybe, but the Common is pretty well lit and safe at night. Usually. Back when the portals were open, it sure wasn’t, but that’s all over now! Just a strange bit of gravity fluctuations and occasional snowfall,” she pointed out, grinning. “And I guess the constellations are all whacky, but there’s not much we can do about any of those.” Even if everyone else she’d talked to had been rather distressed about it all, she was finding it hard to be. Not when everything felt good, great. She brought her eyes back down level with Milo’s and smiled. “If you’re worried about me, you don’t need to be. And I uh-- never properly said thanks for last time.” It was still a blur in her mind, stumbling drunk in the park, then being walked back to his apartment and laid in a bed. When she’d woken the next morning, she’d crawled out of the apartment, wincing under harsh sunlight and pretending like she wasn’t curious about his ‘don’t look in the fridge’ rule. Her curiosity had always seemed to be a bane, but like this, it felt more like a boon. Asking questions didn’t get her in trouble anymore. At least, not with her parents. “You never answered my question-- are you just out for a walk, too?”

It wasn’t the first time Bex had said something Milo struggled to keep up with. He only knew about the portals through the experiences of others. Whatever was happening with gravity, and the weather hopefully wouldn’t affect him. Deciding not to ask too many questions, lest he accidentally tempt fate and start floating up towards the sky, he laughed quietly. “White Crest can be really fucking weird.” He muttered, glancing up at the stars himself to see if he might notice any difference in their arrangement. “I mean… it’s probably better to just ignore it, right?” He was only half serious, but it had proven to be a rather efficient coping strategy. Especially when he was faced with the supernatural, things he still didn’t understand, or feel familiar with. Turning his attention back to Bex he was glad to see she seemed to be taking the same approach of acceptance. If something happened to them, they could deal with it. Until then, how was worrying going to help? Returning her smile, he hurried to brush off her thanks. Taking her home to sleep off the alcohol had been far easier than first anticipated. As predicted there was human food in the fridge which he had encouraged her to eat before sleeping. And she had been more than respectful of the boundaries put in place to stop her from finding anything distinctly vampiric. “We’ve all got our shit to deal with.” He shrugged, letting her know he wasn’t about to baby her because she used alcohol to deal with her baggage. Wasn’t he guilty of doing the very same?

“And I trust you.” He added. “If you say you’re okay, you’re okay.” It was the very least he could offer her. He had been told so many times that he had problems, even after adamantly denying the fact. It was important to feel heard, to know you could trust the person you were with. “I mean- you look okay. Good-” He corrected himself. “You look good.” He caught her eye, his smile growing in response as he properly took her in. There was something different, a weight that seemed suddenly absent from her shoulders. “Your question? Oh-” He laughed, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “I actually just left a friend’s house, so kind of? I’m supposed to be walking home, but if you’re up for some company I wouldn’t mind a midnight stroll.” He prompted, secretly hoping she would take him up on his suggestion. He wanted to know why she looked so content, what had compelled her to call out his name. “You can tell me about how miserable it was trying to get home with your hangover. That can’t have been fun.”

“I don’t think ignoring it is really the right answer, no,” Bex said, wringing her hands together, “but knowing what you can and can’t handle is probably a good idea around here.” Her eyes went back up to the stars, and the distress they’d originally caused her was still there, floating just above their heads, millions of billions of miles away. Stars didn’t move. But she had to remind herself that that also meant she wasn’t capable of moving them, either, and therefore nothing could be done. Especially when she didn’t have magic anymore. And she didn’t want it anymore. She smiled. “True, we do, but, like, sometimes we can help each other out with our shit, you know? At least, I’d like to be able to be someone who can help others out, like how you helped me out. It was-- nice, not having to go home for a night.” And it was nice, now, to be able to go home to a life that didn’t threaten her every moment she did something wrong. “Well, thanks, then. For trusting me.” Not many people did, in that way. She’d always been too naive, too ignorant, too “out of the loop” as far as the supernatural was concerned.

She let out a gentle chuckle, in stark contrast to the ridiculous laughter that had consumed her while she’d been drunk. “It’s fine, I know what you mean. I feel good, too. But sure! Yeah, I wouldn’t mind the company. I was just gonna kinda walk around here, maybe towards the lake. Where the night takes me.” Even if she’d been reminded several times that the lake was dangerous and now, without her magic, maybe even more so. She didn’t really care, though. “Oh, god, please don’t make me recount that tale. It was miserable. More so because it was so damn sunny out. I’ve never hated the sun more so than that morning. Or...afternoon. I don’t remember what time it was, just that once I got home I slept the rest of the day.”

Milo laughed, unable to help himself. Despite strongly suspecting Bex was more than human, or at the very least somebody who knew about the supernatural, the idea of her being able to help him with his problems didn’t quite feel believable to him. Even his closest friends couldn’t take away the pain or the trauma. And apparently there was nothing he could do about the constant thirst for blood. “No offense, but I’m not sure what you could do to help me with my shit. Ignoring it has proven to be a pretty reliable mechanism.” Maybe not always, but on the few blissful nights he had been able to drink and forget, he almost, almost felt normal. Human again. And that was as close as he seemed to get to being genuinely okay. A smile tugging at his lips despite the bitter nature of his thoughts, offering Bex a place to stay had been the obvious course of action. He hadn’t considered the fact that he might be helping her beyond ensuring she was safe. “Oh, I- it wasn’t a big deal, you know?” He brushed off her comment with a shrug. “I just- you didn’t want to go home so… I wasn’t about to make you.”

Watching her carefully, curious to understand why trusting her was something she felt the need to thank him for, his smile began to grow. He really did enjoy her company, he wanted her to know that. “You don’t need to thank me for trusting you.” He insisted. He figured he should probably thank her for trusting him too, for not going through his things, or trying to look inside of the fridge. But that would only draw attention to the strange rules he had put in place, and he wasn’t sure that would be a very smart move. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” He added, hoping she could see he was being sincere, while simultaneously diverting the conversation. It didn’t take a genius to realise she was going through a lot, and everyone deserved a break from their struggles, regardless of how they managed to achieve that temporary escape. He laughed again at her reaction to her hangover being mentioned. But this laughter came easily, it was a product of good company. Of memories that were tinged with underlying emotion, but happy on the surface. He could look back on them with a strange sense of fondness. “Yeah, me and the sun don’t exactly get along.” He admitted. “I’m sorry about the blackout curtains, I guess they can make it pretty disorientating when you leave the apartment during the day…” Shit. He realised too late that he had essentially done exactly what he had been trying to avoid. Maybe he hadn’t drawn attention to the fridge, but he had just reminded her the entire apartment existed in a perpetual state of darkness. Nice one, Milo.

Bex had never thought that she was all that good at making friends, but that was back when fear had dictated her every move. Fear of if people might judge her for how she was born, fear of if they would find out about her magic (although she hadn’t called it that back then), fear of if she might hurt them or them her. Fear of if her parents wouldn’t approve and they’d get taken away before she even got a chance to grow close. But that was before, and this was now, and maybe she liked the idea of being friends with Milo, because he was sweet and he was helpful, and she liked that she could make him smile in a way that seemed almost relaxed. “Well, if you ever do think of a way, anything, really, just lemme know. I’d like to, you know, pay it back somehow. Even if it’s just a small thing.” She was quiet for a moment, her face drawing pensive for a moment. “It was a big deal, for me, at least. Even if it wasn’t for you.” She smiled again-- whatever the situation was back then, it didn’t exist now. “But we don’t have to talk about it.”

She perked back up, smoothing her hands along the fringes of her dress. It was one of her dresses that her mother rarely approved of, except at gatherings where she could catch the eye of some rich politico that could help the family. Bex liked it because she felt nice in it and she looked good in it and she’d wanted Mina to see her in it. “Thanks. I hope things are going well for you, too. There seems to be a bit going on around town, huh?” She shrugged, trying not to less the curious questions in her stomach bubble up. Her tendency to run her mouth and ask too many questions had been a downfall for her quite a few times. “Do you like, work overnights or something?” she found herself asking before she could stop herself. She didn’t want to automatically assume anything, but not being out in the sun, having blackout curtains, and an aversion to people looking in the fridge gave Bex a few too many questions.

Milo wasn’t necessarily touched by the sentiment, many people had said similar things to him in the past. He was touched by the fact that Bex obviously meant what she was saying. There weren’t many people he felt like he could genuinely approach with his problems, but despite only knowing each other for a night, and maybe half of a day, Bex was quickly becoming one of those people. A rather impressive feat, all things considered. “I’m not making any promises.” He teased. “I have, uh- some of my problems can be pretty weird.” His smile faltering as he noticed his company’s expression shift, he fell silent again, giving her the space she needed to feel comfortable. “Oh…” He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting her to say, and the rush of emotion that followed her words was unexpected. Not for the first time he felt the unusual urge to protect her, to keep her safe. Was this the way Dani used to feel about him? Before he changed? Before she stopped loving him? He cleared his throat, feeling awkward in the face of such unguarded honesty. “You know the offer is always there… I mean- if you ever need a place to stay. You know where I am.” He might be taking a risk but he almost didn’t care. Her wellbeing was suddenly far more important to him than being sensible.

Not failing to notice the way she brushed herself off, seemingly putting the conversation behind her in preparation to move on, he nodded, taking a moment to contemplate her question. “I didn’t notice for a long time,” he scuffed his feet as he spoke, feeling ridiculous for being so oblivious now that he knew how obvious the Weird of White Crest actually was. “But yeah, there always seems to be a lot going on in this town. The chaos has become pretty hard to escape these past few months.” Would he ever be able to escape it again? He tried not to dwell on the question. “But you know… I guess it is what it is.” Lowering his gaze, the phrase never really helped him to feel any better, but every time he uttered it he found a part of him was secretly hoping it might. He only looked back up again when Bex mentioned the blackout curtains, and he cursed himself for being so stupid. Of course she was going to pick up on that. Of course she was going to be curious. “Oh, I… my roommate does.” It wasn’t technically a lie. Harsh worked nights more often than not, only sneaking out for the occasional day shift when the weather was dark, and gloomy. “I think it’s easier just to leave them up, his schedule can be pretty unpredictable so…”

“Good, you shouldn’t make promises,” Bex said, perhaps a little too excitedly for the topic. It was hard for her to not be happy right now, really. She had everything she ever wanted, and while it wasn’t much, it made her entire life different. Better. “Especially to people you don’t know-- know well.” She caught herself, giving a chuckle at the end of her sentence to try and cover up the slip. “Just cause, you know, sometimes people get weird about that stuff. Especially here. Speaking of which, I was kinda like that, too. Technically I grew up here, but I didn’t ever notice how--” she chewed her tongue a moment-- “strange the place really was until recently.” Until she started leaving her home regularly. Until she’d met Nell in that computer lab. But those details weren’t important. She didn’t even remember telling Milo about Morgan and Nell last time they’d been together, drunk in the park. “And thanks, for the offer. I won’t say it’ll never happen again, but I think I’ve got a good thing going now, so hopefully I won’t have to crash your pad again any time soon.” But in a town like this, she supposed it was a ‘never say never’ sort of situation.

“The offer is there for you, too, you know,” Bex said suddenly, noting the way the conversation shift had turned a bit tense. Maybe not tense, but sometimes people had secrets that they didn’t want to share, and Bex’s curiosity could be seen more as nosiness or digging into things she shouldn’t be digging in. She hated that idea, but people were allowed their secrets, no matter how bad she wanted to know. “Does he? That’s cool. It’s nice that you don’t mind the curtains, either, then. I’m such a morning person. And a night owl. Actually, I don’t really sleep much, but I definitely have never been able to sleep long in the mornings.” Even when she was laying next to Mina, wrapped in her arms. “Are you like, more of a night person, then? The two times I’ve run into you have been at night, which technically isn’t enough for a pattern, but it could be leading to one. No judging if you are! Of course not. It’s just that this place is kind of-- you know, dangerous at night.”

Milo had only been suspicious until now, but after hearing Bex warn him about making promises he would be willing to bet almost anything on her knowing about the supernatural. But how? She didn’t strike him as a hunter, although Dani had always presented herself as caring, and kind. If she was a slayer, wouldn’t he already be dead? So what? A witch, a mara, a werewolf? Or maybe even a human in the know? He wanted to ask, to sate his curiosity, but he forced himself to hold his tongue. “You’re not the first person to tell me that.” He said carefully, wondering whether she might out herself if he hinted at being a part of her world. Raising his eyebrows when she mentioned taking a while to notice the truth of White Crest, he ran over the implication behind her words. Had she been turned too? Was there any way for him to uncover that information without actively asking her? “I know how that goes.” He admitted, framing his words as casual. “Waking up and realising everything is just… different. It’s not an easy thing to navigate but… we’re still here.” He smiled at her, hoping she was right. He had never been the type to judge others but the idea of her being happy enough to no longer need her crutch was a genuinely nice one. One he was willing to root for.

Surprised to hear his own offer echoed back to him, he felt his demeanour soften. Every instinct in him was telling him he could trust Bex. It was so hard to remind himself that those instincts could possibly be wrong. “They don’t… they don’t bother me.” He said, debating how far he could conceivably push the conversation before he was being too open, before he was putting himself at risk. “I don’t really sleep anymore… but I used to sleep until noon when I could.” Not that he hadn’t tried more than once to do so again, the best he could achieve was a strange, trance-like lack of consciousness. He hated it. “Oh, yeah… I’m definitely a night person. I always have been… before I started partying I used to study at night.” He laughed quietly at the contrast in activities. “My life would be very different if I didn’t abandon academia.” A soft sigh escaping him, he caught his friend’s eye when she told him the town could be dangerous. He could still remember what it felt like, living in blissful ignorance. He missed it. “Believe me, I know. I kind of found out the hard way… but I appreciate the heads up.”

“Really? Well, that’s good.” Bex nodded slowly. Her suspicion was slowly being confirmed-- Milo knew something about the supernatural. She didn’t know how he fit in, but she assumed he had the same thought about her. How did they both fit in? And who would break first? It would be Bex, she knew that. Being a witch wasn’t as precarious as being something like a zombie or a werewolf. Something that people actively hated and hunted. Witch hunters, for all she was aware, were a rare and unnecessary occurrence. She wasn’t in danger of them. “You should listen to that advice, then. And also maybe even hold off on saying ‘thanks’ too much. My girlf--” the word stuck in her throat, like it always did, and she swallowed it, “--one of my friends told me to try and replace ‘thanks’ with ‘I appreciate that’ or ‘I’m grateful for’. They’re better to say, anyway.” Smiled, trying to brush off the mishap. It was strange to her that possibly telling someone she had magic was easier to swallow than telling someone she was dating a girl. “I think, for me,” she started off, brows knitting together a moment, “it was less waking up and just realizing it and more...finally admitting to myself that things here were different. Like, I’d always known, but pretended I hadn’t. But then things happen and you can’t really deny it anymore, you know? And so I admitted it,” she shrugged, “I think things technically got better after that, although sometimes it doesn’t seem that way.”

She examined his face as they walked and wondered what the strange curve of his brow meant as he answered her. She’d never been good at reading expressions on people, unless they carried anger. She tilted her head in contemplation. “You know, you can always go back,” she said, “to school. College doesn’t have an age cap.” Sometimes she’d wished she’d been able to wait to start college, but not because she was disinterested. But because her life had been messy back then, and maybe if she’d been smarter, had known more about the world, she wouldn’t have fallen into bed with the first girl who cast her an empathetic glance. She turned away, cheeks slightly tinged. “Yeah, me, too. I-- I take it you’re okay now? It-- I mean, physically? Whatever happened. Was it--” had something attacked him, too? Did he also have the sting of scars on his body from an ignorance that had left him vulnerable?

“I guess my friends are much smarter than I am.” Milo was only half joking. Even after suffering at the hands of the supernatural, he was reckless in his behaviour. Without Rio constantly pressing him to stay focused, to pay attention, he would probably be in a lot more danger, and he wasn’t afraid to admit that. “I try.” He admitted, being entirely honest. Trying meant he failed more often than not, but the warning was always there in the back of his mind. A knowing smile tugging at his lips as Bex stumbled over the word girlfriend, it was an act he had seen many times before, and one he knew not to interrupt. That didn’t stop his eyes from shining as he wondered who this ‘girlfriend’ might be. “My friend told me the same,” he thought back to his conversation with Orion. It was the first night he had ever spent in his house, and he held the memories very close to his heart. Falling silent to listen again, he dissected the explanation he was given in his mind. If she hadn’t woken up to a different White Crest then maybe she had been born into it. Surely it took Dani a long time to realise the way she was being raised wasn’t normal. Could it have been the same for Bex? “They did?” He asked quietly, hope lacing his tone as he wondered whether there was a chance for things to get better for him. Maybe one day he could fully embrace being a vampire. It could become what he was and not what someone had made him.

“Go back?” It took him a few seconds to realise what his company meant. He laughed quietly, shaking his head. “I don’t need to,” he explained. “I got my degree, you know? I did what my parents wanted me to do, even if it wasn’t in the way they wanted me to do it.” Hiding whiskey in his coffee during exams, and skipping out on morning lectures because he was hungover from the previous night definitely wasn’t a part of their plan. Neither was a degree in English Literature. But as far as he was concerned, it was an achievement, all the same. What would he study if he did decide to return? And how would he work around the schedules when the majority of classes took place during the day? Furrowing his brow, he forced the thought to the back of his mind. He had chosen his path, and it had led him here. There was no going back. “Oh- I-” He wasn’t prepared for the sudden change in direction, and his hand absentmindedly moved to rest against the scars on his neck. “That kind of depends on your definition of okay.” He murmured, thinking about Dani, how she saw him as a monster. Then Harsh, who told him he was dead, but being dead was simply an opportunity to start anew. Then Macleod, who insisted with vehement conviction that he wasn’t dead, he hadn’t died. Only changed. Evolved for better or for worse. “How did you find out?” He asked, uncharacteristically bold in his question. They had been dancing around the subject, but he wanted to know now, far more than he wanted to protect himself. Even if he wasn’t quite ready to give up his secret. “That White Crest was different?”

“They did? Oh, well, then, you should definitely listen to your smarter friends,” Bex nodded. Had she said too much? Did Milo know about the fae? Was Milo’s friend a fae? Oh, she hoped she hadn’t just exposed someone, even if she was curious. But the tone in his voice stopped her short of any other thoughts on the subject, when he gave the smallest response to her announcement that things had gotten better for her. It was hope, and it felt like it might strangle Bex. Should she tell Milo about Erin? Was that her place to? Was his pain anything like hers? Did he need saving like she had? She swallowed. “They did. Get better. But not easily. Not out of nowhere.” She lifted a hand to her ribs-- the injury was gone, but she could still remember the pain. Still remembered what it felt like when her head had hit the dumpster, over and over and over again. “I had help, too. So, if-- just, you know, so you know...it’s okay to accept help, if you need it.” Maybe that was the best answer she could give for now. She clasped her hands together behind her back as they walked and watched her feet a moment, shoes brushing against grass under the rubber soles.

“Well, you know, you could always go back and do what you wanted to, you know,” she pointed out. “Instead of what your parents wanted of you. But only if that’s something you want to do.” She didn’t much like his answer to her question, either. Things didn’t seem as at ease as she’d thought they were when she first spotted him. She bit her lip, then sighed. “I blew up a computer lab with my mind,” she blurted, suddenly. “Well, not my mind, technically. Maybe? I’m still not sure what magic actually comes from. My mentor says it’s from the soul or the energy inside of us, but if our bodies are our minds, then I guess technically it is my mind. From my mind. So, yeah-- I blew up a computer lab with my mind and after that, it was hard to deny all the things I’d known for so long but never wanted to accept.” She looked over at Milo. “What um...what about you?”

Milo laughed, nodding in agreement with Bex. “I don’t think I would be here if I didn’t.” He admitted. Maybe there was an element of exaggeration to his words, but the information provided by people like Rio, and Macleod was invaluable. There was no doubt in his mind that it might save him one day. Fingers still pressed against the base of his neck, he could feel the scars beneath them. A frown creasing his brow as he listened to Bex explain things were difficult, they hadn’t miraculously changed for her overnight, it was impossible for him to understand what she meant without a little extra context, so he nodded quietly. Letting her know she still had his full attention. “Help?” He asked, curious to know what kind of help. “Do you mean your friends?” Lowering his hand, chewing thoughtfully on his bottom lip, he wondered what things would look like for him if they did get better. It was a vague concept, it could mean so many different things. “I don’t need help-” He insisted, breaking off as he reminded himself she wasn’t talking about his habits. Repressing the instinctive response, he forced down any part of himself that was becoming defensive. Bex clearly wasn’t about to order him to walk into an AA meeting. She was talking about something else. “I mean… thank you. But I think I’m okay… kind of, anyway. I have some good people in my life… when things get weird, they’re usually there waiting for me to freak out.”

Thinking for a moment, allowing a few beats of silence to pass, he realised with a start that he didn’t know what he wanted to do. For so long he had told himself he was content with working in the comic book store, couch surfing to avoid any form of genuine commitment. Even English Literature had been the easy choice, not necessarily the choice he would have made if he was a different person. If he had more motivation, a determination to do well. “Even if I knew, I don’t know how possible it would be to just go out and do shit.” He shrugged, brushing off his honesty before it could hurt him, before he could dwell on it for too long. But then Bex was distracting him with her own honesty, honesty he had prompted, but definitely not been expecting from her. It took him a few minutes to fully process what she was saying, but when he did he faltered to a halt, eyeing her with an even mixture of disbelief, and satisfaction. “Wait- what?” So not only was she supernatural, she had totally caved first. Was it wrong to feel so smug about that? “You’re a witch?” He asked, despite her just having confirmed the fact. “I…” He trailed off as she turned the question back on him, not prepared to answer it himself. But he owed her, he couldn’t exactly walk away after she had put herself in such a vulnerable position. A soft sigh escaping him, he steeled himself to tell her his own story. Or a part of it, at least. “Someone with fangs decided I looked like a snack… I guess they overindulged because…” He offered her a hesitant smile, revealing his fangs in the way Harsh had taught him to. He tapped one absentmindedly, wrinkling his nose. “Well, I woke up with these.”

Bex was a little perplexed at his immediate denial of needing help, clearly he needed help-- anyone in this god forsaken town needed help, if she was being honest. But just as much as she’d needed to understand that she couldn’t do things alone, so did he. She wouldn’t push it, it wasn’t a lesson she had the right to teach anyone, when she was still learning it herself. She nodded slowly. “Okay, well, if you do ever need it, just know I’m here. Don’t hesitate to ask. And--” she looked at him sincerely, genuinely hoping he understood that, even if they’d only known each other from two run-ins, she would help him. It was really all she wanted to do, help people. Understand things better so she could do that better. Understand this world. “I’m glad you have people there to help you. Having a support system is always good.” She wouldn’t have survived this town without hers, that was for sure. A subconscious hand ran across her chest. Kyle’s life would have been ruined had he actually killed her that first night. She wanted to make sure something like that never happened again. And it wouldn’t, now that her magic was gone.

“Why not?” Bex asked, not understanding the restrictions Milo might face without knowing what he was. She didn’t want to push, though. She turned away, even as he stopped in his tracks, and shrugged. “I prefer the term spellcaster,” she said, picking at a seam on her dress. And the proper wording would’ve been was a spellcaster, thanks to the wish. She didn’t feel like explaining that part yet, though. His hesitation brought her gaze back up. “I-I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer, I understand--” but then he was answering. Someone with fangs. A vampire. Bex felt her chest squeeze and she swallowed, trying to remind herself that vampires were people, too, and her one run-in with the woman outside the library wasn’t representative of all vampires. She had no reason not to trust Milo. What would Mina say? She shook her head. “Oh,” she answered, finally, “I-- that must be difficult, to-- to adjust to.” A pause. “But,, you know, night school is a thing. And there’s plenty of overnight jobs here. And-- I have a friend who’s also undead. They go to the butchers here to get food and they’re really good about it. And being discreet. Do you-- I mean the blood thing-- do you have enough? Do you get enough food? You drink animal blood, right?”

Milo looked at Bex as she paused, somehow everything she wanted to say was conveyed in her brief moment of silence, and he knew. He understood. “Thank you.” He said, his voice gentle and sincere. They hadn’t known each other for long but he felt as though they had more than a few things in common. Coping mechanisms, and trauma. The kind of things you could bond over. The kind of things that made you want to protect each other. When he had helped her into the bar, when he had stolen her that bottle of vodka, he had recognised something in her. Something that reminded him so deeply of himself. Even without the alcohol it was still there. He could still see it. “Do you have one?” He asked, remembering her mention of Morgan, and Nell. People she had been so sure she would never be able to see again. “A support system?” Making a vague gesture with his hands, brushing off her question as to why he wouldn’t be able to follow his non-existent dreams, he offered her a smile instead of an answer. “Spellcaster?” He echoed, using her correction as a way to move the conversation forward. Away from the things he could no longer do. “Is that personal preference, or just a general rule?” He was reminded of Macleod, the way she hated any terminology that referred to her as dead.

His smile growing somewhat as she hurried to insist he didn’t have to tell her what he was, keeping the information to himself would feel incredibly unfair, but he appreciated her attempt at making him feel comfortable. “No, no- it’s okay…” He did his best to assure her. “You were honest with me… it’d be kind of a dick move if I wasn’t honest with you too.” His hand moving once again to rest over the scars on his neck, he heard her heart rate elevate, but she made no outward move to imply she was nervous. He didn’t enjoy the idea of scaring people, and hopefully it wouldn’t take long for her to realise he wasn’t a genuine threat. But it still hurt, jut a little. “It was.” He agreed. “It is… I mean- I was thrown into this world I didn’t even know was real. The guy who did this to me, he left… I literally didn’t know anything.” A quiet laugh escaping him at the mention of night school, he shook his head. He couldn’t even begin to imagine going back to school. What would he achieve? What would he gain from doing so? This was his life now, and there was no escaping it. “I assume you mean Morgan?” He asked, at the mention of a friend being dead. “You mentioned her when you were pretty out of it… but I know her. I’m pretty sure she hates me.” His eyes shining to let Bex know he was half teasing, he thought back to his last conversation with Morgan and wondered whether there might be some truth to his words. They didn’t exactly see eye to eye. “Oh-” He was pulled out of his thoughts by the mention of blood, caught off guard by what felt like an incredibly personal question. “For a while…” He admitted. “I got lucky. I don’t want to out anyone but I have a friend with a habit of taking a blood bag or two from the hospital... It’s enough to keep me going.” Maybe more than enough, but he didn’t want to make Harsh sound like more of a deviant than he technically was. If he got the man into trouble then their collective supply would be in danger. “Everything kind of worked out…”

“I do have one, yeah,” Bex answered with a nod. For a while there, she hadn’t. Or, well, she’d rejected it, because she thought they’d be hurt by her family if she’d kept trying. They’d all been hurt, anyway, though, so it hadn’t mattered in the end. She’d made the wrong decision. But that was the past, and she couldn’t change that past anymore than she could change the way she grew up. “It was...rough for a while, i tried to do it without them, but it was a mistake. There’s--” she took in a breath, wrapped her arms around herself, “--I learned the hard way that I can’t protect anyone by keeping them away. Even if keeping close means they might get hurt, it-- it’s better that way. It really is.” And she was still learning that, too. Even now, with a normal life, a regular life, she was learning to accept people back into her life, despite the possible threats she’d be introducing them to. She shook her head, grateful for the change of conversation. ‘Nope, just a me thing.” She glanced over at Milo. “I think it’s all kind of the same meaning, but I just-- witch carries a weird connotation for me, I guess. I’m not pagan so I just...don’t feel right being called that.”

HIs next words made Bex’s heart constrict a bit. He was right, it was really only fair of someone to be honest with another if they shared something deep and personal. Her thoughts jumped to Eddie and his confession to her and she bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to tell him. He deserved to know, even if she could barely admit it outloud still. “Oh, I-- i did? So you know about her?” she was surprised, but not too surprised. She loved Morgan, of course she’d talked about her while wasted. She rubbed her hands together. “I-- I don’t think she hates you. I think it takes a lot for Morgan to hate someone. I’d probably know if she hated you, she’s not subtle about it.” It was her turn to falter and pause, and she felt herself take a small step backwards. “You-- so you--” her eyes went to his fangs, then his eyes, his hand still pressed over his neck, presumably where his scars were. She had some of her own, even if they hadn’t turned into a reminder of death. “You drink human blood?” ethically sourced, at least. Well, more ethical than getting it from a warm body itself. Stealing blood from the hospital wasn’t exactly the most moral thing to do, but morality, she reminded herself, was skewed in the supernatural world. She rubbed her neck. “I-- I should probably um, head home, though. It’s getting late and Mina is expecting me back soon.” She didn’t want to things to suddenly feel tense, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t know how she felt about a vampire who still drank human blood, and she didn’t think figuring out here was the best idea. She liked Milo, she didn’t want to ruin that.

“That’s good.” Milo smiled, remembering how insistent Bex had been when she was drunk, determined to believe she couldn’t let people in. The fact that she seemed to have changed her mind felt important, and he was reminded of her telling him things were better now. Better how? What was suddenly so different? “I think there’s always a risk of getting hurt… or of other people getting hurt. Isn’t that just the nature of friendship?” And romance, though he could hardly say he was experienced in that particular area. “What matters is that you care, and that these people care about you too… that’s all you can ask for, really. Isn’t it?” Staying silent as his company began to explain why she preferred using the term spellcaster, he hadn’t been expecting to understand her logic, even he was determined to respect it. But he did understand. It was so similar to Macleod, and sometimes even the way he felt. Vampire had connotations too, dark ones, and ridiculous ones. Honestly, there was something appealing about the theatrics of sleeping in a coffin. He was almost sad that wasn’t a legitimate thing.

“I do, yeah. And you might have mentioned her.” He teased, catching her eye with an easy grin. “Only in passing, don’t worry. You didn’t tell me anything you shouldn’t have. You made it pretty clear you were friends, that’s all.” Laughing at Bex insisting Morgan didn’t hate him, he shook his head, remembering some of what was said during their last meeting together. If she didn’t hate him then she was about as close as a person could get before crossing that line. “Ask her about me, see what she says.” He wasn’t being entirely serious, but he had a strong suspicion the zombie wouldn’t have anything positive to say. Not that it mattered. If she wasn’t going to help him then he didn’t give a shit what she thought. Faltering at the sudden shift in the way Bex was looking at him, he saw her gaze flicker from his fangs, to his hand, and he realised he was still touching his neck. Lowering his arm, he retracted his fangs with a surprising level of ease, his own expression shifting too. “I do,” he said quietly, watching her with open concern, trying to ignore the way his heart was sinking. Maybe he was wrong, maybe she didn’t trust him in the way he thought she did. “I- what?” He cursed himself for being so emotional, but he couldn’t stop tears from stinging at his eyes. “I’m not- I wouldn’t hurt anyone... I swear…” He swallowed, unsure what he could say to make her believe him. If she was uncomfortable, he wasn’t about to force her to stay. But did she really want to leave because of what he was?

“Yeah,” Bex admitted quietly, “I guess it is.” Even if she still hated the thought of people getting hurt because of her, for her. But they returned the sentiment, and wasn’t rejecting their help hurting her? It was still confusing, but the one thing Bex did know was that being at Morgan’s, even if it put her and everyone in that house in possible danger, felt better than being alone, trapped in her room where people got hurt because of her anyway. She rubbed her palm against her cheek before folding her arms across her chest again, nodding. “Yeah, it is. And it’s-- a lot. But I know now I can ask for that. And-- I think everyone deserves that.” Even people others deemed bad or evil. No one deserved to suffer alone. She wasn’t even sure she believed her mother deserved that.

“Oh, good. Good. I...can run my mouth sometimes. I’ve been told it’s very unbecoming of me, but I don’t really care anymore,” she said, the last words bitter on her tongue. She swallowed it. Her heart clenched again, at the way Milo was looking at her. She was caught between her own trauma and her want to change, to accept people, to accept this world, and it felt sticky. She hated it there. But she’d forgiven Kyle, and he’d been the one to directly attack her. Fuck, she probably even forgave the wolf that attacked the Moose Caboose, even if everyone around her seemed to think that was wrong to do. “No, no! It-- I don’t mean it like that. I swear it’s not because--” she stopped herself, trying not to let the shame crawling up her throat tinge her words, “I just-- something happened to me. With a vampire. And I don’t want that to, to affect how I feel about you. I really don’t. But it’s-- you know, hard? I don’t think you’re going to hurt me, Milo. And-- and if you did, I know it would be an accident. I promise it’s not because of you. I promise.” She’d promise to a fae, too, but there were none around, and she knew Mina would chastise her for it. She offered a hand out to him, instead, in a show of faith. “I really do need to be home, though.” She held up her phone, “they get worried if I’m late.” Because of the one time she’d been kidnapped by Frank, but that wasn’t important to mention. He was dead, now, and her life was normal. Things like that just didn’t happen anymore.

Milo had a feeling Bex was talking more to herself than to him, so he allowed her to speak, listening patiently until she fell silent once again. It wasn’t something he considered very often, so wrapped up in the chaotic nature of his life. Friends used to come and go, aside from Dani who had stood by him for so many years. Only now was he beginning to realise how badly he had taken her for granted. Though he had new friends now, friends who weren’t about to abandon him because of something he couldn’t help, a part of himself he couldn’t ever hope to change. She was right. Everybody deserved to be cared for, to be surrounded by friendship, and unwavering support. Offering her a smile when she told him she had a habit of saying too much, he could definitely relate to that. His love of bitter quips, and sulking petulantly about his new state of being had resulted in him essentially outing himself on more than one occasion. “I can relate to that.” He admitted. “But don’t worry, you didn’t say anything you should be concerned about. And you’re right not to care. Screw unbecoming, just be who you are… there’s no point in trying to be anybody else. It’ll only make you miserable.”

His expression faltering when Bex hurried to insist her sudden desperation to leave had nothing to do with him telling her he was a vampire, he wanted to believe her, but he couldn’t. “No offense, but I don’t know how else you could mean it…” He muttered, letting out a quiet huff of breath. He averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact so that he could stare down at his feet. He should let her go, he knew he should. What use was there in trying to cling to a friendship as new as this one when she was so clearly uncomfortable now that she knew what he really was? Swallowing his emotion, he frowned, hesitantly catching her eye again. “No shit... something happened to me with a vampire too.” He pointed out. “I didn’t ask for this. You think I don’t know how hard it is to get over? Try waking up as the thing that attacked you…” Feeling his shoulders drop when she assured him she felt safe, part of him still felt worried she wasn’t being entirely truthful. But the sentiment mattered, the fact that she was even trying to assure him mattered. Allowing his anger to dissolve, he knew it was too late to take back his words. So he moved on. Caught off guard by the unexpected promise, a weak smile began to tug at his lips. “You know… you really shouldn’t make promises.” He teased, unable to help himself. He couldn’t think of a better way to alleviate the tension. Ignoring the phone as it was held out to him, he gently reached out to take her hand, linking their fingers for a brief moment, hoping to convey everything he didn’t know how to put into words. He was trying. He was good. He was a victim too. “You should, uh… you should get home.” He said finally, ignoring what was left of the awkward tension. “It’s okay…”

Bex gave a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t outed Morgan or Nell. She never would’ve forgiven herself, even if it was to someone who wouldn’t use it against them. She’d never had problems drinking before, but those nights had been spent locked up in the library or her room while she cradled the bottle as if it were her only lifeline. She gave a short, self-deprecating chuckle before her lips curled into a thin smile. “Trust me, I know that.” She’d been miserable her entire life because she’d done just that. But things were different now, she reminded herself. Things were better.

Her heart sank, knowing that she’d already done more damage than she’d ever meant to. But Morgan had told her to not just ignore her trauma, that wasn’t good for her. And as much as she didn’t blame the vampire on campus, she still thought about the attack and what Dani had said. She wasn’t going to stop. And if she hadn’t, Bex would be standing with the same pain as Milo, or not here at all. She let him be upset, he was allowed to be upset. She hadn’t asked for any of this, either. She understood that feeling. “You’re right,” she said, “I don’t know how that feels.” But she did know how waking up after being attacked by a friend felt. She did know the fear of thinking she might wake like that, or not wake at all. She rubbed her chest. Smiled enough to try and brush off the feeling. “You can if they’re really important,” she answered. Squeezed his hand back, before pulling away. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Maybe next time we can just hang out somewhere nice. I know a few good places.” Her phone buzzed again and she glanced down at it. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” she said to him, a small tease, before she waved and headed off back towards home. She wondered what Morgan might think. She wondered what Mina might think. She wondered if, at the end of the day, it mattered. She liked Milo, and she wanted to be his friend. She owed it to him to try, at least.

#chatzy #chatzy: milo #wickedswriting #pretty weird problems #milo #domestic abuse tw #internalized homophobia tw #medical blood tw

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yandere-daydreams · 5 years

Note

I’d def love an oc concept sheet for the subjects like yes please give me some good fucking food

Behold, the Core Curriculum!!! I thought I may as well start with the most important boys and girls! (Picrews Used Here: x x x x)

Subject: Mathematics

Name: Milo Brooks

Type: Possessive and Sadistic, and whiney about both.

~This guy. Fuck this guy.

~He probably started as your bully, or the average, every-day jerk you had to put up with. He’s not very tactful with his aggression, always cornering you or pushing you into walls, but never knowing what to say when he has you pinned. He wants to see you cry, and he wants to hear that cute little voice of yours pleading with him to stop. Milo doesn’t really think about it, beyond that.

~Milo skips feeding you, a lot. He wants you to think of being alive as a privilege, even if it’s a privilege you don’t care to have, on his worst days. You’ll have to beg for water, for a bed, for his attention when you begin to think you’ve been left in his basement to rot. He isn’t very nice about it, calling you needy, pathetic, but you weren’t the one crying into his chest last night.

~The type of asshole to go on and on about how much smarter he is than everyone else. He probably took Calculus. Fucking Nerd.

~You’d say he wanted to frustrate you, if you didn’t know better. There’ll always be a rule he ‘forgot’ to mention, something he wanted that you didn't give him. You’re the one who failed, the one who let him down, the one who isn’t good enough. He doesn’t take an opposing view very kindly, either.

~His punishments are as damaging mentally as they are physically. He’ll guilt you as he picks a leg to break or a patch of your skin to burn, telling you how this wouldn’t be happening if you behaved, how you should’ve done that earlier or asked for his help with something you didn’t know you were doing wrong. By the time he’s putting your newly fractured ankle into a splint, you might start to believe it, too.

Subject: Science

Name: Elizabeth Bennett

Type: Obsessive and Voyeuristic, but stolen pens will be the least of your worries.

~She’s very sweet! I mean, you might not like her, considering all the torture, but she really is very, very sweet!

~Mental Health is one of her many divisions, so you’ll only receive the up-most care. Your room is always spotless, always sunny and open, and there’s plenty of toys for you to play with! She makes sure you have the newest gaming systems, all the books your little heart could want, and something new is only a smile and a kiss away.

~She takes you outside, too, but only under strict supervision. Usually, she’ll be happy with holding your hand or being able to see you, but if her lovely, lovely lab rat wants to make a run for it, she won’t be opposed to getting you a new leash.

~Can’t cook. Like, at all. That being said, she would adore watching you make something for just the two of you. If you don’t want to, it’s fine! The kitchen is full of all sorts of sharp things she can use to encourage you.

~Elizabeth is the kind of girl who loves everything about you. You can’t throw anything away without asking her, just in case she treats it as a ‘keepsake’, and there will always be a camera on you. One of her favorite things to do is to take you into her ‘special room’, sit you in her lap and re-watch of her favorite moments with her favorite sweetheart! If you don’t seem happy, she’ll be very sad, so it’s better to put on a smile and act as excited as she is.

~Of course, she wants to know everything there is to know about you. She doesn’t like hurting you, but if keeping you under her scalpel as she takes you apart brings her closer to you, how is she supposed to resist? It's so... intimate, to her, how your blood stains her skin, how she'll know every part of you like the back of her hand, soon enough. Your screams are just so pretty, and she’ll take really good care of you, afterward. Just don’t blame your injuries on her. She tends to get… emotional rather quickly.

Subject: History

Name: Rin Hirota

Types: Possessive and Jealous, but mostly annoying.

~Look at that face. He probably only reads fiction if it’s based in World War Two. He is, at the risk of repeating myself, a nerd.

~He’s seems normal, and for the most part, he is normal. It’s just… Rin gets jealous, and he gets jealous easily. It’s who he is. You’ve known it since your first date, when he clung to your side a little tighter and spoke a little louder whenever your attention strayed, like he couldn’t stand to see you thinking about someone else. He’d never say such a thing out loud, but he isn’t all that subtle, either.

~Praise is going to be necessary, if you don’t want to deal with a temper tantrum. He wants you to comment on everything he does in that sweet, sugary tone, regardless of how honest you’re being. It’s addictive, how you treat him so highly. But, he’s willing to make everyone else seem awful, to achieve this. Sure, he’s not the best, but he’s not a monster, unlike them. Just look at how they’re eyeing you up, how disrespectful they are. Obviously, he’s the only person worth spending time with.

~Gaslighting is going to be extremely common, by the way. Whenever there’s an argument, or he says something you don’t like, he’ll let you yell and fuss for a few minutes before he walks away, only coming back hours later to go on about how wrong you were, and how he forgives you, even if he was the one being irrational. It’s not worth the energy it takes to correct him, he’s so persistant when it comes to his version of things, so just… grin and bear it. He isn’t very happy when you don’t.

~You caught him jerking off to a picture of your ankle, once. This is an example of when he begins gaslighting you.

~He won’t kidnap you, if you’re looking for a silver lining. He doesn't have to. You can't risk being with anyone else, you’ve heard such terrible things about them, but Rin never lets you believe the awful, awful rumors people spread about him. He never lets you go, even if there are rough spots, and you’re sure that’s more than all the people you used to talk to would do for you. Rin told you that himself

Subject: English

Name: Oliver Laurent

Type: Obsessive and Delusional, which is just another way of saying he’s clingy.

~He’s soft, he’s so soft. He’ll faint if you hold his hand too tightly, and that’ll never change.

~He doesn’t think of himself as a stalker, but he absolutely is. Oliver just thinks it so romantic to leave those hearts drawn on your hand for when you wake up, or cuddle up to you when you’re sleeping too restlessly for him to do so. He spends a lot of time with you when you’re asleep, come to think of it. You’re just so beautiful, in any state of consciousness.

~Love letters will be important, too. Oliver likes it when you read them, when he gets to watch as you experience so many different feelings, all focused on him, but as long as you touch the envelope, he’ll be happy. He’ll remember to make a spare, next time, just as loving and just as beautiful as the initial copy. To leave on your bed, in case you’re too embarrassed to read his confessions in public and tear it up, again.

~’Reading Time’ is required and it’s never pleasent. All his favorite books are Classics, and he reads them again and again and again, to the point where you’ll have Of Mice And Men memorized by your second month with him

~You can hurt him, if you want to. Punch him, bite him, call him a freak... he doesn't like it, but craves your attention like a drug. It doesn’t matter whether it’s positive or negative, painfully of blissful, he needs something, and he needs it often. He’ll be smiling as long as your skin is on his, even if your touch leaves such nasty marks.

~I don’t think he’s ever seen the sun. He just doesn’t see the appeal. The only time he ever really gets mad is when you ask to go outside, because he’s read The Collector and he knows what you must be planning. There’s nothing outside, you don’t have to go outside. If you aren’t happy with your room, then you must not be happy with him, which means you don’t love him and I don’t think he can take that, either.

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bundleofyarrow · 4 years

Text

Bundle of Yarrow Chapter 9 is up!

the 9th chapter of my Milo x Reader fic Bundle of Yarrow is up! you can read it below the cut or over at AO3. this chapter is mostly inspired by an ask wanting to see a scene of Milo getting jealous! see my attempt at creating tension as you struggle to deal with suddenly being a part of the gym challenge.

Exiting Motostoke was like shifting into a completely different setting. The west side of the city was dominated by warehouses and loading equipment. Sounds of metal against metal and tumbling construction material overwhelms the magic feel of the city. Instead, haze from billowing smokestacks and whiffs of waste occupied your senses as you walked through to Route 3. You never thought you’d miss the Wild Area, but you would trade this for the scent of the forests any day.

“Whew! Now I remember why I never visit Turffield on foot unless it’s from Hulbury.” Sonia complains, waving a hand in front of her nose. “I think the last time I’ve been to Route 3 was for our gym challenge!”

Earlier in the day, Sonia showed you a statue of a hero with a sword and shield in the lobby of the Budew Drop Inn while you waited for Leon to get ready. She was reading the inscription and looking information up online while writing in her notebook. It was an interesting listen, hearing about Galarian folklore and the mysteries that remained. Her excitement and curiosity was infectious. Even though you had little relationship to this region’s mythologies, you were becoming invested in her adventure for finding out the truth. Apparently there are ancient sites in Turffield that may have leads for her research, so she decided to walk with you over to your first stop in the gym challenge.

“You don’t have to rough it with me, you know. You’re able to take a flying taxi over to Turffield.” You offer nonchalantly, not trying to give away that you do indeed want her company, but don’t want to feel like a bother. “It’s just me that has to do all the walking.”

“Absolutely not.”

A few paces behind you was Leon, except upon a cursory glance you might not be able to tell. He was dressed in joggers and a hoodie that contained his hair, complete with wrap-around sports sunglasses that tinted your reflection in yellows and greens. This is the first time you’ve seen Leon incognito, more used to his open, public displays of celebrity. In a group chat with you and Sonia, Nessa gossiped about Leon getting scolded by League higher-ups and was told to not be seen with you anymore. He was also given a bunch of work by Chairman Rose related to some new energy plan Marcos Cosmos was prototyping. Leon wouldn’t tell you more than that, only he was escorting you to the Galar Mines on the other side of Route 3, picking up some samples, and heading to Hammerlocke, which you learned is a city north of the Wild Area.

You couldn’t put your finger on it exactly, but it felt like Leon was hovering over you all day so far. He would reach for things to give to you the moment you were about to get them yourself, or he would take your coffee cup while you were texting on your phone. Leon insisted that he come along with you because you needed some training to do well at the gym challenge. You still weren’t completely sure about this whole gym challenge thing, but you figured he was right, given he’s a champion and all.

Things weren’t exactly settled with you though. When you woke up, your phone had a huge influx of notifications from Pokegram. Turns out that Raihan posted the selfies he took with you at dinner on his account and tagged you. This only seemed to stoke the speculation online about a relationship between you and Leon. While the idea didn’t offend you, things definitely didn’t feel like there was romance in the air. He always acted weird towards you, despite making advances on you twice. Not to mention, there has to be something going on him with and Sonia…

“It’s nice to do the walkin’ sometimes! Durin’ challenge season things get so busy, there’s no choice but to use flyin’ taxis.”

It was hard not to smile with Milo’s matter-of-fact optimism, seeming to be in a much better mood today and back to his usual pleasant self. He walked next to you with that permanent soft rise in the corners of his lips, not looking at all encumbered holding bags of last minute grocery shopping you did. Early this morning he actually went to get the group coffee and tea while you dragged yourselves out of bed and got ready to leave. On your way past the markets of the city you remember how you wanted to stock up on some cooking materials for the trip, and might have went a smidge overboard. You wanted to get some fresher ingredients for the first couple of days, so you got some sausage to cook for tonight and a good medley of mushrooms and veggies for tomorrow. After that, you knew you had to get things that preserve for a bit, so you also bought some potatoes and pre-cooked burger sealed tight, along with a couple cups of emergency instant noodles. And of course, plenty of curry mix! What escaped your calculations was how much all of that would weigh, and the current lack of space in your bag.

And as if on cue, with little effort at all, Milo just lifted the bag out of your arms and informed everyone he was joining you all on the trek over to Turffield. You were quite surprised, since he probably needed to get to his gym to prepare for the first wave of challengers. Milo said he wanted to stretch his legs and take things slowly before the rush, but you wondered if that was the full story. Come to think of it, this was when Leon’s weird behavior began.

As the group crossed out of Motostoke and to the dirt path of Route 3, Leon stopped you. He was scoping out the rustling in the tall grass and took notice of young trainers loitering around hoping to get some practice in. When he turns to you, he has a bit of a smirk and hands on his hips.

“Okay, it’s time to get serious about your training! Let’s go over some basics and give you some strategy.” He holds up eight fingers, four on each hand. “So there are eight gyms, what is unique about them?”

You blink a couple of times. “They all specialize in different types, even I know that Le-” He quickly makes a hushing gesture with a finger over his mouth. “Um, mysterious Mr. Man?” Sonia doesn’t hide her giggle.

“So you have to visit each of these in an order, right? It only makes sense that you try to capture and train Pokemon that have type advantages for your next gym. Then when you get to the championships, which you will, you can select the Pokemon you’ve bonded with the best to train for the end.”

“This feels like cheating, but okay.” You look over to Milo, who is looking down the route but casually listening in. “So it’s your gym first, and I feel like everyone has been saying you like Grass types?”

Milo smiles at you and gives a thumbs up. “You got it! In fact, you already met the Pokemon you’ll be battlin’.” That must mean the ones he introduced to you while you were camping.

“Right, now Milo isn’t that much of a challenge,” Milo stiffens a bit at Leon’s comment. “So as long as you find the right types, you can win pretty easy. Since his gym challenge only uses two Pokemon, you only need two yourself. And I’ll help you train!” His grin only widens, he’s really into this. “Do you know what is good against Grass?”

You try to remember the times you’d have lunch and Hop would force Gloria to quiz him on type matchups. Whether it’s helpful or not, you try to imagine literal grass and what it wouldn’t like. “Fire, Bugs, umm… and Ice?”

Leon nods. “Also Flying and Poison, so there are plenty of choices to beat Milo with.” Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Milo’s smile is gone and his expression is very difficult to read. It’s not that nervous, fumbling side that comes out every once in a while, it’s… something else. “This route is the habitat for a few fire Pokemon, Growlithe, Vulpix, and if you’re willing to do some searching, there’s Sizzlipedes too. And catching you a Rookidee wouldn’t hurt either. I can train you with the Thwackey I have on me, we need to work on your battling form.”

It’s hard to not feel a bit overwhelmed by everything Leon is shooting at you. But before you can protest much, he leads you down the route to begin your training. He gets nearby trainers to battle you, coaching you from how you throw your Pokeball to giving commands. Yelling orders at your Pokemon makes you deeply uncomfortable, so you try to work around Leon’s advising by cheering them on or getting better at reading the situation and relaying that information to them. You can tell Leon is biting his tongue, because while it seems like you’re winning battles, they aren’t decisive wins.

After a fight with a girl’s Vulpix, you crouch down to pet Pancham and tend to her burns. She didn’t seem to have an issue with battling at all, in fact, she’s basking in her victory. But hearing her cries when attacked was dreadful. It made you want to quit right then and there. “You’ll get a little extra curry tonight.” For some reason, your other Pokeballs shake upon hearing that.

When you rise and return Pancham to her Pokeball, you feel a strong hand on your back. “Good work, you’ll be battling me in no time!” You can see Leon’s eyes sparkle when he looks over his sunglasses at you. “I can now see what Milo was talking about, you care about your Pokemon above all other concerns. It’s hard to be that way during a fight though, during a Pokemon battle all you can think about is winning.”

You sigh a bit hearing that, and Leon soon directs you into the tall grass to find a fire Pokemon of your own. “You have a Vanillite, but it’s better to explore some more options before you settle on including her into your lineup.” It doesn’t take long to reconfirm that you are horrible at throwing Pokeballs, and you realize that you most likely only caught Yamper and Vanillite because they wanted to be caught, just with a bit of a fight first. The idea of forcing a Pokemon to join you twists your stomach. You attempt to talk to all the wild Pokemon Leon wanted you to catch but none responded very well.

“We’re really going to have to work on your throwing arm. Here, let me catch-”

“No.” You say with more force than you meant. “I don’t like doing it this way. My Pokemon picked me, and I want to keep it that way.”

Leon crosses his arms over his chest, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow. “But how are you going to get the Pokemon you want? I admit I’m impressed that Pokemon seem to choose you willingly, and they want to fight for you. But you’re supposed to be doing the choosing, not them. You’re a Pokemon trainer now, have to get into a different mentality.”

Sonia and Milo have mostly been chatting between themselves while trailing behind you and Leon. They both give you a reassuring touch on the shoulder or elbow whenever he gets particularly tough in his instruction with you. It’s clear to you now why Leon is the champion, he can see the entire world from the perspective of a Pokemon battle. Every piece of information relates to how he can win or is discarded. On the other hand, you were interested in the story of each of your charges, wanting them to grow and live the lives they wanted to pursue. They chose you not because you were aiming to become the best, but rather some other adventure you had yet to fully define.

“I think you’re doin’ a great job.” You turn to Milo, who’s smiling. Thinking of him cheering you on sends some tingles throughout your body. “It’s nice to see someone go about being a trainer in a different way.”

“You’re just saying that because you want an easy win!” Leon smirks at Milo, slinging one arm around your tire shoulders. “Don’t listen to him, I’ll make it so you’re unbeatable for your adventure.” That unreadable expression returns to Milo’s face, and you watch his eyes lock onto where Leon’s hand is grasping your shoulder. “We’ll resume lessons soon, let’s take a break.” He gives you a quick squeeze and lets go to lead you forward.

It’s only now that you notice the sun was just starting to fall past its zenith. In a nearby clearing Sonia lays out a blanket and Milo tears apart some bread that he got at the cafe earlier this morning to pass around for a snack. You all are mostly quiet, probably for different reasons. You feel like there are maybe a pair of eyes or two on you, but you’re staring off into the distance as you mull over Leon’s attitude towards being a Pokemon trainer. However, it’s not long before the group notices a lingering smell of something unsavory. Sonia shoots a glare over to Leon while covering her lower face with her hand. “Ew Leon, was that you??”

“Sonia!” Leon practically screeched, turning a bright shade of red. “Why are you so quick to accuse me!?”

As they bicker, Milo leans towards you and points out into the distance past the route. There’s a factory with smoke drifting from it in the air, surrounded with carts full of what looks to be coal. “That’s a Marcos Cosmos energy plant over there, turnin’ ore into power.” You can tell Milo is trying to not breathe through his nose as he talks, and it takes you a bit of effort to not giggle at how cute he sounds. “Chairman Rose pretty much owns every method of generatin’ energy here in Galar. It probably smells because this is a crosswind point for the industrial district of Motostoke ‘n the factory.”

But the smell only gets stronger, and soon you hear some rustling in the nearby foliage. Sonia’s Yamper begins to bark as suddenly the source of the strong smell presents itself to you all: a Trubbish. Your friends instantly reel and move away from the Pokemon. “Let’s find somewhere else!” Sonia chokes through as she tries to grab her belongings.

You’re familiar with the Trubbish from Alola, where they gathered around cities. But you knew that most Trubbish only smell when they aren’t really in contact with people, as the stench is mostly a defense mechanism in the wild. On TV you remember multiple ad campaigns against Trubbish abuse, and that the Recycling Center harbored many that were put to work and happily coexisted with people. So your first reaction wasn’t to get up and run, but to tear your piece of bread in half and offer it to the Trubbish.

Leon calls your name. “What are you doing?? Let’s get out of here! Trubbish always leave sludge on your things and can attract other Trubbish miles away.”

“There’s a reason this Trubbish came to us. He’s hungry and must have been unable to find some food. Maybe the days before challenge season are the least traversed, so there are few people around littering.”

The Trubbish looks between your face and the bread a few times before waddling over to you. Even though the smell was no less than putrid, you did your best to smile and make it not seem like you were breathing through your mouth. “Go on, have some. And if you’d like, I can cook you some food later! What do you think about some sausage curry?”

You don’t need to see them to know your friends were gawking as the Trubbish takes the bread from you and the two of you eat your pieces together as a sign of friendliness. It was hard to notice at first, but as the breeze picks up you can tell Trubbish’s smell was beginning to disappear. Finishing the bread, he jingled happily, if the clanging of the trash items inside him could be considered jingling. Trubbish epitomized ugly-cute for you, but you didn’t want him to know that.

“All better for now?” You rise to your feet when he jumps and jingles some more. He kind of reminds you of your Vanillite, who you bring out of her Pokeball. “Something tells me you two will be friends, how about you keep each other company while we travel?”

It is clear Trubbish absolutely adores Vanillite, and you hope it’s not because he wants to eat her for looking like ice cream. But your Vanillite soon warms up, if still below freezing, pretty quickly when she notices the Trubbish doesn’t mind her cold temperatures. Once they start chattering you turn around, freezing when you see three pairs of eyes staring at you. Leon was straight-up slack jawed. “G-guys, what??”

Sonia is the first to speak up. “I’ve never seen someone speak to a Trubbish like that before… Brilliant! Had no idea their smell went away.”

Leon’s hand was pensively rubbing his chin as he looked at you and your Pokemon. “Not many people go through the trouble of taming a Trubbish. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve fought one as Champion.”

Milo isn’t quick to say anything, but he is positively beaming at you, to the point where you think his gaze would make you melt. You walk towards the others to start again down the route, and the two Pokemon jingle behind you. “It looks a bit like magic whenever I see ya talk to Pokemon.” He finally remarks, lightly touching his fingertips to your arm for a quick second. If you weren’t paying attention you wouldn’t have noticed the contact, but whenever his skin touches yours, you can feel the warmth radiate from his body.

“You’re not going to catch him?” Leon looks confused, only continuing to walk when you pass by him. “I thought that’s the reason why you did that?”

“Oh, I didn’t do that because I wanted to catch him. It just seemed like the right thing to do.” You give a slight shrug to Leon’s question. “If he gets along with our Pokemon well and seems to be having a fun time, I’ll offer him a Pokeball and he can decide. He is a Poison type, so that’s one I should get, right?” You can’t help but smile at Leon’s puzzled expression. “I at least owe him some cooking first!”

You encounter more battling school children down Route 3, probably because everyone can see Milo’s distinctive silhouette rather easily. Leon coaches you through battling with Vanillite as Trubbish and the others watch, but barking orders still doesn’t come naturally to you. During a battle with a girl’s Purrloin, you realize it’s not that you lack the confidence. Rather, you just don’t see your Pokemon as a means to an end for winning matches. Leon seems to be critiquing you less and more watching your style, how you trust Vanillite to react instinctively to the battle. It’s clear her ice attacks are getting stronger, and that she’s good at taunting and then countering with blasts of snow.

~*~*~*~

As the sun begins to near the horizon, Milo leads everyone up a hill to what looks like the highest point in Route 3. There are already other tents set up in the area, so the four of you get to work creating a little corner with the three tents between you all. The campsite quickly becomes a bit of a circus when everyone lets their Pokemon out: your five, Milo’s three, Sonia’s Yamper, Leon’s Charizard and Thwackey along with the wild Trubbish.

The two men go off to collect firewood, Sonia visits a nearby berry tree, and you begin to slice up some sausage. The Pokemon are cautious of Trubbish, but Vanillite seems to be acting as a liaison. Before you know it, they are romping and battling each other. Every once in a while one would scamper over to smell the sausage, but were satisfied with some pets and a promise that dinner would be ready soon. Milo’s Pokemon mostly hung around his tent and Charizard sat next to you watching the others. It begins to dawn on you that this is starting to feel familiar. You pause for a second, setting the knife down and just gazing out to where the Pokemon were playing. The Yampers were thick as thieves by now, chasing your Wooloo, Pancham, and now Leon’s Thwackey around. Lombre relaxed with Milo’s Pokemon while Vanillite and Trubbish seemed to be practicing techniques with each other. Charizard nuzzled your shoulder, an eye trained on the sausage as you pet him.

Milo and Leon were the first to return, looking to be in good spirits. It didn’t occur to you until now that they probably were friends, both being major figures in the League and all. They stacked the firewood and Leon got Charizard to light it up. But it wasn’t long that you noticed Leon was watching your Pokemon with a look of concern, arms crossed over his chest again.

“Is something wrong, Leon?”

He looks to you for a second before looking back at the playing Pokemon. “It might not be the best idea to let them battle unsupervised, especially when they are new to you and undisciplined. You’ll want to make sure they are developing the right habits.” You’re not entirely sure how to answer, because you know he’s probably right but you couldn’t think of anything more unpleasant. Leon turns back to you and crouches by the fire. “You’ve been working hard all day, how about I cook dinner and you take a break?”

You shake your head and notice Sonia returning with an armful of berries. “Let me do this, to make up for worrying you these past few days. It would mean a lot for me to cook for you.” You smile at Leon, and hear Milo busying himself with his Eldegoss who seem to be giving him a piece of their minds over something. “Plus, I promised Pancham and Trubbish some curry!”

Sonia hands you the berries she found and you sift through what she found. While she got you a good number, it seemed like there wasn’t a diverse selection on this route. Sausage is one of the better meats to react to sweetness, so you decide to base the roux of the curry on pecha berries with a few oran ones mixed in for balance.

When Leon and Sonia join the playing Pokemon, Milo comes to sit down next you. “Can I help with anythin’?”

You nod absent-mindedly as you compare berry sizes and count out how many you need. “Would you mind getting the rice going? That would be helpful! We’re also going to need to crush the oran berries and stir them right into the curry mix. The pecha berries will need a slight roasting over the fire, then we’ll crush half of them and put in the others whole. I’ll also brown the sausage over the fire before adding it in and then let everything cook. What do you think?”

When you look over to Milo, he’s smiling. Of course. And that funny feeling in your stomach takes over again. Of course. You really wish you knew what was happening to you. He doesn’t seem to be having as much of a messy internal monologue as you are. “Sounds amazin’! Were you a chef back ‘n Alola?”

You chuckle a bit as you sort the berries, Milo instinctively taking the ones to be mashed. “No not at all, I don’t know if I’m that good at cooking really.” You skewer slices of sausage and pecha on thinner sticks you find in the wood pile, preparing them for roasting.

“But you’re quite deliberate when you cook. Most people throw anythin’ in the pot and hope for the best.” You’re sure that Milo counts himself among most people, though he seems like the type that can eat anything and everything. He checks the temperature of the water in a smaller pot before adding the rice in, and you take that as a sign to pour the curry mix into the larger pot.

“I guess that’s true. Thinking on it, there’s just something special about making a good meal. Like, it’s one of the most satisfying things in life, eating good food that you made yourself, knowing others are happy because of something I did.” Milo pushes in the mashed berries into the curry while you prop up the skewers, lightly rotating them every once in a while over the fire. “Right now my mind is like, how can I make everyone happy with what I’ve got? I haven’t learned your preferences yet, but I feel like you’d enjoy this. And it would be really satisfying knowing that you did.”

Milo is quiet for a bit. You can’t tell if he’s thinking up a proper response or just taking in the moment. After you take down the skewers and toss the meat and remaining berries in, you begin to stir it all together. It smells how you imagine it, a savory-sweet smell which seems to waft over the camp since Pokemon are drawing nearer to the campfire. Sonia is back on her phone with her notebook in hand, and Leon is giving poor Thwackey a lecture. Curious noses sniff around the pot, but everyone can now read the look you give them to have some more patience.

“I can’t wait for you to see Turffield. I hope ya like it there.”

Milo’s voice was barely above a whisper, almost drowned out by the crackling fire and Pokemon chatter. You turn to him, a little taken back from his Eldegoss and Gossifleur staring at you expectantly. His face is in profile from your angle, shadows and light from the fire flickering across his cheek as he watches the curry bubble.

Before you respond, you feel mass of wool bump up against you. Wooloo immediately and consistently begins to bleat at you, crawling into your lap and staring at the pot of curry. You notice that all the other Pokemon have gathered around the campfire as well.

“Okay okay, it’s about done. You all should know that the longer it similar the more-” a range of Pokemon whines and protests erupt. How did you suddenly end up with so many children?

Leon takes the ladle before you can reach for it and begins to serve the curry over rice. With a smile he hands you the first bowl. “You earned it.” Soon enough the humans have their servings and the Pokemon gather around a few large bowls they share from.

The sounds of happy eating pleases you as the curry came out nicely. You’re glad that you decided to grill some of the ingredients to give the curry some texture and not get more sweet than savory. It could have done with more spice, you’ll have to make sure you gather some cheri or figy berries next time for when there aren’t any in nature.

“This is amazing!!” Leon regards you with his mouth full, with Sonia more politely covering her mouth as she nods beside him. “I didn’t know you could cook this well! Might be better than Sonia’s cooking.” Which then causes her to frown.

“I’ll remember that the next time you’re pawing at my tent door for breakfast.”

The two get into their usual back-and-forth, letting you shift your attention to Milo. He was shoveling his food down, probably needing seconds soon. “Did it come out alright?” Mouth full, he nods and chews at the same time.

As the night goes on, conversation inevitable gets back to the gym challenge. Though the two are friendly, you can’t help but sense some tension between Leon and Milo. It’s clear that Leon perceives Milo’s gym to not be much of a challenge, and expects you to only be in Turffield for a short while before heading to Hulbury. Apparently there’s a train station there and he can visit you from Hammerlocke easily when you get there. “I’m sure Sonia will want to hang out with Nessa for a while, too.”

That’s when you realize that, while not arrogant, Leon was quite used to getting his way and being the center of attention. He didn’t demand it really, but it seemed like he had this magnetism that drew people to him and he based his understanding of everything bending towards him. Leon never once asked for Milo’s input about his gym or your opinion on what you wanted your travel plans to be. It’s like he had this vision and just needed everyone to play their parts.

The Pokemon quickly tired out after eating and grouped up in different piles ready to sleep for the night. Social groups are definitely starting to form, though you don’t really see anything wrong with that. You’re happy that Vanillite, who usually wants to return to her Pokeball come bedtime, has found a cuddle buddy in Trubbish. Watching them makes you yawn, and it’s only now you realize how tired the day has made you.

“I think it’s time for you to turn in.” Leon rises from his spot next to Sonia and begins collecting the dishes. “If you’re going to make it to the other side of the mines before sunset, we’ll need to get up early in the morning.”

After another yawn, a hand reaches down from above; it’s Milo, with a soft smile on his face, the jade of his eyes almost glowing reflecting the fire. Always the gentleman. But when you take is hand, you can’t help but feel all those funny feelings again. You’re sensitive to the tactile nature of his hand, one that is calloused and used to manual labor, is firm in grip only just as much as it needs to be. It’s difficult to not notice his bicep flexing as he pulls you upwards. Upwards towards him, almost enough for you to bump into his chest. Thankfully it’s dark out and he probably can’t tell you’re flushed being this close to him. You realize he’s slow to let go of your hand, and he looks like he’s working up to say something to you.

Another’s hand grasps your shoulder and gives it a little squeeze. Leon’s. “Sleep in my tent tonight, okay?”

You’re caught off-guard by the request, but in an effort to not reveal how embarrassed you were feeling, you just nod. The cool night air brushes over your hand as Milo releases his hold and creates some space between the two of you. Leon goes to wash the dishes (with Charizard, or else he wouldn’t find his way back), Sonia lets the Yampers hop into her tent, and you’re alone with Milo. His eyes are downcast, and eventually he rubs the back of his neck as he turns away from you.

“We should get to sleepin’, huh?” The uncertainty in his voice intrigues you. His shoulders then square and he turns back to you, looking determined. “I guess I’m the first challenge in your adventure. I… won’t let ya go that easily.” Before you can respond, he nods to his Pokemon and heads into his tent. Maybe Milo won’t be as easy of a gym leader after all.

After putting out the fire and whispering good night to all the Pokemon, you take your bag and head inside Leon’s tent. Wooloo sneaks in after you, followed by Pancham and Thwackey. Looking around on the inside, you’re not really sure what you were expecting, it’s just a tent with usual camping things. You decide to unfurl your sleeping bag and change your clothes while Leon is still away. The three Pokemon settle in the middle of the tent, and you crawl into your sleeping bag.

When Leon returns, you hear the clanging of pots and dishes. Outside the tent he wishes Charizard a goodnight before entering. He grins seeing all the Pokemon resting next to you. “Now that’s a picture.” His Rotom zips out but he flails to catch it before it does anything. “No! I’ll be in so much trouble if that hits Pokegram.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you make off all that? I imagine you don’t take it seriously if you’re letting me sleep your tent.”

He scratches the back of his head. “Huh? I just want to talk battle strategies…”

As he launches into the typical moves that Gossifleur and Eldegoss use and their counters, you realize that he earnestly just wanted to talk Pokemon. And boy, can Leon talk about Pokemon battles. You feel a little guilty hogging him as a resource, wouldn’t Gloria and Hop benefit more from his guidance?

Milo’s parting words echo in your mind. The thought of battling him makes you uncomfortable, and it was like he drew that line between you two. It definitely sounded like he wasn’t going to make his battle with you easy. Thinking of Milo as an opponent just didn’t sit well with you.

You began to drift to sleep somewhere around the part where Leon mentions something about… Gigantics? Maxismist? Something like that, that future you can deal with as you think about a certain peach-haired man as you slip into your dreams.

#bundle of yarrow #milo x reader #pokemon milo

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