#regular school starts at 8:30
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calico-kiwi · 2 years ago
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i’m experiencing jet lag without actually traveling anywhere
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melancholyofautvmn · 1 year ago
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trying to figure out if it's the entire indonesian school system or just my school in particular that's trying to kill all of it's students... 😭😭😭
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stevie-petey · 1 year ago
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episode one: the vanishing of will byers
Steve nods, as if you almost getting hit by his car makes perfect sense to him. When you walk over to your bike and inspect it for any damage, he follows after you.  “So,” he whistles, trying to pretend that this is all a completely normal occurrence. “You, uh, need a ride?” Honestly you don’t know why you’re surprised he hasn’t noticed the clear signs of you crying, your swollen eyes and red nose. Not only is he a boy, but he’s also Steve Harrington. It’s a miracle he even stopped to make sure you weren’t dead.
summary: jonathan smuggles you free food in exchange for friendship, will goes missing the one time you listen to jonathan, hopper doesn't really like you, and steve harrington almost hits you with his car as you're sobbing like a damn baby (in a cool way).
rating: general, although there's plenty of cursing and slight innuendos, so fair warning.
warnings: cursing, fem!reader, and use of y/n.
words: 7k
before you swing in: hello ! this is the first chapter of my come home series, where i plan on rewriting the entirety of stranger things because i really love a good rewrite fic and this is me just indulging in my ideal fic fantasies tbh. before we start: this is a steve x reader fic, however there will be some slight feelings between the reader and jonathan, but it doesn't at all get in the way of steve and honestly just adds to the angst because i love a good tragedy. also, reader is dustin's older sister, but i tried to write her as neutral as possible in terms of physical features, so let's all just play along. that is all ! i'm very excited for this series and i hope y'all enjoy her as much as i do :)
-
November 6th, 1983
Your shift at Bookstrordinary ends at 8:30 tonight, so as soon as you’ve organized all the books within the store and cashed out the last customer, you say goodnight to your boss, Mrs. Waters, and clock out. Today had been a longer shift, and it didn’t help that you had to deal with a particularly eager bookclub mother who insisted that you had the latest copy of some obscure novel that she needed for her club. After several attempts to inform her that no, you really didn’t have some novel about a cowboy falling in love with a rodeo girl from Michigan, nor would you ever want to read that, the mother angrily walked away. 
You’re happy to finally be free from work though, excited to see Jonathan to tell him about the book club mom because you know he gets a kick out of those suburban middle class mothers that terrorize Hawkins. He works across from you, at The Hawk theater, and it’s one of your favorite things about the bookstore. Besides getting to be surrounded by books all day and reading Spider-Man, you get to be across the street from your best friend and share frequent breaks together. 
A bell signifies your arrival at the theater, alerting Jonathan to look up from the concession stand and smile at you. He looks tired, which you can understand. It’s been a particularly long school year so far with Jonathan having to work more shifts than usual to support his family. 
“Welcome to The Hawk, can I interest you in our specialty popcorn and candy corn mixture?”
You make a face, “No, thanks. Candy corn freaks me out.” 
Jonathan laughs, knowing you’d say that. It’s been a running joke between the two of you for as long as you can remember. You’re not picky with most foods, but candy corn? The bane of your existence. “Tough crowd, then.” 
You laugh as well, now standing in front of the counter, and you learn against it so that you’re in Jonathan’s space. After being friends for so long, personal space doesn’t exist between the two of you. You’re the only person that Jonathan lets get this close to him on a regular basis, which you’re secretly proud of. 
“So, you almost done so we can pick up our idiotic brothers?” Tonight, as usual, Will and Dustin are at Mike’s house playing DnD. They’d biked over as soon as school let out, while Jonathan drove you to work, so he was your ride back for the night. 
He shakes his head at you, wincing, “I picked up an extra shift tonight. Stacy called out sick, and it’s good money…”
You nod in understanding. He doesn’t have to explain himself to you, which he’s always relieved by. 
“It’s okay. Is my bike still in your trunk?” 
“Yeah, I can get it out for you since I’m kind of ditching you tonight.” 
You wave him off, already reaching across the counter to grab his keys from his coat pocket. “No need, I’ll get it out myself so you don’t get in trouble with your boss.” Jonathan’s boss is an older guy, extra scary. “I’m assuming that I’m taking Will home tonight?” 
“It’ll be late by the time you get the boys, and you’ll have Dustin. We only live a couple blocks apart, you can just bike with Will until you get to your street.”
“Are you sure? I know he’s scared of the dark.” 
“It’s fine, Y/N. You’re already doing enough being there for most of the ride; I’m sure Will can survive the last five minutes alone.” 
You give Jonathan an unsure look, but you don’t argue with him. He’s his brother, he knows Will’s capabilities, and it’s an unspoken fact that you baby Will a bit too much. He’s just so much tinier than the other boys, softer in a way that you want to protect. He’s special. 
Jonathan sneaks you a large peach lemonade and hot dog from the concession stand when you return with his keys. You’ve parked your bike up front, and you accept the food gratefully. You hadn’t had time to eat your usual dinner during your break due to the bookclub mother fiasco, so you inhale the food quickly and give his hair a ruffle. 
“You’re a lifesaver, bee.” 
Jonathan lightly hits your hand away from his hair. “Consider it your payment for dealing with Will and Dustin on your own tonight, bug.” 
Bee and bug were the names the two of you had given each other years ago. Jonathan had started it with bug, stemming from the fact that you love Spider-Man so much, and you had struggled to come up with your own nickname for him. Then it came to you: bee, or B, for Byers. It was perfect, and you’re still incredibly proud of yourself for the creativity, honestly. 
After your quick dinner, you say goodbye to your friend and head off. It’s late now, nearing 9, and you hope that Mrs. Wheeler and your own mom won’t be too upset with you for being late for pick up. You know they prefer to have the boys in bed by a decent hour, but in your defense, Jonathan did skip out on you.
You arrive at the Wheeler’s in a short amount of time and knock on the door. Your cheeks are flushed from the early November cold, and you’re regretting that you only put on a thin sweater and jeans this morning.
Mike answers the door, giving you a dirty look. “Did you have to come early?”
“I’m actually later than usual,” you sidestep him, making your way into his house; you’ve become used to Mike’s attitude. “I take it the campaign is still ongoing?”
“See, mom? Even Y/N understands how long a good campaign can go on for!” Mike waves his arms at you, as if to signify to his mother the importance of your understanding. 
Mrs. Wheeler ignores her son to greet you kindly, albeit a bit exasperated. “Hello, Y/N, please come in.” Then she turns to Mike, giving him a stern look. “Mike, why don’t you tell Y/N how you boys have been playing for ten hours? I’m sure she’ll be understanding then.” 
“You guys have been playing for ten hours?”
Mike looks down in embarrassment for a second before turning to his father for help. You laugh a bit at his enthusiasm and see a faint smile on his mom’s face as well. Quietly you excuse yourself to go downstairs to find the other boys, and Mrs. Wheeler wishes you luck. 
Everyone always acts like the boys are some giant pain; truthfully, you enjoy them. Sure, they can be a handful, but they’re just kids; it’s hard for you to ever stay mad at them. Plus they like you, so it makes dealing with them easier. 
Lucas, Dustin, and Will are running around the basement when you get down there, frantically searching for something. You hear Lucas inform Will that if Mike doesn’t see something, then it doesn’t count. The urgence in his voice amuses you; you’ll never fully wrap your head around why they take DnD so seriously, but you love that they can enjoy it with each other. 
Dustin is the first to see you. “Y/N!”
The other boy’s heads turn to you and they greet you with enthusiasm as well. Will rushes towards you for a hug, which you gladly accept. When you break apart, Lucas gives you a high five and asks about a comic you’ve put on hold for him at the store. 
“Any luck?”
“Sorry, Sinclair. It’s still sold out, but the second it’s restocked I’ll smuggle one for you.” 
“Sick!” 
Dustin walks over, now in his coat and holding a pizza box. “Want a slice?” 
You decline, informing him that Jonathan snuck some food for you. At the mention of his brother’s name, Will asks where he is. You tell him that Jonathan had to cover a shift and that you’ll be taking him most of the way home tonight. 
As you all make your way upstairs, you notice that Dustin continues up to the second floor. Lucas notices too, and the two of you share a knowing look. 
“Still have a crush on Nancy?” You ask, already knowing the answer. 
“Yup.” Lucas responds, smiling in disappointment. 
You wait for your brother outside, helping Will with his coat and listen to Mike’s rambling about the campaign. Lucas is already on his bike, ready to go. 
“There’s something wrong with your sister.” Dustin declares when he finally returns.
Mike looks at you, then at your brother, confused. “What are you talking about?” 
“She’s got a stick up her butt.” 
“Dustin!” You berate. Nancy isn’t your favorite person, but she’s always been nice to you the few times you’ve interacted. You guys used to be closer when you were younger, but high school has a way of distancing people.
“Yeah,” Lucas now speaks up. “It’s because she’s been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington.” How the hell does Lucas even know about that? You didn’t even know about that until just now. 
“Lucas! Language!” 
“Yeah, she’s been turning into a real jerk.”
“Dustin, I swear to God-” 
The boys ignore you, which you’re honestly not surprised by. While they may like you, that doesn't mean that they listen to you. On a good day they maybe listen to you 25% of the time, but tonight was clearly not a good night. 
Mike finally cuts in, “She’s always been a real jerk.”
“Hey, she’s your sister. Give her some credit-”
Dustin is now the one who cuts you off. “Nuh-uh, only you get the sister leniency, Y/N. Nancy used to be cool, now she isn’t.” 
“Remember that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign?” Lucas asks, almost reminiscent. 
You shudder at the way he says it, and you shudder more when you see the dreamy look in your brother’s eyes. “Yeah, I remember…” 
“Gross,” you huff at your brother, now hopping on your own bike. 
Lucas and Dustin begin to pedal away, and you call after them to wait up. Will is still with Mike, and you promised Jonathan you’d get him home. You give the boys a bit of space, waiting a few paces ahead. Will has always been shy around Mike, something that you’ve tried not looking into too much, but to be safe you give them some privacy. 
Faintly, you hear Will say, “The Demogorgon, it got me.” 
Lights flicker a bit, but you’re too focused on the slight unease you feel by Will’s words. Before you can think too much about them, he joins you. “Race you up to Lucas and Dustin?”
“You’re on,” you tell him. 
Will beats you to the boys (which you let him do), and you’re out of breath. The four of you bike in silence for a bit until you reach Lucas’s turn into his neighborhood. 
“Good night, ladies.” He says, and you don’t need to be a psychic to know what your brother’s response is going to be.
“Kiss your mom ‘night for me.” Bless him.
You and Will giggle together, and Dustin smirks at the two of you, proud. He sits in the praise for a few moments before challenging you and Will to race home with the promise of a comic for whoever wins. 
“I call last year’s Black Cat issue of Spider-man!” You call out, already biking away from the boys. 
“We didn’t say go!”
Dustin and Will call after you as they try to catch up, and within a few seconds the three of you are speeding down the hill towards your home. You laugh gleefully, enjoying the way the wind whips through your hair and the way Dustin, though annoyed by your early start, laughs alongside you with Will. 
Somehow Will is the one who wins the race, which you’re impressed by. He may be small, but he’s surprisingly good at winning when it comes to a competition. Dustin shouts at Will that he’ll kill him, which makes you send a warning look at him. 
“I’ll take your X-Men 134!” Will retaliates, still flying through the street. 
You and Dustin are now stopped at your mailbox and you take a moment to catch your breath before shouting at Will, “Be careful, please! Stay safe!”
“I’ll be fine, I promise!” Will’s voice is distant, now a few yards away, and you stand outside for a few more seconds to watch his figure disappear into the night. Dustin has already gone inside but you wait to follow, only going inside when you can no longer see Will, hopefully home safe and sound. You feel fear creep upon you, but you chalk it up to your usual worry when it comes to the boy. 
He’ll be okay, Jonathan should be home within the hour. 
– 
The next morning you’re frantically biking to school, pissed off at Jonathan. He’s your ride every morning, or everywhere, really, and for the second time in 24 hours he’s bailed on you. Dustin left for school ages ago on his bike, so you’re thankful he doesn’t see you embarrassingly sweaty and gross as you race to school. 
It’s not that you’re pissed that Jonathan bailed again, you’re pissed because he didn’t even have the nerve to call you ahead of time to warn you. Now you have only ten minutes before the first bell rings, and your sweater clings to you uncomfortably as you sweat. 
You make it to school with a few minutes to spare, so you quickly make your way over to your locker to grab the necessary books for the day. You’re still sweaty, and you don’t want to even think about what your hair looks like right now. You look down the hall towards Jonathan’s locker, still not seeing him, and you begin to worry a bit. Maybe he overslept after last night’s shift? 
A body crashes into yours, sending your notebooks spiraling to the ground. Steve Harrington looks at you sheepishly, only saying a small “whoops!” before continuing his fast pace towards the girl’s bathroom. You scoff, now even more annoyed with your entire morning, picking up your stuff as you see Nancy enter the same bathroom a few moments later. 
“In a public school bathroom?” You mutter in disgust, collecting the last of your things and heading to class. 
You decide to give Jonathan until second period, sophomore English which the two of you share, before you freak out. You know you have a problem with over worrying about the people you love, so you try to calm yourself down. While Jonathan has never been the type to cancel without at least calling first, you reason with yourself that everyone has a bad morning. He simply slept in too late. When he wakes up, he’ll come to school and he’ll be sitting in the seat next to you in English. 
Except Jonathan isn’t in the seat next to yours when you enter the classroom an hour later. Now you officially let yourself begin to worry. Something about this doesn’t feel right. 
You’ve never skipped class before, school has always been important to you. You’re the top of your class with hopes of running away from Hawkins with Jonathan to a big city with an even bigger university. However, you don’t even hesitate to flee the classroom and find the nearest phone in the school to call the Byers’ residence. 
Jonathan answers after a few rings, and the words that leave his lips change your life forever. “Will is missing.”
You feel all the air in your lungs be knocked out of you. You can’t breathe and you sway a bit as your knees threaten to give out. This isn’t real, this can’t be happening. 
“What?”
“Will, he-he’s gone, Y/N. We can’t find him and-” 
You don’t hear whatever else Jonathan says. You struggle to get air back in your lungs. Will isn’t missing, you just saw him last night. Mere hours ago Will laughed next to you, face alive with joy, he hugged you and joked along with you. 
“He didn’t come home last night-”
“He didn’t come home?” Jonathan’s words catch your attention and you feel bile rise in your throat. Will didn’t make it home last night. You were the last one to see him, and the realization crushes you; it’s all your fault. 
“Mom and I just searched the woods, and there’s no sign of him and-” Jonathan is rambling now, his own fear and despair clear in his voice. 
“Jonathan,” you force his name out, now needing to be there for your best friend. You can worry for Will in your own time, right now Jonathan needs you. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” 
“Y/N, you don’t-”
You hang up before Jonathan can argue with you and stumble towards the exit. Your limbs feel heavier than normal, and your ears are ringing. Will is missing. He’s so small, he’s scared of the dark… You left him alone in the dark. 
The bike ride to the Byers home is a blur. You don’t remember much, your body going on autopilot the second you hopped on your bike. You’re running on pure fear and adrenaline right now, too worried for your boys to focus on anything else. 
You don’t bother to knock when you arrive, instead you let yourself in. Joyce is on the phone, arguing with some woman named Cynthia. Your eyes find Jonathan’s, who is sitting on the couch hunched over something. You walk over to him and sit down beside him and your stomach lurches when you see the words “have you seen me?” he’s so neatly printed out on a piece of paper.
“Bee…” you exhale, voice cracking a bit. 
Jonathan doesn’t say anything, but you know him as well as you know yourself. He doesn’t want comforting words right now. You take his hand into yours and lean your head against his shoulder. Worry has made his muscles tense, but you feel him relax into you a bit as he rests his own head against yours. The two of you sit like that for a moment, taking in the comfort you bring each other. 
“Bitch!” Joyce slams the phone down, causing you and Jonathan to jump apart. 
“Mom,”
“What?” Joyce is a mixture of both rage and anxiety, and you feel awful looking at her. Her son is missing, you can’t imagine what she must be feeling right now.
“You have to stay calm.” Jonathan tells her, his voice firm but kind. You know it’s taking everything in him to be as stable as he is right now; he’s putting on a front for his worried mother. You squeeze his hand, hoping it conveys the support and love that you need it to.
He squeezes back, and you see Joyce finally recognize that you’re there as well. She sends you a weak wave, which you return, before she goes back to dialing and trying to reach Lonnie. Jonathan gives your hand one last squeeze and lets go, now returning back to the posters. You immediately understand that he’s doing this to distract himself, so you do the same and wordlessly help him.
You begin writing your own “have you seen me?” when Joyce once again slams her phone down. The sound makes you flinch, inadvertently messing up your writing, which you sigh at. Before you can ask Jonathan for another piece of paper, you hear a car pull up. 
Jonathan stands up to investigate, alerting his mom that the cops are here. You follow after them outside, your heart dropping when you see Will’s bike in the Chief’s hand. He ushers everyone inside, informing Joyce that he found the bike lying in the road.
“How far was it from the house?” You ask, your voice frail. 
The Chief looks at you, his nametag informs you that his name is Hopper, and raises his eyebrows. “And can I know who is asking?” 
You clear your throat, nervous under his scrutinizing gaze. “I’m Y/N Henderson. I’m close with the Byers, I biked with Will home,” your voice catches in your throat, snagging onto the guilt that has been clawing at you ever since you found out Will was missing. You clear your throat again, determined to continue. “I was with him last night. My brother and I live right off Mirkwood, a few blocks from here. He only had a few more minutes before he would’ve been home.” 
Hopper stares at you. “Mirkwood?”
“It’s where-”
“Yeah, those moron kids explained it to me. I just didn’t think someone your age would call the street that, too.” Then, as an afterthought, Hopper adds, “The bike was found a block from here.”
His words sting, but you ignore it. If the bike was found only a block from the Byers’ home, then that means that something had to have happened to Will only minutes after you last saw him. You feel the familiar churning in your stomach, wracked with guilt. 
“Did it have any blood on it?” Joyce now asks, and you’re thankful she’s taken the attention off of you. 
Jonathan sees your distress and grabs your sweater so that you fall back a bit from the cops and Joyce. “Do you need a minute?”
You can only nod, afraid that if you open your mouth you’ll either cry or throw up. He gently guides you to his room, closing the door. Once you’re alone, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you in tight. You’re shaking harder than ever now, Will’s happy and shining face from last night keeps flashing through your mind. 
You were the last one who ever saw him.
You’re the one who was last responsible for him. 
You.
“It’s not your fault,” Jonathan whispers, his voice muffled by your hair. You’ve always loved how you fit perfectly in his arms, your height difference being just enough that he always rests his chin against your head when he hugs you. 
“I’m the last person who saw him.”
“Y/N, I was the one who asked you to only bike him halfway-”
“No,” your voice comes out louder than you intend it to, and you push Jonathan away. He lets out a confused noise as you grapple at him, forcing him to look directly at you. “I should’ve been with him, Jonathan. It’s your job to support your family, and it’s my job to help you. I have to… I have to be the one who helps you.” 
You’ve always been fascinated by psychology, and you remember reading in one of the journals about codependency; the term was used in relation to addiction, specifically alcoholism, but it had caught your interest. To love someone to the extent that their actions make you feel responsible for them, to selflessly take on their burdens to a debilitating extent, well, it reminded you of your relationship with Jonathan. 
You’ve always taken on whatever Jonathan has had to deal with, ever since you were kids, and it’s always come so naturally to you. He’s never asked you to, and sometimes the extent to which you carry his weight angers him, but it’s how you love.
It’s who you are. You’re always the one who helps, it’s what you need to be able to do. If you can’t help the ones you love the most, then what good is your love for them?
Jonathan may not know about codependency, but he knows how hard you love those closest to you. “Bug, listen to me.” He grabs your face, almost aggressively, in order to cut off your rambling. “My mom, she-she’s already spiraling and I can’t… I need you. I need you to be here, with me, right now. If I lose you too, then I-I don’t know what I’ll do.”
His words cut through you like glass. He’s right, you know he’s right, and you feel another wave of guilt wash over you. This guilt is different from the guilt surrounding Will. This is mixed with shame for allowing yourself to spiral so far and forcing Jonathan to take care of you. Joyce is clearly unwell, you can’t fathom how much he’s had to deal with today. 
You gently remove Jonathan’s hands from your face and take a step back. If you’re going to help him, you need to collect yourself. From here on out, you have to be a wall for him to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, someone who will listen to him. 
“I’m sorry.” 
Jonathan shrugs at you, now allowing a hesitant smile to cross his face. “If it makes you feel any better, it took a lot less pleading to get through to you. I’m still working on my mom.” 
The joke is foul, one that should make you feel even worse than you already do, because what sixteen year old has to plead with their mother to remind her that he’s there, too? The joke is horrible, and it’s exactly what you need to find yourself laughing, and Jonathan joins. 
Codependency can be a bitch, but Jonathan understands you in ways that no one else can. 
“You think the cops are gone?” You ask, wiping away the remaining tears. 
Jonathan listens for any sign of them and shakes his head. “No, I think we’re all clear.”
He walks out the room first and you follow after him. Joyce is standing in the kitchen, staring at the counter with a far off look in her eyes. You and Jonathan look at each other and you motion for him to go talk to her. He nods, and then you motion to the living room to indicate that you’ll continue working on the missing posters. 
Carefully writing on the posters soothes you, in a way. It’s rhythmic, providing a sense of lull that you readily embrace. You faintly hear Jonathan talking with his mother, then you watch as he leads her to her bedroom and shuts the door. When he returns he sits next to you on the couch and begins to work on the posters as well. No words are needed. 
You work on the posters in silence for a few hours until it nears 3pm. Dustin will be getting out of school soon, and you have to be there for him when he’s home. While Will may be Jonathan’s brother, he’s also your brother’s best friend. You get up and head into the kitchen, long familiar now with its layout and usual contents within the fridge, and quickly prepare the ingredients for spaghetti. It’s a simple meal, but Jonathan and Joyce need to eat. Once it’s all laid out, you return to the living room and tap on your friend’s shoulder. 
“Hey, I have to head out now to check on Dustin, but I just put a pot of water on the stove along with some noodles on the counter. I also cut up some vegetables and put them in the fridge for the sauce. Start the meal whenever, I laid everything out for you.”
“Thank you, really,” Jonathan exhales, relief evident on his face. He hadn’t even thought about dinner, which you figured he wouldn’t. 
You bend down to kiss the top of his head. “Anytime, bee. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” 
“Just…” you linger at the door, not fully wanting to leave him all by himself. “Be careful, please.” 
“Go, Y/N. I’ll be fine, I promise.” Jonathan reassures you.
“I’ll be fine, I promise!” Will’s voice is distant, now a few yards away, and you stand outside for a few more seconds to watch his figure disappear into the night.
It’s brief, but the flashback punches you in the gut. You close your eyes, holding onto the image of Will’s face in the moonlight last night, and when it fades you take a deep breath and force yourself to leave. 
The second you’re on your bike, pedaling away from the house, you let the sobs that have wracked against your throat all day out. It’s messy, the tears coming down your face faster than you can wipe them away. All the fear you’ve felt is now able to freely come out. It’s not the safest way to bike home, but you know that if you hold the tears in any longer you’ll collapse. You do your best to still be alert, but apparently you fail because a BMW honks at you to avoid you hitting it. 
“Fuck!” You yank your bike to the right, having no idea that you had been on the left side of the road, and topple over. The fall isn’t anything bad, but it definitely is your final straw for the day. You lay in the ditch you’ve landed in, staring at the November sky, and let the pain from your skinned knee serve as something to ground you to reality. 
“Holy shit, did I hit you?” 
Steve Harrington stands over you, a horrified look in his eyes. 
“Unfortunately not, otherwise I’d be able to sue you and get money out of it.” 
“Uh… okay?” He offers you his hand, although still very confused. “You didn’t like, happen to hit your head or anything, right?” 
You accept his help, albeit mostly because you have to, and brush yourself off when you’re up. “I’m fine. I just wasn’t paying attention, sorry.” 
Steve nods, as if you almost getting hit by his car makes perfect sense to him. When you walk over to your bike and inspect it for any damage, he follows after you. 
“So,” he whistles, trying to pretend that this is all a completely normal occurrence. “You, uh, need a ride?”
Honestly you don’t know why you’re surprised he hasn’t noticed the clear signs of you crying, your swollen eyes and red nose. Not only is he a boy, but he’s also Steve Harrington. It’s a miracle he even stopped to make sure you weren’t dead. 
“No,” you say, now repositioning your backpack so that you can get back on your bike. “Thanks anyways, Harrington.” 
Steve continues to follow you, even after you’ve started to pedal away. “You’re welcome, random girl I almost hit!”
You’re a bit further now, and you still feel like utter shit, but his words somehow make you laugh a bit. For a brief moment, you forget about everything, so you call behind, “It’s Henderson!” 
“That’s an odd first name!” The boy shouts after you, still following from a distance. 
“Y/N Henderson!” You’re fully yelling now, a good yard away, but you can tell that Steve hears you based on the way he begins to wave eagerly, finally stopping next to his car. Faintly you understand the boyish charm that makes him so loved by all the girls in the school; you understand why Nancy Wheeler has fallen for him.
“Bye, Y/N!” It’s faint, but you swear you can hear a smile in his voice.  
The good mood that Steve Harrington inexplicably puts you in vanishes when you near your house. Nothing has changed, yet it feels as if something has shifted. Will had been here only hours ago. You spot Dustin’s bike laying on the grass, haphazardly thrown as usual. 
Dustin is just taking off his coat when you enter, immediately running over to him to pull him into a bone crushing hug. 
“Y/N!” he squeaks in surprise. 
“Are you okay?” You know you’re squeezing your brother harder than you need to, but God. He’s safe, in your arms, and you’ve now learned that not everyone can say the same about their own loved ones. 
Dustin wiggles a bit, trying to break away from the hug, but you only pull him in tighter. “Geesh, no one died.” 
Normally you’d berate him, but you embrace his snarky comments. They’re what make Dustin so unique, his humor one of your favorite parts of him
When you don’t respond, Dustin stops wiggling around and finally accepts the situation. “I love ya too, sis.” 
You giggle a bit, now pulling away. “At least mom isn’t home right now. The minute she hears about what’s happened, we’ll be on lockdown.”
Dustin’s eyes widen. “Shit, you’re right.” 
“Lan-”
“Language, I know.”
You ruffle his hair, now feeling a bit better. Dustin is still Dustin, so maybe everything will be okay. You and your brother go into the kitchen for your post school snack, and you call your boss to inform her that you can’t make it to your shift. The words “family emergency” catch in your throat a bit, and Mrs. Waters is kind enough not to push it.
Dustin catches you up on his day, informing you about Hopper questioning him and the other boys. 
You scrunch your nose at that. “Is that even legal?”
“Unsure, but it was awesome.”
“Will went missing, Dustin. It isn’t ‘awesome’.”
Dustin tilts his head at you. “Well, I bet Will is going to have a blast hearing everything when we find him.” 
His words are so matter of fact, as if he already knows that Will will be found after all. His naivety worries you a bit, but you also can’t help but indulge in his hope as well. Then you think about what he’s just said. “Wait, who’s ‘we’?”
Your brother pretends he can't hear you, miming at his ears. “Dustin-”
“What?”
“Dustin, you and the boys can’t just-”
“I can’t hear you!” He’s running to his room now with you quick behind his heels. 
“Dustin, I swear to God-”
“I gotta do homework, Y/N, bye!” He slams the door in your face. 
You sigh. There’s no getting through to him, years of being Dustin’s older sister has taught you that, so you go into your room instead. You might as well get started on the assignments you missed today, and you have a huge chem test tomorrow, so you’ll focus on that and keep an ear out for Dustin. Whatever he’s planning with the boys, you won’t let them do it alone. 
After a couple hours of silence from Dustin’s room, you decide to call Jonathan. The line rings for a while with no answer, and eventually you give up. It makes sense that he’s not answering, he’s had a long day. You hope he’s asleep, but you know him better than that. He’s probably holed up in his room, trying to distract himself like you are right now. 
A loud thud from Dustin’s room breaks you from your thoughts. Then you hear a quiet “shhh!” that sounds suspiciously like Lucas, and you immediately throw on your shoes and a jacket and march outside. 
Dustin is halfway out of his window when you arrive, and Mike and Lucas stare at you, caught red handed. 
“Guys, I think she can hear us.” Your brother says, breaking the silence. Mike scoffs at him and Lucas groans. 
You eye the three of them, unamused. “Your best friend just went missing, what the hell are you guys doing out here so late and alone?”
Dustin awkwardly finishes his descent down, finally landing on his feet with a thud. He secures his hat back on his head and goes to grab his bike. You block his path. 
“I’m serious, one of you needs to start talking, now.” 
Lucas and Dustin look at Mike, who is their unofficial leader of the gang, and he huffs. “Look, Y/N, I like you-”
“How thrilling.” You say, voice monotone. 
The boy ignores you and continues to talk. “But Will is missing, and we aren’t just going to sit around and wait. He’s our friend, we have to do something.” 
You open your mouth to speak, but Lucas interrupts you. “You’re definitely our favorite sister in the group, so you’d be even cooler if you let us go.” 
Again, you try to respond, but this time Dustin beats you to it. “Yeah, you’re like, totally cool already. If you pretend that you never saw us, that’d be great.” 
“Guys-”
“And don’t give us a whole lecture about safety. That’s all bull.” Mike says. 
“Boys!” You scream. They all fall silent, not used to you ever raising your voice at them. You’ve only ever yelled at them once or twice, preferring to be the “cool” sister whenever you can, but right now they’re seriously pissing you off. 
“Let me speak.” When no one says anything, you continue. “I’m not going to stop you guys from looking for Will. In fact, I support it-”
“You do?”
You shoot Mike a death glare, which promptly shuts him up. “Yes, I do. However, I’m not letting you guys go alone.” 
The boys all groan at this, acting as if it’s the worst thing in the world to have you tag along with them. You ignore their complaining and head over to where your bike sits against the porch. You zip up your coat, the chill from the night making you shiver a bit. 
“No arguing, or I’ll call all your moms. Ours included, Dustin.”
“Why me?”
“Look, guys. I’m proud of you for stepping up, but I’m coming with. The last time I let one of you boys go off into the woods alone…” 
The boys shift uncomfortably now, realizing how heavy the guilt weighs upon you. After a few beats of silence, Mike finally gives in. 
“Fine,” he says, pointing a finger at you. “But the second you start to freak out, you’re gone.” 
You salute Mike, hopping on your bike as you all begin to bike away. The ride doesn’t take long, since you live just off of where Will was last seen. Thunder rumbles when you all approach the crime scene, and you shudder a bit. 
“It’s going to rain, guys.” You inform them. 
Dustin looks up at the sky with uncertainty. “I think maybe we should go back.”
Mike is quick to shut down the idea, urging the others to keep going. You admire his loyalty to Will, and you figure it’s why the two of you butt heads so often. Out of the entire group, you’re the most similar to him. 
Lucas and Mike go under the caution tape first, and Dustin hangs back. You place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We can go back, you know.” 
He clenches his jaw, jutting his chin out a bit. “No, Will needs us.”
Your brother puffs out his chest and follows after his friends, leaving you to take up the rear. More thunder rumbles and the rain begins to come down. You flip your hood up, thankful you remembered to grab a hoodie when leaving. 
Mike guides the way with his flashlight, then Lucas, then Dustin, then you in the back. You make sure to keep your eyes on the three boys, scared that the second you look away they’ll be gone. The woods have always creeped you out, but you push your fear down to keep them safe. 
“Will!” Mike calls out, the rain now pouring down on you guys. 
“Byers!” 
“Will, little bee!” You call out as well. He never liked when you called him that in front of the others, but tonight was an exception. 
“I’ve got your X-Men 134!” Your brother bribes, unintentionally making you laugh a bit. If Will is nearby, he’ll surely come out to claim his prize. 
Your foot catches on a tree log, and you slip in the mud before just barely managing to catch yourself. It’s getting hard to see given how dark it is and the rain surrounding you. Dustin voices his concerns, only to be called a baby, and you bite your tongue. If you defend him, he’ll only look more like a baby to his friends. 
“I’m just being realistic!” He retaliates, which you commend him for. 
“Dustin’s right, guys. It’s getting really bad out here. We’re surrounded by a ton of trees, don’t they attract lightning?” You ask, now paranoid that you’ll be struck down any second. 
“You guys are being sissies.” Lucas taunts, annoyed as well. 
You try to argue, but Dustin voices a thought that’s been at the back of your mind. “Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad?”
You think back to how Hopper seemed worried when he investigated the Byers home. From what you can recall, he suspected that Will had been running away from something, explaining why he’d abandon his bike.
“And now we’re going to the exact same spot where he was last seen, and we have no weapons or anything?”
Maybe Dustin’s right. This definitely wasn’t your best idea, and you’re regretting letting them follow through with their plan. For someone who claims to want to keep their loved ones safe, you really suck at it. 
“Dustin, shut up.” Mike voices, though he now looks a bit concerned as well. 
“He’s right, Mike.” You speak up, stumbling a bit in more mud. Your shoes are definitely ruined, now. “I was at Jonathan’s when Hopper showed up, he thinks Will was running from something.” 
The boys go quiet now, and when you’re about to suggest going home, you hear rustling in the bushes. 
“Did you guys hear that?” Mike asks. 
Your heart stops as the rustling continues and you all start to twist and turn, looking for the source of the sound. The rustling gets louder, almost as if it’s getting closer, and you tighten your hand around your flashlight, ready to use it as a weapon just in case. 
Then, the light flashes upon a little girl, drenched in an oversized yellow shirt, shivering. Her head is shaved, but her small stature suggests to you that she is indeed a girl. You all stare at her, no one saying a thing. She stares back, a terrified look on her face that breaks your heart. 
“Holy shit,” you whisper. 
Her eyes land on you; something about her reminds you of Will, and  you know that nothing will be the same again.
-
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earlysunshines · 1 year ago
Text
(i love you) for sentimental reasons
kindergarden teacher!sana x fem!reader. (pt. 4)
summary: fate seems to love you and sana being alone together, so do your niece and jihyo.
wc: 8k
warnings: mentions of food ; slight (barely) suggestive(?) ; cursing
pt 1. pt2. pt3.
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a/n: thank you all for the kind words and support on this series! it was fun writing it and the support on this has been amazing. thank you and enjoy :-]
-
“What would a young teacher usually order at a cafe.” You ask Chaemin, staring at the espresso machine and pondering. The taller, dark-haired barista looks at you, quirks a brow, then yawns. 
“Do I look like I’d know what your five-year-old niece's teacher would like?” Chaemin mutters sleepily, “I’m tired, it’s early, and me personally I need something strong as hell to get me through this damn shift. Maybe she needs something strong since she has to deal with so many kids running around?”
“What if she doesn’t like strong, what if she’s more fond of something sweet? What if she prefers tea?”
“Well maybe you should’ve asked her or something, how do you not know what your dream woman likes.”
“I’m not gonna ask my niece to ask her what her favorite coffee is, that’s weird.”
“You already make Hana tell you about her teacher, I don’t think that would make anything different, y/n.” Chaemin sighs, “Look, I have to prepare for that fucker that orders six drinks and complains to me that they’re not made in two minutes every Wednesday morning. You have fun figuring out what to order for this wonder of a woman, but make it quick. I need to prepare at least 7 shots of espresso before that damn regular walks in.” He says, walking past you and over to the coffee bean grinder. 
It’s 7:53 in the morning and the form said to meet in the lobby of the school by 8:30. You’re trying to get your daily caffeine in and decided to ask for an extra beverage to give to your nieces' teacher. Is getting a drink for a woman a form of flirting?
“I’ll just get my usual, and then I guess I’ll get something sweeter and I’ll ask her.”
“Okay, so what’s the sweeter thing gonna be?” Chaemin questions, weighing out the coffee grinds for your usual iced americano. You think to yourself for a bit as he tamps the grinds down and puts a filter on,
“Vanilla latte? Hot, since it’s cold out, maybe she would appreciate that.”
“Can’t go wrong with that I guess.” He sighs while pulling a shot of espresso over a cup of iced water.
-
You get to the school at 8:23 am, and by the time you’re all parked and in the lobby it’s 8:27.
The lobby is filled with at least sixty kids, probably more. There are four other kindergarten teachers, you assume they’re teachers from the lanyards they wear. At least ten parents are also present, scattered around the lobby with the teachers of their own students. It’s loud and crowded, you wonder if Hana had gotten lost until you look over to the corner to see Hana waving at you, and return the smile at her before making your way to the girl and her class. 
Sana watches you with the two coffees in your hand and a smile spread across your face as you walk over to hug your niece, making sure not to spill the beverages. You’re wearing a patched, dark-blue denim jacket and a white t-shirt with a graphic that Sana can’t fully make out, and the t-shirt exposes some of your collarbone, Sana notes. The bottoms you wear are simple, yet effortlessly stylish. You have on washed, dark gray wide-legged jeans that compliment your top, along with black laced loafers to complete the look. Sana thinks you look amazing - Your casual, yet striking style is added to her mental list of what makes you so effortlessly stunning. 
After hugging your niece, you make your way over to Sana, the grin that is plastered on your face seems contagious as it makes her grin back. You stand in front of her and greet her with a simple “Hi.” and somehow, her cheeks are already starting to warm up.
“It’s nice to see you, as always,” Sana greets, and you chuckle lightly,
“Yeah, likewise.” You start. The latte that was once about to burn your hands is now at a reasonable temperature, at least one that won’t burn anyone’s tongue (you hope). You look from the latte and back to Sana, “Do you prefer sweet or strong? I stopped by my work and I wanted to get something for you, I didn’t know which you preferred so…” You trail off, looking back at her with uncertainty.
Sana doesn’t know how you’re so perfect.
“Y/n,” She mumbles, looking at the drinks in your hands, “You didn’t have to.”
“I thought you might need some caffeine before working with so many kids you know.” You joke. Sana pauses, you think of her? 
She wonders how often the thought of her crosses your mind (which is a lot), and it gives her a little hope in her heart. 
“You’re so sweet, Y/n. What are the options?”
“I got a vanilla latte and iced americano. I mean you got an Americano when we ran into each other at the store, but I had to make sure there were options.” You explain, though you realize there are definitely not a lot of options. You'd bring her the whole cafe if you could, just to make sure she could have a beverage that she'd like.
“I’ll take the latte, I like sweet things.” sweet things like you, she thinks to herself. You hand her the warm vanilla latte with a grin before another voice joins in,
“Good morning Sana!” A shorter woman chirps. The woman with the bob has her own hot beverage in her hands, and she’s dressed warmly to fit the weather as it transitions from late fall to early winter.
“Jihyo!” Sana cheers, hugging the woman. You smile at the woman (although your jaw tenses a little. You want to be able to hug Sana like that), and she smiles back after pulling away from the teacher. You examine her outfit; she’s wearing a black coat over a dark form-fitting shirt, and casual blue jeans paired with white tennis shoes to finish the look. She also has a beige bag that is hung on her shoulder and a silver ring on her left ring finger. 
Sana looks at the two of you, and she holds back a small giggle looking at your height difference. Jihyo’s head is angled upwards to meet your gaze and even though the woman is shorter – you can’t help but be a little intimidated by such a strong aura: it screams authority. 
“Ah, Jihyo, this is Y/n,” Sana says a bit shyly, and the slightly shorter woman with the bob looks back at Sana with slightly raised brows,
“Oh? Is that so?” Jihyo says amusingly, looking back at your taller self. You seem a little smaller under her gaze, and it’s scaring you a little. Jihyo temporarily washes your worries away by sticking her hand out and grinning at you, “I’m Jihyo. Sana has told me a lot about you, it’s nice to meet you in person.”
“She has?” You question, a brow arching. Sana clears her throat and it stops Jihyo from exposing her, though you wanted to know more.
“Y/n, this is Jiyeong’s mom. We used to be roommates,” Sana quickly says. Jihyo just laughs and nods before Sana adds, “Y/n is Hana’s aunt.”
“Oh, you didn’t tell me that,” Jihyo responds with surprise. Jihyo knew your name and that Sana had a really big interest in you, but she didn’t know that you were her daughter's best friend’s aunt. Sana shuts her down before she can say anything more to make her cheeks redden.
You’re confused, to say the least. Sana talks about you? What does she tell Jihyo? Is she into you? You’re thinking a lot of things and you want answers to all the questions you have running through your mind, but for now, you'll have to wait. Sana walks off, face flushed, leaving you and Jihyo to chat with one another. 
You look over from Jihyo to her daughter, who is talking to your niece and laughing as they converse.
“My daughter talks about your niece quite often,” Jihyo says, and she’s looking in the same direction as you while she sparks a conversation, “Hana seems like a sweet one, she makes my daughter very happy. It’s nice to meet the one who takes care of her, you must be as kind as Sana says.”
“Thank you,” You respond, turning to see her still looking at the two girls, “Can I ask… What else does Sana say about me?”
“You’ll have to find out yourself.” Jihyo simply states.
Aw, man.
-
“This is your chance to talk to Ms. Minatozaki alone! I can’t keep being the one to talk to her and then talk to you! I want to talk to Jiyeong too y’know.”
“Oh.” 
“Papa was right, you need to be not shy for once,” Hana sighs, “I thought you said you had the cool genes!”
Ouch.
Hana had insisted that you sit with Sana after giving you a lecture, or was it her just scolding you? Same thing. You realize that you literally got lectured by a five-year-old, it humbled you a bit. 
The conversation between you and your niece ended after she gave you a pat on the cheek, fist-bumped you, and let you run off on your own as if she was your own guardian – how ironic. 
So, you make your way onto the big yellow bus, looking for the familiar face of someone who you think might be an angel. You wave to her and ask if you can sit next to her, she nods happily. Now you’re closer to Sana than you have ever been, all thanks to that five-year-old, and you’re not too mad about it.
You never fully noticed before, but she smelled really good, not in a weird way or anything – it’s just, she smelled like roses, fruit, and vanilla – it really fits her. Her shoulder was dangerously close to yours, and you figured you’d explode if you guys made even the slightest bit of contact. 
Sana is dressed up warmly too; she wears a thick, dark gray cardigan with a white shirt under, and the hem of the shirt peaks from under the cardigan. She’s dressed in casual pants, they’re loose on her legs and just a shade lighter than the cardigan she wears, and to top off the whole look, there are white sneakers that she wears. Her hair is tied up into a ponytail, and some strands fall over her face. She looks beautiful, you might faint right then and there.
Sana looks at you again and tilts her head a bit,
“You’re not sitting with Hana?” She questions, and immediately regrets it after wondering whether it sounded like she didn’t want you next to her, because she definitely did want to be next to you; in fact, you were the only thing she had on her mind last night before she fell asleep. You turn your head to look back at your niece, who’s laughing with Jihyo’s daughter,
“Hana wanted to sit next to Jiyeong. I guess it’s not too bad that she didn’t want to sit with me if I get to sit next to you now.” You say boldly. Sana looks at your expression, you look unbothered and the way you just flirted with her was so smooth it had her blushing from ear to ear. You give her your signature, toothy smile, and she has to take a moment, it makes her look away for a few seconds,
“Your niece kicked you out?” Sana teases, trying to compose herself,
“They grow up so fast.” You sigh playfully. Sana giggles.
The bus driver gives the signal that he’s ready to start heading to the art museum, Sana stands up and starts to talk to the students.
“Alright everyone, I’m going to need you all to use your indoor voices for Ms. Minatozaki. If you do so, we’ll get to the museum quicker, alright?” She announces,
“Yes Ms. Minatozaki!”
“Thank you, everyone. We’ll be there in twenty minutes, maybe less if you all behave, so make sure to leave a good impression on the bus driver and make it easier for him to get there!” Sana finally says. The students respond with another “Yes Ms. Minatozaki,” and the young teacher counts all the kids on the bus, making sure she doesn’t miss anyone. After making sure everyone is all aboard, she signals to the bus driver that they’re all good to go. The bus shifts a bit as it starts, then it starts moving forward.
In an attempt to spark small talk, Sana decides to bring up the weather.
“It’s getting cold, huh.” She mutters, looking out the window. You hum in response, looking in Sana’s direction, but not at the window. Your look stays on Sana’s side profile, and you wonder how every feature on her face is so flawless, whoever made her took their time for sure. Her nose is angled perfectly, and her plump lips are just barely parted as she stares out the window, you could stare at her forever.
Sana turns her head back towards you and you quickly shift your stare to the window to avoid eye contact and to make it seem like you weren't admiring her for the last ten seconds. You clear your throat.
“Yeah, definitely.”
“Thank you for the latte, it was really good. It warmed me up.” Sana says. Eye contact is shared again and you bite the inside of your cheek,
“Anytime. I could uh, bring you more if you’d like?”
“It’s alright, I don’t want to make it seem like I’m using you for coffee.” She laughs, “But I appreciate the offer.”
“Well,” You start, “If you ever change your mind you can always tell me when you see me.” You shrug. Sana smiles at you again, nods, then gives you that look from your lips to your eyes that turns your heart into a beating mess. She looks out the window again and you have to stop yourself from admiring her the whole time.
A few words are shared between the two of you every time Sana spots something pretty, she talks about how it reminds her of things from her past or her friends. You learn a little more about her, she’s so pure and cute it’s heartwarming.
The bus ride goes well. 
As soon as the bus comes to a stop, the kids are all rowdy again, however, Sana quiets them down with ease. She simply claps her hand in the same pattern as she would usually do to grab their attention, and they clap their hands in the same pattern back, all eyes are on the young teacher now. 
“Alright everyone, we’ve made it! Now, in order for us to get started with our field trip, I’m going to need everyone to be patient and exit as I say. The grown-ups will exit first, then the kids. We’ll go by row and I’ll be the last one out, okay?”
“Yes Ms. Minatozaki!” The kids respond, and you admire how much they seem to trust and adore the teacher.
Getting everyone out of the bus was easy, each kid listened and Sana told the parents to keep them in a group once they had gotten out. Once the disembarking had finished, Sana made sure that everyone was present, taking another headcount. After knowing that no one had wandered away, she smiled and kindly ordered them to follow her.
-
After the guides had introduced themselves, given a brief description and synopsis of what the museum offered, and handed out maps, the class was split into groups of four. There were exactly twenty-eight students, seven guardians and/or parents, and Sana. With that amount of people, it was easy to make the groups.
Originally, Hana was set to be in the group that you and Jihyo would watch over, but Hana insisted that you switch with the parent paired with Sana. Jihyo and Hana talked for a few seconds, which you had noticed from the corner of your eye. They exchanged smiles and understanding nods, and whatever they plotted somehow allowed you to be with this wonder of a woman.
And so, you’re with Sana now.
Sana is happy to accept her new partner; in fact, she’s more than happy to spend time with the woman she’s been gushing over for weeks. 
The groups decide to pick their own section in the museum to start at and make their way through the whole place from there, making sure to meet in a few hours. 
-
Your group had seven kids, and each group did. You and the young teacher had stumbled across a certain section with an adult that would give the kids a thirty-minute detailed guided tour, leaving you and Sana to wait alone together and wander around the nearby exhibits. You two would’ve joined in on the tour, but of course, the max capacity was eight people. 
You had insisted that Sana should go join, after all, it was her class. Sana, being the caring person she was, had assured you it was okay if she missed the tour and stayed with you. The tour guide had made sure that he would take care of the kids, after all, the exhibit was mainly for young kids like them, and he had dealt with many before.
Fate decided that you two spend more time together, and this time, alone.
“Have you been to this museum before?” You ask.
“No, you?” 
“Once.” You mumble, “In high school.” 
“You’ve lived here since high school?” Sana questions, suddenly invested. You nod and look at the painting in front of you,
“I’ve lived here since I was in fifth grade, but in the more suburban area, rather than here in the city.” You simply respond.
“Well,” Sana hums, “Maybe you could show me around sometime.”
“W-what?” You practically choke out, a blush creeping to your cheeks. 
“I moved here at the beginning of the year, I’m still a bit new.” 
“I see,” You begin, trying to recompose yourself, “Yeah, It’s a nice area. I wouldn’t be against the idea of showing you around.”
Sana smiles and turns to face you again, “Maybe you could start by showing me around the museum? We have twenty-five minutes.” 
There’s a sudden nervousness that spreads throughout your whole body, as well as a warmth that spreads across your chest. Sana wants you to show her around, and she asks you like it’s a normal request (it is, but you figure it’s not because the person asking is particularly striking).
You nod your head and respond with a small, “Okay.” and her radiant grin grows.
The exhibits were all unique in their own way – some were filled with modern art, some with abstract art, and even some with Renaissance art. Each section had works that were all tremendously striking; however, the most beautiful thing in the museum had been by your side the whole time.  
Sana makes her way to a pleasant-looking painting, something floral. Maybe it’s an oil painting? She can’t really tell, but it sure is a wonder. It’s detailed and vibrant, the colors complement each other well with such a diverse color selection. Each stroke seems to have been placed so carefully, every single swipe of paint complimenting the stroke next to it.
Sana stares at the painting with much interest, “This one is beautiful,” she says in awe. 
“Very…” you hum, though, you aren’t observing the painting,
Your eyes are fixated on her.
-
The day goes by quickly, unfortunately.
You and Sana aren’t able to indulge in many conversations as you two were busy making sure everyone was still nearby and not running off.
The kids finish the painting activity that was scheduled for them at the end of the trip, and they leave the museum with their hand-crafted art. everything had gone by too fast, you wished it hadn’t, then maybe, you could admire Sana for just a few moments longer.
Sana helps everyone get situated on the bus, so you end up sitting down first and getting the window seat this time. You wait for her.
Sana sighs as she sits down next to you, a bit worn out from the day and keeping everyone in check.
You try to ignore the contact that her shoulder makes with yours when she shifts to get more comfortable in the seat, and you also try to ignore the fact that your knees touch a little, just for the sake of your sanity. Sana seems to be unbothered by the physical touch, and she looks at you innocently,
“I think the kids enjoyed it.” She says proudly, resting her head on the seat. She turns her head a little so that she’s looking at you with the most soft, tender look in her doe eyes, “Did you?” 
“Of course.” You say, voice just above a whisper. Of course I enjoyed it, who wouldn’t enjoy their time with a woman like you? You think. Sana lets out another content sigh, and she rests her head against your shoulder a bit, not even bothering to think about how bold the action is, she's too tired and she figures you wouldn't mind – you don't mind at all.
“I’m glad.” she mumbles, and you hope she can’t hear your heart beating out of your chest, “Wake me up before we get back?”
“Of course.” You hum lowly. Her eyes close and her weight seems to shift onto your shoulder more. Your cheeks redden and you let out a small breath as you relax into the seat – you couldn’t be any happier.
-
The chaperones and their kids bid their farewells to Sana, though you stay a bit longer since Hana and Jiyeong want to hang out more. Your mind wanders a bit and you can’t help but stare into the distance, and your gaze somehow manages to land on Sana as you remember what she had said: Maybe you could show me around sometime? The words seem to replay in your head, a thought pops up in your mind.
Jihyo looks over to see you in a trance, and she chuckles to herself as she notices what – or, who your eyes are fixated on,
“Did you two have fun?” The shorter woman asks, a smirk tugging at her lips. Your head turns quickly to her in surprise, cheeks turning a bit red as you realize you’ve gotten caught staring. Jihyo laughs at you playfully, shifting her look towards the woman you had been admiring before, “Sana was really excited to be able to spend time with you today.”
“M-me?” You stutter out, mentally punching yourself for such a response.
“You two are oblivious, I could tell from the few interactions I saw.” Jihyo sighs. 
You look back at Sana, who’s now walking over with a smile on her lips. She looks at you first, then at Jihyo when she meets with the two of you again,
“Everyone just left, sorry for making you wait, Jihyo.” Sana sighs. Her shoulders are drooping down a bit, and she seems ready to go home and rest again, though this time on her bed and not your shoulder (much to your dismay).
She turns to eye you again, and suddenly she’s full of life, as if the energy that had been squeezed out of her had suddenly come back. 
“Ah, y/n. I’m happy that you were able to chaperone. I’ll see you…?” She trails off for you to respond, or in this case, finish her sentence, because she hopes to see you again this week. 
“Um, I don’t think I’m picking up Hana for the rest of this week. My shifts go on until five because I took today off.” You explain, “So, next week.” You nod. There’s a familiar thought from earlier that crosses your mind, you avoid the woman’s gaze and try to forget about it.
Sana notices you biting the inside of your cheek and breaking eye contact as if you were about to say something to her. Sana decides to let it be.
“Well, we’ll be going now Y/n,” Jihyo says, almost sighing. She looks you dead in the eye and raises a brow, almost as if she could read your mind earlier, almost as if she were urging you to go through with your sudden thought. 
“Yeah… Me too. Um, yeah.” Your words are tumbling off the tip of your tongue from nervousness, “Hana, let’s go. Your dad must be waiting at home.” You finally say, waving to the two women and Jiyeong. 
As you depart, Jihyo looks at you slightly disappointed.
-
You’re back in the car after saying goodbye and you stare out the windshield while holding onto the wheel, simply thinking.
The sight of Jihyo and Sana catches your eye from the side-view mirror, and there’s a sudden rush of confidence that takes over. 
“Hana, I’ll be back in a bit.” you quickly say.
Your fingers fumble with the seatbelt that refuses to unbuckle due to your nervousness, though you manage and hurry to open your car door, rushing out. You’re trying your best to prepare yourself for whatever the fuck it is that you’re about to do, your jaw tensing up and your hands trying to straighten up the denim jacket you have on. Self-consciousness and worry took over, but you ignore it, you can’t have Jihyo looking at you like you’re a big loser the next time you see her, can you?
So, here you are. 
Jihyo notices you first and raises her brows in amusement, Sana notices you after seeing Jihyo’s expression shift. 
“Hey, Sana,” You say with a surprising amount of confidence. You clear your throat and your eyes dart to anywhere else but Sana’s eyes, “Can I talk to you for a moment,” You ask, “Alone.” and you practically mumble that last word. Sana tilts her head and Jihyo smiles knowingly, 
“I’ll be in the car,” Jihyo says amused, then grabs her daughter's hand with hers, urging her to come with and leave the two of you alone.
You and Sana are alone now, in the middle of a barely filled parking lot.
“Did you need something?” Sana questions. You nod and it takes a bit for you to continue talking, the words in your mouth getting tangled in your tongue. 
“Uh, well.” god, you really need to get a grip. “At the museum, you uh, you mentioned, well - you said, you said maybe I could show you around sometime? I mean I can. I hope you’re still up for it, I mean,” You close your eyes out of embarrassment and turn your head to the side a bit, and you really try to compose yourself this time.
“This Sunday, yeah. There’s always a flea market on Sundays, they’re on until around eight. We should go, I mean if you’d like. What I’m trying to say is I’d really like to show you around.” You finally say, you say what you’ve been thinking and you say it without tripping over your words. 
“You’re asking me out?” Sana asks playfully,
“You implied that you wanted me to.” You simply say, making eye contact with her again. Now it’s Sana’s turn to be all flustered as she looks up at you. Your eyebrows are slightly raised as you wait for an answer, and her cheeks are dusted a faint shade of pink as you waited for a response, 
“So?” You question again,
“I’d love that,” Sana says almost immediately.
“Really? I mean, yeah- yes. Okay, that’s,”
“You’re so cute.” is what Sana says, and it has your heart skipping a beat, Sana’s heart too, “Let me get your number, so you can text me the details?”
“Yeah, here.” You respond, handing her your unlocked phone. 
You both exchange numbers, and before departing you can’t help but grin at each other, and you grin at each other for a while.
Mission success.
-
You agree to pick up Sana from her place in the evening around five. 
Your fingers tap against the wheel of your car and you tap your foot anxiously as you wait. There’s a sound that’s heard from your phone as it vibrates against the cup holder, and you immediately check to see what it is. There’s a message from the young teacher and your eyes light up immediately as you open it,
Sana
I’m on my way out right now
Can’t wait
y/n
Take your time
Can’t wait to see you
You probably look like a fool who's in love as you read her message, reply, and hit send because you’re smiling at the screen and biting your lip slightly from the rush of excitement that courses through your veins.
Sana shows up a couple of minutes later.
Your eyes widen almost immediately and your cheeks are definitely tinted – no, fully crimson. Your grip on the wheel tightens, and it seems to do so every time you see the wonderful woman. Your heart does flips and beats at an unhealthy rate as you take in everything about her. 
She wears something so striking, but slightly casual too. She has on a black blazer, almost a jacket, you think. It’s worn over a black shirt and the tops she wears are complimented by silver jewelry that loops around her neck, sitting just above her collarbone level. She’s wearing dark jeans that are just slightly loose around her legs, and casual sneakers to really top it off. 
She’s so incredibly stunning that it makes you wonder if you’re dreaming.
Sana waves as she makes her way over and you’re trying your best to act normal – or at least act like this woman isn’t making you completely lose your cool.  
“Hey.” She says, getting in your car,
“Hi.” You say in awe, “You look beautiful.” and that’s just an understatement. You’re unable to look away from her as if your eyes were a moth and she was the flame drawing you in. Sana simply smiles and she’s extremely flattered by your compliment, as well as the way your lips slightly part while you check her out.
“Thank you.” Sana responds as she puts on her seatbelt, “You look really cute.”
You’re going to explode.
“Thanks.” You mumble, quickly turning your head away and back to the steering wheel. Sana plays the passenger princess role too well, with emphasis on the princess part because her looks are something you would expect to see from a descendant of royalty, something in a renaissance painting that has the words 'do not touch' beside it. You adjust the rearview mirror for no apparent reason as it’s already been adjusted, but you’re doing anything to distract yourself from the jaw-dropping sight to the right of you.
As you drive toward the city, there’s the faint sound of a slow romance song playing. The mood is extremely intimate and romantic, you’re having trouble focusing on driving as your heartbeat ups its pace. 
It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the flea market area downtown. Fifteen minutes of small conversation and Sana’s gaze on you every couple of minutes.
You two arrive and you turn off your engine, making sure to get out first and open the door for Sana. She gets out and smiles at you sweetly, which makes you smile back. You close the car door for your passenger princess. 
The brisk winter air carries a hint of anticipation that invites everyone to immerse themselves in the weekly event. It’s early winter and darkness envelops the slightly crowded, dimmed, and busy streets. the sun had almost set completely, though there are bright lights that illuminate the areas which seem to be hidden away from the lamp posts that lighten up the main streets. Each store and vendor has its own uniqueness, selling different types of items, clothing, accessories, and more.
You and Sana walk towards the flea markets, the space between you two getting smaller and shoulders occasionally brushing every now and then. The two of you explore and interact with any vendor or stand that seems to have anything interesting, which helps you learn about one another.
Sana learns that you have an interest in old rings, silver ones specifically. You buy three silver rings, and it all ended up being ten dollars in total. She learns that you have a liking towards graphic t-shirts; in fact, you buy two while walking around. Sana had picked out both for you, telling you that you’d look cute in them, making your cheeks flush, though your cheeks might've been red ever since you laid your eyes on her. 
You buy an old vintage camera and film for less than thirty dollars, and Sana thinks it’s so extremely cute how your face lights up after you purchase the two items, holding them up as if they were trophies you had won.
You learn that Sana seems to love jewelry, and she buys various bracelets and necklaces for herself and even buys one of each for you. You insist that it’s okay and you don’t need it, but you give in when she looks at you with those puppy eyes – you learn that you can’t say no to her. Sana buys a few samples of fragrances, and she explains that she’s always had a thing for collecting different scents, you think it’s adorable. 
You’re the one who had asked Sana on this date, but she’s the one who ends up dragging you to every little section that manages to catch her attention. The knuckles that brush against each other lead to the intertwining of fingers and flushed cheeks. 
After almost two hours of walking around and exploring, you two decide to relax and get ice cream, even in the cold weather because the two of you are warmed up enough from just being around each other, ice cream won’t hurt anyone.
“Have you tried this ice cream place before?” You ask Sana, who’s taking a picture of the dessert in front of her. She shakes her head,
“No, you?”
“Twice. Once in high school with Johnny and last year with Hana.” You explain, taking a bite from the sweet treat in front of you. It’s matcha flavored, though the sweetness is still there. The strength of the matcha is more prominent than the coconut base, just how you like it.
Sana melts as she takes a bite of her strawberry ice cream, her eyes lighting up and shoulders relaxing. You can’t help but laugh.
“What?” Sana questions, 
“You’re just really cute.” You simply say, taking another bite of your ice cream. Sana’s heartbeat quickens. Sana tries to compose herself in front of you, changing the topic of the conversation,
“So,” She clears her throat, “What do you like to do? It’s a cliche and unavoidable question, but other than being a barista do you do anything else?”
“I actually write a little. I used to write for some art articles online, I still do it every now and then.” You explain, “You?”
“Just teaching.”
“Did you always want to teach?” 
“Yeah, actually. I’ve always liked helping others and I don’t know, I like encouraging the kids.”
“That’s cute.” You mumble, “You’re so cute.”
The night goes on and you two learn more than just about your interests in occupations. Sana learns that you rock climb every weekend, which explains why you’re so unbelievably athletic looking and toned. She finds your love for cooking and making drinks extremely cute and admirable, it seems as if the more she learns about you, the more she falls for you. She learns that you moved to the city with Johnny when you were 18, and that was the same time Hana had been brought into your life, one of the best things the universe had given to you. You’re the type of person who lives life to experience the beauty the universe has to offer, she thinks that’s amazing. 
You learn that Sana had moved with the help of Jihyo and that they had been friends since college, Jihyo was also the reason Sana had landed her current job. Sana shares that she’s an only child, and in contrast to you, she wasn’t the athletic type really. You notice how bubbly she is talking to you, her more professional demeanor had completely broken down and a new, lively side was revealed. Sana is incredibly talkative and she rambles a lot, you think – no, you know you could get used to this.
The night had gone by too fast, Sana is back in your car again and you’ve just reached her apartment complex.
It seems that time spent with Sana seems to go by too quickly, and you hope that there's a chance of being able to spend more than just a couple of hours with her.
“Thank you for everything y/n, I really enjoyed tonight.”
“It’s no problem,” You start, “I’m glad you liked downtown.”
“Maybe you could show me around again sometime? I’d really like to do this again.” Sana says, and her toothy grin is so bright it nearly outshines the lights in your car.
“I’m not against that at all.” and you think you might die right then and there from the way your heart beats, and you want this moment to last forever; just you and Sana together.
“I’ll see you then, text me.”
“Yeah,” you breathe out. She opens the car door and your heart breaks slightly, not ready for her to leave just yet.
Sana seems to have read your emotions because she pauses before she gets out and turns to you.
“Wait,” She begins, “I forgot something.” 
Before you ask her what it is that she had forgotten, she seems to answer your question before you can even let any words out of your mouth,
her lips are suddenly on yours.
The contact is sudden and you’re a bit unprepared, but you easily grow accustomed to it and kiss right back, eyes fluttering shut. Sana’s lips are so incredibly soft on yours, and the scent of vanilla and fruit is takes over your senses. Sana pulls away and your lips chase for hers again, and when they meet again it’s like the oxygen from Sana’s lungs had been snatched. Your hand moves to cup her cheek and your shoulders relax in the moment because it feels as if nothing else in the world matters except for her, as if all your worries had vanished just like that. Sana moves her hand to your neck and gently caresses it as you two share a few more soft, slow, and steady kisses, there’s no rush as if this moment would last forever. You two are practically unable to pull away from how much you both like the feeling of each other's lips on one another.
You want to live in this moment forever.
You two finally pull away after what had seemed like forever, though your hands seem to linger on each other a bit and both of your lips are parted slightly. Your lips are still so close that they’re slightly brushing against each other, butterflies are in your stomach and you’re forgetting how to breathe, think, or even function.
“I’ve been wanting to do that ever since I saw you.” Sana mumbles against your mouth, “You’re so cute.” 
If you were in a cartoon right now, you’d think your heart would be dramatically beating out of your chest, and your jaw would be on the floor. You pull away a bit and it’s almost impossible to make eye contact with Sana, but you manage to do so anyway. 
“I think I might die right here right now.” You mumble, it’s the only thing you can say or think of in the moment. Sana giggles and presses another soft peck on your lips,
“Let’s do this again.”
“Yeah.” You breathe out. 
the light from the car shows her flushed cheeks and warm smile as she leans away from you, opening the car door and smiling at you one more time as she closes it. She turns to leave and you’re left in the car alone, your heart beat slowly beating back to its normal pace. 
You put a hand on the wheel and grip it tightly, still processing what just happened before smiling to yourself and driving away from the apartment complex.
Sana has you head over heels, and you want to kiss her again and again.
-
Chaemin had been teaching the new high school student that had been hired. He helped her measure out the espresso grinds, telling her how many grams would be needed for whichever drink, and she listened carefully.
“Hello.” A customer beams, Chaemin turns his head.
“Hello, I’ll be with you in a moment.” Chaemin starts, giving the woman a friendly smile, “Eunchae, just measure out the grinds and pull a shot. Give it a try and I’ll be back.” He says to the young, new employee.
Chaemin walks over to the register and taps at the screen. He gives the woman his signature smile and greets her,
“Hi, what can I get started for you?”
“Oh, I’m not ordering, I was just wondering if y/n was here?”
Chaemin quirks a brow, “Y/n?”
“Yeah, she should be off in ten minutes, no?”
“She’s off soon, just putting stuff in the back. You are...?”
“Sana.”
Ah.
“So you’re the woman she’s been gushing over.” Chaemin laughs, “God she has not stopped talking about you since she met you.”
Sana’s smile grows a bit from the sudden remark and she laughs,
“I see… That’s sweet.”
“You had her going insane for three months.” Chaemin jokes playfully, “I’m glad she finally found a way to ask you out. I haven’t heard her complaining as much about not being able to take you out for about two months or something, though she’s still always gushing about you.”
Sana and Chaemin talk about you for a bit, laughing at your antics and Chaemin decides to tease you here and there. The two get along very well, and Sana is very happy about that.
“You know one time, I think, maybe before you two started dating? She came in the morning and asked me what a ‘young teacher usually order at a cafe’ and I swear she almost-” Chaemin gets cut off when you push him aside, pushing his face away with your hand and squishing his cheeks. He groans. 
“Alright that’s enough.” You say, embarrassed. “Whatever he said, do not listen.” 
Sana giggles and it’s time for you to stop being annoyed by Chaemin and start smiling at the girl you’ve been with for almost three months now. Chaemin narrows his eyes at your sudden mood change, scoffing playfully.
“Hi, Sana.” You say all giddy, “You didn’t tell me you were stopping by,”
“I wanted to see you. It’s also Friday, maybe we could-”
“Yes.” You cut her off, “I’m down for whatever.” 
Chaemin rolls his eyes at you, chuckling to himself, “You’re so-”
“Go back to teaching Eunchae.” You retort, narrowing your eyes and Chaemin can't lie you look scarier than usual, you are infatuated with this woman. 
“I’m not letting this go.” Chaemin finally sighs, walking back over to Eunchae.
Your attention is back on Sana, who’s smiling at you, “Dinner?” she asks,
“Yeah.” you respond, “Where?”
“My place?” Sana suggests, you nod,
"Let me get my stuff and I can drive us."
"Okay." She beams.
-
You two grow extremely fond of each other after spending more time together as a couple. Three months of being together turned into four months, six months eight, and suddenly you’re together for a year. Each and every second that passed by while you were with her is another moment that you had fallen more in love.
You love Sana for so many reasons.
She's the only one you want to see when you roll over in the morning, the only one you want to kiss awake after intimate nights after seeing her with her oh-so-messy hair flowing down in different directions around her. You love to carry her to your now shared living room and set her on the couch while you make her coffee, her giving you the kisses you can never get enough of, ones that you reciprocate and smile into. You love her radiant smile and the way her nose scrunches up when she giggles at you for slipping and falling on accident, you love the sound of her high-pitched giggles so much that you would purposely slip and fall over and over again just to hear her laugh again and again. 
As you grow more attracted and attached to Sana, the physical aspects of her seem to disappear for a moment, you fall for not just her outside beauty, but all the internal aspects. You’re in love with how comfortable she makes you feel – you can sit in silence for hours and there are no words that need to be said because you two simply just enjoy each other's presence. You’re in love with how caring she is, she naturally is a caring person, she always has been. She’s always looking after kids at her job, making sure they’re all satisfied and happy – then she comes home to you, making sure you’re loved, and you return the favor. She’s beautiful not because of the way her features fit perfectly on her face, but because she makes you feel so giddy and happy. She makes you smile and that’s the thing that really makes her so captivating. 
You’re in love with all of her, from her physical beauty to her caring heart. She is the one who you love so tenderly, so warmly, you love her and it’s real, genuine, and you don’t think you could ever love anyone the way you love her.
Sana also loves you for many reasons. She’s been in love with you since the day she saw you – whether she knew it or not.
The first time Sana had woken up next to you she knew she wanted to be with you forever.
Her nose was buried in the crook of your neck and her arm was lazily thrown across your chest while her legs were tangled with yours. The only thing that was heard that morning was your slow, labored breaths, and Sana could feel your chest rise up and down with each one. A smile had formed on her lips as she traced your jawline, her heart fluttered and the moment was so simple, yet so soft. Sana wanted to live in the moment forever.
Sana loved you because you were there when she needed a pillar of support, you were her pillar of support. She loved you because you loved and cared for everyone important to you, whether it was your parents, Johnny, or Hana, you loved them all so deeply and it was so genuine that it made Sana so incredibly happy to realize that you would love her as much as you loved them – it’s almost as this love that you had for everyone you cared about was the most precious thing in the world, and she was someone you shared it with.
Sana loved the late-night drives with you, humming softly to the romantic music that would play. She loved the way you’d mumble sleepily in the morning, your cheek squished against the pillow, it was a cute sight. She adored you when you would pull her aside and serenade her to slow songs in the living room during the evening, and she loved when you'd cook or make coffee for her, how you’d kiss her as she fell weak to your touch, and so many other things that not enough words could ever describe. 
Sana felt so lucky to have you in her life, she was so glad that your niece had her as a teacher because if she didn’t she wouldn’t have met you. You were so glad that Hana had helped you get to know her kindergarten teacher, you were so glad that Johnny had that business trip because it allowed you to meet Sana.
 You’re so glad that a five-year-old helped you meet the love of your life, you're so damn glad.
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frenchkanna1808 · 3 months ago
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So after being in school alone with my thought, i wondered the question no one dared to ask, what is my friends daily account activity? Do they really hold up as dailies? How much dailies account even in there? Did brody cause 9/11? All those questions went trough my brain like wildfire, and after a very long 15 seconds of thinking i too the harduous task of finding every single daily accounts and using the power of MATH to see their overall activity.
so follow me on my little rambling as i see the RISE and FALL of the yttd daily community
So lets say some ground rule, when i mean activity i mean that the blog has posted adn actual daily blog post and not just talked or respounded to asks, so for example brocoli respounds to asks but he didn't post a daily since a certain time. Rule understood, okay okay.
First part of this task was to fin every single daily blogs and look their last posts, and this was the longest part for sure.
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forget my very bad typos this was written in a moment of euphoria. What we can see from this is that there is 1 billion blogs actually but also that a ton of those blogs are in fact desactivated. THose which are classified as today are actually yesterday post i just was very lazy to change it.
Second phase was to put them all in different categories on a exel sheet to see the overal proportions and see the average of month since a last daily was posted.
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as we can see there is no joke 53 FUCKING DAILY ACCOUNTS. But more importrantly about 16 of those accounts are either gone and dissapeared out of the face of the earth or they are simply stated as inactive by the daily in question. The second largest numbers are didn't post in 8 months and 4 months.
third part was to make a graphical illustration of my point, so i made a camembert.
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so yeah i'm not gonna do a big study but its pretty clear that if we only consider daily accounts who posted today or this month as actual dailies then we can consider all the others as inactive dailies.
What was the point of this you might say? Well i wanted to prove my theories, first off most of those daily accounts were in fact born from the brody genesis, so when brody created his daily keiji account. It became a popular idea and everyone impulsively created accounts. The thing is that having a daily account is not some funny bussiness its extremely tiring and extremly difficult, and since most of the yttd community on tumblr are teens to young adults, we mostly have school to deal with. So keeping up with pace is pretty much impossible. Second my guess was that honestly all daily accounts would burn out in two months, and i was kinda right. Yes the graph seems to show that they lasted longuer, but actually, this doesnt count the time of inactivity in betwens or the long breaks. Most account burned out after 1 or 2 months which is pretty logical. LIke dailyshinai/rune burned out in two month for example.
I think the overral if we did a competion winners would be @rekofan101 who posted for a year straight and just terminated being a daily on their own account and janice/ @daily-dose-of-bucket who despite longs breaks are still posting. The dailies had an immense rise at one point but the fall was even harder slowly has the accounts and trend started to burn out. As someone who is on a dailies account i will say out of the maybe 30 blogs on it only lik 8 are actually active and only 1 post regularly.
This is isnt' at all a judgement or anything but its an interresting depictions of how waves of trends affect certains populations.
Tho if i had to give advices to make a daily account it would be:
-make it a weekly, more time better results last longuer
-don't do it alone perhaps do it with a friend and alternate betwen one another
-if you have adhd, a job, memory issues or overall issues that will make it evn more difficult for you to make an account a daily, i would consider not doing it, instead perhaps just do a regular fan account like me
But anyway thank for reading my useless unemployed friend rambling and keep doing what you love!
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girlyteengirl18 · 4 months ago
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Summary: Working at Greasy's Diner, you have grown to like Stan, but you're unsure if he feels the same. (reader is well over 20 and female )
It's been a hectic day at the diner since 8 am, but as the lunch rush slows down, in walks Stan Pines, the man you've secretly been crushing on. He's accompanied by two kids, and you can't help but wonder who they are. Putting on your best smile, you greet them, "Well, if it isn't my favorite customer! How's your day going, Stan?"
he instantly smiles “It's been alright toots”
You look at him then at the kids “And who are you two cuties?”
a little girl with braces and The cutest pink sweater said. “I'm Mable and that's my brother Dipper”
The boy next to her had a blue and white hat on and a soft smile
“Well It's nice to meet you, Mable and Dipper, I'm _____” you smile at them “Now what can I get y'all today?”
“All the pancakes you got lady!” Mable exclamations with excitement as she stands on the booth slamming her hand on the table.
You chuckle before writing on your notepad “Alright a stack of pancakes coming up.” glancing at Dipper you smile “What about you? Dipper?”
“ the same as Mable”
You nod, smiling as you write on your notepad “Alright”
You look at stan and grin “stan would you like your regular order? Or is today a special day?”
“I’ll get the same as the kids today, hun”
You look up from your notepad for a split second “hun is a new one” you think as your smile widened
“alright,i’ll have those out to you in a moment” you walk behind the counter and into the kitchen as you start to feel hot “come on _____. why are you letting some man (a fine ass man) get you actin like some love struck teenager” you think as you put the pancakes on the tray before walking out the kitchen and back to there table.
“Alright! Three stacks of pancakes, and I have syrup and butter for you, is there anything else you’d like?
the kids start to eat their pancakes as stan leans towards you
“i’d like your number angelcakes” he wiggles his eyebrows and you with a smirk
you’re stunned for a moment before smirking and leaning in and getting in his face.
“your gonna have to work harder then that for my number pines” you stand with a smile and go set the next table
*30 minutes later*
you’re at the front counter doing whatever waitresses do when stan comes and leans on the table with a sly smirk
“so what i got to do to take you on a date toots?”
you giggle and cross your arms “what do you think you gotta do Mr pins?”
he looks at you with a laugh knowing you’re playing hard to get “let me get your number toots, so we can be a thing” he puts his hand out gesturing to you and himself, as he talks you notice a light blush on his cheeks
You laugh feeling your face get hot. “Oh your cute, alright Stanford ill give you my number, but at a cost”
He grins “what is it? I'll do anything”
“We go on a date this Friday and if you call my ill tell you my address and you can pick me up in that nice car of yours” you say handing him a piece of paper with your number on it .
he stands there stunned for a moment before yelling “ hot damn! you got it toots!”
a/n: aye I did it took me forever because I procrastinated and had work but I wish I would’ve started writing so I could do more I start school next week 🙁 so wish me luck also let me know if its everyone friendly.
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goat-guy-tm · 1 month ago
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Mouthwashing headcanons that I cannot get out of my head;
Organized by character cause I'm normal
Jimmy is at the very bottom so you can skip him if you want.
This bitch is long and took me like two hours to write I wanna lay down...
Curly:
Bisexual Trans man because honestly he has a bit of t-boy swag
For some reason I have convinced myself he's 37. IDK why.
Comes from a pretty big family. He's the second eldest of 8 kids, his older sister is technically only a half sister but still.
He has two moms and one abusive/dead beat dad. Idk I can't explain it I just feel it in my brain that he's got two moms.
He's a mama's boy but in like a good way, not a weaponized incompetence way.
He's technically a nepo baby. His grandfather on his bio-mom's side is a director/board member of Pony Express, thus why Jimmy constantly talks about him "getting his life handed to him on a silver platter". His grandfather actually had nothing to do with him getting the job, as he has a different last name and no one actually realized they were related for a WHILE. He is the reason Curly dreamed of being a space-crafy poilt though.
He smokes cigarettes often. When he gets stressed he smokes a lot more, but he's in denial that it's a problem. Jimmy got him into smoking in the first place, peer preassuring him into it. Jimmy now conviently always seems to have packs of cigarettes on him during hauls when Curly never brings them, specially for when Curly gets stressed. (Not in like a gay way, in like a manipulative way to keep him subconsciously needing Jimmy in some way)
He is surprisingly strict when it comes to "no fraternizing with subordinates". He likes to keep his work and personal life seperate, and especially to not allow any feelings to be developed for any of his crew mates.
His first name is Grant, he was named after his father and eventually grew to hate his first name because of how horrible his father was, but he keeps his first name because his mom likes it on him, it helps her connect better memories to that name instead of the horrible ones his father gave her.
Jimmy was his only friend for a while, which is why he is so die hard about wanting to believe Jimmy is a good guy, plus Jimmy manipulating him for so long to believe Jimmy was the victim of a lot of stuff.
He is a fucking mountain of a man when it comes to muscles. Bro is buff as fuck and scary when he wants to be.
He's been the captain of the Tuplar since he became a captain (roughly 11 years). That ship is his baby.
Anya:
She's omni, if you asked her to really identify her sexuality she would say it's complicated, but she just says she's bisexual.
I feel like she's in her early/mid 30's for some reason? Like 33 at the time of the game. I know realistically she could more so be like, 26-28 (assuming she tried getting into med school the SECOND she was graduating high school)
She's been part of the Tuplar's crew for roughly 4 years, she was transferred to them after getting the medical certification from Pony Express to be an on-board nurse. Before that she had worked with another crew for a while.
She also smokes cigarettes. Significantly less than Curly does, but she still does from time to time. She started after her 4th try into med school, where she then got extremely drunk to cope with failing again, and had drunkenly bought a pack of cigs. She eventually regretted it, but was also in such a low point mentally that she thought "why the hell not" and started smoking regularly. Eventually she smoked more when stressed, which was when she was studying or getting ready for an exam of some kind. Because of this her regular smoking went to her smoking a fuck ton before and after stressful events (mostly tests) because her body has subconsciously attached to that helping her study.
She is an only child. Her mother died when she was a teen, which eventually led to her and her father having an estranged relationship. After her mother's death, her father went into an almost debilitating depressive state, becoming an extreme workaholic and albeit unintentionally neglecting Anya during her teen years. Now-a-days they are doing much better and are trying to reconnect with each other. Her father adores her and becomes devastated when news of her death on the Tuplar eventually reached him.
While Anya is not shy in any way, she is commonly seen as so simply because she keeps to herself a lot.
She worries quite a lot about money since her family didn't make a lot in the first place, and her mother was a big financial gash on them, which led to pretty extreme finance anxiety.
She's actually a big horror fan, especially horror books and often gets a bit too into them and feels like she's being weird about them, but no, she just really likes them.
Her intrest in phycology is spurred on by this, as reading phycology books makes her start to wonder about villian's reasonings. Jimmy would have been an interesting case for her if he hadn't been who he was.
If asked about any of her interests she will start to excitingly info dump, only to get embarrassed and stop, and refusing to continue when told it's fine.
Caffeine addict. She gets ungodly amounts of extra esspresso in any coffee she drinks.
She would read Warrior Cats.
Daisuke:
Pansexual trans guy. You see that Hawaiian shirt? That's peak t-boy swag right there. Lost his mind when he learned Curly was trans too.
Most likely either 20 or 21, making him the baby of the crew. Swansea balks at him every time Daisuke mentions it cause he's the same age as Swansea's kids.
He is autistic, one of the biggest reasons he has trouble figuring out what he wants to do with his life as he physically is not capable of imagining what his life will be like a few months from the present.
He would have been a DeviantArt kid, and an Animal Jam kid.
He gave the whole crew fursonas within the first week of working there. He also gave them ponysonas, but then he threw away Jimmy's after hearing what he said about Polle.
I feel like he has an affinity for small bugs. He loves saving them from being stuck in rooms, and get actually really angry when someone kills one for no reason. He snapped at Jimmy once for smushing an ant that had somehow gotten onto the ship. Reasonably there was no way to save it but Daisuke was still pissed about it.
He has a pretty strained relationship with his mother, even though he is still actively trying to gain her approval. His dad is pretty removed from his life, his dad is there, but anytime Daisuke asks his dad to stand up for him or anything his dad just shrugs and tells him to just talk it out with his mom. His mom doesn't want to talk it out. That's why he tries to get Swansea's approval, and especially feels bad when he gets injured in the vents Swansea specifically told him not to touch. (His cousins are the ones to hold the funeral for him, his mother says she wishes he would have at least done something productive before dying like that. [she's half an asshole, half going through immense guilt])
He is an only child. He had always wanted to be a big brother, and had asked for a little sibling so many times but his parents kept refusing, eventually he stopped asking but he still wished he could have been an older brother.
He has a really weird addiction to root beer.
I can't explain it but I feel like he'd be a big SCP Foundation nerd.
Swansea:
CisHet ally. Everyone is scared he is homophobic when they first meet him, but he knew his kids were gay before they did.
He was a veteran. Ended up getting medically discharged which was one of the things leading him into his alcoholic days.
He has three kids; two daughters and one son.
He has been working on the Tuplar almost as long as Curly. He joined the original original crew about 5 years into Curly being captain.
If Curly wasn't the only one allowed to use the food synthesizer and if they had actual food on the ship he would have been cooking meals for the crew every night to feel like he was at home again.
He pretends to hate it, but his music taste is 90% white girl pop. He also listens to like metal and rock, but still.
A girl dad through and through. His daughters are the world to him. Extra why he was so pissed and passive aggressive with Jimmy after Anya told him what he did to her.
Had a punk 'phase' during his teens. Still punk in beliefs, just not apparencies.
He's one of those old Brexit geezer types.
He and Curly keep betting on football (soccer) whenever not on hauls. Spoiler; Curly keeps losing.
His family and Curly's are actually surprisingly close. Whenever their respective family members are off on hauls during the holidays the two families spend them together.
I like to imagine his wife's name is Ophelia. I can't explain why, I just feel like she has some ethereal real pretty name.
His wife and Curly's moms have girls nights every week. Eventually Anya got roped into them when the ladies learned of her (to Curly's dismay).
He won't admit it, but he acted like a dad even before Daisuke joined the crew. He found himself often looking out for Curly when he thought the younger wasn't taking care of himself.
He has hand made bracelets from all his kids in his dorm. He hides them to keep up the tough guy act.
Jimmy: (cw; mentions of obsession, codependency and referenced suicide)
He thought he was bisexual, but it actually is just a really bad obsession with Curly. Otherwise I chose not to think about his sexuality.
He is the same age as Curly, 37, but maybe a few months younger than him (which is another thing he holds against Curly for some reason).
He joined the Tuplar crew a few years before Anya did, but wasn't promoted to co-pilot until the year Anya joined the crew.
He unironically uses Reddit and 4chan
One of his only hobbies includes doxing kids online.
He is like, the worst kind of brony you could have the misfortune of meeting.
He is an orphan and has been since his pre-teen years. It's what left him with nothing and did horrible things to his mental perception of his life.
He met Curly when they were both about high school age. He instantly became attached to him and would get extremely jealous when Curly would seem to have any other friends beside him.
Because of this he became very manipulative to Curly, constantly playing the victim card and then acting like Curly not believing him meant Curly hated him. This got to Curly pretty bad, and is one of the only reasons they stayed friends for so long.
The only reason he got into weight lifting is because he knew Curly worked out regularly, but it never really entertained him so he barley did it.
He thought he held power over Curly, unbeknownst to him he had actually made himself quite co-dependent on him.
The only reason he started working for Pony Express was because Curly had. He became quite angry though when they were not originally put onto the same crew, and weren't until Curly was promoted to a captain and given his own ship.
This is when he started the "Curly gets whatever he wants and was handed his life" thought, trying to find any way to reason why Curly was promoted so young and fast but he wasn't.
Even with his obsession with Curly, he doesn't spend a lot of time with him outside of hauls. His feelings would filp flop between obsession and disgust towards him. It doesn't help that Curly's family doesn't like him anymore.
He calls Curly 'Grant' because he knows Curly hates it and only ever does it to piss him off and then call him an asshole for getting mad at him, cause they are supposed to be friends, aren't they?
In his mind, if he isn't in some way better than Curly then he is nothing.
It wouldn't be till before he takes his own life that he realizes Curly is his life and has been since they were teens, and that without Curly he felt like he was nothing.
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clarisse0o · 4 months ago
Text
Camp Wiegman-Part 48
Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle
Tumblr media
Alternative Universe : Military School
Words: 7K
TW: Violence
Masterlist
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Saturday, February 6th; 8:30 PM - At Miller's.
I don't feel very comfortable being here. Miller's house is packed. After getting out of the pool, Mapi received a message from him, inviting us to his party tonight. Surprisingly, our friends were tempted to go. I didn't expect Lucy to be one of them; she usually prefers to keep me away from parties. The fact that she's coming with me must change things a lot. So here we are, standing in front of the house, frozen, unsure if we're going in or not. I don't know about the others, but for me, that's definitely the case. The music is so loud it's making the walls shake. It's a typical college party, the kind we all know. Just on the porch, we can already see a dozen young people with red cups or cigarettes in hand, maybe even joints.
"I feel like I'm going back five years," Ingrid comments.
"That's probably true," Mapi giggles, earning a glare.
"Is this a fraternity?" Lucy asks.
"Oh no," Mapi laughs. "It's Miller's house, a friend of ours. His parents are often away on weekends, so he takes the opportunity to throw parties. Since it became a regular thing, his parties ended up becoming well-known."
"So, are we going in, or are we just going to stand here staring at them like idiots?"
The girls look at me, astonished. I was the one who wanted to come the least, so it's no surprise. However, I feel really stupid just waiting here. Besides, if we don't go in soon, I might end up turning back because of overthinking. Memories of my last parties are starting to resurface. If Lucy knew this was where I woke up with a rubber band around my arm, she might not have agreed to come. Ingrid and Mapi are the first to move forward. Lucy gives me a smile, which I return. I grab her hand as she extends it to intertwine our fingers. It's comforting to have her by my side tonight. We follow the girls through the crowd. Some people look at us like we're oddities, while others whistle at us. I chuckle as I see Lucy roll her eyes at their futile reactions. Initially, I always saw Lucy as a party girl, given how badass she seemed, but after getting to know her, I realize it's quite the opposite.
"Are they always like this here?" she murmurs.
"Are you overwhelmed?" I tease.
"No. I was just wondering if students are the same everywhere, but it seems like I have my answer."
"I've always said it gets worse every year."
"You're right. That's one more reason not to leave me alone tonight."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
I press against her to accompany my words. She wraps her arm around my waist in return, kissing my temple. I feel safe by her side, just as Lucy seems reassured, given how tightly she's holding me. What bothers me is that she doesn't seem very comfortable in this environment. We walk through the hallway where I greet a few high school acquaintances who recognize me. I glance around to make sure Feli isn't here. I sincerely hope she's given up by now. I don't know how I'd react if we ran into her. I take a deep breath at the thought. We're interrupted when Lucy has to take my hand again to navigate through narrower passages. She leads the way, firmly holding my hand. This gives me a chance to enjoy the view. I haven't had many opportunities to see Lucy in anything other than her uniform, but it's definitely worth it. I love her style. Right now, she's dressed all in black, which must clearly be her color. A sweater, jeans, and little boots that accentuate her already well-toned legs. It's safe to say she's irresistible. I feel almost pathetic in my black skinny jeans and denim shirt. I look back up at her face when I sense her turning around. Her expression makes me realize I've been caught red-handed. I blush with embarrassment, and fortunately for me, we arrive in the kitchen. This is where the guys usually hang out at the beginning of the party. It seems that's the case tonight as well.
"And here come the queens of the party!" Wick comments when he sees us. "Hey, girls... And you're accompanied too."
He looks at us all one by one, lingering first on Ingrid, then especially on Lucy. I frown, forcing Lucy to lean back against me.
"Go elsewhere, Wick. She's already taken," I reply sharply.
Lucy chuckles, wrapping her arm around my waist again. I don't find it funny. Wick is a big flirt when he's single. As far as I know, he doesn't have anyone right now, so he better not try to get close to my girlfriend. No one will get close to her, not tonight, not any other day. She's mine now. Under the laughter of our friends, Wick stammers an apology as he realizes our relationship. I never really showed off with Mapi back in the day, but I won't hesitate to do so with Lucy. We do a brief introduction before Miller speaks up.
"Well, welcome, and make yourselves at home. We're happy to see our girls accompanied," he smiles. "The girls will show you around; they're regulars here."
"We gathered that," Lucy mutters.
"We were thinking of heading out if you'd like to join us," he continues.
"We'll grab a drink first, and then we'll join you," Mapi announces, looking at us to give us a chance to object.
"Yeah, no problem," Miller finally responds. "See you soon, then."
Our ritual remains intact. We each go our separate ways, stopping at the drinks table while the guys head out. I don't worry about Mapi, who prepares my drink as usual.
"What can I get you, girls?" she asks after handing me my drink.
"Definitely not the same as Ona," Lucy grimaces after sniffing my drink. "What did you put in there?"
I smile at her expression. Something tells me Mapi made my drink strong.
"Do you want a taste?" I joke.
"No, thanks. But I think one drink is enough for you."
"Come on, it's not that strong!" Mapi protests.
"It's not up to you to decide," Lucy retorts.
"Oh, don't be such a wimp, Miss Picky. We'll show you what real fun is like here in Barcelona!"
"Hey, don't say that," I interject. "That's not what tonight is about."
"Of course," Mapi replies, rolling her eyes. "Your responsible one is here, and you're going to play the goody-two-shoes."
"Don't push it," I exclaim, playfully hitting her arm. "I've just decided to be reasonable."
"Sure," she mocks. "And the drinks?"
"Two beers will do," Ingrid replies.
"Pff. You guys are no fun," Mapi comments as she opens the two beers.
Having gone out with them before, their choice of beer no longer surprises me. It seems to exasperate Mapi, though. She probably expected something different from tonight.
"Times change, Maps."
I give her a wink, grabbing Lucy's hand to pull her outside with me. I needed some fresh air with all the people starting to suffocate me. We join my friends around the patio table.
"Hey, Ona! I didn't think I'd see you here again."
"Hey, everyone. And you're Alex, if I remember correctly, right?"
The poor guy gets booed by his friends because of my response. It's hard not to remember him. He was Joan's friend's brother.
"Um, yeah, that's right," he sulks. "I hope you still remember me. We met in Manchester."
"Yes, I remember very well. You tried to hit on me and convince me to reply to your messages."
Once again, his friends roast him because of me. It wasn't my intention. I just wanted him to understand that I still wasn't interested. I sit next to Lucy, who had found a spot, and smile when she immediately places her hand on my thigh. I catch Alex out of the corner of my eye, looking at us strangely. He must have figured it out. I don't pay him any more attention, preferring to focus on Mapi and Ingrid, who have finally settled in front of us. Now that we're seated, I take my first sip of my drink. I quickly regret it. I force myself to swallow the liquid that almost ended up being spat out.
"Damn, Maps! What did you put in this?!"
"The usual. Why?" she teases.
"No, this is not the usual! It's super strong!" I complain.
"Wimp," Ingrid mocks.
I hand her my drink, challenging her to take a sip. She laughs, raising her beer.
"Sorry, I've already got my drink. You only have yourself to blame for trusting Mapi to make your drinks," she replies, making my best friend laugh.
I grumble, giving them a grand middle finger. They've really hit it off.
"It's not like I didn't warn you," Lucy adds.
"I have to admit," Mapi chimes in. "I was afraid you'd stop her from drinking it, but I'm glad you didn't. Her face was priceless!"
"You learn through experience," Lucy teases.
She pulls me closer when she sees me pouting. That was really not cool. Lucy takes advantage of my mood to steal a kiss, which instantly cheers me up. She takes my glass and places it on the table.
"How about we go get you a new drink, hmm? I'd rather you have something else. »
I nod while smiling. We apologize to the others before heading back inside. Lucy stands by the table while I prepare myself a new drink. I opt for vodka with orange juice, measuring it much more carefully this time. I glance at Lucy, who seems completely absorbed by what's happening in the living room. People are going wild to the music. She turns back to me, tilting her head with a small smile when she notices me.
"So, this is the kind of party you like to attend?"
"Let's just say it's Mapi's thing, and I've always gone along with her."
"But you've grown to like it. You seem comfortable in this environment."
"Let's just say I've gotten used to it," I reply, shrugging. "I don't care about all these people. If I'm here, it's only for my friends who make it a good time."
And that's the truth. It's the only reason I used to enjoy coming. There were times I didn't come and later regretted it. I always felt like I missed out on the best moments, like I was excluded for not being there to share in the latest craziness.
"And you? Did you go to parties when you were in high school or college?"
She takes a sip of her drink, covering her little smile. A few days ago, she confessed to me that she was a bit of a nerd, but I still have a hard time believing it.
"No. I wasn't very popular, and I have a rather rational mother. I guess she passed those traits on to me."
"You can be rational and still go to parties."
"True, but it wasn't my style."
"Not even in college?" I ask, surprised.
"Well... Jenni did try to take me to a few parties when we were in Manchester. It was at a place like this that I met Kiera," she admits.
"I see..."
"I went with Jenni sometimes, but those weren't the places I preferred to go."
Now that I know all this, I understand better why she didn't like knowing I was here alone. Kiera was a junkie who used drugs at parties after all... She must have been afraid I'd do the same. I push that thought away to avoid dwelling on it here.
"So, what's your thing then?"
"My thing?"
She smiles again and finally looks at me. I nod.
"I prefer going to bars, restaurants, or the movies. Things like that. It might be more boring than parties full of drunk people for you, but it's what I enjoy."
"I don't find it boring at all. After everything I've been through, it'll probably be better for me to move on to that kind of gathering."
"I don't want to stop you from doing what you love."
"You're not stopping me, Luce. If my mom wanted me in this school, it was so I could find myself and grow, and that's exactly what's happening thanks to you."
"That doesn't mean you have to adopt my lifestyle. It's okay to have different styles."
"I know, but you were right about one thing. Parties aren't the best places for a former junkie, so I can make some concessions."
"Hmm..." she smiles behind her beer. "Then let's enjoy it. Do you want to dance?"
"I'm not a big fan of dancing," I giggle.
"Oh, come on. You could make an effort. Come on."
I glance at her hand for a moment, biting my lip. Her offer is very tempting.
"It's just that I don't really know how to dance. I don't want to embarrass myself."
"Ona, no one here knows how to dance if you watch them," she laughs. "Please. I really want us to dance together."
"I'll need several drinks first, in that case."
"Definitely not," she says, grabbing my hand. "I'll show you that we can have fun without drinking."
I groan as she pulls me toward the living room. We quickly find ourselves among strangers dancing together. I feel uncomfortable being here. Lucy tries to reassure me by placing my hand on her waist and smiling at me.
"Relax," she whispers.
She lets go and starts moving her hips in front of me. Damn... She must want to kill me. I'm practically frozen by the provocative scene she's giving me. She syncs with the rhythm of the music. I snap back to reality when she places her hands on my waist to get me to move too.
"You know, you'll look more ridiculous if you let me dance alone. Maybe I should find another partner."
"Definitely not," I growl.
She chuckles and slips her hand around my back to pull me closer. We're so close that I can feel her breath brushing my cheek. The tension is strong. So strong that I grab her neck without warning to claim her lips. It's been a long time since I felt such a powerful desire. Lucy softens our kiss to make it less rough. I then bury my head in her neck to collect myself.
"Let go," she murmurs to me through the music. "I'll take the lead."
I could almost believe she's talking about something other than dancing. She probably is, since it's clear she'll be the one leading our relationship. As she said earlier, she's the one with the rational nature. I don't doubt that she'll find our balance. In a surge of confidence, I wrap my arms around her neck to feel even closer to her. We've never been this close outside of a bed after one of my anxiety attacks. She pulls back slightly to look between our bodies moving in sync, thanks to her hands on my waist and one of her legs between mine.
"You told me you didn't know how to dance. That's not the impression you're giving."
"It's because you're guiding me," I giggle, making her shake her head.
"No. Your body moves very well. You just don't have confidence in yourself."
She's probably right. I enjoyed dancing when I was in high school. That's why Mapi insists so much when we're here. I brush her neck with my nose, focusing only on her presence that gives me the confidence I was missing.
"Ona...?"
Our bubble is burst by the one person I wanted to avoid tonight. Of course, she would be here... I force myself to turn around to make sure it's her.
"Finally, I was starting to lose hope!"
She tries to touch me, but Lucy steps in front of me, pushing me behind her. Feli doesn't seem pleased, furrowing her brow. Recognizing those eyes perfectly, I cling to Lucy. I can't tell if it's to protect myself or to stop her from tearing Feli apart, given the way she's looking at her.
"Who is this?" Feli asks harshly.
"Her girlfriend," Lucy answers before I can.
Feli's eyes narrow even more as she looks at me. Reflexively, I pull Lucy back, and this time it's out of fear that I do it. I recognize the signs of Feli when she gets angry.
"Please," I murmur to Lucy, tugging on her sleeve.
It's all I can manage to say, but Lucy must have understood my distress signal. She takes a step back, which immediately triggers Feli, who literally explodes.
"No! You're not going to run from me again!"
She tries to get close to me, but Lucy acts, shoving her away forcefully.
"Don't come near her. She doesn't want to see you or talk to you. Don't you think you've hurt her enough already? If you loved her as much as you claim, you'd do well to never contact her again."
"What business is it of yours, you little bitch? You don't know anything about what we've been through," she snaps.
"I know enough to convince Ona to take you to court."
Those words were too much for Feli, who decided to lunge at Lucy. I scream, closing my eyes to avoid seeing what happens next. I expected an imminent impact since I was standing right behind Lucy, but nothing happens. I slowly open my eyes, and what I see petrifies me. I expected to find Lucy on the ground, but it's quite the opposite. She's overpowering her... Feli, my ex, who traumatized me for years. This seems to enrage Feli even more as she tries to hit her repeatedly. Lucy dodges her punches one after another with great agility. She waits for her to lose steam before landing a punch on her cheek. Faced with this action, which I didn't expect at all, I cover my mouth to keep from screaming again. The blow was so strong that Feli stumbles backward, completely shaken. From the look of her, she must not be sober right now.
"That's for drugging Ona at a party. And this..."
She hits her on the other side, making her lose her balance again. She doesn't wait for her to regain her senses before grabbing her by the collar. The silence that reigns makes me realize the music has been turned off.
"And that's for daring to touch her. Now, stay away from her. Otherwise, she won't hesitate to press charges for what you did to her and for harassment too. Do I make myself clear?"
Feli is so stunned and intimidated by Lucy that she nods frantically. I knew she was intimidating, but not to the point of making my enraged ex give in.
"Good. Then stay out of her life, or I'll destroy yours by making sure you end up in jail," she threatens her.
"Oh my God, Ona."
I turn toward Mapi's voice as she immediately pulls me into her arms. I'm too shaken to understand anything. She steps back to examine me, keeping her hands on my shoulders.
"Are you okay?"
"I think so," I murmur.
"Let’s go," Lucy announced, extending her hand to me.
I took it without hesitation. Given her mood, this wasn’t the time to refuse her anything. I glanced over her shoulder to see Feli watching us with sorrow.
"We're coming with you," Ingrid said.
"There's no need," Lucy replied. "Enjoy the evening. We'll meet back at home later."
"Please take care of Ona," Mapi conceded.
"That's my intention," Lucy reassured her with a small smile.
We wished them a good evening, and then I let Lucy lead me toward the exit. The crowd that had formed had dispersed, and the music had resumed. I forced myself not to look back. It was a relief to finally be outside, where I could breathe again. I still couldn't believe she had hit her—twice, no less.
"Thank you..." I murmured once we were far from the house.
"You shouldn't thank me," she sighed in frustration, rubbing her forehead.
"You defended me."
"I'm not proud of hitting your ex, Ona. Even if she deserved it, it makes me feel like I'm just like her."
I stopped abruptly, making her do the same since our hands were still linked.
"You're nothing like her, Luce. You have nothing in common with her. Feli was violent and angry. You're not that kind of person, as far as I know."
"That's all the more reason to take her to court," she retorted. "I really don't understand you on this!"
I bit my lip, staring at the ground. I couldn’t give her an answer to that question. Feli had been a part of my life. No matter how much she hurt me, I still care about her.
"She's not a bad person deep down," I murmured.
"Oh, so hitting her girlfriend is being a good person!? When will you open your eyes, Ona? This isn't the Feli you met! If you do nothing, she won’t hesitate to hurt others, if she hasn't already! Is that what you want? For her to hurt other people!? Because I can assure you that’s what she'll do now that she knows she’ll never have you again!"
Lucy had never yelled at me like that before. Sure, she had scolded me, but never like this. I still didn’t dare look at her, now that tears were in my eyes. She was right. Of course she was right. When was she ever not right? She sighed again as she approached me, cupping my face in her hands. She must know me well to instinctively wipe my tears away with her thumbs.
"I know it’s painful, honey, but it’s the truth. I just saw Feli for the first time, and I can assure you there's nothing good in her. All she wants is to make you feel guilty for leaving her, so you’ll go back to her. Is that what you want?"
I shook my head and threw myself into her arms. Of course not, that’s not what I want. She pulled that trick on me for months. I literally collapsed in her arms. Everything I had kept bottled up since our encounter finally spilled out. I would have preferred to do this at home, but it was inevitable that the subject would come up on the way. I tried to speak, but nothing coherent came out, making her hold me tighter against her.
"Shhh. Calm down. I'm sorry for being so harsh, but it’s the only way for you to open your eyes."
"I-I don't want to... Y-you know that, right?"
"Of course I know, baby. But if you really want to move on, you have to take action. She won’t leave you alone otherwise."
I resigned myself to nodding. I had to do it. I’d been putting it off for far too long.
"D-don't leave me."
"Never. We’ll face this together, okay?"
I clung to her desperately, nodding again. She was my lifeline. Without her, I would have drowned in an endless ocean. She kissed my temple and rocked me until I pulled myself together.
"I'd love to stay here holding you forever, but I’m sure your bed is much cozier. Besides, my hands hurt."
I pulled away from her and wiped my cheeks with my hand.
"Sorry for thinking only of myself... Let me see your hands," I murmured.
"Don't apologize. And as for my hands, you can see them when we get to your place. Then it'll be your turn to take care of me... The idea of having a personal nurse sounds quite appealing."
I smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood. It wasn’t surprising that she was in pain. Having dealt with Feli myself, she must have used considerable force to destabilize her twice. She was really strong.
"Let’s head home, then... It’s my turn to take care of you. And even if you were joking, it’s non-negotiable."
"Is that an order, Princess?" she teased.
"Absolutely, Commander."
"Then let’s hurry. I can’t wait to be pampered by you."
I kissed her tenderly before we finished our walk without another word, staying close to each other. I appreciated the way she held me against her. I felt like I belonged. It was as if I could already see my whole future. It only took two weeks apart for my world to fall apart. She had become my everything, my reason for living, to the point where it was almost frightening. We arrived at my place, where a royal silence reigned in the hall. Well, that was until Joan came to greet us as we took off our jackets and shoes. It was so early that she was still awake. She was quickly followed by a very surprised Sophia.
"You're already back?" she asked us. "It’s only ten o'clock."
"Yeah... The party wasn’t that great."
I lied to avoid worrying her over something so small. She didn’t seem to question it. Lucy, on the other hand, remained silent, much to my relief. Sophia would have panicked if she knew the truth and would likely have insisted on making a diagnosis before I could even explain anything. I smiled when Lucy hugged my brother at his request. That was something new I hadn’t expected from Joan.
"Still up, huh?" she asked her.
"I was just about to put him to bed," Sophia admitted.
"We'll take over then. Thanks again for watching him tonight."
"No problem, Ona. What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Same as usual. Early in the morning."
"Well... I guess I'll see you next time then."
"We'll be back, I promise. Now go home, you’ve earned it."
"Thanks," she smiled. "Sleep well, girls."
"Good night to you, and be careful on the road."
"I will."
We exchanged a hug, and she gave Lucy a friendly nod before leaving. As for us, we headed upstairs, leaving Joan in my girlfriend's care. They went to my room while I searched for a pajama for him, as he had declared that he could still sleep with us. Given the circumstances, I would have preferred that he leave us alone tonight, but I said nothing since we already see each other so little. When I joined them, I found them deep in conversation. The bond between them was working out wonderfully, which delighted me to no end.
"Here, Jo," I said, handing her the pajama. "Can you get dressed by yourself? I need to take care of Lucy."
My brother pouted at my request but accepted without protest. Lucy smiled softly at me and let herself be guided to the bathroom, where she sat on the edge of the tub. I took her hands in mine and noticed that her knuckles were extremely red. I bit my lip, imagining the pain she must have felt.
"It’s not that painful," she reassured me calmly.
"Don't move, I’ll be right back."
Without another word, I went downstairs to fetch an ice pack for her. When I returned, my brother was keeping her company while brushing his teeth. The sight made me smile. It was the first time I didn’t have to fight with him about it. She gave me a smug smile when she saw what I had in my hands.
"Really, Ona? I'm not in that much pain, you know," she teased.
"Don’t argue. I promised to pamper you tonight, so you’re not allowed to protest," I replied in a mock-threatening tone.
She chuckled and nodded, not losing her smile. Before starting anything, I glanced at my brother to see how he was doing. He was wiping his mouth.
"All done," he said proudly.
"Go to bed, we'll be there in a minute."
He nodded, smiling. He then rushed into my room. I closed the door behind him for some privacy. As soon as I did, Lucy pulled me between her legs, making me let out a small cry of surprise. She smiled at me with that goofy grin again.
"So, where do we start, nurse?"
"Stop, it’s not funny," I giggled, playfully pushing her shoulder. "Come on, give me your hands."
Her hands, which had been caressing the back of my knees until then, slid to the sides and moved up to my waist. I grabbed them before they could go any higher and looked at her sternly.
"That’s enough, bad girl," I warned her as best I could. "Be serious for a moment!"
"Bad girl, huh?" she grinned, crossing her feet behind my legs. "Is that how you see me now?"
This action brought us even closer, making me blush. She was distracting me from my examination. I let my thumbs gently caress her knuckles.
"Of course not... Does it hurt? »
"I already told you it doesn’t."
"Put the ice pack on them anyway, please. They’re very red."
"Anything my princess wants."
I realized she was lying about the intensity of her pain when I tried to flatten her hand in mine. I looked up to see her grimacing, even though she was trying to hide it. I bit my lip to keep from commenting. This was definitely not the right time.
"Hold this. I’ll see if I have any cream to help with this," I said, placing the ice pack on her hand.
She held the ice pack without saying anything. The roles had changed drastically in such a short time. If she did this, it was for me, so I could only be grateful. I searched through all my drawers for the tube I had brought back from Manchester. A victorious smile spread across my lips when I finally found it. Even though I’m a doctor’s daughter and studied in this field, I don’t doubt that my care won’t be as good as hers, but I’ll do my best. I’ve always thought that it takes a certain instinct to take care of people. As for me, it’s clear that I don’t have any. 
Returning to her, I noticed that she had alternated the ice pack between her two fists. I took over as I moved back between her legs to apply cream to her first hand. I made sure not to look at her to avoid being unsettled.
"Why does she call you 'Oni'?" she asked suddenly, making me chuckle at the memory of that story.
"I’m not really sure, actually. I think she was confused that we don’t have the same last name so he wanted to give me a nickname to feel close to me. »
"Oh... So she has her father’s name?"
"Yes. His name is Joan Pascual."
"And your mother?"
I sighed at that question. It was a rather sensitive topic, but I played along and answered.
"She kept my father’s name. I never really understood why, knowing that they’ve been divorced for several years."
"Maybe to keep the same name as you?" she guessed, making me shrug.
"I don’t really know."
"And what about him?" she redirected the conversation. "Do you like him?"
I didn’t need more information to know she was talking about Marcus. Her change of topic wasn’t the best, given what I think about him. She seemed to understand because she removed the ice pack to stroke my cheek.
"You don’t have to talk about it."
"I will talk about it," I said, taking her hand again to give it the same gentle caresses as the other. "To be honest, I don’t have anything against him specifically, but I had a hard time accepting the relationship he had with my mother."
"Why?"
"I thought it was too soon. My mother wasn’t even divorced yet, and then, she didn’t tell me about it. I found out when I saw them in bed together... Imagine what that does to a troubled teenager..."
She nodded in understanding. The fingers of her free hand stroked the back of my knee like earlier.
"You weren’t a troubled teenager... You had the right to be hurt, confused, and angry about discovering that. How is your relationship now?" she continued, gently pulling me closer to her.
"Strange. I never really accepted it, but I was lucky to have him as a stepfather. He always tried to ease my relationship with my mother, and he’s always been a good father to Joan."
"How would you feel if he married your mother?"
I froze for a moment at that question. Of course, I had already thought about their marriage. I had already wondered why they weren’t married yet. After all, they’ve been living together for almost ten years now, and they have a daughter together.
"I’m not really sure... Better than a few years ago, for sure... If my father were still here, he would have told me to accept it because he would have been happy for them."
"He must have been a good man."
"He was," I said, wrapping my arms around her neck. "You remind me a lot of him, if you want to know the truth..."
"I doubt that. He seems much wiser than I am. Anyway, I’ll support you in all your decisions, no matter if I think they’re right or not."
"See, that’s exactly why you remind me of him," I giggled. "He used to say the same thing. I wish you could have met him... He would have adored you."
"And I imagine I would have adored him in return."
"Enough about me. What about your adoptive parents? Was it always smooth sailing?" I joked. "You’ve never told me much about them."
"There’s not much to say. My mother seems cold and strict at first glance, but she’s really kind. I wouldn’t be who I am now without her."
"I’m already dreading the first meeting," I muttered. "She’s going to terrify me..."
"Definitely," she laughed. "She loves to scare my partners. She always does that to see if the person will let themselves be intimidated or not."
"That must be unsettling..."
"It is," she smiled. "I’ve never seen anyone stand up to her."
I groaned just thinking about it. I know we’re not there yet, but if we stay together long enough, I’m sure I’ll meet her one day.
"Don’t worry, baby," she said. "She just keeps that tough exterior to make sure the person is right for me. Then she’ll warm up over time."
"Her opinion matters to you, doesn’t it?"
"A lot. No matter how much I cared about someone, she always opened my eyes when it was someone bad."
"Should I be worried...?"
"Of course not," she smiled. "You’re not a bad person; she’ll see that. But if I can give you some advice, don’t let her walk all over you... Otherwise, you’re doomed," she laughed.
"Oh my God," I muttered in despair. "Finding the right balance will be tough. Tell me your dad isn’t like that too."
"Oh no, he’s the opposite. He’s a bit naive, gentle, calm, and very caring."
"You must have your father’s heart and your mother’s character then..."
"I’ve never seen it that way, but you’re probably right."
We exchanged smiles after her response. She slowly leaned in to capture my lips. The kiss was very gentle and restrained. She timidly asked for access to my mouth by teasing my lower lip with her tongue. I granted it willingly. My stomach flipped in response to this unexpected affection. With her newly freed hand, she gently moved it up to my stomach. I immediately realized she had placed it on my bruises, which I could hardly feel anymore. She pulled back to whisper softly.
"It’s my turn to put on some cream."
"I already applied some this morning..."
"The more you apply, the faster it will heal. Isn’t that what you want?" she arched an eyebrow.
"Fine," I resigned, though I pouted.
I would have preferred to get back in bed now, but there was no point in arguing when she was right. She smiled victoriously as she grabbed the tube of cream.
"Lift your shirt."
I took a deep breath and decided to take it off entirely. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d seen me like this. My action surprised her. She lifted her head to find my eyes.
"Come on, do your job..."
Without a word, she started applying the cream to my bruised stomach. She took great pleasure in doing it thoroughly.
"On your face too?" she murmured when she was done.
"I need to take off my makeup first."
She nodded, letting me move to the sink. I quickly removed my makeup, reminded of the situation I was in. When I turned around, she was looking at me in a way that made me blush. Her smile slowly widened.
"What is it?"
"Nothing... I’m just happy to be with you, that’s all."
"We could have been together sooner if it weren’t for your behavior," I teased.
"I have a feeling you’re going to remind me of that more than once," she laughed.
"That’s the only mistake you made, so... yes, definitely."
"Come here, you little rascal, so we can finish up."
I laughed, knowing full well she was joking. At least the tension had time to dissipate before our night. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sure I’d sleep well. I returned to her so she could finish the job before putting away the cream. I went to brush my teeth, giving her time to change. As for me, I did it in the walk-in closet where there was enough space. We came out of our rooms at the same time.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" I suggested.
Our evening had fallen through, but that didn’t stop us from continuing it. To my surprise, she shook her head.
"I’d rather we go to bed. We can watch one during the flight."
"Okay," I agreed, looking at my bed.
I sighed when I saw my brother in the middle of my bed. It was going to be more complicated than expected to spend our night in each other’s arms. He must really like Lucy to have placed himself there.
"You’ve got to be kidding me," I muttered. "We can always go to another room. There’s no shortage of them here."
"Don’t be silly," she giggled. "He’d be upset if he didn’t find us here tomorrow morning. Hang on, I’ll move him."
"Be gentle; he can be a light sleeper when he wants to be."
To our relief, she managed to move him without waking him up. She motioned for me to lie in the middle, and she quickly filled the last space in the bed. The light was quickly turned off, and Lucy’s arms tightened around me. A sigh of contentment escaped me as she kissed my forehead. I snuggled up against her, trying to close any gap between us.
"Going back to school is going to be hard," I murmured with a groan, making Lucy laugh.
"It’ll be over soon," she said, holding me a little tighter. "The hardest part is behind us now."
She was right. We were closer to the end than the beginning. I leaned up to reach her lips. Then I settled back into her arms, where I truly felt I belonged. Our evening didn’t go as planned, but it ended much better than it could have.
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chaptersleftunwritten · 5 months ago
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Silver & blood taste the same…
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Blurb: FBI special agent Amaranthine Delaware has a nose like a blood hound. She can sniff out crime wherever it may lurk, not even the shadows are safe. But what happens when a crazed killer is tearing through towns rampantly and she has no idea who they are and where they're going next?
Pairing: Bill Skarsgård x OC
Part 1 of ?
Warnings: Gore, blood, violent depictions, homicide, dub-con, somnophilia, sexual themes, sexual acts, swearing, mentions of torture, kidnapping, mentions of weaponry, mental health struggles, addiction (alcohol dependency and cocaine) and possibly more throughout. 18+. Read at your own discretion and risk. You have been warned.
-
October 17th, 2013
The killings started in the early fall here in Indigo Grove. It must have been around September time because all the kids were back in school and that's how our first Jane Doe was discovered. She had been left- no, she had been discarded, in an overgrown area of greenery near a family home. It was the youngest of the children who found her... now two lives are ruined.
I say 'it must have been around September time...' but I know that it was. I remember everything from that first day. Every smell, every sob, every single one of my hairs standing on end as I try not to dry heave onto the ground next to the poor girl laying there on the frozen earth. Her red eyes staring up at me forever piercing and tainting my soul.
I try not to panic at the coffee counter as the barista with smudged eyeliner blinks at me, evidently annoyed at my prolonged silence and stilled movement, "Sorry," I breathe, finally, "How much did you say that was?" she rolls her eyes as she glances back at the till.
"You owe 5.75 today, ma'am."
Ma'am? The word makes my head spin. Her and I are clearly close to being the same age and she is referring to me like I am some 30 year old woman. I would laugh if I weren't so tired.
I stuff my hand into my damp coat pocket and pull out my purse. Loose strands of my rain soaked hair stick to the side of my face. The purse is a faded shade of purple and the faux leather is of a smooth grain. It's about the only thing that has been with me through thick and thin.
I rummage through the compartments of the purse, my cold shaking fingers scraping together the last of the coins that I have. I count them out in my palm before quickly handing them to the cashier.
She looks down at the metal like it is a foreign form of currency before she as well briefly counts them, obviously not trusting my judgement. After slotting them into her till she rewards me with my morning beverage and sweet treat. Nothing better than sugar at 8 in the morning.
The lights in the café are dim as I enter further into the sea of tables, every person appears like a blurred silhouette- or maybe it is just the three glasses of wine from last night catching up to me. My patrol partner, Johnny Franklin, is sitting in a dark far away corner of the café at a small table for two. He is tucked against the wall, his coffee mug in one hand and his toasted sandwich in the other. He orders the same thing every day; Regular coffee with three spoonfuls of sugar and whole fat milk alongside a toasted cheese and tuna melt sandwich and a chocolate chip muffin for dessert.
Johnny is around the same age as my older sister Jocelyn, which I find great comfort in… maybe that’s why I enjoy having him around. He is also a creature of habit, making his days predictable. I always know where he is going to be and when he is going to be there. It’s why I stay so fond of him, he doesn’t surprise me.
“Mornin’ sunshine,” He grumbles lazily, bringing his coffee mug up to his thin pale lips to take a leisurely slurp as I take a seat across from him. A small stubbly beard has grown in on and around his mouth, I notice this as he says, “You seem as chirpy as ever today.” His hoarse voice is dripping with sarcasm and I pray that this won’t be the running theme of the day. Johnny talking nonsense and me with a pounding headache.
“Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system.” I wave my hand, almost dismissing him- or maybe I’m trying to swat him away like he is a fly. He is always getting all twisted up in other peoples shit.
“You look like shit, kid.” The now empty coffee mug comes down onto the cheap wooden table, a light clatter of the porcelain following close after, “I’m in two minds of even telling you what I got paged this mornin’…”
And there it is. That horrid feeling of dread, doubt, despair, anger, hurt, anxiety- my body knows what he is going to say before he has to say it. The way my stomach twists into painful tight knots and how my breath is now lodged, undoubtably stuck in my throat. The world around me pivots on a sideways axel and I’m struggling to make it stop.
“Tell me.” I am strangled as the words come out, almost too quiet for myself to hear. Do I want to know? Can I handle what Johnny is going to tell me? The answer is no, probably not. But this is the work, and I owe it to those girls to catch this sick fuck-
Johnny’s beady brown eyes examine my features. It takes him a moment but he sucks in a deep breath and I see his bushy eyebrows knit together, his mouth also downturning distastefully, “Another body was found early hours this mornin’, around 3am. She has thought to have been out there for at least two weeks they said.”
The sourness in my mouth intensifies. Two weeks… two whole weeks. Evidence could be lost, the crime scene tampered with, decomposition.. animals. The thought alone sickens me to my stomach. How could she have been missed for that long?
“Who found her?” I ask after a long pause, my mind is buzzing with fear. That’s the thing about this line of work, people expect you to have no feeling- but I feel everything.
Johnny takes a bite of his sandwich and grease pools at the corners of his mouth making me cringe. I want to scream at him for even being able to stomach anything after telling me that information. He chews for an agonisingly long time before he finally grumbles, “A trucker on the highway nearly swerved off the road- agents at the scene think she must have still been alive after the attack and tried to crawl to the nearest road to wave down some help but her wounds were fatal. She died as she reached the highway.” Another bite. Another bite of that disgusting fucking sandwich.
My nostrils flare as I suck in a deep aggravated breath, standing up from the table the chair legs scrape along the floor, the screech punctuates my exit and I am gone before Johnny even has the time to comprehend what’s happening.
Dark clouds swell the sky and the chilly air nips and whips at my cheeks. The rain conjures a hellish dance upon my head as it pelts from the heavens above, drenching my hair further. My chest rises and falls with every breath I struggle to pull into my lungs and I find myself thinking about him.
He keeps me awake every night. I dream about him, I write about him- I wonder, what does he eat? What does his morning routine look like? What does he hate? What does he look like? His eyes, his lips, his smile… is it nice? Is it a nice smile, a warm smile, a welcoming smile? What does he smell like?
He consumes my life, he controls my every thought.
I hate it. I hate him.
It feels personal. Every murder… every life that he takes. And I know that it shouldn’t, but it does.
It fucking does.
-
Blue lights flood my vision, captivating the world around me in an inescapable light. The light in which we should all feel safe in, but I don’t. I never have.
The yellow and black police tape is lifted for me as I enter through to the official crime scene. The highway has been closed off and traffic is being redirected elsewhere, creating this ungodly eerie silence. I want noise, I need the noise… it’s too quiet.
“Special agent Delaware, this is Milo Reed, our truck driver.” My supervisor, Harold Hawkins, approaches me from a nearby vehicle. The man stood to his left is as pale as chalk, his eyes wide and dark with purple circles cladding the skin beneath his sockets.
My steps are steady and slow as I inch closer to the pair, deciding it may not be best to go in for a handshake in this moment, “Milo, my name is Amaranthine and I’m the lead detective on this case. My partner will soon be here to take care of you.” My own voice echoes inside of my mind. I can’t imagine how this man may be feeling. All he manages to muster in response is a nod and then he is shuffling off in another direction, his actions meek and stilted.
My next walk feels like one to the gallows, but I find comfort in one thing. I know what his mark is, I know what he has left behind that’ll tie this girl to the last and to the one before her. The butterfly. He irons it into their skin. Always in a different area, but always just as deep and just as brutal. Taking something so beautiful and blackening it with evil…
That’s how he got his name from the media.
The butterfly killer.
It headlined in every newspaper a month back, and it still continues to steal the spotlight today. Front page, big and bold for all to see. I bet he is basking in the glory of all of this…
It makes my stomach churn.
As I advance further into the scene I spot an unmissable tanglement of red hair on the ground. The colour is admirable.. it is absolutely gorgeous. Or so I thought, that is until I realise that it’s not at all the colour of the victims hair- it is her blood.
I fight the urge to vomit, swallowing down whatever salvia I have in a desperate attempt to maintain my composure- especially in front of my male colleagues.
“Have you been briefed?” One of them ask and I nod my head, remaining silent, “It was him, she has been branded on her right shoulder. Her wounds, however, are of different technique. He was angrier this time and he used some sort of screwdriver.” His words are so cool it leaves my skin feeling icy cold, like the decaying corpse in front of us, “She has been photographed but with the recent weather conditions, evidence might be tricky to recover. We will be lucky if we identify any from her, never mind any from him.”
I can feel a slow build in my chest, a rising fire of complete rage. When will this end? Will he ever be satisfied? And will I ever catch him?
“Try your best.” I plea and my eyes flicker from the ground to the flashing lights that are now intensifying my headache and then back to the body. The attending agent has left my side and I struggle to grasp the reality of anything around me.
I crouch down to further investigate our victim. She tried to fight. She tried to flee- she wanted to live so desperately that she crawled 10 metres from her drop off point before her lungs finally filled with blood.
She died alone.
I watch as they carefully remove her body from the scene and into the back of an ambulance, taking her back to the lab where hopefully we will be able to identify her.
She will have a family somewhere, and they are waiting on her coming home.
-
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“You can’t smoke in here!” I am four vodka cokes deep in the ‘Hell Gate’ bar just off of the highway and maybe I’m feeling brave and maybe the buzzing red lamp above my head has officially drove me insane but I have had my eyes on this delicious stranger since I arrived and I’ll be damned if I leave here without him. I know that he has noticed me and I know smoking indoors is illegal, and it has been for over 10 years, but there’s just something about watching him do it that makes my insides flutter.
The music in the bar is deafening but it’s pretty vacant of people, even the bartender keeps disappearing elsewhere. The man spares me a quick look, taking one long last drag of his cigarette before he is stumping it out into a nearby ashtray. His face slowly turns towards mine and just like that, he exhales the large cloud of cancerous smoke right into my face.
“What you gonna do about it?” His gravelly deep voice challenges me and my thighs clench together at the mere sight of him. Plump pink lips, stunning round eyes, a strong nose and not to mention the gorgeous brown hair. His tall frame slouched leisurely over the bar has my mind reeling with sin.
I just want to forget. Just for one night.
My front teeth toy with my bottom lip, nibbling on the cushiony skin as I try my hardest to force my drunken brain to think of a quip and sultry response but all I seem to muster is a pathetic, “Steal your lighter.”
He hadn’t noticed but around three seconds ago I had pinched his lighter from on top of the bar and secured in my pocket.
A smugness braces his face, pulling his lips up just ever so slightly at the corners, “What’s your name, angel?” I can tell that I’ve caught his attention by the way his body leans into mine and the total thirst that has consumed his eyes. He wants me.
“You first.” I counter, proud of my own confidence. It’s not every day I manage to pluck up the balls to talk to guys and I would like to thank my liquid courage for tonight. Wherever it may lead.
“Bill, but you can call me whatever you want.” I expect to see a hand stuck out in front of me, but I don’t. He keeps himself to himself, and I quietly admire that. It’s sort of gentlemanly…
I take a short but sweet sip of my drink, letting the alcohol sere my throat on the way down before I chirp, “Amaranthine, but my friends call me Amara.”
His eyebrows perk up momentarily on his forehead before they proceed to faintly knit together in what I assume is confusion, “Are we friends, Amaranthine?”
I bite rabidly at the inside of my cheek, pinching the flesh to stop a shit eating grin from taking over my entire face. There is a short pause as I pretend to think of an ‘honest’ answer, “We can be. If you wanna?” My blood feels hot as scolding iron as it flows through my body, flushing my face for a brief moment.
“Hmm,” Bill’s pink tongue darts from his mouth to swipe over his bottom lip, his teeth gentle nipping the skin, “I don’t know… what do your friends usually say about you?” He is closer to me now and I can feel my breathing start to become a bit ragged. It takes every ounce of restraint I have to not press my lips to his. They are all I can focus on. I wonder what he tastes like.
“My friends would tell you to run for the hills…” In order to regain composure I play with the metal lighter that belongs to him, flicking the cap and watching as the flame would erupt from within. On the side there is a word that is engraved… Love.
It takes mere seconds before Bill is pulling my wrist toward him with force, but not enough to hurt me, only enough to frighten me. And it does, and the gasp that leaves my mouth is borderline erotic and makes my cheeks fervent. He is gentle to take the lighter from my loose grip, placing it into his dark jean pocket and then returning his attention back to my face.
“I think this could work… this ‘friend’ thing.” His grip remains tight around my wrist, “Only thing is.. I don’t think friends fuck their friends, do they, Amara?” Somewhere along the way Bill has stood up from his barstool and he is now towering over me. He must be at least 6ft 2 and looking up at him from my seated position is making my mind spin uncontrollably. I thought I was attracted to him before but now… I want him to take me right here, right now in the middle of this dive bar.
“Friends sometimes do that.” I say meekly as I swallow thickly, all the saliva in my mouth has mysteriously disappeared and maybe it was the alcohol or maybe this is just what he does to me. The greed grows between my thighs and as I'm staring into his eyes I can see the hunger growing within him too- infatuation blowing his pupils to the size of bullet holes.
He yanks me to my feet, his face is uncompromising and I am on fire with anticipation, "Your place or mine?" His lips brush the shell of my ear and I feel electricity race down every vertebrae in my spine, making my legs unsteady. His voice is almost a moan and his tone is low and yet I am willing to totally submit to his every beckon and command.
"Mine..." I feel like I can't breathe, "I.. I don't have a ride." My quavering voice declares my evident embarrassment and Bill tucks some loose strands of my wind stricken hair behind my ear.
"It really is your lucky day." Bill winks at me, a semblance of a smile gently appearing onto his face and his long arm snakes around my waist, guiding me toward the bar exit.
"Oh- I haven't paid!" I exclaim in a state of panic.
"Shhh-" Fuck. His voice is like a lullaby, "I know the owner, don't stress." It was at that moment that I realised, in my inebriated state, that I would believe every word this man said.
-
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Sober Amara would never have given her home address to a total stranger- but drunk and horny Amara just did. We are always warned as children- don’t speak to that strange looking man, don’t go near that lady, stay away from them and so on.. but if we lived up to those rules- to that fear, we would never live. We would be so alone..
I juggle my keys, struggling to control the adrenaline that is coursing through my veins, causing my hands to tremble. I manage to slot the key into the lock and jimmy it open- I really have to get that looked at.
I shoulder barge my way inside, losing my balance as I do and I expect to see the floor coming up to meet my face- but instead I feel Bill’s colossal hands gripping my waist firmly, holding me restrained in the air. Shock roots us both to the spot and I can feel something brewing rapidly between us.
My apartment is small, but it’s cozy and it’s home. I keep it clean for the most part, overall the only mess visible is the case files I’ve left on my desk and the map that’s strung up on my wall. To the average person, like Bill, I’ll probably look crazy. Luckily for me, that’s not where his attention is.
“I'm waiting for your permission to let me have my way with you.”
The door has been kicked shut and I can hear the rhythm of my own heart pounding in my ears. I’m starting to feel a bit lightheaded, like I am levitating above the ground. He knows just what to say, he knows how to look at me in just the right way to make my mind turn to mush- it’s almost like he knows me. Have we been here before?
“I’m gonna need your help to get my clothes off…” my hands dance up to behind his neck, cradling it gently whilst pulling him closer to me. My fingers card through his luscious dark hair, tugging the roots playfully which causes a groan to erupt from his lips.
Bill's large hands come to fondle with my chest, his fingers struggling with the buttons of my blouse. His breathing hitches and with a leap of faith and a lewd huff he rips the seams apart. My mouth falls agape as I watch the buttons fly across every square inch of the room. Some of them I'll never be able to find again...
His lips are on mine before I have time to form any sort of coherent thought and the warmth of his skin is enough to heat my entire body for days. My lips part, allowing his wet tongue to slip inside of my mouth and I moan out at the contact. He tastes like alcohol and cigarettes with the mildest touch of mint- just what I expected. Abruptly he pulls away and I whine with the need to have him near again, "I'm going to take good care of you, I promise. I just wanna enjoy the view. It's not everyday I get to fuck someone as pretty as you." His voice has dropped an octave or two lower and the simple task of breathing becomes obscenely hard in that moment and I battle the urge to pounce on top of him right there and then. He slides my ripped blouse down my arms, letting it fall to the hardwood floor below my feet. He steps further away, urging me with his eyes to continue undressing.
"You don't have to be gentle with me, I won't break..." I offer him a smirk and my feet move toward him with gentle strides and I notice Bill's eyes fluttering to and from my chest. My bra is boring but it's black- and black always leaves an impression no matter what it is. Plus, he seems to like the colour, considering he is dressed from head to toe in it, "You can do whatever you want with me."
The air vibrates between us, "What do you want to do to me, Bill?" My eyes flutter innocently up at his stocky frame and he pulls a quick breath into his lungs through his teeth.
"You want me to tell you, or do you want me to show you?" He is walking towards me now, an impure domineering twinkle gracing his eyes. He backs my steps up until I feel the wall crash into my spine and his long muscular arms cage me to the spot, "Are you afraid?" His face is craned down into my neck now, I can feel his breath on my skin and it settles just above my main artery that I can feel thumping.
I shake my head.
"You got any neck ties laying around here?" He asks and I nod in response.
"Top drawer, in the bedroom." I nod toward the dark hallway that connects my living room to all the other rooms in the house. He glances at it before allowing me to move from the wall, his hand slapping my ass hard.
"C'mon then, lets go get them." I giggle a bit as I run toward the bedroom, Bill following closely behind me, "And take the rest of those clothes off before I get there- or you'll regret it."
Excitement pricks at my heart and I assume he is talking about my suit pants and my shoes, and so I am happy to oblige as soon as I pass through the doorway into my bedroom. It's dark in there- pitch black, so I scramble around for the lamp on my bedside dresser, stumbling over clothes that have been left on the floor and more case files that really should be getting organised but aren't. My shoes are first to go, kicked beneath the bed and my pants are peeled down my legs. The rain had caught us on the way in so my skin is a bit damp and cold, making the fabric cling to my skin like it has been glued down.
I pull open my drawer, ignoring the vibrator that I usually hide in there I retrieve multiple neck ties- just in case he wants more than one and then I sit on the edge of the bed, watching the open door as Bill’s sturdy frame emerge's from the darkness of the hallway. Like a hunter stalking its prey.
"Are these okay?" I hold out the palms of my hands, the colourful neck ties splayed flat across them as I present them to Bill like a knight receiving his sword.
Bill's hands find his knees as he bends down to my line of vision, his face mere inches from mine, It’s almost mocking and I feel like I am about to get a telling off for bad behaviour, "I'm going to fucking ruin you, sweetie." His lips pinch his cheeks as he smirks devilishly, his hands pushing me harshly down onto the mattress- knocking the air out of my lungs.
“Wrists.” He demands and I clasp my hands together in the air without a second thought, my drunkenness blinding every ounce of my reasoning. Bill climbs on top of me, his knees at either side of my torso and he hovers there as he skilfully knots and binds my wrists tightly together. He has done this before...
“Please take your clothes off,” I beg, my voice coming out as a sweltering breathy pant and after he had finished securing my wrists to the bed frame he stands from the bed, my body moving with the shift in weight.
“You’re so polite, so fucking cute- you know what good girls get?” He perks an eyebrow, his hands gripping the hem of his black t-shirt as he pulls it up and over his head. The sight of his abdominal muscles tensing and contorting to the movement of his body has my mind sobering up slightly. I want that image permanently engraved in my mind, “They get anything that they want, sweet cheeks.”
He moves onto his jeans next and even just watching him unbuckle his leather belt has my pussy aching for more. I can’t stop admiring his body- he is so lean and strong, chiselled by the Greek gods themselves.
“Like what you see?” His voice takes the reins of every one of my thoughts and I nod my head, my thighs impatiently rubbing together desperate to get some sort of release, “Awww, is she pulsing?” Up until this moment I'd never been provided the chance to experiment this much in the bedroom, my one night stands were always so vanilla and borderline unsatisfactory- so to have my hands tied to the bed and someone as hot as Bill mocking my arousal... it's all so new. I love it.
"Touch me." It wasn't supposed to come out as a command, but it does and the dimple that screws itself into Bill's cheek leaves my wrists tensing against their restraints.
Bill's eyes settle between my legs, his tongue swiping out to briefly coat his swollen lips in momentary shine as he prowls up the mattress and only then do I see how stiff he is in his briefs- I just want him inside me.
Despite my state of tenseness Bill separates my legs with ease, a small 'fuck' leaving his throat as he drinks in the sight of my pantie class core, "Wanna make you scream..." Two of his slender fingers tactically stroke over the slick covered fabric that sticks to my puffy slit, teasing me softly as he applies just the right amount of pressure to my stimulated clit, "You're so wet already and I've barely touched you-" An egotistical hum swims through his deep voice, "My fingers are covered in you already."
I can't help the mewl that leaves my mouth as I watch Bill foam at the sight of me. No one's made me feel like this before, this wanted- this desired. Bill gasps as his fingers hook beneath the fabric of my underwear and it is shortly followed by a profane groan as his fingertips tease my needy entrance, "You're killin' me, baby." It makes my head whizz with exhilaration as Bill tears the poor garment of clothing from my body, slightly burning my skin with the friction as he does.
Goosebumps arise on my skin at the expose to such cool air, making me shiver where I lay. Bill's head of messy brown locks dip between my spread thighs, pressing trails of kisses from my kneecaps up to my bare centre where his tongue strokes a long slow strip through my glistening folds. His lips make a 'pop' noise as he sucks my sensitive cluster of nerves roughly , pulling away only to dive right back in again. And again...
"A..ah!" My back curves up from the comfortable springs beneath me but Bill continues to secure my hips in place, the grip his fingertips have on me is bruising as the room is filled with nothing but the lewd noise of wet sloppy slurping and pleasure pained moans.
"She's dripping," He coo's cutely, his voice is a muffled hum against my pussy and the vibrations cause my legs to quiver as they cage Bill's face between them. After one final stroke of his muscular tongue Bill spits on my folds before rising to steady himself on his knees, "Think you're ready for my cock now, babe?" His huge hand lads a sore slap against my heat and I cry out at the sting, tugging harshly on my bounds. It hurts but it also feels so fucking good...
"Yes! Yes, please. I'm ready... just want you to fuck me, Bill, please." I say with so much agony that it is comedic.
Two of his slim fingers push inside of me, filling and spreading me out as Bill finally free's his shaft from his underwear. His hand pumps at his length a few times, his thumb gently spreading the pre-cum from his tip to the rest of his thick rod, "Say, 'pretty please' and I'll think about it." His smile is more intoxicating than any of the alcohol that I've consumed and I'm growing to detest the affect he has on my body.
He carries on touching himself, his eyes hooding as he throws his head back in total bliss, "Pretty please." The words are almost a sob as I wiggle my hips, trying to meet him halfway. He bites his bottom lip, clearly satisfied with my pleading he taps his dick a few times against my slit only to shock me at the very last second as he pushes himself all the way inside. The stretch is glorious and my eyes are rolling to the back of my head at the sensation of him filling every inch of me.
"So warm- you're squeezing me so tight." It's now Bill's turn to moan as he bottoms out of my pulsating cunt and plunges himself back in again, "Keep this act up and I'll end up cumming before you do, sweetheart." The image of him coating my walls with his hot spunk makes me want to scream.
His thrusts quicken and with more ferocity, the room is captivated by the loud sounds of wet skin slapping skin and the perverted moans from both Bill and I.
"Don't stop! Ah.. fuck! Please don't stop!" My screams reverberate in my chest, bouncing off of every wall and playing back at us. It's evident that Bill has no intentions of slowing down and I struggle to keep my eyes open long enough to watch the perfect contour of his parted lips widen and how his dark eyebrows pinch together in pure delight.
He pulls out of me and grabs my hips. He flips me around to my stomach before pulling my ass up into the air where he spanks the skin brutishly and I endure the red marks that tingle their way up to the surface. Forcing my face down into the pillows he holds my head there as he propels himself back inside of me and the scream that leaves my mouth leaves me drooling all over my pillowcases. My mouth is unable to close from the constant moans exiting past my lips.
"I knew you were a slut, look at you-" He slaps my ass cheek again, punctuating his words, "Taking my cock so well. Am I hitting that sweet spot, baby?" I try to speak, I try to communicate with him but I can't. It's all too intense, "Right there? Yeah, Ugh, fuck yeah!" Bill's moans bless my ears and I feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach, my high is hurdling toward me with every thrust his thick cock gives.
"Want you to cream all over me, can you do that?" I nod into the pillow, having given up on my words and Bill releases a noise that is somewhere between an hum of approval and a moan, "So good for me, so fucking good.." Maybe I hadn't noticed before now, but the way he praises me only increases the fire consuming my insides and I don't know if it's because of how attracted I am to Bill or just a newly discovered kink of mine but whatever it is it's working.
I struggle to breathe against the fabric of the pillow and my eyes pinch closed alongside every muscle in my body tensing as my howling orgasm washes over me. My legs are a shaking mess and I swear I pass out for a moment or so because Bill is the only thing keeping me kneeling upright as he pounds into me from behind- chasing his own release that soon follows closely after mine...
And we are left both a panting muddle of sweaty flesh in a room stinking of nasty sex.
-
taglist: @colorful-white-ideas
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sirenjose · 1 year ago
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Hunter Norton Backstory Trailer Analysis
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As a rule, the sons of miners follow the occupation of their fathers. Once Norton’s father died, and his mother also likely dead by then too, he had no other choice but to become a miner if he wanted to survive. Especially with how poor they likely were, Norton’s father (and mother) likely left almost nothing for their son, forcing him to work hard to support himself from a young age.
Based on Norton’s comment about living like a “rat” for 20 years, as he is 28 in the present, Norton’s father potentially died when he was 8 (his mother potentially died before then), leaving him an orphan.
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A Mine Regulation Act in 1872 prevented children under the age of 12 from working underground. Until then, he would likely have been kept to surface work, such as:
Sorting and transporting materials
Loading and unloading transports
Assisting with general maintenance and cleaning
Delivering messages
Etc…
An Educational Act in 1870, which applied to England and Wales, made schooling compulsory for boys between the ages of 5 and 10, while an Act in 1872 applying to Scotland made school compulsory for kids between 5 and 13.
Once he reached the age of 12, the Regulation Act in 1872 would continued to limit his work hours, which prevented boys between 12 and 16 from working more than 54 hours in 1 week or 10 hours in 1 day. It also required them to have 8 to 12 hour breaks between “periods of employment” (defined as starting when they leave the surface and ending when they return to the surface).
Once he was old enough, regular miners were expected to work at least 12 hour shifts (though this varied from mine to mine) on weekdays. And we know from Norton’s deduction 2 that he worked longer than any of his coworkers, while his 3rd letter states, as a habit, he enters the mines at least 30 minutes before the others.
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Conditions in the mine were hot, musty, and cramped (as mine owners didn’t want to spend extra to make them bigger), increasing the chance of accidents. We can actually see just how narrow the tunnels usually were in the trailer.
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Miners also worked in complete darkness except for lighting they had to buy themselves. In fact, they had to buy much of their own equipment.
Unfortunately, wages for miners were incredibly low back then. Miners were paid by the quality of what they produced rather than by the hour, giving owners plenty of ways to reduce how they could pay their miner (including by lying about the quality or rigging the scales).
The average wage of coal miners in the 1880s was somewhere between 3s (s = shillings) and 5s per day, with around 4s being closer to the normal, and 5 only if you were lucky. 4 shillings was about $1.20. Generally though wages varied greatly in different districts. After spending on equipment, food, and rent, they could be left with maybe no more than 1s.
Going back to the trailer, it says “Blasting Agent – Mercury (II) Fulminate”. This is an explosive compound made from mercury, nitric acid, and ethanol. It was commonly used as a primary explosive in percussion caps and detonators during the 19th century. When struck or subjected to a shock, it would rapidly decompose and produce a violent explosion. Its role was to initiate the ignition or detonation of the main explosive charge, such as dynamite.
This is the stuff that we see him pouring into the dynamite.
Continuing, we see Norton smiling at a coin, but then his wrist is crushed by the other miners, who steal it from him, taunting him to try to take it back.
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Norton actually smiling at the coin helps show Norton’s desire to get out of poverty, an idea he emphasizes later when he describes poverty as a “curse”.
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But as we see in the Famitsu Article, people didn’t understand why he tried so hard. It “intimidated” them. Then in Norton’s 2nd letter as well as in this trailer, we see that he was ridiculed by his coworkers. They didn’t think it was possible for him to achieve such a goal. This is reflected with how essentially, at that time “Englishmen recognized if he is in a certain social grade, he is likely to remain there. He’ll never reach a higher class, and didn’t rebel”. Each class “cheerfully” accepted “the lot which providence has assigned” to them.
Norton was different though. He says in the trailer “I once thought the same” after it talks about sons of miners became miners themselves.
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He may have initially accepted the same thing everyone else did, but things likely changed over time, the longer he was forced to live this sort of life.
There’s also a good chance part of his change was from working with people like Benny. He learns from them to improve himself (and hopefully improve his chance at earning more), but he also sees how these old miners are, which emphasizes in his brain he doesn’t want to end up like them. He doesn’t want to end up in hospice or stuck in poverty his whole life like they did, just waiting for the day they die.
Norton worked hard, harder and longer than everyone else, in the hopes eventually this would be enough to improve his life, to make it even slightly close to what most would consider a comfortable life, even if it meant only the basics. But it wasn’t enough. The mine owners were greedy. The other miners were all in it only for themselves. His wages were miniscule, and his daily and weekly expenses pretty great. Especially with how back in that time period, mine owners had ways where they attempted to keep their employees indebted to them, to force them to keep working for them, as well as improve their own personal profits as much as possible.
Norton was surrounded by these sorts of people forced to live in such a cruel environment, watching the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is reflected in his 2nd letter where he says “This is simply unfair. The poor find it difficult to lead a comfortable life, while all the rich need to do is wave their banknotes around”. He describes all the pain he’s gone through just at the chance to “climb up” out of poverty before describing “how much effort I put into this” as “ridiculous”.
His hard work is exemplified by his 3rd deduction, which describes how he’s done so well his employers always attempt (but fail) to keep him for longer. He works to learn, to improve his skills, and better himself at the chance at earning more and thus potentially work his way out of poverty faster.
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We can also see it during the trailer, with him surrounded by all these books and other things.
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This quality of his, where he likes to teach himself, to learn, and to improve himself has been implied at other points by Netease, such as by several of his skins or even from part of other collabs, like B.Duck, which described Norton as “full of curiosity” and “likes learning”. It also described him with a “desire to act at MAX” or “highest level of execution”. This means he’s the type of person to put all his effort into whatever he does.
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It just wasn’t enough.
We even see the sort of suffering this life has forced him to endure, as in the trailer it shows him coughing due to the damage his lungs have suffered due to his life as a miner.
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Hard work wasn’t enough. This is why he eventually turned to the list of 13 mines he learned from Benny, seeking to instead attempt to escape poverty by finding gold.
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As explained by @metalIurgy and @Deskdeas, each of the names on this list are European mines or people.
(Also, there seems to be 15 names total on the list, rather than 13)
Von Donnersmarck: House of Donnersmarck, prominent aristocratic family that originated in the region of Silesia. Owned mines.
Georg Wilhelm: Russian military officer and engineer who specialized in mining
Prince Konstantin: prince of Russia, killed in a mining shaft
Ștefan Procopiu: physicist who researched electricity and magnetism
Friedrich Alfred Krupp: German industrialist, developed Krupp steel manufacturer and arms manufacturing company
Saarbergwerke: mining company that operated in the Saarland region of Germany
Romeria: religious pilgrimage (Spain or spanish speaking countries?)
Petro-pavlivska (''Петро-павлівська''): black coal mine located in the Eastern part of Ukraine
Nova Baňa: silver and gold mining site in central Slovakia.
Swansea Copper: Welsh copper mines
Eramet: French multinational mining and metallurgical company
Ivan Polzunov: Russian engineer known for his contributions to steam engine technology
Wowdcole: ?
(Sorry, I can't read the 15th name crossed out in the top left corner of the list)
We know from Norton’s 5th deduction that he tried and failed to find anything at any of the other 12 mines, leaving him with only Golden Cave left.
Back to the trailer, we see him with a map.
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The left side looks like it should be a map of Lakeside and the surrounding area, with Golden Cave being the X at the base of the mountains. Count Barriere is the owner of this land, and also the owner of Golden Cave. The right side should be the representation of a map of the mine itself.
Considering how earlier Norton’s coworkers stole Norton’s coin, it’s possible they essentially tried to do the same thing here. Saw him looking at the map, then took it for themselves. Like how Norton’s 8th deduction includes “you need more helpers”, they may have forced him to take them along, and why they explore it on their own without Norton. Especially with the looks on their faces in that scene not showing they had any good intentions.
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(A lot of what I’ll say next is said very well by @Yaboku_samaa)
Norton seems to have set all this up in advance, before they came through the mine.
Next we see Norton’s inner conflict. A conflict between morals and vengeance represented by survivor Norton vs Hunter Norton. His Hunter side manages to win out by telling Norton that this is what they deserve, it’s revenge for all the pain and ridicule he’s been put through, all in silence, all without fighting back. He’s forced to keep a façade. To keep his true feelings hidden if he doesn’t want a penalty or reduction in wages. He’s tired of having to live such a hard life of constant suffering and humiliation and hopelessness, and thus why he had hit his limit and the side represented by his Hunter version won out.
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(I’m not going to push the idea too much, but it’s possible Norton may have bipolar disorder. That or DID, especially with how he literally talks to himself in his 2nd letter. Especially as both can form in children or young adults who experience long-term physical or emotional distress or abuse. Causes can include childhood trauma (like neglect, abuse, trauma, losing someone like a parent), stressful life events, genetics, etc…)
This decision is shown during the trailer when Norton says “There are ways to make a change”.
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Norton’s 2nd letter does an accurate job of summarizing everything:
“Over the last 20 years, I lived like a rat in the gutter. I spent days under the ground in the dark just so I could earn a minimal living. Scars from the blasts crawled all over my face like maggots. The constant scorn and ridicule... I endured it every time just so I'd get a chance to climb up the ladder. It's ridiculous how much effort I put into this—anyway, I've finally managed to crawl out from the rat hole. I no longer have to pick and pull on the disgusting ash. Those who did nothing but laugh at me deserve to stay underground and be stepped on like maggots forever.”
And the trailer visually showing Norton’s inner conflict matches up very well with how quite clearly Norton in his 2nd letter is arguing with himself. The side represented by Hunter Norton is likely the version talking right now, trying to convince him (the side represented by Survivor Norton) to kill the female, “think about how arrogant she is” and all the money he’d get. The fact he is trying to convince himself shows that Norton doesn’t want to do it, and how he isn’t willing to do anything for money. His hatred for his coworkers for their treatment of him for so long was enough for the side represented by Hunter Norton to convince him to trigger the explosion on them, but that motivation doesn’t exist here. Right now, his less moral side is trying to motivative him with money and thinking about others as “arrogant” and essentially mean, as well as the doubt that she could do something to him.
But that may not be enough to convince him next time to actually do it if he’s given a chance. At Golden Cave, that was his last chance to try to find gold. He’d gone through 12 other mines (and 20 years of pain on top of that) with nothing to show for it. Norton may be very stubborn and determined, but even he was growing so very desperate, which is shown well by Norton’s 5th deduction as well as by the trailer itself. So it makes sense that Norton was mentally not in the right place and vulnerable to the sort of temptation we see him going through in the trailer.
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Norton is alone. No family. No money. Suffering from lung problems. Has never been shown kindness and forced to grow up in a very cruel environment. The only thing keeping him moving forward and losing all hope is by focusing on his goal of getting out of poverty and achieving some form of a comfortable life with at least the basic necessities. This is shown very well by Norton’s 4th birthday emote “Savings”, where Norton takes out a single gold coin and thinks about simple worn clothes and a loaf of bread, while the description reads “Endure it, Norton. You’re almost there”.
For years he attempted to push on, but little by little, his coworkers, his employers, his environment, it all chipped away at him until he felt he had no other choice. I believe the trailer does a good job of emphasizing how his main motivation wasn’t greed but desperation, hopelessness, and the pain he was subjected to by his coworkers and everyone. It’s life or death, and this mine is his last chance, and his deep misery that pushes him over the edge, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t care about anyone anymore. He’s always been alone, always had to be the one to look out for himself. No one else could be trusted. They would only take advantage of him or even potentially steal what little he had. Yet even still he hesitated to pull the trigger, which I think says a lot about Norton.
Despite the decision being made, he doesn’t run after he sets off the explosion. He accepts what happens. There’s no way he didn’t know what was going to happen, not with how long he’s worked as a miner, and how much he’s learned in his own time. It could be the side represented by his survivor version sees the scar as punishment for his deeds. It could be he knew if he wanted to get his revenge he had to deal with the potential scars.
But he was here not just for revenge, but for the chance at finding gold. Hunter Norton’s character backstory says the accident brought Norton “Golden Luck” or “a gold rush of fortune”, so it sounds like he did find something.
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We do know he at least found the meteorite, which is what he made his magnet from, so this could be what is referred to in Hunter Norton’s backstory.
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Along with the above, we could connect whatever his “golden luck” was with Memory’s comment during Time of Reunion, where she says “they seemed to be looking for something other than ore”.
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This is repeated during AoM with a newspaper clipping about rumors being false of precious metal ore in the mine.
Considering Golden Cave’s rumor is “despite not a single piece of gold was ever found, Count Barriere still got what he wanted with this land”, these statements should be talking about the same thing.
It’s possible Barriere was after the meteorite, especially as the only things we know that came out of that mine after it collapsed were Norton and the chunks of the meteorite he carried.
There are potential parallels from Lily’s essence, which connects to Golden Cave, and her essence story says “The mine is filled with special phosphorescent ores, which brought wealth to their ancestors but also cursed them with phosphorescent illness”. Considering in the famitsu article it says the magnet aka the meteorite may have been affecting his brain, it’s possible the “phosphorescent ores” is meant to parallel the meteorite.
If that is what Barriere is after, maybe there’s a chance he reached out to Norton afterwards, and he could’ve been the one to offer Norton all that money in exchange for killing some female. Especially when we know Count Barriere has a lot of money based on Lily’s backstory, as he even offered her enough to survive for 2 years and even more via making her the owner of the IOU likely belonging to Orpheus for him buying Oletus Manor.
Anyways, we also know from Norton’s 3rd letter that he “dug his way out through a mountain creek a few dozen meters away from the mine” with only “minor burns”. We also know from the Famitsu Article that people didn’t talk to him, they said a bare minimum then kept a “wide berth”, and considering the very visible scar on his face, it is possible this was the reason they avoided him (they were frightened of him. Like we see at the end of the trailer, it is possible people saw him as a “monster”, especially back then when these sorts of things weren’t treated or seen as kindly as today).
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horanghxnni · 1 year ago
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coffee shop meet-cute. - j.w.w.
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PAIRING: Jeon Wonwoo x Reader
WORD COUNT: 3.1k
TAGS: meet cute, strangers to lovers one-shot, barista!reader, non-idol!wonwoo; pure fluff, oblivious pining
WARNINGS: mentions of food/eating; i tried my best to write as gender neutral as possible, but i haven't proofread this more than once so pls let me know if it's not; other than that none (please let me know if i've missed anything)
NOTES: this is my first post here on tumblr omg. hi! i've been a big fan of work here and i've been writing for a while (i shall not discuss my cursed wattpad days when i was younger) and thought i'd start posting here for fun. i hope you enjoy! <3
You had started working at this local coffee shop when you were 16, at first as a way to earn cash on the weekends to fund your high school escapades, and now, 7 years later, you grew to love the feeling of crafting drinks and managing the shop you now felt was like a second home. You worked every day, and opening the quaint little shop meant that the first hour or so was a quiet peace to yourself, filled with the smell of brewing espresso and baking croissants. 
The morning rush came like clockwork, beginning at 7:15 am and finally reaching a calmer pace around 8 am. Just when the busy atmosphere began to subside and the day reached its first slump, a clearly anxious man made his way to the front counter, hurriedly ordering an iced americano and holding out his card before you could even tell him how much it would cost. You rang him up, and he left the counter to stand in a corner with a polite nod to wait for his coffee, glancing at the clock. You make his simple order as quickly as possible and set it on the pickup counter, calling his name. “Wonwoo, iced americano?” 
He grabs his cup and thanks you quietly, before hurriedly leaving the shop, not even bothering to grab a straw. You don’t think too much of it and get back to filling the pastry case as the curious stranger becomes a distant memory by the end of the day. 
That is, until you notice he comes in every day, always at the same time, just before 9 am. He enters with the same kind of energy, always as if he’s perpetually running late, and orders the same thing: iced americano, and if he was feeling peckish, a blueberry muffin. He never talked much, and the only thing you knew about him other than his coffee order was that his name was Wonwoo, he seemed to have a horrible concept of time, and he must work in some office to be dressed in business casual every day. This Groundhog Day feeling encounter with him remained as a growing routine for you, until 3 weeks later when you began to anticipate his arrival, and you had his order ready and waiting for him by the time he reached the counter. Your interaction grew more efficient as time passed, with a single swap of his debit card for his coffee, and his transaction down to 30 seconds, handing him back his card in record timing. You figured it was helping him, right? He was late to work, or something time-sensitive at least, and you made his caffeine pit-stop easier. It was a win-win: you gained another regular, and he got his coffee without hindering his morning. 
He ruined your flow one Wednesday afternoon. Once again, he arrived just before 9 am, but he walked in much slower this time, and he was wearing much more casual clothes, a faded gray t-shirt and jeans, a brown messenger bag slung on his shoulder. As usual, his coffee was already done, and you almost dropped a tray of apple tarts as he entered almost as an entirely different person. You set them in the pastry case with renewed care, and met him at the register. 
“Not in a rush this morning?” You asked, clearly confused but friendly, as you pushed his cup towards him. 
He chuckled, shaking his head as his eyes roved over the rows of pastries and sandwiches you had displayed. “Nope, we started a hybrid schedule so I’m working from home on Wednesdays.” He met your eyes for a moment before shifting back to the sweets, thinking. “I’m thinking about trying something new, what do you recommend?” 
It took you a moment before you adapted to the fact that you’d heard more than two words from him. His voice was smooth and deeper than you expected, and it seemed to sink into your bones. “Um, well the apple tarts are new, and we make pop tarts in house.” 
He nodded and took one more glance before meeting your eyes. “I’ll take one of each, for here.” He gave you a small smile and slid over his debit card, once again catching you off guard. For here? He was staying? You nodded silently and began to warm his sweets as you rang him up. He thanked you and took back his card, settling in a seat a few feet down the counter, pulling out his laptop and beginning to type quietly. You couldn’t help but steal glances at him as you made his little pastry plate, not used to his presence. You were so used to his rush of energy that seeing him so still and calm was confusing. You decided just before you gave him his plate that you’d slip a cake pop next to the tart, you had made extras today anyway. With a nod, you place it beside his laptop and don’t even wait for an acknowledgement, leaving the pretty stranger to his work and busying yourself with cleaning some dirty cups from earlier this morning and wiping down the counters. 
“The poptart is good. Do you make them yourself?” His voice cut through the quiet lo-fi music playing over the speakers as you paused from your cleaning. You turned to see him already looking at you, the half-eaten poptart in his hand. 
You nodded and put down the rag in your hand. “Yeah, every morning. The flavor changes depending on what fruit I can get my hands on.” You see him nod in approval, and he sets it down on his plate as he turns his full attention to you. 
“Thank you for the cake pop. And for making my coffee so quickly every day, it really helps me out.” He appears more bashful now, almost bordering embarrassed, as his cheeks flush an almost imperceptible pink. “I know I seem pretty pressed for time most mornings.” 
You laugh at his comment, thinking back to the quiet whirlwind of his stressed aura that appears in the shop every day. “Of course, I don’t want to make you any later than you already seem to be.” You pause for a moment before speaking again, wondering if you should ask the innocent question in your mind. He seems open to conversation, and it’s not like anyone else was demanding your attention at the moment. “Where do you work anyway?” 
“Oh, I work at the Pledis building, I’m a writer there for content creation. I’m not technically late ever, but I like to get there at a certain time and I definitely overestimate the time I need to commute.” He answers sheepishly, and you smile. A writer for such a big company? Impressive. 
You spoke for a little bit longer before another rush began, learning he’d been working at Pledis for a few years now, and his friend Joshua had recommended this coffee shop to him a few months ago, but he hadn’t had the chance to come until a few weeks ago. Of course your favorite regular would have pushed him here, and little details seemed to fit into place as your small chats throughout the few hours he remained at the bar revealed more and more about each other. Around 4 pm, he left with a wave, trying his best not to distract you too much. You waved back, and with an offhanded, “See you tomorrow!”, he left the cafe, the door jingling behind him. 
_____________ 
The next morning, Wonwoo surprised you again. He came in at 8:30, standing at the register while you finished the last of the morning rush orders, you hadn’t even seen him walk in. You turned to take the order only to see a face that wasn’t supposed to be here for another 20 minutes. 
“Oh, you’re here early! I’m sorry, I haven't made your coffee yet.” Of course you hadn’t. You had timed your routine almost down to the second, and he had thrown off your entire groove. He simply smiled and shook his head. 
“It’s okay, I have some time this morning. I’ll get my usual and another poptart, it doesn't matter the flavor.” He points to the plate and pulls out some cash. “You can keep the change.” Wonwoo, without another word, moves to where he sat the day before, settling in and pulling out his phone. 
You make his coffee and warm his poptart, placing it in a to-go sleeve, placing both in front of him. “So, I finally get my routine down with you and you all of a sudden decide you want to switch it up?” You raise an eyebrow at him. 
He looks up from his phone, a small smile growing on his lips. “Figured if I got here a little earlier, I’d relieve you of the time constraint.” His smile shifts into a frown after a moment. “I’m sorry if it threw you off that bad, I didn’t-”
You wave a hand at him, shaking your head. “Don’t worry about it, I was just messing with you.” 
His body visibly relaxes as he reaches for his coffee. “Thanks, Y/N.” You couldn’t help but grin as you hear your name in his voice, and you nod and turn before he can see just how wide your smile could get. You make small talk as he finishes his coffee and pastry, asking about his work and new recipes brewing in your head for the next 20 or so minutes before he declares he is leaving to head to work. 
“This was nice, actually sitting down before work. Maybe I’ll do this more often.” He hands you his plate as you agree, placing it in the sink to deal with later. 
“Thanks for hanging out with me this morning. You’re welcome anytime, obviously.” You say your goodbyes, and with another small smile, he leaves, and you’re left thinking of the way his smile lights up his face for the rest of the day. 
_____________ 
For the next few weeks, Wonwoo arrives around 20-30 minutes early. Your new routine involves pleasant conversation as you work, and him becoming a taste tester for new recipes before they hit the pastry case. You become used to each other’s presence, and with every new interaction, he grows more and more talkative. He tells you about frustrations from work from the day before, or a movie he had just watched over the weekend. You tell him about your roommate endeavors and outings you’d gone on recently. You consider yourselves friends at this point, and it was nice to have someone like him around when the morning felt like too much to handle. 
You had offhandedly mentioned taking a few days off one day and Wonwoo encouraged rest, but through all the chaos of pushed forward deadlines at work, he had completely forgotten until he arrived at the cafe one morning to see someone completely different behind the counter. He was confused to see his usual coffee was still sitting waiting for him in its normal place with his name on it, set aside on the counter, yet he did not recognize the barista currently finishing up a latte. As he slowly stepped up to the pickup counter and grabbed his drink, the employee looked up and met his gaze. 
“Oh, you must be Wonwoo. There’s your iced americano, there’s a muffin in the bag beside it.” His demeanor was nonchalant, as he placed the other drink on the counter and called out the order. 
“Is Y/N not in today?” It was the first thing he could think of, despite the answer being obvious. 
The younger boy looked up from his work. “No, they're off all week. They left me a note saying a guy named Wonwoo would come in at 8:30 and that was your usual.” He shrugged and looked down again at his brewing espresso shots. “I guess that’s you. I’m Chan, I usually work afternoons but I’m covering for Y/N this week.” 
Wonwoo nods, still processing what he had just heard. Y/N’s gone all week? Why hadn’t they said anything? He suddenly felt stupid as he remembered a conversation from two weeks ago, where Y/N finally decided the week they would take a solo trip to Jeju to visit their grandmother: this week. “Right. Thanks, Chan.” 
Chan nods back at him and Wonwoo leaves the cafe still in a semi-daze after setting down some cash, suddenly feeling as if he was thrown off balance, an unfamiliar budding feeling of disappointment settling deep in his chest. He makes his way to work, suddenly feeling like his predictable coffee didn’t taste the same. 
The rest of his work day was surprisingly only getting worse: he had printed the wrong files, was late to a meeting he was supposed to lead, and currently Joshua was trying (and failing) to speak to him about a conference they were attending the following month as Wonwoo unintentionally tuned him out. Suddenly, he felt a light shove of his shoulder pull him out of his trance.
“Dude, what is wrong with you? Have you heard anything I said?” Joshua raised an accusatory eyebrow at his friend and coworker. Wonwoo’s eyes suddenly gained focus as he looked up to see Joshua leaning against his desk. 
“I-” he attempted to think of an excuse, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little distracted, my whole day feels thrown off.” He frowned and turned his chair toward the other man. “What were you saying?” 
Joshua’s mouth crept into an almost dangerous smirk as he took a glance at Wonwoo’s still full coffee cup, an unfamiliar handwriting scrawling his name on the top. “You didn’t see Y/N this morning.” 
Wonwoo almost choked on his own spit. “What? How- how do you know that?” 
The older boy rolled his eyes and pointed to the cup. “That’s not Y/N’s handwriting. I see them before you do most mornings, and they're not in town. They told me last week. I thought you knew.” 
“I did know, I just forgot, with everything going on at work.” Wonwoo couldn’t help but frown. Had not seeing them really thrown him off that much? “What does not seeing them have to do with anything though?” 
Joshua scoffed. “Dude, every time you come from that cafe, you walk in like you just won the lottery, and you see them every day. You like them, don’t you?” 
It was the last part that struck Wonwoo to his very core. He’d never even considered that to be an option before. Sure, Y/N was stunning, and kind, and he’d found great company in the barista, but like them? Romantically? Maybe it was more possible than he imagined. His face seemed to drop, as Joshua laughed at his rapid change in expression. 
“It’s okay if you do. They seem to make you happy. I think you should go for it.” With a grin that would rival the Cheshire cat, Joshua claps his friend on the shoulder before leaving his desk to return to his own, as Wonwoo’s brain settles on entertaining this thought that seems to bloom an unfamiliar feeling in his chest, replacing the heavy stone of disappointment from earlier. 
_____________
You were back after a relaxing few days with your grandmother, spending time in the sun and looking out on the ocean. Although the time off was needed, you couldn’t help but think about not only your cafe, but a specific regular you hadn’t seen since last week. You hoped Chan had made his usual for him as she said on the note, and you were excited to catch up with Wonwoo about the last week, and honestly, just to see him again. Spending the last few days without seeing each other triggered the realization that he was more special to you than you had initially thought, and though he may not feel the same, you were content with the friendship you had formed already. 
You opened the cafe without issue, and a sense of calm washed over you as you fell back into your routine. The morning rush felt like a breeze as you fell into a groove and before you knew it, 8:30 rolled around and the man you’d been thinking of walked through the door. He was early, as he now often was, but his anxious energy was back. He stepped up to the counter as you handed him his coffee, a fresh pop tart on a plate sliding his way as well. 
“It’s on the house today. I’m sure you missed my magic touch last week.” You joked, your smile widening. His mouth opened before it shut once more, mirroring your grin as he said a quiet thank you as he took his seat. You caught up on missed stories, with mostly you telling stories of your vacation as he sat quietly and listened as you multitasked. It wasn’t until you asked him a question and received no answer that you looked up at him from the espresso machine to see him simply staring at you. “Wonwoo?” 
You saw his eyes clear as his face rapidly turned a deep shade of red. “I’m sorry, I was listening. I just-” He paused, and your brows furrowed. 
“Are you alright?” You asked, putting down the espresso shot and giving him your full focus. 
“Do you want to, maybe, go to dinner sometime?” His eyes couldn’t meet yours at first, until suddenly the dark brown of his irises met yours and you melted at the adoration you felt behind his gaze. 
“Wonwoo, are you asking me on a date?” You couldn’t believe this was happening. You watched his cheeks redden further as he nodded and you couldn’t help the way you seemed to beam at him. “I’d like that very much. Maybe this Saturday, if you’re free?” 
You watched the anxiety leave his body in an instant as he agreed. He handed you his phone as he stood up, coffee cup and plate now empty. “Put your number in and I’ll call you?” 
You punched your contact information in and handed him the phone in exchange for his dishes, and watched as he clumsily pushed in his seat and grabbed his things. “Have a good day at work, Wonwoo. It was nice to see you.” 
“It was good to see you. I’ll call you later tonight, if that’s okay.” You nodded and if he smiled any wider, he thought his lips might start to crack. With one last goodbye, he left out the door, and his eyes didn’t leave your beautiful face through the window until he lost line of sight.
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verystrxxwberry · 6 months ago
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hi there! ok, my request might be a bit strange, but: what would the guys in moonlight lovers be like as modern young people? i mean., knowing the seven adults who are in the age range from 30 to 2380 y/o, their personalities, styles and how they relate to each other, let's change the canon. 8 university students (including MC), living together in a dorm, studying different majors.
what do they study? how do they dress? what kind of young people are they? what are their tastes? i'm intrigued by the youth version of Vladimir, Neil or Aaron in the 21st century. i ask it as headcanons, but if you are more comfortable with an OS, whatever💗!
thanks in advance
MOONLIGHT LOVERS university AU
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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: sfw, only routes (except Neil, I have a curse against him it seems…), routes living the 21st century, they’re humans, pics of the outfits, long!! ↝ 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: It’s not a strange request! I genuinely found it pretty cool and I have lots of ideas for this. I hope it is entertaining and you like it! I did it in a general way, both in University and also their normal lives in the 21st century, in headcanons.
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AARON
Before going to university, he was just a regular student who passed stuff but without being brilliant at it. That’s fine for him, he didn’t want to get straight A’s but he didn’t want to fail either. He just wanted to do what he enjoyed.
His grades on math, history and sport are effortlessly good, getting all A’s. But that’s why he likes practical stuff instead of those subjects that have a lot of theory to memorize. History is an exception for him though. He likes to learn about past times.
It's canon already that his handwriting is a mess, but not only that, his notes ARE a mess.
When he reached university, he decided to study something that allowed him to be practical and to memorize less theory. This man loves both human and animal biology. He loves animals. That’s why he was raised with a few dogs who he took care of with all the love of his life. So he decided to study in a Veterinary school to specialize to be a veterinary surgeon.
He doesn’t like seeing animals in pain, and more than once during the practices he had to leave the room because it was too much for him to see an animal in pain. 
Aaron is good with animals and has all the patience when it comes to stand the smelly and noisy environments of farm animals (because veterinary surgeons are usually the ones in charge of diagnosing and treating domestic pets, farm animals, zoo animals and horses). He also knows how to keep animals calm and expects to be attacked more than once as they are also nervous living beings.
He had to move from the camp to a dorm in the city to be near that vet school and do his 5 or 6 years of major, which he achieved to do for his passion in healing and taking care of animals.
In that dorm he got really close to Raphael and Vladimir since they two were calm and had a lot of interesting stuff to talk about with Aaron. He also got along with Ivan since he sometimes needed help with math or other subjects (also some life advice). With Beliath things got slightly different and he got a mate to go drink with after work since they worked in the same restaurant for a few months.
To pay the rent and also his own needs he got to work in several places. 
His job career started by working in a restaurant, in which he worked for a few years. The first years living in the dorm he worked with Beliath in another restaurant, as mentioned before, but he decided to change and work in an Ikea after it.
He’s a big fan of music and some mythological literature. And when he gets to see some shows on Netflix thanks to Ethan, he becomes obsessed with Blood of Zeus (same). They all pay for Netflix together, the ones who use it at least.
About music… I hc he likes imagine dragons, hozier, adele, abba and glass animals. He got some influence from Ivan and Ethan and started liking Avenged Sevenfold, even if it’s not the kind of music he’d actually listen to.
He is the taxi driver for Ivan, Raphael and Vladimir. 
He doesn’t use his phone too much, and ALWAYS has the volume on. He doesn’t know how to use social media, only twitter and only because Ivan showed him. He is a dry texter and probably uses the thumbs up emoji 98% of the time.
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He has a simple style and doesn't put much effort on it, as long as it is comfortable for him. He doesn't really like colorful stuff to wear.
BELIATH
This guy had to repeat a whole year of high school because he didn't put his effort at all. He wanted to have fun instead, making friends and going to parties, so he skipped classes to go somewhere with Ethan and other people, or maybe he was simply going through a terrible hangover. 
He is the kind of guy who is effortlessly smart but has no interest since he finds studying boring. He is too good at biology and physics though. When he repeated the year, he started getting very good grades at those two subjects because he decided to put in a little bit of effort just because Ethan motivated him. He basically got told “if you don't get a job of something you do enjoy, you will be enslaved in a restaurant and will suffer.”
Every challenge for him is accepted. So he will search for a restaurant or bar to work in to challenge himself. He would meet Aaron there and after it go to get some beers after their night switch.
He worked in a nightclub but got kicked after flirting with his customers. Sigh…
His grades were mainly Bs but he got As on biology thanks to his big knowledge<3.
He got stressed when he had to pick a career and didn’t really have it sure, he just decided to study something related to biology and did deep research to see what was more amusing for him. So he decided to pick simply biology, and then end up working as a pharmacologist, which seemed interesting and not so hard for him.
Still, he did not finish the major because he got tired of the same routine. Then he dropped but begged Vladimir to stay in the dorm now that he found a little family to live with.
He knew Ethan from the same work and thanks to Aaron they both could get into the dorm due to the need of being somewhere close to the universities where they did study.
Beliath loves to travel a lot and whenever he has a holiday, he goes on spontaneous trips to other cities or countries. He definitely has been to Spain, Poland, Finland, Italy, Norway and Germany. He aims to travel further and visit other continents as well. He would love to go to Canada and Australia.
He is a big Lady Gaga fan and has gone to concerts of her. His insta stories were a big evidence of how he yelled and vibed to it. Next day he had no voice.
He also likes Britney Spears, Bad Omens, Melanie Martinez, Michael Bublé, Childish Gambino, Ricky Martin…
He is always calling for taxis, and definitely late to everywhere he has to go.
He is pretty obsessed with his phone to send tiktoks and shit to Ethan. His messages are good to understand, he uses the typical :) and :P, uses lol and lmao a lot and definitely answers to stuff with memes… cringe memes… Ivan teases him for that…
Has a very well organized spotify for each mood of his day. And he has NO shame in putting up nasty ahh songs every time he showers and sing them out loud.
He posts suggestive pics on twitter… yet his instagram is very friendly. He still receives flirty messages from people because he is always handsome in his pics. He posts the worst pics he has of Ethan too though.
He probably has an onlyfans.
Big eurovision fan.
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Casual yet formal and attractive.
VLADIMIR
He had to put effort on classes no matter what since his family was pretty strict with that topic. Still, he developed the habit of using his free time to study something so he didn’t forget the topics and he was able to understand the lesson better. He even went to a language academy thanks to his parents, where he discovered a big passion for learning languages. He started with French and then learnt Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, German, Italian… and he definitely knows a little bit of Russian and Arabic.
The subjects he enjoyed the most were English literature, history and language. He got all As except in sport, since he has had a weak physical condition since young.
Deep inside he never wanted to focus all his time on studying, yet he obeyed his parents. He didn’t plan on going to college and he was forced to get into a computer science major since it is the most advantageous university major. But he did NOT like it at all.
Even if in this AU he has grown in the technology century, he still does not like it at all, even if he owns a phone. He owns it, but never uses it. 
Even though he comes from a rich family, he decided to produce his money from a very young age with the idea of being independent sooner. He worked as a dog walker, as a teacher for younger kids that needed help with school, as someone to take care of the gardens of his neighbours… And thanks to this last job, he found out how much peace he got from being surrounded by flowers.
As soon as he turned 18, he moved into a dorm and searched for more roommates so the rent was cheaper and he didn’t have to explode himself that much. That’s how he met the other guys.
He didn’t finish the computer science major, he didn’t want it at all. He changed then into a horticultural science degree which he enjoyed the most and really had him in a good mood instead of studying something he didn’t like at all. During the years of the degree he achieved to open a flower shop in the city! 
It was notorious the amount of effort and excitement he put into his small business, which helped him for the economy. His flower shop is really well organized by types of flowers and their colors, then he has a section for medicinal and legal herbs, and a section of tools for gardening. He also made a catalogue for those spiritual people who believe in the meanings of each flower (and he explained it truly well in there). 
After the major, he went to a small course of herbs and then, once he was bored of not doing anything, he decided to do a major in a literature major, which he also truly enjoyed.
He has gone on small trips with Beliath… and not because he was going to enjoy the company of Beliath, but because he wanted to see the world.
Aaron, Raphael and him traveled to Egypt and enjoyed it a lot. Vladimir received a lot of calls from Ivan because Ethan and Beliath were making chaos in the dorm… He made video calls with Ivan to explain what they did on the day, just like a father-son relationship.
He has a blog where he writes his own self, expressing himself through writing. With this I mean that he posts poems and short narrative stories. He is planning to write a book :). But he also does book and movie reviews! Because he only likes seeing movies whenever Ethan, Aaron or Ivan are going to (as long as it isn’t terror). 
He has his own garden in the dorm and had to argue Ethan a lot to avoid getting weed plants in his PRECIOUS garden.
He likes classical music and jazz, not rock or noisy stuff. He likes Mitski, Amy Winehouse, some songs of beabadoobee and not much from the actual era. He prefers classical playlists that can be easily found on youtube…
Whenever he texts someone, it seems more like a letter from the 15th century than a casual message.
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He keeps his style as formal as he can, no matter the context. He doesn't even care if his dressing code seems old for the century, he likes it and that's what matters.
RAPHAEL
As he grew up, he wasn’t a blind kid, so he had the chance to see the world around him and find out his passion for art. He is a person that truly does admire the effort of artists, writers and musicians. So even if everything in school went well for him, literature and art subjects always went good for him due to the extra passion he placed on it.
He begged his parents to get classic books to read and some of them mainly focused on art, finding a true devotion for art history.
He was a big fan of Raffaello Sanzio, getting some of his paintings in his bedroom such as The School of Athens. He also got some paintings to decorate the walls of his bedroom such as The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, Mystic Nativity by Botticelli…
He really wanted to study art history and be able to teach people about historical paintings. Not only that but he went to an academy to learn deeply about the methods to paint on canvas, since he also liked that kind of stuff. He sold his own paintings for not much money, but simply to get something. He even did some commissions to people around him that needed it.
Raphael has an old twitter account where he posted his art and offered commissions to others.
since in this AU vampires aren’t seen, I’m gonna change a little bit of his canon history. In this AU, the way Raphael got blind was due to a car accident on a trip with his friends, where Margarita was human and she unluckily died. 
He went to university late since he decided to first recover from the emotional shock and the depression he got sinked in. After it he decided to learn braille, and luckily he didn’t find it so hard, so he needed only weeks to be able to read, even if it was at a slow pace. He devoured braille books thanks to this, so it was a plus that he got to finish some books he had on his list since long ago.
He wanted to do something with his life that wasn’t simply reading in braille and being careful whenever he went outside to not get hurt. 
If he couldn’t see and analyze more paintings, thing that saddened him, he could rely on the musician side of him. He decided to focus on his musician side and improve his skills, now that his hearing would be the most developed sense in his body after touch.
He decided to get into a major in music theory and composition, where he was able to express himself thanks to music.
Thanks to Ivan he was able to find out about audiobooks, so whenever he decided to lie down and rest, he heard an audiobook of any book Vladimir told him about. He also listens to podcasts and some of them about philosophy, which he finds truly interesting.
He likes soft music such as jazz, something that is calm and it isn’t too loud for him.
Every time he goes out with Aaron and Vladimir, he takes a grip in any of their arms to not get lost. Then they three go to drink a coffee and talk about some stuff related to their lives.
He is the therapist friend… If you want a school motivation speech, he knows how to give it properly. He is good at teaching other people, listening to them and advice them.
To pay the rent he luckily got to work in a library, which he loved as it was almost always quiet. But years later he got to do his own compositions and thanks to Ivan, post them on some platforms to get money from his effort!
Vladimir would hire him in his shop :3
We know he is a sweetheart, so he gets along with everyone in the dorm, adapting to their likes. Whenever Ethan watches crime documentaries, he listens to it with all the attention.
He owns a phone but doesn’t use it, only to answer the calls of others.
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When Vladimir or Beliath go to buy some clothes, he always asks them to pick something nice yet comfortable for him to wear in home. He definitely has the cutest style of all of them.
ETHAN
He is a regular student with regular grades who barely puts effort on it but never fails. He is the clown classmate, and many people can’t stand him, but he is smart. During class he puts attention only on those stuff he finds interesting, which is biology and maths. He dislikes history but is really good at it.
He skipped some classes to go smoke something with his group of friends or to go gossip somewhere with Beliath.
He put effort the last year before university just because he started finding interest in being a doctor thanks to some shows he watched on Netflix. So he was pretty clear on choosing a major in medicine.
And he achieved it! He surprisingly put a lot of effort on it because he wanted to take good advantage of those years. But that doesn’t stop him from going to a party and having an exam the next day…
Still, he was passionate about the idea of being a doctor, so he tried pulling for jobs in hospitals mainly. The first years there was no response, but later he managed to get into a hospital as a clinical radiologist. He often took pics of some broken bones of his patients and sent them to Ivan or Beliath… (ivan is traumatized)
He goes to parties with a black eyeliner which makes him fucking gothic n handsome because he loves it. He isn’t an edgy like Ivan, he is just a low level of punk. He loves to wear rings and a unique dressing code.
He has a spotify playlist with anime openings which he vibes to. And it is thanks to Ivan actually.
Ethan worked as a delivery man for certain companies before being a clinical radiologist, as he knows how to drive a motorcycle. 
Definitely dyed his hair several times.
Loves to take the guys to Finland so they can go skiing whenever they are bored. He loves adrenaline and those adventures which makes him feel it constantly.
He absolutely adores crime documentaries and terror movies. 
He has a few tattoos around his body, and some of them were even made when he went to some parties. He won’t have many tattoos that actually mean something to him.
During his free time he plays some of the games he has on steam, and you can also tell that the soundtrack of any game or movie he likes, will be on his playlist. He has a small library on steam and the games which have more hours are definitely risk of rain 2, terraria and devil may cry. Even though he plays lethal company with Ivan and other friends. He simply pays for those games he knows he will like.
Loves slipknot, glass animals, the neighbourhood, onerepublic… and basically anything that has him humming the melody afterwards.
His twitter is filled with memes and definitely things that will get him into a cancellation thread… he has to learn to shut the fuck up more often.
His instagram is made in revenge to Beliath, where he posts the worst pics of him. He has no fear in posting funny videos with Ivan, Aaron, Beliath and other friends. Even though he got scolded by Vladimir when he heard that Ethan posted a video of Vladimir talking to his roses in the garden and writing on a corner “he’s becoming psychotic”.
Probably opens a youtube channel to post vlogs, paranormal videos in which he goes to explore random places, tasting weird food…
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IVAN
He is the kind of student who sometimes puts his effort but unluckily doesn’t get the grade he expected. He isn’t the best student, but he isn’t the worst. He hates the idea of needing the help of others to understand some subjects, but at the end he feels like he doesn’t know anything after studying almost all the noon. 
He was mostly late to class and that was because of Loic and him going to parties as teens (Constance joined most of times, yeah…), so he had hangover most of the times. Luckily that only was his teen years until he met Ethan near his campus and got a new friend group. Even if Ethan dragged him to parties, it was a way more healthy than with Loic and Constance.
His best grades were mainly on language and technology, maths and other shit were much lower than he ever expected. Still, he decided to do something he was more excited about: studying a major in computer science.
Even though the first months he found it difficult to be organized and did see it as a must, he learnt to like what he was doing and he became really passionate about the practical part.
It was currently something interesting for him as he was in constant touch with computers, a thing that he truly enjoyed.
He worked in a McDonald’s to pay the rent, and thanks to his knowledge through the years on the major, he was able to work in one of those stores where you can fix your computer and stuff. He enjoys it and he knows how to set up a computer piece by piece.
Edgy and freaky tastes in music huh. He goes from my chemical romance, slipknot, deftones, mindless self indulgence to The living tombstone, some k-pop groups (I need to make someone like aespa in here, but he also is an og EXO fan), and game soundtracks…
His steam acc is definitely filled with games, and some of them haven’t been touched yet. He spent all of his credit card in most parts of the games… (He is proud even if Vladimir and Aaron aren’t)
He is also an emo with his dressing code. 2010 emo vibes but modern at the same time… Vladimir has to scold him every now and then so he can wear something decent and regular to go to public spaces, but he doesn't actually have formal clothes actually… only the job ones..
He is a big jojo fan. He made Ethan and forced Aaron to watch jjba. He is always talking about jojo references and everyone around him see him as a weirdo -he is-
Bro is obsessed with brawl stars.
His twitter is filled with literally shitpost, just as his instagram. 
He and Ethan decided to share the youtube channel so both of them had the chance to do their craziness ft. Beliath around there. 
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✰; remember to reblog and like to support my content, I hope you enjoyed it!
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luvangelbreak · 11 months ago
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Deprived | Five
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 matthew sturniolo x layla venita (female!oc) summary: everyone knows the story of the bad boy and the good girl but what happens when the school's most popular boy, Matthew Sturniolo, and the girl who notoriously is never there, Layla Venita, cross paths. warnings: swearing, smoking (cigarettes), mentions of drugs (weed) word count: 3.3k a/n: the italics are a flashback to allie and layla in their gym class btw! love you guys <3
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pov: layla
I decided to stay home from school for the rest of the week, I just didn't have the energy to endure the looks people would give me. The whispering during my last two subjects after Matt and I came back at lunch was already too much and it was worse in gym when Allie stuck to her word and paired up with me.
She seemed nice, much nicer than Mia was to me. She talked my ear off the whole lesson but I didn't mind because then I didn't have to talk.
"Don't worry about Mia, by the way. She can be really bitchy at times but she just doesn't like change. I promise she is usually a lot nicer," Allie rambled as we walked around the gym as a warm-up, "It was kinda funny though. No one ever really stands up to her when she gets bitchy because everyone's scared that her dad will arrest them."
Oh, I've met her dad.
"Matt also stood up for you after you left. I trust Matt's opinion on people, he's kinda my scapegoat when it comes to talking to people. I told him to start talking to you like three weeks ago so I could ask you to hang out. I just get nervous talking to people I don't know sometimes."
You don't seem nervous now, motor mouth.
"Sorry if I'm rambling a lot. I'm just really glad you decided to pair up with me because I've been paired with Mia for like the past 2 years. It's nice to have a new friend. It's not like I don't like my friends but Mia is my only girl friend and the guys are such guys sometimes it drives me mad. You get your nails done?"
I shook my head no before she continued, "We should go get our nails done sometime. My shout of course, I'm not gonna force you to get your nails done as well as make you pay."
She was a ray of sunshine and I was sure people were confused as someone as sweet as her was talking to someone like me who looked like they had a constant rain cloud over their head. I found myself amused by her rambling and I decided that it wouldn't be the worst thing to talk to her every now and then.
I spent the rest of my week smoking weed when my father wasn't home and drawing on the last few pages of my sketchbook. The time passed quickly considering I slept for most of the days. Suddenly it was Friday afternoon and I heard a knock at my front door.
I paused my music, frowning when I looked at the clock to see it was 3:30. It was far too early for my dad to be home so I grabbed the metal bat that was lying on the bottom of my underwear drawer, sneaking towards the door silently. Another round of light knocks were placed on the door and I crept up to it before looking through the peephole.
My tense shoulders slumped as I looked at two people with the same face and their familiar brown hair. I unlocked the deadbolt on the door as well as the regular lock before I swung the door open.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning my left hand on the handle of the bat now that the other end was placed on the floor.
"Hi to you too," Chris mumbled as he looked side to side, clearly tense to be in South End as Matt smiled at me.
"I figured you would forget about the game. Decided to come earlier in case you were ready which..." he looked down at my outfit which was my small sleep shorts and an old ratty t-shirt, "I don't think you are?"
"You didn't say it was this Friday!" I frowned and Chris looked down at the bat I was leaning on before shaking his head.
"Good thing I came early then," Matt smirked at me and I chewed at my lip. I tapped the bat on the ground as I thought making Chris look at me again.
"Calm down. I'm not gonna use it on you," I deadpanned to Chris and he just shrugged, looking back out at the street. I felt a nervousness in my chest because they were at my house but I knew if they stayed on the porch or in their car, someone would try something. So I reluctantly said, "Come in."
"We can wait in the ca-"
I cut off Matt quickly, "Get inside now." They looked at each other in surprise before shuffling past me and I closed the door behind them before saying, "Do you have anything valuable in your car? Phone, wallet, laptop?"
They both shook their heads and I locked both of the locks on the door before I spun around to face them again.
"Why?" Chris asked and I tilted my head, giving him an unimpressed look.
"I'll just say you're lucky you drive a fucking soccer mom car or it would be broken into within 15 minutes," I answered blandly and they seemed somewhat shocked but didn't talk, "Come on."
I walked down the hall towards my room, slipping inside and they followed shortly behind me.
"We could've waited on the couch," Matt said as I closed the door of my bedroom and raised my eyebrows.
"If my dad came home and you were sitting on the couch, say goodbye to hockey for the rest of your life," I replied dryly and he pursed his lips, "If he comes home, you will just have to go out my window and jump the fence around the side of the house."
"You don't know when he's coming home?" Chris asked as he leaned against the wall beside my mattress and I shook my head. I was suddenly very conscious that I had the two most loved boys in our school standing in my dirty bedroom. I looked around my room, realising that I looked like I lived in a trap house with my mattress on the floor, empty beer bottles in the corner of my room with cigarettes stuck in them and clothes all over the floor.
"Sorry about the mess. No one ever comes over," I mumbled as I moved a couple clothes off of my mattress, "Sit wherever. Just don't look over here because I'm gonna get changed."
I travelled to the corner of my room where my chest of drawers sat and I saw them both turn to face away from me quickly. After placing the bat beside the drawers, I pulled out black baggy jeans, took off my shorts quickly and slid them on. I then took off my old T-shirt and slid on a baby blue hoodie. I didn't bother putting on a shirt since it would be cold at the game and I wouldn't have to take my hoodie off at any point.
"I'm dressed," I let them know as I grabbed my boots off of the floor, sitting down next to my dresser so I could slide them on easily. I looked up to see both of them sitting on my mattress, looking around my room. Their expressions were unreadable as they looked around my room.
"I like your posters," Chris spoke up and I looked to the wall above my mattress where my Bob Marley, Frank Ocean and Kurt Cobain posters were hung.
"Thanks," I answered, a half-hearted smile being sent his way which he reciprocated, "When do we have to leave by?"
"Four," Matt answered and I nodded, checking the time to see it was 3:40. I hopped off of the floor, walked over to my desk and sat down on the old desk chair.
I scribbled some eyeliner on my eyes before smudging it with my finger and then putting mascara on. I grabbed my lip balm, placing it on my lips before I ran a hand through my curly hair. I grabbed the white beanie that was thrown onto the floor, sliding it onto my head. I jumped up from the seat, grabbed my leather jacket that was hanging over the back of the chair and slid it on.
"Do I need to bring anything?" I asked, having no clue what else to bring to a hockey game.
"Just your team spirit," Chris cheered sarcastically and I tilted my head with an amused look on my face.
"I'm not a cheerleader for a reason," I answered and he shrugged, a small smile on his lips.
"Doesn't mean you shouldn't cheer when we win," he retorted and I nodded in agreement.
"I'm good as long as I'm not expected to start screaming 'Go Bats go!' like an idiot," I did a small jump when I said the slogan that I heard all the cheerleaders say proudly and Matt laughed in response as Chris shook his head with a smile.
"You wanna get food on the way?" Matt asked and I shook my head in response.
"I'm good, I just ate," I explained and he nodded, quickly checking his phone.
"We should probably go," he said, turning his phone to me to see that it was 3:55. I couldn't believe another 15 minutes had passed so quickly but I nodded. Making sure I had my phone, cigarettes, lighter and keys in my pocket, I swung the bedroom door open as Matt and Chris followed behind me. I unlocked the front door swinging it open and motioning for Chris and Matt to go outside.
They walked past me and walked to their car as I turned around to lock the door with my keys. After triple-checking the door, I wandered down the driveway to the minivan. I noticed that Matt was always the one to drive and Chris was seated in the passenger seat, phone already plugged into the aux.
I slid the back door open, jumping inside before I closed the door behind me. As I buckled myself in, Matt started the car and Chris played a song by Lil Skies.
"We good?" Matt asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror and I nodded before he spun around to look at me, "I didn't even have to remind you about your seatbelt, so proud."
"Start driving before I change my mind and go back to the comfort of my bed," I smiled slightly and he beamed back at me before he spun around and we took off down the street.
Within 5 minutes, we were in the parking lot and Chris was wriggling his body along to the beat of the next Lil Skies song. I could take a wild guess as to who his favourite artist is.
Matt turned the music down, earning a glare from Chris but he turned around to look at me ignoring his brother for a moment, "You waiting in the car or coming in?"
"I'm gonna have a smoke first then I'll come in," I explained and he nodded before turning off the car.
"You head in. I'll be there in a sec," Matt told Chris who was clicking away on his phone. With a nod, he jumped out of the car and walked around to the back of the car.
"You want me to take your shit inside?" Chris called from the trunk as I turned around to see Chris lugging his huge duffle bag full of hockey shit.
"Nah I got it," Matt called back to him and Chris raised his eyebrows as he leaned into the trunk again.
"Don't start fuckin in the car or I swear to god," he deadpanned before slamming the trunk closed and I saw him start walking towards the building.
"Sorry about him," Matt mumbled apologetically and I shrugged as I turned to face him.
"It's fine. Wouldn't expect anything less," I told him with an amused smirk making him shake his head, a smile creeping onto his lips, "Are you gonna go inside?"
"I'll wait for you to finish and then I'll show you where to sit inside," he explained and I nodded before hopping out of the car. I closed the door behind me before leaning against the car, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between my lips before lighting it. I heard Matt's door open and close before he rounded the car to get to the trunk.
As I began smoking my cigarette, a car pulled into the space next to Matt's and a few moments passed before Nate and Allie appeared out of the car.
"Hey! Matt told me you were coming," Allie beamed at me and I observed her outfit, feeling strange to see her out of her usual cheer or gym attire. Instead, she had blue jeans, a black puffer jacket with a blue beanie on and black and white vans.
"He failed to mention the game was this Friday," I told her and she rolled her eyes as Nate waved at me. I sent him a wave back with the hand that held my cigarette before I took another puff.
"Is Nick coming?" Nate asked and Matt appeared beside me, duffle bag over his shoulder.
"Nah. He said something about doing homework tonight. Chris is already inside," Matt explained with a shrug as Nate rounded the back of his car and popped the trunk open, grabbing a duffle bag of his own hockey gear.
"You coming in?" Allie asked me and I held the cigarette up.
"When I finish this," I told her, a smile tugging at my lips at her beaming personality.
"See you guys in there!" Nate called as he started walking towards the building with Allie following behind him.
"Is Miss Cheer herself coming?" I asked Matt once Allie and Nate were out of earshot and he shrugged, moving to stand in front of me as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder.
"No clue. She usually shows up late if she comes though," he told me honestly and I nodded, noticing my cigarette almost being done. I quickly finished it before dropping it onto the ground and squishing it underneath my foot. I went to push away from the car but Matt stopped me by saying, "Hold up."
"What?" I asked, confusion written on my face. He held his hand up before he dropped his duffle bag to the ground and squatted down to rummage through one of the smaller pockets.
He pulled out a small pot of black face paint and a brush before standing back up, "Move your hair."
"What are you doing?" I squinted at him as he opened the pot of black face paint and he smiled at me.
"Just trust me," he shrugged and I squinted my eyes at him for a moment before I tucked my hair behind my ears. I tilted my head back as I peered up at him and he dipped the brush into the pot before he started painting my right cheek.
"If you're drawing a dick on my face I'll kill you with my bare hands, Matthew," I mumbled, trying not to move my mouth much as his tongue poked out between his lips in concentration.
"If I was gonna do that..." he trailed off before leaning back with a smile, "I'd use a sharpie."
"What did you do?" I asked and he just shrugged as he closed the pot again, sliding it back into his bag before swinging it over his shoulder again. I slipped my phone out of my pocket, opening the front camera to see he had painted the number 81 on my cheek, "What does this mean?"
"You'll see," he shrugged with a smirk and I frowned as he started to walk backwards before he tilted his head towards the building, "Come on. I gotta warm up."
I pushed away from the car, trailing behind him as we walked towards the entrance. He swung the door open, standing behind it as he let me walk in first. We walked through the front area, some of his teammates being gathered around to grab snacks or energy drinks.
"Matty B!" one of the guys called who I recognised as Daniel and he jogged over to us as Matt paused, dapping him up quickly, "Who's this?"
"Layla, Daniel. Daniel, Layla," Matt introduced us and I just nodded at Daniel, not surprised that he didn't know my name.
"No Mia?" he asked Matt and Matt just shrugged in response.
"She's being weird. I don't know dude," Matt answered before he looked towards the rest of their team, "You guys gotta hurry up. We have 45 to warm up."
"Sir, yes, sir," Daniel sent Matt a salute before he started walking backwards and looked at me, "Nice to meet you, princess."
I sent him another nod before Matt started walking towards the doors of the rink, "Ignore Dan. He'll try to fuck anything with legs."
"Don't worry, Captain. I don't do goalies," I smirked and he chuckled in response, holding the door open to the rink for me to enter first again. I walked in, the cold air hitting my cheeks making me shiver.
"Layla!" I heard Allie's chirpy voice call out from the bleachers and I looked to my left to see her sitting front and centre, I sent her a small wave as I started to walk over to her with Matt following behind me.
"I gotta go get ready but are you good to sit with Allie?" Matt asked me and I turned my head to look at him now that he was on my right and I nodded.
"Yeah. Go make sure your hair is nice before you play," I joked as he rolled his eyes, pushing my shoulder slightly before spinning around to walk backwards while I paused at the steps that led up to where Allie was seated, "Break a leg, pretty boy."
"Thanks, pretty girl," he smirked at me and I bit my lip to hide my smile as he spun back around and walked into the locker room at the end of the rink. I shook my head to get rid of my smile as I walked up a few steps before sitting down next to Allie.
She smirked at me and I gave her a confused expression, "What?"
"Nothing," she hummed, her smirk turning into a smile as she looked out onto the ice. She pulled a packet of Sour Patch Kids out from her small handbag that I hadn't even noticed before she pulled open the packet, "You want one?"
"Sure," I shrugged, picking out a couple before throwing them into my mouth and her actions followed mine.
"So you and Matt..." she trailed off and I looked back at her as she smiled at me.
"Me and Matt?" I questioned, waiting for her to continue.
"You guys are cute," she shrugged, a genuine joy spread across her face and I let my mouth fall open.
"Uh... I don't even know if we're friends let alone anything else," I told her honestly and she rolled her eyes playfully before she hummed.
"Matt doesn't talk to just anyone. If he's asking you to come to his games clearly he wants you around," she told me as if it were obvious and I shrugged as I chewed on my lip. A few players from the other team skated onto the ice with their full gear, doing laps around the ice lazily.
"I don't think Chris and Nick like me though. His brothers' opinions probably mean a lot to him," I answered, looking at the players skating in circles. A couple players from Matt's team slid onto the ice as they started doing the same as the opposition.
"Chris is just focused on other shit. Nick tends to stick to himself a lot so just give them both time," she tried to reassure me and I looked back to her before she continued, "Besides, I like you so they're not getting rid of you that easily while I'm around."
"What about Mia?" I asked, genuinely curious as to how heavily Mia's opinion influenced her friends.
Allie sighed as she looked out at the rink, "Mia will figure it out. I don't know why she's being so weird about it. I think it's because she's protective over us."
"Matt's the one that came to me. I don't know why she was acting like I'm tryna break up your entire friend group," I mumbled as I looked out onto the ice to see a couple more players.
Only then did I realise that number 81 with a small C on the chest of his blue and white jersey was skating around the rink and it was none other than Matthew Sturniolo.
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selfhelpforstudents · 4 months ago
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Mastering Time Management: Tips to Get Your Life Organized ❤️
Time management is like a superpower that everyone wishes they had, but it’s not as mysterious as it seems. With the right strategies, you can manage your time effectively, reduce stress, and make more room for the things you love. Whether you’re juggling school, work, or just trying to stay on top of life’s endless to-do list, these tips will help you get organized and stay productive. Let’s dive in!
1. Set Clear Priorities
Before you can manage your time, you need to know what’s most important. Take a few minutes to list out your top priorities—whether it’s work, school, personal projects, or self-care. Once you’ve identified these, it becomes easier to focus your energy on what really matters. Remember, not everything on your to-do list is urgent, so learn to prioritize and tackle the most important tasks first.
2. Break Tasks Down
Big tasks can feel overwhelming, leading to procrastination. The key is to break them down into smaller, manageable steps. For example, instead of writing “study for exams” on your list, break it down into “review Chapter 1,” “practice problems,” and “summarize notes.” Smaller tasks are easier to start and complete, and they give you a sense of progress.
3. Use a Planner or Digital Calendar
Whether you’re old-school with a paper planner or prefer digital tools like Google Calendar, having a place to organize your tasks and schedule is essential. Block out time for everything—work, study, exercise, and even relaxation. This visual layout helps you see how your time is being spent and makes it easier to stay on track.
4. Time Blocking
Time blocking is a powerful technique that involves dedicating specific chunks of time to different tasks or activities. For instance, you might block out 9-11 AM for deep work or studying, 11-12 PM for meetings, and so on. This method helps you stay focused and ensures that each important task gets the time it deserves. Plus, it’s a great way to avoid multitasking, which can actually reduce productivity.
5. The Pomodoro Technique
If you struggle with concentration, the Pomodoro Technique can be a game-changer. Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four rounds, take a longer break (15-30 minutes). This method not only keeps you focused but also helps prevent burnout by giving you regular breaks to recharge.
6. Learn to Say No
This one’s tough, but essential. It’s easy to overcommit and end up with more tasks than you can handle. Learning to say no—politely but firmly—can free up your time for the things that truly matter. Remember, it’s better to do a few things well than to spread yourself too thin.
7. Eliminate Distractions
Distractions are the enemy of productivity. Whether it’s your phone, social media, or noisy environments, identify what pulls you away from your work and find ways to minimize it. Use apps like Focus@Will or website blockers like Freedom to help you stay in the zone.
8. Batch Similar Tasks Together
Grouping similar tasks together—like answering emails, making phone calls, or running errands—can save you a lot of time. This technique, known as task batching, reduces the mental energy required to switch between different types of tasks and helps you complete them more efficiently.
9. Set Deadlines (Even for Small Tasks)
Even if a task isn’t urgent, setting a deadline can give you that extra push to get it done. Deadlines create a sense of urgency, which can help you stay focused and avoid procrastination. Make sure your deadlines are realistic, and don’t forget to reward yourself when you meet them!
10. Review and Reflect Regularly
At the end of each week, take some time to review what you’ve accomplished and what still needs to be done. Reflect on what worked well and where you could improve. This regular check-in helps you stay on top of your tasks and adjust your approach as needed.
11. Prioritize Self-Care
Time management isn’t just about work—taking care of yourself is equally important. Make sure you’re scheduling time for sleep, exercise, and relaxation. When you’re well-rested and healthy, you’ll be more productive and better equipped to handle whatever comes your way.
12. Use the Two-Minute Rule
If a task can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately. This rule, popularized by David Allen in Getting Things Done, helps prevent small tasks from piling up and overwhelming you. It’s a simple but effective way to keep your to-do list under control.
13. Be Kind to Yourself
Lastly, remember that no one’s perfect. There will be days when things don’t go according to plan, and that’s okay. Instead of getting frustrated, practice self-compassion. Learn from any setbacks and keep moving forward. Time management is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice.
Final Thoughts
Time management doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. With the right tools and mindset, you can take control of your schedule and make more room for the things you love. Start by setting clear priorities, breaking tasks down, and using techniques like time blocking and the Pomodoro Technique to stay focused. And don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way—you’ll be amazed at how much more productive and motivated you’ll feel when you’re in a good place mentally and physically. You’ve got this! ❤️
Love,
Sophia
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blueepink07 · 1 year ago
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I decided to look at the calendars and the timetable in Muu's MVs and I think I found some interesting things!
Taking in chronological order, the first calendar should be this one, which has the cherry blossoms. In Japan, usually, the flowering cherry trees come into full bloom around the beginning of April. It is the month when the new year of school starts for students.
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So it seems that the friend group started the bullying, since the beginning of the school year, Rei's clothes being wet and her items being splattered on the floor. (the calendar in this scene also shows the cherry blossoms)
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Remember this is the moment when Rei decides to turn "upside down" Muu's reputation at school, when she considers that enough is enough.
So then it raises the question... How much time Muu was bullied at school?
Well to find out we have again to look at the calendar.
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This one should be a month from autumn, more exactly early September.
To understand better my line of thoughts, I will explain how did I reached this conclusion!
Beginning with the timetable!
Considering that the murder takes place during sunset, I thought that it was important to find when Muu finishes her classes.
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"In a typical high school in Japan, teachers gather each morning at 8:30 a.m. for a brief meeting. Students meet at 8:35 a.m. for a 5-minute homeroom period. Regular classes begin at 8:45 a.m. and there are four 50-minute classes before lunch. High school students eat in their homeroom. "
With this information, I figured out that the empty space between hours is for lunch, because there are already four classes before it.
"Two afternoon periods are followed by school clean-up and a 5-minute homeroom meeting, after which students are dismissed at 3:30 p.m."
Muu has, after lunch, one or two afternoon periods.
Also, interesting she also has four classes on Saturday, something that is pretty common in Japan. "On Saturday the day ends after four periods, at 1 p.m."
Getting back to the topic, the classes usually end at 3:30 pm or 4 pm most of the time. However, it's pretty clear that it's not the hour when Rei goes home and the murder happens. Not only the sunset will not start so early, but also Muu's phone gives us a hint of the time.
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But why are they at such a late hour at school, if the classes should end at around 3:30 pm? Simple, club activities after classes, at which most students in Japan attend to!
"Club activities are held after school and run until 5 or 6 p.m. One hour per week is devoted to mandatory club activity. Other club activity is voluntary."
They last around 2 hours, so, if we take into consideration Muu's timetable, the clubs should end at around 5:30 - 6 pm. (might depend on the club)
Now, I want to point out this specific interrogation question:
"What kind of kid where you?"
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The past tense it's very interesting to me: "I did many extracurricular activities". Yes, it might refer to her younger self, but, considering that, even in high school, clubs are heavily encouraged in Japan, it's rather odd that she doesn't say that she still attends them.
That's because, in reality, she probably stopped going to those once she started to be bullied, which explains why she is the only one in the classroom, waiting for the club activities to be finished, so she can go home.
"School club activities, commonly known as “bukatsu” in Japan, play a significant role in the lives of students. These extracurricular activities are an integral part of the Japanese school experience, providing a platform for personal growth, skill development, and fostering a sense of community."
Club activities are a good way to spend your time with your friends, while doing something that you like. Because Muu started to be bullied, she had no reason to attend to these anymore. Not only she would spend her time alone, but also risk being picked on again, preferring to stay in the classroom.
With the idea that the clubs from Muu's school should end around 5:30 pm, we can decide the month based on when the sun fully sets.
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I will admit that it took me a while to notice the yellow dots, which should resemble the leaves, so, because of the warm colours, I thought that the calendar showed July. Not August, because, in most schools in Japan, there is a summer vacation which starts from July 20 to August 31.
However, considering that Muu lives in Minato Ward, Tokyo, as seen in this post, the sun should fully set at around 7 pm, during July. Which doesn't really makes sense, because Rei should be outside of school, after club activities and some time spent preparing her herself to go, at around 5:40 - 5:45 pm, when there is not a sunset.
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What made me, at first, not consider autumn as an option, where the green leaves from this scenery. So I researched a little and found put that in Tokyo, the leaves don't start to fall until late November.
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Which left me with two options: September and October.
October was easily out of the question, because, in the first day of October the sun fully sets at 5:26 pm, which is too early.
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Which leaves us with September, when the sun sets at around 6 pm. Taking into account the minutes before Muu reaches Rei in that day, I think it's safe to assume that early September, should be the time when the murder took place.
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I hope I gave a good explanation and found some interesting things about Muu! Thank you for reading!
Sources if anyone is interested!
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birdofmay · 2 years ago
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30 Days of Autism Acceptance 2023
Hello, apparently I act as a substitute teacher this autism acceptance month 😄 @autie-j is busy, so my therapist and I spontaneously thought of 30 questions for 2023 - to be "published" before 1 April 2023 starts in the timezone UTC+14. Which... wasn't much time. If you see this, we made it! 😎
Rules:
Copy and paste the question you want to answer into an own post - this means don't answer via reblog!
You can answer as many or as few as you like. No force, for real.
Tag your post as #30daysofautismacceptance and #2023
1 April: The typical introduction question! Tell us something about yourself. If you can't think of anything, try these: What do you enjoy to do in your free time? What music or series/show do you like? Are you happy with your current living situation/the people you live with? What's one of your favourite foods?
2 April: When were you diagnosed and when did you know that you're autistic? If you're self-diagnosed, when did you first suspect that you're autistic and when were you sure?
3 April: How good or bad is your memory for things people say? For example verbal instructions. If you're deaf: Can you lip read? Do you think your autism influences your ability to lip read?
4 April: Were/are you in special education? Regular school? Home schooled? A private school? Did it change over time? Did/do you like it?
5 April: Did/do you have accommodations at school/IEP? If not, do you think it would help/have helped you?
6 April: Can you understand what people say when they talk fast, or do you lose track after a while? Was it different when you were younger? Additional question if your hearing is aided: If your hearing is aided, does that trigger sensory overloads sometimes?
7 April: Do you have other diagnoses? What are they? Do you think that some could be incorrect?
8 April: Do you struggle to read long texts or are you one of those people who can read everything with ease (Braille counts too of course)? If you're blind, do you struggle to pay attention when a screen reader reads a long text, or is it ok?
9 April: Did an interest ever turn into an "obsession" for you? If not, do you regularly experience hyperfocus when you engage in your special interest? If nothing applies, tell us about your longest interest, no matter if it's a special interest or not!
10 April: Can you understand speech when there is background noise? If you're deaf: Could you understand speech when you were younger? If your hearing is aided: Does the sound make listening to speech uncomfortable to you?
11 April: If you learned to speak as a child (definition for this post: the ability to use spontaneous speech (mouth words) to communicate in at least two-word sentences), did your ability to speak improve after that, stayed the same, decrease, or did something happen that you can't speak at all anymore now?
If you never learned to speak, did it take you a while to find a good communication method (for example sign language didn't work, communication board was too confusing, but AAC device is ok)?
12 April: Were/are you in speech therapy? If so, for what? If not, do you think speech therapy could have helped you?
13 April: How important are routines to you? Are your routines more based on time ("I always do this at 6pm!"), on habits ("I always drink from this cup!") or both?
14 April: If you learned to speak as a child, were you a late talker, average age, or did you speak at a really young age? If you never learned to speak, how do you communicate? For example an AAC device, sign language, a communication board, etc.
15 April: If you can perceive the facial expression of others and learned to recognise the meaning to a degree, did you learn that in social skills training, by your own "hard work", or was it a mix of both? Are there patterns that you understand intuitively (for example recognising fear because it's not so different from how you behave when you feel fear)? - if this question doesn't apply to you, you have a day off! :)
16 April: If you can perceive the facial expression of others, but struggle to learn the meaning, are there strategies you use to at least guess if the person reacts in a good, neutral or bad way to you (for example to spot if you made someone angry by accident)? Do you rely on how their voice sounds as a backup? - if this question doesn't apply to you, not even in your childhood, you have a day off! :)
17 April: If you can't perceive the facial expression of others (for example because you focus too much on details, struggle to perceive people in general, or because you're blind), do you pay attention to the tone of their voice? Can you hear if someone is angry if they don't tell you? - if this question doesn't apply to you, you have a day off! :)
18 April: If you can perceive the facial expression of others, how long does it take you to spot a pattern in new people (for example you observe someone for a while and at some point you know "This person is insecure because they always have that look when they're insecure")? - if this question doesn't apply to you, you have a day off! :)
19 April: Did your ability to express yourself improve or worsen/deteriorate over time? Or did it stay the same? Is it different depending on how you communicate (spoken language, written language, signed...)?
20 April: If you can (or could when you were younger) say words with your mouth (echolalia counts), did/do you have a monotone or "odd" voice, speak too loudly/softly, etc.? Did/do you practice to modulate your voice?
21 April: If you can (or could when you were younger) say words with your mouth, did/do you struggle to pronounce words or sounds? For example r, th, s, etc. - if this question doesn't apply to you, you have a day off :)
22 April: If you can speak (the ability to use spontaneous speech (mouth words) to communicate in at least two-word sentences), do you experience speech loss/verbal shutdowns, etc.? Meaning that you normally can speak, but sometimes you suddenly can't anymore. Semiverbal/semispeaking people and unreliably speaking people (apraxia), you count as "speaking" if you can use spontaneous(!) speech most of the time.
If you can't speak, are there times when communication suddenly is harder than usual? If not, was it different when you were younger?
23 April: Do you have balance issues? If not, was it different when you were younger?
24 April: How did your fine motor skills develop? Were you one of the first kids who could tie their shoe laces or do you think you'll probably never learn it? This is an "open question", if you want to ramble, start rambling.
25 April: How did your gross motor skills develop? Did you walk early or did you struggle to walk (if you can walk)? Do you have a bad posture? This is another "open question".
26 April: If you're interested in other people/want contact, how do you normally make contact with others? Do you stay where you are and hope that they approach you, or do you approach them?
If you're not interested in other people, do others respect and understand that? Were you negatively affected by the "autistics are very social actually and want friends, they just don't know how to do that!" mentality (for example that everyone tries to force social interactions because they think you secretly want social contacts)?
27 April: If you have/want real-life friends, how much contact is important for you and when is it too much? Do/would you miss your friends if you wouldn't see each other in person for a while?
28 April: As a child, did you tend to express yourself overly formally? Or did you struggle with grammar? Did you "borrow" words and expressions from other people or media, or did you make up your own words? Or both?
29 April: Was your hand-eye coordination delayed or maybe is still impaired? This includes things like throwing and catching a ball, putting a key into a lock without missing it, etc. Everything where your brain needs to process what your eyes see so that your hands can adjust what they do. If you're blind, tell us if you think your autism made it harder for you to estimate where things are, using your hands.
30 April: If you're interested in other people/want contact, did you try to make friends on your own when you were younger, or didn't you initiate anything because you didn't know what to do?
If you're not interested in other people, did/do you still enjoy online contact? If not, did/do people assume you're lonely and try to interact with you all the time?
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