#so I'll give you three guesses how he figured out I liked the song. That is featured in the sci fi movie Armageddon.

[reverieaudios]

When I was a baby my dad had to rock me to "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith to get me to sleep and I feel like this had some kind of lasting effect that still influences my personality to this day

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 14/01✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

@cloverthewanderer ha chiesto: Soooo….Imma be honest, I just found you on Instagram this morning with a small part of your Biodads au with the monkey bois. And I might’ve thought it looked so cool I went to Tumblr to binge read it and I just caught up. I love everything about the series and it is so fantastic!! Thank you for having so amazing I am going to obsess over it for awhile. I hope you have a wonderful day!!!! Drink lots of water and take care of yourself! (All of the colors and art is just divine!)

AAAWWWW thank you!!!

@sakuralotus03 ha chiesto: Now that MK and Red Son are officially dating, MK will tell Red Son that his name is Xiaotian and Red Son will call him that from now on (or else more pet names for the couple). 🔥🍜

Aww, I think technically Red Son also has like-a full name if we keep the chinese dub logic.(Hóng Hái-er)

@samfroggie ha chiesto: Okayokayokayokay- I never liked Shadowpeach, hell I still wouldn't call myself a shipper of it (or of any LMK ship aside from Freenoodles tbh) but you, sir, have made me fall in love with your AU and I can't let it go reeeeeee Honestly, it's the familial love aspect of this that makes me love it, as someone who is fully on board with MK having four dads, shipping aside lmao I'll always look at every image of MK cuddling with any of his parents and feel my heart swell, it's so freaking cute and the angst is just the nice sprinkling on top, I need more protective Mac in my life because I never see it! Also, question, how do you feel about ocs inserts? Like, are we allowed to make art about the AU and insert ocs into it? Asking because I have an oc who's more or less meant to be like MK's mother figure, and I mean, gotta give him more parental figures right?

I got no probs with OC inserts, as long as you credit the comic!

@aptainmilf ha chiesto: Need to tell you that a chapter of your comic singlehandedly pushed a friend of mine to finally watch the show and I would sincerely like to thank you for that lmao. It was the one with Wukong and Macaque at the hot springs

Ahaha welcome them to the club!

@dimensional-storm ha chiesto: Where did the inspiration for Wukong's 'War Form' come from? It's so big, beautiful!! I love the design so much :D

From the original novel, and the sun.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Question Was the spicynoodles kiss inspired by the caitvi prison kiss? :3

Eh, technically no? I also have the text I send my friend as proff, but I swear to you I planned that scene BEFORE S2 came out.

@silktealover ha chiesto: Hi kiri! I'm b33p and I want to ask if mac and my both have ears sensitive to fireworks,if so how do they react on holidays like fourth of July or new years? :3

Yes, I guess during Chinese New Year they would be really bothered by fireworks.

Anonimo ha chiesto: So you have a shadowpeach playlist? What are your favorite shadowpeach coded songs.

My favourite one is like- S1 vibe of Shadowpeach. which is Wonderful Nothing by Glass Annimals

@ayrza ha chiesto: A FUNNY QUESTION! I have also had this doubt with the canon but I want to know now with your AU Kyri... The heads of Wukong each think differently or is it the same wukong divided into three? Will each of them have a different personality? 🤔🤔🤔 Questions that don't let me sleep at night

Aww I think they could!! Like one head is more silly, one more chaotic, while the middle one is just generally more emotionally open and vulnerable.

@twilight-bai-he ha chiesto: Between Wukong and Macaque whose the better dancer 💃🏽 and Can mk dance ?

Macaque, and MK got mooves let's say (more disco than anything else)

@pyromaniacldrt ha chiesto: Heyyyy So You mentioned in other post that Macaque's name was "Six eared Macaque", right? Does that mean Mk's name is "Habringer of Chaos"?

Nope.

@super-may ha chiesto: Stop, if Macaque got hurt in his shadow form does it mean that his real form is not injured or anything? Like in battle with Wukong in the first season he didn’t seem to be hurt or angry about Wukong’s punches. But If he isn’t hurt and his shadow form is injured I don’t think that it will stay like this with Mk and it will return to the body. Oh no, DOES THAT MEAN THAT MK WILL BE ON HIMSELF NOW IN HIS SHADOW FORM OR SMTH? Or return with Macaque’s shadow to Macaque’s body and Mk’s plan will be ruined and he will need to make a choice between himself and the safety of his loved ones? OMG IM SO WORRIED PLS MAKE A HAPPY END WITH EVERYONE ALIVE AND HAPPY AND NOT UNDER THE WILL OF HEAVEN🙏🙏🙏

it's like Sword Art Online. If you die in the shadow world u die in real life.

@harb1ng3r0fch4os ha chiesto: Can I make/post edits of the shadowpeach bio parents au ?? :3 I’ll credit you ofc :]

yea sure!

@king-cinamon ha chiesto: Have you watched Nezha (2019)?

nope. I've read his story though.

@mkthemonkiekiddd ha chiesto: Totally random question (i just wanna know someones opinion on the matter since its been in my head for so long.), how would nezha react to social media, like, imagine someone gave him a phone, Would he even know what it is

He would probably be on the edge between "this is very uneducational" and "holy shit this is the best idea for arsony I ever saw"

@astro-lmk-enjoyer ha chiesto: Will we ever see Red Son wag his tail like a dog?? (That would be so cute!! + his parents would be shocked to to see him show such emotion) Oh and I make some art for you, I posted it- Bye <3

oh my- eh... no. I don't think so.

@askthezodiacs ha chiesto: May I use your AU in RPs?

yeah sure! As long as they aren't AI made.

[aaronhotchswife]

THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL

Drew Starkey X Female Reader

Chapter 2

Warnings : alcohol, panick attack, angst, want to give the reader a hug, smut, loss of virginity

If you missed chapter 1

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." - James Earl Jones

Y/N's point of view

I'm at Madelyn's, curled up on the couch with a hot tea in my hands. I don't want to go home, because I know that Drew will be there, with Odessa probably. I don't have the strength to see him. Even if at the same time, he is the only person I want to see.

I now know what heart break feels like and I now know that I have to teach my heart to accept disappointments, even from the people I love, even from him.

Madelyn is sitting next to me, playing with my hair. I respond to the worried texts of my friends, saying that I'm okay and that I'm sorry to have ruined their night. They are all understanding and tell me to have a great trip at my parents for the holidays, and to take time for myself. I respond to all of them except Drew. I just write him that I'm at Madelyn's and that I'll pass by tomorrow to get my suitcase for the holidays. I ignore his texts asking me what happened. I just answer him to have a great Christmas before turning off my phone and go to sleep.

Drew's point of view

I think I'm in love with Y/N since I saw her for the first time. When everyone got cast, we had dinner at the restaurant to get to know each other. I was sitting with the boys, talking about what we liked in life, when I saw her, making her way to the table. She was wearing a yellow summer dress with white converses. Her hair was tied up in a effortless ponytail, and I swear that in that moment, I saw the most beautiful girl in the world.

But I think that I truly fell in love with her 3 months after we met. We were walking in the city, and we saw a kid looking for his parents. Without hesitation, she made her way to him, kneeling at his height, asking him if he needed help. The kid was inconsolable so she sat with him, telling him stories and making him laugh until his parents found him again. In that moment, I knew. I knew that she could have broke my heart in a thousand pieces and I would've been grateful.

Since that day, three years ago, it always been the two of us, until tonight.

So when I arrive at Madelyn's apartment, I want nothing more than to have answers. I feel sick to think I could've put her in that state. I knock at her door, rubbing my hands in my face. When she opens the door, I can see how annoy she is at me.

"She's sleeping."

"Ok, then tell her I passed by and that I want to talk. Please," we're both surprised by my shaking voice. "What the hell happened out there ?"

"Maybe you should ask that to your friend Odessa, Drew. I know she is your friend, but you should've seen the state Y/N was. Getting humiliated like that in front of her friends, in front of you."

"In front of me?" I struggled to ask, my brows furrowed.

"Please Drew," she chuckled coldly. "As if she wanted you to know that she was a virgin. I'll let her know you passed by, but you need to let her some space, she has a lot on her mind right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You should go, Drew, she'll talk to you when she's ready."

I leave her house, cursing to myself. When I go to bed that night, I can't stop thinking about her, about us, about how I lost something I never had.

Y/N's point of view

I leave Madelyn's apartment early this morning, figuring out that if I go to our apartment early enough, chances will be that Drew will still be asleep. I guessed right because when I unlock the door, I can hear him snoring lightly.

***

As I'm driving to my parents' house, I put my Christmas playlist on shuffle, question to get into the mood. As I get on the highway, the song Blue Christmas by The Lumineers starts playing. I feel like it's the first time in my life where I can really relate to this song. My mind starts to wonder, how will Drew's Christmas will be like. How will my Christmas be like. I can feel the tears burning my eyes as I try my best to stay concentrated on the road.

***

I'm sitting on the sofa; my parents and my brother are talking about something I can't decipher. I'm scrolling on my phone, through Instagram. My heart skips a beat when I see a picture that Mackayla posted. I look at the picture, where Drew all smiling, is photographed with his family. I read the caption as it says "Merry Christmas from our family to yours.'' I double tap on it, liking it, even if it feels as if my heart throws itself down the 18th floor to see him smile like that.

Drew's point of view

Christmas sucks this year. I try my best to act like everything is fine, to act as if she's not mad at me. But my mind keeps wandering and I keep asking myself why she acted like that. I mean, sure what Odessa did was not nice, but I keep asking myself what was the meaning behind Madelyn's words.

''Drew!'' Brooke's voice pulls me out of my thoughts, ''We're opening the gifts!''

I sit on the floor, watching my mom handing me a gift. I unwrap it, finding an air fryer under the paper. Before I can say anything, my mom almost screams, ''It's for you and Y/N! I know how you both love easy and quick cooking.''

I laugh slightly, trying to push away the thought that I miss her, that I love her, and that I hope that our friendship can pass through whatever happened that night.

Y/N ‘s point of view

As I come home 2 days later, I see Drew laying on his bed, reading a book. I feel my heart throbbing in my chest, and weirdly, for the first time, I don’t know how to act around him. A mix of thoughts is spinning around in my head, and I find myself wondering if I should apologize to him for how I acted at the bar. Madelyn told me how he went to her apartment to have answers and I can’t imagine how bad he must’ve felt.

He must have felt that I was standing in the doorframe of his room because he turned his head, looking at me with so much gentleness, as if he was afraid to break me just with his gaze.

''Hi.'' I say, making an effort to keep my voice steady.

''Hi.''

I make my way to him, laying next to him on the bed.

He clears his throat before speaking again, ''how was your Christmas?''

''T'was fun,'' I answer, my eyes focused on his bedroom's ceiling, ''what about yours?''

''Was great, my mom says hi,'' he smiles.

''We should talk,'' we say at the same time.

Drew chuckled softly, and for the first time since I'm laying next to him, I stop looking at the ceiling, looking at him instead.

''I feel like I owe you an apology for how I acted at the bar,'' I say, my voice not even louder than a whisper. But I know he heard me he interrupts me.

''No, I should apologize. I should've done something while you were having a panick attack. Does it happen often ?''

Drew's point of view

I look into her eyes as I ask my question. I can see her breath getting stuck in her chest.

''It's fine if you don't want to talk about it,'' I say, giving her an occasion of changing subject.

''No, it's ok,'' she answers, ''I used to happen a lot more when I was younger. I used to do them when there were a lot of people or noises. But the one a couple of days ago was the first in a long time. I thought I was getting better, I honestly did. But sometimes, I just lay in bed at 3 am, trying to figure out what is wrong with me and why I'm never enough.''

''I'm sorry,'' I say to her. I truly feel sorry for her, because I know that she can't see herself the way I see her. So strong, always there for the others, always happy. I'm cursing mentally to not have realized how she was doing.

''You don't have to be sorry Drew.''

My hand reaches for hers and my gaze goes from her eyes to her lips. I can see hers do the same. I just want to close that gap between our lips. But before I can do anything, she turns her head, excusing herself and leaving me alone in my room.

Taglist -

@willowalexissss

@abbybarnesstuff

@ethanthequeefqueen

@pet1t3

@drewstarkeysbae

@prentissesredtanktop

@jjmaybankisbae

@f4ll-for-you

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Okay everyone it's that time again lore drop...

Before the events of Nightmare's defeat... Sir Arthur and a scouting party were sent on a crusade to find the legendary sword Excalibur. But in reality, the scouting party was ordered (by Sir Uther) to secretly murder Sir Arthur. (Why you may ask a lot of reasons)

(This contains some lore from the Kirby light novel Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Yomi)

But the aforementioned cave: where Excalibur was said to be located. Contained a rift to Yomi (created by Morpho..), the would-be assailant (& Sir Arthur) are pulled into the underworld... They are all scattered about the land of the dead...As the story goes: those who are in the land of the dead for three days become... permanent residents.

Being strong-willed enough Sir Arthur was able to retain their physical body and soul... however, he was horribly lost in the lowest level of Yomi (where the most devious monsters dwelled...)

Sir Arthur had been lost in the land of the dead for 120 years. Everyone had assumed he had died... However, this did not go unnoticed by Morpho... who wanted to make a deal with him...Seeing that he had endured for so long... (If they were lucky)could be just the soul (Sir Arthur's) they need...

Not only was he able to get his ticket back to the living world but also... Sir Arthur was able to find something he had long lost... for you see...he and the scouting party weren't the cave's first visitors.

(not sure if I should still @kirbyoctournament but Celty is here so I'll do still :3 )

Guess whose fault it for for Morpho Knight roaming about in the living world!

Sir Arthur is eventually able to tell them (which is what transpires above). Sir Arthur hid this well (until this point) but there was only one person he could not fool, his boy...

Man of the House part 1 (cut song) from Epic the musical

Spoiler Warning: keep reading for content & drawn images

(Sir Arthur got a cracked Warp Star syndrome, like Lady Celestine!)

Meta Knight & King Dedede: From One King to Another "Man of the House"

When I first came up with this I was trying to figure out... "who on earth is Meta Knight singing" and "Who's going to sing the backup vocals..." then I realized this would be the perfect chance to showcase King Dedede & Meta Knight's friendship. This is after the whole redemption arch of King Dedede near the end of the story arch... after the Forgotten Land Saga.

For those who are not that familiar with the KBASW lore. Meta Knight's story arc is meant to end with him becoming the new leader of the GSA. It ties the anime lore and makes it a major part of the story... along with Sir Arthurs deal with Morpho Knight~

Being an astral born without a warpstar (proof that he was a monster created by Nightmare...) was going to be killed the moment he (Mt) was born (by Sir Uther of course the little rat). But one lone Star Warrior believed otherwise, stopping the execution and convincing the Ancients to spare the infant.

Sir Arthur gifted his original red cape to Meta Knight to give him hope that he could be a hero too! MK was trained & raised by Sir Arthur... so he's more than just his mentor... his hero... his dad. Making it all the more heartbreaking to see Sir Arthur growing weaker by the day...

This is where the whole emotional meat & potatoes are in Meta becoming the leader of the GSA lie...( his dad is growing weaker and everyone is looking to him to take up the mantle) At the point of the story, everyone sees his potential everyone except himself...

That's where King Dedede comes in...

King Dedede gives Meta Knight the final push he needs to make him realize he is worthy and deserving of the position. After Escargoon leaves him, he sees Meta Knight as an irreplaceable person. However, this happens... but despite ensuring Meta Knight's departure from Dreamland he still does it.

Reminding him that he managed to help a raggamuffin like him become and grow into an acceptable leader surely he'd be as incredible as the leader of the GSA. Giving him the reassurance he needs to go after it.

It's a really meaningful conversation because Meta Knight and King Dedede have been helping each other grow throughout the series. Throughout the story, they realize how similar they are to each other... and ultimately become one another's rocks.

They're basically two growing kings coming into their roles. That is all I'm going to reveal before I spoil anything else.

Hope you guys enjoyed it the aske box will get reopened tomorrow!

[dbnightingale24]

Love Me or Just Let Me Go

A Jonathan Crane Love Story

~~

~~

Look who's back and trying to find her footing again 🙃 sorry for the delay, but between my mental health and personal life, things weren't going well and I needed a break. ANYWAY, I'm back with a new series (as well as ready off a few others), and I hope you all enjoy it! I really missed posting.

Just in time for Halloween, Dr. Jonathan Crane. I just figured (as I start to branch out) it's time to write about my favorite Scarecrow. I'm sorry this is so damn long (I really am), but I hope you all enjoy it! Since Tumblr is still on its bullshit, I can only post part of it here, but the full post will be on AO3 (I'll leave the link). As always, thank you @fuckingbye for the amazing moodboard. I love you!

Word Count: 56,703 (I said I was sorry)

Warnings: SMUT (Minors DNI), Swearing, Drinking, Degrading Kink, Car Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Smoking, Arguing, Family Drama, Angst, Mentions of Abuse, Fluff (ish), Childhood Trauma, Self Hate, Revenge, Loneliness, Trust Issues, Mental Health (or lack thereof)...I think I handled everything?

Song(s) That Inspired This Chapter: Man, You Make It Easy For Me. So, Why Can't I Make You Love Me?

~~

I do not give permission/consent for my works/stories to be posted elsewhere. I do not condone this kind of behavior or relationship, this is for entertainment purposes only.

~~

“Doctor Crane,” you smile sweetly as your favorite patron makes his way to the counter.

Your smile may be sweet, but you know your eyes show the same thing they always do whenever he shows up: pure desire and lust. The coy smile he always returns lets you know that he’s very well aware of the effect he has on you.

Effect.

“Same as always?”

“Coffee, black, please,” he smiles as he pulls out his wallet.

“New admittance at Arkham?” you ask, turning and starting on his second usual

At least three times a month, he orders a black coffee.

“No, but it is late night for work.”

“When isn’t it in Gotham?” you scoff, placing the lid on his drink.

“How about you?” he asks, handing you a twenty.

“What about me?”

“Another late night?”

“I’m the only one brave enough to close the store, so yeah. I always have a late night,” you laugh softly, taking his money while typing the amount into the register.

“Gotham doesn’t scare you?”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve met my Mother already, and I witnessed what drove her to madness, because I saw my Father’s death, so no. Gotham doesn’t scare me.”

“Your Mother...” he trails off as he looks you over, “Y/M/N?”

“I’m surprised you’re just figuring it out,” you laugh handing him back his change. “Everyone always said I look just like her, but I’m guessing the piercings, dyed hair, and tattoos have changed my appearance a bit.”

“Your Mother is quite the character.”

“You’re putting it nicely.”

“Keep it,” he says, gently pushing your hand back.

“The coffee was only two dollars.”

“Your company is always worth much more than that,” he laughs. “If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to handle it so well?”

“If I tell you that, there will be no reason for you to come around for your afternoon tea, will there? Besides, you’ve got a late night of work ahead of you, and I’ve got ungrateful customers to tend to,” you smirk, cocking an eyebrow.

“Guess I’ll just have to ask again tomorrow.”

“Play your cards right and you may just get an answer,” you shrug and he laughs.

“You have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too, Dr. Crane.”

“Jonathan.”

“Jonathan Crane,” you smile as he grabs his coffee, nods, and walks away.

And just like that, he was gone. It’s the same conversation every day, today a little more telling just because he knows a bit (or a lot depending on how you look at it) about you. It’s always the same amount of small talk, flirty eye on your part, and him looking as if he’s interested but knows better. Smart on his part.

Sure, he deals with crazies, but he’s never dealt with you.

For the rest of the evening, you live in the feeling of that little exchange. Yeah, the man looks like he can’t carry a bookcase, but you know it’s all an act. You’re not dumb. You’ve heard whispers about Dr. Jonathan Crane, and most of it isn’t pleasant. It’s most definitely in your best interest to stay away, especially considering that your Mother is a patience at his place of work, but you can’t stop yourself. Beside, you live in Gotham.

It’s not like you have a ton of “good guys” to choose from.

You can’t pin down exactly what draws you to him, but you know that you can’t turn it off. You’ve tried multiple times. From the first time you laid eyes on him, you wanted him. No, you needed him, in the most unnatural way. Maybe it’s from living in Gotham all your life but, for whatever reason, you feel a sense of security when he comes in.

Yeah, you’ve definitely been in Gotham for too long.

“You’re sure you’re okay to close up all by yourself?” your co-worker Michael asks as he grabs his backpack off of the coat rack, while the last customer scurries out.

“I do it every night, Mike,” you scoff, wiping down the counter. “Get home safe.”

“Ya know, working with you is hard,” he sighs and you start laughing. “What?! It’s true! You’re the only one ever willing to close up shop-”

“It gives me a thrill,” you smirk with a cocked eyebrow. “Go home and tell Josh that you fought off a mugger, if it’ll help your ego.”

“He’d kill me if I ever tried to stop crime from happening,” he laughs softly. “You sure you’re okay, babe?”

“I promise. Get home safe.”

“You too,” he nods before walking out. 

You lean against the counter, pull out your phone, and scroll through all the evening news you’ve missed. 

Another raping, another stabbing, another kidnapping....it’s all just another day in Gotham. You don’t even bother to look up when you hear the front door open and close.

“If you want coffee, you’ve come to the right place. If you want anything else, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong damn shop,” you mumble as an article about Arkham Asylum catches your eye.

You may not see your Mother often, but that doesn’t mean you don’t care about her.

“How about a cup of tea?” a familiar voice asks.

You look up to see Dr. Jonathan Crane standing at the counter, small smile tugging on his lips, but his hair is out of place.

“Rough night, Doc?” you question, pushing yourself up with your foot, making your way over to the kettle and setting it up. 

“What makes you say that?”

“Your hair is out of place and there’s a bit of blood on your glasses, and the lapel of your shirt.”

“You’re more observant than I thought.”

“You’ve thought about me?” you tease, pulling out his his favorite tea powder.

Ginseng.

“More than you think.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re a mystery.”

“I’m sure you’ve met far more interesting subjects than me. You’ve already met my Mother.”

“While she is very much a fun case to study, now that I know she’s your Mother, you’re much more...complex.”

“I’ll choose to take that as a compliment,” you laugh, finishing up his drink before pouring it in a to-go cup. “That’s the nicest way I’ve ever been called insane.”

“Far from insane, Y/N. Very far. More like-”

“Troubled?” “Not that either...a to-go cup?”

“You’ve never been one to sit and stay since you started working at the Asylum.”

“A good point. What else do you know about me?”

“Nothing.”

“What else have you heard about me?”

“Things I’m sure you don’t wanna hear about,” you promise, looking him over as you lean against the counter. “No charge. You get home safe.”

“You see blood on my glasses and my shirt, but tell me to get home safe?”

“Who am I to judge?”

“You know, this day has been very telling about you but, at the same time, I feel like I know you less than I did before.”

“If I’m not keepin’ ya guessing, what’s the point of our lovely little chats?”

“Who says that I need these little moments to keep me interested?”

“Show me that you don’t.”

“Have a drink with me and I will,” he smiles coyly, mischief in his eyes.

Every red alarm in your brain goes off, but you’ve never bothered to listen to them before, so why start now?

You poured yourself a cup of coffee and slowly made your way from around the counter, ignoring the the sirens as they grow louder and louder, and sit across from him at the small table. 

“Jonathan,” you smile, mischief dancing around in your own eyes as you take a sip of your coffee. “Take your best shot.”

“What do you fear?” he asks with a cocked eyebrow and you scoff. “What?”

“What do you think I fear?”

“I can’t get a read on you.” “That’s fair, I guess,” you shrug, swirling the coffee in your cup around a bit. “I’ll tell you what I fear if you tell me something about you. I’ll know if you’re lying, so don’t try it,” you proposition, meeting his gaze with a devilish glint in your eye.

You really��shouldn’t be playing this game.

An evil smirk spreads across his face before he responds with, “I’m the one who created the fear toxin.”

‘Will you stop fucking playing this game?! Tell him you need to get home!’ your brain begs, but you’re just starting to have fun.

You’ve never been good at doing what’s in your best interest.

“That tracks,” you shrug before taking a sip of your coffee.

“It tracks?”

“You work at the Asylum, no one in this city really has a good and clean record-”

“Oh? What’s on your record?”

“I put laxatives in drinks of customers who piss me off,” you tell him nonchalantly and laugh and when he practically chokes on his tea. “What? I don’t seem capable?”

“For some reason, I thought it would be something along the lines of murder.”

“No, I’m afraid the only thing I’ve ever really broken is hearts.”

“Why’s that?”

“I learned very early in life to never get too attached to anyone in Gotham. Never works out well for me.”

“Your parents?”

“Parents, first real love, last serious relationship. I fuck until I’m bored and then I leave.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes, but you can’t tell what it is. It’s not disdain or disappointment, but more along the lines of...shock? Confusion.

“So, you have fear of abandonment?” he asks as your timer goes off.

“Well, it’s time for me to close up shop, Dr. Crane,” you smile, getting up making your way back behind the counter with your half full cup of coffee.

“I didn’t take you as someone who’s a liar,” he comments and you don’t miss the irritation in his tone.

“I never said I wouldn’t tell you, I said it’s time for me to close up shop. However, I do like having this effect on you.”

“And what effect is that?”

“Rattling your cage.”

“Oh, you do much more than that, and I think you’ve known that for quite some time.”

“Oh, but Doctor Crane, this is the first time you’ve ever had the balls to court me,” you smirk over your shoulder and he laughs.

“How long does it usually take you to close up shop?”

“As long as I want it to. Why do you ask?”

“Do you have any plans tonight?”

“Do you want me to?”

“I figured we could...take a walk around the city.”

“You’re a very confident man, Dr. Crane.”

“No one’s gonna touch me out there.”

“And what on earth would we talk about on this little walk?”

“You.”

“Your obsession with me is cute. I like it a lot.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s an obsession, more like...fascination.”

“And what’s so fascinating about little old me?” you ask, covering the tops of all the different syrups. 

“Like I said,” he responds softly right behind you, causing you to jump, “because you’re a mystery.”

Oh, you’re fucking in it now. 

~~

You can read the full story here

~~

tags: @autumnrose40

[chasedeys]

Hi I asked cementcornfield this a while ago and now want to pick your brain!! Are there any songs that make you think of Joemarr? (Church by FOB was delightful thank u for the rec ☺️)

oh!! hi!!!! churchhhh exactlyyyyy their song 😔🫶 tbh any song can be abt them if i try hard enough (read: make shit up enough). i'm gonna be real with you i have such shit music taste i literally don't go past the boundary of basic and whatever's popular so beware :")

love somebody - maroon 5 -> LSU joemarr figuring things out, horribly unsure of one another, halfway there already :)

But if I fall for you, I'll never recover If I fall for you, I'll never be the same I don't know where to start, I'm just a little lost I wanna feel like we're never gonna ever stop I don't know what to do, I'm right in front of you Asking you to stay, you should stay, stay with me tonight, yeah I really wanna love somebody I really wanna dance the night away I really wanna touch somebody I think about you every single day I know we're only halfway there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way

another - francis karel -> the damn opening already makes me think of them somehow playing together in lsu when joe could've gone anywhere else. like come on.

Hundred billion stars in the galaxy Passing like the cars on a busy street How in the world did we ever meet? It doesn't make sense to me I guess everybody's got someone And you're the one for me Yeah, you fit me like a locket I would never find the key If you ever leave There will never ever be another (woah oh) I will never ever need another hand to hold When it gets cold We've got each other

baby i'm yours - arctic monkeys -> :) devotion etc. also their wanna be yours and r u mine? for morbid pining too. the eternity makes me think of teemarr too graugrurhh.

Baby, I'm yours (Baby, I'm yours) And I'll be yours until the stars fall from the sky Yours until the rivers all run dry In other words, until I die And I'll be yours until the sun no longer shines Yours until the poets run out of rhyme In other words, until the end of time I'm gonna stay right here by your side And do my best to keep you satisfied Nothing in the world could drive me away And I'll be yours until two and two is three Yours until the mountain crumbles to the sea In other words, until eternity

video games - lana del ray -> sex song that I've used as my fic title before lmao

It's you, it's you, it's all for you Everything I do Heaven is a place on earth with you Tell me all the things you wanna do It's better than I ever even knew They say that the world was built for two Only worth living if somebody is loving you And, baby, now you do

church - fall out boy -> sex song sex song sex song had to add it here anyway sorry but also just referencing the 'he's like a god to me' boy what.

If you were church, I'd get on my knees Confess my love, I'd know where to be My sanctuary, you're holy to me If you were church, I'd get on my knees

the closer i get to you - roberta flack & donny hathaway -> i've mentioned the first time i ever saw your face but this song is so fucking them guys argh

The closer I get to you The more you make me see By giving me all you've got Your love has captured me Over and over again I try to tell myself that we Could never be more than friends And all the while inside I knew it was real The way you make me feel Lying here next to you Time just seems to fly Needing you more and more Let's give love a try

hold me tight or don't - fall out boy -> some lyrics hit some ?? but do you see this shit. 'were we ever friends' as in did they ever have hope of being casual about one another. holy shit.

I never really feel a thing I'm just kinda too froze You were the only one that even kinda came close I just pinch myself, no longer comatose I woke up no luck, I woke up no luck And when your stitch comes loose I want to sleep on every piece of fuzz And stuffing that comes out of you, you I got too high again, realized I can't not be with you Or be just your friend I love you to death but I just can't I just can't pretend we were lovers first Confidants but never friends Were we ever friends?

picture you - chappell roan -> adore herrr you know exactly what this song is about and if i ever get to writing a fic about this i would die

Draw the blinds, light every candle Slip off my pretty dress down my chest when I think of you Every night, both lips on the mirror It's ritualistic, counting lipstick stains where you should be Do you picture me like I picture you? Am I in the frame from your point of view? Do you feel the same? I'm too scared to say Half of the things I do when I picture you When I picture you

spaceship - ruth b -> space imagery aside, being comfortable with each other to let down their guards? taking care of one another? dragging each other out of their funk? yeah. also her dandelions song.

If I built a spaceship, would you go to Mars with me? Go that far with me? If I take you places that you've never been before Would you stay for more? When days are difficult And you want a miracle I'll build a spaceship for you 'Cause some days I run away I hope you run with me Fly away with me too, ooh And when we're all alone I hope you feel at home Wherever we find ourselves You can just be yourself Close your eyes And feel me here

higher - rihanna -> this song is so short but. do you get me. always been obsessed with this song bc you get high to forget someone only for you to circle back right to that someone ugh

This whiskey got me feelin' pretty So pardon if I'm impolite I just really need your ass with me I'm sorry 'bout the other night And I know I could be more creative And come up with poetic lines But I'm turnt up upstairs and I love you Is the only thing that's in my mind You take me higher, higher than I've ever been, babe Just come over, let's pour a drink, babe I hope I ain't calling you too late, too late You light my fire Let's stay up late and smoke a J I wanna go back to the old way But I'm drunk instead, with a full ashtray With a little bit too much to say

fireproof - one direction -> s tier 1d song and soooo very them

I think I'm gonna lose my mind Something deep inside me, I can't give up I'm feeling something deep inside Hotter than a jet stream burning up 'Cause nobody knows you, baby, the way I do And nobody loves you, baby, the way I do It's been so long, it's been so long, maybe we're fireproof 'Cause nobody saves me, baby, the way you do

work song - hozier -> i can't not put hozier in any of my ships that's crazy but they don't give me hozier vibes 😔 BUT their shit about each other absolutely refusing to talk shit about the other and accepting all their faults and constantly choosing the other?? work song babyyy. would also rec movement and his led zeppelin whole lotta love cover for joemarr 😮‍💨

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold, dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her My babe would never fret none About what my hands and my body done If the Lord don't forgive me I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me When I was kissin' on my baby And she put her love down, soft and sweet In the low lamplight, I was free Heaven and hell were words to me

lovers forever - benjamin kheng -> a proposal song btw and like. refusing to leave each other.

Do you think we could be lovers forever Can't die young 'Cause I've got to live with you Do you know what a future feels like I could see me living in your arms Wake up every day and fall in love again

call it what you want - taylor swift -> 🙂‍↕️ more ts songs for joemarr: dress, lover, guilty as sin, the alchemy, false god!!! dead serious false god another joemarr sex song. chose this one because the idea of them wearing each other's chains. hello. also: the grillz??? that hasn't seen the light of day since it's conception.

My baby's fit like a daydream Walkin' with his head down, I'm the one he's walkin' to So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to My baby's fly like a jet stream High above the whole scene, loves me like I'm brand new (Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it) So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to I want to wear his initial On a chain 'round my neck, chain 'round my neck Not because he owns me But 'cause he really knows me

i knew i loved you - savage garden -> not exactly instantly because they definitely took time to get there but. listen to ts.

Maybe it's intuition But some things you just don't question Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant And there it goes I think I found my best friend I know that it might sound More than a little crazy but I believe I knew I loved you before I met you I think I dreamed you into life I knew I loved you before I met you I have been waiting all my life There's just no rhyme or reason Only the sense of completion And in your eyes I see the missing pieces I'm searching for

love lies - khalid, normani -> the somewhat rocky start of their relationship being uncertain of one another?? then finallyyyyy giving each other a chance

Sorry if it's hard to catch my vibe, mmm I need a lover to trust, tell me you're on my side Are you down for the ride? It's not easy for someone to catch my eye But I've been waiting for you for my whole damn life For my whole lifetime Don't be afraid to tell me if you ain't with it I see you're focused, yeah, you're so independent It's hard for me to open up, I'll admit it You've got some shit to say, and I'm here to listen

finally // beautiful stranger - halsey -> i just love playing into the initial uncertainty/apprehension whatever of their relationship then trying to not be Like That before fully delving into sheer shameless devotion do you get me. and just the mouth that i would kill to kiss lyric argrhrgrhhrh.

I've never recognized a purer face You stopped me in my tracks and put me right in my place Used to think that lovin' meant a painful chase But you're right here now and I think you'll stay Oh, we're dancin' in my livin' room And up come my fists And I say, I'm only playing, but The truth is this I've never seen a mouth that I would kill to kiss Beautiful stranger, here you are in my arms and I know That beautiful strangers only come along to do me wrong And I hope Beautiful stranger, here you are in my arms And I think it's finally, finally, finally, finally, finally safe For me to fall

hrs & hrs - muni long -> i would say another sex song....

Yours, mine, ours I could do this for hours Sit and talk to you for hours I wanna give you your flowers And some champagne showers Order shrimp and lobster towers But it's me that gets devoured When I met you, I knew this was it I've never been in love like this A love like ours I pray for it on my knees Every night for some hours I could sit and talk to you for hours Sit and look at you for hours Makin' love to you for hours Layin' on your chest for hours Tellin' you jokes for hours Holdin' you close for hours And hours and hours

when you say nothing at all - ronan keating -> yeah corny as hell but. have they not said this before.

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart Without saying a word, you can light up the dark Try as I may, I can never explain What I hear when you don't say a thing The smile on your face lets me know that you need me There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall All day long, I can hear people talking out loud (ooh) But when you hold me near (you hold me near) you drown out the crowd (out the crowd) Try as they may, they can never define What's being said between your heart and mine

[sortasirius]

Frail State of Mind

Fandom: 911

Pairing: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz

Words: 1630

Rating: T

Summary:

It's a strange thing, when Eddie realizes how he feels about Buck. For a while, he thinks it's indigestion.

Title comes from this song.

Also on AO3 here

Eddie was laughing. Really laughing too, that kind of laugh that stretches across your chest, makes your face hurt and your breath catch in your throat.

They were all sitting around the dining table in the firehouse, finishing off Bobby's famous lasagna, and laughing uproariously at a story that Bobby was telling about his figure skating days.

"You just don't understand...the art of the dance," Bobby said, waggling his eyebrows, sending the entire table into another wave of hysteria. He smiled at all of them, standing up and walking around to deposit his dish in the sink. "Clean this up so we don't come back to a pile of dirty dishes after the bell rings."

Chim and Hen got up, clearing Buck and Eddie's plates,

"You two are useless at dishes," Chim informed them, "Let the professionals take it from here."

"And you can do the bathrooms," Hen smiled at them sweetly, ignoring their shared groaning.

"You want to come over later?" Eddie was pleasantly warm, probably from the fact that Buck was a certifiable furnace, and their thighs were pressed together on the firehouse couch, digesting after dinner watching Hen and Chim argue over the dishes, "Chris has some new game he wants to show you. We could order takeout."

"Thanks man, but I'm seeing Tommy later," Buck's smile was mega-watt, so bright that it could probably power the entire west coast, "Tell Chris I'll take a rain check."

Something undefined settled in Eddie's stomach. Something strangely heavy that went from his stomach all the way up his chest...

Before he could spend too much time thinking about it, the bell rang, and he and Buck sprang up.

"Oh come on!" Chim gestured up to the alarm with soapy hands, and Buck laughed, sprinting down the stairs three at a time.

Eddie decided to chalk the strange feeling up to indigestion. He would have to start taking tums after lasagna now, he guessed.

At the end of their shift, when morning had just broken over the city, Eddie was sitting next to Buck again, this time in the locker room. They were pulling on their socks in tandem, chatting idly about the call they had taken that night, which involved a couple and an extra large jar of peanut butter of all things.

"It's just gross," Buck was saying, pulling his sock on his right foot. His socks were always mismatched, he said he didn't see the point of sorting them. Eddie had always thought it was strangely charming, if a little silly. "Not to mention a waste of peanut butter."

"The waste of peanut butter was the problem for you?" Eddie asked him, eyebrows raised, "Not...everything else?"

"Everything else was definitely a problem too," Buck shook his head violently, like he was trying to rid himself of the mental image of the call, "Ugh. Gross."

"Breakfast?" Chim poked his head around the corner, "Bobby said he's buying. Peanut butter pancakes for all."

Buck gave a huge fake heave that Eddie couldn't help but snort at.

"Sorry," he grinned at Chimney, "I have a ride."

"Buck, turning down plans for breakfast that Bobby's buying?" Chim looked stunned, "It really is the end days."

Buck ducked his head, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

"Tommy's taking me out for breakfast."

"And so we're nothing to you?" Chim covered his heart with one hand, "I'm hurt, Buckley, really."

"Whatever," he shrugged his shoulders, pulling on his shoes and giving a shifty sort of look to Eddie, "I really hope you don't eat peanut butter pancakes for breakfast."

Eddie shook his head, still grinning.

"Captain's orders, I can't disobey them."

Buck wrinkled his nose.

"Gross."

They finished getting dressed in a comfortable silence, swinging their bags over their shoulders and bumping into each other as usual, making their way into the bay where Hen and Chim were arguing over what the superior breakfast item was.

"Evan!" Eddie nearly jumped at Buck's given name, looking up to see Tommy striding towards them, a wide smile on his face, but with eyes only for Buck, who seemed to shoot up two feet besides him, striding forward to wrap Tommy in a tight hug.

That feeling in his chest was back, that indigestion from the lasagna. Maybe he had GERD or something. He should ask Hen about it.

"Ready to go?" Tommy asked, his hand skating down Buck's forearm.

Eddie swallowed, not sure why he felt so sick to his stomach all of a sudden.

"Sure am," Buck turned around, that bright smile back on his face, giving Eddie a wave, "See ya, tell Chris I'll be around."

"Later, Eddie," Tommy waved at him, before slinging an arm around Buck's shoulders and placing a soft kiss to the side of his face

Eddie swallowed with an audible click. He felt hot all over, like he was about to be sick.

Man, that lasagna had really done a number on him.

He watched them walk away, until they thought no one was watching them. He watched Buck spin Tommy around, kissing him full on the mouth this time. He thought he should look away. It was weird, after all, to watch anyone kissing, but especially two of his friends. Especially his best friend.

He sat with that heavy feeling in his chest long after Buck and Tommy had split apart and disappeared, willing himself to understand it, understand why he felt like this, why looking at Buck made it worse.

He considered the worst case scenario: that looking at Buck and Tommy made him so uncomfortable it made him nauseous.

How could he even be thinking this way? He was an ally! He had been an ally for years! Hen was one of his best friends!

"You okay, Eddie?" Hen's voice came right by his ear, and he jumped, blinking.

"What? Oh. Yeah. Yeah I just...did that lasagna earlier do a number on you too? I've felt off for a few hours."

Immediately, he watched her stance shift from concerned friend to Doctor Wilson mode. If he hadn't felt so crappy, he would have laughed.

"What are you feeling?" she asked him, looking over the thick rims of her glasses.

Eddie shrugged, feeling almost dejected. Normally he would have brushed it off, but Hen was probably the best fountain of knowledge for little ailments like this.

"Just...heavy in my chest and my stomach. Not all the time just- Just..." he trailed off, staring blankly into space.

It was like someone had just moved something from the recesses of his head, pulling forward a tiny box in an abandoned corner of the back of his mind, a place he never bothered to go, and had opened it.

Buck.

Buck.

A man who had shaped his life from the moment he entered it. The only other person he would really trust Chris with long term. The only person he would trust to make medical decisions about himself. A man who had slotted himself so easily into his and Chris' routine it was like he was meant to be there.

He knew his pizza order, he knew how he liked his eggs. He knew what it felt like when his heart stopped beating for three minutes and seventeen seconds.

He couldn't live without him.

The reality of that came crashing down on Eddie like a tidal wave, like a California riptide. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was back to having panic attacks.

"Eddie," he felt Hen shaking his shoulder, "Eddie!"

The truth of the matter, that he was just realizing now, that it may be too late, made him feel like he was caught in a whirlpool, spinning endlessly, unable to catch his breath. That image of Tommy and Buck, so unbelievably happy, so utterly adoring of one another was burned into his brain, he could see it when he blinked, when he closed his eyes.

Had he lost the opportunity for something more real than he may have ever had before he even realized that he wanted it.

"Eddie!"

Bobby was standing in front of him, both hands on his shoulders, craning his neck down to look into his face.

Eddie came to enough to look up, shaking his head back and forth experimentally, knowing how completely insane he must look to the others.

"Yeah," he finally croaked, knowing that this would do nothing to help his case, "Sorry I- I'm fine."

"You sure about that?" Bobby looked him up and down, "Doesn't seem that way."

"I just..." he searched wildly for an excuse. It's not like he could tell them about this revelation. "Got tired all of a sudden. I think- I think I'm gonna skip breakfast. Go home."

"Eddie-" Hen started, but Eddie had already pushed his way past them and headed towards his truck, pulling out of the lot immediately, not daring to look back.

It wasn't until he parked in his driveway that he took a shuddering breath, resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

He wished he could just force this new knowledge about himself back into its little box. It had lived there for so long, what was a little more time? Save himself the embarrassment of pining over his best friend. Who was happily taken by his other friend.

What a nightmare.

His phone lit up in the cupholder next to him. He picked it up, his heart leaping into his throat when he saw the message was from Buck.

Hey, Hen just texted me. You okay?

No. He was decidedly not okay.

He sighed. He could do this. He wouldn't ruin what he had with Buck. He refused to ruin it.

Yeah, totally fine. That lasagna, you know?

Fuck. He was so fucked.

[changingplumbob]

Villareal: Chapter 6, Part 12

Can we mend the bond between Max and Miriam?

More importantly can I get these indoor water features to work?

For ease of reading if the toddlers are trying to say real words I'll put the English in brackets. Luna (mummy) and Devin (mama) use some German and Italian. Amore (Italian) Love Arrivederci (Italian) Goodbye Bambino/s (Italian) Male child/children Buongiorno (Italian) Good morning Caro (Italian) Dear Ciao (Italian) Hello/Bye Grazie (Italian) Thank you Piccolo (Italian) Little one Schatz (German) Treasure Zia/Zio (Italian) Aunt/Uncle

Devin: *hums to self*

Alfred: Mama! Bon gee no (Buongiorno), what you doing Mama

Devin: Waiting for my bambinos to wake up

Alfred: I early riser

Devin: I know. Do you want your bath first while we wait for your brother to wake up

Alfred: Yes please Mama

While he doesn’t have the loving water quirk like his brother Alfred still enjoys a good splash about in the tub.

Rilian: MAMA! Mama I want bath please. Why Alfred bath

Devin: You were sleeping caro, give Mama a second then you can climb in

PHONE RINGS

Devin: Ciao, Devin Villareal here. Oh hey De! No it’s just a chill day, feel free to come around. Arrivederci

Alfred: Zia De?

Devin: Zia Deanna is going to come by and see us, how lucky are we. I think we best be in the gym this morning

Rilian: I can walk

Alfred: I race

Devin: Alright, let me get these dishes and I’ll see you there

The toddler take off down the long hallways, bobbling along with Alfred in the lead. Deanna lets herself in and passes the waddlers, giving them a brief squeeze as they complain about being in a race.

Deanna: Wanna spar? We’ve seen ma do it enough

Devin: Three more reps then I’m on it

In the background Rilian and Alfred play with some of the more active toys.

Deanna: Why do you pull faces when we spar

Devin: I have to practice my battle face for ZBB. Met any cute girls yet

Deanna: *sighs* Not yet. Tamika’s idea of going to a singles night is sounding more and more appealing though

Devin: Just don’t say you’re my sister or they’ll want to date me instead

Deanna: *laughs* More like they’ll get my number just to collect an autograph long term

Devin: Like I’d give them an autograph if they’re stringing you along. And…. End scene!

Deanna: *laughs* I guess that’s actor for “end spar”

Devin: Grazi for coming by. Give my love to ma and pa... and Emisia or she’ll feel left out

Following early lunch and naps the twins have convinced Devin they should watch Melodies of the City again. With each rewatch they get closer to remembering the words to the songs, not that not knowing ever stops their sing along.

Rilian: *blows kiss* Mama a screen star

Devin: *laughs* Grazie piccolo

Rilian: Next time we watch, hope Mama has red dress

Alfred: Me to!

Devin: Bambino’s, that’s not quite how it works. Mama had a yellow dress when she was filming so every time we watch Mama will have a yellow dress

Rilian: *sadly* Why?

Alfred: *sadly* Does Mama not like red?

Before Devin can figure out how to respond she’s saved by the bell, Luna has arrived home.

Alfred: Mummy! I love Mummy! Hug?

Luna: Oh course. Mummy missed you. And Mummy missed you

Rilian: *laughs* Snuggles with Mummy

Luna: Did we have a good day

Alfred: Yes. Zia De came and we play

Rilian: After nap we watch Mama sing on screen

The boys are soon distracted by some kids show and Luna takes the opportunity to pull Devin into her arms.

Luna: *kisses* I missed you today to

Devin: *giggles* Same here

Luna: So I’ve had an idea. Since we didn’t see Miriam at brunch I’ve invited her and Max for dinner

Devin: That’s a great idea! Although I don’t know that our house screams romantic atmosphere

Luna: I thought we could try Del Sol eatery again, maybe they just need a nice romantic dinner to get back on track

Devin: You have such a good heart amore mio

Luna: So do you schatz. Do you think Joey will be able to watch the twins on short notice

Devin: I think so, he doesn’t normally go... fishing on weekdays

Rilian: Zio Joey fish?

Alfred: He never show us fish

Rilian: We ask Zio Joey to see fish

Alfred: YES

Max: This is a swanky place, wonder if I could nick that guys wallet

Luna: Max, behave! This is meant to be a nice relaxing dinner for you and Miriam

Max: If you say so. Don’t be surprised that she looks different though. Rocked back in with a new do and wardrobe

Luna: Different? Wait-back?

Max: I don’t know, she said something about wanting to look edgy, I wasn’t really listening

Luna: *sighs* Max, step number one is listen when your wife is talking

Max: I thought step number one was… you know… in bed

Luna: Apologising in clothes can be more important than apologising in bed you know

Bonnie: *in monotone* Welcome to Del Sol Eatery, the best little gem in the valley

Devin: Yes hi, me again. Reservation for four under Villareal

Bonnie: *monotone continues* We offer our customers a range of dining experiences-

Devin: Not to be rude but we have heard your speech, know where the exits are and will continue to tip generously. Can you pretty please skip to the part where you show us our table?

Bonnie: *scoffs*

Devin worries she’s overstepped for a minute. It’s not as if she told her to get charisma lessons though, just to show them to a table. After an extra-long sigh Bonnie points to a table and Devin goes to grab it before the speech can start again.

Devin: Wow… that’s a nice dress

Miriam: Thanks! I’m trying to go more gothic to bind with Max more

Devin: That’s… cute, but remember even if you’re in a relationship you still have to be yourself

Miriam: I just don’t think pastels were the right way to gel with him, too bright

Devin: How are you and Max? We missed you at brunch

Miriam: Yes I- I’m back for now at least. Oh here they come. Honey pie, we’re over here!

Max: Yes sugar, my eyes do work

Luna: I grabbed a placemat!

Luna: I just realised you’ve never told me how you two met

Max: Oh look, a waiter, let’s order

The group peruses the menu and eventually settles on something to order. Again the conversation shifts back to romance.

Devin: Oh me and Lu met in high school

Max: Not this story again

Luna: Then tell us your story to pass the time. How did you meet? Who said I love you first

Max: Luna you know I’m not a sap

Luna: It’s not about being a sap, it’s about being able to say nice things about your partner

Max: Fine. Miriam, you have nice boobs

Miriam: And you have a nice butt

Max: There, compliments done

Devin: Oh come on, I’m sure there’s more you like about each other

Max: Yeah Miriam, I’m sure there was a reason you came back that wasn’t another fake pregnancy or more money

Luna: *fake laughter* Such a unique sense of humour my brother has

Miriam: Why yes Max. I came back because I figured you needed someone to sleep with you

Devin: *quickly* What do you think about these pools? Didn’t the watcher fix things up in here? And I see no one in swimwear

Max: Swimwear?

Luna: Let us tell you all about it

Eventually the food arrives and the talk can move to a more neutral territory. The tension never completely disappears but Max and Miriam stop taking bites out of each other and tuck into the food. Luna is worried about her brother and wonders if he’s keeping his hurt hidden or if he really thinks so little of Miriam now. When she and Devin meet each other’s eyes over the table she can feel her wife’s love without any words. She wants that for Max, even if he can be prickly as a hedgehog.

Miriam: Thank you for treating us Luna, it was good to get out

Luna: You’re welcome but this one will technically be from Devin’s paycheck

Fan: OMG Devin Villareal! Can I have an autograph

Devin: I’m sorry, I’m actually eating with my family right now. But if you want to shoot a quick video…

Luna: Uh oh

Devin: That’s right, serenade time!

Devin bursts into song and Luna beams proudly. She used to get flustered when Devin would break into song in front of strangers but as her wife has gotten more famous she’s found it reassuring. Max may be having trouble, but her marriage gives her nothing but joy.

Previous ... Next

[danglovely]

Regrading Taskmaster: S07E01 The mean bean.

*Score changes noted in parenthesis.

Let's do it. It's time for everybody's favorite season. It's not my favorite season, but everyone who matters likes it. I think this season really works because the cast is so competitive and willing to fight with each other in studio. James and Rhod really seemed to get what is entertaining for the show, but the other three were great as well.

Prediction time? I'll guess that I will end up having Kerry still winning it. It always felt like she wanted the win more than she wanted to be an entertainer on the show. Jess is the only other contestant that seems to take the competition aspect of seriously in any sort of way.

But enough exposition.

Prize Task: The Thing That Most People Would Like to Touch

I think that's more likely than the sign having an existential crisis.

My immediate go-to is to bring in a cat and bringing in living things always seems to work well. Greg could pick it apart if he hates cats or brings up dog people, but I think it's solid.

James chooses MC Hammer because of the song "Can't Touch This." It's a decent joke, but they only have a cardboard cutout of him. Real MC Hammer gets five points instantly; cardboard cutouts compete for one.

Jess brings in a sign that says "do not touch." James immediately mentions the weakness in that it is clearly referring to not touching something other than the sign and so that other thing would be the thing you'd want to touch. Jess limbos under James in points.

Kerry brings a Newton's Cradle. I'll give it this -- when I first saw one, I was fascinated. Once the novelty wears off it kind of becomes, as Greg says, "disappointing to touch." Kerry slots in between Jess and James.

Phil brings in a delightful chariot toy that moves in the most interesting way. To this day I want to play with it. I assume everyone is like me and wants to play with it, so it's getting the five. Note: First instance of the haggling joke.

Rhod brings in a replica of Greg's childhood toy, "BT" and there's a lot of conversation about the absolutely insane things Greg did in his youth. It's clever and deserves second.

James: 3 (+1) Jess: 1 (0) Kerry: 2 (0) Phil: 5 (0) Rhod: 4 (0)

VT 01: Design and demonstrate the best "quick change outfit." Best and quickest "quick change outfit" wins.

Just no sense of urgency whatsoever.

Two aspects to the win condition here: (1) best, (2) quickest. I would say "quickest" is more important, seeing as that is the point of a "quick change outfit," but I could be convinced the other way if there was a change where I truly couldn't figure out how they did it.

Jess's change is great and it's only marred that you can see the neon green headband from her 80's workout clothes underneath her wedding veil. She goes with the classic "curtain up, curtain down, different outfit," albeit with a lot of ruffling in between. Also insane that Greg thought she was a ghost and not a bride. 4-second change.

Rhod's attempt is completely insane. Obviously he was doing a different task and that task was "humiliate Alex." He wasn't going for points here, but he still gets one.

James seems to connect a suit and a dress on each half of his body, steps offscreen, then turns around. It was fast, I'll give him that. His third outfit was just removing the suit. It's definitively worse than Jess's outfit so the speed is irrelevant in this instance.

Kerry's is good. It happens quickly and the outfits look completely different. I'm more impressed with Jess because I can see the strings that pull Kerry's velcro apart, but I think they're close enough that fastest wins. 3.6-second change.

Oh Phil. It's so unimpressive. He basically just changes out of his outfit off-camera and it takes him longer to do it than an average person would take. It's even more brutal now that Taskmaster showed the video of him changing.

James: 3 (+1) Jess: 4 (0) Kerry: 5 (0) Phil: 2 (+1) Rhod: 1 (-2)

VT 02: Build the highest tower. You have five minutes from when your first box is assembled and maximum time twenty minutes from now.

Goddamn stinger and stinging nettles and then the friggin holly bush and thorny branches. Where do you get off?

First location task! The Woodrow High House -- I like the aesthetic of this place a lot and wouldn't mind visiting it one day. I also never noticed that they folded the task into a box before.

This task is a joy because the five put together so much failure in their own ways. The only real judgments to make is whether their attempts constituted "a tower" and when their first boxes are assembled.

James tried to hang a box off a tree with rope made of tape. A tower probably needs to consist of a minimum of two boxes. Arguably he didn't complete the task.

Phil contests that he hasn't assembled a box until every side is closed. I'm not buying it and his argument doesn't help. He also did not complete the task. Phil also argues that Rhod's tower isn't free standing. If that's what was said in the task I'd give it to him, but it wasn't.

Jess confidently builds a tower only for it to fall over as soon as she turns around. Here's the thing: the task doesn't specify when the tower should be measured so it could be interpreted to the maximum height she ever achieves. She even says "I'm leaving it there." Jess's maximum looked a lot taller than Kerry's so I'm flipping them.

James: 0 (-1) Jess: 4 (+1) Kerry: 3 (-1) Phil: 0 (-2) Rhod: 5 (0)

VT 03: Work out the circumference of the caravan in baked beans. You have three minutes. Most accurate wins.

It is such a bad omen that Rhod is the smart one.

I'm with Alex here in that the only way to do it is to find the average length of a bean. There is honestly no way for me to actually evaluate who did best from the footage, so Alex's measurements need to be trusted.

James: 4 Jess: 3 Kerry: 5 Phil: 1 Rhod: 2

Live Task: Make the best fruit display hat. You may not touch or tamper with your hat. Only the fruit picker-uppers may touch the fruit. You may only hold the fruit picker-uppers by their handles. Best fruit display hat wins.

First off, we ask if there are any disqualifications. There is some inadvertent contact with the fruit, but nothing intentional and that's the heart of the task.

The next bit is that people start collaborating by making each other's hat. The task specifically says to make the best hat, not wear the best hat. Thus, the hat that they make should be what they're graded on.

And now my subjective opinion:

James makes his own hat and gets a watermelon, and what looks like an apple and a mango on it. It's bad.

Jess makes Kerry's hat and Kerry makes Jess's hat. I think the hat Jess makes looks better and has more fruit. Phil makes Rhod's hat and Rhod makes Phil's hat. I'm honestly impressed that Phil got that much fruit on it, including a pineapple. Rhod's is similar to what Jess and Kerry did, but has slightly less volume than the other two.

James: 1 (-1) Jess: 4 (+1) Kerry: 3 (-1) Phil: 5 (+1) Rhod: 2 (-3)

F I N A L

James: 11 (0) Jess: 16 (+2) Kerry: 18 (-2) Phi: 13 (0) Rhod: 14 (-5)

There are no crazy scoring changes. I did dock Rhod a lot, but that's mostly because I felt Phil deserved credit for making his hat. There is a prisoner's dilemma version of that game where you depend on the other person to build your hat but you don't want to make it too good. That's not what the task said though.

Kerry wins.

[frazzledsoul]

It's generally left out in the annals of bad behavior/infidelity in the Gilmore Girls canon, but I just want to review the details of Lorelai's "situationship" with Twilight Dad in season 3 when she is in the midst of lecturing Jess and Rory on proper boyfriend/girlfriend etiquette.

Lorelai meets Alex (aka Twilight Dad) on 3.11, which aired on January 21. She and Alex are third wheels when Sookie meets up with an old friend and accidentally sets up a date with him (this takes place during the episode where Rory and Paris fence and have intense sexual tension). I think he asks her out during this episode.

One week later, on 3.12 (airing on February 28) Lorelai and Alex have a coffee date. They discuss the coffee shop he's opening and his two kids who he shares custody with his ex. He suggests a fishing date, and Lorelai ropes Luke into teaching her how to fish. Bear in mind that she has known Luke has crushed on her for the better part of two years.

Anyway, after this incident, Luke decides to give up on Lorelai and asks Nicole out.

The next episode is 3.13, which is the flashback episode. It airs on February 4. This is Luke and Nicole's first date. Nicole definitely does not spend the night.

3.14 airs on February 11. This is Swan Song, where Lorelai is antsy about Rory and Jess possibly fucking, he gets beaked in the eye by the ghost of Shane, they fight, and at the end of the episode Alexis makes a way too realistic moan into Milo's mouth and Rory goes home and tells Lorelai that she's totally going to do Jess at some point.

So Alex and Lorelai have been going out for three weeks, and they decide to go away together with Sookie and Jackson. Sounds kind of serious. It's also mentioned in this episode that in the one week he's been dating Nicole Luke has been on a bunch of overnight trips to New York and seen a bunch of Broadway plays with his girlfriend. I guess we're supposed to assume there's a time jump here because there's no way he did all that within a week.

I'll also point out here that even though Luke mentions he interrupts Rory and Jess every ten minutes so they don't get around to having sex, if he's also making overnight trips to New York they're probably being left alone in the apartment at night quite a bit. Pair that with the offscreen "movie nights" we hear about later and yeah, uh, I think we can figure out what is taking place because no way is that going on in Lorelai's house unless it's also happening while she's out with Alex.

3.15 is February 18, the hockey episode. Jess doesn't call Rory to arrange a date and Lorelai lectures him on his terrible boyfriend behavior. Then he shows up with hickey tickets (and then some!) and I'm guessing Rory's virginity became fairly technical in the car afterwards.

3.16 is the episode where Paris is rejected from Harvard, which airs on February 25. Lorelai is delighted to know that Rory has not actually had sex and that she has "the good kid". She also makes out with Max and then tells Rory all about it and when Rory asks about poor Twilight Dad, Lorelai says "I don't know." I'm thinking you really should not be giving lectures on morality and proper relationship etiquette, hon. Also two weeks ago the relationship was serious enough to include an overnight weekend, but now it doesn't matter? Huh.

So let's skip ahead to Keg. Max, which is three episodes and two months later, which airs on April 25. I'm assuming there actually was a time jump between Luke and Nicole's first date and the swan episode and these episodes actually took place much closer together than they aired, as there's a lot of stuff going on with Luke finding out Jess is skipping school, steals his car to force him to go, and Jess finally being told he isn't graduating that seems like it would take place much closer in time. Anyway, it seems that Lorelai concludes that her relationship with Twilight Dad is over, because "it's become more intermittent". Does she call him and ask them if their relationship is over? I think we all know the answer to that one. Lorelai tries to push herself on Max after he says no and acts like she's the one that's been affronted when he shoves a table between them. I think there was supposed to be a parallel between Lorelai and Jess crossing boundaries in this episode, although I'm not sure why Lorelai did what she did for any reason other than she felt like it.

I really feel someone who behaves in this manner should not be lecturing her teenage daughter or her boyfriend about what a real relationship looks like, nor should she be evaluating who or who isn't "the good kid" based on what she's been doing. It appears Alex was just cheated on and dropped without explanation as the relationship was getting serious. Rory was fully aware of what was happening and further got the message that it is okay to do this sort of thing if an ex boyfriend enters the picture because if he was yours first, it's okay to cheat with him whenever you feel like it. I'm sure that's not something she's going to take to heart or anything.

Anyway, fair well Twilight Dad. I'm sure you'll have more interesting adventures in the PNW from now on.

[iid-smile]

HIII SUNNY HOW R UUUU 🙆‍♀️🙆‍♀️ curiosity killed the cat so pls answer my qs ^.^

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username? ( PLEASE TELL ME ITS THE SONF IID SMILE )

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

FAY !!! 🫂🫂🫂 this is literally like so perfect prepare for some yap 🤭 (foreshadowing how im gonna have to put a cut) (future sunny here yes i did put a cut yes i did talk a lot)

🕯️ — what editing are we referring to here? 🤔 if its writing editing i'll give it like a 6/10 because i skip over entire paragraphs to avoid cringing 😣 + my spelling is so bad its embarrassing. but like video editing? 1/10. i have suffered one too many times trying to figure out capcut and other apps like that.. i struggled for like an hour trying to put audio over a STILL IMAGE. wasnt a fun time......

🍄 — wowowowow theres so many to choose from um... ill go with hiori and rin because why not??? (i physically couldn't think of another one) i feel like rin is an absolute grandpa when it comes to all sorts of games (board games included, this guy doesnt know a thing about chess) and hiori would be so patient teaching him all of the right moves 💔 rin doesnt get any better but he puts in the effort. he probably has tried moving a pawn over half way across the board on the first move

🦷 — it's really not worth trying to peak in high school... big friend groups dont usually last after everyone separates so its better to keep in contact with those you trust the most. being popular or going to parties all the time really does nothing in life unless you build up those memories. trust me ive picked up some bad habits that ive only come clean from recently and ive found some much better friends (moots included 😘) even at my old age 😁 ok im only twenty but like little me wouldve never guessed i would be able to still make friends

🌿 — i actually dont have any... im a pro at procrastinating and random sparks of inspo so i just write whenever 😋 thats why series dont usually last for me because i have to continuously build on and write the same plot or idea over long periods of time. ig if you have a good idea, write it somewhere asap so you dont miss any key details or forget what it was completely (we lost cupid!rin over this). as for inspo i lovveeeee daydreaming and im literally just itching to be in a cutesy relationship so usually my works are based on that. i just think "what would this character do?" and a lil scenario pops up and i just roll with it? idek 😭

🍦 — No. jk we'll do it on mahito because i have a love hate relationship with him. first of all hes written like a true villain and seeing how everyone hate on him just means that he's done his job effectively 🙂‍↕️ chat hes kinda cute im not even gonna lie... in the few scenes where he actually looks pretty hes actually so fine?? WHO KEES MAKING HIM CROSS EYED AND GIVING HIM DORITOS FOR A NOSE? at least the fan art does him so much justice... I PROMISE U NOW if mahito wasnt given so many ugly scenes literally everybody would love him like sukuna. i stand by that.

🍅 — gosh my description needs a lot of work 😭 i dont understand how people can make their writing so abstract and creative while im stuck here using the basics. and some words and phrases that ive made up myself and are trademark mine if u get what i mean?? like you could read it and say "oh, sunny probably wrote this". and maybe expanding on emotions more to engage with the reader.

☁️ — YES IT IS BASED ON IDSMILE!! literally love that song sm!!! somewhere out there i believe i posted a video of me singing it when it first came out but it got like no views so i deleted it 🙄 my digital footprint is crazy

🧩 — overwhelmingly huge paragraphs are always a struggle for me. im very guilty for this rn but i have an excuse because this is just answering questions 😎 or even like not separating the speech and adding a space when different characters are talking because i just cant read it! like ive seen a fic that was literally a huge block of text throughout the entire thing (which was like 600 words) and i was just like "damn..." there was no way i was going to read without skipping over lines or getting them mixed up.

[galaxywhump]

[SV-240 AU Masterlist]

Part two of Berkeley's Revenge AU.

contents: recapture, defiant whumpee, tied to a chair, death threats, past fingore/amputation, traumatic haircut, shock collar.

~~~

Berkeley winces, picking up Wren’s severed finger through a tissue, which instantly turns crimson, soaked with blood.

“It could still be attached back,” he sing-songs, smiling at Wren before tossing the tissue into a bin. “Whoops, nevermind.”

Wren barely hears him, his wide unseeing eyes fixed on the ceiling, his breathing ragged, his forehead lined with cold sweat. His finger is gone, it’s been cut off, and its absence, once it finally registers, feels so weird and so wrong. He flinches and gasps when Berkeley grabs his left hand and starts playing with his fingers, smiling to himself.

“I guess when I feel like hearing you scream again, I can just take my pick.” He lets go, circles the table, and gets to cleaning and dressing the wound on Wren’s right hand, chuckling a bit at his instinctual attempt to wrench his hand free. “Try not to get an infection and die, but it should be fine. You'll live. You’re so tough, after all.” He glances at Wren’s face, listening to his frantic breathing. “Why so quiet, Rackham? No more jokes? Figures,” he scoffs, shaking his head. “We both know how pathetic you really are.”

“You cut off my fucking finger,” Wren rasps.

“And I can do it again if you don’t stop swearing.” The terror in Wren’s eyes when his head jerks towards Berkeley makes him smile. “Yep, I think that’s a good idea. Cutting off a finger every time you swear.”

“Y-you’re-”

“I’ll let that one slide, though.” He gives Wren a bloody pat on the cheek. “Cause you didn’t know, you poor thing. But from now on you better keep that in mind. Got it?”

Wren hates himself for his immediate feverish nod.

“Good. You have your moments of obedience, don't you? It's a shame Daniel never enforced it more, but now he's gone, you are mine, and I'll change things up a bit. No swearing is a good start." Berkeley cocks his head. “Yeah, feels good to say it. You’re mine, Rackham, and I can do whatever I want to you.”

His words chill Wren to the core more than Daniel’s similar musings ever did. He knew what Daniel wanted, and after a year or so surprises had become scarce. All he knows about Berkeley’s wants is terrifying.

Kill you. More modifications.

And who knows what else.

“Alright, let’s get you off this table for now.”

Wren follows Berkeley with his eyes as he crouches down next to a duffel bag on the floor and rummages through its contents, which Wren would rather not imagine, suspecting he won’t like whatever Berkeley’s about to take out now.

Sure enough, he retrieves a shock collar.

“What the-” He stops himself from finishing at the last possible moment, but fear still sets in and he shivers. It was obvious what he was going to say, and if Berkeley considers it enough to…

“Good, you’re learning.” Berkeley smiles, standing next to the table, right by Wren’s head. “You know what this is, right?” He dangles the collar, made of flexible metallic material with a tiny box attached on one side, in the air. “Daniel had one of these too. Tell me what this is, Rackham. Three.”

“A shock collar,” Wren rushes to answer, not wanting to find out what would happen if Berkeley had counted all the way down.

“Very good!” Berkeley coos and snickers. “So I take it you’ve had to wear it before?”

“Yeah.” It was once or twice, really, but Wren chooses not to specify. He’s already obediently answering Berkeley’s questions way too much for his liking. 

“Not enough, in my opinion, but we’ll fix it.” Without further ado Berkeley treads the collar under Wren’s neck, making him jolt in place when the cold metal touches his skin, then brings it around and tightens it until it fits snugly. “Mhm, much better. You’re a natural. I’m going to untie you now, but you will stay nice and still, cause if you so much as make a move to attack me, I’ll click this little button-” he waves the small remote in the air “-and then cut off a finger or two, unless I come up with something more exciting.”

“Okay,” Wren says, contemplating the ceiling and trying not to cry. The collar doesn’t stay cold for long, but it’s still uncomfortable, and swallowing makes him shudder, and… it's going to stay now, for however long Berkeley wants. 

At least Daniel-

Shut the fuck up.

He can’t completely silence the thoughts, though. At least Daniel never cut off his fingers. At least Daniel didn’t want to collar him for good; the few times he’d done that he almost looked disgusted and made sure to take it off as soon as it was no longer necessary - as if a shock collar was ever necessary for a human being.

He quite literally jolts back to reality when the collar activates, sending a bolt of electricity through his body. It ends as soon as it started, as if it never even happened, and once the initial shock wears off, he remembers Berkeley’s warning and his heartbeat picks up, his blood running cold.

“B-but I-” He looks at Berkeley, who’s watching him with a smirk, his finger resting on the button of the remote. “I didn’t even move!”

He can’t cut my finger off, he can’t, I didn’t do anything wrong, but he can do anything he wants, no, no, no-

“I know, idiot.” The insult sounds almost affectionate. “I wish you could see the look on your face right now, so terrified. But you’re right, you didn’t move. I just wanted to see if the collar works.”

The relief that overwhelms Wren makes it hard to breathe, as if the collar wasn’t making a good enough job of that.

Berkeley struggles with the sturdy knots of the restraints before finally untying them and motioning for Wren to sit up, nice and slow, no sudden movements. He grabs him by the arm and helps him get off the table, and his grip tightens when Wren sways on his feet a little.

Wren’s forced to take a few shaky steps, his legs barely cooperating with him after being immobilized for… however long it had taken him to wake up. With a push he finds himself sitting on a chair, which seems inconspicuous until Berkeley presses a button under it, causing armrests to slide out of the back. When his wrists are grabbed and slammed down on the armrests, it turns out that the chair is also outfitted with metal restraints, which snap closed, bringing Wren’s temporary freedom of movement to an end.

“I’d stay still anyway,” he sneers when Berkeley crouches down to tie his ankles to the legs of the chair, this time with regular rope.

“I know,” Berkeley says as he straightens up and smiles at Wren. “But I just like seeing you like this, and I’m sure you missed being tied up.”

“Not really.” Wren rolls his eyes, but he can’t ignore the sense of familiarity at being restrained like this. A feeling of resignation creeps up on him, but he tries to fight it, push it away, because he’s not resigned.

Right?

There’s an unpleasant scraping sound when Berkeley grabs the chair, turns it, and pushes it forward a bit, grimacing with effort.

“Maybe,” Wren says, looking up at him with a mocking smile, “you should’ve put the chair where you wanted it to be before, you know, strapping me to it.”

“Or it should’ve been a hover chair,” Berkeley snorts as he lets go and walks up to the closet in front of them. “But we’d already modified this one, so.” He shrugs, pressing one of the buttons on the side of the closet, causing its door to convert into a mirror, then walking away.

Wren wanted to keep his eyes on Berkeley at all times, but once he sees his reflection, he can’t look away, staring at it with wide eyes, his lips parted a bit, an attempt at another snark shut down in an instant.

The collar around his neck and the bloody carved word on his chest are jarring, mocking him, and his hand… He forces himself to look up from it when nausea creeps up on him. The worst part, though, is his face. His eyes are hollow, with tears glistening in their corners, and his expression is both familiar and new - familiar pained tension, new pure terror caused by the prospect of imminent death.

He never wanted to look like this again.

He closes his eyes only to flinch and open them when he hears a series of sharp sounds. In his reflection he locks eyes with Berkeley, who grins, standing behind him, wielding a pair of scissors.

“What…” Wren trails off, but realization dawns on him and his heart sinks.

“Come on, even you should be able to figure out what I want to do.” He snips the scissors again and can’t stop himself from laughing when Wren shivers. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m pissed that I had to cut my hair off thanks to you, so it’s only fair you get a haircut too.”

Wren tenses up, his heart beating fast, his mind a mess of protests he can’t say out loud.

It’s just hair.

But it’s not, and waiting for the first cut is unbearable.

“You cut your hair yourself on SV-240, didn’t you?” Berkeley runs his fingers through Wren’s hair to untangle any knots, not caring enough to try and avoid pulling. “And then you regretted it.”

“A little bit,” Wren says through gritted teeth, looking down only to wince when his gaze stops at his bandaged hand, he cut off my fucking finger, it’s gone. “It’s just hair.”

“Bullshit. Don’t lie to me.” Wren gasps when Berkeley closes his fist in his hair and wrenches his head back. “I can’t wait to see you cry, Rackham, cause you will cry.”

He swallows, which every single time only serves to remind him about the collar and his throat being squeezed tight, when Berkeley grabs the sides of his head and forces him to look straight ahead. The scissors are freezing against his cheek, but when they disappear, it’s anything but a relief.

“Did you cry?” he asks, trying not to shiver when Berkeley separates a strand of his hair and puts it between the blades of the scissors; before he can brace himself, they close, making him flinch.

It’s just hair. It’s just hair.

“A little bit,” Berkeley sneers, cutting off another lock - not completely short, much to Wren’s confusion. “But I had no choice. With some time it’ll just grow back, right? Of course, you don’t have that kind of time.”

As much as Wren wants to respond, he doesn’t. His impending death is something he’d rather not protest against, not wanting Berkeley to take it as a reason to kill him sooner. He stays silent, doing his best to hide his shivering and forced breathing as brown hairs keep falling to the floor, some clinging to his skin, tickling and annoying him, and he can’t even brush them off.

“I’m afraid it won’t be a flattering look on you.” Berkeley clicks his tongue, not pausing his work for a moment.

“How tragic. Are you telling me you’re not a professional hairdresser?” Wren raises one eyebrow even as he struggles to hold back tears. It’s not just hair, it’s a part of himself that Berkeley is taking away from him with a promise of taking so much more.

“No, but I mostly don’t give a shit whether you’re a pretty corpse or not.”

There it is again, and Wren is sure that the reminders will only get more and more frequent, harder to ignore. Even now he can’t help but imagine the worst-case scenario, someone finding his body, maybe barely recognizing him after Berkeley’s done with him-

Pull yourself together.

I won’t die here.

The scissors keep cutting.

I’m going to escape or be saved, he’s going to get locked up, I’ll… I’ll…

“Alright, let’s see.” 

Berkeley grabs him by the hair and cuts a little bit more off.

Leaving just enough length to be able to get a good grip.

“Perfect.” Berkeley leans down to rest his chin on Wren’s shoulder and smiles. “We’re short-haired buddies now, how cool is that?”

He doesn’t get a verbal reply, but the tears glistening in Wren’s eyes are enough of an answer for him.

“Remember what this means,” he says quietly, laying his hands on Wren’s arms and giving them a light squeeze. “You may have gotten a taste of freedom, but now you’re back where you belong, as someone’s property, tied up and collared, and I can do whatever I want to your body, understand?”

A second’s pause makes it clear he’s expecting an answer, and Wren nods, averting his gaze.

“Ah-ah, look at yourself, Rackham.”

When he obeys, hating himself for it, Berkeley gently wraps his hand around his neck, teasing with his thumb just above the collar, smiling when Wren shudders.

“What do you see?”

When Daniel put him in front of a mirror, he did his best to snark. He was so different back then, scared, but determined, having only experienced being restrained, silenced, and beaten, which now seems like a laughably mild treatment. He’s still determined, he’s still hopeful, the last thing he wants to do is give up, but he recognizes that in his current situation, and with his current captor, following his spark will only lead to retaliation that he might not be able to handle.

And so he lets his despair talk instead, his voice barely audible, giving Berkeley the answer he probably wants more than all the others that come to mind, captive, idiot, pathetic crybaby.

“Property.”

"That's right."

~~~

taglist: @faewhump @inky-whump @whole-and-apart-and-between @whatwasmyprevioususername @procrastinatingsab @funky-little-glitter-bomb @goneuntil @redstainedsocks @luminouswhump @lonesome--hunter @as-a-matter-of-whump @renkocchi @whump-only @muddy-swamp-bitch @girlwithacoolcat @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @sophierose002 @whump-headspace @to-whump-or-not-to-whump @kixngiggles @ohwhumpydays @whumpvp @wibby-wobbly-whump @stab-the-son-of-a @his-unspoken-words @pumpkin-spice-whump @onlyhappywhenitpains @suspicious-whumping-egg @morning-star-whump @there-will-always-be-blood @springwhump

[6mayhem]

5, 7, 10, 19 for oc ask >:3

5. Share a drawing or physical description of an OC.

i will share many drawings!!!!!! of my favorite, nephy :3

this actually perfectly fits with 7-

7. Confess. Do you have a favorite OC?

YES and it's NEPH! ^^^^^^^^ he's my oldest still active oc, and went through the most redesigns over the years. here's some older designs from 2020-2021:

anyway! he's a demon, film major, musician and lead singer of a band called punch line, transgender, bit of a drug addict, emo and cringefail loser. he ran away from home at 16 due to the abuse/neglect from his single mother, and ended up moving into his online best friend's apartment - the friend being 75, whom he never actually met in person before then. after moving to trash city, he befriended tarot (one of jay's siblings re: other post:3), and the both of them started engaging in a lot of dangerous activities for their age, like going out clubbing and flirting with older men lol. eventually, they started dating, but eventually broke up and now have petty transgender exes beef lol.

afterwards, neph actually managed to finish high school and enrolled in jhana academy to study film. at university, he meets kall, and offers them a room in his and 75's shared apartment, the three of them becoming bffssss :3. then, one night while clubbing, neph meets deth and primus, who saw him perform on stage and offer to do music with him, forming punch line. the same night, he also meets wren, a werewolf college dropout working at sixten (junkyard 7/11), and they become boyfriends :) well after a lot of back and forth, at least. ONLY TO THEN accidentally end up with the custody of alexis, neph's 10 year old estranged cousin, all while sharing an apartment with WREN'S cousin, nathan, blabla, the police one day do a wellfare check, find drugs at the apartment, wren is arrested, blabla it gets real tragic...anywayyssss

10. Talk about an OC you've kinda forgotten about.

oh boyyy where do i start. i make so many ocs and then forget about them...

i guess i've kinda forgotten about maus lately, so i'll talk about him !! he is the younger son of the cult leader of gold children, his older brother being thorn. his parents, as well as his brother, are all angels, but he himself was born without the features. this is considered a sign of being somewhat "chosen", so, since birth, he was damned to be a graveyard keeper and mortician, his job being to harvest the souls of any deceased people who are buried there and feed them to their (mortal) god, sunscorch.

due to his condition, he has always felt like he stood in thorn's shadow. thorn, originally named petal, had a bright future ahead of him - at least until he got involved with an older man who heavily abused and sex trafficked him. swearing to never let anyone get close to him again, petal, now a fallen angel, changed his name to thorn and became part of a gang that lives in the outskirts of trash city and regularly robs and kills people lol.

maus never gave up hope on his brother, despite how much he envied him growing up, continously reaching out to him over the years, to no avail. it is right before giving up that he meets arum, an immortal prince of hell that keeps getting reanimated on his graveyard. the two start a relationship, maus not knowing that arum also has a relationship with thorn. thorn figures this out, though, and, after a little detour in the form of a roadtrip with two teen boys in order to find the actual real jesus christ to prove to everyone that sunscorch isn't actually the biblical god (hehe), he ends up dumping arum and reuniting with his brother <3

19. Share a song or a playlist that you associate with an OC.

i've always been meaning to make a playlist for my ocs but never got around to it :,3 but here's some songs that inspired a lot about certain ocs

75 (literally where her name comes from HAH):

wren:

maus/thorn:

and of course this isn't complete without adding the saydie/arum/nausikaä pmv my friend made (based on my shitpost storyboard):

[rainitsarakun]

INTRODUCING HELGA. hello everyone, i'm helga! i'm 25+, prefer she/her pronouns and am in the est timezone! i play rain & jaeyong who are portrayed by lisa and baekhyun respectively. this blog is my main one, while jaeyong is on a sideblog, so a lot of my correspondence will be from this one. you can also find me on discord @ storiiies, so feel free to hit me up there!

INTRODUCING RAIN & JAEYONG. my first muse is the lovely rain itsarakun who is 27 years old and is meant to be a visitor, though she is working as a fitness trainer at yuseong community center, so her roots maybe already be taking place in yuseong bay after staying for 3 years now. her profile page can be found here! my second muse is cha jaeyong, and he is a 31 year old lifelong resident of yuseong bay. he works as a beekeeper, offering pollination services to local farms, but he also sells surplus honey at a farmer's market stall. his profile can be found here!

RAIN'S PROMPT ANSWERS

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay? "it was, ohhh, about three years ago now? it was so foggy, i could barely see the bay, but i still felt more at home here than i had in awhile. i had to get away from chiang mai ... a bad relationship, you see. i'll spare you the details, but my family always used to come on vacation to yuseong bay and there was someone here i was friends with when i was younger. i decided to go out on a limb and reach out to them and long story short, here i am."

what does an average day look like for your muse? "i wake up pretty early and i'll usually have some breakfast or a shake, if i don't grab something from the café on the way to work. then i head to the community center, or to the gym more specifically, usually with my playlist at full volume by that point, but i digress. i'll spend a good hour stretching before my shift starts, because you do not want to experience a muscle giving out or locking up on you when you're holding a heavy weight. then i'll start working with my usual clients, walking them through certain pacing issues, showing them new techniques or spotting for them. then i might join in on a dance or baking class, depending on what's going on at the center that day? sometimes i'll stop by the bar on my way home to have a drink with a couple of friends, or i'll meet with my pai gow club to play a few games to wind down after work. then it's pretty much home to have dinner, maybe read a little bit and then i'll head to bed."

where can your muse usually be found? "i can't lie, i spend a lot of my time at the community center. whether it's at the gym or in the pool, at one of the other classes or just out on the grounds. it's a nice, peaceful place to be."

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort? "i guess i'm not really sure? on the one hand, people who stay there come to the gym sometimes and need a trainer, so it kicks more business my way, but ... i also can't help but feel like it's slowly taking away some of the magic of yuseong bay? commercializing it, i guess you could say. i feel bad for the people it's affecting negatively."

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay? "i would just like some time, i suppose. some would argue i've had more than enough, but the truth is, i'm still finding out who i am and what i want to do. i hate when people act like i should have it all figured out. i don't think that will ever happen, but i hope being here can help."

list your muse's three favorite songs. slow dancing in a burning room by john mayor, if you love her by tokyo tea room & fingers crossed by lauren spencer-smith.

describe your muse's wardrobe. frequently pairs hoodies, jeans and sneakers if she’s not strolling around in vibrantly colored sportswear. her fashion choices are fairly basic, prioritizing comfort and breathability over style. when she does dress up, she likes an elegant a-line silhouette.

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse? i think an ashy grayish blue fits her because of its difficulty in placing as it pertains to emotion or mood. the word i think fits her the most is 'drapetomania'. the emoji that is best suited for rain is probably 🌧.

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse. likes: exercise, cold water & cats. dislikes: scarecrows, gossip & crash dieting.

three positive and negative traits for your muse. positive: amicable, energetic & sensible. negative: stubborn, flighty & distant.

three talents and shortcomings for your muse. she's rather adept at helping people build muscle or get active, as she's very encouraging and energetic in the gym. she's also a talented dancer, always volunteering to help out in dance classes held at the community center. rain has a talent for pai gow too, having been an avid player since she was a child, and she does very well in tournaments. her biggest shortcoming is her uncommunicative nature, as she often would rather suffer in silence than tell people close to her something is wrong. she's also prone to running away from a difficult situation rather than facing it head on and resolving things. she can also be a little defense if she feels people are being accusatory towards her.

what is a book/tv series/movie/video game character that you feel your character relates to? i definitely think rain has a similarity to leah from stardew valley, but i also draw parallels between her and sophie hatter in how mild-mannered, sensible and humble they both are.

a relevant goal or arch for your character to overcome. i would like to develop rain's ability to trust other people with her feelings in all facets of life, as it's arguably her biggest struggle. i would also like for her to let go of all the anger and resentment she feels for her ex since it's really only hurting her in the long run.

if you would like to plot with rain, please like this post and i'll come bug you! i'll be posting jaeyong's prompt answers separately on his blog 💟

[uniiiquehecrt]

Thor Odinson

tagged by : @beheworthy bc i would ALWAYS like 💖💖💖

Give me a fictional character and I will say:

Favorite thing about them: His big dumb hero's heart. His compassion. How much he loves his home, his people, his family, his beloved, his friends — how much he loves.

Least favorite thing about them: //stares pointedly at his inability to form meaningful connections because Thor is Not Allowed to be Not Okay (even when it's obvious and people he loves asks him to share his heart).

Three things I have in common with them:

I am, myself, an elder sibling!! And one whose younger brother was/is someone I am incredibly close to, care a great deal about — that entire drama is very close to home for me.

A passion bubble for friends and family that's, on occasion, close to the surface... but otherwise am chill 👍

and .... bunt out golden child syndrome vibes. Especially that vibe of "do it on your own and put on your leader face at all times, because all eyes are on you, good luck"

Three things I don’t have in common with them:

His ... overly reserved nature. I've been told I can be serious but I don't think I brood the way he does.

One day I will be nearly half as eloquent in my speech outside of writing 🙏

The way that Thor is able to just command a room???? Goals. Total goals. I'm either very good at directing conversations or shaky at it and I wish I had Thor's level of confidence.

Favorite line:

"i would rather be a good man than a great king."

OR ALTERNATIVELY.

"is that why everything's on fire~?"

BROTP: Brodinsons 100% . Then the entire warriors + sif squad dynamics! I'm forever sad we never got more of them all together. Then Heimdall, because Thor deserves positive mentor figures in his life. (and as far as the avengers proper go: Thor/Steve absolutely deserves more recognition they were the og duo as far as Age of Ultron is concerned and y'all , we've all been sleeping.)

OTP: Fosterson ! :D They're adorable star-crossed lovers, and he loves her very much. (and she feels the same for him !)

NOTP: if i see (1) more fan art of thorki in the thor tag i will scream. I guess also bruce/thor and valkyrie/thor exist ...??? I'm not really sure who Thor's exactly shipped with in the MCU besides Jane.

Random Headcanon: One time I considered the thought of little!Thor being exceptionally friendly with his kitchen staff servants, and because he's a strong little guy, he'd pick up giant barrels 3x his size and lug them around just because he wants to be helpful. And he'd do it with or without the prize of getting snuck goodies (though he would definitely prefer the goodies, were it up to him.)

Unpopular Opinion: I'm not sure if this counts as an unpopular opinion exactly, but I do always find it interesting that in the Frozen Vault Scene in Thor (2011), what the cinematography and editors show us that sets Thor off is seeing the dead einherjar...

And I'd actually say that this triggers his anger more than the interruption of his crowning ceremony.

So with that in mind, I'm not actually sure that (most of) his rage regarding the situation was about the coronation at all, in that case. At least, not in comparison to the fear he states (semi-subtextually) about being strong enough to maintain Asgard's borders were. ("They know you are vulnerable.")

He actually seems to only be upset about the coronation AFTER Odin makes it very clear he's decided to change his mind and rescind the crown from him entirely ... which only further fuels the point that Thor isn't ready. (aka: the one thing Thor is keenly aware of, scared of, and is scared the Frost Giants also know.) Which, you know, he's not at that point in time, but I don't see a lot of people talk about the details of that particular inciting incident all that much.

(honestly the ENTIRE text and subtext of the frozen vault scene absolutely FASCINATES ME so maybe I'll do a deep dive on it one day idk)

Song SONGS I associate with them: ... //looks at my 5-minutes-until-13 hr playlist uh...

Glowing, Boreas, and Rounds by The Oh Hellos

Plant Life, The Real World, and Bird with a Broken Wing by Owl City

No Sanctuary by UNSECRET (ft. Sam Tinnesz and Fleurie)

Afterglow and Places by Portrair

Paper and Ink (fosterson) and Everything Changes in Time (brodinsons) by Madds Buckley ... also Hoping on Another Life by Madds Buckley

Favorite picture of them:

//pulls out my entire dark world screenshots folder bc are you really going to make me choose, quirks, are you really going to make me choose

soft beautiful 🥺🥺🥺🥺 precious boy ... give me more of that poncho look tho thanks

Tagging: @darkwee009 for pinkie pie or for kirby ! :D whichever you'd like more, friend !!!

[shiningwonderland]

Otoya Ittoki (Repeat)

Translator: Ladylancer (Twitter: utatranslations)

Proofreader: Rasenth (Twitter: agnadance)

Editor: Whitney (Twitter: whitormiss), Snail (Twitter: herbert_snail)

QA: Rei (Twitter: wolfe_raine)

August — Allegro Heartbeat

As summer vacation begins, many of my classmates leave to visit home.

Tomochika Shibuya: Well then, even though it's bothersome, guess I'll go home.

Haruka Nanami: Oh right, you’re headed back home today.

Tomochika Shibuya: Yep. I’ll be gone for the week… Hey, aren’t you leaving too?

Select the Phrase!

その予定だったけど���I was planning to. (+ 0 Love +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: Ittoki-kun said he always stays in the dorms during summer vacation, so we agreed to spend it practicing together…

Tomochika Shibuya: I see. You decided against going home to keep Otoya company… You’re such a nice person.

Haruka Nanami: N-not really. There's nothing to do when I go home, so I thought it would be better to practice.

練習したいから We want to practice (+0 Love +10 Music)

Tomochika Shibuya: Wait, you can’t be planning to practice daily?

Haruka Nanami: Yeah. Ittoki-kun isn’t going home either, so we decided we would practice...

チャンスだから This is our chance (+10 Love +0 Music)

Tomochika Shibuya: Chance? Are the two of you planning to practice and raise your intimacy over the break?

Haruka Nanami: Intimacy…? With everyone gone for the break, it's easier to make reservations for recording rooms.

Tomochika Shibuya: That’s what you meant? How boring.

Haruka Nanami: ???

Tomochika Shibuya: Haha, don’t worry about it. I read into it too much, is all.

...What was that all about?

Tomochika Shibuya: Really though, practicing everyday… I feel like I’m gonna fall behind. Alright, I’ve decided. I’ll only stay home for three days and then I’ll come back to practice.

Tomochika Shibuya: I’m one of your rivals after all. I won’t lose to you!

With that, Tomo-chan left for home.

Knowing her, I’m sure she’ll be practicing a lot at home as well.

I’m going to do my best too.

Every day, Ittoki-kun and I work hard practicing together.

He sings the songs I write, and together we refine them.

Now after he sings, we go over the score, giving each other our opinions face to face.

Watching Ittoki-kun get better each day makes me work harder to aim for the top.

But skills can’t be gained quickly that easily, so I keep myself from trying things that are too far beyond our abilities.

That’s why I don’t know how much I should say to him.

Select the Phrase!

素直に言う Say it honestly (+10 Love +15 Music)

Haruka Nanami: Ah.. about this part here…

I speak up with a timid voice and Ittoki-kun turns to listen to me intently.

黙っている Stay silent (+0 Love +10 Music)

On second thought, I’ll keep observing.

さぐってみる Find the right words (+0 Love +0 Music)

I stare at Ittoki-kun, trying to find the words to explain my thoughts.

Otoya Ittoki: Phew, I wonder if it’s coming together now.

Ittoki-kun mutters to himself as he looks at the music sheet.

I open my mouth a bit, but I’m at a loss for words, so I look down without saying anything.

Otoya Ittoki: Huh… what’s wrong?

Haruka Nanami: Oh, ah, nothing.

Otoya Ittoki: Oh… okay then…

Otoya Ittoki: ...So you think I should soften my voice a bit here?

Eh…? He figured out what I was having trouble asking?

Haruka Nanami: ...Ah, yes. That’s what I was thinking. But, it’s difficult for singers to soften their voice without it making it too hard to hear…

Ittoki-kun, I’m so happy that you thought the same thing.

Otoya Ittoki: It’s fine. I’ve improved as well.

After that, we begin improvising melodies, putting lyrics to them, and singing them on the spot.

We write down the melodies we like and sing them again the next day. We repeat this process every time.

Then, one day...

Ichinose-san calls me to the back garden.

Tokiya Ichinose: I apologize for asking you to come out here.

Haruka Nanami: It’s fine… May I ask why?

Tokiya Ichinose: I wanted to apologize again about what happened at the water polo tournament…

Haruka Nanami: Oh, no apologies necessary. It wasn’t that big a deal…

Tokiya Ichinose: No, I take full responsibility. I dislike not doing so… That’s why… here…

Ichinose-san pulls a binder from his bag and hands it to me.

Tokiya Ichinose: These are scores of new songs by my favorite composer that I just happened to get my hands on the other day. If you are interested in them at all…

Haruka Nanami: T-this is…

It’s a binder containing sheet music for the new CD produced by one of the most popular music production teams.

Haruka Nanami: Such a special thing. I-is it really okay for me to have it…?

Tokiya Ichinose: Yes. It will be more useful in your hands than in mine.

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you so very much! I promise I’ll take very good care of them. These are such treasures! I need to enshrine them...!

Tokiya Ichinose: I am pleased that you are happy with it. Now I feel like I have fulfilled my responsibility to you. I will take my leave then…

Haruka Nanami: Yes! Thank you again!

Ah! To get my hands on something like this... I’ll have to study this closely and carefully!

After that, I head to the classroom to practice with Ittoki-kun, but…

I want to look at the sheet music I just received as soon as possible and it makes it hard to concentrate.

Otoya Ittoki: And then, this part here… Nanami, are you listening?

Suddenly, all I can see is Ittoki-kun’s face.

Haruka Nanami: A-ah, what is it?

I turn my face away from him quickly.

Otoya Ittoki: Nanami, is something bothering you?

Haruka Nanami: Oh, ah… sorry.

Otoya Ittoki: You know, earlier… Were you meeting with Tokiya?

W-what? Is he angry? He must be angry because I’m so inattentive.

Select the Phrase!

はい Yes (+0 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: He wanted to make up for what he did, so he gave me these scores.

ごめんなさい I'm sorry (+20 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: I’m sorry. I was given these really nice scores.

Haruka Nanami: I’m interested in them and I want to read them soon. That’s why… sorry for being so out of it.

I frantically apologize but Ittoki-kun just chuckles and smiles.

H-he laughed at me...

実は Actually... (+10 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: To apologize for the incident at the water polo event, he gave me a set of really nice scores, so I’ve been distracted...

Haruka Nanami: But being distracted is not good either. I’m sorry.

Otoya Ittoki: ... A score, huh? That’s just like him… Is that all?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! That’s all~

Otoya Ittoki: I see. That’s all it was… Hey, do you remember what I said after our re-test?

Haruka Nanami: Um…

Back in June, Ittoki-kun beat Ichinose-san at the recording retest.

And he said…

He wanted to… take me… on a date.

Since he never brought it up and summer vacation had long since started, I thought he had forgotten about it.

He remembered…

Haruka Nanami: Do you mean…

Otoya Ittoki: Yep. Please go on a date with me!

Haruka Nanami: A date…

I am fifteen years old but have never been on a date, even though I know what the word means…

What is one supposed to actually do???

Otoya Ittoki: Ah, though I said date, I mean, you know, as a way to deepen our relationship as partners…

Otoya Ittoki: Plus, remember what Rin-chan said? To make the best music and lyrics you have to refine your sensibility and that we can’t just learn from textbooks.

Otoya Ittoki: So... can we go somewhere together tomorrow?

Oh, I see.

Haruka Nanami: O-okay. I... I’ll go with you.

Otoya Ittoki: Ah, then tomorrow, let’s meet up in front of the school at eleven A.M.?

Haruka Nanami: Okay! Tomorrow... at eleven.

Going out together… Thinking about that, I was so excited I could barely focus on practice for the rest of the day.

Haruka Nanami: Haaah... I’m going out with Ittoki-kun tomorrow. What should I wear? What do you think, Kuppuru?

Kuppuru: Meow.

Haruka Nanami: Oh right. You wouldn’t know what to do either, huh?

Tomochika Shibuya: I’m home! Ah, I’m beat… Hm? That cat is back. Kuppuru, right?

Haruka Nanami: Yep!

Kuppuru is a cat I helped on the day of the entrance ceremony. I found him shivering in the back garden in the rain, so I nursed him back to health…

He grew attached to me since then and now he visits my room two or three times a week. Kuppuru listens to me as if he understands what I’m saying, so now I always talk to him.

Tomochika Shibuya: Why not let him stay here? I won’t tell the teachers.

Haruka Nanami: Eh? Is that okay with you?

Tomochika Shibuya: Yeah. He’s fun to have around and, as long as he doesn’t mess up the room, I’m fine with him staying.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you, Tomo-chan!

Tomochika Shibuya: It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ve been practicing so much that I’m never in the dorms anymore, but as long as he’s with you, you won’t be lonely, right?

Haruka Nanami: Okay... oh, that’s right. Tomo-chan, you practice from sunup to sundown. That’s amazing!

Tomochika Shibuya: Well I have to or I’ll fall behind, considering how high the bar my partner is setting is.

Tomochika Shibuya: “I made it easier than before so you should be able to sing it,” he says. Yeah, easy if it was a song for a choir! How am I supposed to sing all those parts with my chest voice?

Tomochika Shibuya: I can’t believe how many times makes me change registers while singing. There are parts where I have to hold a note for longer than needed, notes that lower and raise by half-steps, I can’t sustain my breath, and...

Haruka Nanami: Whoa...

Normally, one sings with their “chest voice”... You naturally sing from the chest, but as you sing higher, it shifts.

That shift is known as the “head voice”. The point where it changes from the chest to the head is known as a “vocal register transition”, or a passaggio.

If you sing using a mix of the head and chest voices, you can make your high notes have the same quality as your chest voice. But...

It’s easier to switch into head voice if you have the abdominal strength to support it, but…

It’s said that the vocal register transition is the hardest point to get right.

Tomochika Shibuya: The composition teacher professional said before, “I create songs while thinking of the artist I’m making them for.”

Tomochika Shibuya: I was moved when I heard that. My composer doesn’t have one single bit of that consideration in him.

Tomochika Shibuya: Putting aside the chance that he may just be making it difficult for difficulty’s sake, he thinks that what he’s making is simple. He’s so inconsiderate.

Tomochika Shibuya: Even so, I’m still going to give it my all singing it. I mean, I think his songs are good, but I wish he would think about me.

Tomochika Shibuya: Well, either way I will sing my ‘soul’ into this song!

Tomochika Shibuya: ...Haruka. Make songs that you can put your feelings into and are fun to sing.

Tomochika Shibuya: I believe you can become that kind of composer.

Haruka Nanami: Yes. I’m doing my best. I will become a composer that thinks of the artist first.

The singer is putting their soul into my song, so I’ll make sure not to slack off. Absolutely…

No matter what kind of songs I write, I’m sure Ittoki-kun will be able to sing it.

That is why… I have to write the best song, one that will make Ittoki-kun shine the brightest…

Tomochika Shibuya: Ah~ man! I wanted to be your partner!

Tomo-chan hugs me tight.

Haruka Nanami: T-Tomo-chan.

Tomochika Shibuya: Won’t you switch for me?

Haruka Nanami: I can’t go that far… When you become a pro, I promise to write you a song!

Tomochika Shibuya: Haruka, you really are cute… Thanks, it’s a promise.

Tomo-chan pats my head.

I have to write a song for Ittoki-kun that makes him shine. For that reason, I have to learn more about him.

That’s why tomorrow’s outing is a good chance.

I’m sure that I will see sides of him that he doesn’t show at school.

I got nervous and showed up an hour early…

Waking up early this morning, I asked Tomo-chan to help me with my outfit, and she did my makeup a little bit too.

I could have stayed at the dorms longer, but then I got nervous about being late due to some sort of trouble…

Otoya Ittoki: Eh..? Nanami? Why are- it's only ten…

No way, Ittoki-kun?!

Select the Phrase!

偶然だね W-what a coincidence… (+10 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: Y-yeah… It was just by chance…

Otoya Ittoki: Well, since we’re both here, let's head out early.

Haruka Nanami: Y-Yes！

早く着いちゃって … I got here early. (+20 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: Me too… I was excited. Before I realized it, I was here.

Otoya Ittoki: I figured I was arriving too early… To think that you did too… Seems like we are similar in that way.

Haruka Nanami: Y-yeah. Seems like it.

この時間だったっけ Huh? Was this the right time? (+0 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: No, I think we’re supposed to meet an hour later, but I came here early…

Haruka Nanami: Me too. But… I’m glad that I didn’t make you wait.

Otoya Ittoki: I didn’t want to make you wait either. I guess we had the same thought. Hahaha!

We arrive at the amusement park, Saotome Kingdom, inside the school grounds.

Otoya Ittoki: Alright, what should we ride first? Nanami, is there something you want to ride on?

Haruka Nanami: Let’s see…

Select the Phrase!

ビックリハウス The Surprise House (+0 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: Then, let’s go!

Haruka Nanami: Yes!

We assumed it would be like any other surprise house…

As expected from a school facility.

The surprises are certainly more than we bargained for.

Otoya Ittoki: To think, the “Surprise House” was actually the principal’s second home...

Even though the brochure calls it “Shining’s Shock and Surprise House”... it’s actually his home.

Visitors are free to explore the house and if the Principal is home you can get a handshake and pictures.

… But the inside is like a maze, with stairs turning into slides and the walls flipping... Washbasins drop from the ceiling, water rushes out of drawers when you open them, pitfalls...

It’s like a little trick mansion...

It seems that the principal mainly lives there…

I’m amazed that he can live in such a complicated home…

恐怖の館 ...かな？How about… The House of Terror? (+20 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: ...The House of Terror… Nanami, aren’t you scared?

Haruka Nanami: N-no. I’m fine.

Otoya Ittoki: Say something if you get scared. I'll keep pulling your hand. Leave it to me!! Let’s go.

Otoya Ittoki: …

Otoya Ittoki: ...

Haruka Nanami: ...

T-that was scary… I thought the House of Terror was just a regular haunted house.

I didn’t think it was a museum of true horror stories…

Stories ranging from people becoming anorexic through dieting too much to troubles with frightening neighbors.

Recountings from people who had stalkers to someone getting trapped in an elevator for twenty-four hours.

The scariest of them all though, was the story of the person who dropped out because they made Shining angry.

Even though they had the talent and ability, they angered Shining once.

It said that after that, no agency would take them and they were forced to give up their dream and return to their parent’s home.

Every detail was reproduced vividly and makes me wonder if I’m next…

Either way, it makes me really scared…

ジェットコースター The roller coaster (+10 Love +0 Music)

Otoya Ittoki: The roller coaster. Nice choice. Let’s go!

Haruka Nanami: Yeah!

Before today, I never thought of a roller coaster being such a dangerous thing.

Otoya Ittoki: Ahh, that was tough.

Haruka Nanami: Y-yeah. But… we managed to clear it.

Otoya Ittoki: I guess.

As expected of a Saotome Academy roller coaster, it was not ordinary by any means.

When you get in, everything is normal until the safety bar comes down.

Each seat has a camera and microphone, and the speaker begins playing a melody as soon as the ride begins.

Apparently, you have to properly sing and get an interesting reaction while the roller coaster makes a lap.

If you don’t, the safety bar won’t unlock, and you have to go another round.

Singing on the ride is so hard, we finally passed on the fifth lap.

Otoya Ittoki: I don’t want to ride another roller coaster for a while.

Haruka Nanami: Me neither...

Otoya Ittoki: What should we do next? What’s good…

Haruka Nanami: Um…

As I look around, the large Ferris wheel catches my eye.

There shouldn't be any tricky, shocking gimmick on that… Right?

Haruka Nanami: How about the Ferris wheel…

Otoya Ittoki: Eh…?

Haruka Nanami: ...? Do you not like them? Then I’ll find something else…

Otoya Ittoki: No. It’s not like that… Okay, let’s go.

Haruka Nanami: But…

Otoya Ittoki: It’s fine! I’m fine.

I wonder. It seems like he’s forcing himself… I hope I’m just overthinking things.

From the cabin, I can see the entirety of Saotome Academy.

One rotation takes twenty minutes—a long time for two people to be alone together.

Otoya Ittoki: ...Ugh. The scenery is pretty.

Haruka Nanami: Yeah…

Despite saying that, Ittoki-kun has had his eyes closed the entire time.

Otoya Ittoki: ...

Haruka Nanami: Wow, the school looks so small. Oh, I can even see the dorm. Ittoki-kun, look, look!

Little by little, the ground seems to shrink, looking almost like a miniature town. How cute.

Otoya Ittoki: ...Sorry. I’m at my limit.

Haruka Nanami: Eh...?

Ittoki-kun suddenly stands up, sits down next to me, and grasps my hand tightly.

His hand was shaking slightly...

Haruka Nanami: …Ittoki-kun, could it be you have a fear of heights?

After I ask that, Ittoki-kun’s face turns red as he nods slightly.

Otoya Ittoki: Aw man. I wanted to show you the cool side of me today!

Otoya Ittoki: When I was a kid, I fell out of a tree I was climbing. I’ve had problems with heights ever since… I thought I was doing better.

His voice is firm, but his shoulders are still shaking slightly.

Otoya Ittoki: Sorry. Can I... borrow your shoulder?

Saying that, Ittoki-kun pulls my shoulder closer to himself.

I reach over and pull Ittoki-kun in a bit closer.

Haruka Nanami: ...Okay.

Otoya Ittoki: I must look really uncool right now.

Haruka Nanami: That’s not true…

I can feel Ittoki-kun’s warmth from where he’s touching my shoulder.

We have touched so many times before, and we’ve been alone together in the classroom so many times, but...

Why am I so nervous today? Only the location and clothes are slightly different… 

Sporty, casual clothes suit Ittoki-kun, unlike the school uniform.

But… The rosary hanging down from his neck looks somewhat feminine and stands out to me. 

A small cross hangs at the end of the crystal beads, glittering beautifully in the reflected sunlight.

He pinches the cross with his fingers and continues wrapping it in the crystals.

It looks like a habit he does when he’s stressed. He’s doing it over and over again.

Ah, again… I can’t help but chuckle and smile to myself.

Otoya Ittoki: Eh… what is it?

Haruka Nanami: Oh, nothing… I was just thinking how you’ve been fiddling with that this entire time.

Otoya Ittoki: Oh, this?

Haruka Nanami: Ittoki-kun, I was surprised to see that you wear a rosary. It’s unexpected. Are you a Christian?

Otoya Ittoki: Ah... yes. My mother was… She was Christian.

Haruka Nanami: Was…?

Otoya Ittoki: Yeah… She passed away a long time ago… She made this herself.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… sorry.

I shouldn’t have asked.

Otoya Ittoki: It’s okay. It happened when I was very young. I don’t even remember her face.

Otoya Ittoki: Plus… later I found out she wasn’t my birth mother.

Haruka Nanami: What do you mean?

Otoya Ittoki: My birth mother left me with her older sister after I was born… She went missing a short while later.

Haruka Nanami: So, she might be alive somewhere…

Otoya Ittoki: Yeah. I did some searching. About fifteen years ago, a plane crashed somewhere in a desert…

Otoya Ittoki: It appeared to be that she was on that plane, so there’s barely any chance she could have survived.

Otoya Ittoki: My foster father died from an accident before my foster mother died… Well, I don’t actually know who my birth father is.

Otoya Ittoki: He might still be alive somewhere, but he probably doesn’t even know I exist. I heard that my mom kept me a secret from him.

Otoya Ittoki: I used to think “If I become famous, I can meet him”, and I began aiming to become an idol.

Otoya Ittoki: Though… Now I’m having so much fun refining my singing and dancing, I don’t mind if I never meet him. That’s how I feel about it.

Haruka Nanami: ... You were always alone…

I was also alone because I wasn’t able to make friends, but I always had my parents.

Ittoki-kun… you didn’t have that…

Otoya Ittoki: Don’t make that face. It wasn’t that lonely.

Otoya Ittoki: I grew up in an orphanage, so there were other kids there, and the matron was like a mother to me.

Otoya Ittoki: Plus… I don’t know who, but there was someone who helped me.

Otoya Ittoki: I wasn’t alone at all. And right now… you are in front of me, Haruka.

Haruka Nanami: Ah...

Otoya Ittoki: Oh…? D-did I just call you by your first name?

I nod, staying silent.

Otoya Ittoki: ...!!!

Otoya Ittoki: I can call Masa and Natsuki, even Tomochika by their given names, but it’s kind of embarrassing for me to use yours.

Otoya Ittoki: And… I always wanted to… but…

Otoya Ittoki: I never quite could...

Haruka Nanami: ...

Otoya Ittoki: That’s why… Is it okay if I use your name, just for today?

I want to say yes, but my voice won’t come out.

Blushing, I give a small nod.

Otoya Ittoki: Really? Yes! Thank you, Haruka!

‘Haruka’... I feel my chest warm with every use of my name.

Otoya Ittoki: Also, you can do it if you want. Call me Otoya, I mean.

Haruka Nanami: Eh…

Call Ittoki-kun by his given name…

Thump-thump.

Otoya Ittoki: You don’t want to?

Haruka Nanami: No… I… uh… Yes… I...

Haruka Nanami: O…

M-my heart…

Haruka Nanami: O… to…

It’s three syllables... They won’t come out.

My heart is pounding. I can’t breathe.

… H-huh? My consciousness… is… fading...

Otoya Ittoki: Haruka! Breathe, Breathe! 

... Gasp!

Ittoki-kun gets up in a rush and grabs my shoulder. 

Otoya Ittoki: Ah, you scared me there.

With a sigh of relief, Ittoki-kun sits back next to me.

Otoya Ittoki: Sorry. I got ahead of myself.

Haruka Nanami: No... that’s not it.

I’m the one who has to apologize for my cowardice.

Haruka Nanami: U-um… L... let me try again…

Otoya Ittoki: It’s okay. Don’t stress about it.

He places his hand on my head. Large and warm, a man’s hand…

A small melody begins to unfold in my head, following the steady rhythm of my beating heart.

Otoya Ittoki: But one day, when you want to call me by my given name...

He gazes at me with tender eyes.

And then...

Shining Saotome: LOVE! IS FORBIDDEN! ABSOLUTELY! NO GO NO GO NO GO!!!

Haruka Nanami: !!!!!!!!!

Otoya Ittoki: !!!!!!!!!

The principal’s face appears in the carriage window and mixes in with the view of the sunset.

Otoya Ittoki: Eh, Principal Saotome!! But, we’re... this—top—wha—...eehhhh!

Shining Saotome: HA HA HA~! I thought this may happen, so I installed rockets into my boots!

Looking closer, flames are erupting from the principal’s shoes.

Shining Saotome: Anyways, I am sure neither of you are in love, correct!

We both shook our heads from side to side rapidly.

Shining Saotome: Oh. How odd. I could have sworn I smelled Love Air in this area.

Shining Saotome: Hrm… hrm, hrm, hrm. This is a Special Class Love Air!

Shining Saotome: I see. It’s in the next carriage over! My mistake! SORRY SORRY!

Shining Saotome: BUT, if love blooms, you will be expelled.

Shining Saotome: Don’t forget that. Forget nothing!

Shining Saotome: Now, goodbye. Adieu. Keep your friendship healthy.

With those words, the principal departs to the next carriage.

Otoya Ittoki: … What just…

Haruka Nanami: He watches over us even in places like this. He really cares for his students.

Otoya Ittoki: ... He’s definitely going beyond just “watching over us”...

Otoya Ittoki: “Love is forbidden”. What a troublesome rule…

Haruka Nanami: Huh?

Otoya Ittoki: Nothing. We still have plenty of daylight left, so let’s make the best of it!

Haruka Nanami: Yeah!

After that day, I met with Ittoki-kun in the classroom nearly everyday.

But for the rest of summer vacation, I was never able to call him by his name.

I hope the day I can call him Otoya-kun comes eventually.

Mini Game

Ringo Tsukimiya: This time around, I want you to try a higher difficulty than before. Don’t worry. I’ll teach you properly~!

Ringo Tsukimiya: Hehe. I may look like this, but I’m a pro, you know! I’m quite good.

Ringo Tsukimiya: Though it’s the same song, I want to show you how the impression one gets can change with how it’s played. Learning this will help you complete your own compositions.

Ringo Tsukimiya: Alrighty. Music, start!

S Rank

Otoya Ittoki: Ah... what should I do? I can’t even look you straight in the eye... I’m partnered with such an amazing girl. Haha. I’m so happy.

Haruka Nanami: That’s my line. I’m happy to be your partner.

Ittoki-kun is a warm, happy and open-minded person who loves music…

As a composer and as a person, I am honored to be paired with such a person.

I definitely want to debut together, because I want the world to hear Ittoki-kun’s song.

Chapter End