#so i was going to take the 9:30 bus home

[todaysromano]

11.10.2023

Today, Romano received a package in the mail meant for Romania.

[belovedhades]

ughhhh why does my sister need to be ANNOYING

[nami-moittli]

Tomorrow I get to go home on time… and stay home… I’ve almost forgotten that I can do that

[al-mayriti]

i spent all morning looking for the cheapest ways to get to venice next monday and i feel like i've cracked the code or something i think i got it

[elizabethlailfricked]

"We don't talk anymore. Do you not like me? 🥺"

Ok first of all my schedule is literal shit during the weekdays and second you literally told me you were gonna off yourself 12 times this summer and to all of my friends just for shits and giggles 🤓🤚

[texas-bbq-pringles]

i love student housing (get me the fuck out of here)

[bengals-barnesbabe]

Coach Burrow

Pairing: Dad!Joe Burrow x Nurse!WifeReader

Description: Joe gets offered his favorite job yet!

Warnings: Fluffy, but suggestive towards the end ;)

Word Count: 2.4k

Main Masterlist

┊┊❁ཻུ۪۪♡ ͎. ｡˚ °

Life after the NFL wasn’t that much different for Joe Burrow. The 4x SuperBowl MVP was practically handed an elite coaching position the second he announced his retirement. So yea, not much is different from when he started all those years ago.

“MOM, where’s dad? We need him ASAP! MOM!” Your 6th grade son, Leo shouted running into the house.

Ok some things are different.

“HEY NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE! Take your shoes off please.” Rolling your eyes at the boy and his friend as they removed their muddy cleats then continued their rampage. You’d spent the entire afternoon cleaning the house and doing the laundry so when you left for your 13 hour shift tonight you wouldn’t have to worry about your kids not having anything to wear or your husband having to focus on anything but work and your 4 kids. So you were not letting some 11 year olds mess it up.

 That's when you realized it was only 4:30, “hey!”

The two middle schoolers stop just before entering the backyard and turn to face you in the kitchen. 

“Aren‘t you two supposed to be at practice? Why’d you take the bus?” You ask.

“Our coach was fired!” Chris, Leo’s partner in crime exclaims with a smile.

“Okay, that doesn’t answer the running in my house or the smile on your faces.” Your forehead creases looking at the overly giddy kids.

“We want dad to take his place.” Well that makes sense. 

“Ok what makes you think he has time to coach both your team and Ohio State’s?” Joe’s job is flexible, but not that flexible.

“Easy, he goes to work from 9 to 4 and comes home at the same time practice is. So if he was our coach he could change our practice time from 4:30 to 5. BOOM he has time.” They say will full confidence in their plan.

If only he’d put that much effort into his math homework. But you give them credit for putting it together in such a short notice.

You chuckle and wave them off to pitch their idea to your husband of 15 years.

The boys find your husband outside “playing” around with his new grill. 

“Dad!” The man turns around confused at his youngest son’s voice.

“Leo, what are you doing home? Chris does your mom know you’re not at practice?” He pulls the lid down on the grill and gives his best ‘dad glare.’

“We came to get you! We need a new coach! And we want it to be you.” They plead.

Joe smirks and crosses his built arms. “Oh yea? Give me one good reason why I should be your coach?”

The boys look at each other a bit panicked, so they discuss it in a little huddle that makes Joe smile. 

When they break, Joe puts back on his serious facade. 

“Ok dad here’s our offer, if you agree to be our coach, I’ll get all A’s this year.” 

The dad’s brows raise in a surprised and impressed way.  

Truth is, Joe knew all about their coach’s departure. Over a week ago, the school sent an email to him personally asking if he could fill the position temporarily or even permanently. He said he’d have to check with his family before making any decisions. 

Yesterday they decided to inform him that a number of other dads/ supporters had already applied so there’d be a formal try out today at 5. 

The boys walked into the house at 4:30 and all he’d been waiting for was his son’s approval.

“You know what bud, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.” He says shaking his mini-me’s hand. The shake quickly turns into him being ‘dragged’ into the house.

“We gotta go! You need to be there right now.” Joe just shakes his head and grabs his keys.

“I see you didn’t take much convincing.” You give him a knowing look as he walks around the kitchen counter to where you’re seated.

He chuckles, “I may have had some insider knowledge of the situation. But here’s the kicker, he agreed to make all A’s if I tried out.” Your husband smiles widely knowing how hard you’ve been trying to get the 11 year old to take his schooling seriously.

You scrunch your face as he pecks both cheeks before placing a much deeper kiss to your lips that you can’t help but reciprocate. 

“Mom… dad that’s gross, we need to go it’s 4:45!” Leo whines causing you to separate from his father.

“Yea go kick butt Shiesty!” You wink as he’s pulled out of the house laughing.

━。゜✿ฺ✿ฺ゜。━

When the boys get to the field they are surprised by the sight of your 14 year old twins, Malia and Miles, standing by the fence.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite firstborns, what are you doing here?” Joe asked giving them side hugs, the only acts of affection they’ve allowed him to show outside the house.

“I wanted to get burgers, but was dragged here by her.” Miles dead tones.

Malia rolls her eyes. “I came to fill out your application for coach so you’re welcome, please come up with an adequate ‘daughter’s appreciation day’ present to thank me.” She smiles, Joe snorts at teenager.

“Are you sure you’re my daughter because that was all your mother? Thank you for helping out Lia and Miles…” The young boy shrugs. “Exactly. You guys plan on staying until we’re done or do I need to call mom?”

“We’ll stay, I wanna see the looks on the other dads’ faces when they see you.” Miles replies rubbing his hands together.

“I guess I’m staying too.” Malia shrugs.

“Ok then.” 

The tryouts had barely already started by the time Joe finally got to the field and just as Miles anticipated, the reactions were priceless.

“Mr. Evans, he’s here!” Leo yells running onto the field. His wild presence causes everyone look in his direction. 

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“The kid’s dad is Joe Burrow?!”

“I don’t know if I should be honored or scared.”

“We should all just leave now, he has 4 rings.”

Leo’s teacher, Mr. Evans shakes the former quarterback’s hand and welcomes him onto the field. 

“Mr. Burrow, it’s good to see you again.”

“Please call me Joe, it’s nice to be able to come out.” He says.

“Of course Joe, you’re right on time too. Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone?”

Joe nodded, “yea of course.” Then turned towards his competitors. “Hey guys I’m Joe, Leo’s dad. I guess I kind of played for a bit, but that’s all behind me now.” He chuckles.

“If played for a bit means leading the best team in LSU history to an undefeated championship then going from ‘the underdog’ of the NFL to a future hall of famer with 4 SuperBowl rings? Than the rest of us haven’t even heard of the game.” Will, Chris’ dad scoffed. Joe patted his long time friend on the back then joined him in line.

“Ok so first we’re going to test your football knowledge then see how well you coach other kids, not your own.” Evans claps his hands and they get to work.

By the end of the first round, half of the applicants have been dismissed and unsurprisingly Joe leads the pack going into the second round. 

“You know this isn’t fair right?” Will says in between rounds.

Joe sighs, “you do realize Leo and Chris practically tracked mud through the house just to get me here right?” Then smirks as the other guy rolls his eyes.

“Hey what if we made it fair?” 

Will looks at him intrigued, “I’m listening.”

“Split the job, we already know it’s going to come down to us. So what do you say, partners?” Joe suggests.

“Damn Burrow,” Will instantly agrees. “I don’t know how you stay so humble.” He laughs.

Joe just points to his fan club on the bleachers. “Chris is your oldest, so you don’t even know the degree of humility teenagers will teach you but my wife helps also helps with that.” 

When the men line back up for the rest of try outs, all of the other guys had already left.

Then Mr. Evans walks up to them. “So, I think it’s pretty clear who’s going to get the position.”

“Actually, we’ve decided to split it.” Will leads, the teacher looks to Joe confused.

“Yup, it would actually work out better if both of us share responsibility. There’s a lot of benefits to having two coaches, plus we’re doing it for free.” 

Mr. Evans couldn’t argue against the offer so he just shook their hands.

“Alright Coach Burrow and Coach Williams. Welcome to the Wildcats.”

❀。• *₊ meanwhile at the house °。 ❀°。

“Mommy, I need help...” 

You had just finished putting on your scrubs before your 6 year old started crying bloody murder. “What is it my love?” 

Walking into her My Little Pony room you scanned every crevice for threats, but only landed on the young girl sitting on her floor with a notebook.

“I don’t know how to do this.” 

You melted at the cute pout on her face as she pointed to her math book. “Jazzy, babygirl. Are the fractions giving you a hard time?” She nodded her head, you checked your watch (5:15) and decided to join her on the floor.

“Ok I have some spare time to help you on a few, but when daddy gets home I have to go work okay pretty girl?” She happily nodded and scooched herself into your lap. 

For the next 20 minutes you simply watched and fiddled with your daughter’s dark curls as she studied her math. It became very clear within seconds that she just wanted to be with her mother as she didn’t ask any questions about the material. 

Being a charge nurse meant your hours were more unpredictable, especially at your hospital. Most nurses worked 12 hour shifts but you were currently understaffed so you took it upon yourself to be a leader and help your team. You usually worked 3 overnight shifts a week, so you could be there when the kids get home from school. Even though you were home more often than not, there are times when your babies need you, so if one of them wanted more time with you there was no way you were going to reject them of that opportunity.

While you and your youngest were cuddled up on the ground in your own little world, Joe and his fan club arrived right on time for dinner. 

“I’m starving, why couldn’t we stop for burgers?” Miles groaned throwing his backpack onto the couch.

Joe picked up the bag and put it back in his son’s hands. “Because even though she didn’t have to, your mother cooked before her shift. So you’re going to take your stuff upstairs and get washed up for dinner.” He gave him a pointed look and dismissed the teenager.

“Wow, I can’t wait to deal with that.” Joe shook his head and led his friend to the kitchen.

“You have no idea. I love my kids, but the older they get the more of me I see in them. It would cool when all he wanted to do was throw the football around, but now the stubbornness gene is really coming to bite me in the ass.” He snorted while warming up their dinner.

“How’s he doing with that, has he made varsity yet?” Will asks as the kids make their way downstairs.

“He’s good for a sophomore but not there yet. If he put more of his time into practice instead of chasing cheerleaders he could be better.” He responds just as the boy rounds the corner.

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game dad. I got Becky Jackson’s number in third period, nothing’s stopping me now.” He smiles taking his place at the table.

“What happened to Marissa? I thought she was nice.” Joe chuckles as his wife joins the crew. 

“You know how he is babe.” You give him a quick kiss wrapping your arms around him.

“Yea mom, he’s for the streets.” 

“I am not for the streets! At least I have a date.”

You shake your head and slowly make your rounds. You quickly greet Will, grab your work and dinner bags, kiss the kids and walk with Joe to the front door. 

“You’re really going to leave me in this chaos.” He sighs his hands still holding yours.

“I heard my teacher was for the streets.”

“What’s for the streets?”

You smirk against his chest, “oh I think you got this Shiesty, this is nothing compared to your O Line in those early years.”

His hands quickly drop your hands and find your waist. “Ok alright I see how you want this to go.” His voice low against your ear.

“What, I’m simply saying your risks for injury are dramatically lower.” Your arms go around his neck as he backs you into the corner out of your children’s vision, then a hand on your waist moves to grip the meat of your ass. You bite your lip as a low moan muffles against his chest.

“You think you’re funny. If it was just us right now, I’d show your ass what being funny gets you. But when you get back, you’re all mine mama.” He groans nipping your ear then pressing a hungry kiss to your lips. You moan into his soft yet bruising lips, pulling him in further. 

“Oh god, Jazmine close your eyes.” 

You both sigh as the giggles from your permanent cockblockers acknowledge their existence to you. 

“I’m sending them to my parents tomorrow.” 

“Do that and we might end up adding to the population.” You chuckle pulling away from your husband, who raises his brows at your comment. 

“Don’t tempt me, you know exactly how I like you.” He playfully slaps your behind. “Kids, say goodnight to mom!”

You shake your head at him while being engulfed in hugs. “I love you, I’ll see you when you get home from school.”

“Bye momma..” The chorus sings.

They return to the table and you turn back to a smirking Joe. “See you tomorrow beautiful.” You blush hugging him once more before opening the door.

“Goodnight Coach Burrow, can’t wait practice with you tomorrow.” You wink as his eyes cerulean eyes darken then shut the door.

“Fuck, who said 5 kids was too many.”

━。゜✿ฺ✿ฺ゜。━

A/N: Looks like a bitch came back to life! My trip was nice but not writing for so long killed me. Can’t wait to see how much gets posted in the next week

Xoxo Babe

Likes, comments and reblogs are welcomed and treasured ♡

[heartyluv]

hii i saw your recent post about reader w pots, and i was wondering if you could do one of the lads guys (doesnt matter who) with reader who has chronic fatigue syndrome, as someone who has it :))

no pressure tho <3

Note: Thank you for trusting me with this, luv. Again, I did as much research as I could to make sure that I portrayed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as best as possible, so I hope that I’ve done that successfully. I felt like Xavier was absolutely perfect for this. You’re so strong, my heart. I hope you know that. ♡

Creds to @/cafekitsune for the divider!

Warning: Not sure if this needs any, but please proceed to read with caution!

Xavier/Reader

Today has been one of the hardest days you’ve had in a long time. When you woke up this morning, you felt as if you haven’t touched a bed. The amount of fatigue and exhaustion that coursed through your body made it seem as if you’ve never known what it’s like to rest in your entire life.

Trying to get out of the bed to prepare for work felt even worse. The nausea was undeniably terrible, immediate dizziness and the need to vomit because of it, suffocating your throat. Xavier was awfully concerned, unable to keep his eyes off of you as you attempted to assure him that you could handle everything on your own.

Of course he didn’t listen to that.

“Please focus on getting ready. I’ll be driving you to work and I’ll make you something to eat so you can have it on the way. Don’t fight me on this. Just let me take care of you, okay?”

He had gotten up with you at six in the morning when he didn’t need to be up for another two hours. You were so thankful for him that you could cry, but you physically didn’t even have the energy for it.

You were diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a little over a year ago and while it was a relief to have a name for the experience you’ve been suffering from, the feeling of defeat from not having a definite solution was always saddening. But with Xavier right there to make sure you knew you weren’t going to deal with any of it by yourself, you knew that even on your worst day, you would survive it because of him and his love.

He was there for the days you couldn’t get up, when you had to stop your walks that you took with him because it was leaving you bedridden for more than a day—even when your sex life had slowed down. Not once did Xavier blame you or expect anything. All that mattered to your boyfriend was that you were taken care of and healthy. You had a whole life together to do everything anyways, in his eyes.

Getting through the day was a chore, most of the time. But when you walked into your building today, each step felt like there were weights on your ankles and dumbbells on your eyelids. Even though you were being strong for yourself, you were especially being strong for Xavier because his belief in and care for you was something so fueling that you wish you could inject it into your veins whenever it got difficult.

At almost eight o’clock, you felt like you could do nothing, but pushing through it, shaking it off as best as possible, and remembering the way Xavier kissed you goodbye, had you ready for your meeting by 9:30.

To everyone else, you were your regular self. Typing all your notes and engaging when expected. On the inside, you were in pain and suffering in a way that you would never wish on another individual.

Despite your perseverance, you had to give it your all to make it on the bus and were thankful that it was already outside when you stepped out of work. After the day ended and you got through your door, the first thing you did was strip yourself from your work clothes and laid down. You couldn’t eat, couldn’t shower. You couldn’t do anything. Just not right now.

Although you wished your sweet boyfriend was here to hold you and kiss away the mental and physical pain, you weren’t able to stay up longer than five minutes to even attempt to wait.

When he got home and saw you in bed with your things everywhere, he had no issue cleaning up for you. Typically, you at least did that, but he knew how hard of a day it’s been the moment you woke up. He cooked you a nutritious meal with one of your favorite little cakes on the side as a dessert.

Gently rocking you awake and calling your name, your eyes fluttered open to see him in one of his long sleeve sleep shirts and pants, looking warm and comfortable. The food you were smelling, as well as his soft scent, always reminded you of home.

“I know you’re tired, but I can’t let you sleep without something on your stomach. You’ll wake up feeling even worse,” he said softly as your eyes rested on him. “Eat and I’ll handle everything else. I can feed you, if you’d like. It’s not a problem.”

“I’m okay,” you say with a raspy voice, your throat dry from the nap. He points to the water at your bedside, already knowing you’d need it. That makes you smile. “Thank you, bub. I’m so sorry about today. I don’t mean to be so messy and out of it.”

He studied you, placing your food down on your lap when you sat up. “Please don’t apologize. Nothing is your fault.” He took your hand in his to press a kiss on top. “Times like these are expected and we work together to get through it.”

The kiss to your forehead feels like the cure to all your problems. “When you’re done, I’ll help you in the shower. I know how much you like to be clean when you go to bed.”

You slowly brought the food into your mouth, groaning at how tasty it was. “I can’t let you do that.” You cover your mouth as you chew, shaking your head.

“It’s a good thing it’s something that I want to do, isn’t it?” he smiles slyly. “And here, you’ve been forgetting to take your vitamins lately.” He pulled out the row of vitamins that you try to have prepared every week and you see how you’ve missed the last three days. The brain fog and forgetfulness has increased dramatically. “I’ll be sure to start helping to make sure you remember again.”

“I can’t believe you do all of this for me. Even though you don’t have to, I never have to ask…I know you say not to be sorry, but I can’t help it. I feel it. You do so much and I don’t think there’s ever enough that I can do to repay you for such patience, Xav.”

He places his hand over yours to stop you from fiddling with your food on your plate. His other warm hand cups your jaw to make you look up from the dish and your sleepy eyes look up into his mesmerizing ones.

“I will never look at you and blame or make you feel responsible for something you have no control over. I do what I do because not only do you deserve to be taken care of, but what kind of boyfriend would I be to let my girlfriend carry all the weight on her back alone?”

You nod, but he wants you to really hear him. So he leans in, kissing your nose before pulling back to let his breath graze against your lips. “Life is supposed to be easier when the person you love is in it. So let me make it easy and don’t feel bad when I do it. Not only do I have to, but it makes me feel good when you do. You’re my other half, you always will be.”

“I don’t deserve you,” you frown, but he runs his thumb across your bottom lip to make you smile. You don’t know why it does, but he rather enjoys doing it when he found out that little tidbit.

“You do. You deserve normalcy and fulfillment. That’s exactly what I intend to give.”

For the rest of the night, Xavier tended to your every need without you having to say anything. He did it all in comfortable silence because he knew how much talking could also aggravate your symptoms and add to your tiredness. One day I’ll be able to show him my gratefulness, you think as he helps lotion your body after your shower.

With that goal in your heart, you can’t help but hold him tight when you’re in bed for the night. And he holds you equally as close, knowing that in his heart, you being exactly how you are is all the repayment he’ll ever need.

[oracle-of-dream]

Your Admirer

Minors DNI

Summary: Recently, you've been receiving gifts left at the door of your apartment. From a secret admirer. You're too busy trying to guess who's gotten a small crush to notice how mad he is for you, and there's no telling how far he'll go to get to you.

Warnings: Stalking, Manipulation, Use of Aphrodisiacs, Unprotected Sex, Stomach Bulge, Breeding, Mention of Pregnancy, Daddy Kink, Size Kink

Wordcount: 4.4k

You woke up with the sunlight peeking from behind your curtain as the wind coming in from the window blew them open. Slowly, you managed to find the strength to roll out of bed and shut the window. You don’t remember opening the window, but it was weirdly hot while you slept so you figured that you must’ve gotten up in the middle of the night to open it. You swiped your phone off the charger and walked into your bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face off. After wiping your face, you checked the time. The clock said 9:30 am. It was another workday, so you needed to get moving before you were late. You only worked every other day, so you were able to spend most days at home. But Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you had to come into the office to check in with your boss for the projects for the week to get finished on time. You put on your outfit for the day. Another perk of the job was the lack of strict work uniforms. You put on dark denim jeans, a sleeveless white shirt, with moon earrings, and a YXL chain to go around your waist. You couldn’t afford YXL products on your salary, but it was just another gift you’d gotten from someone who’s been leaving you gifts at work. 

    The gifts would get delivered a bunch of different ways, so you were never able to find out who was the one sending them. First, it was flowers delivered to the office, then your favorite snacks and the most recent was the YXL chain. Each gift came with a handwritten letter, which you kept. You thought it was sweet that someone was so interested in you to try and get your attention in some way, but you wanted to find out who it was. None of your coworkers were your type, but it had to be someone there who knew which floor you worked on, right?

    Your alarm to head out went off, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

    You rushed out the door of your apartment to catch the bus to take you further downtown. The bus was always a little early, so you managed to get the timing to arrive just when it did so you could get the perfect seat. You set your bag down in the seat next to you, waiting for your friend to get there. But he always was one of the last people to get on the bus, so you scrolled through TikTok while waiting for him.

“Hey Y/n, good morning!”

 You heard his voice, which made you look up from your phone. “Soobin! Good morning!” 

You met Soobin a little after you moved into this part of town a few months ago. He was nice to you, so the two of you got pretty close easily. Soobin was wearing a black and white flannel, a black undershirt, blue jeans, and black glasses. His hair was messy like he was rushing to get to the bus.

“Running to catch the bus again?” 

“Yeah, I woke up late again,” Soobin laughed. He sat down next to you, holding your bag for you as he messed with his hair. That’s when he clocked your new chain belt. “Whoa! I didn’t know you had money like YXL, why don’t you take a limo to work?”

You punched his arm playfully as he teased you. “I didn’t buy it! It was him again.”

Soobin rubbed his arm where you punched him. “So you don’t know who this guy is?”

You shook your head.

“Are you sure it’s someone from your job?”

“Well, of course. Only my coworkers know which floor of my job I work in. You need a keycard to get up to the 5th floor where our offices are. None of the other businesses use our floor, the only other people I could think of are like… janitors.”

Soobin chuckled. “Hey, maybe he IS a janitor! Don’t break his heart.”

“Well, if a janitor can afford YXL gifts for his crush. Then I think I at least owe him dinner.”

“Dinner?” Soobin’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think you’d be okay dating a janitor.”

“A rich janitor!? Why not? I don’t mind being a house-husband. I’ll cook and clean at home like the perfect spouse.”

Soobin laughed even harder. “I think you’d be pretty sure in a little maid costume, waiting for your husband to come home.”

The two of you cracked a few more jokes before the stop where you needed to get off arrived. The both of you stepped off the bus and parted ways. Soobin worked at a cafe a few blocks down from your office building, but he always insisted on walking with you before walking in the opposite direction to his job.

“Okay, Soobie, I’ll see you around lunch.” You waved as you walked into the building.

Soobin waved back, waiting until you were in the building before heading back the way he came.

Work was just a bunch of boring service meetings, going over goals for the next few weeks. But you couldn’t focus as you kept staring at the clock. It was always a little before your lunch break at 12:30 pm that someone would come by and drop off the gifts from your admirer. You nearly fell out of your chair when you saw the parcel delivery man walking into the 5th floor. 

You stopped him as he got to the door of your offices.

“Hi there! Anything for me today?” You asked politely.

The man looked through the boxes he had, “No, sorry. I don’t see anything.”

Your shoulders dropped at the thought that you didn’t get another gift. Maybe you’re admirer found someone else they’re interested in… But at least you could go on lunch break.

You thanked the delivery man and went back to your desk to collect your things before leaving. You looked in your desk drawer at the letters you’d received from him. You looked at each, comparing them. The color of the card was your favorite color and it smelled sweet like roses. On a whim, you took them with you as you left your office. You left the building and walked a few blocks to get to Soobin’s cafe. 

Soobin winked at you as you walked in. “Hi, Welcome in!”

You smiled at him as you found an empty table. You set your things down and looked at the cards again. The handwriting all looked the same, even like it was written with the same pen. 

Soobin came over to you with a plate a sandwich and a warm cup of tea. “The usual for ya.”

“You know me so well…” You put the card down and took a bite of your sandwich.

“Well. You get the same thing every time you come here.” Soobin stuck his tongue out at you.

You didn’t notice as you were reading the card again. “Of course, I do because you’re the one who recommended it to me. And it turned out so good!”

“What’s this?”

“One of the cards he left me. The one that came with the flowers.”

The cards were nearly written, clean, and smelled good. Sometimes at work, you catch yourself wanting to just smell the card again. You didn’t know the scent, but it was something that made your body warm and fuzzy.

Dear Y/n,

The sweet flower that I’ve watched from afar. I hope this comes to you as warmly as you did into my life. I fell for you the moment I saw you and when you speak, I can only hear a symphony of your voice. My thoughts about you are truly impure, but as a man of honor and respect, I hope that earn your affection in your heart, mind, and body with my gift. And expect more from me.

Your new admirer.

Soobin read it. “I didn’t know that you were into this kind of stuff.”

You shrugged. “I don’t know if I am, but I know that I don’t hate it. It’s really sweet! But I also want to be able to see the person and know about them, instead of them just knowing about me.”

“You want them to show themself?”

You nodded. “Of course! How am I supposed to know if I like them back?”

“What if it's someone you’re not expecting? You said it’s a coworker, so what if it’s someone you’re close with as friends?” Soobin’s voice was soft and deep, with his face spelling concern.

You pat him on the shoulder. “Why do you look so worried? I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m open to meeting people, even if it's someone I know. Because it seems like we’ve spoken to each other at least once according to this. I just want to give him an honest chance. And…”

“And?”

You shift nervously in your seat. “I’m kinda interested in this whole, impure thoughts thing. It’s kinda hot…”

Your last sentence hung in the air between the two of you. It somehow felt like the whole room got a little quieter.

You struggled to find your words. “That was a little…” 

“Out of pocket? Yeah. But, it's cool, I’m glad you’re into this guy. He’s lucky. So tell me how it goes if you get the chance to meet him.”

You nodded. “Yeah totally! I’d call you asap.”

“I don’t have your number…”

You cocked your head to the side. “How did that happen?” You reached into your bag, but couldn’t find your phone. “I think I left my phone at work, let me borrow yours, and I’ll give you my number.”

“I can’t, it’s not one me.” Soobin pulled out a napkin and pen from his apron and scribbled his number neatly on the napkin. “Here’s my number, you can text me when you get back to the office.”

You took the napkin and carefully tucked it away in your bag.

You finished your food as Soobin went back to work, he occasionally would stop near you to chat for a bit before going back to his job. After finishing, you left a tip in the jar since Soobin never let you pay for your meals. Then you headed back to the office.

You finished the rest of your workday and while packing your bag to head home you remembered Soobin’s number. You put the napkin on your desk while you looked for your phone, which somehow ended up in the drawer where you kept the other cards. You put the cards on your desk and added Soobin’s number to your phone. Naming him Soobie on your phone, you shoot him a text to give him your number.

“Yo, Soobie, I got the number. I’ll be over to pick you up real soon.”

You packed everything else on your desk and tossed it in your bag to hurry out the door to get the Soobin’s cafe before the bus started to get there. 

You walked into the cafe to see a different barista working. He smiled at you as you walked up to his counter.

“What can I get for you?”

“Oh, I’m not here for food–I’m looking for Soobin.”

The barista nodded in understanding. “He said he had to be somewhere, so he left early today. A little after 1ish.”

You pulled out your phone to text him, “Hey, is everything alright? You’re not at work, so I’m just going to head home. Let me know if you need anything.”

You thanked the barista and walked about out the door, heading to the bus stop. It felt strange to go home alone again, like how it had been when you had first moved into town. Like you were alone but somehow someone was always looking at you. Even when you couldn’t see anyone looking, you could just feel the eyes watching you… But when Soobin started going with you, the feeling would be gone. His presence was nice to have around and protected you from whoever was out there…

You ride the bus back home, alone and in silence. The feeling makes your skin itch a little. You tried to distract yourself from the feeling by reading the letters again. Your head was foggy, your hands were damp, your body felt warm, and you realized your heart was racing. You somehow popped an awkward boner that you had to use your bag to hide. You got off at your stop, the bag still covering your bulge as you walked quickly to your apartment building. 

When you got to the door, there was a small bag at your doorstep. You looked around before picking it up. It smelled like roses and candy. It was a gift from him? But how did he know where you lived?

You looked around with a little bit of panic as you put in your door pin code and unlocked the door. You slipped inside quickly and locked the door behind you. You were home but didn't feel safe. Your mind was racing at the thought of someone following you home, the worst possible scenarios playing in your head. The sound of you getting a text broke your train of thought.

It was a text from Soobin! 

Soobie: Hey, sorry y/n! I had to take care of some stuff, did you get home alright?

y/n: Soobin!! This is crazy, and I’m freaking out! The admirer guy left a gift outside of my apartment!

Soobie: That’s crazy! Did you see anyone near your house?

y/n: No, I didn’t see anyone. But I think I’m gonna lose it. And my head isn’t right.

Soobie: Is there something I can do?

Soobie: Do you need someone?

y/n: I think I do… Can you come over?

Soobie: Yeah, of course. I’ll bring some medicine for your head too.”

y/n: Thanks Bin, I’ll send you address.

After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. You looked at the peephole to make sure it was him before letting Soobin in the door. You hugged him as soon as the door was locked behind him.

“Jeez, y/n. I didn’t think you’d get spooked so easily.” Soobin hugged you gently.

“It’s just weird!”

“Did this gift come with a letter?” 

You nodded.

“You haven’t read it?”

You shook your head. “I’ve been too scared.”

Soobin patted your head. “That’s okay, let’s give you that medicine I brought.” Soobin gave you two blue pills and walked into the kitchen. He pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from your filter in the fridge.

You sat on the couch while he was in the kitchen, filling your glass of water. The letters were scattered on the coffee table in front of you with the unopened one waiting patiently for you. 

“Soobin.”

“Yea?”

“I think I wanna open it since you’re here now.”

“Let’s give you this medicine first…”

You waited for Soobin to come back with water and he brought a coaster with him for the water to sit on the coffee table. You swallowed the pills and a big gulp of water. 

“How much for pills?”

“Don’t worry about it, I was going to buy them anyway.”

You nodded. “O-Oh okay.” 

Soobin sat next to you on the couch, letting his body lean into yours. “You sure you wanna open it now? Or do you wanna wait?”

“I’m gonna do it now.” You snatched the bag off the table and looked inside the gift bag. It was a pack of King-size condoms!? And a letter. You tossed the condoms away and read the letter.

Dear y/n,

I know I’ve probably given you quite the scare with this gift, but I want you to know how much you mean to me and I wanted to know how you feel about me. I know I can never enter your home by forcing my way in, as I’d never forgive myself either. I knew that I’d only be okay being intimate with you, in your home, if you invited me over. I hope you understand me…

Your Admirer.

You could hear your heart in your ears. “Soobin…”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll be honest with me, yeah?”

“Always.”

“How did you know where I kept my coasters in my house?”

Soobin didn’t answer…

“Soobin!”

“I…” Soobin started but couldn’t find the right words. “Please understand me–” Soobin moved toward you, but you flinched away from him.

“Are you my admirer!?”

“I am,” Soobin said without blinking. His eyes were full and his expression was one you couldn’t understand. “Please try to get why I did all this. You said you’d give me a chance anyway, so please let me have this.”

“How long have you been following me?”

“Please don’t–”

“Answer me!”

Soobin sighed. “About two months. I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you but I couldn’t find a good way to tell you. But when you started taking the bus, we ended up talking and getting close. I tried to give you hints. I wanted things to be different…” Soobin leaned in to kiss you, his hand slipping to the back of your neck to keep you from running. 

As your lips met, you could smell Soobin. Roses and sweet candy, just like the cards. You pushed away from him, but his grip on your next was like metal with his other hand snaking around your waist. He finally let you go so he could breathe.

Your body was warm, and you were so hard it was impossible to hide it. 

“The medicine’s working now too. It’s faster than I thought…” Soobin muttered.

You felt like you’d been slapped. “Did you drug me?”

“Yeah, I did, baby. But it was just to get you in the mood, I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll take care of you, baby.” Soobin pulled you in for another kiss, catching your mouth open just a crack to force his tongue into your mouth. 

You tried to fight the feeling, but your brain was starting to numb out and you felt yourself giving into the kiss, pulling Soobin into you as you laid back on the couch. Your hand moved to his cheek, continuing the make-out session. You were in charge, exploring the dark-haired boy’s mouth as the kiss started getting wetter. You broke the kiss, the two of your foreheads rutting against each other. 

“This isn’t right, you tricked me.”

“Only cuz I love you. Please, just let go. Let me do the rest…” Soobin moved his hips, rutting into your crotch to show you he was as hard as you were. Soobin moved to your jaw, kissing down your neck as his hands started to slip your shirt off. 

You started sobbing as Soobin started to explore your torso.

“Shh baby, there’s no reason to cry. I know you love me, just as much as I love you. I can feel it right here,” Soobin said as he started to suck one of your nipples. You squirmed and shook at how good it felt. “See? You like this!”

“Soobin.” 

“Yes, love?”

“It’s my first time…”

Soobin stopped in his tracks. “Really? You’re a virgin?”

You nodded slowly, tears running down your face. “I do like you, but this isn’t how I wanted things. This isn’t right.”

Soobin moved back up to your face, cupping it with both his hands. “I’m so sorry baby. I wasn’t considerate, was I?” Soobin kissed the tears on your face, tasting their saltiness. “I’m sorry, baby. I really am, can you forgive me? Daddy’s really sorry.”

You cried more, your body shaking like a leaf in his hands.

“Daddy promises he’ll take care of you. Forever, and whatever you want, you can have. Just promise to be my baby. I promise I’ll never do something like this again…”

You covered your face, wiping your face. 

“No, no, let me see you. Please, baby. Let me look in your eyes to show you how much I mean it.”

Soobin lifts you up, sitting you on his lap and holding you close to him. His large hands take yours and he looks deep into your eyes. “I’m sorry Daddy used tricks to get you, baby. If you forgive me, I’ll make you feel so good. I’ll buy you anything. And I’ll make sure I take care of you, always. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

You didn’t know if it was the pills or Soobin’s look, but your heart melted at his eyes looking into yours. Your crying slowed to hiccuping and sobbing.

“There you are.” Soobin hugged you tighter. “I’ll do it right this time. Do you want to continue, baby?”

You couldn’t fight it. The way “baby” rolled off his lips did something to you. You gave in and nodded slowly. “Please, keep going…”

Soobin’s smile was bright and kind. He stripped off his shirt, and pulled you more onto his pelvis, letting you feel his cock under you. “You’re body is doing this to me. Do you feel it?” Soobin slowly shifted his hips up into you, making sure to poke you with his dick.

You nodded.

“Daddy’s gonna put that in you.”

You shivered at his words.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you…” Soobin laid you on your stomach and slid your pants off you. 

You heard a box opening and some clothes shuffling. You get impatient and turn over onto your back to see Soobin naked, you looked down to see his intimidating cock. The tip was swollen and red, begging to enter you while precum was leaking down the veins of it. Soobin was holding the box of condoms with one of them in his mouth.

“Am I making you wait too long, baby?” He looked down. “Don’t be scared, I’ll be easy with you.” Soobin brought out lube from his bag and coats his cock. “I’m guessing you’re not prepared, but I think I can handle that easily.” Soobin started coating two of his long fingers.

You took the bottle from him. “I can do it myself.” You sat up, but Soobin held you down.

“Nope. I’m taking care of you, so no extra work from you.” He smiled evilly before kissing you again. While distracted he slipped his fingers in together.

Your eyes rolled in your skull. “Holy–” 

“See? Isn’t it better when I do it?” Soobin swirled and stretched you with speed and ease, making you squirm under him while he held you down. But Soobin smiled more when you suddenly screamed in pleasure, telling him he found what he was looking for. “Say it.” 

You looked at him with confusion. “Say what.”

“Call me, Daddy, baby. I just wanna hear you say it.” Soobin hit the spot again.

“Oh, god. Please, again.”

“Again, what?” Soobin started thrusting his fingers but avoided hitting your spot again.

“Please Daddy, I–” As soon as the word left your lips, Soobin took his fingers out and put his tip at your hole.

“Oh, I’ll hit it again and again. So hold on.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and brace for him, trying to stay as loose as possible for him. And even with Soobin’s masterful prep, he was still stretching your walls. Soobin’s scent filled your lungs as he started to push into you, holding your body to his. The sweat made your bodies stick together. Your face streamed more tears and your eyes started to get hazy as Soobin kissed you through the pain.

“I know you can do it. Come one, for Daddy.” Soobin whispered in your ears as he kept pushing deeper. 

Soobin hit your spot and you came on the spot. “Please s-stop! Please! Don’t move anymore…”

Soobin froze, trying his best. His groans of restraint as his cock is almost in you completely. “You’re so tight–and somehow still squeezing more…” Soobin was looking into your eyes, waiting for you to let him move again. He could’ve cum from the sensation right there, but he wanted it all. He needed it. He tried to move a little deeper, but you hissed in complaint.

“Please! Don’t do anything, I need to… calm down.” You almost mewled as you were drooling from the sensations. 

Soobin was biting his lip, trying to keep himself in control, but seeing you like this was difficult. Surely you could take him, all the way? Even though it was your first time… He was sure he could make it fit.

You were taking deep breaths, slow ones. But suddenly flinched when Soobin flexed his dick. “Just… do it.”

“What was that?” Soobin, struggling to hold back, said playfully.

“You can fuck me, just do it…” You had your eyes shut, trying to focus again.

“You gotta say it right.”

You peeled one eye open to look at him. You could tell he was trying to hold it together too. So you pushed yourself deeper using the couch for leverage. You were slow… you needed him to do it. You couldn’t even make it an extra inch before you couldn’t go any further…

“Daddy… please fuck me…” You said in defeat.

Soobin’s brain snapped at “Daddy”, as he lifted one of your legs. “Try not to wake the neighbors,” Soobin said before pushing in the rest of his length. 

Your head flew back with your eyes wide open. You had used toys before, but nothing touched so deeply as Soobin did. You looked at your stomach and saw a slight bulge in your stomach. You watched as the bulge moved and pulsed as Soobin started slowly moving, fucking slow but deep. It was enough to make you scream like a lunatic. 

By the end of it, you knew you had come at least two more times before you heard Soobin whisper. “Oh, it’s cumming.”

You could feel Soobin’s hot cum shooting into you. Soobin broke the condom and was pouring cum directly into you. Pump after pump.

“Oh please, get pregnant for me. Be my housewife forever. Our little babies will be so cute.” Soobin moved as he fucked you through his orgasm.

If you could, you definitely would’ve been pregnant…

You don’t remember much after Soobin finished. You passed out from exhaustion shortly after. But you woke up the next morning in bed with new pajamas and Soobin sleeping next to you.

[jealousmartini]

✦ My average schedule + Get ready with me on a random college day as an art student and an LOASS babe ⊹₊ㆍ👜

   ── .✦  ┆  ᡣ𐭩  ┆  ␥ 

Long ass post ahead

FYI!! We only have 4 days of college, so we get Friday off. My longest days in college are Monday, 11:15 am to 4:45 pm (depending on if we have tutorial first thing. If not, we will come in at 1 pm), and Tuesday, 11:15 am to 4:15 pm. My shortest days are Wensdays, 11:15 am to 3:00 pm and Thursday, 9 am to 12:30 pm. The days that are shorter than the others (mainly Thursday) are the ones that I prioritise focusing on extra work after hours. It is super important to me to use my Thursday free time for extra research/analysises/art work at home so I can so I can stay ahead and not fall behind in class

╰┈➤ " She's an overachiever " click here!

«───────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────»

GRWM! The longest day of the week, Monday!

   ── .✦  ┆  𖤐  ┆  ␥ 

The goal is to get a bus around 10:25 am to 10:45 am in order to get to college at 11:15 am

[ 000 :: Getting up ]

✦ I wake up at 9:15 am and immediately make my bed because no one likes to come home to an untidy bed.

✦ And then my first favourite thing I do is wonder what I wanna smell like today, I take out my specifically scented body wash, 2 in 1 shampoo, hair gel, body cream, deodorant (preferably scentless), and perfume with the scent I chose and then I do my blanket affirming in my 15-20 minute shower. After the shower, I moisturise my body with my scented body cream, spray deodorant, and move onto my clothes.

[ 001 :: Getting dressed ] — estimated time 9:35

✦ I love dressing up. At this point, I do my best not to overthink what to wear because I know I will be there forever, making multiple outfits but never choosing one. So I focus on what style I'm going for and pick out my clothes, always being mindful of the colours of course and then put them on

✦ Next I decide wether or not I want to wear make up (more times yes than no) but before I do my usual make up look, I quickly do my skin care routine to protect my skin and then I do my cutesy girlie make up all while affirming my blanket affirmations

✦ And then I move on to do my hair. Because I have super curly hair, depending on what style I want, it takes a bit of time to manage. So I usually settle with doing something simple like brushing my curls out into a fro and then putting it into a bun or puffs, or I leave my curls defined and either leave my hair down or put it in a bun, space buns or a tail type which usually takes me 10-15 minutes, taking us up to 9:55-10 o'clock.

✦ But if I'm feeling ambitious, I'll straighten/blow out my hair and do a straight hairstyle. I usually go for bantu knots, spikey buns (my signature half up, half down), pigtails/ponytails, or leave it down. Doing this would take me around 15-20 minutes, taking us up to 10 o'clock to 10:10.

[ 002 :: Breakfast time ] — estimated time 10:00

✦ It's always important to start your day with a satisfied stomach, which is why I always make sure I know what I want to eat for breakfast and if I want to eat a lot. Once I've made my breakfast, I like to look over the work I have already done on my ipad to see what more could be added while I eat.

✦ I try not to eat too slowly or take too much time doing tiny bits of extra work because I still need to brush my teeth and get my bag (which is always already packed). When I have finished my food, brushed my teeth and got my bag, I should be at the door by 10:30 to 10:45

[ 003 :: Ready to leave ] — estimated time 10:40

✦ I don't live far from my bus stop, so it usually takes me around 5-6 minutes to walk there, and then around 25 minutes to get to college on the bus.

✦ But sometimes my man best friend drives to my house to pick me up and then we both go to college together. I don't know which one I prefer the most to be honest but going by car is definitely a lot quicker (given that there isn't any traffic) and I just love beening in the presence of my boyfie bff

[ 004 :: College hours ] — estimated time 11:15

✦ Hurray we arrived on time! Looking delicious and smelling delicious. Now it is time to get to class and get a load of work done like the overachiever I am.

✦ Lunch time comes around and I leave the classroom to the couch area where my (girl) best friend is waiting for me. We chat and eat and chat some more until it's time to part ways back to class.

✦ Another more than generous amount of work gets done be me and my two super cool art besties, I'm sure the same can be said for the rest of the class but this isn't about them rn.

There's five people per table in my class, but only two tables in the middle have the ten of us, the other 3 tables are empty because we're a small class but I sit along side my two good classmates on the left side. We are very attentive, concentrated, and skilled art students. We always check up on each others art and written work, giving each other ideas and such. We are even jokingly referred to as "competition" by two of our other classmates (im not a fan of those two but it is what it is)

[ 005 :: Home time ] — scheduled time 4:45

✦ Sometimes, college can be grueling. Especially on Mondays. So to be able to have a close friend group to reunite with after the last hour of college is so so comforting. ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON because it gets really dark in the late afternoon very quickly and I always prefer to go home with company in these seasons.

✦ I take the same bus as I did to college back home with my friends, usually right after getting a snack together and because we are a group of four (six if i include boy bestfriends sister and her boyfriend), none of us have to worry about strangers sitting next to us.

The bus drive home is always relaxing and in my opinion fun too.

[ 006 :: Arriving home ] — estimated time 5:10

✦ First day of the week done. Time to unwind, clean up, eat, relax and sleep. As soon as I get back home, I love to have a quick gossip with my mum about my day and get unready with my best friends of face time

There's this very common belief that you always have to talk of face time, but that's not all ways true. Me and my friends just like to have each others presence in silence, occasionally being nosy every now and then about what's for dinner, what's on TV and that's about it. Nothing more nothing less and its perfect that way.

I inform my friends I'm off to get a shower, I like to use my scentless soaps and body creams for bed time or maybe some light essential oils like lavender, I get out and throw an oversized T on because I don't like sleeping with bottoms on, yank my pink bonnet over my curls, slip my feet into some fluffy pink sliders and whatever I choose to do with the rest of my evening is random and spontaneous depending on what I'm in the mood for in the comfort of my home that I manifested ♡

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

જ⁀➴. And that's my average GRWM/schedule of a random day on a random college day as an artist and an LOASS babe ⊹₊ㆍ♡⋆₊˚⊹ I dunno if you could tell but this was secretly a vault lmao

[mapiforpresident]

Fic Prompts

Regular Prompts:

1. They get all smug after making you blush.

2. You are seen making out in the back of a teammates tiktok and no one noticed before posting it.

3. Taking care of them when they get drunk/ they are a clingy drunk.

4. You support them in the stands at an international game and lean over the rail to kiss them after the game.

5. You pretend to forget your anniversary in order to surprise them.

6. You fall asleep in their arms during team movie night

7. They carry you to bed after you fall asleep on the couch.

8. Your first kiss keeps getting interrupted

9. You accidentally call them babe without realizing.

10. You leave a lingering kiss on their cheek next to their mouth and they can't stop thinking about it (or vice versa)

11. You send them a suggestive selfie/photo while you are all with the team and they start choking on water.

12. You realize you want to marry them

13. They realize you walk home and offer to drive you home when its raining.

14. You are grumpy to everyone except them.

15. You’re caught under mistletoe with them at a holiday party.

17. They brush their fingers along your thigh during a team meeting.

18. You get a tattoo for them

19. You trip over them during practice

20. You pick your girlfriend up effortlessly and they almost drool.

62. They wear your boxers around the house and it drives you crazy.

63. You tell them you are pregnant with another baby

Dialogue:

21. “Are you blushing?”

22. "There's only one bed." "Well, I'm not sleeping on the floor so I guess we will have to share then."

23. "Oh my god, what is wrong with you."

24. "Awe, thank you baby."

25. “You always stretch like that when you know I’m watching.” “And you always watch.”

26. "You're drunk, go home."

27. “Your hands are all over me during drills.” “Blame muscle memory.” “Mine or yours?”

28. "Oh my god, you're smiling."

29. "God, you are so fucking hot sometimes."

30. "Hey, that was only three kisses, I need at least five before I can get out of bed."

31. "I can't forgive you."

32. "This kid is definitely yours"

33. "Let’s have a baby."

34. "God, I missed being in your arms."

35. "Stop staring at my hand veins."

36. "If you don't stop being annoying I will file for divorce"

37. "I am not being dramatic."

38. "Stop, you're sweaty and gross"

39. "I still can't believe we were enemies." "Enemies don't kiss behind locker rooms."

40. " I love when you have your cute little grumpy face."

41. “People fall out of love. It happens.”

42. “Just let me hold you for a minute.”

43. "What if someone sees us."

44. “Don’t say that to me. That’s not fair.”

45. “C’mere. You can sit in my lap until I’m done working.”

46. “How was your sleep?” “Mm.. It was good. Better.” “Better how?” “Better because you’re here.”

47. “I deserve better than whatever you’re giving me.”

48. “Can I sit on your lap?”

50. “Is this goodbye?”

Kid Fic Prompts:

51. Your child kicks a soccer ball for the first time, and your girlfriend/wife can't contain her excitement.

52. One of your teammates teaches your kid a bad word and your kid won't stop saying it.

53. Your teammates make fun of your wife for being so much calmer and nurturing since becoming a mom.

54. Your child has a nightmare and the three of you cuddle in the "big bed"

55. Kid: “Why do you and mom always smile at each other like that?” Partner: laughing “Because we love each other very much.” You: “And we love you too, sweetie.”

56. You catch your girlfriend/wife practicing soccer drills in the yard with your child while you're making dinner.

57. You bring your baby/kid on the team bus for the first time

58. You: “Do you want to go to the zoo today?” Kid: “Yes! But I want to see the lions first. And can we bring snacks?” Wife/ girlfriend: grinning “Snacks are always a yes.”

59. You and your wife are at home watching a game together when your baby giggles at the screen, clearly recognizing your wife.

60. Your child asks your girlfriend to read them a bedtime story, and you can’t help but feel grateful for how they’ve bonded.

61. Your girlfriend was watching your baby/toddler and you come home to find them asleep together on the couch

~~~

Buy me a coffee here. I am an extremely broke college student and literally anything helps.

[penny-anna]

i bought a flat this week.

was off work sick last thursday/friday with what turned out to be the beginnings of a bad cold but at the time i was just like 'oh no why am i so tired is this the return of the Mystery Fatigue'

let's backtrack for a second!! back when i had the offer accepted on my flat my solicitor suggested october 6th as a move in date and i was like sure that works (this was around the beginning of september). then i didn't hear anything from them for many days and then i started getting major dry eye problems that became all consuming so i didn't get around to chasing them.

anyway!! tuesday last week i get an email from my solicitor like 'hi are you still able to complete friday' and i did not have the headspace to deal with it so i didn't reply

Wednesday my solicitor calls like 'hi. we need to know if you want to complete friday'. i'm like 'actually i'm really not feeling well this week, could we postpone'. she calls back a few minutes later like 'they cannot postone'. at this point i'm still thinking that if i get a decent night's sleep i'll feel better so i tell her i'll deal with it in the morning.

Thursday i feel spectacularly worse. have to get up to go to an appointment with my optometrist. almost start crying in their office bcos i'm just so exhausted. (he seemed weirdly unfazed by this?? looking back i wonder if he thought my eyes were hurting or something and didn't realise that i was holding back tears gfhglj) call out sick from work.

plan is to take a nap and then look at the documents my solicitor sent over but she calls me again like 'hi. sorry to bother you i know you're sick but can we complete today' so i'm like ah shit ig we're doing this now. please walk me through exactly what you need me to do here. 'we just need you to send us the money'. yeah i can do that. i've never made a payment this big before tho.

(i'm buying w money inherited from my mother so even for a flat purchase it's an unusually large amount of money)

'oh yeah you won't be able to that online. *pause* are you well enough to go to the bank?' i am tired enough that going to the bank will suck but not so sick i cannot go to the bank.

i had gone fully back to bed. spurred on by sudden wave of adrenaline, get out of bed and dressed and get the bus into town to the bank.

my bank closes at 3pm weekdays and by the time i get that it's about 1:45. explain the situation. turns out that to make a payment this big you need a sit-down meeting with a member of staff and they are booked solid till 3. 'can you come back tomorrow at 9:30 when we open' *dying inside* yes. i can come back tomorrow at 9:30.

go home. remember that i'd told my manager that i'd call her at 9 to let her know if i'm going to be working (i will defo not be working & she knows this) which will be tricky if i have to leave at 9 to go to the bank. have a pretty interminable IM conversation via microsoft teams about this wherein i suggest i message her first thing and call a bit later and she isn't going for it. eventually agree to call at 9 just so i can end the conversation and go to sleep.

Friday morning end up calling my manager from the bus. get to bank. whole thing takes a full 30 minutes so yeah i can see why they couldn't fit me in thursday afternoon ghfdljkfhdj. i'm so so tired. they have to go over a whole fraud prevention statement with you. 'you should be aware that scammers can pretend to be your solicitor'. me, exhausted: okay what if just this one time. a scammer is pretending to be my solicitor.

make the payment. go home to sleep finally.

later in the afternoon get another call from the solicitor. 'hi we have the keys you can come get them whenever'. oh yeah i'd been so caught up in trying to get them the money i'd kinda forgotten about. actually getting the flat.

(side note at no point was i planning to move in on 'moving day', an advantage of being a first time buyer is that i don't have to & i want to redecorate the place which is easier while it's empty)

initially say i'll come in next week but then realise that ideally next week i'll be back at work (i am not but anyway) so i might as well go now. it's pushing 4pm so will need to head out ASAP.

eyes are very dry and itchy from sleeping all day but fortunately i just (on a recommendation from my optometrist) bought a thing called a facial sauna which is a very weird contraption but does work extremely quickly.

pack my eye drops and also a peanut butter sandwich to eat in my new flat (why not) and go get the keys.

arrive at the flat. on inspection realise that the envelope i've been given seems to contain the most random assortment of loose keys. eventually identify an actual set of keys.

put my key in the lock of the flat door. abruptly hear a cat meowing, somewhere very close by.

previous owner had cats (plural) (i know this bcos i saw them when i was viewing the place). have a sudden moment of panic that i've somehow wildly misunderstood the whole situation and that she and her cats are still in residence.

look down. there is a very large, very fluffy white cat standing next to me, looking up at me as if expecting to be let in.

'you can't come in. this is my house.'

make my first mistake: think that if i open the door i will be able to prevent the cat from entering.

cat goes straight on into my flat.

i'm now pursuing the cat from room to room saying 'hey! hey you can't be in here! this is my house!'. the cat doesn't give a shit for obvious reasons (it is a cat)

i might have considered just shooing the cat outside and shutting the door but have arrived at an IMO not unreasonable concern. cat seemed very determined to enter this flat in particular and is now roaming around as if looking for something. previous owner had multiple cats and moved out AFAIK today. i have heard stories about people accidentally leaving cats behind when they move.

at this point it's 4:55 on a Friday. call my solicitor and explain the situation. ask if she could pass on a message to the seller's solicitor. unfortunately they have already closed for the week so it will have to wait till Monday but she will do her best.

decide the next course of action is to see if the cat has any ID. the cat is wearing a harness & collar so might have a tag with an address. make my second mistake: pick the cat up.

the cat does not have any ID on the harness. the cat does NOT like being picked up. cat gets very squirmy and then begins scratching me. cat manages to break my skin through a hoodie.

i put the cat down. the cat hisses at me. this is very rude considering that it is in my house.

head across the landing to see if the people opposite are missing a cat or, failing that, know their neighbours well enough to recognise the cat. there's no answer.

however!! i hear a voice down in the stairwell that sounds like it could be someone calling out a cat's name. 'hi!! is someone down there looking for a cat?' no answer.

look down the stairwell. on the ground floor there is a very large fluffy brown cat wearing a harness. !!!!! that is my cat's friend!

retrieve the cat from my flat (fortunately it just follows me out) and head downstairs. am met partway up by the cat's owner.

'oh thank god is this your cat'. it is her cat. apparently she had opened her front door to let them out into the garden and it had wandered off. 'i just moved in today it came into my flat'.

she is very apologetic. cat is unrepetent.

go back inside. call my solicitor's office. 'hi was it you i spoke to just now about the cat' (I told 2 people about the cat) 'no i just answered the phone because it was ringing. what cat.' 'can you tell *solicitor's name* that i have found the cat's owner. she will know what you mean'.

problem solved!! time to eat my peanut butter sandwich. :)

[spacetime1969]

Danny Fenton’s Field Trip to the Ghost Zone!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to write a fic inspired by the art of the wonderful @arisu-artnfics as part of @ecto-implosion. I ended up thinking it would be fun to bring in a trope from a completely different fandom, and write a Peter Parker Field Trip fic for Danny Fenton. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Magic, Dragons, and Storms? Oh my!

Ao3 | First | Previous | Next

Technus’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Welcome to the Time Lost Lands, students! The home of Queen Dorathea and her subjects.”

“Woah is that a castle?” one of Dash’s classmates asked.

Dash looked out the window and sure enough, there was a massive medieval castle right out the window.

“Is that a dragon!” Dash couldn’t help his yell as he spotted a large winged reptile climbing out from behind the castle.

Manson just grinned at him. “Yep.”

The Dragon jumped from the tower and started flying towards them. Dash made a very manly noise of surprise. Definitely not a terrified squeal. (AN: This is a lie. He actually did a very good impression of a baby otter)

The Dragon was getting closer and closer, and everyone, other than the nerds, was getting progressively more freaked out. Fenton and his friends on the other hand didn’t even flinch as the massive mythical creature landed on top of the bus.

“WHO DARES TRESPASS ON MY... Oh, hello Lady Samantha. How are you this fine morning.” Halfway through its booming yell the dragon transformed into a woman with long blond hair who smiled at Manson.

“Hi Dora!” Manson smiled back. “Our class fell through a natural portal and we’re trying to get home. Think you can point us in the direction of the Far Frozen?”

“Well I can certainly give you directions, but I’m afraid they won’t be much help. The next stop on your journey is Box Ghost and Lunch Lady’s lair, which is currently only accessible through The Storm of Doom.” Dash could hear the capital letters in that name. He looked out into the Ghost Zone where the ghost was pointing and saw a patch of dark clouds. It didn’t look like much, but something about it scared him.

“Oh no, are they alright?” Fenton asked. He and his friends actually looked concerned.

Now Dash would admit that he wasn’t the best at math, but if those four were actually scared of something after how relaxed they had been at everything else in this dimension, then Dash should probably be just as scared. (AN: Dash made an error in his calculations, he should have been far more scared than he was)

“Last I heard from them they were preparing their lair for the storm. So I assume they are doing alright, but we won’t know for sure until the storm passes,” the ghost queen said.

“Speaking of which, that storm is heading this way!” Technus’s voice said over the bus speakers.

The other ghost, Dora, nodded. “Yes, I have been working to prepare the castle and move my citizens inside for the storm. You and yours are welcome to shelter with us Lady Sam.”

Manson and her friends share a look. “The last thing we want is to be stuck in The Storm of Doom.” Valarie said.

Fenton and Foley both nodded. “Yeah, the castle is probably one of the safest places to ride it out. I vote we take Dora up on her offer,” Fenton said.

“Hang on just a minute!” Mr. Lancer interrupted. “Since when were the four of you in charge!”

Foley shrugged. “Hey, Technus!” he said, turning to the front of the bus. “What are the odds on us surviving if we try and fly through The Storm of Doom?”

“My current calculations indicate a 5% chance of immediate death.”

Mr Lancer’s eyes widened. “Well that’s not too bad,” he managed to stammer out, but Technus kept going.

“A 30% chance of your classmates' blood boiling in their veins. A 24% chance of their brains freezing solid. A 4% chance of death by electrocution. A 10% chance of death by poisonous gasses. A 7% chance of spaghettification. A 9% chance of death by eldritch madness, 6% chance of Danny, Valarie, and I being the only survivors, 3% chance of you and Sam also surviving, and a 2% chance of more than half of your classmates surviving. The odds of everyone surviving is less than 0.01% and statistically insignificant, so I rounded it out.” Technus sounded way too cheerful to be discussing their, apparently very probable, deaths.

Mr. Lancer’s face had gotten paler and paler as the ghost spoke. He stumbled into his seat, Foley just smirking at him. “So, do you want to do that? Or do you want to spend the night in a very secure castle and not die a horrible death?”

“Besides,” Fenton held up a glowing green post-it note that he had gotten from... Dash had no idea where he had gotten it from, “time is apparently moving at a two to one ratio to earth right now, so every two hours we spend here only one is passing on earth. So we have plenty of time.” No one bothered to ask him how he knew that.

Mr Lancer just nodded and slumped farther into the bus seat.

Manson turned back to the ghost dragon lady floating outside the bus and smiled at her, bowing at the waist. “We humbly accept your offer of shelter, Queen Dorathea of the Time Lost Lands.”

The Ghost, Queen Dorathea, nodded back at Manson. “The Time Lost Lands do not forget those who helped us find our path to the future, you and yours will always be able to find shelter in our walls, Lady Samantha.”

The solemness that had fallen over the group hung for a moment, before Manson straightened and smiled at the ghost. “Thanks Dora, I really appreciate it!”

“Of course Sam! I’m always glad to have you stop by! Have your vehicle land in the field by the stables. It should be safe from the storm there.”

They did as ordered, and the bus came to a stop next to a stable with, were those unicorns? (Star would later inform him that they were actually alicorns.)

They all hopped out of the bus and looked around at the castle. It was even more impressive up close. The walls absolutely towered over them, and they made Dash feel very small.

Off to the side he could see Fenton and his friends talking to Mr. Lancer, but they were too quiet for him to hear what they were saying. He wasn’t gonna have to wait long to find out what they were talking about though, since Mr. Lancer called them all to gather around.

“Alright class. Miss Manson and Mr. Foley are going to go find out how long we will have to wait out the storm. In the meantime, I encourage you all to eat your lunches. If you were planning to buy lunch at the planetarium please raise your hand, Mr. Fenton has offered to hand out Fenton Sustenance Crackers™ to anyone without a pre-packed lunch.”

Dash felt his lunch money in his pocket and winced, he didn’t exactly want to take Fenton’s charity, but he had worked up quite the appetite since they had fallen into the Ghost Zone, so he raised his hand. Next to him, Kwan raised his hand too.

Fenton slowly made his way around the group and passed the crackers out. When he approached the two jocks Dash was surprised to see that they were literal crackers, like a saltine. For some reason he had been expecting more. Fenton smirked at him and split the cracker in half, handing one half to each of them. Dash stared at it.

“Is this really it?” he asked.

Fenton just smiled. “Yep, trust me, that’s all you’re gonna need.”

Dash shared a look with Kwan as Fenton continued onto the rest of the group. Kwan just shrugged at him and the two inspected the crackers they had been handed. It looked like a normal cracker, for the most part. Dash was pretty sure the slightly green hue was just the lighting, but he still hesitated.

Dash’s stomach rumbled and he shrugged. It was better than nothing. He tossed the cracker into his mouth.

It tasted strange, both citrusy and bland, while also tasting like absolutely nothing. The taste was nothing compared to what happened when he swallowed though. He could feel the cracker slide down his throat and into his stomach, and then expand.

“Oh that’s really weird,” Kwan said with a shudder.

“You get used to it!” Fenton yelled from across the field.

Dash shuddered, he really, really hoped he never did. He would give Fenton one thing though, the crackers certainly worked. His stomach felt like he had just eaten an entire 16” pizza by himself.

He joined the other students as they sat in the grass eating and talking. For a moment he forgot that they weren’t just hanging out on the football field back at Casper High. Manson and Foley returning with the green skinned ghost queen broke the illusion though.

The group hurried over to Fenton, and Valarie. Dash didn’t recognize what Valarie and Danny did, that the group were only avoiding breaking into a sprint to not cause a panic.

Dash was just close enough to over hear their whispered conversation.

“Danny we have bad news,” Manson said.

“Really bad news. The storm’s drifted further than expected. The Core is heading straight for us,” Foley sounded scared, and that scared Dash. The look on Fenton’s face pushed him from scared to terrified.

Fenton stood up from where he had been leaning against the bus, straightening and turning to the ghostly queen who had offered them shelter. “Queen Dorathea, how may I be of service to you and your people.”

The Queen bowed her head to Fenton. “Your friends have agreed to assist the royal mage in raising a shield around the castle. But I fear that without your power they will be unable to outlast the storm.” The queen made eye contact with Fenton “I ask for your aid in this, K-”

Fenton interrupted the queen. “Just Danny right now, Dora.” Fenton looked over at the rest of the class, who were obviously trying to listen in to their conversation. He made brief eye contact with Dash before turning back to Queen Dorathea. “But you will have my assistance in any way you require it.”

Fenton turned to Valerie. “Come on, let’s go let Lancer know what’s going on.” He turned back to the Ghost and bowed. “We'll be back soon.”

They hurried over to Mr. Lancer. Dash wasn’t close enough to hear what was said, but he could see the way Lancer tried to argue with Fenton only for him to stand firm. Eventually Lancer slumped and seemed to give permission.

Fenton grabbed his bag and made his way back to his friends and the queen. “Alright, let’s go. Val, you got things covered here?”

She nodded, before pulling Fenton and the others into a quick hug. Then they walked away, leaving the class whispering behind them.

There was no sun in the ghost zone but it certainly felt like it was setting as the green sky grew darker and the howling noise of the storm began to grow louder and louder.

Dash and the other A-Listers watched as the storm rolled over them, the clouds covering the sky completely. The clouds seemed to whisper to him and Dash couldn’t help but be drawn to them. He felt himself stand up and, not hearing his friends call his name, started walking away.

Val smacked him over the back of the head. Hard.

Dash felt dazed and confused. When had he stood up? Where had he been walking to?

“Yeah, don’t look at the storm. It’s not the weather you really have to be worried about.”

Instinctively Dash looked back up at the storm. Val smacked him again.

“Don’t look at it idiot. Got it?” Dash nodded rapidly. “Good. Now get back to your friends. You scared them.”

Dash looked back over his shoulder. They really did look terrified.

He quickly walks back to them. “Sorry guys, I don't know what happened.”

Paulina’s voice shook. “Don’t do that again.”

“You scared us man,” Kwan said. "It was like you couldn’t hear us.”

Dash almost looked back up at the whispering clouds again. But he caught himself, and looked down at the ground instead. “I don’t think I could.” He whispered.

They sat in silence, intentionally not looking at the storm.

There was a deep ring that echoed through the castle, and voices raised in a haunting chant. All around them a glowing green dome raised to block out the storm, the whispers in the storm becoming muffled and drowned out by the chanting.

“Look! up there!” Star said, pointing up to the castle walls. Dash followed her finger to where four figures were standing silhouetted against the bright green of the shield.

Three of the figures were holding their arms up to the sky, green wisps of magic trailing out from their hands and stretching out to the dome above them, pulsing in time with the chanting. The fourth figure had his hands on the shoulders of two of the others, their hair seeming to glow with the lighting.

“Is that Fenton and the others?” Star asked.

“Yep,” Valarie said. Dash jumped. He hadn't seen her walk up behind them. “Them and the royal mage.”

“Since when could they do magic?” Paulina asked.

“Sam and Tucker have been studying for a while. Danny too, but he doesn't have as much talent in it. He’s so powerful though that it doesn't matter much in the long run. He can just brute force a lot of things.”

She turned to look at them, making eye contact with Dash in particular. “You should all be grateful you haven't bothered them since freshman year. Sam could turn you into a frog and Danny could separate your soul from your body with just a word. As for Tucker… let’s just say that we’re all glad he stays focused on technomancy.”

Dash felt queasy. "Did you ever learn anything?” He asked, morbidly curious.

Valarie just shrugged. “It's not my specialty. I know some of the theory, but not much more than that.” She grinned and pulled a very big ray gun out of her purse. “Besides, I'm more of a gun gal anyway.”

Kwan squeaked and Dash barely kept himself from doing the same.

“How’d you get that to fit in your purse like that?” Star asked.

“There are some benefits to having magic friends.” Val grinned at them again, before sobering slightly and gesturing back towards the bus. “Now come on, we fixed up the bus so that people can sleep in it.”

Dash and the others followed her to the bus. The backs of the bench seats had been laid down flat and someone had found blankets and pillows from somewhere, turning the seats into makeshift cots.

“Claim a bed and get some sleep if you can. It's gonna be a long night.”

Dash had a hard time sleeping on the makeshift cot. Not necessarily because it was uncomfortable, but more because his mind was too full. The green glow and unending haunting chanting wasn’t helping either. Though it was definitely preferable to the alternative. The way he had almost walked off into the storm terrified him.

He got up from the bed and quietly made his way out of the bus.

Val was sitting outside on a wooden stool that had been pulled from somewhere. She had her gun balanced on her knees. and was staring up at where her friends were still chanting on the castle wall.

“How are you so calm?" he asked. “All of this is absolutely crazy, and yet you're so calm. How?”

Valarie just sat there for a long moment. “There's not much I can say other than 'you get used to it,'” she finally said. “Danny Sam and Tucker, they've been there since the very beginning, since the portal opened in his parents lab.” She glanced at him. “It's hard to keep up with the rest of them sometimes. They're all so in sync and I joined them so much later, but I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I keep up with them anyway.”

“So this whole time Fenton and the others have been befriending the ghosts and learning magic and and... I don't even know what else.”

Valerie's laugh was humorless. “Yeah you really don't know what else Dash. And I'm not going to tell you.”

“Why not!”

“Why would I Dash? Why would I tell you a secret that isn't even mine when you bullied Danny and ostracized me back in freshman year. Why do you think Dash?” Val shook her head. “It's not my place to tell people, and even if it was, you'd never be someone I'd tell anyway.”

Dash had nothing he could say in response.

Valerie turned back to watch the castle walls. “Go back to bed Dash.”

He did as told, but he didn't get much sleep that night.

[aropride]

im actually going to do smething that willget me put on the fbiwatchlist. ivev been trying to go grocery shopping since NOON.becaude i need my fucking items.and also to keep me occupied because if i get too bored for too long substance abuse and self harm start seeming like fun hobbies for a tuesday afternoon. so i was like okay. i'll take the bus that comes at 1:02. and gets back at 2:02. and i try to get out to the bus stop 7 minutes early bc our bus comes early fairly often and the elevator is slow. so i get to the bus stop at like, 12:55. and for the record it is approximately 9 degree out. celcius warriors that's -12 for you. so i sit there on the freezing cold metal bench. for 30 minutes. (1:25 btw) and everyone tehre is like/. wheres the fucking bus this is ridiculous it wasnt cancelled where is it. and a lady walks by and is like. btw theyre delaying the bus til like 1:45. and we said. okay <3 yay <3. so i went back to my room. and checked the transit app. andn it said the bus would be there at 2:02. and i went. okay. i'll wait for that then i trust that more. well. i get back to my room. i sit doen on my bed. it is 1:32. approximately 3 mintues pass . THE BUS GETS THere. i go. man what the fuck. and i get ready to go at like 2. because. i havehope in my hear.t. and i go down at like 1:57. and i sit there. until 2:19. and someones like. i just checked the transit app it says 3:02 now. so we're all like.fuck it. whatever. people start calling their parents and i decide im now too pissed off to tolerate a 15 minute bus ride + 15 minutes in the store + 10 minutes waiting outside in fucking. freezing cold weather. + 20 minutes to get back home . and also my ipod died. so im like. wahtever its not gonna fucking come anyway. it is like. 2:20pm now btw. so i go back to my room. i close my door. and the SECOND i close my door . i glance out my window. and i see and hear the fuckingbus go by. I amgoing to slam myhead into a brick wall until ifujcking die

[anonsally]

Days 8-9 in Australia

Yesterday was New Year's Eve (Australia being in the future [compared to the US and Europe]).

It didn't start out very well: Wife tested positive for influenza A. She felt a little better than the previous day, actually, but she was undeniably unwell.

The daytime was fairly low-key. We did some laundry, I went to buy snacks to bring on our trip to Western Australia, and I packed my clothes. In the evening, Wife's sister and I took public transit [bus, train, another bus] to the flat in Neutral Bay where she and her husband used to live [her mother-in-law inherited it, and her brother-in-law is currently staying there with his fiancee and their baby]. It has a balcony with a spectacular 270-degree view of Sydney Harbour, including the bridge (though the view is looking directly along the bridge, not perpendicular to it) and part of the opera house roof. It's thus a pretty great place to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks. Wife didn't come because she was ill, and her brother-in-law didn't come because he had to work.

So it was me, Wife's sister, her in-laws (including the parents-in-law), and a sort-of friend of the mother-in-law with her friend.) The baby stayed awake the whole time, more or less (there may have been a brief nap at some point). She was very cute.

We put together a huge antipasti tray for everyone to choose things from, and there was Bowle (a peach white-wine punch). I had some nice chats with the in-law-in-laws, and we admired the view. At 9pm the kids' fireworks happened. We had more food and I watched a little of a documentary show about the urban birds of Sydney, which I'll hopefully get to see more of before I have to leave, but it wasn't really the right situation to be able to give it my full attention.

We did some cleanup around 11:30. At midnight, we toasted with champagne and enjoyed the spectacular fireworks display. Then we lit sparklers and took photos... But we hung out quite a while afterwards, leaving sometime after 1:30. We got a ride most of the way to a station and then took 2 trains to our neighborhood and walked 15min. back to the house. (On the first train, our car was probably about 30% young, German, very drunk, and singing badly with great enthusiasm at top volume. I think about 30% of the people in the car were entertained by this, while the remaining 40% were deeply annoyed.) It was still really warm out and I was utterly exhausted. We got home after 2:30am and I didn't turn out the light until 3am, which is much past my bedtime.

Today, New Year's Day, was also our departure day for Western Australia. I slept till about 9:45am. We finished packing and ate. Wife's brother-in-law seems to have caught her flu, but her sister and I are still okay... Wife is feeling a little better, though her nose is still very runny. The fever is definitely gone.

The travel part of the day did not go very smoothly:

The first rideshare car showed up and then drove off right away without letting us in.

The second one stopped, but when the driver saw that there were 3 of us and how much luggage we had, he said we needed to order a larger vehicle.

Luckily, the third one was big enough for us and all our stuff, and he took us to the airport.

Although Sydney to Perth is a domestic flight, we were flying out of the international terminal on the same plane that does a nonstop Perth to Paris (!!!!!) flight. That made check-in extra complicated because none of the electronic stuff was prepared for that scenario, even though we were not the only people doing it.

So they had to give us paper boarding passes with a special sticker that we had to sign, and which then had to get rubber-stamped (literally) by someone when we went through passport control. We also had to take the special security line for families with small children in order to get to the right people for the rubber stamp.

Once we were finally in the terminal, it went okay until we boarded the plane.

I was very disappointed to find that my "window seat" had no window, unlike all the other window seats! If I craned my neck I could see a little bit out of the window for the row behind me.

Nobody sat in the middle seat between me and Wife's sister, which was lucky. Wife was on the aisle across from her sister.

Wife's sister managed to spill her tomato juice.

I did at least get the last chicken meal they had.

On disembarking in Perth, we had to show our boarding passes again and get manually checked that our passports matched our boarding passes.

We did get our luggage okay and were picked up by a shuttle to the car rental place.

However, the car rental had been booked through a 3rd party and the actual rental company didn't have documentation that the second driver was supposed to be included.

Furthermore, it turns out that there are some weird-ass restrictions on where we can take the car. Most car rental companies only want you to drive on paved roads, which is not unreasonable. But this company also says that the "unlimited kilometers" in the contract will be completely invalidated if we go certain places, including anywhere east of Esperance. The Main Reason to go to Esperance is that there's a spectacular national park just east of it, and that's an important part of our itinerary on this trip. But it will add hundreds of dollars if we take the rental car there, because there is a tracker in the car. So it looks like we will have to find some way to pay someone to take us through the park, which is super irritating when we thought that having the rental car would be enough. [Also included in the areas we can't go are anywhere outside a city after sunset. What?!]

On the positive side, I saw a new bird at the airport while waiting for the shuttle: a pair of red-tailed black cockatoos! I also saw a Willie-wagtail harassing a magpie about four times its own size, and I believe a galah flew over the car while we were driving.

We drove safely to our Airbnb in Fremantle, where we will stay for 2 nights. We befriended an adolescent kitty who lives next door, and the apartment is very nice.

We found a grocery store and bought some essentials, came home and ate a few raw vegetables and, in my case, the crackers and cheese I was given on the plane. Now it's time for bed, because tomorrow we go to Rottnest Island to meet the quokkas!

[rpf-bat]

2024 RPF WRITING RECAP

I wrote 46 fics this year, totaling 56,385 words. I completed 100% of Whumpuary (15 out of 15 prompts), and 85% of Flufftober (25 out of 30 prompts). I also moderated two events of my own (Lost Sunday, and the third annual Blood Mass). I’m really proud of what I accomplished this year, so I decided to compile everything I wrote this year into one masterlist!

🖤 = Blind Channel RPF

💙= Lost Society RPF

💛= Santa Cruz RPF

1) Hear The Silence Getting Loud 💙💛

Samy/Arttu + Johnny/Middy. 2,556 words.

Summary: Arttu and Middy's birthdays are one day apart. So, they decide to have a shared birthday party with all of their friends.

Samy has been silently in love with Arttu for years. He makes a pact with Johnny: he will confess his feelings at the party, if Johnny confesses to *his* crush, too.

Written for Arttu’s 31st birthday.

2) Where Your Treasures & Demons Are Kept 💙💛

Johnny/Samy, with references to past Johnny/Archie. 1,370 words.

Summary: Samy goes with Johnny, to clean out a storage unit that once belonged to Archie. He finds an old love letter that he wasn't supposed to see. Whumpuary 1/15.

3) You Ain’t Getting Out 🖤💙

Samy/Joel/Niko. 643 words.

Summary: Niko and his boyfriend, Joel, invite Samy to their home for a "dinner date". By the time Samy realizes something is wrong, it's too late. Whumpuary 2/15.

4) I Just Need A Place To Be 💙

Samy/Arttu, 863 words.

Summary: A depressed and very drunk Samy shows up on Arttu's doorstep just after midnight. Whumpuary 3/15.

5) Calling For Help 🖤

Joel/Joonas, 1470 words.

Summary: Seasonal depression has left Joel unable to function. He breaks down, and asks Joonas for help with the dishes he just can't seem to do. Whumpuary 4/15.

6) Shelter Me, Comfort Me 🖤💙

Samy/Joel. 1,583 words.

Summary: Joel is feeling glum, and invites Samy over to his place, for a drink and a movie. Samy is trying his best not to take advantage. Whumpuary 5/15.

7) Been Awake For Three Days 🖤

Niko/Aleksi, 479 words.

Summary: Niko is supposed to be preparing for an important interview, but his body just can't stay awake. Whumpuary 6/15.

8) Shout At The Devil 💙

Samy/Taz, 1464 words.

Summary: When a boating accident threatens to put Samy in an early grave, Taz is willing to do anything to save him.

Johnny is a witch, and he knows there might just be a way to give Taz what he wants. But, he also knows that the devil won't grant a desperate wish like his without a steep price. Whumpuary 7/15. Witch!Johnny AU Part 1.

9) The Taste Of Ink 🖤

Niko/Joonas, 825 words.

Summary: Niko recently got matching tattoos with his best friend, Aleksi. His fiancee, Joonas, is incredibly jealous. Niko suggests that that they spend his birthday getting some matching ink of their own.

Written for Niko’s 29th birthday.

10) Thank You For The Pain 🖤

Joel/Niko, 824 words.

Summary: Niko is eighteen years old, and just joined Blind Channel a few short months ago. Joel is shocked when he walks into rehearsal with a black eye. Whumpuary 8/15.

11) Knock ‘Em In The Teeth Now 🖤

Joel/Aleksi, 873 words.

Summary: Joel is enjoying a beer with Aleksi when an old acquaintance interrupts.

He never expected that he would have to physically hold Aleksi back from punching said acquaintance in the face. Whumpuary 9/15.

12) A Lonely Road 🖤

Tommi/Olli, 1,308 words.

Summary: Tommi and Olli are supposed to be driving south together to Helsinki. But, when Tommi falls asleep at the wheel, tragedy strikes. Whumpuary 10/15.

13) Pictures Of You 💙💛

Johnny/Samy, 906 words.

Summary: Samy wants to know why Johnny is so camera shy. It wasn't always this way. Whumpuary 11/15.

14) All A Boy Could Give You 💛

Johnny/Middy, 1,160 words.

Summary: Middy enlists Taz's help to find the perfect birthday gift for his new boyfriend.

Written for Johnny’s 32nd birthday.

15) Do You Wanna Start A Fight? (Just Tell Me) 💙

Samy/Taz, 962 words.

Summary: Samy leaves the tour bus to go look for his missing bandmates, and comes back with a bloody nose. Taz is the only one there to bandage him up. Whumpuary 12/15.

16) Stake My Heart 🖤

Aleksi/Olli, 1,519 words. ‼️HEED THE TAGS‼️

Summary: Two months ago, Aleksi got turned into a vampire. Tonight, he's got a Grindr date. What could possibly go wrong? Whumpuary 13/15.

17) One Small Step Away 💙

Gen. Samy’s POV. 866 words.

Summary: Samy dreams of an old friend. He doesn't want to wake up. Whumpuary 14/15.

18) My Mind Won’t Go To Sleep 🖤

Joel/Joonas, 889 words.

Summary: After waking up from a nightmare, Joel just can't seem to get back to sleep. He ends up knocking on Joonas' door. Whumpuary 15/15.

19) Steal Your Crown 💙💛

Johnny/Samy, 5085 words.

Summary: Johnny's band signs up to compete in a high school talent show. When a younger student named Samy announces that he's throwing his hat into the ring, too, Johnny's competitive nature brings out the worst in him.

When sabotage goes a step too far, can he fix it in time? Or will both bands be forced to forfeit?

Written for Lost Sunday 2024.

20) Can You Feel The Rain? 🖤

Akeksi/Olli, 1,130 words.

Summary: A lost dog wanders onto Olli's doorstep, and he decides it wouldn't be right, to leave her outside in the rain. But, soon enough, her dad comes looking for her. And oh no. He's hot. Flufftober 1/25.

21) Words I Thought I’d Never Speak 💙

Samy/Taz, 1,076 words.

Summary: While helping his boyfriend move some furniture, Taz discovers a two-year-old love letter, from the beginning of their relationship. Samy never had the courage to send it, but he meant every word. Flufftober 2/25.

22) I Missed Your Skin When You Were East 🖤💙

Samy/Joel, 798 words.

Summary: If sniffing your boyfriend's hoodie when he's away on tour is wrong, then Samy doesn't want to be right. Flufftober 3/25.

23) Of Goat Cheese & Guitars 🖤

Joel/Joonas, 1,084 words.

Summary: School is out, and Joel is (relucta ntly) spending his summer vacation at the farmer's market, helping his mother sell cheese. One day, he spots an attractive looking busker on the other side of the marketplace. Flufftober 4/25.

24) Birds Of A Feather 💙

Samy/Arttu, 579 words.

Summary: Samy wants to make a bird-feeder out of pinecones. Arttu thinks that sounds like a bird-brained idea. Flufftober 5/25.

25) It Ain’t Me, Babe 💛

Johnny/Middy, 639 words.

Summary: Johnny is Archie's boyfriend. But tonight, he's apparently too drunk to tell which blonde he's snuggling up to....and Middy isn't resisting like he should. Flufftober 6/25.

26) Fell In Love At The Rock Show 🖤

Joel/Aleksi, 763 words.

Summary: Aleksi gets cold at a music festival, and Joel offers him his hoodie. Is he flirting with him? Flufftober 7/25.

27) I Still Burn For You (Like The Sun Burns In The Sky) 💙💛

Johnny/Samy, 1,421 words.

Summary: Samy crashes Santa Cruz's midsummer camping trip. He ends up feeling hot and bothered, after watching a shirtless Johnny chop wood for their campfire. He tries to drown his unrequited feelings in alcohol...but what if they're not actually unrequited at all? Flufftober 8/25.

28) Neon Gravestones 🖤💙

Samy/Niko. 1,584 words.

Summary: Niko is perplexed, when Samy invites him to a picnic lunch in the middle of the cemetery. But, he quickly realizes that his friend needs a hug. Flufftober 9/25.

29) Bet On Losing Dogs 🖤

Joel/Joonas/Aleksi, 944 words.

Summary: Tommi is certain that Joel and Joonas are dating. So certain that he's willing to bet actual money on it. But, Olli disagrees. His money is on Aleksi being the guitarist's new boyfriend. Flufftober 10/25.

30) I Put A Spell On You 💛

Johnny/Middy, 1,269 words.

Summary: Johnny is a witch, and he knows exactly how dangerous magic can be. So he’s more than a little concerned, when he hears that his dear friend Middy is planning to cast a love spell. Flufftober 11/25. Witch!Johnny AU Part 2.

31) Autiotalo 🖤

Tommi/Olli, 620 words.

Summary: Joonas dares Tommi and Olli to spend the night alone in an abandoned house. The house is allegedly haunted by a witch’s ghost, but Tommi isn’t particularly worried. Flufftober 12/25.

32) Basement Eyes 💙

Samy/Arttu, 1,575 words.

Summary: A mischievous Mirko locks Samy and Arttu in his parents’ wine cellar. He’s not planning to let them out, until Arttu tells Samy the truth. Flufftober 13/25.

33) Two Princes 💙💛

Johnny/Samy, 1,586 words.

Summary: Johnny is a prince, and his family wants him to marry a princess. He would rather die than be with a woman he cannot love. And so, he flees his castle, and disappears into the woods.

In the middle of the enchanted forest, he meets a mysterious and sexy stranger, with a shocking secret. Flufftober 14/25.

34) Little Black Dress 🖤

Joel/Joonas, 924 words.

Summary: The last thing Joel expected to find in his building’s laundry room at midnight, was Joonas Porko in a dress. Flufftober 15/25. Mildly NSFW.

35) Check Yes, Romeo 🖤

Niko/Joonas, 1,320 words.

Summary: Joonas needs to know if his crush likes him back. And maybe a passed note in class, wasn’t the best way to ask him. But teenage boys don’t always make the smartest decisions. Flufftober 16/25.

36) All We Need Is The Sun 🖤💙

Samy/Joel, 1,225 words.

Summary: Joel asks Samy to take a vacation with him, somewhere warm and sunny, and far from home. The hotel room isn’t what Samy was expecting. Flufftober 17/25.

37) Anywhere That You Go (You’re Gonna Make It Glow) 💙

Arttu/Mirko, 1,585 words.

Summary: Johnny gives Arttu a bewitched coin, which glows whenever the person holding it, is standing next to someone who is in love with them. Arttu thinks it’s too good to be true. Flufftober 18/25. Witch!Johnny AU Part 3.

38) Needle And Thread 🖤

Joel/Niko, 1,016 words.

Summary: Niko picks up a new hobby during the Still Panicking Tour. His boyfriend, Joel, isn't quite sure how he feels about it. Flufftober 19/25.

39) Please Meow Back 🖤

Niko/Aleksi, 1,250 words.

Summary: Aleksi is a receptionist at a veterinary clinic. He thinks his job is boring…until a handsome stranger runs in just before closing time, and begs him to save his cat. Flufftober 20/25.

40) My Fire (The One Desire) 🖤

Aleksi/Olli, 1,013 words.

Summary: Olli attends a party at his university, hoping to run into his crush. Flufftober 21/25.

41) I Would End My Days With You 🖤💙

Samy/Niko, 918 words.

Summary: There’s a ring in Samy’s pocket, that once belonged to his late father. And there’s only one person on earth that he’s willing to give it to. Flufftober 22/25.

42) Your Hot Whiskey Eyes Fanned The Flame 🖤

Joel/Aleksi, 1,109 words.

Summary: It's storming outside their hotel room, and Aleksi can't sleep. To pass the time, he asks Joel to play a game with him. Flufftober 23/25.

43) Love Is Stored In The Potato 🖤💙

Samy/Joel, 1,089 words.

Summary: Joel's relationship ended a week ago, and he's crushed. Samy thinks he's found the cure, that will fix his friend's broken heart.

It's fried potatoes. Flufftober 24/25.

44) Blanket Thief 🖤

Tommi/Aleksi, 749 words.

Summary: Aleksi just spent the weekend at his boyfriend Tommi’s place. Tommi hogged the blankets the whole time. Now, it’s time for a little payback. Flufftober 25/25.

45) Somebody Fucking Kill Me (Before I Do It Myself) 💙💛

Johnny/Samy. 1,430 words.

‼️HEED THE TAGS‼️

Summary: Samy is slowly turning into a vampire, against his will. He begs Johnny to kill him, before he loses his humanity completely.

46) Animal I Have Become 🖤

Niko/Joonas, 2,044 words.

Summary: The band is enjoying a midsummer camping trip, when their friend is suddenly attacked by a wolf. Amidst the chaos, after the bloody and unconscious body is discovered, Joonas can’t seem to find Niko anywhere.

Written for Blind Channel Blood Mass 2024.