#so it'd be interesting if he elected out of that one

[youngpettyqueen]

Julian's line of "I needed another womb for the baby, and the only two other people on board were Major Kira and me." is already very. That Man Is Trans. and listen yes you can interpret it as him saying Kira was the only choice, but then it's literally followed up by Sisko saying "I think you made the right choice, Doctor." which I know is supposed to be a joke but the implication IS there that there WAS a choice and basically Julian is trans

[booasaur]

Something really amazing happened in France, and I think it'd help us in the US to learn about it. Forgive the long read, but I think this is genuinely great both because of what happened and how.

So as some of you might have seen, in a decision historians will debate for years (mostly to figure out just WTF he was thinking, even though he is alive right now and can be asked), the French president, Emmanuel Macron, currently in power and THREE YEARS before the scheduled election, seeing the far right rise in popularity decided to dissolve the assembly and hold snap elections.

577 seats were up for grabs. Remember that number. Since half of that is 288.5, 289 seats are needed for a majority.

The first round happened last week and boy, was it bad. The far right made HUGE gains. It won or was in first place in so many races. And Macron's party ended up third!

Overall, this is how things ended up after the first round:

Far right bloc: 33%

Left bloc: 28%

Macron's centrist party: 20%

Conservatives: 7%

The way the French system works is that if a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, they win outright, and some of the far right did manage that. But, many races went to a runoff.

Immediate projections after were that the far right bloc might win anywhere from 240 to 310 seats, a catastrophe.

A shameful swing to the far right leading to the first time they'll be in power since the 1940s? Yes, but maybe not??

This is where things get interesting.

Unusually, a lot of these runoffs are 3-way, instead of a simpler 2-way choice. And in pretty much every case, that helps the far right.

So on June 30th, the night of the first round, this is how things went down:

Immediately, the left parties put out the call: anywhere they were third, they withdrew and their voters would go over to whoever was running against the far right candidate. Their goal: form a "republican front" to block the far right. The far right cannot get 289 seats.

Macron's bloc was not so...motivated. Different people put out different instructions: in some places, if they were third, they should drop out, but only to help the center left, not far left, in other places, see how far you are, only then drop out, that kind of thing.

The conservative party simply said they won't drop out and won't give their voters instruction either way in races they're not involved in.

Late night developments:

More people in Macron's party are now beginning to realize the situation and starting to coalesce around whichever candidate can beat the far right one. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Macron's party, says clearly the priority is to block the far right. BUT, some Macron spokespeople on TV say they'll form a coalition only with the center left and conservatives, splitting the left bloc if needed. Some individual Macronists still saying they won't drop out, even if there's no hope of winning.

Lol.

So, now July 1st:

Only half so far. In one race, where the sister of Marine Le Pen (the far right leader and the face of their movement) was leading, the third place Macronist refused to bow out.

Excellent quote from another Macronist:

Perhaps realizing the same thing, that Macronist in the race against the Le Pen sister now drops out.

In some places, third place Macronists are dropping out DESPITE Macron bewilderingly telling them NOT to?

Halfway through the day:

Of the 311 3-way or 4-way runoffs, the number is down to 135 because of these candidates dropping out: 121 Left, 56 Macronists, 1 conservative.

Oh, there was this, in case people had any doubts about how terrible the far right are:

And to show the selflessness of the left:

July 2:

The deadline to decide if they want to stay in a runoff is today.

A dozen new third place Macronists who said they'd stay in have now dropped out. One got a call from both the PM Attal AND Macron to drop out, signalling the dawning understanding of the importance of this moment.

Even some conservative party members are now backing the left candidate who faces the far right.

A Macronist who had 30.55% of the vote in the first round and came in third to the far right's 33.11% and left's 32.73% and who would have been tempted to stay has dropped out.

The deadline to stay in or not has now passed.

Look at these far right shenanigans!

Macron still being a freaking loser:

July 3rd:

In the end, of the 311 3- or 4-way run offs, only 91 left. Some polls come out that have the far right getting between 190 to 220 seats.

July 4th:

New polls say the balance of the voting itself isn't transferring between the left and center and predictions have risen for the far right, now predicted to get between 210 and 250 seats.

July 5th:

New polls again, left voters now predicted to do better transferring vote to the centrists, decreasing the far right projections again.

However, scandalous reporting emerges: while Attal was trying to fend off the far right, Macron was not only NOT taking the far right seriously, he was undermining efforts to defeat them. His team shrugged off the first round results and celebrated a BIRTHDAY as the results were still coming in?

July 6th:

A few runoffs happened yesterday, nothing much unexpected, some left and center wins.

July 7th:

The day of reckoning. At this point, the expectations are that the far right won't come close to that 289 number but could still easily have the most seats.

GUYS.

It's over and the left are in the lead!

A LOT of cases where a leftist or centrist was 2nd in the first round and now won.

Amazing:

SO many lessons to take from this.

First, you have to vote! You have to. You can't do anything without voting. The freaking French, who'll protest for anything, are showing up to vote. If you're trying to achieve any kind of result and it's not going to happen by January 2025, you have to vote now.

But just as importantly, the left and center (and even conservative) parties made very key decisions. They were all lucky that Attal, who Macron chose, saw the big picture, bigger than indeed Macron could. A stupid selfish centrist leader could have still ruined everything if it were up to him.

TL;DR: After a disastrous first round in the national French elections where the far right was on the cusp of taking power, the left and center formed a strong coalition and through the power of voting and unity, overcame the far right AND their selfish centrist president to win.

[gor3-hound]

teachers pet

ft. leon kennedy x fem!reader

cw: 18+content, dub-con, pussy spanking, spanking, degradation, milddd brat taming, teacher x student relationships (age gap, but reader is in college), p in v, pull-out method, cum eating

a/n: i have been really struggling to write recently, so i hope you guys still like this :3 i um... hate it sorry it's not that good... writer's block is so shitty rn. feedback is appreciated !!

word count: 1.3k words

Leon finds you infuriating at the best of times. Sitting at the front of the lecture hall, giggling as you look at your phone. You never pay attention to his lectures - he doesn't understand why you even bother to show up.

You're not even subtle about ignoring him. The least you could do is try and hide in the back like the rest of his students who don't give a fuck.

To make matters worse, your grades are actually decent. Nothing to write home about, but you always turn his assignments in on time, and you've never failed to get a passing mark. If you failed, at least you'd flunk out of his class, and he wouldn't have to put up with your shit anymore.

It's like you want to get a rise out of him.

He's sick of it. He's sick of you. He retired and took on teaching college kids in the hopes he'd finally have some time to relax, but you seemed to enjoy making his life a living hell. He'd had enough of it. As you're packing up once he dismisses the class, he makes his way to your desk, his footsteps echoing across the lecture hall.

“Not you, miss. I need to have a word with you. Please come to my desk once you're packed up.” He tells you, tapping two fingers against your desk as he leans in to speak before he's returning to sit at the desk at the front of the hall.

You let out an exaggerated groan at his words, shoving your laptop into your backpack before begrudgingly making your way over to him. Your bag is slung over one shoulder, hanging precariously off to the side.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“That's right.” He says with a slight nod of his head, gesturing for you to take the seat across from him. He leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he waits for you to sit.

“I'm going to be honest. You've gained my attention, however it's been for all the wrong reasons. You're smart enough. I'm sure if you applied yourself to this course, you'd get top marks. Is there something I can do to help? Is it a motivation issue? Something at home?”

“Well, if I'm being honest, sir. I thought when I chose this elective, it'd be more interesting. Your lectures are, like… seriously boring.” You say with a smirk that makes it clear you're just trying to frustrate him further.

“I'm seriously getting sick of your attitude.” He bites out, leaning forward against his desk. His eyes are narrowed and locked onto your own. “You can drop an elective. It will have no effect on your main course of study. Why are you still here?”

“It's fun to annoy you, sir.” Is your response, a shit-eating grin spreading across your face.

That's it. Leon is a patient man. He'd tried his best to help you. To figure out what the issue was so he could fix it. But you? Everything about you made him want to rip his hair out.

“Stand up.” He hisses, the feet of his chair screeching against the hardwood floor as he pushes it back suddenly before standing, stalking his way to your side of the desk. You don't stand, crossing your arms as you lean back in the chair.

“I said, stand up!” He repeats, gripping you by the arm and tugging you to your feet. He presses down harshly on your shoulders, forcing you to bend over his desk. “You want to act like an unruly child? Fine. I'll treat you like one.”

“You can not be serious.” You grit out, moving to straighten back up before your chest is forced against the surface of the desk once more with a strong hand pushing down on your back, right between your shoulder blades. “Jesus. I always knew you were a fucking freak.”

“This could all have been avoided if you weren't such a brat.” He hisses, raising your skirt to expose the curve of your ass. You hear him snort, bunching up the fabric of your panties and yanking them upwards harshly, making the fabric bunch up between your lips in a wedgie. It draws a whine from your lips, your brows furrowing as you drop your cheek against his desk.

“Fucking slut. Is that why you're acting up in my class, hmm? You want attention? Prancing around in those tiny skirts, skimpy panties like these underneath ‘em?” He lets go of your panties, sliding them down your thighs before smacking his flattened fingers repeatedly against your pussy until it runs hot, dripping all over his skin.

“Fuck… fuck off.” You say through gritted teeth, your mouth twitching downwards as he continues to spank your pussy. You bite down on your tongue, trying to prevent any noises from spilling past your lips.

He pinches your clit harshly between his thumb and forefinger, giving it a little yank. He grins at the sound of your whimper and the way you jerk away from him, letting out a low chuckle. “What was that, sweetheart?”

You hear the sound of a belt buckle and the shuffling of fabric, which is enough to send a shiver running down your spine. You swallow the lump in your throat, suddenly feeling your confidence drain from you. When you speak, your voice is almost a whisper. “Mr. Kennedy…”

“Oh? You finally learning to keep that mouth shut?” He grunts, running his tip teasingly up and down between your folds, letting his cock catch on your hole just to see you jump. “Trying to pretend you're not a filthy slut, but your cunt is crying for me...”

He presses forward with a low groan, burying himself to the hilt inside of you. His cock throbs as your walls tighten around him, his fingers digging painfully into the fat of your hips as he starts to fuck into you, his pelvis pummelling against your ass with every shift of his hips.

“Greedy.” He scolds, smacking your ass harshly, and once more just to hear the way you whimper when his hand connects with your flesh. “She's sucking me right in. Know this is what you've been wanting… shoulda asked, sweetheart. Pretty sluts like you always get what they want.”

“Perfect pussy… squeezing me so tight.” He groans, thrusting deeper into your cunt, pulling you back onto his cock and angling his hips so he's bumping against your sweet spot every time he bottoms out. He fucks you with deep, hard strokes, letting you feel the drag of every inch of his thick cock inside of you.

“Ah, that's right. Just need to fuck the brattiness out of you, hmm? Goooood fucking girl. Gonna… gonna make me cum.” He says through gritted teeth, slipping a hand down to circle a thumb around your clit. You babble helplessly as he touches you, nothing but ‘please’s and ‘sir's spilling past your lips. He almost cums inside of you when he feels your clenching around him as your orgasm hits, but he's not too pussydrunk to release how stupid it'd be to get his student knocked up, so he pulls out quickly and coats your ass in his cum.

“You gonna be a good girl for me now?” He asks, dropping to his knees behind you, his tongue darting out to lick his cum off of you. The sensation has you shivering, but you nod weakly at his question. He pulls your panties up, straightening out your skirt before patting your butt and going to sit at his desk once more, as if nothing's happened. “Good. That's good.”

“Come see me after class tomorrow, babe. Gotta make sure the lesson really sinks in.”

[funkopersonal]

Im quite literally so done with this shit. i keep on going back and forth between hiding all the i/p related tags, but then I realize that its seeped EVERYWHERE. It's in the motherhood tag, and jewish history tag, and everything else. I can't fucking escape it. I opened tiktok yesterday to see one of my favorite characters (iron man) weaponized to support the one group that wants to see me dead, the user saying that iron man would support palestine, and be an antizionist because he "spoke out against the public" and he wasn't like the sheep. It frustrates me to no end this horrible cycle of fucking misinformation that exists.

As a Gen Z, I simply do not understand how its reached this point? I can't even write all my feelings and information about how shitty this is in a single sitting because 1) it'd be too long and 2) my joints wont let me write that long. But how did it reach this point?

How did it reach the point where jewish/isreali stores are fucking marked to notify the public. Their windows are being broken and the stores are being robbed. How did it reach the point where jewish students on some campuses are told to stay home? how they're harassed out of specific areas, and campuses have been made unsafe? How did it reach the point that people literally have written "I ♡ Houthis & Hamas" and "no mercy for Jews."? How did it reach the point that there are nazi symbols, and hanging deadmans, and communist symbols being drawn on college campuses? How is it possible that students are calling for the end of jewish student unions and hillel international on campus? that'd be like calling for the end of the fucking muslim student organization, or disbanding an african-american affinity group. Which would never be acceptable, but apparently its fine when its jews.

I'm sick and tired of all the horrible conditions of palestenian cities being blamed on israel. Palestine is its own country. They had their own government until they elected Hamas to lead them. Hamas, who diverted all their funds to the military. Hamas, who uses hospitals and public spaces as their bases. Hamas, who built miitary tunnels under cities so that when they're invaded, the cities will collapse on itself. Hamas, who steals all humanitarian aid from its citizens. Hamas, who controls palestenian media and teaches hatred to its children. Hamas, who wants their citizens to become martyrs for their country, to die for their goal. Hamas, whose number one goal is to eradicate all jews. Hamas, who denies the existence of the holocaust. Hamas, who enlists children as soldiers and suicide bombers. Hamas, who has has never expressed an interest in a 2 state solution.

Is this the organization you consider freedom fighters? because i dont think they should ever, in any context, be called that. Hamas is nothing but terrorists.

Yes, the deaths and treatment of palestenian citizens is horrible. but no, this is not a genocide. Israel is trying to rid them of Hamas, because quite literally, no country should ever be forced to live in "harmony" with a terrorist group. Especially one who denies their existence and actively wants to kill them all. Israel has been letting palestenians get jobs in the country, has let palestine use their resources and water, all for years. They've let hamas continously bomb them, they've gotten used to a life of bomb shelters in every residence. Hamas has done nothing but crippled their country's own economy and society.

None of the surrounding coutnries want to let in palestenians, or live with palestenians. Egypt wants to annex Gaza, and Jordan wants the West Bank. In fact, they did own that land for a part of history! Yet Israel has let palestenians govern themselves for years, even when Hamas originally came into power, they didn't interfere. Not until they were provoked.

Yes, Israel has flaws. But welcome to the fucking real world, princess. Every country has flaws. Even America, you dipshits. This is not a little fandom for you to play sides on. its not some fictional world that has a black and white solution. Yes theres going to be deaths, just like in any other WAR. But you really can't call for the destruction of a country on the basis that they're trying to make sure they're allowed to stay a country? Because guess what honey bunchkins? "from the river to the sea" really doesn't mean what you think it does. It just means that you want to kill all jews, or at best, forcefully remove them and scatter them around the middle east. (to countries that have killed them in swaths in the past. To countries that have emprisoned jews for helping others escape. To countries that avidly hate jews and want them dead). I don't understand how that would mean peace in any way shape or form?

Not only that, but half of "protestors" and "activists" for palestine, haven't even done basic research. They dont know what river or sea theyre talking about. They dont know that "palestine" was not a palestenian state in 1948, but it was instead a BRITISH MANDATE, that was NOT fully occupied by palestenians. In fact, "palestenians" weren't a thing. Palestenians are just muslims and arabs from countries like syria, who lived alongside jews and christians in the same land (which was largely uninhabited for the most part). Yeah, you heard me right.

Honestly my thoughts on this issue are so scattered its so hard to make a solid points when I can just keep on going forever.

Fact is, Israel deserves to be a country. No one should be supporting Hamas. Everyone should be supporting the eradication of Hamas (and I mean Hamas not palestenian citizens). I don't get how these are debated, and seriously don't understand how citizens of america are so quick to support a terrorist group, to resort to antisemitism.

Im so done with this all. I cant believe we have to tell you gentiles that stoning a 13-year old kid for being jewish is horrible. That throwing a brick through an israeli-owned cafe in New York is horrible. That students not being able to be on campuses because of their religion or ethnicity is horrible.

This has to end.

Do your research, or don't speak (and terrorist-controlled propoganda channels don't count).

[batboyblog]

2016 is often considered the point when leftism managed to get itself into the mainstream and became more popular, but I honestly can't help but wonder, given the sheer descent into conspiracy theory and selfish cruelty of the current state, whether in hindsight it was actually leftism's step into decline.

I've been thinking about this a lot, sadly I'm getting the start of a Migraine, so the edges of my thoughts are all fuzzy so idk if I'll be able to do what I think justice, but lets try.

The human mind doesn't really like complexity, it'd a pattern recognition machine built to find food and stuff that thinks you're food in the African brush. So we like to find patterns and lump stuff together, its hardwired in.

so "Leftism" I do understand what you mean, but I think it covers a really wide area.

and I think in politics we like to assign ideological and policy logic to things to political movements, it has to be about a coherent and rational ideology and world view we think. But... I think, often times it's emotional as much as anything. Did people vote for JFK or Reagan so much for policy as they, personally in their person, seemed to be the antidote to what was wrong in the moment? JFK seemed young and energetic when compared to an elderly and ill President Eisenhower, Reagan had the claiming aging leading man energy to make everyone feel like it'd be okay, a movie cowboy to lead us against bad guys we didn't understand while nice guy Jimmy Carter seemed stuck.

So back to 2016, I think there was so real ideology to start. The Left of the Democratic Party felt empowered after 2006, the left of the party had been against the Iraq War from the jump and that turned into the organizing issue that pushed Republicans out of power in 2006. A San Fran liberal, founding member of the House Progressive Cause was the first woman Speaker (and in favor of gay marriage too). In 2008 the Left of the party for largely emotional reasons sided with Obama over Clinton, even though they largely overlapped on policy and where there were (minor) differences she was to his left.

so riding high from two back to back wins, having gotten a lot of progressives elected to the House and Senate (like Bernie Sanders) progressive Dems were pretty let down by the real results, the ACA got bogged down and their dearest wish list item, the public option, which Pelosi fought for so hard, failed to make it into the final bill, and then 2010, a blood bath. And understandably there's been some frustration with Obama for not living up to the hype and also failing to really focus on state level races, Democrats got tarred hard

BUT! there's also an emotional side, Occupy Wall Street. I remember at the time being interested in it, I was young and more radical, but soon I got really frustrated because they had no demands, I watched every night MSNBC which was very sympathetic, but no one could articulate what it is they wanted, past a vague idea of "punish" the guilty.

I think there's a lot of restless frustration, some of it grounded and based in reality some of it not, in this country and its only grown over time as well as a contempt for and a break down of any kind of respect for experts and norms any anything established.

SO! I think that emotion latched onto Bernie and the left of the Democratic Party. As someone who worked that election I can tell you, at first knocking doors in New Hampshire, I got the taste of the very start of the campaign. And people would say "oh I'm voting for Bernie now, but I'll vote for Hillary in the general" but soon it went from friendly, from "we're pushing her to the left" to something bitter and angry. I had Bernie supporters tell me 1990s Fox News conspiracy theories around the Clintons, I had a Bernie supporter (in the general election) follow two college girl volunteers for blocks back to our office to SCREAM at us all.

Bernie won the New Hampshire Primary pretty commandingly that year, and partly because he had a strong volunteer network. But in the general despite many efforts we could barely get any of his regular volunteers to come work with us against Trump. I remember one lady who showed up just once and looked RIP SHIT! to be there, I think she said that all the positive stuff we said about Clinton, at a canvass launch for Clinton, made her "sick" and "don't expect me to say anything nice about her!" and she was one of only a tiny number of Bernie people who showed up in the general so she was better than some.

I remember the only Bernie Volunteer we got to become a regular. He'd knocked doors for months in New Hampshire for Bernie, organized his own phone bank into Nevada for their primary, drove down to South Carolina and spent the week before their primary knocking. Clearly a true believer, and when he decided to volunteer with us they kicked him out of the Facebook group he started and stopped speaking to him. I'll always remember what he said, that around the Bernie office they used to say that "a Trump voter was just a Bernie voter who hasn't been educated yet"

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, there were real motivations of the progressives and the left of the party, real policy based frustrations, particularly around how health care worked out, and I think Bernie Sanders himself was running because of that and to express that. But it tapped into something else, something not really political and much more emotional, rage and bitterness and a need to punish, the same energizes Trump taps into. It made a permission to be nasty to people you don't like, particularly women, I won't repeat the things people said on the phones, horrible.

now in 2024, almost 10 years later, there's a lot more depression mixed in, Trump talks about America as a 3rd world country all the time, there's just a vibe of having given up, hopelessness. There's a genocide and everything is horrible and hopeless and give up and die.

I don't believe in giving up, I don't believe in bitterness, I'm not a sunny person in real life, but I believe the point of politics, the politics I'm a part of, is lifting people up. It might be corny and uncool, but I believe in America, not that we're prefect, no, we're not, but together we've done great things, we fought a world war and went to the moon, and we can do great things together still always if we believe in each other, build each other up, stop being so afraid and weak and sad. I want to be beat fascism again, I want to go to the moon again, I want to beat climate change, and finally finally make the promise that all men are created equal REAL, and I don't believe in hiding behind walls, and crying that we can't do it any more, fuck that shit.

[obsessivestar]

'What If It's All A RomCom?' - a Ted Nivison x Reader.

{{-Story Description: You're a youtuber with a fairly decent following deciding to help your good friend Tanner with a minor film project, with you set as the leading lady. When the actor for the male lead is a no show, Ted takes up the role himself. One problem: This short film's a Rom Com, and you just met the guy.-}}

//18+, Def gonna be some smut. Reader is implied to be afab, under 5'5 and has specifically named friends, all who have no real connection to Ted.

This story will be in multiple chapters. Also gonna post this on Wattpad and Ao3 (when I figure them out LMAO) under the same username: ObsessiveStarla. Hope you enjoy :^)

Also idk how to do all the fancy Tumblr border stuff so sorry if it's all messy :^(((//

Word count: 2.3k

Chapter 1: No Show, No Movie.

I'm keeping my eye on the road, occasionally glancing at the GPS to make sure I can guide my buddy Tanner as he drives. We had quite an early morning to get to L.A., having been on the road for the last 2 hours to get to this airbnb we'll be staying at. Tanner's nearing the end of film school, so he's getting all his classmates and anyone else that's available and interested to help him with his big final project: A legit short film, filmed, written and directed by him. Having some experience with being on camera myself, he elected to make me part of the main cast. I don't mind at all, if it'll help him out. Even if it's a romantic comedy. I'll kiss some dude, get him that 100%. I'm excited for this.

"Has Conner messaged me at all?" Tanner asks, breaking the last 20 minutes of silence. I quit out of my daydream to check Tanner's messages. Other members of the crew have updated them on their location, including a name I don't recognize, but Conner hasn't responded at all.

"Nope. Mostly everyone else is nearly there though." I responded, lightly shrugging my shoulders. A humorous but knowing smirk creeps along the edges of my lips. "Think he slept in?" "I fucking hope not." Tanner huffs, his tone suggesting he's half-joking. "He is literally /the/ male lead. He's like one of the people I need there the most today."

I put the GPS back up on the screen and lay back against the passenger seat, slightly raising a brow to myself. What would happen if he's late, or doesn't show up at all? Could we even get a replacement in time? We only booked this place for the next couple weeks.

As we get off the highway and get even closer to our destination, I see a notification pop up on Tanner's phone, it's the name I don't recognize. Ted. He's not in our friend group and I don't recall Tanner mentioning him from class.

"Is Ted a new guy?" I ask, turning my head to Tanner. "Oh, no, he's like...a friend of a friend." Tanner pauses before reiterating "He's going to be the editor. He's a youtuber, like you; he went to film school as well."

"Oh. He's like the only name I didn't recognize."

"Yeah, he's a cool guy, no worries, he'll probably be there with me to help with the, yknow, directing too."

There's room for a response, but I don't continue the conversation. We don't have a lot of money to put into this, so that airBnb is also where we'll be filming everything. Most of the film crew and extra actors got their own accommodations elsewhere, but some of us will be staying /at that/ location itself. Wonder if that includes the editor? It'd be weird to share a house with a dude I didn't know, but if Tanner trusts him, I will as well. "I know where to go from here, let everyone know we'll be there soon."

I take Tanner's phone and let everyone know we're close by, including Ted, before setting the phone aside. Tanner pulls into what I thought was a street at first, only to notice its the driveway of the airbnb. Wild how we can't afford multiple sets and hotels, but can afford this villa-like estate for nearly a month. Hey, whatever works, right?

Tanner parks by the many other vehicles and grabs his phone before we both hop out. I can't help but look up at how tall the building is. It looks like one of those frat houses an influencer would own, like if you told me this was owned by fuckin' 'disney channel flow' Team 10, I would 100% believe you.

Tanner and I are greeted by most of the cast and crew as we approach the front door of the house, giving the appropriate hugs and handshakes as we head inside. That's when I spotted a tall man in a dark green sweater fixing up some professional looking cameras, dark hair slicked up to add to his already impressive height, with circular glasses to match the relaxed vibe I'm getting from him. To be fair, he only stands out so much to me because I don't recognize him. This must be Ted.

He looks up from his camera when he spots Tanner and I greeting the other crew members. I casually glance away to one of the pictures on the wall to avoid giving the impression I was staring. I have a habit of fixing my eyes onto people without realizing it.

"Traffic?" Is the first word I hear out of Ted's mouth, directed at Tanner. I don't really know what I was expecting to hear come out of this man, but it certainly wasn't a voice like that. It's strong, deep, almost fake sounding, like he's already playing a character, but no, that's just him.

"Dude, we passed by, like, 3 accidents" Tanner shakes his head slightly, putting his hands on his hips. "And Conner hasn't even gotten back to me, It's been an interesting morning."

As they have their conversation, my thoughts turn to a more curious nature as I contemplate what this guy actually does as a youtuber. If he went to film school as well, does he make long video essays? Commentary, like me?

"This is (Y/N), mine and Joe's friend." My thoughts are cut by the sound of my name, realizing Tanner was introducing me to Ted. Makes sense. We don't know each other. "She's gonna be the female lead."

"Ahhh okay, nice to finally meet you. I'm Ted." Ted personally greets me with a gentle handshake and a winning complexion. I return the handshake with a shy smile. "'Finally'?" I repeat to him, raising a slight brow.

"Yeah! Joe's told me about you, 'said you'd be shorter"

A sudden chuckle escapes me. Joe's my best friend and is part of the wardrobe team, of course he'd say something like that. "He's a dick.." I kid, shaking my head to myself. "You, on the other hand, are a fuckin' giant."

"Oh I know. I have to fuckin' duck down to get into any room upstairs. Tallhood ain't what its cut out to be" We both get a laugh out before Ted returns to setting up the cameras. I notice Tanner checking his phone again, visibly both anxious and frustrated.

"Man." Tanner speaks, seemingly thinking aloud. "Still nothing." "Isn't he the other lead?" Ted speaks as he moves to adjust the stand of one of the lights, glancing up through his round glasses. "I figured he'd be here first."

"He should've been here first." Tanner huffs, masking his clear frustration with a chuckle. "I-I don't know what I'm gonna do if he just doesn't show." "What would we have to do?" I tilt my head at Tanner, feeling a little anxious myself.

"I have no idea, honestly" Tanner responds, shaking his head. "At best, we'd have to find someone to take his place within the next, like, couple days. At worst, I'd have to cancel this whole thing."

I frown, trying to think of some helpful alternative in my head, but nothing comes up. I'd hate for everyone to have to go home, and getting the money back for the airbnb would be a hassle. We all pitched in for this place. As much as I've joked about it, it's pretty nice. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, half the place is a giant living room and there's even more outside. I'd hate to leave without getting to sleep in one of those giant beds. All I can do is hope for the best, I guess.

About an hour passes. At this point, everyone except Conner has shown up on set and most of us that will be on camera are fitted and ready. We had already read through the entire script together over Discord prior to getting here, so all we need to do is just start filming.

I'm refreshing my memory with the script when I hear a notification ping from Tanner's phone. It takes him less than a second to pick it up and look at the message, pausing to read it. I see his expression go from relief to uneasy, his thumbs tapping on his phone's keyboard louder than usual as he responds before setting his phone down and taking a deep breath.

"Conner can't make it."

Silence fills the room for a moment as everyone looks up from their tasks. I approach Tanner, script still on hand.

"What? What does he mean he can't make it?" I asked, honestly shocked with what I was hearing. "So, yknow how he's just...not been responding since we left?" Tanner asks, looking understandably annoyed.

"Yeah?"

"Apparently he ate some bad food last night and has been throwing up since 4am. We left at 5."

The only thing I can do is run my fingers through my hair in frustration. Dude probably ordered bad chicken or something. Of course. "So our main dude, THE male leading role or whatever, has food poisoning." I say that as a statement, but I'm honestly just so confused, I don't want to believe it. "What do we do now? Could we hire someone else in time?" "Even if we could, we wouldn't have time to get the chemistry built up between you two." Tanner shrugs. "There'd be no way of knowing if it'll work out."

"I'll do it."

Tanner and I turn our heads to Ted, who's joined in on the conversation shortly after assembling the last light. My first instinct is to let out a sigh of relief, but I steel myself, trying to really process what he's offering.

"You? You wanna be the male lead?" Tanner points at Ted, rather surprised he'd offer. Ted seemed to laugh at the expression on Tanner's face "What's that fuckin' look for? You think I can't be romantic, Tanner?" "No--" Tanner cackles, putting his palms up defensively as he laughed. "That's not it! I just-- you haven't read the script, and, yknow..." Tanner pauses, shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head in my direction. "You two just met, you'll have to, yknow--"

"'Yknow? Yknow?' I KNOW, Tanner. I. know." Ted begins to mock Tanner in a friendly manner while pointing at himself, his strong voice easily overpowering Tanner's timid tone. "I've been doin' this since you were in little baby diapers, alright? I can read the script, I can kiss the pretty lady, I got this!"

I suddenly feel a whole lot warmer, resisting the urge to put a hand to my cheek. I mean, I have blush on already, but now I'm definitely blushing. I'll have to kiss this guy?

I mean.

That ain't a bad thing.

That's a nice lookin' dude. I'd be blind not to see it.

But I did just meet him.

"I mean...." Tanner seems to be at a loss for words, glancing in my direction once more. I realize I've been one of the main talking pieces of this conversation, yet I haven't spoken a word. "Ah--I.." I stammer out what was meant to be a coherent response, realizing I'm a bit more sheepish about this than I thought I'd be. He called me pretty. I...don't know what to do with that. I can handle a compliment, sure, but this was...

"Hey, sorry, I don't wanna step over any lines..." Ted's smile faded after my lack of a response, resting his hands behind his back. "Oh no! I-I wouldn't mind it at all." I finally managed to speak up. I swear, I felt like a bashful damsel in those old transatlantic-accent films. "I mean, like, better this than sending everyone packing early, right?"

"Real flattering." Ted responded with a renewed smile and a chuckle, getting another sheepish blush from me. "Whatever works for everyone, I'm down for it."

Based on Tanner's knowing expression, I can tell he gathered something of use from whatever that exchange was. "I mean..." Tanner repeats again, as if to remind us he's also there with filler words before taking in a sharp breath of realization, or maybe it was one of acceptance, I couldn't tell. Either way, he had an idea. "OK, how about this: most of the crew didn't get breakfast on the way up here and we're all gettin' pretty hungry, we could use some caffeine. How about you two head back out and get everyone something from Dunkin' or wherever? Get talkin', see if it works."

"You setting us up on a breakfast run, or a date?" I collect myself fast enough to make a joke, actually getting a decent chuckle out of Ted. Part of me couldn't believe I had even made that joke aloud, I was also kind of genuinely asking. "I am testing the chemistry." Tanner clarified slowly with a half smile. "And I...don't want to do it myself."

Ted and I look at each other, giving me a brief moment to realize Ted's eyes are brown. Don't know why I've chosen to collect that information now. Just another observation I've made for the day.

...Man, I'm hungry.

"Alright, but I'm not driving your car." I agree with a shrug. "No need, I got my Tacoma." Ted responds, making a clicking noise with his mouth and gesturing me to follow him outside.

"You...have your city in Washington?" I ask genuinely, getting another laugh out of him, not intentionally this time. "Toyota Tacoma. My truck." He corrects me, guiding me to an old dark green pick-up truck. "I've had this baby since high school. Graduated with it."

"Ahh, your high school sweetheart. Lovely. Happy to meet her."

"Fuck off" Ted jokingly scoffs, hopping into the drivers seat. I have this big grin on my face as I get into the passenger side. He's giving me this...oddly comforting vibe. I can talk and joke with this guy so naturally, like I've known him for longer than an hour.

Somehow, I get the feeling we'll get along just fine, even if I'll end up having to kiss him once or twice this month....

....That's got me thinking, how many times am I kissing this guy again?

__________________________________

|| Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 (smut) || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 (smut) || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 (smut) || Chapter 15 ||

[twstfanblog]

*~Period Drama~* Sunday

A/N: SCREAMS. Ok, sorry. It's been a hard time getting this out and for no reason. I literally had it like 80% done this whole time and the last 20% got lost in the damn mail I guess. But now it's done and out for the masses to enjoy! A thank you to @bun-lapin for allowing me to use their lovely OC for this fic! Word Count: 7.5K (God Damn...) Warnings: Period Talk (Like most of this is just various period facts and it lowkey gets pretty horrifying near the end), She/They Pronouns OC Pairings: AzulxOC (Poly), JamilxOC (Poly), Paternal Crewel &OC, Alluded to Riddle/Floyd Now with a tag-list! @twistedcece, @deltrea, @krenenbaker Start, Part 2 (Octavinelle), Part 3 (Here). Part 4 (Savanaclaw), Part 4.5 (Diasomnia pt.1), Part 5 (Diasomnia pt.2), Part 6 (Pomefiore), Part 7 (Scarabia)

"Sorry again for bleeding on your pants."

Yuu stood in their dorm’s entrance hallway, Azul at the door with his ruined slacks in hand and wearing a pair of sweats borrowed from Yuu.

Azul had spent the night after Crewel’s brief lecture. The fur-wearing teacher had given Yuu another pain relief potion before leaving, stating he was going to get something longer-lasting for them by tomorrow. Azul had elected to stay, acting as emotional support and bringing Yuu whatever they needed from elsewhere in the house.

"No issue, my pearl. The twins have ruined more than one outfit for me, a little blood isn't the end of the world." He mutters under his breath, looking at the sweatpants with a pinched expression. But he turns to smile at them, “I’m only sorry that I can’t stay with you longer. But, I’ve already missed one productive day at the lounge, and I fear what will happen if I miss another. Let alone leave Jade and Floyd to their own devices any longer…”

"So what do I owe you for the emotional turmoil then?" Yuu smiles lazily, eyes lidded as they watch Azul place a hand over his chest.

"Why I could never ask for anything in return. You're in such a delicate position, it'd be cruel to give you a payment plan now for all the distress you've caused me this past week…"

So, she was going to be ambushed with a 'payment plan' once her period was over. 

Smirking, they tilt their head, a finger poking into their cheek, "So, can I start making those payments before the interest gets too high?"

Azul sighs, pouting and shaking his head with his eyes closed, "Honestly. I try to be benevolent and you throw it back in my face. Such cruelty…" he opens an eye, a smile almost leaning into a smirk, "But payment in kisses is always accepted with you."

"Suave" Yuu leans closer, peppering kisses against Azul’s reddening cheeks before going for the kill on his lips. The two sets molded together, Yuu holding him by his jaw as her tongue slid into his mouth, tasting his moans as his hands shakingly reached toward her hips. Pulling away, they giggle at seeing Azul catch his balance on the wall, "Have fun at the lounge. Call me when you can squeeze in a break."

Still dizzy from the kiss, Azul nodded, free hand fumbling for the doorknob behind him, "W-will do. Please don't overdo it when no one is here. Love you." He barely escaped, losing his composer and stumbling away just as he closed the door behind him. Yuu was always physically affectionate, but she was downright merciless if he ever blushed in front of her.

Yuu sighs, deciding to finally check their phone in bed…maybe they’ll just grab more towels from the hallway closet. Laying on the couch closer to the kitchen would be the smarter idea. They huff, pulling out more towels and piling them in their arms. They really needed to find something to act comfortably enough like a pad or tampon, free bleeding was too messy in the long run.

Once the couch was prepped with towels, they laid down to rest under their cozy throw blanket until Crewel appeared to check on them. They clicked their phone on and almost choked at the number of notifications.  At least 300 texts, 47 missed calls, and various social media @'s in an effort to reach them. They had to fight back the tears, emotions swelling at the idea of just how cared for they were in this world. Once their nerves were settled, they went to ground zero.

Their group chat with the 'Firstie Squad' was where most of the texts were. Ace first stated that someone had assaulted them. From there chaos descended. Jack demanded to know if Ace was joking, because if so it wasn't funny in the slightest. Epel chimed in that there was no way anyone overpowered them and got away alive. Ace snapped at both of them what he saw, pointing out how odd they'd been behaving the week prior. Sebek finally chimed in, only typing to ask whether Ace was sure.

Once Ace rementioned the bloody vagina mess the whole chat might as well as caught on fire. Jack seemed to disappear, Epel followed quickly after dropping several swears and threats into the chat about the would-be aggressor. Sebek stuck around the longest, talking with Ace to get information and make a game plan. Ortho sent a single link on helping a loved one who had been assaulted. But, knowing the living droid, he had probably combed every camera at his disposal to try and catch whoever did such a crime.

Nearly an hour later Deuce had finally entered the chat, full caps stating that they were okay and then yelling at Ace. He scolded him for blabbing when Crewel just told them to keep quiet. From there new, familiar chaos took over, a normal back and forth whenever Ace and Deuce started fighting over text.

The other stray texts were from the housewardens, mainly asking why their respective firsties were acting so odd. A few more texts asking if they were okay, noting how angry they've been the past few days. Surprisingly, only two texts were from Jamil. One was a photo of a teary-eyed Grim being held like a baby by Kalim in the background, crumbs on his over-stuffed cheeks and Kalim flashing a peace sign. Mildly blurry in the corner of the photo was the side of Jamil’s face, a half-in-frame peace sign hiding his mouth. The simple message attached, ‘Grim is fed and being held. Love you’

Yuu smiles, sending him a quick message before replying to the other texts, making sure to send Ace several middle finger and a single heart emoji. She groans, seeing a few texts from Vil. But looking closer, she sees most of the missed calls were from Vil, maybe she should call him…

Listening through a few of the voicemails, Yuu notes how calm Vil sounded in the first recording. The blonde only asked how their day was and if they were still on for their movie night. The next few voicemails slowly increased in panic, the last one being a chaotic audio of Epel wailing in the background. Rook trying to either comfort or hold the country boy back while Vil yelled into the phone, “You better be dead when I find you, or so help me you’re going to be for making me worry like this!”

Yuu personally made sure to save that voicemail. It was rare to hear such emotion from Vil Shoenheit without having paid him an insane amount of money and hours of makeup and hair styling. Should Crowley try to withhold their allowance, they had a nice little nest egg to sell.

Soon, Yuu heard the front door swing open, the wood slamming against the wall and no doubt deepening the dent that was already there. Crewel really needed to announce himself at all times when he was annoyed. Yuu doesn’t rise from the couch, instead letting out a high-pitched yip to let him know where in the house they were. Hearing the click of the adult's shoes, Yuu waves over the side of the couch, “Sup, papa dog.”

“Hello, puppy.” Crewel leans over the back of the couch, his gloved hand petting her head and pressing a kiss to her hair, “How are you feeling?”

“Like bloody dirt.”

“Hmm.” Crewel drops a bag onto their stomach, the warmth and smell of it giving away that it was a take-out box of food, “Breakfast from your eels. You’ll need to eat it before you take this pain potion.”

Yuu smiles, pulling the food out and digging in. Mid chew, they raise an eyebrow, “Why’s this potion different? I normally take them without food all the time.” They watch Crewel pull out a flask, but instead of the normal green-colored syrup, it was a bright cyan. The bottle itself had a warning tag on the glass, “What the fuck is that?”

“This, puppy, is a medical-grade pain potion. While I am able to brew anything, it’d be illegal for me to brew something of this strength without proper licensing. So, I tasked Ms.Oster with making a few for you.”

The distrust Yuu had instantly faded, reaching out for the flask with a smile, “Oh, I love Ms.Oster.”

Crewel pulls the bottle from their reach, playfully sneering down at them, “Yeah, I know.”

Ingrid Oster was one of the science professors under Crewel’s direction in the school. She mainly taught practical magic and magical first aid. Even though Yuu had no reason to even know the woman as a first year, they had managed to meet and we’re now teacher/student ‘besties’, something that deeply annoyed Crewel. The number of times the bi-colored man had walked into the staff room only to see the two of them having a luncheon and gossiping about other students. Not to mention Ingrid only upped her teasing, telling Crewel that he wears the ‘dad look’ very well.

Crewel demanded they finish their food before letting them even touch the bottle. The teacher explained how a medical-grade pain potion had a  much stronger effect than the standard potion. It lasted for nearly a whole day instead of 4-6 hours, not to mention how it worked. Instead of simply numbing the nerves to give pain relief, a medical-grade pain potion targeted the muscle system, physically relieving tension and letting the fibers relax. As such, they were very rarely used outside of hospitals, but Crewel didn’t feel comfortable having Yuu drink possibly more than two potions a day.

Once Yuu was done eating, Crewel held up a finger, making sure he had their attention, “Don’t drink all of this like a normal potion. This is much stronger than that so I want you to sip. Understand? Sip.”

Yuu sighed, making a grabby hand motion until Crewel handed the flask over, noting how it still felt a bit warm through the glass under their fingers. Uncorking the bottle they make sure to sip the liquid as loudly as possible. Pulling it away and smiling at Crewel’s annoyed look, “Sip.”

“Enough of the sass or I won’t be sending you lunch.” Crewel collected the trash, throwing it away for them in the kitchen before walking back into the lounge, “Ortho hasn’t answered me yet about any of his findings. But, then again I think you actually managed to traumatize the poor boy. Until then, you’re sadly on house arrest, puppy. Invite who you wish, but you shouldn't roam campus how you like.”

“Fine…” Yuu slumped back onto the couch, pouting but feeling better as the potion started to take a mild effect. They do send a smile as Crewel ruffles their hair.

Crewel reminds them once more to not drink the whole bottle, Sip, giving their head another kiss before he left. As much as he’d want to stick around to make sure his favorite pup was taken care of, he was a very busy teacher and he had lesson plans to prepare for tomorrow.

The second Crewel had slammed their front door closed, they uncorked the flask again and drank the whole potion. They’d rather just deal with the full effect of the potion in one sitting instead of having to sip for hours on end or wake up from a surprise nap in pain. Crewel would understand if he came back and Yuu was in some type of medically induced coma.

Lunch rolled around, and along with it came three steady, loud knocks on the front door. Yuu blearily blinked their eyes open, yep, they passed out on the couch. Luckily they didn’t roll onto their phone, checking the time and messages before another three knocks rang out. As before, Yuu lets out a loud —bird-adjacent— call, their universal sign of approval. She giggles lightly, hearing Ace and Deuce return the call when they open the door, the sound of Riddle scolding them for making 'nonsense noises' without permission.

The Heartslabyul crew all walked into the lounge, each in casual clothing and a different level of uneasiness but smiling all the same. Cater was in the back, phone held nervously with both hands as he gave a wary eye at their prone form. Trey was calm as normal, holding a picnic basket in hand. Ace and Deuce were already in front of them, leaning down and annoying her mildly. Mainly Ace, the redhead poking at her stomach asking if she was still bleeding. Deuce hissed at him to stop, ‘What if you poke them so hard they bleed more?’

Riddle stood with an extra type of rigidity in his stance, the only give that he was uncomfortable. Even with his medical knowledge, he always found blood to be a deeply uncomfortable topic. But, he was willing to face his apprehension if it was for his younger classmate's benefit. Walking closer, Riddle clears his throat before speaking, “Apologies, Yuu. We’ve visited without a prior invite or call, but due to recent events I believe we can have a pass on that rule for now…”

Cater nods his head, but still refusing to get closer, “We were totes worried about you, sweetie. Plus the ADeuce duo over here wasn’t making things better by vague ranting in the dorm…”

The two freshmen glare over their shoulder’s at Cater. They had returned to the dorm yelling at each other the day prior, a common occurrence. What peaked the upperclassmen’s worry was the dubious context of their argument and their silence when Riddle demanded to know what had happened. 

Yuu smiles, blinky slowly, still half asleep from their nap, “Sorry. In fairness I wasn’t expecting it to happen, so I was really unprepared.” Cater actually had a more familiar reaction, something Yuu wasn’t aware that she missed. The mild fear from boys the second periods were mentioned, skirting around but still ready to help out because they knew they were in danger.

Trey chuckles, looking at Cater’s nervous self from the corner of his eye. Holding up the basket he taps it lightly, “We brought you some croissants, freshly baked this morning. I can even make you a sandwich with fixings of your choice.” He wouldn’t mention the hastily compiled ‘survival guide’ Jade had sent him last night. The main point being that favored food seemed to be the only thing to keep Yuu in a relatively calm state.

“I just woke up, don’t give me choices…” Yuu whined lightly, curling into the couch but still muttered out, “You know I like croissants savory or sweet, surprise me. And thanks for bringing me lunch.”

“No problem, Yuu. I heard from Crewel you were on house arrest. So to ease his workload we’ll be watching you for the day.” He starts to walk away, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll get to making you something to eat.”

“And I’ll help him! Bye, sweetie!” Cater hurried after Trey, seeing an opportunity to run and taking it.

Ace sighed, standing up straight, “Jeeze, you’re such trouble…You can’t even be bothered to sit up while you talk to us?”

“Don’t bully them, Ace! They’re in pain!” Deuce sputters, turning to Yuu with a worried, “Wait are you still in pain, should we have brought you a potion?”

Yuu waves him off lightly, slowly patting him on the face until the worried pout loosens, “Don’t worry. Crewel brought me breakfast and a pain potion. I’m as…chill as a…cold thing…Yeah…”

“You’re still half asleep is what you are…” Ace mutters quietly, rubbing the back of his head before he looks up. He looks back down, a smirk on his face, “But, since I’m such a good friend, I’ll help around since you’re too useless to do it right now.” Waving he starts to walk toward the stairs, “I’ll go clean your room.”

Deuce jumps up, growling under his breath before he follows Ace, “You’re not slick! I know you’re just gonna nap up there! Just because Yuu isn’t using their bed, doesn’t mean you get to laze around in it!” He had run out of the room after the fleeing redhead, only to rush back in. Kneeling down he gathers Yuu into his arms in a quick hug, “Glad you’re ok, Yuu.”

“Aw…Thanks, buddy.”

Deuce releases them, running back to the stairs and his yelling fading the farther he gets.

In the silence, Yuu drifted between half asleep and simply staring into the air. They probably shouldn’t have taken the whole potion, but they’d never admit to Crewel being right. Not after they deliberately disobeyed him. While studying their hand in the open air, they notice Riddle had stayed in the room, looking more and more conflicted, “...You ok?”

“...” Riddle shifted nervously, looking to the side before he walked closer. Crouching down, he whispered, almost in fear of anyone else hearing him, “Are you really bleeding from your…vagina?”

“...” She wasn’t going to laugh, she refused to laugh. Not when Riddle was looking at them so concerned. He didn’t deserve that. She didn’t know if her face stayed straight or betrayed just how hard she was trying to not laugh, but she reached out to pat Riddle on the head, “I am…but it’s fine. Other than cramps, this doesn’t actually hurt me. No need to be all worried…”

That seemed to be enough for Riddle, the 2nd year letting out a sigh of relief before he stood back to his full height, “In that case, would you allow me to interview you?”

“Interview?”

With a wave of his pen, a notebook appeared in his hands, “You are a biological alien to us, though we seem to forget that at times… Such functions don’t happen to the people of Twisted Wonderland, it’d be any researcher's dream to study it.” Coughing into his fist he calms himself, “But, I understand if you are uncomfortable with such a thing. I only thought it’d be good to get the facts documented should something similar happen again.”

Yuu chuckles, seeing how eager Riddle was. One thing Yuu knew about Riddle, was that he loved puzzles. Researching a new topic with little information was a blind puzzle to him and he dived into research like it was a water slide. Sure he was trying to curb his enthusiasm since they were affected by an ‘alien illness’, but he just couldn’t stop how excited he was.

“I don’t mind, Riddle.”

Riddle’s nervous energy instantly passes, smiling at them before he flips the notebook open. Sitting in front of their legs on the couch, he clicked his wand to uncap the pen, “Perfect! Now, what is happening in broad terms?”

“Pussy peeling.”

Riddle sighed so hard that Yuu was worried he’d fall over dead from lack of air, “Yuu...You know I dislike that word, I’m begging you.”

Yuu giggles, a leg moving to lightly push against Riddle’s back before calming down, “I’m sorry…My Vagina is peeling, liquifying the scraps and then forcing it out of my body.”

Riddle looked ill, but I kept writing, “That sounds horrific…”

“Oh, it is.”

“What function does this process serve?”

“Baby room reno.”

“...What?”

Yuu groaned, head falling back against the armrest, trying to figure out an easier way to explain. Snapping their fingers, they point toward Riddle, “My pussy is replacing the wallpaper.”

“In no way…does that help me.”

“Aaaaaokay. Imagine your hormones, like, spend the whole month decorating a nursery. But, turns out there’s no baby. So the hormones throw a fit and decided to redo the nursery for next month. Hence…” Yuu smiles, gesturing to their stomach, “Replacing the wallpaper.”

Riddle wrote down the long-winded analogy, making sure to circle ‘Wallpaper replacement’ with a question mark beside it, “And this is normal in your world?”

“Sadly. Girls get their first period sometimes at like… 8 years old or younger.”

“Why!? That just…What is the purpose of it? I assumed this was a feature from birth, not something you just…wake up to.”

“Oh, it’s a sign that your body can make babies. It’s a hormonal change that comes packaged with puberty.”

Riddle stops writing, “You said some girls get this at 8 years old?”

“Yeah…though it’s more common around like 12 or 13. My friend got her’s when she was like 9 and she said she freaked out so hard. Her mom hadn’t had the, like, talk with her yet. So she just bled everywhere and tried to hide it.” Yuu kept rambling, recounting the stories her old friend group had shared about their first period horror stories, missing Riddle’s own dawning horror.

Yuu normally talked fondly of their old world. Funny stories with friends, and pleasant memories with their grandparents (Yuu never claimed to be an orphan. Had stated that both her parents were alive as far as she knew. She never shared a happy memory about them though). But sometimes the things they said worried them. The violence, the discrimination, the constant fear some people had to live in. The fact the people in charge would rather let their workforces starve than simply give them the rightful money earned (That bit of knowledge had even made Azul uncomfortable for a time). And now he hears that girls were ready to carry and birth children biologically? Girls, children. He’s praying that it wasn’t okay for girls so young to be engaging in such…activities, but the fact their bodies went through such a change at that age horrified him.

And a selfish part whispered that he was glad Yuu had managed to escape such a place.

Riddle manages to shake himself free of his spiraling thoughts, catching the end of Yuu's rambles.

"-And then my friend Tracy got her's in the middle of a ballet recital and she, like, bled all over the stage. Apparently, one girl was staring the whole time and tripped because of it." Yuu laughs, the sound coming out mildly choked, “Lisa…Lisa has like 3 older sisters, okay? They all got their period on the same day, so their house was super tense. Then poor lil Lisa comes out of her room crying holding her bloody bedsheet and everyone starts crying.”

Riddle looks at Yuu in worry from the corner of his eye, writing down more questions to review with Jade, “All of them at once? Would that be considered rare?” Was a period something like an overblot? The symptoms seemed to match…

“Naw, it’s common pussy ping, happens to the best of us.”

“One, stop saying that word. Two, a common what?”

Yuu nodded their head in a sage manner, eyes already drifting around the room again, “Yeah, pussy ping. It’s when you, like, sync up with other vaginas.”

“...” Riddle turns to Yuu, eyes wide in horror, “Sync up? As in…if someone’s period has started…”

“Yep.” Yuu smiles, making vague hand gestures, “If you spend enough time with another vagina, they send wifi signals to each other and sync up the calendars so that their hosts start on the same day.”

“I-Their hosts?” So a period was like an overblot. An extremely dangerous one at that if they were able to induce overblots in others simply by being around them long enough. The very thought of his own overblot resulting in the others…

“Oh yeah. The pussy is a dangerous thing. It’s acidic and can influence other vaginas to rebel.” “Wait, it’s acidic!?”

“Oh, yeah.” Yuu stretched, back popping as they sat up to look at Riddle directly, “I guess some stuff doesn’t carry over then. Yeah, my pussy is mildly acidic.”

Riddle looks down to Yuu’s covered lap, eyes panicked, “Is that healthy?” “Yeah. If your pussy juice can bleach your underwear over time, your pussy bacteria is healthy.”

Acidic was healthy. Riddle cared about Yuu, he truly did. She was like a sibling his younger self would have desperately needed to be a reason to think of how his actions affect those around him and to physically slap him for going too far. But every time he spoke to them about their natural state, he just felt intense concern. Things Yuu would joke about only made him realize that depression wore many faces, and that fact only made his worry expand to others in his dorm. Clearing his throat, Riddle edged just slightly away from Yuu’s lower anatomy, “Do you need to clean it out with soap or-”

Yuu was leaned against the back of the couch in a daze, cheek pressed into the fabric before shooting up and cutting Riddle off, “No. Nothing but clean water can go into the pussy. If you put any kinda cleaner up there it will anger the blood goddess and she will curse you and your pussy with dryness and wheat…yeast infections.”

“I- The blood goddess? You said your world didn’t have magic, who is this blood goddess!?”

“The Moon.”

…

“The…The Moon?”

“The moon controls the blood tides and demands her daughters pay for the sins of old…”

Riddle wrote down the new information, eyes wide, “Ok, let’s change the subject.”

Yuu nods, head lulling back to rest against the couch, “Periods are like…insane. Girls only like talking about them because it makes everyone else terrified.”

“I can see why…But with this affecting possibly 50% of the population, you must have had a class about it? Do you remember anything you could tell me?”

“No.”

“...No?”

“I don’t remember.”

Riddle sighs, looking at Yuu with a stern frown, “Yuu this would be much easier if you would cooperate with me-”

“No, really I don’t remember. We had the ‘puberty talk’ when I was, like, in 5th grade. We don’t review that shit until we get to Sex-Ed and I didn’t have that class yet.”

“...That sounds incredibly negligent and poorly thought out.”

“You could also opt your kid out because you don’t want them learning about sex.”

“What-”

“Those were the kids who normally end up pregnant, funny enough.”

“Childhood pregnancy isn’t funny, Yuu.”

Yuu giggled, nudging at Riddle’s back with her knee, only stopping when the 2nd year forcibly shoved her knee away from him, “It’s kinda funny. At least to laugh at the parent's stupidity, you know?”

“You’re laughing at a child getting pregnant…” Please don’t let that be a common occurrence in Yuu's world, “But, You are sexually active, aren’t you? How is that so if you’ve never had Sex-Ed?”

“The fuck kind of question is that? You’re the ghost of a sickly Victorian child who never lived to take The Dangers of Spices 101, how are you fucking Floyd?”

“It’s mandatory of Twisted Wonderland home school curriculum to teach a basic Sex-Ed course at the middle school level and you don’t need to know the details of my personal life.”

“Oh god, you had Sex-Ed with your mom.”

“Yuu-”

She waves his tone off, not at all bothered by his reddening face, “I learned from my friends. Honestly, I didn’t even know how a tampon worked until we had to make a midnight run at a sleepover one night.”

“Tampons…” Riddle writes it down, ensuring the page had plenty of space, “That’s a new term. What is it?” Jade’s notes hadn’t mentioned a ‘tampon’.

“Cotton you shove up your pussy to soak up the blood. Most of my friends used those but me and another gal named Rue liked pads better.”

Riddle nods, writing down the second word. He had heard of pads from Jade’s shared notes, and also from being manhandled by Sam’s shadows in his search for information. “I'm guessing a pad is also like a tampon, but less…invasive?”

“Yeah.” Yuu yawns, seeming to realize just how full of cotton her head was even when awake, “Though that’s mainly because I heard about what the fuck Toxic Shock was and it scared me enough to not want to use them.”

“I’m sorry, Toxic Shock? You couldn’t lead with that!?”

“Oh, right. This is like common knowledge for me so I don’t really care about it. But, Toxic Shock Syndrome is like…something that could happen if you use tampons. But it’s like super rare, to the point if you got it from a tampon? You left that thing in there for days and you deserve it because that’s just gross.”

Ok, that…that was calming at least. He wrote the new information under the Tampon page. As far as he was concerned Yuu had made a good decision, ‘Tampons’ sounded nothing but dangerous. Though Yuu had stated most of their friends preferred to use them. Maybe there was a proper method to using them that Yuu didn’t care to learn (Which honestly fit them). He reviews his notes briefly, frowning at how most of the information was concerning, “Your reproductive health is surprisingly delicate.”

“Oh, you have no idea. I could have cancer honestly.”

“What!?”

“The female anatomy is a hellscape. I could be dying right now but the cramps basically overshadow everything.” Yuu laughs, picking at her nails absent-mindedly, “There’s plenty of people who’ve, like, died from actual internal damage but they just thought it was their periods- W-whoa, Riddle are you crying?”

“No, I’m panicking!”  Riddle scrambled off the couch, lifting the blanket to check Yuu directly. Or he would have if the sight of blood smeared across their inner thighs didn’t make his head swirl. The blanket drops from his hands, turning away and managing to catch himself onto his hands and knees as he dry heaved, “By the Seven, is there supposed to be that much blood!?”

“...” Yuu watches him in mild concern. But seeing how the 2nd year didn’t actually start vomiting they answered, “I think so? I might be flowing heavy since I haven’t had one in a while…”

Riddle wiped at his forehead, taking slow breaths as he stood back up, eyes roaming the floor for his dropped pen and notebook, “Heavy flow? As in the flow can change pressure? Consistency?”

“Yeah, those are words to describe it, I guess.” Yuu shrugs, head turning in the direction of the kitchen. Were Trey and Cater making the jam from scratch? What was taking the two of them so long? Looking back at Riddle, Yuu shrugs again, “To be honest I have… no idea what normal is. Honestly, no one in my world really did.” “How?”

“Dude, people were fucking terrified of periods. Before I got here? They were just now actually, like, testing pads and tampons with shit that wasn't water. Aka, not the right cunt-sistency of periods.”

Riddle gripped at his chest. The lack of common sense was baffling. These were the people in charge of that world, half the population was suffering from this illness and they couldn’t even test their sanitation products correctly, “Oh my Seven…”

“Some places were trying to ban talking about them in school, so fuck what shitty health class we had in the first place. Plus, periods can get weird, you know. Sometimes, you can like…bleed from other places.”

“What.”

“Yeah, like, from your butt or your eyes,” Yuu’s head rolls along the back of the couch, laughing as a memory resurfaces, “My friend, Chel, told us her cousin’s all came out in one piece once.”

Riddle dry heaved, stumbling back and coughing as the mental image started to form, “Trey…” He called out weakly. He was going to pass out, or vomit. Either one was wildly unwelcome at that moment.

“Apparently, it was like wet tissue just slid out of her.”

Another gag, Riddle fully turning away. The horror clear on his face unable to stop his mind.

“Yeah, her cousin sent a picture too. It looked like a bloody piece of chewed-up gum-”

“TREY!” Riddle doubled over, just barely getting his yell out, coughing as he fought against his urge to vomit. Hearing the sounds of footsteps thundering down the hall, he felt relief flood him. He couldn’t handle another minute of this, he was never good with blood. Blood was always the sign of something being deeply wrong, blood outside the body besides the need for a transfusion was never healthy. Now one of his friends was basically hemorrhaging and he had to deal with the fact it was “healthy”.

Cater and Trey rush into the room, Trey dressed in Yuu’s black ‘Shut Up and Eat’ apron with a plate of croissants gripped in his hands, “What!? Who’s dying!?”

Phone pointed in front of him, Cater films a video. If Yuu managed to kill all of them, someone would be able to find the video and know what happened to them, “Is Yuu still bleeding?”

At Riddle’s loud retch, Trey handed the plate of food to Cater. The 3rd year quickly walked over to Riddle, rubbing at his back and trying to guide him out of the lounge, “Okay, let’s get you outside. Some fresh air will help. Cater, keep Yuu company.”

Cater watches mildly stunned, Trey walking past him with his hands firmly on Riddle’s shoulders. With a plate of toasted croissant sandwiches in one hand and his still recording phone in the other Cater looked at Yuu on the couch. Their head was leaned back against the armrest, watching him with what he could only describe as a predator’s stare. Putting his phone in his pocket, Cater grabs one of the sandwiches and slowly approaches Yuu, arm outstretched as he wiggled it, “Pspspspspspspssps.”

“I can not begin to tell you what I will do to you if you don’t stop that shit right now.” The threat was empty and they both knew it. Yuu struggled to not laugh as Cater finally walked over to them normally, gently placing the plate in their waiting hands, “How fucking dare you…? I’m laying here in pain and ruining the nice towels Kalim gifted me and you’re treating me like a cat.”

“A feral cat.” Cater had eased, if only a little bit. He still wasn’t standing at an angle to let Yuu get a quick hit in, but his shoulders had finally relaxed. It helped that he knew Yuu had food now, Trey was just as confused as he was when Jade kept sending texts reflecting the importance of giving Yuu food lest they attack them in a mood swing. And now with said feral cat feeding on the still-warm sandwiches, Cater could feel a bit safer, “You’re totes a cute cat, but still feral. #Hot-Mess, #Hit-By-A-Bus, #Don’t-Bite-Me-Pwease.”

Yuu frowned, though a smile was clearly winning the fight over their expression, “Shut up…” Taking a big bite, the buttery sweet sandwich filled them with a sense of comfort. Trey’s cooking always had an odd effect Yuu found. No matter what he made it would make others feel content and full. They and the ADeuce duo would joke that Trey was using his Unique Magic to make his food replace negative emotions somehow. 

Trey hadn’t answered their joke, only smiling at them and offering another pie for their hangout.

Now with a plate of warm food, Yuu was more content, almost melting into the couch and snoozing into the armrest as she hummed. In their hazy mind, Yuu could hear Cater’s chuckle. The redhead sat carefully on the armrest above their head.

“Aw, my poor rag-a-muffin froshie is having such a hard time. It really makes me wanna be a good senpai and look after you.” He sighed dramatically, tapping at his cheek as he playfully pouted, “Is this how Trey feels looking at Ace and Deuce?”

“Only if you feel a deep sense of disappointment and contempt for everything I do.”

Ace and Deuce had just entered the room, Both of them with messy hair and disheveled clothing, clearly having gotten into a scuffle before coming back downstairs. The redhead first-year scowls, clicking his tongue, “Shut up. I’ve never done a single thing wrong in my life.”

Cater snorts, trying to hide just how hard he was fighting back his laughter.

Yuu raised an eyebrow, “Did you get fucking concussed up there? You’ve done nothing right since the day you were born, and you know it.”

“Shut up, you’re lucky you’re injured! Plus, where’s Riddle and Trey?”

Deuce looked around, walking closer to Yuu to once again give them a check, “We heard Rosehearts-Senpai yelling upstairs…”

“And you just now decided to show up?” Yuu tries to shove the whole of a croissant into her mouth, seeming to not realize the issue of it not being able to fit.

Ace scoffs from the doorway, “Like we’re coming down here if he was actually mad.” He watches Yuu with a raised brow. She was just…holding the sandwich now, as though she was trying to figure out how to properly eat it.

Deuce watches in silence too, only to gently grab the sandwich from Yuu, tearing it in half before giving it back, “Yuu did you…eat anything else before we got here?”

“Yeah, papa dog brought me food…” Yuu stared at the new, smaller sandwich in hand. Half shoving it into their mouth they continued, their voice muffled, “Why do you ask?”

“...Did you have one of those gummies Sam legally doesn’t sell you?”

“Are you high!?” Cater perked up, leaning over and tilting Yuu’s head back to look into their eyes. He lets out a laugh, noticing how heavily their pupils were dilated. Well, that would also explain why Yuu seemed so calm. Cater did the same when he had lingering body aches from tending the garden. If a pain potion wasn’t available, a nice ‘chill pill’ was plenty to ease the mind and body, “Let me have one.”

Yuu huffs, nearly choking on their massive bite, “I didn’t take a gummy. I took some medicine Crewel gave me.”

Deuce leaned closer, also checking their pupils before muttering under his breath, “Was it a tranquilizer dart?”

“Naw, it was a pain potion…Like a fancy one, with a tag on it.”

…

Ace looked around the floor near the couch, eyes catching the empty bottle half hidden under the skirt of the seating. Pulling it out, he read the tag and shouted in surprise, “Dude, this like a ‘The pain is so bad I’m dying’ pain potion! Is it really that bad!?”

Deuce grabs the bottle from Ace, reading it over before handing it to Cater, “Yuu! Do you want us to take you to the hospital!? Wait, no, you don’t want to-”

“How is this empty already?”

“Huh!?” Yuu clicks back into the conversation, looking up at Cater’s concerned glance, “What do you mean how? I drunk it.”

“Sweetie, these potions are like…You can take them orally, but they’re strong enough they normally are supposed to be given via drip for a safe, lasting effect…So why is it empty already?”

“...” Yuu started to cackle, the plate of sandwiches being saved from the floor as Deuce dived to catch it as they jostled off her lap, “I fucking chugged morphine!”

“You chugged this!?”

Ace slapped his forehead, “By the Seven, you’re fucking hopeless. This period thing makes you bleed out the brain, too? You’re gonna lose what little brain cells you had to begin with.”

Yuu still chuckled, hand reaching back to bat at Cater’s fingers combing through their hair, “Fuck you, Ace. Even if I got a brain bleed, I’d still have more brain cells than you.”

“Doubtful. You’re so useless right now, you couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag.”

Yuu’s laughter instantly stopped, smiling falling into a neutral line as their gaze snapped to Ace. The redhead’s eyes widen, fear suddenly gripping his chest at Yuu’s stare, “...Uh…”

Riddle's breathing had calmed, but now he was sitting on the steps of Ramshackle, head in his hands as he felt a headache crowning. Lifting his head he stared at his palms, as though they held the answers to his questions, “This is bad, Trey. I don’t have any other way to describe it, this is bad.”

“Riddle, calm down. We can trust Yuu to handle themselves-”

“Except, we can’t! Yuu doesn’t even have all the facts and what facts they do have may not even be right since it’s all second-hand knowledge from other uninformed minors! Not to mention they haven’t even had a proper class on the subject…By the Seven, would it even be informative? They would have dealt with this for years at that point, They probably just went on the internet and read some uncertified drivel, lord knows they won’t open a book-”

“Riddle. Breathe.” Trey grasps Riddle by one of his shoulders, shaking him lightly and thumping the 2nd year on the chest with his other hand. Something to make Riddle take more than a shallow breath in his rambles, “Like you said, Yuu’s been dealing with this for years. They know what they need and we can help by giving them access to whatever it may be.”

Now that he was taking deep gulps of air, Riddle’s anxious energy had finally died down, his stomach finally resting. He turned to Trey, worry clear in his expression, “But it’s concerning. It’s so simple, yet the difference is so obviously alien I can’t help but want to…fix it. But it’s not my place to fix it, because there’s nothing to fix and this is completely natural for them…”

“...That’s right…Riddle did something other than…the blood upset you?”

“...” He sighs, “Yuu says they have no idea about their overall reproductive health. Since they refuse to see a real medical professional and Idia isn’t going to give Ortho the permission to do intrusive body scans, we have no way of checking. They could have cancer and we’d have no way of knowing until they got sick or they died! They said this ‘period’ isn’t always a standard thing either! They could bleed out of their eyes one day and we won’t know if they were actually about to expire or if they were simply on their ‘period’!”

“...” Trey sighs, rubbing the back of his neck at the new information, “Ok, yeah, that…that is very worrying…But,” Trey turns to Riddle with a smile, trying to find the bright side, “Yuu knows their body. If something was really wrong, you know they’d at least tell Crewel about it. And…” He trails off, letting Riddle’s mind come to the conclusion itself.

“...” Yuu’s relationship with Crewel was, to most other students, blindingly trusting. The prefect would tell the teacher anything and everything if they truly felt concerned about the information. Yuu continued to trust Crewel so much since he responded to such faith with the same intensity and care. “And Crewel would physically drag them to a hospital if he truly felt their life was in danger…” He took one last deep breath, nodding at the ‘fact’.

Trey watches with a smile as Riddle gathers himself up. What was once a too-small teen curled in on himself in anxiety and physical illness stood his good friend Riddle Rosehearts, a calm and collected figure of authority.

“Ok, I feel much better now, thank you, Trey.” Riddle looks to the door, “I should finish interviewing Yuu. There was so much information Jade wasn’t able to collect regarding the physical aspect of this…”

Trey hums, opening the door for them as they walk back inside, “He did say Yuu was very hormonal during their visit. Eels noses are really sensitive so he might have been distracted in his own interview by that and the smell of blood.”

“Possibly-”

The sound of Ace yelling and a loud crash coming from the lounge sends them both sprinting. Riddle reached the archway first, nearly being rammed into the side by Trey sliding to a stop beside him, “What’s happening?” “Is anyone hurt!?” Cater chuckles from the back of the couch, phone poised in his hands to film the fight between Ace and Yuu on the ground, “Poor Ace is gonna be.”

Ace and Yuu were spread out on the ground, Yuu quickly making progress to reach at Ace’s face to slap and tug on his cheeks, “Say uncle!” He kept pushing at Yuu’s hands, face pulled into a scowl as a stray drop of blood eased down from his nose, “You bitch! You punched me!”

“You’re the one saying I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag! Are you weaker than a paper bag, Ace!?”

“Senpais!” Ace flips onto his stomach, reaching out to Riddle while his other arm braced against Yuu’s chest to keep them away from his face, “Help me! Cater and Yuu are bullying me and Deuce isn’t being useful!”

Deuce calls out from the other side of the fight, holding his thumb up, “I’m helping, Yuu! The hair, prefect! Pull him by the hair and slam his face into the carpet!”

“Senpai! Help!”

“...” Riddle turned away, holding his hand over his mouth, “Don’t bleed on Yuu’s rug…”

“ME!?”

Yuu cackles, finally managing to tangle their fingers into Ace’s wild hair, “Yeah, Ace! Don’t bleed on my rug!”

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

Disney TVA Platform Fighter

Last December, I thought it'd be neat to have a Disney-focused platform fighter especially since Nick had some success with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. So I figured... why not a Disney one? For those who don't know, platform fighters are a sub-genre of fighting/party games - the most famous and primarily example being Super Smash Bros.

And so, with that idea, I asked a friend to assist me in aiding with creating a graphic for this hypothetical game's roster, lo and behold:

Pretty neat, eh? Now you might be asking... why Disney TVA specifically? For one, focusing on the animated tv production side might be more feasible compared to the whole Disney library, that, and it allows some spotlight on very interesting and varied roster choices.

And for another... I just like the animated series side of Disney better. Now, the most important thing to remember is that this encompasses strictly the Disney TV Animation production label only, so any animated series not created under that studio will not be included (more so to keep consistency). I've also elected to choose some more unconventional picks (Yzma, Genie, Bonkers, for example) just to give some variety.

And what's a fighting game without DLC characters, eh? So here are the three waves of it:

(Wave 1, featuring Stitch, Wasabi, Kick Buttowski and Shego)

I'll admit that Shego's placement as DLC over base roster in favor of Drakken is purely thinking from a marketing standpoint, but it does make sense on the long run. In Stitch's case... I mostly forgot Lilo & Stitch had an animated series while making the base roster lmao.

Wasabi was left out of base roster because of limitations, and I felt Hiro, Go Go, and Fred offer a more balanced variety of size and playstyles but I still didn't want to leave him out, so I figured DLC is his best bet.

(Wave 2, featuring Mike Wazowski, Marcy Wu, Spinelli and Zurg)

Color me surprised that Monsters At Work is a Disney TVA production - Mike was chosen over Sulley or Tyler as the main rep for that series because he feels like he'd have a lot more interesting potential and material to work off of with his general slapstick and comedy routines.

Figured I'd complete the Calamity Trio with Marcy as DLC - just like Wasabi, she was left out of base roster because of limitations.

I figured people would want a Recess fighter, so I chose Spinelli since she's one of the more popular character and she'd serve as an analog to Helga in the first Nick All-Star Brawl.

Zurg was originally meant to be a boss character only, but I opted to put him as DLC because well... it is Zurg. I feel like you could incorporate a lot of Dr. Doom's MvC moveset on to him and they wouldn't feel out of place lmao.

And finally, they're here for you - they're the third wave of the DLC crew!

(Wave 3, featuring Oscar Proud, Simba, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Oswald)

This is... definitely the most experimental of the DLC waves. I think I've exhausted a lot of the picks I wanted at the time so I figured we could do with a more different direction.

Oscar is definitely there to ride on the coattails of Hugh Neutron in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 1 as a funny joke pick. I haven't actually watched The Proud Family so I don't think I would know if there are better picks, but still... I enjoy the wacky picks, they make a fighting game a fighting game.

Simba was gonna be in as far back as Wave 1, but I held off because... I'm not really sure why, but I forgot about him until I was making the third wave, so there he is now!

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur are definitely there for being the main Marvel series under the Disney TVA label (alongside Big Hero 6, by technicality), and would definitely make an interesting choice considering Devil's size - you'd probably have to shrink him down to a point where he still manages to be big, but not... gargantuan big, which may seem like a disservice to a character who is a large T-Rex but I think you can still make it work (it worked for Ridley in Smash, and Iron Giant in MultiVersus).

Oswald is included by a mere technicality, due to having a small cameo or two in the Paul Rudish Mickey Mouse shorts, and I figured he has a big enough fanbase to warrant an inclusion, so yeah there he is.

And just for fun, we also have a bonus character:

Powerline! From A Goofy Movie!

Powerline seems like a very out there choice, but I figured you could make a moveset for him entirely out of his theming of electricity! And if you think he'd overlap with Megavolt... then, yeah I guess you are right on that part. But I figure you can differentiate them with how they play (Megavolt being a zoner, Powerline being a rushdown). Note, this doesn't mean he's only available through pre-order, but you'd get him free with it - otherwise you'd have to pay, but he's separate from the DLC characters.

So yeah that covers the playable roster. I understand that there are still a lot of series I didn't rep mostly because of limitations, or I forgot to put them in (Fish Hooks, for one) but I'm only human in how I make these, mistakes do happen so please understand...

I do hope that Disney takes a dabble on this someday, although I'm not sure how keen they are on their characters fighting each other in a silly fighting game. Still, it'd be an interesting thoight, what do you think?

[tennessoui]

omfggg kit!!!! yes the body politic au was the one!!!! I just re-read the whole thing laughing and kicking my feet the whole time PLS I BEG GIVE US MORE OF THIS?????? what happens next??? I want anakin to annoy obi-wan enough to run for more than just potholes outside his home 😂 it'd be so fun to see anakin drop his interest in padme altogether and not even realize it!

lol yay success!! body politic au <3

i have the intentions of making that fic into a series because i think the 'what happens next' is such a fun idea for that version of obikin. so obviously they accidentally make the election all about themselves rather than democracy or the city or the city council

(obi-wan stays in the race and anakin as his de facto/self-titled campaign manager makes him actually do campaign stuff to be seen around the city - it's really really not about either of them finding a love for the people obi-wan will represent or the common good or anything. anakin solely wants obi-wan to win cause that'll be impressive to padmé and obi-wan can't drop out in a dignified matter anymore cause of anakin's everything, so he's gotta stay in the race and somehow they win via spin class photo shoots and farmers market handshake hours)

(and then they also fuck about it later because they've been attracted to each other since day one even though anakin didn't know how to like fully admit it)

(in one possible variation of the au, he actually does get with padmé after the class is over and he brings her to obi-wan's fancy victory dinner and obi-wan is Not Pleased)

(in another possible variation of the au, they fuck the night that obi-wan wins the election and obi-wan has to go out on stage all mussed up and sweaty and give a thank you speech while anakin has a sexuality crisis in the bathroom)

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

It was when Lily stopped talking to Severus, that she noticed she didn't have any other friends. Sure, she was friendly with several people around school. The prefects for one. Frank and Alice. Hestia and Marcus. Remus. Her roommates....

Although Lily didn't consider them their friends. They didn't know anything about her life outside school. Because she didn't tell them. And she didn't know anything about their lives either.

That's why Lily felt lonely as she walked to breakfast that morning. Severus and her used to pick up their food and go and eat it to one of the tables outside. Away from gossip, away from the rivalries of the houses, away from everyone. It had been really nice. Not anymore.

Lily noticed the little groups sitting together and talking and laughing probably about inside jokes she would never understand. Friend groups of years and years. Perhaps it was too late to make any friends. Lily was a sixth year now.

She noticed the Gryffindor table and the familiar faces she knew.

Marlene McKinnon was standing up and mocking a pose to her friend Mary Macdonald. She looked so relaxed and happy that Lily laughed to herself.

Mary and Marlene were Lily's dormmates. But they usually talked about gossip and boys so Lily wasn't that interested to join them. It was through them that Lily found out about most things at Hogwarts. Sometimes Mary asked her how she looked before a date. Lily always said she looked good (it was the truth). Sometimes Marlene shared funny faces with her when Hestia yelled at them about the mess. Lily smiled back.

The longer they had talked had been in fourth year when James Potter started asking her out. It was then when she found out about Mary's crush on him.

"It's okay if you like him, Lily" Mary had said "I can step aside"

"Oh no! If anything I think he is a twat!" she said, the girls laughed "He is all yours Mary, I am not interested" then she whispered to herself "Although I don't know how you can be"

"He is my twat!" Mary had smiled dreamily.

Marlene shivered "Listen Lily, James is like my third brother, but if he bothers you too much, I'll kick his balls"

Lily had giggled "Thanks"

"Be careful with his balls, though" Mary had replied "I do want children with him"

"Eew" Marlene had snapped and Lily had agreed.

That had been it. They went back at barely speaking to her the next day.

Maybe Lily could sit with them now. They probably would want Lily to gossip and surely she wasn't in the mood. So no.

However when she realized someone was looking at her, and she realized it was Potter, she thought better of it. He would take the advantage of seeing her alone to invite her over and bother her with his stupid flirty comments. Even if Remus was nice, and Peter was okay, Black was a nightmare.

Then Lily noticed Severus alone at the Slytherin table. He was also looking at her, feeling miserable and lost. Trying to tell her with his eyes how sorry he was, how much he missed her.

Lily also missed him but she hated him for ruining everything like that.

Lily rathered sit with those girls than with bloody James Potter and his friends or Severus.

So that's why Lily found herself walking towards them. Mary and Marlene were whispering when she arrived.

"Just tell me who he is, I promise I won't say anything to anyone" Marlene was saying.

It was Mary who noticed Lily first and silenced her friend. Lily tried not to take it too personal.

Mary grinned "Hi Lily"

Marlene turned to look at her "What's up Miss Prefect?"

That what she called her since last year when she was elected "It'd be an honor to have royalty in our dorm" she had said.

"Hi girls" Lily put a lock of hair behind her ear "Do you think I can sit with you?"

As Mary and Marlene turned to look at each other, Lily blushed.

"Sure" Marlene shrugged.

Mary smiled at her as Lily took a seat next to the blond girl. Lily smiled back awkwardly.

"You can have some of our fruit" Mary pushed a large bowl towards her "But I am afraid Marlene ate all the blueberries"

"Well you ate all the strawberries!" Marlene put out her tongue.

"It's okay" Lily smiled.

"We always pick a bunch of random fruit but we only eat the berries" Mary explained "And we always leave the pineapple"

"Good thing I like pineapple" Lily hated pineapple.

"Great!" Mary beamed.

Lily felt how the girls observed her with quite interest. She started preparing her toasts how she usually did, wishing they would start talking about something. Anything.

"So, how come you're not sitting with Snivellus?"

Lily flinched at the mention of that nickname. The same way she did every time Potter used it.

"Marlene!" Mary protested.

"Sorry, Snape!" Marlene corrected "I'm spending too much time with Potter and Black"

"What I meant is that you shouldn't ask" Mary scolded. Then turned to Lily "You don't have to tell us, sweetheart" she smiled.

"It is just that you sit with him all the time and now you are sitting with us which is weird" Marlene clarified.

Lily took a deep breath "It's okay, we just.... We just... Got into a fight" she wished her eyes didn't fill with tears.

She didn't want to go into details about all the nasty things she heard him say about her to Mulciber and Avery. It hurt.

"Oh sweety" Mary made a pout with her perfect red lips "That's a bomer"

"Yeah"

"But were you like dating or something?" Mary asked curiously.

Marlene even stopped drinking her coffee to look at her.

They genuinely believed Severus and her were a couple, didn't they? Why couldn't people believe a boy and a girl could just be friends.

"No, we were just friends" Lily didn't know why she blushed.

"Oh!" Mary sipped her tea.

Marlene was uninterested once more.

"Although he tried to kiss me on New Years" Lily added and she didn't know why.

It had been a very important thing that she wished she could tell a friend. Of course Lily had rejected him because she didn't feel anything more than friendship. But she didn't know what to do about it. She panicked about losing Severus.

She couldn't talk with her mother because she didn't like him. She couldn't talk with Petunia because she was difficult. The only person she told things to was Severus.

Maybe Lily had the neccesity to share it or maybe she wanted to give these girls the gossip they wanted. She didn't know.

"Oh my God! Really?" Marlene was amused.

"And did you kiss him back?" Mary asked with a smile.

"No!" Lily blushed "I mean no..." she sighed "It was all good and fine and we were talking about what will we do this new year and how we would always be friends and our plans for our future. Then the countdown started and before I knew it he was leaning in. I panicked and pushed him away. Then it was awkward and I think he got angry. Then when we came back to school, I was looking for him to apologize and maybe talk about what happened... And then I heard him... "

"You heard him say what?" Mary asked.

Lily noticed the attention the girls were giving her now. It felt nice to talk like this. Girls talking about boys.

"Nothing!" Lily exclaimed "Only that he was telling a.... A friend... How much I've hurt him and such"

Lie. Lie. Lie.

"Woow, you hurt him?" Marlene tsked "He was the one that threw himself onto you without permission!"

Mary giggled "Poor bloke. It is always hard to get out of the friendzone" then she leaned in blinking with her perfect eyelashes "The question is... Do you fancy him back?"

Lily went even more red "No" and she felt stupid for ever considered giving him a chance after the almost kiss. But it was only because Lily wanted her romantic story. Although the thought of dating Severus made her really uncomfortable.

"Maybe he needs space" Marlene commented "I would be humiliated if I tell someone how I feel and they rejected me"

"But he didn't confess anything, did he?" Lily sighed.

Mary was amused as she stared at her friend.

"Is that why you don't tell Sirius how you feel?"

"Mary!" Lily saw how Marlene went bright red. Lily was rather thankful the conversation had moved on from her.

"You fancy Sirius Black?" Lily asked her. She wasn't surprised half the school fancied that twat but Lily didn't see Marlene as that kind of girl.

"I don't!" Marlene answered embarrassed

"She does" Mary said at the same time. Then added "They even briefly dated on second year"

Lily turned to Marlene who at this point was covering her face.

"I didn't know that"

"I wouldn't call that dating..." Marlene mumbled behind her palms.

"He used to send you little love notes"

"Just stupid notes about how he was bored in class"

Mary grinned "Aaw that boy used to be romantic"

"Now all he does is snog a different girl each party"

Mary winked "And that makes you jealous"

"Yes..." Marlene said without noticing "I mean no! I'm not jealous! I'm not jealous at all, Lily! Let that wanker do what he wants"

"Sounds very jealous to me" Mary teased and Marlene groaned as she blushed.

Lily giggled. It felt nice to feel included in conversations like those. Lily always wondered why Petunia and her friends laughed and laughed inside her room. Lily had always wanted to be part of that. Maybe having girlfriends felt something like this.

"Let's talk about the bloke you fancy instead, Mary" Marlene said as she put a pineapple piece inside her mouth. Then realized it was pineapple and spit it on a napkin.

Lily was already interested in Mary. The girl pursed her lips.

"You fancy someone?" Lily asked nicely "Is it James Potter still?"

Lily knew Potter had dated Mary last year. She was relieved because he had finally left her alone but it was rather distrusting how she always found them snogging in corridors and Lily had to give them detention.

Mary smiled weakly "No no, James and I ended things up in good terms. We are friends now"

"Mary has a secret boyfriend" Marlene explained as she shook her head. Then proceeded to eat a biscuit "He is in fact so secret..." she spoke with her mouth full "that he had forbidden Mary to speak about him to anyone. Not even her shadow"

It was Mary's turn to blush, which was weird because that girl was so confident.

"And now you've told Lily"

"Like you told Lily about my crush on Sirius" Marlene said then jumped to add "Which is none existant! I don't have a crush"

Lily swallowed her tea "It's okay, I won't tell anyone. I'm not the snitch I was before... Anyway, I don't have anyone to tell either" she snorted to herself.

Mary and Marlene looked at her with pity. Marlene even patted her shoulder and Lily regretted saying anything.

Then Mary smiled as she placed her chin on her palm "I think I am in love, girls" she sighed.

"In love?" Marlene snapped.

"Aaaw, you're in love?" Lily asked at the same time.

Mary nodded quite embarrassed "I haven't felt this way about anyone"

Lily bit her lip. She was a sucker for love stories. They were her weakness. Sometimes Alice told her about Frank but she had her own friends. Petunia never told her anything about Vernon. So this was new to her.

"I'm starting to think this bloke is a creep" Marlene commented with a pout "Like an older guy kind of creep" then she gasped "Please Mary! Please tell me your mystery guy is not a teacher, please!!"

"Do you fancy a teacher?" Lily was genuinely shocked. Those things only happened in movies.

Marlene elbowed her "Imagine her with Binns"

Lily bit her lip "Or Slughorn"

"Or Flitwick!"

Both girls bursted into giggles.

"Would you stop?" Mary snapped "He is not a teacher!" Then she grinned "Although I wouldn't mind having something with Professor Frumentar"

Lily knew the young professor was handsome and had many admirers amongst girls. But she could never set eyes on a teacher. It sounded horrendous.

"For God's sake!" Marlene groaned "See, Lily?" she pointed at Mary "See with what I have to deal with?"

Lily laughed as Mary tossed a napkin to Marlene's face.

It was weird but she was kind of having fun.

"Hello pretty young ladies!"

Of course James Potter and his presence had to ruin everything.

Lily rolled her eyes as the so called Marauders took a seat amongst them. Sirius took a seat next to Marlene, putting an arm around her "Missed me, McKinnon?" (she pushed it away) "You wish" (Mary beamed). Remus and Peter on each side of Mary. And Potter. Bloody Potter right next to her. If he put an arm around her, she was going to scream.

"I see you have new company today" James said looking at Lily. She was doing her best to stare at her tea cup "Alright, Evans?"

"I've been better"

Sirius and Marlene were making faces at each other. Mary was observing them amused. Remus was eating the pineapple left ("So many food wasted in this school"). Peter was cheekily observing Mary's boobs.

James Potter was fixed on Lily.

"How come you are sitting with the masses today?" James asked with an eyebrow raised.

"How come you don't leave if you are finished with breakfast?" Lily replied rather annoyed.

"We always have time since Moony doesn't eat but vaccums the food" Sirius said as he put his arm around Marlene once more. She shoved it away.

Remus was in the midway of eating the last pineapple when he raised his middle finger to Sirius.

"Let the poor skinny boy eat" Mary said as she pushed the bowl towards Remus.

"Don't worry, he ate all of our breakfasts already" Peter joked.

Lily was trying to avoid Potter's intense stare.

"How come you are not with your boyfriend today?"

"Severus is not my boyfriend" Lily spat.

"How did you know I was talking about him?"

Lily was losing patience. Of course he was talking about Severus. Lily Evans had had none experiences with boys. While everyone thought Severus and her were dating.

"I think even Evans doesn't like her breakfast to be filled with grease" Sirius commented.

Peter was the only one who laughed at that. Mary and Marlene looked disgusted. Lily was furious.

But Potter, he looked rather concerned "Did you two get into a fight?"

Lily didn't answer. She noticed all of the people around her were looking at her with curiosity. That's what she was, wasn't she? A mere gossip.

People loved getting their own conclusions. God! Now she regretted telling everything to Mary and Marlene. Of course they would tell them. They would tell Potter. How humiliating.

"He did something to you, didn't he?" James asked when Lily didn't answer.

Lily rose to her feet. "What do you care?? Ha?" she might've been yelling "It is none of your business who I sit with at breakfast. For your information, Severus and I, are perfectly fine! What if I want to sit with other people once in a while, eh? You don't control me, Potter! You don't own them either. Marlene might have been with you in primary school and Mary might have dated you at some point but you don't own them. You don't own these tables, you don't own this school!!"

"For your information, Lily is our friend" Mary said to Lily's surprise. She looked amused. "We hang out once in a while"

"Yeah!" Marlene followed her friend "You should see all the fun we have in our dorm"

"I want to see all the fun you have on your dorm" Sirius said which gained him Marlene's elbow on his ribs.

Lily's anger was suddenly lowered because of Mary and Marlene's comments. Perhaps Lily misjudged these girls. They weren't on Potter's side. They didn't gossip about her fight with Severus. Lily smiled at them in gratitude. They smiled back.

"Relax, Evans" James said as he rubbed his stupid hair "I was just asking that's all. Don't have to have your knickers on a twist"

"I was having a nice breakfast when you came to ask bloody stupid questions" Lily commented as she crossed her arms, although she sounded more calm. "I better go now..."

As Lily turned she heard Mary calling her.

"You won't tell about what... We discussed, right?"

Her secret bloke. Lily would never tell anyone about someone's secret. Although she heard Sirius and Peter asking about said topic.

Lily ignored them.

"Of course not" then turned to look at how Sirius was trying to poke Marlene's ear and she was pulling him away "None of it"

Mary smiled.

"See you in class later, then?"

Lily would love to. She was sure classes could be interesting with them.

"Sure"

[h0neybane]

ZVA worldbuilding (part 2)

continuing my ghibli-twisted school nonsense!

classes:

so, the classes already present at NRC are also probably present at ZVA. this includes: history of magic, animal languages, alchemy, astrology, biology, magical potions, practical magic, enigmics/magical analysis, ancient curses/ancient incantations, conjuration, defense magic, physical education, flying, swimming, master chef, poison making, music, art, and... "Changes and Comparisons of Abbreviated Spells in Ancient and Modern Magic History" (long as hell wtf)

i think it would be cute to have a botany class! i thought it could be an elective at first but i thnk itd be interesting ift he students themselves were in charge of growing things (with supervision and guidance, of course!)

i feel like instead of masterchef/culinary crucible being a one time elective class it could be a continual elective? like, multiple courses building up on each other over the years. i live in texas, so we have this thing called 'pathways' where you take a series of courses over your years in high school. i personally take medical courses, but there are also culinary courses offered at my school! i think it'd be nice to have one of those here too!

im considerign there being a medical mage class since i take medical courses at my school but also? medical magic is probably really complicated so should that be reserved for graduate school?????????? idk maybe its a 3rd year class

offshoot of art classes involving floral arrangements (floral design; my own school offers it actually LOL)

adding onto the botany class, since the school is so connected to nature, maybe there's other classes like entymology and marine biology? but im worried we're getting into "this is way too specific" territory (though, my school again DOES offer a marine biology class)

extra-curriculars/clubs:

so, the clubs already at NRC that are present at ZVA as well are: science club, equestrian club, track and field, board games club, gastronomy club, film studies

now that that's out of the way. ORCHESTRA. AND BAND WHILE WE'RE AT IT. I HAVE SOOO MANY ORCHESTRA AND BAND FRIENDS U CANT TELL ME NRC ONLY HAS POP MUSIC CLUB????? PLEASE GHIBLI MUSIC IS SO FAMOUS IT HAS TO BE THERE

theres definitely an art club at ZVA

and probably some nature appreciation club similar to jade's mountain lover club

going to rattle off a few: archery club, book club, writing club

going to do campus locations tomorrow since i plan on sleeping earlier tonight (school starts soon for me </3)!

[lionheartedmusings]

oh boy, listen, the qsmp election should just be renamed the broken telephone event bc there's no way people are misrepresenting everyone's platform and to be fair character (and, a note, literally all of this is also about characters AT NO POINT DO I MEAN CCS i just get lazy typing the q! tbh) so much. maybe it's a language barrier thing, maybe it's difficulty in being the devil's advocate but it's wild to see in real time.

i watch bad religiously, try to watch as much of forever's pov i can live and what i can't i watch in vods, cellbit i catch when i can, baghera i do my best but french and me don't mix well in my head. this is coming from someone who is a native portuguese speaker and perfectly bilingual when it comes to english. i say this to illustrate that especially between the english and portuguese speakers, i'm not getting lost in buggy translations or difficulty undestanding.

do i disagree with insaneduo? yep, but that's a personal opinion. i also entirely understand not only their stance during the debates (do i enjoy it? not really, the tone — which is not aggressive, it's assertive — is anxiety inducing TO ME PERSONALLY and so i struggle) but also their platform. they're doing the best with what they've been given, and keeping your enemies close is the only thing in their opinion has truly shown any sort of result. using the federation's resources is an opportunity they can't pass up! they have great ideas, good implementation plans, and cellbit isn't even running so really, forever is doing the most as he should. i understand why he doesn't understand the anarchy route in this situation. yes, their platform has been misrepresented, but that's because ultimately what they showcase in public forums aka debates for all to see does come across as very assertive (which is what debates are for, asserting your stance) and at times a bit tunnel vision imo. listening to them properly out of the debates would do a lot to stop whatever circus has been going on.

now, i have seen an insane amount of people almost mischaracterising bad and baghera as a response to the misinterpretation of insaneduo, and that's not fair either. bad and baghera have spoken at length about their issues with presidency, how they don't want to centralise power, how they don't trust the federation and they definitely don't trust anyone who will be actively pulled around by them. are they all puppets? yes, but do you want to give power to someone who willingly or not is giving up their own strings? it's normal that they're reluctant or just blatantly refusing of that idea. they don't think insaneduo are power hungry dictators, they've in fact spoken multiple times talking about how they think BOTH cellbit and forever would be good presidents (bad specifically mentioned it even last night) but that the concern isn't them, it's the federation.

bad making a joke about helping foolish assassinate anyone other than baghera and gegg is… a joke. it's literally a silly goofy joke based on "my coalition vs everyone else" and the idea of political assassination. there's quite literally no need, and frankly imo a disservice to the relationship that bad and forever have to mischaracterise that. if i remember correctly, wasn't forever the one talking about how they should be killing each other bc it'd be fun? i might be wrong there, but i vividly remember that.

my point being, this election is ultimately an exercise in futility bc they're all fucked regardless, this isn't "giving someone power" it's the federation sticking a pacifier in their mouth for soothing and telling them they'll sleep better. it'll end terribly either way, and no character is safe. it's a ridiculous plotline but a wildly interesting one, BECAUSE it's doomed to fail and yet everyone's doing the song and dance.

enjoy the content. laugh. analyse the character dynamics, motivations and plans. don't go out of your way to mischaracterise and demonise any character bc that not only goes against everything the qsmp stands for, but it also sucks the fun out of it for you and everyone else. no one is after anyone, no one is isolating anyone to be mean to them, these people are friends playing characters who are friends. have fun! my god!

[schraubd]

The Nebraska Cornwhisker Scenario (U.S. Senate Edition)

As polling for incumbent Montana Senator Jon Tester (D) looks increasingly grim, it becomes increasingly hard to see how Democrats maintain control of the Senate this election. But because the universe's sadistic screenwriters love a good out-of-nowhere twist, there may be one last shot at reprieve from the most unlikeliest of places: Nebraska. Something really interesting is happening in Nebraska, where Dan Osborn, who is running as an independent, is leading incumbent Republican Deb Fischer in a couple of new polls. (Fischer is being hurt by among other things her decision to ignore her previous commitment not to run for a third term. Her explanation is that she just hadn’t realized that seniority is a thing in the US Senate.) Osborn, a former union leader, is pro-choice and anti-billionaire, which are two unacceptable positions in the contemporary GOP caucus, but still the best that can be hoped is that he would be more or less the Nebraska version of Joe Manchin. He’s promising not to caucus with either party, but that’s not realistic, given that caucusing is how committee assignments are handed out. If the Senate ends up 50 GOP 49 Dem and Osborn, and Harris wins, Osborn will be in a position to essentially hand control of the Senate to the Democrats, which of course will given him enormous negotiating leverage. Assuming Tester loses and the Dems hold all the other genuinely competitive seats, that will in fact be the split, so this is definitely a race to watch closely. While both campaigns are issuing dueling internal polls showing them ahead, Fischer hasn't led in an independent poll since August; the last independent poll of the race (at the end of September) had Osborn up five. If Osborn wins, I do think it is most likely he will end up caucusing with Democrats (after extracting some monster concessions) -- partially because it'd be weird to run against a Republican in the general and then caucus as a Republican, partially because that's what all the other recent "Independent" Senators have done. But I do wonder at the possibility that he tries to create some sort of centrist junta to run the show,  like we've seen in some state legislatures (Alaska, New York). It'd probably be Murkowski and Collins on the Republican side, Angus King on the Dem/Independent side -- maybe someone like Bob Casey joins them from the Democrats too? Hard to know the exact personnel. Obviously, from a Democratic vantage point such a setup would be (a) better than GOP control of the Senate and (b) worse than Democratic control of the Senate. But I'm inclined to think that such a setup would be closer to better for Democrats (though I may be unduly influenced by just how catastrophic full GOP control of the Senate would be). It would probably mean that more ambitious Democratic priorities (including things like DC statehood) would be DOA. But I do think it would mean that a President Harris could get (most of) her cabinet and other major appointees through, which is not something we can take for granted under Republican rule. At the very least, it would enable a semi-functioning government, which is a lot more than we can say if Republicans control the Senate and decide to filibuster absolutely everything. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/o7eQTVK

[blueberrybladelemonade]

Avoiding Amore

Summary: You and Peppino have become good friends over time. If only you both could shove that weird feeling down for good that happens when you hang out sometimes.

Speaking of, you have a new idea to pitch for what to do for this upcoming weekend. You're just going to hang out as friends, nothing weird will happen. 

...

Right?

Contains: Mutually denying feelings for each other! (Leaned more into it with this fic versus Confessions in the Dark),Getting a motel and NOT following the "there's only one bed" trope, Questionable taste in music, a tone deaf duet, Lying to get a discount, Why'd you put that in your mouth?! No angst and a whole lotta feelings you can't (Or, rather, read that as; refuse) to place, kinda suggestive in a couple places but nothing nsft. 

You hum to yourself briefly as you get closer to your destination, the building's name becoming clearly visible. Peppino Pizza. The weekend started tomorrow and since your friend would be off, you had one goal in mind. 

As far as you knew -and of course you'd know- Peppino didn't do much on his weekends off. Mainly the man would keep to himself and stay home. Since you weren't much different, you decided months ago you'd hang out with him on those off days. 

For the most part you both would find something to watch on TV, go to the store to find something to cook together, or sometimes go and hang out with the rest of your friends. On more than one occasion you'd spent the entire day with him. If it'd get too late you'd spend the night at his house, asleep on the couch.

You smiled to yourself, recalling after the third instance of you spending the night, Peppino gave up trying to convince you to let him take the couch and you sleep in his bed. It had even become a frequent enough occurrence where you had started leaving a set of clothes at his place. 

This weekend would be different, however. You were determined to break up the monotony of your days off with a new idea. You smile as you see two familiar people inside the restaurant.

"Oh look Peppino! It's your favorite customer!" Gustavo chimed. 

Peppino quirks an eyebrow at the smaller man. There was that tone he used again. Without fail when ever you would show up Gustavo had a glint to his eyes. His comments seemed innocuous enough but there was a hint of something to them. 

Electing to ignore the comment, Peppino grabs the pizza peel and pulls another pizza out of the oven. 

"Hi Y/N!" Gustavo waves as the door opens and you step inside. 

"Hi Gustavo! Happy Friday!" You return his smile and make your way to the counter. As you hop up onto the nearest stool you pretend you don't see Gustavo swat and mumble something at Peppino. Your eyes cast a sideways glance as he shoots Gustavo an annoyed look. 

"Good afternoon cara mia! How has-a your day been?" Peppino calls over his shoulder as he sets another pizza to the side. 

"It's been alright so far. Just ready for the weekend!" You reply, "Which reminds me, for this weekend, I was wondering if you'd like to do something different"?

You wait for Peppino to turn to face you. In a few quick motions, the pizzas had been boxed and set off to the side. Gustavo stacks the two and quickly is out of sight as Peppino leans against the counter, resting a hand on his chin.

"Like what"?

"Wanna go on a day trip?" You suggest, although a bit tentatively. In hindsight this sounded like a good idea but for some reason you hesitated under his gaze. "I was going to say we go a town over...the one near the bay"? 

The words died in his throat as you both jump at a sharp and sudden bang. Your head jerks to the side, eyes caught on Gustavo who had a tray that had slipped from his grasp. He shoots you both an apologetic look before stooping low to pick it up. 

Peppino clears his throat, "Sure, we can do that-a.." he averts his gaze for a moment, seemingly interested in something on the tiles. "Would 7:30 be a good? I can come pick-a you up".

You make a face, "Make it 8? I wanna sleep in for a little bit". 

He rolls his eyes, "Fine. 8. But don't eat breakfast. We'll stop on the way".

"Ok sounds good"! 

You both chat for a bit longer before you decide to head home. You didn't have to pack much but you'd like to make sure you had time to pick out something nice and comfortable to wear. Unlike last time where you rushed out the door and you were sweating all day and your feet hurt. Turns out a thicker shirt and nice shoes were a bad mix to go on trails with.

Peppino watched as your silhouette faded into the distance. 

"Ooooh what are you guys going to do tomorrow?" Gustavo nudges Peppino in the ribs. Peppino simply stares ahead, a small scowl forming. "A nice time out by the water all day. A nice dinner...maybe later you guys will get a room too an-"

"Stai zitto!" he snaps. "Why-a must you insist there should be something between us? We are just-a spending time together"! 

Gustavo goes silent for a moment, peering at Peppino curiously. "I was going to say get a room and talk or watch TV" Gustavo replies innocently. "What were you thinking"?

Peppino shot him a glare. He knew full well what was being implied and Gustavo knew it too. Gustavo was simply waiting to see how, or what, Peppino would reply back with. Rather than play this game, he stalked off, feeling heat prickle from his neck. 

* * * * *

"If you play-a that 'Insane Clown-a' band, I'ma leaving you in the parking lot when we stop for breakfast." Peppino warned. He was not going to sit through an encore of songs about axes being your "buddy" and "Imma kill you".

"Ok! No problemo!" you reply cheerily, opening the passenger's side and hopping in. 

His eyelids droop, watching you settle into your seat. He followed suit onto his own side. "And no Self-a Indulgence either". 

You give an exasperated whine "Awww why not Pino"?

"No. You're not-a playing that".

You played it. 

Peppino simply shook his head at your antics. Despite his best attempt to look disinterested or annoyed, he wasn't able to stop a small grin from forming.

"Heeey tomorrow," you sang. "Fuck you! And your friend yesterday! 

You sounded terribly off key, though it's not like Peppino could sing much better. He stubbornly ignored the tiny flutter he felt inside his chest at how animated and cheery you were. 

"But you can never catch me because I'm old, I'm bold, I broke that fucking mold..." 

You were generous enough to only play a few additional songs before switching over to the radio. There was a mutual agreement to keep it on the rock station, for the most part. 

Some songs played you recognized, some you hadn't. Some songs you both would sing as a very off-key duet. Honestly anyone that was passing by and catching a glance would think you were both deranged. 

"Well, I'm not paralyzed, but I seem to be struck by you" 

You both had gotten into the songs that had been playing, getting progressively more animated throughout the drive. 

"I wanna make you move because you're standin' still" 

You both briefly glance at each other and grin, bobbing your heads to the beat. 

"If your body matches what your eyes can do-"

The car that had been beside yours suddenly blared its horn. Apparently Peppino had been a little too preoccupied by your duet and had started to accidentally drift into the other lane.

”Shit." he hissed, swerving back into the right lane. He shot the other vehicle a quick apologetic wave. 

After one last song you turn down the volume to where it's barely audible. You lean back in your seat, content with just watching outside as the scenery rolls by. 

You feel your phone buzz. As you fish it from you pocket you stare down at the message.

"OMG YOU'RE GOING TO BE ALONE WITH HIM ALL DAY???? ;) " 

You roll your eyes at the text. No one can be normal about you both hanging out, can they? 

"What's wrong?" Peppino asks, you shrug. 

"Just Noisette being obnoxious about us being alone together all day". 

He scoffs, flicking on his blinker as the lane began to merge with the next one over. 

The harassment from your friends continuously got on both of your nerves. You're both just friends and that's it. Why did everyone have to try to make it weird? You were about to press send but instead you swipe over your reply and press delete. 

You both drove in silence as the trees of the forest around you blurred past the windows. Peppino's eyes kept flicking to you out of the corner of his peripheral. A small grumble escapes your lips as you sink down into the seat and stare outside. 

* * * * *

You give another small stretch as you step out of the car, your legs had just started to stiffen from the drive. You give a small sigh of relief as you feel your muscles ease up. Peppino jostles the car handle, checking that it had locked. 

There had been few clouds in the sky but the trees offered a pleasant shade from the sun. Taking a deep inhale of fresh air, you broke the silence, "How about we go to the park we seen a few blocks away?" Maybe a walk would be nice while you figured out what to do. 

There had been a few moments where both of you had taken a dirt pathway or simply sat at a nearby bench just to enjoy the greenery and shade. You both had spent a few hours walking through the park, chatting and enjoying each others company before deciding to see what shops were downtown.  

Sounds from the next block over could be heard as you approached a busy looking street. As you round the corner from the main street you find yourselves in the shopping district. Some shops were out in the open with bright canopies shading their table. Others were inside the simple stone buildings with signs and names hanging overhead. Freshly baked sweets wafted in the air and occasionally more savory scents clung nearby. 

As you step deeper into the district the cacophony of voices and various items clanging only grew louder. A sense of unease fell on you as your eyes darted through your surroundings. You never had been a fan crowds like this and were scrambling mentally to find a quieter place. The floral and musky scented candles nearby quickly turned your stomach as you feel your heart beat a bit quicker. 

You startle, whipping your head to the side as you feel a hand wrap around your own. As your about to yank your hand away, your gaze meets Peppino's. Your stress seemed to fade into the background, not gone but muted. He shoots you an apologetic look before slowly pulling his hand away. 

"It's ok cara, I'ma here".

You don't know what possessed you to do it, but your hand found his again as you delicately take it. You smile at him tentatively.

"Do you want to go over there where there's less-a people?" He asks as he closes your hand back into his, but more firmly. 

"That'd be great".

You went through a few local shops and an antique store, looking at nothing in particular. Most of the time wandering about looking at random goods until evening had begun to settle in. 

Not realizing how late it had gotten, you both opted to cut your perusing short to look for somewhere to eat. After coming back from where Peppino had parked, you notice and point out the signs advertising about dining right next to the water. 

As you both were seated you purse your lips, looking across the table at Peppino. He returns your look with a raised eyebrow. 

"You'd rather look at the wall instead of the bay?" you ask incredulously. Peppino simply stares at you. Before he can protest you cut him off, "Nah, sit next to me." You scoot over in the booth, gesturing him to come sit next you. 

His demeanor melts subtly as he moves to sit directly next to you. He feels a pang of...something, as his leg brushes against yours. 

"I think we were outside too long, you look like you got sunburnt." You mumble, looking at his face a little too intently. 

"I-uh, I think that's just the lighting in here Y/N." He waves you off, craning his neck a few inches away. 

You shoot him a dubious squint, glancing down to your arms and hands. They looked unchanged under the light here though. Shrugging it off, you stretch out an arm and grab a menu for the both of you. 

You see a small box at the bottom and shoot Peppino a sly grin and nudge him. His eyes follow to what your finger had been pointing to, only to let out a "Tch". 

Of course.

'Couples Discount Special this week only!' The text read. 

"Is this-a why you wanted to come here?" He rolls his eyes, "To get-a discount meal"?

You huff, taking a sip of your drink. "No, I just happened to read it just now! And lower your voice they might hear us". 

He let out a groan. Though, as he read what the special entailed, it did sound tempting. 

What ever, if life gives you lemons. 

"Fine."

He flinches as you loop your arm through his. 

"What are you doing?" Peppino hissed, feeling your skin stick to his. Suddenly he had become aware of how clammy his own arms were. 

"We're dating remember?" You hiss back at him, though your eyes seemed to take an interest in everything else.

"You don't need-a sell it that hard." He grumbles under his breath, wiping a sweaty hand onto his pants. 

"Have we decided what we're having?" A feminine voice asks, suddenly beside him. 

"Ah. Yes. We were going to have the couples...special".

The server's eyes sparkle as she writes down the order and walks back to the kitchen. 

"You can let-a go now." Peppino casts a sideways glance at you.  

"O-Oh right." You pause, "What if they find out we were lying though? We should at least wait until they give us our food, no take backsies after that".

Peppino opted to look out the window, taking a sharp inhale of air. He clenched his teeth. Mio dios, all this for-a discount. That pang in his chest only seemed to grow the longer you were against him. 

You set down your napkin with a happy hum. Dinner had been perfect; the atmosphere of the small restaurant was relaxing, the food and drinks were delicious, and your company was enjoyable.  

Being back outside into the crisp evening air you noticed there was slight chill to the wind. You decide to trail off from Peppino for a bit to go near the water to take a few pictures.

The sky reflected beautifully on the water now that the sun was setting. A click resounds, signifying a successful capture. As you look further along the horizon, you admire the vibrant shades of pink, purple, and orange painting the sky. You stepped over some rocks, still warm from the sun, and stopped close the water. As close as you dared without risking a slip. You watch the reflection in the currents as the last rays of sunlight bathe the water. The trees around you drowned out the sounds of any nearby traffic. The only things you could hear were the distant chirps of crickets and lapping of the waves.

This trip had been wonderful. You sigh. Even if you were only a few hours from home, coming to this place was exciting and new. You didn't feel suffocated from reminders of your everyday life here. It had been nice to get away from everything you were familiar with. 

Well, almost everything. You were glad Peppino agreed to come with you. Although you would have went by yourself (at some point), you would rather be with him. Sharing moments and days like today were always better with someone. 

As you look back towards the wooden bridge noticing Peppino was off to the side. At that moment found yourself unable to to tear your gaze away. He had his arms resting on the wooden railing as he looked out across the water. The breeze played with his shirt and the light shone gently down on him. 

You take a picture, reminding yourself to show him later. 

Despite taking the picture your eyes remained fixed onto him. He looked nice. You decided that was the word you'd use. 

Peppino stared absently at the line of trees in the distance, lost in thought. Deep down he knew this wasn't a feeling "just friends" had for each other. There was an intense longing for you. A need for you to be closer, to hold you. Sometimes it was almost overwhelming, like earlier when your arm was wrapped around his.

Peppino tried to dismiss that thought, dragging a hand down his face in annoyance. Something about this trip was playing with his head. You weren't doing anything differently and neither was he. So why was he suddenly having these thoughts? 

Truth be told, he would have passing thoughts like this on occasion. Though he waved them off, refusing to entertain them whenever it'd come up. You were friends. That was it.

"Well it's getting late, we should probably get ready to head home." Your voice causes him jump. He blinks as his train of thought dissipated. 

The last light of sunset had faded into the horizon, and the moon was just barely peeking out. Overhead the sky had turned into a deepening indigo as the first few stars were twinkling brightly. 

Peppino nods and you both begin your walk back to the car. 

* * * * * 

"Shit".

The treads on the tire had been shredded. You stare at the damage. "Damn when was the last time you got your tires changed"? 

Peppino shoots you a look before popping open the trunk. "It wasn't like that-a before we left. It must've happened on the way here". 

You poke your head over his side with an annoyed "Well shit."

Peppino sighs as he realizes the spare tire is flat too.

"Do you think we can still drive home"? You follow him back into the car. 

"It's not safe to drive back like this. And it's getting late." He grumbles, hands gripped at the wheel. "Let's call it a night and find a shop around here in the morning". 

Sleeping in the car the whole night didn't sound comfortable. It'd get warm and cramped within a mere hour. You could already feel a kink in your neck at the thought. "We could rent a room at a motel." You suggest, "There has to be one nearby".

A light shade of pink seemingly rushed to his face before he jerked his head to look out the window. 

"I guess we could-a do that".

* * * * * 

A rush of air burst out as you pulled the door open. You let out a satisfied hum as you stepped into the room. The idea of getting a motel room had made you uneasy, as you expected the worst; bugs skittering around, weird smells, and a dingy bathroom that made gas station ones look remarkable in comparison. 

While you didn't want to sleep in the car, you would have, had that been your fate. You were just relieved your worries weren't realized. 

Instead you make your way over to the bed furthest from the window. You pause a moment before nodding, choosing this bed to sleep in tonight. As you turn back to Peppino, you watch him set the room key on the nightstand between the beds. You notice in your peripheral he's taking his shirt off, your eyes dart away.

Instead your attention settles on the dresser against the opposite wall. You never know, you think. Maybe someone left money in it. Or who-knows-how-old cans of beer. It was like a shitty version of Schrodinger's cat. Also known here as Schrodinger's cheap motel dresser. 

You grumble, the first drawer appearing caught on something. What ever it was caught on wasn't going to give, no matter how much fumbling you did. 

"Let me help." you hear Peppino approach from behind. 

As he makes his way to you, his foot catches on something and he stumbles forwards. You let out a sharp gasp as you bring your hands up to try to stop him from falling. Not that you'd be able to do much. You jerk your head to the side instinctively and snap your eyes shut, waiting for the impact. 

But it never came. 

Your eyes flick open, discovering he had managed to catch himself, hands braced against the dresser to either side of you. 

He sighed, looming mere inches over you. "That was close"!

You tentatively lowered your gaze, realizing your hands had still been raised and were touching something. Your eyes widened, face and neck immediately burning at what that something was. 

Your hands had both been pressed against Peppino's bare chest. If he had noticed, Peppino made no move to shy away from your touch. Instead he remained frozen in place, his expression unreadable. His arms remained locked in place, loosely caging your body against his. 

His eyes fixated on you, a look to them you couldn't recognize. Something about his gaze had darkened as you tilted your head up at him. Normally you weren't so self conscious about being this close to him but right now, feeling his breath against your lips-

"I-uhm...Sorry!" You jerk your hands to your side. Why didn't you do that sooner? At an instant that look Peppino had disappeared, and seeming to to realize his position, immediately stepped back.  

You hitch a thumb behind you. "Well. Uh. I'm gonna to go to bed!" you scrambled away and pull off the comforter, crawling under the sheet. Stretching out on your stomach, you bury your face into the pillow. "It's been a long day we should get some rest! Goodnight"!

Peppino straightens and regains his composure. Watching in a daze as you rush to pull the sheet over your entire body, including your head.

"Goodnight". He finally replies, climbing into his own bed. He remained on his back but tilted his head to look at you. After what felt like hours, your form gradually relaxed and muffled snores were eventually heard, signifying you had nodded off. 

Peppino shifted and instead stared up at the ceiling. What just happened? He kept replaying how you looked up at him and didn't move away. Your scent, warm and inviting. How you leaned into his body. 

He couldn't ignore something stirred within him in that moment. There had been a whisper in the back of his mind to pull you against him. 

That's what unsettled him. He had to consciously suppress that urge as he clenched the dresser. Had you not jerked away when you did, Peppino was certain his self-restraint would've snapped.   

* * * * * 

A soft sigh escapes your lips as you roll to your side. You scrunch your face as you feel the light against your eyelids. It was morning, but how early was it? Not that it particularly mattered, you didn't think you'd be able to go back to sleep anyways. Instead you lazily open an eye and stare across at the shape in the other bed.

 Peppino was still asleep, snoring.

Well there was no point in staying in bed, you decide. You inch off the bed, softly stepping across the threshold of the bathroom. 

You splash water onto your face. It felt cool but not really refreshing like you had hoped. You grab the towel nearby and wipe your face. A faint click of the door is heard and you jump at the feeling of arms snaking around your middle.

"Buongiorno cara mia." Peppino mutters, resting his chin against your shoulder.

What.

You twist around in his arms to stare at him, bewildered. Where was this coming from? "Uh...Pino"?

He kept an arm around your waist as he gently cupped your chin and tilted it up. There was that look again from last night. Your eyes remained locked with his, waiting to see what he would do. You attempted to ignore the heat that had started creeping up the back of your neck. 

You felt Peppino's hand drift to fidget with the tips of your hair. 

"I've wanted to do this for a while." He breaths, his forehead gently touching yours. His hand softly caressing the back of your head as he pulls you forward. Your breathing hitches as his lips brush against your own. 

You awake with a start, eyes snapping open and darting about the room. You suck in a deep breath, shocked at what shoved you from your haze of sleep.  

What kind of dream was that? 

You blink again and rub the blurriness away from your vision. Who in the fuck authorized this. You feel an uncomfortable heat spread from your neck to your face and chest as you scan around the dimly lit room.

You felt your jaw tense as you recalled remnants from the dream. You sigh, attempting to think about anything else.   

Focus

From the streetlight filtering through the blinds you determined it was still very early. Too early to even think of getting up yet. But how could you go back to sleep aft-

"Sorry, did I wake you?" A voice asked, cutting through your thoughts. Your head snaps towards the voice, realizing Peppino's awake. His silhouette lingering at door frame of the bathroom.

"N-no..." You stutter, rubbing your eyes again. "Just had a bad dream". You couldn't help but peer at him, your breath catching in your throat, leaving you with a sudden tightness in your stomach. At least it was dark enough that Peppino couldn't see your face.  

"Do you need to talk about it, cara mia?" he asks, taking a small step closer to you. 

You flinch. Suddenly aware of something. How often did he call you that? "No!" you snap, shaking your head abruptly. You see him stiffen at your tone and stop, as if in thought. He nods slowly before making his way back into his bed. "If you need to talk I'ma here Y/N." he says quietly. 

In a way you felt bad for replying like that to him, but also how were supposed to explain what you dreamt about? "Thank you Pino." You whisper back. 

* * * * 

You couldn't get back to sleep. For the next two hours you simply stared up at the ceiling wide awake. Thoughts swam in your mind, some of which were very unwelcome ones. As you lie in bed that damn dream kept replaying. 

You could chalk that up to...the third one like this? Unlike the other ones though, this dream was the most vivid.

Could you even call it a dream? 

You frown at your thought. It wasn't really what you'd call a nightmare. Weren't nightmares supposed to be scary? Peppino didn't scare you, obviously. The dream did make you uncomfortable though. He was your friend, of course you'd be uncomfortable at the thought of-

You huff, turning back onto your side and face the wall. In a frustrated motion you jerk the sheet down to your hips. Why was this damn room so warm? You cringe and attempt to shove down another intrusive thought creeping into your head. 

* * * * * 

You stretch your arms out with a groan. Daylight was streaming in much stronger than before. You guess you nodded off at some point after all. 

You reluctantly tilt your head over to Peppino noticing he was already awake and sitting up in bed. His eyes meet yours as you smiled back with a soft “Good morning.”

"Buongiorno. Did you sleep better after...?" He trails off. 

"I did. Sorry if I worried you".

"It's alright Y/N, everyone gets nightmares sometimes." He sighs and stretches, "Some just more than others". 

You wince inwardly, you had forgotten Peppino often woke up from night terrors. 

You ask as you scoot out of bed and make your way over to him. He leaned into your touch as you trailed a hand down his back. "Did...you have a nightmare again, Pino"? You gently stroked his back, attempting to ignore your hand was against his bare skin. The reminder sending another tingle up your back. 

Peppino shrugged. "It's alright. It-a wasn't the worst I've had". He turns to glance up at you, "You should-a get ready to leave".

Your hand stops and you blink, remembering something. "Uh...about last night," His eyes shoot up immediately to meet yours. "Sorry for raising my voice at you, I was still trying to process what woke me up." You give a short chuckle and scratch the back of your neck. 

"Ah". Was all that Peppino replied with, his eyes looking away as if to contemplate something. He shakes his head, seeming to shrug what ever it had been off. "It's ok Y/N. I know how that feels".

As you make your way to the bathroom, you shut the door and turn the lock before directing your attention to the mirror.

You grimace at your reflection. Your hair was a mess and your clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them. You sigh. It can't be helped. No amount of hand smoothing was going to make your clothes any more presentable. 

The first thing you were going to do once you got back home was take a long shower and properly clean. You didn't even want to think about how bad your breath was either. You cringe, but in the corner of your vision something catches your attention.

Actually...

Your eyes lower to the bottle of hand soap on the counter. Oh this was a supremely stupid idea wasn't it? But, you pick up the bottle, will it work? There's only one way to find out. You give the bottle a few pumps, thick liquid dripping into your open mouth. 

You instantly regret this decision, sputtering as the the soap coats your tongue before beginning to outright gag. As you attempt to spit it out you wretch the knobs on the sink to get water. You hurriedly cup water into your mouth and spit repeatedly. Unfortunately this created more suds as you swished the liquid around, making you heave. 

"Are you ok!?" You hear Peppino shout from the other side. 

You scramble to unlock the door and he bursts into the room. "What's wrong"?!

"Soap." You choke out through the foamy mixture, doubling over to gag again. Your feel your back sting for a moment as Peppino slaps your back firmly and repeatedly in an attempt to help. 

"Cosa diavolo! Why would-a you put that in your mouth"!

"Mm!" You give one last spit of soapy water into the sink. You took in a deep, shuddering breath. As you clear your throat, you gesture to let him know to stop patting your back.

You turn to look up at him, giving a sheepish grin. "This...might sound stupid but..." You trail off, Peppino gives you a look to go on. 

"I...didn't expect to stay the night here so... I didn't bring toothpaste." You shrink a little into yourself, "So I thought that maybe...soap might...work"? You finish, your voice tapering off. 

Now that you thought about it -Did this idea even involve a single thought in your head? 

Well, you did learn one thing. Watermelon soap does not taste like watermelon. And it was in this moment Peppino also learned you were a dumbass. 

The room went silent as Peppino simply gawked at you. You offer a small half smile in return. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. If he had been about to say something he thought better of it, instead choosing to finish getting ready to leave. 

"Che cazzo." You hear him mutter. 

You turn your attention back to your reflection. A small trail of sudsy saliva had dribbled down your chin onto your shirt. The white of your eyes also had a tint of pink to them now. Somehow you managed to look worse than when you had woken up. The sight almost made you chuckle. Almost.

You groan as you remembered you had to go out in public like this. 

* * * * * 

After getting the tires replaced the drive back home had been uneventful. As he pulled into your driveway to drop you off, you tilt your head towards him. 

"You don't have to leave right now do you? At least come in and use the shower or eat something." You urged. "I can wait to get mine but I do want to brush my teeth". 

"I had-a shower at the motel." He pointed out, but had already shut off the engine. 

"Well a nicer shower. You still have a pair of clothes you left here. After you get out I can make us breakfast..." You glance at the clock on your phone, "Er...brunch"? 

"I'm done!" You call out from the bathroom as you step out, leaving the door open. You make your way to the kitchen feeling much better. 

Peppino walks past you carrying the set of clothes he retrieved from your closet. "I'll wait for you to get out before cooking! So don't take too long, I'm starving!" You call over your shoulder. 

As you wait Peppino to come back out you mentally scold yourself for not asking what he'd like to eat, if anything. Instead you pulled out a chair and took a seat, taking out your phone as you waited. Maybe you should make egg sandwiches? You had ham and bacon in the fridge.

You decide to go through your camera album. Idly you flip through the various pictures you had taken, some dating back months ago. Some of flowers, the occasional sunset, and as you continue swiping, dozens of pictures of you and Peppino, or just Peppino.

You like him. 

A lump forms in your throat. Of course I like him, we wouldn't be together so much if I didn't like him. You argue, continuing to swipe through your album. Anything to try and distract yourself. 

You want to be more than just friends.

You briefly close your eyes, hoping to shut up that nagging voice this way. A futile attempt. The thoughts you had been shoving down for months finally starting to break through the cracks. 

Please shut up. You beg to yourself. Why did this have to come out now? 

Last night flashed through your memories. You wanted to close that gap. That dream you had of him wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a kiss was something you wanted. 

You want him.

There it was. You stare vacantly at your screen, breath caught in your throat. The picture taken from yesterday, the one you had meant to show him.

There it was. You stare vacantly at your screen, breath caught in your throat. The picture taken from yesterday, the one you had meant to show him. 

He looked stunning. Not just nice. He looked handsome. Perfect.

You heard the water stop. Within seconds you jolt to your feet and move to the stove, pretending to look busy. Your body, however, remained motionless.

You heard a door click shut, making you jump, and Peppino appeared in the corner of your vision. 

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, stepping closer to your side. "You've been acting off since this-a morning".

You squirm, an uncomfortable knot of tension suddenly appearing in your stomach again. 

"Yeah...I just…” Your voice trailed off. How exactly were you supposed to answer that? You couldn’t tell Peppino how his close proximity made you feel. You knew this discomfort wasn’t going to go away and unfortunately might get worse.

You want him. The voice repeated. 

Your head turned to face him, only to realize that he was watching you, and apparently had been, as he made no move to avert his eyes. 

As you blink your eyes lower to avoid his. You feel your breath come out with a slight shake and you turn away. 

He frowned, nudging you slightly with his shoulder. It was as if he was telling you to go on, but the words were caught in your throat. Even if you wanted to explain, you couldn’t. 

Peppino reached a hand to your shoulder, and you felt him lightly skim over your neck. You shuddered. Gently taking hold of your chin, he turned your face towards him. Your eyes met with his again, half lidded.

"Nnm?" You mumble, confused. 

A look of horror flashed on Peppino's face, realizing what he had been doing and jerked his hand down. 

"I-I should-a go". 

He stepped away from you and hurried to turn and leave. Your feet remain rooted to the floor, but you desperately grabbed for Peppino. Your hand catches his sleeve and you pull at him weakly. His eyes dart back at you anxiously, but a spark of curiosity was in his eyes as well. 

 "Please don't leave." You whisper, barely audible. His face softens as he takes your hand from his shirt and into his own and tentatively takes a step closer. 

His other hand roamed across your back before settling there. When you didn’t push him away, he pulled you closer against him, his hips pressed against your own and his mouth brushed against yours. A burst of heat flared within you and a shiver shot up your spine. Finally, your lips met in the kiss that had been denied to you both the first time. 

Slowly you pulled your hands from his to wrap your arms around his neck. Peppino raised one hand to run it across your cheek before resting it at the back of your head as he deepened the kiss. As his hand tangled itself in your hair, your fingers slid up against his chest, clinging to his shirt for support as your legs buckled. His arm against your back supported your weight as you reclined in his embrace.

You didn't know how much time had passed when he pulled away, dragging at your lower lip gently with his teeth before letting go. When he finally broke the kiss, you were breathing hard and your head was spinning. 

* * * * * 

You stretched languidly, slowly blinking away the haze of sleep. Sunlight softly slipping between the opening in the curtains.

Peppino's chest was pressed against your back, an arm wrapped around your waist. You could feel every steady and slow breath against the back of your neck. It seemed like he was still asleep. As you shift in bed to look at him, Peppino's eyes drift open, he gives you a sleepy grin. 

He leans his head towards yours and you close the distance, pressing your lips to his. It was lingering, almost passionate, but also conveyed a feeling of comfort and trust.

Your lips disconnect and the world fades back into existence. Peppino rests his head on your shoulder and pulls you closer. Your body molding perfectly into he pressed soft kisses against the back of your neck.

Staying in bed with him bit longer wouldn’t hurt. 

💜Thank you everyone that supported and anticipated this one coming out! Pacing in a few places felt off to me but overall I think this one turned out how I hoped it would💜

[txtniipped]

blue light therapy

persona 5 – ryuji/akira, ryuji & mishima

general (2742 words)

ao3 link

Ryuji pulls up chairs to the tv while Akira gets the disk into the player. Curtains get shut, shoes get kicked off, and the two boys land themselves into their respective chairs. "Ready?" Akira asks, his eyes peeking at Ryuji over the top of his glasses. Ryuji grins loosely at his friend as he tosses his arm over the back of his chair. "You know it." Akira grins back, and starts the movie.

“Yo, Mishima–" Ryuji hollers across the aisle of the video store, causing multiple people to look his way, including his intended target. "Have ya seen this one?”

“You really don’t need to be so loud,” Mishima nearly hisses at Ryuji as he steps over from the opposite side of the aisle.

"Didn't realize we're in a library."

Mishima huffs slightly in response, but does lift his hand to grab the cover of the movie Ryuji's holding to take a look at it–some sort of action movie Ryuji's never heard of. "Oh, this is a really good one!" Mishima looks up at him, his enthusiasm palpable. His eyes are practically shining as he speaks. "It's about this kid who got himself in trouble with this crime boss and has been trying to work his debt off for years and years. He finally pays it off at the same time he finds a girl he really likes, but he ends up having to–."

"Hey, hey," Ryuji interrupts, pulling the movie back from Mishima's grip. "Don't need the whole thing explained to me, man." He gives Mishima a little smile–the guy can be kinda sensitive about his enthusiasm. Ryuji does his best to avoid putting him out. "You said it's good?"

Mishima returns the smile with his own. It's a little shy, but it's a smile regardless. "Yeah. It's a little cheesy, but it's a good kind of cheesy, you know?" Ryuji hums, flipping the dvd over to glance at the back. "I hear ya." The synopsis seems interesting… A little more romantic sounding than Ryuji usually goes for. "...I'll keep it in mind." He puts the case back onto the shelf, genuinely taking a mental note of the title. 

Between the palaces and Mementos, school work (or at least the attempt of), and general Thieves activities, Ryuji hasn't really had the time to slow down and watch a movie recently. Plus, holing up in his room and popping a dvd in by himself seems so boring.. This is definitely more of a group activity-type movie. 

Who'd watch it with him though? Mishima seems obvious, since the guy clearly likes it. But he sounds like he'd just talk about fun facts the whole time. Hard pass. 

Second choice is Akira, but Akira's been so busy playing leader for the whole group… He always says he's happy to make time for Ryuji, but… is just watching a movie together worth the time? Mishima says it's good, but will Akira like it? Ryuji will feel so bad if he doesn't. Such a waste of time for the guy. He's so busy! But… wouldn't hurt to ask, he guesses. If anyone isn't gonna mind hanging out and not doing much with him, it'd be Akira.

For now, Ryuji tucks his hands into his pockets, and settles himself over Mishima’s shoulder to read the summary the guy is currently reading. …Maybe Akira would like this one too.

–

"So, uh…"

It's cloudy today. Gloomy as hell, actually, but Ryuji and Akira are out walking the streets of Yongen-Jaya anyway. Mona elected to stay back at Leblanc–in case it rained, he said.

"There's this movie I saw when I was hangin' out with Mishima at the rental place the other day."

"Mhmm."

Ryuji continues: "It seemed cool. He said he's seen it an' liked it 'n' everything. I'm not the biggest movie guy on my own, but I was wonderin' if, like… you'd wanna watch it some time?" Akira does that little laugh Ryuji likes–the one where he just huffs out his nose with a smile on his face. It's cute–charming. Uhh, endearing or whatever. Yeah.

"Let's go rent it."

"Wuh–now?!"

"Yeah. I have a membership."

Oh. "Okay," Ryuji answers lamely. Akira smiles at him. Ryuji smiles back, feeling a little lighter than before.

–

Movie in hand, the duo return to Leblanc about an hour or so later. They clamber through the cafe with a brief hello to Sojiro, then pop up the stairs in record time. Morgana shoots them both a scowl from his spot on the bed, but curls right back up anyway to continue his nap.

Ryuji's a little embarrassed to admit it, but he missed doing casual hangouts with Akira. Just the two of them (kinda), doing something for the hell of it just because they feel like it. It's nice. It's comfy.

Ryuji pulls up chairs to the tv while Akira gets the disk into the player. Curtains get shut, shoes get kicked off, and the two boys land themselves into their respective chairs.

"Ready?" Akira asks, his eyes peeking at Ryuji over the top of his glasses. Ryuji grins loosely at his friend as he tosses his arm over the back of his chair.

"You know it."

Akira grins back, and starts the movie.

–

The movie itself was pretty good, but the best thing about it–or really, about that whole day–was that it jump started a movie craze between Ryuji and Akira.

Akira's a busy guy, so they unfortunately can only watch something every other week or so. It's less than Ryuji necessarily would like, but it's certainly better than their almost non-existent hangouts they had fallen into before.

Not that Ryuji was put off by the lack of his friend hanging around him for non-phantom related stuff. He gets it. Akira's a cool guy, so he's busy with other people, like, all the time. This sudden shift in his schedule where Akira always clears the one night for just Ryuji is honestly so cool of him. They've had a great track record of watching good movies too–or at the very least, ones they've enjoyed, so Ryuji never feels guilty about taking up Akira's time.

Recently, someone dumped a whole box of dvds off at the second-hand shop by Leblanc. The owner sold the whole thing to them for dirt cheap. There's definitely a lot of stuff they don't really care about in there, but they found several movies with this same American comedian as the star. He's actually kinda great, though some of the movies have been better than others. When Akira busts out a dvd case from his bag with the usual guy on it though, Ryuji knows they're gonna have a good time.

–

Movie nights start dwindling as winter crawls in. They get busier than ever with the Phantom Thieves' stuff, so eventually movie night stops altogether. It's... not Ryuji's favorite, but it is what it is. The bright side is they're out here making a difference in the world, and if Ryuji's gotta sacrifice his usual hangout with his best friend for a while to make it happen, then it'll be worth it.

It's a nice surprise though when suddenly, after all the drama following Sae's palace, Akira approaches him again about it.

"I miss it," Akira admits from under his grey hood. They're walking around  Yongen-Jaya again, like they used to. Maybe Akira shouldn't be wandering around like this right now, but Ryuji knows how cooped up he feels stuck at Leblanc all the time. 

"Let's do it then!" Ryuji grins at him, maybe a touch too wide. He's excited, and maybe a little desperate to relieve his best friend of his stress, even if it's just for a couple of hours. "We can go to my place, if you want."

Akira looks at him then, tucked under his hood. He looks tired, especially with the deep bags resting under his eyes. Regardless, the smile Akira pulls onto his face is so, so soft. Ryuji's cheeks color, but in this moment, he doesn't care. He's entirely focused on his best friend. 

"I'd like that," Akira says, his tone just as soft as his smile.

"C-cool," Ryuji responds immediately, which only makes his face brighter. Akira laughs lightly, causing Ryuji to shoot a grin his way. 

Akira smiles back.

–

“Sorry about it bein’ so messy.”

Dirty shirts lay on Ryuji's bed and floor, clearly tossed off without a care for where they land. A few shoe boxes rest in various spots, mostly tucked up against furniture, with a lucky box actually having both shoes resting on top. The others only have one, if at all, with the other shoe resting nearby. The latest manga Ryuji's been reading sits open on the floor, its spine most definitely creased as a sacrifice for keeping Ryuji's place. In the center of it all, Akira stands, another one of those content smiles on his face he seems to like wearing so much. 

“I don’t mind.” Akira says, all low and soft and patient.

“I do!” Morgana calls as he leaps up onto the bed, stomping his little kitty paws into the comforter as he tries to find a spot to claim.

The cat decided to tag along with them, stating he had to make sure Akira got home safe afterwards. Ryuji knows it’s really because the cat wanted a change of scenery himself, but he could never call Mona out on it without starting a fight.

Ryuji rolls his eyes at Morgana as the cat finally finds a worthy spot on the bed. Akira tosses Ryuji another smile and a shrug, then pulls the dvd he's been keeping in his jacket.

It's the animated movie they had talked about watching next, the last time they did this. Something about firefighters and arsonists who end up on the same side to fight a greater evil.

A grin overtakes Ryuji's face as a warmth blossoms in his chest. Akira will always and forever be the most thoughtful guy Ryuji knows–who remembers stuff like that? Especially from so long ago.

Ryuji grabs his laptop off his nightstand. The thing's old and definitely needs to be replaced, but it does have a dvd tray, thus it gets the honor of spending its old age in Ryuji's care til the thing kicks the bucket. He sits down with it after, just right there on the floor, and boots it up as Akira pulls his jacket off, tossing it on the bed.

"Surprised that thing's still running," Akira comments as he sits himself down, taking his usual spot near the bed so he can lean against it.

Ryuji chuckles, tossing a glance towards Akira as the laptop loads. "I know. I'm hopin' it can last til after I graduate."

"If it doesn't–" Akira hands over the dvd once Ryuji motions for it– "I'm sure Futaba has a spare lying around."

Ryuji gets the movie loaded in, popping the tray back into the laptop, then sets the thing down on the floor, far enough away that they won't be kicking it, but close enough that they can both see. He pulls himself back after that, taking his spot next to his best friend there against the bed. 

The movie begins to play.

–

Ryuji jumps awake as something thumps against his shoulder. He fell asleep–obvious enough by the way his shoulders and behind hurt from the bed and floor respectively–and it seems he wasn't the only one.

Akira's upper arm is pressed fully against Ryuji's, with the guy's head tossed back on the mattress. He's completely out, and his position leaves his glasses dangerously close to falling off. The position also leaves Akira's face incredibly close to Ryuji's.

The realization colors Ryuji's cheeks, causing the teen to snap his head away from Akira. Ryuji shifts, fishing out his phone from his pocket, closest to his friend. The screen lights up his face, causing Ryuji to wince from the brightness. He angles the screen away from Akira, just managing to catch a glimpse of the time despite the weird angle.

It's nearly midnight–definitely later than either of them had planned. There's no way he's sending his friend home this late. Especially not when Ryuji knows Akira's been having a rough time relaxing lately. Waking him up feels like it should be criminal.

…But sleeping sitting up like this cannot be great for your body. Ryuji sighs softly, then turns his head slightly towards his friend.

"Akira," he calls, keeping his voice quiet. He'd love to avoid the sharp wrath of the nearby cat if he can help it.

No response.

Damn.

"Akira," Ryuji calls again, a touch louder this time. Again, there's no response, so Ryuji puts his phone down and pulls his body away from Akira, fully turning towards him. He reacts in time to catch Akira from falling to the floor, though his hands landing on Akira's upper arms has the added effect of jostling the teen awake.

Akira lifts his head from its spot on the mattress to look at Ryuji, blinking slowly as he processes the situation. He locks eyes with Ryuji, then smiles that damn smug smile. Ryuji can feel his cheeks heating up in anticipation.

"They're nice, right?"

Ryuji immediately pulls his hands from Akira's arms, his face flaming as he sits back. Akira laughs all low again, the noise really rubbing salt into Ryuji's wound. How dare his brain like that noise right now.

"Movie's over," Ryuji announces, standing up. Akira yawns, pulling his glasses from his face so he can rub at his eyes.

"What time is it?"

Ryuji pulls on the drawstring overhead, clicking on the light. The whole room is bathed in a yellow hue, breaking the peace. He sees Mona curl up tighter.

"11:38ish," Ryuji answers, returning his attention to Akira.

Akira blinks up at him, then returns his glasses to his face. He pushes himself up to stand, causing Ryuji to step back a tad to give him the space.

"Well, I guess we should go then."

"What?" Ryuji immediately responds, following it with a scoff. "Dude, it's almost midnight. I'm not sending you home–the trains aren't gonna be runnin' by the time you get to 'em."

Akira blinks at Ryuji again, and it's this time Ryuji realizes it's a quirk of the guy being so sleep deprived. He's processing the situation. Probably.

"Oh."

Ryuji snorts, leaning down to close his laptop. "Yeah. So just stay here." He stands back up, looking at Akira again. "You can take my bed."

Akira looks away from Ryuji to look at the bed. Morgana lies smack in the middle of it, either very deeply asleep, or very determined to look like it. A small smile quirks up the corner of Akira's lip. Ryuji coughs into his fist, a slight blush playing on his cheeks.

"Where are you gonna sleep?" Akira returns his attention to Ryuji, once again pulling his glasses off. It's for good this time–the teen folds them up and places them on the nightstand. "The couch." "I can sleep–."

"No," Ryuji cuts Akira off. "My ma would wake you up when she leaves. An' I've slept out there before. Just take the bed, man."

Akira smiles softly at him, defeated. Ryuji's stomach does a little flip.

"Okay."

Ryuji nods, clearing his throat. "Well, I'll leave ya to it." He steps away from his friend, heading over to the door. He pauses though, turning back around as he realizes he needs sleeping clothes. And maybe Akira does too. 

"Do you want some sweats?" he asks as he diverts course to his closet.

Akira pauses, then smiles once again. "Sure."

Ryuji does his best not to let any of the empty figure boxes he's just shoved into the closet come tumbling out as he opens the door. Once it seems fine, Ryuji wastes no time in locating his comfiest sweats for Akira. They're grey, with teal and white stripes lining the outside seam. Nice and plush fabric too, without being super heavy. Those get tossed over to Akira, then Ryuji grabs some old, tatty purple ones for himself. They kinda match his jacket.

"Thanks," Akira says to him once the closet door is securely closed, the teen taking a seat on the bed.

Ryuji nods again, then walks over to the door, for real this time. "I'll see you in the morning," he says as he pulls it open.

"Mhm."

Ryuji steps out, turning himself around so he can close the door. He lifts his gaze to Akira, who looks back with that soft smile curled on his face again. That smile turns into something a touch more smug after a moment. Ryuji's face colors. He's been staring. 

"N-night, man."

"Night, Uji."

Ryuji closes the door, his face burning.

[invisiblegarabgetruck]

AS SOMEONE WHO ALSO ADORES JERRY'S CHARACTER what do you think about the possibility of seeing doofus jerry in the show.... i don't think it'll happen for s7 but GODDD if it wouldn't be rad to see some day

FELLOW JERRY FAN

ahhhh, tbh I used to be against the idea of him showing up in the show. Because I feel like the show not gonna do him justice ( /_>\) (seriously, if he shows up and doesn't get treated seriously by the show at all. I'd evaporate on the spot.)

But! It'd be cool if we get like multi-episodes about him. Especially with how Jerry has changed so much, I would love to see how he would react to Doofus Jerry now T_T

Doofus Jerry's story in the comic was a self-contained series. So if he appears, could it be another big evil arc like Prime and Evil Morty? or just one story episode? (for me, just him showing up like an easter egg is enough to make me happy lol)

Will it ever happen? Uh........ at least not in S7 & 8 I think. I mentioned in the past that they never referenced the comic in the show only the other way around, turns out that I was wrong! They did! (According to the Wiki)

Okay, after this. it'll get a little long

A lot of people seem to think this scene from S3E7 after Evil morty won the election could be a small reference to Doofus Jerry. since The comic came out on January 25. while "The Ricklantis Mixup" aired on September 10 of the same year. then again the animation process is a long process and this line could be recorded long before Doofus Jerry's comics came out. And he might just say this to mock Morty (besides Jerry rent-free in Ricks's mind 24/7)

Another example is Glootie. he appeared in the comic first before appearing in "The Old Man and the Seat". but then the Season 4 promo dropped around that time. so it could just be the a promo thing.

lastly, and most interesting to me is The Vindicators. There is a comic about them in 2018 that features some new characters, which was redesigned and used in the mini-series in 2022!

(there is more. But I'm not putting all of that)

Sorry for the long blabbing! What I am saying is that they do reference the comic from time to time. Maybe when they are interested enough, they might make an episode about him!