#stupid wifi won't let me make this post

[dotdot-is-here]

Heart to Heart pt.2

Part two is finally here!! I couldn't post this earlier because I'm travelling rn and rarely get wifi (I'm having a lot of fun! :D) for those who didn't read part one, this is inspired by @citricacidprince 's take on the Relativity Falls au

Now let's get to the angsty little Stan twins! I hope i got their characterization right

Summary: On the aftermath of the portal opening for the last time, both sets of twins have some conversations

Stanford is crouched on the floor, pressing his ear against the wooden door while Stanley waits impatiently by the foot of his bed.

"Well? What did they say? What are they talking about?"

Stanford doesn't answer. He closes the door gently and gets up slowly, still facing the wood.

(What does the author- great uncle Mason- the real grunkle Mason- whoever the hell is downstairs even have to apologize for?)

(It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make any sense. Why would he forgive her so easily? So quickly? Heaven knows Stanford wouldn't have let go of it just like that.)

"Why didn't you press the button?" He blurts out.

He can see the way Stanley tilts his head in confusion from the corner of his eye.

"Huh?"

He didn't mean to have this conversation now. He doubles down anyway, "You heard me."

There's a pause in the air as Stan processes the question. As he tries to place Ford's tone.

"..wait, are you serious? You're mad about this?"

Ford turns to his twin and throws his arms in the air. "Stanley the world could have ended! And you don't even care!"

"But it didn't! I get that it looked pretty scary in the moment but hey, now we have a new grunkle!" Stan makes big gestures with his hands in his response, the same way he does when he tries to downplay his way out of trouble with their parents, "I took a risk and it all turned out fine."

Stanford can feel a headache forming, and he resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, "A risk? Is that all you have to say? Stan this is not like the stupid bets you take when we play cards this was a doomsday machine! The warnings-"

His twin rolls his eyes and waves him off, "Oh, warnings schmarnings! Quit being so dramatic."

Ford fumes, "Dramatic?!"

"nothing happened Sixer! Let it go!"

"...this isn't about that right?" Asks Stan, once his words have rung against the attic walls for long enough.

Ford keeps his eyes on his untied shoelaces, "...I asked you to do one thing. I trusted you about the fate of the world Stanley." He makes his way to his bed, still looking down when he draws back the covers and adds, quietly enough his brother hopefully won't hear him, "And you chose to believe her over me."

Before Stan can even think of addressing that, Ford is already snapping, "couldn't you listen to me long enough to take something seriously?"

Stan's expression turns into something cold, buried feelings briefly coming to light.

"Well maybe it'll come as a surprise to you, Stanford, but just because you're smart doesn't mean you're the boss of me."

That night, they sleep with their backs turned against each other.

[cinnabarmawar]

Bloodstained - Chapter 2: Interrogation

Chapter: [0] [1] [2] [3]

Note: I actually already post it on ao3 but my dorm wifi won't let me enter tumblr. Only today I was able to crosspost, yay. Anyway, this was tough for me to write but I did it and I'm on my way to draw what Leo and reader look like in this lone vigilante AU aka yandere au. Hopefully, I get to draw some of the scenes but writing it is easier for me. I want to thank to all the folks that have liked and followed this fic on AO3 I appreciate yall. Happy reading :D

Trigger warning: Threat to kill, asphyxiation, Leo is not good person in this verse of mine but he starts to have feelings for you

Can also read it AO3

“I’m not here to hurt you.” Said the mutant as his hand smoothed your metal scissors. The one that was meant for him, but instead you end up asleep and tied up and gagged by him.

“Good thing I came, It’s dangerous, for you to sleep with this, you might poke your eye out.” He smirks for a second and shifts into a stoic face, the scissors in his hand snipped.

No,no,no! But this is real, the mutant turtle is sitting in front of you. Enjoying your helpless form. 

Your body is trembling, your breath agitated but the gag muffled your mouth so you try to breath through your nose slowly. He is too close! And he is holding your weapons that you were going to use on him! He tossed the scissors on the coffee table. 

“I want to ask you some questions, tell me the truth and I’ll cut you loose, slowly.” He lift your knife and lets it stay still on the tip of the rope. The low light made the light reflect in your eyes, you begged him with your eyes, shaking your head but his hand grabbed your bound hand in a strong grip that a mark might be imprinted on your skin. 

“But if you don’t answer me or try to lie, I’ll take out your eyes and kill you with this.” He points at you with your knife in hand, its sharp tip in front of your eye and slams it on the coffee table.He slams your knife on the coffee table right next to the scissors. You remain still despite your trembling body, tears start to flood your vision again.

He is going to seriously kill you this time! – Right here in your own house! On your couch! And he has your weapons in his hand! 

Regret flashes before your life, and your eyes begin to flood your vision and you try to hold it in. You know it is pointless, you know you are stupid. For thinking that you could hurt him or kill him but still, you just don’t want to die – Not this way! 

You shut your eyes preparing for what is to come. The mutant’s thumb gently brushes your tear but the other still grip your bound hand. You don’t want to open your eyes, you are expecting the knife or the scissors to strike into your face. He hushes you as your tears still continue to flow from your eyes while he wipe them with his thumb that made you wince . 

“...I’m not lying about letting you go,  just stop crying and answer my question, I mean it.” you open your eyes, his empty blue eyes had a hint of mercy in that stern expression. “That's all I ask, then I’ll let you go back to sleep on your bed.” 

He raised the scissors to your face, then he put it down. 

“If you want, you can ask me and I’ll answer, to make it fair but I'll go first.” Your chin lifted in his leather finger, and your tears stooped, your sniffles still muffled by your gag but it subdued. Goosebumps stood still, the heartbeat still hammers but not as rapidly as when you woke up. 

The mutant undo your gagged, you coughed once your mouth is free, soreness starts to form in your mouth. The knife lifts your chin, forcing you to look at him in the eye, growling. You try not to move when he carefully places the knife on your lips, the sharp blade threatens to bite the skin of your lips.

“I’ll ask first, that station, Where were you going?”

The knife is raised right under your eye.

“To my school reunion at Eastman High. My work ends early too.”

He pulls the knife away from you but not letting go. “Your turn.” you realized that the knife is at the tip of the rope that tied your hands. You swallow a lump gathering your thoughts.

“Are you a killer?Didyou – 

He placed the knife on your lips again. You try not to tremble so much but the cool surface of the blade that was going to bite the skin of your lips made you think otherwise one way or another.

“We agreed to one question at a time with each other. To answer your question, you could say that I am, but it depends on the situation, I spared you, didn't I?” 

You nod. 

“And If you’re going to try to bend our rule, No, I didn’t kill all those civilians, only Genghis Khan’s gangs that attacked yesterday, that’s all.”

He lightens the pressure of the knife on your lips. You held your breath when he made eye contact with you, a gaze that intends to kill you or contemplate on it. His eyes unblinking and never leaving yours. A voice at the back of your head kept alarming you, that the knife he is holding right now is yours. It will not help you anyway, except pointing out an irony. 

He then asks: “Did anything else happen before the shooting?” he lifts the knife from your lips once more. 

The knife hovers near your eye but it is not as close as the first question. You recount the events(even though you actually don't want to) answer his question.

“Well, I was waiting for the train, and then I think I saw my old friends from school, wanted to go say hi, then I saw, like a familiar face sneaking, at the edge of the station…?” 

The knife got closer to your eye. “Wait, no, no, I’m serious. – Then all of a sudden I heard, like a big thud behind me, and then the train past by fast, the window was all in red and it stopped like a brake then, the gangs came out shooting – That’s all I know, – It’s all know, I swear.” 

“Hmm,Your turn.”

“Are you in a gang?”

“No, Just me, alone.”

He cut the rope that tied your legs instead of your hands. Your vision spun as he forced you to lay on your back while his grip was still tight on your tied hands. The mutant was on top of you, his legs between either side of your body, straddling you, with the other hand gripping your hair behind your head, forcing you to look at him and bring you closer to his face  –  You answered his question and why – Did you do something wrong?! You can't tell what this mutant is thinking.  

It happened so fast, you prefer he threatened to gouge out your eye using your scissors. Not whatever position he forced you in now! He leaned into your ear and spoke in a hush tone, almost like a mix of husky-like and his voice slightly deeper compared the tone in two questions.

“This hooded person, What do they look like?”

You shook your head along with your voice as well “No, I didn’t get to really see it. I only see that they wore an oversized black coat, can’t tell if it’s a human or mutant, That’s it.”

He then pulled away from your ear, locked eyes with you. You swallowed a lump, mustered all your strength to ask for the last time but this time, you spoke before your mind could think of something sensible.

“Are you going to kill me now?” Your voice shakes when you utter it. 

At this point, you are not able to muster up a question, you just want him to leave you alone. This mutant turtle is your hunter and you are his prey. The plan you had before you slept by accident, completely assed. 

What were you thinking trying to outsmart your hunter? The chase is nothing compared to this. He is not only fast but two steps ahead of your pathetic plan. Perhaps your death tonight might as well be an act of mercy, better than to live as a survivor no one will ever know. 

You shut eyes, snapped your head from him and held your breath. Your body turns tense when he moves to take the knife on your table, he drags your body, shifting from hovering over where your back is laid on to sitting upright. You embrace yourself when you hear the knife picked up from its spot, the sound makes you jump. Eyes shut but no tear leaked out of you this time, your body tense and trembling as you breathing comes to a halt, trying not to make any sound at all.

It struck your table again. You feel the rough, colloused, leather skinned fingers brushed against your skin, untie the ropes that tied your hands together, brushed slightly against your skin. You catch your breath, as your thumping heart slowly subdues, You rub your hands at the marks around your wrist. The turtle sighs as he picks up your knife and scissors in his hand. 

“I told you, only if you tell anyone about me or the incident, then, I'll kill you. If you don't just live like normal.” He glanced at your knife and scissors in his hand then to you. ‘I'm actually only here to interrogate you about that night, before it happened, but since you foolishly try to even hurt me, I don't think I'll leave you alone.’’

‘’Please, please, I’m sorry. I won't do it again,’’ You swallowed a lump. ‘’I didn't tell anyone about you or that incident so please, just leave me alone.’’ Your quiver again, your body froze on the spot and you only curl your body when the mutant box you on either side. You held the tears that threatened to spill and your eyes at his predatory ones. 

“You should be grateful that your own little plan to hurt me failed, otherwise,’’ He leaned into your ear, he spoke in a hush tone. ‘’I'd have already killed you just now.’

He was about to kill you?! 

You would scream insults at him, but your body instinctively knew that he would kill you in an instant if you did. You still cling to life even if you were going to accept your end just a few seconds ago.  He pulled away from you.

“I'll come again tomorrow night.’’ He glanced at the scissors and knife in his hand then he glanced at you. “After this ‘stunt’ you miserably try to pull on me, I have to make sure you don’t try any other stupid idea. And I won’t leave until you're asleep on your bed. Now.”

Your body obeyed him, hurried to your bed and under the covers, burying yourself. You did not hear his footsteps when the mutant snatched your blanket and wrapped his hand around your throat cutting your breath. He hiss.

“Consider this a warning.” He hiss. 

The arm around your throat tightens. You clawed at his arm and his face which you ended up pulling his bandanna. Vision turning black and your body limp then slowly collapses in seconds.

______________________________________________________________

“You do have a fight in you.” Leo mutters. 

You are easy and weak despite your first plan because you slept beforehand, he’ll give you that. If you were a bit tougher it would probably take a bit longer to knock you out. Especially if you had reached his eyes but you were not able to reach it, fortunately. 

He took his mask from your hand and tied it behind his head again. He look at your conscious form and ask himself; 

Why didn’t he kill you that night? He never leaves witnesses, unless they are unconscious or have already fled the scene, victims of the culprit that he targeted. He only did so, if they could give him a good lead, only they would normally be an ally that blends with the civilians, normally, not innocent at all. He always does whatever it takes to get the job done. 

But you, you do not have any lead except that it started when Genghis Khan’s gang jumped off the train and let it crash. You are just an ordinary civilian who happened to survive a terrible incident. If anything, he threatened you so that you would not be able to pin him as a suspect. Not only that, it will alarm his family, his brothers, Raph would be the first to chase, getting all three of them off his back – most difficult. He does not want to go through that again.

 About the person or mutant in the thick black coat that you mentioned – he would not call that a clue. If you had seen their face or a prominent anatomy, it might have been. Both hands wrapped around your knife that he held now. 

He hovered over you, the knife inches from your neck. You know too much, what he said to you, you obeyed, he knows it but he has a feeling that you will be a thorn in his side, one day–maybe, either way he is not taking that chance. His hands started to tremble just as the tip of the knife got closer to your throat.

A pair of hands reaching out to embrace Leo from the dream flashes to him. How you looked up to him when you stumbled upon him, and your blood smeared face. It awakened an unfamiliar feeling in him.  

Leo got off your bed, pulling your blanket over you and left through the window. As he looked at the window to your room over the building one last time then the remaining rope in his hand. 

“In one week, then I’ll figure out what to do with you.”

[angie-j-kay]

FLAT BROKE VOL. 3 is now LIVE!

We are so very almost done with this move! The husband and I are formally into our new home, and we've only got a few scraps left to get shifted over here, but the wifi doesn't connect for four more days. No wifi means no printer at home, and I won't have access to one until tomorrow. That's not stopping me, though. The March issue of Flat Broke is now LIVE!

In this issue, we discuss Circle of Hope Church, who organized teams to "Annihilate" bad credit card debt by sharing finances and tackling the problem as a unified front. We also talk about guerrilla gardening, a totally illegal thing that you should never ever do no matter how easy it is to grow free food for your community. 😉 There's also a recipe for yogurt, because why pay stupid amounts of money for a crappy store product when you can make it on your counter for damn near free?

If you download the free PDF set, you get a copy that's made for reading on basically whatever device you like. You can get that here: https://ko-fi.com/s/316b1b7386

If you want to help support this zine so that I'm not paying for the paper and ink all by myself, you can order a physical copy to be shipped to you for $3: https://ko-fi.com/s/4318fce8c2

You're also always welcome to browse my Ko-Fi store for other zines, as well as pinback buttons: https://ko-fi.com/squeesquaredstudios/shop

Thank you for all of the support you've shown us! I'm gonna keep this zine going for as long as I can. Spread the post as far and wide as you like, and let's support everyone who's as broke as we are!

I'm gonna tag @hopepunk-humanity, because I think you guys might like this. Also @orangezines, on the off chance that you see it.

[kari-go]

Don't know if you've mentioned it before, But which akumas are you keeping in your AU?

I already did but! considering I'm changing around the timeline again because I realized some stuff didn't make sense (like why is Gato there during Wishmaker, he's gone at that time lol) this is more of a ramble than an actual coherent post sorry

SO,

Stoneheart, Akuma!Juleka (still no name lol), Reverser, Bubbler, and Stormy Weather happen in that order. I don't think I'm gonna change this because this has been the same in almost every version of the timeline I have made so far.

I also have some plans for Befana, Ikari Gozen, Syren, Pharaoh, Collector, "Frozer", and whatever Dark Cupid's name will be. I am like 95% sure these will appear (because they're important, a new miraculous appears in 3, technically 4, of these and I also just like angst lol by that I mean there's angst in 2 of these xd)

I want to include Lady Wifi, Style Queen, Wishmaker, Gigantitan, Vanisher, Mr Pigeon, Copycat/Pixelator (I won't do them separately, only one of those), Gamer (I just think it would be really funny if Stephan beat Max at a game he's never played (I also figured out how it can make sense!)), Sandboy (literally the akuma that made this au, the ending is actually more important to me than the actual akuma lol).

I also have an urge to make Prime Queen happen but that would just be me being really fucking petty so I don't think I'll do it. it would be purely self-indulgent cringe

I'm unsure (because of previous importance or an interesting concept that's too good to abandon or I just haven't thought of it much further) about Anansi, Rogercop, Sapotis, Zombizou, Evilustrator, Princess Fragrance, Horrificator, Reflekta, Silencer, Puppeteer, Animan, Mime, Weredad, Lies, and Kwamibuster.

Definitely (or I'm not planning it) won't happen and why:

Riposte, Oni-Chan - Kagami just wouldn't let herself get akumatized lol we stan

Guitar Villain - No Jagged stuff

Captain Hardrock - she just doesn't make sense with the rules I fear :(

Chameleon - Lila gets akumatized once (maybe twice but it's definitely not this one nor Volpina)

Bakerix, Kung Food - ew no

Malediktator - Andre gets akumatized as Wishmaker instead, he also looks fucking stupid lmao

Catalyst, any group akumas, Robostus, akumatized sentis - doesn't make sense with the rules

Christmaster, Frigtingale, Party Crasher -I'm just not feeling it bro, I should also rename Chris to something different (probably not Noel what the hell)

Timetagger - no fucking time travel please

Miracle Queen - Chloe would not do that shit

Cat/Gato Blanc - even though this was the thing that started this au (paired with Sandboy) no. I don't like it, it makes no sense, it's horrible

any Zoe akuma - no Zoe

Santa Claws - Santa isn't real

If some of them aren't here, they're probably not gonna happen or are undecided because I forgot about them xd

[moreespressoformydepresso]

So I've been thinking about my criticism of Mal and the way her character was handled, and what really sticks out to me is how easy it is to fix. Just a few simple changes and she'd have been okay. At the very least meh! So I'm gonna share some ideas I have on how her hacked up character could have been made not terrible.

I could start with Descendants 3, as that's the one I have the biggest gripes with, but honestly the issues start in the second movie. In an unnecessarily avoidable way. See, the whole conflict of the movie happens because Mal decides to go back to the isle in a complete overreaction. I could just say that Mal should have just... talked to her friends and boyfriend rather than leaving on a whim over being stressed, but that ignores the actual problem. Mal being so overwhelmed isn't written as a genuine conflict, it only exists because the writers needed her to go back to the isle so Uma can kidnap Ben once he follows after her. And the only reason she does this is because Ben didn't follow through on his declaration beyond the first four kids. It's a plot contrivance. So rather than erasing the whole second movie...

Have characters remark on Mal not being princessly enough. Like- at all. The only person who actually seems to think Mal isn't handling this well is Mal herself. And that's seemingly only because she's using magic. So have big important Auradonians behave the way Audrey and Chad did in the first movie. Have them be like queen Leah, assuming the worst just because of who her parents are. Even an implication would be better than what we have right now. Give her actual reasons to feel like she'll never belong in Auradon, because everyone feels like they don't belong at one point in their lives. That's no reason to abandon literally all of her loved ones forever.

Now that we're done fixing Mal's character in the second movie with one small change, let's get to the final boss of her character assassination: Descendants 3. A true speedrun, I know. There is... so much wrong with this movie. Just so much. I won't go into the nitty gritty and keep it to the bigger strokes of stupidity, starting with the easiest thing that would make Mal so much less insufferable in this stupid movie. Mal should not have suggested closing the barrier. In my post about her I think I did a good job at outlining just how many other solutions there were to this non-problem, but honestly it's not even an issue. Hades didn't even get out, and I would like to point out that they get on and off the isle with no problem within this very movie. They start the movie on the isle, and they got on no issue. In the first movie the villains get the message about the kids going to Auradon, and since there's no wifi it must've been delivered. Then the kids get taken off the isle. No trouble at all, and that's with only that chauffeur. No guards, no guns trained at people's faces, nothing. Things don't go perfectly once and Mal's first thought is close the whole thing down? Yeah, no, that's so fucking dumb I don't even wanna argue with this. Mal is being a massive bitch to solve a problem that doesn't even exist, and it's stupid. Just a contrived way to get Mal alone for the dRaMa. The way to fix it is to just erase this entire conflict because it's stupid.

If you insist on keeping it in... Mal should not lie to literally everyone in her life except Ben. And they should not forgive her that easily. Even after the big battle is done her friends should, at the very least, continue giving her the cold shoulder. One apology is not gonna fix the fact that she lied continuously for purely selfish reasons. There is no big noble goal that made her do this, she very explicitly wanted to keep her own happily ever after with no regard as to the many lives she was ruining in the process. And she only lied about it because she knew her friends would be mad about it. If she thought it was a defendable decision, she'd be defending it, but no. This implies that her reasoning is bullshit, but she's doing it anyways because it's the most effective way of ensuring her own happiness. Not the only way, just the one with the most certain outcome.

Lastly, Mal should not just bring down the entire barrier. As much as I bitch about her stupid solution to a non-issue, the isle is still filled with vengeful evil villains. The message of the movie is, supposedly, that anyone can be evil, but this utterly fails due to multiple reasons that I may detail in a separate post. The most the movie should've led to is Auradon bringing a few lesser villains back over, but the big bads? They're there for a reason, and they should not be given the opportunity to hurt even more people. People aren't born evil, but once you choose to be there's gotta be some consequences. Pendulum swinging because of exactly one instance is wrong and stupid and stupid and wrong, because you should base your decisions on the rule, not the exception.

So yeah those are some quick fixes to the most glaring issues with this series that would've made Mal less of a frustrating mess. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[thecoolestlei]

My short story from class bc why not:

Six redlights stand between me and the day I've been looking forward to for the past seven years. There has been talk of a new promotion and I heard from a very reliable source this past week that it's for my position. I've been working my hands to the bone for this firm for almost half a decade with no appreciation so it's more than fair. I got my own office two years ago but after that, there has been no momentum in my professional life.

In the lane beside me, a lumber truck pulls up slightly past me. I watched Final Destination as a teenager but I never quite understood the fear of log trucks. They're strapped down and secured. In fact, my father used to work for a lumber company and after the movie came out he ranted for hours about how unlikely it is and so on. I guess that eased any fear I'd ever have of them.

Still, the way one of the logs moves rapidly in the wind does give my stomach a tad twist. But I'm just being silly; it's just the transfer of my nerves for later that's giving me such a childish fear. I'll just focus on the road passing me by and everything will be alright.

On the left of me is the local university, Froidreach Educational Institution; a white-brick building that shades a large distance of the roadway. I attended for a few semesters fresh out of high school before transferring to a college out of state. When people ask why I transferred, I typically say it was due to a better program for my major, but really I'd had a falling out with my parents and wanted to get as far away from my hometown as possible. Reluctantly, I returned once I graduated but I still don’t speak to them frequently. Only on holidays and my birthday; they call me.

That log is still shaking.

It's fine, I'm just psyching myself out.

But it's moving a lot.

The wind must have picked up. That's all.

But what if it-

It does.

I have to swerve my car, barely missing a light post. I floor my breaks, now on the side of the road. Cars passing me by make my vehicle shake. I'm alive? Good God, I'm alive.

In my rearview mirror I can see the nearly eighteen foot log laying across the highway behind me. It must have flown over my car due to the wind. I don't necessarily care how it happened, as long as I'm all in one piece.

The driveway for the firm is a few feet away from where I unwillingly parked. Slowly I merge back onto the road and turn in. The parking spot designated for me is taken by a beat up pick up truck that doesn't match the nice SUVs and sport cars in the other spots. I take a photo of the sign in front of the parking place, "Reserved for Roy Martin; senior management director”, and send it in the workplace group chat with the following message, "Who parked in my spot lol?”

But it won't go through. Stupid WIFI.

Scanning my nametag at the door lets me in and an error message flashes before the door unlocks. They must have already put the promotion in the security system.

"Morning everybody,” I call out to the nearly empty office. No one says anything back.

Inside the break room, where I go to grab my coffee, a new person sits at the table in the corner. She has bright red hair that flows down her back and curls to frame near her face. She wears a dark grey pants suit and drinks from a mug.

"Hello?” I greet.

She smiles, "Hey.” She sets her mug down.

“I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?” I pause to give her a second to respond but she just looks at me like she's collecting words. So I add more in hopes that I didn't come off rude, "Did they transfer you here from a different branch?”

“Uh, yeah. Something like that.” She blinks, looking me up and down. “Ethel Parcae.”

She extends her hand for me to shake. It's icy.

“It's nice to meet you.” I turn back to the cabinets. I start opening all the drawers looking for advil; I have a killer headache. No luck.

With my coffee I retreat to my office. My desk is littered with framed photos of my friends and my family; it reminds me that they're still there if I want to bridge our gaps.

My computer won't turn on. Of course not. Just my kind of day. I sigh and walk to my office door, planning on looking for someone in the IT department to help but before I can, the door opens in my face.

“I saw you struggling through the window,” Ethel Parcae points to the window in the wall of my office, facing the breakroom. "Thought I would help.”

“Oh, alright.” I walk with her back over to my desk and press the power button once again. This time it…works? “Would you look at that…” I look up at Ethel who is now holding an old family portrait.

“This is your family?” She asks but it comes out as more of a statement. “You talked to them recently, Roy?”

“I…well no, not recently.” I sputter. "Wait, how do you know my name?”

My phone rings. My mom.

“That's them now.” Ethel whispers as she looks around my office. I let it ring out.

Another call. My dad.

“How do you know this? You're starting to freak me out.” I laugh nervously.

“I'm so sorry, Roy.” She doesn't look at me. “It's almost time to-” Her phone rings.

She answers it quickly.

"Hello? Yes…I know…yes, sir…we're on the way.” She says. "Come with me.”

She grabs my arm and I'm in such a daze that I follow. I'm dragged out to my reserved parking spot with the pick up truck. She gets in the driver's seat and motions for me to get in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” I squeak.

“To see the Big Man.”

“The who?” I grip the handle on the roof tightly.

“The what.” Ethel responds with a solemn nod, and we pull out onto the road.

The truck isn’t even on.

I'm tripping on something; I have to be. I must have mixed my morning medication with the wrong probiotic. There's no way this is happening.

Ethel turns up the radio: Highway to Hell by AC/DC. She looks over at me and smiles slightly.

“This is in poor taste, I apologize. But it’s the only station we get.” She takes a turn leaving us a few feet away from police lights and a crowd of cars.

“What’s that?” I ask, stretching my neck to look out the window.

“This is when you can ask who’s that.”

Oh God.

The truck pulls up farther, somehow squeezing through parked cars that she shouldn’t fit through, so we’re right beside a smashed SUV. An eighteen foot log extends through the windshield, middle of the driver's seat, and part of the back seat.

“It’s time to say goodbye.” Ethel parks the car.

“Is that me?” I can barely hear myself. “No it can’t be, I’m right-” I raise my hand to touch my chest but it just goes through. “But I drove to work, I made coffee this morning, my parents called me?”

“Your spirit has realized it’s time is up; you were running on built up fuel.”

“My parents. They still think I hate them.” I try to pull the door handle but it won’t budge. “I can’t die like this. I never did all the things I’m supposed to do. I have a girlfriend, I was going to propose. We have a dog named Rupert, will he think I abandoned him?”

“The Big Man will answer all of your questions, Roy, but now it’s time to go.” She places her hand on my arm.

“Is the Big Man God? Or the universe? What am I going to face?” I gasp, tangling my fingers in my hair.

“To be completely honest with you, I don’t get paid enough to know. I’ve never seen the afterlife, I just take you from point A to point B.” Ethel explains as she taps on the steering wheel. “Are you ready?”

“Wait, one last question then I’ll go,” I pause to think of what I want my last question to be. “Will it hurt?”

“Only your soul.” She whispers before patting my shoulder. The car finally cranks up.

3 days in the afterlife… ~6 months later on Earth

I visit my grave a lot. It gives me peace I suppose. My girlfriend stopped coming to the grave site about 3 months in. She’ll open the car door and let Rupert lay on my headstone but she doesn’t get out.

My mom stops by every Monday. My dad goes every Friday.

Today I watch from a distance, sitting on a bench shaded by a tree, as my mom replaces the flowers. She has gotten frail, though I suppose she’s been that way, I just never saw her. Her thin hands delicately fix the leaves and petals.

I must’ve been out here watching her for almost an hour on Earth when I heard breathing beside me.

The same red hair. No pants suit, this time a shaggy sweater and linen pants. It’s what fits my mom’s soul best.

“Her time?” I ask quietly. My voice cracks but she doesn’t say anything about it.

“Yes.” She nods.

“Can I know how?” I turn to face Ethel.

“Stroke. She won’t make it to the cemetery gate.”

“She’ll die beside the person she gave life.” I say. After a second I laugh breathily. “Take care of her on her trip. She never liked car rides.”

“I’ve already got it handled.” She smiles back, a mix of pity and understanding.

[bogkeep]

look i just need to write a big venty post about petty problems it's fine

i COULD write this in a private journal but in the interest of saving my wrists im just gonna yell at my public blog aggretsuko style!!!!! like i'm. a little worried that i'm extra angry and irritated at everything since i started on T, but i also feel like i'm just currently wading through a curse of a thousand cuts and i'm just reaching maximum capacity okay. like these are all small petty things, nothing is going to ruin my life, people experience far worse things all the time everywhere i'm just so SICK of trying to do so much and ending up wasting my time and money and energy all the time constantly!!!!!!!!!!!

i already complained about how much stress having legally moved to sweden has caused me and how i can't get my travels to the evil gender clinic reimbursed and a bunch of other annoying problems, and how i had to do so many stupid annoying phone calls - phone calls are FINE but they're only available within very specific working hours and it's so fucking annoying if you're at school or work and like!!!!!!!! i need to take time off to make a private phone call!!!!!!!!! and then all the times i had to follow up on goddamn fucking gender clinic just to get ANY help with the thing they PROMISED ME, and just today i sent them ANOTHER message just to make sure that thing is GOING ANYWHERE AT ALL............. and then calling my phone provider AGAIN and being told to send them ANOTHER EMAIL!!!!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED LAST I SENT THEM AN EMAIL (because that's what they told me to do when i called them the first time). I GOT TOLD TO CALL THEM!!!! FUCKING HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WON'T YOU LET ME OUT OF THE TORMENT NEXUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm almost out of mobile data and i can't top up on it because ONLY THE OWNER OF THE SUBSCRIPTION CAN DO THAT. DO YOU KNOW WHO THE OWNER IS???? MY DEADNAME!!!!!!!! IT'S ME EXCEPT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!! FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

and do you know why i'm almost out of data!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! because the room i'm staying in has such garbage wifi connectivity i need to turn off the wifi to do anything on my phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like the shitty tall bed is a no-wifi zone!!!!!!!!! i can't believe this is happening. i haven't run out of mobile data in YEARS like what the FUCK is going on. what kind of data drain goblin is drinking all the internets in my phone!!!! and YES i checked the data spending stats and it makes no sense WHY IS THIS HAPPENING. im hoping that if my email to the phone provider is sad wet and pathetic enough they'll gift me some free data for being sent back and forth like a goddamn ping pong ball.

do you know who i want to give a call though. the norwegian post. if their phone queue wasn't like 23583249843298 people i would like to ask them very kindly WHY THE FUCK DID THEY BILL ME 80 FUCKING KRONER FOR SENDING A POST CARD. IT WAS 3 PITIFUL GRAMS OVER THE STAMP LIMIT. LIKE I KNOW I'M TECHNICALLY IN THE WRONG BUT IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE I FORGOT THAT NORWAY HAS A LOWER LIMIT THAN SWEDEN AND I JUST. AUGUHGHHG I WANTED TO SEND MY FRIENDS A **POST CARD** AND A CUTE STICKER!!!!!!!! but i decided on not calling them because i don't want to spend 1.5 hours waiting to speak to someone just to complain about a fine that was earned even if unfair. but then. AND THEN. the holy grail of spiteful petty frustrations.

i decided to purchase an Item. but in the attempt of not getting a thing tied to Bad Monopoly Corporation i purchased a different thing from Another Bad Monopoly Corporation. WHICH WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE. NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!!! then the Item is sent to the post office super far away and it's such a hassle getting there and it kinda sucked but okay. normal day for me i guess! but then it turns out the Item doesn't even WORK because it's FUCKING REGION LOCKED. AND IT WASN'T GONNA DO THE THING I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DO ANYWAY. BECAUSE BAD MONOPOLY CORPORATION HAS A MONOPOLY ON THE FUNCTION I DESIRED!! HAHA!! OKAY COOL fine i get to return the item and get my money back right??? right. right!!!! so when i finally have access to a printer i print out all the custom slips and return slips and just all the things!!!! okay!!!!!! and i send it off!!!!!! okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT THEN IT GETS RETURNED TO ME!!!! BUT TO SWEDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE I WAS STUPID AND WROTE MY SWEDISH ADDRESS AS THE RETURN ADDRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THEY RETURNED IT BECAUSE THE CUSTOMS SLIP WAS WRONG?????? was it because i put it on the back of the envelope??? the post office people said it was fine :(((((( post office people stop getting me in trouble 2k24!!!!!!!!!!! i intended to call the post customer service about it because im so tired of everything being a money drain and i want to know why they did this and im just so frustrated with everything going fucking wrong but. what do i even say. i don't think i have it in me to wait in an hour long queue when i can only call during the hours i'm at my watchmaker placement :(((((( the strength has left my body and i'd like to cry instead thanks

anyway i contact customer service for Bad Monopoly Corporation like hey i sent it off but it got returned and im out of town can you pretty pretty please extend the return deadline. but because Bad Monopoly Corporation probably only gives their customer service workers negative two seconds to read emails they didn't even respond to my email they were like "follow these steps to return your item :)" three times before they actually replied to me and told me they can't extend the deadline. fucking fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i get my landlord to do it!!!!!!!!!!! VERY COOL NOT HUMILIATING AT ALL. HOPEFULLY IT GOES THROUGH THIS TIME OR IM GOING TO EXPLODE INTO A MILLION BILLION PIECES FOREVER

also i purchased a can of sparkling water at a bar the other day and it cost 60 kroner :((((((((((((( that's like 6 americadollars. i think that's evil actually

[oodles-of-noodles]

"head"canons of my fav oc fam

i made this for myself and then realized i should post it here, so if nothing makes sense, that's why 👌

so mark and ilsah are rich, and they get government privileges (they're also. um. covert operatives that need to travel abroad for their jobs)

this also means lots of vacation time to COOL PLACES TOO WITH THEIR DAUGHTER

but work first:

so before mark gets his leg chopped off 💀 he's out in the field a lot more often

and from age 22-27, ilsah is his partner

the aga is like, pretty rich? i just like imagining money idk, it'll never be tangible for me sooo imagining it is! 😭🙏

(i'll make some info posts somewhere about all the atlas government things but the AGA is the biggest, i'm not gonna tell you what it stands for yet because it's very very very very very very silly)

that said, if they're taking a more public route (a typical plane) they're just That Fancy that the aga will give them (on international flights) business class privileges

so bros having a good time... idk 🤷‍♀️ living the dream

they sit in those little pod things, and ilsah always likes having it closed because girl likes her privacy (she also sits at the window all the time) but mark likes having it open to see what ilsahs watching on her tv 😭

*gasp* "is that crazy rich asians?"

"no?? it's literally-"

"let's watch crazy rich asians"

it's honestly *their* tv instead of *her* tv (mark has his own?? he just doesn't use it???)

a lot of their flight is taken up with calls and plans though, bros look over operation plans and work overtime to find cracks so that they won't have as many when the time comes (works better if they're on an aga private jet, with its own fancy wifi)

or at least, they say they're looking over the plans, in reality ilsah is helping mark FAIL at online poker

she's literally sabotaging him she's like "yea this"

and the next thing they know he's lost his life savings /j

"well why were you betting with your life savings on a game you don't even know how to play?"

"i like to live life on the edge"

"your 'edge' is stupidity"

at the beginning of their partnership, ilsah scolds mark for playing poker when they should be working,

but over time she's grown more comfortable because mark always seems to know what he's doing in the field (he's been doing this a lot longer than she has) and she *had* to trust him

or maybe she just gave up tryna stop him because bro was relentless

ilsah can't sleep on planes, there's something about it that's just so uncomfortable and vulnerable.

mark on the other hand? he likes being rocked to sleep by the tuberlance lol

....how do you spell turbulance

i give up, anyway

when marks not playing poker or actually looking over the mission plans or bribing ilsah into watching something, he's sleeping

he doesn't see the reason in staying up on a plane, cus his mindset is always to have energy when he gets off

but ilsah doesn't work like that lol

doesn't matter how long the flight is, 9, 12, 15, 19 hours, girl won't sleep

it's not necessarily because she doesn't want to? it's just because

1. theres always too much happening (she's a light sleeper)

2. she's uncomfortable (doesn't matter how rich, planes are still planes dude)

3. she's worried abt the upcoming mission

(mark can tell when this is happening

he claims that ilsah gets into a special mode of anxiety

the type of anxiety that manifests by drinking tons and tons and tons of coffee

and being rude

and mark knows how to spot this type of her anxiety in an instant)

(he typically lets her handle it on her own, he's worked with her long enough to know that she has to be the one to get herself out of these snits)

is snits a real word

like he's still there if she needs him, but her way of needing him in this anxiety is for him to stfu

mark doesn't understand plane food, he's just quirky about it

ilsah doesn't really either? but i mean she just doesn't eat it cus she thinks it's poisoned

real girl, if i were a spy? yea real

mark is just quirky about it, he just doesn't like it lmfaooo

but ilsah does always take anything that's packaged, like little biscuits or pretzels something.

she'll put them in her bag and then whenever they're remote and away from bases and safe spaces she'll just take out the package and... munch

she's done this like 15 times in the 5 years they've known each other and mark never loses his surprise

"you're eating a chocolate biscuit"

"you shouldn't be surprised atp"

"people were just shooting at us-"

"field snack"

and mark would just go ".....reasonable, slay"

but back to the actual plane time lol i strayed away

and then i lost my train of thought

so i guess ill pause here and family time will come later

i love this fam sm (AND YOU DIDNT EVEN MEET MILLIE 😭😭😭😭😭)

you will, one day

trust

so like, i *could* do an intro post on these guys, but i think exposing you to them in the most unfiltered unhinged and just.... niche... way possible is the best way to go <3

[wings-of-flying]

can't watch bitb trailer rn. 10 dead, 348 injured.

[rphelperblog]

Outer Banks Rp Meme

inspired by @multistoty @etherealrps @kierras @kookbled @pogueframed @cfknights @jaymaybnk and @sulsurfer

“Don’t worry, I will sugar mama you.” 

"You might end up in the lions den, but you don't go there on purpose."

"You know what I was thinking, let's get married."

"I'd rather die than be without you."

You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

"Here is a fun fact. Everyone you know will die."

"Its a good thing we are on a secret mission. We shouldn't even be using our real names."

"Momma's mad."

"I'd rather die than go to jail."

"Didn't you play baseball?"

"UntilI see a body, I won't give up."

"That was a good, dad joke."

"You want to make our own incriminating evidence? Is that what your talking about?"

"Denial's underrated. You should try it some time."

"It's only denial if your wrong."

“Not much of a hugger, man.”

"He's got the survival instincts of a cockroach."

"You hang out with trash, you get dirty."

Mild kelptomanic, future tax cheat."

They always, always win."

"Stupid things have good outcomes all the time."

"I can't pretend either."

"I'd for sure put his skull in the ground, but I am not like a jealous guy, so I don't care."

"This is your captain speaking."

"You love being seen with me, but you don't love me."

"When people get close to me, i feel trapped. I bail and I blame them for it."

Definitely, the weirdest summer of my life. But its not the end, its the beginning."

"I can't let you take the blame for something I did. You have too much to lose."

"I was on the math team."

"Love is five minutes of pleasure for a lifetime of pain."

"You aren't gonna just walk away like nothing happened?"

"You're so careful."

"Wars have been started for less."

"I'm stuck. You are gonna rip me."

"I'll be so safe."

"I'll pay you back."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"I look like I got kicked out of a barbershop quartet."

"You guys, not everything is a kingpin movie."

"We have one earth. We should give it 100 percent bare minimum."

The thing about hell is there is always another one below."

"Hey, do you remember when you kissed me?"

"Mold is good for you. It's a natural organism."

"This is war. They hit us. We hit them."

"What if I am not okay?"

"Why are you so weird?"

“Look, love just walked in, okay.”

"I already am who I am."

"Be safe."

"Back in the friend zone."

the WiFi’s not working. I can’t post anything.”

"I got a jet going straight to my butt right now."

"Dude, did you just yeet over that chain?"

"You look like I have never seen a boy in underwear before."

"I have a brother. Get your head out of the gutter."

"It might be storming now, but it can't rain forever."

Life is all fun and nothing not."

"Pentagon- we have safety clearance."

"I can't give up the hunt man."

"Oh my god, have you seen this shirt? Its 190 dollars."

"Stop barking at the snakes."

"And to quote the hobbit , 'down down to goblin town, you go, my lad."

Keep running you mouth and I'll come knock our J crew looking ass out."

"Its a little toosie roll."

"Buck? Whats a buck?"

"yeah, you have a death compass."

You listen to me alright. I'm coming for you."

Biggest pet peeves? Easy, giving one percent to the environment."

"Imagine if you get really old and your nipples and your boobs get really saggy and you have their eyes there and you can see if your shoe is untied."

"You powerpuff girls have a lot of fun."

"Not all of us can afford the unlimited plan."

"One last mission and I am out of this dirty dirty game."

[silvermuffins]

NieR:Automata: oof, been a hot minute

Let me hit up two big topics before we dive in, for the maybe five people who will read this and the one of you who was awaiting this but already knows the deal: Firstly, the five month absence of anything from me was the result of work getting super busy (STOP MAKING YOUR MOVIES TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG, HOLLYWOOD, NOBODY ACTUALLY WANTS THAT). My other hobbies also got busy. And, well, both getting the PS4 going and liveblogging as I play games took more spoons than I was left with. Things are finally kind of chill again, at least for now, AND the two cats who pilot my meaty contraption actually agree on what to do, so here I am! Secondly, my laptop's keyboard is kind of fucky and some specific keys ain't workin' right. They are: A D B N X , . / - and enter. We may see some typos, folks! Or some completely incomprehensible bits, won't that be fun!

ANYWAY, let's get into it!

haven't even started the game, have no memory of where i'm at so we're just gonna Go

man i need a less awk setup

oh right fuck i got new internet and need to hook my ps4 up to it

hot damn i actually remember the new wifi password. doot doot updates and shit, probably shoulda done this before i started the post but you know what, I have never once in my life not been a disaster so why would i suddenly start now

okay NOW we Go

see if i even remember how to play

probably not

i have sidequests to turn in!

gee this map really is a lot bigger than i got to explore the first time through the game....hmmm

being friends with the meeses now really do be like "/walks out of vending machine" "/suddenly, MOOSE"

this leadup suggests either i am going to have to fight Jackass or she is going to explode me

i am pretty sure there is lore somewhere in this game as to why there is no day/night cycle but fuck if i have found it

found the Cruel Blood Oath! I am excited for this sword purely because my bestie and I used it for something in some of our secret fandom shenanigans--

i feel like this "project gestalt" is going to be relevant somehow

anyway i found jackass and it feels weird because i think even without the whole....alternate runthrough thing we've technically met her before

9S sweetheart please don't try to lie, you're bad at it

speed star wont talk to me which is fine because i suck at his quest anyway

fuck you, sir star

oh right this sidequest was shaping up to make me feel weird in the moral bits, like several others have done

Type-E?

ooooh

oooooooooh

dont like that

creepy chant starts up!

............i have questions about if those she was ordered to kill were really deserters

..............

well. at least she DID pay me.

2B did not confirm she didn't know

time to have a go at Daddy Serves

......i regret typing that but fuck it it's staying in

so he has 10 levels on me but i fight well and have healing items

.....sir are you going to just, have me cutscene kill you, or do i gotta get through another hp bar first?

iiiiiit's the latter

anyway pascal gave me monies thank u pascal

....wait what was i supposed to do to progress plot again? where do i find that out??? is there a main quest tracker somewhere???

literally right on the front of the goddamned menu letty be less stupid

....i don't have much to say to this part, okay, i already did it as 2B

i sorta wish i could find a list of the sidequests that are only completable as 9S? and maybe of the hackable things. just for completion's sake.

my cat really wants snuggles but has something against bent knees so she won't lapcat

forgot a dead machine's head hatches into emil

wha

flashback to the forest king founding....

time to finish off the photographs sidequest! see if this one will make me feel uncomfy in the moral bits,

it did not!

but as usual it was pretty existential

....i am losing steam i think imma call it here tonight

[keyboard-smashed]

The Storm That's Brewing

Summary: they're... not in the alleyway anymore?? whoop

Warnings: kind of not really an argument?

----------

Chapter 8- Let's Go To The Beach

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw sand. Sand. Sand. Sand. And water. The beach? How were they at the beach? And it was light... Morning? What was going on? And where was Roman? Had he hit him?

"You shoot lightning?" Roman exclaimed from behind him.

Virgil sat up and turned to Roman, who was still standing,

"You can teleport?" He retorted.

"Yeah!" Roman shouted.

"Yeah!" Virgil shouted back.

"Fine!" They shouted in unison.

Virgil looked around at the beach again. Luckily there was nobody around, "Anyway, where even are we? And what happened?"

Roman deflated, and sunk to he floor next to Virgil, "I don't know and I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You brought us here! And you covered my eyes so I don't know what happened back there!"

Roman looked around, "Okay I think I know where we are but you will not like my answer."

"How do you know I won't like it? Where are we?" Virgil demanded.

"I know you won't like it because you don't like anything, Incredible Sulk and," He ran a hand through his hair, "We're in Spain."

Virgil scrambled to his feet like he was stood in lava, "Spain? As in Spain Spain?"

"Yes."

"Like Europe's Spain?"

"Yes."

Spain. Virgil collapsed back onto the sand, "So you can teleport."

"Yes."

"So you can teleport us anywhere-- say, for example, our apartment-- and you choose Spain."

"Well I didn't really choose Spain," He said cautiously, "I just kind of panicked. But there are worse places we could be?"

Spain. Europe. Virgil had always wanted to go. Maybe a nice holiday in a few years. Not like this.

Virgil ran his hand through the sand, "Mhm."

"I should be able to return us home in the morning, once I have regained my energy."

Virgil squinted up at the sun, hanging low in the morning sky.

Roman clarified, "Our timezone's morning."

Virgil nodded slowly.

A cold breeze whipped across the beach. A harsh reminder that winter was coming.

"You're shivering," Roman yawned, "We should get inside."

Virgil lifted his hand to confirm that he was, in fact, shivering; although he wasn't sure if it was caused by the cold, shock or just anxiety, "Inside where?"

Cautiously, Roman stood, swaying slightly. He attempted to gather his bearings. In the distance he saw the spire of the town's chapel, meaning there should be a beach house only a minute or so away. His teleportation accuracy wasn't too bad. Not great but not too bad.

"There's a beach house like one minute away; we can stay there."

"Okay," Virgil said, making no attempt to stand.

Roman stood awkwardly for a few seconds. Cautiously, he offered Virgil a hand up.

Virgil accepted the offer without a thought and followed Roman as they began to walk down the beach.

Virgil stared at his feet throughout the short walk, dragging them slightly through the sand. Roman and he walked close, occasionally bumping into one another, but they walked in silence. Virgil didn't know whether the silence was comfortable or uncomfortable; he sure felt uncomfortable but when didn't he?

Roman broke the silence first, "It was much closer than I had expected. My navigational skills truly are sublime."

"Yeah so great that we're in Spain." Virgil mumbled.

Roman huffed, but didn't argue. Out of his pocket, he produced a key which he used to unlock the door to a large, wooden beach house with wide windows. Virgil couldn't see inside the house as the curtains were drawn, but he could tell just from the exterior that the place was expensive. Was it Roman's? Did he carry that key in his pocket all the time? Did they have WiFi? Stupid question, of course they had WiFi. Still, that didn't calm his nerves.

Roman pushed open the door and stumbled in, his usual grace replaced with obvious fatigue.

Roman gestured lazily around the house as he walked through, "Living room- TV is in Spanish. Kitchen- help yourself. Bathroom." Virgil barely had time to take it all in at the pace Roman was going. He gestured to the final two doors in a corridor they'd entered, "My room. Your room. WiFi password is 'Pinnochio'. Help yourself to whatever, seriously. Goodnight." Roman disappeared into his room.

Virgil heard as Roman immediately flopped onto his bed. He opened his own door and ventured into 'his' room. It was clearly a guest room- minimalistic and decorated with very simple blues and grays. Virgil carefully removed his shoes and lay on the bed. He reached into his pocket for his phone. It wasn't there.

Virgil jolted up into a sitting position, "Shit." He checked again. And again. The checked all his other pockets, twice. It definitely wasn't there. Of course it wasn't, he thought, there were so many opportunities he could've lost it. It could be halfway across the world, or buried in sand. Virgil knew his breathing was becoming erratic and looked around frantically for anything with a steady beat to count with. Aha! There was a clock on the wall.

Virgil closed his eyes and listened for the sounds of ticking. They were faint, but present. In for seven ticks. Hold for six ticks. Out for four ticks.

After many ticks, probably several minutes, Virgil's logical thinking came back well enough for him to think productively.

He had a few options: he could go to sleep, because that panick attack had really tired him out, and deal with everything later; he could go search for his phone in an unfamiliar country with no sure way to contact anyone if something went wrong, or risk getting locked out of the house, or he could go wake up Roman.

Virgil was leaning heavily towards the 'go to sleep' option until he thought of his brother. It had been a passing 'what would Patton want me to do?' thought, but it had spurred on a whole string of tangled, non-sensical thoughts. At first he'd been mad that he hadn't thought about messaging his brother straight away. If he'd not arrived at home without saying anything, Patton would be worried sick. That was the last thing Virgil wanted. The thoughts spiralled further from there. He imagined scenarios of Patton in the morning, stressed out of his mind, running frantically around town, getting injured, getting lost... He was wasting time. The clock told him he'd been there an hour. It had only felt like twenty (hell-ish) minutes. Did he blame his anxiety or ADHD for that time jump? Both liked to speed up time and making him feel like he'd missed time. Together they made hell of time management.

Either way, the longer he waited, the higher the chance Patton would worry. That thought prompted him to get off of the bed and leave his room. But where was he going?

Virgil stood in the hallway. Opposite him was Roman's room. He could knock, wake Roman up and borrow his phone. Of course, he'd be disturbing him. And he had been so tired after teleporting them across the globe- God, Virgil still hadn't let that fully sink in- and it felt wrong waking him up after that. Surely he'd be mad. But what was the alternative? Search the beach alone? If it was easy to spot, it surely would've been stolen by now, and if it was buried under the sand who know if Virgil could find it or if it even still worked. Which direction had they even come from?

What would Patton want him to do? What would Patton want him to do?

He closed his eyes and knocked quietly on Roman's door. No response.

He knocked again, louder. This time, Roman sleepily called out, "Yeah?" and then, when Virgil said nothing, added "Come in." Virgil obliged.

Roman's room had the same basic layout as Virgil's, but bore bright reds and accents of gold, rather than the muted colours. Light streamed through a window, showing carefully placed Disney and musical posters plastered the wall above Roman's bed, occasionally accompanied with polaroids, though they were scarce. Not many other personal items seemed to live in the room, other than a couple of books on a mainly empty bookshelf. Logan wouldn't approve.

Roman still lay, mostly asleep, on his back despite Virgil being in the room. Virgil briefly wondered whether he'd imagined Roman telling him to come in, until Roman rolled onto his side and asked, "What's up?"

Virgil shuffled closer towards the bed. "Uh, well, I lost my phone at some point and I, I should really text Patton so he doesn't get worried about me. Could I borrow your phone please?"

Roman remained silent for a few seconds. He may have fallen back asleep, or his mind may be taking a little longer than usual to process everything Virgil had sputtered out, but he eventually held his hand out and... The air grew cold. Virgil's phone appeared in Roman's hand.

Virgil took a step back. He was sure the phone had appeared out of nothing. "How did you-"

"I'll explain later." Roman promised. Very tired."

"Right. Sorry." Virgil said, shifting towards the door. "Goodnight."

Roman yawned, "Phone." and waved his hand around a bit. Virgil mentally slapped himself. His forgetfulness and idiocy was genuinely impressive.

He took the phone from Roman and whispered "Thank you."

Roman grasped his hand as he pulled away. His grip was gentle, but Virgil still flinched at the unexpected contact.

Roman propped himself up lazily with his spare arm and squinted up at Virgil. "Try get some sleep. You look dead. Wear my spare pajamas. Top drawer next to the door."

"It's fine I-"

"Just do it, Barry Grouch, you'll look adorable. And could you close the curtains please?"

Virgil didn't argue. He only just managed to splutter out a quiet "Sure." as he drew the heavy Res curtains shut. He awkwardly grabbed a gray shirt and some black pajama pants from Roman's drawer and finally left the room.

" 'Night." Roman quietly shouted to Virgil after he closed the door. Virgil leaned against the hallway wall and whispered "Goodnight." back. His cheeks burned and his head spun. What had just happened?

He traipsed thoughtlessly back into his room and messaged a quick excuse to Patton, explaining how they'd run into one of Virgil's work friends and crashed at his place, and that Patton didn't need to worry. The phone was low battery, but he didn't care enough to look around for a charger, so Virgil simply texted Patton again saying that he should text Roman if he needed to talk to one of them. Then he switched it off and placed it on the nightstand.

Feeling rather rattled and out of place, but predominantly tired, the small adult changed into his borrowed pajamas. He smelt a faint fragrance of Roman's spray, and those rose candles he always burned. The soft clothes hung off of his slim figure. They weren't actually too much bigger than Virgil's usual pajamas, but his were a size too big anyway. He liked loose fitting clothes more than anything else.

Virgil drew his own curtains shut and slipped under the covers of the bed. Unlike any other night that month, he fell quickly into dreamless sleep.

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Taglist- Imagine

Chapter 1:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 9:

[intxxxicated]

˗ˏˋ ( lee taeyong, 23, cismale, he/him) kim junhee is a 95 line + has been at so!ar entertainment for six years. they are the main rapper, lead danxer and vocalist in the group di-verse. they are known by their fans to be open minded, respectful and protective but they can also be cold-hearted, obsessive and mistrusting. i hope they can make it in this industry.

it took way too long for me to post this intro and i'm sorry oof. if you do want to plot tho, please like this so i can drop by in your ims!

okay, okay let's get this started somehow. i'm excited to finally start, even if it's gonna be slow because i'm going to amsterdam for a few days and yeet idk how it works with wifi and my phone. i'm trying to finish my plot list on the plane but won't make it into an extra page until i'm back home because i won't take my laptop with me. for now tho, let's have some facts about this bub

(sorry about no read more option am on my phone and i'm too stupid for that)

so he's a member of di-verse

main rapper, lead dancer and vocalist

he appears pretty quiet and secretive on tv but he's actually pretty open and talkative when cameras turned off

but oh boy let me tell you, pre-debut he came around a lot

like a lot!!

no one was safe from him, boys, girls, he tried it all even during his trainee days(though not that obvious)

him hooking up with everyone leads to awkward encounters tho

but like he didn't force them into sleeping with him and the morning after he made breakfast and would usually spend the day with them..before he cut contact

somehow no one has exposed that part of his past yet(and he's so thankful for it)

kay, going away from that topic now

he has a pretty bad relationship to his parents

they didn't support him and his dreams so they(his parents and he himself) decided to just cut contact

because they couldn't find a conclusion and junhee does run away when he is overwhelmed

he is so thankful for the fact that he is part of di-verse

also wouldn't try to seduce one of the members because that would be way too awkward

he rather sees them as new family!