#that robot would be out of our house the next minute

[misshazelevers20]

Husband really said I'll choose AI over my own wife 🙃

[archangeldyke-all]

Sevika and reader’s daughter is getting ready to go prom and sevika gives her date a hard time

I absolutely love your work 💓💓💓💓💓

this is so fucking cute. UGH

men and minors dni

sevika cries the night before little fucker's prom. not in front of her, just in your arms that night, silently soaking your pajama shirt as she cries about your daughter growing up.

"she was a baby just yesterday!" she whines. you giggle and press a kiss to her head.

"she's growing up, honey." you say, tearing up too. sevika sniffles.

"oh god, what if she has sex tomorrow night?" she asks. you laugh.

"oh please, like you weren't juggling three girls by the time you were eighteen." you tease her. sevika groans.

"i know, i'm worried she's got my slutty tendencies!" you burst into laughter.

"she'll be fine. at least she can't get pregnant with her little girlfriend." you tease. sevika groans again.

"god, i don't trust that girl one bit." she mumbles. you laugh.

"sev, she's a sweet kid. she obviously adores our girl, you saw her promposal."

your daughter's date to the prom is a sweet, quiet girl, who 'promposed' to her with a big bouquet of her favorite flowers, a bag of her favorite fast food, and tickets to a movie she's been dying to see. she's got your stamp of approval. sevika's is gonna be a bit harder to earn.

sevika gasps in your arms suddenly.

"what?" you ask, panicked.

"fuck, babe, in five years we could be grandmas." she groans. you laugh.

"oh please, you'd love having another baby around."

"not yet!" she cries. "we're too young! she's too young!"

"she might not even want kids, sev."

sevika's silent for a minute, considering this. then, "she fucking better. if she doesn't have one soon, i'm getting you pregnant again. i want another baby." she says. you burst into laughter.

"i don't think that'll work babe, but you can try all you want." you offer, opening your legs around your wife. she grins, her tears gone, and she shoots up to kiss you.

"deal."

the next day, sevika cries on and off from the moment she wakes up.

as you help little fucker do her makeup, sevika stands in the corner sobbing.

as she helps little fucker curl her hair, sevika's tears keep falling onto her head.

when she slips into her suit-- sevika breaks down.

"oh fuck!" she cries, wrapping her arms around your daughter. she groans.

"ma, get her off of me! she's gonna ruin my suit!" your girl wails as she tries to wiggle out of sevika's grip. sevika doesn't let go, not until you pull her away by her ear.

"just wait until your wedding day, kid." you tease your girl. she rolls her eyes, and sevika whimpers.

"why would you say that?" sevika wails, a fresh round of tears bubbling up in her eyes. you laugh and kiss her tears away, and beside you, your little girl gags.

when her date arrives, all of sevika's tears disappear, a glare taking over her features.

the girl pulls up in a car and walks to the door with a bouquet of flowers in her shaky hands.

your daughter is vibrating with excitement as she answers the door and lets her girlfriend in, and it makes you a little emotional. they're so fucking cute.

her girlfriend tries her best. sevika doesn't make it easy.

"i'm so excited to finally meet you mrs. and m--"

"save it." sevika grunts. you elbow her and sevika elbows you back.

your daughter facepalms. "mom--"

"what're your intentions with my daughter tonight?" sevika asks. you bite your lip to keep from laughing at the cringes on your daughter and her girl's face.

"i-- uh-- d-dancing?" she asks. "w-we've got reservations at an italian place after, and there's an afterparty at--"

"afterparty!?" sevika exclaims. you snort and elbow her again.

"i already told you mom!" your daughter whines. "at robby's house-- you know, nerdy robby? robotics club captain?"

sevika's glare lessens, but doesn't dissappear. "nerds can get into just as much trouble as any--"

"sev." you cut her off, shooting her a glance. quit embarrassing our poor kid. you telepathically tell her. she glares at you.

it's my job to embarrass her, it gives her character. sevika's glare responds. you roll your eyes.

"can i get a few pictures of you kids before you go? you look so cute in your matching suit and dress." you say, distracting the teenagers from your wife's glare. your daughter's new beau nods so hard you think her head might fall off her neck. you laugh and guide them outside to pose in front of the flowers in the front garden.

as you snap pictures, sevika hovers over your shoulder the entire time.

your daughter grabs her girlfriends hand, and you can physically feel the way sevika cringes. when her girlfriend rests her hands around your daughter's waist, sevika has to look away. and when they kiss, sevika groans.

"okay! fuck, save it until you're married." she says. you snort.

"when did you become such a prude?" your daughter asks, glaring at sevika. sevika glares back.

"i've always been a prude. i've never had sex in my life. and you shouldn't either." she says. you laugh.

"i heard you and ma going at it this morning in the shower!" your daughter exclaims. you watch in amusement as her date blushes red as a tomato.

"okay!" you interrupt before the poor girl has a heart attack. "you two should get going." you say, walking your daughter and her date toward her car on the street.

her date sprints to the driver's side, slamming the door behind her, sufficiently terrified of sevika, and trying to get away as fast as possible. it makes you laugh.

you and sevika wrap your little fucker up in a big, tight hug before she can slip in the passenger's seat, pressing kiss after kiss to her hair. she giggles between the two of you.

"you guys are horrible." she complains. you laugh.

"hey, that's all mom. i've been a perfectly normal parent all evening--" you try to defend yourself. you're met with twin glares from your wife and daughter.

"you wanted me to!" sevika accuses.

"you barely stopped her!" your daughter shouts.

you laugh. "both of those statements are false!"

your kid groans, and sevika kisses her forehead again.

"call us if you need a ride. i don't care what time it is or where you are-- we'll come get you. and your little girlfriend too." she says.

"i know, mom." little fucker groans.

"and don't drink anything you didn't make yourself!" you say. she rolls her eyes.

"there's not even gonna be alc--"

"here." sevika interrupts her, shoving a dental dam, mini bottle of lube, and a condom into her suit's breast pocket. your daughter scoffs.

"oh, so you're suddenly all 'sex positive' again." she says. sevika shrugs.

"i don't want you having any sex until i'm dead and buried, but if you're gonna do it while i'm still alive, make sure it's safe." she says. your kid groans.

"i know, i know." she grumbles.

"take this." you say, handing her a folded wad of cash. "pay for her dinner tonight-- as an apology for our behavior."

your kid grins. "thanks, ma."

you hug her again, pressing kiss after kiss to her head. you're so distracted by loving on your daughter, that neither of you notice when sevika disentangles herself from your group hug to walk around the car and tap on the driver's side window.

"y-yes miss?" your daughter's date asks wearily as she rolls the window down. sevika glares down at her.

"you take care of her." she says. your daughter looks up from where she'd buried her face against your shoulder to watch their interaction in horror.

"yes ma'am."

"drive the limit. if you drink, or smoke, or do anything-- don't you dare get behind the wheel, you hear me?" she asks. the poor girl nods again.

"y--"

"take this." sevika says, handing the girl another dental dam, condom, and mini bottle of lube. you chuckle, your daughter groans, and her girlfriend's eyes nearly pop out of her head.

"this is so humiliating." your kid mumbles. you giggle.

"hey-- if she sticks around after this, then you know she's a keeper." you tease. your girl snorts.

"mom leave her alone!" she calls.

"you gotta pen?" sevika asks. you watch as the girl scrambles for a pen and paper, handing it to your wife. sevika scrawls something onto the paper, then hands it back. "my number. call if you need anything." she says. the girl gulps and nods.

"oh my god." your kid groans. "she's gonna dump me after this."

you laugh. "no she's not." you say. "when she wasn't cowering in fear 'cause of your mom, the only thing she was looking at this entire time was you. i think you've got her hooked, honey." you say. little fucker melts, a shy smile creeping up her face.

"yeah." she says dreamily. you press a solid kiss to her head, and hug her one more time.

"be safe. but have some fun, yeah?" you ask. she nods at you. "and tell your girl we're really sorry. mom won't always be like this-- it's just how she shows she cares."

"i know."

sevika comes back to wrap your girl in a hug, kissing her again.

"love you, kid." she says.

"love you too." she says, squished between the two of you.

when she finally worms her way out of your arms, she hops into the car and leans over the console to press a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. you grin at the way the girl's look of horror quickly melts, a shy smile taking its place.

"bye!" you call as the car starts up, waving at the girls.

as soon as the car turns the corner, sevika's crying again.

"fuck! she's gonna be in college soon-- what are we gonna do without her annoying ass bothering us all the time?" she asks, crying into your shoulder. you laugh, pressing a kiss to her scalp.

"i've got a few ideas." you say, trailing your hands down to grab your wife's ass. her crying ceases, and she looks up from your shoulder with a cocky smirk.

"oh yeah?" she asks. you giggle and shrug.

"when's the last time we fucked on the couch? or the counter?" you ask. sevika grins, then ducks down to hoist you over her shoulder, running back into the house.

you squeal and laugh the entire way.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3 @ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @leomatsuzaki

[ofmdrecaps]

11/19-20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; David Fane; Samba Schutte; Megan Vertelle; Lindsey Cantrell; Damien Gerard; Dominic Burgess; Hugo Pierre Martin; ShopStands Black Friday Sale; Articles; Fan Spotlight: OFMD means Frames hosted by Ram & Tsutsuya!; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika Gifs.

Hey crew! I wanted to add a bit more but I'm already late and we've got a couple things coming down to the wire! If you wanna get in on the Auntie's Tiny Boats raffle being hosted by @ofmd-buys-boats's raffles you can until 23:59 Thursday 21st November 2024 (GMT) (WHICH IS TONIGHT)! That's not far away! Be sure to submit your entries!

= Rhys Darby =

The gigs just won't stop! Next up is Christchurch AoNZ! Christchurch Tickets

Source: Rhys' Instagram Stories

Rhys is also going to be at The Bell House, Brooklyn NY on Feb 22, and Feb 23! Get tickets at TheBellHouseNY.com

Source: Instagram

Australia Dates are also up! Get tickets at his website! PW: ROBOT for priority.

Rhys is going to be at the London on the 22nd for The Republic of Pirates with Vico, Con, Nathan, and Kristian!

Source: Rhys Darby's Bsky

And if there wasn't enough going on with Rhys:

Also, Final Fantasy XIV won a Clio for Best use of Influencer and Talent -- and by that they obviously mean Rhys!

Source: We Are Royale Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika is super excited about the Moana 2 Maori screening, he's sending out a PSA that you can help sponsor one to help others experience the wonderful Maori language!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi)

Wanna sponsor a screening of Moana 2 in Maori?

Visit watewamedia.nz

Source: Taika Waititi's Instagram

= David Fane =

Just a quick promo video with David Fane and the rest of the Moana 2 crew!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Walt Disney Animation Studios (@disneyanimation)

Source: DisneyAnimation Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

Samba and Damien's new game Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is up for Best Action Game at TheGameAwards! If you've played and would like to give it some love, you can vote for the game amongst others at TheGameAwards.com. (Note: You do need to sign up for an account to vote).

There are still hand signed pictures of Roach available at ShopStands! Get some cool merch and support charities here!

Samba also sent a little reminder to keep that scurvy away with an immoderate use of citrus!

Source: Samba's Instagram

= Megan Vertelle =

One of our fabulous set decorators -- Megan Vertelle was kind enough to help support the @ofmd-buys-boats charity raffle and send us some BTS for Zheng's ship as well!

Source: Megan Vertelle's Instagram

= Lindsey Cantrell =

Our dear Lindsey, who CREATED the tiny boats that are being raffled off in @ofmd-buys-boats's raffle is reminding you that entries end at 23:59 Thursday 21st November 2024 (GMT)! That's not far away! Be sure to submit your entries!

Source: Lindsey Cantrells Instagram Stories

= Damien Gerard =

Our dear Father Teach could use a pick me up, if you have a bsky account and a few spare minutes, would you be so kind as to send him some love? Quotes-- music, photos, anything that brings you joy <3

Source: Damien's Bsky

= Dominic Burgess =

The countdown is on! Our wonderful Jeffrey Fettering will be adding his talents to the new Skeleton Crew show!

Source: Dominic's Bsky

= Hugo Pierre Martin =

Our favorite valet from s1, Hugo Pierre Martin is calling out for some art submissions for his spotify series! "The next season of the audioseries will be called "The Seventh Son." The series will have icons for every episode and I'd like it to be some variation on this ancient symbol: The Oroboros. It can be: - A snake biting its own tail - A dragon biting its own tail - A blue Bunny dragon biting its own tail" Interesting in submitting something/checking out the submissions? Check out his Instagram!

Source: HPM's Instagram

== Stands Black Friday Sale ==

There's still OFMD merch available at shopstands! If you were thinking of picking some of these up this is a great time -- and it's for a good cause!

Source: ShopStands

== Articles ==

More articles about our favorite show, and our Captain talking about his new tour! Thanks so much to @adoptourcrew fand @ofmooshd for keeping us appraised!

Source: Moosh on Twitter

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Our Flag Means Frames - Moonlight Scene =

There's a new frames project hosted by Ram and @tsutsuya on Bsky! Here is the link to the full thread. The deadline will be the 31st of Janurary 2025! -- and you can sign up here! It looks like they've already shared so many frames that there are just some hand frames left so get in while you can!

Contact info:

Email: youwearfineframeswell@gmail.com

@tsutsuya.bsky.social

@panodtortur.bsky.social

Source: Ram's Bsky

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies! There are two things in this issue that are time sensitive and I'm running late as it is so I'm gonna make this short today! You're halfway through the work week if you work weekdays-- you are almost there crew! You can make it! <3 Sending some love notes from others for today <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The New Happy® (@newhappyco)

Source: NewHappyCo Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The New Happy® (@newhappyco)

Source: New Happy Co Instagram

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

I just have to re-share this look they give each other today. Today's gif courtesy of the lovely @captain-flint!

[thisuserislilsilly]

Summary: A Nomad finishes the verse of his past. A Techpriest reclaims his son

Pairing: Temog x Techpriest (Father and son)

Genre: Drama/ bittersweet/ fluff/ wholesome

TW: Crying my eyes out (angst), bittersweet, wholesome reunion. Brain wasn't cooperating in redaction of first part I'm sorry. Long aaaahhh one-shot

Goblin tag squad: @cardinalcanis @finchly-tintinnabulation @artemisareia @echo-of-damnation @meervalv0

@jaghatai-khock @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @druidwolf21

Finishing the verse.

Zirmer looked sideways at his son as he did his calculations on the rhino tanks he had been commissioned to perfect. The boy was sitting in a chair that was too big for him, his legs were swinging endlessly while his whole body was leaning towards the plans his father was looking at and making notes, he was tempted a couple of times to say something to his dad like play ball or play the Emperor's Tarot, in which he always won, to chat for a while and see the hypnotic smile on his father's face. Zirmer finally couldn't hold in his laughter any longer and with an amused look said to his son: ‘Wait a bit will you, I'm almost finished! A few more minutes and you can annoy your old father all you want." ‘But dad this is boring!!! Why don't they put a model 547 instead of that heavy 875, the one I said would be much easier to maneuver and the bumps to the hull wouldn't be so bad!!! Did they give you this just so you couldn't hang out with me so long?’ - The boy said bored pointing with his soft, tender hand to the plans his dad was looking at. Hearing this the adept gasped, he had not expected such a technical comment for the infant's young age, let alone the critical commentary on what a craftsman before him had planned. However, Zirmer didn't want to show any flaws or doubts to his superiors who were about to transform him into a cyber-smith, so he decided to show his anger against his son. ‘What do you know about it, child! How is it possible that after all I have shown you and considering how our Almighty Omnissiah arranges things for us his humble servants, it is unacceptable! My own blood that I love infinitely raising their voice against the plans of a superior! No more games for you today! Lock yourself in your room and do not come out until you have recited five prayers to the Omnissiah for your offense young man.!"

Zirmer took a deep breath, he couldn't believe how angry he had suddenly become at his son, nor did he intend to give him such a great punishment but it was the "necessary thing to do", he told himself. It was necessary to give his beloved a bright future in the Adeptus Mechanicus; after all Zirmer was doing all this for him and, of course, to climb the ranks of power and knowledge in their Forge World.

After five minutes of rest to calm down he went back to check the plans and ordered a servant to send a short message to the Techpriest who had commissioned the plans:

"My most sincere greetings oh master, I am sorry to bother you in your tasks for the Omnissiah but, and if you can forgive the audacity, wouldn't it be better to change the heavy model 875 for a lighter and stronger one like 547? My deepest apologies if my ill-timed comment has offended you sir, I will do the rhino as you ask."

Not five minutes after the message had been sent the Techpriest Ztir II made his presence known in the small house of the aspiring cyber-smith startling the latter and causing him to bow to Ztir for as long as his machine-like body would allow. He congratulated Zirmer in his numeral dialect for his ingenuity and keen robotic eye and that his improvements would be more than just fixes for the machine spirit of the next rhino lines to be made in the forge world. And after giving him his blessing along with promises that his days of glory and total devotion to the Machine God were not far off, he departed.

Zirmer was totally stunned and with trembling hand he reached for the notebooks where his firstborn used to draw in his spare time. And page after page, notebook after notebook came out detailing parts, plans, mistakes and more of everything his little head could hold. This was the fruit of his father's labour at its finest that could make Zirmer a much higher power than he had ever imagined…. a forge lord of his planet. He spent the rest of the day looking at his son's childish but technical drawings and wishing with all his might that he could have wept for joy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boy has aged, he is a young man of only 11 years old, and his father aged with him but in a different way. The few human parts of Zirmer were the ones that had been affected by the weight of his longevity; but the rest of his body, the legs and a bit of his torso, were completely flawless, the metal had adjusted perfectly to his old battered form and the few remnants of his old body were seen more as a sin than an actual link with the man he once had been. The only thing that was rotting more than flesh was the father's relationship with the son, they no longer played, they could not talk about anything other than the Omnissiah and his many "blessings", as the father called them. The son said nothing but more and more he kept looking at the front door of their home and venture into the space port he had heard ships landing on it since he was old enough to differentiate the sounds of one ship's class engines from another. He linked what he heard with freedom, with adventures beyond the confines of his home, the one his father had denied him to leave.

The boy kept wandering how he would make it out of there, escape the fate that awaited him if he stayed with his father; become another machine like him was inconceivable. He needed to run away from home, from his father...from the Mechanicus.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zirmer laid on a operation table being blessed by the mechasabius as he was given the final piece that would make him a member with total devotion to the Omnissiah. Slowly the needles were lowered into Zirmer's face, proudly he surrendered to the temporary pain his flesh was suffering, it was nothing compared to the thrill his spirit felt. Zirmer's son heard it all. He'd snuck past his father's door, he couldn't bear the thought of the last day they'd spend together. So he stood there and watched as the last piece was slowly being pushed into his father's face. The final needle hit the flesh, but before the mechasabius could say the closing blessings a small sound could be heard coming from the room's entrance. It was the boy, who had yelped at the horrific scene his father was partaking in. As the lifeless eyes of the Mechasabius and his mechandrites turned their heads in the direction of the boy the room erupted into a choir of hissing, growling and beeping. In binary they were shouting and ordering the boy to not interfere with the sacred work of the Omnissiah. "Dad, what are they doing to you!?" The boy shouted, tears running down his cheeks. The Mechasabius was about to start shouting again in the boy's direction, but the kid quickly fled the scene before either the mechandrites, the Mechasabius or his father could do anything. The boy did not look back as he ran away, tears rolling down his eyes and onto the floor of the city, the final sight he had seen was the look his father gave him, and the pain it carried with it. He managed to flee all the way to the interstellar ship docks, where he sneaked on board a ship, which soon would leave the world and his father forever.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a lump in Temog's throat as he finds enough courage to look up from the ramp of the Thunderhawk to the rest of the space port surrounding him. The crowd of both human and worshippers of the Omnissiah looks so comically small for the Astartes' size. And yet they seem to be all around them. "You're sure this is the right place, brother?" Sengos softly whispers into the Nomad ear "Like the sun that bathes the steppes, this is the place" "May the Khan guide you then. Go in peace, we shall wait here" As the rest of their squad disembarks and finds conversation with Imperial officers, Sengos gently bumps his brother shoulder. Temog's feet seem to drag through the metallic floor of the port as he moves towards the exit. The air is heavy and thick with smog, but that doesn't stop him from breathing in the smells that remind him of the las time he had visited his world. Forge worlds don't tend to change, even centuries could pass and still find them looking like they had been carved out from a single piece of metal. But to the Nomad, this place was more than just an industrial paradise, it was the place where the Emperor's dream was made real. As Temog keeps walking, the crowd around him becomes thinner and thinner until he finds himself all alone.

Then, at a distance, ahead sees it, standing tall amidst the other forges around. The giant skyscraper that functions as the seat of the most esteemed Techpriests of the world. The Spire of the Omnissiah, it had been too long since his eyes had seen it, even now it made him feel insignificant in comparison. It feels like a small eternity before Temog finally finds himself standing right in front of the structure. It has been built in the shape of the cog wheel, with the top part being slightly narrower than the base one. He looks up, seeing the massive statue of theMechanicus Regent at the top, the sun making its copper shine. The doors slide open and Temog steps inside the building. The air here is not much better than outside, but he can see the lights on the ceiling of the hall. There is no one else there, at least for now. He begins walking, his head constantly turning in every direction as he takes in the beauty of the architecture around him. The floor under his feet changes from a gray stone to a pristine white marble as he passes through, his steps are sure and with purpose, finding their way in the short and confusing passages purely out of his enhanced mind that can still recall the way back to the heart of the forge. The distant light of one chamber still on and noises inside made his twin hearts beat faster than they had beaten ever before, even in the fiercest of battles the Nomad had faced. His hand reaches for the handle of the door, the metal cold under his skin. It feels heavy, the door, almost like it was resisting him, but he manages to force it open, the muscles in his arms tensing up as he does. Light floods his vision as the room is filled with it. A man stands with his back to Temog, his robes seem to be made out of pure gold that shines brightly, the patterns are refined and made with a precise hand. Temog does not need to search in his mind for any memories to remember who the figure is. He feels as if his hearts were going to explode, as if the joy and pain was too much to bare. His mouth fails to make a sound; too overwhelmed with sentiment, too weak to even speak up. His feet make a massive effort to take two steps forward. The figure turns to the sound, the cogs in the wheels of the old Techpriest rattle against the ground as they move. The eyelids open widely and the blue glow increases.

Temog leans forward, the Techpriest does the same. They embrace each other and then the Nomad can't hold back anymore, wailing in the metallic limbs that surround his massive body, his feet collapse and Temog falls to his knees; crying, sobbing, whispering in a soft language the Techpriest knows all too well.

And thus, Zirmer and his son reunite once again. The Nomad had come home, the Song of his life can finally close the verse referring to his past.

[tenshioffcial]

Kim Minji, you are my starlight.

Summary: People hate androids, so what happens when an open-minded human meets her own android at her front door?

Genre: Robot!Reader, NonIdol!Minji, Fluff.

Warnings!// Deviants, Toxic relationship, Robot x Human relationship.

Minji's POV:

It was a rainy day and I had to work once again at the office. My coworkers all are leaving but like always I stayed late because I Have nothing better to do, but a voice cu me out of my thoughts. "Hey Minji!" I looked up it was Hanni. "Hey. What's up Hanni?" She smiled at me. "Guess what?" I shrugged. "What is it, Han?" She sighed and huffed a little. "You're not good at guessing. I am buying you a big birthday present!" I gasped. "Wait what is it?" She laughed at me. "You don't get to know but I will tell you this...It's a big gift that will arrive on your doorstep within the next couple of weeks." I started thinking about the possibilities of what it could be. "Fine but if I hate it. You are never going to hear the end of it." She laughed again. "Okay then. Noted." with that she left. it started to get late so I packed up and left to head home, but when I arrived there was a big box inside my house. I gasped and was jaw dropped. I read cyberlife on the side of the box. "Oh my god! Hanni! I don't know why this is making me nervous!?" I set my stuff down and took my shoes off and walked in front of the box taking in a deep breath.

I was about six years old, and my parents were always busy, so they bought me an android, so I wasn't alone anymore. Her name was 'Scarlett' we played a lot, and she would feed me and keep the house clean and helped me with homework. I one day came home from school and it was eerily quiet. I walked inside and then got grabbed by Scarlett. "Scarlett what's going on?" I asked her in a panic. "You and me can be friends forever and I can give you a better life if you come with me." I didn't know what to do since I was only six. "I don't think I should Scarlett. You aren't yourself anymore." She hated that response and grabbed me rather harshly by the arm. I heard the doorknob unlock on the front door. "Daddy-..." She pulled out his pistol and shot him. "No! Daddy!" I yanked trying to free my arm, I got free then ran for my room and locked the door. She was banging on it from the other side. "Please let me in Minji Sweetie. I am sorry I hurt your father, but I won't hurt you or your mother." I dialed nine one, one. 'This is 911 what's your emergency?' I cried a little hearing a warning shot go off. 'H-hello I need the police.' I got transferred over to the police. 'Hi there what's the emergency?' I panicked again because she shot another shot towards the door but she missed on purpose. "Minji! Come out now!'" 'There is an lose android in my home.' He calmed his tone. 'What's your name sweetheart?' 'M-minji, Kim Minji sir.' 'Okay sweetheart we've got our best men on the way please hold on tight sweetie.' 'Okay thank you.' I started sobbing. 'She shot my dad.' He sighed on the other end. 'I'm sorry to hear that honey. Everything will be okay. Stay on the phone with me till they arrive.' I heard another shot go off and she only missed because I dropped to the ground. I had to speak barely above a whipser.

'She keeps firing at my bedroom door she thinks she got me but she missed.' He sighed seeming thankful I was okay. 'Okay stay down on the ground and pretend to be dead as best you can sweetie they are about to be there.' 'Okay thank mister officer.' 'You're welcome honey.' A few minutes later the cops arrived and shot her down and they got me out of my room. My mom got called too and she lost it when she found out my father died. "I'm so sorry sweetie. I'm so sorry." I cried into her shoulder, but I never wanted to see another android again.

I don't understand it but this time feels different. I finally got the courage to open the door on the box and the android inside is beautiful looks like she was sculpted by gods. Her short red hair along with her soft and gentle facial features. The info on the booklet in her box with her told me her model was AT700, she is "5'8. It also says to turn her on I need to press and hold the LED on her temple for 10 seconds. I do so and she woke up almost human like. Her LED on her temple started yellow but changed to the blue then she looked at me. "Hi, I'm your new android. My name is Y/n. Nice to meet you. What's your name?" She asked me. "Ki-Kim Minji. Nice to meet you too Y/n." Her LED turned yellow as she took that information in. "I'm an android built for being, a friend, a maid, a housekeeper, a romantic partner or whatever you want of me." She spoke which made me blush a little. "I am okay with you being my friend Y/n." I smiled softly at her. "Okay Minji. I also can cook too and since it is a little past dinner time I will handle it." I went to protest but I need a shower so. I went and showered and then went into my room and got dressed in some lazy at home clothes, when I came out of my room food smelled amazing. I walked into the kitchen and seen her cooking food for me which was nice since I didn't need to worry about it. She turned around and smiled at me which her smile was almost what I would say is a real smile.

"Thank you for the food, Y/n. I appreciate it." She smiled again. "It's no big deal. Do you want me to eat with you?" I looked at her like she was insane. "Androids can't eat, can they?" She nodded but moved her hand gesturing a sort of. "I can because I am made to test the food first before I serve it to you. But if one doesn't want to eat alone I can for that too." I smiled. "You can if you want too." Her LED flashed yellow then red for a second but then it turned blue again. She got her own plate and ate with me. I offered to wash dishes, but she insisted it was fine so i went into the living room to watch a kdrama. Once she was done, she came to get me for bed. "It is about time for you to sleep Ms. Kim." I blushed from the name. "I will go to bed, but I have thirty minutes left of this episode." She nodded and sat down next to me and even opened her arms for me to snuggle. I ended up falling asleep before I finished the episode.

I woke up in my bed, but I sat up looking around and realized I was laying her chest. I jumped up but she looked toward me with concern. "What's wrong Minji?" I started giggling at myself for the behavior. "Nothing is... I just am not used to waking up with someone else in my bed with me." She looked relieved but her LED turned yellow and then blue before she spoke. "Well, I am sorry if you want, I can sit in your chair over there instead of climbing in your bed with you." She pointed over to the chair in the corner of the room, I shook my head. "No. It okay. I just need to get used to it." She nodded. "Well, I'm going to go make breakfast. I assumed you needed to shower so I gathered clothes for you already. Hopefully you like what I picked out." with that she stood up and left the room. I however turned into a blushing mess because she got my clothes. 'God why is it a problem that she got them for me? maybe because I have sexy undies and such. goodness quit being weird Minji.' I went and got in the shower and did my makeup and what not, then I did a once over on the fit and she was not wrong. A satin white button up with a black pencil skirt and some nice black flats to go with it. I came out the restroom and once again my nose smelled the best food ever. "What'd you make for me today?" I asked her. "It is an omelet with some toast and bacon." I gasped that sounds yummy. "Yum!" was my instant response. I sat down and ate in a hurry because I was kind of late on waking up. "Okay I got to go to work but I will be back by tonight anywhere from 8pm to 10pm unless I choose to stay then 12pm. I'll see you later Y/n." I waved and she did too.

Y/n's POV:

I was left alone and had no idea what to do, I could figure out if I have what I need to make dinner for Minji. I walked over to the fridge and found everything I needed and then decided to clean up and make sure all her laundry was done and that the dishes were all clean, once I was done with the dishes I heard a knock. I was hesitant to open the door but opted to do it anyways because Minji, my owner isn't home, so I did it for her. "Hello there what can I do for you?" I asked politely. "Is Minji here?" A younger looking male asked. "No but I can give her a message for you if you want." I offered since she wasn't home. "Can you just tell her I stopped by?" He asked. "Sure thing Mr.?" He pulled his hand out to shake mine, to which I took the opportunity to shake his hand. "Heeseung. Lee Heeseung." I smiled at him. "Okay Heeseung, I'll make sure she gets your message." He smiled then left.

Time Skip~

Minji's POV:

I arrived home a little past 10, worried a little about my android being alone. I opened the door and dinner was just being finished. "Hi Minji!" was her cheerful response to me coming in. "Hi Y/n. How are you today?" She froze again, LED turning yellow then red then back to blue. "I'm always fine, I was made for being an android to take care of the house when one leaves it. I made Tteokbokki for dinner." I gasped so hard at what she said. "Okay. I'm so excited to eat." I hurried up and went to the restroom and washed my hands so I could come eat, when I came out Y/n was already seated at the table waiting for me. I sat across from her. "So, a guy came by asking about you earlier Minji." I froze a little. "W-who was he?" She looked like she was remembering what she heard earlier. "He said his name was Heeseung and he wanted me to tell you he came by." She continued eating but I knew it was time for me to finally break it off with him. "I got to call him and break it off with him." She stopped eating. "What do you mean?" she genuinely looked like she actually cared. "He and I were in a relationship, but I can't do it anymore with him." her LED turned yellow then back to blue, once again processing the information. We finished eating dinner, she washed the dishes, I showered then got in bed and she followed. "Hey... Y/n?" She looked down at me. "Yes Minji?" I took in a deep breath. "You'll never leave me, right?" I looked up at her, her LED turned yellow then red then blue again. "Never. I'm your android till you choose to get rid of me." She spoke so calmly. I sighed and fell asleep all snuggled into her chest.

I woke up alone in bed this time, concerned I got up and walked to the kitchen to see her cooking breakfast for me again. She turned around and smiled at me. "Oh, you're up. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed." She turned around to continue cooking. I however started smiling like a fool. "Oh, thank you Y/n. I'll be right back." I went to the bathroom and shut the door calmly behind me, but I started blushing and hitting my chest because my heart was pounding out of my chest. Finally, I finished using the toilet and I washed my hands coming out to eat now. I got seated while she brought me coffee and my plate "Thank you Y/n." She smiled again. "You're welcome Minji.' We started eating and then there was a knock on the door. "Do you want me to get that Minji?" she asked me. I shook my head. "No, I got it Y/n." I stood up checking the peep hole- Shit it is Heeseung. I opened it and greeted him. "Hi Heeseung. I was going to call you to see if you wanted to go somewhere for coffee." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's whatever, can I come in?" I nodded so he walked in. "Woah! I forgot you have an android." He smiled and waved at her, to which she responded the same way. "Should I give you privacy Minji?" She asked me. "No, you can stay it's fine." I gestured my hands telling her to sit back down at the table. "So, is this what you've been doing? Playing house... WITH YOUR FUCKING ANDROID!?" He threw a flower vase and shattered. He got closer towards me scaring me. "What the fuck Heeseung!? I am literally almost always at work; I don't have time for you anymore because of it." I started shaking from anger now. "And who are you to judge me!? You've literally cheated on me!" He then throws my tv to the floor. "Fuck you Minji!" He got closer to me pinning me against the wall, i tried to escape I kicked his shin and ran for my bedroom.

Y/n's POV:

I watched Heeseung follow Minji to her room and her panicked breathing following suit. I felt a weird error. I swear I could see me breaking through a wall and I watched it burst with my final slam against it. I ran into her room to find him pinning her into her bed trying to force himself on her. I grabbed him and threw him into the floor. "What the fuck!? I thought you androids weren't supposed to do this shit." He stood up and tried to punch me, I grabbed his arm. "You might want to think before laying your hands on women you fucking sick bastard." I flung his arm, but I dared to hit him back. "Stop it Heeseung get out!" Minji finally yelled. He huffed. "I'm glad I cheated. You never were good enough. You know... You two deserve each other." He pointed to me and Minji. Finally, he stomps out of here and slams her door behind him. I rushed over to her to comfort her. She tensed up under my hold for a second but relaxed into it and cried on me. "Why couldn't he not act like an asshole!?" Her loud sobs could be heard but I rubbed her back. "It's okay Minji. I promise I'm not going anywhere." I hugged tighter but was careful.

Time Skip~

It was about lunch time, and she was sleeping on my chest which I couldn't describe how it made me feel yet, but it was a warm comforting feeling. I tried to get out of her hold, but she felt me and got up too. "Wh-where are you going?' she asked groggily. "I need to make you lunch." She nodded. "Well don't leave me alone. I wanna come with you." she yawned as she spoke. I stood waiting for her to finish using the restroom. After she came out, we walked into the living room/kitchen area and there was broken glass from her tv and vase shards too. I put an arm out to stop her from walking forward, then I went and got the broom and dustpan to clean it up. Once I was done, she wanted to help make lunch which I let her since she didn't want to be alone. Once we finished making Gimbap, we sat down and ate lunch in the quiet. I took our dishes to the sink and washed them afterwards. I walked toward the living room noticing her standing there shaking a little. "Are you... O-okay Minji?" she started shaking her head. "No, I'm not Y/n." I sighed. I... I want to hold her. No that is wrong I shouldn't 'want' to hold her. I walked forward unsure of what I was hoping for, and I opened my arms to her, which she actually accepted. I snuggled my nose in her hair taking in her scent. "It's going to be okay Minji." She started sobbing harder against me. "I need to buy a new tv now thanks to him and that vase was my mothers." she trembled at the end. "it's okay Minji. I can replace them for you if you want?" She shook her head. "No, I need to buy this myself." she sat up wiping her eyes, she gasped like she just realized something. "Oh my god! you are a deviant, aren't you?" I couldn't make eye contact at first, but she turned my face towards hers. "Yeah. I did it for you because he was gonna... he was gonna hurt you and I couldn't bear the thought." she gasped again a smaller one this time, but she then leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Y/n." she hugged me. I finally can put a name on this feeling she is making me have. I love her, I am deeply in love with this girl, and she was going to be the death of me. She is my starlight.

A/n: My god this took me a lot longer than I anticipated but hopefully you all enjoy. I will make another part to this, and I promise it'll be good and a little smutty... 😉

[viarayy01-blog]

Guide to Parenting - fnaf fic

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50957647

something i wrote to pass the time! - enjoy!!

-x-x-x-

Roxy leaned in closer to the book, attempting to read the words lining the page. “Wait.. say it one more time?” She turned to Freddy, extremely confused. “I'll reread it again. Ehem…” Freddy cleared his throat and scanned the book pages. “To be a good parent, you must always be monitoring your children. If they seem suspicious, then that means they are doing something inherently wrong, and 110% dangerous. If they keep secrets, or hide things from you, they are going to rebel sooner or later. We don’t want that, do we?” Freddy paused and waited for Roxy’s response. “We…don’t?” Freddy gave her an encouraging look, and continued reading, “All you have to do is remember this simple acronym. A.P.P.L.E. Assess, Prod, Punish, Last chance, and… Execute?” Roxy’s confused expression did not falter, even after a second read.

“Execute? Like kill them?” Her voice started to rise. “Are you saying we have to kill the kids?” Roxy became flustered and angry, attacking Gregory was one thing, a thing he completely deserved, but why would she ever harm Cassie?

“No…” Freddy replied quickly, sensing Roxy’s worriedness. “Perhaps it means to execute the previously stated retribution. Such as, following through with the punishment. Still.. what a strange way to put it.” He trailed off, deep in his own thoughts.

“So.. we have to always watch them, and stop them if they act suspicious in any sort of way? There’s not even any danger at the apartment, aside from that security guard.” She smiled to herself, and Freddy sighed, slightly amused.

“Officer Van-…” he paused. “I mean, Vanessa would never hurt the kids, you know that Roxane.” She scoffed.

“Whatever, just keep reading.” She said irritably and waited for Freddy to continue.

After reading for 20 or so minutes more, they closed the book and tried to figure out what to do next. “Perhaps,” Freddy began, “we should go use our knowledge and test ourselves on what we’ve learned!”

“Alright!” Roxy exclaimed. “Ill deal with Cassie obviously, and you’ll take care of..” she paused and let out a mocking sigh. “Gregory.” Freddy smiled and they went to each of the kids' respective areas in the apartment.

The apartment had 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a joint kitchen / living room area. Vanessa’s room was completely off limits, it was where she monitored M.X.E.S and kept an eye on all things that happened at the Pizzaplex. Her walls were a dark grey. The kids bedroom was painted blue, since before Cassie arrived, Gregory had the room all to himself. The room was covered in Gregory’s drawings, mostly of strange and twisted events occurring to Vanny and Freddy respectively. One even depicted a strange rotting corpse in a bunny suit and a huge amalgamation of wires with loose animatronic heads. On Cassie's side of the room was a huge poster of a cartoon she liked and a few Roxane drawings that Gregory had drawn for her. On each of the kids bed’s were a wide array of stuffed animals. Gregory had a Freddy and Sundrop set, while Cassie had a Roxane and Chica pair. A Monty plush sat on the single desk placed in front of Cassie's bed.

Usually, the animatronics would recharge in the living room or rest in the car, which was where they got their main energy supply. Vanessa would go out every week to get a full tank of gas so that the car had enough energy to recharge Freddy and help with some of Roxy’s repairs. Right now she was out of the house, going to pick up groceries. Freddy was in charge while she was gone, and Roxy served as his only way to get anything done, due to the fact he was only a head.

Roxy picked up Freddy and brought him to Gregory, who was typing on his computer in the bedroom. Gregory looked up from his work, somewhat startled by the sudden presence of two robots. He saw Freddy and relaxed his shoulders. He looked up further to Roxy, who growled at him before storming off. He giggled and then returned his attention to Freddy.

“What’s up, Superstar?” Freddy tried to get a better look at the laptop Gregory was typing on. Gregory tensed up once again and clicked a few times, his hands moving swiftly across his laptop.

“Everything ok, Gregory? Why do you look so nervous?” Gregory tried to keep a smile on his face.

“Nothings wrong! I'm just showing you what I'm working on!” He motioned to the screen. It had a huge line of text covering it, and at the top of the tab the document was called, ‘Practice Code’. Nothing seemed too suspicious. Freddy remembered what he had read, and prepared to dig deeper into what was really going on.

“Is this for the lessons Vanessa has been giving you, Superstar?” Gregory loosened a bit, and then nodded.

“She wants me to help her when she goes to the Plex next, I have to be able to stay in the car while she goes and assess the M.X.E.S. module. It’s a lot to learn, even if I had been really good at coding before she gave me lessons.” Freddy looked over the page again, it was a simple code line that was mainly used for a debug command. Gregory may have only been experienced in coding games and more so hacking, but he was still exceptional at learning new things. “It looks great,Superstar. I'm sure Vanessa will be proud of your work.”

Gregory smiled, tilted his head and turned the laptop back towards him. “Thanks, Freddy.” He quickly tapped a few more times on his mousepad before his face turned stone cold and he began to type. What was he really working on?

__ __ __

Roxy knocked on the bathroom door. “Come in!” said Cassie, who had her hands full of makeup brushes and pallets. “Cassie? What are you doing?” Cassie turned her head away from the door, obviously hiding something. “No! Don’t look!” The bathroom was a disaster. Different colors of eyeshadow were sprawled across the mirror and counter, chunks of lipstick and loose blush were caked in the sink, somewhat clogging the drain.

“Cassie.” Roxy said sternly “I cannot see anyway.” A silence followed.

“Oh. Right.” Cassie said, sheepishly turning around to face her. Roxy felt around the bathroom, trying to find a wall to lean up against. Her hands found a towel, which she placed on the floor for her to sit on, so her rough wires and exterior wouldn’t scratch the tiles or wall.

“What’s wrong? Explain to me what you're even doing, I can only hear so much.” Cassie sighed and sat next to Roxy.

“I was putting makeup on. Again. But…” She was quiet for a second before she, unprompted, started to cry. “It looks nothing like how I wanted.” She sniffed. Roxy, startled, tried to remember the A.P.P.L.E. acronym from earlier. Her heart swelled with confidence, she was going to make everything perfect.

“So uh… to ASSESS the situation better, why don’t you explain exactly what happened.” Wow.. Roxy thought to herself, I really am the best! If she kept up at this pace with this much ease, she wouldn’t even have to get to the end of the acronym.

Cassie wiped her face, her sleeve becoming stained with mascara and eyeshadow. “Okay… it all started when I found a picture of Vanessa in her nightstand drawer.”

__ __ __

Freddy had assessed the situation, but now he had to dig deeper. “Uh.. Gregory..” He started, trying to organize his thoughts. “I think that I should go through your laptop.” Gregory stopped typing, staring blankly into his computer.

“Huh.” Gregory slowly turned his head to meet Freddy, his face completely deadpan. “What do you mean? You just wanna look at the outside?” Sweat beads formed on Gregory’s forehead.

“No, I mean I want to go THROUGH your computer.” Nothing. Gregory did not change his facial formation. “Such as the files and documents. Is that a problem?” Freddy hadn’t seen Gregory so dogdey since he had taken Roxy’s eyes, he must be hiding something for sure.

Freddy opened a hatch under his ear, and a usb drive slowly whirred out. Freddy motioned to the laptop with his eyes, waiting for the computer to be plugged in.

“I…uh… I don’t want to.” Gregory said, voice wavering. “My laptop is for me and me only.” Freddy’s eyes widened. Backlash. Gregory had always been stubborn, but he usually obeyed what Freddy asked of him. He thought back to the next letter from the book. Punish. This was going to be difficult.

“Gregory, I don’t want to force you to do this, but I think its in your best interest if I go through everything on your laptop. It’s for your safety. I don’t want to take your laptop from you, but you can’t just outright say no. I’m in charge, remember?”

Gregory drew his eyebrows together, his stone cold gaze becoming dagger-like. “How are you gonna take it from me?” He said defensively, holding the laptop close to his chest. “You don’t even have arms to grab it with!”

Freddy gasped and let his eyes go wide. “What a rude thing to say! Superstar. This is your LAST CHANCE. Plug the computer in, or I'll call Vanessa and tell her how you’ve been behaving. This is your final warning.”

Gregory’s face dropped a little. He was so looking forward to going to the Plex with Vanessa. He wanted nothing more than to help, to fix all the hurt he caused when he was originally trapped at the mall. Instead of feeling scared or sad though, Gregory got angry.

__ __ __

Roxy couldn’t believe what she just heard. “You went in Vanessa’s room?? Why were you in there?” As much as Roxy disliked her former security guard, she understood wanting to have her own space.

After all, it was in her bedroom that Roxy was able to get all her feelings out, no matter how messy they were.

What else might have Cassie seen in her room? Disturbing files? Secrets? What if Cassie was fascinated with Vanessa now, and she didn’t like Roxy anymore? Roxy immediately spearheaded herself deeper.

“I don’t know… we were talking and she said something about…uhh…” She got a bit nervous about mentioning the Vanni mask, so she quickly found an alternative. “about … makeup! Yeah… makeup.” She managed to catch herself. “So I wanted to see what other makeup stuff I could find in there. But I didn’t find much, just this photo of Ness with a girl. They look around the same age.” She pulled out the photo. “They’re holding hands and leaning next to each other. I really liked the girl’s makeup, so I wanted to surprise Ness with a re-do of it myself. But, I'm not very good, and I made a mess in the bathroom. She’s been working hard at the Plex to make things right, I just wanted to do something nice for her.” She had stopped crying, but looked genuinely sad.

Roxy sat quietly with Cassie for a moment. Her thoughts quickly jumped around. Screw this stupid system. She doesn’t need a strict parent. She needs a good role model. She needs advice. Roxy pulled Cassie's hand away from her face, where she had continued to rub her makeup off.

“Listen Cassie. I understand that you wanted to do something nice for…Vanessa. But you know better than to go snooping around. You might have found something Vanessa didn’t want you to see. Something about her past she would rather keep away. I’m sure she would’ve loved to see your makeup anyway, but how about doing something else nice for her instead?” Cassie looked up at Roxy, with a look of thanks and relief.

“Okay. What could I do for her then? I don’t know what she likes to eat, otherwise we could make her something. Or maybe she would like a drawing!” Roxy looked deep in thought too, but suddenly a loud noise came from the bedroom.

“What was that?” Cassie asked. Roxy peered her head out the door, it seemed to be an argument. She stood up.

“Let’s go see… stay behind me okay?” Cassie nodded and helped Roxy up, pulling her up by her hand.

“Superstar! I warned you! I have to EXECUTE this procedure!” Freddy had extended the usb drive all the way to the computer, clicking it into place and locking it. Gregory tried to pull the USB out, tugging as hard as he could.

“No! You can’t see what’s on here! It’s MY laptop! Let go!!” Roxy burst through the door, slamming it against the wall, startling not only her but everyone else. The sounds of Gregory trying to pull his computer away from Freddy did not waver or stop.

“What is going on here!? You're scaring Cassie!” Cassie snuck around Roxy’s legs, diving between them and bolting into the room. She came between the two and tried to pull Gregory’s hands away from the computer.

“Gregory! What are you doing? Just let go!” She tugged his hands away, and pushed him away from the laptop. He stumbled a bit, running into his bed before tripping and falling back.

“Gregory! Are you okay?” Freddy called out, worried. Cassie placed the computer next to Freddy on the desk, and went to help Gregory.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to push you that far. You just wouldn’t let go!” Gregory shook his head and stood up.

“It’s not your fault Cassie, I got carried away.” He turned to Freddy, who while looking concerned also looked somewhat far away. He was analyzing the files.

“Freddy, its not what it looks like.” He quickly turned to Cassie, bracing for impact. His eyes grew wide and worried, and he mouthed out words to help get his point across. She in turn looked very worried.

“What happened? Someone tell me what’s going on?” Roxy was tapping the doorframe, trying to find a safe space to stand where she wouldn’t knock anything over.

Freddy had finished. He blinked a few times before removing the USB from the laptop, pulling it out with force. “Gregory..” His eyes readjusted into place, pinning his focus on Gregory. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

The laptop screen was covered in blueprints. There were photos of each animatronic, not just Roxy and Freddy, in each corner of the screen. Detailed instructions and directions were typed along the edges.

Cassie pulled Roxy into the room, and then returned to Gregory’s side.

“Sigh.. It was supposed to be a surprise, Freddy.” Cassie said guiltily. “We were working so hard to get it all done for you, before you caught on.” Gregory shuffled beside her.

“I wanted to find some way to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I feel like I always get everyone into trouble, and never get them out. I was trying to figure out a way to save all the other animatronics from the PizzaPlex, so that Ness and I could repair their AI and hardware. So that they could be free from the virus.” He turned to his side.

“Cassie was helping me out, since she only got out of the Plex recently. She said she found someone, another animatronic, in a hidden room. She said she found Bonnie.”

Freddy was in shock. He felt so much relief over what he found, but so much distrust, too. Bonnie? It had been forever since he had heard someone else talk about him. Not even Roxy mentioned him anymore.

“Is this true, Cassie?” Roxy said from behind her. She looked so hopeful.

“Yeah.. we were going to get Chica first, then Sun— I mean… Eclipse, and Monty.”

“That’s why Vanessa has been at the Plex so much recently, she’s been trying to find the Mimic, and keep it away while I go in to lure everyone out. Once everyone was fixed, then Monty could go get Bonnie from behind the bowling alley. We were going to save everyone. And fix them. Fix you and Roxy too.”

“Superstar…this..” Freddy tried to find the words. “Thank you. I’m sorry for trying to invade your personal space. I should have never trusted that book. ” Gregory looked a bit surprised.

“What book?” He said, narrowing his eyebrows.

— — — —

Pulling the book up on her lap, Cassie read the cover. “A Guide to Parenting, by Fazbear Entertainment.” Her nose scrunched. “The Fazbear company wrote this?” She flipped through the pages, landing on the one Roxy and Freddy had been reading.

Gregory leaned in closer, resting his hand on Cassies shoulder. “The A.P.P.L.E. acronym, huh? Yeah, I remember seeing this before.” He flipped ahead a couple of pages, scanning the letters that lined them. “This is what they train all their employees off of, majority of them are parents or take care of kids majority of the day, so they're required to read this book. I always thought the ending of it was weirdly violent?” He leaned in closer, seeming to be looking for something. “Still, standard Fazbear Entertainment behavior.”

After flipping through a few pages more, the group landed on a section with detailed spring lock suit failure instructions, including a drawing that was painted on the pages. It was very gorey, to say the least. “Ohhh kay.” Cassie slammed the book shut, somewhat bewildered. “Enough of that.”

Gregory took the book from her, placing it on the coffee table. “Yeah, I don’t think that is the book that anyone should base their parenting off of.” Gregory said with a smile. His gaze ever so slightly shifted over to Freddy. Cassie slid off of the armchair and brushed off her shorts, turning to face the group.

“I think we should clean up before Ness gets home. There’s nothing better than coming home to a clean house.” She fiddled with the cuff of her shirt, someone complacent. “Plus…I don’t think she’ll like how much of a mess I made in the bathroom.” She giggled.

After cleaning up the bathroom and the rest of the house, Cassie and Gregory were sent to their rooms.

Even though everything had still worked out, they couldn’t get off scot-free. They each broke a rule, and for that they would be grounded for a week.

Their spirits were still high though, and when Ness got home, she went to her room to find a book on her bed. There was a loose paper sticking out, its edges just barely visible. She opened the book to the outstretching paper.

It was a drawing, done by Gregory. It was of Gregory and Cassie, holding a red heart with pink letters inside that said; “Thanks! :)” underneath, text in scratchy black pen wrote, (PS. GET RID OF THIS BOOK! NOT SAFE FOR THE KIDS!) that was obviously from Freddy, written by Roxy judging from the incomprehensible handwriting.

She pulled the drawing out of the book, when another paper fell out from behind it. It was a polaroid. She bent down to pick it up, flipping it over. The photo was of her and Lia. Before Vanny. Her hand glazed over the image, such a distant memory in her mind. She wished so badly to talk to Lia again, but there was no way Lia would want to. Dropping the oddly twisted book in her small mesh garbage can, she smiled to herself, put the drawing and photo on her desk, and went out to make dinner.

[nova-alien-rants]

sometimes it can be really fucking scary to achieve the things you've always wanted.

i think i need to put this out there not just for myself, but for anyone else who may be having a hard time coping with change in their lives, even if it's for the greater good.

this past wednesday was genuinely a really hard day for me. like, really really fucking hard. one of my best and oldest friend bailed on me along with her entire family which i considered to be my own, my parents acted disgusting toward my brother and tried pulling the same shit on me, i came back to my dorm after 40 minutes of driving to discover someone came into my room and touched my shit, and then had some stupid freshman act like a brat when i brought it up to the RAs. i haven't felt as low in a LONG time as i did by the end of that day.

but while i was driving back to campus, feeling completely alone and like i had no one to talk to, my grandparents ended up calling just to chat. i was crying so hard that i couldn't stop myself and spilled everything that had happened to me that day, and to my surprise, they were... really nice. they comforted me and even offered for me to move in with them once they get settled in their new house. i told them i felt really worried about how my parents would take the news of me moving, but my grandma said not to worry about that and she'll take care of it. for once i'm actually glad the people in this family are crazy.

all i've ever dreamed about for as long as i can remember is getting away from my parents. no longer living with them, no longer being controlled by them, no longer being physically and mentally broken down by them. my life goal has been to break free from my parents permanently. not a career, not material possessions, none of those things can ever come close to that goal. but now that it's happening, i'm filled with a kind of fear i've never experienced. there's so much uncertainty about literally everything in my life now.

will this thing with my grandparents' house even work out? how will my parents react to it? how am i going to manage to move all my shit into my grandparents' house even if i am able to stay there? what will happen when next semester starts? if i move in with my grandparents, my parents will cut me off financially and i won't have any help paying for my university tuition and/or housing. how will i finish my degree? how will i be able to afford going to graduate school? how will i pay for my medical bills?

i know in time all of these questions will become trivial, and i'll be able to look back eventually and be able to laugh about the fact that i was ever worried. the universe always works in my favor, even if i can't see it at the time. things always seem to have a funny way of working out but it's scary in the moment to not know what's going to happen. i'm a person who desperately craves stability and concrete plans in order to function, so all this uncertainty is... a lot to deal with.

but i think all this is happening so i can shed my old life and start another chapter in which i can finally heal for good and stay that way. even if our old lives suck, we can get used to them anyway and changing them can be absolutely terrifying. i think that's why leaving one's comfort zone can feel so hard. we don't know what to expect, so how are we supposed to protect ourselves in the event that something goes wrong? but i've come to believe that things don't go wrong, they simply don't go the way we expected them to. and that's scary, but it's also okay to sit with that fear. everything happens for a reason.

i'm not one of those people who will say to just "be happy" under circumstances such as these, even when your feelings may seem irrational and/or confusing to you. we're human, we're not fucking robots. we can't go through life stone-faced. change is hard. it's scary. it's overwhelming and full of so many questions no one may ever have the answers for. it's okay to take some time to cry, to scream, to get those feelings out. our brains are trying to keep us safe, and it's our job to let our brains express themselves. not every feeling has to be rationalized. it doesn't all have to make sense. sometimes it's okay to Just Be.

i personally believe that the world would be a much better place if we all took more time for ourselves to really feel our shit, because that's the only way it's going to get processed and let go. if you're someone like me whose BPD makes every feeling seem like a nightmare straight from hell, or whose alexithymia confuses you about what you're even feeling, that's okay too. again, you don't have to have all the answers. let yourself cry. let yourself lie on the floor. let yourself engage in your comfort activities. let yourself rest.

change isn't supposed to be all sunshine and rainbows. it's hard work, but it will all be worth it in the end. after every single one of my darkest times, i found myself shining brighter than i ever did previously. i don't know why we have to go through certain experiences, but it will all make sense one day. every single person on this earth has trauma, even if they may not have been abused or deal with a form of a post traumatic disorder. we're all just oversized children who are scared and need a hand to hold as they navigate life. we're human, and we're allowed to feel. we're going to get through this.

there's a reason why people say bravery is being scared while doing it anyway. change really is fucking scary, regardless of how good it may be for us. i'm going to keep saying it. hold your breath and do the thing anyway. let yourself be scared. feel that fear. make room for it and live with it. your brain loves you and is trying to protect you, even if it seems misguided. it's doing its best to be there for you, so you may as well at least humor it, right? how beautiful is it that your brain loves you enough to constantly try and protect you, regardless of the circumstance? i think it deserves love back. love those parts of you which have always loved you.

you're going to make it. you love you.

[sommerflue-22]

Haunted House | Obanai Iguro x f!Reader

Featuring: Obanai Iguro, Shinobu Kocho, Suma, Tengen Uzui

Content Warning: f!reader, modern setting, university au, cursing

Word Count: 2.7k

A/n: For reference, here's how I picture Obanai in this fic

──────────────────────────────────────────

It was hard to put on a brave face in front of your friends while standing just in front of the Haunted House. You could hardly open your eyes while watching some mediocre horror films that weren't even terrifying. What chance do you have of surviving a Haunted House?

"Come on, (Y/N). You said that you would do it." Shinobu nudged, pushing you to go inside. "We even paid for your ticket!"

"You didn't say it's a haunted house!" You protested.

"Don't worry, (Y/N). You can just run through the whole thing, keep your eyes on the ground and follow the trail." Suma encouraged. "Plus, I heard Tengen managed to persuade that one senior you like to participate."

Your eyes widened and shushed Suma, not wanting anyone else to know that you're there for a certain someone.

It all started when your two best friends had had enough of your endless sighing when you saw Obanai Iguro, your awkward, 'allergic to women' senior. Even after graduating a year ago, he continued to study for his Master's degree at the same university. Shinobu and Suma realized it wasn't easy for you to talk to Obanai because of his difficult demeanor and the lack of opportunities for you to approach him. Though, they really wanted you to give it a chance and make a move. Hence their suggestion for you to approach him in the university festival. If it turns out that Obanai breaks your heart, they will be right there to support you. If things went well, you owe them dinner at your favorite all-you-can-eat sukiyaki joint.

You couldn't remember what made you agree to their idea, but you ended up following them to the university festival. You prepared yourself to say a few words to Obanai, perhaps in the pop-up restaurant made by the Culinary Art students. But no, you'll (hopefully) come across Obanai in the Drama Club's Haunted House.

"It's just a fake Haunted House." Shinobu rolled her eyes. "Come on, hurry up."

"Is he even in there?" You asked, giving your best puppy eyes to your friends, hoping that they'll forget this idea and you all could go get some ice cream.

"I told you, Tengen said he's in there! Your soon-to-be-boyfriend is in there!" Suma groaned, "Just go! If it turns out you can't find Iguro, or if he breaks your heart, Shinobu will pay for our sukiyaki fiesta."

"What the hell?"

"Shush, Shi-chan. (Y/N) needs some motivation to go in." Suma quickly grabbed your shoulder and pushed you into the haunted house, "Off you go!"

"HEY, WAIT I'M NOT READY—"

It was too late. The person in charge of directing visitors inside has already shut the door. You were surrounded by darkness, with only a faint red LED light on the floor to guide you. You kept your gaze fixed on the ground until your eyes adjusted to the darkness. After a minute, you could recognize your surroundings. A worn-out white cloth hung from the ceiling, as well as properties such as a rocking chair (that moves on its own), a baby carriage, and other items. You weren't sure about the haunted house's concept. It didn't matter because you were only trying to make it to the exit.

You followed the red LED lights, your hands covering your ears and your gaze fixed on the floor. You took a few steps forward and were startled to see a hideous mask on the floor next to your foot.

"Fuck my life," you bit your fist to suppress your scream. You're not going to scream over some ugly mask.

"Breathe, breathe, breathe…" you tried to calm yourself down for a little bit before resuming your journey.

After being shocked by what seemed to be a robot, dressed as a clown, you finally decided to distract yourself by singing.

"I know you guys are hiding somewhere but please don't judge my singing voice!" You yelled, took a deep breath, and started singing at the top of your lungs. "Is this the real life... is this just fantasy... Caught in a landslide, no escape—AH FUCK DON'T COME AT ME!"

The clown, that you thought was a robot, was in fact a man… and he left his place to come after you.

"NO NO NO, GET AWAY!" You backed away from the clown, who had a very scary makeup on. Too scared to actually process what you're doing, you took off one of your shoes and throw it at the clown, making him yelp in pain.

"No escape from reality—OI, NO I TOLD YOU TO GET AWAY!" You took another step back as the clown took two step forwards.

Whoever the clown was, he surely was having a great time because the next thing you knew, he walked faster towards you in such an odd and cryptic way.

You screamed and ran for your dear life, pushing your way through the properties and knocking things over. You could feel and see other people, posing as ghosts, attempting to grab your hand or shoulder. Yet you were terrified, shoving them away as you ran around the auditorium, shouting.

You came to a halt when you were faced with a dead end.

"No, no it can't be!" You touched the wall in front of you, "No! I can't go back! Please let me out!"

You froze as you heard footsteps behind you, coming closer slowly. You pressed your hands harder to your ear and crouched, closing your eyes shut.

"Please, no more, please. Please don't do anything to me…"

"Oi, woman." Whoever that person was kneeled next to you, "Oi."

You opened one of your eyes slightly and saw a silhouette of a man with his hair tied back. He wasn't dressed up in a scary costume; he was wearing a white button-up shirt and dark-colored slacks. You decided it was safe to put your trust in this guy, so you opened another eye and glanced up…

…only to be met with a pair of heterochromatic eyes.

At any other time, you would probably start to blush and stutter. However you're too far gone, so afraid of your surrounding. So you did the only thing you could think of: reach out for his arms.

"I'm sorry." You whisper-yelled. "I'm so sorry, I need help standing. Please help me. I'm scared. Please—"

"Stop saying sorry, I'm here to help you." He hissed and pulled you up. "You didn't trip, did you?"

"No. I'm sorry, senpai—"

"Shush." Obanai grabbed your elbow and leading you back to the right path. "How could a coward like you enter this goddamn room alone?"

"My friends kinda dared me… t-to do it…"

He tutted, annoyed. "And you actually do it?"

You nodded. With Obanai's grip on your elbow, your fear dissipated and changed into nervousness. Suma was right, he was in the Haunted House. It looked like he was one of the 'security' that helped people out.

"I-Iguro… san?" You called out.

"Hmm?"

You actually didn't know what to say, you only wanted to say his name. But you couldn't possibly leave him hanging, it would be awkward.

"T-thank you... for saving me..."

Obanai stole a glance at you, how you were shaking and fear, afraid of your surrounding. His eyes then shifted to his hand, which was still holding your elbow as you two walk through the path.

"It's my job." Obanai let his grip fell, ignoring your small whimper of fear. "You're the only person I have to save today, so far."

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

"Hmm..."

You walked silently behind Obanai, wanting to grip his shirt but not wanting him to despise you. He might have already despised you back then. As far as you know, he never wanted to deal with any girls. He certainly didn't want to have to rescue you from the haunted house.

"You called me senpai."

"Huh?"

"Back then, you called me senpai didn't you?" Obanai asked.

"Oh, yeah... I'm majoring in Chemistry." You answered timidly, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"Hmm..."

Your gaze was drawn to the large red exit sign at the end of the path, and you let go of the breath you'd been holding. Finally, this torment was coming to an end. You couldn't wait to meet Shinobu and Suma outside, even if it meant having to part with Obanai. Overall, it was a horrible idea; Obanai would never consider you as a suitable partner. Maybe he just doesn't like girls? Maybe he's into one of his friends, like Shinazugawa or that gloomy Tomioka? Whoever it was, you knew your chances of being with Obanai were nonexistent.

A few steps away from the exit, you opened your mouth to say thank you once again...

...but instead, you let out a loud scream as someone got a grip on your ankle.

"What the fuck—"

It all happened so quickly. You slipped and crashed on Obanai's back, startling him and causing him to grab your shoulder and shove you away.

You opened your eyes and the next thing you know, you saw familiar figures hovering above you.

"Hey, thanks to your screaming, people are queueing for our Haunted House!" A bulky man with white hair grinned from ear to ear.

"Tengen-san!" Suma pushed him away and turned to you. "(Y/N)-chan! Are you alright? Is your head okay?"

"Suma..." You whimpered and propped yourself up but something's weighing down your torso.

"Iguro, that's enough. Let the poor girl up." Tengen boomed.

You looked down and noticed Obanai had fallen on top of you. His head was on top of your stomach, tilted to one side, but you realized how red his face was.

"Senpai?" You called out.

He snapped out of his own thoughts and quickly stood up, dusting off his pants as he did so. Obanai stared down at you before quietly walking away.

"You're not even going to help her up?" Shinobu sneered.

Obanai stopped right on his track.

"What's with your 'allergic to girls' bullshit, huh?"

"Shinobu, it's alright, I'm fine." You got on your feet, helped by Suma, and held on Shinobu's arm. "Come on let's go, okay?"

"No, (Y/N), I'm gonna rip off that goddamn mask from his face!"

"Shi-chan, let's just drop this okay? (Y/N) probably needs food, she's still shaking." Suma added, totally worried. Shinobu might seemed calm on the outside, but both you and Suma knew she was in rage.

Shinobu stayed where she stood, but her eyes bore into Obanai's. She lifted a finger and pointed at him. "I will not let you get close to (Y/N) ever again."

Without waiting for Obanai's response, Shinobu tugged yours and Suma's elbows, dragging you away from the Haunted House. You looked over your shoulder and grimaced when you noticed Obanai just froze. His eyes were on the ground, hands balled up in a fist.

༻❁༺

It's been a month since the Haunted House incident. Shinobu apologized for what she had said, but she stood by it. Despite Obanai's 'female allergy,' he should have helped you up. You admitted she had a valid argument.

"It's fine," you said. "Makes it easier for me to forget him."

That's not true at all. Even after a month, you still caught yourself staring at him whenever you saw him from afar. In the library, in the cafeteria, across the campus' quad, even in a crowded diner near your campus. Obanai was everywhere. Most of the time you stole a glance towards him when Shinobu wasn't looking. It was hard not to, you've been crushing on your senior for more than a year now.

You sat in your classes, randomly thinking if Obanai found the topic you're currently learning as difficult. You examined your professor and wondered if Obanai hated him. It's even harder for you to forget him since you're majoring the same thing as him.

You stared at the paper in your hand, then at the door in front of you. Your professor had crossed one of your answer, even when you got the right answer. You've checked with your classmates. Thinking it was a mistake, you decided to ask the professor about it.

You knocked on his door and waited. No answer. You knocked again. Still no answer. Just when you're about to knock for the third time, the door opened.

"Hi, Professor, I was wondering if I could talk to... you?"

A pair of heterochromatic eyes stared down at you, mouth covered with a mask.

"Huh." Obanai opened the door a bit wider. "He's not here at the moment."

"I see... Well, then... I'll come back tomorrow." You nodded your head and turned on your heels.

"Wait."

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that your quiz from last week?" Obanai asked, to which you nodded. "Come in."

You followed him in and closed the door. Your professor's office was quite spacious and organized. Tons of books in his bookcase, files and papers on his desk, and Obanai who, for whatever reason, was in there, leaning against the professor's desk. He held out his hand, motioning for you to give him your paper. You gave it to him, standing a few steps away from Obanai.

"Are you the Teaching Assistant?" You asked.

"Yes. I graded yours and your classmates' answers."

"Okay."

The room grew silent, and you took advantage of the opportunity to take a look at him up close. Obanai was just a couple of inches taller than you. He's dressed in his typical black and white striped shirt and has his hair done back in a ponytail. You remembered how he used to let it fall on his shoulder. You loved seeing his hair like that. To be able to see him there in front of your eyes, bathed in sunlight from the window…

Obanai has never appeared more ethereal.

"I made a mistake, didn't I?" He asked, out of the blue. You were caught off guard.

"Uh... yeah, it's that... that one, number eight. I got the right answer, yet you still crossed it."

Obanai took a pen from his pocket and scribbled on your paper. You waited for him to finish. He probably caught you staring, but you didn't really care. Just because you didn't have any chance to be with him, didn't mean you're not allowed to appreciate his beauty, right?

Obanai folded your paper in half and handed it back to you. "I apologize."

You grabbed the paper and waved your hand. "No, it's fine. It's a small mistake."

"I mean for the other day."

"Huh?"

"Back in the Haunted House."

"Ah..." You could feel your cheeks turned crimson. "It doesn't matter, senpai. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and for what my friend said."

Obanai didn't say anything, he just stared at you and nodded slowly.

"Well, then," you cleared your throat, "I better get going."

"Yeah."

He walked you back to the door, something that he didn't really need to do since it was only a few steps away. Obanai opened the door for you and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms.

"Thanks again, senpai." You cracked a small smile.

Obanai nodded. "Check again if I crossed any of your right answers."

"Oh, I believe that was the only answer you crossed." You unfolded the paper. "I checked all of them and..."

"Mhmm?"

You were at loss of words. There were a scribble at the end of your paper, something that wasn't there before.

i'm sorry fancy some dinner to make up for it? Text me: 003-XXXX-XXXX

"S-senpai?"

"Don't... call me that." Obanai looked away, a tint of pink was visible on his pale cheek.

"...Obanai-san?"

He sighed. "You're not supposed to read it here."

"I'm sorry." You chuckled, not really prepared to witness your senior being flustered because of you.

"So?" Obanai asked. "Your answer?"

"S-sure." You gave him a thumbs up. It was an awkward move but you just got asked out by your crush for a dinner.

"Text me your address. I'll pick you up at seven." Obanai stepped back and closed the door, a little bit too hard.

You froze in your place, clutching your quiz paper on your chest. Your mind went fuzzy, couldn't comprehend what happened just yet.

"Dinner... at seven... okay..."

You walked away, looking at the scribble Obanai left on your paper. A little squeal slipped past through your lips as you walked faster, eager to reach your dorm and get ready for dinner.

──────────────────────────────────────────

Thank you for reading! Find me on Ao3 and Twitter

[respectthepetty]

Hii, i have been occupied and wanted to come back to watch BLS, my last one was naughty babe. So what's are your current obsession!?

Anon, you have missed a lot in the last six months! BL Land has had several shows in that time, and, of course, I've consumed most of them. My capability to become obsessed with a show is unparalleled, and as I mentioned in my last obsession list, I can be obsessed about several things simultaneously. Since you've been out for a minute, let me recap some of the shows I sent a Valentine's Day card too.

Note: These are NOT recommendations.

Shows I liked for color reasons but wasn't obsessed:

Twins

Pit Babe

Middleman's Love

My Dear Gangsta Oppa

Bake Me Please (* I AM obsessed with the lead actor, Guide)

Shows I liked for the colors AND the plot but wasn't always obsessed with:

The Sign

Perfect Propose

I Cannot Reach You

7 Days Before Valentine

I Became a Lead in a BL Drama

Shows I should've been obsessed with if I was normal:

Cooking Crush

Love for Love's Sake

Cherry Magic (Thailand)

So now that we recapped some of the shows I was mildly normal about, it's time for me to reveal the shows I'm currently so obsessed with that I cut off some of their hair while they slept and now I'm attaching it to a cloth doll in hopes of binding us together.

For. Ev. Ah.

Dead Friend Forever (forever, forever, ever, forever, ever?)

Obsession Level - Buying us matching BFF necklaces with vials of our blood attached to them after my therapist tells me my relationship with it is unhealthy, and I need to take a step back from it.

It just ended, and it isn't a BL, but I have no words. If I tried to explain why I'm so obsessed with this show, people would be really worried about my sanity. I can't stop thinking about it. I don't want to stop thinking about it. I hate all the characters. I love all the characters. I want them all dead. I want to raise them from the dead and make them do it all again. I want to heal them. I want to make them worse. I want to be in that house with them.

Unknown

Obsession Level - Holding pictures of it close to my heart while I lay in bed even though it is laying right next to me in the same bed because I need it to fully grasp just how crazy about it I am and have been.

It's Taiwanese. It's color coded. It's about "brothers." And if you looked at my previous obsessed list, you know those three items are a clear path to Obsession City for me (Looking at you, Kiseki: Dear to Me).

Anti Reset

Obsession Level - Baking all its favorite sweet treats and sitting them on its porch early in the morning then running away even though I know the security camera is filming me each time (which is why I wear cute outfits when I do it).

It's Taiwanese. It's color coded. It's about a robot. It doesn't hit all the points on my obsession scale, but it's part of Vidol/VBL's universe, so it has my attention and a little bit of my heart.

Lady Boy Friends

OB. SESSED! Level - Knowing it's expired and toxic, but I can't stop eating it because if ending up in the hospital is the price I have to pay and possible death, then I guess that's the sacrifice I gotta make.

It's a remake of a 2015 series, it dropped with no promo, and only one episode has aired, yet this show is hellbent on being a whole ass problem, so of course my trashy ass loves it. There is transphobia, homophobia, sexual harassment, colorism, elitism, and every other -ism that it could pile in because the entire show is begging to be everyone's trigger warning. There is a love story in there somewhere, but I don't give two shits about it when the skinny femmes and the fat femmes are fighting, and the one pictured above is about to enter her villain origin story. The subtitler is doing the Lord's work, and I feel truly blessed with this hot ass mess.

But please remember, one person's trash taste is not another person's treasure, so THESE ARE NOT RECOMMENDATIONS!

[missjanjie]

Strangers Like Me | Chapter 1

Title: Strangers Like Me Summary: Gigi Goode is an heiress, an LA socialite with the world at her feet, when suddenly, the rug is pulled out from under her. After a major scandal in her father's business, they relocate to Missouri to lay low until everything blows over. But when she meets her new neighbor, Crystal, the instant connection she feels just might keep her from sneaking onto the next flight to California. Word Count: ~2.5K Relationship(s): Crygi (Crystal Methyd/Gigi Goode) Rating: T

Read on AO3

It was one thing to struggle with change – it’s something that no amount of preparation can truly brace you for, the unknown acting as a dark, looming force that dredges up the worst possible outcomes for any given situation. And this was, quite possibly, the worst-case scenario for Gigi and her family. She had no idea about the events that led up to where she was now – in the backseat of a Toyota being driven down a seemingly endless stretch of road with only open farmland on either side. All she knew was that she was an up-and-coming LA socialite one moment, and the next, she was forced into anonymity for the foreseeable future.

Gigi didn’t fully understand what had gone down – she didn’t inherit her father’s mind for business and tended to stay away from that area entirely. The only thing she’d ever had a passion for learning about was fashion, and that was with the assumption that she could hire people to handle the business side of things. But the words that kept popping up were ‘embezzlement’ and ‘fraud’ – even she knew that was bad. 

To Gigi's surprise, the house they pulled up to was much larger than her home in California, though she supposed that made sense, having already figured out that everything was cheaper out here based on signs at gas stations and restaurants. 

Once her dad parked the car, she got out and sat on the hood of it, watching the movers bring boxes into the house. After five minutes or so, she realized she wasn’t the only one watching, looking over and seeing two young women across the street, both talking to each other as they passed a joint back and forth. She then realized that making friends out here might be even more important than doing so in high society. 

She walked across the street and, instead of walking up the five stairs, folded her arms on the railing to prop her head up. “Can I get a hit?”

The woman closer to her got up and offered it out to her. “Long drive?”

“Long day of travel,” Gigi replied as she took a hit, handing it back as she exhaled. Between the plane ride and drive, she had spent most of the day sitting and ruminating on her life. She looked at her new neighbor curiously – she had curly, brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses and was dressed far more brightly than what she would’ve expected from someone in a deep-red state. And when she looked over at the other woman – taller and paler with jet-black hair – and realized she was also dressed in a stand-out way, though she had more of a punk aesthetic. These two would thrive in Los Angeles, she couldn’t help but wonder if they felt as trapped here as she did.

“I’m Crystal, by the way,” she told her, then cocked her head to her right, “and this is my sister, Daya.” 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Gigi.” She went back and forth between offering out her hand or not, which made it look like she was jerking her arm like a robot before she settled on just nodding and smiling.

“Are you in witness protection or something?” Daya asked with a light laugh.

Gigi furrowed her brows. “I don’t think so… None of us had to change our names or anything, and we didn’t fake our deaths. I guess we’re just laying low until whatever’s happening with my dad’s business gets fixed up.”

The sisters exchanged surprised glances, neither expecting Daya’s joke to be anywhere close to the truth. “So, you don’t know how long you’ll be living here for?” Crystal asked.

“Not a clue,” she admitted with just enough self-awareness to realize she must look like the definition of a ditzy, out-of-touch, rich girl from Los Angeles. “A lot of financial and legal stuff needs to be sorted out, or something. I don’t know how long that takes.”

“Long enough for you to move into a two-million-dollar house,” Daya pointed out. 

She tilted her head, then shrugged. “That’s about how much our villa in Italy costs, seems pretty reasonable.” At the blank stares she received, she conceded, “I see how that doesn’t help my case.”

“It’s like the Simple Life reboot we didn’t know we needed,” Crystal laughed. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye out for you. But you might wanna consider blending in more,” she warned, gesturing to her designer clothes. 

Gigi arched her brow. “You don’t seem to be taking your own advice.”

“This is all thrifted, no one’s gonna rob someone for hand-me-down clothes,” she countered. “You, on the other hand, look like you’re wearing a month’s salary with overtime.” 

“The nearest meth dealers were taken down last week, but you could still end up in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Daya chimed in.

Gigi swallowed thickly, left hand reactively covering the pocket that her wallet was in. “Duly noted.” 

—

By nightfall, Gigi had finished unpacking and doing her best to make her bedroom mirror her old one, though she found this room to be larger and appreciated the ample storage. She wasn’t particularly inclined to downsize, so her parents allowed her to get a storage unit next to their shared one. Still, she found her new neighborhood to have an eerie silence that starkly contrasted with the bustling nightlife she was used to. She decided to do the first thing she could think of to quell her homesickness and FaceTimed her best friend. 

“Looks like you survived the trip. How’s Missouri treating you?” Symone asked.

“It hasn’t been as bad as I expected, but we’ve only been settled in for a few hours,” she answered. “I think my neighbors are the only two other queer women in this town, so at least I’ve got that going for me. I don’t know how they handle it, or how you handled growing up in Arkansas.”

“Very carefully,” she chuckled dryly. “But if they’re queer enough for you to pick up on it on sight, they’re probably braver than I was.”

Gigi pouted and huffed. “Hey! My gaydar has improved!” But after a moment, she conceded, “Granted, anyone with marginally functioning eyes could probably tell.”

“Either way, you lucked out living across the street from a lesbian couple.”

“They’re sisters,” she corrected with a tinge of defensiveness, but quietly backed it up with, “That’s how they introduced themselves to me.”

Symone’s brow rose, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Uh-huh. So which one of them do you wanna fuck?” 

“I never said that!”

“Didn’t have to.” 

After a few moments of silent pouting, Gigi gave in. “Crystal, I think she’s the older one. I don’t know… there’s something so unique about her. Enigmatic, even. It draws me in, makes me want to learn all I can about her. Or maybe I’m just going through a cultural withdrawal.” She wasn’t under some delusion that her attraction towards Crystal was some sort of love-at-first-sight kismet, but she would be lying if she claimed not to feel a natural pull towards her. 

“Just don’t get in over your head. Midwestern lesbians operate on a whole different software,” she warned. “You gotta be a lot tougher when the odds are stacked against you and all that shit. Besides, there’s probably a very finite amount of queer women out there, I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them have egos.”

She nodded. “Proceed with caution, got it.” Her attention was diverted when she heard her mom calling for her. “I’ll talk to you later,” she assured before ending the call. She tucked her phone into the pocket of her sweatpants before heading to the top of the stairs. “Yeah?”

“We’re going across the street for dinner tomorrow!” Her mom called up to her. “The nice woman said she had daughters around your age, you can make friends!”

Gigi momentarily contemplated clarifying that she’d already been acquainted, but decided against it and just shouted back, “Okay!” before returning to her room. 

—

It had been about ten minutes since Gigi entered her walk-in closet, but she was no closer to deciding what to wear. Logically, she knew something simple and clean would do, especially since this wasn’t technically a first impression. But it was the first proper one and she took far too much pride in her sense of style to play it safe. 

Eventually, she decided to break out the autumn wear that she got little use out of in California. She had to admit that it was nice being able to see the leaves change and feel a cool breeze not produced by an air conditioner. She had even chosen a sweater her grandmother had made, rather than one of the several designer ones she owned. It wasn’t that she was trying to portray herself as down-to-earth – any attempt at that would be dead on arrival – she was heeding Crystal’s warning, just in case.

“You look nice, honey,” her mother praised, “casual but refined, very fitting.”

Gigi beamed at the praise. “Perfect,” she chirped, slinging a small handbag over her shoulder and following her parents across the street and into the Methyd household. She politely greeted the woman she assumed to be Crystal and Daya’s mother and curiously began looking around. 

The house was smaller than hers, but still spacious enough to not feel cramped. The walls were decorated with art and family photos, but Gigi’s eyes were drawn to the decor adorning as much available surface area as possible.

“They’re mostly from Mexico,” Crystal remarked, startling Gigi, but she didn’t react to that, continuing her explanation, “My mom’s from there, she and my grandma moved here when she was… sixteen or seventeen, I think.” 

“They’re beautiful, very intricate,” she observed, picking up a handmade doll and studying the details of the hair and outfit. 

She smiled with a tinge of surprise in her expression. “Thanks, it’s not something people tend to point out,” she admitted before she led her into the dining room. “Don’t worry, with my dad around, my mom’s mastered the art of cooking Mexican food for white people.” 

Gigi snorted with laughter, then promptly hid her mouth behind her hand. “You know LA has the largest Mexican population outside of Mexico itself, right?”

“Missouri isn’t exactly renowned for its public school system, okay?” Crystal defended, her tone still light and playful. “You didn’t strike me as the type to…” She gestured vaguely, “You know…”

“Associate with people in lower tax brackets?” She supplied. “Maybe not as much as the average person, but it’s not like I’m out there shunning people for not being rich. That sort of attitude lends itself to a limited worldview.”

She seemed to relax at her words. “See, there’s that California private school education at work.”

Gigi shrugged it off, unsure of what the proper reply would be. Luckily, Crystal’s mom started serving dinner moments later, allowing the table to alternate between casual conversation and comfortable silence. Even though she had gone to more dinner parties than she could count with all sorts of high-profile guests, this felt different. Nobody was talking about ‘interest rate swaps’ or ‘trading fraptions’, she didn’t have to feign interest to be polite. It felt like visiting family friends she hadn’t seen since early childhood. 

It was nearly ten at night by the time Gigi and her parents went back home, all carrying leftovers that the Methyds insisted they leave with. “What a nice family, so hospitable. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to be around other midwesterners,” Gigi’s mom remarked. 

She tilted her head, mind going back to the comparison that came to mind earlier. She had all but forgotten that her parents grew up in Illinois and that she had spent the first two years of her life there too. “I understand the nostalgia for it now.” 

After they finished putting away the leftovers, Gigi retreated to her room and got into her pajamas. A few moments later, her phone vibrated and she saw a text from an unsaved number.

‘Hey, it’s Crystal. Your mom gave my mom your number. I should’ve asked you earlier lol’

Her heart skipped a beat as she read the text, immediately saving Crystal’s phone number. Despite the casual tone of the message, she typed and deleted a reply several times – too formal, too wordy, not wordy enough – until she finally managed to hit ‘send’.

‘No worries! I’m sure our paths would’ve crossed again anyway :)’

—

Crystal swore she could hear her heart beating in her ears as she sent the text. She wasn’t sure if she was dizzy, anxious, or bracing for an out-of-body experience. To compound it, she was frustrated with herself for investing that much emotional energy into something so minor. Waiting for Gigi to respond was the longest five minutes of her life, culminating in a sigh of relief. “Well, she’s not freaking out.”

“See? I told you she wouldn’t be weird about it,” Daya remarked, reading over her sister’s shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. “She could just be acting polite. WASP-y people tend to be pretty good at that.” After a moment of thought, she added, “At least it sounds like she wants to see me again.” 

“That’s the spirit,” she chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “It’ll be good for you to put yourself back out there. This is the longest you’ve been single since high school.”

“I don’t wanna jump the gun and assume anything,” she shook her head. “We don’t even know for sure if she’s gay.” She huffed at the way Daya looked at her, silently asking her if she was being intentionally obtuse. “Okay, fine, she’s probably gay. But still.”

Daya scoffed. “I don’t even know who you are anymore. You’ve never passed up the opportunity to shoot your shot.”

Crystal groaned as she threw herself onto the bed. “It’s different,” she defended, eyes fixing on the ceiling. “I’ve never met someone so utterly out of my league. Look at her, Daya. She’s rich, beautiful, cultured, rich…” She sighed and pushed herself to sit up. “I can’t even fathom being on her radar like that.” 

“And you’ll never be able to if you keep being a little bitch about it.” She sat down beside her, arm wrapped around her. It felt like a role reversal – Crystal was the confident older sister that always had a pep talk at the ready. But Daya wasn’t just physically taller now, she could offer the same emotional support, in her own way. “Maybe you should just focus on being friends with her. If the chemistry is there, it’ll come out organically.”

She exhaled deeply as she mulled over her sister’s words. “Might as well make the most out of whatever time we have,” she decided, looking up at her with a grin. “Look at you, being the voice of reason. I’m so proud.”

Daya rolled her eyes fondly. “Thanks, bitch,” she laughed.

[breathedeep-namaste]

Merry Christmas, Darling

Summary: Amy Silva and Kirsten Longacre looking at lights with Poppy and exchanging Christmas presents. Takes place between seasons one and two. Fluff!

“Aye, this one is actually my favourite!” Kirsten turned up the dial of the car radio as Shane McGowan’s distinct voice began crooning, it was Christmas Eve babe, in the drunk tank…

“You’ve said that about the last three songs!” Amy laughed as she lightly clutched the steering wheel. Kirsten ignored her, fully committed to the cheeky Irish tune.

“Merrrrrrrry Christmas, I looooove you baby…” she sang, exaggeratedly, reaching out and squeezing Amy’s knee. Amy rolled her eyes playfully, but reached down and gave Kirsten’s hand a squeeze. It was impossible not to find her girlfriend endearing. “Oooh, Pops – look at those!” Kirsten turned around so that she could watch Poppy’s face as the young girl spotted an over-the-top display of rainbow lights, complete with a robotic waving Santa Claus and Rudolph with a bright red nose.

The three of them had been driving around for about thirty minutes now, slowly making their way slowly but surely back to Morag and Gordon’s to drop off Poppy for the rest of the holiday. cheerful chime of laughter filled the car as they drove Poppy back to her grandparents' house. Poppy sat in the back seat, her eyes shining with the magic of Christmas lights outside the window. The little girls eyes twinkled in the sparkling lights as she ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed at the display. They passed it and a couple more, before the road went dark as they approached the more rural stretch towards Poppy’s grandparents.

"I wish I could stay with you tonight," Poppy said with a pout, though it wasn’t entirely serious. The little family had had a brilliant day – building a gingerbread house, watching Christmas films, eating sweets and finally, exchanging gifts. Poppy had been to pick out a few presents with her grandparents, things that a little girl would be inclined towards for a parent – a scented candle, some slippers for each of them and a small canvas pouch with a rainbow embroidered onto it “because Fred at school says that rainbows are for gay pride”. But their most cherished gift from the young girl had been the card – a family portrait on coloured paper that showed both women, Poppy and Cat drawn in crayon. “Merry Christmas Mums” it read across the bottom. While they were preparing for joint custody beginning in the new year, with Poppy getting ready to move in with them in the first week of January, it still felt surreal to Kirsten that she’d be accepted so willingly.

Amy looked back at Poppy through her rear-view mirror, a gentle smile on her face. "I know, sweetheart. We wish you could stay, too. But hey, guess what? This time next year, we’ll all be together. Maybe even in a new house, with Christmas lights of our own…” the brunette said thoughtfully. Though they were initially moving Poppy into Amy’s flat, the couple already had plans to work with a realtor and find something bigger and more suitable for Poppy.

Poppy's eyes widened with excitement, and she clapped her hands. "Really? Promise?"

Amy nodded, her heart full. "Promise. Cross my heart." She brought one finger up to her chest and drew an ‘x’, though Poppy couldn’t see. Kirsten watched Amy lovingly from the passanger seat, listening though she was still softly singing her (3rd) favourite Christmas song to herself. Her eyes widened involuntarily as the song began to reach it’s less festive (or child-appropriate) middle verse – her hand shot up to the volume dial and she turned it down completely, plunging the car into silence for a long moment before she and Amy exchanged a knowing glance. Tentatively, Kirsten turned it back up, hoping she’d missed the profanity, just in time for Kirsty MacColl to sing ‘you cheap lousy fa-‘ at full blast. Amy and Kirsten erupted into laughter, Poppy largely oblivious anyway. “Favourite song, huh?” Amy quipped, raising one eyebrow.

“Aye,” Kirsten laughed. “Still a classic.”

They took a more direct route home after dropping off Poppy, Christmas music still playing softly as Kirsten sang along and Amy drove. They had been together for most of the year now, as well as parts of last year, before Kirsten had ended things, but this was their first Christmas together. They’d spent much of the festive season exchanging stories and traditions – Kirsten’s love of Christmas music of course was now well established, Amy’s grandmother had passed down a recipe for minced pies that they’d assembled with Poppy, ready to bake in the morning. Kirsten’s Dad had always insisted on watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ on the night of Christmas Eve, and playing a game of poker with their extended family. She’d only insisted Amy continue one of these traditions with her, and Amy had picked up the film on DVD so that they could watch it that evening.

“Did your family ever open a gift on Christmas Eve?” Amy asked, turning down the Christmas radio just slightly and glancing over at her partner.

“Nooooo,” Kirsten scoffed playfully. “Mum was very insistent that we wait for St. Nicolas. Christmas Eve was for mass with Nan, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and listening out for reindeer.” She grinned at the memory. “Why, I didn’t think you did?”

“No we didn’t,” Amy agreed, nodding subtly. “But… if you don’t have any objections… maybe we could start a new tradition?” Then, softly chuckling to herself. “I’m just not sure I can wait until tomorrow,” She squinted her eyes slightly, playfully scrunching her nose. “My gift is pretty good.”

“Oh Amy Silva, don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t modest,” Kirsten joked. She leaned back against the passenger seat, wiggling a bit and lifting her hips to stretch out her legs, suddenly impatient and eager to get home. “Aye, we could do that. My gift is pretty good too.”

Amy didn’t say anything in response, but she reached down and gave Kirsten’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“After the movie though. Can’t have you falling asleep on me,” Kirsten quipped. Amy had confided in her a few weeks prior that she hadn’t actually seen the Christmas classic, finding it too long and falling asleep the last time she’d given it ago, though that was long before Kirsten. She tended to prefer daft Christmas comedies and was amusingly partial to Bad Santa.

“Deal.” Amy agreed, and they drove the rest of the way home in comfortable silence, besides Kirsten’s quiet humming to the radio.

“We’ll take a cup of kindness dear,” Kirsten sang along softly with the final scene of the movie, planting a soft kiss on Amy’s temple as the woman shifted in her arms, blinking with heavy eyelids. She hadn’t been sleeping, she had actually quite enjoyed the film – but it was nearly midnight and the emptied glass of Bailey’s over ice now sitting on the coffee table hadn’t done her any favours. Kirsten gently traced circles on Amy’s hand, feeling the weight of the moment – new traditions forming, a quiet anticipation before they would exchange their gifts. Amy turned around in Kirsten’s arms, resting her chin on the other woman’s chest.

“Shall we?” she said softly, her eyes tracing an invisible line between Kirsten’s own and the Christmas tree.

Kirsten nodded, carefully separating herself from girlfriend so that they were both seated.

“Who goes first?” she asked, quizzically eyeing up Amy. “At home it’s always the youngest,” the red head grinned.

“Be my guest then,” Amy smiled, amused but resigned, gesturing towards the tree. Kirsten brought herself to standing, shaking out one of her legs that had slight pins and needles after two hours and ten minutes curled up on the couch. Once comfortable, she headed straight for a particular spot under the tree and picked up a square box slightly smaller than her palm. She sat down again, playing with the box in her hands for a moment before handing it to Amy.

“Oh I hope you like it,” she mumbled, suddenly nervous. Christmas was important to her, though she knew she was likely overthinking it.

“I will.” Amy said confidently, leaning over to Kirsten and kissing her gently before refocusing on the gift. Kirsten’s eyes lingered over the other woman with anticipation.

Amy carefully unwrapped it, revealing a square shaped jewellery box underneath. She raised her eyebrows, wondering just briefly what may lay inside, though she didn’t draw out the moment. Gently she pulled off the lid of the box, revealing two delicate necklaces. The first was a dainty gold gain with a round pendant, engraved with a Poppy. And just below was another gold chain, this one adorned a combination of small round beads and longer but equally subtle tube-shaped ones which Amy instantly recognised as morse code for “I love you”.

“Wow, Kirsten,” Amy looked lovingly from her gift to her partner, her eyes reflecting the depth of appreciation she felt. Not just for the gift, but for a partner that knew her so well, and made her feel so loved. "It's perfect. So… us.” she whispered with a contented smile, savouring the moment. Amy then leaned even closer to Kirsten, resting her head briefly against Kirsten’s shoulder. Kirsten returned the affectionate gesture, tilting her head down towards Amy’s before turning it and moving her fingertips to the other woman’s chin, gently lifting it.

With her other hand she reached over to the necklace, tracing the morse code with her finger. "I love you,” she said simply, pressing her forehead to Amy’s. She let her eyes linger, holding Amy’s gaze for a few seconds, adoring her warm brown eyes. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered before tilting her chin up and meeting Amy’s lips with hers. Her hand moved from Amy’s chin to gently cup her face and eventually softly clutching at the back of Amy’s neck as the kiss deepened.

After a few moments Amy slowly pulled away, kissing Kirsten just to the right of her lips, then on the cheek, before finally sitting back.

“My turn,” she ran her hands across her own thighs, taking a deep and slightly nervous breath. She was confident that the present she had chosen was a match for Kirsten’s lovely gesture, but there was still something about it that made her almost shy, which wasn’t an emotion she felt often anymore around the other woman.

Amy got down onto her hands and knees in order to reach underneath the Christmas tree to the very back, where she picked up a small, conspicuously shaped parcel. She’d hidden it so as not to raise questions in Kirsten’s mind. It was a ring, yes, but not of the diamond variety. Still, she and Kirsten were about to embark on the most serious phase of their relationship yet – they had lived together already for several months, but bringing Poppy into the picture. Starting a family, officially, was something they discussed often. She wanted Kirsten to have a symbol of the commitment that she felt and saw returned in the way Kirsten was so willing to raise Poppy with her, to be a Mum alongside her.

“Here,” she whispered, placing the box onto Kirsten’s lap before pulling herself back up onto the couch beside her. She placed her hand on Kirsten’s leg, squeezing it gently with anticipation and gently moving her fingers across the woman’s inner thigh.

Kirsten sucked in her breath, noticing the slight change in Amy’s demeanour and the size and shape of the box. Without saying anything, she lifted it off of her lap and began to unwrap it. She looked at Amy before opening, eyes wide and unsure. Amy nodded, indicating that she could go on, which did confuse Kirsten slightly. If Amy was proposing, she wasn’t making it very clear.

Kirsten tilted the box open herself, revealing a delicate gold band. It was a simple yet elegant piece, and Kirsten ran her finger over it, once again meeting Amy’s eyes.

“It’s… not an engagement ring,” Amy said slowly, watching Kirsten’s face for any indication of disappointment, but it didn’t come. Kirsten’s eyes were patient and kind. Loving. “But it is a promise.” She reached up to her own chest, just as she had earlier with Poppy, and drew an ‘X’ over her heart. “I love you, Kirsten. Our little family… it is everything to me. And I wanted you to have a symbol of that.”

Touched by the sentiment, Kirsten slipped the ring onto her left hand, then fanned out her fingers and presented her hand to Amy. “I love it, Amy. And I love you.”

Amy let out her breath, which she hadn’t realized she had been holding. A wave of relief washed over her as she released the worry that Kirsten would be dissatisfied. Amy had always been unsure about marriage, even before falling for Kirsten. Poppy had always been rooting for her to marry Ioan, and she carried a certain amount of guilt that she’d always had a bit of a mental block about the idea. Since meeting Kirsten, everything she’d known about herself had been challenged. And while she was fairly confident that one day she would marry the other woman, and absolutely certain that she would be with her forever, this felt like the right gesture for them, for now.

Amy wrapped her arms around Kirsten’s shoulders, pulling them both down against the back of the couch. Kirsten turned her body so that she could lay against Amy’s side, hand on her chest, still admiring the ring. She had accepted Amy, for all of her, a long time ago. She knew what a big deal this was for her, engagement ring or not. That was what made it so endearing.

“Merry Christmas, Amy…” she said softly, pointing with a finger to the clock on the wall which showed it was now past midnight.

“Merry Christmas darling,” Amy replied, kissing Kirsten’s forehead as they lay in the glow of the Christmas tree, fingers tracing down her partner’s arm. “To many more…”

[hannahwatcheshorror]

ERASERHEAD (1977)

A very artistic and cerebral movie, think Andy Warhol and Don’t Touch Me I’m Scared. I found myself tense during the whole movie, I don’t know if it was the atmosphere, the sound effects, or if I was just matching the energy of our main character but I was going through something. RIP David Lynch.

⭐⭐⭐.5

The first eight (8) or so minutes of the film are this cerebral other worldly planet. It is so strange to behold when we are suddenly in reality and in a location that is something we can understand as being earth. But even once we are on “earth” there are things we don’t quite understand like an uprooted plant in soil just sitting on his bedside table. The synopsis calls it an “industrial environment” but it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Yo, David Lynch straight up HATES Philly. This movie is basically set in alternate universe Philadelphia and Lynch did it like that because he lived in Philly for years and thinks it’s terrible (wack). I have never lived in Philly proper but I know and have known people who live there and they didn’t churn out Eraserhead. Maybe I have been away from the “City of Brotherly Love” for too long, I know Philly is responsible for the death of the hitchhiking robot but what did people expect from the place that birthed the Philly Phanatic and would later churn out Gritty? ANYWAY.

We learn the name of our main character, Henry, he is just a scared dude going through the world (think Beau Is Afraid energy). He goes to meet up with his gal who has been dodging him a while and has an awkward dinner with her family before the mother asks him if he has slept with her daughter. Then the mom starts to kiss up on him before Mary comes in to yell at her and we find out there has been a birth! There is a (maybe) baby at the hospital and it is Henry’s! The two are to be married at once! Flash forward we have Mary trying to spoon feed the thing she gave birth to. Henry comes home and is seemingly oblivious to the whole thing, he doesn’t seem to mind that the baby looks like it does (which is not very human) but also makes no attempts to help Mary care for it. He gets a little worm in the mail and doesn’t know what to do with it. Eventually the crying gets to Mary so that she storms out back to her parents house to try and get a night's sleep. 

Henry attempts to care for the baby but it gets sick and he doesn’t know what to do, he is terrified. When Mary is back she is having a fit in her sleep and Henry is pulling these fleshy nodes on what look like umbilical cords out from under her (maybe from inside her?) and he throws them against the wall. It is unclear if this is a dream as it breaks into a woman with enormous facial cheeks dancing on a stage. On another occasion when the wife is out, Henry’s next door neighbor just so happens to lock herself out of her apartment and asks to come in. At first she is distressed by the sight of the baby but she and Henry help distract each other. Henry cheats on his wife because he is stressed out which is not an excuse ever but the shot of them sinking into the bed that was a pool of water was really cool. Again our big cheeked lady on stage, this time she is singing that viral song that goes “In Heaven Everything is Fine.” 

Henry appears then his head pops off and his baby's head is where his head should be. A little boy scoops up Henry's head and takes it to a pawn shop where they bring it to a back room and remove sections of brain to make erasers. So it appears that the movie title comes from the fact that in this version of earth pencil erasers are made from grey matter. It isn’t entirely clear if this is just an unfounded fear of Henrys or if it is truly something done in his world and he is worried it might happen to him. Either way, Henry ends up killing the baby and it dies for so long, 1922 long, and Henry didn’t even do something that would kill it quickly and painlessly. Fucking yikes. No compassion for his own son-thing. The movie ends with more flashes of the planet from the beginning of the film and close ups of the baby's head.

----------------------HANNAH WATCHES HORROR---------------------

[a7xbrazilianfans]

Avenged Sevenfold members were interviewed to end-of-year issue of Rock Classic Magazine. Check out the full interview below:

Stranger things: Avenged take metal on a trip. Earlier this year, powered by existentialism and hallucinogens, Avenged Sevenfold crafted the weirdest album by a major heavy metal band in decades. Frontman M Shadows and his wife, Valary, were having a night out at a local bar when the psychedelic mushrooms began to take hold. A new Avenged Sevenfold album was already in the works, but the singer wasn’t seeking chemically enhanced inspiration at that moment – until the feelings of love and happiness got intense.

“Then we got home,” Shadows recalls, “and we just had this connection, being so sure that we had travelled through space and time to be together in every life that we meet up in – the ultimate love story.”

From that experience, Shadows wrote the lyrics to Cosmic, a sweeping ballad with influences ranging from Elton John to Daft Punk and 808s-era Kanye West, and nothing to remind you of metal. It’s also the longest track on 2023’s mind-expanding Avenged Sevenfold album Life Is But A Dream…, with a romantic vocal that promises: ‘As we chase through the stars beyond forever, I’ll follow you.’

The music is fuelled by wild experimentation, balancing heavy riffs with textures and ideas taken from other genres and dimensions. It is the band’s magnum opus, an album of miniepics and pocket symphonies, absorbing sweeping moments of pop, prog, jazz, gypsy folk, hip-hop, Daft Punk-style robotics, classical melody, the Phil Spector ‘Wall Of Sound’, and even some crooning from the Frank Sinatra school. Shadows is excited to watch the fallout.

“I want to make an impact. I want to make bold art,” he says of the album. “I think after people get used to it, it won’t be so crazy. And then it’ll be like: ‘Well, what’s next?’ That’s the journey we’re all on.”

That makes Life Is But A Dream… both a confrontation and an invitation, as the band seek to change the definition of what an Avenged Sevenfold track is supposed to sound like. This time last year, Shadows posted his top five most-played artists on Apple Music, which might have been a clue to his state of mind: The Commodores, Weezer, Kanye West, Queens Of The Stone Age and Billy Joel. And yet just the other day he had Slayer’s Divine Intervention on repeat in the car, happily feeding off its raw power.

“I consider us a metal band,” he says. “We’re definitely influenced by Slayer and Pantera and Metallica and some quirkier things. We’re just trying to put our own twist on it.”

The first public glimpse of the new album was its debut single, the nearly-six-minute Nobody, which mixes ominous guitars with a trap beat and a full orchestra, male harmonies more R&B than metal, and, shortly before an epic guitar solo, a mysterious declaration from Shadows: ‘I’m a god, I’m awake, I’m the one in everything/I’m alive, I’m the dead. I’m a man without a head.’ Initial reactions were mixed – surprised, angry, confused, ecstatic. Some Avenged fans embraced the sound immediately; others didn’t get it at all.

“They’re like: ‘That is fucking shit! These guys forgot how to write a song! Why would you put a solo at the end?’” says Shadows. “We were just laughing. That was more fun to us than someone saying: ‘This is great.’ We always gear towards a little bit of ruffling feathers.”

That song only hints at what the rest of Life Is But A Dream… offers. Working with Joe Barresi, who also produced Avenged’s previous album The Stage, guitarist Synyster Gates calls it “a full U-turn. It’s just like a blast off into outer space”.

Work on Life Is But A Dream… began after Avenged Sevenfold cancelled the final leg of their 2018 tour, due to a viral infection that affected Shadows’s vocal cords. The band returned home to Huntington Beach and started writing new songs. Shadows and Synyster would sit together for hours, hashing out their ideas, usually at the latter’s house. The album took nearly five years to complete.

“It feels like an entire lifetime,” says Gates, whose daughter Monroe was born in the interim. “We needed a break after two decades of doing stuff, but we needed to go to work because there was a creative itch.”

On the new tracks there are riffs as tough and heavy as anything from the band’s past, but the context is completely different. A frantic beat kicks off the crazed We Love You, shifting into the grinding guitar that accompanies Shadows as he chants a wish list of society’s insatiable appetites: ‘More power! More pace! More money! More taste! More sex! More pills! More skin!’ There are moments of stuttering electronics and Beatles melody, closing with guitarist Zacky Vengeance sounding like George Harrison on a 1920s acoustic and a bit of bottleneck to create a warm sound of gypsy jazz, as the band’s chorus of tattooed dudes hums along.

“Me and Gates get [a lot of] joy out of playing crazy jazz chords that we’ve never, ever incorporated in Avenged Sevenfold,” says Vengeance.

Getting the band there was a long, strange trip that included psychedelic experiences for two of them in the form of mindaltering venom – aka 5-MeO-DMT – from the rare Sonoran Desert toad.

“When we went deep into the 5-MeO-DMT stuff, it was before covid,” Shadows explains. “But you don’t just go into that, right?"

The Stage was already starting to deal with these existential things – like: ‘Gimme all the information of what we know about why we’re here.’”

The Stage, released in 2016, was a concept album about artificial intelligence that closed with a 15-minute meditation on the Big Bang, narrated by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“I want to form my world view based on facts and science, which a lot of times is very nihilistic, then reading philosophy or really great novels about this sort of thing,” says Shadows.

“And then that record dove into the sort of AI element, which we’re dealing with now. And it dove into the Big Bang. This record [Life Is But A Dream…] dove into: ‘Now what do we do with all that information as a human that has emotions, that evolved to this spot where we have our upper brain [wired for reasoning] and lower brain [wired for primitive responses] and they’re battling each other?’”

For the 5-MeO-DMT experimentation, which he hoped would pause that battle, Shadows flew in a shaman, whose skills had previously been employed by engineers at SpaceX and Google. He went through three days of sessions, including one with Gates and another with Valary.

“I don’t promote this,” he’s careful to say. “I don’t want to say that everyone needs that.”

For Shadows, the trips were eye-opening and difficult, resulting in a “pure existential crisis for a year” and loss of ego at one point, but eventually also a feeling of deep connection to the world.

“You come to terms with how important everyone thinks everything is, and how they work themselves up,” he says. “And none of it means anything. You work your fingers to the bones and everyone tells you you’re great your whole life. Then all of a sudden you look back on your life and you go: ‘What the fuck was that?’ Ha ha ha!”

[ask-emerys-melvinborgs]

-—-—-The Event Horizon-—-—-

Chapter 2. Overture

🫐—-—-—-—-—-— »,”☆

Melvinborg sped through the air at breakneck speed, the rocket careening through the clouds, below him his apartment, his neighborhood, his city disappearing. His grip on the steering mechanism was a little white-knuckled, his dashboard a contrasting cheery array of LEDs, and his heart soaring with determination.

—-[Start] [« Last] -,”🪽”,- [Next »] [Latest]-—

A myriad of satellites were perched in invisible orbit like birds on a wire, and as he sped past, he saw a variety of purple lights blinking at him- the friendly, neutral color of communication, a quick 'hello!' as he began his journey. Interstellar communication had gotten leagues better, and the nearby airspace really wasn't so lonely anymore. He whizzed past the air station, a few stray rockets from different independent explorers like him housed comfortably in its magnetic field. Now that he was finally out of orbit, he could calm his pace a little bit. He unbuckled his seatbelt, floating as if a petal on water, suprisingly light and graceful leaps. And heavens, did he have fun with it! Bounding about, feeling the freedom of space- though he had taken multiple trips into space before, it still was a rare treat, and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Alone in his ship, he let his guard down, feeling like a kid once again. It was this kind of spirit he was going to need so desperately, for a mission like this.

Just for the sake of feeling less alone, he decided to tune his radio to the Communications section. With the clickity-clackity turn of a deliciously antiquated knob, the gentle static fuzzed in, a little warmer than usual (likely the gentle hum of the stars). "Hey, anyone online?" A voice shimmered through the speakers...

"Oh, fantastic! I'm doing quite well, thank you," he spoke into the intercom. "I'm on my way out of town- well. Way out of town, I suppose." The voice giggled a little. "And," he added giddily, "if you're oh-so-terribly-curious, I'm actually trying to-" A wave of electrical fuzz washed over the sound, and before he could begin his monologue, the connection was lost, leaving him a little disheartened. Oh well. "ETH3R, how far until our destination?" he asked his scientific companion. "We won't hit the hyperspace barrier until we get out of the solar system and its regulations, which should take about 15 minutes and 49 seconds, so accounting for that...... you've got nine hours, thirty-seven minutes, and 11 seconds until we reach the orbit of the nearest black hole, MIRAWIDIE-14." Damn. He scrunched his nose. It sounded like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that bad, eh? Nine hours until his life changed, hopefully forever, hopefully for the better. He settled into the lounge chair he had so-smartly included, ready for his journey, still keeping his general cover of ultimate in-control nonchalantness but secretly alight with anticipation. He hadn't penned yet what he was even going to say or do to his younger self- that would require a LOT of self-reflection that he was absolutely not willing to do. Obviously, expecting him to be absolutely perfect at every turn already would lead him to the same colossal burnout crash that Borg had experienced as he had metaphorically dragged himself across the bloody, gravelly pavement of life to make it into adulthood. Obviously, he was a lot better off now, but... he wanted to save himself the pain, if he could. But god, introspection isn't easy to do when there's so many layers of perfectionism and shame, mm? He didn't realize that to face himself, he would have to face himself. His thoughts couldn't keep him for long, though, because ETH3R gently encouraged him to buckle himself back into the commander's seat so that they could engage their hyperspace drive. "Ah, what would I do without you?" he asked affectionately, to which the robot replied "Let's hope we never have to find out." The shadow of Neptune was shrinking behind them, and as they began to launch into hyperspace, the reflections of the stars went from dutiful pinpricks to huge bearded comets to crystalline slices, slight differentiation in color, creme and periwinkle and peach and white cascading past in beautiful shooting lines as they went faster faster faster faster FASTER- And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they slowed back to a gentle lull, but the sky was almost entirely changed, Around them was a menagerie of dust, nebulas in every color and then some, stars of all sizes adorning the sky. Sparse enough to still have that sense of coldness, but everything was so much more colorful- it was like stepping into Oz. Little tears gathered in Melvin's eyes- there was no sight like it, and he would never get used to experiencing that glory. He settled in comfortably for the ride, gazing out the window at the breathtaking monuments, strolling through them on his way to his future.

[victorluvsalice]

Hi folks -- we're back with the Chill Valicer Save this week, working our way through the trio's Spring Wednesday! And this one proved to be a bit busier than anticipated, so let's get straight in --

-->First things first – picked up with the gang just bumming around their house at about two in the morning, as they do. As Alice needed Fitness skill to help fulfill her Renaissance Sim aspiration (and thus her New Year's Eve resolution), I sent her off on a feral run, while Victor got to go back to bed for a little more sleep, and Smiler –

Got put on weeding duty. Because, despite cheating the glitched plants from the previous episode to be weedless, the minute I checked the greenhouse, I saw that the weeds had resprouted! I hoped that maybe now they were non-glitched weeds and would go away when vacuumed up, but nope, Smiler once again got stuck in a loop when they tried to weed them. *grumble* And when I tried resetting the weed growth state again later on, the weeds disappeared...and then just grew right back again! What the hell – what’s even the POINT of letting me get rid of the weeds if it won’t ACTUALLY let me get rid of them?? *shakehead*

-->Anyway – once I saw that Smiler was stuck in the loop, I canceled the action and instead had them go lecture Surprise about playing in a trash pile that was next to the garden sink (from when Alice repaired it last time). The cat didn’t exactly know what she was being lectured for, but at least she stopped making a bigger mess! Smiler scavenged the pile for parts, put it in their inventory, then went back to their robotics bench to make more mechanisms and computer chips for that Servo project I’d like them to start at some point (you know, to help around the house and the store). As they were doing that, Alice returned from her feral run, and I had her pick up the mail –

Which contained a giant plush bunny! Their reward for finding all those decorative eggs, I presume! :) I decided it could go next to the knitting basket and rocking chair in the séance room – only to discover the darn thing was not live draggable, unfortunately. So Alice had to go there manually and put it in the world herself. *shrug* I figured while she was up there, she could get some meditation in (helps keep the Fury at a manageable level, after all), and had her plonk her butt down on the stool for a little while (at least, until she started levitating). Not only did she end up getting Wellness level 6 during her little Zen session, she ALSO got a pop-up stating she’d thought of a hilarious joke while meditating and got Comedy level 5 out of it too! Two skills for the price of one, I love it! :D

-->While Alice was getting her chill on, Victor got up, used and Scruberooed the toilet, then popped down to the greenhouse to do some tending (and get stuck in a few weeding loops of his own on those glitched plants *sigh*) before grabbing some honey out of the bee box, picking all the grown over-sized crops (the big mushroom wasn’t QUITE ready), and super-selling everything else because, well, they don’t really need any more fruit, veggies, or flowers JUST at the moment. XD Smiler, meanwhile, got put on livestock duty – feeding the chickens, cleaning the coop, telling them some jokes, and telling Surprise that she was not to play in the chicken feed either, before moving on to clean and chat with Moory. Moory didn’t think much of their attempts to talk about the weather, but did like their joke, so Smiler was able to successfully milk her, yay. We appreciate when the cow cooperates with us!

-->We also appreciate when the Sims decide to be cute on their own – case in point, Victor, having finished in the greenhouse, promptly went over to Smiler after they’d finished milking Moory and made out with them right by the cow shed. XD I then had Victor offer his wrist to a thirsty Smiler (his plasma is their favorite, after all), while I had Alice return to normal after her meditation session and go get the eggs. Once Victor was done being drained, he went over and had a little slow dance with Alice in front of the chicken coop – seems like farm chores encourage him to be romantic. XD Shadow came over and started whining at them for a walk midway through, though, so I had Smiler go over and play with her a bit to keep her occupied. Cute family times are cute! :) Anyway, with the chores done and everyone having gotten their adorableness quotient for the day fulfilled, I tried to have Victor set up the trip to the store –

Only for him and Alice to get obsessed with playing with the clay blob, with Victor insisting on walking all the way to the living room even when I canceled the action in favor of them going traveling. *shakes head* Sims sometimes, I swear..

[pbandjesse]

We just got home from the state fair. Which was very fun but me and James are both a bit nauseous. Because we are to old for rides. But it was still fun.

I had a little bit of anxiety today. It made it hard to do anything. But I tried my best.

I slept better last night though. It was still hard to fall asleep but I went to sleep earlier then I have been. Progress.

I woke up at 9 and laid in bed for a few minutes. But I would convince myself to get up and I would feel alright. I was feeling a little better about my face and hair. I loved my new dress. But then I thought I would put on eyeliner and I felt so ugly??? And I washed my face multiple times and couldn't get it off enough and just felt so bad!!

So my goal was to find a way to not be super upset with my face. I put on mascara and that helped. I guess it's nice to like my face better without eyeliner?

I put on moisturizer and went and ate cereal for breakfast and tried to not think about it.

I cleaned for a bit. Took a walk to the car to drop off some stuff. Finally remembered to put the gum in there I bought to help my upset stomach. I changed the kitty litter. Or at least I tried to. We didn't have enough to fill the tray so I decided I could go out. It would be nice to get out of the house.

I decided to drive to the Towson target. Even though I tend to have bad times there because of the parking lot. But it would be a surprisingly good time even if I almost caused an accident because of blind corner in the stupid badly designed parking lot.

But that was at the end of the trip. It started with me being a little disappointed that there are going to be two Halloween stores but neither of them were open yet. Ah well. I went over to the target first. I got a few snacks. Got the kitty litter and some other things we needed. Like tissues. And was happy with my choices even if things were expensive. Everything is expensive these days.

James asked me to get them a bike accessory for their phone. I had to use the look up machine thing but I found it.

After I checked out I took everything to the car and a neat old hot rod as parked behind me and I was like. That it either going to be a very old man or it's going to be someone like Chris Viola. I would go over to the Marshalls. Where I would get an under eye cooling stick which made me feel very good. And when I came out the owner of the car was there and he was the oldest man! I knew it!

I would drive over to the other side of the giant shopping center to go to five below. Where I got a little toy frog robot (like one of those yappy dogs but a frog) and some candy. I also got a new pair of sunglasses to replace a broken pair. Need a break from the hearts. I mostly just had fun looking around. I was feeling a little better.

It was time for lunch next. I decided to get queso and chips but also got a side of corn salsa and dressing and mixed it all together and it was so good! And I picked the best time because everyone came in after and there was long lines the whole time I was eating. But I just sat and enjoyed my lunch and watched a video. I was feeling pretty good. But I also knew it was time to go home.

Just as I was leaving the parking lot is when I accidentally pulled out in front of someone when I couldn't see them over a hill. Felt very dumb. But no accident happened thankfully and I made it home in one piece.

I got a little frustrated when I got back. I figured out I can use my backpack as a hip cup holder to hold my cup so I could carry the kitty litter. But then when I got to our building door there were a bunch of packages and I was trying to hold the door open but the statue we used to use went missing a couple weeks ago and I tired using the kitty litter to hold it but it wasn't working and I was getting really frustrated. But I got everything inside.

I was confused when I got s package of washclothes. But it turned out it was from my mom and I appreciated that very much. They are Turkish towels which are my favorite. And my replacement earrings finally came and I like them very much. It inspired me to organize my earrings box though and that was a little frustrating because it's all parts of earrings and it makes no sense. But at least it's broken up into what type of piercing it is. Better then nothing.

I would finish cleaning the kitty litter. And put the dishes away. After thoroughly washing my hands. And then decided I should start to tackle the snail issue.

The grass I bought for my tanks a few weeks back seems to have been invested with snail eggs. Because over the last week I keep seeing small snails. At first it was like whatever but now there were at least 5 visible on the glass.

So I set up a pretzel box as a small tank. And started catching them. And I swear I got like 30 today. All very very small but I am not pleased. The snail tank may get moved to camp and become a breeding tank and we can feed them to Nellie the terrapin. We will see. But for now I am on a catching mission. I don't love sticking my hands in the tanks all the time. I don't want my oils or lotions to get in the water. I will continue to monitor the situation.

I would spend the afternoon knitting. And getting ready to go to the fair. I was excited. Also anxious. But that was a timing thing.

James would let me know they were going to leave soon but then it got pushed farther back because of people at the museum. Which was fine. But we were supposed to meet Celia at the fairgrounds at 5 and that wasn't going to happen.

So I let her know that we would tell her as soon as we left.

When James got home they would clean themselves up and change their shirt. I put on little boots. And we headed out.

The light rail was running late. And the sun was to bright. But it was fine. I let Celia know we had a 530 eta. And she said that was fine she was going to get Panera. Made me feel a little better.

And the fair was a lot of fun. She ended up getting stuck in traffic to get into the parking lot. So me and James found a shady spot to wait. And then made a little look around to get the kay of the land. And then we got to watch a pig race. And then went to meet her at the gate.

And it was a lot of fun! We would see the animals. And the crafts. And the fruits and flowers. And it was just really nice.

It's not the Minnesota state fair for sure. But I loved seeing all the different things. Celia knows so much about the animals so that was fun. Plus it was fun to point out the ones we liked but in silly ways. Like saying things like judging the cows by how good of rectangles they were.

I loved getting to touch the piggies. One kept biting at me. It was so cute. And James got us fried green tomatoes to share. They were more red then green but they were still nice.

We got to see the crafts which was my favorite. And I spoke to the woman who recommended the fiber craft book to me and she was so sweet. And showed me how to enter my loom knitting projects into next year's fair. So Dad if you are reading this I may need to borrow the blanket I made you! I want to win a ribbon.

I loved seeing so many different crafts though. There was an absolutely beautiful hand stitch quilt that won a ton of different things because it was absolutely outrageously beautiful. Made me inspired. And we just had fun looking at stuff and joking. Especially in the 4H section. Won't tease the kids to much but maybe a little.

We would go on a ride. Well Celia and James went on a ride together and then all three of us went on the tilt a whirl.

James and Celia went on a crazy spinny off the ground ride. Which someone lost a phone on. It flew out of the ride and was absolutely destroyed and I felt so bad. When the guy got it back he looked so sad. I hope he had insurance on it.

I was in charge of holding the phones and hats and glasses so no one would lose anything. And I had fun watching them have fun.

We would watch one more piggy race. And I wanted to hold a piggy but I didn't want to wait. So we went and did the tilt a whirl and it was fun but made me really dizzy. Mostly I was laughing a bunch and that was fun. I was having a really good time with my friend and my husband and it was just really good.

We got funnel cake. And found somewhere to sit. We ate and talked and it was nice. The sun was going down and it was getting cooler. James said they were basically done but I wanted to walk around a little more.

I liked seeing all the games and prizes. But I did not play anything. I was pleased to find a Native American jewelry stand and it wasn't just fake white people stuff. I had a lovely conversation with them and got their website and James bought me a map with a bunch of the tribes in it that I am excited to put in my PowerPoint and program. The man said it's missing 600 smaller groups but has the big ones and I appreciated him saying so, so I can also say so.

Celia would walk with us to the light rail soon after that though. She wanted to go do one more ride but we wanted to go catch the train. So hugs all around. And then we were off.

Me and James got the light rail pretty quick. We were making each other laugh but we were both a little nauseous. And very happy to go home.

When we got back to our neighborhood I found a little light rack thing I'm going to use on my studio. James just shook their head at me.

Soon though we were home. And I found more snails in the big tanks. But it was fine. I went and showered. And now we are in bed. We are both feeling a little unwell. I'm going to say goodnight so I can lay with my James.

I hope you all sleep well. I hope you are being kind to yourselves. Good night my friends. I love you all.