#the bullied: sunshine bubblegum blue

[br1ghtestlight]

i think if my object ocs were all kids playing together on the playground at recess they would kill each other. like for sure an incident report would be filed

[luckyblackcloverrr]

The Black Bulls and their bullshit in the modern time: jobs I guess – Part. 2

Many seemed to enjoy the first part of the series, thank you so much for the love! Honestly I don’t think this part is as good or funny as the one about lifeguard Yami and the café buddies, so look out for part 3 (the last part) I guess? Again I didn't mean for these to turn out like headcanons, but does it really matter at this point? Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy this one, which includes babysitter Asta, and the fashion boutique group! :D

Asta

baby babysitter

has enough muscles to carry 4 children on him with ease.

he probably shocks clients by telling them that he doesn't mind working for free (because he's clueless about stuff like that)

but his clients always pays him because they feel bad when they see him get along so well with their kids

never gets mad at the children, but always disciplines them with his loud ass voice whenever they do something wrong

teaches the kids yoga he learned from Vanessa to calm them down

"inner peace in your mind, and breathe in, breathe out."

the session is interrupted when a kid pulls his hair from behind him, and suddenly they're having a nerf gun battle

likes to break dance in the living room to entertain the kids

dislocated his shoulder once because of it

tries to help them with homework but he himself doesn’t understand what the question is asking for

brings the children out to the park to have fun with the consent of their parents

usually brings Luck with him because he has TONS of energy and the children love playing tag with him 

Asta tells him to lose on purpose so the kids don’t cry

absolutely horrible at putting them to sleep because he literally sounds like an alarm clock

so he pretends to sleep with them to get the children to follow him (because they look up to him)

ends up actually falling asleep

immensely fascinated at his rich clients' houses because he has never seen cool things like a water fountain or a built-in theatre before in a house

i totally see him screaming and shouting exactly like the children he's babysitting when playing with them

Vanessa Enoteca

runs a small fashion boutique, and designs all the items in the shop

the only person in the shop that the customers find approachable

she's usually hungover when you see her

but helpful nonetheless when it comes to clothing choices

there's never really a time where the boutique is full with customers

so in the morning she sits behind the counter, either fast asleep or watching cat videos

in the afternoon she becomes more productive though

works with Gordon to finish any ongoing pieces and discusses new designs

lowkey thinks of her customers as dolls

constantly playing dress up with the customers, and her persuasion skills gets them to actually buy her choices

plays bubblegum jpop through the speakers because Zora lowkey enjoys it

5pm to 7pm is the time for her daily yoga sessions

she holds weekly zumba lessons on the space one floor above the boutique for some extra cash

Gordon and Henry always end up being dragged into them, both the yoga and the zumba

has considered becoming a stripper seriously at least 4 times

flirts with male customers only because she wants sales

it works for some reason and she sells a winter coat for $350... in the middle of summer

gives discounts whenever she feels like it

once when she was batshit drunk, she cut 99% off someone's bill

she was dragged to the back to rest while Zora had to take over at the counter and passive aggressively explain why it is impossible and unreasonable for them to offer the discount

Gordon Agrippa

works in Vanessa's boutique pt. 1

was asked by Vanessa to work in her shop because he had a talent for sewing up dolls

now he's Vanessa's apprentice, learning how to properly make clothes and helping her complete outfits

apparently, his fashion taste has significantly improved (according to Vanessa)

she thinks Gordon's appearance is what makes him...Gordon, so she doesn't bother asking him to change it

wants to go out and make friends with the customers

once, he appeared from the back room and everyone in the store fled in fear

Henry gave him pats on the back to console him afterwards

after working together for awhile, all the workers in the boutique can make out his mumbles

likes to stroll around the shop (when there is no one) to appreciate the peace and vibes

has handmade dolls of everyone, and they sit on the table and watch him while he works

also the person who fixes things around the shop

light bulbs, broken shelves, malfunctioning cashier machine, you name it

only because the rest either had no clue how to fix them, or they're too unbothered to care about it

so Gordon learned all these skills from Google

occasionally goes to the café and Charmy's restaurant to fix things too

he just wants more friends, but is also absolutely content with his friendship with the Bulls

Zora Ideale

works in Vanessa's boutique pt. 2

drives a cool motorcycle to work

only working here because Vanessa promised to give him free clothes

you'll never see him without a leather jacket

Vanessa has told him before that he looks too scary for the customers to approach

but he honestly does not give a damn

critiques just about anybody's fashion sense

he'll tell a child that the pink Elsa dress she is wearing looks like shit

or how those blue coloured barbie crocs are NOT it

and the child always ends up crying, but stops when Henry offers her a lolipop

but he does offer actual advice and good choices depending on the customer

just that it comes out very aggressively

and it is up to the customer whether to take his suggestions or leave

he will BULLY anyone that talks shit about the workers in the store

Henry's looks messy and dirty? Zora roasts

Vanessa doesn't take her job seriously? Zora roasts

Gordon looks scary? Zora agrees but still ROASTS

the person who pulls Luck back by the ear before he ransacks the place

also offers relationship advice to couples if necessary

many visit the shop just for his brutal honesty about various topics

at least 5 couples visit monthly for his guidance

REFUSES to join Vanessa's yoga and zumba sessions, he clocks out and immediately heads to the café to chill instead

Henry Legolant

works in Vanessa's boutique pt. 3

wears pajamas to the job

he was invited to work there but Henry thinks of it more as a friendly gathering than work

his job there mostly consists of folding clothes, ironing clothes and keeping the whole store tidy

he's basically in his own world

doesn't get mad whenever the store becomes messy

he doesn't question it and instead he just tidies it up again

also sometimes sits in a corner and draws new outlines for the interior design of the boutique

is the one who recommended potted plants to Nacht for the café

Zora wanted to give him a haircut, but he insists that it's okay

"that's why his hair is so big, because his hair is fULL oF sEcReTs." – Vanessa Enoteca, quoting off the Mean Girls.

as per Gordon's request, he stands outside the shop for 20 minutes daily

to 'get his daily dose of sunshine' is what Gordon said because Henry stays inside too much

makes tea for the rest whenever it hits 4pm

sometimes offers it to the customers, they usually refuse

enjoys Vanessa's yoga and zumba lessons

he thinks it will help him become more productive

and because he has a very pleasant memory of a specific Zumba session with all the Black Bulls

which was Magna, Zora and Luck competing to see who was the better dancer

Finral won in the end by majority vote

Parts - 1 | 2 | 3

[heartsywritesthethings]

Sk8: The Sleepover

Author: GA!babe

Summary: The gang’s all here for a sleepover at Reki’s! In a discussion of skate names, Reki finds himself the center of attention after getting flustered by the mere mention of the word “tickle” (2,842 words)

“Langa! Glad you came!” Reki exclaimed as he opened the door to find his best friend standing there. 

And then he looked behind the boy and saw…four other people right behind him.

“Uh, what are they doing here?” Reki asked, trying not to sound too rude, but it’s not like he wanted to invite two grown men, a clown, and a literal child over to his house as well. It was just supposed to be him and Langa tonight.

“Oh, well when you told me that your mom and sister were out of town for some mother-daughter bonding, I thought it would be nice if everyone came along.” Langa said with a smile. It made Reki wonder again why that smile made his heart flip flop. This boy? The one with a pile of snow in place of a brain?

“That’s not a problem, right, Reki?” Miya asked, snaking himself around Langa’s legs and looking up at the red head with his big puppy-dog eyes. 

Reki took a deep breath.

“No, of course not. Come on in,” Reki sighed and took a small step aside so everyone could walk into his house. The house that he wasn’t supposed to have anyone else in while his mother and sister were away. That one. 

“Nice place you have here, Reki. I’m sure the ladies love a humble man who lives with his mom,” Joe teased on his way in, ruffling the kid’s hair.

“Just so you know, Carla said there was a 95% chance that we were seen by one of your neighbors. I hope you aren’t grounded for too long after your mother finds out,” Cherry said as he slid by.

“Thanks for telling me,” Reki whined, his shoulders slumping. Great. Now it was almost guaranteed that he would be grounded when his mom got back.

“Wait, you’re not allowed to have people over? Why didn’t you say so?” Shadow hissed, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was outside looking at him.

“Well, that’s not exactly–” Langa began.

“What kind of flowers does your mom like? I can get her a vase before she even gets home,” Shadow continued. taking out a little notepad from his pocket and waiting for a response.

“Uh, she likes lillies I think?” Reki said with a dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Shadow scribbled it down with a frown.

“Not exactly the best of apology flowers, but I’ll see what I can do,” the older man grumbled as he stepped into the house.

“Sorry for ruining your date night, Reki. Sleepovers are fun though. Do you think we should braid each other’s hair?” Miya said, popping a bubblegum bubble as he also walked into the house.

“Date?” Reki squeaked, his face turning a rather nice shade of pink. Miya just laughed as he skipped towards the couch.

“You will not get your little claws on my hair!” Cherry snapped from the other room.

And then he was alone with Langa. The guy he had wanted here…alone in the house. 

“Sorry, was I not supposed to invite them over?” Langa asked, smiling awkwardly. Reki couldn’t help but melt just a little. How could he say no to that face?

“Ah, no, you’re fine. I just forgot to ask for them over too. I just got, uh, busy with a new…new board! Yeah! Thanks. You saved me the trouble.” Reki stammered awkwardly, shuffling on his feet. Langa smiled softly and their shoulders bumped as he stepped in. 

Reki closed the door with a sigh.

This was going to be a long night.

~ ~ ~

“Alright, what are we going to watch?” Miya asked, jumping onto the couch, quickly getting comfortable against the pillow in the corner.

“Watch? This is a party, right? We drink and play games until dawn!” Joe announced, sitting down on the couch and stretching his arms high over his head. 

“You’re an idiot,” Cherry huffed, looking around with a barely concealed look of disgust. He looked between the couch, chair, and love-seat, before deciding that he was perfectly fine standing right here thank you very much. 

“I’m an idiot? I’m just trying to make things fun around here!” Joe exclaimed, looking around to see if anyone agreed with him. 

“Did you forget how old he was? He’d get in more trouble if his mom found empty sake bodies around the house,” Shadow huffed as he took his spot next to Joe. The burly man scowled at being sat next to a clown, but he didn’t protest too much. 

“Well, there’s only so long she can ground me.” Reki chuckled before plopping down on the nearby love-seat. Langa sat down next to him, not at all bothered by how incredibly close they were.

“I’m sure she won’t be too mad, Reki,” Langa said and pat his friend on the back. 

“Well, if we can’t drink, then why exactly are we here? What are we going to do?” Joe groaned, dragging a hand down his face dramatically.

“What were you expecting? He was probably going to play spin the bottle with his new boyfriend, right Reki?” Miya teased, a shit eating grin on his little face. “Maybe swap spit and make babies?”

“Miya, do you know how–?” Joe began before Shadow smacked him in the face with a heavy pillow.

“I will not be explaining that on my night off,” Shadow grumbled with a shake of his head. Reki and Langa stifled their giggles, giving each other matching looks.

“What? What’s so funny?” Miya hissed, his face turning pink as he realized that there was something that the adults knew that he definitely wasn’t aware of.

“You’ll know when you’re older,” Cherry said with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Reki laughed even harder at that. 

“Stop it, guys! What is it? What did I say?” Miya whined, crossing his arms over his chest and just outright pouting. He had been bullied in school before, but this felt different. Sure, they were laughing, but there was no real malice behind it.

“We are not doing this tonight,” Shadow groaned, “Why can’t we just find monopoly or something?”

Reki laughed harder, leaning back against the back of the love-seat. Langa looked up and down the red-head.

“Really tickled over there, aren’t you Gearhead?” Cherry mused. 

Reki’s laughter dissolved into a coughing fit.

“Wh-what?” Reki spluttered, his face turning an even brighter shade of bright red. 

“What? Not Gearhead? Gears? Sunshine?” Cherry mused, finally sitting down, but on the arm of the couch. 

“Those are all terrible skate names. How about Mech? TechDeck?” Joe chimed in.

“Oh, and Joe is such a cool skating name?” Cherry scoffed.

“With all this going on? Keeping it simple is how the ladies don’t get too overwhelmed by my awesomeness,” Joe shot back, flexing his arms for everyone to see.

“We could call him Fire? Opposite of Snow there?” Shadow said with a wink in Langa’s direction. This was the type of teasing that he could get behind because it wasn’t some complicated nonsense that he would have to explain to a child.

“How about Red? Like his face when you said that word?” Miya said, getting up off of the couch and sauntering over to where the two teenagers were sitting. 

“Gearhead?” Langa asked, looking between Reki and the sly cat-like boy who was stalking his way over to them.

“Tickle.” Miya said plainly. Reki went an even brighter shade of red, closely resembling his own hair at the moment.

“Wh-What? I was just…thinking that Gearhead was such a stupid name that-uh…I dunno. It was ridiculous,” Reki said with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

“I am insulted by that, Reki. Nicknames are incredibly important on the S. You’ll need to figure something out so that you’re not in Snow’s shadow every time to you step on a board.” Cherry said. Now he was the one pouting.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Cherry. It was just–” Reki continued, glancing between Miya and Cherry. 

“He’s just too shy to admit that the word tickle got him all bothered like this,” Miya said smugly and jumped onto the arm of the love-seat.

“Why would something like that bother you, Reki?” Langa asked, all innocent, but Reki could swear he could see evil behind those bright blue eyes. 

“It doesn’t bother me. I think Miya is just upset that we teased him a little.” Reki insisted, feeling like he was just a piece of red juicy meat and his friends just all turned into starving lions. 

He could practically feel his skin buzzing.

“You sound really defensive, kid.” Joe said, leaning forward with a smirk on his face. “Are you that ticklish?”

“There’s only one way to find out!” Miya said and jumped forward–

Only to be stopped by Langa. Reki cowered with a squeak, pressed hard against the back of the love-seat.

“As much I would love to see Reki tickled to pieces, it’s not very fair if we all gang up against him like this, don’t you guys think so?” Langa asked, looking around. Reki sighed in relief at first before realizing what exactly the former snowboarder had said.

“Hey!” He exclaimed, shaking his head frantically.

“And how do you propose we do that, Snow?” Cherry asked, now definitely intrigued as to how exactly the blue-haired boy planned to get Reki in a puddle of giggles. 

“Without killing him of course,” Shadow added with a pointed look. Sure, he liked to cause chaos and make people laugh (especially as his clown skater persona) but five against one was a bit much. 

“Sure, we can play a regular party game.” Langa said with a shrug and turned to his friend and a pouting cat-boy. “Reki, truth or dare?”

Reki looked around and huffed.

“Truth.” He said with a small nod. No way he would say dare after all that nonsense about the damn t-word.

“Alright, where’s your most ticklish spot?” Langa asked calmly.

How the hell could Langa say shit like that without blushing?

“I don’t want to play this game. It’s rigged.” Reki grumbled. Now he was red from the tips of his ears to the base of his neck. After he let all of these hooligans into his house when he knew he would be grounded later… they treat him like this? Totally uncool.

“Alright, how many of us do you think you could handle tickling you? Surely you’re not that ticklish, Red.” Miya teased and stuck out his tongue.

“And what about you, Miya? You wouldn’t happen to be ticklish, would you?” Shadow asked, looking between Miya and Reki.

“You never answered the question, Reki.” Langa said with a smirk on his face. 

“Alright, fine. You guys are bullies.” Reki huffed. “I don’t have any. You all are just wasting your time. Why don’t we pop a movie or something in the–”

And just like that, Langa was on top of him. He was shoved to the very corner of the love-seat with Langa practically straddling his waist.

“You can’t lie during the game, Reki. That’s not how you play,” Langa said with a shake of his head. “Where should we test out first?”

“Langa, come on, don’t do this. I’ll teach you a new skateboarding trick if you let me go right now. Maybe even make you some of my special ramen,” Reki rambled, kicking his feet out on the couch as he scrambled to get away. Langa snatched both of Reki’s wrists and pulled them above his head.

“Miya, would you be so kind to hold onto these for me?” Langa asked sweetly. 

“With pleasure,” Miya hummed, grabbing Reki’s wrists and holding them as tight as he could. 

“I would also like to join in on the fun!” Joe said, jumping up from the couch and running over to where the others were getting ready to tear Reki apart.

“Alright, you guys have five minutes, and then you have to let him go.” Shadow said, laying down on the now empty couch and getting comfortable. He took out his phone and pulled up the timer app.

“Five minutes?” The four said in unison, though Reki was more upset with how long time seemed to pass when he was getting tickled to all hell. 

Not that it happened often, mind you, but before he had skateboarding, he had more friends and those friends definitely took advantage of how ticklish he was time and time again. 

It had really been a while since he had been tickled to pieces and a part of him was…excited? Maybe?

No, that couldn’t be right.

“Time starts now,” Shadow said as he pressed the start button.

Langa went first, poking and prodding at the exposed belly of his best friend. Reki grit his teeth, refusing to let them get the satisfaction of hearing him break right away. Maybe if he doesn’t laugh, they’ll get bored.

Was Reki sure that he wanted them to get bored?

Joe snatched up the red-head’s legs and put his ankles into an armlock.

“Trying the tough-guy act, huh, Red-Mech?” Joe asked, swiping a finger down Reki’s foot. 

Reki yelped, jerking his legs. His heart sank as he realized that he could barely move as they all held onto him.

Then came the pinches up his ribs.

“How many ribs do you think you have, Sunshine?” Langa asked as he pinched up and down Reki’s ribs. 

“I-ACK! Stop! Lahahnga! Quit!” Reki gasped, a laugh managing to escape as he pleaded for his ticklish life. 

“Was that a laugh I heard, Ticklee?” Miya asked from his perch on the arm of the love-seat.

“What’s that nickname?” Langa asked as he continued to squeeze up and down Reki’s ribs as if he weren’t completely tormenting him right now.

“Oh you know, like how you’re the tickl-er, that must mean he’s the tickl-ee, right?” Miya asked sweetly.

“Shuhuhut up!” Reki exclaimed. He didn’t know what was worse. Was it the teasing with the actual word, or the fact that Langa seemed to not care about all of this? 

And Joe decided to chime in again, but this time lightly scratching his fingernails up an down Reki’s arches. Just as Langa decided to zero in on his other weak spot too. Well, weaker. 

Now that the truth was out, they would all know that Reki was just one big walking tickle spot.

However, Langa just found that Reki’s underarms were insanely ticklish, just like the bottoms of his feet. Just as Joe had started on his arches, Langa decided to lightly scratch under his arms too, one finger under each as if he were testing the waters.

“AH! OHOHOHOHOKAY! Okay!” Reki barked, his whole body jerking and his head thrown back.

“Wow, okay what?” Langa asked teasingly, stopping his tickling as he realized the hefty reaction from his friend was because of what he and Joe had done.

“Alright, you got mehehe,” Reki said and tugged on his arms.

“You still have four minutes, Firetop,” Shadow chimed in from his spot on the couch.

“How about just one more minute, Shadow? I think we found the answers we were looking for,” Langa said smugly. Shadow nodded and changed the timer. If they were going for the death spots, it would only be fair to Reki for them to shave off a few minutes.

“You’re no fun, Snow.” Miya huffed.

“And you are definitely next, kitty,” Langa said with a pointed look at Miya. He then turned to Joe. “You ready?”

“Of course. I’m waiting for you kids to finish with whatever. ” Joe said before getting back into it.

For one full minute, Reki was in ticklish heaven hell. Langa altered between digging his thumbs into Reki’s armpits and lightly tickling around Reki’s neck and ears while Joe tickled and scratched up and down Reki’s poor defenseless feet.

When the timer ran out, Shadow snatched Miya up and tossed him playfully onto the couch. Cherry snatched Joe by the ear and pulled him away from a giggling mess of a skateboarder. Langa pulled himself off too, but Reki grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled himself closer. 

“Alright, your turn,” Shadow said as he began tickling little Miya to pieces, mainly clawing at and around the little monster’s belly button, getting him cackling in no-time.

“Now I’m in a tickle monster mood, what do you think, Cherry? Like old times?” Joe asked before diving on top of him and digging into the pink-haired man’s hips. Soon, Cherry and Miya’s laughter and giggles filled the living room as Reki curled up in Langa’s lap and watched the scene unfold. Langa ran his fingers through the red hair of his tickled out best friend.

“Thanks for inviting everyone, Langa,” Reki hummed sleepily. “But I’m definitely going to get you back for this one.”

“Alright, Sunshine,” Langa said and fluttered his fingers by Reki’s ear. The red-head squeaked and scrunched his shoulders up protectively.

[prairiesongserial]

12.13

There wasn’t going to be a burlesque show that night for the good people of Kill Devil Hills, but the burlesque performers weren’t planning on surrendering the tent, either. They had Ezra and a new guitar player captive, and the game of the hour was trying to find a song that both of them knew and could play. Poor Cody was having trouble keeping up, missing notes and breaking rhythm with Ezra.

Friday was wearing sequined underwear, exactly as she was meant to be. She’d spent the last hour going through costumes, now that she and the rest of the burlesque performers were at a truce. It had really only been Abernathy, the red-haired woman with the pink eyepatch, who’d had a problem with her. Abernathy had disappeared with Ezra for a while to handle something or other, and while she was away, Friday had made nice with everyone else. She’d exchanged the contentious blond wig for a bubblegum pink one that was as long as her old blue wig had been - though she still had her eye on the blond. Short hair was so convenient. She’d be back for it.

“How many routines do you put on per night?” she asked as she shimmied herself into a very tight dress. The dress was cut so low it showed almost all of the black sequined bra she had on underneath. It had not been made with the flat-chested in mind.

“That depends,” said Shoshana, one of the other dancers. Friday had decided she liked Shoshana. She was dressed in a too-big button down tucked into too-big pants belted in place. Her sun-bleached brown curls were cropped just under her ears. Most importantly, she didn’t seem to have any intention of hazing Friday. Shoshana sat on top of an unopened crate labeled “heels - very high,” chewing an unlit cigarette. “We try to stick to five minutes per routine.”

“Oh, we did them a bit longer at the Ace,” Friday said. “And with music in between. Course, we were looking for the audience to stay and buy drinks all night, not tip every girl.”

Friday started to wiggle out of the dress. It wasn’t right, and there was a red one folded in the bottom of the crate that had her eye.

“That wouldn’t work here,” Shoshana said. “People hold onto their money tighter when there’s other tents still to visit - or if they saved the burlesque show for last, when their wallet’s already light. Better to get them in and out for the next round of tippers.”

A quick audience turnover sounded like a convenient set-up for any pickpockets working the crowd, but Friday decided not to say anything. Business was business.

Friday stepped into the red dress. It was made of shot silk, giving it an iridescent shimmer. It had a long slit up the side that ended at Friday’s hip. The dress had no straps, making the sequined bra look ridiculous underneath. She twisted herself to try to take it off without taking off the dress first.

“That one looks good on you,” Shoshana said. She finally lit her cigarette, as if only just realizing she hadn’t done so already.

“Thanks,” Friday said. “How nice do you think I have to be to Abernathy to keep that blond wig?”

“Pretty nice,” Shoshana admitted. “Good thing Abernathy likes me.” She took a long drag on her cigarette. “Hey, sunshine?” she called, grinning to show off a chrome tooth.

Abernathy, draped across the piano on the other side of the tent, looked up. “What?”

“I want the blond wig,” Shoshana replied.

Abernathy frowned at her. “To give to…”

“Look at her,” Shoshana said. “She’s a mess without it. Not fit to be seen.”

Friday crossed her arms. “Well, hold on,” she said.

Abernathy slid gracefully down from the piano, a hiss of air escaping from her false leg.

The roar of a truck engine interrupted the exchange. Abernathy continued to approach, but she walked past Friday without so much as looking at her. Friday followed her out of the tent. The truck was still a ways down the road, but it definitely belonged to the circus. It was the same truck that Val and Johannes had left in that morning..

Abernathy watched it approach. Behind them, the piano came to a discordant stop, leaving Cody’s guitar alone to practice the last few bars. In seconds, Ezra had joined them outside of the tent.

“Does he have any idea what time it is?” he muttered.

The truck approached quickly, spitting up dust under the tires. It didn’t rejoin the circle where the other trucks were parked, but shuddered to a halt at an angle right in front of Friday, Abernathy, and Ezra. Johannes tumbled out of the driver’s side, not bothering to close the door.

Friday’s eyes widened. Johannes was covered in ash. For a split second, she was looking at Val stumbling out of the back door of his church. Johannes strode up to Ezra and started talking quickly, but Friday’s ears were ringing. She couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“Val?” she said.

A crowd was growing around the truck as Val climbed down from the passenger side. He slammed the door closed behind him. She couldn’t see him - all she got was a passing glimpse through the windshield before the sun’s glare cut her short. Friday shouldered her way past several carnies, then finally turned the corner to face him.

She was staring the past right in the face. There were streaks of ash down Val’s cheeks. And his hair - his hair had caught fire in places. His shirt alone was suspiciously clean, as if he’d been wounded and treated and covered up again.

“It’s not even four o’clock, Friday,” he said chidingly, but with the slightest smile, as he leaned back against the truck. He averted his eyes in that infuriatingly polite way he always would when she was dressed for a performance.

Whatever Friday had been about to say to him fled her mind. Two separate memories of Val were smashed together in front of her, and it didn’t make sense. His words, even his posture, took her back to how things had been before John and Cody and the whirlwind that followed - he might have said the same thing to her some late afternoon at the church, her sitting on the edge of Val’s desk while he opened every drawer in search of the right size nail for a repair. But with ash smeared across his face, Val looked like he had stepped out of one of Friday’s worst days. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, and grit her teeth to hold them back, feeling lost.

“It’s for work,” Friday said, finally. She paused. She wanted to touch his face, to wipe the grime away with a sponge like she had done back at the Ace while the fire was spreading - what seemed like a lifetime ago. It had helped then, being able to do something. With Val awake, she didn’t quite dare.

“What happened to you?” she asked, uneasily.

Val shook his head. “It’ll sound worse than it was. It’s okay. I was, um, foggy for the whole thing.”

Now he looked as uneasy as she felt. Friday had blown up at him when he’d left this morning, after all.

“You’re not going to tell me?” Friday said, trying not to sound upset. She was going to add, “You got hurt,” but found that she couldn’t.

Johannes’s voice cut through the conversation before Val had a chance to reply.

“Pack it in,” he hollered to the crowd that had gathered. “The show’s cancelled. We leave in an hour.”

“We already started setting up,” Ezra snapped. “We can’t strike in just an hour. If you had told us - ”

“If I’d known earlier, I would’ve told you,” Johannes snapped back at him. “We have to move. Soon. Now.”

Ezra argued, but Friday didn’t catch his reply in the clamor from the rest of the circus. Her attention fell back on Val. She felt so angry, and so stupid. She’d let Johannes bully Val into going off alone with him, when she’d known Johannes wasn’t someone to be trusted. Now something had happened that was so awful Val didn’t even want to tell her. He looked nervously past her, and Friday wasn’t convinced it was just her outfit that had him acting so cagey.

“If I tell you, you won’t be happy,” Val said slowly.

“I’m already not happy,” Friday said, then clenched her teeth, trying to reign herself in.

“Okay, enough chit-chat,” Johannes said, suddenly in the middle of their conversation. “Ketsele, you’re with me for first aid and an emergency haircut. Friday…” He waved a hand dismissively. “Go do what Ezra tells you. Some of us were burned at the stake today.”

Johannes had begun to steer Val away, though Val shrugged out from under his arm. Friday saw red. She reached out and yanked a handful of tassels on the back of Johannes’s jacket as hard as she could, throwing him off balance and forcing him to turn back.

“What?” he yelled.

“I don’t know what happened,” she threw back. “But I know it was your fault, and I’d like to see a little remorse.”

Johannes raised his eyebrows.

“You two are very similar,” he said to Val, straightening his lapels.

“Friday - ” Val began.

“No!” Friday yelled. “I will not let it slide, and I will not accept that it ‘wasn’t that bad.’ Even if you don’t tell me. I know it was bad.” It was so bad you’re shutting me out, she thought. “Val, please. He’s not good.”

“I didn’t burn him at the stake,” Johannes argued. “What the hell did I do to you?”

Nothing, yet. Friday ignored him, looking at Val instead. He left Johannes’s side, coming to stand closer to her. She was overpowered by the smell of the ocean, sweat, and ash.

“I know how it sounds,” he said quietly. “But Johannes saved my life. I trust him.”

“I know you trust him,” Friday said, frustrated. Her eyes stung, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the smoke on Val’s clothes, or if she was about to cry. “I’m trying to tell you...he’s a con artist, okay? I know he’s grifting. I just...can’t see the big picture yet.”

Val shook his head. “Look, I have to…”

Friday grabbed the end of his sleeve.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I got singed,” Val said, with surprising humor. “Really nothing new.”

Friday nodded, and bit her lip. She wanted to hug him, but Val was already pulling away.

He smiled at her, then turned to Johannes, following the ringmaster’s lead across the camp. Johannes tried to put his arm around Val again, but Val ducked away. Friday watched him push Johannes’s head down like some rowdy kid, then fold his hands behind his back as if he hadn’t.

“You better watch it,” Johannes said, laughing. “I’m about to cut your hair.”

Friday slowly breathed out. The crowd had scattered at the announcement that everything had to be packed in an hour. The only still bodies were three she knew: Ezra, John, and the mechanic, Enis. Ezra and Enis were talking, clearly working through a problem. John was staring right at Friday.

She thought he must be staring at something behind her until he caught her eye and looked away.

“I’m gonna go change,” Friday muttered to no one.

12.12 || 12.14

[drundertalescum]

11 Questions... x3

I was tagged by @sharada-n @audaciousanonj and @esmiden in that order

If anyone else tagged me, tag me again because I missed it!

1. Which are your favorite hot and cold drinks?

Cold drinks: Usually either milk or vanilla coke. I also like birch beer, root beer, and peach-cranberry juice, but usually I just stick with the milk and coke.

Hot drinks: TEA. Specifically this nice vanilla black tea that I've cracked the code on preparing in the microwave so it's both hot and very convenient. This is my go-to drink of any type.  Also coffee, hot chocolate, matcha, and just various types of teas. I prefer hot drinks over cold.

2. What’s your favorite color scheme/combination?

Usually I kind of default to dark turquoise/cyan and lighter orange/gold. It's the most common gradient map I use when I'm being lazy with coloring and also evident on my main blog's colour scheme. Toss in some red and you're in for a good time. I also really like maroons and pale greens but I don't use it that often.

3. Windows or Apple?

PC FOREVER

4. Do you believe in astrology?

Nah, I do find out kind of funny sometimes since my sign (Capricorn) is such an over-the-top dethawing ice queen in anything relating to “what the signs do when ___”  My Smart-People Astrology Sign (my Meyers-Briggs) turns up very similar content. I mean, granted, that runs truer than a hyper happy bubblegum type but it's still a bit boring.

I don't really buy too much into any of that sort of thing.

5. Would you punch me for 10$?

Wait are you paying me to punch you or am I paying you to be punched by me? Either way no.

6. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

HONESTLY in my main online community my guilty pleasure that I hide from the world is being Undertale trash.

To a lesser extent: my guilty pleasure that I hide away from this community is that I’m reality show trash. Specifically one particular reality show. It's 17 years old and Actually Very Good, but no one will ever believe me.

7. What’s your favorite flower?

We grow snapdragons sometimes. They're really neat! Otherwise it's hit or miss with me and flowers. Despite the main blog name that I've been using for like 10 years I've only recently started to kind of like roses. Mostly for the a e s t h e t i c.

8. What would you name your theoretical kids?

I change my mind on this one a lot. I usually like names that aren't common but also could sort of fit in in an old novel. Like Orville or Evander or something like that. I had a list once but I lost it. I also like Emily or Alma.

Some angry part of me wants to name a child November even though I know the awful fate I would be leaving them to by doing it.

In the end I am almost definitely not having kids so the most likely name I'm gonna pull out is naming a pet Papyrus someday.

9. Sweet or savory?

Depends, but I usually go for savory. Sweet drink-savory snack is my go-to.

10. Do you wear socks in bed or nah?

I don't wear socks at all unless it's very, very cold.

11. Could a horse fit through a window?

If you removed the panes from my windows a horse would just barely make it through. Probably needs to be a smaller horse though. It can't be too wide.

1) What’s your favorite holiday?

THIS IS HALLOWEEN THIS IS HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN

But truthfully i haven't been feeling it the last few years. I can't think of any holidays I have.

2) Loose clothes or tight?

As loose as possible. Though I'll take tight underlayer loose overlay.

3) Chrome, Firefox, or Safari?

I had a weird bug a few years back where my computer was constantly freezing up and crashing. I knew it was some sort of graphics issue but the word thing was it never crashed when I was playing a game, which lead to me using Portal 2 and Skyrim as ways of keeping my computer from crashing whenever it was idle, bumping up my times in both games to a ridiculous amount (though I still play both a lot). Turns out it was Firefox causing the crash, but I didn't realize because if I don't have a game open, I always have a browser up.

I had to switch to Chrome at that time and now I'm pretty settled on it. I do miss some aspects of Firefox though.

4) Favorite style of humor?

I love humor that's based around people and their habits. Not necessarily observational and I don't like it to actively mock people, but I like humor that's based around people and their attitudes and interactions, especially if it makes people feel more like characters or caricatures, but not stereotypes. I have a sort of dry sense of humor but that's not really required for this. It's hard to actively explain and I'm blanking on any great examples.

This definitely plays into the previously mentioned guilty pleasure.

5) Fluff or Angst (Reading)?

ANGST. Angst got me into this fandom when I solidified my terrible obsession with this game by reading I'm Feeling Fine, Kid and since then I've read close to every Papyrus-centric angst fic this fandom has put out.

Pretty much any I haven't read yet are in my read later list because I haven't been in the best heavy-angst mood lately.

I always take recs.

6) Fluff or Angst (Writing)?

Writing angst is so much easier for me. I think it's because I have a very introspective style which lends itself better to letting the sadness flow. It usually works out to angst with a side of fluff. But with art and comics, it's a lot less introspective so it ends up being fluff with a side of angst.

7) Do you make -sonas?

I kind of actively dislike making -sonas. It never feels right. I made one when I was about 16 (which I now dislike) and haven't really made one since. I generally just stick with a blob or stick person to represent me. Maybe a seahorse.

8) What are you gonna dress up as for Halloween?

A patient recovering from a cholecystectomy. Maybe one that also has spoopy face paint on and blogs about Undertale.

…I wish I was doing something for Halloween ;;;

9) What are you pickiest about?

Food and fonts. It's the ultimate irony that I fell so far for Undertale.

10) Have you seen my au Name the Fallen and if so what was your favorite part?

Save him Flowey, before he falls too far.

11) Papyrus is cool?

That's not a question. Nothing has ever been less of a question.

1. Favorite literature or movie genre

Hmmm… I really like mystery novels! Other than that, I’m a big fan of dramedies. Anything that mixes comedy or fantasy and feels is great.

2. Top five animated cartoons

This is going to be my knee jerk list and not necessarily accurate. It’s also not in any particular order.

Moana

The Incredibles

Wall-E

Lilo and Stitch

The Princess and the Goblin

3. If you could choose a fantasy land to stay in for the rest of your life, which one would you chose? Ps. You won’t be able to get back to the real world.

I would honestly head down to the Underground and let some monsters try to steal my soul. I think it’s the perfect blend of interesting but also not everything-trying-to-kill-me(-forever).

4. Favorite song at the moment?

Hopes and Dreams played backwards. Also Frozen Pines by Lord Huron and Ground Control by All Time Low and Walk Off The Earth’s cover of Heya

5. What is good design for you?

Oh man, this is a tricky question. I’m actually a designer but I’m very much a master of none. The most important thing in any design is readability and ease of use, though. No point in having a product you can’t use because the A E S T H E T I C is in the way. No point in a document or website you can’t read. No point in a gallery you can’t view. Good design should make things MORE usable, not less. Functionality should ALWAYS be the number one goal.

At the same time black and white helvetica minimalism is boring and terrible for most things. Gimme some COLOR, some LIFE. I don’t care if it’s cheesy or weird or quirky or outdated. I want things with detail and personality. 

(Note: you can totally have black and white minimalist helvetica and still hae personality. But I’ll take a “bad” design with some life to it over a mediocre design that follows all the rules)

6. What’s your favorite color scheme/combination?

I am a blue/orange shill, but theres a lot of schemes i like. Usually Cyan + any warm color

7. Which feelings effects you the most in literature/music/film etc.?

Tricky! I actually get the most into films about the connections between people (usually not romantic) or about identity (or loss of identity) and insecurities. I dunno why, they just effect me the most. They just do.

8. Favorite game?

Undertale (2015 Video Game). But also: Portal, Skyrim, the Fallout games, Kingdom Hearts, Bully, 7 Days to Die, The Forest, Friday the 13th, Stardew Valley, Reigns, Alto’s Adventure, Pixel Dungeon, Plague Inc, Life Is Strange, Tabletop Simulator, The Long Dark, What Remains of Edith Finch, Tropico, The Stanley Parable, The Flame in the Flood, Contagion, and The Sims.

I like Games.

9. What’s most important for you in a good movie?

I’ll enjoy any movie with well-concieved characters but the real gold medal goes to anything with post modern reality fuckery and/or magical realism. I like movies about movies or about storytelling. Big Fish, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show, Stranger Than Fiction are some of my favorite movies that sort of adhere to that. Gimme all the post-modern plotlines with likable characters and let me pretend there’s a happy ending. That’s all I’m looking for.

10. What’s your favorite time of the day and why?

Dusk. Everything cools down, the sky turns gorgeous colors, but it’s still not considered weird to go walking around or running errands. It’s just nice!

11. Extra because I’m out of ideas, if you got a painting. What would you want on it? XD

Nice colors and a good subject. Like Papyrus with huge biceps.

Here’s my questions! I’m going to tag the 3 that tagged me if they feel like doing this, plus anyone who wants to do it. Just tag me on the post so I can see!

1. What was your favorite fairy tale growing up?

2. Were you ever traumatized as a child by a movie or TV show?

3. Whats the weirdest dream that you can remember?

4. If you could be or do anything you wanted for a single day, anything at all, what would you be?

5. What is your favorite anecdote?

6. Have you ever painted your nails? If so, what’s your favorite polish/color?

7. What is the scariest thing you aren’t afraid of?

8. Are there any snacks that you like that most people probably haven’t heard of or tried?

9. Have you ever gone stargazing?

10. Tell me about your favorite idea you’ve had, whether it be a story or a game idea or anything else along those lines.

11. Whats your least favorite color?