#they're kind of hard to find since i think most of the shops here only really sell newer/nicer looking books

[bloodengutz]

grabbed some fresh trash today!! my collection is steadily growing, I really need to stop buying books and start reading books but. like. I go into the local charity shop and see a handful of beat-up 80s horror pulp for like a quid and i cant resist

i got to talkin about horror with the cashier which was really fun but he said they had a copy of Slugs that they sold recently so I must have just missed it :( i love you Slugs... someday you will return to me

[elfqueen006]

Jellybelly Panic

Sunny Day Jack x Reader

Saya no Uta AU. The same elements anyway. First person POV. Graphic violence. Unreality. Emotional Manipulation. Lore here.

---

I stood petrified in the alleyway with Jack not far behind. He took a cautious stance, peeking around the corner, watching monster in case it reacted. Primarily, it was pink from the neck (?) up. But its body gradually faded into a dark ombre effect. The clumps spread throughout its body, giving it the appearance of a deformed overhaul of gum.

My heart thumped rapidly against my chest.

"Jack," I breathed, "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's a jellybelly." He replied. Without thinking, I laughed. His face was dead serious, though, and whatever trace of humor I had vanished. The name was ridiculous, sure. It didn't excuse the situation from being downright terrifying.

"Are they... are they dangerous?" I asked.

"Very." Jack said, "If you don't have enough love in your heart or are overcome by negativity, then you turn into one. They go around sucking up all the sad people they can find!"

That sounded like the description of a damn My Little Pony monster! But then again, since meeting Jack, your life has been all sunshine and rainbows, so it might as well be. But that still doesn't beg the question...

"What does it want?" I asked. Jack eyed me warily.

"It wants you."

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull, my heart begins to race again and I clutch my shirt. "What-whatever does it want with me?! I'm not sad I... I have you!"

Jack smiles sadly.

"That's sweet. But do you remember what happened in the yogurt shop?"

I blanch. A cold sweat starts to come on as I wring my hands. I can feel my mouth going dry, and I try desperately to wet my lips. I'm looking down at my shoes; they're neatly wiped and have been intricately washed - courtesy of Jack. I hadn't wanted them cleaned in the first place. They were really only for errands and work. It wasn't like I was going to the Oscar's or anything like that. But for my introduction into this new reality of mine, Jack had wanted me to look my best and carry myself like the most important person he was so confident I was.

God, he was really too good for me. And to think I so carelessly rejected him in the yogurt shop. What kind of a friend am I?

A firm hand clasped my shoulder then, startling me out of my thoughts. I looked at Jack, who was kneeling down to eye level with me.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"  I nodded slowly. "What's important right now is that we take action."

"'Take action?' What do you mean?"

"You can't let it get you, sunshine."

Instinctively, I backed away. "You mean to say I- no. No, Jack! I can't fight that thing, it's huge!"

"Yes, you can. You just have to-"

"Don't. Do not say I should believe in myself, because I don't! I'm not equipped nor qualified to take on that monster! I'm a coward! " I declared, unaware my rising tone was attracting the monster to the alley.

A brief glimpse of panic flashed in Jacks' eyes. He reached for me, then hesitated. He then sighed and his look turned grave.

"That's perfectly fine." He said.

"... really?"

"Of course. So long as you promise one thing: believe in me."

He continued when I didn't respond, "I would never put you in a situation you couldn't handle, nor would I allow you in harm's way..." he told me, "Sunshine, please. You can do this, I know you can."

"...Jack-"

A low growl and squelching sound approached the alleyway. I stepped out, finding myself face to face with the monster sooner than I would've liked. I yelped, causing the thing to roar at me.

"Jack, what-" I looked behind me by Jack was gone. And in a split second I dodged the monster as it lunged for me. I consistently side stepped the creature, never giving it an opening to capture me.

Eventually, I started to tire myself out. I knew this couldn't go on for long. The monster - this "jellybelly" - would soon catch on to my patterns and just go for it when I'm at my weakest.

I put my hand against the alley wall to catch my breath. The monster roared frustratedly. I scanned the area for anything to defend myself. A stick... a piece of trash...

In the moment I grabbed the candy cane. It was heavier than it looked, and sticky. The texture of its material was slightly weathered, the sugar particles scraping off at the edges. Something left out this long couldn't be sanitary. I'd have to wash my hands after handling it.

I spot the jellybelly moving toward me and give the cane a half hearted swing.

"Stay back you freak!"

The monster bellowed, rushing towards me. I gulp, feeling the weapon get heavier in my hands. It's like my arms are turning hollow. Still, whether it be natural instinct or dumb luck, when the jellybelly was within arms reach, I swung.

Pieces of the the monster's maw went flying off the moment my weapon made contact. It screeched in pain, the catharsis of what I'd done giving me a boost of adrenaline as I found myself stepping to it while it reeled back.

"Not so tough now, huh?" I bit out.

I raised my weapon upwards and came down on its back while it hunched. It cried out, but I didn't let that deter me. I repeatedly whacked at its squishy form until it crumbled to the ground. It twitched slightly but was no more than a mound of opaque jello.

Coming down from my high, I'd dropped the cane. I began to tremble, feeling the aftershock of what I'd just done. Sure it was a monster but was it really coming after me specifically?

It seemed to react like an animal sensing a threat. And if it were only acting on the offensive because I was... was I in the wrong?

"You did the right thing, sunshine." Jack said, coming up from behind the corner of the alley.

Immediately I ran up to him feeling hot tears well up and a tightness in my throat like I couldn't breathe. I heaved and sobbed into his chest. He cooed and rubbed the small of my back.

I sniffed, "Don-don't you ... e-ever just take off on me like that again!"

"I'm sorry. I know that was a lot to go through. But I had to step out so you could take initiative on your own." He told me.

"I don't care! Don't do that to me again!"

"I won't, sunshine. But I can't do that without you."

"...What do you mean?"

Jack takes me chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up to where my gaze meets his.

"You have to be honest with yourself." Jack said. "I can't be here to protect you unless you want me near."

I grip his jacket, "I do. I swear I do, Jack." I bury my wet face into his shirt. "I need you... please don't leave me."

For a moment, nothing. And then I feel his gloved hands run up my back and hold me close. His breathing sounds rough, like he's trying to hold it steady.

"I'm so, so happy to hear you say that, sunshine."

He then pulls back and looks around. "We can't stay for long... let's go home."

---

"In other news, influencer Nicholas Herreras had been found in brutal condition, barely clinging to life in an alley on the corner of 5th street. The assault weapon - a rusty pipe - was left discarded, not too far behind. Police are investigating Herreras assaulter and their motivations."

Shaun grimaces at the disturbing report and turns off the television. To think he was just attacked like that with no prompting...

There's some real freaks out there.

He doesn't turn to see his roommate come in. Instead he opts to feed his cat to take his mind off the news.

Shaun calls their name, "Hey, be careful when coming home. A guy was just attacked not too long ago."

There's only a muttered reply as their door shuts. Though the air smells distinctly of metal.

[menhera-info-archieve]

Hello just a few questions!

1) With the image below you just reblogged do you know how to use the site? There’s no socials or shops associated with it so I can’t place an order ..

2) do you have personal recommendations for Menhera that’s more pastel/“happy”? Like this? It makes me feel happy about my recovery from sickness personally 💕 I know you have a shops / rec tag etc but I’m more interested in knowing your favorites to check out first!!

Thank you very much for your hard work!! 💞💕💕🥰

Hello!

to me it looks like the shop is probably closed since I can't find any trace of it anywhere :( that's unfortunately the case for a lot of the things I reblog from fymenhera since the posts are quite old now. My recommendation for finding something similar would be either a) look for syringe necklaces on etsy (last I checked a lot of people still sold them ) or b) try to make one yourself using this tutorial. It looks to me that this could be replicated with resin and those fake sprinkles or something similar.

I'll link some shops below! It was easy to come up with accessory shop recs, but thinking of clothing shops that still focus on pastels and cuter motifs was kind of hard since yamikawaii (dark colors) and mizuiro (pale blue) are what's trending right now. Still, i did my best so hopefully it helps a bit! I also recommend looking for "yumekawaii menhera" on etsy, because there are a lot of shops that only have 1-2 designs that work, but they're really cute.

accessories

*moemoe zakka: full of adorable options, they only usually make one of each thing at a time but they add new things pretty often.

*tödliches gifts: similar to moemoe zakka in that there's just tons of adorable handmade accessories to be found here

*KireiCrafts: one of a kind resin jewelry, mostly shakers.

*ZombieUnicornJewelry: this is a huge one, i feel like most western menhera have something from this shop. they have a lot of cute/sweet stuff, but also the darker stuff (they have the range).

clothing

FrostedSoSweet: clothing with cute medical patterns!

MerbunnyBaby: a lot of it is hurt bear motif, but not all of it

Sprinkling of Rain: i think trinity (japanese site similar to redbubble) in general is probably the best place to find this aesthetic, but this was the first shop that came to mind

nemutai: most of their designs feature their cute rabbit mascot and are fairly simple, but adorable.

acdc rag: i'll be honest they've been more focused on yamikawaii and edgier things lately, but they have pastel releases still!

Volcan&Aphrodite: probably way too edgy to be considered "happy," but this was one of the only JP brands I could think of that still does pastel pink and purple releases semi-frequently.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

I absolutely love Nadia au and the way all of their thoughts are going. Kevin and Jean working out their own realizations while Neil is being Neil 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

—💖💖

WIP Wednesday (9/11) | Mafia Front Restaurant AU (Part 219)

“I know," Neil says with a cheeky grin that earns him a couple of fond eye rolls. It's so funny how alike Kevin and Jean are in their mannerisms. All three of them really. Neil supposes that's why they work so well. As friends. He sighs and sinks into his chair, finally letting himself get comfortable since the crisis has been averted. (Hopefully.) And Jean is no longer on the warpath, screaming for Andrew's blood. (Hopefully.)

When they first got home, Neil was so wound up— they all were— that he thought he'd go for a ten mile run before bed. But the tension has faded for the most part and the urge has passed. In fact, Neil thinks he'd like to go to sleep right here in this chair. He yawns into his shoulder just as Kevin starts to untangle himself from Jean's lap.

"I'm going to get ready for bed," he says when Jean only tightens his arms around Kevin's middle. "I'm exhausted."

A panic attack will do that. Two will knock you flat on your ass. Neil knows from experience.

"Jean," Kevin huffs, amused. He's now off the couch but Jean still has hold of his hand. "Let me go."

"All right." Jean presses his lips to Kevin's inner wrist and murmurs some sappy French that has Kevin making a pitiful sound. They're just too much. Neil closes his eyes to get away from them, but it doesn't really work. Not when he knows the language and knows them well enough to imagine Kevin hugging Jean to his abdomen and kissing his head. Once he hears Kevin’s footsteps disappear into the bedroom Neil reopens his eyes to stare at Jean. He doesn’t notice at first, but finally he realizes Neil's eyes are on him and cocks a brow.

Neil grins, "Being protective of Kevin is another thing you have in common with Andrew."

Jean's lip curls into a snarl. "Deplorable atrocity."

"Oh, that's a new one!" Neil beams as if he said something kind. He collects Jean's insults. He always has. Ever since the first, 'son of a bitch' Jean ever uttered towards him. (He's gotten more creative with age.)

"Just for you," Jean says sweetly, his expression melting into something soft. He glances towards his bedroom door before turning a look on Neil. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Neil says immediately. Like it's a reflex. Like it's the correct answer to the question. Jean gives him a hard look.

"You know I hate that word."

"I know. But I am fine." Neil insists. "Kevin just surprised me earlier, that's all."

"You weren't with us in the alley. Or in the car," Jean says, making Neil exhale. He's right. Neil wasn't exactly present for the car ride. He's grown accustomed to touch over the years. It's hard not to when he lives with such affectionate fools. But being grabbed from behind, even by hands familiar as Kevin's... It sends him reeling back to a different time and place. And Jean knows it. He was there.

"No. But I am now." Neil says, not quite meeting Jean's eyes.

"I'm glad."

Neil squirms in his chair, trying to find just the right spot. There's a very definite divot he's carved out with his ass and it takes a moment to get it. Once he does, he leans his head heavily against the back of the chair and lets out a deep breath. It's good to be home. It took him a while to finally start calling it that, but... It's theirs. A few years ago, they thought they'd never live to see anything but black and red.

But the walls here are a light green color and the floors are a warm hardwood. And Jean has a couple pretentious-looking (ugly) prints hanging on the wall. Neil hates them. He told Jean that when they were shopping and he thinks that his input was the deciding factor. The bastard hung them in the perfect spot, too. Every time Neil sits this way, his favorite way, he has to stare at them. He closes his eyes for a reprieve and Jean clears his throat.

"You really think everything will be all right?"

"Yes. If I'd had even an inkling that Andrew would say anything about you two, I would have let you hunt him down earlier. But I can tell he really cares about Kevin. In some capacity. I mean, I don't know if he ever felt the way Kevin did about him..." Neil has never been great at detecting romantic feelings. Jean had to spell it out for him, slowly, before their first kiss. "But I could hear it in his voice. He wants Kevin to be safe. So, if he saw you, he'll keep it to himself. I'm sure of it."

"You'd better be. If he does anything to hurt Kevin, I will not need your permission to cut him down." Jean says as if he's ever needed Neil's permission for anything. They're partners, equals. No matter what Stuart thinks of them, or Ichirou for that matter. They are at the exact same level. And they always will be.

"If he does anything to hurt Kevin," Neil pauses for effect, "I will kill him myself."

[sixminutestoriesblog]

Porphyrios

Since 2020 there have been over 400 run-ins with orca whales off the coast of Spain. So far, they've sunk at least three ships and damaged dozens more. A ship's skipper, Daniel Kriz, who has had the orcas damage rudders on two different boats he's been on, says they're getting better at it too.

“In 2020, the attack lasted almost an hour and was not as organized,” Kriz said. “This time we could hear them communicating under the boat. It only took about 10 to 15 minutes.”

Why are whales suddenly going after boats with such determination and for such a long span of time? Scientists are unsure, leaning between the whales retaliating for harm a ship did them previously or simply becoming brave enough in their curiosity to unintentionally damage ships. Perhaps I am a bit too influenced by stories I've read but I would tend to believe the orcas know exactly what they're doing.

I also know this isn't the first time a whale has attacked, or sunk, a ship.

Perhaps the most modern famous one is the sperm whale that sunk the whaling vessel Essex in 1820, an incident that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick in 1851.

But we can go further back than that.

Much further.

Let's go back to sixth century Constantinople. According to Procopius, a historian of the time from Caesarea, a great whale, 45 feet (13.7 meters) long and fifteen feet (4.6 meters) wide haunted the Strait of Bosporus and the waters around it. This whale wasn't just there to sight-see either. The whale attacked and sank ships it came across.

The sailors of the time named the monster Porphyrios.

There's debate what the name was derived from (other than the gut kick reaction to shout 'oh shit!' the second you saw the whale hove into view) but most scholars think the whale's name came from prophyra which meant a deep, purple color. This could have been referring to the color of the whale's skin or perhaps imbuing it with some of the terrifying, regal nature that nobles of the time, the only ones allowed to wear the purple, implied. Whales weren't well known in that area of the world at that time and we have no way of knowing what kind of whale it was. Speculation based on size leads many to believe it was a lost sperm whale a long way from home but it might have also been a large orca. Iberian orcas hunt the Straight of Gibraltar, following the bluefine tuna every year and they're the ones responsible for the recent ship attacks off the coast of Spain of the past few years. It's not hard to imagine one of them wandering east, deeper into the Mediterranean Sea, instead of heading back north when the tuna left. And Porphyrios didn't just set up shop anywhere. He decided that the Strait of Bosporus was his new hunting ground.

Here's the thing. The Strait of Bosporus was the main trade route for that part of the world. Goods flowed down to the Black Sea, crept through the narrow Strait of Bosporus which let out into the Sea of Marmara. One more strait, this one the Dardanelles, where the city of ancient Troy once controlled all trade out of the East, and then it was out into the Aegean Sea and then on to the Mediterranean. Trade goods could pass by on land but it added both dangers and time to the business and, most importantly, took all that sweet, sweet toll to use their water passage right out of Constantinople's hands. Having what amounted to a sea monster living in their main money-maker and convincing merchants to find other ways to bypass the strait, and therefor the city sitting on the edge of it, was disastrous for a country that was trying to restore itself to its former glory. Emperor Justinian I, also known as the Great, put out a bounty on the monster's head and did everything in his power to encourage its capture or eradication.

The tools of whaling used centuries later to drive many whale populations to the brink of extinction however were unknown at the time. Porphyrios shrugged off the arrows and spears lobbed at it and went on sinking ships, sending simple fishing vessels to the bottom of the ocean just as steadily as it did merchant and war ships. There was even a story that Justinian's famous general, Belisarius, loaded a catapult onto a ship to hunt the deadly whale, though this seems to be just a story and one which also failed to killed the great monster of the strait.

Porphyrios becoming a terror that merchant captains probably saw in their nightmares even when they were on dry land. Long routes far out of the way were taken to avoid waters he swam in. There would be lulls. For unknown reasons, Porphyrios would disappear for long periods of time, lulling ship captains and their crews into thoughts that the monster had died. It never lasted though and for over fifty years, Porphyrios hunted the ships of the Bosporus and its surrounding waters, damaging some and sending many more to the bottom of the ocean.

Nothing lasts forever though. One day, the story goes, Porphyrios was chasing dolphins in the Black Sea and ran aground. Struggling to get back to deeper water, it only churned up the dirt, sinking itself more completely into the mud. Locals that lived nearby saw what was happening and ran out to kill the great beast but their axes did little damage against its tough hide. In the end, they lashed ropes to to the whale and, using horses and wagons, dragged its great bulk to higher ground. There they finally managed to kill the beast, eventually hacking it to bits and eating the pieces. Porphyrios, killer of men and sinker of ships, terror of the Bosporus, was no more.

It was the first recorded case of a whale attacking ships.

It hasn't been the last.

Perhaps the Iberian orca, social animals that can teach each other how to disable and sink ships, tell stories, late at night when they rest in the waters off the coast of Spain, with the bright lights from the shore twinkling above the water like electric stars. Perhaps they tell stories of an ancestor who hunted strange waters -

and taught the humans in their noisy ships above what real fear was.

[airbrushfather]

@paz-45 asked so here are my 5 ee tattoos lmao (warning for me just rambling absolute shit under the cut)

my first ever tattoo - jon's handwriting and a wild wave because i love violent sun so much. looking back the handwriting tattoo isn't something i'd do today but it's what got me started on getting tats at all and i had a very positive experience (both w getting it and w asking jon for the writing lmao)

the teeth are not related, for the record. writing is about 6 months healed in this pic and almost 18 months healed now. also i know no one asked but since i love talking about tattoos - this is on the outside of my forearm and the pain was about a 3/10. super easy placement if you want somewhere to put a first tattoo that won't kill you off immediately.

classic lil gth hand. i always forget i have this because it's on the back of my arm (hence the bad photo too, say hello to my ear) but i do rlly love it, my artist did a very good job. it's about 5 months healed in this pic and just under 18 months healed now. this is on the back of my upper arm, the pain was probably a 4/10. a little spicy towards the inside but nowhere near the worst, certainly less painful than the inside of the bicep for instance. i also never find colour that bad (lines are worse imo) but i know some people do, so i guess if you came to this post looking for genuine tattoo advice, take that into consideration

these eyes are, technically, ee related - and please excuse this horrible photo, they're really hard to get a pic of! but me and my artist designed them together based on put me together's bridge - 'is it the darkest night/or is that dawn in your eyes?' it's a very important song to me and i love these tattoos, especially the dawn one with all the little details. it actually looks a little better now it's healed, it's settled into itself a lot more. they're super fresh in this pic (less than a month each, i got them within about a week of each other) and about a year healed now

pain wise this is a rough placement. the bottom one especially was one of my most painful tattoos - probably an 8/10. it proved i could never tattoo my actual knee because i genuinely had a terrible time of it. though weirdly the top one was really easy, probably a 6/10

i find this one incredibly hard to photograph bc of the way it wraps but my favourite line from final form (i stole the idea from someone in atb but it's one of my favourite sentiments, as in, this is my first body so i will make mistakes, and it is my last body so i will look after it). i broke one of my only tattoo rules for this too, which was No Words. i doubt i'll get any more words after this bc i don't think they'd really fit very well w the rest of mine, but i thought this was a really nice way to cuff my patchwork arm.

it's about 6 months healed in this video (from today). pain was probably another 8/10, wrist is a very spicy placement but not the worst one by any stretch. the outside (first body) was easier than the inside (last body) and it was definitely tolerable, tbh it was almost more annoying to heal than it was to get

i do have plans for more ee related tattoos (i want to get one from each album, so i have arc and rdf left to conquer) but atm i can't get anything because i have serious trust issies w new tattooists (and i love my artists who i know already) and my shop is currently 200 miles away. i'll probably get one in summertime if i have the money. i really like that for the most part they're not super obvious what they are, even the hand isn't bam in your face this is album artwork unless you're in the know. no hate to those kind of tattoos (ive seen some sick tattoos of the whole gth cover or at least the entire guy) it's just not my kind of thing, i like to be mysterious.

sorry for talking so much, but getting tattoos is my only personality trait. i could and would literally speak about it all day. consider this your formal piece of danny's tattoo advice. none of these are my most painful placements and none were my most painful tattoos, but everybody is different so if you genuinely do want this advice, take it with a grain of salt. and if anyone wants more of my advice/further tattoo tours, feel free to ask (idk why you'd want advice from me but i have probably about 40 tattoos at this point and i want to talk about it. because i'm boring and inufferable. i'm A Tattoo Person. this is my coming out </3)

cheers for looking x

[sir-klauz]

Newbies who've arrived on Genshin since it blew up/started trending complaining abt the cut scenes: Is there a way to tell a player is new here without them saying they're new here?

Seasoned veteran player here since the start, you just gotta babe. Not everyone wants to know about the lore or the characters, but that doesn't make it a Bad game.

I've recently seen people complaining about being bored, yet all they focus on these days is repeating the same domains, and commissions every single day then exhaust themselves and log out after focusing only on primos and using up resin without doing all of the many other things to do in the game.

If you play it for just primo farming, or the marketed method of playing (because yes, it is designed to also convince you to spend money), it's going to become boring.

I've been playing for about 2 and a half years, most days and I get a lot out of doing ALL KINDS of things, and I certainly don't spend all that much time forcing myself to burn out doing only domains and suchlike, I like cooking actually quite a lot!

There's Genius Invokation TCG, a card game, to play either against characters or friends in The Cats Tail.

There's world exploration.

Farming ingredients, low-key relaxing activities, and beautiful scenery as well as music to enjoy in different places you visit. You can collect CDs for your Serenitea Pot.

There's your teapot world designing, where you can build your own home and customise it with so many different items, furniture, plants, and you can even raise your own garden to make farming plants quicker.

There's mini games pretty much every event, and you can access most events now with Quick Start, which is only pretty recent. You think now is annoying. Back when we were at it for ages, you simply had to finish ur damn quests. 😭

Food shopping, quick pick ups around all the cities or secret vendors around Teyvat.

Random chatting to the NPC civilians is often missed out, but you can just have pleasant conversations with them and some random ones give you presents for interacting with them.

There's flying challenges.

Check out the blacksmith and make your own weapons instead of only the crystals constantly. It can be quite nice to know you collected stuff to forge your own weapon set even if they're not the strongest weapons.

There are SOOOO many different puzzle games in every corner of the world to tackle if you want something to really stimulate your brain, plenty of which are pretty hard if you find some too easy. This unlocks their own set of rewards after, but if you enjoy a good puzzle, check out the locations of some. There are plenty in Inazuma, that's for sure.

Feeling irate but too stressed to domain? Idk, go whack some trees in the forests and farm lots of wood for building furniture in your teapot! You can convert things in there as well if you have loads of a certain item hanging around you don’t use.

There's hidden achievements. You can take the time running around, or just Google their locations. Some are fun. But it takes a break from the usual daily grind. And that’s the point, it should just be a grind unless you want to grind out a lot of reruns etc.

They also introduced fishing. Fish is hard to come by or isn't, depending on how much you swim or where you spend a lot of your time in Teyvat. Fishing added the ability to rest and catch all kinds of variety of fish. You can collect certain types, certain bait, and build up your fishing kit. It's a fun pastime for some, and feeds you if not anything else!

There's secret locations, caves, islands, gorgeous discoveries to be had in difficult to reach places but it pays off, and if you truly into Adventuring, this could be a fun kick to try getting to these special areas.

Co-op mode can be used to socialise, role-play, and hang out or help your friends, but it doesn't have to ONLY mean grinding domains together just for stuff, over and over again and again. I think the monotony and boredom have come from everyone desperately farming ALL the time against their will so they can have the best weapons or get favourite characters, and they feel there's no time to do anything else, or they actually don't have time to do anything else after all that if they work etc.

Hell, sometimes I just Zone out swimming around in the gorgeous waters in random areas and look around. I think I've enjoyed the game for so long without it losing its spark, as I've just done whatever felt good, and it's a really wonderful game playing it without stress like that. If it’s boring, or a currently uninteresting task? I give it a miss this time.

I don't have the best kit by any means, but I have lots of cool characters I love anyway. But I play it for peace and an escape, pushing to do the stuff we are tbh sometimes rushed to do.

If anyone has any more interesting alternative things to do in Genshin Impact, please add!

[tinylilemrys]

Lonely In London

Relationship:

Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso

Additional Tags:

Angst and Romance | Romcommunism | Friends to Lovers | Romantic Comedy | Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Summary:

Henry, worried about how lonely his dad seems to be in London, writes into an advice podcast for some help. A podcast run by an ex-colleague of Trent's – one that he listens to religiously. If Trent falls a little for 'Lonely In London' because he reminds him of Ted, well that's just coincidence. An homage to romcommunism, largely based on 'Sleepless In Seattle' with a few others thrown in for good measure.

Previous Chapter | Final Chapter

CHAPTER 4

Trent is in a car park in front of Heathrow.

He's trying very hard not to think about the fact that he anonymously told the man who he's absolutely gone for that he'll be waiting for him here in just under four months. It's a dizzying thought.

Right now, he's just waiting for Ted who's making sure Henry safely boards his flight back to Kansas.

He probably shouldn't have offered but he knows firsthand how shitty handovers are and Ted was just going to take an Uber otherwise. Better to save him the money and the bother, offer him the lift, comfort him about Henry, and maybe even come to some sort of understanding about where they're at. The month since the kiss has been fraught with tension and it's getting to the point where the team and staff are noticing. They need to get on some kind of page about it at the very least.

A text from Ted breaks his gloomy train of thought.

Henry's through check-in. It's still a while before he flies and I have to stay here until he's airborne. Let's do lunch? Or at least a drink. Don't think my nerves could take a meal right now.

Trent doesn't need telling twice.

It doesn't take him long to spot Ted. He thinks at this point he'd be able to immediately spot him in the densest of crowds, like the world's easiest and most specific Where's Wally. He smiles privately at how if Ted could hear his thoughts, he would insist on only being compared to Where's Waldo.

He's immensely glad that telepathy is beyond Ted's many talents.

"Well as I live and breathe, if it isn't Trent Crimm, future bestseller." Ted's smile is as wide as ever, but it doesn't crinkle the corners of his eyes the way it usually does. He's heartbroken, as Trent fully expected.

"How are you holding up, Ted?" he asks and Ted's smile settles into something far more tired, heartbroken, and real.

"Ah, well, you know," says Ted, his eyes looking rather misty, "it never gets easier."

His thumb is worrying over a keyring – a little LEGO minifigure that Trent suspects might be made to look like Ted. Likely a gift from Henry. Trent wants to throw his arms around him. To just hold him until it hurts a bit less.

He knows he can't. Not after July.

"Shall we get this drink you threatened me with?" says Trent gently and Ted nods, taking a deep breath.

After they're settled at a booth in a chain coffee shop with their respective hot drinks – Ted with an extremely apt Americano, Trent with an equally on-the-nose Earl Grey tea – Trent finds himself clearing his throat.

"So, do you want to talk about how you're feeling about Henry flying back?" he braves. "Or would you prefer anything else?"

"Anything else," says Ted. "Please, anything else. At least for a while."

"Great," says Trent, clenching a serviette for emotional support. "Perhaps then I could apologise for what happened at the Christmas party?"

"Oh, uh, sure?" says Ted, taken aback. "I didn't think we were actually ever going to talk about that again."

"We don't need to after today," says Trent.

Unless you want to, he doesn't add.

"It shouldn't have happened," he continues. "I think I must have accidentally been drinking from Dani's 'cheekied' punchbowl instead of the polite one. In any case, I forgot myself and I fear I've made things awkward between us."

Ted seems to be working through conflicting emotions. The lines between his brows deepen for a moment. His moustache twitches. He stares down at his coffee like it holds his response, then looks up at Trent.

"Not a worry, Bill Murray," says Ted, his face fixing itself into that same sad smile from earlier. "That night was pretty crazy, huh? Lot of emotions running wild. You don't have to apologise for anything. It was me too. I was like a helium balloon out of the hands of a careless child – just caught up in the atmosphere."

It might just be Ted trying to match Trent's lie, but it doesn’t mean it stings any less. Trent takes a sip of too-hot tea to cover his gloom and instead suddenly has to pretend that he hasn't just scalded his mouth.

"But, Trent, I will say this," says Ted in the most serious tone he's ever had directed at him, as Trent tries to play off the way he definitely just took off a layer of skin from his tongue. "I really like talking to you. As much as I think you like talking to me. I would hate for this to be something that gets in the way of that. Think we can at least promise to try our hand at being friends?"

"I think we could manage that," says Trent. He's almost able to ignore the agony he's in at the earnestness in Ted's voice. "After all, you know how I love our chats."

Ted smiles another real smile at that.

"Good, that's settled then." He lifts his drink. "To friendship moving forward."

"To friendship moving forward," Trent agrees, clinking his paper cup against Ted's, tears now forming in his eyes at the pain.

"Now, one friend to another, did you burn your mouth on that cup of Satan's swill just then?" asks Ted, to his credit, looking like he's trying his level best not to laugh. Trent can only nod. "Yeah, thought so. I'll go get you some ice."

It's still one of the better coffees he's ever gotten with someone.

Trent's mouth heals, as do things between Ted and him. Richmond has had an eventful start to the season with the arrival of Zava who even Trent finds himself moderately starstruck by. There's no denying the man is a football god and as a lifelong Richmond supporter, he can't help but be pleased with the string of victories that come with his place on the team. He does, however, note the way that Jamie seems to withdraw into himself and wonders that Ted hasn't seemed to notice. He thinks Roy does, though. Trent has realised that not much Jamie-related gets past Roy.

Ted's head seems to be elsewhere.

He considers it a moment of immense growth in his commitment to friendship with Ted when, at the opening of Sam's restaurant, Ted leaves with Rebecca's friend and he only stews on it for half an hour.

Sassy? Really? The woman Trent berated for making a mistake in turning Ted down is called Sassy?

Deciding jealousy isn't a good look on him, he decides to go home, and has all thoughts of Ted's romantic exploits pushed from his mind by the sight of Colin kissing someone outside of Sam's restaurant. Not just someone, though. A man.

Now there's a scoop. A scoop Trent would never share, not even in his days as a journalist. Hell, if the fucking Wonder Kid hadn't lost him his job, this would be the next thing that would. He would never out anyone. It was a hard line he'd drawn himself early in his career. After what he saw happen to Justin Fashanu growing up, he simply wouldn't do it. He wouldn't be part of that. 

The idea of that happening to someone from Richmond, this group of people he's come to think of as family, is unthinkable. He hopes and prays he gets a chance to talk to Colin before something happens and the secret gets out. Colin wasn't exactly subtle with his choice of makeout spot.

He thanks the gay gods of football when he gets his chance in Amsterdam.

At first, there's part of him that really wants to find out what Ted's plans are for the evening. It's Museumnacht, of all nights, and all he wants to do is stay out late exploring every single one with Ted, who he imagines would be a great companion on a museum trip. Sure, he'd likely make a joke about every single painting, but Trent knows he would be genuinely curious about them too.

It really would be too much like a date, however, and so he resigns himself to the fact that the right thing to do is to spend the night seeing what the rest of the team gets up to. He watches, with amusement, the heated debate about what the plan for the evening should be. He even tries to unsuccessfully sell them on the idea of Museumnacht. But so far it seems like they're not going to make it much farther than the lobby of the hotel. It's only when Colin slips away from the rest of the pack that Trent realises what his evening in Amsterdam will be.

There's only one reason he could imagine Colin, usually in the thick of things, would want to separate himself from the pack. He's going somewhere he can be himself. And Trent knows that this is his chance to speak to and encourage him.

He realises, unfortunately too late, that following him to the club might not have been the best option. Colin looks genuinely terrified at seeing him there and Trent can't blame him. He doubts he could ever fully understand the level of paranoia Colin's daily life entails.

When he finally manages to calm the kid down enough to get him to sit down and talk over a couple of beers, the last thing he's expecting is for the conversation to be exactly what he needs to hear too. But Colin turns out to have quite the way with words.

"All I want," Colin explains, eyes filled with longing and wistfulness, "is for when we win a match, to be able to kiss my fella the same way the guys get to kiss their girls."

Trent smiles at that, thinking about a particular fella that he'd like to kiss after a big Richmond win.

"And I know we can't fix every ache inside of us," Colin continues. "But I shouldn't have to pretend it's not there either."

This, more than anything, shakes Trent to his core. His longing for Ted is an ache. One that he doesn't know if it's possible to fix, but he's given himself one Hail Mary in the form of a prearranged grand romantic gesture and by god if this kid hasn't just given him the courage to just go for it.

He could never regret this conversation with Colin, but after a somewhat failed attempt at sharing an historical titbit about Anne Frank, he can't help but wonder what a night in Amsterdam with Ted might have been like after all.

Some of the confidence regarding his new resolve to do the big ill-advised romantic gesture wanes a bit in the week after Amsterdam. Ted is so busy trying to find a team strategy that will work, that Trent is sure the last thing on his mind is his love life.

But then Trent sees it. In their match against Arsenal, he can see the pieces connecting. The team are doing it. They're doing total football. A week ago, they weren't doing anything close to it, but this week, here, at this match, they're doing it. They trust Ted that much that they were willing to try it. And not only try it – actually do it with their whole hearts.

It's the Lasso Effect at its full power. And they're going to fucking win the Premier League. He knows it now.

He has to tell Ted after the match. He can't contain his excitement. Ted's going to do it. He's going to fucking do it. And not because he's an amazing football manager. Not because he's a tactical genius.

No, it's because he's Ted Lasso, and he genuinely cares about what he's doing and the people who are doing it with him.

Christmas Eve, now only a week away, cannot come quickly enough.

***

Ted spends all of August trying to fend off questions about whether or not he's going to meet Isolated in Islington. But he wouldn't trade it for the world, because every time is a reminder that Henry is right there, at arm's reach. With him.

Ted's heart is heavy.

The handover at the end of the summer is the hardest one yet. But it's also somehow one of the better ones because of Trent.

He was nervous when Trent offered them a ride to the airport, but Henry was so excited about the idea and Ted was so worried about being alone afterwards that he agreed. And he's glad he did because it ends up being a great time, all things considered. In any case they manage to patch up things between them, and for Ted, that's monumental. He's willing to pretend that what happened between them was a mistake, as much as it hurts, if it means holding onto Trent as a friend.

Zava turns out to be both as impressive as advertised and a huge disappointment in the long run. It's wonderful to have a winning streak to their name – he knows after the disappointment of the Chelsea game, it's a relief for Rebecca. He can, unfortunately, see that it's getting to Jamie, but there's not much he can do about it. As far as team strategy goes, they've got a good thing going, and he can't shake it up for one player. Not without having to field interrogation from all sides including his fellow coaches, the press, Rebecca, and even Trent.

But then, he starts noticing the rest of his team slipping further and further back. He sees how their victories start paling next to their feeling of boredom out on the pitch. By the time they reach the West Ham game, his team is in dire straits, but Ted can't bring himself to focus enough to deal with it, because at the same time, he's accidentally spoken to Dr Jacob for the first time since his last marriage counselling session.

The West Ham match is a blur to Ted. Only three things stick out in his memory of it:

One, the generally sick feeling that came over him every time he thought about how Dr Jacob used to give him marriage advice, only to swoop in the minute his marriage was over.

Two, the anger he felt at Roy and Beard showing the team the footage of Nate tearing up the sign that's come to mean so much to them. It was the last thing the team needed and it made them play the worst match Ted's ever seen them play.

Three, the feeling of helplessness he felt, both at the way his team was playing, and at the way that this awful, unethical psychologist was now around his son far more than he was. That he was the one giving his son rides to soccer practice and helping him with his math homework.

His call with Michelle after the match offers some catharsis, but is ultimately not that helpful. He's exhausted, drawn, and all he wants to do is go to bed. Just as he's about to, however, he gets a call from Trent.

"Hey, Trent," he says, not really in the mood for any of his usual affectations.

"Hi, Ted," says Trent. "I've just managed to get Squish to bed, so I thought I would call and see how you're doing after the match today. We were watching. It looked brutal."

"Yeah, well, they saw your footage," says Ted, a little more biting than he means to be.

"Oh," says Trent. "Yes, I was wondering why they looked like they were out for blood. That explains it."

"Yeah," says Ted, voice still strained with the effort of not completely losing it. He's so angry and hurt and tired he could explode, but he doesn't want it to be at Trent. "Listen, Trent, I appreciate that you might still be trying to work the journalism out of your system, but the next time you find a big scoop that might affect the mental state of my players, I'd appreciate if you ran it by me first."

There's silence on the other end for a moment before Trent's voice comes back, smaller than Ted's ever heard it.

"I'm so sorry, Ted. I really am. And look, I know this doesn't excuse anything by any means, but by way of explanation, let me just say that I think I was trying to get you to feel as angry about the Nate situation as I am. I just… he cost me my career, you know? I liked being a journalist. It wasn't necessarily what I imagined I'd be doing with the rest of my life, but I was good at it. I was a bloody good sports journalist and all it took was one story for it all to fucking collapse."

"That wasn't entirely Nate's fault," says Ted, closing his eyes as though trying to prevent every thought he's currently having from leaving his head. "You didn't have to share that with me. I mean, I appreciate that you did. But you could direct a little of that anger my way."

Trent sighs deeply.

"You know that I can't."

Ted knows that that might be true. He rubs his eyes with his free hand.

"Look, Trent, I have to believe that people are able to be forgiven. I just have to. Because otherwise, when I get back to Henry, when I have to explain to him why I was out of his life for so long… I have to…"

It's the tipping point. He collapses onto the armchair behind him as huge undignified sobs wrack his body. He hates that he's crying like this. He hates that he's crying like this while Trent can hear it. It doesn't matter. There's nothing he can do to stop it at this point.

"Ted, Ted, listen to me," says Trent. "Your son loves you, okay? Whenever that boy isn't at your side looking up at you like you personally hung the sun, he's telling anyone who will hear that you're the coolest dad in the world. Whatever happens, I know that that child knows how much you love him, okay?"

Ted nods, but realises Trent can't hear him.

"I'm gonna hang up now," Ted says. "But it's not because you aren't making a great point. I just think half the battle is that I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over a week and I need to crash. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"See you at work, Ted," says Trent. He sounds concerned.

Ted pulls himself together enough to put together two packs of shortbread, writing a short note in Trent's one.

Trent – thank you for your kindness last night. I needed to hear that. But I hope that you'll eventually find it in your heart to forgive too. It'll help you feel better too.

He ties it all together with a bit of ribbon he has left from his Christmas in July wrapping and the sunflower hair clasp that he still hasn't returned and leaves it on Trent's desk the next morning for when he comes in.

When Trent opens it and reads the note, he turns in his chair to make eye contact with Ted, smiles, and nods, and Ted feels one of the weights on his heart fall away.

Of course, with Zava leaving and the team having played backup the whole season so far, there's a lot of catch up to do. But it's a challenge that keeps Ted's mind on the game and not everywhere else. For a while, he finds himself able to disappear into managing the headspace of his team, Roy's ideas for stamina and speed training, Beard's best stabs at strategies for them to try.

The only exception to his new workflow is a fairly big scare in the form of reports of Henry bullying another classmate. And Ted doesn't quite know how to feel about the fact that it seems to resolve itself. By the time they talk, Henry seems to have the scope of what he's done wrong and has even apologised the kid for it. Did Michelle talk to Henry about it? Did Dr Jake? There's no way for Ted to know but there's not much more for Ted to add. The thought breaks his heart.

With difficulty, he decides to take it for what it is: a sign that his kid, for the time being, seems to be okay without him. Another weight drops from his heart.

He continues to ignore Henry's nagging about meeting Isolated in Islington. He doesn't have time to think about that. Instead, he decides to focus on the promise he's made to Henry, to the team, to himself: winning the whole thing.

It's in Amsterdam that everything starts coming together.

The so-called friendly match is a disaster and the only thing Ted can do for himself and the rest of the team to make it okay is to give them all a night to let loose.

Somehow, to Beard, this gets translated as "get Ted high", but Ted is so out of ideas at this point that he's willing to try anything. He almost doesn't try it when it's presented to him as a tea, even if it does bring back a fond memory of Trent trying and failing to play it cool after burning his mouth on the foul stuff. Eventually though, Ted decides if he's going to give himself half a chance at anything new, he needs to try something new, so he downs the tea and heads to the front desk to ask about the nearby museums.

He ends up at the Van Gogh museum, specifically in front of the famous "Sunflowers" painting, just staring. He's seen it plenty before, in prints and in digital pictures. He didn't realise, seeing it up close, that it would be possible to see the individual brush strokes. He alternates between being pulled so closely into the details that all he sees is paint in various shades of yellow, green, and blue, to looking at the whole thing and feeling himself trembling at a brand new thought.

He's grown up with sunflowers his whole life. Adorned on any bit of kitsch to do with Kansas. The great big fields he'd drive past on road trips. The ones his mother grew in the backyard and always had in a vase in the kitchen. The ones on his father's grave. The one or two in Michelle's wedding bouquet. It was his state flower, part of growing up in Kansas.

So why, in his mind, do sunflowers only belong to Trent now?

His thoughts are interrupted by a museum guide who shares a Van Gogh quote with him. And, as beautiful as it is, it's his next statement that really sends Ted reeling.

"When you find beauty, you find inspiration. When you know you're doing what you're meant to do, you have to try."

Of course, he realises this applies to his team, and absolutely tonight is about figuring out what the next step there is, but…

But Trent had looked like a sunflower earlier, with his bright yellow shirt and peppery dark hair. So beautiful. And Ted knows he could keep pretending that he doesn’t want him with his whole heart. It would kill him, but he knows he could do it. But there's a part of him, a far bigger part, that wants to give it one more try. That kiss hadn't been nothing. And he owes it to himself to see what could be. To take his own medicine and believe for once.

He accepts the notebook from the guide and decides to make his way to the glimmer of home he's hoping to find in the Yankee-Doodle Burger Barn. As looming as it all is, he can think about Trent in a bit. Right now he has to fix his team.

Eight hours and one placebo-induced drug trip later, Ted has it. At least, he thinks he does. He doesn’t know if it will work – Beard will know more about that than he does – but it's something. And another weight drops from his heart.

He loses the final one a week later.

Total football turns out to be a lot trickier to implement than Ted initially thought it would be. He knew it would be a lot of work to some extent, but he thought that because it was designed to get the team looser it wouldn't be the monumental challenge it's turning out to be. But here they are, playing against Arsenal, still struggling to work together the way he imagined.

But Jamie – proving once again to Ted that his football career will be long and storied – comes to the rescue at half time, explaining where the team is going wrong in the simplest way possible. Ted could absolutely smother him in a hug right now, but he thinks he'll leave that to Roy. He's noticed that he and Jamie seem to be even cosier since Amsterdam and lord help the poor soul that interferes with something Roy Kent cares about.

They still lose, but the second half is absolutely beautiful to watch. The team play off of each other seamlessly. They still seem to be finding their feet, but Ted can see that they finally get it. And that they're having fun. And crowd is having fun watching them have fun.

He's never been prouder to be their manager.

The absolute cherry on top of his success sundae is when Trent quite literally tears into the corridor after the match, looking for him specifically.

"Ted!" he says as he barges through the doors. "It's going to work."

"Great," says Ted, confused as to what could get the cool and catlike Trent Crimm all riled up like a jackrabbit in spring. "What is?"

"Total football." Ted is still confused. "And I'll tell you why. The Lasso Way."

This causes even more confusion. He's only ever heard The Lasso Way used derisively. Used in a biting tone when he does things a little differently or something he tries doesn't work out. He's never heard it said so excitedly with such optimism and hope.

"You haven't switched tactics in a week," Trent continues.

He definitely has. This whole week has been nothing but a new tactic.

"I haven't?" Ted asks, still baffled.

"No! You've done this over three seasons."

Oh. Maybe it was meant to be a little bit derisive then.

"I have?"

"Yes," Trent explains, "by slowly building a club-wide culture of trust and support through thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion – total football."

Ted tries to believe himself a humble man, one not prone to basking in praise, but something about the way Trent is talking about him, about his achievements, about the achievements of the team, makes Ted want to live in this moment forever.

Trent, Ted realises, is proud of him. Is truly, one hundred percent rooting for him. And Ted feels the final weight on his heart drop as he soars away with it.

"Well how about that," he says, mostly responding to Trent's excited babble, but also to this new feeling of weightlessness and just… happiness that he hasn't felt in months.

And then Trent does the absolute cutest little giddy gesture and Ted knows beyond a shadow of any doubt, he could never be more in love with anyone than he is with Trent right now.

Trent exits the corridor, leaving behind two coaches bemused and one absolutely besotted.

"What a fucking dork," says Roy, not without his own brand of affection.

"Yeah," shrugs Ted, aware of how his feelings are probably plastered across his face, "but he's our dork."

He doesn't miss the knowing look the other two coaches give each other.

Henry calls him later that night to discuss the match.

"It was so cool, dad!" he says. "Do you think Jamie and Roy will teach me how it works the next time I'm there?"

"I'm sure they'd love to, Bud," says Ted, heart so full it could burst.

"Awesome!" says Henry. "Are you still sure you can't come here for Christmas?"

"I'm sure," says Ted, a little pang marring his happiness for a moment. "I have the big Boxing Day match. But that's what Christmas in July was for, remember?"

"Yeah," says Henry, the disappointment in his voice palpable, but as soon as he looks glum, he perks up again. "Hey, that means you can go meet Isolated in Islington!"

"Oh, Bud, no," says Ted. "I can't do that."

He can't do that because it doesn't matter who this Isolated in Islington is, he's got his heart set on Trent. He can't imagine anyone else holding a candle to him, no matter how convinced his son is that this mystery person is his soulmate. He's not ready to tell Henry everything about Trent though, and therein lies the pickle.

"Why not?" says Henry. "Dad, you only get a chance like this once. This person sounds so perfect for you. Can't you just go and see?"

"Look, Kiddo, I really want to be with you on this one," says Ted with a sigh, "but it wouldn't be fair to whoever I'm meeting. I couldn't give them what they're looking for. I'm not saying no because I don't think it's a beautiful idea. I need you to trust that I'm saying no for a good reason, okay? One that you might not understand right now, but I hope you will soon."

Henry doesn't respond. He looks sad, then angry and when Michelle takes the phone from him after a few minutes of pained silence, she also looks concerned.

"He'll come around, Ted," she says. "There's a lot going on at the moment and I think it's just a lot for him to process. Give him a day to cool off and I'm sure he'll be back to his normal self."

But the next day and the day after that when Ted calls, he just gets an apologetic Michelle.

Ted feels some of the weights return.

They all return a few days later, on December 23rd, when Michelle calls him in tears.

"Ted," she says. "Ted, I'm so sorry. Jake took him to the airport and signed him in. He says he got a message from me, but it seems like Henry sent it. Apparently he's safe and I'm on the flight right behind him but oh god."

Ted is about to throw up. He's never heard Michelle this panicked. Ever.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm here," he says, trying to reassure her. "What's going on?"

"Henry's booked himself onto a flight to the UK. Jake helped sign him in."

And then Ted does throw up.

Final Chapter

[travelinglowcarb]

I'm sitting in the back seat of a car, on a steep hill, in the middle, with my hands tied behind my back. The car is still running. A man just drove me most of the way up the hill, but he has to get back. For some reason the engine is revving up, just a minor issue I assure him. He seems concerned but rushed, eyeing the exhaust coming straight into the cracked window filling up the car, looking down the long hill behind me then back at me again, peering into the front windows - "there's no brake" I tell him. I'm calm, thanking him, wishing him a good day. This is where I always wait, I say with a smile. He was anxious, obviously concerned, but also in a rush to get back. There are corn fields as far as I can see, my eyes sweeping right, ahead, then left, and in the rearview mirror: a steep decline that ends in the ocean. There's a lively little village down there, which he brought me back from, but I can't see it from here. I'm not sure what will happen next in this dream, I'm waiting on someone I think, the driver, but I don't know who - or how long it will be, someone familiar though. I just wait calmly and take in the familiar view. I'm aware of all the issues, the dangers I guess you could say, but I don't feel alarmed or anxious or even impatient - just calm. Everything could go wrong, but it isn't. Everything is fine at the moment, looking out over the endless corn fields, inhaling the exhaust steadily streaming in through the barely cracked windows, being very still since there are no brakes.

That's when I woke up, it was 4am this morning. I can't remember the last time I had even a HINT of a dream. I used to have really cool vivid dreams all the time!

There was a whole scene leading up to that bit, but I can't recall any of it now, and I find myself curious what would happen next. I couldn't go back to sleep, my mind reeling.

"Do I need help? Or help with something?" I thought on that as I brushed my teeth, got dressed, put the blankets in the dryer. "I don't think so." At least, not anything they could actually help me with, or that I haven't already asked for help with...

Hmm. Human contact maybe, but that's a tough one. I've been very proactive about taking care of myself, and filling voids - talking to strangers, eating with strangers, and even hugging 3 different strangers in the last two months.

3 out of 3 of those people were obviously NOT huggers or comfortable with that level of intimate physical contact, but I hugged them long and hard anyway.

🤷‍♀️ 😅

Sometimes late at night I turn on videos of people I know, or people I once knew, and it's nice to be in the same room with them, even if they're only on my ipad. It makes me smile.

That was the last thing I remember last night, saying goodnight with a smile to a familiar face on YouTube before I rolled over and fell asleep. 🤗

I also turn on my Navigation when I get out for an appointment or to run a quick errand, because he always says "Welcome Home!" when I return - and that gets me EVERY time. 🥰❣️

It's his tone: so upbeat and kind, like coming home is the BEST thing in the whole world. "Thank you!" I say that out loud with the biggest smile 😁 every.single.time lol.

This poor man in my dream, he was a shop keeper or something, not someone I knew. He took me back exactly where I usually am. He left the car running for me. He cracked the windows. He checked everything, checked on me, nervously, anxiously - but there was nothing more he could do. That bothered him, I could tell, and I tried to be as reassuring as possible.

The dream wasn't literal of course. I'm not in any danger, not that I can see, not that I feel. But then I didn't feel it in my dream either, obvious as it was. My hands being tied behind my back in the dream was an interesting point: lack of control in the situation.

So there I sat, hands tied, nothing as far as I could see, alone, stuck, for I'm not sure how long. But I'd had a nice time, and it was very kind of him to get me back to my nowhere.

p.s. I am the driver.

_

[ponfarrtimeatthevulcannightclub]

Write a story about Quark going to a shop?

(you have no idea how hard I am resisting the urge to make you write about the Riddler)

Gonna see how much I can write in 10 min on mobile

It was a normal day on DS9 and everyone was bustling around doing whatever they do on a normal day. Everyone except for Quark, who wasn't even on ds9. And come to think of it, neither was Odo. They were on bajor because Quark had begged Sisko to go to get some new things for his bar earlier.

"Captain, Sisko, Benjamin." The sight was pathetic (and not the fun kind). Quark was on his knees, head down, and wrists pressed together in the traditional Ferengi way.

Sisko rolled his eyes at the dramatics of it all, and Quark was a bit afraid they'd get stuck back there. "Don't call me Benjamin. And get off the floor. Aren't you the one always talking about how expensive and rare those fabrics are."

"Right, uh, sorry about that, and yes, these are some of the highest quality fabrics on this side of the quadrant. But that's not the point. You have to see the quality of these cups. Aaand for the price they're selling them at?? It's like they don't even know how valuable they are. Also, I desperately need new glasses after Brunt tried to take my bar and, you know, the whole place being destroyed and me almost being murdered."

"Fine Quark, you can go." Quark visibly perked up," but I don't want you going alone. You haven't been to Bajor that often, and who knows what you'll get up to down on the surface. Sisko to Odo"

"Odo here"

"Quark wants to go down to Bajor to get some c u p s, and I want you to go with him to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble"

"But sir, I have reports to go through, and what if something happens while I'm gone?"

"You can bring the reports on the runabout and we still have Kira and the security team. I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, when's the last time you took a day off? Runabout one is in the docking bay and have fun in bajor. Sisko out"

--------------------- got to walls in 10 min but now I have to finish it so time to add another 10 got to the #after the next 10

Bajor was lively and all of the shops were colorful and bright with flowers and vines climbing the walls. Quark fit in well with his eccentric clothing and his giddiness just to be there. Meanwhile odo had an aura of annoyance around him which made everyone avoid the pair.

"Oh come on odo, lighten up. We're on bajor, your childhood home, kind of. Did you even live on this part of bajor?"

"Childhood home is a statement that only semi applies. For one I was floating in space for at least a few hundred years, and also aren't childhood homes supposed to be pleased places with fond memories? So I could hardly consider bajor a home and I didn't really have a childhood. Can we please just hurry up and find your cups?"

"Right yes the cups, glasses is you will. The seller said the shop is named Alvarez and xe described the shop as purple and blue with red accents around it if we couldn't find the name"

"Wait quark, what do you mean we?"

"Well obviously you were coming. Even before Sisko said something. I almost got murdered and you guys know I'd probably find something to get into while I'm down here. And since you know me better out of everyone on the station, sisko would choose you to come with me. Besides, i kind of wanted you to come."

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that last part? I couldn't quite hear you."

"Dang it odo, don't make me say it again."

"I'm most certainly making you say it again."

"Fine....I wanted you to come because I wanted to spend time with you."

"But...why? You don't even like me."

"What do you mean I don't even like you?? I'm at the same place at the bar every day as I have been for the past 7 years waiting for you to come in at the same time, on the dot, for 7 years. Why would I wait for you if I didn't like you?"

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

This is incomplete bc I have chem to finish but if you like it I'll finish it whenever I can. Maybe I'll even post it. Also sorry if the dialog is confusing.

[kinetic-elaboration]

January 11: This Week So Far

I made it through the first two tough days of this week, and to Wednesday, which is just a Normal Day. I am such a creature of habit, I get all worked up about any change to the normal day routine. So the early part of this week was rather stressful, in a low-key, I-shouldn't-be-stressed-about-this-thing-but-I-am way. Tomorrow I have a meeting, and Friday I have several events--all good/fun things like staff breakfast, lunch out, a TS meeting (counts as fun, we never do work during those), etc., and even the search committee meeting is something I'm looking forward to because I'm curious to hear people's opinions on the candidates--so today is really the only day where work was just 8 hours to work on whatever I want and after-work is just...well, admittedly most of my days are like this, but basically, free and open.

Work was pretty successful. I think I have already veered from Deluge to Drought, which makes me pretty annoyed at all the stress I let myself feel last week, despite my best efforts. But I am feeling more under control, which is good. After work, I did NOTHING (no regrets, except for how late I'll sleep). All in all, a very neutral day for the middle of the week.

On Monday, I had my rescheduled dentist appointment, which went very well. It was extremely efficient and my teeth were fine, which I always worry about at this point, just because I've had these teeth for nearly 30 years and you never know what they're up to. Then I stopped by the Food Lion on my way home and also the Starbucks. Somehow got a blister on my toe...extremely sad since I wasn't walking that much, but oh well.

Then Tuesday were the candidate interviews, which went very well, but did eat up a hug chunk of the middle of the day. I liked both applicants a lot, and I think that was the general consensus. We were up in the Faculty Library ("by tradition" lmao--okay, I have never seen a library person interviewed in the Faculty Library and I've been here for years and seen like half the current stuff interviewed but okay, a tradition from the vault), which was sort of disorienting actually. But cozy.

After work I went serious grocery shopping, which also went very well since I didn't have much to buy. I need to keep that energy up--no extraneous grocery purchases in 2023. The Mart is in the midst of some kind of huge rearrangement of its grocery section, which made stuff hard to find, but ultimately I got everything I wanted. I'm curious what it will look like when they're done.

So I have accomplished much this week... a couple more days to go. I should probably actually be productive after work tomorrow because I have some home-things I haven't done but... we'll see. I am very tired and want to sleep.

[frankiekatt]

Wowy hii, saw that you're writing for slasher, so here I am!

Can I plz have some hcs about any slashers with s/o, but their s/o is a literal gremlin, like they're not serious at all, always joking and annoying people around, but sometimes might be quite soft and quiet.

Thank you and have a nice day! ❤️

This was fun to write lmao

Warnings: Sexual harassment, NSFW, murder, blood, canabilism

Characters: Thomas Hewitt, Bo Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Billy Lenz, Stu Macher, Michal Myers

Slashers With An S/O That Never Takes Anything Seriously:

Thomas Hewitt:

Thomas is a little overwhelmed by your personality at first.

He’s a quiet and reserved man who’s never had any kind of friends, so goofiness and jokes can make him feel uneasy at first.

But!! He gets used to everything very quickly!!!

Thomas loves everything about you and he finds you to be incredibly charming.

He can get a little anxious when he sees you annoying Hoyt because he doesn’t want his uncle to do anything bad to you in irritation/retaliation.

Your jokes are always a stress reliever for him, since he spends most of his days in a dark basement, surrounded by blood and gore. Your humor just shines a little bit of light on his day, and he loves you for that!

While Luda Mae and Hoyt might not like the fact that you never take anything seriously, Thomas finds it relieving. At the beginning of your relationship, Thomas was terrified of losing you because he thought you would be terrified of all screams, murder, and cannabilism, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that you didn’t pay much mind to it.

Thomas’ family mostly saw you as a clown, but Thomas could only ever look at you as the brightest ray of sunshine that has ever graced his life.

After all, he was the only one that saw your softer side.

Your soft and quiet side mostly shone through during the evening. Something about the sunset and cicada chirping calmed your heart.

You would often take Thomas by the hand and lead him outside to sit on the front porch with you, so the two of you could cuddle and watch the sunset together.

Thomas was always so used to your voice, because you loved to talk about anything and everything, so your temporary quiet nature was new, yet comforting.

During these moments, there didn’t need to be any talking between the two of you. You deep emotional bond allowed you both to communicate through actions.

You would lay your head on Thomas shoulder, stroking his chest, and Thomas would wrap his big arms around your smaller frame, resting his masked cheek against the top of your head.

This was Thomas’ way of saying, “I love you, you’re the best thing in my life,” and your way of saying “I could never live without you.”

Bo Sinclair:

:|

You’re gonna annoy the fuck out of this boy

Sometimes you both wonder how the two of you even got together, but the nights you and Bo spent pleasuring each other, going round after round, reminded you both how. (Your both just sexy okay its that simple)

Bo was a serious guy, so he was a little miffed that he was always the one having to take the lead in everything since you just couldn’t stop making a joke out of everything.

Sometimes you would actually make him really irritated due to your tendency to irk people endlessly, so he would have to step away to cool off and blow off some steam.

Sometimes he would yell at you in anger, which always made him feel like shit after, so he tended to stalk off to his shop to calm down before speaking to you.

You would have to go see him a couple hours later to wrap your arms around him from behind and shyly apologize to him.

He favored these moments the most.

Your voice quieter than usual, focusing on just him, touching him gently.

He would always accept your apologies, of course, and would let you know by kissing your lips softly.

Bo liked to take advantage of your softer side by lifting you up by your waist and setting you on the hood of whatever car he had been working on and kissing down your neck.

As revenge, Bo liked to draw out his teasing as long as possible. Kissing down your neck, chest, stomach, massaging your pussy through your skirt, palming your breast roughly.

It gets to a point where you just have to tell him, “Bo, I need you to fuck me.”

And he would oblige.

He would take you right then and there, on the hood of the car.

The metal beneath you was always shockingly cold, making you shiver against Bo’s chest.

“You cold, Darlin,” Bo would ask teasingly as he pulled your panties off. “Don’t worry, I’ll warm you right up.”

He would spend hours licking your pretty pink pussy if he could. He licks and sucks and kisses your most intimate part until you're shaking and crying above him, begging him to fuck you sensless.

After he’s satisfied with your helplessness, he’ll lean back up and ram himself inside of you. There have been many nights where he has taken you gently and slowly in his garage, holding your hand with every thrust, kissing your sweet lips to quiet your whimpers, but tonight was different. There was a primal need shared between you two. Bo wanted to let his frustrations on through loving you, and you wanted to be taken hard and fast.

When the two of you are done, you lounge around inside the car to catch your breath, holding hands. Everything seems so perfect.

Until-

“Hey, Bo? What did the toaster say to the slice of bread?”

“.....”

“I want you inside me! Eh ha ha..”

:////

Lester Sinclair:

!!!!!

You like constantly joking and never taking things seriously? He does too!!

Lester would find you absolutely hilarious. Every joke you cracked would have him doubling over in laughter. Which would make you double over in laughter. Which would make Lester laugh harder, because now you both have the giggles and both of your laughs are just too infectious.

Everytime the two of you would go to Ambrose to visit his brothers, you guys would annoy the hell out of Bo and Vincent. Bo just wants to be left alone to work in his shop but instead he’s stuck listening to you tell a 40 minutes story about how you burnt dinner last night.

And Vincent just wants to be left alone to paint and sculpt but instead he’s here listening to Lester crack jokes that are a.) not funny and b.) don’t make any sense. -_-

Your and Lester’s trailer is always filled with so much love and laughter and the two of you could not be any happier.

You both have your own soft and quiet moments that hit at random times.

Sometimes it happens when the two of you are play fighting in the living room, howling with laughter. You both fall to the floor, wrestling and giggling until the both of you run out of breath and just gaze at each other as you lay on the carpet.

“You look so cute,” he giggles.

“No, YOU look so cute!”

“W-well!!! I love you!!”

“Uhm...well...I love you MORE.”

And it just turns into an argument about who adores the other more.

Billy Lenz (1974):

The perfect couple.

Literally.

The two of you are always joking around, cackling and goofing about every little thing.

Billy has finally found his soulmate and he could not be happier.

He two of you prank the sorority girls together, making sex sounds in unison to sound even more vulgar.

Everytime you crack a joke, you get worried Billy is joking because of how hard he’s laughing.

“Umm Billy you okay? It wasn’t even that funny.”

“HA haha...piggy makes me laugh...Billy loves your jokes.”

Needless to say, your relationship is filled with smiles, laughter, and praise.

Billy will tell you you’re the funniest person he’s ever met and he wants to keep you forever.

You tell Billy you love how much he laughs at your antics and that you can’t live without him.

It’s impossible to annoy Billy. It’s just not feasible.

Any time you try, he’ll just giggle and pat your head, telling you you’re his ‘favorite piggy ever.’

He LOVES when you annoy the sorority girls thoug!

Hearing you moan and squeal and speak so sexily vulgarly to Barb and Jess makes Billy so proud. And horny.

Almost all of your sexual encounters are filled with complete silliness.

Sometimes, however, the joking and cackling subside. The two of you will just be chilling, nothing else to do, and you just feel the need to profess your love for your boyfriend.

“I love you so much Billy.”

Billy will look startled at your sudden outburst, before he breaks out in a huge grin, launching across the room to tackle you into a hug.

“Billy loves you too! Billy loves you more than anything!!!”

Now the rest of your day will be spent in Billy’s arms, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Stu Macher:

Match made in Heaven!

Stu loves to joke around.

He hardly ever takes anything seriously.

He annoys everyone.

And once he meets you? It's love at first sight.

The two of you are always in detention because you guys just cannot shut up in class. You are always disrupting something.

But you know what that means!

Detention dates <3

As long as the two of you together, Stu couldn't care less about where he was.

He and Billy appreciate your habit of not taking anything seriously because once the murders start occuring, you don't think too much about it, never asking questions or arousing suspicion around your boyfriend and his bestie.

When Billy had told Stu his plan to kill Sydney, and asked him if he was going to kill you as well, Stu’s heart sank.

He remembers when he was dating Tatum, just a few months ago, before he broke up with her for you, he had no qualms about killing her,

But you?

He loved you. You were his other half. The one person who understood him, who accepted him. He could never hurt you.

“Nah dude. I’m leaving her out of this.”

That night, he sneaks through your bedroom window to see you.

“Stu! (where the hell have you been loca) What’re you doing here?”

The sparkling smile you flash at him and the love swimming in your big, beautiful eyes makes him feel even guitler.

He feels bad that you’re dating a serial killer. He thinks you deserve better, but he would never let you go.

“Hey babe! I just missed you!”

You rushed over to him, dressed in kitty cat pajamas, and hugged him tight. He had only snuck through your bedroom window a couple of times before, and they had all been planned. Seeing him in your room as a surprise made your heart burst with happiness.

Stu led you to your bed and pulled you up onto his chest to cuddle you. It was late, and the both of you were tired. Stu just wanted to lay with you in silence, appreciating your presence.

You didn’t feel like releasing your usual high energy at the moment. Right now, you just wanted to fall asleep on your boyfriend’s chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

Michael Myers:

Girl

Michael does not appreciate your antics.

Annoying him is easy, but you would never know that.

He keeps his emotions very private, so when he is annoyed he’ll just stalk away from you.

He does not think you’re funny :(

He does enjoy your quiet moments. He likes to come home when your energy is low.

He’s usually covered in blood when this happens, so you clean him up without cracking a joke which he appreciates.

You’ll turn on a movie for the both of you, and Michael lets you cuddle up with him.

He does like you, he just doesn’t want you to know that...

[xcrystalzero]

finals never end

summary: as finals approach, i would like to imagine that there is something more to college than studying alone in a box for 14 hours a day. so, here's a modern au of the genshin boys as college students.

Characters included: Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Xiao, Zhongli

Diluc:

- Who are we kidding, this bitch is a legacy at some pricy Ivy League. Hates when people bring it up though since he just wants to be his own person and not rely on his family name to get through things.

- Majors in business because of course he does. Rushed a business frat because it seemed like a good idea. Didn't get a bid and has since boycotted greek life.

- Eventually people find out who his father is and he starts to get bombarded by people who just basically want to use him for networking. Gets approached by girls (and sometime guys) after class like literally every day, asking if he wants to study with them sometime or just "hang out" both because he's hot and because he's rich. He never gives them the time of day but that never stops them.

- Goes to the same school as Kaeya but ignores him every time he tries to talk to him or just come back into his life. Kaeya usually takes it in stride but every else is super confused about how the two of them actually know each other.

- Walks you home from class when it starts to get darker earlier, apparently only because he doesn't have anything better to do. A gentleman through and through.

"Don't you have a meeting right now?"

"You staying safe is more important right now. They'll understand."

Kaeya:

- You know that one guy who is always out partying and who you never see studying but somehow makes the Dean's List every single semester without fail? Yeah, that's Kaeya.

- He's probably like an engineering or hard science major too and all his friends are absolutely pissed when he fucks up the curve every single time.

"You got a 98 on the orgo final???" "What, like it's hard?"

- Not as much of a hoe as everyone thinks he is. He definitely has his fun but he's not that guy who has slept his way through his entire major.

- Surprisingly enough, he's not actually in a frat, he just always knows where all the parties are. He's that guy with a snap score in the millions because everyone and their cousin hits him up every Friday night to ask where the parties are at.

-Generally seen as a really easy person to talk too. Also really good at seeming open with people without actually ever opening up and sharing anything about himself.

- With his very few close friends however, he has some strange hobbies that he's always happy to have someone to share with.

-Will take you on a picnic date about a mile off campus where you guys each way too much cheese and crackers, drink about a bottle of wine each, and watch the stars come out as the sun sets. Give the boy some love. That's all he really wants.

Venti:

-Your local friendly performing arts major who you never find without a huge iced coffee and cuffed jeans.

- He's super involved in a bunch of student organizations from improv to a few music clubs and the like. He's that person that everyone in his major knows and comes to for recommendations about new things that they should try out.

- He's in a band! They play indie songs at rotating bars every Tuesday and Thursday night and go to conferences once a semester for aspiring artists. Also sometimes will randomly perform on the Quad and serenade the random people passing by just trying to get to class.

-Offers to play at an event a club you're in is hosting as long as there's free snacks.

- Kind of an alcoholic? Not a partier in the traditional sense, but at least twice a week, he'll host a hangout where he and anyone who decides to show up get wine drunk and watch a shit ton of Gilmore Girls. BYOB of course because there's no way he could afford it on his own. Has shown up to class still drunk before but he's cute so everyone forgives him.

- Impromptu photo shoots all the time with him. Whether its a cute random flower patch, the soft neon signs outside of a boba shop, or graffiti painted onto a building wall, everything is an insta opportunity.

Xiao:

- That mysterious kid sitting in the back of your lecture wearing all black who is both undeniably hot and also exceedingly intimidating.

- Either an animal sciences major because animals are just better than humans, or he's like like history/english and spends a lot of time reading.

- He's that guy who stops communicating after the first day of your group project and you're really worried that they're just not going to finish their work but they end up sending it to you perfectly complete like a week early. Also, will talk/text you one-on-one but dislikes group meetings and group chats.

- He's in a band too! They actually play with Venti and his friends a lot and even though he admires him a lot, he's never gotten around to actually talking to Venti.

- Doesn't let people come over because then his frighteningly large collection of Funko-Pops and anime merch will be revealed.

- Also a dancer! He's not on a team or anything since he had some bad experiences with teams when he was younger, but he heads down to the studio at least 2 times a week just to move and let out some stress. If he offers to teach you sometime, that means he really really likes you.

- Asked if you wanted to go see the Demon Slayer movie with him and then showed up in a black mask and sunglasses because he didn't want anyone to recognize him.

Childe:

- Idk why but he kind of gives off athlete vibes??? Maybe like a basketball player or something?

- A bit of a campus celebrity just in that basically everyone, even if they aren't in the same major or aren't into sports, or just basically have no connection to him, still somehow know about him.

- He's a PR major and that charm is no joke. Some people kind of despise him because of the way he is literally able to effortlessly win over all of the recruiters and just random people he meets. He's extremely well-loved and he knows it.

- He's in a frat but outside of like mandatory events, doesn't spend all that much time with them. When he does party though, he goes hard.

- Doesn't actively flirt with anyone but he's just so charming and amiable that sometimes it comes across that way. Girls are always like "he's so respectful and nice I'm in love with him." He never feels the same way.

- Extremely competitive. Like the most competitive person you have literally ever met. He has to win everything and if he doesn't, he'll just keep trying and trying until he does. Literally the worst person to play beer pong with because he's not letting you go until he wins.

- Asks you to come to his games even though you barely even know the rules. If he does see you in the crowd, he gets way too hyped but plays the best he has all season. Make sure you take the credit for it.

Zhongli:

- That guy in your required philosophy class who argues with the professor. Not in an annoying "I'm smart and want an excuse to mansplain" kind of way though. He's actually just absurdly well-read and wants to discuss things instead of just listening to someone talk.

- People get annoyed with him because he's kind of disrupting class but if you actually listen to what he's saying, his ideas make a lot of sense and are kind of a mind-fuck at times.

- Has an extensive collection of plants at home and somehow manages to keep all of them alive and thriving. Also collects antique tea sets and goes to great lengths to make sure that they are taken care of.

- Probably actually a philosophy or anthropology major. Always has a new book recommendation and he's a darling who actually reads from every genre.

- Spends his free time going to museums in the area or visiting historical landmarks that are close enough to the university. Loves walking everywhere so that he can just take time to enjoy scenery and the like.

- You mention that there's a new exhibit at the local art gallery and he says that he's actually going there that evening if you would like to join him. And I mean, why would you refuse?

A.N. I'm gonna go back to studying now! Hope you enjoyed!

[beannary]

Zouxie Headcanons

Zoe and Douxie met at a ball in the early 1800s at the beginning of the regency era in England

Zoe was born in the 1400s in the Soviet Union and has been kind of moving around across Eurasia like Douxie has

They immediately hit it off and became best friends

They love each other in a way they don't really love anyone else

Immortality is lonely but they get each other and they have a very deep bond

But even though they love each other a lot they're immortal and you know emotions change and they have different aspirations in life so it doesn't always line up for them to be together

Sometimes they are dating each other romantically and sometimes they aren't but regardless they are pretty much the most important person in each other's lives

Well except for Archie, for Douxie in terms of importance it goes Archie first and then Zoe but that's just since nothing is more important or valuable than a familiar bond

It was a happy coincidence that they both ended up in Arcadia at the same time, they weren't planning on both staying there but when Douxie started working at GDT Books he happened to look next door at the record shop and saw Zoe

It was very much a :O moment for the both of them

Zoe is here in Arcadia because she's starting her own coven at Hex Tech where she basically finds fledgling witches or those you have magical potential and helps them learn about magic and all that jazz

Douxie helps when he can but witch magic works different than wizard magic

Oh I have no clue if I stole this from someone else but Zoe was the one who suggested that Douxie dye his hair

Zoe dyes her own hair with magic but Douxie "magic is not a permissible shortcut for hard work" Casperan does his non-magically

In general Zoe uses a lot more magic for mundane things just because she can and also because only using magic for big things wasn't drilled in to her by Merlin

Zoe also had a teacher who taught her magic or not really a teacher but when she was a kid back in the 1400s she was out exploring and found this old decrepit cabin and went inside

Inside was a bunch of magical tombs and she started going through them and learned magic that way

The cabin's owner did find her and would teach her magic sometimes when it was convenient for him

Mostly it was just Zoe figuring out stuff on her own

Eventually her teacher left one day and left all his stuff in the cabin and so Zoe kind of just took it over and taught herself everything from the books

She didn't really ever think about her teacher till a few centuries later when she started hearing news of a fellow named Rasputin messing around with the Romanovs

Very much a >:O moment for Zoe

[giaourtopita]

Can I request a headcanon with the demon brothers/Simeon? I've recently gotten pretty attached to Luke and while the chihuahua joke is admittedly pretty funny, and I like the brotherly dynamic they can have, sometimes things get taken too far or he's mistreated (not just teasing, like actual emotinal and neglectful damage) in game and nothing's really done about it. How do you think they'd react if after MC sees them mistreating Luke a bit too much (intentionally or not because I don't think they're actually trying to hurt him) MC sides with Luke and says that when the boys are hurting Luke, they're also hurting MC because MC was treated similarly as a kid

mc stands up for luke

hi! thank you for requesting! honestly my requests are taking so long because i have in person classes again and i can't use my phone now as much to write. i'm really sorry they're taking so long! i did mini fics for each character because it felt more fitting btw! i did mammon and levi and satan and asmo together! i really hope this is good enough!

warnings: implied bullying, confrontation (not anything too much tho), gn mc, angst, fluff(ish).

*mc noticed immediately the change in how he was reacting and talking when the brothers joined them. simeon noticed too but all he said was that he doesn't need to take them so seriously. almost as if simeon doesn't realise that he's a child and it's hard to react like an adult when you're not one.*

*during lunch time, all the exchange students were sitting together bouncing from topic to topic. soon enough the brothers joined them. most of them almost immediately started calling luke chihuahua, even though he didn't say anything to them.*

mc: come on, let's skip the rest of the classes.

*mc whispered to luke after noticing that he wasn't feeling okay anymore.*

luke: but what about lucifer and the rest?

mc: they'll be fine, don't worry! take your stuff and we'll leave once the bell rings, okay?

*luke nodded and waited to hear the bell so he could leave with mc, he wasn't sure why they wanted to skip the rest of the classes with him but he was sure it would probably be better if he went with them. he would rather be with them than have all the demons calling him names and purposefully annoying him.*

*once the bell rang, mc and luke acted as if they were going to their respective classes but at the last minute both left. they managed to leave rad with no one noticing them leaving.*

mc: do you want some ice cream? it'll be my treat!

luke: sure!

*luke and mc walked for a few minutes until they reached madame scream's. thankfully after the exchange program had been such a huge success a lot of shops started selling some of the most basic human items so luke and mc were able to get some human world flavours, strawberry for luke and  chocolate for mc to be more specific.*

mc: so you don't feel comfortable around the brothers, right?

luke: yeah, they keep making fun of me, they tease me and they're also demons so... and they make me feel really bad, simeon doesn't think it's so bad but...

mc: i really don't think them being demons is the problem, you get along with barbatos just fine!

luke: yeah but still, i don't like being around them.

mc: i understand, i'll talk to them. don't worry, i'll make it sound like you didn't tell me anything!

*luke just nodded and continued eating his ice cream. after both were done, he and mc decided to go to the house of lamentation to bake so luke could have some fun after their talk.*

*after all the brothers returned, lucifer was visibly mad at mc. not only did they skip school but they also didn't tell him anything, he was worried the whole time. he couldn't say anything to lord diavolo though, admitting that he failed at something always makes him feel bad, it's a pride thing after all.*

lucifer

*he stormed in mc's bedroom to scold them, since that's all he can do to them as a punishment but before he could say anything mc started talking.*

mc: can you stop calling luke a chihuahua and teasing him? it was funny in the beginning but now it got old and all it does is hurt him and me too...

*lucifer's facial expression softened, he was ready to disagree but as soon as mc told him it hurt them too he dropped it.*

lucifer: you too? what happened?

mc: i was just treated similarly as a kid and i don't want that for him. i'm fine now though so don't worry too much. just don't tease him, he's still a young angel so he can't not react like a child.

lucifer: i will stop, i can't promise anything for my brothers but if you talk to them they'll probably understand. demons aren't as emotionally intelligent as humans so thank you for telling me.

*mc gave lucifer a hug and left the room to go talk to the rest.*

mammon & leviathan

*next was mammon and levi, mc remembered the two were planning on stopping by anidaemon so levi could buy a few new games they could both play without mammon getting scared during jumpscares.*

*mc knocked on levi's door where both him and mammon were. they said levi's secret phrase before entering.*

*mammon and levi were both finishing a level when mc paused the game. the demons were both starting to complain but mc stopped them from talking using the pacts.*

levi: why did you do that? we were about to finish the level!

*mammon nodded in agreement with levi.*

mc: i wanted to talk to both of you. mammon, you probably noticed when i left school early right?

mammon: of course i did! i was so worried that ya left, i called you like two hundred times!

levi: what was it that you wanted to talk about?

mc: i had a talk with luke and i want you to stop making fun of him and calling him names. it doesn't make sense when you do it, your brothers do it to both of you so i expected you to be more understanding, especially since he's so young. please stop doing that, he's too young to feel so bad and... it hurts me too because i was treated this way too.

*both brothers give each other a look before saying anything.*

both: we're sorry.

mammon: i'll stop, actually we will both stop doing that.

levi: yeah, it's not very fair to treat him like that.

mc: you're both the best!

*mc gave them a big hug and left the room to go talk to the next brother they could find.*

satan & asmo

*these two were hanging out in asmo's room, the fifth eldest was painting satan's nails and they were chatting and laughing.*

*mc walked in unannounced, asmo doesn't mind when mc does it so he didn't say anything.*

mc: hi! uhm, i came here to talk to you both.

satan: is it about you leaving rad early today? because i noticed...

mc: yeah, it's about that.

asmo: oh sweetie, i hope we didn't do something to upset you!

mc: you kind of did actually... i want you to stop making jokes at the expense of luke. you're making him feel awful, you're adults and you should be more understanding.

mc: it feels wrong and he's a child and the way you're acting hurts me too so if you care about me stop doing it, for my sake at least.

*asmo stops painting satan's nails and comes closer to mc, he hugs them and apologises for his behaviour. satan gets up to do the same but realizes that his nails are freshly painted.*

satan: i'm sorry that i made you feel this way, it wasn't my intention.

mc: it's okay, i just hope luke's mood improves a little after you all stop.

*satan was still standing, not knowing what to do so instead of giving them a hug like asmo did, he kissed them on the cheek.*

mc: i'll go now, uh, satan this shade of green looks very good on you! asmo you really know your colours!

*both brothers laughed as mc left the room.*

beelzebub

*mc entered the twins room knowing that beel was probably working out. he was listening to music very loudly, he didn't notice mc walking in so he got startled.*

beel: ah, mc you scared me!

mc: i'm sorry, i didn't mean to do that. can you take a break from working out? i need to talk to you.

beel: sure!

*the demon sat in his bed, next to mc.*

mc: so, you know how your brothers keep calling luke names, right? i know you don't really do it but if they do say mean things to luke could you, maybe, stop them?

mc: i know he keeps calling you demons in a demeaning way but i have the feeling that that's all he knows. maybe if you stopped he would also stop.

mc: and there's this other thing too...

beel: what other thing?

mc: you see, i was also treated like that as a child by adults and it really messed me up. i don't want that for luke.

beel: i'm sorry that happened to you, i will apologise to him the next time i see him.

*mc gave him a kiss on the cheek and they left the room.*

belphegor

*since he wasn't in his room, he's either at the planetarium or the attic. mc looked for him at the planetarium, but he wasn't so they stormed off in the attic to talk to him.*

*he was sleeping on the bed, he looked so comfortable mc almost didn't want to wake him up. they tried to wake him up by talking to him but they figured, he would probably wake up if mc kissed him. quickly they put the hair on his forehead to the side and kissed him. he woke up immediately.*

belphie: w-why did you wake me up?

mc: i want to talk to you about luke.

*belphie sat at the top of the bed and mc put their hand over his shoulders.*

mc: could you stop making fun of luke? it makes him and me feel bad. i was treated the same way when i was younger and ultimately it made me feel uncomfortable around adults. so, can you stop? it was funny in the beginning but you all took it too far.

belphie: sure, less effort for me i guess. and mc, i'm sorry for making you feel like that, it wasn't my intention.

*mc didn't say anything, they just pulled the covers over the demon, kissed him on the forehead again and left to talk to the final person they have in mind.*

simeon

*mc left the house of lamentations, they were extra careful as they were going outside alone.*

*once they got to the purgatory hall, they were finally able to let their guard down.*

*they said hello to luke and solomon, who were hanging out in the living room, they were told that simeon was in him room so that's where they went.*

*they knocked on the door, simeon welcomed them in and closed the door.*

mc: i want to talk to you. it's about luke.

simeon: what is it?

*mc took a deep breath before saying anything.*

mc: okay so, i know you're doing your best as luke's guardian but when the demon brothers make fun of him could you take him more seriously? it's a little neglectful that you're not defending him and at times it's as if he tries to act like an adult to make them stop, but since no one takes him seriously they usually just continue doing that. i talked to all of them and they told me they will stop but i needed to talk to you too. see, i was treated the same way as a child by adults who were supposed to take care of me and i know how he feels so please...

simeon: yeah, of course i understand. i didn't really notice because he keeps making fun of the demons so i thought it was like an inside joke but thank you for telling me.

*simeon gave mc a tight hug.*

simeon: would you like it if i walked you back home?

mc: yeah, sure i'd love that!

[themoonmunchkin]

Don't look!

Pairing : Bakugo katsuki x gn!reader, Midoriya Izuku x gn!reader, Todoroki Shoto x gn!reader.

Genre : fluff

Warnings : insecure reader, cussing, savage deku?, kinda angsty but overall super fluffy ^3^

Synopsis : you're insecure about your side profile but they're having none of it.

Not gonna lie, he probably wouldn't even have known that this was an insecurity that people had.

So when you first start dating he wouldn't think much of it when you cover your nose while laughing or when you contour your jawline extra hard.

Until one day you start letting your thoughts get to you again, you think about how everyone around you have such a beautiful side profile.

You start wondering why Katsuki even bothers to be with someone as "ugly" as yourself, I mean has he seen his face.

But anyways you start distancing yourself from the world again, start hiding your face with your hair, have mental break downs in the night, refuse to take pictures and completely shut him out while thinking you're being subtle.

But no, no, no- my mans noticed...and he's currently having a full blown panic attack on the inside.

He's really worried at this point and starts thinking about what he's done wrong, he tries to talk to you but you're always making excuses and running away from him.

Now, he's had enough and so he quite literally barges into your dorm room and demands an explanation as he keeps shouting at you until....

.....he takes in your tear stained face with fresh tears forming at the corner of your eyes.

You were seated on the floor with a hand mirror clutched to your chest, the same one that you use to point out all your insecurities in, your phone is on the ground next to you with a picture of a model, her perfect side profile on display...the same one that you always compare yourself to.

Cue in a confused, angry and sad boom boom boy 😔.

Who the fuck had the audacity to make his baby cry hmm 🤬.

But then his anger vanishes just as it comes and before you knew it, he's shut the door behind him, quickly walks upto you, swoops you into his arms and cradles you in his lap.

"Ssshhh....its ok baby, I'm right here". Bakugo softly coos in your ear while running his fingers through your hair and letting his other hand rub your back. "Talk to me honey, what's wrong?"

You pull back a little and look up at him into his pain filled eyes that still hold so much love for you and that's when you tell him everything.

You tell him about how you've always hated your nose, how you've always wished you'd had a more chiseled jawline, how you've been bullied about your side profile by your peers and how you've never felt good enough.

He still doesn't get it because you're genuinely the most stunning person he's ever laid his eyes on, but understands how this is something that seriously bothers you and so he's gonna do everything in his powers to yeet those insecurities out.

Now Bakugo isn't one to lie or sugarcoat something, but he's also not someone who'll let you sit and hurt yourself like that.

He takes a deep breath, cups your cheeks in his hands and looks at you with the most earnest look on his face.

"Listen here baby, you're right maybe you don't have the most chiseled jawline or the sharpest nose out there-"

You winced at that a little but he was quick to speak again.

"I'm not done yet-" he closes his eyes and thinks for a second, words have never been his thing as he's someone who prefers actions instead but right now you needed more than just a kiss or a hug, you needed security and reassurance, so he takes in another deep breath and opens his eyes to look at you again.

"-just because you don't have those doesn't mean you're any less beautiful." He said with a smile as you curiously looked at him. You looked so damn cute to him all he wanted to do was pounce on you right then and there, but he held himself back for your sake and the next things he said made you fall in love with him even more.

"What you have suits your gorgeous fucking face, you don't have to change for any stupid extra and no one's opinion, not even yours is going to make me view you any differently or make me love you any less." He leaned in and gave you a chaste kiss on your lips that pretty much took your breath away and then he pulled back with a cute blush on his face.

"So from now on only listen to me okay and no matter what-" he kisses you again and pulls back a second time "-I will make you look at yourself the way I and so many other people look at you".

Now he's had his fair share of insecurities and he's had a lot of people call him "plain looking" (which I still don't understand how when he's got some of the rarest and most beautiful features) even then those words about his looks have never really got to him.

But when it comes to you, he immediately knows something's up with all those self-deprecating jokes you apparently find to be funny.

Doesn't question you cause he doesn't want to scare you away, also because he trusts you to come to him if something is wrong.

But alas you and your stubborn ass refused to seek help from anyone and instead you chose to cope with yourself by putting yourself down in the form of those awful "jokes".

You've always tried to get yourself to stop this, but it soon became more than a coping mechanism, it was the only way you could hold yourself up without wanting breaking into peices.

That was dangerous.

But it's ok! It's still all fine and dandy until one day everything changes and you realise that all that self-deprecation didn't do shit.

Its Sunday today and you and your boyfriend Izuku have been walking around the shopping plaza for a while now.

The two of you were on a date, but you were also on a hunt for the new all might merch that your boyfriend has been fangirling about since forever. So far there was no luck on your end but y'all weren't about to give up just yet.

"OMG! I think I see it in there!" Izuku squeals cutely while pointing at what looks like a moderately big comic store that had an emo cyber punk looking aesthetic to it.

*Gasp*..."OMG! I think I see it too!! Let's go!!" and with that you grabbed his hand and were dragging your blushy stuttering mess of a boyfriend towards the store. It was adorable how easily he got flustered even after how the two of you were almost half a year into dating.

The two of you finally reached the store and stepped in, there it was the brand new neon tinted holographic Allmight figuring with working layers. Izuku's eyes sparkled as he ran towards it and immediately snatched it off the shelf.

"Yay we finally got it!" You cheered as you walked over to him and gave him a high five. The two of you had bright smiles on your faces as you talked about the figuring and walked towards the counter to pay for it.

You looked towards the counter where a young girl who looked about your age was working as a cashier, she had this bored expression on her face until she saw your boyfriend and it immediately changed into something you could only call as a flirty expression.

"Hey there handsome~ what can I help you with today~" she said in a sultry tone and gave him a wink. You and izuku were both puzzled at the fact that she not only just openly flirted with your boyfriend but also completely ignored your existence.

"U-um....er....we just need this figuring please". Izuku placed the box covered figuring on the counter and was about to pull his hands back when she quickly grabbed them and cupped them with her own hands.

"You sure, how about I give you my number and we ditch this place to go get coffee."

"Um -uh no thank you, I have a s/o!"

"Hmm...I don't see them."

"Well I'm right here and maybe you'd have seen me if you'd stop flirting with your customers and did your job properly." You said and at this point you were seething because even though she knew you were right there, she hadn't spared you a glance and pretend like you were completely invisible.

"Oh, so that's who you are....I was wondering why such an ugly person would be hanging out with someone like him-" she pauses and looks into Izuku's eyes with a bored expression "-you need to raise your standards, I mean have you looked at how hideous their nose is or how ugly their face is."

The two of you froze. Sure You've always made fun of yourself before but this was the exact reason why. You've always told yourself that if you'd make fun of yourself, you'd be desensitized to what others say to you but it's only now you realize that no amount of preparation would ever be enough to handle the real thing.

Shame. Humiliation. Pain. Fear.....This is what you felt at the momen-

"How. Dare. You." You turned towards Izuku and for the first time ever you were met with the most terrifying expression on his face. His eyes were dark and he looked...mad....like really really mad and you froze, the cashier looked like she was about to cry with the look he was giving her.

"I don't know who you think you are but you had no need to say whatever you just said and you are wrong because they have the most gorgeous facial features ever." at this he turned to you and softened his eyes a bit, he reached for your hand and gave you a gentle squeeze.

"I promise you sweetheart, you will always be the most beautiful person in my life and no one can tell you otherwise-" he looked at the slack jawed cashier with disgust and pointed towards her "-not stupid people like her-" he looked back into your eyes like you were the only two people in the store and pointed towards himself "-not me and lastly never will you ever tell yourself those kinds of words again even as a joke, got it."

Always openly staring at you in the most respectful way ✨.

Even before y'all started dating he would always stare at you in secret, but hey! it's not his fault you were so irresistibly attractive all the time.

Uhm...so moving on, he is observant as heck especially when it comes to you but unfortunately he's just as oblivious T_T.

He's always noticed how you'd get shy and walk away whenever he'd stare at you for too long and genuinely thinks it's adorable at how bashful you get.

But truthfully.....you're mortified, paranoid even at how much he stares at you.

I mean yeah it's adorable to see him so whipped for you but you're always wondering if he's secretly bashing your side profile in his head and the thought makes you wince ever single time.

But you always tell yourself to not let your insecurities define Shoto or effect your relationship and besides Shoto isn't a cruel person, he'd never think of you that way.....right...?

Oh God, he's doing it again, he's staring at you and this time it truly is terrible because he is seated right beside you. The two of you are seated wooden chairs, side by side in the U.A. library.

Your textbooks and notebooks are spread out on the table in front of you. You're in a more secluded part of the library opting to study in a more private area and boy oh boy did Shoto take advantage of that.

"Shoto, could you please stop staring at me like that". You held your textbook upto your face and looked the other way.

"But I want to look at you". Shoto pouted slightly and furrowed his brows at your actions, he reached for your wrists and tried to pull them down and to much to your inconvenience, he succeeded.

You see, while you still had a bunch of work left to do, Shoto had finished about 15 minutes ago. You told him to go back to the dorms but instead of listening to you, he denied your offer and has been staring at you with the most unreadable expression on his face.

"Why can't I admire the one that I love the most". He slightly tilted his head towards the side and flashed you the most genuine smile. Damn him for being so adorable but that's not enough for your insecurities to go away.

"Because I'm ugly". You finally said softly with your head hung low and tears threatening to fall. You wanted to shrivel up in a corner and fade away for sounding so vulnerable but at the same time it felt so good to let your thoughts out.

"You're....what..." His eyes were wide and his jaw was set a slack. Now this took him by surprise, he had expected a lot of things but never once had he expected....that. He gently grabbed your chin and tilted your face to meet his. "Love, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met, why would you ever say that."

"Because I'm not beautiful, everyone has such a gorgeous face especially from their side. I don't and you don't have to lie to me to make feel better about myself. I know I'm ugly and I'll always be that....just let me accept that and be Shoto." You said with your voice slightly raised and shaky from the lump in your throat.

Shoto's eyes darkened a little and his grip on you tightened a little but not enough to hurt you. To even think that someone as precious as yourself could ever have such awful thoughts about yourself- how long have you been silently suffering like this all by yourself.

He cupped your cheeks with his hands and met your eyes with the most determined look on his face. "Darling, I don't know who said that to you or even if that's an inside voice but, I will absolutely never let you accept yourself this way."

"Everything about you is perfect, from those gorgeous eyes that i always get lost in," he kisses your eyes.

"-to that perfect nose that helps you breath so you could live by my side another," he kisses your nose.

"-to those delicate beckoning lips that I wish to kiss forever." he finally captures your lips in a breath taking kiss just to slowly release them and look at you.

"And besides, you know better than to call me a liar baby, you know that I would never lie when it comes to you so let's pack up for today and let me show you how much I love you and how utterly enticing you are."