#they're like an inch and a half long rn

[ashmcgivern]

Meet Pesto the Lined Day Gecko!!!! My newest little friend!!!

Pesto was a bit of an impulse buy at the reptile expo I went to last week. I had set up a 12x12x18 enclosure purely as a bioactive experiment since I've never kept a bioactive enclosure before, but yaknow how it goes.... I had a vacancy, and I was absolutely smitten. While they'll be able to stay in this enclosure as their forever home, there's a really good chance that in the coming years when I get to move to a bigger place they'll get a nice upgrade. For now though, I'm content with the setup they have.

Pesto is really skittish around me right now, but in the coming months as they get bigger and more confident I'll start working with them to be tolerant of handling. Day geckos are more of a 'look dont touch' animal, but it's important to me that all my creatures be comfortable with me handling them in case of an emergency or for vet visits.

Thanks everyone who voted in the poll as well - I've got plans for another lizard in the works that hopefully should come to fruition within the month, but for now, it's Pesto!

[sommerflue-22]

Hi! I just read starting over and I'm kicking my legs rn!! Anyway, I wanna request something where the hashiras are hanging out, (which is very rare, so according to Mitsuri, a hashira not coming is a no) but Mui decides to ditch them and cuddle with reader under the shade. Then the hashiras went to go find him but instead they find reader and him cuddling. Oh, they're in a secret relationship btw, so yeah, wonder how that'll go.

Thank you❤️

A/n: such a cute prompt i'm combusting >.< sorry for the long wait, i got caught up with uni stuff T^T i hope you like this :D

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Under the Cherry Blossom | Muichiro Tokito

Featuring: Muichiro Tokito, Shinobu Kocho, Mitsuri Kanroji, Obanai Iguro, mention of other Hashira

Content Warning: gn!reader, reader lives in the Butterfly Mansion, reader is a year older than Muichiro, fluff, mention of death, secret relationship

Word Count: 1.8k

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Usually, the Hashira never really got together after their meetings. They always had patrols, emergency missions to go to, or reports to write. So when Tengen's half-drunk ass suggested to Kyojuro for the Hashira to hang out, and after Kyojuro took the initiative to coordinate the whole thing ("It's a good morale booster!"), the pillars gathered for lunch. Kyojuro had reserved a private room in one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

However, Kyojuro realized that there were only eight of them.

"Wait a minute, where is Tokito?"

"Oh no!" Mitsuri exclaimed. "Is it possible that he forgot about this gathering?"

"There's no way he forgot. I wrote the details with semi-permanent marker on his hand," Shinobu said. "Though, I did see him walking to the opposite direction when we left the headquarter."

"He likes that small park nearby, doesn't he?" Obanai piped in.

"Maybe he did forget. We should go get him!" Mitsuri stood up from her seat and hurried to leave the restaurant, Obanai following closely right behind her.

༻❁༺

You closed your eyes and inhaled the spring air. The scent of cherry blossom was pleasant, and the sun was shining but not scorching hot. Such a perfect day to sit back and relax. You were lost in your thoughts, enjoying the nice weather, when a finger suddenly prodded your cheek gently.

"What's wrong, Mui?" You smiled, eyes still closed.

"Hmm," he mumbled, "You're sleeping?"

"No, I'm not. Why?" You finally opened your eyes and was immediately greeted by Muichiro's face, only a few inches away from yours.

Muichiro tilted his head and leaned back into his original position, arms around your torso and his head rested on your shoulder.

You cooed at him and caressed his cheek. It's one of your most favorite thing about Muichiro, his soft cheeks. You remember the first time he let you touch them, how you felt so warm and fuzzy all over your body.

You've always adored Muichiro ever since you first saw him in the Butterfly Mansion. You were assigned to take care of him when he came back from a mission. Every day for almost three weeks, you delivered his meals, changed his bandages, gave him his medicines. He never started a conversation, but one day you entered his room and he stared at you with wide eyes.

"You... Do I know you?"

You were aware of his memory loss, so you answered him kindly. "Yes, I always bring you food and medicines."

"...Deer."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're like a deer."

You didn't quite understand what he meant, so you just continued to give him his meds and talked about the weather outside.

Muichiro often visited the Butterfly Mansion for his check-ups with Shinobu. You weren't always around, busy doing your chores. So, you were really intrigued (as well as Shinobu) because apparently Muichiro often asked where you were. Muichiro didn't know your name so he referred you as "Deer Nurse". Everyone knew you were assigned to be Muichiro's caretaker, so they knew who he was referring to. (Shinobu ended up telling him your name, because he wouldn't stop calling you Deer Nurse).

Eventually, you started waiting for his visits. Every time he's in the Mansion, you dropped whatever chores you had and stopped by to greet him.

"Hello, Muichiro-san!" "Nice weather, isn't it, Muichiro-san?" "How did your last mission go, Muichiro-san?"

You called him Muichiro-san even though he's a year younger than you, out of respect. He didn't react much to your cheerful remarks, but he did answer them.

"Hello, (Y/N)." "It's too sunny." "Huh... I don't know..."

Sitting under the tree had been one of things you started doing after knowing Muichiro. One day you found him under a tree, sleeping as he waited for Shinobu to finish her other business. You curiously sat close next to him, muttering 'good afternoon, Muichiro-san' and accompanied him. He woke up surprised. Not only he didn't sense you coming closer in his sleep, his head was also on your shoulder. You assured him it was fine and you just wanted to keep him company. Muichiro didn't react much, but his mind was racing. He didn't understand why he wasn't aware of your presence in his sleep, why he was leaning on you, why he remembered your face, why he even remembered your name...

...why he wanted to see you every time he's in the Mansion.

Muichiro didn't understand that he was having a tiny crush on you. What started as a tiny crush began growing, getting bigger and bigger. Because you were always there for him, waiting for him with a smile, eager to tell him about things you did or learned while he's away. He didn't understand why his heart was beating fast every time you're around. He noticed those things and reported this to Shinobu.

"...I think I'm going to die."

"What made you think that way?" Shinobu asked.

"My heart races faster than it usually does... and I'm sweaty."

"Do those symptoms occur almost every day?"

"...no, only when I'm..." His eyes widened before he could finish his sentence. Shinobu quickly picked up what caused the young pillar to come to her today, despite not having a check-up appointment.

"Yes, Tokito-kun?"

"...I have to go..."

"Sure. I believe (Y/N) is hanging the laundry outside."

Muichiro didn't even bother to say anything to Shinobu, he just bolted outside her office and made his way to you.

You were hanging the last two sheets that you just washed, thinking about the next chores you were supposed to do. It had been cloudy the past few days, and you just hoped it wouldn't rain that day.

A small, slim hand grabbed your elbow and you yelped in shock.

"W-what..."

"(Y/N), I think like you."

You tilted your head to one side, Muichiro followed. "Muichiro... san?"

"Do you like me?"

Your face turned red. Did you like him? You actually asked yourself that question, again and again. Did you actually like Muichiro? If you're being honest with yourself, you did. That's why you always made time to see him whenever he's visiting the Mansion. That's also why you decided to sit next to him that one time, under the tree when he was taking a nap. However you weren't quite sure, mainly because of two things:

One, you didn't know if he's actually ready for a relationship, considering his job and his memory loss. You thought it could be quite difficult, dating Muichiro. He might not know what to do, he might even forgot that he's dating you. You weren't sure if you're patient enough for that.

Two, you didn't want to lose him. You were aware of his position as one of the pillars. You were aware of how dangerous this job was. You had witnessed many lifeless body brought to the mansion, either for autopsy or for getting cleaned up before the coffin was sent to their family's homes. You didn't want to open a coffin one day and saw the person you've loved and cherished the most lying inside it.

But staring right into his wide eyes, knowing that he meant what he said, all of your doubts and fears were washed away. Muichiro had became an important part of your life in just a few months. He remembered your name, remembered a few things about you, remembered a few things that you liked. Little did you know, he remembered more things about you than he did with anyone else.

"I... do like you."

Muichiro didn't say anything. Instead, he lift his hands, reaching out to cup your face. His eyes were still wide open as he traced his thumbs on your cheek.

"My heart... it's beating faster again."

You chuckled, "Are you happy, Muichiro-san?"

"I think so..."

You knew he probably wasn't familiar with the feeling, so you just smiled. "Can I hug you, then? My heart is also beating faster."

"Yes."

You slowly pulled him into a hug, giving him the time if he wanted to pull away. But Muichiro didn't move, he let you engulfed him in a warm embrace. You could feel his heart beating fast and so could he.

"Does this mean you're mine, (Y/N)?"

"If that's what you really want."

"I want you."

"Then, I'm yours."

"What are you thinking about?"

You snapped out of your thoughts, reminiscing the day Muichiro kind of asked you out.

"Nothing," you answered, looking down to his mint orbs. "It's been a year since you asked me out, Mui."

"Oh... really?" He hummed. "I didn't know..."

"Well, now you know." You pecked his forehead. "I'm happy you did, Mui."

"...You are?"

"Yeah, I'm happy being with you." You hugged him even tighter. "Not gonna lie, I wasn't happy when you said you want to keep our relationship a secret. But, I know that you're just trying to keep us safe."

Muichiro sighed and buried his face on your chest. "One day."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"One day we will live together."

"Ah..."

You couldn't help but imagining a brighter future. No demon, no more fighting. You could maybe get a comfortable, little house on the mountain with Muichiro. Maybe his memory would improve, maybe he'd remember your anniversary date and bought delicious food from the town nearby.

"Yeah, we'll live together."

Muichiro hummed and sighed, content with the warmth of your embrace. "I like you, (Y/N)."

"I like you too, Mui."

Maybe it's too early for the two of you to say the word "love", but it's okay. You still have a long way to go.

Unbeknownst to you and Muichiro, two figures watched from afar as the two of you held each other close under the cherry blossom. Mitsuri was covering her mouth with her hands, trying so hard to suppress a squeal. Meanwhile, Obanai stood next to her, his usually sharp eyes grew soft at the sight of you two. So young and full of love.

"Good for him." He murmured. He really hoped the two of you make it until the end.

"Iguro-san, what should we do? They're so cute... but the lunch!" Mitsuri clutched his striped haori. "Oh, but they're so precious... I think they're asleep..."

Obanai turned around and started walking away. "Let them be. I don't think the kid would want to leave, anyway."

Mitsuri finally squealed once they were far enough from the two of you. "I wanna cry, Iguro-san! They're so lovely! What are we going to say to the others, though?"

"...Just tell them we couldn't find Tokito."

"Eh?! But we did find him, though..."

"You never heard Tokito mentioning anything about his partner, right?"

"Oh, that's right..."

"He might want to keep it a secret. For their own safety."

"You're right... Oh, I hope nothing but the best for them."

Obanai nodded, "They deserve the best."

[posallys]

ok 1 ur desktop theme is GORG and 2 i need (if u wanna) ur thoughts about the show (or show sally in gen bc ur the only one i trust with her)

thank you!! i was actually thinking about updating it but maybe i wont 🤭🤭 and i have a lot of thoughts about the show except none only very few of them are good and i will be crucified by the 13-year-olds

im going to tell you anyway.

i will start with something i like....percy being angry. like yes give me the anger of a 12 year old who feels utterly alone in the world and doesn't understand (or does and it makes him more angry)

the fight scenes are dog shit. the only kind of cool one was in the arch but it was only cool because of percy doing the bait and switch and falling through the arch...the fights are bland boring sucky whatever other synonym you wanna use

uhhhhh sally jackson is not and would never be sitting in the rain pining of the god she told to leave....and especially not to teen pop...if she WERE going to act like a 16 year old and do the pining thing it would be to fucking like...billy joel and ricky martin and donny hathaway and stuff llike that okay...

i will preface this by saying that yes i understand that talking back to an abuser the way sally does in ep 1 doesn't make the abuse less abusive....however i DO not like the fact that that scene explicitly goes against sally characterization in the books....i am not digging my book out atm but the part where percy is like "my mother has never raised her voice or said an unkind word to anyone"....me thinks the writers all read the books 10 years ago and are going off of memory alone + or their brains are so clouded by the obsessive Big Screen Need to make women a badass girlboss slay queen i fucking hate it here

LET ANNABETH BE SILLY AND FUNNY AND CUTE AND CRY AND NOT BE AN ADULT THANK YOU....hated that they made annabeth the one to realize that it was medusa and not grover...give me back grover having to wrangle percy and annabeth into backpack leashes just to keep them on task/stop them from wandering off...book trio i miss you

i absolutely ADORE leah, walker, and aryan though the three of them are so so perfect, A+ casting no notes couldn't have done it better myself. if it weren't for the three of them i would have zero hope for the show i cannot lie...they're carrying. without them it's just..bad.

the pacing???? bad.

why did we waste half of the 4th ep on the train with echidna...stupid dumb pointless i hate it here

i do like the whole not all monsters are monsters and the gods aren't inherently good just because they're gods thing they've got going on though...very inch resting...silently hoping that they do a complete 180 and have percy side with luke and redo the series from there because that would be iconic as fuck <3 a girl can dream because at least then i could take the show at face value and not take 80 health damage every time they mess up a key part of the books...im at -29834 heath rn.

where was the time at chb before the quest??? the oh so important vital scene where luke teaches percy to sword fight???? like BRO that's soooooooooooo important to ME how could you get rid of that

not having annabeth show percy around camp

additionally, not having annabeth feed him the nectar and ambrosia, WHICH BY THE WAY they haven't even mentioned in the show yet...plot armor gone rip

not the fredrick chase sympathy while simultaniously blaming the woman...........rick when i get my hands on you...

annabeth having to EARN thalia's love??? absolutely not probably one of their biggest fuck ups fr.

the scene where sally is talking about Poseidon to percy...i do not like it sam i am. bad. not wistful enough not longing enough not sad enough not gut wrenching enough...also not completely here for sally telling percy that his dad was a god because....sallys whole thing was NOT telling him in order to keep him safe...i know they changed it in the show so sally knew he was going to camp immediately but that does not mean i have to like it

the scene with sally and percy in the pool. i hated everything about that. sally would never talk to percy like that never talk to him about money never make it seem embarassing NOT TO MENTION that percy simply wasn't scared of the water. that's stupid as fuck. theres a part in the book where percy literally says being by the water calms both him and his mom like...come the fuck on just admit you can't fucking read or at least didn't read the book.

sally annabeth get behind me so they cant hurt you anymore

i did loveeeee percy praying to sally though...absoutely insane and true of them. also the "I AM SALLY JACKSON'S SON" yesss baby you tell them about your mommy!!!!!!

them making athena moa level bad in tlt is quite interesting. setting up annabeth siding with percy pretty well.

also the whole impertinence thing over medusa's head was weird to me. when annabeth first said that i had immediately thought that annabeth's impertinence was telling percy to pray to poseidon IN ATHENA'S TEMPLE bc that made much more sense to me...but whatever

the annabeth/medusa parallel is intriguing at the very least

the underwater scene with the neraid was cool even though i hated the parallel to the pool scene w/ sally.

the dumbass pinecone fate line. 0/10 did you read the book? did you pay attention to how empathetic and reflective percy was when he found out about thalia?

honestly....i think disney was just the wrong place to go with this show because it's like what...pg? it should be pg 13 and should have more... sustenance.

this medusa was so cool though. which we could've seen a fight.

i need to know how many women are in the writer's room though...because It Does Not Look Good. funny how the characters that they're fucking up are all women....crazy. weird. totally coincidental.

are we just not going to talk about the vitality and pressure of getting the bolt back on time? where is the inherent inevitable danger, the suspense, the fear of not accomplishing a seemingly impossible talk looming over everything

this is 10000% not all of my thoughts but im not going to rewatch in order to collect them all so this is what you get xoxox

[forlorn-crows]

Here's a smutty one~

Rain Being Fucked by Aether During a Movie, the ghouls are pretending everything's fine meanwhile Dew plus swiss are Making dirty jokes? bonus if Rain is laying on dew's thigh~

anon they're ALL smutty, nothing in my askbox is wholesome rn

needy/wet/desperate rainy coming right up

xx

“Alright” Aether manhandles Rain onto his lap, ass up and face shoved into Dew’s thigh. He’s been teasing Aether for the past thirty minutes of the movie they’ve all sat down to watch; nuzzling into his neck, running his hands up and down his arms, staring at his profile through long lashes.

Aether’s normally endless patience is thin today. If Rain wants to get fucked, then fine.

He shucks Rain’s pants and underwear halfway down his thighs, just far enough to uncover his ass, free his half-chubbed cock, and expose his already leaking hole.

“Horny little thing,” Aether comments. Rain trills into Dew’s leg, arching for Aether’s touch.

Swiss smirks from where he’s currently curled around Sunshine on the loveseat. “Called it! You owe me ten bucks,” he says into her hair. She grumbles and smacks him on the arm.

Rain’s face flushes a deep violet. He grinds into Aether’s leg, soft little circles that already have him panting. Aether strokes a finger down the cleft of his ass. Deliberately and antagonizingly slow. He doesn’t miss the way Rain clenches around nothing, more slick drooling down his taint.

“So needy, raincloud,” Dewdrop mutters, running a hand through Rain’s messy hair. The water ghoul bites back a moan and nods fervently against Dew’s thigh.

Aether dips a finger past the ring of muscle, sighing at cool wetness of his body. Rain has to stop himself from wailing as he crooks his finger in just the right way, no preamble. Aether pumps the digit in and out a few times, fast and dirty.

It’s a stark contrast to his usual doting and loving touch. But the way he does it like he’s bored, like it’s inconveniencing him—well, it makes Rain fucking throb.

Before Rain can let another groan escape his lips, the quintessence ghoul’s calloused hand pushes his mouth into Dew’s sweatpants, fully muffling him with the fabric.

“Be quiet and maybe you’ll get what you really want,” he whispers, shoving another finger inside him.

If Rain wasn’t completely filled out and leaking before, he is now. He claws into the couch cushions, drawing quick breaths through his nose.

And so it goes on like this; Aether fingering him while he silently wails and bites at Dew’s thigh. He ruts feverishly against Aether’s lap by the time he’s got almost four fingers inside, stroking ruthlessly.

Rain’s absolutely soaked everywhere—drool making a wet patch on Dew’s pants, precum and slick soaking into Aether’s. Mountain has to subtly turn up the volume on the TV multiple times. The others remain wholly unaffected by Rain’s display, despite him getting fingered within an inch of his immortal life.

“Aethe,” Rain rasps, as quiet as he can muster. He’s got his cock pinned between Aether’s thighs now as he fucks back onto those thick fingers. “I can’t—fuck—I’m gonna—” He has to clamp a hand over his own mouth and squeeze his eyes tight.

Aether puts a hand on his lower back, forcibly stilling his movements. Rain’s left teetering on the edge. He wants to whine, scream even. But he knows he can’t. He’s shaking, tiny tremors wracking his thighs and belly.

“Not yet,” Aether hisses.

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

Adding on to the info dump that you have kindly graced me with, my first though when I heard that Abyss can make drugs out of their venom when diluted and then after reading what relations they would have, or lack of, was that is angel just so happens to stumble upon them making a batch to sell off. Angel could be like peeking into their room (oh yeah this is when they become a member of the hotel officially) and so when Abyss decided that they had enough to sell and goes on break, leaving their room unguarded, I think angel would be the curious soul that he is would check out what bro was cooking.

If Angel found out that it was a drug they made form their venom by just a small test, personally—and you are free to correct me if you want—I believe that Angel would basically try to ask for drugs off of Abyss for free since it’s a nice thing and that’s what the hotel is aiming for and if that doesn’t work he’ll try to pester them (which wouldn’t last long I bet) and if he still gets ‘no’ for an answer, he would try to steal them which made abyss start hiding their batches, getting a lock on their room door or just making the batches outside the hotel and an instant delivery. That’s my personal take tho and I thought it would make for something funny but could be used for some slight bonding or something? However way you wanna go with this.

Secondly, Alistor just picking up Abyss from seemingly out of nowhere was just funny and the image I saw in my head was like him pinching the “scruff” of Abyss as they freeze up, cuz y’know, bro was just picked up no warning. Oh yeah forgot to mention that I can see this happening in both normal sizes as well as their shrunken state which would probably be the most obvious choice hehe. Okay onto what I was not here for cuz I just thought of this right before I was inches away from sending! >:p.

You said that you would be unsure of what could lead to any Vore scenarios because he is chill with Abyss and such, unless he was PISSED. (Based off memory so could be wrong but Anygay-) now I’m not one who knows what abyss is like, like the back of my hand, but form what I do know and a half awake brain the only scenario I see working is that maybe Abyss could be in an annoyed mood from like one buyer that asked for drugs didn’t exactly have any plan to pay in the first place and made it seem like they would pose a threat to their life which they had no intentions to but it was a way to avoid paying and getting a lot of free drugs. This would couse their panic mode to activate slightly and they would shrink (causing rumours to go around about abyss and harming their business since demons can now use that to their advantage) so when they return maybe a little shrunken and in a little pissy mood they could retaliate if Alistor was to like do his usual thing of spooking them or something of the sort which wasn’t too much appreciated and thus the final straw was snapped and maybe an insult or two slipped out, voice slightly raised. Abyss heads back to their room and flopping down onto their bed to just cool off and not even 5 minutes later Alistor comes back to be a bother but something seems a lil off with him (bc bro took that one personally).

Leaving the rest to you (mostly cuz my lesson is gonna start rn. Woo, college ) Anygay hope this helps you at least, go wild with it.

Have a happy day and always stay gay!! That’s my new motto now, Sue me.

- 🌽 anon

Alright, everyone, buckle up for another long response!

I was thinking more like Abyss sold their pure venom to drug makers and dealers rather than making the drug themself, but I'll give them a small drug setup themself for extra cash

As for your Angel Dust idea, the most logical trail in my mind was to have him trying to find a drug stash since he's left them scattered all over the hotel, hoping that the furniture he used to hide his own drugs were still there. Of course, they're not, but he comes across their dilution station (WIP page below)

Abyss honestly wouldn't care if Angel Dust wanted to try some of the drug and would probably offer him a batch for free. They're not super in it for the money and just do it as a way to pass time and stuff. They could probably use their network of buyers to figure out information on people if they ever felt interested in trying to start gathering their own territory. But, given that they were kind of depressed in life, you can imagine the amount of motivation they have, lmao

They're definitely getting a new lock for their room though

Also, the Alastor scruffing them and presenting Abyss to everyone was the idea. But, in my head, he uses his shadow abilities/tentacles to snatch them from wherever they are and just materialize them in front of everyone else. I also have the headcanon that he can nullify other demons abilities somewhat, so they wouldn't be presented shrunk. This also mitigates them trying to calm themself and regrow inside of Alastor, soooo, you know. I feel like he’d occasionally scruff Abyss like he does Nifty 

And, your big paragraph is the paragraph that brought up an animatic idea of the potential drug deal. I’m gonna be honest, I’ve thought way too much about everything, haha

Abyss has almost definitely been killed a couple times since falling into Hell. I imagine the majority of demons have been killed at least once since falling, and since we hear Velvette literally say that she “can’t wait for that unlucky bitch to put herself together”, I’m thinking they either regenerate/stitch back together or re-fall depending on how pulverized the body ends up being. As such, they’re not unused to threats. They’re small and have been considered an easy target since first showing up

In the animatic, if I get to it, will be a stand off between a bunch of shark demons (I just like their designs in the show) and Abyss. In it, the sharks are more than happy to try and kill them to get the goods, but it’s basically just a show of how agile/quick Abyss can be on their feet while also using their shrinking to their advantage with part of a banger song in the background. Sort of, like, the stress apathy takes over, you know? They would definitely need to spend a few days in the hotel to destress though, I imagine you never QUITE get used to being killed over and over again

Also, I can’t imagine rumors really holding much stock on their rep? They don’t really have one and try to remain low-key anyways to try not to appear like a threat, and they don’t tell anyone they sell to where they get the ‘pure stuff’ to avoid the potential of other demons attempting to capture them just to use them as a literal cash cow for their venom concentrate. If people want to think of them as weak and an easy pushover because they can shrink, they’re fine with that because that usually means they get left alone unless someone feels like kicking the demon equivalent of a puppy. I also feel like they’re likely to be overlooked a lot despite being bioluminescent

And, I still don’t even know what kind of comment Abyss would realistically make to piss Alastor off (I know he hates being told about or thought of as having less control than he exudes, but Abyss would definitely not really see him as not having a full deck, so to speak), but that won’t stop me from drawing them together. Maybe they asked a bit too much about him because he’s a contradictory fuck who loves people wondering about his deal, but refuses to talk about it to drum up the mystery. Abyss would definitely feed his ego a bit with curious questions

Anyways, that’s all for now! I have a bunch to do if I don’t want more to pile up and leave me in a stressed paralysis

[mrs-hollandstan]

Hey b, so mildly obsessed with your work (and possibly being your friend because you seem cool🥺) anyways idk if you’re taking requests rn it’s cool if you’re not but like I just bought a cute white golf skirt (it makes my waist look snatched and my booty popping 💁🏻‍♀️) and I can’t stop thinking about working at a golf course and tommy being like oh shit 👀 and all the guys are like nah they’re out of your league mate 😂 anyways I hope you have a good day and I like your tattoo!

Thank you, thank you. FYI I kept this one very non-binary/not explicitly gendered so anyone could enjoy ☺️

"Holland!" Harrison finally snaps Tom out of his trance from where he'd been staring at you. He gestures to the green, "Take the damn shot." He grumbles. Tom shakes his head of the thoughts about you, taking the shot which misses the hole by half an inch. He hums as he glances over his shoulder and steps out of the way for Sam, 

"You guys got time for a drink after?" He asks. Harrison raises an eyebrow, 

"This about Y/N again?" He poses. Tom shrugs, 

"No… just could go for a cold one." He murmurs. Harry chuckles, 

"Mmhmm. You do know Y/N is out of your league right? They're way too pretty for you." He tells his older brother. Tom rolls his eyes, 

"It's not about Y/N." He growls. Harry rolls his eyes, 

"Yeah… sure." 

"I've got time." Sam mumbles. Harry and Harrison ultimately agree, the four of them finishing their round before heading for the clubhouse. Tom swallows, heart pounding out of his chest as they enter the bar, sitting at a free table in the middle of the room. Tom watches you take drinks onto your tray, delivering them to their table before you approach, 

"Hey guys… long time no see. Same as usual?" You pose. They each mumble in agreement or nod as you scribble down on a pad, glancing out at them. Tom swallows as you offer a smile, 

"Be right back." When you turn, Tom's eyes slide to the skirt you're wearing. Obviously it's got shorts under it, it's a golf skirt, but Tom can't help but wonder what it would be like if you weren't wearing a tennis skirt, if you were wearing just a normal skirt. He licks his lips as you lean on the bartop, watching your coworker crack open four beers before he sets them on your tray and you turn back towards the boys. Harrison smacks his arm, 

"Ask them for their number." He goads. Tom frowns,

"No way, they'd say no." 

"No they wouldn't. You're Tom Holland, you're irresistible. Go for it." Before anymore can be said, you lean over and deliver four beers to their group, smiling at them, 

"Anything else?" You ask. Harrison glances at Tom, but when nothing pops up, you turn and start away. Harrison gives a good shove to Tom's shoulder before Tom stumbles to a stand. He clears his throat and smoothes over his pole before he starts towards the bar where you've retreated again, 

"Uhm… Y/N…" He starts. You turn, smiling up at him, 

"Hey Tom, what's up?" He swallows again, 

"Nothing, uhm, I-I was just wondering if… maybe I could… get your number? I- I figured we could go see a movie or get dinner sometime soon, just the two of us." He poses. You can tell he's nervous by the way he stares at you. You smile and shrug, turning to scribble on a napkin. You hold it out to him between two fingers and he stares at you for a moment, 

"What?" You ask. He shakes his head, 

"I just… the boys told me you were out of my league and… I seriously thought it was true." He defends. You smile, 

"Really?" He nods, 

"Yeah." You shrug, 

"What can I say, you're adorable and I'd love to go to dinner and watch you stumble over yourself." You admit, leaning in to kiss his cheek. He scoffs slightly, 

"Wow… okay." Turning, he glanced back down at the napkin in his hand. Harrison gapes up at him as he slides in his seat, 

"What'd you ask them?" He poses. Tom shrugs, 

"I just asked for their number." He murmurs. Harrison reaches put and pats Tom's shoulder, 

"Good job mate." Tom nods, glancing out at you, watching you work for a few moments. And he'd never forget that you're the catch, not him. 

[poryphoria]

[LEANS ON AN EXPENSIVE PILE OF MEDIA ANALYSIS] SYMBOLISM MISSILE INBOUND

two themes i REALLY love using for both of these guys is light & darkness, and for crackpot specifically, water & drowning. i played w the light deliberately a LOT in this one fic i wrote- crackpot being caught in phobos's shadow for the whole fic as a symbol of hys inferiority, up until phobos starts seeing hymn as an equal, where hy starts being the one to cast a shadow (and eventually they're both bathed in light together! :3)

i think the power dynamic between them was always a bit of a spot of bother in their relationship, and i think the light displays that nicely. w this specific piece phobos is casting a shadow over the whole of nexus city because the entire city is his creation, his legacy- it was designed in his image, and even in death his ego haunts every square inch of the place. and crackpot, left behind in the wake of his death, can't seem to escape phobos's influence for the life of hymn and move on- as long as hy chooses to stay in the city, hy'll remain pinned under that shadow, that echo of what hy lost. not only that, but the echo of someone greater than hymn- someone who was more powerful and well known. hy doesn't like to admit it, but i think there is a bit of jealousy in crackpo for how much more influence phobos had over people :] hy emulates his leadership partially out of admiration, but partially out of a straight up desperation to be the better version!

all the same, phobos's eye casting a light has to do with the other half of his death- crackpot being suddenly put in the limelight without him. losing the only person to stick up for hymn, make an effort to listen to and elevate hymn, be a rock to cling to. there's a sudden pressure trained on hymn to be independent, to be a leader and fill in the gap phobos left behind. hy's finally got the stage to hymnself and all the theater lights are on hymn, and god do they burn HOT.

as for the water and the drowning, i also did a bunch with this in another fic- its to do with the fanatics' obsession with buoyancy and staying afloat- for crackpot, drowning means failing. and just being generally, impossibly overwhelmed with so many things- memories, emotion, pressure, guilt, it's like an awful torrent and its crushing the air out of hys lungs and all hy can do is sink into it, sink deeper into the stubborn refusal to move on, deeper into delusion and madness(💥).

(drowning is also a reoccurring nightmare of hys because of the facemelter incident in my headcanons- that one really awesome time where hys face skin Straight Up Melted Off due to dissonance poisoning, being the reason why hy's never seen without a helmet or a mask! hys work helmet was kinda pooling with hys own blood & that definitely Felt like drowning to hymn)

the way the cityscape gets progressively less cohesive & detailed as it goes down into its reflection in the water DOES have to with dissonance :D with crackpots severely dissonance-addled perception of the world around hymn, more and more of the world seems to devolve and make less and less sense around hymn :]c till its almost comparable to the distorted funhouse reflection of yourself you might see looking into water! (it also, sort of has to do w hys super 'rose colored glasses' view of phobos's leadership & behavior- hy kind of deliberately tends to ignore the Awful horrendous things phobos very muchly did for the sake of loving him :])

I HOOOOPPPEE all of that was cohesive & coherent enough. i fucking love talking about the THEMES and the SYMBOLISMS of my own art so badly but i never get to i thank you so badly for indulging me [gripping ur shoulders like that one jpeg rn]

I REALLY LIKE YOUR INTERPRETATION/ANALYSIS OF THINGS YOU LEFT IN THE NOTES TOO!!!! I THINK IT IS SO SO BEAUTIFUL. THAT PPL CAN TAKE AWAY THEIR OWN MEANINGS FROM ART N I ESPECIALLY LOVE HEARING WHAT OTHER PPL TAKE AWAY FROM MINE :DDDDD

shadow of your legacy/limelight of your absence, or something like that

Phobos dude you've got to stop haunting the narrative man. You're giving this bird new and innovative forms of mental illness not yet conceived by man

[theblacksacrament]

today I got the other side of my lip pierced so.. now I have snake bites. plus my eyebrow. so like. I'm peaking goth / punk again boys

[nikikyuuun]

hello hhhhhh is it alright for me to request gender neutral reader and izumi sena? enemies to lovers? they're both in denial and one of them accidentally blurts out they've taken a liking to the other (you decide which is which) ^^

OH MY GODDDD I LOVE ENEMIES TO LOVERS PLEASE 😭 izumi is literally the. perfect fit for this. thank you anon for my life..... i got a little carried away i think, so i'm sorry if this is a little long! i originally wanted to make a scenario rather than headcanons for once but i cannot for the Life Of Me think of coherent prose rn... anyways, i hope you enjoy!

❧ enemies to lovers with izumi

content warnings: none

❧ it doesn't quite matter what your profession is—if you're an idol from a rival agency, or another up-and-coming model, or both! izumi initially hates your guts either way. especially if you're the latter—are you trying to outdo him? hah, fat chance. there's an undeniable air of tension around you two whenever you happen to be in the same room together, whether you return his feelings of animosity with your own, or with cool indifference.

❧ of course, all of izumi's ire is very much a private matter. as far as the public is concerned, you two are just rivals in the entertainment world! the tabloids are absolutely brimming with the latest "gossip" about the two of you—did you hear about the incident at the latest photoshoot? the challenging little smiles they both threw at the camera at their latest lives? it irks izumi to no end that your names are always beside each other in entertainment headlines—but on talk shows and interviews he always just smiles, too tense and with too much teeth.

❧ everyone from knights is well aware of who you are by now—with how much izumi complains about you, how could they not? he (uncharacteristically) drags his feet to a job whenever you're involved, but the whole time he's enthusiastic in a way that seems a little different from competitiveness... especially as you two work together more, he goes from dismissive and scathing to, well, mostly the same, but he's nicer about it. a little. he'll scold you for your poor form and show you how it's really done, but he'll go through the effort of saying you did a good job today on the walk back to the station.

❧ it's something that seems like the start of a not-quite-friendship, actually! you seem to work better together, almost, and the "playful banter" between you two in interviews and talk shows seems more natural. he denies it so vehemently that it's rather funny, though, and izumi absolutely hates when you tease him for it—what's wrong, sena? don't tell me you've finally fallen for my charms? he denies it within an inch of his life, but there's a part of him in the back of his mind that finds it rather cute, the way you say that.

❧ needless to say, izumi doesn't often listen to voices in the back of his mind.

❧ the actual "-to lovers" part of your relationship is rather...anticlimactic, to be honest. you could be hanging out in a changing room between shoots, or in some half-empty cafe, or on the way back to your house after izumi offered to walk you home. (because he didn't want you doing something dumb and getting yourself hurt, of course.) he's been almost suspiciously nice to you, lately, to the point that even he's aware of it now—and he can't help the heavy sigh that leaves him when you happen to ask why. izumi's retort of, "can't i just do something nice for you?" dies quickly on his tongue when you remark about how he used to absolutely loathe you when you first met.

❧ but you suppose it isn't so bad, you continue, that he seems to hate you much less, now. another remark about him falling for you, another nudge of your shoulder against his, and izumi is nothing short of mortified once he processes the words he blurts out next: "are you really so dense that you haven't noticed that i l—that i don't hate you?"

❧ (the way you gape at him makes him almost feel better about himself.)

❧ izumi's very good at keeping your new relationship under wraps, but that doesn't stop any of the tabloids from gossiping—are you two on a date? what are they to you? he brushes them off like they're nothing—but really, there's no way for him to hide the softness in his gaze as he looks at you sitting next to him on the set of the latest talk show.

[eternalmx]

i miss you. | im changkyun.

☁️a/n : its 1:08am, so no I didn't proof read this but I hope it make you warm and fuzzy. im in my feels rn pls;; i hope you enjoy!

wc | 651

warnings : none, just fluff and lots of it

{2:08𝓹𝓶} • "you're home" she said, in a whispering, stretching her arms soft and reaching towards him.

"I'm home" he says, the moon shining through the window illuminating his dimples. He smiled, leaning done and placing a soft kiss on her head. She watched him in silence as he rummaged through the drawers looking for a pair of comfortable pants.

"Baby..." he says, peeking his head from the side of the bed where he was kneeling.

"Hmmm?" she asked, rolling on her side to look at him.

"Have you seen my sweats?" he asked, rasing an eyebrow at her, she bit her lip, trying to figure out if she should mess with him a bit or just tell him.

"I have..." she nodded, tugging the blanket tighter around her body. She yawned as he sat on the edge of the bed after settling for another pair of pants he found.

"Where are they?" he asked, getting ready to get under the blanket with his girl.

"Don't look at me like that! It was cold and they're my favorite" she said, hiding her face in the pillow as his eyes scanned her legs, her body wearing his sweats.

"Baby, don't be shy, they look better on you than me anyways" he said, his hands holding both sides of her cheeks. Placing gentles kisses along her face, she hummed at the relief rushing over her body.

"I missed you" she says, breaking the silence. Their faces inches apart as they both laid their head on the pillows. His hand gentles resting on her head as he pushed the hair out from her eyes.

"I missed you more" he said, eyes blinking slowly, signaling how tired he was.

"Do you want to sleep?" she asked, scooting closer to him. His warm hands making their way under her shirt and rubbing up and down her side. There weren't many words to describe how comforting his subtle touches and his breathing were but she knew that he knew how much it all meant. After a long day filled of anxiety, stress, work, and everything in between, they were finally together. Their safe place. Their home. The snow globe filled with just them.

"Mmm, no, I want to talk to you some more, sleep can wait, tell me, what did you have for lunch?" he said, smiling and kissing her nose. She giggled as she turned on her back and slowly started telling him about her day. He would give his input and advice on small things from work to random conversations she's had.

"Wait, wait, he said what?" he said leaning up on he elbow to look at her.

"I've been talking for half an hour and the only reaction I get from you is when I say a guy hit on me in the grocery store?" she says, playing with his hands as her fingers gently traced over his wrist tattoo.

"Oh so you made it up? To see if I was listening?" he said, watching her play with his tattoo. She smiled and only nodded as she yawned again. He smiled at her as he brought his wrist to her lips. She softly kissed the small ' :): ' outline and he kissed it after her. That was their thing, they didn't know how or when it became their thing but it was.

"I think it's time for us to head to bed, yeah?" he asked, hovering over her, she nodded again, being to tired to speak. He kissed her forehead and she lifted her head up a little to gentle kiss shia neck mole as he hovered over her.

"Goodnight my love" he said, as he flicked off the lamp and pulled her to his chest as they drifted to sleep. the room filled with low snores and peaceful breathing. Their safe place was the remedy they both needed after a hard day.

[satanfemme]

im Intrigued about how your day has gone now

assuming this is wrt my last text post (hdfbghfdghfg):

my blood smell is unfortunately not very interesting, my compulsive skin picking has just been acting up lately and a stress flair today made it WAY worse so just... I've got lots of open wounds, scabs, dried blood, and etc on my person at the moment. and the scent can build up lol. no shame in that though -- even if it's not ideal, it's just the physical reality of my body sometimes! so hopefully this only adds to the neurodivergent gothic charm I'm bringing into my workplace.

as for why I was covered in baby food tho!!!!! ohohohohohoh this one's actually a really good story, I'm glad u asked >:3c !! so I currently work with shelter dogs, most of whom have behavioral and/or medical concerns, which they're being treated for. (if ur squeamish about veterinary care or dog surgery, that's ur sign to stop reading btw).

we've currently got this brown papillon named Phineas who is ONLY three (3) years old!!!!! his fur is long and a bit unkempt, but silky too. and he's got massive buggy eyes that look a bit off to the sides, and he's very very small and cute. but unfortunately, when he first arrived last week, his lower jaw wasn't functional. I don't have any idea how it got to be that way, but basically it hung down loosely from his top jaw at a 90 degree angle, and he had no control over it; he couldn't move his lower jaw in any way nor close it nor eat with it. and naturally, his pink tongue danged out a good few inches as well, since he didn't have anything to hold it in place.

because of this, he can only eat wet dog food that's been mixed with water and mashed up into a soup. or....... he can eat baby food. >:3c I think you can already see where we're going here?

about two days ago or so, he had his lower jaw amputated. obviously, this means he's been extra moody, probably in some discomfort, emotional frustration and/or distress. but it also means he's got a massive cone compared to how tiny his body is, a completely new mouth shape (less of a hole now, believe it or not. the skin where his bottom jaw would've been has now been partially brought together), and ofc he's constantly on a LOT of painkillers which make him a lil drowsy and loopy at all times lol.

as u could probably guess, he wasn't a very neat eater to begin with; he'd basically lick up his mush paste with his long tongue -- aiming for his open mouth hole -- but in the process splash some of it onto his face and the floor as well. just a few streaks of meat water and/or baby food in his hair, nbd.

but, for all the aforementioned reasons, surgery recovery has made eating much harder for him. he doesn't even want to eat half the time, then when he does, he struggles to get it both around his cone while also into his mouth. he'd been giving up after only a few licks -- if any at all.

then TODAY!! I cracked the fucking code! I figured out how to get him to eat!!!! I've discovered the ideal bowl shape/size, the right mixture of slop to put in there, the whole deal. it's exciting! this is, like, my job at the most impactful! and -- now to finally answer ur question of why I was covered in baby food today -- as part of this process I:

hand-mixed baby food with pâté and water. I don't use spoons to mix cause I don't like washing them lol.

I hand-scooped this slop out and into a different (better) bowl once I realized the first one didn't work

I sat down on the floor with Phineas and his food

and I encouraged him to eat it. so, once he did, I was even in the splash zone.

that little boy's got a baby food biohazard range of a good few feet! watch out lol!!! 🥺 I love him.

& to make matters even messier: shortly after this whole ordeal, I had to hand feed a similar mush to Dahlia the beagle cause she's sick with a cough rn and will literally refuse to so much as look at her food unless someone (ie: me) is hand feeding pâté to her one finger-scoop at a time. having a sick beagle lick pâté off ur fingers is a formative experience btw, genuinely, I do recommend it. I love her too -- and she loves me 🥺

[punkscowardschampions]

Jac & Savannah

Jac: Are you warm enough? Jac: 🧣🤗🧤🤗🧥 Savannah: No but that's a total secret, okay? I can't cope with the others judging me for trying to look nice Jac: I'll never tell Jac: [subtly getting her a blanket or something though, obviously] Jac: no one can come for your look 😍 Savannah: [you know we're snuggling under this blanket together because shameless excuse to be close af] Savannah: oh I see, you're trying to warm me up by making me 😳 it's fine that can be our secret too Jac: [would be so 😳 forreal] Jac: you can blame the 🔥 Savannah: [putting her head on the bae's shoulder like we're not already close enough and doing a little happy sigh] Savannah: but your compliments deserve full credit, anything else would be unfair Jac: [patting her head under the guise of checking out the boujee hat] Jac: your outfit arguably deserves a higher class of event but I'm still glad you're here Savannah: [doing a hat swap because we do so love sharing clothes with the bae and it's amusing as well as a shameless excuse to check her out like hmm what do we think] Savannah: I'm glad I'm here too Jac: It would be weird if you weren't Jac: I'm as close to you as my siblings now Jac: in a different way, obviously but still Savannah: [swapping the hats back because the bae is serving a look and also then we have to fix her hair and make that a moment™ soz Amelia for this blatant flirting you are witnessing rn] Savannah: I feel so at home here, with you Jac: [when you think the bae is perfect so you can't even pretend to sort her hair, so you end up fussing with your own after her like ugh it's so unruly but we're 🥰 and seriously soz have a more or something] Jac: You are Jac: you're always welcome, even when we're celebrating weird non-holiday holidays Savannah: [just giving her all the compliments out loud because we see that fussy and also we don't care who hears us, again soz Amelia and snuggling again] Savannah: I'd make you the same offer in a heartbeat if I felt welcome at my house Jac: [snuggling her extra hard for a hot sec there] Jac: I know, baby Savannah: [likewise and just burying our face in the bae's shoulder fully because emotions and doing a little sad sigh this time] Jac: [doing something to make her happy, probably posting the picture of her for example] Savannah: [giving her all the compliments again because that is a good picture tbh gal you clearly have skills but then because I'm evil I'm gonna say your bf sees it and so you're texting him forever while he's with his friends doing whatever] Jac: [at least you have an excuse to get up, like your other guests lol] Savannah: [just gotta do something extra as she's getting up like take her hand and make her do a little spin or something cos you're a nerd and we know you care more about this than whatever your bf is saying] Jac: don't faint Savannah: catch me & it won't be an issue Jac: I don't need to tell you it's dangerous to play near or with 🔥 Savannah: [as close to a LOOK as we can get away with] Jac: 😈 Savannah: he wants to see me, like, right now Savannah: but I don't think he's offering a higher class of event Jac: 😏 and obviously, you have to make him sweat it out a bit Jac: right? Savannah: all night at least Jac: Poor Ty Savannah: Do you think I'm being too 😈? Jac: not enough, if anything Savannah: oh really, well I hate that Jac: I'm sure it'll do the job on Ty Jac: but I think you could do better Savannah: of course I could, especially if the alternative means disappointing you Savannah: I don't ever want to Jac: It's very unlikely that you could Savannah: It's impossible, I promise Jac: Don't worry, it wasn't a challenge Savannah: I'm not worried if it is, I'll rise to it for you Jac: 🌠🌠🌠 Jac: I am going to have to challenge my brother not to be that basic white boy who brings out an acoustic 'round the campfire, excuse me 🙄😅 Savannah: 😄 Savannah: as long as Isabelle doesn't decide to sing along, because it'll be a challenge for me to sit through that Jac: 😬 Jac: she ALWAYS gets the words wrong! Jac: I think she might be partially deaf Savannah: you would know Savannah: it's a shame she's HOPELESS at sign language Jac: honestly, she'd need to do some brain training first Jac: bless her Savannah: I'm still waiting for you to teach me, maybe I'll be worse than she is Jac: [gutted you can't say gay things 'cos most people here can understand but you can still come teach her] Savannah: [Amelia do be watching you and she definitely can] Savannah: [Jude would also just be chiming in telling Savannah what she's doing wrong like a blunt bitch so now we're mortified because we have to be good at everything] Jac: [just showing her how to tell Jude to fuck off or something like excuse you] Savannah: [literally never swears because she's that kind of trying to be classy so you've been spared gal but we're not forgetting that you made us look a fool] Jac: She literally couldn't tie her own shoes 'til like last year Jac: I wouldn't spend any energy on her Savannah: it's fine, I'd rather know my mistakes Jac: She knows it's as rude to listen in on a sign conversation as it is a normal one Jac: honestly, I don't know where her manners have gone half the time Savannah: I'll have to get better now so we can have a conversation worth listening in on Jac: I'll show you properly Jac: when we have some privacy Savannah: you can come home with me, we'll have plenty of privacy if we leave here late enough Jac: You're really gonna make him wait then Jac: 😘 Savannah: he'll be too drunk to be any use to me once his friends are done with him Savannah: & anyway, I want to be with you Jac: Good Jac: of course I'll come Savannah: I feel like I haven't even seen you since Ty & I reconciled, I've really missed you Jac: he had a lot he had to make up for Jac: so I've missed you more Savannah: [touching that necklace he gave us without realising we're doing it as we recall that horrible argument] Savannah: I'm all yours now Jac: Good Jac: because we're both going to need really long 🛀 to get the smoke smell out of our hair Savannah: ugh true! I'll wash yours if you wash mine Jac: 100% Jac: and would you ever trust a boy with your hair, no matter how sorry he is Savannah: No way! Savannah: plus he's too tall to fit in the 🛁 with me, even the huge one at my house Savannah: he'd just sulk the entire time Savannah: I'm so sorry I'm taller than the other girl you dated Jac: the basketball boys always go out with tiny girls Jac: it's like their thing Jac: so weird Savannah: right? 🙄 Savannah: it's a totally possessive thing, I'm glad you can't stand over me to feel powerful, excuse me Jac: honestly Jac: people always talk about short guy's complexes but tall lads think they're so superior just for having a few inches, okay we get what you're trying to put out and it ain't cute Savannah: exactly Savannah: & if picking me up & throwing me around is SUCH a turn on for you, work at it 💪🏾 I have to put in effort to look good too Jac: Not about it Savannah: Ty isn't either, he's the gentlest boy in the world Jac: Yeah he is Savannah: maybe too gentle sometimes, but I didn't say so Jac: I get it Jac: you don't have to think he's perfect just because you're going out with him Savannah: he definitely doesn't think I am Jac: he's got no complaints though Savannah: for now, I suppose Jac: he told me, you saw Jac: he thinks you're good, if not perfect Savannah: he doesn't want to lose me Jac: he's not stupid Savannah: ^^ he'll say anything, that's what boys do Jac: yeah Jac: how much they mean is a different story Savannah: my dad's never meant a single word he's said to us Jac: even if he meant it at the time Jac: he didn't stick to his word, and that's what counts Savannah: yes, it is Jac: Ty's dependable Savannah: I'm not though, I'm a wreck Jac: hey Jac: [looks at her and shakes her head like no] Jac: do you want to go inside for a bit? we can be getting more food and drinks or whatever Savannah: okay Jac: [casually run off hand in hand so you can go properly talk about this] Savannah: [soz not soz everyone] Jac: [also said your garden would not be that big so probably gonna need to go upstairs or down so everyone's not just 👀 lol] Savannah: [get in the basement for that parallel] Jac: [sounds creepy but yes lol, go forth for that privacy hens] Savannah: [yet again we're just telling the bae stuff that we haven't told anyone including our bf #bonding] Jac: [we know the fucking vibes, y'all gonna be ages and do not care remotely] Savannah: [gotta fix Savannah's makeup for her to because she'll have done a little cry so that's gay & intimate] Jac: [honestly how this kiss doesn't happen sooner hun] Savannah: [that's the scolding hot tea] Jac: [casual patience of a saint somehow] Savannah: [we both know you're scared to cross that line hens] Jac: [mhmm how you just don't though when the tension is this high and obvious but you know, sort yourselves out] Savannah: [for now though go back outside to find Amelia has left] Jac: how rude Savannah: Do you have any messages from her? Jac: she told them she was feeling sick Jac: but she's not said anything more than that in a message either Savannah: one of her migraines? Jac: probably Jac: smoke can be a trigger, I guess Jac: oh well, I'll message her in the group chat, make sure she's okay Savannah: I hope she got home okay Savannah: it was a bit rude of Is not to go with her & make sure Jac: ^^ I'm like, girl Jac: you've had THREE hot dogs Jac: you could've done without the last one to be a better friend but priorities, I suppose Savannah: ^^ she could've at least come & got us so we could do the right thing if she wasn't going to Jac: Seriously Jac: now I look lowkey bad like thanks 🙄 Savannah: No, it's my fault Savannah: I feel bad, poor Amelia Jac: Oh my God, no, it's so not your fault Savannah: it's okay, I know I'm beyond demanding Jac: You aren't Jac: She just has a headache Jac: you're actually going through it right now Jac: you deserve time to vent Savannah: 😔 Savannah: but I do understand if you're upset with me Jac: I'm not, at all Jac: just at Is a bit for not handling the whole situation properly Savannah: Would you like me to talk to her? Jac: That's fine, we don't need to get into their drama Jac: it's like, not a situation and not going to be one because Is either wants it to be or is literally too ditzy to check in on Amelia herself without being explicitly told Savannah: You're right Savannah: you deserve a good night even if it is a fake holiday Jac: I'm having a good night with you Savannah: Oh please, I can do better Savannah: I've been crying for most of it Savannah: [proves it by doing the most, throwing ourselves into all the activities and thus the bae as well] Savannah: [I like to imagine poor Isabelle trying to get involved & we're just subtly not having it] Jac: [montage time, honestly Is you would've been better to leave too, at least the fam is here so you aren't being totally ignored lol] Savannah: [soz that we're just falling in love here] Jac: [literally can't help it sorry they don't mean the harm they casually do] Savannah: now you're having a good night Jac: an even better one, yeah Savannah: I'll be your 🌠 Savannah: anything you want, all you have to do is whisper it to me & I'll make sure it comes true Jac: Tinkerbell's got nothing on you Savannah: your happiness is so important to me, with or without the 👏🏾 Jac: you know I'd do anything for you too Jac: I feel like I should do more Jac: be better Savannah: you do more for me than anyone else EVER has, if you did more you'd be putting your own mental health & wellbeing at risk for the sake of mine Savannah: I'm not trying to be a drain of you like Is, who literally needs her hand held through every little thing Jac: I know, you're just so good to me Jac: but you're good FOR me too Savannah: I'm not always this selfish, I swear Jac: you're literally the most selfless Jac: all you do is look after Sienna and you're the best friend to me and girlfriend to Ty Jac: it hurts my heart sometimes Jac: I just wanna take care of you and make your life so easy you can thrive and shine Savannah: You're going to make me cry again Savannah: [IRL 🥺 because the bae is so pure & genuinely takes such good care of us] Savannah: I'll survive this & you'll see what I'm actually like without all this drama surrounding me Savannah: I really will be the best friend to you forever Jac: [we're such emotional bitches atm and always tbh hennys] Jac: I know you will, you're already amazing Jac: you're going to be unstoppable Jac: and I'm gonna be right there with you Savannah: [it's the only emotion we can safely express rn because smooching is forbidden] Savannah: I'm totally fine with doing trust falls Savannah: you know I believe in you & our future together Jac: 🌍 sister connection Jac: [because we are all earth signs except Amelia soz gal] Savannah: ^^ yes! Savannah: [take your bae to dance because it's a party and that's the only excuse we need] Jac: [bye at how much of a moment that'd be] Savannah: [literally there's every chance it's the first time they have because her bf would always be there at parties and stuff so I'm deceased] Jac: [we know you'd have no qualms stealing her away but a party with loads of peers is different from how intimate this is, at best everyone has a few friends] Savannah: [exactly that, so glad you don't have to see this Amelia you really would have a headache] Jac: [yeah this would be 💔] Savannah: [thank god we've got Isabelle cockblocking rn because y'all are too in love tbh] Jac: [just joins in 'cos not in love with you and thus oblivious] Savannah: [they'd be so annoyed lol] Jac: [lmao oh isabelle] Savannah: [go get some drinks or something gals and whisper shade to each other about this poor third wheel because any excuse to keep that intimacy going] Jac: [it's a good thing you are lowkey oblivious or you'd be way more upset by it all too] Savannah: [god bless you Isabelle, so soz you get done so dirty] Jac: [in the end you live your best life, just not being friends with this squad lol] Savannah: [the best thing for you is getting new friends my love, but for now I like to imagine she's talking to them about some boy or other, remember those you massive gays] Jac: 😬 him Jac: seriously?!? Savannah: What is she thinking of? & more importantly, what part of her body is leading her in those thoughts Jac: 😷 I can't Jac: so many cold showers necessary for her and honestly just some 🧼 for him Savannah: He asked me out, knowing full well I'm not single or interested, it was horrific Jac: the definition of no shame Savannah: I didn't know what to do Jac: I bet you didn't Jac: the actual nerve Savannah: Not to sound like Amelia, but I genuinely have no understanding of what she approves of or thinks we'll approve of about most of the boys she talks about Jac: Availability? Jac: like, imagine that was all a boy had to say about you Savannah: that's so sad Jac: like if they weren't so gross themselves, I'd feel sorry for them Savannah: I've just decided, I'm going to find her a boyfriend we can all stand to be around, Ty'll know someone Savannah: it'll give you a much needed break from how clingy she is & my heart won't hurt anymore from hearing her talk like this about boys who aren't worthy Jac: Such a nice idea 👼🏾 Jac: does he know anyone that will deal with her though Jac: she's a lot Savannah: It may not be an overnight success but I'll work my 🔮✨ Jac: I believe in nothing harder than I believe in your magic Savannah: I'm your girl too, just like you told Ty, of course you have faith in me & because you do, I feel so capable of anything 🥰 Jac: It had to be said Jac: like we said, the possessive thing, not it Jac: you're you and you're so many things to so many people, and you're especially important to me Jac: if he wants you, he's gotta accept that Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: I love you & you're always going to be part of my life, I hope he is too, obviously but there's none of that uncertainty with you, you are & you will be Jac: Right, romantic relationships are arguably almost always the least secure, that's just realistic Jac: ask any girl who ditches ALL her friends and then gets dumped Savannah: oh god, I could NEVER Savannah: I need you Jac: The concession they must make in their lives, like, who do you talk to about the stuff he has no interest in, who gives you advice from a woman's perspective??? Jac: so toxic Savannah: He & I have very different styles of self care, I'm sorry I simply would not survive Jac: 🏋️ is part of the daily grind, NOT a way to unwind, sorry Ty Savannah: 😄 Savannah: Don't worry, I promise I won't wake you as early tomorrow for our workout Jac: I'm not, I nearly ALWAYS wake up before you Jac: but that's okay, you look adorable and very peaceful 😴😘 Savannah: well it takes me longer to fall asleep Savannah: you look even more adorable & peaceful then 👼🏻☁ Jac: okay, so we're even 😅 Savannah: the universe is keeping everything in balance for us Savannah: I love that Jac: I know, right? Jac: if we had a 👶🏾 or a job share we'd be KILLING it Savannah: 🥺 you're going to have the cutest babies ever! Jac: 🤞 the dad's DNA doesn't screw that up Savannah: No way, we'll find you someone perfect Jac: I have more hope for Uni Savannah: you don't trust my matchmaking skills? Jac: No, no Jac: just the boys you have to choose from here 😬😂 Savannah: 😄You're right, an LDR makes much more sense for you & I wouldn't have to share you as often Savannah: I'll find you a first year uni boy who goes to school with Ty's brother Jac: You think so? Savannah: definitely, he'll fit into your schedule without wanting to become your schedule Savannah: & you may actually be able to have & sustain a proper conversation, depending what he studies Jac: you really do have the best ideas Jac: Obviously down Savannah: [immediately starts sending her pics and profiles because we're extra] Savannah: Let me know who you like & I'll totally make it happen Jac: I'll look properly tonight at yours Jac: [like no, Isabelle, you may not have more than a peep so you're #curious] Savannah: there's no rush, whenever you're ready Jac: 😍😍 Savannah: [snuggling again with our IRL 😍 because we're in love bitch] Savannah: [Savannah is just that touchy feely hoe like soz gal she's gonna just be touching you ALL THE TIME] Jac: [at least you'd have to vaguely get used to it or literally die haha, we know the 😍 are and will be for you but we'll pretend to be into these lads so we can scheme it together] Savannah: [we've since the pics you had a touchy feely vibe with Amelia too, even if it was more like hugs and piggy backs lol you can do this] Jac: [mhmm, arguably you can't but you carry it on for a long time lol]

[hoopdiddies]

I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 8)

A/N: Ayoooo. Hey guys, here's part 8 and I'm so sorry if the previous chapters kind of frustrated you. I didn't really mean for it to but I hope you enjoy this one. I'll be posting 9 tomorrow or the day atfter. Thanks again for your feedbacks, y'all motivate me a lot ^^ ♥ (My Wi-Fi has prejudice against tumblr rn)

Summary: You had always loved Ben ever since you two met in university and became the best of friends. That feeling went out like a candle flame when the two of you parted ways until he re-entered your life...but this time with someone who has already occupied his heart.

Warnings: Angst, bois. ANGST (I cried like a sucker during one part I wrote 😔) mention of blood, yet again drinking, some speckles of fluff, and unnecessary dialogue if you look closely enough :^ I feel like a terrible writer today

WC: 4k I think?

Tags: As always my taglist is always open uwu

@haendel-me-with-care

@mrsdoradominguez-barnes

@mickmoon

@lakef

@mrsmazzello

@valeriecarolinaw

@queen-turtle-boiii

@hardzzellos

"You look...beautiful." Ben's comment is indeed one thing to start the night. It's not like he's never told you that before–it's just the tone in which he has said it in is...different. A foreign tone never been released from his lips until you. You look up at him through your lashes, giving him a slanted smile accompanied by a bubbly chuckle. "Thanks. You smell nice too."

The corner of his eyes crinkle as his curving lips push them up. As expected, Rosy chimes in between you and Ben almost too quickly, the blurry speed in which she has arrived in making you gasp. "Excuse me, babe. You got interviewers on your tail and I- oh," her brows shoot up upon seeing you, seemingly haughty eyes flicking up and down your outfit in mild contempt.

"Surprised to see you here as well." The smile plastered on her face couldn't be any more forced than it is.

Girl, chill. Anti-aging soaps are not easy to manufacture these days. You begin holding your breath to prevent yourself from bursting into a fit from hearing that thought ring in your head. You shrug, garnering the guts to shift on your heightened stance and lean in an inch close.

"You're not the only one with a celebrity date."

You turn around too early to gauge her reaction, finally exhaling from holding your breath too long. You can finally conclude that she's had an effortless transition from being benign to far from being benign. The smoothest one-eighty you've ever witnessed. You remember her clearly being downright considerate of you the first time you met her yet now is a whole different story. You wonder if she was actually ever considerate.

As the boys and Lucy indulge in brief interviews, you stand behind the scenes and get the first-class chance of conversing with Brian. He's readily the coolest person in the house right now, bantering with you every once in three, fascinating topics. How fortunate are you to be in the spot a million Queen fans would die for but of course, you don't want to leave out Roger who - by a landslide - makes you wish you could wheeze and snort all you want if you weren't in a luxury event such as the Oscars. He seemed intimidating for you at first but as he joined in your talk with Brian, things escalated real quickly.

With the pre-ceremony interviews and the clinking of champagne glasses dampening, you begin hunting for your seats in the theatre.

Before you know it, you are informed that only a specific line of people are given exclusivity for the seats. And it shocks you that Joe, Allen, Ben and Gwilym are not given that card when in fact they were part of the very film that brought forth a new generation of fans.You shake your head disappointingly albeit contented that Rami, Lucy, Brian and Roger and their wives are part of the exclusivity.

Utterly determined to know the results - by Joe's 'sovereign' vote - the rest of you hang around in the waiting area, focusing on the ceremony rights shown on TV. Quietly sitting through the results, you all whoop and applaud at the mention of Bohemian Rhapsody obtaining three awards straight– your cheers amping up a notch as Rami brings home the 'Best Actor' award. Joe begins filming your reactions for Instagram, zooming into Gwilym, Ben and Allen's faces for most of the video. You throw your head back in laughter at how goofy the boys look; a bunch of men in their 30's bouncing up and down with one of them documenting the entire episode. At one point, Gwilym yanks as you in for a group hug, mercilessly crushing you in between their muscles– the disorienting experience now being something you wish you would never undergo again.

As Rami's thank you speech unfolds, you pay attention closely. The sentimentality of him lovingly thanking Lucy for being his anchor after dedicating his award to Freddie Mercury is just overwhelming and you wish you could tear up but your mascara would be waste. You're certain that made Brian and Roger emotional as well.

An hour after the ceremony, you all head down to the Vanity Fair after party in the same limo you had arrived in with every single person in the group eager to get the night progressing. Regardless of saying that these type of parties are not up to your speed, you try to get along with the evening and revel in what you know would be your last night with them. Sadly enough, Roger and Brian had to skip out on this with rough schedules on their hands. The moment they walked out of the place, they spent nearly half an hour congratulating the boys and having other celebrities congratulate them.

As you are seated across Ben and Rosy, you can't help but notice him acting a little distant from her. She's all nuzzled up against his arm and he is nowhere close to returning the favor. He's just...lost in thought, staring out the tinted window. It's still early to assume that in all the hours you were within a close range to them, Ben only ever acted aloof, giving her attention when the situation required it.

Perhaps a lover's tiff took place?

"Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing too." Mimicking your position, Joe calling you back to Earth makes you gasp a little. You close your eyes and look at your fingers blankly after recovering, sighing. "I think we should end all this pretending. It was simply a cop-out in the first place."

"I know," he whispers audibly enough for only you to hear, running his fingers through his fiery, red hair, "you should probably come clean soon enough before you leave."

And that you will. At least, you'll try.

In your defense, you thought the after party would host a fancy banquet but seated around with celebratory drinks -considerable with something classy - and attendees breaking down on the dance floor is a rather okay scene as well. As long as you don't end up like the night you were invited out for a drink with your colleagues, you should be fine for the most part.

The boys and Lucy have fully immersed themselves in the beat of the music while you've decided to remain stationary with one glass of wine, the only glass you'll be having for the rest of the party.

The entire time you gawk at them amusingly as they break out their dance moves, your eyes always find their way to Ben, who makes you snort painfully from all his antics as he moves along with Joe. They're a mess with their ties and buttons undone from all the movement and the sight inspires you to stay put.

But oh dear lord, can Ben dance like an uncle.

Keeping your attention on them, a descending weight sinks down next to you. You pay no mind to whoever it is but do as her voice interrupts your thoughts. "I hope your eye is on the right person, honey." You click your tongue in exasperation, turning your body towards Rosy and her developing, bitchy tendencies, scoffing as you place your drink down to set things straight with her. "First of all, what did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of talk?"

She smacks her lips together at you, simpering. "You didn't think I'd notice?"

"What are you talking about?"

Her almond eyes narrow as if she's trying pin you down with a warning. "Please, don't act like I never noticed. You're overstepping that boundary between you and your best friend- my fiance." Okay, so she's noticed. But your neutralized expression is not going to be giving away anything.

You incline your head to one side in hopes that the facade you're pulling would decompress her suspicion. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Ben is like my brother. "

Grabbing her drink from the table, she sighs and stands up, hands firm on her hips and face silhouetted under the beaming light nevertheless giving you a transpiercing glower in the manner of seeing through the makeshift barrier you've pulled up. "He better be. Try backing off every once in a while when I'm around."

To your dismay, you snap inside, whipping your head up at her and replying sharply to make the message crystal clear. "Rosy, you have no idea." Unable to withstand the atmosphere you're in, you put great emphasis on your words and snatch your drink, walking out to the mini garden to finish what's left of your wine without having to bear being around her.

The question is unadulterated and obvious– bold and italicized if you wish to give it a stretch and clarify it.

Why is Ben still with her?

Is he that clueless not to realize it?

You don't want to pry the answer out yourself but ruminating on it, Rosy pulling off a full one-eighty only when Ben's at an appropriate distance for her to squeeze you between her fingers is just about good as a reason as anything. Your unwavering feelings for Ben are clearly perceived by her– from the way you had reacted the day he introduced you both to each other to not so long ago.

You wonder if Ben ever took heed of her growing attitude towards you.

Finishing your wine in one, immediate, swig, you place it down on the marble surface before you with your fingers cradling the stem of the glass– relishing the spicy liquid flushing down your throat.

At the extent of overexerting themselves, Joe and Gwilym flop down back on their seats like jelly, tuckered out from the unconventional combination of alcohol and unsteady movement. Panting like a dog who had just participated in a marathon, Joe shrugs out of his blazer and tosses it over his shoulder, silently wishing the ice in the bucket that held the bottle of wine would save him from the grinding heat of the wine he had just about five minutes ago.

"Mate, you're deep in the heat." Gwilym comments as it is followed by a gentle laugh on how Joe's glistening in sweat under the dimming lights. He hands him a partially bland look before wiping his forehead with his handkerchief. Lucy and Rami are situated at other end of the place enjoying a chat with another party of people meanwhile Ben and Rosy are nowhere near any of them. Until, of course, they reappear from God knows where and Ben suddenly asks Joe where you've gone.

"I-I don't know." He says after a hefty sigh. Somewhat eager to find you, Ben begins excusing himself from Rosy whom which he has spiked a bitter reaction from for sharing his supposed time for her with you. Fed up and jealous in the slightest, Rosy snaps at him.

"Okay Ben, why do you always have to skip in between minutes to hang out with her even when we're together?"

He pauses from turning around completely and sighs. "She's my friend, babe."

Unwilling to accept his statement, she claims. "Well your friend is getting in the way of what was supposed to be our time together! Can't you set aside a limited time for her?! " This has alarmed Joe and Gwilym but it isn't their business to butt in and stop a quarrel from breaking out. Unless it turns physical, which is doubtful to happen. Ben, a little frustrated but still tolerant of her ongoing skittish behavior, tries to reassure her. "I know that, alright? But something's been bothering her for days and I just want to make sure she's doing alright."

"Can't you leave the worrying to Joe? He's her bloody boyfriend anyway!"

Wagging his forefinger at Rosy, Joe grumbles as he is not having any of her talk, scrunching his brows at her.

Grabbing her shoulders gently, Ben tries to relieve her of tension and assures her once more, but with a well-known fact she obviously still doesn't accept. "Joe's a little drunk. She's like...a sister to me," it really took him an abrupt pause to say 'sister', "besides, you're my fiancee. There's nothing to be jealous about."

"Why does she still have to be a part of your life? Our life?" Now that's a question that has just shifted Ben to a farther side. His brows knit together in momentary disbelief, unable to take her words in a good light. "God, Rosy! She's been around for so long! At least make an effort to accept her!" Like a slap to her conceitedness, Ben turns on his heels and walks out to find you. Leaving Rosy a steaming mess of insecurity.

However slightly drunk, Joe mutters to himself as he makes sure neither Gwilym or especially Rosy hears his words stumble out in a whisper. "You've grown a pair, Ben. You've grown a pair."

You've been outside for nearly half an hour; wine glass empty and your hair, along with the skirt of your dress, drifting along the harmless breeze and the waning moon spilling some light from behind the shaded clouds. Though there were a couple of people that found their way here to get some respite not too long ago, you're just glad to have this space to breathe in from the draining background of the party.

As you lose yourself in thought, a certain voice brings you back to reality.

"Nice night out, huh?"

Turning around slowly, you are met with the cool, forest green irises that you've grown to never tire of seeing. "I'm surprised you're still well-kept in that suit despite the scene back in there. " You give in to a chuckle, your smile pulling Ben to approach your side leisurely. "It's my Oscars suit. Something worthy of protecting."

"Hah!"

As he rests his elbows on the surface next to you, the distance between your skins makes you a tad bit anxious. Comfortable silence falls upon you both– for Ben at least, it's tolerable however you're not taking it well, not even in the slightest. You rub your hands together and sigh, prompting Ben to finally ask you.

"You alright? You've been tensing up lately."

You nod, closing your eyes and opening them afterwards. "This dress is just depleting me of bodily warmth." Half a lie told by you. Acting on his thoughts, Ben begins taking his blazer off but you stop him mid-shrug. "Keep it on. You look better with it on."

"This would look better on you, you're obviously freezing." He's really keen on keeping you warm but you're just as so in letting him keep it on. "I'm serious. Keep it on. I'm fine."

What can he do but just give in? When you're serious, you're serious. He lifts his shoulder in half a shrug, ducking his head as an idea flickers in his head like a bulb. He wants to relive something that has been lost through the years and it's only right that he does...now that you have less than a day to disappear from his life completely.

"Y/N..." He muses gently. You raise your brows at him in question, taken by surprise that he has his hand held out to you. Bewildered, you raise your finger to ask what on Earth he's doing. "What- what are you doing?"

He licks his bottom lip and the smile on his face becomes bashful but certain. "What else does it look like I'm doing, silly girl? Asking you to dance."

You're sorry that you couldn't keep a snort at bay. "Pfft. Ben, I think you're asking the wrong girl."

"Just let me dance with my best friend."

"Wow! That's noble of you," your chuckles can not be contained, even so much as restraining yourself from letting the blush spread throughout your face. But he has the fragments of what was once your heart, so why wouldn't you? You slip your hand in his and the grin on his face widens. "There we go. Easy does it." He breathes out, his voice getting gravelly. You hit him softly on his chest for cooing, at the same time realizing that his voice becomes that way only and only when he's nervous– something uncommon between you both. As his hands find home on your waist, you throw your arms around his neck, laughing at how awkward yet funny it feels. What a huge nod to how you danced with him on Homecoming.

"You're so weird sometimes. You got your fiancee, why don't you dance with her?" Getting used to the sting of referring to Rosy, you question anyway. He initiates with a sway before responding. "I already have. But, " he diverts his heavy-lidded eyes from staring off the distance to yours and suddenly, it feels like you're home, "I want to finish that Homecoming dance."

You find yourself speechless as you shift your unflinching gaze at him and he at you, your bodies swaying along the concrete and in perfect sync, coincidentally to the sudden change in music from inside, compared to the bittersweet night you had before the day that parted you both. Thin silence hangs in the atmosphere but only because you are looking at each other in a way you never have in your entire lives.

Instinctively, you break your gaze from his and rest your head on his chest, your hair falling into your face as your eyes screw shut. You hear his heart skip a beat, unusually in the same manner yours always has. Feeling your head follow the rise and fall of his chest tickles you inside– temporarily making you forget about the pain of soon letting him go and producing a sense of safety.

Maybe it's because of exhaustion? You wonder. He doesn't hesitate to stroke your hair and revel in the moment as well, easing you in closer to his body without breaking the sway. "You'll be there on my wedding day, right?" He asks nervously, his question pulling you back to the harshest reality.

You open your eyes slowly, your lips trembling as you let out the saddest sigh, feeling your chest tighten from the anxiety of soon telling him the truth.

"Y/N?" Your tensed-up body alarms him and so he breaks away and lifts your chin up lightly, being met with glossy and regretful eyes. His messy brows drawing together in slight worry. "What's wrong?"

Everything.

However uneager to push him away, you do, escaping his warm embrace. "Ben, I..."

He's dreading for your answer, painfully anticipating for the best or the worst to the point where his hands are lubricating with sweat.

You swallow the lump that has hardened in the back of your throat, pressing your lips together to prevent a sob from escaping and shunning his prying stare. "I can't..."

Joe's half-assed predicted, worst case scenario is slowly unfolding.

"What are you saying? You're not- you're not going...to be there?"

You bite down on your lip hard enough to make it swell, shaking your head and casting a sideways glance.

"Why?"

Tell the truth. Just tell him and you're either getting a support or another jab to the heart.

"Y/N, please! Tell me why!"

"I'm leaving, Ben!" The words didn't seem to stumble or carelessly flop from your lips, in fact it speared through him clean thereby catching him off guard. His eyes have fallen gravely, lips parted due to shock.

"I got into a medical school I had previously applied for. And I'm leaving," you snap your eyes shut and open them in tears once you've looked up at him, "on your wedding day."

"Why didn't- why didn't you ever tell me?" He's pleading for your explanation, barely clinging on to the belief that you would always tell him things.

You don't answer as you are battling to muster up the courage to say it.

"Y/N, please! You never tell me anything these days! And this- this news, it's important! You're leaving on the day I need you the most, and you never bothered to squeak a word about it! Not a single, bloody word! Why?!" He's racked up with disbelief and apparently, anger. Eyes rimmed, clouded with mixed emotions and face full-blown red from the pressure.

He grabs you by the shoulders and pleads heartbreakingly, his lively voice reduced to but a whisper. "Why..."

"I-" You're still holding back.

"Say it! "

"You'd soon forget about me, Ben!" You inhale sharply as you add, croaks present in your voice while you take two steps further away from him as you lament. "I'm hopelessly in love with you, you idiot! I've always been. I try- I try to brush off every single prick that stems out every minute I realize that you already belong to someone else..."

"Y/N-"

"I figured not telling you would help me let go. And it's the only way I can...because screw you for being a clueless, irreplaceable bloke! I can't imagine my bloody life without you in it! I don't think I can ever love anybody else...but you, "

"Y/N..."

You don't let him finish and achingly throw your hands to your chest as a gesture, pounding your chest thrice as you're finally wearing your heart on your sleeve. "I can't blame you for being oblivious to my feelings. You're committed to Rosy...and as much as I want to see you happy, I don't want to stand idly by and- and feel this way when you've pledged your heart to her...I want to forget and for you to forget me," As the warm tears you've held back for so long roll down your cheeks, you hug yourself through the pain, "I want you to be happy without worrying how I'd feel. And disappearing from your life, is the only way I know how..."

"Y/N, please, don't say that- don't do this...you can't do this...you c-can't..." With hands shaking, he strides towards you to haul you in back into his arms but you take an agonizing step away, stopping him in his tracks. "I have to. I...I want to. It hurts so much, Ben. It always has but promise me," even if you have taken a step away, you take it upon yourself to take those steps close to him and cup his cheek with a cold hand, "promise me you'll revel in that happiness. It's going to hurt being away from you. But it's going to hurt even more if I stay. And watch...my best friend grow old with someone else." Finally rendering him wordless, you shake your head and whisk past him back into the party which has died down a bit, leaving him a pondering mess out under the bleak sky.

"How could I be happy without you..."

You'd gladly do anything to go back home right now. The weight of what just took place is crushing you and the need to escape is fuming. But the thing is, Ben was never one to let you go easy.

He never did and possibly never will.

He sniffles and inhales sharply, jogging in after you and calling out your name amidst the constant noise and chatters. "Y/N, wait!"

You reach your table just in time to see everyone still gathered around with drinks raised and laughs released but you have to excuse yourself deliberately. "Y/N? Where have you been? What's the rush?" Lucy notices your hastened movement and places her hand on your tense shoulder. You snap your head at her with your purse in your grasp, shaking your head and apologizing that you have to leave, forgetting to rid your eyes of tears; the sight of you amping up Lucy's concern therefore leading you into her embrace. "Oh my god, are you okay? What happened?"

"Y/N!"

Ben's distant but audible voice echoing through the place just sends you panicking inside. "I'm so sorry, Luce. I have to go."

"Y/N, wait! What's wrong?"

Just as the rest could react to Lucy calling out for you and Ben dashing past them to catch up, you've already disappeared into the crowd, headed out the theatre to take a cab ride back to the hotel. Relentless to let you go, Ben follows your trail, spurring a quick frenzy from the rest and having them pursue Ben in return. Once you reach the outskirts of the pavements, you don't think twice before crossing the highway with your focus hardened before you.

Gasping for air upon exiting the theatre, Ben glances around in haste and finally spots you marching down the street oblivious to your surroundings despite treading along the pedestrian lane. His eyes widen in dread and acting on a fight or flight reaction, he yells for your attention as he speeds down the street to pull you in or rather save you from a possibility of getting hurt with all the rushing vehicles and careless drivers. "Y/N! Y/N!"

The boys, Lucy and Rosy arrive outside just in time to witness Ben race towards your direction and in a moment of feeling time slow down, you feel your heart in your throat at the late flash of nearing headlights, to add a heavy force propelling you off your feet and onto the other side of the road. What gets you up from the ground are the mixed screams of a familiar bunch and the sight of a bloodied man in white laying unconscious on the cold surface of the road.

White noise suddenly fills your ears instead of your own voice as you scream out his name.

[uniformbravo]

clown college simulator (carry on liveblog 4)

im the clown welcome to my humble abode

---

[Simon] He has long hair for a bloke. When he plays football, it falls in his eyes and on his cheeks. But he slicks it straight back after a shower, so he always looks like a gangster first thing in the morning--or a black-and-white movie vampire, with that widow's peak of his.

wakes up and IMMEDIATELY starts going into detail about baz's physical appearance

I've wondered whether Baz gets away with being a vampire by looking so much like one. Like, it would be too much to call him out for it--a little too on the nose.

the perfect disguise

(Baz has a long thin nose. The kind that starts too high on someone's head and practically gets in the way of their eyebrows. Sometimes when I'm looking at him, I want to reach out and yank it down half an inch. Not that it would work.)

AGAIN i swear to god. hes LITERALLY out here like "flicked a booger out the window today. just like baz's boogers. they're usually yellow, but sometimes green

(His nose is also a little bent towards the bottom--I did that.)

-

And, no matter what, we're still enemies, right? He still wants to kill me?

simon how much of ur rivalry with baz is predicated on whether he actively wants to murder u

like give me a percentage

-

"Starting now," he says, pointing at the floor. "We're starting this now. It's our first priority." He heads for the door.

I want to argue. "What--?"

Baz stops, huffs, then turns back to me.

"What about everything else?" I ask.

"What everything else?" he says. "Lessons? We can still go to our lessons."

🫵 NERD

"No," I growl. "You know what everything else." I think of the last seven years of my life. Of every empty threat he's made--and every full one. "You want me to work on this with you, but...you also want to push me down the stairs."

LOL who says he can't have both. best of both worlds. perfect day

"Fine. I promise not to push you down the stairs until we solve this."

BAZ

[...] "Truce," he says.

"Truce?"

"I'm fairly certain you know what 'truce' means, Snow. No aggression until we're through this."

"No aggression?"

He rolls his eyes. "No acts of aggression."

-

"Swear it," I say. "With magic."

[...]

"Truce," Baz says, looking in my eyes.

"Truce," I say, sounding much less certain.

"Until we know the truth," he adds.

I nod.

Then he taps our joined hands. "An Englishman's word is his bond!"

I feel Baz's magic sink into my hand. Someone else's magic never feels like your own--like someone else's spit never tastes like your own.

GHFOGJFKG Y- UHUH??????? THATS THE ANALOGY WE'RE GOING WITH

[...] Baz's magic burns. Like heat rub. It hangs in the muscles of my hand.

baz's magic burns are we surprised. who amogus,

We've just taken an oath. I've never taken an oath before. Baz could still break it--he could still turn on me--but his hand would cramp up, and he'd lose his voice for a few weeks. Maybe that's part of his plan.

i cant make gif rn (i found that one earlier) but imagine that i took that gif and reversed it and crossed out "no" for funny joke. i promise

We're both staring at our joined hands. I can still feel his magic.

"We can talk about this after our lessons," Baz says. "Back here."

His grip loosens, and I yank my hand back. "Fine."

first base hold a hand Completed

-

Agatha still isn't sitting with us. I don't even see her this morning--I wonder if she's off somewhere with Baz. I should have added that to the truce: And also you have to leave my girlfriend alone.

LMFAO u shoulda done it but for her sake not urs

-

I leave early for my Greek lesson because I feel like I've let Penny down--I can't take her side against the Mage. For what it's worth, I could never take his side against her, either.

🤔

(conflicting feelings babey)

-

It's not like the time he tried to feed me to the chimera. That time, he asked me to meet him in the Wavering Wood. [...]

It was fucking beautiful when the chimera noticed Baz first, hiding in the trees, and went after him instead of me. I should have let the monster have a go at him. It would have served Baz right....

But U Didn't

Then there was the time when we were sixth years, and he left me a note in Agatha's handwriting, telling me to wait for her under the yew tree after dark. It was freezing, and of course she didn't show up, and I was stuck outside all night until the drawbridge was lowered the next morning. [...] I kept expecting something worse to show up. Why would Baz torture me with snow devils? [...] They're not even dark. But nothing else came, which meant Baz's evil plan fell apart--or that his evil plan was to freeze me only half to death on the night before a big exam.

U GOT PRANKED BRO LMFAO baz swore off of ever hurting u again so he started pulling fuckin schoolboy pranks AND U DIDNT EVEN REALIZE IT....... can't wait for the story about baz's evil Kick Me sign he taped to simon's back in seventh year

Then, last year, he told me Miss Possibelf wanted to see me, and when I got to her office, he'd trapped a polecat in there. [...]

I retaliated by putting the polecat in his wardrobe, which wasn't much of a retaliation because we share a room.

i've been thinking this for a while but..... simon takes all the fucking Ls in this relationship doesn't he

i imagine their scoreboard looks something like this:

I'm at our door now. Still trying to decide whether this is a trap. I decide it doesn't matter--because even if I knew for sure that it was a trap, I'd still go in.

if baz put an apple under a cardboard box propped up with a stick simon would break the sound barrier to get inside the second he knew it was there

When I open the door, Baz is wheeling an old-fashioned chalkboard in front of our beds.

on it, two columns, each titled "baz" and "simon" respectively,

-

"Is this how you normally plot my downfall?"

HE LITERALLY JUST FUCKING ASKS HUOOUH HFAUAHGOSDJFKDG

"Yes. With multicoloured pieces of chalk. Stop complaining."

ok well now i fucking have to

He opens up his book bag and takes out a few apples and things wrapped in greaseproof paper. "Eat," he says, throwing one at me.

It's a bacon roll. He's also got a pot of tea.

"What's all this?" I say.

"Tea, obviously. I know you can't function unless you're stuffing yourself."

HE MADE HIM TEA

screams actually tbh he's not even fucking around he straight up KNOWS THIS SHIT ABOUT SIMON he was READY with the supplies god god this is so good hELP

I unwrap the roll and decide to take a bite. "Thanks."

HE EATS IT LMFAO 5 seconds ago he was like "what if this is a trap...." then immediately eats the food baz gives him without a second thought LIKE

"Don't thank me," he says. "It sounds wrong."

"Not as wrong as you bringing me bacon butties."

"Fine, you're welcome--when's Bunce getting here?"

their banter is so cute GOD.......... u know i love when theyre literally trying to strangle each other but this shit has me taking deep breaths rn i LOVE.............

-

"Let's start with what we know," I say. That's where Penelope always starts.

"Right." Baz actually seems nervous. He's tapping the chalk against his trouser leg, leaving white smudges.

NERVOUS ABOUT HAVING SEMI-AMICABLE INTERACTIONS WITH SIMON,,,,,, WORKING TOGETHER ON SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES,,,,,,,,,,,, NO PENNY TO ACT AS A BUFFER BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM it's just them up in their room alone Speaking Normally and he's NERVOUS

also it's a v simple thing but testament to how far gone i am for these two im losing it on the inside over simon taking note of baz's nerves Like................. "he seems nervous" i mean that's such a standard line in Any kind of fiction it's not Incredible to notice that someone's acting nervous but like. thinking of it in terms of their closeness.

like maybe his nerves aren't that obvious to the average person but because simon knows him so well and is familiar with all his usual mannerisms and tics something as small as tapping chalk against his leg is enough for simon to notice and go hm. He Seems Nervous

it makes me go insane U_______U

-

[...] he tucks a piece behind his ear, then writes a date on the chalkboard:

12 August 2002.

I start to ask what happened that day, then I realize.

"You were only 5," I say. "Do you remember anything?"

He looks at me, then back at the board. "Some."

hrhgghnrgnghrnghgh........... he know hte age..,..,,, does he know,,, baz bday....... obviously he does,, sO SPILL IT

honestly from now on it's just safe to assume that anything that even HINTS at how much they know about each other makes me black out for a second alright yes good

also the fact that baz knows the exact date......................... uuuuuuuuuuuuu

-

[Baz] I remember that there were trains, and I liked the green one.

baz percy or henry fan confirmed

-

I can't tell you how many vampires came to the nursery that day. It seemed like dozens, but that can't be right, because I was the only child who was bitten.

👀 relevant for theories i'll talk abt later

-

[Simon] I don't know how he can do this--talk about vampires without acknowledging that he is one. Pretending that I don't already know. That he doesn't know I already know.

It's Spite

-

Baz shrugs. "I don't think vampires normally attack magicians. My father says they're like bears."

They.

me at every moment reading this: They

(also once again: 👀)

-

"What else does your father tell you about vampires?"

Baz's voice is ice: "The subject rarely comes up."

well i mean technically he isn't lying

"Well, I'm just saying"--I square my shoulders and speak deliberately--"it would help in this specific situation if we knew how vampires worked."

His lip curls. "Pretty sure they drink blood and turn into bats, Snow."

[...]

I shove the last bite of roll into my mouth. "Can vampires really turn into bats?"

"Why don't you ask one. Moving on:

LMAOOOOOO SHOOTING HIS SHOT W THE BAT QUESTION (im pretty sure there was a point earlier in the book where he was wondering abt it)

also baz's response is cracking me up gjkdfjdlgs

-

"Mistress Mary, the nursery manager, said that one of the beasts attacked Grimm-Pitch from behind, clamping its fangs onto her neck after she neatly decapitated another who was threatening her very own son. 'She was like Fury herself,' Mary said. 'Like something out of a film. The monster bit her, and she choked out a Tyger, tyger, burning bright--then they both went up in flames....'"

Baz stops reading. He looks rattled. "I didn't know that," he says, more to the book than to me. "I didn't know she'd been bitten."

Inch Resting 👀

-

He closes his eyes, and his head hangs forward over the book. I feel like I should do something to comfort him, but there's no way to be comforted by your worst enemy.

Except....Hell, I'm not his worst enemy, am I? Hell and horrors.

lol 😏

I'm still standing next to him, and I bump my hand against his shoulder--sort of a comforting bump--and reach for the book.

A Comforting Bump.................. also PLEASE this is what i was talking about THE AWKWARD COMFORTING....... it begins........ pleasg

-

Baz is staring past me into nothing. His hair is in his eyes, his arms are folded, and he's holding his elbows. I try the comforting thing again--actually resting my hand on his shoulder this time. "It's okay," I say.

He laughs. A dry bark. "That might be the one thing it isn't. Okay."

"No. I mean, it's okay that you're not okay. Whatever you're feeling is okay."

He stands up, shaking off my hand. "Is that what your friends tell you every time you blow up another chunk of school grounds? Because they're lying to you. It isn't okay. And it won't be.

this bitch can't STAND being comforted by simon gjfjgdkfdg Last Fucking Straw

-

I drop the book on my desk and make for the door. I should have known this wouldn't work. He's such an unforgivable twat, even when he's being completely pathetic.

HE JUST FOUND OUT HIS MOM KILLED HERSELF RATHER THAN TURN INTO A VAMPIRE LET HIM FREAK OUT A LITTLE

-

"I was helping Baz with something," I say, "but now I'm done. For good."

after he brought you tea and snacks smh

-

I hold my arm in front of my face and feel Penny grab the back of my shirt. She reaches her ring hand over my shoulder. "U can't touch this!"

"What's that?" I shout at her.

"Barrier spell. It won't work unless the dragon knows the song."

"How would the dragon know that song?"

"I'm doing my best, Simon!"

FKDJKGJSDLFJDGJDKFJKSJD KYEAH?????????

only absolute TOP TIER spells here

-

The dragon's trying to swing me loose--and I'm trying to get my sword out of its hide, so that I can stab it again--when I hear Baz calling my name. I look up and see him running along the ramparts.

He must have cast some spell on his voice to make it carry. [...] "Simon," he's shouting, "don't hurt it!"

Don't hurt it? Sod that. I go back to yanking on my blade.

"Simon!" Baz cries out again. "Wait! They're not dark creatures!"

TWICE

HE SAID IT TWICE

YELLING SIMONS NAME IN A CRITICAL/DIRE MOMENT: CHECK ✔️✔️✔️

-

Its wings are beating less furiously. It almost lolls in the air, dipping in Baz's direction and snuffling little puffs of fire.

Baz runs towards us, then stands with his legs apart, his wand in the air.

"Baz!" I yell. "No! You're flammable!"

"So is everything!" he shouts back at me.

"Baz!"

HOUGUGHGGUAGHOAUOUGHGHGUGHGJFHGOGUGH HE. THE. HE FUCKIGN. AAAAAAAAAAAA

PROPHECY FULFILLED

god. simon 5 fucking minutes ago: FUC this guy im never helping him again

simon now: AAAAAAA GET OUT OF HERE UR GONNA FUCKING DIE AAAAAAAAAA

-

Baz lifts his voice louder. There's sweat on his forehead and along his hairline, and his hand is trembling.

I want to help, but chances are, I'd just spoil his spell. I think about taking a whack at the dragon while it's distracted, but Baz told me to stop. I move slowly until I'm standing behind him.

[...]

Baz's whole arm is shaking now.

I put my hand on his shoulder to steady him. And then I do something I've never done before--something I probably wouldn't try with anyone I was scared of hurting.

I push.

I take some of the magic that's always trying to get out of me, and I just push it into Baz.

AYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 👀 👀 👀 👀

His arm straightens like a rod, and his voice hitches louder--"away home!"--midsentence.

[...]

I push a little more magic. I worry that it's too much, but Baz doesn't fall or crumple. His shoulder is rock hard and steady under my palm.

[...]

I stop pushing and close my eyes, letting Baz draw on my magic as he needs it. I don't want to overdo it and set him off like a grenade in my hand.

FELLAS,

[...] Then Baz steps away from my hand and faces me.

He's looking at me like I'm a complete freak. (Which we both already knew was true.)

LOL LMAO I MEAN

(is baz really one to talk)

-

"Anyway, I wasn't helping you." He brings his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I was helping the dragon. You would have killed her."

something about this is SO ENDEARING i love that he cares about this love that he stands up for dragons love that he's like a little embarrassed about it aaaaa screams

-

Penelope runs into me like a freight train. She grabs my hand and puts it on her shoulder. "Show me," she says. "Turn on the juice."

LOL PENNY fucking freaklet LITERALLY a mad scientist. sticks forks in the kitchen outlet just to see what happens & then does it like 5 more times until she passes out, wakes up in the hospital like "o shit they got outlets here too 👀" love that for her

I pull my hand back. "What?"

She grabs it again. "I saw what just happened." She puts my hand on her shoulder. "When did you learn to do that?"

"Stop," I say, [...] "I was just giving him moral support."

LMFAO MORAL SUPPORT LMAO LMAOOOOOO

"u got this baz u can do it ur ass is fat and ur meat is huge-"

-

Penelope puts my hand on her shoulder again. I pull it away.

When I turn back to the castle, I see Agatha, the only one still watching us from the ramparts.

agatha said 👁👁

-

"You told him?" She swings her hand at Baz. "But you didn't tell me?"

"It was his mum," I say.

[...]

"We're telling you now," Baz says.

"'We'?" she says. "Since when are you two a 'we'?"

"We're not a 'we'!" I half shout.

Baz throws his hands up in the air and falls back on his bed. "You people are impossible."

LOL BAZ TRIED W THE 'WE' AND SIMON SAID FUCK NO

-

She puts my hand on her shoulder. "Simon, imagine what we could do with your power and my spells. We could finish the Humdrum off by dinner--and then take on hunger and world peace."

"Imagine what the Mage will do when he realizes he has a nuclear power generator in his backyard," Baz croons from his bed.

I swallow and look at the wall. Penny's hand drops. I have to admit that I'm not eager to tell the Mage--or anybody--what I did today.

oh no???????? ur not???????? interesting

-

I can see she's made up her mind; she won't leave me alone until I do this. I try to remember how it felt out on the Lawn. Like I was opening, unwinding--just a little. Just barely letting go...

I give the very smallest push.

"Great snakes!" Penny says, snatching her hand away from me and jumping off the bed. "Fuck a nine-toed troll, Simon." She's shaking her hand, and there are tears in her eyes. "Stevie Nicks and Gracie Slick! Fuck!"

I'm on my feet. "Sorry! Penny, I'm sorry, let me see!"

Baz drops back onto his bed, cackling.

LOOOOOLLLLL BAZ

and also heehoo hehehe hehe hee hee hahooo ho only works w baz :)

-

"It was more like a shock," Penelope says, then looks up at Baz. "What about for you?"

He gets out his wand. "I don't know. I was focusing on the dragon."

"Did it hurt?" she asks him.

"Maybe you didn't see what you think you saw," Baz says. "Maybe Snow really was just giving me moral support."

And That Worked

"Right. And maybe you're the most gifted mage in five generations."

"Maybe I am," he says, tapping his ivory wand against her arm. "Get well soon!"

he healed her 🥺

"How did that feel?" I ask her.

"Better," she says reluctantly, pulling her arm away from us. She frowns at Baz--"Hot."

He grins, hitching up that eyebrow again.

"I meant temperature-wise," she says. "Your magic feels like a grease-burn, Basil."

Baz waves his hand in a shrug and turns to the chalkboard. "Runs in the family."

god i just fucking. i love this shit. i love them, as a group, just their stupid banter this is so fucking good please PLEASE........ baz & penny especially have such a fun dynamic i wanna see more of them....... let them be friends........... god please fucking god aaaaaaaa

[...] "So...," she says, following him to the chalkboard. "You got a Visiting. An actual Visiting--Natasha Grimm-Pitch was here."

Baz glances back over his shoulder. "You sound impressed, Bunce."

"I am," Penelope says. "Your mother was a hero. She developed a spell for gnomeatic fever. And she was the youngest headmaster in Watford history."

Baz is looking at Penny like they've never met.

LIKE????????? AM I WRONG

[...] "It was brilliant," Penny says. "I've read the minutes."

"Where?" Baz asks her.

"We have them in our library at home," she says. "My dad loves marriage rites. Any sort of family magic, actually. He and my mother are bound together in five dimensions."

"That's lovely," Baz says, and I'm terrified because I think he means it.

fucking. amazing how well you can get along w someone when u just have a normal fucking pleasant conversation w them, imagine that

-

"Interesting," Baz rubs his chin. "My mother hung the moon."

"She was a legend," Penelope beams.

"I thought your parents hated the Pitches," I say.

They both look at me like I've just stuck my hand in the soup bowl.

LMFAO SIMON

literally fuckign

"That's politics," Penelope says. "We're talking about magic."

"Obviously," I say. "What was I thinking."

"Obviously," Baz says. "You weren't."

"What's happening right now?" I say. "What are we even doing?"

LOL HE CAN'T TAKE IT he's fuckin short circuiting

Penelope folds her arms and squints at the chalkboard. "We," she declares, "are finding out who killed Natasha Grimm-Pitch."

"The legend," Baz says.

Penelope gives him a soft look, the kind she usually saves for me. "So she can rest in peace."

WHEEZES

THEM...... FRIENDS....... THIS IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT TO ME......... this could've gone so differently man penny coulda been like simon, all on guard against baz and reluctantly working with him but NO the author made a point to say No These Two Get Along Super Well Actually Lmao LIKE!!!!!!!! it must be so fucking bizarre for simon to see his best friend and his worst enemy getting on so well right before his eyes it's DELICIOUS,

fuck this book is so good it's so GOOD this is EVERYTHING

-

[Baz] Penelope Bunce is a fierce magician, I don't mind saying.

[...]

I can tell she still finds me both loathsome and distasteful, but Rome wasn't built on mutual admiration. She's got a fine mind for magickal history--her house must be teeming with forbidden books--and half her opinions would get her thrown in a dungeon if her name were Pitch instead of Bunce.

love this perspective on things like they're so similar in a lot of ways but from completely different worlds, essentially just more on "things might be different if our lives weren't dictated by the war" and such

(which speaking of, another fun lil contrast, between penny and simon, is how easily she was able to put aside her distaste for baz & his family and jump into helping them, how quickly she was able to just. start talking to him like nothing. simons having all these internal struggles about Right and Wrong and Betraying The Mage, meanwhile penny's like yea it's not a big deal i'm interested so i want in and that's that

i know that's a bit of an oversimplification but my point is things aren't so black and white for penny as they are for simon; he has a harder time committing to something so off-script, while penny finds out they're doing this and goes Alright How Can I Help. i just think it's a neat contrast, especially considering the conversation they had earlier highlighting their different views on the mage; how she doesn't mind working with "the enemy" as much as simon does)

-

Snow puts down a book and comes to take the jug of milk off the tray. He lifts it towards his mouth, and I kick his shin.

"Anathema!" he says.

"I'm not trying to hurt you; I'm trying to protect you from your own disgusting manners. The room won't blame me this time, you oaf. There are glasses right here."

GOD LMAO

also simon????? hello??????????? why is he like this

-

She picks up a sandwich and sits on Snow's bed, crossing her legs. I could see right up her skirt if I felt like it--and if I tipped my head a bit.

whh. h. ????? Huh??? why would u say this. why did he fucking say this. r u trying to prove ur not straight. is this the opposite of gay thoughts. what is this im gonnag

-

"It doesn't have to make sense," Snow says. "The Humdrum sent the vampires. Just like that dragon today. It didn't want to be here either."

I wasn't sure Snow realized that, or believed me when I told him. I thought he was going to murder that dragon hen in cold blood in front of the whole school.

*telltale games voice* Baz will remember that.

-

"Wait a minute...." Bunce takes the book from him and hands him her sandwich to hold; he takes a bite.

SIMON

"There's nothing about the Humdrum." She flips ahead to the story about my mother's death, then scans it with her finger. "No Humdrum here either."

She closes the book and taps the cover with her ring. "Fine-tooth comb--Humdrum!" The book opens, and the pages start rifling forward. They pick up speed towards the end; then the book slams shut on her lap.

"No mentions," Penny says.

HELLO god what i would give for shit like that in real life are u KIDDING ME #1 most useful spell in this entire BOOK

(also i feel like it's typos but this baz pov chapter keeps switching between calling penny bunce, penelope and penny and it's throwing me off so much like is that INTENTIONAL. it feels so out of character. i could see penelope but DEF not penny)

"That doesn't make sense," I say. "The Humdrum existed then. The first dead spot appeared in the late '90s. Near Stonehenge. We've studied it in Magickal History."

"I know," she says. "My mother was pregnant with me when it happened. She and Dad visited the site."

i am once again saying

👀

i have like. not talked about the humdrum at all in these liveblogs lol but alright theory time

so we know the humdrum is this fuckin Thing that sucks magic out of places, which then become dead spots. and also that he looks like simon, and keeps sending shit to attack simon at school

we ALSO know that baz was born in 1997 (was 5 y/o in 2002) and JUST learned that penny was also born in the late 90s, which means we can assume that simon was born at the same time

and the humdrum's first dead spot appeared in the late 90s

so idk i am Just Saying that it would be a wild coincidence if the humdrum's appearance didn't have SOMETHING to do w simon being born

and also, the humdrum sucks magic out of places. simon has an absolute ABUNDANCE of magic. he is overflowing with this shit. it makes him explode

i dont have like, a Concrete Theory yet, but i wanna say the humdrum like. IS a part of simon in some way, like a manifestation of his magic or his emotions or both or some shit.

like i mean it's pretty obvious it has SMTH to do w simon, seeing as it takes on his form and attacks him specifically, but like. i think there's more to it than just "it's this evil guy that wants to take simon down bc he's the prophesied Most Powerful Mage Ever," like. i think the humdrum came into existence as a direct result of simon's existence in some way

and uh. that's all i got for now tee hee

-

"Did you feel the Humdrum?" Snow asks. "That day in the nursery?"

"I was a bit distracted," I say.

"What did they tell you?" Bunce asks.

"What did who tell me?"

"Your family. After your mother died."

"They didn't tell me anything. What was there to say?"

[...]

Snow clears his throat. "Baz, when did you first hear that it was the Humdrum who sent the vampires?"

They're imagining my father sitting me down in a leather club chair and saying, "Basilton, there's something I need to tell you...."

He's never said those words.

Nobody tells anyone anything in my family. You just know. You learn to know.

he says it like it's so fucked up but this is exactly what my family's like LOL

well ok not to the extent he's talking abt but we fuckin. none of my siblings or i ever came out to each other we just kinda find out randomly and go haha nice

(thats probs normal if we all grew up mormon tho 😬)

-

I take a sandwich and the apple, and stand up. "I need some air."

I wait until I'm down in the Catacombs to tuck in. I don't really like eating in front of people.

taking his dinner down to the catacombs like a little Beast, Wretched Creature

u know how they say eating meals together is like a sign of closeness and all that, and how it can be used in writing to show the closeness of the characters. how throughout this whole chapter simon and penny have been sharing food and taking bites of each other's sandwiches and climbing over each other to get to shit ("She leans over Snow's lap to reach the brownies.") like it's the most casual thing in the world. how baz takes his shit and Literally walks all the way down the tower stairs, across the fuckin school and hides Underground to eat his food

desperately wanna see him get to a point where he feels comfortable eating in front of them, both simon AND penny, GIVE me shared meals i NEED IT

-

and ok i actually. i think we're at the point i can talk abt all those 👀's i was throwing out earlier lol

"It seemed like dozens, but that can't be right, because I was the only child who was bitten."

"after she neatly decapitated another who was threatening her very own son."

natasha (baz's mom) was also bitten

"vampires don't normally attack wizards"

bruh u CAN'T be telling me it's a coincidence that out of everyone at the nursery baz & natasha were the ONLY ones bitten like!!!!! if i'm reading that right it seems like natasha decapitated one vampire who tried to bite baz, and then Another one came to finish the job just as she herself was bitten. why were they SO focused on getting to baz hmm. HMMM.

and they start talking about how little sense it makes for them to have attacked watford, of all places

"I can't think of a more difficult place for a vampire to get blood," she says, "than Watford, in the middle of the day."

[...] "Yeah, but it's Watford." She shakes her long hair. "Even back then, there was a wall of wards against dark creatures."

so not only do they not normally attack wizards, but the one time they did was against a heavily guarded fortress, basically. it clearly wasn't an attack for the sake of feeding, but for some other much more specific reason. something against the pitch family in particular

again, no concrete theories or anything but i think it was Pretty Clearly a targeted attack

---

leaving it there for this time hehe..,,,,, i think we might actually catch up to where i've read up to next time, if i play my cards right, which is insane and wild and i am pumping my fist and barking like a frat boy HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO

i think i originally got that far in like 2 or 3 days and now it's been probs over a week at this point since then so aghagjag when i tell u im fuckin READY..... HOO BOY

likee comment sus :)

[tanksforasking]

YOU'RE OUT HERE MAKING MY *LIFE.* Maybe something where tony gets hit during a fight and thinks he's fine but he's actually either concussed or bleeding internally, and after the battle he's all loopy and they (whoever you like lol i'm not picky on this part) think it's adrenaline, then he's cranky and they think it's exhaustion, then he's collapsing and they're like "oh fuck" (PS if you don't like this i can try again!)

OOOIIIIIEEE IT’S PAST 2 AM AND I HAVE WORK TOMORROW.  I AM AN IDIOT.  Anyhoo, this one is for you and that adorable prompt @taylortut!  Idk if this is exactly what you wanted, but I gave it my best shot!  (Also plz tell me if I missed any grammar stuff or if something just straight up doesn’t make sense cause my eyes are too tired to catch everything rn.  Also Also this will be cross-posted to AO3 and FFN).  Enjoy!  

                                               Word Count: 1391

Tony certainly was by no means unfamiliar with crash-landings.  It could be said that they had become somewhat of an occupational hazard for him.  But, unlike most things he seemed to encounter in his line of work, crashes always seemed a lot scarier then they actually were.  Once the initial shock wore off, he could usually just pick himself up, dust himself off, and get right back into the fight.  Rarely was one of his unfortunate meetings with the pavement or the side of a building something that actually caused any severe ramifications.  

Key word being rarely.  

It had been a typical downtown scuffle for the Avengers.  Another lunatic that happened to get access to weapons way beyond their pay grade and used them to wreak absolute havoc on the basis of some half-baked ideology and a superiority complex.  By all means, it should’ve been an easy takedown.  

And it almost was.  

Unfortunately, said psycho happened to pack one Hell of a punch, and just before Sam came in for the final, aerial takedown, the jerk managed to land one last, lucky hit...  

Right to the back of Tony’s head.  

The next few moments seemed to defy time itself.  The moment the criminal’s armored fist made contact with the back of his helmet, Tony felt a brief sensation of exploding pain travel across his skull, followed by total, encompassing darkness.  When he did come to again, it was just in time to see a cement wall inches away from his face, the distance between he and it closing rapidly.  The pain from the impact could barely be distinguished from the lingering ache of the initial strike, the cries of his worried teammates through the coms only aggravating his condition.  

Rhodey’s voice was the first he could truly register throughout the cacophony.  “Tony, you still with us, man?”  

Tony grunted, shifting under the light rubble that now covered him.  Despite the natural aching in his head that would come after such a blow, he couldn’t detect any major bodily damage.  Unfortunately, after several tries, he was unable to activate FRIDAY to confirm his theory, the AI system most likely having been damaged in the crash.  It was something he made a mental note to check on later.  

“Yeah, Rhodes, I’m here.  Did Sam take down crazy?” he finally answered, steeling himself to get back up and fight if needed.  

The sigh of relief on the other end was nearly tangible.  “You have us worried for a moment there, Tones,” he chuckled, “and yeah.  Sam’s got him detained and DODC’s already on their way to clean out his warehouse.  We’re all done here.  How are you?”  

Tony mentally scanned himself again.  Admittedly, it was difficult to tell if anything was out of place with the throbbing of his head overwhelming almost every other sensation, but nothing seemed to be horrendously wrong, so he diagnosed himself as fine and began to dust the rubble off.  “All good, just gotta dig myself out a bit.”  In the distance, Tony could hear sirens, confirming for him that first responders were almost on the scene and their job was done.  

Rhodey’s voice crackled through the coms again.  “We sent your Spider-kid your way just a moment ago.  You should have some help getting you out of there pretty soon.”

Tony sighed, offered a quick thanks and surveyed his surroundings once more.  The dust was clearing, and it seemed like it would be fairly easy to get out on his own.  Still, with the lingering dizziness that wasn’t seeming to lighten up with time, he wasn’t going to turn away the extra help.  Who were they sending again to him again?  Was it Sam?  

Before he could recall, his question was answered by the overly-cheerful shouts of Peter Parker as he approached.  

“Hey, Mr. Stark!”  Peter’s voice seemed to reverberate through Tony’s brain, leaving his ears ringing.  Or had they been ringing before?  He honestly couldn’t remember.  “Ya good down there, sir?  Mr. Rhodes sent me to come get you outta here!”  Peter called out again as Tony winced, struggling to comprehend exactly what the kid was saying through the pressure in his skull.  God his head was pounding.  Was it normal for the pain to last this long?  He felt like it wasn’t.  

“Hey kid…” he mustered up the strength to speak, but even so, his words came out slightly slurred. “Couldja maybe use your inside voice?  My head’s still a bit on the tender side right now.”

“Oh, yeah!  Right!” the younger of the two replied in a sort of loud whisper.  “Sorry!  I uh… think I just gotta move this one last block and then you’ll be good to go!”  

“Thanks kid...” Tony grunted before letting his eyes fall closed, the inky blackness being the only measure of relief from the pain he could find.  

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard Peter calling his name once again.  

“Mr. Stark?  Mr. Stark!  You can get up now!  I cleared a path for you!”  Peter’s loud whispers echoed in his ears again, every harsh syllable feeling like a hammer against his frontal lobe.  

Tony groaned, moving to stand before he was pulled back down in a wave of dizziness.  His vision was swimming and everything was fuzzy.  Who was talking again?  Why was it so loud?  

Getting unsteadily to his feet once more, he stumbled blindly forwards, trying to grasp onto something, anything to steady him.  

He soon felt some slight support, as if someone was grabbing his wrists and trying to hold him upright.  

“Woah… Mr. Stark, maybe you should sit down…?”  a quiet, worried, and high-pitched voice rang out in front of him.  

Peter.  That voice was Peter.  Peter was the one holding him up right now.  He sounded worried.  He was worried… about him?  What had happened?  

Oh… yeah.  The crash.  That would at least explain the pounding in his head.  

He needed to keep Peter calm.  After that, he just needed to get back to the compound and sleep the rest of it off.  Then everything would be okay.  

“No, it’s fine, I’m just - ”

Peter cut him off before he could finish a proper excuse.  “Mr. Stark, lift up your mask for a sec?”

Perhaps against his better judgement, Tony obliged, squinting and blinking as the now unfettered sunlight hit his sore eyes.  Everything was out of focus and the world felt like it was spinning.  But, through the fog, he could still hear Peter’s voice of concern.  

“Woah your pupils are like, totally uneven.  I’m pretty sure you got a concussion, sir.”

Tony mumbled out a half-hearted rejection, not having the strength to fully refute what was so obviously true.  Hell, all really cared about at the moment was the hope that the world would stop spinning.  

“You’re showing all the symptoms.  We learn about this stuff in health class, ya know.”  Peter chuckled slightly, obviously trying to make light of what was probably an uncomfortable situation for him.  “Why don’t we get Mr. Rhodes to take you back to the compound and get you an appointment with medical, eh?”  Peter’s awkward laughs continued as he wrapped his arm around Tony’s middle and guided him out of the surrounding rubble, com already activated.  “Mr. Rhodes, we’re gonna need an evac over here.  Mr. Stark probably… well, more like definitely’s got a concussion.  Probably not the best idea to have him flying back on his own like this.”  

Tony was vaguely aware of some affirmative banter between the two before he decided to object.  

“Alright, alright kid.  No need for any of that.  I can make it back on my own.”  He figured his argument would have been a lot more convincing had he not nearly tripped and fell as he finished the thought.  

Peter smiled a bit, obviously trying not to laugh before setting his features again in what seemed to be an attempt to appear stern.  “Uh-uh, sorry Mr. Stark, but you wouldn’t let me do this on my own, and I’m not letting you!”  

Tony couldn’t help but smile as the boy’s grip noticeably tightened around his waist.  Later, he’d blame the sentimentality on the concussion, but deep down, he knew that he had a good kid.  

“Dang it, kid.  Stop making such great points.”

[savetheblackpaladin]

I was driving today, and I imagined Hunk was teaching me, even though I already know how to drive and I don't know, maybe you can write something in which the paladins are teaching their s/o or something how to drive?? Or maybe they're just being really annoying about it lmao

This is adorable. And I feel you. When I have to drive on a long trip by myself I imagine I’m on a road trip with my fave characters and we dance like idiots to my music. Or all scream when there’s snow on the ground and my car turns into a metal death trap. Fun stuff!

Shiro + His Expedition:

“You…you don’t know how to drive? Nono, you’re fine! Yeah, I can teach you!”

what a sweet man. but you ain’t getting in his baby without your driver’s permit so tough shit

“Ok, so that’s the brake, that’s the gas. Both are a little touchy so press gentle ok? She’s an old girl. And that’s the blinker, please use it…”

he goes on and on about where things are. even going to far as to show you the radio and the ac/heater system even though you’re not allowed to touch either when driving

“Two hands on the wheel at all times. Ten and 2 o’ clock are where your hands should always be.”

yes mom

Seems calm and collected all the way until the point where you turn the car on. Then he realizes that he is in fact in a very large car, that you don’t know how to drive, that’s not really beginner friendly.

“Slowly…slowly…slow-THIS ISN’T SLOWLY!”

“Shiro, I haven’t even touched the gas. We’re just rolling…”

“…Right! Good job! Let’s just uh, let’s test out those brakes! They are you’re best friend.” *awkward smile*

he’s pretty sure his white patch has grown by the time you finally drive home

“So, can I try again tomorrow?”

*sweats nervously* “Ye-ah, sure. Totally okay! No problemo! Excellente! Okie dokie, artichokie!”

“I wasn’t even that bad!”

“I know, I’m sorry!”

it takes a few times, but eventually he loosens up enough to let you have fun with Black and kinda enjoys not having to always be the one to drive

Hunk + His Truck, Butter:

“Awww, babe. Can you drive? I’m ti~ired….What do you mean you can’t drive? Huh, ok, can’t believe I didn’t notice. We’re changing that tomorrow, it’s like a…uhm, what the word here, a rite of passage!”

please be careful with Butter, she’s his baby and and a classic

“Ok, so this girl is a manual. There’s your clutch and here’s the shifter, don’t get the brake and gas confused with the clutch. Please.”

really chill about you driving his car, but not quite ready to have you leave the parking lot quite yet. might take you out of the city for a bit, maybe drive around on some dirt roads

“You’re doing awesome! Ok, so get a little loose now, you don’t need to keep both hands on the wheel and stick unless you’re in a tense situation. Keep relaxed, let Butter do the talking, you just listen to her.”

“Nice park job, but let’s try making it in one go this time.”

Might be a little nervous when you get out on the road though

“Ok, you’re a little close to the right line, let’s move a little ove–TOO FAR OH MY GOD!”

“Let’s try easing on the brakes ok? I’m getting nauseous.”

He stops at parallel parking

“STOP! Stopstopstop! You’re gonna hit that truck! Ok–whew, breathe Hunk, breathe.” His eyes are closed and he looks like he’s struggling to remain calm.

“Did-did I do bad?” You’re nervous but luckily there’s no traffic around to see you half out of your spot.

“Not…bad,” he opens one eye to peek at you, “just…we’ll practice more later. I can’t take much more. Let’s find a different spot.”

You feel your stomach drop, “Oh…yeah, sure.”

“Hey now,” he reaches over to squeeze your shoulder, “It’s alright. You’re still learning. Keep that cute chin up!”

still the main driver but some days, when he’s just too tired, he’s really glad that he taught you. Totally worth the week of indigestion.

Lance + His Camry:

is absolutely ecstatic when he finds out you can’t drive

bc 1. it’s adorable for some reason?

and 2. he gets to pass on his skillz

also he’s got a perfect training car. Camry’s are freaking tanks and never die Heroes never die

“Go ahead, start her!” He waits with a shit-eating grin because his car is a sensitive lady and usually doesn’t start for anyone but him and Hunk.

But she starts right away, even easier than she does for him.

he’s not jealous

nope

no way

ok fine, he’s a little jealous

“So before we put her in gear, what exactly do you know about driving? Because I don’t want to treat you like an idiot or something.”

Luckily the Camry is an automatic so Lance is pretty unconcerned with taking you immediately out into the road

he’s got so much trust in you

“Yeah, getting her into drive is a little tricky. You’ll miss it the first time and slip straight into second. Just give her a little bump back into drive. Perfect!”

high five!

might have forgotten to put his seatbelt on and when you first used the brakes he went flying into the dash

“That one is on me. Rule numero uno: seatbelt.” Satisfied he’s not bleeding he continues, “Let’s just be a little lighter on the breaks. You wanna lightly press down and continue pressing down slowly towards the floor until you stop. Just one lo~ong, slow, good push.”

“Was…was that a sex joke?”

“It was bad wasn’t it? Sorry.”

Makes you practice parking next to other bad park jobs, just so you get a feel for how the Camry handles

“I think I’m gonna hit that car.”

“Naw babe, you still have a couple of inches. Let it roll….ok, now stop. Back up a bit but turn the wheel all the way in the opposite direction. Stop. Now you can slide all the way in.” *eyebrow waggle*

“Please stop using those words.”

He’s really soft and excellent at explaining what you need to do and surprisingly, he doesn’t panic.

Only grabs the wheel once when you were coming off the highway and the turn ramp was turning harder than you were and he needed to stop you from running off the road

Afterwards explains that it was all good and that he is in no way disappointed or scared about your driving skills. Turns are scary sometimes.

Now he just tosses you the keys when he doesn’t want to drive. He likes being able to do that. Sometimes, a boy just wants to gaze forlornly out a rainy window while driving to Del Taco.

Keith + His Motorcycle:

“You…wanna learn to ride a bike? Uh yeah, I can-I can do that.”

He nervous. How does one teach a person to ride a motorcycle?

Decides the best way is to sit behind you so he can yell directions or quickly take over if necessary

also, now he gets to wrap his arms around you

“You can ride a bicycle right? I don’t have to worry about you falling over?”

Has you sit on it first with the kickstand down, pointing out the hand clutch, the throttle, the gear shifter by your left foot, the brake by your right

“Rule of thumb: the left side changes gears, the right changes speed. I know it’s weird, but we’ll get it!” 

He’s so sincere about teaching you but honestly? He thinks it’s really hot to see you on his bike.

Looks bored the whole time but he’s trying to remain as neutral as possible, so he doesn’t scare you or something with his over-eagerness

“Keith, I can’t tell if I’m doing okay or not.”

“You’re doing great. You’re a natural.”

“Can you say that with feeling???? I’m getting mixed messages here.”

getting balanced is the hardest part

He’s doing his best to let you catch the bike but he can’t resist long

keeps his feet just off the ground but still straight out so he’s the one keeping you from falling over

his excuse is that he has stronger legs, not that he thinks your gonna drop Red or anything (it’s his biggest fear rn)

Finds a nice parking lot to practice in 

doesn’t have you go fast at all, just kinda put-putting along, getting a feel for the shifter

realizes that he’s probably a hindrance on the back but he’s scared you’ll fall over or off or somehow zoom too fast and crash

he needs to be close enough to just turn it off

lets you control the turns, working as a counter weight

his heart is in his throat now because you both could very easily topple over

he doesn’t want you hurt or scared to be on his bike because of one tumble

also he doesn’t want to have to buff Red out, because he will

but he gets bored easily. The moment you are able to stop it in second and drop it down to neutral he’s taking you on the road

nothing major though, you take the back streets home

probably won’t offer to let you drive. Red is his girl. But if you ask nicely, he’ll let you take the reins.

low-key is keeping an eye out for cheaper bikes he can fix up for you

Pidge + Her Prius:

“Yeah, no, you’re not going another second without knowing how to drive. Strap in loser, you’re getting the crash course.”

Ok, so Prius’ are weird but that’s half the fun!

“Guess where you put the key?” She’s got a shit-eating grin too. This gremlin.

“Th-there’s no key? I don’t...Pidge what do I do?”

“Oh don’t pout, you know it’s my weakness. See that hole in the dash? Put the fob in it and press start.”

“Seriously. I press start? Am I playing Nintendo or something?”

She snorts, “It’s exactly like that! Ok ok, so now it’s on.”

“You sure? Because I didn’t feel it turn on.”

“You doubting me?”

She also laughs when you see the shifter. It’s a freaking knob on the dash. Also, you press the park button to get into park???

WHAT THE HELL IS A PRIUS

“Ok so, the windows are tiny as hell in here. You gotta twist around to see where other people are while you’re moving. We got a clear road, go ahead and practice checking your blind spot.”

Might get a little nauseous during this part. You keep over correcting and swerving back into your lane.

“Ok, let’s just...take it easy...we can just chill in the right lane all the way to Jamba Juice. I don’t care how much slower it is.”

Fucks with you just once

You’re at a four-way stop and it’s about your turn when she reaches over and presses the power button, causing it to immediately die

She’s cackling because you can’t get it to turn back on and the other car is waiting for you to go

eventually they do and you’re yelling at Pidge who thinks this is hilarious

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist doing it at least once. Just put it back into park and then you can restart it.”

“Jokes aside babe, you’re doing great. I almost feel like I’m not about to die.”

doesn’t mind you driving now. but she does not like it when big trucks and semis get close while she’s a passenger. She so smol and so scared

she needs to be in control

she drives on freeways and highways. she can suffer in the city