#this little old lady came over with cables and said her dad had always told her to keep them in her car

[the-nameless-wacky-inventor]

*curled in a ball crying* kind strangers my beloved

[hopelikethemoon]

Christmas Morning (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Christmas Morning Rating: PG Length: 2000 Warnings: FLUFF Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Christmas Day 1998.  Summary: Presents are opened. 

@grapemama​​​​​​ @seawhisperer​​​​​​ @huliabitch​​​​​​ @beccaplaying​​​​​​ @rogrsnbarnes​​​​​​@thewallpapergoesorido @twomoonstwosuns​​​​​ @gooddaykate​​​​​​ @livasaurasrex​​​​@ham4arrow​​​​​​@plexflexico @readsalot73​​​​​ @hdlynn​​​​​​ @lokiaddicted​​​​​​ @randomness501​​ @fioccodineveautunnale​​​  @roxypeanut​​​​ @snivellusim​​​​​​ @lukesrighthand​​​​​ @historynerd04 @mrsparknuts​​​​​​@synystersilenceinblacknwhite​​​​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​​ @exrebelshocktrooper​​​​​@awesomefandomsunited @ah-callie​​​​​​ @swhiskeys​​​​​​ @lady-tano​ @u-wakatoshii​​​ @space-floozy​​​​​@cable-kenobi​​​​​​ @cool-ultra-nerd @himbopoes​​​​​​ @findhimfives​​​​​​ @pedrosdoll​​​​​​ @frietiemeloen​​​​​​@arrowswithwifi​​​​​​ @random066​​ @uncomicalhumour​​​​​ @heather-lynn​​​​​ @domino-oh-damn​​​​@cyarikaaa​​​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​​​​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​​​​​​  @yabby-girl​​​​​ @xqueenofthecraziesx​​​​​ @punkass-potato​​​​@coredrive​​​​​​ @pascalesque​​​​​​@theduchessofkirkcaldy @queenquazar​​​​​​ @sabinemorans​​​​​​ @buckstaposition​​​​​​ @holkaskrosnou​​​​​​@yespolkadotkitty​​​​​​ @fleetwoodmactshirt​​​​​ @seeking-a-great–perhaps @kochamcie​​​​​​ @jaime1110​​​​​​@katlikeme​

“Mommy, look what Nadia got me!” Josie shouted, getting your attention as you looked through the viewfinder of the camcorder. She proudly held up a bright pink CD-Rom game, “It’s the fashion designer game I’ve wanted for forever!”

Javier gave you a look, “I think she just shaded you.”

You rolled your eyes, “Thank Nadia for it.”

“The kid’s got style. How could I resist?” Nadia shrugged. “Next time we watch you, we’ll play with it, alright?”

Josie nodded her head, “Thank you.”

Chucho chuckled, “Just you wait until she opens my presents.” He took a sip of coffee before sitting it aside and taking the very squirmy Sofía out of your arms. 

“Mommy!” Josie squealed. “Monica got me the nail designer too!” She beamed at the camera.

“Looks like this is a very Barbie Christmas.” Javier remarked, resting his hand on the top of your thigh and giving it a squeeze. You pulled your housecoat around you tighter and leaned into his side. 

Josie moved onto her grandfather’s gifts, which included the Barbie Riding Club game and a matching Barbie doll. 

“Look!” Josie brandished the doll, pouting a little. “But I still don’t have a pony.”

“Hmm.” Javier tapped his chin thoughtfully, “I wonder if Santa knew. Maybe you should open your stocking.”

Josie scrambled across the floor to grab the stocking out from under the tree, before retreating back into her spot in front of the camera. 

“Clothing…” She huffed, tossing them aside like any little girl would, before she got her hands on the big toy. “A horse! Daddy, I got my pony!” She ooed and awed as she stared at the package. 

“And it walks,” You told her with a grin. 

Mitch leaned over the back of the sofa, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “That smile right there reminds me of a certain sixteen year old and Dove.”

“Oh God.” You hid your face. 

“Who’s Dove?” Javier questioned. 

You playfully swatted Mitch’s hand off your shoulder. “The guitar I got for Christmas after I moved in with them,” You explained, scrunching up your nose “It was black and had this stupid white dove on the front.”

“She was just the cutest thing,” Darla remarked from behind the sofa where she was sitting beside Mitch on the chairs Javier had pulled in from the dining table. “But she was no Stevie Nicks.” 

Javier grinned at you, rubbing his hand up and down your leg, “I didn’t know you played.” 

“Not well.” You assured him, making a face as you pressed your lips against his shoulder. 

“She wasn’t terrible,” Mitch amended. “Not great, but not terrible.” 

“Mommy, are you getting this?” Josie questioned as she tugged on a dress over her pajamas. 

Monica laughed, “Why don’t we do a fashion show later?”

“Does Tate want to do a fashion show?” Josie questioned. 

Tate clenched his teeth and grimaced, looking towards you and his parents for a way out. 

“Tate would love to be in your fashion show,” Mitch told Josie, patting Tate on the back. 

“Thanks dad.” He grumbled, shaking his head. 

“Now, let’s see what mommy and daddy got for you.” Javier said, gesturing to the large box that was still sitting under the Christmas tree.

“But I’ve already got everything I wanted!” Josie announced, even as she hauled the box over and started peeling away the wrapping paper. She stopped once she realized what was in the box, her jaw dropping as she looked directly at the camera, before looking towards you and Javier. “Mommy!” She grinned at you. 

“Well, let us see.” Chucho remarked, taking another sip of coffee. 

Josie quickly peeled away the paper and proudly held up the American Girl doll that you had been eyeing for over a year. As soon as that catalog showed up in the mail last Christmas… you had known you had to buy it for her. 

“What’s her name?” Monica questioned, tilting her head as she tried to catch a glimpse of what the name was, but Josie was quick to turn it back around so only she could see it. 

“Her name is Josefina! Just like me!” 

“No kidding,” Chucho remarked, looking at you and Javier then. “That worked out didn’t it.” 

You laughed, biting on your thumbnail. “An arm and a leg later.” 

“Let me see,” Nadia said, holding her hand out to take the box from Josie. “Josefina Montoya.”

“Wait a stinky minute!” Josie jumped up suddenly, racing down the hallway towards her bedroom. 

You pursed your lips and looked between the other adults in the room, “Where do children get those phrases?” You laughed, sitting up a little as you looked down the hallway as she came trotting back with a book in her hands. Ah. 

“You’ve been reading to me about her, Mommy! You clever lady!” She jumped onto the sofa, nearly causing Chucho to spill his coffee beside you as she threw herself onto yours and Javier’s laps. 

“I wanted you to know all about your new friend,” You told her, poking her in the belly. “I hope you realize you’ve been spoiled rotten today.” 

“It’s because I was a good girl all year.” Josie grinned brightly at you, tucking her hands under her head as she reclined back on you. 

Javier tapped his finger against her nose, “And now you’ve gotta be a good girl for a whole new year.” 

She sighed dramatically, “Well, I’ve gotta be good for sissy.” Josie sat up and walled her way in between you and Chucho to dote on her sister. 

Mitch leaned over the sofa, “You’ve done good, kid.” 

You smiled back at him, “I’ve tried to.” 

“So what did you two get each other?” Monica questioned. “I noticed you two already did gifts.” 

Javier snorted, “That’s what happens when you’re parents and you get up before the little ones.” He curled his arm around your shoulders, “Aside from the grill, someone got me the Star Wars trilogy on VHS.” 

“And a couple new games for his Playstation,” You said, patting his leg. “And he got me an office chair for our office at school.” You shrugged. The real gift had been the update to the silver bracelet you wore. Hidden under the band, away from anyone’s gaze, was a special date in May — etched in alongside all the other important dates in your lives. 

You still couldn’t believe that a few feet away, unbeknownst to everyone except for Chucho — the picture of the two of you, fresh out of saying your vows, hung on the wall without anyone knowing. 

Your little secret. 

“You know, the fact that you play video games gives me hope for other people from your generation.” 

“You’re right behind us,” You reminded her with a pointed look.

“You and Javier are Boomers,” Nadia pointed out. “Monica and I are Generation X.” 

“I feel like this is a slam.” Javier remarked, his brows drawn together skeptically. “Is this a slam?”

“Now we know where Josie’s getting her zingers.” 

Josie nodded her head, “I get all the zingers, mommy.” She grabbed at your hand and kissed it. “I love you mommy.” 

“Aw, I love you too sweetheart.” You kissed the top of her head. 

“You too, daddy.” 

“Love you, princesa.” 

Josie jumped off the sofa, startling Stevie who jerked awake. “I love everyone in this room!” She announced, before snatching up her American Girl doll box and heading back towards her bedroom. 

“I so thought the horse would be the biggest draw,” You remarked with a shake of your head. “I guess you can’t always know.” You took the baby back from Chucho, settling her into the spot in between you and Javier so she could recline back against him. 

Chucho gave your arm a pat before he hauled himself off the sofa, “I’m gonna make another cup, now that the fun’s over with.” 

“Make a whole pot, will you? I need coffee.” You said as you stifled a yawn. 

Mitch got up from his chair and walked around to take Chucho’s seat on the sofa. “Thank you for inviting us back into your life.” He said, gesturing towards Tate and Darla. “Not a day went by that I didn’t worry about you. Hoping that you’d turn out alright, despite everything. And you have.” 

You felt tears prickle behind your eyelids as you blinked slowly, “Thank you, Mitch. I wish I’d made more of an effort.” 

“It all works out in the end,” He said with a wave of his hand. “You and your family are welcome in Philly.” Mitch looked towards Monica and Nadia then, “You two as well.” 

“Really?” Monica smiled. “I’m honored.” 

“You’re family.” Mitch said with a warm smile, before he looked back at you. “I’m proud of you and I know dad would be… God, he’d be thrilled to see how well you’ve done for yourself. That’s all he ever wanted.” 

You wiped at your eyes, “I don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t set everything up for me. I know I’m really lucky.” You knew there were hundreds of thousands of kids who went through the same bullshit you did — every day. 

Monica had shitty parents. Connie’s mother was in the running for craziest mother of the year. 

“I just want to do right by my girls.” You told him. “They deserve the world I didn’t have.” 

Javier squeezed your shoulder three times as he kept his arm curled around you. “I’m glad you welcomed Mitch into our family,” He started with an amused tone in his voice. “Otherwise I’d never know you could play the guitar.” He snapped his fingers. “Steve’s got one.”

You turned your head slowly and glared at him, “No.” 

“Oh, come on.” 

“No!” You laughed, slapping his leg. 

“She really wasn’t that bad,” Mitch pointed out. “If she had actually practiced.”

You scrunched up your nose, “I felt weird taking lessons from your nanny.” 

“She was paid for it!” Darla assured you. “And to think, you could be some big name musician if you’d put a little effort into it.” 

“I wouldn’t have met Javier.” You said without hesitation. “There’s no variation of my life where I’d be okay with that.” 

“I dunno,” Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Maybe I’d be working security for your concerts.” 

You rolled your eyes, “No.” 

“You two go well together,” Mitch pointed out, drawing a line between the two of you. “I don’t think I ever saw this spark between you or any of the guys you brought home.” 

“MItch!” You shot him a look. “Shut up.” 

“No, no. I’m curious now.” Javier glanced around you. “What were these men li—” You covered his mouth with your hand before he could finish. 

“Nope. We are not having this conversation.” You warned him, turning back towards Mitch then. “Don’t.” You slowly uncovered Javier’s mouth. “I went to an all girl’s school, my choice of boys was narrowed down to Darla’s friends’ sons and the sons of the ladies at the DAR.” 

“They weren’t terrible.” Darla pointed out. 

“The were the poster boys for frat houses, college sports, and the dictionary definition of WASPs.” 

“Oh,” Javier tilted his head. “Lance?”

You made a face, “Unfortunately. In my defense it was Philadelphia.” 

“The pickings were slim.” Darla laughed. “But look what it’s led you to.” She patted the top of your head in a very familiar fashion, before she headed into the kitchen to get a cup of the coffee Chucho was brewing. 

“All that matters is that you’re happy, kid.” Mitch reminded you. 

“Oh, I am.” You assured him. “I think I’ve maxed out on happy.” 

“And we’ve maxed out on camera space.” Javier pointed out, setting Sofía in your lap as he scooted forward to fiddle with the camcorder. 

This was what Christmas was going to be like for the rest of your life. A stark contrast to the Christmases you remembered from years past — back when the holiday seemed like a black mark on the calendar because you never got to be with the people who actually loved you. 

Now you had that love and you were never letting it go. 

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

On Your Side (Part 2)

Summary: The reader is feeling better after her first session and things are looking up when Jared meets a new friend...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jared x daughter!reader

Word Count: 4,700ish

Warnings: language

______

“Sup Padalecki’s,” said Jensen, wandering in through the front door an hour later.

“Hi,” you called, giggling as you ate some of your taco. 

“Well that sounds like today went good,” he hummed, walking back to the kitchen and family room. Your dad waved from the couch, a few containers full of food on the coffee table as you both held one up and ate, watching a movie. Your dad snickered and Jensen raised an eyebrow, stepping in further to the room and immediately groaning. “No! No! Turn it off!”

“She’s not scared of My Bloody Valentine though,” said your dad with a little laugh.

“Sometimes we watch and make fun of it,” you said.

“Here I brought you two some homemade brownies,” he said, setting the container down on the counter. “This is how I’m repaid.”

“This one sides with Tom,” said your dad.

“His friends were horrible and Tom got the short end of it,” you said.

“You’re cool again. Him...well he never was,” said Jensen, walking around the back of the couch, lifting up your dad’s beanie.

“Do you mind?” he asked, Jensen humming as he looked at the small cut on his forehead he’d gotten from the pool.

“Nope,” he said, walking around and checking out his ankle as your dad grumbled. 

“Ackles,” your dad grumbled as Jensen looked him over, ruffling his hair when he took a seat between you. “So how’d it go?”

“Don’t you think maybe that’s a bit of a personal question?” asked your dad.

“I meant your session, not hers, dumbass,” said Jensen, stealing a few nachos from a container.

“Oh. Good. Better,” he said. Jensen nodded and turned to you. “Jay…”

“Well excuse me for asking my niece how she’s doing after a hard day yesterday,” he said.

“I’m okay, Jensen. I promise,” you said. 

“See? It was that simple,” he said as he leaned forward and grabbed a burrito, your hand shooting to his wrist.

“That’s the extra cheese one,” you said. “The only extra cheese one.”

“I take it this belongs to you?” he asked with a smile.

“Girl time is coming up. I’d let her have it unless you want to lose that arm,” said your dad. You rolled your eyes, Jensen chuckling as he handed it to you. “You have two girls, loser. Have fun with the period talk. And the sex one. We just got all that out of the way on the same day.”

“Dad, no offense but I sort of called De and she came over to help you through it. She’s the one that took us shopping, remember?” you said.

“At least yours is old enough that she doesn’t open a whole pack of overnight pads and stick them all over the bathroom,” said Jensen with a shake of his head. “It was pretty funny though.”

“Well you brought her chocolate so that’s always appreciated,” said your dad.

“You got those little heat packs? De likes those. You can just slap it on your pajamas, leave it on all night. Much easier than the heating pad,” said Jensen.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you two were such experts on the best way to deal with a period. How many have you had?” you said with a tilt of your head.

“Fair point,” said your dad.

“So you did the sex talk the same day?” asked Jensen, Jared nodding as he went back to eating. “What was that like?”

“Kid already knew everything,” he said, Jensen turning his head back at you. “Health class.”

“What were you doing knowing all that at that age?” he asked.

“Because I’m not a dumbass?” you laughed. “Maybe it’s better if you have De handle that conversation.”

“Maybe. That’s a long ways off though,” he said.

“Maybe not. Girls don’t hit puberty when they get their period. Normally a bunch of other shit happens first. Growth spurt. Hair. You need deodorant. Acne. Boobs. Being a girl kinda sucks,” you said.

“It ain’t all bad,” said your dad. “Girls are pretty awesome.”

“You guys are pretty cute,” said Jensen. “Even if you are obsessed with Disney movies. Zepp loves ‘em too if I’m being honest.”

“He’s three so that’s not surprising,” you said, handing over part of the cheese burrito to him.

“What’s this for?” he asked.

“Thanks. For yesterday,” you said.

“Aw. I love you too, munchkin,” he said, throwing his free arm around your shoulders, smushing his cheek against yours.

“Jensen,” you groaned.

“Keep her there while I take a picture,” said your dad, pulling out his phone. He hopped up on one foot and you saw a pout on his face. “Y/N.”

“Fine,” you said, putting on a smile, your dad standing there until you felt a tickle and you laughed as he took a picture.

“Got it,” he said as he sat back down.

“You two have been pulling that trick on me since I was two,” you said.

“Cause it’s fun,” said your dad. You rolled your eyes and went back to the movie for a few minutes, Jensen wiping his hands off when he finished with his food. “Heading out?”

“Mhm. Just stopping by for a minute. I’ll see you guys around,” he said.

“Night,” you both said as he headed back down the hall towards the front door.

“He seems clingy, don’t you think?” you asked.

“He’s worried is all. Uncle Jensen is a quiet worrier if you haven’t noticed,” said your dad.

“I know that. He seems weird is all,” you said.

“Well he found out yesterday that two people he loves are hurting. How do you think that made him feel?” he said.

“Not awesome,” you said.

“Mhm,” he said.

“I’ll be right back,” you said. You hopped out of your seat and jogged to the front door. You pulled it open as Jensen opened his car door. He paused as you ran outside and over to him. You gave him a quick hug, Jensen chuckling.

“Thanks, dork. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

“Dad and I are okay you know,” you said.

“I know,” he said. “Someone has to watch your backs though.”

“Dad’s never been as alone as I thought he was,” you said.

“Never. Neither are you. Now go. There’s too much sappiness going on lately. Remind me to push you in the pool when you guys are over this weekend,” he said.

“Can your frail old man body even do such a thing?” you said.

“Hey you know, Chris Evans? The guy you think is hot? My age.”

“First off, he’s younger than you. Second, he’s not ugly,” you teased.

“Jared! Your child is misbehaving!” shouted Jensen.

“I’m so proud of you sweetie!” you heard shouted back.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Jensen as you headed back inside. “Help him up to bed. That ankle is still pretty bruised.”

“I will,” you said. “You don’t have work tomorrow do you?”

“I haven’t had work since March,” he said with a smirk. “Aside from popping in the brewery. What’s up?”

“Can you maybe go swimming with him while I’m at school? I think he’s a little scared of the water now,” you said.

“Yeah I can do that,” he said.

“Thanks,” you said.

“Night,” he said. You hopped back inside and locked up, grabbing the container of brownies and plopping back on the couch.

“You almost missed the grocery store part,” said your dad, taking a dessert when you offered them. “Everything all good?”

“Yup. We’re good.”

Two Weeks Later

“You’re like, the best dad ever,” you said as your dad drive the two of you home from dinner after therapy.

“I know. Barbecue for dinner tends to help too,” he said.

“You know, you don’t have to drive me to therapy. I got my own car,” you said.

“Alright. You can take yourself next week,” he said. You hummed and stared out the window, giggling to yourself. “What?”

“Did you see that lady on the side of the road? She was kicking her tire,” you said.

“She was huh,” he said, pulling over onto the shoulder and putting in reverse. 

“Dad.”

“We’ll just check. Cell service is always spotty around here. Good deed for the day,” he said. “Could be some college student that doesn’t know anyone around here.”

“Fine,” you said as you came to a stop. He hopped out of the car and you watched in the rear view as a pretty dark haired woman spun around. You saw them talk for a moment and her face soften before your dad was back on the car. “What was it?”

“Sounds like her battery is dead. I told her we’d give her a jump,” he said, pulling out in the road before he turned around, parking the cars facing each other. “You get out too. I can show you how to use jumper cables if you ever got to.”

“Or I can call triple A,” you said.

“Or there’s no cell service and I don’t want you to be reliant on the help of a stranger.”

“That literally makes no sense. You need another car-“

“Y/N,” he groaned, going on and on until you took off your seatbelt. “Careful getting out.”

“Duh,” you said. You climbed out as your dad went to the back, wandering over to the hood.

“Hi,” said the woman with a tired sigh. 

“Hi,” you said, your dad carrying back two cables.

“Y/N, pop my hood for me. And uh…” he trailed off, staring at the woman.

“Gen and got it,” she said, going to her door and pulling the lever. You walked back around, your dad holding up a cable. He showed you how they went on before he leaned back against the side of the truck. “Thanks. I got three kids under ten in the backseat that are getting more than a little hangry for dinner.”

“We have leftovers,” you said, your dad raising an eyebrow. “From...dinner.”

“They like cornbread?” he asked.

“I couldn’t-“

“You can have it,” you said, glancing in her backseat, spotting two small boys and an even smaller girl, all looking bored out of their minds. You grabbed the container from the backseat of your truck and held it out to Gen, watching her cautiously take it for a minute. “It’s still warm.”

“Thanks,” she said. She opened it up and took a bite before she went to the backseat and handed some out to each of the kids. “What do you guys say?”

“Thank you!” you heard from back there before she shut the door. 

“You guys are lifesavers,” she said. 

“Nah. Just trying to be a good role model for this one,” said your dad. “Should only be about ten or so minutes before you guys are on your way.”

“Must be easier with just the one,” she said. 

“Single dad with a teenage daughter. Oh yeah, piece of cake,” he laughed.

“Single mom with three small kids,” she said.

“You win,” he said with a laugh. You watched her laugh when he did, very quickly looking him up and down when he wasn’t looking. You heard a squeal in the backseat and she sighed. “You watch the munchkins. We’ll handle the car.”

You waited until she was back at the back door, nudging your dad’s side.

“What?”

“She’s cute,” you said quietly.

“Y/N.”

“Just saying. She likes you,” you said.

“She does not. Don’t bring it up again,” he said. You rolled your eyes, getting a warning glance from him. You held up your hands and crossed your arms as Gen came back. You watched quietly as they spent the next ten minutes flirting, your dad eventually grabbing the cables and heading to the back of the truck. 

“Hey Gen?” you asked. She gave you a smile as you glanced back fast. “Listen, my dad’s shy and I know he likes you but if you tried to give him your number, I think he’d really like that.”

“Oh, he was getting my number regardless,” she said with a quiet laugh. “But that’s good to know.”

“What’s good to know?” he asked.

“Oh, just girl stuff,” she said. You gave her a smile and slipped past your dad and into the truck, smirking as you sat there watching them for a minute. You watched your dad tried to make himself smaller and rub the back of his neck, eventually trading phones with Gen and swapping them back. He ducked back in the truck and you saw Gen take off with her kids.

“So…” you teased, watching him stare out the front windshield.

“Shut it,” he said, pausing before he held out his hand for a fist bump. “I’ll admit, she’s cute.”

“Oh, flirty dad’s embarrassed,” you said. “I like this.”

“Y/N,” he said, giving you a quick look.

“Sorry. I’ve just never seen you...flirt like that,” you said. “I thought you liked her.”

“I did. I do,” he said, resting his head against his hand.

“Dad?”

“I guess it’s just been awhile since I liked someone,” he said.

“Are you okay?” you asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, quiet a moment before he put his hands on the wheel and started to get back on the road.

“Dad,” you said.

“Yeah baby?” he asked.

“You look confused...and happy.”

“That’s accurate,” he said.

“Okay,” you said.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay,” you said with a smile.

“Okay,” he said, ruffling your hair. “That was nice of you to give away your leftovers.”

“You so better take her out now,” you said.

“We’ll see kiddo. We’ll see.”

Friday Night

“You’re worse than a teenage girl,” you said, scrolling through your phone as you lay on top of your dad’s bed. “Jeans and a button down. Boom. You’re done.”

“She’s right. You’re overthinking this,” said Jensen as he was sprawled out beside you. “Now hurry up. There is a buffalo wing pizza with our names on it for dinner and it is for me and little Pads only.”

“Yeah it is,” you said, giving him a high five.

“Hey, why don’t you sleepover our house tonight?” asked Jensen. 

“Talk to your wife. I already was,” you said

“When did you ask De?” he asked. You showed him the text message from earlier in the day with a smirk, Jensen stealing your phone away.

“Dad!”

“Sometimes I wonder who the adult is out of you two,” said your dad, stepping back into the bedroom for the tenth time. He was in a light blue button down and a pair of dark jeans, fumbling with a gray beanie in his hands. “Y/N?”

“Dad, relax,” you said, rolling off the bed. You rolled up his sleeves some and took his beanie from him. He took a seat on the end of the bed as you fixed his hair. “Stop running your hands through it.”

“Why are you so nervous? This ain’t your first date, Padalecki,” said Jensen as he sat up.

“I like her. A lot and I don’t understand why so I’m freaking out just a smidge,” he said.

“Dad. You’ll be fine. Be yourself,” you said, handing his beanie back to him. “Back pocket. Just in case. And smile. And open the door for her. And tell her she looks pretty.”

“Alright, alright. I get the picture,” he said as he stood up and took the beanie back. “Am I good?”

“Perfect,” you said.

“There are uglier schmucks out there,” said Jensen, smiling to himself. “Yes, you look very nice, Jared. Have fun tonight, alright?”

“It’s just dinner and maybe a walk downtown,” he said.

“Well have fun dad,” you said. “Make smart choices.”

“They grow up so fast,” teased Jensen.

“I will murder you both,” he said.

“Nah,” you and Jensen said with a laugh.

“Alright. Call if you need anything,” he said.

“We won’t,” said Jensen, rolling off the bed. “Come on, squirt. We’ll see your dad tomorrow when he comes over for swimming, hm? Your new lady friend is welcome to join if you want.”

“She’s got three kids,” said your dad.

“Like I said, more than welcome,” said Jensen, grabbing your arm. “Let’s go.”

“Have fun dad!” you said, Jensen walking you down the hall towards your room.

“Grab your bag. I want some pizza.”

“You want more s’mores, Y/N?” asked De, offering the plate to you later that night.

“Sure,” you said, grabbing one before she bypassed the three sleeping kids sharing the big chair and handed it to Jensen. “Hey guys.”

“Mhm,” they hummed.

“I’ve never seen dad that nervous for a date before,” you said.

“I think your dad is excited and scared,” said De. “Jensen was.”

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

“Maybe a little,” he chuckled.

“They say men fall in love faster than women,” she said. “This loser knew he was in love with me the second week we knew each other. Didn’t say anything though until he shyly asked me out a month later.”

“Well it’s kind of scary to have such a reaction to someone. You gotta ease into it,” he said.

“So dad’s having a reaction,” you said.

“Yup,” said Danneel, the three of you spotting Zeppelin stirring awake. “We a little too loud for you, honey? Want to go up to bed?”

He nodded, staring at you as the other two started to wake up.

“Alright. Time for a piggyback ride,” you said. You scooped him up while his parents got the girls, carrying him in the house and up to his room. He peeled off his clothes and you laughed, grabbing some clean pajamas for him from his dresser and tugging them on him. “Night Zepp.”

“Night Y/N. You gonna be here for breakfast?”

“Mhm. I’m gonna hang out tomorrow. How does that sound?” you asked.

“Good. I love you,” he said, giving you a hug.

“I love you too. Go to sleep now, buddy,” you said, pulling his covers up and flipping off his light, turning on his nightlight before you pulled the door shut.

“How is she always done first?” laughed De when they came back out of the hall.

“Cause Zeppelin is in love with his big cousin,” said Jensen, the three of you piling downstairs and back onto the porch.

“I’m gonna make some hot fudge brownie sundaes for us and then maybe we can stick on a movie,” said Danneel.

“Yes please,” you said.

“Make mine with extra brownie,” said Jensen.

“Give me ten minutes,” she said, popping back inside.

“So everything else going good? School? Therapy?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you said.

“You tell any of your friends you go?” he asked. You shook your head. “Scared of what they’ll think?”

“I’m not like, the popular girl in school, Jensen. I play soccer on the intramural team so I mean, I hang out with the popular kids but I’m not one of them,” you said.

“Not what I asked. What about your best friend?” he asked.

“Chris used to be my best friend but that sort of stopped when he moved and we broke up,” you said, crossing your arms. 

“Well you don’t have to tell anyone you don’t want to. I was just asking,” he said.

“I know,” you said, taking a deep breath. “I’m allowed to bring guests. If you ever wanted to...you know.”

“I’d love to. Anytime,” he said.

“Cool. Maybe someday you can come,” you said. 

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“You think dad’s having a good time?” you asked.

“I hope so. You guys are due for a win,” he said. “You said she’s a single mom?”

“Mhm. Three small kids. Two looked around JJ’s age, the other one the twins. I don’t really know anything else. She was pretty,” you said.

“Well I hope it works out for him,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Y/N,” said Jensen, banging on the door to the guest room the next morning. “You’re not sleeping the day away.”

“It’s Saturday,” you groaned, pulling your pillows over your head.

“Y/N.”

“Go away.”

“You dressed?”

“My pajamas? Why-“ you said, the door opening wide. You grumbled and burrowed down, Jensen humming as you heard him stand by the end of the bed. “Five more minutes.”

“Kids, guess who’s up!” shouted Jensen, a flurry of feet rushing down the hall.

“I hate you,” you said, Jensen chuckling as you felt someone jump up on the bed.

“Morning, Y/N!” you heard shouted in your ear.

“Good morning,” you said wearily as you sat up, all three of them in your bed. Jensen gave you a smirk as he spun around.

“Breakfast is in ten, guys,” he said as he headed out.

“Remind me to destroy him later,” you said. “Alright, alright. I’m up. Give me a few minutes guys to get dressed. Save me a seat, okay?”

“Mhm,” they said as they took off.

Fifteen minutes later you came downstairs to find a plate set for you at the counter. You immediately dug in, barely finishing before the kids were tugging you off to play outside.

“Y/N, keep ‘em in the yard,” said Jensen. “Please.”

“Mhm,” you said, spotting he and De both still in their pajamas. “Come on guys. Let’s go play with some chalk on the driveway.”

Three Hours Later

“Hey, munchkins,” Jensen called from under the front porch. “How about some lunch and then a dip in the pool to cool off?”

All three of them took off towards the house, Jensen walking out with a smile.

“They behave for you?” he asked.

“Perfect little devils like their parents,” you said.

“Sounds about right,” he said, tilting his head. “Is that a devil’s trap?”

“Mhm,” you said.

“Not bad,” he said. “You make sure they drink enough?”

“Yes, Jensen. We ducked down into the basement room a few times, gave ‘em some juice when they got hot. I’ve been babysitting them all since they were born,” you said.

“Alright smartass. Well, you’re relieved of duty. Your dad called, said Gen and the kids are gonna come over for a swim,” he said.

“Oh really?” you said. 

“Oh yes,” he said with a smirk. “It must have gone good.”

“Yeah it must have. Dad hasn’t had a second date since I was like ten,” you said.

“Yeah he has,” said Jensen. You tilted your head, Jensen shrugging. “Never heard him this excited though.”

“Well I’m happy he’s happy,” you said as you got to your feet. “So can I take the car back to our house to grab my suit?”

“You have a suit here. You always do,” he said. 

“Okay but dad isn't here and my fun, amazing Uncle Jensen would totally let me drive Baby-”

“Nope,” he said as he headed back towards the house.

“Oh come on! You said when the show was done!” you said as you followed him inside.

“Sure you can drive it. Maybe once you get off a junior license, we’ll talk,” he said.

“Graduation present?” you asked. 

“Deal,” he said. “Once.”

“You’re not Dean you know,” you said.

“Oh I know. Dean would never let you drive it.”

“Guys, guys. Let’s not waste all of the sunscreen, alright?” said De, stealing the bottle out of Arrows’s hands half and hour later. “Y/N, you get some?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” you said, keeping an eye on Zeppelin as he swam around the shallow end of the pool with some floaties on his arms. “Getting real good there, bud.”

“I’m better,” said Arrow as she jumped in, Danneel throwing up her hands. “Watch me, Y/N.”

“Floaties. You know the rules,” you said, grabbing them from the edge of the pool and sticking them on her arms.

“Ro. Remember how Uncle Jared got hurt around the pool a few weeks ago? You listen to the rules or you don’t get to swim anymore, understand?” said Jensen from the deep end where he was with JJ.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Sorry.”

“S’okay, munchkin,” he said, face lighting up when he heard the front gate open in the distance. “I think we got some visitors.”

“Hey guys,” you heard your dad say after a minute, Gen and her three kids following after him. “Brought some friends over.”

“Oh, you’re too good looking for him,” said Danneel with a smile, your dad giving her his best bitch face. 

“I hope we’re not barging in. Jared kind of insisted,” she said.

“Saturday is swim day. The more the merrier,” said Jensen. You kept an eye on the kids as the adults introduced themselves, your dad nodding for you to come over once Jensen hopped back in the pool.

“Y/N, you’ve met Gen. These are her kids, Tom, Shep and Odette,” said your dad.

“Your dad slept over our house last night,” said Tom, glancing up at him.

“Oh he did?” you said with smirk.

“He��s seven. Shut it,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Shep’s a year younger than JJ and this adorable little girl is the twins age.”

“Can I go play?” she asked.

“Okay sweetie,” she said as she took off towards the pool, Danneel getting an arm around her.

“She can swim right?” she asked.

“Yeah. She’s a little fish,” said Gen, Danneel letting her swim on her own after a moment, the three small kids already laughing together.

“You’re kinda old,” said Shep to you.

“You’re kinda short,” you said. He frowned and Gen rolled her eyes.

“Shep, be nice,” she said. “Sorry.”

“S’okay. My dad had me young,” you said. “I bet I can do a bigger cannonball than you guys.”

“No way!” they said, taking off for the pool before you laughed.

“She’s good with kids,” said your dad.

“I can see,” she said. “Well when they drive you insane, just let me know and I’ll get ‘em to backoff.”

“I got this. It’s this one that’s the troublemaker,” you said, poking your dad with a smile. “I hope you were responsible last night.”

“Pool. Now,” he said as you giggled. You took off, Gen laughing a little. “She likes to bust my chops.”

“Must be fun when they’re teenagers,” she said. “When they grow up.”

“It gets funny. It’s a grown up...but still a baby,” he said.

“You think she likes me?” she asked quietly. You glanced over your shoulder quickly, your dad smiling.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t worry about that one.”

______

A/N: Read Part 3 here!

[lovelyjasmari]

KHOC Week 2020 ~ Day 4

@khoc-week​

Many of Ilysia’s most precious memories involve Eraqus. From the day they began training together, to their first kiss, their Mark of Mastery, and many more. They are the epitome of the perfectly arranged marriage trope, being both in love with each other as well as the best of friends.

But their relationship was not always so perfect, for today's prompt, I’m sharing a ficlet of Ilysia and Eraqus recalling probably their favorite of these memories, their first meeting when they were still small children. 

Never Run Away ~ 1819 Word Count

~~~

From behind their parents, the two children stared at each other curiously. Despite her own nervousness, the girl smiled and tried to appear friendly. The boy's father gave him a gentle nudge, silently encouraging him to approach his future bride, but he wouldn’t.

Ilysia  could see that he wasn’t going to take the initiative and recalled what her mother had always told her about how to make friends. She leapt in front of Eraqus with a large smile.

“I’m happy to finally meet you!” 

Truthfully she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this first meeting,  but she certainly didn’t think he would run off so suddenly after such an enthusiastic greeting. Perhaps a little too enthusiastic. His hurried little footsteps echoed from down the long hallway.

 “Eraqus?! Eraqus! Get back here at once!” But the boy would not listen to his father’s command and Lord Nixe shook his head, half disgusted and half amused. “For a future Master, it will not do! Please forgive him, Lady Thea.  ”

“No offence taken, My Lord.” Lady Thea laughed. “I expected nothing less from a boy his age.”

Her mother may have found this amusing, but Ilysia did not. Without understanding why, she felt strangely hurt by his rejection. In her short life, Ilysia had come to understand two fundamental facts about what her future would be. The first was that when she was a little older, she would train to become a Keyblade Master. Her father was a Master, she had two older brothers already training with keyblades, and so would she. 

The second was that once she had shown the Mark of Mastery, she would be joined in marriage to Eraqus, the young heir to Scala ad Caelum. Together they would rule and protect this world and the balance between light and dark that all worlds existed in. It was an exciting prospect, the more she thought about it. Unfortunately, things were not getting off to a good start. She tugged her mother’s skirt, biting the inside of her lip as to not cry,

“He...ran away from me.” she murmured. “I don’t think he likes me.”

“Don’t be disheartened, child.” Lord Nixe smiled. “He runs away from everything! Give him time, you’ll see!”

“But I don’t want him to run away from me!” her lower lip pouting. 

“He will like you, sweetie. I know he will.” Lady Thea lowered herself to meet her child’s level, she gave her an encouraging smile. “How about you go find where Eraqus has run off to! He might be hiding!”

“Hiding?”

“Think of it as a game, like hide and seek, and you’re it!”

Ilysia liked this idea, and she liked the idea of wandering the High Tower to look for him. Perhaps if she was clever enough to find his hiding place, he’d want to find her next and then they would be friends. 

That’s what she told herself but it was now more than an hour later, Ilysia had searched nearly every corner of the High Tower and found no trace of Eraqus. If this really was a game, he was far better at it than she thought. She was about to give up completely when she came upon two double doors leading to a room she had not yet tried, thankfully they were not locked. 

Opening the doors revealed what appeared to be a large classroom. A long table with seven chairs stood in the center of the black and white floor, with a tall windowsill against the wall, but not too tall that she couldn’t climb up onto it. As she took her seat by the window, she thought she heard something shift and quickly wondered if she was truly alone. 

“Anyone here?”

There was no response and she didn’t hear the shifting again for several minutes. Ilysia let out a sigh and gazed out the window, at the guilt cable cars and flocks of birds gliding in the sky. From where she sat it seemed that she could see the whole of Scala, even the islands in the distance across the sea. Today was the first time she had been anywhere outside home, and she was beginning to feel that she could learn to like living here, if she were allowed to stay. 

As she pondered this, she noticed the chessboard sitting next to her, with various pieces in silver and gold. She stared at the pieces for a long time before moving a silver star piece across the board. This was a game she was not unfamiliar with, her father had begun to teach it to her a few weeks prior in anticipation for this day. He had said that it could be something she and her intended could bond over. But even if he wasn’t here, she could at least practice. 

She continued with her solo chess game, thoughtfully moving the silver pieces and unaware of the curious grey eyes watching her silently from behind the Master’s podium. He rarely had the opportunity to interact with other children so that was enough to pique his interest, even if she was a girl. And he could see that she had a good chess strategy. Eraqus was still unsure about having a future wife, but that didn’t mean Ilysia couldn't be a nice chess opponent.

“You know, it’s more fun when you play with someone else.”

Eraqus finally left the podium, making himself known. Ilysia grinned. 

“Found you! I knew you were in here!”

“No you didn’t!” he replied, making a face. 

“You’re right, I didn’t. But I hoped.” From the moment she thought she heard movement in this room, Ilysia held the hope that maybe Eraqus would be here since he was in none of the places she had checked. He made another face but was soon smiling as he sat opposite of her. She moved her pieces back to the start and their game began. 

For while there was silence between them as they took turns moving the gold and silver pieces across the board. All the while pretending that they weren’t stealing glances of each other and wondering what the other was thinking. 

“You have a heart.” he said at last. “A heart on your arm.”

“Huh?”

Eraqus smiled and pointed to Ilysia’s freckled skin. On her upper arm was a freckle that, now that she looked closely, did look a lot like a heart. But she frowned, she never much liked her freckles, even the heart shaped ones. 

“My brothers always make fun of them.” she said. “Mom says they’ll go away when I’m bigger. I hope so.”

“I don’t!” Eraqus laughed. “I like your freckles. They’re cute!” 

An odd, warm sensation washed over her face at this statement. She never really thought of her freckled skin as anything but a nuisance, but it made her happy nonetheless. He went on. 

“And don’t worry, if your brothers make fun of them, they’ll answer to me!” 

“Hmph!” a mischievous little smile came to her face. “You won’t do a thing! They’re bigger than both of us, you’ll just run away from them!”

“Not if they hurt your feelings!”

“Yes you will! Your dad said you run away from everything!”

“Not everything!”

“You even run away in chess!” Ilysia laughed and followed this laughter by cornering his king in an inescapable check. “And because of it, I just won.”

Eraqus grumbled at his sudden loss but he knew she was right and was secretly impressed that she had managed to best him so quickly. He was beginning to think that maybe he had run away too quickly, this time. 

“I’m sorry.” he sighed. “You’re nice and you’re good at this game. If I knew I wouldn’t have run away from you.”

“Apology accepted.” Ilysia smiled, her heart warmed by a sense of relief. She placed the pieces back in place. “Would you like to play again?”

He agreed and they began another game. This time Eraqus was more vigilant and managed to win the next game. As they began again they talked about their lives, their families, and how cool it was gonna be to have keyblades. The more they talked, the more they grew to like each other, so much so that Eraqus felt comfortable enough sharing a secret with Ilysia. 

“I’m not sure about marriage.” he confessed. “It seems like a lot of work, and I don’t know anything about it.”

“Neither do I.” Ilysia replied. At six years old, she couldn't really admit to knowing anything about marriage either. “But we have a long time to learn.”

“I’d rather we be friends.”

“Friends?”

 “Yeah, I like the idea of being your friend better than being your husband.” he moved his king with a little smile. “How about it? Would you like to be friends?”

Without realizing it, her cheeks flushed red as she smiled. This was truthfully exactly what she hoped would eventually happen. Twelve years seemed like a very long time but something in Ilysia’s young heart told her that if she and Eraqus could be friends, then learning everything else about their future roles wouldn’t be too bad. 

“Okay, but I won’t be your friend until you make me a promise.” Eraqus nodded, not noticing that she had pushed her silver queen towards his king. “No matter what, you won’t run away from me again. Can you keep that promise, Eraqus?”

This was no question for him, Eraqus only ran away from things he either disliked or feared. As far as Ilysia was concerned, he felt neither any longer. Who knew what would happen in twelve years? He agreed and Ilysia extended her pinky out to him. 

“Now pinky promise,” she said. “Promises mean more when you pinky promise!”

“Alright.” He smiled as he also extended his pinky to her, locking them together. Their eyes met. “Pinky promise, I’ll never run away from you again.”

~~~

The years past, faster than either had suspected, and not once had he retracted that promise. Though the young boy had been unsure about many things, the young man was now certain. How he felt about her would never change. 

 The ceremony was concluding and it was now time to make a new sort of promise to her. Eraqus gently lifted the white veil covering her face, he smiled at Ilysia and then surprised her by extending his pinky to her. Just as she had done to him all those years ago. 

“Reaffirming my promise.” he whispered. “That I’ll never run away from you, Ilysia.”

She giggled, but locked her pinky with his all the same. Much to the amusement of all those watching. 

“Uh...Eraqus…” Yen Sid whispered loudly behind him. “That’s...not what you’re supposed to do.”

Of course the couple knew that, but they didn’t care. They shared a secret smile and then sealed their vows with a kiss, their pinkies still intertwined. 

~~~

[ego-sum-id-quod-cantum-ludere]

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN AN OLD PEOPLE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

Holy shit, I haven't even been living in here for two months, and I'm going to be living here for at least another five. All I want to do here is make myself bedridden because that's the only thing that can go okay.

Before I get into this, I would like to say this for context: My dad decided that the pandemic was the best time to sell the house that I grew up in, and so he did. He wanted my two siblings and me to live with him in this apartment building meant for the elderly, but four people can't fit in an apartment for two. So we tried getting a double for my sister and me, but there weren't any available. The only available space was the common room that was being unused because of the pandemic. So that's where we're living.

THOUGH ADVICE IS HELPFUL, THIS POST IS MOSTLY FOR VENTING!

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T TELL US TO GET A JOB OR GET A DIFFERENT APARTMENT OR ASK WHERE MOM IS BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW OUR SITUATION, AND THIS IS ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE PROBLEM WE'VE BEEN PUT IN!

Now that that's out of the way, these are the problems that have occurred thus far:

1. Old people trying to break in.

I swear to God, the next time a Boomer with dementia tries to break in the room, I'm going to flip my shit.

Just today, there was an old lady who tried to break in THREE times. She got in successfully once because we had to leave the door unlocked for the workers to get in and try to fix the problems we were having with the pipe. The first thing she did was TAKE OFF HER MASK! The second thing she did was ask if there were other people in here, and my sister and I said, "No, we live here now." And then, she nearly brought herself to tears over her story of how she likes the piano and her father was a professional pianist, and that she misses the people. And we had to say, "Sorry, but we live here now" and send her on her way. Because we live here now. So then she leaves and we lock the door.

If we had left the piano open, or if she noticed the keyboard behind me, she NEVER would have left!

NOT EVEN FIVE MINUTES LATER, she returns to our door and tries to unlock the door with her keys!

We've told the owner multiple times about this since people try to break in almost every day, but the problem is that no matter how many times he tells all the old people that we live here, there will always be at least one person that forgets and tries to break in, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Also, as I was writing this post, someone else tried to break in (or maybe it was the same person trying to break in) YET AGAIN!

And then after my siblings and I had dinner, someone tried the handle on the doorknob FOUR  SEPARATE TIMES! With a total of NINE TIMES that this has happened in one day, it has been a new personal record. Usually, it has only been once or twice a day.

2. AC problems

Bugs can easily get in the building through the vents when the AC is turned off. One time, a wasp got in here.

The filters only get replaced once a year. As far as I know from previously living in a home with an HVAC system, the filters are supposed to be replaced every 1 to 3 months.

You can't put things up against or near the vents, otherwise problems will occur.

The AC has leaked before. Thankfully, there were little to no damages, but now I'm afraid to leave it on for long periods of time.

3. THE MAIN PIPE OF THE BUILDING IS EXTREMELY CLOGGED, and it just so happens that the young folks here are the ones to notice something going on.

When we first moved in, we noticed a puddle of dirty water coming up from the bathtub drain, and we didn’t know where it was coming from or why it was happening. So we called someone in to examine it, and all he said was that they knew of this problem but didn’t want to do anything to fix it. So we had to accept that this was a problem that couldn’t be fixed (or that the owner didn’t want to fix it).

From then on, we assumed that the water came from one of our neighbors. We tried ways to bypass this issue while we were taking a shower, such as leaving the drain closed, and letting the water from the shower fill up the tub a bit before opening the drain. However, there was still dirty water coming up at times, and we don’t know why.

LAST NIGHT, however, we heard a strange bubble coming from the kitchen sink, and it turned out that the dirty water that would usually come up in the bathtub WAS FILLING UP THE SINK! So we had to call someone about this, and they came in this morning to check it out. They tried using a plunger in the sink, but more water kept coming up the garbage disposal. That’s when they realized that THE WHOLE PLUMBING SYSTEM IN THE BUILDING WAS CLOGGED! THE MAIN PIPE WAS CLOGGED! So now they have to figure out how to unclog the main pipe. That will be an update for a later time.

Update: apparently, this exact same problem happened a few years ago! This clearly shows how fucked-up the plumbing system is in this building - that the MAIN pipe of the building gets clogged EVERY FEW YEARS!

Update 2: The sink bubbled up again and now has more water in it.

4. The owner is shady as fuck.

The owner of the building is the original owner’s grandson. Ok, cool, he got a family business going. That’s cool and all, but why does his personality creep me out so much?

When he first met me, he thought that I was the mom, that I was the one running the show. But I’m not the mom, and I’m not even the one “running the show”. He knows full well that my dad was the one who decided to make my siblings and me live in a Boomer building, and my sister (bless her soul) is the one who is taking care of my brother and me (but it’s not like my dad will ever acknowledge that).

The way he talks is very strange, too, as if he’s trying to coo force me to be comfortable. And he blows me kisses too, like wtf? I understand doing that to your grandson, but doing that to a stranger, let alone a grown-ass adult is creepy.

He also has immigrant workers, which is not inherently bad, but on the day we were moving in, he showed my dad a text of one of the workers being deported back to the Dominican Republic. So either the immigrant workers are there undocumented or they did have a Visa or green card that expired and the owner didn’t let them renew their Visa/green card. If it’s the latter, then holy shit that’s fucked up. Also, I wonder how well they’re being treated in general when they’re working, or how much they get paid compared to other non-immigrant workers (oh wait, they can’t figure that out because we live in a culture that refuses to let their workers talk about their salaries in fear of demanding better wages, whoops).

5. The Wifi breaks every so often.

It’s not as big of a deal as the others on here, but it is annoying.

There’s constantly been construction going on in the street adjacent to the apartment building, and one time the cable got cut out. It took a few hours for the problem to be fixed.

It’ll be more annoying if the Wifi breaks while I’m trying to attend classes on Zoom or doing homework.

6. Other general bug problems

The bugs that my sister and I get are mostly mosquitoes, gnats, and other flies. In my dad’s apartment, where my brother sleeps, there are big black beetles everywhere! We don’t know if they’re cockroaches or not, but he gets many of them flying and crawling in his room every night, and he has to lose hours upon hours of sleep whacking these bugs with a fly swatter until they’re dead. And once he kills one, another starts flying around. We have no idea where these ones are coming from either.

In conclusion, this apartment building is very problematic, and the only reason why other people haven’t complained about the problems of this building is that they’re old and are less likely to notice or care about these problems. I wouldn’t be surprised if the walls have asbestos in them. Unfortunately, I have to be stuck here for at least another five months, maybe more if this pandemic rages on for decades (thanks in no part to the government - oh, whoops, I’m not supposed to say that, lol).

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading this post. Again, this post was mostly for venting, but some helpful advice on how to get out of this situation (or at least not feel like I’m suffering so much) would be appreciated.

If you’re living in a similar situation as I am, I do have one piece of advice for you - don’t go to Quora and anonymously ask questions. They WILL bully you.

[hypnofur1]

Halloween Hypno Home Invasion

Halloween Hypno Home Invasion

By Hypnofur

Halloween has taken an interesting twist in my neighborhood. The town had some incidents a few years ago with teens causing problems on Halloween night. To combat that, they started an all night Halloween party at the community center. Usually, that is the kind of thing that teenagers would avoid in droves, but for whatever reason, it became insanely popular. Everyone’s kids who were over 13 went to this Halloween lock in. Our only son fit in this group.

The other interesting thing about Halloween in my neighborhood, is that the women get all dressed up to answer the door for trick or treaters. The costumes are usually pretty sexy. The old adage about Halloween being the one night that good girls being naughty definitely held up around here. We had an affluent neighborhood. Well to do soccer moms. Whole foods, Eddie Bauer, and J Crew were the main stays.

However, Halloween let the ladies all be sexy. Not slutty, nothing over the top. They were still answering the door for little kids, and there was nothing inappropriate. The costumes were just on the sexier side of what they usually wore. This was much to the delight of the neighborhood men. Especially the ones with younger kids who were still going door to door, and were not at the lock in.

This year, my wife Jill had knocked me out with her outfit. When she first came downstairs around 6:00, I had my breath taken away. She had put together a “cat” costume. She must have picked up a set of ears and a black tail from the party store. She wore a black velvet sort of leotard thing that I had never seen before. She wore her black suede knee high boots. She had a little tail piece and cat ear head band that she must have gotten from the party store. I was instantly turned on. Jill is in great shape, and has a terrific body. It isn’t often that her clothing shows it off like this.

I begged her to turn off the lights, and pretend we weren’t home. It was always, a flirty sexy night between us, especially with our son gone to the lock in. She refused me with a smile and a kiss. We both knew we couldn’t really ignore the trick or treaters. However, we were both into the idea of sexy fun later tonight.

The trick or treaters came in droves, as they always did. The Dad’s all checked Jill out, even though she was pretending not to notice. Around 8:15, we were getting ready to shut down for the night. The little kids all started at 6:00 and ended by 8:00. It was like clock work.

At about 8:20, the doorbell rang. We both thought it was odd timing. When Jill opened the door, there were two adults. A man and a woman. The woman was wearing a sexy little devil costume. It was a revealing red cocktail dress, with the same kind of horn headband and tail thing that Jill had, just a devil version instead of a cat. The man just wore a black hooded cloak. I was half watching tv and half watching the door at the time. I glanced over to see what kid would ring the bell so late, and saw the two adults. I immediately got a chill. My wife was clearly nervous as she politely asked how she could help them. I moved toward the door myself.

“Trick or treat” the woman said. My heart started to beat fast, as I could tell this was a weird situation. By the time I got to the door, they had already barged into the house. I broke into a run but the hooded man positioned himself just right, and cold clocked me with a left hook. I’ve never been punched in the face like that. The little devil locked the door behind her. Jill was terrified, she didn’t know what to do.

I went to get back up, when the hooded man stepped on my chest. Jill screamed. This was a home invasion.  

“Please be quiet.” The devil lady said. “There is no need for anyone to get hurt anymore. That can happen though. In the meantime, you need to cooperate.” She said calmly as she got a chair from our dinning room set.

The hooded man flipped me over and stepped on my back. He pulled out two plastic wire ties from his cloak and bound my wrists. He then lifted me up and brought me over to the chair. After a few minutes, I was bound and chained to the chair, which was chained to the banister.

“Don’t worry honey. We’ll get through this” I said to Jill. She looked so scared, she was trembling. I wanted to badly to make her feel safe, but I couldn’t. I was so angry, and so scared.

The hooded man finally spoke. I was surprised by his genteel british accent.

 "These are the rules," he explained. "You will both do exactly as I say, no arguments, no objections, no mouth at all. You will not attempt to escape, nor will you notify anyone of our presence. My friend and I will be staying with you for a while. We don't want to hurt you, but we most definitely will if we must. Do you both understand me?"

He stared through me as he waited for my response. "Yes," I mumbled. Turning my wife to face him, he looked into her eyes, waiting. Shaking and sobbing, she looked back at him and nodded her head, afraid to speak.

 “My name is Marsden. I have been hired by some very powerful people who need your support for certain town matters, Daniel.” The hooded man said, as he took down his hood. He was pretty big, probably about six feet. He looked pretty average though. Not what you would expect a home invader to look like.

Even though I was trying to focus on his features for my eventual police report, I was too enraged. “This is a fucking selectman’s thing? You are doing this so I fucking vote in some construction project or something?” I asked, incredulously. I had become a selectman for our town last year. It was mostly stop signs and whether or not to add on to the library. I never thought it would lead to anything like this.

The devil lady came over and smacked me across the face with the with her little devil trident. I had assumed it was hollow plastic, but it was actually metal, and it hurt!

“No talking!” she snarled

This made Jill scream again. “Stop, please, stop!” she said, trembling and sobbing.

“I must apologize for Lilly. She is very… loyal” Marsden said.

“Fuck!” I yelled. My head hurt so much. “What needs to be done so you’ll leave us?”

“Yes, right to business. Of course” Marsden said calmly. “I am going to take Jill into the other room and talk to her for a bit. After that, I will leave when I feel we are done for the night, or when she asks me to.”

That last part surprised me, and no doubt surprised Jill too. She looked at me. She was trembling. She knew she had to go into the other room with him, and she was very scared. She ran to me, hugging me on the chair. “I love you Dan. I love you so much.”

“I love you too Jill. We’ll get through this darling. Just do as he says, and we’ll get through this.”

“I love you so much. I am so sorry. I love you darling” she said to me, hugging me.

“If you please Jill.” Our captor said, with inappropriate politeness, leading her into the other room.

That left just me and Lily the devil lady. I finally focused on her. The more I studied her, the more I realized that she was probably in her mid thirties. I had assumed twenties or something when she barged in, but I guess I had no reason to actually think that.

“What is he going to do to her? Is he going to hurt her?” I asked.

“Hurt her? No. He is going to hypnotize her” Lily said with a devilish smile.

“What?” I asked in my head and out loud. “You two are fucking nut jobs” I said. I knew that would get me a smack with the devil stick, and it did. She was crazy. So was he if he thought he was going to just come in and hypnotize my wife. First of all, I could never see that working on Jill. Second of all, she was scared shitless. There was no way she would be able to relax at all.

Deciding I didn’t want to get smacked anymore. I sat in silence with Lily. I couldn’t hear any sounds coming from the part of the house where Marsden and Jill were. I looked at the clock on the cable box. An hour and fifteen minutes passed. Finally, I heard Jill’s high heel boots walking down the hall. I was pleased to note that her steps were well paced. She wasn’t staggering.

Much to my surprise, my wife strolled into the room. Her cat costume still in perfect array. She didn’t look scared any more. Instead she had a calm, almost satisfied, blissful look on her face. “Jill, sweety, are you ok, did he hurt you?”

She didn’t respond to me at all instead, she just sat down on the couch and stared at the wall.

I tried in vain to get Jill’s attention. “I know what he was trying to do. Did you play along, does he believe you’re hypnotized or whatever?” I asked before Marsden came in the room.

Lily came up behind me. I had forgotten she was in the room. She bent down right next to me and whispered in my ear. “She’s not playing along. She far too deep in hypnosis to hear you.  She’ll only respond to Marsden now, until directed otherwise. I’m sure she went so, so deep for him. It was unbelievable. She was, completely, utterly hypnotized, and I know from experience she must have loved every second of it.” She teased as she flicked my ear with her tongue. My heart sank. 

Marsden finally entered the room. He casually strolled around the room and turned on the stereo. “Jill, dance with me.” He said invited.

I saw a pleased smile cross Jill’s face as she turned and went to him. They immediately started slow dancing, very intimately.

“You can’t blame her Dan, no one can resist Marsden’s hypnotic power. He makes it soo…wonderful. Marsden will make her cum like never before, she will be extremely happy when we leave here tonight." she told as she started to massage my shoulders. Soon the music turned to a more upbeat and hardcore style.

Their dancing became much more primal and physical. Jill just closed her eyes and let Marsden do anything and everything. He turned her toward me and stood behind her as he reach under her arms and place both his hands on her breasts and started to massage them through her velvet tank top. Jill gasped as she pulled her arms up over her head and roughly played with Marsden’s hair as he kissed her neck. “Unfortunately, this is going to get a lot worse for you before it gets better. Marsden has to make sure that you’ll do as his employers ask. This means you need to be broken. He will turn her completely against you, so that you know the depth of his control over her. However, if you agree, if you play along, you can get her back. She’ll be your wife again when Marsden allows it, until he has need of her.”

Their dancing was more of a gyration than anything now. Marsden then took off his shirt and turned Jill around so that they could be chest to chest, her chest pressed against his. As they came close they embraced in a passionate and rough kiss. Jill reached down and unbuttoned Marsden’s pants and slides them down. Here I sit, watching a total stranger kissing my wife in my living rom. Lilly moved in behind Marsden and slowly lowered his boxers, exposing him to us all. Jill's knees gave out as she slumped to the floor and starred at Marsden’s cock. Jill looked over at me as she reached out her left hand and grabbed Marsden’s cock. I shook my head pleading with her as she looked at me with a look of defiance. Marsden walked closer to her, close enough to be in range of her mouth when she looked back at him. Marsden looked over at me. "Now Dan, watch as I show your wife what a hypnotic cock feels like “

 Jill did her best to accommodate Marsden’s cock in her mouth, but as he became completely hard she couldn't keep it in her mouth. Lilly had moved behind Jill and had begun to velvet cat suit. Jill made no motion to stop her; in fact she actually helped her. Soon she was naked, as was Marsden, as my wife of 14 years was doing her best to suck him off. "Stand up my hypnotized sex kitten." Marsden said to Jill as she pulled her mouth from his cock. Jill stood up and let go of Marsden’s cock as he walked her over to the couch. Marsden walked behind Jill and walked her into the back of sofa and bent her over it. Lilly was on the other side of the couch ready to greet Jill with a kiss. As Jill and Lilly continued to make out, Marsden readied himself behind Jill.

"Are you ready for your hypnotic experience in bliss Jill?" Marsden asked as he steadied himself behind her. "Hmmmph." Jill replied still kissing Lilly. "Jill, I want you to look at your husband over there." Marsden said as Jill pulled away from Lilly's lips and looked at me. "Now tell your him that you know that I will please you better than he ever could and that you are ready to become MY hypnotized slave."

Jill licked her lips before she spoke. "Honey, he is a hypnotic god. Marsden s about to fuck me like I have never been fucked. How does that make you feel? How does it feel to know that even though you wish me to be YOUR little sex kitten? That in fact I willing to become HIS little sex kitten?" My heart sank. I knew it was the hypnosis talking, but there still had to be some truth to it. "I am ready to become your slave Marsden, please fuck me however you want, wherever you want, anytime you want." Jill said, then turned back to Lilly and began kissing her again. "Are you ready my little kitten?" asked Marsden as Jill reply was completely muffled by Lilly's lips as they continued to make out heavily. If it had been anyone else in front of me I could have easily explained my own rock hard cock. But this was my own wife, making out with a strange woman and about to get fucked beyond recognition by criminals who had invaded our home. "Are you ready Dan?" Marsden looked at me with a spiteful smile while he closed in behind Jill. "Are you ready to watch as I make your little well to do wife here cum over and over while she screams MY name and not yours? He continued his onslaught of humiliating remarks. "Just get it over with you piece of shit!" I yelled at him as I shut my eyes and turned my head away. "Marsden, can’t you just hypnotize him into being quiet?” Jill whined as she then went straight back to kissing Lilly who had taken off her dress and was letting Jill kiss and suck on her own breasts. Marsden started rubbing the tip of his cock into the slit of Jill’s pussy. He began by slowly running the tip of his cock from her clit to her asshole, as he did -  Jill began to nearly pant like a dog with her breathing. He hadn't even put his cock into her yet, and already she was about to cum. " Dan, she is so wet and ready for me. Look, she is about to cum already!" Marsden commented while he continued to slide his cock up and down her slit. Then he began his journey into her pussy. Slow at first, only inserting about an inch into her pussy. Which was enough to make her gasp aloud and turn her head back toward Marsden and moan. "Oh god you feel so good Marsden, I can't wait any longer, please give it to me." Jill said as she let her head drop down to the couch. "Well wait no longer sweet dove. Here it is." Marsden said as he grabbed her hips and let his cock plunge into her awaiting wet pussy, he didn't stop until his balls were up against her clit. Jill's head rose up and her entire body stiffened like a rock, her head came all the back as far as it could. Lilly took the opportunity to grab and pinch each of her nipples through her top to completely send her body into sensory overload. Marsden just held himself in place, entirely impaling himself inside Jill's pussy. As her body recovered from the shock of being skewered with such an enormous weapon, Jill let out a tremendous scream. At first I thought it was a scream of pain, telling me she was awake and aware again, and realizing what was about to happen to her. I started to fight against my restraints and yell out to her. But then I realized that it wasn't from fear that she screamed. It was complete bliss that made her utter that cry. "OH....MY....GOD...you..are..incredible." Jill said as her head flung back down to the couch and her body started to loosen up from the current state of rigidness. Marsden then slowly started to pull his cock from Jill's pussy, unsheathing it like a sword. When he had retracted it about 5 inches, he let his body go forward and impale Jill again with his tool. Again she cried out in bliss and pleasure. "I told you Dan, she is mine now. You won't ever be able to give her the pleasure that I just introduced her to. She will always compare the feeble pleasure you give her to what she is experiencing right now. Won't you dear?" Marsden said as he pulled back Jill's long hair from her face so I could see it. It was apparent that Jill was beyond being able to reason. Under his hypnotic conditioning, she had retreated into a state of complete sexual desire. "Anything you say, MASTER!" Jill replied to Marsden. "I am yours, I will serve you, obey you. Just please give me more of that cock!" Jill continued to debase me with her remarks to Marsden, who just smiled as he looked at me. Lily’s warning was correct. "Now slave! Tell me about your husband?" Marsden said. As he pulled his cock back and got himself ready for another assault on Jill's pussy. "My husband? I have no husband anymore" Jill said as she paused to make sure she could focus on the pleasure she was receiving. Marsden plunged yet again into her and started to rock back and forth sliding his cock in and out of Jill's pussy. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could Jill say something like that? She had no husband? I am sitting right here! Hypnosis couldn’t possibly be this powerful, could it? "The man who was my husband is now only a tool to carry out your demands." Jill said as she breathed heavily and strained to take Marsden’s cock over and over. Marsden had moved into a good rhythm and pace, pausing only ever so often to see the Jill's body start to beg for it again. My heart again sunk further down into my chest. This was a nightmare with no hope of waking up from. "OOOHHH god!!! I am totally and completely yours Marsden." Jill said as another orgasm flowed over her body and she got ready for another that was not far off. Marsden definitely knew how to fuck a woman with that huge cock of his. But this was my wife, how could be happening. "Look at broken Dan over there Jill. See how hard he is watching this all? All this will get so much better for him when he decides to cooperate with my employers" Marsden said as Jill and Lilly looked over at me. Seeing me chained to this chair with a rock hard cock only confirmed to them that he was right. Marsden only winked at me and smiled, and continued to fuck Jill. "If it pleases you Marsden, maybe I put Dan out of his misery and suck him off?" Lilly asked Marsden with her head bowed down. "I suppose he has been a good sport. Proceed." Marsden said as he grabbed Jill's hair and pulled it back. "Look now little dove. Dan is about to get some release. Do you have anything to say to him?" Marsden quietly said to Jill holding her head up by her hair and forcing her to look at Lilly dropping to her knees in front of me. As Lilly knelt down in front of me, she slowly spread my legs to gain access to my cock. I knew I wasn't going to last long once she started wrapping her lips around my cock. I just knew that I was ashamed at what was happening. Lilly slowly wrapped her hand around my shaft and lowered her head down over it. The warmth of her wet lips and tongue on my cock were nearly too much at first. I struggled to think of anything that would make this all go away. But I could not resist. Lilly slowly sucked my cock, then ran her tongue down over my balls and flicked them with her tongue. I looked down at her pleading her to stop this. She roughly grabbed my shaft and started sucking hard as she bobbed her head up and down on my cock. Marsden was still forcing Jill to look over at Lilly and myself while he continued to bang into her with the force of a hurricane. Her cries of pleasure coupled with the pleasure Lilly was giving me were too much for me. "He matters not to me, right now I only wish for you to keep fucking me. He is weak or he would not be sitting there right now." Jill replied back to him before another wave of orgasm hit her and she arched her back. "Oh god I'm cumming again, OH YES YES YES, GIVE IT TO ME MARSDEN I NEED YOUR COCK." Jill yelled out and banged her hands on the couch cushion. My cock again could not stand to see Jill in such pleasure without erupting itself. I could hear Jill cumming again as she degraded me more and more. "GOD YOU FEEL SO GOOD INSIDE ME MASTER!!! DAN NEVER MADE ME FEEL THIS WAY! Dan do you hear me? After 14 years, you have never made me feel as good as Marsden has tonight. Oh god here it comes again...OHHHHH GOD!!!" she cried out as Marsden pounded into her and gave her another orgasm. Marsden was starting to show signs of nearing an orgasm. Finally. Maybe now it could end. He finally came, and frankly, I think I passed out. Or maybe Lily hit me again, who knows.  When I awoke, Marsden was sitting on the couch. Jill was kneeling at his feet, back in her cat Halloween costume, as he was petting her head. Lilly was next to him on the other side. Marsden explained how things would be. Jill would go back to being my wife, save for when he needed her. He explained to me that Lilly was at a PTA meeting this morning. She was clearly someone’s wife as well. If I agreed to cooperate with his employers, everything would be fine. If I didn’t I would be mentally tortured again.

I of course agreed to cooperate.

[alphapplepie]

Prince of Tennis Addiction

WARNING: VERY LONG, a whole BIOGRAPHY, written this so when the time comes that I am no longer in this world I want it to be in my EULOGY or something XD.

Well since this is a blog about Prince of Tennis, or specifically Atobe Keigo, let me share to you this 22 years old lady’s memory with this masterpiece. Sadly we moved to Canada so most of the supposed to be evidence are left in the Philippines, but If I could find some I would gladly share it.

Prince of Tennis was aired in the Philippines at around late 2005 or early 2006 at QTV channel 11, since it was a new TV station and its sister company, GMA, has been our channel since I was born and they have the slogan that they will focus on NEWS rather than dramas and stuff my dad obviously supported this channel. And by late 2005 a commercial about Prince of Tennis is released, and I believe it is one of the channels’ first anime and the time slot if I recall right is around 4pm ish? Just after school. I am still 10 years old by that time I believe, and is currently at 6th grade (Grade 6 in the Philippines).

So here is kinda a drama thing part on my side, that time we had a family problem so we abruptly moved to a new place, sadly that was like the final semester for me in the 6th grade and I was suddenly forced to leave my friends/companions since 1st grade and interact with whole new people in my last 3-4 months in grade school (elementary in the Philippines). It was a living nightmare, I left my best friends and crush (excuse me it was a 3 year unrequited love haha) without even being able to say Goodbye. I can’t disclose why, it is really private, but It was like one night we were woken up all things are packed and we are told by my parents to go. That time I didn’t know why exactly yet, but I kinda have a hunch. We rode our owner (a jeep styled vehicle) and we drove far south (we lived far north, Bulacan for those who knows) and stayed with my grandpa at Cavite. Well this was a whole hullabaloo, but I swear this part had a great huge impact why this show grew so close to me.

And then I couldn’t transfer right away because papers and such needs to be processed, where we moved is really province like. We are surrounded by trees and such, and it was a small yet comfortable house. I am not too inclined with internet and computers yet at that time, I just visited a computer shop 1 or 2 times? to see my crush :D. We had a computer class before but it is all about MS word, excel, etc. So where I am getting at is that my only means of watching anime is the TV. Oh the glorious Television that doesn’t have a Cable, meaning we can only watch local channels.. so the ever popular anime channel like HERO and ANIMAX is out of reach. So while I was stuck at home I often browse the TV and one day I came across that PRINCE OF TENNIS COMMERCIAL. I have always been an anime fan since I was a kid, I don’t buy merch and anything because we are relatively just a normal family, no excess money or such but we are living comfortably with a small family-owned store that we left when we moved. So the commercial just mainly shows Ryoma, like meet the Prince of Tennis kind of thing. And for a 2000 anime, RYOMA was like HOT DANG !!!!!! So I looked so forward to it, drooling hyped every time the commercial is shown (I was basically waiting for it to be shown in the TV that I kinda memorized the sequence and time and change channels to QTV when I know they will show it), and have been eagerly waiting for it to be broadcasted.

I don’t remember if it was being broadcasted by the time I started my new school life or not, but as I knew it was really awkward at start. I really don’t fancy the idea of moving so I was really quiet and even if it is just a 4-5 hour drive from my previous home the way everybody acts and the tones in their voices is all new to a 10 years old me. I kinda felt to be just a shut in, thinking that I just need to be with them for 3-4 month, not too long.. don’t need any friends. When I get home I started watching Prince of Tennis, so first episodes is about the HOT small kid playing tennis who is often underestimated, I got hooked in this cocky little brat for the first few episodes. Then a tall guy showed up, then a scary snake like character (I really didn’t like Kaidoh at first, but NOW i LOVE him). It was a chill episode until...until....until... THE SENPAI’S SHOWED UP. GOD DANG those HOT LITTLE POTATOES BAKED WELL DONE. I SQUEALED. Let us all be honest here, FUJI will be the first guy who will catch your eyes !!!!!!!! but as I continue to watch I slowly liked EIJI. I don’t normally like over clingy, childish and noisy guys but Eiji is precious. 

One day I went to school and saw a group of girls talking i kinda peeked and saw they are holding a sticker set of PRINCE OF TENNIS *Eyes Sparkled* and I guess their radar felt a fangirl next to them and I joined their conversation. I am kinda sad I think i lost that sticker but I swear it was with me until college, but eiji didn’t have a solo sticker but I got to get one from her.

UPDATE: F*ck I still have it I am literally CRYING guys, i bought it all the way here in Canada it was in my wallet, 12 years, this is literally my treasure now.

It looks icky and old, but it is with me for a whole 12 years T_T. It was kinda a proof of friendship or sort, it is also my first prince of tennis item.

And by then I had a set of friends. Namely, Jessa Fe, Jeanette and Jenelyn who are the Ryoma Squad. Captain (Maris) well obviously we know whose squad she is but the funny thing until now I still call her captain instead of her name. And my best friend and 100% Rival, Ana who as “rival” indicates is on the Eiji squad. We bicker everyday on who owns the potatoe. Then with friends who loves the same show I do and with the everyday topic about them I also slowly fell in the dept, in love with this show who have given me happiness and friends in that short period of 3-4 months. 

The TV show only finished until the Hyotei Arc I believe, so I decided to buy a DVD of it to be able to watch the whole show, until RIKKAI DAI only because the nationals are still not available by that time I believe. And by that time my main hoe is EIJI and I really didn’t like Atobe at first he was a bastard, he was a flirt with the annoying Ann and he was too arrogant.

I started buying 20 PHP (around 50c usd?) stickers, sadly those for sure I left in my box in the Philippines, although I still have them but I couldn’t bring them.. maybe when I go back in the Philippines i will get them and bring them along with me. And i got addicted on doing FAN FICTIONS, i don’t have it too because it was too thick i left it in the box in the Philippines too along with everything :’( I should have bought it instead of my ex’s memories and stuff. Dang. I will search my FB later to see if I posted pictures of it or something. Sobs. It was handwritten and it was like a 5 notebook sewn together, and then it had 2 other notebooks all about it. 

Basically that fan fiction is about US, and other girls and the Prince of Tennis Characters. The story goes as me, whose name I changed as Narusime Atobe, yeah by that time I still just “like” atobe~sama and since he is rich the perfect scenario is to be the protagonist as atobe’s sister. It started at October 03 where supposedly the next day is Atobe’s birthday but he didn’t feel like celebrating it because his family is nowhere near him until he received a call from his sister telling that she was finally allowed to go home and stay with him in Japan, which overjoyed Atobe. So to celebrate both his birthday and his sisters homecoming he decided to throw an extravagant birthday party (within a freaking day) and the scene goes as where he visited each school to invite them. While I arrived in the airport and suddenly saw a cat in the Narita airport and played with it because it was all alone when a small brat came and get the cat and thanks shyly. He introduce himself as Echizen as he go. And then I remembered that was the name of the guy who defeated my onii-sama so I decided to look around Japan because there is still too much time and I want to buy the best gift for my onii-sama. As I am walking with my tennis bag a guy with red hair suddenly bumped to me and I fell, he helped me stand but he was in a hurry so he said thank you and grabbed MY things and run. Shocked, I checked his bag and saw it says SEIGAKU, so I decided to visit their school to get my things and meet ECHIZEN. I believe along the way i had fated meeting with gakuto, marui and kamio. Yah it was a RED HEAD HAREM for me THANK YOU. Well yadda yadda. Onii-sama had her own romance too with a flower shop poor girl who is in hyotei through scholarship. It was a sexy love story. She is annoyed on how arrogant atobe is but due to a lot of circumstances love blossomed. Every single prince of Tennis guys had their own girls <3 my personal favorite is Mizuki’s and Akutsu’s love story. Mizuki’s is RATED 18+ while Akutsu is a sweet little one. Oh and my friends have their own respective role too. Like 3 girls for Ryoma. Ana is my rival, so i portrayed her as my cousin who looks a little similar to me where my harem mistaken her to be me. And she liked Eiji. Tezuka and Captain Maris are strong and steady and they have a sweet sexy relationship. So yea, when I was 11 years old by that time I’ve been doing this scenes even if I am still a virgin girl who never had a relationship :D . There was no smut or anything, just a suggestive one. I swear I am retrieving that book when I go to vacation in the Philippines. 

While still doing the fanfiction I eventually entered middle school (we call it high school in the Philippines). I didn’t go to the same school of my friends because they went to a school that requires you to convert to a different religion. We are not a strong catholic believer, but my parents didn’t like the idea of changing religions just to join that school so I went to a different one. Sadly, the start of my high school life wasn’t that fun. My classmates are aware of the show, but they are not hyped or anything about it maybe also because we have the mindset that entering this stage of life means that we need to be more matured, children often wants to seek new things like drinking, playing hooky and dating. Sadly that didn’t apply to me. In the bright side my elementary friends houses are just next to mine so I visit them when I have free time and go fan girl with them, although that slowly changed too because they got too busy in school work and since they all went at the same school often I couldn’t ride along with their conversations about different people so I slowly felt isolated again. That time instead of those I got addicted on going to Computer Shops and stay online. Our home doesn’t have a computer or internet so I visited computer shops daily and that is where a new stage of my life involving prince of tennis started.

I got addicted in watching youtube videos dedicated to Prince of Tennis and then I came across FORUMS and joined them. That is where I met several online friends who LOVED prince of tennis as much as I do. And I feel at home again. I got people who understands me and it was fun. Daily i would converse with them and since i love making fan fiction i got involved in RP-ing. I just had a small group of friends. And the site we joined is a very big community so sometimes we couldn’t just be ourselves because we need to follow rules and such. That is when I decided to make my own FORUM. The site is still up nowadays, I am planning tor revive it but as of now it is at a stale state you can visit it if you like here are the links:

http://tenipuri02.proboards.com/

This one is a site dedicated to Prince of Tennis. It is just a general one, I made it first and it was pretty chill but it involved more discussions rather than RP. I am not planning on reviving this site but I do plan on reviving the next one.

http://tenipurirpsite.proboards.com/

This site is called “Atobe’s Island” It is our main RP site and we had fun even if it just lasted around 2 years i had the best online friends there.

These forums are very small, the members are too little but they are just my close online friends whom lived around the world. It was the best way to connect with them. And this years was simply one of the most memorable years for me. I made a best friend name Valeria. She liked Fuji, while me on that time loved Atobe. I will talk more about how I gradually loved the characters i love at a different post because this will turn out to be a book rather than a long novel. So valeria is from hondouras, and she was very dear to me. I lied to her though, since we are RP-ing  18+ stuff, I kinda lied about my age and appearance. I am sorry. I was just 12 year old that time and I want to join the circle so I lied and say I was 20 something... Sorry Valeria. She was the sweetest girl ever. She sent me a package from Hondouras. It was a personalized letter and an art of Atobe whom she painted. I left Atobe’s painting in the Philippines too because it is too big but I believe I bought the letter. Let me look at my things later and take a picture of it and search my Facebook for it. Then post it. 

UPDATE: Sadly I can’t seem to find it I will try finding my whole facebook again when I get the time. HUHUHU

Yet all things must come to an end, my grandma have a home at the city and my relatives who previously lived there will move so we are told to just stay there because somebody needs to take care of the house. My mom by that time is also going to school for the Caregiver course, and to be able to go here to Canada. Eventually we moved, and that time I wasn’t able to go at computer shops and got too busy at the school. City life and people are different and fast paced so you need to follow them or you will be left behind. And by that time I was 2nd year(8th grade) at Moonwalk, I met my 1st relationship, it was an 8 year relationship, we just broke up recently when I migrated here at Canada last year. Since then I have always serious with study, and not to brag but I am always top in my class and around top 5 in the whole school, but I could still watch anime because that is the only two major things i need to balance aside from friends and family. Yet being in a relationship, the balance got disrupted. My relationship was ok, because that person also likes anime. They watched prince of tennis too but wasn’t that hyped about it. They liked Detective conan though, that is how I got close to them and eventually start a relationship. I don’t know if they hated Atobe from the start or just hated him because I really loved Atobe too much and just go talking about him for hours. They said atobe is arrogant and a loser, who lose from Ryoma, he was a villain who destroyed Tezuka’s shoulder. Of course I defended Atobe but I will do it in another post because there are too many people who says the same. Yet, I slowly mellowed down on prince of tennis and explored different anime’s with them. Although Atobe is my no.1 hoe that time, my relationship became my first priority and atobe was kinda tossed aside and i slowly left the fangirl mode and just became a normal otaku who loves anime so I wasn’t active anymore with the forum and neglected it. I got friends who have different interest. I was still out of place but that time what runs on my mind is to the same as the norm or else I will be alone. I still have my comfort zone with my boyfriend who loves anime, so when we are out chilling we watch anime and stuff. I wasn’t particularly so happy, but wasn’t sad either. Entering my 4th year of high school (10th grade) I got more involved with school works because by that time the k+12 system isn’t applied yet so college is next. I still like anime, but I can’t find people who shares the same passion as I do. I still watch and play JRPGames but not with a group of people.

I entered college and took Psychology. That is the time of my life where I realize that individuality, uniqueness and having your own passion is beautiful. It doesn’t matter if you can’t find people who share the same interest as you, you can just find people who will like you even if you share different interest. That is how i found a group of various individuals who are still my friends nowadays to this very moment even if 2 of us migrated and most of them are working already we still chat at our group chat every single day. I realize that I don’t need to be the same as the norm, I expressed myself more as an OTAKU, an ANIME lover. I didn’t mind wearing headphone I bought from COMIC ALLEY (an official anime merch store in the philippines), or wearing ID laces of my baes. I listen to anime music going to school and home. I watch anime during break time. I got senpai’s (higher year people with the same course) who loves anime, i sometimes join the conversation and take picture with them when they do cosplay. As much as I would love to cosplay and join CONVENTION I am too poor. And if there is one thing my group of friends share in common in the like for a chill drink out. At holidays I spend time with my ex and we made friends with the owners of the computer shops we often play at or hang out of. I often drink with their wives too because I can be awkward at first but I know how to keep a conversation going. And while creating this blog and searching for some stuff I remembered a Christmas gift given to me last 2015 by the computer shop owner, they knew i love Prince of Tennis and I just saw it again now and I only got to open it today

It was a postcard thingy .. no Atobe Sadly.

We often play League, watch anime together and stuff. It was fun but at near the end of my college life I encountered another turning point in my life. 

Our visa has been approved and we are migrating here in Canada. We were expecting it for a long time now but then of course when it is actually happening you can’t just seem to be ready. I left most of my anime posters and such in the Phil because my luggage was composed of all the teddy bears from my ex (i deeply regret huhuhu) . Living here in Canada is entirely different once again, because people doesn’t share the same nationality as you more often than not engaging to conversations is hard although Canadians are entirely nice. As of now I still don’t have a group of friends next to me who likes Anime as much as I do, but the internet is actually enough for now. I also got a Job, and even if the pay isn’t too great I got to have an extra money so I was able to buy all the things i want and can afford on ebay. The very first item I bought on ebay is this::

hehe of course an Atobe Dakimakura to keep me accompany at night.

For the 1st year at canada I bought several cosplay stuff. So basically I am living the life I have always wanted. I participated at the Anime North convention. This time I love Atobe, but Prince of Tennis is kinda not that no.1 in my heart because of the new animes such as Haikyuu, Attack on Titan and many much more.

Out of a whim last June or July I decided that I kinda want to watch Prince of Tennis from the start till the end once again, I am not skipping any episodes even if I hate Ryoma (yes I hate Ryoma since early the start, I think I just liked that cocky kid when I watched the commercial where him speaking is just minimal, I’ll explain in at another post). 

This post is when I started watching again.

And of course after all is said and done, I realized once again that this show is just too precious, there is nothing like it. I was trapped from the start, along with all the great memories this. And once again from just a simple otaku I became a bona fide fangirl of my hoes, baes and potatoes. I stumbled here in Tumblr while looking for Tenipuri products to add in my collection. As of now these:

It’s kinda sad that I got addicted with it again a little late in the game, I know it is still ongoing and very much alive in the eastern part of the world. Yet the tenipuri fever here in the western part is not as fiery as how it is supposed to be. At anime north the only “Atobe” item I could get is this little key chain. 

I am glad though that there are still pages here in tumblr that still loves prince of tennis. I also found a reliable merchant where I can order the Tenipuri goods. I just got the cash now so there are a lot of merch I missed, but slowly I will gather all of them. I also plan on going in Japan in the future and hunt all these products myself. If only I had the money and the resources before, then maybe I could have a lot more in cheaper price T_T . Yet I am glad that the fandom is still alive, it always brighten my day to see people still loving prince of tennis. It keeps me alive. It keeps me happy. I wish someday I get to meet all these people who shares the same interest with me. This show is one of the things that defines me, I won’t be Alpha without Prince of Tennis. I just love it.

More than giving the details on why I love Prince of Tennis, I discussed on HOW i came to love it. It was part of almost every turning point of my life since it started. I am forever grateful of this show. It makes me smile, laugh, sad.. all in all experience different emotions while watching it. I am very thankful of konomi sensei as well. I will always love and support it until the day I am no longer breathing. In the future please put all of my Prince of Tennis goods in my casket/coffin especially the Atobe Figurines XD. This went longer than expected but this is literally my life. Nothing will ever change the influence this show have in my life and I believe no Anime will ever be as meaningful as this show. I also am starting to do little fan arts nowadays, I am not so inclined with art and I just got the inspiration to do it when I watched Prince of Tennis again, look forward to more Prince of Tennis/Atobe Updates in this blog.

Thank you very much on reading this blog (if you actually read till the end). I might update it soon when i get the other images of my childhood with Prince of Tennis HAHA, Lets continue to support this show forever.

[meredithritchie]

I Went Fucked Up to Noplace

[This is a fiction piece I originally wrote for a writing class and later edited and submitted to a literary contest. I retained the rights to publish it here.]

Mom told me about Noplace when I was seven years old. I was looking for baby photos of myself in an album with faded teddy bears on the cover. There was a Polaroid of Mom when she was middling-pregnant and trying to cover it up. The photo was blurry, but I recognized her baggy sweater. It had a plaited cable knit in a color like moss from some rock sunk ten feet under brown water, and it hung up inside her closet. I had never seen her wear it.

I showed Mom the photo. I said, “where were you?”

And she said, “I wasn’t here.”

In the photo, she was standing in front of a mountain and smiling the way people smile in front of the Statue of Liberty, or the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t even so much a mountain as a slab of bumpy stone like dry skin criss-crossed with lines.

“Am I in there?” I asked, pointing at that contorted ocean knit.

“Yes,” she said. “You were with me when I went there.”

“Where?” I asked again.

“Noplace.”

“Where is that?”

She went back to cooking pasta and acted like she hadn’t heard me. She did that sometimes. So I took the Polaroid out of its sleeve and pressed it inside The Magician’s Nephew, which Mom read to me at night. I put it right over the picture of Queen Jadis, who I thought was the prettiest lady in the world, except for Mom.

When Mom opened the book, she saw herself in the blurry Polaroid right next to Queen Jadis.

“Can you tell me where Noplace is before we start?” I asked.

She picked up the Polaroid and held it very close to her face for a minute.

“Do you know what a state is, Charley?” she asked.

“I know Idaho, Texas, Missouri-”

“Not a state like the United States, honey. A state of being. Do you know how water turns into steam and ice? Those are states.”

“Okay, I know those.” I didn’t.

“Well, sometimes, when I was younger, I went into a different state, and then I would come back again. That picture was from the very last time it happened.”

I envisioned my mother as steam rising from rice, and then condensing back into water on the lid of a pot. I saw her stiffening into a block of ice and then melting into a puddle on the floor. But in the photo she didn’t look like that.

I nodded like I understood.

“Did I turn into steam when I was inside you?” I asked.

“I didn’t turn into steam, baby. It’s an analogy. I used it to compare myself with something else.”

“Well did I go to a different state with you?”

“I think so,” She looked at nothing for a second, and then set the picture on my desk, out of my reach. “Let’s get back to the book.”

I didn’t ask Mom about Noplace again for a long time. At least, it seemed a long time to me, when I was seven years old and a few months was a reasonable portion of my life. But one day, she was changing my sister’s diaper, and I said to her, “Did Libby go to Noplace with you?”

Her hands stopped at the fastening on Libby’s waist for a moment. “No, honey, Libby never went to Noplace.”

I had seen a commercial on the television, and it was telling me not to do drugs. There were little candy-pills and also tubes like the ones at the doctor’s office, and Casey my best-friend-who-lived-up-the-street told me her big cousin had to go to a place called Rehab because he had done a drug that made him think he was somewhere else. I said to Mom, “Mom, did you have to do something to get to Noplace?”

I had a vague idea that I was not allowed to say “drug” in the house, the same way I couldn’t say “suck it” or “hell.”

“No, it just came to me,” she said, and she pulled my sister’s pants on, picked her up, and walked away so I knew not to ask any more.

I went back to the photo album with teddy bears on it. The Polaroid was still on my desk. There were no other photos of her next to that rock. There was one of her, in the same sweater, outside a cafe with Dad. They both had to-go coffee cups, and it was raining. There was one fleck of water on the camera in the upper left corner, but other than that the image was totally clear. I could see the reflection of neon lights in Dad’s big glasses. I wondered if Dad went with her to Noplace before he died.

On the day I turned eight, Mom bought boxes of cupcakes from the store and I took them to school to share with my class. When she came to pick me up from school, she watched all my classmates leave the school. She drove around the school once, in case I’d gone out the side door. She pulled back up to the front door and waited. I came out of school twenty-two minutes late.

I buckled my seatbelt, and she said, “What took so long? I was about ready to call the school.”

I said, “I went as fast as I could.” That part was true. I’d had half a box of cupcakes left over for Mom and for Libby, so I had rushed to my cubby, and into the hallway. I was the first one out of my classroom, and the only one in the hallway. I started running toward the doors, ready to skid to a “I’m-not-running-I’m-fast-walking” step as soon as a classroom opened. None did. I ran until I was out of breath, and the exit was still at the end of the hall. I clutched the half-box of cupcakes against my chest and looked back, but couldn’t tell which classroom was mine. All the doors were closed. Maybe I hadn’t really heard the final bell. Maybe I was going to get in trouble for leaving early. I tried a door. It was locked. I knocked, and the knock echoed. I stood on my tiptoes to look through the little rectangular window to the classroom, but the window was frosted, and I couldn’t see inside.

I walked down the hallway with my cupcakes for a long time, squinting to see if the exit was getting closer. I looked over my shoulder periodically to see how many classrooms were behind me. I started counting lockers. I got to one hundred and two, and then the bell rang. The bell rang, and suddenly the exit was coming toward me, and I was outside, and Mom’s car was the only one parked in front of the door.

Mom didn’t tell me that day, but I had been going to Noplace for a long time. When I was two months old, she went to my crib in the middle of the night and I wasn’t there. She was all alone and Dad was still working nights, so she went through the house and checked all the rooms. When she came back, she was ready to call the police, but I had returned. I was wide awake in my crib and kicking my legs, and when Dad got back Mom was still wide awake, watching me. He said she must have missed me in the darkness. She knew she didn’t.

Mom was really careful, because I think deep-down, where I’d rested in the curve of her insides, she knew where I’d gone.

The other stories were fuzzy, and maybe things about Noplace always are. One day after leaving me napping on the floor, she found me asleep in the backyard, just as peaceful as if I hadn’t been moved. Sometimes when we played hide and seek, Mom would check a place twice, and find me there the third time. Sometimes she wouldn’t hear me come through the door, but there I was.

Exactly one hundred days after my eighth birthday, which I knew because I counted on my calendar, I looked outside late at night, and couldn’t see the bright star that was always to the west. I waited a very long time in silence, practically holding my breath, but then I blinked, and the star returned.

Instances like that were pervasive in my childhood. They were often hard to put into words. Things went missing and came back, and I often felt that it was myself who had left and returned. I might find myself staring at a wall, look at the clock, and realize it had been several hours since my last memory of doing anything.  I wondered occasionally if I’d been concussed or drugged, if I was sick. I knew plenty of kids who’d taken a ball to the face or tumble off their bike and suddenly had either small cracks or gaping caverns in their mind where no memories resided, as if all the neurons had fled for a more gentrified neighborhood. Each time I went to the doctor for a physical, everything came back normal. I was undersized, had some pollen allergies and was slightly anemic, which Mom said I got from my Dad, but that was all.

When Casey, the oldest of my motley crew of accumulated friends, got her driver’s license, a few of us kids would pile into her little Ford Taurus and drive to get ice cream at ten on a school night and yell secrets because there was nobody around to hear us. That year, my friend Jalen went through three different girlfriends, and they would join us in the car and sit lapsies because there was no other place to sit. Jalen’s twin Aaliyah liked to lean out the window and said, “I fucked Caleb Shafer!” or whichever quarterback it was this week. Matias told us with loud chuckles how he’d gotten away with smoking pot right under his dad’s nose. Casey always knew who was dating who, who was fighting, who was popular, and who was about to drop out of school.

I never told any of them about Noplace.

We were sixteen, and we started going to parties; all of us packed into that beat-up Taurus with rust crowning the fenders. My first drink was honey whiskey, something Casey had stolen from her older brother’s secret place that wasn’t so secret. My second drink was bright pink and came in a bottle with fruit on the front. It tasted like Kool-Aid. That was my third and fifth drink as well, sandwiching a second shot which I never knew the contents of. I have a vague memory of Aaliyah grabbing me by the shoulder and saying, “Oh, Charley, you got yourself fucked up,” and then I was back in Noplace, and she was gone.

I hadn’t gone to Noplace so completely since my eighth birthday. I tried later to chalk it up to being drunk - I was still skinny all over, a lightweight, begging for a final hormonal spurt to make me look half an adult, and I probably weighed a buck-fifteen soaking wet.

I walked over to the kitchen counter, not very steadily. I knew that I was no longer where I had been. The lights were almost all off, and there were no more drinks on the kitchen counter except for a bottle of rosé, unopened. From behind the counter, I could look into the living room and see that the candles on the mantle and end tables were all lit. They cast flickering shadows across the walls, as if trying to replace the people who had been swaying in the room moments before. I thought of Plato’s cave, like any normal teen who is drunk does. The scent of cool Sea Breeze and warm French Vanilla clashed sharply, and I remember it as vividly as if I’d been sober and smelled it yesterday. Sometimes even today I think I catch a whiff of it, but then I turn my head, and it is gone.

The Top 40 hits had gone out, but I could hear wordless jazz playing from another room. I leaned my elbows on the counter and waited. That was all I could do. I’m not sure how long I waited, but the sky outside stayed dark. I put my head down on the counter, and when I looked up it felt like it had only been a moment, but I’d sobered up, and I couldn’t tell if the faint light outside was distant neon or the first light of day.

Somebody said, “Charley,” in the distance.

“Charley?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

I was in the foyer of my house, and Mom was calling from our living room, and I wasn’t in Noplace anymore.

“You’re ten minutes after curfew,” she said, entering the foyer with arms crossed.

“I’m sorry, time got away from me,” I said. I was totally sober. No hangover, just nothing.

“I know Caseys parents don’t want her home this late either,” Mom said. “Did she drop you off?”

Oh fuck.

“No, it was this guy I know from math class. Connor.” There was not anybody in my math class named Connor. “He dropped off Matias too.”

Mom’s eyebrows raised. “This is the first time you’ve got home so late, so we can call it a mistake. But next time you better watch the clock.”

“Sure thing, Mom.” I turned toward the stairs, walked up three, and then turned around and followed her back into the living room. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, honey.”

That night she told me about my liminal childhood, and I told her about my eighth birthday. She told me about the photograph, her last time in Noplace.

“The camera had a timer. I felt like it was my only chance to prove that I had really gone away.”

“To who?”

“Just to me, so I felt like I wasn’t crazy.”

“Did you?”

“I think so. Your dad and I took a trip to the Black Hills the summer after we graduated college. Wanted to get away one more time before we became parents. We were at Mt. Rushmore when I went to Noplace, and I still had the camera around my neck, so I set the timer and took the photo.”

“The mountain in the background, then.”

“Those president faces just vanished,” Mom said. “Left behind the bare mountain. It was really beautiful, I don’t think he photo captured it. Before Rushmore was carved the Native Americans called that mountain Six Grandfathers, and I knew why by looking. I came back as soon as the camera clicked. And somehow I thought, as I waited for the photo, that it wouldn’t work. That it would show those faces behind me.”

“But you didn’t show it to anybody?”

“Looking at it was all I needed. I didn’t realize we still had it until that day you showed it to me, oh, almost ten years ago now. Your father must have put it in that album.”

“Did Dad know?”

“Sort of.”

She never expanded on that. Neither of us ever told Libby, either. It was an intimacy between us, mostly unspoken. Some days I would come home from school and say, “I think Noplace came into the classroom today” and she would say, “Tell me how,” and “It came to me that way once, too.”

[popofventi]

Ventipop #233 :: Kinky Karma, Nordic Noir & The Prison Inside Me

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever."  -- Sagan

HERE ARE THE MOST INTERESTING, HUMOROUS AND INSPIRING THINGS I FOUND ON THE NET THIS WEEK. IF YOU ENJOY, IT WOULD BE AWESOME IF YOU WOULD HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT VENTIPOP AND SHARE WITH A FRIEND.

Joy To The World

SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE MADE CONTRIBUTIONS TO VENTIPOP THIS WEEK:

BRYAN JAMISON, LAYDON MCGUIRE, EDNA SIGORSKY, ANTNY HARRISON & LISA MCCADE

It’s A Small World After All

South Korea - For the past five years, a mock prison facility in Hongcheon, South Korea, has been locking up paying “inmates” for brief stays in simple cells where mobile devices are prohibited, talking with other participants is not allowed, and no clocks can be found. Welcome to The Prison Inside Me

Ancient Rome - "Evidence from an archaeological dig has found," wrote Telegraph science correspondent Richard Alleyne in 2012, "that legionnaires wore socks with sandals" — ancient Roman legionnaires, that is. "Rust on a nail from a Roman sandal found in newly discovered ruins in North Yorkshire appears to contain fibres which could suggest that a sock-type garment was being worn."

Japan - In Japan, the swastika still appears on maps and buildings, in its original unflipped form, as a way of designating a variety of positive meanings including good luck, prosperity, and eternity. For Westerners, the swastika induces feelings of disgust and remorse; the tacit acknowledgement that we must not let evil consume us again. Japan is the host country for the 2020 Olympics. Should Japan modify how it culturally displays swastikas before taking the world stage? The debate is on.

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."  -- Abraham Lincoln

Snaps & Buckles & Things

Years ago, I was working in a dive shop when this little old lady with a British accent came into the store and asked if I could direct her to the craft store located in the same shopping center. I told her where it was and after a brief back and forth, she thanked me and in her thickest Hogwart’s sounding accent said this very line: “Well, I’m off for some snaps & buckles & things”. I’ve been quoting it ever since. Sometimes it’s ok if you’re the only one that gets the joke. After all, if you can’t make the audience in your head laugh, it’s gonna be a long, lonely life. Now, “snaps & buckles & things” are the links to the small stories that also make me laugh.

Instant Karma Gonna Get You - Jerk tries to drive through giant snowman not realizing it was built on a tree stump

Poorly Researched Men’s Fiction by McSweeney’s Evan Allgood

PopQuiz, Hotshot! - How Open Minded Are You? (I’m radically open minded!)

If you scored high on the quiz above, you may be happy to hear your partner probably wants a kinkier sex life

TV’s The Office helped a Tucson, Arizona man with the last name Scott save a woman’s life

Strangest Reader Submission of the Week :: Thanks Reader Tony Clayton for submitting The Cleverlys performing “Gangham Style”.

I will sing nothing else all week.

"I don't really go out at all."  -- Jack Kerouac

Culture Vulture

Design - I had no idea my family room was Nordic Noir until I read Tiffany Lewis’ nice piece about 2019 trends in interior design over on Spacify.com.

Science - A fascinating new study claims to link gum disease as the root cause of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Goods - It’s a date! Check out this scrolling calendar that spans an entire decade. Check out more of our favorite goods here.

Food & Drink - Non-Alcoholic bars are a thing, but how do they work?

Travel - If you’re both an avid traveler and a social media influencer (not to mention somewhat of a cheap skate), Amtrak Is Searching for Travel-Lovers to Ride Its Most Scenic Train Routes for Free

Books - I’m in a literary lighter fare mood lately. Currently, I’m reading Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman. It’s a true story about what happened when we all ran out of water. I also recently finished The Bomb Maker by Thomas Perry. I recommend both if you’re looking for a book that’s both entertaining and fast moving. Get more book recommendations here.

Recommendations

True Crime TV :: 3 Excellent docs To Watch

1) The Staircase :: Streaming on Netflix - Accident or murder? Author Michael Peterson claims to find his wife’s bloody body at the bottom of the staircase inside their home. The police arrive and immediately become suspicious. The events of this documentary take place between the years of 2001 and 2018. I couldn’t decide the entire time watching this doc whether or not the accused, Michael Peterson, was someone I should feel sorry for or someone I should be scared to death of.

2) Making A Murderer, Season 2 :: Streaming On Netflix - Like everyone else who watched the first season of Making A Murderer, I was pissed off on behalf of the accused. I thought the defense team did a pretty decent job on behalf of Steven Avery, but he was convicted despite their efforts due to a corrupt justice system in the state of Wisconsin. However, after watching an even more infuriating season two of the series, Avery’s new attorney, Kathleen Zellner makes it clear just how incompetent Avery’d defense team were and presents a very logical alternative explanation to the crime and those involved in the ongoing coverup.

3) The Jinx :: Streaming on HBO - This is one of the craziest docs you will ever watch. The story delves into the strange history of real estate heir Robert Durst, long suspected in the still-unsolved 1982 disappearance of his wife as well as the subsequent murders of family friend Susan Berman and neighbor Morris Black. It features an extended, revealing interview with Durst himself. He’s hard not to watch. The final moments of this doc are guaranteed to leave you sitting there with your mouth agape.

Some Long Reads

Some private colleges are doing the unthinkable: Slashing Tuition Prices

"Fox will always be best known for his Back to the Future films and his other acting roles — that's only natural. But his most important legacy is the Fox Foundation, the model it created, and the hope it has given to people who have Parkinson's disease." Joe Nocera in Bloomberg: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Gets Results

2019 Seems like the perfect year to begin using a search engine that does not track you. Nothing Can Stop Google. DuckDuckGo Is Trying Anyway

I used to go into people’s homes for a living as well, so I totally related to this story: I Was A Cable Guy. I Saw The Worst Of America.

Aeon - The Marvel of the Human Dad

Check out more Long Reads in our Mental Yoga Archive

Encore :: New Songs We Love This Week featuring new songs by Over The Rhine, Jenny Lewis, Florence + The Machine, Lady Lamb, Phoebe Bridgers, Conor Oberst & More

Ventipop #233

-xxx-

[hopelikethemoon]

Loses (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Loses Rating: PG-13 Length: 1700 Warnings: Potential triggers if you have toxic family members and/or triggers realted to parental death. Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Set in Colombia in 1990.  Summary: Reader and Javier talk during a stakeout.

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“Can you hand me the binoculars?” You requested, holding your hand out behind you as you peered out the window. 

Javier shifted in his seat, reaching into the backseat to grab them off the floor. “Do you see something?” He questioned as he passed them to you.

You brought them up to your face and looked through the lenses. You rotated the focus toggle, trying to focus in on the person who was walking out of an alley several hundred yards away from the car. “No.” You huffed, sitting the binoculars on your thighs as you sank back into your seat. “It’s just an old woman walking her dog.”

He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Not quite a dangerous member of the cartel, huh?”

“No.” You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “This feels like a bust.”

Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth as he glanced at his watch, “Only another six hours.”

You groaned, turning in your seat to look back at Steve. He was stretched out on the backseat, sound asleep on his backpack-turned-pillow. “I wish that were me.”

“Ditto.” Javier reached down into the pocket in between the driver’s seat and the door, pulling out a packet of cigarettes. “Want one?”

You shrugged, rolling your window down halfway. “Sure.” It might help take the edge off your frustration with the stakeout. It was shit intel and you knew it — so did Javier. But the DEA heads had been insistent that they knew better. 

But Javier’s informants, and your own, had made it clear that this was barking up the wrong tree. 

Javier passed you a cigarette and you clamped it in between your lips as you waited for him to light up his own. You watched him as he took a drag, sinking back into the driver’s seat like it was that easy to take the edge off things. 

You leaned against the center console, tilting your chin as Javier held the flame in front of you. The lighter clicked as he shut it off and you sat back and blew a puff of smoke out the open window. “When are you flying out?”

He drew in a deep breath, before exhaling — the smoke swirling in front of his face. “Gonna fly out Friday night. I’ll be back Tuesday.”

You nodded, “A Friday night without you at the bar. I don’t know how I feel about this.” You tapped the cigarette on the edge of the glass. “Is your dad okay?”

Javier shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah. It’s not a health thing.” 

“Oh?”

“Figured that would be the best excuse,” He shrugged a shoulder, pursuing his lip to the side as he exhaled. “It’s been… thirty years since my mother passed and I figured my pops shouldn’t have to spend it alone. You know?”

Your brows furrowed together and you nodded, “Yeah. No, I get it.” You turned your head to blow smoke out the window again. “It’s been like fifteen years since my dad passed.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” You waved a hand. “It’s good that you’ve got your pops.”

“Your mom still alive?”

“I guess.” You sighed heavily as you let your head tilt to look at him. “It’s complicated.”

“I’ve got time.”

You rubbed at your forehead, glancing back at Steve who was still snoring. “You’re not going to judge me, are you?” You questioned as you met Javier’s gaze.

You weren’t sure you could handle being scrutinized by Javi. 

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know,” You shrugged. “Whenever the topic comes up, people get… twitchy.” You rolled your eyes and looked at the roof of the car above you. 

“I’m not gonna make you talk about shit you don’t want to.” Javier assured you, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip before he tucked his cigarette between his lips. 

“Let’s just say, I got into narcotics because I had first-hand experience.”

“Shit.” Javier shook his head. “Your mother?”

You nodded, “My parents divorced when I was three. I don’t fault my dad for getting out of that environment, but with how backwards the courts are… I was stuck with her.” You took another drag from your cigarette before tapping the ash off on the window again. 

“I had no idea.”

“I don’t exactly lead with it.” You snorted, “I didn’t even tell Lance about this shit.”

“Really?”

You pursed your lips as you met Javier’s gaze, “I told him that both of my parents were dead and left it at that.” You chewed on your bottom lip, “He was a great guy, but I just had this feeling he was one of those ‘make it work’ types.” 

Javier groaned, “You can’t make something that’s broken work.”

“Yeah.” You picked at a bit of fuzz on your leg. “But people don’t always get that. I had an academic advisor that treated me like I was the monster when the topic came up. Like how could I walk away from the woman who gave birth to me.” You looked towards him again, “I’m sorry. God, I probably sound like a bitch. I’m sorry about your mother. You're a good son for going back.”

Javier reached over and gave your leg a squeeze. “Why are you apologising?”

You looked down at his hand, which was still resting on your leg. “I’m just used to people acting like I should be grateful.” 

“That’s bullshit.” He patted your leg once more before he returned his hand to his own lap. “When was the last time you saw her?”

“I was sixteen.” You rubbed your thumb over the crease between your brows, “I never looked back.” 

Javier nodded his head slowly, “Probably for the best.”

You glanced out the window, sighing heavily. “I have an older brother,” You shrugged. “He’s a couple years older than you, I think.”

“So ancient?”

“He had a pet dinosaur,” You snorted. “And he went to school riding a mammoth.”

Javier chuckled, flicking ash into the ashtray in the center console. “Just a bit older than me then. Dinosaurs were extinct when I was hatched.” 

“I figured.” You grinned at him. “But yeah, Mitch took me in. Finished high school in Philly and then went to Temple.”

“You’ve never mentioned a brother.” 

You drew in another drag, exhaling smoke out the window. “I don’t really know him. He had a wife and kids. I was just the goblin that lived in his basement.” You sank back in your seat, watching the tip of the cigarette burn as you held it out the window. “It was what my dad wanted. We both loved him.” 

“Sounds like he was a good man,” Javier remarked. “Might rival my old man.”

“Anyone who puts up with your shit deserves sainthood.” You shot back with a smirk.

“You’re not wrong.” He countered, putting out his cigarette. Javier dragged his hands over his face, sighing heavily as he did. “I haven’t been back since I came out here.”

“Yeah? You do plan to come back, right? I’m not gonna be stuck with Murphy, am I?”

Javier shook his head, “You think I could just up and leave you like that?”

You laughed, “That's why I’m asking you!”

“Who else is gonna stay up and listen to you ramble about telenovelas?”

“Hey Javi—“

“Hmm?”

You flipped him off. 

“Classy.”

You grinned, “Well you know my sordid origins now. I’m far from classy.”

He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, giving a short shake of his head, “You’re more than where you came from.”

“I try to be,” You leaned forward, tying your hair up into a knot at the back of your head. “Thank you for not… I don’t know, judging me for this shit.” You tilted your head and smiled at him. “I appreciate it.”

“You’re a damn good agent and the DEA’s lucky to have you.” Javier assured you, his gaze lingering on your face. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”

You rolled your eyes, taking one last drag from your cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray with his. “Thanks.” 

“Anytime.”

Javier was such a dick. That too-cocky grin and glint of mischief in his eyes. You’d miss having him around for a few days. 

“What was your mother like?”

Javier smoothed his fingers over his mustache as he made a sound, like he was thinking. “I was nine when she passed. My memories are a little faded.” His brows drew together as he looked at her. “She was brilliant. Pops always talks about how she could’ve been anything she put her mind to. I remember her wit, she could always make me laugh.”

You smiled fondly, “What was her name?”

“Sofía Ximena.” He picked at his thumbnail. “It was an aneurysm. Came out of nowhere. She was only twenty-seven.” Javier sniffed, looking towards the window then. “Pops had drove into town. She laid down to take a nap and, uh… didn’t wake up.”

“Javier—“

He shook his head, “Don’t. It was a long fucking time ago. I like remembering her as she was. Alive, animated. Giving my pops a hard time. Hell, I think she was better at roping horses than he was.”

“Yeah?” You laughed softly. “I think she would’ve been proud of you, Javier.”

“I don’t know about that.” He huffed, looking at you then. “It’ll be good to see my pops. It’s been awhile, like I said.”

“You make me want to give Mitch a call.”

“Are you?”

“Fuck no.” You laughed, waving a hand. “You want me to call him long distance? Get out of here.” 

“Do you two always have to be so fucking loud?” Steve groused from the back seat. You grabbed your bunched up jacket and chucked it at him. “Hey!”

“Shut up, Steve. We let you sleep.” 

“Did I sleep?” He tossed your jacket back at you. “All I remember is you two running your mouths.” 

Javier flipped him off, “Alright, sleeping beauty why don’t you get up here and work then?”

“It’s a bad lead and you know it,” You said over your shoulder. “I’ll nap if you’d prefer to run your mouth.” 

“So rude.” Steve chuckled. “I’m good right here.” 

“I thought so.” Javier rolled his eyes, giving you a pointed look. “Thank you.” 

“I’ll be here to talk when you get back.” You reached over and gave his forearm a squeeze. “I get it.” 

Steve wedged himself in between your seats, “You got a pack open?”

Javier grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the side of the seat and tossed it back to Steve. “Happy?”

“You got a hundred bucks too?”

You snorted. 

Only five more hours.