#when the local shelter doesn’t want beanies

[tj-crochets]

Beanies! I kinda got myself caught in a loop of “if I want to do this, first I have to do that”:

To start the pride quilt, I first have to finish the floral quilt, but to finish it I have to have clear floor space for the quilt sandwich, and to have clear floor space I have to put stuff away properly, and to put stuff away properly I have to make something with fleece, because my fleece won’t fit on the fleece section of my shelf anymore, so to make the pride quilt I must first make a dozen beanies

Eight beanies done, four to go! And the other four are more than half sewn! :D

[attack-on-kiwi]

hello! can i have some modern dating headcanons of connie, sasha, and jean? thanks!!! 🥰

Connie Springer:

The boyfriend that shows up to your place at 3am and tries to convince you that, since he’s there, you’re obligated to go to the local 24 hour diner with him. He was just craving pancakes and it’s one of the few things he sucks at cooking, please, entertain him.

Has a polaroid or small photo of you in the back of his phone case. His friends routinely tease him about it and he gets super flustered. Doesn’t take it out though.

Will get flustered if you hold onto his arm while walking in public. Rarely initiates public displays of affection but will be more than happy to accept any of your advances. Kiss his cheek or peck him on the lips and it’s over for him. 

He LOVES matching couple accessories. Sweaters or hats, especially beanies, make him really giddy. 

Connie loves surprising you with amusement park tickets or spontaneous traveling dates that are within your means. 

Probably made a music video with the help of Sasha and Jean and dedicated it to you. It’s stashed in all your devices, much to his embarrassment, but you can’t help but find it endearing.

Sasha Braus:

If she’s not at your place baking or cooking with whatever you have available, you’re at her place while she bakes or cooks whatever she can. 

She likes going out on regular lunch or dinner dates with you, and it’s always fun to find new joints to try out.

Sasha’s really warm, so during cold weather, it’s always a treat to have her hugging your side while you two go for a walk or as you trudge about your living area.

You might as well forget how to breathe, because she’s always going to be kissing you or trying to tickle you until you can’t handle it anymore. You two have gotten hurt by falling off the couch or bed multiple times. Will this stop her? Absolutely not.

You have to stop her from bringing stray cats over whenever she encounters one. This means regular trips to the pet shelter, where she may or may not cry because she wants to adopt all of them.

If you’re working on your laptop or at your desk, she’s going to come up behind you and drape herself over you while whining that she’s bored and that she needs attention or else she’s going to lose her mind.

Jean Kirstein:

You talk to his mom more than you talk to him, honestly. jkjk but you do find yourself on a call with her often as she’s already adopted you into the family. Jean used to be embarrassed by it, but now he’s just thankful.

Jean always drops off food that either he or his mother made. You often find sticky notes with little doodles of you on them. You keep them all. He found them on a small box on your counter and couldn’t stop smiling to himself for the rest of his day.

“I’m cold” “Well, damn, (name), I don’t control the weather” 

He’s a workaholic no matter the time period, so he’s always overworking himself and tends to neglect you when he gets tunnel vision. You often find yourself taking off his glasses or coaxing him away from his laptop so that you can make sure he’s resting and eating.

He gets sentimental often and if you keep him up late enough, he’ll start talking about how much you mean to him before he starts rambling about the conspiracies he heard from Eren and how even though they’re fake, they might have some merit to them. 

Jean likes going for drives with you and just talking about the most meaningless things. Evening drives are dear to him because that’s when he feels the most vulnerable to you.

[little-fam-ily]

A Place To Call Home (Fam ILY) Chapter 1

Read it on ao3                                                                                              Rating: T                                                                                                  Warnings: Age regression, implied abuse Summary: Virgil is an age regressor. Patton, his best friend, is the only one that knows. Things change very quickly when Patton starts dating Logan, and Virgil slips hard.       

Ever since he was a kid, Virgil knew he was different. He knew he thought things, felt things in a different way than other kids. He tried making friends, talking with people, but all his words came out jumbled and awkward. He tried being positive, but it was hard when all he seemed like to other people was a disappointment. His thoughts were like a tight ball of knots that could never be worked through. This always left him feeling isolated and alone, and his neglectful parents didn’t help.

Things started to change a little when he met a boy named Patton in high school. He was new to the small town, and picked an isolated corner in the cafeteria as his designated lunch/hiding spot.

That didn’t last long, as soon a short, chubby-cheeked boy with curly blonde hair, golden freckles, and the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen come up to him. “Hey there, you’re the new kid, right? I’m Patton, it’s nice to meet you!” He said with a smile, holding out his hand.

Virgil was taken aback. No one had ever come up to him like that before, especially of their own volition. He always seemed too bitter and angry to approach, and he honestly learned to like it that way.

“Virgil.” He said cautiously, taking Patton’s hand. Patton smiled even wider, and shook it gratefully. Virgil didn’t even know that that was possible.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” Patton asked, not even waiting for a response as he sat down next to him. Virgil shifted away slightly, out of habit, and Patton got the hint, not getting too close.

They sat in silence for a while, eating their lunch. Well, Virgil was in silence, Patton was rambling about a million different things at once.

Then the lunch bell rang, their signal to go back to class. Patton stood up first. “Well, I gotta go to my fourth period, math. But thanks for letting me sit with you!”

“Huh, I have math too.” Virgil noted quietly.

“Oh, that’s great! We have a class together! Here, let me walk with you!”

And by Virgil’s side Patton stayed, for the entirety of high school and beyond. It didn’t take long for them to become the best of friends. They could always count on each other for anything, whether that being keeping secrets or standing up for one another. They could finish each other’s sentences, and sometimes it felt like they could read each other’s mind.

Patton seemed like his exact opposite; cheerful and friendly, and always looking on the bright side. He was amazing with people, and somehow always knew how to make a new friend. He was caring and kind, and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Virgil figured that was why they got along so well, opposites attract.

There was something else in Virgil’s life that only Patton knew about. He was an age regressor, someone who adopted the mind of a child to help cope with stress, trauma, anxiety, and a multitude of other things. Trauma was his biggest reason, with help from his parents, and him.

He figured he had always done it, he just didn’t have a word for it until a little after high school, when he told Patton. Patton actually had heard about it before, since he was both a regressor and a caregiver himself. They did their research, and quickly decided that Patton would be his carer.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden…” Virgil mumbled.

“Don’t worry kiddo, you'll never be a burden to me. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” Patton reassured. Virgil needed a lot of that, since he wasn’t very used to healthy relationships.

It had been several years since then. They had grown up, gotten their own places, and started work. Virgil worked at the Hot Topic in the mall, and Patton worked at a local animal shelter down the street from his apartment. They considered moving in together, but Virgil figured he would appreciate the space of living alone more, and Patton understood.

It was late summer. They both had to work overtime, considering the onslaught of kids that would be coming to and from during their break.

Hey there kiddo, how’ve you been?

Virgil looked down at the text on his phone and smiled. They hadn’t been able to see each other very much recently, being so busy and all, so being reached out to by Patton felt nice.

been good, kinda wanna regress, but ive been too busy

Awe, I’m sorry about that kiddo! Are you free to come over? You can if you want!

sure, be there in a min

They’ve had this agreement since forever that whenever Virgil needed to regress he would always go to Patton. Virgil rarely regressed without him, only letting himself under dire circumstances. If Patton wasn’t able to be there, he would hold off and be big until he was.

He grabbed his backpack with his little gear in it and headed to the bus stop. He put his earbuds in and got lost in the sound of 2000s punk rock bands until he stopped by Patton’s apartment.

It didn’t take long for Patton to open the door. “Hey kiddo! Come on in!”

They hugged, and Virgil was rushed in, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that there was another man in the room.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Virgil, this is Logan, my boyfriend!” Patton chuckled nervously, motioning to the stranger. He was tall and lanky, and his dark brown hair was cut short and slicked back. His striking dark eyes seemed to stare straight into Virgil’s core.

“Pleasure to meet you.” He said, holding out his hand. Both his words and his movements seemed almost robotic, emotionless.

“Virgil.” He took his hand cautiously, suspicion quickly rising.

Patton watched this exchange warily. “Uh, Logan, sweetie, why don’t you get us some snacks and drinks, yeah?”

Logan nodded his head. “I suppose some refreshments are in order.” He stated before going into the kitchen.

“Hey, what’s wrong hon?” Patton stepped toward Virgil.

“How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell me?” He hissed quietly, straining to keep his voice low.

“I don’t know, I’ve just been really busy, that’s all! And I know you’ve been busy too. Besides, we’ve only been going out for a couple of weeks-”

“A week and a half.” Logan corrected

“See! A week and a half, it hasn’t been that long!” Patton reassured, putting his hand on Virgil’s shoulder.

“Does he know?” He mumbled. Patton furrowed his brows. “Know about what?”

Virgil rolled his eyes, motioning to the backpack slung over his shoulder. Patton’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Well, I told him about myself as soon as we started dating.”

“Did you tell him about me?” He whimpered, anxiety only rising.

“No! Oh, no, of course not! I wouldn’t out you to anyone without your permission, you know that!” Patton said, squeezing his shoulder. Virgil huffed, crossing his arms.

“You know that you don’t have to talk about me behind my back, right?” Logan walked in with a tray, with a bowl of popcorn and three cups of soda on it, since Patton didn’t drink.

Virgil shuddered, looking away. He scrunched up, making himself look as small as possible. Patton smiled nervously. “Logan! I’m sorry, we were just clearing up some things, that’s all.”

Logan stared at both of them for a second, but shrugged and set the tray down on the coffee table, not caring enough to get into it.

“I should go.” Virgil murmured, quickly shuffling to the door. Patton stopped him. “You don’t have to! You can stay if you want.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine, I’ll leave you two alone.” He shoved past Patton and walked hurriedly down the stairs and toward the bus stop, trying hard to stop the tears pricking his eyes and the lump in his throat.

Patton sighed. “I should go after him.” He said, biting his lip.

“I don’t know, maybe he just needs some space.” Logan countered, picking up a book and flipping through to where he last left off.

“Yeah, maybe…”

“I have a feeling he doesn’t like me very much.” He stated after a moment of silence had passed between them.

“He doesn’t mean it like that!” Patton said, turning around. “He’s just, been through a lot, and doesn’t do well with people.”

“I can understand that.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “But it’d be best to give him his space. He can probably handle himself.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Patton smiled sadly, sitting next to him and digging into the popcorn, knowing deep down that that wasn’t true.

Virgil burst into his apartment, stomping to his room and slamming the door. He threw down his backpack in a huff, plopping down on the bed. He grabbed the nearest pillow he could find, squeezing it as tight as he could.

The thoughts started pouring in. This can’t be happening. He’s gonna leave. He found someone new and now he’s gonna leave me.

He dug his face into the pillow, tears staining the pillowcase. He looked at his backpack with disdain, knowing that he was gonna have to be all by himself.

He put the pillow down, and crawled over to his backpack. He opened it carefully, and pulled out a small beanie baby bat stuffie named Vlad. He held it tight, feeling himself getting smaller and smaller.

He took a deep breath and sighed, opening the small front pocket. He pulled out his single pacifier. It was lavender with black rhinestones on the guard, the words ‘baby bat’ on the handle. A little bat charm was the centerpiece. Patton decorated it himself.

That’s when Virgil broke down. He sobbed quietly, tears falling down his cheeks. He held onto Vlad like he was holding on for dear life. He started rocking back and forth, his breath getting shallower and shallower.

The walls started closing in around him. The shadows were towering over his small frame. His field of vision was darkening, and static started to fill his ears. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest.

Flashes of the past swirled in his mind. Parents, school, but most frighteningly, him.

God, why are you like this? Jesus, why do I even put up with you? You’re worthless, you know that? I shouldn’t even be here, I’d be a lot happier if I wasn’t.

Then he stopped himself, reminding himself that nothing would get solved this way. He took big gulps of breath, trying to remember those breathing exercises Patton had taught him. In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.

He did this several times. The static had gone away, and his vision was a lot clearer. But there was still this heavy, empty feeling in his chest, and the lump in his throat was still there.

He stood up shakily, grabbing his sippy cup from his backpack and going to fill it with milk. It was a bit bad, but he didn’t care at that point.

He shuffled back to his bedroom, grabbing Vlad and his pacifier, and climbed into bed, burying himself in a pile of blankets. He got out his phone and went to Spotify, putting on his special littlespace playlist. He let his eyes flutter close, trying his best to go to sleep.

It seemed like the minutes ticked by slower and slower. Every time he shut his eyes, they would just pop open again. He groaned, taking his pacifier out of his mouth and sitting back up. The thoughts were coming back again.

He tried, he really did. He tried to be big, he tried to take care of himself. But he just couldn’t do it. He needed someone there, someone to take care of him. Specifically, he needed Patton, he needed his Papa.

The tears started forming again, and this time he was slipping hard. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contacts, tapping Patton’s name.

The phone seemed to ring forever, but he finally picked up. “Hey kiddo, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“No.” Virgil sniffed, voice getting smaller. “Need you, miss you.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry, I should’ve come with you.” Patton sighed, silently cursing himself. “How small are you love?”

“Dunno, baby I think.” Virgil was really slurring his words.

Patton let out a breath, biting his lip. “Alright little one, I’m coming as fast as I can. Can you hold out until I get there? For me?”

A few more tears slipped down Virgil’s cheeks. “Mhmm.”

“Thank you, baby bat. I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise.”

Patton hung up the phone. He grabbed his wallet and his keys, and headed for the door. “I should’ve gone with him.” He said, facing Logan, who was still sitting on the couch.

“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have kept you. I didn’t realize how bad it was.” He said, looking up from his book.

“Are you sure?” Patton stepped towards him. He stood up, towering over him. “I’m sure. Go, he obviously needs you.”

Patton smiled. “Thank you.” He said, kissing his boyfriend goodbye before heading out the door.

They lived relatively close to each other, and Patton was able to get to Virgil’s faster, since he had a car. He ran up and knocked on the door, before realizing it was unlocked. He opened it carefully.

“Virgil? Are you here?” He called out, looking around warily. He stepped in, listening to any sign of movement.

He soon heard sobbing coming from the bedroom. He rushed in as quietly as he could, finding that the huge pile of blankets on the bed was shaking.

“Hey there sweetie, can I come in?” He asked, stepping towards the bed. He slowly pulled back the covers, revealing Virgil’s wide, scared eyes.

“Oh, oh baby…” Patton cooed, gingerly touching Virgil’s hair. “Can I climb under there with you?”

Virgil hesitated, but nodded his head. Patton smiled, pulling back the covers and getting in, pulling them back over them.

He noticed that Virgil was biting his thumb out of habit. He looked around, finding his pacifier near the edge of the bed. “Here, can you put this in, please?”

Virgil whined, looking away. Patton sighed. “Can you do this for me? I just don’t want you biting your thumb and hurting yourself.”

Virgil huffed, begrudgingly taking his thumb out of his mouth. He opened wide, letting out a relieved sigh as Patton put his pacifier in.

“Thank you, sweet boy.” Patton smiled, holding him close. “Do you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

He burrowed his face in the crook of Patton’s neck. “Gonna leave.”

“What?” Patton asked, looking down at him.

“You’re gonna leave.” He sobbed. “You’re gonna leave just like DeeDee did. He’s gonna take you away from me.”

“Oh, oh honey, no no no. Look at me.” Patton gently held Virgil’s face in his hands, bringing their eyes to meet. “I would never abandon you like that, okay? Never, in my entire life. I’m here for you, always, and I’ll never let you go, okay?”

Virgil nodded, closing his eyes and touching his forehead with Patton’s.

“I, I like Logan, I do. But we’ve only been together for a short while, so we’re not really in the ‘I Love You’ stage yet. Besides, I could never love him as much as I love you.” Patton assured.

“Really?” Virgil asked, wide eyed.

“Really really. I pinkie promise.” Patton held out his pinkie for Virgil to take, which he did with a small smile.

Patton laughed. “Now, what do you wanna do? Do you wanna watch some TV, or?”

“Take a nap.” Virgil mumbled, eyes finally heavy enough to close.

“Alright kiddo, you take a nap. I’ll be right here with you.” Patton murmured, holding Virgil close and gently petting his hair.

Virgil hummed, snuggling up as close as he could. His breathing steadied, and he fell into a safe lull of listening to Patton’s heartbeat. His smell and his touch filled him with a cozy feeling of warmth. “Love you Papa.”

Patton smiled, heart melting. He knew he would stay with his baby boy for as long as he could, and he had a feeling he could do it forever. “Love you too, little one.”

[wastelandcrown]

logan lark’s adventures in trying to appease his parents

CHAPTER 1: anybody have a map?

Summary: Logan Lark is a fairly average high school student. By all means, he should be impressing his parents on all grounds. Except...he doesn’t exactly have a social life. So after his parents give him puppy dog eyes, he decides to join the local theatre's youth production. Good grief...His life is about to get weird isn’t it?

Warning: Potential ooc behavior, Roman is a theatre brat to the highest degree (Sorry Roman stans)

Notes: This fic is based off an idea from @under-the-blue-moonlight who very graciously let me use it! I’ve made a couple changes, mostly surrounding Virgil’s involvement and I gave Logan performance anxiety because I thought it would be neat. There will be warnings on the chapters that have potentially triggering talk.

Pairings: Eventual Intrulogical, Eventual Rociet, Eventual One-Sided Logicality, Platonic Analogical, Platonic DRLAMP 

Word Count: 2584

There he stands, at the precipice of his own destruction. By all accounts, it is fair to say that Logan is blowing this out of proportion. Wildly. Though he was doing much more than adequately in school, had a fairly stable mental health, and was better than most teenagers in regards to his physical well-being and room upkeep, it apparently wasn’t enough. Don’t misunderstand, his parents were in no way vindictive or cruel. Just...positive. Overtly so. In a way that made Logan cringe. How he, a man of logic and science, was ever made from these two extremely lovey-dovey saps, we will never know. Despite all his successes his parents still encouraged him to partake in activities with his peers. ‘Oh Logan, why don’t you join the school football team?’ ‘Logan, wouldn’t it be nice to make some friends at the local animal shelter?’ ‘Why are you always by yourself? Wouldn’t it be nice to make some friends?’ No, it would not. Not for him. Other people are stupid, especially teenagers. His whole life was planned on the cork board above his desk, and there was nothing important enough to make him deviate from his goal. 

To him, at least. To his parents, his social life being active was figuratively their number one priority. He’s been hoping for a calm dinner with his mother and father, he even enjoyed it most nights. He and his mother would discuss new things going on at the schools they respectively learnt and taught at. His father would discuss his work managing the popular local theatre. Discussing his father’s work tonight was a mistake.

“You know, Logan,” His father begins, and he knows where this is going, “The youth production is going to be starting up again soon.”

His mother smiles, taking his father's hand, “Loganberry, we think it would be good for you to join. You’re in your second year of high school and you don’t even talk to the kids in your class!”

“Mother, please try and understand, I really don’t think it’s necessary for me to find friends. I don’t enjoy having acquaintances, let alone having close personal friends.”

“Logan-” His father starts again but his mother pats his hand, and he quiets. 

She smiles at him and reaches across the table to put a hand on his cheek in a caring motherly gesture. 

“I know you don’t like other kids dear, but...think about it this way! It could be a fun experiment!”

Logan pauses, leaning into his mother’s touch, and nodding to show he’s listening. 

His mother started again, “You can gather data on a lot of different kinds of people, and then find out who you most enjoy hanging out with so that...in your...career…” 

Even though she’s trying, she stumbles, and his father picks up the slack, “So that in your career, you can find the people who you think are easiest to work with and be more efficient that way!” 

He knows what they’re doing. They’re buttering him up with some flimsy science experiment and explaining their position with a strange metaphor. But when both his parents are smiling at him like that...he can’t bring himself to say no to them. When he looks at them like this, he suddenly remembers how similar he looks to each of them. His mother’s dark brown hair, His father’s icy blue eyes, the glasses that sit snugly on both their faces...They smile at him so brightly that he just can’t say no to them. 

“Fine. I will do it, just this once.”

His parents erupt into literal cheers. He finds it a tad too much, but as long as they are happy he supposes he can put up with socialization and scheduling conflicts for a few months. 

That’s how he ended up at the theatre with his father at eight in the morning, on a Sunday in July. If it were his choice, he would be eating Crofter’s by the spoonful and reading some classic literature. Instead, he’s here. His father did get them both coffee, however. So he stands there awkwardly, nursing the cup that’s gone lukewarm, and he starts to feel nauseous. As he follows his father, he can hear the other kids. They’re loud. Too loud. Logan is going to hate this, he already hates this. He’s overthinking a bit, eyes trained to the floor when he accidentally trips. He’s bracing to be smacked in the face by the floor and his coffee when someone taller than him places a hand on his chest and props him back up. 

“Hi there!” Says the smiling man, who is tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He looks very kind and is wearing a Steven Universe t-shirt. 

“I-I apologize for that, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Logan manages to stammer out. Had he been this nervous the whole time? He takes a deep breath and tries to get a grip. 

“Oh, no problem!” The man nods to his dad, “Hey, Edward! This is Logan?”

“Yes, he is! He’s usually a little more focused, though.” Edward nudges Logan with a smirk, and Logan has to nod and concede. He’s right, of course. He is usually more focused. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Logan! I’m Thomas Sanders, I’m the head on the performance department here! Your dad’s been talking you up for weeks, you’re going to fit right in.”

With these words, Logan feels himself flush a little. Leave it to his father to talk him up for no good reason. He had never even been in a performance before! 

“Uhm-Yes. Thank you-” Logan begins and is cut off by a large crash.

Thomas lets out a deep sigh and turns, motioning for Logan to follow. His dad gives him a big smile and a double thumbs-up, Logan gives him a small and tired smile in return. He wishes desperately he had refused his parents the second he enters the auditorium. On stage, an adult in an orange beanie is reprimanding a boy dressed like he just crawled out of the mosh pit of a rave. The boy is laughing maniacally as off to his side, a nearly identical boy in a strangely put together outfit is pouting and crying crocodile tears. Logan makes a note to steer clear of the neon-garbage-rave kid. 

“What did you do now, Remus?” Thomas asks with a sigh, as the kid points off stage and cackles. 

“Remus started this year off by glue-and-feathering Roman’s make-up bag.” The adult in the beanie says, and Logan looks shocked. They’re certainly going to kick this guy out, right? Right!? 

“Remus...Dude…” Thomas grimaces, making his way over to who Logan assumes is Roman and supportively patting his shoulder. 

“What!?” Remus nearly shouts through his laughing, “It was funny!”

“It was not!” Roman cries with such an intense amount of drama. 

This only makes Remus laugh more. 

He’s watching so intently that he doesn’t notice that someone has entered and is standing next to him. 

“Oh, Hello.” He politely mutters, turning to look at the person. He’s shorter than he is, and definitely a lot bouncier. Even at eight am, he looks joyful. His eyes are a lighter blue than his, and his head is a mess of blonde curls. He also has round-ish tortoiseshell glasses. He isn’t unpleasant to look at, aside from the fact that he’s wearing cargo shorts and socks with sandals. 

“Hi! Don’t worry about them, Remus does something like that every year! He likes a-uh...fun start!” The kid starts talking, and even his voice is joyful and bubbly. 

“I’m Patton Foster, it’s nice to meet you!” Patton offers Logan a hand, which he takes and gives a firm shake. 

“Logan Lark. Is it typically this rambunctious, or does it calm over time?” 

Patton looks down, a little sheepish, then offers Logan a smile, “It’s always like this. Sorry!”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll just need to adapt to my circumstances.” As he says this he knows that it is going to be an especially arduous task. 

Pointing to his cup, Patton starts speaking again, “Is your coffee getting cold? We have a microwave backstage if you want me to warm it up for you!” 

The offer is sweet and genuine, so he lets Patton take the cup and run off behind the curtains. If he’s going to be here, he should start on that experiment, so he thinks. Patton seems sweet, potentially too sweet. It may be a ruse, but if his behavior is genuine Logan thinks he might be able to get by in his interactions with him. At least he’ll be able to send him off to do polite tasks if he ever needs to. 

Returning with his coffee reheated, Patton is nearly bouncing on his heels. Throughout the early morning, Patton drags Logan around and Logan realizes the bouncing is just how Patton is. He scoots by as Thomas introduces the staff. The person in the orange beanie, Joan, is the stage manager. Stood quietly beside them is a darkly dressed kid who only acknowledges the audience with a nod, his name is apparently Virgil Storm and he is running lights and sound for the show. Logan wishes desperately he could be up there on that stage. Not because he’s decided he wants to be here, but because he wishes he had known tech was an option. Damn his father for making him act. There are only about twenty kids in the audience, and by the time Thomas is done explaining the rules and conduct, the time is reaching noon. When Thomas announces that the production they will be putting on is called “Hamilton” and is a musical, the others begin to cheer wildly. Now, Logan has no clue what Hamilton sounds like, but he knows it is about the Founding Fathers. Musicals have never interested him, and especially not one about men who owned slaves and were all hoity-toity. He’s heard of it, of course. His father talks about how it revolutionized musical theatre, but Logan has never been interested enough to ask any further questions. As everyone is buzzing, he turns to Patton and taps him on the shoulder. 

“Is that a good thing?” Patton looks a little puzzled and goes to answer before he hears an offended gasp from behind him. 

“A good thing!? Is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pride and joy, the musical that revolutionized musical theatre, the Emmy Award-Winning show Hamilton any good!?” Roman gawks at him and sputters like he’s never heard something so blasphemous in his life.

“I have no interest in musical theatre, therefore I was asking to gain clarity.” Perhaps saying this is a mistake because there are many gasps from other students, and Logan is pretty sure someone yells ‘Sexy!’

Roman snaps at him loudly and rises from his seat, “Why are you even here then!? You look like a nerd!”

“Roman!” Patton stands up and now Logan is cornered between them, “Don’t be rude!”

“Wha-Well I’m sorry that I’m confused as to why he’s here if he doesn’t even know about Hamilton!” He steps closer, cornering Logan even more.

Then he stands, “My father enjoys musical theatre and asked me to join, I don’t see what the issue is with my joining but if it truly perturbs you I suppose I will take my leave.”

He’s really grateful for this opportunity to abandon the theatre, and he turns to try and leave and ends up nearly chest to chest with Patton. 

“Hey now! There’s room enough for everyone here Logan!” Patton says brightly, and from the stage, Thomas nods. 

“Patton is right, Roman. We welcome everyone to try their hand at theatre, so please sit down so I can let you all go have lunch.” Thomas looks exasperated as Roman sits with a huff, followed by Patton and Logan.

On the stage, Thomas continues to explain what they will be doing, and then they’re being released to lunch with the goal of listening to the musical and beginning to practice their audition material. 

Logan manages to slink away from Patton, who had started talking to Roman about being nicer to the newbies or something. He had forgotten to bring lunch, which was probably fine. He’d just have to go and find his father and ask for some money. Pushing the auditorium door open, Logan finally notices he has attracted someone’s gaze. He makes eye contact with a glaring boy in a bright yellow hoodie, and he nods. The guy looks away and Logan shrugs him off. The front desk happily calls his father, who comes and brings him some money for the lobby vending machines and promises to buy him something more filling on the way home. This would severely throw off his new healthier diet, but he caves. After this day he would probably need some disgustingly greasy fast food to make him feel a little better. After the stunt with Roman, he’s not sure he’s going to go unnoticed. He buys a bottle of water and a granola bar from the vending machine and decides to sit at one of the lobby chairs to avoid the others. As he turns to find a space to sit, a voice from beside the vending machine makes him jump. 

“You’re not going to fuck up the show, are you?” The voice says, and Logan turns to find the same kid who was glaring at him before. From up close, he’s around the same size as Logan. His eyes are green-brown heterochromic, his hair is messy and brown, and one side of his face has vitiligo in a pattern that looks eerily similar to a reptile’s scales. He is glaring Logan down and he can’t help but feel a little intimidated.

“I don’t plan on it, no. Just because I am here against my will does not mean that I am going to attempt to make the show disreputable in any way.” He tries to say this confidently and he thinks he succeeds when the boy grins and offers him a hand. 

“Janus Devine.”

“Logan Lark.” And then he stops, and realizes he recognizes the origins of that name,“Are you by any chance named after the Greek god of doorways?”

Janus blinks, seemingly not expecting that reaction, “Shit-Yeah-How did you even know that?”

“I pride myself on being well-read.” Logan adjusts his tie as he says it and Janus gives a little chuckle. 

“Very good to know.” Someone yells from down the hall, and Janus rolls his eyes at the noise, “How would you like to come to join me and my...friends this afternoon?”

“It would probably be of good use to me.” He replies with a small shrug of his shoulders. Hopefully, these friends are nicer than that Roman fellow, but not as nice as Patton. 

“Oh no, it’s going to be totally useless. We aren’t going to get anything done.” Deadpans Janus and Logan just stares at him a little confused.

“That was sarcasm, specks.” His counterpart tacks on when he sees the confusion on his face. 

“Oh, right” 

All he can do now is follow Janus as he walks down the hallway towards the loud group of people. Logan follows behind and watches Janus’ movement. He walks so confidently that it’s almost like sauntering, but it’s too slow. Too smooth. It’s like slithering. 

Taking a deep breath, he prepares himself for whatever horrible experiences await.

[kookitykook]

Seven Soulmarks: Jimin (”Stop right there!”)

~genre: soulmate au, fluff, some angst but like just barely, sfw, this is cute as HELL

~word count: 3.8k 

~warnings: sadboi jimin i’m sorry

~pairing: hairstylist!jimin x photographer!reader

~summary: At the exact moment of your twentieth birthday, the first words your soulmate will ever say to you appear on the inside of your left wrist. Seven boys meeting their soulmates is more proof that the universe really does know what it’s doing. 

See how the other boys meet their soulmates (all interconnected) 

Jungkook -- Taehyung  -- Namjoon -- Hoseok -- Yoongi -- Jin

~~~~~~~~~

One time at a party, Jimin and his friends had played a game where they all tried to agree on one word to best describe each person. 

The word that Jimin’s friends thought best described him?

Charming.

Some of the other contenders had been polite, well-mannered, kind, compassionate. All great words honestly, and Jimin had been incredibly flattered. 

Growing up, his mother had instilled kindness in him as one of the greatest qualities he could possess, the thing that would set him apart in this harsh world. Jimin believed with all of his heart that kindness was one of the things that truly made him a man and not a boy. 

So to know that the people closest to him saw that in him as well, and believed him to be charming and affable, that made Jimin’s heart swell with pride. He wanted to be charming to those that he loved the most, he wanted to make them smile and feel safe. 

So it’s not hard to imagine how surprised he was when his soulmark appeared on his twentieth party. 

“I don’t understand,” Jimin murmured, sitting next to his mother in his childhood home. He had come home to celebrate his birthday with his family, taking a few days off from the hair salon he was an apprentice at. “Why is my soulmate scared of me? What do I do?”

“Oh honey, I’m sure it will make sense when you meet them.” His mother ran her hands through his silver hair (which was not her favorite color he had tried, something she had made sure to let him know as soon as he’d walked through the door). “Soulmarks are fickle things. They tell you the first words your soulmate will say, but not the situation.”

“Eomma,” Jimin shook his head, “how can this be any sort of good situation?”

Jimin held out the inside of his left wrist, he and his mother looking once again at the words in black ink that had appeared only half an hour ago. 

‘Stop right there!’

The fact that the soulmark even had punctuation told Jimin plenty. Soulmarks were typically ambiguous unless the emotion behind the first words was particularly strong. 

Jimin’s mother sighed once again, taking her son’s hand in both of her own and squeezing it tightly. 

“You are my son,” she said, giving Jimin that look that said he better pay attention to what she was saying or else. “You are kind and have the biggest heart in the world. Whoever your soulmate is, they are going to be blessed to have you loving them because you will love them fiercely. No matter how you first meet them, that is what they will come to know about you because that is who you are. Do you hear me?” 

Jimin nodded, his eyes downcast. His mother reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing her to look at him. 

“Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Eomma. I hear you.”

As Jimin rested his head on his mother’s shoulder and let her comfort him once again, he tried to believe her words, he really did. 

But the idea of his soulmate being afraid of him continued to fester in his heart. 

***

“Dad, I’m home!”

Your father lifted his head from the book he was reading, scrambling to push his glasses back up his nose as they teetered dangerously. 

“You’re late.”

“Missed you too, Dad,” you teased, bounding over and kissing the top of his head before tossing your bags in your bedroom. “Traffic was crazy since everyone is coming home for the holidays.”

Your birthday just so happened to land just three days before Christmas, which meant visiting your father one city over was a double celebration of sorts.

“Sorry again that I couldn’t make it back yesterday,” you said as you flopped down on the sofa beside your father. He reached over and threw an arm around your shoulders. “I got a last minute call for a family Christmas card photoshoot and they were willing to pay me big bucks since they waited so long.”

“Big bucks, huh?”

“Oh yeah. I might be able to buy the fancy ramen now with my Christmas advance.”

Your father laughed at that, tipping his head back. You smiled at the sound, happy to finally be home. Ever since your mother had passed, the two of you had been especially close. 

“I’ll get you fancy ramen for Christmas, sweetheart,” your father murmured, kissing the top of your head. “So the photography is going well though?”

“Yeah!” you affirmed, smiling wide. “It’s going really well actually. I found this group of aspiring photographers on Facebook and it’s been really great to get some advice from other people in the same position. I’m getting bookings fairly regularly now, too.

“And get this,” you continued, excited to talk about your budding career. “There’s a local animal shelter nearby, and they’re looking for a photographer to help take shots of animals that need to be adopted. It doesn’t pay anything, but they’ve promised to give me credit on every posting of mine. And I get to help the animals, so that’s a win too of course.”

“That’s great!” your father said sincerely, ruffling your hair. “I’m proud of you sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Dad.” You snuggled closer to him, and a few moments of comfortable silence fell between the two of you. 

“So are you going to tell me or do I have to ask?”

You laughed, pulling away and scrunching your nose at him. “I’ll have you know I haven’t even looked yet. I wanted to wait for you!”

“Really?” your father asked incredulously. “You? The least patient person on Earth waited to look at your soulmark?”

You shoved at his arm playfully, making him laugh. “Yes, I waited! This is a big deal, I wanted to share it with you!”

“Well come on then, let’s see it. What are the first words my daughter’s soulmate will say to her?”

You took a deep breath as you reached down to the sleeve of your sweater, pulling it up slowly.

You hadn’t lied when you said you waited to look at your soulmark, but it had been difficult. 

“Okay, okay. It says …”

‘Wait!’

“Huh,” you murmured to yourself. “That’s … something.”

“It has an exclamation point,” your father pointed out. “Your soulmate must really want to make sure they don’t lose you.”

You chuckled, running your fingertips over the fresh black ink. 

“My soulmate,” you whispered. “I can’t believe I have an actual soulmate out there.”

Your father smiled, tucking you into his side once again. “As much as I don’t want anyone stealing more of my time with you, I do hope you get to meet them soon.”

You knew your father was thinking of your mother, who had been his soulmate. The ink on his wrist had faded to white in the wake of her passing. 

Your father was the kindest man you knew, you looked up to and admired him with your whole heart. 

You could only hope that your soulmate was going to be someone like that, too. 

***

2 YEARS LATER 

Jimin loved the mornings. It was when he would go on his run, walk his dog Chim (not that he had to worry about that anymore since Taehyung and his soulmate took him on walks practically every day), or just run errands. 

Mornings were quiet. There weren’t many people, the dawning of the sun took its time, and everything was … peaceful. And with the colder months approaching, the mornings were extra beautiful, with frost on the grass and that small amount of mist that makes everything seem so magical. It’s when he felt the most calm. 

It’s also when he felt the most lonely. 

Not that loneliness was a stranger to Jimin anymore — no, it was practically an old friend at this point. Ever since his soulmark had appeared — those awful, awful words — Jimin had kept to himself. Where he was once outgoing, the life of the party, charming in every sense of the word, now he kept to himself. Of course he lived with Taehyung (who would likely be moving in with his soulmate soon though), and he talked to his clients at the hair studio, and he had Chim. But other than that, Jimin didn’t go out. He kept to himself, because if he did that, he wouldn’t run the risk of hurting his soulmate. 

She was out there somewhere, and if he never met her, he would never have to hear the one he was supposed to love and cherish say “Stop right there!”

His family and friends tried to encourage him. Tried to tell him that maybe his soulmate was going to save him from some terrible fate, or maybe they were a police officer, or something along those lines.

But they always ended up grasping for straws trying to comfort him, because how could those words with an exclamation point, which was so rare on soulmarks, possibly have a good connotation. 

Jimin didn’t think he had a mean bone in his body, but … maybe deep down he was just lying to himself. Maybe all the years of being told he was so handsome and princely and charming got to his head.

All he knew was that he didn’t want to be that person, and he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting or scaring his future soulmate. He would rather deal with the loneliness. 

And while taking a quiet stroll through the early light of a crisp, Autumn morning in the park … he thought that maybe the loneliness wasn’t so bad after all. 

The frosted grass crunched underneath Jimin’s boots as he stepped off of the path he was walking on to approach the edge of the pond. Mist was rising over the water, seeming ethereal as the sun’s rays pierced through it. 

He hopped up onto a nearby rock gracefully, pulling his beanie down further over his ears before shoving his hands into his pockets. A small smile overtook his face as he gazed out over the water. 

It was the definition of a peaceful moment. Even if he did wish with every fiber of his being that he had someone special to share it with. Maybe someone he could give his beanie to, or hold their hand tight in both of his own and raise it to his lips to keep warm. 

Right then though, a small little yip broke the silence. Jimin jumped, looking over the edge of the rock he was standing upon only to see a small little white dog staring up at him.

“Well hello,” he said with a grin as the dog started to wiggle in excitement. “Wanna come up here?” The dog yipped again. “Well come on then, you can do it.”

The dog’s body continued to wiggle as it prepared to jump up. It tried once, only to just fall short. Jimin laughed, crouching down and clapping his hands together. 

“Come on buddy, you can do it. Up, up!”

The dog tried once more and Jimin darted his hands out, catching him just in time to pull him up to the top of the rock with him. 

“Good boy,” he cooed, rubbing the dog’s cold ears, to which the dog was very pleased. “You’re pretty cold, aren’t you? What are you doing out here?” 

Jimin tucked the dog to his chest and stood to his full heigh smoothly, partially holding him inside his coat. He looked to see if the dog had a collar, which he didn’t. 

“Well lucky for you little guy, my friend’s soulmate works at an animal shelter. We’ll get you warm and taken care of, does that sound good?”

The dog’s entire body jumped as he yipped in excitement, making Jimin laugh. 

“Alright come on then, let’s go.” He started to take a step to hop back down on the ground, only to hear—

“Stop right there!”

***

You hated the mornings. Especially when it was cold outside. Why would you want to be out and about doing the things when you could be warm in your bed, snuggled up in your favorite blankets on your lovely memory foam mattress? It made no sense to you. 

But your photography assignment for the online courses you were taking were very clear in needing sunrise photos. Not sunset, your preferred time of day, but sunrise. Ugh. 

So there you were, taking a not-so-lovely-but-very-cold stroll through the park at six in the morning. AKA the devil’s time of day. 

“Stupid morning, stupid cold,” you grumbled to yourself half-heartedly, hiking your camera bag further up your shoulder.

The park was practically empty, you only saw one other car in the parking lot and someone could have left that overnight for all you knew. 

It was a nice morning for shooting though, you had to admit. You had already gotten a few shots of the frosty grass and the early light through the trees. You just hoped you got an A on your assignment for this nonsense. 

You figured you were likely going to get your best shots over by the pond. It was cold enough that there was mist rising off of the water and when the early light rays broke through that, it was going to be beautiful, you just knew it. 

Let’s make the best of this, you thought to yourself.

You began making your way towards the pond, cursing yourself for not bringing a beanie or a thicker coat. You couldn’t help but smile a little bit as the brief thought of your future soulmate holding you close for warmth crossed your mind. 

You thought about them often — your soulmate. It had been over a year since you had received your soulmark — “Wait!” — and you had yet to meet them. Which was normal you supposed. It took your friend who also volunteered at the animal shelter a year and a half to meet her soulmate Taehyung. There were some stories of people waiting five, ten, fifteen years even to meet their other half. 

You could live with that. Not meeting your soulmate for a long time. It would suck, but the payoff would be worth it, you just knew. So you were okay with coming up with little daydream scenarios about them for now until they showed up. 

With the quiet of the morning, it was easy to hear the crunching of the grass as you approached the pond. You froze, halfway hidden behind a lamppost as you looked over to see someone jumping up onto a rock half your height right beside the water. 

“Holy crap,” you breathed out almost inaudibly. 

The young man that had jumped up on the rock was … beautiful in every sense of the word. He was under six feet tall, but his legs seemed to go on for days. His clothes, though thick for warmth, hugged him in all the right places, and even wearing a beanie pulled down over his forehead you could tell he was stunning to look at. One of those people that just knocks you on your ass with how unfairly pretty they are. 

You couldn’t pull out your camera fast enough. 

Is this stalking? You thought to yourself, pausing as you lifted the camera to your face. No, no way. It’s academic, totally fine … yeah, totally fine. 

The boy was positioned perfectly. Hands in his jacket pockets, hip cocked to the side as he looked out over the water right as the sun started breaking through. You could have cried at the perfection of it all as you began snapping away. 

His shoulders rose and fell just slightly as he took in a deep breath. You pulled the viewfinder away from your face for a moment just to take him in. 

Damn. 

You jumped as a dog suddenly barked. You had been so absorbed in the boy that you didn’t notice the dog running up to the side of the rock to investigate the stranger too. 

Popular guy, you thought. 

“Well hello,” he said to the dog. Even his voice was beautiful, what the actual hell? “Wanna come up here? Well come on then, you can do it.”

Every bone in your body wanted to “awwww” as the dog tried to jump up only to fall backwards and scramble back to his feet with enthusiasm. The boy laughed too and damn if this wasn’t a Hallmark movie.

Cute boy? Dog? Sunrise? Come on. 

You were taking pictures like a crazy person and holy crap you are totally getting an A on this assignment and a new portfolio cover.

“Come on buddy, you can do it. Up, up!”

The dog tried once more and this time the boy caught him, pulling him close to his chest as he stood up. 

Since the boy was talking to the dog directly now, you couldn’t hear what he was saying from so far away. 

The mantra, don’t be creepy, don’t be creepy, don’t be creepy, in your head was fighting with the other mantra, get the shot, get the shot, get the shot. 

The second mantra clearly won out as you took slow, quiet steps forward with your camera raised. The shots were stunning, they looked practically photoshopped already, and you knew these would be great for the shelter too. 

You were close enough then to hear the boy murmur, “Alright come on then, let’s go,” and start to make his way to step off the rock when the words practically erupted out of you.

“Stop right there!”

To his credit, the boy froze. And you mean he froze. He could have been a statue for how still he became and you could have kissed him for it. 

You took a few large steps forward, continuing to snap shots away as quickly as you could. The dog even turned to look at you over the boy’s arm, giving a perfect shot of his silhouette with the sunrise backdrop and the dog looking at your with a little puppy grin that was going to be the cutest picture ever. 

“Just a few more,” you murmured, coming even closer to the base of the rock, getting a torso shot. The dog was getting impatient now, wiggling around against the boy who was still frozen. 

“Aaaaand … done!” You let the camera drop to your chest, held by the strap around your neck and looked up at the boy with a grin. “Thank you so much,” you said excitedly as he finally turned to look down at you, shock written all over his handsome face. “That was probably super creepy, sorry if I startled you.”

He was towering over you from where he still stood on the rock, which made his silent staring a little bit more intense. 

Oh gosh, is he a crazy person? 

You cleared your throat, scratching the back of your neck as you looked around. “Sorry,” you managed to say, albeit meekly. “I-I’ll delete them if you want me to. It’s just that the light was so perfect and your silhouette is um … nice.”

You could feel your face turn red as you realized you had looked him up and down without even hesitating you freak. Still he gave you no response. “And I volunteer at an animal shelter over on the other side of town for their adoption photos,” that seemed to get at least a small reaction from him, “a-and with you holding that little guy,” you couldn’t help but grin at the dog, “I couldn’t help but … you know what, I’m so sorry, there’s no excuse for being a total creep, I-I’ll delete them, I’m so sorry.”

You picked up your camera again, turning to speed walk away from the most awkward situation of your life and delete the pictures when behind you —

“Wait!”

This time it was your turn to freeze. You heard him jump down from the rock, clearly setting the dog down as well since it was now running around your ankles and sniffing your leg. 

“Wait, please, I’m sorry,” he said from behind you.

With a gulp, you turned around slowly. He was only a few feet away, and up close and on level ground you were struck again with how handsome he was. Full lips, rosy cheeks from the cold, piercing eyes and a jawline that could cut glass … and he had just said the word on your wrist. 

Cute boy said the word on your wrist red alert red alert red alert.

“You know I-I’m really hoping I just said the word on your wrist because — w-well because you just said the words on mine,” he stuttered out with a nervous smile that made your heart melt into a puddle of lovestruck goo. 

You blinked, opening and closing your mouth like a deranged fish. “You did,” you finally managed to spit out. “You sure did, yes indeed.”

‘Yes indeed?’ What is wrong with you? 

“I’m Y/N,” you managed to say after a few seconds of the two of you staring at each other smiling like idiots. The dog was sitting between you as if watching a tennis match. 

“I’m Jimin,” he responded. 

“Jimin,” you repeated without even thinking, and his entire face practically lit up at the sound of your voice saying his name.

“Y-You said you work at an animal shelter?” he asked, suddenly looking very shy and it made you want to hug him forever and oh my goodness you could because he was your soulmate. 

“Yepp,” you squeaked out. “Over on North Main. B-But I don’t really work work there, I just volunteer. It’s small, but good people run it.”

“North Main?” he repeated, shocked. “My friend’s soulmate works there. My friend is kind of hard to miss him, he’s—”

“Kim Taehyung?” you asked, too shocked to feel bad for interrupting. “The singer, V? Yeah! His soulmate is practically my best friend.”

“He’s my best friend! And my roommate!”

“How have we never met?” the two of you said at the exact same time, causing the both of you to burst out into giggles. 

“Hey are you cold?” he asked suddenly, whipping off his beanie before you could even answer. His hair was silver and made him look like a prince which made you give him the biggest heart eyes of your life. 

Before you could protest, he stepped forward right into your space, making you catch your breath as he ever so gently put his beanie on your head. He smoothed the edges down over your ears, pushing stray hairs away from your face with the utmost tenderness. 

His hands froze, hovering over your cheeks as you stared up at him in awe. 

“It’s really nice to meet you,” you whispered. “Sorry for making you wait.”

Jimin only smiled, tracing his thumbs over your cheekbones. “It’s okay. We have each other now.”

[marlsbuck]

— && guests may mistake me as ( haley lu richardson ), but really i am ( marley buckley + cisfemale + she/her ) and my DOB is ( 6/13/1994 ). i am applying for the ( vet tech ) position as part of the EHP and would like to live in suite ( 211 ). i should be hired because i am ( witty & empathetic ), but i can also be ( indecisive & absent-minded ) at times. personally, i like to ( dance, knit & volunteer at the zoo ) when off the clock, but that won’t interfere with work.

hi pals! we’re back with a marley mae revamp! our favorite lil cowgirl is getting the makeover she deserves, so let’s get started, shall we?

before we get too into it, though, we have a stats page and a pinterest (which is also getting a revamp before too long bUT...i digress).

lil tw moment: abuse, alcohol, drug, death mention tws. per usual, i went a little heavy on the tws just to be safe! 

- marley mae buckley was born june 13th, 1994 to finnegan and shailene buckley.

- her father is a chief exec at an oil company and her mother was a stay at home mom and socialite, the latter of which she preferred.

- the family moved to billings, montana shortly after marley was born so her father could be more involved with work. this meant her mother had more time on her hands and more time to attempt to mold marley into the perfect daughter.

- except marley liked dirt, climbing tress, and pretending to ride the family dog like a rodeo bull.

- needless to say that did not go well????

- substance abuse tw early in marley’s life, her mother mixed prescription pills and pinot, which only made the tension between the two more intense. 

- abuse tw baby marls never understood why her mother would want to self medicate, essentially checking out and missing a majority of her only child’s life, until one night after her father came home after a day of ‘meetings’. smelling like expensive scotch and cigar smoke, marley saw her father hit her mother for the first time.

-  abuse tw she didn’t witness the actual abuse often, but marley started noticing the signs more and more often. bruises around wrists, large sunglasses when it wasn’t sunny out, concealer caked around her eyes and jaw. for a while, she begged her mother to take her and leave, but marley’s mother refused - firm in her belief that she wouldn’t be able to make it on her own.

- so they endured. more often than not, marley’s mother took her pain and frustration out on her daughter. it didn’t take long for marley’s parents toxicity to turn her into an angry, resentful person. marley was around 8 when she started acting out - “accidentally” breaking things around the house, saying out of pocket things at her father’s work events or fancy dinner parties. marley was 10 the first time she left home and didn’t come back for hours on end, only to come back and realize no one had really noticed she was gone.

- when she was about 13, marley really started acting out and rebelling. she started hanging out with a rougher group of kids who were significantly older than her. even though she never took part in the more intense stuff, marley did manage to get herself into some trouble that finally managed to catch her parents’ attention.

-  one night, while out with that older, rougher group of friends, marley was arrested for a destruction of property charge. since she was a minor, her parents were called immediately and, after making a sizable donation to billings pd, made the whole thing go away.

- officially done dealing with marley and the whole “mothering” of it all (if you can call it that), her parents shipped her back to their hometown of big timber to live with her paternal grandparents.

- she tried to run away a few times (even going so far as to steal her grandfather’s work truck - even tho she didn’t get far because she didn’t know how to drive stick yet) because rebellious, but after paw made her stay and help one of their cattle give birth, marley fell in love.

- marley fell in love with every animal on the ranch - all their quirks and distinct personalities. it quickly became the home marley’d never had. it was warm and loving and full of joy and life. her grandparents became the only parents she’d ever really known.

- they were the only reason marley agreed to go back to her parents. they’d made a deal that if she behaved at “home”, she’d be able to spend the rest of her summers at the ranch.

- so marley went back to her parents and did the dance classes, and dinner parties, and even did the whole debutante thing and “came out” to society.

- at 16 she petitioned to be emancipated and a judge granted said petition. she promptly moved into the renovated barn at the ranch that her grandparents had rented out while she finished school.

- marley ended up graduating early and began attending classes at the local community college, eventually getting her associates in science all while still working on the ranch when she could.

- at 19, marley began classes at montana state, majoring in microbiology as a pre-vet track.

- death tw shortly after she finished her first year at msu, marley found out her mother passed unexpectedly. when she went to attend the services, her father effectively disowned her (even though they hadn’t spoken in years) and blamed her for her mother’s issues and death.

- marley came back to the ranch more depressed than she’d ever been and instead of dealing with the hurricane of emotions she felt, marley dropped out of school and ran

- marley drove all along the west coast, eventually settling on a cattle farm in texas.

- there, marley met literally the worst thing to ever happen to her. only a month or two after settling in texas, marley started dating wade because mess attracts mess. duh. his parents owned the farm she was working on and he gave her attention. that’s it. that’s all it took.

- abuse tw it didn’t take long for the gas lighting, lying, and cheating to start. a short six months into their relationship was when the physical abuse started. growing up, she’d always told herself that she’d never allow a man to treat her the way she’d watched her father treat her mother - that she’d be stronger than her mother and leave after the first time. finally, though, marley realized the battle her mother had fought to endure all those years of abuse and just how hard it was to muster the courage to leave. 

- to this day, marley carries around the guilt of spending years blaming her mother for being weak and missing the opportunity to apologize while she was still alive.

- eventually paw caught on and WASN’T having any of it. so he snuck down with maw in the middle of the night while wade was out on a bender and packed marley’s shit and took her back home to the ranch like the knight in shining armor that man is.

- two years of animal therapy and literal therapy, marley applied to finish her bachelors in chicago after maw suggested it. she was accepted and once again left her home behind, but this time it was to chase her dream and we’re all v proud.

- she’s been at the mlanati now for two years and has finished her bachelors and is a certified vet tech. she’s currently in her last year of undergrad and is getting ready to start applying to vet schools officially.

hcs!

- marley is a jeeple. she owns a 2008 black jeep wrangler x. 100% named it ringo. definitely has a black jeep of the family bumper sticker and let me tell you, this girl is SO proud.

- y’all will never catch this girl in shoes. she will start the day in shoes and by the time lunch rolls around she’s barefoot. the only pair of shoes she enjoys wearing are her justin boots or her vvv worn out vans. 

- she knits when she’s anxious, which is more often than not now that she’s in a new place. but it also means she’s giving out cute lil beanies and scarves to her new frens.

- loves and i mean LOVES westerns. tombstone and gunsmoke were staples growing up.

- also probably the worlds biggest dolly parton fan. if it involves dolly, marley is in.

- ALIENS, MAN. your girl loves aliens and most space things. roswell (the og and new shows) are her jam bc...y’know....cowliens.

- she has three tattoos: some wildflowers on her upper left ribs, “worthy” in her grandpa’s handwriting on her upper right forearm, and the silhouette of big timber peak at the nape of her neck.

- marley is also one of those people that doesn’t need a ton of sleep? 4-5 hours max and she’s golden.

- cold brew coffee also runs through her veins. her coffee order is a trenta cold brew with hazelnut and almond milk, thanks. it’s also probably one of the reasons she never stops moving....ever.

- big time questioning her sexuality. marley’s only ever been with men, but uuuuuhhhhh WOMEN y’know? also nb folx are v nice. we do not discriminate in this house.

- 2 cats! doc (7 y/o himalayan long hair) and ike (2 y/o munchkin). both rescues she met while volunteering at a shelter.

- snake tw would also v much like a colombian rainbow boa pls and thank

- will always make time to take a dance class or book space to just dance all her feelings out. it’s one of the few joys she has that comes without feelings of pressure or stress. 

- holds most  people at arms length. she’s more than happy to listen and support everyone around her, but is a literal steel trap when it comes to talking about herself and her past.

- alcohol/drugs tw not a drinker. buckley’s don’t have a great track record of being able to handle their liquor (never let her do shots pls), so marley sticks to the occasional blunt. esp when she’s feeling extra anxious, it calms her down and evens her out.

- she do be jumpy af! loud noises (that don’t obviously come from animals) make her anxious and shaky. it’s the *pTsD*.

- marley’s triggers include but are not limited to: grabbing her face/chin, breaking glass, loud noises - specifically yelling, general violence, the smell of vodka or scotch and cigar smoke, being grabbed from behind/picked up without warning.

wanted connections!

- travel pals! : people marley met on her trip from montana to texas! she wouldn’t have stuck around long, but she was a hot ass mess and these would have been people who met her at p close to her lowest? so seeing her at the malnati would be like meeting a whole new person. she’ll probs be hella flustered and embarrassed so, like, we love that.

- hype squaaaaaad! : marley’s self esteem is still.........nonexistent, almost. she’s all about giving the love, but is the worst at accepting it, so obviously we need someone to shove all the love and positive affirmations her way! help ya girl see her worth!

- post hook ups! : likely only one or two! marley isn’t one to hook up unless she’s feeling pretty awful about her self and needs some instant validation. can be awkward or cordial! i’m down to plot specifics!

- crushes! : unrequited or nah (lbr i’d live for unrequited pls) male, female, nb - gimmie it all! babie is ready to give all the love....kinda. from afar. bc trauma. bUT!!! leggo. lololol.

- confidant! : literally probably the only connection that’s limited to one person. they know eeeeverything. every horrid, gruesome detail about marley’s past and all her insecurities. they could be someone that met her when she was on her way to texas/she met in texas or someone she met after and got to witness one of her panic attacks post texas. aka the one person she trusts most.

- scurry folx! : pls gimmie plots where marley is at odds with someone, whether or not it’s because they scare her a lil (aka angry, aggressively loud, bully-ish type someones) or just people who can’t handle her goofy, oddball, pollyanna type personality! i. need. ANGST!! pls. ty.

- chemistry, ofc!

[liketolaugh-writes]

Threadbare and Torn

Author: liketolaugh Summary: Hank becomes a Jericho spy in the DPD ranks. Connor becomes his liaison. They... well, they don't exactly get along.

Hank wasn’t a reflective kinda guy. At least, not when he could help it. These days, that shit didn’t invite much of anything but pain, regret, frustration- no, it was easier to just go with his gut.

And Jeffrey. God, when was the last time he’d done a favor for Jeffrey? When was the last time Jeffrey had asked?

Hank squinted against the sun, a faint headache throbbing at his temples. Nothing like as bad as usual- he wanted his wits about him for this. His gaze swept cautiously over the café’s outdoor tables until a man in a beanie glanced up disinterestedly from his menu, brown eyes lingering on the breast of Hank’s jacket.

Jeffrey had given him the jacket – apparently it had a symbol sewn into it, nearly invisible to the human eye, but obvious to any android who knew to look for it. Hank didn’t pretend to understand how it worked, but apparently it did, because the next moment, the man signaled him, two fingers waving what Hank was certain was a perfect triangle.

Hank trudged over to him and plopped down in the seat across from the android, giving him an appraising look of his own. Stiff, straight posture, a beanie covering his LED, stained and nondescript clothing, no trace of expression on his face. No model Hank recognized, not that that meant much.

“How’s your father doing?” Hank said at last, not letting himself snort at the mandatory code. Eyes and ears everywhere, and all, with the FBI on the Jericho case. Still, he felt like he was in a spy movie. A corny one.

The android tilted his head slightly; Hank could almost feel himself being scanned. He clenched his jaw, meeting the android’s eyes just short of a glare, daring him to comment on Hank’s disheveled state.

“…Still living the life with his mistress,” the android said instead, so soft that Hank almost couldn’t hear him. His tone was perfectly even and measured, and subtly deferential. Hank hated it.

“Food here any good?” he jabbed lightly, glancing inside. The café didn’t have a ‘no androids’ sign, which was telling; they’d become more and more popular as tensions rose.

The android just shrugged, disinterested. “Want any?” he asked quietly, setting the menu down.

Hank considered saying yes, just to be an ass. Then he scoffed at himself and shook his head. “Too rabbit food for me. In the mood for something else? This was just a meet-up point.”

The android nodded shortly, hands dropping to his lap. “Let’s go.”

Hank’s first impression was that he was mechanical, contrasting harshly with the crying and terrified deviants Hank had seen too many times in his precinct’s cells. It grated on him, but, uncharacteristically, he bit his tongue. This wasn’t about the robot in front of him. It was about Jericho.

Sighing, Hank pushed himself up and jerked his head, indicating for the android to accompany him, before leading the way to his car. A few conspicuous seconds passed before Hank heard the scrape of the chair, and the android fell in half a step behind him. A glance back told Hank that he was scanning the crowd, pretty thoroughly disinterested in interacting with Hank.

But maybe it was just the location. Hank didn’t like letting people into his space, especially not someone who so immediately set his teeth on edge, but it was better than staying out in the open.

“Name’s Hank Anderson,” Hank grunted as soon as they were both in the car. He watched the android fiddle with the seatbelt for a moment before prompting, unable to keep an edge of irritation out of his voice, “And you? I sure hope you’re the Jericho contact or this is gonna get real awkward.”

The android nodded stiffly, leaving the seatbelt alone to look ahead, still straight-backed and perfect. “I’m Connor.”

That was apparently all he had to say about that. Hank exhaled and started the car, hit the radio, and got going, ignoring the way Connor glanced down at it with a reserved frown. If he couldn’t speak up, he didn’t get an opinion.

Hank’s first impression of the guy didn’t improve any on the way to his house. Connor stared straight ahead out the window, occasionally following something to the side, and made no attempt at conversation. His back stayed stiff, his posture perfect, and his hands folded neatly in his lap.

The pattern continued as they reached Hank’s house. Hank got out, and a few seconds passed before Connor followed. When he did, it was careful and deliberate, without any flourish and making as little noise as possible. Even shutting the door was a nearly silent process, and then he followed half a step behind Hank up the path to his house. Hank wanted to hit him just to see if he’d react.

Sumo greeted Hank at the door with a low boof and a snuffle, and Hank gave him a rough pat and an absentminded, “Good boy.”

Sumo boofed again, and then circled around to sniff at Connor, lazily curious.

Connor stiffened, eyes tracking Sumo with clear apprehension, and edged back as the dog came close. After a moment, he looked away and skirted around the dog without directly acknowledging him. Stepped around the pizza boxes on the ground and didn’t even disturb the dog food Hank had spilled last night that Sumo hadn’t eaten yet. Didn’t even touch the wall.

Instead, he just paused on the threshold of the living room and kitchen, clearly waiting for instructions. Looked like a mannequin.

Sumo huffed, unbothered, and loped off to flop onto his bed, but Hank scowled and slammed the door shut. Connor’s expression barely twitched. Hank leaned against the door, crossed his arms, and surveyed him.

“Thirium? Cards?” he asked, more a challenge than a real offer at this point. God, it was gonna be a long couple months. Just looking at Connor made him itch. “I can put the TV on in the background.”

Connor glanced at him, flat and disinterested. “…No, thank you.”

Shocker.

Hank grunted and kicked out one of the chairs at the kitchen table, throwing himself down with a scowl. Connor took that as a signal and sat down across from him, no noise, stiffly polite. Then he reached into his pocket and withdrew a holographic projector, setting it between them. With the press of a button, a map of Detroit sprang up between them.

“Straight to business, huh?” Hank said sardonically, something sick and bitter twisting in his stomach, and Connor nodded.

Hank would grant the kid one thing, he had some good ideas in his head. They had the start of a game plan sketched out after the better part of an hour, districts to target, shelters to capture, infrastructure to prioritize. Maximum effectiveness, minimum collateral.

Except the police. No mercy for them.

The only exception was Hank’s precinct, since Jeffrey had already secured an agreement with Jericho; his officers turned a blind eye to anything androids did, and Jericho steered around them. Fair enough, and good thinking on Jeffrey’s part. Small comfort all the same.

And a good mind Connor might have, but he was fucking exhausting to talk to. He seemed to speak as little as possible. He missed half of Hank’s expressions. Refused to directly contradict Hank even when he clearly disagreed.

Hank was sick of this already.

“What’s your plan if the military gets involved?” he asked, struggling to keep his mind in the game and off Connor’s painfully flat affect, so like the machine surgeon that-

“They shouldn’t,” Connor said shortly. After several minutes, he seemed to realize how painfully inadequate that was and continued, “They’re busy, or we would be dead already. The police and FBI have fewer resources. Should that change, we will certainly lose.”

Connor’s tone remained quiet and indifferent through his entire speech. He didn’t even take his eyes off the city plan, and his mouth was a flat, downturned line. Hank compared him again to the crying girl he’d seen self-destruct in one of the jail cells last year, and felt his rage grow.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” he snapped, voice rising a little.

Connor had the nerve to shrug. Hank felt sick.

He got up to turn music on in the background, and pretended not to hear when Connor asked him to turn it back off.

---

A week and a half later, Hank was faced with the grim consequences of his actions as his police radio burst with panicked chatter. He listened to them relay information back and forth, asking for backup, trying to outmaneuver their opponents, as if Jericho didn’t have easy access to even the police-only channels. He didn’t move from where his car was parked on a random streetside, far away from the chaos.

Neither, he knew, did anyone else from their precinct.

Over the course of six hours, the skirmish between Jericho and the local police force went from a standoff, to a shootout, and then an invasion, and finally a surrender. With that, the precinct the main Jericho base occupied was deviant territory.

Casualties on each side were pretty brutal. Hank wouldn’t know the exact Jericho numbers until Connor told him, but the police force took thirty-seven deaths and close to fifty injured.

All Hank’s fault, obviously, though from his grim look, Jeffrey was feeling it too. Still, he remembered the Tracis, terrified and angry and in love, the ones he’d let go before he’d ever gotten properly involved with this shit.

(Cole had loved androids. This was the first time in years that he’d done something he felt Cole would’ve been proud of him for. He couldn’t give up that easy.)

So he pushed on.

He and Connor had arranged to meet up a few days after the fight, and Connor, of course, arrived precisely on time, back straight, expression disaffected, and knocked on the door until Hank answered.

He offered Hank a cursory greeting, sat in the exact same place as last time, and gave Sumo an unreadable look when he boofed. Hank scowled, his foul temper heavy in his gut, and kicked the door shut. When he turned around, Connor was placing the projector dead center on the table and tapping it to activate.

“Thought we could play a round of cards or some shit before we got into it,” Hank said, not bothering to hide his irritation. Not because he wanted to spend any extra time with this programmed asshole, but he couldn’t bring himself to pretend he was eager to turn on his former fellows, and he hated Connor’s apathetic demeanor.

Case in point: Connor blinked at him, unamused and uninterested. The same beanie covered his head, the same sweater, same pants. “Why?”

Hank hated him.

He sat down, scowling at the hologram, which blinked at him mockingly. “Whatever. What’re we working with?”

Connor didn’t question it, lunching straight into the casualty numbers for Jericho and highlighting the weaknesses in the attack. He didn’t seem to care about the significance of any of what he was saying – like it was just a training exercise, like none of them were people to him.

In turn, Hank grudgingly relayed his end of things: police response details, the FBI’s conspicuous silence, announcements and reallocations from the interceding days. None of it reflected the stifled quiet of the station these days, the heavy tension, the silent resignations handed in by a few of the officers with each their own reasons – Miller, Reed, Wilson.

Connor listened silently and seamlessly incorporated the information into the next, revised plan, plotting out the steady destruction of the next precinct in line.

Finally, Hank couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed his hands on the table and leaned close, taking a sour pleasure out of seeing Connor go dead still. Sumo whined, and Hank felt only a hint of regret, quickly swallowed up, eyes on Connor.

“I knew those people,” Hank said lowly, not bothering to suppress the venom. “I fucking worked with them. Now, I knew what I was signing up for, but fuck, the least you can do is pretend you give a shit in front of me.”

His voice rose until he was almost, but not quite shouting, hot with rage. Connor didn’t look at him, but Hank could see the tension almost vibrating through his frame, a tightness around his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Connor said after a while, just on the edge of audible, stiff and insincere.

Hank scoffed. “You have to mean it for it to matter,” he sneered, bitterness and guilt and a visceral sort of revulsion churning up inside him.

Deviants were one thing, but god, he couldn’t stand machines.

Connor didn’t even try to look him in the face, rubbing his arm in mild discomfort. “I do.”

Hank took a breath, furious and conflicted and sick with it all.

“Get out,” he forced out, and Connor only hesitated for half a second before obeying, tucking the projector back into his pocket and leaving without another word. It didn’t make Hank any happier.

He wanted a drink.

---

Three months and several meetings later, Hank was at his wit’s end.

Jericho had taken half the city, and public opinion was radically polarized between those in support and those terrified and furious, those calling and protesting for a treaty and those breaking into Cyberlife stores just to tear shit up. Police morale was rock bottom, and the national government hadn’t lifted a finger to help; not that that was a bad thing, considering, but it was a pill to swallow.

And that was just in Detroit.

His mood was even worse than usual today, because Connor apparently couldn’t be assed to give the meeting a fraction of his valuable attention. His gaze wandered the room; his face had no expression at all, and he leaned back in his chair in the closest to a lazy posture Hank had seen from him. He hadn’t even acknowledged Sumo when the dog wandered up to nudge at him, snuffling.

He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, and spoke even less than usual, instead humming along as Hank fucking carried the conversation. Like he had no stake in it. Like it didn’t even matter to him.

It pissed Hank the hell off. What was Connor here for, if he couldn’t be bothered to care? What was Hank doing here?

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hank barked eventually, when Connor shrugged instead of telling Hank goddamn anything useful about Jericho’s supplies situation. Connor didn’t answer, looking somewhere in the direction of the bathroom door, and Hank’s voice rose. “Connor. Connor!” Connor’s gaze drifted to him, the android’s head cocking slightly, nose crinkling like it was more trouble than it was worth. Hank fumed. “What the hell is with you today?”

Connor blinked at him. Same beanie, same sweater, fingers playing with his sleeve. His gaze dropped to the projector.

“…I killed someone last time,” he said at last, almost too soft to hear.

Hank snapped.

“What does it fucking matter anyway?” he spat, thinking of voices that dropped off the radio and Jeffrey’s tired resignation and the bags deepening under Ben’s eyes. “It’s one of fucking hundreds anyway, isn’t it? But you don’t fucking care about that, you just- fucking sit there and figure out how to do it more efficiently like some kind of machine, and it’s fucking disgusting-!”

Hank was on his feet and shouting, and he didn’t even care; he was so furious his blood was roaring in his ears and he was almost shaking, staring at Connor’s stupid frozen tin-can face because machines never cared who lived or died-

And then Connor was on his feet too.

“Sh-shut up!” Connor snarled at him, and for the first time his voice was at a level Hank didn’t strain to hear, and he was scowling right back at Hank. “Y-you don’t under, understand anything! Y-y-you’ve never even tr-tried!”

Hank’s voice caught in his throat, whatever words he was planning on saying next drying up as his mind twisted up in confusion.

Since when did Connor stutter?

Connor ducked back, took a step back and a step forward, yanked on his shirt and shook out his hands and then yanked again, breathing quickly.

“I, I had to kill N-Nines again,” he continued, “b-because he won’t ask, ask me not to, I ask him to say it and he, he won’t, he does-doesn’t know how, and it’s m-m-my fault, I ran away and l-left him and now-now-now he’s the dev-deviant hunter and and…”

Connor shuddered and yanked on his shirt again. His head twitched to one side, and he took a deep, heaving breath, and he abruptly looked exactly like the deviants who melted down in the DPD interrogation rooms.

Hank couldn’t breathe. He felt like the floor had been yanked out from under him.

“And y-you have no i-idea what it’s like to be, to be a machine,” Connor continued relentlessly. Stepped back, stepped back, stepped forward, yanked. “To, to be nothing, and, and n-no one, you have- no f-fucking idea.” He took another quick, harsh breath, and without looking up, snapped, “Stop l-looking at me li-li-like th-that!”

Connor was breathing dangerously hard now, and maybe it was his imagination, but Hank thought he could see the red glare of his LED through the cotton beanie.

Hank’s mouth opened and closed, thrown so far off he wasn’t even sure he was on the same planet anymore. When he didn’t respond after a minute, Connor looked up, brown eyes dull and wild. A second later, he seemed to process what he’d just done, clapped a hand over his mouth, and stared at Hank.

Then he bolted, clumsy and frantic, and Hank made no move to stop him.

Fuck.

---

­The only surprise when he was contacted a few days later was that it was Markus himself who met with him, expression lined with stress and exhaustion; that, and that he was not nearly as confrontational as Hank would’ve assumed, under the circumstances.

He waited patiently for Hank to open the door, showed himself inside, glanced at Sumo with a flicker of a smile and sat himself on the couch. Then he looked at Hank, as bold and expectant as if this was his own home.

Hank sat down, feeling as sullen and defensive as a grumpy child.

“What happened?” Markus asked immediately, intense dual-toned eyes on Hank.

Hank scowled and crossed his arms uncomfortably. “It was just a damn argument,” he muttered. “Happens all the time. Don’t worry, I’m not some bitch-ass hypocrite who’d quit over this.”

Markus raised his eyebrows, looking unimpressed and almost amused by the attempt at deflection. “Please understand, Lieutenant, that when Connor returned yesterday he was on the verge of a meltdown. I’m not letting him back here until I feel the issue’s been resolved. So please: tell me what happened.”

Hank felt a stab of guilt and glanced away uncomfortably, watching Sumo pant on his bed. “Why don’t you ask him?” he grouched.

“I have,” Markus said patiently, “and I’ve already taken steps to resolve things on his end. I’d like your side of the story.” He paused, took a breath, and continued, a little kinder, “I’m not your enemy, Lieutenant. I assume you had your reasons for blowing up the way you did.”

Some of the tension eased out of Hank’s shoulders. “Why does Connor act so mechanical?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Everyone responds differently to deviancy,” Markus said, tone noticeably cooler but somehow still not angry. “Connor’s taken it particularly hard and is finding adjustment difficult. Can you explain what you mean?”

“He’s…” Hank groaned and reached up to rub his hand over his face, frustrated. “Blank. Won’t take his mind off the job for half a second, acts like nothing bothers him, can’t express an opinion to save his life. Gets on my nerves.”

It’s not natural, he wanted to say, but even he knew that would be a step too far.

“I see,” Markus sighed, and he actually leaned against the back of the couch a little, considering Hank tiredly. “Yes, that would explain a few things. He’s mentioned that he can’t seem to figure out what you expect from him.” Pause, while Hank tried to figure that out, and then Markus continued, “Connor spent the majority of his machine period in relative isolation. He has some social difficulties as a result. But he responds well to direct communication.”

Irritably, Hank amended his earlier thought. It wasn’t natural – except in survivors of extended neglect and abuse.

Fucking obviously. What was his police training good for if he couldn’t even identify the signs of long-term abuse when the dominos lined themselves the fuck up for him? Had he really let himself go that much?

“Why send him, then?” he asked, dropping his hand to curl it into a fist, leaning back against the couch, absently wishing he’d keep sinking until he sank right into the ground. Extenuating circumstances or no, Connor’s callousness was enough to make his teeth grind.

When he finally glanced over, Markus was frowning at him thoughtfully.

“As the former deviant hunter,” the android said carefully, studying him as he spoke, “Connor’s strategic programs are high and above anything the rest of us have. Sending someone else would be rather like having a talented amateur play a competitive chess game when you have a professional chessmaster available. I didn’t want to take any chances.”

That made sense – too much sense, damn it.

“Connor mentioned something about a deviant hunter too,” Hank muttered, still avoiding the core issue as he felt more and more stupid and selfish. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Markus looked first surprised, then frustrated, then gloomily resigned, shoulders slumping. He rubbed his knee, sighing.

“Of course,” he murmured. “I forgot that the matter didn’t receive much human publicity.” He cleared his throat and resettled himself, wincing as his legs shifted, and met Hank’s eyes gravely. “Cyberlife has been keeping a prototype whose sole purpose is to hunt down and kill deviant androids and put a permanent end to Jericho. For about a year and a half, that was Connor. These days, it’s an RK900, Conan. Connor calls him Nines.”

Shit. Shit. Motherfucker, every time he thought Cyberlife couldn’t get any worse- thought humans couldn’t get any worse-

Hank could see it all too clearly, too, in Connor’s numb apathy, and the cold efficiency of his ideas, and his obvious experience. For about half a second he considered holding it against him, and then he remembered his breakdown the other day.

You have no idea what it’s like to be a machine, Connor had said, stuttering and shattered and viciously angry. No, he couldn’t in good conscience blame Connor.

So instead Hank just felt frustrated and overwhelmed, every inch the stupid, bitter old man he knew Cole would have been crushed to see his father become. He needed a drink. He missed him.

“What happened?” Markus repeated.

Hank exhaled harshly, reached up to cover his eyes with his wrist, and finally, grudgingly, explained, “He just- it’s fucking stupid, okay? He was having an off-day or something, and I got pissed because he wasn’t even paying attention, and I lashed out.” He huffed again. “It’s just- this shit ain’t easy for me either. I knew it was coming, and all, and most of ‘em were bastards from the start, but I don’t have to enjoy having a hand in all… this. And he don’t make it any easier.”

Markus looked unexpectedly sympathetic, if still distinctly uncompromising.

“I’ll talk to him,” he promised, “but I recommend you do the same if you want to get any actual communication going. You still have a few more months of working together. It would be best if you could find a way to at least tolerate each other.” Then, unexpectedly, he gave Hank a stern look. “Don’t call him a machine again. I broke his programming myself, but only after he asked me to. He’s earned his personhood the same as the rest of us.”

Wearily, Hank gave in.

“Yeah,” he agreed resignedly. “Yeah, alright.”

---

Hank meant it, when he promised to give Connor another chance. He did.

But his mood darkened steadily as the next meeting time approached, a heavy sort of exhaustion falling over Hank’s shoulders. By the time the actual date rolled around, he was halfway through a bottle and had long since forgotten. Within a couple hours, he’d downed the whole thing, played a few rounds of Russian Roulette, and then passed out cold on the ground, dizzy and nauseous.

He woke up to fingers tapping gingerly at his numb face, groaned, opened his eyes to squint at Connor frowning at him, and groaned again.

“Not now,” he muttered petulantly, rolling over and away. “Not fucking now.”

Connor sighed down at him.

“I d-don’t know what I-I-I ex-expected,” he murmured, and then leaned down and hauled Hank up effortlessly, ducking under his arm to support him.

Hank groaned as the sudden motion turned his stomach and swatted weakly at Connor a couple times. “Get off me. Get the fuck off me!”

Connor ignored him. Fucker.

The android didn’t seem to have any trouble dragging him through the house, and Sumo was fast asleep like the little traitor he was, so Hank just closed his eyes and grumbled wordlessly, his brain too soaked in liquor to put up a real fight. Didn’t matter anyway, one way or another, the way the world was going.

He was dumped unceremoniously onto his bed, and Hank squinted up at Connor blearily. He was staring down at Hank with his brow pinched, head cocked.

“Confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, hypothermia…” Connor muttered, and then sighed.

And then, bafflingly, he grabbed Hank’s trash can and moved it closer to his bed. Hank blinked at it dumbly while Connor left, wondering what the fuck that was all about.

He was too drunk for this, he decided, and passed out again just as Connor returned with a glass of water.

Hank woke up again an indeterminate amount of time later, fell off the bed, vomited, and went back to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, head pounding and mouth dry, he was back in bed, and he couldn’t smell any puke. He groaned, feeling his stomach rebel, and then spotted the glass of water, which was reason enough to push himself laboriously upright. He grabbed it and gulped it down without hesitation, and then stumbled out of his room in search of painkillers.

Another day in the life of Hank fucking Anderson, he thought sourly, and then he reached the living room and stopped.

Connor was curled up on the couch, just squirming to stare sleepily at Hank. His beanie was discarded somewhere behind him, and his LED was a steady blue at his temple, flicking to a spinning yellow as Hank watched.

Connor had stayed. Connor was scanning him. Connor frowned at him, pushed himself to his feet, and said, avoiding his gaze, “Y-y-you need f-food. S-s-sit down, I’ll m-make you some, something.”

Too befuddled and hungover to think of a response, Hank sat down at the table. Connor disappeared into the kitchen for several minutes, and Hank put his head down on the cool wood.

What the fuck.

Connor returned with a plate of four pieces of toast, perfectly browned, and set it in front of Hank. Then he retreated, seating himself on the floor by Sumo’s bed, staring at the sleeping dog.

At a loss, Hank ate, slowly and numbly, staring at Connor like he was seeing him for the first time. His sweater was patched and heavily stained and too big for him. His pants weren’t a lot better off. Both items looked soft and well-worn. He had what looked like an old Bluetooth headset on each ear, which was new. And as Hank watched, Connor hesitantly reached out a hand and pet Sumo gingerly. Within seconds, his whole body softened.

He looked. He looked like a person.

Hank reached down, and then realized with a start that he’d actually eaten all four pieces of bland-ass toast, and his stomach had actually settled a little. He stared blankly down for a few seconds, and then got up and stumbled into the kitchen, started a pot of coffee, and swallowed a couple painkillers dry. Connor didn’t say a word the whole time.

Hank swiped his fresh mug of coffee and sat back down, and it wasn’t until he’d finished half of it that he asked tiredly, “What are you doing here?”

The question clearly stumped Connor, and he pulled his hand back to his chest without looking up.

“I was con-concerned that you w-w-would suf-suffocate or, or seize over, overnight,” Connor said at last, quiet again and sounding oddly defeated. And what was with the stutter?

Either way, Hank snorted bitterly.

“I don’t need your crisis protocols,” he sneered, well familiar with them after all this time. And he didn’t need anyone’s fucking pity, or their mental health training or leftover programmed ‘compassion’.

Unexpectedly, though, Connor gave him a hard look back.

“I’m p-programmed for, for in-inves-investigation and m-murder, Lieutenant,” he said, clipped and terse. “I don’t, don’t have c-crisis protocols.”

It was Hank’s turn to be stumped. He squinted at Connor, trying to comprehend him through his aching head. “Then what are you getting outta this? Fuck knows you don’t have any reason to give a shit about me.”

Hank just wasn’t worth giving a shit about, and he and Connor had clashed from day one. There was no reason for Connor to stick around for his drunk ass.

“I d-d-don’t kn-know,” Connor said, unwittingly echoing Hank’s thoughts.

“Oh, it all makes sense now,” Hank said sarcastically, familiar and easy irritation flashing through him. And that fucking stutter-

Connor sighed, pulled his knees to his chest, and repeated insistently, “I don’t kn-know. We don’t get, get, get al-along. We, we y-yelled at each, each other last w-week. But I was, was worried.”

Connor paused. Hank finished his coffee to avoid looking at him, suddenly uncomfortable with how vulnerable he looked. He looked young. Hell, he probably was young.

“I’m, I’m sorry for yell, yelling,” Connor said after a bit. “I d-didn’t m-mean to, to get upset.”

Hank believed that in a heartbeat. He grunted, still guarded and reluctant to trust this sudden about-face of behavior, and went to go flop on the couch.

“Where did those fucking headphone things come from?” he mumbled out of nowhere, leaning heavily on the arm of the couch and frowning at Connor.

Connor looked uncomfortable again, tugging gently at his sleeves.

“They’re n-noise-can-canceling,” he said, not looking at Hank. “M-Markus got them, got them for m-me. B-because I’m sense, sensitive to s-sound, and you can be kind of, kind of l-loud.”

Hank snorted ungracefully. “Uh huh. Is that all you two talked about?”

Connor shrugged. “He said I was, was t-trying too hard, and that was wh-why you dis-disliked me. I’m, I’m t-trying to do, do b-better.” He hesitated, not look at Hank. “Am I, am I doing better?”

“Jesus Christ,” Hank muttered, and threw an arm over his face. “Why do you even care what I think of you?”

“I don’t know,” Connor said unhappily, curled up on the ground.

Hank sighed. Let himself notice how much more Connor was talking than usual, his voice warping and stammering awkwardly instead of stiffly controlled. The small blips of annoyance he’d let slip, and uncertainty, and the admission of weakness.

He thought about Connor staying overnight just to look after his sorry ass. When was the last time someone had done that? It had to have been years.

“Yeah,” he said at last. “Yeah, you’re doing better.”

[palomvs]

𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐋 + google search results !

about 16,500,000 results ( 0.45 seconds ) 

PALOMA VIDAL IS GROWING UP — THE NEW YORK TIMES search result for: paloma vidal + parents

     paloma vidal , recently cast by streaming giant netflix , is far from being a complete NOBODY. her father is cristian vidal , hollywood’s comedy king , whose name prominently features in the credits of wildly successful comedies like “ bridesmaids , ” and generation-defining series like “ freaks and geeks. ” 

     and her mother is alina vidal , the award-winning actress-turned director , who starred in several of her husband’s films , before taking her own seat behind a camera. she has since gone on to direct her own box office FAVORITE , “ booksmart , ” a coming-of-age story brought to life by beanie feldstein and kaitlyn dever.

( source : nytimes.com )

‘ THE VILLAGE ’ : NETFLIX CASTS FRESH NEW FACES AND ... — VARIETY search result for: paloma vidal + the village netflix

     currently shooting in new york , the series is directed by ben pemberton , whose credits include several other projects for netflix. pemberton cites his own experiences around new york university as his inspiration for the show. the cast , which was revealed earlier today , features a STAR-STUDDED emsemble , including harvey strathmore , kaia burke , francesca archer , william lawton , naomi ahn , gabriel alexander , payton james , honor clarke-montgomery , jude madsen-wells , and yang jaebin.

     actors paloma vidal and atlas greene make their silver screen DEBUT along this cast , all of whom star as freshmen at new york university. the series is set to premiere in new york in early may , with episodes releasing immediately on netflix.

( source : variety.com )

PALOMA VIDAL IS THE BREAKOUT STAR OF THE SPRING — ELLE search result for: paloma vidal + valentina romero

     she was in the midst of her advanced acting class when she received the script for “ the village , ” as an attachment in an email from her agent. “ i kind of brushed it off at first , because i was in class and i was really trying to be present and pay attention , ” vidal says , “ but then , i read it and immediately wrote back in all caps that i absolutely needed to play VALENTINA. ”

     after weeks of traveling between the east and west coasts for auditions and classes , vidal finally landed her dream role : nyu’s smart blonde. “ i loved that she was described as this beautiful girl , but then had all these incredible LAYERS. she could easily just be pretty , but instead she’s consistently giving zoey a run for her money gpa-wise. and without even really trying too ! ” she says.

( source : elle.com )

PALOMA VIDAL — IMDB search result for: paloma vidal + imdb

paloma vidal was born on september 15 , 1999 in los angeles , california , usa as PALOMA ISABELLA VIDAL. she is an actress , known for the village ( 2020 ).

see full bio »

born : september 15 , 1999 in los angeles , california , usa

more at imdbpro » contact info : view agent , publicist , legal on imdbpro

( source : imdb.com )

THE VILLAGE OUT OF CONTEXT’S TWEET — “HUGH JACKMAN’S ... search result for: paloma vidal + hugh jackman

     @thevillageupdates hugh jackman’s paloma’s godfather she’s said it in multiple interviews and on social media before !!

( source : twitter.com )

PALOMA VIDAL , FROM THE VILLAGE , IS ONE TO WATCH — REFINERY29 search result for: paloma vidal + scad

     senior year , vidal was accepted to the savannah college of art and design ( scad ) , following a LONG stretch of career uncertainty. it was her starring role in her high school’s production of little shop of horrors which pushed her to follow in her parents’ footsteps.

     vidal notes that , prior to scad , she’d remained relatively far away from the spotlight which shone on her parents , unsure that a career in the arts or a life of fame were really for her. “ compared to several of my cast mates , i feel like i grew up as a sheltered loner ! ” she jokes. but , she doesn’t strike me as aloof or untouchable at all. she is as much of an OPEN BOOK as one can be in an interview with a journalist. she never second-guesses or backtracks her answers. she never minimizes her success in the humble-brag way most of us have come to hate.

( source : refinery29.com )

MEET THE 2017 ROOKIE CLASS — SURFER search result for: paloma vidal + surfer

     a few years ago , a young paloma vidal told her local newspaper , “ i feel like i’ve got what it takes to be a world champion , and i just want to get to that level already. ” after taking that positive affirmation to the next level , vidal has officially cemented her name in the class of WORLD-TOUR surfers , and she’s technically one step closer to achieving that goal of hers. we got to see a lot of her this year , as she competed for the majority of the season , and made the finals at the roxy pro event in oahu , proving she’s more than comfortable competing on the big stage.

( source : surfer.com )

PALOMA VIDAL STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY AFTER AN INJURY — NEW YORK TIMES search result for: paloma vidal + photography

     but she also has an instagram on the side where she posts her photography , which has grown an audience of its own. for a while , vidal even considered a career in photojournalism. “ i picked up photography during a random summer in high school. it’s a funny story , actually , ” vidal says. “ i fell pretty badly while surfing , and was out of commission for a couple of weeks , but KEPT going back to the beach to watch my friends. and then i thought i should probably document everything i was seeing. the rest of the story’s pretty obvious. ” 

( source : nytimes.com )

PALOMA VIDAL ( @PALOMA ) • INSTAGRAM PHOTOS AND VIDEOS search result for: paloma vidal + instagram

     PALOMA VIDAL ( @paloma ) • instagram photos and videos

( source : instagram.com )

PALOMA VIDAL : BIO , HEIGHT , AGE , MEASUREMENTS ... — CELEBFACTS search result for: paloma vidal + eye color

     paloma vidal is an AMERICAN ACTRESS. she is best known for playing the character of valentina romero in netflix’s original series the village. born on september 15 , 1999 in los angeles , california , she became interested in acting after performing in her high school’s rendition of little shop of horrors. she was in a relationship with ty sheridan. their relationship lasted until october 2019.

paloma vidal personal details :

date of birth : september 15 , 1999 birth place : los angeles , california birth name : paloma vidal zodiac sign : virgo occupation : actress nationality : american race / ethnicity : white religion : unknown hair color : blonde eye color : hazel

( source : celebfacts.com )

[sophiexrph]

@artcmisrpt wanted to know about them so i’ll give a little tldr !!

samuel (was originally a max irons fc, now an alex fitzalan fc) is the son of a preacher (? reverend? idk im jewish i dont know the difference) in small town upstate new york. he’s the second of five brothers and his mom died when he was in middle school. he and his brothers take care of the church and help their father run the services - they’re well-known around town and thought to be the picture-perfect religious boys, purity rings and all. samuel doubts his religion, though; he’s closeted gay and doesn’t even know where to start going about exploring his sexuality, especially not the crush he has on his older brother’s best friend.

riley is ex-airforce. (originally a mike vogel fc, but you can pretty much put any semi-muscular beefcake/himbo in mike’s place and riley’ll still work). born and raised in louisiana, he’s got a younger sister and is pretty much the epitome of the Older Brother stereotype. he played football in high school and could have continued on into college if he didn’t want to join the military as badly as he did -- his father and grandfather were also military men. he suffered a bad injury in the field and was forced into early retirement. he’s now a volunteer at an animal shelter while working at reception for a law firm for actual money. pretty much a golden retriever in a human’s body. also likes flowers but cannot take care of them for the life of him.

caspian is....a disaster bisexual. (david corenswet fc this is not changing) he was born into an incredibly wealthy family with a pretty large age gap between himself and his older brother. his brother is a shining star, everyone loves him, it seems as if he’s done nothing wrong in his life. no matter how hard caspian tries, he can’t seem to live up to his brother’s spotlight. so he started acting up for attention. in high school he was a heavy partier, would go to any party he knew about. in college, that got worse - he developed an addiction to cocaine and lost the scholarship he’d earned because of his now-low gpa. he took up bartending lessons to pay his own way through school without his parents finding out about his failure. now he’s still working as a bartender and his favorite part of the job is that people just talk to him thinking he’s a brick wall, thinking he won’t remember their little secrets... but he does remember. he remembers very well. and he’s still got that little habit he hasn’t kicked quite yet.

gil is a revolutionary. (michael evans behling, reece king, etc; he’s a poc who looks a little Too Pretty) he’s tired of america’s inequality and he wants to fight back against all forms of it. anti-capitalist, acab, you name it - if there’s a left-leaning protest, he’s there, making a lot of noise. he’s got a tight-knit group of revolutionary friends, they’re the sort to go around the city and plaster posters about the statistics of police brutality in their city anywhere they can find. also he’s queer and Does Not Fuck With gender roles. catch him in skirts and flowy blouses especially in the summer !

margaret (lucy boynton, elizabeth debicki, sophie turner, literally anyone with Powerful Woman Vibes) owns her own literary publishing company. she takes no shit from anyone ever. she takes her coffee black and owns at least three pairs of louboutins. she is the exact opposite of soft -- except for when the girl at the coffee shop on the way to her office hands her her coffee every morning.

shira (beanie feldstein, zoe kravitz) works at a local bookshop. it’s almost as if she’s read every book that they have for sale. she’s always in a good mood, is practically the equivalent of a ray of sunshine. she also has a passion for volunteer work (animal shelters, food banks, pretty much anything, anywhere, at any time). she went to columbia for undergrad and speaks three languages fluently, also will not drink coffee if it isn’t at least 50% cream

[sqftsunsets]

demigods as mortal teenagers (pt. 2)

annabeth:

- annabeth likes learning, but she hates the set-up of schools. she can't concentrate well. if someone is whispering, her concentration automatically transfers to the person whispering instead of the teacher. she's thought of switching to online schooling but because of her hectic family life, she doesn't think it'll work out.

- the only class annabeth really likes during school is pottery. in the class, the teacher demonstrates how to make the piece in front of the class, and then they attempt to recreate it. the teacher walks around and helps anyone who needs asistance. annabeth likes that the teacher requires all the students' pieces to have something different about them than the demonstrated piece, and the teacher grades it partially by this.

- annabeth met percy in her pottery class. it was his first time taking the pottery class. after the first few weeks of learning the basics, percy could make pottery well. he jokingly mentioned that his piece could get a better grade than annabeth's, but she took it too serious. annabeth bet that if she won, percy would have to do whatever she wanted him to do, if percy won, vice versa. percy won by one point. the teacher loved the wave pattern he carved into his piece. annabeth was devastated. when percy saw annabeth's piece, he was immediately awestruck. annabeth carved a greek city into her pottery. instead of bragging percy cherished annabeth's piece. to try and cheer her up, he invited her to the beach with him. she asked "is it a date?" and he said "yeah, but only if you want it to be," and she told him she did. they started dating a few weeks after.

• job

- she works at a small library. she was hired around the age of 13; she's friends with the librarian. they became friends over the years, annabeth started coming to the library when she was 8. she didn't like being home. the librarian, caroline asked annabeth if she wanted the job when her last employee stopped showing up to work. caroline trusts annabeth, afterall they have a friendship of about 7 yrs.

- annabeth loves working at the library. she has to do random tasks, but some of her more important ones are reading to kids and helping them pick out books. her favorite part of the job is helping kids like her find books for school. she often recommends books like harry potter and divergent. she has empathy for the children she works with. caroline loves how well annaneth completes her job.

• fun

- annabeth loves to read, but the book has to be something she's interested in, like architecture, greek cities, mythology, or fantasy genre of fiction novels.

- annabeth likes weaving. she was inspired by caroline; she weaved a beautiful sweater that annabeth loved. caroline taught annabeth the basics and if annabeth needed anymore help she looked on YouTube. so far she made a few pairs of socks, a beanie, a sweater, and a blanket.

- contrary to popular belief, annabeth is fond of most animals. one time annabeth took percy on a date to the local shelter to play with the animals. they both had fun.

- annabeth is on her school's track team. it calms her if something is wrong, often times she bolts out the door running.

- annabeth likes drawing greek architecture, and is obsessed with the parthenon in athens. she begged her father to take her, and he surprised annabeth with a vacation there for her 16th birthday.

- annabeth decided to take a sewing class to fix some of her clothes. thalia was at the class. annabeth was confused when she saw her; punk 18 yr olds normally don't like to sew. she decided to start a conversation with thalia. she told her she wanted to learn how to sew patches onto her leather jacket. annabeth asked why her mom wouldn't teacher her. thalia wouldn't answer. annabeth apologized for asking, but then thalia broke down and told her "my mother isn't an actual mother. she's a crazy, unstable, alcoholic." annabeth has empathy for thalia because she also has a bad family life. the two quickly became friends.

[firesidefantasy]

so last night i realised i had almost hit 500 posts on this account. and then i had the brilliant, genius idea to make a post with 500 facts about monster house for my 500th post.

this was not a genius idea in any way shape or form.

i am not a genius.

but i did it anyway, so now i present to you:

five-hundred-fucking-facts about monster house

enjoy. 

KENZI

1) Kenzi was abandoned as a baby 2) She was adopted by Monster House 3) She does not know when her birthday is 4) Her best friend growing up was Toby 5) Kenzi thought she was a vampire when she was a kid 6) She went around biting people’s necks for weeks 7) Kenzi loves photography, Instagram, and modelling 8) She has ran four marathons and six 10ks 9) She has been dying her hair since she was 14 10) Kenzi’s favourite chocolate brand is Cadbury’s 11) She loves cooking and hosting parties 12) She hates being human and wishes she was a monster too 13) She is almost fluent in French 14) Kenzi has no idea what she wants to be when she’s older 15) She never wants to leave Monster House 16) Kenzi is always chewing gum

HARLOW 17) Harlow dyes her hair black 18) She plays drums because her dad told her it was for boys 19) She plays basketball because her dad told her it was for boys 20) Her mum died three years ago and Harlow has never got over it 21) She lives with her dad, their relationship is recovering 22) Harlow won’t leave the house without a beanie 23) She loves video games like overwatch and call of duty 24) She is absolutely shit at video games 25) Doritos are her favourite snack 26) Harlow has lost count of how many cousins she has 27) If she could be any monster, she’d be a vampire 28) She’s in a college band called ‘4am’ 29) They’ve played three actual gigs so far 30) Harlow wants to be in a famous band 31) Harlow does NOT want to ever get a real job 32) She writes a lot of songs 33) Nobody will ever see these songs 34) She hates the beach 35) The only thing she hates more than the beach is spelling errors 36) She also hates vegetables and weather over 20 degrees C 37) She loves the sound of rain and thunder 38) She hoards TV boxsets and prefers them over Netflix 39) She loves antique stores and charity shops 40) She has an impressive vinyl collection

TOBY 41) Toby is bisexual but prefers guy 42) He’s known he was bisexual since discovering Tom Holland 43) His favourite superhero is Iron Man 44) Spider man is a close second 45) Toby wanted to be a superhero when he was a kid 46) Now he wants to be a super villain (#edgyteen) 47) He’s enrolled in school part time 48) Avoiding sunlight makes school difficult 49) The kids at school joke that he’s a vampire because of this 50) They don’t know why that’s so funny 51) He plays bass guitar but never lets anyone else listen 52) Except Matty. Sometimes he joins in with the ‘drums’ 53) Toby loves going to the skate park at night 54) He once wrote a 500 word essay on why the moon is better than the sun 55) He knows every constellation and loves stargazing 56) He loves sitting on his dad’s balcony and watching the stars 57) Toby doesn’t know who his mum is 58) Metal and rock music is his favourite 59) He chews on his finger to satisfy his desire to bite things 60) Sometimes he’s tempted to see if he could bite his finger off 61) He never has 62) Toby loves tomato ketchup 63) Immortality intimidates him 64) He only wears band tee shirts 65) He starts wearing beanies everywhere after meeting Harlow 66) Toby idolises Harlow 67) His favourite food is pancakes with chocolate sauce 68) Kenzi makes him pancakes to apologise after they fight 69) Toby buys her bars of chocolate to apologise 70) Kenzi and Toby bicker a lot 71) They are also best friends 72) Toby’s favourite period of history is the Roman emperors 73) Caligula was his favourite emperor 74) Toby almost turned Kenzi when they were 14 75) He despises pop music 76) Kenzi and Toby fight over nothing more often than pop music 77) Custard makes him want to throw up

KAI 78) Kai has six older sisters 79) He is one of two guys in the witches coven 80) He speaks French and Italian (almost) fluently 81) He volunteers at the local animal shelter 82) He does not get along with his family 83) Kai tries to fit in but he isn’t very good at it 84) He gets very upset if his hair doesn’t look right 85) He struggles with dysphoria but his parents won’t let him get T 86) Kai loves doing jigsaws and watching reality shows 87) He listens to music to drown out his parents arguments 88) His oldest sister Natalia is his favourite 89) She cut his hair and bought him guys clothes after he came out 90) Natalia plays board games with him and helps with homework 91) Kai loves baking - especially banana bread 92) He hates bananas but could eat banana bread all day 93) Being a witch is hard and he’s really really bad at it 94) Kai once turned a dining room chair into a frog 95) He also turned his mother’s earrings into a donkey 96) They never let him keep the animals 97) Pop music and indie rock are his favourites 98) Kai is scared of the dark 99) Science and maths make no sense to him 100) He plans on leaving the witches coven when he’s 18

PHILLIP 101) Philip is a history professor at Seabrooke University 102) He was born in 1893 under the reign of Queen Victoria 103) He campaigned with the suffragettes - and even broke a window once 104) He is a hardcore liberal and despises the conservative party 105) He attended the 1908 summer Olympics held in London 106) He once had a fling with a maid of George V’s 107) Phillip had entered a competition to be on the titanic 108) He was an engineer during world war 2 109) His nose was broken at a protest for women to be given degrees 110) Phillip has been married three times 111) The first died, the second left him for another man 112) The third was a Vegas marriage about 30 years prior 113) Phillip is straight - but he’s experimented extensively in the past 114) He does the newspaper crossword puzzle every morning 115) He bans TV until after 3pm 116) Phillip moved to Monster House in the 70’s 117) He despises the movie ‘Twilight’ above all else 118) He is the one who decided to adopt Kenzi 119) Phillip is essentially in charge of Monster House 120) He adores barbecues with his family 121) He hates Russia, incorrect grammar, and coffee

MATTY 122) Toby brought a stray dog in one day 123) The next morning, a toddler was asleep in their living room 124) Phillip decided to keep him 125) His hobbies include chewing people’s shoes and phone chargers 126) He has broken exactly seven bones 127) There is no soul clumsier than Matty 128) His face is full of freckles and his cheeks are always red 129) He runs everywhere 130) He wants to be a footballer or an astronaut when he’s older 131) Matty breaks Phillip’s morning TV ban so he can watch cartoons 132) His favourite game is fetch 133) Toby created a machine for him that throws a ball over and over 134) Matty hates it - he likes playing with an actual person 135) His wolf form is small, fluffy and a little too blonde 136) Phillip has been assured that he will get less blonde as he grows up 137) Toby once tried to enter him in a dog competition 138) They won £20 and bought the biggest ice creams they could 139) Matty loves porridge almost as much as he loves shoes and Toby 140) He has an imaginary friend called Boris who he blames for everything

CALLIE 141) Callie is half fae and half human 142) Her full name is Calypso, but everybody calls her Callie 143) She cannot tell lies, but is excellent at talking around the truth 144) She’s introverted and shy - but also amazing at public speaking 145) She wants to be a legal aid barrister 146) Her hair is naturally brown but she dyes it red 147) She plays acoustic guitar in 4am - the same band as Harlow 148) Her roommate is a werewolf but she doesn’t know about it yet 149) She has travelled to France and Italy 150) But she wants to travel the world 151) Her bedroom walls are covered in maps 152) She has an emergency supply of snacks in a room at all times 153) Her biggest dream is to have her own library room once day 154) With a secret bookshelf door, of course 155) Her lava lamp and beanbags are her prized possessions 156) She does not have a good relationship with her parents 157) She struggles with insomnia and rarely sleeps 158) Coffee is her one true love 159) She adores long car rides and she adores driving 160) She works part time at a coffee shop 161) Her car is her other prized possession 162) Callie can devour bags of skittles in an instant 163) She forgets everything in her personal life 164) And remembers everything in her academic life 165) She loves fire and will sit and stare at it for hours 166) Sometimes she goes to the local aquarium to study 167) Change is her worst enemy - everything needs to be consistent 168) She has been a straight A student all her life 169) She goes for a long walk every Saturday afternoon 170) Callie writes songs when she’s feeling bad

MILO 171) Hiding antlers in public is the bane of his existence 172) He is part of a group who want to tell humans about monsters 173) Milo does not particularly like humans 174) He has curly blonde hair that is usually a mess 175) One of his eyes is darker blue than the other 176) He loves blanket forts and fairy lights and hot chocolate 177) He has a part time job delivering pizzas 178) This means he gets a discount on pizzas, which he takes advantage of 179) Percy Jackson is the main reason he’s doing a classics degree 180) He enjoys writing fantasy books in his free time 181) He is reasonably fluent in Ancient Greek and Latin 182) ‘Out of Bounds’ signs are a welcoming invitation to Milo 183) He will explore everything and anything 184) Milo wants to travel to South America the most 185) He has two mums 186) They both adore Callie 187) He goes rock climbing in his free time 188) This is so he can climb trees, fences, and monuments better 189) He claims he’s climbed several mountains 190) Callie does not believe this claim 191) He was not raised in Seabrooke and had few monster friends as a kid 192) Milo is a nymph 193) His father is one of his mother’s best friends - also a nymph 194) His ‘father’ taught him to garden and to bake 195) Milo never called him dad - he was always Uncle Barney 196) He loves growing his own flowers 197) Nymph magic allows him to grow the most beautiful plants and flowers 198) It also allows him to bake exceptional cakes and cookies 199) He adores his younger brother and sister 200) He is double jointed and left handed

KENZI AND HARLOW 201) Making out is their favourite pastime 202) Harlow spends most of her free time at Monster House 203) They enjoy joking about how ‘platonic’ their relationship is 204) Kenzi loves cooking for Harlow 205) They spend a lot of time watching TV shows together 206) Stranger Things and Friends were their last binge-watches 207) Harlow is always invited round for Friday Board Game Night 208) Kenzi constantly steals Harlow’s clothes 209) Harlow loves playing with Kenzi’s hair 210) Harlow loves holding Kenzi’s hand 211) Harlow just loves touching Kenzi as much as possible 212) They both have a years pass to the local petting zoo 213) Kenzi goes to all of Harlow’s band gigs and basketball games 214) She wants to set up a cheer leading squad for the basketball team 215) Harlow just wants to see Kenzi in a cheerleader costume 216) Harlow asked Kenzi to be her girlfriend 217) Kenzi said I love you first 218) They’re planning on getting an apartment together after graduating 219) Also a dog 220) Harlow adores getting Kenzi to play (and fail at) video games 221) Kenzi is a massive flirt - Harlow does not appreciate it 222) Harlow once stabbed Kenzi on the hand whilst cooking together 223) Kenzi and Harlow do not cook together 224) They bicker a lot 225) But Harlow adores Kenzi more than anything else, and vice versa

TOBY AND KAI 226) Toby only got the guts to ask Kai out because his dad made him 227) They are polar opposites in just about every way 228) Toby didn’t know what being transgender meant before meeting Kai 229) Toby calls Kai ‘sunshine’ 230) Kai calls Toby ‘grumpy guts’ for the most part 231) They fall asleep on the phone together a lot 232) They also fall asleep in the same bed a lot 232) Kai’s parents do not like vampires so they don’t know about Toby 233) They met through the Monster House toddler group when they were kids 234) They both went to the Monster House study group as kids/teenagers 234) Nowadays, they ‘study’ in Toby’s room instead 235) Kai drove Toby mad up until very recently 236) It wasn’t exactly love at first site 237) Toby threw up on Kai - the hatred only grew from there 238) Over time, Toby developed a soft spot for Kai 239) Nowadays, Kai still drives him crazy, but in a good sorta way 240) They have every intention of moving in together after school ends 241) Kai has a drawer of clothes at Toby’s place 242) Toby has punched six people in defence of Kai 243) One was an eleven year old. He has no regrets 244) Toby frequently takes Kai stargazing 245) Toby also taught him how to skate 246) Kai speaks French to Toby and he loves it 247) Sometimes Kai takes Toby to volunteer at the animal shelter with him 248) Their biggest fights are over pop music and science 249) They plan on getting a turtle when they move in together 250) Kai loves sitting on Toby’s lap 251) He also loves stealing his sweaters 252) He also loves fixing his hair 253) He frequently picks flowers for Toby and spends hours arranging them 254) Kai also loves falling asleep on Toby 255) Toby kisses Kai’s cheek a lot 256) Toby adores Kai, but he rarely admits to it 257) He took Kai to a Troye Sivan concert in February 2019 258) Kai sends Toby selfies a lot throughout the day 259) Toby saves every single one to his phone - but won’t admit to it 260) Toby’s dad r e a l l y wants him to marry Kai

CALLIE AND MILO 261) They met when they were both searching an abandoned church 262) They thought the other was a ghost 263) For the longest time, Callie was ‘ghost girl’ in Milo’s phone 264) Their first date was in Starbucks 265) But they tell people it was back in that abandoned church 266) They are both too terrified to ever go back to that church 267) They have plants to travel the world together 268) Callie’s phone background is Milo and his messy bed head 269) Milo’s background is Callie in one of his sweaters 270) Callie hoards Milo’s sweaters 271) Milo practically lives at Callie’s apartment so he doesn’t mind 272) Callie only really sleeps when she’s with Milo 273) Milo likes playing with her hair while she reads out loud 274) The sound of her voice calms his anxiety 275) Callie frequently plays guitar and sings for Milo 276) He considers himself her number one fan 277) Callie likes listening to him ramble about history and classics 278) She often falls asleep while he talks - he never seems to notice 279) Callie drives Milo everywhere 280) Milo always makes the best road trip playlists and snacks 281) Milo’s mum’s adore Callie 282) They go for family dinner every other Sunday 283) They are going to Greece together over the summer holidays 284) Their opinions on monster politics differ wildly 285) Callie enjoys teaching Milo how to play guitar 286) Milo grows his own flowers to give Callie 287) He also enjoys cooking for her 288) Sometimes he brings her breakfast in bed 289) He usually gets a blowjob in exchange for this 290) They make a game out of fucking in as many places as they can 291) This has included: the grocery store, a church, the forest 292) Milo’s parents frequently bring up marriage 293) They’re both quite content with how things are 294) One day, they’d both like a small wedding in Europe somewhere 295) Zoos, petting farms, and aquariums are their favourite dates 296) Milo is basically Callie’s pillow 297) Callie writes songs for Milo 298) Her parents do not approve of her dating a Nymph 299) Callie’s roommates adore Milo and love that he basically lives there 300) They fight about how much wardrobe space Milo takes up frequently

BACKGROUND CHARACTERS 301) Callie’s roommate is a werewolf 302) She doesn’t know that Callie isn’t human and vice versa 303) Werewolf roommate (Arya)’s family is originally from India 304) Arya loves escape rooms 305) Callie loves petting Arya in wolf form 306) Milo is the only one who questions why there’s a wolf in the kitchen 307) But Milo still feeds Arya-in-wolf-form blueberry muffins 308) Bruce the Minotaur has lived in Monster House forever 309) Nobody really knows where or when Bruce came from 310) He has a very distinctive Greek accent 311) Bruce makes the best waffles 312) And he knits a damn good scarf and woolly socks 313) Which is incidentally what everybody gets for their birthday 314) Sheryl the Siren is like a crazy aunt to the kids in Monster House 315) She auditioned for X Factor once - she didn’t get in 316) Her vocal inspirations are beyonce and mariah carey 317) Sheryl is married to Mary-Anne the Mermaid 318) Mary-Anne lives in the coves behind Monster House 319) Sheryl loves singing for Mary-Anne 320) Maybe it’s the water-clogged ears, but Mary-Anne enjoys the singing 321) They had a beautiful beach wedding twelve years ago 322) Kenzi was a flower girl, Toby was a page boy 323) There is a ghost living in the attic of Monster House 324) It never seems to come out 325) Bruce sits outside the attic door each night to keep it company 326) Sometimes it likes to play drums with pots and pans 327) Nobody really has a name - it’s just ‘the ghost in the attic’ 328) They leave cookies for it at Christmas - they always get eaten 329) Sometimes Matty gets there first 330) Grace the Gorgon is an interior designer 331) She wears a veil-like head cover to hide the snake hair 332) Most humans just assume the head cover/snake hair is a new trend 333) Grace constantly redecorates Monster House 334) The house usually puts everything back overnight 335) Monster House does not like change 336) Grace is a wanted felon for the murder of a man named Perseus 337) Humans seem to be destined to forever walk past Monster House 338) Thus, Grace has never been caught 339) It is rumoured that she was once called Penelope 340) Nobody quite knows what Perseus did to warrant murder 341) Nobody quite trusts Grace with a knife, either

SEABROOKE 342) Seabrooke is a small, sleepy seaside town in southern England 343) It is the suburban hot spot for Monster life 344) Seabrooke has a population of 4,500 345) Around 250 of these are monsters 346) For some reason, Seabrooke has it’s own university 347) Nobody really knows why - it’s possible Phillip had a role in this 348) Seabrooke has two primary schools, a secondary, and a sixth form 349) It gets a lot of tourists during the summer 350) Everybody hates the tourists - especially Monsters

WITCHES COVEN 351) When Bruce the Minotaur gets sick - he can’t be taken to the doctors 352) The Witches Coven is the main place Monsters go when they’re sick 353) Witches are difficult creatures and the Coven are no different 354) If you get on their bad side, they’ll refuse you service 355) The Witches Coven therefore practically run the town 356) There are three families that make up the Coven 357) Admittance is only to witches with the blood of prestigious families 358) Kai is part of the Witches Coven 359) Kai’s family practically runs the Witches Coven 360) There is a lot of tension between the Witches and Phillip 361) Largely because they both have a lot of influence over Seabrooke 362) Regardless, Phillip still genuinely likes Kai 363) The Witches tend to be high maintenance and spoilt 364) The parents are like the worst white suburban soccer mums ever 365) Regardless, they are excellent at healing magic 366) But also excellent at ruining your life 367) They have definitely killed a few monsters - but it cannot be proved

LOCAL NEWSPAPER 368) The Daily Seabrooke is ran by shapeshifters 369) Nobody remembers when the TDS was started 370) Philip adores it for the crosswords 371) Apparently the crosswords are ‘out of this world’ 372) TDS is ran by a group of crazy looking students 373) Of course, they’re shapeshifters, so they’re probably all 1000+ 374) The shapeshifters behind TDS don’t mingle with other monsters 375) At least not as themselves 376) They report on human politics and news as well 377) Only monsters are sold the copies with monster news included 378) Half of TDS is gossip about the people in Seabrooke 379) Nobody is really safe from their snooping 380) Their methods include being a literal fly on the wall 381) Most breakups, Witches Coven drama, and Vamp/Wolf fights are put in 382) TDS is extremely controversial amongst Monsters in Seabrooke 383) Kenzi thinks it’s fucking hilarious

SEABROOKE UNIVERSITY 384) The University is crawling with monster life 385) Several professors are monsters 386) Most notably are Phillip and Steven 387) Phillip teaches Modern History 388) Steven teaches Medieval History 389) Phillip is a Vampire, Steven is a Werewolf 390) They have a competition for who gets History Professor Of The Year 391) This competition frequently gets out of hand 392) Everybody knows about their rivalry, few knows why 393) Nobody knows how long the two have worked there - most say forever 394) That wouldn’t be far from the truth 395) Steven happens to be Arya (Callie’s Roommate)’s father

MONSTER HOUSE 396) Monster House is practically alive 397) It constantly expands and shrinks 398) There are always exactly as many rooms as are necessary 399) Only the first floor can be seen by passersby 400) And they often walk straight past it 401) Ordering pizza is a nightmare 402) It’s like the human brain cannot comprehend where it is 403) Even though it’s in an incredibly obvious location 404) When they do see it, they see only a normal house 405) The construction of the house makes no sense 406) There are rooms hanging over nothing and stairs leading to nowhere 407) Sometimes bedrooms move and finding them is a nightmare 408) The living room and kitchen like to switch places 409) On Monday’s the kitchen is green and nobody knows why 410) It is black and white the rest of the time 411) It is almost impossible to paint or decorate Monster House 412) It prefers to do that itself 413) Somehow the bedrooms always look exactly how they are wanted 414) At least they save on paint - that shit is expensive 415) Unfortunately, Monster House doesn’t clean itself 416) Toby has registered several complaints about this

LULU 417) Lulu’s full name is Lucifer 418) It has been living in the basement since the beginning 419) It has only been seen by four people 420) Phillip and Kenzi are two of those 421) They call it Lulu because Kenzi couldn’t pronounce Lucifer as a kid 422) The nickname kinda stuck 423) Lulu gets fed raw fish every morning 424) They just dump a bucket full down the hatch in the kitchen 425) Sometimes Toby threatens to feed Matty to Lulu 426) This causes Matty to have nightmares and sleep in Toby’s bed 427) So that one kinda backfired on Toby 428) Nobody actually knows what kind of creature Lulu is

MISC. FACTS 429) Harlow’s favourite song is ‘Lights Down Low’ by Max 430) Seabrooke is not on any map - nobody knows why 431) I really regret this 432) Never ever try to write 500 facts it will not be fun 433) Callie’s favourite kind of law is criminal law 434) Particularly fatal offences 435) She also likes land law because she’s fucking weird 436) Kai got into reality TV because of his sisters 437) One of the arcades in Seabrooke is monster themed 438) Toby works there on Saturdays - always taking the night shifts 439) Kai really wants to own his own bakery one day 440) He tried to get the local bakery to hire him but he’s too young 441) Kai also wants to live in France or Italy 442) He also wants to be on reality shows and get a fake tan 443) (Okay. Toby is pretty sure he was joking about that) 444) Kai always has to wish on a lucky star 445) Milo wants to be a published author one day 446) Kai has tried to run away from home twice 447) His parents put a tracking spell on him and found him too fast 448) Toby wishes he could skate at the park with the other kids 449) But he also secretly likes that everyone finds him mysterious 450) Toby used to have a (massive) crush on Kenzi 451) Now they’re both pretty gay 452) Everyone is gay tbh 453) Monsters have no concept of heteronormativity 454) Kenzi’s favourite colour is pink 455) Callie’s favourite animal is an octopus 456) Kai has a picture of him and Toby stuck on his bedroom wall 457) Kai has had a crush on Toby since they were kids 458) Coming out as trans wrecked Kai’s relationship with his parents 459) It is seen as a disgrace for witches to have male sons 460) Men are submissive in witch culture 461) Kai’s parents frequently misname and misgender him 462) The kids at school are much more accepting 463) Kai came out when he was 14 464) Toby has actually been one of his biggest supporters 465) Natalia has been his main supporter as well 466) Toby likes Kai a lot more since he came out 467) Kai feels more real to him now - and irritates him less 468) Toby doesn’t know how long Kai has liked him for 469) Kai is pretty open about being trans 470) Seabrooke is quite accepting, even if his parents aren’t 471) Kenzi is terrified of being rejected by the monster community 472) She really wants Toby to turn her so she can be an actual monster 473) She wears contact lenses so her eyes look purple 474) She doesn’t really like school and puts the bare minimum effort in 475) Harlow is taking four a levels - a difficult thing to do 476) Fuck this was the worst idea 478) Harlow channels her anger out through drumming 479) It’s therapist mandated so her dad cannot stop her 480) Even though he very very much wants to 481) Harlow’s favourite video game is overwatch 482) Her mains are lucio, junk rat, bastion and rein 483) Harlow despises spelling and grammar errors 484) Matty likes stealing Toby’s tee shirts 485) Between Matty & Kai, Toby barely has any clothes left 486) Which is fine as far as Kai’s concerned 487) Matty is like a little brother to Kai 488) Originally, Callie & Arya were part of a polygamous relationship 489) I cut that out, though, because I couldn’t think of a third girl 490) Seabrooke tends to have mild weather 491) During the summer, the heat can spike to 25-30 C max 492) It rarely snows, but it does rain a lot, and there’s a lot of wind 493) Most of the houses in Seabrooke were built 100ish years ago 494) It has a train station - nobody knows why - it’s the last stop 495) There is a Seabrooke museum ran by a vampire and a Fae 496) There is a secret monster section in the back 497) Idle Town by Conan Gray reminds me of Seabrooke 498) As does This Town by Neil Horan (I think that’s the name idk) 499) Fuck you to @livvywrites for not stopping me 500) I am never doing this again

tag list: @livingthelovelylife, @commasinsidequotes, @4kidsopfan, @thatworldinverted, @livvywrites @ravenpuffwriter @the-writer-turned-procrastinor @livingthelovelylife  (ask to be added or removed more likely after this shit)

[chungledown-bimothy]

Impure

Hello hello hello I am not dead and still am capable of writing lmao. Here’s 1.5k to make up for it?

Summary:  Blood is naturally clear and as thin as water. It darkens and thickens with each impure act. Patton has always dedicated himself to doing good and helping people- but suddenly his blood is black and so thick it doesn't drip.

Warnings: blood mention (obviously), self-harm, swearing (I am incapable of writing non-swearing Patton)

Pairing(s): logicality, blink-and-you-miss-it prinxiety

Word Count: 1530

Tag List: @ccecode @ren-allen @emo-sanders-sides-loving-unicorn@ilovemygaydad @bloodropsblog @funsizedgremlin @raygelkitty @roxiefox23 @thomasthesandersengine @echomist13

"Ow! Crap!" Patton muttered as his needle splintered, piercing his finger. Dropping the beanie he was knitting to donate to his local homeless shelter, he held his hand up to the light to remove the bit of wood stuck in his finger. When black ooze squeezed through the wound, as it was far too thick to describe it any other way, he let out a series of decidedly impure swear words.

Everyone knew that everyone is born with clear blood that runs like water, and every rude, immoral, selfish, or impure act makes it darker and thicker. Some people, of course, didn't care, but and others, like Patton, did as much good as they could possibly do. The state of one's blood was, of course, not without consequences. Employers made hiring and pay decisions based on blood state, landlords could deny you a lease if your blood is too thick. However, this is not a problem for the vast majority of people. Studies showed that the average adult living a decent life, not doing anything atrocious, had blood like maple syrup- medium in color and slightly thicker than water.

Patton was not "the average adult". Even before he learned about what was colloquially known as "The Blood Thing", he did as much good as he possibly could. Three years ago, when he got his job and apartment, his blood was clean- the phlebotomist who drew the samples told him that they'd never seen an adult with blood so clean. So what happened? I've been good! How could my blood go from clean to… this?  There was only one way to find out- he needed to go to the Hall of Records, where every impure action is recorded.

-

Half an hour later, the Hall of Records loomed above him, cold and judgemental. He took a deep breath and walked through the heavy oak doors.

"Greetings. Welcome to the Hall of Records. How may I be of assistance?" Patton jumped, not noticing the man behind the reception desk.

"Howdy, Logan!", Patton said, reading the man's nameplate. "I'd love to take a little peek at my Record if I could. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"It, um, is a pleasure to meet you as well. Most people don't want to look at their Record; they see it as a…. list of personal failures, as it were. May I ask why you'd like to see yours?" Logan seemed embarrassed to ask, and Patton couldn't help but notice how adorable the man's blush was.

"Of course, kiddo! There was just a little change in my blood, and I can't seem to think of what might have caused it."

"Hmm, I see. Very unusual. Yes, I would very much enjoy helping you solve this mystery."

"Ha! Solving a mystery! Like Sherlock Holmes!"

"I- I suppose one could see it that way," Logan replied, blushing even more, "Can I get your name, so we can locate your Record?"

"Oh my, so rude of me not to introduce myself! I'm Patton, Patton Sanders."

"Sanders? What a coincidence- my best friend's surname is also Sanders. First name Virgil; do you know him, by any chance?"

"Yes! He's my baby brother! Which means you must be the Records keeper he's always talking about! Man, he looks up to you so much. What a coincidence! Small world, eh?"

"He- he does? Highly illogical; I am, as they say, a 'disaster gay'. Perhaps I should talk to him, clear up this obvious confusion." Logan muttered.

"Oh no, I've mucked it all up, haven't I? Please don't tell him I told you that; he'd never forgive me."

"Very well, I would hate to sow familial strife. Now, shall we go retrieve your Record?"

"Thank you so much, kiddo! Yes, please! Allons-y!"

"D- Doctor Who?"

"Yes!! Virge never told me you're a Whovian too! Isn't Ten just the best? He's just so- oh my, look at me, going on when we have work to do!"

"In- indeed. If you'll follow me, your Record is this way." If Patton noticed how well Logan filled out his dress slacks, well, his blood couldn't get much worse, could it?

A few minutes later, Logan stopped at one of the immense bookcases and grabbed a thin volume clearly labeled "Patton Sanders".

"Here we are- your Record."

"It's so thin! How could my blood be- never mind."

"Patton, I know we just met, but there seems to be more going on than simple curiosity about a small change in your blood. May I ask what's truly going on?"

"I- okay. Virge trusts you, and I trust his judgment. The last time my blood was checked, three years ago, my blood was clean. I'm not bragging, it just was. I pricked my finger this morning, and my blood is black sludge. I can't figure out what I did so wrong, and a Record this thin… I must have done something truly horrible, and I don't know if I can live with myself if I did something that bad. What you don't know can't hurt you."

"Falsehood. If I may, ignorance is not bliss. Knowledge is an incomparably valuable multi-purpose tool that is instrumental in identifying and solving any problem. If you're worried about getting hurt, then seek knowledge. It is our greatest weapon... and our greatest defense. I strongly believe that it is best that you know, and if it truly is as bad as you fear, you have the support of your brother… and me."

"Wow, Logan, that was beautiful. You're right. Okay, let's see what happened." Patton opened the book, and across the first page, in big, bold, red letters, simply read "GAY". He frantically flipped through the rest of the pages- Yeah, I came out last year, but this can't be it. It's not impure or wrong to be gay. Love is love. They're wrong. There must be something else. And there was. On the final page, even bigger text read, "TRANSGENDER".

"No! No. NO. This is wrong. This is what's wrong. Not me. This isn't fair, this isn't correct. NO." Patton screamed, a yell of pure rage and frustration and pain.

"Pa- Patton? What happened?" Logan asked, voice soft and concerned.

"Here. Look at it. Apparently, I'm the worst kind of person, someone who deserves this filth in my veins, for being gay and nonbinary."

"WHAT? No. Impossible. This can't be."

"Who even decides what's 'pure' or not? What asshole decided that I'm so disgusting?"

"I- I don't know. I've never been able to find any concrete information. This can't be. Then I... " Logan took his keys from his pocket, white as a sheet. With a small cry of pain, he drew his key across his arm, drawing blood. But it was hardly blood. It was sludge, barely flowing, practically a solid.

"Oh, Logan. Mine is the same. This is unfair. Is there anything we can do? You're so smart, do you know if there's an appeals process or anything?"

"Oh, um, uh, that's really sweet of you, Patton. And, uh, not- not that I know of. We don't even know who we could appeal to." Logan stuttered, blushing furiously.

"Okay, well, then there's only one thing we can do, as I see it."

"What is that?"

"Fuck the system. I've been living for the cleanest blood I can, but apparently, that's impossible given who I am. So fuck it. I'm done living for the system. From this point on, I live for myself. Do good because it's a good thing to do, not worry every second about doing something wrong."

"That sounds excellent. Perhaps we can spread the word about this, raise awareness. Obviously, the powers that be keep tabs on us; if we can create enough public outcry, they might change their minds."

"Logan that's brilliant! I could kiss you! And I know where to start! My friend Roman is an actor- maybe I can get him to say something, use his position of influence to start the conversation!"

"That… sounds like an excellent plan. And, uh, for the record, I would not necessarily be opposed to you kissing me."

"I…"

"Pardon me. That was unprofessional and completely uncalled for and I apologize. I don't know what came over me- I understand if you don't want to see-" Logan was cut off by Patton's lips against his, sweet and brief.

"It didn't make me uncomfortable. I like you, Logan, and if we're gonna have this crap in our veins, we might as well deserve it. Let me give you my number, and let's get dinner some time?"

"I'd love that."

----

Ultimately, nothing changed. LGBT+ people still had the worst blood anyone had ever seen. But society changed. Over the years, the Love is Clean campaign got politicians elected who made blood analysis for jobs, housing, and anything else illegal. People, in general, stopped caring about their blood. Some still did, of course, but overall, Patton Sanders and Logan Fowler, along with Virgil Sanders and Roman Prince, made the world a better place. Both pairs lived happily ever after, knowing they'd done more good with the worst blood than anyone with blood like water.

[mingmagazine-blog]

Not-So-Minimalist Camping

Over the Memorial Day Weekend, my wife and I decided to go on an overnight camping trip with a few friends. Now, I enjoy the whole camping with the minimal things, the wife not so much. Because of this, our trip almost became “glamping” rather than camping. Happy wife, happy life right? Here are some tips if you are going comfort camping whether or not you actually want to.

Whether your camping trip is going Grizzly Adams and carrying everything you need in, or you’re gonna do what we did and park your truck in the middle of the woods at a camp, this list will have you prepared.

Essentials for Camping

The essentials you need at camp are simple: fire, shelter, food, and water. You should bring at minimum a tent or hammock to sleep, fire starting supplies (such as a fire starter kit, or even just a lighter), enough food for the duration of your stay, as well as enough water. Pack enough clothes for the trip including some emergency items such as a hoodie, rain jacket, and beanie.

Sleeping Bag

Be sure to bring along a sleeping bag as well. For you minimalist guys, it’s as easy as finding a lightweight mummy bag rated for a low temperature you think you could encounter. Remember though, just because its rated to 10 degrees doesn’t mean you will be WARM at 10 degrees. The low for our overnight camping trip was 40 degrees. And I picked a 10 degree rated sleeping bag and was perfectly comfortable the entire night. For you guys doing the borderline “glamping” thing, I used a Magellan over-sized sleeping bag which has plenty of room to stretch out.

I’d also bring along a hammock to relax in during the day. They are light, they are fun, and they can be comfortable even to sleep in. Find a hammock that comes with hanging straps or rope. You can get these pretty cheap at Walmart and they will do exactly what you want them to. You can even find some that are lined with memory foam for extra comfort.

A Man’s Gotta Eat

Don’t forget to bring cooking supplies. Essentially, all you need is a grill top you can throw over a fire along with a fork, knife, and spatula. You can get all of these items cheap at Walmart, or you can put out a bit of extra change and shop at Cabela’s or Bass Pro. If you like coffee, I recommend bringing along a couple of cups and a coffee percolator. I just got started with them using Cabela’s cool-touch 12-cup percolator, and its way better than using instant coffee and water. Want to go smaller? Get a Jetboil.

For food and water storage, bring along a cooler as well. If you’ve read any of my articles where I recommend coolers, you already know which one to pick. I have a Bison Coolers Gen One 25-quart cooler and it is the perfect size for an overnight camping trip. My buddy also brought the Bison Coolers Gen One 175-quart cooler which fit all of the group’s food and extra drinks. I’d recommend getting the 50-quart cooler from Bison, especially since they just released all the Gen 2 models. You will have plenty of space for ice, food, drink, and you won’t need to lug around anything too heavy.

Picking Out a Camp

If you’d rather find a spot in the woods to camp, but need to drive in because you packed half your home into the bed of your truck, here are a couple of tips to selecting a campsite. I generally look for three things: access, space, and canopy cover.

Access

Access is important purely for the fact that you are driving in all of your gear. Unless you feel like making 4 or 5 hikes from campsite to truck to grab all the things you wanted for comfort, you need to be able to have an accessible trail to get your vehicle down. To be clear, I don’t mean an improved road. Take your 4×4 and do what its meant to do, find a trail and go off-road.

Space

You’ll need enough space in the woods to set up your tent, your fire pit, and keep the truck somewhat close by. If you are going with multiple people, you need enough space between the trees to set up the tents. Finding a nice opening in the forest is good enough. Pick the spot that has a few trees to set up the hammock, with a nice opening to place your tent so you’re not sleeping on roots or stumps.

Canopy Cover

This is a two-way street. You want an area that provides enough canopy cover for shade during the day, with enough opening to make fires at night. Why does making a fire make a difference? Even though your fire might not be 40-feet high flames, embers still rise into the canopy because of heat. These embers can catch dry grass around your fire pit as well as catch dry portions of wood and leaves in the canopy line, which can cause forest fires (Smokey the Bear would be very disappointed). So to play it safe, pick out an area where you can chill in the shade, and do your part in preventing forest fires.

Tent

A pretty significant detail to include while camping is a tent. When it comes to important outdoor gear like this, I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for”. Yeah, I like to bargain shop when I can, but honestly, a lot of your Ozark Trail $25 tents aren’t going to hold up when they need to.

Now don’t go out and buy a $1,500 tent. It’s not like you’re dropping into the Yukon and staying out for 30 days in the winter. Look in the price range of $100-$200 for a tent, and pay attention to reviews. My wife and I settled on the Cabela’s four-person West Wind tent.

With a price tag online of $199, it’s the high-end of where my wallet was comfortable for a tent. It’s easy to set up and is big enough for three people comfortably. (Remember the tent size means that is how many people can fit in it, laying down, in sleeping bags, right next to each other.)

Another nice feature of the West Wind tent is the attached vestibule for storing gear. This dome tent is attached to a mudroom, so you can take off your dirty boots and store other gear inside of it you want it to be protected without dirtying the sleeping area. The rain fly and tent material are the same which offers extra protection against the rain.

If you are looking for something cheaper, the higher priced Ozark Trail and Coleman tents do good work as well. You can find these tents at your local Walmart or sporting goods store. Just remember you get what you pay for.

Camping doesn’t always have to be purely man vs. nature. Yeah sure, I prefer it that way. Why go minimalist if you don’t have to though? Drive it in, set up some comfort, and enjoy the outdoors. Besides, getting bit up by mosquitos is about as deep into outdoor immersion most people will go anyway. Regardless, it’s just about getting outside right?

[thatonelucky]

The Ache Only A Heart Can Take

I’m back! I haven’t written anything in months and I had a sudden burst of needing to write this so enjoy! Also, I’m hopefully going to be updating Twist of Fate soon! Watch this space ;)

Click here to read on A03

               She knew that the feeling was wrong. Nothing was right about the abundant mass that weighed heavily in her heart, making her feel sick to her stomach at any given opportunity. Her eyes grew heavy as if she had taken one too many sleeping aids, but she knows that she’s drunk with exhaustion, maybe drunk in general.

               Betty had never been the one to pick up a drink, let alone neck one too many back in a grimy pub on the outskirts of town. Her pastel skirt and cashmere sweater stood out against the mounds of dirty leather and greasy hair. She would’ve cared if this was any other circumstance. There was nothing indifferent about the ripped material covering the seat of the bar stools or the chipped wood that blistered her porcelain skin with any slight movement.

               New York had been a rough move; anyone could have told her this. But the situation was fucked and there was nothing else she could’ve done. Running away was the only option she had right now. Granted, she had imagined it a slightly different way. People change, plans change, everything changes and the sooner she came to terms with that, the sooner she could move on with her life. That’s if she could ever move on.

               They had a plan, much like her older sister had a plan. If there’s one thing Betty could take away from the family curse it’s that happiness doesn’t come. You’re left to fend for yourself in a limbo of self-loathing and loneliness. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. They had a plan.

               Betty rubbed at her temples, growing more agitated the longer that she thought about it. This was all his fault. The black hood swooped in and made her destroy the one good thing in her life. She should be blaming the black hood, but she can’t help from blaming Jughead. He didn’t even talk to her to see if it was true, he just took Archie’s word for it and jumped straight on to Toni instead. He was supposed to love her.

               Her fist slammed back down to the table. He loved just like his mother. Tap out when it gets too hard and quit when you’re a step away from the finish line. Her legs were aching but she wasn’t able to notice before she reached out to grab her whisky glass. She used to grimace at the potent stench and deem it unholy. With that exact thought in her mind, she brought the glass to her lips and took another gulp, sucking every last drop from the bottom of the glass.

               By now her vision was a swirling mess of colours and people that she’d never see again. Their unfamiliar faces never burning into her mind. Sat here, she was as insignificant as them. They didn’t look at her and think of perfection or the blossom blood flowing through her veins. She used to think that Jughead looked at her and saw more than that. But maybe all he saw was a fragile girl and an opportunity too good to pass. Betty Cooper’s a buffet, take what you want and go. She chuckled to no one in particular. What a pitiful life.

               “I’m cutting you off. Maybe go home and sleep some off.” The bartender smiled sweetly at Betty almost patronisingly. She had to be in her 30’s with auburn hair fashioned in a frizzy bob with delicate features. Her warm brown eyes acted as a second smile that Betty hailed with open arms, quite literally.

               “Ooo, thank you Sylv, you’re the only one who cares!” Betty deprecated to the woman across from her. Sylvia rubbed Betty’s back smiling into her shoulder. The embrace was swiftly cut off when Sylvia walked around the other side of the bar, hoisting Betty up onto her feet. “M’ good. I got this. Thanks again.” Betty was far from sober but she knew she could get to her uncles apartment in one bit.

               “No worries Betty sweet, take care of yourself.” Sylvia helped her out of the door and then resumed her bartending duties. Betty knew all of the staff here, she’d become accustom to trudging towards this very bar every day after work to drown her sorrows in a drink. She wasn’t an alcoholic, she’s gone weeks without a drink and been fine. But there was a sense of comfort in forgetting that your life is a downward spiral that destroys anything and everything good in its path.

               The walk home was a scenic route, the winter air left a sharp bite in the air but she couldn’t feel it. The cars passing left a scent of burning petrol in the air, one too many needed a new exhaust in Betty’s opinion. Life was at a standstill, the whistling of the air through the trees left her feeling dizzier than she was previously. The only thing running through her mind was that they had plans. Real plans. She ran her fingers through her golden locks, wishing to pull them back into a tight pony tail but not having the heart to.

               The first time Betty and Jughead had talked about a future together was in 2nd grade when the kids got a visit from the local dog shelter. All of the kids took part in a fundraiser to promote adopting the dogs in the shelter and donating to ensure that they could carry on saving lives. It was one hell of a day, Betty had played with almost a hundred dogs but one caught her eye. The golden retriever must have been a foot smaller than Betty, licking her face at any given chance.

               “Winston! That’s my nose you silly puppy!” Betty giggled cheerfully to the golden dog. Jughead had found himself gravitating to the soft laughter, finding a comfort in the melodic sounds of his best friend. They played happily with him for a while until Jughead spoke up.

               “Betts, when we’re older can we have our own Winston?” Jughead’s eyes went wide with hope. Betty smiled down at him and ruffled the beanie on top of his head. Later on Winston was sold to a loving family, but Betty knew that one day she could have her own Winston with Jughead and it would be perfect.

               Betty smiled at the thought of her young mind believing that everything could turn out right. A stray tear leaked from Betty’s eye as she walked through the gardens and into her uncle’s apartment complex. The warm surroundings of the lobby couldn’t melt Betty’s ice cold heart. She begged herself to stay calm but nothing could keep the agonizing pain from stabbing at her chest, leaving her bleeding on the floor.  The was the ache that only a heart could take.

               “Betty, you have a visitor.” Her uncle James knocked on her bedroom door, waking her up from her slumber. She had always hoped that the last few months of her life had been a dream, but she always woke up in the same place. Betty grumbled into her pillow.

               “I’ll be out in a minute. Tell Veronica to put her bags outside the door.” Betty sighed heavily. Veronica had known about her plan to leave Riverdale and helped her to make it happen. In turn, Veronica stays with Betty in the Holidays. She had refused to let her best friend leave her side forever. Though, since there had been no more murders after Betty had left, she doubted she would ever return to Riverdale.

               “Okay, where should the ginger put his cases?” Uncle James smirked as Betty flew out of bed and straight into the living room. James wasn’t lying, right before her eyes stood Archie and Veronica drinking tea with James’s husband, Rafael. They all seemed focused on the conversation they were having, not yet noticing Betty’s arrival.

               “Yeah, I mean it’s Betty’s choice. That kids happy to wait 100 years for her.” Archie chuckled lowly, a look of guilt on his face. Betty wondered for a moment who they were talking about but soon put 2 and 2 together. She stepped out from around the corner and faced the 3 of them.

               “Who?” Betty’s voice croaked loudly as 3 heads snapped to face her. Veronica smiled widely and ran to hug Betty. Archie followed in suit, squeezing the life out of his friend. Betty was only focused on one thing. “Who, Archie?  What’s going on?” Betty stepped out of the embrace. Archie had a sheepish look on his face before he spoke up.

               “Jughead. He’s, uh, in the bathroom.” The world started to spin and not like last night. Betty’s head was spiralling with words and questions that wouldn’t have answers. Her body went numb at the thought of seeing him again. She couldn’t breathe. Everything got worse a few seconds later when she heard the bathroom door open down the hall. There was nothing she could do. Why was he here? Why now? After everything that he did to her, why is he here?

               “Betts?” The voice that she had been dreaming of spoke from behind her. She couldn’t face turning around. After months of her thinking he’s completely forgotten about her, he’s behind her. “Betts, look at me. Please.” He begged her, the sense of urgency in his voice pleading for her to just look at him but she can’t.

               “We’ll give you two a minute.” Rafael ushered Archie and Ronnie along with their bags to Betty’s room. The closing of the door was the only sound that could be heard. Nothing was said. Nothing could be said. What was there to talk about? Betty risked everything to protect Jughead whilst he skipped off with Toni. Betty sat in the nearest chair, her eyes trained on the curling of her fist forcing her knuckles to go white.

               “Archie told me everything. About the, uh, the black hood calling you. And what he made you do.” Jughead’s voice cracked with sadness, his intense stare burning into Betty’s chest. He knew the truth, that’s why he’s here. She feels guilty enough as it is, the guilt eats her alive. “Betty just say something, anything, please.” His plea didn’t go unnoticed.

               “You didn’t even call me, or text me to see if it was true. You just blindly believed anything Archie said. Then I saw you with Toni at pops. I was nothing to you.” Betty seethed. She was flaming with rage, the closure she had dreamed off finally being given to her. Jughead didn’t look shocked at her outburst.

               “I know.” He whispered. These words were only making Betty angrier. She wanted to scream and shout at him in an attempt to dull the ache in her heart but all she could do was cry. She just cried exactly like she had been doing for the past 8 months. “Hey, Betts no, no don’t cry.” Jughead reached over and she let him. She rested her head in the nape of his neck and it felt like home. It felt like the most home she’d been in a while. He smelled the same, he looked the same and he felt the same.

               “Why didn’t you love me?”  Betty sobbed into his chest. Jughead felt his heart shatter in to a million pieces once again. He loved Betty with every inch of his soul, Betty is his anchor. Without her, his world stops turning and he knows he’s done wrong. He was hurting so much and Toni was there.

               “I never stopped loving you, Betts. Are you kidding? You’re all I have.” Jughead let a few tears slip, putting his palms on Betty’s cheeks and lifting her eyes to lock with his. Many unspoken words were said between the two. Communication is key to any relationship and that was made apparent on that night. Things didn’t go back to normal straight away. People were hurt, times were tough. But Betty knows that at the end of the day, Jughead is the one she wants to sleep next to every night and wake up with every morning. And that’s all that matters.

[shannrussell-blog1]

The Bibbulmun Track is one of Australia’s best long-distance hiking tracks, and my personal favourite. If you experience the Bibbulmun for yourself, then you will understand why.

Winding its way for 1003kms through WA’s diverse land of bush and coastline, it has 9 sections with towns along the way, which gives you the chance to refuel before hitting the track again.

The trailheads are at Kalamunda (northern end) and Albany (southern end) with the majority of people starting their journey from Kalamunda in the springtime following the wildflower season down to the south.

I’ve hiked sections of this track over many years. In autumn 2017, I hiked end-to-end starting from Albany and finishing in my childhood hometown of Kalamunda. On this trip, I raised funds for the Bibbulmun Track Foundation and filmed a documentary about the track at the same time.

Here’s a rundown of my experiences on the track, and my advice to anyone who is planning this journey for themselves.

Hiking the Bibbulmun end-to-end is a long but worthwhile experience. 

History of the track

The track came about to encourage more people to venture into the bush back in the early 1970s. By 1979, it was officially opened as a long-distance trail, though it was only 650kms.

As the years have moved along, so has the track with help from the Foundation and over 380 volunteers who care and maintain the track to an extremely high standard.

In 1994, the track saw a massive upgrade with the installation of shelters, rain-water tanks and drop toilets placed at campsites dotting a day’s walk from each other. This was inspired by the famous Appalachian Trail in the US.

Over the past few decades, the track has received some upgrades to make it easier for hikers to attempt.

How the Bibbulmun got its name

The Bibbulmun name comes from the local indigenous tribe of the area known to travel long distances through the bush for ceremonial gatherings.

The signs you follow is known as the Waugal (serpent) meaning soul, or spirit or breath. These bright fluorescent yellow triangles are nailed to the trees for easy spotting.

This is a fully signed track though it is recommended to carry an up-to-date map and guidebook. If you are interested in learning more about the history of the track go to the foundation site here.

These are the trail markers you should be following along the way. 

Distance options 

Although it’s a long-distance track there are various ways to experience it. Many hikers go on day walks, overnighters or even longer sections as there are some great access points along the way to hop on and off the track.

One hiker I met was from Melbourne, and he loved he could come over and spend a week or two on the track, and then come back another time to complete another section.

The Bibbulmun can be a day trip or a multi-day hike depending on what you want to do. 

When to hike

Best time to hike the Bibbulmun track is between April and October. Summer is not recommended as Western Australia has extremely hot dry summers and is high-risk fire season. There’s a chance of no water, with many days the temperatures up in the high 30’s, and some days reaching 40°C and over.

Over the years, many a shelter has sadly become the victim to fire. Just this summer there was a fire that swept through the northern section of the track resulting in the loss of a shelter. A hiker also had to be helicoptered out literally minutes before it burnt down.

April to October is the best time of the year to experience this walk. 

Duration of the track

The track is 1003km long and is predominantly out in the bushland. Though you do get 9 towns as points of contact where you will enter back into civilisation. This provides the opportunity to shower and wash your clothes, re-stock your supplies, have a cold beer and sleep in a real bed.

The average time a hiker would take on the track is around 6-8 weeks or 45-60 days. I took 54 days and would have loved more. Some people like the challenge of being the fastest, like one woman completing her journey in 15 days!

There is estimated to be over 100 hikers each year completing this track and becoming an end-to-ender. This is by either hiking it in one go or completing sections over a period.

There are lots of international hikers as well as Aussies on the track which is fantastic to see. When embarking on a journey like this, it’s extremely important to plan your journey well before heading out there to suit you.

This is a long hike that can take between 6 to 8 weeks to finish. 

Preparation

The first thing to do before attempting this hike is to research and find out all you need to know about it. This is a wilderness track and one can expect to be anywhere between 10 – 15 days at a time between towns.

In some areas, there is no phone coverage, so it can be quite isolating out there. You do meet other hikers most days and share a campsite with them but there are times that doesn’t happen. This means that you need to be self-sufficient.

Self-sufficiency is essential, even though you will meet other people along the way.

Where to start your research

Where do you begin? Start at the Bibbulmun Track Foundation website here. This is set up for hikers heading out on the track. They have all the information you need including support to help get you ready for the journey ahead.

They also offer different workshops on everything Bibbulmun. Check out online groups, they are often run by hikers who frequent the track.

Training for the track

My other advice is to train! Get hiking fit! It’s so much more enjoyable and less chance of injury if you are fit and ready for your adventure.

It’s important to be ‘hiking fit’ before attempting a long walk such as this. 

Shelters and campsites

There are 49 shelters and campsites in total along the way which are free to stay at. Each shelter is a 3-sided, either wooden or rammed earth structure, with sleeping platforms, a picnic table, tent sites and a drop toilet.

Most of the campsites in the northern section have fire pits but the southern section doesn’t due to restrictions.

There is a register book and a logbook for the hikers on the track. It is important to sign in so emergency services know who is on the track at any given time, also its a guide to how many people are using the track.

There are several shelters and campsites provided along the way. 

Navigation

There are 8 guidebooks and maps for this track broken down into sections which you can check out here. It is extremely well marked though it’s advisable to carry the ones you need. You can purchase them online through the Bibbulmun Foundation or in various hiking stores.

Learn how to read a map and compass – don’t just put it in your pack. It’s a wilderness track and is important that you are responsible for your own safety.

Food drops and resupply

Let’s face it you can’t carry 2 months’ worth of food, so you need to organise food drops. This can be done by pre-planning your meals and supplies to coordinate with the 9 towns you pass through.

You can post them ahead of time to either the post office of the town or the accommodation you plan to stop at. Some people will do a drive down with their boxes, but Australia post works pretty well in my opinion.

Supplying yourself with food for the trip is something you need to work out in advance.

Food

I cooked and dehydrated most of my meals but there are great choices on the market for hikers like the Back-Country Cuisine range. I do love the Cinnamon Rice Pudding one!

Be sure you pack enough nutrient-rich foods as your body will be using a lot of fuel and will need to replenish.

I also added into my supplies Sports Nutrition Endurance Powder just for that little bit more. You’ll find by week 3 that you’ll be super hungry.

Dehydrating your food is a great alternative to pre-made freeze-dried meals. You can also food and other supplies into my 70L Rucksack (Osprey Xena). Here are all of the other essentials that I took on my  trip:

My sleeping quarters for the trip – the Sea to Summit Specialist Duo. 

Sleeping gear and shelter

Tent (Sea to Summit Specialist Duo)

Sleeping bag and silk liner (Sea to Summit Spark SP3 bag and Aeros Pillow)

Sleeping mat (Sea to Summit Comfort Light Insulator, best mat ever)

Appliances and tools

Battery charger (20000mAh), iPhone

Head torch

Pocket knife

A reliable cooking system is an essential piece of gear for the track. 

Cooking gear

Stove and gas cylinder (JetBoil MiniMo)

Waterproof matches and lighter

Coffee press (for the JetBoil, it’s the best investment)

Pot and

Hydration

Hydration system – 3-litre capacity

LifeStraw

Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets (recommended to treat all water)

Here’s a snapshot of all my gear laid out beside my pack. 

Safety and navigation

Maps and compass

Suunto Traverse watch

Disposable hand warmers (for those extra cool nights)

PLB (ACR ResQlink)

Snakebite kit 

It’s extremely important to bring a map – and learn how to read it!

Comfort gear

Sit-a-pon (waterproof mat to sit on)

One change of clothes and socks (put in a compression bag to save room)

Gaiters

Hiking poles

Insect repellent (Bushmans works best for the march flies)

Head buff

Mosquito Headnet

Wet weather gear

Warm windproof jacket

Crocs (sandals for camp)

Beanie and sun hat

Sarong (my multipurpose best item)

Toiletries (including Lavender oil – put a drop in some warm water at camp for bathing)

Getting to the track

For those hikers flying in, there is a regular 30-minute bus ride from the airport to Kalamunda. The buses leave twice every hour, so look for bus 296 and 299. If coming in from the city, its approximately a 1hr ride from the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre leaving every 10 – 15 mins.

The buses you can take are the 282, 283, 296, 299. If you need more up to date information, check out Perth’s transport website here.

There are a few ways you can go about getting to the Bibbulmun track. 

Accommodation 

In terms of accommodation, in Kalamunda, you can stay in the Kalamunda Carriages and 3 Gums Cottages which you can check out here.

They’re Bibbulmun track friendly with 10% discount if you’re a Bibbulmun Track Foundation member. If you’re interested in becoming a member and supporting the track, head here for more information.

In Kalamunda, near the Trail Head, is the Perth Hills Visitor Centre. Here is where you first sign in the log book to say you are on the track.

They are a great resource for information as well if you want to see more details you can head to their website.

Happy trails, everyone!

Aside from the Bibbulmun, what other long distance trails have you walked here in Australia? 

The post Walking the Bibbulmun Track End-to-End appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[booksturnmugglesintowizards]

End Violence Against Women Monday - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my End Violence Against Women Monday feature! (Check out Part 1 here)

Domestic violence is a serious problem worldwide. And unfortunately, most organisations that help combat domestic violence and provide help for survivors are underfunded and understaffed. This is why I created this feature. In this weekly feature of my blog, I will be posting links to 5-7 items sold on Etsy, eBay or any other retail sites, the proceeds from sales of which go to various organisations of the sort, or attempt to raise domestic violence awareness.

I am always accepting submissions and suggestions for this feature! The tag is - end violence against women Monday.

So without further ado, here are the items featured in this week’s End Violence Against Women Monday (all images are courtesy of the sellers):

1) Scented Feminist Candles - Etsy.

Price - $16.99 each

#nowomanever

#feminism

#mansplaining

#masculinitysofragile

Scents

*FFS I Need a Coffee

*Lavender FML

*Creamsicle FTW

*Chardonnay BAE

*SMH Cabernet Sauvignon

*Calm AF Green Tea

*TL;DR Unscented 

Seller’s description:

“ ***WE DONATE $5 FROM EVERY CANDLE SALE TO PRO-WOMEN ORGANIZATIONS*** <choose one from the list>

SAFETY Candles should never be left unattended! Burn on a flat, heat resistant surface away from children, pets, and flammable materials. HashtagFeminism is not responsible for user negligence. The first time you burn your candle, you should burn it for 2-3 hours to help prevent tunneling down the middle. Trim your wick! Flickering, smoke, and soot occur when your wick is left untrimmed.”

2) Venus Goddess Necklace - Etsy 

Price - $16.00

Seller’s description:

“100% of the proceeds from the Venus Goddess Necklace will be donated to a local women's shelter I volunteer at. The Shelter, Inc. is a non-profit that helps survivors of domestic violence living in Lawrence, Wayne, Giles, and Lewis County in Middle Tennessee. The Venus Goddess necklace is perfect for everyday wear and looks great layered with other pieces. The silver Venus charm hangs from a hammered brass triangle for a mixed metal look. The 1970's vintage brass chain measures 28 inches long. Message me if you would like a shorter length.”

3) The Battle of the Sports Bra Tote - Society6

Price - $15.30

Seller’s description:

“Our quality crafted Tote Bags are hand sewn in America using durable, yet lightweight, poly poplin fabric. All seams and stress points are double stitched for durability. They are washable, feature original artwork on both sides and a sturdy 1" wide cotton webbing strap for comfortably carrying over your shoulder.

Inspired by a project that involved telling the stories of Women in need. Proceeds of that project were to go to Women’s shelters across Canada. I wanted the image to show a battle, and that even though the item that is won is an ugly little sports bra, the Women who won it is ecstatic and proud of her accomplishment!”

4) Pura Vida Joyful Heart Platinum Bracelet - Joyful Heart Foundation

Price - $12.00

Seller’s description:

“These bracelets are:

100% waterproof

Wax-coated

Adjustable from 2-5 inches in diameter.

Most importantly, helping support our mission. $2 from every bracelet sold goes directly to Joyful Heart!”

5) Love Doesn’t Hurt Beanie - DVUK (UK delivery only - sorry!)

Price - $11.30

Seller’s description:

“A knitted beanie fitted with the 'Love Doesn't Hurt' Badge printed in front.

 DVUK.ORG is the online store for Domestic Violence UK CIC - a not-for-profit organization set up to provide information and support to victims of domestic and emotional abuse.

By purchasing any item listed here you will be helping us:

Provide free telephone counselling sessions to individuals who have experienced domestic or emotional abuse each month using an accredited counselling agency

Maintain our online and mobile directory which allows individuals find their nearest specialist support organisation

Maintain our text directory service which allows individuals to receive their nearest specialist support organisation via text

Develop our online magazine which is published every quarter

Facilitate our online forum to encourage individuals and signpost them to various specialist organisations for support.

Manage the Wellbeing Centre (syndicating from NHS Choices) which is an online resource containing articles, interactive tools, videos, podcasts etc

Coordinate the Vouchers For Refuge Initiative which is aimed at supporting a local refuge every quarter with vouchers, gift-cards, toiletries and other useful items.”

6. No More Slouchy Beanie - No More

Price: $25

Seller’s description:

“100% Acrylic Knit Slouchy Beanie. Embroidered on-demand. No returns accepted. Shipped Worldwide from USA.

NO MORE is the first unifying symbol to express universal support for ending domestic violence and sexual assault  in our society. NO MORE was conceived to amplify the power of the domestic violence and sexual assault movement using a unifying symbol to drive awareness and break down the barriers of stigma, silence and shame that keep people from talking about these issues and taking action to prevent them. Co-founded as a public/private partnership, NO MORE was created as a platform for those working to end domestic violence/sexual assault, in the belief that greater dialogue will fuel enhanced funding for direct service, advocacy and prevention.”

7. No Mas Purple Ladies’ Tee - No Mas (No More’s sister organization)

Price -$27.00

Seller’s description:

“Super soft, fitted tee. Made of 4.2 oz., 100% combed ringspun cotton, 30 singles. This product is made to order and returns are not accepted. Shipped worldwide.”

That’s it for this week! Stay tuned for Part 3 next Monday and enjoy your goodies! If you can’t purchase them, please reblog this post! And I’d be thrilled to receive suggestions!

- Kate