#why does job searching have to be so tiresome

[yutadori]

really tired u__u the thought of looking for a new job soon is so depressing... being hired again feels so out of reach. when i think about trying to keep a job for more than a month it feels like such a far away concept. this is the second time i got terminated this YEAR.... it kind of feels like i should stop trying. when will i stop having work anxiety ...... it feels like it's pointless to try god i seriously feel so defeated especially since im not confident in my skills x__x im very clumsy and forgetful and slow and ouagh . had all of those events not happened, how long would i have stayed ?? would they have gotten sick of me and let me go anyway? hggghhhhhhh god i am just a girl.........

[nymika-arts]

okay so I've been thinking about this a bit and I think I've kind of figured out why I dislike the sperm donor buck storyline so much. part of it is just that I'd rather have a storyline that doesn't revolve around buck making poor decisions and causing problems for himself (again), but the biggest issue is that they really seem to just be taking him in circles with his "development". they present him with a situation that he moves through, supposedly learning something by the end, and then just present him with another situation that causes him to go through the exact same learning curve.

in season 4 he gets this bombshell dropped on him that he was brought into existence for the sole purpose of being used to save someone else, which understandably fucks him up a bit, and for the rest of the season his arc is about him learning that his value as a human being does not hinge on what he can offer of himself to others—the catalyst of that coming at the end through the shooting arc: "you act like you're expendable, but you're wrong". (and demonstrated again in his conversation with Taylor at the end, telling her that he doesn't want to begin another relationship feeling like he isn't good enough as he is.) this was a phenomenal arc for him and I think they did a fantastic job with it.

season 5, however, sends him spiraling backwards again, and he's on the same path of trying to learn to value himself outside of his relationships with others. now, while I have quite a few bones to pick with season 5 (that's a whole other story aksnskd), this is actually one of the more interesting choices. buck has a lot of things happening in his life at this point that are impacting him in a major way, and his insecurities flare up again, and he gets scared. so he falls backwards a bit, but he makes up the ground, and by the end we're told (again) that he's learning to choose himself and his own feelings over what others might want of him.

he says to taylor: "I need things to be different."

in season 6 he says to bobby: "I'm afraid of making the same mistakes."

we're even off to a good start with the metaphor of the single chair rather than the couch at the end—supposedly symbolizing that he's ready to look to himself to find his happiness rather than relying on validation from outside sources.

but then what does he do? agrees to help someone else and try to make them happy at the cost of his own well being in the hopes that it'll somehow help him find the value in his existence. it's the same arc (searching for happiness/personal value from external sources) over and over again with no signs that he's actually growing from any of it.

obviously I don't know how this arc is going to end, maybe it'll surprise me, but at this point I honestly can't see what he could possibly learn from this that we haven't already seen in some capacity. it's getting tiresome. and the thing is, I know that they can do better than this for him. the buck begins arc is one of my favourites of the entire show; but now the most interesting and mature moments he's had since season 4 have been the parts he's played in other characters arcs.

[bokoutoe-retired]

— #43 “i love you to the moon and back” & #44 “you’re stealing the blankets”

characters; gojo satoru, gn! reader, ft. itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi, nobara kugisaki

synopsis; working at jujutsu tech comes with it’s risks, but with your husband at your side you think everything will turn out just fine

total w/c; 1475

warnings; canon-typical violence, blood, major injury, hospitals, iv’s, uhhh, non-canon timeline ig? i haven’t read the manga so i apologize for any inaccuracies about how curses and jujutsu sorcery works

「a/n」 thank you to @construct-witchlyght for requesting!! i’m so sorry it took so long but i actually really had fun writing this and i feel good about it! hope you enjoy it <3

being a counselor at jujutsu tech never really meant just being a counselor. sometimes it means being a teacher and instructing a couple classes, other times it means getting called out for exorcisms. despite your job title, it’s shockingly rare you get the chance to actually, you know, be a counselor.

and this was certainly not one of those times. the grade 2 curse you, itadori, fushiguro, and kugisaki are currently dealing with is not relenting. whatsoever. it’s attacks are quick, fast, and calculated. the four of you have done a good job avoiding them so far, but you're not sure how much longer you can keep it up. both you and itadori are hustling to land your blows, slowly chipping away at the almost overwhelming defenses of the curse. nearby fushiguro’s shikigami are working in rhythm with the flying nails of kugisaki’s hammer to take out the weird army of cursed goonies the grade 2 has. they’re not powerful by any means but their numbers add up. the two first years are doing a good job of dwindling their forces

the fight drags on and on, hit after hit, and dodge after dodge, it’s tiresome but necessary. by some miracle, there’s a glimpse of the end as yuuji lands a hearty punch on one of the chins of the curses many mouths. as it makes contact it’s accompanied by a loud, resounding clap, the cursed energy packed behind the hit leaves the air of the abandoned warehouse buzzing. the powerful attack brings the curse down to its last legs, yet it’s still angry, and determined to take you all out. you glance over to check on the other pair, and see they’re exorcising the final lackey. 

‘good, they’re safe now’ you think, but you’re allowed only a mere moment of relief before your attention is directed back to itadori and the grade 2. itadori is still stumbling from the blowback of his own power as the curse lets out a booming roar and you see it gear up for an attack with the sharp claws on one of its four arms. he’s stumbling right into the claws’ path and doesn’t have nearly enough time to completely dodge. panic boils over  in your chest and you feel your body move before you think about it, out of pure instinct to protect your kids. the long arm of the curse swings down and you rush towards the pink haired first year, shoving him out from underneath the approaching claws. hot, searing pain rips down from your shoulder and through your chest. your vision immediately turns spotty but you can see itadori tumble a few feet away from the force of your push. you must’ve screamed without realizing it because immediately all three students are calling out your name and rushing to finish the curse off.

you register that somewhere near you the curse bursts into smoke and spare puffs of cursed energy. it’s finally exorcised, but you're too focused on the feeling of warm, sticky blood seeping from your wound and the bitter taste of copper in your mouth to take note of who officially finished it off. the energy from the curse tapers off into nothing but residuals and suddenly three sets of footsteps are rushing towards you.

“y/n-san!” itadori is the first to reach you, calling out and falling to his knees at your side. “why would you do that?!” his words are frantic but his actions are gentle as he moves your head to rest on his knees. you can almost see the tears welling in his eyes from, in your opinion, misplaced guilt. he looks around searching for help of the other first years. behind him nobaras foot taps incessantly against the cold stone floor. she’s hurriedly dialing someone on her cellphone, presumably ijichi and fushiguro is tearing off his jacket. he does much better job of hiding his worry, but if your eyes were a little more focused you’d be able to see the slight shake to his movements as he bundles the fabric and presses it to your wound. you little out a little grunt of pain, the coarse texture agitates it but does a good enough staunching the steady trickle of blood. despite their lack of experience, it’s not hard for them to recognize this is bad. nobara finishes her call, before pocketing her phone and joining the boys on the ground next to you. she takes the edge of her sleeve, wiping off the small bit of blood dribbling from you mouth. you weakly attempt to swat her hand off, the last thing you wanted was to worry your kids or have them fuss over you.

“‘toru would kick my ass if i had let one of you kids get hurt” your words are slightly slurred but you speak with a little chuckle, referring to your husband while trying to make light of the situation. you even reach up to pat yuujis cheek reassuringly a couple times.

“well now gojo-sensei is gonna kick my ass for letting you get hurt!” he looks like he’s about to continue but the sound of screeching car tires interrupt him.

“ijichis here, lets get her up. y/n-” you can hear megumi talking, but your consciousness is slipping and you can’t decipher exactly what he said. you feel three pairs of hands start to lift you off the ground, the blood making it a little more difficult. as you look up the dots clouding your vision get bigger and bigger, the last thing you see is the crease of nobaras brows as she yells out to someone.

when you wake up, you feel your situation before you see it. the first, and maybe most important thing you feel, is the presence of your husband cuddled into your side. you feel his hair tickling your neck, his body pressed against your uninjured side and his fingers intertwined with yours. just knowing he’s there is enough to instantly put you at ease. your eyes finish adjusting to the bright morning light streaming in from the window and satoru shifts in his sleep, unawarely tugging the thin hospital blanket from your body. 

“you’re stealing the blankets,” you whisper to him as you squeeze his hand in yours, but your voice comes out a little more strained than you had expected. even with his blindfold on, you can tell he’s woken up as he lets out a little hum and adjusts himself on the small hospital bed. with the both of you it’s a tight fit, but you make it work. he’s careful not to jostle you as he sits up and gently brings you to lay on his side instead of him on yours. he’s mindful of your ivs and monitors, all while keeping your hand in his and making sure to drape the blanket back over you.

“rough night?” he asks, the hand of the arm wrapped around you comes to lightly brush over the bandages wrapped snug around your torso. the pain isn’t nearly as bad as it was before you blacked out. whatever meds they’d given you had turned the sharp stinging into a dull ache. but if you were being honest your whole body ached. a long, strenuous battle on top of a deep wound would do that to a person.

“rough night.” you confirm with a little chuckle, relaxing even further into his hold. the room is silent for a moment as he catches your eyes searching the empty room for something that’s not there. he presses a kiss to your temple, bringing your attention back to him.

“they went back to the school,” he states, already knowing that you were looking for the trio of first years, “and before you ask, they’re fine. all three made it out with nothing more than a couple scratches.”

“good, thats good,” you respond while smiling up at him. if those three were okay, any pain, wound, or hospital visit would be utterly worth it.

“i’m lucky i get to say the same for you, my love. itadori told me what you did” he lifts up his blindfold and gives you a look that resembles that of one he would give a student while scolding them. but behind it, you can see the deep amount of worry held in his bright eyes.

“i did what i had to, they're just kids” you shrug as best as yougiven your condition.

“i know, i know. very admirable of you,” he jokes a little before his tone turns serious “but please, don’t scare me like that ever again. you mean the world to me and i don’t know what i’d do without you. i love you to the moon and back, my dear y/n”

“i love you too satoru, to the moon and back”

[omimigod]

Aquarium dates

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Feat: Time-skip! Kazutora Hanemiya x F.reader!

A/n: Pfft,of course there's going to be one for Kazutora.Thank you once again @introvert--weeb for the suggestion

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

It had been a really hectic week for Kazutora at the pet shop.Setting up everything took more time than expected since Chifuyu and Baji weren’t there to help around. The blonde had to help Baji with shifting his furniture to his newly purchased apartment. So you decided to take a few days off from your job as a nursery teacher to help him at the pet shop. Sure it was tiresome but at least you two got to spend more time with each other and just seeing him smile and laugh was all you needed

“There’s this new aquarium that’s opened up near where we stay, do you wanna go this weekend?” he asked as he carried the last box of dog food to the storage room

“Sure! It's been a while since we went out on a date too” you beamed as the male hummed in agreement, smiling at you

“It’s settled then,Those two will look after the store this weekend” he said,taking a seat next to you behind the cash counter,resting his head on your shoulder. You gently ran your fingers through his two toned hair as the male relaxed into your touch

“Baji sure does have a lot of furniture for one person” you mumbled

“I bet he got that extra furniture to wreck when he’s bored” the male blankly stated as you giggled at his comment

“No one would get furniture just to wreck would they?”

“Well it’s Baji “he chuckled lightly as he remembered the incidents form when he used to set cars on fire. You smiled at the male before planting a kiss to his forehead. He inturn lowered his head and nuzzled it into your chest, affectionately wrapping his arms around your waist.Kazutora ended up falling asleep right after that. You ended up having to wake him up and drive him back to your shared apartment as you watched his head move back and forth in sleep. You sneaked in a few photos and videos of him to embarrass him with later,devilishly chucking to yourself. After getting back home you prepared a small meal with the leftovers from lunch and made sure that he ate a light meal.He did have a habit of skipping meals but once you two started living together, you made sure that he had something before you two headed to bed.

Sunday

The two of you walked hand in hand as you went from seeing the Penguins to the the dolphins to the beluga whales. The two of you snapped plenty of photos of you and him mimicking the animals and taking couples photos as well.This had been the most fun you had had in a long time

“Let’s go to see the otters next!” you beamed as the male nodded in agreement,following behind you

“They’re so cute! Look at this one Kazu”you excitedy said,turning to the side only to see that the male was nowhere to be found.You panicked and looked behind you only to me met with another stranger

“Excuse me,have you seen a male with two toned hair tied in a bun?He’s dressed in full black with a grey-”

“Haven’t seen him lady”the stranger coldly answered as he walked past you

“Okay (F/n) calm down,I’m sure he’s fine”you assured yourself as you examined your surroundings.How hard could it be to find him right?He’s definitely somewhere nearby but somehow you were scared.Scared that he might try to harm himself and leave you for good.There was always that lingering fear even though he said he was alright

30 minutes later

It had almost been an hour since you started searching for him and you were definitely panicking.Of all days,he decided to leave his phone in the car and there was no way Kazutora would remember your number since he didn’t even remember his.Your last option was to go check in the parking lot.You really hoped that he was there and that you could find him as soon as possible

“Mommy, why's that old man playing with toys?”a small child questioned as his mother tried to shush him up by covering his mouth her her hand

“Sweetie don't say it out loud like that”his mother scolded as the boy only frowned

You curiously turned to look at the person the small boys attention was on. Your jaw dropped as you saw Kazutora standing in the souvenir shop, examining two plushies.An otter plushie on one hand and a seal in the other.He seemed to be in deep thought as he paid no attention to you marching towards him

“Kazutora!”you yelled causing the male to almost drop the plushies in his hand.He looked at you,eyes wide as you stared at him angrily clutching your sling bag that hung around your shoulder.You had never called him by his full name in a very long time and it frighten him.He knew he screwed up but he was to scared to say anything.He mustered up whatever little courage he had and spoke

“H-Hey (F/n),i uh-”

“Where have you been, Kazutora?”you asked,completely ignoring the males efforts to calm you down.He gulped before opening his mouth

“I-I got lost and panicked when I couldn’t find you and this souvenir shop was the only place that calmed me down so I decided to look around and get something for you and lost track of time in the process”he confessed,eyes sad and scared

“P-Please don’t leave me”he stuttered,helplessly hoping that you wouldn’t.His eyes stayed glued to the floor before you walked toward him and brought your hands to his cheeks,cupping them in your hands

“There’s no way I would ever leave you Kazu,I-It’s just that I was so scared that I lost you.I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything bad ever happened to you”your eyes teared up as you saw the males cheeks flush red at your confession.He brought your hands down from his cheeks and held them gently before planting a kiss to each knuckle

“I’m sorry love.I really want to assure you that I would never try to harm myself especially when I know that it would hurt you.I never want to see you cry because of me”he let go of your hand before wrapping his hands around your waist and giving you a tight hug.His chin rested on top of your head before kissing it gently.You wrapped your arms around him as you enjoyed the feeling of having him nearby

“Mommy look!They’re going to kiss!”the small boy yelled as he pointed at the two of you.Your face flushed red and so did Kazutoras.He immediately let go and looked at the child

“W-We’re not going to kiss!”he shrieked as you nodded in agreement.His mother immediately clasped a hand over his mouth and apologized to the two for you

“I’m really sorry,he’s generally not this loud”she spoke

“It’s not a problem Ma’am”you assured as you smiled at the boy.The small boys cheeks turned pink as he looked elsewhere.You giggled lightly.The lady apologized dragged her son elsewhere.The small boy looked behind his head at you.You were about to wave goodbye to him before a pair of lips landed on your cheek.Your face turned bright red as you looked at the male and saw him making faces at the young boy

“She’s mine!”he yelled as he stuck out his tongue at the boy who was long gone

“Looks like someone's jealous”you teased as he only huffed his cheeks

“Am not”he refused,looking elsewhere

“I kind of like this side of yours thought”you admitted,grinning at the male whose attention was on you again.You intertwined his hands in yours

“Come on! Let’s get matching plushies Kazu!”yous eyes twinkled as he chuckled at your excitement

“Sometimes I wonder who the real child is”

“But you love this child don't you?”you asked,batting your eyelashes at him

“I love you to bits and couldn’t have asked for anyone better”

[qqueenofhades]

Thank you for your answer to my last ask! Just sort of carrying on from that, what do you think about how they should cover medieval queerness in a potential prequel? I read your post about the deep relationships between knights which was really interesting. I guess what I'm asking is what would "Period-typical Homophobia" for Nicky and Joe actually be? Thank you for educating us better than school does.

Okay, I’m gonna come in here with a Scorching Hot Take that may ruffle some feathers, but possibly... none?

If the point of including casual homophobia or homophobic references is literally just for the sake of evoking some supposed Medieval Bigotry for ~Le Atmosphere Of Dark Age, there is a) no point to it, and b) not much historical evidence either. People love to point out that we didn’t have the modern identity labels of “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” etc. in the olden days -- well, in that case, we don’t have modern homophobia either, or reactions to those behaviors in the same way. We don’t even have much textual evidence for how ordinary people (outside clerical/religious elites, who would be predisposed to disapprove, just like the religious right today) reacted to so-called “queerness” in their communities, and the circumstantial evidence we DO have suggested that it was far from any imagined universal experience of rejection and isolation. Besides, what we call “queer” due to fragile modern heteronormativty and toxic masculinity was actually intensely normal for medieval people.

One of the tiresome arguments that Straight Historians tend to use, when queer historians are arguing for a queer, romantic, or sexual relationship between two people of the same gender (usually men, because that’s who mostly appears in our sources), is that “friendship was a lot more romantic/intimate/emotional/physical in nature back then!!! They’re not gay They’re Just Pals!!” This is actually true, in that medieval men, far from this Iron Man No Homo No Emotions trope that (once again) we ourselves have come up with, were encouraged (as I wrote about in my gay knights post) to love each other almost, if not quite, beyond reason. There was so much crying, kissing, embracing, tender declarations of loyalty, etc (see: Is It Gay or Is It Feudalism?) Any of those behaviors would make the modern viewer go “lololol HOMOSEXUAL!!!”, but it’s not even always the case? The standards of physical affection, vows of devotion, and close emotional bonds even between platonic friends were just different, and while yes, there was a corresponding anxiety about this attachment turning sexual, the fact that it was considered as a worry in the first place shows you how intense these bonds could be. So while the modern viewer may see two men acting like that and go “oh no gay cooties,” this just wouldn’t raise any eyebrows at all to a medieval person, and hence they’re not going to come back with some dumb manufactured homophobic comment.

Next, in re Joe and Nicky specifically: I SORELY long for a scene in this imaginary prequel where after something romantic has happened between them for the first time, Nicky understandably freaks out a little and goes to confession. There is one other guy in front of him, and a bored priest who is not very good at his job. Guy In Front of Nicky (we’ll call him Guy) goes into the booth and kneels. Priest looks at him, doesn’t even ask. “Oh, is it sodomy again? Fine, seven days fasting bread and water, say two decades of the rosary, Ego te absolvo in nomine Patris -- ”

Waiting outside the booth, Nicky can hear this (since remember this priest is Bad at his Job and has apparently never met the concept of confessional confidentiality in his life) and sags in relief a little. Oh sodomy isn’t that bad, right, it’s a venial sin, no big --

“Father,” says Guy, “I confess that I have also consorted with a Saracen in search of a magical remedy.”

(We don’t gender the Saracen, because we don’t believe in supporting  stereotypes, and since it’s established Guy is into Kinky Stuff, you never know.)

Priest LOSES HIS SHIT.

“You WHAAAAAAAT? CONSORTING WITH A SARACEN FOR MAGIC!! THIS IS A TERRIBLE SIN!!! YOU NEED TO REPENT IMMEDIATELY!!!”

Cut back to Nicky. OH SHIT!!! Sodomy not bad, he could deal with that. Consorting with a Saracen?? OH SON YOU’RE DOOMED. SODOMY WITH A SARACEN??? OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO HELL!

Cue Nicky’s silent existential crisis Dying in the background while the priest lectures Guy to within an inch of his life. Finally, Guy decides fuck this priest (not like that, this is not Fleabag) and scuttles out. A thoroughly terrified Nicky thinks about following him, but since the priest has already seen him, he can’t flee. He goes into the booth and kneels down, Quaking.

“What have you come to confess, my son?”

Nicky.exe has stopped working.

“.....jealousy.”

You get the idea. And guess what? This would be COMPLETELY accurate, because if we were using, say, Burchard of Worms’ Decretum, an early 11th-century handbook advising priests what penalties to give to various sins, that’s basically how it’s treated. Sodomy is blown over briefly with the other venial sins as a certain amount of days fasting on bread and water, while Burchard is really, really worried about witchcraft, magic, non-Christian beliefs, and other such things. So again, really, what is “Period-Typical Homophobia?” We’ve already established that behavior between two men that would raise modern eyebrows would be absolutely nothing remarkable to a medieval person, while priests obviously don’t approve of sodomy, but they’re not that fussed by it either. (Unless you’re Peter the Chanter, who’s just a dick, but he is yet again one guy writing about one specific context, 12th-century Paris, and the fact that he’s complaining so much means that it’s obviously happening in reality.) Besides, the whole idea was that sodomy was the “unspeakable sin,” aka something people just didn’t mention or talk about, which is why it can be hard to track down reliable or unambiguous treatments of it. Obviously, queer erasure isn’t a surprise, but it doesn’t mean that these people didn’t exist; it just means that chroniclers, especially monastic chroniclers, didn’t write about it. So even if this is outright happening, i.e. Joe and Nicky’s romance and/or the number of other queer characters we will be sure to include for verisimilitude, there’s still no guarantee that anyone would even actually SAY something.

And besides: not every minute of history was filled with homophobia, just as not every minute was filled with filth, torture, misogyny, etc. There is actually no necessary reason to include it, especially in boring modern homophobia form, unless you’re trying to beat us over the head with Things Being Bad Back Then. Especially if we’re making a movie that honors and empowers queer people, who deserve a chance to escape into a lavish historically detailed gay romance with Joe and Nicky and not have to deal with bog-standard microaggression as a result. Because what I’ve laid out above is just as much (in fact more so) historically accurate, and MUCH more funny, interesting, authentic, and original.

(And thanks so much!! Another GREAT question.)

[madd-devil]

Slowly Falling in Love with Felix part 2

You didn't understand what was going on in your head. 

You were suddenly feeling the need to become closer to Felix, which was an absurd idea to you. He was only nice to you a few times and wasn't considering your job seriously. Was it weird that you started having feelings for the boy you once despised? Yes.

Again, you didn’t understand why: Felix was always so… so cold and so closed up. Why would one night with him change your whole point of view of him?

Because you saw how he truly was.

It was true, Felix never acted like this before and you started to realise his behaviour around you was slowly changing. He was more… understanding, kinder in a way and talked to you more as well as helping you out often during your chores. He called it “keeping an eye on you so you don’t get captured again” but deep down, you just knew it was an excuse so he could stay with you longer. You wondered if the other boys noticed something different about the blond-haired boy, but they didn’t really care as long as they had food and games to play.

But Felix still remained his angry and aggressive self. One wrong step and he could blow up. Watching him battle the other lost boys over little mistakes made you realise that. He wasn’t that different from Pan: they both loved control and when things went in their ways. No wonder they were close friends.

It was just a normal day in Neverland, you were busy with taking care of foolish injured boys who thought it might have been a good idea to fight the beasts that roamed the island with little weapons. You rolled your eyes at one moaning: he only had some bruises on his body. They always exaggerated when they were hurt, and requested you stay around them. You understood that you were in a way their “mother” but it was starting to be too much to handle for you.

You exited the tent, breathing out heavily and whipped the sweat off your forehead. Not only you had to take care of a bunch of boys, but it was also one of the hottest days in Neverland.  You never understood that Pan couldn’t control the weather, it was his island and he didn’t have a hand of that… Or as you thought, he didn’t know how to change it.

“Is everything okay?”

You turned your head and saw Felix standing near you, his club hanging on his shoulder. You frowned at him when you saw he was wearing his normal clothes. All the boys and you included decided to dress lightly in order to not be bothered by the hot weather but Felix…

“You should undress.” You bluntly said.

“I am sorry?” He asked, an eyebrow raising.

“I meant… It is too hot for you to wear those clothes, go change.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

You let yourself sit on the ground, ignoring the boys chattering from the inside of the tent. They were bickering again. It was giving you a headache. Being the mother figure of the rowdy and rough lost boys was a difficult job, and you wondered how you survived until now. Sometimes they were even fighting for your attention. It was tiresome. Felix seemed to sense your distress, he looked at you then at the tent with a frown.

“Do you want me to tell them to shut up?”

“No thanks. I am okay.”

“You don’t look like you are. You look tired.”

“All I want is a day off…” You whispered, standing up slowly.

The second in command took your hand abruptly and you didn’t have the strength nor the will to fight him. You both left in the jungle and you groaned at that. It was the worst place to be when it was hot like that.

“Where are you taking me?” You questioned the boy.

“Somewhere quiet, where you can rest.” He replied softly.

“Since when have you decided to take care of me?”

He didn’t reply and you decided to not ask more questions. After all, it didn’t sound that bad. Felix was always silent, rarely speaking. He won’t bother you that much and besides, you really needed to rest for a while. 

Finally you reached your destination and you gasped at how beautiful the view was. The blond haired boy had brought you on a small mountain, above the jungle and the sea. Thankfully, there was a large tree giving some shade for both of you and you wiped sweat off your forehead as you laid down on the fresh ground. 

“It is kind of… my secret place.” Felix admitted, sitting down next to you.

“So this is where you run off when we are partying?” You asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer. 

“Most of the time, yes.”

“It is such a nice place. I could spend all my day here, without worrying about anyone…” You sighed, contemplating the sky. “Does Pan know about this?”

“Pan doesn’t have to know everything…” The blond haired boy huffed. 

“Isn’t that right…” You said, closing your eyes, trying to rest.

When you opened your eyes, it was dark already. You stood up quickly and searched for Felix. He was nearby, he seemed to be focused on playing with his dagger. You strolled toward him, a little irritated that the second in command let you rest for so long. He boredly looked up to you.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” You asked, sounding angrier than you wanted it to be. It wasn’t his fault after all.

“Calm down woman.” He growled. “I thought you might use a little sleep, that’s all. You seemed really exhausted.” 

You didn’t know how to react to this. In the past years you had lived on the island, Felix never did those kinds of things with you. This was really weird. You didn’t think the time he spent with you while being trapped changed him that much, so you thought it might be one of his awful pranks. 

“I have to go back to camp. You coming?” You asked, tilting your head to the side.

The boy didn’t reply and you figured you might have been too mean with him. You rolled your eyes as you returned to camp. Boys were such crybabies. You could say one wrong thing and they would not speak to you for a solid week. The sentinels at the entrance of the camp greeted you with warm smiles but regained their compostures when Pan appeared out of nowhere, clearly furious.

“Where were you?” He asked rudely.

“I was resting.” You answered simply because it was the truth. 

“Oh so now you need rest?” He snarled, taking your arm harshly. “The boys needed you.” 

“They were okay, look.” You gestured to them dancing around the fire or playing games. 

“How was your rest with Felix then?” He spit his name like it was venom. “Had fun?” 

You successfully broke free from Pan’s harsh hold. You took a glimpse of your arm and noticed it would bruise. You glared at Pan. 

“What the heck?! Why does it matter now what I am doing with Felix?” 

“I don’t want babies walking around the camp.” He pushed you roughly out of his way. “Is that understood?”

“Yes.” 

“Good.” 

When the boys went to their tents to sleep, you were left with more chores to do. Of course they didn’t bother to do anything, you were always behind them, picking up their clothes or cleaning them. You sighed, annoyed, and thought of what Pan told you earlier. Glancing at his tree house where he was probably sleeping, you couldn’t help but think about it. What you were doing with Felix was nothing of his businesses. Hell, you didn’t even believe that Felix liked you. You stopped for a moment… Did Felix like you? 

You turned your head when you suddenly heard someone walking behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw it was Felix, he seemed to be hiding something behind his back. You rolled your eyes and went back to your chores. He stopped besides you but you didn’t bother to look at him. You were too busy with washing the clothes anyway.

“Erm… (Y/N)?” He asked, stuttering over some bits. 

“Yes Felix?” 

“I....” He stuttered, which was odd for him.

“(Y/N)!!” A young voice cried.

You didn’t have the time to investigate that someone had crashed into you. You winced, and looked down, seeing it was Charlie. He was very young, but very quick and talkative. A pretty strange kid who was scared of anything and believed what he was told. It could be cute, but tiresome to take care of him. You sighed, asking him what he was doing out at that hour.

“It’s Sam!” The boy sobbed. “He said the Shadow would get me and kill me, if I didn’t give him my bed!” 

You groaned, exhausted to settle such silly matters between the boys. But, as Pan would say to you, you were their mother figure and had to attend their needs. You took a glimpse at Felix who wasn’t watching.

“Sorry, but what you have to tell me has to wait.”

“It’s ok…” He replied. “It was nothing anyway…” He muttered as he left.

You frowned when you heard that but was reminded of your duty by Charlie sobbing harder. You stepped toward the tent and tried to settle the matter as fast as possible between the two boys. When you came back, you realised Felix was gone. You sighed and decided it was time for you to go to your tent. 

When you entered, you removed your heavy coat that you threw on a chair then let yourself fall on the bed. But then you noticed them. You took the soft and beautiful flowers delicately, and immediately recognized them as lavenders. There was a field full of them nearby, and they had been nicely cut, you noticed. Someone put a lot of effort in this. Oddly, it put a smile on your face and you decided to go to sleep, not even wanting to know who gave you flowers. 

The next morning, you decided to not tell anyone about the flowers, and especially not Pan. He was well known for his excessive jealousy and for his hatred toward adults and their “petty feelings” as he called it. Walking out, you immediately noticed Felix glancing at you from his usual spot, completely ignoring Pan talking to him, which was odd. You brushed it out, stepping toward the little tent that the boys used to keep their weapons. You knew that meat was low around, so you decided to go hunting. 

The boys only liked it for fun and trophies and always messed up, except some of them. They would say Felix is the best, but you thought otherwise: Aidan was, in your eyes, the best hunter. He wasn’t as tall as the second in command but he was the quickest of the boys, and knew perfectly how to track and hunt. After all, as he told you some times ago, his father was also a hunter and got killed by a bear. As you stepped out with a bow and some arrows, as well as some small axes, you strotted toward Aidan.

“Hey. I want to go hunting, wanna go with me?” You asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of course I am going!” The boy replied with a cheeky grin as he stood up. 

"No one is going anywhere." A stern voice is calling behind. 

You rolled your eyes and Aidan dropped on the ground, looking angry and frustrated but he held his tongue. You looked at Pan with a frown.

"We need food." You stated.

"The hunting party went early this morning. If you weren’t busy doing lovey dovey stuff, you would have noticed. Besides, I need you and Felix to check the islands for any new boys." 

You hated doing that and more with Felix. He was so strange those last days and behaved in a weird way around you. And Pan had told you to stay away from him some times ago. Why would he send you both on a patrol? 

"I can't believe you are making us take the longer path." You groaned as you hit a rock with your shoe. 

You thought that at least it would be quick but for some reasons, Felix wanted to take a very long road, full of dangers and on the path was the mermaid lagoon. You knew how dangerous it was to go there, having to beg the mermaids to release a lost drowning one from their claws once in a while. 

"We have to check everywhere. The Shadow is known for dropping them off at unexpected locations." The blond haired boy replied nonchalantly. “Stop complaining, it is less annoying than hunting.” 

“Hunting is fun, especially with Aidan.”

“Stop talking about him and focus on your task.” He said brutally. 

You rolled your eyes again, and walked at his pace. Searching for new lost ones was a very boring task, all the boys hate doing it. Only Felix seemed to appreciate it, maybe because he could be away from camp for a little bit? He was not a social one. What was more surprising is Pan sending you off with him. You couldn’t realise he had done that. 

Some hours passed, and nighttime seemed to engulf the island one more time. With only the moon and the little lantern Felix had brought, you two started to head back to camp after an unsuccessful search. Hopefully it would be the last task Pan gives you today, you weren’t in the mood to cook or skin an animal. 

“Do you like Aidan?” 

The question caught you off guard and you turned to look at Felix. 

“What… Why are you asking me this?” 

“You seemed more eager to be with him rather than me.” 

“I was happy to go on a hunt with him. He is my friend.” You replied, confused why Felix sounded so angry about it. “Seriously, what’s up with you all? First Pan then you…” 

“Wait!” He sounded scared for a moment. “What did Pan tell you?” 

“He asked me to stay away from you so we don’t have babies around the camp.” You groaned, disgusted to even think about it. 

The second in command didn’t say anything, but had stopped walking and looked at you with that dumb expression he always had when he didn’t want to admit he didn’t understand something. The more you thought about it, the more Felix reminded you of a clueless puppy. It was… a little cute. 

“He thinks I want to sleep with you.” 

Still no reaction and that clueless look on his face. You rolled your eyes and pinched your nose in frustration. 

“He thinks we will have sex together.” 

“And you…” 

“Oh god, I don’t want to talk about this with you… It is too…. awkward.” 

He didn’t say anything else after that so you assumed the conversation was over. As you walked by the river where you would usually bathe, Felix approached you and asked you something. However, you were too in your daydreams that you didn’t catch what he said and… You didn’t know what happened. Now, you were wet and cold. The boy had accidentally pushed you in the water, and you were mad. 

“I am sorry…” He sounded so pitiful, it was annoying. “I didn’t mean it I swear! It was an accident...”

“What the fuck Felix!” You yelled at him. “Why do you always have to hurt me?!”

You were so petty about this, you wanted to make him pay for some reasons, a payback for all the shitty things he had done to you over your stay on the island. You grabbed one of his legs, and pulled with all your strength toward you, so he would fall into the water too. He fell with a silent scream, and when he broke through the surface, you raised your fist to punch him and you gladly did so. However, he was stronger than you, even in the river. 

“Enough!” A voice boomed from the shore. 

You both stopped immediately. You realised it was Pan, staring down at you two, crossing his arms like a disapproving father looking at his misbehaving children. You groaned again, and attempted to climb back to shore, which was a little difficult because you were pretty certain Felix had broken a few bones in your entire body. You were the first one out, and held your head high with pride as you passed Pan. 

“You should put a leash on him Pan, that would avoid some troubles.” You hissed, still angry, not caring about Felix’s state.

Author note: Yes I am alive lol lol

[hermannsthumb]

Could you please write #43 grandparents/neighbors one?

43. we’re having our family meal at my grandparents’ house this year so fingers crossed your parents still live next door and you grew up to be even hotter

from winter writing prompts here

oh god this one got so long. sorry everyone! thank you to @k-sci-janitor for the alien bit because it was so fucking funny

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

Holidays have gotten a little weird to manage since Newt transformed into a fully-fledged adult with an apartment and a job and stuff, so while he hasn’t made it to the big Geiszler celebration in Germany every December since starting college out of elementary school, he still tries to make a point of dropping by his dad’s for dinner and a movie or something to fill his holiday quota. It’s fine by him; he loves his family, but they’re definitely overwhelming, and trying to submit final grades and work on syllabuses for the next semester all while distant relatives ruffle his hair and ask him when he’s going to hit his growth spurt is not his idea of a relaxing time. It’s a constant point of contention between him and his dad. This year more than most, apparently.

“Your grandmother misses you!” he tells Newt sadly over their Chinese takeout. “She calls me every week to ask how you are, and why you never visit with them. Every week.” He waves a fork at Newt. “You’re breaking her heart.”

“I’m in the lab, like, twenty-four-seven, dad,” Newt sighs. It’s a well-rehearsed conversation at this point, but it doesn’t get any less tiresome. Especially because he knows his dad is lying about the phone call thing—Newt is a great grandson and texts his grandmother plenty, thank you very much, he would know if he was breaking her heart. “I’m working straight through winter break this year. Seriously.”

“That’s what you did last year,” Newt’s dad says. “And the year before that…” Newt turns the volume up on the TV to cut his dad off before he can segue into the next part of his argument, which is (usually) that Newt needs to work on his personal life, maybe settle down, produce some grandkids of his own. Or at least adopt a cat. Also well-rehearsed.

He’s not sure why he says what he does next—maybe in a desperate attempt to distract his dad further. Maybe because of the sudden onslaught of childhood memories the mention of his grandparents’ house brought on. “Hey, do you remember that boy who used to live next door to grandma?” he says. “He had the weird haircut and always dressed kind of funny?” Old-fashioned, and a little too formal for the sort of things that little kids tend to do, climbing trees or playing in the mud—sweatervests and polished loafers and starched-white knee-highs.

Newt’s dad blinks at him. Newt half expects him to declare that Newt is nuts, and that he has no idea what he’s talking about, like this is one of those horror stories where the childhood friend turns out to be some ghost who died fifty years prior. The clothing would match up, he guesses. But he smiles in recognition a moment later. “You mean the Gottlieb boy?” he says.

“Gottlieb,” Newt echoes. It sounds familiar enough. “Hermann, I think. When I’d stay with grandma for the summer we would play together every day. I wonder what he’s doing now.” Hermann was a smart guy, a real geek like Newt; he used to carry a graphing calculator around in his pocket and build the most goddamn pristine model spacecrafts Newt had ever seen. Hermann’s dad shipped him off to a prestigious boarding school the last summer Newt spent there, when they were around twelve or so. Newt started at MIT not long after. “Dude’s probably designing rocket ships by now or something.”

“You could ask him yourself if you came with me,” Newt’s dad laughs. “The Gottliebs never moved away, and their children actually visit. I’m sure your Hermann visits, too.”

“Ha,” Newt says. “Yeah.”

It’s snowing by the time Newt and his dad finish their movie, and Newt (fearing his dad’s driving even in ideal conditions) declines the offer of a lift home to trudge his way through it to his T stop instead. It’s nice to have the chance to be alone with his thoughts, anyway, because he can’t seem to get funny little Hermann Gottlieb out of his head. What is he doing now?

A quick Facebook search on the train produces a few Hermann Gottliebs, but none of them promising—none of them have the brown eyes or strangely angular face (devoid of any baby fat even that young) Newt remembers, none of them are from the right German countryside, none of them went to a preppy English boarding school. Google (utilizing the information Newt does have) is a little more rewarding, and by the time Newt presses the button to request his stop, he’s scrounged up a decent amount of info: Hermann Gottlieb has a doctorate in astrophysics, Hermann Gottlieb publishes papers at a slightly terrifying rate, and Hermann Gottlieb turned out kinda hot.

As Newt stares down at a slightly grainy current photograph of his old friend—haircut and clothing unchanged, a cane in hand, some round librarian glasses perched on the end of his nose, wide mouth twisted into a scowl—he suddenly recalls another thing about Hermann Gottlieb: the summer Hermann was sent away to boarding school was the summer that Hermann kissed Newt goodbye, shyly and tearfully, under the shade of the tall maple tree in his yard. It was the last time Newt ever saw Hermann. It was Newt’s first kiss.

“Oh, boy,” Newt says.

He texts his dad when he gets back to his apartment. When do we leave?

Newt feels like the belle of the fucking ball when he steps into his grandparents’ house a week later, snow dusting his shoulders, small suitcase clenched in his hand. His cheeks are kissed; his scarf and hat and leather jacket are brushed off and tossed onto a coat rack; his hair is in parts smoothed down (too messy!) and ruffled (too flat!); he’s hugged more times than he has been in the entire last year, probably. “Still playing around with bugs in the dirt, eh, Newt?” his grandfather booms, tucking Newt into the crook of his arm with enough force to knock Newt’s glasses off.

“Actually,” Newt squeaks, scrambling for both what he remembers of his very rusty German, and his glasses before they can hit the ground, “entomology isn’t really my main focus at—”

“Newt’s studying jellyfish now,” Newt’s dad declares proudly. “He went on a diving expedition this July.”

“Diving? How exciting,” Newt’s grandmother says.

“Yeah,” Newt says. He pushes his glasses back on. “Yeah, it was fascinating, I was lucky to get the funding for it. You wouldn’t believe the sorts of—”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Newt’s cousin says.

“My little Newt’s a daredevil!” Newt’s dad says.

“It’s not that dangerous,” Newt says. “As long as you’re—”

“What happened to that nice man your father said you were dating?” Newt’s grandfather says. “With the, the what was it, the poetry? The poet? We thought you’d bring him!”

Newt flushes. Trust his dad to talk up some random guy Newt dated in March like it was a long-term affair and not an elongated one-night stand that fizzled out after three weeks. Though maybe that one’s on Newt—it’s not like he mentioned the one-night stand part to his dad, after all. He definitely didn’t mention that the guy ended it with a poem, too. “We broke up,” he says, weakly. He wriggles out from the throng of the crowd. “Look, it’s so great seeing you all, but I’m actually, like, really tired, soooooo…?”

“Oh, of course you are,” Newt’s grandmother says. She pats his head. “What a long flight you must have had! We’ll send someone up for you for dinner—you can have your old guest room.”

“Cool,” Newt says.

He scurries up the stairs.

The guest room he slept in during those summers is almost exactly the way he remembers it, but a little dustier—the floral quilt on the bed, his grandma’s sewing table crammed into the corner, the bookcase stocked with a weird combination of kid’s books and illustrated encyclopedias that Newt used to pore over for hours as a kid, often with Hermann. Newt draws back the embroidered curtains and peers out the window at the Gottliebs’ snow-capped house next door. Hermann’s window was directly across from his. It still is, technically, though the curtains (these navy blue and embroidered with little constellations) are pulled tight, and Newt has a feeling that Hermann hasn’t set foot in his old room in well over a decade. Two decades, probably.

He remembers the one summer he showed Hermann how to make a soup can telephone, and they managed to string it all the way across between their windows before discovering it kinda didn’t work as well as Newt said it would. He remembers when Hermann’s dad banned him from the Gottlieb house for tracking water all over their front hallway after he and Hermann went wading in the creek, but it was really Hermann who did it, because he forgot to take his shoes off and they got soaked, and Newt just took the fall for it so Hermann wouldn’t get in trouble. And when Hermann asked Newt to play astronaut with him, and Newt insisted on being an alien and mimed the chestburster scene from Alien, and Hermann freaked out so bad he fell in a mud puddle and got grounded for ruining his clothing, and Newt got grounded for that and for watching Alien when he wasn’t supposed to, and they spent the following few days staring sadly out across at each other before Newt’s grandma finally got tired of his moping and sent him to work weeding the garden. He remembers knotting a little friendship bracelet for Hermann out of embroidery thread he found in his grandmother’s sewing basket and Hermann vowing to keep it until he died.

Newt’s half of the soup can phone is still on the windowsill, though the string snapped and crumbled apart years ago. He picks at the peeling Chicken Noodle label, so distracted that he almost doesn’t notice the light suddenly seeping through at the edges of Hermann’s curtains, or the way they’re pushed open—almost.

Hermann—real, live, adult Hermann, botched haircut and round glasses and all—stares out at Newt with a shocked expression on his face. Newt drops the can with a clatter.

Then he waves.

“Hey, Grandma?” Newt says, poking his head into the kitchen. Tonight’s dinner is a massive pot of soup boiling away on the stovetop, dessert a mountain of cookies and tiny pastries on serving platters on the counters. Newt hasn’t had food that looked this good since he moved out, to be honest. The intersection of Newt’s sad lack of cooking skills and his attempts at vegetarianism means he eats a lot of boxed mac-and-cheese and frozen Vegetable Lovers’ pizzas. “Are you—?"

“Oh, Newt!” Newt’s grandmother says. She sets down her wooden spoon. “Are you feeling rested, then?”

“Yeah,” Newt says. “Grandma, I was wondering, could I—uh—maybe run some food over to the Gottliebs? To be…neighborly? We just have so much, and—”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Newt’s grandmother says. “They keep to themselves, mostly, but I can’t imagine they’d turn it down. You might even see your little friend again! What was his name? You were so fond of him.”

“Hermann,” Newt says, quickly shoving cookies into a red-lid plastic container. “Thanks, Grandma.”

He tucks the tupperware under his arm and nearly wipes out on the icy front path he runs to the Gottliebs’ so fast. Before he can so much as catch his breath and knock, their door swings open; Hermann, dressed in a tacky Hannukah sweater, arches an eyebrow at him. “I saw you sprint over here like a bloody madman,” he says, in blessed English. He must’ve remembered how shitty Newt’s German was when they were kids. “Hello, Newton. What’s so terribly important?”

His voice got deeper—expected—and he swapped out his German accent for an English one somewhere along the way. Probably at his stuffy boarding school. He also got taller—he’s got a few inches on Newt now, but Newt admits that’s not exactly hard. God, he’s even hotter in person. “Uh,” Newt says. Why is he here? Oh, right. He thrusts out the tupperware. “I brought some cookies over for you?”

Hermann peers down at the offering over his glasses. His forehead wrinkles. “How considerate,” he says. He pulls an olive-green parka on and steps out onto the porch, tugging the door shut behind him. He taps at a peeling porch swing with the end of his cane. “Just leave them there. Would you like to take a walk?”

It’s freezing, and snowing, but for some reason, a walk sounds like the best idea in the world right now. “Yes, please,” Newt says, and chucks the cookies onto the swing.

“I must say,” Hermann says, after their meandering walk around the Gottliebs’ yard takes them to the old maple tree. The branches are bare, but thick, and shield them from most of the falling snow. Hermann’s breath puffs out white in front of his angular face. The last time I stood here, Newt thinks, he kissed me. “I really did not expect to see you.”

“I didn’t expect to see you, either,” Newt admits. “From what I remember, you and your family weren’t—uh—well, very close. I didn’t think you’d be coming back to share in the holiday cheer with them, is what I mean.”

The corner of Hermann’s mouth twitches up. “That’s certainly one way of describing it. Yes, I suppose you’re right—my father is a bit of a bastard, isn’t he?” Newt laughs awkwardly, unsure whether to agree or attempt to weakly the defend a guy who openly hated him for being a bad influence on Hermann most of his childhood; he’s grateful when Hermann continues and saves him the choice. “This is the first year I’ve come home in a long while. My brother’s just had a daughter, you see, and I thought I should start getting used to playing uncle.”

“Oh, congrats,” Newt says. Hermann shrugs, and Newt has the distinct feeling that this is Hermann’s older brother, who used to dissemble Hermann’s telescope and hide the pieces around the house when Hermann annoyed him, and tattled on Newt and Hermann to Hermann’s parents the one time Newt snuck in to see Hermann after he got banned. He always made Newt thankful that he was an only child. “Same here, actually. Not the uncle thing—I mean I haven’t visited since I was in college. Too busy.”

“I know,” Hermann says, and then adds teasingly (in a way that makes color flood Newt’s cheeks and his heart beat just a little faster), “I’ve looked you up online. Er—quite a bit recently, in fact. I was curious. You’ve made quite the name for yourself, haven’t you, Dr. Geiszler?”

“I,” Newt squeaks, and then coughs. “I mean, I guess? I like…science.”

“I oughtn’t be surprised,” Hermann says. “You were always giving me bugs, and salamanders, and funny little frogs—”

Newt liked bugs, and salamanders, and frogs, but he liked Hermann more, and the gifts had a lot more to do with the latter than the former, because what kid wouldn’t want bugs or salamanders or frogs, right? Not that Hermann ever appreciated them—especially not the worms Newt would pluck from the sidewalks after rainstorms. He thinks he got grounded for that one, too, because his grandma wouldn’t believe that he really wasn’t trying to terrorize the poor Gottlieb boy. “And what about you?” Newt says. He pokes his elbow into Hermann’s side. “Dr. Gottlieb? Guess those model rockets paid off.”

(“No, Newton,” Hermann would snap at him on the rare occasions he would allow Newt to watch him piece one together, “the glue hasn’t dried yet. You have to be patient, or else it’ll fall apart.”)

“Not yet,” Hermann says, “but I hope soon.”

Hermann smiles at him. A snowflake catches in his eyelashes—his long, pretty, dark eyelashes. “Do you remember when you kissed me here?” Newt blurts out.

“It’s hardly the sort of thing I’d forget,” Hermann says. He reaches out and tucks a piece of Newt’s hair up into his hat. “I like your tattoos—I saw the photographs on your social media accounts. They suit you.” Newt wonders if this means Hermann saw the shirtless selfie he posted on Instagram. “I’m also pleased to see you’ve gotten your braces removed. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience last time.”

Then he leans in and kisses Newt. Again, technically. It’s so light and brief Newt hardly believes it even happened. Their glasses clack together, and when Hermann pulls away, he straightens out Newt’s.

“I confess,” Hermann says, “that I’m wholly pleased to see how you’ve turned out. I hope that wasn’t too forward of me. I’ve been thinking about doing it all night.”

“Jeez, dude,” Newt says, blinking at him, his head swimming just a little. Hermann looks smug. “Not, uh, not too forward. So. Uh. You wanna get dinner or something this week and catch up?”

Hermann snorts, and nods.

[themilky-way]

as the hours pass {loki odinson}

gif credit: littlemisssyreid

pairing: loki odinson x fem!reader (might be considered gender neutral, though)

summary: he afraid of what he feels, so he does the only the thing he knows how to do: lie. based on this ask.

warnings: super shitty angst lol cuz it was 9 pm and my brain cells were FRIED. i think that’s it?? fluff at the end tho so we good 

author’s note: this took me a whole mf week to write which isn’t that bad but i have no time now and it’s kinda scary. yolo tho lol 

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when tony had initially proposed a weekly movie night for the entire team, not a single person would’ve imagined anything like this. a large projector had taken the place of the regular flatscreen television, consequently lining up in all the four corners of the penthouse windows. couches and reclining chairs compiled in a large circle instead of being adequately spread out amongst the common room, and they’d all been filled by at least one avenger. to those wishing to participate, jobs and duties had been assigned the week prior, the list ranging from making popcorn to dimming the lights. it was organized-sophisticated, in a way-how it had all been brought about, and to say the majority of the residents living in tony’s multi billionaire penthouse were surprised was quite the understatement. 

over the course of a few weeks, everything began falling into place. reminders didn’t need to be set anymore, and the designated tasks weren’t viewed as chores. natasha made sure to pop three full bags of delicious kernels- ensuring thor’s bowl had just enough butter to lick his fingers clean when he finished-while steve arranged a variety of pillows and blankets around the seating space. soon enough, fading shades of purple would ignite the obscurity of the living room-all due to the led lights binded to the borders of its ceiling-and either a horror or comedy film would commence. 

in such a manner, your spot could always be found on the same peculiar couch, next to the same peculiar individual. god, at that. to literally go to hell and back, to get placed in a home that wasn’t his home with people who wanted his head wasn’t particularly an easy life to lead. he wasn’t a man of sentiment, either, nor one who engaged in communal activities, so you took your part as a good samaritan and kept him company. the seat next to loki had been unreserved, with not even thor to take its place, and you shuffled away from a very frightened wanda to settle beside him. he'd been neutral, annoyed perhaps. if a stranger came to sit next to you out of the blue, wouldn’t you be, too? 

“mind if i sit here?” a mild pause signaled a response, and the shrug of his shoulders gave it away. “i’m not really enjoying the movie, and the space looked kinda cozy,” you added. 

after you had thoroughly felt the soft cushion of the seat and all its comfort, it was rather difficult to stray away from it. every friday evening, the striped bedding of the couch awaited your presence, and a pillow of an identical design lay by the armrest. loki always got there first, a bowl of ice containing two ice cream bars in his grasp, and if the belief that he had ever been remotely inconsiderate damaged your reasoning, the chocolate chip cookie he gifted you at the start of every night proved you wrong. 

if loki truly had to be honest with himself-his father, if he was peering down from above-the companionship you bestowed upon him didn’t upset him as he presumed it would. he half-expected his cold and antisocial nature to speak for itself, to grab hold of the kindness of your heart, crush it, and scatter its pieces so your blind hands would have to search aimlessly for them. for him, the opportunity would’ve been so effortless, so relieving in its own wicked sense, but you had already known that from the minute the tips of your sock-clad toes had walked right up to his. your words had been honey to him, simple yet profoundly eloquent that had dripped away every vowel on his tongue. the warmth that encircled you caromed over to him, and then his icy fingers became regular fingers, and his wintry complexion no longer overpowered the person he strived to be.

the thought alone of developing a kinship alarmed the presumably mischievous man, and when time, the most rewarding elements of his beloved universe, presented him with such a miraculous creature, he went into a comatose. the object of his interest was no longer an object, it was a person, an individual that appeared to envelop his nonexistent grace as if they depended on it. so his beautiful, virulent mind, as plentiful of wisdom as it was, conceived what it regarded to be the only correct answer. 

the seconds of long anticipated hours grew legs, and urged fragments of minutes to run off. solitude embraced the area loki used to adore being in, and his absence planted a seed of confusion within the person always seated beside him. the following nights were mindless for you, even when wanda had selected your favorite films to view, your headspace drifting off to the god who wasn’t watching it with you. interactions between your team lessened. refusing a handful of thor’s popcorn became a habit, and although he questioned you about it, he never brought it up again. then, a month flew by before you could cognitively process it. loki’s eyes hardly ever witnessed daylight now, or you for that matter. more often than not, his ear perked up at the soft squeaks of sneakers before their shadow halted in front of his door. the air in his lungs would almost escape from him entirely, lips pursed so tightly he felt them turn white, before mere seconds later distorted voices trailed your feet away from the barrier that separated him from you. foolish, he’d been foolish to deceive you so childishly. what could he possibly tell you now, that wouldn’t lead you to scurry away from him?

tonight, the best remedy to get some rest was to fix some tea. a good read seemed suitable enough, too, so a copy of The Scarlet Letter decorated your pillow. you trusted your weary legs to navigate you to the kitchen while your brain busied in forming unrealistic scenarios, as silly as it sounds, and you were doing fine and dandy until a conversation reeled you back in. an all too familiar voice-one you hadn’t heard in so long-was speaking, ranting, about things that bothered him? yeah, that was it. 

it was wrong to what you did at that moment, your dear mother had taught you better than this, but the never ending words spewing from loki’s mouth had glued the soles of your feet to the chilling tiles. 

a heartbeat shriveled to nothing, a weighty ache engulfing it in all its mighty glory, and everything you ever came to know became deception. “...ridiculous! i’ll tell you one thing, brother, and that is that they’re absurd for thinking i’m better.”

a booming retort-thor’s-defended you. “you’re ridiculous. they’re good to you and you’re going to throw it away because you’re afraid?” he neatly placed his mug on the counter before his firm hand landed on his brother’s shoulder and squeezed in reassurance. “if you keep pushing people away, you’ll outlive centuries-worth of joy.” loki flicked it away. “do they truly matter to you? enough for you to stop hurting them?”

the wall pressing into your shoulder obscured the visual of loki nodding his head. the tea you craved for now sounded disgusting, and no matter how hard you blinked your eyes, a puddle threatened to hover over them. you began toying with the sleeves of your sweater, hating the emerald shade you chose for it, and your head drooped down to focus on its marbled designs. odd shapes helped center your emotions, too much that you missed a figure passing by the entry. 

did you jump? yes. did loki jump? also yes. 

“what-why are you-why are you standing there?” his voice was shaky, concerned. he looked at your figure over once, his nervous glare lingering a little too closely at the pigment of your shirt, before he focused on you. it was hard for him to miss your anguish. the question his brother had previously asked him looped in his head, and by odin yes-yes, you mattered to him. 

“did you hear what i said?” he gulped. “all of it?”

your pupils were fully dilated, mouth inconceivably dry, so you muttered a tiny “yeah.”

“it’s alright, though. i’m not-i’m not mad, or sad, or whatever. i get it.” with enough strength, you pushed your body away from where you’d been cornered and started your leave. a tightening on your wrist stopped you. 

“please don’t go.” loki never begged, and he always trusted his ego to prevent him from doing it, but he’d inflicted grief on his most treasured midgardian, and he’d have to remedy that. “please.” 

“loki, hey it’s alright. i’ll leave you alone if that’s what you need.” he held you tighter before pulling your palm up to meet his chest. “what are you-look, i’m sorry-”

“you’re sorry?” he cut you off. “i’m sorry, don’t you see what you do to me?” the pad of one of his own hands moved to cover the back of yours to push it further onto his covered heart. it was beating faster than godly possible. if he were anyone else, maybe he was nearing a heart attack. “i do believe you’re the first one to do that.”

you ceased touching him before beginning to speak, but he knew your apologies, your questions, before they even escaped your lips. he fumbled on his words for some time, thorough confessions of his feelings never came as easily as he hoped, but he managed to get the point across. his obsidian, curly locks drizzling over his tiresome face distracted you, and his enticing features, his slurred attempts to achieve your forgiveness forced a tiny grin onto your mouth.

“it’s okay, honey,” you extended a hand outward in greeting. “let’s just start over, yeah?”

he choked on a breath at the name, and then two clammy hands melded into one, and everything was alright for once. “i’m loki, and the pleasure’s all mine, darling.”

[bunnyishh]

home cooked meal pt 1.

a/n: there will be a second part with Harry & Sirius in it! 

Warning: none, fluff, unedited 

Pairing: remus lupin x reader

Summary: Its your first night at the order and its only you and Remus. 

Its been a long long day. The threat of the dark lord has been increasing at an alarming rate since Harry has started at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had finally approached you and requested your help at the order (despite you already knowing about it, he’s never asked). In school you were talented in the dark arts and in potions, your scores for the O.W.L.s and NEWTs were tremendously high and you made yourself a successful carer as both an auror and a healer. So when Dumbledore had appeared late night, at your old flat, you immediately took the offer and joined the order. 

It was your first night at the headquarters, you were surprised to see Remus there since you haven’t seen him since the day his best friends had passed and Sirius was sent away at Azkaban. He’s gotten older, you noticed, he now has a beard, the same scars remain on his face and you took count of his new ones. He stood dashingly tall and yet still reserved and to himself, his hair still handsomely messy and he’s wearing that same old sweater he had long ago. 

“Remus..” You spoke as you entered the kitchen, he turns on his heel and faces you. There’s an expression of surprised on his face but his lips stretch into a soft and gentle smile before he pads his way over to you, an obvious limp on his leg, and engulfs you in a warm hug. “Is that you y/n...” He starts, his voice entering your ears. “My dear.. it’s been so long..” He continues, you could tell he’s exhausted, perhaps it was one of those nights again?

“Remus.. Are you alright?” You question, you motion him to sit on one of the chairs. “Ahh.. yes, I’m quiet alright, just a lil tired... ya know..” He chuckles, his words trailing off and you could tell this man was desperate of sleep. You click your tongue at him and gently pat his shoulder. “No need to worry, I got the right thing just for you.” You say and immediately dashed up to your room and in seconds you return back with packed bag of things.

Remus studies you for a second, he’s honestly confused why he would see you here. It’s been ages since he last saw you but never the less seeing your face brings joy to his already long and tiresome day. 

“Alright, here you go..” You hand him a new piece of chocolate, he laughs, amazed that you’ve noticed his habit of carrying around the sweet delight. As he opens and breaks a piece of chocolate to eat, you rumble around your bag in search of a certain bottle and some medical supplies before you’re plopping yourself next to the tall man. 

“Let me have it.” You demand, Remus just stares at you in confusion, lips half parted. “Oh, don’t stare at me like that.. You’re injured!” You hum, and Remus just shakes his head because he damn knows that he can take care of himself. “It’s alright, dear. I can handle this on my own.” He hums before taking another piece of chocolate into his mouth.

“Then what’s Dumbledore got me here for? I’m your healer, please let me do my job.” You smile and Remus just looks around briefly before letting out a frustrated and reluctant smile. “Atta boy..” You cheered and he slowly brings up his leg and roll up his trousers to expose the bloody gash on his leg. 

“Is that why you’re here?” Remus questions, you hum and nod at him as you start to work. You were quick with your hands and carefully applied your potions and wrap his injuries up. Silence had fallen between you two as you did your work but Remus pays no mind. There’s no hesitation and awkwardness in the air and for once Remus actually enjoys being taken care of, even though he doesn’t want to admit it. 

He gets surprised however, as you grab his hand and pushes up his sleeve to expose yet another cut and injury. He watches you as you take your wand, mutter a few spells under your mouth and soon enough his cuts and injuries are healed and suddenly he feels lighter and much better than he was before. He doesn’t know if its how your soft hand felt in his slightly rough and sweaty ones and how you rub comforting circles in his palm as you continue to examine and clean up his cuts but he feels refreshed. 

He snaps back into reality as he felt your fingers gently graze against his cheek, you were surprised and was quick to retract but he nods at you; giving you permission to continue. “I have it you know..” You say, voice coming out as a mere whisper as you gently start to clean the new cut on his cheek. He stares at you confused once again before you gesture to the table and he sees it. He gasps at you, surprised that you had it on you.

“Is that..?”

“Wolfsbane.. Yes..” You say, leaning back as you finished cleaning up the injured Lupin. He gawks at it as you brought the potion bottle closer to him. “But its so expensive now a days and the ingredients?” He questions and you shush him up by placing a finger against his lips. “No need to worry. When Dumbledore had asked me to help out with the order, I just knew I had to bring it here..In hopes of seeing you..” You confess and Remus just smiles. 

“I just wished I got here fast enough.. but it’s good for the next one!” You say, there’s hope in your eyes and Remus just stares at you lovingly. He’s never expected this, shocked rather that you had made him one. He knew you were successful in your careers as an auror with a talent with potions and healing. But he’d never expected this. Wolfsbane is a difficult potion to make and the ingredients itself is quite expensive and hard to find. 

“My dear... Thank you..” He says and he’s quick to pull you into a hug. You fall against him, your body basically in between his legs and arms. Its uncomfortable at first but you were quick to wrap your arms around him, your chin resting against his shoulder and his warmth immediately wraps you in a chocolate filled hug. 

“You hungry?” You question as you two let go, there’s a shared silence between you two and Remus blinks himself back to reality and nods. You laugh at him before patting his shoulder and were quick to make your way into the kitchen. 

You weren’t a great cook but you were decent enough to make by. You took a quick glance at the ingredients and were quick on your hands and feet to start up some supper for both you and Remus.

As you cooked, Remus remained seated at the dinning table, his arms are folded against the table with his chin resting against the palm of his hand. He reminisces of the days back at Hogwarts. He remembers the fun times with his friends and how one night, when James wanted to prank Lily, the boys accidentally involved you. 

You were simply in their lane of sight and Remus was quick to swoop you in his arms and throw you over his shoulder. You yelped as you were suddenly flung over and someone was carrying you. You watched in the distance as Lily ran after James and once Remus finds a safe place for you two to hide from Professor McGonagall, he was quick to explain his situation. He fell in love as you laughed at him and told him you didn’t mind. And here years later, after losing touch for how long, you stood in front of him; you had just helped him heal his wounds and now was cooking a quick supper. 

And he thought about the day when he ran away from you. It was right after James and Lily’s funeral, you approached him to comfort him but he refuse to have any inter action with anyone. He simply pushed you away until you stopped reaching out and he regrets everything and wonders what could’ve been if he hadn’t. But he’s grateful that there’s no awkward air around the both of you and he knows now not to mess up and communicate properly to you this time. 

His thoughts get interrupted as you placed the warm plate of food in front of him. It’s a basic pasta but it looks and smells delicious and nutritious and you sat next to him with an expectant look and he laughs softly because you look so adorable in front of him. “Well.. Try it!” You say and he nods before grabbing the fork and taking a heaping bite full and you laugh because he didn’t need to put so much in his mouth. 

But Remus stops mid bite, allowing the noodles to fall onto his plate as the aroma surrounds him and suddenly he feels like he’s at home. You stare at him worried, fearful that it might’ve been bad but Remus just finishes his bite, wipes his lips and turns to you. “This is lovely..” He says and you immediately release the breath you were holding and started your own meal and as you ate, you looked at Remus and your heart sank. He looks like a lost puppy in the world and as he ate, it seemed like it was his first meal he’s ever had. 

But you don’t say anything in fear that it might set him off or trigger any unhappy emotions and feelings so you continued with your meal and once you two were finished Remus insists for him to clean up but you shush him and say that he needs to rest up for the next day. “Please.. Y/n let me help. You cooked.” He says as he brought the dirty dishes into the sink, you click his tongue and gently shoved him to the side and he does the same to you. Laughter fills the kitchen as you two playfully fight but in the end you both compromise that one dries while other washes. 

And as the night settles, you two winded up on the couch, legs brushing against each other and the air is filled with warmth and honey vanilla tea (very non-traditional and very muggle like). But you and Remus don’t mind because right now feels like home and where everything needs to be. 

“It’s getting late, love.” Remus says, his voice smooth. “Shall we get to bed?” He says and you nod but the both of you don’t move. You two stare into the fire pit and watch as the wood cracks and the fire glows. Remus smiles to himself and grabs at the blanket that was folded neatly near him and quickly covered the both of you. You stare at him briefly before he’s opening up his arms and you were quick to snuggle up against his side and his long arms draping around you. 

You both soak in each others warmths and you peak up at Remus, watching him stare at the fire. There’s sparks that explode inside of you and your heart bangs against your chest but you simply shrug your shoulder and reach up and gently place a soft kiss against his cheek. There’s a shared silence and Remus just looks at you in shook, you take that as a sign that it’s time to leave and right as you move, Remus simply pushes you closer and crashes his lips against yours.

His lips were surprisingly soft and the kiss is filled with unspoken emotion. When you two pull apart, you rest your forehead against his and you both breath in each other. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” He confesses causing you to giggle. “Me too.”

“Bed?” You say and Remus raises a brow at you before he’s jumping off the couch and he pulls you up with him. 

“Bed.” 

[eatfishies]

i’m good at goodbyes

summary: Without even realizing, you and Tendou had both grown apart just like the wilting leaves in autumn.

note: Slight spoiler from the manga since it features time skip! Tendou. Borders signifies time skip but no exact date specified. fem! reader. she/her pronouns. word count: 1,911 words warnings: none genre: angst arthie’s note: i tried to capture that feeling of being in the autumn season so i googled a lot of metaphors related to it but idk if it makes sense (╥_╥) also this fic literally makes my chest hurt from writing it lolol. i got rlly sad writing this.. also idk if i’m quite satisfied with it.. felt like i could do better but my friend liked it and i’m kinda lazy to fix it. anyways i hope all of you enjoy it nevertheless ~ ↳ back to main masterlist ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ “I like you, Tendou-san!” She confessed, staring at the ground instead of looking into the taller boy’s gaze. He smirked, “Oh? How long have you been liking me then?” The playful tone caught her off guard as she looked up at him. Her brows furrowed in confusion, “W— what?” “How long did you like me before deciding to confess to me, hm? Answer it and maybe you’ll get a surprise answer from me too!” He exclaimed, grinning. Biting her lip while nervousness bubbles in the pit of her stomach. Her mind racing back and forth to find the right words to say. He hums, “Don’t make me wait for too long or else I’ll get bored and leave you alone.”

With hesitation, she utters out. “I— I like you for 4 months now, Tendou-san.” The wind blows, making the leaves from the trees stumbling to the ground, whiff of autumn fronds easing her anxiousness as she anticipates the answer. He giggles, grabbing a hold of her hands. “Then let’s date!” She lets out a startled gasp, “I’m s— sorry, what?!” He sways her hands back and forth, “Do you not hear me? I said let’s date.” Blinking up at him as bewilderment settles on her face. “Tendou-san... do you like me?” Crimson eyes bore into hers, “You silly girl. Of course, I like you! If not i wouldn’t have asked you out to date, aren’t I?” Chuckling at her frivolous question. She beams at him, “Okay! I’ll date you!” The grip on her hands tightens as he flashes back a smile of his own. The chilly breeze wafting through them as the trees shakes, maple colored leaves falling, warmth pooling in their stomachs. ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ Exhaling, Tendou leans back on the chair after exhaustion wears him down from kneading the dough and letting it rest aside, sweat dripping down his face as he rubs it away with a towel. The front door clicks open as she entered the house, “I’m home!” Announcing as the shoes slips off of her. “Y/n! You’re finally home!” He rushes to greet her and welcome her in his embrace however upon seeing her tiresome expression, he frowns. “What’s wrong?” He asks worriedly, checking her temperature. A small smile etched on her lips, “Nothing, it’s just work.” She reaches out and envelopes him in a hug.  Rubbing her back as an attempt to soothe her worries, “Don’t think about that at home. I’ll cheer you up! I’m making sourdough right now!”  She chuckles at his chirpy mood, “Okay. I’ll look forward to tasting it.” They fall into their normal routine, him making a mess in the kitchen while she goes to clean herself and unwind from the stress at work. “So how does it taste?” His eyes glinting with anticipation. She hums, relishing the soft bread in her mouth. “It’s so good! Babe, you’ve done such a great job!” She praises as she takes another nibble of the bread. He grins happily, “I’m glad you like it! It makes my heart warm seeing you happy!” ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ Days turns into weeks turns into months of their routines. However the blazing spark of devotion is no longer apparent in both of their glares nor their hearts. Growing distance as they both get consumed by ambition and the drive to strive for a better future. I love yous evaporated into short glances that turned into radio silence when one of them returns home or when they both fall asleep in their shared bed. No more lingering caresses leaving one’s fingers nor tenderness words that makes their heart beats rapidly with affection. With Tendou insisting that he should stay over at Ushijima’s place because it’s nearby the bakery that he works at. The house is left all alone to her possession except for the occasional visit from Shirabu and Semi or her mother. It went by quickly and they both haven’t realized that they managed to not say a word to one another— not even through text messages or phone calls. It was as if they weren’t in a committed relationship to even begin with. Too much work tasks to focus on and not enough time to think about their significant other. However one day, she forgot her house keys and is currently stuck outside, mentally slapping herself for not checking properly before leaving for work. Oh, Satori is at home! She thought suddenly but the thought diminished as she realizes he hasn’t come home nor talk to her for months. Sighing, she sent a text asking if he has the spare key and much to her luck, he still has it. Now, they’re both standing in the park as autumn leaves breezes through the wind. The grip on her bag tightened as she stared at the man whom she no longer feels familiar with. “Hey Y/n... long time no see, huh?” A loop-sided smile plastered on his face as his scarlet gaze holds little to no emotion. “Hi.. Satori.” She mutters out, seeming to become aware of the distance they’ve both put up. Her stomach wasn’t filled with butterflies of excitement from seeing him or being in his presence. Her heart isn’t pounding at a fast pace nor does she get giggly around him anymore. It dissipated into an oblivion. With just a mere glance at him, she could tell those eyes held no infatuation towards her either. “I got the spare key here.” His palm revealed the item he mentioned with the keychain of chocolate ice cream attached to it. Inhaling, she takes the key out of his grasp. “Thank you.” Observing the key, it seems untouched and rustic due to neglect however it might work just fine. Silence washes over them as they both stood in front of each other, their words diminished from their tongues; forgetting what it’s like to communicate with each other. He speaks up, “So... I guess this is it?” She searches his eyes for a sign or something but found nothing. It’s all empty. The warm gaze she cherished is long gone. It’s too late to fix the burgeoning space between them no matter how hard she tries. The mutual feeling ceased to exist. Although that doesn’t mean it hurts less, “Yeah, I guess this is it.” He nodded solemnly, “Goodbye Y/n.” A sharp intake of breath and she lets out a quiet mutter, “Goodbye Satori.” His eyes lingers on her one last time before turning around and walking to his destination. Tears ran down her cheeks as she finally grasped upon the idea of not being able to see him again. This is really over. They’re both too busy chasing their dreams that they didn’t realize that their relationship was instantaneously falling apart. Leaves tumbling from the fallen trees as the skies grew darker and the gust of air becomes colder; just like the love they once had. ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ “Attention all passengers, flight PS16 is about to board in 10 minutes. Please check in at gate D64 before boarding the flight.” He smiles at his stoic best friend, sadness gleamed in his harsh stare. “Don’t be sad, Wakatoshi-kun. We’ll see each other again when you have a match in Paris!” He pats Ushijima’s back, reassuring him. “Why didn’t you tell Y/n?” He asked promptly, surprising the red-headed man. He raises his brows, “Ah... I don’t want to upset her any further. Even though we are no longer together, I’ll always have a spot for her.” He admitted, recalling the memories of their last encounter. “Attention passengers, flight PS16 is now boarding. I repeat, flight PS16 is now boarding. Please check in at gate D64 before boarding the flight.” Tendou gave one last smile at his best friend, “I have to go now, Wakatoshi-kun. I’ll see you later. Send my farewell to Y/n.” He waves as he walks away from Ushijima. ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ The birds chirps in the early morning, she came to a halt, panting heavily from the jog. “I really suck at exercising...” She mumbles to herself, sitting on the bench nearby. Wiping her sweat away with a handkerchief, she saw a tall figure approaching her. Feeling apprehensive, she prepares herself to defend from the stranger. “Y/n.” She stares up in shock at the person standing in front of her. “U— Ushijima-san?” She croaks out, blinking rapidly. Shaking her head, “What are you doing here?” “I was on a jog but I saw you here which is why I came up to you.” She restrained herself from giggling at his nonchalant statement. Before she could make any small talk, he interrupts her. “Tendou sends his farewell to you.” “Huh?” She furrowed her brows in confusion, “What do you mean?” “He has moved to Paris and decided to pursue a career as a chocolatier.” “Oh.” Averting her gaze to her fiddling fingers, so he left for good... she wondered idly. Fluttering her eyes closed, she utters. “Thank you for telling me, Ushijima-san.” When she opens her eyes, he remained in the same position as previously, watching her intently. “Don’t be sad. Tendou said you’ll always have a spot in his life.” He states monotonously. She gave a small smile to him, “Thanks but I think our relationship had ended way before we both realize it, unfortunately.” The skies getting brighter, crows latching off the crumbs of food on the ground as people rush to their destination. “I don’t particularly understand what you two meant when you both said that but I will be leaving now. Have a nice day, Y/n.” He continues jogging off before she could bid him goodbye. Traces of his touch lingers on her skin like a ghost possessing a mortal’s mind. The orange leaves falls in a swift motion, flying among the whiff of air. She wanted to cry but all of her tears have ran dry from the persistent thoughts of him. The love was no longer reciprocated by both parties and all that’s left is the wilted warmth of what used to spark their hearts. ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ Somewhere in Paris, he observes the scenery before him. A void in his chest— it was as if he left his heart somewhere in Japan and never got it back. Recollection of her heartbroken sobs ingrained in his mind, replaying over and over continuously without stopping. Tears built up in his eyes as he furiously blinks them away from threatening to spill. Never would’ve imagined that the dreadful day of departing from her would become so unbearable with pain. Pain of losing someone whom are fully aware that they could never return the flame of infatuation back to you and realizing that you are also unable to repay what’s last bit of adoration you’ve once had for that person. It’s too far gone— wavering into the wind, carrying all of the sorrows from the past into an oblivion. The maple leaves sheds to the soil with graceful sweep, fleeing from their home. With a shuddered sigh, he lets the tears stream down his face, ignoring the curious pedestrians stares. Just like the petal slipping from the tree’s grasp, he would have to eventually accept that they both have to move on to grow as an individual— even if that means leaving their yearning for each other. Smiling to himself, he thought carelessly. Autumn does not bring me comfort nor warmth anymore. It no longer feels like home— safe and tender when all it feels like now is melancholy and devoid.

[aion-rsa]

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows season 3’s first two episodes.

Boredom, tedious, tiresome, flat. These are not the first words which jump to mind when thinking of vampires or comedy, but What We Do in the Shadows wields them like secret weapons without sacrificing a single laugh or scare. The FX horror farce, which is a series adaptation of the 2014 feature film created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, follows four vampires. They have been roommates since, well, forever, but one is different from the rest.

Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Nadja of Antipaxos, (Natasia Demetriou), and Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), are traditional vampires. They drink blood, a virgin’s if possible. This is usually supplied by their familiar-turned-bodyguard Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). A probable virgin himself, but off limits. Even vampires know not to feed on their own supplier, especially one who has taken down the entire local vampire hierarchy. The fourth vampire does not drink blood. He subsists on the lifeforce of others. He is an energy vampire, and no one is safe from his appetites. Familiars are fair game, and so are the other vampires.

Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) looks like an office drone, talks like an automated menu, and has the presence of an interdepartmental meeting memo. A simple watercooler chat can drain a listener of the very will to live. It’s tasty. The Staten Island vampires have been named head of the entire Tri-State vampire community and Colin, who will be celebrating a major milestone this season, is undergoing a search for self.

You don’t have to look far from Colin to find Mark Proksch, the actor who plays him. In Better Call Saul, he played Daniel “Pryce” Wormald, the ineptly arrogant pharmaceutical connection who was very particular about his baseball cards. On The Office, he played Nate, a proven entity, but not without handicaps, like hearing, vision and cognition. With offbeat roles on This Is Us, Modern Family, Portlandia, Drunk History, Bob’s Burgers, and Adventure Time, Proksch has spent his career playing yo-yos, his first appearance was as a self-proclaimed master.

Proksch spoke with Den of Geek about vampire centennials, television perennials, and freezing his genitals playing kickball in the snow.

Den of Geek: Hello and thanks for doing this, and I wanted to wish Colin Robinson a happy birthday.

Mark Proksch: Well, it’s a little premature, but thank you.

I know the season is building to it, but will you be throwing a big celebration?

Yes. There will be some festivities, Colin Robinson style.

Do you know his sign?

I don’t know his sign. Gosh, that’s a good question. I don’t think he knows it, even.

Is there anything he wants for his birthday?

I think what he wants most is to know where he came from, and where he’s going. He’s in a bit of an existential funk right now. And he’s doing a lot of research about energy vampires. The problem is there’s not much out there on energy vampires because no one likes them. So, there aren’t many books about them. When he goes into the big Vampiric Council library, he can’t find a single word about energy vampires. And that’s probably because they’re so reviled within that community, that they don’t respect the energy vampires, or have any of their books.

You’ve been doing a lot of research on the history, and the nature, of energy vampires, as you said. What do you think, or, what do you call what he is feeding from? Is it Prana? Chi? Neurotransmissions?

Oh, yeah. We haven’t learned. He still doesn’t know. I think he’s feeding on the exhaustion of others. The everyday life exhaustion of others, I think, is what he feeds on.

Does Colin ever contemplate the carbon footprint of the energy vampire?

No, I think Colin’s in for it just for himself.

How come Colin can stand fire, he laughs it off, but he can’t deal with a cattle prod?

Yeah. Tony, you’re poking holes here. I don’t know. That’s, again, a very good question. Why doesn’t fire hurt him, but a cattle prod shocks him? Maybe, because one is energy? I mean, electrical energy, I should say. I guess heat is its own energy.

In the Cloak-of-Many-Nandors episode, how did it feel to hear Kayvan Novak do you? And did you give him pointers? Did he drain you in the process?

Yeah. Well, Kayvan has been doing all of us, since day one of shooting. So, it wasn’t a revelation to hear him do my voice. That said, we all sent recordings to him so he could perfect it. I haven’t seen the episode yet. The night we were filming my scene, it was about 4:00 a.m., it was one of the coldest nights in Toronto. So, I didn’t stick around to hear him do my voice. But I’m sure it’s as good as he was doing it on day one.

There’s a lot more location and exterior shooting this season. Is that more fun? Or is it just another day in a different cubicle?

I love our set. Kate Bunch, who is our set designer, is an absolute genius. And we film in the cold months, in Canada. So anytime we get to be on set, near the fireplace that actually works, is a plus. Filming on location has its limitations. We can’t film during the daytime, because the vampires will be burned up. So, we always film at night, when on location. And it looks like it’s 11:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., when in fact, it’s usually 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. And so, when we go on location, we’re usually shooting pretty unpleasant evenings. So, I’d much rather film on set. Filming on location can be fun though, because you have a lot more interaction with real people. And I think that’s one thing that makes the show really funny, is seeing these idiot vampires dealing in the real world. So, it’s kind of fifty-fifty for me.

Did you have fun in the snowball fights?

Yes. There are a lot of snowball fights, yes.

The last time I spoke with you, Colin had just gotten a promotion and it kind of went to his head. How is it for Colin now, to be in power at the Vampiric Council?

I think, as much as Colin loved having some power, I think his M.O. is really, just fading into the background. That way, he can prey a lot easier. Just trying to mix into the group. Be a spider with his web, in the background. I think that’s how he prefers to prey. And so, even when he becomes part of the Vampiric Council, he still allows others to exceed him in power. And so, this season, when Nandor and Nadja are the heads of the Vampiric Council, he’s more than happy to be the secretary. The most boring job you can have in a council setting, taking the notes.

Who do you think Colin would prefer on the throne, Nadja or Nandor?

That’s a great question. I think he would probably prefer Nandor, because Nandor is so stupid. Nandor is very, very dumb. And so, he, Colin, can get Nandor to do pretty much anything he wants. Whereas Nadja, I think Colin likes Nadja. And I also think that Nadja’s too smart to fall into Colin’s traps.

Does he get a jolt out of things like the heart ripping?

Yeah, I think so. I think he does enjoy that type of stuff. Yeah.

Can you feed off Nadja’s ghost in the Nadja doll?

I can’t. And I think I’ve tried to several times. I don’t remember what made it on air. But there’s been several times where I’ve tried to feed off of the doll, and it doesn’t go anywhere.

Will Colin’s research turn up any famous energy vampires? And have you come up with your own?

I’ll drop in names for energy vampires, every once in a while. I don’t think any of them have made it so far. I mean, I’ve done Andy Warhol, who seems, to me, to have been an energy vampire. Truman Capote. I would love to have Bob Newhart on as an energy vampire, because I think he’s brilliant, and he would absolutely kill it. Yeah, I’ve thrown in some of those names. David Crosby, I’ve thrown in. I mean, the more left field, the better. But I don’t think any of those have gotten in. I don’t think they want to insult people.

When you look back on your character’s past, do you find any trace of Les Nessman DNA?

Only in my acting. I loved WKRP, and Les Nessman was definitely a good energy vampire. Just a great character, and acted brilliantly. Yeah, I’m sure I stole from him. You know, it’s interesting, I mostly watch classic television. And I’ll see something, and I’ll be like, “Oh, that’s where I got that. That’s where I took that from.” I haven’t seen him since childhood, but it made an impression on me that, “Oh, okay. That’s why I do that.” And that becomes very eerie to me, when I realize I’m just a culmination of things I’ve been watching my whole life.

I’ve recently been watching it and was amazed by the physical comedy. Arthur Carlson was a genius. So, tell me about the physical comedy in What We Do in the Shadows. Because you’re using not just you, the actors, but you have the effects, and there’s a lot going on, especially, in the backgrounds.

Yeah. I personally love being able to do physical comedy. And Colin Robinson is so great for that, because he’s so at two with his body. He’s not a physical human being. He’s not athletic, to say the least. And I think it adds an extra layer to the character, when you actually see him physically emote, really. Whether it’s dancing, or playing kickball, he’s very unsettling in his movements. Then when you add in the ability to fly, once in a while, or throw people against a wall, it really becomes a playground that not a lot of shows let you get to do. Explore those extremes of physical comedy. And so, I love it for that reason.

You mentioned being free to emote. In the opening episode, you actually are peeved when you can’t feed off of Nadja and Laszlo, and when they shut you down. Does Colin get drained when the feedees don’t give with the Prana?

Yeah, I think he gets really frustrated. It’s almost like a dog that’s always promised a treat, but never is actually given the treat. I think he becomes furious. And he thinks it’s unfair, I would expect, and thinks that they’re not playing by the rules. His bizarre social rules, in which he should be allowed to feed on whenever he wants. Because he gets to do it all day long at work. Anytime he’s out of the house, he gets to do it. But when he’s in the mansion, they know what he’s up to, and they can shut him down pretty quickly. I think he gets frustrated.

Also, still with the first episode, your toilet duties. They only seemed designed to annoy you. So, when you’re actually annoying yourself, isn’t that like cannibalism?

I don’t know if he’s annoying himself. I think he’s really into what’s going on in those toilet buckets. That’s all. I think he’s curious.

You meet a big fan in the rogue vampire house, in Queens. Does Colin’s reputation precede him? And will we see a growth in his vampire community renown?

That’s a great question. I think his reputation does precede him. That said, I don’t know what the writers have in store in that story. I mean, it would be interesting to see him rise to a level of energy vampire stardom, and how he would handle that. But I don’t know.

Is that a little counterproductive?

It would be in his mind, absolutely. Again, it goes back to him being the spider with the spider web, and just, kind of, hanging out in the background.

Do you think the connection you make with energy vampires is different from the connection traditional vampires make? And might we be seeing something of an underground, within the underground?

I think with the traditional, bloodsucking vampires, I think it’s mostly sexual. For them, they just want to get their rocks off. I think with energy vampires, it’s much more subtle, and a little more complicated. And I don’t know if those relationships could last, the energy vampire relationships. What we saw with Vanessa Bayer’s character, Evie, I think that ran its natural course, as far as romantic liaisons with energy vampires.

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What We Do in the Shadows season 3 airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.

The post What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[recurring-polynya]

Bleach Sword Beasts Arc Recap: Episode 260

Yuppp, it’s time for the Kazeshini Befriends a Baby episode.

Friends, I know someone’s gonna yell at me for this, but honestly, I remembered this one being better. I mean, obviously, the idea seems like comedy gold, but as I was watching it, I felt like they had this concept and then just... failed to ride with it. Like “It’s Kazeshini.... and a baby! It’s hilarious!” without actually being hilarious. Regardless, I know people would be disappointed if I didn’t cover this one, because it is beloved, so I will do my best.

Ep opens with Hisagi Naruto-running through the woods while Kazeshini cackles, so I guess that counts as a strong start, but it’s literally just footage they re-used from the episode where they fought back during the Muramasa rebellion. I gotta say, if I went to shinigami school and trained with the blade, etc, and then found out my sword spirit was a crazy murderer who hated me and would absolutely not help me in any situation, I would take some night courses and become a shinigami bartender. I would not “deal with” some stupid death pinwheels that scared me. I would simply pursue another line of employment. I would also not get the sex number tattooed on my face, so these are just a few of the ways I am different from Hisagi Shuuhei.

I guess that was supposed to be an actual flashback, because then it cuts to Ikkaku, Iba, Izuru, and Shuuhei running through the woods. What a friggin’ dream team. Ikkaku and Iba are on exposition duty, and thus we learn that they are off to Rukongai to fight some sword beasts who are starting shit, as is their wont. They get attacked by Kazeshini and Hisagi sighs and tells everyone else to go on ahead with exactly the same inflection as an absentee dad in an 80′s film who just remembered he can’t go to the game because he has to pick up his son from soccer practice. It’s now Kira’s turn to provide some exposition, and he explains to Iba and Ikkaku that Hisagi’s zanpakutou is, as they say, a huge bitch. He voiceovers his own flashback to the time he totally beat Kazeshini and looked super cool. Iba and Ikkaku agree: Wow. Kazeshini sure is a huge bitch.

Shuuhei and Kazeshini fight for a while, but Shuuhei is so, so tired, and finally he’s like “Dude, I am at work, can we do this later?” and Kazeshini gets mad and pouty.

I really like the next part where Hisagi runs up to some Kira and Iba who are standing around in Rukongai, which is smoking, and says “Sorry I’m late.” Ikkaku is nowhere to be seen draw your own conclusions. It is no wonder the Rukongai dwellers hate Soul Reapers, I would definitely be printing up anti-shinigami propaganda if I lived in the Rukon.

I am sorry, I can’t stop taking screenshots of these goons, I love them. Ikakku shows up and says they were all too late, it was like this when we got here. Whatever you say, man.

Cut to a cliff where Kazeshini is gazing over the smoking town, and Haineko, Hozukimaru and Wabisuke roll in to give him some life advice. Look, the best thing about this arc is the great care and attention they give to pointedly ignoring that no one ever made up zanpakutou for some of the shinigami. Maybe you won’t notice, they say, that we never show Iba’s zanpakutou. He surely has one and it definitely has a name, look, here’s a catgirl! God, I would give my liver to get the backstory on Iba’s zanpakutou. I hope it’s just Ray Smuckles from Achewood.

It turns out this is an intervention, the other zanpakutou are as sick of Kazeshini’s shit as Hisagi is. They are literally just like “what is wrong with you man?” and then say he can’t come to the cool parties down in the zanpakutou cave anymore if he can’t get his shit together. (Do you think Byakuya is still invited to those? I mean, I am sure he doesn’t go). Kazeshini yells “You’re not MY DAD!” and jumps off a cliff.

Kazeshini attacks Hisagi again while Hisagi is in the middle of a fight with an actual sword beast. Hisagi is really fed up by this time, he’s busy and this is getting pretty tiresome (to us, the audience as well). He throws Kazeshini through a wall, yells “I don’t have time for this” and gets back to business. Kazeshini is upset because no one is paying attention to him and goes looking for Hisagi. What he finds instead is a sword beast murdering a dude. The sword beast calls Kazeshini a dog of the Soul Reapers so Kazeshini stabs him in the friggin’ face, the first time this episode we have seen Kazeshini’s commitment to murderin’ dudes. Of course, the sword beast was in the middle of his own murder at the time, and the poor dude bleeding out on the floor begs Kazeshini to take care of his infant son.

I am presuming it’s his son. He could have been stolen that baby. Maybe they were just roommates. I don’t know how babies work in Soul Society and every time I think about it, it gives me a headache. Anyway, the baby has appeared.

To be perfectly honest, the dad didn’t even look that hurt and Kazeshini doesn’t know how much blood people are suppose to have in them, I bet he was just faking to get rid of this baby.

Kazeshini deadass looks this baby in the eyes and in a gravelly Clint Eastwood voice says “Look, kid, the only thing I am interested in is reaping lives” and I laughed my ass off, this is the actual funniest thing that happens in this episode.

The baby starts crying because Kazeshini won’t let him touch his death pinwheels, and the Soul Reapers hear it and start to run over. Kazeshini yells “I guess I have no choice!” grabs the baby and scrams. He had... no choice. He is very committed to murders, but he had no choice but to leave the baby sitting on the ground for 30 seconds before some authority figures ran up and found it. No. Choice.

GOD, I would give anything to see Iba, Ikkaku, Kira and Hisagi try to take care of a baby. Iba would try to get the Shinigami Women’s Association to take it and they would refuse. He would put the baby in sunglasses and one of those chest wraps. Ikkaku would try to teach the baby to fight, while Kira shouted “You can’t teach a baby to fight!” Hisagi would try to read a book on childhood development and get some Bad Ideas. Eventually, Ukitake would show up and take the baby away from them. I would give you all the money in my pocket for this, Bleach writers, but NO.

Kazeshini tries to talk the baby into going off and getting a job or something, but that doesn’t work. He tries to abandon it and... fails, I guess. He goes back to the cliff where the other zanpakutou show up to laugh at him and refuse to help, as well they should.

The baby cries because Kazeshini won’t let him touch his scythe thingies, so Kazeshini let’s him touch them. a) of all, this is not how parenting works, Kazeshini, and b) why does Kubo/whoever wrote this episode think babies love sharp objects, because this is exactly how the scene where Zaraki meets Yachiru goes. I have had babies. Do not get me wrong, babies love things they can hurt themselves with, mine particularly loved power cables, but I do not think they are generally interested in weaponry, but then again, this is Bleach, so it’s probably just a sign that this kid is going to grow up and be a Soul Reaper. I think this is the part of the episode where I started speculating where the baby would get his ‘69′ tattoo, because clearly, the cycle continues, and my husband made me shut up because he didn’t want to think about it, but search your heart, you know it’s truuuuuuuuue. If they ever do a Bleach Next Generation series, this kid better show up and he better have that tatt.

The baby pees on Kazeshini.

There’s a montage of the baby further harshing Kazeshini’s Hisagi-bothering lifestyle.

Then, Kira tells Hisagi that “there’s a rumor going around the zanpakutou about yours.” Why are the zanpakutou telling Kira their rumors. Do Kira and Wabisuke hang out? I mean, all of these takes place within, like, 2 hours, I think? While everyone’s on a mission? I don’t care, now I’m just mad that we got robbed of a Kira & Wabisuke episode where they listened to a bunch of The Cure together and made a poetry chapbook.

Kazeshini really, really wants to fight Hisagi at this point, but the baby has fallen asleep. He tries to leave it on a roof, but the baby rolls off the roof. Maybe it’s because I have kids, I dunno, but none of these antics are really funny to me, they’re just dumb. Literally, why doesn’t he just leave it on the ground?? All of these jokes revolve around him being an idiot and not caring about the baby, but he could have not just taken it in the first place. (there’s one point where he does try to hook it on a tree branch and that was funny, because we always talked about putting hooks on the wall that we could hang the babies on, just, like, for a minute, they would have loved it). Anyway, he spots a shed on the edge of town and decides that would be the perfect spot to abandon a baby while he murders his master.

Fight time! God, I love a Scooby Doo sequence where you have different characters running up and down streets and in and out of doorways, and there is a delightful one of Iba, Ikkaku, Kira and Hisagi fighting sword beasts. I cannot believe I am more delighted by the lieutenant parts of this episode than the Kazeshini parts, but that’s just who I am now.

We actually get to see some competent Hisagi fighting. Kazeshini is about to jump in and mess him up again, but the baby starts crying back in the shed. (it’s so far away??? How does he even hear it???)  I guess he cares now, so he runs back to go get his kid. In the meantime, a nice lady has found the baby and is attempting to comfort it, except that the moment Kazeshini slides into the doorway she... drops the baby? The baby is comforted by hugging Kazeshini’s pointy shoe, and Kazeshini realizes that perhaps this woman will be an incompetent enough parent to take over in his stead.

Oh no a sword beast attacks him from behind! I guess it’s the one I thought he killed earlier, because it says “Oh, it’s you, the Soul Reaper’s dog!” Kazeshini isn’t even good at murdering, wtf? This episode is dumb.

Anyway, Kazeshini stabs the sword beast, and it definitely dies this time. He has an intense moment of realization that saving people is almost as cool as murdering people, and tells the lady to take the baby and run. The baby cries while a very intense guitar chord plays.

Kazeshini finds Hisagi, who is killing the last of the sword beasts, and is like “Okay, I promise not to attack you from behind can we fight now?” The episode then goes full-bore D R A M A, where they say “Reap--!” at the same time and there’s a smash cut to T H E  S K Y  and a woman singing a lullaby with some haunting reverb and then it intersperses imagery of the woman comforting the crying baby in a field full of floating dandelion seeds and Kazeshini and Hisagi fighting. At this point, if the episode doesn’t end with them each dying on the ground, I am going to be deeply disappointed. (Spoiler: I am deeply disappointed).

There’s a pretty good death pinwheel-on-death pinwheel fight, although it’s short. Hisagi stans gotta take what they can get, I guess. Anyway, at least Kazeshini ends up lying in a pool of his own blood, where he mumbles “When I turn back into a regular zanpakutou... what will we fight for?” and Hisagi replies “We will fight to protect people” and Kazeshini makes this face:

This was the second funniest part of this episode.

He turns back into swords and that’s the end.

In canon, the bit about Hisagi fearing his own blades is an interesting bit of character building, that fits in nicely with his admiration of Tousen, and the fact that he’s a bit of an artsy, writer type. It builds up the idea that Soul Reapers are not just bloodthirsty warriors, but people with morals and concerns, that they fight to protect, just like Ichigo does.

This episode in no way contributes to that idea. It’s more like the writers say, “Hey, people love Grimmjow! Let’s make a yell-y guy who likes to kill people!” Why does Kazeshini want to murder so badly? Who hurt him? He’s part of Hisagi’s psyche, but why? Why are either of them like this? In my head, prior to this, I could think of Kazeshini as a disembodied voice encouraging the escalation of violence. Hisagi was weak and powerless as a child, and then, in one of his first command positions, had a group of underclassmen in his care brutally attacked and a friend killed. I can see him having urges to go to extremes-- to get revenge, to kill monsters before they can kill innocents, but he fears these urges within himself, he fears becoming a monster.

The way this filler arc portrays Kazeshini doesn’t fit. It doesn’t work. Kazeshini is just a dirtbag who wants to kill and attack from behind and then they give him a baby and they don’t even have anything interesting to say about any of this. It’s honestly just disappointing. That’s right. I’m disappointed in you, Bleach Filler Episode about Kazeshini Toting a Baby Around. C-. It’s not quite the level of disappointment I had over the one where Renji blew up Urahara’s van, but Hisagi fans really don’t get thrown a lot of bones, and they deserve better than this.

Oh, and then in the next episode voiceover, Wabisuke theorizes that the baby was Kazeshini’s lovechild. We definitely do not have time unpack all that, so let’s end it here.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Mistletoe Manor: The Epilogues Part 3

Genre: 1900′s AU/Romance

Pairings: Park Seo Joon, Bang Yongguk, Brian Kang, Jung Daehyun, Jung Jaehyun, Lee Taeyong x OCs

A/N: Becky ( @noona-clock​​​ ) and I wanted to re-visit our magical world of Mistletoe Manor. The series left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, so we really had no choice! We hope you enjoy this extra look into the lives of Cassie, Evie, Joey, and all their friends and family.

The final part will be shared tomorrow at 6pm EST/ 10am NZST.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 // 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 || Epilogues: 1 | 2 // 3 | 4

It was a wedding unlike any other.

Although Cassie had attended many celebrations over her years – weddings aplenty – she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed for Evie’s big day. Before leaving for the church she had shed some tears, mopped up by Lydia as she readied her for the special day. And she was emotional once more upon entering the chapel, attempting to pull herself together.

Cassie had been married in the same place over a year ago and honestly, she was certain she hadn’t been this affected at the time.

Or at least, this sentimental.

Still, Cassie was exceptionally proud that Evie had not only come out of her shell, perhaps one that she and her family had kept upon her for far too long, and found someone who made her heart soar towards his enough to take such a big step forward. Over the year of marriage to her husband Daehyun, there had been a whole lot of uncertainty for Cassie. She was relieved that Evie would never face such worries, and if anything, she was a little envious that her sister got the dream she had always wanted for herself.

To marry for love.

However, as Daehyun stood across from her during the ceremony, Cassie could not imagine a better husband for herself.

Nor could she have planned a more wonderful wedding for Yongguk and Evie over the last few months.

There had been a concern that their shy personalities might lead to some stuttered vows or awkward moments, and yet Evie had made a beautiful and confident bride. Cassie could tell her sister was committed to the love she felt for the Earl, and Yongguk shared a similar passion, the pair visibly showcasing their avid love for one another for all to witness.

And when they were finally wedded, the tears began again.

Cassie wondered if all she would do today was cry.

“If anyone did not know any better, Cassie, they would think you were in mourning with how many tears you have shed!” Joey exclaimed once they had sent the newlyweds off back to Mistletoe Manor where the reception would resume the celebrations. Joey reached to dab under her older sister’s eyes. “Surely there is no need for these overflowing emotions of yours. You’re not even the mother of the bride. Mother has held it together far better than you have.”

“Perhaps I cried for more than one of my sisters,” Cassie replied pointedly, giving the youngest Hawthorne, now Kang, a knowing gaze.

Joey, however, was unaffected. “I am glad you and your tears were not with me on that day.”

“I am fond of your Brian, do know this,” Cassie continued, easing her approach. “Still, I had no idea what it would be like to see my sisters married, and so close to one another as well.”

“Does it bother you?”

“What?”

“The fact that Daehyun was an arranged suitor whilst Evie and I-”

“I thought it did,” Cassie admitted, smiling softly, nodding to one of the guests as they called out her name in farewell. “But even you know that what comes after marriage is by far superior to an exhausting day like today.”

“Again, my vows were exchanged faster than this.” Joey then grinned wickedly. “What was exhausting was-”

“Hold your tongue, Josephine; we are in a place where such details should not be heard by all!” Cassie cut in hastily, and her sister laughed heartily.

“My improper thoughts will remain concealed, do not worry. Though, I must go find my husband and child – I do fancy saying that is still very new and overwhelming to me!” Joey’s eyes lit up at the mentioning of her adopted daughter Daisy and Cassie felt herself grow anxious by the maternal look in Joey’s gaze. Joey then turned impatient, tugging lightly on her sister’s hand. “Will you come with me?”

“It is the duty of the best man to stay behind to pay the clergyman is it not?” Cassie pointed to Daehyun waiting for the rest of the bridal party and guests to dissipate. “Go find your family, I will wait for mine.”

“Do try to stop the tears!” Joey called as she dashed off, running into the arms of her waiting husband and then reaching to affectionately take hold of Daisy’s hand, the trio heading out across the road to take the next awaiting car for travel back to the manor.

It was growing hard now to deal with the conflicting thoughts and feelings within and Cassie sighed heavily, placing a hand over her chest and willed herself to calm down. She remained inside her thoughts for some time until arms slipped around her, her husband nuzzling into her neck tenderly.

“You waited for me?”

“Of course, it’s what a wife should do,” she confirmed, spinning around lightly and smiling up at her husband. “Is everything sorted?”

“Yes, however, are you alright my love? You look rather exhausted.”

“Watching your sister be married off is rather wonderful but incredibly tiresome, admittedly.”

“Tiresome? I thought it was a well-paced ceremony.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she said weakly, blinking back her pesky emotions once more.

Daehyun frowned. “Are you certain you’re alright?”

“Quite alright,” Cassie confirmed, taking his hand in hers and swinging it lightly. “Though I suppose Mother will wonder of my whereabouts and so we really should hurry back to the manor.”

“Are you hungry?” Daehyun guessed and Cassie grinned.

“Famished, if I’m honest. I forgot to eat earlier, I was far too nervous hoping everything would go exactly as planned.”

“It’s almost as if you were getting married again,” Daehyun pointed out, glancing back at the chapel they both stepped out of. “Do you ever think back to our wedding day?”

“I almost threw up before putting on my dress,” Cassie confessed and Daehyun’s hearty laughter warmed her heart. “Fancy that.”

“I believe I tried to plan out twenty different ways to tell you how I felt that day and instead I failed to deliver my message appropriately. Our wedding day was not anything like today, now was it?”

“No, you’re quite right. It was completely different.”

“I hope since my return, those anxious moments have long passed, however,” Daehyun stated, searching Cassie’s eyes. She knew he could tell she was not being entirely honest with her feelings and quickly diverted her gaze, returning it when she had formed a smile.

“Neither Joey nor Evie have had the pleasure of yearning for someone they cannot easily see, nor were courted through romantic letters as I was. My nerves over our union have long passed, darling.”

Still, despite her words, Cassie hadn’t quite convinced her husband otherwise. She would need to find time after the festivities were over to let it be known why she was reacting the way she was.

She could only hope his response would give her clarity on what her own was.

 It was refreshing to see Evie so openly besotted with her husband. As Grace watched her cousin laugh fondly at something Yongguk murmured into her ear, she couldn’t help compare their love story to that of a fairytale.

Evie had found her prince and would be whisked off to live in her new palace, so to speak.

Turning to look in the direction of her youngest cousin, Joey was dancing happily with Daisy, whilst Brian watched on. Even if she had worried over her cousin's safe return, Grace had known that Brian would take great care of her. If anything, she did not know a greater match than Brian was of Joey’s vivacious personality.

And before she could seek out her oldest friend and the head of the Hawthorne girls, Grace's gaze fell upon someone else. Smiling, she took the outstretched drink as Jaehyun stepped forward to her side.

It was ironic to think he had been the one concerned this morning about his coming to the wedding, and also over his suit. In her eyes, Jaehyun was by far the most appealing human within the grand hall right now. Though, with all the kisses they had shared thus far upon her visit to Mistletoe Manor, Grace was highly biased.

“My Lady, I feel you might dry up if your hands remain empty for long,” he announced, as he settled the drink within her hand.

“Ever the gentleman.”

Jaehyun nodded. “I do have a reputation to uphold.”

“And what have you of such reputation?” Grace breathed as Jaehyun shifted closer.

“Well, I hear I once charmed a lady walking with her cousin by my gardens.”

“To be fair, it was before I even saw your gardens,” she disputed and Jaehyun grinned, holding out his hand all the same.

“Shall we go outside now? As much as I am enjoying the celebrations, I feel rather stuffy in here.”

Grace giggles. “In here or in a suit?”

“Both,” Jaehyun admitted, and Grace placed her hand in his, following him outside and onto the terrace. They walked in comfortable silence, sharing giddy smiles as they departed the celebrations for something a little more peaceful.

The gardens now were in full bloom, and it was beautiful, both in sight and aroma.

Grace looked up at her lover and snuggled into his side. “You have done a marvellous job tending to the flowers. I’ve never seen it bloom so wonderfully before in all my years of visiting Mistletoe Manor.”

“All they needed was a bit of coaxing and a kind hand thereafter.”

“Much as we did?”

“Are we growing together?” Jaehyun mused, glancing down at her fondly before nodding. “What would you refer to us as, my poetic love?”

“Saplings,” Grace immediately responded and Jaehyun’s brows knitted together. Stopping to take a seat on a stone bench, Grace waited until Jaehyun sat next to her before she continued. “We are but mere little shoots sticking bravely out of the soil in search for such gentle coaxing and kind hands as you mentioned before.”

“We have yet to bloom?”

“Oh yes! Why, our love is only new, is it not?”

“It is almost of the same age as Evie and the Earl’s, and look at where they are now,” Jaehyun replied softly, his hand coming up to pop a couple of the buttons on his shirt open, loosening the tightness around his neck.

He was nervous over the uncertainty of their status.

Grace did agree with him, of course. In fact, since they had become acquainted before her cousin and Yongguk had, their budding romance could have very well transformed with nuptials by now as well.

However, and at no fault of Evie’s decision, Grace wanted to wait. She wanted to experience the way her love bloomed this spring with Jaehyun. She longed for the heart of summer to warm her and Jaehyun’s journey further. Fall and winter would arrive thereafter, and by then she was certain that all four seasons spent together would end in blissful matrimony. It wasn’t that Grace did not believe that she and Jaehyun were a perfect fit for one another; rather, she had always taken her time. She wanted to savour the flirting, the chaste kisses, and the endless hours spent around the sun speaking of anything and everything. She wanted to explore her youth, what left of it, before she returned home to her family with a husband and gained the title of proprietor.

Grace wished to be in full bloom when that time came, and right now was thrilled to be nothing more than a little sapling.

Jaehyun exhaled a deep breath. “I have worried, you know.”

“Over?”

“That I would not match up to that of your cousins’ husbands. I know you see me for who I am, and I adore you for that, Grace. But your cousins are married to Earls-”

“And a valet turned teacher, which are both rather respectful positions, much like that of a gardener,” she pointed out quickly and Jaehyun nodded thoughtfully. Turning to him, she reached to cup his cheek. “If it were not for your steadfastness towards saving the festival last year and your compassion for nature, what would we have in this world? You make everything you touch beautiful.”

Slipping his hand over hers, Jaehyun tilted his head. “Not you, however. That is a gift the Gods have already blessed you with. These hands do nothing to make you any prettier.”

“They do. Inside here.” Pointing to her chest, Grace then moved their linked hands to the place above her beating heart. “With your kind hands and gentle coaxing, I will grow further than a sapling. And I hope to do the very same for you, Jaehyun.”

“Oh, how I do love you,” he replied ardently and leaned in closer. “Would it be improper if I kissed you right now?”

“Must you ask every time?”

Jaehyun nodded before brushing his lips over hers, softer than the breeze that swirled her hair around them. And yet it reached deeply into her chest, stealing yet another part of her heart that she already believed was fully his.

When they separated, Grace laid her head upon Jaehyun’s shoulder, staring at the garden bed before her. She noticed new life peeking out from under the soil and grinned. “At our home, we have fields that are entirely empty. What will you fill them with when our time to go there comes?”

“Wildflowers.”

“Do they not just pop up on their own?”

Jaehyun hummed. “Someone had to encourage them how to go into places they once were not.”

“Have I encouraged you to go places you never thought of?”

“That you have.”

“Are summers really as exciting here as I have heard of?” Grace asked suddenly, her thoughts returning to her whispered comments with Evie over the delightful scenery her cousin was adamant Grace needed to witness firsthand.

Jaehyun frowned. “Well, they are rather hot.”

“I look forward to it then.”

“You won’t return to your own home before then?”

Grace shook her head. “No, I feel I will be needed over the coming months. With Evie and Joey both gone, Cassie will definitely need the company.”

“Is that an excuse?” Jaehyun wondered and Grace shrugged nonchalantly.

“It very may well be.”

“I hope Cassie does require a lot of your company then.”

“Not all of it, I have much to share with you,” she replied with a giggle and then gazed up at him.

Jaehyun ran his thumb lightly over her mouth. “I will marry you, one day.”

“One day,” she echoed, content that for now, her focus would be left to enjoy the present, knowing that the future would be just as sweet, if not sweeter by the time they both reached it.

With every wedding, there was always the cleanup that came after. And with all hands needed around the manor to ensure that everything returned to where it once was housed after the reception, Taeyong found himself working from dawn to dusk the very next day. Lord Hawthorne assured that when everything was done, the staff would be allocated an entire free day in token of his gratitude and that had spurred Taeyong on.

All he could think about was spending more time with Anna outside of the home. It wasn’t very often that they did such a thing, and now that spring was here, he wanted to go for a picnic with her.

Anna, however, seemed moodier than ever.

“Honestly!” she exclaimed, picking up yet another stack of the fine china to return to the cellar. “I must say, these people sure know how to throw a grand party every month or so!”

“It was nice though, and Evie seems rather beside herself now that she’s married.”

“I guess for her, there would have been a great deal to learn about last night.”

“And what would you know of that?” Taeyong wondered, glancing at her devilish expression. He groaned. “I fear you and Joey may be akin in many ways.”

“You should fear it. I might be as reckless as my Lady once was.”

“Towards me, I hope.”

Anna stopped collecting the dishes from the trolley and darted over to his side, placing a fond hand upon his chest as she reached up to his peck his lips. “Who else would it be?”

“So you do want to marry me,” Taeyong breathed, and then stammered incoherently as his cheeks reddened. Anna’s hand fell away and he clamped his eyes shut. “T-That was not a proposal!”

“I should hope not!”

“No, as you would expect, I have something much bet—wait, you hope not?!”

“What is that of any use to a housemaid? Marriage is something that is between those like the Hawthorne’s. They benefit from the connections made. Nothing will change my status from a housemaid, and certainly no marriage could do such a thing!”

“There is a whole lot more to it than that, do you not think?”

Anna shook her head and moved back to her task. “Unless I found myself in a position of that with a man who had land and money, I do not see how it would affect me at all.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“Oh but I am.”

Taeyong deflated. He had hoped for a bit more of a romantic response from Anna, especially since he fully intended in making an honest woman out of her. He had already begun saving for their future, a modest life where he saw children enter the picture not long after their vows. For some reason, he had believed Anna would be on the same page.

And so it concerned him greatly that she was not.

His silence brought Anna back over to his side. “Are you quite alright?”

“No.”

“No?” she repeated, searching his face and then narrowed her gaze. “You are offended.”

“Gravely.”

“But why?”

“Because I wish to be wedded one day! I want the world to know you are the woman I choose to be with forever! And you shoot it down simply because it will not lift your status in any way. I feel differently!”

“I see.”

Taeyong huffed, shaking his head rapidly as he finished packing away the cutlery. “I don’t think you do at all.”

“I never desired that we needed a piece of paper to say that I am yours and you are mine.”

“A piece of… you know what? I think I might go help Seo Joon outside. After all, I am merely a footman, that is my status here, is it not?!”

Turning on his heel, Taeyong left the cellar immediately, unstopping until he was outside, heaving in deep breaths.

Seo Joon looked up from his task outside and tilted his head to the side. “Are you alright, Taeyong?”

“Splendid! Just wonderful!” he announced dramatically and kicked at the gravel. He was aware he was acting out foolishly and balled his fists up in attempts to calm down.

The chauffeur was soon as his side. “Is this in response to Anna?”

“Isn’t it always?”

“Well, she is the only person I happen to know who bothers you as much as you do her,” Seo Joon agreed with a chuckle and Taeyong’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, has she bothered you too much?”

“Perhaps it was my own words that bothered me more. I expected something of her that I never once asked if she wanted.”

“And her fiery response was to shut you down?”

Taeyong nodded and then looked the man more hopefully. “Do you know what I can do to make it up to her?”

_________________

Part 4

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[system-of-a-feather]

11 & 19 !!

“ Hey, if you are still looking for system asks, 19? “ from @yallshouldsleepmoremydudes1803 since you both asked for 19

11. Name something that you like/enjoy but that one (or more) of your alters doesn’t

*laughs maniacally* There are honestly a number of things one member of the system likes that the others don’t because a lot of us have a tendency to be kinda hyper particular in interests.

Pretty much most non-instrumental music with Lucille since - while respectful about it - he quite literally only listens to classical music with the exception to two songs - one of which is Erlkonig (which hardly counts) and another that is personal.

Also call me weird, but I really like working and doing a lot of things most would consider boring like.... Filling out my budget sheets or like... reading research papers or like.... I dunno doing homework and going to work. Its a bit of a meme that I have a skewed sense of fun towards “boring” and “hardworking” and “tiresome” and I know Aderis and Ray’s definition of fun tends to be more on the lazier / lax end of things.

Oh and I really like long hair. That is actually really a kind of common thing in our system, but Ray I swear would chop it all off if he had the chance.

And relevant to the last post, but Lucille hates the taste of soda where as Aderis and I drink too much of it. Those are just some off the top of my head.

I actually don’t know what everyone’s taste in food is now that I think about it so Im clueless there XD

19. Got any fun system stories to tell?

Hmmm... So lately we’ve been learning the violin, and to give context, Lucille is a huge classical music and just music nerd overall. I am a large fan of music of all forms and would consider myself a music nerd as well, but not to his level, plus I have the tendency to forget how to play if I have any uncertainty about my ability when playing in front of someone. As a result, it’s been a bit amusing going to our lessons to show what progress we’ve made and to get new lessons to work on and return with since the main two learning the violin are me and him.

Why is it interesting? Well for the first lesson and the first half of the second lesson I was the one there, and it was driving me insane cause I dissociate if I am not 100% confident in my playing ability and my playing ability - like a self fufilling prophecy - falls. Its distressing but I’ve played trumpet for 7 or 8 years so I kind of am used to it, and for that second lesson I wasn’t supposed to be out cause the plan was to have that be his responsibility cause I don’t like that discomfort. Anyways, I was out and the teacher was like making a lot of comments on issues and things I knew but was unable to display cause I was *dissociating and dying* and so he noticed our violin bow needed adjusting so he went off to fix it and in that time we managed to switch and it was absolutely HILARIOUS how clearly the playing ability changed XD

Cause the thing is Lucille is somehow like 2x better than me at the violin despite me being the one who practices the most - but he is also 2x better than me at the trumpet and the piano (which we started to pick up) - and he also does not suffer from “I am vulnerable to anxiety-dissociative spirals that remove my ability to perform” so when the teacher came back and Lucille was out, apparently he was like “WOW THATS MORE LIKE IT YOU REALLY SOUND GOOD. YOU GOT THIS DOWN” and spent the whole rest of the lesson being extremely shook on how we suddenly took all his notes and applied it

Then it gets better cause literally everytime I’m out its a normal lesson and its chill, but whenever Lucille is out the teacher has to at least once go “WOW DID YOU PRACTICE MORE BECAUSE YOUR IMPROVEMENT IS REMARKABLE” or something similar XD

Like it would bother me more I feel if I didn’t already go through an insecure panic in highschool over my mental health issues making it so that when people were watching I might randomly loose my ability to play so I learned then that it is just my mental health and if I try to panic too much about it, then it often gets worse so I’ve learned to accept that it isn’t a reflection of my skill and more of just my mind not being the nicest. Then there is also the fact that Lucille is literally better at any obvious skill than me and it is kind of his job as what we call “academic protector” so it is expected and normal for Lucille to make me look bad XD

But I’ve been laughing my ass off over how our violin instructor seems to unknowingly notice and call our our switches every time despite the fact that Lucille is - as a primary protector - very good at pretending to be me if he wants to. So I’ve just been joking around with my fiance that if he ever REALLY questions if it is me or Lucille doing a good job pretending to be me, all he has to do is hand us a violin XD

Thats one of the recent amusing DID stories. Oh also once I checked my phone to see someone searched up “British Cream” and was very confused why that was there and why someone was looking up British Cream.

And one of the things that is talked about around the system that I’ve heard is apparently when Ray came out of a multi-year dormancy (having not formally met pretty much anyone in the system), one of his first interactions in the inner world with Lucille was going into his library and pulling a chair from underneath him. Cause Ray can be extra like that I guess.

Speaking of Ray being extra, one time I went to bed with two braids (I do it since my hair is hell and will destroy me if I sleep with it unbraided) and woke up with one really really bad braid and half of my hair loose. I was very confused and left a note asking who the heck woke up to unbraid my hair, and then do it again with one bad braid for the system. 

Apparently the next night I pissed Ray off and to get back at me, after I had planned to sleep and braided my hair into two even braids, he undid them and made one small braid and one really large one just to annoy me because he knew I’d probably be the one to wake up and that it would irritate me.

But yeah those are probably the few off the top of my head that are kinda amusing to tell XD (I’ve also randomly found myself in a hot bath tub when I swore I was doing homework thanks to Aderis, but thats a rather common short story)

-Riku (Host)

[jademusing]

Beginning Guides For House Improvement and Renovation

House enhancement and remodelling is really a big task to carry out, others may call it as a task that requires sufficient money and time to consume so that their wanted output would be better. Lack of methodical planning and correct stock of products that is required in order to complete the job is the most obvious of all. Likewise, absence of time budgeting or management can result in unwanted extra expenses both for the products needed and for the labour force. Here are some standards that may assist resident lessen their expense expenditures and maximize their capacities in achieving their dream home improvement and renovation plan.

Setting up particular objectives and attempting to conceive and imagine a map of your restoration and improvement strategy may help you accomplish your goals in the most economic and prompt ways. Perhaps asking some of these questions may assist you practically or midway of your preferred output.

1) When performing a house remodelling and enhancement prepare what do you wish to achieve?

This includes your requirements- the very standard products that involve in enhancement and restoration and your wants- likewise understood as the products needed for more beautification or the so called devices. You need to have a different appropriate list of all the materials that will be included. Never ever converge or criss-cross your other plans from the fundamental ones.

2) I have a lot of concepts but does it fit to my budget?

This is the time where you consult a building specialist or consultant concerning your visions and expectations about your plans before any illustrations and structure strategies are to be developed. This is the cause why most home owners never achieve the intended outcome of their strategies.

3) Which is preferable a draftsman or a designer?

Draftsman is only needed when small or straight-forward services or minor restorations or improvements are involved. Architect is needed when a huge restoration or improvement is included and it requires to be particular. This is the factor why most home owners spend the incorrect budget plan on the incorrect individual to be needed.

4) Do I need both plans and authorizations?

Registered building managers are the ones who can give summaries and discussions about these matters. In some cases matters like this even prior to developing strategies are produced can not be responded to. Specialists about these matters can be sought advice from and verified so that all processes will remain in smooth condition.

5) Does home renovation and improvement an excellent investment and can it include an excellent worth to my home?

Home worths are determined by lots of aspects and since home enhancement is a various story from the others, a property specialist is the very best individual to be consulted regarding these matters.

6) Where do I opt for my fitting products and components?

This question can be dealt with to the joint group endeavors of the majority of developers and house organizers in which they can gave you a few of their providers trusted names when it pertains to house remodelling and improvement. You can also speak with some of the workplaces around your area so that they can search for one and set up some recommendation. Canvassing of some other materials that can be purchased in less expensive prices compared to the existing ones would be better, however make sure it passed the building requirements of the structure experts.

7) Where do I go to acquire licenses and how long do I wait on it?

If the building proposition you're going to make might cause impact to other resident or neighbours and it surrounding neighborhood, preparation permits ought to be gotten. An in-depth submission of papers that contains technical drawings and a professional understanding of Town Planning Act are needed. A Town Specialist may be hired, for doing it yourself is not suggested when it concerns this matter. For "fast lane" services it would take a few weeks and for "dispute permits" might require some more months in order to procedure. When a case for example that VCAT (Victorian Administrative and Civil Tribunal) is included, the delay can be as long as an excess of 1 year. Structure permits are created to maintain minimum structure requirements or standards therefore that it can help secure consumers from low class or sub quality home builders. Since this procedure are now usually privatized, a regional Structure Property surveyor who will supervise of the stated approval that will ultimately issue the license is now accessible and this kind of service just takes a couple of typical weeks and even lower.

8) What products should I prepare prior to looking for a builder?

- Total illustration set with specs, which likewise consists of all surfaces and other unique requirements

- Preparation Authorization (in some cases optional) and an accomplished the Structure License application

- Authorized correct financing

- Arrangements for cost overruns or changes to your spending plan

- The insurance company should know you're under home renovation task

- Alternative location to stay in case a renovation-free area is required during the building works.

Home restoration and enhancement is certainly a very tiresome work to do particularly if you are still new to a particular place. If you're geared up with important ideas and you planned out everything before starting, there is no requirement to worry about. By making these easy concerns as your guide in making home restoration and improvement, you can conserve time, extra undesirable expenditures and you can also conserve your precious efforts. Its not just how much you have actually invested for your house renovation and improvement projects that makes the output really great, however its how much time you've invest preparation and getting ready for the things required in it.

[iwaverse]

Future Us

Life has been hectic as ever.

Being a struggling law student does not make it any better. Taking law was not as easy as the 16 year old you had imagined. As a 16 year old, your thoughts of law was more to talking in court, defending the wrongly accused. Past you did not think of the hardships and the journey itself to become an actual attorney. Now entering a new semester, you have even more workload to hand in to your very tiresome lecturer.

You can feel the library’s cushioned chair now warming your bums as your mind goes haywire from all the typing you had to do for your next assignment. You would usually do your work in the library since free wifi was provided there even though the wifi would go down every once in a while.

You typed in a few more words in before you bring your arms over your head and stretched the life out of yourself.

“Give yourself a rest, man.” , says Sofea who was sitting across from you, a black pen in hand scribbling random notes in her mini notebook. You were so focused on trying to get your work done you completely forgot the existence of your other friend.

“I just wanna get this over with.” you replied now resting your head on your right hand, supporting it from your chin.

“You’ve been on it for hours now. Chill down a bit. Due date is in 2 weeks time anyway. You’re always pushing yourself like this.” Sofea says now rolling her eyes  while giving you the dirtiest look.

You frowned, not knowing what to reply back. What Sofea said is true. You sometimes overwork so much until fever starts engulfing you. Last minute work is just not your thing, you were always the first one in your department to hand in your work.

You sighed as you bring your hands together and place it above the keypads once again to continue what you started.  Your finger then hovered above the touchpad for a split second before you glided your finger across it to click on the 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘦 icon. You would need to search up a few informations on the internet for your next paragraph.

You typed out the words rather hastily on the google search section and clicked on the magnifying glass icon. The page refreshes itself but nothing loaded. You kept clicking on the refresh button hoping for the page to load. The page refreshes itself once again before directing you to the T-rex Dinosaur Game. Your eyes quickly glanced at the “wifi” icon, bottom right corner only to see a banned sign on it.

“Ah, shit. The wifi is down again today.” you say as you lean back against your chair letting out yet another long sigh.

“Hm? Really?” Sofea replied while pulling her phone out of her left pocket to check whether  the connection is really out. “Oh yeah…I didn’t even notice. Oh well, that’s a sign for you to give it a rest Rania.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” as you leaned towards your laptop again, a finger on your 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 button.

𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦,  you thought silently to yourself.

A minute passed and the game only made your stress worst. The jumping dinosaur on the screen of your laptop is slowly annoying the shit out of you.

𝘑𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳. The clicking of your space button becomes faster each second before you stopped when the dinosaur runs itself into a cactus.

𝘜𝘨𝘩 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘵�� 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘰.

A tinge of familiarity suddenly hits you.

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘰?

“Ah, Dino.”

The memory came rushing back.

7 years ago you made an anime fan account on twitter out of curiosity and boredom. Your first icon was a picture of Hanako-Kun from the anime Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun. You remember everything so well. The friends you’ve made there, the posts that blew up and the little fanfics you wrote of your favourite anime characters.

Dino was a friend you made on anime twitter. What a funny name now that you think about it. She was the first few friends you made along with someone named Elis. Elis on the other hand was someone you knew in real life and is still in touch with till this day. In fact, you were gonna go grab lunch with her right after this library session with Sofea.

The three of you were in a big group chat once too, where you met your closest friends on anime twitter. The group chat had the weirdest name, it was Foot Pic Store. FPS for short. The group chat consists of 30 members,  28 or 25? You don’t remember, but Dino was in it.

Dino was known as the angst writer on anime twitter along with another member named Jo. The both of them would always write heartbreaking stories that would leave you dumbfounded, hungry for more.  Dino is probably somewhere out there, rich and still crying over kageyama. Meanwhile Jo was recently accepted to an animation company to work as one of the animators.

There was someone who was from Oklahoma too. Kiah. She played on the national’s team once for volleyball. However, she didn’t continue her life career as a volleyball player and is now studying somewhere in California. Kiah was known as Dee’s so-called-girlfriend in FPS, another member in FPS. Dee bullies the other members a lot but she’s actually the sweetest person you would ever meet. Dee has been travelling a lot lately, not that you know how and where she’s getting all the money from. Probably found herself a rich Arabic man,  𝑊𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 is what she would say.

Speaking of travelling, another member of FPS is currently studying to become a pilot, Ira. You would usually call them beansie or beans as a nickname because they had a baked beans icon for a few days due to losing a bet made between them and their other friends.

“Beans” was also a ship name for the second youngest members in FPS, Bea and Anne. The memory of them screaming of how big an anime character’s private part is in the group chat was still fresh in your mind, especially Anne. Back in the days, Anne would randomly send pictures of her eyes to get conjunctivitis with you. What a weirdo, but who would’ve thought that weirdo would be studying to become an ophthalmologist. On the contrary, despite the young age, Bea is already working as a manager in one of the biggest franchise in her country.

Speaking of which, you have a few other members who was the same age as you too, Raya and Teddy. Raya is currently studying in one of the most  well known med school meanwhile Teddy is working her ass off to become a successful programmer of some sorts.

Most of the other members are still studying now too. Kaye is currently studying to become a chemist, Ren is studying to become better in cybersecurity to become an ethical hacker, Angi is continuing her studies in the economical field and Allie, just like you, is studying in the faculty of law.

The older generations of FPS are already working. Jade had just graduated and is now working as a new attorney, Ballan is a successful film maker by making films that would leave a big impact on the audience, Riv is working as a cardiothoracic surgeon and Cee has a job that that helps the ones in needs with her skills.

Sora and Ken on the other hand are living life to the fullest.  Ken is currently living with her friends with a few pet animals to make it more lively and is now working as a zoologist. Sora is now living in Japan with the love of her life and is taking care of her grandparents while balancing her life with school counseling.

You’ve lost contact with a few other members like Cat and Arrielle, but according to Elis, they are doing well in life as well.  

As for Hannah, she now has a job she’s happy with and is living with the best partner she could have asked for. Back then, all she wishes for was to find happiness and to be happy.You’re glad things are going well for her even though there are times where life gets rough, but you know she’s strong enough to go through it. 

Remembering all the old events 8 years ago made you somewhat emotional. The late night calls, the online games, the skipping school to chat, the roleplaying, the rigging every poll ever made on anime twitter, the horny chats, the matching layouts…

𝑩𝒁𝒁𝒁𝑻

A vibration from your phone  cuts you off from your daydream.

𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬: 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦

“Ah, Sof I gotta go now” you say as you start packing up your notes and laptop into your lemon yellow tote bag.

“Elis is here?”

“Mhm.” You nod, still packing everything up.

“Oh by the way Rania, you made online friends before right?”

“Yeah, why?” you replied as you stood up pushing the chair under the table and slung your tote bag over your shoulder.

“Are you guys still in contact?” Sofea asked.

“Oh-“

𝑩𝒁𝒁𝒁𝑻

Another vibration from your phone cuts you off from finishing your sentence. You unlocked the screen of your phone and glided your hand in a downward motion on your screen, pulling the notification bar down.

𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞: *𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩*

𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬??

𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐚: 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦.

𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞: 𝘦𝘩 𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯

𝐝𝐞𝐞: 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯��� 𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵

𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞: 𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘩

𝐛𝐞𝐚: 𝘭𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦

𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞: 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳

𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐲: 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘰𝘰 𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳

𝐩𝐚𝐮: 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯

𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺𝘦

“Hello?” Sofea said while waving a hand in front of you, clearly wanting the attention from you.

“Oh, sorry. What was the question again?”

“I was wondering if you’re still in contact with them.”

You paused as a smile starts forming itself on your lips,

“Yeah,” you replied,

“we’re still in contact.”