#Also it feels punk when its patchy

[mountainsboyhowdy]

I cut my own hair bc the amount of explaining it takes to get a barber to do this, in my experience, takes as long ad the haircut.

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac Experiences Culture Shock

The Hannya of the Gracey and its Kitsune.

Tricky, cruel, deceptive, jealous, ungrateful.

That’s what you’ve been called ever since Nanji settled. It’s been whispered behind your backs and said outright to your faces.

Ever since Chichiue told you to take a more appropriate form if you both were going to eat dinner properly with the family, and his eyebrows drew down when you stuttered out that you were trying, you were, but Nanji couldn’t change back from the red fox that quailed under the glare of Chichiue’s eagle.

You were sent to their room in the middle of the meal because of that, Asahiko-nii-sama’s exaggerated faces of disgust, Leota-nee-sama’s quiet yet smug vindication and Enji-nii-sama’s open glares of disapproval following you both as you left.

Seven isn’t an…uncommon age for a dæmon to settle. Unusual, to be sure, enough to raise and lower eyebrows, prompt the start of a inquiry before the asker remembers which family they’re about to question.

But it’s just edging into more common for “early bloomers” that it’s usually assumed that you were closer to eight than seven when Nanji did settle. Besides, there are kids out there who have had their dæmons settle at younger ages, after all.

All the studies you’ve read say this phenomenon is near uniformly a result of a traumatic event or hostile living environment. But that’s probably more of a generalization than anything.

Still. At least the names and insults weren’t so bad. They were just words after all.

At least the people using them would steer clear. Keep at least a two foot distance between themselves, the Hannya of the Gracey, and its Kitsune. As though you and Nanji actually had any power to curse anyone with.

At least they wouldn’t try to keep fucking touching your dæmon every five minutes.

So pause. Rewind a bit. You and Nanji and your old middle school crush and his dæmon (who you’ve certainly gotten over, and who does not look any better than he had in middle school now his Sonata has settled, thank you very much) have been transported to another world. This world is called Twisted Wonderland.

The people of this world are soulless assholes.

Because none of them have dæmons.

And the vast majority of them you have met so far are assholes, in some shape or form.

You have yet to ascertain whether the latter is dependent on the former.

And yet they keep acting like normal people in spite of this absence, rather than the traumatized wrecks that are in textbooks in history class, all dead-eyed and unresponsive. So maybe there’s something to the headmaster’s claim that their dæmons are…inside them, somehow.

Though that just gives you the awful mental image of a person lifting a mouse or an insect dæmon to their lips and just…swallowing. Nanji nips your hand for putting that lovely idea in both your heads.

But back to the topic at hand: The people here don’t have dæmons. They have never had dæmons. So it’s understandable that initially all of them don’t quite understand that there’s a difference between them and just another talking animal, like Grim.

That it is NOT OKAY to try to scoop them up or punt them around like they do to Grim (and honestly, you’re not really okay with them doing that to Grim either— it’s why you and Yuuken trade off who has the monster cat perched on their shoulders or in their arms and out of harm’s way whenever you both can). That’s just down to cultural differences. You can understand it, if you cock your head, squint your eyes, and are very, very sleep-deprived.

What is not understandable is the assholes who think it’s hilarious to try to keep touching Sonata and Nanji even after you’ve repeatedly told them “no”.

Some of that might be Nanji’s fault. Though at the time it hadn’t seemed like a bad idea, considering how many curious would-be touchers immediately jerked away and lost interest permanently after he blurted out, “It’s a sex thing!!”

(It’s not exactly a sex thing, more of an intimacy thing at most. But there’s something much more visceral and back-the-fuck-off about “touching a dæmon is like shoving your hands down a stranger’s pants” compared to “touching a dæmon is the realization of a very deep and intimate bond between you and your partner”.)

But of course, many is not all.

And there’s always going to be some assholes who think that seeing how easily they can get away with harassment is a “fun game” rather than a creepy and messed up power play. Just like back home.

Yuuken and Sonata have it much worse than you and Nanji.

You’d thought the muskox form she settled into was noble, dignified, a perfect embodiment of Yuuken’s diligence and strength. (No, it has not made your crush on him worse, shut up.)

The only problem is that a muskox is not as small a creature as a fox. So while you can physically pick up Nanji and move him out of reach if some punks decide they want to cause trouble, poor Sonata has no such defense. She has to move away if they get between her and Yuuken, and their distance limit is so much smaller than your own, and both of them look so trapped—

It surprises everyone but Nanji and yourself when you take a page from Deuce’s book and ball your fist up to punch the asshole trying to bury his hand in the thick fur of Sonata’s flank.

The resulting crack is not from the asshole’s nose breaking, unfortunately.

You haven’t ever really punched anybody before, hadn’t ever been in a situation where you were justified in your retaliation.

Of course you manage to fuck it up on your first try.

Nanji does not thank you for the resulting limp in his one good leg until your hand and his paw heals, even if he understands why you did it. You give him lots of petting in apology, carefully avoiding the spots where his fur is now patchy and the skin is ridged with scars.

(And isn’t that a fun experience, whenever the ex-overblots’ eyes wander over him, catch sight of what they inflicted on you both, and suddenly can’t look at anything else fast enough. None of them have actually, explicitly apologized to either of you for it.)

Yuuken and Sonata hover over you both like concerned mother hens, despite how often and repeatedly you tell them this is not their fault and you’d do it again in a heartbeat. Sonata actually offers to let Nanji ride on her back while he heals.

You try joking you’d get jealous, so it’d be better not to, only for Yuuken to offer to piggyback you around campus as well.

Ace teases you mercilessly for how strangled you sound when you squeak out that that won’t be necessary, and Nanji buries his head under his tail and refuses to come out for the rest of the day.

Deuce is more concerned with teach you how to throw a punch properly, so you don’t hurt yourself next time.

Jack provides Nanji with a smaller version of the splint he sometimes uses if he hurts his paws when in Wolf Mode, which does help a bit, even if it does feel slightly surreal to feel the phantom press of the medical implement on your hand.

Grim delights in setting the assholes on fire whenever they’re within reach. Whether he can get away with it is another factor he doesn’t seem willing to take into consideration.

Crowley scolds him and the rest of Ramshackle by extension for “violent behavior on school premises”, and resorts to subtly threatening to cut off your food money whenever you try to pressure him to actually do something about your harassers, as though it’s somehow your and Yuuken’s faults for having dæmons.

As though it’s Sonata and Nanji’s faults for existing.

You resort to scribbling increasingly insulting caricatures of the stupid birdbrain headmaster for your theory wall to vent your frustration, in absence of any concrete way to get back at him. Nanji chews the cushion in your armchair to near rags as you pin them to the wall with more force than is strictly warranted.

Yuuken and Sonata turn out to be far more proactive than you when it comes to dealing with grudges of this kind.

Or, at least, more willing to go along with plans that allow them to do so.

You know Ace had a hand in it. His brand of vindictiveness and humiliation is pretty distinctive. Ortho is also clearly a culprit, thanks to the technological mishaps that had one of your tormentors in actual tears. From the garish, clashing pink and petty sparkles that have been added to Crowley’s attire, you’re fairly sure Epel was involved too.

Sebek…is a participant you’re on the fence about, for his conflicting claims that it was a childish prank to pull on the bullies and headmaster and that both parties had whatever fate they now suffered coming to them. Even if he wasn’t directly involved, you’re pretty sure he was in on it enough to not spill the details.

But the sudden influx of logs, which would require someone with an above average level of strength and/or the help of an animal that specialized in moving large burdens over distance?

Combined with the fact that Jack and Deuce were as mystified as you, Grim, and Nanji at the results of the prank?

Well, even if Yuuken hadn’t shot you a subtle wink (which most certainly did not have your cheeks heating, no sir) in Ramshackle’s kitchen while the two of you prepared dinner to the sound of Sonata’s quiet laughter, you’re pretty sure you would’ve worked it out sooner or later.

For now, you and Nanji are just glad that they’re both here with you to help navigate this Twisted Wonderland of soulless assholes.

Even if some of them aren’t as bad as the others.

[drabbles-of-writing]

Storybook AU. Luz has toes beans & the first time Gus found out he was mesmerized. Luz's friends love to just squish & play with them. Luz always gets embarrassed by it, but she likes the feeling of people playing with them & likes the attention. Luz has super big fangs that poke outta her mouth & they make her look super goofy most of the time but can be pretty scary when she bares them at people. Dinosaurs have feathers, wouldn't it be cool if Luz got spots of feathers in the winter? -Punk

She’s got toe & hand beans n Gus will just Squish them. she does the cat thing where when you Squish It her claws slide out and Gus is just Mesmerized squishing her beans and watching her claws slide in and out n Luz’s tail is just Wagging

Camila always said “oh don’t worry you’ll grow into your fangs” meanwhile Abnar also had some big chompers he only Kind Of grew into so its not looking good for Luz. This often leads to her scaring people on accident when she was just trying to smile n she hates it. Meanwhile Amity comforts that “hey, if you didn’t have them, you wouldn’t look threatening At All if you needed to” meanwhile shes v gay for them

FEATHERS FEATHERS FEATHERS I’m All for that. It’s one of the few things Luz inherited from Camila, who sprouts lines of feathers along her body in the winter. Luz’s are far more patchy and all over the place. Shes got a wonky amount around her neck and chest, some on her wrists, patches on her back, some at the tip of her tail, she looks like a weird taxidermy project that went awry

[motherwasapapafucker]

What's your thoughts on Ennis's 2007 Dan Dare series ?

Oh shit damn yeah, I have like...a weird amount of thoughts about that one, but also keep in mind it's been like...six years since I read it last and my broader Dare reading is pretty patchy. (Remember those lovely hardback trades you could get in Waterstones when you were wee? bring them back) Also like, gonna talk about Morrison's Dare from Revolver way back in the way back a lot in this rambling shit, because the two are heavily interlinked in my mind. S'also king interesting how many fairly notable creators have worked on Dare after the fact like that? you've got Morrison, Ennis and Milligan recently (haven't read that one as of yet, pretty meh on titan and so/so with Milligan's more recent work. Though the Prisoner mini titan published with him is the better side of the so, so.) Anyway aye, it's a strange wee book, even just being part of Virgin Comics, but that's more in terms of any major entity forming a comic publishing sideline. (Or buying one, hyooo) On a surface glance it's not a book you'd really think of as a Garth Ennis work, lacking the usual black comedy cynicism that's defined a lot of his work but really, it was never going to have that and there's still cynicism but far more in line with the more serious elements of Hellblazer run. On top of that it also feels like an extension of his aviation stuff, just dressed in sci-fi clothes. Which is where the overlap between it and Morrison's Dare come into play. Your classic Dan Dare, for all its future setting has often been noted as being very immersed in the realities of the Post-War UK, it's optimistic yes, but there's a grubby underside of danger because basically, for a decade or everything genuinely was still a bit fucked. Dan Dan emerges into a world where rationing is still a thing, but the NHS is new, fresh and the biggest development of a post war world. In Dare, the world is clean, advanced and....facing food shortages. Like it can't be stressed how often food as a concern drives those initial dare strips. In Morrison's Dare we see the 1980s to this worlds 1950s tinged future, the utopia that just seemed around the corner hasn't materialised because, and I cannot stress this enough, Margaret Thatcher was elected. Dare's stalwart, oh so English persona reduced to little more than a marketing tactic for right wing politics while the real man drowns himself in alcohol and faded glories. Eventually we learn, as happened in real life, Thatcher worked with the Mekon to transform hopeful off-world colonists into cheap food solving both hunger and housing in one fell swoop. Dan eventually joins up with an embittered Digby who's teamed up with some punky freedom fighters and at the end of the day, Dan Dare hides a bomb inside Anastasia and uses it to destroy London, Thatcher, himself and the Mekon. The bastards might still be on top, but he's still spat in their faces at least. (Or burnt them to ashes, you get it) Anyway, aye, Ennis' Dare is the early 2000s to the original's 1950s, and in many ways casts as bleak an outlook at Morrison's Dare's bursts of hope...but also the cynicism. Tony Blair is the evil of the day, a spineless sell-out that happily plays puppy for a returned Mekon facing a faded, but still fighting Dan who the book views as both a very old-fashioned type of English hero but also a true modernist betrayed by the realities of a modern Britain. You could say it's a book perfectly aware that the imperfections of 1940s society built to this, but also aware that there had to be people creating the good that came out of the aftermath of the second world war. It's a bit doddering, a bit too content with these noble ideals but at the same time I don't think it's so wrong for that to be the spirit of your Dan Dare book? He's heartbroken by the collapse of the UN Spacefleet, cynical about the realities of this New Labour future but at the heart of it he's right to be, and even then he still comes back, still fights try and fix some of it. Where Morrison's Dare stages a suicide bombing in one final act of Punk rebellion, Ennis' Dare is

a slightly out of touch figure left trying to sift something good out of the wreckage. And that's not to say it isn't at it's heart a sci-fi adventure comic; It's already far more so than Morrison's Dare ever could be, but also more so than the original Dare itself in all honesty. Which is maybe a bit of an issue, the world design is cool but it's a little harder to picture it existing alongside the 1950s Dare's slightly more introspective sci-fi adventure. This is fully Star Wars territory; With space Spitfires, ominous capital ships, mutants, faceless stormtroopers and a version of the Mekon that's went and bought himself a latex catsuit. The narrative is a sequel, but the look feels like a reboot? In Morrison's Dare it still feels like that original setting just filtered through a few years of urban decay and rot. It's arguably in line with the far more overt changes seen in the 2000ad Dan Dare really? Basically, it's not the best thing in the world but it ain't half bad for what it is? At it's heart Ennis seems to have as much genuine affection for the character of Dan Dare as he does Superman, arguably more so which is kinda worth a thought in terms of what figure Ennis does portray as worthy of respect within his own fiction. Which again, a lot to be said for how willing it is to view this things without any harsh criticism, but you'd need a very surface level view of Ennis as a man to think he's Mr. Pro-Military. Aye, read it. Ennis is really back up there in my mind tbh, Hellblazer and Hitman are worthy of every bit of praise flung there way, but for all his characterised by the gross out/murderfest his work is filled with interesting wee curios that do a lot to undermine the image of him as a creative with a single, uncompromising style. Hell, I fucking hate the Boys and I canny even hate it that much because its existence seems to be largely god punishing Chris Clermont fans for their hubris.

[passionate-reply]

This week on Great Albums, I finally do a video on one of my very favourite artists: Gary Numan! And I’ve started with a not-so-obvious choice, his second solo album, Telekon. What makes Telekon so great? Click and find out! Or read the full transcript, which is below the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, we’ll be talking about Gary Numan for the first time in this series, and most definitely not the last. Telekon, Numan’s second LP under his own name, is not a particularly obvious place to start tackling his enormous legacy, but I chose it partly for sentimental reasons: while I can no longer remember exactly what my first vinyl record purchase as a teenager was, there’s a solid chance it might have been this copy of Telekon. But, that aside, Telekon holds a pivotal spot in Numan’s discography, in that it’s basically the last entry in his very brief “imperial phase.” 

Numan’s first major hit was, of course, the unforgettable “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”, the main single off of his second album with Tubeway Army, 1979’s Replicas. Replicas was a bit patchy and stylistically diverse, a snapshot of the artist emerging from punk rock, and just starting to meld that with electronics and forge something new. Later in ‘79, Numan followed it up with something more cohesive: his arguable masterpiece, The Pleasure Principle. This album would pull no punches in its attempts to blast you onto your back with its synthesised screeches.

Music: “Films”

But, where to next? While all of Numan’s music is distinctively “him,” he’s also never been one to get too comfortable in any particular style. If The Pleasure Principle was Numan leaning into the punk side of Replicas, and tracks like “When the Machines Rock,” then Telekon represented a return to the dark and ominous atmosphere of tracks like “Down in the Park.”

Music: “The Aircrash Bureau”

While The Pleasure Principle had been defined by its buzzing, gritty walls of texture, Telekon tracks like “The Aircrash Bureau” emphasize eerie, whining synth lines, and create a sense of delicate frailty with traditional instruments like viola and piano. Where The Pleasure Principle strove for a busy and full sound, bordering on overwhelming, Telekon is bleak, hollow, and haunting. But aside from its sound, “The Aircrash Bureau” doesn’t necessarily push new conceptual and thematic ground for Numan, being narrated by the titular entity, a hopelessly mysterious force of death and chaos that seems to threaten us listeners. Equally gothic themes pervade the rest of Telekon, including its lone single and opening track, “This Wreckage.”

Music: “This Wreckage”

In 1980, Numan also released two other singles, “We Are Glass” and “I Die: You Die.” These standalone A-sides were clearly intended to be part of the “Telekon era,” as their sleeves prominently feature Numan in his iconic black-and-red leather jumpsuit, like the album does. They were initially absent from Telekon, though--at least, before some releases added them to the tracklisting. I like a big hook as much as anybody else, but I can still appreciate the commitment to ambiance and crawling, slow-burning song structures on Telekon proper. Thanks to the dominance of slower-paced material, the more strident moments feel well-earned--as on “Sleep By Windows,” the track usually cut for “I Die: You Die.”

Music: “Sleep By Windows”

While it’s easy to praise the artistic integrity of Numan’s aversion to including those singles, it was certainly a somewhat bold career move. But Numan was more or less on top of the world at this point--and he’d been hitting the top of the pop charts, with both Replicas and The Pleasure Principle becoming number one albums. If he was a bit cocky, that was understandable...and it ended up paying off for him in the end, at least this time, with Telekon also achieving that number one spot. But Telekon would prove to be Numan’s last LP to do so. While there’s never one clear reason why an artist falls out of the spotlight, it’s hard to listen to Telekon without coming away with the impression that Numan was a bit tired of his sudden and unexpected fame, which had swallowed him up when he was hardly a legal adult. “Remind Me to Smile” stands out as a track whose lyrics seem to embody Numan’s desire for relief from so much public scrutiny.

Music: “Remind Me to Smile”

“Remind Me to Smile”’s strikingly upbeat melody seems to embody the titular request, putting on a stilted facade of emotion despite the misery expressed in its lyrics. Numan’s diffident demeanour and social awkwardness, which he later learned to attribute to autism, undoubtedly made his life difficult. His personality also contributed to his perception by the masses as robotic or alien, almost as much as the futuristic themes of his art, grounded in his lifelong interest in science fiction. The much-beloved track “I Dream of Wires” is one of his most famous dystopian narratives, spinning the tale of an elderly electrician who’s lived to see himself become obsolete, in a high-tech world with no more use for his skills. With its chorus ambiguously referencing “new waves,” it’s tempting to interpret it as an expression of Numan’s own fears of the world of music continuing without him someday.

Music: “I Dream of Wires”

The cover of Telekon is dominated by this bold black and red colour scheme, its criss-crossed stripes evoking the straps of Numan’s aforementioned jumpsuit without actually portraying him wearing it. The artist’s disembodied head appears to be floating, with a sort of ghostly halo behind it, adding to the album’s spooky feel. Equally mysterious is the expression on Numan’s face: his head is slightly tilted, and his eyes seem to drift away from meeting our gaze as viewers, which might be read as a symptom of his characteristic shyness.

While the title “Telekon” doesn’t particularly mean anything on its own, it seems to be derived from the word “telecommunication,” and could be interpreted as an outgrowth of Numan’s established association with things technological. Telekon is often concerned with ways of communicating with others, as on “Remind Me to Smile.” Phone calls are prominently mentioned on several Telekon tracks, as well as the aforementioned single "I Die: You Die." “Please Push No More,” perhaps the album’s most desolate moment, is anchored by what seems to be a call from a telephone booth.

Music: “Please Push No More”

After Telekon, Numan made yet another bold move: embarking on a “Farewell Tour,” and declaring his intent to retire from giving his much-lauded live performances. However, he quickly reneged. His next two albums, 1981’s Dance and 1982’s I, Assassin, saw him vary his sound even more drastically, adopting influences from jazz and funk. They also saw him decline ever further in relevance and commercial viability. To this day, Telekon is usually considered the last truly great album Numan made for a long time. I’m not a huge fan of his early 80s followups myself, but I do think that they’re at least a bit unfairly maligned. I’d challenge the notion that their stylistic shakeups came “out of nowhere,” and point to Telekon’s increasing emphasis on groovy basslines as a hint of where Numan would decide to go next. 

Music: “Music For Chameleons”

My favourite song from Telekon is its closer, “The Joy Circuit.” While Telekon has a lot of pretty dejected-sounding tracks, “The Joy Circuit” seems to send us off on a more cheerful note, with a dramatic finish bursting with violin and viola. It’s tempting to see it as a sunbeam, parting the gloomy, grey clouds of the rest of the album...but Numan doesn’t let us off the hook that easy. The final line of the song, and hence the entire album, is “all I find is a reason to die,” which is a hell of a way to close the book. With that, I have to end my video--thanks for watching!

Music: “The Joy Circuit”

[rae-gar-targaryen]

What are your HCs for Ezra's blonde tuft? Do you have the overwhelming desire to touch it? We have probably talked about this. I feel like we need an AA style group for the tuft.

KATRYN IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE AND RESPECT EZRA’S BLONDE TUFT.

Here’s what i think...

SOME PUNK ROCK EZRA HC’S (THIS IS CANON “WINTER MOON” EZRA, BTW FOR THOSE WONDERING)...

One boy I went to high school with had the same thing. It was definitely just some kind of birthmark that occured through his hair. So while I think that may be the technical explanation for Ezra’s streak? It’s not the one I love the most. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Ezra is a punk rock motherfucker.

He’s a smooth and fantastic space pirate through and through. 

I kinda think he would just bleach his hair or dye it different colors at different stages in his life.

He once had a girlfriend from a small ice planet who had bubblegum pink hair. He loved it so much he asked her to bleach his for him.

He liked the bleach so much, he’s just kept it in various stages over the course of his years.

Eventually, he just does it himself.

At first he hated how patchy it turned out when he did it himself.

But then he kinda started to like it. 

So he maintains the tuft. 

He thinks its suits him, especially complementing the silvery crecent-moon scar on his cheek. 

To go along with his bleached streak and his scars, Ezra is also a man of many tattoos 

He’s one of those “tattoos tell a story” people for sure.

On one arm he has a sleeve of various geometric-style constellations. His own personal starmap, interspersed with woodland themed tattoos.

His favorite tattoos, though, are lines of script on his torso and thighs from books and poems he loves. 

“From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire” is inked on his ribs just below his left pectoral. 

Below his heart.

He also has a skeletal sun inked around his left nipple.

Because his right one is pierced.

(He also totally tried a tongue ring once in his 20s and decided to forego it after a man he owed money to threatened to rip out his tongue for talking so much, and kept looking at the stud as something to grab on to as Ezra tried to talk his way out of the situation.) 

And that’s MY Ezra, ladies and gentlemen. 

[justdyingslowly]

1. Name justdyingslowly obviously come on

2. Nationality Australian

3. Age 22

4. Birthday nnnah dont feel like it

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign) Libra/Scorpio cusp

6. Gender wamon

7. Sexuality very very hetero

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself) androgenous

9. What do you/did you study? Psychology (focus on sexology) and art.

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have? I am disabled you think I can work ha sexologist would be awesome. When I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman but Australias always burning

-

11. Your birth order head first

12. How many siblings do you have? 1

13. Do you have good relations with your family? yeah dads finally out of his abusive relationship, nearing age 70 and his emotions and his sexuality are finally opening up for the first time and that makes me SO happy.

14. How many friends do you have? what kind of fucked up question is this.

15. Your relationship status relationshipped. Fiance? got the marriage papers in a drawer somewhere with the car rego but can’t be fucked filling them?

16. What do you look for in a SO? empathetic, mature, calm. Always open to discussion. Prefers to be blunt rather than secretive. Emotional age over 14 (incredibly fucking rare apparently). Puts an importance on context and understanding other views above all else.

17. Do you have a crush? Hellll yeah Crush on my partner and got a crush on a mutual friend of ours who don’t even know hes cute af hehe one day partners gonna accidentally spill the beans and embarrass me coz hes shit with secrets RIP me.

18. When did you have your first kiss? You think I can remember this bullshit? Its not that big a deal

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands? One night stand sex almost exclusively sucks. Just. SUCKS. Because neither of you know what the other likes and it ends up being an awkward mix of trying to please yourself while trying to also be considerate.

20. What are your deal breakers? Plugging your ears to anything that feels gross, uncomfortable or disagrees with you. How can you grow as a person without introspection? How can you mold what you think and believe without taking in other arguments and comparing them to your beliefs to see how they stack up? Its pathetic.

-

21. How was your day? cute mutual friend had a fall this morning and were both worried about him. His back is bad and he’s getting a little older, he can’t be getting dizzy and having falls like that. other than that im anxious about seeing my gastro. He’s lovely but... specialists are specialists. Good at knowing what they know but not always great at listening.

22. Favourite food & drink you think im allowed to eat or drink? water and... foods a touchy subject.

23. What position do you sleep in? Usually on my side with a body pillow to grip so I don’t end up choking my partner in his sleep.

24. What was your last dream about? uuhhh...going to italy and being unable to get into this tiny basket boat properly.

25. Your fears does PTSD to medical shit count haha

26. Your dreams ... going to italy and being unable to get into a tiny basket boat thingy?

27. Your goals - get some sort of diagnosis eventually. Its been 3 years of trying and im tired. - get back to studying art part time for my bachelors. - pass JLPT N3. - go back to university for psychology. - do the dishes when I get home.

28. Any pets? two budgies. we also take care of any orphaned or injured birds.

29. What are your hobbies? feeling nauseous drawing writing a little bit im making a little gameboy game in C atm too

30. Any cool places in your area? i live next to a national park with waterfalls and koalas and emus and stuff

31. What was your last awkward situation? mutual friend made a comment on his chest i playfully smacked it (related to the comment) it was surprisingly hard “O-oh wow, thats... I didnt expect that” my partner laughed at me. it was awful.

32. What is your last regret? getting embarrassed at friends pecs stop making me think about it 33. Language/s you can speak english. N4 Japanese.

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.) of course not what the fuck

35. Have any quirks? Quirkless. I do wiggle when im happy though apparently.

36. Your pet peeves open doors.

37. Ideal vacation spend a months chilling in an old japanese house in autumn hokkaido oooooof that sounds nice

38. Any scars? internal? yes

39. What does your last text message say? peepee poopoo ustinky

40. Last 5 things from your search history how do i find this

41. What’s your [device] background? Sam Porter Bridges walkin around Sam Porter Bridges cuddling BB-28 Louise while he sleeps my chicken

42. What do you daydream about? all might

43. Describe your dream home an old japanese house in autumn hokkaido oooooof that sounds nice

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion its a comforting thought having a parent-figure who cares about you and looks after all the big things you can’t manage yourself, but institutionalizing it runs a severe risk of becoming harmful cults. And it often does.

45. Your personality type me

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done i saw the lost bunny that was on all the posters in the neighbourhood looked thin and patchy so i grabbed him to take him home. im allergic. sent me to hospital and I almost died.

47. Are you happy with your current life? feeling sick sucks and partners having a depressive episode but things are pretty good

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life living

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49. What does your wardrobe consist of? blacks, reds, whites and pinks

50. Favourite colour to wear? at the moment pink. Red is always comforting though.

51. How would you describe your style? mix between lazy alternative punk, teenager with band shirts and harajuku peach kawaii uwu

52. Are you happy with your current looks? kinda wish i was a bit shorter but what can you do

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be? bit shorter

54. Any tattoos or piercings? lol no PTSD

55. Do you get complimented often? by who? partner constantly, family haha are you kidding im australian so a friend’s version of showing affection is calling you a cunt and slapping your ass in public

56. Favourite aesthetic? all might

57. A popular trend that you dislike blocking because you disagree or find them distasteful. Ignoring all context to opposing thoughts and arguments. taking a personal feeling of disgust to mean something is evil. Blocking your ears to anything that isn’t a circlejerk of what you already think - and trying to isolate anyone who even just listens to something other then the noise of your sloppy dicks to have a thought of their own.

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58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with? The Machine by Low Roar

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like. why wouldnt i admit i like a song

60. Favourite genre? probably enka haha

61. Favourite artist/band/genre? probably enka haha oh and tatsuro yamashita

62. Hated popular songs/artists? why the hell would I hate something like a song? I hate aspects of the music industry as a whole I guess?

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5 which playlist they aren’t all together in one place

64. Can you sing or play any instruments? piano, saxophone... uh... partners good at making music and playing shakuhachi

65. Do you like karaoke? no.

66. Own any albums? yes? many?

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations? no. but triple J, ABC Jazz and Classical. sometimes they even play final fantasy and JRPG music on classical which is pretty neat. -

68. Favourite movie/series? can i make this about games because then the answer is Metal Gear Solid

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc ...shounen?

70. Your fictional crush/es if they’re over 40yrs old, male and happy and bubbily or grumpy and sad then there’s a big ol fat chance I wanna bone. Solid Snake from MGS4, All Might and pretty much anyone drawn by Tarou Madoromi.

71. Which fictional character is you? uh

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so what does this even mean what language is this

73. Favourite greek god? idk hades seems chill

74. A legend from where you live that you like the story of Tjilbruke is funny and good. all Kaurna stories are good.

75. Do you like art? What’s your favourite work or artist? im in a big egon schiele mood atm.

76. Can you share your other social media? no i am incapable

77. Favourite youtubers? many

78. Favourite platform? not too high up. actually i like being a little lower than ground level in corners.

79. How much time do you spend on the internet? too much

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite? look i just want to say that MGS4 is the best one in the series and Death Stranding is phenomenally engaging.

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts) these are all so goddamn definitive how can I pick? Oh wait the answer is One Piece

82. Do you play board/card games? I play DnD atm and know 15 yr old rules to Yugioh

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? that shit dosn’t happen here

84. Favourite holiday golden week coz its a week also easter because thats when all the glucose based sweets come back

85. Are you into dramas? what kind

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86. Would you use death note, if you had one? no. thats called being a murderer.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to? chill people out a bit. when people feel unsafe they get really depenfive and territorial and block their ears to everything, making in-and-out groups for themsevles that end up putting them in more harm.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse? im disabled with a disabled partner. we arent funny sure we can survive normal everyday life when society is angled so sharply against us.

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be? id like to be a mimi spirit

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death? spooky time

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick? toshinori yagi

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week? anyone healthy

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo that cursed one with the intense eyes and the hand

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true im me im not me im pee

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95. Cold or hot? cold.

96. Be a hero or be a villain? both are distasteful ideas in reality

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme? i can’t do either partner speak sin bad puns and its hell, these both sound about equal

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time? shapeshifting. controlling time is eithe rmanipulative or lonely. shapeshifing is every other superpower at once.

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death? both are deeply upsetting ideas

100. ….. or …..? jiji or ossan? generally Jiji, but ossans can be lovely too.

[kvltprince]

tagged by @theredalice

hold on tight Im Doing This All

NAME: Lucy Radha Grandchester

NICKNAME: Lucifer, Little Light, Charmer or Wanderer depending on the playthrough, wanderer is more apt (he likes nicknames so seriously if anyone came up with one he loves it hes such a sap secretly)

AGE: ~45

SPECIES: Human

PERSONAL

MORALITY: all over the place. any lawfulness is his own, but he does have his own code of ethics. he has set things that he does because he is supposed to, but enough that he is disinterested in doing the right thing that most slate him as chaotic neutral or worse.

RELIGION: god abandoned him as a child and continued to do so during the war - he has his own set of nihilistic beliefs (and gets influenced by the children of atom at times on top of it)

SINS(greed//gluttony//sloth//lust//pride//envy//wrath): He doesnt really believe in sins and so like, this whole concept is so moot. “Live life to the fullest, shits sake how many damn times do I need to almost die to live my life how I want to? Fuck those limits. Gimme the Fancy Lads and the Iguana Bits. Yes I know what they are.”

VIRTUES(chastity//charity//diligence//humility//kindness//patience//justice): If it is something he deems worth it he is extremely patient and thoughtful about whatever it is, be it another person or something that is being planned out. As ive said before he has his own moral code, but it is fairly unwaivering and he is not going to budge from it, it is a good thing and he will stick up for those that need it if it meshes with his own. 

KNOWN LANGUAGES: English, his Spanish is real patchy, bits of Urdu and Arabic that is a bigger mess, a lot was discouraged just before the war. 

PHYSICAL

BUILD (scrawny/bony/slender/fit/athletic/curvy/herculean/pudgy/plus size/average): varies a bit but hes chubby and has some muscle

HEIGHT: 5′5″ ish?

SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: hooboy. okay. bunch of vitiligio, mostly on the left side of his body hands, face, torso, what is left of his leg. He only has about half of his thigh on the left side, the rest was lost from an explosion in Alaska when  he was deployed during the war. Many smaller shrapnel scars from the explosion. Other scars on his arms and face some self inflicted some from accidents some from fights.  

ABILITIES/POWERS: nah, but hes always been pretty good with improvised fighting 

FAVOURITES

FOOD: Fancy Lads

PIZZA TOPPING: radscorpion egg and hotsauce

COLOR: aqua

MUSIC GENRE: metal/punk

MOVIE GENRE: action or something really over the top art

CURSE WORD: some nonsencical compound one that will change weekly

SCENTS: dried spices, roasting meats

FUN STUFF

BOTTOM OR TOP: porque no los dos

SINGS IN THE SHOWER: nah

LIKES PUNS: yes and it probably drives people batty.

OC Phrases: Bold the phases that you connect with one of your ocs.

SIGHT. small towns. big cities. six thirty curfews. lights that take the place of stars. blanket nests. light through the blinds as a wake-up call. found family. finding a single star in the middle of new york city. window shopping.watching something terrible and enjoying it. growing numb to the sight of injustice. wilted flowers. faded caricatures. bright, bold colours.

HEARING. crickets and lightning bugs. car engines and a / c units. a phone call to mum/dad. laughing with friends. jokes that are so bad you have to laugh. the clicking of computer keys. noise cancelling headphones. the sound of silence. muffled music from another room. drumming fingertips on a table. the clicking of pens. listening to a clock and swearing the ticks get slower. ringing in the ears. the voice of someone you love. pitch shifted songs.

TOUCH. being held close during a long night. fleeting reassurances. holding hands when you’re scared. brushing fingers through strands of hair. freshly dried clothes. bruises on your knuckles. silk and satin. your favourite pet’s fur or feather. wringing your hands anxiously. snuggles. comforters in the dead of winter. nails against skin. cold metal. leather in summer.

TASTE. coffee in the morning. tea in the evening. bubblegum that lost its flavor. alcohol burning the back of your throat. homemade cooking, no matter what’s made. blood in your mouth. stale air. mint. fresh vegetables. that processed taste of citrus candy. the first meal you cook by yourself that tastes good. foreign sweets. fast food. bittersweet. sour. spicy. sweet. bitter. too much salt on fries

OC and Songs

Lucy Playlist

All of the songs in there represent him or his story in some way (and its so not in any order but hey thats okay)

Thank you for reading! Also, please feel free to do this yourself with your own character and tag me! I’d love to see your character!

[jonathantaylorthomas]

[excerpt] 15. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Does anyone apart from Pusha T relish a good diss track as much as Swift? 2017’s Reputation might have its patchy moments of just-out-of-date beats but it’s also full of deliciously vicious moments. I Did Something Bad was a beautiful middle finger to an ex (Calvin Harris, apparently), Look What You Made Me Do cut down her critics and this track, which is effectively a more bitter Bad Blood, battered Kim and Kanye. “Friends don’t try to trick you/Get you on the phone and mind-twist you” she sings in an apparent swipe at the ‘I made that b**** famous’ controversy, while underneath stuttering electro-pop clashes with tinkling piano. The chorus is Swift at her most bitingly patronising, smiling as she twists the knife in.

14. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Swift managed her first US number one with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. The singer’s knack for an earworm is obvious here, with the song one of the simplest but strongest of her career. The rest of Red dabbles with pop but Swift’s country roots are still very visible here. A foot-stomping acoustic guitar riff is right at the heart of the track, which is a much lighter take on the relationship at the heart of All Too Well. The old Taylor might not be able to come the phone right now, but she was on top form here.

13. Our Song

Jaunty violins, talk about God, a Nashville accent that twangs like a banjo string: Our Song is Taylor in full country mode. It’s got all the hallmarks of her early verse-chorus-bridge songwriting, and Swift reportedly put it together in 20 minutes for her ninth grade talent show before the record company nabbed it for her debut album. Built around a colossal chorus, where her delivery cracks like a drum beat, Our Song is a vivid picture of her teenage years and a testament to Swift’s natural songwriting nous – a reminder that, despite the headlines, she’s built a career on talent, not merely hype and controversy. Tim McGraw, which starts the album, has much the same effect.

12. I Knew You Were Trouble

2012 album Red took Swift’s popularity to new levels and the universal appeal of I Knew You Were Trouble was a key part of that success. The song became one of the most parodied tracks of the year but even adding screaming goats into the mix couldn’t the hamper its impact. It’s perhaps surprising that despite the song’s success, the chorus marked one of the singer’s most experimental to date, flirting with dubstep, pop and dance influences. It’s the perfect example of Swift’s early musical experimentations – as was the U2-esque album opener State of Grace – which would eventually pave the way for the reinvention on 1989 two years later.

11. Shake It Off

Shake It Off is perhaps the perfect song to explain Taylor Swift and seems to encapsulate the contradictions which have made her a star. For everything that’s toe-curling and cringeworthy (see: “this sick beat”, the whole “my ex man” riff), it’s also infectious, irresistible and triumphantly confident; Swift knows it’s geeky and doesn’t care. It’s a song to shimmy to – and then to kiss your crush to, when she asks the fella with the hella good hair to shake, shake, shake. Grab the white wine and go be basic – sometimes it’s fun.

10. 22

While Swift can occasionally lean-in on her wry way of seeing the world, she’s also gloriously unafraid of big, dumb pop. 22 is almost comically simplistic: the opening guitar riff is just a watered down Wild Thing, the drum beat is mindlessly insistent – a bass kick on every single beat – and the main hook (“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22”) has all the intelligence of a failed GCSE. None of it matters; the song is a joyous riot, set in a world where there are no pressures, no bills and the sun only goes down so everyone can go to bed together. It is fun, it is silly, it’s happiness is infectiously single-minded and the best lines come right at the end: “You look like bad news, I gotta have you”. There’s even Nile Rodgers-style guitar thrown in on the chorus. Splendid stuff. No wonder it’s said to be Harry Styles’ favourite Swift song.

9. Fifteen

Much has been made of Swift’s big transformation from country singer to pop behemoth but even before she was out of her teens she was flirting with stadium friendly rock. Still, Fifteen had plenty of banjo all over it, while her voice charmingly twangs as she talks boys and cars and heartbreak. Of which, it’s the lyrics that make this one: the song itself is so polished and clean it could have been assembled on a Tennessee production line, but Swift manages to infuse it with a sense of failed teenage romance that feels real – unsurprising, perhaps, given it’s based on her and her best friend Abigail Anderson’s years at Hendersonville High School.

“In your life you’ll do things greater than/Dating the boy on the football team/But I didn’t know it at fifteen” she sings, “Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now”. Ain’t that the truth.

8. Love Story

Ten years ago, pre-Kanye-at-the-VMAs, Swift was, in Britain at least, still that country girl with that one catchy song. This was that song; a hopelessly romantic tale of teenage love, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet over pop-punk guitars and key changes and, of course, a happy ending replacing the tragedy. Eight million copies sold, making it the best selling country single of all time and paving the way for the decade of massive success that followed.

7. Blank Space

Blank Space is a minimalist masterpiece that paradoxically is crammed with hooks (something she manages again, like a magic trick, on Clean). The song in itself is actually surprisingly slow-moving; chords are long, drawn-out and the drums snap but are unhurried. The genius here in is Swift’s vocals, which are catchy enough that the whole thing seems to be one long chorus. Blank Space also marks the beginning of Swift sending herself up; in it, she satirises her media image as a man-obsessed, relationship addicted nightmare who serially dates for songwriting material. Hilariously, the key line (“Got a long list of ex-lovers/They’ll tell you I’m insane”) has often been misheard – including by her own mother – as “all the lonely Starbucks lovers”, which rather changes the point somewhat. The video is a work of art too, introducing the world to the ‘new Taylor’ – before the new Taylor became the old, dead Taylor. Oh, and look out for her slip up at 3.40, it’s hilarious.

6. New Year’s Day

The beautiful, reverb soaked piano that flutters through New Year’s Day is a sign of what could be to come for Swift – not now, perhaps, but maybe in 20 years. It could be played then and just as good. If All Too Well is her great grown-up heartbreak track, this is her great grown-up love song. Whereas 1989’s You Are In Love used a similar sound for a rip of Bruce Springsteen’s Street’s of Philadelphia, here it’s more of a James Blake vibe. The beauty is in the simplicity; this is a love as rational as it is passionate. The metaphor is about being there for the good times (the party at midnight) and the bad (cleaning up bottles on New Year’s Day). There is a stroke of brilliance, too: “Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognise anywhere” she sings as a reprise, realising what too few of us do until it’s too late: love is as fragile as it precious.

5. You Belong With Me

Taylor has a long-standing love affair with power chords and pop-punk goodness. On Red, there’s Holy Ground, before that was Speak Now’s girl-breaking-free-to-rule-the-world Long Live and before that was You Belong With Me on Fearless. It’s sometimes criticised for being too similar to her other early hits but in truth, it’s just the best example of them. It’s also wonderfully full Taylor: she plays the self-deprecating dork in love with her best friend, and the video is completely, brilliantly hysterical. There are all the elements needed: crashing guitars, unrequited love, a little teenage angst. It’s far from perfect: the lyrics are her corniest, the premise is cliched and the country embellishments have been tactlessly tacked on as if purely to placate the country audience. But, in the end, it’s catchy, sweetly endearing and you’ll be singing along merrily. If you want another fill of the good stuff, put on Fearless, which is just a little less catchy but with a better guitar solo.

4. Ronan

Little known, not on any albums and barely performed live – to date it’s only been aired twice, with the first version live on a Stand Up to Cancer telethon the one to listen to – Ronan perhaps seems a unlikely entry on the list, but it stands the Swift song that aches the most, and is unlike anything else she’s written. Over the chime of trembling guitar chords, she sings as the voice of Maya Thompson, a mother who lost her four-year-old Ronan to cancer. Written after reading Thompson’s blog, Swift articulates the unsteady, insistent rhythm of grief with painful clarity. In the end, like in life, the loss stings the sharpest in the little things. “And it’s about to be Halloween, you could be anything you wanted” she sings, her voice shaking and her eyes glassy with tears, “If you were still here.”

3. Out Of The Woods

Like the heartbroken logic in All You Had To Do Was Stay (the song Ryan Adams’ did best on his mixed 1989 cover album), it’s the naivety in this one that makes it so damned sad. Jack Antonoff produced a piece of driving rock dressed up as radio-pop, the stuttering drums and Blade Runner synths casting shadows over everything, the choir on the chorus giving it enough size to fill stadiums. It’s one for anyone who’s been wrapped up in a love that’s left them shaky with the uncertainty of it all, who’s gone to sleep and woken up with the same thought, of praying they’re getting as much love as they’re giving.

2. Style

Like a designer parading a new collection down the runway, Swift showcased her new direction perfectly on this aptly titled track. Pulsating synths drive the verses along before a huge sing-along chorus kicks in, marking a dramatic change from her guitar-led earlier compositions. It’s a formula that Swift would return to time and time again in her later work, not least on the similar Getaway Car from 2017 album reputation. The song remains a highlight at Swift’s live shows — after all, pop hooks as good as this will never go out of style.

1. All Too Well

Everyone jokes about the lost scarf, but this is Swift’s most sincere tale of heartbreak and is heartbreaking itself. Though it takes a handful of listens at least to ‘get’ this track, it’s worn out and weary and the hurt goes deep. Swift says it was one of the hardest to write, and it’s one of the hardest to listen to; she sounds like she’s singing right from the bones and it’s searingly, uncomfortably intimate. Having it on doesn’t feel so much like listening as eavesdropping: other ruminations in her back catalogue are broader, relatable, but here we’re hearing her specific turmoil. Nowhere else on record does she sound as cut up the way she does halfway through this one – Jake Gyllenhaal, you realise, really broke her heart.

Plenty of Swift songs are overwrought, but the drama here is sincere: her voice trembles with pain, and the song, which starts sparse, swells and hardens up like a lump in the throat. It’s little surprise the original cut was 10 minutes long; the song is cinematic, with a touch of Raymond Carver in the sparse, classically American lyrics: “'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night/We’re dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light”.

When she gets to end of it, there are lines that induce a wince: “You call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest” she says. Then you hear her lost to her heartbreak: “Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it/I’d like to be my old self again/But I’m still trying to find it”. Love – especially when it cools – changes everything.

[cryptidofthekeys]

Virgil Wheeler (Daycare OC)

Heyoooo its him!! its the boy y’all have seen two chapters worth of content for in JLOT but havent actually seen his desc,, I legit have to cut the ‘personality’ and uh ‘side facts’ bit out of this to avoid spoilers for future chapters BUT all ya need really is just,, what he looks like ya know?

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Also I should say some TWs bc its kinda implied with some of his scarring for Self Harm and uh Physical Abuse, im gonna warn y’all ahead of time- Virgil’s backstory isnt a pretty one, he had a lotta fucked up shit happen to him- but y’all will see more deets on that later

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Another thing bc uh well no point in this being cut out,, I have another daycare themed oc- hes like,, a borrower sized clown named Pockets/Milo fgdkljhgdkfsl Virgil sometimes hangs out with them ...even tho he swears he feels eyes on him when he does- this is not to say Pockets will become apart of the canon story I’ve got going ...but who knows

| Name: Virgil Wheeler

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| Nicknames: Vir or Virge (or if your Sun apparently every fucking sun-themed pun nickname he can choose ...Virgil’s favorite is Sunbeam though ...and ya know as a treat, from another particular bot... He do love the ‘starlight’ nickname)

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| Gender: He/Him (Trans FTM)

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| Age: N/A but an adult, i gotta like do math for the age (bc of backstory stuff)

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| Height: 5’3”

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| Species/Race: Human

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| Occupation: Assistant to the Daycare Attendant p much/Security Guard considering he does nightly patrols as well

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| Hair Color: Black with some green streaks in his hair (it's really messy and curly as hell tbh, v v floofy, it also hangs down in front of his eyes mostly, sometimes he’ll pin it back in a man bun or ponytail)

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| Eye Color: Gunmetal Blue

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| Skin Color/Body Type: Very pale and honestly just average body type

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| Appearance: His main outfit when he’s not working is a black and green hoodie (the sleeves, strings, hood, and front pocket is dark green) meanwhile the rest of the hoodie is black, he wears black skinny jeans that look pretty damn distressed tbh- like they are kinda raggedy, he has black and green shoes as well to match his aesthetic, wears a spiked collar that has his name on it (like p much a dog tag lookin thing hanging down from it) also wears black n green spiral gauges, has some spiked bracelets that match his collar as well, has some little green horns that also go with his outfit, he likes the punk/demon aesthetic tbh.

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His work outfit is literally just a black hoodie with ‘Superstar Daycare’ written on it that shows Sun n Moon on the front and then has Staff on the back- they made sure to also give him that to ensure the animatronics didn’t throw him out thinking he was some kind of intruder, just has black pants to match it and then of course some black combat boots with green laces (gotta get green in there somehow), still wears the gauges, collar but not the bracelets (doesn’t wanna risk a kid gettin hurt bc those are fucking metal spikes), does have a lanyard- the top half is bright colored and sun themed, the bottom half leading down to the card is moon themed, the card inside p much just has his info and name and pronouns on it.

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He has a bit of a patchy beard growing in right now, he be tryna grow a beard hella hard leave him be, it's just a lil patchy right now- he’ll grow it in eventually! He doesn’t have top surgery scars, he hasn’t got enough to afford that just yet sadly BUT he does wear a binder! A green binder to be exact- gotta keep it themed ya know

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Other than that, he’s got a few old scars on him- their scratches essentially- he ALWAYS keeps them hidden and has never let anyone see them, it’s fairly easy with the clothes he wears that and uh, he also loves oversized clothing in general, it's nice to wear but also does help with the gender dysphoria he feels at times. The most prominent scarring is across his back, it looks like he had gotten hit with something back a long time ago… Also a small detail, he has really dark circles under his eyes, it’s not makeup, he’s just kinda exhausted tbh. (i forgot, bc ofc I did- he has black and green band-aids on his arms, their just also hidden by the hoodies he wears)

[codylabs]

Chapter 14: Cabin in the Woods

Links: P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

The hot midday sun beat down on two teenagers, who were working hard with their wire cutters and improvised prybars to clear off the top of the buried flying saucer. They’d set aside most of their armor by this point, just so that the heat wouldn’t kill them. They figured that since they were near the center of the clearing, nothing could sneak up on them very easily. And just in case, their weapons never left their sides.

Inch after inch of the small vehicle was revealed below them. Even past the barnacle-like moss and the dirt and the mud, they could see its hull remained smooth and seamless. Evidently, in all the thousands of years it had been sitting here, the drilling roots of the metal plants hadn’t been able to breach it.

“Say…” Wendy stood up with an exhausted sound, and scratched her armpit. “You don’t suppose this thing is still, like, working?”

“I don’t know.” Dipper set down the wire cutters, and put his hands on his hips. He looked down at the machine below his feet. “I doubt it.”

“That’d be cool though.”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.” Wendy considered the ship. It was about 60 feet in diameter, a bit bigger than a fighter jet, maybe the size of 6 RVs all parked side-by-side. Small enough to fly around. Small enough to take off and land on runways, in parking lots, sports fields… You could actually use it to get around. Wendy got an idea. “Dibs.” She said.

“Huh?” Dipper looked up at her.

“Dibs.” She repeated. “I just dibsed it. Now nobody else can take it from us. Now it’s ours. International maritime law.”

“You can’t dibs a spaceship.”

“Just did.”

“Maritime law doesn’t apply to spaceships.”

“Dibs. See? I’ll do it again. Dibs. It’s official now. Don’t worry, I dibsed it for both of us. We can share it.”

“Well… Huh?” He looked down at it. “What would we do with it?”

“Well… What do you want to do? We could abduct farmer Sprock’s mutant cows and put them on his roof… We could take it to the Woodstick festival… We could take it to football games… Everybody would freak out and it’d be hilarious… You can use it pick up chicks, I can use it to terrorize Thompson or Poolcheck or Stanley or whoever…”

“Pick… Pick up chicks…?”

“Or we could take it to the drive-in movie theater… Or we could use it to take vacations to… Like, the beach or something. Or… Or to Alaska if the beach is boring… Ooh! Or we could fly it real low over Washington D.C. or North Korea, and see if we can outrun all the missiles they shoot at us…!”

“UH!”

“Yeah, the last one was a joke. Kinda. But… I don’t know. If we could get this thing running again… Man, we’d be the kings of this place! Come on, man. You gotta admit, it’d be cool to have a spaceship just lying around.”

Dipper blinked. Wait a minute. He thought. That actually does sound fun. “You know what? Sure!” He laughed nervously. “I… Yeah, sure! I guess…Yeah! That would be… Well, we would have to be careful and everything, but…”

“But yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!” Wendy turned back to her tools, and began prying more plants up off the ship’s hull. “Now if we could just get inside the stupid thing…”

“Yeah…” Dipper bent down toward his own shadow, and began to work again. He felt the sun burning the back of his neck, but all over his body he felt the progressing aches of weariness. In his scrawny arms, the tools were starting to seem dull and ineffective. He began to move slower.

Wendy noticed his exhaustion. “Hey, didn’t Ford call you a while back?” She asked. “You should call him back and check in.”

“Uh…” Dipper stood up hesitantly. “Well, we still have to do this…”

“Oh, leave this to the lumberjack, bro.” Wendy took the wire cutters out of his hands. “Go talk to Ford. Tell him we found a UFO fixer-upper… And also that we dibsed it. It’s very important that we dibsed it.”

“…All right.” Dipper fished his phone out of his pocket. As it booted up, he walked over to the shade of a nearby tree, and wiped the sweat from his hair.

With all his might, Robbie gave the fully-loaded backpack one final heave into the back of his van. The rear suspension bounced just slightly. Now that the burden had been lifted from his shoulders, he sagged over with his hands on his knees, and took a deep, profanity-laden breath.

“Wow, funny words!” Mabel half-ignored him, and skipped over to the passenger-side door with her pig. “All right Waddles, you have to go in the back seat. No, don’t worry, it isn’t that long of a drive. You’ll be fine!”

As Robbie climbed in the driver-side door, he thumbed over to ‘maps’ on his phone. But with cell service so patchy out here, it took a long time getting an image. And even when it did, it just showed them as a blip in the middle of the forest. The logging roads weren’t on the maps. “Well darn.” Robbie growled at the phone.

“Well… There’s only one road…” Mabel shrugged toward their surroundings. “You don’t need a map if there’s only one road…”

“Yeah, well… Well… Yeah.” Robbie started the van, and attempted to turn around in the narrow area.

Suddenly, something jarred into place in Mabel’s own memory. “Oh darn-poopy-darn!” She slapped herself. “I forgot to turn on my phone…”

She’d killed it this morning because she heard that the robot predators could track electrical signals. Now, as the screen blinked to life, she was rapidly flooded with everything she’d missed: text message after text message pouring in from Ford, Stan, Grenda, Candy, and even one from Dipper, asking where she was, what she’d been doing all day, and with whom.

Oh dear… She probably should have made up something this morning before she stowed away. She felt a little bad about worrying them, so she should check in now… Who to call first? How about Dipper.

He picked up on the second ring. “Mabel?” His voice came through in a scratchy way, since they were both almost outside cell service. “I was just talking to Ford, and you’ve been gone all day! Why wasn’t your phone on? Ford was worried! Stan was worried! Soos was worried! Heck, the goat was worried! Where are you?!? Are you--?”

“Oh, I’m in Robbie’s van!” She blurted with a hasty smile. (She hadn’t had time to make up a convincing lie.)

There was silence over the line for a few seconds. Mabel glanced at the phone, wondering if Dipper had hung up, or if the limited cell service had finally given out. But Dipper hadn’t been disconnected, only confused. “…What are you doing in Robbie’s van?” He finally asked, and she could hear the bewilderment in his voice.

“Uh... Oops, uh…” She scratched her head, and realized that her story needed a little extra something. She racked her brain. “Well… Uh… We’re on a date!”

Dipper yelped. “WHAT?!?”

Robbie stomped on the van’s brakes, and brought them to a sudden halt. Then he spun to fix her with a death glare. “WHAT?!?”

Wendy scoffed from Dipper’s end. “What…?”

Miles away, Tambry’s head jerked up from her phone for no conscious reason. “WHAT?!?”

Robbie stared at Mabel incredulously for a few seconds. She stared at him for a few seconds. Then she held up the phone in one hand, a 5-dollar bill in the other, and whispered. “Make it convincing!”

Robbie growled and snatched the cell and money from her hands. “Yeah!” He said into the microphone. “Yeah that’s right, I’m dating your sister, punk! We’ve been making out for an hour now!”

“Eww! No!” Mabel covered her ears.

“Making out?!?” Dipper asked.

“…An hour…?” Wendy said.

“I’m, like, totally wigging out right now for some reason…” Tambry tweeted. “I can’t even.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Robbie continued. “Just kissing! Kissing as much as we feel like, because it’s romance or true love or, like, whatever! How you like that, bub?!?”

“Robbie you stay away from my sister!!” Dipper snapped.

“Yeah, well it was her idea!” Robbie snapped back.

“WHAT?!?” Dipper repeated. “Mabel! Why would you do this?!?”

“Well… Uh… He was the hunkiest guy!” She smiled.

“Mabel, he’s 17! You’re 13!”

“Yeah?!? WELL! That’s kind of a weird thing for YOU to say given certain recent events and certain people who may very well be standing very close to you and hearing the words I’m saying right noooooow!”

“Leave me out of this.” The sound of Wendy’s voice walking away.

“GAH! Wendy!” Dipper gasped. “Mabel you can’t just say…! Look…! Yeah…! I…! Look…! Mabel look, you can’t date him! He’s a minor antagonist! He’s like… My nemesis! He’s a jerk!”

“You dated Pacifica and she’s kind of my nemesis jerk! But did I throw a hissy fit?”

“I thought you and her were cool now!”

“We are! I thought you and Robbie were cool now!”

“Mabel!”

“Dipper!”

“Mabel!”

“Dipper!”

“Stop yelling my name!”

“You stop yelling my name!”

“Why are you doing this?!?” He demanded.

“Because it’s funny and I’m an impulsive person and opposites attract and Robbie is an edgy jerk and I’m an adorable glitter angel so we’re attracted and plus he was also looking kind of glum this morning so I wanted to cheer him up and also because we both wanted to spite you just a little or maybe more than just a little so THERE!”

Dipper tried to follow her logic, but he wasn’t used to using that side of his brain so hard. Finally he sighed. “Mabel.” He said. “I need to talk with Robbie for a minute, and it might get a little rude. Give him the phone.”

“Oh… Kay…”

Robbie took it while Mabel covered her ears.

“Step away from the van.” Dipper told him. “Some privacy.”

Robbie got out, and took a few steps down the road. “What?” He growled at the younger man, once he was outside Mabel’s hearing range.

Dipper was silent for a few seconds, while he gathered his thoughts and calmed himself. Then he sighed. “Robbie.” He said, as calmly as he could. “What’s actually going on?”

“I’m going steady with your sister. Just like we told you, you nosy snot.”

“…No you’re not.”

“Oh… Oh yeah? How do you figure that then, genius?”

“Well.” Dipper said. “First of all, it takes more than hunkiness to attract her.”

“No it doesn’t.”

“…Okay. Fine. You’re right. It doesn’t. But… But she did set you up with Tambry last Summer, and she would never think of undoing her own twisted creation. And secondly: I’m thinking of how I left Mabel at home today when we went on our expedition… Same as how we did with you…”

“Oh really?” Robbie frowned, feigning ignorance. “Oh yeah… That’s right… You did, didn’t you?”

“And so I finally put two and two together.” Dipper said.

Robbie glared into the distance.

Dipper’s voice dropped to a low, menacing tone. “You went to the metal forest today.” He hissed. “When you did, was Mabel wearing armor?”

Robbie glanced back at the girl’s cotton sweater. “No…” He shrugged.

“AND.” Dipper said. “Were you armed with a deadly weapon?”

“No… What’s it to you?”

“Listen to me very closely.” Dipper growled. “Mabel is my sister. She means more than the world to me, and more than she ever will to you. Do you understand that?”

Robbie had never had a sister, but he began to get the idea.

“Now.” Dipper said. “You’re obviously not romantically involved at all, but the thing is: I wouldn’t really care, even if you were. You can date, you can hang out, you can even kiss, and I wouldn’t throw a fit. But. BUT. BUT. Robbie. If I ever again hear that you’ve accompanied my sister into danger, and haven’t protected her… I will find you. And I will beat you up.”

Robbie took this in. He knew the kid on the other end of the phone line, and he knew how small and wimpy he was. But right now, he heard the tone behind the child’s voice, and strangely, he believed him.

He nodded.

There was silence for a moment.

“We didn’t do anything dangerous.” Robbie finally said. “We didn’t go very far in, and didn’t see anything cool even. Your sister… Took pictures… And… Played with all the robots she could find. That’s it.”

“That’s it?”

Robbie glanced at the backpack full of stolen live samples. “That’s it.” He lied.

They were silent for a moment.

“Okay.” Dipper said.

Robbie sighed. “Look.” He said. “I gotta be honest with you kid, I can be a real jerk sometimes.”

“Yeah.” Dipper agreed. “You can.”

“You need to suck it up and deal with it.” Robbie told him. “This is the real world, not some kindergarten fairy tale where you deserve to be treated like a dainty little gentleman.”

“Yeah…” Dipper sighed. “…You know, I can be a real butt sometimes too.”

“Yep.” Robbie agreed. “I hate your guts and I want to pound a nail through your skull.”

“Yeah…” Dipper scoffed. “Grow a set and come at me then. And in the meantime? Shut up.”

“Yeah.” Robbie sighed.

They hated each other in silence for just a moment more.

“So…” Robbie said. “Are you and Wendy, like…?”

“Like what?”

“Dating, or whatever?”

“HUH?!? No!”

Robbie nodded. “Oh.”

Dipper considered this. “…Earlier.” He said. “When I brought up the hypnotizing thing, you said ‘the winners write the history books’… Is that what you meant? You thought I ‘won’ Wendy?”

“Well yeah…” Robbie said. “Didn’t you? I mean, kinda?”

“That’s not the way it works… At all. She yelled at me that night too, and… Told me I was too young, and… Yeah. We’re friends now.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Friends?”

“Friends.”

“Like… You sleeping with her?”

“Uh… Yeah, we slept in the hospital the other night. What does sleeping have to do with anything?”

“I mean--”

“OH! AGH!” Dipper realized. “DUDE! We’re not even married!”

The boy immediately hung up.

Robbie frowned down at the phone, then slouched back over to the van.

“Sooooooooo…” Mabel smiled expectantly, and took her hands away from her ears. “Is everything non-rude again?”

“Yeah.” Robbie growled.

“Did you both apologize and be cool? I mean, I want you to be happy and him to be happy and it would be too bad if he had a brother-in-law he couldn’t stand…?”

Robbie slammed the door a little too hard, and tossed Mabel her phone back. “We had a discussion.” Robbie said. “A heart-to-heart, the way guys do it. We’re cool now.” He stuck the transmission into gear, and started the engine again. “Now listen, kid. I have a girlfriend, and a concert tonight. So could you STOP with the phony romance thing and tell me where we’re going already?!?”

Mabel blinked her eyelashes slowly and adorably. “Phony…?? Was it really so phony, my love?”

“Where. Are. We. Going.”

“Alright alright…!” She giggled, and pulled out a map. “We’re going… Here! The woods by the Mystery Shack. There’s some… Equipment we need.”

“What kind of equipment?”

“Like, this sort of a… Cave. And it has tubes of… Cold? Yeah, tubes of cold. Big freezy-frozen tubes.”

Robbie searched his mind for some kind of translation. “You mean, like… Stasis tanks? Like a sci-fi game?” He clarified.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Mabel smiled. “Stasis tanks…”

“Hey Dipper!”

“What?” He put the phone away and stood up, eager to talk about literally anything else.

“I think I found the way in…” Wendy gestured to a small patch she’d cleared on the side of the ship’s hull. There appeared to be a circular seam in the glass surface, as if the section could slide open like a hatch. “But there’s something reeeeeeally weird going on here.” Wendy said. “Look at this…” She pointed to a certain part of the seam. There was a blackened burn mark, surrounding a place where the glass had been chipped. “It looks like somebody came through here and unlocked it for us…”

Dipper scratched his head, as he remembered seeing a similar blast mark on the male lion.

“You mean… There’s some kind of… Third party?” Dipper asked. “Something with laser beams?”

“Could be…” Wendy shrugged. “But something? Or someone?”

“Does… Does anybody else know that this forest is here?”

“Do they?” Wendy asked. “My dad knows, and my oldest brother, but that’s all… Who have you told?”

“…I don’t know…” Dipper ran through a mental list. “There’s… Mabel… Robbie… The Stans… And McGucket. I guess Soos and Melody too, but they’re… Oh, and I guess Bill knew ‘lots of things’ too, but we killed him…”

“Right… But does the government know about it? Or anybody who would use, like… Bombs? Or burning-hot death rays? Or…?”

“I don’t know…”

They glanced uncertainly about the surrounding trees. Of course they saw nothing, but that did little to calm their paranoia.

“Well…” Dipper looked back down at the vehicle. “Whoever broke this seal… Do you think they could still be inside?”

“No, they never opened it…” Wendy said. “See, in order to get a grip on this, I had to spend, like, half an hour cutting away vines and stuff. Plus there’s still plants growing across the seam, and undisturbed dirt. So all they did was get it started. They didn’t go in.”

“As if all they were doing is opening the way for us…”

“Almost like that, yeah…”

“…Think we should we go in?” Dipper asked uncertainly.

“I don’t know…” Wendy shook her head. “Should we?”

“Should we?”

“SHOULD WE?”

“Will we?”

“WILL WE?”

Dipper shrugged.

Wendy shrugged.

“Let’s go.”

“Why not?”

They got as good a grip as they could on the glass panel, and strained for all they were worth. Eventually something below them creaked, the surface shifted, and the left side of the seam spread apart by about half an inch.

A fine cloud of dust puffed up around the broken seal, and a few loosed clods of dirt tumbled down the dark crack, to thud and shatter on the floor below.

The teens put their fingers into the crack now, and Wendy braced against the other side with her boot, and they pushed and they pulled some more. The panel creaked and squeaked and eventually opened up to about 20 inches wide. Wide enough to fit through.

They paused to replace the rest of their armor, weapons, and protection. Wendy thumbed on her headlamp, and Dipper pulled out a flashlight.

They shined their beams down into the opening, and saw nothing but a small, round room.

Seemed harmless enough.

Wendy tied one of the metal vines around the trunk of a nearby tree, and then dropped the other end down the hole, so they could climb back up again once they were down there.

Dipper gripped the vine in his gloves, and lowered himself into the darkness, with Wendy right behind.

Their boots contacted the floor with a dull ringing noise, and raised 4 tiny clouds of fine dust.

The room was empty except for a few pipes and vents, and a cluster of confusing controls on one wall. Dipper opened the translation app on Ford’s tablet, and began to decipher the controls’ markings. “Outer door… Inner door…” He read. “Pressurize, depressurize… Emergency lockdown… Okay, it looks like we’re in the airlock right now… Maybe this will work?” He flipped a switch.

The airlock’s outer door hissed back shut above them, severing the vine and sealing them below.

Wendy scoffed. “If I had a nickel for every time I was locked in a tiny, dark airlock with you…” She mused. “I would have 2 nickels.”

“SORRY! Sorry, uh…” Dipper flipped the switch that said ‘inner door’.

The room suddenly sprang to life around them. The space reverberated with a shrill beep, and dim, turquoise lights flickered to life around the walls. An incomprehensible alien voice announced. “Stand clear of opening door!” In a language that was most certainly NOT English. And the wall next to the controls hissed and creaked open, and then everything immediately fell deathly silent.

In the larger room beyond, more turquoise lights came on. Only about a third of the lights were still working, and of these, about half were flickering on and off sporadically, like some cheap movie effect that the director threw in to make a place seem shabby, aged, and eerie… Well, it worked.

Dipper and Wendy stepped into this room slowly.

At first, it looked like the inside of a spaceship. There were a few flight seats beneath the dome in the ship’s center, surrounded by levers and controls. The room itself was circular like the ship, and there were computers, pipes, and cargo containers built into the walls.

But…

It wasn’t a ship.

There was a homemade bed tucked into one corner, its sheets tattered and pale. Something like a baby cradle sat next to it, and the two were separated by a curtain. On the other side of the room, pots and pans were stacked atop some manner of makeshift stove. Water pipes had been disconnected from the wall, and hooked directly into a shallow washbasin, which sat near the airlock. Wooden cabinets and chests were erected here and there, each one stacked with small items. Items like tools, utensils, bowls… Baskets… Photographs…

This wasn’t a ship.

Once, in some far departed time… This had been somebody’s home.

Wendy walked hesitantly over to one of the chests. It was made of alien metal wood instead of normal wood, but it wasn’t too heavy to pry open. Inside it, she found clothes. This one seemed like heavy pants, but too wide. That one looked like a light shirt, though too tall across the back. And these two must be socks… Right?

Dipper approached the bed. The bedframe was wood, but not earthly wood. The sheets were cloth, but not earthly cloth. The center of the mattress was stained with blood, but not earthly blood: oil and burn marks more like…

Wendy inspected a basket lying on a shelf. It was handwoven. Handwoven out of steel cables…

Dipper turned to the cabinet next to the bed, and picked up one of the small, framed pictures. It was blurry with dirt and grime, and almost entirely faded, but he was able to make out a faint silhouette: the shape of two people, standing together holding hands. One tall and wide, one short and wider… They had glowing red eyes…

He turned the photo over, and recognized the symbols.

ƉN::ᶌ and Ɖg@}Nᶌ.

Betty and Barney.

“Hey.” Dipper said.

“Huh?” Wendy turned toward him. “What?”

“Betty and Barney.” Dipper said. “They were… It looks like they were alien robots… I guess… I guess they lived here…?”

“Oh…” Wendy glanced at the bed, with its ‘blood’ stain. “So… What happened to them then?”

Without warning, the airlock door suddenly slammed shut, sealing them in the ship.

As one, they spun to face the door. Wendy pulled out her axe, and Dipper the magnet gun. They didn’t see anybody nearby who could have worked the controls, but that didn’t mean there was nobody there…

“Hey!” Dipper snapped. “Who’s that?!?”

“Yeah, come on out!” Wendy tried to help. “We just want to axe you a few questions…!”

“Ask.” Dipper corrected her.

“That’s what I said.”

“What you meant, maybe.”

“I meant what I said.”

“You said ‘axe’.”

“…I did?”

Suddenly, all the ship’s interior lights began to flicker and flash. Even the ones that had seemed fine before. Even Dipper and Wendy’s personal lights began to waver. Then, just to accompany the flashing, their walkie-talkies somehow turned themselves on, and began making scratchy, warbling noises. The sudden hubbub startled them both, and they found themselves back to back, with their weapons pointed in opposite directions.

“What’s going on?” Wendy asked.

“I don’t know!” Dipper said. Then he noticed something else: a few of the smaller items around the ship: the bowls, baskets, pictures and things on the cabinets, books and tools as well; all suddenly began to levitate. Then they began to accelerate, swirling around the room about chest level. “Maybe the ship’s coming back online?” Dipper guessed, as he ducked to the floor. “The gravity drive must have been engaged! Everything’s becoming weightless…!”

“Wait… No, no it’s not the ship!” Wendy ducked down low, to avoid a metal basket which would have hit her head. “I’ve seen this once before…”

“You what? Where?” Dipper frowned. “Oh… Wait…” He recalled a certain night spent in a convenience store… And a certain other night spent in a mansion. He looked down at Betty and Barney’s photograph, still clutched in his hands. The two silhouettes in the picture had vanished. “Oh.” He said. “Yeah… I’ve actually seen this twice before…”

They backed into a corner, and Dipper dumped out his backpack on the floor behind him. “Ghost stuff, ghost stuff…!” He muttered, and poked through the pile. He’d packed a magnet gun, a tablet, a radio tracker, a Geiger Counter, even a wrench set and a poster that said ‘this sentence is false’… “Dang it!” He hissed. “I packed all my sci-fi stuff today! Didn’t expect to run into magic…”

“So no ghost stuff at all?” Wendy frowned.

“No, no P.K.E. meter, no holy water, no silver mirrors…”

“Dang it!”

“Well. Guess we’re ghost-harassing the old-fashioned way then.” Dipper stood up suddenly, and removed his helmet. “Attention alien robot ghosts!” He bravely announced. (This was a string of words he never would have expected to say.) “We are human; native to this planet Earth!”

Wendy stood up too, and removed her own helmet. “We mean you and your kind no harm, and our intentions are honest!”

A small jar lifted off the floor, and accelerated right for Dipper’s head. He ducked just in time to save his skull. The jar shattered on the wall, and the broken fragments rained down around them.

One of the shards happened to scratch Wendy’s cheek. A single drop of blood fell from the wound, and dropped to the ground. Red, human blood.

As soon as the liquid touched the floor, all the lights in the ship suddenly turned off, all the levitating small items dropped suddenly and clattered to a stop on the floor, and their walkies fell silent.

“Ow.” Wendy said.

“What is it you want?!?” Dipper asked.

Then, at the other end of the room, a single computer screen winked to life; its soft blue glow the only light in the ship.

They hesitated for a moment, weighing their options. But, since there didn’t seem to be anything smarter to do, their curiosity won out and they cautiously crossed the room. Dipper picked up Ford’s tablet and the interface cord, and searched around the screen for a place to plug it in. Wendy glanced about the rest of the room, her eyes straying across the bed, kitchen, tub… All these relics of former life, now empty. Her eyes strayed over the walls too. The ship was haunted, and the invisible souls of the dead fixed her with their gaze. The souls of Betty and Barney?

Who were they?

Dipper found the terminal’s port, and plugged the tablet in. Its circuits thought for a brief moment, then began to spit out a long stream of text. Wendy bent down over his shoulder, and together they read…

-date: 13/20/2094-46’\

Hello.

My name is Ɖg@}Nᶌ.

As one of the survivors of the crash of colonial vessel 46.18’\, I am starting this journal to document our experiences on this planet. In the event that we are rescued, or survive long enough to reestablish contact, this log will serve as a record on our experiences. If you recover this and we’re not here to give it to you… Then I guess we’ve failed.

And this is our story.

[characternerdocs]

16, 20, 34, 42, 43, 49 (OTP Ask Meme, for Heather and Vincent~)

OTP Ask Meme|||@icybreaths

16. Who reminds the other to put on sunscreen before going to the beach (or pool)?

Vincent, obviously. but he needs it more than Heather cause she tans rather than burns. If Vincent is in the sun too long, he either turns into a lobster or subconsciously starts to manipulate the shadow to make some shade. (Neither is good, but Heather enjoys seeing both, and red and black are Vincent's colors so now I'm curious of what sunburnt Vincent would look like )

20. What do they argue about the most?

Prolly Heather's sleeping habits or lack of them because as much as Heather sorta picks fights with Vincent, needling him and annoying him about this and that to get a reaction out of him, when it comes to her lack sleep, it's not a joking nature for either of them. Heather is plague by night terrors so she refuses to sleep, though she'd good a faking it (though Vincent can always tells she's actually awake cause she'll slowly rub one foot against the other while she has fallen asleep she's still until that night's nightmare starts.) Though Vincent prefer Heather actually sleep than laying there with her eyes closed until she is certain he's asleep. However he doesn't realize that it's a difficult argument to win as being torment by vivid nightmares, frequently involving past traumas, when you have the ability to alter reality itself is a dangerous combination. Still, he feels like Heather could possible learn to control her nightmare but trying to practice lucid dream, that way she'll be aware of the fact it is a dream and change the situation to something less frightening for herself. Still Heather is stubborn and shoots down any suggestions.

34. Do they go on dates? What are they like?

Yes they do go on dates. I was gonna say that they do crimes together, mostly robberies, ranging from petty thefts to museum heists, maybe a murder or two and a splash of arson here and there, but technically that's Vincent's job which Heather is an "unofficial consultant" on (Vincent pays her a commission out of what he gets from for his services) so I figure that's technically not a date, but they do enjoy work close besides one another, and the line between work and personal life has sorta blurred for them. But there dates vary on who is setting it up. Vincent has taken Heather to the opera a few times, which the original prospect of it didn't thrill her, but Heather actually enjoys it as Vincent will lean in and explain the plot in hushed whispers to her. He also like to take her out dancing from time to time, show her moves that are taken from any of the numerous just dance video games. Plus good ballroom style also carry onto the battle field. Heather like to take Vincent to clubs where she can use her Just Dance moves or she like going to Chuck E. Cheese before she got banned from all establishments for multiple infractions from, hacking the token machine to get endless coins, rigging whack-a-mole so that the moles pop out of the game at like a frigging bottle rocket on nitro, to attempting to get in a fist-fight with Helen Henny after she "flashed Vincent the eyes" (Vincent is thrilled they cannot go there any longer, and finds Dave & Busters a moderately more tolerate venue as it not plagued with toddlers.)

Other than they they do also enjoy going to see horror movies, slashers, and thrillers and laughing like the unstable maniacs they are in the crowded theater.

42. What is their favorite feature of their partner?

Heather like Vincent's talons as he basically has ten super sharp razor blades literally on his finger tips. She like test to see that materials they are able to slick through and also giving Vincent amateur manicures.

Vincent like Heather's hair, from its bright yellow hue to the alternative, punk-rock cut Heather like to keep it in (Tho she sort has to as the hair around her scar grows in patchy and uneven) And he's honored that Heather also has him to clean up her undercut and manage the length for her. Vincent also like to play with it, it's not often that Heather would wear her hair up or anything, but Vincent is always happy to help her find a new way to wear it if she asks. And they both seem to like the addition a braid every now and then.

43. What is the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

When Heather realized she had feelings for Vincent, she started to listen to him more. She quit toning out his words of warning or talk of this or that- obviously not 100%, but maybe like 80% of the time she was listening to what he was telling her (which was up from the 35% that it started at) And she found out that they were nabbing some pretty cool items. And she started to take interest in what he like (though mostly it was reading which was boring) but she found they way he'd explain things for her really awesome cause he made an effort to make sure she understood

Vincent became begrudgingly more tender towards her. As the anger that always simmers in him stopped peaking as much as it originally would around her. Sure he'd still get mad but his rage seem to decrease faster and faster every time she ticked him off. When she'd interrupt him, he stopped pushing her away, and actually tried to share with her what he was doing as he realized what he thought was her just trying to antagonize him was her just being genuinely curious. He also started to give her more things, like moving her from sleeping on the couch to, "Oh it seems as if this apartment I have in Burbank has two bedrooms. I have to travel there for a job and I suppose while where staying there you can take the spare, it would be pointless to have it go unused in any case."

Oh and Vincent patch up Picksin for Heather as he was all but a tattered mess at best

49. What do they do when they’re away from each other?  worry

Well Vincent will read or he will spend time with Umoriti, grooming and making sure his steed is doing alright. But he does also enjoy share that with Heather if she's interested in it at that time (she can be fickle with her interests from day to day) He'll practice the violin also which again something Heather enjoys sharing in that and other day, not so much. One thing that Vincent definitely does without Heather, is he researches Glenbrooke and Project Wendigo. He does it secretly as he originally started to try and figure out who he was getting involved with when he took in Heather as a roommate/business partner but it grew into trying to figure out what and why they had done such deplorable thing not only to Heather but to numerous other individuals. But in digging into it, Vincent had found out exactly what/who they tried to turn Heather into and he is sitting of this information as he doesn't know how the knowledge of Heather "true identity" would affect her, as he personally had a negative one what he discovered his own, and doesn't was to burden Heather with the stigma that may come with the true or make her feel like she isn't her own person, but he also feels guilty of withholding such a heavy truth form her as well.

Heather like to do parkour and free running on her own, and occasionally Vincent will tag along in her shadow. But she also enjoys tinkering. She has a little workspace in the basement in Luvartt where she'll work on different things, mostly at night so she can avoid sleeping. She'll work on either her little robot things like the Furbglar (tm) or she make little homemade firecrackers or explosives- which god forbid she ever drops something everyone would die. She also just generally starts chaos somehow when not with Vincent. which again is why Vincent worries when he's not with Heather.

Thanks for the ask @icybreaths, boy this turned into a long one... Enjoy!

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

Album of the Week: Pressure Machine by The Killers

Seven albums in, you’d think you’d know what to expect from The Killers by now - wrong.

Having been a big fan of their first two records, Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town, I have found their work since to be quite patchy and uneven, with my expectations for each new record as its released fairly set – an album of some glamorous, and some not so glamorous, indie rock & roll. But this is not that Killers and Pressure Machine is most definitely not that album.

Written during lockdown and inspired by Brandon Flowers’ own experiences growing up in Nephi, Utah, this one comes completely out of leftfield. This is a catalogue of stories from the town’s history, interspersed with vox-pops from the people of Nephi who still live there today. Most importantly though it’s not the showy glitz The Killers are known for, instead it’s a dark, introspective, quite melancholic yet cinematic listen. This is less The Killers, more Nick Cave or even Phoebe Bridgers, who herself guest stars on the record as its sole feature.

Now by no means is this the best record that the Las Vegas rockers have ever produced, however after years of hits and misses, it’s just great to be pleasantly surprised by a record from them that feels structured and cohesive. It does also feature some of their best work in years, particularly opener West Hills which is just the perfect scene-setter. Opening on a beautiful arrangement of piano, mandolin and strings, it drops the listener into the heavily religious surroundings of Brandon’s upbringing and the struggle of the people of Nephi to seek salvation outside of Mormonism. Eventually culminating in a grand guitar-driven and string-drenched crescendo, its already one of my favourite Killers tracks to date.

There’s plenty of highlights elsewhere too. From there the album moves into the bleak story of Quiet Town, which describes two high school kids getting hit by a train, the blow of which is softened somewhat by the upbeat, Springsteen-esque instrumentation. Cody is a real bluesy number about some of Brandon’s more imposing acquaintances, that erupts towards the back end in an incredible guitar solo from Dave Keuning. Runaway Horses is the Phoebe Bridgers’ featuring track, a gorgeous, folk tale of heartbreak that poetically outlines two people going their separate ways. The title track is also pretty remarkable, with Flowers’ vocals taking an almost ethereal turn at times before a stunning fiddle solo glides sweetly across the song’s outro.

So, for fans of The Killers that just wants the big indie anthems, my guess is that this album won’t be for you, as it really is completely different to anything they have delivered previously. Sam’s Town comes closest, but even that was built on some maximalist moments where this record is much more subtle and reserved throughout. However, if you enjoy tales of small-town Americana and some of the imagery and sounds that come with it, this will no doubt be a compelling front-to-back listen for you.

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Loving In Stereo by Jungle

Elsewhere, electronic duo Jungle released their dancefloor-ready third studio album Loving In Stereo. If you’ve listened to their first two records then you may have an idea of what to expect from this one, as they continue to combine modern elements of dance, hip-hop and R&B with a flair of 70s disco and soul. This album will have you grooving away from start-to-finish, with singles Keep Moving and Romeo providing two of the many highlights here.

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Tracks of the Week

Care For by Blossoms

On the singles front this week it is a mostly all-indie affair, with Stockport’s finest bringing their own 70s flair to this swooning, string-tinged tune, that offers the first taste from their forthcoming new album. A great start!

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Bad Summer by Spector

Spector also continue to build to their new album, with this new release seeing them extend their run of killer teaser tracks for Now Or Whenever. This is arguably the best single from the new record to date, with Fred Macpherson detailing a past-relationship on a track that the band themselves describe as “for when every night feels like a honeymoon and every morning feels like a funeral.” Oddly perfect!

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Gravity by Palace

London outfit Palace also marked their return this week, with Gravity sounding like a glorious, dizzying mix of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, as the high-pitched lead vocals soar across some spacey and atmospheric instrumentation. Epic!

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If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You by The Wombats

The second single from their forthcoming 2022 album Fix Yourself, Not The World feels like a spiritual title track to that record as Murph laments depression putting a strain on his relationship whilst also promising to get himself out of the funk. There’s also some typically sharp lyrics throughout such as:

“You know I’ll do whatever you want me to,

Throw a banquet in a moshpit,

I’ll get out of bed, stop listening to Radiohead

Take you out of this, your reluctant optimist”

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Tonight, Tonight by Real Friends

Finally this week, we have two covers starting with an unexpected pop punk version of the Smashing Pumpkins classic. Although it lacks the haunting, soul-stirring beauty of the original, it’s still a fun take on a great song.

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Sad But True by Royal Blood

And then this week’s Metallica cover entry from The Blacklist is from Brighton rock behemoths Royal Blood who delivered their take of Sad But True. Although much more traditional and less inspired than St. Vincent’s cover, the song sounds tailor-made for them and will have you up and moshing in no time.

Listen here

[comfypants4life]

Rose Cosplay Breakdown

I had a budget of $100 for this and I think I blew it on the dress. But what a dress! Even kids who didnt know Steven Universe thought I was a princess, and even though I was a rebel leader, I kinda felt like a princess too hehe. I’m so happy with how it turned out but there is always changes you want to make after. 

Top of Dress: I made the skirt part of the dress separate because I didn't want the dress to be too heavy and pull me too down. The white part is separate and I did this part first which I really shouldn't have! When you look at Rose's dress there is no seam between the white parts so I really wanted to keep the first layer in one line. I really didn't want a lot of seams on the first layer so I looked at a few corset and sweet heart patterns and combine that with a circle skirt. The next time I wear this dress I will be adjusting or outright remaking the top part to have a more exaggerated sweet heart top, more tailored waist and fuller, wider, longer skirt because I thought the first petals were one of the weakest parts of the dress. I used a matte satin in a warm white or ivory and lined it in the same thing, happy with how breathable it was, and turned all the seams inwards just so it looked more professional. Next time I wear it I will buy a smaller corset, because I couldn’t cinch it enough and I feel like my silhouette suffered.

Bottom of Dress:  I made the dress in two parts, top and bottom. The bottom was made out of a large mesh circle skirt that I connected all the petals to and a hoop skirt. The hoop skirt was the only thing I didnt make, it was going to be so difficult to make and on amazon it was $15.... I wanted the petals to look a little less like fish scales but whatever, I like fish lol. Each layer is a little larger than the one above it. I made them out the cheapest pink and light purple satin I could find, turned them on their ‘wrong side’ and layered it with a fine pink mesh to diffuse the shine. Next time I’m going to make an additional layer of purple at the bottom (if I can find that right shade of purple now that I think about it) just because I didnt like how you could see my feet in the platforms. But at the very least, you can see that when the wind blows, no cage lines

Gem: I made the gem out of plastic resin and mixing pink, white, a little bit of ochre red. I first made a model of it out of air dry clay and then varnish, but it was hard to make it even as it changes from being a pentagon to a circle. In the end I made a 3D print of the gem and made a silicone 

Peachy hair under warm light

Wig:  Ahh the wig! I got three cheap long curly wigs. After a lot of trial and error I cut out two wigs and sewn them into the third one. I re-curled most of the curls into large ringlets and sprayed them with a got2b’s strong hairspray. I kept the bangs pretty straight since every pic I see of her has some face framing bangs. Because this wig was so heavy I was scared it would slip off my head so I pinned the hell out of it. Which was good, because I little troll gave it a yank, punk ass. but it didnt budge so jokes on that little shit! :P 

Sword:  I have a definite love-hate relationship with the sword. I had some extra toekick around from a renovation. it had the weight and the rigidity I wanted and this groove on one side that could totally be a fuller. Sprayed it with PlastiDip (though I should have done a few coats). painted with acrylics and filled the fuller up with a thin layer of clear resin and put three paper flowers into the top. whole hand guard was made of foam and the handle was made out of cutting up two painting stir sticks and using flexible electric tape . the swirl was made on the 3D printer and the Rose on top was made of resin. I used some playdough to make a rose and  then varnished it, made a silicone mold, the same way I made the gem. Oh, I had all these tiny gems and paper flowers left over (I was going to use them to highlight my dress but then storage and durability wise I knew they would look patchy in the first ten minutes of use. Then I put all the little paper flowers, then I paint a bunch of silk flowers and stuck those on... that was me trying to sabotage myself by making up extra stuff that I didnt need to do. 

The 3D printer really can step up the cosplay game. It can make things so much more accurate but i dont recommend using it for large pieces as it takes a long time to make them. My next costume is probably going to be the Winter Soldier cuz I have a massive crush on Bucky Barnes. I will try to use it to make some finger armor for it and make the star because I need it to have percise and equal corners that I see others struggle with. But the majority of the costume will be made of foam, because its much quicker, easier to work with and honestly, just more fun. You can get really caught up in making everything perfect and using the 3D printer can make beautiful, intricate pieces but it can also make some things harder then just sculpting it by hand.  Hope this can be helpful to someone in the future! 

[ursulaismymiddlename]

Something Hidden in the Heart

Here’s my gift to Taylin @chvystiel (it won’t let me tag for some reason) for @beefybuckyswap‘s gift exchange!

It’s a little fic I whipped up and hopefully the recipient will like it!  They suggested the Avengers throwing Bucky a birthday party with Steve and him sneaking out for their own celebration. A wee bit o Stucky thrown in as well! Had some help from @abovethesmokestacks for beta reading and encouragement.

Words: 4273

Warnings:  Just some cursing, a suspicious Bucky, and a brief appearance by almost every superhero in an Avengers/Cap movie 

Bucky padded around the quiet, empty apartment in his socks and pajama pants with the inexplicable feeling that something was up.  It was rather unsettling considering the fact that if there was one thing in his awful skill set he could be proud of after all his unnaturally long years, it was his ability to figure shit out.  But in this instance, he hadn’t the foggiest.  He knew Steve was acting weird, hiding something from him.  Nothing terrible, he could tell, maybe because he seemed to have a sixth sense for that sort of thing when it came to Rogers; always had, if his patchy memory served him at all these days.  Still, this went beyond his favorite blond bombshell.  The whole damned team seemed to be in on it and that was bothersome.  Definitely not conducive to a happy Friday morning.

The feeling deepened when Bucky entered the kitchen to find a box of fresh “everything” bagels sitting on the counter next to a covered plate with a small note sitting on top.  He picked up the cover first to find a huge heap of scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast.  Now, he and Steve each had a high metabolism between the serums they’d been given and all the training they did, but even this was a bit of overkill first thing in the morning.  Finally taking a look at the note, he immediately recognized Steve’s “new” handwriting, much clearer than the chicken scratch he used to dole out.

“Hey Buck

Thought I’d fix you up some breakfast to start your day off right.  There’s lox and cream cheese in the fridge to go with the bagels too.  I went on my usual run, but might be busy with some errands today, so don’t worry if I’m scarce.  I’ll see you tonight.   X

-Steve”

Highly suspicious.  Mostly because Bucky already assumed Steve was out for his run.  And he would have assumed not seeing him most of the day was just mission related.  No, Steve was trying way too hard to cover something up.  Of course, Bucky was not one to waste food, not way back when and certainly not now after 70-some-odd years of tube feeding and intravenous drips, not now that he was allowed to eat and he has allowed himself to eat.  So he set about putting a dent in the spread of food before him as he glowered slightly and thumbed at the note.  There was a dark blue smudge at the bottom left corner of the paper and he brought it under his nose for a tentative sniff while smearing it further under his finger.  One of Steve’s pastels no doubt, which meant the little punk must have been doing something early that morning in his art room.  His art room; probably the smallest room in the apartment that didn’t house a toilet, yet still bigger than their apartment had been in Brooklyn all those years ago, as big as his place in Bucharest had been.

After breakfast, leaving a few bagels for a snack later, Bucky changed clothes and grabbed his duffel bag to head down to the gym.  A little PT was as good a way as any to stay sharp and work off some of that unease that had been plaguing him all week.  On the elevator ride down, he noticed something shiny on the floor and stooped to pick it up.  A small scrap of cellophane in reflective silver that glinted in the light as he tilted it back and forth.  It was innocuous enough, but he couldn’t shake the thought it seemed out of place.  He still held it between his thumb and forefinger as he exited the elevator, only to be greeted by Romanoff and Barton heading his direction.

“What ya got there, Barnes,” Nat asked as she pressed a towel over the sweat damp tendrils of hair sticking to her neck.  One eyebrow was still arched in amused curiosity as she took a pull from her water bottle.

“Dunno, some shiny piece’a plastic I found on the floor,” Bucky replied with a shrug and a hope that he could wring some information out of the situation.

That hope was dashed when Nat gave it a cool look before plucking it from his grasp.  “Looks like trash to me.  I’ll toss it for you on my way out.”

Then again, maybe her response was a clue in its own way that the scrap was something he shouldn’t have found.  Romanoff was an expert spy, but he was observant enough to know when she was trying to play it cool.  And Barton standing there was strange on its own, considering he was uncharacteristically awake before the ass crack of noon on his day off without a thermos full of coffee glued to his hand.

“What?”  Clint furrowed his brow and Bucky realized he must have been glaring at him the whole time he thought.

“Nothin, just not used to seein you here so early, is all,” Bucky shook his head.

“Training,” Barton countered, crossing his arms in front of his chest, making Nat roll her eyes.

Bucky eyed him up and down a moment.  “Look pretty un-sweaty for a guy who’s been training.”

“Nat and Sam trained, I watched.”  Barton’s chin tilted up with a defiant smirk.

Okay, that sounded about right for the man, so Bucky let it slide with a huff and a nod before stepping around them toward the training room without another word.  Once through the doors, he found Wilson using one of the treadmills at a steady jog, already sporting a thin sheen of perspiration.

“Barnes,” he grunted by way of greeting, not bothering to slow down.

Bucky took a few moments to securely wrap the knuckles of both hands.  Maybe he couldn’t really damage his left, but it lessened the chance of the metal plates snagging on the canvas of a heavy bag and causing unnecessary damage.  He was considerate like that.  It also gave him a chance to linger.

“Miss your running date with Steve,” he cast out, hoping to reel in something useful.

Sam shook his head, though managed to keep his form solid.  “Nat wanted to train early.  Plus, you’re not catchin my ass out in the cold when we’ve got perfectly good equipment inside.”

With a sour grumble, Bucky turned his attention to the punching bags and set himself to work.  Everyone seemed to have a perfectly reasonable answer for everything, yet it all still seemed off to him somehow.  There was something just under the surface, of his interactions, of his memory.  He couldn’t put his finger on it and it was growing irksome, so he used his fists to help clear his mind.  It was after a particularly hard hit, making the chains jingle and the ceiling joist groan in protest, when Bucky found himself bracing for Sam’s reaction only to be met with silence.  Usually, something like that happens, Bucky slips up or leaves an opening, and Wilson was all over it, cracking wise.  But this time, nothing.  Barely even a derisive glance.  Instead, Sam pressed a few buttons on his machine before slowly coming to a stop and hopping off, gathering his things and heading out.

Maybe it was time for Bucky to start being concerned.

Finally feeling the satisfying strain of exhaustion in his muscles, Bucky called it quits and hit the showers.  He was back in the elevator when he decided he might as well watch a movie that afternoon and pressed the button for the common room in hopes of perusing the DVD and BluRay collection there.

“Sorry, no can do, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY’s bright voice replied with an air of remorse, startling Bucky somewhat.  “The Boss has some unscheduled maintenance happening on that floor today.  Off limits for the time being.”

“Did he blow himself up again,” he asked under his breath, though obviously the speakers could still pick him up.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” was the AI’s snappy comeback and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Is there something I can do for ya instead?  If you’re after a quick snack, I know where Mr. Stark hides all the best ones.”

“Nah, I just wanted to check out some of the movies,” Bucky replied, shaking his head for at least the hundredth time over having an actual conversation with a computer program.  It never ceased to amaze him.

“Ah, well, if you like, I can make the whole library available to you on any of the devices in your and Captain Rogers’ apartment,” came the happy response.  “I can even categorize them however you prefer.  Netflix doesn’t have anything on me.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” Bucky laughed again as he leaned against the elevator car’s back wall.  Though he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what sort of unscheduled maintenance could possibly be going on.

The majority of the afternoon consisted of watching movies, pausing said movies to look up certain references that sounded interesting on the internet, polishing off the rest of the lox and bagels and the rare leftover pizza from the night before, and sending Steve a couple texts, trying to fish for information.  Rogers didn’t bite, which led Bucky to believe that he was not alone.  Steve could hardly ever stay so tight-lipped with him without some sort of outside interference.  But the responses didn’t set off any red flags so Bucky let it go for the moment, returning to the comedy he’d picked out for himself.  It was hours later, almost dark out, when his phone chimed again, alerting him to a new message.

Steve: Sorry I’ve been gone all day.  Meet me in the common room and I’ll make up for it by taking you to dinner.

“The common room,” Bucky muttered to himself in question.  “FRIDAY, didn’t you say the common room was closed today?”

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes,” the AI replied, though he could have sworn it sounded like it was trying to cover something up.  “But everything finished sooner than expected, so it’s been reopened.”

“Uh-huh,” he mused, eyeing the ceiling with distrust and ignoring how ridiculous that particular gesture made him feel.  It hadn’t occurred to him that maybe Artificial Intelligence included a capacity for subterfuge.  A computer had pulled one over on him and that was damned annoying at best and somewhat terrifying at worst, since he was pretty sure they made scary movies about that sort of thing these days.

Unrelenting curiosity won out in the end and Bucky sent a quick confirmation text before throwing on a warm shirt over his tee and running his fingers through his hair to make sure it lay straight.  The elevator ride was almost excruciating as the nervous anticipation spiked in him.  Something in the back of his mind was eating at him, puzzling at all the odd things that had been happening, telling him he might be reaching the culmination of everything and he wasn't sure what it could be.  And he definitely wasn't prepared for what waited for him when the elevator slowed to a halt and the merry ding sounded as the doors slid open.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Bucky's eyes widened at the sight of all his teammates, all his friends greeting him with huge, elated grins amidst a storm of black and silver confetti, the slips of cellophane matching the piece that he found earlier.  The place was decorated in the same colors at the confetti, hangers and streamers and odds and ends on a few tables filled with food and drinks.  With a devious smirk, Nat pulled him from the elevator, loosening his feet from where they'd planted themselves in shock to guide him toward Steve.

"Happy 100th, old man," Rogers beamed at him with that shit eating grin of his, one Bucky would normally, happily try wiping off his face, but was much too overwhelmed to even think about.

"I..." he managed to croak out.  "I hadn't even realized...  You did all this?"

The smile on Steve's face turned gentle.  "Oh, no.  I just spent the day convincing Tony not to go overboard."

"If you were hoping for a petting zoo, blame Star Spangled Buzzkill over here," Stark chimed in in a dramatic huff, causing a bit of a snicker among the gathered group.  "Speaking of blowing, where the hell is the cake?"

"I got it," Rhodes called as he wheeled out a small cart with a huge cake from the kitchen area.  It was multi-layered, but plainly decorated, with the words Happy Centennial written out in swirly black icing over the white background.  A lone candle stood at the top, which Scott reached out to light with a zippo.

"I suggested a candle per year, but somebody nixed that as a fire hazard," Clint griped with a roll of his eyes.

Vision spoke up from where he stood close to Wanda, who was hiding her smile behind her drink.  "I merely suggested that it may trigger the fire suppressant system.  I do not think that would be optimal for the festivities at hand."

"Could've gotten those number candles.  You know, a one and two zeroes," Peter added, trailing off when everyone's eyes turned toward him.

"And where were you when I was taking suggestions, huh," Tony asked with a curious tilt of his head.

"At school, where he's supposed to be," Bruce answered on the kid's behalf, throwing a dirty look Stark's way.

The billionaire threw his hands up in defeat even as Thor gave off a deep laugh.  "It is no matter.  One candle, one century.  A fitting compromise.  Now let us raise our drinks in Barnes' honor as he sees to it!"

There was a murmur of agreement as everyone hefted their glasses high, returning all the attention to Bucky.   He felt a little uneasy under the weight of it, though he knew they were all his friends there to celebrate him.  Still, he managed a smile, chuckling as he shook his head and leaned over to blow out the single candle.  A cheer thundered from the group and though he was still unaccustomed to showing affection in front of others, Bucky reached out and clasped Steve's hand in his own.

The night continued on easily enough with each person coming up to personally wish Bucky a happy birthday.  He thanked them all politely and even tried to chat a bit, which was still somewhat out of his wheelhouse these days.  Mostly, he observed, from behind a drink or a sandwich or a bite of cake on his fork.  Observed and tried to make sense of it all.  The party was pleasant.  They were his friends and they were kind enough to think of him.  But it was still all so surreal; all so off.  Not with them, but with the situation itself.

Eventually, Steve sidled back up to him after mingling a little, leaning in close to press their shoulders together.  "Hey, birthday boy.  Are you having fun?"

Bucky nodded with a thoughtful hum as he watched the rest of the group making merry.  Wanda, Clint, and Natasha were trying not to snicker at an expectant looking Vision.  Probably tried telling a joke again to mixed reviews.  Sam, T'Challa, and Thor were having a lively conversation; Wilson easily holding his own among royalty.  Scott and Peter listened starry-eyed while Tony and Rhodes regaled them with some story as Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's nice.  Everyone's having a good time," he finally answered.

Steve mused before leveling him with a no-nonsense look.  "But are you?"

"Of course," Bucky nodded again absently.  "It's a great party, it's just..."

"It's just what, Buck," Steve pressed gently, keeping his voice down as he snuck a hand out to press soothingly at Bucky's back.

"I don't know," Barnes shrugged with a heavy breath as he tried to make sense of it himself.  "It was nice of everyone to do this for me.  I'm grateful.  For this, for having friends, for even being alive after everything.  A hundred years, Jesus Christ!  But celebrating my birthday like this just seems strange.  Like something isn't quite right.  Something's..."

"Wrong," Rogers supplied with a caring smile.

"Yeah, wrong," Bucky laughed under his breath, feeling a little better that Steve seemed to understand.

"Okay, how about this," Steve began in a conspiratorial tone.  "I'm gonna head upstairs.  Give me ten minutes, then sneak away from the party and meet me up there."

Bucky couldn't help the flirtatious smile that spread his lips at the sound of that.  Ghosting his metal hand along the spur of Steve's hip, he replied in a dark tone "Oh yeah?  You gonna have something nice waitin for me?"

"Buck," Steve snorted somewhat scandalized.  He pointed an accusatory finger at Barnes, but couldn't hide his smirk.  "Yes, but not that.  That comes later."

He must have seen the mischievous glint as Bucky opened his mouth to make a lewd comment because he quickly cut him off with a hand to cover his lips and an amused glare before high-tailing it as stealthily as he could.  Which wasn't too bad for a beautiful blond with an ass that didn't quit.  Those ten minutes seemed to last forever, especially not knowing what might be in store for him upstairs.  But when the time finally elapsed, and not a second later, he easily saw his way out of the party.  The group was none the wiser, except for maybe Nat and T’Challa who seemed to pull all eyes to them at just the right moment.  Bucky would not have been surprised if that was part of Steve’s plan, too.

Steve was waiting for him just inside their apartment door, a soft, almost nervous smile on his lips.  “I’ve gotta admit, I went along with the whole group party because I wanted you to see just how much all of us care about you, but… well, I had a bit of contingency plan in case something like this happened.  Plus, my own gift for you.”

“Well, aren’t you fulla surprises,” Bucky smirked, tugging Steve’s shirt gently.  “But if you’re the gift I’d like to get to the unwrapping part PDQ.”

With a fond roll of his eyes, Steve took Bucky’s hand, leading him toward the art room.  Though Steve had expressly told him he was free to come and go as he pleased, Bucky still did his best not to intrude.  It seemed like Steve’s personal sanctum, where he went to unwind or be creative and Bucky was not keen on infringing upon that.  The fact that he was being taken straight there, through the door with Steve’s fingers entwined with his, felt special.  That might have been birthday gift enough as far as he was concerned, but once in the room he was met with a sight both strange and familiar.

The room was aglow with the flickering lights of a few stubby, worn emergency candles, casting dancing shadows along the works in progress and reference images tacked on the walls.  On the desk was a plate piled high with Oreo cookies and two glasses of milk.  Steve stood to the side, rubbing at the back of his neck with an expectant look on his face.  “I know you’ve said you remember a lot now, but I wasn’t sure…”

“Couldn’t afford the ingredients for cake,” Bucky nodded, heart feeling full.  “Neither of us could bake for shit anyways.  But a packet’a Oreos and a glass’a milk with you was all the celebration I needed.”

Steve’s face lit up, maybe even brighter than the candles.  Though his eyes were a little misty.  “It’s real milk this time.  None of that powdered shit for us two bums anymore.”

“Halle-fuckin-loo,” Bucky smiled, squeezing Steve’s hand in his.  “Stevie…”

But the blond just shook his head, tugging him further into the room.  “C’mon.  Dig in while I get your present.”

Bucky didn’t need to be told twice.  He wasn’t necessarily hungry, he’d had quite a bit at the party, but he couldn’t pass up the sentimental joy of it.  One was already popped into his mouth when Steve pulled open the drawer across the desk from him to produce a leather bound sketch book, fairly new.  He handed it over to Bucky, grabbing his own cookie from the plate.

“It’s not much and you probably got more practical gifts from some of the others,” Steve explained with a quirk of his lips.  “But I thought you might like it.  Open it up.”

Dusting any arrant crumbs from his fingers, Bucky carefully opened up the cover to find a blank page.  Steve jutted his chin out at the look Bucky gave him, clearly indicating to keep going. Turning the page revealed an image that knocked the wind out of Barnes.  It was a sketch of him, young him, sitting cross-legged at his parents’ coffee table, playing cards with his little sister, Becca.  Go fish.  He knew because even through the tears that were starting to blur his vision he could make out the details of her dress, the colorful fabric and the little buttons and the way the hem of the skirt got rumpled as she knelt on the floor.  Easter Sunday, waiting for their Ma and Steve’s to finish up the dishes they were making for the church pot luck after services.

Bucky sniffed as he flipped the page to find another sketch.  This time it was of him and the other Howling Commandos sitting around a campfire comparing facial hair.  He couldn’t help the wet chuckle that bubbled out of him at the memory.  The group decided to try growing out their mustaches to rival Dugan’s as a gag.  All except Monty, who was rather proud of his own mustache, and Steve, who said he had to keep up appearance.  Gabe ended up coming the closest to Dugan’s glory, but only because Bucky ended up shaving his off before it got too heavy.  Ostensibly, it was a show of solidarity since his best friend couldn’t participate, though honestly it was because Steve had made a comment about preferring the feel of stubble and Bucky was damned accommodating that way.

“It’s just a couple memories I had recently,” Steve spoke gently, pulling Bucky’s attention from his reminiscing.  He had another cookie poised to stuff in his mouth, but dropped his hand to offer Bucky a searching look when their eyes met.  “I figured maybe, if there was anything you couldn’t quite remember or something you just wanted to see again, I could try my hand at it.  Put it in the book.  There aren’t a lot of photos around from back then.  A lot of things didn’t have photos at all.”

“God, you’re such a fuckin sap, Rogers,” Bucky laughed as he swiped at his eyes.  He gave a quiet sigh as he slipped his fingers along the edges of the binding.  “They’re beautiful, Steve.  You’re beautiful.”

Steve shook his head, shoulders bouncing in a silent chuckle as the cookie in his hand finally reached him mouth.  He didn’t even have the decency to finish chewing before he spoke again.  “So, you gonna tell me what you wished for?”

“How dare you,” Bucky teased in mock affront as he carefully tucked the sketchbook away to reach for another Oreo.  “I can’t blab or it won’t come true.”

“You’re allowed one exception and you know it,” Steve countered, trying and failing to keep his expression scolding.

“Alright, alright,” Barnes conceded with a dramatic wave of his hand.  He never really could say no to Steve, not for long anyway.  “I wished for this.”

“This,” Rogers deadpanned, disbelieving as his eyes wandered the silly little display he’d created.

“Well maybe not every single detail, but this,” Bucky replied as he tapped his thumb on his chest above his heart.  “This feeling.  Knowing people care, that I got friends.  Getting to come home to you.”

Jesus, but Steve looked like he was about to get choked up and if he started then Bucky would start and it would just be ridiculous.  But Rogers managed to swallow whatever was welling up in him and offered a lopsided grin.  “Now who’s the sap?”

“I ain’t gonna deny it,” Bucky tilted his chin up proudly.  Spur of the moment, he picked up his glass of milk and raised it toward Steve.  “To a couple old saps.”

“To a hundred years, give or take,” Steve added as he brought his glass up as well.  “And hopefully quite a few more birthdays to go.”

Bucky nodded as their glasses clinked together before he took a couple large gulps.  With a satisfied sigh, he sat his drink back down and lifted another cookie, fixing Steve with a cheeky smirk.  “Y’know, I think I might know what I’d like for my next birthday.”

“Oh yeah?  What’s that?”  Steve smiled brightly and reached for the plate again.

“Maybe a couple cheesecake photos’a you,” Bucky answered as he tucked his lower lip between his teeth.  “Somethin to see me through some of these long missions when you ain’t with me.”

A blush crept its way across Steve’s cheeks and ears, but to his credit, he managed to hide his surprise with a playful grin.  “I’ll tell you what, Buck.  I just might let you earn that gift.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Bucky beamed before tossing his Oreo up in the air and catching it in his mouth, delighting in Steve’s laughing cheer at the little display.  All things considered, he wouldn’t have had his 100th birthday any other way, either.

[gethealthy18-blog]

29 Brilliant Galaxy Hair Color Styles

New Post has been published on https://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/getting-healthy-women/29-brilliant-galaxy-hair-color-styles/

29 Brilliant Galaxy Hair Color Styles

Anjali Sayee Hyderabd040-395603080 June 18, 2019

Make way for women “where no man has gone before!” Going to space is a fantasy of mine that may never happen. But, these hairstyles sure give me a slice of the galaxy! Have you seen pictures of multiple hair colors that look like if you just added stars to them, they would look like a galaxy? That’s the galaxy hair color trend, and it is mesmerizing!

What Is The Galaxy Hair Trend?

Galaxy hair is a blend of colors space-inspired colors like blues, greens, purples, and pinks. It can be a mix of just two colors or as many as six – it’s left to you and your colorist.

Intrigued? Check out these styles to get some inspiration!

29 Brilliant Galaxy Hair Color Styles

1. Blue And Pink

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Pink and blue have always been a stellar combination. If you take a look at the galaxy images on Google, you’d say the universe agrees with us. This galaxy blend is more on the lighter side, which makes it perfect for women with fair skin tones. Add a bit of white to the mix to highlight the pink and blue.

2. Purple Dimensional With A Bit Of Blue

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Purple hair has been turning the world upside down. Whether it is bright purple, amethyst, or lilac, all women want to get on the purple hair train. Give your purple dimension a galaxy twist by adding some blue to it.

3. Spring Galaxy

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This unique galaxy blend reminds me of a meadow. Its combination of green, yellow, and pink is gorgeous, to say the least. This is a brilliant color blend to flaunt during spring, when nature is blooming.

4. Intense Pastel Shades

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Pink and purple make for an evergreen combination. Pink signifies femininity while purple signifies energy. Why not incorporate the growing trend of pastel shades into this blend? It’ll leave you with this stunning muted ice-cream mix!

5. Candied Galaxy

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Have you ever seen a galaxy look so candy-like? While I’ve always seen galaxy images with more deeper shades, I think this blend really brings the fun to the galaxy hair trend.

6. Rainbow Galaxy

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If you love colors, why limit your hair to only a few? Opt for this stunning rainbow galaxy blend to embrace ALL the colors you love. However, speak to a hairstylist first to figure out which shades and colors will suit you best.

7. Forest Galaxy

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Have you seen a green galaxy? If not, I urge you to Google it. It looks super beautiful. You can just feel the calm emanating from this color blend. If you’ve got a forest spirit, this is the perfect galaxy look for you.

8. Colored Bangs

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Red, orange, and blue come together to form this stunning recreation of a beautiful galaxy. All you need are some stars, and you are ready to blast off into space! If you just want a shock of color at the front of your hair, go for this look.

9. Beachy Galaxy

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When I was a kid, I would go up to the terrace and imagine that the clouds were rabbits, ice creams, and what not. Soon, I started thinking about what the Milky Way looks like and, for some reason, imagined it like the beach. Well, now I know what that looks like! If you have blonde hair and love green, this color blend is for you!

10. Striped Galaxy

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If you are unsure about mixing colors in your hair, opt for a striped look. You can work with two or three shades until you are sure about taking the plunge into full-blown galaxy hair colors.

11. Unicorn Galaxy

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Unicorns are out of this world – just like galaxies! It comes as no surprise that someone put them together to create this ethereal and gorgeous combo.

12. Multi-Galaxy

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There are around 2 billion to 2 trillion galaxies that we know of. If you imagine all of them together, this is probably what they’d look like. This hair color blend is super colorful and vibrant. It is sure to infuse new life into dull hair!

13. Summer Galaxy

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This galaxy color blend is perfect for flaunting during the summer. The colors are earthy and bright, so they’ll blend in well with the summery theme. You can also try out this look in autumn as it makes use of orange.

14. Blonde To Purple Ombré

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This ombré combo has many women weak in their knees, and rightfully so. Use the ombré technique to blend blonde, pink, and purple together and create this bright taste of galaxy!

15. Cool Galaxy

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If you have cool-toned skin, this look is for you! Green, purple, blue, and red come together to create this delectable galaxial hair mix. It is a color blend that is truly out of this world!

16. Bright Unicorn

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Do you often feel like a purely happy soul? Are you always trying to see the bright side of things? Do you try to make everyone happy? Then, flaunt your unicorn spirit with this bright galaxy blend. Wear your heart on your sleeve and your inner unicorn on your hair!

17. Galaxial Blend

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If you look up galaxy images, chances are you’ll see a lot of pink and purple galaxies. They look indescribable and may just make you believe in a higher power. So, take that immense feeling and recreate it on your hair. You won’t be disappointed!

18. Muted Galaxy

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If bright colors are not your thing but you’d love to try out galaxy hair, opt for this muted galaxial combo. You don’t need to try as many shades as pictured here, but do try to step a little bit outside your comfort zone.

19. Intense Galaxy

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Intense shades are more dramatic than bright shades. They add a slight smokey feel to your hair. If you like that, this look is your slice of heaven! Go intense this winter with this galaxy color blend, and catch everyone’s eye!

20. Pink And Orange

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If you have ever seen a twilight sky with shooting stars, you are probably reminiscing about it when looking at this picture. Whoever said orange and pink don’t go hand in hand was just not creative!

21. Warm Galaxy

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If you have warm-toned skin, this color blend is for you. The colors here are perfect for summer too. It’s no surprise why this is a trending combo. The colors look super warm and lovely and bring joy to anyone who sees it!

22. Patchy Galaxy

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Along with the striped hair work, you can also see patches of color splashed all over this model’s hair. If you really want to take risks and go all out, this patchy galaxy blend is for you!

23. Phoenix Shades

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Out from the ashes rises another phoenix! The phoenix is a mythological creature that is other-worldly. Combine a phoenix and a galaxy to create this blend, which, quite frankly, looks ethereal.

24. Warm Bright Galaxy

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Only the best for your hair! Green, pink, red, and yellow come together to give us this surreal galaxy blend. Accessorize it with some small beads to channel the energy of stars, and you’ve got yourself a winner. Truly stunning!

25. Oceanic Galaxy

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Have you ever seen the ocean at twilight? Blue, pink, and purple merge with the sunlight to form a blend exactly like this one. It is so serene and beautiful that all you’ll want to do is stare at it. In the midst of all the chaos of the world, take some serenity with you wherever you go with this color blend.

26. Grungy Galaxy

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To all the ladies out there who love rock n’ roll, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you! This galaxial blend is perfect for you. It is bright and punk without looking too over the top. You will need to keep your skin tone and undertone in mind when trying this blend.

27. Fiery Galaxy

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If God is a woman, the galaxies will look something like this! Let your fierceness show with this blend of galaxy colors. Red, orange, and pink come together to give us this womanly blend.

28. Peacock Galaxy

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The peacock is truly a majestic creature. Take that awesomeness to your locks with this blend of colors and floor everyone! The best thing about this color combo is that it works for all seasons!

29. Pure Galaxial Blend

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Blue and red are the most common galaxy colors. They also blend together extremely well, which makes them a natural pairing. Opt for a dimensional blend of these two shades to them look more natural on your hair.

The galaxy hair trend is here to stay, and it’s only getting bigger by the minute. So, get on board and book your hair appointment today! Which one of these galaxy blends do you want to try out? Comment below and let us know!

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