#Crazy how fast things are changing. With Ohio

[blackgirlsloveburrow]

NSFW 18+

this is kind of a part two to my joe burrow x uc student!reader fic. you can read it here:

joe and you have been secretly hanging out for a good few months now, and no one has caught on. after that crazy night, you did call him, and he was very adamant about seeing you all of the time.

“joe i can’t come to your house i have homework to do. philosophy is kicking my butt right now,” you sighed.

“baby you can just do it here, i’ll pick you up myself,” he begged.

you laughed. “there’s no way you are bringing that expensive ass car around this run down neighborhood. also you know you’re gonna try to distract me from doing homework the whole time i’m there,” you replied.

“okay you win. but i wanna see you tonight for sure,” he said trying to compromise.

“i was gonna pick up a shift at work later. im trying to save up to buy some new headphones”.

“fuck work. i’ll literally buy you anything you want,” he said aggravated.

“ugh joe you know how i feel about th-“

he cut you off. “i’m picking you up now, and don’t worry i’ll bring one of my more inconspicuous cars. i’ll see you in a bit!”.

he hung up. you flopped in your pillow and groaned. your life has totally changed with him in it. you’re both grateful, but slightly peeved about his generosity towards you. i mean you’re not a person who is used to being spoiled by others. he’s always buying you nice things way out of the price range for a college student.

how do you explain to your friends you have multiple telfar tote bags all of a sudden? lululemon sets? etcetera.

you’re also basically always at his house. his cook makes meals for you, his driver takes you to class, things you would have never imagined for yourself.

let’s not get started on the college life of it all. he doesn’t like you going to frats because he hates all college guys (you can’t say you blame him), every time you mention going to a uc football game he’ll buy you guys box seats to go, and your friends are practically begging you to show your “sneaky link”. it’s very exhausting sometimes.

you definitely are in love with him though.

he’s so sweet and protective of you. he makes sures you’re always eating and not stressing about school. he’s even introduced you to his family and teammates after his games which makes you think maybe you could call him your boyf-

there’s a knock on the door.

you go answer it. it’s joe. all in his 6’4 glory.

“hey,” he smiles. bending down to kiss you.

“hi,” you blush.

“are you ready to go?” he asks.

“yeah let me just pack my book bag and some clothes”.

“you have clothes at the house,” he reminds you.

“oh well i get nervous wearing those. they’re just so nice i don’t want to stand out too much,” you laugh awkwardly.

“well you gotta get used to standing out if you’re with me,” he replied.

“well no one really knows about us,” you say walking to your room. he shuts the front door and follows you.

“well. i want more people to know because…,” he trails off.

“because?” you echo him.

“because i want you to officially be my girlfriend”.

you started at him silently.

“i was going to take you to dinner and properly ask but i couldn’t wait,” he said rubbing the back of his head.

in response you stand on the tips of your toes, wrap you arms around his neck, and pull him into a deep and passionate kiss. he reciprocates it, putting his hands on your sides.

when you guys finished, you responded.

“yes. i’ll be your girlfriend,” you say smiling widely.

he picks you up and spins you around, smiling too.

"alright get your stuff together and change so i can go feed you,” he says.

fast forward a little later in the night, you guys are at a really nice restaurant. you just finished your food and had a couple of drinks, and decided to sit on the same side of the booth as joe. he has his hand on your thigh feeling the material of your dress. you’re kissing his jaw and face.

“let’s go to the car baby,” he says. both amused by your affection and a little hard. he gets the check and leads you to the parking garage.

he pushes you up against his car and starts making out with you. his hands gripping your hips as he rubs his bulge against you.

“you have no idea what you do to me,” he breathes.

before you guys can go any farther he opens the car door for you. you get in and he gets in on his side. he speeds home, breaking a few traffic laws on the way.

you guys make it to the bedroom. he takes off your dress and undergarments. you take off his dress shirt and slide off his underwear and pants.

he’s standing and you get down on your knees in front of him.

you start jerking him off while sucking his tip. he throws his head back in pleasure.

“fuck you suck daddy’s dick so well baby,” he moans. he puts his hand on the back of your head and you start to go deeper, feeling him in the back of your throat.

he pulls you off of him after a while, looking at your watery eyes and saliva around your mouth. he makes you stand up. his hands go down to mess with your aching pussy.

“you’re sopping wet and i haven’t even done anything yet,” he says. you whine, embarrassed.

he continues. “daddy’s gonna fuck you so good baby”.

he backs you into the wall and picks you up by your thighs. you can feel his breath on your face as he lines his tip with your pussy. he pulls your body down on him in one swift motion. he instantly bottoms out in you. you moan loudly.

he starts picking up the pace. basically pulling your body down onto his girth. he’s so big.

then, with your legs around him, he carries your body and puts your back onto the bed, barely having a second before he starts thrusting into you again.

he’s hitting your g-spot so aggressively you start getting ready to unfold. the bed is shaking.

“i-i’m gonna cum. i’m gonna cum joey” you moan.

he starts to go faster, chasing his own high. you come undone, and he starts to get close too.

“i’m gonna cum in you baby fuck,” he grabs your throat and kisses your mouth as pumps his load deep inside of you.

as soon as you guys calm down he pulls out of you. you’re tired afterwards. he gets you one of his shirts to throw on and you guys cuddle in bed. he turns on the tv only to be met with a picture on the news of you guys kissing in the parking garage.

people sure are quick.

you guys just look at eachother and sigh. he kisses your forehead. you guys will just have to figure it out tomorrow.

[powerleanjournal]

GlucoSense Reddit Threads Got Me Curious — So I Tried It for 90 Days

I Found GlucoSense on Reddit by Accident… But It Changed Everything

I wasn’t looking for a supplement. I was actually looking for answers.

My blood sugar wasn’t “dangerous” — at least that’s what my doctor kept saying. But I knew something was wrong.

I was tired all the time.

I couldn’t think straight after meals.

My hands would get shaky mid-morning.

And I felt off, even when I followed the rules.

One night, I searched “brain fog after eating” and ended up scrolling through a GlucoSense Reddit thread. I didn’t even know what GlucoSense was — but suddenly, I was 20 comments deep into people talking about how their sugar levels finally stabilized after trying it.

“I was hovering around 140 fasting for 3 years. GlucoSense brought it to 110 in 5 weeks.” — u/Type2Tired

“It’s not a miracle pill. But it was the first time I didn’t feel punished by every meal.” — u/LowCarbMessy

That night, I ordered it. And I’ll be honest… I wasn’t expecting much.

My First Impressions of GlucoSense

The bottle arrived in 4 days. No fancy branding. No flashy promises. Just clean packaging, clear instructions, and a label with ingredients I could actually pronounce.

I started slow: 2 capsules a day, one before breakfast, one before dinner.

“I’ve been burned by supplements before. But GlucoSense felt different from day one. No nausea, no crazy jitters, just a quiet kind of balance.” — Kelly S., 49, Colorado

What I Knew Going In (Thanks to GlucoSense Reviews Consumer Reports)

After reading dozens of GlucoSense Reviews Consumer Reports, I wasn’t going in blind. I knew a few things:

It’s not instant. Most people said it took 10–14 days to feel anything.

It doesn’t replace meds. It supports your body’s natural balance.

The best results came from consistency, not shortcuts.

It’s all plant-based — and won’t spike or crash you.

So I stuck with it. Even when I felt nothing the first few days. I gave it time.

“You don’t feel better overnight. But you stop feeling worse, and that alone is worth it.” — Sam T., 55, Ohio

Week 2 on GlucoSense: Subtle Shifts That Felt Like a Big Deal

If I’m being honest, the first 5 days were uneventful. I kept checking my numbers like a maniac, waiting for something dramatic to happen. It didn’t.

But on day 6, something changed.

I ate a turkey sandwich for lunch — nothing too heavy. Two hours later, I tested: 116.

Normally after bread, I’d spike well over 150. This time, I stayed in the safe zone — without feeling foggy, sleepy, or panicked.

“I started noticing my sugar wasn’t swinging wildly after meals. That stability changed everything.” — Carla M., 52, New York

Week 2: The Small Wins That Mattered

My morning readings dropped from 132 to 118

I didn’t crave something sweet after dinner

I slept better — no more 3 a.m. bathroom trips

My brain fog started to lift

My afternoon headaches? Gone.

“No one talks about how freeing it is to feel... stable. Not amazing, not perfect — just normal.” — u/GlucoNerd, from a GlucoSense Reddit thread

My Honest GlucoSense Review (Week 2 Edition)

So far, it wasn’t life-changing. But it was life-improving — and that mattered more.

Here’s how I’d break it down at this point:

✅ Pros

No side effects at all I’ve had bad experiences with other blood sugar supplements — this one felt gentle and clean.

Noticeable reduction in post-meal spikes I was testing twice a day, and the numbers didn’t lie.

No pressure or crash feelings Some supplements give you false energy, then crash you hard. This one felt steady.

Easy to take Just two capsules. No powder, no mixing, no taste.

❌ Cons

You have to be consistent If you skip doses, your body notices.

It’s not cheap if you’re just testing Buying one bottle isn’t cost-effective. The 3-bottle pack was a better deal.

You still have to eat smart This isn’t a license to go wild on cake and soda. It works with you, not for you.

“My first GlucoSense Review was going to be: meh. But after 2 weeks, I was a believer. It’s not magic — it’s support.” — Lana R., 45, Texas

What I Didn’t Expect

I underestimated how much blood sugar was affecting my mood.

I thought I was just stressed. But once my numbers started balancing out, I realized… I was actually calmer. My irritability dropped. I had more patience. I laughed more.

“It’s hard to enjoy anything when your blood feels like syrup. GlucoSense didn’t just help my body — it helped my head.” — u/SteadySteve, Reddit

What’s Actually Inside GlucoSense (And Why It Works Differently)

By the third week, I had enough progress to feel hopeful — but I wanted to understand why it was working.

So I did what any curious person would do: I looked up every single ingredient. I also cross-checked it with other formulas I’d tried in the past — and that’s when I realized GlucoSense wasn’t like the rest.

“I compared it to four other supplements I had half-used bottles of. GlucoSense was the only one that combined everything I’d read about into one stack.” — u/BalancedByBerberine, from a GlucoSense Reddit post

🧪 What’s in GlucoSense (and Why It Matters)

Here’s a breakdown of the core ingredients — and what they do:

🔹 Berberine

Known for improving insulin sensitivity and helping regulate glucose metabolism. One of the most researched natural ingredients for blood sugar support.

🔹 Banaba Leaf

Contains corosolic acid, which helps reduce blood sugar spikes after meals.

🔹 Bitter Melon

Used in traditional medicine for blood sugar regulation. Mimics the effect of insulin and supports glucose uptake in cells.

🔹 Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

A strong antioxidant that reduces inflammation and supports nerve health — especially important for those with long-term blood sugar issues.

🔹 Cinnamon Bark Extract

May reduce insulin resistance and lower fasting blood sugar levels.

🔹 Chromium

Supports glucose transport in the body and helps reduce cravings.

“GlucoSense didn’t just include one trendy ingredient. It combined several powerful ones into a formula that actually makes sense.” — Jessica T., 56, Florida

How It Compared to Other Blood Sugar Supplements I’ve Tried

FeatureGlucoSenseOthers I Tried✅ Full ingredient transparency✔️❌ vague "proprietary blends"✅ No side effects✔️❌ caused nausea or crashes✅ Long-term support, not hype✔️❌ spiked me, then stopped working✅ Real results in 2–3 weeks✔️❌ inconsistent results✅ Found legit support on Reddit✔️❌ no community reviews

Where to Buy the Real GlucoSense

Let me be clear: I saw fake listings on some sketchy health sites. And one friend of mine ordered from a third-party seller and got a bottle with no label seal.

Don’t make that mistake.

👉 Here’s the official GlucoSense site I used Fast shipping. Proper packaging. Bundle options. Refund guarantee. That’s the one I trust — and reorder from.

More Real-World Reviews That Hit Me Hard

“My husband stopped worrying about my mood swings. I stopped apologizing for them. GlucoSense gave me more than numbers — it gave me peace.” — Elaine V., 61, Ohio

“The scariest part of being prediabetic is feeling like you’re waiting to get worse. GlucoSense helped me stop waiting — and start acting.” — u/AlmostThere47, Reddit

“I tested every morning for 6 weeks straight. GlucoSense was the first thing that brought me under 110 consistently.” — Thomas K., 59, New Jersey

Complaints, Warnings & What No One Talks About

Let’s be real: not everyone is going to love GlucoSense.

Before I started, I made it a point to read every GlucoSense Review I could find — including all the ones people usually ignore. I also checked multiple threads on GlucoSense Reddit and read all the rants, doubts, and side conversations people were having.

And guess what? Some complaints were totally fair.

🔻 Common GlucoSense Complaints (That Actually Make Sense)

❌ “It didn’t work in the first 3 days” → Totally true. It’s not instant. It builds naturally — most people feel a shift after week 2.

❌ “Too expensive if you only buy one bottle” → Yep. The single bottle is pricey per dose. The 3- or 5-bottle kits offer better value.

❌ “Not a replacement for real treatment” → 100% agree. It’s not a prescription. It’s a support tool. Don’t expect miracles while ignoring your doctor.

❌ “Hard to find in stores” → You won’t. It’s online-only. That’s why I stuck with this link here — the only source I personally trust.

“I almost quit in week 1. Glad I didn’t. Week 3 was when things clicked.” — u/RealGlucoUser, Reddit

“I told my doctor I started GlucoSense. She said to track my numbers. They dropped — slowly but clearly.” — Carmen M., 60, New Mexico

Who Should NOT Take GlucoSense?

This part is important.

🔴 If you’re pregnant or nursing 🔴 If you’re on strong diabetes meds (talk to your doctor first) 🔴 If you skip doses or expect overnight change 🔴 If you hate routine — this works best with daily use 🔴 If you think a supplement can replace smart food choices

The Hidden Emotional Side No One Tells You

Living with unstable blood sugar isn’t just physical. It’s a mental grind.

You feel guilty after meals

You second-guess every bite

You hide your numbers from your family

You wonder if you’re just being lazy or broken

But here’s the truth:

You're not lazy. You're not broken. You’re overwhelmed — and likely inflamed. And sometimes your body needs help before your mindset can even begin to shift.

“I used to beat myself up every time I hit 140+. GlucoSense didn’t just lower the numbers — it lowered the guilt.” — Mike J., 47, Washington

“When I started seeing stable numbers, my anxiety went down. I slept better. I stopped being afraid of food.” — Lila F., 51, Alabama

Is GlucoSense Worth It Long-Term?

Here’s the raw truth:

I’ve spent hundreds on:

Gym memberships I never used

Sugar detox kits that made me sick

Doctor visits that ended with “just keep watching it”

Foods labeled “healthy” that only spiked me more

Compared to all that?

GlucoSense is the first thing that gave me real, trackable, sustainable progress.

And it didn’t come with side effects. It didn’t make me feel like a failure. It just quietly worked.

✅ Here’s the official page I used to get mine I trust it because they ship fast, package well, and don’t mess with recurring charges. You get what you pay for — and nothing more.

So… Does GlucoSense Work? Here’s My 90-Day Answer

I didn’t write this series because I was paid to. I wrote it because I was tired of feeling powerless.

When I first saw that GlucoSense Reddit thread, I was skeptical. And honestly? I had every right to be.

I’d been let down by “natural solutions” before. I had read GlucoSense Reviews Consumer Reports and didn’t know who to believe.

But now — after 90 days, after dozens of finger pricks, after meals without fear — I can finally say this:

Yes. GlucoSense worked for me.

My Final Numbers (and What They Mean to Me)

📉 Fasting Glucose: Started at 136 → Now consistently between 102–108

📉 Post-Meal Spikes: Used to hit 160+ → Now rarely above 120

📉 Energy: Stable. No more crashes. No more 4 PM brain fog.

📉 Cravings: I still like sweets — but I’m not controlled by them anymore.

📉 Mood: Calmer. More focused. More… myself.

“I don’t feel broken anymore. I feel balanced. And that’s more than I ever hoped for.” — Nora L., 53, Wisconsin

What I Gained (Beyond the Numbers)

Freedom to eat without panic

The ability to focus through the day

Confidence at the doctor’s office

Relief from self-blame

Hope that I can manage my health naturally

Who I Wrote This For

For the person reading every GlucoSense Review, looking for a reason to believe. For the one silently scrolling through Reddit at midnight, hoping someone else figured it out. For the one who’s exhausted, ashamed, and just wants to feel normal again.

One Final Tip

If you’re going to try it, give it at least 30 days. Don’t expect miracles overnight. And don’t just buy one bottle — it’s not enough to judge. You’ll regret not getting the bundle when you start seeing progress.

✅ Here’s the official link I used — real product, safe checkout, no subscription traps.

You Deserve to Feel In Control Again.

You’re not lazy. You’re not alone. You’re not beyond help.

You just need a nudge in the right direction. GlucoSense was mine. Maybe it can be yours too.

❤️

[okyeahiminsanebutyouthesame]

Man I haven't really written on here in forever. My life has changed so much. COVID is non-existent. I made it! My mom is still here and still fighting. She is one of the toughest women I know my brother is also doing great. My life tho is well life is life 😂 I recently connected with a girl I had the biggest crush on when I was in the apprenticeship and I never pulled the trigger because I was in a bad place and she deserved so much better. I was a shell of the man I am today and know in my heart we wouldn't be like we are if I had. I wasted years not being in her life when it hurts my heart going without seeing her for a day. We know how I jump around but I'm in a great place mentally and physically and I hit her up because I knew she needed a friend, someone to talk to and confide in. That simple gesture has changed my life forever. The connection was instant. I needed to see her after not seeing her in 6 years so I offered to pick her up from the airport after a trip she had planned. I got my friend from work Dallas come with because I was extremely nervous. I'll touch more on Dallas later but what a good dude lol he listened to me talk about this girl for an hour after we went to the Casino, we had planned on going to the Detroit casino but ended up going to Toledo instead and then we left and listed to gangster rap and talked about the situation to calm my nerves. We stopped at Rally's because all the ones in Toledo are pretty much closed and it was crazy good. I'm rambling but I wanna keep these memories just in case one day I don't remember or get dementia because they are good moments, ones to look back and smile on. Feel it out and make her laugh was the consensus. After what seemed like 2 hours trying to find her in the airport because they wouldn't let her off the plane and us being on different levels there she was and my crush on her instantly returned. On the drive home we talked about an assortment of things. We caught up on life and she got along with Dallas because they are both criminals 😂 now that I think about it Dallas was just sitting in the back listening to us catch up. I owe him a drink or dinner for being a bro. I remember she said something and it gave me an opportunity to touch her. You ever wanna touch someone to make sure this moment was real? And her laugh we kept laughing because I was telling her she had extended COVID. The ride went by so fast. Tell me why 2 of us didn't have a license and 1 of us couldn't drive outside of Ohio. Talk about a Motley Cru once we got back to Ohio we made a pit stop and Dallas took over driving after I saw a Cop. When we got to her house she invited me in to make sure it was safe because someone recently broke in. After checking her house and getting a tour we hugged in her doorway and this hug made my heart jump. It was such a long and meaningful hug that just felt right if that makes sense. This hug took 7 years to happen and at that moment I knew I was gonna ask her on a date. I just didn't wanna be the guy that took advantage of a girl in her darkest moment. I didn't wanna be a rebound. This would end up being a regret I get a little bit of shit for. I'll touch more on all of this later and how much I've come to be in love with this girl. I'm tired so I'll do my best to write more tomorrow because there is so much more to this story. ☺️

[munciemap]

Crazy how fast things are changing. With Ohio, Illinois and two neighboring counties shutting down, we know what’s coming. Today we moved our operations out of the shop and into our home. We did this before any shutdown order to ensure we didn’t get stuck at home without our basic equipment so we can keep working. Even though we fully intend to be back in the shop when this weirdness is over, it was a lot harder of a moment than I expected to move out and lock up today. For almost two years we’ve been fighting tooth and nail to build and to keep the doors open to what may be our city’s strangest or at least most improbable business. There’ve been times when we’ve been minutes from having to close our for good. Thus far we’ve always fought through it and figured out something or gotten saved by a minor miracle. We’re used to being on the ropes. But, we’ve always braced ourself with an odd mantra: “we started this in a garage, worst case scenario we go back there.” It was always equal parts comfort (not the end of the world) and motivation (we didn’t want to lose the work or momentum but we also sure as hell didn’t want to run this out of a garage again). It was always a half-joke, too... gallows humor of a sort. And yet, now we’re back to running this out of the garage... it’s a bitter moment. Raw. It means we’ve met what was (however jocularly) our “worst case scenario” for the biz. It also makes the whole covid thing — and the fact that it’s gonna get much worse before it gets better — that much more real, and scary on several levels. We’re still accepting orders via website, but fulfillment of physical orders is paused until isolation ends. We also sell gift cards online. HOWEVER! We are still available for work, including digital & web #mapping, graphic design and infographics, biz & non-profit branding identity, web dev, & more! Local small biz: WE BARTER. We can also do custom maps & historic restores up to digital proof. We’re def pivoting a bit, we have to... I mean, we’re working out of a damn garage! Catch you on the flip side, shop. We’ll be back. Promise. #covid #covid_19 #Muncie #smallbiz #shopMuncie #isolation #shopSmall #shoplocal https://ift.tt/2xWf38w

[tinyboxxtink]

"Not My Yacht" *Chapter 4*

Part 3

Part 5

Mwahahahahaha!

Okay so-- obviously, this story is taking place in an alternate universe. Clearly. I need you all to follow me along on this journey, suspend your disbelief, yeah? I did my best at a backstory, I went over it for a long time. I'm pretty sure every detail is covered. If not, I apologize, let me know and I'll fix it.

I think this is gonna be one hell of a ride, people. I'm super excited, are you?!

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

(should I keep tagging @storiesofsvu ? I'm gonna do it until she says for the love of god STOP. 😂)

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

There was a very long, awkward pause before Rafael finally spoke:

“....What did you just say?”

“Please don’t make me repeat it,” You bit your lip as you looked at him with very sad, still very frightened eyes.

“I...I don’t…how...why...HOW is this man your husband?!”

“I...Well, he--” You muttered.

“He’s a PSYCHOPATH, Y/N!”

“Well he wasn’t when I met him!” You screamed unintentionally. You hadn’t meant to be that aggressive, but your instincts kicked in whenever a man yelled at you now.

“...I mean, I guess he was but you just said it yourself: He’s smart. He’s slick. He was sweet and charming and handsome, and I just-- we just-- “

“He seduced you,"

"I fell in love with him, Rafael! Jesus, it wasn't a one night stand. We were in love," You took a shaky breath. "Look I was a young, naïve, impressionable broke college student, okay? And he-- he was kind, and generous, and--”

“I don’t, I can’t have this conversation with you,” He started to walk into his secret room to get your clothes so that you could leave.

“No, please Rafael,” You grabbed his arm. “Please, let me explain? Please,” You pleaded with him.

“....Fine,” He sighed, unable to ignore your whimpers and tears.

“He wooed me, he gave me everything and anything I asked for. He lived in this giant loft uptown, I thought he was amazing. Looking back on it now, the loft was probably owned by people that he murdered and he’d kill people to get things I wanted, but I didn’t know that at the time!” You paced the floor while thinking out loud.

“And then when he asked me to marry him, I was ecstatic! I thought it was going to be my fairy tale ending before I was even 25, I didn’t know--” You suddenly stopped pacing and stopped talking, the memories of that period in your life coming back to you in disturbing waves.

Rafael saw how much you were in distress telling your story. Even though he was disgusted that you were ever intimate with this lunatic, he couldn’t help but feel for you. He stood up and took your hand, leading you to the leather couch in the corner of the room. He sat you down and motioned for you to continue if you could, while still holding your hand.

“I didn’t know that he was just trying to get me to be-- ‘his’, so that he could do whatever he wanted to me,” You barely got the words out while you still burned holes into the carpet with your eyes.

“Oh God, Oh-- Y/N,” He took your other hand but didn’t force you to look up; he wanted you to tell the rest on your own time.

“After we got married he started hitting me for stupid stuff like putting the dishes in the dishwasher wrong, or folding the towels the wrong way. And then he’d--” You felt tears catch in your throat. “He’d make me have sex with him whenever he wanted,”

“Carino,” Rafael instinctively put his arms around your shoulders, pulling you closer towards him. He just wanted to comfort you, he didn’t want to think about what else that monster did to you.

“I--- I didn’t know what to do. I had just graduated, he was paying for my law school, he was paying for everything I had in my life. I felt like I was trapped, so I just-- I put up with it,” You tried not to cry, you swore a long time ago you wouldn’t waste any more tears on him. But right now you couldn’t help it.

“But then it started getting worse,” You finally raised your head to look at him. “He started beating me when he was angry over other things, sometimes within an inch of my life,”

Rafael didn’t know what to say, he knew you weren’t finished so he just kept rubbing the back of your palms with his thumb comfortingly.

“I finally knew either I had to leave, or die,” You got your tears under control as you remembered how strong you had to be back then. And ever since. “So one day when he was on one of his ‘business trips’-- which now I know were probably killings or heists or worse, I packed everything I could fit into two suitcases and I just-- I left,” You sighed.

“I didn’t have anywhere to go. My parents live in Florida, I didn’t really have friends at school, which wouldn’t have mattered anyway because without him paying for it I had to drop out. I slept on the streets for months!” You unconsciously moved closer into Rafael’s chest as you relived the horror.

“Finally I-- I did something that I never thought I would do in a million years, but I was desperate Rafael. You have to understand that,” You looked at him with a terrified look, like he was about to kick you out of his office for real after what you were about to say.

“I do,” He put a hand to your face. “Whatever you’re going to say, I understand,”

“Okay,” You nodded softly. “I...I became an escort,” You turned away from him and his soft hand on your cheek. Even though he just assured you he understood, you could feel the judgement.

“Not a hooker,” You quickly added, like that made it any better. “An escort-- for older, wealthy gentlemen callers,”

“Ah,” He nodded. “I see,”

“...I changed my name, cancelled all my credit cards and got new ones in my new name. And I started making pretty good money. Enough for a small apartment and food anyway,” You continued. “I had accepted the fact that my life was going to be just what it was at that time-- living my life out as a whore,”

“You’re not, and never were and never will be, a whore Y/N,”

“Rafael, please,” You shook your head with a sarcastic laugh. “Maybe I was a fancy whore, but still one nonetheless,”

“No you--” He didn’t want to get into female derogatory slurs with you right now, so he just let it go. “...Okay, continue,”

“So then I just-- got lucky,” You played with the buttons on his shirt once again nervously. “I shouldn’t say lucky, that’s awful to say about a person’s death,”

“...Death?”

“Yeah um,” You picked harder at the buttons. “A regular of mine, Bartholomew Ridgewood. He was a very wealthy stockbroker who had no family or friends, just-- me, apparently,” You shrugged. “He had a heart attack and died, and then his estate contacted me to let me know that he had left his entire fortune and penthouse to me,”

“Seriously?” Rafael almost laughed at the crazy notion.

“I know right?!” You suddenly exclaimed. It really sounded like something out of a soap opera. “So, I used the money to immediately enroll back in law school, and got a job with Rita, and-- here I am,” You motioned towards yourself, in a ‘ta da’ fashion.

“So, let me get this straight,” Rafael began going over detail of your story in his head. “You actually have a huge fortune, but you’re still going to law school, AND holding down a job?”

“...Yeah,” You pushed a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Why?” You half laughed. “Well for one, because I don’t ever want to have to depend on a man’s wealth to survive ever again,”

“How would that even happen? Did you blow through it that fast?”

“No!” You suddenly stood up in anger, not believing he was questioning you now. “But it still scares me that something will happen to it, and I’ll be helpless again,” You crossed your arms. “And two, I want to help people like me, without a voice. And three, a recommendation from the District Attorney to any law firm is a very highly coveted accomplishment, Rafael,”

“Right,” He nodded. “So much more coveted than a lowly DA’s recommendation,”

“Are you-- Are you serious?” You laughed in disbelief. “Wha--How, HOW did you get to that from any point in my horror story?”

“I don’t-- I don’t know, maybe if I had known you sooner I could have protected you,” He rubbed the back of his neck. Why DID he say that? Why was he suddenly jealous that you had consciously chosen to work for Rita over him? Why did that even matter at this point?

“No, you couldn’t have,” You shook your head as you sat back down next to him. “I got away from-- By the way he went by Tommy Richmond back then, if you want to add that to your case file,” You pointed to the folder on the desk.

He stood up and walked over to it, pulling papers out of the folder and examining each identity he had found so far. Tommy was on the list from a few years ago. Eric Braverman was next on the list, then Eddie Warshack and then Billy Forsythe, before William Lewis. Eric’s ID was from Connecticut, Eddie from Pennsylvania, and Billy from Ohio.

“....So this shows that once he left New York he went south, but then came back up? That doesn’t make any sense,” He flipped through the papers as thoughts ran through his brain.

“Doesn’t it though?” You stood up and walked over to the desk. “He came back for me. He’s probably looking for me. Maybe he thought I fled the state and he went looking and came back,” Your face turned paler the more you thought out loud.

“I have to get out of here,” You suddenly decided out loud. You briskly walked to the secret room and pulled your clothes out with one minute left on the dryer, but you didn’t care. You were quickly putting them on when Rafael ran in after you.

“What? No, no you don’t,” He tried to stop you from unbuttoning his shirt. “Not now that I know he’s looking for you, you’re not going anywhere,”

“Look Rafael,” You stopped undressing and looked at him very seriously. “He’s smart, and he’s fast. I’ll bet you right now that he is doing some very specific research on anyone that was in that station the day you picked him up. And that includes you,”

“And why would he waste time on that if he’s looking for you?” Rafael raised a curious eyebrow.

“Well obviously if he thinks he’s at risk of being caught I’m the furthest thing from his mind right now! And he’ll study you all like lab rats, trying to figure out your fears and weaknesses, and prey on them. That’s exactly how he manipulated me,”

“So he researched you?”

“No, I don’t think he needed to back then! I just fell into his arms, no hard work on his end required,” You scoffed at your naivete as a young girl.

“....So why do you need to leave?” He crossed his arms.

“Because he’ll figure out we’re....involved,” You gestured between the two of you.

“Involved?” He half laughed. “Y/N we haven’t even-- we haven’t done anything but talk!”

“And yet I’m standing here in your office in only my underwear and your shirt like you said, a sex fantasy!” You gestured to your still scantily clad body.

That gave Rafael an idea.

Without warning his arms were suddenly around your waist, pulling you roughly into his awaiting mouth. You were shocked at first, but soon welcomed his tongue into yours as it began exploring your mouth. His hands slowly moved up your waist through his shirt, approaching your bare breasts. Before he could reach them, you pushed him away.

“What the FUCK are you doing?!” You yelled angrily. “Do you really think now is the appropriate time to do this?”

“Well, if Lewis thinks we’re ‘fraternizing’, shouldn’t we actually ‘fraternize’?” He gave you a smirk.

“He doesn’t think anything yet! I have no idea where he is, you have no idea where he is,” You sighed in frustration.

“I do know where he is,” He traced your palms with his finger sensually. “He’s locked in the tank at the station,”

“...Really?” You were suddenly feeling much safer, and arousal quickly came along with it.

“Really,” He nodded, cupping your head in his hands by your jawline so his thumbs ran against the side of your temples. He gently massaged them, making you relax even more.

“...And you’re not just trying to have sex with me so I won’t run off on you?” You did your best to keep your wits about you, but it was growing increasingly difficult with the smell of his cologne wafting from his hands into your nose. It was intoxicating.

“Maybe I am,” He chuckled, “Or maybe, I’m just acting on things I know we’ve both felt since yesterday on that boat,”

“That’s assuming a lot, counselor,” You bit your lip as you tried desperately not to look down at his mouth while he moved his face closer.

“Is it, though?” His smirk grew more devilish as he continued to close the gap between your lips.

“I…” You tried thinking of anything but his tongue inside you, but it was a losing battle. “....Screw it,”

You grabbed his head and thrusted it against your burning lips as your tongues once again began to do a tango in between your mouths. His hands moved upwards quicker this time, and this time you let them. You jumped onto him, wrapping your legs around his waist as he fell against the desk to support your weight. He picked you up and carried you to the leather couch, laying you down and crawling on top of you while never removing his mouth from yours.

You were both so happy and so enthralled with each other you didn’t notice the door was cracked open, and two dark eyes peering behind it.

[rk1kheadcanons]

smol hc: Being the only RK models, CyberLife used some of Markus's base code in Connor's program. Emotions & empathy for social integration, and also some caretaking protocols in case emergency repairs/first aid are needed on the job (IE reactivating the Traci at the Eden Club, or diagnosing & "treating" Hank's ethylic coma LOL). I love the idea of Con getting to take care of Markus for once if he gets injured doing Rebel Leader Things™

🥺 Anon. I love this HC so much. Connor having some caretaker protocols is...yes. Absolutely. The jury is out and they find the defendant correct.

___

When Markus limped into his office, practically hopping on one foot every other step, all he wanted to do was bulldoze through his paperwork so he could go home and forget today ever happened. He’d taken a pretty hard hit earlier when a counter protester at their rally thought it was just a capital idea to hurl a brick into the crowd. Much more surprising than the sudden brick to the knee, though, was the (almost terrifying in it’s rapidness) reaction from the crowd. The guy was immediately apprehended and cursed out by human supporters and androids alike. It was wild. His bodyguards barely had to do any work. Markus swore he heard a human yell that thirium shots were on them after this, amidst a chorus of responding cheers. Nothing brings people together like a communal ass whoopin’? Apparently??

God he really hoped that human didn’t drink any thirium. Markus still had nightmares about Leo accidentally mixing up his blue raspberry jello shot with his drink, nevermind the fact that thirium consumables smelled like laundry detergent and poison as purposeful deterrents.  

“Are you sure you don’t want to go see the technician?” said Simon who, as his designated babysitter while North and Josh handled the fallout of the rally, followed into his office after him. 

“Naaahh,” Markus drawled, waving the hand that was grasping a pen as if he could wave away the problem altogether. Not for the first time he wished the government would catch up with the rest of the world and just go paperless. Reading over and signing these tedious documents would be a lot less painful to do if they would just let him download it into his mind like a sensible person would. “I barely feel it, plus my Regenerative Program has already kicked in. By the time I get to the med bay it’ll probably be all fixed.”

“Uh huh,” Simon unconvinced at him. “How long till you’re repaired.”

Markus pulled up the damage report in his HUD. “About six…”  he stared at the readings for a moment longer and, much to Simon’s chagrin, went back to doing his paperwork.

“...six what?”

“Bahhh,” Markus waved his hand again unhelpfully. Truthfully, he didn’t know how to make this sound better. Hopefully, his innate charm would cover for his trash convincing. “Ya know…”

“No. I do not know. What is it? Six minutes?”

Markus grunted.

“Hours!?”

Markus slumped lower in his chair. “Mmmhumph.”

“....Markus,” Simon started in a low warning voice. “If it’s days so help me I’m going to take out your other knee - ”

The door slammed open, startling Simon out of his threat, which was definitely about to escalate to more than Markus’ other knee once he found out it was six weeks. 

“Connor!”

“Good morning Simon,” Connor greeted briskly, expression stormy as he made a beeline for Markus like the man possesses on a mission that he usually was. He was swinging a rather large, rather ominous looking tool box with a red medical cross painted on it. Markus didn’t even stop doing his paperwork. He knew the drill by now. “I heard about what happened and came as fast as I could.”

“Wow, the news has only been out for an hou - wait. Weren’t you in Ohio?”

“Yes. I would have been here sooner but traffic was heavier than usual and the family driving the Escalade was surprisingly insistent on going the speed limit. A majority of police officers won't cite drivers for going between 1-5 miles per hour over,” Connor rolled his eyes and scoffed, like he didn’t follow some laws down to the letter while blatantly disregarding others at any given time. 

“Wha - did you hitchhike all the way here!?”

“Oh no of course not! There is a 46% chance of violent or criminal conduct committed against people who hitchhike.”

“Then how - ”

“I was sitting on top of the aforementioned Escalade.”

Markus gave him his best ‘why are you like this’ stare while Simon gaped in perplexion. “You didn’t need to car surf just to come all the way down here, hon.”

“After hearing about the state you were in, with all my love in the world I violently disagree.”

Markus sighed like a man whose knee wasn’t sparking and twitching at this very moment. And...hm. Maybe it did ache. A teeny bit. Whatever. He was still of the opinion that rubbing some dirt on it and a little stretching was enough to get him through the rest of the day.

“Well, maybe you can help me convince him to go to the technician,” said Simon.

“No need.” Without preamble, Connor plopped the heavy med(?) box on the floor and gently lifted Markus’ leg, hiking up his pants up to the thigh. As he examined it, intense as any jeweler examining a rare diamond, he hooked the back of a nearby stool with his foot and pulled it over, resting the leg on it. Markus neither struggled nor visually reacted; just kept stringently doing his paperwork like nothing was going on.

When Connor pulled out a collapsible creeper seat and rolled under Markus’ leg as if he were a mechanic working on a car, Simon went from passive observer to concernedly going around the desk to see what all the RK800 was doing.

“H-hey wait a second! Connor - it’s a pretty serious wound, maybe we should let the professionals handle it!”

Connor rolled slightly from under Markus with a large drill in his hand and an unimpressed look on his face. Surprisingly, Simon was not reassured by this in the slightest. “I assure you Simon that I am fully equipped with the latest caretaking protocols now could you please pass me that monkey wrench.”

“What seriously- UHH! I mean...” Realizing how insulting that sounded, Simon hurried to hand Connor the tool, clearing his throat. “I didn’t realize you had such uh...versatile programing.”

“It’s the same base code used in mine, actually,” Markus added, using his free hand to pat Connor’s soothingly when he heard him grumbling things like “I can do more than kill things” and “No one has been irreparably maimed in my Knitting Circle”. Damn right honey, Markus thought, Greta and Patrica have had nothing but nice things to say about you’re wool socks.

“Oh riiiiiight. You two are from the same model line, I…” Markus could practically Jedi Sense Simon about to say ‘I forget that sometimes’, so he looked up at the PL600 and shook his head firmly with glaring eyes. Simon, sheepish, held up his hands placatingly and held his tongue.

“The code...has been streamlined to cater more towards field and emergency repairs,” Connor admitted reluctantly, but then quickly added, “but combined with my own personal research outside of my programming, it is no less effective.”

Eager to keep his foot out of his mouth, Simon merely nodded in agreement. He couldn’t, however, keep the growing alarm showing from his face as Connor pulled more and more absurd tools out of his box (the electric saw was particularly disconcerting), and started contorting around Markus so that he wasn’t interfering with his work in ways that at first, seemed normal, but were steadily becoming more on par with a cirque du soleil act. That alarm changed into bewilderment when he tilted Markus’ chair back, put a car jack under his desk so that it tilted forward at the perfect writing level, put a pillow behind his head and a fizzy thirium drink (complete with a fun crazy straw) in his mouth. His standard office setup now suddenly a mini spa. 

When Connor started working a polisher to his knee Markus practically melted back into the chair. Oh that sneaky bastard. He knew Markus wouldn’t be able to get anything done by administering the android equivalent of a deep tissue massage. 

Bewilderment now firmly settled on amusement, and thoroughly reassured that his friend/boss was in good hands, Simon started to take his leave. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it Connor. If you need back up to make sure this guy takes it easy we’re all on stand by.”

Connor nodded. “I will escort him home for further recuperation as soon as I have finalized his repairs.”

Markus, eyes closed as he happily sipped at his Particle-Colada, grunted in response to Simon’s farewell. He was a little annoyed that everyone was treating him like a toddler over his small injury, and a little more annoyed that Simon had felt the need to hover around Connor, as if he were bracing for the RK800 to do something violent, before trusting his good intentions. Granted, Markus (begrudgingly) could admit that Connor’s methods certainly weren’t...standard caretaker protocols, and that his bedside manner was well...much like the android himself; aggressive, confusing, and, most importantly, well-meaning.

“‘Can’t go home,” Markus murmured around his straw, very convincingly and not at all like he was about to ascend to a higher plane. “Still got work to do.”

“Hmm. Do you now?” With a fond, humoring, smile, Connor cranked up the power on the polisher. Markus swore his soul was straight vibin’.

Yea, actually. Maybe work could wait till tomorrow.

[badassbride]

Caroline and Liam’s Most Awesome Wedding

COUPLE NAMES:  Caroline and Liam

WEDDING DATE:  January 17 2014

WEDDING LOCATION: London, UK

WEDDING THEME: laid back vintage glamour

DRESS DESIGNER: Can’t remember – the style was called Casablanca and it was from a dress shop in Ohio. It cost $300 in 2006…

WEDDING BUDGET: £7,000

HOW MANY PEOPLE ATTENDED: 10 at the ceremony, 100 at the party

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jessy Boon Cowler @jessybooncowler

HAIR / MAKE UP: Bethany Swan @bethanyswanmakeup and @bethanyswanbridal

Ok. I know. This wedding was a while ago, but I never really shared much about our wedding or our wedding photos and I’ve gone to so many boring weddings lately, I thought it would help to share.

Of course, everyone thinks their wedding was awesome, but the fact that people still tell me how much fun ours was, I think I’ve got a good case. It’s been my favourite wedding so far, except for my friend Cyndi’s wedding; her lesbian pizza wedding in a park in Brooklyn was incredible.

So, when we got married back in 2014, it was an interesting situation. I had been in the UK for seven years (I’m originally from Ohio) and was getting ready to leave. Forever. My work visa was coming to an end and I was going to South Africa to perform in a burlesque show for a few months before moving back to America for good. Two weeks before going to South Africa, I met Liam. When the show in South Africa ended, I had a choice: I could go on safari for 2 weeks or go back to London to stay with a guy I didn’t really know. You can guess which one I went with. After 6 months of dating long-distance between Ohio and the UK, we knew we wanted to be together. And that meant, we had to get married.

It wasn’t as crazy as it sounds – in my mind, we were going to get married eventually anyway, that was obvious, so why don’t we just do it now? And it’s still going well so… so far, so good.

My concerns with the wedding involved more paperwork with the Home Office than with a wedding planner. We had £10k and spent a lot of the budget went to paying for my visas! I had to get a fiancé visa to come back to the UK and then a spouse visa after we tied the knot. And that sh*t is expensive.

In terms of style, we wanted it to be fun and relaxed – we just wanted it to be a really good party! We also had to consider accommodating our friends and families – I didn’t want people to feel like they had to fly over from the States (especially knowing that it wasn’t going to be a big traditional wedding) and Liam had his family and close friends coming down from Edinburgh. So, we had to make it worth it.

The day went like this:

I spent the night at my best friend’s flat in her spare bedroom and we got ready there in the morning. It was so much fun! My makeup artist, Bethany, and I knew worked together before on some pin up photoshoots, so I knew she would nail the classic Hollywood look I was going for. I also hired my good friend Jessy as my photographer. Jessy and I met on a photoshoot when I was just beginning burlesque and became fast friends. I think having a photographer who is also a friend and has a more unique photography style makes our photos really candid and different.

I made my headpiece from a collection of broken vintage jewellery and my dress was the same dress I wore for a debutante ball in Ohio when I was nineteen (that’s another story for another time). I had a purse from my grandma, a fur stole from my other grandma and six pence from an old friend to put in my shoe.

We ordered a minicab to get to the town hall (this was before Uber, y’all) and he got lost trying to pick us up. We finally found him and I was a definitely worried that we would be late. If you miss your time slot at the town hall, that’s it! You’ve missed it. We journeyed south and he tried to charge us £10 extra because he was a dick. We paid it and scurried into Woolwich town hall. Woolwich town hall is absolutely beautiful and at the time, only cost £50. Wining.

At the actual ceremony, we had our parents, my brother, my old neighbour (she’s like my English nan), my two best friends and photographer Jessie. We then got taxis to OXO tower on the Thames and met Liam’s brother and his family for a fancy lunch. The food was excellent, the view was amazing and the staff were lovely.

Then, it was time for the pub crawl! That’s right. A pub crawl. We walk across Blackfriars bridge to a beautiful pub where the rest of our friends were waiting and having a drink. From there, we followed the pub crawl map I made to make our way from Blackfriars up to our final location: The Star of Kings pub in Kings Cross. I really wanted to travel on the tube in my wedding dress. One of my favourite memories was the whole group piling onto the tube! We also invited more people along the way. I limited our invite list because I was trying to do what I thought I was supposed to do, but on the day, we realized that it didn’t matter and just let whoever wanted to come.

The final party venue is just a traditional pub with a great space. We had decorated the day before with my parents – lots of fairy lights and I got crafty with some garlands. We had a secondary little travel theme to celebrate our long-distance relationship, so we decorated the cake table with cool travel-themed wrapping paper. As favours, we just had a huge dessert table full of cookies, brownies, chocolates and cakes (made mostly by me with the help of my mom and mother-in-law).

We had karaoke (our friend was our DJ) and basic pub food as well as an open bar up to £3k (I think). Liam and I both did impromptu speeches, I have trusted intel that my speech was funnier, and then we sang a very bad, unrehearsed rendition of “Islands in the stream”. I changed into a tiny blue party dress from ASOS with my favourite sparkly shoes from Betsy Johnson (I still wear them when I’m performing).

Here’s a breakdown of stressful things we did not have to deal with:

Politics of choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen

Making people by bridesmaid dresses they don’t want

Seating chart plans

Politics of deciding above seating charts

Renting additional supplies like chairs/tables/tableware

Organising/asking people to pay for stag and hen parties

My best advice: don’t do what you think you’re supposed to do or what other people think you should do – just make it what you want and make sure you have fun.

Love Caroline xxx

https://www.badassbride.com/caroline-liam/

[chayacat]

Devil’s Sweet Star (39)

Fandom: Dead by Daylight

Ghostface x Female Reader  

Rated M for Violence, Language and Smut  

***

Here we are. This is the big day. A day that no one will forget and cannot forget. Today is the day of the Roseville Festival. Exactly 32 years ago, this small town was still just a gathering of houses where each one helped the other. Then little by little it developed and it became the small town that everyone knows today. And Mayor Tallis leads it with trust and respect. And you are there, among all these people, while you have only been living there for a short time, who almost considered you as a member of this great family. Just thinking about it, you have a tear in your eye.

The stands were all in place. It was sunny but a little cool which was a good thing for your cake which unfortunately, compared to the little ones who were in refrigerated windows, was going to be exposed to the open air. Speaking of the cake, it was out of sight in a fridge big enough to keep it cool while the mayor made his speech. As soon as it is finished, you can take it out, show it to the whole city and cut it to distribute it to those who want it. As the mayor you said, there were a total of 8 stands, yours included, 4 on each side of the desk where the mayor will make his annual speech. Yours being, as expected also, to the right of the desk.

“I can't believe that other journalists will attend this and taste your pastry! you imagine the ad you will have if they ever love it?? You will be known throughout the region!” said Corey enthusiastic.

“Throughout the region... it's scary anyway... can you imagine people from all over the region coming to Roseville just to eat a cake or drink a coffee? We're going to be overloaded.... and it may even be necessary to refuse customers...” said Amy worried.

“Don't get too excited too fast both... It's just a small local festival. There's very, very little chance I'll become a famous one just with that. It's going to take a long, LONG time for that day to arrive. If it happens one day.” you respond a little embarrassed.  

“Hey! Don't say that! You’re the best in the town and one day you’ll be the best in all Ohio! stop underestimating yourself! There are people who deserve less popularity than you and yet they are successful!” replied Corey.  

“He’s right! You're the best coffee shop and the best boss we’ve ever met and have!” said Amy.

You smile at Corey and Amy. They are really adorable. They went for a tour of the different stands that are still in preparation, just like yours. You never imagined being there today, at least not in such a short time in Roseville. You said that in 2 or 3 years this would be the case, but not in a few months. Lindsey installed her most beautiful floral composition on her stand, smiling and greeting you. Poor of her, these last days weren’t easy for her because of the attack on her shop, but thanks to the kindness of the inhabitants, she was able to quickly start again on a good basis. You install the last signs with the products and prices indicated on each of them. Plus, a special sign for the festival cake with a reasonable price compared to the quality, when two hands that you know only too well, because of their sweetness, hid your eyes. And the voice that followed, even in a crowd of 10000 people, you would be able to hear it.

“So? Ready to expose your creation to the whole city? Everyone in town is waiting to see that.” asks Jed with his angelic smile.  

“Yes... I'm ready. And no matter what happens, the key thing is that you're there. Do you have a lot to do?” you said, smiling at him.  

“Take pictures.... write stuff... the normal job of a journalist in fact. But don't worry, I plan to go see you... and taste your delicious cakes.”

“Leave it for everyone big foodie... Don't worry, I would put some aside for you. And for the others.”

“I take everyone's share. They find that I have to eat a little and get a little fat...”

“But of course... you will have your shares and not one more, little thief. I did just enough to feed the whole city. The other journalists are there?” you replied, looking in all directions.  

“Yes, they're out there... they are preparing for Mayor Tallis' speech. You can imagine... Roseville has been around for 32 years, and he has been running it for 20 years. It's amazing to have so much motivation, courage and willpower to start from a few houses to a small peaceful town... well, almost.” respond Jed with smile.  

“Any news about Ghostface? As you took quite a while with Hoggins...”

“Murders, still murders and more murders. But I must admit that Hoggins takes so much time from me... That Ghostface is in the background right now. Which in itself benefits him. He takes advantage of the situation to quietly kill poor victims without defences... I can't tell you how many poor citizens of this city he killed while we focus on Hoggins.

And you don't even dare to imagine it. How many throats does he have to cut while everyone is looking at Hoggins? Even to you he didn't tell you anything. Yet, and involuntarily, you are his partner! But he is far from crazy, he is not going to tell you everything in exchange for your silence and cooperation. At least not now.

You dread that day. And yet you know you'll have to deal with it. All your actions will be decisive and, while you were focusing on the festival, you have passed multiple scenarios in your head. Only one misstep and you are dead. that's a certainty. But you can't accept all this without trying anything... or maybe... From the beginning he could have killed you. And he never did. He fell in love with you. And you fell in love with Jed. Funny love triangle. But not so bad in the end.

Live a double life... is that really a good idea? Sooner or later, one will eventually discover the other. In itself they already know each other, Ghostface leaves Jed alive so that he writes his articles and builds a reputation for him. And it’s thanks to Ghostface that Jed is an emeritus and excellent journalist. You wonder inwardly if they have already seen each other in real life... face to face. We will have to ask our dear murderer... Even if between us... we know who our nocturnal murderer is. Mayor Tallis settled at his desk, tested the microphone and signalled everyone to approach. You, Corey and Amy go at your stand, both ears attentive to the mayor's speech.

“My dear fellow citizens, today is a special day, a day that I hope will remain etched in your hearts and memories for years to come. Today, Roseville was born 32 years ago. At first, it was just a pile of houses where people helped each other. Then other people came and little by little a village was built. And today a city. And it is with pride that I lead it and that I will continue to lead it until my time has come.” he starts cheerfully.  

People applauded, while journalists took notes and photos. Among them you could see Jed taking a few pictures before looking at you, his angel smile on his lips.

“I wanted to thank you all for contributing to the evolution of the city into a prosperous and beautiful city. I would also like to thank the police forces who, at the risk of their lives and knowing perfectly well the risks of their jobs, dedicate their hearts and souls to the protection of this city. Especially inspector Wilhelm who takes his work very much to heart. He is a faithful friend in whom I place all my trust.”

The inhabitants turned to Inspector Wilhelm, who smiled, visibly embarrassed to be in the centre of attention. Poor of him, it mustn’t be easy for him.

“I also wanted to thank Miss (y/n) who warmly agreed to make the cake of the city that I will unveil to you in a moment. She has only been there for a very short time but... for me she is part of our big family. May this day bring you joy and good mood, and may it remain in your hearts and minds forever. Let the festivities begin!”

Members of the town hall brought your cake, hidden under a veil, and when the mayor removed the veil, everyone was amazed. It was as big as a wedding cake, decorated with trees, cars and some shops of the city and at the very top of the cake, the town hall with Mayor Tallis in front. All in sugar dough. It would almost hurt to cut it out and eat it but it is the first and only function of a cake, to be eaten.

The festivities began and it could be said that people were enthusiastic. Children ran everywhere to the great displeasure of their parents who had trouble containing them, it was very funny to see. Older people walked through the different stands, always starting with Lyndsey's buying flowers or plants before heading to the other stands.

Journalists from other cities came to congratulate you on cake and asked you some questions about you and your family. You explain that it comes from your grandmother, a great chef who passed on her love of cooking to your father and then to you. That you do not plan to change until your retirement... that kind of thing. Your gaze occasionally derived on Jed chatting quietly with Melina and Mattew, while occasionally taking pictures of the festival. The day took place in joy and good mood. People laughed, talked, children played together, ran everywhere, escaping the supervision of their parents. But their freedoms were short-lived when the police brought them back to their parents.

While serving customers, you suddenly see Hoggins at the opposite of you, arms crossed, sitting against a lamppost, watching you. He made you smile to freeze your blood, but you give it back to him, showing that he doesn’t scare you and that he will never scare you. You can't wait for Ghostface to kill him... Oh, yes. But that doesn't mean you want to attend. Knowing him, you trust him enough to offer him a slow, painful and unbearable death. And after... you will be free. You will be able to resume your life quietly. At least that's what you think. If you knew what you got yourself into...

“Hey (Y/N)!” said suddenly a man voice.

You turn your head to see Mattew coming towards you happily followed by Melina and Jed. You knew why... what a little glutton. You chat for a little while serving customers with Amy and Corey. Towards the beginning of the evening, you warn them that they can enjoy the festival before everything stops, to which they answered thank you and asked you if you will manage on your own.

“Yes, go for it! there are not many people anymore so enjoy a little! You too have the right to have fun!” you said with smile.  

The two looked at each other before smiling and hugging you, which made you laugh. They took off their aprons before leaving the stand and visiting the other stands that were scattered all over the central square of the city. You watch them leave, with a smile on their faces, they're really adorable these two. The rest of the evening went quietly, you serve the last customers before closing your stand. You set aside some cake for yourself and Jed and give more to Melina and Mattew, as well as Amy and Corey. Everyone left little by little, and in the meantime the mayor came to congratulate you on your cake and your success. The journalists who had come to cover the event, had talked about you to the mayor, full of praise.

You feel proud, and reassured. You breathe a sigh of relief when you hear all this. Jed was waiting for you against his van. When he saw you arrive, he took you in his arms, kissing you, get you into the vehicle to get back to the apartment. Once inside, you collapse on the couch, completely exhausted by this day.

“Poor of you... you are completely exhausted.” said Jed, holding you a cup of coffee.

“Thanks Honey. You can tell... I didn't think it would be as exhausting. And yet I have a coffee and I do the same thing every day...” you respond, sipping a little. “Did you manage to take pictures?

“Oh yes, don't worry about it... and there are plenty of them that I'm going to keep to myself... you are so beautiful when you are focused on your work...”

“What a charmer you are...”

“That’s why you love me right?”

You laugh before drinking the rest of your coffee and yawning. Jed smiled before gently taking you in his arms to carry you to your room. He put you on the bed, informing you that he was coming back right away, going to put the pictures he had taken in his computer. You take the opportunity to change and lie on the bed. Jed arrived a few minutes later, changed quickly, and joined you in bed, gently taking you in his arms.

“He was there you know... Hoggins. He looked at me as if he was going to kill me.” you said worried.

“Don't worry my love. Soon he will no longer be able to harm anyone. I promise you.” responds Jed.  

Oh, yes... he won't be able to hurt anyone soon... But it is not in prison that he will end up. But in a grave.  

And you can't wait to hear it from your... “partner.”

***

(I am EXHAUSTED. This little weekend will do me a lot of good! I think we're getting closer little by little to the end of DSS, count around.... 21 chapters. After, it may take less or it may take more... it will depend on the progress and the state of my brain XD After I think I would take a small break of 2 or 3 weeks before starting RE8! but don't worry! I will take the opportunity to develop everything! and find a title. XD, I hope you’ll like this chapter like the others ones! Well, it's time for my brain to rest! Have a great weekend to you all!  See ya!)

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #367

“i should warn you that you may fuck me, but chances are i’m gonna fuck you over”

Where was the last place you went for vacation? The beach. When was the last time you wore makeup? Halloween. Do you watch soaps or drama series? If so, which ones? Not currently. What’s your favourite tomato variety? I hate tomatoes. What was your very first pet like? Dad had a dog named Trigger when I was born, but I have no memory of her, so I'm excluding her. I consider our first family pet to be Chance, a cat my mom took in after finding her literally in the trash. She was... god, incredible. She was a loyal friend, and I can imagine no greater mother than she was (she legit fought off a rottweiler head-on to protect her kittens). She was so smart, so gentle, and just simply amazing. I'll always miss her. What was the best school project you remember doing? Looking back, despite the fact it TERRIFIED me before, that would be my senior project presentation. It was about snake misconceptions and fallacies, so I made a slideshow to present to the special ed class. I made drawings for them to color, word searches, all that kind of stuff. They were just the sweetest and seemed really into it. What’s your favourite type of fish to eat? None. What kind of an old person do you think you’ll become? I really... don't like thinking about this. Like I'm weak enough now at 25, I can't imagine how my, say, 60s would be. I hope and just about pray that my physical health will improve, but I'm just going to exclude that part entirely from this answer. Personality-wise and such, I have a feeling I'll be the quiet and sweet kind, the one that loves her (hopeful) spouse like crazy, and comes most alive on Halloween if I live in a place where children come trick-or-treating. I imagine I would LOVE that. I'd love to be the type that goes on morning jogs to help stay spry. Which well-known person’s death shocked you the most, if any? Steve Irwin and Chester Bennington might be tied. Both were so, so sudden. Steve was like, invincible to my childhood eyes, and when I heard about Chester's death, I thought it was just a sick rumor. Two amazing people that died way too soon. What’s the craziest colour you’d dye your hair? That would depend on personal opinions. I want to dye my hair LOTS of colors though, if that tells you anything. What’s the coolest hobby one of your friends has? Uhhhh. Idk. Name a video game you can play over and over again: Shadow of the Colossus. It's a pretty short game if you know what you're doing, and it's super relaxing to me and just so goddamn pretty to look at. Every time I've played it has just been a pleasant experience. Do you like meatloaf? Yeah, it's fine. How about Meatloaf? I know who he is, but I've never really listened to his music. Do you take time to do charitable work? If so, what do you do? No. ;_; Especially with all the free time I have, I really should... What is something that will make you laugh instantly? Okay, don't ask, but if I for a SECOND see that commercial of Mr. Clean dancing while he's cleaning, I will die because of memories. What is something you hope you will never inherit from a specific relative? Diabetes. It runs heavily in my family. Name a movie you wouldn’t watch solely based on its name: The Human Centipede. No. Thank you. Have you ever played in a stack of hay bales? No. What’s your dearest souvenir? The stuffed moose I got at Cabela's during a visit to Ohio. I named him Brownie, and he was my "childhood plushie" we all have. Is there a lot of graffiti around your neighbourhood? Not in the actual area I live in, but there are DEFINITELY places where it's a pigsty of distasteful shit. Have you ever made your own soda? (Soda Stream doesn’t count!) No. Do you have a hobby that forces you out of the house? If so, what is it? Nature photography. Have you ever been part of a theater group? No, that stuff doesn't interest me. What’s the most ecological thing you do? We recycle, and I also use metal straws. Would you stop eating meat, if you had to raise and slaughter it yourself? Absolutely. There is no fucking way I could do it. What’s your favourite board game? Why do you like it best? I like Clue just because of the mystery-solving factor, and I think it's kinda cool how you can think ahead and use other's findings to your own advantage to win the game pretty early. Besides English, what other languages can you speak? Some German. It's gotten pretty weak with neglect, though. Besides English, what other languages can you read? I can read German well. What thing/person/happening has made you the happiest you’ve been? This is a complicated answer that I just don't feel like elaborating on. What’s the most freeing thing you’ve ever done? Letting Jason go. Have you ever had a restaurant dish that was made with bugs? If not, would you even want to try one? No, and I'm not interested. Have you ever tasted birch sap? No. How about the young buds/shoots of spruce trees? No. Which edible flowers have you tasted? Honeysuckles. What has been your worst restaurant experience? Well, it's a fast food restaurant, but lemme tell you about my vegetarian encounter with Burger King. I ordered their veggie burger. Which they have. It's not a secret. These idiots gave me a bun with tomato and lettuce, and I think mayo on it, after sounding confused when Mom was ordering for me. Mom went back in there of course to tell them, and oh god was the manager pissed, lol. I got my veggie burger in the end. What’s the most immature, adolescent thing that still makes you laugh? Some sexually inappropriate jokes can still get me sadly, lol. Have you ever had a life-threatening condition? If so, what was it? Not literally, but boy do I think depression counts. Do you ever compare your life to somebody else’s? If so, why? Y E P. I can't tell you why, I just... do it. I look at other's successes and am just like, "Why aren't I there yet?", and beat myself up about being a failure. What is a food item or a dish you absolutely cannot stand? Brussel sprouts, asparagus, runny eggs, many other things because I'm just mega picky. Have you ever had a custom print done on a shirt? If so, what was it? Just the spray paint kind that vendors like to do at the beach and stuff. I don't remember any I got, though. What does your favourite mug look like? It's black with a Markiplier quote on it, given to me by Sara. :') Do you ever read other people’s survey answers? Yeah! Friends', anyway. I love learning all the obscure things about them. Do you like daytime or night time better? Why? Daytime, specifically early morning, because it's better for my depression. Are you more comfortable as a leader or a follower? A follower that isn't afraid to speak up when I'm really against something. What is your favourite song right now at this very moment? I've been really into "7empest" by Tool lately, and the synthwave edit of "Voices" by Motionless In White. If you watched The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, who was your favourite character? I don't remember it well, but I think I liked the butler. Was there even a butler? Who was your first online friend? Emma. :') Do you have any plants in your home? No. If you wear makeup, what’s the most outrageous colour you use? I only ever use black. What was the last photograph you took? My cat being adorable while sleeping. <3 Have you ever submitted a video to Funniest Home Videos? No. What was the first sport you learned how to play? I want to say soccer? I absolutely hated it. Do you have a headache at the moment? Yes, actually. I've really been attacked by the Covid shot side effects. Are your parents still together? No, thank god. What was the last hot food you ate? I made a chicken and I think pesto (some Italian noodles, idk) Healthy Choice bowl for dinner last night. Have you ever seen a meteor shower? No. :( Do you ever feel afraid people will question your sanity? I'm sure people have before, and back then? Rightfully so. Which X Factor audition(s) was/were your favorite? Never watched it. Were you a straight A student in spelling and grammar? Always. It's so weird how it's gotten worse with time since leaving school, even though I write... Were you a straight A student in math? Yeah, no. I usually got Bs or Cs. What is your favorite shade of yellow? Pastel. I don't really like yellow. What is something you want to accomplish before you turn 30? Have a stable job. Are you afraid of getting yelled at? YES. Do you feel a connection to the moon? It's not something I think about, so not really, but I do believe all things in the universe are connected in some way. We are simply a part of nature, as all else is. What does your heart long for? Contentment in who I am and where I am in life. I know I also miss being in love. Do you know what your purpose in life is? We have no innate purpose; we make our own, and I want mine to be to show others that there is always hope for yourself in yourself, and also to spread the message of love of all animals. Did you decorate a pumpkin this year? Last year I didn't. I really should change that this go around. Have you ever seen a fox? Yes! They're a kind of rare sight here sadly, so when I had the opportunity to photograph a fox tragically as roadkill, it was a photographic experience I won't forget. God, I wanted to pet it (I obviously didn't), but I did talk to it about how beautiful (s)he was as I got some shots. I never had a harder time leaving one of those angels I've taken pictures of. Do you find Halloween fun or scary? FUN!!!!!! Is there anything about Halloween you find offensive? Not at all. What do the trees look like where you live? I mean, there's a variety, but the staple that you see literally everywhere are pine trees. What is your dream vacation? Somewhere with mountains, clear lakes, cool weather, beautiful and various wildlife... What was the best vacation you’ve been on so far? Disney World as a kid. What is the best class trip you’ve been on? The zoo in the 5th grade. It was the one occasion I got to see meerkats. Did you like field trips when you were a kid? I lived for them. Do you find museums boring or interesting? I find science museums to be very, very fascinating. Art ones are great, too. What are three issues you are passionate about? LGBT rights, the pro-choice movement, and wildlife conservation, to name a few. Would you ever wear a shirt with your country’s flag on it? No. I'm not patriotic enough at all. What size is your bed? Queen. What’s a medicine that makes you sleepy? When we were experimenting with my Klonopin dosage, I learned that 3mg was enough to knock me on my ASS. Do you like bath bombs? I mean they're pretty, but I wouldn't waste money on 'em. Who are your favorite small YouTubers? Yikes, a looooooot. But this also depends on what you think qualifies as "small." Most of my favorite "small" YTers are tarantula keepers or sub-1M let's players. Who are your favorite big YouTubers? Markiplier obviously, Snake Discovery, Good Mythical Morning (even if I don't watch them anymore, they are veeery dear to my heart and I will always support them), Sam & Colby... Again, there's a lot. When you don't watch TV and YT instead, you really get attached to a lot of them. What was your favorite girl group when you were growing up? Would you believe me if I said Pussycat Dolls? haha Do you like Disney movies? Um, DUH. Were you ever in the popular crowd? No. Have you ever used an outhouse? UGH, at like childhood sports games, yes. I could NEVER nowadays, oh my god. Could you possibly write a successful novel? I think I have the creativity to, but not the dedication. Are there any foods that make you gag? Beans, for one. I just canNOT with them. It's a completely involuntary reaction. Have you ever had blonde highlights in your hair? I think I did? Who was the last person you video-chatted with? The lady who was seeing if I qualified for TMS therapy. Do you think sleeve tattoos look trashy? Definitely not, I love those. If you had to get a portrait tattoo, who would it be of? I don't actually want one, but if I did, I'd go to a serious professional to get THE Darkiplier smile. :') If u know u know. Do you have any stickers on any of your electronic devices? No. Do you think half blonde/half dark brown hair is attractive? It looks great on some people, but it's not my favorite combo.

[uncannychange]

Man plants mystery seeds from China — here’s what happened

“The package said it was from China and said ‘studded earrings’ on the outside, and I thought that was a little odd,”

Said an Ohio man who received one of the mysterious seed packages sent to thousands of US residents from China and planted them on his property — and said the results are wild.

“I planted the seeds just to see what would happen,’’ Pickleburg resident Jack Wood told local CBS-TV affiliate KCHI.

“The plant grew crazy fast, and before I knew it was producing large purple fruit from pale pink flowers.” “They just looked so good”  continued Wood “so I ate one, and it was delicious! So I ate more. And well... things started to happen. And kept happening, day after day I kept changing, so I took those selfies and sent it too you. So here I am. Now what? I don't know.”

We don't know either Mister Wood or as she now calls herself Ms. Mù (Cantonese for wood)

It seems that Miss Mù however was not the only one to grow and eat the mystery new fruit.

Elderly Horace Crockett of Low Branch, Kentucky grew and ate what we have found are known as 新我 fruit, pronounced Xīn wǒmen, and despite the way, the name sounds to our English speaking ears really means “New Start Fruit” but which we will now continue to call Xin Woman Fruit because it really sounds nifty!

The results were what is becoming common with all who eat it. A swift rewrite of their DNA so that they seem to become Han Chinese, while in addition to that male imbibers of Xin Fruit find themselves also becoming female!

Said Mister Crockett after his change. “I know the govment said don't grow those seeds or eat what comes out of them, but nobody tells me what to do!” “But dang it, now my grandkids have stopped calling me Pop-Pop and started calling me Nǎi Nai like Chinese folk call their Grandmas, which guess once you get down to it I pretty much am to them now.”

As Xin Fruit transformations grow there are those who jump right in and see what can be made from it all.

Mainly money, like businessman Burt Neumann who after running into a Xin Fruit pie at a company party quit his job, changed her name to Niu Rui Bu and started a line of salon/education centers called Xin And Now which are taking off.

“Look, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And when you find you've somehow been turned into a Roman, learn how to wear a toga better than anyone.” Said Miss Niu who is still known to wear some of his old retailored suits, even if she fills them like never before.

As for the future of Xin And Now just take a look inside one and ask some of their customers (pictured below) such as Tom Forster, Alberico Ferrari, Lucas F. Lassen, and John M. Blakeney or as they now call themselves

Xiang Hsueh, Jiao Tseng, 嚴郁雯, and Jade Orchid Blakeney. Surprised that American men would embrace such a drastic change? Don't be, as it seems that a second exposure to Xin Fruit causes those exposed again to become dedicated sinophiles and as the first thing they do when a new client comes into a Xin And Now is to be given a glass of Xin Fruit juice, so, there you go.

[prairiedust]

Gimme Shelter livewatch under the cut.... I was on my phone when I wrote it so apologies for the typos

“Patchwork Community Center: Care Given to All” with a huge, lurid heart. Hmmm.... patchwork having two meanings here.....

Pastor (?) has 2 Timothy 2:22 tattooed on his arm! “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (NIV) Are we looking at growth and found family in this episode?!?

Oh that’s the alleyway!

Hitting mythology themes— Connor is an Anglicized version of an Irish name— Conchobar mac Nessa is maybe the most famous bearer of the name, from Irish mythology— he’s the king who lusted after Deirdre and had her locked up until she came of age, which is probably neither here nor there as far as this poor Connor is concerned...

That thing has a big lurid heart on his overalls better run lol— Oh shit it’s an evil Teddy Ruxpin!!!! Thanks Davy Perez!!!!

That’s the thing animal control uses to manage aggressive animals??? Is this saying something about the Patchwork people?

And that’s it for the cold open.

——

The uh, the mcfuckin what, the Camelot Palace Casino? Is this a tour of the legends of Ireland and Britain all of a sudden? What’s with hitting this theme so hard so fast?

Uh-oh the whole Highway to Heaven reference has me side-eyeing Dean’s suggestion for Cas snd Jack to leave the bunker... Dabb even “spoiled” that line in a tweet lol... in that show the cop and the angel got their (vague) assignments from the big guy.......

Oh SHIT “we’re standing in what I call ‘the trap zone’” Perez is coming for my whole life with this episode!!!! And they’re doing highkey “season one totally-normal Winchester investigation questions script” I love it!!!!

“Slasher flick” Oh we’re revisiting Mint Condition. This is fine.

AND TOMBSTONE THIS IS NOT FINE DAVY! We’re running the good times backwards what did I say about this being the flipside of Last Holiday!

H2H again but this time it’s sus... plus I’m with Zack, I totally want the cozy murder spinoff I imagined Adam and Michael doing plz

Oh the Cas and Jack dynamic here is so sweet.

Pastor just leaving his door open like there’s no such thing as a thief bless his heart. They must be torn up about Connor but Pastor was the last one to talk to him so he’s sus I don’t make the rules.

Oh no Red’s a THIEF!!! Who ever would have guessed. Okay I did NOT expect that jumpscare because of the way Connor’s murder primed me, that was masterfully done.

That’s vaguely an Ohio Star quilt square on the sign behind her except um I forget what that tilted square in the center turns it into? It’s chiming with something... I’ll have to look that up later.

“Divide and conquer” no never split up in a slasher movie that’s how you get murders use the buddy system!

Gonna stop a sec because I just realized that Zack is two-faced. The British dandy was an act. The killer is wearing a Cinderella mask. Ok I’m gonna make a prediction that Zack is actually the killer, a la the demon in Repo Man...

Okay there was definitely a beat after Dean said “Glad soneone’s taking charge” [ofHell] and the focus shifted to Sam. Hm.

“We’ve got to set her up for her own death” so meta, these writers are gonna shred us.

I love being shown how much Castiel has changed throughe Jack not understanding the Kool-Aid reference. And the cats line lol. That’s both amazing and poignant.

That’s a log cabin pattern in the cafeteria. Home. Makes me think back on other quilts we’ve seen this season and if “weaving” is the right metaphor for writing lol. I mean, the action of “patching” is synonymous with “mending” or even healing, but patchwork is also a craft with a long, long history in America (idk if quiltmaking is called patchwork everywhere) of taking a few often mismatched fabrics and cutting and sewing into something beautiful. There are generally two kinds of quilt tops— patterns, like we’ve seen so far in this season, which are carefully planned and involve precise measurements, and “crazy quilts” which also require skill but are often more freeform and piecemeal. But both aspire to be beautiful. That’s an interesting way to conceptualize a serial text... as both creating and mending....

That prayer was sweet and not at all what I was expecting.

I get the finger-cutting for Valerie (stealing=sticky fingers) but not for Connor? Tenuous connection still betw lying and writing? It’s evocative of Se7en but the killer seems to have the same MO for all the killings (I attended CSI for a while.)

Snow White is making me uneasy. Oh she’s the preacher’s daughter... we’ve seen that in early days, too.... oh.... oh....

It’s not the AV guy despite having seen all the AV equipment around Valerie. That’s too easy.

“A saint is a sinner who keeps trying-“ no scroll back, the important part was “we all have to take care of each other.” That’s a theme in the series.

She’s all in pink....

dean and amara on the same wavelength about food lol

Ha ha inversion of “oh you’re a fan of religion? name all seven gods then.”

Castiel’s testimony just wrecked me.

“Members serve the gift of food” hmmm the signs in this episode are tip-top

Gonna just watch for a while.

Oh crap “each is a finger” oh it’s about the sins of the father— No Cas no, you’ve fallen for the misdirection!

Oh okay good, Chuck’s not done snuffing worlds. That had me REALLY WORKED UP ha ha because Amara has no reason to lie right?

That was a really good conversation.... and implying that Former Death bent the truth...

Oh fuck I’m gonna cry “I wanted younto see that your mother was just a person” YES! DISMANTLE THIS MYTHOLOGY AMARA!!! Name it!

THE MYTH THAT YOU’D HELD ON TO FOR SO LONG did they just— THEY DID

rigging the game— ftfoh with the casino metaphors already we know the house always wins except when it doesn’t

Lying, lying, lying,

Do we even know Snow White’s name yet? And why was Connor a liar? Because I think we can make a guess at this point.... ah ha ha her name is sylvia— “forest spirit” she’s Mrs Butters— and she’s after hypocrites— but the killing isn’t supernatural, just churchy?

Oh shit SHE IS A DEAN MIRROR IF SHE STABS JACK I’LL FLIP A DAMN TABLE

....

....

prairiedust.exe has encountered an error and must be restarted

....

....

Okay so “Dad” steps in and stops Sylvia’s attack on Jack...

Why is that Zack? What????

“I’ve been lying to you” oh here we go

Oh it would be death #3, remember what Dabb said about threes a long time ago, two attempts that are unsuccessful and one that satisfies the parameters— but no he’s a jack :((((

I have to stop watching for a while.

Okay I finished it. Holy cats do I have some Thoughts about this episode.

What I loved: Revisiting Dean’s anger, BUT the parental mirror here (in retrospect, at least for me) was a John mirror-- all the mothers (exc for Rowena) in this episode are dead. And Pastor Joe didn’t apparently embrace his wife’s faith until she had died, and then his vision was radically different than his wife’s was-- much like John’s reasons for becoming a hunter were vastly different from Mary’s... but much like “patching” this subtext was possibly even more “healing” than having John back in the 300th ep... This was... looking at a child’s anger when they’re in the middle of their own family mythology. Am I implying that Dean’s anger is immaturity? Eh, it’s... unripeness. I have an old meta in my drafts about the heroine’s journey and why Mary’s story conformed to it while feeling totally unfulfilling in her actual character arc and I’m so glad I sat down and examined that rather than finish it. I have a lot I want to say about Cas’ testimony too, but that has to sit a while. ALSO also, Cas has already thrown away his shot by making the Empty deal, right?....

LANGUAGE! Cas saying “I found myself lost” is a bonkers sentence, right? It’s like when people say someone “turned up missing”-- AND it does not have the same meaning as “I realized I was lost”-- you get a double whammy of the connotation “to search for.” I loved loved loved how language was such a big deal in Last Holiday and then again here, I need to rewatch while paying closer attention to Sylvia and things she says... but these two were sister episodes in so many ways, that when I said there was a “lack of narrative mirrors” in Last Holiday, that’s only because the lens for that kind of reading is Gimme Shelter. That is not the first time spn has played with a “coin” or paired structure-- I think the first time I noticed it was Fan Fiction/Ask Jeeves but I was a transfer student from another fandom at the time lol. But of course, we get a huge truth bomb at the end of the episode, and again that splashy cymbal all over lying...

What I got wrong-- Zack wasn’t the killer but he’s fishy as hell-- he stole Sylvia! Is this part of Rowena’s “people generally end up where they deserve to be” except she’s built in an express lane? “Do you need a driver” is that his actual job now? Taking unripe souls to Hell Orientation? What’s up with him being there... the other shoe did not drop. So there is a third episode out there somewhere where this might get wrapped up? The conversation between Dean and Cas can easily be something that happens offscreen, and I don’t think that it would be the first time we miss an “important” conversation, especially since we know roughly what will be said and how it will wrap up-- it’s an “open text” of a sort. Maybe a fanfiction gap lol, I can’t wait for the codas.

Also, the fingers thing being Sylvia’s father’s favorite analogy is where she got her MO, something that I definitely didn’t see, although it fits right in with her father’s slightly pithy character. I think it’s interesting again how we’re playing with threes and fours. Three fingers got cut off but it was apparent that Valerie (valorious one) wouldn’t die until finger #4.... Jack really seems to be our last hope.

[hockey-more-like]

50 Questions! I was tagged by: @bluebarriemuzzins ! Thank you sm!

what is the color of your hairbrush? I have a few but the one I usually use is blue

name a food you never eat? I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

are you typically too warm or too cold? I’d say too hot because I’m way less bothered by being cold

what were you doing 45 mins ago? Working on a Torey Krug Edit.

what’s your favorite candy bar? I don’t really eat candy bars very much, but the last one I had was a 3 Musketeers.

have you ever been to a professional sports game? I’ve been to a few Reds, Bengals, and Cyclones games

what is the last thing you said out loud? “Can we go get some candy later?”

what is your favorite ice cream? Mint chocolate chip

what was the last thing you had to drink? Water, but if I wasn’t lazy I would’ve mad Kool-Aid

do you like your wallet? I guess not bc I have one but I havent used it ever hgkvkghv

what is the last thing you ate? Chicken fired rice

did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Yes! I got a bunch of sweaters for fall/winter

what’s the last sporting event you watched? Stanley Cup Final baybee

what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? idk if its a flavor or brand but Tender White

last person you sent a text message to? My mom

ever go camping? Once when I was little but I wish I did it more! No one in my family likes to!

do you take vitamins? Nope

do you regularly attend a place of worship? No, I personally don’t believe in God, but if you do that's great :)

do you have a tan? I am practically clear kjhvkjhvjh

do you prefer chinese or pizza? Tough, but probably Chinese. I eat Lean Cuisine Frozen French Bread Pizzas(TM) all the time though

do you drink your soda through a straw? I guess. I usually only get soda at a restaurant and it’ll come with a straw

what color socks do you usually wear? Either black or white. They almost never match

do you ever drive above the speed limit? I’m still learning to drive and I absolutely hate driving so hard no

look to your left, what do you see? Like 7 pillows

what chore do you hate most? Cleaning my room, its usually a lot to do

what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? The youtuber I Did A Thing

what’s your favorite soda? Dr. Pepper, but I usually drink Coke

do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru

what’s your favorite number? 3

who’s the last person you talked to? My dad

favorite cut of beef? I think they all taste the same pretty much

last song you listened to? Spring and Storm by Tally Hall

last book you read? I haven’t gotten that far, but The True History Of The Kelly Gang

favorite day of the week? Thursdays, as a kid it was the day I would go to my mom’s house 

can you say the alphabet backwards? No not enough brainpower

how do you like your coffee? I don’t like coffee, no matter how much of anything I put in it it’s always way too bitter

favorite pair of shoes? I only have like two pairs of shoes and they’re both gym shoes

time you normally get up? Between 6-9 am

what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunset because I like the  dark blue right after

how many blankets on your bed? Three, I like my room super cold

describe your kitchen plates? They’re white with a brown ring along the edge that has a blue diamond pattern in it

describe your kitchen at the moment? Bunch of dirty plates on the counter because I emptied the dishwasher and didn’t have time to load it

do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? No alcohol is gross

do you play cards? If you mean like any card game yes I love black jack and play crazy eights a lot

what color is your car? Like a really light blue

can you change a tire? No

your favorite state? Really any that are cold and not Ohio

favorite job you’ve had? The one job I’ve had I hated so none

I tag @bostonbottoms @trashvillepredators @gingervivilou if they want to, and anyone else who wants to!

[glee-dsm-events2]

ANNIVERSARY EVENT: FUTURE WEEK

ALL THIS INFORMATION IS OOC.

Alright peeps. So in celebration of the THIRD YEAR of this RP being active and awesome, we are presenting a FUTURE WEEK. Essentially, we’re fast forwarding 12 years into the future when students can return to Ohio and to Lima Heights institute for a week in celebration of Sue’s Wedding (to herself)! The game will be put on pause (this includes paras, convos and acceptances) for one week - March 22nd through March 29th - and we will bring everything to the year 2032. 

As previously mentioned, Sue is throwing a huge wedding - to herself - and all past students are invited to attend! Now, here are some of the guidelines - 

You have to DISCUSS future plans with other writers. Do not assume just because you currently shipping/writing/talking with them that they’ll want to do a future scenario.

Also a quick note - there’s no need to get upset at other writers if they are choosing to go a different way. THIS IS AU. Things happening during Future Week DO NOT guarantee what happens in the real game. (Current time)

We are pausing time between March 22-29th. Which means no convos/paras/etc outside of Future Week. 

We’ll be doing this all in side blogs.

THINGS FOR DISCORD 

We will ask everyone to post a quick “update” in the Discord once the FUTURE WEEK channel is in there. Just a few sentences telling everyone where your character is at - where they live, what they’re doing, who they’re with, how things have changed with their parents/siblings since graduation, what their careers are, etc.

Some options: claiming, auctions, sold, etc.

Careers: keep in mind that status has a lot of weight in this society. A Dominant with two claims is going to have higher quality jobs - CEOs, high income lawyers, doctors, etc. A Dominant with one claim would do well, but maybe not the top of their field. Claimed submissives could still certainly have good jobs, but they tend to be not as high paying - part-time work, teachers, law enforcement, emergency techs, nurses, artists, journalists, etc. They can “own” businesses, but they would be in their Dom’s name - that sort of thing. Purchasing slaves says more to the Dominant’s wealth - slaves are very expensive (think like a couple hundred thousand) so one Dominant probably wouldn’t have more than one unless they’re extremely wealthy. 

Mood boards - if you post a mood board or ‘collage’ we’ll give you 100 points. Now, these points are kinda given ooc so they won’t be able to be discussed once we get back to in-game. And these mood boards would be placed as decorations for the reunion so the information would be public. These collages need to show what your character has been up to the last 12 years. 

The ‘intranet’ will still be active for people to talk publicly, and F2F’s of course.

We are not allowing pictures of children on the dash. HOWEVER, we will allow them on the Discord Channel if people would like to plan out that sort of thing. REMINDER - the world is not just all triplets. While multiples do happen, they are not promised at every single births. There are also twins and singles - for the sake of simplicity, let’s say triplets are as high as we go. Keep in mind that because of the chemical warfare, natural pregnancies are difficult to achieve and most people have IVF.

If you’d like to do anything with your character’s future in regards to policy, laws, politics, please run them by us first. Most other Life HC’s will probably be fine, we just need to be cautious of ‘breaking the world.’

If you are choosing to have your character have gone to the auctions, we will allow that the school would rent them for the week to be able to be in-play. We’ll likely have more information as it gets closer, but that is a future option.

This is not a mandatory event, HOWEVER, we will not be allowing any other activity during this week. So, if you do not want to be a part of the future event, that’s fine, but then you’ll be on a break until it’s over. Additionally, we’re not doing acceptances or activity checks during this time.

More information will come, but we wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what was going on. And thank you for 3 awesome drama-filled years in this crazy little world :) 

[askyancy]

A choice...

OOC: Below the cut is extracted from the discord. A certain duo paid Yancy a visit in his time of need.  With this, our trio story is finally all wrapped up in a big bow and tomorrow brings a new story! We’ve been planning it for a while now and can’t wait for you all to take part and see what’s in store! Yancy - @askyancy​ Actor Mark - @actor-mark​ Darkiplier - @markimoojackaboi​

YancyYesterday at 7:05 PM

Yancy hadn't come back to his cell yet, having left Sparkles with Jimmy and Hank, a bit of high alcohol content hooch to drown out the worries. Yancy wasn't much for drinking, instead he'd wandered off... through the nooks and crannies, the holes in the walls and floors. Off to a small secluded and rather secretive location that only he knew of. It was HIS place..... His private hole in the wall. Several floors below the prison and so far away from it all that he could sing to his hearts content and not be heard at all. He'd been down here before.. many times... Yancys-studio was as isolated and alone as he could ever possibly hope for.....

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

He was pacing.... Back forth back forth. 7 steps left 7 steps back again. chewing on the end of his thumb. His brain wrought with worry, with conflict. All my fault... This is all my Fault He couldn't stand hearing that Bambam wasn't going to make it. They'd been updated after class. Bambams heart was slowing down... Doctors said it was just a matter of time. Time was all Yancy could hope for now.... More time.. just give them more time and maybe they'll pull through.... It felt surreal and tormenting knowing that there was nothing he could do. Not a damned thing. So he'd pace.... Pace and wear a hole in the concrete floor. The studio was a basement crawlspace of dusty concrete and piping, a support beam stands in the center and the whole little crook sits 2 floors deep beneath the kitchen. The far wall has been fitted with many small mirrors to make up one large dance studio-esque mirror. Not much to look at but it served the purpose. But Yancy wouldn't dare to look at his reflection as it stalked him back and forth across the room. over and over....

The cold basement hide away had almost completely still air, never really changing from part of the room to another. Cold that settled on top of the skin but never penetrating deeper than that. It was dusty. Even if Yancy cleaned it every day it would remain slightly dirty due to it's concrete walls, celling, and floor....

Yancy gave a shiver, the cold of the room prickling but it was more his unstoppable anxiety making his back tense up so much. He paused in his pacing, trying to shift his attention away. Maybe to tumblr? But doing so only reminded him he hadn't even touched it all day... One small post, an update on Bambam.... After he was done he slowly sank against a wall, knees to his chest and just hunched forward a little into them, burying his face to cry alone. He couldn't bare to be up there with the others anymore. Couldnt bare that sight of his own cell or knowing that Bambam's would be empty now. There was no way Sparkles would stay in there alone. Maybe they'd go stay with that Dusty person? He didnt even want to think about losing the rest of his family now Bambam was gone... but what if the gang started falling apart? Tiny was never really interested in any of them, Jimmy and Hank tended to stick together and Sparkles was very different from Yancy, and likely seeing Yancy would only bring up memories of Bambam..... Would he lose them all!?

He slowly pulled himself together and ran a hand over his face, standing back up and eyed his phone again... Maybe he could say hi to the discord folks? They should know too right? Then again he'd alerted the blog. they'd know... He found himself pacing again, the same track...  "You look a little lost, friend."

Yancy whirled around, straight for the exit and paused. .... No one? He spun in a circle, eyes all over the room. Not a soul.  "Wh-......." Had he just imagined it?  "Ohp Don't make yourself dizzy now!"  "Who's dere!?" Yancy growled low, territorial mode sinking in, ready to defend his little hidey hole.  "A friend~"  "YOUSE SHOW YOUSES SELF!"

There was n eerie echo in the room as Yancy's voice boomed out, it seemed to carry more than it should have....

"..... Wow. Angry little Tiger aren't we? " "Sh-shut up... Who are youse?" 

“What's with the weird accent?” "I SAID SHUT UP!.... Tell me who youse is!" "

....................................

 "ANSWER ME!" 

“Oh I'm sorry I thought you wanted me to shut up”

Yancy grit his teeth. "..... Youse just.. leave me alone... I aint in de mood"

Yancy backed up a bit away from the door. 

“Oh c'mon now friend. I came to offer you the help you so desperately need. Don't worry..er.. Yancy was it?”

 "It's Yancy..." 

“That's what I-.... nevermind...”

 "Where de heck is you--" He'd started turning around again but leapt half a mile back when he discovered a man standing directly behind him. 

“Ahaha Oh I'm sorry! Didn't meant to startle you friend!”

 "Wh-How..How did youse-... " His left hand was burning like he'd punched lava. 

“Best not to question the minor details. Just enjoy the ride!”

The man stepped closer and had the most sickening grin on his face. 

“Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to find you?” Yancy started to step backwards, his left fist curling tightly. This guy had the kind of face you just... couldn't trust. Bit of a douche...  "....wait.... y-"

"Oh?” the man grinned, eager to see if Yancy caught on that he'd met him before.  "Youse-.... Youse been looking for me?" Mark's face dropped. Wow what a dumbo. 

“Yes of course. Why wouldn't I wanna find the little "Golden Boy" that everyone's suddenly more in love with?”

".... more?" 

“Ahaha.. not to worry not to worry! We're all friends here at Happy Trails Penitentiary.”

"Yancy shifted slowly into a boxing stance, but kept his fists to his sides for the moment, ready to raise at a moments notice. "Who de heck are youse?" 

“Still talking like that? Youse? Its you. Eesh... Aren't you from Ohio?”

"Sh..shut up" 

“Hold on wait”

Mark pulled a script from his suit jacket and started flipping through it 

“What ending was yours? ... Life Sentence? .... No no....  I want to be free? That was it! Hm... Oh and Dance to the death too. You got a whole three videos how cute. Or was it four?....”

 flick flick.... "Wh-....what are youse even on ab-..." His left hand felt like fire, the skin turning red and he had to shake it off to the side, eyeing the lettering..... "....M... Mark?" 

“Aha! There you are! Took you a while but you got there! You almost remind me of someone ahaha!”

"Wh-....... " 

“Oh don't act so shocked. You already knew I was coming. They went and spoiled everything for you”

"Wh-Who? What? I didn't knows yous...." 

“your discord friends! They spoiled everything! ...Was really supposed to be a surprise but eh... Not like they can see you now.”

"_Yancy went wide eyed "H-.. Youse is on the discord?" 

“Of course I am! Why wouldn't I wanna chat to the wonderful, handsome, famous Yancy! The notorious killer! The brutal violent slaughter tiger! Such a cutie so precious so soft so sweet and so brutal oooof~”

Mark fanned himself and laughed, pacing around the room now. As he walked the floor seemed to change... Concrete turning to wood. Yancy stepped back and away from it, wary to touch it but eventually he ended up pressed against the mirror and unable to avoid it.

"You seem so afraid? Why? Where's all that gusto? All the bravado? the punch and the sweep!”

"Y-YOUSE KNOCK IT OFF"

"Oh calm down Yancy! ... Always the big softie. Youre supposed to be a brutal killer!”

"I aint any o dose t'ings youse callin me!"

"Oh? What about Ma and Pa? What about Frankie? What about-”

"DONT!"

"Oops touched a nerve!”

Mark paced slowly around him like a predator stalking prey. His reflection seemed to shake and show something different entirely.

"Wouldnt want to wake up that killer tiger now would we”

Yancy grit his teeth, stooping down to grab a left over stone from the floor transforming, making sure Mark was too in his own monologue to notice. "

“You're a violent and brutal villain, Yancy. Unlike that Illinois fellow. Or the captain! Both precious angels, heroes! Never did no wrong not to anyone! But you? You've killed FOUR people! FOUR!”

"St-STOP IT!" 

“And yet they fawn over you like a baby... Just like your mothe-”

The rock went sailing right at Mark's face with a fast baseball styled swing, he had just enough time to duck. The rock hit the glass of the mirror, leaving a crack. 

“Oooooooh!!! There it is! Tsk tsk Yancy! You gotta be more careful! Wouldn't want to make it five now would we!”

The mirror cracked and splintered, shards of glass falling to the ground and echoing through the dance space like crystalline wind chimes. It felt like the air was sucked out of the room for a few seconds, almost like an airlock seal breaking. Propped up against the wall was a humble broom that had seen better years. It had stayed in the same place so long that a spider had made its home in the space between the wood and the wall. Without warning, it fell forward, bouncing off the ground like it had been pushed roughly and it clattered with a sound that would be louder and more startling than a mirror cracking.. Yancy jumped and yelped at the crash of the broom. Backing up as far as he could go, his heart racing and his left hand burning like crazy.  "Y-.. L-Leave me alone!" 

“Oh but my dear, sweet, boy! ...... I came to help you~”

"Wh- h..help me?" Yancy's eyes darted to the fallen broom again, his defensive stance faltering, his footwork off, his fists barely tight. Fear gripping him by the shoulders. "I-..I dont want youses help!" 

“...buhuhaha.. You sure? What about poor Micheal?”he paused 

“Sorry.. Bambam. Cute name. Shame Evan and Sarah didn't get to be as involved but that's scheduling for you.”

"Wh-What de hell are youse on ab-.... G.. Go away! I MEAN IT!" 

“Nooooo you doooonnnttt~”Mark sing songed at him 

“Oooh! Nice acoustics in here! aaaaAAAAAaaaaaoooooohh~”

"............... J-...just leave me alone

"Oh alright alright ffffffine. Let Bambam die for all I care. Clearly you dont”

the squeaking sound of glass scraping glass as the mirror cracked just a bit more with every word out of Actor Marks mouth. The reflections seemed to blur and wobble just a bit like a layer of dew began to set in. As the mirror became harder to see through, the edges began to fog up, slowly moving to cover each mirror. The room was cold, unchanging in temperature. But it began to smell... wet. There wasn’t the sound of finger tracing a window, and yet Yancy could see in the mirror next to the mirror that shattered began to have the outlines of a word as if they had always been there.* L I A R

Yancy stared in horror as he watched the actor parade around his little studio. Mark leaned against the beam in the middle, placing a hand on it then watched as it proceeded to get a new lick of paint, slowly flowing over it top to bottom spreading out from where he'd touched. "W-wait..y..youse can..help?" He was watching Mark who..clearly wasn't leaving despite his words. Watching how he was changing his studio to be...better.... 

“We-hehe-ll of course I can!! Why else would I bother looking for you? Can't have previous baby Yancy all distressed now can we!”

Yancy's eyes traced the letters on the mirror that Mark hadn't noticed yet. Was Mark doing that too?  "Y-.........Youse can save Bambam?" 

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeelll...... Not exactly save BUT! I can bring them back. From what I can tell they're noit doing so hot right now. Heart beat's getting slower. Doesn't have long. I'd say maybe.. midnight?”

"Wh- NO!" Yancy rushed forward, paused and Mark grinned. 

“Course if they die, I can bring them back. No strings attached, no deals, no price, no currency, no favors, no nothing. how about it?” Mark held out his hand.(edited)

There was an eerie chill to the air as it seemed into his bones. The fog on the glass seemed to crystallize and freeze a little more. The mirror on the other side had the word.

C H E A T

But whoever was leaving messages didn’t stop at one.

M U R D E R E R

P O I S O N

F A K E

F R A U D

More and more as they began to clutter the available space. Something odd began to happen. The areas around Mark’s silhouette ��became more crowded than the rest while the shadow remained unwritten, outlining him in words. Every single one of them being true. A crack from the mirror seemed to also, somehow, be on the wall behind it creeping below the frame... down almost all the way to the floor. Did he really throw that rock that hard?. Yancy couldnt move now as he watched in horror... Nightmare.. Just a nightmare. He got so many of them! That's all this was. He backed up to the wall singking down it and buried his face in his hands.  "N-None o dis is real.. Bambams fine.. I..I can wake up now.... dis is just..my head... ...m..maybe I am crazy" 

“Hey probably. I get told that all the time and yet it never really is true.... you on the other hand. All those murders? The fights? Eesh... How many times have you had a fight with Y/N now? Shall we check hang on”

Mark stepped forward, digging out a red phone.

"Lets see lets see.. how do we find you again...”

 Yancy was so confused, so stressed, he was shaking.

"Err... kay... guns blazing... chopper... rally... no deal.... aha.. 1,670,655 times! Wow! You're a real monster bucko- Wait what about the kills oooh the dance to the death how many kills now? 623,279 YIKES!”

"Wh-N-No I never.. I never killed dat many! I-I just.. deys was accidents! D-de ones I dids de-deys was-" 

“Oh buddy no no no no nooooo these are all documented on video. aha.. er... not that you'd remember them. You black out right? When the tiger hits. Happens.. time lines.. blahbalh wibbly wobbly. It's fine. Oooh that means we're approaching an ending! How about that! Means you get a choice bucko! Lucky you! So I'll make it simple for you" He held his hand out again 

“Deal or no deal? Green or Red. Left or Right. Take your pick!”

DarkiplierYesterday at 11:11 PM

*The Cracked Mirror launches itself off the wall like someone had fired it out of a cannon and against the back of Mark’s Head. It clattered around, shards splintering out and around his face like a helmet that would slice his cheeks or eyes if he moved too fast. The wall behind him had a large black crack, exactly the same pattern as what was on the glass.

You can say no to him.

Something only Yancy could hear even if he covered his ears. It was more than advice, it was permission. No glass touched Yancy, any that fell almost created a ring around his feet. The other mirrors followed suit, toppling off the wall creating a reflective floor of sorts. Broken glass everywhere, but none seeming to leave the frames. A hand shoots out from one just behind marks back, reaches up and pulls him down to the ground. Hard. The room goes black as soon as he hits the floor. The ringing from all the noise never seeming to fade or faulter. A low echo underneath it... stillness. Quiet. “I think that’s enough.” the man with no shadow said. Standing right under the crack in the wall that seemed.. to give off an unearthly glow.

YancyYesterday at 11:16 PM

Yancy cried out in surprise and fear as the world around him changed and altered again. His poor studio! He was curled up tight when the ringing started but when he saw who it was he quickly scrambled to his feet. Fists curling, not alone any more he could defend himself a bit better... Mark let out a growl as he hit the floor but it was quickly followed by a fondness 

“Daaaamieeeeen! Long time no SEE!”

The world around them pulsed, that red and blue stretching outward.... He'd gotten stronger... He was suddenly behind Dark.

"How long has it been? Two? three? ...... Four videos? ahaha~ Don't mind us, just a little chat between pals”

"M-Mr Ipliere?.... I-" 

“yes? .. huh.. oh youre talking t-.. OH! AhahahahahahAHAHHAHA! Really? Mr Ipliere~ cute”

Mark grinned at Dark viciously, dusting off his suit. 

“Ignore him Yancy sweetie. Your little Bambam doesn't have much time left. it's 11:15″

"Wh not it was just-" Yancy checked his phone still tightly held in hand. 11:15.. where had the time gone?

"You have 45 minutes to make a decision. Are you going to let him die and stay dead or do you want my help?”

DarkiplierYesterday at 11:23 PM

Dark’s image wobbled a bit. But he had gotten stronger too. He walked a little away from him and towards Yancy. “He does bad things to good people.” he said firmly. He looked at Mark. “Filling the mans head with more of your lies all to make his friend one of your little... pet projects. You’re lower than dirt.” he rolled his neck and continued walking towards Yancy. “There doesn’t have to be a war over this… His promise is an empty truth that will ensure Bambam’s demise...But... There is still time…Not much. But mayhaps enough.” He wasn’t in the mood for Mark shinanagins right now. He was a bastard and he nothing short of hated him. But there wasn’t time for petty squabbles

YancyYesterday at 11:28 PM

Mark gave an overly dramatic mock offended look 

O! Hey! I do NOT! Here I am offering this poor distressed man a deal of a life time. I'm here to help his friend from the inevitable fate they're spiraling towards. Look! Barely a beat now! They're hanging onto shredded threads!

 He gestured vaguely to the air as if Bambam was right there, but Dark would see that heart beat too...

"Shake my hand Yancy my boy. It's all you need and Bambam will come back fit as a fiddle

 "I-..." He back up. "I don't believe youse.... b-.... But I- I wanted t' speak wid youse again" Yancy put his attention on Dark "c-..Can youse help with Bambam? B-..before deys ..... before anyt'in bad happens?" he had the most puppy dog pleading look. "Y-..youse helped me before I-... Youse made a deal wid me that.. I collect at any time..w-..what if I do dat fer youse in retoirn?" "

Wait you two have met before?- Ohhhh of course you have, your stupid lil codes ugh..whatever... Doesn't matter. .... How do you put up with the dumb accent? The heck is that from.. New Jersey? Boston?

DarkiplierYesterday at 11:36 PM

Darks neck cracked. As he did, the floor beneath Mark cracked too with a loud boom. “Youre offering a vulnerable, terrified man a deal he does not understand.” he felt the heartbeat of the dying friend and frowned. “Yancy,” he said it correctly, “You are a man behind bars. The information I needed from you has already been used... what more could you have to offer-” he looked at Mark then back at him. “Time is creeping on us. Mark will let Bambam die and raise them. I... can stop them from passing. Long enough...” his nostrils flared. He wasn’t a charity worker. “Its his accent. That’s the long and short of it.” 

YancyYesterday at 11:43 PM

Mark rolled his eyes, childishly doing the mocking face and mouthing a copy of Darks words. 

Yes exactly. I can't stop them from dying but I CAN bring them back. Easy peasy lemon squeeze bish bash bosh hunky dory boom done. No fuss. No mess. No deals. No strings. No bargains. No reason of mistrust what so ever. Why is that such a hard offer to take!? I'm trying to help out a fellow Iplier here! Or is my name tattoos on your hand not a good enough reason to trust me!?

Yancy blinked, then his eyes shot down to his left hand. Still burning ridiculously hot. The areas around the letters felt like theyd blistered but they hadnt. Punching Mark square in the face might help.... "I-...." He frowned. Something about this guy. It felt off.. Bit of a douche.. no.. lot of a douche... The closer Mark got the more his tattooed fingers burnt. Kinda like that harry potter kid. "...Mr Ipliere...y-...youse can help Bambam? I dont..want dem to die at all... not evur... p-please..if..if deres anyt'in youse can do I-... I might be behind bars but I can gets out easy enough!"

"That's ilegal. You could go to prison for that

" "...... I-.. we-...." Poor Yancy. He shook his head "Please.. I-.... I'd do anyt'ing..."

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH no no no no nNOOO you do NOT wanna offer that right off the bat eesh. Make him work for it at least! Besides, you can't trust this guy! He's the villain here! Look at him! all...spooky" Mark wiggled his fingers

" That and have you any idea how much fuss this guy has given me? They burnt down my entire home!

Yancy frowned "Sometimes shit happens.. youse gotta forgive the past" 

I COULD NEVER FORGIVE THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME!!!!

Marks anger was explosive, the entire room rumbling and the crack in the wall daring to shatter again, it felt familiar... at least for Dark.

DarkiplierYesterday at 11:57 PM

Darkiplier listened, weighing his next move carefully. Markiplier was a terrifying man, but an easy to provoke one. One of those faces you can’t trust. Dark looked like he had done some bad things in his life too but wouldn’t lie if he was asked. “Im -your- villain Mark. You spun that fate for me long ago....” It was his turn to roll his eyes, but somehow it looked more dignified on Dark. “I hardly call an en mass extermination of thousands of undead you had created to serve your bidding is truly a crime. Last I looked, your house still stands.” Marks explosion was enough. “What I did to you.... that’s quite possibly the funniest thing you have ever said. And woefully not my problem.” He looked at Yancy. They held a moment together eye to eye. He had already agreed. And suggesting that he would do anything in return, there’s no better deal than that. The room became pitch black. “Im terribly sorry about your hiding place, Yancy... let’s see what else we can repair this night.” Out of the goodness of a changed heart? For the Iplier name?... spite? His motives were unclear. But Yancy would suddenly feel like he was being pulled backwards gently... slowly away from him. 

ITS TIME TO WAKE UP

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

Yancy staggered backward with a gasp, spinning on the spot, confused, dazed, looking around for any sig of the two men he was just with... He wasn't in the studio anymore??? What had just..happen-..... Had he been sleep walking? He turned and spotted Sparkles fast asleep on the upper bunk, an arm hanging down. Their pillow wet and clearly passed out from eventual exhaustion. Poor thing.... His heart was racing but slowly he began to relax. Just.... Just a dream? a nightmare? Sparkles was in his cell though so the ...news on Bambam still rang true?..... His own bed was still made and untouched from the morning. So.. no.. He hadn't been asleep.... Then wh-

"Oh... hey! What're you doing awake at this hour?" "Wh- Ah- I was- I-..er.... Bad dream?" Yancy sounded tired enough to make that believable, that and this was often a case so...  "Oh... you ok? you look exhausted buddy" Officer Free wandered closer "Try and get some rest yeah- oh and er- We were gonna save it for the morning but uh- since youre up. .... They took Bambam off the respirators about an hour or so ago? They say they're really improving. Got a good chance and.. might even wake up in the morning. They're hopeful"  "WH- AH!!" Yancy went wide eyed and rushed to the bars, startling poor Gavin who put his hands up to fight -dumb considering there were bars in the way- but Yancys hands going up in surrender had Gavin put his down again 

"so-sorry officer I j- youse..said deys..gonna be ok!?"  "Yeah! should be right as rain mate!" Officer Free grinned, happy to have been the one to deliver the news.  "er but er... maybe tell ole glitter guts the news in the mornin yeah? Poor geezer could use a good nights rest"  "y-..yeah youse is right.. m'gonna..... try n sleep myself" "Lucky" Gavin smirked and they fist bumped though the bars "No sneakin off. I catch you out I'll whap ya- wapow" officer free swung his baton around but it was in jest and Yancy knew this. Gavin was a good officer...  They parted ways and Yancy sat down slowly and quietly on his bunk .... 

Bambam....... 

They were gonna be ok............ 

 But now that meant he had a debt of anything to pay to the Man With No Shadow....

[seblos]

start of something new - ch 1/?

Word Count: 2138

[ one | two (coming soon) ]

read on ao3

Note: for reference in the song—  bold is Blaine/italics is Kurt/both is both

—

Kurt Hummel is tense the moment he walked into this New Years' party. Not only is it loud and overwhelming, but he doesn’t even know anybody here. Although, this is better than a New Years' party with, say the McKinley football team. At least there are no lockers here to shove him into. Nevertheless, he quickly settled himself on the corner of a couch in the quietest corner (which is not very quiet at all).

If it wasn’t for his dad forcing him to try and make friends, Kurt wouldn’t be at this party at all. He’s tried to explain to his dad that he does have friends on the Cheerios with him, to which his response is always about how he wants Kurt to have guy friends. 

Sure, he’s been amazingly accepting ever since Kurt came out of him back in his sophomore year, but that never stopped Burt Hummel for wanting a son on the football team, or at least with some other guys that he can sit with at lunch or whatever. (What to guys even do together? Watch football? It’s really no interest of his.)

Besides, what friend was he going to make at a New Years' party at a retreat in the middle of Ohio? Kurt wouldn’t ever see any of these kids again, so what's the point? 

Kurt settled back against the couch and crossed his legs before pulling out his phone. Maybe Brittany or Santana can distract him through text, or at the very least, he can find a new Vogue.com article that he hasn’t read yet.

Vaguely, in the background, there was some slightly off-key karaoke by probably drunk teenagers. He winced slightly when a girl tried to hit a high note that she couldn’t quite reach, but besides that didn’t react. While Kurt was fully aware that he could carry a tune, there was no way he would go up there and sing live (even though he would have hit that note.) 

Judging by the scattered clapping around him, Kurt guessed that whatever pair was up there had just finished, and the DJ once again started asking for volunteers. When nobody immediately volunteered, they started threatening to pick someone at random. He shuddered, sending a silent apology to whoever got chosen.

As it turns out, though, Kurt spoke too soon. The next thing he knew, there was a bright light shining right at him as someone pulled him up off the couch and gestured him over to the stage. He tried to say no, tried to pull back, but nobody was listening. Before he knew it, Kurt was standing on the stage next to a random guy his age.

“Someday you guys might thank me for this,” the DJ shrugged, handing the other kid a mic before glancing at Kurt. “Or not.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. Great, thank you, DJ from hell. 

He let himself glance quickly at the kid next to him, but he was so nervous that he didn’t even take in any of his face before the kid was turning his head to look at Kurt, making him quickly look away. Great, now he had to sing a duet with some random, probably straight kid who must think he’s a weirdo. Perfect way to end the year.

Words to a song that he didn’t know started rolling across the screen in front of him, and the kid took the male lead. Considering Kurt was still trying to calm himself down, it was probably for the best.

They were still avoiding eye contact when the guy began to sing. 

Living in my own world

Didn’t understand

That anything can happen

When you take a chance.

Duet Guy’s voice was beautiful, Kurt couldn’t help to admit. (And so was his face, judging by the quick glance he took while he was singing.) However, he also looked very unsure, like Kurt might leave at any moment and he would be stuck there on the stage by himself. 

Kurt was still the most uncomfortable he’s ever felt, but there was no easy way out of this situation than to bite the bullet. If not for him, than for his poor duet partner. So, taking a deep breath and still avoiding eye contact, he joined in the second verse.

I never believed in

What I couldn't see

I never opened my heart

To all the possibilities

He was more than pleasantly surprised when Duet Guy added the little ‘oh’ after the third line, causing added his own ‘ooh’ after the fourth. Still, Kurt refused to give him more than a glance out of the corner of his eye, but he could feel Duet Guy’s looking at him as they sang together.

I know

That something has changed

Never felt this way

And right here tonight

Okay, Duet Guy is definitely staring at him now. For the first time since the song started, Kurt allows himself to make eye contact and oh my god Duet Guy is gorgeous. Hazel eyes meet blue ones and Kurt stops breathing for a moment. He has to look away just to keep singing without passing out, but by the third line, they’re making eye contact again.

This could be the start of something new

It feels so right to be here with you (oh)

And now looking in your eyes

I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)

The start of something new

Cheers erupt from the crows as Duet Guy starts taking off his blazer, throwing it somewhere as he brings his mic closer Kurt feels his heart pounding as Duet Guy sings the next verse. He’s smiling so big by this point now that the nerves have been replaced with this new, knee-weakening emotion.

Now who'd have ever thought that

We'd both be here tonight

And the world looks so much brighter (brighter)

With you by my side (by my side)

I know that something has changed

Never felt this way

I know it for real

This could be the start of something new

It feels so right to be here with you (oh)

And now looking in your eyes

I feel in my heart

The start of something new

Duet Guy is doing this dorky dance as he dips the mic for the bridge, and Kurt can’t help but laugh as he watched him. The crowd behind them is dancing and clapping along, but Kurt doesn’t notice any of that. His mind is occupied at the moment by one person only. 

I never knew that it could happen till it happened to me

I didn't know it before

But now it's easy to see

It's the start of something new

It feels so right to be here with you

Duet Guy is getting closer to him, so close that Kurt stepped back a few times, almost falling off the stage. His face is heating up as Duet Guy continued to smile at him with that gorgeous face. 

There is no way that Duet Guy can be this attractive, this talented, and also gay, but perhaps this year is wishing luck to Kurt after what he’s had to deal with. He smiled wide just at the thought, joining Duet Guy with his own terrible dancing. 

And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart

That it's the start of something new

It feels so right to be here with you

And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)

The start of something new (The start of something new)

The start of something new

The song ended with Kurt face-to-face with Duet Guy as the note dragged out. His heart was pounding fast, eyes moving all over his face as he tried to memorize every detail, because shit, this guy was hot, and was he crazy, or were their heads moving closer together?

Their moment of solitude was broken (probably for the better, this is Ohio after all) by the clapping and cheering from the crowd as the DJ walks up to them. Quickly, before they’re kicked off the stage, Duet Guy sticks his hand out. “Blaine.”

It took a moment for Kurt to realize oh, that’s his name, before he shook Blaine’s hand. “Kurt,” he says with a smile, which is only matched with an even more enthusiastic one from Blaine.

“Do you wanna hang out? Grab some hot chocolate?”

Kurt grins even wider. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

—

Blaine Anderson has never been happier that his mom forced him to a party. He was expecting a night full of drunk straight kids making out, and instead got one with an unexpected duet, and a cute guy with it.

Neither of which were bad things. In fact, Blaine doesn’t think he could ask for a better night.

He and Kurt were standing outside at a table, hot chocolate mugs in hand while snow fell softly around them. 

“You’re a singer, right? Your voice is really good!” Kurt asks, and Blaine feels himself blush, hoping he can just pass it off as the cold.

“Um, no, not really. I mean, I’ve only ever performed at malls and theme parks, and I was in a glee club for a bit at my old school, but I’m transferring after the break so I think that’s the end of that,” he responds to Kurt’s bewilderment. 

“Really? I could see you on Broadway someday, Blaine.” 

Blaine smiles. “Thank you. What about you? You must have quite the audience back at home with a voice like that!”

Kurt grins, turning his head slightly so he’s looking at Blaine sideways, giving him a playful (and slightly flirty) smile. “Why, yes, my shower head is my biggest fan.”

Blaine laughs along before they’re interrupted by the crowd counting down loudly behind them. Suddenly, both Kurt and Blaine faced each other in panic, realizing that it’ll be New Years' in a few seconds, and they’re about to be surrounded by kissing teens in celebration.

The chanting ends as they reach one. Fireworks are going off behind them, and also in Blaine’s body as he looks at Kurt, then at his lips, then back at Kurt, who's doing the same. Just like earlier up on that stage, Blaine swears their heads are moving closer to one another.

Blaine’s mind is racing, screaming what are you doing!? You’re falling for a guy you’ll never see again! And this is the middle of Ohio, surrounded by a crowd of people! Somebody is going to have a bad reaction! And yet, part of him kept moving closer, because if this is his last time meeting Kurt, he better make it worth his time. 

Fireworks are lighting up their faces in shades of pink and blue as Blaine glanced up at Kurt’s eyes (they’re a gorgeous blue-green color) as if he’s asking for permission. Kurt nods, just barely, as he licks his lips. 

Just as they’re centimeters away from meeting, the moment is broken by Kurt’s phone buzzing from a little pocket in his vest (which, can Blaine just say, this kid has the best fashion sense. And that pocket is adorable.)

“Shoot, that’s my dad. He wants me back now so we can get up early and miss traffic.” Kurt sighed as he swiped on his phone, not really looking like he’s ready to leave. 

Blaine nodded, before something sparks in his brain. “I’ll text you! I’ll text you tomorrow! Here, give me your number,” he says as he hands his phone over to Kurt.

“Oh! Right!” Kurt smiled, taking out his own phone and handing it to Blaine. They both tapped in their numbers, taking photos quickly for their respective contacts, before switching their phones back.

“Singing with you was really fun, and I would love to do it again sometime,” Blaine smiled down at his phone, where is new contact was saved forever. “So where do you-” he turned to face Kurt once again, but the other boy was already gone.

Blaine glanced back at the crowd behind him, then back up at the fireworks that were still going on, smiling softly to himself. Once they were over, he moved to go inside and find his mom when he felt a buzz in his coat pocket.

Fishing out his phone once again, he opened the new message that was waiting for him.

From: Kurt Hummel: Thank you for tonight :) it was the most fun I’ve had all vacation

From: Kurt Hummel: So, how do you feel about musical theatre?

Blaine laughed, letting his head drop to his chest as he read the message over again, glancing up at the contact photo just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Something was telling him this wasn’t the last he was going to see of Kurt Hummel.

[ohprettyweeper-moved]

A Summer Story

Age 12

Pairing: Tyler x Kansas Word Count: 1700 Warnings: None.  Challenge: Kansas’s YouAU Writing Challenge Tags: @takenvysleep @breadbinishigh @svintsandghosts @xtina2191

Every summer is a story, and so many of my stories involve him. You know -- the guy. We’ve all got that somebody, guy or girl, who makes our hearts stop. You think of that person and the rest of the world fades away and it’s just you and your memories.

He was that person for me. It started the summer after sixth grade, right before I turned twelve. My cousin, Red, and I had spent a week for the last few summers at a church camp in Illinois with our grandparents, but this was the first year we were old enough to do the “big kid” activities.

After breakfast on the second day of camp, Red and I ventured over to the tabernacle where everyone was meeting. He was sitting in the second pew with a couple of other pre-adolescent boys, chatting about … well, whatever it is that pre-adolescent boys talk about, I guess.

I hadn’t meant to stare, but he was cute, and I was boy crazy. Red elbowed me, then laughed; she knew exactly where my mind had escaped to. I blushed and laughed with her, but I was suddenly very self-conscious. I fidgeted with my clothes and my ponytail as I followed her to a seat where I had absolutely no view of the boy. It was probably better that way.

As the leader of the youth group activities took the stage and started talking about the activities planned for the week, I more or less forgot about the cute guy the next section over. I was too excited for the games and arts and crafts. Red and I had several conversations between ourselves, and when we were dismissed to go to our first rotation of activities, I linked arms with her and headed off to where the bonfire had been lit the night before, in a wooded area not far from the main area of camp.

The cute boy didn’t stray far from my mind for long; when we all sat on the logs around the smoky pile of ash, he sat right next to me. I looked at him, feeling my cheeks heat once again as he waved. I waved back and gave him a tight, nervous smile.

“Hey, I’m Tyler. Cool shoes.”

“Thanks,” I replied quietly, glancing down at the Airwalks I had convinced my parents to buy me for the trip. “Is this your first year here? I don’t remember you from before.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m here with my friend.”

His friend, I recognized. That kid was obnoxious, but he wasn’t horrible. Maybe that meant Tyler was okay, too.

“What’s your name?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, right, sorry” I said, shaking my head with nerves. I gave him my real name then added, “but everyone calls me Kansas. This is my cousin.”

I introduced Red by both her real name and her nickname, and she greeted him cheerfully. I’ve always envied her ability to speak so easily with new people, even then, when we were awkward preteens, just coming into our own. As they continued to talk, with me sitting in the middle, I kept my eyes on my shoes.

“Right?” Red said, nudging me with her elbow.

I snapped my attention to her. “What? Sorry.”

She laughed. “Welcome back, then. Tyler and I were talking about the soccer game at the end of the week. You’re gonna play right?”

“Yeah, definitely. I’ve been dying for us to be old enough to join. I play for school.”

“I play basketball,” Tyler offered.

I nodded. “That’s cool.”

He struck up a conversation with Red again, so I sat back and listened. I chimed in with a comment every now and again, but I was oddly nervous around him. I wasn’t sure why.

“Because you like him,” Red teased me later as we tried to fall asleep in bunk beds in the camper we had traveled in to Illinois. “Kansas has a crush!”

I could feel my face heat as I reached down from my bunk to pinch her. We both giggled as she tried to pinch me back, then sat up so she could reach better and tickle my side.

“Girls,” Grandma admonished from the big bed at the back of the camper, “be quiet and go to sleep, please!”

Our giggling lasted through another scolding, and after that, we faded into a deep sleep.

.&.

Only a couple of days passed before I was able to see around my crush enough to be friends with Tyler. We liked the same movies and music, and had the same sense of humor. I was more into reading than he was, and Tyler was better at soccer. I was certainly no basketball star, but he was impressed with my soccer skills and never complained when I missed a shot during youth basketball games.

“You’re spending more time with him than me,” Red sighed while the two of us walked to the shower house, toiletry bags and towels in hand. “Is he your new best friend or something?”

“Never! You’re always gonna be my best friend. Tyler and I are just -- we’re only friends for this week, you know?”

“Sure, sure,” Red replied, sighing again. “I think he’s got a crush on you, too.”

I shook my head. “Nah. He would have said something or acted different. Besides, he’s a boy. They don’t think about that, really.”

Red shrugged. We both had experiences with crushes and giggling over male celebrities, but real boys who actually took the time to talk to us? We were out of our league on that one.

.&.

Thursday night was swim night. Red and I gathered our modest one-piece suits, towels, and a change of dry clothes. We traveled in a big van to the local pool in town, laughing with the rest of the youth, ready to enjoy a night of swimming. Everything was just fine, until we got to the pool.

Red and I shed our coverups, shivered in the pre-pool shower, then ran out for the pool area. I cannonballed in, right behind Red. We came up, laughing once we caught our breaths. We splashed each other till our hair was completely soaked.

“Hey, where’s Tyler?” Red asked.

I shrugged, not having realized yet that I hadn’t seen him since we got off the van. I looked around the pool, waiting to see the opportunity to splash him or tackle him under the water.

He was standing in a group that had yet to get their swimsuits wet, with a girl named Molly and her friend Claire. They were in two-pieces that would have sent our grandmother to an early grave. Besides the bikinis that left little to the imagination, Molly and Claire were both, ahem, more developed than I was.

I swallowed down the disappointment I felt and turned back to Red. “C’mon. Let’s go on the slide.”

She must have known that the hurt I felt was serious, because she called out to me with my real name. “He’s just a stupid boy, right?”

I nodded and we climbed out of the pool together. I ignored Tyler as best I could. Once on the bus, when he sat next to me and tried to talk about the tall slide that started with a near vertical drop, I mumbled out a weak reply.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, just tired, probably.”

And, when we got back to camp, I grabbed Red’s hand and made way for the camper before he could say anything else. I felt so stupid. Never before had an unrequited crush been this disappointing, and I absolutely hated myself for being so upset.

“I forgot my towel!” Red exclaimed, wrenching her hand out of mine. “I’ll meet you at the camper.”

Great. At least it gave me time to cry a little before seeing my grandparents and making up some story about how great the night was.

.&.

The soccer game was the next afternoon. Our team won the four-team tournament, and were allowed first in the ice cream social line as our prize. After a shower and after chapel, Red and I made a full run to the cafeteria, loading our bowls with ice cream and a myriad of toppings. We took a couple of seats at the table where the youth group usually sat, but still in view of where our grandparents usually sat.

Tyler sat next to me, still dressed in chapel clothes himself. Instantly, I felt uncomfortable and like I couldn’t finish my ice cream and get out of there fast enough. He dropped a handful of gummy worms into my bowl.

“Now you can’t leave till you finish. And I know you love gummy worms, Kansas, so don’t even try it.”

I didn’t say anything, just picked a red and orange worm off the top of the pile and stuck it in my mouth. If I was chewing, I didn’t have to be talking.

Tyler sat in silence for a while, too, until almost everyone but the two of us were gone on to the evening’s next activity. He set his elbows on the table.

“I don’t like Molly. Not like that. I don’t like Claire, either. The guys were talking to them, and I was hanging out with the guys. That’s all.”

I wasn’t sure at the time how he knew to address exactly what I had been upset about, but I was sure there was no hiding the smile on my face. “Good to know.”

He nodded. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning. My friend’s family has to get back to Ohio for some family thing. You’ve made this week really fun, you know.”

I tried to rein in the smile. “Thanks. You too.”

“Anyway,” Tyler said, “I made you this today. And that paper, that’s my AIM. Maybe we can chat sometime.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

He smiled at me, and when he was out of sight, I slid the beaded bracelet -- a pattern of orange and blue, my two favorite colors -- onto my wrist. I tucked the small note in my dress, and didn’t take it out till later, when I could tuck it safely into my duffel bag.