#t-minus two months and a half

[sideblogtointeract]

Theseus' Guide to Ruining a Perfectly Good Ship in a Bottle

A list made on the loosest association of words, with an even looser tie to this fanfiction

Stan

Give him an Amati model kit and he is happy as a clam. He's moded several already and resold them as "ghost ships" in bottles and "wreckage of a ghost ship" in a bottle for the ones Soos or Mabel drop.

Mabel

Lego model of ship in a bottle. After its built she'll change out vingettes/scenery. Soos, Wendy, and Stan are deeply invested in the unfolding soap opera Mabel crafts with it.

Dipper

Is really excited to make his first ship in a bottle, and he'll make one! Just as soon as he finishes reading a book on how to do it, and reads the other three he asked for his birthday. Maybe he'll go to the library to checkout the books the books he got used in the citation. He's going to build the ship, believe you me, he really isn't going to move onto something else in t minus 4 months. This ship? Getting built.

Ford

"Oh you meant as in an actual ship? Hah!" Ford has been maintaining an excellent example of Darwin's "Beagle in a Bottle" experiment for years now NOT a replica of the HMS Beagle in a bottle you silly.

Bill

It's the 1940s, your run is just beginning but already you feel like your life is over because prom is in two weeks and you just know Arch is going to ask Beronica not you to go with him. Can you blame him? You're just good ol’ dependable Vetty, girl next door Arch's on again off again no-on again “let's not put labels on this” girlfriend. Beronica is everything you're not she wears short skirts which you also wear but it's different. She's cheer captain and you're… also cheer captain — sometimes your co-captain it depends on the issue. Anyways she's rich, and beautiful, and perfect, and wonderful, and if it wasn't for the fact she was a brunette you'd have nothing on her.

“Oh Pops! What am I going to do?” You whine to the man working the bar at the soda shop.

“Well it's as I always tell you crazy kids, answers aren't found at the bottom of an Egg Cream.”

“But they sure are delicious!” Your longtime friend Bottlehead — wearer of cool hats and, more recently, cooler shades —  stops eating table napkins long enough to quip.

“And how!” All three of you laugh before Bottlehead goes back to slurping down  plastic straws like they're spaghetti. 

“If you want Arch to take you to the dance, just ask him yourself.” Pops suggests, like an out of touch square.

“This is the prom, Pops, not Sadie Hawkins!” You complain, pushing your half finished Egg Cream away. 

“Besides, I tried. I think he’s avoiding me.” You add, sinking into your seat.

“Say! Why don't you go ask that cursed fortune telling machine at the abandoned fairgrounds?” Bottlehead suggests, reaching for your abandoned drink.

“Golly that's a great idea! Bottlehead, if your mouth wasn't full of glass I could kiss you!!!” Bottlehead suffers a hug from you instead as he continues to consume your discarded order. cup and all.

You sock hop out of the establishment and cross the street to the abandoned fairgrounds.

Hopping over the rusted turnstile and side stepping some police tape you make your way to the culturally insensitive but period accurate fortune telling machine. Feeding it one of your hard earned and always valuable pennies the automata jolts to life. 

The words are garbled over the loud clacking of the doll's mouth, out of sync with the tinny audio. Which is fine, the opening number is an offensive milieu of ethnic stereotyping. The real magic is when you press the button with your wish in mind and the machine prints out the most accurate supernatural reading it can.

You know it's accurate because, unlike biological fortune tellers, machines don't care about sparing your feelings from the celestial forces that rule over you. Just the facts. 

“Please tell me how to get Arch to ask me to the dance.” You whisper your wish before slapping your hand onto the golden glowing button and watch as your destiny is printed onto gold backed ticketape.

For a brief second you hear a faint whimsical giggle as you rip off your printed fortune.  Looking around you see no one in the abandoned fairgrounds.  It’s just you, the chalk outline you're standing on, the automaton with its outstretched hand to shake, and the police tape surrounding you.

“That’s odd,” you muse. “When did you move?” You ask but the better question is how did it move?  Because aside from the rudimentary motions reserved for nutcrackers the machine’s body was a plaster mold that had no joints to move.

Yet here it is, hand out in greeting.  No. Not greeting, a deal and if you keep over-analysing I am going to take it back.

“What?” You ask as the internal narrative becomes as structurally unsound as the White House during this time period — look it up.

You turn to go to the Daleriver Library — now certified communist book free — to do just that, then are reminded by the text that you still need to read your fortune for our readers!

“If you want to be with your one true… loves?” You pause to puzzle at this but not for any longer than it takes to read this sentence.  “... forever. Then shake my hand.” You Continue.

“Your friend, Bill?” You don��t know who that is but you bet he is really keen and neato to have a name like that. You feel really embarrassed that you don’t remember having a friend like that. It would be really rude to leave a pal hanging, especially when they went through all this trouble for you.

So you shake the cold hand of the automaton before you. You don’t register that the glass pane wasn’t there, that the hard resin arm moves like flesh— no, all your focus is on the bright gold cat eyes looking back at you and the return of a giggle that grows into an outright cackle.  

Wind whips around you, police tape flying like ribbons caught in a tornado, and you stand still in the eye of it.

“Hiya Vetty,” The automaton greets, jaw held open like a snake— or like a smile, let’s not be rude.  “long time fan first time crossover. You and I have got a lot in common.” The machine continues but the tin from its voice box layers with the voice in the wind that has stopped laughing and now talks in sync with it. 

You don’t try to speak, you want to, but I don’t need to write around your wants anymore.

“Both of our fandoms question our interest in men and we share the same banana yellow pantone. Me for my body, you for your hair and… eyes?” The voice coming from all around, you guess correctly that this is Bill — smarty that you are, that earns you a free can of brown meat! — finishes. You don’t know what he looks like exactly but from the description he sounds like a real dream boat.

“My eyes aren't —” You hold that thought and pop a squat in front of the fortune telling machine. You jimmy open the front and reach inside it.

“Bet you weren’t expecting so much organ meat?” You ask yourself but you're not the one talking.

You pull your red stained arm out of the warm pulsing mass before you to free a pristine glass bottle. In its reflection you see your mouth split into a painfully wide grin scrunching your now golden eyes, a mirror image to the automaton leering over you; below that you see a tiny version of Arch banging his fist against his transparent prison. 

“Ever Dream of Jeannie kid?” Asks your new best friend, still borrowing your body and voice.

“Of course you don't! That's not for another 20 years!” Your hands uncork the top of the bottle.

The soft “tink” of glass tapping concrete reverberates in the abandoned fairground.  A moment passes in silence. 

Then you see shoes.

“Two down,” Bottlehead says, bending down to grab you. If he hears you and Arch’s pleas he doesn’t care as he gently returns your bottle prison back into its warm nest of organs. Gold eyes look over slick sunglasses and give you a wink. “... one to go.”

[shipstorms]

moneyball AU, pew pew part 4

part 1 // part 2 // part 3

John sits with Curt and pretends the other side of the bar doesn't exist until the illusion starts to feel real. Tried and true -- the only thing that focuses his attention better than stimulants is trying to ignore the obvious.

Curt's one of those people that John can see once a decade and pick up right where they left off, the way it goes when you grew up with someone and emerged on the other side with the friendship intact. After playing in the same regional leagues, John had been scouted and declared for the draft while Curt funneled through JUCO and played a couple seasons in the rookie league before leaving it behind for literal greener pastures. He still looks the same. Always has, minus a couple years during which they'd shared a misguided dabbling in TRT.

"You look good, baby," John says at one point. Curt makes a kissy face and says, "I know I do," 

They talk through sunset, John's one drink cheat day flying out the window as soon as Curt gets up for the next round. Eventually the bar doors close and the lights dim as the night crowd starts to arrive. Curt finishes his third drink and pushes the empty glass to John's side of the table. "Next," he orders, and John's preoccupation with Gale ratchets right back up in a parabolic rise.

He could have left already. Somehow John knows he hasn't. Hopes he hasn't.

"I'm not gonna get paid for another month," John hedges. 

"Don't be cheap, Bucky, Jesus. Put it on your tab."

"Of course, sire." John stands, grabs the glasses, and bows. "Be right back, my liege. Might take a while," he says, backing away still low in a bow. He straightens up in time to see Curt flitting his fingers at him in what he apparently considers a kinglike gesture. 

The TV programming has switched over from muted music videos to some weird VHS porn with tracking lines cutting through the screen. There's an equal split in the crowd's wardrobe, leather and mesh blending in between t-shirts and sweaters, but Gale still sticks out like a sore thumb in his white button-down. John locates him easily and squeezes in by his stool to deposit the glasses. Rests his arms on the bartop and waits to catch the now shirtless bartender's attention. The speakers are piping a rhythmic house beat, undercutting the drone of conversation all around them, but the two of them remain encased in a bubble of silence. Gale doesn't so much as twitch, even as John's shoulder presses into his.

Fuck it. He’s had worse ideas. This one should barely register.  

"Game's on," he says. The bartender is down at the other end, rattling two cocktail shakers around in a theatrical way that shows off his biceps. "I think the Warriors are playing."

"I don't watch sports," Gale says, and John looks over at him reflexively. 

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I don't watch sports."

"At all," John presses. "Not even your own team’s games?"

Gale takes a measured sip of whatever he's drinking. Something flat and light brown in a pint glass. "I said what I said."

"Right." John drums his fingers. "You do math. You run numbers, you watch Sportscenter, you spend your nights researching analytics and you read BP and pray on the PECOTA as your holy bible every night, but you don't watch sports."

Gale shrugs, though the effect of that is ruined by how his cheek apples up.

It's way too early to be in it this hard. John goes with it anyway. No half-assing. He plants his bad elbow on the bar and turns to face Gale. "Here's a question," he says. "Math-related."

"I'm not on the clock."

"Personal interest, personal time." Gale only slides him a quick acknowledgement from the corner of his eye, like he knows what John’s doing and doesn’t want to deal with it head-on. "What about the variables you can't control for? Say there's a divot in the outfield. What if the grass is fucked up and someone's toe gets caught and they stumble?"

"Then it's an error and I recalculate their stats. I know anything can happen. Chance or luck, whatever you want to call it. But I believe in the math." 

This is presumably the closest he'll come to conceding. "You ever count cards?" John ponders.

"I don't gamble, either."

"No gambling, no sports," John repeats. Gale shrugs again.

He gets it. He isn't too narrow minded or prideful to understand where Gale is coming from, wanting to distance himself from a billion-dollar industry overflowing with bullshit, the byzantine commodifying nature of sports, ego and hypermasculinity valuing money above all else. On the other hand, if Gale wants to focus on the math, the statistics, probabilities, and odds, then that’s his choice, but he’s still gamifying it in his own way no matter what he wants to believe. He’s a goddamn gambler, all right. 

"Too bad," John says, more wistfully than he wants to. "It’s a beautiful game."

Gale finally looks at him. His expression is more openly curious than John would've expected. He stops tracking the bartender and scooches closer in an unintentional response.  

"You actually mean that," Gale deduces.

"Of course I mean it. Most of those guys would probably be happy playing stickball somewhere."

"Sure, if stickball paid a million bucks."

It's John's turn to shrug. "That wouldn't hurt."

Gale is still studying him. Appraising him, more like, in the same steady manner with which he'd offered John a second chance. He props his elbow up too, and rests his jaw on an imperiously splayed palm. The skin on his chin puckers out from the pressure and in turn fattens his bottom lip. John sees a whole world of possibilities there. Maybe moving to Oakland wasn't a bad choice. Maybe he's a little drunk. 

"You flirting with me?" he asks belatedly.

"Well, we're at a gay bar," Gale says. "Not sure if you realize that."

[gender-under-construction]

T Minus 200

Today it's 200 days until my first appointment (of three to begin with) at the gender identity clinic. I've already waited for one year and six days since I got the appointment.

Wait times are horrible here in Denmark, and because the clinic here in my home town (one of only three in the whole country) is the most welcoming to non-binary people, wait times here are getting longer and longer.

Just six and a half months left now. I'm tired of waiting, though.

(but no, despite the cheeky headline, it doesn't mean that I'll be getting T in two hundred days, sadly)

[mirkwoodshewolf]

No following; Planet of the Apes fanfic Chap. 8

*Author's note*

Alright now this is one chapter where a viscous swear word is used. It's around the start of the chapter and its the big P word. So yeah mostly just some intense rated TR swearing words but nothing graphic happening cause as we all know Carver is a troublemaker and a dick so there's definite tension b/t him and Lin. But I hope you all still enjoy the story nonetheless :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@psychosupernatural

@queen-paladin

___________________________________________________

At 0700 hours I was waiting for Malcolm and his team to arrive alongside the pack and within 15 minutes they finally arrived.  All the members Malcolm said who’d be a part of this scouting mission were all there with guns in hand (minus Alexander and Ellie).

“Why the fuck is she here?!” exclaimed Carver.

“Lovely to see your fugly mug too Carver.” I said sarcastically.

“I told you Carver, we needed a guide to give us the best pathway through the woods and Lin’s the only one who comes here more than anyone in the colony.”

“But did she really need to bring those beasts of hers? It’s bad enough the apes killed off half the planet, those bastards will rip our throats out without a second thought.”

“Wolves are more frightened of people than you are of them. If you don’t give them a reason to fear, they won’t attack you. Tsume still hasn’t forgotten what you did to him.” I gestured to the hole above his left ear.  “If we want to do this now, we better get moving. Most of the predators are still asleep at this time.”

“Forget it! I ain’t going nowhere with you yah psychotic bitch!” Carver exclaimed.

“Quit acting like a pussy and start walking! Before I tear your little body apart limb from limb!!!” my old soldier persona came out as I glared right at Carver, my eyes showing him that I meant business and that I would follow through on my word unlike all the threats he gives me.

The pack also backed me up as they snarled and snapped at Carver making him retreat backward.  That’s the thing with this guy, most of the time he’s all bark but doesn’t have the balls to do what he says he wants to do.  Just cause he thinks holding a gun makes him all tough, doesn’t mean he has the guts to actually shoot a human being.  Meanwhile I—never mind.

“Be warned. The woods are perilous compared to what they once were. Creatures that hadn’t been in this part of the world for hundreds of years have come around so be on your guard. Nearly got caught by a mama grizzly bear just last month had it not been for the pack saving my ass.” I soon led them into the woods with the pack scouting ahead.

Having the strongest nose out of the four of them, Hige was the main scout and I’ve learned that if he lowered his head and his fur hackled, there was danger in whatever direction he was facing.  If he let out two barks, he had found something, and a loud howl meant he was on the trail.

“How do we know she ain’t leading us to our death?” I heard Carver whisper.

“Will you knock it off Carver. I ain’t getting attacked by four wolves because of you!” hissed Foster lowly.

“It’s bad enough we got the fear of the apes and the flu getting to us now we’ve got to deal with her.”

“I’ve got PTSD, I’m not deaf. If you’d like to share something then please share it with the rest of the class!” I proclaimed turning around to face them fully.  My posture tall and firm as I glared at them.  “If you don’t wanna be here then go home. But if you don’t want to waste further time, I suggest keeping your mouths shut about me being here and let’s get this over with!” I turned back around and scaled up the steep pathway that led up the mountain.

We walked for a couple of hours further uphill until we finally reached the borders of the dam.

“This is it. This is it by god this is it!” exclaimed Carver.

“How much further till we get to the power station?” asked Malcolm.

“About another half hour give or take. It’s been so long I can’t remember exactly where the main entrance is to this place.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I muttered down to Tsume who gave out a huffed bark.

“I’ll go ahead and see if something doesn’t strike me as familiar.” He then went on ahead of us and after a while the group followed close behind him.  I looked to the pack and they each looked at me before we too followed the group, but the silence of the forest was soon broken by the sound of a gunshot.

Toboe’s ears bent back as he whimpered fearfully while Tsume, Hige and Kiba all snarled and barked frantically as they raced on ahead.

“Toboe come!” he raced right at my side as I caught up with the others.  “Who shot first?!”

“It came from Carver up ahead!” Ellie exclaimed as we raced faster up the pathway until Carver’s shouts became more clearer.

“Stay! HELP! HELP! No! HEY! OVER HERE! I shot him, I shot him.” As we came around I was shocked to see that it wasn’t a bear, a cougar or even another wolf, no Carver had shot an ape.  A young adolescent ape by the looks of it.  The other one stood protectively in front of the one on the ground had blue eyes which is not common for chimpanzees.

“Did he attack you first?” I asked him.

“What does it matter?”

“It does matter if you’ve decided to play trigger happy you insolent baboon!” at that moment Hige and the rest of the pack all snarled in warning as echoing through the woods were hundreds of ape shrieks and calls.  Soon coming from above the hill and through the trees were almost 100 apes all of them wielding spears.

Toboe stood close at my side, his fur ruffled and tail raised as he bared his fangs.  Hige, Tsume and Kiba circled around Malcolm and the others and snarled defensively as the apes came closer to us.

Suddenly one appeared in front of us as it came and stood before the two young apes that Carver had encountered and shot at.  Hige snarled at the ape but the ape let out a roar which caused Hige to back off practically right away and hide behind me.

“Real helpful Hige, real helpful.” As the apes finally finished showing us their numbers and strength, another chimpanzee soon came up and stood on top of a tree stump just above us.  He held out his hands trying to cease the apes from advancing any further.

I looked at this chimp closely, he was older and had the same grim face that I now bore of someone who had seen and been through hell and back.  I looked to the left part of his chest and there I saw the familiar birthmark….. no, it—it couldn’t be…..

The chimp who had frightened Hige now held the young chimp who Carver shot and started hooting frantically, all the while signing out.

‘They shot Ash! Shot my son!’

‘Rocket, wait.’ Grunted the ape who stood on the tree stump.  Oh my god…..it really was him.  Caesar’s alive! After all these years.  While the rest of the men were aiming their guns at the apes ready to shoot if any of them makes the wrong move, I reached for my gun and put it down all the while keeping my eyes on Caesar.  Slowly I stepped away from the group and saw as some of the apes tightened their grip on their spears as I started walking closer towards Caesar.

‘Caesar?’ I signed to him, deep down thinking that this was all some sort of dream or hallucination.  Caesar’s eyes looked directly at me as his expression was stern and defensive.  Of course he wouldn’t recognize me now, I was older than I was the last time he saw me.  ‘Caesar it’s me, Lin.’

After I had signed to him my name, his harsh glare began to soften as he looked down at me with slight recognition but also denial.

“Put your guns down.” I told the group.

“You can’t be serious.” Said Foster as he aimed his gun towards Caesar.

“Do as she says.” Malcolm told his group.  One by one each men lowered their weapons all but Carver of course.  “Carver, put the gun down.”

“Hell no man.” Carver wavered.

“Carver I swear to god if you don’t lower that gun right now, I’ll have Tsume turn you into a eunuch!” I growled lowly as I glared daggers at him.  At the threat of his manhood, Carver hesitantly lowered his gun as well.  I turned back to Caesar but his face no longer held the recognition from earlier, once again the harsh and primal glare was etched onto his face.  ‘We’re not a threat Caesar. Just hear me out.’

Silence once again weighed heavy in the woods as Caesar’s intimidating glare pierced all of us until he opened his mouth and spoke.

“GO!!!!!” his voice echoed through the mountains and sent a wave of both terror and awe down our spines.  Now I alone knew that Caesar could talk because he spoke to me before he and the clan of apes had disappeared into these woods a decade ago.  But to Malcolm and the rest of the group, they didn’t know this fact and were starting to get freaked out.  Caesar hopped off the tree stump and trudged his way towards us.

“Okay, okay we’re…we’re going.” Malcolm assured.

“GO!!!” cried out a bonobo that was scarred on one side of his face and soon the apes all started hooting and hollering telling us to go.  In a panic we all grabbed our guns and raced off back down the mountain.  The pack racing on ahead and disappearing through the shrubs.

Once we reached back down the mountain, we got into our respected vehicles and drove away from the forests, but I couldn’t help but look back heartbroken.  After all these years of thinking Caesar was dead, he was actually alive as well as the other apes and not only that but they seemed to thrive stronger than before.

We drove over the Golden gate bridge until we reached the security gate that was created at the border of the city at the height of the pandemic.  The doors opened and we soon caught sight of Dreyfus coming out.   He came over to Malcolm’s truck and asked him.

“Did you find it?”

“We need to talk.” Said Malcolm.

“What? What’s wrong?” asked Dreyfus.

“The um…the dam’s pretty much intact. It could probably start generating power for us within a week. But there’s a problem. Get in.” Malcolm explained.  I revved up my engine ready to take off and leave these guys but Malcolm said. “Lin wait! You need to come with us.”

“Why?” I demanded.

“You’ve seen those woods more times than any of us at the colony. Did you know?”

“I am just as surprised as you all are Malcolm.”

“Yeah, then why’d you start making all those weird hand gestures at one of them?” sneered Carver accusingly.

“It’s called sign language you dumbass. You know the language that deaf people use to communicate.” I sneered back at him.  Carver huffed as he got in the back with Ellie and Malcolm’s son, Alexander.

“Saw what? Someone tell me what happened up there in those woods?” Dreyfus demanded.

“Just get in and we’ll explain everything. Lin, you ride with Foster and Kemp.”

“What you don’t trust me to follow you?” I asked.  Malcolm gave me a skeptical look and I huffed as I turned my bike off. “Fine you’re right, I wouldn’t have. No one touches this bike! I’ve managed to keep it running the last three years, I don’t intend on losing it now.”

“The border patrol will keep it hidden.” Dreyfus gestured for one of the border guards to come forward and collect my bike.  I then went and opened the back door, startling Kemp and Foster.

“What the hell Lin? Scared the shit out of us.” Kemp said.

“Just follow behind Malcolm. And no questions.” I told them as I leaned my head against the back window.  The second Malcolm drove off, Foster drove right behind him.  The car ride was silent until Kemp had to speak up.

“I can’t believe after all this time, they were alive.”

“And how? I mean—I was a part of the regime that helped burn the redwoods to the ground. Nothing could’ve survived that.” My eyes widened at this new bit of information.

But I couldn’t let them know I knew of Caesar and his troop.  God knows what Dreyfus and Malcolm are gonna do to me once we get back to the colony.

“Lin, did you know they were out there?” asked Kemp.

“I thought I said no questions.”

“Nah, nah, nah you don’t get to do that to us, not this time. You’re the only one who ventures deep in those woods. Did you know?” Kemp said as he turned to face me, his eyes burning deep into my soul.

“No. I thought they had perished in the fires. Like you said Foster, not even a roach could survive what you all did to that forest.” I spoke my last sentence with a distant, somber tone as I remembered seeing the news footage.

The woods I once remembered playing in with Caesar, exploring new things, playing my violin and dancing like a springtime faery.  It was nothing but a blazing inferno, the trees like torches blazed with light, as a once proud monument was then (for a time) turned into nothing but ash.

We arrived back at the colony and I helped the boys unload their stuff when Carver ran up and said.

“Dreyfus doesn’t want us to tell anyone about what we saw out there.”

“What?” demanded Foster.

“Yeah, said he didn’t want to create a panic or whatever bullshit.”

“Then it’s best to do as he says.” I advised.  Carver turned to me and he said as he came up to me, and growled as he shoved his finger into my chest.

“If I found out you knew about those beasts and didn’t warn us, I’ll—”

“Kill me?” I challenged.  “The day you decide to do that I want you to do me a favor, you be sure to look me straight in the eye. Never forget my face, because I promise you, I’ll never forget the one who killed me.” I threatened as I got up into his face, my eyes filled with a cold, harsh stare.

Carver’s anger quickly turned to fear as he inwardly cowered beneath my gaze.  Yeah, that’s what I thought.  I grabbed some of the equipment and walked inside the colony building.

After helping them unload their gear, Dreyfus and Malcolm lead me into Dreyfus’ office where I was sat down and the two of them began interrogating me.

“And you swear you’re telling me the truth Lin? You had no idea that those apes were up there?” Dreyfus asked me.

“Like I’ve been telling you the last fifteen times you’ve asked me that question. I didn’t know.”

“This is serious Lin, I’m trying to ensure there’s no panic in the colony.”

“And I’m being serious too.”

“She’s telling the truth Dreyfus. She was just as shocked as we were to see them. You can’t fake that type of reaction at seeing the number of apes that we did up there.” Malcolm came to my defense.  Dreyfus paced around a bit as Malcolm asked me, “But what Carver said back there, how were you able to communicate with them?”

“I noticed they were using sign language. Before the world went to shit, I took many classes back at school as part of my foreign language courses. Also I—had a little brother who was struck mute at birth. Sign just kinda came natural because of that.” Malcolm nodded in understandment.

“Alright, we’re done here. But until I decide what to do, I want you to stay inside the colony Lin.”

“What? You can’t be serious!” I snapped as I stood up.

“I am, and don’t try to defy my orders.”

“Okay let’s get something straight here, Dreyfus! I don’t work for you. I never have. Our deal was that I’d help you, you’d help me. That’s it!”

“Like it or not Lin, so long as you are in the colony walls, you will abide by our rules.” And with that he left his office without another word.

Rage boiled within me as my breathing began to sharpen.  I punched through a window and let out a rageful scream before sliding everything off of Dreyfus’ desk to the floor and Malcolm reached out to try and calm me down.

“Hey! Lin, Lin!”

“DON’T TOUCH ME!!” I roared as I came down from my rageful high.  I took several deep breaths before muttering incoherently to myself.

This is just like before. Back during the pandemic, during the civil unrest, my times with—them.

“You can stay with Ellie, Alexander and I. You don’t have to be alone in this place Lin.”

“Alone. We’re always alone.” Malcolm didn’t say anything after that.  I took my sniper rifle, placed the strap across my chest and walked towards Malcolm’s place.

Later that night, I was cleaning out my rifle by taking it apart and letting it soak for a bit before reassembling it back together.  I could sense that someone was behind me so I spoke up.

“Isn’t it pass your bedtime kid?” from the corner of my eye, I could see Alexander coming around and he said.

“Will your wolves come back for you?”

“As I said, they’re not my wolves.”

“Oh. Sorry, I just assumed that since they—you know are always with you, that there’s a loyalty to you.”

“It’s called a partnership. What most people never understood when getting wild animals is that they think they’re getting a prize. Something to be proud of or to stroke their ego with. Or even worse, trying to control them. That’s where you hear all those stories of them getting killed by their prized pets. I’ve learned that if you treat them with respect, and let them be who they truly are, there’s a chance of a bond happening.”

“How did you find them?” I gestured for him to sit down on the couch while I continued to reassemble my rifle.

“Hige I found trapped in a cage trying to get some food. Poor guy even after being freed, tried to go back into the cage to get the scrap of meat. I think that’s the only reason he sticks with me is because he thinks I’m a free food provider.” We both chuckled.

“And the others?”

“The red pup is called Toboe. Found that little pup abandoned in the woods. Frail and shivering. I feared he wouldn’t make it. But two weeks of rest and some food and water and he started thriving. He’s the one who seems to think I’m his mother, but he’s gotta learn how to be a wolf. That’s why I have him be around the others as much as possible when we go out hunting. He doesn’t help me catch the game, he learns by watching the others how to hunt.”

“What about the two that came with you yesterday? The grey and white one.”

“Oh those two boys. You talk about wild wolves, Tsume and Kiba are about as wild as any wolf I’ve met. They know exactly who they are, and I’ve got the scars to prove it.” I then showed Alexander some of the scars from the bite mark’s I’ve been given by each of them on either my legs or my hand and arms.  “But with them, it was a debt to be repaid. I found the two of them just shortly after I had met Hige. Or well I should say Hige found them. Both of them barely alive after surviving an animal attack. At the time I didn’t think to believe it, but now after seeing what we saw today, I believe those two came in contact with the apes and were beaten to the point of death. Kiba was the one barely hanging on by a thread. Thought I lost him a few times, but he eventually came around.”

“Well they definitely show they’re not dogs.” I paused in assembling my rifle and I said to him.

“About what I said to you yesterday, I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget that you’re still a kid.”

“I’m 15 years old.”

“Still a kid though. I can’t imagine how growing up in this world was for you.” Alexander looked down sadly.

“I lost my mom to the virus. Dad was—he was so broken after that. When he met Ellie, I…..Deep down I think he’s just trying to replace her.”

“Now I know for a fact that’s not true. No one could ever replace your mom.” Alexander looked up at me.  “Look, I know I don’t know you or your dad beyond my usual transactions of trading, but from what I can tell, he cares and loves you very, very much. And no one will ever replace your mom. But both him and Ellie lost people to this pandemic, and they were lucky to have found each other to heal their wounds and be able to love someone else again. Most people aren’t that lucky.”

“Did you—lose someone?” I closed my eyes and told him.

“I lost….everyone.” Alexander sat there shocked and in silence.

“I—I’m so sorry Lin.”

“Nothing you need to apologize for. You should get some sleep, you had a long, surprising day. And your dad would kill me if I kept you up all night with stories of my past.” He nodded and left me to resume my work.

Once my gun was fully reassembled and I clicked the magazine back into place, I set it aside and lay across their couch.  I reached into my pocket and popped in a couple of the pills Ellie gave me yesterday before drifting off into another dreamless sleep.

Just the way I prefer it.

[ask-thirteen]

[new intro]

Hello people!!!!! This is Thirteens page, a fan made algebralien ship child of 5 and 8! I post answered questions and sometimes goofy drawings by people by accident lol….

Here’s a little photo bio and a headcanon photo

To make the headcanon a bit better, here’s what it says:

Zero: pretend brother, friend

One: best friend in crime (thirteen made a deal with one before, giving one 1 of her dolls for 5 candies every month, one still keeps the doll and the contestants she take question it in their minds)

Two: cousin (thirteen is two’s niece)

Three: who?

Four: uncle

X: uncle

Five: papa

Six: best friend

Seven: friend

Eight: dad

Nine: best friend (thirteen is nine’s “sidekick”)

Ten: best friend, pretend big brother

Twelve: who?

Fourteen: H A T E . . . ,petrified of him, enemy

Fifteen: hate, enemy

Thirteen is the oldest from their other brother, N.3. Or Negative Three. Thirteen is 9 and a half meanwhile Negative Three is 2 years old.

Thirteen feels like she’s the cause of ten’s death because she knew five didn’t see the right seven, she knew that wasn’t the other green seven, and the night even ten got eaten she woke up from the scream and woke up five, and then five went over there while Eight put thirteen to sleep again

Thirteens favorite algebralien other then their parents are one, nine, six, and would be twelve once thirteen meets them.

Thirteens favorite holiday is also Christmas! Because she gets to see the others on Christmas Day (and also because four gives her bfdi merch)

Thirteens birthday is 11/10/2015

Negative threes birthday is 11/26/2022

(The years on the birthdays are not the time I made them, but they days and month are)

VEIWER EVENTS: you can draw thirteen bows to wear for the rest of the month or each week, and it has to be the closest holiday! And if there is no interesting holiday nearby, give her a new bow design and/or new color! [holidays she will wear: Halloween, thanksgiving, saint Patrick’s day, Christmas, her birthday, and more once I remember💀)

Negative Threes minus sign is able to wag like a tail (for the fun of it)

-3’s fav color is baby blue

13’s fav color is light pink (“girly” colors)

YOU CAN ALSO DO A ROLEPLAY ASK

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Now it’s been months after the fact and likely the spoilers are out there;

Batfamily Response to Godzilla Minus One? Their favorite scenes from it? Their viewpoint on the special effects? Commentary on its setting and plot? Etc?

This is an excellent and timely question now that Godzila: Minus One has won an Oscar for special effects. Hmmmm...

It's tradition that Dick and Tim go to see any new Godzila movie on its opening night for the midnight showing. They even do cos-play (the original 1954 movie) since the crowd is usually filled with young adults and college students. Dick dresses as Ogata (the young, handsome protagonist with perfect teeth and lush, muffiny hair). Tim is Dr. Serizawa, complete with a white lab coat and an eye-patch that Tim tends switch from eye to eye. It confuses people and he finds that amusing.

After seeing the fun these two were having the viewing party has grown over time. Jason decided to come and Damian insisted that he be included. Duke was asked to join them and thought it sounded cool. Barbara, Stephanie and Cass were also invited along. Barbara simple gave Dick a look he knew all too well and he tendered her regrets to the others. Stephanie decried it as too much in the nerd zone whereas Cass doesn't like subtitled movies ("bad translations hurt my soul") but said to ask her when the dubbed version comes out.

Jason and Damian walked several paces behind Tim and Dick (pretending they didn't know them) but Duke got an old T-Rex costume and joined in on the cos-play as Godzila. Duke wasn't the only Godzila there and the management had to remind the various kaiju in the audience to remove their heads so as not to obstruct the view of the screen.

While Dick and Tim were fully expecting a remake of the 1954 classic they were not prepared for just how good it was. The acting was top notch, the music was excellent and the special effects were mind blowing.

Being Godzilla purists, Dick and Tim loved the kaiju's first destructive romp through the Ginza. They particularly loved seeing the reenactment of the classic commuter train scene, applauding loudly along with half the audience when Godzila had the passenger car in his teeth. They both cheered at the specticle of Godzilla's atomic breath and agreed that it was even better the Legendary movie version.

Duke was enthralled by the special effects. He declared the scene where the old battle cruiser Takao takes on the monster epic and seamlees. He cheered when Godzilla swallowed the mine and then regenerated (after a rather satisfying explosion). In fact both Duke and Tim were happy to enjoy the massive property damage in the movie since they could not be blamed for any of it. The two spent the ride home trying to calculate how many new kaiju were going to come out of all of the various chunks of Godzilla from the movies' ending. Their laughter as they talked about how many cities the herd of Godzillas could demolish was vaguely disturbing.

Jason was honestly surprised how good the movie was. He declaring that, unlike the 2014 Legendary movie, he actually cared about the squishy human's stories. Considering himself the family's preeminent movie critic, Jason gave the flick his top rating of five bullets.

Damian, unsurprisingly, found himself sympathizing with Godzilla. After all, the kaiju was only doing what his instincts prompted him to. Damian's opinion that it wasn't Godzilla's fault that humans were in his territory and were attacking him.

Having been schooled in the principals of Bushido, Damian also appreciated Shikishima's need to atone for his past and the guilt he felt at surviving when his comrades did not. It was what happened to Noriko and Shikishima's vow of revenge that seemed to truly speak to Damian. He and Dick had a deep conversation on the way home about how revenge is a double sided blade that hurts you when you wield it. If the suicidal pilot had followed through with his plan then he would have denied himself the very thing he craved the most - love and a family. Of all the things Dick hoped for from the movie, a life lesson for Damian was the most welcome and the most unexpected.

[equallyshaw]

connor x kailey hughes au thoughts (:

↳ 2/?

↳ au masterlist.

Kailey x Connor:

their relationship happened and moved very quickly

kailey hadn't been looking for one just because she'd been fried so many times by her brothers

stayed up to obscene hours of the night just to talk to one another

connor would actually show up many times to the depaul library near his and her apartments, and just sit with her until she was done with an essay, assignment, study etc.

there was an on going joke of, "he doesn't even go here" in her friend group

he helped her study for her finals and midterms, even accessing her quizlet from across the country and continent

he would even proofread her essays just because of how much anxiety she had about them

the month that they become official, he's already planning her trip to Vancouver

wanted to show her anything and everything

she officially went to go support him with becca, the month of february after they started dating

she surprises him with a connor bedard graphic t-shirt she found on etsy

he absolutely adored it

kaily got him onto reading, giving him the, "everybody has a book/genre they like, they just need to find it."

shamelessly will read young adult high fantasy just so she can have conversations with somebody

on his off days, he allows her to wake him up early if she doesn't have class or work, and pulls him to different museums. they absolutely adore the science and industry museum

connor will drop absolutely everything (unless he's across the country/continent) to be there for her if she has a breakdown from stress and/or an anxiety attack. he constantly reassures her that she matters more than hockey

though she hates when he says that, but at the drop of hat he'll be off running out of the practice arena or gym or wherever he may be

the team (minus a few individuals) had no idea until the following season just because some of them were friends with her brothers or at least had been around them in some capacity, and didn't need word to get around

though quinn finds out from Mackenzie entwistle sending a karaoke video of the two singing, "summer nights" or "Paradise Dashboard" two months after they started dating

kailey is definitely one of the bro's but teases them and says she rather hang out with the wags

kailey and connor are apart of a groupchat with a few select younger players on the team with their girlfriends, and its literally just memes being sent back and fourth. nothing substantial arises from it, unless they are finalizing date nights/little get together at an apartment

kailey is unfortunately insecure early in the relationship because she feels like she is inadequate. she especially feels second to others because she doesn't go to the majority of the games or the events the wags put on. but connor won't let her feel bad, he reassures her that her academics are one of the most important things to him. he keeps telling her that all he wants is to watch her across the stage for graduation

he does see her walk across the stage, alongside her brothers and her parents. all three of them taking a day away from playoffs to see her. none of them could miss such a day

it was only a few weeks later, that he breaks up with kailey

and then when the next season rolls around, he gets absolutely trashed by half the league because the hughes bubble is huge.

and that is all right now!

more to come (:

[flowerslut]

shamefully despite how easily i am influenced i have not made my way through your ao3 catalogue. where would be a good starting point? (licking kink not required but always appreciated)

wow thanks for giving me an excuse to make a compilation of my (shorter) twilight fics that I want more people to read!!!!! ok ok so all my best favorite ones (minus call of the night. we are pretending call of the night does not exist, okay? dont think about it. dont even look at it) are my mid-length ones. now, first and foremost: I am an angst writer, and boy do I love to whump on alice and jasper, so in no particular order, you should read these fun little jalice fics while you wait for me to update roots over the next few weeks/months

North Star

rated: M words: 20,336 chapters: one-shot summary: "He’s the Eye of the South. The god of war. Master of battle and oracle of death. He’s not just the most dangerous weapon the world has ever seen, but he’s a man in love. And combining those two just makes this so much worse. Jasper sees a girl in his head, and he's afraid of what comes next."

thoughts: okay i lied, they are in a particular order. or at least this one is. this is my favorite twilight fic I've written (I think) and I got dramatic as fuck with it. written for jalice week back in 2021, the prompt was "power/ability swap" and you get exactly that: jasper is the psychic, alice is the empath, everything else is the same... or is it? this is also notably the first fic I ever sent to someone (g, obviously) to look over/give corrections to, so that might be why it has fewer stupid grammatical/sentence structure issues than most of my other stuff (minus roots). content warning for physical abuse, implied sexual assault, and mild sexual content. (also on ff.net)

The Almost Quiet

rated: T words: 10,365 chapters: one-shot summary: "He wants to blame loneliness, but maybe this is what was meant for him all along. A long road that leads to a depressing end. Longing after a girl he doesn’t know whose mind is lost."

thoughts: the last line of this fic is my personal favorite one I've written in recently memory! anyways this is an all-human AU, (sort of). in 1920, alice and jasper meet as humans and jasper's job gets much harder after that. this one is far from the best on this list, but it's entertaining, angsty, and has a satisfying ending imo. content warning for forced institutionalization and ableist language. (also on ff.net)

Déjà-rêvé

rated: T words: 6,551 chapters: one-shot summary: "It's nothing Alice had ever seen. It was no vision, no dream. It was only a possibility that had haunted the back of her mind like a nightmare for as long as she'd known what was out there for her to fear. Jasper had never known about this fear until it became their reality."

thoughts: this is the shortest one on this list, and since you like roots, you'll probably like this. its vaguely similar in that it's a whumpy post-breaking dawn AU, but this is only a snippet of an aftermath in which alice loses her power. wrote it for secret santa 2022 and had a BLAST with it. (if you want more whumpy one-shots my ao3 is chock full of whumptober prompts)

No Friend of Mine

rated: T words: 15,199 chapters: one-shot summary: "He contemplates telling Peter about Alice’s visits, but something holds him back from doing it. Perhaps because it doesn’t feel like Alice whenever she’s lying on his bedroom floor, curled in an old blanket that’s too small for him but perfectly sized for her, utterly still and silent even while awake. A part of him feels like it would be a betrayal to reveal this side of her to someone even as close to him as Peter is. After all, Peter is his friend. And Alice is… well, not."

thoughts: I think this fic is severely underrated, but maybe that's because I literally came up with the concept and wrote it over the course of a day and a half or something insane like that, and I think that for a hastily written secret santa gift from 2020, it holds up sooo well. it's an all-human AU where alice is the weird new girl, and like always, jasper is in way over his head. all the cullens get a role, it has the 'fluffiest' moments, and its faaaantastic. content warning for child abuse.

The Hunted

rated: T words: 26,664 chapters: 11 summary: "It's not so wise if you try to run."

thoughts: this one is the most self-indulgent (with the most questionable characterization tbh) based on g's post from 2019 that says 'twilight, but when bella slips away from jasper and goes to the ballet studio to meet james, he isn’t there. he waited until everyone split up in the airport, and then went for alice instead. in the ensuing chaos, while everyone is freaking out, victoria grabs bella.' this is the only one on the list I might take a look at in the future to rewrite chunks of, but it's great fun your honor. ignore what anyone else tells you about the ending. but make sure to keep this short sequel/epilogue handy, for... reasons. (also on ff.net)

A Loyal Wife

rated: M words: 21,930 chapters: 5 summary: "Alice is only a Lady because she was forced to be one. She much rather preferred being untitled. Just a constant in this strange family of women. Girls both grown and not, betrothed to the man who protects and spoils them. Quickly the newborns realize that Alice is more weapon than wife, and that suits her just fine."

thoughts: last but certainly not least is my attempt at 'jalice enemies-to-lovers' that I wrote over the course of two days while on vacation. this story has everything: southern wars, a marriage cult, weird power dynamics, and [checks notes] trying to seduce your enemy mid-fight. this is another one of my favorites, and maybe the messiest (affectionate) as far as story content goes (of course, minus roots). content warnings for sexual assault/dubious consent.

[theoddcatlady]

The Strangest Roommate I’ve Ever Had

This took place all about three years ago. I was going to college at the time and was living with two of my friends, Phoebe and Macie, along with Macie’s boyfriend Joe. I’d been friends with Phoebe since we were kids but only recently befriended Macie within like a year of agreeing to move in together, and Joe was sort of a last minute addition.

Well, to sum it all up so we’re not here all day, Joe was a jackass. He was a lousy roommate, but he was even worse to Macie, who’s a pretty meek person and a doormat for Jackass Joe. It was the third time Joe was caught sleeping around that Macie finally snapped and broke up with Joe. He responded by taking off and leaving us scrambling for a new roommate so we didn’t end up losing our place. I think it was Macie who posted the ad on our school’s Facebook page as a last ditch resort. It didn’t matter if they smelled like ham or were up all night blasting Marilyn Manson, we just needed someone to pitch in with the bills.

The next day I answered the door to Miss Dorothy Ball.  

I could already tell she was a weirdo off the bat- she was wearing a floor length navy colored dress with long sleeves and a high neck and didn’t seemed bothered at all by it considering it was almost ninety freaking degrees out. Not a blonde curl was out of place, not a drop of sweat on her paper white skin or rosy cheeks. Her large blue-green eyes stared at me as I stared at the trunk and suitcase she had behind her.  

Her head bowed down, speaking so quietly her lips barely moved.

“I’m Dorothy. I’m here about the roommate ad?”  

I only let her in because I felt bad about how hot she had to be in that get up. When she sat across from me I noticed she even had white gloves on, she seemed to be doing all she could to hide every inch of skin she could.  

“I have the money here.” Dorothy sat down an envelope on the table. “I intend on staying a full year, minus any unpredictable happenings. I would like to stay in a room by myself, and I promise that I will be silent as a church mouse and that the rent will always be on time. Will that be fine?”  

I cleared my throat. “I’ll have to talk to everyone else.” I opened up the envelope and nearly choked on my spit as the crisp one hundred dollar bills fell into my hand. “Is this for half the year?!”

“Just the first month.” Dorothy cocked her head to the side. “I found out the cost of rent, is this too little?”

“You’re only supposed to pitch in a quarter-” I cut myself off as I realized Dorothy knew exactly what she was offering. “You’re paying for all of it?”  

“The first month at least.” Dorothy laughed quietly, her lips not even twitching. “My family is quite wealthy. I would just like to live close to the campus and this is such a nice area, I want to show my appreciation for letting me board here.”

I had a meeting with the other roommates after introducing them to Dorothy. I showed them the cash. Phoebe’s eyes filled with dollar signs as she was clearly imagining what she’d do with all the spare cash she had while Macie seemed a bit more hesitant, but we’d not had any other offers. Most people by now had a place to call home while they went to college, and someone offering to pay all of this month’s rent? You’d be an idiot to say no to that.  

Dorothy was pleased as punch to be allowed to stay here, even giving us all a hug as she thanked us again and again. Phoebe tried to bolt from the hug but Dorothy insisted on it. We did have to move things around a bit, Macie moved into my room while Dorothy took her old one, but I didn’t mind since Macie and I basically had the same sleeping schedules anyway.  

You know how I said I wouldn’t have minded if we got a roommate from hell as long as they paid the bills? Well Dorothy was basically the roommate from heaven. She kept to her promise, she was so quiet she’d sometimes scare me because I didn’t even realize she was there. Not to mention she was a neat freak- there was never a dish in the sink or a speck of dust on the shelves. I swear it was how she had fun, well, that and shopping.  

There wasn’t a week that went by that we didn’t have a bunch of packages on the front porch. All cloth or dresses, Dorothy was quite the seamstress. Her closet quite literally overflowed with dresses, all long sleeved with floor length hems. The few that didn’t have high necks she’d pair with chokers or scarves, again, she didn’t want to show any skin. Not like she minded us dressing how we did, I think Phoebe nearly cried with Dorothy presented her with a crop top she made that was hot pink and had her name on the front. She made me something too, this summer themed dress printed with lemon and lime slices. I still wear it whenever I can, and it fits perfectly. She could guess a person’s measurements just by looking at them.  

Not to say I wasn’t still a bit offput by her. Something was just not right about this perfect roommate. Any time we’d ask a question about her family or her past, she’d give a half-answer and change the subject, usually by offering to buy us dinner. Even though she did that I never saw her eat, although she enjoyed tea twice a day, once at ten and once at three, like clockwork. I never caught her in the bathroom, although I did hear the shower run late at night when we’d all gone to bed, even Phoebe who’s a night owl and potential insomniac. Whenever she talked she’d bow her head down so I couldn’t see her mouth clearly, she’d never complain about being hot or cold, hell, she never complained at all. And her face was practically frozen. She’d blink, but she had no real expressions from what I could tell- again, she’d always bow her head down so I couldn’t get a clear view of her face past the curly hair.

Again, all of this is weird, but harmless. I chalked up my willies to just Dorothy’s weirdness and did all I could to be friendly to her. I never wanted to be an asshat.

Dorothy was closest with Macie. After Joe left her Macie was pretty messed up, she cried nearly every day and Phoebe said she was afraid Macie was going to drop out and leave us too.  

That changed after Dorothy moved in. I think Dorothy sensed how sensitive Macie was and focused a lot of her energy on becoming her friend. Macie never told me what they’d do when they hung out, but Dorothy made it a habit to enter our room and just… talk with her for hours. I’d usually just excuse myself to the living room to binge Netflix and well, whatever Dorothy did worked. Macie got out of her funk, her self esteem shot way up, and she even began going on dates. All the while Dorothy was just basking in her glow, just happy that Macie was happy.  

Of course, something did happen. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten Jackass Joe from the beginning of this story. For a little more context, Macie’s old room was on the ground floor, while my room that I now shared with Macie was on the second floor.  

Waking up to hearing Dorothy scream bloody murder at around three AM was not a welcome sound.  

I jumped the stairs three at a time to rush down there, and when we threw open the door I saw Macie was hiding under her quilts while Joe was sitting in the center of the room completely flummoxed.  

“I thought it was Macie!” He tried to explain as Phoebe dragged his ass out of there. Naturally, no one was interested, even if it was Macie it’s gross as hell to just crawl into bed with your ex girlfriend who wants nothing to do with your ass anymore.

I approached the bed, Dorothy still shaking and crying. I tried to draw the blankets back but the blanket bulge flinched back. “No! Don’t take away the blankets!” She screamed.  

So I just sat by the bed and waited for her to calm down. Her crying did slow but she refused to come out.

“Are you okay?” I finally asked.

“… He almost saw me.”  

The very top of Dorothy’s head peeked out from under the blankets, I did absentmindedly note how her eyes weren’t bloodshot and her face wasn’t red and blotchy, but she was still shaking. “I know… I know if anyone sees what I hide, they will never want to come near me again. And to suddenly have a man in my bed, I… I was frightened. I am so sorry for screaming.”

“Don’t be, I think most girls would freak out with a stranger suddenly climbing into their bed,” I rested my hand on the side of the bed. “It’s okay. You’re my friend, no matter what you’re hiding.” I meant it too. Sure, she was strange, but she was nice. And I prioritize nice.  

Dorothy slipped back under her blankets, but I heard a muffled ‘thank you’ as I exited the room.  

Of course Joe wasn’t going to stop being the worst because he accidentally got in bed with the wrong girl. He began harassing Macie, saying he was ‘sorry that she felt hurt’ and he’d ‘never do it again’. A quick Facebook check revealed that he was about to get kicked out of his dad’s place for being a shithead, so it made sense he’d go back to his doormat ex to get a new place.

Cept of course, in the few months Joe was gone, Macie had grown a backbone and she was just not interested. Neither were the rest of us, Dorothy especially. The first time I heard our strange roommate swear was when I heard her call Joe a bastard over breakfast, which nearly made Phoebe choke on her Cheerios. Joe could rot in hell. Joe probably sent over one hundred texts asking Macie to kick out ‘the weird chick in your room’ so he could move back in. Macie just ignored him, blocked his number and then every social media profile he tried to reach out to her on. She kept blowing him off, and we all figured sooner or later Joe would get bored and leave us alone.  

Oh boy. Not even close.

Phoebe was out that night. I just went out to go pick up some frozen pizzas at the corner store, I was probably gone for like ten minutes. When I got back my heart sunk in my chest when I recognized Joe’s truck out front. I didn’t even enter the house to hear them arguing.

I bolted up the stairs to see Macie and Joe screaming at each other. One of Joe’s friends was there too, a guy named Derek. From what I could make out apparently Joe did find another place, but they needed one more roommate to make it work, and apparently Joe was back to harassing Macie about it. Macie’s face was bright red as she yelled at them both to get the hell out of her house, she wasn’t interested in ever being near Joe again, and if he didn’t leave she’d call the police.

That police threat seemed to really rub Joe the wrong way as he grabbed her arm and squeezed it so tight I thought he was going to break it. I tried to step in, but Derek actually pushed me away, stepping between us so I couldn’t get to my friend to help her out. My cellphone was in my pocket and I was considering just running for it to call 911 when I heard someone walking up the stairs.

I turned to see Dorothy, her head bowed so I couldn’t see her face. She was dressed in a white nightgown that reached just past her calves, I could make out what I thought was scarring on her ankles and toes as she paused at the top of the stairs for only a moment. The next moment she stormed up to Joe and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him towards the stairs, clearly intent on throwing him out herself.

“Get out of this house. Right now. And never step near Macie again.”  

Her voice was cold and grating, far from the typically soft mumbles. Joe was probably frozen in shock at first, but he reacted with violence. He shoved Dorothy with all his might, Dorothy stumbling for a moment at the top of the steps before losing her balance and falling down the stairs.

When her body collided with the steps, it sounded like someone had taken a stack of china and thrown them down to the ground.

Dorothy rolled down the rest of the steps, the discordant sound of smashing glass causing all of us to freeze in our tracks. Dorothy finally hit the bottom step with her head and stayed all too still at the foot of the stairs.  

Joe shot us all a ‘what the fuck’ look before Dorothy stirred. With the rattle of broken glass, Dorothy got up on all fours. For a nauseating moment I thought the side of her nightgown had been pierced with a piece of bone, but with a sickening grinding sound, Dorothy grabbed onto her gown and ripped it down the side,  grabbed the loose shard of white porcelain in her hand, and began the painful looking process of crawling up the steps.  

Now I could see what Dorothy had been insistent on hiding, now that her gown had been ripped to ribbons thanks to her shattering. Each of her joints was like the ball joint on a doll, a dip in the skin that now made more disturbing grinding sounds as she hauled herself up the steps. Slivers and pieces of porcelain continued to fall from her body, the biggest missing part nearly taking up her entire right side. Inside of her I could make out incredibly lifelike imitations of ribs, lungs, all cracked and breaking apart. Her right cheek was horrifically cracked, her eyelid hanging half down, unable to fully shut or open. Her chin hung loosely open, her mouth a black, gaping hole. But that still open eye was focused right on Joe, and it was full of loathing.

Macie acted first, bolting into her room and turning the lock. Derek screamed in horror and shoved me forward to act as a shield. Dorothy hauled herself up that last step and I nearly fell on top of her, barely managing to catch myself as I stepped on another piece of porcelain and sliced my foot open like butter.  

Dorothy paid me no mind as she managed to push herself to her feet, swaying as she tried to regain her balance before she began to limp over to the terrified men. Joe looked at me and I think I remember him saying ‘help me’.  

I responded by crawling into Phoebe’s room and locking the door behind me.  

They weren’t screaming for much longer.  

I hid in there for hours, clamping my hands over my ears to block out the worst of the wet ripping and tearing. I didn’t leave until I heard Phoebe enter the house, call for us, and then shriek when she saw all the blood.

And there was a lot of blood. It soaked the carpet on the second floor, with bits of flesh and muscle embedded in the fibers. But other than that and the shards of porcelain scattered about the stairs, there was no sign of Joe, Derek, or Dorothy.

We never heard from Dorothy again. An envelope containing enough money to cover a few more months of rent did appear in our mailbox, but the police couldn’t even confirm Dorothy Ball was a real person outside of her school registry. I never even told Phoebe the entirety of the story, only that Dorothy had attacked both Joe and Derek.  

I still don’t know what I saw, not really. The image of her shattered body crawling up those stairs, the hate in her still working eye as she stared at Joe will never leave even as I try to rationalize how on earth that could happen. People don’t shatter like… like that.

But I do know Dorothy was real. I know she was.  

And I’m thankful for her. And she’s still my friend. Wherever she is.

[mellowwhumps]

MELLO!!! in regards to what you said about haley being your favorite to put into Situations.

what are some of you favorite situations you put that skrunkly in?? i need to know more about him he so silly and special to me

HIII HELLOO i’m not very good at explaining it’s all in my head for the most part LMAOO,,, i’ll try though so long post ahead

for the most part i use haley to try out different tropes so it’s just anything tbh!!! both physical and emotional whump this guy gets it all... mainly i enjoy putting him in interactions and Situations with other characters because the main problem with this guy is that he simply cannot open up and is constantly being dealt a questionable hand in life (could even say he was born unlucky since fun fact! he’s from the destroyed city in twelve and verrill’s main storyline. though that’s not relevant)

so i think the best approach would be to further summarize his dynamics with some others!! because i think it would be more helpful to one day do a fully written work rather than summarizing the things i already want to write + i am indecisive and cannot pick favourites so why not. all

else, in which i get majorly sidetracked from your ask:

halcyon - essentially, they’re kinda like a really tense sort of brother-sister r/s because for one, haley did murder half her men in the war that broke out between their two homes. but!! while she’s trying her best to try and get closer to him and ask him to open up, he’s so conditioned to doing just the opposite and resisting. however, he does respect her as a person and they are both mutually beneficial minus the dubious mental health part !! she helps him, he helps her in return

another situation that kind of just. happens is one that occurs with her quote-on-quote girlfriend (nora) because my god would she absolutely disagree with him even if halcyon agrees, simply because she doesn’t believe haley should be forgiven for causing major injuries to halcyon, no matter how much halcyon just wants to reconcile and put the past over with. and then after that haley’s r/s with her ends up benefitting her and halcyon’s r/s in return

ria - something something he wants to give her a better childhood because he never experienced that… they are very much reliant on each other and are each other’s savior. ria, who admittedly has attachments to him much closer than he’d like, is constantly trying to help as much as she can while dealing with her generally rowdy and impulsive self, contrasting with haley’s closed-off persona. they both have that lingering fight-or-flight response but man do they subtly care so much about each other…theme of home is so strong on this one

elowen - while all the other dynamics previously mentioned are mutually beneficial, this one doesn’t particularly fall into that category!! not a math geek but they’re very much like a graph to the asymptote; they cannot fully understand each other. no matter how close haley gets to him, he always falls a little bit too far. one stagnant and stationary, the other trying too hard to ask questions. they love like a person’s reflection in the water, love like a dog to its owner; handler to weapon, father to son. but they do love each other. that will always be how it is <3

my story focuses on the after, so it’s mostly haley dealing with faded memories of that past with elowen as well as his feelings, because a “person” cannot possibly let go of something in a day or month. he has to deal with the actions that caused elowen to be deceased, because he caused it firsthand, he caused it and doesn’t regret it at all. that four letter word runs more deeper than it should, to reasons and all things human.

and of course, as a bonus, himself !!

he does not hate himself. he hates the things he’s done. he hates the things he could do. but the him of the present, he accepts because ‘this is how it is, this is how it is going to be’. the theme that is always present in any of his works is the theme of fate, the one thing he can neither fight off nor decline. because of this, he blames himself for not being able to change anything, just like he failed to stop the war, just like he failed to avoid injuries, just like he failed. he cannot see himself as a person because of his actions, despite his actions proving the exact otherwise. to be contradictory is to be human.

that’s it for the current canon relationships for the main universe he’s in! but unfortunately!! he has a ton of aus because there are too many ideas rotating in my head!! i love exploring dynamics with characters who have realistically never met so here i will once again focus on the main AU i write with my friend!!!! (his role in here is much different from the original, to clarify) 

twelve (AU-exclusive) - empathetic lil guy (gender neutral) and absolutely knows what’s up with him. haley enjoys their company a lot, and so do they, since first impressions are much more important than they seem. both of their themes include a longing to be normal, so then why not be abnormal together, yknow? i don’t have too much about them together (though i might develop on this) however, it’s their arrival that impacts haley’s relationships with others

verrill (AU-exclusive ) - platonic relationships ftw. friendly banter, annoyances and mutual support, but deep down they will always have issues neither are willing to talk about. this is very much doomed but for now they are very good friends. they get whumped together every once in a while. they also get whumped alone every once in a while. sure they can play pretend for a little longer

(silly little thing i did at some point) (it is not romantic!! there just aren’t platonic r/s sheets to fill that would describe them well…)

and twelve joins the both of them together because verrill is twelve’s caretaker as always, and also their translator!! i think they deserve credit too because previously 

1) haley and verrill had zero interest in each other 2)twelve Did Not Like verrill 3) twelve kinda screwed up haley’s relationship with certain other members before verrill took them in and 4) highly questionable backstories so!! all three of their dynamics are deeply interwined and if any one of them were to get into trouble the other two have no intention of giving up (such a shame! <3)

elowen (AU) - i think this too deserves an extra section because he is vastly different in here as i’ve mentioned before (and also alive i think that’s a very important fact and makes ALL the difference). to explain this i will not be talking about their relationship directly, but instead other dynamics that have led to such a relationship: (of course, all the dynamics below are AU-exclusive)

elowen & naeri - naeri is the catalyst of this story! without her absolutely nothing would have happened, they would have all gone about normally and elowen would be much more similar to the original universe. elowen overturns his old life to escape from the lab he works in simply because he got Attachments for her and it spiralled. and then, because there will obviously be something that goes wrong, he is unable to save her. so, he starts the syndicate all these characters work for and meets haley.

but he cannot let go. he cannot let go, because there is no medium for him to do so, nobody he can tell, because what he saw was nothing short of unbelievable nor does he have any decent relations with anyone else. when he looks at haley, long since matured under his care, he sees nothing but that child of his past, the one thing tethering him from moving forward. years pass, he lets go a little bit more. tiny bit. but when all that was buried away, enter:

elowen, to haley & caius - it repeats. of course it was going to repeat; an endless cycle. the place he escaped wasn’t gone, it never was. he didn’t manage to change anything there. doesn’t help that the one chasing after caius was the exact person he wanted to avoid. they’re coming for the place he played a part in and ruining everything he strived to work for. so no, of course he doesn’t support haley’s choice, has already seen the predetermined outcome with his own two eyes. 

it doesn’t happen.

the only way out is forward, into the light. secrets trail from his shadow; scattered truths appear. it’s a start, and he’s had enough of running from haley and anyone else he ever cared for, full stop.

alright!! elowen’s section is FINALLY finished thank god. here are some old works relating to them i suppose

the main syndicate members and twelve - final part!!! i originally wasn’t going to add this but i think this is a good conclusion and also an actual named scenario so i do answer your question semi-properly ksjhfdkjhfs

as i’ve mentioned, the decision to let twelve join was absolutely not easy in the slightest. so here it is in semi-decent detail !!!

verrill proposes making self-sacrifices (which is very much uncommon to someone like him) in order to accept twelve into the team. elowen is much too logical to accept something that would bring negligible advantage to the syndicate, and even though he suggested offers it was only the bare minimum of offering shelter. halcyon, though understanding both sides, opts to be the tiebreaker and chooses elowen’s side because she takes into consideration their current plight of lack of resources, no matter how guilty she feels. 

at this point in time, haley, who had originally chosen to abstain from voting, is the only one who doesn’t view twelve as an asset. twelve, who doesn’t understand anything that’s going on without a translator, is quite visibly conflicted, confused and panicked. he sees it. he points it out, and casts his own proposition to support everyone’s stand, and nora who previously abstained from voting agrees with him. he gets the support of the majority and twelve is let into the syndicate.

in the end, all four other members change their viewpoints. verrill treats twelve as a brother rather than something to be used, halcyon learns to choose from her heart once in a while, elowen understands that people have other uses other than simply being useful and nora recognizes that things don’t go differently if no action is taken. unlike the original universe that deals in fate, this story deals in destiny and the act of changing + moving forward, centering around none other than haley himself. but changing also causes problems, and now everyone’s a little more tense after the choice, and this tension carries over to the start of the AU’s main timeline.

so yes! character interactions are my favourite Situation

this was fun to do!!! thank uu for the ask i love talking about ocs they r also very silly and special to me💥 ask questions or smt if you need because i am very incomprehensible at times

[ruinedbylanadelrey]

King of Your Heart

Chapter 12 "Delicate, that's a Taylor Swift song"

summary: All that Frankie has ever wanted to be was your everything. After years of being best friends one phone call changes everything between the two of you.

inspired by The King by Sarah Kinsley

warnings: 18+, MINORS DNI, age gap (reader is 28-29, Frankie 38-39), friends with benefits -> situationship, Frankie isn't a dad, jealously, best friends with benefits, reader is toxic, reader wears makeup, reader has long hair, we talk about Frankie's ass, tattoos, baths with frankie, princess and catfish sickly in love, no y/n, pet names, possessiveness, triple frontier boys, Tom is dead, reader is a flirt

an: made a halloween playlist for Benny's upcoming halloween bash. T-Minus 15 days!! ALSO check out Princess's new instagram page (yk the mood board above, now changing every chapter, all pictures are just ideas not actually giving description to reader)

inside the world of king of your heart

playlist

series mainlist | main masterlist

taglist: @hiroikegawa

Weddings always bring people together. But the bachelor party is what makes people friends for life. It was a 3 day weekend traveling to the mountains of Washington.

It was a guy's trip but Will thought it wouldn't be a true guys' weekend if you weren't there, you were buzzing with excitement quite literally when the first activity on the list was getting tattooed with personal call names, everyone getting it in normal places, wrists, arms, backs, but you opted for a more teasing spot. 

Frankie gives you a confused smile when the artist takes you to a private room away from the open floor plan. You waved at him cheekily before disappearing into the studio. The scratch of the needle pistoning into the flesh of your ass made you smile and start laughing. Life was fun again. You had everyone where you wanted them, not running when things got good. 

Frankie accompanied a knock on the door frame with his eyes squeezed tight. You looked at the artist and nodded an okay. Frankie steps in and shuts the curtain, he opens to you on your stomach with just a g-string on and your shirt pushed up right under the curve of your breasts. 

"How did I know that you would do this?" Frankie chuckles taking a seat across from you.

"You say I'm just so predictable." You smile sweetly, Frankie was trying to calm himself seeing you half-naked. It wasn't supposed to be sexual, he's seen everything without the sexual context but you laid out on the chair getting 'Princess' inked into your skin forever aroused him. 

"That you are," Frankie spreads his legs further apart, and you bite back a giggle when you see the hard-on he had. When the artist finished cleaning up your skin and adding some Aquaphor to the ink before leaving you to get some aftercare supplies, you walked up to the full-length mirror, your Vans showing your ankles off deliciously, the studio lighting contours your curves, you popped out your hip holding your phone at an angle to snap a photo your plump ass branded with the fucking call name. Frankie was just in awe looking at how gorgeous you were and that you were his. 

You took a couple of pictures, a smile on your face walking over to Frankie. You straddle his lap, grabbing his hands and placing them on the top of your ass. "Smile for the camera Frankie" You cooed, arching your back to mold into him and turning your toros to face the mirror, snapping a picture displaying your tattoo with Frankie's hands feeling you up. 

Frankie helps you get dressed before the artist comes back with your aftercare kit. You showed off the tattoo to the guys with a zoomed-in picture, you had a smile on your face that Frankie hadn't seen in a long time. Genuine happiness to be with your friends, the loving princess coming back after months of hatred.

"You're a genius, Princess. Alright, I want mine on my ass," Benny started to unbuckle his belt, stripped down to his underwear. You squeal out a laugh and slap your hand over your eyes. Will and Pope tell Benny to put his clothes back on. Will threw the jeans at Ben who was trying to argue that if you can do it then so can him. "C'mon guys I need someone to match with me," You tried to help Ben's case. 

Then everyone looked to Frankie, "Fuck no. I'm not doing it," Frankie shakes his head and backs away. The guys looked at you and waited for you to break down Frankie. "Please...for me?" You stick out your bottom lip and walk over to Frankie swaying your hips. 

You stand in front of him and start taking off his belt. Frankie stands at attention and is fighting with himself on the inside. "I'll let you lick my tattoo and I'll lick yours," You stood on your tiptoes and whispered in his ear. Frankie felt his face flush and his pants tightened around his thighs. 

"I'll do it...You're one hell of a negotiator, could've used you in the service." Frankie breaks and you laugh at how simple men are, Frankie can be broken down by sex. You spin around on your heels and smile at the guys.

"Boys, he's gonna do it," You announced, Ben was getting his arm tatted and holding onto Pope's hand quickly dropping it when you looked at them. Will was sitting and waiting for all of this to be over. 

Frankie sighs when he is escorted to the privacy studio. You follow right behind and take a seat in front of Frankie.

"The shit I do for you," Frankie grunts when the needle starts buzzing into his plump...yes...plump ass. You whistled when you saw his skin jiggle from the vibrations. When his tattoo was finished you called everyone in for a show. 

"Catfish has a fat ass," Benny is marveled by Frankie. 

"Okay. That's it shows over." Frankie carefully pulls up his underwear and jeans. "I'll be looking forward to your end of the bargain, Princess."

The weekend started with a simple dinner then stopping at a bar for drinks. Will didn't want anything crazy for a bachelor party, just everyone chilling out in the mountains. It was romantic almost, you and Frankie got a separate cabin from the rest of them. You would end the night with a bottle of wine and Frankie running your bath. He went all out for the last night in Washington. 

You walk into the bathroom, illuminated by the soft amber glow of the candles, milky water, and roses in the bath. An expensive bottle of champagne waiting for you. 

"You're getting too soft on me, Catfish," You giggle when he starts to unzip your black tube dress that you wore for the big party night. You and Frankie dipped on the rest of them after a couple of drinks, all Frankie wanted to was go back and unwind with you. He would've waited until the party was over but you started to get too drunk, trading drinks with random people at the bar and then proceeding climbing on top of Frankie after making Pope take a picture of just you. 

"You know we call you 'Princess' for a reason?" Frankie chuckles when you slurred- whatever man- you grab the bottle of champagne and sip from the bottle. You were trying to let Frankie be a boyfriend and spoil you. It was an internal battle with your heart and your brain, you want the romance but the logical side says it's too much. 

Frankie helps you step and submerge into the bath, you rest your arms on the side of the tub holding the bottle in your right hand. He slips the hair tie from your wrist, brushing your hair with his fingers and getting your hair out of your face. Small tendrils of hair escape from the ponytail, framing your face. Frankie loved how he could see every detail of your face and the curve of your neck going down to your shoulders. You always look so delicate when you show your natural features when he helps you take off your makeup. 

"What?" You murmured closing your eyes, loving the feeling of the hot water at your favorite temperature. Frankie kisses the top of your head. "I think you look so delicate with your hair out of your face." Frankie's eyes dance around your face. 

"Hmm...delicate, that's a Taylor Swift song...I used to..." You spew nonsense, your mind growing tired from the night you had and the champagne making you feel fuzzy.

"Used to what?"

"Cry to it after we slept together..." You had enough liquid courage to open your heart to Frankie. You remember hearing it when you were shopping for lingerie after the first sleeping with Frankie. When you and him were breaking the rules, you fell in with the lyrics and then started connecting to your life. 

Frankie didn't know if he should be upset about the fact he was a reason for your crying or be flattered that you let your heart swim out to him. 

"Why?" 

"Just thought it fitted us...the girl going for the guy." You opened one eye and smiled at Frankie who had a shy smile on his face. You were right again. You were the one to take a step forward, even if it was asking for sex but here he was sitting on the floor of the bathroom keeping you company while you were in the bath after a night out with the friends. Taking care of you, cherishing your drunken truthful mind sharing your thoughts, and taking in your beauty in the candle glow. 

"You got me, baby," Frankie could see the tears stream from your eyes. You were swimming deep in emotions. You are safe, you have Frankie. Nothing else matters in the world. Could you swim out too far and Frankie gets tired of swimming? You blink away the tears and stare at the ceiling. Why does being in love have to hurt?

"How can you love me after everything?" You say not looking at Frankie. He holds his breath, loving you was easy. It was like breathing. Frankie just loved you, he had to love you or he wouldn't survive. 

"Despite everything you did to me...you are the love of my life and I can't help but love you. You know how love is...it makes you wear rose-colored glasses, and I'll wear them for the rest of my life if that means you are mine." Frankie didn't care that he was insane for getting back together with you. It was easy. You were easy. You are different from every person he knows—a woman with intimacy issues and a bleeding heart for the one person she wants. 

You rolled your head to the side and looked at Frankie, he was insane. The restlessness was clawing from deep inside you but diminished when Frankie stopped being just a friend. He is your life now. Your partner who loves you for everything good and bad that comes with you. 

"I am so sorry, Frankie...for everything. You didn't deserve any of that. I want you to know how fucking sorry I am. I love you." Your voice coated with a sob stuck in your throat. Do your words matter at this point? You tell him that you love him but is it enough?

[flashbackonyourbehalf]

(2/4/2025)

Countdown

T minus one week. Less than 168 hours and they’ll have me face-down, cut open, and I won’t remember a thing.

I’ve always had a fixation on time. Start time 11:30; I’m exactly seven minutes early. Breathe in for four seconds, exhale for four. I haven’t texted them back in two days. My spinal issues have been going on for thirteen months. I haven’t been able to feel my toes since September. Two hours till I can take more meds - can I push it to three and stretch my supply out until I can get more in fourteen days?

This video is eighteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds long. It’s been seven hours since I’ve eaten; I’m not hungry, but in five more hours I’ll be too hungry to sleep. If I take this amount of sleeping pills, I *should* sleep for twelve hours. The withdrawals will start in half an hour. They’ll go away twenty minutes after I take my meds.

I’m in pain. I can’t remember the last time I opened the blinds. I’m in pain. I spent six hours straight watching reels. Anytime it pauses to load, I close my eyes and count to ten to pass the time, and the surgery is all I can think about. It should take less than two hours and when I wake up, the pain will be excruciating. And I’m already in so much pain.

Pass another day, wait another hour. Waiting, waiting, waiting - it’s all I’ve been doing for over five months.

I’m in so much pain.

[itsbubbleteataro]

Paw prints and eraser shavings

Introduction

Quirk; Illusion - the ability to change the sound of your voice and your appearance minus your emerald green eyes

Six months before you move to Japan

You stared at your phone, waiting for people to leave your dressing room so you could finally shed your illusions. You stared in the mirror, the reflection staring back at you with bored green eyes. You had shaggy short fluffy hair with green at the ends. You wore a band t of an indie group from Japan with the sleeves cut off. Skinny jeans adorned your legs.

Leaning back in your chair you sighed. Even your own sighs sounded so different, boyish even. You were again thinking about quitting your life as a rock star in America.

Yes you had fame, fans, anything you could ask for, but you were oh so homesick, missing your brother and having privacy. You missed jamming out infront of your brother, or at the bars and cafes you did when you were younger.

Your hands ached to play, to let your illusions down, to let your heart out, let what's been building up inside since your last press conference out. To let your thoughts wonder to something other than a tour you have comming up.

You chose this illusion when you came to America, after looking into how people who looked more masculine had an easier time making it big. So you chose something looking like a tall, skinny man with fluffy hair.

You sighed watching as people finally left your little room. Relaxing as you finally are able to drop all your illusions. You look in the mirror, watching as your body returning to your normal state.

You ran your fingers through your hair, relishing in your natural color, down to your ends, dyed your favorite color. Your ears flicked as your thoughts wondered to your home sweet home, your brother and your family.

Standing up and plopping yourself on your couch, you pick up ur guitar, deciding it better to think things out while mindlessly strumming something.

You thought and played for a good half hour, your fingertips turning numb. You grumbled under your breath, finally pulling out your phone, and scrolling to look at whatever happened back home.

Your eyes widen as you see about the events that unfolded at U.S.J, the school festival, all the way up to a batch of new heros finally getting their provisional hero license. You changed tabs on your phone, quickly calling your bother out of concern, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally picked up after a few rings.

----

Meanwhile Shota was awake at the ungodly hour. A hand brushing through his messy raven black locks as he through about his students, and about the events that unfolded. He had gotten back from his patrol about an hour ago and was finally off his feet. He groaned thinking about the mountain of paperwork he would have to do when he was finally able too.

He looked up at the ceiling, squeezing a few eye drops into his eyes, dry from using his quirk. He blinked a few times, thankful that his eyes were no longer dry. He looked at the clock and then down at his phone.

Shota knew sleep would be hard for him tonight and for some reason even listening to songs you helped write (or so he things) seemed to help him relax enough to sleep. He bit his lip. Was he really gonna listen to the band you wrote for again in some kind of desperate attempt to hear your voice again? He shook his head and walked into his bedroom. Sitting in his bed and placing his phone in its charger. His eyes drifted to the crystal ball that once sat on his desk in his classroom. He took it home after a slight fight between Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya had knocked his desk over, nearly scaring him half to death that the orb would even be the slightest bit damaged.

He picked it up, off his night stand and held it in his palm, tapping it twice and swiping through a few memories before he found one he absolutely adored and set it down his nightstand, so it could project the memory onto the wall across from his bed.

The memory orb - coffee shop

Shota and Hizashi entered the coffee shop you had told them your first performance was starting. Shota looked at is friend who seemed to be buzzing with excitement. He won't lie, he's excited too, just preferring to keep it on the inside.

Inside the coffee shop was dimly lit. Hizashi left Shota alone to find seats while he scurried off to get them something from the shop. Shota found a seat near the front, leaning his weight on his elbow after he took a seat, staring at the stool under a spotlight set up just for you.

His eyes gave away how excited he was when he watched you nervously take a seat. His onyx eyes practically turned into galaxies with how much the sparkled.

The seat next to him dipped, Hizashi caught how Shota looked at his little sister. He snickered under his breath before elbowing him. Shota's eyes widened as something is whispered in his ears. He swats at Hizashi as he feels his ears turn red.

Finally you clear your throat and introduce the song your singing, Jasey Rae.

Out side the memory orb - Shota's room

His eyes once again shone like galaxies as he finally let himself relax, listning to you sing was more than enough for him. He tried to think back to what Hizashi had whispered in his ear, all those years ago, but alas, it seemed as if it was lost to the sands of time.

He let his eyes flutter close, his body screaming for sleep. So he did. He finally let his body have the rest it so desperately craved, his dreams filled with him, sitting in a coffee shop, people around him nothing but black shapeless shadows as his attention was on you. Just him, listening to you playing your favorite song.

He rest peacefully that night.

Five months before you arrive back in Japan

Shots groaned with fake annoyance as Hizashi placed a hand on his back before shoving his phone in his face, having pulled up a live streamed performance of the band you "write" for.

He honestly has never listened to the band, couldn't get himself too. He thought it was a waste having you "write for them" you should be on your own. He finally let his eyes look over at the phone, taking in the appearance of everyone.

Shota raised an eyebrow. Really? You write for a band that looks like they haven't grown out of a teenage emo phase? He would admit, they did do well and did decide to watch the live stream even after Hizashi put his phone down so he could do something else.

He kept looking over at it while he was grading his students latest test. He would admit, the lead singer and you did share some similarities while preforming. Both having very similar styles when it came to playing, dancing with a guitar and keeping the crowd entertained and engaged.

He did find it weird that even if your songs were coming out of another person's mouth, it seemed to still have the same effect on him, causing his mind to slip away from him occasionally to the simple thought of you preforming at the coffee shop a few days before you left for America.

One week before you end up in America

You sighed backstage, your illusions up and running as per usual. You were tired. Thankfully your contract would end after this concert and you could finally, finally return home.

Yes you agreed with your brother when you first your little idea up to him that it would be safer in America, but you were tired of it all. Just wanting to live peacefully in Japan again. So the two of you came to a compromise, he would get you a job at the school he worked at so he could keep an eye on you, and you could move peacefully. Granted you would have to use your illusions as to not raise suspicion, plus your brother was a little greedy, not wanting Shoto to know his little sister was back in town after so many years.

You agreed. Being a librarian at a school training the next generation of heros would have its own entertainments and you figured the library would be mostly quiet.

You gripped your guitar, your last concert in America would be filmed and posted everywhere, you knew that. Just one last thing and you were free. Yes you loved it, loved preforming, but you wanted to preform as yourself, not some illusion of yourself the world had named "Jacob".

With one deep breath, you ran onstage to the adoring audience, getting the show started.

----

News broke fast over in Japan. Shota won't lie, he is shocked. He's wondering what will happen to you. I mean the band you "wrote" for just broke up, does that mean you would end up back in Japan? Or would you stay in America.

Leaning back in his chair, his hand rubbed over his stubble, his eyes swirling with thoughts. It was safer for you in America, the only way you would return to Japan is if you hadn't seen the news in Japan. Yes, you would stay in America, you would stay safe. As much as the thought pained him, he knew it was the most logical decision and conclusion. He would simply have to live with the ache in his heart knowing he would only see you in the memory orbs and the occasional pictures you would send him when you changed your hair color.

He would never admit it out loud, but he treasured them.

The same way you treasured the little pictures he would send to you with his thumb up in approval, even if he was out on patrol.

The airport

Hizashi picked you up, running up to hug his little sister. He took your bags and took you straight to his apartment where you'd be staying till you could get your own place.

You were so relived to be home in Japan. To be out of all your illusions and to be yourself for a while.

Walking into the apartment, your bags placed down in the living room for you go through later, you turn on your heel, opting to take a walk. Yeah you were jet lagged like no tomorrow, but you started your new job tomorrow, and needed to adjust as quickly as possible. Plus cramped in the flight for so long it would be good to go out for some air, so you did.

The Street

You practically skipped down sidewalk, your feet knowing the path. You had your hands in your pocket as your fox ears twitched with every new sound. The area sure had gotten busier in the time you were gone, but what could you expect. You just let your feet walk you over to where your coffee shop where you got your start was.

Shota walked past you. He saw the ends of your dyed hair and stopped in his tracks, doing a double take to see if it was really you he saw. He turned around, in his normal casual clothing, scanning the sea of people for you. He cursed under his breath when it seemed you were just a figment of his imagination, not there, just his mind playing a cruel trick on him.

The two of you passed eachother like two ships in the night.

Hizashi's apartment

You looked in the mirror checking out illusion, looking for any possible holes. This one had short light green fluffy hair, a beige sweater with elbow pads and a dress shirt poking out the top. Slacks adorned your legs and loafers your feet. Your voice a tone that sounded neutral. You turned to your brother who was already in his hero costume. He flashed you a smile and a thumbs up.

"Looks great sis! No one will know"

You nod fixing the hair of the illusion before the head out for your first day as the librarian at U.A.

U.A - Library

You were placing books on the shelves as you overheard a group of teachers talking about a school festival, something to raise some spirit. You made a mental note of it. It's only been a day and you're already tired of having to put up illusions.

You turned around to fetch more books from your cart when in walks Shota. Your eyes widen and you feel yourself almost lose concentration. You didn't know he worked here he looked spent, going over to talk with his fellow teachers. You kept one eye on him as you placed books on your shelf.

"That's it"

You thought to yourself

"I'll let everything lose at the school festival. I'm tired of these illusions, let's shatter them all in one big show"

You spent the rest of the day planning.

-----

The two of you were so lost in thought. You about what kind of grand performance you would put on to finally shatter everyone's illusion of you. As for Shota, he was thinking about the last picture you sent him.

The picture was of you, leaning against the railing of a balcony, your back to the sunset. Two fingers up in a peace sign, lips tugged back into a smile. He could not help himself, he felt like a pervert for even wanting to know the taste of your lips.

He watched as the other teachers left, forgetting there was even one more person around, he started humming one of your songs of all things. Humming while he thought about what your lips would taste like. He felt like a love sick teenager again. He couldn't tell if he loved it or hated it.

Unlucky for him, you picked up on his humming, brain automatically jumping to quietly singing along,

"I can keep a secret if you can keep me guessing

The flavor of your lips is enough to keep me pressing

For more than just a moment of truth between the lies told

To pull ourselves away from the lives we leave back"

The two of you froze

Shota was mortified. You heard him? Let alone finished the lyrics.

You were terrified. You acted out of pure reflex, your cover would be blown. You just know that if you spoke your voice would come out as your own and not as the illusion you currently wore.

The two of you panicked in silence, before you heard his steps start to walk down the hallways. You sighed. That was close, way too close.

As you thought back on the encounter, taking a seat behind the front desk you felt your cheeks heat up. You felt like a silly school girl. Your old crush burning bright once more after you had laid eyes on him. The fire inside threatened to burn your organs as you thought about how he had hummed one of your songs out of all things. Though it was embarrassing to jump in singing the actual lyrics. You sighed, the crush you still harbored for him only seemed to grow after you had seen him in person again.

-----

Shota wasn't able to place a finger on his thoughts. He walked straight to his empty class room and took a seat, trying to figure out his inner turmoil.

Sure on one hand he was simply humming along to song that you just so happened to know. Maybe the reserved and quiet librarian just happened to like the same kind of music as you just so happened to write for.

On the other hand, he was a bit disturbed. He had let something slip. If it just so happened to make round outside of the school he could have a weakness exposed, and he sure as hell didn't want that.

He didn't want the world to know how much his little crush from when he was a boy had only spiraled out of control since you had left for America. He didn't want anyone to know how much of a fool he felt for not acting in his crush before you had left for America.

He held his head in his hands and groaned. Maybe he should fly out to see you. Yeah, he'd go ahead and take a few weeks off and fly out to go see you in America. Maybe after the school festival. He pulled out his phone and started to look at hotels and plane tickets.

Little did the two of you know, everything would change during the school festival

[zemkzone]

That Rare Arctic Thunderstorm: Ch13 (on AO3)

FULL FIC LINK HERE

··· Waverider, Temporal Zone, T minus 66 minutes until timeline settles ··· The lights came back on in the Waverider’s secondary lab, and Sara nearly jumped out of her skin. Martin stood in front of her, completely solid again. Jax was too, flailing in Mick’s arms. “I’m okay, big guy, I’m back again!” the younger half of Firestorm yelped. “What just happened?” Sara demanded, making sure everyone in the room was okay. “Where did you go?” Amaya helped Jax steady himself. “I’m not sure.” Jax looked past Sara to Martin. “But we really need to get back home.” “We’ve left Ronnie alone too long,” the professor agreed. “He might become unstable.” “The last time you merged with him was… when?” Nate blinked hard. “I met Ronnie when we all went back… for some reason. It’s like there’s a big blank spot in my head. There’s three parts to Firestorm in this timeline now. But I can’t remember why only two of you—” “Enough chatting,” Mick barked, glaring around the room. “Gideon, get us back to Central City—without the month-skipping this time.” “Time jumps are unadvisable until the new timeline crystalizes,” the AI apologized. “What’s the sudden rush, Mick?” Ray stared incredulously. “Doesn’t matter.” Mick glared at him. “As long as we get back before February 2017.” “Okay, what am I missing now?” Sara didn’t think stabilizing Ronnie was the only reason Jax and Martin were anxious to go home. Why did Mick want to go back too, though? And why did she have the urge to visit Keystone City? “We’ve got one hour left, Rip.” Sara turned to their former captain. “We can’t go anywhere from here until the timeline settles anyway. If you know what we’re missing, tell us.” “I cannot.” Rip sank down into a chair. “My memories are as incomplete as yours now.” Something about those words stirred a memory in Sara’s mind—a sterile room, white light, a tall, narrow cylinder. No, a containment chamber. “I’m n-not s-supposed to touch it! Doctor Thawne s-says it’s t-too d-d-dangerous for m-me.” That voice sounded familiar. She’d heard it so recently, but her mind was full of blanks. She wished she had her phone to call— Nothing. The memories remained out of reach. Gideon’s shifting headlines still showed Barry and Len in their signature suits. For one fleeting moment, Sara thought she saw a photo of Iron Heights and glimpsed the deep green of the Arrow suit. This was ridiculous. They’d fought Civil War zombies, prevented an American president from making the Cold War even worse, stopped the reshaping of the whole country, even. Through time itself, they’d chased down a would-be dictator then fought an evil speedster and his coterie of self-interested villains. After all that, what couldn’t they handle?

READ THE REST OF THE CHAPTER HERE

[westwingsolo]

plotted starter for @carp3diems

Re: Christmas Itinerary- or how many times I can kiss you under mistletoe

My Laurens,

T-minus 8 hours until I land in Edinburgh and then just a 2 hour drive deep into the wetlands your family fondly calls their family home. I'm still not 100% sure this isn't part of your brother's plan to have me thrown into Loch Ness to be eaten.

Insert 'joke about still being eaten at some point during my visit' here.

You would've loved the exhibit at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Seeing Hamilton's letters to John Laurens in person made me a little emotional, so please don't laugh at me when the press photos come out and my eyes are just a tad watery. You would be a hot mess, you sentimental ass.

How could anyone not think that those two men were in love with the way they wrote to each other? Hamilton always wrote with purpose, always meaning exactly what he said, and in every letter he wrote to John it was obvious that he wrote each of those words with love.

It makes the reason why the museum's director asked me specifically to help open the exhibit more obvious.

I really miss you. I know I'm seeing you in less than half a day, and it probably sounds needy and hopeless, but it fucking sucked not seeing you for almost a month. I thought being reelected would be easier since we didn't have to rush around to get things ready for January. Mom wanted to try and push too many things through before Congress closed for the holidays, and it's just been so tiring. I guess I really do need this break, even if I'm going to have to deal with your brother glaring at me the whole time.

I really can't wait to see you. Just a hug would be nice. I'll even let you do that thing where you tuck my head under your chin to remind me again that you're slightly taller than me.

I love you.

Your obedient servant,

Alex

[tasknozaritask]

Seasonal switch-up time is upon us: spring fashion has arrived and a crisp city break is the perfect time to take a new capsule wardrobe for a spin. 

We’ve spent the last five months focusing primarily on how to stay warm, but the season of lightweight silhouettes is officially upon us and the last thing you want to be worrying about when packing for a quick jaunt abroad is whether or not your suitcase is going to zip shut. This is a city break we’re talking about, not a two-week stint on a tropical beach.

Whether it’s Copenhagen or Lisbon you’ve got your eye on, spring weather is still in flux; winter coats might be out, but there’s still a chill in the air. So, we’ve crafted the perfect spring city break capsule: think runway-ready trousers from Marks and Spencer and S/S 2025’s must-have sunglass shape for less than £20.

The best part? It’s all guaranteed to fit in your carry-on, so you can save your Euros for Aperol spritz and pain au chocolats. 

Parisian picnic 

No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to one of the city’s famous farmers’ markets. Pick up some world-class cheese and chocolates and then head to the park for a picnic. Spring in Paris is all about transitional style staples, you don’t want a heavy winter coat, but a sleek quilted shell jacket will certainly do the job. Our pick of the bunch is Whistles’ Black Ida Short Quilted Coat (£155). Perfect for pairing with other foundational wardrobe essentials like, say, a plain white tee (Arket’s Lily Lightweight T-Shirt fits like a dream and will only set you back £17) or an effortlessly cool pair of baggy jeans, à la Mango’s best-selling Balloon Jeans, £35.99. Nothing tops off Parisian cool like a good pair of season-transcending loafers and you can walk for miles in ME+EM's Travel Loafers (£250), making them worth the price tag.

Gallery hopping in Berlin

If you’re looking to cut your getting ready time in half, nothing does the job like a chic co-ord. Matching sets scream off-duty elegance minus the fuss, and M&S’ Linen Blend Drawstring Wide Leg Trousers (£39.50) and Linen Rich Waistcoat (£45) are the perfect team to swan comfortably around Berlin’s art galleries in, but just as apt if a city bike tour is more your thing. Just make sure to keep the sunshine at bay with Mango’s Oval Frame Sunglasses (£19.99).

Dinner in Rome

Dinner in The Eternal City calls for a leggy silhouette and H&M’s £15.99 Open-back Cotton Dress is more Miu Miu than highstreet, especially when teamed with a punchy pair of ankle socks (we’re gunning for Cos’ Sheer Panel Socks, £9). We know, we know, it’s hardly high summer, but layer beneath your trusty quilted coat and you’ll fare just fine on a spring night in Italy. Plus, if you’re really feeling the chill, tug on a pair of Arket’s sparkly Glitter Tights (now £11), they’re sure to keep your pins toasty all evening long, plus won’t take up any extra space in your carry-on.