#... i had a mini argument with my dad he's in the latter and i think it's a difference in empathy between us

[weliveintryingtimes]

I'm going to talk about serial killers, horrific crimes, and the true crime community for a minute. Because I think there is Very much a big issue with people glorifying the perpetrators and pretty much forgetting the victims. Especially gonna be so with the new Dahmer thing on Netflix.

[winchester-purgatory]

My brother’s best friend | Dean Winchester (part 1)

Summary: Dean visits his brother in Palo Alto...and fall for the redhead crashing in Sam’s bed

Word count: 1.8k

-

Palo Alto, California 2004

''Are you kidding me?'' Sam grumbled as he checked through the peephole of his small apartment, seeing his big brother on the other side.

It was rare - very, very rare - that Dean would visit him. He'd rather vagabond from states to states in his precious Impala than visit his little brother who was in college, getting a degree, aka doing something of his life.

The only times he'd visit was if something happened to their dad - or when he needed something. Nine times out of ten, it was the latter.

Although they had been raised by the same man, the two brothers were very different. Their lifestyle, by example, was polar opposite. Sam was pursuing law studies and planned on become a criminal lawyer while Dean prefered to jump from states to states - or, in Sam's words, from bed to bed - without ever settling. He was also a walking trouble, always getting himself tangled in some messy crap.

When they were kids, their uncle Bobby used to joke and said that Sam would help Dean get out of jail one day. He couldn't be closer to the truth.

Reluctantly, Sam unlocked and opened the door, skipping the greetings. ''What are you doing here?'' he hissed at his brother, keeping the door as closed as possible - and blocked - so Dean wouldn't peek inside or simply invite himself in.

''Hello to you too, Sammy.''

''What do you want?'' Sam demanded.

''Who said I needed something? Can't I miss my little brother?''

If Sam hadn't known his brother so well, he would've believed him. But, this was Dean.

''It's almost midnight and I have class at eight, Dean. I don't have time for placotage. What is it this time? Your girlfriend dumped you? You're out of money? Whichever, I can't do anything. I'm just as broke as you.''

He wasn't always this intolerant, but school had been stressful these past weeks and the younger Winchester was running on short nights and large coffees from all his hard studying. Therefore, he wasn't in the mood to deal with Dean's bullshit.

Dean rolled his eyes. ''I'm not here for money. I just need a place to crash. I was at this car expo with some guys from the auto shop I work at and, instead of spending a handful on a shitty motel, I thought of you and your old couch.''

Auto shop? Last time they spoke, he was working night shifts at a 7/11. That's an upgrade, Sam noted.

''Nice of you to think of me, but you can't stay here. I...I sold the couch. And, I have to study for-''

I sold the couch? Try again Sammy.

Not letting the brunet finish, Dean ignored him and pushed the door wider, walking in as if it was his place.

He glanced around the small apartement, the office lamp on the desk creating a dim light throughout the whole place. Like Dean remembered, the appartement was cramped. You could barely fit any furnitures beside a couch, a desk and a bed. It was a college student appartement, you can't expect too much. He immediately remarked the laptop set up on the desk with a pile of papers ant textbooks, mimicking the same set up Sam had in his old bedroom.

''Dean, I said-''

Panic rose inside Sam, whirling around and trying to push the blond out of his apartment, but it was too late. He had seen her. The fire haired girl sleeping peacefully in Sam's bed.

A smirk formed on the older's lips, turning his head in Sam's direction. ''Is that what you were trying to hide from me? From Dad? That you had a girlfriend? Oh Sammy. Always been shy about that stuff...''

Sam closed the door and sighed. ''She's not my girlfriend. And, keep it down, will you?''

Dean cocked an eyebrow. ''Why is she sleeping in your bed then, uh?'' He shook his head, smirking, convinced that he had demasked his brother. ''You know, Sammy, you've never been the master liar between the two of us. Is that why you ignored Dad's calls? Because you were too busy-''

''Dean,'' Sam hissed, narrowing his eyes in warning, not letting him time to finish his sentence.

He knew how filter-less his brother was and, even though the redhead was sleeping soundly, Sam would rather not risk her waking up to some dude she didn't know was insinuating events that never happened between she and Sam. That would be creepy and awkward.

Dean rolled his eyes. ''Right. I forgot how much of a prude you are.''

''She's a friend,'' Sam insisted, sighing with tiredness. ''She got into a bad argument with her boyfriend and needed a safe place to stay.''

''And you're trying to make me believe nothing happened under the sheets?'' Dean sank into Sam's couch and shook his head disapprovingly. ''You're such a let down, Sammy... How can you let a hot girl crash in your bed and pass the opportunity for a good time?''

''Because, unlike you, I think with my brain instead of my dick. She needed a roof, Dean, not a new dick.''

Dean smirked. ''Look where that got you.''

.

Like always, Dean got what he wanted and crashed at Sam's.

Well, he 'accidently' fell asleep on the couch while his brother was studying, giving Sam no choice but to let him sleep after trying times and times to wake him unsuccessfully.

The sound of glass clashing and shattering pulled Dean from his sleep. He sat up, a bit startled by the noise, and squinted his eyes at the harsh morning light shining straight in his eyes. Does Sam not have blinds or something?

''Shit,'' slipped a feminine voice.

Dean rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the change of light and glanced around, catching the redhead from last night standing at the 'kitchen' area of Sam's appartement. She was wearing one of Sam's old tee shirt, her long hair cascading down her back. Dean bit down him bottom lip.

''Everything okay?'' he asked, trying to see what happened.

''Yes!'' responded a feminine voice. ''I just dropped and broke a plate. It's nothing.'' She bent down to clean her mess, using a towel to pick up the broken pieces.

Humming, Dean stretched his arms over his head, his back aching from Sam's raggedy couch, and stood. He should get a new one, this one sucks.

''Sorry for waking you,'' she apologized, running a hand through her hair, tucking a piece behind her ear in slight embarassement. ''I was trying to make coffee and...I don't know how it happened.''

''Apologies accepted if you tell me there's coffee left,'' Dean bargained with a sly grin.

The redhead stood and nodded at the coffee machine before throwing the broken pieces of plate in the trash. ''Lucky for you, there's enough left for a cup.''

Picking up a cup from Sam's perfectly neat cupboard, the blond poured the last of coffee, not bothering to rinse the empty carafe. Sam will get on his back about it next time he'll use it, but it's not like Dean cared.

''I'm Juliet,'' the girl introduced, taking a seat in the desk chair as there wasn't any barstools or dinning table - not that there was any room for one. ''And you're Dean, Sam's brother.''

Dean furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. How did she know his name? He opened his mouth to ask, but she beat him.

''Sam left a note.'' She nodded at the sticky post-it on the top of the coffee maker.

Left for class. This is my brother, Dean. Don't hesitate to kick him out if he gives you trouble.

- Sam

Reading said note, Dean scoffed.

''I take it you're not on on Sam's good side,'' Juliet assumed, smiling behind her mug.

He shrugged, leaning against the small counter. ''Typical brothers.'' Dean took a long gulp of his black coffee, sighing at the burning feeling of the biter liquid as it passed through his throat. ''Sam and I are very different. Polar opposites, I'd say.''

Juliet looked him up and down and hummed affirmatively. ''I can see.''

At first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell they were brothers. Other than having very different facial features, their style was also contrasting. Although it remained along the lumberjack vibes - thanks to their father -, Dean was all about his fetish leather jacket and flannels while Sam was more of a polo and zip up hoodies person.

A phone went off, interrupting their small talk and Juliet checked the screen, knowing it was hers. She looked at the caller ID, face turning blank as she read the identifier. She let it ring.

''You don't pick up?''

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip, lowering her eyes on her bare thighs.

Dean didn't mean to pry, but he might have seen a guy's name on the screen. If he sticks to what Sam had told him last night, it must be her boyfriend - whom she got into a fight with.

''Want me to pick up?'' he suggested, lightening the mood, mild-joking.

''What?'' Juliet chuckled. ''No. I...I'll call him back later.''

Cocking an eyebrow, Dean gave her a look. ''Lie.''

Her blue eyes looked up and caught his green irises, holding an unsaid staring contest. As Dean stared into her eyes, he felt as if he could see through her like open doors. He could see how utterly unhappy she felt in all aspects of her life and it pulled at his heart.

Instead of admitting defeat, Juliet broke their stare and abruptly rose from her seat. ''Not that I don't like this morning chatter, but I have to get ready for work. My boss is going to have my head if I arrive late during lunch rush.''

It was almost eleven and, if she ran fast, she had a chance to get there in time.

She put her empty mug on the counter and skipped to the bed, retrieving some bundled clothes from a backpack at the end of Sam's bed.

''You work at a restaurant?''

''A diner,'' she corrected, fulmining though the bag for one more item before heading to the bathroom to change.

''Do you happen to serve pie at your diner?'' Dean asked, feeling hungry.

Knowing his Sam, he probably only had healthy snacks in his mini fridge and Dean was not about that life. He'll only eat lettuce when it's served with bacon and cheese...in a burger.

Peeking her head from the bathroom's door frame, Juliet flashed him a grin. ''Sure do.''

.

Just like that, Dean ended up sitting at some old fashioned diner's counter, eating a cherry pie with a scoop of ice cream, as recommended by the waitress.

''We don't usually serve it like that, but I'll make an exception for you,'' Juliet said, deposing the plate on the counter, right in front of Dean. ''After all, you saved me from getting fired.''

Dean smiled and thanked her before diving into the cherry goodness. God, he loves pie!

[theonlinemuse]

And me and @freckledpianoman are back with more Beth Chapel content! Continuing from this post, here’s even more headcanons about our favourite Dr Mid-Nite: 

Beth is nearsighted and started wearing glasses when she was three and a half. Bridget started noticing that her daughter kept squinting all the time and eventually took her to an eye doctor, attributing Beth needing glasses so early to all the times that she hid under the covers with a flashlight and read late into the night instead of sleeping 

Her prescription is really strong and while her glasses correct most of her vision, she still needs accommodations like enlarged and high contrast texts and other visual aids 

Chuck eventually becomes another accommodation since he acts as a cross between telescopic and magnifying glasses and a talking watch 

She’s fluent in French thanks to her grandma Beatrice’s influence and she can carry a conversation in Spanish (she picked it up from Bridget, who often talks with her patients in Spanish) and Norwegian. That last language throws people off when they first hear about it, but it comes in handy when four-year-old Pieter Cross and his family (who don’t speak much English) move to Blue Valley from Trondheim, Norway 

Yolanda grumbles about not being able to talk to Beth in Spanish class whenever she’s home sick from school because she's the one decent conversation partner she has in that class

Rick often practices translating for his French class with Beth. Once he goofed and said “madame le docteur”. And poor Beth was close to shaking him and going, “Rick, that's wrong on so many levels” 

He knows by the incredulous look on her face that he’s all sorts of wrong and he blushes all embarrassed. But later he mistranslates on purpose just to see her adorable reactions 

She wants to pick up more languages eventually (she’s deciding if she wants to take both Mandarin and Arabic in college like her dad did) and is currently learning ASL 

Beth is a Star Trek fan thanks to her dad’s influence. She and James would watch reruns of Deep Space Nine while she was growing up and it was their way of bonding. While that tradition didn’t happen as often when Beth started high school, she and Yolanda (who had watched Voyager with her brother and cousins) eventually start a tradition of watching Star Trek Discovery 

Beth and Yolanda’s love for Star Trek is often a point of contention with Rick and Courtney, who are both Star Wars fans. It’s been the subject of a lot of arguments about what to watch for JSA marathons. Pat is usually the tie breaker 

Beth learned how to garden from her grandma Beatrice, who raises African violets in her rooftop garden. Beth’s backyard isn’t big enough for a garden so instead she keeps all sorts of plants in her room, including little teacup succulents on her bedroom windowsill and in honeycomb shelves 

While her backyard’s too small for a garden, there’s a pink dogwood tree and she loves reading and having picnics under it when it’s in bloom. In the summer Beth makes her own butterfly feeders and hang them from the tree and watch the butterflies gather 

She grew up listening to Schoolhouse Rock thanks to her dad, who would play their songs in the kitchen whenever he made breakfast on Saturday mornings while she was growing up. Even now, Beth sings along to them whenever she hears them and Chuck starting adding them to karaoke mode, including her favourites “Three is a Magic Number”, “The Tale of Mr Morton”, and “The Energy Blues” 

When she was in middle school, she started using the melody of Schoolhouse Rock songs to memorize things like country names and the periodic table. She used the latter to help Rick memorize different elements for his chem class. Yolanda actually caught Rick softly singing to himself at his locker when he was searching for his notes for one last read through 

“Beth got you to sing? Willingly?” “I wasn't singing, you’re hearing things.”

Courtney is weirded out by the fact that Beths texts with Mike of all people, but it's mostly through gifs, emojis, and random memes. She has no idea what they even talk about, saying that Beth texts with Mike more often than she does with Rick, much to the latter’s annoyance. In reality Beth and Mike talk about robotics competitions, the latest episode of whatever they were binging (this week was Julie and the Phantoms), and their ongoing bet on when Courtney and Yolanda will finally get together

If Beth wins, Mike has to help upgrade her costume and if he wins, she owes him an ice cream cake 

“It's like their own little nerd language, it makes no sense.” 

Her style icon when she was little was Ms Frizzle. Beth thought that Ms Frizzle’s themed dresses and jewellery were so cool and she wanted to dress up like her. She still loves Ms Frizzle’s style and you can see the influence it has on Beth’s fashion from bright colours, unique patterns, and quirky jewellery 

Beth has a special section in her closet for Ms Frizzle like outfits that she wears to the children’s library she volunteers at. It makes her very popular with the kids there 

She actually dressed up as Ms Frizzle for Halloween in seventh grade 

Despite being on opposite sides, Beth and Cindy have a begrudging respect for each other similar to Betty and Wilhelmina’s relationship on Ugly Betty, Beth being the JSA member that Cindy tolerates the most

Cindy begrudgingly thinks that she does know a thing or two about fashion because she often upcycles clothes. Courtney’s surprised that Beth’s still alive after she said that Cindy dresses like an evil PTA mom within earshot, though she did kidnap Beth a few times for a shopping spree 

“Get in loser, we’re going shopping!” “Did you just quote Mean Girls?”  

The first time they had a standoff, Cindy went “please, I’m Japanese, you’re Black, we’re not talking around this thing like a couple of dull white people” 

Cindy once called Rick a feral raccoon and smirked when it made Beth accidentally burst out laughing 

While Beth is more than confident with her personal style, but she’s still very new to makeup in general. Yolanda and Artemis (even Cindy much to everyone’s shock) have taken it upon themselves to help experiment with makeup and find out what she likes. Beth immediately knows that she doesn’t like mascara, even as Yolanda scolds her to stay still while she’s trying to put mascara on her

“You’re making it seem like I’m torturing you.” “Your superhero costume has claws, that doesn’t exactly scream safe.” “I’ll have you know I’m very practiced with my claws, now stay still!” 

Beth likes the lipsticks and glosses much better, she likes the different colours and how it feels on her lips 

She has to get used to the feeling of makeup on her face in general, but she doesn’t mind it and she’s shocked when she looks in the mirror. It’s still very much her, but it's like she’s glowing. She can’t stop smiling and the girls all look at her fondly 

And they also exchange knowing looks, knowing that Rick is going to lose his mind 

She did a history report on Bessie Coleman in middle school and she eventually drew inspiration for her Dr Mid-Nite costume from looking at photos of Bessie’s pilot outfit 

Beth and her mom often did ceramics classes when she was a kid. They weren’t very good at it at first, but the little lopsided knick knacks they made always made them laugh. Beth and Bridget got better over the years with Beth painting colours and patterns on whatever her mom helped her make before they went into the kiln. She thought they would be plain otherwise and Bridget agreed with her 

While ceramics classes have since stopped, they still use the honeycomb mugs and planters that they made and painted when Beth was in middle school. Bridget uses one for the aloe vera plant she keeps in her office at the hospital 

Beth is allergic to pineapple. She found out during a school trip in third grade when Henry offered some of his fruit salad and she ended up with a swollen face and tongue, which really freaked Artemis and Cindy out. Yolanda and the villain kids ended up taking care of her until the ambulance came and Beth jokes that it was the one time the JSA and ISA kids worked together on something 

She now carries an epipen in her backpack and Rick has taken to carrying a backup one in his jacket in case Beth can’t get to her backpack in time 

She had a stargazing phase that she never grew out of. Her parents got her a mini telescope for her fifth birthday and Bridget started teaching her about the solar system before Beth started learning about constellations on her own. Bridget jokes that if her daughter hadn’t been set on becoming a doctor, she would’ve gone into astrophysics 

Beth still has a telescope set up by her bedroom window. Sometimes when she has trouble sleeping and she’s not in the mood to read, she’ll look for constellations through the telescope while Chuck chimes in with little known star facts 

She also has a starry globe nightlight and a constellation globe

She and Rick sometimes have stargazing “dates” out on her back porch. They curl up together in a patio chair with midnight snacks while they watch meteor showers. Sometimes Yolanda and Courtney will join them, curled up together in the other patio chair  

Beth and Courtney often have karaoke nights at the Pit Stop after Pat souped up Barbara’s old karaoke machine. The usual playlist includes fun 80s and 90s jams as well as modern songs like Bruno Mars, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae. Yolanda often joins them for girl group songs (Little Mix is a favourite), even though she protests that she’s not much of a singer when she’s not singing Selena songs 

Rick gets roped into doing a song too, much to his dismay. Courtney pouts and complains that he has to because there’s an unspoken rule that everyone has to sing

“I don't sing, dammit.” “Oh really, are you forgetting about that little ditty you were singing before your chem test?” 

Beth sees how nervous Rick is and decides to go easy on him, finding a slow, bluesy song that he can keep up with and assuring him that even if he can’t croon those long deep notes, everyone will cheer him on. He ends up giving the best performance of the night, shocking the girls and impressing them all 

He blushes when he sees Beth looking at him all starry eyed 

When Beth was growing up, her family would have game night every Thursday and they were always old fashioned board games like Clue, Scrabble, and Pictionary. Whenever they would play Clue, Beth would always choose to be Miss Scarlett while her dad would switch between Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard. Beth could never beat her mom at Scrabble and it often ended up with Beth’s chemistry words versus Bridget’s medical terms 

While game nights have since stopped, James will sometimes have Beth join him for a card game at three or four in the morning after he comes back from a business trip. He taught her how to play games like crazy eights, gin rummy, and cribbage when she was in middle school and it’s now their way of catching up after he comes back from travelling  

Both her parents are only children. James’ family was originally from California before he moved to Nebraska for work while Bridget’s family are of Louisiana Creole descent and hail from Omaha. Beth is quite close to Bridget’s side of the family, especially with her second cousin Delphine’s family. Beth sometimes helps look after Delphine’s daughter Eliana whenever she and her husband are in town 

Rick once mistook Eliana for Beth’s baby, hilarity ensued

Beth has a love for animals and since the fandom has collectively decided that Beth is a Disney Princess, she has a particular talent for being an accidental animal tamer. During a mission, three of the ISA’s attack dogs made a beeline for her and attacked her with doggie kisses instead of doing their job 

The ISA are torn between being pissed (“when the hell did Mid-Nite become an animal tamer?”) and confused. Sportsmaster is vaguely impressed and takes it as a challenge 

Later they tried scaring Beth with a python, which only really worked on Yolanda (“oh my god, what is that?”) while Beth just boops the snake on its snout. The snake swooned. So did Rick 

After Rick and Yolanda recover from the shock, they look at the trio of attack dogs follow Beth all the way to the Pit Stop and go “we’re not keeping you”. Rick just hopes that the trio are the only attack dogs that follow her back home. He wishes that he had been more specific because he was not expecting an actual maned wolf suddenly coming up and sniffing all over Beth during a visit to the Dugan-Whitmores’ cabin

“What the fuck, where did that come from and why is it all over Beth?!” 

It turns out that Beth didn’t realize that she had a cookie in one of her pockets and the maned wolf caught a whiff of it and was now trying to find it. The way it sniffs her is ticklish and she’s laughing the entire time 

Once the maned wolf brought over a friend to see Beth and Courtney goes, “aww, he met another–oh my god, that’s a panther!” The panther also wanted one of Beth’s treats and it swooped in between her and Rick and started pawing at her like a spoiled kitten 

Rick picked Beth up and carried her inside because “we can’t trust her outside anymore” 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #242

“i don’t miss you, i miss the misery.”

How many pairs of converse shoes do you own? Hm... three or four? Any other names your parents planned to give you? The only one I *think* I remember is Katelyn. Thank fuck I dodged that bullet. Which is the most beautiful place you know? The mountains between NC and TN, if I remember correctly. I was very young. What do you work with? I don't work period & I hate it. Have you ever hit an animal with your car? Thank Christ no. Favorite ride at the amusement park? I guess ferris wheels. Favorite beauty essential in your bathroom cabinet? I don't have a "favorite" considering I don't use any regularly. Do you have many followers on your Tumblr? Nah. Do you tan easily? I burn like toast, man. Are you expecting something in the mail? No. Do you inspire others? Idk. What do you collect? Meerkat stuff and Silent Hill merch. Do you like cats? Hell yes!!! Are you healthy? If you excuse my weight and muscle atrophy, I'm actually pretty healthy, according to a billion tests I've gotten done when trying to discover *why* I had such awful pain in my legs. Have you ever been out of state? Yeah. Can you always blame your acts on that you were just too drunk? Fuck no. Three things you try to avoid as much as possible: Well dying lmao, getting hurt, public speaking. How many times have you been overseas? Zero. Do you use to have someone in mind when shopping for underwear? Wait what the fuck- What accent do you have? I don't really have one, although I do have a southern tone with some words sometimes I suppose. I also do say things like "y'all" or "fixing to (do something)," so I use some Southern terminology. Where would you like to live? The mountains of western NC. Sigh. Do you follow fashion? No. Do you have a big butt? Ever heard of Hank Hill Ass Syndrome? I have Hank Hill Ass Syndrome. Your worst job nightmare is: Customer service EVER again. Who’s the coolest rapper in the world? Idk and idc. Do you count how long you and your gf/bf have been together? I mean yeah, I think anniversaries are worth celebration. Healthy relationships aren't always easy to maintain; to remain in love takes forgiveness, loyalty, dedication... all that. It shouldn't be hard, but it takes effort. Have you graduated? High school, anyway. Rihanna or Lady Gaga? Lady Gaga, definitely. Do you use fake eyelashes? No. What’s your worst interior design nightmare: I dunno. Probably just being very crammed? What makeup brands do you use? I don't have any particular ones; I don't wear makeup enough. What’s the worst kind of rejection you could give someone? I genuinely feel it to be how Jason did so with me. Three and a half years in a very serious relationship, and he out of the blue breaks up with me over Facebook because my depression became "too much." Like by NOW I understand I can't shame him for wanting to be happy, but the way he did it was fucking cruel and tore me apart. Like especially when this person was your refuge from daily pain and pretty much your god and future (never make someone that, holy holy HOLY shit don't), that individual just suddenly having enough and breaking contact off like that was emotional murder. Do you have a crush on someone right now? Well yeah, but it's like... a "tamed" one? Is that an accurate word? Like I understand it just can't work right now, but it doesn't stop me from liking her. Is there anyone that many people think is hot, but you don’t? I'm sure there's someone. Do you sort and organize your clothes in some kind of way? Sorta. When somebody intimidates you, how do you usually act around them? Nervous, skittish, more awkward than usual. Is your favorite singer in a band or does he or she ride solo? Brendon Urie is in P!atD and Patrick Stump is in Fall Out Boy. Freddie Mercury was the vocalist of Queen. Did your parents ever hang your old artwork up on the walls? Yeah, Mom still has some up lmao. How often do you wear chapstick? Only when my lips are actually chapped. Do you walk around your house with your shoes on or do you take them off? Definitely off. What is the weirdest obsession you’ve ever had? Collecting stickers, maybe? How many of the seven deadly sins have you fulfilled today? Sloth is on the daily lmao, gluttony, and lust. Should guys always kiss the girl on a first date? Not always, of course not. It depends on the comfort level, and I would ALWAYS ask first. Which band has the corniest music videos? Corniest lyrics? I don't really watch music videos, and idk about lyrics. What subject is/was hardest for you in school? Math. Have any songs ever inspired you to play an instrument? No. Do you ever use Pandora? No. Are you better with creative writing or writing essays? I think I'm good at both, but I probably excel in creative writing. When was the last time you were rick rolled? No clue. What is the weirdest animal you’ve ever seen as a pet? Seen, I guess a chinchilla, though that's not really "weird." If you had to change one, would you rather change your hair or your eyes? Eyes. When was the last time you had a ‘she-mergency’? I had to look this up to be certain what that even was lmao. Probably some time I started my period at school and had to use folded toilet paper or something for a while. Which sounds creepier: sleeping in the attic or the basement? I'd say it depends on the make-up of each and its cleanliness. What was your favorite computer game as a kid? I think it was called The Amazon Trail 3? It was a damaged disc however, so it froze a lot. I think I only finished it once or twice; even knowing it would likely crash, I just liked playing it as far as I could. Have you ever tried on your mom’s wedding ring? No. Any shows on TV that you flat out refuse to start watching? 13 Reasons Why, to name perhaps the #1. What is your opinion on fruitcake? NO. Here’s a tough one. Would you rather marry your cousin or a dog? Oh fuck off, neither. Who did you last dream about? I can't remember what it was about, but I know Mark was in it lmao. Do you have trouble remembering important things? Sometimes. My memory is atrocious. Which animal can you imitate the best? Audibly? Probably a cat. Which is harder - walking in the snow or sand? Sand. I FUCKING hate walking through sand. It's one reason I don't like the beach. Do you like sour candy? oml YES. If anyone, who did you sit with at lunch today? N/A Have you gotten any injuries lately? If so, what and how? Not anything I can remember. Are you a clumsy person? You have no idea. How about disorganized? I'm oddly split down the middle. Last male you talked to in person? My dad. Have you ever had a sunburn? Oh boy, I've gotten past that. Try sun poisoning. Are you thinking about asking anyone out? No. Pink lemonade or regular lemonade? PINK! Chocolate or strawberry milk? Oh boy, chocolate. I tried strawberry as a child and absolutely loathed it beyond words known to man, and I will not be giving it a second chance. I remember it pristinely. Disgusting. What volume is the ringer on your phone? It's on vibrate. Have you ever won a contest on the radio? No. Do you often write on yourself? I never do, 'less we're talking about tattoos lol. Is there writing on the shirt you are currently wearing? No. Frosted flakes or frosted mini wheats? I hate the latter, so I guess frosted flakes, though I don't really remember how they taste. Do mushrooms really add flavor to food? I hate them, so they obviously have enough flavor for me to notice them... What about onions? Yes. Are you a fan of Thai food? I've actually never had Thai food. How about Indian food? Same as above. Have you ever tried sushi? No. In your opinion, who would be the best president? I don't know. What was the last thing you spent more than $20 on? I have no ide- oh wait I paid for Teddy's surgery with... money I don't know from whence it came? Was it financial aid money? Idr. Do you wear actual designated ‘pajamas’ to bed? Pj pants and a tank top. When was the last time you were tempted to do something you’d later regret? Probably take a nap late in the day, ending in me being unable to sleep well at night. Thankfully, I decided against it. Have you ever had feelings for your best friend’s significant other? Yes. Well, not current best friend, but a former one. How many times did you ride in a car today? Zero. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Fuck no. What's absolutely splendid is even when/if I lose the weight I aim to, I'm going to have loose skin that literally might make me hate my body more until I without argument muster up the money to get it surgically removed. Are you in a good mood right now? I'm alright. When was the last time you had an ice cream cone? Been quite a while. Did you eat breakfast this morning? Yeah, had some cereal. Have you ever been in a cemetery at midnight? No. Do you live on your own? No. I don't even think I could tolerate living alone because of my depression and how loneliness can severely trigger it. I'm realistically probably not moving out until it'll be with an s/o. If not, who do you live with? I live with my mom, my sister's dog, and my cat and snake. How old are your siblings, if you have any? I have a lot, and I don't know the ages of all of them, only my two immediate sisters: 26 and 21. Have you ever had a crush on a sibling’s friend? No. Have you donated blood in the last 2 years? No. What was the last free t-shirt you received from? School. Is there anything you are looking forward to at the moment? February 4th, baby. Tattoo gets fixed up by an artist I like far more. Him not having an open booking until then should say enough. Are you an atheist? No. Are you Asian? No. Are you fluent in another language? No. Are you in the military? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Are you an artist? Not professional, but I enjoy making art. Are you a musician? No. Are you an athlete? Oh, hunny- Do you have a favorite flower? I really like orchids. Where was the last place you went that was more than an hour away? Great question... The trip to my therapist is about an hour, but not over. Why were you going there? For therapy. Who was the last person to tell you you looked nice? Probably Mom, idk. Have you ever been to a nude beach? Hell no, I wouldn't even if I was in great shape. How many websites do you have an account for? WHEW I have no idea, A LOT over all the years. Have you ever paid for any kind of online membership? Well, WoW is an online game, so a subscription, though because I obviously don't have my own money, I'm sadly rich enough in the game to use monthly tokens. Do you try clothes on before you buy them? Not always. I try to avoid it because I just hate doing it. What would you do if you knew a robber was in your house? Well I obviously don't know how I'd react on impulse, but I'd imagine myself locking my door and then climbing out the window. Then run like a motherfucker up the road some to a neighbor's, or hide in the nearby woods and call Mom. What’s your favorite type of pizza? Meat lovers sobs in wannabe-vegetarian. Have you ever been afraid of falling in love? Yes, very. Who’d you last see in a tux? I don't know. Do you record any TV shows and watch them later? No. Do you have difficulty pronouncing any words? Yeah, particularly "breakfast." I tend to put a "t" after the "k." Do you have your own computer? Yeah. Out of everyone you know, who was the most heart? My mom. Who’s the bravest person you know? Oh man, that's hard. I know a lot of brave people. Who would you want to have your back if things got tough? More than anyone in the world, Mom. Have your friends ever given you answers to homework, last minute? Yeah. Have you ever dated someone who was real sportsy? No. Have you ever done something terrible, but took forever to feel bad? By this point in time, I consider how I spoke to Jason before going to the ER multiple times absolutely terrible, and yes, it did take a very long time for me to realize just how cruel it was. Now it's fucking HARD to accept I ever said what I did. Have you ever read Shakespeare? Yes. Can anyone really change anyone that doesn’t wanna change? Nope. Do you think that anyone currently has a crush on you? I would assume Sara still does, but again, we know a relationship between us just isn't wise right now. What profession do you admire the most? The most? Man, that's hard to decide. Probably those that risk their lives for others, like firefighters, cops (yes, I am aware some abuse their power, but good cops deserve all the respect in the world), etc. Have you ever made a fake profile, for any reason? I don't believe so, no. What’s the hardest lesson you’ve ever had to learn? Bad things happen to good people and no, the universe does not care. Have you ever questioned your sexuality? Well obviously.

[btsfiles]

Whipped

Summary: Kim family AU – Namjoon is a divorced, single father to Taehyung. Namjoon attends parent-teacher conference, and he soon realizes why his son is so whipped for his teacher in the first place. Genre: Fluff  Words: 3351 A/N: Another story that was written back in 2016, and revamped to the knowledge I’ve gained two years later 😅

Namjoon thought nothing of it the first time.

Watching Taehyung draw on a blank, white piece of paper with his favorite pencil crayons for his kindergarten teacher one evening was completely normal, and most definitely, tooth-achingly sweet. Surely, even though it was a drawing of his Mother (an ex-wife who shared joint custody) standing with his teacher at school, both smiling and waving hand-in-hand while Namjoon, himself, is sad, miserable and lonely inside the tall building of his work and away from his family, he still thought it was cute to offer an insight of their personal lives to his teacher. Sure, make Namjoon look like the bad guy.

The second time piqued his curiosity.

Rewind to a month ago when several failed attempts to take money from the family piggy bank in Namjoon’s bedroom – following a typical five-year old’s excuse of using it to buy a present for ‘someone special’ – was established with a trip to the dollar store. A trip where Namjoon spent exactly one dollar on a birthday card that read: ‘Happy Birthday Teacher,’ and another eleven on a pink vase containing a bouquet of fresh, white daises at a flower shop down the strip. The only explanation Namjoon got was ‘it’s her favorite color,’ and ‘she said daisies are pretty.’

It was the third time Namjoon started putting the pieces together.

Last week when his ex-wife dropped off Taehyung to his house for the weekend, he was all smiles and giggles after his final Friday class for the week, his mouth running nonstop about his teacher for hours on end and into the whole entirety of the weekend because apparently ‘she said I’m her favorite student!’

It took Namjoon a month and a half to realize his son was crushing on his very own kindergarten teacher this whole time, and he was apparently too naïve to notice.

“Just go to the damn conference,” the familiar nagging voice of his ex-wife pierces through his ear drums, nothing but an irritated buzz as she follows him around the house as he gets ready for work – it’s the same voice that made him realize why their marriage failed in the first place. “I went last time, so I think it’s only fair that you go.”

An irritated sigh escapes Namjoon’s lips, and he swears his expression is a permanent scowl when he gets into yet another argument with his ex over something so irrational. If there was anything he hated more than arguing, it was arguing in his own house with Taehyung present to hear, and apparently she was asking for it when she decided to show up at his door five before nine on a Friday – thirty minutes before an important job meeting – forcing him to take their child for an extra week because she was unexpectedly going out of town for an unexplained reasoning.

Not only did her excuse make Namjoon’s teeth grit, but it sent his blood well past beyond its boiling point. Having to control himself, he lowers his voice to an angry sneer. “For Christ’s sake, I have a meeting. I told you this last week.”

Thoroughly ignoring the ignorant protests coming from his ex’s mouth, Namjoon continues to ogle himself in the mirror, fixing the tie around his neck comfortably and neatly setting it into place before flattening it out against his torso. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices her hands balled into fists with red cheeks that emphasized the angry tone laced in her voice. Times like now made him ever wonder how he survived dating her for two years, and marriage for three.

“The conference is at seven.”

“It’s not the conference I have a problem with,” Namjoon interjects, but he still refuses to raise his voice when Taehyung is just down the hall. “It’s you, dropping him off without warning because you can’t be a decent Mother for our son! Now I have to take him to work with me because your time management is complete shit.”

“I don’t have a choice–“

Namjoon interrupts her by storming out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where his business belongings lay. Impatiently shrugging on his coat, buckling up his briefcase and grabbing his keys, he calls out for Taehyung – who immediately comes running from the living room, still dressed in his matching winter attire and his favorite Iron Man backpack hanging heavy on his back.

“Come on, little man,” Namjoon grins, trying his best to shade the anger in his voice, and he continues to lead him towards the back door towards the garage. He watches as the mini version of himself trots in his ski pants across the kitchen silently just as the cause of his anger lingers behind him, her own keys dangling in her hand that reminds Namjoon of her presence. “Go say goodbye to your Mom, and then we get to go to work.”

“But are we going to see Miss L/N later?”

“Of course we will.”

It was safe to say that: A) that was enough to cheer him up after hearing his parents arguing in the other room, and B) Namjoon wouldn’t be hearing from his ex any time soon.

  Taehyung is an excited mess in the backseat throughout the whole car ride – seat kicking, car shaking excitement – on the way to school in the middle of the evening after spending nearly nine hours at the workplace of his father where he was forced to sit in his office with coloring books all day, rambling in a jumble over how happy he is to see his teacher at night because he’s never seen her after hours outside of class.

He even dared to claim it as a date where Namjoon was only there to ‘supervise,’ and the latter had to second-guess if he had heard him correctly the first time because what five-year-old could possibly be talking about dates, let alone with his kindergarten teacher?

“Don’t be silly,” Namjoon tells him just as he pulls into the parking lot of the elementary school, and he spends a good amount of time circling the lot for a vacant stall. Apparently, tonight was much busier than he expected. “You’re too young for any dates, okay?”

“But Dad,” Taehyung whines, and Namjoon gasps in surprise when he sees someone beginning to pull out of their parked spot near the building’s entrance – perfect timing for a perfect spot – and he nearly zooms towards it, turning on his blinker to signal that it was his territory now. “She’s my favorite teacher in the whole wide world!”

“I know that,” he acknowledges his words, but merely pays any attention when he’s busy pulling into the spot and aligning his car perfectly in between two others. “When you’re my age, I’ll let you go on a date with her.”

“But you’re old!”

Namjoon ignores the last comment (rather, insult) to look at the clock one last time – 6:56 P.M – and he turns off the car in an instant, unbuckling his seat-belt and exiting the vehicle. He retrieves Taehyung from the backseat and sets the car alarm in place before walking hand-in-hand towards the building in a rush, definitely not wanting to be late for the sake of his son.

The atmosphere is peaceful, and Namjoon can only look around the hall curiously while the door to the classroom is still visibly closed – most likely occupied. He’s ashamed that he’s never seen his own child’s school before, and even a bit embarrassed to be showing his face to his teacher for the very first time. When he’s juggling the lifestyle of working a full time job during the day, and making sure his ex-wife isn’t screwing up her own life at night, there’s simply no way for him to stop by his school.

A collection of hand-made artwork is displayed on the walls, right above the children’s coat rack that are assigned to each designated student’s name, and silently, Namjoon looks for the name ‘Taehyung.’ A small grin appears on his face when he finally does, mentally proud that his son was enrolled in one of the most favored schools in town.

“Look, Dad, my drawing!”

Namjoon looks up to where Taehyung’s finger is pointing, and his smile only grows wider when he sees a messy drawing of flowers in a field, colored in scribbled pencil crayon, and ‘TaeHyUNg’ signed at the bottom. “Are you sure that’s yours?”

“Yes!” Taehyung exclaims, jumping up and down to emphasize his answer, and Namjoon is chuckling at him. “I did that!”

The excitement comes to a halt, however, when the door of the classroom is being opened with a loud click. The two boys fall quiet, shy at the sudden interference, and look over. Namjoon is surprised to see you – you must be a teacher’s assistant because there’s no way… – standing at the doorway with the sweetest smile he’s seen in a while. Considering parent-teacher conference was a formality in the teachers’ world, you’re dressed in a sheer, button-up, white blouse with the sleeves down to your wrists; considering the weather, the blue jeans and knee-high boots spoke for themselves. If Namjoon knew anything about hair and makeup, he would’ve realized the curls and natural look were intentional for tonight.

Suddenly, you speak up, “welcome!”

“Miss L/N!” Taehyung shouts, and he’s already sprinting towards you before Namjoon can stop him with a failed lunge to grab his arm. He understands he’s excited, but taking off like that still makes Namjoon’s stomach drop to this day – we don’t talk about that day at the supermarket. Taehyung is all sunshine and rainbows as you lower yourself to his height, hugging him tightly. “Miss L/N, Miss L/N!”

Namjoon is shocked that you were, in fact, Taehyung’s kindergarten teacher. You must’ve just gotten out of college judging by the youthful glow you beamed, but then again, what was he expecting? His own five-year-old son had developed a crush on you, so you couldn’t have been under thirty.

Whether it was from the cold air outside or simply feeling like an idiot – he isn’t sure – Namjoon walks towards you with rosy cheeks, and you stand up from his son. He holds out a meek hand for you to shake, finally introducing himself for the first time. “Good evening,” he says. “I’m Taehyung’s father, Kim Namjoon. It’s nice to meet you.”

You take a firm grip of his hand before giving a solid, but mutual, shake. “Hi, Namjoon. I’m Y/N, Taehyung’s teacher. It’s nice to finally put a face to all those drawings he’s been making.”

Namjoon laughs timidly. How could he possibly forget? “I remember he drew a family portrait to give to you. I mean–kind of. I was at work in that one, right?”

“That’s the one.” Your voice falters once you notice the corners of Namjoon’s lips lower into a frown. The drawing Taehyung gave you a couple months back was the sad reality of Namjoon. “Please, come inside, so we can talk more of Taehyung!”

“Of course.”

The two boys follow you inside, and the classroom is just as inviting as you. It looks like your typical kindergarten class: toys perfectly organized in one corner, bookshelves along the back filled with nursery rhymes, letters, numbers, and calendars all along the walls for practice; it was all so cute, just the way you liked it.

“Taehyung, do you want to build me your favorite Lego statue?”

Taehyung’s eyes widen and soon looks giddy. He gets his dad to help him with his coat and ski-pants before he’s running to the corner with all the toys, boxes neatly stacked on top of the other. “I’ll build for you and dad!”

“We would love that!”

Namjoon holds onto his sons’ stuff silently, and joins you at a round-table near the class white-board as you motion for him to take the vacant seat next to you. Not too far and not too close, he carefully eyes the manila folder that’s placed on the surface. It’s filled with Taehyung’s teacher evaluations, drawings, and more.

“Thank you for coming tonight,” your voice breaks Namjoon’s thoughts as his gaze goes from the folder to you. “You must have gone out of your way to come here, I know you’re very busy.”

“It’s really not a problem. My wife–erm, ex­-wife had something come up, so I had to step in.”

Your eyebrows raise. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were divorced.”

“No need to apologize. Taehyung wouldn’t understand the concept.”

You nod in agreement. “That is true. Speaking of… Taehyung is really a bright boy,” you continue. “He’s definitely in my top three for fastest learners.”

Namjoon’s ears perk up, and is suddenly curious. “Really?”

“Absolutely! He’s a wonderful speller and understands basic math. He’s progressing a lot more than the other students.” You explain, sliding the folder over to Namjoon with well-manicured fingers. “Here, take a look at his work.”

Namjoon takes it willingly, and opens it to reveal a small stack of kindergarten-level worksheets of the alphabet, and math equations. To his surprise, Taehyung is doing much better than he thought. He chuckles faintly, and the guilt in his stomach begins to stir. He looks over to his son, who’s putting large Lego’s together to build an inanimate object. He’s never really seen him in his element like this. “Damn, if only I knew.”

You stare at him sympathetically – as much as you wanted to, there was no way for you to understand Taehyung’s personal life. “I understand life can be hectic,” you tread with careful words. “But, Taehyung speaks very highly of you.”

Namjoon studies you for a bit, and the sincerity in your voice is warm. He pinpoints there’s no ring on your finger, and also recalls Taehyung addressing you with the ‘Miss’ prefix. His gut is telling him you have a significant other, but sometimes Namjoon doesn’t like to listen. His heart does a soft flutter when his eyes travel back to yours, and you stare back with the smallest grin. He has to clear his throat before commenting. “Thank you, Miss L/N–“

“Please! Call me Y/N,” you quickly interject. You always found it awkward for parents to call you by your last name. “I’d prefer it if you did.”

Namjoon bites the bottom of his lip to suppress the smile that was beginning to creep, and his cheeks redden. Why was he suddenly becoming so shy? He can’t help but chuckle at himself. “Ah–Sorry.”

“I bet Taehyung talks nonstop about me.” You look over to the boy who’s nearly finished his craft, and chortle when he pauses to wave at you. You wave back. “I’m sure you’re used to it.”

“I am.” Namjoon surveys the scene in front of him. You seem to make Taehyung happy, and it was mind-blowing because you only see him four hours a day, and teach him how to spell. “Actually, I’m convinced he has a crush on you.”

A sigh escapes your lips, and you turn back to Namjoon. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I know.”

“Those flowers…” Namjoon mutters, and he takes a deep breath as your face lights up at the topic.

“You bought those?” You ask, and Namjoon nods for you to continue. “They were beautiful. I loved them, same with the card. Thank you.”

Technically, they were from Namjoon – he bought the items for Taehyung – not that he was trying to prove a point, but still. He can still take credit for the action. Especially when you’re more attractive than he thought – Hell, if he knew you were so cute in the first place, he would’ve bought you more flowers on more occasions.

He clasps his hands together in his lap, and smiles. He continuously needs to remind himself that he’s the man in the room, and needs to toughen up. “You’re very welcome. I hope a boyfriend – or husband – wasn’t concerned that you brought them home.”

You’re shocked at his comment. “Oh, no! I have no one else in the picture,” you explain, and now it’s you with the pink ears. You try to play it off with a forced laugh. “I’m flattered you think I have someone waiting for me at home, but it’s just myself.”

Namjoon smiles a toothy grin – he’s in. Smoothly, he inches his chair closer to yours so the toe of his leather, designer shoe barely touches yours. “You’re lying,’ Namjoon claims, and you shyly shake your head in disapproval. “I don’t believe you. You’re too pretty to be–“

“Dad, are we leaving soon?” Taehyung’s childish voice interrupts Namjoon suddenly, and both he and you can only look at him in surprise. It’s almost as if the two of you had forgotten he was in the room with you, much to your dismay “I’m tired now.”

Suddenly, there’s a tension in the air as Taehyung darts his eyes from Namjoon to you, growing suspicious.

“Um–“ Namjoon is about to get out of his chair.

“Taehyung, honey,” you stop Namjoon in his tracks, making it clear that you and him aren’t done. “If you give me and your dad five more minutes, I promise to make it up to you on Monday.”

You’re holding up your palm, all five fingers in the air to emphasize the time you and Namjoon needed to finish up.

The little boy sighs, a mopey look on his face. He’s getting tired, and you couldn’t blame him. He begins to walk back to his Lego statue with an obvious sulk. “Okay…”

“I don’t want to keep you any longer.” You tell Namjoon. “I’ll have to go over my evaluation of Taehyung with you another time, if your schedule allows it.”

Namjoon ponders about his future schedule for a moment. His next day off wouldn’t be until Sunday, and he’s already promised to take Taehyung out sledding that day… He’s unsure about anything else after that, so he sighs. “I don’t have a definitive date…”

Reaching for the pen that’s rolled off near the edge of the table, you obtain the folder back from Namjoon. “If I write down my phone number, will you promise not to give it to Taehyung?”

Namjoon beams. “I promise not to share it with anyone.”

You write your number on one of Taehyung’s completed worksheets and pass it back to Namjoon, who busies himself by staring at the digits. “I hope we can figure out a date.”

A date.

Namjoon is delighted as the two of you stand up at the same time. He fetches Taehyung, and begins to dress him in his winter wear. It’s only a couple minutes later the two boys are walking towards the door, concluding the conference – kind of – that was scheduled for the night. The young boy is swaying in his spot, tired and entirely ready for bed.

“It was so nice meeting you tonight, Namjoon.”

“Likewise.” He smiles sheepishly. “Sorry we couldn’t stay longer, it’s just… Taehyung… He’s had a long day.”

“I completely understand.”

“So I’ll text you,” Namjoon mutters. He doesn’t want Taehyung to hear because if he finds out you gave him your phone number and plans on texting you, Namjoon wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Or call.”

“Or both,” you tease with a wink. “I look forward to whichever you decide to do first.”

It isn’t soon before long you’re waving farewell to Taehyung, excitedly telling him that you’ll see him on Monday. Somehow, he finds the strength to hug you before they’re taking off. You then saunter back into your classroom, patiently waiting for your next scheduled parent to arrive. Namjoon, on the other hand, can’t contain his smile when he opens the folder to look at your phone number again. It’s only now does he realize there’s something else written under it, but in smaller cursive.

I don’t normally give my number to parents, but you are so sweet + a wonderful father to taehyung

text me soon so you can teach me a thing or two xo

☺

[anima-art-posts]

Attention!!

☆This is merely my interpretation, so some points may seem OOC/inaccurate to you. You may give me suggestions and such, but please please do not bash on my headcanons. Headcanons are meant to be made for fun so please do not force me to make everything100% accurate, because I myself do not have the capability to think in another character’s shoes.

☆This takes place in an alternate universe, where there’s no killing game. (Specific universe still undecided, but possibly Omegaverse AU?)

Kokichi and Shuuichi are married and are fathers of these children: Ouma Kohaya, Ouma Seiji, Ouma Rokurou, Saihara Houshin, Ouma Katsumi.

☆Ages may be changed depending on changes in the universe.

☆Some of the headcanons described may contain spoilers for the game, so please proceed with caution.

Anima is back with some adult SaiOuma headcanons and designs! I’m planning to use this for my SaiOuma family, so I might have made some references of the kids here and there. But I personally think that these headcanons can still be used even without any knowledge of the lovechildrens.

If you’re interested in reading my ideas and headcanons, please proceed under the cut!

Ouma Kokichi(38 years old)

☆Unlike in the Killing Game Timeline/Main Universe, Kokichi has learnt how to be more trusting and has opened up a bit more about his own feelings towards people. He still maintains his childish streak, but more toned down.

★Kokichi did grew a few centimeters, so now he is 160cm. Despite that, all his children are still relatively taller than him. This makes him feel “inferior”, and will throw a “tantrum” (jokingly) when anyone points out that he’s shorter than his own children. Some people even go as far as mistaking him as the family’s youngest sibling.

☆Kokichi doesn’t’t have an official job, and he spends most of his time staying at home and hanging out with DICE. Of course, this doesn’t mean that he does literally nothing every day.

Kokichi helps the police force behind the scenes, mainly working alongside Shuuichi by helping him solve his cases through providing indirect “hints” whenever Shuuichi gets stuck to the point he has to pull all-nighters; he also makes coffee for Shuuichi.

Naturally, this means that he first would need to gather information about the cases Shuuichi is investigating on. These are usually never collected using “normal” ways, as Kokichi would often try to get himself into trouble with the police before using psychology to fish out the information he wants to get.

★Kokichi, left with the responsibility to take care of the children due to Shuuichi being the main provider of the household, spends most of his time playing with the kids. Being a prankster, while still being a child at heart, Kokichi is an expert when it comes to entertaining his children. He uses his expertise in white lies to tell his children his fantasies, often being phantom-thief related. (Kokichi’s tales are always different and interesting, so his children will never get bored at his stories.)

The downside of this is that, his constant joking towards his kids have led them to be unable to take Kokichi seriously most of the time.

However, when his children are crying, he does not know how to properly comfort them, as he is not used to expressing himself openly (He knows “what to say”, but he doesn’t like to hurt people and would rather sugarcoat his words with white lies). Of course, he knows what is going on with his children’s lives as he is good at reading people’s moves.

☆Kokichi often takes his children to play with DICE in their headquarters. This has resulted in his children to love pranks and jokes to some extent. He is also the one who started the routine of having tea breaks in the family, and the one who introduced the kids to video games.

★Kokichi sometimes likes to call Shuuichi “Shumai”, however he only uses that nickname to rile the latter up. If Shuuichi somehow reacts differently than he had expected, he’d make a run for it: something he has never been able to get over with since he started dating Shuuichi.

Whenever Shuuichi gets mad though, Kokichi may sometimes unconsciously call the former with his last name “Saihara” due to how shaken up he feels (although he hides it and instead just stares blankly).

☆Kokichi can’t cook, nor do chores right. However, he does have the ability to do basic cleaning at home, although he ends up slacking off in the end because of how “repetitive” and “boring” it is and instead play games – this have led to Shuuichi doing most of the chores for Kokichi even after working.

Shuuichi often scolds Kokichi for this, but since the former rarely snaps at someone, Kokichi continues to slack off as much as possible to this day. (Don’t scold him please; he’s trying his best to fix this habit of his)

★DICE is now a bigger “secret organization”, as all of the SaiOuma children are technically members of DICE; it is also now a “place” where orphans can come and hang out with the members vice versa (kind of like a daycare centre but it’s not). The “seniors” of the group, also known as Ouma and the other 10 members, have their adult versions of their outifits. Ouma is still the leader of the organization, but is planning to pass down his “crown” to one of his sons.

☆Kokichi has the tendency to use his last name for his children because he feels like “his” children should carry “the fabulous supreme leader”’s name.

Because of this, Kokichi and Shuuichi often get into non-serious-but-yet-serious arguments about their children’s surnames

Saihara Shuuichi (38 years old)

☆Shuuichi is 179 cm as an adult, and now working as a detective for the police force. Like in the Killing Game Timeline/Main Universe, Shuuichi still has the tendency to hesitate when it comes to revealing the truth. However, he now has much more confidence, maturity and pride as a detective, making him a bit more like Kirigiri Kyouko. (of course, he’s still growing) He now also have a better understanding on the concept of lies: a thing that he has developed through him trying to get to know Kokichi better when he was in high school.

Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that he is able to empathize with the culprit, and is able to deliver the truth gently to the world due to him knowing how painful the truth can be.

★Shuuichi tends to pull all-nighters solving cases, despite being a heavy sleeper. This has caused him to be in a bad mood when someone wakes him up early in the morning. Along with his “angry” mode, his bad mood is something that his children and Kokichi fears: this is only strengthened by the fact that Shuuichi is usually forgiving and patient towards his children.

☆Shuuichi, despite growing up without his parents’ affection, is one of the best fathers one could ask for. Being a “safe dad”, he gets overprotective towards his children, and would prevent his children from being exposed to “dangerous” and “negative” things. He always makes sure that all his kids are doing well, and often pamper them since he wanted them to receive enough “love” which he did not get to experience as a kid – this trait has rubbed off to the eldest child of the family, Ouma Kohaya.

Although he can be quite restrictive, Shuuichi is a very supportive dad and does not push their children to do things that he thinks would be the best for them.

★Shuuichi is probably the dad who most of his children would turn to for advice. Being someone that has suffered anxiety and depression throughout his life, he is able to relate to most of his children’s’ life problems and offer some insight. In instances where he isn’t able to offer advice, he’d do his best to comfort his children.  

When it comes to having fun though, they would go to Kokichi.

☆Shuuichi can’t cook, however due to the fact that someone has to cook for the family, he has learnt to cook really simple dishes. Otherwise, his family usually goes out to eat. (Some of the DICE members gives the family some of their cooking once in a while)

Being the one who does most of the chores in the house even after working until late at night, Shuuichi isn’t able to really interact with his children most of the time. When he does have time, he’d do his best to spend his time with his kids. 

★Despite being an adult, Shuuichi still retains the same amount of love for novels, especially ones with mystery as their genre. Up to this day, novels take up most of his daily spendings.

He has a room just to store his collection of books(making it like a mini library in the house) and has tried to get all of his children to like reading. This is the only time where Shuuichi will sound overly enthusiastic/obsessed(Pre-game Saihara level kind of obsessed) when talking with his children.

Some of his books have spoilers of the culprit in the first page. Those books in question were “victims” to Kokichi’s pranks, and thus the said page may be taped onto the cover, etc.

[townshade6]

There’s Nothing Wrong With Utilizing your Mobile Phone a Lot

Is very not uncommon for people to use another person's cell phone and to be our very first time. In doing so , we are trying to reproduce that first feeling of freedom a phone gives. A family member in another point out was in the hospital. It was a Sunday nighttime, and I have been invited into a party. Rather than being away having fun I had been sitting in my apartment, looking forward to the phone to call, restless for information. It was a pal who provide me his phone to be sure I will find out any information as quickly as possible, and in addition, be able to enroll in the get together. There was zero reason for me to be connected to my own landline. I look back at that illustration, and in addition in wondering at how gracious my friend was in financing me his phone for the night (who would offer their cellphone away today? ), My spouse and i couldn’t has stopped being amazed at the liberty this cellphone gave me. I was able to venture out and be interpersonal - whilst still being accessible as well. This is the kind of freedom cell phones make available. Currently our telephones are regarding far more than vocal communications, and they are no longer an optionally available possession. They can be integrated into existence in ways not really their makers thought. But screen period is the fresh sitting in a chair for hours at a time, which I happen to consent is a bad thing. I have a standing office and it’s been a life changer. In a time when we are digitally connected these days, yet feeling more unconnected than ever, we are being taught, even admonished, to lessen the dependence on cell phones. To limit our amount of time in front of screens, to put the telephone down and have a real dialogue with someone, in the flesh. Elimination of equipment and display time is currently becoming a luxury item; to be able to disconnect from our phones to get an extended period of time bestows a status that a lot of us can’t find the money for or achieve. Take action, we could told, for your sanity if perhaps not humankind, and also for your neck: constantly looking down at your cellphone strains your lower back, which leads to all type of physical pain. I’ve possibly experienced repeating stress symptoms with my fingers from a lot of scrolling, and i also could swear my forearm sometimes affects in a weird place if I’ve utilized my telephone for too much time. However is using the cell phones a lot really so bad? Does staying addicted to the phones genuinely disconnect all of us from other folks as much we believe? Aren’t there gains for the activities that consume us while were clutched to the smartphones? Whenever we use our phones, perhaps there is something we’re missing that we would be doing otherwise? I get a whole lot out of using my personal cell phone, and so no, Really dont want to set it straight down. The answer is never to be socially shamed in using my cell phone significantly less. The response is to ensure cell phone use is addictive and productive and entertaining, not only a distraction coming from boredom or perhaps isolating you from cultural or specialist settings. It is crucial to be intentional and aware about how youre using your phone, not whether you’re using it at all or too much. The minds will be constantly operating, processing our many thoughts, worries, concerns, plans. We really need a frenzymadness, desperation, hysteria, mania, insanity, delirium, derangement from all of it, but occasionally, life isn’t so obvious cut.

Take those movies. My spouse and i go, almost exclusively, to a movie theater having a strict simply no phones, simply no texting plan. They will chuck your ass out if you utilize a mobile phone in the theater. Yet once I was which has a friend, too theater, who had been being endlessly texted by his wife. We now know her mother was in critical health problem. He wound up leaving the movie to organize to go to the airport. As wonderful as a continuous movie encounter is, that doesn’t overcome emergencies whenever they arise. Handful of experiences with another person happen to be as close and binding as a distributed meal. (Hang on, I can get to sexual in a minute. ) In the event that there was ever before a moment when ever you could wish to connect with other people, straight, eye to eye, with no distraction, it could be over a food. However, just like almost everything, there may be exclusions. Suppose, throughout the dialog, you start discussing taking a vacation together, or about national parks, or about decreasing in numbers species? Looking up pics to show your companion can add towards the conversation. Quickly Googling a well known fact or reference point can help within your argument. Showing a social media post you found attention grabbing, interesting or perhaps important can be quite a launching stage of a chat. In individuals moments, anyone is not distancing yourself or adding something in the middle you and someone else, you will be sharing. And sharing can be a beautiful thing. What Im not quarrelling is that the both of you should be looking at Facebook, individually, without interesting together. The things i am saying is that your device can be a conduit, a lead, a resource intended for source material, to add and help the chat. If the focus remains to be on the both of you, the phone is a prop. If the focus is definitely centered on the product, the device is an essential seduction and you’ve misplaced interconnection. The former is very good, the latter is certainly not. Each of our cell phones are a instrument. The ideal way all of us choose to use this device is exactly what give them their very own worth. You are likely to think the very last place you’d want cellphone interference would be the bedroom. On the face of it, two people lying down in bed up coming to each other, every single with cellular phones in their hands, all but disregarding each other, sounds like one of the most depressing, spirit-killing scenes one can easily think of modern lifestyle. However would it be naturally awful? If I am reading the newspaper, what does that matter in the event that I’m browsing the actual daily news or the online version in the smartphone? In the event that I’m checking out e-mail, how much does it matter if I have a laptop or telephone? If Im having fun with online games or else distracted, what does it subject if Im browsing an e book of playing a few game? And in the end, don’t we at times glamorize examining in bed with each other? I love reading books, in order to find it sort of hot my partner truly does too. Performing that while having sex together, after that talking about what we’re browsing, is a great intellectual turn-on. So with all due esteem to several investigators, in this case, the carrier is definitely not the message. What is important here is certainly not the gadget by itself, yet the activity you’re involved in, either collectively or independently. There can easily still be togetherness when two people are on all their telephones, just like there is when ever reading literature. The most really important problem arises when use of a phone eliminates something, or perhaps triggers a separation if a point of attachment will otherwise take place. Might associated with your phones from pickup bed mean more sex? Might be. It could likewise lead to an individual getting out of bed quicker in the day time, or sleeping sooner at nighttime. Although we are while having sex, did you know that through your smartphone, you can watch videos? Or perhaps look at pictures of…. whatever it can be that excites you? Or make use of software intended to foster discussion or activity with a intimate spouse? The phone is a instrument. It is present without inherent judgment, qualities or value. What we make of it is approximately us. Do I really need to let you know this? Obviously there are times when you must absolutely hardly ever touch the mobile phone, beginning, naturally, with driving a car. (Guilty as billed: I generally use the Roadmaps programs in the phone to aid me receive where I’m going. It isn’t really so simple, is it? ) I think faith based services needs to be device-free specific zones, as should particular spaces, just like gym bathtub rooms, exactly where privacy should be respected. Excellent distaste for people who use their very own phone at the health club; I don’t want to hear your business calls whilst I’m lifting weights. At the same time, I see a lot of people using workout and work out apps on their mobile phones, proving the issue, that once more, these mini-pc systems inside our pockets will be what we make of them. Should you be one of those individuals that attend a live show and insist upon recording video and shooting pictures the whole time, My spouse and i ask how a lot of that is necessary. Experiencing the moment in time for yourself, not simply through a unit, is highly advised. But…. include I ever watched live show footage online taken by somebody else? Yes, I have. Just a few years in the past I was by a field hockey game with my Dad. I’ve been in the habit of checking Facebook during game titles to follow along with the community of enthusiasts and media to help improve my experience of the game, and know more about the thing that was going on. And that’s ideal for when watching at home. Yet I had been there. I didn’t require that community - I had been with 20, 000 persons, and my Dad. Consequently I set my phone in my pocket. I overlooked the comments. I missed the details of points I didn’t see since live, you miss much more than you think. Nevertheless I was in a position to drench in the surrounding. I was able to talk to my Dad as to what we thought would happen subsequent. And later, through the night, when we mentioned the game, we reflected upon so many different moments, details I might have overlooked had We looked at my own phone even more. So there is always a trade off. You will discover moments when your phone can distract you. That muddiness can be a bad thing (when you should be speaking with a cherished one) or a good thing (when you’re sad and only and need something to cheer you up). It can detach you (when you steer clear of another person by simply diving in to social media) or provide you with together (if you look up a joke to share or work with your telephone to turn on music to party to). Let’s not keep our equipment responsible for the human condition. A couple, lovers, let us say, resting in bed. In a single moment, they are on their cell phones, lost inside their own sides. In the next, their very own phones are off, for the bedside table. What happens next? Anything can occur. It’s to the two people involved. That is authentic whether you have your mobile phone in your hand or perhaps not. And if you do, you also choose how to use your telephone: in a disconnecting way or possibly a sharing method. If you are feeling bad or perhaps responsible regarding being on your mobile phone, do you know what you should carry out. You would need to put your trust in your gut. Is important to support the person having the cellphone liable, usually do not blame the tool.

[kurtbastian-land]

Winter Wedding

Pairing(s): Friendship!Hevans/Kum

Summary: Sick and tired of everyone thinking he was those kinds of predatory gay, Kurt decided to drop Sam as his duet partner for Mr. Schue’s assignment of the week.

Warning(s): A sexually ambiguous Sam Evans. He may or may not be straight in this fanfic.

Author’s note: (I realize I left off a paragraph so I added a little bit - a sentence really.) This is sort of a fix it fic for Glee’s episode “Duet”, season 2, episode 14. The dialogues in italics at the beginning was directly quoted from the episode but the rest is simply what I kinda hoped happened in Glee. I was kinda pushing the prompt “Winter Wedding” but hey, at least this fic came out?

“It’s not you,” Kurt continued, inwardly cringing at the most cliche lines ever said, “it’s me. You’ve been honorable actually…”

Kurt trailed off, thinking that for once, he managed to find a guy who wasn’t creeped out by his obvious “gayness” that seems to repel every guy in Lima, Ohio.

“And I wish you the best.”

Sam watched the only emotion that seemed present on Kurt’s face - a rueful look, as he shook his head every few seconds when water got into his eyes.

“But I’ve realized that I need to sing with someone that matches my passion and talent level.”

Heading straight to the corner in Lima Bean, Kurt placed his satchel on the table. He glanced at the never-ending queue in front of the counter, Kurt decided it would be better to put off ordering his coffee order till later.

Kurt wasn’t going to lie, after having Finn and his dad accuse him in a roundabout way that he was taking advantage of Sam, overhearing Finn trying to convince Sam not to sing with him and finally ending things with Sam, he was exhausted. For some reason, it was emotionally and mentally draining for people to constantly imply that he was going to ruin another’s life by singing a song with him. Not wanting to occupy his mind with such depressing thoughts, Kurt unlocked his phone to do what is his newest obsession recently - Pinterest.

Busy adding pins to his board labeled “Wedding” and organizing them according to seasons, particularly winter. A season which seemed to suit him and a certain blonde jock and would be perfect for their imaginary wedding.

Hey, if a girl can fantasize about marrying her crush that barely knows she exist, then he can do the same thing regarding a certain new kid.

Too caught up with pinning, he failed to notice an approaching figure that immediately took a seat in front of him.

“You’re going to do that duet assignment with yourself, aren’t you?” A voice questioned as he sat down leaned in closer to the table. “Someone that matches your passion and talent level.”

“Sam?”

“At first I thought it would be that Rachel Berry girl but she’s singing with Finn. And I highly doubt she’ll give that up to sing with you,” Sam stated, giving a short nod to acknowledge that his name was called out.

“No one else meets that criteria… except you,” Sam concluded, beaming slightly that he managed to figure things out.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the jock that was sitting in front of him. He honestly doesn’t know what to make of the situation so he decided to go with placing his phone down first, to give the jock his fullest attention.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

Letting out a sigh, Kurt placed his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers together. “Yes, you’re right. I’m going to do a duet with myself…”

“Dude,” Sam interrupted, “not like that not completely cool or anything, but a duet is two people. Why did you drop me when you had no one else to sing with?”

Bless this blonde-dyed hair jock and his innocence to the world.

“Sam, I’m gay,” Kurt pointed out, “and in this Lima Ohio world, that’s a problem. I’m not going to taint your image with people questioning your sexuality simply because you sang with me.”

Letting out a huff, Sam repeatedly jabbed the wooden table with frustration, “I don’t care if you’re gay, man. I’ve said this to Finn and I’m going to say this to you and everyone who is going to come up and question my decision to sing with you.”

Clearly startled, Kurt inched back slightly, not expecting that minor outburst coming from the latter.

“I don’t care about any other world who hates gays and think that guys shouldn’t do things that remotely feminine. Come on, singing doesn’t even have a gender! In my world, I promised that I’m going to do Mr. Schue’s duet assignment with you and I’m going to keep to that promise unless you for real drop me because I can’t sing and not because you’re afraid of tainting my reputation as a straight jock.”

Finishing his rant, Sam took a few deep breath to calm down and gave Kurt a crooked grin, “now that’s out of the way.”

“What song are we going to sing to crush the competition?” he casually asked as though he didn’t go on a mini-rampage regarding homophobes in Ohio.

Still in slight shock, Kurt smiled meekly at Sam, picking up his phone from the table to share with the latter his extensive playlist.

“So dinner at Breadstix huh?” Sam commented as he and Kurt stayed in the Glee club room while the others offered their congratulations for winning this week’s assignment before making their way home.

“Sam, you don’t… you don’t have to…” Kurt stuttered, on one hand, not wanting to impose on Sam’s kindness any longer and on the other, wanting to reject Sam before he could face rejections himself, “I mean… nobody… no one is forcing you to have dinner and you didn’t promise…”

“Are you kidding dude? Of course, we have to go to Breadstix together!” Sam protested, “treat it as a huge ‘screw you’ to everyone who says two guys can’t sing together.”

“Besides…” Sam said, with a slight twinkle in his eyes, “you can tell me more about your Pinterest board and our winter wedding.”

Thud. 

Yeap, Kurt was certain that was his heart that decided to drop from his chest to his stomach.

“Honestly, I’m more of a summer dude but winter’s cool too,” Sam continued teasing, pushing his boundaries slightly by ruffling Kurt’s hair.

Mouth opening and closing, trying to form an argument in defense but when it was clear nothing is going to come out of his mouth, Sam decided to put the latter out of his misery.

“It’s cool dude,” Sam tried to reassure the latter, giving Kurt his million-dollar smile, “I’m honestly flattered that you thought I was worth marrying. A little too far off into planning but still, it’s flattering.”

Once Kurt was sure Sam wasn’t going into panic mode about a gay guy obviously crushing on him, he jokingly bumped shoulders with the latter, “only if you tell me that your hair is dyed.”

Rolling his eyes at Sam’s denial, Kurt couldn’t help but do somersaults inside at the potential of a male friendship without the fear of the other fearing him. Although Sam’s sexuality is still questionable, Kurt didn’t mind. Sam could be straight, gay, bi or even trans but that would never take away the friendship he was sure that he was forming with the latter.

[hello2nobody]

My Big Sister...

Reading week is coming around the corner which hopefully means I’ll be writing more! And reading, of course. I have a Japanese test on Monday that I’m not at all prepared for because I’ve been procrastinating, emotionally preparing myself for the riskiest purchase I ever made- the New Horizons edition of the Nintendo Switch! Even though I haven’t worked for half a year, I just had to grab that Switch! I haven’t told my mom yet (yes, I’m 20). Though, speaking of risks, I want to talk about my older sister (in case you couldn’t tell by the title). Whilst procrastinating, I found and read her blog and was taken aback about how little I knew of her... 

I’ll just call her V because even though she’ll never see this, I still feel obliged to respect her privacy (to an extent). 

V is my older sister by 10 years. A decade apart is quite dramatic. When I was learning the 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada, she was already in college. Because of the age gap, we were never very close. I remember child-me viewed her as a preppy, extroverted, fashionable diva who showered herself in perfume and fake tan. She was the exact opposite of me (a socially awkward shy girl) so I never understood her.

I only knew bits and pieces about my sister. A bit from my mom who admired her work ethic, good grades, and love of books, but I mostly knew V from her hoarding problem. Whenever V wasn’t home, my twin sister and I would sneak in her room just to gaze at everything which inhabited it. It was like a mini-mall: layers of clothes filed over a series of racks, shoeboxes assembled like a brick wall, jewellery and makeup littered the dressers, art on every wall, a shelf filled to the brim with books and board games, and the ledge over the fireplace full of knick-knacks like candles and Star Wars merch, etc. I still wonder where she got all that money (my step-dad said she stole a lot but I don’t know if that’s true). It was through these items that I knew my sister: a material girl. 

I thought she was cool in certain ways, but I was never in awe of her. I never gave her much thought. My twin sister and I were too busy playing with siblings our own age or running away from our older brother who forced us to play WWE.

When I was graduating high school, my mom was selling the house after her and my step-dad were finally splitting up. My twin moved to BC to pursue animation. So it was up to me and my mother to empty out the house. With all the shit she left in her room before moving to BC, V’s room took the longest to clean. When I was little, looking through V’s things, I didn’t understand much of it. However, at 18 I was surprised by how many vibrators this woman had. While cleaning her room, I found and read journals and letters she left behind. I did her the favour of discarding them (if she wanted to keep them, she should’ve brought them to BC). I remember journal entries like taking off her bra in a 7/11 and the time her then-boyfriend twisted her arm during an argument and told her he didn’t love her. I even read the that dick’s break-up letter he sent to V (which he actually gave to my mom when she was at work to give to V) and V’s letter back about how she’ll always love him but has accepted the break-up. 

After that, I knew a tiny bit more about my older sister that I didn’t know before. But with the divorce, moving, and every horrible thing that came with it. It quickly left my mind and I never really thought of it again. V was never a presence in my mind, to begin with.

So why am I suddenly writing about her now? Well, like I said, I was procrastinating (and I still am!) and decided to randomly check V’s Instagram but couldn’t because she blocked or muted me or whatever, so I stumbled across her blog instead. I read about her losing her job in 2019 and her discovery that she suffers from imposter syndrome. What really caught me though, was her two-part blog talking to her past-self of the last decade.

In her 20s (specifically, early 20s), V was constantly getting drunk- drinking half a bottle of vodka (which I’ve seen in her room but never questioned) before heading to the bars to drink even more with people she hardly considered friends. She got a tattoo of a stormtrooper on her foot, a sternum piercing, and experienced her first one-night-stand and never told my mom (though mom eventually found out about the first two, not so much the latter and I don’t think she ever will).

I’m 20 and I’m the virginiest virgin you’ll meet (never had a boyfriend/girlfriend, never had my first kiss, been on a date, held hands, or been in a mutual slow-dance that wasn’t forced upon us for gym class and even then, my partner danced with me like I had the coronavirus or something). Without school, I never leave the house unless it’s to the garage for food my mom leaves frozen so I don’t have to cook. I only have 3 friends and I use “3″ very loosely. To this day, I don’t wear makeup, or do my hair, or give a single flying shit about what I wear, though I pretend I do on Pinterest. V, on the other hand, was getting drunk, getting tattoos, piercing, tans, and getting fucking laid in her early 20s.

I’m only starting my 20s, but V’s 20s feels like a totally different realm that I cannot imagine being in. I mean, I’m already anxious about breaking to my mom that I, as an adult, bought myself a Nintendo switch. 

I was reading her blog and looking at pictures of her- past and present- and legitimately thought “who is this woman?”. To call her a “sister” implies closeness but she’s much more a stranger to me than my classmates. It might be the 10-year age gap, but I really don’t know, or understand, or relate to her at all. This blog which she shares for random strangers to read opened me up to things I never knew or even thought of before and it freaks me out how little I knew, and still don’t know, about this girl who is my big sister.

...

To my big sister, who probably won’t read this but you never know since I stumbled across your blog.

I don’t know you very well and while I frankly, do not care to really know you, it was kind of nice getting to learn a bit more about you. I would not mind stumbling across your blog again before you find a way to block me like you did on Instagram. 

We are not very close, but I want to say you’re a very admirable person. Before, when I was a dumb child, I saw you from a surface level. I admired (what I assumed was) your “coolness” and nice things. As I got older, those parts of you actually annoyed me. Especially, when mom and I had to clean up your things. You seemed spoiled and selfish to me. I even thought you were a bitch when you got annoyed with Dad on Christmas (2018).

But now, I think it’s amazing how you had to grow up so quickly. You know Mom babied R* and I a lot, so I don’t really know what it’s like to be a grown-up yet. You got to have your rebellious phase which is not always a good thing, but your ability to do what you want despite what mom or dad might think is tenacious. I think it’s really cool you went to get a tattoo and a sternum piercing all on your own. To move out in Vancouver all on your own must have been scary, and I’m happy that R had you around to help her adjust when she moved. You had to figure a lot of things out by yourself at a young age and you put yourself through quite a bit to get there. I know you still are figuring things out, but I’m sure you’ll be okay in the future (and happier).

I don’t know you very well but you seem like a head-strong girl at the end of the day. Also, good luck with your writing!

[filmfanatic82]

The Long Game - Chapter 7: A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Link to AO3 (HERE)

Chapter 7: A Stroll Down Memory Lane

“J & W’s Auto Shop?” Zack slides out of the backseat of Kim’s Ranger Rover, taking a moment to stretch his aching muscles. He cracks his neck from side to side and surveys their surroundings. “Why are we pit stopping here?”

A few yards away stands a lone, two garage, mechanic shop that is in desperate need of some major TLC. Piles of random car parts, scrap metal, and half finished engineering projects pepper the ground around the shop, all in various states of disarray. The place looks like a strange cross between a traditional auto shop and a mad scientist's lab.

Kim hops out of the driver’s seat and follows suit in stretching out the kinks in her arms. “Not a pit stop.”

“It’s not?” Trini comes around the front of the car to join Kim and Zack. “Then who the hell--”

“You made it!” A voice calls out from beyond the side of the garage, instantly grabbing their attention.

Less than a second later, Billy emerges with arms full of odd bits and pieces of metal and an infectious grin plastered across his face. Unlike the rest of them, it’s as if he hasn’t aged a single day at all in the last eight years, looking like the spitting image of what he did back when they were seventeen.

“Billy?” Trini’s face lights up, instantly matching his smile.

Billy unceremoniously drops the metal from his arms, letting it scatter all over the place, and jogs over to the three of them. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he scoops Trini up into a slightly awkward, but good intentioned bear hug.

“Whoa. Look who’s turned into a hugger,” Zack chuckles as Billy releases Trini and goes in to hug Zack in the same manner.

“Not a full fledged hugger, but I have been working on it. I’m still not 100% okay with elongated periods of human contact, unless it’s Jason, but short hugs are okay. Like hugs hello. Or general sympathy hugs. Or--”

“Wait. Jason’s still in Angel Grove?” Trini asks picking up on the nugget of information from Billy’s excited rambling.

“Yes, of course. He’s my husband,” Billy responds with an even wider smile and then holds up his left hand, proudly displaying a simple yet elegant silver wedding band. “I really wanted to get us blue and red ones, but Jason said we should go for something a little more traditional.”

“What? You and Jason are--” Zack starts to reply but is immediately cut off by the sound of a car whipping into the gravel driveway and coming to a screeching halt.

All eyes turn towards the Ford pickup truck that has suddenly appeared next to Kim’s Range Rover. Jason sits in the driver’s seat, staring out at the scene before him in sheer and utter shock. His eyes are locked in on Kim and Kim alone.

“Billy, did you…” Kim trails off unable to pull her eyes off of Jason. She inches backwards slightly against her own car, shrinking inwards onto herself, almost as if preparing for what’s to come.

“Shoot. He’s not supposed to be back for another two hours.” A look of pure panic sweeps across Billy’s face, as he turns towards Kim. “Kim, I’m so, so sorry. I tried to tell him. I really did. But there was never a good moment. Not that there’s an optimal time to discuss these sort of things in general, but he’s been super stressed lately with the shop and his dad’s parkinson's’ diagnosis, and I--”

“Breathe, B,” Kim says, reaching out and placing her hand on his forearm in an attempt to ground him.

“I know, but I promised you I would and I didn’t mean to break my promise. I don’t break promises. You know that, right? I haven’t broken any of the other promises. I just--”

“Just breathe. It’s okay.”

Zack and Trini’s eyes ping-pong between Billy and Kim, unable to fully comprehend what is transpiring.

“Wait. You’ve been in contact with each other?! For how long?” Trini asks but it fall on deaf ears. Both Kim and Billy are too distracted to even acknowledge Trini’s question, let alone answer it.

“Let me handle it, okay?” Kim locks eyes with Billy, in an attempt to reassure him.

“But, Kim, I promised you I would--”

SLAM.

Everyone jumps slightly as the sound of the car door slamming shut cuts through the air, bringing all conversations to a jarring halt.

“What the FUCK is she doing here?” Jason emerges from the cab of the truck, practically breathing fire.

A suffocating silence falls upon the five of them, as no one dares to even utter a single, solitary word.

Kim shuts her eyes for the briefest of moments and runs her hands through her messy raven locks, releasing a long sigh as she does. Then, mustering all of the confidence she can find, she opens her eyes back up, meeting Jason face to to face. “Hi Jason. Good to see you too.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Billy?” Kimberly cautiously makes her way down the steps into Billy’s mini fortress of solitude; the Cranston’s basement.

Billy pops his head up from behind a large, metal device that best resembles a strange hybrid between a miniature jet engine and an old school printing press and instantaneously greets Kimberly with a gigantic grin. “Hey! What are you doing here? I thought we didn’t have training today? Or at least that’s what Jason told me. Maybe I misunderstood him. Did he mean tomorrow? I thought--”

“Relax. You’re right. There’s no training today.”

“Oh. Okay. Then why are you here? You never just come by yourself. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. You just usually come with Trini or Jason. Or sometimes both of them. I don’t think though you’ve ever come with just Zack. But I could be wrong,” Billy rambles on as he momentarily gets lost within his own train of thought.

Kimberly sinks her teeth into her bottom lip as she tries to figure out just how to answer Billy’s question. Truthfully, she’s not 100% sure exactly why she’s there either.

After, yet another, anger inducing planning session with Zordon and Alpha, Kimberly had found herself simply wandering the streets of Angel Grove, with no real place to go. Her first thought had been to head on over to Trini’s and avoid dealing with her ever growing fears all together by having an impromptu “Netflix and chill” evening, but then had remembered that her girlfriend was at her little brothers’ soccer game.

Going to Jason’s or even Zack’s had also briefly crossed Kimberly’s mind, but for some strange reason, neither one felt like the right decision. At least not given her current head space. There would have been too many questions. Too many awkward lapses into skin crawling silence.

So, instead, Kimberly had somehow wound up on Billy’s front porch, praying to whatever gods there were that the boy would be home, and more importantly, willing to listen… Out of everything, she just needed someone to listen.

“Can you keep a secret?” Kimberly finally responds in a voice no louder than a whisper. Eyes locked in on Billy, projecting a desperation and vulnerability that she rarely lets anyone get a glimpse of.

“I think so. I mean I have before except this one time when I was ten and my mom wanted to surprise my dad with a new car for his birthday. She asked me not to tell him, but then I accidently mentioned it when we were out to dinner. See, my dad had asked me about how my day had been and I proceeded to tell him about the car dealership and how I had met this salesman who--”  

“Billy.” Kimberly gently cuts Billy off.

“Right. Sorry. Secrets. Yes, I can keep a secret.” Billy nods with a warm and innocent confirmation that’s both oddly comforting and jarring all at the same time.  

Kimberly takes a moment, fighting tooth and nail to keep the tears pooling in her eyes from falling. She knows she’s not supposed to utter a single word to anyone… especially not to her fellow Rangers. The less they know as to what’s to come, the better. Both Zordon and Alpha have been overtly clear about this…

And yet, she’s breaking. The weight of the secret is just too much. Too suffocating. Too isolating. Kimberly needs to tell someone. Even if it isn’t every last detail. She needs to share part of the soul-crushing burden with someone. Someone who can just listen and not necessarily act. Who can help her learn how to separate her emotions from all that’s to come. To just focus in on the tasks at hand and nothing else.

Kimberly needs Billy.

“Kimberly?” Billy’s voice breaks through Kimberly’s runaway train of thoughts. “You’re crying.”

It isn’t until Billy utters these words does Kimberly realize that she’s failed at holding back her tears. They flow freely down her cheeks like two steady streams of confessions, exposing all that she’s been withholding.

“I need to tell you something. Something important, Billy. But first, I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone. Not Trini nor Zack. Or even Jason. Can you do that? Can you promise me that?” Kimberly states as the tear continue to fall. There’s no stopping them now.

Billy slowly nods, searching Kimberly’s face for some sort of hint as to what’s going on. “I promise. I won’t tell a soul, Kimberly. Not even Jason.”

“Okay.” Kimberly matches Billy’s nod and pushes a smile through her tears. “Have you ever heard of something called the First?”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A short while later, and Kim, Zack, and Trini find themselves sitting side by side, squashed together on a couch in Billy and Jason’s living room in skin crawling silence as the muffled sounds of a heated argument echo out from the nearby kitchen.

After a nothing short of disastrous attempt at impromptu reunion, Billy had suggested that they all move back to his and Jason’s house so they could properly catch up and possibly cool off a bit as well during the drive.

The latter, though, hadn’t happened. No sooner as they had all got through the front door, Jason had verbally gone after Kim once again, only stopping when Billy had physically dragged him into the confines of their kitchen.

And now, a good twenty minutes later, Kim is stuck, literally sandwiched between Zack and Trini, trying her best not to think about the how she’s the sole reason for all of this. For everything that’s transpiring.

That maybe -- just maybe -- if Kim hadn’t made the choices that she did all those years ago, that they would all still be in each other’s lives. That they would’ve been at Billy and Jason’s wedding. That there would be no need for a reunion because they wouldn’t have ever lost touch to begin with. That her and Trini would--

“We should do something,” Trini’s voice cuts through the silence, pulling Kim out of her thoughts.

“Like what?” Zack answers back in earnest.

“I dunno. Like go in there. Try and help Billy explain.”

“No way, Crazy Girl. That’s suicide. I vote we make Kimmy do it. She’s the one that fucked all this shit up in the first place.”

Kim can feel Trini’s eyes on her, sensing her hesitation to verbally take a side. She lets out a sigh and then gets up off of the couch with a sudden burst of determination. “Zack’s right. It’s my mess to clean up. I’ll do it.”

“Kim, it’s not all your--”

“You did it again,” Kim cuts Trini off, shifting the conversation with a slight playful smirk. She can’t get into now… Can’t stomach any more “half-truths” at the moment.

“Did what?”

“Call me Kim.”

A matching smile crawls across Trini’s lips as a hint of a laugh slips out. “What can I say? It’s growing on me.”

Picking up on the unspoken vibes between Kim and Trini, Zack gives Trini a brotherly shove in the shoulder, knocking the tiny latina over onto the arm of the couch.

“Mother fucker! What was that for?” Trini retaliates with a two handed shove back to Zack’s chest.

“You know what.” Zack shoots Trini an all-knowing look as if to say that he’s aware of what is -- or possibly is -- going on between her and Kim.

“Stay out of it, Taylor,” Trini grumbles under her breath with a heavy exhale of air.

Kim digs into her jeans pocket, fishes out her car keys, and tosses them at Zack. “Here. You can still drive right?”

Zack catches the keys in a bit of shock. “Been a while. But it’s like riding a bike.”

“Good. Take Trini and hit up Mike’s. If it’s still there. If not, try that liquor store down by the old library. We’re going to need some major supplies asap.”

“Supplies for what?” Trini asks, trying to follow along.

“Bonfire.”

At these words, Zack breaks out into a skeptical bought of laughter. “Oh man. T, she’s got you beat on craziness. You’re freakin’ nuts.”

“You got a better idea?” Kim fires back at Zack. “We’ve got a bunch of faceless freaks hunting us down and we can’t even manage to protect ourselves, let alone morph. The sooner we hash things out the better. Even if we have to drink Angel Grove dry while doing it. Cause there’s a big, freakin’ evil coming and if we aren’t ready when it arrives, then all of this was for…” Kim catches herself before she finishes her thought. She’s already said too much. Exposed more than they need to know… at least for right now.

An unsettling silence falls back over the three of them as the sounds of Billy and Jason’s muffled argument fills the background once again.

Then--

“What do you want us to get?” Trini flatly asks with a sudden and distinct resolve to her voice, as if to say there’s no need for a further explanation. She gets it.  

“Um… Not sure. Maybe a few six packs? I assume everyone still drinks beer?” Kim reaches into her back pocket, pulls out her wallet, and hands Trini a rather large wad of twenties. “This should cover it.”

“Hello, Sugar Mama! You’re like a walkin’, talkin’ ATM, Hart,” Zack jokes as he attempts to touch the wad of bills, but Trini slaps his hand away.

Trini nods, tucking the cash into her pocket without even taking a second look at it. “Bulleit, right?”

“Huh?”

“Bulleit. That’s what you drink?”

“Yeah.” Kim lets out the slightest of laughs as the realization sinks in that Trini remembers.

“Okay.” With that, Trini gets up off of the couch and motions to Zack to follow her. “Good luck with them.”

“Thanks.” Kim watches as Trini and Zack walk out the front door and then lets out a long, exhale of air. Her eyes wander back towards the direction of the kitchen as a wave of stomach churning guilt washes over her. It’s nothing new. She’s been learning to live with this kind of guilt ever since the day she up and fled, but now, facing the actual aftermath for the first time, the guilt is almost unbearable. It’s just too real. Too raw for her to handle.

“Hold it together,” Kim whispers under her breath as her hand subconsciously reaches up to touch the outline of the sabertooth tiger pendant just beneath the surface of her shirt.

And suddenly it hits her--

The muffle sounds of Billy and Jason arguing have stopped.

Kim starts to head towards the kitchen, but Billy emerges before she can even reach the doorway. His normal cheerful demeanor is nowhere to be found. And in that moment, he looks older. More worn down than ever before by pure, undiluted worry and fear.

God, how Kim knows that look. She’s seen it every time she’s looked at her own reflection for the last eight years.

Billy catches Kim’s eyes and forces a smile. “Where’s Trini and Zack?”

“Sent them to get us supplies. Thought maybe we should head to the quarry and have a bonfire. I dunno. It worked last time. So maybe it’ll work again. Who knows? It’s stupid. But it’s the only thing I could think--”

“It’s a great idea.” Billy cuts Kim off, stopping her from spiraling down the all too familiar road of self-doubt and second guessing.

A moment passes between the two of them, as they simply stand in each other’s presence, neither knowing what to say or do next.

Then, out of nowhere, Billy pulls Kim into a sudden, bone-crushing hug, practically engulfing her body into his.

It’s shocking. Especially coming from Billy. But at the same time, beyond comforting. Kim can feel the tension that she’s been holding onto since they stepped foot into Angel Grove, instantly melt away.

“Sorry. I didn’t hug you earlier. I meant to. I’ve been planning on it ever since you said you were on your way. You were going to be my first hug, then Trini and then Zack. I had it all planned out. But I got distracted and then Jason showed up early and--”

“B, it’s okay.” Kim responds in slight amusement as they pull apart. “I’m okay.”

“I know, but I had it all planned. I really did. I was going to hug you and then tell you that I’ve really missed you. Cause I have. I know we talk but I recently realized that I haven’t told you that. Not once during any of our calls. And I should have. I’ve missed you, Kim.”

“I’ve missed you too, B.”

Billy glances towards the kitchen and then back at Kim. “He wants to talk to you. I explained what I could. At least what we agreed to share for the time being and he gets it. At least I think he does. He’s been noticing the signs as well.”

“You haven’t had—“

“No. No direct attacks yet. But we’ve been having a lot of tremors and there’s been a steady uptick in strange animal behavior. Oh, and there was this weird report of a green light coming from the alleyway behind the Krispy Kreme last week. I went to investigate it but the manager got annoyed at me for snooping around. I tried to explain but he didn’t believe me and then called the cops. Jason had to close down the shop early and come—“

“Billy.”

“Right. Sorry. Jason. He’s out back on the deck. I’ll be right in here if anything goes south. Which he promised it wouldn’t but just in case.”

“Thanks, B.” Kim gives Billy a slight nod of reassurance and then, after a quick exhale and stretch of her neck, she makes her way into the kitchen towards the sliding glass doors.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kimberly steps out onto the deck and immediately spots Jason sitting on the top step of the stairs, silently staring out onto the expansive backyard before him. She slides the door shut behind her, but doesn’t dare to move any further, nor say a word. It might have been almost a decade since she last saw her once best friend, but she knows some things never change… especially when it comes to Jason. He needs time and space.

So, Kimberly just stands there, staring at the back of Jason, as she fidgets with one of her bulky, silver rings. She slips it on and off and on again, twirling it as she does. It’s a compulsive trick she’s learned to master throughout the years, more out of necessity than boredom. Something to focus in on to distract from the non-stop thoughts.

Kimberly goes to flip the ring from her index to her middle finger, when suddenly it slips out of her grasp.

CLANG.

The ring ricochets against the wood and then rolls to a stop only a few inches away from Jason.

“Shit.” Kim mutters under her breath, torn on whether or not to retrieve it. But before she can make a decision either way, Jason reaches out behind him and scoops it up.  

“Never would’ve pegged you as the silver jewelry type,” Jason quietly says as he examines the ring, never once even glancing back at Kim.

“Uh yeah. Me either.” Kim runs her hands through her hair and then shoves her hands deep into her front pockets, rocking a bit on her feet. “Just something that sorta happened.”

And back to silence for a moment or two as Jason continues to stare at the ring.

Then--

“Billy explained to me what’s going on and I can’t say that I fully get it. But it’s not surprising. Things have been outta whack around here for a while now and getting worse by the day.”

“Jason I--”

“Don’t.” Jason cuts Kim off, voice completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. “Just don’t, okay?”

“Okay.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Not much. Maybe a few days if we’re lucky.”

Jason nods his head as he lets that piece of information sink. “Way less time than we had before.”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s get cracking.” Jason pushes himself up off of the steps, oddly only using his right arm to do so. His left arm, hangs almost dead like at his side, showing little to no sign of actual mobility. This isn’t a temporarily injured.

Kim eyes briefly fall upon Jason’s limp arm as a sudden tidal wave of guilt crashes down upon her. She doesn’t have to ask him what happened. Kim already more than knows. She’s the reason for Jason’s permanent paralysis.

Jason tosses the ring back at Kim and then passes by her without another word, heading into the house through the sliding glass door.

Kim, though, doesn’t follow suit. She simply stands there, once again flipping her ring from finger to finger, allowing herself to fully get lost within her own thoughts.     

[peppersandcats]

Pipebombe

Hey, anon! Sorry this took so long. For the response to the ship meme, my thoughts on Pipebomb, and a mini-proposal-dialogue-drabble!

who is more likely to hurt the other?

Emotionally, Axel. He means well, and he has been explicit about being aromantic so that’s not even a source of confusion, but his most significant and long-lasting relationship was primarily by letter (not even email), which is by definition a medium which allows for careful picking of words and at least two days to think about things between exchanges. He hasn’t had as much practice with on-the-fly interactions with someone he cares about, certainly not when there isn’t an overriding grand plan governing his actions, and there is a lot of inadvertant trampling.

Physically, neither is very likely. If I had to pick, I’d bet on Hartley; he’s fairly controlled about it, but he’s the one we’ve seen lash out on his own initiative. I’m not saying it’d necessarily be effective unless he caught Axel by surprise, but I think he’s more likely to try.

who is emotionally stronger?

This is probably a good time to establish two things; first, that I am running primarily off the TV versions of the characters, and second, that strength does not necessarily manifest in a positive way. I don’t have a lot to go on, and what I do have is thin in terms of points of comparison, so I’m judging in terms of how self-possessed they are in unpleasant situations. 

I’m not giving Axel as many points for not flinching around Jesse as I’d give someone else–Jesse is legitimately terrifying, but I think their relationship precludes Axel considering him as a threat–but I will note that he never seems to go off his stride, and I don’t want to assume that the things he does are necessarily easy for him to do just because we don’t see him flinching while he does them. I believe his devotion to Jesse is what prompts him, but that doesn’t mean the devotion is easy to follow through on.

That said, I’m going to give this one to Hartley, because staying calm and executing your own plan while you’ve put yourself in a poisonously small prison cell where an evil speedster could kill you as you are in the process of irritating him holy crap. But it’s potentially really close.

who is physically stronger?

Axel. Not by as much as Hartley thinks, though.

who is more likely to break a bone?

This one’s pretty close to a tie. Axel’s more likely to get into a physical situation where it’d happen, but I think he’s also likely to handle himself better in one.

(I do think Hartley’s had some training in how to fight–grabbing someone’s foot when they try to kick you and successfully flipping them is not a layman’s trick–but looking at what happened with Cisco, he seems to try to get out of the fight as quickly as possible, and I suspect he might misjudge how down his opponent is and turn his back on them.)

who knows best what to say to upset the other? 

Possibly surprisingly, this one goes to Axel. Hartley does pay a lot of attention and has had a lot of practice figuring out how to needle people, but Axel just doesn’t care about most of the things that usually work and there’s a learning curve. Axel, on the other hand, has also had a great deal of practice being really annoying, and much as Hartley is used to dismissing jibes from people he doesn’t care about, he isn’t very good at setting aside ones from people he does care about.

They both know each other’s particular soft spots; James Jesse for Axel, Wells and the Rathaways for Hartley. Neither of them goes there casually, but Axel’s a little more willing to cross that line than Hartley.

Finally, Axel is remarkably good at upsetting Hartley without knowing that he’s going to. Lines like “Why the hell’d you come out to your parents? No way am I the only guy who’d fuck you without needing to meet them,” and “Wait, your boss meant for the particle accelerator to blow up and you helped? Best prank of 2013!” have not, historically, gone over well.

who is most likely to apologise first after an argument? 

After an argument, Hartley. It’s not very necessary, since Axel is largely pretty indifferent to people thinking he’s doing something wrong, but he doesn’t object.

After a fight–here defined as actually getting angry rather than just disagreeing, if that makes sense–Axel gets upset first and tries to smooth it over. Unfortunately his tactic of trying to convince people that “it wasn’t that bad and you don’t need to freak out” is not generally one that works on Hartley.

who treats whose wounds more often? 

Hartley treats Axel’s more often. Axel’ll take care of himself unless Hartley volunteers or he literally can’t manage it himself, but Hartley likes knowing that something’s been done properly and actually does volunteer.

Axel doesn’t mind helping Hartley if Hartley asks, but if something looks bad enough for him to get involved without being asked he is much more likely to yell for Boo and then follow her instructions than he is to take care of it himself.

who is in constant need of comfort? 

It’s not constant, but Hartley’s a lot more prone to needing it.

who gets more jealous? 

Hartley. He doesn’t cope with it well, because he doesn’t acknowledge it, because jealousy would be irrational and he feels like he’s agreed that that’s not what’s going to happen. It leaves him feeling angry and off, and occasionally gives him tension headaches. It’s not a constant, though.

who’s most likely to walk out on the other? 

Axel. It’s not a common occurrence, but there have been a few times that he’s been really upset, and then he decides it’s best if they aren’t around each other. Hartley is not a fan of these unilateral decisions. Axel lets Hartley complain about it after he comes back.

who will propose? 

I’m not sure I can really see this, but:

“Pipes.”

“’m sleeping.”

“Hey, Pipes.”

“Dear god I’m sleeping.”

“You think we’ll get caught?”

“If we make mistakes because we’re tired.”

“Yeah, I guess. Everyone’d blame me, though.”

“…really.”“

You came up with a big chunk of the idea. But… you know. ‘Cause of the glitter in the bomb and the glue spray. People’re gonna blame me.”

“Is you getting the attention a problem?”

“No. No. I just thought… If we both get caught I figured out how they couldn’t make you testify about anything I did.”

“That seems weirdly specific.”

“I thought you liked planning for things. Anyway, you ever heard of spousal privilege?”

“…”

“Pipes?”

“This is a dream, right?”

who has the most difficult parents?

…seriously? *cracks knuckles* Alright then.

(First, to make something clear: while I am entirely willing to believe that tv!James Jesse is not Axel’s biological father (for reasons outlined here and also I do not trust him), I don’t think that’s an issue. Jesse’s claimed to be his father, Axel’s accepted it, and regardless of the outcome of the specific interpersonal dynamics I am fundamentally respecting the acceptance. If Barry can have two or three dads, Axel can certainly have at least one.)

(Furthermore, while I’ve got no indication one way or the other about Axel’s mother, I see no reason from either the show or what I’ve read of the comics to assume she was difficult. I have headcanons, but they don’t apply to this question.)

What I’m going to go with is that Hartley’s parents do more to cause him pain, but Axel’s interaction with his dad does more to subsume and hurt him. I’m not saying Axel would have been well-adjusted without Jesse, but I am saying that devoting himself that utterly to a parent who had him dropping bombs on small children is likely to really limit his ability to develop healthy boundaries and independent interests.

who initiates hand-holding when they’re out in public? 

Hartley. Axel’s a lot more prone to touching, but doesn’t usually hold hands; he’s a lot more likely to put one or both arms around Hartley, or put one hand on Hartley’s shoulder or the back of his neck, and he’ll usually pull his hand free so he can do that if Hartley does start holding hands.who comes up for the other all the time? 

Still not entirely sure of the phrasing, but if I should be reading this to mean “goes out of their way to approach the other”, it’s more often Axel. (He has made it explicitly clear that he’s not interested in being the only one who initiates either sex or one-on-one interaction, though.)

who hogs the blankets?

Hartley hogs the blankets more often, but then Axel either curls up closer to him and gets under them as well or pulls them back before curling up closer to him. The latter is more of a case of “I get to pile the blankets on top of us” and less “these are mine not yours”.

who gets more sad? 

When it hits, Axel.

who is better at cheering the other up? 

Axel. He knows how to get reactions out of people. He likes getting reactions out of people. And Hartley is both invested in him and generally curious, which means that all Axel needs is a little hook and he can usually get Hartley paying enough attention that it’s possible to start shifting his mood. Plus while Hartley is more snarky and standoffish than many, his need for comfort isn’t particularly unusual, and hugs are surprisingly effective. (In the circumstances I’m writing him in, I strongly suspect he’s a little touch-starved.)

Hartley isn’t nearly as good at making people happier (manipulating them to choose a course of action, yes; manipulating them to feel better, not so much), but he generally manages to at least be reassuring. Also, Axel can tell when Hartley’s trying to cheer him up, and the fact that Hartley bothers occasionally makes him feel better in and of itself. Not a lot of people go out of their way to try to cheer Axel up.

who’s the one that playfully slaps the other all the time after they make silly jokes?

Not all the time, but Hartley does it occasionally. Axel counts it as a victory when it happens.

Axel doesn’t swat Hartley when Hartley makes jokes–as I’ve mentioned before, a lot of people miss it when Hartley makes jokes–but he does occasionally do it when Hartley says something that he thinks is absurd.

who is more streetwise?

Axel.who is more wise?

Generally, Hartley. Axel’s better at letting bygones be bygones, though, and accepting that you cannot change some things.

who’s the shyest? 

As @notsolittlegirlevenmorelost once said, Axel Walker did not become the Trickster because he wants to avoid being the focus of attention.

This one goes to Hartley, although it’s less a case of him being generally closed off and more a case of there being entire firework displays that are shyer than Axel Walker. I am willing to bet Mark “I am a GOD!” Mardon has days when he is shyer than Axel Walker. It’s just a thing.

who boasts about the other more? 

Axel. Not always loudly, just with much less of a “that was a casual question about my weekend, maybe they just want an ‘oh, fine, you?’ sort of answer” filter than Hartley would like.

who sits on whose lap? 

Hartley sits on Axel’s lap occasionally, but Axel uses Hartley’s lap as a pillow more often than that. He thinks it’s great; he can lie down on the couch and watch a movie without getting a crick in his neck and Pipes can just read whatever he’s reading and pretend to be ignoring the movie. He’s also more likely to sprawl out and hook a leg over Hartley’s lap if they’re sitting side-by-side on a couch or something.