drnmarket

[salamandergoo]

Steve knows how to ride a motorcycle. Steve. Steve Harrington. Eddie isn’t sure why it blows his mind so much, but he’s pretty sure he’s bluescreening on the porch as Steve hops off the bike and takes off the black helmet. “Hi Eddie!”

“Steve, what… is this?” He swallows, trying not to think about how that’s his leather jacket, the one he’d gotten oversized intentionally that fit Steve so perfectly. Eddie clears his throat, hoping his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. Though the smirk on Steve’s lips tells him that they almost certainly are.

“So don’t be mad, but I may have made a slightly impulsive decision.” Steve rocks on his feet, the sleek black motorcycle looking out of place in the Indianapolis suburb. “Don’t tell Robbie?” He gives Eddie hopeful eyes, hugging the helmet to his chest.

Eddie looks down at his watch then back up at Steve. “She’ll be home in an hour. You don’t need to worry about me, you’ll tell her before I get a chance. She probably already knows.” Eddie walks down off the porch to inspect the bike more closely. It’s clearly not new, he can see scratches on the fender and there are rusted spots on the muffler, though it’s in pretty good condition.

“I thought you might want to go for a spin before I have to explain to her?” He nods towards the second helmet on the back of the bike.

“I like the sound of that.” Eddie can’t help the way he eyes Steve. He loves when Steve wears his clothes, especially that jacket. Paired with that pair of dark jeans, he’s debating just pulling Steve inside and taking him right on the couch. “But I think you should explain to me first. You’re a little young for a midlife crisis.”

“I’m almost 28, you dweeb, it could be my midlife.” Steve leans in for a quick kiss, and Eddie isn’t one to deny him, though he flicks Steve’s forehead because they have a deal, they agreed they both have to make it to 70. Steve sighs as he pulls away, looking up at the house a moment. “I learned to ride in high school, Tommy’s dad had one for awhile and taught me. And I loved it. Even took the test when I got my drivers license.” He pulls out his wallet and shows Eddie his license, pointing out a tiny M that Eddie has never noticed before. “And I kinda forgot about it for awhile.”

“And this is… safe? After everything, this can’t be the way you go out.” Eddie slides a hand into the opening of the leather jacket, touching Steve’s side through his shirt.

“It’s safe. I’m a safe driver, you know I am.” Steve pouts up at him, and Eddie leans in to kiss the pout away.

“I know, I just… didn’t know this was something you’re interested in!” Eddie reaches to fix Steve’s helmet-ruffled hair. “Wait until Joyce catches wind of this.”

“Well, I was thinking we could take a little trip home to Hawkins next weekend? Maybe stargaze at the quarry like we used to?” He’s grinning, and Eddie’s heart thrums a little faster than usual. “Robbie is going out of town for that conference, and I know you love walking around the house without pants on when she’s gone, but we haven’t seen Wayne in a little while.”

Eddie doesn’t answer right away, distracting Steve with a searing kiss, not even caring that their neighbor across the street is probably staring out her window. The old bitch probably needs some entertainment anyway. “Yeah. Yeah, I like that idea.” He can’t hide his grin, bouncing in place a few times.

“Go grab your jacket and…” Steve looks down at Eddie’s bare feet in the grass and raises an eyebrow. “Some shoes. I’ll take you around the neighborhood, let you get a feel for it.”

When Eddie comes back out, significantly more put together, he barely catches the helmet tossed to him. Steve is already sitting on the bike, visor up so he can grin at Eddie. Eddie pulls on the helmet and gets on the bike, arms wrapping around Steve’s waist. Steve lowers his visor and revs the engine, barely giving Eddie the time to pull up his feet before they’re off.

And Eddie… can’t stop laughing. His helmet bonks against Steve’s, his hips pressed flush against Steve’s back. It’s weird, it feels precarious as he figures out the best way to hold on and balance himself, and it’s fun. He’s not an adrenaline junkie, probably experienced enough adrenaline when fighting monsters, but this is a pleasant thrum of thrill under his skin, not a panicked pounding heartbeat type of danger.

He can hear Steve’s own laughter as they zoom around a curve in the suburban road, and he grips Steve’s waist just a little tighter. Steve’s hand pats his as he stops at a red light, and Eddie lets his helmet hit Steve’s again, a stand in for nuzzling his face into Steve’s neck. And then they’re off again, and Eddie squeezes his eyes shut tight, not out of fear, but to focus on how it feels, the excitement of the moment.

By the time Steve is pulling into their driveway, parking the bike next to his car (not the BMW, he’d gotten rid of that back in 86 after blood had stained the interior, instead getting himself a sensible SUV with three rows for carting the kids around), the sun is just starting to go down. Eddie’s legs shake as he gets off the bike, giggling as he uses the SUV to steady himself.

Steve shuts off the bike and props it up with the kickstand before getting off, pulling off his helmet with an elegance Eddie can’t hope to match. “So?”

Eddie takes off his own helmet and shakes his long hair out of his face, beaming as he deposits the helmet onto the seat of the bike. “Very metal,” he purrs, pulling Steve in by his belt loops. “So we’ll be taking that back to Hawkins?”

Steve grins, his hand reaching to hold Eddie’s cheek, thumb brushing along rough stubble. “Yeah, we will be.” He lets himself be kissed under the golden light of the sinking sun, only breaking the kiss when Robin’s sedan pulls into the driveway and she gets out to stare at them.

“…Steve Harrington, what the fuck is that?”

Eddie and Steve make brief eye contact, and that’s enough to send them into a fit of giggles.

[a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten]

Undertale Yellow Car Headcanons 2

People liked the first one, so I figured I'd go do a few more to cover some folks I missed and add some extras for ones I already covered. Kudos to a friend on Discord who's a massive car nut and suggested quite a few of these. First one in case you haven't seen it. This one's a bit chonkier, so grab a snack or something.

Martlet: Electric Bike

Even if Martlet getting her hands on a driver's license is nigh impossible, we figured she should at least have something, even if she doesn't use it that much. Electric bikes seem to fit her style. Dunno if she'd use it often, but if the surface has no-fly laws or whatever, it'd probably help her out some.

Toriel: 2CV

...okay, Tori isn't really a UTY-exclusive character, but she has a minor role in the game, so does she count? Anyway, my friend had the idea of her using what they described as 'everybody's favorite little wine snail' and I think it fits her too well.

Chujin: Loud Ass 90s Tuner Car

If Chujin didn't inject raw Mountain Dew Voltage into his soul and survived to see the surface, he'd probably drive something like this. It ties in with the whole Ben 10 thing and it's a great way to express himself, as obnoxious as it may be. Usually, Ceroba makes him drive the family sedan.

Ceroba: If She Owned the Hummer (Semi-Joke one)

I meant for it as a shitpost, but we thought up an idea if she actually did own the car. Don't worry, she always looks before merging. Anyway, we figured she got it mainly because it's pretty cool. However, it is a massive waste of gas money, so she only uses it for camping or driving Kanako and Clover around on their birthdays. Otherwise, it mainly collects dust in her garage while she uses the more fuel-efficient sedan.

El Bailador: Lowrider

Kudos to @cheddarchandelure for suggesting this and it couldn't fit any better. Lowriders fit him like a glove. You know he just has this thing modded like crazy. It's nearly 20 feet of car, too. You don't get much more expressive than that.

Feisty Five: GMC Vandura

I gave the Feisty Five individual vehicles, but they also kinda need a car for the whole gang and what better vehicle for a group of crime fighting dinguses. Perfect for missions, lassons, or just hanging out as a group together. Starlo technically owns it, but usually Moray or Ace drive the thing.

Ace: Antique Mercedes

Okay, I know I technically already did Ace in the first part, but my friend suggested an Antique Mercedes, which I think fits a lot better than the Porche. I'll let you guys draw your own conclusions, tho.

Moray: SLK Roadster

Still a convertible, but I didn't like the image I used in the last one. So now we got a specific model for our favorite fish with no gender.

Mooch: Pretty Much Anything, but here's a Corolla

On the chance that Mooch somehow gets her license back, she'd be willing to drive whatever. Hopefully more responsibly this time around.

Dina: 5th Gen Mustang

My friend suggested that a classier style of muscle car would fit better than the more aggressive model I used in the first, and I think it suits her more laid-back nature well.

Blackjack: Antique Flatbed

It's been in his family for generations, and he's way too attached to the thing to get rid of it. Generally, he just fixes up anything that breaks down on him.

Starlo's Family: Uh...Trucks

The main workhorses for the Sunnyside Farm. Sure, they got a few dents and aren't the cleanest or most advanced, but hey, they get the job done. Mainly driven by Solomon and Orion, occasionally Starlo. The Cabover (bottom) is generally used for the big harvests and the pickup works for everything else.

Mo: C4 Corvette

The perfect car for a sleazy businessman! Well, not sleazy, but you get what I mean. He likes to act stylish with his choice of car, but his is constantly breaking down mechanically, since he doesn't really bother fixing the thing, just detailing it. Doesn't leave the best impressions for shoppers.

Honeydew Shopkeeper: Figaro

Why? Well, simple, it's small and cute, just like she is! Not much else to say beyond that.

Kanako: '70 Dodge Challenger

Kanako's still a bit too young to drive, but we settled on this for a dream car of hers, with both a road and track package. She got the idea from both the racing games she plays and Dina's own muscle car. Nobody understands why, But she really wants to visit San Francisco with it

Clover: Ford Galaxie Convertible

Figured we should do Clover's dream car as well. Not much a reasoning, we thought this just fit their style. Once they come of age, you know darn well they'll be racing Kanako.

Warned ya that would be a big one! Anyway, lemme know what y'all think!

[trashbag-baby666]

Lore drop for my favorite twink <3 i love you sm Ken 💕💕 brought to you by me and @mangokittokatsu

MOTA Masterlist!

•Kenny was born to two philanthropist, entitled, classy, rich people. But he was an accident that neither of them wanted to take care of really. They hired a nanny and she quite literally raised Ken until he was 12. That’s when his parents decided that he was old enough and fired her. This is what really starts out the, “here’s your monthly $10,000, go to school we’re going on our second cruise this year.”

•His grandma tries her best to take care of him from a distance since she lives in DC. She does call him nearly daily and they’re pretty close.

•Although, Ken’s a year younger than the others he joins a theater company when he’s 11 and meets Rosie. The Rosenthals quickly take pity in Ken and they give him rides to and from theater, let him come over and stay with them, feed him dinner. You know, actually loving this child.

•Ken and Rosie are bestie westies they would spend a lot of nights sitting in silence or talking about the boys Ken liked. Or they would make up their own theater performances and play dress up.

•The Rosenthals invite Ken to their family Hanukkah celebration. During Christmas they let him come over and Mrs. Rosenthal made Ken’s favorites and even got him a few presents. They’re really the closest thing Ken has to a family.

•So, when Ken gets his drivers license he’s left with his dad’s garage full of luxury cars. But his motorcycle is what really and always had caught his eye.

•His father tries to use this as an opportunity to love his son. Or you know, using expensive gifts to show their love. His dad teaches him how to drive it but it was really just Ken figuring it out by himself while his dad took business call after call.

•This is shortly before Curt started eye fucking Ken in gym class till he came over and talked to him. They were so down bad for each other, Curt giggled like a fucking school girl the first few times Ken took him for rides on his bike.

“Curt texted me last night telling me that Ken took him on his motorcycle!” John blabbed across the lunch table making a kissy face and sound at Curt.

Curt literally just reaches across the table and smacks him with a sandwich.

•Ken’s super super interested in engineering he picks up occasional shifts at the same garage Curt’s mom works at. Ken really knows his way around a car, he was super into them when he was younger. He’s just the kinda twink who can pop your hood and fix your problem for you.

•Ken tries out for the football just so he can spend more time with Curt. Think Kurt Hummel auditions for the role of kicker. Just look at this post lmao.

•Him and Curt listen to music together on the bus to and from football games. Corded headphones and each has one, they have a collaborative playlist together. Some of their favorites are Deftones, Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, etc. check out this playlist for more :3!

•Their ideal date night though is a hand selected bottle of wine from Angela Lemmons wine cellar, a cheesy movie or Marvels movie(they’re watching them in order), and a puzzle or a Lego set, sometimes they paint together.

•Usually, they finish the puzzle or lego set but sometimes they’re too wine drunk to finish or Curt’s carrying Ken up to his bedroom ;).

•If it wasn’t obvious yet, Ken is a wine connoisseur. He really likes white wines and anything a little fruity.

•Brady wants to learn his ways.

•Ken is an avid painter as well!! He liked doing it in art class and brought the interest home with him. So of course, his parents bought him the most expensive paints and brushes and canvas’s. Because that’s how they always were. He’s pretty much self taught aside from art classes. He paints this in high school and it now hangs in their house 15 years later.

•The only time Curt and Ken ever really fight it’s about money. Ken has more than plenty and Curt’s literally working every single day and pulls open to closes every weekend. Curt had been running on nearly no rest and three Red Bulls a day. He couldn’t afford to not work. over the course of five months, He watched Curt’s health decline and he was losing weight like crazy. He’d come home from work at 11 and pass out in Ken’s bed after stumbling out of his work clothes. That or he would sleep on the couch at his apartment. His back was hurting and he was so tired and nauseated.

•Flash forward it’s been too many months of this. Curt had called Ken around 8:30 asking him if he could come pick him up. He had kinda given into his body and left Ham and Dickie to man the Taco Bell without him. However, Ken was relieved that Curt maybe was coming to his senses.

•Curt literally stumbled out the door and regained his balance a little bit before getting into his car. Curt opened the passenger door and threw himself in and just said.

“Take me to the er.”

•This is when it really started, Ken had kept offering Curt money. But Curt will not take handouts or money from anyone. He feels like he needs to earn everything himself and he provides for his family at the ripe age of 18.

“Just take it, it’s not like I’m missing any of it.” Ken ripped the check from the checkbook and slid it across the table.

“No, I’m not taking your money. It’s fine I have it under control.”

“Curt, you were in the hospital.”

•Thus leads to Ken putting money into his account without him knowing. It’s never enough at a time for it to be super noticeable or he tucks it into a savings account.

[giggly-squiggily]

hellooo miss squiggles :D how have you been? i hope the universe treats you kindly ♡ (also i got your request and i'm so excites to write it thank you sm!!)

i'm here to bring you more modern demon slayer because i wanna get back into it and also my car has decided to be difficult these past few days so i thought about how the kny peeps would deal with that.

not affected by car troubles: gyomei (for obvious reasons), douma (failed his driver's license four times so there's that), rengoku (something tells me he doesn't drive)

that might as well happen: giyuu (long sigh, then he calls sabito to pick him up and lets the mechanic deal with it), obanai ("that's just another bad thing on the long list of bad things that life has thrown at me." - "dude shut up")

OMG WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE: mitsuri (not cut out for this)

THERE'S LITERALLY A MCDONALDS DOWN THE ROAD CALM DOWN AND LET ME DO MY SHIT: sanemi (learned how to fix his motorcycle on his own after he saw what the mechanics charged)

gets so mad that they scare the car into working again: shinobu (she just taps the wheel twice and clears her throat and the car runs as smoothly as ever), akaza (the good old trick of kicking the car into submission never disappoints)

the best possible person to deal with car troubles: kanae (keep calm and call someone who can fix this), sabito (this man works with elementary school children, if his car broke down in the middle of the desert with no water on board that wouldn't even make his top 10 list of most stressful events of his life)

oh the car broke down? don't worry baby we'll buy a new one: tengen.

Rey! It's great to hear from you again! :D I've been well- some ups and downs IRL but generally speaking I feel great! I hope the same to you! The universe so far has been tame- let's hope it stays that way lols. (YESH! I'm so glad akrekjjrkaejj :D Congrats again on your milestone!)

(Ah crap! I'm sorry about your car- hopefully everything works out!)

KJERKJEKRJKEJR The fact they're all in the same car (sans Sabito I'd imagine cause someone's gotta come pick them up) reacting to this is hilarious akljeajkerjkaejr Road trip gone wrong?

Giyu and Obanai being the "Hello darkness my old friend" people of the group is so canon kjaraekrkejajkraejkrjkejr Obanai probably wouldn't be so bad if Mitsuri was there but when she does go off with Tengen and Rengoku to get her food he gets all blue and gloomy about everything akerjakrjearje (The "Dude, shut up" took me out! I can see Sanemi rolling his eyes behind the hood over it akerkjaerjkej)

NOT SHINOBU HELP KJEJREJRKJEJKRJK Like you said, a single throat clear- BOOM the car is back up and running. She probably scares the mechanics out of overcharging her too- a single one of her scary smiles and their offering discounts and additions for free (everyone brings her to the shop with them when they can- she's outwardly so over it but internally pleased with the chaos she creates). And Akaza kicking it into submission karjeajklrkjeawkjrjke I can see Douma lounging in the backseat slurping on a gas station slushie watching Akaza beat his car up. "Go between the headlights- it'll blind them Za!" "Give them that one move you showed me the other day!" "You're winning-" "DOUMA IF YOU DON'T-"

Kanae and Sabito being team "We've got this" is honestly such canon events! Kanae and Sanemi might have some mild tension ("Baby, it's not your bike, it's your car. It's too different." "Don't worry about it- I can fix it!" But after Sanemi stares at things long enough he just kinda peers around the hood all sheepish like: "So uh....you still got that mechanic on speed dial?" Sabito's so chill like: "A kid got 2 markers stuck up one nostril- this is EASY!" He has snacks when he gets there for Mitsuri, a car big enough for everyone if it's a road trip (might bring Makomo and her car in case they got EVERYONE), the tow truck on speed dial and several ideal spots to stop and get dinner if they're hungry akejajrekreakj

TENGEN!!! God, if only kjakakrjejkrejkjre He's got the money for it sure! Honestly he probably hates driving (Big guy + Tiny seats = Screw it I'm walking everywhere) but will gladly get any of his girlfriends/wives a new car if needed. Another one to bring to the mechanic to prevent being screwed over- he's got that unintentional intimidation factor (and the money to cover it lols) He's also such a troll: One time he told Obanai he'd get him so new wheels and pulled up with a toy barbie car. (They ended up regifting it to Mitsuri's younger sister as a christmas present)

For your consideration: Rengoku doesn't drive but he does bike! He's got two: one for personal use to go everywhere ("I'll catch up with you guys! *bike jingle noises*) and one with two seats for when he and Akaza go out (He was absolutely FLOORED when he discovered it and called up Akaza mid purchase like: "Guess what I'm bringing home??? :D") He probably got them matching helmets and protective padding so they'd be the talk of the town when they went out (Akaza doesn't have the heart to tell him they look like that one elderly couple without the years- though it was kinda funny the time said couple challenged them to a race.) He'd have a little basket too filled with snacks and other little things. :D

Thank you for sharing, these are GLORIOUS!

[starlightandetherealshadows]

ROs hobbies?

Hi lovebug! ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚

I was SO excited for this ask, I love talking about the RO's hobbies and life outside of this hellish invasion. I've mentioned some of this stuff before, but I like having it all in one place. So thank you, sweet one! -`♡´-

♡ Ayana/Adriel:

A is a talented mechanic. When they had free time (rare for doctors but ya know), they would work on fixing cars. They have a motorcycle that is their pride and joy. It was going to the scrapyard, but A decided to pour time and money into getting it in working condition. I mentioned this before but A loves reading mangas and watching anime! A will blush if you talk about this, but A was a theater kid. They can't sing, but they used to act their asses off in the school plays. A is into rock-climbing!

♡ Zero:

Both male and female Zero grew up doing ballet and gymnastics. And they were good at it, like really fuckin good. Zero used to get bullied in school quite a lot, esp male Zero bc the whole "ballet is for girls" nonsense :( They can also sing (but they're shy about it) and they're a talented artist. Painting is their favorite art medium, but they also use their sketchpad a lot when they don't feel like getting paint everywhere. Z is good with little magic tricks involving sleight of hand (considering they used to make a living conning people....)

♡ Veronica/Vincent:

V is a classically trained cellist, but they don't have a cello on them, unfortunately. They're a voracious reader, which they bond with X over. V doesn't have their driver's license, so they used to skateboard everywhere. V did martial arts for many years, and has a plethora of gold medals and trophies from it. V likes photography too, and was on the cross country team in high school.

(of course, with V's memory loss, they can't remember much of this. It's a fuzzy memory of having certain skillsets, like riding a bike after years and realizing that you still know how)

♡ Cecelia/Chase:

C used to work in a bakery, so you can imagine how good their house used to smell. Other than baking, they used to collect baseball cards with their father and play baseball/softball themselves (D1, they're talented!) C can do tiny stick and poke tattoos. C knows how to do origami! They leave little paper objects and animals all over the safehouses, much to the amusement of the others. They know how to surf from summers spent on the beach.

♡ Xa'eks/Xa'veed:

X is really good at archery. They used to have little competitions with their siblings back on Nion 8. They're also really into plants and bugs, collecting and identifying them. When they first landed on Earth, X was so excited to explore and catalogue all the different types of foliage/insect life. X has quite the blooming garden in the alien's central city. They love classic literature. You can find X and V having heated literature debates that may involve screaming and cursing and threats of violence. X also loves board games and was fascinated by the idea of Monopoly. X likes puzzles, and that's how they passed time while waiting for, you know, their conquer-Earth orders for the day.

*see now I HAVE to write about the group playing a game of monopoly together.*

Thank you again for the fun question, anon!!!

All my love,

Cheye

[manicpixxiedreambitch]

Reasons why my biological dad is listed as “Disappointment” in my phone:

1. My grandma had a heart attack a couple years ago and was in the hospital unresponsive for about two weeks. (Don’t worry it’s the immortal grandma so she’s still alive) I was not informed of this until two weeks after she had the heart attack. This was my dad’s mother. My mom told me because she found out from one of my aunts on facebook. I texted my dad and yelled at him, asking him why the actual fuck he didn’t bother to tell me this. Like what if she died?! What if she died and I found out there was a two week period where I could have visited her that my dad neglected to tell me about??? My dad, when confronted with this, started pulling excuses out of his ass and eventually when he ran out of excuses he just said “Well it’s none of your business what I do and do not tell you.”

2. A few months after my mom divorced him, he took money out of my brothers’ and I’s bank accounts to pay a bill he was short on. I was five. He didn’t even ask. We each had about $100 in the bank accounts and he just…took it. My mom had to close the accounts. He never even paid us back.

3. He neglected to pay child support to my mom for years. Once he paid it just so the court wouldn’t take his drivers license away.

4. On the night I was being born (I was a C Section baby and my mom had scheduled it) my mom told him to stay home and watch my older brother. He put my brother to bed early and spent the rest of the night running up the phone bill while calling spicy numbers. My mom found out three weeks later.

5. He wasn’t even there for my first birthday. One of his friends asked him to help them move without knowing it was my birthday. He agreed without talking to my mom first or telling the guy he was on a time limit because it was my birthday. No he just missed the whole thing. I took my first steps on my first birthday.

6. He would lie to my mom about where he was. He would tell her he was going to help a friend move furniture or something and he’d really be at a bar playing pool with his buddies while my mom stayed home and took care of us.

7. He ruined both his and my mom’s credit scores because he let the house they bought together run into bankruptcy or foreclosure or whatever it’s called (essentially he stopped paying the mortgage or bills on it) instead of fixing it up or reselling it and since both their names were on the mortgage my mom’s credit got screwed over, too.

8. He couldn’t hold a job for more than a few months to a year for a long time.

9. He once bought season passes to an amusement park a state away from us and said that he would take me and my brothers up there a bunch that summer. He never did. My mom used the season passes to take us up once, though.

10. He never taught me to ride a bike without training wheels. My stepdad handled that one.

11. He always broke his promises.

[ladydeathorsadyounglady]

"Entry No. 8

13.10.17(20?).

Suspect #2 in the disappearance of my brother - Sarah Neumann

A very strange person who recently moved to Raven Brooks. Practically nothing is known about her, except that she flew from Germany to her old friend (according to her). The place of residence is unknown (not listed in any of the hotels in the city). Date of birth 01.12.1981 (so it is written in the driver's license). A week before the disappearance, Enzo came several times to his workshop to fix the bike. She talked to him about missing people, marriage and widowers. There is a tattoo of a snake on the back (I didn't ask and didn't see it completely, but a piece of the tail was visible from under the top). She wears dark clothes, and also keeps a pistol and knives in the glove compartment. Is she in a gang? On the run? These are just my guesses. She dropped Jess off at home the other day. I had a very serious conversation with my niece, I told her not to go with Sarah anymore. I didn't see anything interesting from their conversations (she loves Mexican cuisine and understands technology).

17.10.17(20?).

We met in the ecolavka. She was very friendly and polite to me, but I'm still on my guard. Sarah bought only some cheap tools for her transport and scotch tape. She explained her choice by the fact that the bike broke down again, and now there is no one to fix it. "I will fix bike with grit spit and a whole lot of duct tape," she joked. I offered to help her, to which she quickly agreed. She's coming to the workshop tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for me to learn more about her. I'm sure she's the key to solving Enzo's disappearance. At least I hope so. God, Marie, you completely crazy, rushing at the first person she meets. I need to double-check all the recordings from the cameras and recall all the conversations Enzo had with the townspeople. Jordy is also investigating something, but alone. I don't like it all.

PS: Remind myself to stop communicating with Nicky, he's a bad influence on me with these records and investigations. Paranoia is contagious."

- Ta-da! I present to your attention my OC. I had to add a character to the story, otherwise Aaron would have turned out to be too Maru Sue if he did everything alone. I thought of Sarah a long time ago, in 2016, I just didn't know where to stick it. I hope you will accept her into our family. Chapter 1 is only half finished)

[xtrablak674]

I've Never Been Stopped by a Cop

I’m a Black man living in New York City and I’ve never been stopped by the police. I suppose I should be more specific, I’ve never been stopped and frisked by the police. And for absolute transparency I have gotten summons, two for riding my bike on the sidewalk and one for trespassing which I deliberately did fully aware that a patrol car was watching but that isn’t this story.

I was participating in a discussion amongst Black men and a scenario where police pulled guns on me and my family in our car as we pulled up to our home. Umm first I’m a bachelor and haven’t any children, so this scenario is dead in the water. A college friend that was in my breakout group prodded an adjustment to the scenario and I stated something equivalent of the first sentence in this piece. The bigger question was why hadn’t they? And for purposes of discussion I’m a dark-skinned Black person with locs that reach to tip of my spine. You would think that this would make me a prime candidate for getting swooped up in some mistaken identity situation but that has never happened.

As a child my interaction with police was negligible if not totally non-existent. I want to be careful not to get into respectability politics, but I was a good kid and a fair teenager. I can recall an incident in high school where a couple of my friends had gotten pinched by Tower Records security for shop lifting some CD’s, and I was with the ladies one who was clearly of European descent the other Latina, we called ourselves 3-2-1 Contact because of our natural diversity. Our understanding of the law seemed to differ greater than our ethnic backgrounds.

I have always been a sensible person even as a child, I was never prone to peer pressure ever, I had a clear understanding of my mind and what I would do and what I wouldn’t do. It didn’t seem particularly sensible to me as a young Black male to be participating in petty theft especially in a neighborhood adjacent to Lincoln Center, where we went to school. Furthermore I was being raised in a very Christian home by my grandparents who would be disappointed in me for not using good sense.

My mother had always encouraged me to use ‘common sense’ it seemed to be the most important thing in the world and even though she had passed, her lesson had not. Common sense ruled my decisions in a way that made me a pariah amongst my peers. I had no interest in drinking having witnessed drunken family members be abusive to others, I also hadn’t the slightest desire to try that wacky tobacco that seems so intertwined with adolescence. My father and mother both partook of the herb and as a boy I had said not for me to all of the vices and even within the last decade sex, but that is another story.

In all attempts to disseminate all pertinent details I think it’s also good to know I’m a pedestrian, and most of my peer group is probably tired of me talking about how this is a multi-generational trait going back as far as my great grandfather. But like myself and his other son my father never had a drivers license, which is and isn’t peculiar to me because like him I was raised for a time in a two car home and hadn’t the slightest bit of interest in learning to drive still don’t. I haven’t been invited to that century old club of Driving While Black because well I don’t drive.

I do walk though and ever since my dad dragged me all over New York City on subways and buses, I have always walked with a clear destination and purpose. I’m not a lingerer I’m a fast paced impeccable dressed New Yorker. I’m not sure if my pace has made me seem less suspect or the fact that my fashion lends itself to a very non-traditional urban style. This too was a choice I made in my formative years when my peers were running around trying to follow the latest fad in clothing I made a clear attempt to distinguish myself with my unique choices.

Some of these decisions were made because I thought my grandparents had a fixed income, my grandmother was the No Frills Queen, this was a generic store brand often found at Pathmark. I wouldn’t learn till way into my adulthood that I was being raised in a two income middle class household. This is important because my clothes were purchased by my grandmother usually at the Macy’s discount outlet or Burlington Coat Factory.

Due to my mother’s passing and my separation from my siblings, I was a bit withdrawn as a pre-adolescent and teenager. I would stay in the house making my own toys, reading comic books and creating my own worlds which I never really left unless I had to go to school or church on Sundays. Once again I’m not attempting to justify the behavior of the white supremacist tendencies of the NYPD, but I wasn’t a typical child and I grew into an atypical adult.

A queer adult who currently identifies as non-binary transgender. But when I was still gay and had a penchant for wearing Daisy Dukes and thigh high moccasins I still never fell under the purview of the boys in blue, I even dated a couple of cops who in my opinion had a bit more baggage than your average date.

I’m left with the question what about me makes me worthy or unworthy of being stopped and frisked? Does my non-traditional performance of masculinity factor in the equation or is in my private college education? I didn’t even know I was being raised in an upper middle class household but I did know that I wasn’t living at the poverty level anymore not that I even knew that because my life was so full of abundance. My dark chocolate complexion which had faced all kinds of colorism, didn’t seem to rate.

What makes some Black people suspects and others not?

[Photo by Brown Estate]

[idance2silence]

Omg I got a job that pays a living wage in the USA! Now let me find transportation because I don't have a car.

...4 hour bus trip with uber variants between bus stops

...over 100 per round trip which is what I make before taxes a day

...I can't afford to make money what

Screaming at America to fix public transportation because this is atrocious.

I'm so glad I at least have a driver's license so I can rent a car. Which is like a third of the uber cost. What. If I lose my license because of medical reasons I'm fucked. If this job works out and is steady by the time my apartment lease ends I'll move closer and hopefully be able to bike and bus again.

And no I can't find closer work I'm honestly amazed I landed this job and even more amazed that it pays livable wages. Ugh

[lighteffexor]

Man I just don't want to have to be forced to fire up my oil-powered generator to haul a ton and a half of steel with me whenever I want to participate in society. I don't think anyone else should be forced to do that if they want to participate in society, either.

I want to have the OPTION to be able to just walk or bike somewhere. I want other people to have this option, too.

I want to be able to do this without being at risk of getting run over by someone's steel box. I don't want to be forced to inhale other people's exhaust or nearly go deaf when they honk their horns or have an engine or muffler that needed to be looked at five years ago. I want others to not have to deal with any of this, too.

I want to be ALLOWED this. I want YOU to be allowed this. I DON'T want to take your car away.

There's plenty of reasons to own a car, but having it be your only access point to society is messed up, especially when you consider what all goes into maintaining this. You need to buy it, pay for your tabs every year (or every few years in some cases), pay for insurance, pay to fill it with fuel, pay to get your drivers license, pay to renew drivers license, pay for maintenance (unless you know how to fix any of the problems yourself, but, even then, you'll probably be paying for replacement parts)... It's just so wild to me that we're okay to be essentially forced to pay to participate in society. Why did we go "this if fine" and are now throwing fits when people go "I think this is wrong and we shouldn't be this way."

I just don't get it.

[squishoffgrandmas-ex]

Things to do when I get better

1. Wear more of my jewelry

2. Clean my room. ��Vacuum, dust, tidy up, the works.

3. Hang my clothes in my closet

4. Go clothes shopping?

5. Open the windows when it’s raining and

6. Try the free trial on that writing website I found

7. Brainstorm for my blorbos and my stories

8. Eat better

9. Hang my Aro flag

10. Bring water and apples upstairs with me while I work.

11. Take shorter showers

12. Exercise! Go for walks.

13. Read more! Wider selection of books at the library.

14. Get my driver’s license.

15. Go on vacation.

16. Learn to knit/crochet

17. Break my social media addiction. Fix my attention span

18. Sit outside more

19. Bike places

20. Grab my glasses and the controller and turn on the ps5 and launch a game without doing everything 100 times.

21. Write without deleting and rewriting everything 1000 times

22. Eat without loosing half the food and eating a dozen random bites of a dozen random things.

23. Wash my hand without redoing it and wetting and redrying them a thousand times

24. Drink without losing the drink half the time

25. Scroll on safari without scrolling up and down eighty times twice a minute

26. Walk in my own house without backing up and back and forth eighty times

27. Put on a sports bra without having to take it on and off a gaziliion times (ow. Tight on my head, catches my hair in it.)

28. Pick my clothes out by myself, without ocd.

29. Hit “play next” on a song without having to do it a thousand times.

30. Not have to rewind songs.

31. Let the next song play without have to go back and forth a thousand times

32. Get new pajamas

33. Put the sheets on my bed

[loser-brain]

Very long Vent

I hate the fact I cannot focus on what is important to me such as transportation. I cannot drive due to my mental health. I will have a panic attack and become overwhelmed thanks to my mother putting trauma in me when I was driving.

I already made a vent post about that went in-depth about it too. So, changing the course of the story here is another reasoning on why I won't fix an old bike in my garage.

I'm 4'11 and I'm very short. We have a child bike (a childhood bike) and an adult bike (way too tall for me to ride). I want to fix that child's bike (literally need a change of wheels) but the reason why I can't is because my dad won't let me really not really work on the bike.

It's confusing I know. I'm also confused as well. I even express that I want to fix a bike in our garage because 1, I can ride it and 2, so that way I can also have the ability to ACTUALLY LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR ONCE.

Everyone in the house always complains about me not leaving the house... Well yeah, I have no way of transportation. And even when I do make plans such as I want to buy something for either my dogs or a project for myself. I'm always told that everyone is free and can drive me. Like I am told, constantly that no one has a schedule or plan. They are free and can drive me where I want...

I ask hey I want to go to blank and blank. They always respond. I'm busy, we have plans, I don't want to drive you, maybe another time, not today, and so on.

So back to the bike. That is my reasoning, I get told whatever. It's frustrating. I want to fix the bike I said Just buy a new bike they said How much does a new bike cost I asked A lot of money that you don't have they answer Okay so back to my idea let me fix the old bike I responded you should just buy a new bike they sternly spoke but you said it's expensive I retorted You wanted to buy an electric bike right? They asked Yeah, why? I answered with a question Then get a driver's license so you can have that bike they spoke no, I can't drive I'll have a panic attack and freeze up and become a hazard or a dangerous driver I spoke back in anger

and here's the kicker that really pisses me off

whatever. They spoke. Ending the conversation.

If I were to somehow get my driver's license, they will buy me an electric bike. That's the deal since their argument is that an electric bike is similar to a motorcycle.

I just... want a way for me to ride my bike to my dog's vet with ease and even be able to go to my downtown and possibly sell in-person art. BUT NO I CAN'T BECAUSE MY MOTHER SAYS THAT'S DANGEROUS! MY FATHER SAID JUST GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE.

it's frustrating when I come up with a solution to my long-term problem and only be told no. or stop. or do something else. it's frustrating that I can't drive and it's frustrating that I can't work on the bike.

Not because I'm getting mixed signals but more because I can't reach the bike... it's hanging from the ceiling and my dad won't get it for me because he doesn't want me to work on the bike.

Like, I would become so much healthier riding a bike around, and possibly it might even boost my confidence instead of being called lazy for not doing anything even though I do clean the house and take care of my dogs.

My mother is so toxic. For some reason, if she comes home and sees my sis and I on the couch, she just assumes we're lazy. Even though she comes home at 4pm and we (mostly I) wake up at 9am. You know what I can get done in that amount of time before she comes home.

Chores such as vacuuming, cleaning the windows and the bathroom, taking the dogs outside, clean their crate and their mess outside of the crate. Heck, if I am very bored I will sweep the patio. I'll mop the floors too if the dogs actually behave and not track their wet paws in the house (I'll have to dry their paws or just wait for their paws to dry on their own. I prefer to wait since they are messy drinkers as well).

My mother is sadly old-fashioned, in other words, she doesn't know that abuse can come in different forms. When you say abuse she will assume physical. Mental abuse, Verbal abuse, physiological abuse, and other types... Yeah, that doesn't exist to her. When I say old-fashioned, I mean she just doesn’t know, even when you try to explain to her about abuse coming in different forms... She'll call me insane or not right in the head.

Saying because of the internet I have become delusional... and stupid. She doesn't understand mental health either. So when you tell her about depression. She just thinks you're sad and eating ice cream. Crying and stressing out of your mind thinking it's the end of the world for you like a breakup... She even told me when she wanted me to work and I respond I'll need to be on antidepressants then because I cannot work in an environment like that.

Her response to me saying that... I also have depression too. I also get sad but you don't see me needing antidepressants.

...

My mother hasn't even been diagnosed by a behavioral psychologist. MEANWHILE, I HAVE. THIS IS THE SAME WOMAN THAT DOESN'T BELIEVE IN MENTAL HEALTH AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE TOO HAS MENTAL HEALTH!?

MOM! ANTIDEPRESSANTS AREN'T JUST FOR DEPRESSION! I HAVE MAJOR ANXIETY I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME HANDLE PEOPLE INTERACTION.

I have a phobia of being in large areas fill/crowded with people. I just can't handle that at all. At my last job, I got overwhelmed to the point that I stop paying attention to my job. Which was bad!

It just got way too much and way too loud for me that I ended up looking around and not at my machine. That's really reckless because these are our client orders that I am possibly ruining by not paying attention.

So ye, I love my mother btw, but it's just... so exhausting having to deal with her and my dad (mostly her). I love my parents and they just want what is best for me like getting my driver's license. That would make my life so much easier and not just transportation-wise but just for everything-wise. But sadly, they stop taking me seriously now when it comes to my mental health.

It's sad to hear I know blah blah blah. I'm gonna work on the bike tomorrow whether they like it or not... If I can reach it, if not, then I'll cry :'|

[suckitsurveys]

What snacks do you like to eat when seeing a movie at the cinema? Popcorn with lotsa butter and a cherry coke. And sour patch kids have been my newest theater snack too.

Have you already had a birthday this year? It’s only January 5th. My birthday isn’t until September 2nd.

What were you doing in 2008? A lot of bullshit on the internet is what I was doing in 2008.

Would you ever wanna be married? I am married.

Do you keep a glass of water by your bed? I keep a reusable bottle of water next to my bed.

If you drive, how old were you when you started to learn? I was 13 when my parents let me drive on vacation in Tennessee around a cemetery. I took drivers’ ed when I was 15-16. Then I didn’t get my license until I was 21.

What’s the temperature where you live today? It’s currently 32F.

Do you rent or own the place you live? Rent.

Have you ever made yourself as a Sim? Nope.

What did you last pack a bag for? I packed a small bag with my Christmas Eve outfit to take over to my Dad’s.

Do you groom your eyebrows? If so, how? I use a little face trimmer thing every once in a while but I usually don’t really care.

Do you have more friends of the same or opposite sex? Same.

What’s the time right now? 9:40am.

Should you be doing something other than this survey right now? Working lol.

Sushi. Yum or yuck? YUMMY. I love sushi so much.

What was the last music you listened to? Harry Styles on my way to work this morning.

Describe your ideal first date. The one my husband and I had.

Have you been anywhere exciting in the last month or so? Not really.

Do you watch TV while you eat? Yeah.

How many rooms are in your house? 1 bedroom. When was the last time you had a sore throat? I had a touch of one right before Christmas.

Do you know anyone whose gender is non-binary? Yes.

Have you ever accidentally called or texted the wrong number? Yeah.

Do you prefer small talk or deep conversations? Depends.

What was the last thing in your house that broke and had to be fixed? The fucking toilet.

What brand is your phone? Samsung.

Describe your favourite outfit. Hoodie and bike shorts. What’s the best city/town you’ve ever lived in? I’ve lived in the city my whole life.

[bitegore]

this is going to sound strange, but does anyone have any resources for like. how to go from being unable to think about the future to being able to think about the future

context being: i'm still unable to convince myself i'll live past 25 (i am 21, that's getting close lmao) nor that next year is a thing that exists. i would like to stop doing that on account of it's very annoying to have to scramble to get things done at last minute every single time because i just can't bring myself to remember that the future will someday be the present and i can just. plan ahead.

[sheyshen]

i hate being an adult sometimes. it’s like, “oh hey, we know you’re buried in med bills and house bills and still waiting on disability and have very little time to get a job to try to actually help blue pay those bills since you’re spending 90% of the day taking care of her, but guess what. the dryers not gonna work either uwu”

[coffeewithcalypso]

My bike has finally come in! Look at this beauty! The basket I ordered was not attached to it but they're gonna fix that when they get some more.

My hope is to be able to ride from my neighborhood to downtown confidentiality. I'm a (long) walking distance from downtown so biking should be plenty easy. I just haven't had a bike in twelve years and have never biked as a means of transport so feeling a bit nervous.

Now if every grown up in my life would stop responding to my excitement with warnings about riding alone/at night because one woman got murdered in this city* a decade ago while riding home, I'd really appreciate it.

*honesty it's a wild story. She was riding home at three in the morning from a friend's and a man slammed into her with his truck and abducted her but ended up killing her and dumping her body right away. Once they caught him though they found driver licenses for other women in his house so they suspected he was a serial killer but then I've never heard another thing about it. I'm still probably going to ride my bike home from bars sometimes, grown ups be damned