#also naming this was a pita so if you read it and have a better suggestion i will literally change the name in your honour | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sneezyminniejo · 1 year

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Sickness Makes New Friends

I noticed that @haywire-official kpop group company had a similar name to mine and it spurred an idea here it is. They will eventually make a part two

It was nearing the end of September and the school year was in full swing. The youngest member of Zodiac had woken up with a cold. He was coughing intermittently during breakfast and Jehyuk insisted on taking Jasper's temperature before he even thought about getting ready for school. The reading came back normal and Jasper went to his room to get ready.

Jasper was at the door, putting on his shoes, when Minseok stopped him holding a glass of water and a pill.

"Wonjae hyung told me to make sure you took some medicine. He also gave me a few travel packs of tissues for you to put in your bag and remind you to wear a mask." Jasper couldn't help but smile a little as he took the medicine. He knows how uncomfortable his Hyung is with germs. He's seen how frequently he avoids Merlin since he seems to get sick once a month. In fact, he's sure Wonjae is going to avoid him until he's better. However, he appreciates how his hyung is still trying to care for him from afar. He put the tissue in his bag and put a mask over his face before leaving for school.

A couple hours later, Jasper was in his third period, and the medicine he had taken was very much beginning to wear off and it was very apparent to him. The first couple of classes he had been fine. The medicine had effectively kept his cough at bay and mostly cleared his sinuses. He needed to occasionally blow his nose, but it was definitely manageable. Now though, the cough was returning, causing him to attempt to clear his throat or drink water so he wouldn’t interrupt the teacher too much. His nose was becoming a veritable faucet and he had removed his mask in favor of keeping tissues pressed to the appendage.

When lunch rolled around, Jasper went straight to the table with a lunchbox, thankful that one of his hyungs decided to pack him a lunch today so he wouldn’t have to stand in line to buy one. He had just unpacked his lunch, when his phone began buzzing. Jasper looked at the caller id and saw that it was Daehyun. “Hi hyung.” He answered, only to break off into a mini coughing fit immediately after.

“Jasper, that didn’t sound great. How’re you feeling?” There was evident concern in his voice.

“I’m fine hyung. Can you thank whichever hyung made my lunch please.” Jasper was truly feeling fine. Sure he was coughing a bit more frequently, but that was only because his medicine had worn off.

“Sure Jas, it w-was HEHSTIEGHHH, HEHSTIEGHHHH. Sorry, Arthur made your lunch today.” Jasper’s brain had clearly slowed down a bit during the morning, because it was very evident that either Arthur or Merlin had made his lunch. Arthur had made the equivalent of those pizza lunchables. He had some pita bread, a small tupperware container of tomato sauce, some pepperoni slices, and several string cheese sticks. For dessert he was given two cups of chocolate pudding. Arthur had also packed a bottle of apple juice. Jasper snorted at that.

“I assume hyung either couldn’t find shredded mozzarella or didn’t feel like pulling apart the cheese he packed me.” Jasper said. Daehyun sounded very confused on the other side. “Hyung packed a make your own pizza.

“Okay. Anyway, how has your day been so far?”

“It’s been okay hyung. We got to make ice cream in science class. English was boring as always. The administration still isn’t letting me transfer out of the class, so I guess that’s going to be my easiest class.” Jasper had contacted the office as soon as he realized he was put in an English class, but the administration kept brushing him off. He’s finally resigned himself to the fact that he’s going to be learning his own language on the technical side. Hopefully they read some interesting books.

“Also, apparently we-hektchhh, hi-ktchhh, heh-ktchhh.” Jasper broke into another mini coughing fit right after sneezing and cleared his throat. “Apparently we’re going to be doing cup stacking in gym class. It’s going to be so much fun, and I’m probably going to blow their minds at the fact that I already know how to do it since I did it in middle school back in America.” Jasper sniffled and grabbed a tissue from his travel pack and blew his nose one handed.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay Jas. Jehyuk and I are free right now if you want one of us to come pick you up.” Jasper couldn’t help but roll his eyes at this.

“Hyung, I’m fine. It’s just a cold. There’s only three hours left of the day. Besides, in one of my classes we’re watching a documentary instead of having a lecture, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“If you’re sure. If something changes, don’t hesitate to call one of your hyungs. Any one of us is willing to come pick you up early if you’re not feeling well.”

“Thanks for the offer hyung. I promise I’m fine. I’ll see you after school.” The call ended shortly after that and Jasper ate his lunch with some of his school friends.

Going to school had been a mistake. Or at least staying the entire day had been. He had truly felt fine at lunch when Daehyun had called him. And even though his hyung said he sounded bad, he was pretty sure he sounded worse than he actually was. Now though, he was feeling significantly worse. He kind of wishes he had medicine on him, but that wasn't permitted on school grounds, so the only medicine he's had is what Minseok gave him that morning.

He'd been coughing throughout his afternoon classes, occasionally having to leave class to get water. He’s pretty sure he missed at least a quarter of the documentary from coughing alone. He was also feeling rather tired, to the extent that he kept spacing out in class. He nearly fell asleep a couple of times during the documentary, and found himself having to put a bit more effort into answering questions his teachers asked him. And he was starting to feel cold, but he didn't have a jacket. Luckily there was only an hour left of school before he could go home.

Jasper’s final period was gym and his intel had been correct. They were doing cup stacking. The teacher had done something a little bit cruel and had all of the set of cup stacks set up in the 3-6-3 starting position and told the group the objective was to go from 3-6-3 to 6-6 to 1-10-1 and back to 3-6-3. It was cruel because the teacher didn’t show how to do anything and just wanted to see what each student would do. Even though his mind had become extremely hazy and he was now sniffling every few seconds, Jasper had managed to do the entire thing in a little under a minute and a half. He would have been faster, but he was interrupted by a mini sneezing and coughing fit. The teacher had been impressed and Jasper wound up having to clumsily explain how he and a bunch of his friends did it in middle school back in the states and he used to do it for fun as well. The class went by relatively quickly because despite being sick, he was thoroughly enjoying getting back into cup stacking.

Even though his energy perked during his final period, Jasper’s energy was now thoroughly depleted. He was very much looking forward to going to either the dorm or the company building. He knew that his hyungs were going to make him rest regardless of which building his manager brought him to, so he truly didn’t care. He was currently outside chatting with his friends, when he got a call from his manager.

“Hello,” He said, his voice audibly confused. The manager should be arriving any minute, so he didn’t know why he was calling.

“So the car broke down on the freeway, and it’ll be at least an hour before a tow truck can get here. The other managers are in a staff meeting and your members are in schedules. You can either call one of your members, get a taxi, or you can wait at a nearby cafe until I can actually pick you up.” Jasper thought for a second. While he knew that any of his members would be more than willing to come pick him up, he didn’t want to interrupt their schedules. Jehyuk was likely in the staff meeting, and he didn’t really know how easily the others would be able to just up and leave their schedule to pick him up from school.

“I’ll get a taxi.” The manager quickly hung up after and Jasper put his phone in his pocket and said goodbye to his friends before approaching the street to hail a taxi. At this point his brain was pretty fried, from being sick, tired, and likely feverish. It took him a moment to realize the taxi driver had no clue what he was saying when he asked to go to Solar System Entertainment. He had forgotten that it was known as Solar System Entertainment internationally, but in Korea it was 태양계. Unfortunately for Jasper he couldn’t remember the company’s Korean name. His mind was also too tired and hazy to think about pulling out his phone to go to papago translate. He racked his brain for the correct name and sighed in relief when he remembered the word.

“우주 Entertainment please.” He said. He relaxed even further when the driver nodded and was able to locate it on the gps. Jasper hooked up his earbuds and decided to listen to music until he arrived at the company. The exhaustion quickly caught up to him and he fell asleep within a couple of minutes.

He found himself being woken up by the taxi driver some time later. He quickly paid the fare and grabbed his bag before exiting the vehicle. He stopped just short of the door to the company, ducking his head into his elbow.

“Hehktchhh, hihktch, heh-hehktchhh, hihktchhh.” He once again broke off into a coughing fit and pulled his water bottle out of his bag taking a few sips before entering the building.

The secretary stopped him before he could get past the front desk, and he didn’t recognize her. He quickly flashed his badge and somewhat clumsily explained that he was the maknae and a foreigner, so to excuse his Korean. He was also congested, which definitely didn’t help with his pronunciation. The secretary smiled and nodded. The secretary barely glanced at his ID and said something about it being her second day and she was still learning the names of the members in the group.

“It’s okay. There are a lot of us.” He was hoping that it came out coherently. His mind and mouth was having a lot of trouble with Korean at this point. He could understand it just fine, but he was way too tired and sick to properly formulate a sentence. Maybe he could just go to one of the studios and take a nap. Or better yet, one of his hyungs will take him home to sleep.

He didn’t realize until he had gotten to the third floor that he was not at his company building. His brain really wasn’t working properly right now. He pulled out his phone to call a manager or one of his hyungs, only to find that it had died during the taxi ride. He somewhat audibly cursed in English, then succumbed to a coughing fit. He pulled out a tissue, only to find out that the travel packs he had been given had run out.

Jasper wiped his nose on his sleeve and slunk down to the floor. He didn’t really know what to do at this point. It would be far too embarrassing to go to the secretary to say “Hey I’m not actually part of this company, can you please get me a ride to my actual company.” He ultimately decided to take out the book they were reading for English. It would take the least amount of brain power. Shortly after he took out his book, his nose began itching intensely.

“Heh-ktchhh, hihctchhh, hehktchhh, hihktchhh, hehktchhhh, heh-hihktchhh. Jasper sighed as he sniffled thickly, he just wanted tissues and a nap, maybe some soup. But he was lost and had none of those things. Instead of reading, he wound up staring at his book as tears began flowing from his eyes.

#zodiac kpop group

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seeingteacupsindragons · 8 months

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I hope you're feeling better tonight!

I was just wondering (and I feel like I should/did know the answer to this, but it's escaping me atm), have you ever considered putting original shorts like Ceiling Fan to the Heart or maybe the technomancer stories on AO3? Just like, as a place to share anything that isn't going to be a full book but that you're still excited to have people read? I suppose without also doing some fanfic it might be tricky to get traction there, but I know I at least would be excited to signal boost stuff. (Also if you had an account I could gift you stuff there. 🥰 Though of course I can and will tag you here!) IDK, I'd just think it'd be great to see your writing out there on a platform that's more conducive to long thorough comments than tumblr is.

Ah, I feel weird putting non-fandom things on AO3. I know some people do and that's cool, but it would feel weird for me to do it. I did used to post things on Fictionpress, although I've since taken all of that down. The account is still up, but it's empty.

I'm really more likely to throw them up on a "Freebies" section of my author website once I make one, or format them as "pay what you want" ebooks or something. I've thought a lot about what to do with things like that, and I think that's currently where I'm at with 'em.

I have considered putting my meta on AO3, as I believe it counts as a transformative work, even if I don't think anyone's going to read meta on AO3 really. But I've mostly decided that sounds like a PITA and keep my meta saved to my hard drive when I want to keep them (most of them).

Also, I do actually have an AO3 account. It's just intentionally uncoupled from the rest of myself. So if I want to talk to an author or something about things unrelated to a particular fic or I want them to know I, specifically, as a person, said it, I'll log out and make an anon comment with my online name, or reach out to the author on another platform. So I'd probably have to make a whole new account to post things.

So that's the state of that, I guess!

(Also the soreness is way better and insurance is getting into gear so that's been really helpful)

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msbarrows · 2 years

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Have made a good start on the new save game. Took two tries, the first one I spawned in an already-discovered system where the person who found it had given the planets really stupid names, and I noped out of it within a few minutes.

Next try was an undiscovered system, so I quite happily kept going, even after the frozen planet I’d started on proved to have so few real plants that gathering carbon for one of the “let’s get off this place” quests proved to be very much a PITA. But I persevered and made it to a different planet in system - desert planet - and things have rolled along much better since.

After running around gathering resources for a while I picked a pretty random spot (”Oooo, big stand of echinocactus there, and a small lake just down the hill, that’ll do”) for my base location. I’m mostly building just what I need to in order to progress through the base building quest lines - I’ll do a post about the base itself later, as I’m just taking a break from play before diving back into getting all the workstations and personnel for it. Have the overseer, scientist, and armourer set up and throwing quests at me already, and have gathered the stuff I need for the farmer, after which there’s just the mechanic to go.

Already well into the Artemis quest line also, just started the Atlas one, and this time I noticed I had a void egg after visiting the Nexus so I’m currently running around to gather the stuff for its first maturation. (I suspect I didn’t notice the egg last time, thought it was just random loot from somewhere, and sold it, oops.) Since the void egg quest line takes several days to run through, and you have to be in Euclid for the hatching, I figure I’ll aim to move galaxies after that’s done. Which means I’ll be in Euclid for about 5-6 days if I’m reading the wiki entry about the Starbirth quest correctly.

One nice thing I noticed when hitting up the Nexus - Quicksilver purchases are apparently tied to your login, not just a particular save, so everything I already bought from doing Nexus quests? Still available. That’s a nice feature and a big relief.

Speaking of Nexus quests, I lucked out and managed to snag Ancient Bones for today; clearing out 12 inventory slots for it was annoying, but the amount of units I raked in from selling off all the bones afterwards enabled me to go starship hunting. Nicely timed too, as I’d just hit the quest that takes you to a pirate system, and pirate systems are of course where solars are to be found. Spotted one I was strongly tempted by - near twin of my Polar Wind, except cream instead of white, no idea on the solar sail shape/colour - and then while checking other solar ships while waiting for an A or S of it to land, tripped over a pale turquoise and cream S class that was well under how much cash I had on hand, and had enough slots more than my starter ship that I could cram in the cadmium and emeril warp drives without having to do slot upgrades first (needed the emeril drive to reach the star system where the void egg quest wanted me to go). So I figure to use that ship for the next day or three, until I have the ability to portal to where I can get my favourite of my previous ships, and then trade it in for the model I prefer.

Have been throwing money at buying drop pod coordinates; have already expanded my suit’s inventory by about 30 spaces and have 20+ coordinates still to use up; there’s a small trading settlement just a couple of hills over from my base that very conveniently has a regularly refreshing stock of 177 of them. Not bothering with grinding storage space on my current starships, not when I don’t plan to be using either of them for more than a day or five. I do plan to hold onto my starter ship this time, at least for a while - it may eventually get traded off, if I ever hit the point of having 6 starships and see a 7th I badly want, or if it turns out to be the ship my save wants to default to loading after every time I salvage a wreck (because just no - not attached to it enough to put up with that level of annoyance).

#No Man's Sky #Time for adventure!#Starships #Euclid Galaxy

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ramuneempiremtl · 1 month

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Slave-kun's Happy Life in Another World: Chapter 13

Looking around the room, I noticed clothes strewn across the bed.

Oh, ho.

May I do the laundry? I'm going to do it anyway.

I think it's wrong to dangle work in front of me like a carrot.

From here on, it's time for the slaves to show their true colors.

In the bathroom, I knead the collected sheets and pillowcases in a water ball conjured by magic. The linens swirl around inside the giant water sphere. It looks so refreshing.

Instead of detergent, I use "purification" to clean them, and then I separate them from the laundry by imagining the water I was manipulating being drawn out. This way, they'll dry wrinkle-free and crisp. I drain the extracted water into the bathroom drain.

In this world, lazy people get by with just "purification" for laundry. But washing with water feels better, somehow.

I step out onto the balcony to let the linens get some sunlight… Oh, but I wasn't supposed to leave the room. The balcony is part of the room. No problem there.

The clothes are the same way… no, I wash them individually for each person. Anything that might bleed color gets "purification" only.

I don't know how to fold the washed clothes. I just lay them out neatly on their respective beds.

Haaaa────！！

I'm filled with a sense of elation from a job well done. When I'm on a worker's high, I don't need "powder."

This is how slaves should be.

I start cleaning, riding the momentum.

When I say cleaning, I don't mean using a rag or a broom. I leave it to the convenient magic "Purification." It's easy as long as you have the magic power.

I wonder if I'll get yelled at for cleaning the inn without permission. I think I'd only get yelled at if I made a mess, not if I cleaned.

I'm going to clean. I'm going to do it anyway.

I spread the magic of "purification" across the floor, imagining myself mopping.

"Purification" is a convenient magic that breaks down dirt and germs into something like magic power, but if I'm not careful, it can even strip off a little paint. It takes quite a bit of concentration.

I "purify" the floorboards, getting into every nook and cranny. I also "purify" the drains in the bath and toilet, going deep inside.

I polish everything except the kitchen and Aki's belongings. I avoid the fermented foods, as I shouldn't clean the yeast.

In truth, "purification" is a magic I named myself. I haven't properly tested its effects, so I have to be careful.

Riding the wave, I finish cleaning, polishing every corner of the walls and the beams on the ceiling.

I look around the room, savoring the sense of accomplishment from finishing.

Yes, it's much brighter now.

The walls are clearly a shade brighter, and the air even feels cleaner.

A perfect job.

…Maybe I overdid it.

The difference in efficiency between doing a job while bracing myself for violence and not is incredible, so I just…

It's like a miracle to be able to live so peacefully.

In the afternoon, I decided to take it easy, eating the lunch that had been prepared and looking through the reading material the master had left.

Lunch is a pita bread sandwich with various things stuffed into the thin bread. It's delicious.

I get excited when I find something like thin ham inside, but then my spirits plummet when I find something bitter.

This body must have a child's palate, because it can't handle bitter things. I used to love bitter things!

I drink some water conjured by magic and clean my hands and the plate with "purification" before picking up the book on the table.

The book is bound a little differently than the ones I remember.

The paper is probably plant paper?

I turn the cover, which has some unreadable characters written on it, and am met with a colorful picture of a creature.

The master must have left an animal encyclopedia. This looks fun.

They look somewhat similar to Earth animals, but they're slightly different. For example, there's one with a tiger-like pattern but a lion-like mane. There's also a lizard with webbed wings. I wonder if there are dragons in this world.

The creatures get larger and larger with each page I turn.

And then I realize.

This isn't an animal encyclopedia, it's a monster encyclopedia. Each creature is depicted with some kind of ominous aura-like effect. Next to each one is a drawing of what looks like a stone, its size and material, and a method for dismantling it.

In this world, there are creatures called "monsters" that are different from animals, and at their heart there is a spiky stone called a crystal. This crystal is the power source for various convenient gadgets.

I knew about this crystal because I used crushed stones in my lamp when I was in the mansion. I had no idea it was taken from so many different monsters.

I became quite engrossed in looking through the encyclopedia.

I'll definitely need this kind of knowledge, since I'll be traveling with a party of adventurers.

I'm grateful for the master's exquisite choice. I thought he was a good-for-nothing, but I'll have to change my opinion.

But it's frustrating not being able to read the words.

I wonder if I could ask him to teach me.

Suddenly, the hallway becomes noisy.

Before I knew it, the sun was starting to set.

It looks like everyone's back.

I should go greet them.

"We're back. Were you a good boy… Huh? What's this! Where are we!?"

"Whaaat? …Did we go to the wrong room?"

You're in the right place.

The two who had come in left the room again and closed the door.

Maybe I did overdo it with the cleaning after all.

#slave-kun

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everlarkbirthdaygifts · 4 years

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Happy Birthday, everybirdfellsilent!

Happy belated Birthday, @everybirdfellsilent! Apologies once again for all the mix-ups and confusion with your gift! I hope you had a truly wonderful day back when it actually was your birthday, and that it was much more orderly than this! To bring the party feels back, @ally147writes has emerged from everlark retirement to write a birthday gift just for you!

AN: Let me tell you, @everybirdfellsilent, I agonised over the ending. This was the neatest and tidiest I could make it without writing you a novel. I hope it makes you chuckle a little.

Also a good time to let the audience know that I cannot write horror, or ghost stories, but dang it, I can write borderline crack, and I wanted to write Buzzfeed Unsolved-inspired ghosthunter!everlark so damn much.

Unbeta’d, because that’s how I roll.

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

The old Undersee mansion doesn’t look haunted.

Not that that really means anything. Most of the houses they’ve visited over the years haven’t looked haunted. They’ve been completely normal — except for that one in District Ten that had some kind of summoning circle in the basement (Peeta will die hoping it was drawn with red paint, a super weird kid’s project, but he’s got a feeling he’ll be dying disappointed. And extremely terrified) — with completely normal gardens in completely normal streets.

So, no. Like most, the old Undersee mansion doesn’t look haunted, but it definitely feels haunted.

Peeta pauses at the bottom of the winding path. At its end, atop a small hill, the innocuous house sits empty, Madge and her family out for the next few nights while he and Katniss investigate. It’s as normal looking as any of the other exorbitantly large mansions on the street, but the longer Peeta stares down the deceptively cheerful, sunshine-yellow door, a deep, intense foreboding settles in his gut and ferments there.

He swallows. “Uh, Kat?”

Katniss sighs and stops at the first step to the porch, and Peeta swears he can hear her eyes rolling. Hard. “What is it, Peeta?”

“I just… I got a real bad feeling about this one.”

“Peeta,” she starts, mounting the first step, “you’ve had real bad feelings about all of them so far. And you’ve been wrong every time.”

“No,” he replies quickly, following behind in the relative safety of her shadow. “You’ve just chosen to deny whatever proof we do find.”

“A battery running out in our flashlight does not mean ghosts were playing with it.”

“It ran out at the exact moment I told the spirits to turn it off!”

“I don’t know how else to tell you that was a coincidence. The flashlight had been on for a good two hours by that point.”

“A little convenient, don’t you think? Come on, Katniss. Plus, it turned right back on again when we were done, so the battery can’t have been that damn flat.”

“I can’t understand why you’re so eager for this all to be the work of ghosts when it scares you shitless every single time.”

“What about the time the spirit box said your name?”

“Peeta,” she says with a strained laugh. “It said, Can’t Miss. As in, the District 12 Mockingjays Can’t Miss. It was a snippet of a goddamn basketball ad. It’s on the radio all the time on game days.”

“Yeah, and the spirit box allows ghosts to use radio waves to communicate. Of course it wasn’t going to find Katniss — who the hell’s advertising katniss? — so it picked the next best thing.”

“I’ll just sit here and wait for them to use a snippet of a pita bread company ad to talk to you, then.”

He glares at the back of her head. “I’m sure they would, if there was a pita factory nearby that advertised.”

She rolls her eyes. “Come on, Peeta. Let’s go find you a ghost.” She lifts a camera to her eyes and kicks the heavy mahogany door open and flicks on the gently swinging chandelier light.

“Ghosts, spirits, urban legends and other assorted demonic entities, how are we all this evening?”

“Katniss,” he hisses as he closes the door. “Some respect, maybe?”

“What part was disrespectful? I covered, well, maybe not the full the spectrum of possible occupants, but definitely most of them, and asked how they were. Honestly if they’re not going to reply, they’re the disrespectful ones, not me.”

The light flickers out. Katniss snorts. Peeta lets out a squeak he’s not proud of.

“She doesn’t mean it,” Peeta calls frantically. “For the love of God, she doesn’t mean it. I’m sure you’re all lovely and polite.”

The light flickers weakly and comes back on. The chandelier fitting swings like a pendulum, casting stretching and receding shadows over the white-sheet covered lounges and a thick, dark coffee table.

“What the hell do you call that, Katniss?”

“Shoddy wiring?” She shrugs. “Peeta, this house is about a century old. Probably more, actually.”

“Madge said it was renovated and rewired two years ago.”

She shrugs again. “Rats? Raccoons, maybe? That would explain the supposedly unexplainable shuffling sounds Madge thinks she hears.”

Now he rolls his eyes. “Why am I married to you, again?”

“Because divorce is costly and time consuming,” she says, kissing his cheek. “Besides, my logic goes well with your fatalistic romanticism.”

“None of that’s going to matter when this house goes all Poltergeist and swallows us.”

“Then what a good thing it is that that’s never going to happen.” She plonks herself down on one of the lounges and sets a pair of small motion-sensing cameras pointing at each entrance. Peeta swallows and hitches a thumb towards the kitchen.

“I’m… uh, gonna look around for a bit.”

“All right,” Katniss says absently. “Scream if you need me.”

“Will do.”

That dread in his stomach recedes and grows with each room he enters. He doesn’t feel anything wrong with the kitchen, or the dining room, but as he ventures up the staircase to the bedrooms, he swears he can feel something weighty on his shoulders.

A sound like a dry, rattling whisper like nails on paper echoes through the long hall leading to the attic entrance. Peeta gulps. “Hello?” He thumbs open the recording app on his phone and turns it on. “Is anyone there?”

The whispering sound grows. It doesn’t sound like words, exactly. At least, not words that he knows. They race up and along his spine until it sounds like they’re shouting in his ear.

Peeta squeaks, jumps about a foot in the air, and something skitters past, too fast to see. A wave of cold washes over him, settling in icicles on his bones, and for a moment he stands stock still, not even breathing…

Another whisper, one that sounds very, unnervingly close to hello, and he sprints back down the stairs to the living room, triggering the motion sensors into a high-pitched beeping sound.

Katniss bolts upright. “What the hell is going on?”

“Kat, were you… God, were you sleeping?” he asks, aghast.

“What? It’s boring down here.” She blinks blearily up at him. “Are you okay?”

“There… there’s something up there.”

“Something as in actually something? Or something like your imagination run wild?”

“Something like… it was making the strangest whispery, scratchy noises. I thought they were words, but… and then, something just… ran right past me. I didn’t see, but it was so so fast, and I —”

“Peeta, it’s probably vermin. And the wind. And just… a bit of everything coming together to make you think it’s ghosts when it’s… just, not.”

But his hands are shaking, and his pulse is more like one long thud instead of lots of little ones. “I just… I don’t…”

She rolls her eyes. “Would it make you feel better if I went and checked? You can stay here with these stupid motion sensors; they’re only picking up bugs, anyway.”

“No. No, I’ll go with you,” he says, setting a fist against his chest like that’ll do any good against his heart’s very valiant escape attempt. “Just in case.”

“Right,” she drawls, “just in case the wind gets me.”

He follows a step behind her, through the kitchen, down the corridor, and up the stairs. He doesn’t feel quite as heavy this, time, either. She cracks open every door they pass, six unused bedrooms, three bathrooms, two studys, and a small library, all silent. They’re left with one room at the very end. As she opens the final door, the whispering starts again, and a low moan like racing wind echoes.

She steps in, and he turns on the light. The room is huge, but full. A writing desk sits in the far corner, and a neatly-made four-poster bed occupies the other corner. Beside the door, a seated vanity with a wide, oval mirror wiped free of dust. On its table, a collection of large and small hairbrushes, and an open box filled with tangled threads and needles and buttons and snippets of fabric. But none of those things holds Peeta’s focus for long.

Instead, he stares at a wide cabinet spanning nearly the whole length of the back wall, covered so densely in dolls of every conceivable material, fabric and wool, porcelain and plastic. The whispering is almost deafening, and every time Peeta turns his head to look somewhere else, he could swear the dolls are twitching, blinking, watching.

“Did, uh, Madge ever mention the doll collection?”

Katniss scowls at the dolls. “She might’ve? I don’t really remember.”

“Oh, I don’t think you would have forgotten something like this,” Peeta retorts.

“I… well, yeah, this is definitely weird, but I don’t think we can call it haunted, or otherworldly.”

“What the hell else would you call it?”

“Any number of perfectly reasonable and logical things, Peeta. Mrs. Undersee likes weird, creepy dolls; what more can you say?”

“Don’t call them weird and creepy.” He sets a finger against her lips. “I’ve read about haunted dolls. If you’re not respectful, they might curse you.”

She rolls her eyes, but nods all the same. He doesn’t take his eyes off hers as he lowers his finger and shoves his hands in his pockets.

He turns back to the dolls, and clears his throat. “Uh, we mean no harm or anything. It’s just… you’ve kind of been terrifying my friend and her parents, and we’d like you to please stop. Please.”

Katniss whispers, “You already said please.”

“Can’t hurt to say it twice.”

“Did you bring the, uh… the thing? You know, the thing that reads the waves or whatever it was?”

He shoots her a dour look. “You mean the EMF?”

“Yeah, that. Do you have it?”

“No, I don’t.” He sighs. “It would have been in the pack with the motion sensors, so it’s still downstairs.”

“Spirit box?”

“In the pack, too.”

She surveys him strangely, arms crossed over her chest. “You really didn’t come prepared, did you?”

“I was prepared! I just… didn’t think I’d be accosted in the very first hallway I went into.”

She snorts. “Yeah, well, maybe next time you’ll think —” She stops, freezes, eyes riveted on something Peeta can’t see. His heart thumps harder and louder than he’s ever felt before.

“Uh, Katniss? Is something wrong.”

“Peeta,” she says, deadpan.

“What?”

“Look over there, in the gap between the cabinet and the desk. See that?”

He does see that. He backs up so hard he’s going to have a massive bruise on his ass from the vanity he’s just about knocked over. “Holy shi — Are those… are those eyes?”

“Yeah, they’re eyes. You wanna know what kind of eyes?” She picks up a hairbrush from the vanity stand next to them and hurls it at the gap.

“Goddamn raccoon eyes, Peeta,” she says as the small pack of raccoons scatter. “There’s probably holes in the drywall or something, hence your scratchy whispers.”

“I… oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Raccoons, Peeta. Ninety-five percent of the time, it’s probably rats or raccoons.”

“It wasn’t rats or raccoons in that place in District 10.”

“That… was an outlier of a house, I’ll give you that, but it was probably still just people. Very strange, very creepy people.” She nudges him gently with her elbow and cocks her head to the door. “Come on, we should try and see if we can find the holes they were coming in through.”

“You want to do home repairs?”

“Hey, we promised Madge an exorcism, didn’t we? This is just a different kind of exorcism.”

She hooks her arm in his, and they leave the doll room together. A sound like bye follows them out, but this time he can ignore it. Raccoons. Obviously.

“Why do you come with me to these things?” he asks when they reach the bottom of the stairs.

“Peeta,” she says seriously. “Know that I say this with all the love in my heart… you would die if I didn’t come with you.”

“If I did die, I would so mercilessly haunt your ass.”

She pats his arm, shakes her head. “No, you wouldn’t, Peeta. Ghosts aren’t real.”

#everlark #everlark fanfiction #everlarkbirthdaydrabbles #everlarkbirthdaygifts #fan fic #by ally147writes

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mame-bean · 3 years

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Basic summary of One Percent and some Rai headcanons!

One Percent is a soft romance and slice of life story that follows Rai Mamezuku, starting out during his school years and progressing through the early part of his adult life, with his adult years being the largest chunk of the ongoing story.

I do keep to the canon story in some aspects, such as his parents both being killed by WoU when he’s fourteen, but I’ve altered some things with the intention of giving him a happier and less lonely life.

I like the idea of him being taken in by Norisuke after the deaths of his parents, where the Higashikatas become like family to him. He respects Norisuke as a father figure, and becomes much like another older brother to Hato, Joshu, and especially little Daiya who he develops a very sweet relationship to. The romance aspect of this story is between Rai and Jobin, who have been close friends since they were eight (another divergence from canon because it makes more sense to me, considering they’re pretty much the same age and most likely would have gone to school together)

Aside from the Higashikatas being his new much larger family, and Jobin as his closest friend and love interest, he also makes friends with a girl named Sora as well as Yoshikage Kira. Sora is in the same class as he and Jobin, and dated Jobin just before the start of the main story with the hope of actually being noticed by Rai, but with no such luck. Despite her failed attempt to gain his interest romantically, she becomes a good friend to both him and Jobin. Though Kira is a few years younger, when they encounter him they discover that he, like them, is a stand user, which is what brings them together as eventual friends.

Of course, the story is a romance, and Rai and Jobin begin dating when Rai is fourteen (before his parents deaths), they stay together through high school and after graduation. When Rai is about to turn twenty is when Jobin decides to take the risk and buy a home for the both of them (a lovely villa in the countryside, close to the mountain that Rai works on) and proposes to him the first day he brings him to their surprise new home. 💕

I have quite a few personal headcannons for Rai that come into play during the story and are a big part of how I interpret his character and personality. It’s pretty clear to me that he’s neurodivergent, likely somewhere on the autism spectrum (like me), so I hint at some of his quirks, triggers, and struggles throughout the story and how Jobin learns all of these things, how to understand him, comfort him, and work with him.

I also headcannon him as being a demiromantic asexual. As an aromantic asexual myself it feels like a very possible orientation for him to me based on his character and temperament. Based on what we know about him it can definitely be assumed that he’s never been in a relationship in canon, nor does he seem to have any romantic or sexual interests, being that he’s kept almost entirely to himself for at least 14 years, lol. So, asexual? It’s definitely possible. I based the demiromantic part on what he expresses of his relationships to other people. Rai doesn’t trust people and refuses to engage with people until he decides they’re trustworthy. Once they’ve gained his trust, he’s exceedingly loyal and becomes attached to them, as he does with Josuke. If he’s like this when it comes to friendships, it’s safe to say he would be even more cautious when it comes to romantic relationships, and it is unlikely that he would experience romantic attraction until he built a very close friendship with a person first.

Rai’s personality in One Percent-

I tried to keep pretty close to his canon personality, just expanding on it. So, in the story, he’s fairly awkward and antisocial towards most people. He typically seems almost perpetually grumpy and unimpressed with everything and everyone, never smiles or laughs (at least not quite like most people), and feels unapproachable to most. He struggles to connect with others, has a hard time communicating his emotions, and is often misunderstood as being rude and uncaring. In reality, he’s quite sensitive and requires encouragement and validation from the few he trusts. He can be stubborn, arrogant, logical to a fault, and difficult to fully understand his true intentions, all of which make him a challenge to work with and befriend, especially when combined with his naturally suspicious nature and distrust towards people in general.

But these things are only a fraction of him, and once his trust has been earned he shows much more of his deeper traits. He’s incredibly loyal, willing to do anything for those he loves, even die for them. He will stand by his loved ones even if there is nothing for him to gain from it personally, even if he doesn’t fully understand... if it’s important to them, it’s important to him, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. He is honest and observant, you never have to worry or wonder about how he thinks or feels about something, and he’s never the type to lie or be manipulative, he’ll always be straightforward and genuine. You can trust him with anything, and he’s a good friend to go to for advice since he’s very smart and logical (just... don’t go to him if you’re only wanting someone to tell you what you want to hear and spare you the hard truth, lol). Rai loves deeply when he finds people that he considers his friends and family, and though he isn’t very expressive about it with his words, he conveys his love with his actions. He loves to cook for his friends, making their favorites often, and tends to express himself through giving them gifts and making things for them. He is quite thoughtful and enjoys doing nice and helpful things for the people he cares about. Because of his observant nature and great memory and attention to detail, he is fantastic at remembering “the little things” about people. He’ll remember all the little things someone likes and dislikes, their favorite colors, shows, books, foods, their favorite flower, whether they get cold easy or if they’re uncomfortable with a specific sound or texture, everything. He can tell exactly how someone is feeling just by looking at them, nothing gets passed him. All of these traits make him a friend to really treasure, because friends like him truly are difficult to find, so his friendship is well worth the effort. 💕

Though Rai is fairly antisocial, he’s certainly not shy. He’s self-confident and can be very chatty, especially when it comes to any of his special interests. He is authentically himself, and entirely unapologetic about it. He tends to be quite chill and laid back, with an energy level on the low side. Too much chaos and drama exhausts him quickly, so he avoids it as much as possible, and tends to dislike people who are overly emotional or dramatic. He likes to take life at a slower pace, which is why he finds joy in nature and the “simpler” pleasures of life, such as gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, crafting... he’s just a peaceful soul, and would prefer the world around him to be that way as much as possible.

It’s obvious that he loves nature and plants, but he also gets along well with animals and enjoys taking care of them. He can connect with and understand animals better than people most of the time, and finds comfort knowing that animals don’t judge him or misunderstand him the way that humans do. He keeps cows and chickens that forage freely on the mountain, and has one special chicken in particular that he and Jobin keep as a pet at their home. Why special? Well, because she has a stand! I’ll tell more about Pita and her stand, “How Bizarre,” another time. 🐓💕

So anyway, if you actually read through this far I am glad that someone out there is as big of a fan of Rai as I am and hope you enjoyed my headcanons, and maybe you’ll enjoy my fanfic One Percent 🥰

#my ramblings #one percent #rai mamezuku #sorry this is so long #just kinda wanted to tell about my story #and some headcanons I have for Rai

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rainydaysofspring · 4 years

Text

My first ever fic on here...

Prompt: She had a bad day and just needed something to make it better. Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Dr. Liliana Summers) Trigger warnings: mentions of death, poorly written medical procedures, Angst and fluff

Word Count: 1.6k

All Liliana wanted was, for this day to be finally over. Ever since she got up this morning in her bedroom, the day has just been getting worse and worse. It seemed like every minute, something went wrong.

It all started with her favorite light blue pair of scrubs, with her name embroidered, getting stained when she spilled her coffee this morning and her, not having enough time on her hands to get changed again. When she left her apartment, she noticed she had forgotten her keys, but of course, after she closed the door. Her only option was to go home with one of her roommates later on or to get there after either Aurora or Sienna went to their flat since both of them had shorter shifts today. The T was hopelessly overcrowded, the guy behind her eyeing her as if she would be a raw slice of meat. If only he knew she had a boyfriend much, much better than him. The thought of Ethan, already at work, made her grumpy state a little bit better, the thought of seeing him in a few minutes even more. She left the train and walked to the hospital, however it started pouring rain the second she stepped off the roofed area. She had the choice between being late and staying dry. If Zaid ever found out, she was late, he would be chewing her out again. So, she took option b: Getting soaked, but being on time.Steeping foot in the atrium of Edenbrook, Liliana was completely drenched in water, her scrubs ruined even more. She somehow got to the locker room without drawing too much attention to her by waiting patients and their families and changed into a fresh and, more importantly, dry pair of scrubs.

Luckily the resident survived rounds, without any further disturbances, so she almost thought her bad day would take a turn for the better. That thought was made way to early, how she noticed later.Liliana saw, that all her regular patients were stable and taken care of, she decided to put in a few hours at the free clinic. The halls were full, as always. When she got to one of the nurses, she assigned a few patients to her, the first one was a nice kid with a high fever. The child's mother also described that the toddler couldn't keep any food down. Liliana quickly diagnosed the girl with the stomach flu and was on her way to the next patient. That's how the hours went by, stepping from one patient to another, nothing majorly dramatic.

But then, her last patient proved again, what this day was: horrible.As Liliana entered the room and introduced herself, she wasn't greeted with the patient telling her what's wrong, instead, he complained about almost everything." I came here three hours ago, I'm an emergency, I need to be taken care of immediately." Liliana tried to reason with him and to explain to him, that their nurses decide who sees a Doctor first based on the severity of the case, not on the time the patients have spent waiting. "Then your nurses are either blind or didn't get proper education! Don't you see that I'm an emergency?" The resident remembered Mr. Platt, the giant PITA she had to treat in her intern year. The man in front of her had a great resemblance to him, in how he spoke to her. When asked, what his symptoms were, her patient just showed her his hand, where she saw a light burn. So much for the emergency, she thought. While treating the injury, the man complained several times more, either about how something the Doctor did wasn't to his liking or how Liliana didn't look like a doctor, more than a nurse. When he brought that up, in combination with the words "hot" and "sexy" she was disappointed that Ethan was not around, his response might have made the patient shut up and learn some respect for the work of both, nurses and doctors. She finally finished his treatment and left the free clinic for today.

Walking up to the diagnostics floor, she thought about Ethan and how she hadn't seen him the whole day long. That fact alone made her mood go down a few inches more. After she checked all of her other patients again, she decided she would visit someone.She eventually made it to the pediatric wing to see on one of her former patients who she formed a bond with, a 9-year old girl named Amelia. Liliana diagnosed her a while ago with cancer, staying with her through her first chemotherapy was certainly the start of a great friendship with the little girl. Anytime she swung by, even just to say hello, a smile formed on the lips of the 9-year-old, she was happy to see her favorite doctor in the hospital. Liliana's main goal was, to cheer her up a bit since hospitals and chemotherapy were certainly scary for a girl that age.She went to her usual room, Number 159, just to find the bed empty. An uneasy feeling crept up her spine on her way to the nurse's station. She asked Lynn, her favorite nurse on the pediatric team, about Amelia and the answer could've made her cry right there, in the middle of the ward."Amelia died last night. She fought so hard, but the cancer was too strong, poor thing." Crushed, Liliana quickly thanked Lynn and excused herself.

She eventually reached the locker room and was relieved, when she found it empty. Enough time to calm down a bit and then finally go home and lay in her bed. The moment she sat down on the bench, her pager went off. "What on earth now? I wanna go home!" she exclaimed. The message on the pager read: "Car Crash, multiple vehicles. All hands on deck." With a groan, Liliana stepped out in the halls again and made her way down the pit. When she arrived, all she found was controlled chaos. Paramedics wheeling new patients in, many of them in critical condition. She sprung into action and commanded her intern, Esme, to do triage, just like she had to last year.

The resident took a patient herself, a woman in her late 30s, with a shard of glass stuck in her abdomen. She was unconscious, intubated, but stable, for the moment. The resident, along with several other doctors begun to treat her, when suddenly, she heard a loud beeping sound echo through the room. Someone yelled "CODE BLUE, CODE BLUE!" ´, while Liliana already sprung into action and began chest compressions on the woman. Another doctor grabbed paddles, in the team they tried to get her heart back to beating.After 62 Minutes of doing CPR and trying to bring the patient back, they gave up. Someone called the dreadful words "Time of Death: 10.17 p.m.” and slowly, the room got emptier until it was just her in there.

The second loss this day hit her hard. Harder, then it should, she knew that herself.She heard the door open but didn't care who entered. Ines' voice spun her out of her trance, slowly getting her back to reality. "Liliana, how long have you been here? You look tired." Her voice, filled with concern rang out. Liliana did not answer, she just shook her head. "Go home. We've got the situation under control, you can end the day." Ines told her. While muttering a quick "Thank you", Liliana left the room and didn't even care to change out of her work clothes, just grabbing her things and getting on the T.She drove a few stops further, then she needed to for her apartment, since the only thing she wanted after this day, was to see Ethan.

While getting off the T and walking to Ethans Home, Liliana couldn't hold her tears in anymore.She finally reached the apartment complex he lived in and rang the bell. A confused voice answered, but when he was greeted with your sobs only and a quiet "It's me.", he opened up immediately. Liliana took the stairs and finally stood in front of the man she loved, whos presence she needed so much after the day she has had. "Lili. What happened?" Hearing the nickname only made her cry more, her sobs limiting her ability to breathe. Liliana stepped into the flat, being greeted by a happy Jenner, who jumped at her legs. Ethan closed the door, approaching his girlfriend cautiously, he didn't want to startle her. After Jenner was done with his greeting, Ethan slowly came nearer and just engulfed Liliana in a hug.

On that feeling, the young doctor in his arms almost crumbled. They both fell to the ground, when Liliana's legs gave out under her, the exhaustion and sadness of this day taking over her body completely. Ethan pressed her head against his shoulder, stroking her hair gently, muttering things like "It's gonna be okay." When she didn't seem to calm down and started hyperventilating, even more, he picked her head up from his shoulder and cupped it with his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Lili. Calm down, breathe with me, okay? I need you to take a deep breath." As she tried her best, Ethan continued to encourage her, watching her slowly calming down. A while later, when the tears stopped cascading down Liliana's Cheeks, he picked her up bridal style and carried her over, into his bedroom, slowly laying her down on the soft mattress. The feeling of the soft fabric under her made her realize how tired she was. Ethan got into bed next to her, watching his girl as she drifted away, into a peaceful sleep she desperately needed.

So, what do you think? My first upload with my own writing, I finally did it. I apologize if any grammar errors are in there, I tried my best and English is not my native language.

Love, Lili

#open heart #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan jonah ramsey #mc #prompt #angst #fluff #romance

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awfdawef · 3 years

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On days like this the Wall was beautiful

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atomic-taco-muffin · 3 years

Text

The Lost Princess Chapter 26

Warnings: I no longer know

Rating: SFW

You and the group entered Olympus Coliseum and came to the Coliseum gates. Donald saw a nearby notice board and ran over to it.

“Look, an announcement!” he said. You, Sora, and Goofy joined him. Jiminy jumped out and jumped up and down to read the board.

“Hmmm... It's for some sort of contest. They're calling it the ‘Olympus Coliseum Survival Cup.’ Contenders have to run an obstacle course, battling each other along the way. And listen to this: ‘The great hero Hercules will also compete for the Cup.’ It says here he's never been beaten,” he said.

“Sounds like fun. Why don't we enter, too?” Sora said.

“Yeah! Let’s do it!” you said.

“I thought you two would say that. Whenever there's a contest, you're rarin' to join up,” Goofy said.

“You're going to compete even if we don't, right?” Donald said.

“Uh-huh!” You and Sora said.

“Guess we'd better tag along, then.” Jiminy jumped.

“Hold it, everyone. There's more...” he jumped again.

“’Only contenders who finish the preliminary course may enter the main competition.’” he jumped again.

“It says the preliminary course is just ahead.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!” you said. You and the gang then left. Hades appeared and read the announcement board.

“‘Hercules is a model of true strength and gallantry---the perfect hero’?!” he said. Hades turned red, overcome with anger.

“Oh, he's perfect, all right. PERFECTLY INFURIATING!! Just thinking about that little sunspot makes me boil! HOO, I'd like to drag him into the Underworld!” he yelled.

“Which is why you hired me,” someone said. Cloud entered and walked up to Hades.

“That's right. You're my man... Cloud, is it? Your job is to beat Hercules in the games. And once you've got him cornered... ...finish the job. Do that for me, and---” Hades said.

“You restore my lost memories. As we agreed,” Cloud said.

“You have my word.” Cloud then left. Meanwhile, you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the Coliseum lobby and met Phil.

“Huh? Where did you come from? Don't tell me you guys finished the prelims!” Phil said.

“We sure did. And now we want to go for the Cup!” you said.

“Well, you came to the right place. Not that you stand a chance against Herc.”

“Why not?” Donald asked.

“Two words. You ain't heroes!” Phil said.

“You’re wrong!” Sora said.

“Yeah, he said three words,” Goofy said.

“Exactly...but that's not the point! How can we prove we're heroes unless you give us a chance?” Hercules suddenly walked in..

“He's right, Phil. They cleared the prelims. I think they deserve a shot,” he said.

“Hmm...you got a point there, Herc. But still---” Phil said.

“Of course, we could always cancel the games.”

“Cancel them? What for?” you asked.

“Old Phil's prelim course was so hard, no one else could finish it.”

“Is that right? Well, if you let us compete, you won't have to cancel the games! How about it, Phil?” Sora said.

“... Okay, you got me over a barrel, so fine. Here's how it works, kiddos---” Phil said.

“It's Sora and (Y/N)---not ‘kiddos.’” Sora said.

“Sure, sure, kiddos. Since your team and Hercules are the only contenders---”

“No, they're not.” Clouds suddenly walked in through the doors.

“The games have a new challenger. Name's Cloud,” he said.

“The more the merrier! Now the games will really be something to see!” Phil said.

“I'm looking forward to this. Don't expect me to pull any punches!” Hercules said.

“Hey, as long as you don't expect me to take them!” Sora said.

“Let's give it our best,” you said to Cloud.

“Hmph,” he said.

“Okay, let's get this show going! But first I gotta explain a few rules. Rule #1! First one through the obstacle course wins! Rule #2! In the event of a tie, a battle will determine the winner! Rule #3! You can interfere with your opponents on the course! And finally... Rule #4! All challengers have to give it everything they got!” Phil said. All the challengers lined up, ready to run out of the room.

“All right, enough with the spiel. On your marks... Get set... GO!!” Phil said and you all headed out. Somewhere in the Coliseum, you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy met Cloud, who was holding his buster sword.

“Gawrsh, that was nice of him to wait for us to catch up!” Goofy said.

“He's not waiting! Remember Rule #3? ‘You can interfere with your opponents on the course’!” Donald said. You all readied your weapons.

“He's looking to narrow the field!” you said. Sora, Donald and Goofy prepared for battle.

“You can put that away. I'm not looking for a fight with you, so keep moving,” Cloud said.

“Huh?” Sora asked.

“See? He was waitin' for us to catch up,” Goofy said.

“Well, we've caught up. Let's take him up on his offer and keep going!” Donald said.

“I don't see a downside...” you said. The four of you walked past Cloud, but you and Sora turned around.

“Listen, are you sure?” Sora asked Cloud.

“I'm not here for the Cup. Just Hercules. Today he loses more than the competition,” Cloud said. The four of you were surprised.

“You don't mean... But why?!” you asked.

“This is business. Stay out of it. Go win your Cup.” Sora summons his Keyblade and you grabbed your dagger. Cloud turned around to look at you two.

“Do you realize what you two are doing?” he asked.

“Rule #3! You can interfere with your opponents. Right? You're not the only one who wants to fight Hercules,” you said. The four of you prepared for battle.

“Big mistake,” Cloud said. The four of you fought Cloud and won. After the fight, Cloud was gone.

“Cloud! Where'd you go?” Sora said. Jiminy popped out.

“He headed for the finish line! We'd better go after him!” he said.

“Right!” you and Sora said. The five of you left to go find Cloud. You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy reached the arena of the Coliseum and encountered Hercules and Cloud, the latter being on his knees.

“You lost! Give it up, Cloud!” Herc said. Cloud got up.

“We're not done yet...” he said.

“I can't guarantee your safety if we keep going like this!” Herc said.

“Better worry about yourself. Looks to me like you're slowing down a bit.”

“Ungh...” You and Sora ran to Hercules and readies his Keyblade and you with your dagger.

“Don't worry! We'll back you up!” Sora said.

“Sora? (Y/N)?” Herc asked.

“Get all the backup you want. I'm going to finish you and get back my memories!” Cloud said.

“Huh?! Your memories?!” Sora asked.

“Now, now, Cloud, we don't want to spill the beans.” Hades appeared and walked to the center of the ring.

“Hades! You!” Herc said as he turned to face Cloud.

“Looks like you oversold yourself. All you did was wear him down. This doesn't look good for your performance rating... Let me put it this way: You, my spiky-haired friend, are fired,” Hades said.

“Huh?! But...my memories! We had a deal!” Cloud said.

“Did you really think you could get back your lost memories just like that? Get a grip!”

“Why, you---”

“Out of the way! I'll take care of Irk-ules myself!” The scenery turned red, and the sky became dark. Hades charged himself with fire and unleashed it, knocking everyone besides Hercules away and bringing Hercules to his knees.

“Hey!” you and Sora said.

“Rule #5! It's never too late to enter the games,” Hades said.

“Hades, you were behind this from the start!” Herc said.

“Cloud may have failed to take you out, but he did break you down. Time for Plan B. Pack your pita, Herc, 'cause you've just won a free trip to the Underworld---paid by me!” You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran to Hercules's side, your weapons ready.

“Hold it!” you said.

“(Y/N), no!” Herc said.

“Come on, Herc---how can we go one-on-one if you're in the Underworld?” Sora asked.

“Good point, kid. I guess you'll just have to go with him! Rule #6! There are no rules! Ha ha!” Hades said. The four of you fought and defeated Hades. Later at the arena, you, Sora's group, and Hercules met with Phil.

“What?! The games are cancelled? How come?” Sora asked.

“Two words! Everyone is pooped!” Phil said.

“Wait, that was more than two---” Goofy said.

“You gotta be kidding! What about our match with Hercules?” you said.

“I'm sorry, you two. But you wouldn't want me to compete in this condition. Let's have a match when I've rested up a bit. Can you wait?” Herc said.

“Okay. We'll hold you to that,” Sora said.

“Then it's settled!”

“Sora, (Y/N), over here! He's coming around.” Jiminy said. Cloud was lying on the ground on one knee outside of the ring, with Jiminy watching him. You, Sora and the gang walked over to them.

“You okay?” Sora asked.

“Yeah,” Cloud said.

“Here,” you said as you performed a healing spell. He got up and thanked you.

“Sorry I messed up your games,” he said. He started to leave but stopped when Sora started to speak.

“Hey! Hope you get your memories back! Forget about what Hades said. Sometimes the tiniest thing can make you remember stuff you forgot years ago,” he said. You nodded in agreement.

“If it's an important memory, there's no way it could ever be gone forever. That's what I think, anyway,” you said.

“Me too,” Sora said. Cloud created a card of himself in his hand and tossed it to you and Sora, who put it in your pockets.

“That's for you. For helping me out,” Cloud said.

“Sure you don't want to just come with us instead?” Sora asked. Cloud looked back and flipped one of his hairs.

“Not interested,” he said and left. You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy soon left the Olympus Coliseum. You and trio entered the Second Floor Exit Hall. Goofy stopped and thought for a minute.

“Hmm...” he said.

“Huh? What's the matter?” Donald asked.

“It's that creepy castle that I was talking about earlier... I know I didn't imagine it.” Donald, you, and Sora exchanged looks.

“'Cause that was the castle where Sora had to use the Keyblade to free Kairi's heart,” Goofy said. Flashbacks of that event appear in you and Sora’s head.

“Then he just disappeared! And I was so worried. How could I ever forget that?” Goofy said.

“Oh! It was when I turned into a Heartless! Wait. That happened...in a castle?” Sora said.

“Aww... You forgot that? 'Cause I remember perfectly,” you said.

“Me too,” Donald said.

“Then what's it called?” Sora asked.

“That's easy! It was...” Donald said but he didn’t remember.

“(Y/N), do you remember?” he asked. You tried to remember but like Donald, you could remember a thing.

“Jiminy, help me... Is it in your journal?” you asked. Jiminy popped out.

“Every word! I finished the first volume right before we got to this castle,” he said. Jiminy looked around for his journal.

“Now then, if I can just find it... Oh, here we go!” he said. Jiminy took out his journal and jumped onto the floor.

“Let's have a look... Oh! How could it be?!” he said as he opened his journal.

“What's the matter?” Goofy asked.

“All my entries--- They're gone! Every page is blank!”

“What'll we do?!” Donald asked, surprised. You, Donald, and Sora exchanged looks.

“How could this have happened? I'm so careful with the journals!” Jiminy weeped.

“All of my hard work is gone!” he said.

“The journal's blank... What's going on?” you asked. They leave the Exit Hall. Meanwhile the girl in the white room was still drawing on her sketchbook. Back in the castle, you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the Third Floor.

“Something's screwy. Journal pages don't just vanish!” Donald said. You and Sora stopped walking.

“What if...it's more things?” Sora asked.

“Huh?” Donald asked.

“Goofy was telling us about another castle we'd been to... But none of us really remembers it. Do ya think... Could it be that we don't remember because we're losing our memories?” you said.

“Losing? Our memories?” Donald asked.

“Hold on! Remember what that mystery fella said? ‘In this place to find is to lose, and to lose is to find.’ It musta been our memories he was talking about losing!” Jiminy said.

“So if we keep going, we'll lose more... Guess it really is Castle Oblivion,” Sora said.

“So the higher we go, the more we'll forget? Does that mean everything and everybody will be forgotten?” Donald asked.

“Riku and Kairi too...” you said.

“Do you two want to go back?” Donald asked.

“Don't worry, fellahs! We might forget about where we've been or what things we've seen, but we won't forget who are friends are,” Goofy said.

“I don't know...” Donald said.

“C'mon, Sora, when you turned into a Heartless, did you forget about me, (Y/N), and Donald?” Goofy asked.

“Of course I didn't!”

“There ya go! No matter what happens, you won't forget your friends.”

“Huh...” He looked at you, Donald and Goofy. Donald looked worried and Goofy nodded while you had a reassuring smile on your face.

“You're right. Thank you, Goofy,” Sora said.

“So, if there's nothing here that can make you forget about your friends...then we have nothing to be scared of! Let's go!” Donald said as he walked to the door.

“But when I turned into a Heartless...who was the one who took forever to notice and kept clobbering me?” Sora teased. Donald stopped and you giggled.

“How come you didn't forget about that?!” Donald asked. Donald jumped up and down and babbled angrily. You, Sora and Goofy laughed. You and Sora held up the next card at the Third Floor world entrance, and entered to the next world.

~~~~

I’m so proud of you sis. I know that I can’t tell you where I am right now but just know that I’ll be with you in your heart and I hope that we find each other soon. You have no idea how much I miss you. Living without you has sucked and your father is more ruthless than ever. Please continue to get stronger and find me soon. I know that together we can defeat him together.

To be continued...

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdom+hearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+imagines #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts+x+reader #kingdomhearts+imagines

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ohemgeeitscoley · 4 years

Text

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (1/5)

Fandom: Star Wars

Pairing: Rey/Ben Solo (Reylo)

Note: Written for the Movie Exchange. This was a blast to participate in, and I’m so excited to share it!

Biggest thank you and love to @andyouweremine and @storiesofimagination and @notababoonbrandishingastick for reading along and cheering me on and pointing out the ways to make the story better. You guys make writing fun and I love you.

Read below or on AO3

This is not where Ben wanted to be in life. When he was a child imagining his future being a 28 year old assistant for a giant dick was not even remotely on the list of possibilities.

But here he is spending his Friday night standing outside of a building with an annoying bouncer reminding him that the doorway was for members only.

The fucking doorway.

Ben could be a member if he wanted. If he wasn't too stubborn to touch his inheritance. But he wanted to make it in life on his own merits and not because of old money and his family's name.

Nights like tonight make it hard to remember any of it matters.

His mom has been on him more the last few months. He's been Snoke's assistant for two years. The last assistant had only had the job for a year before Snoke got him set up as a VP for a large hedge fund.

Ben's been wasting his time getting Snoke food and encouraging him through drinking green juice for two years with nothing to show for it.

He knows he should take his mom up on her offer. Hell, he could call his uncle and get a position at his company and really no one would blink.

But it matters to him. He doesn't want to rely on nepotism and to be in a position he hasn't earned.

He has an MBA. He didn't think it would be this hard.

Ben sighs, shoving one hand into his pant pocket and scrolls through the messages on his phone.

Most are from his mom. Reminding him that he is supposed to go home this weekend for a family dinner. As if he is going to have time for that. There are a few from Poe talking about a new guy he met at the bar and some random items Ben assumes are groceries Poe wants him to pick up whenever he heads home.

It's almost midnight and he's been standing on a sidewalk for 45 minutes.

His boss finally walks out of the building and he's already harping at Ben about different things and Ben is having a hard time caring and paying attention. Snoke stops next to Ben, adjusting his tie, before running his hands through his slightly turning silver brown hair.

“Alright,” Snoke says, unscrewing the lid from one of those God awful green juices he keeps buying, “do your thing.”

Ben responds immediately, listing off the first few better tasting foods that come to his mind. Snoke downs the drink and tosses him the bottle, like he has anywhere to throw it away, and heads toward the car that is waiting for them.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Ben asks, opening the door to the car.

“What?” Snoke asks, narrowing his eyes as he glances up from his phone to Ben. “What do you mean tomorrow? You’re going back to the office.”

No, Ben thinks, resisting the urge to grit his teeth. “Right. Of course I am,” he gets out, following Snoke into the car. “Do you want me to order dinner? Since we’re going back to the office?”

Snoke looks at Ben like he’s growing a second head. “I just drank my juice. You just saw me drink my juice.”

Ben did just see him drink his juice. Just like Ben has seen him drink several juices and then act affronted that Ben didn’t order him lunch or dinner twenty minutes later when he realizes he’s still hungry.

The car pulls away from the sidewalk and merges into traffic. It’s going to be a long night.

***

Rey loves her job. Really. She does. Being the assistant for Amilyn Holdo is an honor and a privilege. Amilyn is a force to be reckoned with and there is so much for Rey to learn from her. Not to mention the exposure. Rey is working in one of the best digital media firms in New York. Outside of Amilyn, Rey is surrounded by some of the best writers, editors, and photographers. She’s lucky to have the job. She knows how lucky she is.

However. It is almost midnight on a Friday and she’s been in the office since 6:45 and all she wants to do is go back to her apartment, curl into her bed, and watch a stupid movie and fall asleep. But Amilyn is still in her office on the phone and Rey knows that she can’t leave before Amilyn. It was never a spoken rule, that Rey needs to be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. But that was because it didn’t need to be said out loud. It was expected.

Rey’s phone buzzes against her desk. Glancing down at the lit up screen, Rey scrunches her nose at the text notification from Kaydel. It’s text number twelve for the night. She was supposed to meet up with Kaydel and Rose for drinks after work. Rey hates that she has been such an absentee friend, but Amilyn had been throwing herself even more into work the last few months and Rey’s social life had all but vanished since then.

Amilyn’s door opens and she throws Rey a fitness watch.

“I need that up to at least 10,000 steps before I leave,” she says, already walking back into her office. “My trainer can’t think that I’m slacking off in between sessions. And order me dinner from that one place.”

Amilyn’s door closes before she’s done talking, her voice muffled. But Rey knows what she says and she knows the place that Amilyn is vaguely referring to because she is a good assistant.

No. She is a great assistant.

Rey opens up the restaurant's website and places Amilyn’s dinner order. Rey’s stomach growls, she isn’t quite sure when she ate last. Amilyn had needed her to take notes during her lunch meeting and Rey didn’t have a chance to eat afterward. Rey glares down at her belly for betraying her and adds dinner for her to the order before sending it out.

Her email pings with the confirmation of her order. The estimated time of arrival is 45 minutes.

45 minutes for two sandwiches at almost midnight seems ridiculous.

Rey calls the restaurant and bickers with them until they concede that the food can be delivered in 30 minutes.

Sliding Amilyn’s watch on her wrist, Rey stands up and stretches her arms before beginning to pace around the office.

***

"What do you mean you can't take a credit card?" Rey's eyes widen as she starts going through her wallet even though she knows she does not have enough cash to cover the food. She's not sure she has any cash at all.

Rey is sweaty and gross from trying to get the fitness watch up to 10,000 steps in 30 minutes. Rey had only managed about 4,000 and she feels like her lungs and legs are going to be burning for days. She still had another 3,000 to go.

"We're cash only on deliveries now," the delivery driver answers and he looks like he's contemplating getting ready to take the food and leave.

But Rey needs that food. She can't let her boss down at almost midnight when she said she was going down to the lobby to get her dinner.

"I have… I have Venmo? CashApp? I'll download any app you have actually." Rey offers, pulling out a checkbook. "What about a check?"

The guy rolls his eyes. "You think if we aren't taking cards, we are going to take checks?"

"It's not 1990, so the fact that you guys are refusing to take digital currency led me to believe you were stuck in the past." Rey huffs in annoyance, her brain spiraling trying to come up with another plan.

Rey hears the elevator ding behind her, but she's too distracted by the problem in front of her to pay much attention.

"I can offer a contract for a small piece of my soul?" Rey jokingly offers.

"Do you have the $32.50 or not?" He asks, clearly not impressed.

"Yes, I do have the $32.50," Rey argues, "in any form of currency available to me that is not actually cash in my hand. Which was also nowhere on your website. This seems like a scam. Are you trying to pocket the cash?"

"I don't need this shit," he starts to put the bag away when--

"I have cash," a deep voice says from behind Rey. "I can pay."

Rey turns around quickly and looks at the man walking toward them.

He's… large. In a fairly tall, very wide kind of way. His face is all sharp angles and his hair is long and dark… and it looks really soft.

He's vaguely familiar looking. Rey assumes he works in the building too and that she's probably seen him at some point. She's surprised she doesn't remember him though, because he is extremely attractive.

"You don't have--" Rey starts, before realizing the hot stranger is handing delivery driver money and grabbing the bag and he is stealing her dinner. "Excuse me, that is my dinner. Fuck. That is my boss's dinner."

The delivery driver leaves with a slight flick of his fingers to the other man before walking away.

"I paid for it," the food thief shrugs, "So it's my boss's dinner now."

"No, no, no, no, no," Rey breaths, her mind spinning to come up with a plan as she followed the man toward the elevator. "There's two dinners in there. One for me and one for my boss. I need my boss's dinner. I cannot get fired."

Something near sympathy seems to pass over his face. He pauses, his grip on the bag loosening.

"And it's about to be my boss's dinner because I cannot get fired."

"Listen," Rey begins, chewing on her bottom lip. "What's your name?"

"Ben," he responds. "And I really need to get back to work."

"So do I, Ben," Rey holds on to the vowel in his name for a few seconds. "But I cannot go back without food. Spare a dinner. Does your boss really need both?"

"What did you get?" Ben asks, but he's already opening the bag before Rey can answer.

He pulls out the first box and hands it to Rey before he grabs the second box and let's the bag fall to the ground.

Rey opens her box first. It's Amilyn's steak sandwich with blue cheese crumbles and a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. There's a side of pita chips and hummus.

That means Ben has Rey's pulled pork sandwich, with the caramelized onions and perfectly toasted brioche bun. Not to mention the apple slaw and sweet potato fries.

Rey's mouth waters and her stomach betrays her and rumbles. Her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

"This is my boss's," Rey holds up the container in her hand. "Yours gets to enjoy mine."

"It's a pulled pork sandwich," he states as if the sandwich is personally offending him.

"It's an amazing pulled pork sandwich," Rey shakes her head in disbelief. "Does your boss have something against good food?"

"Good?" Ben looks at the sandwich again. "This is a basic sandwich at best. Pork and onions? Sweet potato fries? I'll be the one getting fired if I bring him this. He is a man of refined taste."

"I can fix this." Rey drops to her knees, setting down the steak sandwich and holding out her hand for the container from Ben.

He looks amused when he hands her the box. Rey ignores it and goes to work.

She pulls the top bun off the pulled pork sandwich, trying not to inhale the delicious scent wafting from the box. She takes a handful of bleu cheese crumbles from the other sandwich and sprinkles them over the sandwich. Then she grabs a fork out of the bag and strategically places about a quarter of the apple slaw on top of the onions.

She then gathers the rest of the apple slaw and puts them in her boss's container, followed by the sweet potato fries. The hummus and pita chips fit perfectly in the box next to the remastered sandwich.

"There we go," Rey puts the bun back on top of the sandwich and closes the lid to the boxes. She stands slowly, holding out one box for Ben. "Viola, a culinary masterpiece."

"I don't know about that." He gives the container a quizzical look. "But you owe me at least $22 for this."

"What?" Rey scoffs. "That's more than my sandwich was to begin with and you took most of the toppings."

He shrugs. "I saved your ass. There's a tax for that."

"You're a monster," Rey glares at him. "But fine, deal. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, Ben."

"Perfect, I'm on the 22nd floor…" he stops, tilting his head. "I don't know your name."

"Rey," she answers, a smug smile overtaking her face. "I'm on the 23rd floor."

He isn't impressed. Or if he is, he hides it well. The arrogance that rolls off of him is off putting. He walks away to the elevator, pressing the up arrow. "I expect you'll be there no later than 7. I have a life."

"Right," Rey snorts, picking up the bag he left behind on the floor. There was a wrapped pickle inside. Score. "Says the assistant getting his boss dinner at midnight. You'll get it when you get it."

Rey hits the button for the other elevator across the hall. She does not want to be in an elevator with him.

The doors open for both elevators at the same time. Rey walks into hers first, turning around to see him step.

"You'll be there by 7, or the interest will double," Ben chuckles.

Rey's mouth falls open. "Interest!" She exclaims, but the elevator door is already closing. "You never said anything about interest you ass--"

The door shuts.

"Asshole," Rey finishes in the elevator. "Absolute asshole."

Rey pouts as she takes a bite into the pickle. Interest. What kind of person charges interest on essentially stolen food.

She's still lost in her thoughts when the elevator opens and [boss] steps in.

"I'm going home," she says, pressing the button for the main floor.

Rey barely has time to get out of the elevator before the door starts to close.

"I'll be in by 7 tomorrow," she adds just before the doors finally close.

Rey closes her eyes. "Here's your $30 sandwich that I just spent 40 minutes to get for you," Rey says to the vacant office. "And maybe tomorrow I'll pitch my idea about the positive effects of team sports for foster children and other disenfranchised youth."

The majority of the lights are dimmed, leaving the normally colorful and bright walls dark and shadowy. Rey heads toward her desk, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite.

She presses the button on the side of her desk to raise it up so she can stand while she finishes eating. Glancing at the time, Rey groans. 12:17.

By the time she finishes responding to all of Amilyn''s invites, it'll be 1. After the subway ride to her apartment and some much needed unwind time, Rey will be lucky to get three hours of sleep before she has to be back at the office.

Her skin practically vibrates at the amount of caffeine she is going to need to order in the morning. And she's going to have to stop by an ATM to pull out cash.

Maybe even a bank.

Because she is only giving Ben $22. Not a penny more.

***

The article Rey is reading when Kaydel and Rose come stumbling into the apartment has her close to tears. She wipes at her eyes quickly as Kaydel throws herself down onto the chair across from Rey.

“Rey!” Kaydel shouts holding her arms up in a v above her head. “We missed you. You didn’t even respond to the last few messages I sent.”

“I know.” Rey grimaces. “I couldn’t get out of work. Amilyn had meeting after meeting.”

“It’s okay,” Kaydel smiles brightly at Rey. “I love you anyway.”

The best part of being best friends with Kaydel is that Rey knows without a doubt that Kaydel absolutely means everything she is saying. Kaydel doesn’t mince words. She doesn’t hide from the hard or uncomfortable things. She plows forward until the matter is addressed and resolved. And then she moves on.

“Well hopefully you can join us next time,” Rose offers, sitting on the arm rest of the chair next to Kaydel. “I need someone to try to help me keep up with her.”

Rey laughs, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she shakes her head. “We all know I cannot keep up with her.”

“Please,” Kaydel huffs. “No one can keep up with me. I am an unstoppable machine.”

“You need water,” Rose says, leaning over to kiss Kaydel’s cheek. “I’m going to get you water.”

Kaydel watches Rose as she gets up and walks into the kitchen. Rey hates the tiny bit of jealousy that fills her stomach. Kaydel’s whole face is lit up, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are soft and warm and full of love.

Rey wants that.

She just doesn’t have time for that.

Relationships had never been something Rey was particularly good at. In high school, she wasn’t secure enough at home to have time for dating. Planning on whether or not she could go on a date seemed trivial when she had to worry about whether or not she was going to have to switch foster homes if she didn’t prove her worth or caused any problems.

Then in college, Rey had been so focused on keeping her scholarships and her grades, she just didn’t have time. The fact that she had been assigned to be Kaydel’s roommate had been one of her only saving graces for socialization.

Now, she has her job. She can’t even make it to drinks with two of her best friends. She eats dinner after midnight.

Dating just isn’t something that is going to fit in her life any time soon.

“You should go to sleep,” Kaydel points out. The concern in her voice becomes apparent as she continues. “You look exhausted. When are you going in tomorrow?”

“6:30?” Rey debates out loud, tilting her head side-to-side as she thinks. “Maybe 7. I need to stop at an ATM, or maybe an actual bank, and I’ll still need to get Amilyn’s coffee and bagel.”

“Why do you need to go to a bank?” Kaydel asks, curling up her lips. “I can’t even think of the last time I went to a bank.”

“I need $22. Exactly.” Rey answers, shrugging. “It’s a… long story and we definitely do not have time for it tonight.”

“Tomorrow then,” Kaydel demands, her eyes narrow and Rey knows that she means business. “Dinner. Even if it’s a late dinner. You can catch me up.”

Rey nods giving Kaydel a tight smile. “Sounds perfect.”

Kaydel returns Rey’s smile before standing up and walking toward the kitchen. Rey leans her head back against the couch, sighing as she closes her laptop. The list of things Rey knows that Amilyn is going to want her to do tomorrow is daunting. Kaydal may have said that it could be a late dinner, but for Kaydel that was 7, maybe 8, not 11 or 12.

Maybe Rey will be able to sneak off for a little bit though. Grabbing her phone and laptop, Rey heads toward her bedroom, debating going through Amilyn’s calendar to see if she can move anything around to guarantee her an hour or so around dinner to be free.

That’s when she hears Kaydal scream.

Rey quickly tosses her phone and laptop on her bed before running toward Kaydel’s room. Flinging the door open, Rey’s heart feels like it’s about to beat out of her chest. “What the hell--”

The question dies on Rey’s lips when her brain connects what is happening. Rose is still on one knee and Rey’s not sure she’s ever seen someone look so happy. Until she looks at Kaydel, who is holding her left hand over her heart.

They are getting engaged.

“I said no,” Kaydel blurts, but the smile and happiness in her voice give her away. “I’m just kidding. I said yes. Of course I said yes.”

“You guys are getting married?” Rey asks in a breath. She’s not shocked by the news. Rose and Kaydel have been together for two years and they were both crazy about the other. But it still is forcing Rey to imagine what life is going to be like when Kaydel is Rose’s wife and not her best friend and roommate.

Which is selfish and wrong and Rey knows that, but despite a lot of counseling, Rey is terrified of being left alone again.

She pushes those thoughts to the side.

Rose and Kaydel are going to get married. Her best friend. She’s going to be happy for them. She is happy for them.

Kaydel walks over to her, holding out the ring. It’s gorgeous and fits Kaydel’s personality perfectly with the medium-sized, princess cut diamond and the white gold color. It’s sharp and fierce.

“I’m so happy for you, Kay,” Rey whispers, pulling her into her arms. “I’m so, so happy for you.”

***

Ben walks into his apartment quietly, careful not to wake Poe up. It's already… fuck it's past two. He undoes his tie before sliding his suit jacket off and beginning to undo his pants to kick them off while he makes his way to the fridge.

The fridge light is bright in the otherwise dark room. There isn't a lot in the fridge, Ben understands now why Poe was sending him a grocery list worth of texts.

He grabs a beer, twisting the lid off and tossing the lid in the trash.

"Hey," Poe says, scaring the fuck out of Ben.

"Shit!" Ben exclaims, slamming the fridge shut. "Jesus, Poe. Make some noise next time."

“I said hey,” Poe laughs. “I don’t know how much more noise you need me to make.”

“What are you even doing up?” Ben grabs two beers from the fridge and walks over to the living room, sitting on the couch across from Poe.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Poe says with a shrug, taking the beer Ben is holding out. “You’re home late.”

“Yeah. Snoke needed me to start on his kid’s science project.”

Poe stares at Ben before shaking his head. “You need to quit your job man.”

“It’s not that bad,” Ben winces at how defensive he sounds. “It’ll be worth it in the end.”

“You’ve been saying that for a while.”

Poe isn’t necessarily wrong. When Ben first took the job with Snoke he imagined that it would only be for six months, maybe a year.

“Yeah, Ben finally says, nodding in agreement. “I have. The job has its perks though, so I’ll probably stay until something better comes along.”

Poe sighs. “Perks? Like what, working on a twelve year old’s science project until two in the morning?”

“I also made a guy cry for not being able to get a stain out of one of his shirts today,” Ben smiles. “Really helps make me feel good inside.”

“Find a new job,” Poe says, standing up from the chair. “One that doesn’t involve working until 2 am, doing a kid’s homework, and making someone else cry in the same day.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Ben twists his fingers around the bottle in his hand. “We’ll see.”

***

Rey looks down at her phone to check the time. 10:37. She missed dinner with Kaydel and Rose. Not that either of them were surprised when she told them that she hadn’t been able to move enough things around to make it. Rey hates how predictable and unreliable she has become to her friends.

It will eventually be worth it. At least, she hopes that it will be worth it.

She has exactly $22 on her. All in quarters. It might be a little dramatic, but Rey feels justified every time she thinks of the way Ben had mentioned adding interest on to the amount.

Rey sees Ben as soon as she steps off the elevator. He has bright markers covering his desk and a giant poster board in front of him. Logically, she knows that he is probably working on his boss’s kid’s homework, and she is grateful at that moment that Amilyn doesn’t have kids and that those kinds of tasks aren’t even on Rey’s radar.

That doesn’t stop her from teasing him as she walks up to him.

“Making electricity out of lemons?” Rey asks, leaning over the desk a bit to get a look at what he is writing. “How original. I’m sure you’ll get first place with an idea like that.”

Ben turns his head to the slide and glares at her. “You’re late.”

“I was busy.”

“You’ll have to give me a minute to calculate the interest for your… what three hour delay.”

Rey rolls her eyes, reaching into her bag to pull out the bag of coins. Ben stares at the bag for a moment, before looking back at her. Rey smiles, carefully stacking up the quarters until there are twenty two even piles covering his desk. “$22 exactly. You’ll have to sue me for the interest.”

“Quarters?” Ben looks down at the coins on his desk again. His face is annoyingly void of any outrage or shock, but his voice sounds lower than it had been before. “I should sue you for being a nuisance.”

“You didn’t state any terms as to the payment method beyond cash.” Rey’s smile grows as she watches him begin to slide the coins into a drawer.

“I suppose I made a mistake not clarifying that by cash I meant dollar bills,” Ben admits. “But I also mentioned interest and you had no problem ignoring that, so I’m sure you’d have ignored that part too.”

“Probably,” Rey agrees. “Consider it your good luck that I didn’t have enough pennies to make it work that way.”

“Oh and I’m supposed to believe you had 88 quarters just lying around your place?” Ben finishes clearing off the quarters from his desk and closes the drawer.

“No, I only had two dollars worth of quarters that I could find. I went to the bank for the other twenty.”

“Of course you did.” Ben laughs, shaking his head. “Next time I’ll be more specific.

Rey drops the empty bag into the garbage can next to her feet. “What makes you think there’ll be a next time?”

“Just a feeling.” Ben turns around in his chair, opening a cabinet door on the desk that ran along the wall behind him. He pulls out a bottle of alcohol. “Drink?”

“I’m still working.”

“It’s past ten,” Ben points out, setting the bottle on his desk. “Have anything better to do right now anyway?”

Rey doesn’t. She really doesn’t. Amilyn is going to be on this phone call for at least another hour and then she will either go home or start reviewing some of the submissions that have been stacking up in her email.

One drink really wouldn’t hurt. Ben’s smiling at her and it’s a little unfair that someone as annoying and frustrating as he has been is also very attractive at the same time.

“I guess not,” Rey says, sitting down in the chair on the other side of Ben’s desk. “But just one drink.”

***

Ben doesn’t say anything as Rey reaches for the bottle, pouring what he is pretty sure is her third drink into her cup. It’s well after midnight at this point, and neither Snoke or Rey’s boss had called for them or needed anything.

It’s nice, talking to Rey. She’s cute and passionate when she talks about her job. Her face is a little flushed from the alcohol. Ben can’t quite remember the last time he just talked to someone that he wasn’t related to or wasn’t Poe.

“Anyways, that’s what I want to do,” Rey continues, and Ben tries to remember what she had been talking about before he got lost in his own thoughts. “I want to write articles that matter. The ones that people read and are inspired to do something because of it.”

“Have you submitted any articles to your boss?” Ben asks.

“No,” Rey holds onto the vowel for a few seconds and shakes her head. “I haven’t, God, I haven’t actually written anything since I graduated. I never have time. Amilyn’s schedule isn’t very forgiving. When I’m not working, I normally just want to sleep. Or to have a conversation with someone who can’t just tell me what to do and expect me to do it. I don’t even know what it is like to have a social life anymore. I think this is the longest conversation I’ve had in months.”

“Same,” Ben gives her a small smile. “I was just thinking that. My days and nights consist of making Snoke’s life easier and doing what he wants. It doesn’t even feel like my life anymore.”

“I can’t believe I’m about to admit this,” Rey squints her eyes at Ben, as if she’s sizing him up. She takes another drink from her cup. “Sometimes I wish Amilyn had a… fuck, I wish she had a life. A boyfriend? More family events or friend events to attend? But she has been avoiding them for reasons I’m not going to even get into, but God, I just imagine all of the things I could do if she were busy doing things that aren’t work.”

“You could go on a date,” Ben responds, tipping his cup toward her.

“A date,” Rey huffs, shaking her head. “I can’t even think of the last time I went on a date. I can’t even make dinner with my roommate to celebrate her engagement.”

Rey looks down at her cup, watching the liquid move around as she swirled the glass. “Engagement,” Rey repeats, eyes wide. “I have no idea what I’m going to do to be able to make it to all of the events. I don’t think Amilyn is going to care that I have an engagement party to go to if it doesn’t fit into her schedule.”

“Snoke is the same way,” Ben taps a finger on the desk. “I missed my parents 30th anniversary a few months ago. I asked for it off and everything. I was almost out the door when Snoke grabbed me and said he needed an analysis on some new proposal he received and his normal analyst wasn’t answering his phone, and he told me to do it.”

“I get it,” Rey nods. “It sucks, but I get it.”

“You’d think we’d be able to do something about it,” Ben points out, his eyebrows knitting while he thinks. “I have access to basically Snoke’s entire life. I’m assuming it’s the same with you and Amilyn?” He pauses and waits for Rey’s response, she nods and he continues. “So in theory we should be able to coordinate their schedules to give us a break?”

Rey tilts her head to the side as she ponders what Ben is saying. “I mean, you’re right. In theory that would work. But I have to be available for all things scheduled that are work related, and Amilyn doesn’t have much of a personal life these days.”

Rey sits up straighter, her eyes widening slightly, a devious smile pulling at her lips. “Ben. The answer is so obvious.”

“The answer?” Ben asks with a small chuckle.

“To our problem,” Rey says as if it’s obvious. “We Cyrano them. It’s perfect. We know everything about them. We know their schedules, their favorite foods and restaurants. We know what drives them crazy and irritates them. We can do this. And then when they are with each other… we can be free, Ben.”

“I’m not sure I’m really following you here.”

“We set them up.” Rey rolls her eyes. “It’s the perfect plan.”

“You’re drunk,” Ben points out, nodding his head down to the mostly empty bottle between them. “That would never work.”

“You’re wrong,” Rey says with a pointed nod. “But even if you are right, which you are not, because you are wrong, what’s the harm in trying?”

Ben doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. He finishes his drink, setting his empty glass next to Rey’s.

“Maybe,” Ben concedes, “What’s your plan exactly? I don’t know that Snoke and Amilyn have ever even met and they’ve worked in the same building for years.”

“Leave it to me,” Rey’s grin is big and wide. “I’ll come up with something.”

“I’m not saying I’m agreeing to do this,” Ben clarifies, watching as Rey stands up and stretches, her shirt pulling up slightly as she raised her arms.

“I know,” Rey says, grabbing her bag. “But you will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rey places her hand on his shoulder and squeezes it gently before she walks past him and then she’s gone.

Ben opens the drawer that they shoved the change into and he smiles to himself. He’s not quite sure what he’s getting himself into, but he does know that if Rey really does come up with an idea to set their bosses up, which is probably a really terrible idea, he’s not sure he’s going to be able to tell her no.

***

Rey brings Ben coffee the next morning. She assumes he likes it black with too much sweetener, and when he smiles after his first drink Rey feels a little smug for being able to figure it out.

“Let’s go for a walk.” Rey says, grabbing his free hand and tugging on it. “I have a plan.”

Ben let’s her pull at his hand and stands up from his desk. “I only have twenty minutes before Snoke’s meeting ends.”

“Perfect.” Rey drops his hand, blushing slightly as she walks in front of him toward the elevator. “Just enough time to get some steps added to Amilyn’s watch and to fill you in on my absolute amazing plan that you are definitely going to be impressed by and will agree to.”

Ben laughs, smiling as he gets into the elevator and stands next to Rey. “We’ll see.”

The sun is bright and the air is already warm when they step outside. Rey has to walk a little bit faster than normal to keep up with Ben’s long strides.

“So, tell me about this plan that is apparently so wonderful that you’re absolutely sure I’ll agree to it.”

“Okay, so it’s the same plan as last night,” Rey admits, taking a drink of her tea. “But I’ve thought about it more and I know that we can do this.”

Ben sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Rey. We can’t just magically make our bosses like each other.”

“Sure we can,” Rey argues. “We get them to meet. Then we listen to them and their cues and go from there. That’s the beauty of this, Ben, we will know if things are going a little wrong and can adjust the plan accordingly.”

Ben stops walking and looks down at her. “You really think this will work?”

“I do.”

“How do you propose we get them to meet?” Ben shakes his head as he asks the question and Rey can see the lingering doubt on his face.

“I… I haven’t quite figured that part out yet,” Rey responds, quickly holding her hand up as Ben opens his mouth, she assumes to argue with her. “But I’ve seen a lot of romantic comedies and I can figure this out. Just give me a minute.”

They start walking again, back toward the building. Rey finishes her tea and tosses it into a garbage can.

“I’ve got it!” Rey exclaims, as they step into the elevator. “We just need to get them in a small space, stuck for a few minutes, so that they have to talk to one another.”

“And how do you think we will pull that off?”

Rey shakes her head, glaring at him. “Why do I have to figure out all the details?”

“This is your crazy plan,” Ben points out, pressing the button for his floor, and then Rey’s. “I’m not even sure I’m fully on board.”

“You are,” Rey smiles. “So, help with some of the details already. Are there any rooms that lock from the outside? Maybe we can ask maintenance? Do you think they’d think that was weird?”

Ben laughs, tipping his head back against the elevator wall.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. “I hate that I have an idea. The elevator. If we can get them both in the elevator, we can get Creepy Threepio to stop it.”

“Creepy Threepio?” Rey asks, scrunching her nose up. “Who is Creepy Threepio?”

“He works in maintenance,” Ben laughs. “He’s, well, he’s a bit creepy. But I think he’d do it. I’ll ask him today and let you know what he says.”

“What did I tell you?” Rey beams at him as the doors to the elevator open. “You’re totally on board.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Ben pinches the bridge of his nose. “But I’m willing to give it a shot.”

Ben steps out of the elevator while holding his hand out to stop the doors from closing. “Hand me your phone so I can give you my number.”

Rey pulls her phone from her back jean pocket and unlocks it before handing it over to him. She watches as he puts in his number and hands the phone back to her.

“I’ll text you the details later,” he says, dropping his arm and the doors start to close. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”

The doors close and Rey grins sliding her phone back into her jeans. She can’t believe he agreed either.

#reylo #reylo fic #reylo fanfic #reylo fanfiction #reylomovies #my fic

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

Text

Survey #306

i’m v talkative today so pardon my jabbering below.

What is the strangest type of candy you have eaten? I think I've had one of those lollipops with a bug in it before as a kid? I don't remember. What would be your most ideal profession? A freelance photographer. But I'm honestly starting to lose hope. Have you tried those coloring books for adults? Yeah; it's funny you mention 'em, 'cuz a family friend got me one for my birthday earlier this month. What is a topic you definitely don't want to talk about with anyone? I don't like talking about my sexual history, doesn't matter who you are. It's just uncomfortable. What was your first gaming console? An Atari. Is there something you're eagerly waiting for? What is it? *SLAMS FISTS ON TABLE* MAY NEEDS TO FUCKIN' HURRY. My tattoo appointment is set then. :''') Do you/have you ever belonged to an organization? If so, which one? I was a Girl Scout when I was young. What is something you're very passionate about? Nature conservation, gay rights (equal rights in general, really), the pro-choice movement, and then there are less "important" things like certain hobbies interests and such. I'm sure there are more big ones that are just slipping my mind right now, considering I feel passionately for a shitload of stuff. What are you studying or what was the last thing you studied? I majored in Art & Design with a focus on Photography in college. But guess who dropped out. What was the last present you gave someone? I don't know... I mention enough that I don't have a source of income where I can really buy anything. I think the last thing I did was a Christmas gift for Mom a year or two back of a drawing I did of our late dog Cali, whom she absolutely adored. Do you enjoy plays? If so, what was the latest one you saw? Not really, no. What was the last thing you achieved? PHP has helped me focus on little victories, so prepare for an underwhelming answer haha, but it's something. I Facebook messaged an old friend I really wanted to catch up with, and everyone in group cheered for me. :') It was really heartwarming. What a shocker that this program is really helping me once again. What is something you would like to achieve at some point in your life? I would love love love to take at least one "famous" or award-winning photograph. It'd be such amazing validation that I'm talented at something I love so much. What is one philosophy you have regarding life/living/purpose? That's... difficult to answer seeing as I'm trying desperately to find my purpose. I do try to live by this old quote a therapist said once: "Deal with life, or life deals with you." I think it holds an incredible amount of depth and meaning in such a short phrase. How would you design the inside of your own home? I don't know the details of it, really, besides that shit is gonna look like a Halloween house year-round. I can imagine wanting black furniture, too, and having loooots of decor expressive of what I love and find comfort in. Gotta make a house feel like a home just for me. What is a band you remember liking from your childhood? Backstreet Boys, duh. Do you ever get mad at people for not having the same opinion as you (i.e. abortion being wrong/right, meat-eating being wrong/right)? Two things: it depends on the topic, and "get mad" is the wrong term for what I feel. It's more disgust; ex., I'm repulsed by anti-gay rights people and want absolutely nothing to do with 'em, but I'm not like, mad at them. Do you edit any of your pictures? In what ways? Oh yeah, and it definitely depends on the raw photograph. I edit depending on the mood it emanates; like if you've seen my roadkill photography versus nature shots, there is an extremely distinct difference in editing style and vibe. I'd say in general though, I tend to like to brighten my photographs and add more vibrance. If you like to take pictures, what is your motivation? God, I could write an essay on this. I just love and am so thankful for the fact we can literally freeze time forever with the click of a button and look back on fantastic sights, beautiful moments, memories... It's just magical to me, and I adore contributing to that art. Would you ever consider living anywhere cold? Well yeah, that's my preference, actually. What is your absolute favorite food? The spicy shrimp fritas from Olive Garden, jfc. Would you ever wear snake-skin pants, or other animal clothing? Fuck to the absolute hell no. What foreign country would you like to go to for a shopping spree? Idk, considering I'm not well-versed in the artistic creations of other countries. Perhaps India? Japan? I dunno. If you met your favorite musician, what would you ask him/her? I'm asking for his fucking autograph and a hug while I smile my face in two AND cry lmao. What do you spend most of your day thinking about? I ain't gonna bullshit nobody, my PTSD. In some way or another, he's lurking in that head of mine through memories, flashbacks, wonders of what could have gone differently... but thank God it's no longer in the forefront of my mind after my first PHP. I've come very, very far, but especially when trying to blank out my mind to fall asleep, parts of PTSD strangle my brain until I'm just finally out. I really hope that changes someday. Where is a busy place you would like to go to? Yikes, nowhere, really. I like to avoid busy locations. Do you think video games cause people to become violent? Absolutely not. You are responsible for the decisions you make; music, games, movies, etc. have no deciding voice in stupid shit you do, and it's bullshit that people blame art and entertainment for such things. Vocabulary: What was the last word you learned? I'm unsure. Have you or could you build your own site? Absolutely not from scratch. The closest I've gotten to that is my photography website, but it was through the assistance of Wix. What's the best thing you can cook yourself? Scrambled eggs, haha. I do make some bomb eggs at least. Are there a lot of graffiti around your neighborhood? No. Do you have a hobby that forces you out of the house? If so, what is it? Nature photography. Would you stop eating meat, if you had to raise and slaughter it yourself? Absolutely. God, I want to go vegetarian again... Besides English, what other languages can you speak? I can speak a very little bit of German. Took four semesters of it in high school and became very good at it, but lack of practice has pretty much ruined that. Besides English, what other languages can you read? I can read German well; as in, I can pronounce most words I see, but that doesn't mean I understand what is written. Do you think you could make it as a chef? Gordon Ramsey would deadass kick me off his show on day one, lmao. What's your favorite kind of tea? It marvels me JUST how many tea and coffee questions are in surveys. Anyway, I don't like tea. I am an embarrassment to NC culture. What thing/person/happening has made you the happiest you've been? lask;dfjal;wekrjwe What's the most freeing thing you've ever done? Stealing my happiness back from someone who had no right to hold it all in its entirety. That shit's mine. Do you think today's kids are really impatient? Most, probably, but in some ways I can understand it - at least, in the sense that with the assistance of modern technology and advancements in satiating our wants so quickly, kids just expect it. I definitely believe that patience is something to try to be deeply instilled in everyone, though. I don't have an ounce of it (in most situations) and wish I did. Have you ever tasted birch sap? No. How about the young buds/shoots of spruce trees? No. Which edible flowers have you tasted? One of my favorite Southern experiences is finding a bunch of honeysuckles and tasting the honey (is it technically even honey??). Tastes amazing. My family's hairdresser lives down a beautiful path that sprouts a massive amount of them, and as kids, my sisters and her two boys would go tasting them while our parents talked for so long, or if we were waiting our turn. Good memories. What has been your worst restaurant experience? I'm not sure, really. What's the most immature, adolescent thing that still makes you laugh? "Inappropriate humor type jokes." <<<< They can get me sometimes, too. Have you ever had a life-threatening condition? If so, what was it? No, thankfully. Have you ever had a custom print done on a shirt? If so, what was it? I don't believe so, no. Besides making a tye-dye one in HS with our school colors. Wasn't my idea and never wore it, haha. Do you ever read other people's survey answers? It depends on the person. If it's a friend, absolutely, because I love learning usually obscure things about them I wouldn't have known otherwise. If it's a user I don't know from wherever I got the survey, sometimes, depending on how short the answer is and my eyes kinda just scroll over it. Do you like daytime or night time better? Why? Daytime, especially mornings. I'm generally happier when there's light around. What's your highest level of education so far? Some college. Describe your ordinary day: My average day is embarrassingly uneventful. It's sitting on the laptop doing shit on various sites, none of which are actually important, and playing WoW, which is also without true substance, save for social interactions with my friends on there. I spray Venus' terrarium everyday multiple times as well to keep the humidity up, and obviously eat and handle that kinda bodily needs stuff. Would you ever have a UV tattoo? Ugh, that'd be so dope. I've seen some awesome ones, but idk if I'd get one, considering when am I actually going to be under UV light?? Like I wanna be able to see my tat. What is the brand and color name of your favorite lipstick? I have one black lipstick, but it comes right off so I don't even like it. I only ever put it on to take pictures. What do you like on your tortilla? Just ham and cheese. How about inside your pita bread? I've never had pita bread, actually. What do you like in your burger? It depends on where I'm getting the burger. My basic is cheese, ketchup, mustard, a bit of mayo, pickles, and a light sprinkle of diced onion, but sometimes I add bacon and take away the onions. How about on your pizza? I have three I tend to pick from: pepperoni, jalapeno, or meat lovers. Do you work better alone or in a group? Alone, definitely. Which body part would you not mind losing? I'ma be extremely honest, with just how horribly weak my legs are, I could live without them, I guess. Not saying I want to by any means, it's just exhausting using them. Ideally, I'd take away something minor, like a finger or something. What common saying people use is absolute BS to you? “'Everything happens for a reason.'” <<<< Fuckin' colossal "same." I won't rag on people who believe it, especially if it gives you courage to keep moving forward, but I don't believe it in the slightest. If it were so, I'd like to talk to whoever is in control of those "reasons," please. What is the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week? I had no idea elephants were pregnant for two years, like holy shit, can you imagine. It was in an article I saw on Facebook about a mother and daughter elephant who are both expecting and doing well. Wonderful to hear. What’s the most useless talent you have? Ha, I'm a master in the arts of catastrophizing and jumping to conclusions involving people hating me in one way or another. What’s something everyone looks stupid doing? I'm one of those people who hate dabbing done by anybody, like you look like you're just smelling your armpit. Which kids’ movie scarred you for life? I wouldn't say "scarred me for life" by any means, but when I was little, I was terrified of the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz and even had nightmares about her. It sucked because my little sister was obsessed with that movie, haha. In one sentence, how would you sum up the Internet? A source of incredible knowledge but also hate and misinformation. What would be the most ridiculous thing for the government to make illegal? I literally dread the idea of Roe vs. Wade being reversed. Banning abortion would kill so many people with operational uteruses and cause absolute pandemonium. How many friends do you have on social media and how many of them do you know for real? On Facebook, I have 124 friends, and I'd say I know most of them "in real life." However, having been on the Internet since I was so young and befriending loads of incredible people, a good chunk are "online friends." Hell, I'm more interested in their lives than most "real" ones. Long-distance friendships are so valid. What fact amazes you every time you think of it? Lots of things, generally regarding the stupidity of humanity. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? Probably going to the beach w/ my old friend Colleen. We had zero plans of doing it, but she just called me one morning and asked if I wanted to go, and off we went. It was a fun day. What has taken up too much of your life? I'ma be real, WoW. I don't think I'm addicted to it like I once was seeing as I go through spans where I barely want to play it at all and don't, so I truly am capable of not playing it, but rather it's just the most entertaining way to kill time in my life. I just don't like how much time I've invested into a game over six or seven years regardless. Where do you not mind waiting? Uh, nowhere lmao. Is there an app you hate to use, but still use every day? No; why would I use it if that was the case? Who is the funniest person you know? My friend Girt is fucking hysterical. What three words describe you best? Complex, passionate, and creative. What makes you think you’re smart? Lol who says I think I'm smart? Who inspires you? Korean Jesus. Okay on a serious note, not just him, of course, but he's #1 in an entire universe of ways. Do you aspire to be like somebody else? If so, who? No; I want to be my own authentic self. How did you meet your best friend? YouTube, back when it had more social aspects. Which one of your accomplishments are you the most proud of? I want to say my recovery, but like... I wonder a lot if it's "enough" to be proud of with how scarred I still am? I still struggle with a lot and feel like I could be so much better by now if I tried harder. If I'm completely honest with myself, I think it's finishing high school in the top percentile of my graduating class. There was a ceremony for the handful of us and all, and I cherish my plaque probably too much. Reminds me of a time when I knew what the fuck I was doing. What's the strangest thing you ever did as a child? Thinking I had "animal powers" where I could invoke the traits of certain animals at will, like what the actual fuck, Brittany. What did your mother teach you? Christ, a lot. Dad didn't do a lot of the raising, honestly, so much of my core values and whatnot were instilled by my mother. She taught me to care for and be nice to others, respect myself, try my best in everything, and most importantly that she is always there for me and my sisters no matter what and can tell her absolutely anything. She was very serious about us going to college and saving sex for marriage when we were younger, but she diverged from those ideas as absolutely necessary with experience. I'm extremely lucky with who I call my mom, overall. What did your father teach you? Eek... Read above. Not a lot as a kid (save for riding a bike and playing softball); most he's taught me has come following reuniting with him after my parents' divorce. I remember we went to lunch once and talked about my breakup, and he talked to me about sometimes, you just have to let people go in order to be happy, like with him and Mom. He's very serious now about ensuring us girls know that he is always there for us and will help us in any way he's capable. What makes you feel powerful? "Powerful" isn't something I really feel, if I'm being real. What are you ready to let go? It would be inexplicably fantastic if I could let every speck of Jason go in both my head and heart. What is your most bizarre deal-breaker? I don't really find any of my expectations and limits as "bizarre?" They're all valid to me. Well wait, idk if you'd find it strange that I absofuckinglutely would not date someone who hunts, but it's not to me. That's a difference in a very serious value to me. Would you rather be hated or forgotten? Hated. God, I don't want to leave this earth having given just nothing. I can live with some people hating me for whatever reason. What’s the biggest personal change you’ve made? Accepting my bisexuality, probably. That's something that I consider pretty big for two reasons: 1.) I could end up with a woman forever, and especially 2.) I was originally homophobic. I still have difficulty in fathoming how I ever was. What are some of your short-term goals? PHP is finally starting to make me build these again. I want to get better at selfcare, draw, write, and read more, I want to drink a lot more water, exercise way more... Lots of things, really. What is the weirdest thing about you? Uh. I dunno. Probably that I RP meerkats, which is a very obscure RP niche for sure.

#survey #surveys #questions

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kat-feinated · 4 years

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My favorite Denver restaurants

How was your week?

My week included being invited to have a threesome with two of my work clients, who are both meth addicts and lost custody of their child due to said meth addiction.

My boss asked me to send the text to her and just replied “FOR GOD SAKE” and I feel like that’s the perfect summary of my year.

Speaking of meth, we finally finished watching “Tiger King” this week. I know I know, that show is so one month ago. But I have a lot of thoughts that I need to share with the world.

1. Did anyone else find Joe really sympathetic and felt bad for him? Yes, I know he’s unstable and probably killed animals and stuff but I found him...endearing!?

2. Doc Antle is the creepiest ever ever ever.

3. Jeff Lowe sucks. And his wife is way too young for him. And THE WHOLE THING WITH THE NANNY I JUST CAN’T.

4. The guy with no legs whose name I can’t remember was my favorite character. And just seems so normal. How did he end up there!?

5. I’m proud of Saff for standing up for Joe in the aftershow...everyone else just sold him down the river!

6. Howard Baskin. Howard Baskin singing. Howard Baskin’s wedding photos with Carole Baskin. The show is worth watching just for Howard Baskin.

7. Do I think Carole murdered her husband and fed him to a tiger? Yes. Would I still hang out with her in a heartbeat? ABSOLUTELY.

8. I’m extremely mad that I didn’t come up with “hey all you cool cats and kittens”. And now it’s already over-used.

Do you miss eating at restaurants as much as I do? (Probably not because you’re probably a normal person who has friends and other hobbies). I miss restaurants so much it HURTS. I miss looking up menus and deciding what I’m going to order days before I go. I miss people-watching and commenting on everyone else’s food. I miss kind servers bringing me baskets of bread and drinks that I didn’t make. I MISS RESTAURANTS YOU GUYS.

So, while I’m eagerly waiting for restaurants to start re-opening, I thought it would be fun to share my very favorite places to eat in Denver. Share this list with your favorite Denver local! Or better yet, come visit Denver and try these spots out (and invite me!!).

Cuba Cuba: This was the first restaurant I tried in Denver, because it’s across the street from our old apartment. It’s located in an adorable blue bungalow but is surprisingly spacious on the inside. For drinks, order their house made mojitos or a pina colada. For appetizers, order the plantain chips with guacamole and garlic sauce (YUM) or the empanadas. Everything I’ve eaten there for dinner has been delicious, but I especially love the coconut shrimp and the chimichurri steak.

Perfect for: a date night or girls’ night where you feel like getting a little dressed up (but you’d be fine going there dressed more casually).

Rioja: This is my mom’s favorite Denver restaurant, and she insists we go every single time she’s in town. It’s located in Larimer Square, the cutest and most charming street in downtown Denver. It’s a bunch of old Victorian buildings that have been converted into restaurants and shops, and the street is decorated with twinkly lights and Colorado state flags so it’s a great spot to get a touristy picture when you visit.

The menu changes constantly, so it’s hard to recommend exactly what to order, but you can’t go wrong with the pasta dishes. They are known for their artichoke tortelloni and it’s honestly the best pasta I’ve ever eaten in my life. Last time we also ordered the tagliatelle and clams which was fantastic. For starters, order the smoked pear and raclette if it’s available-so yummy.

Also, Rioja makes all their bread in house, and it’s probably our favorite part of the restaurant. Waiters literally come around with a giant tray of bread and I always try every single type. The lavender sourdough and rosemary biscuit are life-changing.

Perfect for: when your parents come visit (and pay!) or a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday dinner. It is on the pricey side.

Work & Class: This is probably the Denver restaurant I’ve eaten at the most. Located in the very hip Five Points neighborhood, Work & Class is always busy and does not take reservations, so I would recommend going on a random weeknight vs. a Friday or Saturday. If you do go on the weekend, plan on an hour plus wait-the good news is you’re surrounded by bars and breweries to help pass the time.

Work & Class is a South American/American fusion restaurant, and everything is served tapas (small plates) style, so go with someone you are cool sharing with. They have fabulous in-house cocktails which change seasonally, so definitely order one while you peruse the menu. It’s hard to make food recommendations since I’ve probably tried everything on the menu and have never been disappointed, but some of my favorites include: the lamb, the empanadas, the mac & cheese, and any of their vegetable side dishes.

Perfect for: your group of friends who you’re comfortable sharing with (eating off of each other’s plates!).

Mercantile Dining & Provisions: This is another spot that my mom insists on visiting every time she comes to Denver. It’s located in Union Station in downtown Denver, which is itself a great spot to visit. It’s an old train station (that is still a working train station) but also home to a hotel, an ice cream parlor, a bookshop, a florist, and every other small adorable business you can imagine.

Mercantile serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (I’ve had all 3 there), but my mom and I have created what we believe is the perfect system for dining there. We always go on the day she is leaving town, since she can take the train from Union Station to the Denver Airport after our meal. We try to go around 11am, and we order a raspberry muffin. My mom doesn’t even like muffins, but these are no ordinary muffins-not too sweet, perfectly fluffy, moist (I’M SORRY) -just sheer perfection. After sitting and people watching for about an hour, we then order a short rib sandwich around noon, as soon as they start serving their lunch menu (it gets quite busy at this time). SO GOOD. SO TASTY. Plus, the restaurant itself is so cute-it looks like Joanna Gaines designed the perfect black-and-white chic modern farmhouse.

Perfect for: brunch/lunch after a morning exploring downtown Denver, or a quick bite before catching the train to the airport.

Lowdown Brewery: Is it cheating that this is actually a brewery and not a restaurant? I say it counts because they make all their food in house. I don’t always love going to the popular breweries around Denver because they’re usually packed. I’ve never seen Lowdown packed and in my opinion it’s the best brewery in Denver in terms of food and ambience-and the beer is good too!

Not only do they make and sell their own beers, but their menu always features a seasonally rotating list of Colorado beers as well. They have a lot of IPA’s (which I despise but everyone else seems to love). I’ve tried their blood orange wheat, selfish (pale ale), and their blackberry sour and have enjoyed all three. In terms of food, you can’t go wrong with any of their pizzas, salads, or sandwiches, but I personally can’t get enough of their beer cheese dip (served with broccoli, apple slices, and soft pretzel bites-I’M DROOLING).

Perfect for: sitting out on their patio with friends in the warm weather. Bring your dog!

El Five: El Five has one of the coolest views of downtown Denver, not to mention delicious food and drinks and great service. Their sangria is the best I’ve ever tasted, but they have tons of great cocktail, beer and wine choices if that’s not your thing (but also what is wrong with you). For appetizers, try the spreads of the med-a platter of house made pita, hummus, and veggies. For their traditional tapas, I’ve tried and enjoyed the patatas bravas, the shrimp & calamari, and the goat cheese croquettes. Then, of course, you must try their paella. I’ve tried both the Valencian (made with rabbit confit!) and the seafood and would recommend either. Be prepared to log roll out of the restaurant when you’re finished because you will have gained 100 pounds.

Perfect for: a festive date night, dinner with your parents, drinks with your girlfriends-just be prepared for an expensive bill.

Stowaway: I’ve only been to Stowaway once, right before the shelter in place order started, but I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. First of all, it is tucked into the cutest former warehouse-turned-hipster-coffee shop/brunch spot, complete with exposed pipes and red brick walls. I AM HERE FOR IT.

We went on a Sunday morning with some friends who warned us to expect a bit of a wait. Fortunately, the Denver Central Market is just a few blocks away so we were able to enjoy some cocktails and/or coffee while we waited.

When we finally got in, I ordered the Colorful Colorado (an egg dish) because of the 8 million reviews I’d read ahead of time that told me I must order this dish or live a life of unending misery and regret (ok, that might be a slight exaggeration but it was something along those lines). I also split the fruit toast with Joshua because I have to order something sweet and something savory when I go to brunch (I know I have a problem, just leave me alone). Both were so freaking good. I can’t wait to go back soon and try everything on their menu (or more likely, order the same two dishes over and over again).

Perfect for: brunch with your favorite hipster friend.

Linger: This is the one restaurant on my list that I love more for the location/ambience than for the food, though the food is certainly tasty. Linger is located in my favorite neighborhood in Denver (LoHi or Lower Highlands) and the building it’s in USED TO BE A MORTUARY. Like, WHERE DEAD PEOPLE WOULD BE SENT AFTER THEY DIED. I personally find this so cool, and if this freaks you out, you would never know except that I just told you (sorry). It’s very airy inside with cozy mood lighting and exposed brick walls. This is another place that does small plates and they’re all globally-inspired street food dishes-the menu is literally divided by continent (i.e. Asia, Africa). For drinks, order the turmeric mule. For eating, you really can’t go wrong, but some dishes I’ve enjoyed include: the bao buns, the impossible burger persian sliders, the tuna tostadas, and the potato masala dosa. Skip dessert because right around the corner you’ll find Little Man Ice Cream-one of my favorite ice cream spots in the city.

Perfect for: a first date/date night, a girls’ night, or a summer brunch on their rooftop bar.

Snooze: Full disclosure-Snooze is a chain and is not just located in Denver; they have locations across Colorado and in a few other states including Texas and California. That being said, I just have to include it on my list because I believe it is completely worth the hype.

Because there is always a long wait (I’m talking 2 hours sometimes), we always go on a Monday morning when there’s a federal holiday that other people don’t get off, such as Columbus Day. Don’t kid yourself-there will still be a wait, but it will hopefully be closer to one hour. Plus, they give out free coffee while you wait!

I don’t even like pancakes, but I always order the pancakes here. ORDER THE DAMN PANCAKES PEOPLE. You can even get a pancake flight where you can sample three different types of pancakes (I highly recommend the blueberry danish pancakes and the sweet potato pancakes). If I’m in a savory mood, I’ll order the breakfast tacos with a side of one pancake.

Perfect for: brunch with your friend, brunch with family or anyone with kids, brunch with your arch nemesis, brunch with anyone.

Hopefully this list made you excited to go back to restaurants again in the future, instead of depressed! And please send me your best restaurant recommendations! These conversations are what I live for.

#denverrestaurants #denvereats #restaurants #food #foodie #denver #colorado #tigerking #carolebaskin #joeexotic

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