#also the whole fam knows sign language because i say so

[bambiraptorx]

Another round of random ideas that might wind up in Minor Interference at some point (because the editing for the next chapter is going... let's just say I still can't edit 6k words in one sitting):

Draxum knows a nigh-on absurd numbers of sea shanties and drinking songs in at least half a dozen languages. He will not admit when why or how he learned any of them

He actually has a lot of random-seeming skills that he's learned over the course of his life (one of the pros of being well over a thousand years old) from juggling to playing guitar. This man has a resume to rival Barbie's is what I'm saying

Mikey has a fascination with the weird side of psychology, especially the darker case studies and more ethically questionable experiments. You want to hear an in-depth analysis of Phineas Gage's life and the unfair way that media has characterized him, complete with the details of how the rod went through his head? no? too bad he's already infodumping

Raph, between being the oldest brother and having the highest metabolism, definitely ends up eating the most leftovers. He has the highest tolerance in the family for weird/gross/possibly expired food and doesn't get bothered much by things that would make most people disgusted.

That being said, there's still a handful of foods that he absolutely refuses to touch, such as scrambled eggs and oatmeal (it's too hard to get the texture right)

Donnie's favorite way of listening to music is blasting it through several speakers at once so loudly that he can feel the vibrations in his chest.

On a related note, he's had his lab sound-proofed since he was eleven because he will do this whenever he's working, whether or not his hearing aids are on or not

Admittedly Splinter isn't going to show up in the fic for uhhhhh a while, but he's still pretty important in his kids' lives and shares traits with them. Donnie got his love of eighties music from Splinter, for example

[number-0-iz]

Live thoughts of Bridgerton

Season 3, episode 1

Colin getting dressed in the carriage lmao

He is definitely better looking but I still don't think he's all that hot. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I'll change my mind.

Ah yes big ass feathers

SIGN LANGUAGE CHARACTER YES.

I love that. I don't speak ASL (also mainly cause English isn't my first language) but it is so cool.

The queen be bored lmao.

Charlotte as fierce as ever.

SINCE WHEN IS ELOISE INVOLVED WITH SEASONAL STYLES?

Me the whole time Fran was walking: don't fall don't fall don't fall

WHAT'S WRONG

Player Colin is...a little weird lma

ANOTHER ONE OF PEN'S SISTER FOUND A HUSBAND OH I'M SO HAPPY FOR HER.

NOW IT'S PEN'S TURN!

Oh shit the sister doesn't seem to like him 😭

Rip aunt Petunia, she seemed cool.

Oh u feel like the truth from last season will come out about the Featheringtons.

ELOISE SEEING PEN ELOISE SEEING PEN

Ugh friendship with Cressida? Eloise?

This is probably why she suddenly keeps up with seasonal styles?

God I hope they didn't change her too much or that she didn't lose herself.

I am not even 15 minutes in.

At least Violet seems to know something is up with Eloise.

"Tender young ladies." 😭

Damn all of the flirting jesus

CRESSIDA'S MOTHER IS SUCH A BITCH

Damn Portia has it all planned out huh

PEN AND COLIN MEET UP OOP

OOH HOW SHARP

I too would take a deep breath like that if I had to share a carriage with Portia

I AM A SUCKER FOR BOWS

"NO! Outside. Where our mother can't see." He says with a grin.

Lmao I love this man.

ELOISE IS READING EMMA

Please don't tell me Eloise has given up on being keen to learn and intellectual and a feminist

Because if she has, I will throw my phone at the wall.

"I lost the battle and I have no appetite for the war. I've joined the winning side."

So you mean to tell me that you have truly given up on your principles Eloise?

I wish Eloise would listen to Pen and they would be friends again.

"She was a very cold lady."

"She is colder now, I'm afraid."

AYE YO WHAT THE FUCK 😭

That was so savage.

Please let Mondrich and his family get a lot of cash as an inheritance.

A TITLE GOR MONDRICH'S SON?!

THIS IS EVEN BETTER 😭

They deserve it

NEWTON COCKBLOCKING KANTHONY LMAO

Aww their hands.

Ah another fantastic ball of Lady Danbury.

Oh Kate looks beautiful!!

PRETTY PEN IN A PRETTY DRESS

Aww Mr. Finch is so proud of his sister in law. Greenest flag.

UGH NOT A CONTESSA

I got distracted by Instagram reels when I went to look for the playlist of classical music covers used in the new season.

OH PEN US SO AWKWARD MY SWEETIE

Oh awkward Eloise

Ugh rude men

KANTHONY DANCE

PEN AND FRAN FRIENDSHIP

Oh Debling seems interesting.

NOT CRESSIDA STANDING ON PEN'S PRETTY DRESS! WHAT A BITCH.

And Eloise tried to apologise and Pen ran away 😭

OH THE SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW

"I overheard you." OOOOH

OH MIGHT THE FEATHERINGTONS LOSE EVERYTHING.

Cressida is a bitch. Eloise should not approve and be angry.

Oh sensitive Cressida? Damn.

How did I only now notice that Kate is left handed lol

COLIN VISITS

"BUT FRIENDS DON'T LOOK AT EACH ITHER THE WAY YOU DO."

Oh no not Penelope's scathing Whistledown letter

This'll be bad

GO MONDRICH FAM

Footman: Lord Kent. *proceeds to bow* welcome to your new home.

The kid: aye yo what the fuck

"I will never forgive her." Oh Colin if only you knew.

Well that was quite something! I really liked this episode if I am being honest! God I already wanna turn back to my season 2 Bridgerton AU with my OC that I made a few years ago but never posted. Am I going to watch episode 2 rn? Yes because I cannot wait. Will I leave yet another long reaction list like this one? Probably not cause I want to get a handle on my phone usage. But maybe another time! Until then!

[madstronaut]

once more into the breach for FaFiCoWriYear

Reading: Bite the Hand by @http-paprika

I literally kept writing and writing additional comments because i went back and re-read this multiple times

- i am not sure when i went from hating this man to wanting to hatefuck this man but yes this fic…only added fuel to the fire… *biting my fist while re-reading this for the nth time*

- i am also equally obsessed with frost as i am with graves here; strong competent/confident women are also my great weakness fic-wise (as are the strong competent/confident men who simp/are tender&gentle for them a la this fic’s graves)

- and once again the worldbuilding here with frosty and her fam and wolf lore is just fascinating!!! something that really stood out to me about this story was how I was just effortlessly drawn in to the plot and how… intuitive (wtf am I writing? idk) the story was to me - graves collecting misfits for his shadows, his whole ass characterization (as someone who’s spent some time in texas/has friends in dallas I heard his lines in graves’ voice seamlessly - high praise for papri’s writing <3) - when he point-blank asks reader “do i make you uncomfortable” - physically trying to put her at ease with his body language yet verbally going for the kill when they first meet- UNFFF aNYWAY I HAVE A HARD TIME EXPLAINING MY SIMPING FOR GRAVES IN WORDS BUT THE WAY PAPRIKA WRITES HIM MAKES ME WANT TO TACKLE AND MAUL HIM AND SIGN MY LIFE AWAY TO SHADOW COMPANY

- feral for the juxtaposition of reader’s bg with shifting/rejecting this quite frankly wild part of herself and graves’ role in helping her accept and embrace it - anyway i didnt really come here to start a treatise on the exploration of shifting as allegory for love/self-acceptance/sexuality in this 5billion word essay i will-

- GRAVES & SHADOW COMPANY RESCUING READER GRAVES & SHADOW COMPANY RESCUING READER GRAVES & SHADOW COMPANY RESCUING READER

- GRAVES GIVING FROST HIS OWN PERSONAL PATCH?????? that probably has his scent too-

- a part of me thought graves being able to sneak up on frost in her truck trying to find the base and her reaching for a plastic straw of all things in reaction to him surprisin her, this trained marine soldier - was a subtle tell that she implicitly trusts graves/doesnt see him as dangerous - sometimes the body just knows

- DEEPLY curious what the photos are of in graves’ office maybe his shadows having a cookout, group selfies &lt;3

- “got any brothers?” dialogue slayed me - i feel like canonwise the way he is fleshed out and built up really makes him the villain people love to hate because of how closely he+shadow company follows/supports 141 pre las-almas face-heel turn and that whole scene of him hyping up his shadows and all i will say is papri now has me fucking emotionally attached to her erikson, lerch, and vance (HE SO DID FIGHT A BEAR, LET HIM HAVE THIS FIGHT ME FROSTY)

- also obsessed with the im just teaching you how to hunt and run as a pack leader should be, it’s just my responsibility this is not-a-date, sooooo not-a-date

-whose vest did frost get indeed still curious

- “You look good,” He commented, quickly finishing the sentence when she cocked an eyebrow up at him. “-In the Shadow Company uniform and wearing our insignia. Like it was made just for you.”

omg i fucking love it when frost flusters graves

- not me googlin indigo bush to see what it looked like to distract myself from the emotional whiplash of the flashback scene of her first shifting (8/10 bush, i would also hide there if there weren’t other options with more foliage)

- shadows regularly falling asleep on graves is now canon for me (and ofc as pack dad/AND peak dad, he’d let them <3)

- “She was unwilling to admit that her scent was laced with something sweet, a glow in her face, and the ache in her bones whenever she passed Graves.”

i love love love LOVE the idea that you can smell crushes amongst wolves <3

- Frost wouldn’t offer that to Graves, he was already gracious enough as it was. But it didn’t stop her from closing her eyes, fantasizing about showing him every version of herself. Letting Graves take her in his arms, telling her the past didn’t matter.

omg this line!! this feeling!!! the YEARNING *sry busy wiping away all the foam coming out of my mouth*

- “Frost, you could tell me you murdered a man and I’d help you dispose of the body. I’m not one to judge.” THEN HE TAKES YOU TO HIS CABIN IN THE WOODS/SECRET DEN????

 FROSTY. I NEED YOU TO LOOK ME IN THE EYES. OK MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT. NOW LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY THIS MAN HAS CONFESSED HIS LOVE TO YOU AND DESIRES TO JOIN YOU IN LEGAL AND HOLY MATRIMONY AND WANTS YOU TO HAVE HIS BABIE-

ALSO WDYM PAST REPEATING ITSELF WHO ELSE HAS DONE THIS FOR OUR FROSTY!?!??!?! I am also in love with all the hints to frost’s backstory

- “Make yourself at home, if you break something, I will make you buy it.” COUGHHISHEARTCOUGH also this is truly such a Graves phrase

-  The light danced in his eyes, his brows knit together as he looked at her. A look of a man who was giving her his full attention. “And affairs of the heart have never been logical.” 

“What are you so scared of, Frost?” He kept his distance, waiting until she was ready to let him in. There was a patience in his tone, something so gentle about the way he spoke that made her knees want to buckle. 

*me, reading this with hearteyes*

- “I can’t change your past, but I can shape the future, and I don’t want to hurt you. You deserve everything you want, everything you crave, and I want to give it to you.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAA if a man said this to me i would probably rip my physical heart out of my chest and offer it up to them, kneeling

- “when she closed her eyes, it wasn’t the night she’d spent with Graves that she thought of, but a painful recollection from her past. It manifested in the physical, with stinging in her eyes and throat.”

pls i want to hug frost and hold her at a respectful distance by her shoulders and tell her it is okay <333333 even with all the hard work u put in to heal (shoutout to therapy and friends and loved ones <3) sometimes even the sweetest of memories and experiences can be tinged with bitterness from trauma; i have also experienced this way too many times and ugh i feel so seen here <3

- He was getting older, he needed someone willing to mate, to commit. And despite her best efforts, she wasn’t ready.

omg i felt a PHYSICAL PANG IN MY CHEST reading this line AAAAAAAAAA MY HEART <3

- this fic is still ongoing but i am absolutely vibrating at the idea that frosty ran all the way back home - like HOME home - basically scene of the crime for her - and graves now entering HER territory UNFH MY BODY IS READY PAPRIIIIIIII <3333

[juuten]

For You | Tenma Sumeragi

@chewie-santatoast​ says:  Merry Christmas! How about ‘secrets’ with Tenten? ❤️💚🤍🧡

Aimee replies: Hello! Thank you so much for requesting! Sorry I couldn’t greet you ‘Merry Christmas’ during that time :< That’s why I wish you a very advanced Merry Christmas! Also, stay safe and healthy!

This fic really took me a while to finish mainly because I needed to revise/shorten lots of parts. But surprisingly, I didn’t stray away from my initial idea when I thought of secrets and Tenma.

Anyway, the story takes place before Act 2. I hope this story will make you smile :D

For ‘A December with You’ event.

Today, Summer Troupe made sure to have the living room for themselves.

Fairy lights hung on the walls, painting the living room with an orange glow. Blankets and pillows surrounded the coffee table with a plate of onigiris on it. However, a winter’s night would never be complete without steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Muku delicately placed three mugs beside the onigiris, Yuki setting down the other two.

“Mr. Triangle!” Misumi grinned at the familiar triangle drawn on his cup of hot chocolate.

Muku grabbed his cup and giddily sat on his star-patterned blanket. "Mine's a crown!"

"The bear's almost like mine.” If one looked closely, a small smile dangled on Yuki’s lips.

Tenma reached for his mug and peeked at what Kazunari drew for him. "Is this a bonsai?"  

"Yep yep!" Kazunari sat on his spot in the living room. Then he winked and made a peace sign. “Kazunari Miyoshi’s latte art, everyone!”

Tenma's lips curled upwards. "Not bad." 

"Yippie! Now everything's set," Kazunari clapped his hands, "Operation ‘Tenten Living as a Non-Celeb: Christmas Edition,’ start!” 

But before Kazunari had the chance to show off his plans, the doorbell rang. Muku, being closest to the door, set down his mug and stood up.

"Who is it?" Muku said as he opened the door.

A brunette man wearing a gray suit smiled at him. “Good evening and advanced Merry Christmas, Muku-san.”

“Ah, Igawa-san! Likewise." Muku politely bowed.

Igawa set down an enormous sack on the ground. It looked like it was about to burst at any moment. "Please accept these gifts for the MANKAI members. Sumeragi-san and I chose them with utmost care." 

Then Igawa placed a thick scrapbook on Muku’s hands. "Also, please give this to Tenma-kun."

Muku obediently nodded. "I will! And thank you so much, Igawa-san!"

Igawa bowed and bid farewell before driving off. Muku secured the scrapbook under his armpit. Then he rolled up his sleeves. Pulling the sack with all his might, he trudged towards the living room.

“Mukkun, are you- Woah! Where did that super-duper big sack come from?” Kazunari’s eyes became as wide as saucers when he saw the boy set down the sack beside the Christmas tree. 

“It’s from Igawa-san and Tenma-kun's parents. They're gifts for us," Muku said in between pants. Tenma made a mental note to call his parents later.

Misumi put a familiar yellow triangle with a Santa Hat on Muku’s palms. “I'll give you Mr. Triangle Claus!”

Muku giggled and said thanks. When Muku returned to his spot, he presented the scrapbook to Tenma. “Tenma-kun, Igawa-san said this scrapbook was for you."

Tenma looked at him with confusion. Igawa always dropped off gifts from fans at his house while he delivered the important ones to the dorms. The gifts for the members were certainly one of those. However, the scrapbook was questionable. He was sure his parents did not make this; their careers always ate almost all of their time. Igawa was possible. However, Tenma knew managing his schedule was currently hectic. He always received more offers for both acting and modeling during the Christmas season. 

Suddenly, another potential person popped inside his head. With wide eyes, Tenma said, “Muku, who did it come from?"

“Um…” Muku flipped the scrapbook. He stumbled upon some initials at the far corner of the scrapbook. “There’s (First Letter of First Name) (First Letter of Last Name) written at the bottom.”

Within a blink of an eye, Tenma grabbed the scrapbook from his hands. All of the Summer Troupe members looked at each other in mild bewilderment.

Kazunari was the first one to recover as he playfully nudged Tenma’s arm. “Hey, Tenten, who’s (First Letter of First Name) (First Letter of Last Name)?”

“S-someone I'm close with!” 

Yuki suspiciously eyed Tenma as he drank his cup. “Hm…” 

Tenma fidgeted under his gaze. “Wh-what is it?”

Yuki placed his cup on the coffee table. Then with a menacing look, he said, “If you don’t tell us who they are, I’ll make you wear that rabbit costume again on Veludo Way. This time, alone.”

Misumi grinned. “I want to see rabbit Tenma again."

“That was supposed to be a one-time thing!” Tenma protested.

“Maybe the money-grubbing yakuza will increase the budget for costumes if I tell him the hack will advertise MANKAI Company this Christmas.” Yuki tapped his chin in thought.

Tenma grumbled. He was always careful to not expose your relationship with him when he was barely prepared. But now that his reputation (dignity) was on the line, he could not remain tight-lipped. Letting out a defeated sigh, he said, “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

Tenma breathed in before saying, “The initials stand for (First Name) (Last Name). It’s my girlfriend’s name.” 

“Someone managed to date the hack, huh," Yuki said.

“What do you mean by that!” The man in question violently reacted.

"Hold up, fam. Since we're on this topic," Kazunari wrapped his shoulder around the orange-haired man and shot him a grin, “we should look at the scrapbook together!"

Tenma glared at Kazunari. “No way. And this isn’t part of your operation or what in the first place!”

"It's fine, it's fine!" When Tenma still had a scowl on his face, Kazunari clasped his hands and pleadingly looked at him. "C'mon, Tenten! Please!" 

Tenma hugged the scrapbook to his chest. He knew he was doomed to be teased once he showed the scrapbook. Knowing you, you put lots of pictures he was unaware that you took them. Nevertheless, this was a risk he would rather take instead of wearing a rabbit costume for the whole Veludo to see. Besides, he trusted that his members would never leak his and your private lives to the public. 

Tenma unwrapped his arms from the scrapbook and placed it on his lap. “Fine. But no taking of pictures or videos.” With that, everyone sat closer to Tenma. 

Tenma’s heart pounded as he opened the scrapbook. A photo of a smiling couple sitting on a flowery meadow filled up the upper part of the first page. Below the picture was a handwritten caption that said, "First date planned by Yours Truly ☆." Then at the bottom of the page, there was a colored drawing of the meadow. Tenma's eyes widened in astonishment. Your illustration looked the same as he remembered. The difference was you put a dried sunflower at the center above the flowery meadow and drew its stem.

"(First Name)'s drawing and design are totes amazing! Kudos to her!" Kazunari said, which Tenma replied with a proud 'of course!'

Muku turned to the orange-haired man with excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Tenma-kun, what did you do on your first date?" 

"Did you find triangles with her?" Misumi asked.

"Only the Trianglian will do that there," Yuki commented.

“We had a picnic, talked and took some photos. Then, uh...” Tenma scratched his head, trying to remember any fascinating but not too embarrassing moments from his first date. "We also played Twenty One Questions.”

“So what do you do?” Tenma asked the moment you proposed this game.

“We just alternately ask each other twenty-one questions and answer them. The questions can be about anything at all!” A mischievous glint passed your eyes, which you covered up with a smile.

Your boyfriend seemed to be unaware of it as he smirked. “I’ve handled many interviews, so this one’s easy.”

“It’s still your first time playing this though. That’s why I’ll start asking you.” You intertwined your hands with his. Then with the most serious face you could muster, you said, “If you meet an alien who lands in Japan, what is the first thing you will give them?”

You tried to hold back your laughter when you saw his dumbfounded face. He was so confident seconds ago, and now, he was a flustered mess. 

You brushed your thumbs on his hands to help him relax. “It’s only a hypothetical question, Tenma-san. You don’t need to think too much about it.”

“Still, how did you even come up with that question?”

You wagged your index finger. “It’s not yet your turn to ask a question.”

“I can’t ask at all?!”

“That’s a question, Tenma-san.”

Tenma groaned, making you laugh. Then he scratched his head. “I’ll give the alien a map of Japan, I guess.”

You frowned. “I don’t know if they can understand our language though.” Then you shook your head. “Well, a map’s still a good choice!”

You squeezed his hands. “It’s your turn to ask a question, Tenma-san.”

Now that Tenma paid attention to it, you still used an honorific for him. It was progress compared to the early days wherein you called him by his last name. At that time, it was so awkward for him; it felt like you two were co-workers instead of lovers. But even now, he wanted you to be comfortable with him. With those thoughts, he said, “You know you could drop the honorific, right?”

You nodded. “I know. But I can’t just casually call someone who I really respect and admire.”

At the corner of your eye, you saw a pair of bloomed sunflowers near your side. You unclasped your hands from his and plucked the sunflowers. Giving one to him, you said with a tender smile, “To my sunflower who I adore.”

Muku tightly hugged his pillow to his chest. “That’s so romantic of (First Name)-san!”

“Yeah… but then she asked another random question for the game.” Tenma sighed at that. Then he looked at the next page. Red painted his cheeks as he saw a stolen shot of him eating your homemade sandwich.

“The sandwich is a triangle!” Misumi grinned.

“You’re right, Sumi! It is!” Kazunari patted him on the back. 

Meanwhile, Yuki pointed at the picture and said, “Hack, you eat like a kid. Look at the crumbs on your mouth.”

“It only happened during that time! Besides… (First Name)’s sandwich was delicious,” Tenma murmured the latter part as he munched on an onigiri.

As Tenma continued to tell what happened in the other photos, his gaze softened. He never thought that he would enter a romantic relationship and last this long. After all, school and his career demanded so much of his attention. But this scrapbook proved him wrong. It carried the many memories both of you made. If he had to choose his fondest memory of you, it would be you watching his performance. Tenma beamed with pride whenever he saw you laughing, crying, or overall getting hooked alongside the audience. It meant that Summer Troupe’s efforts paid off. Moreover, he got to express his gratitude towards you through his acting. Nonetheless, the ambitious actor would never stop improving and showing you the best performance. 

As Tenma flipped to another page, a photo fell out and landed beside Kazunari’s lap. The latter looked down and picked it up. Kazunari stopped chewing his onigiri, his jaw dropping in surprise. 

“OMG! Tenten, you look super cute!” Tenma had no time to react as Kazunari shoved the photo to his face. Tenma grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand out of the way. 

“Kazunari, what-” 

The orange-haired man froze. Out of all the pictures, why did you include this one in the scrapbook? It was a photo he definitely could not show to anyone without stripping his dignity away. But you were an exception since you begged for it as your birthday present. Still, you owning the photo did not mean you could put it without letting him know first! Anyone else could see it the moment the scrapbook landed at the dorm. And news traveled fast in a dorm with many people.

Misumi giggled. “It’s baby Tenma.”

“He doesn’t have the ‘Ore-sama’ air around him yet,” Yuki said as he stared at the photo.

Tenma snapped out of his trance and snatched the picture from Kazunari. "Oi! You don’t need to see it!” 

Misumi tilted his head in wonder. “But it was in the scrapbook.”

"Yeah, but still!" 

Then Muku noticed the black ink on the back of the polaroid. Tugging on Tenma’s sleeve, he said, “Tenma-kun, I think there’s something written at the back.”

Tenma begrudgingly flipped the photo on its back. He immediately recognized your handwriting that wrote the following message:

I hope your true friends will see all of your sides that I love, including this one. 

P.S., Merry Christmas, Tenma-san! I hope you like my gift ♡ 

Tenma covered his face with his hand, trying to fight off the smile forming on his lips.

[krisrix]

Hi fam~ I haven’t been around much in the past little while, but I wanted to take a moment to address something happening in the fandom the past few days... 

As a caveat: I know I’m only active within one subsection of the fandom, so please understand that I am not trying to speak for everyone. On the Discord server I’m a part of, we’ve been having a very deep, nuanced discussion about this for the past two days now. I’m popping in to offer a summary of that discussion. Again, this is only one subsection of the fandom, but I hope that the takeaways of our discussion are something that others can find some comfort in as well.

The bullet points I believe we ultimately agreed on:

Smut with minors is not okay, it doesn't matter who it is written by

"Snowbaz smut" and "smut with minors" is a Venn diagram, not a perfect circle—the concern is with the overlap, not snowbaz smut in general

Anyone over the age of consent can write mlm smut with characters who are also over the age of consent—there is no upper limit on the age where this rule applies (aka no ageism in fandom)

You do not have to out yourself or "be X enough" to engage or create for this fandom and have a home here 

Cishet women are welcomed (for more reasons than can even be accounted for) so long as they are respectful and not fetishizing

Fetishization can occur by anyone, both inside and outside of the group in question

It doesn’t matter who the creator is—queer, questioning, or otherwise—so long as they have a certain level of self-awareness and empathy, they therefore are not fetishizing

If you are worried "am I fetishizing?", then the answer is probably "no", but self-reflection as a healthy routine is always good

Listen to others when they say you’ve done something to make them uncomfortable and try to reevaluate yourself accordingly—you do not have to bow to anyone else’s whims, but you do have to recognize the validity of what they’ve expressed, even if you didn’t intend harm

“Being heard” and “being agreed with” are not the same thing

Blanket statements that gatekeep people always do more harm than good—sequestering groups is historically proven time and again to be the worst thing we can do to each other and is antithetical to developing empathy

We all need to be mindful of the language we use, especially in nuanced discussions

We need to utilize tags appropriately as best we can—this includes adults adding NSFW/Explicit/etc. tags when relevant and the blacklisting of said tags by minors

I could go on for a very long time about so many intricate portions of this discussion, but unfortunately, I don’t have the strength for that at this point. I will leave you with this tangled mish-mosh of thoughts:

If you’re feeling frustrated and like you’re repeating yourself or talking to a brick wall, try to engage in good-faith questions and answers instead. I’ve found that this opens up new opportunities for communication and helps highlight misunderstandings. There was a lot of strong language and negative feelings being tossed around in the server, but after we discussed it for long enough and delved deeper, we realized we were all in agreement! There had just been a number of knee-jerk responses and misconstrued words, which led to an unravelling argument.

I also request that we be more mindful of tossing around the word "p*dophile", etc. That is an extremely loaded word, both for its true meaning and for its historical meaning. Queer folks have been lumped in as and labelled as such for so much of our history, and it is a term very much in fashion at the moment with the alt-right, as well.

Speaking of which, the strong reaction we all had to this discussion is because we are all dealing with our own personal baggage, and much of that baggage has to do with the complex political world we are constantly entrenched in. So it’s understandable that when faced with negativity, our first reaction is to go full fight-or-flight. Being defensive is not necessarily a sign that someone is guilty of something. We have to fight so hard, every day! But this shouldn’t need to be a fight, especially not amongst ourselves.

When they attack us, they do so from a place of negativity and fear. Their whole outlook is “you’re not allowed to do that” and “this is only for me”. That is not what we are about. When they attack us, it is because they lack empathy for our situation. Please note that sympathy and empathy are not the same. You can empathize with those you disagree with. Ultimately, that is what allows us to learn and grow and constantly improve.

We are imitating them when we don’t give other people empathy. We are imitating them when we yell and attack, rather than striving to understand and communicate. It is terrifyingly easy to take the hostility and language of the abuser and then apply it to yourself and/or those around you. Please take care not to mimic that which has hurt you.

We cannot be perfect. We cannot always have the onus on us to be the understanding one, the one willing to be patient and kind, the one willing to educate. The mental labour of that is overwhelming. I merely ask you to take time now and then to check in with yourself and your place within a situation to make sure you’re not adding more negativity into a system, especially one that is already struggling. Yelling at someone and making sweeping statements is rarely a good form of communication.

We’re here because we opened our hearts to these characters. We need to continue to keep our hearts open to each other.

We’re all in this together. 

We are all stardust.

[qwertyfingers]

we know that bobby only watched ds9 and dean watched the tos movies for sure which implies he's seen tos as well (plus he calls jack spock). so what do you think everyone's favorite trek is? sam is without a doubt a tng fan first and foremost. i think out of all tos movies cas prefers the wrath of khan because he Feels Things when kirk and spock do the ta'al through the glass. charlie has definitely seen some trek (we've seen her llap), do you think she's into tos first and foremost? anyway let's talk about star trek nights in the bunker.

OKAY SO I HAVE. MANY MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. SORRY THIS IS SO LONG.

like. like of COURSE bobby only likes ds9 of course he does i could have told you this without the show becuase like. bobby is That Bitch. i think rufus will have watched TOS at least because leonard nimoy worked hard on linking jewish faith and practices into the vulcan lore and i think that would mean something to him. bobby will catch rufus smiling at him sometimes while they’re watching ds9 and ask him what all gruffly and rufus will smirk at him and say something about sisko with jake and bobby with dean and bobby will just cough and take a swig of whiskey and rufus will raise his eyebrows but let it slide. rufus definitely makes a comment once about dean&cas being like jake&nog that totally flies over dean’s head but bobby is all knowing eyebrow raise about.

i think cas and jack would really like discovery. while it has some issues with inconsistency, pacing, being a little dark, it also does better than the other TV treks at utilising the nature of film as a medium to instill a sense of wonder, at space and the world, and that’s something they’d really appreciate. i have my own issues with disco, but an obol for charon is as close to the central core of trek that disco ever gets. cas and jack also like that one in particular because they like listening to all the different languages being spoken. they all love michael (everyone loves michael). cas’ faves are stamets and reno because they’re mean and gay, jack’s fave is tilly because she’s excitable and bright and he latches onto that. dean likes reno because she’s got spunk. sam’s fave is airiam and he will never forgive them for killing her off. sam, cas and dean all feel an uncomfortable kinship with both ash and culber - they’ve both been the one with monster teeming under the surface, controleld by something not themself, but they’ve also all spent that time in hell/purgatory, separated from everyone they love.

thinking about episodes that would really get to them all, darmok is. THE ONE. i have a whole unfinished essay about darmok as the platonic ideal of star trek; the perfect distillation of everything trek is SUPPOSED to be about. it doens’t always get there but by god it tries! that speech michael gives in the disco s2 finale - “There's a whole galaxy of people out there who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find that person who seems farthest from you and reach for them.” - that’s what darmok is about!!! it’s all about a situation where real communication seems impossible, where everything we know about talking and learning has broken down. and picard says, okay, i will find another way. i can’t relate to you, you can’t relate to me, but by god i’m going to try. we all meet people we have trouble communicating with in our lives, and often, those people will not care about changing their own ways to accommodate us. for people with autism, adhd, psychosis, the list goes on, this is a very common occurrence. it’s exhausting and frustrating and alienating. darmok is all about crossing that barrier. about reaching for someone through a world of difficulty and learning how to talk. learning how to share something with someone who seems out of our reach. it’s beautiful, it’s heartwrenching, it means more to me than i can easily put into words! 

anyway i think the bunker fam would experience a lot of emotions watching it together. there’s defintiely a lot of hugging eachother, sam cries a lot and won’t look at anyone until after the episode ends. jack just asks a lot of questions and talks about his progress learning sign language with cas. dean snakes his hand into cas’ halfway through and doesn’t let go. doesn’t show the emotion on his face, but he clutches harder at the emotional beats. cas runs his fingers through jack’s hair and thinks a lot, and decides not to say anything unless dean talks first. its just a Lot for everyone. 

dean def makes them marathon all the TOS and TNG movies. it’s an experience everyone needs at least once. i think you’re right about cas and TWOK with the ta’al through the glass, but also ‘this simple feeling’ and the hand hold would make him feel crazy. bones being the one that spock entrusts with his katra DEF makes dean feel some type of way because as much as destiel is kirkspock-coded, dean IS bones, and seeing spock trust bones so completely despite how at odds they were when they first knew eachother would dig deep into dean’s psyche and make him more than a little bit nutso. the movies are way too long for jack so he mostly sits and plays animal crossing while they watch and looks at the screen when everyone else gasps or when something exciting is happening that holds his attention for a while. sam’s fave is nemesis precisely because it’s terrible and he loves how camp it is.

dean has definitely seen all of trek. i refuse to believe someone who watches as much tv and films as dean wouldn’t sit and watch the whole shebang. i think he’s probably seen TOS and the TOS movies more than the others because its easier than sitting through 7 seasons, but i think rather than that being his favourite he’d just have really strong opinions about the best episodes of each one? like if you asked him what his favourite is he’d say you can’t answer that because they’re all so different from eachother

VOY - bride of chaotica, non seqitur, macrocosm for the favourite episodes. seven, janeway and tuvok would be his favourite characters. he think toms a bit of a knob but also feels a kinship with him for the similar brand of bab dad-ism but he wouldn’t be able to put that into words. he’s also a fierce defender of threshold being a good episode (he’s right for that)

DS9 - our man bashir it’s our man bashir. he doesn’t dislike ds9 but its very plot heavy and he didn’t care for it when he was younger. rewatching it after living through multiple supernatural wars he’d probably appreciate it more. i know for a fact he cries every time there’s an episode about sisko being a good dad. jadzia and garak are his faves

TNG - he LOVES q. he also absolutely will not be caught dead referencing how much loves q after cas comes into his life because sam will do the little brotherly knowing eyebrow raise at him and he will die of embarrassment. he regularly references ‘there are four lights’ because he’s a fucking nerd. he has made cas watch elementary my dear data and fistful of datas a half dozen times each at LEAST. cas KNEW how dean was going to be about the cowboy hat he’s defintiely got into full cowboy getup at home just for watching movies and in cas’ head star trek is fully to blame.

TOS - oh there are so many good TOS eps to choose from. obv he loves most of the series becuase TOS has MANY banger eps, his favourites are probably like. mirror mirror, amok time (baby dean defintiely had some kind of crisis watching it for the first time; i know the rituals are intricate). i know deep in my bones that dean watched the conscience of the king (introduction of the tarsus iv massacre) once and then spent his entire teenage years writing fic about that in his head, whether he posted it or not. dean related too much to those experiences of shared hunger. city on the edge of forever is one of everyone’s faves for a reason (and i’m STILL mad we never got a closer take on that episode in spn it could have been so fun). 

ENT - he definitely thinks enterprise is stupid and he’s not wrong but he has also definitely watched it and been very repressed about the whole thing. mans was like oh i feel a kinship with malcolm reed the obviously repressed queer man. i will never examine this feeling ever again thank you <3 he also makes fun of archer for being obsessed with, of all sports, water polo. shran is his favourite character because he’s a little shit and makes him laugh, and t’pol, because t’pol is a badass and he’d appreciate that. i can’t remember the title of a single episode off the top of my head though lol.

i can see what you’re saying about sam being a TNG stan. i’m conflicted though, I feel like TNG’s generally the favourite of 1) obnoxious nerds who think knowing trivia facts makes them smart, 2) men desperately trying to seem masculine and 3) people who’ve watched it three times and have extremely complex thoughts on the personhood and rights of robots. i could see sam fitting into the third group, but people who are in it for the robot feelings are a coin flip between voyager and tng being the fave, and i just have a feeling that voyager would be his favourite. i know kid sam is getting gender envy watching voyager in shitty motels while dad and dean are out, trying to find the words for it. his first semester at stanford he talks a friend into giving him the janeway haircut and rides that high for months. sam’s favourite characters are seven and EMH. 

sam and dean have definitely had dozens of long drawn out debates about philosophical topics in star trek. do the holograms deserve rights and if so which ones. are the romulans and vulcans still meaningfully the same people. was spock right for trying to foment reunification by going undercover on romulus. can the borg be redeemed. etc etc.

i haven’t seen any of picard at all so i can’t comment. i also think sam and dean probably read a lot of the trek books? they’re pretty common to find in secondhand bookstores and cheap, would have been even cheaper back in the day. sam probably doesn’t care for them much, dean has a few solid faves though. i’ve only read the disco books so i can’t comment anything specifically (besides the fact that i think dean read dead endless and cried like a baby), but some of the TOS and DS9 books are gay as hell and i know dean was eyes emoji-ing that shit. 

[ambiguousdisorderken]

Okay re ur post abt feeling guilty and specifically not being the cishet daughter they think u are…I’m also latino and at this point my identity is transmasc bi/kind of gay but I’m not out. Even though my mom probably knows/ thinks I’m not straight I don’t think she expects me to not be cis despite loads of evidence from my childhood and now. I’ve been struggling eith not seeing myself as the “emotional support daughter” for my mom/family and it makes me hesitate to move out even tho it’s actually happening in a few months for school. I also like, straight up can not imagine coming out as trans like it terrifies me even tho it’s getting to the point where my dysphoria is starting to cause issues and the ways I want to transition are not things I can really hide. Even more so I cannot imagine my extended latino family knowing my gender identity. I want to go no contact because of this fear even tho nothing really warrants that….anyway sorry for a whole story in ur ask u don’t have to answer I just thought maybe You’d want to know u aren’t alone esp with regard to being seen as an hija and shit

thank you for sharing that, i truly appreciate it. i think my family suspects sometimes, but they don't say anything because i'm well past my teenage years and i didn't give any obvious 'signs' (granted i was an anxious and depressed mess due to body issues that wouldn't really be qualified as dysphoria but did make a number on my gender), so there's a sense of "safety" for them. it's also difficult because i'm not a social person, i barely go out, have little to no close friends, very scarce romantic experiences, no irl people to talk about sexuality&gender with, and i basically just hang out with my family (cats included). if i sound lame, it's because i am.

i'm still very much in the questioning stage, figuring stuff out, so my brain goes, it's not for sure yet, why even think of telling them, but it's such a big part of who i am and influences my every interest, so keeping it to myself i feel is sorta washing out my personality. and the hija thing makes me uncomfy. atm i think im nb, and i'm okayish with female pronouns (it's more difficult to go gender neutral in spanish and inclusive language gets mocked at where I'm from so i try to avoid constructing phrases that include pronouns or gendered adjectives - tough shit), but being specifically referred to as a woman/girl/daughter feels.. wrong. off. ehhh. hm, no. at least im the younger sibling who was the 'son they didn't have', since i would always be helping out my dad when i was little. it's such an alien concept to them that i bet it's never crossed their minds, or the sexuality thing.

my plan is moving to a country where queer rights are actually a thing (home country, please level up) and coming out to my fam at the last minute lol. that way we'll be far away, they can process it at their own pace, i get some peace, and if things go badly at least we won't be geographically forced to interact. i have to wait a couple years for that though, and get lucky as fuck because, yeah, higher education abroad. hello. crying in financial limitations.

anyway. i trust our plans will work out<3

[empressarcana]

hi okay soooo the whole ring thing i haven’t been able to let go like timmy was wearing a ring on his WEDDING ring finger and apparently it was a wedding ring in a diff language and then your reading with rings and yes and commitment like ughhh i’m swooning i just feel like it was a big ole promise ring and i’m trying to catch another peek at that finger we need knew pics timmy asap plzzzz!!!

OH ANON HI!

I just want to say I am sorry I didn’t reply to this sooner! Better late than never! Yes, I am over the moon with all the rings coming out in my Charmie readings, seriously. I know it means a lot. Even in my latest Timmy reading (11/7/2020) on my YouTube channel, I pulled not only the 4 of wands but also the committed card with rings. That card loves coming out for both Armie and Timmy. 😍

Funny how today is 11/11! The energy of 11/11 is a gateway to all the possible and everything you want to manifest, scream it with intent to the Universe. Let the Universe hear you, because today is the day. There will be more gateway days of course but I just felt like sharing that tidbit.

Listen and keep an eye out for signs, fam. ❤️

I feel way too many things when it comes to Armie and Timmy. Like I mentioned before in prior readings, 4 of wands can signify a marriage, a celebration. Wands are fire, action, so this is coming from a place of inspiration, inspired to take a step into this marriage or celebration. A coming together, unifying and celebrating it publicly. Soon, soon, right? I feel that, too.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Anon! Sending you so much love and feel good vibes your way!

[mccarricks]

( brittany o’grady / demi woman ) WESLEY McCARRICK is 23 years old and is a SENIOR at thales university. SHE is majoring in FILM and is known for being THE MAVERICK as THEY can be HUMOROUS and OPEN-MINDED as well as DITZY and IMPULSIVE. every time i see HER/THEM, THEY remind me of PURPLE SKY IN THE DESERT, SKATING AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO FEEL THE WIND ON YOU, A JOKE TOLD WITH A TOOTHY GRIN.

hero’s back w character no. 2 and yet......

full name: wesley ‘wes’ elaine mccarrick

birthdate: february 2, 1997

age: 23

gender: demi woman

pronouns: she/her/they/them

zodiac: aquarius

nationality: american

ethnicity: black (louisiana creole) and white (irish)

hometown: santa fe, nm

languages: english, intermediate spanish

family:

theodore mccarrick, father

elaine barlow, mother

ruby mccarrick, older brother

delphine mccarrick, older sister

sherri barlow, maternal grandmother

many cousins

orientation: bisexual biromantic, pref. towards women/nb people but will date men

religion: agnostic

height: 5 ft 4 in

distinguishing features: eyebrows, hair, lips

character inspo: ilana wexler (broad city), harley quinn (dc comics), phoebe buffay (friends), prob more

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

TRIGGERS: divorce, mentions of crime, drug and alcohol use

the youngest child of ted and elaine mccarrick, wes was a kid who is full of life. she’s the kind of kid who did things to make you smile, and it usually worked. she was warm and inviting, a little naive, but she had a strong support system.

her parents divorce when she’s six, she doesn’t quite understand it but her dad moves out, and her grandma and multiple cousins move in. it’s a lively household, between her mom, who works as a nurse, and her siblings, and her cousins, it was never really quiet and there was never a lot of room.

despite the split, her parents maintain that their children have a relationship with both of them, and truthfully, wes is a daddy’s girl. she and her dad were cut from the same cloth, happy go lucky, fun loving, a bit silly, he’s the one who introduces her to movies. it’s their thing, watching and critiquing them together, and it’s not whatever is in theatres either. they went for all times of filmmaking, new wave, surrealist, and more.

it really stuck with wes, who herself had begun making movies, mostly horror/fantasy/scifi stuff with her friends-- she writes and directs and occasionally, she’ll don a costume and star in them. they’re silly little things, but her family always sat down for her “premieres.”

her formative years are marked with plenty of things, sports, deaths of distant family members, a cousin or two who gets caught in the wrong crowd and ends up in jail, and throughout this, wes remains a rock for her family.

she’s in high school, and she gets into the eclectic crowd, the outcasts, the weirdos, the ones who smoked under the bridge, and partied out in an abandoned trailer near the desert. these freaks were her freaks. they accepted her with open arms, as she them.  

she chooses thales because she always wants to see the east coast, and frankly, as much as she loves her family, she wants to be free of them. and they have a fantastic film program. so!

she meets steven in their first film class together, and they’re fast friends, despite her usual weariness of YET another film bro, steven proves to be a good egg. so she thinks. she finds out through him talking that he might not be the most faithful to his girlfriend, and as much as she doesn’t like meddling, she thinks it’s only right to let clarissa, who she doesn’t really know well, know. however, before there’s a chance, everything happens-- now she’s stuck wondering if she should reveal the truth, or let sleeping dogs lie.

nana is different, nana and her dated her sophomore year, nana’s freshman year. it wasn’t serious. but they were fond of each other. they eventually break up, but they stay friendly, waving to each other in the halls, chatting at parties.

both the disappearance and the murder is weird for wes, who by all accounts, isn’t great at dealing with bad shit. she prefers to laugh about things. laugh about everything. because if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

wes is a mess, a free-spirit, a walking contradiction. she’s very independent minded, the kind of person who does things without thinking so much about the consequences, this leads her into trouble sometimes. like nicking something from a convenience store, or stealing a stop sign as a prank. she’s definitely the kind to goof off and not exactly dedicate her full attention to something. and while she’s in genuinely good spirits on most occasions, she has a staunch ‘no asshole’ policy. the type to defend the underdogs, and go after bullies. she’ll punch you with a smile on her face, and yet it ends up being more unnerving than you realize. she’s a bit of a ditz, as well, never the best at school, but can talk your ear off about the going ons of the world. she’s a lovable dumbass, for sure, and loyal to a tee once you get her as a friend.

𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

horror movie fan! her favorites are some of the oldies, like dracula and  the bride of frankenstein! and some new ones! big fan of jordan peele’s work, as well as ari aster’s! but mostly really advocates for women directors and directors of color!

also does roller derby! she picked this up her first year at thales and fell in love with it, i can’t think of a name for her yet, but she’s a blocker, won’t hesitate to elbow some dick at the bar

kinda a tomboy? she’s always been! she’s rough and tumble and not afraid to get down and dirty with someone, i.e. will join those football games on the quad or crawl through the mud for a scene to shoot

doesn’t know if she wants to be a director/writer or a cinematographer honestly.... she loves the technical aspects of film as much as the making the stories

definition of a bruh girl, says it a whole lot, but also just if you tell her you love her, she’ll just roll her eyes and be like you’re an idiot (which means she loves you too) she’ll be affectionate if she’s close to you

kinda a wh*re oops....... texts multiple girls at a time and doesn’t want to hurt any of their feelings she doesn’t know how she keeps ending up in these situations... also a bisexual disaster

a stoner as well..... always has a massive jar of weed

unclear whether she lives on campus or off campus but if she does live off campus she has a pet turtle named elsa lanchester after the bride of frankenstein actress

a drummer! she’s in a band (name tbd) she started drumming at a young age and found it was a good way to manage her aggression

doesn’t really do well with emotions, so she’ll either be like there, there, or try to make jokes.... she really said kids can you lighten up

walking meme... such a walking meme... doesn’t know so many things she’s like a cute puppy with no thoughts head empty but she’s so fun to be around

life of the party.... nana she came fr ur spot and she took it and she’s not sorry but she does miss u a lot

doesn’t rly feel like she’s allowed to be upset anyways bc some people have it...... way worse.... can u say Imposter syndrome

kind of an enabler...... will be that person to push u to try things but not in a peer pressurey way, more like if u are unsure abt sending a text she says do it

wears fun earrings and socks! think lollipops or gummy bears or found objects like she collects that shit it’s her lifeline

boxes! she’s been boxing since she was abt 12, courtesy of her older brother (who is now a doctor thx ruby) and it’s a good way to exercise and release stress

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

best friend -- two of a feather, cut from the same cloth, or complete opposites it doesnt matter to her (the abbi to her ilana)

roller derby friends -- she’s p close to the team, margs on her

makeup artist pal -- i think it would be neat fr someone to try and teach her makeup whether its normal or sfx bc she wants to look like a monster or smthn

she’s gullible, u take advantage of that -- u just tell her lies p much and she’s like yeah ok that sounds right

party friends

classmates

fwbs (f/m/nb) -- tbh she might have one or two of these but they literally are the def of pals who bone sometimes... like v good abt being like you good? u dont want more? cool me too

exes (f/m/nb) -- mostly dated women or nb people but def cld have had a guy

she smokes you out -- p much the only reason u hang out w her is bc she has good weed

someone she’s fought -- like fully decked in the face, prob said something that rubbed her the wrong way and it just devolved from there

people who dislike her -- she could definitely be seen as annoying bc shes loud and dorky and funny so ??

breaks someone out of their shell -- p self explanatory, pushes them to have fun, w everything happening shes rly like lifes too short to not take the opportunities around u

cousins! probably on her dad’s side! i figure she has some east coast fam 

anything? truly?

[punkscowardschampions]

Gen 4.1 Planning

Libi: Okay, so my basic premise for who Libi is going to be at her core, WOO; I was thinking about how we said that she is Tess' second (lowkey third but I'll let you live gal) chance at 'getting it right' and raising a child well, which, OBVIOUSLY, she's never told or anything but there's an innate pressure in that that you'd know on some level, likewise her mum AND dad died so everyone would be quick with those comparisons always, this family and Liam's mum when that contact is made because her daughter died as well as; Then that made me think of the pressure Ro felt because you know, bad shit happened to Bea (Edie and Liam in this case) and then she got saved by McVickers and felt like she owed everyone to be great and do great things; so my vibe is that BUT COMING FROM A LESS SELFISH, WEIRD, PERFECTIONISM ANGLE soz not soz Ro, we know what you did; I see her being better behaved as she grows up, far more than her parents obviously but lowkey better behaved than any of the mcvickers or cali kids ever were because she thinks everyone deserves that, her not causing any more problems, but again UNLIKE Ro, she wouldn't be different to a degree of not fitting in because she'd make a massive effort to be there for everyone and every event, be likeable and get along with as much of the fam as possible, obviously some of that is natural charm but it's also putting in the time ahem Rosaline; like, she's a people pleaser, to a fault, and all she cares about is making everyone else, Tess, Fearghal, Ali, JJ etc etc, happy and making sure she's being what she thinks they want her to be/need her to be, and like that is what makes her happy because she is doing it out of love and respect not obligation but she doesn't know she's doing it, you know? Again, it's innate, how she is, but that's where the arc can come in, in realising that she goes with what makes everyone else happy, is who they need, but what does SHE want herself, and what does SHE need? A way I thought we could make this a Bobby/Libi storyline if we wanted (but we do not have to) is if she does have feelings for him, could be any point on his timeline gfs and kids wise whatever, but she lets him go and have whatever gf or do whatever thing because she's like that's what he wants he doesn't like me or want me like that etc, because she doesn't let herself want things selfishly or do anything just for herself Bobby: we should totally have them be together as little bubs because they are and it's like a running joke that they are gonna get together/get married like we've lowkey already said but more so but maybe the vibe is he is really shy how he is and lowkey it's like a my sister and me vibe where she does all the talking and socialising for him and like all their friends are joint friends Bobby: not in a creepy Ro and Ali way but Bobby: and we will let you outgrow that sir Libi: it makes sense because obviously we're learning sign language so simply Bobby can't communicate with most kids by himself, that's facts, and it's easier to have another kid help you than Jimmy always being there, or whoever he has helping him at school, you know Bobby: oh snap maybe I flip reverse what I said and Cammie's mum is the deaf one too and the vibe could be that like Libi pushes him to get some deaf friends as they become like tweens/teens so he can communicate himself so he does and does become more outgrowing that way but maybe he lowkey leans too hard into deaf culture for a while there and she feels like pushed out by it because it's something she can't be a part of Libi: ooh yeah, that makes a lot of sense Bobby: it adds something to Cammie's character as well being hearing but having two deaf parents so that's interesting Bobby: and also makes sense why JJ have to help them so much as well as them just being young Libi: right, there's a lot of shit Cammie would have to do from a young age if not for JJ lowkey 'cos it's just easier for a hearing kid than it is a deaf adult in this world Libi: her mum could maybe be more partial for ease but yes Bobby: and like it makes sense that Libi would push her feelings aside when those two grow closer/happen because she'd be like well they're both deaf that's something I can't give him and something I want him to have Libi: exactly, it'd feel really selfish to wreck that even if you didn't have all the ingrained shit she does around it Bobby: and obviously he actually wants to be with her as well but thinks she doesn't want that and before you now it there's baby Cammie so it's like well now I gotta try and make this work because don't wanna be a shit father like I had Libi: oh the drama of it all Libi: love it Libi: and we've not really got (that I can think of) a never mind I'll find someone like you type deal Libi: because usually it's like JUST SAY IT but it actually makes sense here to pine and long but let him go Libi: hence I'm here for it Libi: So, what I'm thinking right now is, that they're like never officially together, like it just keeps being an in-joke kinda vibe and like we're JUST best friends and then kind of like family, but obviously as they get into tween/teen years it's beyond a stage you can pretend you're just a kid playing at being girlfriend and boyfriend and as you said boo, that will coincide with JJ wedding and kids roughly so then it'd be more obvious like it's not going to happen seriously, then she can encourage him to get deaf friends etc, but I feel like he should only meet Cammie's mum just before or at uni (or whatever equivalent he's doing after school) so then it is quick and not like they were even mates before so it's less of a shock for all, you know? Bobby: I totally agree because I strongly pictured him being best man at the JJ wedding (soz Pete) and her being one of the bridesmaids and all the bants that go along with that and them both being SO 😳 Bobby: and yeah he could live the cliché that Jac was mocking and literally get with this girl freshers week I'd believe it Libi: Right? it then mirrors the Jameson/Cammie thing except they literally are just BFFs and there isn't anything going on Libi: there's actually weight to this but we're just like haha no don't be silly Bobby: and we've literally not done that trope with childhood boy girl best friends before really because baze are probably the closest but they were always so clearly in love and refusing to fight it so it's fun Libi: exactly, because unknowingly or otherwise, we're fighting against all the cliches and tropes that come with this family Libi: like I'm going to not do any of those things that caused drama for everyone and this is clearly too close to home, even though I don't think anyone would actually be that bothered, we've just really internalized and gone with it Bobby: like how nobody cares Jac is gay except Jac herself Libi: right Libi: but obviously she's good at keeping this all internal because no one can or is gonna clock it and be like, babe, it's okay Libi: like JJ might be a bit like oop, keeping it in the family but as long as you're both happy they really don't care, and same for mcvickers even if Tess is suspish of everyone that comes into any gal's life 'cos trauma lol Bobby: Bobby wasn't trying to make deaf culture happen for himself but Libi would have been so excited for him to get out there and do it that he would've been excited too and then it is literally like a new world opening up because who has he ever interacted with that's deaf before Bobby: didn't mean to lowkey leave you behind gal but Libi: it's kinda her own fault, not to blame you but clearly literally what we do like okay he's happy now mission accomplished Bobby: and maybe Cammie's mum is like the deaf equivalent of those gays who make it their whole identity so she's really selling it and so he also thinks okay this is who I should be with Libi: we know the vibe, like it's more excusable but still, I get you Libi: I see it Libi: a bit of a baby gay equivalent like go too hard and you're like I need to calm this down Libi: UNRELATED BUT Libi: think it will please you Libi: Jay is born 32 like Bobby, I'm pretty sure, and I thought Libi and her would also make for interesting content because Jay obviously feels she owes a lot to the fam for not being stuck with Chloe etc etc and the very little we did with her gave off a similar energy to me Libi: and she has her commitment issues in relationships because of her mum situation so they can bond over the shit that holds 'em back even though it's different stuff Bobby: and her relationship with Ava being her mum but also not being is something I feel like Libi can relate to because of how she was raised and the Rio and Buster-ness of it all because they wanted to raise her and obvs they wanted to raise Jay for a while there too Bobby: plus all the travelling she does is something that Libi could potentially join her in doing if she needs an escape so that's nice Libi: 100% it makes for a strong friendship there's a lot of parallels if not total similarities Libi: it makes a lot of sense, it's coming together baby Bobby: if you need to get away from seeing Bobby literally playing happy families, I can offer you that gal because I'm gonna have her go to uni/live in new york probably now that Nancy isn't because her face actually did live there idk if they still do or what but Bobby: we know the vibe is that she goes everywhere and can't settle so you'll have lots of chances to run away in a way that won't upset anyone Bobby: and when she gets her man and it works out we could totally coincide that because she can be like if I can do it so can you Libi: a mood a moment Bobby: all I know is Bobby is gonna be more chatty because neither Jimothy or Jesse are so I must but not to Jude levels of !!! Libi: a nice middleground Libi: which is kind of what I see for her honestly Libi: less in your face than 1. we were as a little bub 2. a lot of the fam but still sociable enough that it jives well with most of 'em Bobby: I'm so happy about all of this and honestly Cammie's mum being deaf makes so much sense in terms of what we were already thinking about her being more distant and working a lot Libi: if she doesn't give up the fight, she could be some kind of advocate vibe Libi: 'cos then Cammie can't even call her out really Libi: like soz this is important, maam your child Bobby: exactly what I was thinking we're in sync rn boo Libi: because it all makes sense, you gotta follow one thread and then the story shows itself tbh Libi: because tying in Astrid too, obviously that makes sense because she loses her mum too, and she'd ultimately be a really good influence because after Ro dies Astrid is kind of freed to do whatever she wants for herself Libi: and how much happier it makes her, how much she improves...well Libi: sips tea Bobby: I LOVE THIS Libi: and who else is taking the autistic girl that seriously and letting her teach you things Libi: love that for you Libi: she's living her best life and we can see that Bobby: she can be in their friend group, I'm happy Libi: ALSO, I feel as if she couldn't lie to Astrid Libi: because she says how she sees it bluntly and we're not going to feel comfortable fobbing her off because of that insistence, so that'll be good for you even when we're hiding it from everyone else Libi: everyone else you've just got to be vaguely like oh no no and it's dropped and like okay Bobby: we're gonna get to show so many different sides of Libi, I'm always here for that Bobby: and however far we go down the Astrid and her gf eating disorder rabbit hole, we''ll have Libi not treating her like a kid which is great Libi: yeah, there's loads we can do with the end of gen 4 for them all it's a mood Bobby: okay so what or who would you like to throw Libi at first Libi: that is the question Bobby: just so we know Bobby is going to Trinity and studying Business, Economics and Social Studies (B.E.S.S.) which is business, economics, political science and sociology basically so he can end up working at that advertising place with Jimothy after he has done this 4 years Bobby: Cammie's mum is there doing deaf studies which is also 4 years Libi: do we wanna do a rough timeline for these people mentioned here Libi: Jay born 32, we find out about her when she's 7 in 39 Libi: Bobby is born 32 and comes into the story 38 Libi: Libi is born 34, Edam die 35, we know this situation, is 4 soon to be 5 when she meets Bobby vias JJ Libi: Astrid is born 35 and Ro dies in 44 when Astrid is 9 Libi: JJ can get married 46, so Libi is 12 and Bobby is 14 Libi: doesn't have to be when we intro the deaf friends to the point of exclusion obvs but it's timed so we never have the 'real' relationship chat of it all obvs Libi: so Bobby would go to uni in 50-51 and Camie is born 51 start of 2nd year Libi: that gives us this good 4 year period before uni to play with, then obviously we know the vibe of when she's born and making that work etc Libi: Hmm, I think it would make the most sense to do a gap year then stay local, like that's the ideal Libi: because I really think she'd struggle being away from the fam Libi: but I'm kinda thinking maybe to be cruel she DOES go away because it seems like something the fam are like yay about Libi: 'cos she'd try really, really hard to stay but they should at least notice that and she can transfer for a reprieve Bobby: that's really nice actually Libi: she should do her first year in Liverpool, the rest at Trinity Libi: okay, so film studies, it was only 3 years in Liverpool but we're changing to trinity and you do years 1 and 2 (aka whilst Bobby is still there at least for year 1 but I need to check anyway) there and years 3 and 4 at Columbia uni in new york, aka where Jay is Libi: **remind me to check the times but we need to give him a solid bday and I'm changing hers up too Libi: this is just roughly Libi: but this way we can be cruel with it lol

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

How is Trail adapting to freedom and life with bugs that treat her like a person?

It’s been weird, to say the least? The unusual amount of affection is TOO MUCH for her. Trail loves it but she is also not in the right mindset to allow herself to feel this way. She’s getting better though. Actually being included in decisions and conversation makes her feel like she’s welcome and fitting in.

Feels odd how no one question what she’s doing at the time or where she’s heading. The fam made her feel comfortable soon about having such freedom. I was gonna draw her whole day have it written cuz work is keeping me tired lol

Around breakfast time, Trail’s either around to enjoy the meal with everyone or she’s taking a morning nap.

She’d eat a bit when she wakes up then make herself busy with what ever is there to do around the house. Because everyone wants her to take it easy, she’s fidgety on wanting, HAVING to do something. She is too scared to leave outside of the house on her own since she’s technically in the hiding so she can do most of activities only indoors.

Trav likes to pester her about everything, from what ever she’s doing at the moment to even her beads on the mask. She’s slowly getting use to their antics and need to bug her but they don’t understand the large amount of personal space Trail requires at the moment, so if she’s not up for Trav’s shenanigans, she stays away by either helping Mugo or Rham around the kitchen or sitting around near Silva and Yonna since they can kindly keep Trav away.

Afternoons are either playtime with sibs or writing. She... writes, a lot. The suppressed need to express is kind of overbearing now. A lot of stuff she didn’t allowed herself to think are all being jotted down in the journal. She’s also noting down on Trav’s unusual chance of having mandibles to eat. Errrr, best way to put it, Trail is interested in the idea of having a mouth. She might be a little jealous of her sibling.

She usually has lunch with everyone, being the ever so polite as she was thought, lowering her head while using the tools and feeding herself through her throat while hiding the oddness with her lowered head. She then just appears like she’s eating normally. Helps clean up after.

Evenings are either nail practice with Mugo or sign language lessons she’s giving to the whole group. Trail really seems to love teaching them. She’s looking forward to having a way to communicate with everyone without ink and paper. Dinners are fun since everyone is kind of relaxed and chatty.

Sleep time is getting to bed, hers being the top bunk and lower one for her siblings. She forts herself with soft things and hides under cover, so if Trav tries to bother her she’d be left alone. Also so no one can tell if she’s asleep or not.

Nights are horrible. She can’t put her head to rest, having her mind walk the gray line of “I don’t deserve any of this” and “I’m finally treated right”. She misses Lolo so much. She worries about her. She grows a bit more fear of Zeeke, even gets angry, learning she has so much she’d like to tell him but can’t and it’s eating her up. Worrying she’s being too cold to these kind people. What will happen to her in the future... a lot of things shifting in her mind. She “tears” black almost every night. It tires her down to the point of falling asleep late. Sometimes, if Mugo is having trouble sleeping as well, she stays up with him and makes conversation. It helps them both busy, staying up until dawn until both just kind of fall asleep from exhaustion.

Trail is lacking the idea on how to reach out and get to know others right now but she’s learning about them as a bystander. She will get better but something has to be done about her mental state because it’s literally tearing her apart and no one really knows what’s wrong.

She needs to speak.

[shiinonomee]

Hey could u please write hcs on yakumos opinion on MC as the story progresses ? I remember him being like “I doNt tRuSt yOU” and then he’s all baby and I love him😂💕 (he catches feelings along the way ;) )

[lmaoo, I got you, fam. This got a little long because the game is long, but I’m happy with it. Kinda reminds me of something I’m writing, too, so it was excellent practice! Thanks for the request :)] 

Yakumo’s never not gonna be protective of the ones he cares about

He’s compassionate, but he also knows where to draw the line with strangers

He isn’t quite happy Louis is bringing some straight to Home Base, to say the least

In the group, he’s most def Louis’ right-hand man so you can bet he has something to say when you aren’t around to hear it

But he also respects Louis’ leadership and experience

He isn’t about to start a fight he knows won’t change anything—he just wants to know if it’s worth the risk

After he hears about your abilities, he’s cautiously intrigued

Somebody with an ability like that could be a flight risk if they think they’re in bad hands

Alternatively, if they’re smart, they can take advantage of those who are desperate

Again, he recognizes Louis has the last word and resigns himself to watching you closely

The best way to set him at ease is to invite him to partner up a lot and basically just spend time with him

When a few weeks pass and you and Io haven’t tried to rob them blind or drive them out by force, he settles

He’s not one to disturb the waters needlessly, he’ll play nice once you prove you aren’t a threat

It might give you a little whiplash, he can compartmentalize like a pro so it’s like a switch being flipped

You aren’t quite one of the friends he would die to protect yet, but he’s willing to let you help him watch over the ones that are

So…progress!

But given that his primary love language is almost definitely Quality Time, like I said before the more time you spend the softer he gets

By the end of the first boss battle, you guys are good pals (Eliot Waugh voice: I bond fast)

He’s given you his blood code and taken to showing you the ropes

He feels bad asking for help, himself when you have a lot on your plate, but he appreciates you helping return his memories too

From there it’s pretty self-explanatory that you…get closer as time goes on

At the Cathedral you regain your memories and learn of your status as Successor

After speaking to Aurora he realizes your job just got ten times more complicated

He jokes about you taking the Hunter’s offer but you tease he’d be lonely without you

He doesn’t outright say you’re right, but…

If there was ever a time for him to start getting soft it would be around the Ashen Cavern

He trusts you a lot by now and will confide in you what he remembers about life with his friends…and with Mido

Appreciates greatly any comforting words you have for him—this is a man he really never wanted to see again

He’ll act tough, but what he went through was traumatic

Stick to his side; it’ll be rough going for a while

But on the flip, he’ll come to see you as someone he can rely on too

He doesn’t do that often—doesn’t want to be the burden he tries to help everyone lift

But you make it so easy to be vulnerable, even for him

When shit really starts hitting the fan—finding Miguel, lost, Emily, a successor—you being there is what grounds him

You’re a raft in tumultuous waters

And when it’s over? When Miguel can rest, at least for a bit, and Emily is able to regain her mind? When he was able to face Mido down without wavering?

Well, he’s your ride or die, now

He’s newly resolved, and with his new mindset he sees you in a whole new light

Through saving Eva and chasing after Mido, not much changes outwardly because he feels too much is at stake to consider much more

It’s when Mido is defeated and you sign up to basically die that something starts stirring

Throughout the Provisional Government Outskirts, you notice a change in him

A hesitance—which is something not usually associated with Yakumo of all people

You catch him watching you all the time

He never admits to anything when you ask what’s wrong

He knows he can’t say anything without making it about him—he knows you’re suffering too; more than he ever could be

He stands, ever your protector, and leads you to the throne

The closer you get the more noticeable his strange behavior becomes

By the time you reach the second mistle inside the Center you’re sitting him down and insisting he talk about it

He just takes you into his arms and holds you

His face is in your neck and his arms are around your waist and you’ve never felt anything like what you feel now

“This sucks”

You can’t help but agree

That’s all he allows himself to say on the matter, and you both keep moving

The fight with the Queen comes and goes

Io sacrifices herself for the good of all and you’re conflicted with equal parts heartbreak and relief, to your guilt

Yakumo feels much the same

He doesn’t confess his feelings until much later; a lot’s happened and everyone needs time to process

But when he does, it’s out under the stars, staring at the mist from the balcony as you both remember the reason you are standing there today

[twinklecheeks]

Friends With Benefits (Jeff Wittek Imagine) Part 10

Summary: Jeff and Y/N have been hooking up for a while. The whole vlog squad assumes they’re dating and Y/N does too but Jeff doesn’t like labels. He eventually starts to express interest in Natalie.

Note: Planning on making this a multiple part series, depending on how good it does.  You’re 21 & Latina in this (maybe) series. Also, I’d like to apologize for the typos, if there is any. I’m just illiterate lmao.  

Side note: I am SO SORRY I’ve been MIA since May? June?. I was planning to write chapters throughout the summer but this quarantine thing really affected my mental health. I hope you guys understand. Also, I’m starting my last semester of college next week so Idk my posting schedule.

Warnings! Pregnancy

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Word Count: 2.1k

Okay so now that y/n and Jeff had a rather… Interesting time in Big Bear, they end it with bad news…. And Jeff still hasn’t told his parents about y/n. Christmas is in less than a week! What can go wrong?

12/20/19

Y/n: JEFF. YOU NEVER TOLD YOUR PARENTS THAT I WAS PREGNANT???!

Jeff: hey hey hey, can you calm down. Knowing the piece of shit I can be, I didn’t think I was going to be in your life. But look, I surprised myself!

Y/n: So absolutely no one knows?

Jeff: Karyn does…. Maybe my brother Steven too. Karyn basically knows the whole story.

Y/n: Are your parents going to be mad?

Jeff: Haha no. My ma has been begging me to straighten myself out and have a family. If they knew the whole story,... then they’d kill me.

Y/n: Is it just going to be us and the rest of your fam?

Jeff: Oh I forgot to tell you, Jonah’s family is coming too.

Y/n: Really?! Thank god. If it gets awkward, I can just stuff my face in the corner w/ Jonah.

Jeff: Don’t do that. You have to eat healthy.

Y/n: *gives Jeff a death glare*

Jeff: At least try to. Come on I just don’t want any other risks for the girls.

Y/n: Yeah…. I guess. What are we going to do if they’re deaf? I don’t know whether to choose the cochlear implant for selfish reasons or to let them grow up deaf and learn sign language.

Jeff: If they grow up deaf, we’re gonna have to take one or both of them to speech therapy and that’s going to be extremely difficult because they’re not going to hear if what they’re saying is pronounced right.

Y/n: Maybe we should give them the implant and make them learn sign language? I mean, it’s always beneficial to know another language.

Jeff: But we also have to remember that there’s a chance the implant won’t work and they’re going to have to grow up deaf. Also, remember that there’s a possibility that only one of them is born deaf.

Y/n: I hate how we’re talking about this before Christmas. I thought this was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

Jeff: It is but hey, if my ma gets mad at us, we’re breaking the ice w/ the babies possibly being deaf.

Y/n: JEFF.

Jeff: Oh shut up you know you would do that too w/ your parents.

Y/n: *rolls her eyes* I mean… you’re not wrong.

Jeff: Now hurry up and pack your stuff. We have an early flight tomorrow.

12/21/19

*At the airport w/ the Antonyan’s*

Suzie: I can’t believe we’re spending Christmas in New York!

Jonah: It’s gonna be so cold there though.

Vardon: Shut up Jonah. It’s a free present from David.

Jeff: Hey I’m gonna give y’all a heads up that my parent’s do not know that y/n is pregnant.

Everybody: *looks at Jeff for being a dumbass*

Suzie: You’re so stupid.

Jonah: I agree

Jonah’s mom: She look like she gonna give birth tomorrow and you no tell your parents?!

Jonah’s dad: You in big trouble Jeff

Y/n: *Laughing*

Jeff: Let’s just get on the plane.

*They arrive in New York*

Y/n: Jeff, we can’t just show up to your parent’s house and they see how pregnant I am. It’s going to ruin Christmas!

Jeff: Don’t worry. I’m sure they're going to be fine. I think.

Y/n: JEFF.

Jeff: *sees his older sister* Hey look it’s Karyn!

Karyn: *moves Jeff out of the way* Oh my god y/n! Can't believe you’re having twins!

Y/n: Jeff hasn’t told your parents about me yet.

Karyn: *turns to Jeff* JEFF ARE YOU FUCKIN STUPID

Jeff: Hey can y’all wait to yell at me after we leave the airport. People are staring

*In the car*

Karyn: Jeff I know I gave you a deadline to tell Ma and Pa but that didn’t mean to WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE.

Jeff: Everybody just loves to yell at me today

Y/n: How do you honestly think they’re going to react.

Karyn: They probably think Natalie is gonna come

Y/n: *getting madder by the second* THEY KNEW ABOUT NATALIE AND NOT ABOUT ME WHEN I WAS WITH YOU BEFORE HER AND FOR MUCH LONGER.

Jeff: Thanks a lot Karyn why tf did you have to say that.

Karyn: Hey, this is your fault. Not ours. You have to think of a way to tell mom and dad.

Suzie: *sitting in the back* This is going to be an interesting Christmas.

*Jeff’s parent’s house*

Jeff: Here goes nothing. *opens the door* hey ma?? *looks around*

Karyn: Maybe they left to get last minute things for Christmas.

Y/n: Cool, gives me time to hide.

Karyn: Hun, everything is going to be fine.

*another car pulls into the driveway*

Y/n: Oh god I’m going to throw up

Jeff: How about you go to my old room and I talk to them.

Y/n: *walks to Jeff’s old room* What if Jeff’s parents are disappointed that I’m not Natalie? They knew about her and not me.

*Jeff’s parents walk in*

Jeff’s mom: My baby boy! I know it’s only been a month but I love it everytime you come home. Sorry we weren’t here. We were buying more food just in case. You didn’t bring Natalie?

Jeff: About that, her and I are done… for good.

Jeff’s dad: Oh well, that’s too bad son.

Karyn: *whispers* But he did bring someone else…

Jeff: *shoves Karyn* hey, shut it. Ma…. Pa…. There was someone else before Natalie… We went out for a while but I broke it off w/ her cause I was stupid and now we’re back together…

Jeff’s dad: Okay, I don’t see the problem? Is she here?

Jeff: Ummm she is… But there’s something else. She’s pregnant… and they’re mine.

*Jeff’s parents both laugh*

*Everybody else laughs nervously*

Jeff’s mom: Good joke, now where is she?

Karyn: Ma, he’s not joking…

*Jeff’s parents look at everybody*

Jeff’s dad: Oh Jeffrey, what did you do.

Jeff: No no no, everything is fine between us. It was ugly between us at first but now we’re back together.

Jeff’s mom: *processes* WAIT. Did you say “they’re mine” as in PLURAL?!

Jeff: Umm yeah. She’s having twins.

Jeff’s mom: I don't know whether to be angry or excited. I mean I’m going to be a grandmother again!

Jeff’s Dad: If he’s on good terms w/ her and is back together w/ her, I see no problem.

Jeff: Y/n you wanna come out?

Y/n: *Walks out slowly* Hii

Jeff’s mom: My god, how far along are you?

Y/n: 5 months

Jeff’s mom: *turns to Jeff* You kept this from us for HOW LONG.

Jeff: We can talk about that later but at least give a warm welcome to the mother of your soon to be granddaughters.

Jeff’s family: IT’S TWIN GIRLS

Jeff’s mom: Oh my god I feel like fainting but I won’t. Oh dear congratulations. I’m going to spoil those little girls rotten. *hugs y/n*

Y/n: Thank you so much. I was afraid of how you would react.

Jeff’s dad: His mom has been begging him to settle down for years. She finally got her wish.

Jeff’s mom: This is a Christmas gift I wasn't expecting at all but I am so happy for the both of you. Jeffrey is a natural when he spends time w/ his sister’s children.

Y/n: haha that’s good to know.

Jeff’s dad: Dear they’re probably all tired. Let them rest for a bit and we’ll go out later tonight.

*Jeff and Y/n take a nap in Jeff’s old room*

Y/n: Well, that went better than expected. I just wish my parents were like that…

Jeff: Babe don’t worry, they’ll come around.

Y/n: I doubt it. When my older sister moved out, they didn’t talk to her for a year but when our older brother moved out, my parents helped him w/ everything! All I’ve done is please them and I do one thing they don’t like and I’M DISOWNED?? QUE SE VAYAN AL CARAJO!

Jeff: Hey hey hey, calm down. You don’t wanna stress the girls out.

Y/n: I mean, at least my siblings are on my side but they live in Seattle.

Jeff: We also have like 20 friends who will always be w/ us. The twins will always have family around.

Y/n: I’m just wondering when we should tell them about the deaf thing.

Jeff: I think we should wait until after the holidays. Maybe in February? I just think we need our time to process and prepare ourselves for anything before it’s confirmed once they’re born.

Y/n: Yeah, you’re right. But February is my birthday though… I don’t wanna ruin the fun w/ that.

Jeff: Hurry up and get dressed. I have a little surprise for you but you have to close your eyes when you get in the car.

Y/n: Jeff please don’t send me into pre-term labor.

Jeff: Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. I think you’ll love it.

*Jeff drives to Brooklyn*

Jeff: Okay we're almost there. Are your eyes still closed?

Y/n: Yeeees. Boy I’m getting impatient.

Jeff: We’re here. I’ll help you get out of the car. Okay now you can open your eyes.

Y/n: *turns around* NO FUCKING WAY. RIMINI’S.

Jeff: Yeah. I remember you sayin that you came to this bakery all the time. And that they had your favorite cookies in the world.

Y/n: Jeff. I haven't been here in 10 years. My grandpa would always take me here. I lived 5 minutes down the street.

Jeff: That’s why I brought you here. I knew how much it meant to you.

Y/n: I know you’re not proposing but I would’ve said yes in a millisecond. Now let’s go inside! I have to get their italian butter cookies and I’m bringing a bunch back to LA. I don’t know the next time I’ll  be able to come back.

Jeff: I mean, we’d be coming back quite often after the babies are born to visit my family.

Y/n: Okay but I’m still bringing a bunch back. You can’t get anything like this back in LA.

Jeff: But don’t go overboard w/ the sweets. You don’t want gestational diabetes.

Y/n: *death glares* You sayin I eat too much?

Jeff: No no no, you know what I mean.

Y/n: *pouts* But they taste so good :(

Jeff: Which means you should ration them as much as possible. Also, when we film for my channel, you might wanna hide these from Jonah.

Y/n: I swear to god if Jonah even THINKS about eating my damn cookies, I’m going to jail for manslaughter…

Jeff: Hun, what did I say about the anger. Don’t stress the girls out.

*Back at Jeff’s house*

Jeff’s dad: Well look who finally came back. We wanted to take you guys out but y’all left.

Jeff: Sorry pops, Y/n and I went to Brooklyn. She lived there until she was 11.

Jeff’s mom: Oh wow, I wouldn’t have guessed you were from New York too.

Y/n: Yeah, my parents moved my older siblings and I to Seattle because it was getting hard w/ the cost of living. Also, my grandfather passed away, so there wasn’t really any reason for us to stay there. My parent’s LOVED living here.

Jeff’s dad: Your parents are from New York too?  

Y/n: No. My parents immigrated from Peru. My dad came in the 70s as a teenager and went back and forth. My mom immigrated here in the 80s. They still have a bunch of friends here and they still know the city like they still live here.

Jeff’s mom: Why didn’t you invite them for Christmas in the city. I bet it would bring back so many good memories for them.

Y/n: *sighs* Well, we're kind of not talking at the moment… They were really disappointed when I told them I was pregnant. My older siblings are supportive though.

Karyn: Well that’s good that you have older siblings that will always look out for you. That’s why I give dumb dumb over there *points at Jeff* a hard time.

Jeff: What the fuck.

Karyn: They’ll come around eventually but even if it takes an eternity, just know that you have us now. We’re family! Even if Jeff somehow messes things up w/ you in the future.

Jeff: Ma can you tell her to stop!

Jeff’s mom: Karyn, stop bullying your brother.

Next chapter is CHRISTMAAAAS. (Don’t worry it’s already done. I won't post it for another couple of days) Also, some of the stuff in this chapter is kind of based on me. (Not the pregnant thing. I’ve never been pregnant lmao) But I was born in Brooklyn and the immigrant parents/ moving away thing is from my real life. (but not the moving away cause of grandpa. He was still alive for a couple years after.) But the cookies from Rimini’s… Will change your LIFE.

Comment if you want to be on the taglist!

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[sedehaven]

Saving Ophelia Grace’s Toe

Y’all seem to like my stories about being a witch in the Bible Belt, so here’s another one. This is a coming of age story about a young witch (me), a bunch of adults of various degrees of uselessness, and Ophelia Grace’s rotten toe.

This is not a happy story.

Names changed when necessary.

CW: Body squick, graphic injury, incompetent nurse, malevolent nurse, poisoning, bureaucratic nightmares, dark DARK shit ahead

So, in spite of the crushing poverty that I grew up in, I was given the opportunity to attend a very prestigious boarding school for Juniors and Seniors in Klan Kountry, LA. It’s a public school, so it takes kids from all over the state.

My school was run by a dude named Brother Dave.

Brother Dave was so awful that one of our senior pranks (I DID NOT DO THIS) involved a password-protected screensaver on every communal computer in the school (including, I think, Brother Dave’s office computer) of a bouncing, 3-D image of this:

Dude was NOT well-loved. It is important to know that he and I did not get along. When I was still a prospective student, he told us that our mascot was the mighty Eagle, because Eagles Flock Together.

Y’all. Someone watched himself too much Mighty Ducks.

I replied, loud enough for the whole auditorium to hear, “That’s not true, sir. Eaglettes push their smaller and weaker siblings out of the nest as soon as they can.”

He looked to the staff for support, red-faced and embarrassed by this ninety-pound child who stole his thunder.

The biology teacher (who left for greener pastures after my first year--rumored to have been forced out for being too fabulously dykey for the new administration) looked at him and stated, in her very particular and crisp fashion, “Well, she’s right.”

Safe to say, he hated me from the start. So, if you read this and you wonder, “Why didn’t this silly kid just go to the grown-up?” That’s why. He was our grown-up.

Brother Dave started at the school the year before I did. He was brought in by a local Senator, because said local Senator Fucked Up Colossally.

Senator Fuckup was running against Mr. Sketchy Businessman. Mr. Sketchy Businessman was backed by the Ku Klux Klan (a big deal in parts of the world, folks. My school was in David Duke country.)

Senator Fuckup had a fancy name--well-respected all around the state. Like, several statues of one of his relations decorate the state capital. Big name.

Problem is, Senator Fuckup is half-Black.

In Klan Kountry.

Y’all.

So he’s already at a disadvantage. As it turns out, it takes a village to start a magnet school. Senator Fuckup was one of the founding board members, and promised all kinds of benefits if they put the school in HIS district.

Their other offer was in my own hometown, the Hub City, where several of our major state highways cross with two Interstates.A place with art and history and culture. A place with one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the state--a multicultural, international music festival! With art walks and museums and Mardi Gras parades! With a three-story library, a library for French language and culture, and the second-largest university in Louisiana!

Senator Fuckup PROMISED that the school wouldn’t want for anything if they went to Klan Kountry.

So they did.

It was no great secret that this school was Senator Fuckup’s baby. At the time that I attended, the school was number one in the nation. Something to be proud of.

Except.

Except.

Except that in order to keep various forms of funding, the school was required to take in more melanin-blessed individuals than the locals liked.

Enter Mr. Sketchy Businessman, who ran a series of TV and radio ads claiming that our STATE funded school was stealing money from the local school district.

That’s right. He claimed that our school took money away from the poor Whites of Klan Kountry and gave to the diverse and metropolitan school for the gifted.

Senator Fuckup tried to deflect and dismiss, BUT did NOT rebut those claims. He didn’t believe that the school’s funding was THAT MUCH of an issue.

Any reasonable person would understand that the school was funded from the State taxes. Right?

As it turns out, Klan Kountry is not filled with reasonable people.

Senator Fuckup is a member of a particular subgroup in Klan Kounrty--a not-insignificant population of Catholic Creoles. So, after he wins his election--barely--he realizes that Something Must Be Done to help the image of the school that everybody knew as HIS baby.

Enter his old friend, Brother Dave. Brother Dave, who nearly bankrupted his previous school. His brother-in-law was a contractor who got a few really juicy contracts through him.

Protip: Nepotism only works if the person being nepotized is competent.

Spoiler: Brother Dave’s brother-in-law built schools about as well as Brother Dave ran them.

Brother Dave’s old school is attached to an order of monks who build cheap and simple caskets for people who are into that kind of thing.

They bake bread for the poor. These are good people.

Y’all, these people made it KNOWN--statewide--that they had a casket ready for ol’ Dave if he ever stepped foot in their town again.

Still, Senator Fuckup decided that THIS was the man who would lead my school into a glorious future.

Brother Dave took an aggressive stance on admissions. He wanted kids who didn’t have a lot of drama, and kids who looked (WHITE) good on the recruiting materials. He pulled hard from the local Catholic (Segregation) Academies.

Y’all.

Our Black kids were nearly White-passing mixed-race kids, one kid who was ACTUALLY from Africa, a couple of kids from Catholic schools, and one dark-skinned Baptist girl who is bombshell model-gorgeous. (For those glossy brochures.)

So as many White Catholic kids as possible.

Y’all.

I’ve competed with private school fuckwits in academic contests my whole life, up to that point. If it was something that required preparation (science fair, for example), they wiped the floor with us.

Because daddy the petroleum engineer did the project for them.

If it was a you-know-it-or-you-don’t thing (quiz bowl, for example), they lost so brutally that I might have felt bad for them. You know, if they had souls. Which they did not.

So Brother Dave populated our school with what he thought were “good kids”. White, Catholic kids.

Spoiler: My class started with 250 students. We graduated less than half of that, even after he backfilled our class with new kids between junior and senior year. The class after mine was worse.

Why is that?

White Catholic kids at segregation academies in the late 90′s basically did busy-work worksheet stuff all day. They were not ready for 10 page papers and 5 page lab reports and 100+ pages of reading and 20-50 math problems and projects, projects, projects!

Also, if all you do is worksheets and sit-down-and-shut-up, there has to be a certain...chemical element...to cope.

So, yeah. Drugs. So much drugs. And booze.

Brother Dave also hired Nurse Bitchy Fuckface. She was actually his first hire.

Nurse Bitchy was a walking disaster.

I was sixteen when I first met her, and because she didn’t smell like street drugs (I KNOW WHAT THAT SHIT IS), I missed a lot of signs.

Looking back, I think that she might have been a Prozac-and-wine kind of person. But, as the only drugs that I was familiar with came from street pharmacists, I thought she was just evil.

Hateful to the queers, pagans, Goths, and all assorted weirdos.

You know, all the kids who could actually handle the schoolwork and the pressure. *eyeroll*

I’m allergic to Sudafed. Weird, huh?

A senior at my school told me to be careful with Nurse Bitchy. She has a sensitivity to acetaminophen (Tylenol) and couldn’t have it. Nurse Bitchy had given it to her a couple of times.

It was on my senior’s medical chart. If you’re keeping score, that’s felony attempted murder.

Nurse Bitchy gave me Sudafed seventeen times (that I remember) while I was at that school. She very nearly killed me doing it. Some times I knew, and some times I did not.

“But why did you take it, if you knew?”

Well, you innocent dove, if I refused to take the medicine that the Nurse gave me, then I got written up. Enough write-ups and I got kicked out.

My home school in the Hub City? Eh...as bad as Klan Kountry was, I didn’t have someone assaulting me daily. I didn’t have a gang of girls who got away with attempting to rape me with a broom handle. I didn’t have a very big kid who was given liberties with me (BY THE STAFF) because he was special ed.

Or, as my guidance counselor liked to say (after my father was murdered and I was flunking chemistry--not because of dad’s death, but because the chemistry teacher put all the girls and Black boys in the back of the class--which had NO air conditioning on hundred-degree days--after Brother Dave’s brother-in-law “fixed” it that summer), “Stephanie, you know that you’re the poorest student here. Do you really want to go back to THAT?”

No. I did not.

Under pain of going home to poverty, rape, assault, and maybe death, I took her poison. She watched me do it. And she smiled.

I only went to Nurse Bitchy when I was forced to. This happened far more often my Junior year. The teachers would send me because I was sick (I come from a smoker’s home, and I’m an asthmatic who is allergic to tobacco. My family never quit, so I’d end up with smoker’s pneumonia most times that I went home. Thanks for the lung scars, fam.)

Eventually, when I was a Senior, my computer science teacher realized that I was unresponsive with a fever in her class. She was new that year, and didn’t know any better. So she woke me up and sent me along. Nurse Bitchy gave me the usual and sent me back to class.

Very few humans retain the ability to projectile vomit after age seven. Did you know that?

Lucky me, I did. I still can.

I hurled all over my keyboard. I hurled and hurled. My classmates screamed and ran.

My computer science teacher, an ice-cold woman of Indian descent with a very posh English accent, unplugged the vomit-soaked, ruined keyboard. She took it and me to the nurse.

She slammed the keyboard down on her desk and screamed at her to NEVER send a sick child to her class again.

Nurse Bitchy was (shocking, I know) a racist. She feared the angry Indian lady.

My computer science teacher, I believe, spread the word about Nurse Bitchy’s ineffectiveness. Teachers stopped sending students to her.

That left a vacuum. Nobody was being forced to get medical help. But medical help was still needed.

Before going to school in Klan Kountry, I was a veterinary technician. I worked under-the-table from too young. Illegal-child-labor-too-young.

But, I knew my stuff. I had a stocked medicine cabinet and a dissection kit.

I started doing everything up to and including prison surgery in my dorm room.

I could handle most anything. Which was better than worrying that the nurse was going to poison one of my friends into the ground.

I didn’t ask for money or food or anything (food was a commodity at that school because our cafeteria was infested). I worked for the goodwill of my classmates, which is the shiniest coin in the realm.

I’d gotten into witchcraft earlier that year. People trusted the witch over the nurse. That’s where my school was.

I only had one case that I really couldn’t treat.

Y’all.

It was traditional in the girls’ dorms that unless you were asleep or studying, you kept your door open. Mine was open that night. I was writing Sailor Moon fanfiction, procrastinating on one project or another. I don’t remember, it was twenty-two years ago.

Ophelia Grace (not her real name) came to my door in Doc Martens, favoring a foot. Her roommate or a suitemate or maybe another theatre kid was holding her up as she hobbled into my room.

I hadn’t heard that she’d been hurt, but apparently she had been. She was feverish and weak. Her face was bright red. She was babbling.

“I’m sorry,” she said over and over again. She apologized for coming late. She apologized for coming at all. She was shaking.

I sat her and her friend on my roommate’s bed (we’d bunked them, and I had the top bunk). My roommate was out, in the art lab working on a particularly tricky painting. Probably for the best. He was squeamish (my ex-roommate is a transman, so I’m using his preferred pronouns.)

I grabbed a large bowl and a mug, filled both with water (salted the bowl of water), and went down the hall to the microwave.

The water in Klan Kountry was filthy. It smelled bad and tasted worse. Remember Mr. Sketchy Businessman? He wanted to relax EPA regulations for himself and his sketchy business friends.

They were actively dumping into the city reservoir. But Mr. Sketchy Businessman promised to KKKeep KKKlan KKKountry Lily, so he got 49% of the votes.

Racist douche.

I boiled the water in the microwave--first the mug, then the bowl. It was a walk I’d make several times that evening.

Ophelia had a fever, holding steady at “fucking HOT” by the estimate of her friend. My thermometer pegged it at 102. Not good.

I put a teabag and two whole cloves in the cup and let it steep while I took her temperature. I asked her what happened. I don’t remember the specifics of the injury, but I believe that something got dropped on her toe. I think it happened in the theatre.

Ophelia thought she could walk it off. I remember that.

She kept apologizing. I honeyed the tea and shoved it in her hands. The tea helped. She was shivering--hard--from the wracking chills of her fever.

I remember how her febrile shivers made the bunk beds shake.

I remember thinking that I was in over my head.

I remember grabbing my oldest towels, and closing my door.

I remember praying.

And then I took her boot off.

Y’all.

I’ve smelled rot. Some people think that all rot smells the same.

It does not.

Corpse stink has its own bouquet. Blood rot has a distinct stench. Necrotic yeast infections almost smell good--like yeast rolls and something meatier.

I’d smelled Ophelia’s particular rot before.

I was fourteen. A momma dog was brought in, heavily pregnant. She’d been delivering, and the third pup got stuck. There were 11 left. The stuck pup was dead, but we managed to save 4 behind him, plus the first 2, born healthy.

The uterus had begun to rot inside, and several of the pups had been dead for some time.

The spaying that happened after the pups were removed was green and black, with the consistency of pudding. We pulled as much out as we could, but the rest had to be rinsed out.

Thankfully, I’ve smelled that smell very few times after. It smells pungent and strong. Like garlic. Like a cream of garlic stew.

I thought I’d gotten a whiff of THAT smell when Ophelia walked in, and again when she sat down. Pulling her boot off was like the first deep cut into momma dog. Garlic and blood.

The smell of something rotting in someone still alive.

She had on two socks. I peeled off the first one. There was a stain at the toe. The second sock was worse. The smell hung around.

Our windows were screwed shut. I couldn’t do anything about the smell.

Ophelia cried into her tea. She was still apologizing.

The toe was purple and black. There was a lot of yellow pus under the nail, which was leaking out on either side. Red streaks ran up her instep, tracing her veins.

The toe was swollen and needed a lance.

I had no idea how she climbed the stairs to get to me. (I was on the third floor, and she lived below. We had no elevator.)

She started to get loud (peeling those socks off HURT), so I asked her a question. I asked about her history paper. The ten-page history paper was a rite-of-passage at the school, and I knew it was coming due for her. I told her to tell me about her topic and her sources.

She did.

Thank the Lord and Lady.

I got my dissection kit and rubbing alcohol. I made things as sterile as I could.

I told her that it would probably hurt, but that I would work quickly.

Her friend left after the first cut. She didn’t stay gone long, but I heard her vomit in our suite’s toilet.

Ophelia kept talking about her paper. I led her around on that topic, asking questions and asking for clarification. Asking about the books she’d read, and offering a few that I was familiar with on the subject.

This is why doctors and dentists know so many things about so many subjects. Talking keeps the patient calm.

Meanwhile, pus and blood dripped from the slits that I made in her flesh, onto a towel that bore the stains until I donated it to the animal shelter, years later.

I soaked her toe in the bowl of water. The salt burned, but she couldn’t scream.

There was an adult who was supposed to be watching us. If she was alerted to my low-tech medical unit, she would have stopped me and sent Ophelia to the murder nurse.

I filled another bowl, salted it, and microwaved it.

Ophelia’s friend rejoined us, and watched as I squeezed the rest of the pus out of her. Her toenail slipped off in the third bowl. The toenail was cracked. Ophelia kept it.

I wonder if she still has it?

Triple antibiotic ointment and a sterile dressing later, I told her to tell the nurse that she needed a doctor. Nurse Bitchy couldn’t keep us from a doctor if we asked for one. She said that she would.

I gave her a few oral anti-inflammatory pills and some Benadryl to get a good night’s sleep.

She left, with her boot in her hand and a soft smile on her lips. I cleaned my tools, my bowls, the floor where her foot was, and had to do a load of laundry because that one rag smelled so awful.

My roommate came back in time for headcount, and asked if I’d made ramen. Said it smelled pretty good in there.

It did. Rot can do that.

It was hard to sleep that night. I cried quietly until sleep took me.

Ophelia recovered. She became a witch some time later. In college, I think. We’re still friends, in a Facebook kind of way.

Brother Dave is still alive. After working for my school, he ended up helping the Church cover up three decades of sex abuse at a diocese school. Not sure what he’s up to, but probably nothing good. He’s a garbage human.

Nurse Bitchy just retired. She lasted twenty years at that school. God knows how.

Senator Fuckup died in a car crash and the school is being renamed after him. So are the new dorms that are being built.

Klan Kountry cleaned up their water after I left. That’s really good news.

The school continues. Apparently, it got better with Brother Dave’s leavetaking. I hope that’s true.

And me?

I’m still a witch. I’m still here.

And I can still smell that rotten toe on the edge of nightmares half-remembered.

~*~

I don’t want my diploma revoked or to be sued, so disclaimer time.

This is fiction. Any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

[retvenkos]

“i’m color-coding the document. you can’t stop me.”

THE HAM FAM IN A MODERN HIGH SCHOOL AU WOULD JUST HAVE TO INCLUDE...

so first of all, washington is going to be sbo president in his last year of high school

which means that alex, t jeffs, and everyone else are sophomores

peggy is a freshman tho and will not hesitate to take out your kneecaps if you remind her of her unfortunate age

so alex is obviously in all the advanced classes and in like every extracurricular too

he has debate with burr and it gets pretty heated because he. will. not. stop.

he also kills it in english

he has it with eliza

he’s basically just making heart eyes at her all throughout class

and that’s another thing - alex hates the traditional class setting because it doesn’t allow him to speak his mind or learn properly

having to raise your hand??? not being able to argue with the teacher??? woRD COUNTS?????

eliza, on the other hand, is okay at english but really likes her creative writing class

oh, and she definitely volunteers for everything

and if she ever invites alex which involves a lot of blushing he will go no matter what and bring the hamilsquad with him for moral support

(and they definitely call themselves that)

which naturally brings me to jefferson since he hates that stupid group name with every fiber of his being

he is in future business leaders of america and loves it with all of his heart

angelica is in that club with him, though, and things can get pretty out of hand pretty fast

he’s only slightly, hugely afraid of her

he also does mesa because madison is in that and they do every extracurricular together

he’s also a proud member of the french club

which brings me to lafAYETTE who runs the french club and is obviously a foreign exchange student

he will talk with jefferson and while they sometimes agree, they will fight a lot too

he is also one of the biggest haters on jefferson’s obsession with macaroni and cheese

thomas even likes the off-brand kind and it makes laf want to murder

he is definitely the one who helps alex sabotage jeffs the most during the election season - in which he and jefferson run against each other to be a class officer

but what about hercules mulligan, you ask???

he is living the high life because he is literally friends with everyone in every group

sure, everyone admires lafayette, but everyone can get down to party with herc

he does costumes for the theatre department, he’s active with the band and does a bit of singing if he does say so himself, he is on the wrestling team too and will talk with the visual arts kids too

it’s a wonder he doesn’t get chosen to be class officer, honestly

he’s actually pretty good in history and math but will cry when it comes to science

eliza helps him with his chemistry homework and alex definitely uses that as an opportunity to flirt

and legit, eliza is a goddess. definitely in choir. so sweet sounding. gets solos.

and angelica?? she kills it in academics but is also involved in a whole bunch of protests after school

she is that girl who will walk around the cafeteria with petitions for people to sign

she’s also running on 99% coffee because she does not have time to sleep

and how could i forget  p e g g y ? ? ?

okay, so fight me on this, but homegirl does volleyball

she’s wonderful at it too

and she is also that kid who takes every cooking class for her electives???

she just wants to have fun in high school, tbh

she’s pretty popular too, which means she goes to every after school function

she is at every football game with face paint and everything

the dances??? she lives for them

maybe she even helps plan them despite not being an sbo

school spirit? she embodies it.

omg,,, i almost forgot aaron

so he is definitely trying to be valedictorian

he eats, drinks, and embodies school work

he has definitely founded the debate club and is the president of it despite alex trying to challenge him for that position every year

omg,,, he has history the class haha with theodosia and he tries so hard to impress her in it

the teacher will always pair them together for assignments because burr becomes a blushing mess and y’all know everyone ships it

he also attends every football game because theo goes to them to watch her boyfriend and he is reduced to heart eyes the entire time

until hamilton comes over and makes fun of him

aaron’s strong suit is definitely history and math

math is the one class that aaron is above alex in and he will never let hamilton live it down

he also has a class about law and the courts that he, alex, madison, and jefferson share

which naturally brings me to madison

this boy is a part of the jazz band, okay??

and even though a lot of people don’t come to the performances, jefferson is always in the front row

it’s cute, okay???

he’s also such a book worm

like, he is never without a stack of 5 novels that he is going to read and every textbook for every class

he is organized - he uses a planner.

everyone likes him

he has an ap literature class that he lives for

he’s also very fond of shakespeare

he is a proud member of the shakespeare club

everyone tries to make him the president of it, but no one wants to fight eliza or tell her to step down

speaking of eliza, madison is totally good friends with her

he also gets along pretty well with laurens

they have physics together

LAURENS

so he is a chill dude

definitely is taking zoology and biology

science is his king

but he’s also on the baseball team

which means the hamilsquad is at every game

and they are loud

he’s probably taking spanish as a foreign language just to get the credits for it

he has that class with maria, btw

for some reason, he really likes to color-code notes???

he has all of the colored pens and highlighters and what not

that doesn’t mean he studies, tho, because he most definitely does not

also,,,, he has airpods

AND FLUFF ENSUES.

[kariachi]

And now for some Steam Smythe in Falls, Falls, Falls.

The Fam: *visits Shoshone Falls* Ben: *too busy playing games on his phone to give two shits* Max: *not having that shit*

We’re hardly a minute in and here’s Smythe already

The fact that so far this episode has all been from Ben’s first-person perspective is actually a fun change of pace and I hope we keep it the rest of the episode

Ben literally takes his hand away from the Omnitrix, with a villain in front of him, to check his phone.

It is a text from Kevin (of course) going “Guess who’s #1?” with a picture showing that he’s top of the scoreboard on the game Ben’s been playing. With a 9,999,999 score and the player name XX_N3VER_5ORRY_XX. Because my fucking son.

I should also note that the #2 spot is held by 5u777OB3N, with a score of 5,226,891.

Also Kevin’s score only has the first comma, which is either proof it’s faked, a sign that he scored so high it broke something, or an animation error, and honestly any of these could be true

Video message from Kevin, victory dance with a little ‘loser’ message under it and a laughing emoji. Again, because my fucking son

Ben, abandoning heroing so he can try to beat Kevin’s high score. Don’t groan at him Gwen you’d do the same thing in his position, we know you. Max gets to groan, not you

Even Smythe is like ‘the fuck, kid?’

The game starts an update, so Ben has decided he will waste the time fighting Smythe and takes long enough choosing an alien that it annoys fucking everyone

Smythe is just, so tired of children and phones and Ben in particular. Especially when Ben’s game finishes updating and he again abandons the fight

Gwen here to save him from getting his ass kicked by appealing to Smythe’s gentlemanly aspirations

Ben, paying as little attention as possible to what is happening around him

Smythe challenging Ben to a race to the top of the falls followed by a barrel jump over them. Because of course.

Armored Rath

1) Gwen has video-called Ben to say she and Max have found Smythe’s machinery. 2) Aristocrow is working with Smythe again, and hopefully being paid well.

Smythe has taken matters into his own hands and stolen the fucking phone so Ben has to pay attention to what the fuck is happening around him

Smythe fucking around with Ben’s game just to be a shit

Kevin messaged again. Quote “Such foul language is unbecoming of a gentleman! I will set him straight.“ Gods preserve me

Ben: *panicking at Smythe’s texting Kevin using his phone* “No! Don’t text him back!”

Seriously, picture that ‘no’ in the highest tone you can imagine Rath using, because it’s what we got.

At this point I don’t know if this episode gets a normal rating or a ‘contains Kevin’ rating

Rath sends Smythe plummeting off the cliff and steals back his phone.

Kevin message: “On your face!” Smythe message: “Such foul language! These portable machines are rotting your brain!” Kevin message: “Wow. Ok. Grandma.”

Also can we discuss that Kevin’s icon is just a frowny face while Ben’s is the Omnitrix?

Oh gods, now Rath’s texting. Intended message- ‘Kevin, you’re just an emo jerk who’s jealous of how awesome I am and you smell like dirty old socks!’. Can Rath’s meaty fingers type that out properly or will Kevin just get the equivalent of a keyboard smash?

Keyboard smash. And Ben doesn’t notice until he times out, immediately after sending the message.

Smythe returns to continue the fight, only to be interrupted by another Gwen call. Apparently Aristocrow was on their side the whole time and just trying to explain how to turn off the machinery

Ben: I am totally doing what I agreed to do in the first place Gwen: *does not buy this for one singular minute*

Meanwhile Smythe has fled the scene

Smythe has beat Ben to the top and is already in a barrel

There is literally a pile of barrels labeled as being free for use in useless old-timey challenges. Because this show

Ben please pay attention and please don’t die

Benjamin, too busy trying to beat Kevin’s high score to notice his family going ‘Ben get out of the barrel you are going to die’

Even Smythe is like ‘why the fuck did I decide we should do this?’ and yet Ben is still focused on the game

Remember I made a post last night mentioning how Ben playing tag with Kevin and Keramon ends up involving his doing something stupid and nearly getting killed, which Kevin gives him a black eye for after saving his ass? Yeah, this sort’ve competitive dumbassery was at play

Aristocrow trying to save Smythe, aww

Ben finally puts down the game, going Jetray to help Aristocrow save Smythe’s butt

Aristocrow and Smythe have made up, awww

The police finally show up to arrest Smythe again, this time for barrel jumping.

Police referring to Jetray as a “flying ravioli”

Ben almost learns a lesson about how spending time seeing the sights with his family is more important that beating Kevin, right up until he gets a selfie from Kevin with #IMABOSS at the bottom, at which point he’s right back at it because this cannot be allowed to stand.

And before he can beat the high score, his phone fucking dies

10/11, because I’ve decided there’s enough Kevin to count