#also they’re both wearing each other’s merch on this vacation ;)

[cloveroctobers]

• TALIA NASCIMENTO•

IG info/bio: @/callmetalia333 | 524k followers | Journalist | TALIA. but u may have formerly known me as user: brdf0rdsvasquiff—rip!!!1! so don’t even think about it 😌

(23) 25 going on (26) years of age

I’ve read a canon that her name is just Talia and not short for anything & I agree with that + she’s always quick to correct someone if they get it wrong too

Her hometown is Watford, England

but she was originally born in Maidenhead in the backseat of a car during a severe rainstorm

Nonetheless watford taught her all she needed to know when it came to music

She found her first love when she heard the sound of music soundtrack for the v first time as a young girl but is often nervous to admit that?

her father is Brazilian and is a firefighter

her mother is Bulgarian and works as a secretary in a elementary school

her mother is more traditional than her father when it comes to their cultures

I originally felt like she gave only child vibes but I can deff see her giving off big sis energy since she did mention she has a younger brother

V protective over her little brother

there’s a three year age difference

her parents have separated multiple times before which caused a riff in the family dynamic

The constant coming and going from her dad became quite irritating

And Talia was the most vocal by wanting them to figure it out and NOT get a divorce

Which led to talia’s commitment issues when it came to relationships herself

was born with blue eyes yet they shifted to brown once she grew

“Tom-boy” growing up & still is

netball was her sport and man was it something to see her play?! She was quick on her feet and can definitely shoot far-range with ease

Always down for contact sports too

She lost count how many bruises and scrapes she would come home with much to her mother’s horror but she would always brush it off—it was never that big of a deal to her

yet she takes time in healing her scars with homemade treatments or purchases from beauty stores when she wants to show her legs off

she didn’t get into “girly” wear until recently, she never thought too much of her body or when she started to get curves...she always hid that behind big tee’s, fitted jeans, and kicks—that’s what she was used to

she’s got broad shoulders and toned arms

had thick bushy brows that almost formed a uni brow growing up

her mother used to have her hair always plaited since she is very superstitious, believing that “the devil lives in the woman’s hair”

yet talia’s hair texture was much different than her mother’s, maybe due to the fact that her mother always had her hair up and out of the way? Talia’s hair is much bigger, heavier, and naturally curly

+ her mother used to say some harsh things in Bulgarian about her hair — that says a lot when you’re taught to hate your hair trust!!!

when she got a little older and able to manage her own hair + afford it, She learned how to love it herself and that’s all that mattered. Her hair became v important to her, it was her source of comfort

that’s the only thing she’s high maintenance about tbh

she spends a lot of money on her hair but devacurl can still piss off

diffusing is one of her fav things to do to her hair—besides washing it, and deep conditioning, after a night of letting her hair air-dry

loves rose jam

has a embroidery machine, along with a collection of her work but only one piece is showcased in her flat. She didn’t want her place to look completely like her bába’s (Bulgarian: grandmother)

her closet is filled with many Havaianas, they’re all piled up in a wicker basket and ready to tumble over on her top shelf... if she moves one of the ceramic pots her mother left in her flat for luck, that whole shelf might come crashing down

Swears drinking guaraná the next morning cures any hangover you may have

commonly sleeps in big t-shirts and panties or not or booty shorts depending on her time of the month—it’s freeing to her

Has torn her achilles due to whatever contact sport she decided to join in on during a beach vacation with her mates

has a touch of arthritis in her shoulder

this is where her love for massages came from due to injuries she’s faced

+ It’s always a good sign when you can make someone else feel better ya know?

She’s been told she’s great with her hands ;) it all takes practice

bi mami *cringe* but she likes what she likes, and feels what she feels

she kinda has a type but doesn’t want to admit that

her mother doesn’t understand this but her father easily accepted her preference/orientation

her little brother was the first she came out to, “alright!...you still suck”

always wants to fix situations WHEN it comes to HER friends but is oblivious when it’s come to her own issues whether its in relationships/friendships +

was called out by one of her friends who she often argues/butts heads with from time to time “you’re always sticking your nose in people’s business but can’t solve your own shit!”

maybe it’s the journalist in her? she’s not afraid to ask questions or look at things from a outside perspective

her group of friends are all from different ethnic backgrounds to Indian to Ethiopian

has been in and out of relationships...maybe had one stable relationship? Outside of mc but that relationship failed after a year and she feels it has something to do with her parents and how she watched their relationship unfold but won’t openly admit that

Doesn’t like to argue in relationships and often is a little undermining with how she responses to her partner’s feelings...she’s trying to be better at being understanding and listening, her mother is like this with her father

Aquarius girl + Scorpio moon + Taurus rising

loves the water + watching water sports rather than playing them since she almost drowned once by letting her confidence get the best of her

used to be a directioner and isn’t ashamed to admit that!

take me home album stan 100% bitch there’s no point in arguing!!! Buh bye!!!

She is ashamed however to admit that she used to write for them, mostly ziam fics with a touch of Harry thrown in the mix as well...take that how u will

has a few merch pieces as well, they’re mostly loungewear + that powdery perfume they dropped. YES she still has it, no she won’t sell it to u

still supports them on the low since you know, she’s a music journalist and reviewing songs is what she makes a living for so why the hell not? They will always hold a special place in her heart. She grew with those boys

she’s not in denial like Hannah that they’re get back together

If someone wants her to film a reaction vid to zayn’s new album or release a written review? She WILL. Her top 3? 1. When loves around ft Syd 2. Outside 3. Unfuckwitable

If someone wants to hear her thoughts on Harry’s mv’s + breaking down his lyrics, she’ll tell you what you NEED to know whether U agree or not she don’t give a damn lol

Can throw hands and stomp a bitch out if she needs too. Has gotten kicked out of clubs/bars for defending her friends mainly not because someone chatted shit to her, that’s whatever but once you cross her friends? It’s on

Allegra got lucky 🦶🏼☕️ and Lucy

remained super close with jake and tim as expected...Rohan’s cool too ofc! but she’s not here for their rapping shit sorry. She’ll hit them both with a quick side eye and snarl if they start or if jake wants to recite some poetry. She’s outta here

Talia hardly had issues making friends easily with the boys it was always harder with the girls :/

they hang out all the time!

she actually became close with sammi as well, which was nice to have another girl friend around even tho they weren’t together in the house long like the others. She’s spontaneous, cute, resourceful, and kind so talia had no issue reaching out to her first to see what she was about outside of the show

don’t even ask her about what she thinks of the new seasons, she’s not here to chat shit and have her words twisted like she’s watched many of the cast deal with. If you want to talk about the over kill use of pop as the soundtrack for each season, then yeah she’ll talk to you about that

doesn’t use social media much, she finds it funny how whenever she does pop back in people are begging her to post SOMETHING so that they know that she’s alive

Pretty private

she also can’t grasp why they want her to do the bussit challenge? Lmao like hey don’t get her wrong, some of them were pretty great but she’s barely got a bum to bounce and little booties matter ofc!!! but she can’t see herself doing it unless she’s drunk off her arse!!!

maybe mc can convince her...for the fans duh!!! “Give the ppl what they want! Talia! It’s not like you won’t be around music!” “I’ll think about it...nah.”

she’s been busier since the show, able to tour more and WRITE which is what she loves to do

Her secret pleasure is watching those nurse shows and firefighting shows in her free time and those singing shows you already know that’s a given

Wanted to be some form of a nurse growing up but knew she could help people in another way

*inserts* “music Is The best Medicine” overused but true quote here!!

I feel like she’s a r&b lover

listens to those hour long rain sounds on YouTube to help herself fall asleep

she‘s not the best cook but she’s a foodie and she’s down to try new food always

occasionally her and Tim are jake’s Guinea pigs when he’s whipping something up for his menu 

and hates eating the same things all the time unless it’s breakfast! There’s not too much more you can do with that

that’s also her specialty, making breakfast for u in bed

Morning afters with her are intimate but humorous. She’ll poke fun if you’re both looking crazy, always joking and in the best mood whether things got physical or not she’s just happy to have you here 🥲

I think her love language is quality time

if you’re playing her route and Lucy is the ex, and you’ve decided to fully commit to each other I deff see Lucy still trying to pull some shit outside of the show just because she feels like she can but once Talia see’s that it’s really starting to get to you despite how much you try to brush it off or snap at Lucy or even Talia!!! Talia is on Lucy’s ass in seconds! She doesn’t need a ex to ruin her possible future , “you’re not gonna fuck up this good thing I’ve got just cause you’re flimsy at relationships babe, so go be a cunt somewhere else or you’ll be sorry. I promise.”

anthem: Snow Tha Product — Shut up

[larryfanficwriter98]

Chapter Six

Louis jumped when his phone started ringing and he looked at it to see a facetime request from Harry. He grinned and answered it leaving the living room to enter the kitchen. Harry was outside in sunny Los Angeles with Hollywood hills behind him from a patio.

"Do you realize the shitshow you have caused on my picture?" Harry greeted him clearly amused, letting Louis know he wasn't upset at all. "I woke up on Christmas Day to this. You have the nerve to comment on my picture and not follow me then you turn your profile on private so I can’t stalk you? Really? I have to have permission to look at your modeling pictures. You're a dick. An absolute dick." Louis laughed covering his mouth with his hand that was currently covered in Harry's pink merch sweater. "You didn't even follow me."

"I'll follow you I promise. I'll do it now, look I’m grabbing my new fancy macbook and logging in.

"You better. Jerk. I'll follow you after you follow me. Some boyfriend you are." Harry said, making Louis shake his head as he logged in and got on his Instagram account, then he went to his notifications and his eyes widened.

"I have 147 follow requests." Louis told Harry before he clicked on one of the notifications of a reply on his comment. "Holy shit. They're crazy."

"Yeah no kidding." Louis went to Harry's profile and followed him, "finally." Not a minute later Harry sent a request to follow him that he accepted immediately, "there's my hot boyfriend."

"Stop it." Louis said blushing as he commented on Harry's newest picture from a few days ago. It was of the view from his plane as they flew over the ocean to California. He commented "When I asked you to send pics this was not what I was talking about.👀.". Harry looked off to the side from the screen to his mac-book that was beside him on a side table, he frowned for a second then he laughed.

"Louis! No.." Harry said laughing as he turned a deep red, "you're gross." He said even though Louis could see him typing on his laptop. Louis waited then he got the notification and he laughed as he read the reply from Harry reading,

''This is a family friendly account. Go away.

.

.

.

.

.

I'll send some more later. I'll be sure to wear that hat you like.🤠"

"I think we broke your fans." Louis said laughing

"We should get off before you go and get a ship started."

"A ship?"

"Just wait."

~~~~~~~~

It took a few weeks for it to really sink in for Louis that he was dating Harry Styles. That he was dating an international award winning popstar. He was dating a Gucci model. He was reminded of this when he had stumbled upon a few of his photos. He and Harry talked daily and even facetimes for both of their New Years Eve, Louis had to wake up for Harry's but it was worth it. Recently on occasion one or both of them could be caught looking longingly at the screen, but they always did something to cheer the other one up.

Louis had a countdown on his phone so anytime he looked at it, it would tell him how much longer until Harry was back in the UK. Harry would still be busy and have things to do until March when his tour ended, but he would be here and Louis couldn't wait. Harry often talked about missing home, especially when it got to the last leg of the tour, said it always got harder, but it was even worse now.

After a lot of talking Louis and Harry finally made the decision to make Louis profile public after many flirty comments to each other in Harry's posts. Louis had even made a Twitter account just so he could attach a photo of their facetime one day and tell Harry how cute he looked when he had eye crud. Harry hadn't liked that picture at all and told Louis there would be payback.

The payback had been a video of Louis when he was drunk in January and was shaking his ass on a table. Liam had recorded it laughing his ass off as he, Zayn, and Niall kept men away from him. Louis had been wasted that night and didn't remember it at all, but there was video evidence and now it was all over twitter. That video has caused a lot of fans to talk about his ass which had Louis bushing as he read the tweets.

So Louis made his Instagram public and posted a picture of him in Harry's lilac sweater standing in front of his floor length mirror. The sweater fell to his thighs, just long enough to cover everything that needed to be covered since he didn't have anything else on. It was a side view so his ass curve was visible and he made sure to stick out just a little bit more. In the caption he wrote,

Okay, but why do I have thousands of teen girls asking about my ass? 👀

Harry was the first one to like the post and commented,

👀 that's a nice sweater. Mind sharing? It's a bit chilly over here.

Send me new ones and we can discuss potentially sending you this sweater.

You realize my house has a closet full of sweaters. And my laundry detergent. As well as my cologne.

👀...You don't say...and for no particular reason...what's your address?

😂 I've conveniently forgot.

🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻

LEWIS! How dare you. This is a family friendly account

Yours is family friendly. Mine is not.

~~~~~~~~~~

Since October Louis' Instagram had been filled with a lot of things that involved Harry in some way. Most of it was pictures of the gifts Harry sent, now it was of their screenshot facetime calls or pictures Harry sent through texts. It was also of Louis posting his new flowers biweekly that was delivered to his house by a florist employee.

Occasionally it was regular things like a selfie or a picture of him and the lads flicking the camera off on a group shot. His middle finger apparently became a "thing" that Harry's fans loved, he didn't exactly know why nor did he really care. His family had taken the news to him dating Harry Styles pretty well all things considered as did the lads.

"So I've been thinking." Louis was pulled away from his phone by Liam speaking

"You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Louis asked

"Ha ha. I was thinking we all have vacation time and Valentine's Day is next week. How about we fly out to Orlando, Florida to see your boyfriend." Louis tensed, "if that is something you two are ready for."

"You want us to fly out to Orlando for Valentine's Day so I can meet my international popstar boyfriend for the first time? While he just happens to be in one place for a week."

"Without telling Harry. Yes. He gave you the address to his Orlando home to return the sweaters didn't he? Just bring them in person."

"But what if-"

"No what ifs. Come on Lou let's be impulsive one last time." Zayn said, "let's go to Orlando and have fun and meet your boyfriend."

"Alright. How much is a flight-"

"Nope. Not happening. We are all pitching in to buy your flight. It's our gift to you." Niall spoke this time grinning. "Besides thanks to you and your paranoia we all have a few thousand in our savings."

"What? No. I am buying my own-"

"No you're not. We got this. Now call your boss and tell her you need vacation for next week."

Louis grinned and went to his contacts thinking about how he got so lucky to have three amazing best friends. They have noticed that lately the distance has been affecting Louis more than he was willing to admit. The few times they all facetimed with Harry Louis knew they could see the longing in Harry's face too whenever he and Louis looked at each other. After getting the vacation he had until Saturday at 4am to keep it a secret from Harry.

Departure was 4am Saturday (11pm Friday Orlando time), the flight was 9 hours long so they would stay up all night Friday and sleep on the plane. Landing will be 8am Orlando time (1pm Manchester time). However since they were sleeping the flight down they were going to be adjusted to Orlando time. It was genius the way the lads had planned it, the return flight was the same, flying during the night so they landed in the morning at Manchester. Louis didn't know how he was expected to keep it a secret. He was terrible with secret keeping.

[itsbigdangofamily]

i’ve been waiting all my life for this morning

A/N: OjiTooru fluff, because OjiTooru deserves more love. You can also read it on AO3.

The first thing Mashirao sees when he wakes up is sunlight streaming through the wide glass windows, whirling dust motes caught in the golden glare. He can feel an arm draped over his chest, and, under the sheets, a leg tangled between both of his, resting against his tail.

Mashirao smiles as he turns over, removing Tooru’s hand from his chest and gently kissing the center of her palm. She murmurs softly, the sunlight striking the pillow where an indentation marks the position of her head. 

Levering himself up on his elbow, Mashirao leans over Tooru and presses a kiss to the general location of her face, his mouth touching her cheek. His next kiss is aimed better, grazing the corners of her lips.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Mashirao says softly, fondly stroking her hair as she groans drowsily. After a second, the indentation on the pillow changes shape as she rolls her head in his direction and pulls Mashirao down for a proper kiss. Their mouths move languidly against each other, sweet and slow and loving.

“Good morning,” Tooru says when they pull away from each other, a smile in her voice. As Mashirao reaches down to cup the face of his wife—the thought sends a giddy rush through him, conjuring up a thousand images of the previous day—he can’t help but return her smile.

+

Mashirao is six years old, laughing as he sprints through a wide sunny field. 

In front of him, his friend Haruto holds a model airplane over his head, making flying noises with his mouth as he races through the grass. 

They end up at the base of a giant oak tree. The two small boys collapse gratefully under the cool shade of its leafy branches, chests heaving and lungs gasping. But small boys are an inexhaustible source of energy, and soon Haruto is back on his feet again.

“Planes are the coolest!” Haruto yells, holding his model plane aloft as he runs around in the shade. “When I grow up, I’m going to become a pilot!”

“That’s . . . That’s great,” Mashirao heaves out, still trying to catch his breath.

“What about you? What are you going to be when you grow up?” Haruto asks, feet in a perpetual state of motion as he races circles around Mashirao.

“I—” Mashirao starts. What does he want to be when he grows up? The question leaves his mind completely blank. Mashirao likes things, sure, but he’s not like Haruto, with his obsession with planes and jets and pilots. Mashirao doesn’t have anything like that, nothing he’s so single-mindedly devoted to. 

“I don’t know,” Mashirao admits finally. Haruto makes a disappointed noise, unsatisfied with Mashirao’s response. He moves on quickly enough though, as small boys are wont to do.

Mashirao tries to do the same, tries to let go of this strange curdled feeling in his stomach at the thought of the future and growing up and being an adult and having a job. 

He tries.

+

“We should really get up,” Mashirao says as Tooru peppers his face with kisses, one arm wrapped around his neck while the other gently strokes his tail.

“Why?” Tooru asks. “Staying in bed all day sounds far more appealing.”

“Work,” Mashirao replies with a smile. He presses a final kiss to Tooru’s lips before sitting up and sliding out of bed, his bare feet hitting the hardwood floor with a soft thud. 

“You’re no fun,” Tooru complains as Mashirao rummages on the floor of their closet for clothes. Behind him, he hears Tooru reluctantly get up, grumbling and yawning as she makes her way to the bathroom. A second later, the shower starts up, the sound a soothing background noise as Mashirao finally manages to locate a pair of relatively clean boxers.

He soon joins Tooru in the bathroom, hovering over the sink as he spreads shaving cream on his face. To his right, Tooru hums quietly as she stands beneath the spray, water droplets seeming to hang oddly in midair as they cling to her skin.

“Want to join me? I’ll let you scrub my back,” Tooru says sultrily, but it’s the tone she uses when she’s only half-serious about what she’s saying.

Mashirao doesn’t look away from the mirror, carefully dragging the razor along the line of his jaw. “If I did that, we wouldn’t leave for another three hours,” Mashirao comments as he tilts his head to inspect his cheek.

“I fail to see the problem with that.” 

“Work.”

“You know, no one really expects us to come to work the day after our wedding,” Tooru says half-accusingly, but a second later, she’s stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around herself.

Truthfully, Mashirao doesn’t really want to go to work today either. He’d much rather laze the day away in bed, cuddling his wife—happiness fills him at the thought; he still can’t quite believe they’re married—in his arms. Or better yet, take a week-long vacation to Kyoto, or Venice, or Paris. He’s always wanted to go to Paris.

Alas, being a pro hero requires certain sacrifices, among them giving up honeymoons.

He and Tooru took the entire day off yesterday for their wedding, and they’re already late getting up today—at the insistence of their sidekicks, who had all but ordered them not to show up before at least noon—but their agency is still less than a year old, and they truly can’t afford to take any more time off.

Not that he minds too much. 

+

Mashirao is fifteen years old, in his last year of middle school, nervously fidgeting in his chair as his teacher asks him what his plans for the future are.

“I’m planning on applying to UA,” Mashirao admits, a ball of nerves tightening in his chest. 

His teacher blinks once, surprised, then tries to cover it up with a smile. “You want to be a hero, Ojiro-kun? How wonderful. I’m sure you’ll be great at it. You’re such a kind boy.”

Honestly, Mashirao isn’t sure this is the right decision at all. He’s talked to other people who dream of becoming pro heroes, people who want it more than anything. Their rooms are filled with hero merch, and they watch news segments religiously, and their eyes shine like stars whenever they talk about their favorite heroes. 

And it’s not that he doesn’t want to be a hero—he thinks pro heroes are really cool, and having a job that lets him help people doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend the rest of his life. It’s just that sometimes he looks at all the other hero hopefuls, and he thinks, I don’t care enough, I’m not devoted enough, I’m not certain enough that this is what I want to be. I’m not like you, I’m not like you, I’m not like you.

Sometimes, he can’t help but remember Haruto, his friend from years ago. He remembers that day running in the grass, remembers collapsing in the shade, remembers Haruto’s innocent question.

He’s still haunted by that question, by the realization that he doesn’t love anything as much as Haruto loved planes, doesn’t want anything as much as Haruto wanted to be a pilot.

It’s such a stupid thing to hold on to, after all this time.

It’s such a stupid thing, but he still hasn’t learned how to let go.

+

Mashirao’s phone dings as he leans against the wall beside the front door, waiting for Tooru to finish getting dressed. He opens his messages to find two texts from his older sister. He’s typing out a reply when Tooru comes into the room. She’s wearing her hero costume, which makes her fully invisible, but Mashirao has long since become familiar with the sound of her footsteps.

“Ready?” she asks as she pulls on her custom-made shoes, just as invisible as she is.

“Yeah. Just got to finish this text to Tsuyoi-nee really quick,” Mashirao responds, hurriedly finishing his reply before putting his phone away.

“Oh? What she’d say?” Tooru pulls the door of their apartment open and steps into the hallway, Mashirao following as she presses the call button for the elevator.

“She said they’re just about to board the plane. She also berated me for not taking more time off.”

“See! Tsuyoi-nee agrees with me,” Tooru declares triumphantly as the elevator doors slide open. Mashirao laughs, barely looking behind him as he jabs the button for the lobby with his tail.

“That doesn’t really prove anything. You and Tsuyoi-nee agree on everything.” It had been a little disconcerting, at first, to find out just how similar Tooru was to his older sister. The two women, by contrast, had gleefully jumped at the opportunity to double-team him into doing whatever they wanted.

“I’m just saying, you’re supposed to be married to me, not your job.” Playfully, she tugs on the hem of his costume.

As the elevator descends, Mashirao wraps his tail around Tooru’s waist, bringing her in closer. “Why can’t I be married to both?” he asks, lightly kissing the top of her head. It’s at times like these that he can’t help but appreciate the difference in their heights.

He feels sure Tooru is rolling her eyes, but she leans up for another kiss anyway.

+

Mashirao is eighteen years old, just months away from graduating high school, and the thought of the future still sets his insides churning furiously.

It doesn’t help that all his classmates seem to be so sure of their post-graduation plans.

Everywhere he turns, he hears people talking about job offers and agencies and renting new apartments and finding roommates. Sometimes, it all just makes him feel like he’s drowning, like he’s the only person in a roiling sea who hasn’t found anything to hold on to keep him afloat.

He and Tooru still haven’t talked about what they’re going to do after graduation. He’s thought about bringing it up to her so many times, but every time he does, his nerves sew his mouth firmly shut.

They’ve been dating since their first year, and the thought of breaking up with her sends a physical ache through him. But at the same time, the idea of spending the rest of his life with her fills him with an unspeakable uncertainty.

It’s the same uncertainty he felt when he first decided to apply to UA—misgivings over having made the wrong choice, doubt that this is something he can actually do.

During his three years at UA, he’s discovered an enthusiasm for hero work, a joy in being able to save people, delight in everything that a pro hero does. He loves it, loves every damn second he spent here, loves all the people he’s met, loves all the skills he’s honed, loves all the friends he’s made. 

And he loves dating Tooru too. He cares for her so, so deeply, more intensely than he thought he could ever care for anyone.

Yet the thought of forever, of being a hero forever, of being with Tooru forever—it scares him.

Forever is a long time, and he’s scared that somewhere down the line, he’ll run out of passion for his job and his girlfriend, and then he’ll be stuck. Stuck because he didn’t have enough love for the path he tread.

Twelve years past, and he still can’t forget Haruto.

+

“I cannot believe you guys actually came to work the day after your wedding,” FX says as Mashirao and Tooru walk through the doors of their agency.

“We’re pro heroes. No rest for the wicked, and no rest for us either,” Tooru responds. Mashirao kindly refrains from mentioning that Tooru had been complaining about having to come to work less than five minutes ago. 

The sidekick shakes her head in disbelief, her green-tipped ponytail swinging back and forth. “Well, if you want to work so bad, be my guest,” she says, making a grandiose sweeping gesture toward the elevator to Mashirao and Tooru’s office. “I’ll get Kaze to bring over some reports in a bit.”

“Oh, joy. Paperwork,” Tooru mutters under her breath as they step into the elevator.

Just as the doors are about to close, FX calls loudly through the gap, “You two better not be fucking when I send him up!”

Mashirao sputters, feeling his cheeks turn a dark shade of red, while Tooru laughs. “That mouth of hers is going to get her in trouble someday.” 

“Isn’t that why you hired her?” Mashirao asks archly. 

“You bet!” If Mashirao could see her face, he’s sure Tooru would be grinning broadly right now.

The elevator doors open, and they make their way down the short hallway to their office. Tooru pushes the door open and steps inside, humming. However much she might have protested getting out of bed, Tooru loves hero work. She’s just as happy to be at the agency as he is, he can tell.

Without warning, his mind flashes back to his third year at UA, right before graduation. He remembers the anxiety he felt then, the uncertainty about his path in life. God, he’d been so young—eighteen years old, and feeling like the whole world was riding on his shoulders.

He’ll forever be grateful to Tooru. Tooru, who encouraged him and reassured him and pushed him to be a hero despite all his misgivings, despite all his doubts. Tooru, who’s been at his side all these years, through good and bad, through thick and thin.

He won’t lie. It hasn’t been easy. Being a pro hero isn’t easy, after all. There’s been injuries and hospitals and far too much blood. There’s been sweat and exhaustion and fatigue clawing at his soul. There’s been tears and funerals and enough grief for a lifetime.

But somewhere along the way, sometime during the years of daily patrols and emergency calls and disaster relief—Mashirao stopped worrying. He stopped being uncertain about life and started living it.

And now, standing in his very own agency in Shizuoka, in the office he shares with his wonderful, amazing wife, he can’t imagine any other life he’d rather have.

Stepping toward Tooru, he wraps her in a hug. She reciprocates, folding her arms around his neck. “I love you,” he says softly, leaning down to kiss her. He can feel her smile as she kisses back, her tongue teasingly tracing a path along Mashirao’s lips. He opens his mouth, and her tongue slips inside.

Things are just about to get heated when a knock interrupts them, and Tooru pulls back with a disappointed sigh. She opens the door on a short boy, fresh out of high school, with unkempt silver hair and half-lidded golden eyes.

“Reports from FX-senpai,” Kaze says emotionlessly, holding out a stack of files. Tooru takes them from his hands with only minimal grumbling as Kaze slowly scans the entire room, gaze seeming to brighten as he takes in Mashirao.

“Thank you, Kaze-kun,” Tooru replies as she sets the stack on the desk with a heavy thud. “You can go now,” she adds when he remains standing just inside the doorway.

“FX-senpai said to tell her if you two were doing anything naughty,” Kaze continues in his monotone voice, ignoring Tooru’s command. Mashirao feels his face start to heat up again.

“Well, you can tell her that we weren’t,” Tooru replies, calm as ever. 

Kaze blinks once slowly. “You’re lying,” he says baldly. The statement is directed at Tooru, but his eyes are fixed on Mashirao—specifically, his lips. Mashirao’s cheeks rapidly increase in temperature as Tooru lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“You really should be going now,” Tooru says, giving the boy no choice as she quickly ushers him out of the office and closes the door.

“FX is really such a bad influence,” Tooru remarks, but her voice is fond. Mashirao lets out an embarrassed groan, his head falling into his hands. Tooru laughs, walking over to him and lifting his head up, her palms cupping his cheeks. “Oh, relax. It’s not like she hasn’t caught us kissing in here before.”

“Remind me again why we hired her?”

“Because I like her.” There’s a grin in Tooru’s voice, and Mashirao can’t help but grin back, even though the blood has yet to recede from his cheeks.

This is his life, complete with irreverent sidekicks and monotone newbies and all.

And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

[hackedmotionart]

About ECCC

So like a lot of people I’m having to pull out of ECCC. My helpers and myself both felt really unsure about the decision for ECCC to push through but I understand as a business that’s not an easy choice for ReedPop to make as well especially so close to the con. I have the EXTREMELY LUCKY luxury of having a full time job that gave me vacation days for this con so I’m not hurting in that regard but there are a lot of artists who might be because doing Artist Alley is their full time job and/or ECCC is a huge chunk of their income for early spring. This could literally mean they make rent or don’t. So if ECCC proceeds you don’t have to give them any excuses why you can’t go. You don’t have to give them your life story, or give them a morally superior attitude if they still go and the con still goes forward.

I don’t think I’m being SMART or SAFE or anything that makes it seem like I’m better than the other artists. This is not an easy situation. I know it seems like conventions are fun adventures for a lot of us but in the end its still a business. And like businesses in King County that might be suffering because people are having to stay indoors or avoid contact with each other the artist and exhibitors at ECCC are also in a business. This is how they earn income. I’m still taking a lot of loss from not being able to go. 

I saw a lot of people on twitter casually using language like that to imply that you were somehow better for cancelling right away or you were being reckless or stupid to still go. Its unfair and its cruel to write artists off like that. No one wants to get sick. No one wants to endager their loved ones or anyone else. I would say you should definitely take a look at how our administration is poorly handling this and realize this is an US problem not a you or me problem.

Also, like...the amount of people who have suddenly discovered handwashing sends chills down my spine. The inability to buy face masks or gloves because people have hoarded it and yet I haven’t seen a single person actually WEARING or USING face masks or sanitizer is another thing we should be worried about too.

Sorry slightly side tracked. Basically, I won’t be making it to ECCC. I LOVE ECCC. I was so excited to take my friend there for the first time. I have family in King County and I was so excited to see them as I often use this trip as a chance to pop in and say hello. I hope ECCC will have me again next year and I hope we wrangle this outbreak before anyone else gets sick.

Please remember a few things that panicking won’t help. Hoarding won’t help (in fact hoarding makes things worse bc the WHO actually had to say that their health professionals couldn’t get masks and gloves that they needed either). DON’T BE RACIST. If you see someone ACTUALLY wearing a mask they’re probably trying to keep you from getting whatever cold they have or they’re trying to keep from getting sick (especially on places like trains or planes)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS WHO CAN’T GO AND THE ARTIST WHO ARE GOING. They both need your support. There IS a list on twitter but it was started by a guy who basically insulted half of the artist alley. I think you can link me in the comments and I can try reblogging the artists that were going to ECCC and can’t now but have opened their online shops or have Ko-fi accounts. Drop them some money. Buy their merch and hopefully we can see each other next year!!

[folerdetdufoler]

saturday morning was cloudy. the whole day was cloudy, but to start, i woke up to a sunrise that didn’t exist. so i ate breakfast and went back to sleep (if i had to define what a vacation was, it would have to include that activity: going back to sleep). then i went to meet nadège, jenn, and haidee at their flat.

i’ve always stayed in a hotel when i’ve visited, specifically the hotel. part of it is because i know how the hotel works, and i heavily weight the value of the familiar. it also was part of the rewards program with sas. it isn’t anymore, and i think they’re going to be doing construction next year, so i’m starting to consider different options for stays for my next trip. i’ll probably stick to a hotel because i heavily weight the existence of room service too, but now it doesn’t have to be the radisson blu. i’ve ridden that elevator enough times.

but uh, the point of this consideration is because they were staying in a really nice flat, which was like an extended stay suite but through airbnb. i was super anxious about using airbnb last summer because it was someone’s home, but this flat was not that, which was appealing to me. i would have to pack much less if i were to go the walk-up route though. um, so i met them there and we walked to get kabobs. jenn had to catch a flight that afternoon but she hadn’t gotten her kabob fix yet, so it was a necessary spot. we met jenni’s group there and then walked down to the river for a moment to eat and chat. nadège and i kept walking along the river since we weren’t eating, and we had a chance to talk through some of the stuff that was bothering me from the day before.

it was really helpful to have that chance, both to let me express myself as well as hear her perspective. most of the time, even though i’m constantly keeping up with people on my dashboard, i’m still very much in my own head about it all. i’m not using a soundboard, just letting my own opinion boil up until it causes problems, spilling negativity into other people’s lives. this has been happening more often, probably because i’m talking to fewer and fewer people as the fandom shrinks and i get more stubborn, so i really appreciated this chance to both be very much in the fandom (in oslo, with human beings) as well as take a step back from it. i still need to work on how i balance my sense of self that i get from the internet with how i express myself in person, and it seems like that just means i need to take a walk and talk to someone. like, every day.

anyway, that’s what we did, going down to the dick swan and back, visiting the barely-canon tree and syng. when we got back to the girls we figured out where we were going next, and we broke up for the afternoon.

a couple of days ago jasmine and silvia had mentioned the nrk studio tour as a thing to do, and i impulse bought (is there any other way?) a ticket for saturday. nadège and haidee were interested in going, so we decided to press our luck and head over to the office to see if we could squeeze two more people onto the tour (it was listed as sold out for saturday when they checked). taru gave us helpful tips for getting to the office but between my struggle with google maps and the front door, we were still too late. the guide was nice enough to come to the front and answer some questions though, so we just went back to the website and bought tickets for sunday instead.

by then the clouds were releasing a week’s worth of weather, and we were all the way out in marienlyst with a couple of hours to kill. so we went through our lists of things we wanted to see, if there were any sites left that hadn’t been toured even though we’ve all been to oslo a few times at this point. and there were! we were actually kind of close to the university campus where parts of “all stories are echoes” are set, so nadège wanted to find an important statue from the fic. she and haidee had read it, and while we walked to campus they did a recap for me, so i would understand the significance of the statue.

at that point it was raining heavily and we were lost but i didn’t really mind it because we were just walking and talking. there was a general goal that we were trying to achieve, but it felt very relaxed, and it was fun listening to all of the things that really excited them about the stories they read. after all this time i don’t think i ever did that, like really find out what attracted them to this fandom, so it was a fun and enlightening conversation. it also passed the time well, as we were walking through the campus and then trying to find a bus back to sentrum.

oh wait, not sentrum. next we looked up kjærlighetskarusellen, because that post about it from the header had recently circulated, and it was another canon detail that sort of defined these trips that we take. we come to oslo because we are fans of a show that is set here, and we love it so much that we seek out every little detail in appreciation. that love has grown to encompass the whole city, so we were looking for this show detail as well as monument to the city’s history and its relationship with homosexuality. we lingered outside of it for a bit, because there was a man actually using it as a urinal, and then we snapped our photos once the coast was clear. now i am no stranger to being creepy but that was probably a top five moment for me, taking a picture of a public urinal. i loudly talked about how it was a cultural heritage site as if that would convince random people passing by that i was truly interested in the city’s sanitation efforts instead of, like, men peeing. for the record i’m not particularly interested in either.

then we went back to the flat for a bathroom break, and on to eat waffles. oh boy! i was excited because i had never had one before. i was still shy in terms of trying one, and chose the nugatti topping instead of the jam & brown cheese classic (pictured is haidee’s waffle). mine was super sweet and...gummy? like the hazelnut paste and the soft waffle was just cement in my mouth, and i got a work out just trying to clean off my teeth with my tongue. but it was delicious. i’d probably eat one every day if i had daily access to haralds.

after our waffle we went to meet jasmine and silvia. we shared a pizza for a late lunch/early dinner, and then went back to the hotel so i could change out of my wet clothes. we recapped each other’s dramas and activities from earlier in the day, and talked about fandom and the internet and how people change, if they do. at this point we’ve known each other for at least a year, if not longer, and it’s interesting to see how we, and the rest of the fandom, have evolved as the show has faded into the distance.

some of the stuff we talked about got intense, or we got wrapped up in drama (what else is new), and we had to take a break by watching the bloopers. that was an instant mood lift, and fun to do with people in the same room. everything was a little bit funnier or cuter or sillier when i could hear everyone else laughing at the show too. someday i’d love to rent out a cinema theatre and project season three for a marathon viewing (with bathroom breaks) for a group of fans. maybe for a seven-year anniversary, when you could time it so it would play on a friday evening, and at exactly 21:21 in real time you’d watch isak walk across the courtyard at school to save the man of his dreams.

but back to saturday. it wasn’t raining, but we took the metro to the park next (baby’s first metro trip!). we were going to meet jenni, taru, and kati, and figure out a good place for jasmine and silvia to hang out outside to listen to karpe. we said our goodbyes at the gate and shifted to the other friend group. i think we were kind of early but there was already a decent crowd going in, and going right for the main stage. i don’t think we bothered with food or drink this time around, mostly because we’d just eaten and it was starting to drizzle, which meant everything would get wet anyway.

jenn mentioned a few times that it was a shame there wasn’t any festival merch to purchase while we were walking around, because we kept seeing all of the volunteers with their t-shirts and bags from previous years. it felt like a missed opportunity. i wondered if it was on purpose, to give more weight to the merch that the volunteers got, as a draw for them to sign up and return to work. limited merch would make that experience more special. but i was wrong, because after jenn had left we finally found out that there was a merch tent with apparel for sale; we just hadn’t found it. so before we joined the crowd for karpe we went up the hill and bought tote bags and socks. i’ll deliver jenn’s tote to her on friday, at the sigrid show. i’m mostly mentioning that here so i don’t forget. i was so excited to find socks because i’m getting used to wearing more funky options (mostly due to haidee’s lovely gifts!) but also because they were um, featured on the festival issue of natt & dag.

we moved closer to the stage, but it was actually the farthest we’d been from it the whole week, simply because the crowd was already packed in. while we waited ronny from nrk p3 walked past, and that was my only celebrity sighting at the whole festival. on thursday i thought i saw axel bøyum walk in front of me, but i’m not sure. it was fast, and i thought i noticed his sharply-angled face and deep eyes, but he was also wearing a hood so i didn’t have much else to compare. he was short though, which also made him stand out to me. anyway, that was the extent of my sightings: 1.5 people. there were others there, of course, because i saw their instagram posts, but i either wasn’t paying attention or wasn’t in the right places to see them. since i myself prefer not to be seen, i tend to treat everyone else the same (at least not on the internet), so i default to ignoring the people around me unless they acknowledge me first. i need your explicit consent before i let myself stare at you.

here’s a brief pause to note how sad i am about heimebane. aaaaaand moving on!

the karpe crowd was huge and...different. saturday had a different vibe in general because it was the weekend, and if someone was going to just pick one day to go to øya this would be that day. also it was raining, so there was this anticipatory buzz that was like, 80% for the show and 20% for getting dry again in a couple of hours. our group kind of slowly shifted and morphed as we were pushed closer to the stage and trying not to lose our footing on the sloped ground. but then the show started and the crowd exploded and you just had to fuckin’ roll with it.

i had to read up on the show afterward to understand some of what magdi and chirag were talking and singing about. despite talking about it with fryd months ago, i didn’t get into their new album like i’d wanted to. so i didn’t understand most of the message in the moment; i was just enjoying the beats and the intensity of everyone else. there was a group of younger guys in front of us who sang every damn word and it was just a really...fulfilling thing to witness? norway came out for norway, and the crowd was exactly what karpe deserved for the show they put on. the guys chatted with nadège and sang at me to get us hyped, and i still felt slightly removed from the crowd but that was okay. i enjoyed this outsider place. i didn’t have to understand or be part of it because it was big enough on its own. i could simply bask in the overflow and dance in the rain.

i knew one song from when i had it on repeat summer 2017, the result of following ashley’s obsession with karpe on tumblr. i also still connected it to skam, from when i was more passionately following the actors’ lives and seeing them go to their concert in oslo, which i think cengiz was also dancing for? these are very weak links but links nonetheless, and it still felt like i was ticking off boxes on my unwritten “experience skam” list. it’s also a testament to how far i’ll twist something to justify it, make it fit my personal narrative. i must still feel guilty about my trips to oslo.

(side note: i’ve been meaning to look this up but i am fascinated by their use of the sas brand in their album and shows, like...they are aggressively shaping the brand and i’m curious as to whether they have permission to do it or if they don’t need it or what level of control the brand has over its use. the relationship between a brand and an artist these days is fucking fascinating, and i’m sort of aware of the rules that we need in america but is it different in other countries? i’m already a fan of sas, in that it’s my airline for my trips to oslo, but would i have been influenced more toward or against it if i were approaching it from a karpe angle, if the duo were introducing me to it? anyway, just some mind wanderings there.)

at the end the crowd was lighting up their cups again. we were surrounded by different people than how we started and couldn’t find the ones we knew. we made the same walk away from the stage, bouncing along with the flow, until we got to the festival sign to catch up with everyone. we took a group pic and said goodnight, not entirely sure what the next day would bring but quite satisfied with the one that had just ended. it was funny how used to the exit walk i’d become, after just a few days, and i felt a little nostalgic about even that, as we did it for the last time. and even though we were all soaked and exhausted, i didn’t feel a particular rush to leave. but it was over. just like that. the volunteers were collecting cups from the crowd as we went, but i took mine home.

[nananaptime]

Not a date

My work for Writer of The Month on NCT Amino

I realised halfway through writing this that Korea won against Germany, not Russia but oh well xD

Masterlist Rules

Genre: Fluff?

Word count: 1 937

Summary: Kiss cam can end in two ways; total bliss or total disaster...

“Guys, come on. It’s not a date and you know it.” My statement went over my friends’ heads as they smirked at us and giggled. We were all on a school trip to Russia in order to relax a bit before exams begun and conveniently enough, the trip was scheduled at the same time as the football match between Russia and Korea which no one was going to miss. However obvious it was as the whole class was going to attend, our friends still insisted that it was a date because Taeyong and I had decided prior to the game that we would sit next to each other. No matter how many times we tried explaining that it was solemnly for chatting purposes that we wanted to be vacated next to each other since neither of our friends knew anything about football. This way we would be able to discuss tactics and such with each other without bothering anyone else.

Beside me, Taeyong had given up trying to persuade out mutual friends of the obvious and had since five minutes ago left that task to me, the more stubborn one of the two of us. However, I didn’t seem to be able to fulfil that near impossible undertaking as it was like talking to brick walls.  They had for many years been convinced of our attraction and tried everything they could to get us together ever since, the fact that they were right about my feelings should’ve been unimportant if they hadn’t been so blatantly obvious. It wasn’t just the girls either, the boys also pestered Taeyong about making a move and actually getting somewhere to which he desperately tried persuade them of his platonic feelings for me.

I sighed as I got nowhere with my friend’s opinions and turned to Taeyong, nodding my head in a random direction as to signal the want to explore before the big game tonight. He followed me with a relieved smile as we left our delusional group behind us.

“They’ll never stop, will they?” An unbelievable mutter left Taeyong’s lips as we entered a pedestrian street decorated with hundreds of flags and merchandise in almost every window, it came as no surprise when all of the merch was Russian rather than South Korean, but the disappointment was no less great. I looked at Taeyong who was still smiling, however this time at our friends’ allegations. My heart hurt a bit at the signs of my feelings being one-sided as he always seemed to be having his eyes on other people rather than me but I suppressed it, pushing the feelings into a box in my heart which I locked and planned on never opening again. All this so I wouldn’t lose my best friend.

“Probably not, but let them have their fun. Once we actually find our matches they’ll quiet down and realise that we were right all along.” Just saying those words caused the box in my heart to shake but the large smile he gave me helped me overlook it. That’s all I need in life, his smile, his happiness, even if it wasn’t with me.

Suddenly, Tae lit up and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me around to face a shop which had been behind me, filled with all sorts of football merch, even of the Korean kind. We both bolted for the store and, after running into a few people here and there, stood there in awe. The store was divided into two parts, the right part of the store had the Russian colours on every bit, even the walls and people were crowding around the objects, desperately trying to get their hands on something before it disappeared. The left side of the store was decorated in the colours of the South Korean flag, with merch like hats, scarfs and big foam fingers and even more on full display. Unlike the Russian side where you could barely see what the store offered because of the number of people, it was a free walk to the Korean merchandise as there were barely any people there. It was kind of sad to be honest, seeing little to no support for Korea in the world cup but then again, we were in Russia so of course, most people were going to root for their own country. Letting the feeling of support rush through me, I instantly made my way to the foam fingers which I’ve been dying to get just because they’re so extra. Along with that, I also got a scarf and a shirt, determined to show who I wanted to win. Taeyong showed just as much enthusiasm, as he too got a lot of merchandise in his hands, some of which was a big team shirt, a snapback and a foam finger. We may have gotten salty looks from the cashier but we were way too excited for this match to pay her any attention and soon we were out of the store,  fabulously showing off our game spirit.

An hour later we met our group of friends outside the arena where they had kept places for us in the queue. They laughed at us slightly as we were some of the few who so obviously wanted the away team to win, Veronica even went as far as to say that we matched and that it was a sign that we should get together to which we rolled our eyes and started talking about the game instead.

“I hope the referee isn’t biased and actually judges the game based on the performance of the teams. It would suck if we lost just because they were playing favourites.” Taeyong hummed in response to my thoughts but I didn’t get more than that which caused me to look him in the eyes, curious as to what was distracting him. Rather shockingly, I found him staring at my face with an intense gaze, causing me to grow a bit red at the unusual attention. His name left my lips in a quiet whisper as to get his attention and ask what he was looking at all in the same sentence.

“Oh, sorry, you’ve got something on your cheek.” His voice faded away into nothing as he reached his hand up and brushed away what seemed to be foam from the finger which probably had ended up there as I fixed my hair in the wind a couple of minutes prior. His touch sent tingles running through my body and I found myself not being able to look away from his intense eyes, that is until Johnny coughed into his hand awkwardly.

“Uhm, do you want us to leave you alone or?” His question was accompanied by a smirk and with a slight glare in his direction, I let them know that the line was moving and they were currently stopping the flow. He looked behind him and ran ahead slightly in order to make up for lost time, causing the rest of us to laugh at his antics.

Twenty minutes later we were all situated in our seats, which were pretty good, I must say. We had a full view of the grounds and were pretty close to the exit which means we would have no trouble sneaking away to the bathroom if needed. We had all taken the time to buy some snacks for the game which is why I was now struggling to carry a big glass of sprite and a medium popcorn while still wearing my foam finger on my left hand. Taeyong noticed my difficulties and grabbed the soda and popcorn, letting me get comfortable in my seat before managing to put everything in their assigned spot. After that any attempt to speak to Taeyong was overthrown by the loud cheer of fans as the teams started entering the arena, especially when the Russian team entered, it seemed as if the arena was going to explode thanks to the volume of everyone in it. Our plan to discuss the game went down the stream as it was way too loud to do so, however, his presence alone was enough to make me feel giddy so I settled for that, shivering from time to time while his elbow brushed mine and the warmth of his skin mixed with my own. All of that was pushed towards the back of my mind as the game finally started.

45 minutes later the arena started emptying as it was not halftime and we had the time to go use the restroom or buy more snacks if we so desired. I drank the last of my sprite as I noticed Taeyong standing up beside me.

“Hey, you want some water or something?” He asked and gestured towards my now empty cup. I nodded, grateful that I wouldn’t have to fight my way through the big crowd of people. As he left I noticed how the jumbotron lit up with what seemed like a filter over a camera. It didn’t take me long to notice that they had started a kiss cam and I just felt the atmosphere grow awkward and excited at the same time. I glanced to both sides of me and noticed to my relief that both were empty so there was no chance of me being the victim. That thought didn’t stay in my head for long as Taeyong, who had been faster than expected, came back with two big cups of water. He sat down beside me, giving me a big adorable smile and handed me the liquid, having no idea about what was going on up on the big screen. I thanked him and started sipping on my water when I heard the crowd starting to cheer. Curious, I looked up at the jumbotron and spit out my drink in surprise. There, up on the big screen in front of everyone in the arena, where our faces surrounded by a big, pink, glittery heart. My cheeks instantly heated up and I couldn’t for the life of me bring myself to look Taeyong in the eyes, thinking he must be just as embarrassed as I was. Therefore, it came as a big surprise when I felt hands cover my cheeks and bring myself closer to Taeyong’s face. With a quick reassuring smile, he pressed his lips to mine in a loving, quick peck. That was all it took for me completely crumble in emotions and I curled up into a ball in my seat, covering my red face and just trying not to freak out. The whole arena awed at us and the game continued not long after that.

It was hard for me to focus on the game after that, to say the least, as I still had the feeling of Taeyong’s lips on mine lingering. I felt multiple elbows in my side as my friends couldn’t contain their joy and just gossiped about us the whole game, which is why, when Korea won, that they screamed out of surprise as everyone rooting for Korea stood up and cheered as if their lives depended on it, including Taeyong and I. In the midst of all excitement, I threw myself over Taeyong and gave him a big bear hug. He squeezed me just as tight and lifted me off the ground, once he put me back down he, again, pressed his lips to mine, this time in a longer kiss than before, one that I almost got lost in.

Let’s just say that while Korea won the match that day, he won my heart.  

[cassiopeiasara]

How I Learned to Sort Through the Pieces

What started as a one scene follow up to 1.05 turned into this. It’s very Kat centric but with a kadena endgame. Also on ao3. Usual disclaimers apply. Most of these characters (there’s two OCs in here) do not belong to me but this mess of a story does. 

They're waiting for her at the station two blocks from Adena's apartment.  It's all she can do not to burst into tears at the sight of them. It's Sutton who reaches for her first but Jane's arms are only a second behind.

"Let's get you home," whispers Sutton.

They sandwich her between them on the subway. Kat nestles in Sutton's neck and holds Jane's hand. She longs and she aches and she's surprised her tears are still at bay with how much it feels like is pouring out of her. One of them, Jane probably, fishes in her purse for her key and unlocks the door. They pause after the door closes.

"Can we get you anything?" asks Jane.

Kat just shakes her head. Sutton moves her to the bedroom, Kat somehow climbs in but it doesn't register, autopilot kicking in. She feels the bed dip on both sides and soon they have her between them just like the subway. She drifts to sleep with the words I booked a flight, we're going to try to work things out repeating an  endless loop inside her head.

It's the middle of the night when she wakes up, sore as hell and delirious for a moment, even hopeful that the arm slung around her waist is Adena. That hope is easy when Jane is no longer in front of her. Then she remembers, slowly then all at once and she feels the tears well in her eyes.

"Hey," says Sutton as she nudges Kat's waist.

Kat wipes her eyes before she turns to face her. "I was ready this time. I was actually ready."

"I know and I'm so proud of you." 

She cups Kat's cheek and that's when the tears finally flow. Sutton rocks her and wipes her cheeks. It should be soothing but Kat still feels like she's falling apart, like she's breaking at the seams and there isn't a way to put herself back together again.

"Is it always like this?" She manages to choke out between sobs.

"No," says Sutton. "But it never feels that way when it's this fresh." She squeezes Kat and Kat bursts anew.

In the morning, Sutton cooks breakfast and Kat drags herself into the shower, wanting nothing more than to curl back into bed and wallow. Adulthood is a bitch.

She doesn't taste any of the food but she eats anyway because Sutton looks at her like a mother who won't take no for an answer. Bless her.

*****

She throws herself into work, stays late, comes in early. She feels like a zombie but  Scarlet’s twitter stats are up and it's good to excel at something. She lasts three days before she looks at Coco's Instagram. There's a picture of Adena on a balcony, the one from their apartment if previous pictures are any indication, her eyes are weary and she looks exhausted. There's a moment where Kat feels such a kinship with that look because it speaks of trying when you're not sure you want to.

Then Jane leans over her shoulder and whispers, "It won't help, babe."

Kat clicks out of the app and sighs. "I know."

****

Two months later and she feels less like a zombie. She makes sure to steer clear of both Coco and Adena's social media accounts, slipping up only once to see them vacationing in Italy. The look on Adena's face hasn't changed and she tries not to read too much into it.

Jane slips by her desk and smiles, the look in her eyes telling Kat she wants something. "Hey sweetie."

Kat doesn't turn fully away from her computer but tilts her head in acknowledgement. "Hey."

"So I have to write an article on speed dating and I'm wondering if you want to join."

Kat raises her eyebrows and finally turns around. "What?"

Jane's smile widens and Kat hates that she's probably going to say yes. "You know, you switch between people every 5 minutes, mark who you like and get potential dates at the end."

"What about pinstripe?"

Jane shrugs. "It's just an article and he and I aren't anything more than a convenience."

Kat shakes her head because if there is something Jane isn't good at, it's keeping things casual. "How bout Alex?"

"He's busy.” Jane starts to bash her eyelashes and pouts.  “Please Kat, come on, you don't have to stay if you don't want to and even if you find someone capitable, you don't have to date them."

Kat sighs. "Fine." Jane starts to bounce on the edge of the desk. Kat holds up a finger. "But you owe me dinner."

Jane kisses her cheek. "Done, we leave at 7."

****

Kat hesitates as she fills out her card. There are options and for the first time, she realizes she might be curious about them. She can mark men only, women only, or men and women.

"Hey are you ready?" Jane stands next to her with her name tag, evaluation card and number.

Kat quickly checks the men and women box and hands her card to the organizer. "Yeah, let's get this over with."

The first couple of men are duds and Kat is thinking of all the ways Jane will have to make this up to her when a woman sits down. She's wearing a navy maxi dress with a few silver bracelets dangling from each arm and hoops Kat also owns.

"Hey," she says. Kat's eyes flicker down to her name tag, Nicki.

Kat extends a hand. "Hi." There's something that piques her curiosity when they shake hands.

"Kat, what do you do?" Nicki’s tone is warm and her smile is kind.

"Social media director. How bout you?"

Nicki places her hand on her chest and Kat tries not to think of someone else and you touched me here too. "Nurse."

Kat nods, clearing the memory away and reminding herself that things are different now. She can move on. She needs to. "Wow, that's awesome."

Nicki chuckles and drops her hand. "Some days yeah, others I think of all the things I'd rather be."

Kat smiles. "I know what you mean."

Nicki gestures towards the room. "So what brings you here?"

"A friend."

Nicki nods. "A friend suggested it to me too. It's not usually my style, I mean how much can you know anyone in five minutes?"

Kat feels something ease in her chest and she laughs. "Right? It seems like a weird way to try to get to meet people."

Nicki leans on her open palm and something about that movement makes Kat lean in closer. "It's efficient though and I guess most of us decide in the first few minutes if someone is interesting anyway." Her lips turn up into a sly smile and it makes Kat's cheeks warm.

"Yeah, I guess--"

The bell rings for them to switch and Kat almost screams because it can't be five minutes already. Nicki nods as she stands up.

"Nice to meet you, Kat."

Kat nods back. "You too, Nicki."

The next hour goes by in a blur of boring to semi-interesting men and women. Kat ends up with five people she might like, two men and three women and turns in her card.

Jane sighs as they wait for their match cards. "Well, that was a lot. Want to go for Thai?"

Kat nods. "Sounds good."

Their numbers are called and Kat finds herself more eager to find her matches than she anticipated. All five people say yes to her but it's Nicki's name at the top that stands out the most. There's a number listed and Kat wonders how much time is allowed before it's weird to follow up.

She tries to catch a glimpse of Nicki as they walk out but there are too many people and Jane is starving.

****

It's Nicki who calls her in the end and they go for coffee somewhere Alex raved about in his last review.

Nicki is in pants this time, her long curly hair pinned up and a necklace Kat knows Sutton would kill for.

They sit at a small table and Kat notices that Nicki's smile is just as charming in the day time.

"So do you get any other perks besides merch and access to a closet full of designer clothes?"

Kat shrugs. "Depends on the week I guess and what we're trying to promote."

Nicki nods and sips her coffee. "My sister works in publishing, she's always sending me books I never have time to read."

Kat smiles. "I know how you feel."

Nicki winks. "Watch any good TV lately? I feel like I'm ten years behind everyone else."

Kat chuckles and goes into a spiel about her latest Netflix find. Nicki is fun and she's easy to talk to but Kat can't help but compare. She doesn't captivate her like Adena had and Kat feels less like she's tripping over every word.

Maybe it's better this way. Maybe this is what Sutton meant when she said it doesn't always hurt as bad.

****

Jane and Sutton love Nicki and there are times where Kat feels like she might be able to as well. Nicki doesn't pressure her into labeling who they are to each other, she's fun and spontaneous and always makes Kat feel light and free.

They've been seeing each other for a month when Adena calls. Kat's in a meeting when it happens. She runs to the bathroom as her heart races at the name and the thirty second voicemail.

"Kat, it's me. I hope you are well. There's so much to tell you and so much I wish...anyway I'm headed to California for an exhibit then I'll stop in New York before I fly back to Paris. I know it's...it's a lot to ask but I want to see you if it is possible. I understand if you do not want to. Just let me know."

She replays it three times before she exits the bathroom. She gets caught up in the pauses and the hesitation. She lets Adena’s voice flow over her and she can’t help but want more. She wanders back to her desk in a trance. Three months of nothing and now this. Her phone chimes and she jumps slightly.

It's Nicki. A picture of her laid in a spare hospital bed with the caption I'm dying.

Kat bites her lip and scans for Sutton or Jane because what the hell is the protocol when your kind of ex wants to see you and you really want to say yes. They're both out but Michelle, a writer she's only shared a few words with but knows is a lesbian is throwing a paper ball in the air with headphones on. She’s probably listening to her latest pick of albums for their new music review.

Kat taps her on the shoulder and steadies her chair as Michelle almost falls out of it. Kat offers her an apologetic smile.

"Hey can we talk?"

Michelle knits her eyebrows and shrugs, pointing to an empty conference room. She takes a seat on the couch and Kat starts to pace. Michelle tilts her head up at her.

"What's up?"

"So I'm having a bit of a crisis and I like, don't want to be offensive, but Sutton and Jane are out and really you might know more about what to do than they would anyway because, well, you date women and sometimes it feels like this whole other world."

Michelle arches an eyebrow and draws out her response. "Okay."

"It's just, I really liked this woman and it freaked me out you know because I don't really like people. I'm more of a one night stand kind of girl then we kinda had a thing but I ended it because I was scared then when I was ready she got back with her ex. Now I'm kind of seeing someone but the original woman is coming in two weeks and wants to see me and I don't want to lie to the woman I'm seeing now but how do you begin to explain something like this?"

Michelle nods and holds up a hand as if to calm Kat down. "So first things first, deep breath."

Kat stops pacing and breathes. "Ok."

Michelle smiles. "Good, now the new girl--"

"Nicki."

Michelle nods. "Nicki, are you two exclusive?"

Kat shrugs. "Kind of, we haven't really discussed specifics other than not sleeping with anyone else."

"All right, good, so things like this are only really a problem if you still have feelings for your ex."

Does she still have feelings for Adena? Does she even count as an ex?

Kat bites her lip, releases it, and sighs. "I don't know."

Michelle shrugs. "Well, that's not a no."

Kat shakes her head and sits opposite Michelle on the couch. “See, this is why that whole no attachments thing is easier.”

Michelle smiles then. “Yeah, I get that. Look, I think if you’re freaking out this much about it, you should probably tell Nicki. You could go and nothing happens but if you go and something does, you’ll hate yourself for lying.”

Kat nods. “That makes sense.”

Michelle pats her arm. “You’re doing fine, Kat. Just be honest with everyone and things will be ok.”

****

“The Adena? The one you pined for then ran back to her ex?”

They’re spread out on Kat’s couch sharing a glass of wine and Kat wants to drown the whole thing to wipe away the nerves she feels buzzing from all of this.

“Yeah,” she answers. She throws a hesitant smile Nicki’s way as Nicki takes in the information.

Nicki sips her wine and sighs. “You gotta go.”

Kat knits her eyebrows. “What?”

Nicki shrugs. “Kat, you know I like you. I think your friends are hilarious, I admire the tenacity you have in your career and well, who couldn’t love your dimples?” Kat feels herself blush at the compliment and Nicki nudges Kat’s leg with her foot. “Obviously, I hope it’s a disaster but if it isn’t, you gotta know right? Cause you’ll always wonder.”

Kat’s chest warms with affection for this woman she can’t believe she gets to know. “Thanks, Nicki.”

Nicki smiles softly. “You just let me know. No hard feelings either way, I promise.” Kat knows she’s sincere but she doesn’t miss the small sadness that lingers in Nicki’s eyes.

Damn, this lesbian shit is still intense.

****

Those freaking butterflies are still there and damn her traitorous body when she’s trying to play it cool. Adena smiles as they linger awkwardly in the doorway of the restaurant. Adena lifts her hands for a moment as if to hug her but ultimately decides against it.

They’re seated quickly and as soon as the waiter leaves, Adena speaks. “How are you?”

Kat swallows thickly. The question seems almost flippant with what lies between them. “I’m good. How was your exhibit?”

Adena nods. “It was good. The response was everything I hoped it would be.”

“That’s good.” She doesn’t mean to ask it so early but the question burns in her chest and she just has to know.  “How, um, how is Coco?”

Adena takes a deep breath and clears her throat. “She’s fine. She decided that I was right three months ago. We, well, we’re not--”

The waiter interrupts and they scramble to order, Kat immediately forgetting what she asks for. She watches the waiter walk back to the kitchen until Adena calls her name.

“Kat?”

She flips her gaze back and tries to quell the rising satisfaction that things may finally be where she wanted them just a few months ago.      

“Uh, yeah?”

Adena places her arms on the table slightly, running a hand up and down her upper arm. “I wanted you to know that Coco and I are broken up, officially. I’m thinking--”

“I’m seeing someone.” It comes out in such a rush that Kat isn’t completely sure it happens.

Adena drops her hands to her lap and tilts her head. “Oh?”

“Yeah, um, she’s a nurse. I met her through this speed dating night and I really didn’t think it would happen.”

Adena’s face falls and Kat thinks this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. “Well, she sounds lovely.”

She isn’t you, she wants to add but the words get caught in her throat. “She is.”

“I was hoping, well, it doesn’t matter.” Adena reaches to take a sip of her water and turns her eyes from Kat’s.

Come back to me, Kat thinks but the message never crosses her lips. They manage by some miracle to make it through their dinner. The tension eases when they focus on work and Adena’s travel plans. They hug outside the restaurant and it should feel awkward but it’s mostly comfortable and achingly familiar.

Adena gives her arm a squeeze as they part. “I want you to be happy, Kat.”

Kat smiles. “You too, Adena.”

“Perhaps next time I can meet this nurse?”

Kat knits her eyebrows. “Next time?”

“I’ll be back in three months, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, just let me know.”

Adena nods and leaves.

****

When she sees Nicki the next day, there’s a distance that wasn’t there before and it feels so ridiculous but it’s there.

Nicki pauses halfway through dinner and sets her fork down. “It was good wasn’t it?”

Kat tilts her head. “What?”

Nicki sighs. “You and Adena?”

Kat shrugs. “It was awkward actually.”

Nicki smiles sadly and reaches over to squeeze Kat’s hand. “It was good.”

Kat feels like she might cry because this is what she wants. Nights in and good conversation, snarky comments while watching TV, lazy Saturday afternoons and concerts in the park. The only problem is, she can’t bring herself to want it with Nicki.

Nicki rises and kisses her on the cheek. “Let me know if it doesn’t work out.” When she shuts the door, Kat feels like a weight lifts from her chest but there is also a guilt that lingers because maybe it’s proof that she really can’t do this.

****

Adena comes in three days early and suprises Kat at work. Michelle escorts her to Kat’s desk and winks when Kat asks her in the hallway who’s here.

“Adena,” she greets as they both go in for a hug. “You weren’t supposed to be here till Friday.”

Adena smiles as they part. “I suppose I’m a little excited.” They haven’t discussed the fact that they’re both single or that Adena’s work visa is three years long thanks to a contract with two different galleries.

Kat smiles and gestures towards Jacqueline’s office. “Well, just let me say goodbye and we’ll go for lunch.”

“Oh, I don’t want to disturb you. I just wanted to let you know I’m here.”

Kat shakes her head. “It’s ok, I was going to leave for lunch anyway.”

They settle in the park with their food and Kat settles a stack of napkins between them, a Scarlet paperweight keeping them from flying everywhere.

Kat takes a deep breath and turns to Adena. “Can I ask you something?”

Adena nods. “Of course.”

“Do you think, well, since you’ll be here for a while and since we’re both, damn,” she shakes her head and adds, “this went a lot better in the mirror?”

Adena chuckles. “Kat, would you like to go out with me?”

Kat sighs and smiles. “Yeah, I think I’d like it a lot.”

[sarangkris]

:T I would like 8, 10, 17, 18, 20, 31, 38, 40, 45 for chantao please :TTT

-ahem- ATTENTION. ATTENTION PLEASE. LET IT BE KNOWN TO EVERYONE THAT JAY @taonsil @rib–leaf HAS VOLUNTARILY REQUESTED CHANTAO 📢📢📢📢📢

also wow jay i can’t believe you made me type all of this with my own two hands

now back to your regularly scheduled reply :)

8) What do the like best about their partner?

their tenacity! both of them are very goal oriented and take no shit in getting what they want. they both go after things full-force and won’t quit until they get it, and that’s something they very deeply respect and admire about each other. it helps a lot that they understand that quality about each other: they understand when one of them gets upset about not being able to reach a goal they set and understand why they go after it so fiercely. that in and of itself has caused its own problems here and there, but they’ve never had to worry about having the “why do you care so much?” conversations because they both just get it

10) Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?

rtopihnerpituhne they bicker about who drives CONSTANTLY. and cooking. and handiwork. and, well, all of these tbh. tao likes his sleek luxury cars and his little sports cars and wants to drive them ALWAYS, but pcy likes his big bulky utility vehicles and both of them love being in charge of driving. (”do you REALIZE how tall we are tao?? i have to practically roll out of your damn maserati” “ummmm listen. i will not be caught riding around town in a brick. yes it is a very nice shiny brick, but it is still a brick. besides, it’s not my fault you’re so uncoordinated”). handiwork is usually hired out (or they bribe one of their friends to do it/pout about it until someone rolls their eyes and does it for them). they both do the cleaning and pay bills because t they know it has to be done, but it’s not done with a lot of grumbling. as far as handling the public, it depends on what it is. if it’s negative things, it’s mostly left to tao because he takes No Shit and doesn’t give anyone any information he doesn’t want to, whereas pcy gets stuttery when he gets too flustered about those kinds of things and often says things he isn’t supposed to. for general things, it’s either or. they’re both charmers and they both know it

17) What would make them break up? Would it be permanent?

stubbornness and miscommunication/being overly blunt. they’re both very impulsive but like certain things done certain ways, and it causes them to butt heads a lot, so i feel like some such incident would be a big factor in them breaking it off. they would both get an idea in their head about how something is supposed to be done and neither would be willing to budge about it. it could… potentially…… be………. permanent….. :x or at least last for a very very long time because both of them are too stubborn to admit they were both wrong/willing to compromise. but once they can do that, they’re golden!

18) What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?

(pretty much like that hc i sent you tbh lol) lots of long drives to nowhere and cruising around singing to american rap music as loudly as they could. tao would of course drag yeol on shopping dates and demand that yeol take him somewhere Expensive pretty frequently though, and yeol would whine but secretly enjoy them too. and amusement parks! they would definitely definitely do amusement park dates with loooooooooots and lots of pictures and spending money on pointless merch lol. i feel like their shared stubbornness and need for intense concentration on things would cause them to take breaks when it gets to be too much, so they’d be an on again off again kind of couple, but have several year-long stretches of “ons”

20) What does their home look like? Their room?

minimalist yet chic and Expensive. they both like their expensive toys and need a lot of space, so their house would be HUGE and spacious and very sleek yet elegant. their room would fluctuate between very clean and a fucking MESS. both of them are :|||||| about clutter, but sometimes yeol just gets wrapped up in something and leaves his shit all over the place that he can’t be bothered to clean it until he finishes whatever or the mess bugs him too much. tao however needs to see his floor at All Times and hates messiness- he can’t think straight when the room he’s in is too messy 

31) Do they have finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?

LMAO yeol TRIES to finish tao’s sentences, especially after watching frozen, but… it almost never actually works, and when it does it’s PURELY coincidence and yeol gets super excited about it. tao is not impressed lmao. they wouldn’t necessarily pick up phrases from each other, but i feel like they would pick up the same phrases from the source or they would imitate each other to poke fun.  yeol is SUPER transparent, so it’s obvious when he’s hiding things, and tao won’t let it go until he pries it out of him. tao just typically doesn’t hide things, but when he does, yeol can tell pretty easily because he gets more agitated and  moody

38) What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?

ridiculously high energy sex like. pretty much all the time. they go at it 110% and take no prisoners. they’re almost always EXHAUSTED afterwards, so there’s lots of sleepy lazy cuddles once they’re done. they’re pretty switchy and often get into power struggles (and not always about who is going to be the dominant one/topping). they’re both pretty vocal too- lots of whining and letting each other know exactly how they feel/what they want. lots of scratching, biting, and hickies, especially when they get particularly carried away. they both like wearing collars and praises, but they make each other earn it, and it’s never easy. tao is pretty in to feminization and wearing pretty lingerie when he gets in his Moods, and yeol is always happy to comply/sometimes wears pretty lacy things himself (even though he gets pretty blushy about it after the fact). they both love being called baby; pretty baby for tao, baby boy for yeol. some kitty/puppy play is also not entirely out of the question

as for things they won’t do, i’d say the run of the mill squick things, and even though tao doesn’t mind it yeol is Very uncomfy with daddy kink (i just. feel like yeol would be with anyone so. this is a thing across the board lol). even though they can get really rough with each other, both of them are very very No to hitting/getting hit. biting, scratching, pushing, shoving, grabbing? fine. but no hitting (except spanking. that’s. just fine :x )

40) Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?

a particularly special one is during their vacation to Cancun. they had very (rare) slow, mushy, Emotional sex on the front of a private yacht under the stars and it was all very romantic. qingdao is very special to both of them because they have a lot of nice memories of spending time together there. it’s tao’s hometown yes, but he made it very special for yeol there too

45) Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?

they both want to be successful and for the other to be successful as well- not necessarily money successful, but they want to be good at what they do and be able to do what they want. they want to be able to travel and be happy with their work just as much as they want that for each other. they have quite a bit of fights, so heartbreaks are inevitable. they regret the arguments that made them break up- not for what they were about, but for the way they handled them (but they’re both so :x damn stubborn it takes forever for them to admit even that much)

send me a number and a ship!

[encchantress]

so this guide is going to be a very very basic overview of what it’s like to WORK AT DISNEY WORLD (pt. 1)! i have a somewhat in depth knowledge of the process and what it’s actually like to be working there because i worked there doing the college program for 5 months. this will be a v v basic overview though and maybe if i feel like it, i’ll do a college program version as well, but here it is!! please like or reblog if you found this helpful!!

AFTER YOU’RE HIRED!

i only know about how you get hired via the disney college program so i’m going to gloss over that, though i will say that for the dcp you apply online, have a web interview, then a phone interview and then you find out whether or not you join the cast!!

CASTING!!!! i know for the dcp we didn’t know what role we had and what location we were going to be at until we got there, but i can’t speak for normal disney cast members. all i know is that no matter what you’ll end up at the casting building at downtown disney to get your assignment and scan fingerprints and all that!!

TRADITIONS!!!! god i’m so lit just thinking about it. traditions is the day that you’re called in to learn all about the history of disney and hear a bunch of stories about how disney has touched the lives of so many. it’s business casual, and disney is VERY strict about this. i watched a girl take off her lipstick bc a cast member told her it was too bright. basically you go to disney university and you get told a bunch of heart-warming stuff, you do some trivia and earn some figurines if you answer correctly, and there’s a box sitting in the middle of your table the whole time which you aren’t allowed to open until the end. they take you to magic kingdom and they have you wear these headsets that don’t rly work and they take you backstage through the tunnels and up into some part of magic and you just like observe what’s going on and you learn about some of the neato things you only get to learn as a cast member. then you go back to Disney University and mickey mouse himself comes to give you your name tag. of course, at the end, you get to open the box and there’s your very own pair of mickey ears waiting inside. it’s honestly life changing. 

okay, so after you have to go through this thing called operations. basically you go to DU and you’re split up into groups based on your role. your roles include:

food and beverage (quick service or full service)

retail (bibbidi bobbidi boutique/floral/merchandise/vacation planner)

entertainment (character performer/character attendant/costuming)

lodging (bell services/front desk/housekeeper)

recreation (children’s activities/lifeguard/recreation attractions)

operations (attractions/custodial/photopass)

and basically what you do in ops is you spend a full day taking a bunch of internet quizzes about personal safety, osha standards, and how to handle situations like unattended suspicious bags and lost children (although at disney they don’t say they’re lost children they say they have lost parents)

i’m gonna be honest, it’s real boring. like 90% of my day was spent trying not to fall asleep. but something else important to disney that you learn during ops are THE FOUR KEYS! The Four Keys are how Disney moderates how they’re doing as a business. The Four Keys are as followed:

SAFETY

COURTESY

EFFICIENCY

SHOW

you will get tested on these often. 

**quick note about safety. disney’s slogan for being safe while on property is “SAFE-D BEGINS WITH ME!” every cast member makes so many dick jokes using that phrase. please do it it’s so funny.**

then once you’re done with ops you’re typically sent for costuming which i’ll get into a little bit later probably bc there’s not rly that much to say on it right now other than like, just do a quick google to find out what your character will be wearing for wherever they work.

STARTING WORK!

so depending on which park you’re assigned to work (note: you will not park hop unless you’re deployed or you pick up shifts. pick one park and stick to it.) you have an orientation day. each park has a cutesy name for it 

DAKlimation (disney’s animal kingdom)

once upon a time (magic kingdom)

discovery day (epcot)

on with the show (hollywood studios)

this is basically a full day of walking around the parks, learning some of the secrets behind the theming and getting accustomed to the backstage areas. you also might ride a ride if you’re lucky (we rode kilimanjaro safaris at DAK). then you’ll start your on the job training. this can range from a week to two weeks depending and at the end of training you are tested on your knowledge of all the skills you learned during training. ((if anyone is interested in lifeguarding or quick service specifically pls don’t hesitate to ask!)) and through all this training you get to wear a cute little “earning my ears” sticker on your name tag!!

ROLES!!

honestly you can do a quick google about any of the roles above, but pls feel free to ask me questions too bc i know a lot about qsfb, lifeguarding, merch and character performer especially. i’m just going to highlight some common misconceptions (imo) below.

character performer: OKAY SO THIS IS WHERE I GET REAL NITPICKY!!! this paragraph is gonna be long so settle in. to be a character performer YOU HAVE TO GO TO AN AUDITION. and let me tell you, it is not easy. it is very likely that if you are a character performer you have auditioned a very good number of times bc disney is so specific in what they’re looking for. and character performer isn’t just someone in a costume or a lookalike. it extends to parades, shows, and even street performers like the citizens of hollywood in hollywood studios. 

there are a few different types of auditions too. they have character performer auditions where they are just generally looking for performers, but they can pull you aside for lookalikes. in character performer auditions you do a parade dance that increases in difficulty the further you go along if you haven’t been cut. in lookalike auditions you literally go into a room in groups of 50 and smile at a man for like 5 seconds and then they cut based off of that. ((if anyone wants a more detailed guide on this i can do it bc i have auditioned for disney 5 times doing both kinds of auditions))

height ranges!!!! this is also a huge thing for me bc some of yall stay trying to play like a 5′7″ bitch as tinkerbell. disney is usually pretty good about sticking to particular height rangers for costumed and face characters. 

most princesses are within the 5′4″-5′7″ range. alice and wendy are usually between 4′10″-5′2″. most costumed characters with the exclusion of most villains and goofy are between 4′11″-5′4″. 5′4″ is definitely at the v top of the height range though and might be pushing it tbh. these are all based on what i know to be true myself having met a shit ton of princesses and character performers, but there are deviants for sure. basically don’t use taylor swift as an fc for alice. cool??? cool.

quick service food and beverage: once you’re in a restaurant you typically stay there. although qsfb can also extend to outdoor vending (odv) in which case you would rotate from cart to cart (they’re the ones that sell the mickey bars and pretzels n shit), but if you work in a restaurant you typically don’t switch between that and odv. 

WORLD SHOWCASE @ EPCOT: if you’re in the world showcase, the people that work in the different countries are usually authentically from there. it would be very, very rare to have a white/european person working at one of the restaurants in mexico. i’ve honestly never met someone who wasn’t from their assigned country that worked there. i’m speaking specifically about the world showcase and not any other part of epcot. many world showcase cast members are part of the cultural representative program which means they come for 12 months and they work in either the world showcase in epcot, animal kingdom, animal kingdom lodge, or international guest relations/greeter roles. basically, if you’re gonna have your character work in a world showcase pavilion, make them from that country pls. 

attractions: if you work attractions, you are most likely not just working at one ride for your entire life. for example: in adventureland in magic kingdom, those attractions workers work aladdin’s magic carpet ride, the enchanted tiki room, swiss family robinson treehouse and anything else in the area. basically if a land or a certain area within the park has the same costume, you’re working all of it so i’d familiarize yourself with just how many attractions your character might be working. 

**quick note again: not every job is within a disney park. you may get a job at disney springs, water parks, or resorts!!!**

WORK THINGS!!!

when you’re working, disney has you on a strict points system. if you’re late to work, they dock you half a point. if you miss your shift/call out, they dock you a point. if you get 3 points within 30 days you get what’s called a reprimand. and this is not good my friends. you get 3 reprimands within 3 months and you’re out. like out out. like turn in your blue card and get out. you can get authorized days off or (ADO’s) but you have to request off like crazy early or get someone to take your shift. 

ahh!!! blue cards!!!! your blue card, or blue ID, is what identifies you as a cast member at disney. it’s also what you flash to bypass paying for parking, and it’s what gets you through the gates to get you backstage at disney. you don’t have it, you’re fucked basically. blue IDs also get you discounts on merchandise and food at some QSFB restaurants.

MAIN GATES!!!! your key to the kingdom!!! your maingate is your entry pass to all the parks. it serves as a park hopper. you also get 3 guest passes which, depending on if you’re a cp, part time or full time has so many passes on it for whomever you wish to bring with you into the parks. 

you answer to two people while you work at disney. your coordinators and your leaders. your coordinators are out on stage with you and there’s usually like 2-4 of them depending on how large your location is. they’re who you ask for help in a pinch. your leaders are like your managers. they give you a briefing in the morning before you open, they make tough calls, and they have to ability to smooth over almost any situation effortlessly. if you have a reeeeally angry guest, you better call ur leader. 

when you’re not on stage, you are backstage. i literally cannot stress this enough. if you’re on break you should not be seen or heard. there are break rooms for every section of each park and if you’re not on your feet, you’re back there. they’re not nice. they’re small, crowded, and usually smell. there are larger cafeterias within every park though (at DAK ours was called PRIDE ROCK) but they’re usually quite a walk depending on where you work.

BREAKS!!! if you’re working at disney that means you’re typically spending 6+ hours on your feet and however long your shift is is how long your break is. 6 hour shift?? you’ve probably got one 15 min break. 8 hours?? prolly one 30 min. break. 10 hours??? that’s when you get the hour long break.  oh also that 10 hour shift you were scheduled for?? it just turned into a 13 hour shift thanks to a force extend. you’re welcome. but you’re in luck!!! sometimes you get an early release or an ER!!! that’s when they don’t need you so they’re like fuck it go home. 

oh also everything is in military time.

GLOSSARY (terms cast members use a lot)

cast members - if you work for the walt disney company you are a cast member, not an employee 

DU - disney university (yes it exists and it’s fuckin baller on the inside)

company d - this is a store inside disney university. it’s where you can get exclusive cast merch and also you can buy your discounted party tickets there

cast connections - ok this is honestly disney’s best kept secret. cast connections is this huge store where u can buy so much shit for like 75% off. they even have a small grocery section where everything is hella cheap. you have to be cast to buy shit.

costuming - where you go to get your costumes duh. there’s one at every park, but magic kingdom’s is at west clock.

west clock - ok so basically not all mk cast is allowed to park in the parking lot like at other parks so there’s this thing called west clock that has a huge parking lot and it’s where disney university and magic king costuming is. you go to west clock and then take a bus to get to magic.

tunnels/utilidor - backstage at MK consists of the utilidors or tunnels as they’re often called. MK is the only park with tunnels and they’re fuckin extensive. there are colored lines on the walls that can direct you to where you need to go, but it’s still confusing as hell.

qsfb/fsfb - quick service/full service food and beverage

merch - merchandise

odv - outdoor vending

stands west/stands east - a variation of working merchandise in the parks. you work at the small stands instead of the shops

four keys card - if a fellow cast member or guest thinks you’ve successfully exemplified the four keys, they give you a four keys card. this is for recognition and it also takes a point off of your record.

MK - magic kingdom

DAK - disney’s animal kingdom

DHS - disney’s hollywood studios

CP - college program

ER - early release

force extend - when they fucking extend your shift without asking u

ADO - authorized day off

deployed - sometimes you get asked to work in a different park for a few days or weeks, they call this being deployed.

on stage - when you’re on the job in front of guests

backstage - the areas where you can’t be seen by guests

guests - not customers, guests.

honestly there’s probably so much more i need to cover, but that’s just a lil taste of what it’s like to work at disney. i might add onto this later or just make a second guide. if you have any questions about anything specific, the disney college program, qsfb or animal kingdom rly let me know bc i know the most about those things, but i’m knowledgeable in A LOT of other stuff too.