#and riverside is a city and not a town like i thought it was

[the-music-keeper]

Objective #10 is done. While most of the requirements look vague on paper (like most seminar classes do, to be honest), Dr. Clark's bio has a wonderful list of topics he's led seminars on -- including flamenco and tango.

[quizzicalwriter]

hi! i loved your writing on dallas. could you please make a pt.2 of riverside where they're back at Buck's and they share an intimate moment (nsfw or not). thank you!

Riverside

Part Two

Pairing: Dallas Winston x Fem!Reader

Summary: Second part of ‘Riverside’ follows you and Dallas on the walk home and what happens after!

Warnings: SMUT. MDNI. Kissing, touching, slightly dominant Dallas, oral and fingering (both reader receiving.)

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: Thank you for the request!

The walk back to Buck’s shouldn’t have taken that long, but the way you kept cussing under your breath with each squelch your shoes would make beneath your wet feet slowed things down to a snail's pace, enough for Dallas to groan inwardly and light another cigarette.

“You want my shoes?” He asked, pausing in his steps as he turned toward you, causing you to walk face-first into his chest due to your preoccupation with your damn shoes.

“What? No, no. I’m okay.” You replied, brushing your hair from your face where it’d flown forward when you’d all but head-butted Dallas’s chest. Luckily he didn’t care, his fingers moving to help you clear your face of your still-wet hair as he smirked around his cigarette.

“You’re stubborn and you’re cold, even with my jacket.” He murmured, leaning down ever so slightly to meet your eyes. “Still tryin’ to say you aren’t cold?”

You scowled at him then, the look making Dallas laugh as he turned back on his heel to continue the walk with you following in tow, sulking because you knew he was right, even if you didn’t want to admit it.

The leap into the river had led to Dallas kissing you, so you couldn’t say you regretted it all too much. Hell, you’d probably have done it in December if it meant Dallas’s hands found their way to your waist and breasts as they did back on the riverbed. The thought alone made your cheeks flush, thighs clenching together as you tried to clear your mind from your lascivious thoughts of the man walking in front of you.

You knew Dallas well enough to know that he would’ve walked the trek back to Buck’s barefoot if you’d asked him to, but you didn’t want to, maybe due to a combination of your stubbornness and not wanting to be the cause of Dallas accidentally walking on some broken glass given how the streets of Tulsa were on the best of days.

Thanks to a walk through a nearby abandoned apartment complex, you two were able to enter the city within five minutes. Dallas didn’t seem to like the idea of walking you alone, made much apparent by his continuous fiddling with his switchblade in his jean pocket as his other arm held you securely by his side. Nobody’d ever mess with you, not with Dallas by your side, he’d fought nearly everyone in town and then some, it felt like having your personal guard dog as you walked beneath the flickering streetlights, your gaze locked straight ahead, except for whenever you felt the pull to look at Dallas.

As you both walked up the street leading to Buck’s bar you quickly became aware of the sheer amount of cars surrounding the establishment. Dallas seemed to realize just as you did, a curse falling from his lips as you two squeezed your way between muscle cars and broken-down pieces of junk you found yourself amazed even made their way to the bar. The music was loud before he opened the front door, making you wince somewhat as you leaned into his side, allowing him to guide you through the dense crowd and cigarette smoke toward the stairs.

You thanked your lucky stars that nobody called upon Dallas besides a few greetings directed toward himself and you, not wanting to linger where the smoke was the heaviest and the conversations consisted of drunk individuals trying to scream over each other to ensure they were heard.

He opened his bedroom door for you then, holding it open as you walked beneath his arm into the warmth that poured from his room. It smelled heavily of him and his cologne, the scent making you feel safe, almost reminiscent of how a home should feel. You walked over to his bed, draping his leather jacket over the metal railing at the end of the bedframe.

There was a moment when you turned to face him, clothes clinging to your wet frame as his eyes looked you over. There were unspoken words exchanged between you then, your hands fumbling with the fabric of your shirt as you shifted on your feet, waiting for him to make the first move. Despite the warmth of the room you still felt your skin alight with goosebumps, a slight shiver running up your spine as your body acclimated to the new temperature.

The way you shivered made Dallas frown, clicking his tongue against his teeth as he moved toward you, both of you now enveloped in the warmth of his bedroom. The music still raged downstairs, some band you couldn’t recognize, but the only thing you could focus on was the way Dallas touched you over your clothes. His eyes flickered up to meet yours then, a smile evident on his face.

“Told you, didn’t I? Shouldn’t have gone in that water, got you shivering. Can practically feel your heartbeat through your skin, doll.”

There was always something electric in the way that Dallas touched you, his hands drifting up and underneath your shirt, fingertips ghosting over your skin. He knew how to make you writhe, to make you desperate enough to consider begging, which for someone like you didn’t come easily. You could feel his fingertips drift over your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples as he leaned down to press another kiss to your neck.

This was gentle, incredibly gentle for how irritated you’d made him earlier in the night. Something in his eyes made you not question it, his brow furrowed and lips parted as if he were committing every facet of your body to his memory. You only caught onto his game when your back involuntarily arched, pushing your chest into his palms. He abruptly pulled away, brown eyes flickering up to you as he tilted his head to the side.

“Can’t move while I’m tryin’ to warm you up, doll.” He stated, his voice reminiscent of how you’d chastise a kid for stealing something from a candy store. It made a whine die in the back of your throat, face skewing in desperation as you fought internally with yourself to be good.

After a moment he resumed, cupping your waist before sliding his hands down to your waist, then trailing them to the front of your jeans to slowly unbutton them. How he managed to keep his cool in such a manner never failed to amaze you, while your chest was heaving deeply with each breath he looked completely calm, occasionally narrowing his eyes whenever you began squirming against his touch.

As he pulled your jeans down, he moved down with them, effectively propping himself up on his knees in front of you as he helped you to step out of the denim. Once your legs were free he rubbed his hands along your calves, thighs, everything he could get his hands on. And then he started kissing along your skin, open-mouthed, lewd kisses that made you instinctively grab at his hair.

“Skin’s still so cold.” He whispered, fingers hooking around the band of your underwear as he slowly pulled it down to expose your glistening cunt to the night air. After he helped you to step out of your underwear you watched with bated breath as he began trailing another series of kisses up your legs, stopping short of your inner thigh. His hands grasped at the plushness of your ass, squeezing it hard enough to pull a squeak from you as you nearly stumbled on your own two feet.

“Dal, I-“ Before you could utter another word he moved between your legs, tongue flattening out against your folds. Your knees immediately buckled, causing you to stumble where you stood as you grasped at the skin of your thighs, silently pleading with yourself to not move - you didn’t want him to stop.

Your lips parted, whined out noises pouring from you as his tongue continued working between your folds, his eyes cast up at you as his grasp on your hips and ass tightened. You weren’t sure how many women he’d done this with, but all you could think of was the warmth and wetness of his tongue as it swirled around your clit and how he moved it in an almost expert like manner.

“Fu-uck.” You groaned, brows furrowing as your hips began moving against his mouth, pulling a grunt from his throat as he harshly slapped at the plush skin of your ass.

“Stop moving.” He all but growled out, quickly moving back between your legs as he began sucking at your clit, bringing his hand forward to curl two fingers into your cunt, slowly pumping them within you to match the tempo of his tongue.

Whatever coldness lingered against your skin from the frigid night air was long gone, replaced by a white-hot longing as his fingers pumped within you, the lewd sound of your arousal against his tongue and his fingers stretching you out filling the room along with your own near pathetic whines.

You could feel your orgasm building, inner walls clenching down around his fingers as he continued laving at your clit like a man starved. Every inhibition he’d had prior about having you stay still was long out the window as your fingers laced through his hair, locking onto the dark brown strands as you ground down against his face. You could’ve sworn you felt him smile against your cunt as your moans took up an octave, head falling back as you came against his tongue.

He slowly removed his fingers, taking a moment to pepper kisses against your inner thighs as you struggled to catch your breath. His hands smoothed up your sides as he moved to stand, the wetness once on his fingers pressed against your skin. You couldn’t bring yourself to be bothered, not when he’d made you cum against his tongue with enough ferocity to have your breath locked from your lungs as if you’d been winded.

He removed his jeans then, tossing them along with his belt into the far corner of his room, the fabric and metal falling with a soft clank. You didn’t have to look to know how hard he was, feeling him press against your stomach as he leaned down to capture your lips in a kiss. You could taste yourself on his tongue, your hands threading through his hair as you leaned up onto your toes to deepen the kiss. Only when your lungs were aching for oxygen did you pull away.

His lips were glistening in the moonlight that poured in through the bedroom window, his eyes dark and full of want. You were still weak, chest still heaving from your last orgasm as he scooped you up, helping your legs to wrap around his hips as he moved you both back to his bed.

You could feel the desperation pooling off of him, how his breath caught in his chest as he felt your bare cunt against his cock. How he looked at you made you feel as though you two had been doing this for years, a deep layer of intimacy in his gaze that you doubted he’d ever shown to anybody but you.

As he laid you down on his bed he made his way between your thighs, right hand moving to lift your thigh to drape it loosely over his hip. Neither of you felt the need to say anything, an unspoken layer of trust between you being heavily apparent as he leaned down to connect your lips again as he pushed into you.

The accompanying stretch felt heavenly, far bigger than his fingers. You could only gasp against his lips as he waited for you to nod, giving him some sort of sign that you were alright enough for him to move. As soon as you nodded he began rocking his hips, his brows furrowing as he tried desperately to conceal the low grunts that threatened to leave him.

“So tight.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the pulse point of your throat as he rolled his hips against you. “So fucking tight and warm.”

His voice was wavering, a noise akin to a whine falling from his lips as your legs tightened around his waist, pulling him deeper into you. As his cock rocked into you, he reached a hand down between your bodies, swirling his middle and ring finger around your clit in sync with each roll of his hips.

The combination left you reeling, eyes screwing shut as your arms wrapped around his neck, fingers digging into the muscle that lined his back as you began moving your hips to meet his movements halfway, each thrust hitting so deep within you that you swore you could feel him from the outside had you placed your hand on your lower stomach.

This was more intense than you had bargained for when he’d taken you upstairs, more intimate than you’d overheard from when he’d take women during parties. This was Dallas in a new light, one without the borders he usually shone around himself. You couldn’t help but crave it, crave all of him with each thrust within you.

With a strangled groan his grasp on the sheets beside your head tightened, his fingers against your clit picking up in their pace as he whispered against your skin. “I’m gonna cum.”

The words left you speechless, only nodding as you felt your second orgasm of the night building within your lower stomach. You pressed languid kisses to his jaw, moaning against his damp skin in between each kiss. His hand moved from the bedsheet then, moving to cradle your face as he leaned against you, effectively pressing you against the mattress as he rutted into you.

“Dallas-“ Was all you could muster, cunt spasming around his cock as you came undone, the feeling of you tightening around him causing him to grunt. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, hand quickly moving to pull himself out of you, cum shooting in hot ropes against your lower stomach as he did.

He looked ethereal when he orgasmed, brows screwed together, lips parted as he grunted, cum spilling over his fingers only to drip along the top of your cunt. As he caught his breath he looked up at you, his cheeks flushed crimson as he moved to kiss you, not bothering to fill his lungs with much-needed air in preference over having your lips against him for as long as he could stand it.

After you two pulled away, both needing to breathe, he wrapped his arms around your center, pulling your back flush to his chest, pressing another kiss to the back of your neck just as he had by the river. The feeling made you hum in contentment, resting your cheek against his pillow as he intertwined his legs with yours, his breaths growing soft, almost in tandem with your own.

“Told you I could warm you up.” He whispered against your skin, a cocky grin evident in his words, causing you to roll your eyes as you laughed.

A/N: If you have read this far, thank you!! And thank you anon for the request, I’m always happy to write things if I’m able to. As always my works can be found on ao3 as well under the user Unscriptural! Hope you guys enjoy this, still getting used to writing smut - well, getting used to sharing it.

[lalunameli]

Tiger & Bunny Week 2024 (NC 1982): Short Story

This has got to be one of the silliest things I've ever written, but ngl, had a blast doing it. Short story about the Karuizawa Cabbage Theory. Geography is woefully in accurate since Sternbild is supposed to be a version of New York City, and well Karuizawa is a resort town in Nagano, Japan. Still the fans think he drifted on the river all the way to Karuizawa, so it stays.

Author: Lalunameli

Title: Yuri on Cabbages

Rating: PG (language)

Characters: Yuri Petrov (ooc, amnesia), and Kotetsu T. Kaburagi

A/N: Unbetaed, barely proofread, will fix mistakes as I come across them.

Yuri Petrov...

Kotetsu sat at his desk staring at the screen looking at a blurry photo submitted to him from his client, of a man with similar hair (though unkempt) selling cabbages. The former Hero Supervisor had been missing for almost a year ...which coincided with the permanent loss of his powers and the last time he and Barnaby had seen Lunatic. While it was hard to make out Lunatic's face in the glare, that same untamed curly hair resembled that of the cabbage seller's, who had not bothered to tie it back. A sharp contrast from the Director, who was so meticulous about keeping a neat and tidy appearance.

Kotetsu's current line of work as a Private Investigator for Anything Goes Investigations opened him up to contact from people from various walks of life, which is how found himself taking on the case of the missing Director. He had been approached by a woman by the name of Elena, who had said she was previously in employment as his mother's caregiver, until her untimely death. Apparently her employer had gone missing while she was recuperating in the hospital for injuries sustained during a robbery attempt in which Yuri's mother Origa, had been fatally wounded. Elena had survived; however, upon her release from the hospital, she learned that Yuri Petrov had been missing since the attacks on city by Gregory Sunshine and the controlled NEXTs. Fearing the worst, she sought out the services of Kotetsu to launch a search for the missing Judge.

This was how Kotetsu found himself in a small resort town called Karuizawa (of all places!) interviewing a strange cabbage seller, who looked unmistakably like his former boss, yet whose mannerisms were anything but.

"I honestly don't remember much prior to ending up here" said the Cabbage Seller amicably smiling at Kotetsu.

Smiling, thought Kotetsu Is he actually smiling at me? And what's with the casual speech?

The Director always spoke so formally around them and was known to be stoic. The Cabbage Seller on the other hand was all smiles, with a carefree demeanor.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" asked Kotetsu bluntly

The Cabbage seller tucked an unruly lock of hair behind his ear.

"Well the people here say I was found drifting in a nearby river badly hurt. They didn't think I'd actually make it! But I guess they brought me to a hospital or something... I'm not really clear on any of it. To be honest I don't really remember a lot of things, so they kinda look out for me." He smiled sheepishly at Kotetsu

"Yikes, sounds like you had a rough time" he responded still weirded out by Cabbage Yuri's mannerisms. "So are you tellin' me you don't remember who you are at all?"

"Not at all!" replied Cabbage Yuri enthusiastically "They've taken to calling me 'Kawabe' (A/N: riverside/riverbank) around here because of where they found me. Suppose it could be worse and they could have called me Cabbage Guy or something..."

He paused for a moment and furtively looked around. Seeing no one was around he looked at Kotetsu conspiratorially.

"Hey Mister, you wanna see something cool? But you can't tell anyone. Promise?"

Kotetsu had a sinking feeling of what this "something cool" was.

Shit-shit-shit... he thought to himself.

"Sure, go for it..." he hoped his nervousness wasn't showing.

"Look what I can do!!"

The tell tale signs of blue light from NEXT power activation appeared, as a bright blue flame errupted from Cabbage Yuri errr Kawabe's hand.

"I dunno if this was because of my accident but it sure looks cool!"

I KNEW IT. Thought Kotetsu. I knew this asshole was Lunatic! And now he doesn't even remember...

"Ummm hey, isn't that kinda dangerous? Shouldn't you be careful where you're waving those things around?"

Cabbage Yuri Kawabe's eyes widened as he quickly extinguished the flame.

"Oops, you're right! My bad!"

'Oops' and 'My Bad'??? Where the hell did he learn to speak like that!! I gotta try to deal with this before it becomes a problem.

"Listen I'm gonna level with you. I'm here because I run a Private Investigations office and..."

"...And you're on a case?!??" asked Cabbage Yuri excitedly

"Yeah something like that. Anyway while I'm here I kinda need someone who knows the area. Whaddya say, you interested?"

"Am I ever!!! That sounds like fun!"

Fun! thought Kotetsu exasperatedly, Why do I feel I'm going to regret this...

The two men shook hands as Kotetsu tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do next to keep up this sham and why the hell this was his best idea to keep Lunatic close.

ETA: Look at this lovely artwork from @lidoxia (aka @kalineas ) of Cabbage Yuri! I'm so honoured and happy to see him genuinely smiling!!

From original post:

Unlikely I'll continue this. I am long retired from fanfic writing, but thought it might be fun to dust off the cobwebs and write something silly.

[mikimeiko]

Day 15 - Brno (Czechia)

I do manage to wake up earlier than yesterday! I decide to go check out the (formerly) industrial part of the city, starting with a walk alongside the Svitava river: there's a footpath/bike lane that goes along an old rail track that used to serve the factories (mostly textile mills) built on the riverside.

It's very pretty but even with no direct sun the weather is still pretty hot (and humid today), and even in the shade of the trees of a small park on the way it's not pleasant enough to just stop for a while and read.

So I decide to make the most of my 24h ticket that will expire in a couple of hours and go to Stránská Skála, a rock formation just out of the city (there's a tram that goes there. I LOVE taking trams to places outside cities). I wasn't sure what to expect, but I end up hiking to the top following a gentle enough path through trees and fields full of flowers.

I'm sure the view would be better if it wasn't overcast, but on the other hand most of the path is out of the trees and it would have been very hard to walk in the scorching sun. For the entire time I'm there I only see a couple of people, but I guess if you live here you just don't chose a day like today to go on the rock.

(I love places like these, gentle hikes that most people can enjoy. I live in a superflat valley right next to the Alps, the hikes that are usually available to me are INTENSE. But I don't want intense! I want gentle, calm and beautiful. That's why I particularly enjoyed walking the coast paths in the UK, I discovered a love of hiking there that I never thought I would have).

In the afternoon the sky clears up, the humidity lowers and the breeze comes back: it's nice enough that I decide to check out the bit of old town I haven't seen yet (there are still parts to be seen! This city is big!) and the park that surrounds Spilberk fortress.

It's a beautiful park but it's literally all up hill, and most of the paths are quite steep. I sit on a bench reading for a bit, enjoying the atmosphere. Then I climb up a little more, and I'm rewarded with this beautiful view of the cathedral (I could very likely get better views from higher up but HAVE I MENTIONED HOW STEEP THE PATHS ARE?).

I pass through the old town hall and I'm reminded that I haven't shared with you the most beautiful dragon in the world!

When I took this picture there was a Spanish family there with a tiny kid, and the kid was like "a crocodile! No... a dragon!"

I go back for the last time to the beer festival, and have halušky with sauerkraut and smoked bacon. And a radler. And yes, SUMMER OF THE RADLER. I still haven't find one as good as the watermelon one from Vienna, but radler beats both beer and lemonade right now. (I tried lemonade yesterday, it was good but definitely too sweet).

I keep thinking this is my last night in Czechia but it's not! I'll be in Plzen tomorrow night! Still sad to say goodbye to Brno, though, I think it might be my favourite city in this trip.

[cho1eric]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

if you’re hearing 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒 by 𝑇𝐴𝐸𝐿𝐴 playing, you have to know 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐀 (S̶H̶E̶/̶T̶H̶E̶Y̶;̶ C̶I̶S̶F̶E̶M̶A̶L̶E̶) is near by! the 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑅𝑇𝑌-𝑁𝐼𝑁𝐸 𝑌𝐸𝐴𝑅 𝑂𝐿𝐷 year old 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑 has been in town for, like, 𝑺𝑰𝑿 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑺. they’re known to be quite 𝚂𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲, but being 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝚃𝙴 seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑟, 𝑎 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around RIVERSIDE long enough!

FULLNAME | ALIASES: Antonia Diana Rocha | Toni, A.R., AGE | STAR SIGN: Thirty-nine; Cancer. PREVIOUS LOCATION | CURRENT LOCATION: New York city, NY. | Hemlock Springs, WA. OCCUPATION: Journalist, currently independently writing articles for Hemlock Springs. PERSONALITY: Once driven and hard headed, Toni is currently care free and somewhat unreliable. If she says she's coming to the cookout, she's still sleeping by the time it ends. She can be distant and spacy, keeping people at an arm's length rather than letting them in.

Born in New York city, NY, to Antonella and Bernando Rocha, she was a first generation to be born in America as well as go to college for journalism. Her life was mostly strict Catholic until she was disowned for being queer and eventually being in an equally queer relationship. It didn't bother her as much as her parents thought it would and she left, never looking back. She and her significant other were together for a few years before six years ago, Toni had a mental breakdown over an article she'd been writing and they ultimately broke up. Toni moved to Hemlock Springs where she currently writes for the local newspaper when she remembers she needs the money. More added soon.

⤷ 𝐢 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

[kingkatsuki]

Hey jo! I haven't been very interactive as of late cause life's been brutal but I saw a few grandparents asks and I thought I'd share my mom's parents' story cause it's real cute.

So my grandma lived in Sioux City, Iowa her whole life and when she was like 20-something she went to California for a 'vacation'?? I think? And my grandad lived in small town Riverside, Iowa his whole life and also decided to go to California for a trip/vacay/something idk. And they met in Cali, for the first time, found out they were both from Iowa and just instantly fell in love. They got married in Cali and lived there for a year or two and had their first kid there before moving back to Iowa.

I just always thought that's the craziest(and cutest) thing because how did these two manage to find each other in Cali after living their entire lives in the same state(albeit a couple hundred miles away from each other) and just happened to meet when they both went to California? Prime fic material IMO

Anyway, bookstores aren't dull lol, but they are a dangerous place for me to work cause I have tooooo many books

Hope you're doing well ❤️❤️❤️

- sui-squid

No because these stories are actually making me tear up, that’s so so wonderful!🥺 and that’s insane!! Like your soulmate was in the same state all this time but it took you leaving to find them? I love that so fucking much!💕

[unoscraft]

The Splendid Isolation 

written by Marcuz Antonio E. Balina

The night falls at the dreary city of Meine. An uncommon city in the Philippines, it features decrepit, old Edwardian-era buildings and infrastructure. The busy streets and energetic populace keeps this city alive with its colorful feasts. Tonight is the final celebration of the town’s founding anniversary. People are coming home to spend the great night with their families and friends.

Meanwhile, Joseph is strolling alone around the Todespark. The park is lit by a few flickering torches. Their dim light looks like splattering blood as it reflects to the riverside, and it does nothing to improve Joseph’s grim countenance. An old monument dedicated to the town’s founders is in the middle of the park, deteriorating as the city itself. As Joseph passes again at the monument’s front, he notices the dusty plaque. He wipes the dust and reads the inscription:

“The Meinestadt: Founded in Brotherhood, Eternal Solidarity”

He frowns at the message. He walks towards the riverside then sits at a bench. He sighs, thinking about what he did 4 months ago. He has been anxious if he was right, since that “reorganization” was his last step towards his “Splendid Isolation.”

“Serge, is the reorganization completely right? I should have talked to them first, maybe they would have heard me.”

Serge replies with his usual low-pitched, demonic voice, “It is right. Ignore your troubles, and the first year of Splendid Isolation shall commence.”

Joseph disagrees. “But, they are my only remaining friends. This is surely wrong—”

“Why question me? It is your fault. You launched the ‘reorganization,’ I simply encouraged you,” Serge replies in a raised voice.

There was a short silence. Joseph is incensed by his words.

 “This is your fault, Serge! You always told me that I am forever alone, that the Meine’s people are double-crossers, my dearest friends fooled me, and she is a snake! This should not have happened!”

Serge questions him, “Am I wrong?” Joseph says otherwise. “Well, why blame me? I am correct since you perceived them the way I described them, and I was right. Your perception became the truth, and the responsibility for these fatal mistakes lies on you.”

“So you trapped me then, you swindler! You twisted my perception to ruin me! Curse you!,” shouts Joseph to Serge.

Serge shuts him, then speaks, “Before you accuse me of tempting you, look at your hands. The gleaming fires radiate your hands. Look at them closely.”

Joseph stares at his hands covered by the faint, red-orange lights. He then starts to sweat profusely and tremble, distress starting to attack his mind. He shouts in terror: “Blood! Blood! Spots of ghastly blood covering my hands! Oh, what visions do I see!”

Serge chuckles. He says, “These are your faults, your wrongs. Watch as the visions appear. This is your fault, dear friend Serge, yours alone.”

The “visions of terror” now flash through Joseph’s mind.

The first vision of terror shows the Meine’s populace from 7 years ago. They were friendly to him when he first arrived at the town. At that point, he is also friendly, composed, and acted with manners. He was really shy. But, Meine liked him, and he adapted to the town and became a lively member of the community. The problem is, he is paranoid to gossipers. He thought some people were fooling and ridiculing him. He minimized his socialization attempts with the people of Meine, although he was able to have closer relationships with some people. As time passes, his true colors appear. As the second vision of terror appears, a thunderclap headache strikes at Joseph.

 “It is not my fault!”

Joseph is actually an erratic person. He is loud, boastful and immature. Sometimes, he even mocks some of his close friends. At first, his friends understand him and are delighted by his antics. As time progresses, he worses, leading to the “Disintegration.” After some petty arguments, he ended friendships with some people. Many supported him. Unfortunately, his actions lead him to the fatal decision. It is the third vision of terror. Massive thunderclap headache strikes again. Joseph screams and whines in pain and anguish.

“It is not my fault!”

Five years ago, his close friend introduced him to a girl. She is a simple one, and they almost had the same hobbies and favorites. Joseph was over the moon when thinking of her. When he showed his antics, she was entertained. So, what is the fatal mistake? He did nothing. He was content enough to dream about her. Then he heard that she has a boyfriend. By that time, he already felt nothing for her. But Joseph became angry. Fueled by his mental instability, he attacked her privately, sometimes in front of her own friends. He called her various insults & disgusting names. He was angry about her perceived betrayal. It continued for 3 years. Joseph became increasingly withdrawn, and his alarming actions turned many of his friends against him. He concluded that these events occur due to the malevolent, deceiving nature of Meine. 4 months ago, he then launched the “Reorganization,” a plan to end his association silently with the people of Meine. No one wondered why he suddenly stopped talking to them, since he is now irrelevant. Irrelevant due to his own actions. This realization has brought the final and worst headache to strike at Joseph.

“It is my fault!”

Serge speaks, “It is yours alone, o Joseph. I did nothing.”

After 30 minutes of anguish, Joseph relaxes. He then asks, “Why did you think of this ‘Splendid Isolation?’ There is no such thing as this!”

Serge says, “This is the only solution. You shall stand alone in all glory, just as the British Empire was alone at her splendor. Your suffering then will not repeat.”

“No,” Joseph disagrees, “it is the peace of mind and soul I need. My ‘Splendid Isolation’ must be in complete serenity, and at the end, I shall stand firm and awake, never to repeat my mistakes again.

[copernicusxgalileo]

Closed starter: Vicente Valdebenito Valdivia @letugo Location: Riverside Bookstore

Copper had moved to the literal other side of the country, 3000 miles, so the last thing he had expected to see was someone he knew from back on the East Coast. What were the odds? It wasn't even like Copper had moved to a big city like Seattle. Cardinal Hill was a sleepy - yet pleasant - little town, but it wasn't exactly the kind of place to draw a lot of people...unless they were a witch. And now that Copper was seeing Vicente at Riverside Bookstore, Copper was wondering if that was why Vicente was here. Had he come to Cardinal Hill because he - like Copper - was a witch? Thinking back on it, Copper had always gotten a sort of vibe from Vicente. At the time, he thought it was simply because he was, well, extraordinarily handsome (which was still true regardless), but now Copper was wondering if his old friend was also a witch. And if he wasn't, well...this was one hell of a coincidence. But either way, Copper was happy to see his old friend.

The reason he had come to the bookstore was to find something new to read. Copper hadn't brought many books with him since he'd left in kind of a hurry, but now he was regretting that. At first, he hadn't really had time to read because of learning how to manage The Twilight Cauldron, but now that Copper was getting the hang of that, he missed his books. And now he was seeing Vicente standing behind the counter, which suggested that he actually lived in Cardinal Hill now rather than just being a visitor (why would have a job here if he was just visiting, after all). "Vicente?" Copper asked, approaching the counter, still not quite believing what he was seeing. "I didn't know you lived here! How long have you been in Cardinal Hill?"

[scentedchildnacho]

Acorn meal........I just ate that center red seed.....it's a very fragrant nut replaces an anti psychotic.....see....how smart this tree has fur to replace cotton.....

The mayors office claimed there are no Indians in Riverside city but it's the most arbor city of a California city I have ever seen....a lot of urban biological diversity for claims of a half or mostly white Hispanic town

And Murrieta for a white town is the most Langston Hughes inspired city I have seen in California

Little sister white....we don't have as much as the Catholics

Louisiana symbols that tree lined lane reminds me of my buffalo soldier remembrance tours

That to me is African though for claims of a small population

I don't want a gun

I saw that in the riverside paper that claim of confession about a Walmart stabbing........I am going to follow that i am intrigued if the confessor is actually guilty

They kind of make his picture appear sociopathic faced and all......but a people like his racially could equally just be transgendered

We watched a few good men so I want to watch the demonstrative evidence and all

Maybe I will see if they let me go to his trials and all

The sheriff does hire all sorts of characters that appear transient like any job so maybe he was told to serve time for someone

I by race was called a sadist.......and that's not fair after bullying I don't enjoy more then correct process

I've been accused of enjoying death penalties and that's really not fair in thinking about palliative nutrition I don't like slap stick humor and prefer the historic eras of world war two films that could bring serious thought to things irrational

I did learn something through my psychiatric endurance something of mother's that would beat their children but claiming by race I'm a sadist isn't correct it's more that there are certain government actions and her son doesn't do that anymore

I do more enjoy that he doesn't do that anymore

[ledenews]

The Remains of One Hoppin’ Hotel in Photos – Part 2

(Publisher's Note: This is the second in a two-part series that covers the history of the former Wheeling Inn hotel on the corner of 10th and Main streets in downtown Wheeling. The structure, thanks to a recent vote by Wheeling's City Council, will be demolished soon, but there was a stretch of time when the lodge's rooms were full, the restaurant was considered one of the best in town, and the views of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge were priceless. This series initially was published more than a year ago.) Lunch at the Tea Room in the basement of Stone & Thomas was special because the place was proper, despite featuring a lunch-counter kind of menu. There were napkins and polished silverware perfectly placed on each table, and the patrons were usually dressed in clothes usually reserved for Sunday services. The food, though, was prepared out of sight, and the atmosphere was far less casual than what was found inside an Elby’s or Burger Chef. The Tea Room – if space was even available, that is – was a part of “going to the city” for thousands of residents throughout the Upper Ohio Valley when they made the trek to downtown Wheeling during the 1950s through the 1980s. Main and Markets streets during those days offered a wide array of commerce with everything from hammers and nails to fine jewels and silk neckties. Most communities up and down the Ohio River were stoked by local industry and five-and-dimes like G.C. Murphy anchored the downtowns in cities like Martins Ferry and Moundsville, but Wheeling served as the metropolis for the region because, throughout the history of the Friendly City, it was where everyone came to find everything they could possibly need. That began to change, though, during the 1980s because the Ohio Valley Mall featured the new trend in the retail industry, and that was one-stop-shopping like downtowns offered but now a roof covered consumers as they strolled from store to store inside the biggest one-story building anyone had ever seen. Stores like Stones and L.S. Good suddenly became anchor stores at the mall, so the existing business owners began leaning on live entertainment more than ever. The Best Western Wheeling Inn was very popular when Jamboree USA hosted two shows each Saturday in downtown Wheeling. “That’s when we heard a lot more about what shows were at the Civic Center and the Capitol (Theatre), and the (Best Western Wheeling Inn) was packed every weekend,” recalled Lynne Walton, a former bartender at the Riverside Lounge that operated inside the hotel. “I had always heard there were a lot of Canadians that came to Wheeling for the Jamboree shows, and that was true. There were more than I imagined. “The businesses leaving downtown was a topic people talked about a lot, but it didn’t seem like it was doomsday or anything,” she said. “The hotel seemed like it was always crowded.” That’s because there was always a party in the bar and on the balconies of the former Best Western Wheeling Inn. Fabulous Fanny’s was the first bar inside the Wheeling Inn when the hotel first opened in the early 1980s, and it was a small pub tucked away just off of the lobby and behind an Elby’s. Then came the Riverside Restaurant, a popular eatery that kept the Boury family in the food service business following the 1988 sale of 73 Elby’s locations in four states to Elias Brothers. “The food was great, too,” Walton remembered. “I didn’t wait on many of the tables back then, but we had a lot of people who sat at the bar to eat their dinners while they met with their friends. “With all of the news about the hotel and the demolition that’s coming sometime soon, I’ve thought about a lot of the people I used to work with and all of the friends I made,” she added. “So many people are really sad to see it go, but the Riverside closed a long time ago and that was really surprising to me because of the view from that back deck. Everyone always wanted to sit there.” While the front signage for the Wheeling Inn and the Riverside was removed late last week, a demolition date has not been finalized by the owners, the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau. “There are steps that have to be taken, but we’re moving forward with all of it so that corner can have a new future,” said Frank O’Brien, the executive director of the Wheeling CVB. “The most important step has been taken, and we’re having a lot of conversations about what could be next for that part of our downtown.” The glasses used at the Riverside Restaurant were still in place when the Wheeling CVB the hotel in mid-January. The area of the hotel where the Riverside Restaurant operated had not been utilized by the most recent owner at the time of the January 17th purchase. The inside of the former Riverside Restaurant has been heavily damaged by water over the years. This area of the former Fabulous Fannie's Lounge was used as a banquet area when the bar was closed, and most recently for storage for old mattresses and furniture. An Elby's Family Restaurant and a Young's Cafeteria did business in the hotel several years ago. Fabulous Fannie's was one of the most popular bars in the valley let alone downtown Wheeling. These two pink booths were very popular seating areas at the former Riverside Restaurant. The spa area was located in the basement of the Wheeling Inn. The hot tub was a popular destination for hotel guests for many years. When the Best Western Wheeling Open re-opened in the early 1980s, the entrance to the hotel was staffed with greeters and bell boys. Read the full article

[foggycritter]

Dream Report 1/10/24

First dream: I went a ways out of town to get lunch in like, a very small Korean quarter of some city, but when I got there all the shops, bakeries, and restaurants were closed.

Second: I was in an Irish pub, but I don't remember what I was doing there.

Third: I was in a pet store or humane society of some sort, though it was massive, like the size of a Costco or somewhere like that. A lot of birds, cats, etc.

Finally: I was down at the riverside with my girlfriend; it was winter, but the wildlife was abundant. We watched large mouth bass float downstream, and a massive turtle came ashore beside us. Then, a huge rattlesnake came out of the water and started to come after us; I thought for sure it wasn't venomous, but started to doubt myself. As I felt it try to bite my hand, I woke myself up trying to kick it, kicking the air beside me in bed.

[sunflowerprotocol]

Initial revisions update / brain dump

I feel like posting some of my process and reflections somewhere, but really there's no format to this. I feel like getting these out now will make re-reading draft 0 less scary, because I've done my best to identify issues and the problems aren't all going to sneak up on me.

It'll be a long ramble, so it's going under the cut.

I am begging myself to write from a place of curiosity instead of judgement (I think I heard this advice from ShaelinWrites on youtube and it has changed the way I think about the craft so much, for the better). It's difficult for me, I'm the first to admit that I'm opinionated and judgmental by nature. The first place I think I have opportunities to practice this in my second draft is in writing the state of Delano. It's a capitalist hellscape that Laramie has seriously romanticized, and she's complicit in the state's harm. Still, most of the people living there aren't, they're just trying to survive.

I still have a lot of world building to hammer out. Visiting Wichita this summer made me realize that Laramie isn't that geographically far from Riverside, and it may be unrealistic to say she's never been there. Maybe Riverside has to close their borders for security purposes, but that feels antithetical to what they stand for. Maybe she's been, but keeps everyone there at arm's length because of some underlying fear or because she doubles down on her dream to be a technocrat. Maybe she just likes how shiny the programming school and subsequent lifestyle are. Additionally. I've been wondering if Delano really is the right/realistic name for a State in my novel, but I think I'm feeling better and better about it. There's something there I think… the irony of a town without law enforcement being romanticized hundreds of years later by technologists who hate regulations. Still, Delano absolutely has cops around to protect property, in direct opposition to the nearby town that is actually working towards abolitionist principles. Hm. I mean hell. Columbus Delano himself was named Columbus. And if I understand what I'm reading, he strikes me as a neoliberal.

Visiting Wichita also tends to give me pause when it comes to Keeper of the Plains, the iconic statue by Tsate Kongia (a.k.a. Blackbear Bosin). This imagery is used all over Wichita, particularly around tourism. I have no idea how indigenous people in the plains feel about it or if Kongia's family gets any royalties, etc.

Visiting Botanica specifically was a great experience. I have more confidence than ever that this could be a great setting for a city within Riverside, and even got a better sense of Clementine's role in the community/where she might live, as well as some logistics like water treatment and transportation. At the same time, I don't know where the houses of worship are going to go. I have ideas, but I'm a deconstructing Christian and I need to consult people who practice other religions to know what would be appropriate and feasible. I think I'm going to 'rule of cool' a lot of things but I want to get serious about what medical care is available and the implications of this kind of community for disabled folks. Mobility aids and transportation aside, which I actually feel pretty good about, I hadn't really thought about how people would obtain things like hearing aids or glasses. An alpha reader also pointed out that it might be a good idea to look into germ theory and such-- what does the clinic offer?

I want a deeper conflict for Poe than “my family doesn’t want me to be a starving artist.” I think there are some ideological differences between them and Laramie that have to come to a head during this story; Laramie tends to see Poe as lazy or argumentative, and Poe sees her as having ‘square’ tendencies. They chalk it up to personality differences, especially in their youth, but it gets more serious as Poe’s legal situation worsens and Laramie throws herself into programming school. Maybe Poe should have to reckon with how far they’re willing to go to vouch for Laramie. They might also have some insecurity about sticking to one place after so many years of bouncing around for their trade.

Caelus is such an interesting character that I haven't done enough with. I need to decide exactly how hard I'm going to get with his airship science. I'd like to improve his meet cute with Ernie. I'd like to just, show off his backstory and contributions more, which may be challenging from Laramie's point of view with the plot points I have.

Similarly, Laramie's coworkers need more development. Her work nemesis, as one of my alpha readers put it, feels like a caricature. I might even change his name ('Adam' truly feels like a placeholder). At the same time, I don't want people to romanticize him. I think her coworker Sloane could use more depth and nuance. She's at least as complicit as Laramie, but she's not really a villain.

[annamaxwell-girlinnovators]

Week 4 - Joan of Arc

What do you notice about the placement of this monument? 

The Joan of Arc monument is located on Riverside Drive and 93rd Street, in a park appropriately named Joan of Arc Park. As you approach from the street, you can see the back side of the statue standing tall. Getting closer, I could see what I thought to be piles of trash stacked against the base of the statue. Immediately, I thought that to be such a disrespect, not only to any standing figure, but especially for that trash to be placed at the feet of such an heroic woman. 

However, I realized the bags were likely that of a homeless person, collecting cans, and keeping these recyclables under the statue for safe keeping. I actually found it to be quite sweet, whether the persons whose cans these belong had this intention or not, Joan of Arc was serving as a protector of their belongings as she is depicted courageously charging into battle above. On the front side of the statue, seemingly fresh flowers were placed at the base. 

The Joan of Arc monument standing tall and proud over the Hudson River, is certainly a powerful symbol, however one I think is quite hidden. Monuments are not something I often stop to pay attention to, but one I have often noticed is The Robert E. Lee Monument when visiting my grandparents in Virginia. Although it has since been removed, this symbol of racial injustice was placed in the middle of a roundabout, impossible to ignore. The Joan of Arc monument is almost tucked away, and while beautifully standing amongst the trees, the much more powerful symbol - of feminism, leadership, and courage - is much easier to walk by then that of Robert E. Lee. 

What story is being told by this sculpture? Who is represented and why do you think they were chosen? 

I found it interesting that while looking at this monument, it was quite hard to see her face, and to tell she is a woman. The common depiction of Joan of Arc is the same stance we see on Riverside Drive, mounted on a horse and charging into battle, however a decision was made here to cover her head in armor. This is not necessarily an inherently malicious choice, but comparing it to her monument in Paris, where she is seen with long hair and armor, it certainly seems to take away from the importance her womanhood had on her story. The park also provides a plastic plaque with Joan of Arcs story as well as the artists. Reading it, only 2 of the 9 short paragraphs really touch on Joan of Arc herself, allowing the rest of the text to be saved for history of the piece and the artist. The power of Joan of Arcs story is depicted through this piece much more through its history than its actual physical representation. 

Research the artist behind the monument. Are they well-represented in international collections? Are they part of art history?

Despite my surface level critiques of the statue, it is undeniable this sculpture still remains a feminist symbol for many reasons. The plaque reads that in New York, a prominent group of citizens formed a Joan of Arc monument committee in 1909. Their efforts coincided with the host of a young sculptor, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, to create a sculpture of Joan. Her first version, in which she emphasized "the spiritual rather than the warlike point of view," was submitted to the prestigious Salon in Paris. It received an honorable mention from the jury, nevertheless skeptical that such an accomplished work of art could have been made solely by a woman. The New York monument committee was so impressed by her work that they awarded her the commission. Huntington’s version is both heroic and infused with naturalistic detail. For Joan’s armor, she conducted research at the arms and armory division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the refinement of the equine anatomy was based on a horse borrowed from the fire department of her native town of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Unveiled on December 6th, 1915, the Joan of Arc Memorial monument was the first statue in New York City to honor a non-fictional woman. Hyatt Huntington had transformed a historical woman commonly depicted as a humble and pious teenage servant of God into, what we see today, a courageous woman in battle. Her Joan of Arc reflects the era’s changing social norms, and fits in perfectly with the increasingly liberated image of Joan that had been gaining popularity at the turn of the century, as women struggled for their rights.

Do monuments matter? Why?

While monuments can be viewed just as pieces of art, they serve a much greater purpose, which is to preserve a moment in time. They allow the masses to freely see someone standing for something significant, and allow that person to live on as time passes. This also is a reason for intentionally choosing who we want to commemorate in almost an eternal way. Monuments have stuck such controversy in the past decade especially, and I believe rightfully so. These high standing impactful figures, should stand for a moment in which today's society should strive to recreate and respect. 

I would also love to share an article with the class about women monuments I have read before and found to be very relevant and interesting! nytimes.com/2018/07/26/nyregion/women-monuments-new-york-city.html 

[fanficsandfluff]

A New Miracle - Chapter 1

An Encanto fic of mine. Had the idea for it but was unsure of making it into a fic, however, here we are. This fic does center around Bruno and also an OC of my own, Alexa. I'm very sorry if you're a person who doesn't like reading OC stories. I couldn't really think of an alternate in-universe way to express my idea without including an original character. Still, if you take a look at it, I hope it doesn't distract too much.

Fandom: Encanto

Character(s): OC (Original Character) Alexa, Bruno Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Mirabel Madrigal, the rest of the Madrigal family

This is what the OC looks like, just picture her older with greying roots:

There was something about the place that kept pulling and tugging Alexa there. She's been a traveler all her life, no family to speak of or write to. When she landed herself in Colombia, the Spanish language not coming naturally to her at all, she found a place up in the green hills and mountains. Lush, overgrown land covered any easy paths towards the mountains. But the attraction to go beyond those mountains bugged her.

Alexa couldn't go to sleep at night without thinking she heard whispering, only to believe it was the wind. Or having spikes of dreams in her sleep of some town she'd never been to before.

One day, Alexa had enough of living communally in a Colombian city. She packed her bag and hiked into the forests and wilderness. At her age, the walk would have been tough, but she kept herself healthy enough and she spent her whole life literally walking around from place to place and bed to bed. This would be a piece of cake.

As she approached the split in the mountains, Alexa grew tired. The yearning pull she felt since landing in the country had dissipated. It was getting dark out. Still, she persisted.

"Ay," she sighed and wiped sweat from her brow as she sat to rest at a riverside. Alexa dunked her hands in the water and splashed her face with it, running her wet fingers through her short, dark hair.

She then looked both ways down the river, wondering if she could just walk around it to get to the other side. No such luck, by the looks of it. She'd have to get wet.

With another heavy sigh, Alexa trudged forward through the knee-deep waters after removing her shoes and rolling up her coverall legs. Alexa's foot slipped between two jagged rocks and she gasped, "Ow! Son of a..." she moved quicker through the water to get to the other side and check her injury. She had sliced her right ankle in almost a perfect ring, save for the jaggedness of the pattern itself. Alexa sorted through her bag and pulled a rag from it she'd typically use for wiping away sweat or cleaning her face. Not the most sanitary, but what else could she do? She dunked it into the river water to give it a chance at being cleaned, wrung it out, and then tied it around her ankle. Alexa slipped her shoes back on and kept moving. She could see moonlight oozing out from between the huge mountains.

Every once in a while, Alexa would hear a twig snap or birds or other animals shuffling through the trees and grass. It gave her pause, but she never actually saw anything.

"Come on, Lexi, come on..." she encouraged herself, getting increasingly exhausted and now her ankle started to ache.

Up she went, climbing the dirt trail. As Alexa climbed, she thought she could hear music of some kind. Like wind chimes or twinkling bells. It sped her up, whether subconsciously or not. Finally, she reached the peak of the split in the mountains. Gasping for breath to catch, she gazed forward onto the moonlit scenery and saw a town with a few speckled lights. It wasn't too far, either. She could make it.

Another long walk later, Alexa skidded down a small hill to come to a paved cobblestone path. By now, it was so late at night that no one had their lights on. A few lamps lit the street but not many. Alexa limped her way through, wiping sweat from her brow, looking into any place that looked like lodging.

"Hello?" Alexa knocked on a few doors after walking for some time with no help or answers. No luck, either. She just needed somewhere to lay down.

Alexa was about ready to set up camp on the curb when she heard that tinkling sound again. She looked around for its source. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw little lights materialize in thin air and buzz around. Oh... must be lightning bugs. Alexa's tired eyes focused on the little glowing balls. She hoisted her bag tighter over her shoulder and followed what she assumed were fireflies. They led her to an opening and what seemed to be a lawn. And upon further gazing through the dark, a huge house was sitting feet in front of her. The glittering lights flew away, leaving her in darkness once more.

Alexa pulled her weight til she got to the front door. She really shouldn't be knocking on the door of this gorgeous house at this hour, there was no way anyone would even think of letting her in looking and smelling like she probably did... her hand knocked anyway. An intricate design on the door lit up and her eyes flew to it, studying it. A mural? Engraved people. How was the door lighting up like that?

"Hello?" Alexa rasped.

She thought she heard movement inside the house.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she continued talking, "I just need somewhere to-to rest."

The door cracked open and Alexa made eye contact with what looked like a younger woman.

"Hi," Alexa said softly, trying not to come off as intimidating, "Oh, I mean, hola, sorry. Do you--Is there somewhere I can stay? Just for the night."

"I heard you before you got here," the girl said in her own mousy voice. She opened the door a bit wider, "Come in. Wait right here."

"Thank you," Alexa ducked inside and saw the figure of the girl quickly walking away and then disappearing behind a corner. The door shut behind her and Alexa jumped at the sudden noise. She hadn't closed it on her own. Hm, strange. Alexa stayed put by the door like she was told and her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the home. It wasn't actually that dark. They had a big open courtyard where the moonlight was landing. Straight ahead up in a window there was a single candle burning bright. This was a beautiful house.

Then Alexa heard voices, plural.

"No, no, go wake Julieta, don't bother Abuela, she needs her rest," a different female voice spoke. Then there was a groaning noise and the same female voice said, "Shhh! Félix, go back to sleep!"

"Ay, mi vida, what's wrong?"

"Go!" she whisper-screamed. Then a third voice from a different area of the home, "Where is she?"

In the next few moments, there were footsteps and a light went on to Alexa's left. She looked that way, not making any sudden movements.

"Oh," a woman with long, curling hair looking to be about Alexa's age, dressed in a blue nightgown came down the stairs first and saw her.

"I'm sorry to wake you all, truly," Alexa coughed into her hand because her throat was so dry.

"Are you alright?" the woman in blue came closer and asked her.

"Yes, just tired. Very tired. I've traveled a long way to get here."

Alexa saw three more figures emerging from behind the woman speaking to her. Then she heard them mumbling and caught something like, "She's not from here."

"You have?" the woman brushed some hair out of her face and glanced back at the group, "Come with me, then. Casita, make some room."

All around Alexa suddenly, she heard tiles clapping and wood creaking. She took a few steps to follow the woman, but stopped in surprise and fright when she saw doors flying open on their own and tiles moving and furniture shifting into different places.

"O-Oh my... What's all that?" Alexa froze and pointed.

"Magic," the younger girl who opened the door for her spoke. Alexa looked up the staircase at the three, the girl, a woman, and a man.

"Come," the woman in blue spoke again, "What's your name?"

"A-Alexa."

"We'll keep you in our drawing room for now, Alexa. If you are still here in the morning, we will explain everything," the woman walked up to Alexa, "I'm Julieta. Go and put your bag down. Rest. We have a sink just around that corner there if you want to clean your hands."

Alexa was stunned. Magic? No, that doesn't make any sense. But neither does a moving house...

"How did the house do that?" Alexa inquired again. Julieta smiled softly, "I can explain in the morning. It's best you get sleep now. I can see you've had a long journey here."

The three other heads poked around from the bottom of the staircase to watch the interaction.

"Julieta, you have to get sleep of your own," the older woman of the three gathered, dressed in yellow, urged.

"Goodnight," Julieta wished Alexa before rejoining the group. They all began whispering amongst themselves again and Alexa could hear them until they all went back to their rooms to sleep, she assumed, based on the sound of doors closing.

Alexa stood frozen still for a few seconds before she adjusted to her surroundings again. This room led right off the side of the courtyard and there was a couch set with a blanket there for her. Exhaustion finally took over and Alexa dropped her sack down on the floor and laid on the couch, draping the blanket over her. She hummed in contentment and fell asleep almost immediately.

~~

A/N: This fic is also posted on AO3 with more recently updated chapters if that's easier for you to read. This is the link.

[fallasleepscenarios]

𝓵𝓮𝓽'𝓼 𝓰𝓸 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮 [kirishima eijiro x reader]

type: one shot, fluff pairing: kirishima eijiro x reader summary: Y/N and Kirishima's relationship comes to an end when one of them has to move to the other side of the country. rating: PG-13 wordcount: 1.1k disclaimer: I do not own any of the mha characters and all of them are written as if they are of age also posted on my wattpad one shots book

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

"Kiriiii~! Come home already, I miss you~!"

the voice message you left in his answering machine months ago, Kirishima listens to frequently.

being away from you has been so hard for him, he can barely sleep some times.

and it's not like you guys said it'd be forever, and it's not like your moving  cities wasn't something you both knew months before would happen.

but Kirishima at that time hadn't realized how much he liked you, how much he adored the smell of your hair and petting your head, watching your eyes light up every time he did that.

and your goodbye, that goodbye was the only thing, the only memory with you that he tried to avoid and erase forever.

when you met him by the riverside that last time and you gave him the longest hug you'd ever given him, when you brought him your favourite Avengers t-shirt as a memoir and he gave you that necklace to keep with you forever, because you both did not know how life has it and if you're ever going to see each other again.

long distance was not an option for you, you could possibly rarely visit, UA school had such strict schedule and your town was so far away now.

and Kirishima shook his head to erase those memories.

but he wondered what you looked like each day and if you've cut your hair or died it, if you ate well and if you slept bad like he did when he missed you too much.

texting you was just as hard, that you decided it was not good for his mentality, too painful to long for someone you cannot physically be with.

and you started texting him lesser and lesser and he noticed straight away, but little did he know, it's not as if your heart was stolen by someone, it's not as if you've forgotten him, but it was because you didn't want to hurt him furthermore.

seasons passed and he got used to the absence.

hero training was doing him good, he could have a laugh with his friends and also let out stress, while trying to accomplish his dreams.

but little did Kirishima know what awaited him one particular, slightly cloudy autumn afternoon.

his eyes must have been playing games with him, cause he could not believe what he saw- who, he saw, waiting for none other than him, outside the training grounds that day.

all his friends chuckled and giggled and teased him when they saw you from afar, happy for their friend reuniting with his love.

but Kirishima could barely move, could barely breathe, he had to be shook by Bakugo to snap out of it.

and you stood there, guiltier as ever-to have surprised him just like that, happier as ever-to have the opportunity to finally squish him in your arms, and make him feel like home again.

his friends made room for Kirishima and tried their best to act natural and not freak you out by their hype and general excitement.

and he stood there, a meter across from you, speechless, while everyone else was taking their route home.

"I like your hair", he finally whispered in awe at your freshly coloured hair.

"Thanks" you smiled and he melted inside, this wasn't real.

"I-I missed you", he smiled back awkwardly and scratched his head, wondering if it'd be appropriate to just grab you there and then.

"I missed you, too, Kiri"

his palm found your flushed cheek and cupped it, thumb gently circling around your soft skin, till it reached your lower lip and stroked it lightly, barely touching it.

you close your eyes and give in to his mellow movements and the spell he's long now been casting on you, ever since that first day you went to the river and sat by its side, talking about your dreams and ambitions.

a million thoughts and none were racing in his mind at the same time. Kirishima had frozen there, eyes locked on your face, scanning every detail of it, whilst battling with the duality of kissing you or refraining from it. Until, he felt you tilting your head to the side of his palm cupping your cheek and he felt the urge to caress it even more.

until he stops as he could no longer wait.

he leans in and suddenly, it's like you're younger again.

that night he kissed you under the starry sky, while you laid on the cool grass.

that night he kissed you at the university, having lunch on the roof alone for a bit.

when he kissed you, after you had made him dance with you to your favourite lousy songs and soundtracks.

and when he kissed you underwater at the beach, while he wrapped his arms around you so steadily you could never had escaped, in a million years.

the kiss was all of these memories together and even better.

because what really is meant for someone will find its way back, if only one is prepared to look for it.

you break the kiss and look at him straight in the eyes, while he smiles like an idiot with tears in his eyes.

"I thought," he starts, "I'd never see you again.. I thought you had forgotten me!"

"I'm sorry for trying to avoid you but I just couldn't...! I can't live if it's not with you!"

tears streaming down your flushed cheeks and Kirishima tightens his hug as if you would have to go any moment now.

"I can't... this is why I've decided I'm moving back here, alone!"

"Wha-"

"And it's okay that I can't be with my family, they will have to make time to visit and I will try visiting as much, even if it's so so far"

"And where are you going to stay?!"

"I may stay at my aunt's, if she'll have me, and I'll look for a job, even part time, I don't want to rely on my parents and cause problems..", you explain.

"I see..."

"But do you understand what this means...!", you exclaim in excitement, "Kiri, we never have to be apart now! Not anymore!"

Kirishima could only smile stupidly 'cause all this was too good to be true.

"Y/N, I don't even want to be apart anymore!"

"We won't have to!", you chuckled.

"I love you...", he whispered as tears streamed down his cheeks and you laughed while crying at him trembling.

"I love you too..

Let's go home, Hide"

and you both start laughing like idiots in love.

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

[sohin-ace]

※ A walk with the Jojos

Inspired by a 'A walk with BTS' meme scenario I found somewhere.

Gender neutral and Aromantics friendly :)

-----

Jotaro: Puts his coat over your shoulders when it gets cold.

A gust of cold wind flew past you and Jotaro as you both strolled down the streets of his hometown peacefully. A sharp shudder coursed through you, goosebumps almost painful on your sensitive skin.

Oh how you wished you brought a jacket or at least your school uniform cardigan with you. The early days of spring had started sunny and trustworthy, but of course, the temperature had to drop on you on that very special day.

Your incessant rubbing of your arms and duck of your head didn't go unnoticed by Jotaro next to you. He was aware of the cold and could see from the corner of his eyes how flushed your fingers were and how you winced with every blow of the unforviging wind.

The boy didn't think twice and sighed, proceeding to shake his long gakuran off of his broad shoulders.

You didn't even notice he was disrobing until you felt heavy and warm fabric suddenly weight down on your shoulders, enveloping you, the loud clanking of chains accompanying the movement.

You looked up at the tall male, pleasantly surprised yet also confused, and he only grumbled in response, looking straight forward.

"Yare yare daze... You could have just asked you know."

You never dared. You couldn't dare. After all, it was your problem that you forgot your jacket at home. It surely wasn't Jotaro's job to fix your mistakes, you thought. You wouldn't bother him for such a trivial matter, no matter how close you were. Of course, Jotaro did not share that mindset at all.

You always wondered how he managed to notice every little changes about you and every single reactions while also acting so nonchalant and careless. Behind his rough appearance and act, you loved Jotaro for his selflessness and his unmatched kindness.

You sighed in bliss as you hugged his jacket closer, so warm and soft around you. What a relief it was for your cold skin, it felt like his very own rare embrace.

It smelled just like him, too. You usually weren't a fan of the smell of nicotine and would often tease him for it, but when it was so deliciously mixed with his foreign cologne and his natural scent, it felt like something close to heaven to you. Something comforting, safe, and incredibly gentle.

His jacket was gigantic compared to you and you were sure you looked like a fool wearing this unfitting blanket, swallowing you and making you look even smaller and ridiculous than you already were next to him.

"Thank you Jotaro." You grinned, appreciative towards this kind giant, who you were grateful to always have your back whenever you needed, without even having to ask him.

He responded with a subtle nod before grabbing your shoulder and keeping his strides forward, seemingly satisfied with his good deed and with your smile.

Joseph: Accidentally trips you when he turns to talk to you.

It wasn't unusual for Joseph to blabber on his bizarre adventures. With all the things he had lived, he always had something to recount.

You'd always tell him to write a book about all his plights, but then you'd remember the guy barely had enough braincells to even put two and two together and instantly drop the idea.

Today was just a normal day in New York City, you had been strolling around with the behemoth, listening intently, or rather, tiredly as he rambled ceaselessly.

You were stuck between loving all his crazy stories and being annoyed at his obnoxious and theatrical, 'Jojo-fied', as you liked to call it, storytelling.

"And then he said 'You'll never touch the ground ever again Joseph Joestar!' but look who's in outer space now, huh?!" He yelled out, making a few heads turn with his exaggerated hand gestures and booming voice.

You nodded your head and responded with very basic 'Uh huh's and 'Oh's, as well as 'That's cool' and whatnot. Not like you didn't care for what he was saying, but you just couldn't figure what to tell him. Also, the unnecessary attention you were getting was quite flustering too.

"GASP! Y/N I ALMOST FORGOT!! I DIDN'T EVEN TELL YOU THE BEST PART YET!!!"

Before you could even process what was happening, Joseph forcefully turned towards you, gasping loudly and intenting to grab your already very well-gripped attention.

But the brute was so clumsy about it, he kicked his unreasonably thick leg in front of your much smaller feet, not warning you as you kept walking, only to trip over him with a yelp that you'd never forget.

"YEEEK-!"

"WOAAH-!!"

With an even louder scream, Joseph tried his best to grab you before you could kiss New York City's piss tainted ground, yanking you to your feet as best as he could, which was more than enough with the strength the man had.

He eventually held you against his chest firmly, his arms belted more than securely around your shoulders and back, shocked and scared that if he loosened his grip even the slightest, you'd either fly away or just collapse.

You panted with adrenaline after regaining your  balance and barely left him any time to laugh at your demise or even react at all.

"JOJO YOU FREAKING DUMBASS!!!" You hollered all your fury, pushing yourself off of him, "I ALMOST DIED HERE!!!!"

Joseph cowered in fear as you proceeded your attacks on his poor arms, chest and face. He yelped in pain, desperately putting his arms up in front of him in hopes to shield himself from your unstoppable slapping. For someone with such small hands, you sure hit hard.

"Ow ow ow stop please! This is abuse!! I'm sorry-Ow! Please, n-not there~ ACK- OKAY FINE I'LL STOP!!!"

Josuke: Notices your shoe lace in untied and ties it for you.

In the small, crazy, noisy and bizarre town that was Morioh, there was a famous legend running.

"That if your boyfriend kneels down to tie your shoelaces for you, they'll never come undone ever again! Do you believe that?" You chuckled, barely paying any attention to your surroundings.

Josuke strolled mindlessly next to you, half listening, half not. You were well aware that boys like him often had a hard time paying attention for more than a minute unless it was about sports, video games, or a very big pair of boobs.

"Hmmh, yeah. Crazy stuff..." He mumbled, looking blankly forward, his eyes catching passing cars and boutiques but his ears catching none of your words.

"Hey... Are you even listening?" You glared suspiciously at him, frustrated already. This boy could never concentrate.

"Oh tell me about it." He replied, not even knowing what he was even responding to. Eye twitching, you tested him one last time.

"Rohan has a really nice ass and I'm much better at Smash Bros than you'll ever be."

"Oh, absolutely. You know it!" He nodded, much to your great offense.

"Hey.. Josuke...!" You growled, ready to give him a good slap of reality, "Higashikata!!"

As if on cue, Josuke glanced down and noticed that your shoelaces were untied as you walked.

Without even thinking twice about it, Josuke moved his hands from where they were resting behind his neck and instantly brought one to your chest, stopping you dead in your tracks.

You shot him a puzzled look at his sudden behavior and he immediately bent over, getting down on one knee, on the floor, in front of you, without a care in the world, right in the middle of the street.

You looked down at him and gasped as you noticed he started tying up your poorly secured shoelaces that you didn't bother knotting properly in the morning.

"Oi-! Josuke, what are you doing?! Get up, it's fine I'll do it mysel-"

"Oh shush." He cut you off, handling the chords into cute and safe little bows on your shoes, like a knight, or a prince, happy to fulfill his duty.

You couldn't hold back your blush at the embarassing and impromptu situation. Your heart raced as you tried to get him to stand up, but he was adamant on helping you whether you were embarassed or not.

The boy was completely nonchalant about the ordeal, never caring about the weird looks you both were getting and the many whispers of 'how cute' and 'what an adorabe couple' people were gushing out.

You couldn't reciprocate the indifference. You knew Josuke was the serving type, and this was normal for him. To make your life easy, to treat you, to protect you.

And to fix you.

"... Are you sure you haven't been listening to me? I feel like you're hitting on me right now Jojo." You raised an eyebrow as he got up, proud of his handiwork.

His expression soon fell into a shocked one and he visibly stiffened, "Huh? What? No I'm not?!"

"You literally tied my shoelaces right after I told you that's a boyfriend thing to do!" You shot back and he blushed deep red, gasping at yout sudden assumptions.

"What??! It's not though!! I'm not- I wasn't even paying attention!"

"You're hitting on me, I'm telling Mr. Jotaro."

"NO DON'T TELL HIM!!!"

Jonathan: Carves his and your initials into a tree.

Jonathan had invited you to join him one afternoon in the usual place you both loved to hang out.

You two talked and walked around a path that you could call your little escape route. One you've used so much, you were pretty sure to be responsible for green-less trail that longed the riverside.

Very suddenly, Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks, without saying anything, effectively grabbing your attention.

"What's wrong, Jojo?" You asked, looking back at him.

Without a warning, he took out a small object from his pocket, smiling coyly at you. You were confused but your expression soon shifted when he pressed on a small mechanism that swiftly revealed a sharp, shiny blade.

You flinched and gasped, bringing a hand to your mouth in shock. "Jojo!! Why are you walking around with a pocket knife?! Are you crazy??!!"

He panicked at your reaction and got flustered, agitating his hands around, a dangerous gesture to make for someone holding a knife.

"N-no no no! Wait, Y/N! It's just- I mean, it's useful sometimes... I mean..." He blabbered, not knowing how to breathe between words anymore, "I don't use it... Or- well... I don't do weird things with it it's just-... I would never-... "

He stuttered anxiously, trying to justify himself, getting more and more stressed with your lack of response. Oh no, God, he didn't want to scare you off or lose you over something like this!

He would never forgive himself if you ever thought he were a dangerous man, or a delinquent, or worse, that he'd ever hurt you, and in such a cowardly way too.

He stopped panicking when you suddenly chuckled.

"Ooouh~ Oh my~" You sang teasingly, before pointing at him in playful accusation "Am I hanging out with a baaaad boy~? Jojo you nasty man!"

"S-... STOP IT!!" He cried out as you laughed your heart out, scared that somebody might hear you and take it the wrong way. "Just... Hold on..."

With the knife in his hand, he turned his back to you and started carving something in the tree trunk. You approached and tried to look over his shoulder, wondering what kind of nonsense he could be drawing in there.

"What is this?" You gently tapped his busy arm and he tried to hide his work from your nosy eyes.

"Wait! It's a surprise! I'm almost done... Just... A little bit..." He grunted a bit as he finished carving the blunt surface, "Aaannd.... Done!"

He stepped back, wiping his brow and leaning his hand on the tree, letting you enough space to admire his little work of art. Proud yet also a bit anxious about your reaction.

You got closer to the little heart he drew on the tree. Heart with both your initials in it. For the sake of discretion, he rathered write your initials over your names, which made it all the more adorable, in your eyes.

You gasped lightly, not able to contain your giddy smile. "Jonathan! That's so cheesy! Who taught you that? Have you been reading those weird romance novels?"

"Yes- I mean, NO! No! I don't read that! I'm a man! Only girls read those!" He spat back, flushing a shade of red you wished you could paint.

"Hmmmmm yeah, right!"

He could only chase you around to hopefully make you stop teasing him. He knew he'd never hear the end of it.

Johnny: Grabs your hand and places it around his arm.

"I gotta say..." You started, happily sipping on your drink, "The best thing about your handicap is how we can skip the line for everything!"

You grinned behind Johnny as you pushed his wheelchair forward, walking around the city for the short time you were in Kansas.

"I know. You'll owe me one by the way." He blankly jested, his tone not matching his humour. You've known him long enough to catch on the little perks of his speech, making you chuckle again.

You balanced your cup with one hand to get a better grip on the chair's handles and got back to pushing him. Johnny was quick to realise you were slowing down every once in a while to drink up.

"Stop." He ordered and you obliged, surprised by the sudden request.

"Huh?" You bent over slightly to try to look at him. "Are you okay? Did you need something?"

"This won't do..."

You walked around to get next to him. You were used to him having his foot falling from the footrest and putting it back before it could hurt him, or needing to reajust his back seat from time to time.

Nothing out of the ordinary, you thought. You would have never expected his next request.

Johnny looked over at you, no words shared, and offered his arm out to you, like the perfect gentleman he was.

"...Jojo?"

"I can move by myself. Drink your tea in peace." He blushed and looked away, sighing to himself.

You couldn't help your smile and endeared look. Your Johnny was always such a kind soul behind what he let show. He was observant and selfless. That's why he wanted to free you the burden of pushing his wheelchair, at least so you could enjoy your drink for a moment.

However it was obvious to you that he wanted you to hold him, so dearly, and had found an excuse for you to do so without asking you such an embarassing question.

You couldn't pass on the cute opportunity, but at the same time, you wanted him to make the first move.

You tilted your head, shooting him a faux confused and oblivious look, letting him know you needed him to be clearer in his request.

He huffed and held back on face palming, cheeks becoming redder by the second. Why were you always doing this to him? Teasing him to no end.

He abruptly grabbed you hand, softening his grip immediately after measuring his strength, and placed it around his arm.

You happily followed his lead and gently grabbed his arm, much sturdier than it looked, and gave him enough space to roll the wheels in pace with you.

"Thank you Johnny~" You chimed happily and he let out the ghost of a smile in response, smile that you sadly missed.

Giorno: Makes you dance with him when you walk past a busker.

You passed along a bay in Naples with Giorno, both of you exceptionnally finishing school early due to the surprising absence of your math teacher.

You both talked and suddenly heard the distant sound of accordion, getting louder and louder the more you walked.

You paused, much more intrigued by the musician  on the paved pedestrian street, playing a beautiful song for all to listen to. He was a sweet-looking old man, playing a traditionnal Tarantella, the iconic sound of Italy.

Giorno stopped with you, wanting to hear more of what this busker had to offer. You smiled, appreciating the sweet melody and calculated movements of the instrumentalist.

Giorno suddenly walked up in front of you, bending down at the waist to offer his hand out to you, his intense green eyes inviting you and snatching you out of your rêverie.

"Would you care to honor me with a dance, Y/N?"

You gasped silently and felt your cheeks burn at his words, his voice like velvet.

"W-... What? Right here, right now...?" You hesitated, but still gently laid your hand over his soft one, seeking reassurance in his hold.

Giorno was always a charming and extremely well-mannered boy despite the lack of proper education he had received. You would always tell him how princely he looked and acted, and he never failed to impress you by his eloquence, his broad mind, and his gestures.

But you surely did not expect him to propose you a dance, out in public. The sole idea was making you self-conscious, but also excited.

He ever-so-slightly closed his fingers around yours, expecting your consent with a soft smile. You were always at ease with Giorno, for the years you've known each other. Why would you ever refuse anything he asks you?

Like he had read through your heart, Giorno swiftly pulled you towards him, placing his hand right at the small of your back, keeping you up close and personal.

You giggled at the cheesy and intimate position, placing your free hand on his shoulder and ready to mess up the pace.

"I'll step on your toes!" You playfully warned him and he chuckled, endeared.

"Don't worry, Y/N. Just follow my lead."

The busker, noticing you two, smiled and finished up his song, immediately starting up a waltz, the nicest and sweetest of his repertoire.

Giorno confidently started in graceful and fluid movements. You followed him, guided by his assured poise. You tried not to stare down at your feet, which was easy task once you got captivated by his strong gaze.

You focused on your rhythm and his steps. You always wondered why he had randomly decided to teach you to waltz, but now you were grateful that he did, because you truly felt like royalty, and this feeling was priceless.

Pedestrians gathered, watching, amused by the splendid show before them. Two adorable teenagers dancing and living their youth, accompanying the busker.

You laughed, both from nervousness and happiness, knowing well Giorno would hold up the skies just to see you smile like this.

After stepping on Giorno's poor toes more than often enough, and after almost crashing down on him, you two decided it was time to go.

Giorno made sure to tip the gifted old man handsomely, much more than conventionnal, making him wonder how such a young boy could have so much money to spare.

Jolyne: Shares her headphones with you.

You walked side by side with Jolyne. You had planned on having a nice walk alongside the beach together, but the weather had seemed to betray you two, with unusually cloudy grey skies and cold breezes.

And thus, you were prompted to walk through town instead. You were happy either way, as long as you were with Jolyne, your most favourite girl in the world, it didn't really matter where you went or what you did.

The entire walk was silent and, as much as you knew Jolyne wasn't necessarily the most talkative type, the fact that she hasn't removed her earphones at all from the moment you both joined earlier really threw you off.

You guessed she wasn't in the mood for talking. You could absolutely understand that, but the way she seemed to completely ignore you and cross you out of conversing with her at all saddened you.

Maybe she didn't want to go out at all and she just didn't have the heart to cancel on you.

You looked down, with all these questions plaguing your mind, wondering if you had done something to make her distant.

Before you could drown in more self-doubt, she nudged your arm and grabbed your attention. She was smiling at you with her cute green lips.

You looked at her confused, like you had been dreaming it all about her being upset with you. She looked so excited, suddenly.

She pulled out her green iPod, one that she had decorated with tacky semi-permanent tattoos from an infamous bubblegum brand, and immediately gave you one of her earbuds.

"Girl, you have to listen to this. It's Jimi Hendrix playing, listen, listen!" You obliged and put the earbud on, listening to her song intently, "This man's crazy, what the fuck? And they say lefties can't play guitar..."

You kept on listening, the song in one ear, Jolyne's comments in the other. She was lost in the music, playing air guitar and singing bits of the song. It was absolutely endearing to see her so happy about such a little thing.

"So? So? Did you like it?" She turned to you with a big grin as the song ended, her eyes wide and starry with hope of your validation, "I love this song sooo much, I had to make you listen! How was it? Be honest!"

You chuckled, overwhelmed by her enthusiasm and adorable giddiness, "It was really cool Jolyne, you have nice tastes. Send it to me next time."

"Yess!!!" She cheered, pumping her fist in the air in victory. "Alright, let's get some bagels now, I'm starving."

She wrapped a strong arm around your shoulder, tired of the distance separating you. "My treat! Oh! And you have to show me that new group you told me about the other day. Even Hermes is talking about them now."

You couldn't bite back your growing smile as she squeezed you close. Not because of the very appealing call of bagels, even though you were more than looking forward to that, but because of how sweet Jolyne was to you despite what she appeared.

Showing her deepest interests to you when she wasn't much of a sharer was her own love language.