#anywho have a good week ahead y'all!

[purplesurveys]

1660

Do you have a reason to smile right now? Sure. I like that it’s Monday yet it’s a holiday, so I don’t have to work. Then again it’s the last day of our 5-day long weekend and I’m feeling a bit bummed, but I’m trying to stay on the positive my dudes. Stressing on my last free day can’t possibly bring anything good. Do you start the shower water before or after you get in? Depends on the weather. These days I stand directly under the shower as soon as I turn it on because it’s HOT AS FUCK and the cold water feels refreshing anyway. Most of the time though I’d start it before.

True or false: You’re not sitting on a chair to use the computer right now. That’s true. I’m sitting up on a folded-out sleeping bag.

Do you regret any of your past relationships? I regret many, many parts of it but like, I wouldn’t invalidate the happiness I knew I felt then. I just feel bad that that happiness was misdirected.

How many times have you been to a museum? Too many times than I can count. I went to a museum for the first time in Grade 1 as part of a field trip and was immediately hooked, and since then it’s been tradition for me to visit at least a handful of museums every year.

How has this past week been for you? So fucking relaxing. It was a break I really needed. We had five days off due to the Holy Week and because of another national holiday also happening at the same time, and even though I told myself I was gonna use the extra time to catch up on work...I didn’t, lol. I just let myself enjoy the days going by and caught up on Wrestlemania instead. I haven’t watched this much wrestling since 2014.

Is anything going to happen next month that makes you happy? My dad will be coming home then.

Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? My mom has been saying she wants a Pomeranian but I think we’re good with the two dogs for now.

Do you like the rain? I love the rain; the only time I don’t is when it’s nighttime and I’m stuck driving and in traffic.

Do you like it when stores have sales? I don’t actively hunt down sales cos it just means 45794749 other people would be all over it hahaha, but I mean it’s always nice when I encounter something I like and it happens to be like 60%, 70% off its original price.

Would you rather be a Panda or Grizzly bear? Panda.

Do you have any of your Easter candy left over? I don’t celebrate Easter. Easter candy also isn’t much of a thing here...egg hunts and decorating events are organized for kids, but most of the time the eggs contain money and not candy.

Is there someone on your mind that shouldn’t be? Nah.

Does your ex make you mad? It’s a very passive resentment. She doesn’t make me like, actively seethe with anger lol but I don’t necessarily hold positive feelings towards her.

Will you talk to someone on the phone tonight? Nope.

Do you like BBQ sauce? I love barbecue sauce and enjoy it the most on my pizza.

Do the stairs in your house have carpet? No.

What were you doing at 9 AM this morning? In bed, waking up. I was going through my Twitter I think.

Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. I did take ballet but didn’t stay in it long enough to learn how to do a proper spin.

Would you rather eat 12 hot dogs or 6 hamburgers? I’d go with the hotdogs even though I prefer burgers. It just seems a tad easier to take down 12 of them hahahaha.

What color is the door to your basement? We don’t even have a basement.

Was your favorite class science because of the experiments? My favorite was history because of the far more interesting stories and lessons I got out of it. 

Do you like citrus pop or any drinks? I wouldn’t say so, no.

Last time you wore the opposite sex’s clothing? Over a month ago.

What’s the last board game you played? Can’t even remember.

What laundry detergent do you use? Tide.

Do you trust people too easily? I trust a fair amount.

Are you currently fighting with someone? I’m not.

Do you hang out with your siblings friends? Nah. I’d be the cool older sister that can shoot the shit with them, but my sister’s friends like to keep to themselves hahaha so it’s alright. As for my brother, I’m not even sure if he has friends. He’s never asked permission to go out for a hangout sesh and has never had any friends over.

Last time you had butterflies in your stomach? Last Wednesday when we were anxiously awaiting the Thai ticketing website to let us in from the online queue we were painstakingly waiting in.

Have you ever kept anything wild as a pet? Nope.

Do you set good examples for little kids? If I’m around kids then yeah, but that doesn’t happen often anyway.

Does your favorite song mention a famous person’s name in it? It doesn’t.

Are you counting down the days to anything? Jin’s enlistment release and the day we’re seeing Yoongi.

Does your house have a pool? Nope.

If you broke your computer, would you be able to fix it by yourself? Nah, I’d take it to a repair center immediately.

On a scale 1-10, how much does the opposite sex confuse you? Not nearly as much as they used to, so 0. I get enough interactions with Hans and guys at work these days.

When you party, do you get wild? Depends on the vibe of the party and how fun the crowd is. These days I grow bored quite easily and leave places without so much as a buzz, haha.

If you found a wallet full of money, what would you do? Check for an ID and try to hunt the person down if they have any social media I can reach out to. If no ID, I’d post on social media anyway to see if there’s anyone who’d know the person who left the wallet behind. I don’t really trust police.

Do you do cheers often? Like...toasts? Not really, no. Do you enjoy fishing? I’ve never tried it and it doesn’t sound interesting to me.

Was your first job babysitting? No, I’ve always been in PR. Did you wear a hoodie today? No, and I don’t think I’ll need to wear a hoodie again until like December lol.

Are you embarrassed to talk about stuff with your dad? I wouldn’t open to him 100% but between him and my mom, I’m definitely more comfortable talking about things with him. He’s more open-minded.

Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood? Neither.

--

10 How’s

How did you get one of your scars? Cooper got too playful and also happened to have longer nails than usual at the time, so he managed to get a deep gash into my right thigh. I knew the second it bled the way it did that it was going to leave a souvenir, haha.

How did you celebrate your last birthday? I stayed at home for the most part til I brought out my family for dinner; then that weekend I took my friends to the beach. My next birthday’s a little over a week away and it’s going to be drastically different as I’ve since shut down all plans for it; am on full budget lockdown mode in preparation for my Thailand trip in June.

How are you feeling at this moment? A little sleepy, a little antsy because I’m back to work tomorrow. Just trying to enjoy my last few hours of freedom.

How did your night go last night? As chill as it gets. I just stayed in my room watching wrestling. OH but I did put a bit of work in and drafted an entire press release to get some tasks out of way for tomorrow.

How did you do in high school? I was miserable the first couple of years; didn’t have a group of friends and was doing terrible in a few subjects. I seemed to find my footing when I reached junior year where I was able to improve my grades and find my place in a group, and also get invited to stuff outside of school. All in all the positives outweigh the bad and generally I’m able to look back at high school with good feelings.

How did you get the shirt you’re wearing? Idk, my mom got it from somewhere and I called dibs on it.

How often do you see your best friend? With Angela, at least once a month. I see Andi a lot less frequently – maybe once every 5-6 months? We typically only get together when there’s a local wrestling show happening nearby, or when they need help studying for a test.

How much money did you spend last month? A little over ₱12,000 – just the total bill for my dog bites. Extremely frustrating how my HMO didn’t cover it so ever since then I went on spending lockdown. Haven’t spent on literally anything since then other than my Agust D ticket.

How old do you want to be when you get married? I used to want to get married in my late 20s, but by the looks of things marriage isn’t in the cards anymore.

How old will you be at your next birthday? I’ll be 25!

9 What’s

What is the most important part of your life? Right now, it would be my personal life and just trying to stay happy. Family’s health is just as important to me, too. I’ve stopped placing my career as top priority.

What did you do last weekend? I caught up on the newest Wrestlemania and a bunch of recent WWE storylines by watching compilations and segments/promos. Literally I have not watched this much wrestling since 2014; it’s super refreshing, and yet I feel right at home. Which is what wrestling has always made me feel, anyway.

We also finally settled our Yoongi concert dilemma – all 4 of us are seeing him in Bangkok. :)

What did you last cry over? Listening to Agust D’s People earlier.

What are you worried about? Catching up on work starting tomorrow because I’m sure there’ll be a fuckload of it waiting to crash down on me. I’m not mega mega anxious because I did do some preliminary work last night and tonight (ily self thanks for powering through despite it being a long weekend), but STILL.

What is your mother’s name? Abby.

What always makes you feel better when you’re upset? Petting my dogs, YouTube videos, BTS.

What would you rather be doing? Anything but mentally bracing myself for work.

What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other? I’m not looking, but I’d appreciate anyone who wouldn’t gaslight, I guess...and someone who doesn’t think they’re always right, and someone who is actually capable of apologizing when necessary.

What did you have for breakfast? Spicy chicken tenders with rice.

EIGHT Have You’s

Have you ever done something outrageously dumb? At this point, haven’t we all at least once?

Have you ever had sex on the beach? No, I haven’t.

Have you ever been backstabbed by a friend? Sure.

Have you ever been out of the country? I have a few times, yeah.

Have you ever dated someone younger than you? The gap was literally a month and half lol but if we were being technical and strict about this question then yeah.

Have you ever liked someone who already had somebody? Nope.

Have you ever been brokenhearted? Yeah.

Have you ever read an entire book in one day? Mostly when I was in my teenage years.

SEVEN Who’s:

Who is the last person you saw? My mom briefly opened my door a couple of hours ago to say goodnight.

Who is the last person that you texted? Some media person who texted me earlier. During the long weekend. Pissed me off ngl hahaha but I still replied to get it over with.

Who called you last? Angela.

Who is the last person you hung out with? Angela, Hans, and Angela’s coworkers; we watched an open night. Who did you hug last? I think it may have been Marla. It’s weird; we’ve never actually directly worked together much, but for some reason we’ve developed some sort of mutual fondness? Hahaha like if we happen to be at the office at the same time we’d literally run to one another and hug. Must be the solidarity that comes with being a corporate slave or something like that lol. 

Who is the last person that texted you? The said media person who texted me first earlier today.

Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? Andi.

SIX Where’s:

Where does your best friend live? A good 20-minute drive away; it’s one of the cities next door but you don’t need to know which one it is.

Where is your favorite place to be? Some spot with good nightlife makes me the happiest and most content.

Where did you sleep last night? The foldout sleeping bags I keep under my loft bed. It’s just not possible to sleep on my actual bed this summer; it’s a big hassle to keep bringing my electric fan up and down the stairs, and it’s not like I keep my AC on all night – I turn it off just before I go to bed and within an hour or so I would 100% start sweating through my clothes unless I have the fan pointed towards me.

Long explanation but anyway that’s the room situation for the next few months: Go with my sleeping bags on the ‘ground’ level, where I can conveniently have the fan pointed at me.

Where did you last hang out? The bar where the aforementioned comedy night was happening.

Where do/did you go to school? I went to UP for college but that’s as much as I’m able to share.

Where did you last adventure to? Just around BGC. I had an event that day but nevertheless the whole experience still felt like an adventure. It’s always nice and freeing to be in BGC.

FIVE Do’s/Does:

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Every now and then, but it’s not a thought that actively consumes me.

Do you think anyone despises you? Idk man. Even if someone does, I wouldn’t want to entertain the thought.

Do you like someone right now? Nopes.

Does the future scare you? I try not to be. It’s healthier to stay in the present.

Do you have any secret powers? Um, let’s go with no.

FOUR Why’s:

Why are you best friends with your best friend(s)? Our humors and personalities have clicked for the last 18 years, and we never abandoned one another when we needed our friendship the most.

Why did your parents give you the name you have? They thought it sounded nice. Also was a little nod to the Swedish singer with the same name.

Why did you get a myspace? I got one forever ago because I assumed everyone was on it...to which I quickly realized it was largely an American audience, and Filipinos were actually largely on Friendster and Multiply instead hahaha.

Why are you doing this survey? I’m just trying to finish up the backlog I’ve racked up on my liked surveys tab. I will say I know I’ve taken this one before, but the format is really interesting so I didn’t have a problem retaking it now.

THREE If’s:

If you could have one super power what would it be? Wealth. Or, if we’re speaking to Work Perfectionist Robyn, the ability to think of award-winning campaigns all the time.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you? Not a thing.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Korea.

Two Would-you-ever’s:

Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love? Sure.

Would you ever get back together with any of your exes if they asked you? No.

Last one:

Are you happy with how your life has turned out? Yes.

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 15

A/N: Hey y'all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. It was a busy one for me. Hence why this chapter is a few weeks late. Anywho, here’s Part 2 of Liam’s POV. We’ll get back to Riley’s POV next chapter.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @aworldoffandoms @dcbbw @ladyangel70 @texaskitten30 @sunandlemons @jlynn12273 @indiacater @jared2612 @rainbowsinthestorm @drakesensworld @badchoicesposts @msjr0119 @katurrade @blackcoffee85 @cynicalworlds-blog @hopefulmoonobject @cmestrella @sugarandspice-milkandhoney @superharrietsuper @custaroonie @lady-calypso @ritachacha @olympianpantsuit @desiree-0816 @the-soot-sprite @kate-mckenzie @narrytheworld @octobereighth @lynne1993 @queen-anastasia-universe @loveellamae​ @sarzkh31

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Liam helps to mend the rift between Hana and Riley.

The first thing on my agenda is to get to Mara. I know she’s been compromised by my ex-wife, so getting her to confess will be tricky. Leo and I go over how he’ll get Madeleine to spill as we ride through Manhattan in my McLaren P1. Bastien, my most loyal employee, tipped me off to where Mara and the new nanny will be with Philip today, so I took a long lunch to try and get some answers from her.

“So, where is Madeleine’s faithful lackey today?” he asks.

“Bastien said she and Belinda took Philip to the playground.”

My brother nods and taps a message on his phone. “I got ahold of your ex this morning. She wants to have dinner tonight. She’s leaving the kids with Rashad so she can meet me.” He chuckles. “Poor sucker. At least she’s not your problem anymore.”

“Except she’s my children’s mother, so she’ll always be my problem.”

“What are you going to do about her if I get her to confess?”

I shrug my shoulders. I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Right now, I just want the goddamn truth so I can get my girl back. Yes, I called Riley my girl. Even though she won’t speak to me and she’s got another man, I’m not giving up.

We pull up to the park and exit the car. The weather is cooler this time of year, so I fasten the buttons of my dress coat and make my way toward the playground. Leo and I scan the area for any sign of Mara and after a few moments, he spots her standing near the slide. Belinda is sitting on the bench, rifling through her tote bag.

When I approach, Philip is the first to see me. “DADDY!” he shouts and leaps off the monkey bars, sprinting across the playground. He latches himself onto my leg. I pick up my son and toss him in the air before planting a kiss on his cheek. I look into his blue eyes and my heart bursts. To be honest, I had doubts that he was my son after I found out Madeleine cheated during our marriage. But one look at him dispelled them. I had a paternity test done to be absolutely sure, but sometimes I think about what I would have done if he wasn’t mine.

Mara sees me and her eyes bug out of her skull. She turns to Belinda and alerts her of my presence. “Sir?” she says as they approach me.

“Belinda, take Philip over to the swingset. I need to speak with Mara privately.”

The nanny nods and ushers my son away from us. I motion for Mara to take a seat on a nearby bench.

“Everything alright, sir?” she says.

“I’m just dropping in to see how things are going with the new nanny. I know there were some issues with the last one, so I want to make sure we don’t have any similar problems going forward.”

She bobs her head. “Things seem to be going well, sir. From what I’ve seen, Ms. Stewart is having no trouble carrying out her duties.”

“That’s good to hear. Any issues with the paparazzi?”

“Nothing we can’t handle, sir. Sometimes they camp out wherever we go, but they’ve left us alone for the most part.”

I nod. “That’s good. The safety of my children is very important, Mara. I want to make sure the people in charge of them are not putting them in harm’s way.”

“I agree, sir. I take my job seriously.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Because I would have a huge issue if I knew those people were deliberately putting my kids at risk.”

She visibly swallows. “Uh...sir. I-I don’t know what you mean.”

I look over at Philip as I speak and clench my fists. “Mara. I know the tabloids called you. Do you know how I know? My friend Olivia. I assume you’ve met her. Well, she knows someone at Trend. Her contact told us everything. They gave us your name. How much did they give you, Mara?”

Her eyes go wide and she fidgets with the hem of her jacket. “Sir. Please. I don’t kn…”

I hold my hand up, stopping her. “Mara. There’s no use denying it. I know my ex-wife is behind this, but I want to know how you are and you’re going to tell me.”

She bows her head and exhales. “I swear to you, sir. I didn’t know what Ms. Karlington was going to do. She told me to gather dirt on Miss Brooks. She said it was for the benefit of the kids. I didn’t know she was planning to sell the story to the tabloids. She had me plant a listening device in Miss Brooks’ phone when she wasn’t looking. That’s how I knew about you two. That you were involved.”

I cock my eyebrow. “How long did you know?”

“Not very long, sir. Ms. Karlington suspected something after the scholarship benefit. That’s when she had me bug Miss Brooks’s phone. We were able to take the recordings and sell them to the tabloids along with the details of your divorce. I’m so sorry, sir. She threatened to have me fired if I didn’t cooperate.”

Of course, she did. “Why though?”

“She said it was because of the divorce. If you would have just agreed to her arrangement, none of this would have happened.”

I drag my hand down my face. Why am I gasping? I already knew that. The so-called “arrangement” Mara is referring to is one Madeleine brought up after I filed. She suggested that we stay married for our “public image,” but that we could both have people on the side. I laughed in her face. “So, how much did they pay you?”

Mara pauses, unable to meet my eyes. “$50,000, sir.”

That’s it? That’s less than what we pay her yearly salary. I shake my head and rise from my seat. Mara stands and addresses me. “Sir? I’m genuinely sorry for any pain I may have caused you and Miss Brooks. I understand if you can no longer retain my services.” She starts to walk away when I call out to her.

“We’ll figure that out later. In the meantime, I trust you won’t tell my ex-wife about our little chat?”

“No, sir,” she says, shaking her head. She makes her way back to Philip and Belinda. I run my fingers through my hair and head back to the car, where my brother leans against the hood.

“Well? How did it go? Did she sing like a canary?”

I smirk and press the unlock button on my keyfob. “She did.”

He grins and brings his hand to his mouth, kissing his fingers. “Delicious. Now, we just need Madeleine to give us an encore.”

***

Later that afternoon, I’m back at the office, finishing up some quarterly reports when my cellphone chimes. I pull it from my suit jacket to see a text from Leo.

Perfect. Now for part two of my “master plan.” I close my laptop down and grab my coat off the back of my chair. I exit my office and head down the hall towards the elevator. As I step in and descend towards the lobby, I call up Drake.

“Hey, man. You on your way over?”

“Yep. Just leaving the office. Is she there?”

“She showed up a few minutes ago. You sure this will work?”

I sigh. “I hope so...”

He chuckles. “If not, I guess it’s back to escorts and porn for you.”

That’s my best friend for you. Always busting my balls. In all the years we’ve been friends, he’s never been one to let me sit around and feel sorry for myself. But he’ll always have my back when I need him. “Fuck you, man. I’ll see you in about half an hour.”

He laughs and I hang up the phone. I get into my car and head to my destination. When I pull up outside the building, my nerves start to get the best of me. Snap out of it, Li. You can do this. I inhale deeply and exit the car and make my way inside. I stride down the hallway and stop in front of the door. I take another deep breath and knock twice. A few moments later, it swings open.

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Meghan. Is Hana home?”

She eyes me incredulously. “Yeah. I’ll get her. Just a second.” She steps back and allows me to enter the apartment. I look around as Meghan retreats down the hallway. Pictures of her and Hana line the walls of the living room. I smile to myself. My eyes catch a photo of her and Riley in graduation caps and gowns. This one must have been from their college graduation.

“Liam? What are you doing here?” Hana asks as she enters the room. She’s surprised to see me, but it passes quickly and the shock is replaced with a smile. She walks up and I wrap her up in a hug.

“Hey. Nice place you got here.”

We separate and she gestures me to sit down. “What’s going on? Is everything okay? No offense, but you’re the last person I expected to show up here.”

I nod. “Yeah, everything is fine. I was hoping I could get your help.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Uh...sure. What for?”

I rub the back of my neck. “I heard what happened between you and Riley and I’m sorry that I had a hand in it.”

“It’s not your fault. Riley’s actions were her own. No matter what happened between you and her, it had nothing to do with me.”

“I understand that, but I feel partly responsible. I just want you to know that.”

She nods. “Don’t be. Now, what can I help you with?”

“I need you to help me get Riley back.”

I hear Meghan guffaw from the kitchen. An understandable reaction. Hana looks towards her and frowns, then looks back to me. “You know she and I haven’t spoken in almost a month, right?”

“I do, but I’m hoping to help you out too. I know you guys were super close and this distance has been hard on both of you. Even if I can’t win her back, I want to help you mend your friendship.”

Hana folds her hands in her lap and stares at the floor. We sit in silence for several minutes; I don’t say anything and allow her to gather her thoughts. She finally clears her throat and looks at me. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

Ten minutes later, Hana, Meghan and I are in my car on our way to the Double Tappe. Hana sits in the front seat, tapping on her phone. Meghan speaks up from the backseat. “Are you sure you want to do this, Hana? She owes you an apology. You don’t owe her anything,” she states, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Hana covers Meghan’s hand with her own and turns to me. “She’s my best friend. I’ve been kind of stubborn as well through all of this. She’s called me several times over the last month to apologize. I haven’t answered her calls, but the truth is, I miss her. It’s been hard not speaking to her every day. If she’s willing to make up, I am too.”

I smile back at her. Hana is too pure for this world and Riley is lucky to have a friend like her. We pull up outside the Double Tappe and I see Maxwell standing outside, talking on the phone. He looks up and notices us, and a smile spreads across his face. He holds his finger up then wraps up his call.

“Hey, ladies! What brings you here on this fine evening?” he says, wrapping Hana up in a bone-crushing hug. She giggles and tries to wiggle free from his grip. After swinging her around like a ragdoll, he sets her down and grabs Meghan. She squeals as he picks her up, then releases her. I wrap my arm around Hana’s shoulder and the four of us make our way into the Double Tappe.

Drake is the first to see us. He looks up from mixing a drink and waves in our direction. His actions cause the girl at the bar to turn around. There she is. My breath catches in my throat. She looks at me, then at Hana, and her beautiful blue eyes go wide. I watch her as she takes in her best friend. She and Hana stare at each other for several seconds. Meghan gives Hana’s hand a gentle squeeze in encouragement. I can only imagine how they’re both feeling right now. Hana takes a deep breath and makes her way over to Riley. The two talk for a few moments, before making their way to the back of the bar.

I notice the tool I saw in her apartment last week sitting at the bar and my blood boils. Welp, time to audible this plan. I make my way to where he’s sitting at the bar and shake Drake’s hand.

“What can I get you?” he asks me, looking at the tool out of the corner of his eye.

“Give me the Macallan Lalique Single Malt.”

The tool turns to me, eyes bulging out of his skull. “You serve that here?”

Drake smirks. “Only for special occasions.”

The tool looks at Drake, then back at me. “That stuff is like $520 a shot”

“$525,” I reply, reaching in my wallet and tossing a handful of $100 bills on the bar. Drake takes the money and deposits it into the cash register, then hands me my change. I stuff several bills into the tip jar. The tool looks down at his drink, then looks up at me. His shocked expression amuses me.

“Dare I ask how you can afford that?”

I chuckle as I raise the glass to my lips and take a sip. Drake cocks an eyebrow at him. “You have no idea who he is, do you?”

The tool looks over at me, trying to figure out if he knows me. “You look really familiar. Like, I’ve seen you before, but I can’t place it.”

I reach into my suit jacket and retrieve one of my business cards, tossing it on the bar. He picks it up, studying the print. After a few seconds, his eyes widen and he looks back up at me.

“Wait, you’re Liam Rhys? Holy shit, man! You’re the king of this city! I’m Josh. It’s nice to meet you,” he says, extending his hand. I give it a quick shake and force a tight smile, but I cringe internally. Why am I playing nice with Riley’s new piece? He’s just going to be disappointed when I steal his girl back. He starts telling me about his job. I think he says something about being a financial intern for one of my competitors. Note to self: buy them out and fire his ass. I pretend to have an interest in what he says. Drake gives me a confused look from behind the bar, wondering where I’m going with this.

After several excruciating minutes of listening to Josh drone on about gods knows what, I pat him on the shoulder and excuse myself. I notice Hana sitting in one of the booths, with Meghan hovering over the table. I make my way over to them.

“Where’s Riley?”

Meghan nods her head towards the bathrooms. Perfect. I wink at her and make my way down the dimly lit hall. I stand outside the women’s room and wait for her to come out. After what feels like hours, the door swings open.

“Liam? What the hell?”

I stalk towards her and pin her against the back wall placing both hands on either side of her and caging her in. “You’re still with him?”

She glares at me. “Since last week, yeah. What business is it of yours?”

I lean in and inhale her scent. The mix of rose and jasmine makes me want to devour her right here. I run my nose along the base of her neck and she shudders. “You are my business, Riley. Have you slept with him yet?”

She shakes her head. “We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”

Oh, thank gods. “Then why was he shirtless in your apartment?”

She scoffs. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Have you thought about what I said?”

She looks up at me. “Did you figure out who framed me?”

“I did. Come home with me.”

“Liam…” she whispers as I plant soft kisses along her collarbone. She moans softly and grips the lapels of my jacket. My dick instantly hardens. Part of me is hoping the tool ...I’m sorry… Josh comes looking for her and finds us. I drag my lips up her throat and pull her bottom lip between my teeth. She inhales sharply, then pushes me away. “Tell me. Who was it?”

What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. The tabloid leak. “Who do you think it was?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anyone who would hate me enough to do that.”

“It was Madeleine. She found out about us so she had Mara sell it to the gossip mags.” I fill her in on everything Mara told me and Leo and my plans to get Madeleine to confess. Riley’s eyes glimmer with tears.

“W-Why would she do that?”

“Because she’s a hateful bitch. Why else would she try to make me miserable? This was never about you, babe. You were just collateral damage.”

She sniffles and wipes a lone tear away. “I don’t understand. Does she want you back?”

I laugh humorlessly. “No. She just wants the façade of the perfect marriage. She wants to have her cake and eat it too.”

Riley nods. “So, what are you going to do?”

“Well, as soon as I get everything I need from Leo, I’m taking her ass back to court and fighting for primary custody. I’m not letting her hurt my kids ever again. Or you.” I lean in and kiss her forehead.

She sighs. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, for starters, you could say, ‘I’m leaving Dickbag out there for you.’ Then, you could say, ‘Fuck me in the coat closet right now, Liam.’”

She giggles and slaps my chest. “I can’t do that to him. He deserves better.”

I capture her wrist and place a kiss on her palm. “Well, it’s going to be hard to continue dating him when you’re mine.”

She leans in and plants a chaste kiss on my lips. “Let me talk to him first. I owe him that much.”

I sigh and brush a lock of hair from her face. “Fine. But don’t take too long.” I leave her with one last kiss on the lips and stroll down the hallway back towards the bar. Josh is still there, talking Max and Drake’s ears off about something. I pass Hana’s table, where she and Meghan are snuggled inside the booth. “You guys need a ride home?”

Hana looks around then back to me. “No. I think we’re going to hang out for a little while.” Her eyes dart to the left and she rises from the booth, engulfing Riley in a hug. She looks back at me. “Thank you for everything, Liam.”

I give her a warm smile and wave goodbye to Drake and Maxwell as I make my way outside. I check my phone for an update from Leo. Nothing yet, but at least we’re heading in the right direction.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Sixty-Two: Your Policy ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Fugaku ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

He knows it’s going to be one of those days when the first thing he hears upon arriving at work is his father saying, “Sasuke, a word.”

...wonderful. What has he managed to do wrong this time? Sighing and putting his things down at his desk, Sasuke follows Fugaku into his office, closing the door behind him in preparation of a beratement.

The patriarch takes his time, making his way around his desk before taking a seat, leaning back with steepled fingers. “I just wanted to give you a little...warning.”

Dark brows furrow. “...warning? About what?”

“As I’m sure you know, we’re been doing performance reviews the last few weeks. And a few people are, unfortunately, going to have to be let go.”

For a moment, fear flickers in his gut. He...he can’t be one of them, can he?

After a brief pause, his father offers, “...I’m afraid your secretary is one on the list of those we’ll have to let go.”

Sasuke...blinks. Blinks again. “...you’re joking.”

“I’m not. She hasn’t been performing up to our standards, my son. Now,” he goes on, holding up a hand to stop his son’s rebuttal. “I know that the two of you have a rather...complicated relationship…”

Sasuke can’t help an outright snort. Complicated, huh? Yeah, sure. If you want to call a woman desperate for both attention and social standing badgering him into sleeping with her a time or two complicated. They aren’t dating. In fact, in a lot of ways, he’s become less and less able to stand her the last few months. Her attempts to wriggle her way into his social circle (and likely leech off of him, maybe for a promotion) have largely failed, and after indulging her out of a mixture of curiosity and pity...he finds her obnoxious, self-centered, and a nuisance.

So in truth? He’s glad. But he also knows this will rock the boat. Hence the warning.

“So, I just wanted you to be aware that I will be serving her her notice this morning. And I expect a rather brilliant fireworks display,” Fugaku mutters.

“Right...you don’t happen to need any errands run this morning, do you?”

Fugaku snorts, a hint of a grin curling his lips. “No, I’m afraid not. But, Sasuke…” Leaning forward, he braces arms atop his desk. “You might want to...reconsider your policy when it comes to the people you become involved with. Secretaries are just...a recipe for disaster. If you really have to date someone in our company, try another department, will you? Give us all a little breathing room?”

“I’m not dating her,” Sasuke retorts, nose wrinkling.

“Well, whatever it is...it’s going to make this all the messier than it would have been if you’d just kept your business relationships professional,” his father bats back. “Now, you’ve got work to do.”

“So...what am I supposed to do about a secretary in the meantime?”

“I’ll have one of the girls from billing step in for a bit - then we’ll see about hiring someone full time. I’ve already started going through a few applications.”

“Do I get any say? They’ll be my secretary, after all.”

“I think this is something best left to me,” Fugaku replies dryly. “You just...worry about today for now. The rest will follow in due time.”

...maybe he has a point. “All right...thanks for the warning.”

“Figured it was only fair.”

With that grim tiding, Sasuke retreats from the office and instead heads toward his own. Maybe he can position a file cabinet against his door to bar it shut in case she tries to come in and strangle him. He might not be the reason she’s getting fired - it’s rather clear it’s her own fault - but he can picture now how she’ll be trying to spin this to make him the bad guy. Because surely she knows that the end of her career also means the end of this...whatever the hell they’ve got going on. And given how clingy she’s been...he’s really not sure what she’ll be more angry about.

All he knows is...she’ll be very, very angry. Sweet facade aside, that woman has a temper…

Closing his door and attempting to make himself look small behind his desk, he just...gets to work, occasionally glancing up to see if she’s arrived yet.

Five minutes before the day officially begins, she shows up, going about her morning routine...only to pause at an intercom from her phone he can’t hear with the door closed. Pointedly looking at his monitor, he can still feel her eyes boring through the window at him.

Here we go…

While Sasuke is sure his father will be as cordial as he can be (though his base nature is rather...gruff and unyielding), he knows there’s no avoiding the blowup. So when he swears he can feel stomping footsteps, he peers warily around the edge of his screen.

To his honest surprise, there’s no yelling, or screaming. Just a very red, purse-lipped woman collecting her things (very angrily) from her desk, shoving them into a box before making her way to the elevator.

It’s then she yells. Just a few words. Very...vulgar words that make even Sasuke flinch, the rest of the floor surely hearing it (and maybe even the entire building).

Risking a glance back up, he looks to his phone at an incoming comm. “Well...it could have been worse,” Fugaku sighs through the speaker.

“True…”

“Your temporary gal will be here in a few minutes - just give her a rundown, and she’ll be fine.”

“All right, will do.” Letting the ‘call’ end with a long sigh, Sasuke doesn’t bother to get back to work until she arrives - he’ll only have to stop and start again. Instead, he watches the window, only standing when a figure hesitantly steps up to the desk, glancing around as if in search of help.

Opening the door, he takes a moment to look her over.

She’s a bit shorter than his previous partner, and entirely different in build. Whereas the former had been rather lean and almost flat (in most regards), this one is...more rounded, with long dark hair and a heart-shaped face. Her outfit is mostly dark purples and soft blues, and he swears her eyes are huge! It’s like she looks right through him, like a doe in headlights. And unlike her predecessor, who was all edges, attitude, and temper, this one seems...soft, receptive, and attentive.

...she’s adorable.

Blinking, Sasuke balks for a moment. “You’re, uh...the temp?”

“Yes, sir. Hinata Hyūga. I’m, um...I’m from over in billing…? Mr. Uchiha asked if I could cover in light of you...losing your secretary. I hope I can be of help…!”

“I’m sure you will.” Doing his best to smooth out his facade, Sasuke puts hands in his slacks pockets, trying to look nonchalant. “All you really need to worry about is phone calls, and my schedule. Think of yourself as like...my day planner, but in person form. In all honesty, I’m not that busy - my brother’s the one who gets run more ragged. You’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“O-okay. I’ll do my best!”

“If you need any help with the software or anything, you can ping my brother’s secretary - she’ll walk you through it. She’s an old pro, so any questions you’ve got, she can handle. And she’s super friendly, so don’t sweat it.”

“Oh, I see...thank you! I’ll do my best!”

“Hopefully we’ll get someone new in here quick so you can get back to your right department, huh?” he asks, giving a hint of a grin.

“That would be nice, yes...n-not that it’s a problem being here! In fact, I...I volunteered for it. I’ve never been in this p-part of of the building. And I thought it would be a good learning experience - to, um...to work with one of the higher ups!”

...she really needs to stop being so stupidly cute. She just...oozes charm and sweetness! It’s not fair! “Yeah, uh...well, I guess you can give it a shot and see how you like it. Guess if it’s a good fit, you could always apply for it yourself, if you wanted..”

“Oh, I...I don’t know about that.” Hinata gives a nervous giggle. “But, um...I guess we’ll see! I b-better get started. If I need anything, I’ll...I’ll ping the other secretary.”

“Or you can ask me. I dunno much about the program they use, but anything else I can probably answer if she’s busy.”

“O-okay! Thank you, sir.”

“Please, just Sasuke - sir or Mr. Uchiha are too much like my dad,” Sasuke offers, grimacing slightly.

“Oh, right! I’ll...I’ll keep that in mind. So sorry, I -”

“Nothing to apologize for, Hinata. Don’t worry so much - it’s just a temporary thing. We’ll help you get through it. Besides, we’re the ones who owe you for stepping up to the plate.”

Her cheeks flush a delicate shade of pink. “R...right. Um...okay. Well, I...I’ll see what I can get started doing!”

Sasuke gives a slight smile. “Sounds good. I better get to it, too. Holler if you need anything.”

“I-I will!”

Retreating back to his office, Sasuke sits...and buries his face in his hands with a gusty sigh. Didn’t he just get lectured about this? Why the hell did the person who showed up have to be so...so…?

...well, at least she’s only here temporarily. Knowing that tone his father used, his next assistant won’t be anyone he’ll be likely to shack up with. And...now that he thinks about it...it was Fugaku himself who suggested someone in another department, right…?

For now, though...he’s going to have to grin and bear it. The poor thing’s going to be nervous and behind enough with her new learning curve without him trying to cozy up to her and being distracting.

That’ll just...have to wait.

                                                            .oOo.

     ...I feel like I wrote something similar to this before, but...I'm getting to the point where I can't tell what's been done in this challenge, or maybe things from past events, so...if it's a bit repetitive, my bad xD But I'm exhausted and in a bit of a rush, so...this is what my brain gave me!      ...I love this trope, honestly - it's SO cliche, but...I'm a sucker for cliches, haha~ I'd like to do more if I get the chance, but y'all know how that goes by now lol      Anywho, it's late and I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow, so best to call it a night! Thanks for reading~

[ambtheauthor]

Q1. Update

So what's next?

I appreciate all those who have read my previous books and been patient for some series to be completed. You don't have to wait too long because I focus on finally getting them done. I know most authors complete them in order, but I had so many books on my mind that I wanted to get done, and sometimes when one story is more inspiring for me, I'll work on that and put the others on hold.

And sometimes, I get ahead of myself, thinking I can work on multiple books at one time or be able to complete a book by a specific time and jump right into the next one. But none of those situations have worked for me.

And I have taken advantage of not meeting my audience yet, so no one is hounding me to complete certain books. And I'm hoping once I get everything done, my audience will be present and be able to read the complete series without wondering when the next part is coming.

Two series are long overdue, but I'm in the process of getting it done. I wanted to be done by now, but after completing Soul EATS, I thought I could take a break for a week and just get back in, but chile 😓 WRITER'S BLOCK snuck up on me, and I just couldn't bring myself to write. I tried and could write a couple of sentences, but the flow wasn't there, and I don't like forcing anything. But I think my mind was just trying to tell me to relax and rest 😌.

I definitely feel relaxed and ready to get back to it. So that brings me to say that Bre 2 and It's Complicated 3 are on the way. I don't like to usually talk about what's next or hint at anything because nothing I plan goes through. My deadlines never worked out but only once with Cupid's Quest, but even that was off a little bit.

Anywho, my priority is to finish these two books before starting something new, and I'm excited. Every book I write is my favorite, but Bre and Ebony's stories are probably in the top bracket. I feel like these books challenge me as a writer to dive deeper into my characters and make their thoughts and emotions relatable and real. And I look forward to continuing that for their finale and giving them their happy ending 🥰.

UP NEXT: Bre 2 [June/July]* It's Complicated 3 [TBD]

*Hoping sooner than that 🤞🏾*

There are other books I want to get done too, but I'm just focused on completing Bre and Ebony. If you read Good Girl, Bad Habits, you may be wondering when Jasmine's book is coming. And if you read Bre, you're wondering when Wayne, Raquel, Eric, Chianne will get a spin-off.

It's coming..trust me, I already have the outline for their stories, and if I have time this year, Wayne, Raquel, Eric, Chianne's spin-offs will be dropped. They won't be individual. I have an idea 💡, but I don't want to give it away yet—but it's worth waiting.

And Jasmine's will probably be next year. The very first thing I'll drop. Jasmine's story is more personal, and I have a lot to write for her, so I don't want to rush.

Thank you for being patient, and I hope you look forward to reading everything I plan to produce. I'm already in my bag about these stories 👜🤩.

I don't mind showing sneak peeks while you wait. Hopefully, I build up an audience, and y'all follow the blog to keep updated because there's so much I want to do! 🤍

-AmbtheAuthor

[catshapecuck]

“I could start smelling you”

So do y'all know that part in the dark vs anti bloopers where they’re looking at each other and then start laughing and Jack jokingly says “I could start smelling you” well I’m awful and decided to right a short one shot based around it sorry anyways so this one shot is all basically in Jack’s pov unless stated otherwise there’s no septiplier it’s mostly just anti being a dick it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted but anywho enjoy I guess (if you want a version without zalgo just comment and I’ll post it)

[]

“So it’s decided then. The Jackscepticeye will be spending the weekend at my house. Wow, I think I might just faint.” Mark says while fanning himself exaggeratedly.

I roll my eyes. “Shut up, Mark. Or should I say Markiplier?” I raise my eyebrow at him, teasing.

He chuckles. “Alright, alright. I gotta go give Chica a walk. I’ll see you friday?”

“Mhm. I’ll text you the flight times. Bye!” I smile.

Mark waves with a bye before ending the call.

I sat back with a sigh. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d gotten to sit down and have a good chat, nevermind see each other in person.

I hear a giggle beside my ear. “Lo̸o̢k̛s͟ ̵li͘k̡e͝ ̶y̛ou ͘a͝nd yo͏ur p҉r̨inc̨e͝ ͟wi͠ll͜ fina̡lly͡ ͠b̶e�� r̴e̕u̢nìte͜d̶ ͘aft͜er͝ s̴o ̶lon͏g.̕ ̢A̷h̀,͜ yơun̢g ͡love,͞ ͏h͢ow̕ ̧p̀r͞ec̵io͟us̨.͜.͝.͏” I roll my eyes.

“Knock it off, Anti. For the last time, we’re just friends.” I didn’t even turn to look to the side, already knowing he’d be right there floating in the air, a smirk plastered on his face.

“T͢h҉a̕t’s ̧ẃh́at t͢h҉e̶y ̛all say, ̵Jack̶ie..̶.” I sigh again. God, it’s like talking to a brick wall.

“I don’t have time for this right now. I need to start preparing back up videos and getting my shit together; go and play games or somethin’.”

“H̀mp̧h͢,͞ ͡you̧'͜ré n̶o͟ f͝un̕..̛.”

I shiver as he enters back into my body, most likely going back into the mindscape to sleep.

Not only was it gonna be hard enough to film enough videos for 3 days whilst getting ready to go spend the weekend at Mark’s but Anti isn’t gonna make it any better. Mark knows about Anti and I know about Dark but the two haven’t met and neither have we. And Anti being Anti well… You just never know what he’ll do.

This is gonna be a long week…

_

Mark’s POV

I wave and press end call.

“So I take it Sean will be spending the weekend with us.” I jump and turn my chair around to look at Dark who stands on my left in his usual stance, hands behind his back.

“Jesus, Dark. You can’t just sneak up on me like that.”

“My apologies; so is that a yes or no?”

“Yes, Sean is coming over for the weekend.”

“Ah, I assume Anti will be coming as well. I can finally see what I’m up against.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not "up against” anything Dark. In fact, you need to be on your best behavior.“ He glowers and says nothing before dissolving back into the shadows. I sigh.

_

"Ąh̛, t͜he ͏s̕w͞e̴ȩt̵ ̴smell ̵o͠f̵ di̶ab̶etes͏ ̛and͢ ͠d͟emoc͝racy͢.͟.̸.̷ ̛J͟u͏s̢t ̧h́o҉w̕ ͟I͡ ̸ṕi̵çtured͏ ̴it."͟ Anti says as soon as we get out of the little tunnel connected to the airplane. He’d come out as soon as I’d gotten off the airplane. I guess he’d gotten bored of just annoying me in my head so instead decided to annoy me in person. No one could see him except me obviously and it was hard to berate him without looking insane. He kept glitching ahead of me as we made our way to get my luggage but had now settled down to float beside me.

"I ͝çan'̛t wa̶i̕t҉ ́t͞o ͝f͜in͝a͏lly̷ s̴ee͘ M͠arki͞m̢oo͠ in p̷ers͏on. I҉ ̸w̨ond͘er h̛ow ̀t҉áll͝ ͝he҉ is̶…̵"̨ Anti had been talking about Mark the entire flight and wouldn’t shut up to even let me take a nap.

We get to the luggage conveyer belt thing and wait for it to start coming out. Anti walks back and forth in the middle of it, hands behind his back.

"You sound like you’re more excited to see him then I am.” I say under my breath.

“W͞èll͢ ýou͠'͞re͢ ͢co͜n̢st͡a͢n͞t͟l͟y t̀a͏lk҉i͞ng to͡ ͟him ̷a͠n͡d̢ yoų ̧k̢eep̛ ̀re͝f̨u̧sin͟g t̛o s̵how҉ ̶me͟ ̶hiś ̨I͟P͘ ̕ad̨d̀rȩs̕ş ͝so tha͢t͢ ̴I ça̕n ͞go͜ ̴s̴e̛e͠ ̸h҉i͟m ́so͜ ͜th͢e̡ m̵yster҉y͝ is ̵kill̕in͟g mȩ.̧”

I wish.

“Well now you can finally see him. You do know you’ll also be seeing Dark too right?”

He shrugs. “́Ȩh͝,͢ I c̵óu̧ld reálly ̶do̢ ẃit̢ho͜ut ̸him̛ ̶b͟ut hey͞ wha͝t ̷c͝a͞n ̡you͞ ḑo?̕"̵

I grab my luggage from the conveyer belt and Anti appears beside me, well, behind me on my suitcase as I start walking.

"́So lover ̀b͝oy ͝i̧s͡ ̢picking ̢you ̧u̡p?"̷Anti says with a teasing tone. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, why?”

“̛O͝h̴ y̵'̡know, th̕e͝y ̀s͞ąy͜ 9 ̀o҉u̧t ̕of҉ ̕1͘0 p̨e͏opl͡e͡ ͠d̵ie͘ ̧f̨r͠om̷ ͝di̵str͘ác̸t̨ed͝ d͡ri̢v͞įng͏.͏.͞.̴”

“Anti…”

“͘A͜n̨d͠ I͘'d̶ ͟be͏ ̷p͞r̨e͝t̛ty dįst͜r̸ac̨te͠d ͘myşel͠f wit͘h͞ a̴ļl t̵hat ͟he͜a͞t ́g͢o̸iǹ'͏ on͜…͏”

“Anti, don’t you dare…”

“́He̸y, I'm̢ ̡j̴u͡st̢ ͟şa̵y̨in̡’ ͏tha̵t͏ ͞m̢áyb͞e yo͜u sh̢o͘uld ͘p̶ųl̸l̸ ov͘er b͞e̢f͘ore҉ you͜ ̨d̴e͡çide t̀o ̡pu̸ļl ̡oùt́ if̡ y͝a̵ ͘kn͝o̢ẃ ͠w͝hat I͞ m͡eaǹ..̛."͜

"Anti!” I shout, stopping in the middle of the airport, people sending me glances of what is probably what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-that-guy as Anti giggles and then bursts out laughing, retreating back into my mindscape.

“Hehe… Sorry?”

_

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Mark says bowing dramaticallyat the side of the door. I laugh and walk inside, my suitcase trailing behind me. He shuts the door then leads me to his guest room where I put all my stuff.

“I’ll get dinner started if you want to settle in or something.”

I smile. “I rather harass you while you cook instead.”

He laughs and we head to the kitchen where I sit at his breakfast bar while he goes from cabinet to cabinet pulling out various ingredients and pans.

“So what’re ya making?” I say.

“It’s a surprise.” Mark stops for a second to wink at me and I laugh.

“Speaking of surprises-”

“Mark, where is my book? I know you moved it, don’t even try to lie.” I turn my head to the side to see who I assume is Dark coming from the hallway into the living room.

The whole place is pretty open so the kitchen, living room, and dining room are all together in one area and then there’s a hallway that leads to my room.

“Oh, I hadn’t realized you were here yet. Hello, I am Dark. You must be Sean.” He says as I hop off my stool to cautiously walk towards him. He keeps his hands behind his back but gives a small bow.

“Yeah, that’s me…” Wow͞, y͟ou h̵a̡v͏e̢ s̴u͡c̷h a wa͡y w͡i͏t̀h̀ wor͢d͢s͝.͡

“Shut up…” I whisper. Dark looks at me quizzically. “Anti,” I say, pointing at my head.

Mark comes around to join us in the living room and stands next to Dark.

“Ah, will he be joining us this evening?” Dark says.

“Um, I don’t know… He’s kind of…” W̷h̸at d̨o͞ ya̛ ́ḿe̛a̸n you ̀d͞on̨'͞t̕ kno̸w?͜!́ S҉o͏ He̶ ̧c͞an͞ ̀c͡óm͜e͏ ͡ou͠t̕ ͝but ̢I̧ ͜can̕'t̸!͏ ̸

“God, you can come out just stop yelling…” I say, rubbing my temples. As soon as I say it, the tv turns on to static, the coffee maker sounds like it’s dying, and the lights start to blink. Mark looks a bit worried as this all starts while Dark just looks around not betraying what he thinks.

“Jesus, you’re dramatic…”

_

Mark’s POV

Glitchy giggling is heard all around as what looks like green smoke starts to come out of Sean’s chest like a stereotypical ghost. He shivers as soon as it stops and starts to form into what looks like a human.

The smoke becomes clearer and what’s left standing is an exact copy to Sean but with ripped black jeans, a black shirt, gauges, and huge cut across his throat, blood oozing out of it.

He opens his eyes and I almost jump as his eyes are fully black but soon clear to Sean’s regular blues.

“O͜h̀, h̕o̕w ex̴cit̕i͠ng!̛"He giggles and starts to step towards me. "Mar͞ki̵m͡oo in͝ ͜th̴e̵ ̴fl̀e͟s͝h̵ an͘ḑ ̴his͜ ͝emo͡ ͠siḑek̡i̡çk̀…͡ ͡I͞'͝d t̷h҉ǫug͜ht you ͠w͝o͡u͢l͠d̴ be tal͢l͞eŗ.̸” His whole body glitches and then he’s behind me. He keeps going around me, glitching here and there… smelling me?

“Are you smelling me?” I ask but look towards Sean who is still rubbing his head.

“Yeah, he does that whenever he meets anyone. He’s like a damn dog…” He basically whispers the last part.

He finally stops glitching everywhere but is now in front of Dark. Oh god…

“Ah ͜an͝d͏ ̢Pa͟nic̕!At t́h͡e͘ D̷i̡sco h͜im͠sȩl̀f.̡..̵”

“I have a name.” Dark says, clearly irritated.

“̛Óh͜, I͘’m s͡orry͟ ͘Dar̛ki͘po̡o, ͠yǫu ̀k̸n̡ow̵ w͘ha͠t'͏s̶ r̶ea̢ļly̵ fu̵ņny̛?̴ U̧m ̕yeah͡,͘ ̷I̧ ̷do͟ń'̸t ̴ca͏r͠e.̨"̡

Dark seems to grow angrier and I can already tell…

This is gonna be a long weekend.

[sorcyress]

State of the Social Media, 2017 Hi friends!! It's been a loooong time since I last checked in about this, and Russia has made an update Weirdly Relevant, so let's talk social media! I'm gonna post this everywhere I mention, except on Twitter where I'll just link it, because I do not hate my twitter friends that much. SO! I use social media! Let's talk about which and how. This is going to be a real-person post, which means long and rambling. I may make a tl;dr for Facebook. Livejournal:(KDSorceress) WELL OKAY FINE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. I WON'T USE THIS ANYMORE. Okay, no, realistically I have given up on online privacy *and* my Russian-speaking-friend who uses LJ doesn't seem to be bailing, but given that EVERYONE ELSE has pretty much finally bailed...it's time to drop it entirely, and that's a bummer. So I'm gonna turn off cross-posting (MASSIVE WINCE) and abandon the place I've updated at least once a month for the last 161 months1. That's over thirteen years, my livejournal is old enough to start its own livejournal. But it's okay because I'll be finally fully transitioning to... Dreamwidth:(Sorcyress Wooooo! Open-source! Community-controlled! Transparency and not randomly deleting journals and not run by a government that thinks Teh Gay is a major league problem and why was I on elljay in the first place? Anywho, DW is where I put long-style thoughts, and Real Serious Life Stuff! It's my (new) home. I have never given up on longform personal blogging, and I still love it more'n anything, and I want the rest of you to return to it. Meanwhile, you can also find Real Serious Life Stuff on... Twitter:(@Sorcyress) This is where I have been dumping my serious stuff in sortof the immediate, because...I...also don't have attention for longform blogging right now? Please see my eighty part tweet-saga on "does Kat have health insurance and/or medication for their ADHD this week?", which I have been performing 140 characters at a time for the last six months. Also, there's a *lot* of selfies. If you wanna see my face, you gotsta follow my tweets. Tumblr:(Sorcyress My Tumblr is an uncoordinated cesspit, and I mostly just reblog stuff that I theoretically want to follow up on later somehow, but then don't. I really should stop using Tumblr. You are welcome to follow me there, I provide no original content and very little original commentary, but you might still find my curation cool or useful or something. Meanwhile, on the offline side of the internet you have... Facebook:(Firstname Lastname, go ahead and ping me privately if you want it) Facebook is what I use to speak to lots of people at once --lots of "hey I need a thing from y'all" but also it's the place where my party ideas show up and invites and stuff. I also post a weirdly high amount of genderstuff, because I remain eternally thrilled that Facebook lets me set my gender accurately and my pronoun correctly. Anyways, because Facebook has my wallet name attached instead of my handle, I also behave all delicately and professionally and whatnot. This means I don't swear on my own page2, and don't link to my handle! Places I am no longer include: deviantART, Sluggy.net, any other forums...Iunno. The rest of the world I used to be on? Oh yeah, OKCupid, which isn't really social media and I never really used it, but I've pretty much wholly abandoned it. And that one bounty-hunter3 website that a certain subset of my friends list is thinking of, yes I still have an account, every few months I'll post a thing, but I hardly ever read or do anything else. Places I am not currently that you probably are: Instagram (I haven't gotten around to it), Pintrest (I fundamentally object to their screwing up of Google Image searches), Snapchat (Technically I have one, every few months I remember to look at my sister's timeline, but I do not "get" it like at all) Separate from social media, if you wanna get in touch with me, you can... Text me! After two decades of fundamentally hating telephones, I finally got a tiny-pocket-computer-that-incidentally-makes-phone-calls and I like it very much. I like getting random texts, and will do my best to respond, if whatever my job is allows it. IM me! I still looooove instant messanger, even though I'm not always the best at using it. When I am on the computer, I have access to GTalk and AIM (username on both: kdsorceress), when I'm on the phone, just GTalk. Call me? Please...um...I mean, I like having phone calls very rarely with a smallish subset of the People I Like, so please don't randomly call me for conversation without pinging me otherwise first? But if that's a thing you like, I mean, try pinging me and we'll see! Skype me! (Or Google Hangouts or whatever --the kleenex problem is coming for you, Skype.) I especially like utilizing this for the "I'ma work on cleaning my room and you work on cleaning your room" type stuff. Last big Skype chat I had, Tailsteak was inking or something, and I made a LEGO set! (my skype is Sorcyress, my google is kdsorceress) Email me! Oooo, I love getting emails! I am _absolutely terrible_ at replying to emails. You will not bother me if you send me reminder emails to reply to your email. Seriously. It is good for me! (kdsorceress at gmail dot com) Is there anything I'm missing? If you wish to get in touch with me on a social media I didn't specify, go ahead and email me at [insert appropriate email here]. Or leave a comment or whatever! Yay social media! ~Sor MOOP! 1: Except two, back in 2005 because I was being a petulant and sulky baby. 2: My grandfather objects, and again, I try to pretend that Facebook is professional even though I have it locked up pretty tight privacy wise. Of course, it's sFB, so those privacy settings could randomly change any day now. 3: I am very clever! Do you like how clever I am?