#especially with stress about Kaylee

[laila-woods]

Well..

Horns are new. 😟

[traffic-was-a-b1tch]

anthem of the heart

(jake kiszka x reader) 18+

summary: you and your best friend move into a new apartment after college, wanting a fresh start in nashville. however, you come to find that your neighbors are musicians. very loud musicians who like to keep you up at night. especially one, who likes to bother you on purpose. you would hate him… if he wasn’t so hot.

warnings for overall series: eventual SMUT!!!, angst, mentions of past abuse (not jake), abuse (not jake), mentions of past sexual assault (not jake), sexual assault (not jake), enemies to lovers, cursing, let me know if I missed any. (i’m still making this series up as I go along so it might change)

warnings for this chapter: heartache (my b guys it had to happen), arguing, crying, poor communication, cursing, mentions of sex, a certain abusive someone comes back into the picture… (again my b)

author’s note: hello everyone! I just want to say again that I appreciate all of you who have missed this series! and again: it is FINISHED! I will be posting all the parts right after each other! enjoy!

• • •

Chapter Eleven:

it had been four months since he asked you to be his girlfriend, and you were loving it.

you went to his gigs and he supported you at work by bringing you lunch most days. he was always teasing you about how big your office is. not to mention when he brought up how he could easily pretend to be a client and fuck you during work hours. that was a hard pass for you.

you talked endlessly about music, movies, art, work, politics, literally everything. you didn’t even argue a lot. which says a lot about your patience to deal with his band, and about his to deal with your work stress. it made it even better when kaylee and danny became official. you remember the two of you jumping on the bed like little kids in celebration.

it was truly the best summer of your life.

you and kaylee had been invited to countless band game nights, where you crushed them all at scrabble and got beat by sam and josh at charades.

“you’re saying words! that’s cheating, sam!”, jake argued.

“not if it’s just noises! I can make noises, that’s legal!”

you rolled your eyes at the stupidity radiating from the argument. “how do you deal with this?”, you asked danny while kaylee was snuggled against him on the couch.

danny took a long sip of wine and shrugged before answering, “I just enjoy seeing them spiral.” you and kaylee laughed hard at that.

it had been a great four months full of memories. but now, summer has ended and its late october. it was almost time for you to leave for work and you pulled on a coat before heading to the kitchen to grab your keys. you were almost exclusively living at jake’s. it was mostly due to the convenience, but also because danny always at your place with kaylee. let’s just say it isn’t peaceful in there with them.

“hey, beautiful”, jake greeted, flipping pancakes on the stove. “you want any?”

you walked to him, “I would but I gotta go. i’ll grab an apple.” he nodded and you leaned in, kissing him deeply. he pulled away, “don’t start something you can’t finish, baby.”

“who says I can’t finish it?” you reached around his hips to tease his low waistband.

he almost groaned, “the clock.”

you sighed, kissed him on the cheek, and backed away to the door. “fineee. have a good day and i’ll see you tonight.” after grabbing your keys, you were out of there and at work in 30 minutes.

the day went relatively fast, a few meetings and a lot of emails to answer. little bats and pumpkins decorated your office and brought a little halloween spirit to the large space. it was only a day away after all. at lunch you got a text from jake.

jake: i’m making dinner tonight. I have big news to tell you. grab some wine before you get home ;)

you smiled and replied that you would and you were excited. you always wanted to be home with jake, but now you really couldn’t wait to get home.

a few hours passed and you finished up your last bit of work before practically skipping out of work. you drove by the grocery store and picked up some wine, flowers, and candles. the excitement for his news was eating you up and you wanted the vibe to be right.

as soon as you walked back into the apartment, you got a whiff of something delicious. you kicked off your shoes and followed the smell to the kitchen, finding jake there, stirring a pot of sauce. you set down your groceries, work bag, and keys before walking up behind him and wrapping your arms around his neck. he turned and kissed you softly, making you melt.

“hey, baby. how was you day?”

“so much better now”, you answered.

you both smiled and you squeezed him once more before looking in the oven. “what are you cooking?”

he smiled sheepishly, “ratatouille.”

you looked back at him and giggled, “like from the movie?”

he defended it, laughing, “it’s a good dish! so what if it was popularized by a talking rat?” you were still laughing as you left to go change into some loungewear you keep at jake’s. a loose crop top and long comfortable pants were calling your name right now. you were just pulling on the top when jake called to you, saying dinner was ready.

you came back in to see jake plating the meal, so you decided to help. you put the flowers in water and set them on the table before popping open the bottle of wine and pouring two hefty glasses for you both. you gave jake his wine and sat, a beautifully colorful plate of vegetables in front of you. you took a bite and instantly fell in love with it. the roasted squash added an amazing flavor, and you regretted making fun of it.

“it’s good, huh?” jake smiled at you as he took a bite for himself.

“it’s incredible! where did you learn to cook like this?”

he chewed and chuckled before answering, “my mom.”

“I need to thank her”, you shook your head. “but I can do that later. right now, I need to know!”

he looked up at you and teased, “need to know what?”

“ughhh you know what I mean! i’ve been dying for you to tell me all day!”

“fine, fine”, he laughed. “remember the last show we did? the one at that bar, the end?”

you nodded. how could you forget? they were on fire that night. they played two new songs from their unreleased ep and the crowd loved them!

“of course! it was a great night for y’all!”

“well”, he continued, “a representative from lava records was there. they want us to sign with them and go on a small tour!”

you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“that’s AMAZING, jake! oh my god!!! this is so great for you!” you couldn’t help it. you got up and tangled him in a hug, your arms and legs wrapped around him. he spun you around, both of you squealing and laughing. when he stopped, you kissed him deeply and looked in his eyes with nothing but pride. you were so proud of him. your hardworking boy. your rockstar.

“well, where’s this tour?!”

“all over the states. josh got all the details but we’re gonna be gone for a few months at least. but trust me it’s a relatively short tour compared to what we’ll be doing in a year or so.”

you felt the wind stop in your sail for a minute.

“wait, what? you’re leaving for months at a time?”

“well, yeah”, he giggled, “that’s how it works, baby.”

“so, i’m not going to see you for months?!” you were trying to stop the hot whips of panic creeping up on you. this was a happy moment for him and you didn’t want to ruin it, but you didn’t realize that this was part of the deal.

“well, that’s what I wanted to say to you.” he smiled and grabbed your hands, “you’re coming with us!”

wait, what?

“we leave tomorrow!”

“wait, jake-“

“we invited kaylee, too! she’s packing as we speak.”

“jake”, you interrupted his happy rambling and he looked at you. you shook your head slowly, “I can’t.”

his expression slowly dropped from joy to confusion and he let you go, backing away a bit, “what do you mean? why not?”

“jake, I have work! a career. I can’t just leave.”

“well, this is my career and I can support us for a few months. you don’t have to worry about money!”

“it’s not about money, it’s about it being my job. i’ve worked so hard for this position. I can’t just leave for a few months.”

“why not? i’ve worked hard for this too!” his voice was starting to raise.

“calm down, jake. all i’m saying is that I can’t leave. this job needs me here, and i’m not just gonna let all that go just so I can be with you on tour for a small amount of time.” you reached out for him but he pulled away.

“you don’t want to let it go to be with me?”

“no, jake! that’s not what i’m saying! i’m saying that it’s a huge commitment! I doubt they’ll let me take months off and come back like nothing happened! I need this job, jake. i’ve worked years and years for it; it’s my dream job. I mean, we’ve only known each other for like five months, I can’t just drop everything and leave with you. it’s a huge leap of faith.”

“and? you don’t have faith in me? in us?” he kept backing away. it was like the more you were saying, the further he withdrew from you.

“no, jake. that’s not the point, you’re not listening-“

“no, you’re not listening! I want you there with me! I love you!”

you were left speechless.

you hadn’t said that word yet, even though you’d both felt it heavily over the past months.

“jake, I-“

“I love you. I need you there. please, do this with me.” he was getting emotional, every word dripping with genuine fear. “I can help you find a new job after. or, better yet, you won’t even need to work again! I can support us both with this!”

it was paining you to see him like this, but you knew what was for the better. if only you could make him see.

“jake. I spent four years at college and got a degree for this specific job. it’s my life. I can’t give it up for a relationship.”

he looked like you had shot him in the heart.

“so it’s your life? not me? i’m just some relationship?”

“jake-“, you pleaded.

“you won’t go?”, he asked finally. his eyes were killing you; he looked so sad. but he just didn’t get it.

with tears welling up in your eyes, you shook your head. he scoffed, looking away and nodding.

you grabbed his hand, “jake, see it from my perspective. you don’t understand-“

“oh, I understand plenty.” he swiped his hand out of your touch. “you don’t love me.” his eyes were now filled with anger and hurt, and he let them linger on yours for a minute.

tears fell down your cheeks as he stormed off to the bedroom. you wanted to tell him desperately that it wasn’t true, but he just wasn’t listening to you. this job won’t just wait for you, it will replace you. you’ve worked too hard for that to happen.

he came back in with a suitcase, probably the one he packed for tour, and ignored you trying to talk to him.

“jake, please. listen to me. it’s not that I don’t want to go. I really can’t. please, baby, don’t go right now. you can’t leave mad. what will happen to us?”

you had followed him to the door, and he finally whipped around to face you. “frankly, I don’t care what happens to us. you’ve made it clear that you don’t care either. you’ve made your decision.”

he stared into your eyes one last time, and you saw the brown in his gloss over with tears. “goodbye”, he choked out. he grabbed a pair of keys and slammed the door in your face. the silence was deafening, and you could barely hear yourself breathing. you dropped to your knees, sobbing and defeated.

“I love you.”

you could barely manage it. it was the truth that had been holed up in your throat this whole time. you were just a bit too late. you held your head in your hands, crying so hard your head started hurting.

you laid there, crying on the ground for at least an hour before you had the strength to stand up. you had to use the counter as support as you walked to the table. you collected the dinner plates with cold half-eaten dinner still on them, and took them to the sink. you washed them, dried them, and put them away before wrapping up what was left of dinner and putting it in the fridge. you were on autopilot, taking care of what needed to be done.

you went to the door to grab your keys and go home, but they weren’t there. jake’s were but yours were missing. he must’ve grabbed your keys instead of his own when he left. you winced at the memory, still a fresh wound. you didn’t even care anymore; you left, went the few feet to your apartment, and knocked.

kaylee answered, joy radiating from her smile as she said, “surprise! are you excit-“ she scanned your face and became instantly worried. “what happened?”

you can’t even help it. as soon as you see kaylee, you can’t pretend anymore. you can’t hold anything back. she’s your best friend. you immediately start sobbing again and fall into her arms.

“shhhh, it’s ok. what happened?”

you told her. every detail about the fight made you relive it and cry more. she just nodded and soothed you as best she could. she also tried to distract you from the suitcase laying on the floor, as she was probably in the middle of packing when you showed up crying. she led you to your bed and laid you down, tucking you in.

“every couple fights, babe. this one was just poorly timed. he won’t leave mad, i’m sure of it.” she ran her fingers through your hair, making you calm down. “just go to sleep. our flight leaves around six pm so I promise you’ll hear from him before then.”

you nodded, sniffling.

“plus, i’m going to be at danny’s tomorrow so i’ll talk to him and have him knock some sense into jake.”

you laughed softly and she squeezed your hand.

“thank you, kaylee. for everything.”

she gave you a smile,“I love you, girl. nothing will ever change that.”

kaylee left quietly with one last squeeze of my hand. darkness swallowed the room and you felt sleep tugging you under.

just sleep, you kept thinking. maybe you’ll see him in your dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the alarm went off and you grumbled. it felt like you had only slept for five minutes. you turned it off and sat up, the silence in your room paralyzing. you didn’t even dream of him. fuck, you were in too deep. you were willing to beg just to see him in your mind.

stop. you can’t do anything about it now.

time for work.

you got dressed in a black pantsuit with thin, white vertical stripes and white heels. you straightened your hair and put on light makeup.

just get through the day, you kept telling yourself. he’ll call soon. he has to.

the apartment was quiet, so kaylee must be with danny already. you weren’t hungry so you didn’t even look at the kitchen before heading for the door.

fuck. jake had taken your keys. you left the door unlocked so you could get back in after work, and left. you’d have to catch the bus.

forty minutes later, you were at work. it was a struggle to ride the bus, with its cramped, cold nature. but you had made it here in one piece. the building was buzzing with people, all clad in halloween costumes.

you forgot all about today.

you opened your office and were met with your boss. “hey, barbara. how are you?”

“oh, there you are! a little late today?” you could tell she was a little concerned, not trying to be rude. you had, in fact, shown up early or on time every day since you got the job.

“yeah, uh, car trouble. had to take the bus.”

“oh ok. I hope it gets fixed soon! I left our new clients file on your desk so you can get started on the paperwork. I don’t want you here after hours! it is halloween after all!”

you chuckled softly, trying to act as normal as possible, “yes, ma’am.”

you moved to sit at your desk and she started for the door.

“speaking of, where’s your costume? can you tell what I am? i’m a zombie!” she made a mock-scary face, and you had to admit that you did see her vision in the shades of green she was wearing and the unkempt hair.

you reached into your bag and pulled out your best attempt at a costume for today: a pirate’s eyepatch. you slapped it on and said, “happy halloween.”

she smiled, laughed, and left without another word.

the eyepatch was a bad idea. it reminded you of jake. it was a small part of a full pirate costume that you got to match with jake as a couples costume. you had planned on going to a halloween party tonight at josh’s and now…

this. what great fucking timing.

you weren’t worth a lick of work today. you tried your hardest to finish the bit of paperwork on your desk, but everything reminded you of him. no matter what you did, you couldn’t run from him.

lunch was unappetizing, so you skipped it. you used that time to catch up on the paperwork you should’ve been doing earlier. in fact, you barely got it all done in time for five pm. time to go home. you left it all on barbara’s desk and took the cramped bus back to your apartment. not jake’s. yours. fuck, that thought hurt so much.

you got up the stairs, and opened the door.

what. the. fuck.

to your horror, there was a man in a purge mask standing in your living room. a man that had the same build as…no. no way. there was no way.

“trick or treat.”, tanner cooed.

• • •

yeah, i’m sorry about this one guys.

taglist: @gvfpal @hollyco @piratejakesgf @sunandthemoontwinflames @kiszkas-canvas-deactivated20240 @jjwasneverhere @anythingforjtk

[clarichoupie]

Random things I noticed, or liked, in “The Quarry” after playing it over and over again. (part 2) (part 1 is here)

I didn't know you could see “Laura's boat” with Jacob by going to the far left of the docks.

Ok, so, I'm not going to talk about Emma's phone even though I should. However! Why, just why, did you put that damn rotor arm in your underwear Jacob?! Who does that?!

Watching Ryan call Dylan an idiot seems so right sometimes. I mean amputating a leg without “equipment” is not a good idea. Even with the werewolf thing. A hand, why not, but a whole leg? Meh, I'm not sure. Sorry Dylan.

When you have to say out loud and confirmed that you're not a b*tch, you often are, Emma.

Choosing the aggressive responses is so satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing Ryan and Dylan being cute together, but seeing them freak out and insult each other can be just as interesting.

Plus, Ryan's little laugh because he's not convinced that Dylan can shoot with a gun is just adorable.

Why, no matter what you do, Kaitlyn always loses the gun?! I didn't hesitate to give it to you so that you don't even use it!

Watching Dylan freak out is probably one of the most de-stressing things I've ever seen, for some reason. The “F*ck no”, “F*ck dude” and small gestures of fear; yep, it helps me calm down to see him being so scared.

The dialogues between Emma and Jacob just don't make sense. Like, they're really nice and then the next second they're real assholes, without you deciding! Very boring.

Does Jedediah play golf? Or baseball or something? Because he's got a really good swing.

Am I the only one who thinks that the characters' reaction to Kaylee's death is not normal? I mean, they don't need to break down in tears or be as shocked as Ryan who was close to her but damn it! There's a dead body in the pool! Of a girl you know by name and who looks innocent! Murdered in front of your eyes! Be a little sad instead of making jokes about it! (Even you Dylan...especially you)

Besides, when I killed Abi the first time, Ryan, Dylan and Kaitlyn didn't even care about their friend's head on the floor separated from her body. They were just sitting there talking to Laura, calmly. Seriously, these guys are either insensitive or totally insane.

“I'll tell mom." Seriously Chris? Are you like five years old to betray your brother like that to your mom? What is Constance gonna do besides insult Travis anyway, tell him he wasn’t wanted? He probably already knows that.

Where did Laura's eye patch come from? I mean, didn't anyone wonder where that accessory came from? Other than Travis owning pirate costumes or Laura knowing how to sew, I can't think of any other explanation.

When did Abi start acting like a warrior, defending everyone, when just before she was so freaked out that she couldn't do anything?

WHY, just, WHY, when I choose the aggressive option, does Laura think Ryan is flirting with her?!?! These kids really have a dumb view of flirting. Poor Ryan... no wonder why he doesn't understand social interaction or want to spend time alone if everyone is so weird around him.

Speaking of Ryan, I love his lines with Laura when he's upset : “A tour guide?”, “An eye for an eye.”, “All for a boy?”. This guy definitely makes me laugh.

“Jesus, Mary and jazzhands”? ...Sorry what? Do people who speak English really say that?

I thought so much in my first game that Ryan was a traitor (like in the game I won't mention...) but in the end the poor guy was just worried about his friends, it's just too sad.

[donnas-dollface]

"you’re a bandit like me, eyes full of stars”

last updated; Aug. 25, 2024

Requests: closed!

time zone: (GMT -7)

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚about me; 17, she/they pronouns, demi lesbian - hi, i'm Kaylee. I like to play sports, and singing taylor swift lyrics when needed. I live to yap especially about my wife :3

my blog; The Last of Us, TLOU 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, RE 8, Call of Duty MWII... - a couple of fandoms I'm involved in, and write for :) i may add more or remove a few depending on what changes, what I'm obsessed with, etc etc,.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚personal rules: I don't mind adults interacting my blog and content, however i draw my line at NSFW blogs and trying to message me. I also don't mind being friends/mutuals with anybody, though i would appreciate it if we kept flirting out it (i have a girlfriend whom I love dearly). I have the habit of isolating when i’m stressed so i apologize if i accidentally ghost you.

Blogs Rules;

THIS BLOG IS LGBTQIA+ FRIENDLY. if that makes you uncomfortable, it's best you just leave. i mean c'mon, I'm literally a lesbian.

I HEADCANNON CERTAIN CHARACTERS AS LGBTQ+. that makes you mad, no clue what to tell you lmao.

THIS IS A SAFE SPACE FOR ANYBODY (EXCEPT CREEPS) i promise I don't judge and I don't mind anybody venting to me. we're all human here and I'll do my best to make you feel welcomed.

DISCLAIMER; IT'S NOT COMPLETELY SFW HERE. i tend to be overzealous about things and sometimes the humor will show out

Tags;

.kaylee's yapping - feel free to block this tag!! this is where i ramble and just talk nonsense so if you don't wanna listen :3

.lovey dovey- me talking about my super amazing and beautiful girlfriend

.mailbox! - where i respond to anons/moots/requests/asks and anything under that category!! feel free to stop by and say hey time to time!

.moots<3 - my mutuals!! each has their own specific tag, and this is where we yap.

i cannot promise but I will TRY to tag all posts appropriately, but i apologize if I don't beforehand. I'm very forgetful and welp-

Requests Rules;

I DON'T TAKE REQUESTS ROMANTICIZING ANY SENSITIVE TOPICS; by this i mean I don't take requests romanticizing or glamorizing rape, domestic violence, abuse, suicide, self-harm, racism, homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, and so on.

I DON'T WRITE HARD CORE SMUT; i don't write smut or anything with sex. i however don't mind writing make-out scenes or hickey scenes. do forgive me though, I may write it a bit weird(i have 0 experience) but I'm not opposed to criticism!

I DON'T WRITE ANYTHING INVOLVING; homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, incest, pro-shipping, or yandere themes. like heavy heavy themes.

I ONLY WRITE FOR FEMALE CHARACTERS; i just really love and appreciate women, it's the lesbian in me

I WILL ACCEPT ANYTHING INVOLVING POLYAMOROUS RELATIONSHIPS IF YOU PLEASE; i don't mind it really I've done it before. just not like sibling x reader x siblings please.

I ACCEPT FICS FOR COPING WITH STUFF BUT PLEASE PUT A TW OR CW WITH IT; i get it, we love to imagine our favorite comfort characters comforting us with our issues, but a warning of knowing what I'm getting into is appreciated, cause i too have parental issues and trauma

I ACCEPT REQUESTS WITH MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER; but also for longer requests, i appreciate it if we'd limit it? i don't wanna burn myself out

I HAVE A LIFE TOO, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WHEN REQUESTING; I'm a senior in highschool, and i do do extracurriculars sometimes after school, so please be patient with me. i also have familial issues, so sometimes it burns me out. In addition, I have seasonal depression and autumn makes it a littlee harder.

that's all for now. throughout my time here this will probably be edited so check in time to time, thanks.

- kaylee

[thunderclaw100]

Favorite color:Orange

Personalities:Caring,Courteous,Faithful,Honest,Friendly,Perceptive,Self-conscious,Trusting.

Cause of Death:Heart attack over stress.

Torien(Tori for short) is the only one in her sworm that is a heavy set smeet. She would always get the side eye from others, and bully from her siblings. She likes cooking. All she ever do is eat. Especially when it’s wi to her parents, who work as chefs to the Irken military. Torien has been told many times that her weight will make her a liability to her comrades once she’s drafted.

It was half true on that part. She did have some time struggling to keep up with everyone in her group but kept going to show that she was able to carry herself as a warrior. Due to her large size and hefty hands. Her commander placed her on standby and guard duty. Believing that this will scare away rivals form her hive. Torien felt detached from everyone else. Even her closest friends. Torien grew more in size and after her training in the academy was over, she took a job as fry cook.

Working alongside her parents. Making them proud with her progress and fast learning in the kitchen. Torien has supplied her hive with many dishes. Some were inspired from others. Tallest Zork was even impressed. Even more after the drone saved him from a choking hazard during his celebration. She took part in a cooking challenge against other hive’s chef masters and won in the first round. After Zork died and she became tallest, after some long debate over it. Torien let it be known that any big or fat Irken can do the same about of work as a skinny irken if they want to. She read up on past tallest and their achievements.

The one that stands out and has become her favorite is tallest Kaylee. If it weren’t for her first decree. Females of all shapes and sizes would not stand on the same level like their male counterparts. Even allowing one to become a tallest. Torien thank the stars for that and hopes to live up to her predecessor. Years passed and tallest Torien made some new developments during her reign.

The inventions of battle tanks, blaster cannons, land mines, charge beams and vending machines that is laid out across the hive. There was a demand in territory claims and Torien refused to share. Especially from the hive that got her predecessor killed. She obtained some knowledge from her researchers that there are foreign aliens on nearby planets that have resources that the Irken people can take in. The tallest had to think this through. She isn’t too fond of trespassing onto unknown territory.

Let alone a planet they have yet to venture onto. Seeing as there are still problems with the neighbor hive, that is in a desperate state and crossed into her hive’s turf. Torien decided to send out a few exploration teams to scope it out. And with the newly improved spaceships, they’ll have plenty of time to check if there are other planets that need seeing to. A little over a century, Torien’s parents have retired and are living a simple citizen life in the apartment complex. She rarely sees them unless it’s a special event happening.

The tallest lounges around in her chambers and will only leave if there’s something important. She misses being a fry cook and making her own food. Now she has others bathing her with their dishes, while waiting to be praised for their effort. Tallest Torien is a kind but firm Irken leader. She wouldn’t turn away someone that needs her help. Not even an outsider from another hive. There were some doubters about her leadership because Tori is a pacifist. She had never been to war with another hive and would always find an excuse to avoid them. Other leaders would mock her for cowering sea like that and seemed her unworthy of the title, tallest. Torien may have took it to heart and it stressed her out. She hears mutters from her drones and they repeat what was told to her from the other hive. She closed herself in her chambers and stress eat until she dropped.

Though her death happened after having her wardrobe crew present at the time. Her personal medic didn’t revive her because she was far too gone. This leaves a scathing marks on them. How will they tell the public about this? A tallest who died from eating too much food at once ? That will leave humiliation to their hive. So as a show of respect, the wardrobe crew and medic kept this a secret other than telling the council members.

They rewrite this as tallest Torien dying from a lethal accident from food poisoning due to having a sensitive stomach and weak immune system, and wasn’t able to save her in time. People believed it and questioned no further from it. Torien will be remembered only for her achievements in the tech sector as well as her cooking. Some of her famous recipes are still at the top of the menus list and is an addition to the next tallest celebration event.

*EXTRA*

•Torien got her looks from her father.

•Torien has a friendly demeanor at first glance.

•She was one of the hefty weapon welder in her unit while training up her ranks.

•Her fear is losing the respect of her drones.

•She’s the first of many tallest to have mega machines for the military to be built and used.

•Torien best weapon is a large sludge hammer.

•All of her clothes are customized for her size.

•She lost her siblings after becoming the tallest. Her parents are active in the city.

•She had a huge crush on a blacksmith worker.

•Torien has always had a health problem, but her parents kept it hidden because if it were to be known to everyone else. Torien would be treated as an outcast and her chances of finding work will be down.

*DIALOGUE*

“I have decided your punishment. You will be stripped of your rank. You will be exiled from the Irken empire, and if I ever see your face again. I will have you hunted and slaughtered like animal!”

“My size may not be to your liking but I’m proud of it. Did you know that I’ve outgrown all my seniors in under a year? And outmatched those who were more experienced than me?”

“I want a full report in the next two days, soldiers. Let’s see what those other planets have to offer before to make our next move.”

“Those other leaders made a mockery of me at the meeting. Said I’m too soft and too fat to carry on the duties of a tallest. I can’t help the way I am! They won’t take my words for their values, and now my own drones doubt me.”

“I don’t know how my predecessors can wear such squeezy clothes like this. I have to find materials that can stretch out for my size. This ain’t it. Where is wardrobe?!”

“I’m not fat. I’m just big bone. When I get measured as tallest, I’ll make sure no one of my weight will be pushed aside ever again!”

[jasntodds]

do peter and the reader ever fall in love in hamartia??

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve been asked this about 10 times now and it’s honestly making me feel like:

1. some people are just skimming and not reading because the answer is there

2. people just don’t care for the actual story and would rather me rush my story just to get “to the good parts”

3. I’m a bad writer because if you’re reading and not picking it up, I’m not writing it well enough

I’m not being mean, it’s just, getting the same question about if and when they’re supposed to get together stresses me out, especially when I’ve said quite a few times there’s smut but I won’t write the smut until they’re basically together and it’s the right time (I know you might not have seen me answer any asks about any of this cause I know Tumblr sucks, I’m just explaining, ya know?) and it makes me feel like I’m not a good writer and I’m just not delivering correctly.

[kayleeheartkins]

Hey Kaylee, it's cool to see you interact so much and wanted to see if you would be interested in answering more questions with how this started and the parts you like about it. Scrolled your page and saw a bunch of your answers but wondering if you'll go deeper.

So this kink didn't start until 2020 and came about because a follower asked you to try it for a video? You never had any desire or thoughts about it until then? Until maybe 2014, it was rare to see any women like you who were actively showing off that you liked this. Binkie was one of the first women who the media wrote stories about. It was always assumed that it was mostly guys who were into it until the whole DDLG got more popular.

Is it only little space for you or do you just enjoy wearing for comfort? Is there something about wearing that is more effective than counseling? How do you feel about the humiliation aspect of this kink when it comes to roleplay? Aka forced. Consenting in real life but that type of scenario. Sure you're aware that power play is a big part of why many find this sexual. To be forced into being treated like a child, etc. and how taboo that desire is. Do you read stories or erotica that go in this direction or at all?

Do you feel any embarrassment about being into this kink. Your family or friends finding out who don't get it. Do you have any fantasies about being taken care of again or others walking in on you while you're wearing and them making fun of you. The teasing stuff. What about Physical age regression or fantasies or scenarios that involve magic? Are you just into the submissive side or would you find roleplaying as a caretaker sexual? would you want to have that power over someone else who is also into this fetish or kink if they let you? Can the unmistakable smell of products like baby powder, baby oil, baby wipes be sexual for you? Is any of this sexual for you or is it just a way to escape and deal with stress? Sorry for your health troubles.

Trying to understand if women have the same thoughts as others and what they find arousing about this kink. I have been into some of these fantasies since being a teenager and have followed ABDL since it went online and started with stories with very few image sites like Bytemine. Little space is not really something that existed then and buying from Amazon definitely didn't. Not many women want to talk about why they like this but from your page and responses, I see you are pretty open.

The psychology of it all really interests me. I'm way more fascinated with asking these questions to someone who you would never guess is into ABDL in public. If I saw you in a bar, I would assume you would be repulsed and want to keep this side of myself and these thoughts hidden from you. I've kept it a secret for so long and I am not nearly as involved as others.I'm not into it past urinating either and really rarely engage in it offline like wearing. I have and it does it but so do videos of actresses playing out scenarios. I read your 24/7 but have no desire for that. I've always been into stories. Especially a woman having control of another woman. Or a mechanical nursery where it doesn't matter how strong the protagonist is. Or a mom finding out a babysitter is doing something they shouldn't be so uses her child's equipment on them. A older sister making fun of a younger sister and getting a a comeuppance. There's hundreds of scenarios. Almost the horror fantasy aspect of it where it's not something that's not meant to be long term and you don't really find the ending of.

Do you like this side of ABDL too? When you're wearing, do these types of thoughts ever come up brought on by the smells and sounds that are instantly associated with baby aisles? Is it almost like an addiction where wearing gives you a dopamine hit? And is it something you see lasting for a long time?

Sorry, that's a ton of questions and understand if you don't want to answer but I'm really interested in finding out why an attractive woman is into anything to do with ABDL.

Thanks for reading.

Before we even begin the questions one thing I have to say just to clarify, being attractive in your point of view doesn’t make any other little or DL less/than equal or greater. You know what I mean 😪

1. Up until before that time I had curiosity but I just felt scared of the way people would treat me since my face and “brand” if you’d like to call it that was on the line. I am human and I do care what people think more than I should. 🤷🏼‍♀️ none the less I’m glad I took the chance and let go of those feelings and it’s been a very positive experience in the abdl community ❤️

2. Going through the motions of being 24/7 I’ve noticed I truly do enjoy the comfort and feeling of wearing and that in my book is a bonus to the little space euphoria enhancement. 💗 I’ve tried regular therapy and it just didn’t work out for me. I’m very complexed and it takes someone real special to understand. I love the humiliation aspect but never truly experienced it, I wouldn’t enjoy the actual humiliation in real life circumstances. I mean between two people that are involved in the kink.. forced regression is a turn on! 🤤 I will read stories on tumblr at times!

3. I am sadly not a switch so I don’t find comfort or turned on by controlling situations or controlling people in anyway. The smells and scents of baby like things do not currently turn me on 🤔 I can’t say any scent turns me on except when I’m about to eat lol 🙊🐽

4. I’m not too sure on the mechanical nursery or those types of things because I guess I’m somewhat a realistic and know I don’t have those things in my house currently lol. Maybe if it was the time and place I would like it, I’m not exactly sure!

5. I do feel dopamine when I wear but not with scents etc! So I understand the correlation between addiction and wanting that happy good feeling to not go away! Moderation might be key because I don’t technically want to be addicted to anything. I can quit anything cold Turkey 🦃

6. I do feel that this part of my life will be with my forever 💓 and it makes me happy and that’s all that should matter.

If you got this part thank you for reading lol.. I’m really stoned and tried to answer as best as possible! Great questions but please rephrase how you’re making it seem like I’m better than any other abdl wearing because you consider me attractive. Not trying to be rude 💞 Have a wonderful night 😴

[aquasmarinearc]

couple of notes abt this acct and general portrayals:

i can’t stress enough this is gonna be slow pace and low priority. i get a lot of anxietys about my multis and once lead me to literally deactivating it once so like? i’ll be here when i really really want to. i’ll probably keep my following list and muse list small so i’m not overwhelmed.

i’m currently undecided on my fc for daisy. i did use kaylee, but looking into the land daisy is from and seeing how its based on different paces and cultures, i plan on changing her fc to someone who reflects at least one of those places. if you wanna help, let me know!

i’m also undecided with betty, since idk if i wanna stick to the m.cu version or drift more into like, comics / headcanon. this answer will come soon.

i don’t like the one of us is lying show rn. i got through an episode and a half, and it feels like its moving too fast and other than bronwyn and cooper, i don’t totally recognize anyone, especially addy. i don’t remember addy being characterized the way i’ve seen so far, and i think the actress they chose was just? a bad choice. so i’m sticking to the books which imma reread soon, and meg as her fc!

[virtchandmoir]

TESSA VIRTUE ON LIFE IN A NEW ARENA + HER MAC MAKER LIPSTICK

One of the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time chats with Beautygeeks about adjusting to a less structured life, finding a new "safe space," and navigating her beauty journey.

April 28, 2020

Tessa Virtue is one of only two best-ever ice-dancing athletes on the planet. Scott Moir, her on-ice partner of 22 years, is the other one. Together the duo shattered multiple world records and racked up an unprecedented number of awards, national and world championships, and five Olympic medals, including gold in 2010 and again in 2018, after which ESPN called Tessa one of the most famous female athletes in the world. Since retiring from competition, Tessa's been busy with a number of projects and contracts with brands including Mattel, Nivea Canada, Colgate, Sick Kids Hospital, Adidas and more. Last month, she celebrated the launch of her first lipstick with MAC Cosmetics, which gave us an excuse to have a good chat about how her life has changed since stepping away from the ice...

BEAUTYGEEKS  Makeup and skincare must have started early for you; you've been skating since you were quite small. (Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became ice-dancing partners in 1997, when she was seven and he was nine.) TESSA  I remember having conversations at a really young age with coaches and advisors, trying to figure out what was age-appropriate for a Latin-style program and how we do makeup and costuming and everything that works for 10-year-olds. One of my coaches, Rebecca Babb, used to do my makeup for competitions. That was always something that I really looked forward to. I think there was an awareness early on about how I presented myself in the skating world, simply because it's judged and it's such an aesthetic sport. It's part of the entire package of telling a story. As I evolved and grew as both an athlete and a performer, I really came to enjoy and appreciate that element of it because it's really what sets figure skating apart from most, especially winter, sports. That balance between art and athleticism – and part of that was the costuming, the hair, the makeup, the ability to take the ice and get into character, and make someone feel something. The makeup routine became part of my mental preparation, too – meditative. I would get into the zone as I was applying makeup, and also have fun expressing myself in different ways.

Tessa Virtue in Barbie form; at Toys R Us

BG  Now that you're into another life chapter, what's your beauty routine? TESSA  You know, it's funny, I'm at both extremes, and I used to say this about my wardrobe. I was fully athletic wear or black tie. There was very little in between. Friends would ask me to go for coffee and I would rock a power suit or something because I just didn't have that sort of casual in-between mode. Maybe that's part of being an athlete: you compartmentalize and you're a bit of an extremist. And now with makeup, I'm either working with some of Canada's best glam teams or I'm wearing nothing as I travel or do my own. Mascara, blush and lipstick is sort of my go-to every day. Stepping away from skating and having fun in the beauty industry and in fashion world in a different way has been really liberating because I've tried to take some risks, explore different looks and aesthetics. I think like most of us, when I'm doing my own makeup, I'm so tempted do the same routine. Picking up tips and tricks from others along the way has been really great. I've also learned that the getting-ready process is actually the most fun part of any event.

BG  When you're sitting down for hair and makeup, do you have photos to say "let's try this" or do you consult with your team? Has the process changed now that you're in a different arena? TESSA  Often I'm getting ready to do something work related. In some way I'm always focusing on what my task is and what I have to offer in the upcoming event, strategizing on how I can maximize that for whoever has hired me or whatever I'm representing, whatever charity I'm trying to help. I use that time to talk with my team about that. So when I sit down in the chair, I completely put my trust in the people around me. I've worked so closely with those artists, and I've realized that they become your family; they're some of my closest friends. I value their expertise. And I think there's fun for them with that too, because they're empowered to try anything and everything.

BG  Those are good friends to have. And your time with them is so intimate. TESSA  I feel so lucky. Sometimes we're on set and there'll be a hundred people who all have an agenda of their own, who all have someone to answer to and are all trying to accomplish something in their own right. It's nice to have the security of a glam team or a stylist or someone to come back to – that's your safe place, where you can sort of recharge, get energy and then put yourself out there again. There's a vulnerability that comes with stepping into a spotlight, so to speak. I think that's taken on greater meaning as I put myself in different work positions too.

BG  So in some respects, members of your beauty team are touchstones as well. TESSA  Exactly, yes exactly.

BG  I love that. Let's hit skincare: has yours evolved since leaving the ice or was it particularly involved beforehand? TESSA  I realize now just what harsh conditions I put my skin under when I was training. And that was partly because of the cold and the dry arenas, but also the sweat and, in my case at least at competition, having to sweat with makeup on. I'm still conscious of hydrating, but I find less and less need for that. Although I suppose I'm on airplanes and traveling quite a bit, so that sort of replaced the arena. I've always been of the less-is-more mindset when it comes to skincare. That's thanks to my mom. She always told me to touch my face as little as possible. So I'm pretty simple with micellar water and moisturizer. I make sure that I get all my makeup off at night so my skin can breathe, and if I'm traveling, I don't really put anything on my face.

BG  It's also a good thing that your skin was at its peak when you were training and performing – you had so much natural hyaluronic acid, collagen and resilience because you were so young. You're still really young. (Tessa turns 31 in May.) TESSA  Well, thank you. But you know, there's also stress, hormonal changes and everything that goes along with competing and performing. That's not easy. Sometimes when you're battling stress, hormones, not feeling confident, and then to continue to put yourself out there... But yes, thank you. I do feel pretty fortunate. I know a lot comes down to genes, so I can thank my parents for that.

BG  How important is sleep to you? Do you need a specific number of hours? TESSA  I'm still stuck in that athlete mindset of needing eight hours a night, at least. What I miss are those mandatory naps that were part of our daily disciplined routine! I'm probably sleeping much less now because I'm on the go – and every day is different. That more than anything has contributed to a sense of, depending on the day, either unease or complete liberation. There was a time when I was training that I could have told you that eight years from now, on March 1st at 2:30 PM, this is what I'll be doing. That sense of structure is so incredibly important as an athlete. And now every day is different, and I'm really trying to embrace that. I think it makes it a little bit harder. Things like sleep, fitness, easy nutrition – it's harder to find a routine in that realm. But I do feel pretty lucky that every time I leave the house I get to do something I love to do.

BG  You've had 22 years of an incredibly goal-oriented lifestyle. How have things changed for you now that that goal has been not only met, but surpassed? TESSA  That was a hard transition. But I found it was harder to go from being a competitive athlete to a performer. I was so focused for decades, saw everything through the lens of "how can this make me a champion?" Whether that was a meal, an event, a sponsor, a friend – everything was filtered through this very simple mandate of "how can I be my best?" and "will this assist or prohibit me from becoming my best?" That was a singular focus, and then suddenly I was thrust into this place where I was wearing a hundred different hats, and I felt like maybe I wasn't doing anything all that well. At the same time, that support network – the sports psychologists, the trainers, the therapists, everything, this whole safety net that we had built – on February 21st, 2018 was gone. And I felt so alone. At a time when everyone expected me to feel a certain way, I just really struggled. There's an inherent low that comes after any kind of high. Whether it's a competition, a wedding, a degree, any monumental occasion is often followed by a bit of a crash, and so I just had to live that at a time when everyone thought I was living out this fairytale. It was an interesting thing to reconcile. You started the question with something about goals. I think that's been a saving grace for me: I've set new goals. If you give me a task, I can figure out a way to work towards it. That's when I feel confident and competent and more settled.

BG  So you can recognize yourself again in that particular mini structure. TESSA  Exactly, yes.

BG  I can't imagine the change. I mean it's 900% more complex than transitioning from working in an office for several years to going freelance, for instance. TESSA  I think a transition of any kind is difficult. I was feeling a little bit ostracized, so on my own for a little bit. And then I realized that no, everyone is going through that in some capacity. I mean even Kaylee [MAC's PR director in Canada] coming back from having a baby and getting back to work, like any kind of life transition, takes its toll and, and it's all relative. Right? So don't diminish that change for yourself, that would've been huge.

BG  You mentioned it's harder to slot regular fitness into your schedule these days, but do you manage any kind of routine somehow? TESSA  I don't have a routine, which is kind of strange, but also necessary at the moment and I'm learning to exercise when I can, because I do need that dopamine hit. I need to sweat, I need to move my body. But I'm also learning to be kind to myself. So if that means taking a day or two off, or having an extended period of time when I'm focusing my energy elsewhere, I try to be gentle and not get too caught up in that. And when I'm working out, it's so interesting. There was a very specific cycling class I did last year and I felt – I'm pretty sure I wrote a note in my phone about the feeling – a tangible weight being lifted off my shoulders. I realized I'm just doing this for me. I'm not trying to be a better ice dancer, I'm not trying to do this so that I can represent Canada. This isn't functional. It's really just so that I feel good, and suddenly I felt a hundred pounds lighter because that mindset had shifted. And I think right now as I explore boxing and spar classes and spinning and peloton and yoga, I'm just trying to figure out what makes my body feel good in the moment, and take the pressure out of needing to do something. Instead it feels like it's a privilege to be able to work out.

BG  It sounds like you're having an adventure there, too. TESSA  Yeah, I am and I think that's just the nature of my lifestyle at the moment when I'm traveling so much. And also I have to admit that I'm still not in that place where I just go to a hotel gym and motivate myself. For someone whose job for two decades was to work out, I would wander around quite aimlessly. So it's been fun to explore different avenues and try new things that I wouldn't have been able to do when everything needed to be, as I say, so functional.

BG  Do you actually have any more leisure time than you did before? Because it sounds like you're incredibly busy. TESSA  I'm trying to build that into my schedule now and I think I'm doing that somewhat successfully. But the difference is that being an athlete and having downtime, I mean that's part of the job, that recovery and it was also part of our job to sort of block out the rest of the world and really insulate ourselves in this bubble. And I was very cognizant at the time that there would be no other opportunity, so I really had to do that. But now, I'm planning on getting my MBA starting next Fall, and I know I won't be able to isolate myself fully and immerse myself into that world because that's just not life. People rely on you, people depend on you. You have to carry on. And yet as an athlete, it's quite a selfish pursuit and endeavour. That's been the biggest change as far as downtime. I'm trying to work it in now – self-care is just such a buzz phrase. But we're also in the midst of this busy culture where everyone is busy and that seems like a status thing, or it seems like somehow we're more important if we're busy. I think I got wrapped up in that a little bit and ended up wanting to work, work, work, feeling like it was a kind of validation. Now instead I'm trying to focus more on the things that matter to me work-wise, and also fit in time to be fully present with friends and family. I haven't really had the tendency to do that over the years; they've had to accommodate me so much.

tessa virtue's mac maker lipstick

BG  Let's talk about your new MAC lipstick. How did you decide on the shade? TESSA  Well, I started with a mood board, unsurprisingly, and just kind of curated this aesthetic, which ended up being actually really beautiful. Just a bunch of different kind of pink tones and shades that I was drawn to. I have to be totally honest: there are three or four lipsticks that have been on my rotation for many, many years and they're all MAC shades. There's Syrup and Mehr, Soar and Brave, and they're all sort of in that shade family.

Next the MAC chemists took my inspiration and did their thing. They came back with about three different testers and from there we made some tweaks and some adjustments. But it was pretty clear from the moment I saw this particular one, which I affectionately nicknamed Tutu, that it's exactly what I wanted in a lipstick. I'm not lying when I say that I've worn it every single day since. It's been a struggle because people ask me what shade it is and I've not been able to tell them! It was important for me to have it be an everyday lipstick, one that works for a coffee run and also for an event, and a shade everyone can wear. That's very MAC too, to be inclusive and welcoming and accessible to as many people as possible. I wanted it to be hydrating, as well, so we chose a satin finish for extra comfort as opposed to matte.

BG  Where did the inspiration for the packaging itself come from? TESSA  I had instantly thought pale pink – it's my favourite colour – and polka dots. And I'm hesitant to even say this because it seems like an incredibly egotistical thing, but I kind of loved that the polka dots were reminiscent of medals. It just came about really, really, really organically. And it just felt right as soon as I saw the final draft.

BG Good move – if there hadn't been a nod to gold medals, I bet we'd all want to know why not. Do you think you might get involved in more beauty collaborations in the future? TESSA  I don't know. I feel, so fortunate. This is something that I never thought that I would have the chance to explore and I'm been able to really dive in and learn about the company and the industry in a different way. And that's been really refreshing. I think what MAC has done, with both the Canadian Originals campaign and with this MAC Makers, has been really inspiring. It's getting back to the roots of an originally Canadian brand and our values that we can all be proud of. It's such a privilege and a joy to participate.

Tessa Virtue's MAC Maker Lipstick is a limited edition; find it at maccosmetics.com.

—beautygeeks

[murphystartedthefire]

Another thing I loved about this past episode was how Emori put so much of her heart into reuniting the broken families in Sanctum. Sure, it went south(since when did anything on this show ever run smoothly), but it came from such a genuine, well meaning place.

!!!! Emori's 7x07 story is a TRAGEDY and embodies the actual saying that she butchered to Murphy: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Some of the disaster could have been averted through no fault of hers -- if Murphy-as-Daniel was there, like she stressed from the beginning of the episode, it might’ve gone better. But my baby was also absolutely blinded by her personal stake in this and how much she empathized with Nelson and the COGs... and projected her own needs and feelings onto them. She’s just trying to make everyone happy and whole, even honor *Kaylee’s* memory in a weird way -- she never knew the woman she’s impersonating, yet she makes it her mission to carry through with her goals and dreams, because it’s something that touches her too.

SHE ALSO -- I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH -- STOLE A MAN’S DNA.

From his glass!! Conned him and stole it! She had to do some kind of thieving. ;)

But seriously, she was seemingly going around tracking a lot of people’s DNA whether they necessarily wanted that or not. She was banking a lot of the inherent goodness of bio-families even when they’ve gone along with a system that told them to abandon or kill their kids. She was hell-bent on putting on a very public ceremony with Indra gone and a bunch of vengeful convicts almost definitely having a bunch of guns in their midst. If Emori is usually the “head” of this ship, she really... wasn’t this week. She was acting 100% from her heart.

And her face throughout that ceremony and especially as Nelson/Sachin meets his mother is so heartbreaking. She is feeling all the anxiety and joy in the room, all for this thing she will never get to experience herself -- something she might never have even admitted before that she wanted for herself. I remember back in S4 when Luisa talked about Emori’s jealousy of Clarke for having a mother who loved her -- she echoed some of the same dialogue from that episode in this one. But now she’s in a place where it’s not jealousy, she wants to use all the power she has to *give* to others what she was denied.

She had no preparation for things going south, as horribly south as they did, even before the Widow Bang Bang showed up. She just wanted to will families into being together and happy. Will parents into accepting their children. Will children into not being utterly broken all over again if that doesn’t happen. There was no ulterior motive or self-interest in it, except that for the kindest, saddest reasons it would make her feel better about her own suffering. :(

[hcartlessx]

(  kaylee  bryant  ,  twenty  )  copper  springs  welcomes  JANE  “ELEVEN”  HOPPER  .  they  are  originally  from  STRANGER  THINGS  ,  where  SHE  is  known  to  be  FIERCELY  LOYAL  ,  ENTHUSIASTIC  ,  SOCIALLY  WITHDRAWN  ,  &  CAUTIOUS  .  they’ve  landed  in  town  WITH  all  their  memories  of  their  life  before  .  these  memories  look  like  FRESHLY  TOASTED  EGGOS  ,  NIGHTMARES  OF  DARKNESS  TAKING  OVER  ,  &  FLANNEL  SHIRTS  .  here’s  hoping  they  fit  into  the  eighties  ,  for  their  own  sake  .

→    there  are  trigger  warnings  of  monsters  ,  demons  ,  blood  ,  murder  ,  death  ,  manipulation  &  torture  in  jane’s  background  .

𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕  𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 (  full  information  on  jane  hopper  can  be  found  on  her  wiki  page  )  .

raised  in  hawkins  national  laboratory  and  completely  deprived  of  socialization  ,  eleven  was  timid  ,  socially  withdrawn  and  extremely  cautious  of  other  people  .

however  ,  she  became  fiercely  protective  and  showed  unyielding  loyalty  towards  those  who  cared  for  her  ,  especially  to  mike  whom  she  fell  in  love  with  ,  to  the  point  of  sacrificing  herself  to  destroy  the  monster  when  it  threatened  to  harm  her  friends  .

due  to  a  very  limited  vocabulary  ,  she  could  not  effectively  communicate  her  thoughts  and  emotions  and  had  little  to  no  understanding  of  simple  concepts  such  as  friendships  or  promises  .

despite  this  ,  she  was  a  quick  learner  and  came  up  with  creative  ways  of  explaining  concepts  as  shown  when  she  flipped  the  dungeons  &  dragons  game  board  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  upside  down  .

after  nearly  an  entire  year  of  living  with  hopper  ,  eleven's  vocabulary  expanded  significantly  ,  although  she  still  struggled  to  understand  complex  words  and  social  cues  .

episodes  of  intense  stress  and  fear  had  the  potential  to  trigger  eleven's  powers  ,  releasing  them  in  unpredictable  and  sometimes  dangerous  ways  .

she  was  reluctant  to  harm  innocent  life  and  had  no  malicious  intent  but  was  sometimes  forced  to  maim  or  kill  in  extreme  circumstances  . 

she  did  not  take  this  lightly  as  these  instances  were  always  followed  by  strong  feelings  of  guilt  and  self  -  loathing  .

𝕔𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤  𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

jane  has  all  her  memories  -  the  last  thing  in  her  mind  (  for  the  time  being  ,  season  four  isn’t  out  yet  )  is  leaving  hawkins  with  the  byers  family  .

she  is  unaware  if  hopper  it  out  there  ,  but  to  this  day  she  gives  a  hug  to  a  pillow  that  has  his  favourite  shirt  sewn  onto  it  ;  although  not  her  biological  father  ,  hopper  became  the  only  person  in  eleven’s  life  that  never  gave  up  on  her  and  treated  her  as  a  normal  teenage  girl  .

she  believes  that  she  moved  to  coppersprings  for  college  ,  although  the  details  are  hazy  as  to  how  she  ended  up  here  .  after  so  many  years  of  having  to  grow  up  too  quickly  ,  jane’s  decided  to  stop  looking  for  answers  over  things  that  aren’t  dangerous  .

after  graduating  high  school  ,  eleven  applied  to  many  colleges  ,  knowing  hopper  would  want  her  to  continue  her  education  .  she  is  currently  working  part  -  time  at  a  roller  rink  ,  and  majoring  in  psychology  at  the  local  university  .

she  is  living  alone  ;  after  being  saved  by  hopper  ,  jane  was  very  dependent  on  people  ,  she  wants  to  make  sure  that  she  can  be  independent  and  live  on  her  own  .

she  still  struggles  with  some  social  cues  ,  which  can  usually  lead  to  awkward  conversations  about  her  inability  to  understand  the  cues  or  norms  .

she  has  a  pet  cat  named  jimmy  after  hopper  .  he’s  a  ginger  cat  that  honestly  just  wants  to  curl  up  in  the  sunlight  ,  which  is  exactly  what  jane  needs  .

she  officially  goes  by  jane  -  only  allowing  very  few  to  call  her  eleven  as  it  reminds  her  of  a  more  difficult  time  in  her  life  .

[giogio-gucci-gangstar]

Dont Stand So Close To Me (pt. 2)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349577/chapters/55997644

He had sent an email. Innocuous enough. Simply describing the bare minimum of what she would be doing which boiled down to being in his company. He had thought of a few set tasks she would be expected to do: make tea, edit chapters, read reference books, etc. 

Jonathan was so terrified to even think of her response. She had already agreed in person. Shouldn't that be enough?  No, he knew it wasn't. Nothing would ever be enough but having it in writing before him, having something physical to hold describing how bound she was to him was a start. 

Soon. 

Soon was in fact sooner than he thought, as she replied enthusiastically within minutes. Jonathan couldn't leave his desk, he just kept rereading her email. What did she mean when she said she was “delighted to work in such esteemed company” Was that flattery? How would she have said “I would love to grab tea with you sometime to go over details?” He imagined the words flying off her lips like a song. What was the exact intent behind her saying “love”? Was it absentminded? Intentional? A romantic implication? Regardless of the actual meaning, it was by far his favorite sentence in the email. 

Holding the email so tightly in his mind, he almost felt badly for offering her a position that didn't exactly exist. But it exists now, even if I only created it yesterday. While all Jonathan could think about was spending more time with her, however innocent, he started to worry if this was good for her. Am I just wasting time when she could have an actual job? When she should be with her friends? Writing her thesis?

No, he reasoned with himself. He was a world renowned anthropologist by the age of 25 and had gladly accepted the title of professor at the ripe age of 27. No, being with him would be good for her. He could take care of her, and her career too. Having his name on her resume, as an employer, a recommendation, he could even write her in as coauthor if this book ever started to form beyond scribbled notes. He would gladly help her with her thesis, and would have no issues financially reimbursing her for her time. 

No, this was not simply a selfish plan to be with her. He truly had her best interests at heart. 

~~~~~~~

Two days, an entire two days sustaining himself with only memories of her face, had passed. Finally it was time to see her in lecture again. Though one of the most difficult tasks of his life, he forced himself not to stare, and in fact avoided eye contact entirely. He was quite proud of his self control, though he secretly feared she would see him as rude or cold. 

It didn't appear his treatment had bothered her at all as she walked up to him after class beaming. 

“Thank you for your email, were you by chance able to see my response?” she asked unassumingly. I've read it hundreds of times. I never knew four lines could excite me so much.

“Yes, I'm sorry I never got a chance to reply!” He ruffled a hand through his hair, quite proud that he had refrained from a gushing email in response. “It's been a very busy week for me between grading papers, meetings and such.” That sounded a lot more professional than ‘I was laying in bed for two days trying to remember your voice’. 

“Oh well if you’re not terribly busy at the moment would you like to grab tea now?” She asked, her big round eyes wide with hope. She is definitely asking for a date. 

“I think that would be a wonderful break from all of this stress. If you don't mind I know the perfect place.” Jonathan was practically glowing, so terribly excited that this little date was her idea! 

The pair strolled out of the academic building idly chatting then somehow she missed a step and nearly face-planted on the ground. Luckily Jonathan’s eyes had never left her, so he was quick to the catch, carefully hoisting her up as she laughed at herself. 

“You tripped me!” Was she joking? Did she like my touch? 

“I did not! You fell down the stairs.” Jonathan protested. 

“Blaming your faux pas on an inanimate object is insulting.” There was that little quirk of her lips again, like she was challenging him to fight and tease back. 

Jonathan blushed a bit, rapidly letting go of her waist, “Just please try not to get hurt. I've gotten more scraped knees on these stairs than I care to count.” And she laughed. He was positive it was the most heavenly sound he’d ever heard. It rang out deep, throaty, and totally uninhibited, despite there being many students around. 

They made it a few blocks farther as she started telling a story about a Latin teacher she had in high school. She assured him that the teacher was insane in all of the best ways. She was so busy describing their reenactment of the roman tortoise formation that she tripped over her own foot- and right into Jonathan’s arms. Now it was his turn to laugh.

“Was that intentional or are you usually this clumsy” Or do you like being in my arms as much as I love holding you? 

“No no, it's just hard to focus on walking when you’re next to me” She didn't look down or pretend to hide her blush, she just continued to grin and look up at him. In that case should I just carry you the rest of the way?  Could I pass that off as a joke in case she was being witty?

Sadly they were nearly to the shop. Jonathan had taken her to a cozy little English tea shop nestled in what looked like an old townhouse. He greeted the old couple who ran the shop warmly. He was such a regular, and one of the few Brits in the city, that they had become quick friends. 

She quickly exchanged her greetings with the owners before taking a seat with Jonathan at a prim little table. She had only ordered a cup of lavender earl grey, but Jonathan proceeded to change it to a pot, and then added on a pot of Irish breakfast, and a three tiered tea stand. When it arrived it was filled to the brim with tea fancies, sandwiches, marmalades, and biscuits. She stared at him agape. 

“Sorry, I didnt have lunch and I'm quite hungry,” He ran his fingers through his hands again, not wanting to look like a man who stuffed his face. “Have as much as you like though! I can always order another.” She simply smiled and took a small biscuit. 

Over afternoon tea they discussed the details of her job. She would edit transcripts, mail them to the publisher (whose address in this case was Jonathan’s P.O. box), read any books that may pertain to the subject of his thesis, and any extraneous activities that he may need. Such as making tea (he could not function for long without a cup), bringing lunch, keeping him company etc. Is it too late to add sucking me off under my desk as a routine event? Those were the sort of things normal assistants did right? Pleasing their boss for a raise?

 Jonathan shocked himself with the perverted and unwelcome thought. He pushed it far down within himself gritting his teeth with disgust. He loathed the way he thought about her like that, especially when there was nothing but a flimsy table separating them. But he couldn't deny how often that situation played in his mind.

With the details agreed upon, she would start compiling and digitizing his notes the next day. The lunch ended soon after, but not before Jonathan asked for her phone number for faster contact of course. Definitely not for more personal conversations. 

~~~~~~~

Walking up to his office the next evening Jonathan heard some girls whispering rather loudly as he approached. One glared daggers at him so he paused to listen, but could only make out phrases of their conversation. 

“Professor Joestar”

 “that girl from his 11:00 class” 

“couldn't keep their hands off each other” 

“Teacher’s pet”

“Probably fucked in his office” 

It took a good deal to make Jonathan mad, but this was more than enough. He was practically vibrating with rage at the blatant disrespect of her and himself. Over things that haven't even happened yet No things that would never happen. Things that couldn't happen. 

“Excuse me girls, I couldn't help but overhear your rather loud conversation concerning me and your classmate. If you have any issues I would be happy to discuss them with me during my office hours.” He peered between the girls, all of them haughty with sneers of jealousy on their faces. “But I dont think Ive ever seen any of you there before…”

“Teachers pet, you said?” Jonathan looked into the redhead’s eyes, the girl who had made the snide remark. “Kaylee is it? Perhaps you would be ‘teacher’s pet’ if you attended office hours and didn't already have a C in my class two weeks in.” He glared at all the girls now, giggling at their friend’s misfortune. 

“I recommend putting more effort into my class than this nonsense.” 

Horribly cruel girls, he couldn't believe they had the nerve to mock not just their professor, but her too. He gave them a curt nod before walking quickly away, though not in the direction of his office. He could skip grading papers this evening. He needed her immediately. 

He took out his phone and finally dialed the number that his fingers had been itching for. “Hello?” 

“Jonathan, is everything alright? Did I forget to do something?” 

“No, everything is fine. Are you free to come over to my apartment tonight?” Oh that sounded too suggestive  But before he could think of some reason she must immediately come over, she replied. 

“I’d be happy to,” he could practically hear her grinning through the phone, “what’s the address?”  

~~~~~~~

[followthebluebell]

Hello! Greer (Of pangur and grim) sent me here because I had a question concerning cats! I adopted 2, 2 months ago. The male kitten is v affectionate and easy to interact with in a way I can tell he is happy/stimulated, but the girl is different. She seems to be jealous of how the boy is always all over me (I got her first and didn’t get the second kitten for 2 weeks) and I’m wondering what’s the best way to bond with kittens/keep them happy? Is building in alone time with each a good idea? Thx

Hello! c:

Yes, I heavily encourage one-on-one bonding time with kittens (and cats).  Bathrooms are useful for this.  Leave your boy in the bathroom (with some fun toys, especially treat dispensing ones) while you do some bonding activities with your girl.  It helps to build a routine— your boy learns he gets some fun treats while your girl knows that this is Her Time.  This routine helps reduce stress for both cats, since they know it’s OK to be Alone.  Being alone isn’t a punishment for him being a pushy boy. 

When they are together with you, try to take the time to pet her too.  Let her know that you care a lot about her.  Just like people, cats have different ways of showing affection and preferred ways to interact with you—- Yardstick LOVES training and food, but Kaylee is thoroughly MEH about it.  Skitten and Yardstick LOVE playing, but Kaylee would really prefer just sitting in my lap (preferably without Yardstick trying to sit on her).  Figure out what your girl’s favorite things are and take the time to let her be herself without her brother. 

[wormholxtremearchived]

Alsooooo for rayleee cause yes!!!

@pepperpxtts && @mindrcadcr (for obvious reasons) | Shippy Meme

❤: who is more affectionate in public? in private?

Kaylee is extremely affectionate all around. She is more likely to be openly and obviously affectionate with kisses and hugs that rate from G rated middle school pecks, all the way up to X-Rated bitches get a damn room, and everything in between. Ray on the other hand, is more subtle but it doesn’t make his affections any less. A light touch here, a guiding hand at the small of her back there, a small smile with his fingertips brushing softly across her arm. And both can show these signs in public or in private.

♡: who is the bigger romantic openly? secretly?

Okay okay hear me out. Ray being the bigger helpless romantic. It seems odd because Kay is the kind to just on a whim take off on a vacation to a beach villa, but there’s a difference between her just getting fed up with work and needing a break and thinking “Ray likes the ocean we’ll do that it’ll be fun.” and Ray who actually thinks about things to do and surprise her with to show how much he adores her.

❥: who is more likely to plan something big for valentine's day?

Hmmm neither??? Like I kinda see both of them being like “It’s just a Hallmark day we don’t need a day on the calendar to treat each other to a good time”

ღ: who is more likely to initiate hand-holding in public?

Kaylee, most likely because she’s dragging him along because something caught her attention and she’s just excited and takes his hand so she doesn’t run off without him

💕: who is more likely to make huge declarations of love in front of other people?

Kaylee. She not only has very little shame or things that embarrass her but given that Jason often questions why she’s with him I think she’d be more likely to make huge declarations than him. Unless some shit went down.

💘: who developed a crush on the other first?

HAHAHAA Jason been in love with this girl since they were teenagers. Awkward boner attacks and all. And she was goddamned oblivious -facepalms-

💝: who spends more time (possibly overthinking) what presents to get the other?

Kaylee. Ray can read her goddamn mind and know exactly what to get her that she’ll love and even if he doesn’t do it SHE would be like “THAT MOTHER FUCKER CAN READ MY MIND WHAT CAN I DO??? Other than remember his favorite romcom and set up a 50s drive up car theatre for us to watch and then get lost making out...hmm I wonder if he still has his letterman’s jacket I can definitely get a cheerleaders outfit. Yeah that could work. I think he’ll like that.”

💓: who initiates most physical contact?

K A Y L E E. Do I really need to go on? LMFAO

💌: who is more likely to send cutesy texts to the other?

Okay but Ray probably sends her cute ass texts all day long just because he knows she’s always busy and stresses way more than she lets on so he probably sends her cute ass texts just to kinda cheer her on, especially if he knew it was going to be a particularly stressful day for her.

💟: who spends time reading their zodiac compatibilities?

I don’t think it’s Kaylee. (lmfao even though I as the mun do it on her behalf) but I’m not sure Ray would??? It might be neither?? OR WOULD IT BE RAY???

💙: who is more protective?

Kaylee. She’s the hero. She’s the super powered one. It’s not only in her moral code to protect but it’s also in her DNA. It’s what she does, and what she’s done since she was 3 years old with a little brother. The issue that arises is that often both Ray and Kay forget that she is not indestructible and Kay will push herself beyond her limits. When that happens, and Kaylee is down for the count, hurt, and in danger, best watch out fuckers because that telepathy power ain’t no joke and you’ll see a side of Ray rarely seen.  

💚: who tends to get sick more often? who is better at taking care of the other?

Ray. Again, Kaylee’s super powers make it where it’s very hard for her to get sick and she doesn’t hang out with the Kree enough to get space flu. That being said, Ray is not hard to take care of, not only can Kaylee easily manhandle him, he’s probably totally fine with her taking care of him because he adores the gentle kind side of her who just likes to dote and help people. Kaylee on the other hand is the W O R S T when it comes to being taken care of and Ray is one of the few people who can do it. He calms her down, not just because of his powers but just him in general. His gentle disposition and ultimately kind nature matched with his people pleaser syndrome makes Kay weak and putty in his hands. XD

💜: who said "i love you" first? or, if neither has said it yet, who is more likely to say it first?

Kaylee said it first. Jason doesn’t believe it’s love. With his powers, even though he can sense her emotions he believes it’s his own projection. Kaylee not only is the first to say it but she follows up with how she knows. 

💛: who believes in soulmates?

Kaylee use to, before she got burned bad. I think with Ray she might come around to the idea of it again. I think Ray didn’t??? But when Kaylee comes back into his life and their relationship grows into something more he might also come around???

[liplicked]

               [  kaylee  bryant,  cis  female,  twenty  ]  it  looks  like  MADISON  GILBERT  is  late  to  class  once  again.  how  do  they  expect  to  get  their  degree  in  NURSING  by  skipping  class  ?  it’s  a  wonder  that  they  made  it  to  their  JUNIOR  year.  then  again,  i  heard  that  they  were  DISCIPLINED  which  may  give  them  a  pass  with  professors,  but  they  are  also  DEPENDENT  so  maybe  not.  all  i  know  is  that  they  remind  me  of  COLOUR  CODED  NOTES  IN  NEAT  HANDWRITING,  BURNT  SUGAR  COOKIES,  OBSESSIVELY  PICKING  AT  AN  EXPENSIVE  MANICURE,  so  watch  out.  oh  look,  SHE  just  walked  in  !

maddy  gilbert.  everything  in  her  life  has  been  meticulously  planned,  even  her  life  itself.  maddy  is  the  only  child  of  charles  &  nancy  gilbert,  who,  after,  a  long  period  of  trying  unsuccessfully,  finally  conceived  through  the  third  round  of  in-vitro  fertilization  –  and  that  shit  ain’t  cheap  !  even  before  conception,  charles  &  nancy  spared  no  expense  for  their  little  girl,  and  that  didn’t  change  through  the  rest  of  her  life.  

maddy  went  to  the  best  daycares,   then  the  best  private  schools,  then  on  to  whitton  university  like  both  her  parents  before  her.  nancy  had  been  the  president  of  zeta  beta  zeta  in  her  time,  and  maddy  dutifully  followed  suit,  joining  the  sorority  in  her  first  semester  of  university  with  jessica  santiago  as  her  ‘ big ’. 

less  than  a  month  into  her  freshman  year,  maddy  met  jacob  wright  at  a  sorority / fraternity  mixer.  he  was  a  year  older,  and  she  was  smitten.  a  relationship  quickly  began.  and  then,  in  august,  just  as  quickly  ended.  (  she  claims  it  was  mutual,  but  anyone  who  witnessed  her  crying  into  tubs  of  ice  cream  and  watching  old  romcoms  in  pyjamas  would  say  otherwise.  )  

and  then  in  november,  he  was  making  out  with  jessica  santiago  at  a  party,  and  then  he  was  missing,  and  then  he  was  dead.  not  the  best  way  to  end  a  relationship.

how  would  one  describe  madison  gilbert  ?  someone  being  nice  might  say  sweet,  thoughtful,  caring,  studious,  conscientious.  someone  being  less  nice  might  say  needy,  goody-goody,  a  pushover,  a  crybaby,  a  tryhard.

she’s  the  girl  next  door.  the  sidekick.  lawful  good.  the  girl  a  meaner,  more  cynical  girl  might  look  at  and  say,  at  least  i’m  not  like  her.  maddy  is  definitely  the  kid  who  cried  when  her  parents  dropped  her  off  at  kindergarten,  and  the  girl  who  stops  on  the  street  to  give  loose  change  to  people  begging  for  money.  she’s  not  stupid,  or  naive,  like  some  might  think.  she’s  just  excessively  tenderhearted.  

gets  anxious  very  easily  !  she  does  not  do  well  with  people  not  liking  her,  and  can  be  a  bit  of  a  people  pleaser.  she’s  very  worried  about  how  people  perceive  her,  which  makes  her  needy  and  dependent,  which  makes  her  worry  she’s  being  too  needy  and  dependent,  which  makes  her  worry  about  how  people  perceive  her  …  it  ain’t  a  cute  look  !

to  cope  with  the  anxiety,  she  bullet  journals,  almost  obsessively.  she  takes  cute  pictures  of  her  cute  notes  with  her  cute  manicure  and  a  starbucks  frappucino  in  the  background.  has  a  whole  studygram.  her  room  is  constantly  neat  and  tidy.  honestly,  if  she  wasn’t  such  a  pushover,  she’d  be  a  total  control  freak.  order  and  stability  calms  maddy.  some  might  call  her  boring,  but  she  doesn’t  care.  (  well,  no.  she  cares.  she  cares  a  lot.  so  sometimes  she  might  get  into  sticky  situations  for  the  sake  of  not  being  seen  as  a  wet  blanket.  )

i  feel  like  i’ve  really  been  dragging  maddy  through  the  mud  here,  but  she’s  got  her  strengths,  too.  she’ll  be  the  most  supportive  friend  you’ve  got.  extraordinarily  intuitive  to  other  people’s  emotions.  she’s  studious,  and  disciplined,  and  organized,  and  genuinely  intelligent,  though  prone  to  overthinking.  and  she’s  so  kind.  she’s  a  soft  bb.  pls  be  patient  with  her 

WANTED  CONNECTIONS  !

this  gon  be  messy  cause  i’ve  already  spent  ages  writing  her  bio  &  now  i’m  impatient

bad  influence.  i’d  love  someone  who’s  a  bit  more  rebellious  &  chaotic  and  can  drag  her  into  sticky  situations  and  stress  her  out  a  whole  fuckton  please

girl  squad.  I  NEED  GIRLS  SUPPORTING  GIRLS  IN  MY  LIFE  PLEASE  !!!!!  especially  after  the  whole  thing  with  jacob  and  jessica  ....  ya  girl  was  a  wreck.  give  her  some  support

unlikely  friends.  she’s  very  girl  next  door.  gimme  someone  who’s  not  but  these  two  manage  to  get  along  anyway  !

hookup.  maddy  is  definitely  not  the  type  to  hook  up  with  people  so  this  would’ve  probably  been  a  one  time  thing  n  she’s  probably  suuuper  embarrassed  by  it  lmfao

unrequited  crush.  PLEASE  ....,, ..  maddy  is  absolutely  the  type  to  fall  head  over  heels  for  someone  who  is  not  interested  in  her  !!  bonus  points  if  it’s  a  lady  n  maddy  slowly  comes  to  the  realization  that  she  ain’t  as  straight  as  she  thought

enemies.  ok,  i’ll  admit  it.  sometimes,  maddy  can  be  super  annoying.  sorry  girl,  not  everyone’s  gonna  like  you  !!!  please,  give  me  people  who  just  cannot  stand  maddy  so  that  she  can  try  embarrassingly  hard  to  impress  them.

OR,  somehow,  the  rare  person  who  maddy  doesn’t  like  !

slow  burn  /  friends  to  lovers.  do  i  even  gotta  elaborate.  bring  me  that  mushy  stuff.  maybe  they’re  pining  after  maddy  and  she’s  totally  oblivious.  maybe  they’re  friends  and  she  thinks  they’re  cute  but  she’d  never  say  anything.  i’m  talking  REAL  slow  burn  shit

rebound  bf.  as  much  as  i  love  maddy  she  is  needy  af  and  probably  is  the  kind  of  girl  to  normally  be  in  a  relationship  so  ....  a  guy  she  got  together  with  probably  a  few  months  after  jacob  died  (  even  tho  she  clearly  isn’t  healed  from  that  )  but  she’s  kinda  in  it  just  for  the  stability  ......   yikers  :/  they  could  still  be  together  or  maybe  they’ve  split  up  by  now

someone  she’s  tutoring.  she’s  a  smart  bih  what  can  i  say  !

childhood  friends.  this  shit  would  be  cute  af  thankssss

or  literally,  anything.  anything  please  god  i’ll  pay  you

[tinybookgirl]

Phone Calls are Extremely Stressful- Chapter 3

((Human AU Amethyst meets her birth sisters))

Amethyst fell onto the couch the moment they entered the apartment.

“That was…” she paused. “Amazing.”

And it had been, especially after Steven showed up and made things ten times less awkward. They had finally gotten around to actually ordering pizza, and once she was no longer struggling to say a single word, Lapis and Peridot had rejoined the table as well. Amethyst had just meet her sisters. Real, actual, biological sisters.

“You shouldn’t have been nervous,” Peridot sat herself next to Amethyst. “We told you it would be fine.”

Lapis snorted. “You said nothing helpful.”

“I was extremely helpful!”

Amethyst nudged Peridot with her foot. “No, you weren't.” She sat up. “But who cares about that because I have sisters now.” She flopped down onto her back again. “And Steven invited them to his party, and they’re coming.”

“So?” Lapis sat on the other side of Amethyst. “You like them.”

Amethyst threw her arm over her face. “I do like them. But Steven invites everyone. Which means they’ll end up meeting everyone.”

“We met everyone.” Lapis said.

“You are my girlfriends. These are my sisters. Somehow, that is worse.”

“Tell them not to come,” Lapis suggested.

“I can’t tell them that!” Amethyst moved her arm. “I want them to like me!’

“Then let them come.” Lapis said.

Amethyst groaned.

Amethyst scanned over the cars gathered around the house as they drove up. Lapis was stuck at work, so it was just her and Peridot. She was slightly relieved to see that it didn’t look like any of the Deitz girls were here yet. Maybe something had come up and they would be able to come at all. She shook her head. Lapis and Peridot were right. She wanted them here. She wanted to hang out with them. And if that meant them meeting every single person in Beach City… then that would have to do.

“Amethyst!” Steven was on the porch, dressed in an truly hideous Hanukkah sweater. He ran down to the street as Amethyst and Peridot got out of the car.

Steven grabbed one of Amethyst’s and Peridots hands, tugging them inside. “Your sisters are coming, right?! I was telling Pearl and Garnet about it and they think it’s really cool-”

Amethyst laughed, pulling Steven off their arms. She ruffled Stevens hair. “Yes. They’re coming.”

The house was already half full of people. Holiday music was playing and Amethyst recognized as something Greg had written. She was a tad impressed Steven had convinced Greg to actually let him play it. There was food and decorations all around, and Steven had been sure to pull out plenty of extra chairs.

Steven grinned, “Yes! They were so cool! Do you think they’ll want to come to more stuff? Cause I can make sure to invite them next time-”

“Slow down” Amethyst urged, “Let’s just see how this goes, alright?”

Peridot had gone off and was talking to Pearl about something. Amethyst was slumped on the couch with a glass of punch. She wished there was alcohol but Steven insisted parties were more fun without it.

“Hey, mini.”

Amethyst looked up. She sat up straight, almost spilling her cup when she saw Kaylee standing in front of her, dressed in a leather jacket.

“Hey! When did you guys get here?”

Kaylee sat herself on the couch next to Amethyst. “About five minutes ago. Steven showed up and insisted on introducing us to everybody. I told him I had to use the bathroom and slipped off. Cause I don’t feel like personally meeting every single person here.”

Amethyst looked around at the crowded room. “Steven throws pretty big parties.” She took a sip from her cup. “Did you call me Minnie? Like, the mouse?”

Kaylee laughed, “Like you being short.”

“I’m not that short!” Amethyst argued even though it was clearly a lie. She was shorter than any of the Deitz girls, and shorter than most of the other party guests as well. She didn’t argue against the nickname. She was thrilled that Kaylee had decided to give her one.

“So,” Amethyst said after a second. “What’s being a security guard like?”

“Boring mostly,” Kaylee shrugged. “I mean, even in Empire City people don’t steal as much as you’d think. Mostly I just end up dealing with lost kids.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

“Couple times a day. I think they always come to me cause I’m one of like, three girl security guards in the whole place.”

Amethyst considered that. “At least your bathroom isn’t crowded.”

Kaylee burst into laughter. Amethyst felt another thrill.

Kaylee leaned back as the laughter subsided. “Man, I wish we found you sooner.”

Amethyst hoped having sisters would never feel normal. She liked it this way, as though every single interaction with one of them was the most amazing thing on the planet. She liked it feeling special.

“How did you find me anyway?” Amethyst asked.

“We started looking a couple years ago,” Kaylee said. “Then Jay saw a newspaper article about the wrestling tournament you were in and decided you kind of looked like us.” She shrugged and nudged Amethyst with her shoulder. “We dug around and now here we are. At the Hanukkah party for our little sister’s brother.”

Elle suddenly sat herself next to Amethyst, followed shortly by Gina and Jayna. Gina grabbed a stray chair and pulled in in front of them, while Jayna took the place next to Kaylee.

“Why is everyone you know named after a rock?” Elle asked.

“Everyone I know is not named after a rock!” Amethyst argued,

Elle began counting on her fingers. “Let’s see, your name is Amethyst, you’re dating two girls named Peridot and Lapis Lazuli. Steven just introduced us to Pearl, Garnet, Fluorite, Rhodonite, Ruby, Sapphire, Padparadscha-”

“Wasn’t the girl you fought in that wrestling tournament named Jasper?” Jay interjected.

“Fine,” Amethyst relented. “I know a lot of people named after rocks. In my defense-” she added. “Ruby and Sapphire’s weird family naming conventions are not my fault.”

“Your last name is a rock too.” Gina added.

Amethyst groaned. “I can’t win this can I?”

“No,” Jay said. “You can’t.”

The party was finally ending after a couple hours. Amethyst had spent most of it talking to her sisters in the corner, occasionally joined by Steven or Peridot. By now, almost everyone had gone home, including the Deitz’s who said they wanted to get back to Empire City before it got too late.

Amethyst was in the kitchen with Pearl, helping her put away the leftover food. Amethyst snapped the lid onto a container of cookies.

“Hey, can Peridot and I take these?”

Pearl glanced over, busy rearranging more containers in the fridge. “You might as well,” She stood up straight and shut the fridge. “There’s too many leftovers just for Steven.”

Amethyst set the container aside so she wouldn’t forget it. “Thanks.”

“Steven introduced us to your sisters.” Pearl said suddenly.

Amethyst turned around to look at her. “What do you think?”

Pearl was silent for a moment. “They seem like lovely girls.”

“They’re amazing,” Amethyst said, unable to keep herself from smiling. “I like talking to them and having them in my phone and-” She looked out to the living room where Garnet was helping Steven take down the streamers he had hung up. “I like having them to come to stuff like this too.”

Pearl nodded as she put away unused paper plates. “I’m glad.”

“Hey, Pearl?”

Pearl hmmed as she turned back around. “Yes?”

“Did Rose know I had any family?”

Pearl pause in the middle of gathering up the bowls and platters they had used. “There… there wasn’t a lot of information about your birth family. Rose thought that-” she set the dishes in the sink- “If there was someone who could have been taking care of you, they would have been. She thought about looking a few times- but she wanted to wait until you were old enough.”

Amethyst nodded slowly. “You think she would be glad I found them now?”

There was another second of silence. Then, “Yes. I think she would be.”