#i have been wanting to vent about this for ten years now XD

[gwydionae]

Ok, serious question for One Piece fans.

Here's the TL;DR:

I'm at Fishman Island in the anime. I know lots of future spoilers for WCI and Wano. I love pre-time skip Sanji and WCI Sanji. I hate Fishman Island Sanji. The question is, as a Sanji fan, how much disappointment should I prepare for in Punk Hazard/Dressrosa/etc until WCI? Is he going to stay this obnoxious until then?

And here's the rather long explanation rant because sometimes you just gotta vent:

I started reading the manga, like, 20 years ago, but I dropped it during the Fishman Island arc. There were many reasons for this (some unrelated to OP entirely), but a big one was Sanji. He had always been my favorite character, and while there had been moments pre-time skip that I didn't love (see: Clear Clear Fruit and it's improper uses), I found he became downright insufferable after it. I don't have to love everything about a character for them to be my favorite, but FI pushed me past my limit.

I have since skimmed through Whole Cake Island and bits of Wano due to seeing spoilers that made me believe that may have changed over time, and I did really like the parts that I read. Well, most of them, anyway (see: invisibility and it's improper uses, Sanji). So between that and hype over the live action version, I went back and started watching the anime for the first time.

I am once again in the early goings of Fishman Island, and I am STRUGGLING. Every time Sanji is on screen my brain is warring between remembering what I like about his character and what I'm seeing play out currently. He used to be overly fond and protective of woman, to the point that his inability to fight them hindered the crew. Now he's an active pervert drooling in the face of every pretty woman who is hindering the crew simply by bleeding to death at the sight of any woman including his own crewmates. Had this happened, like, once, MAYBE twice, ok, it's a dumb gag, but whatever. But it's not a one off gag. It just keeps going, to the point where it doesn't feel like a gag anymore so much as an actual character trait. It's like his flaws (which can make for interesting character drama, like his inability to physically harm Kalifa) are now his core personality, and everything I liked about him isn't even there anymore. Heck, part of his training was to learn to cook foods to help his crew, and he hasn't even cooked anything yet, and he was separated from his crew for two years!

(Ugh, don't mind me, just unearthing feelings buried real deep a decade ago. ANYWAY)

I know he gets better. He'll never feel quite like his pre-time skip (especially pre-Thriller Bark) self again, but I know that WCI adds in some really interesting layers to his character, and while Wano still has his perviness turned up a bit higher than I'd prefer, there's real depth to his character to keep him from sinking back into the one note gag that is Fishman Island. He will get growth. He will go back to being an enjoyable and rounded character one day.

I just really need to know exactly how long I have to wait for that to happen.

Sanji is (obviously) not the only thing I like about One Piece. I like nearly all of the Straw Hats, I've gotten attached to more than a few side characters over time, and the fact that it's so long and hasn't (to my knowledge) felt like a mad scramble of retcons is highly impressive.

But here on good old tumblr, I expect people to understand about the blorbos. They're different. They're special. And feeling like I wish one of them would finally succumb to death by nosebleed is, to put it mildly, not ideal.

And thus the question at hand. Because if I have to put up with this Sanji all the way until WCI, I might just scream. But at least if I have the warning ahead of time, I'll know to expect it rather than fruitlessly hoping he gets better before then.

Just give it to me straight, doc. How bad is it?

(The one thing I know of him between now and WCI is that his mind/soul/?? gets stuck in Nami's body - not sure for how long or what all he... does... in there, though. So please spoil that for me. I do not want that kind of surprise.)

[miaikon]

I was exposed to a lot of not-age-appropriate media during my childhood in the 80s/ 90s. Anyone else share this experience?

This is not a try to explain or excuse my mental issues, or to complain. It's just a kind of vent since I'm thinking about this a lot, on and off. For context, I was born in the 1980s and reached 18 years of age in the early 2000s. My native language is German. Also, apart from a few nightmares, I don't know how much this affected me.

My earliest memory of catching something I maybe was too young for was when I was six or seven. My stepfather liked playing videotapes of musicals while he did the house chores (he was our stay at home parent). This got me glimpses of "Hair", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and also "Jesus Christ Superstar". I remember asking my stepdad why Frank'n'Further was dressed like he was, and him answering "because he likes it". Also, I was a big fan of the big dance scene at the beginning of "Hair" (set to "Age of Aquarius").

I don't think this chapter, while probably not stuff you'd usually show a seven-year-old, affected me too much. I watched all these musicals later as a teen and was able to re-contextualise what I saw in my head after I learned English and understood what was going on.

The nightmares came later. I must have been nine or ten. My bio father had me every weekend then, but apparently didn't want taking care of me to stunt his social life, so he brought me along to the big sci-fi watch parties he had with friends every Saturday. In retrospect, I think my mother made him take me for the weekends, and he wasn't a fan. Before that, he used to leave me with friends, who also had kids, or his then-girlfriend a lot and just go off do his own thing.

Anyways, I was present for the sci-fi screening. I don't know all the names, but three of the series they watched were some form of "Star Trek" (it definitely had Data and Picard), "Deep Space Nine" and, I think, "SeaQuest". They watched one episode of multiple series a night, and I wasn't allowed to ask any questions and usually fell asleep on the couch. Scenes from some episodes haunted my nightmares for years after (remember, my age was in the single digits!). As a teen, with the help of my now-fiancé, I managed to hunt down and re-watch some of these episodes for context.

Quick interlude - the man is a sci-fi enciclopedia. He managed to figure out not only the series, but the EPISODE, from clues like "Woman with psychic powers enters brain of serial killer, sees all his murder victims", "half-machine woman tells pale guy to rip off his own skin" and "two people scream at each other while a woman is giving birth in the same room. They argue about the symbolic value of the baby".

Paralell to all that, nobody really cared what I read. Starting with "Discworld" at age 13 was probably the most age-appropriate thing I ever did XD. I learned to read at age five, before being enrolled in school at age six. According to my mom, I wanted to learn. According to my memory, she taught me so I could read my own bedtime stories.

Anyway, anything that said "Fantasy" on it was fair game. The same way anything animated was DEFINITELY for kids of all ages ("Watership down" also lived in my nightmares for years). I got given books quite randomly. Some noteworthy ones are: me reading "The never-ending story" at age six (before I could read a clock. I refused to learn how to read a clock for a long time because, in my kid mind, it meant I couldn't be expected to have a bed time/ know when it was time to stop reading). There was also "Sorla Flusskind" ("Sorla Riverchild"), which is a pretty decent kid's adventure book - if it wouldn't start out with our protagonist's conception via assault. Honorable mention goes to "Dracula's daugther's", which I received as an Anne-Rice-Obsessed fifteen year old. It's basically soft porn. There were probably more that weren't age appropriate, but I just can't recall.

Thank you for reading! If you had similar experiences, share please if you feel comfortable to do so. I'd like to know if I'm alone in this.

[adamarinayu]

Can you tell us more about your author au, back in action au, and Notre duck au? Sorry if I'm asking for a lot but I just saw them on your AU list and they caught my interest 😅

Haha sure! I haven’t worked on any of them in a while but here we go! It’s a bit long, especially the Back in Action section....

In the Author AU, Donald is an author who works under a pseudonym, so that he and the triplets can have some normalcy in life while also being able to support them comfortably. He’s the author of a best selling series, which is the Paperinik series (maybe in this AU it’ll be called Duck Avenger, idk). 

He began writing the PK stories during highschool, and they were published as shorts regularly in a small magazine. Of course, being a teenager, it began as a fantasy- it was how he vented his frustrations. Gladstone, of course, figured it out, as did Della, but Scrooge had no interest so no one else outside of Donald’s closest circle (that is to say, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Goofy) knew. It soon grew to be a hero story, rather than a story about vengeance. At this point there are no nephews in the story.

After highschool, his story got picked up by a publishing company and Uno was his agent. He ended up including the character ONE based off of Uno, which Uno is equal parts amused and exasperated by (”Honestly, I thought you said you wanted to be anonymous.”). The two don’t officially become friends, however, until a couple of years later, when Della went missing. Donald had taken a surprisingly dark turn in the story which would have resulted in killing off the main characters, at which point Uno decided to intervene and talk to him. With Uno’s support and growing friendship Donald rewrote the story, keeping the darker tone but ending it on a higher note with all the characters alive and happy.

Donald also gave PK a family of his own, having him be a single father to three children (hinted heavily at them being adopted, after PK saved them as eggs), a decision which forever changed the direction of the books from being about a duck who fights because it’s all he’s good for, to being about a duck who fights because he has something worth fighting for. He and Uno obviously become very close over this time.

Gladstone reads every book that comes out. He always wins a free edition but insists on buying it, as his way of helping Donald out. He uses the tone of each book and the events that happen in them to determine whether or not he needs to come and kick a little sense into Donald.

Donald ultimately concludes the book series after Della comes back, with the story having a happy ending all around. Which definitely includes ONE getting a physical body and joining the family. Unsurprisingly he and Uno get married. Scrooge and the kids find out he’s the author of PK after Scrooge announces his studio bought the movie rights to the film lol. Della and Gladstone are just like “wow seriously, you guys didn’t see the writing clear on the wall?”

--

The Back in Action AU is basically, PK was a TV show and Donald was the titular character, PK. His co-star was Uno, who lent his voice and face to the character ONE (the names of all the characters in PK are changed, ofc, their real names are the actors’ names now, except for Uno and Xadhoom). The entire cast (yes, including Angus Fangus) were a pretty tight-knit family, of a sort. So while Della and Scrooge were adventuring (as he had left the adventure life behind, feeling as if he wasn’t contributing or seen as an equal among the group) he became part of a family of his own. Daisy also played PK’s love interest, though the two of them are actually more like Best Pals. They went to highschool together so. Daisy wasn’t in the main cast and was just a recurring character, as she had a main role in another series.

The triplets in PK were just babies, but PK wasn’t their primary caretaker. They were more like background characters, but occasionally PK would get roped into babysitting them and having to balance watching the children and saving the world because “oh god even if I stop the Evronian invasion if any of their feathers get singed my sister will kill me!” (Note, PK’s sister was only seen in photos and was a blonde, like in the original comics. You can hear her voice now and then though)

Donald was close with everyone (oh the bloopers he and Angus had.... and of course the Evronians, something ALWAYS went wrong with their costumes!) but Uno became his best friend (and his almost-more). The series was the most popular thing on TV for a while, and Gladstone and Fethry were so proud of their brother cousin and so sad that Scrooge and Della were missing the best moments of his life. Gladstone and Fethry are much more involved in Donald’s life than Della and Scrooge are in this AU. That isn’t to say they don’t all love each other very much, it’s just Della and Scrooge’s interests laid elsewhere.

Anyway, every series hits its end, and more often than not it comes much faster than planned. PK ended a whole season sooner than expected, due to the sudden buyout of their studio and the new owners choosing to shut PK down in favour of one of their own shows (couldn’t afford both at the same time, and their own show had a smaller budget). So the series ended on the cliffhanger of PK losing ONE and (Lyla’s character), the Evronians being defeated and PK choosing to hang up his cape because of just how much that final battle cost him. It was an ending that angered many people, extremely upsetting especially knowing that it hadn’t been the planned ending of the series.

The entire cast and crew split up, most still staying in acting but a few leaving. Donald went back to adventuring with Scrooge and Della while Uno went back to Italy with his brothers (Due and Tre, the former of which played a major part in 2-3 episodes) to work in their father’s lab. They ended up falling out of contact (not by their own choice, just due to the nature of their jobs). Then a few years later Della went missing and Donald was left caring for her three children- it was a bit ironic, perhaps.

In the 10-12 years Donald was taking care of them, a “sequel” movie and a spinoff came to be with different actors and stories, but neither were well received because they lacked the “spirit” and charm of the original series. Especially the spinoff, which was animated in a very Saturday-morning style.

The triplets don’t really know about the OG PK, only knowing it by the spinoff, or that their uncle used to be a big name actor. However, 10 or so years later it’s announced that PK is coming back.... with the original writers and actors (except for the kids). Including Donald Fauntleroy Duck, the actor who played the titular PK. They are shook.

The original children who played PK’s nephews were unavailable (”We were like 2 during all that, we really don’t care”) and, besides that, had already aged out of the roles (the comeback was a Ten Years Later kind of deal, and it had been more like 14 or 15 since the end of the show, so the original kids were already mid-late teens. Therefore, when the director discovered Donald was now caring for his three nephews (convenient that there were three) he suggested they play the role of the triplets. Donald left it up to the triplets, under the stipulation that they would have minor roles (as the triplets always did) and this wouldn’t interfere with school.

They actually made a whole new role for Webby in the show! Because the triplets agreed on the condition that Webby gets to join them. And that’s how Webby began to play the triplets’ younger sister. The director decided to take a page out of Donald’s real life and wrote PK’s sister out (this was also partially because the actress had died) so PK was now being a full-time father to his kids who had no idea who he really was.

But then Donald finds out that not only is Lyla there, not only is Angus there... so is Uno. Uno and both of his brothers. It’s quite a reunion. And of course everyone expects Donald’s most emotional reunion to be with Daisy, but no. It’s Uno. And Uno is the one he ends up on the front of a magazine with lol.

Also yeah they get married :3

Man I think I may have overspoke about this one XD But I really enjoy this one what can I say jkkghfdsjlk

--

Notre Duck!! That’s another one I enjoy though it isn’t as in-depth as the last. So basically Everett came to Earth, and it’s kinda like.... a Duck version of medieval times. He came here for inspiration, then ended up building Uno, who became like a son to him. However, when other flesh-and-blood ducks realized he was an android, they became fearful and called him a monster, and tried to attack and run him out of town.

After that, Everett hid him away in a tower attached to a church, where no one but the church staff would go. He didn’t want to lose his android son. But Uno watches the world below his tower change, dreaming of a day when he could go out there too.

One day he meets Donald, who is a street performer with an association to Scrooge McDuck, a king in a neighboring kingdom. Donald finds out very quickly that he is an android and doesn’t judge him for it, instead encouraging him to leave the tower because “life is about the adventure.” This, of course, does not sit well with Everett, who forbids Uno from leaving the tower or seeing Donald.

Donald is wanted by the lord of the city, who wants to use him against Scrooge (and earn favour with his own king). There’s no creepy old men lusting after young women and no slurs being used casually so.

Also anyway this actually spawned from me imagining Uno to the song Out There so yeah.

[bookworm555]

*Reuploaded FOR THE THIRD TIME because I realized that this never showed up in any of this fandom’s tags the first two times I posted it :/ Now I am trying this as a text post with images instead of a typical art post because nothing is freaking working and I am so frustrated.

Because read-mores apparently make my post glitchy, I apologize in advance for the length of this post, and hopefully, it doesn’t clog your dashes/the tags too badly.*

Another CatCF/WWatCF sketchdump~

The top drawing is the characters from the 1971 adaptation ten years later (which was an excuse to draw 80′s fashion, haha).

Ten years later doodles (from left to right) Top row: Violet and Veruca Second row: Mike, Charlie, and Augustus

(I think Violet turned out to be the best of these doodles!)

Some headcanons for the ten years later drawings (this would have been the section under the read-more, if it worked :/ ):

I always headcanoned the characters in the ‘71 version to be thirteen, minus Mike, who I saw as eleven. So basically everyone in the drawing is twenty-three except for Mike, who is twenty-one.

Violet: For years after the nightmare that was the factory tour, Violet struggled with major body image issues, especially about her blue skin. (And is homeschooled because of this.) However, eventually, her mindset basically became ‘Wonka thought this was a punishment? Fuck that; I’m going to embrace it’, so she became more confident.

Once this confidence hits during her late teens, she uses her unusual appearance to her advantage (especially when it comes to attracting visitors/potential buyers to her dad’s car dealership).

She doesn’t go to college; instead, she works at her dad’s place, and basically learns how to be a mechanic.

She hasn’t chewed gum since the factory tour.

When Charlie contacts her and the others, she is hesitant to respond back, but ultimately does (to sass him, at the very least). During the group’s future meetups, she’s basically the glue that keeps them together.

Veruca: Unlike Violet, Veruca carries a lot of guilt about what happened during the factory tour, since her father was punished along with her. He fell wrong, and as a result, was paralyzed from the waist down, and is now in a wheelchair. Veruca was lucky; aside from a broken ankle, she did not suffer any worse injuries.

Because of this, Veruca becomes mute (her mouthing off and constantly asking for things is what led to her��pun not intended–downfall, so she decides that it would be for the best if she stops talking altogether.)

Despite the Salts being wealthy, Wonka paid all of their medical bills. Even though it would have made sense for them to take him to trial, they decided not to (Henry did not want anyone to see him in his new state, and Veruca’s anxiety spiked even thinking about the factory).

When Charlie contacts the four ‘rejects’ ten years after the tour, Violet starts to bring Veruca out of her shell. Though it is ultimately Augustus who helps her feel comfortable speaking again, due to his soft-spoken personality.)

Mike: Like the others, Mike was very traumatized by what happened to him during the tour. (Especially since he was younger than the rest of them.)

While Violet embraced her altered state, and Veruca withdrew from the world, Mike became bitter. Very bitter. Because, while sure, Wonka and co. were able to get him back to about normal size [after stretching him waaaay too tall and thin the first time; his mother fainted, then had plenty of choice words for everyone involved when she came to], the process was incredibly painful, and involved basically rubber-fying his bones and muscles temporarily (yeah, he still had no idea why Wonka would even create a candy that did that).

Because of that, he has scars all over his body–the most on his arms, legs, and torso–so he always wears long-sleeved shirts or jackets, and long pants.

He is pissed that his life was ruined at age eleven; sure, he was obnoxious, but he was a KID. Now he’s stuck with chronic pain, not to mention the occasional breakdown because he has no idea if he’s actually HIM, or just a copy that was beamed through Wonka’s television room that managed to keep his soul. (Yeah, he doesn’t like to dwell on that; he prefers to think that that would be impossible.) [A/N: That part comes from the fact that Wonka stated that the chocolate that appeared in the TV screen was a copy of the much larger chocolate bar that was beamed through the air, and not the original bar itself]

When Charlie contacts him, he almost sends a nasty letter back, but something in him pauses, and he ends up sending a civilized response. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault all this happened to him; Charlie was the nice one, and, though he would never admit it to anyone, on the tour, he thought Charlie was cool. Goody-two-shoes, but in the ‘Lovable TV Protagonist’ sort of way.

As the five of them start meeting/corresponding through letters, he lets Charlie past all the walls he put up, and is definitely the closest to him in the group.

Charlie: Happily becomes Wonka’s protege after the tour. He is ecstatic that he not only gets to live and learn to work in this magical place, but he and his family are finally out of poverty!

He goes to school during the day, then learns the tricks of the candy trade in the afternoons and evenings.

However, about ten years after winning the tour, Wonka just…vanishes. And that’s when Charlie finds the videos showcasing what happened to the other four Golden Ticket winners after their mishaps.

Charlie is appalled; looking back, they were all so young. Of course, they were bratty; that’s how kids ARE. (Sure, some of them were worse than others, but they didn’t deserve their fates! Essentially, the four ‘losers’, plus Mr. Salt, were toyed with and tortured, and their parents could not help them.) Mike’s was especially horrible, to him; it was the only tape he couldn’t finish.

This makes Charlie feel a little guilty; he got off easy, even though he also disobeyed the rules.

He is also torn; on the one hand, Wonka was a great mentor, and he was fond of the man–he made a good father-figure, for him. But on the other hand, this was a man who thought the way to get rid of a kid’s bad habits was to torture them.

Before he could think otherwise, Charlie writes letters to the other Golden Ticket winners. He doesn’t expect anything nice back, but is surprised to find that they are all willing to talk to him.

He is relieved; he wants to right the wrongs done to them.

Augustus: The poor guy falls into a deep depression after the tour. Sure, he was thinner, but he had no problem with how he looked before. Not to mention, even the smell of chocolate and other sugary sweets makes him very nauseous. Oh, and there’s the not-so-small fear of drowning that he picked up, as well as severe claustrophobia.

He felt like a part of him was lost, since he could no longer enjoy his favorite foods. Or food in general. He ate to not starve, but that was it.

He was already quiet, but after the tour, he withdrew into himself even more, preferring to spend time with the neighborhood cats rather than people. (Yes, he is definitely a cat person.)

But he still has his kind heart, so when Charlie Bucket sends him a letter, he responds right away (and is the first one to do so).

When they start writing more letters to each other, and eventually meeting, he helps the others through their trauma, while ignoring his own. He thinks he’ll always be stuck this way.

Veruca disagrees.

And in terms of schooling, only Augustus went to college. As for high school, Violet and Mike were homeschooled, Veruca went to an exclusive, posh academy, Charlie stuck with public school, and Augustus went to a private school.

-

Now, if anyone was interested, these are the outfits that inspired the ones I drew (though, obviously, I took artistic liberties with some of them). I wanted to give them each a different style: Violet’s is the outlandish fashion the 80s are famous for, Veruca’s is demure and preppy, Mike’s is pretty unassuming, but with a slight edge, Charlie’s is comfortable/casual, and Augustus’s is comfortable/slightly formal.

Left to right: Violet, Veruca, Mike, Charlie, Augustus

(And I imagine the back of Mike’s jacket looking like this, aka with a vent, which is why the back of the jacket isn’t visible in the gap of his legs):

WOW, that got so long (oops…), but those were just my ideas for how these characters would interact and act ten years later. Hopefully someone enjoys this, XD

[fandom-necromancer]

Questions for you (if you're ok answering): what is your favorite fic that you've written and what is your favorite that you've read of somebody else's

Okay, first of all: I love getting questions! I just tend to overshare so I hope that’s okay XD That’s a hard one, though. For one because I have a shit memory, but also because there are so many and I can’t decide. So, this will likely get long and I’ll put it under the cut not to disturb people that aren’t interested!

Shorts

My favourite one I wrote lately was likely the Cyberpunk AU for the Secret Santa? Because I could write whatever I wanted really and it was the first one in a long, long time that I sat down, had no idea what to write, began writing, was sucked in and a few hours later I was sitting there with a story that I absolutely loved. And that has become such a rare occasion lately because nothing is really fun anymore because Corona keeps me in a constant down phase? Idk. That was cool.

Also, the “A little distraction” series was fun! It’s an old story from last year and when I reuploaded that one, I was blown away how many people wanted more of that. As this had been planned for a longer story initially I had to condense into a short, it made me happy too, because people would have liked to read the longer version too, maybe? If I had ever written it? It was just really cool.

The Halloween short with Gavin being an eldritch shadow monster most people overlook completely was fun also because of the same reason as the Cyberpunk AU. I got lost in that one so hard. Really fun to write.

My all-time favourite short story  though is likely the pebble series. It started as a joke in my head but when I sat down to write it, it just felt natural. I kinda really projected on Nines in there and I think I like his personality there the most from all the fics I’ve written about him. They are both just really cute in there.

You can also look for the top ten stories in my opinion from last year’s anniversary if you search my blog in the tag #One Year of Stories and I think the real tag was something like #Last year revisited? I’m not sure though because tumblr and searching blog tags is horrible, hence the archive project XD. Should be around June 2020.

Big stories

I would say A Soldiers Purpose, but that doesn’t count as it isn’t a fic anymore while I rewrite it to be an original Story. Plan to publish that as a “real world” book in German and English hard copy as well as eBook and it should be international publishing? I’m not that sure as I’m still comparing self-publishers and some only serve Germany, US and Australia whats weird but okay. Although I believe with ISBN it should be available almost everywhere just not in stores? I always planned to have it ready before I finished my bachelor thesis but we will see if that is happening (I guess not but I will try). 

The Werewolf AU, definitely. It started as a vent fic to get me out of a really bad place (I guess anyone who read Somebody to die for knows it’s pretty dark) and I mean I’m here now and while I’m not happy I’m definitely happier than when I wrote it so... win? But now that I’m writing Wolfheart I really want to give them a happy ending and hopefully once that story ends the whole personal reason I started writing it ends too, so yeah. Maybe a really personal reason but I’m really invested in that story.

My favourite fic I have ever, ever written though will be one you never get to read (thankfully, hopefully). It’s super old, it’s German, it’s uploaded on a different platform I hope no one of you knows, it’s under yet another name of mine and it’s absolutely objectively bad. The writing is bad, the plot is okayish and I literally killed off the gay characters without noticing that as something bad because I was a very different person back then. But I love it to this day regardless because it got me through some hard times.

Also, as a last comment to my own stories I love my longer stories on AO3 far more than these shorts. Not because they are more fun to write or anything but because I feel like I put a lot of effort into them and put a lot of soul into the stories. But yeah, that’s to that.

Other’s works

My favourite fics I read are so, so damn many… I generally write more than I read but with the amount I write I guess it cancels it out. Also some are pretty old because I mostly read fanfic on the bus and now I haven’t really left the house for a year. I’ll try to keep it short. They are not in any particular order I just went through a few sites of my history. Really I just enjoy everything reverseAU, SoulmateAU, Mute!Nines and them all being softies. Also just the dbh stuff because I’m not sure you would be interested in other fandoms.

Accident by sv926 Soulmate AU, I really dig how the personality of Nines and Gavin are displayed and that it isn’t a “We are soulmates all is perfect now” storyline (although I like that too). Amazing.

Traitor by Skye_Willows, Stujet9rainshine If hurt/comfort was a fic. MedieavalAU. I really love the portrayal of manipulation and how Nines tries to save Gavin from it all. Also Nines is a painter so I’m in.

Soft Spot by Headfulloffantasy A story I really regret not reading earlier. Casefic with amazing characterisation and a plot that leaves you on the edge. Every time you think you got an overview of what happened or an idea of how it continues there is another facette revealed that you just didn’t expect. Can’t wait to read the next chapter.

XVIII by Sandara Cuteness overload but also prepare for the feels. It’s an ReverseAU that is set during the game events. It’s so damn well written I just love it.

Feral Nines by Kaini Nines whump. Kinda. I love it so much. Broken Nines is my weakness and also Mute!Nines. You get a lot of feelings reading this.

all the lonely nights in your life by  willgrahamssadness SoulmateAU that hurts but picks you up and shows you all the fluff in the end. I love it.

Safe and sound by a_calipygian Soft Reed900. With a lot of hurt/comfort. Lovely story about healing and found family. 

The Lion Tamer by celexdraw Equally cute as their drawings. CircusAU I didn’t know I needed but it is so well done. It is a happy story but has enough darkness to make me miss my busstop.

Despite it All by Jennilah Another SoulmateAU I absolutely love. Also has Hannor content I think but I didnt get to read that part yet.

Scrapyard Rookie by Pence Reverse AU that caught my heart. Really cute but with a little bastard GV if I remember correctly.

Sleeves by BloodthirstyMerc More Mute!Nines talking about Gavin’s past self harm. Super cute and comforting and aaaaa.

These Violent Delights by MechanicalBones Will absolutely destroy you. Is amazing and everything I ever wanted. Can recommend to those who too enjoy holding back tears on the bus.

Static Truth and Hunter Hunter Hunted by whatsanapocalae Both are super cute, super angsty and so, so comforting. The author has a really nice writing style too. Got to these fics because i wrote their Deus Ex stuff and discovered they write dbh too.

Rewind the Film by connorssock,Sylvestia Allen60. You will cry. And you will like it. I’m happy it was like 11pm on a bus  no one uses coming home from uni when I came to the part that hits you right in the feels. You have to read it.

Heavy In Your Arms by CatiDono More ReverseAU with Gavin whump. It’s also kinda a reset story. I usually don’t like these, but it starts after the reset so we never get to see the Gavin from before, just the onset of “I used to be a person before and there is someone loving me and grieving but I don’t know them but they are nice what do I do?” I really enjoyed this, although it’s kinda a heavy thing to read.

A mute Gavin one I can’t remember who or where it was from. I think it was on tumblr and timewise before the cornpocalypse but I’m not sure. Could be from connorssock? definitely on tumblr and Gavin lost his voice due to injury. I will try to find that again.

Also one from tumblr I can’t remember the name of, but it was homeless Gavin with Nines helping him. I think that one was from dumb-ways-to-deviate?

I could go on, but I already told far to much when you asked for like... 2 stories? I’m just excited to talk about stories XD

[asterekmess]

S3A - E2

Here we go, Episode 2 of the rewatch. Honestly, even if you guys really don’t care about these, I’m gonna write them anyway, cus I need to get my FEELINGS out.

Anyway. Read More as a symbol of my love.

Thoughts:

Your pen is dry, honey. Try a sharpie.

So Stiles has literally known Heather since he was born? Nursery school is from 0 months to 5 years old, apparently. And Scott doesn’t know who she is? How does that even happen? It’s not like Stiles hasn’t seen her in ages, she recognizes him Instantly from across the room and he recognizes her back. So, Scott just never met her or asked about her or anything? Stiles never told him?

If anyone was curious, apparently Heather’s friend is named Danielle (according to Amazon Prime’s “X-Ray” thingy). She’s the same girl from Lydia’s birthday party, I think. The one who woke Stiles up? OHmygod that would be so fucking interesting. If he invited her and Heather to Lydia’s party. Maybe Heather couldn’t go, but Danielle showed up.

Awww, was Heather Stiles’ first kiss? Did they play winery as kids? Hide and seek? did they break a stupidly expensive bottle of wine?

I have personal issues with Stiles supposed canon age. I refuse to believe he’s not 17 and a year older than the others, because of repeating a grade when he was really young. I just refuse to believe otherwise. XP

PLS STOP making fun of girls asking for guys’ consent. This show would be awesome for like ten whole seconds if they stopped RUINING the girl’s asking for consent by having the guys laugh at them or treat it like a joke.

Allison, Scott’s not gonna have a single fucking clue what you’re talking about when only you hold out your arm to show the bruise.

Also. I believe in Big Dick Stiles Stilinski, bc he’s too smart not to know that wearing too big a condom is like the worst possible idea and can render it basically useless, and he wouldn’t have grabbed one (which we see he did in the next episode or something) if it wouldn’t fit. Therefore. XXL for our boy. XP

Hold up. So no one heard Heather screaming? Was she hallucinating the wine bottles breaking? Maybe it was an illusion, cus there’s no mess when Stiles gets down there? But still, the screaming is real. Scott should’ve heard screams like that even from outside the building.

Also, I feel p fucking bad for Stiles. As far as he knows, she bailed on him. What if he thought it was a prank or a joke or something? Or, even worse actually, since he’s known her for so long and she left her shoes down there, I bet he’d be worried instantly.

*snort* I looked up Derek’s loft set for research. They had to do so much editing to make it look grudgy and out of the way. This building is in the middle of town and it’s Massive and Gleaming. It’s a place where you can rent office suites. XD

I love everything about Isaac’s little venting session over getting Peter’s help, except the part where where he mentions Scott. Fuck scott. (whoops, now I need the tag. Like you didn’t see that coming?)

I find it hilarious that Peter’s intro is Rock Music. Also. “Fair enough.” I do love this man. (took me a while though.) Like, he’s honestly pretty simple to understand most of the time. He just wants people to be honest to him, say what they wanna say to his face.

Look at Peter, giving us one of the very few hints at werewolf history. Presumably, the ability was meant to be used to share memories with pack, locations of dens or images or even scents of other packs. And though mostly Alphas do it, clearly not just Alphas do it. This is fucking Interesting, I want MORE.

Aannnd, we discover that Scott’s been lying to Allison this whole time and letting her think that Derek just randomly attacked her mother. Love it. Also, I’m still not over Allison’s behavior in the last season? Waiting on an apology, hun, and it better be good.

OH. OH NOW You can sense the werewolves, Scott? SERIOUSLY?

Why do they make every single scene with Finstock have something to do with Stiles’ sex life? Like....it’s awkward. Stop. Also, can you imagine Stiles getting a rep around school for having a big dick bc of this? Is that something that actually happens in high schools? I had no friends, I would not know.

“No play.” The first time Scott decides that neutrality is better than actually doing something useful. I’m salty. *nods* yup. I am. I know what this scene does later on, and I hate it.

Also, can I just say that I literally hate that EVERY SINGLE time Stiles is having a good time, they make it Horrible? Stiles makes a lil joke about Derek being a Sourwolf? Derek gets claws through his lungs and spits blood. Stiles gets to play on the team?  Across town Erica and Boyd are being tortured. Stiles is about to have sex? The girl he’s supposed to have sex with is being traumatized downstairs. Stiles is about to play a stupid fucking game in class? He gets taken in for questioning because his friend since birth has been kidnapped. They literally refuse to ever let Stiles be happy without making him look like an idiot or an asshole for having a single good emotion. It makes me so MAD. You can literally measure the show! If Stiles is actually smiling, then someone’s about to die.

OH MY GOD. Really? Another moment we didn’t get to see? “Derek says it’s easier to turn teenagers” WHEN DID HE SAY THAT? I‘M SO CURIOUS. Also how does Stiles know what Peter and Derek tried to do to get Isaac’s memories back? Are they reporting to Stiles? Letting him know what’s up? STILES IS HALE PACK I WILL FIGHT YOU.

I’m getting really sick of Deaton somehow knowing more about werewolves than the two born werewolves. Like, it’s really fucking annoying? They know their own species, or at least they should? It was the same with Chris helping out on the hunt. He doesn’t know werewolves better than they know themselves and I’m fucking tired of it. Let Peter and Derek have their own fucking history and knowledge about their own fucking species.

*snort* i paused at just the right time and the water effect made Derek and scott’s foreheads Really big. XD

I enjoy Stiles getting distracted now that his job is done. I feel that in my soul. The only difference between us is that he has the confidence to just Grab the shit he wants to play with, and I never did so I just zone out staring at it.

I’m not stupid. I see them suddenly throwing in the work ‘risky’ everywhere. But I still appreciate Derek reminding Isaac that he doesn’t have to do the ice tub thing.

More reflections...what’s with the reflections in this season so far?

Also, is this how people sound when they’re hypnotized. I’m on Stiles’ side actually, giving this the side-eye with Isaac’s constant “They’re here” thing. It seems really weird and overdone.

God, this scene is such fucking bullshit. Derek would never put Isaac in danger like that. Isaac’s the only Beta he’s got at the moment. He wouldn’t do that and it’s fucking Stupid to make him be so vicious and scare the shit out of Isaac. I fucking hate it.

I think it’s sweet that Isaac looks to Stiles for answers when everyone’s acting weird.

Ten hours of research, and Stiles has a little pinboard on the floor, the prototype for his big one Awwwwww.

Papa Stilinski comes through ONce Again!

If they’re supposed to meet at 5 and get to work at dark. Why is it dark when they get to Dereks??? WORK WITH ME HERE.

WHY would they patch the wall (Which is stone, so wtf did they patch it with? Concrete?) if they closed the bank down right after the robbery???

IT”S THE SCENE *heavy breathing* “Big bad wolf, yeahhh, lookatdat” Peter looks SO DONE “I’ve been dealing with this for months, make it stop”

aaaand again. “Risk” Since when does Peter care about risk? I never understood this scene. We have evidence that Peter cares about family, and according to werewolves, pack is family. He flipped shit to find Derek when Derek was missing. This is exactly the kind of thing he would do. I just...I don’t get it. Don’t like it, either.

“Yeah, if you want me to come” “NOT you” I love this scene, because it shows not just that Stiles is fucking raring to go and help, but that he didn’t offer before only because he thought Derek wouldn’t let him. We know Derek doesn’t think Stiles is useless. He put Stiles in charge of researching this entire bank. Which means it’s not that he doesn’t think Stiles could help, it’s that he doesn’t want Stiles to get hurt. And apparently Stiles knows that Derek feels that way, and knows Derek is vehement enough about it that he didn’t even bother bringing it up in the first place. That’s some serious trust and understanding, and even respect right there that Stiles is showing. Understanding what Derek would feel before he did it, trusting that Derek knew better about what was too dangerous for Stiles to involve himself in, and respecting him enough not to bug him about it anyway.

personal preference, I hate how much time is wasted just showing people walk down halls with weird lighting effects, or showing Allison trip over debris and pull her coat closed. Like...it’s really not needed?

Sup, Morrell? 20 seconds to get hidden? Is that 20 sec before the alphas get in hearing range or 20 sec before they actually get there? And how did the Alphas know that Derek was coming tonight? As far as they knew they took Isaac’s memory away and killed Braeden.

KALI WEAR SOM EFUCKING SHOES YOU NASSTY.

Smart girl with the bleach. I mean, I don’t know why the sudden scent of bleach didn’t tick kali off, but sure, whatever works.

I’m not even kidding. When I saw this scene for the first time I fucking burst into tears. Just that little glimpse of Erica and I was a mess

I really love Stiles and Peter chatting though. Like, Stiles gives no fucks, and Peter sounds just so used to it. Also, Derek’s couch looks sooooo comfy. I wanna sit on it. And Peter halfway through calling Stiles annoying is just like “Shit. He’s right. Again.” and there’s no physical distance. Peter once dragged Stiles around by his neck all night and nearly killed Lydia. But Stiles has no qualms about walking right up into his space and helping him out. PLUS, when Peter realizes Stiles is right, there’s no insults. Not even frustrated ones. When STiles describes the walls of the loft, Peter doesn’t say, “No, you idiot, the bank vault.” or make a quip. He’s immediately looking to Stiles for the information and trusting that he has it and will know where it is.

Then we have Scott just...whatever the fuck he’s saying. I don’t wanna hear it.

Okay, that is way more space behind Derek and Scott than Stiles said. And how is the moonlight even getting in? They had to shimmy through a shaft in the walls, there’s no windows in the walls. AND HOW THE FUCK would the ALpHA PACK KNOW THEY EVen KNOW WHERE THE BANK IS???

Derek should be able to hear the phone call. Just. Yes. That’s how that works. Also, Peter, now is not the time for gladiator analogies.

And the tears are back. All it takes is one fucking word. “Cora?”

IT DOESN”T MAKE SENSE. HOW WOULD THE ALPHAS KNOW??? If Marin hired Braeden and told her to get a message to Derek about the bank they were being kept at, then that means that it was all this really dumb double-double cross. Her making it look like she double-crossed the Alphas by telling Braeden to give up their location, but actually doing for the Alphas to trap Derek and Scott. What the absolute fuck?

FINALLY Someone holds Scott accountable. THANK you Derek.

Also, hello Lydia, I’m so sorry honey but you’re about to enter a whole new nightmare.

Final thoughts: I’m very long winded, and very frustrated and very fucking sad. I am just so goddamn sad and the next episode’s gonna make me feel even worse so I’m taking a break.

[psychosistr]

The Jojo Support Squad

For Day 4 of @josuyasuweek​ - CollegeAU/Friends/Summer Job

Summary: Okuyasu’s pleasant afternoon with the rest of the jo-bro’s is interrupted by a surprise stand-user attack! Can he and the other’s fend him off on their own without their Jojo’s around to help?

Notes: So, remember how in the other ones I said that all of these took place in the same modern AU? Well, here’s where it gets more noticeable xD The basic relationship breakdowns are as follows:

Jonathan, Joseph, Johnny, and Jotaro’s grandfathers are all brothers with Jotaro’s grandfather still being Josuke’s dad. Jolyne was found as a toddler by Holly and raised alongside Jotaro as his adopted sister when the Joestar family birthmark was found on her. Jotaro and Jolyne met Josuke when they were all still pretty young and they’ve grown up knowing each other. Giorno’s still part Brando and part Joestar, but at the moment it looks like his father might actually be related to Diego’s father (if not the same person) and his Joestar blood may come from his half-Japanese mother. Gappy (part 8 Josuke) is still a fusion of Josefumi Kujo and a man name Yoshikage Kira, though it’s a different Kira than the one that part 4-Josuke’s group deals with.

Also worth noting is that, in this world, Baron Zeppeli is Caesar’s uncle who is still alive, but that Caesar’s father knew Joseph’s and that’s where part of his grudge originally came from, and Gyro is one of Caesar’s many cousins because the Zeppeli family is just as huge as the Joestars xP Caesar also used to associate with Passione back during his street-thug days and was on good terms with Bucciarati’s group- it’s also where he originally met Speedwagon as their two gangs would travel between England and Italy often and the two have been best friends for years.

Jonathan’s in a poly relationship with Erina and Speedwagon and has been with them for about five years by now following their first fight against DIO. Joseph and Caesar have been “best friends/roommates with benefits” for a couple of years now but only recently started “officially” dating. Jotaro and Kakyoin have been together since their first fight against DIO a year and a half ago. Josuke and Okuyasu just hit their one year anniversary. Giorno and Mista got together shortly after meeting the other Jojo’s. Jolyne is dating both Anasui and Ermes, but the two of them are not dating each other in any way, shape, or form, and often antagonize each other and fight for their equal shares of Jolyne’s attention but she loves them both equally- they’ve been together for a few months by this point. Johnny and Gyro are partners in the local horse-racing challenge league and have also been dating for about half a year by now. Lastly, Gappy and Yasuho just joined the group recently and their relationship is the newest, having only been officially dating for a couple of weeks before meeting the rest of the group.

____________________________________________________________

“Hey, guys!” Okuyasu waved to the group of people seated at a pair of pushed-together tables outside of a café as he ran up to join them. “Sorry I’m late- got held up at work.”

“You’re always late.” Kakyoin commented while grabbing one of the red macaroons set out on a plate nearby, giving the other Japanese boy a teasing smirk. “At this point, I think we’d be more worried if you were actually on time.”

“ ‘fraid ‘e’s got ya on that one, mate.” Speedwagon chuckled, raising his cup of tea in greeting.

“Yeah, yeah, I know..” Okuyasu sighed and took the empty seat between Mista and Anasui, gratefully taking the plate that Gyro handed him from across the table so he could start grabbing his share of the pastries and finger sandwiches before they were all gone. “So, did I miss anything?”

“Nah, we were just getting started!” Ermes grinned at him from the other side of Anasui. “Caesar spent ten minutes ranting about how Joseph used up all the hot water, again.”

Caesar picked up his espresso cup with an annoyed look on his face. “Well, maybe if that idiot didn’t do it EVERY DAY, I could go a week without complaining about it!”

Everyone at the tables laughed at the look on his face, many of them familiar with this particular rant by now.

After thanking Erina and Yasuho for passing him the French-press and a mug from their end of the tables, Okuyasu fixed himself a cup of coffee. Taking his first sip, he looked from one end of the table to the other at the motley crew seated around him.

On the far left of the table was Speedwagon with Caesar to his right. The two of them were the ones to start this little tradition since they’d known each other the longest, often going out for drinks or meals to hang out. When they both wound up living in the same town again because of Jonathan and Joseph, they made going out a weekly event.

Okuyasu himself was seated one place away from Speedwagon’s left side with Anasui directly to his left, Ermes on the other side of Anasui, and Kakyoin across the table from Anasui. The four of them had been brought into the tradition after winding up in town- Kakyoin and Okuyasu because they were traveling with Jotaro and Josuke respectively, and Anasui and Ermes because they followed Jolyne after being released from the prison ship they’d been transported across the sea on. It had been a casual invitation from Speedwagon, asking if the four of them wanted to tag along for dinner one day at his treat after a particularly rough day.

Directly to Speedwagon’s left on the other side of Okuyasu was Mista, who was busy feeding his stands little bits of a cookie that he broke up for them. They’d run into him one day while on their way to lunch shortly after meeting him and his group. He already knew Caesar and Speedwagon somewhat through Passione, but the rest of them were essentially strangers. After some insistence from his tiny stands and pleading for food, Mista joined them and became a more included member of their little squad.

Directly across the table from Okuyasu, seated between Kakyoin and Caesar, was Caesar’s cousin Gyro. Gyro was one of the newer members of their group, but he’d warmed right up to everyone without much trouble. He was actually the one to insert himself into the group after overhearing that they were going out for drinks one night at Passione’s bar and asking if he could tag along. When he said he was a bit frustrated because of Johnny, they welcomed him into the fold with open arms.

On Kakyoin’s other side seated directly across from Ermes was Yasuho. She had recently overthrown Gyro for the title of newest member, as they’d only met her and Josuke (Gappy, as they tended to call him to avoid confusion with Okuyasu’s own Josuke) a couple of weeks ago. This was actually her first time joining them, having been given the invitation earlier in the week.

Lastly, at the right end of the table between Ermes and Yasuho, was Erina. Erina had been a casual member of their group for a while now, but her schedule was rather hectic and often took her out of town. On the rare occasion that she was in town, however, she was more than happy to join the others and catch up. Seeing as it had been a few weeks since her last opportunity to join them, Erina was the one to choose the venue this time- selecting the quaint café with its wide variety of sweets and drinks.

They were certainly an odd sight, all gathered together outside of the café. A mismatched group of people from different countries, demographics, and social classes, all gathered together for sweets. What was the driving force that compelled these people to come together?

The answer was simple: The Joestars.

Each of them had come to love and cherish a member of the Joestar bloodline with all their heart, ultimately falling in love with them. Their lives had all changed in grand, drastic, and bizarre ways due to their association with the strong and clever Joestars, making their lives even richer and more fulfilling than before.

That being said, the Joestars all had their little quirks that got on their partners’ nerves and they needed a place to vent about it occasionally.

Originally, the get-togethers were just a fun little “we need a break from the Joestar brand of insanity, lets grab a bite to eat” thing the small group did on Sundays (barring any aforementioned insanity popping up). Back when it had just been the six of them, Okuyasu had been the one to joke about how it was like their own marriage-counseling session, with most of the others laughing and agreeing with him (except for Caesar, as he refused to admit that he was actually in love with Joseph for the longest time- thank god that wall finally broke down, the others were getting tired of rolling their eyes all the time). By the time Mista joined the group, the weekly outing had become the unofficial “Jojo-dating-therapy-session” for all of them.

Their group had been nicknamed the J.S.S.- the “Jojo Support Squad”. When asked by their partners and friends whether the name meant they supported their respective Jojo’s or if they needed support for dealing with them, they would all just grin and answer with a vague but emphatic “YES”.

They each still loved their partners, of course- complaining about someone’s more annoying traits doesn’t mean you love them any less. Having an open and understanding environment to jokingly air out your grievances, however, was healthy for all of them. So, to give each of them a break and a way to unwind with others who knew the joy, frustration, and bizarreness that dating a Joestar could bring, each week the group took turns letting someone pick a restaurant or bar for them to meet up in and unwind with good food and/or drinks while they all laughed about their Jojo’s antics.

Finishing off a small tart, Okuyasu tuned back into the conversations around him right as Erina let out a light laugh. “Oh, speaking of birthdays..” She smiled at Speedwagon across the table. “Jonathan got ours confused again.”

Speedwagon rolled his eyes and brought a hand to his head, but the smile on his face was still fond and good-natured. “Is THAT why ‘e suddenly showed up outside the office lookin’ like ‘e’d just run a marathon with a bunch o’ roses in ‘is ‘ands?”

Erina laughed again, bringing one hand to her mouth as she did. “I’m afraid so. He invited me out and said that he had made reservations for a ‘special occasion’. I was confused until I looked at the calendar.” She shook her head with an equally fond smile. “His face turned as red as those roses, but I told him to just make sure he got to see you before midnight!”

“At least ‘e got THAT done right.” Speedwagon chuckled and rolled his eyes. “God, what is that? Three, four years in a row now?”

“Four.” Erina mirrored the action and shook her head again. “You would think he’d remember by now.”

“Are your birthdays close together?” Gyro asked them with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

“Ha!” Speedwagon laughed. “Not even close, mate- got a whole season between us!”

“His is October 16th.” Erina said while gesturing towards Speedwagon with her tea cup before raising it towards herself to take a sip. “Mine is June 10th.”

“Poor Jojo can’t keep the numbers straight in ‘is ‘ead t’ save ‘is life.” Speedwagon grabbed a biscotti from the plate that Caesar passed him before passing it along to Mista. “Says all the ones an’ zeroes get mixed up with the six and ‘e forgets which one’s which.”

“At least he knows the dates.” Ermes frowned, distractedly dunking a donut in her coffee. “We must’ve told Jolyne OUR birthdays a hundred times and she STILL can’t remember them!”

“Oh please,” Anasui sighed in annoyance. “It’s not the end of the world. Jolyne can so many amazing things- overlooking a date here and there isn’t worth getting upset over.”

Ermes gave him a dead-pan look that clearly spoke to her lack of sympathy. “Dude, your birthday’s January 1st. It’s the first day of the year and literally the easiest date to remember. I remember it, and we’re not even dating!”

“……” Anasui hid the fact that he was pouting behind his coffee cup while taking an extra-long avoiding-the-conversation sip.

Okuyasu looked at the pair beside him. “Geez, that must be rough. Can’t relate, though- Josuke knows EVRYONE’S birthdays. It’s like he puts reminders in his phone or something.” He frowned slightly and glanced away. “But he did give me the silent treatment for a week when I forgot his birthday…” He shuddered at the thought of his boyfriend’s “I’m not mad, just disappointed” look that he’d been subjected to the whole time- the punishment only ending when he forcefully dragged the other teen all over town for a make-up date where he treated him to lunch, a movie, and bought him anything he wanted from the stores. His wallet was much lighter after that day, but the forgiving smile and kiss on the cheek he received was well worth it. “I’m never doing that again..” He muttered to himself.

“At least you know when your boyfriend’s birthday is.” Mista sighed while leaning his chin into his hand, an annoyed frown on his face. “I keep asking, but Giorno refuses to tell me- he keeps saying I’d probably break up with him if I found out. What the heck does THAT mean?”

“Maybe it has to do with your superstition.” Caesar suggested after grabbing a finger sandwich from his plate. “And trust me, sometimes it is better NOT to know. Every September, Jojo spends the whole month reminding me as if I’M the one who forgot HIS birthday two years in a row.”

“Good to see you’re not bitter about that one, huh?” Gyro teased his cousin with a cocked brow before shrugging. “Then again, me and Johnny haven’t really been together long enough for that to be a problem yet.”

“I know what you mean..” Yasuho said from her spot on the other end of the table. “We don’t know if Josuke actually has a birthday, and mine hasn’t even happened yet.”

Okuyasu smiled a bit while Erina tried suggesting Yasuho and Gappy pick an official date to celebrate his birthday. It was nice getting to hang out with everyone like this, away from their boyfriends (girlfriend, in Anasui and Ermes’ case) and just unwind for a bit. He still loved spending time with Josuke, of course, but it was nice to have some time apart now and then.

Thinking of the other pompadoured teen gave Okuyasu an idea and he pulled out his phone. After arranging the various little pastries and sweets on his plate to look a bit nicer, Okuyasu snapped a picture of the treats and sent it to Josuke. He didn’t have to wait long to get a reply, grinning and chuckling quietly when he saw the text and replied to it.

Josuke: “Dude, those look SO good! O_O Where’d you guys go today?”

Me: “Café Erina likes called Jo’s Jolt. This stuff s as good as it looks and you cant have any! >:D”

Josuke: “Youre such a jerk lmao XD”

Josuke: “Btw you wanna hit up the arcade later? Heard they just got in that new Treasure Raiders game.”

Me: “Hell yeah! :D That sounds awta;9?;ouz”

Okuyasu’s last text got messed up when Mista suddenly grabbed him and pulled him up out of his chair, his phone briefly falling out of his hands. “Incoming!!” He shouted in warning right before something shot past him and hit the table- its path taking it right through where Okuyasu was just sitting.

The object that hit the table looked like a metal sphere that was blinking with a red light. When the light started blinking faster, rapidly gaining speed and shortening the time between flashes, Caesar’s eyes widened and he quickly jumped up onto the table. “Get down!” He shouted as he swiftly grabbed the sphere, encasing it in a bubble as he moved. “Bubble Barrier!” He then threw the bubble-encased object as high up into the air as he could, where it exploded and burst the bubble around it.

Thanks to his earlier warning, everyone else had ducked down below the table for cover while Caesar himself used another bubble barrier around his own body. Everyone’s respective cover, combined with Caesar’s initial bubble barrier around the explosive, helped to significantly lessen the resulting shockwave.

Okuyasu looked around in alarm after the smoke from the bomb cleared and everyone got to their feet. “What the heck was that?!”

“Ahahahahaha!” A jarring voice laughed from above them, all eyes looking towards the roof of the café beside them. Atop the building was a tall but stocky man whose appearance was hidden by a cloak. “Greetings, comrades of the Joestar family! You picked a bad day to go out on your own!” The man threw off his cloak, revealing a scarred face and buzz-cut black hair on his head and green army fatigues with several medals adorning his body. “I, the Modern Major General, and my stand War Pigs, will put an end to your meddling in Lord Dio’s-!” He ducked just in time to avoid being hit in the head by two separate shots, having to jump to the other side of the roof to avoid one of the shots ricocheting back towards him after abruptly turning mid-air. “Hey! I wasn’t finished yet!”

Down on the ground, Speedwagon and Mista both stood with their guns drawn and aimed at the Modern Major General. Once one of Mista’s stands flew back down to him to join the others floating behind him, he glanced towards Speedwagon while keeping his gun trained on their enemy. “That bomb didn’t come from him- Cinque saw it fired from a few feet behind us. He’s either got back up or his stand’s got a longer range.”

The Modern Major General smirked down at them. “Right on both counts, maggot.” He pulled out a whistle from a pocket on his uniform and blew into it. “Troops! Fall in!”

At his command, nearly every person walking on the streets or in the nearby buildings, minus the café itself, suddenly stopped and fell limp as if they’d had some invisible strings cut from their bodies. Then, all at once, they turned to face the group at the café and marched forward in unison- forming a perimeter around them consisting of a small army’s worth of people. Their eyes were hollow and lifeless and their skin looked waxy and pale, as if they had already passed on from this world and were now nothing more than puppets.

At another blow into his whistle, a stand appeared behind the soldier on the roof. It looked like a humanoid boar creature with one of its tusks broken off, a scarred eye, and was covered in camouflage gear- including a classic green helmet on its head and black war paint under its eyes. The stand raised one of its hands into the air and formed a fist, similar helmets to its own appearing on the people around the group to give them the façade of an actual militarized unit. When it moved its hand into a salute, various weapons ranging from close-quarter combat knives to military-grade firearms appeared in their hands.

Realizing what was about to happen, Yasuho was surprisingly the first one to act. She picked up the chair that she had been seated in a minute ago and threw it right into the nearby window of the café with a shout. “Take cover!!!”

The group quickly did such and rushed into the shop through the busted window since it was closer than the door, getting inside and hitting the floor just in time to avoid the barrage of bullets that would have hit them. While they themselves had been lucky enough to avoid the assault, a few of the café’s employees and indoor-patrons had gotten caught in the cross-fire, resulting in bullet wounds and cuts from the breaking glass that accompanied the blasts.

Speedwagon looked to the injured people with a worried frown. “This isn’t good. They’ve got us pinned AND outnumbered- we need a plan.” He turned to Erina and Yasuho. “Erina, get everyone behind the counter an’ get ‘em patched up. Yasuho, give ‘er some ‘elp.” He looked at Okuyasu, Anasui, Ermes, Gyro, and Caesar. “You lot try t’ find a way up t’ the roof and put that bastard in ‘is place. If ya take ‘im out, the soldiers’ll drop like flies.” Lastly, he turned to Kakyoin and Mista. “You two are with me. We’re gonna lay down some cover fire and make sure those buggers don’t get in. Got it?”

Once everyone gave a nod of understanding, they each rushed to their assigned tasks.

Erina and Yasuho got to work on moving the injured customers and employees behind the register counter and display cases, Yasuho calling out her stand and using it to help drag anyone who was unconscious. After they got everyone to a relatively safe spot, Yasuho pulled out her phone and looked at Paisley Park.

“We’re going to need some help here.” When her stand nodded and held a hand out towards the phone, the screen lit up with two choices. Yasuho looked to Erina, who was busy checking everyone’s injuries. “Which would be better? Alcohol or numbing gel?”

“The alcohol.” Erina answered while using some paper towels from behind the counter to wipe up someone’s blood. “It will hurt more, but we need to keep these wounds from getting infected.”

“Got it.” Yasuho said while tapping the bottle of rubbing alcohol on her screen, the bottle emerging from the phone with the help of her stand and materializing in the real world. She continued to use her stand’s ability to get items for Erina, the latter using the acquired supplies to treat the wounds of the injured civilians to the best of her ability.

As they worked to treat the wounded, Speedwagon, Mista, and Kakyoin each took up a position at one of the windows to fire at the advancing army. Their efforts seemed in vain, though, as the enemy just kept going no matter how they shot their arms or legs.

“Emerald Splash!!” Kakyoin called out the signature attack of his stand as a wide arc of emeralds were launched at the undead soldiers. The sound of a door being kicked open nearby caught his attention, causing him to turn towards the kitchen where a few of the soldiers were trying to get in. “!!”

Before he had a chance to react, a metallic object flew past his eyes and sliced the heads off of the soldiers. With their heads damaged, the helmets fell off to reveal glowing bullet holes and the bodies finally fell limply to the ground.

“The ‘eads!” Speedwagon called to the other two while catching his hat when it spun back around in his direction. “Aim for the ‘eads an’ knock their ‘elmets clean off!”

“On it!” Mista said while doing just that- firing six shots with each bullet guided by one of his stands to hit the green helmets and send them flying off, resulting in each person hit falling to the ground.

Using the hole that the others made for them in the advancing horde, Okuyasu’s group ran out into the fray and started fighting off any of the close-range soldiers that tried to attack with their knives.

“Caesar!” Gyro called after knocking back a pair of enemies with his steel balls. “Diamo a questi bastardi uno speciale per la famiglia Zeppeli!”

Caesar looked at his cousin with a smirk. “Con piacere.”

The shorter haired Zeppeli then took in a deep hamon breath and began to shape a large bubble. Once it was big enough, Gyro reached over and touched the surprisingly strong soapy film of the bubble and moved it, channeling the power of the spin into the bubble’s rotation. Within seconds the bubble was glowing and crackling with two similar yet different wave-lengths of energy from the hamon and spin that were powering it up.

When the bubble was ready, the two Italians launched it forward at the same time. The super bubble proceeded to ricochet around the battlefield like a pinball, bowling over any enemies in its path while always managing to avoid running into anyone from their own group. The chaos it caused help to further clear their path around to the side of the building where they could get to the roof with a bit more ease and be out of the line of fire.

Just before they rounded the corner, though, Okuyasu heard the familiar tune of the song “Great Days” being sung in his boyfriend’s voice and instantly recognized the ringtone. “Oh, shit!” He summoned The Hand and spotted his phone back by the now knocked over tables. As soon as he saw an opening, he used his stand’s powers to swipe away the space between him and his phone, drawing the small object closer and catching it. “Gotcha!” He looked at the screen and, sure enough, there was Josuke’s picture with his caller ID, along with a list of messages and one or two other missed calls on the list. Feeling bad for making the other boy worry about him, Okuyasu quickly answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, Josuke.”

“There you are! Dude, you had me freakin’ out over here!” Josuke let out a relieved sigh. “That last text was weird- everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Okuyasu frowned slightly while using The Hand to make the heads of some nearby soldiers that tried to follow them disappear, working in tandem with Gyro and Caesar to keep the enemies from cornering them. “I kinda dropped the phone when Mista grabbed me, and then there was the explosion, and I left my phone at the table when we had to duck inside-”

“Woah, woah, back up!” Josuke interrupted him. “What the heck’s going on over there?!”

“Oh, right.” Okuyasu smacked himself in the forehead for forgetting the important part. “We’re sort of fighting off this weird stand user that works for Dio. He’s got a bunch of zombie people in helmets with guns and junk, so we’re gonna climb up to the roof and kick his ass.”

“What?!” Josuke didn’t sound very relieved after hearing his answer. “Are you okay?! Do you guys need back up?!”

“Uhhh..one sec, lemme check.” Okuyasu held the phone away from his head while looking at Anasui and Ermes. “Hey, Josuke wants to know if we need back up!” He called over to them.

The pair of ex-convicts were busy creating a pathway to the roof by placing Kiss’s stickers on Diver Down’s limbs so that it could phase into the wall of the building and give them multiple points to climb on by leaving its limbs sticking out.

“Nah, we’re good!” Ermes called back to him while using her stand to grab onto one of the limbs and pull herself up.

“Okay!” Okuyasu went to bring the phone back to his head. “Yeah, I think we’re-” Before he could finish his reply, a bullet whizzed past his head and hit his phone. It probably would have hit him as well if Caesar and Gyro didn’t suddenly pull him back. “?!!” Okuyasu looked at the shattered remains of his phone with wide eyes and a slack jaw of disbelief. “Hey, not cool, man!” His expression quickly turned into an angry scowl when he looked around for the source of the gun shot. He eventually spotted the culprit several feet away with a sniper rifle in its hands. “Get over here, you asshole!” He shouted, using The Hand to drag the soldier right up to him so he could punch it in the face and knock its helmet off himself. “Great, now Josuke’s gonna freak out!”

“Sorry, amico mio.” Gyro gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, but the look on his face spoke of mischief. “But I know ONE thing that will make you feel better.” He pointed to the roof where Anasui and Ermes were just climbing over the edge. “Go on- we’ll cover you from down here.”

Okuyasu smirked and headed towards Diver Down while cracking his knuckles. “Yeah, that should help.” Similar to Ermes, he used his stand to grab on to each of Diver Down’s limbs and climb up to the roof.

Joining the others on the roof, he saw them battling against the Modern Major General and War Pigs with the stand putting up a surprisingly effective defense against Kiss’s assault. “Did you think I would be taken down that easily?” He taunted when his stand managed to dodge one of Kiss’s strikes and tossed her aside.

“Woah!” Ermes nearly lost her balance when she felt her stand being thrown, but Anasui steadied her while Okuyasu’s stand caught Kiss. “The guy’s got a decent stand, I’ll give him that..”

“Decent, maybe.” Anasui said once Ermes was on her feet again. “But we’ve dealt with worse.” He looked at the Modern Major General and his own stand rose up through the floor behind him. “Diver Down!” His stand lived up to its name and dove at the enemy, two of its multiplied fists raised as it struck.

The Modern Major General avoided the attack by jumping back out of the way, but the stand still hit the floor where he’d been standing. “Ha! Slow attacks like that are no match for my highly trained, combat-honed reflexes!”

“…….” Instead of responding verbally, Anasui just continued to have Diver Down attempt to strike the general, settling for hitting the roof whenever the stand missed.

Looking at the way the stand kept hitting the roof with its multiplied limbs, Ermes seemed to figure out what was going on. “Oh boy..this is gonna be big!” She backed away to edge of the roof quickly, keeping an eye on the fight happening a few feet away.

Before he could ask what was going on, Okuyasu saw Anasui smirk and got the feeling that he should back up too. “?!” Seeing the smirk increase, Okuyasu jumped back to the edge- apparently doing so just in time.

The Modern Major General avoided another punch and grinned. “Are you even trying? I could do this all da-!” Not being given a chance to finish his taunt, a copy of two of Diver Down’s fists suddenly shot up from the ground he landed on and knocked him into the air. “?!” When he fell onto another part of the roof, a pair of Diver Down’s legs shot up and kicked him back into the air. The pattern continued, a pair of fists or feet rising up out of the roof no matter where he seemed to land- effectively floating him from one side of the roof to the other.

“Did you really think I’d be sloppy enough to miss THAT many times?” Anasui said while watching his enemy get knocked back into the air repeatedly. “I was storing Diver Down’s energy all over this roof, waiting for you to lower your guard at just the right moment.”

As he fell back towards the roof again, the Modern Major General finally got his bearings and his stand appeared in front of him. “War Pigs!” A missile launcher appeared in the stand’s hands and it blasted the area of the roof its users was about to land on, the force driving him to the edge of the roof and clear of the trapped areas. “D..Damn you..I’m not going to fall for a trap like that again..!”

Okuyasu looked at the large amount of space between them and the general with a scowl. He REALLY wanted a piece of the action, too. Then, glancing at Ermes, he got an idea. “Hey, can I borrow a sticker?”

Ermes looked at him curiously. “Huh? For what?”

Okuyasu smirked and summoned The Hand in front of her with its right arm raised. “For THIS.”

Ermes grinned, getting the gist of what he wanted. “Ha! Sure, this oughta be fun!”

On the other side of the roof, the Modern Major General had his stand aim its missile launcher at Anasui. “Your stand has a limit to its range, so all I have to do is blow you away from over here and-!” Once again, he was interrupted- this time by a strong pulling sensation. “What?!” He was yanked forward across the roof, triggering multiple stored-energy points along the way and getting hit by every single fist and leg he came across.

Okuyasu looked down at him when the other stand user stopped right in front of him, cracking his knuckles. His stand stood behind him with two versions of its right hand still extended. “You know..I was having a pretty good day before YOU showed up..now my phone’s trashed, I’m pissed off, and I never even got to finish eating!” He glared at the man while pulling him up to his feet. “But you wanna know what REALLY pissed me off?” He curled his free hand into a fist. “You made me hang up on my boyfriend and freak him out, you asshole!!” He punched the general and sent him flying across the roof, setting off a few more of the stored energy points.

When he tried to get back up, Okuyasu used The Hand’s power to force him back over by deleting the empty space in front of him- the extra limb giving him more control of the area that was affected by his power and allowing him to jerk the general in various directions. At one point he got the general close enough to Ermes that she was able to punch him with Kiss and send him flying over to Anasui, who repeated the motion with Diver Down. The three stand users formed a triangle of punishment, the enemy stand user being pulled and punched across the roof and hitting all sorts of stored points along the way.

Finally, with the enemy barely conscious, Okuyasu punched him clear off the roof with his stand’s other hand, sending him sprawling down on the ground below in an unconscious heap.

With their commanding officer down, the horde of undead soldiers began to lose the unity of their previous attacks and just fired about aimlessly. The trio inside of the building, as well as the pair on the ground outside of it, took advantage of the loss in control and proceeded to thin out the ranks significantly.

Inside of the building, Yasuho looked to the windows with a relieved sigh. “Looks like they got him.”

“That’s a relief.” Erina sighed as well, finishing the last of her emergency first-aid on the civilians.

Yasuho was about to comment about the fight going on around them, when Paisley Park made another choice come up on her phone. “Huh?” Yasuho looked at the two weapons displayed on the screen in confusion. “A gun or a Taser? Why would we need these?”

Erina looked at the phone’s screen with a worried frown. “…….” After a moment, she spoke quietly. “Choose the gun.”

Yasuho looked at the blond woman curiously while tapping the picture. “But, I don’t know how to use it.” She said as she took the revolver produced by her stand’s ability.

“I know..” Erina looked back out the window at their allies fighting off the remnants of the undead army. “But I have a feeling we’ll need it..”

Without War Pigs giving them commands, the rest of the soldiers were dispatched fairly easily after a while- especially after the roof trio joined the fight in earnest on the ground. Finishing off the last of them, Okuyasu looked around for where he’d sent the Modern Major General flying earlier. “Did you guys see where that jerk landed?”

Ermes and Anasui shook their heads as they aided him in his attempt to find their enemy. Speedwagon and the others exited the building to aid in the search, leaving Yasuho and Erina inside to look after the wounded.

Kakyoin looked around with a serious frown on his face. “This isn’t good. I’ll set up a perimeter with Hierophant Green and see if we can spot him.”

Just as the stand was starting to unravel itself, they all heard a startled scream from within the building and turned towards it. “!!!!!”

They saw the Modern Major General standing behind the shattered window, looking bloodied and bruised, with a dark scowl on his face as he held Erina’s arms behind her back. Beside him, his stand had a similar hold on Yasuho with one hand and a desert eagle held against her head with the other hand. The general glared at them as he and his stand stepped out of the building with their hostages. “Alright…none of you move or the ladies here get it.” To show he was serious, he had his stand press the barrel of its gun harder against Yasuho’s head. “Now drop your weapons and call off your stands!”

Not wanting to risk their friends’ lives, everyone did as they were told. The stand users all had their stands retreat for the moment while Mista and Speedwagon set their guns on the ground, Gyro doing the same with his steel balls. At a gesture from the general, they kicked their weapons towards him and out of their reach.

Speedwagon, however, kept his hat on, silently making plans when the general didn’t comment on it. “Alright…ya got what ya wanted, now let ‘em go!” As he spoke, he moved one of his hands behind himself where Kakyoin and Okuyasu, who were standing behind him, could see it. He made two motions with his hand- one grabbing gesture, and one where he brought his fingers together and split them apart slowly.

The boys got the idea and Kakyoin acted first, silently summoning his stand in its unraveled form and spreading the tendrils of it along the ground so that they slowly snaked their way towards the general. As he did so, Okuyasu had The Hand’s right hand super-imposed over his own from where it was hidden behind his back, waiting for his cue.

“Let them go? Ha!” The Modern Major General smirked at them. “Oh no, I’ve got plans for them- for ALL of you.” He looked at his stand with the gun in its hand. “You see, losing a few soldiers here and there means nothing to me. My War Pigs can conscript anyone into my army with a single shot to the head.” He looked back at the others with a malicious grin. “That is why Lord Dio sent ME to get rid of you. Soon, you will all become soldiers for my army- an army that will take down the Joestars! Just imagining the look on their faces when their closest allies come to kill them, being forced to fight those who once fought so hard for them, and then being finished off by those same allies- oh, I can hardly wait to see it!”

Kakyoin spoke calmly, the strands of his stand getting close to the enemy, unseen so far. “A twisted plan, indeed- one we’ve come to expect from Dio and his minions.”

“Not a bad plan, really.” Mista commented, the rest of the group having noticed what was happening by now.

“But you left one thing out, amico.” Gyro said with a quiet chuckle, looking amused.

“Si, something VERY important.” Caesar’s expression matched his cousin’s perfectly.

“Oh yeah?” The Modern Major General asked while eyeing them suspiciously. “And what would that be?”

“US!” Okuyasu said, finally revealing his hand and swiping it through the air.

“!!” War Pigs was about to shoot Yasuho, but the green tendrils of Kakyoin’s own stand rose out of the ground and pried its arms away from her, allowing her to be pulled forward by Okuyasu’s stand.

Once she’d gotten her bearings and stood among the others, Yasuho pulled the gun her stand had given her earlier out from under the hem of her shirt and handed it to Mista. “Here, I think you’ll get more use out of this than I would.”

Mista took the gun and opened it up so his stands could get in alongside the bullets. “Thanks, I’ll put it to good use.”

“Why, you-!” The Modern Major general’s face contorted into an enraged snarl as he gripped Erina tighter. “I warned you! Now-!” This time the one to interrupt him was Erina, who did so by suddenly slamming her head back into her captor’s nose while simultaneously stomping on his foot with her high-heeled shoe. “!!!!”

Erina quickly slipped out of the hold while he was in pain and ducked. “Now, Robert!”

“Right, love!” Speedwagon called back to her while taking his hat and throwing it at their enemy. The deadly clothing easily sailed over Erina’s head and sliced right across her assailant’s eyes before flying back towards him.

“AAAAAH!!! My eyes!!” The general screamed in pain, futilely bringing his hands up to hold his bleeding pupils.

Unable to see them coming, everyone in the group got into position around the general.

“Your plan wasn’t bad, mate.” Speedwagon began, twirling his hat idly on the tip of one finger. “But ya forgot one VERY important thing.” He slashed the backs of the general’s hands with his hat and tripped him, sending him towards Caesar.

“Si, you forgot about US.” Caesar summoned a small volley of his hamon-infused bubbles that crashed into the man and sent him towards Anasui and Ermes.

“We’re not that easy to take down!” Ermes used her stand to hold the general in place.

“And we don’t like people threatening our partners.” Anasui said with a dark, deadly tone to his voice right before Diver Down punched the man- the stand’s fist hitting twice due to the energy it stored in the spot it struck and sending him flying towards Yasuho and Erina.

“So don’t try anything with us around!” Yasuho took the broken chair that Erina handed her and gave it to her stand, Paisley Park smashing the chair over the enemy’s head to send him towards Gyro.

“Actually, don’t try anything AT ALL.” Gyro warned, channeling some spin energy into his fist to knock the general high up into the air.

“That’s right- it’s still a death sentence.” Mista aimed the gun Yasuho gave him at the general and fired every single shot at him, Sex Pistols passing the bullets around to make sure they all hit in the most painful spots possible.

“Because if you want to hurt the Joestars-” Kakyoin began, Hierophant Green sending out a blast of emeralds that battered and pierced the general further.

“Then you gotta go through US!!” Okuyasu finished Kakyoin’s threat, summoning The Hand and using his stand to shorten the space between the general and the ground- causing him to slam right into the group below where every member of their squad had their stand’s and/or their own hands raised into fists to punch him when he landed.

The Modern Major General was soundly knocked out from the force of the impact, his body falling in a bloody heap on the ground- this time being most likely the last for the time being.

When the adrenaline wore off and the metaphorical dust settled, Okuyasu and the others realized that they felt like they were being watched. They turned around to see who was watching them and found their various Jojo’s standing a few feet away. Every single one of them were staring with a look that was, for lack of a better term, star struck.

While their partners’ looks were adorable and endearing, someone had to break the silent trance they were all in. So, Speedwagon took it upon himself to do so, walking over to Jonathan.

“Enjoyin’ the show there, love?” He asked with a teasing smile.

“Huh? O-Oh!” Jonathan snapped out of his fond gazing and a slight flush appeared on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. “My apologies! I-I just, that is, we thought-!”

Erina giggled and joined Speedwagon in front of Jonathan, reaching up to playfully tap the tip of his nose with her finger. “It seems you left him speechless, Robert. Whatever shall we do?”

“Oh, ‘e probably jus’ wants a cute nurse or two t’ take care o’ ‘im!” Speedwagon laughed, winking at Jonathan. “ ‘e’s kinda cute like that, though.”

Jonathan let out an exasperated huff and wrapped his arms around both of his partners. “You may tease me all you want, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Nearby, Joseph folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders when Caesar walked over to him. “I don’t get why we had to rush over here. I TOLD them you’d be fine.”

Caesar cocked one brow with a knowing smirk, leaning in close to Joseph to unnerve him. “Oh? So you didn’t panic when you heard I was fighting without you again?”

“Oh no, he was screaming about it the whole time.” Johnny commented as he passed by in his wheelchair. He ignored the way Joseph blushed and shouted names like “traitor” at him, as well as Caesar’s following laughter, as he made his way over to Gyro. “I knew you’d be okay, though.”

Gyro chuckled and ruffled Johnny’s hair affectionately. “Good to know you’ve got so much faith in me.” He grinned when he saw the small smile on Johnny’s face that he tried to hide by looking away, prompting him to lean down and give him a kiss on his forehead.

Off beside them, Jolyne smiled at Anasui and Ermes. “That was great- I came in around the end where you beat the heck out of that guy.” She looked between the two of them with a teasing smile. “It’s good to see you two getting along like that for a change.”

Ermes and Anasui looked at each other for a moment before Ermes laughed. “Us? Getting along? Yeah, right!”

Anasui huffed and rolled his eyes. “Unlikely.”

Despite their words, they glanced at each other with an amicable smile- one that Jolyne definitely caught. “Uh huh, suuuuuure.” She said sarcastically before slipping between them and putting one arm around each of their shoulders, giving her boyfriend and her girlfriend each a quick peck on the cheek.

Not too far away behind them, Giorno was being swarmed by Sex Pistols and their barrage of comments “Did you see us, Giorno?!” “We were cool, right?!” “Mista sure got angry!” “It’s because that meanie said he was gonna hurt Giorno..” “Well, we wouldn’t let that happen!” “Yeah! We’d help protect you, Giorno!”

Giorno gave the stands a small, fond smile. “Thank you- I feel safer already.” He gave one of the tiny stands a light pat on the head with the tip of his finger, but his eyes were locked on the stand’s user, giving him a look of gratitude that made Mista blush and avert his gaze elsewhere with an innocent whistle- pretending he didn’t hear what his stands just said (or that he could feel it when Giorno patted them in appreciation).

“So..” Kakyoin began, eyeing Jotaro with a mildly amused smile once he’d made his way over to him nearby. “Were you worried?”

“……” Jotaro looked at him quietly for a moment before pulling his hat down over his eyes. “Hmph, yare yare daze. Figured you’d be fine..Josuke just panicked and made us rush over..”

Kakyoin tilted his head, leaning sideways slightly so he could see under the brim of his boyfriend’s iconic hat. “Oh? You weren’t worried at all?”

“Of course not.” Jotaro turned his head away, but Kakyoin caught the way the corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he spoke. “You wouldn’t be my partner if I thought you couldn’t handle yourself.”

While Kakyoin smiled more at the other teen’s words, Gappy ran past them over to Yasuho and looked her over with a concerned frown on his face. “You’re okay, right? He didn’t hurt you?”

Yasuho laughed lightly and waved off her boyfriend’s concern. “I’m fine, Josuke. It wasn’t anything we couldn’t-” She blushed slightly when her boyfriend suddenly took her hand, holding it with a relieved smile on his face.

“Good…” He looked her in the eyes, smiling more. “I don’t know what I’d do without you..”

“Aw, Josuke..” She smiled back at him, squeezing his hand gently. “You’re getting so sappy- it’s weird.” They both laughed at that one, sharing the sentiment whole-heartedly.

Okuyasu looked through the crowd and spotted his own boyfriend still standing back where the Joestar group had started. Making his way over to him, Okuyasu gave Josuke an apologetic frown and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. “Hey, Josuke..look, I’m sorry about earlier, but one of those creepy zombie-things shot my phone and I-” He was cut off mid-apology by a pair of lips firmly crashing into his own and strong arms wrapping around his waist. “?!” After taking a moment to regain his senses, Okuyasu returned the kiss as he always did.

He was (pleasantly) surprised by the amount of love and passion he could feel in the heated kiss, gasping slightly when he was dipped backwards for a moment and even feeling Josuke’s tongue slip into his mouth. By the time it was over and he was brought upright again, Okuyasu was (pleasantly) dazed with a huge grin on his face.

“That,” Josuke said, still keeping his arms locked tight around Okuyasu. “Was the hottest thing I have EVER seen.” He peppered Okuyasu’s face with kisses between each word he spoke. “You were so cool, babe. God, I just love you so much..”

Okuyasu grinned more from the praise and affection, wrapping his own arms around Josuke’s shoulders. “Hey, we’re the ‘Jojo Support Squad’, remember? Gotta be ready to support our Jojo’s, right?”

Everyone in the squad agreed, that’s what the Jojo Support Squad was for- supporting each other in airing out their mild complaints, but, ultimately, it was for supporting their beloved Jojo’s whenever they needed them.

End Notes: *collapses after posting this at 2:30 AM* Ugggh, I got over ambitious with this one @_@ It ended up WAY longer than I thought, but I didn’t have the strength of will to cut it. The next two will be shorter because of this, but I’m okay with that right now xP

Also, the Modern Major General is an OC I made together with my cousin. My cousin’s in the army and is a huge Jojo nerd, so one day we talked about what we’d be like as Jojo characters and we created this OC based off of the idea of him being a bad guy. I chose the character name because I’m a musical theater geek, and he came up with the concept for the stand because War Pigs, ironically, has been his favorite song for years (we used to guitar hero battle each other with that one all the time as kids x3). Overall, the idea of the character was to line up with the song War Pigs in that he liked to control others and could talk a big game, but, without his soldiers to send in to battle for him, he becomes pretty useless and death rightfully and swiftly comes for him.

[loxxxlay]

100 word meme

hiii, so I’ve been wanting to try this for a while since it seems to work out really well for @veliseraptor and i feel like it’d work out well for me too? so gonna give it a shot

rules are you vote for a fic and i write 100 words in it. so basically if u want a fic posted faster, vote for it, because a vote means i’ll actually work on it (hopefully XD). it’s mostly just a helpful way for me to have tangible goals that i can work toward without having to make decisions about what those goals are myself XD

[edit: oh yeah you can vote for up to 3]

so without further ado, here’s the list (as is traditional, with bonus excerpts as a reward for helping me with executive brain functions lmfao):

1. (Figment of Choice) [tw grandthorki shenanigans]

“Oh, but dear, if I had known it’d be like this, I would have had you change ages ago. You’re simply beautiful!” He smiled and ran the ends of his fingers down Loki’s jaw.  

Loki resisted the urge to bite them. Monster, he thought. Tears gathered in his eyes. “Please,” he begged. “Please don’t do this to me—”

“Loki, we’ve talked about this.” The Grandmaster made a disapproving clicking noise with his tongue. “Yesterday even. Didn’t I specifically tell your brother how I prefer those who are willing. Those who enjoy what Sakaar has to offer. What I have to offer. Are you telling me you’re not one of those people?”

“Yes,” Loki said by habit; then, “I mean, no—no, I am, I just—I don’t think—I can’t—”

“Shhh,” the Grandmaster said. “You know how much I hate hearing don’t and can’t. Come along, sweetheart, get up. As lovely as you are, I’m not only here for you. Time’s a’ticking.”

2. (The troy and lola story of my soul) [tw implied noncon/dubcon and csa]

Troy watched his friend disappear into his carriage, and then he watched a butterfly trail from flower to flower, and then he watched the sun approach the white mountains in the distance. His legs ached with the strain of standing as he watched, but he didn’t move. Moving would mean admitting the fact that his twin had been suffering for years. Suffering the same torment he himself had escaped. Moving would mean having to face the fact that his brother (sister?) might resent him. 

As he stood, he tried—he focused his entire mind upon an imagined woman lying nude in the lounge of a brothel. He tried to feel what she felt. He tried to feel the weight of a body on top of his or the repetitive aching of his insides. He tried to feel the unbearable numbness infecting his limbs with cold. But there was nothing, no sense of life from his twin. Nothing except the ghosts of his own memories.

“My Lord,” Margaret called from the patio, “won’t you come inside?”

Troy sighed but didn’t turn. “You know to call me Theodore.”

“It’s cold out here,” Margaret said as if she hadn’t heard. “At least let me fetch your cloak.”

Troy didn’t answer, and a moment later, he heard the door bang shut. He waited a bit longer. For what? He didn’t know. But then the crickets started chirping, and the chill of nighttime wind raised goosebumps on his arms, and he managed to stomach his fear and turn to face the house.

3. (Forget Me Not, Remember Still) [tw domestic abuse, grandthorki shenanigans]

“You look so sad,” Thor said, and Loki hated that his voice sounded at all like the Grandmaster’s. “What’s bothering you?”

Unsure whether it was safe to answer, Loki pressed his lips together.

“Tell me,” Thor said, just as gently, but—Loki could sense the difference in his patience.

He took a breath. “It’s nothing,” he said.

“It’s something,” Thor argued. “Now tell me—or do I have to remind you what happens when you try to think for yourself.”

Loki steeled himself against a flinch. Almost subconsciously, his hand came up and his fingers pressed against the bruises at his neck. The shirt he’d wanted to wear would have covered them, but this—it exposed him. It made him look weak, like a victim—and truly, was he not a victim now? Was he not being abused?

Wincing, he looked away from the mirror before the sight of himself could make him cry.

“Oh, Loki,” Thor said. “You’ve made some mistakes. All those marks show is that you’ve learned better. They’re nothing to be ashamed of.”

To you, Loki thought, and then shut the thought off. 

4. (On Our Terms) [tw grandthorki shenanigans]

The Grandmaster sighed loudly. “I don’t mean to offend you, but your society sounds quite borish.”

“It is,” the Valkyrie said, “but it’s the one we got, and I doubt you have room for three thousand potentially borish people here, so . . .”

“Yes, yes, your point has been made,” the Grandmaster said. “But you see—I’ve grown quite fond of these two, and I’m not quite sure if I want to let them go. Especially since they seem so eager to stay.”

“Yeah, I get it. So what’s your price?” she asked in a casual tone.

“My price? Goodness, gracious! I’m not the type to just sell these poor boys to the highest bidder. My dear dear 142, you should know better than to suggest such a thing! Absolutely unbelievable.”

There was a silence. Loki held his breath, closed his eyes, and tried not to think. Whatever happened, it wouldn’t matter what he did. It wouldn’t matter what he said. In fact, it might make things worse if he spoke, and things were already bad enough. The best he could do was keep silent and be good and just . . . wait. Wait to be dragged back into their nightmare.

Under the table, Thor’s free hand slipped around his and squeezed. Loki was numb, too numb, to care. He didn’t squeeze back.

At last, the Grandmaster gave a long put-upon sigh. “I suppose, I might be more . . . favorable to your wishes if you were to, hmm. Play a game with me.”

The Valkyrie shifted in her seat. “What kind of game?”

5. (thor ficlet whumptober chapter 4) [tw past noncon]

With a deep breath, Thor slipped on a robe over his nightshirt and pants (he no longer slept without a shirt), and headed toward the door. There was one person, in all of Asgard, besides her, who knew. His brother had every right to be angry. Even now, Thor remembered the things he had said the night before—before—and those had been his own words, not hers.

As he came to the door, feeling small and afraid, he remembered the morning after. How Loki had begged him for an apology and had not received one. How Thor had stood on the other side, unable to be anything but callous and cold. Their positions were reversed now. Thor prayed his brother would be more kind.

Trembling, he knocked.

Loki answered the door, not a minute later, robed in black and green, hair curly and disheveled. “Yes?” he said as he rubbed his eyes—and then, before Thor could answer, his face smoothed and his eyebrows furrowed low and angry on his face. “Did she try something again?”

“No,” Thor rushed to say, but Loki’s expression didn’t soften. Cheeks aflame, Thor fixed his gaze on the golden stone archway of the door and studied its numerous ridges and cracks. “I can’t—sleep,” he managed. “That—bed—” His throat felt hoarse. He returned his gaze to his brother and tried not to let the desperation seep into his voice. “I’m afraid to sleep alone.”

6. (IW AU thor whump) [tw violence]

“Let me make this clear,” Thor said. He ripped a strip of cloth free from his cape and toyed with it between his hands. “I follow the doctrine of my master because it’s what I believe. But even if I didn’t? Even if you somehow managed to convince me otherwise?” Thor lifted the red cloth and pressed it between the bones of her jaw. “I would follow him anyway. There is not one single thing you could say to dissuade me from his offer, universe be damned.” He tied the cloth in a knot on the back of her head. “Do you understand?”

Eyes blazing, Gamora kneed him in the thigh.

Thor stumbled. His heart sped, as he realized she���d been aiming for his crotch, and in a burst of rage, his hand clenched into a fist and raised in the air—trembling and white-knuckled and desperate to hit her back. 

He didn’t do it.

There was something in her face that sparked a memory in him—one of Loki, handcuffed and bright-eyed and braced for a blow on the Asgardian skiff. The time they’d gone to avenge a mother who had left them alone too soon. The time Loki (seemed to have) died. For a shocking moment, the woman in front of Thor looked just like his brother. From the the tension in her shoulders, to the set in her lips, and to the glassiness of her wide eyes.

He lowered his fist. Grief cascaded over him, and it weighed like bricks on his chest and needles in his heart. In a count to ten, Thor reminded himself of the doctrine and of Thanos’s offer—the gauntlet, with all five Infinity Stones, would resurrect his brother. This woman—this traitor—couldn’t. The choice was easy.

 “Get some rest,” he said, numb and cold. “Xandar is several hours away.”

7. (Zombie Post Apoc Novel) [tw grosss vagina shit, implied noncon]

At night, Helen catches her in the bathroom. The door is cracked open, and Cassandra is standing, one foot planted on the tub’s ledge and the other foot on the floor. Her hand is between her thighs and she’s holding the lighter under her clit, until the air sizzles with the smell of burnt flesh. She comes like that. Helen knows because tears leak from Cassandra’s face whenever her orgasm is real.

“I’m sorry,” Cassandra whispers when she notices Helen watching. “I have to.”

And Helen doesn’t bother arguing. Larry may dead, but there are countless Larry’s, and even if there aren’t, Andrew hovers in their room sleeping on their bed. Something has to burn. So Helen just closes the door behind her, turns on the vent to clear the smell, and grabs Neosporin from a drawer under the sink.

Cassandra sits on the bathtub ledge. “Maybe we should stay,” she whispers. “Maybe it really is better here.”

Helen kneels on the bathroom tile. “You’re gonna kill yourself if we stay here, babe.” Then she rubs the Neosporin over the folds of her sister’s vagina, and when the burns are good and treated, tears of ecstasy leak down Cassandra’s face.

In the silence that follows, Cassandra bites her lip. “If it comes to it… I don’t know that I could pull the trigger.”

“You can,” Helen says. “Just pretend you’re holding a lighter.”

8. (Moment of Peace)

[science-and-chex-mix]

Recommended fanfics!

Whoo, boy! I’ve only just recently joined ao3 with an official account...I’ve been reading as a guest for almost a year, and I don’t really have any saved, but I’ll try my best!

Idk what fandoms you’re into but I’m into Marvel, especially Spider-Man/ Irondad and Spiderson, so that’s what you’re getting now XD

ONTO THE RECS!!!

General Avengers Fic:

SHIELD High: Avengers AU: S.H.I.E.L.D. High is a place where those with special talents can hone their skills and make friends along the way. The Avengers are included in this student body and are frequently getting into trouble. Let's see if they can stay out of trouble just long enough to walk across the stage at the end of the year! Okay, so this first one is on fanfiction.net, and I’ve read it twice. It’s an Avengers high school au, and it’s the best one I’ve read. Most of the Avengers start out not knowing or not liking each other at first, but they all come together in the end, just like in the movie! There’s humor, mystery, romance- everything you need! It’s definitely not your typical high school au, and I love the mix of awkward teenager-ness and the mighty heroes we know. There’s no big baddie here- everyone’s just trying to graduate, and they have to pull some unorthodox moves to do it.

Spider-Man Fics:

arachnic decathlon: No one every really tells you what to do in the case of bus explosions, field trips, hostage situations, and identity reveals. Of course, the aftermath is ten times worse and, well, Peter just considers himself lucky that he doesn't have to figure that stuff out on his own. Okay so this is actually a series with two works, and it. is. amazing!! It’s a twist on the classic field trip trope where they never actually make it to Stark Industries- instead they get held hostage, and Peter has to reveal his identity to save his decathlon team. The second fic is all about the team coping with the trauma of their experience, and I love that the author wrote that!! I’ve read this one twice, too!

the L in Love stands for Loser: Another series rec! This is a series of 6 great Spideychelle fics about mutual pining, a first kiss, and what Michelle and Peter’s relationship looks like among the chaos of school and Spider-Man. There is no Endgame or Infinity war in this series! I’m really bad at explaining things, so here’s my favorite quote from the whole thing: “‘Peter,’ Michelle says without any decernable intonation. Oh no, this is bad. He's dead. “Do you remember what I said at lunch today?’ ‘Um, that you'd leave me for John Boyega in a hot second,’ he replies slowly. ‘Yes, and the other thing,’ she says. ‘That if I missed two decathlon meetings in a row you'd be very angry but ultimately forgive me,’ he offers. ‘Close,’ she replies. ‘Where are you? And if the answer is not on the way to the auditorium, maybe reconsider your answer.’ ‘Uh…’ A parked car gets thrown at his head and he swings away with seconds to spare. ‘Look, people are accusing me of favoritism,’ she says. ‘They're implying that I actually like you.’ ‘They might've gotten that impression from the fact that we made out for fifteen minutes at lunch on Monday,’ he offers.”

Miscommunications: Ever since Steve and Tony's spat (also known as the pissing contest that tore the Avengers apart) things have been a little strained. They all cope with it in their own ways. Rhodey tries not to have a heart attack every time Tony says something that causes him stress, Natasha and Tony eat Chinese food in Tony's workshop and don't talk about anything important, Clint ignores all the advice given to him by Neil-the-therapist, and Steve continues to choose his unstable, manic depressive friend over his other equally-unstable manic depressive friend. Enter, Peter Parker. (Who would've thought it would be miscommunications about Tony's non-biological kid that bring the team back together?) Okay, the first fic in this series is a great 5+1 fic where the Avengers are suspicious, Peter is an idiot cinnamon roll, and there is a surprise guest appearance of Nathaniel Clinasha, Vent Repair Man. It’s amazing and hilarious- the fourth chapter’s almost crack, but it’s not! The second fic is also fantastic, featuring MJ being a terrible therapist. There’s a healthy mix of hilariousness and seriousness (because being a superhero really messes with your mental health) and it’s a great read!!

research and disaster: There should have been nothing remarkable about two people in a busy cafeteria, but Becket takes in the familiar sight of curly hair, brown eyes, and a t-shirt with a science pun on it talking animatedly alongside Actual Anthony Edward Stark and promptly drops his lunch. He gapes for a solid second, seeing but not believing. It definitely doesn’t look like Mr. Stark is forcing the kid to leave, or firing him, or escorting him to security given the relaxed smiles on both of their faces. If anything, Becket thinks Mr. Stark looks rather proud. “So, uh, Mr. Stark definitely knows Roomba-Kid,” Becket says and discreetly tilts his head in the direction of the pair. “Oh my god,” Jess says. She almost sounds gleeful. “Oh my god, he’s not just some random kid. He’s Mr. Stark’s kid.” or: the interns at Stark Industries have some questions about Peter Parker. The answers aren’t quite what they expect. Okay, this fic is absolutely hilarious. It’s an outsider’s pov on Peter and Tony’s relationship, from the eyes of a Stark Industries intern, featuring singing roombas, unstickable sticky notes, and general confusion. Well worth a read! All of this author’s fics are great, actually- they wrote the academic decathlon fics and a few others that are worth checking out!

Okay there are so many great fanfics that I would love to rec...but unfortunately, I have absolutely none of them saved as I have been reading on incognito mode with no account, so these are just some I’ve thought of off the top of my head. I can definitely find more to recommend if anyone wants me to! Not just from this fandom, either, I’ve read fanfics for several others (Gravity Falls, PJO, Star Wars, others I can’t remember right now because it’s 2:34 am)

Thanks for the ask! This took a while, but I came across lots of good fics I had forgotten about and new ones I haven’t read while trying to find some to rec, so it’s a win-win! <3

[purge-that-urge-rhackathon]

Hi hun! I'm sorry things are rough for you right now. You shouldn't ever feel like that (nor should you ever feel like this isn't a safe place for you to vent). From what I've seen after following you for quite a while, you are endlessly supportive of everyone you come across on this site and deserve that back. I was getting into writing this message (had why you are great points and was ready to write up support arguments) but tumblr cut me off before I could get too sappy. In short, love you!!

hahaha well i super appreciate it thank you! i also super auper appreciate the fact i CAN vent here at all and retain some (relative) anonymity vs ya know fb ♡ i just dont get it, this isnt the way i was raised so why do my prents act this way? why didnt they listen to me over a yearback when i said the cat had tumors and they didnt wanna spend the money to check but at the end they were ready to do ANYTHING it took (we dont even go to the doctors ourselves... thanks amierica) and now dad is SUPER dep[resed over ‘killing’ the cat (it was mercy, i know for a fACT It was but he wasnt unable to use the litterox or jump ike the cat we had to put down last year...the sweetest cat too, I had to be doctor death because my parents couldnt do it and my poor younger siblings (im eldest) couldnt do it) so i had to be the one to technically kil him and that has stuck deep with me, i dont deal with death the same way other people do, i know i dont,, and he was so scared and cried when we brought him and he peed in the cat carrier and i didnt want to do it i wanted to go back home with him, and i made my siblings swear nt to tell my grieving parents, and then THIS cat couldnt been avoidable but they didnt listen to me and now he had to be put down and just im frustrated over what didnt need to hapen even with a 20yr old cat had they LISTENED To me im just upset about a mutlitude of things but htak you for putting up with my venting and nonsense.

i know it makes people feel weird and awkward, and some feel olbgated to say something (plz never do! i would hate to put things on others or emotionally manipulate anyone in any way, i just want to vent nd know it had been ackonlwgned i guess) and i just dont underatand why peopel dont listen (esp. my parents).

I mean, i am the ONLY one of my entire extended family to ever go to colege nd complete a degree. I was technically a diplomat in japan. I have the brain skills to be a CIA operative. i speak and understand mutliple lanagues (i wanna get to ten) and other than that, we grew up homeless until i was about 16? maybe 13 i dont etirely recall, but i have street skills as well and i have live din two foreign countries (cant see the forest through the trees and all that) and yet my opinions still count for shit, or my relaive youth (im over 30, letys make that official i am no child) but my dad keeps saying i dont have the years he has (and i NEVER will while hes alive its a moot point) but my paents are xenophobves and ive WORKED for a foreign givenemnt and lived in two foreign countries but im a woman and bisexual and this goes against everything they undersand as normal, and then where the poor cat is concerned like im not a doc, i got a BA not a BS, so my opinons count for shit, and i just want everyone to be nice qnd take proper action with things and not cause others pain and have empathy towards those who have less (i grew up homeless and we were poor until maybe five-7 years ago?)) and just everything huRTS SO MUCH and i am TRYING so goddamn hard all the time but im ultimately at my parents mercy (i live at home because california is too expesive to live in a real9tively safe place alone) and work is fucking me and im trying so damn hard to be a good person and do whats right and help others when i wouldve wanted help and just looking at the bigger picture and it just hurts because there is no room for good in the world o matter how hard you try and every time i try to gte ahead i just for balls .

The good part is, i have two kittens who will be one year come april(or march i dont remember) and my kitty Scratches LOVES me just for me with no other expectaton, so i mean, i have that much. Basicallt i am just really really hurting and i will probably bounce back in full force rather quickly after this pity party but i am very grateful for the chance to vent and also feel heard so to speak, ya dig? :D

ANyways, thank you anon, i love you, you rock, and sorry for alk the serous spelling errors, i am on my 8th beer of the hour trying to hurt myself and/or make the pain go away BAHAHAH XD aint working yet but i havent brought the weed into the mix yet..... that usualy makes me happy. The xanqx stopped the full blow paic attack over helpless feeligs i am powerless against, but i am not happy but trying to get comfortably num. I am on my 8th beer of the hour tho so HEY lets see!! XD

...i am  a mess. DISCLAIMER do not try any of this at home, i am a 30something queer sad sack with adhd and panic disorder who no loger destoys items but instead tries to destroy herself becaus eit will hurt no one but me LOLOOL

....also i feel SUPER guilty about waiting to update ALL sales final and also the new commission i need to get done solike, bear with me, i am trying SO fucking hard right now and i feel like i am supr letting everyone down but i will get there i promise! I will probably be riht as rain tomorrow and i am sorry for ,lll the maudelin nonsense i know plenty of you are not interested and we wil back to our our regularly scheduled bullahit after i bury it all haha

much love, posonjack

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Thirty-Seven: The Confrontation ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

She knew it was going to happen eventually, but...well, that didn’t mean Hinata was looking forward to it, by any means. Part of her had hoped they’d make it through the Summer without Hiashi digging too deeply.

After all, at the beginning of this particular break between her sophomore and junior years of high school, Hinata’s life took a rather unexpected turn. A u-turn, to be exact. For almost a decade, her childhood friend had left her alone, in the dark, with hardly a word of explanation.

When Itachi and Sasuke’s parents died, many things changed. Primarily among them was the welcoming Hinata had received a year beforehand. The brothers had quickly adopted Hinata into their group when she, her sister, and her father moved into the house next door. Hinata had recently lost her mother, prompting the move across town. Staying in their first house had been too painful...for her, and for her father. But though her melancholy lingered, it lightened with her friendship with the boys.

Not only that, but their parents had taken a quick liking to the shy, quiet little girl. For a time, it was almost like they’d gotten the daughter they’d always wanted. Hinata attended some of her earliest classes with Sasuke, Itachi already in junior high by that time. And for that first year...things were good. She had friends, a new branch of her family, and though her father was still distant for his own mourning, Hinata was able to vent hers in a way that suited her.

But tragedy, it seemed, followed in her shadow.

The following Summer, with the suddenness of a car wreck...Fugaku and Mikoto were gone. The boys’ aunt, Mikoto’s sister, moved in and adopted the boys alongside her own son Shisui. But nothing was the same. Though Itachi was apologetic in his withdrawal, Sasuke didn’t even have the heart to explain, too devastated and lost within his sorrow.

Suddenly everything Hinata had gained...was gone.

The rest of elementary, all of junior high, and half of high school was spent practically alone. Having few other friends, and none nearly as close, Hinata drifted along as a wallflower, reserved and still wounded by the loss of her friend. Sasuke still attended all the same schools, but...he was a stranger. Any attempt to speak to him was ignored, any letter unanswered. He had retreated completely within himself...and for nearly ten years, there was just no room for her.

But one early Summer evening had changed that. Having caught Sasuke practicing one of Mikoto’s favorite songs on the guitar, Hinata had finally gotten a reply when she spoke across the gap between their windowsills.

And then, suddenly...it all came rushing back. As though no time had passed. The pair picked up their friendship just as it had left off...though Hinata would admit to a slight caution, wondering if he might just drop her again without warning.

With their renewed bond came a new pastime: Sasuke had taken up the habit of wandering after curfew, and Hinata was soon invited to join him. Together, the pair would wander the neighborhood under the streetlights, the entire suburb quiet and sleeping as they explored in the shadows. Again and again, Hinata was sure they’d be caught. But Hiashi never mentioned her late night wanderings, and Hinata never offered.

And then came the night where things changed all over again.

Armed with a blanket and a clear sky to stargaze, the pair had taken to hiding in the park atop the jungle gym, watching the night sky and talking quietly.

It was then Sasuke broke the tension...and asked if she wanted to evolve from friends to...something more.

She’d agreed.

So, the rest of the Summer has been spent with a new label, and yet...very little feels different. Sure, there’s a bit more...nerves when he’s around, and sometimes they hold hands. He’s even given her cheek a peck once or twice by now. But neither have informed their guardians of the change.

Sasuke is certain his aunt isn’t about to mind. She has far more to worry about overall, let alone concerning her nephew, than a blooming high school relationship.

Hiashi, however...is a different story. Hinata’s never even talked about boys with her father, and his strict leash has her assuming that the notion of her dating someone will go over poorly. She’s always been one of the good kids - straight-laced, good grades, obeying her curfew (to her father’s knowledge). Surely a boyfriend will reflect poorly on everything else in her father’s eyes.

So, the pair make no move to let on, acting romantically only when they’re certain they’re alone. Hiashi has begrudgingly allowed the revitalized friendship, having no rebuttal against Sasuke visiting his daughter, or vice versa. But neither are willing to test his opinion on them being something a bit more than friends.

But somehow - be it a slip up of their own, or some kind of fatherly intuition - Hiashi catches on. And that brings about the confrontation.

“Hinata.”

Stopping mid-step on her way outside, she turns to see her father seated at the dining room table.

...alone.

Unease blooms in her gut. “Y...yes?”

“Sit.”

...oh shit. Trying not to let her growing inner panic show, she takes a seat opposite him. “...um…?”

“It has come to my attention that you have been sneaking out past your curfew.”

She stiffens just a hair.

“...and it would seem you do so in order to spend unsupervised time with Sasuke. Do you deny it?”

“I-I…” Her brain scrambles, trying to think of a way to explain. “He invited me to go for walks. He, um...he does so to clear his head. And I go with him to make sure that he’s, um...that he’s okay.”

Hiashi doesn’t look convinced, expression stony as ever. “You’re sure nothing else happens during these walks?”

“...like what?”

“Drinking, smoking…” He waves a hand. “Whatever you kids get up to these days.”

Hinata balks. “N-no! I’ve never done either in my life! And as far as I know, he doesn’t either! Honestly, Father...we just go for walks. It’s nice when it’s q-quiet. We sit, and we talk, and...that’s all.” Her form wilts a hair. “...we have a lot to catch up on, a-after all…”

He seems to consider that, eyeing her openly. “...well, regardless of your actions while out, you have still been breaking the curfew I set for you. Let alone the neighborhood curfew. Were you caught, you’d be in serious trouble, young lady.”

“I...I know. I’m sorry.”

“If you were sorry, you wouldn’t continue such behavior.”

“I d-didn’t see the harm, is all.”

Hiashi heaves a sigh. “...there are far worse things you could do, but a rule breaking is a rule breaking. You can spend the next week at home - your visiting privileges to other houses is revoked until school starts next Monday. Am I clear? And any further late-night wanderings will compound your punishment.”

“Y...yes sir.”

“Good. You may go. I advise you think over your priorities, Hinata.”

Having no further answers, she takes her leave and retreats upstairs, taking up her phone and relaying the conversation to Sasuke via text.

So...no coming over today, then.

No, sorry…

It’s fine. Glad you’re not in any worse trouble. It’s just a week.

I know, but still...I was hoping we could stargaze one more time before school started. And now I can’t do it at all...he’s pretty mad about curfew. At least he doesn’t seem to know about us.

Maybe you can stay over sometime and we’ll do it that way.

Stay over at a boy’s house? He’d flip.

You could tell him I’m gay.

What? NO!

Hahaha, kidding - pretty sure I’m too fond of kissing you to be gay :P

Well...at least we can still text and stuff, but...I’ll still miss you.

I’m just a coffee bean throw away.

At that, Hinata smiles at her phone, saying a temporary goodbye as she flops atop her bed. Her last week of Summer break, and she has to spend it at home...wonderful. But Sasuke’s right: it’s just one week. It could be worse. For now, she’ll just bide her time, and be thankful that’s all he scolded her for...

                                                            .oOo.

     More of the neighbors mini series...thing! I've lost track of what other days are involved...my bad OTL It's just too much to keep track of on top of everything else, but...a browsing through my modern tag will get you there eventually, lol      Anyway, I tried to recap just in case someone new pops in. Poor Hinata - parental scoldings when you're that boring can be nerve wracking - I'd feel the same way whenever I got scolded xD      Buuut yeah, that's all for tonight, I'm wiped~ Thanks for reading!

[lizord-lord]

The Invisible Language

(This is a vent fic. I was struggling with having to dump a friend yesterday and it got me dwelling on my social struggles..and so I tried my hand at actually writing a fic to project all my problems through! XD)

(For anyone who doesn’t know, I have autism-Aspergers specifically, and I totally 100% headcanon Logan as an aspie. I have this post detailing why. So..for those of you who also stan autistuc Logan (and maybe a bit of ADHD Roman) here is this, me basically throwing my entire life story on our poor nerd and I am so sorry but also not XD. Also, the book I mentioned is very real, and I actually own it. It’s really useful, if a bit dated and heteronormative)

Warnings: Descriptions of sensory overload (similar to a panic attack) social struggles, very brief mention of selfharm, mentions of fistfights and minor physical violence.

Ships: none, but you can probably see my logicality heart in there lmao

The Invisible Language.

It was all just so complicated now.

Or rather, now he knew how complicated it was.

Before, Logan had always just thought he was bad with people. That was fine. It fit, with his habit of staying inside with his nose in a book. The socially awkward, introverted nerd who wasn’t good with kids.

It was simple.

But that’s the thing. Life isn’t simple. And neither was Logan. Even as a six year old.

The socially awkward, introverted nerd, from what he’d seen on tv, would have cried or just silently tried to make due when another kid ‘accidentally’ spilled tomato juice all over his copy of Alice in Wonderland. Logan Sanders leapt from his desk, grabbed the kid’s wrist, and yanked him down so his head smashed into the wood.

The socially awkward one was laughed at. Logan was sent to the office.

Time and time again this would happen. Until he turned eight, and his parents pulled him out of school. He was homeschooled after that, and it was simultaneously like a breath of fresh air and entering a stifling hot room. He was free of the children, free to discover on his own, but he found himself itching for more, to ask questions about things his parents could answer, to do projects he’d heard about online but often ended up screaming in his attempts to recreate them because it wasn’t explained, why this, why that, how do I do that, it doesn’t make sense!!

Homeschooling was a blessing and a curse. He made due. He did well in fact, almost all of his online courses were marked complete with a neat 100 for the score. It was enough for them, but not for him.  Eight year old Logan hated it. Ten year old Logan was used to it.

Eleven year old Logan dug his heels into it.

Middle school. His parents wanted to send him back. He understood their reasoning, the rational half of his brain did. Middle school was a big change, adolescence, and the middle ground before high school, which he always knew he would be going to-you can’t get college credit from online courses and library books after all, not the ones he was using. It would give him time to prepare. And yet he was a creature of habit, so used to his solitary life..

Logan has no choice however.

On the first day he stepped inside, armed with only the knowledge of American Girl books he’d skimmed through (who cared if they were meant for girls, they didn’t write helpful guides for boys!) and distant memories of elementary school. The first weeks went by as a blur, and Logan ate it up. The assignments, the grades, the smirk he always found himself wearing when he placed his assignments in the bin. That triumph didn’t even compare to the rush of pride and satisfaction he felt when the teacher told the class that he test they’d been given was apparently too hard, many kids failed and only one student actually got a perfect score, and his paper was handed back with a 100 written on the top.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t hold the paper up a bit and catch the eyes of the numerous people who stared at him with no surprise in their eyes.

Logan even found friends in those first few weeks. A darkly dressed kid who, much like him, never really knew where to go during paired projects and ended up working with him. He found that Virgil was actually very bright, a relief when he looked around the room to see people talking and not doing anything useful. The pale boy was quiet, but listened as Logan chattered away about his  plans for the assignment.

Patton was next, a round-faced boy who seemed to share at least a few words with everyone he saw. Logan didn’t mind that. He wasn’t a lazy student, maybe a bit easily distracted, but when he was sat next to Logan in science his work quality was always at least a solid B, as long as he was shushed every now and again. He seemed better with people too, and Logan found himself enjoying his company.

Then there was Roman. He was introduced to their little trio by Patton, who apparently shared a drama class with the tanned boy. He was..a handful. And yet Logan found himself challenged by him. Their friendship was an unusual one, full of debates that more often than not ended in yelling, but at least they started off with intelligent points and interesting ideas-and if often Patton had to break off their passion so neither of them landed with lunch detention, well that was the price to pay.

He was enjoying himself here.

Then the second month. Logan remembered where he was when a redheaded girl told him he was wrong in that ‘you’re a moron’ tone when he told her that actually, the word for the study of space was astronomy, not astrology. When a boy in a green sweater had blatantly ignored him when he asked him to stop scooting his chair across the hard floors. When an entire group of people had continued to call him Logie even though he’d told them over and over he hated it. Many of them seemed to do it just because it annoyed him. This went on. Every day another simpleton would disrespect him. Every day he’d tell him to stop. Often he’d snap at them, or swear. That always got him snickers in return. And Logan found himself clenching his fists as his whole body burned red hot.

It happened again a week after this started. A boy with a Minecraft t-shirt cut him off in the lunch line, and when Logan told him to go to the end, the boy only scoffed and responded with “Are you in kindergarten?” in a tone that made his blood boil with how fucking snotty it was.

Logan’s hand was fisted in the back of that obnoxious t-shirt and pulling back with all its might before he could think.

The boy ended up on the floor crying, and Logan ended up suspended.

There were more incidents that year. Mostly yelling or swearing, but minor physical violence was not unheard of. It was common even.

Logan didn’t want that. He wanted to be cool, to drop the bullies and idiots with bullets of intelligence from his tongue, but everything he tried a witty comeback they’d give him either confused looks, no acknowledgement as all, or retort with ‘Your mom’ jokes, a sort of ‘insult’ that required barely a single brain cell to perform.

They never listened. They were stupid, childish, disrespectful. Logan stuck only to his three friends and the many teachers he’d grown quite friendly with, They liked him after all, he was precocious and that was something teachers always found fun. with adults, he also found he could make himself actually heard, his theories, ideas, suggestions, it was a glorious freedom he had previously only had with Patton, Roman, and Virgil.

But things didn’t get that much better.

In fact, in seventh grade Logan found his outbursts getting worse. They were farther and fewer between, but the eventual rage that would explode was far worse than before. It was like the dam that held back his rage had grown stronger, but that meant it took more water to barrel it over, and that sent far more devastating floods down the peaceful valley of his mind.

In eighth grade, he got into a fistfight with a boy who had called Roman gay as an insult, not knowing that it was true or that the word should not be used in such a manner. When the boy refused to listen to Logan’s explanation of what the word meant and instead switched tracks to scoffing every time he said it was a normal and perfectly acceptable, beautiful thing. And by the time the midget of a bigot tossed in the dreaded f-slur Logan’s mind was so crimson he only felt a rush of relief when his fist connected with the boy’s head.

It was two weeks of suspension for that. And it was during that time that Logan’s mother revealed something to him that he had never expected.

Tales of his childhood-or babyhood rather, where he had exhibited strange behaviors no other parent seemed to have seems.

“I think you might have Aspergers,” she had said.

And now, here he was. He couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to tell him of her suspicions. But now Logan was sitting on his bed, the blanket covered with constellations, staring at the cover of a book.

It was a familiar scene.

But this wasn’t a book chosen by Logan’s own hand, or by the school, or even a recommendation from his parents or a loan from his younger sister Abby.

It had been gifted to him by the man at the Autism Center.

The Asperkid’s Secret Guide to Social Rules.

He’d read the whole thing.

Before, he’d thought he was just awkward.

But no. Of course it couldn’t be that simple. It wasn’t that he just didn’t know that w to say. He was. missing an entire way of communicating that people his mind now knew as ‘neurotypicals’ spoke in without realizing it.

The secret language. Body language, facial expressions, tone, he knew that all existed yes..but he’d never seen it. At least not in the subtleties the book described. And all these double meanings of phrases? So the dark-skinned girl who had asked him what he was reading during math class didn’t want to just read the back and learn Sherlock Holmes’ latest mystery? She’ wanted to get to know him?

Why didn’t she just say so!

It was so much more complicated now. The vague, yet simple term of ‘weird’ was replaced by the vast, yet specific, confusing, and multifaceted word that was autistic. A word he’d never have expected to apply to him. Mental health went really a subject he’d looked into, feelings were too wound into it.. and feelings had always been his greatest vice.

So now, with that book in his hand, he thought.

There was a whole other world he couldn’t see..that’s what he had been missing all this time? was the specific shifts in tone in posture people made-what he’d always thought to be absently-something his parents expected him to understand and that was why he always seemed to have to be elbowed when running his mouth?

It was like….like telepathy. Yes, to Logan, the cues he now found himself putting extra effort into finding; his sister’s slightly hunched shoulders at the dinner table, his dad’s slightly turned up nose when he mentioned his history teacher, were a sort of telepathy that the ‘normal’ population all shared. But it wasn’t as if it was that simple. Of course, it was tauntingly, agonizingly complicated. You see, these people were all telepaths, sharing cues in an invisible tongue-and yet, none of them knew they were telepathic. And yet still, they all expected everyone else to be.

So that was why he was strange. Logan had looked up how much of communication was non-verbal - he felt his eyes go wide when he saw the percentage dedicated to ‘body language’.

Fifty-eight percent.

Fifty-eight percent.

What else could he have missed?

Logan was both happy and uncomfortable with the diagnosis. He now knew terms, words, blessed reasons for his little ticks, why he felt like something was terribly wrong for at least an hour just because he’d had to take an alternate route to school (routine disruption), why was such a picky eater (finickiness caused by sensitivity to textures and certain flavors/smells), why people always responded with confusion whenever they saw him pepper the science teacher with question after question, challenge after challenge like he was trying to understand how the universe wove itself in the span of five minutes, and looked surprised when Roman asked him if he knew why Patton was being quiet. Logan had responded with a simple no, informing the other that Patton hadn’t told him-and when the slightly taller boy had suggested that he ask, Logan realized the thought had never occurred to him.

Most importantly, it explained what Roman had dubbed ‘The Fitness Fiasco’. To sum it up, Logan had thought of a new game for their groups to play in gym class—something besides basketball for once in their lives, and yet as he tried to explain, the girl who seemed to have taken charge of the group he was trying to explain the idea to kept talking over him, ignoring him, challenging what he said—and the noise. The noise, how all the chattering and the sound of balls bouncing on the floor, the rage he felt at being slighted in this way, how it had attacked him. How he’d suddenly found himself tensing, wanting to run or to yell, unsure which, how the sound turned solid and pressed in-his muscles going taut, his hands twitching with every word from the students mouths,  how his arm violently jerked away as Patton tried to comfort him- And then the scream. He’d screamed at the top of his lungs for quiet, falling to the ground and sobbing in the fetal position—eyes screwed shut behind his glasses and hands clamped tight to his ears, unsure of what was even falling from his mouth aside from the fact that he was begging, begging for silence. It had only quieted a bit as people turned to stare, and then he’d felt hands on his shoulders, ones he jerked away from—but no one knew what to do. Virgil’s low whispers for him to breathe, to use the 4-7-8 method that the emo always used to calm his own panic attacks, was only met with more incoherent begging for silence. It had been Patton who rescued him, who brought the teacher over and ended up guiding the sobbing Logan to an empty classroom. There he had been met with silence. There he felt his terrified bawling turn to weeping with relief. In the silence, he’d recovered, his muscles lost the tension, and he allowed the freckled boy to wrap him in a hug.

He’d only been able to call it a panic attack before. But now he knew the term. Sensory overload, brought on my the noise and the stress.

It had been a relief just to know that. To know that in moments when he stood among too many people, feeling his muscles clench as their shoulders brushed his, that his hands should not go out to push them away, but to his ears, to block out the trigger.

It became a cue, when debates with Roman got heated—they were friends after all, if rivals as well, and it was understood that if Logan’s jaw suddenly clenched and his hands went up to cover his ears, they had to pause for at least a minute.

But of course, knowing where the holes in his social skills were led to Logan compensating, and it didn’t..always feel natural. He found himself staring at people, trying to read their faces, for a little too long on many an occasion, or overreacting to something because he’d overanalyzed the tone. He found himself having to bite his tongue on many an occasion to keep himself from simply explaining why he did what he did to his parents, who would only take it as making excuses.

It was a balance of the good, the bad, and the ugly. He understood now that his all-or-nothing attitude was why he found himself simply not doing projects if he couldn’t grasp the material—and this led to him having to more often than not, swallow his pride and ask for help when he was getting frustrated. Yet the same black-and-white philosophy got him gasps of shock from Roman when he explained that, in the story Roman had been iterating to him, the whole second half of the plot could have been avoided if Leealli had simply decapitated Sorcerer Kai while they were trapped in her dungeon. Roman had protested, saying it would make her just as terrible as they, but Logan had frowned, explaining that yes, the act was cruel, but if a single act of evil by her direct hand was all it took to stop countless others by her indirect hand, wasn’t it worth it?

But he had also been the one to convince Patton not to remain friends with Oliver, when one day, sitting on the cotton candy clouds that patterned Patton’s quilt, the smaller boy had confided in him that Oliver had vented about his habits of self-harm to the kind soul for three hours the night previous, yet refused any help Patton gave, shot down any attempt at saying he was worth more than he thought.

It was Logan who had took Patton’s hand and told him that people like that could only be helped by themselves and a therapist, that he should not take it upon himself to bear others’ problems in that way. Who had given him a hesitant hug and told him that his mental health was just as important as theirs.

His friends were his lifeline. Maybe they tripped him up—well, they definitely did, yet as much as he found himself apologizing to Virgil for seeming angry when he was simply tired and being a bit blunter and more insensitive with his words than usual (not that he usually was tactful or sensitive when it came to criticism, even constructive criticism) he found himself sighing in relief as the anxious boy shared with him his own experiences in worrying about the negative undertones in the words of others too much to be considered healthy. They would sit and talk about it, the same experience for two different reasons, one of them due to the irrational fear of people disliking him or being angry, and the other due to worrying he was doing something incorrectly that he was not aware of, failing to pick up on a crucial piece of information.

As much as Logan found himself and Roman butting heads, even shouting at each other during friendly debates gone sour, name-calling and snapping fault after fault, he reflected fondly on the time he had been ecstatic to discover that Roman’s own ADHD-riddled brain hyperfixated on Disney just as his own did on Sherlock, and they would both go on for hours about their obsessions while sadly recalling how old interests had faded.

As much as he often found himself hurting Patton unintentionally, and even worse, learning that Patton had been hiding that fact from him for weeks as to spare his feelings, as difficult as it was to convince (well, more plead with) Patton to tell him these things, as he wouldn’t be offended much and he had no other way of knowing what he was doing wrong, he found himself sitting by his side, all attention completely fixated on what to him were mindblowing truths about people and yet seemed common, boring knowledge to Patton, as the freckled boy explained cues and rules, that invisible language Logan did not speak.

Those friends stuck by him, even though others did not. With all the walls Logan had built up around his emotions, to protect himself and others, few could breach the fortifications—except for those who had already been on the inside as he built them. And he was fine with that.

Going to a therapist was...awkward at first, but it helped. Mr. Picani understood his aversion to talking of his feelings, and instead cleverly tricked him every time, asking questions about events until Logan was off on an angry rant. With that expelled, they’d talk through possible solutions.

He kept the book. And most of the other books he was given on the topic, eager to learn and understand more things about himself, knowing the reasons behind behaviors, quirks in things had always been one of his favorite things, and now he found it was possible in people.

As Logan worked through his discovery during the last semester of eighth grade and through that summer, with his Virgil, Patton, Roman, his parents, Mr. Picani, and occasionally even his rainbow-haired little sister, he found his mind shifting. He was truly calm now more often than not, able to express his rationale...well, rationally, rather than through insults. His debates grew calmer, and while he certainly had his slip-ups..he was improving. Slowly. Steadily.

His viewpoint of the world was unusual, like an outsider, and while that could be isolating, if he explained it well, people were often interested to hear it. It was different, his own; the metaphor Logan found himself using was that everyone else was a Macintosh computer, and he and his fellow spectrumites were PCs, capable of all the same things, though in ways the world was not wired to accommodate. Also, clearly superior in many a way.

His core programming was different, even if his exterior seemed the same, and Logan was okay with that. He’d never know the invisible language, not as a native would, but he could learn it—the same way he learned slang, through help, a lot of online research, his friends, and some study notes here and there.

It was complicated, they way he figured things out, the systems he’d devised. But complicated problems would never be solved with simple solutions.

And he still had plenty of time left to learn.

(Thanks to @poisonedapples for betaing this and basically screaming RELATABLE every two second, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear!)

(...I don’t really have a general fic taglist so imma just- y e a here)

Tags: @royallyanxious @whatwashernameagain @sandersmarvel @the-incedible-sulk @supremestoverlord @hanramz-the-fander @childhood-wishes-and-dreams @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @madly-handsome @galaxy-warping @extremist-water-agenda @ierindoodles @princeanxious

[littlehollyleaf]

vivo-morior-iterum-vivo replied to your post “So I've been rewatching Ten's run of Dr Who because of reasons”

I'm with you on the Rose thing. I feel like Rose was a good companion to 9, because she got 9 to 10, but I'm probably a bit biased because my favorite Doctor is 9 and I loved watching the 9, Rose and Jack team.

Hey cool af having Nine as your fav, haven’t come across many DW fans who do :)

I’m gonna confess... even with Nine I never really warmed to Rose. But she had a really tough job when it came to winning over my dumbass past self who was... maybe a little bit elitist when it came to New Who, because I’d been pretty hardcore about the Classic series and was young and stupid.

I ALSO enjoyed the Rose, Jack and Doctor team dynamic however! It felt like the show was getting into more of a swing for me at that point (plus ofc ‘are you my mummy’ etc was brilliant! Moffat might have made mistakes later on, but he wrote some CRACKING stand alones), so I guess I was on the verge of embracing her about then. Figures that would be when everything changed :p I even really, REALLY enjoyed the Bad Wolf heart of the TARDIS possession AND THE DRAMATIC KISS with the corny ‘you need a Doctor’ line. I DEFENDED that moment to nay-says who were mocking! (though in my mind there was no romantic reciprocation in the Doctor throughout it - I was being wilfully blind I’m sure, but I honestly didn’t think of it as romantic, it was just the Doctor being sweet and self-sacrificing and acknowledging Rose’s crush/love... I guess, I assumed that moving forward the show was gonna finally end the low-key one-sided (so I thought) romance between them at that point because that arc had reached a climax?? Idk, I was dumb and not big on meta in those days...)

ANYWAY, I’m working my way through The Martha Years right now and having a BLAST (though I’d forgotten how terribly Ten continues to LAMENT the loss of Rose, oh boy................. with time and distance though, I’m appreciating the whole thing a BIT more - I’ll never, ever, ever ship it, but I can get behind the idea of Rose as someone who helped the Doctor get back in touch with his emotions/humanity after the Time War, and thus the loss of her allows for a angsty struggle where he’s constantly on the verge of going back to closing himself off emotionally again because he feels like he can’t be open without her...... except it’s too late, she’s unlocked something in him and he can’t HELP getting emotional.............. PLUS, I can’t help loving Ten forever for BEING so FUCKING EMOTIONAL ALL THE TIME - the Classic Doctors didn’t emote HALF as much imo, and I always desperately wanted them to (l just love my favs crying okay? it’s...... it’s a flaw.....) and I think Ten set a bit of trend there.

Sorry........... Rose is a whole ~thing for me. Every few years I end up venting about it. At least I am now at the point where I can finally accept he loved her. That’s progress right??

Martha fucking Jones, though? What a legend XD Didn’t let the Doctor’s moping stop her from enjoying time and space adventures, and she had a pretty sucky early experience of said adventures too (Gridlock - lied to by the Doctor, abducted and left to struggle alone the whole time, jeeze! ...I love the episode though :p) and yet she still signed up for more. What a trooper :) 

[aceofstars16]

A Very Pines Christmas

Merry Christmas guys! This is my gift for @bookoftheworm, it’s from the prompt “Character A doesn't like Christmas that much. The other characters try and make A have fun.” I didn’t know who to write about until my sister suggested Pacifica and I really loved that idea...

This got like...really freaking long, and I really wanted to sketch something for it but seeing as this is almost late as is I just went with the fic xD

Ao3 

I also drew a picture for this fic (but like the very end so I recommend reading it first xD)

Pacifica stared at the boxed of unwrapped gifts. She had gotten everything she wanted, and more. Toys and fashion products, dresses she knew she would be expected to wear in the future – despite some of them looking a little less than comfortable. But that is what was expected of her, and she knew that. Such was her life.

There was a knock on the door and she looked up to see Lester, the butler.

“Pardon me miss, but your parents are leaving.”

“Right…I…I’m coming.”

A few minutes later, after many reminders of “follow our instructions” and “we don’t have service so don’t try to call us unless it’s an emergency” and then they were off on their yearly Christmas vacation. In the past, Pacifica had gone with them, but this year they were going to an ‘adult only’ resort. Plus they said Pacifica was “plenty old enough to be at the mansion with the staff.” So, they had hosted their annual Christmas ball early and Pacifica had opened everything early.

As the car disappeared, Pacifica tried to figure out what she was feeling. Part of her was happy that all of the charade of fanciness was over with, but there was still a pang in her chest. Christmas had never been very fun – at least not after she realized the presents she got only left her wanting more – but now she felt even lonelier than before, even though her parents rarely hung out with her when they were here. At least now she wouldn’t have to put on a show for the holidays…

Light snowflakes fell, all of which Mabel tried to catch on her tongue, despite it making her face colder than it already was. That was the fun of snow after all, letting your face get all frozen so you could warm it up with hot chocolate later.

“Five in a row, yes!” Pumping her fist in the air, Mabel heard Dipper’s laugh beside her and she glanced over to see that he was trying to stay as warm as possible by hiding his face in his scarf.

“Come on bro bro, you should try it out!”

“I’d rather keep my nose unfrozen, the Shack is still a good ten-minute walk from here.”

“Pfft, unfrozen noses are overrated, you’re totally missing out.” As she spoke, Mabel stuck out her tongue again, catching another flake on it. As she did so, the bag full of supplies swung in her hand. This morning she may or may not have polished off all of the grunkle’s marshmallows and seeing as you couldn’t have snow or Christmas without marshmallows, a quick stop to the store had been in order. Of course, Grunkle Stan had offered to drive them, but snow was such a rarity in California that Mabel had insisted on walking instead, though she supposed if it started snowing any harder it might get a little less fun.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dipper shake his head, but from the crinkle of his eyes she could tell he was smiling behind his scarf. She grinned back, only to let out a yelp as the wind blew a snowflake right onto the back of her neck – which was one of the few parts of her that had managed to stay warm so far.

“Brrr, wind that wasn’t very nice!”

“You know it can’t understand you, right?” Dipper asked, as he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck.

“And how do you know that? There might be wind spirits that are listening RIGHT NOW!” Yelling the last words at the grey sky, Mabel was greeted with another gust of wind that sent a chill down her back. “See?”

A chuckle shook Dipper’s body, but then he shrugged. “It’s not impossible I suppose, and if there were any, Gravity Falls would be the place for them.”

Pleased with his acceptance of the possible spirits, Mabel continued walking forward, trying to ignore how cold her nose really was. It wasn’t that much further after all, and it was fun, just a little…chilly, that’s all.

“What are you two doing out in a snowstorm like this?”

Having been so caught up in her conversation with Dipper, Mabel hadn’t noticed the limo that was driving down the road until a familiar voice sounded from it.

“Pacifica!” Once upon a time, Mabel wouldn’t have enjoyed seeing Pacifica, but after a rocky start and two adventure filled summers, she very much considered her a friend. “We are just enjoying the cold.” As she spoke, she spun around in the snow, grinning.

“One of us is at least.”

Mabel heard Dipper, despite it being mumbled, and she grabbed his arm. “Oh come on, Dip Dop, you liked it when we left the Shack!”

“That was before it started snowing. And I had just had hot chocolate too.”

“And we’ll have more when we get back!” Mabel said, holding up her bag. “With all the marshmallows.”

“You know…”

Pacifica’s hesitant voice stopped Mabel as she swung the bag in front of Dipper’s face – which he had been batting away while laughing. Turning to look at their friend, Mabel tilted her head.

“Yeah?”

“I might be able to give you a lift to the Shack…if…you wanted?”

Mabel opened her mouth to answer, but Dipper beat her to it.

“Yes please!”

A small laugh escaped Pacifica, and she rolled up her window only to open the car door a second later. Another gust of wind ruffled Mabel’s hair and she shrugged. It was kind of cold.

Crawling in the car after Dipper, Mabel closed the door and was met with hot air blowing right on her face.

“Oooo, that does feel good,” she said as she stuck her face right against the vent.

“I thought you liked the cold?”

Mabel swatted at Dipper while trying to not move her face and was met with laughter. “I like heaters too, stupid.”

After his laughter died away, Dipper spoke again. “So, Pacifica, what are you doing for Christmas?”

That instantly got Mabel’s attention and she pulled away from the heater. “Are you going to bake cookies? Or have a fire? Or decorate your tree with all of the popcorn you can find?!? Or-“

Dipper nudged her side, effectively distracting Mabel long enough for her to see the apprehensive expression on Pacifica’s face.

“I…no. My parents left for a vacation so we…already celebrated I guess.” Pacifica shrugged as she spoke, but she didn’t make eye contact, a sure sign that something wasn’t right.

“Wait…” Mabel stared at her for a moment as her words sunk in. “…so you aren’t going to be with family on Christmas?”

Another shrug. “No, but it’s fine. I mean, we already had our big Christmas party and that’s when we really celebrate anyway. I’m used to it…it…it’s fine.”

“Nope!” Mabel blurted out, getting both Dipper and Pacifica to look up at her in shock.

“That’s not acceptable. You can’t be alone on Christmas. You are coming over.”

“What?!?” Dipper and Pacifica said at the same time, which resulted in them looking at each other for a second, as if wondering why they kept reacting in the same way.

Turning to look back out the window, Pacifica sighed. “It’s fine, really. I don’t really like celebrating that much anyway.”

“WHAT?!?” Mabel screamed so loud, the driver swerved on the road. “HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS?!?”

Staring at her with wide eyes, Pacifica hesitantly answered. “I mean, it’s just about the presents and the parties – fancy parties to be more specific.”

Jaw dropping, Mabel took a deep breath, ready to lay out just what Christmas was really about, when she was interrupted by Lester – Pacifica’s butler that she had gotten to know last summer.

“Here we are, the Mystery Shack.”

“It’s really storming now, you guys should go.”

“But-“

A hand rested on Mabel’s shoulder and Dipper smiled sadly at her, he seemed resigned to the fact that Pacifica simply didn’t like Christmas.

“Go on, it’s really storming.” Pacifica said, trying to shoo them out.

But Mabel wasn’t going to give up. Turning to look at Pacifica, she locked eyes with her. “Christmas morning, eight o’clock. You’re not gonna be alone on Christmas.”

“I-“

This time, Dipper was the one to interrupt. “It couldn’t hurt…right? And,” he glanced at Mabel, “You really don’t want to argue with Mabel when she’s made up her mind.”

There was silence for a moment, then a sigh. “Fine…”

A grin broke out on Mabel’s face and she opened the door, letting in a wave of snow and wind. “Great, see you then!”

Then she grabbed Dipper’s hand and dragged him out of the car, ideas already forming in her head. She was going to do everything in her power to make sure that Pacifica absolutely loved Christmas after this year.

One upside of not having parents around was getting to sleep in. Normally, Pacifica was expected to get up at seven every day, with only the rare exception here and there. But now she could sleep in as much as she wanted. Or at least she thought she could.

Pacifica had just curled back up under her covers – her body automatically waking up early per habit – ready to get another two or three hours of sleep when the doorbell rang.

“What the-?” She muttered, not wanting to move and reasoning that Lester would get it. She could go back to sleep, right?

Wrong. A few seconds later, the sound of feet running towards her room reminded her of her agreement to go to the Shack to celebrate Christmas. An agreement she regretted as soon as Mabel ran into her room, a grin lighting up her face almost as much as her light filled sweater lit up the walls.

“Merry Christmas Pacifica!”

Blinking her eyes against the bright lights, Pacifica glanced over at the clock by her bed and squinted at the time - 7:30. “I thought you weren’t supposed to get here until eight?”

“Wellll, that was the plan, but then you’d miss out on mom’s famous Christmas waffles! Come on, she was already starting on them when we left!”

“We?” Pacifica couldn’t help but ask as she reluctantly pulled off the covers and rolled out of bed. Despite wanting to sleep more, she couldn’t help but be a little curious as to how other people celebrated the holidays. Especially the Pines. Knowing them, it would be beyond strange but also...probably pretty fun.

“Yup! Grunkle Stan drove me and Dipper here, but Dipper is still half asleep, I think him and Grunkle Ford stayed up talking about nerd things.” When she spoke, Mabel rolled her eyes, but the sparkle in her eye hinted that she didn’t mind her brother’s interests at all.

“Alright, just let me get some warmer clothes on.” Walking to her closet, Pacifica started rummaging through her coats.

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

Jumping at the sheer volume of Mabel’s voice, Pacifica quickly looked over to see what all the fuss was about.

“This is for you!”

Mabel had untied a sweater from around her waist and was holding it up, a grin on her face. It was a light blue sweater with a Christmas tree on it, only instead of a star, there was a llama on top of it. The whole thing screamed Mabel, but Pacifica couldn’t help but feel touched as she accepted the gift. Had Mabel made this in the past two days just for her?

Guilt crept into her chest as she realized she didn’t have any gifts for anyone.

“I’ll leave you to it! But hurry!”

Before she could reply, Mabel had bounced out the door and Pacifica was left staring at the sweater. Glancing at the pile of gifts in the corner of the room, she wondered if she could regift any of them, but she doubted the Pines would like any of them. Biting her lip, she tried not to think about it as she pulled on two layers of pants, a white longsleeve and then the sweater. To finish it off, she grabbed some of her favorite snow boots and a jacket, if yesterday was any indication she would want them, along with a festive beanie. It clashed with the blue sweater but her parents weren’t there and it was kind of nice not to worry about looking amazing.

Saying a quick bye to Lester, Pacifica followed Mabel out into the snow, where Stan’s old car sat in the driveway. As she climbed into the back, Pacifica couldn’t help but remember the first time she had ridden in the car. It never felt the safest, and it wasn’t particularly warm, but it was cozy in a way that the limo never was.

“Seat belts.” The familiar voice of Stan sounded from the driver’s seat.

“Never unbuckled mine.” Dipper’s sleepy reply came from the front seat as Pacifica buckled her seat belt.

“Kid you gotta stop staying up late, you’re as bad as my brother.”

“At least he’s not eating his shirt!” Mable piped up, which seemed to instantly wake Dipper up.

“Mabel!” For a brief second, he looked at Pacifica, his face flustered in embarrassment, then he quickly looked forward again before mumbling under his breath. “I don’t do that anymore…”

“Sure you don’t…” Mabel winked at Pacifica which resulted in her trying not to laugh.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, or as uneventful as a car trip could be with the Pines. Which meant they skidded on the road about five times, pointed out strange shapes in the snow, all while Mabel played jello in the back and Stan sang a song that Pacifica didn’t recognize at all but he insisted was a Christmas song.

As the car pulled up to the Shack, Pacifica felt her excitement for the day growing, despite her uncertainty of what to even expect.

“We have returned!” Mabel yelled as she kicked the door open.

“Just in time, waffles are ready!” A woman that Pacifica could only assume was Mabel and Dipper’s mom said as she poked her head around the corner.

The waffles, it turned out, were just regular waffles - though they did taste quite amazing - but with just about any topping you could think of. Marshmallows, chocolate syrup, caramel, fruit candies, actual fruit, syrup - maple and strawberry flavored, toffee bits, whipped cream and about a dozen other things Pacifica couldn’t name.

It was without a doubt the most sugary breakfast Pacifica had ever partaken in, and also the messiest. Whipped cream somehow ended up in Dipper’s hair, and Pacifica’s hands were sticky with syrup by the end. But all in all it was quite delicious not to mention a far cry from the posh breakfasts she was used to. Teasing and jokes with mouths not being closed all the way, food being thrown across the table. It was a little cringe worthy, but also...fun.

“Best breakfast ever!” Mabel declared as she took the last bit of her overindulgent sugar tower of a waffle.

“The best breakfast would actually consist of more protein and not half as much sugar-”

“Oh can it Poindexter, sugar beats your ‘healthy’ meals any day!” Stan said, cutting off Ford before he could finish, which resulted in rolling eyes and punches that had no real anger behind them.

“Now time for presents!” Mabel said, jumping off of her chair.

“Not yet.” Mrs. Pines pointed to the table. “We need to clean up first.”

“But mom!” Mabel pointed to Pacifica. “We have a guest!”

Glancing at the table, Pacifica couldn’t help but be reminded of a few of the messy tables that she had cleaned up at Greasy’s Diner. Granted, this was worse but the familiarity of cleaning sounded nice. “It’s fine Mabel. I’ve learned a few cleaning tricks from the Diner, we’ll have this cleaned up in no time!”

For a moment, Mabel looked skeptical and Pacifica caught a wordless conversation between her and Dipper. Then Mabel sighed. “Okay, but then presents!”

The table turned out to be even stickier and messier than Pacifica had anticipated, but with the help of some homemade cleaner invented by Ford and a lot of scrubbing and soap, it turned out to be quite doable, and more fun than expected. But maybe everything with the Pines was just that way, they could make mucking out a stall a blast.

“I wonder what this tastes like…” Mabel said, holding up a pile of bubbles created by the cleaner.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” Pacifica said, staring at Mabel as she ignored the advice and shoved some bubbles into her mouth, only to spit them out a second later.

“NOPE! It doesn’t taste like pine needles at all!”

“You didn’t like pine needles when you tried them either.” Dipper managed to say through a laugh as Mabel rinsed her mouth with water.

“This was worse…” Mabel said, sticking her tongue out as if trying to keep any of the taste from entering her mouth again.

“Yeah, soap isn’t really...meant to be eaten,” Pacifica said, grabbing a paper towel and handing it to Mabel. “Rub your tongue on this, it should help.”

Mabel accepted it and aggressively started rubbing her tongue on it, which was quite amusing to watch.

“How did you know…?” Dipper asked, his mouth turned down in a confused frown.

Pacifica waved her hand, feeling a small prickle of embarrassment settle in her stomach. “I know things.” As much as she liked the Pine twins, Pacifica wasn’t super keen on telling them that as a kid she had tried to eat a fancy looking bar of soap.

“Blegh! Remind me never to do that again…” Mabel said, then her face lit up. “Now, PRESENTS!”

Mabel grabbed Dipper and Pacifica’s hands and dragged them into the living room, where a rerun of At Home By Yourself was playing and the adults were talking.

“Attention everyone!” Mabel shouted, earning an amused look from everyone in the room aside from Stan, who looked downright approving. “It is now time for GIFTS!”

Pacifica didn’t know what she had expected as she sat down, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect to get presents herself, and yet, Mabel - who was running around placing everyone’s gifts at their feet - had placed four packages on her lap. And she couldn’t help but stare at her gifts while everyone else tore open their presents.

There was no method to the gift opening, everyone seemed to be opening up gifts at the same time and yet there were “thank you’s” and screams and hugs for every gift opened. Pacifica found herself watching, comparing it to the complete order of her Christmases where everyone took a turn to unwrap a present carefully and fold the paper before the next gift was opened. She much preferred this version.

“REALLY?!?” Dipper’s excited shout momentarily stopped everyone in their tracks and they all looked over to see Ford nodding.

“What?!?” Mabel asked, trying to grab the letter from Dipper, but he clung to it.

“Grunkle Ford is going to show me around the multiverse!”

There was silence for a moment.

“The…what?” Mrs. Pines asked at the same time her husband asked “Is that safe?”

Ford raised up his hand. “I assure you, it will be safe. I know the multiverse quite well, and it will only be for a day or two.”

The Pines parents didn’t look convinced, but Dipper was grinning from ear to ear.

“Can we go next summer?!?”

“If I can find a stable rip by then, but seeing as me and Stan have found quite a few in our travels I don’t think that should be a problem.”

“I don’t know if you’d call those stable rips…” Stan muttered under his breath, but there was a smile on his face. Pacifica had never known any old people as keen to adventuring as Stan and Ford, but it seemed to fit them quite well.

“Pacifica, you haven’t opened any of your presents!”

Mabel’s exclamation shook Pacifica out of her thoughts.

“Oh...right!” Looking at the pile of presents, Pacifica grabbed the biggest one and carefully started unwrapping it.

“Not like that!” Mabel said, “Rip it!”

Dipper laughed and shook his head. “Let her do it how she wants to, Mabel.”

Glancing at the package, a mischievous smile grew on Pacifica’s face. She hadn’t torn open a gift in years...grabbing a corner of it, she torn it.

A few seconds later, she was pulling out a familiar looking sweater, a llama stitched on the front. It must have been altered since Weirdmageddon a year ago, because it looked like it would actually fit her despite having grown since then. Pacifica still remembered returning the sweater and quietly wishing she could keep it, and now it was hers.

“I made a sweater for everyone else on the wheel, so I figured you should have one too.”

Looking up, Pacifica saw Mabel grinning at her and she returned the smile. “Well, it doesn’t match any of my other clothes...but I don’t care. My parents are going to hate it but I love it.”

“Now, open your other presents!”

And so the gift opening continued, though everyone else had already opened most of their gifts. Aside from the sweaters - two if you counted the Christmas one Mabel already gave her - Pacifica also got some advanced sort of hair curler/dryer/straightener. Apparently Ford had made one for Mabel and she thought Pacifica would like one too. It was pretty nice seeing as it didn’t need to be plugged in and did everything in one. Dipper gave her the first book of “The Sibling Brothers” mystery books, which was obviously worn from having been read many times, but she didn’t mind too much. And lastly, she got a bag of cookies and treats from the Pines parents. It wasn’t much. Compared to all of the presents from her own parents, they were all laughably cheap, but Pacifica didn’t care. She loved them all.

After the last present was opened, Mrs. Pines once again instructed them to clean up, but this time it was quite fun, even more so than cleaning the table. They had a wrapping paper fight and tried to see who could throw the most balls of paper into the trash can, along with some cardboard roll fights - how the rolls got mixed up in it, Pacifica didn’t know, but she didn’t mind it at all.

“Score!” Mabel yelled as the last ball of paper thunked into the trash can. And as soon as she spoke, Mabel flopped on the floor.

“I think they wore themselves out.”

Pacifica heard Mr. Pines speak, but she didn’t look up from her own spot on the floor. After staying up last night, getting up early, and cleaning up, she was starting to feel quite tired.

“We’re not tired, we could totally take on a gremloblin right now,” Dipper mumbled from his collapsed state against the couch.

“I don’t even want to know what that is…” Pacifica said, closing her eyes and trying not to yawn.

“HOT CHOCOLATE!”

Mabel’s shout jolted Pacifica out of her tired daze. “What?”

“That’s what we need, hot chocolate!”

“I’m too hot for hot chocolate.” Dipper wiped his head as he spoke. How he could be so sweaty even in the winter was a mystery.

“Sounds like you kids need to cool off.” Stan grinned and the next second, he had picked up Mabel who immediately started laughing and trying to squirm out of his grip.

“Nooooo!” She squealed as Stan grabbed Dipper too, who let out a yelp.

A spurt of energy rushed through Pacifica and she quickly followed after Stan, who had run out the door, though she grabbed her jacket as she did so - the twins weren’t so lucky.

Upon stepping outside, Pacifica saw all three Pines in the snow, laughing and throwing chunks of snow at each other. Grabbing a bit with her gloved hands, Pacifica threw a ball, which hit Dipper right on his back.

“Hey!”

A mischievous grin grew on Mabel’s face as she heard Dipper’s shout. “SNOWBALL FIGHT!”

And then snow was flying everywhere. After the fight inside, this one didn’t last very long, especially after Dipper and Mabel started shivering from their lack of thick coats, but it was still far more fun than snowball fights should be.

“Oh y-you are g-going to p-pay for t-that.” Mabel’s voice chattered as she aimed a poorly shaped snowball at Stan. It missed spectacularly.

But then a second later, another snowball hit Stan smack in his chest and send him to the ground.

“Alright, who did that!” Stan sputtered as he sat up.

Glancing over, Pacifica saw Ford standing on the porch, holding up his hands and pointing to Wendy, who Pacifica hadn’t noticed was there until just now.

“Wendy!” Mabel and Dipper spoke at the same time as they rushed forward to hug her.

“You guys know you are supposed to have coats when you play in the snow right?” Wendy asked as she returned the hugs.

“It was G-grunkle Stan!”

“Hey, you said you were hot.” Stan brushed off his coat as he stood up.

“And now they look like they are about to freeze,” Ford said and nodded towards to the shack. “I smell some hot chocolate in there, might help with that.”

There was a rush to the door and a few minutes later everyone was snuggled around the fireplace with a mug in hand. Pacifica had added a few marshmallows to hers, but hadn’t put in nearly as many as Mabel.

The rest of the day blurred by. They drank hot chocolate, played with presents, and ate a few too many cookies. Wendy had to leave before supper, which was a shame because it was delicious. Pacifica had never had traditional Jewish food before, but it was amazing and quite the change from the turkey she was used to. Before she knew it, the sky was dark outside and she felt a buzz in her pocket.

Pulling out her phone, she saw a text from Lester.

‘Shall I come and pick you up, miss?’

Glancing up at the cozy room, Pacifica felt a small stab of sadness. She didn’t want to leave yet, but then again she was pretty tired.

She was just starting to type a reply when Mabel’s voice sounded right next to her head, making her jump.

“You can’t leave yet!”

Blinking her eyes to clear away the shock, Pacifica shook her head. “It is getting late though…”

Mabel pouted next to her, looking genuinely sad, which only made Pacifica feel worse. It wasn’t like she wanted to leave.

Then Mabel gasped and grabbed Pacifica’s arm. “Why don’t you spend the night?!?”

“Wait, what?” Dipper asked, looking up from him game of Dungeons, Dungeons and more Dungeons that he was playing with Ford.

“It’ll be great! You can sleep in the attic and-��

“Oh no, I’m not staying in the attic for another sleepover…” Dipper said quickly.

“It wasn’t that bad…” Mabel started, but Dipper just looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“We swapped bodies for the whole day and Soos almost got eaten, yes it was that bad.”

Mabel opened her mouth, but didn’t seem to have a response.

Feeling very confused and awkward, Pacifica tried for a smile. “It’s fine, I don’t mind going home now. I’ll just text Lester and-”

“Wait. What if you sleep down here, Dipper?”

“Here? In the living room?” Dipper asked, putting down the dice that he was about to roll.

“Yeah, you talked about how it’s so cold in the attic anyway!”

“Well…” Dipper glanced at Pacifica, but she couldn’t read his expression. Then he shrugged and smiled. “I guess that could be fun.”

“You really don’t have to-” Pacifica started, but was cut off by Mabel.

“Then it’s settled! We can drop you off at your house tomorrow after the best sleepover ever!”

There was no arguing with Mabel. After texting Lester back, Pacifica was dragged upstairs where her and Mabel made a makeshift bed out of a bunch of Mystery Shake blankets and pillows because according to Mabel, Dipper’s bed was far too sweaty for anyone else to sleep in.

The rest of the night was more relaxed than Pacifica would’ve expected, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Mabel braided her hair - and she tried to return the favor but she was used to other people doing her hair so it wasn’t...great, but Mabel didn’t seem to mind. Then they ate more cookies and talked about school - Mabel filling her in on some of the cute boys at her school and Pacifica grumbling to her about how confusing math could be. Which resulted in Mabel offering to video chat with her or Dipper any time she needed help and also reassuring her that if she really needed it, Ford would be happy to help as well.

Pacifica didn’t know when she fell asleep. One moment she was talking with Mabel, and the next she was being shaken awake.

“Pacifica come and see this!”

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Pacifica saw Mabel looking at her upside down, a grin on her face.

“I already got a picture but...come on!”

Before Pacifica could reply, Mabel had grabbed her hand and started dragging her out of the attic and downstairs, leading her to a room she had never seen before.

Inside, there were piles of books and papers, with all sorts of equations and craziness written on them, but that’s not what Mabel was pointing at. In the corner of the room was a bed, where Ford was asleep, Dipper on his chest, both of them totally conked out.

“They must have been nerding out again,” Mabel whispered.

“They probably stayed up till three again.”

Pacifica turned around to see Stan, who hadn’t bothered to lower his voice.

“Well we didn’t do much better.” Mabel winked, and Pacifica froze.

“Wait, how late did we stay up?”

A shrug. “Don’t know, but it was late. My internal clock is never wrong!”

“What about the time you were sure it was only nine when it was really one in the morning?”

A groggy voice sounded from the room and Pacifica glanced over to see Dipper looking at them, bags under his eyes.

Mabel waved her hand. “That was a one time thing.”

“Suuuure…”

An hour later Pacifica looked out the window as the snowy landscape passed by. They had eaten breakfast - leftover waffles, cookies, and any other food you wanted - and then Pacifica had climbed into Stan’s car again, this time Mabel sat in the front seat.

“You okay?”

Pacifica hadn’t realized she had been frowning until Dipper’s voice spoke next to her, almost drowned out by Mabel’s excited chattering in the front.

“Oh...yeah...I’m fine.”

There was no reply, but Pacifica could feel Dipper’s eyes studying her, which only made the sadness in her chest grow. Letting out a sigh, she resigned to the fact that sharing it would make her feel better. And Dipper always had been a good listener.

“It’s just...getting to celebrate Christmas with you guys was...really fun…”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Well, yeah...but, I know it’s not going to happen again. Next year my parents will drag me off to another vacation or throw presents at me again and expect me to just...play with them all day. Alone. I’m not going to have another Christmas like this ever again.” As she spoke, Pacifica felt tears build in her eyes, but she quickly tried to wipe them away.

Then a hand rested on her shoulder. “Hey, no Christmas is ever quite the same - you should’ve seen the year when I was so sick I couldn’t move. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Maybe…” Dipper paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to phrase his next words. “Maybe you could ask your parents if you could change things up a little?”

It sounded nice, but doubt filled Pacifica’s chest. “Maybe…”

“And if not, maybe me and Mabel can convince our parents to let us come again next year. Or you could always visit the Shack. Stan and Ford don’t mind visitors half as much as they pretend to and if Soos is here next year I’m sure he’d love to help you celebrate too.”

Dipper smiled at her and Pacifica found herself smiling back.

“Thanks Dipper.”

So maybe her parents wouldn’t be up to change, but...even if they said no, she wasn’t entirely alone. Maybe, just maybe, Christmas could be fun again.

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine one-shot - “Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night” (Rated PG)

Kurt goes roaming through the woods on the outskirts of Dalton, trying to clear his head. He gets lost, and while he's alone, he runs into a feathery confidante who listens to him gripe about his love life ... or lack thereof. (3645 words)

Notes: This is a re-write, but I think I might like this one a little bit better. It's literally 180 degrees different from the story it's based off of. Please let me know what you all think. :) Also I know you guys are all going to get the twist in the first few paragraphs. You don't need to tell me xD

Read on AO3.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night … take these broken wings and learn to fly … all your life … you were only waiting for this moment to arise …

Kurt had started singing to punctuate the quiet as he walked the grounds of Dalton Academy, but the more he focuses on the words, on what they mean to him, the more they bring tears to his eyes.

How is it that, by taking a step forward, he’d managed to take so many steps backward?

He’d come to Dalton to escape the bullying he’d been enduring, unchecked, for years at his old high school.

And it worked.

But it came at a price, larger than the hefty one his father had to pay to enroll him here.

Behind Dalton’s red brick walls, where he’s free to be his true and authentic self, he feels more confused than ever. Wasn’t coming out supposed to be the difficult part? But he’d gone through that with flying colors (aside from the roided up jock who’d threatened to kill him). He had the support of his father and his closest friends. And to top it off, he’d found his new sanctuary - a school where he could walk down the hallways with his head held high, and absolutely no fear of being tossed into a dumpster or shoved into a locker.

He should feel complete. Fulfilled.

But he’s not quite there yet.

There’s something missing.

Being accepted for who he is was only half of the dream.

Finding love with someone like him was the other half.

How often had he lamented the fact that he couldn’t walk the halls of McKinley with a boy, or take a boy to prom?

He still can’t, but at Dalton, theoretically, he can.

And when he’d imagined his mythical boyfriend, he didn’t have anyone in mind.

But now, he does.

For all intents and purposes, he’s in love.

And as far as he can tell, the boy in question loves him back …

… as a friend.

Kurt thought he could handle that, thought he could be the supportive bestie while his crush explored his options, and the boundaries of his sexuality, but it’s harder than he thought it would be.

It’s kind of breaking his heart.

Whoever said better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all can go die in a fire because this – this ache in his chest that gets worse every time Kurt sees him, that keeps him awake at night, that grows thorns and pierces his heart with every breath – sucks.

Kurt stops singing but keeps walking, his feet carrying him past the lacrosse field towards a tree line at the edge of the grounds that he’s never explored before. He knows it’s part of Dalton since the outermost limits of the property are surrounded by a high stone fence that you have to drive through when you arrive on campus. Every inch of the grounds are patrolled by security day and night so, technically, it should be safe.

Still, it looks like the kind of place a lone protagonist might get murdered by a masked man with a chainsaw, even at four in the afternoon.

But Kurt can’t help himself. He keeps walking. He has to make it there. Those trees – looming tall, each topped by a thick crown of green leaves blotting out the sky - seem to be calling him, as if they know of his confusion and have the answers he seeks.

Kurt sighs. He knows he must be lonely – or going insane – if he’s about to consult with trees. Too bad he didn’t bring his phone. He could have called Rachel. Or Mercedes. They’d drive over in a snap bearing popcorn, chocolate, and a stack of old musicals to help him through this crisis.

The only reason he didn’t?

He’s embarrassed.

Leaving McKinley for Dalton, leaving New Directions for The Warblers, was supposed to solve all of his problems.

He doesn’t feel like admitting it didn’t.

He’d feel silly and shallow telling them why.

He walks deeper into the woods (if he can call it that), far enough that he can’t see the towers of Dalton when he turns around. Far enough that he can’t see anything but trees behind him … and that’s when he realizes his mistake. Having turned a full circle twice, he no longer remembers in which direction he came. He’s not a Boy Scout. Kurt Hummel doesn’t do the outdoors. He doesn’t hike.

He has no clue why he chose to start now, alone, and without a link to civilization.

Great. Just great. He came out here to the solitude of nature to find a solution to his problems, and he created a bigger one.

He’s going to die.

In retrospect, that might solve a few of his problems. Plus, it would be poetic. And what else could he ask for in a death (other than it happen in a hundred years instead of today)?

Calm down, he tells himself. You’re not going to die. If he just stays where he is, security is sure to happen by eventually. Or another student. He can’t be the only person who’s ever decided to go walking through these trees.

Kurt turns another circle, squinting through the cluster of trunks, trying to pinpoint a navy blue jacket, or a security officer’s uniform.

Or one of those red cloaked monsters from the movie The Village.

Those vibrant red cloaks remind Kurt of the letterman jackets worn by the jocks at McKinley, how he would jump out of his skin whenever he saw a hint of one turning a corner, or passing by the choir room when he was alone inside, and his blood turns to ice. He holds his breath, listening for the sound of footsteps in the dried leaves, the snapping of twigs, overcome by the feeling that he’s not alone.

That he is, in fact, being watched.

He swallows hard, his heart a lump so heavy, it almost drags him to the ground. He considers calling out: “Hello? Is there anyone there?” when he hears a scream – loud and piercing, coming from nearby. He freezes, the sound just about stopping his heart. He grabs his messenger bag, slung around his shoulder, and hugs it to his chest, since it’s the only thing he has with him that can be used as a weapon. He mentally inventories the items inside: two pencils, his spiral bound notebook, his calculus text book, some sheet music - hardly anything he could use to fend off an ax murderer. The calculus book weighs about ten pounds, so if he threw it hard enough, that might slow down his attacker. The pencils are his best bet, but they, unfortunately, are a close quarters sort of weapon.

The sheet music is entirely useless, unless he finds himself pursued by a homicidal maniac with a penchant for show tunes.

Kurt remains still as solid stone, waiting to see if that scream will happen again, even though he knows it would probably be a wiser decision to run. He may not know which direction the dorms are, but anywhere but here seems like a good direction to go. As his feet come close to acting on that decision, he hears the screech again - closer this time.

It doesn’t sound human. That’s a positive, he guesses.

But it does sound like it’s coming from directly above him, and that’s a definite negative.

Kurt rolls his eyes up, his body shaking as he visualizes the kind of creature that might make that sound poised in the branches above him, waiting for him to notice it so it can pounce on him monster movie style. But it’s not above him. It’s in the tree beside him, up and to the left, on a branch growing perpendicularly out from the trunk and stretching its woody fingers over his head.

It’s not a monster. It’s a raven, peering down at him with what seems to be a curious expression on its feathery, black face.

The two consider one another in silence. Then, unexpectedly, the bird opens its beak and emits the same, guttural screech. Kurt yelps in surprise.

“Oh, Jesus Christmas! Do you have to do that?” he snaps. He hasn’t seen a real live raven before so he never knew they sounded like that – like an old man choking on toast. But there is a sense of gravitas to this moment. From the little he knows about ornithology, ravens are rare in Ohio. If he had his phone with him, he’d be taking a ton of pictures right now.

Maybe he could show them to Mr. Phelps, his life science teacher, and bring up his grade.

He makes a note to never forget his phone on any outing he takes ever again.

He steps back to get a better look at the black smudge of an animal inclining questioningly at him. It caws, head bobbing left and right, watching him with keen interest.

“What am I doing here?” Kurt asks, assuming that’s the only question this bird might have for him, seeing as Kurt has been asking himself that same question for the past several minutes. Why the heck is he in this forest? What did he think he was going to find in here?

The raven caws.

“I’m just … going for a walk,” Kurt explains. “Clearing my head. Trying to get my thoughts in order. I’m … actually struggling through some things. Relationship sort of issues … or the lack thereof.” Kurt blinks at the raven staring down at him and frowns. “And … you’re a raven. You don’t understand a word I’m saying.”

The raven recites a series of mimicked word segments that sound unsettlingly like an answer. Then it sits on its branch and tilts its head – its default position for waiting for Kurt’s response.

But Kurt knows it’s not. He knows rationally that a raven, as intelligent as they are, is not asking him questions, nor waiting for an answer. But Kurt is tired – emotionally beat. He has things he needs to get off his chest, but he has been hard pressed to find a non-invested third party ear anywhere.

He had originally intended on commiserating with the trees. He’s in no position to be picky.

Besides, he just needs to vent. He doesn’t necessarily want someone to solve his problems, just to listen.

Considering his limited options, bird it is.

Alright, he thinks. Here goes nothing.

“If you want to know, then here it is.” Kurt sighs, and for all of the ridiculous this is, it seems the raven takes a step closer and leans a hair in. “I transferred to Dalton expecting everything in my life to change for the better. And it has, for the most part. I feel free – free to be me for the first time in my life. With a few minor exceptions, Dalton is everything I could have asked for and more … except for one thing.” The raven takes a step closer, tilts its head in the opposite direction, and continues to stare, patiently waiting. Kurt stares back at it, expecting it to tire of him and fly away just to prove his point, but it jerks its head up as if encouraging him to continue. “You see, Mr. Bird … can I call you Mr. Bird?” The raven clucks. Kurt takes that as a yes. “There’s this guy. His name is Blaine. He’s my best friend, and I would never, ever want to lose his friendship, but …” He cringes at how clingy he sounds. How whiny. “I don’t want to sound reductive. I don’t want my life to be about needing a boyfriend, because it’s not. My life is about me. Me, me, me. I know that. I really do, but … it feels so good having him around - having someone standing in my corner, cheering me on, holding my hand when things get rough. Someone who isn’t my dad, or my friends from Glee. Someone who looks at me and sees the things that have been so hard for me to see my whole life.” Kurt puts up a defensive hand, as if afraid the raven is going to butt in before he gets the chance to finish. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always known that I’m better than Ohio, better than McKinley, better than the bullies and the drama. I don’t necessarily need him to point that out to me. I can stand on my own two feet.” Kurt shakes his head. “But it’s nice, you know? I don’t need a boyfriend. But I’d like one. I’ve never had a boyfriend before, and I’d like it to be him.”

The raven ruffles it wings, clucks softly, and Kurt can’t help the crazy feeling that the thing honestly seems interested.

“I’m sure you know,” Kurt jokes to get over the awkwardness that he’s pouring his heart out to a bird. “Flying all over, you must stumble upon people falling in love from time to time? An impromptu proposal in the park, or friends skating on the Auglaize River in winter, discovering for the first time together just how much they love one another? Or maybe I’m just a silly romantic, and I should get my head out of the clouds. I want a chance with him so badly. But, if it was meant to happen, shouldn’t it have happened by now? I mean, we have coffee together every day, we sing flirty duets together …” Kurt shoots a nervous glance around on the off-chance other ears are overhearing this part of the conversation. There aren’t any. It’s just him, the raven, and the trees. “I thought … all of that meant something. But I think I just made it all up in my head? Didn’t I? I mean, what did I expect? For him to show up at my bedroom door with a red rose and say, ‘I’ve been waiting for you my entire life. Please go out with me?’?”

The raven hops down a few branches closer to him.

“It’s not just that he’s handsome,” Kurt muses with a far off look. “He’s talented, kind, charming ... I’ve never met anyone like him. I look up to him. He’s confident, and so damned sure of himself. Sometimes it’s almost like he’s not human or something. Or … you know … too good to be true.” Kurt leans back on an obliging tree and exhales. “And you know what they say – if something’s too good to be true, it usually is.” Kurt picks at a sliver of loose bark, working it away from the trunk as he talks. “I wish I was better at the casual flirting thing, you know?” He asks the question, expecting an answer. When he doesn’t get one, he makes a face for being stupid, but feels compelled to continue. “I wish I had some kind of sign, that I knew for certain he and I are on the same wavelength. That he’s not just that way with everybody. That he’s interested in me … as more than a friend.”

Clouds pass overhead, and the sky suddenly darkens. From what Kurt can see of their grey silhouettes, it looks like it might rain. The raven twists to look over its shoulder, at the sunlight barely breaking through the cover, then back at Kurt, giving him an apologetic sounding caw, and Kurt knows that their conversation has come to an end.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Go on.” Kurt waves the bird away. “I know you’ve got … raven things to do. Thanks for the ear. I’d better get going, too … if I can find my way out of this place.”

The raven hops up to a higher branch, ready to launch, but before it spreads its wings, it gestures ahead with an emphatic nod. Kurt looks in that direction, and with a hint of understanding, points.

“That way?” he says, feeling the stupidest he has since this began. But considering he’s lost, he’s not about to look a potential gift horse in the mouth. “Dalton is that way?”

The raven caws. It sounds affirmative.  

“Well, thank you very much, Mr. Bird. I’ll be seeing you … I guess.”

The bird nods again and takes off. It circles once overhead, then flies away. Kurt watches the raven go, swiftly climbing higher, disappearing above the leaves. Kurt wishes he could fly away, too. Not from Dalton, per se, but from himself for a while. Take a break from his hectic life and his confusing feelings so he can come up with an answer to this. Pluck up the courage to do what he wants to do and ask Blaine out. Birds have long been thought of as messengers of the natural world, right? Maybe this raven, appearing out of nowhere in a place where it shouldn’t logically be and listening to his woes, is the sign Kurt was looking for.

But a sign of what exactly?

Only Kurt can answer that question. No mystical bird can make that decision for him.

And he can’t expect the universe to lend him a hand twice in one day.

***

It’s around eight o’clock in the evening when a knock on the door of Kurt’s room lures him out his ear buds and the super angsty playlist he’d compiled earlier just for the occasion. It was a combination of show tunes he’d been narrowing down for an upcoming audition, along with some standard ballads, and a few top 40 tunes he thought Blaine would appreciate.

Songs they could be listening to if they were in his room together, lying side by side on his bed, sharing his ear buds, and enjoying the rain that had been falling steadily for the last few hours. Kurt always thought of rain as romantic, but right now, it only seemed to emphasize how lonely he felt.

“Who is it?” Kurt calls, puzzled because he’s not expecting anyone.

The halls have been quiet since before dinner time. It’s Friday night, and a large majority of the boys in his dorm head home over the weekend … including Blaine. He would be, too, except he has a huge project due in lit class on Monday. Besides, Finn would be spending the weekend attached to Rachel’s hip, and he wasn’t in the mood to act as third wheel. When no one answers, he says, “I’m coming,” and gets up to open the door. He fully expects to find the hallway empty, himself the victim of a good-natured practical joke, probably by Jeff or Nick. They’d been hounding him lately to tell them what’s up. They always seem to be the first to notice when something is bothering anyone. But instead, he comes face to face with Blaine, standing somewhat strangely with one arm tucked behind his back. Kurt’s face lights up.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Blaine says, a guilty look on his face. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late, but I waited till the dorm emptied out because I wanted to get you alone.”

“No, no, no. That’s okay.” Kurt steals a quick glance at Blaine’s outfit. He’s out of uniform, and a bit less casually dressed than usual in pale yellow slacks and a short-sleeved white button down, with a black-and-white checkered sweater vest over that. His hair is slicked down, as per usual, but it looks more meticulously styled.

Like he’s going on a date.

Which brings Kurt’s attention to the state of his own clothes - half dressed in his uniform, blazer gone, tie loosened, top button unbuttoned. He’s barefoot, and his slacks have to be wrinkled to the high heavens. He’s not sure that his room is Blaine’s last stop, but he feels like he should excuse himself for a moment to change.

“Shoot,” Kurt says, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously. “What’s so important that you waited until now to talk to me?”

“Uh … you are, actually.” Blaine pulls his hand from behind his back, and with it, a single red rose. It’s positively exquisite – the single most beautiful rose Kurt has ever seen. “Because I’ve begun to realize that maybe I’ve been a tad too subtle when it comes to my feelings towards you. I’m not good at romance, Kurt. I know how to act it out in song ...”

“You’ve told me that before,” Kurt interrupts, his eyes leaving the rose to focus on Blaine’s face.

“I know. But what I want to re-iterate is the I don’t want to screw this up part. Because I think there’s a chance that I have been. I’ve been stumbling through a mess of new feelings, most of them for you, and I haven’t been handling them well. And for that, I apologize.” He takes Kurt’s hand, raises it, and slips the rose between his fingers. Then he leans forward and whispers: “I’ve been waiting for you my entire life, Kurt. Please … go out with me?”

Kurt looks at Blaine, and his beautiful rose, in awe. How had he gone from hoping for exactly this to it showing up at his doorstep in one day? Kurt had no idea. He wasn’t that lucky. “How did you know …?” Kurt shakes his head, disbelieving, unable to complete that question. Because Kurt can only come up with one answer, and it’s too impossible to believe.

That raven wasn’t necessarily a sign, he tells himself.

Maybe his luck is simply changing.

Falling in love with your best friend? It happened every day, didn’t it? Why shouldn’t it happen to him?

“Call it intuition.” Blaine shrugs, smiling as Kurt puts the rose to his nose and sniffs. “Or … we can say a little birdy told me.”

[sliceofparadise]

Once you get this you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, you have to send this to ten of your favorite followers. (Non-negotiable, positivity is cool~) 🌈🌈

@more-thaan-words thank you for thinking of me, as well as the wonderful @nothingbuthappydays. QUEENS!!

Oh god....FIVE things? Ok, here it goes:

1. I try to be a caring person by helping others whenever I can. Sometimes that can be a bad thing because then I often sacrifice my own interests or I forget that I sometimes need someone to care for me too. That’s a balance I’ve been struggling with. But overall I think being there for other people is what makes me happy, so I would never change that about myself.2. I have a pretty big imagination. It helps me write fanfiction, which is awesome! It also helps me solve problems by thinking of solutions or different possibilities others haven’t thought about. 3. I’m good at listening to others. I understand that sometimes all people want is to be listened too. Often, people just want to be understood and need to vent their thoughts without being judged.4. I’m pretty good at learning/speaking other languages. I’ve always been fascinated by foreign languages and think it’s such a cool thing if you can go somewhere and understand what people are talking about. I speak four different languages (Flemish, French, English and German). 5. I like my taste in fashion. I used to be so bad at dressing myself or knowing how to combine things to make a nice outfit. But throughout the years I’ve become much better at it by watching others, following blogs or scrolling through pinterest :D I often get compliments about my outfits now.

Phew! I made it. This took me over half an hour! Haha XD