#i see them as having that kind of 'low maintenance' friendship

[deanstead]

Low Effort

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Summary: Y/N gets a surprise visit, which triggers some unpleasant symptoms

Word Count: 1k+

Tags/Warnings: mentions of stomach cramps, slight allusion to anxiety, negative emotions

A/N: Long time no see! This is a thing I needed to get off my chest and needed to get the emotions out, so it’s just some Jay comfort/fluff. Also, a warning that I haven’t written in so long, this kind of feels a bit meh, so I hope I haven’t lost too much of my writing touch LOL

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You closed your laptop shut, just as your phone lit up with a notification about a new message from Jay.

Sorry, got held up. 10 minutes. Tops.

You smiled, typing a quick response of acknowledgment to tell him not to hurry before you got up, grabbing your bag. You were too fried to continue anything else so you figured you would just go and wait for him. Fresh air was better than whatever was coming through the office vents.

As the glass doors of the main entrance on the first floor slid open and you felt the chill of the Chicago winds hit your face, you sighed. Fresh air was definitely better.

“Y/N.”

You glanced up, your eyebrows naturally bunching together at the sound of a woman’s voice.

As your eyes met hers, you froze for a moment, your brain still processing the fact that she was here.

“Amy?” Her name slipped past your lips before you could stop yourself, even though the only emotion you were feeling at this moment was surprise. There was nothing positive or negative about it.

Amy could feel it in your voice as well. “Can we talk? I’ve missed you.”

You frowned as a cramp shot through your lower abdomen.

“I thought we were better friends than this. Low-maintenance, remember?” Amy said, and you could hear the tone in her voice, the one she used when she was upset or disappointed.

The feeling of indignation shot through you once again.

“Yeah, low maintenance, not low effort.”

Your voice was low but you didn’t let the emotion sway it. You spent years telling yourself that it was just a low-maintenance friendship, that you were both just busy, but you couldn’t ignore the way she’d reappear in front of you only when she needed your support, or when the guy she was seeing was out of town.

You glanced up at the street but hadn’t seen Jay’s car yet.

You exhaled. “Look, Amy. You have your priorities, I get it. Just don’t expect me to drop mine when you blow back into town or when your boyfriend doesn’t have time for you. It doesn’t work that way.”

You felt the cramps intensify and knew what it was. You called it “emotional cramps” with Jay, joking that as long as he kept you happy you’d be fine. Yet, here they were again. Maybe it was because you hadn’t had them in a while, you felt them more intensely now.

You put a hand on your stomach as you looked up at Amy. As expected, she had an indignant look on her face.

“How could you say that, Y/N? I know the fact that I was seeing Trevor was a sore spot with you because you weren’t seeing anyone so I didn’t want to make things harder for you. But now…”

You couldn't even respond as the pain ripped through you once again and you bent forward slightly, your knees buckling a little. You braced yourself for the impact of your knees hitting the concrete sidewalk when you felt his arms around you.

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

Jay.

Amy seemed stunned for a moment before she spoke again, “It must be her…”

“Why’s it acting up?” Jay asked, his entire focus on you as you glanced up at him and quietly shook your head.

Jay glanced up at Amy. They didn’t know each other since you’d met Jay sometime after contact between you and Amy had dwindled to almost nothing. By the time you and Jay had started dating, you’d made up your mind to let go of Amy and this friendship, and it had merely nagged at you a little at the back of your mind from time to time so you hadn’t brought her up.

“Come on, we’re going to Med,” Jay said quietly, pulling you upright.

You glanced at him. “Don’t you dare carry me,” You warned.

Despite the worried look in his eyes, Jay smiled. “We’re going to Will.” He repeated, almost like he was daring you to argue.

You didn’t argue. Partly because all you wanted to do was get out of there but partly because you knew it was useless. Besides, the pain was more intense than you remembered.

Without a second glance back, Jay helped you into the car and drove off, both of you leaving Amy still standing on the sidewalk.

You knew what had triggered the attack, so after getting medication for the pain and cramping, you’d been feeling much better.

“You know I’d be feeling even better if you would stop hovering, Detective.” You said, directing the comment at your boyfriend.

Will smiled as he tapped on the iPad in his hand and glanced at his brother. “She’s fine. Her tests are normal, and it was probably just a one-off stress-related attack.”

You nodded. “I’ll follow up with my therapist, I promise.”

Will ruffled your hair affectionately and you growled because he knew you hated it.

“I’ll get the discharge started.”

Jay was quiet as he leaned over you, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “You sure you’re okay?”

You nodded, before you glanced back down.

“Amy’s an old friend.” You said, after a while. "At least, she was."

Jay didn’t say anything, so you continued, telling him about how Amy was when she started dating anyone, and it only progressively got worse. “And it’s not about seeing her often, you know? It’s just…”

Jay nodded. “You didn’t feel like she cared.”

You sighed quietly. “I just… it got to a point where I realized she didn’t care. I was a friend when she needed me, and when she didn’t, I just… didn’t exist. And apparently, to her, that’s me being sore.”

Jay just took your hand in his, gently stroking your fingers.

“But I just realized it was better to have no one than to be treated that way, so I just…”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Jay said quietly. “Listen, someone who gives you low effort doesn’t deserve you. I don’t care who they are. Anyone who makes you feel this way doesn’t deserve even one percent of you.”

You looked up at him and smiled, a little sadness hidden behind it.

“I guess seeing her today just brought it all back, you know? And then it triggered all those emotions and then my stomach cramps decided to join the party.” You made a face.

Jay smiled quietly back at you. “But you know what? You’re not alone. At least not anymore.”

You smiled and leaned forward for a hug. Jay perched by the edge of the bed, pulling you gently into his arms and you buried your face into his shoulders, feeling his arms encircle your entire body.

“I know.” You whispered.

Jay kissed the top of your head. “Good.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

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[heli-writes]

A marriage of convenience, part 4: the honeymoon.

Pairing: Yoriichi x you

Summary: Yoriichi's friends think that Yoriichi is too lonely and needs a wife and family to take care of him. They propose a marriage of convenience to a woman who's in need of a husband. The arrangement of the marriage is simple: both parties live their lives as before, y/n takes care of Yoriichi as a wife and Yoriichi keeps unwanted men (and demons) away. Love is not required, friendship is appreciated. However, how detached can one be when living so close to each other?

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Series Masterlist

*~*~*~*~*

It's a special day for Yoriichi today. The Kamado family promised to visit today. It's the first time he and (y/n) have acquaintances over. He noticed that (y/n) is somewhat anxious about it. She did her best in preparing food and cleaning the house. It's clear that she wants to make a good impression on his friends.

The Kamados arrive around midday. Yoriichi, (y/n) and (y/s/n) greet them at the door and invite them into the modest house. (Y/n) starts to serve lunch and the rest settles around the small table. It's almost too small for everyone. Maybe we need to get a bigger table, Yoriichi thinks to himself. "So, Yoriichi, have you and (y/n) settled? It must've been quite the change for the both of you.", Sumiyoshi initiates a conversation. "Yes, it was, but we get along fine.", Yoriichi answers the unspoken question by his friend. Sumiyoshi nods content. "That's good to hear.", he decides. At that moment (y/n) brings over the last plates and takes a seat next to Yoriichi. They wish each other a good meal and start eating. Sumiyoshi compliments (y/n)'s cooking and she thanks him with a red tint on her cheeks.

"So, (y/n), we've heard that you have your own business? That must be quite a lot of work.", Suyako asks (Y/n). (Y/n) nods and replies: "Sometimes it is. But it's work I love, so most of the time it doesn't feel like work at all." "That's the best kind of work. It means you've found your calling.", Sumiyoshi points out happily. (Y/n) nods smiling. "Actually, the art of healing runs in my family. My mother taught me as her mother taught her.", (y/n) explains. "So, it's a family business?", Suyako asks. "Well, it's just me these days. But our knowledge has been passed down and expanded over generations.", (y/n) answers. Sumiyoshi nods approvingly. "It's reassuring for us to know that someone with your abilities lives together with Yoriichi. In his line of work, you never know when one comes home hurt.", he states. "I understand what you mean. I worry about this too. But so far Yoriichi hasn't come out with even a scratch.", (y/n) notes. Yoriichi clears his throat and joins the conversation: "I wouldn't want to be a burden to you." (Y/n) puts a hand on his arm that rests on the table. "You could never be a burden.", she exclaims, "You know, Yoriichi really is a low-maintenance man. He never asks for anything or complains.". Yoriichi notices how Sumiyoshi and Suyako exchange glances after seeing (y/n)'s hand on his arm. He pulls his arm away in embarrassment.

"Oh, we totally forgot to ask! How was your honeymoon?", Suyako suddenly exclaims excitedly. Sumiyoshi quickly pokes her with his elbow. Surely that's the last thing Yoriichi wants to talk about. However, when he looks into the perplexed faces of (y/n) and Yoriichi, he and his wife are flabbergasted. "Wait… you did have a honeymoon, right?", Suyaki asks. "Well…", (y/n) starts out. "We haven't had the time yet.", Yoriichi helps her out. At this moment, (y/s/n), who sits next to (y/n), grabs the sleeve of (y/n)'s kimono and points toward Sumire who is settled on her mother's lap. "Do you want to go play?", (y/n) asks the two children who nod in return. "Alright, you don't have to sit at the boring adult table. How about you play some games in the bedroom?", (y/n) says and gets up. She takes the two children to the bedroom, happily to escape the awkward honeymoon conversation.

After (y/n) is out of the room, Sumiyoshi and Suyaki turn to Yoriichi with an outraged expression on their faces. "You didn't take her on a honeymoon, Yoriichi?", Suyaki asks reproachfully. "There was no need for it.", Yoriichi answers calmly. "Of course, there is!", Sumiyoshi stresses, "Especially in your case." "I don't think I can follow. Honeymoons are for newlyweds in love.", Yoriichi states. "I mean, kind of yes," Sumiyoshi replies. "But it's also great to get to know the other person better. Considering you married a total stranger, it would be good to spend some time together and get to know her.", Suyaki explains. "I got to know her here as well.", Yoriichi tries to argue. "Oh really?", Suyaki says crossing her arms, "So what does (y/n) like to do for relaxation?" Yoriichi thinks for a moment. "Tending to her herb garden.", he concludes almost triumphantly. Sumiyoshi and Suyaki exchange appalled looks. "You mean her herb garden from which she makes her medicine that she then sells?", Suyaki says disapprovingly, "That's work, Yoriichi, not relaxation." Yoriichi presses his lips together in a small line. He hates to admit it but he actually has no idea what (y/n) does for relaxation or a hobby. "You see, Yoriichi, a getaway together is not a dumb idea. You'll live together with this woman, well, forever, I guess. You could at least make the effort to get to know her.", Suyaki concludes. Yoriichi stays silent, too embarrassed to admit that Suyaki is right. Sumiyoshi tries to lighten the mood and proposes: "Well, it's not too late for a honeymoon. Why don't you and (y/n) take off a few days? You could walk up to Mount Kameshima. Rent a room at the local village for a few days and enjoy the hot springs. What do you think?" Yoriichi is not happy about his friend's idea. "I'm not sure (y/s/n) would have a lot of fun. He's a really active child, you know…", he tries to worm his way out of this situation. Suyaki gives him a bittersweet smile. "That's not a problem. He can stay with us. That way you can really get to know your wife." Yoriichi looks at her defeatedly. Seems like there is no way out of this. Suyaki claps her hands together and stands. "Then it's decided. I am going to tell (y/n) about this.", she says. Sumiyoshi looks at him apologetically. "I'm really sorry, my friend. Once my wife sets her mind to something, there's no going back."

*~*~*~*~*

The atmosphere is so thick one could cut it with a knife. (Y/n) and Yoriichi walk silently beside each other. After they dropped off (y/s/n) at the Kamados, they started their walk up to Mount Kameshima. Since the drop-off, they haven't really spoken to each other. (Y/n) tried to stir a conversation a few times but quickly noticed that Yoriichi wasn't in a good mood. It's clear to her that he's rather upset about the whole honeymoon idea. While they make their way up the mountain, (y/n) gets lost in her own thoughts. When Suyaki told her about the honeymoon, she was surprised but not opposed to it. She can't see what Yoriichi's problem is with this. The lines are drawn and it should be obvious that they won't be crossed at home or in a nice guest house at a hot spring. (Y/n) can't remember when the last time was that she had a day off. She loves (y/s/n) dearly, but being a mother also means always being on duty. She can't wait to hit the hot springs and relax for a couple of days. Suyaki was so nice and organized the whole thing for them. All Yoriichi and (y/n) had to do were pack their bags.

It will take them half a day to walk up to the local village. (Y/n) prepared some lunch boxes for both of them. Since it is their holiday, she even went all out and baked some cake with sweet icing. They only had a quick breakfast and they're already halfway there. (Y/n) starts to get tired and feels her stomach rumbling. "Hey Yoriichi,", she says almost out of breath, "Can we take a break somewhere soon?" Yoriichi still looks as fresh as when they started their walk but nods when he sees the slight layer of sweat on (y/n)'s forehead. "Great!", (y/n) beamed, "But I want to have lunch with a view! Let's see if we can get away from these trees so we can look onto the valley.". The two leave the path and walk for a while until they find a spot close to the edge of the mountain. They sit down beneath a tree and (y/n) takes out the lunch boxes. They start eating in silence. It's a nice day. It's warm and sunny but not too hot. (Y/n) closes her eyes for a moment and enjoys the cool breeze on her face and hair. She doesn't notice Yoriichi staring at her. Yoriichi clears his throat. "So, what do you wanna do the next days?", he asks her. (Y/n) crooks her head. "Hm, good question. I definitely want to soak in the hot springs! I've also heard that there are some caves around this area to which locals offer guided tours to.", she says. "Caves?", Yoriichi asks uncertainly. (Y/n) nods, "Yes. There's a creek that flows through a cave system. Part of it can be safely explored on small boats. It's a tourist attraction around here." "We can do that if you want to.", Yoriichi notes. (Y/n) smiles at him happily. Yoriichi starts to feel a bit bad. It's clear that (y/n) is excited about this trip and he would prefer to be anywhere else than here. "Is there anything you would like to do?", (y/n) asks him. Yoriichi shrugs, "Not really." (Y/n) expected this answer. "Well, we can also split up somewhen. You don't have to do all the things I would like to do.", she proposes. Yoriichi can't meet her eye at that. Clearly, she noticed that he doesn't want to spend time alone with her. "Hey", she nudges him, "Just because Suyaki calls this a honeymoon, it doesn't have to be one. For me, it's just a kid-free vacation. You won't have many of these in the future, so you should make sure that you enjoy it!". (Y/n) gives him a lopsided grin ad Yoriichi relaxes at that a bit. They finish their meal in peace and then continue their journey.

(Y/n) is exhausted by the time they arrive and even Yoriichi feels a bit tired. The guest house they are staying at is run by a nice elderly couple who have already been waiting for them when (Y/n) and Yoriichi make their appearance at their front door. Mrs. Nakamura shows them their way to the room. "This guest house is often booked by newlyweds. So I'm sure you will enjoy your stay.", she explains as they arrive at the door. "We also took care of your extra requests. If anything is missing, just tell us.", she says as she quickly disappears into the hallway. "Extra request?", (y/n) wonders out loud and Yoriichi only shrugs. When they enter their room, they quickly notice what Mrs. Nakamura meant. In the middle of the room lies a large two-person futon with rose petals on top which form a way to the front door. There's also a bottle of sake and some mochis on a table near the wall. "This must be Suyaki's work.", Yoriichi notes. "That's for sure.", (y/n) deadpans. She walks into the room and puts down some of her luggage. As she turns around to Yoriichi, she asks: "But she's aware of the circumstances of this marriage, right?" Yoriichi nods. "She is, but she's also a hopeless romantic.", he points out. "Or she likes teasing us. I'm sure we can ask Mrs. Nakamura for another Futon.", (y/n) says softly when she noticed how Yoriichi kept staring at the futon. He nods and says: "Right, let's do that.". "Like right now?", (y/n) asks. She hoped they could freshen up a little bit first. She's desperate to get out of the clothes she's wearing. "It's fine. I go, you can stay.", he says, as he turns for the door.

"I am really sorry for the inconvenience. Newlyweds usually take a futon like that.", Mrs. Nakamura apologizes after Yoriichi stated their case. Yoriichi shifts uncomfortably. It is usual. Indeed it is unusual for them, a married couple, to ask for separate futons. "You see," he tries to explain, "I didn't really know (y/n) before we got married.". Mrs. Nakamura gives him a knowing glance. "Oh, young man, don't worry about that. First time I saw my husband was at the altar and everything worked out fine.", she says reassuringly, "But it's very considerate of you. I will put a second futon in your room so you have a choice tonight." Yoriichi feels his cheeks burning up. Clearly, Mrs. Nakamura had the wrong idea why they didn't want to sleep in the same futon. He thanks her nevertheless and walks back to their room. Still deep in thought, he opens the door without knocking. He's face to face with (y/n) in an open kimono. Instantly, (y/n)'s face turns beet red. He quickly slams the door closed. Taking a deep breath, he leans against the door. He waits outside while (y/n) finishes changing. Eventually, she leaves the room. Her cheeks are still slightly red and she can't meet Yoriichi's eyes. "So, uhm, you want to change too?" she asks. "I'm ready to hit the hot springs.", she points out while holding a bag with a towel. Yoriichi nods and quickly changes behind the closed door as well. When he's done, they walk to the nearby hot springs. Yoriichi's glad that the hot spring is divided into an area for men and one for women. He doesn't think he could handle a mixed bath after what just happened.

After they've soaked in the springs for a while, both of them leave the bathhouse a lot more relaxed than before. By then, it's already early evening. "Wanna take a stroll and then look for a place to eat?", (y/n) proposes. "Sure.", Yoriichi agrees. They walk through the village for a bit. They eventually find the market square. (Y/n) asks a local when the next market will be. The woman explains to her that the next day there will be a normal market in the morning and in the afternoon, there will be a handcraft market. (Y/n) thanks her and walks back to Yoriichi. He sees her eyes glistening excitingly. It's clear she's excited about the news. "Would you like to go to the handcraft market tomorrow?", he asks her. (Y/n) nods vigorously. "Absolutely!", she exclaims a bit too loud. "But you don't have to tag along.", she quickly adds. "It's fine. After all, I asked you.", Yoriichi answers. Also, it's not like he has anything else to do. "Great.", (y/n) smiles, "Then let's find a place to eat."

After a good meal, the two of them arrive back at the guest house. They take turns in the bathroom and get ready for bed. While (y/n) is in the bathroom, Yoriichi rolls out the second futon and sits on top of it. "Are you already tired?", (y/n) asks Yoriichi after she enters the bedroom in her sleepwear. Not really, Yoriichi thinks. After all, he's used to staying up late into the night chasing demons. However, he also doesn't know what else to do with (y/n), so he just gives her a shrug. (Y/n) pulls out a deck of cards. Yoriichi doesn't recognize the design of the cards. "My sister got this for me during her travels abroad.", (y/n) explains, "Do you want to play? I can teach you some games." Yoriichi gives her a nod and (y/n) starts shuffling the cards. (Y/n) teaches Yoriichi a variety of games. It turns out that he's terrible at a game called Cheat which (y/n) finds especially amusing since she manages to sniff out his lies despite his never changing facial expression. Yoriichi beats her a couple of times at a game called Rummy. At that, (y/n) mumbles something about a blind chicken which Yoriichi doesn't get but also doesn't ask about. Eventually, it gets late enough to go to bed and the two settle in their respective futons.

They lay facing one another but it's dark enough that they can't see each other's faces. Yoriichi can't fall asleep and according to (y/n)'s breathing pattern, she's not asleep either. "Hey, Yoriichi?", (y/n) asks into the dark. "Yes?", she hears somewhere next to her. "Is it really okay for you to be on this trip to me?", she asks him. Yoriichi knows there is only one right answer to this question, but he doesn't want to lie to her. "I don't feel comfortable."; he tells her truthfully. (Y/n) knew this, of course, but hearing it from him still stings. She turns away from him and stares at the pitch-black ceiling. "I'm sorry Suyaki made us do this.", she says. She hears Yoriichi shifting in his futon. "She meant well," he replies, "I'm sorry that I'm not as excited as you. I'm ruining the mood for you." (Y/n) has to smile at that. Yoriichi doesn't let it on, but he actually cares a lot about other people's feelings. "Is there anything I can do to make it more comfortable for you?", she asks him. Even though (y/n) can't see him, he shakes his head. "No, this is in my head. Nothing you can do about it.", he answers her. (Y/n)'s silent for a while. "You know," she says quietly, "I had a whole honeymoon planned out. Everything was already booked and paid for. I was more excited about the honeymoon than the actual wedding. The wedding was for the others, our family and friends, but the honeymoon… that was supposed to be just for us." (Y/n)'s voice sounds less steady at the end and Yoriichi feels his heart sink. How selfish of him, he thinks, of course, she's hurting too. The whole day he was all gloomy thinking about how he shouldn't go on a vacation like this with any other woman than Uta. He turns his head in her direction. "How do you do it?", he asks her. "Do what?", she replies. "How can you be so happy about this vacation? How can you think about anything else but him?", he clarifies. (Y/n)'s stunned at that for a moment. With a stoic man like Yoriichi, it is easy to forget that he can feel this deeply. "This is not a honeymoon for me. It can't be. If I would entertain that thought, I couldn't be like this.", she says into the dark. Yoriichi can feel his eyes burn. "Will this ever get better?". Yoriichi doesn't notice that he says this out loud. (Y/n) turns back to him. "I'm not sure I even want that", she tells him, "Wouldn't that mean we're forgetting?". Yoriichi doesn't trust his voice, so he only shrugs. "I don't want to forget", (y/n) concludes. "You shouldn't hurt so bad though.", Yoriichi states quietly, "I wouldn't want that." (Y/n) has to smile at that. Yoriichi really is a sweetheart. She reaches out for him with her hand. After some searching, she finds his face. She gently wipes the quiet tears away she knew that would be there. "I don't want that for you either.", she says. Yoriichi touches her hand and squeezes it lightly. "Hey, how about this? Let's make this arrangement about not forgetting but stopping hurting.", she proposes. "That sounds like a good idea.", he replies. (Y/n) pinches his cheek. "Then let's start tomorrow. Let's think about them and have a good day.", she says. "Okay.", Yoriichi whispers. (Y/n) pulls her hand away. "Good night, Yoriichi", (y/n) whispers back, "I hope you dream about her."

[friendlyengie]

Heyo thought I’d drop some random tf2 hcs and stuff cause of ur post :D

- scout and Pyro get along really well and scout will draw for pyro. Scout likes them cause he seems to actually listen to scout talk

- Engineer is pretty oblivious when it comes to people having feelings for him and hes (kinda accidentally) decent at flirting tho

- Engineer is like a father figure to scout and it makes spy really jealous lol

- Demo is really good at karaoke

- Since spy is good at finding this out about people based on body language etc. he knows exactly who has crushes on who in the base and he thinks it’s SO OBVIOUS but it’s not to the rest of them and he’s really close to just screaming at everyone that they’re blind and to just kiss already. He’s just forced to watch all these pining idiots dance around each other and he hates it

- Heavy and Medic have a book club that is just the two of them

- Scout would be a good dad later in life if he had a kid

ohohhoho interesting. Cracks my knuckles.

-scout and pyro friendship truther until I DIE. I find the idea of scout going from being terrified of this weird “thing” to just being besties with Pyro kind of hilarious. I think they can both do art pretty well actually! I like to think they run around towns and do graffiti together.

-Nodding at this. I also think it helps that (to me) hes naturally very friendly and polite because of how he was raised and like half of the people on his team havent heard anything nice from another human being since they were actual children (if that.) Is he good at flirting or are your standards dangerously low? Is it both? Great question!

-Ive always seen engineer as more of a low-maintenance uncle figure to scout If That. They’re just kind of a pretty standard close older dude with a lot of life experience and younger dude with fuck all going on friendship to me. and tbh ive never. Really been able to get behind the idea of spy being “jealous” of any sort of relationship Scout has with other mercs. Whether it’s him being weirded out by father standins or judgemental of potential partners. I don’t think he doesn’t have a weird relationship with seeing scout bond with the other mercs but i feel like it’s just sort of. Idk. A little more of a unique issue for him.

-Accepted. Though i think “good” for him ranges from “genuinely good singing” to “loud, overconfident, and having a great time getting half of the lyrics wrong.”

-As much as I think it would be fun if spy was surprisingly emotionally dense, i cant deny his canonical skills in that sort of field. That’s like. His whole game. I think his approach to trying to help anyone with romance is “he wont unless youre prepared to basically just inflate his ego for the sake of a few tips.” A la expiration date.

-no doubt in my mind that heavy and medic dont agree with a single thing that the other gleams from reading books. Said with love. They will argue about meanings and subtext and the value of interpretation until it sounds like someone’s about to file for divorce and then end with “so same time next week ^_^?”

-I will be so honest with you. I do not know if i could ever see scout being a father, much less a good one NDGSKHJDKNJJ.

Actually . Hm. Thinking about it. I could. SEE it in a sense. I think he would have some good steps to go off of because of his Mom. Unsure of how good his ma’s parenting was but she at least was very caring toward her kids. He’d have that. But i think he’d have to be a lot more emotionally mature to be able to process how his own current issues with dads and fatherhood would healthily translate into being a dad himself. I could see him being really laid back and maybe a little too “im not just your parent, im your friend,” and any hypothetical kid he has would Not take his ass seriously. I think having to parent a teenager would kill him.

[hypnotisedfireflies]

William seems to be one of the few parts of Tess’ past that she doesn’t mind looking back on, she always remembers him fondly. But whatever became of dear William? We know that he eventually dies?? but do you have any behind the scenes ideas about his fate? What did the time after outbreak look like for him?

In a different timeline, what would a William and Tess reunion look like post outbreak/Jackson times? How would their friendship change? What would William think of Joel? (I know we get some idea of this in Blood Orange when Tess is bantering with him in her head. (I love that scene)) I’m imagining a lot of teasing and embarrassing stories that make Rachel’s look down right tame.

I hope this ask isn’t too niche btw, I just love all the details you add into your stories and would love to know more.

Oh, what a cool ask! Thank you anon, we don’t talk about William Szulc much so this is nice to explore.

Driftersverse canon, William is definitely gone.  Tess imagines in that Blood Orange banter that cause of death was waffles, which is her way of hoping that he went quickly and didn’t suffer through everything that happened.  She tells herself that he was one of the first directly infected and was put down that first night. 

The truth isn’t too dissimilar from that.  William didn’t make it very far.  He was never infected, though.  He was killed in the chaos of that first weekend - Tess will never know it, but he was caught up in one of the explosions she saw from her home.

Had he lived, William would have been a pretty cunning survivor, not unlike Tess.  They got along so well because they recognised a certain callousness in one another, I guess?  Not the nicest thing, but they knew how to care for someone who held the world at a distance.  They had an extremely low-maintenance friendship.  They could be fucking horrible to one another and it was just water off a duck’s back; they could go without speaking because life was busy for months and pick up right where they left off; they had one another’s backs especially when the other person was in the wrong.  But they didn’t necessarily hold one another accountable or dig too deep below the surface.  Their friendship was close, but it was indulgent.  All about the good times – which is kind of why Tess can’t call him in Snowqueen.  I think we all have some friendships like that. There's nothing wrong with them, it's just the way some relationships are.

Had he lived and made it to Jackson it would have been a very different dynamic.  They wouldn’t have been just able to pick up like they used to.  Too much had happened, and I think William probably went Full Villain in those years.  I mean, Tess and Joel aren’t really the good guys either, but I can imagine William going around with a title like The Commodore and living a very long-term raider/hunter existence.  The kind of survivor group with FEDRA tanks and equipment, cutting FEDRA supply lines and also being a total menace to the Fireflies, too.

So I can see if William had showed up in Jackson – all that left behind for one reason or another – that it would be a kind of strange and heartbreaking time rather than joyous.  Our guys would have their Spidey senses tingling that something is not right with this guy, and Joel and Lachie would come to an agreement that Tess is not to be left alone with him.  So you know, Tess is trying to hang out with William and Lachie is doing a Sam Gamgee outside the window, trimming the verge. 

Lachie and William, btw, on paper should be the best of friends.  Both strangers in a strange land, and Australians and Brits tend to gravitate together abroad.  But they have taken very different paths of survival and have different outcomes.  They’d start a cricket team and teaching Jacksonites how to play, but then end up arguing about the Ashes and batting averages and spin bowling.  Lachie would call him a pom, William would call him a convict, Lachie would argue that he’s only second gen on his dad’s side and third on his mum’s so he’s not a convict, blah blah blah.

Over time, William would start to get better, but I think he would be one of those people who would always be a bit unstable.  But he would have a plethora of stories to tell Joel, anon! You are very right about that.  Rachel was positively PG compared to what William could tell Joel.  In fact, Joel probably doesn’t really want to know some of the stuff William can tell him.  And here also is a person who could give Joel a more unbiased opinion of Tess and Mike’s relationship – but Joel actually doesn’t care about that anymore at this point in time. 🥹 So he never asks.

In return, William would be very mistrustful of Joel to begin with.  Not really Joel’s fault;  William doesn’t trust anyone (not even Tess) by this juncture. Plus, he's very obviously watching him. But over time he would start to respect him, especially given how long he has been in Tess’s life and helped keep her alive. 

Ouch, that got dark.  I hope that’s not a downer, anon.

Not all reunions are happy ones.

[tswiftcore]

Taylor & Travis: Simplified (1/2)

July 8, 2023:

Travis attends the Eras Tour in Kansas from a private box and trades friendship bracelets with fans (where he tries to meet Taylor after the show to give her a personalised friendship bracelet with his number on it, but fails).

July 26, 2023:

Travis reveals his failed friendship bracelet plan on his podcast New Heights, explaining, "I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings... " And, "If you're up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelet, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.

September 16 - 17, 2023:

ESPN teasingly saturates Travis' report with Taylor Swift references, including, "Travis Kelce, at this point in time, is trying to Shake It Off and get back out there. He knows how much he's needed and that he's The Man. It was a little bit of a Cruel Summer for Travis Kelce with that knee injury but he can see the Daylight. He looks like he's Ready For It."

A day later, the jokes continue flooding in in the form of NFL commentary.

September 19 - 21, 2023:

Travis mentions some of his dating dealbreakers on an episode of Kristin Cavallari's podcast (high maintenance, must be humble and grounded, ideally kind-hearted and sweet like his mother, Donna), explaining, "You gotta have some sort of sweetness to you."

Then, Travis' brother, Jason, jokes about dating rumours on DeCamara & Ritchie, commenting, "I think they're doing great and I think it's all 100% true, and I hope this thing goes a mile - no, I'm joking, I don't know what's happening."

Finally, on an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, Travis explains that he threw the ball in Taylor's court by inviting her to see him play at Arrowhead Stadium. He told her, "Ive seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit."

September 24, 2023:

Taylor attends the Kansas City Chiefs game, observing from Travis' suite beside his mother Donna Kelce and wearing Kansas City Chiefs merch. After the game, Taylor and Travis were photographed leaving together in Travis' convertible, literally driving off into the sunset.

September 25, 2023:

A source explains, "They're having fun. This was Taylor's first time meeting his mom and dad, and everyone was enjoying themselves. She was super chill and low-key hanging out with his friends and family." The source also added that after the game, Travis rented out a restaurant for an intimate gathering with those same friends and family, with Taylor in attendance. "They were cute and normal, just hanging out and chatting. There's no pressure."

Taylor is pictured with her arm around Travis, reportedly wearing a denim dress.

September 27, 2023:

Travis addresses Taylor in his New Heights episode, commenting, "I'm enjoying life and I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend. Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy. I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her - the friends and family. She looked amazing and everybody was talking about her in great light."

October 1, 2023:

Taylor brings her friends along to MetLife Stadium for another of Travis' games - in attendance were Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carptenter, Sophie Turner and Antoni Porowski.

October 2, 2023:

A source reveals that Travis and Taylor are "still just getting to know each other. It's nothing too serious - he is a charming guy. It's more of a hanging out situation than dating."

October 6, 2023:

Donna, Travis' mum, explains on the Got It From My Momma podcast that, "I feel like I'm in an alternate universe, because it's something i've never been involved with before. Every week just seems to trump the week before. So it's really kind of wild, a wild ride."

Further, Travis addresses his romance with Taylor during a team media availability, explaining, "It feels like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now I'm even more on top of the world." And in terms of paparazzi buzz, "You've got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason."

October 12, 2023:

Taylor attends a Kansas City Chiefs game alongside Brittany Mahomes and Travis' parents.

October 14, 2023:

Taylor and Travis hold hands on the way to making a surprise SNL appearance in NYC, including an SNL afterparty at Catch Steak. A source explained that they were super affectionate the whole night, giving each other kisses.

October 15, 2023:

Taylor and Travis hold hands around NYC after dinner at the Waverly Inn

October 22, 2023:

Taylor attends a Kansas City Chiefs game, following the pregame party, wearing a bracelet with Kelce's number (87). A photo is taken where Taylor openly kisses Travis on the cheek. Swift does a secret handshake with Brittany Mahomes. Taylor and Travis hold hands as they leave the game together. Later in the night, the two are photographed having dinner at an Argentine steakhouse called 'Piropos' in Missouri.

[kira-quartz]

Tamagotchi Diary-type Thing

I downloaded Eternitchi the other day, and I thought I'd post updates every now and then. 🙂

Long post, sorry.

I started with the black egg, which hatched into a Babytchi:

I named him Joey, because of course I did.

I was kind of surprised by how low-maintenance he was, even as a baby - based on my experiences with physical(?) Tamagotchis, I expected to be feeding him pretty much constantly until he evolved. It makes sense, though, considering that the baby stage lasts an hour here instead of 5ish minutes, so having them be that needy wouldn't be too practical, 😅.

So since I had some time on my hands, I decided to take him to the park so he could make some friends!

Looks like that Kuchiotchi has Strong Opinions on... something. 🤣

As you can see in that last screenshot, Joey evolved into a Tamatchi - the best care character he could've become!

More friendship moments and a letter from Hyurutchi. 😊

Later on, Kuchiotchi evolved into Kuchibotchi, and unfortunately, does not Screm anymore.

Joey spent the rest of the day working on his skills.

The next two days aren't as well-documented, so have this pile of screenshots:

Kuchiotchi has been training Mamekotchi in the fine art of Screm. And she hasn't been any quieter since she evolved into Mimipetchi, so I'd say it was a success. 😂

(I need a Mamekotchi plushie. Or Mimipetchi. Or either of their male counterparts. I'll just have to make a pattern, and then I could possibly reuse/modify it for other Mame-family Tamas? They're just too heckin' cute 🥰🥹😭)

Other notes: He was ROBBED 😫 500G, gone. And the culprit's still at large:

Guess I'll be playing a lot of Coin Catch today.

On a more positive note, Hyurutchi evolved into Oniontchi, which means...

It's almost time for Joey to evolve too! 😁

[ofsavior]

😊 Would my muse ever ask someone on a date? 💯 What is my muse’s ideal date? 💑 What are my muse’s requirements for a potential partner? 🎀 Who would my muse sleep with if nobody ever had to know? / hehe for mitsuya too!

intimacy & romance. || @ofluminance

😊 Would my muse ever ask someone on a date?

Absolutely! If he has feelings for someone, he doesn't mind making the first move by any means. Takashi's very self-assured and would even take rejection in stride.

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Date him and find out!

He's pretty low maintenance. Honestly, he hasn't given dating much thought because it's a lot of time and commitment. Between club activities, home life, and Toman... he doesn't have a lot of time for it. Most of his date would probably end up as whatever is most practical.

But his ideal date? I think the beach or hot springs. Somewhere the world kind of disappears for a while and he can focus solely on the company. I won't spoil too much though, since he has a lot to learn about himself through threads.

💑 What are my muse’s requirements for a potential partner?

Patience. He's slow to process his own feelings, and he's busy. Very busy (see above). He genuinely wants to do everything he can to make his partner feel like they are a priority in his life, and he wants to offer the commitment and time they deserve. It's hard though.

He'd also have a tough time dating someone who he doesn't really know. He'd prefer to have a founding friendship or something amicable/friendly before jumping into dating. Preferably someone who knows about his gang affiliations, since that seems like it would be a lot to deal with for someone he doesn't really know. It's easier and more comfortable from him. That, and he would rather deepen connections he has already than build new ones. He's happy with the people in his life, and he wants to experience new parts of life with them before anyone else.

His biggest dealbreaker is that Luna and Mana have to like them.

🎀 Who would my muse sleep with if nobody ever had to know?

Probably Ran Haitani. Maybe someone else too.

[ncoolest]

Exposing Me.

I always used to ask myself : who am l? My brain would give me dozens and dozens of answers but never a definite one, until I figured out that I am a little bit of everything.

Hi folks, people on blogging industry. By the way, I am Nicole, but you can call me Ate Niks, my friends used to call me that way. Just like my friends, I would love to hear it from you calling me the same way as I would be more comfy enough exposing myself.

I was born in Valenzuela City but life goes on here in Borongan, when we lose the man that meant and still means the most to me, my father. Borongan City as my hometown holds countless stories and memories. Both my traumatizing and wonderful place.

I know it left you wondering why did I say ‘I am a little bit of everything’ well, that’s true. Personally, my life in a nutshell is like a roller coaster ride. And, just like teleserye clichés, it has its ups and downs, and can be scary and yet exciting.

But you know what makes her more interesting? She clearly knows who she is.

She is a woman who clearly knows who she is, for she has been carrying the pain of an eldest child. She’s a balance of strength and femininity. But sometimes, she is hard on herself. She is really imperfect but she tries all the time. She always have to say “I got this” even at her lowest.

Even so, you know? She is delightfully chaotic. She is a type of flower that can still grow after a forest fire. She is so me. The kind of person that can independently find the sun rays in a rainstorm.

Everyone expects her to be fine as the time passes. I have this unrelenting belief that, indeed, life is an endless suffering. I just constantly having to remind myself that there are so much more in this lifetime. We have our family, friends and love ones, to pay attention with and let them be the source of our good energy.

First things first, behind all the unwavering support and endless sacrifices. The epitome of selflessness and sacrifice, my supermom.

Every time I stare at her, always this in awe of how strong she is physically and mentally. In spite of, being a mother and father to us at the same time, she always put us first before herself. Her sacrifices are clearly enough reason for me to keep pushing forward and reward her the life that she really deserves. Just always praying to God for her wellness so we could have her much longer.

Love as the best foundation of my life.

“Yes or No” Emz. Hehe. I got it from him, his expression every time he’s forcing me to agree all the time. Coz you know girls we’re so hard to read. Lol.

By the way, that man over there, is my safe place. My bff/the loml. Everytime he’s beside me everything feels so light. Personally, I am so tired from everything that’s happening around me, but through his hug it puts my mind to rest and gives me so much strength to continue and stay stronger.

So in this world full of agony, i’m so glad that I have him as my pahinga.

Friends who also make every phase of my life feels so light.

I really cherish the bond and the friendships I have with them. Memories we have shared together will always be here in my heart. I might went home from a night full of fun with a wallet destroyed, but who cares? y’all always restored my heart. My low maintenance friends. Always been willing to be there just to enjoy each other’s company. And, if the day will come and our paths won’t crossed anymore, I hope we’ll see each other again and be the same to the old us.

I might be a little bit of everything but I’m living my life to the fullest because of them.

[lazycollectionchaos]

Just an update on how I am doing

I'm just a mess right now, inside me there is such a heavy sadness. My life is empty and my disordered relationship with food is the only aspect of it that brings me any happiness. This is a statement that holds so much irony for this is the tool of self-destruction I use to hurt, ruin, and punish myself. At the same time, it is the "walking cane" of my life, it is what allows me to be productive, to meet the basic requirements of survival. My standards are really low. The slight high I get from successfully completing the goal of not eating is what I label as "happiness", being able to hold my life together enough to be able to afford my living expenses is what I call survival, when in reality what I am doing is slowly ending me. Thankfully for me (or rather not, I am saying this in a sarcastic manner) for the past few days I have been consuming far above my required intake for maintenance. Yes, I have been binge eating. Yes I feel bad. This is my emotional support disorder my good fam. My choices are simple, I either try to fall asleep while thinking about how little worth I have and about how much of a dis*ust*ng in*omp*tent failure I am or I let myself fall into this whole further and that way i can at least force myself into a delusional state where I consider myself to have the potential for worth, the potential to not be ignored by society, the potential to have people see worth in me, the portential to suceed, the potential to be someone. My life is so empty and lacks markers for true happiness to a level where this is all that I have. This is how hollow my life is. In my life I have met a lot of people and made a lot of temporary friends who of course replaced me sooner or later due to how lacking I am in the personality department. At the moment i have one friend, she is kind and a good person, my closest person in a long time and most likely the ony friend I will have for a long long time. I have a mother who does not care for me as a human being or my emotional state, a father I have not spoken to for years (which I do think is a genuienly possitive thing for me), and a sibling that is a child. Other than that, I have maybe 3-4 aquitenance who I may speak to for a few minutes each month. I do not expect others to make me happy and I will not treat them as a means of emotional support. While friendship should be a positive aspect in my life (and with my one friend it is), happiness comes from the inside. Prehaps I will find it one day. In a sense this is my sick attempt to do so. I don't think that reaching a certain scale number will make me happy but the benefits that come along with it should make it easier.

When I was younger I have thought and made plans to end my life artifically and thankfully I never went through that. Right now I am not actively in such a mind set and I plan to stay away from it. Anyways, tomorrow I will be restocking my safe foods and restarting again. Mama didn't raise no quitter. She didn't really raise me, instead she mantianed a pattern of emotional, physical and finicial neglect that left me to be an emotionally stunted adult with no self esteem or expectation to rely on others, who is currently doing the only thing they can do to keep themsleves together in an unhealthy attempt to hopefully one day live a better life.

Hopefully I will regain my power tomorrow. The sooner i get to my UGW, the sooner I think this whole struggle will come to an end. I don't be able to stop untill I'm there.

[serenakanani]

Friendship.

I have it. In the low maintenance kind of ways where we can go days and months without talking or seeing one another, and still have that connection when we finally get together again. And believe me, I love it and I love them.

But for many years my prayer has been to have the type of friendships that look more like a sisterhood. Women to do life with. Who uplift each other. Encourage and push to new heights.

Have you ever watched Sweet Magnolias on Netflix? That’s the kind of friends I want. Ladies I can spill my heart out to over dinner and drinks. Making weekly traditions. Trusting my children’s lives in their hands. Praising God together. Being PROUD of eachother. Loving eachother.

Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and wonder if I’m the problem. Am I not doing enough? What do I need to do to be a better friend? And why don’t I have that group of friends that love eachother the way I love them. Not just one here and one there. I want a collective group of us that absolutely adore the crap out of each other. 🥲🙏🏼

Alright lol we can hear the loneliness slipping out.

See you when I see you.

[letters-between-friends]

a midyear reflection

Dearest Tabi,

Apologies for bringing up that topic. I guess it's just one of the topics that I have a lot to say as it changed a lot of my perspective on things.

But anyway, it is already my birth month! I am excited to be 30! I dreaded this age when I was 26 to 28 years old. But at 29, I realized that I will be starting a new decade. A decade where I can give back to myself by taking care of it instead of gifting it with material things (haha).

Last June, I keep thinking to myself what I want to do on my birthday. Do I want to travel solo again or celebrate with friends? Or just maybe having dinner at a high-end restaurant dressed in sophisticated clothes. But alas, I find myself penniless on my birthday again. I can't even remember when was the last time I enjoyed my birthday the way I wanted it to be.

Maybe, that is the universe telling me to stop thinking that I have to do something grand to celebrate and instead focus on the things around me that I should be grateful for.

So to start my birth month, I am writing this letter to tell you what I am grateful for in the first half of 2023.

------

1. Officially closing my last relationship

I am grateful to my January self for recognizing that to be able to move forward, I need to make sure that I won't give myself reasons to feel something for my ex, may it be positive or negative. I am glad that I was reasonable even though it means that things ended not the way that I imagined (like getting a laptop in the process).

2. Finally resigned from my job

After a long process, I was able to resign from my job after trying for almost a year but never finding the "right time". Finally, I've come to terms that maybe it's just not the right job for me and I don't need to fix myself just to feel better about it.

3. Solo Traveling!

My teenage self will be so happy to learn that I finally had the courage to try solo traveling! It was my first time booking flights and being fully independent! I really love my time in Boracay and just doing things without worrying about other people.

Hopefully, I can do it again before the year ends.

4. Reconnecting with friends

I tried reaching out to my friends again. I must admit, I neglected them during my three-year relationship. I always think that I don't have enough money to hang out etc. And since I came back here to our family home, I made conscious efforts to reach out and see them personally. I am so happy that after 3-4 years of not seeing each other, we were still able to talk about stuff. I really appreciate low-maintenance friendships.

5. Setting standards and following through

So after I had fun, I started job hunting again with clear criteria on what kind of job I wanted to have. I am so happy. It took me a while and there were a lot of times that I want to give up and just get a so-so job. But I'm glad I was given the privilege to hold and wait for the universe to give me what I want.

This gave me so much power and hopefully, I can apply this to other areas of my life.

6. Learning my priorities

This year also is a wake-up call for me on who are the people I should prioritize. My dad's hospitalization shooked me a lot this year and has given me a lot of thoughts to think about.

I guess the best thing I learned about myself in that chapter of my life is that it became another fuel to my mindset of "no problem is big enough that I won't be able to stand up again."

7. Taking care and validating myself

I still have a lot to learn about this, but now I am in a space where I want to look good and do great for myself and not for anyone.

Up next is taking care of my health.

------

To summarize (haha), I am grateful that finally I am gaining back my power and I'm coming back to who I really am with a better version! There is still a lot to think about and figure out but I am happy to be in a space where I can say, that I can do it, and I can get through it because I am Ana :)

What about you? What are the things you are grateful for this year? I would like to hear about your reflections for this midyear. I think this is the year we connected the most but even though I am updated with your life, I am still curious about your own list and your take on it.

Love lots,

Ana

[ginnsbaker]

Thank you for accepting my thoughts! Haha I also have no one to talk to after reading the amazing works I read (because trust me I would if I could!) So commenting let’s me gush about the amazing story you’ve written as well as just describing what I felt for each chapter and it feels good! It lets me get out my emotions as well as my praises, cause I know we can all use them and you definitely deserve them! So thank you for always being so kind and responding to me even if I sometimes don’t reply :( (I’m sorry!) also I will be here till the very end! This work is just too good to abandon!

Also the friendship breakup thing totally sums up what I feel about those relationships, you always think you’ll be friends forever and you trust someone wholeheartedly that when it ends it truly leaves a hole for a bit. I know I felt it a lot with many of my lost friendships, but it happened naturally as well so I’m not too down about it. We had our fun, we grew up, became different people and just went our own ways, it hurt but they will always hold a special place in my heart and I’ll always being rooting for them and their happiness! And I guess Shannon has every right to be cautious especially if she maybe sees Wanda in sort of a similar light as Pietro and since he’s betrayed her already I can see why she’d have her guard up around Wanda!

As much as I LOVE angst, I want them all to heal!! Haha I just want these babies happy and healthy!!

I can’t wait to read the next chapters! Again, thank you for reading my comments and responding! As well as also being extremely kind and understanding of my sometimes messy thoughts?! Haha I hope you have an amazing weekend! Stay safe and take care! -💫🥀

P.S I suffered a knee injury! I wasn’t walking for almost 3 months! It was truly horrible! I can’t do much of what I could prior to the injury but I do feel progress so it’s exciting! :)

Awww, I know what you mean. I've been reading fanfics for ages.. and all my discussions are just online. Though I do have a few friends in real life that share my obsession with fanfics, but we don't share the same fandoms and the same taste in fics :/ Glad to have each other then :)

Your thoughts on friendship is something that I think a lot of us share. I used to grow upset when I don't get to hang out often with longtime/old friends as much as before, but I grew to understand not just because you don't talk for a year or see each other for YEARS, doesn't mean the fondness and the love goes away. I've learned to become a low maintenance friend lol. It's just how life is, i guess.

Thank you as well for taking this journey with me. I look forward to hearing what you think about the next chapters until the end :)

P.S Oh my god was it an ACL??? I hope you heal 100% from it soon :/ I wonder how you got it? Are you an athlete? I mean i do triathlons, but i only started in my 20s and never participated in sports when I was in school lol. I did play competitive chess

[rikyos]

@outwards​​   sent   :    ✿            /          pre-established   relationship    meme   2.0     (     accepting     )   

gorou .

FRIENDSHIP.     childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  /  partners in crime  /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  /  roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

ROMANCE.     childhood sweethearts  /  [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush  /  [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush  /  exes  /  exes to lovers  /  forbidden lovers  /  highschool sweethearts  /  secret relationship  /  opposites attract  /  long distance  /  unrequited [ from your muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from my muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from both sides ]  /  skinny love  /  friends to lovers  /  enemies to lovers  /  spurious relationship  /  power couple  /  newly entered  /  soulmates [ metaphorical ]  /  soulmates  [ literal ]  /  awkward  /  turning toxic  /  toxic love  /  cheating [ on your muse ]  /  cheating [ with your muse ]  /  other

FAMILIAL.     siblings [ half ]  /  siblings [ step ]  /  [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure  /  [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse  /  [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours  /  [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal guardian  /  adoptive child  /  foster child  /  [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing  /  [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing  /  other

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other

sucrose .     there  isn’t  a  whole  lot  of  crossover  between  these  two  but  there  is  at  least  the  small  connection  through  albedo  if  we  take  the   irodori  event  into  consideration  so.  maybe  kazu  wants  to  say  hello  to  him  while  visiting  mondst  and  that’s  how  they  could  meet  idk  but  i  do  think  they  could  be  good  pals kjfghd !!! there’s  also  ?  a  little  bit  of   general  weirdness  around  kazuha  so   maybe  his   connection  w   nature  /  ability  to  relight  that  vision  would  pique  sucrose’s  interest  or  smth   like   that !     

FRIENDSHIP.    childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  / partners in crime /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  / roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

tighnari .   again  i’m  going  off  vibes  alone  here  but  i  just  want  to  throw  them  together.  it  think   it  would  be  funny.  tighnari  could  definitely  catch  kazuha  up  to  some  mischief  in  the  forest  fjgd  but  i  think  they  would  also  get  along  v  well....  

FRIENDSHIP.    childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  / partners in crime /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  / roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other?

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other

kokomi .   okayokay  so  kazuha  went   through  the  resistance  before  he  fled  inazuma  ofc  and  he  thinks  so  so  much  of  kokomi...  he  feels  very  much  indebted  to  her  for  offering  him  that   layer  of  protection  and  she  symbolises  what  a  leader  should  be ,  what  inazuma  needs  in  a  leader ,  to  him  too  and  she  just !!!  has  all  of  his  respect  !!  which  is  why  ride  or  die  is  bolded  here  even  if  it  is   a  one  sided  thing  because  kazuha  WOULD  drop  everything  to  help  kokomi  out   when  she   needs  it.  but  i  also  just  feel  like...  they  are  both  people  who  could  really  be  doing  with  more  close  friendships  and  it  would  be  v  nice  if  they  kept  in  touch  and  found  that  in  each  other      

FRIENDSHIP.    childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  / partners in crime /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  / roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

[cancerfairy]

𝙰𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝙿𝚝.���

since i'm feeling much better i've decided to finally put out another astro observation post for y'all! thanks for supporting my blog, i'm grateful to all of you <3 here are my other observations: one, two, three ;*

𖡎 leo risings love giving their friends/lovers all kinds of gifts whether they're handmade or even giving free readings to them

𖡎 cap or sag in the 11h may attract older friends or act like the oldest in their friend group when they might be the youngest

𖡎 if you wanna know which year was or will be your worst check the sign of your 8h in your natal chart. then check to see if that sign is the same for your ascendant in your solar return chart that you thought was the worst year. if you feel the year hasn't happened yet, check your future solar return charts to see. then check to see where the ruler of your 8h is in your natal chart. for example, my friend said her worst year was in 2017 bc of school. she has an aqua 8h and her solar return chart ascendant was in aqua. the ruler of her 8h was in the 9h which has to do with school

𖡎 for saturn in 4h natives, most people will think they're very closed off and private as a first impression (which they are to some degree), however once you get to know these people, they have a habit of making people feel super comfortable and welcome. they are the sweetest people with the hardest childhoods

𖡎 people with major libra placements, like a stellium (with little to no water) tend to be very insensitive towards others feelings and problems. i've noticed that most of these people have sympathy but lack empathy

𖡎 i feel like uranus in 7th individuals prefer low maintenance friendships bc they value their independence and don't always like someone constantly texting them (especially if they have a ton of air placements)

𖡎 moon in 6h natives have a huge soft spot for pets and animals but sometimes they'll hide that fact if their moon is in scorpio or capricorn. i've noticed these signs tend to take awhile to open up to their pets

𖡎 cancer & taurus placements are super cranky when they're woken up by someone. it's like they turn into a different person and if you don't want that side of them then don't interrupt their sleep !

𖡎 on the other hand, if a cancer/taurus placement doesn't get mad when you wake them up then you must be really special to them

𖡎 earth in 3rd house natives tend to sound super blunt and almost mean to others despite their mercury sign

𖡎 same thing with mercury-saturn natives. they tend to be very blunt and straightforward. perhaps they had to learn many lessons about the way they speak to others and how they come off because it can be viewed as rude even if they mean well

𖡎 people with earth or fire in their 2nd or 3rd house tend to have deeper voices

for example: i have aries in the 2nd and taurus in the 3rd and my voice is pretty low/deep

𖡎 venus transiting your 5h could mean you'll meet someone you'll be in a relationship with soon. this could also apply to sun, moon, jupiter or mercury but make sure there are atleast two planets transiting your 5h

𖡎 gemini, virgo & aqua placements are the most observant people ever. they watch your behavior and mannerisms as if they're studying you. i've also seen scorpio & cancer placements (esp if cancer placements have air placements too) do this as well.

𖡎 taurus and libra moons are the ones that sign and dance when they eat/get food they like

𖡎 libra moons are always online shopping

𖡎 having virgo in 2h is like going to the mall, picking up all the stuff you like and then when you get to the register you start putting stuff back bc you think its too expensive and ending up buying 2 things at the end

𖡎 aries/pisces/1h placements tend to have really nice or pretty eyes/eyelashes

𖡎 leo moons have such pretty hair and i noticed when they have curls (which they usually do) they're big curls or their curls are very defined

𖡎 saturn in gemini in the 4th natives/saturn in 4th/chiron in 4th/cap in 4th/mars in 4th (sometimes lilith) all grew up far too fast during their childhood. their parents were most likely abusive and/or narcissistic. they've left the native with an obscene amount of trauma to deal with as adults and most don't know where to start or heal from it. their problems were never taken seriously or even heard and parents often never let the native stand up for themself or criticize the parent without punishment. these natives were silenced and often felt alone or invisible

𖡎 the biggest lesson for mercury-saturn aspects especially conjunctions is to think before you speak. naturally this aspect forces you to do so but with the conjunction it causes people to become very blunt to the point where it may hurt others feelings. saturn here tries to teach you how to speak in a way that's efficient but won't hurt others feelings

𖡎 venus-saturn aspects may love vintage clothing especially now that it's trending more. they're also fond of old movies or just old vintage things in general

𖡎 the 8h is opposite the 2h of self esteem and self worth so i feel like the ruler of your 8h is where you get disrespected the most. for example, 8h ruler in the 7h? you might get disrespected in relationships. 8h ruler in 4h might get disrespected by their family the most.

𖡎 2h ruler is where you may feel appreciated the most bc it rules your self esteem. 2h ruler in the 6h may struggle with liking their bodies for awhile but as they grow up, people may compliment their bodies more or they may become meow accepting of it. 2h ruler in the 2h may start to appreciate themselves as they grow up (depending on the planet in the 2h) and start liking their voice more. 2h ruler in the 5h might appreciate their talents more or become more accepting of their romantic side.

𖡎 i've noticed a lot of 8h placements (specifically saturn or stelliums) tend to get bullied when they were younger!

𖡎 aries venus (males) usually are so direct when they like people and you'll always know it but when you're the one being chased by an aries venus i noticed that they tend to stop chasing once they feel they "got you". you stop being a prize for them to win and so they start to get bored or become uninterested in you. it's almost like you have to keep being exciting for them to stay. if you want to keep an aries venus, be unpredictable and play hard to get! (this usually only works on guys tho)

𖡎 if you have an aries 5h or gemini 5h you may attract younger partners! this may also apply to mercury in 5h people or your ruler of the 7h in the 5h!

𖡎 people with sun-mercury conjunctions always talk ALOT especially if it's in a mutable sign!

𖡎 saturn in water houses causes the native to be afraid or reluctant to open up to others. these people tend to be afraid of vulnerability. saturn acts as a lock and key in these houses so the natives have trouble expressing the themes of the houses to others when asked to and it's almost as if their lips are glued together.

𖡎 taurus moons/ lilith in 2h can struggle a lot with eating disorders or may have a difficult relationship with food. ex: in jennette mccurdy's new book she talks about struggling with bulimia and she's a taurus moon. if these natives also have moon-jupiter aspects they could be prone to eating their feelings away.

𖡎 leo moons can sometimes have daddy issues, as in, either their father wasn't in their life or they don't acknowledge them at all

𖡎 i noticed that some leo placements (especially if they have 6h placements/cancer placements ) tend to do favors for other people but always expect you to do something for them otherwise they'll try to hold it over your head and say "well i did this for you so why won't you do this for me?!" they're generous but expect that generosity to be returned.

𖡎 4h, 6h & 8h people often become peoples personal therapist bc they lack the boundaries to say no to others. they enjoy helping people but it leads to them becoming very drained and tired and so they may take time to themselves or just disappear from friends for awhile. you guys need to learn how to stop feeling guilty for not being there for others and instead you should choose yourself! don't help others at the expense of your mental health!

𖡎 ik i wrote this while answering in an ask but virgo venus's either have people that criticize them (their looks) or they critize themselves to the point where they can't recognize their beauty which is why a lot of virgo venus celebs like bella hadid, kylie jenner, kim kardashian and others get plastic surgery. pls virgo venuses learn that your natural beauty is perfect <3

𖡎 virgo moons are probably the hardest moon signs imo to get to know on an emotional level bc they're so careful with their words and don't like oversharing at all. if they do end up oversharing, they feel embarrassed after (i noticed this manly in men tho... specifically aqua men)

𖡎 pluto transiting your natal 6h or being in your solar return chart can cause major health changes. i've noticed it causes health problems or a sudden development of a health issue. it can also cause your weight to fluctuate

𖡎 an 8h sun in your solar return chart can make you constantly second guess if your ego is getting in the way of your plans. it's a major ego death and really makes you aware of it's influence. you'll notice that you'll be more aware of "putting your pride aside" to make decisions

𖡎 i think this is obvious but leo stellium people are SO loud and act like literal little kids in front of their loved ones but i also noticed they take really good pictures of their friends or people they care about fr. they give a ton of compliments too (definitely love this ab them bc i'm a leo venus <3)

𖡎 one thing i noticed about aqua suns is that you can never really tell when they're joking through text bc they naturally have a serious tone or demeanor especially through text like you'd imagine them texting in a straight face

𖡎 if you have a stellium in your chart you may find yourself constantly attracting important relationships with others that have stelliums in their chart bc it's said that people with stelliums are "more powerful" since there's more focus on the specific sign the stellium is in or house

𖡎 having your natal rising in the same sign as your solar return rising sign can make you feel more like yourself during that year

𖡎 having a 10h stellium in your sr chart (especially with venus in it or venus conjunct the mc) could mean you'll get a promotion that year

𖡎 pluto in 2h in a solar return chart could go two ways: either your financial situation changes a lot or your self esteem changes a lot

in my case it was both bc my financial situation got better and my self esteem increased so much that i feel like my 12 yr old self would be so proud :,)

𖡎 having jupiter in the 4h of a solar return chart could mean you get a new addition to your family like someone might move in or a new child might be born in your immediate family. it could also mean you may move from your house

𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚢 & 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚎:

𐀶 having lilith in the 1h of a composite chart can either cause high sexual compatibility or cause you two to slowly resent each other

depending on the lilith sign you can see how or why you resent each other. for example: gemini lilith may resent each other bc of the way one talks to the other (constantly calling names or petty arguments)

𐀶 having an a fixed sun (i specifically observed scorpio & taurus) in a composite chart shows you two will be in each other's lives for a long time.

𐀶 having an aries sun or aries 12h of a composite chart can show that the relationship may end just as fast as it began.

𐀶 stelliums in composite charts are important whether they're house or sign stelliums because it means that you'll both impact each other's lives a lot

𐀶 however, a composite chart with a mutable stellium (i've mostly observed a virgo and gemini stellium) and barely any inner fixed planets (specifically the sun or rising) will likely not last because mutable placements aren't really stable but the relationship will atleast be flexible enough for you two to grow in it

𐀶 check to see if any of your natal planets conjunct your composite chart planets and that'll show you how you act as an individual in the relationship or how it affects you specifically. ex: i had a composite gemini stellium (moon, venus, mars & saturn) with someone and it was conjunct my natal mercury. needless to say, i needed a lot of mental stimulation in that relationship otherwise it wouldn't work

𐀶 on that note, having a lot of air in a composite chart shows you two both need a lot mental stimulation so texting or calling may be important to you two

𐀶 having a lot of water in a composite chart shows you two need a lot of emotional vulnerability or that it'll be a focus of the relationship

𐀶 having a lot of fire in a composite chart shows that you two will experience new things together and likely travel a lot or laugh often

𐀶 having a lot of earth in a composite chart can show that you two need to be physically with each other a lot or that you two need financial stability together. it could also indicate needing stable roots with this person or wanting to settle down with them. this could be a composite chart with someone you're with for a long time

𐀶 chiron in the 1h of a composite chart can either indicate a lot of healing or wounds resurfacing and being too hard to deal with

𐀶 neptune in 1h of a composite chart can make the relationship feel like a dream with the other person. you both feel like the other is your ideal person. the same applies to synastry that has a lot of neptune aspects such as neptune conj ascendant/moon-neptune or venus-neptune

𐀶 having inner pisces placements in a composite chart (especially moon) can really create a telepathic connection between the two people involved. i had this with someone and i swear i always knew how he felt or what he was thinking before he even said anything

𐀶 a relationship that will change you the most usually has a 8h placements in the composite chart or even an 8h stellium. it'll be the relationship you never forget and this could apply to synastry as well

𐀶 having gemini mars in composite means you two may like sexting or phone sex lmao

another observation of this placement is that the two of you may call each other names and it may really offend one of you even if the other meant it in a jokey way. this placement could indicate petty fights but they get dispelled pretty quickly

𐀶 hardly any moon aspects in synastry to your moon could make the relationship feel very dry and likely superficial

this especially applies to moon-saturn aspects in composite (specifically conjunct or square). since the moon usually rules the woman (if it's a heterosexual relationship) then she'll most likely feel empty or lonely in the relationship and it's hard to create an emotional bond

𐀶 mercury overlaying someone's 8h in synastry (if you're the mercury person) makes you literally spill all your business to them.

this can also apply to mercury in the 4h of a composite chart bc you feel "safe" enough to tell them

𐀶 having a leo rising/leo placements in a composite chart makes such a fun relationship/friendship with someone like it's just constant laughing

𐀶 having innner 6h placements in a composite chart show that you two can live with each other well and it shows you two may talk everyday or have some kind of routine you do together that's in harmony

𐀶 however, having a planet like pluto in the 6h in a composite chart can show you two don't like living together or it could be very difficult like you may hate some of their habits

𐀶 having chiron in the 8h of a composite chart can be a healing placement for your deepest wounds. it can cause both of your trauma to surface but together, it's easier to sort it out or talk about it

𐀶 besides venus in 5h being a great placement for either composite or synastry, i noticed in a composite chart it shows that you two enjoy indulging in the others hobbies and you two probably love doing similar activities

𐀶 having north node in the 1h in synastry or composite (or conjunct the composite ascendant) shows that you and the other person were meant to meet in order to move each other's lives forward. some are meant to stay and others are short lived just to get you in the direction you need to go

𐀶 having mars in the 2h in a composite chart might mean you two spend money impulsively or you just spend too much too fast

[joshleyson]

JULY DUMP PT. 1 // Last July for me was a hectic, whirlwind kind of a month but in a good and a very refreshing way. I was fortunate enough to take paid time off for 3 weeks (imagine that!) to basically reconnect with my good old friends all the way in Zamboanga and also be able to do what I always love doing which is going to the beach trips and eat my heart out. Though I have to endure six flights in those three weeks going back and forth to Zamboanga - Boracay - Bohol and flying back to Manila in between, I feel like those days were like the longest days of my life.

I flew to Zamboanga and spent 3 days there attending a close friend’s wedding as one of the groom’s men and I’m so happy that I get to have a staycation with them. Keyword: Low maintenance friendships! My heart is full as we share our peaks and valleys and hear their stories in the eight years that we’ve never seen each other after we graduated college. It reminds me how important it is to surround yourself with the right people, especially in one of those crucial moments in your life that somehow plays a big factor that determines your destiny and the career that you want to achieve. Also, seeing my friend tie the knot reminds me how 8 years can sometimes feel like a snap of a finger.

☾

I went back to Manila just to unpack some of my things and flew right away back to Boracay. Going to the island in July is a hit or miss. Since it’s a rainy season, there’s a possibility that the weather could just ruin everything. But just like before when I also went to the island in the same month, I am so lucky that the sun was up and burning like a thousand fires that evoked an extended summer vibe. The blue waves, white sand and lush coconut trees never get old for me. I must say a legit chill place no matter how much some people would tag the island as somewhat overrated. I don’t care. LOL. This is like my 5th time on this island but I would say this one is quite special. I get to stay longer which is almost a week and I booked a 4-star hotel all for myself. A total self-care spree where I never really thought about work or anything from Manila but just me enjoying the beach and the scenery while also rereading a book called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle which you may want to explore especially when you’re traveling like being stuck in an airport for example. Though the book has concepts and insights that I find myself to be resisting on, somehow it was a great companion guide in my trips as it talks about living in the now and being present more than ever.

☾

(Obligatory jump shot in Bohol’s man-made forest. I thought this was a park! But this is actually a public highway with highspeed vans and busses so take a pic at your own risk ⚠️ )

After a week in Boracay, I flew back to Manila to work for like 3 days and went straight to Bohol and also stayed there for a week in a very peaceful villa near Alona Beach in Panglao. Such a famous tourist destination but I have actually never been there before. But I’m gonna save my Bohol adventure in the next blog posts soon as I’m a bit of a slow burner and a slacker at the same time in terms of blogging things. This blog post was just made out of necessity as I have free time today. I still have a regular job that I need to attend to finance and to be able to do this again in the future! Come on! LOL I don’t have that much expectation when I went there as I was still in Boracay high with my already sunburnt skin but I enjoyed the trip so much. Seeing Chocolate hills and being able to drive an ATV around there was so much fun aside from frying my skin even more with their beautiful, blue-watered beaches. Definitely balik balik sa Bohol as what locals always say.

☾

I documented this 3-week adventure in a Kodak film camera and I’m very excited as well how they will turn out. I never felt so refreshed after wandering to these places and just being able to disconnect from the busy life in the Metro. It was truly another humbling experience and makes me want to work hard, even more, to be able to do this again! :) Oop. I think I wrote too much for what was supposed to be a quick proof of life update. I definitely don’t have time and the energy to proofread this so apologies for my incoherent relay of stream of consciousness. What you have just read is just me being grateful in summary. *Queue star-crossed album by Kacey Musgraves*

Sunburnt but still wearing my SPF 30s every day,

J. 

(Photos of cute and friendly local cats. Today is International Cats Day! 🐱 On the left is Colby from a local hostel bar in Boracay and on the right from Virgin Island in Bohol)

☾

Connect with me  IG & Twitter @joshleyson 

[hops-hunny]

Stories That Are Told

Pairing: Tarrant “Hatter” Hightopp x Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 2.2k

Summary: (Y/n)’s so used to being the background character in everyone’s story that she forget she can be the main character in her own.

Warnings: Slight angst but majority fluff!

A/N: I love this man with my whole being omg pls

Stumbling into Wonderland with Alice had been a wonderful thing for not only Alice, but (Y/n) as well. For Alice it was an escape from all the things she didn’t wanna do and would never wanna do. She wasn’t forced to marry some sod of a guy who’d make her miserable for the rest of her life or to be the proper lady she was expected to be, but instead she got a taste of freedom. And although it was an escape for (Y/n) as well, it was an escape of a different kind.

In the other world, with it’s dreary skies and monotonous patterns and cycles, (Y/n) lived a very humdrum life. Her family had never been as fortunate as Alice in any ways of the sorts, it was a miracle that they were friends to begin with. Alice’s father had been friends with (Y/n)’s since boyhood and because of that, he always made sure they knew they were welcome to anything of his that they wished. And while (Y/n)’s father had never taken advantage of that from the way Alice’s mother treated (Y/n) and her family, it wouldn’t be hard to think otherwise.

When Charles was still around, she hadn’t done anything out of line. The older woman always kept to herself, occasionally having an afternoon cup of tea with her own mom. However, her true colors and feelings came to light after the passing of her husband. During the next few months after her husband’s absence, the (L/n)s were there for Kingsleighs. Although they didn’t have the funds to help them monetarily (for they also didn’t need it), they offered their labor and services to the two as much as they needed. Farm work, house cleaning, garden maintenance. Anything you could think they had done. But as soon as Helen was well (as well as you could be after losing someone so dear) , she had forbid them from coming to their property. She didn’t believe her and Alice should associate with people of “such low stature” because it didn’t “align with their image”. But that had never stopped Alice.

Anywhere Alice went, (Y/n) was always there by her side right along with her. They practically went everywhere together and that hadn’t changed since they arrived in Wonderland. (Y/n) was grateful that she had chased after her friend. It was like she knew something would happen. Afterall, crazy things always happen when you put two curious girls together for more than a moment. The friends they had made since they arrived were nothing short of lovely. She knew her sister would describe them as odd characters and disturbing individuals. Telling her to stay far away from them and to not associate herself with those types. But what was wrong with being odd or even disturbing? The only things worth doing in life were a bit odd and disturbing and if that made her peculiar than so be it. 

For the first time in her life, she felt as though she belonged. Sure, it wasn’t her story nor her destiny to be here as it was Alice but that did not mean she did not appreciate Wonderland for what it was. The story had never been her story, not here, and certainly not where they were from. Alice was the main chat and she was the topic that would get trickled in after. 

“Everyone has a part to play, (Y/n). Even if it is not large or as set in stone, each person’s role is necessary for the story to progress, even yours. You’ll see.” the words of that tricky caterpillar replayed in her head over and over again whenever she had a moment to think. What had he meant by that? Was her story not more than to be here in support of her dearest friend and the latest edition to their friends? Was she not just a tool in the scheme of things? (Y/n) had never known people of lesser importance as herself to contribute much of anything big to a legacy as large as Alice’s! 

From her end of the table, she watched as Hatter threw his hat high into the air before it landed on his head causing everyone to erupt in a jostled mess of laughter and cheering. She smiled fondly from a far. Tarrant was a kind man. No matter what was going on or where they were, he always had a way of making her feel included. That’s just who he was. He had known what it was like to feel excluded from things and the last thing he’d wanna do is be the cause of that for someone else. But it was nothing more than his nature, that’s it.

“You know, you should just tell him how you feel.” a velvety voice sounded from beside her ear causing her to jump. The (h/c) haired girl glared at the purple cat, reaching a hand to swat him away but he disappeared once more before appearing on her other side. “He watches you often, even when there is not many around to see. But I always do of course.” The Cheshire cat said in a sure tell tone. The girl scoffed at him, shoving another small pastry into her mouth.

“I’m not in the mood for one of your jokes today, cat. So if you’ve come to mock my feelings during my 2nd to last day in Wonderland, I wish you well and send you off.” she huffed out, crossing her arms across her chest, turning her gaze away from him back to Tarrant who was already looking at her. The Hatter gave her a secret wink and a smile before turning back to the March Hare who seemed rather frazzled about something. Or perhaps excited. But once again, the grinning cat appeared in front of her face once more.

“Silly girl, you ignore the plain truth in front of you? I can see why you and Alice get along so well, both of you can be quite foolish. Oh well, the story isn’t over yet after all.” and with that he was gone. What did he mean by that? The story was clearly over. Alice had done what she set out to do. The Jabberwocky had been slain, the White Queen ruled once again, and all had been made well. And what was with everyone with stories? Not everything you can do will always be a story and not every story comes to an end. She decided not to dwell much on it. This was her last night she’d ever spend in Wonderland and she’d rather like to keep it in good memory.

So when the White Queen offered her a hand to dance she took it, their dresses swaying in the wind in oppositional unison. They all danced with one another, twirling, laughing, and having a grand time. The entire time the smile never once left (Y/n)’s face which a certain hatted man enjoyed with all his being.

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“I can’t believe you’re leaving today. It seems as if it was only yesterday when you arrived.” the girl swiveled around to see the red head there, a bittersweet smile on his face. His smile grew once she turned to face him. Removing his hat, he bowed as he grabbed one of her hands placing a delicate kiss to the top of it. “I am delighted to have known a woman as graceful as you.” hot tears sprung into her eyes which she quickly got rid of before he stood up. Giggling some she hopped onto the large sit swing, motioning for him to join her.

“Don’t get sad yet, Hatter. I’ve still got a few hours left. You can’t rid of me that easily.” he joined her on the swing, a wide grin still on his face. Although it was partly real, she could tell there was some sadness lingering behind it. (Y/n) turned her gaze to the sight in front of them. From the large benched swing, you could see just about all of wonderland over the edge of the cliff. “Besides, there’s not much to miss. I’m just me.”

“And ‘just you’ is a lot! I’ll miss everything about you. The way you mimic the bird calls you hear, the way you get excited when the rock you skipped across the water goes further than you imagined,” she looked at him in shock as he continued to speak, “E-even the smaller things like how you leave the crust of your sandwich for last and give your crumbs to the ants. But I think more importantly I’ll...I’ll just miss your presence.” he said the last part softly, staring off the edge of the cliff to avoid her gaze. A million thoughts raced through her heads as he spoke. Could it really be? Could he really share the same feelings as she did? (Y/n) reached a shaky (s/c) hand to lay on top of Hatter’s pale one, intertwining their fingers.

“Hatter, I've got something to tell you. During my time here in Wonderland, I’ve enjoyed every second I’ve had with everyone. But more importantly, I’ve enjoyed my time so much with you and I believe it’s only fair to share with you that my feelings I have for you go beyond those of normal friendship. I guess you can say I’ve grown...quite mad for you.” his head whipped to face her as he stared into her eyes, tears welling within his own. He flashed her another smile except this one was genuine, filled with the love and warmth he had shown her the entirety of her time in Wonderland.

“(Y/n)! Alice sent me to fetch you. I’m afraid it’s time for the two of you to head back.”

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After a lot of shedded tears, heartfelt speeches, and goodbyes that were nothing short of wholesome, it was time for the two to head home. Alice patted (Y/n)’s shoulder before holding her arm out for her to grab. As they neared the portal, (Y/n) turned around once more to stare at her friends but when she got to Tarrant, her heart began to break. The gaze they held with one another was long until she simply couldn’t take it. Without thinking she ran up to him once more, grabbing his shoulders tightly.

“Hatter, Tarrant, I need to know how you feel. I couldn’t live with myself if I left and never knew.” he shook his head, looking away from her as he tried to stop the waterworks that were withheld behind the dam. Hot tears streamed down the delicate skin of the girl’s face. “Hatter...please.” her voice was broken as she begged.

“I believe I wasn’t honest myself either. I am completely enamored by you, my dear. I wish I had said something sooner but even though I couldn’t, I’ll always hold a special place for you in here.” he said, placing a hand over his heart. Standing on the tips of her toes, she leaned forward placing a quick peck to his cheek.

“What if it isn’t too late? What if I stayed?” she started, watching as he shook his head, “Hatter listen! You may think I’d regret if I stay but I think I would regret even more not following my heart the first time it’s ever tried to tell me something. Nothing would make me happier than staying here with you...that is if you’d allow it.” a silence fell over as everyone awaited his answer. Without another thought Hatter leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and sweet. Filled with a silent promise, a silent vow to care for her as deeply as his heart will allow. 

“I do not know what I did to get so lucky, but I would do it again if needed.” she felt herself grow flustered at his words. A quick peck was placed on his lips before walking over to Alice once again. The blonde had tears of her own in her eyes. She was glad her friend had found something to fight for, something to call her own. But also for the first time in many years, they would not see each other everyday as they once did. They both stared at each other before throwing themselves into each other's arms, laughing in unison as bittersweet tears fell.

“Good luck. Make sure you put your foot down. You’re Alice! You listen to no one and march to no one’s drum but your own.” Alice gave her a curt nod.

“Take care. We’ll meet again, do not doubt it.” 

Although Alice’s story had seemingly come to an end, it seemed as though (Y/n)’s story was just beginning. For once she wasn’t the side character in someone’s tale, but the main character in her own.

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