#one of them was also a classmate from my preschool….. he dated a really close friend and i remember being excited when he first came to my

[thesingingrevolution]

going through people’s privs from 2016-2017 and i cannot believe that it’s all real. and there. and that i had the genius foresight to never unfollow them because now i can look back and laugh so hard (not that i wasn’t laughing back then)

[reallyromealone]

kanto

rome this fic is so precious mah gawd can i request a part two where the kanto manji gang went to pick him up only to see (name) eyes red and puffy and when they ask him what happens the baby just broke down because the bullies in his school won't stop telling him how he has no mom or a dad.

and they bought him food and they can't help but coo at him because his cheek is ligtly chubby from chewin the food with his nose being red.

idk i just crave fluff from a talented writer like you(also helps me from my daddy issues and also having a baby fever)

Thank you for Linking it because I have piss memory and often like space out a bit when writing.

And this idea is adorable and don't worry i to have daddy issues, i hope to give my dad son issues lol

And i don't really have baby fever as much as hyper fixations to small Animals.

I'm really glad you liked the fic though because despite writing for years, I'm never fully confident in my works.

I have been bullied for having two moms so I can relate to reader in a way.

When Kanto manji came to collect little (name) from preschool, they were expecting his typical bored expression while fitted in the adorable uniform that him and his classmates wore but instead they looked at the littlest Imaushi on the verge of tears with a bruised knee. "(Name)? What happened buddy?" Wakasa asked softly and pulled his baby brother close, the toddler breaking down into his jacket "t-they said n-no o-one l-loves meee!" The toddler wailed into his brothers chest as the rest of Kanto manji froze at the babes words.

Who said that to (name)?

They would kill them.

"What do you mean bud?"

"T-they said because I-I got no mama or papa t-that no o-one loves mee!"

"Who said that?"

"T-the other kids!"

Wakasa was livid as he took in his brothers words, first soothing the little boy so that he wasn't sobbing "I am going to talk to your teachers tomorrow and figure this out, you may not have a mom or dad but you do have me and all of Kanto manji" wakasa soothed as he held the little boy, Kakucho taking his tiny little backpack "we all love you so so much" (name) clung to his brothers as the rest of Kanto Manji told the boy they loved him.

Even Mikey did.

The men walked to the nearest fast-food place, knowing food always made the toddler happy and watched amused as the little boy stuffed his cheeks and some couldn't help but take a picture of the precious scene before them.

(Name) ate like a little chipmunk!

The men ate their food content as they asked (name) about the play date he was going to have with the boy from the park and (name) tried to act like he wasn't excited to see the other boy as Wakasa cleaned his slightly runny red nose.

But he wasn't fooling anyone.

After eating (name) sat in his brothers arms, the gang heading back to base as the toddler played with the kids meal toy content and knowing he was loved.

So so loved.

[ritacrow-blog]

-daminette

-introverted mari

-the usual class, adrien, lila, Alya! Salt

-Chloe redemption. She appoloises but leaves for New York a few months later due to bullying from the class.

- To distract herself from all the negatives in her life she immersed herself in work.

-has trust issues with strangers. Supportive Friends (Luka, Chloe and Kagami) and Parents.

-designs and sells her designs under MDC

-Solves cold cases while hunting down hawk-moth as "Nettie". (and because of this, hacking becomes a secret talent of hers) and reports her findings to the chief of police. Sabrina's dad (I forgot his name). Using Ladybug as the messenger. Ladybug explains to the Chief that she found someone to help track down hawk-moth, but doesn't want to be known. And that she is only giving acting as Nettie's messanger for cases that she just so happens to "accidentally" come across while searching for hawk-moth. So he sees Nettie as a "Robin Hood" just without the stealing part.

-She hangs out with Kagami but also learns how to use a Katana from her as an excuse to give to her mother. Like: learning how to teach people and is using Marinette as her Guinea pig student. Which Marinette then starts to enjoy. Especially when she needs to vent and just cut something down. And she eventually gets really good at it.

-the bullying gets worse

-by this time she's already gathering evidence against Gabriel and Natalie. Also finds out that Chat noir is Adrien. (she isn't very surprised). And makes a promise to herself that she will take them down before the school year ends.

-She goes to the Chief as ladybug to report what Nettie found. So they plot.

-stealing the miraculous from Adrien first before finding Kagami to be her Black cat for the final battle. And Luka as Python (different costume for identity reasons). They sneak into the Manor going straight to the lair where she found Adrien's Mom via CCTV. Heals her (let's pretend that LB has healing abilities. Ya?) and explains everything that is going on while Panther and Python search the area for the miraculous just in case. LB talks ladybug into getting Gabriel to surrender and she agrees. But Gabriel and Natalie storm in already transformed to fight. Not noticing Emily at first. When he finally does he stops. While Angry at them she convinces Gabriel and Natalie to stand down and surrender the miraculous to ladybug and face proper judgment.

-Ladybug, Panther and Python escort Gabriel and Natalie to the police waiting outside and Emily to get herself checked by the medics. Adrien is still asleep and unaware in his room. He will definitely be having quite the shock in the morning. His miraculous is gone. His mom is alive. Emily knows about him being Chat noir through LB. Is now under Emily's strict supervision.

-The last few months of school are loud after the news. Court hearing scheduled a week after the last day of school. Gabriel reveals Lila's role. Lila tries to get out of it but is proven guilty with evidence provided by Nettie. Bye-bye Liela~

- the class find out about what lila did and try to find Marinette to apologise.

-Marinette forgives but doesn't accept them as friends anymore.

Alya: "so now that we're friends again. Think you could get me that interview with Ladybug about the Hawk-moth case?"

Mari: "No"

Alya: "Thank you so mu-... What?... Why? We're best friends! True bestfriend help each other out!"

Mari: "exactly. Best friends help each other out. But where were you when I was bullied by lila. Heck the whole class. How about the harassment with Adrien. When I was clearly over him. We're not best friends alya. Not even close to being a friend"

Alya: "when did you get over adrien??? I thaught you were dating Luka to make adrien jealous."

Mari: (-_-) "I'm not. I haven't had a crush in adrien for 3 years now. I got rid of everything related to him. And I set Luka up with Kagami. They've been dating for over a year now"

Alya: "what the hell"

-not wanting to have anything to do with the class anymore. She applies for her last year in Gotham Academy (let's just say that she likes their curriculum: includes fashion design, coding and programming, and a kendo club. Kagami successfully converted her into a katana welding badass)

-Mari gets permission from her parents to move in to her Nona's apartment in Gotham.

- She leaves without telling anyone from the class. Only her family, Kagami, Chloe and Luca know.

-She arrives in Gotham and encounters Scarecrow on her fist day there. Gets caught in the fear gas.

-She sees her old classmates. Hawk-moth. Mayura. Chat Noir and Chat blanc. The Akumas. Purple butterflies.

-fights while under the fear toxin. Attacks every "akuma" (goons) coming her way. Unknowingly fighting the batfam thinking that they're "akumas". Until Nightwing holds her down and Robin injects the antidote.

Mari: *muttering* fuck you hawk-moth and your disgusting purple butterflies. *faints*

Red Robin: What the fuck...

Red Hood: I call dibs on Pixi pop becoming my sister.

Batman:.......

Nightwing: *looks at Robin* please tell me you heard that too...

Robin:.......

-Mari wakes up in the ambulance. Feels fine so she just hops off and goes straight for her bags.

Nightwing: where are you going? You still need to get checked.

Mari: I'm fine. I've dealt with worse. I'm just gonna go and get my bags. I don't trust the security here.

Nightwing: hey! Wait!

Mari keeps walking to her bags. Picks up her katana and straps it to her back and grabs her luggage.

Nightwing: Hey! You still need to get checked anyways... And questioned...

Mari: *stares*..... Fine. But please Hury I want to get to my place before it gets dark.

Batman: how did you fight the fear toxin?

Mari: it's called fear toxin... No wonder I saw what I saw... *looks at batman* I'm used to having to deal with my fears. I've had to fight them head on in Paris constantly.

Red Robin: Isn't Paris a peaceful city?

Mari: *scoff* peaceful my ass. It hasn't been peaceful at all the past 3 years. I've seen enough deaths and magical shit to last me a lifetime.

Batfam:......

Mari: *sigh* sorry for my language. I'm just cranky from not having had any sleep in the past... 1,2,3,4,5... 6...oh shit... Anyways... Look I just landed I haven't had sleep the past few days. Got caught in the attack. Somehow fought them of. Lost consciousness... Not even sure why I even woke up considered my lack of sleep...and now being questioned... And... That pretty much it really.

Batfam:.....

Mari: what still not satisfied?

Robin: you mentioned having encountered enough magic and deaths to last you a lifetime.

Mari:..... I did?

Batfam:......

Red Robin: yes you did

Red Hood: *mutters* why do I suddenly feel like I'm looking at a female replacement....

Mari: Oh... Damn... I'm not even sure if the blackouts been lifted yet.

Batman: blackout?

Mari: the media blackout...it should be lifted soon. Not sure when....

*Phone notification rings*

Mari: speak of the devil... Here.

*she shows batman her phone*

He goes through the news and 2 videos of akuma attacks.

Mari: can I have my phone back and go now? It's getting dark.

Robin: how are you getting there.

Mari: a cab.

Batman gives her phone back

Mari: am I done here?

Batman nods

When mari is leaving...

Batman: Hood, Robin keep an eye on her and makes sure she gets to her destination safe. We're going back to the cave to look more into this.

When mari gets out of the cab. She feels like she's being watched and followed. Discretely looks around trying to spot who's following her. (ladybug sense is tingling~) She shifts her katana to her hip just in case. While going to her apartment. And instantly locks the door and checks the windows. Wonders if they followed her... Then she spots Robin on the neighboring building.

Mari: ah... Its just them... Welp I'm off to bed.

--------------------------

Robin POV

Robin: She knows she's being followed.

Redhood: I'm not blind demon spawn.

They watch her enter her apartment while on guard.

Redhood: one of us should probably pass by her window. Just to let her know we're not goons. Pixi looks wound up...

Robin: ill do it.

He swings by her window. They guessed right. She was keeping watch.

Robin: something isn't right...

Redhood: no shit sherlock.

Robin over the comm: she's in. We're heading back to the cave.

----------------------------------

Batcave

-Siren, Gigantitan, Hero's day, mourning star (saw this in a fanfiction somewhere. Its a sad one)

Redhood: Holy shit...

Batman: How did we miss this?

Red Robin: found a call on the JL emergency call log.

Batman: play it.

Video call from Ryuuko on Hero's day. Showing the chaos, requesting for help, getting controlled, dropping the phone and walking away.

Batman: who answered this call?

Red Robin:.... Green Lantern

Robin: wait... Scroll up... Its the girl from the airport.

They play the mourning star akuma video.

Mourning star: a widow that had a miscarriage. Mourning the death of her husband and unborn child. The akuma kidnapping children and killing them infront of their mothers. So that they know the pain of losing a child. (I know it's depressing... I found this in a fanfiction. Forgot the title. And it was way more depressing than what I just wrote...) (ill skip this bit)

Marinette getting children to safety. Away from the akuma. Calming them down and getting them to hide in an abandoned building. Distracts the akuma by pissing it of and luring her away from the nearby preschool. (she's badass both in and out of the suit) then suddenly transforms into a mouse themed hero while on the run. Divides herself into smaller selves. And splits up each going down different alleyways. (she never becomes multimouse again after this: she got compromised again. Let's just say that she staged this bit to get halkmoth off her trail... In case he suspected her of being LB). Then not long after Chat noir shows up looking for LB. When LB finally shows up... He starts flirting and causing even more trouble. Akuma gets caught. Butterfly gets purified. Magical ladybugs fixing everything and LB punching Chat in the face. The end.

Redhood: he had that coming.

Robin: She was a hero? Are there others?

Redhood: why? Got a crush~?

Robin: *blush* no.

Red Robin: found one. Evillustrator. CCTV footage...

CCTV: Evillustrator breaking into the top floor of a bakery. Then leaving. Chat Noir showing up. Marinette answering the door. Chat Noir flirting. Marinette sarcastic acting. More chat noir flirting. He leaves. Fast forward. She leaves the bakery all dressed up (Robin's thaughts: she looks cute... WHAT THE FUCK BRAIN!!!! NO!) (I changed it a bit hehehe)

They shift to different CCTVs until she gets to her destination. Meeting up with the akuma (Redhood: what the hell... She went on a date with an akuma?) (Red Robin: wait look... Chat Noir) (Robin: *clenching his teeth and fists*) chat noir sneaking on the boat. And laying low. Mari snatching something and throwing it at chat. Chat messed-up. Mari gets trapped with chat in a glass box with the boat sinking. Chat trying to find a way to get out of the box. Mari just standing there until she gets fed up. Grabs the baton and extends it upward while grabbing chat noir's tail/belt and flinging him towards the pier. Gives back his baton. Chat flirts again. Kisses her hand then salutes. Mari turns away of cam. (Nightwing: did that count as a date?) (Redhood: yes) (Red Robin: no) (Robin's thaughts: strong, beautiful, smart, tricky ... Just what else do you have under your belt... Shit I called her beautiful...) (Batman: follow chat noir)

Shifting again to other CCTVs. Stopping on one viewing a hotel. Chat and Ladybug already on the scene. Doesn't take long after that for the battle to end.

Batman: we need to keep looking more into this...but right now. I'm going to the tower. And deal with Green Lantern.

-----------------

-after this Robin makes sure to make Marinette's apartment to be part of his patrol route.

-Mari notices but doesn't try to call him over.

-he observes her and finds more things about her. (a designer, a gamer, a Baker and if her katana and fighting skills is anything to go by... Judo?)

-Mari knows that she's being observed so she makes sure the kwamis are hidden.

One night she decides to embroider on her balcony.

-curious... Robin comes closer to take a peek at what she was making... A dragon embroidery.

Mari: are you going to stay there or are you going to come down here and tell me what you need?

Robin:.... This place is part of my patrol route....

Mari: I noticed but I don't believe that that's all your here for.

Robin:...... you're one of the heroes...

Mari:........ *she looks at him* ex-hero... Retired hero??.... Who cares. I've been compromised.

Robin: I know... But it looked on purpose.

Mari:....... What do you want? Did you need something?

Robin:....... I don't trust you..... Your confusing...

Mari: I'd be worried if you did. Trusting people you just meet... Not a smart move.

Robin:.........

Mari:........ Anything else?

Robin: No. I'll be on my way.

Mari: wait hold on a second... Here (she gives him the extra macaroons she made) I'm a stress Baker. I made too much.

Robin:....... I thaught that we agreed that we didn't trust each other....

Mari: I don't. Not completely. But I also know your not a bad person. Protective sure. But that's to be expected considering your cutrent occupation...... Just take it.... You've been observing me the past few days. You should know by now that I'm not a horrible person...here I'll even take one. (she takes one and pops it in her mouth) see? Safe.

Robin: fine I'll take them to the idiots........thanks.......(then he leaves)

Mari: hmm... Now back to work...

---------------------

Keeps going on like this for the next few months.

Until its time for the new school year to start....

(I'm sleepy right now. I'll continue this tomorrow. I'll edit this same post. I won't be making it separate)

[roscgcld]

HEDACANON + NANAMI KENTO || friends to lovers

request: Headcannons for my husband Nanami and a fem childhood friends to lovers? They became friends as children because they were the only ones who could see the weird scary monsters that no one else could see, and he’s very protectice of her! Gojo used to flirt with her in highschool to tease Nanami and get him to finally confess （＾＿＾）☆

note: honey you mean OUR husband nanami - because i love him a lot as well TT and of course gojo will do that lol - he just wants nanami to get off his ass and ask you out before some random ass boy tries to steal you away. but i love this honestly, such a cute request for our husband TT 

pronouns: she/her

note: very long because i love nanami and more people need to give him love 

you and nanami met in the park one day, and it was because of a weird ability that only you two share that bonded the both of you together

nanami had always been able to see curses, but he hates telling people this; espeically the adults, who just think that he is making things up for attention and will lecture him for it 

so he had learnt to ignore it for awhile now, pretending that he does not see that weird catfish like curse lurking in the pond that he stood next to as he fed the ducks

“h-hey - can i feed the ducks next to you?” a shy and sweet voice had called out, causing for him to look over to see you; dressed in a cute flowery dress and haired pulled back with a matching fabric headband. “i wanna feed the ducks too...but i don’t like the scary monster in the water...”

“...you can see it too?” nanami asked you in shock, having never met anyone who can see the things he does; even his parents were blissfully unaware of the weird creatures and monsters that lurk in almost every corner of the small town you live in 

when you had shyly nodded your head in reply to his words, you had no idea that it was the start of your relationship that will last a lifetime

because you were from the same town, you two basically became the best of friends; going to the same preschool and middle school together, spending most of your free time playing with each other, and always seeking each other out even if you two have different friend groups

when he had developed his technique, he uses to exorcise a few of the low level curses that are in your town - of course he does to quietly and in the covers of shadows so no one will notice

he always make sure that there are no curses near you that can scare you, and if they try to attack you or are scaring you too much, he’d exorcise it - yet at the time he didn’t really know what he was doing

he had remember once when you had come crying into his room, clinging onto him since there were a few fly heads that were terrorising your room - you had no idea how they had managed to enter, but they were knocking things off your shelf and scaring the living daylights out of you

nanami had entered your room and somehow dealt with them, even staying the night by sleeping on the floor next to you on your futon; only to make space for you in the middle of the night so you two can curl up together when you were too anxious to fall asleep

with how small your town along the outskirts of Tokyo is, everyone there is tight-knit and very close with each other; with very strong family-centered and peaceful living values instilled in everyone from the moment they are born

everyone was pretty sure that one day you two are going to marry one another, with how you two come as a package deal as the years go by. even your families have pretty much accepted that fact and just act like they are in-laws a this point

when he was offered a space at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College for high school, he was hesitant - this will be the first time that he is going to be away from not only you but the town you lived in, and the first time either of you had been separated from one another ever

yet you were the one who encouraged him to go to school there, since he’d be wasting his potential if he doesn’t - you didn’t want to be the reason for him to stay back in your small town

so he had went, and now you two mostly spend time on your phone; calling and texting one another late into the night, even if you have classes the next day

there was once, during your long break, that you had decided to take a bullet train up to tokyo to spend the weekend with nanami and to explore the city that you’ve always wanted to visit

so he had waited for you by the train station, dressed in his simple Jujutsu High Uniform with his then wrapped sward resting in a weapons bag over your shoulders - smiling softly when he spotted you before catching you in his arms when you launched yourself into his embrace to give him a long awaited hug

soon you found yourself standing before the temple that hides the college within, looking around in awe as you latched onto his arm, walking beside him with the most entranced look on your face that had nanami watching you with the softest of smiles

it was there that you had met his small group of classmates - the bright and positive haibara who had stuck to your side to ask you a few more questions about his usually quiet classmate

the second years had just returned from classes, the three of them turning into the main hallway just in time to see you giggling up at nanami at a joke that haibara made; and gojo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of his usually cold kouhai smiling back at you so freely

it took him a few seconds to realise that you were probably the reason why nanami spend so much time on his phone, to which he just grinned and rubbed his hands together; this action causing geto and shoko to just sigh tiredly 

operation: getting nanami laid is a go

“kent-kun~ you never told me about your pretty little friend.” gojo called out as he skipped over to his junior, his grin widening at how nanami’s expression dropped as he gave his senpai the most unamused look on his face

yet you were just curious as you blinked up at the tall man, offering a warm smile as you untangled one arm from nanami’s and held it out for gojo to shake. 

“my name is l/n y/n, and i am from kento’s hometown. it’s nice to meet you!” you had greeted him with a wide and warm smile, causing everyone in the hallway to just stare at you before it was wordlessly decided that they were going to protect you from all the curses of the world

saying that, gojo is still going to go ahead with his plan on making nanami confess to you

so the entire time you were there, he made sure to suck up to you, being extra nice to you and giving you a few flirtatious comments here and there - but you just brushed him off with a soft smile, not really interested at his advances at all

but pushing him aside lol - you loved meeting his seniors, who asked a little more about yourself and how you seem so casual with the idea of nanami being able to see Curses

it was then you admitted that you can see and sense Curses as well, but you had no Inherited Curse Technique, meaning that you were just the every day civilian with the exception of seeing Curses

they also took the chance to ask questions about their usually quiet kouhai as well, wanting to know more about his life back home in your town that he keeps so private

usually nanami will be against it, but since you were laughing and giggling at all the fond memories you two share, he decided to let it go for once - even if it’s all at his expense

the rest of the weekend was a blast - nanami brought you about tokyo to see all the tourist sights, visit a few places that he loves to shop at or drop by from time to time, letting you try all the different street snacks and famous restaurant to your hearts content

but it is when you’re in the college that he is the most annoyed with - not at you, no. but at gojo - who kept flirting with you and kept making jokes with you about random things

if that wasn’t bad enough, you had shared a few laughs with the older male, since a few of his jokes were genuinely funny - and that had nanami fuming

geto probably took pity on the dense boy before he started to nudge at him to confess his very obvious feelings he had for you, since it was obvious that the both of you are very much in love with one another

it was either he confesses, or more dumbasses like gojo might try to pull something like this on him and take you away from him 

and even though he was sure that wouldn’t happen, the more he thought about it, the more he realised that geto might be right - and that there is a chance he is going to loose you to someone if he doesn’t act fast

and there is no way he is going to loose to that white-haired ferret - no wat in hell

when he had returned home for the semester break, meeting you up at the train station where you greeted him with a wide smile that you only reserve for him and pulling him into your warm and comforting embrace, he just sighs in relief and holds you close as well, taking a few moments to just appreciate you

throughout the semester, he had slowly build up the courage to confess his feelings to you - making a rough plan of how things are going to go before he went full on ham on the day he plans on confessing

and if we know something about nanami - it is that this man always stick to his plan 

for most of your free days, the both of you are out on dates; visiting old favorites of yours, trying out the new restaurants and cafes that you’ve yet to visit, going to a few arcades, and even a few stores to just do some window shopping together

it went on like that for a few days before he suddenly asked if you wanted to go out to visit the nearby festival that your town is holding - which you agreed with a warm smile on your face before he promised to drop by your home

you had decided that since it was a festival, you’d put on one of your most favourite yukata pieces - a beautiful dark blue one made of silk, with cranes and clouds printed all over the fabric, a simple dark blue obi to tie it all off 

nanami had decided to wear a simple grey kimono, since it just adds to the excitement of going to a festival - so when he saw you dressed for the occasion as well, he smiles and takes your hand in his, telling you how beautiful you looked

while you were still fangirling about the comment, nanami promised your father to bring you home before midnight, to which the older man just smiles and waves him off; knowing that he can trust nanami to keep his word and make sure you’re safe

when you two were there you had a blast - trying out all the different kinds of candies and treats, playing a few games, and visiting a few vendors that have set up shop at the tourist spots as well

nanami had even won you a cute seal plushie, one that you hugged to your chest in delight the entire time with the brightest smile on your face; nanami blushing and rubbing the back of his neck bashfully at how that look was directed right at him 

he had confess that night when the both of you were just admiring the stars and the moon visible in your small town, asking if you had wanted to officially become his girlfriend

when you had agreed the biggest and most happiest smile on your face, launching yourself in his arms with an excited giggle while he smiles and hugs you around the waist, happy that you had agreed

to be honest there was not much of a change between your current relationship and the one you had before - the only difference is the more physical aspects of your relationship, and how open nanami is when it comes to showering you in affection

when gojo had found out that you two finally got together, he just grinned and clapped his hands in delight, happy that nanami finally got off his ass to admit his feelings for you 

and as much as nanami hates that gojo will forever take credit for the both of you getting together, he isn’t wrong either. but there is no way in hell is he going to admit that to the older man 

even when he was a salesperson or return to the jujutsu world after awhile, he is forever going to be the protective boyfriend that he is

an arm around your waist whenever you two are out together, sharp eyes glaring at anyone who stares at you a bit too long or is eyeing you up like you’re a piece of meat

doesn’t stop you from wearing things like short dresses or low riding tops if it makes you happy, but will make sure that you are safe whenever you go out together; tossing a jacket over you if you get cold, and keeping a hand on your thigh the entire time

even now he makes sure that you’re safe, texting you when he gets a mission so you aren’t in that part of town where he is going so you’re not hurt by the curses that are roaming that part of town

by the way, it didn’t take him that long to propose to you and ask if you wanted to get married to him, which you agreed to with the same enthusiasm that you had when he asked you to be his girlfriend all those years ago

and he’s never been more grateful that he gets to call you his

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[fallenangellinwonderland]

AU professor Harry & Miss Y/N

Harry is an elementary school teacher, and YN is a new preschool teacher, No warnings, single dad harry

YN was the new teacher in this big school, preschool and elementary school where together, different buildings, same playground. She met a few teachers here and there while delivering some documents in the main office, she saw this tall broad brown haired man making himself a coffee while he laughed at something the old lady from the desk said, he was wearing a white button up shirt and black jeans. “Thank you! These were the only missing documents, you can start this Monday, you are going to be teaching last year of preschool with five years olds, and seems like you have a good group” the secretary winked at YN smiling, YN smiled back, she was a bit nervous, this was a new school for her, she turned around and the brain haired teacher was no longer there.

Monday came and her class went smoothly, kids were talkative, they were active and things were just like in the other school she used to work at, except for a pair of twins, they were a bit shy, they had wavy black hair and beautiful green eyes. The twins did not sit together for some reason, they stood a lot to borrow each other stuffs though.  In the next days the twins started to glue to YN for lunch hour, they sat to eat with her their sandwiches, although one day she saw them chase after the brown haired professor she had seen before, he gave them something, she left that slip.

----

Friday

YN arrived early this morning, there was gonna be a meeting she didn’t want to be late and be loud while finding a seat. She was making herself a coffee when the brown haired man walked in, she smiled at her “Hi, I think I haven’t introduce myself, I’m Harry” he said as he grabbed his mug to make his coffee.  YN smiled at him “Well met Harry, I’m Y/N. You’re teaching elementary school?” she asked as she stirred her coffee.

“yeah, I’m teaching 5th graders, what about you?” he asked taking a sip of his coffee

“I’m with preschoolers. Those little monster” she joked giggling

“That’s why I like elementary school, they aren’t little monsters, they are some other species.” He laughed because he loved his job, but these kids definitely gave him a hard time sometimes. “So, you have twins in your classroom?” he asks changing the topic a little

“Yeah! They are hard working but one always loses his pencil and colors, I still don’t  know who is Jared and who is Jensen” she can’t help but bit her lip as he stares at her with those green eyes

“Yeah! They are a mirror of each other, however if you look closely one has a smaller dimple on his left cheek when smiling, that one is Jensen” He whispers as if it was a secret

How does he know? Well she has seen them with him, maybe that’s how he knows, she is about to ask when another teacher joins them and starts making conversation with Harry as if she wasn’t there, another teacher come close to grab a coffee and starts making conversation with her, they sit together as they wait for the meeting to start.

-----

Thursday

Y/N sits at her desk and starts answering some questions for her paperwork of this week, teachers have to note down which students need more help, how to improve their learning and achieve their goals. She hears a wince and looks up immediately, was someone hurt? Did something bad happen? She scans every kid trying to find the wine face, it comes from one of the twins. She stands up walking to him, what’s his name? who is he? How can she see his dimple if he is not smiling? “Are okay, love? Danny, what happened?” she turned to his closest classmate.

“I just pat his arm!” the kid said pouting scared he could have hurt his classmate

“my arm hurts” the twin says looking down “sorry I scared you Danny”

Y/N scrunched down looking into his eyes “Why does it hurt? May I see it?” she helped the boy take off his uniform jumper and there it was a big purple bruise on his arm. The other twin just said “ouch” when he saw it. Y/N was really worried by now, was he being abused by his parents? Will she get in trouble? “Guys, what happened?” she looks at both of them waiting for an explanation, they both shrugged their shoulders until one said “It was an accident”. She sighed “Okay, I’m talking with your mom today when she picks you”

One of the twins rose his hand “Daddy is picking us up today”, YN nodded “okay, we’ll wait for him”.

When the bell rang some parents started arriving to take their kids home, 20 minutes have passed and she was sat at her desk, the twins were playing with playdough, Harry knock on the classroom door and leaned on the frame door, YN sat up smiling, why was he here? “Professor Harry, Hi” she walked to the door.

“Is everything alright?” he nodded in the twins’ direction curious and frowning a little

“I don’t know… one of them, I still don’t know who is Jared and who’s Jensen, has a big bruise on his arm-“ she said with a concerned look and his facial expressions changed to worry with wide eyes

“What?” He walked pass her quickly approaching the twins “Jared! Jensen!”. Both kids looked up “Daddy!” they said in unison standing up happy.

DADDY?? YN felt her heart dropped to her stomach, Harry was the abusive father?! Was he abusive? He looked so sweet! He was so nice! Wait! Is he married?? There goes her chance to date him or being close friends, wait! Focus! The kid! He is hurt.

“Are we going to the principal’s office?” Jensen asked worried rubbing his hands together nervously

“No baby, no. Now tell me what happened” he said to Jensen as he cupped his cheeks. Jensen looked at Jared, which made him pout as if he was being already scolded.

“It was an accident daddy” said Jared as he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Harry let go of Jensen to help Jared “Jared what happened baby? You can tell me, I won’t get mad, I promise”

Jared, Jared was the one with the bruise, YN made a mental note.

Continue???..  let me know.

This wasn’t profread and i should be in a meeting right now

So I’m a teacher, a young teacher haha sounds nice. And I happen to have many bad and good experiences at work, I’ve been a teacher in kindergarten, elementary school and right now secondary school (is it the same as highschool?).  And when I was working in elementary school I met these twin boys, they were so cute and funny, they also had a very complicated life, they sat with me for lunch and told their life, also I asked them stuffs, I was intrigued, one had a crush on me, he drew drawings for me, it was so cute. One day I met their dad, single father, a few years older than me, not bad looking, also a teacher, in the same school and I didn’t know!, you know my thoughts by now.  BUT HE WAS SUCH A JERK! Damn!. Anyway my blurb idea is based on that.

[ardellian]

Every time I’m asked to specify my gender, this is what my brain spits out.

I remember staring at the boys playing soccer and thinking -- wouldn’t it be easier if I wanted to be a boy. I wish I could just wish to be a boy. 

Did anyone else have a conversation like that in preschool, and it kind of latched onto a little sticky part of you and never let go? I wish I also was a boy, someone says, with regards to some gender thing -- like how they all just seemed to be one big group, instead of pairing themselves up in best friends; like how they got to be wild and crazy without being side-eyed by anyone; like how no one ever wanted them to look pretty -- and you look at the boys and you think -- god no. Maybe I wish I wasn’t a girl.

But it’s not like there are any other options. 

Did anyone else sit alone on a bench when you were seven and decided that I’m just going to not care about them, about what they want me to be, I don’t want to be friends on their terms I will be on my own and it’s better. Being different doesn’t make me unhappy, it’s attempting to be like everyone else and failing that’s making me feel bad. 

I can’t not want to be a girl because I certainly do not wish I was a boy. 

Your friend is trans but you’ve never felt uncomfortable with your body in that way. You used to be ashamed of parts of it, sure, but then read somewhere in a book that being ugly wasn’t being bad and if you were ugly then you would just be ugly, and you stared at your ugly parts in the mirror and you said hello ugly boobs and ugly chin and ugly skin, I guess it’s gonna be us from now on. And you know what? Turns out having no boobs is kind of sweet actually; you don’t have to buy expensive bras and it doesn’t hurt when you run. And now that you’re ugly you can wear the things you want instead of things that would still fail to make you pretty, like that red hat, and that leather jacket, and one day your classmates will think you're a little bit scary and that’s a much better feeling than feeling pretty. 

So you like your body. Your legs are strong, even though one is a bit broken. You’re tall and broad shouldered and you like that. Sure, you wish your nipples wouldn’t be so “female presenting” because if they weren’t you could totally not wear a top on the beach and no one would stare. You wish you didn’t have a period because jfc is that annoying. But it’s not because those are girl things that you don’t like them. They’re just a bit in the way, sometimes. It’s not like having dangly bits between your legs wouldn’t be annoying as heck, too, not to mention the beard -- you have enough hair that people expect you to shave, except when you do it just itches and it just keeps growing and it’s such a hassle. 

Anyway you think girls are generally better looking than boys so why in the world would you want to be a boy? 

I’ve been “misgendered” a few times. My dad was with me once and I think he was worried -- I was fourteen -- he was worried I was going to be upset and I was just feeling proud and smug on the inside. Gotcha. 

And when I shaved my head and stole my mum’s old jacket because she wouldn’t let me take it because she said it made me look like a boy. 

And when I got so passionate about boys being worse off because girls (I) could (did) wear pants and leather jackets and shirts that flattened out my already flat chest and it was still acceptable for girls (I still wanted to) to go to prom in a glittery dress and in girly make-up and be fabulous. 

And when I had a crush on a girl and came out for the first time as a lesbian and then i immediately fell super hard for a boy and felt fake for YEARS. I never even tried looking inwards again -- if I wasn’t actually dating anyone then it didn’t matter, right? If I got together with a girl, then I could “come out”, I guess. And if I got together with a boy it wouldn’t matter, right? Who cares about what you feel or think in the privacy of your own head if you don’t really want to share, anyway? 

Did anyone else decide to never put any kind of label on yourself because then you could never fail to live up to that label? 

My parents used to say please just sit like a person and I always said I’m not a person.  

Does it matter? Does it make sense? To come out when you want nothing to change? 

My sexuality in the abstract has never seemed important to me, just to others. When I’ve fallen in love, it hasn’t mattered if I was lesbian, or bisexual, or straight. I, this person, was in love with someone, that person. How did my “sexuality” play into that? 

I never liked talking about my crushes to even my close friends, so why should I announce my sexuality to the whole world?

Ah yes, nice weather we’re having today - Yes, that’s true and also by the way I’m bisexual! - Uhm, okay? What do you want me to do with that information? - Oh nothing I guess.

Ah yes, nice weather we’re having today - Yes, that’s true and also by the way I’m maybe not really a girl? I haven’t decided and I don’t think I ever will. - Uhm, okay? What do you want me to do with that information? - Oh nothing I guess. - Do you go by they/them now? - Oh, not really, I don’t mind what pronouns you use. And I’m not going to change my presentation, I’ve figured out what I like. You don’t need to do anything, I just want to plant this confusing bit of information in your brain which I want to have no impact on how we interact because-------eh?

I love my partner, I look the way I want, and I live the life I chose. 

I don’t owe anyone a set of labels, and trying to figure them out has caused me nothing but misery.

I call myself queer, because it’s an expression of political intent, not because it’s a label that defines me. I call myself queer because everyone should be allowed to love who they love, look how they want, and live the way they chose. I call myself queer because to understand what that really means, to understand what that says about me, requires that you loosen the grip normative heterosexuality has on you for a moment. If I tell you I’m not straight -- I leave you unaffected in your straightness. If I tell you I’m not cis -- I leave you unaffected in your cis-ness. 

I’m not “not like you”. 

By being queer, by denying the application of the categories that makes sense in the gender binary to at least one person out there, I want to make a statement not about the thoughts feelings I have in the privacy of my own head -- which I am under no obligation to ever share and categorize -- but about the world around me. 

[itoldsunset]

ok here are some of the highlights, translated! it’s really long so i put it under the cut.

4:22 RC asked p’boss how billkin was able to cry that hard at the end of episode 4 and p’boss said that prior to filming the scene he had already workshopped and explained everything to billkin, but when it came to actually shooting the scene it was up to billkin’s instincts in terms of how heavy the scene would turn out. but they helped each other build the emotions by thinking about what experiences they’ve gone through, and that resulted in the scene we got in the end. p’boss said for a lot of people it might seem like too much or maybe too little, but for p’boss it’s real. RC teased, “you mean pp and billkin are real?” and p’boss said, “the scene, the acting.” [l o l] and RC said he likes that billkin doesn’t hold back while crying even when there’s snot everywhere and p’boss said “he goes by the feeling in that moment.”

10:07 khunpol said: “actually this day was the first cue that i ever shot for this series, and the first lines i ever spoke. so i was really, really tense and nervous that day, because there were a lot of friends/classmates in that scene, and a lot of cameras and people for the first time, so i didn’t know how to act.” RC said, “but it doesn’t look like it’s your first time at all.” <3

10:34 RC asked p’boss, “why did you create this scene?” p’boss: “i think bas is a character who tends to be shy, doesn’t really talk about his feelings. but when he does speak, it’s going to be something really meaningful and earnest. he also represents an lgbtq+ person who is clear and upfront, if he loves someone he’ll say it, and he’s not embarrassed to say it. which links back to teh and his feelings, because if it were teh, teh wouldn’t do this, and [the fact that bas did] causes a reaction in teh.”

12:20 RC asked, “why did you have to confess in front of the class? why not when it’s just the two of you in the car?” khunpol: “in the past four episodes, bas has been with oh-aew the whole time, bas has seen when oh-aew is troubled, what his problems are.” p’boss: “to have the confession here [in the class] isn’t equal to having the confession be just between the two of them, it’s a way of saying ‘i’m not embarrassed of you, if we’re going to love each other i’m proud to have you with me.’” RC asked p’boss if he was in a relationship because he seems to have a lot of understanding about love, and p’boss said no, it’s from research, he’s single.

17:49 RC said it’s like second lead syndrome in korean dramas, and p’boss said “yeah to make it hard on the audience.” RC compared it to my ambulance where you’re choosing between peng and chalam.

18:14 RC asked khunpol: “in your life, have you ever had a partner*, ever since you were alive, since you were born? [op: the phrasing is deliberately over the top lol] how old are you?” [*op: “fan��� is the thai word that we use for romantic partners and it’s gender-neutral so partner is the best translation]. khunpol: “17.” RC: “do you want to know my age?” khunpol: “how old are you?” RC: “i’m 27.” khunpol: “27?” RC: “why do you have to be that surprised?!” RC: “so have you ever had a partner?” khunpol: “well actually the first time i ever had a partner was in anuban 2... it lasted about a day and then it ended.″ [op: anuban is like 3 years of preschool/kindergarten, so anuban 2 is like when you’re 4-5] p’boss: “you liked them?” khunpol: “they pursued me.” RC: “what kind of love do you have in anuban 2? do you trade milk bottles?” khunpol: “it’s like there’s a spark between you two and you see each other and you’re like, ‘do you want to play together?’”

19:18 RC asked p’boss: “is it the same house all the time?” p’boss: “yes except the noodle shop part of the house is at a different location.”

23:58 RC asked khunpol: “i want to know, as someone who’s 17 right now, how do teenagers today think about same-sex relationships between men?” khunpol: “i think in my generation, it’s a lot more open, and i have friends who are lgbtq+. it’s also a time that is coming of age, where you’re finding yourself. for me, i think that it’s really a normal thing in this generation. it’s more like feelings that you have towards a person, not a gender.”

24:53 RC asked kru jeab: “as a mom, if your son came up to you and told you [that he’s gay or he likes boys], in this generation, what would that be like?” kru jeab: “this was the question i got the first day of the workshop for the series. they asked, what would you do, how would you feel? i can’t say how i would feel as a mom, but i would educate myself so that i understand. for someone who’s a mom, you have to grow alongside your child, and in the future you don’t know who they’ll grow up to be. that’s how i answered the question and i cried. would i really be okay? i don’t know, the day that you get asked that question, you don’t really know if it’s wrong or right, how you’d act, as a mother, but i believe that we have to grow alongside them.”

26:06 kru jeab said, “i wouldn’t be able to play hoon’s character, he’s so good. he’s the performer who listens to everything but doesn’t take any of it, like if you take it you’d be like me [crying], if you see another person cry, how would you hold it in? how would you keep it together to comfort them? how would you be the more mature one? how would you advise him? hoon is the kind of character that’s ready to have children. i would lose it at the first sentence, if my kid is crying, i would start crying too. i thought his role was well-designed, because there needs to be someone who’s there to really listen to your problems, so that there will be some relief.”

27:00 RC asked p’boss what he intended to communicate to the audience with teh’s coming out scene, and p’boss said: “teh has been keeping it inside for a long time, and with the overall context his character is confused and doesn’t know what he’s going through, what his feelings are. and it’s like one day someone we trust, someone we love a lot opens the door for us, asks us what’s wrong, and their concern for us makes us brave enough to say what we’ve been keeping inside. and it unlocks teh’s character because it’s something he thought he couldn’t tell anyone, but in the end when he says it, no one actually rejects him, they’re ready to support him. i think there’s a certain time in your life when you’re a kid, you’re born and you think as a guy you can only like girls, and one day you like someone of another gender, and you wonder is it wrong? and it’s not wrong, but it’s something you slowly learn and come to accept. and today maybe he tells his brother as the first step, in the future he may have the courage to tell his mom, or maybe not, but he’s continuously growing and developing.”

31:38 RC asked p’boss, “whose dog is tuty?” and p’boss said the dog was cast for the role.

35:53 RC asked khunpol how the crying scene outside teh’s house was for him, and khunpol said, “for me, it was very difficult because it was a drama scene where i had to portray someone who just lost the person he loved. it was very difficult because at first, the feelings just didn’t come out, it was stiff, so p’boss tried to brief me on the emotions. he explained that it’s like you’re about to lose someone, but it’s not like you’re sad and you cry it out all at once. you know that that person is about to go to someone else who’s better for them, that they would be happier with this other person.” [the text on the screen pops up: second lead DNA!] khunpol continues: “so i shouldn’t show my sadness to him, i have to try to keep it in and contain it. it was difficult where i had to cry, i’ve never done that before. i had to think about parts of my life where i’ve lost something or someone--like a dog that i loved, a close relative, a close friend--and the memories we once had together, and that if it was all going to end on that day, how would i feel. and that’s how it came out in that scene.” RC: “because you’re only 17, so your experiences don’t always match up with what’s in the script, right?” khunpol: “yes.”

37:37 p’boss: “actually, tarn has never not loved teh, same with teh. the whole time, they really loved each other. it’s just that one day, those feelings changed. tarn’s intention was to bring this drawing [of yongjian] to confess her love for teh, but it turns out teh says he wants to be friends. and it becomes a moment where tarn has to ask herself, ‘am i willing to continue being friends with him? or do i not want to be friends with him, in which case i won’t have the chance to see him again?’ tarn feels that no matter what they are to each other, as long as teh is in her life, that’s good. she still wants teh in her life. so being friends is a conclusion they can both be okay with.” RC: “i used to date someone where i also thought i didn’t want her to disappear from my life, sometimes i think i want a happy ending. but the way that it happened, in real life, the other person didn’t have that happy ending with me. but when i watch this [teh and tarn’s scene], it’s a happy ending in its own way, that’s also endearing.” p’boss: “i think in tarn’s future, it’s possible she might still be heartbroken one or two years from now, and for the rest of her life she might never forget teh. but in the end she wants him in her life, so being his friend is better than not having him in her life at all.” RC: “in the end it is a coming of age, like a memory from that time/age in your life.” khunpol: “for me, it’s uncomfortable, like i wouldn’t know what to do. but i like the way tarn said in the end we can be friends. because the truth is you do like that person and you want them in your life.” RC asked, “let’s say you’re hitting on someone and something like this happens [they ask to be just friends], what item would you give them?” khunpol: “anything from when we first met. for example, i like photography, so if i took a photo of them, i’d print that first photo i ever took of them and give it to them.” RC: “now i know why you got to be the second lead. it’s so right, the DNA is so right.” kru jeab: “this character [tarn] has a lot of self-esteem. i don’t know if anyone has said this yet, but it’s like the world could be falling apart, but you know what value you have in yourself, and you still see yourself having that value, and you can give it to other people too. for tarn, the line where she says ‘no matter what happens to you, i’ll be your friend, i won’t abandon you.’ to say that to someone who just rejected you, i feel like that’s a value that--not just women, but anyone at all--needs to find in themselves, without waiting for someone else to give it to you. as long as you know you have that value within yourself, and one day you can give that to someone else, it’s a remarkable thing.” RC: “it’s very valuable.”

47:00 RC said, “i’m happy! i don’t know, from watching episodes 1-4, and i was sad the whole time. when it came the ending, i really didn’t think it would be happy.” tewynn: “i didn’t think you [p’boss] would let them get together, i thought someone was going to die.” p’boss: “i’m not that cruel!” RC: “i heard you’ve already done that before.” p’boss: “it depends on the story.” RC: “but it’s so good, it’s really good. like how we guessed about the title, ‘i told sunset about you,’ there really is the sun at the ending of the story. so good.”

47:31 RC asked about filming the final scene and why they didn’t see the sun when they first got to promthep cape. p’boss said: “actually, according to the script, they’re supposed to see the sun when they’re at the top [of promthep cape]. but on the day we shot the scene, there was no sun. so i was like, crap. but we ended up adjusting the script right there, and p’yong helped. he said it’s okay, that just means the final shot will be a special, magical one. like giving the characters hope in the moment, and we hadn’t lost hope, we were waiting on how it would turn out when we got to the tip of the cape. and it really was magic.”

48:24 RC said, “i want to know one more thing. i feel like people were guessing a lot about the songs. like for example skyline has the lyrics ‘if we are separated by the skies,’ what were you [p’boss] thinking for skyline?” p’boss: “the songs were released alongside the feelings in the series as it was happening. so it opens with skyline because they start off separated with a lot of different obstacles between them, and the song ends with a question about destiny. and in the end we get the answer that they’re going to beat destiny, right? and in episode 2, he [teh] really can’t translate what his feelings are. and finally in the end, we get ‘so special.’”

48:58 RC asked, “for part 2, is there going to be like a second-year student loves a first-year student dynamic? since they’re in two different places, is someone going to drop out?” p’boss: “really, it’s going to be about the next stage of their relationship. the first stage in part one is that they’re friends, they don’t know their own feelings, and ends with them getting together. in part two, they’re a couple, at university, in bangkok. you have to wait and see.”

49:19 RC: “what about my son, khunpol? how will he evolve in part 2?” p’boss: “you have to wait and see.” RC: “he’s still going to be there right?” p’boss: “i don’t know, they’re still working on the script, they’re still editing and making changes, so you have to wait and see.”

49:50 RC asked kru jeab: “as one of the performers in the series, how do you feel? are you proud of it?” kru jeab: “yes, i’m extremely proud of it. proud that i had a role in it, that i got this opportunity. it’s not that i’m a teacher and i can just come in, i had to go through the casting process, send my tape. and i got feedback, came to the workshops, and i learned about this work the way that any performer had to learn about this work, at every step. i feel like it’s a coming of age as a whole, not just the characters. i feel like i was coming of age too, when i came to the first day of workshops and goy and natty asked me what if one day my son was gay. i wasn’t prepared to answer that question, so i had to think about how i would be in that situation, since we really don’t know what will happen and how we’ll be, especially as parents.”

50:49 RC: “khunpol, as one of the performers in this series, how do you feel? are you proud?” khunpol: “i’m proud, and i’m happy. i feel like, i’m doing this for the first time, so this is a learning experience for me at this age. it’s a time where i’m finding myself and where i want to go in life. so i’m learning from the experiences i have on set, the people and social life i’m seeing outside of school, outside of afterschool class. seeing everyone on the team, my friends, my seniors [op: just as in people who are older than you]. it feels like it opened my world, for someone who’s my age, 17. it’s like i got to learn about what i can improve, and i got to experience things that most kids don’t get to. i feel like i received something really great and i really have to thank nadao, p’boss, p’yong, and p’aom who cast me.”

51:51 RC asked khunpol, “so you don’t know the script [for part 2] at all, right? for part 2, what would you personally want to see for bas, in what direction?” khunpol: “if i’m looking at how part 1 ended, and teh and oh-aew love each other, so i want the series to keep focusing on teh and oh-aew. but i’m confident that since there’s a part 2, there has to be a conflict, so there has to be something going on with these two. and the person bas is closest to between the two is oh-aew, so oh-aew might come back to confide in me, like he might call or we might meet up and he might cry and talk to me and i would comfort him, something like that.”

52:35 RC told khunpol to say something to teh: “if you could say something to teh, what would you say?” khunpol: “you’re so stupid. what’s the matter with you? anyway, take care of oh-aew for me.” RC: “a true second lead!”

52:58 RC asked p’boss: “when people threaten to put you up on a billboard, how do you feel?” [op: i’m not sure if i translated that right, but basically it’s about all the fan threats that p’boss gets if itsay were to have a bad ending] p’boss: “honestly, afraid. it’s not that i’m not afraid, i am. there are so many variations, ever since my ambulance. people would call, send letters, it’s all happened... people would call and ask how it would end, please don’t end it this way, it’s all actually happened. so burning down my house might not be all that strange, it might be possible.” RC: “but nadao has insurance, right? if not, nadao might need to get on that. if not with this series, then the next one.”

[supermiraculousladybug]

The Disturbing Dark Truth about Cat Noir (Theory).

Hello my name is well it doesn't matter what my name is but what matters is this dark disturbing truth behind our favorite kitten, Cat Noir and what is he really behind all the jokes/puns/flirt but mostly what person inspired Thomas Astruc to create Cat Noir.

Cat Noir is actually inspired by a little boy Thomas Astruc knew since childhood. His name is Anthony Cheung-Fernández, son of Wang Lei-Zhang Wei Huáng-Cheung, a Chinese American biker gang member and Catalina-Juana "CJ" Luciana Fernández-Hernández, an underage Mexican-Latina prostitute/stripper but i'm not gonna get into his childhood even despite he's an inspiration for Cat Noir. Behind his jokes , puns and flirtatious motivations, I think it's possible Cat Noir is an abused mentally unstable boy with special needs and so we only see the imagined world and events through his eyes because he's coping with the harsh and cruel reality of the world he's born into.

Cat Noir is a crack baby because his mom smoked all lot of crack cocaine while she was carrying him in her womb and it causes Cat Noir mental and psychological damage for life but he even has tremors from arms and legs to whole body because he's so severely damaged by crack cocaine and since he's severely uncontrolled shaky, you might mistaken Cat Noir's uncontrollable tremors for being cold and having seizures but often he has high-pitched screaming and high-pitched crying which he's often mistakenly thought to be a girl by others and his instabilities are also the results of being a crack baby.

What Cat Noir's classmates didn't know, is the frequent abuse and neglect Cat Noir has endured and suffered at home. Cat Noir is a special needs child who suffer from abuse , neglect and bullying but this traumatic experiences has left poor Cat Noir traumatized , easily scared , shy , nervous , easily startled , shaking-in-fear and easily fearful or easily frightened of others. A bunch of mean kids and bullies would called Cat Noir "stupid" , "dummy" , "idiot" , "retard" , "dumbass" and "dimwitted" since they knew Cat Noir has Autism , Down Syndrome , Mental Retardation and Hydrocephalus, they believe he's too stupid to be in school and having low-intelligence means he can't learn.

Due to Cat Noir having Autism and Down Syndrome it can be hard for him to keep up with other kids because he learns things slowly than others and it's no wonder he's put into a Special Education classes. Cat Noir was born with Down Syndrome due to his younger mother's age and older father's age but some children with Down syndrome (like Cat Noir) are born to women under age 35 because younger women have far more babies.

But if we only see the imagined world and events through his eyes wouldn't that means it's nothing but Cat Noir's imaginations we only saw on the show but if that's the case then how come we don't see the reality outside of his eyes, could it be that outside of his eyes, it's full of neglect , abuse , torture , lies , bullying and harassment that he turned to his imaginations , puns and jokes as a coping mechanism to escape from it. So we're gonna analyzed his relationship with other people and compared to the canon relationship he supposedly has.

Ladybug.

She is a friend of Cat Noir but also the closes he has but is she really a good friend to Cat Noir? In the show, Ladybug is shown to be verbally abusive and physically abusive towards Cat Noir in almost various episodes from Bubbler , Origins Part 1 , Stormy Weather and Sliencer, she uses her yoyo to hit Cat Noir with but surprisingly she never regretted but kept on doing it. Ladybug knew about Cat Noir's condition but instead of sympathizing with him and supporting/getting him help, she chose to convinced him his imaginations is real and everything he believes is reality but that's reason why Cat Noir depicted Ladybug as a stubborn , easily annoyed and bad-tempered person who's so quickly to get angry but this is the tip of the iceberg because Ladybug is not just verbally abusive and physically abusive, she's also sexually abusive towards Cat Noir. Ladybug would take advantage of Cat Noir by raping him but she usually would forced herself on Cat Noir and grabbed his penis and put it into her vagina even though despite Cat Noir not being ready for a proportional relationship, she's willing to do whatever she wants with him even if it means it the cost of their friendship, it also explains why Ladybug flirts with Cat Noir because Cat Noir knew about Ladybug being sexually abusive and sexually active. Ladybug has been doing this since the age of 12 while Cat Noir was 11 but ever since then she's been doing sexual activities with Cat Noir due to her seeing Cat Noir as a sex toy to play and have "fun" with, due it's no wonder throughout the series Cat Noir is never started dating because of the history of being sexually abused. Ladybug has Black hair with Blue reflections and Baby blue eyes but has a slim body, her middle name is Marietta although is a similar name to Cat Noir's elder half sister, Marietta "Marie" Kyle.

Marinette.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a teenage Eurasian girl who is close friends with Cat Noir, she's 2 months older than Cat Noir (Marinette was born on July 22, 2001 and Cat Noir was born on September 25, 2001) and she's been mistaken for Ladybug and Marietta by Cat Noir because she looks like them.

Marinette has 2 older half sisters, Bridgette Cheng and Charlotte Dupain, who were born from their parents 1st marriage which it makes Marinette born from 2nd marriage. Her parents are Tom Dupain, an Italian-French baker who love his Bakery and his daughters including his stepdaughter and Sabine Cheng, a Chinese immigrant who moved from China to Paris with her daughter to give her a better life and loves her daughters including her stepdaughter.

Marinette has a mixture of Black and Blue hair with Bluebell eyes but she's always mistaken to be Ladybug or Marietta by Cat Noir very often because to Cat Noir, Ladybug and Marinette looked the same but also it's due to how Marinette and Marietta look very similar because of their names and hair colors.

Much like Cat Noir, Marinette has been bullied by Chloé Bourgeois, one of the most popular girls in Françoise Dupont High School but unlike Cat Noir, Marinette had been bullied by Chloé since Kindergarten. Although due to being bullied at school, Marinette became insecure about herself and is scared of Chloé since then.

Marinette has ADHD , Dyslexia , Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia or "Clumsy Child Syndrome" which it explains about her clumsiness and reading difficulties but she's not alone as Cat Noir had learning disabilities himself so he knew how Marinette feels when it comes to being different from other kids. When Marinette said "But all the teachers say I don't sound natural when I read" meaning all teachers are aware of Marinette's reading difficulty and Cat Noir did a good job of depicting Marinette as a "clumsy girl with reading problems" since he knew her so too well. Despite Marinette being clumsy in front of Cat Noir, he's still doesn't understand her condition even tho he has learned about it before.

Marinette does have a close bond with Cat Noir as they're best friends and their friendship is stronger but they can very protective of each other at times because for Marinette, she knew Cat Noir has Autism and is very vulnerable to getting hurt easily and getting attacked by bullies and mean kids but for Cat Noir, it's due to his feline instincts of being protective of their owners, since Marinette is the closest to an "owner" Cat Noir actually has.

Marinette have sleepover with her friends and Cat Noir but mostly it's with Cat Noir because he's the only boy who's interested in girl stuff like makeups , dresses and skirts.

Marinette is aware of Cat Noir's instabilities and knows he's not given any help but she's able to give Cat Noir support. Marinette knew Cat Noir has long-term tremors since he's a crack baby and knows he has a hard time controlling his body movement. Marinette does frequently often visits Cat Noir in Mrs. Caroline's Class, a Special Education Class where Cat Noir goes in because of his learning disabilities and it was thought that because of Marinette's reading and learning disability, she would be in Mrs. Caroline's Special Ed class but instead she's currently in Mrs. Bustier's class.

Chloé Bourgeois.

Chloé is the most popular girl in Françoise Dupont High School and is the head cheer captain of a cheerleading squad.

She is the daughter of the Mayor of Paris and Queen of Fashion magazines and owner of a fashion company. Chloé is spoiled rotten by her father and verbally and emotionally abused by her mother.

Chloé knew Cat Noir before preschool and it was when his mother worked as a maid for The Bourgeois family but unfortunately she saw Cat Noir's mom sleeping with her father and Audrey was so angry at Cat Noir's mother that she wanted her fired but however André kept her on. Due to this it causes Chloé to take her anger and frustration out on Cat Noir by bullying him for being the "son of a hooker" but most importantly it explains why in fanfiction stories, Chloé mistreated Cat Noir. Chloé has always bullied and making fun of Cat Noir for coming from a very poor family , living in a shack to living in a 1960s motorhome , wearing baggy outfits , not being as rich as her , not being as popular as her , not being as smart as her , being dirty , being weak , being a mama's boy , not being muscular like other boys and not having masculinity like other boys. But however Chloé can go too far whenever she bullies Cat Noir, like she's been beaten him up causing Cat Noir's injuries to be more visible and bleeding.

His mother.

Cat Noir's mother is Selina Kyle, an alcoholic , drug addict and smoker young mother who gave birth to 8 children from 7 different fathers. She became a mother at a young age and she's an mentally unstable person who barely could take care of her children. She went from having multiple boyfriends to having multiple girlfriends. All of her children look more like their fathers than their mother. She bears a passion hatred towards man because she was physically abused by her father when she was a child. Her mother committed suicide when she was little and since she's the only one who looks like her mother, it's no wonder her father abuses her physically.

She had Cat Noir at 17 from a father she hardly knew and the baby daddy was 38 when Cat Noir was born. Since the baby daddy was arrested for supposedly "gang raping a minor", not only he'll never meet his baby but she'll have to raised Cat Noir on her own. She was so unstable both mentally and physically, she abused and neglected Cat Noir often 24/7 but she did leave him in a neglected state. She left her children in the care of her boyfriend but her boyfriend wanted nothing to do with Cat Noir and so as a result, he locked Cat Noir in the room for an hour or days or even a month/years whenever he has to deal with Cat Noir.

Selina abuse drugs and alcohol when she was a kid but due to this, the drugs completely fried her brain and gave her permanent brain damage but the alcohol cause her brain damage to worsen, she had memory loss. Thanks to the drugs it caused her to be unstable both mentally and physically, she went to a rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts and alcoholics like herself but she went from going to rehab often to now staying there until she's drug-free and alcohol-free because of her history of drug usage and overdosing on them but surprisingly surviving it, due to this she became absent in not only her kids but Cat Noir's life as well and she also became very sickly , extremely tired , supposedly weight gaining and severely skinny.

Rose Lavillant.

Rose Lavillant is one of Marinette's closest friends and the most nicest person Cat Noir has ever met. Rose is lead singer of a rock band, Kitty Section and Kitty Section band is a hybrid of a cat and unicorn but Cat Noir likes to call Kitty Section "Unikitty" since it is a combination after all. Rose loves unicorns which it's why Cat Noir sees her as a playmate and is depicted as sweet , kind and playful according to Cat Noir at least. Princess Twinkle Peach is Rose's favorite plush unicorn although Cat Noir finds Princess Twinkle Peach interesting because of her designs but again with his schizophrenic condition, he thought Princess Twinkle Peach can talk to him and move on her own.

She likes to sit on a soft pink cushion seat so it smoothed Cat Noir.

Lila Rossi.

Lila is the most popular girl in Françoise Dupont High School, she's from Italy and back in Italy, she used to bully a girl for no reasons. Lila is the biggest slut in school.

When Lila was at school in Italy, she used to sleep with popular guys for popularity. Lila most likely slept with Cat Noir because she knew he's the most vulnerable child and would get easily taken advantage of but Lila always raped Cat Noir which it causes her exposure in the first place and she barely took advantage of Cat Noir.

Much like Cat Noir, Lila grew up without a father in her life and is only raised by her mother but unlike Cat Noir, Lila lies about her home life , parents , why she's not in school , why she had bad grades , where she's at , why she's late , why she's failing and why she's tired.

Last but not least Cat Noir (even though he doesn't count as a relationship).

Cat Noir was born premature and as an accident on September 25, 2001 to an underage prostitute and a grown biker gang member. When he was born, he was in a incubator in the NICU room. He was an unexpected , unplanned and unwanted child because he has his dad's looks such as blonde hair , green eyes and orange-tinted skin.

Cat Noir has Autism , Mental Retardation , Severe Schizophrenia , Down Syndrome , Bilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate , Congenital Heart Defect , Fetal Alcohol Syndrome , Alcohol-Related Birth Defect and Hydrocephalus but he has 3 types of Autism, Low-functioning Autism , Asperger's Syndrome and Severe Autism or Level 3 Autism. Due to his condition, he even has a learning disability as a result from his Autism , Down Syndrome , Mental Retardation and Hydrocephalus. Cat Noir even has a stunted growth as a result of his mom's alcoholism and it's no wonder he's short and looks younger for his age.

Cat Noir comes from a very poor family and lives from a shack to a 1960s motorhome. He's the 7th child of 8 children and each of Cat Noir's siblings have different fathers but they all have the same mother, Cat Noir is the oldest male in the household full of girls but his mom only wanted daughters so by the time Cat Noir was born, she's disappointed her baby is male and blamed the father for giving her a son instead of a daughter.

Cat Noir's mother was only 17 years old when she gave birth to Cat Noir although he was brought into the world irresponsibly by his mother because of her drug addictions and results due to 5 times of broken condoms. Cat Noir was raised by his absent on-and-off again mother and his mom often neglected Cat Noir 24/7 but she left him in a care of someone else except they neglected and abused Cat Noir too because he resembled his mother.

Cat Noir was often abused and neglected by his babysitters and other caretakers. What's even more messed up is the fact that he's a special needs child since he's autistic and have down syndrome but one of his babysitters would leave him in filth and one of his caretakers would beat him if he make noises.

Cat Noir transfer to Françoise Dupont High School at age 11+1/2 years old when he was in the 7th grade due to frequent bullying , abuse and neglect at a previous school, he's in a special ed class. The first person he met was Marinette Dupain-Cheng who was 12 years old at the time and since then he became inseparable towards Marinette due to her kindness , good nature , sweet tendencies and being nice to him.

Cat Noir sees Marinette as a mother figure and often calls her "mommy" but he likes to cuddle with Marinette and rub his face on Marinette to his affection towards her. Marinette knows Cat Noir has Autism and Down Syndrome thus she's patient and gentle with Cat Noir. Marinette taught Cat Noir how to walk and talk at 13 years old despite what everyone told her she can't teach Cat Noir speech.

Cat Noir has a developmental delay and due to this, he can't meet his milestones like dressing up on his own , feeding himself , cleaning himself , tying his own shoelaces , brushing his hair , brushing his teeth , taking a bath on his own and toilet training.

The before and after Aftermath of abuse and neglect.

Cat Noir was placed in the care of his mother's boyfriend but sadly he was further abused by his mom's boyfriend and neglected by him, he was even locked in his room 24/7, due to this isolation and neglect, Cat Noir's only companion was his stuff animals and his schizophrenic state is worsen but he believes his stuff animals could talk to him and move by themselves but it however freaks out other people because "what kind of kid believes his stuffed animals would talk and moving on its own" but he supposedly is always talking gibberish to "someone" else when actually he's talking to himself.

Cat Noir was born premature and as an accident due to a broken condom. He has Autism , Mental Retardation , Severe Schizophrenia , Down Syndrome , Bilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate , Congenital Heart Defect , Fetal Alcohol Syndrome , Alcohol-Related Birth Defect and Hydrocephalus but his Severe Schizophrenia , Bilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate , Congenital Heart Defect , Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol-Related Birth Defect. His Autism , Mental Retardation and Down Syndrome were due to his mom's age being 17 and his dad's age being 38 but most importantly he has Hydrocephalus because of unknown reasons but what if it's actually due to his older father and young mother then it makes sense.

Does Lila really hate Ladybug for embarrassing her in front of the boy she liked or Is it actually in the mind of Cat Noir thinking that's what it is?

Ever wondered why Lila hated Ladybug with a passion, you may think it's because of Ladybug embarrassing Lila in front of Adrien but it's actually not true in fact it's nothing but in Cat Noir's mind, Cat Noir thinks this is why Lila hated Ladybug but in reality it's because Ladybug exposing Lila on how much of a skank oh she is because that bitch sleeps with every guy at school for popularity but however Cat Noir was unaware of Lila being a slut. In Volpina, Lila lies to Adrien about being a descendant of a fox-themed heroine, Volpina but after Ladybug humiliates her in front of Adrien Agreste by exposing her lies about the both of them being close friends and her owning the Fox Miraculous, she hated Ladybug ever since then, however this is not what happened, what actually happen in Volpina is Lila slept with Cat Noir for fame and popularity even despite Cat Noir being the school's outcast and misfit but it didn't matter to her she can sleep with any guy at school. Not only did Lila slept with Cat Noir but she also raped him, Lila knew Cat Noir has a history of being sexually assaulted and is the most vulnerable child but sadly she kept on touching him inappropriately. Ladybug later saw Lila taking advantage of Cat Noir and exposes her as "a bitch who sleeps with every special needs guy at school for personal game , stardom and being well-liked or well-known" since then everyone at school knew Lila is a hoe and loves to sleep with guys with special needs at school for stardom and popularity so that day she hated Ladybug since then.

Is Marinette a normal girl or did Cat Noir sees her as one?

In the theme song it said "In the daytime, I'm Marinette, Just a normal girl with a normal life. But there's something about me that no one knows yet, Cause I have a secret." You heard it "just a normal girl" now the question Is Marinette really normal? Cat Noir depicted Marinette as a shy and clumsy girl who's nice to everyone but Cat Noir knew Marinette doesn't sound natural when she reads so in reality it's due to her Dyslexia and Dyscalculia.

Why does Cat Noir wear a mask?

Cat Noir is known to wear a mask but ever wondered why he wore a mask?, you would think it's because he's hiding his secret identity from others but I think it's because he's hiding a large burn scar on the left side of his face because his mom accidentally spills hot boiling water onto the left side of Cat Noir's face causing the scar to be badly burned and permanent when Cat Noir was younger, as a result of this incident, Cat Noir wore his famous iconic mask to covered the burn scar.

From aftermath of abuse and neglect to foster care.

Since before the age of 13, Cat Noir was frequently abused and neglected by his mother's on-and-off again ex-boyfriend who beats Cat Noir 24/7 whenever he has to deal with Cat Noir and never likes to care of/babysat Cat Noir whenever Cat Noir's mom goes out for work , with one of her multiple boyfriends , to a bar , to the movies with her friends , shopping and going to jail for crimes but most importantly she's currently in a rehabilitation center so this means her ex-boyfriend has to take care of Cat Noir fulltime but he doesn't want to so he locked Cat Noir in his room 24/7 so didn't want to deal with Cat Noir. Everyone started noticing different about Cat Noir, he was severely malnourished , has bruised fingers , bruised toes , black-eye , broken nose , bruised lips , badly bitten arms , badly bitten legs , swollen arms , swollen legs , swollen gums , badly bitten ears , badly bitten fingers , badly bitten toes , knocked-out teeth , scraped knees , scraped elbows , slapped cheeks , bruised bottom and bruised-up back but worse of all, Cat Noir even had a bruised forehead and the fact Cat Noir is a special needs child, is still shocking.

Not long after Cat Noir turns 13 years old, the abuse and neglect became far more worst until one of the school's Child Psychologists took notice of Cat Noir's wounds and find out he's been frequently terribly abused and neglected by his mom's on-and-off again ex-boyfriend since the age of 8. The Child Psychologists decide to contacted the polices and social services to come and take Cat Noir away from the home. Cat Noir was taken to hospital and one of doctors found out Cat Noir is actually 13 with the body of an 11-year-old child but they even find out Cat Noir has a small severely damaged brain.

Cat Noir's Severe Schizophrenia is already worsen up due to again being a crack baby. He believes his imaginations are a reality because of how much he's been convinced too often. Cat Noir hear voices in his head and see things that aren't there but he often talks to himself despite thinking he's talking someone else.

First foster home.

After Cat Noir's mom's ex-boyfriend was arrested for child abuse and child neglect, Cat Noir was placed in Child's Care Services (CCS) because his mother is too unstable to care for him but however Cat Noir is badly affected by the abuse and neglect he suffers for so long that he didn't want to be touched and he has a shock look on his face whenever he break things he didn't mean to which it explains why in the episode, Simon Says, Cat Noir gave a shock look after scolding at Gabriel because in reality he thought he's going to get beaten. Originally Cat Noir was gonna be placed in one of his relative's house but his social worker didn't know how to get in contact with them and he was originally going to be placed in the care of his dad but no one knows where he's currently lives and he has permanent record so he can't be around kids not even his own child.

Cat Noir's social worker decide to put Cat Noir into foster care since there's no one who can take him in. Cat Noir's 1st foster home was bad because his foster parents frequently abused and neglected him but bad enough, the only reason why they take Cat Noir in because they're only doing this for money so they can spend it on and rottenly spoiled their biological kids. His foster mom did the worst things to Cat Noir, such as locking him in his room , refusing Cat Noir to have any contact with anyone and her biological children , refusing to feed Cat Noir , refusing to clothed Cat Noir , leaving Cat Noir in a filthy state , strapping Cat Noir to a potty chair in the daytime , putting Cat Noir into a straitjacket and locking him in a cage-like crib in the daytime and letting her kids bullied Cat Noir 24/7. One day his social worker notice Cat Noir in a terrible state and deciding removed Cat Noir from this terrible house.

From Second foster home to 11th foster home.

Cat Noir had to be moved from foster home to another foster home due frequent abuse and neglect happening but it's like to Cat Noir, no matter where he goes he'll always get abused and neglected. His second and 11th foster home was so bad that he had to be removed again and be placed in a new home but he's always getting bruises all over him as if his previous foster parents don't care about him and only seems to be interested in financials than caring for their foster child. But however it did take 2 weeks for the social workers to placed Cat Noir in a new home and it's always gonna turned bad, no matter what home Cat Noir was placed in and good thing the social workers decide to removed Cat Noir from a terrible home.

12th and Final foster home.

Not long after Cat Noir was removed from his 11th foster home, his social worker almost decide to give up trying to find a good place for Cat Noir to call home and a family to belong to but one of the employees told Cat Noir's social worker that there's one more chance of finding a good home for Cat Noir. Cat Noir's social worker found a home to placed Cat Noir in, The Jackson Family, they have a stable home , love , affection , enough food and care but most importantly at least it's safe place for Cat Noir to call home. He was so malnourished that he became hungry often despite he just ate.

Adoption

Not long after months of Cat Noir being placed in the care of The Jackson family, Christine Jackson, Cat Noir's foster mom decide to adopted Cat Noir and her husband, Harold Jackson, Cat Noir's foster dad agreed to this since they are parental figures to Cat Noir but at first when Cat Noir was placed in their care it was difficult for them to care for a child with special needs but they didn't give up on him and kept providing love and affection towards Cat Noir. Cat Noir was 13 when he was placed in the care of Christine Jackson and Harold Jackson but at first Christine thought Cat Noir was 11, only to find out he's actually 13 and this causes her to take Cat Noir to the hospital but that's when she find out everything about Cat Noir. 3 months later, Christine and Harold officially adopted 13-year-old Cat Noir but they continue to take care of him.

I hope you love this theory.

[risingfire17-the-weeb-trash]

Amuto Fic (Working Title)

A/N: This is the first chapter in what I hope is going to be a multi-chapter fic. Also, if anyone has any ideas for a title, please send them over. Dedicated to my precious babies: Amu and Ikuto! Also, trigger warning for an abusive relationship (her ex was a massive dick).

Also, shoutout to @oodlittlething and @noviceotakus-blog for proofreading and offering tech support!!

~~~~~

The ringing phone shocked 16-year-old Amu Hinamori back into the present moment as her close friend Berkeley Walker laughed at her startled expression.

“Spacing out again, were we?” the latter asked with a kind chuckle. Berkeley was one of Amu’s best friends, by her side ever since she started at her new high school in Cupertino, California, two years ago, after moving there with her parents and younger sister from Japan. Berkeley, herself a transfer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, (which, she assured Amu, was as different from San Jose as the latter from Japan, despite being in the same country) was a loud and confident girl, tough when the need arose, but surprisingly calm and level-headed. She was on the volleyball and martial arts teams at their school, and had met Amu in their homeroom class freshman year; the two transfers had learned to navigate their new school together. Amu was so happy to have found someone as strong as Berkeley to count on during her first year in America!

Today they were on the bus to meet their friend Suzie Chen. They had befriended Suzie last year, before she switched to the private girls’ school she currently attended following her father’s company’s relocation across town. Though she was doing well at her new school, she said she missed her friends terribly and couldn’t wait to see them today. The studio where she studied violin after school was giving free promotional lessons today, and despite Berkeley’s claim that she “100 percent lacked that kind of coordination,” Suzie had successfully convinced the girls to attend. Amu was also uncertain whether she possessed any sort of musical talent, but was dying to see Suzie, and figured the violin would be fun to try out, at least once. Suzie’s violin had such a lovely sound, peaceful and warm like a springtime afternoon spent frolicking in meadow blossoms. But just now, Amu had been thinking of another violin, slower, more melancholy notes, and a kind man with a terribly sad smile….

“I hope it was a nice daydream, Amu-chan,” chimed their acquaintance Yuki Yotoba sweetly as she walked to the front of the parked bus, waving good-bye to the two girls. Yuki-chan is so kind-hearted, even after I spaced out the entire time she was on the bus with us…I’ll have to make it up to her later! Thought Amu to herself. Yuki, aiming to attend nursing school, volunteered almost every day after school at the hospital, so they didn’t see each other much, but happened to be taking her bus today. A quiet, sweet-mannered girl like her would be a perfect nurse! She would definitely need to properly apologize next time! Maybe if she kept taking violin lessons, she could see Yuki-chan more, and become better friends with her!

Amu grinned sheepishly, looking down more than necessary to fish the still-ringing phone from her bag in an attempt to hide her flushed cheeks. How silly! How long had it been since she had seen, or even thought of, that person anyway? She retrieved the phone, answered the video call, and was greeted with Utau Hoshina’s beaming face. Amu was ecstatic; Utau was one of Amu’s closest friends from Japan, though they could rarely talk with Utau’s busy schedule. She worked so hard, having become a Japanese pop sensation while still in middle school, and was now, at age 19, singing internationally and also acting, having landed a major role in a hit TV series being filmed in Los Angeles, all while pursuing her degree in communications! “Moshi-moooooooooooooosh,” Utau sang into the phone in a playful voice. “Oh, hi Berkeley! This is perfect!” she exclaimed, switching to English for their American friend. “Did you two get your tickets for this Saturday?”

“Yes we did, thank you so much!” The girls were practically jumping out of their seats now. This Saturday, Utau was performing in nearby San Francisco, and they would see each other in person for the first time since her concert there last year.

“Good, I’d better see my two biggest fans there!” she said with a wink. “After all, I’ve been working super hard for you!” After a brief pause, she added, “Oh, I think you’ll like the opening band too, it’s a local one performing especially for the San Francisco concert.” Berkeley squealed with excitement.

“A band from here? What kind of band?”

“Indie rock. I met them last time I was in SF. A bunch of sweaty, grungy-haired guys,” she said with a grimace, “but their sound is nice. Soft guitar rifts with a piano. Just got a violinist too, pretty classy stuff. Now if only they would wash their hair more often! They better not embarrass me!” Amu’s stomach tightened slightly at the mention of the violin, remembering a certain Indie band Utau had briefly been involved with while they were still in Japan. An Easter project. Angsty pop music with a sad violin….

“-so not fair! Just because he’s a jock doesn’t mean he doesn’t wash his hair! Besides, you’ve never actually met him!” They were talking about Utau’s boyfriend and Amu’s former classmate, Kukai Soma. He was in his final year of high school in Japan, diligently studying every moment he wasn’t participating in extra basketball practice. A star player and stellar student, his dream was to secure a basketball scholarship to UCLA so he could get a US visa and move close to Utau. She acted like it didn’t matter if he came to America or not, but she always asked him how his UCLA application was going, adding a “not that I care particularly.” Kukai was shining with confidence, so sure that he would secure that scholarship no matter what! It must be harder on them than they let on, thought Amu, to live so far apart, as they have for most of their relationship, since Utua had started touring internationally shortly after they started dating over three years ago. But they were so strong and supportive of each other’s dreams. Oh please, please let Kukai-kun get that scholarship!

“Amu, please tell Berkeley that Kukai isn’t grungy!”

Amu chuckled. Utau may pout, but Amu knew she enjoyed the teasing, especially when it gave her an excuse to talk about her boyfriend; Utau had confided that it helped make him seem less far away, not that it bothered her, of course. Amu rolled her eyes and smiled. The girls stopped laughing just in time to hear their stop announced and began to gather their bags. “You two have a violin lesson today, right?”

“Yeah, Suzie’s studio is giving free lessons today, so we decided to try it!” Utau’s softened, then narrowed mischievously as she broke into a teasing smile.

“Amu, will you become a great violinist like Ikuto?” Again, Amu caught herself blushing. This time, Berkeley caught her as well.

“Ooh Amu, you’re blushing! Who is Ikuto, a cute boy?”

“As if! Ikuto is Utau’s man-child pervert of a brother! And he’s lucky he was able to record music, because he certainly can’t keep a real job!” she said a little too loudly, all the while cursing her cheeks for blushing so brightly and begging them not to turn redder. Berkeley laughed as the bus pulled up to their stop, while Utau just narrowed her eyes, smiling even wider with a “hmmmmmmmmmm.” Amu wanted to melt away. But why? Ikuto Tsukiyomi really was just her friend’s man-child pervert of a brother. Why did everyone think he should be anything else. Even Tadase….

Suddenly Utau’s face was a great bright smile again. “Well, ladies, my break is over! I’ll see you both Saturday!” The girls said good-bye as they exited the bus, Suzie waiting for them in her school’s uniform and carrying her violin case. Berkeley called out to her in her loud, emphatic voice (a credit to her Midwestern roots, she had explained):

“Oi, Suzie, look at our prim, proper paragon of wifey material! You ready to school us in ‘etiquette befitting a lady,’ or whatever it’s called?” But before they were fully in earshot of their friend, Berkeley clapped Amu on the back and whispered, “You’ll tell me all about Ikuto later, right?” She ran ahead with a carefree smile and wink.

It was true that Amu had never told Berkeley about Ikuto, even though she was her closest friend in America, knew about all her friends from Japan, and had met most of them, at least electronically. Kukai-kun she had met last year through a video chat with Utau while she was home for a visit. She had joined Amu in Skype calls with Nagihiko Fujisaki and his boyfriend Richie Preston, who both studied dance in England. She followed Nagi-kun’s dance videos on Instagram, and had even seen videos from his days as Nadeshiko. Berkeley frequently chatted with Rima Mashiro, Amu’s closest female friend in Japan. Rima-chan and Nagi-kun had dated for a while, but broke up after he moved to England for high school. Not everyone could handle a long distance relationship as well as Utau-chan and Kukai-kun, after all! Rima-chan and Berkeley turned out to share a love of comedy, so despite the latter’s “uncouth American manner,” Rima “approved” of her. Geez, that girl could be such a tsundere at times! Why can’t she just admit that she loves talking to Berkeley?

As did Yaya Yuiki, who, practicing for her dream of becoming a preschool teacher, took it upon herself to give Berkeley regular Japanese lessons via Skype. Amu had tried to tell her teaching preschoolers and teaching a high school student Japanese weren’t exactly the same thing, to which she responded “But if she knows that little, it’s almost the same thing right?” Honestly, Yaya-chan could be the uncouth one at times! It wasn’t Berkeley’s fault she didn’t know much Japanese! Apparently most American schools don’t teach any foreign language until high school, and even then only the Spanish of neighboring Mexico! Really! How did any of their students go to school abroad? Amu couldn’t imagine starting high school in America without having taken English since elementary school!

Berkeley had never met Kairi Sanjo, but knew him as the polite boy from Amu’s emails. He was too old-fashioned for the social media that kept Amu in constant communication with the rest of her friends, probably because it’s too “worldly” for his devout samurai lifestyle. In his final year of middle school and top in his class, he was applying to schools in Europe and America. He has even applied to a school in San Francisco, so maybe Amu would see him again soon!

She had shown Berkeley pictures of him at his sister Yukari’s wedding to Yuu Nikaido. Berkeley had met Yukari Sanjo-san, Utau’s manager, at last year’s concert, and knew Nikaido-sensei had been Amu’s teacher in elementary school. Amu had let it slip that those two used to be bad, but she let Berkeley think she was only talking about Sanjo-san’s addiction to take-out and Nikaido-sensei’s dangerous level of clumsiness. After all, Easter, the Embryo, and the Guardians were probably things she could never talk about with anyone, no matter how close the person or how fond the memories. Besides, that was all so long ago; they were good people now, a sweet couple with an adorable child, a 3-year-old girl named Su Nikaido. The name always made Amu swell with pride.

Berkeley knew of Amu’s mentees, Rikka Hiiragi and Hikaru Ichinomiya, now in middle school, and both knew of her, though she hadn’t talked directly to either. Rikka was too embarrassed by her poor English, but studied and looked forward to properly introducing herself in English someday, and Hikaru was busy with his intense studies and taking on more and more control of Easter, aiming to be able to run the company on his own by the time he came of age. Though he still found time for surprise visits to cheer Rikka-chan on at her track meets, always saying he “just happened to be free, no big deal,” when she jumped for joy to see him. Poor boy, thought Amu, Rikka doesn’t read the mood very well, and will take him at his word until he tells her how he feels honestly! When she told Berkeley about it, she responded that from what Amu said about him, he seemed like the type who wasn’t entirely aware of how he felt to begin with, which made a lot of sense to Amu.

Berkeley had a true gift for understanding people in that way. She pretended not to notice the inner conflicts people either didn’t understand or tried to hide, but she could tell, and when she did, she would give an elongated, kind of knowing glance, as if to say: “when you’re ready to talk, I am here.” And that look made people want to talk to her about it, not least of all Amu herself. Berkeley should really study to be a therapist, because she would make a great one!

In Amu’s case, a much-welcomed therapist. In the last year, Amu’s guardian characters had all been reabsorbed into her, first Ran, then Miki, then Su, and finally Dia. She knew it would happen eventually. As children grow up and become their would-be selves, they no longer need these selves to exist outside of them. When it happened depended on the person and how well they matured into their would-be selves, but losing a guardian character was a natural fact of growing up. The girls assured Amu that they would always be there inside her, but she still missed having them to talk to. How wonderful, though, that she had grown up into a girl who could talk honestly with her friends just the way she had with her guardian characters, like a normal person! And how especially wonderful to have such a good friend to talk to, all the way here in America, who she could talk openly to with no fear of judgement! Come to think of it, she thought, except for those secrets she couldn’t tell anyone, she had told Berkeley almost everything about her past.

So why, after knowing the rest of Amu’s history, did Berkeley never even get a mention of Ikuto? Well, first off, Amu wasn’t sure where to start with Ikuto; he was such a confusing man. She had met him in elementary school, and, like Nikaido-sensei, Sanjo-san, and even Utau-chan, he was once an Easter employee who corrupted and shattered children’s hearts’ eggs. But he didn’t have a choice; that was never something he wanted. Although what did he want, anyway? He sometimes seemed happiest when left alone to play violin in the park and then curl up to sleep on a bench. Though if he was truly happy, then why did the music he played in those moments seem so incredibly sad?

Other times, he seemed to enjoy teasing children, particularly Amu and her friends. He especially loved picking on Amu, telling her he loved her, kissing her cheeks, and all kinds of creepy things, then laughing at her confusion before disappearing, reassuring her that he would never do anything like “that.” (Whatever “that” was!) And then he would turn up months later, napping on her balcony, or even in her bed! Geez, he was just like a stray cat! Maybe I should have left tuna out for him, thought Amu with a smirk.

But even Ikuto seemed to know when to stop playing sometimes. Fighting Easter, there were so many times Amu could have gotten hurt, or worse. She had been kidnapped, shot at, and pushed off of buildings, and hadn’t Ikuto defied his boss’s orders countless times to save her when that happened? Why would he do that, though? If she wasn’t able to fight Easter, wouldn’t that make his job so much easier? Didn’t he get in trouble over that sort of thing? Hadn’t he actually been hurt after letting her escape that one time? He had been so helpless and alone, that Yoru had begged her, the enemy, to help him. Of course she had, because those injuries were her fault.

Maybe he actually does love you, thought a small voice in her head, which she quickly drowned out. Yeah, right! He probably just didn’t want Easter to stop him from being able to torment me, like a cat guarding its favorite toy!

Besides, it wasn’t like he treated the people he claimed to care for very well anyway. He left to look for his father, all the while cursing him for abandoning his family; he disowned his mother, still in the asylum after Aruto-san’s disappearance, and he had left his little sister Utau to raise herself any way she knew how, even if that meant becoming a puppet of Easter. Even now, he was the only one she would openly show affection for (she could be cold even to Kukai-kun), and he still would only see her if he was paid enough to perform with her. He had been especially cruel in constantly bullying Tadase Hatori, who had looked up to him and called him Nii-san.

Tadase. Amu’s first love. Their relationship had ended badly, and Amu still partially blamed Ikuto for it. Amu had admired Tadase since fourth grade, and their Guardian adventures had brought them together in fifth grade, leading to a relationship spanning sixth and part of seventh grade. He had been such a kind boy at first, giving everything he worked at and everyone he cared for his all. It was probably this absolute dedication that had drawn Amu to him in the first place. Once they started dating, he doted on her, always checking in with her, surprising her, looking for new ways to show her his love. But after they went to different middle schools, Tadase changed. He became a bit…too dedicated. It probably started with the constant texts. They had been so sweet in the beginning:

“I hope you’re having a great day.”

“I know you will do fantastic on your test today.”

“Thank you for being in my life.”

“I love you.”

But then they became weird. Obsessive. And constant. She had sometimes felt drowned in texts that made her feel…off. Like, kind of drained and even kind of nervous for some reason she couldn’t place her finger on.

“Do you truly love me?”

“There’s no one else for you, right?”

“Why won’t you text back?” He would text her in class! He may have been smart enough to get into a special middle school for gifted students, but she actually had to pay attention in class to keep up, thanks very much! Then he started obsessively asking her friends about her. Yaya-chan and Rima-chan had complained about the constant “why won’t Amu text me? Is she okay?” texts while they were in class. He would even show up unexpectedly after school, expecting long walks while he prattled on he, blissfully ignorant of her concern over her missed student club meetings or the test she needed to study for, prattled on about how he would graduate from his elite school and get a fantastic job so he could meet her every need and she wouldn’t need to lift a finger. She never felt like she could tell him she didn’t want to be taken care of like a child.

Ikuto had texted her during those years too, sending pictures of his adventures in Europe and asking about his “little Prince” Tadase. He teased them both so much, and Amu had yelled at Ikuto for constantly berating Tadase to “hurry and grow up man enough for Amu,” and threatening to steal her away. Honestly, didn’t that man have anything better to do than pick on kids? Looking back, Amu couldn’t help but wonder if Ikuto’s bullying had pushed Tadase to become so freakishly possessive of her.

Ikuto had been there New Year’s Day of seventh grade, that painful day, and Amu still wondered if things could have been different had Ikuto not been there. Of course, things had not been going well with Tadase to begin with, but they had talked about a fresh start in the new year; she loved him so, so much, and she still had hope that things could work! It started off well; Amu and Tadase met with Yaya-chan, Rima-chan, and Nagi-kun (who had only recently confessed that he and Nadeshiko were one and the same, and while Amu liked Nagi-kun a lot, she was still trying to get used to it) at the town’s New Year Festival. The girls had gotten matching hair ornaments, and Tadase had bought hers for her. Nagi-kun had offered to buy Rima-chan’s, which she had proudly refused, although not without a blush. Everyone was not-so-patiently waiting for them to finally realize they liked each other! Amu had added a new year’s prayer for them, in addition to her prayers her strained relationship with Tadase. Oh, how she had prayed with all her might when it was her turn at the shrine that year! She had felt so fresh and new afterward, and after seeing Tadase’s old, kind smile and taking his soft, strong hand, she really did believe that everything would be okay….

And then Ikuto arrived, lazily strolling behind a red-faced, pouting Kukai-kun, something about “hurry and grow up man enough for my little sister,” and “oh that’s rich coming from someone who only came to her concert because he was paid to open for her!” As soon as they arrived, Tadase had tensed, and Amu with him. As the day went on, things had gotten worse, and all because Ikuto wouldn’t mind his own damn business!

He had tried to buy her a hair ornament, saying the one she had looked too childish for her. Despite her insistence that she didn’t need fashion advice from a nosy man-child, Tadase had gripped her hand more tightly, as he had started to do lately when he was becoming jealous.

When they visited a maze to be completed in groups of two or three, Ikuto just had to crash Amu and Tadase, saying he “couldn’t possibly trust his mischievous little brother with Princess Amu.” Tadase had been silent the whole time, his face a dark shadow, and his hand had gripped hers ever more tightly. Her hand had even hurt! Despite the tension and pain, Amu had tried her best to laugh, smile, and bring joy back to their day, which had only seemed to anger Tadase even more, resulting in an even tighter grip. And that damn Ikuto had not helped, but simply strolled along whistling to himself, his obliviousness to the awkwardness he caused even more painful than Tadase’s grip.

The final straw had been in the early evening, right before show, when they stopped to get hot drinks. Tadase had gotten Amu and himself hot chocolates-huge with mounds of whipped cream and toppings, an extravagant peace offering typical of Tadase. Amu had sipped hers slowly to prevent a massive rush of sugar to her underprepared stomach, allowing the heat to sooth her cramping hand. Ikuto was taking forever getting his drink, Kukai-kun had gone backstage with Utau, and Nagi-kun and the girls were singing and dancing in anticipation of the concert, leaving Amu and Tadase to finally get some time to themselves. They sat silently, feeling each others’ warmth, watching as the night’s first stars fought to shine in the fading twilight. His hand had caressed hers so softly; how could it possibly have been the same hand to crush hers so just an hour past? It was moments like these when Amu remembered the warm, kind boy who wanted to walk forever by her side, protecting her heart, and oh, how she wanted him to so, so much! If only time could have frozen in that last perfect moment….

And then Ikuto had shown up with two apple ciders, holding one out to Amu. “Yo, Amu,” he had said with that devilish smirk of his, “I got an extra cider, you can have it if you like,” and then with a sneer at her hot chocolate, “after all, you only drink milk after a bath, no?”

Amu had screamed at Ikuto to stop saying such perverted things, demanding to know if he had anything better to do that harass children, but the damage had been done. Tadase had flown to his feet, cocoa spilled, face red, fists clenched. He had opened his mouth, but uttered no words, and finally just pushed past Ikuto, storming off. Amu had wanted to call to him, to say anything to heal his wounded heart, but her voice had been caught in her throat, no words able to reach him, no thoughts able to comprehend this situation she found herself in. Instead, with Tadase out of her reach, she had unleashed all her feelings on Ikuto in a fierce rage.

“Why do you always ruin everything? Why do you like seeing me hurt? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Looking back on it, Amu had hurled some pretty hurtful words at Ikuto, and for the first time, he had looked fazed, eyes open wide, face blank with shock as Amu continued to rant.

It was Rima-chan, in her fierce protection mode, who had stood between them with a curt “I think you should go, and Nagi-kun, in his rational, peace-keeping way, who offered, “I think there are some things to talk about that might be better discussed when everyone has had a bit of time to cool down.” Ikuto had just continued to stare in shock for what had seemed like an eternity before finally turning and walking away, slumped and defeated.

Amu’s friends had tried their best to help her enjoy what was left of the festival, as she had tried to take joy in their kind efforts. Rima-chan had shown her a comedy routine she had been working on, breaking her rule of only showing complete work (a rule she now broke frequently with her comedic partner Berkeley), Nagi-kun had offered to put his hair up and talk to her as Nadeshiko, an gesture met with a vigorous offer of hair ribbons from Yaya-chan and a jealous pout from Rima-chan. Both Nagi-kun and Kukai-kun (who must have been surprised to rejoin them and ask about Tadase only to be met with tears and sad glances) offered to talk to Tadase, “help him resolve things, man to man,” as Kukai-kun had put it. They had watched skits and acrobats, jugglers and dancers, Amu and her friends, and she laughed and smiled with gratitude for them, almost forgetting her heartbreak, but when a concert agent rushed past them, screaming into his headset to get Utau ready faster because “that damn violinist cancelled his opening act,” Amu’s heart tightened, and she took a bathroom break that became a long walk by herself.

She hadn’t meant to travel so far, all the way to the abandoned fence at the edge of the festival grounds, but she had found what her heart was searching for: Tadase, head down, covered in shadow and gloom. Oh, how she had run to him, so determined to set things straight and heal both their aching hearts once and for all! But when she had met his eyes, she had met with a crazed glare, piercing her from under disheveled hair.

“Oh, you finally showed up,” he had almost growled, as if he was so angry he didn’t even see her worth talking to as a person anymore. Amu’s stomach had been filled with so much dread, but still she must push on!

“Tadase-“

“Do you really only drink milk after a bath? Should I have waited to get you chocolate till you bathed? Would you have drank it then?”

“Tadase, I-“

“Why the hell do you let him talk to you like that? Do you like that?”

“No one can stop his teasing! You know that! It’s not like it means anything! He’s a adult, for heaven’s sake! An immature one, but an adult! He’s not…not like us!”

“It’s not just him! Everyone loves you, and you just let it happen like you like all the attention! What about Kairi? He confessed to you, didn’t he? Did you ever actually tell him no?”

“He…he didn’t really give me a chance to before he left, did he?” She stammered, not understanding just what he thought was going on. “Besides, I think choosing you is a clear enough rej-“

“And Kukai liked you too! Did you pretend not to notice?”

“What are you-? Kukai-kun is with Utau-chan!”

“And have you seen the way Nagihiko looks at you? Although it’s not surprising; you even spent the night at his house!”

“We thought he was a girl and you know it! Don’t you dare…Nagihi-no, Nadeshiko was my best friend!” This was when she had started to cry. Amu cared for Nagi-kun, and was happy he could be his true self. But at that time, Amu was still feeling the lost of her first female best friend.

Her tears had only made Tadase snarl. “And now you cry for him?! You cry for Nagi, for Ikuto, who won’t you cry for?” and after a pause, “you were supposed to be mine only, but who doesn’t your heart belong to?” And then he had grabbed her wrist, holding it over her head, backing her up against the fence.

“Tadase, you’re hurting me!” she had screamed into vacant space, all festival-goers still at the concert. She had struggled against his grip, only to have her other wrist captured and pinned to the fence, escape impossible.

“But you let Ikuto do this all the time, don’t you? Am I not good enough? Should I try harder?” His grip even tighter, Amu was crying. She had wanted to scream that he wasn’t making any sense, that this wasn’t the Tadase she knew. She wanted to beg for her old Tadase back, but she couldn’t speak; her words were drowned out by fear and pain. Through her tears, the world had appeared to be spinning in front of her, swallowing her. Even Kiseki had begged Tadase to stop, insisting that rule by fear was not the way to get real control of the world or even one person in it, but, in that moment, Tadase rejected his guardian character as “weak,” declaring that he would be a king by his own strength. Amu had watched as Kiseki was forced back into his egg only to disintegrate forever, destroyed by Tadase’s will that was still strangling Amu, nearly breaking her wrists. Meanwhile, Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia were screaming for Amu to transform, but she couldn’t reach her Humpty Lock in her captivity. And even if she had been able to, could Amu really turn her guardian characters on the boy who taught her to accept them in the first place; did she truly have it in her him, even then?

She had never been forced to decide. Tadase had been suddenly thrown backward through the air, crumpling in a heap on the ground. Without Kiseki, he no longer had the heightened resistance to physical damage granted to guardian bearers. Even so, he had raised his bleeding head only to meet the iron claws of Ikuto’s character transformation preventing any further attack. Amu had approached cautiously, the arm Ikuto spread out to block her from Tadase’s reach unnecessary; her throbbing wrists reminded her not to get any closer. There had been a moment of silence that felt absolutely endless, where Amu was swimming in so many nightmares all swirling together right in front of her while she searched in vain for some piece of…something…something that made sense for her to cling to in this upheaved world. She couldn’t even look up as she said the only words that felt so heartbreakingly right: “Tadase, I…can’t do this anymore. Please don’t ever come near me again.”

And then she had run, unable to face Tadase, Ikuto, her friends, anyone. She ran all the way home, all the way upstairs and to her room, unable to face her alarmed parents or whimpering sister. And how could she have, how could she explain the dreadful things that had just happened when she couldn’t even make sense of them herself? Even her four would-be selves had been unable to offer useful words, and so just waited with her, silent, sad, scared as she was.

How long had she been there, braced against her door as if she could keep the hurt out? An eternity? Two? More? before her mother knocked gently on the door, promising they could talk when she was ready, but a bath and some sleep would help her most. She had also assured her that when her worried friends had called, she had let them know Amu was safe and just needed some rest. In that moment, Amu had been so grateful for her mother’s gentle understanding nature that she followed her suggestion and took a bath, massaging her bruised wrists as the hot water wore away at some of the despair. When she had emerged, a glass of milk was waiting on her desk, and Amu even had even managed a smile at her mother’s thoughtfulness. She had taken the milk to her balcony and the refreshing night breeze, only to see Ikuto sitting on the railing, feet hanging over the street below. As she stood in the doorway in shock, he had turned to face her, tears streaking his face.

“I’m sorry.”

His voice came out as nothing but a hoarse whisper. She knew he wasn’t just apologizing for what had happened to her, but she also felt it was for something other than the teasing that had caused it. She didn’t entirely understand what he was apologizing for that could move him to tears like this, nor did she want to know at that moment. On top of everything that had happened already, this was just too much.

“Amu, what do I do?”

“I don’t know Ikuto. I’m just a kid. I don’t know.” She couldn’t stand his long, sad gaze, wanting something from her she could neither understand nor provide. “Please go,” she had whispered, unsure of her words at first, and then, louder and with more conviction, “please.”

Her final glimpse of Ikuto was still burned into her mind. A smile so wide, not his usual teasing grin, but a genuinely kind, well-wishing smile, one concealing so much pain. His eyes closed, shutting in the rest of his tears as his face still glistened. “Hurry and grow up, Amu.” An uncharacteristically gentle voice, cracking at the end. And then he had jumped to the ground and leapt away into the night, his silhouette revealing the cat’s ears and tail of his would-be self.

The coming days and weeks would involve doctor visits, calls to Tadase’s parents, and many precautions in place for Amu’s safety: her parents working more from home, her friends accompanying her to and from school, and the watchful eyes of Nikaido-sensei and Tsukasa-san over her as she continued to study.

Tadase would never speak to her again, either because he was decent enough to at least do that for her, or because he knew how well protected she was and was afraid to approach her. Amu had been so shocked, scared, and heartbroken during that time, but she had so many people supporting her along the way, that she eventually learned to feel normal and once again began to shine with hope for the future. By the time she left for her new world a year and a half later, she had become able to talk about Tadase, both the good and bad, just like every other piece of her past. When her new friend Berkeley had asked if she had ever dated before, she was able to her the honest story of Tadase, a kind boy with so much love to give that it had consumed him and made him sick.

She left Ikuto out of the story, though she had thought about him for a long time, perhaps even longer than she had about Tadase. Not that it meant anything, of course. It was simply that her situation with Tadase was clear. She could mull over what had caused it or what could have been different, and she had, but the fact was that he had hurt her and she could not safely be around him anymore. There was no point in further speculation.

But Amu had struggled more to put Ikuto out of her mind. She could tell that night that there was so much more he had wanted to say, but she herself had silenced his words, that secret heart she couldn’t carry back then. But she couldn’t help wondering just what was in that heart, and how did it concern her? Would he ever tell her now? Why hadn’t she listened when she had the chance, before he had stopped talking to her?

She would hear he was back in Europe, still searching for his father and becoming quite a popular performer, but she would receive no more pictures of his travels, no more blurry phone recordings of his cabaret concerts, no more questions about school and if she was grown up yet, no more teasing. Nothing. She had half expected him to arrive uninvited when her friends threw her a going away party the weekend before she left for America. But he did not, and after leaving for a corner of the Earth so far away he couldn’t possibly reach, he eventually faded from her thoughts. Maybe that was for the best. She had so much to be getting on with; she couldn’t spend what little was left of her childhood haunted by that enigma of a man, teasing yet protective, that sad smile, that melancholy melody pulling on her heart….

Amu hadn’t realized that she was now a considerable number of paces behind her friends, or that there were tears in her eyes. Berkeley and Suzie looked back at her, concern on their faces. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry; I think some of that concrete powder or whatever got in my eyes!” She pointed to the taped off area about twenty feet behind them, where two construction workers drilled into the ground with a jackhammer, and started to laugh. Suzie, bless her heart, pulled out a handkerchief, with which Amu pretended to wipe specks from her eyes. Berkeley gave her that knowing gaze, and Amu laughed sheepishly, knowing she had some explaining to do later. When she had recovered herself, they walked the remaining block to the studio and checked in at the table outside.

“Ah, Miss Chen, Mrs. Mansfield had to take her maternity leave early, but the substitute for your class agreed to start covering early, so you will be in good hands.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Nishida,” said Suzie in her sweet, refined voice to the studio manager. “Is everything all right with Mrs. Mansfield?”

“Baby came a bit early, but all is well. A healthy boy. Mrs. Mansfield will be back with us in about two months, after she’s had time to settle in. It’s her first, after all!”

“Of course, thank you so much for taking such good care of us all. Please send my regards to Mrs. Mansfield.”

“Surely, Miss Chen. Now, are these two sweet friends of yours here for today’s promotional lessons?”

“Yes, Mr. Nishida. Amu Hinamori and Berkeley Walker. Would it trouble Mrs. Mansfield’s substitute to take them in my class for the day?

“I’m sure it would be fine. He may be a bit rough-looking, but he seems like the type who can handle himself well. Now, Miss Hinamori and Miss Walker, loaner violins are available by the table at the start of the main hall. Once you’ve got those, just follow Suzie and let her teacher know you’re promotional students today. Have a great time and welcome!”

After they got their violins, they filed into Suzie’s class, gushing about what a sweet gentleman Mr. Nishida was, calling them “Miss!” Suzie explained that while Mr. Nishida was a very sweet man indeed, it was common, even expected, to call music students “Mr.” and “Miss,” rather than by the more common first name. Berkeley exclaimed “wow, so proper!” in wide-eyed amazement, while Amu was reminded fondly of the honorifics of her native Japan. The substitute appeared to be a few minutes late, so the girls watched as Suzie set up her instrument and attempted to copy her movements. How does she make poise look so easy, wondered Amu in admiration and slight embarrassment at her own awkwardness. Suzie assured her and the equally struggling Berkeley that it was quite normal; she had struggled at first too. The girls all giggled, having fun in this sweet moment together.

And then he appeared at the front of the classroom. His entrance had been silent, so few students noticed amidst the hubbub, and Amu might not have either if the corner of her eye had not been positioned just so at just the right moment. Tall, lanky frame clad in baggy gray and black plaid slacks, draped over an incredibly scuffed pair of black boots. A wrinkled and faded black button-up shirt, untucked, sleeves rolled up, top button undone to expose a bulky silver cross. Long indigo hair, only partially captured by the loose ponytail at the back, the rest falling into his deep blue eyes, framed by severe-looking black-rimmed reading glasses that actually dressed up the rest of his rumpled outfit. Those piercing midnight blue eyes, open wide in a shock that mirrored Amu’s own, boring into her soul to call back unanswered questions she had abandoned long ago.

Amu almost dropped her violin as he made his way to her, ignoring other students’ gossiping and giggling, the fiddling with instruments, and other reminders of the present world, suddenly far too mundane to contain this moment. He stopped a foot in front of her, leaning over her wide-eyed, upturned face, searching it as if he had left some sort of truth there long ago. Berkeley looked from one to the other with a slightly raised eyebrow, the only giveaway that her curiosity was anything more than mild.

Suzie was the one to break the silence with a soft greeting: “Um, excuse me, sir, are you the substitute instructor for this class?” He finally removed his intense gaze from flushed, trembling Amu to glance at her. When he said nothing, she continued “…I’m Suzie Chen of Mrs. Mansfield’s class, and these are my friends Amu Hinamori and Berkeley Walker, here to receive promotional lessons today. Thank you for taking over the class on such a hectic day, and if you need any help during class, please feel free to call on me.” He stared at her for a few seconds, his true attention still obviously on Amu.

“Yo, Amu,” he said, recovering some of his old confidence, but not the hint of teasing his voice had always carried. No, this was more reserved and polite, even despite the familiar language. Then, turning to Suzue, “thank you, Miss Suzie. I gladly accept your care.

He then strode back to the front to call class to order. “Attention, everyone. Class will now begin. I will start with roll call, first the studio members and then the promotional visitors. Listen up for your name.” Seeing the looks off confusion, he added, “oh yeah, Mrs. Mansfield took an early maternity leave, so for the next two months, starting today, you will be in my care. I have performed on stages in Japan, Europe, Australia, and the United States, both as a soloist and as a member of an orchestra. I have a recorded solo album and appear in six orchestral albums. I am currently working on my second solo album and collaborating with the Indie rock band Stray-t and Narrow, Stray-t spelled S-t-r-a-y-hyphen-t. We will be opening for the world-famous Utau Hoshina this weekend at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Is there anyone who does not believe I possess the qualifications needed to lead this class?” At the end his voice took on an icy edge, as if daring anyone to speak out against him. When no one did, he continued: “My name is Ikuto Tsukiyomi, you can call me by first or last name. I’m here to teach you music, not some stuffy outdated etiquette. You want that, go to finishing school.” Then, locking his fierce gaze on Amu, concluded, “Let’s get started.”

Amu, trembling, struggled even more than before to position her instrument. Her mind was all at once racing at light speed and standing dead still. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her blood coursed in her ears, dizzying her. How can he be all the way here, after all this time? What do I say? What do I do? How do I act? Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Suzie chuckled nervously, probably uncomfortable with the coarse character of her new instructor, and confused about the way he was treating her frazzled friend. Berkeley’s stare rested on the strange man as she nonchalantly whispered under her breath, “So that’s Ikuto, huh? Well, this ought to be interesting….”

[thephantomofthe-internet]

I Know

Billy Hargrove x reader

Description: another late night drive with Billy, another revelation

Word count: 16k

Warnings: swearing (I swear a lot, sorry), abuse mention

A/N: so this is my first fic! it’s based off another fic I read that I think someone wrote for Hargroovin’s 2k special but idk it may have been for someone else’s thing, if I find it, I’ll add a link. Anyway, it was really good and based off the prompt line  “Oh, I already know that you love me. “ and after I finished reading it I rage wrote a fic because the ending the author gave wasn’t the one I imagined. So, yeah that’s where all this comes from. ALSO, since this is my first fic, I have like no one to tag so I’m gonna tag some writers on here whose work I like and admire, sorry if you didn’t want to be tagged but too bad! I like you and want your support (lol seriously though if you want to be untagged, message me and I’ll do it)

Also, ignore my shitty theme on desktop, I haven’t updated it in years and i’m too lazy to bother with it now!

Oh and, because it’s necessary to say before we begin-I DON’T SUPPORT BILLY! HE’S AN ASSHAT WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE RACIST (I TOTALLY SEE IT BUT I GET THE READING SOME HAVE THAT HE ISN’T, IT KIND OF EASY TO SEE TOO)! 

TAGS (I’m tagging the writers who inspire me because...well I can and they probably won’t read it anyone):

@letmeletmetrashyourlove @dacrethehalls @upsidedown-rightsideup @hairringtonsteve @kingharringt0n @steveharringtonofficial @stevesharrlngtons @hargroovin @flamehairedwritings @lovelydacre@gutterdreams @tehnardier @stevesdacre (Dottie’s back and she has no idea who I am but I love her and want her attention in case she leaves again!)

(someone please notice me I’m desperate for attention)

You and Billy had snuck out. Again. For the third time that week alone. This was not a good habit to be getting into. But how could you say no with the king of Hawkins throwing rocks at your window? He’d just try to climb onto your roof again and he nearly died trying the first time. Besides, why would you wanna stay cooped up in your stuffy bedroom when you could be in Billy’s car speeding off to God knows where, his hand gripping your thigh, wind whipping your hair around your face from the window he always left open, even in the dead of winter.

You and Billy had been dating since October, after you found him stumbling around, looking for his step-sister. You didn’t ask what happened that night and he didn’t tell you what he saw, but he did seem to be actively staying out of his sister’s way, which seemed to mutually beneficial.

Except on nights like tonight.

Billy had starting throwing rocks at your window at ten, which was not a good sign. If Billy wanted to do something, he’d call. If he needed help, the rock throwing started. When you looked out the window, you saw his shadow, illuminated by his headlights and you could already tell that whatever happened wasn’t good.

You snuck out the back door, planning to be back before six am, plenty of time to patch up the boy and get home in one piece. Still in your pyjamas, you ran out to his car, the bottle of water you kept frozen in the back of your freezer clutched in your hand, just in case.

Billy didn’t say anything when he saw you coming up the path to him, but you could tell just by the way his posture changed from his cocky lean to a still relieved slump that he was glad to see you. He needed to see you. Desperately.

You got in the car and drove silently away from your parent’s home and into the forests of Hawkins; the quietest place in the whole town, mainly because nobody bothered to go into the forests this late at night. After all the rumors involving Will Byers and his going missing two years prior, nobody liked to trek in there unless they had to, making it the perfect place to hide out while Billy licked his wounds.

Once he parked, you reached until the passenger’s seat and pulled out the white plastic first aid kit, which you’d hidden there after you realized that the black and blue Billy wasn’t a rarity. There wasn’t a lot of light in the car, but you could make out the bruise forming on Billy’s cheek, a small cut from where Neil’s wedding band struck his cheek already crusting over, the blood long since stopped flowing. You used an alcohol wipe to clean off the crusted blood and dabbed Polysporin on the tiny cut. You hand him the frozen water bottle wordlessly, packing up the kit.

You hated seeing Billy like this, small and quiet and pitiful. He looked so tiny and lifeless, like all the life had been sucked from him. But beyond holding him and cleaning his wounds there wasn’t anything you could do. Billy didn’t want to go to the police, he didn’t want the older man to think that he couldn’t take everything that he threw at him, and he couldn’t leave until he graduated, so the options were scant.

Still, you continued to fulfill your purpose, pulling him close to you, holding him tight as though as he would disappear if you let go. It was an awkward position-Billy and you were leaning over the gear shift, which dug into your abdomen. But Billy wouldn’t change the moment. He relished in having you there, watching over him, putting him first. You never pushed him to talk about it, you made sure that he was comfortable and had room to calm down however he needed to that night. He loved that about you.

He loved you.

That was a terrifying thought to Billy, love. He’d never been in love before, not really. Sure, he’d liked plenty of girls and he’d had girls say that they loved him, but he never reciprocated. He’d always shrug it off, leave them in the dust with crumbling hearts. Thinking about it now, he couldn’t bear the idea of you leaving him broken in your wake. He wanted to apologize to every single one of them, the very idea of heartbreak scaring him so badly.

“I hate him…” Billy muttered into your shoulder. You nodded softly, humming in agreement as you ran your fingers through his greasy curls. You heard him say that so many times that it wasn’t something that even really registered in your head as meaningful words. Of course he hated his father, who wouldn’t? You hated him too, even though you hadn’t officially met him, a fact Billy was taking great care to ensure stayed that way. He refused to have that man hurt you.

“I can’t wait to leave this damn town.” He said, balling his fists into your shirt.

You nodded again “I know, it’s just a little while longer, graduation’s a month away…” The idea of graduating scared you a little. You knew where Billy was going, back to California where all his dreams lay, but you had no idea where you’d be. Billy hadn’t asked you to go with him, he hadn’t even acknowledged you as a part of his plan. But Billy didn’t always realize that he had to fill you in on the plans he made, so you held out hope that he wanted you by his side after his nightmare in Hawkins ended.

“And if you don’t go through with Tommy’s stupid plan of flashing the graduating class, you might actually get to leave this town.” You added, giggling to yourself. Tommy had gotten it into his head that he and Billy had to leave their final mark on Hawkins High and for some reason that meant flashing the people he’d known since he was in preschool, to leave a lasting impression on both his classmates and Hawkins High, though you suspected that Tommy flashing anyone would be a shock of miniscule proportions.

Billy laughed a breathy chuckle, genuine and soft, his voice quiet and gentler than usual. He wasn’t showboating like he did at school; he was being himself, the quiet, intelligent man you knew existed just beyond the mask he wore in public.

“I love you…he muttered into your neck, kissing it softly. He hadn’t expected to tell you that he loved you at all, but especially so casually. He’d hardly even noticed he’d said it until his words caught up with his brain. He waited desperately for an answer, needing some kind of reassurance, just something-anything-to tell him that he was in the right.

“I know.” You reply stoically, holding back a smirk with all your might. You were doing your best Han Solo impression, which you had a suspicion that Billy wouldn’t pick up on. But you couldn’t help it! When else would you get to use such an epic response.

Billy sat up to look at you, eyebrows furrowed in the cutest look of bewilderment you’d ever seen “What the fuck do you mean you know?” he snapped, insecurity filling his voice.

Your giggling pride dropped away when you saw and shock and worry in his face and your took his big, calloused hand in your own, rubbing your thumb over the top of his hand, a sweet smile on your face “Oh, I already know that you love me. I’ve known for awhile now.” you admit shyly, shrugging “You aren’t exactly subtle.”

Billy watched you for awhile, unsure of what to do. You hadn’t said it back. You didn’t say it back. He was certain now-you didn’t love him, this was just the gentle let down he’d been told by so many people to use with girls, a tactic he’d never used himself. It hurt more than just being told straight out that you don’t love him.

You noticed the defeated look in his eye and it confused you for awhile. What was he so upset about? You loved him. You told him…right? You thought back, trying to remember the moment that you were sure had happened. But you couldn’t. Your eyes widened as you realized you hadn’t told him. You’d just drop kicked his venerable heart.

“Shit!” you cried “Billy, I love you! Shit, sorry I forgot that I hadn’t said it before. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging there, I was just so sure you knew and oh God you probably hate me now, what a fucking lousy thing to do, Jesus why on earth does anyone let me in public?-” you were rambling now, face beet red and eyes shifting, too embarrassed to look at him.

But Billy wasn’t really listening. He’d heard what he needed to hear and his heart lifted and filled for the first time in what felt like ages and he grabbed your face, kissing you forcefully, shutting you up instantly. You were so shocked at first that you didn’t kiss back, frozen in place, but then you realized what had happened and how happy he was and you couldn’t help but kiss him back, hands tangling into his hair.

Billy pulled back first, smirking in his signature way that made your heart stop and your mind tell you delicious danger was on the way. “You’re a dork, you know that?” he asked, watching you fondly.

“Yeah, I know, but you love me, remember?” you challenged, elbowing him in the ribs.

Billy rolled his eyes “Yeah, I know princess, I know.”

[nerdlostinspace]

SoRiku Fic: The Beginning of a Friendship

The Beginning of a Friendship

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 3,919

Relationship: Sora/Riku

Additional tags: Fluff, Children, Friendship

This is a rewrite from my first fanfiction on ao3!

Riku was a four-year-old boy with silver hair that reached a bit above his shoulder, and blue teal eyes. He was the tallest out of all his classmates and probably the strongest, as he was often seen training and fighting with a wooden sword, instead of spending time with the young children of his age. Indeed, he was more of a lone wolf and did not have many friends, only comrades in kindergarten. Was he feeling lonely? Of course, he was. But for some reasons, the boy did not have the courage to ask his schoolmates to play with him during breaks or outside of school, and he even started to assume that everyone feared him because he was so strong. He was used to being alone and to be looked at by everyone else, until a few days after the start of his second year in preschool. The silverhead was now a year above a few kids that he knew nothing about and he was watching them getting along. The children of his age were getting along together, not with upper or lower classes. He thought that it was normal, they were in separate groups, so why would they go see elsewhere to make friends when they could already have some without doing anything? But apparently, that was not the case for everyone. As soon as the new year started, Riku had noticed a boy from a lower class, he noticed him mainly because he was very noisy compared to everyone else. The boy had brown hair, and he caught the silverhead’s attention because he was always going to people, asking them to play with him, no matter what class they were in. He also always had a huge smile on his face, even when the group he was asking refused his request, he did not seem to give up and kept a bright smile. Riku ended up finding himself looking up to that small boy he would only see during breaks. He wished he could have had such an outgoing personality, sometimes he did not mind being alone, but most of the time it was hard because he was always feeling like everyone else did not want him as a friend, even though they barely knew each other. When the bell announcing the end of the day rang, Riku’s classmates instantly got up and ran towards the exit of the school to meet their parents. The silver-haired slowly packed his pencils and the book his class was studying in his backpack before leaving the room. Once he reached the doors, he tried to weave in and out the crowd of children and parents; he knew that neither his father nor his mother were here to get him, therefore, he started to walk home on his own. He was used to it and did not mind, he was aware that his parents were working hard and pretty late, and they trusted him not to stay outside late and they knew the village was small and rather safe; plus, Riku knew he was strong enough to defeat anyone who would attack him. The silverhead was walking back to his house, lost in his thoughts as he was reciting what he had learned today in class. He kept spacing out until he heard a small stick of wood breaking behind him. He turned around, standing on his guard, scooting his surroundings, before he noticed a backpack coming out from behind a tree. The boy smirked, proud of himself and his skills of analysing what is around him. “I know you’re here, so you’d better reveal yourself,” he said to the person hiding. The latter executed themselves and revealed their identity by leaving the tree. A young and small boy with brown hair and deep blue eyes was standing in front of Riku. The latter noticed that the child he was facing was the one he had been admiring, from a lower class, he wondered what he wanted to do with him. He seemed to be unsure of what he was doing, Riku could see his legs shaking a bit; was he scared of him? “What do you want?” The silver-haired ended up asking, tilting his head a bit. “I, um…” The brunette started, looking to the ground, a sign of shyness. “I wanted to know if you would be alright to teach me how to be as strong as you and how to fight with a sword!” The brown-haired seemed all relieved after he managed to get this out of his chest. He looked as if he was sincere in his request and Riku couldn’t ignore that, even though he was somewhat shocked that someone younger than him would ask for lessons. He thought he was not the best fit to teach anything, but maybe it was his chance to finally make a friend. He knew his parents were worried that he did not have any close friends because they always repeat that friends are important to get through life. But there was one thing that he did not understand: why would someone want to be friends with him? The silverette always assumed everybody hated him, he felt as if everybody was avoiding him, and he could not figure out why. So he was wondering if the brunette was not pulling a prank on him. “Aren’t you scared of me?” “Huh?” The brunette replied, widening his eyes, he did not understand why he should be scared. “But, you’re not scary at all! You don’t look like a monster, just a normal human being. Nothing to be afraid of!” The brown-haired had a huge smile on his face, he placed his arms behind his head and looked at Riku. The latter seemed to be analysing the other boy. He was younger and innocent, he seemed that he could trust anybody even before knowing their true colours. The silverette’s lips formed a small smile, he thought it was cute to be that innocent and so careless about others. He somehow started to feel like he wanted to protect him, even though he barely knew him. “Alright, then.” Riku ended up saying, nodding to his new friend. “I’ll teach you the ways of… the sword. I’m Riku, by the way.” “Awesome! The name’s Sora!” The two boys smiled at each other, they were already bonding without doing very much, and they were both happy about it. The two of them decided of a day to go training, and the silverhead mentioned his dad owned a small wooden boat that they often used to explore the island; they agree that it would be their training grounds, especially since nobody ever goes there. After getting all set about the date and the place, they both parted their own way and went back to their houses, a smile on both faces could be seen. * “Dad, wake up!” A young boy’s voice said to the man laying in his bed. The small silverette was already up and ready to attack the day, that early in the morning, when the sun was currently rising. He was wearing a yellow tank top with blue on the edges, black shorts and two blue wristbands. He was shaking his father, asking him to wake up because he had something important to do on this day. He was meeting with his new friend, Sora, and they were going to go to the island for the whole day, he did not want to miss this. He was already all dressed up, ready to leave, but his father told him to go grab a breakfast before leaving, in the meantime, he would get ready. Riku did as he was told, he went downstairs in a rush and opened the fridge to grab some milk. Some cookies and a glass were already on the table, so he simply sat down and poured the milk into the glass before starting his meal. He was eating really fast, not taking his time to enjoy the food, as he was very excited to spend the day with his very first friend. He wondered about what they would do today: first of all, he knew they would spend a lot of time on fighting with their swords. Then, maybe they would take a swim, he had packed up his bathing suit in his backpack, just in case. He knew his mom had prepared some sandwiches for lunch, for him and Sora; he was looking forward to the picnic on the beach. He then ended up thinking that if they ran out of ideas, they could always do some exploration. Once his breakfast was over, the silverhead quickly tidied up his things and rushed back upstairs to drag his father so they could leave now; he was too excited that he did not want to wait one more second. As they were walking towards Sora’s house, Riku’s father had to remind him several times not to walk too fast; it was the first time that he had seen his son this enthusiastic about doing something, he was surprised, but also happy, he hoped that this friendship would last very long. The silverette could not stop talking about it the evening before, it meant the start of an amazing and long friendship. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the brunette’s house. He was, apparently, as excited as his new friend; he had been waiting next to the window, looking through it so he could see when Riku would arrive, and he instantly opened the door, right after the silverhead’s father rang the bell of the house. He was wearing a white shirt with blue on the edges, and red shorts. Sora’s mother came to meet the newcomers, bringing the brunette’s backpack with her. She talked for a bit with Riku’s father, discussing safety stuff, while the boys were trying to make them stop talking so they could go to the island as soon as possible. After a while, the parents finally put an end to their conversation and the children were on their way to the dock. There were a few wooden barks, along with paddles, attached to the platform. Riku’s father took the backpacks and placed them into the wooden boat where the silverette had invited the brunette in. The two children had grabbed the paddles and started rowing as soon as the adult untied the bark of the dock. Fortunately, it did not take them very long to get synchronised and the small boat was peacefully going towards the island. Once they arrived at their destination, Riku’s father took the time to carefully attach the boat, while the two kids were already running wild, swords in hand, ready to start their long training. First of all, the silverhead explained to the brown-haired the position of his body that he should adopt to get a good balance, but the younger boy decided to make his own battle stance: lowering himself and holding his wooden sword with his two ends, while Riku was standing straight, holding his sword with one arm, which was above his head, and his other arm was held out towards his enemy. Without waiting anymore, they both agreed to start fighting because they both knew that it was a good way of learning. Of course, the silver-haired had already some experience in fighting with a sword, so he did not have to do much to beat his friend. “Not fair!” Sora pouted after being thrown to the ground once again. He sat up and crossed his arms. “What do you mean, ‘not fair’?” Riku asked, sitting down next to his partner. He wiped his forehead with his wristband. “I’ve been training longer than you, but with practice, you could easily reach my level.” “One day, I’ll become stronger than you, Riku!” The younger one replied, his look was full of determination. “How about a run?” As soon as he finished his sentence, the brunette was already on his feet, running as fast as he could. “Hey, wait up!” The silverette said, quickly standing up to catch up with his friend. “THAT’s not fair!” He rapidly reached Sora and passed him, a grin on his face. The children ran from an end to the island to another one, they were both panting at the end of their race. “I win,” Riku said between two pants, to which his friend answered with a growl. “Let’s do something else. Why don’t we explore a bit?” The brunette asked, looking around. The island seemed quite big, with several spots to visit. “Sure,” The silverette replied. He let Sora lead the way as he had already seen most of the island. The first thing that caught the younger boy’s attention was the wooden door that they had reached after running from the docks to the other end of the island. The brunette wondered what could be behind it: an abandoned house? Another part of the island? Or maybe just a cupboard where past children would drop their broken toys or toys that they don’t use anymore? He looked at his friend, who looked back at him, and they both nodded to each other, understanding what they would do. They opened the door walked through it to discover a new area. In front of them, they could see an old wooden bridge that was broken, some planks were missing, and it did not seem very stable. After the platform, there was a tall wooden tower with a cable that linked it to the rock wall at the end of the zone. Between the tower and the façade, there was a small part of the beach with many palm trees. Next to the entrance towards the first part of the island, there was a big yellow star. The two children looked at each other in the eyes, as if they understand what they were thinking without talking. “Let’s go for a race!” Sora said, confirming Riku’s thoughts. The both of them had a grin on their face, there was no way they were going to lose this run. They got into position and the silverette started the countdown. As soon as he shouted “Go!”, the two kids started running as fast as they could, jumping onto the old, broken bridge. The silverhead was a bit faster than the brownhead, he was already almost at the wooden tower when his partner screamed. He instantly turned back to see that Sora had stepped on a risky plank and was hanging on the next plank that was making cracking noise; his eyes widened, and he immediately rushed towards the poor boy. “Sora!” Riku shouted, laying down on the platform to reach the brunette. He grabbed his arm and started to pull him with all his strength. Unfortunately for the both of them, the wooden platform did not resist under their weight and the two children fell down into the water below. The silverette was on his knees, slowly getting up to look for Sora who was next to him. “Sora! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?” He asked, panicked that he might have a broken bone, but the other boy simply shook his head while rubbing the back of it. “I’m alright! My head hurts a little bit, but I’m fine, don’t worry!” The silver-haired wanted to be sure, he took a look at the back of Sora’s head and felt relieved not to see any trace of blood. “Phew, you really scared me there…” Riku sat down to catch his breath and to get his heartbeat to slow down. “I’m stronger than I look like! Let’s finish this race!” Sora answered, jumping back on his feet. The other boy did as well and they both started running again. The silverhead arrived at the wooden tower first, the brunette decided to follow him, instead of taking the other way that may have been quicker than waiting for his turn on the Tyrolean. Riku slid on the cable, holding onto something not to hurt his hands due to the friction; he had the wind his hair and he could see a beautiful view of the ocean from where he was. He jumped onto the top of the palm tree next to the passage way to the other part of the island, and poked the yellow star with his hand, which lighten up at the contact. He then turned back and waited for his friend to join him. The brown-haired jumped next to Riku and placed his hand on the star, panting a lot. “Looks like I win, again,” The silver-haired said, a smirk on his face. Sora glared at his partner. What if this was not the end? He asked himself. As his lips started to form a grin, he removed his hand from the star and started jumping onto the other palm trees, going back to their starting point. “Hey!” Riku shouted. “That’s not fair!” He followed his friends, trying to be quick, but the other already had a head start. When he arrived at the wooden bridge, Sora made sure to be more careful, and he managed to arrive next to the door without falling again. He turned back to Riku, put his arms behind his head and made a huge smile. “Looks like I win!” He said when the silverette finally arrived, insisting on the ‘I’. “Yeah, but you cheated. I didn’t know we had to go back here,” Riku replied, pouting. “Well, next time you’ll know!” ‘Next time,’ repeated the older boy in his head as he looked at his friend with a genuine smile. It implied that Sora wanted to hang out with him again, and it meant so much to him. Sora was his very first friend and he could not be happier at the moment. After getting their breath back, they decided that it was time to have their lunch break. They went back to the main area of the island and joined Riku’s father, who was laying on the sand, reading a book. They set up the blanket that they would sit on for the picnic and they pulled out of their bags their meal. They both had different stuff to eat, so they decided to share. Riku loved Sora’s mom’s cooking, and Sora loved Riku’s mom’s. * After their lunch, the kids decided to go back to exploring. The brunette had noticed the entrance to an unknown place, next to the waterfall, so they decided to search this area. They were small enough not to have to crouch to go through the passage way; they arrived in an empty cave with some mushrooms and an odd wooden door at the end. They both reached the gate and tried to open it, but it did not work, and it did not even have a handle. “This will be our secret hideout! We won’t let the other kids know this place! But we’ll have to decorate it. Maybe later, what do you think?” Sora said as he was walking towards the exit. “Sure!” Riku answered, following his friend, and looking back at the door, wondering what it meant. Once outside, they decided to go to the huge wooden platform that was near the docks, they had to climb on a ladder to reach it. Nothing much was there, beside a rope and a wooden stick, as well as a stunning view of the ocean. “Hey, this could be our pirate ship!” The brunette shouted, raising his wooden sword in the air. “Our pirate ship?” The silverette repeated, chuckling a bit. He already loved his friend’s imagination and he could not wait to go on many adventures with him. “Yeah!” Sora nodded. “But we also need… the captain’s room!” He looked around, trying to find a special spot on the island that could serve as the captain’s chamber. He noticed another wooden ladder, leading to an area inside a tree. “There!” He shouted, pointing the place with his finger, before rushing towards it, follow by his friend. Once they arrived in this huge whole in the trunk of the tree, they realised that it was also very empty, only a cloth was hanging there. This area did not have much light and the kids suddenly felt sleepy, therefore, they decided to lie down and rest a little before going back to their activities. Riku grabbed the cloth and gently put it over himself and Sora so they would not get cold during their nap. Soon after they lied down, they could not help their eyes from closing themselves and they quickly gave into slumber. * After a few hours, the brunette opened his deep blue eyes and stretched his body, before waking up. His friend was still sleep and he tried not to make any noise, so he would not wake up. He tiptoed his way out of the hole in the trunk and looked around; the sun was already setting down. He rushed back to his friend and shook him, now trying to wake him up. “Riku! Riku, wake up! The sun is going down!” The silverette grunted, he did not like to be woken up, especially not in such a brutal way. He rubbed his eyes and slowly stood up, following Sora outside. He looked at the sunset with a smile on his face, he had an idea that would please his friend. “Hey, do you want to go to a spot where we completely see the sunset?” He asked. The brown-haired instantly nodded, stars could be seen in his eyes; he must love sunsets, Riku thought. They both climbed down the ladder to go back to the ground and headed to the wooden shack next to the waterfall. Inside, there was a staircase that they climbed to reach a wooden bridge that lead them to a tiny isle. In this area, there were several palm trees, as well as another tree with yellow star shape fruits. The kids sat down on the trunk of the tree, facing the horizon, watching the sunset. “This is my favourite spot,” Riku said, breaking the silence after a few minutes. “Oh? You come here often?” Sora asked, looking towards his friend with surprise on his face. “Yeah,” the silverette nodded. “Almost every weekend. I don’t have many friends so… I spend my free time here.” “But now, you have me!” The brunette replied, a hugged, bright smile on his face. Riku looked at his partner and smiled back. They were really friends, he thought. He looked back at the ocean and let his mind wander. He hoped that Sora and he could be friends for ever, and that nothing would separate them. A sound behind them made they turn, the silver-haired’s father had joined them to watch the sunset. Riku and Sora moved a bit, leaving some room on the trunk for the adult. “Do you know what these fruits are?” He asked the children, after a moment of silent. They both shook their head, and he grabbed one from the branches. “They’re called paopu fruits. The legend says that if you share one with someone, your destinies become intertwined, meaning that you will remain part of each other’s life, no matter what happens.” The two kids were now looking at him with an expression of surprise and admiration on their face. “Riku! Let’s try one!” Sora shouted, to which Riku shyly nodded. They were friends since only a few hours, but the silverette felt like they had connected so much, he was happy to meet such an incredible person. His father cut the paopu in half and gave one to each of them. They happily started to nom the fruit, looking at the horizon, watching the sun sets on this beautiful day that marked the start of a beautiful friendship.

[stunudo]

You Don’t Know Everything

A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction

Featuring: Kate Callahan and Family      Setting:  Season 15

Requested: Anonymous

Prompt: ❝ you may leave school, but school never leaves you. ❞

A/N: I really like writing in the future! Also this is all team fluff. I didn’t use the prompt as a quote, but as a theme. Hope you don’t mind! xoxo Stu

The hallways were empty as the senior class poured from their testing in the cafeteria. Graduation was days away, so the twelfth grade students were completing their finals as the lower grades continued on their normal schedules. The athletic brunette dodged around a few groups to catch up with the curvy African American girl arm and arm with the statuesque blonde boy.

“Markayla,” Meg purposely pulled her friend’s backpack, dragging her away from her longtime boyfriend, Mason.

“Meg!” Markayla squealed, shoving the other girl back. “How’d you do? I aced the essay, but completely blanked on the section about mapping the post-Soviet countries.“

“I did alright, anyways, I already have an A. If I got my name wrong; I wouldn’t fail.” Meg grinned, sidestepping as Mason fell back in line with her bestie.

“Do you have to work this weekend?” Markayla asked the tall boy.

“Nope, but I have early morning baseball practice.” Mason admitted.

“Gross!” Markayla complained. “I want some crew time! I feel like we never get together, just the five of us anymore.” Meg laughed, shaking her head at the pouting girl.

“I have to babysit tonight anyways,” Meg reminded her.

“Ugh, fine.” She grinned, proving her whining in jest. “Next weekend for sure then.”

“It’s a date.” Meg and Mason said in unison before the three of them broke into hysterics.

The bath water was sloshing at dangerous levels as Meg Callahan shampooed her little cousin’s hair. She made sure to not let any suds slip down his face, while expertly shaping his unruly hair into a row of spikes.

“I’m a Spinosaurus!” the boy roared, while appreciating his reflection in the reflective faucet.

“Alright, Mr. Spinosaurus, you have ten minutes to play and then I’ll be back.”

“Twenty minutes?” He asked with a pouty flutter of his eyelashes.

“Ten, don’t push your luck!”

“Bye, Meg. See you in twenty minutes!” His tiny voiced screeched. Meg refused to argue further and left the damp bathroom tile behind, heading to the living room and her waiting calculus notes.

Later that night as Meg was tucking in the suddenly tired preschooler, he asked an impressive question. “Why is graduation such a big deal?”

“Because it means I am done with normal school.” Meg tried to explain as she found the exact toys he needed to fall asleep each night.

“You still have school, but you have to move there?” He understood pretty well for a four year old.

“I am going to school in New York, but I won’t move there until August, bud.”

“I don’t want you to move, Meggy-Pie.” His voice was soft.

“I know, but just think, the new baby will be here before I leave. It’s going to be crowded!”

“Can you stay and the baby goes to college?” He suggested, his plush Chewbaca tight against his cheek.

“Nice try, but not this time.” Meg answered gently, tucking his drying curls behind his ear. She sat on his bed and watched him fall asleep, memorizing him in this moment as fleeting as any.

“GUYS!” Garcia chirped over JJ’s speakerphone. “You all need to get your booties in here, it’s starting!” Spencer and JJ shared a glance, leading the way to the tech office.

Over Lewis’, Alvez’ and Simmons’ faces a confused look passed, though they fell inline behind the senior agents of the BAU. On the numerous monitors above Garcia’s desk was a single live feed: a profile shot of a young woman in a navy blue graduation cap atop her brunette mop of shoulder-length hair.

“I can’t believe she is already graduating,” JJ gushed.

“I am surprised Chris is keeping it together long enough to hold the phone steady!” Garcia added, dotting her eyes with a tissue.

“Hey, look, there’s Markayla too!” Reid pointed to the softly permed head of Meg’s best friend one row back and two chairs over.

“Guys, I am glad you’re all excited, but who is she?” Lewis asked.

“Right?” Alvez and Simmons said in unison.

The screen shifted to a little boy with black curls hoping excitedly on a gymnasium bench beside his mother’s protruding lap. Garcia squealed and clapped. A deep voice said, “Alright Callahans, say hi to our viewing audience.” The beautiful woman and hyper child gave the obligatory greeting to the phone’s camera. A microphone crackled, signalling the start of the ceremony.

“That’s Kate?” Alvez asked in a low voice, leaning towards his husband’s ear.

“Yeah, the little guy was the reason she left the bureau. That’s Kit he’ll be five three months before Michael.” Spencer explained.

“He’s gorgeous!” Garcia cooed. “Oh! Do you think Rossi knows it’s today? Should I call him?” Just as she spun for consensus a heart from Uncle Dave’s profile floated on the screen. JJ grinned, spinning Garcia back towards the monitors.

JJ leaned back, speaking to Lewis and Simmons, “Just before Kate left, we rescued Meg and her best friend, Markayla, from an online ring operation for murdering sadists.”

“Yikes,” Simmons responded, “Can’t really blame her for stepping away. Family is too important.”

“The unsubs were actually targeting Kate, so she had more reason to leave than most.” Reid added.

“How awful,” Lewis mused as the pep band ended the school song. The routine faculty speakers and valedictorian address followed. The whole process was pleasantly succinct. Once the students began lining up, the camera moved. Chris was searching for a better angle for his niece’s diploma acceptance. The awkward zoom found the stage and refocused on the podium and the waiting principal. The A’s were a small group, just a single row of seats at the front of the basketball court. They barrelled through the B’s, soon it was Meg’s turn, the BAU teammates lunged forward in anticipation.

“Margaret Callahan,” the announcer read loudly. The agents clapped and hooted in celebration.

“Hey, Spence?” Alvez whispered to his lanky husband. “I think it’s time, we really should meet with the social worker again.” Spencer grinned, nodding in enthusiastic agreement. They firmly held hands, always careful to keep their office affection professionally modest.

“I think that calls for more celebration!” Emily burst into the cramped office with Dixie cups of sparkling cider on a ramshackle tray from the break room.

“To all the BAU babies, be they grown or still unknown!” Garcia toasted to a cacophony of cheers.

It was two weeks later that Kate and Chris had been able to rent a hall for Meg’s graduation party. Coordinating party schedules with the parents and grandparents of Meg’s four closest friends (Markayla, Mason, Jian and Grant) had been a feat, but as any challenge Kate faced it head on. The guests were due any minute as the teenagers quickly put out the remaining chairs. Little Kit was half dancing/ half chasing balloons across the stage as the sound system was set up.

Meg and Markayla were hovering between the front doors and the gift table, fixing and reshuffling the decorative confetti around the gift bags. Markayla’s mom helped Chris bring out the food for the buffet, while Kate chatted casually with Mason’s grandparents, rubbing her swollen belly. The kids had maintained  such a strong bond because their parents or guardians all trusted and communicated too. The Davis and Callahan families knew all too well the dangers with not knowing your kids’ friends.

Mason’s freshman sister played with Kit, hoping to show Kate she was ready to be their new babysitter when Meg went away to school. By ones or pairs, more classmates and teachers swung by the party, all still giddy with the freedom of summer. It was about an hour after the party started when a dark haired man and his moping teenager walked in, looking for Kate. His lined face broke into an unusual smile when he saw her shuffling her swollen ankles towards them.

“Hotch! I can’t believe you actually made it!” She beamed, taking him in a deep hug. Kate then turned to the shy gawky boy, almost as tall as his father now. “Now this handsome young man isn’t little Jack!”

“Hi, Kate,” a deep voice answered back. Tears stung her eyes as she took the boy in an awkward hug.

“I am so glad you could make it!” Kate exclaimed, scanning the crowd for the woman of the hour. “Meg! Come say hi to the Hotchners.”

Meg, Markayla and Grant all moved as a unit to the small circle of mostly former FBI agents. They made their introductions and caught up. Kate sharing Meg’s plans for the fall with pride, asking what life after the Bureau entailed for them. Life was good, not perfect, not easy, but definitely worth it for these two small families that had lost so much so young.

Soon Chris brought out the projector screen and blasted Meg’s baby pictures for the entertainment of her guests. The years unraveled and they began to see the woman she was on her way to be. If one looked closely, you may have glanced a picture or two with her black hair, taken before her and Markayla shaved their heads for a fundraiser freshman year.

After the cake was eaten and the karaoke was sung, the Callahans sat in the abandoned banquet hall in a contented quiet. Little bits of streamers and confetti littered the floor and their hair, thanks to the now sleeping boy drooling on his dad’s shoulder.

“How did it go so fast?” Kate remarked in awe.

“I would say that it took forever, but you know, perspective.” Meg teased.

“I just can’t believe we won’t get another party like this until the little guy graduates, class of ‘33, represent.” Chris stage whispered. Meg and Kate shared an eye roll before laughing lovingly at the cheesy man.

“You never know, maybe I’ll get married before Kit graduates.” Meg challenged, leaving masks of shock on her aunt and uncle’s faces. Quickly she chimed in alongside them, “Nah!”

The night ended with a comedic clean up for the day to remember.

[1000fandoms]

Can you answer 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 34, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, and 49 please? I'm terribly sorry if this is to much for you to handle!

No it’s ok!! I’m sorry about the length though!I’ll add a “read more” when I convince myself to get my laptop out later.

2. Top favorite 3 songs as of now?Um… these are more like ones I listen to/sing often“All for One” by Five for Fighting“Hallelujah” by Tori Kelly, I think? Correct me if I’m wrong!And “Believer” by Imagine Dragons

5. In your opinion, cutest way to be asked out?I dunno. I’ve never been asked out. Um… I really don’t know! There are so many ways… I guess, maybe kinda random while we’re having a lot of fun? Or maybe on a night out, like a gentleman? Not even on a DATE, just as we’re spending time together? (I looove flowers so that’s always a bonus)

6. Favorite season?Ehhh… I like all of them!I LOVE snowBut I also love summertimeAnd flowers in the springAnd the colors changing in the fall

7. Favorite candy?UhhhSnickers, Milky Ways, Reese’s PB cups, (do buttermints count?), Twix, and there are so many more I haven’t thought of

8. Dark or milk chocolate?Milk chocolate!!

10. Has someone ever changed you significantly and how?I’m not sure. If we’re talking about over time, then my family, yeah! But nothing too significantly, maybe. (I have horrible memory though)

12. Left handed or right handed?Rightie!!

14. Who’s your best friend and how long have you been friends?

Like, not internet, right?Well, I have my cousin. And we’ve known each other like, our entire lives, cause she’s 5 months younger And then there’s one of my best friends, and we met in preschool. We’ve been friends for about 15/16 years (my artist friend) And then there’s one, who’s like, the almost EXACT version of me, except she’s black. We call ourselves an OREOAnd then there’s one more I was close with, despite only seeing eachother at church. But we’ve drifted apart, and I really miss her

15. Is there anyone you like and why?Oh there was this boy, that I’d liked on-and-off since 6th grade. He was really funny, kind, and smart. He always made me laugh. Never really got close though

16. What are some of your pet peeves?someONE NOT WASHING THEIR HANDS AFTER GOING TO THE BATHROOM. LIKE. EW. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!!?!?

17. Favorite and least favorite subjects in school?Favorites-7th grade Physical Science/11TH grade chemistry Least favorites- SENIOR YEAR PRE-CALCULUSOMW I HATED THAT CLASS

19. Sweaters or hoodies?I think hoodies! Especially oversized ones!

20. Snow or rain?Well, snow in generalRain if I can just watch from my bedroom window and cherish the noise

22. Who makes you smile regardless?Most of the time, my mom or my artist friend. Not so much a WHO, but also fanfics and tv shows/anime

23. What would you want your name to be if you were the opposite sex?I have no idea lol. Maybe Gabriel? Never really thought about it

25. Favorite song lyrics?Ooohhh I got so many songs. But what popped in my mind was“You are more than the choices that you’ve made,You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,You are more than the problems you create,You’ve been remade”- Choices by Tenth Avenue North

28. A book you could read over and over again?I’m not sure. A MOVIE I really like is “The Princess Bride”. I’ve read the book (and I am COMPLETELY aware of the whole book/movie inaccuracy) But this was the first thing I thought of for some reason

30. What is the worst thing someone could do to you?In a relationship? … My artist friend recently broke up with her boyfriend after, like, a year because he lost interest. I’ve never felt that hurt personally, but I suppose that’s something. That, or lie to me and say they do. (Got that from a fic. Pardon my lack of a love life)In general? I hate when older people talk down to me. Like, anyone I guess. Yes, I’m 18. Yes, I know I don’t know everything. Yes, I sometimes act childish. But don’t treat me like a kid.

33. Night owl or morning bird?Night owl, mostly

34. A band/artist you want to see in concert?Uhhh… I’m not sure. I don’t really go to concerts. O.o

37. What do you fear most and why?Being forgotten. Just by people I thought I was kinda close to, or just friends in general. OrNEEDLES. I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I WILL CRY

39. How old are you?(Lol I said this for 30)18!

41. Ever gotten your heart broken, how?I’m not sure about BROKEN. Not in a relationship. But I guess in life, maybe.

43. A few things on your bucket list?Travel the worldBe on Broadway, maybe?

45. How often do you wear a fake smile?It depends on my day. I don’t keep track, but there are some days that I wear one a lot

49. Most hurtful thing someone has said to you?Heh… there’s a couple…

To explain: I’ve always been kinda heavy, but it’s mainly from stress eating. So…

“At least I know how to eat right.” is the first one I remember. I don’t remember what grade I was in but it was maybe 5th? Middle school?

More recently

“There’s not enough room [for you?]. Does anyone smaller want to ride?” Referring to a freaking CAR. I was at a birthday party, in like a neighborhood that had a mini golf course at the entrance, and we had to drive up to it from the main “activity house” and one of my classmates, who had a car, offered a ride, because the pickup the Dad was driving was kinda full, so I asked (BECAUSE IT Was full and I didn’t want to ride and make everyone more… squished) and he said that and… yeah. It hurt

So, I was at another classmate’s 18th birthday, and we were playing a game where we were tied at the wrist and had a balloon around each of our ankles. I was with a girl I was kinda close to and we were one of the last groups so we decided to hide under a table (cause they were covered with a long tablecloth) in front of the house.

Well the SAME boy who said the thing above^^ was with the “birthday boy” asked for a hint to where we were. The mom said we were hiding and the birthday boy suggested to look under the tables but then HE said“[My nickname] can’t…”He didn’t finish. But I knew what he was going to say.

I looked at my friend, and she looked at me and I’m pretty sure she could see how hurt I was.

I apologize if you didn’t want the whole back story thing. Or the 3 different things.

And I’m sorry that this whole thing is soooooo long. But thank you for asking!

[purplesurveys]

458

A bunch of name surveys just because.

Do you know people with these names? For each name, say if you know someone with that name and how you know them.

Aaron: Aaron’s a good friend and a part of my high school friend group. We don’t see each other anymore but we’ll sometimes bump into each other on campus. Adam Aisha Alanna Alex: There’s someone in my college with this name. She sings and is taking up broadcast communication. Alexa: Someone from my high school batch. Was a popular girl and a little too sassy for my liking. I think she’s moved to Australia now. Alexandria Allegra Allie: It’s spelled Alli, but she’s a member of our rival org. She’s the fakest bitch I know and ugh, she’s just so rotten and loves to talk shit about people behind their backs. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s said anything about me. Allison: This was the name of my Comm 100 instructor. I found her really pretty but she doesn’t teach very well. She’s also taking up her Masters in the same department, which explains why she did one sem of teaching.

Alondra Amanda: I have an orgmate named Amanda. She’s taking up engineering but I’ve forgotten which sub-branch. Super quiet girl but I found her reliable in the few times I worked with her. Amber Amie: It’s spelled Aimee but whatever. Rich girl, is the equivalent of a white girl where I live. Is dating one of the star basketball players from Ateneo. Ana Anaïs Andreas Andrew: Dude from my course. Likes wrestling, is funny and has good insights, but is a little too clingy for my liking. Also feels as though he’s friends with everyone which can feel a tad bit invasive. Angela: My best friend’s name is Angela. Angelica: Sweet girl from my course who is super passionate about science journalism. A little dorky but I like her, and I find her really sweet. I admire her for always sticking up for what she wants and believes in. She’s really resilient and adventurous; she always signs up for conferences, seminars, workshops, and stuff, whether local or abroad. Her mom’s a famous journalist in the country. Anna Annie: One of my grandma’s close friends is named Annie but I haven’t seen her in a while. I don’t even know if she’s still alive? Ari: I have a friend-ish who has a little sister nicknamed Ari. I’m not close with her enough to know Ari’s full name lmao. Ashley Ashna Audrey: Someone from my batch. She stayed in UP Los Banos for a while, but she’s since moved to my campus but I’m not sure what course she’s taking. My bets are Math or Architecture, but I can be wrong. Austin Becky: Nasty fake bitch from my AJPunk days. I had a close-knit group of friends during these days and we were all brought together just by our love for wrestling and our favorite ship at the time. She was a part of it too, but someone discovered her private Twitter and it was just her saying a bunch of mean, nasty things about everyone else in the group, including me. When we confronted her about it, she blocked us. Messy times, lmao. Ben

Berkeley Beth Bobby Bolor Brendan Bridgid: I dunno if this counts, but I had a batchname with the name Bridgette. I don’t know much about her other than the fact that she once dated a dude from one of the popular bands from our scene who played the saxophone. Britney Brooke Cal Callie Cam Cameron Camille: When I was younger, I used to ride the school bus with an older girl named Camille. She was 3-4 years older, I don’t really remember; but she was one of the nicer older students and always spoke to us on the bus. She’s since moved to California and I never got to talk to her anymore. Camryn Carmen Caro Caroline: Jane’s middle name is Caroline. Casilda Cecile Cecily Chanel Chloe: Another high school batchmate. I remember her as being kind of a snob and would look down on people who weren’t popular. She was always kind to me though so that was nice. She’s taking up Psych in my school now but I’ve never seen her around. I also know another Chloe from communication research, but I don’t talk to her. Chris: Not the same spelling, but I know a Kris. She’s one of Gabie’s two best friends. All I know about her is that she likes doing outdoor stuff, like hiking and going to the beach; but she’s too extroverted for me to wanna hang out with her all the time. Christina: We all call her Tina but this is her whole name. She’s the new VP for Publicity in our org. Real sweet girl, not a bad bone in her body. She’s also one of the more mature people I know. Christopher: My uncle’s whole name is Christopher, but he’s Tito Perry to me. I have no idea how his nickname turned into that. He works abroad so I don’t see him much but I know he’s hilarious. Claire: Ms. Claire was the guidance counselor assigned to my batch for several levels. I didn’t really cultivate a relationship with her as much as I didn’t with all the other mentors/teachers in my old school. Claudia: Her name was Klaudia and she was an It girl all the way from preschool to the second we graduated high school. She was really mean when she was a kid but I think she’s been nicer in high school and now that we’re in college. Typical rich kid who has snooty tendencies, but I appreciate the one time she said hi to me on campus haha. She’s taking up a course in economics now. Claudine Cole Connie Connor Courtney Cyrus Daisy: My 6th grade Math teacher had this name. She did not teach well and I mostly got bad grades in math that year. Dakota Dana: If you mean Danna, then I know someone I went to grade school with with the same name. She was...honestly a little weird, and knew so many sexual innuendos at like, 10. That creeped me out and I didn’t hang out with her a lot. But if you mean Dana with a long A, I know a Deina too; different spelling but whatever. I don’t know much about her but we’re course mates and I’ve been classmates with her a few times. She had a dog who died recently :( Danielle: She goes by Giana but her middle name is Danielle. Sweet girl from my high school, but never really got to hang out with her since our personalities are super different. She’s taking up philosophy in my school. David: Callo’s foreign boyfriend is named David but I’ve never met him precisely because he lives somewhere in like Europe and only comes over to the Philippines a couple times every year; Patrice’s boyfriend is also named David and I’ve met him a few times. Nice dude. David’s also the name of one of my groupmates from my communication research class. He sucks and barely contributed anything. Delilah Diane: Dianne’s someone I went to high school with. We were never close but we were always friendly to each other when our paths would meet. Super smart–she’s taking up business administration and accountancy also in my schoool–and is a beast at dancing. Diego: A high school batchmate has been going out with a dude named Diego in the last 5 years. Donald Doug Duncan Dylan: My sister went to high school with a girl named Dylan but that’s all I know. Eleanor Elijah: I have a cousin named Elijah and also a high school batchmate with the same name. The first Elijah’s really quiet and likes to keep to himself, preferably with a book; the second one I’m not very close to. All I remember is that she kept on having these really bad allergies when we were in kindergarten but that’s about it lmao. She also goes to the same school I do and I think she’s also taking up business ad. Elise: Some girl a batch higher than me in college who served in the student council. Never talked to her. Eliza Elizabeth: See Ellie haha. Ella: Angela’s family nickname is Ela. Elle: I had a former batchmate whose middle name was Elle but we all called her Rielle. Insanely rich. Moved to Nevada when we were all still kids. Ellie: It’s spelled Ely, but I had a class with her just this semester. She’s soft-spoken and I found her to be really elegant. Elliot Emerson Emily Emma Eric: My godfather and uncle is named Eric. He was the funny uncle when I was a kid but I never really see him anymore. Erika: There was an Erycka from my high school batch but I genuinely dislike her. She was rich, liked to brag, and to look down on those who weren’t on her level. Acted like hot shit because she was in a band. She asked me to drive her along with her other (much nicer) friends for the Paramore concert last August, and as much as I didn’t want to, I had to say yes because I had no reason to decline the request. Ethan Faith Fiona: One of my sister’s closest friends is named Fiona. Francesca: Such a common name. Francesca is my friend Michelle’s middle name, and the first name of my close friend from Batch 2017 in high school (I’m from Batch 2016) as well as the names of two girls from Batch 2019. I also have a distant cousin with the name. I’m sure there’s loads more with this name. Franz George: Weird dude I was classmates with in a history class this semester. It’s the kind of weird that you know just how smart he is that you just accept the weirdness and go lmao. Ginny Giselle Grace: One of my great-aunts is named Grace. Graham Hadley Hailey: Not a person, but one of Angela’s shihtzus is named Hailey. Hannah: Orgmate, groupmate, classmate, and a good friend of mine. Also not a bad bone in her body. She’s a born performer and has a massive crush on David Archuleta. Havana Helen Henry Hugo Huma Ilana: Close enough. I know an Ylona but we all call her Summer. Guessing she got that nickname as she was born in April. Indra Isabel: High school batchmate who I mostly remember because she’s super religious, which is also why I didn’t really want to be close to her. She’s really nice though. Isabelle’s also my middle name. Isabella: One of Gabie’s sisters is named Isabela. Itza Ivy: This is the name of my professor in feature writing. Really good at what she does and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. Izzy Jackie Jacob James: I have a younger second cousin named James. I’ve only seen him once though, when he visited the country last December for Christmas, because he’s been raised in New Zealand and Vietnam his whole life. Jamie: She was one of my groupmates in an English class. I found her hardworking so I liked her. She was also my classmate in a pol sci class but I think she dropped it halfway through. Jason Jennifer: One of my teachers in kindergarten. She was very maternal and always looked out for me knowing how shy I was as a kid, which I’ve always appreciated. Jenny Jess Jhadha Joe John: I know a bunch of Johns but the most prominent one is my older cousin that I’m closest to; his first name is John. Jonathan Joseph: Dude from my course. Kinda cheery dude, always active and in a good mood. Sometimes he’s too extroverted for me. Joyce J.P. Jude Julia Julie Justin: Some dude from the org I used to apply for. I didn’t last very long in the application process so I only know him by name. Kaan Kai: One of my sister’s best friends from school is named Kairin but she goes by Kai. She’s also a neighbor of ours. Karina Kat: I had an internet friend back in like 2012 named Kat. She was mysterious and had a twin sister, but she disappeared and had her Twitter deleted not long after. Kat’s also the nickname of my cousin’s girlfriend. Kate: One of the best friends I’ve made in college. We started out as orgmates and didn’t really talk for two years, but we got closer since we were both vice presidents and had to work a lot with each other. She’s graduating next month and I’m really sad about it. Katherine Kinaya Kira Kristie Lanie Laura Lauren: A batchmate from high school. She studies med in college now. We were close from Grade 3 to 4 but grew apart as our circles and interests changed. Had a slew of boyfriends and girlfriends in like 6th grade and was one of the girls who started drinking early lol so she was one of the pretty cool kids for those. Leah León Lexxi Liberty Lisette Louisa: One of my good friends in college is named Luisa, who I also met from our org. She graduated last year but we still keep in touch in groupchats and I’ll also see her from time to time in sports events since she covers the sports beat. Luca Luis: A close friend that I met in high school. We were part of the same friend group, and now he’s taking up architecture in my school with Angela. Lynette MacKenzie Maddie Maggie: There was a girl from two higher batches with this name. I also have a younger cousin we call Maggie. Makena Manlio Margaret: Yeah, my cousin Maggie’s first name is Margaret. Margo: Used to go to grade school and ride the school bus with a Margo. She would let me listen to her MP3 when we were in 3rd grade; her favorite album at the time was Ashley Tisdale’s Headstrong because that’s all we would listen to hahaha. Maria: This is the most common name in the Philippines and I literally know like 50 people named Maria. Marianna Mariely Martha Martin Mayuri McKinley Megan: A high school batchmate’s middle name is Megan, but her first and chosen name is Denise. Meredith Mia: I know a Mia but only from mutual friends. We’ve never talked to nor met each other. Michael: See Mike. Michelle: Yup, she’s my orgmate and a friend of mine. I’m also gonna be working with her in the next executive board term in the org since we were both elected as VPs. Mike: He was my almost in high school. We met each other at a soiree and hit it off really well from the start. I was considering it for a while and he even asked me to senior ball, but it clashed with me getting back together with Gab while all of that was happening. Minah Miranda Molly Morgan Nadia Nancy: We had a bus mother we called Manang Nancy and she practically raised me my whole childhood. I changed school buses when we moved houses and never really was able to get back to her, which I continue to feel sucky about. She’s really old now and highkey not even sure if she’s still alive, and it’s why I’d love to see her again. Natalie Nathan Nathanael Neoma Nichole: I had an annoooooooying bus mate named Nicole. She was the kind of kid that would do all kinds of stuff just to grab your attention and to have you look at her. I think she graduated this year. Nico: One of my high school batchmate’s went out with a Nico for a really long time. I don’t think they’re together now though cos its been ages since she posted about him. Nikki: Old high school batchmate, but she moved out early to transfer to a science high school. Noah Noelle Octavio Olivia Orion Owen Paige Pam: Again, another girl from high school. I also had a classmate named Pam in my broad comm class this semester, and she was always nice to me and helped me out a lot whenever I needed it. Pat: I know a bunch of people named Patricia who go by Pat. Patrick: Audrey’s boyfriend. All I remember about him is that he gets annoyingly aggressive when he’s drunk. Paul: An alumni of my org. Was a former president, too. He’d show up to org events here and there. Paula: I went to elementary and high school with a girl named Paula. She was painfully quiet for the most part but I think she’s blooming a lot in college now. Pauline: My 4th grade social science teacher was named Pauline and she was also one of my first woman crushes lmao. I also used to go to school with two Paulines; one was really girly and a little snooty, and the other Pauline is one of the most talented artists I know. Peter Phoebe: There are two Phoebes in my college. One is taking up journ and the other is from broad comm. Phong Price Quinn Rachel Rai: A girl from one of my old broad comm classes. That was really the only time I encountered her. Railey Raquel Ray Rayne: There was a Raine from my old school. Smart, talented, very tall, hilarious, clever, cool girl. She’s the daughter of one of the more popular national basketball coaches. Rebecca Rebkah Regina: She goes by Reggy but this is her full name. She’s the beeeest baker I know. She’s had her own successful baking business since high school and I’m just glad it’s going nowhere but up for the last five or so years. Reilly Remy Ren Rhianna Robert Rohini Roither Rose: Marielle’s (my lifelong enemy lmao) first name is Rose. Ruby Ruilin Sabrina Sakura Salim Sally Sam: Sam is a really popular white girl name in the Philippines and I know so many of them. Sapna Sarah Savanah Sebastian Shani Shannon Siena Snigdha Sofia: Gab’s youngest sister is named Sophia. My old best friend is also a Sofia. Sophie: ^ It’s the former’s nickname. Soren Spencer Summers: Close, but I know a Summer from my college and org. Sydney Taran Taylor Tessa: My prof in PR class is a Tessa. Thea: Another girl from high school. She was a teacher’s pet even though I always found her to be a bit snobby and having a little atittude. Theo Theresa: My profs in PR and Newsroom classes are Theresas. Tim Tom Tori Ural Victoria: I had a groupmate in civic ed whose middle name was Victoria, but we all called her Kristine. Viviane Walter Will Willa William Yujin Yuta Zac: I think one of my cousins has Zachary as his middle name, but I’m not so sure hahaha. Zoe Which names do you prefer?

Alice or Allana? Allie or Andie? Alexandra or Anastasia? Anna or Angela? Annie or Angelica? Ana or Ashna? Audrey or Ashley? Ansel or Annika? Brooke or Britney? Berkeley or Bella? Bo Chao or Beatrix? Camille or Camryn? Cristina or Casilda? Chloe or Courtney? Charlotte or Carol? Cleo or Chanel? Davin or Dillon? Delilah or Dutra? Erin or Elina? Emin or Emerson? Emily or Emma? Erika or Estelle? Faith or Frannie? Fernanda or Francesca? Georgina or Gracie? Gabriela or Gina? Hailey or Hannah? Hadley or Havana? Indra or Isabel? Indiana or Ivy? Jenny or Jessie? Julia or Joyce? Jasmine or Jackie? Jamie or Jennifer? Kimia or Karina? Katerina or Kate? Kira or Kristie? Lia or Lily? Lauren or Lynette? Liberty or Leila? Margaret or Martha? Michelle or Mackenzie? Mia or Michaela? Morgan or Maddie? Maya or Mayuri? Megan or Makena? McKinley or Margo? Nikki or Natalie? Nadia or Nancy? Nicole or Olivia? Rachel or Rebecca? Remi or Rosie? Ruby or Reine? Ren or Sakura? Sapna or Snigdha? Sally or Stella? Sophie or Sydney? Sophia or Solana? Skye or Sierra? Serena or Savanah? Sarah or Sabrina? Tara or Taylor? Vittoria or Yahs? Yoonju or Yukine? Aidan or Austin? Alan or Andrew? Aldo or Alexx? Ben or Brian? Billy or Brodie? Corey or Carlos? Coleman or Connor? David or Dylan? Eli or Eric? Franz or Fernando? Gabe or Graham? Holden or Hudson? Jacob or Justin? Jack or JP? Jimmy or Jared? James or John? Karm or Kian? Lou or Lenny? Michael or Mickey? Nick or Nathan? Peter or Pierson? Rai or Rafael? Sanjay or Supawat? Will or Wynn? Zachary or Zack? Girls’ Names - This or That?

Aisha or Allana? Alex or Alexa? Alexandra or Alexandria? Ali or Allie? Allegra or Allison? Alondra or Amanda? Amber or Amie? Ana or Aneka? Anaïs or Anh? Angela or Angelica? Anna or Anne? Annie or Ashley? Ashna or Aziza? Astrid or Audrey? Beatrice or Beleicia? Becky or Berkeley? Bethany or Bethlehem? Bo-Chao or Bolor? Bridgid or Brooke? Britney or Brittany? Callie or Carlie? Camryn or Camille? Carmen or Casilda? Carol or Caroline? Catherine or Charlotte? Cecile or Cecily? Chanel or Chloe? Christina or Claire? Claudia or Claudine? Connie or Corrine Courtney or Cristina? Daisy or Delilah? Dana or Danielle? Dakota or Diamond? Diana or Diane? Eleanor or Elizabeth? Elise or Eliza? Elle or Ella? Ellen or Evelyn? Emlyn or Emerson? Ellie or Elly? Emily or Emma? Erika or Erin? Fiona or Francesca? Faith or Frances? Gabi or Grace? Gardenia or Giselle? Ginny or Genesis? Hadley or Hailey? Haley or Hayley? Harriet or Helen? Hannah or Heather? Havana or Haligan? Ilana or Isabel? Indra or Itza? Ivy or Izzy? Isabelle or Isabella? Jackie or Jamie? Jasmine or Jeanne? Jenna or Jenny? Jen or Jess? Jennifer or Jessica? Jae-Min or Jhadha? Julia or Julianna? Jude or Joyce? Judy or Julie? Karina or Kinaya? Kat or Katherine? Kate or Katie? Kyra or Kira? Kiki or Kristie? Lily or Leah? Laura or Lauren? Lexxi or Lizzie? Lisette or Lynette? Louisa or Lucia? Lanie or Liberty? Maddie or Maggie? Mackenzie or Makena? Mallory or Margaret? Madeleine or Megan? Margita or Maria? Marie or Martha? Marianna or Mariela? McKenna or McKinley? Miranda or Meredith? Melissa or Michelle? Margo or Marianne? Mariely or Mayuri? Minh or Mitsuki? Molly or Mia? Morgan or Marge? Nadia or Nina? Natalie or Natasha? Neoma or Naomi? Nancy or Nicole? Nichole or Noelle? Nikki or Nelsy? Olivia or Oratilé? Paige or Phoebe? Paloma or Pamela? Pam or Price? Paula or Pauline? Rachel or Rebecca? Rayne or Reyna? Raquel or Rebkah? Regina or Rita? Railey or Rhianna? Remi or Ruby? Ruilin or Rohini? Rose or Rosie? Sabrina or Sydney? Sadie or Sally? Salomé or Silvia? Sara or Sarah? Shannon or Simone? Shu-Shu or Sakura? Siena or Sofia? Sophie or Sophia? Soren or Summers? Swapnika or Snigdha? Syd or Savanah? Taylor or Tori? Tessa or Theresa? Victoria or Viviane? Waverly or Willa? Yasmeen or Yvonne? Yoonju or Yujin? Yahs or Yukine? Zoe or Zoey?

[timaltman]

rules: once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. at the end, choose however many people you want to tag!

tagged by: @hsinlvegas who has gotten me addicted to pinterest aesthetic boards and i’m mad at her for it but she��s still p rad. 

tagging: whoever wants to do it lmao idk it’s 2:30am here idek whats up or down rn i should probably be asleep but also like.... no.

LAST… [1] drink: water (i’m so exciting /sarcasm) [2] phone call: my mom called me while she was driving home from work  [3] text message: “oh my god no. not the kidz bop. pls no” - to my sister [4] song you listened to: reaching by audiomachine (which is so good pls go listen to it) [5] time you cried: last night thinking about steve irwin and how i owe him my entire life and career bc in 2 weeks i’m starting my first official zookeeping job and he was a huge inspiration for me as a kid 

-REST UNDER THE CUT-

HAVE YOU EVER…

[6] dated someone twice: no [7] been cheated on: no [8] kissed someone and regretted it: no [9] lost someone special: yes [10] been depressed: ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) all the fuckin time my dudes [11] gotten drunk and thrown up: no but i’ve gotten so anxious i’ve thrown up??

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: [12] teal [13] pale yellow [14] silver

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… [15] made new friends: yes! [16] fallen out of love: no [17] laughed until you cried: yes [18] found out someone was talking about you: yeah i mean i’m sure there are like three people who bitch about me all the time lmao [19] met someone who changed you: yes~ (in a good way)  [20] found out who your true friends are: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧ -bitter fucking laughter-  [21] kissed someone on your facebook list: ye - my wonderful girlfriend~

GENERAL… [22] how many of your tumblr friends do you know in real life: i mean, i’ve met a lot of them after becoming friends on tumblr, but then i have some old high school friends and some internship friends on here, too.... so like 10 or so? probably a few more than that. [23] do you have any pets: my asshole cat, robin: the cat wonder, lives with me in my apartment. at home i have a beagle/terrier mutt named copper and a gray tabby named dusty. i’m hoping to maybe get a ball python this summer but i’m not sure yet! [24] do you want to change your name: yeah, i’ve considered it b/c trans but i’m not entirely sure what i want yet.... [25] what did you do for your last birthday: wielded a chainsaw, ate shitty walmart cake and watched step brothers with some classmates in a remote cabin in southern illinois? not my first choice but not terrible, all things considered. didn’t lose any limbs that day so i can’t complain. [26] what time did you wake up: robin woke me up at like, 5:30am to get fed, but then i went back to sleep again until 7:30, text billy to have a good day at work, and then i went back to sleep again until 9:45 b/c i didn’t have my 9am class today hell yeah [27] what were you doing at midnight last night: uh, pinterest-ing for my character aesthetic boards.... >_> [28] name something you cannot wait for: graduating college and being the fuck done with schoooooool. also mother fuckin wonDER WOMAN. [29] when was the last time you saw your mother: april 23rd [30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: how far away all the ppl i care about are :(((( [31] what are you listening to right now: more audiomachine but i was watching friends in the background earlier [32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: ye my old neighbor was named tom he was real nice [33] something that is getting on your nerves: not in the angry way but in the anxious way- i have to give a presentation on my research project to the college board in like... 6 hours. [35] elementary: yes? [36] high school: done [37] college: sO CLOSE TO DONE I LITERALLY HAVE TWO CLASSES LEFT [38] hair color: brown.... it used to have a white patch and be fun, but i dyed it for superboy and now i’m battling with myself debating if i should dye it back bc “””professional””” for jobs but that’s so boring i want to look like shiro again :((( [39] long or short hair: short god please short, regardless of what gender i present, short is so much nicer since my hair is so thiiiiick [40] do you have a crush on someone: ye my a m a z i n g girlfriend uwu  [41] what do you like about yourself?: noncommittal shrug emoji? i like my eye color i think that’s pretty radical since it’s like a gray-teal color. i guess i’m a pretty good resource for random ass animal facts too [42] piercings: mmmm i mean, i don’t care for them or about them that much? [43] blood type: literally no idea which is probably bad [44] nickname: sunshine, sam, sammy, teddy, timmy, timtam, dad [45] relationship status: -heart eyes emojis @ billy- [46] zodiac sign: aries i think? idk all i care is my celtic zodiac is a fox, so [47] pronouns: he/him [48] fav tv show: f ri ck en brooklyn 99 [49] tattoos: not yet, but after i get top surgery and no longer run the disk of mutilating or stretching it, i wanna get tim’s robin symbol on my chest [50] right or left handed: left!

FIRST… [51] surgery: wisdom teeth were my first surgery, i think? [52] piercing: got my earlobes pierced when i was like, 12? idk i don’t wear them anymore so they’ve all but closed up [53] best friend: this girl on the playground in preschool named asya but after her was this girl named natalie that i was friends with from kindergarten all through junior high. she just got married like, a month ago and i feel old [54] sport: like to actually continue with was soccer - i started at 6 i think [55] vacation: that i remember? disney world b/c my dad had drill down in florida so my parents dragged my sister and i with bc we didn’t have to pay for the hotel lol [56] pair of trainers: wut

RIGHT NOW… [57] eating: nothin [58] drinking: water [59] i’m about to: sleep maybe, hopefully?  [60] listening to: still audiomachine since they just asked this question like 10 questions ago..... [61] waiting for: my anxiety to calm tf down so i can go to sleep [62] want: foooood. i ate dinner really early (5pm) and now it’s 10 hours later so i want food again. [63] get married: -super noncommittal and also confused, disgruntled noises- ?? [64] career: dream career is a zookeeper, honestly. it’s what i’m doing, i’ve worked really hard to get to the place where i am, and i’m happy with it

WHICH IS BETTER… [65] hugs or kisses: hugs [66] lips or eyes: eyes [67] shorter or taller: no preference [68] older or younger: usually i get along better with ppl older than me- all my closest friends are older by 2 years or more except like..... amy [69] romantic or spontaneous: anxiety and spontaneity don’t mix lmao [70] nice arms or nice stomach: either or both or neither is fine idrc [71] sensitive or loud: sensitive [72] hook up or relationship: relationship [73] troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant only bc troublemaker makes me anxious lmao

HAVE YOU EVER… [74] kissed a stranger? nope [75] drank hard liquor? ye i’ve had like. one whole vodka and lemonade in my entire life because i am a raging party animal /sarcasm [76] lost glasses/contact lenses? i lose my contacts in my eyeball sometimes [77] turned someone down? ye kinda. my ~best friends~ have this bad habit of ~falling in love with me~ and then getting pissed when i don’t return the feeling and treating me like crap :))))  [78] sex on first date? nope [79] broken someone’s heart? sure maybe idk. not on purpose. [80] had your own heart broken? no [81] been arrested? nope [82] cried when someone died? i’m a monster and have no feelings so no, not really. i usually go into emotional shock and stop processing everything [83] fallen for a friend: kind of

DO YOU BELIEVE IN… [84] yourself? noooope [85] miracles? listen on friday i catered an event and the idiot who packed it up for us on their shift the day before forgot to put matches in the gathering. and the truck drivers loaded it onto the truck before i could check that everything was there. so we got to the location and couldn’t light the sternos for the hot food but somehow we found a box of matches in the kitchenette we were serving out of so yes i believe in miracles [86] love at first sight? maybe? idk not really i really don’t understand how anyone could love someone without knowing a bunch about them first [87] santa claus? billY AND I SAW SANTA ON OUR WAY UP TO C2E2 ON SUNDAY OKAY HIS CAR WAS RED AND SAID “MY OTHER RIDE IS A SLEIGH” AND HIS LICENSE PLATE SAID KRINGLE AND HE HAD A BIG WHITE BEARD IT WAS AMAZING OKAY. [88] kiss on the first date? maybe for ppl who aren’t like. super anxious about everything all the time [89] angels? no

OTHER… [90] current best friend’s name: marble, emma [91] eye color: teal-gray, which sounds pretentious and White Person af but like..... that’s the best way to describe them [92] favorite movie: i don’t knowwww that’s a hard one ;_; 

[thesecondshiftblog]

Featured Member Tara Barnes!

Little makes us happier at The Second Shift than watching women successfully reimagine their professional lives, shift gears, and set their own terms. And when they do that while trying to make positive changes for women and workers everywhere, we get downright giddy. That’s why Tara Barnes is this month’s featured member. Add to that her tremendous work ethic, laser focus, and clarity of vision, and we think you’ll find her every bit as inspiring as we do.

Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do? 

I am the Manager of Operations at an event and incentives agency, managing a team of eleven full-time Account Managers and Project Managers. I have had a bit of a unique career arc, as I spent the first ten years working in marketing and brand strategy, but within the last 3 years have shifted more into people and business operations after completing my MBA.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Getting my MBA. I was an admittedly poor undergraduate student, with terrible study habits and a lot of procrastination. I wanted to elevate myself and my career when I was 31 and decided that more depth in business was the way to go. I worked full-time almost my entire MBA program, and also got pregnant and had my first baby. It was an immense amount of work, but I learned so much, both by way of actual knowledge and about myself as a professional. What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work-wise? 

My hardest challenge was trying to improve a negative company culture in a small organization where my co-leadership was contributing to the problem and making decisions that I didn't agree with. I did my best to present business cases for changes and programs I was recommending, but I ultimately ended up leaving because my position was eliminated and I was asked to move into a role I've left behind in my career path. I was very close to my team and to their needs, so it was a sad decision to have to make. If you could change one thing about how your given field operates, particularly with regards to women, what would it be, and why? 

I'm in the unique position of working for a women-owned (and dominated) company in a field (hospitality) that trends toward being more women than men. One thing I wish I didn't see in this field is how often women are judged and accepted for their appearance and not for their work performance. This judgment is non-discriminatory, as both men and women do it. What advice do you have for other women who are looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? How is it on the other side?

Find a company you believe in and someone who believes in you. I had over a decade in marketing when an MBA classmate offered me a role in people/culture, and while it was a big leap of faith, I tapped into a passion and skillset I didn't know that I had. What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

I like the energy of the hospitality industry, and there a lot of fun, creative problems to solve even in the realm of logistics and resourcing. I would like to broaden my operations experience across various departments, but I don't necessarily see myself staying in this particular industry forever. I am very drawn to industries (non-profit) and companies making a positive impact on the world. I want to wake up inspired every day. My daughter has Down Syndrome so I would love to find my way into work that supports individuals with disabilities.

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received? Know when to zoom in and zoom out. It's just as important to get into the weeds on details and tasks as it is to step back and consider bigger picture strategy, and knowing when to do each is crucial. Who has been your biggest cheerleader // supporter // mentor? (We love to spread the love here at The Second Shift!) My current manager Shelley White has been such a breath of fresh air in my career. She supports, trusts, challenges, and empowers me, and is such a strong role model for a working mom who's worked hard to get where she is today. How do negotiate the balance between life and work when you are the one setting the boundaries?

Because I have two young children, work-life balance is incredibly important to me. I rely on crystal clear expectations and communication, both with my manager and staff. People know when I'm available when I'm out of the office, and that in general, I am offline and unavailable between 5-8 pm so I can focus on my family. I also respect my team's family lives as well, so I try not to email or reach out to them in the evenings and on weekends. How do you make work work for you? 

I set my own limits and communicate them clearly. No one ever wonders where I am because my calendar is up to date. Because I manage the largest team in the company, I'm in the office 4 days per week, but I will ask for more remote days if I need them. I create time to take my kids to the pediatrician, drop my daughter off at preschool once a week, and work at her preschool once per month. My work from home day means I get to nurse my baby on that day, which is really special because he's only 6 months old (and it's one day I don't have to pump!). I also make sure to shut down at the end of every day and focus on my family, and my team knows to expect that and text if there are ever emergencies. My family is incredibly important to me, as is being present with my kids and partner. I'm laser-focused at work and often work through lunch, so it's all a balance.