#really go listen to lord huron though

[sychosid]

I've prayed enough, I rolled the dice

"Hangman" Adam Page/Swerve Strickland

[Ao3 link]

Swerve Strickland's forgotten, until he's reminded, and now he has to follow the chain into the unknown, way out there.

(Lord Huron inspired AU)

Ancient Names, Pt. I.

It was by a roadside stop.

A young woman, with ochre tinted skin and green eyes sat there, at a table just outside the entrance to the brown brick building. She had jet black hair, a thick curtain of bangs covering her forehead. Her clothes were unremarkable: a purple and red hoodie, ripped black jeans, and black converse shoes. More notably were her various black piercings and tattoos. Industrials, conch, multiple lobe piercings. A septum piercing, a labret piercing, snake bites, and an eyebrow piercing on her right eyebrow. All black, either small hoops or simple studs. Around her wrist, just barely peeking out from her hoodie sleeve was a tattoo of barbed wire that seemed to go up her arm.

By all means, nothing was flashy about her to Swerve. Some girl into alt culture.

Her feet tapped along to an unknown beat, as she shuffled cards and aimlessly laid them down on a taffeta tablecloth. The cloth was red, embroidered in a rainbow of different celestial shapes. Stars, moons, ringed planets, suns. There was a clear handmade quality to the embroidery job. She would pick up the cards, roll some dice, lay cards down, and pick them up after looking them over. Her face changed from apathetic, to amused, to something adjacent to excited. Intrigued, even?

Swerve had been watching her for a while from his seat in his car. Ditching the sports car at home, he rented an SUV with some reasonable mileage. It still was a nice car, a deep red and only a year or so old.

He had been traveling alone. Leather jacket, fur lined around the neck covered his torso. He wore a hoodie, black, under the jacket, and tight fitting jeans with basketball shoes. His own scheme was reds and blacks. It amused him, the overlapping color scheme between himself and the young woman. The smirk on his face wouldn't exactly go away. Something was tempting him to humor the young lady. He had been observing as people walked by her, either ignoring her like she didn't exist, or whispering to each other and avoiding her like she was toxic to the touch.

There was a plastic fold out chair across from her, tucked into the table. In the twenty or so minutes he observed, not a single person sat down.

It wasn't a surprise. Normally these booths were set up to sell things like honey or local fruits. It wasn’t like there were any prices or things like that written down. Just…this young lady dealing cards and rolling dice to herself. 

Eventually, she stood up and went inside the rest stop building. That was when Swerve made his move. He exited his car, and walked to the folding table. Curiously, he looked over the set up, before pulling the plastic chair out and sitting down in it. There was a slight creak, the hard plastic bending a little under him. He leaned back, taking a photo of the table in front of him.

“That'll be five dollars.” The girl was next to him, silent like a stalking cat, holding a cup of something. Hershey's Ice Cream, with a straw in it. A milkshake.

Swerve hadn't even heard her come out but he didn't jump when she spoke. Still, a chill ran down his spine that he ignored, before looking up at the girl. He could better see her makeup too. Red around her eyes, thin black eyeliner, and black lipstick.

There was something about her dark green eyes; the amused smile on her face. It left another chill down his spine. This girl was cold.

“I’m kidding. I do everything for free. Sort of. I don’t take cash.” She moved around the table, sitting down across from the dark haired man. “I’m Caroline Cain.”

“Swerve. Strickland.” He introduces himself, leaning back in the plastic chair. He keeps up the unphased demeanor, despite the skin crawling sensation that wouldn’t get away.

Caroline hummed in response. “You’re looking for something, aren’t you?”

“Looking for something? Little lady, I'm not looking for anything.” Swerve knew he was lying, to her, and to himself.

“You’re searching. Wandering. Aimless. You forgot, and you need to remember.”

“Listen–”

“YOU listen.” Caroline snaps, squinting her eyes. She has the cards in hand, shuffling them and putting them down before grabbing the handful of dice. She holds them out, right in front of his mouth. “Blow.”

He follows the command as if compelled by her words.

She rolls the dice, the sound against the taffeta soft.

And then again,

And again.

Swerve looks over at the dice. A skull, a six, a four, and two twos.

“You’re looking for the Dead Eye. Your luck has been set back. You don’t even realize it. There’s much in your life you don’t even know you’re missing, you’re not seeing.”

Swerve stared down at the dice. At the skull.

“It counts as one. You’re real lonesome. A lone cowboy, hm?”

“I’m not the cowboy.” The response was automatic, Swerve snapping his head up. Caroline looked…smug? Curious? Her face was unreadable to him. It unsettled him.

“Mmm…no you’re not.” She nodded, putting the dice aside and grabbing the deck of cards. They were playing cards, simple enough. 

The joker. And two twos. Three cards. 

The joker, a dancing skeleton. One of the two cards was a skull, and the other was two moons. He’d never seen cards with suits like this. 

“You’re looking for him. The joker, and you’re walking parallel paths. He and you, you’re undergoing a great change. You both have to follow your intuition. The ■■■■■ is broken, but you can fix it. Follow the ■■■■ ■■■■■. You need to–”

“That’s it. Whatever bullshit scam this is, it’s over.”

“Scam?” Caroline hummed, looking to the side. “If you say so.”

He pulls out his wallet, taking out a twenty dollar bill and throwing it on the table before walking away. She waves a little, smiling.

Swerve doesn’t look back.

The sky had been clear, but there was thick cloud coverage moving in from the southeast. It was dark, gray clouds. A storm was rolling in while Swerve got in his rental car. He drove away, turning his headlights on as he exited the parking lot. Something was harrowing about that interaction.

There was a chill in his bones as he drove into the storm, his head drowning in thoughts, flashes, memories that he couldn’t remember.

Hail hit his car, small pellets, 

before driving into rain, 

into snow. 

The roads were winding,

up and down,

unfamiliar to Swerve.

His car drove into the mist, descending into the valley of a hill. 

He was driving for hours. 

He was driving for minutes. 

Through decades, through eons, through nothing, through everything. 

His younger self, somewhere on the streets of Seattle. His veins, filled with void. He didn’t know, but he did. He wanted to be somewhere, he had to be.

Where did he have to be?

A familiar face, familiar dirty blonde hair, blood spilling out. Choking on it. Gurgling up, uncanny taste of metal as he can’t breathe anymore, his neck is chained, he can’t breathe–

Swerve sits up with a start, in a motel room. Cold sweat drips down his forehead, the hum of the radiator and his own breathing filling the room. A car passes by, headlights briefly illuminating the room. There’s the shadow of a man, tall and broad. His hair is to his shoulders, and that’s all Swerve can tell. He’s familiar as much as he’s unfamiliar. 

At the edge of the bed, there it is. The chain from his dream. The chain that was wrapped around the shadow’s neck.

He reaches out, and it’s colder than ice, and it hurts, but he reaches out and holds it and brings it up, and sees it, sees the rust and the dried blood, flaking off, and something compels him, draws him in, and he brings his lips to the blood and it’s sweet and it’s warm and it’s like everything he’s needed and it’s like nothing he’s ever had.

He knows now, his soul does, that this was what he needed to find. What Caroline had said. What she was saying. This chain was binding, and it had been broken, and now he had to follow it to way out there to find what he needed.

He had to follow the chain.

To him.

[run2min]

𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1k

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐧:

he would be so sweet

loves kissing you; he could sit and kiss you forever

back hugs you and tells you about his day

cuddles on the couch while gossiping about your friends love lives

GOODNIGHT/ GOOD MORNING MESSAGES

would call you 'baby' and 'princess'

at the start of your relationship he would be really shy about his emotions toward you but soon he would be really open with you

literally the clingiest person ever

loves playing with your hair

if he's tired, he lies with his head on your stomach while you play with his hair

doesn't mind pda but only hand holding or rare pecks, never in front of his members though, he's to scared of getting teased.

you two do that thing were you send pictures of anything heart shaped you see

goes to a pottery class on his own just to make you gifts every week

acts innocent a lot of the time but beware, he's evil

𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠:

always has his arm around your shoulder

if someone is being a bit to friendly with you then he kisses the top of your head and asks to leave

likes to take you on late night walks

calls you 'my love' and 'beautiful'

whether he is holding your hand, rubbing your back or stroking your neck, this man is always touching you

doesn't mind pda, if your with his members he'll usually just hold your hand but sometimes he'll kiss you in the corner of a room when no one can tell what you're doing

loves tracing your lips with his fingertips

𝐉𝐚𝐲:

in his eyes you're royalty

he won't let you do anything that might cause even the slightest discomfort

loves it when you wear his clothes

super clingy

if it's raining, he'll lie on the couch with you on top of him, legs entangles and fingers intertwined telling you everything he loves about you

so whipped for you

calls you 'sweetheart' and 'darling'

doesn't care about his members seeing you and him being affectionate together, they know not to tease him about it as the one and only time they did he went on an hour rant about how their just jealous that they'll never find someone as perfect as you.

cooks for you all the time

tries to teach you to cook but always gets anxious that you're going to burn yourself

makes a scrapbook of everything you do together

𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞:

likes to tease you by kissing everywhere but your lips

would definitely take you on walks with layla

would tease you that you're shorter than him

spams you at 3am when he can't sleep with messages like:

honey?

are you awake?

helloooo

y/nnie?????

i can't sleep can you answer me please

when you finally respond telling him that he woke you up he would be really apologetic

would call you 'honey' and 'y/nnie' (for example - sana - sannie)

would be quite shy around the members but really confident around your friends

loves when you initiate cuddling because it reassures him that you want to hug him

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧:

at the beginning he would be so awkward but so adorable

when you both got closer he became a lot more comfortable with you

i have this image in my head of it rainig outside and you two lying on the floor in pyjamas listening to songs like v insanely loud

lord huron - the night we met

one direction - night changes

rachel chinouriri - so my darling

the cinematic orchestra - to build a home

stephen sanchez - until i found you

chance peña - in my room

sufjan stevens - should have known better

he would call you 'agiya'(baby) and 'jagiya' (honey)

he needs your constant attention

gets a little to comfortable sometimes

would laugh while helping you up if you fell

so competitive

before he actually tells you that he loves you, when he thinks you're asleep he'll whisper 'i love you'

doesn't care what his members think about you and him but still isn't really that affectionate in public, will hold your hand and hug you but nothing much else

sens you flowers when he can't physically be there with you

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐨:

the cutest boyfriend ever

carries you everywhere

takes you to a different cafe every date you go on and you review them

movie marathons are a must

loves hugging you so much

i can see him planning you a surprise party for your birthday and making it perfect for you

calls you 'sunshine' and 'darling'

i feel like if you were walking along the street and there was an old couple he'd point and whisper to you, "us"

he is so clingy, like a lot more than jungwon and jay

just give him attention and make sure he knows how much you love him

he literally bites you, he says it because "you're just to adorable"

he buys you hygiene products

he's so precious i swear he was bias wrecking me as i wrote this

𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐢:

someone come and collect their child

he is such a menace

always pranking you

finds it hilarious when you mess something up

he is also really sweet though

if you were genuinely upset then his smile would drop and he'd rush over to you, placing his hands on your shoulders whipping your tears away with his fingertips

he always teases you for being so much shorter than him ~ we all know that this boy is a giant

like jake, he'd spam you so much, not just at the early hours of the morning, but 24/7

within an hour he'd have sent you 7 memes, 4 tiktoks, 9 movie recommendations and 5 sweet messages

he'd call you 'brat' and 'pabo' (stupid)

you and him collect random things like rocks and sticks

he'd be so cocky in front of your friends

in contrast he'd be really nervous with you in front of his members, so much that they sat him down and said that they didn't care if he was affectionate with you in front of them because he wouldn't even sit on the same couch as you

[vee-beeee]

(Part one) Robo Road Trip

HIIII

This is PART ONE BABY (edit I FINISHED COOKING right here)

Okay the last dbh post was KINDAA giving depression so heres a FLUFFY fluffy one thats been bouncing around my brain for a couple days, part one as im going to make a continuation that shows what camping is like with the boys.

Premise: Road Trip to the West coast with Conner, Nines and Sixty

Imagine those roads with trees surrounding them, thats the vibe

Also first time writing for SIXTY whoooo hope im not trash, he acts like a smug dramatic guy so idk

Conner, Nines and Sixty x reader

I believeee this is around 3k lol i went ham

Warnings: maybe a bad word because sixty, fluff with a capitol F, part one

I also recommended listening to ANY Lord Huron song while reading this, that is basically the road trip music

(Hey sidenote, I know some of the ecosystem is TRASHED in dbh but lets pretend thats not happening LOL)

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You were so happy to get out of the city.

And into the car for a 35 hour drive.

You really wanted to show your boys the mountain you would always camp at when you were on the West Coast. They all hadn't been outside of Detroit, being made to do one job IN Detroit, but now they were all deviant.

And you wanted to show them a taste of the outside world.

It took a while for you all to get packed, the droids really wanted to try experimenting with their wardrobes on this trip. They sought to explore their inner human as much as possible.

You all needed the appropriate gear, so you guys went on a little shopping spree to find a tent and basic camping stuff. Hank had actually tagged along to coach you guys on what to get, having gone camping a couple times himself. (he mostly talked with you and Conner while sending glares to Sixty and Nines)

You ended up getting a pretty fancy tent that was big enough for all of you, and some essential equipment for cooking and cleaning. You also snuck in some board and card games, even though you knew they would beat you. But you could probably win ONE time...

Right??

After buying the gear, you guys got planning. You could only stay camping for 5 days, as the station didn't necessarily enjoy losing 4 cops. Especially 3 of the 4 being advanced detective androids. But it had worked out, (the boys having saved an astronomical amount of sick days) and you planned on going sometime in the fall. You decided on a week and you remember hurriedly running to your calendar and circling the date and also drawing a bunch of small doodles around it. The boys had all watched you fondly, getting excited themselves.

It all lead up to this moment, where Conner sitting next to you in the driver seat and was setting the location in his new GPS, Nines and Sixty where packing the car, and you were making a road trip playlist. (Hey that's very important!)

"Hey Conner?" He hummed in response and didn't look at you, too busy trying to figure out a new gadget he got for his car.

"Do you like Lord Huron?" You were trying to decide what the perfect music to play was and realized that Lord Huron existed. You weren't really sure how androids experienced music so you thought of asking. He huffed out a sigh directed at the troublesome device and turned to look at your phone, where you also had your eyes glued.

"I don't really listen to music as such, but Hank has introduced me to heavy metal. Is it like that?" You giggled remembering Hanks music taste

"No its more gentle, relaxing. It reminds me of walking in the woods." Out of the corner of your eye Conner looked away, LED blinking amber and blue. He looked back at you with a soft smile and this time you met his gaze.

"That sounds delightful, my dear. Perfect for this occasion" You flushed at the nickname, and he chuckled seeing your reaction. He leaned in and kissed your cheek before exiting the car, hearing Sixty's call that they were almost done. You sat in the vehicle, skin heating, and raising a hand to graze the place he kissed you. You loved when he did that. A steady knock at the window startled you and you whipped around to see a familiar face (sixty) smirking at you, seeing that you were flushed. You stuck your tongue out at him and he reciprocated, sticking his tongue back at you.

"If you two would stop behaving like children, we would be done much sooner." A booming voice cut through your contest with sixty, and you watched him roll his eyes and face an annoyed Nines. You got out of the car to go help the RK900 with what he was carrying. He was still grumpy so you smiled softly at him and mouthed an apology. He relaxed slightly, but still shot a glare at sixty, who chuckled and went back into the apartment and get more bags. You then took the time to appreciate Conner's awesome Bat Mobile car. It had a huge trunk that managed to fit all of your stuff, tent included. It was truly a miracle machine.

You walked over to the car and gave the suitcase to Conner who situated it nicely in a perfect space. You were also lucky to have android boyfriends who were amazing at managing tight spaces and fitting things into them.

After a couple of minutes, Sixty emerged with the last of the bags. He informed you all that he locked the house up and engaged the security systems. The final step. You were really going.

You all piled into the car, both Nines and Sixty insisting you take the front seat. You accepted, but promised to swap with them when you got to the next stop. Most rest stops would be for you, needing to get food or use a restroom. The droids didn't need anything but told you they needed to get up and stretch their legs once in a while ( but you think that was just their excuse so they could follow you around and make sure you were safe at suspicious gas stations.)

After a while of driving through the city, Conner was getting on the highway when you announced that you would be playing a Lord Huron song and see how everyone liked it. You turned on "Meet Me in the Woods" and leaned back to look out the window.

"I took a little journey to the unknown,

And I've come back changed I can feel it in my bones

I messed with the forces our eyes cant see

Now the darkness got a hold on me

Oh, the darkness got a hold on me"

You had closed your eyes and started to quietly sing along, and realized you should see what the others thought about it. You turned your head slightly to Conner staring out at the road ahead, his LED blinking yellow and blue. He had a soft, lingering smile on his face and his posture was relaxed.

Sixty had his eyes closed, leaning his head all the way back on the seat and seemed to be absorbing the music.

Nines was also leaning back, arms crossed. He was staring out the window with his LED a soft, stable amber. He turned slightly to just catch the end of your gaze and his lips twitched in a cute, endearing way. It was a Nines smile. You smiled back at him and turned around to look out the front windshield. It was raining slightly, and you were just leaving the city and into the unknown. It was perfect.

After the song had finished, you tore your eyes away from the road

"Did you all like it?" you hopefully gazed at each individual and noticed they all looked at peace. Conner spoke first

"Do you have more music of that energy? I think I enjoyed it."

"I agree. More please"

"Indeed"

You looked around to see everyone nodding their heads and you beamed. And so, your playlist made it past the android enjoyment test. You settled in as it started the next song, feeling content. You could totally do 35 hours.

(4 hours in)

Update: why would you do this to yourself. 35 hours? Were you crazy? You loved road trips as much as the next guy, but you were dying. You guys were currently stuck in traffic, and the boys had gotten involved in a pretty intense "dad stuck in traffic" fight.

"Nines, going on I90 would have taken us to the heart of Chicago, do you want more traffic?"

"No it wouldn't if we took the round about. Whose the more advanced android here Conner."

"Woah, low blow"

"Be quiet Sixty"

This started as Nines getting mad at Conner for taking them down a road that had high traffic at that hour, and Conner defending himself. Sixty had no argument, he just liked being included.

"I took 294 because I knew it would keep us out of the worst of the traffic. No matter what, traffic is inevitable."

"It could have been avoidable had you followed my instructions"

You were sitting in the passenger seat, eyes squeezed shut listening to them argue. It was infuriating.

So you did something.

"Guys I'm going to jump out of the car and sprint down the street like a crazy person if you don't stop arguing. I'm dead serious" You snapped and stared them down. Or a least you tried, because your face betrayed you and you broke out into a smile giggle.

Conner looked guilty at first, but saw your grin and started chuckling, envisioning you running down the street like a madman. Nines bristled, still annoyed. Even if your giggle made his lips quirk. You made eye contact with Sixty and he was smirking at you, taking out his coin to mess around with.

You eventually sighed, a couple minutes having passed. You turned around to address Nines.

"Traffic was inevitable" then you turned to Conner "No arguing". You took Conner's hand in yours and held it. Another smile broke out onto his face and he turned to look out on the road. You felt a hand graze your neck and you twisted around to see Nines reaching out. He moved forward to peck your temple and then quietly apologized to Conner.

Mission Successful.

But that was mission one. Mission two was figuring out how to go to use the bathroom. Because you were currently stuck in traffic. That wasn't great. After a couple minutes of fidgeting your legs, Conner took his hand away from holding yours and looked toward you. His gaze was steady, as his LED blinked and you knew in the back of your head that he was scanning you.

"Do you have to use the lavatory?" You gasped and shoved his shoulder, watching him bite back a laugh, and then started sinking in to your seat.

"Conner! That's so embarrassing."

"Did maybe someone tell you to go before we left? Oh wait, that sounds like something I would say" Sixty spoke up from the back of the car. You turned around to gape at him, and he just sat there looking smug. You could hear Conner and Nines subdued chuckling behind the music that was playing.

You ended up holding out, absolutely refusing to go in the woods by the road, insisting that someone would see you. Conner pulled over at a gas station and you all but flew out of the car and bolted through the store until skidding to a stop right outside the bathroom.

When you got out, Sixty was buying your favorite snack and you saw Conner and Nines fueling up the car out the window. They were seriously so thoughtful.

After Sixty was done paying, you came up behind him and hugged his middle. He laughed and held your hands still on his middle, and spun you. You squeaked and he laughed harder. He stopped and unwrapped you to kiss your head and hand you your prized snack. You pecked his lips and left, both of you saying good day to the amused employee working there.

(17 hours in)

It started getting really late so you guys stayed at a motel for the night. You guys all relaxed on a fluffy bed, all party's included were happy to stretch their legs. You and Nines had been switching front seat and back seat, and Sixty had repeatedly old you he was fine where he was. Nines had revealed to you later that Sixty just wanted to sit next to you.

You got up from the bed first, eager to get ready and sleep. When you came out 30 minutes later, Conner was laying still under the blankets, staring at the celling. Nines was also under, and had rolled over to face the window. And Sixty had apparently, at some point while you were in the bathroom, been knocked off the bed. He was currently face down on the floor. You giggled and nudged his side. He rolled over, clutching his heart.

"They, (fake coughing) their so mean. They shoved me off the bed" you shook your head and leaned down on your knees to kiss his cheek. He accepted and rolled back over on his face. Conner then spoke up from the bed

"I wouldn't kiss his face, this floor is filthy." You stood up and laughed, making your way to the bed and crawling over him to slip between him and Nines. Nines stiffened until he got comfortable, and Conner wrapped his arms around you to spoon you.

"Just say your jealous she kissed me Conny" came a voice from the floor. Conner scoffed and replied with another rhetorical comment hidden in a nice tone. Nines joined in just when you started slipping into sleep, and the last thing you heard before you left to dream world was Conner whispering goodnight into your ear.

In the morning you woke up covered in androids. Very snugly droids. You all then got packed up and set off. During the drive, You found out Sixty had crawled into bed after you and shoved Nines off when he was in rest mode. Nines woke up very alarmed, and decided to continue his rest in one the the chairs in the room the motel provided. You had felt so bad afterwards, but he insisted it was fine.

You guys were driving through North Dakota today, and you were currently knitting. The boys were discussing a case that was giving them a hard time. You would have joined in but you believed in not talking about work on your precious vacation time. You were sitting in the back seat now, Sixty at your side, and it was very domestic. You felt a hand wrap itself around your knee and you smiled, continuing your stitch.

(30 hours in)

You were totally knocked out. The boys wanted to continue driving to beat traffic, and were currently talking through their android Verizon service (using their minds) as to not wake you up.

But you still accidently woke up with a start when Sixty had rolled his shoulder, unintentionally dropping your head off him. You had apparently drifted off resting your face on his soft puffy jacket.

To which he did NOT mind.

You squeaked awake, being surprisingly shoved off your pillow. Sixty immediately said a quiet apology, but it was too late. 2 angry droids turned there seats around to glare down the accused RK800.

"We told you to stay still" they said that almost in synch

"I was reaching for a blanket! I didn't know a small movement would wake her!"

You sleepily giggled at their little argument and passed out against him once again.

When you woke up for real, you were informed that you guys were almost three hours away. You breathed a sigh of relief, but still begged to pull over so you could get some air. You were in a beautiful parts of the woods and you desperately needed a stretch after sleeping on Sixty. No offence, but snuggling with androids is like snuggling with a very sturdy pillow. Your happy for it, but its not very squishy.

Nines had chuckled at how desperate you looked and obliged. You popped out and basically ran halfway down the road and back. You were huffing when you came back to the car. Conner rolled his window down, eyebrow raised. You wheezed

"Sorry, needed to run" He nodded in understanding, and actually got out himself to stretch his android joints and put on his cute little beanie. Sixty got out and straightened his tie, and Nines choose to stay in the car and work on coordinates. Sixty walked around the car to join you and Conner, and looped his arms around your waist. You yelped as he picked you up slightly to sling you back in forth.

"How are you enjoying the road trip?" He punctuated each word with a swing of your body. You were laughing when you responded "Good, but I'm excited to get there" Conner had been watching you fondly when he stated

"Nines says its 3 more hours, but we might get delayed depending on traffic." you nodded and Sixty set you down. You then went up to go hug Conner, making sure he wasn't missing any affection.

After more standing and stretching, you got in the front seat with Nines next to you, setting the car to auto drive. Conner and Sixty were sitting in the back, playing one of the card games you brought and starting to get very competitive with each other. You beamed and turned back to look at Nines. His eyes weren't on the road, however. He was staring at you with an expression of absolute love. You both sat and stared at each other until he leaned over and grabbed the back of your head, threaded his fingers into your hair, and kissed your temple. You shivered as his fingers rubbed your scalp and he grinned against your temple.

(5 minutes away from campsite)

You were bouncing off the walls excited. It had been years since you visited this spot, having been to far away after moving to Detroit. The boys had been enjoying the scenery outside the city, but now the were enthralled. The woods were huge, and the air was fresh. Moss hung from the arms of the trees and you could see your mountain peeking over the top of the forest. You guys were waiting in line at the entrance of the campsite to check in, and you were gushing about how pretty your spot was. It was nestled in the corner of the campsite, leading into a trail into your own personal forest. Complete with a little stream.

The androids were amused watching you talk about the park, but they were almost as excited as you. When you were sleeping, all they talked about was this new experience, and how happy they were to share it with you. It was interesting seeing all the new environments and experiencing what its like outside of the city. Detroit was so advanced, and they had never really been deep in the woods.

After patiently waiting, you finally got all checked in and remembered to buy some firewood.

Then, you were off.

Starting your very first camping trip with your wonderful android boyfriends

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PART ONE YALL

Hope its okay, had to really crack at this one to fit all my ideas in. Its also hard to write the dynamic between 4 people LOL

Hope I managed to capture their personalities okay

Part 2 is all about them camping so stay tuned

It might take a bit so hang on and let me cook 🔥

Sorry for plot holes or if this has been done beforee

[spectralstitions]

THERE'S A MAP FINALLY LOL (EXPLODES)

Hey, it's Cas! In my last post about mapmaking, I wrote that the next time I posted about it, I hoped it'd be because my map was finished. Well, guess what? I FINISHED IT! It only took me, like... uh... half a year to get around to it. Well, here it is! Two versions: one plain, one labeled.

It's such a relief to have this finished. Finally, after a thousand years of just thinking about it, I have something resembling a visual resource! Yay! That said, it's not perfect, and definitely more of an approximation than anything. There are touch-ups to be made, many touch-ups, but I might just save that for an end-of-year progress check. For now, it's good enough!

The lack of labels has nothing to do with minimalism and everything to do with the fact that I really hate naming things. V-shaped icons point to major settlements. Dot icons mark settlements that are smaller, but subject to show up often for whatever reason. Those ones in particular I'm sure will get edited or shifted around over time.

Now, to meticulously explore each and every region!

I'll work from top to bottom!

Surprise, I'm starting with the name! I find myself drawn to names that sound simple but have lots of interesting connotations. In this case, I'd been searching for a name that captured the feeling of a far off, enigmatic place, something vast and always just beyond reach. Then, while I was searching, and in a manner not unlike that one Overwatch meme, the word "Hinterlands" played in the Lord Huron song I was listening to and I had my HOLY SHIT moment. There's no way a name this whimsical hasn't already been snagged by some cartoon or something, but I can live with that.

As an aside, if I were to pick just one piece of media that encapsulated what I'm going for with this project, it'd be the album Strange Trails by Lord Huron. Of all my many inspirations, it's the one that's had the most profound impact. So the name also works as a homage!

Starting off spooky with our first region, the Old Waythrough. It's a place most people don't like to talk or even think about, but it's always there, looming just under the surface. It has remarkably little presence even in local folklore, and what little there is has been cut into pieces and scattered about through generations of oral storytelling. That said, there are a couple surviving records of Parthans attempting flyovers, eager to prove their courage. None of them get very far, but interestingly, even across the centuries, their recounts have all been similar, describing endless, desolate lands that are empty save for random objects and footprints in the snow.

One famous story, and the tale behind the region's common name, recounts the miraculous journey of the first partha who made contact with the mainland using the Waythrough as a guide. If true, this partha is the only known creature to have crossed the Waythrough in its entirety—and in doing so, gave the fasa who saw them quite a scare!

Our next region is Parthesa, or the parthan homelands! Yeah, get ready for some confusing naming conventions. I'll try to break it down:

The species itself, singular and plural, is known as "partha". Its descriptive form is "parthan".

Partha born on Parthesa, as well as any outsider accepted into their flocks, are known as "Parthans" with a capital P.

All partha born on Parthesa are also called skyborn, while their mainland cousins are called wildborn.

It's a bit much, but I promise, so are they. Parthesa itself is frequently described as a paradise, mostly for the fact that there seems to be a strange lack of spirit activity on the islands themselves. Is that the full story, though? Who knows — Parthans aren't exactly scrambling to brag about how UNbetter-than-everyone-else they and their homeland are. On that note, did Parthans name themselves after their homeland, or did they name their homelands after themselves? Mysteries upon mysteries...

Famously, the islands are beautiful — flower fields, waterfalls, seaside cliffs, mountains and valleys to dip and dive through, and that wonderful ocean breeze! Plus, as long as you've got parthan feather insulation and love storms, the weather's great! Infamously, getting to Parthesa is incredibly dangerous without a Parthan guide, something that's hard to come by. Without one, travelers don't have a great track record of being seen again.

On the opposite side of the Waythrough, we've got the fasan homelands! This dashing, idyllic little landscape is defined by mountains, rivers, lakes, colorful flower fields, and forests of towering boreal trees. Also, ignore that green mountain I forgot to recolor.

Fasa like to incorporate waterways into their architecture in interesting ways, building settlements that trace the length of rivers. Despite their homeland's cutesy appearance, their deep forests harbor all sorts of dangers. Uniquely, this danger doesn't just concern spirits, but entire swathes of dangerous, predatory animals. Still, as long as you take the proper safety precautions, it's a lovely place to live. Their main city can be found by following the paths of the rivers into the mountains. Their harbor town is much newer but has quickly become prosperous!

Okay, you see this gigantic piece of land with almost zero markers in it? This one's my sandbox. Why does nobody seem to want to live here? Well, they tried. They really tried, judging by all the bizarre artifacts poking out of the ground everywhere. The place is a mass graveyard, with evidence of ancient raswa, fasa, and who knows what else engaged in constant territory spats going back centuries. However, these battles seemed to have stopped very suddenly. It's assumed that the appearance of spirits was the last straw that pushed people back into their homelands, finally convincing them the place was just not worth it, something that countless deaths couldn't accomplish. But it's been thousands of years, and people are making tentative attempts to settle again, this time in unity—and hey, so far so good! The few settlements that exist here are characterized by the diversity of their people.

If you follow the trails, you're sure to come across fellow travelers, traders, and the like, but the vast majority of the land is void of people. You could walk for weeks or longer and not come across a single soul! There's a lot to discover, but it's a bit lonely...

Down south, you'll find the Underbelly! The Underbelly is the common name given to this region of wetland and swamp. It's one of the deadliest—and in many people's opinions, the grossest—places in the Hinterlands. Miraculously, there are a hardy people who've managed to make a living in the deep swamp, their treehouse cities literal lights in the darkness. They trade with and have close relations to raswa!

Nearly done! Now we've come to the raswan homelands. Not to be an edgelord, but this region is one defined by utter darkness. Well, okay, it's supposed to be a little edgy, but that part of it comes second. On the left half sleeps an incredibly dense roofed forest, such that light rarely grazes the forest floor. Mushrooms spawn like wildfire, and only those with the grace of raswa are going to have much luck navigating it. On the other side of the mountains lies the raswan desert, a place where sandblood raswans lead nomadic lifestyles. It's also a place many go to get in touch with their spirituality. Sandblood raswa wander the depths of the desert, traveling by night, when sand in the air lights up like stars. With their unique skin colors and plain dark clothes, raswa disguise themselves as part of the night sky to avoid deadly desert spirits. The spirits are a pain in the forests, too—raswa have devised safe pathways for travelers, but all they can really do is hand you a charm and beg you not to stray. Due to the regions' conditions, the settlements here remain mostly raswa, save for their newer harbor town.

We're onto the last area! This island is in a weird spot, and it's kind of just weird in general, so I saved it for last. It's even weird in the formatting of this blog post! What is wrong with you, fae homelands? This island was created very recently by one of the gods, although they are all credited for it. "Homelands" is a strange word for fae to use, though, because most fae do not come from this land at all. In fact, there are barely any trees here! In any case, This island is what connects all people, encouraging unity in times of despair. From edge to edge, the place is a gigantic market space, full to bursting with different kinds of people, vivid colors, and overwhelming sounds and smells.

And that's that! I'll be real, I had way more fun just writing all that than I did even making the map, so I hope that even 1 person skimmed it and got something out of it. But if not, this'll be a good resource for me, too, so, I guess it's win-win.

I'm not really sure what's next for me! I kinda want to work on more visual development for the fauna, spirits, and gods, but the other, realer, and more boring side of me thinks I should probably figure out the extremely basic information like fasan & raswan government styles first. Cause, you know, the fundamental structure of their society is kind of important...

I've made progress in other areas as well, so I may make a separate post for that! But for now I need a short break. Hope you enjoyed. Yay!

[avida-heidia-5]

I was tagged by @twinkodium. This was a lot of fun! Thanks for the tag! 😊

Star Sign:

Aries. 🐏 (I don’t believe in zodiac signs and their supposed meanings. I just know I’m an Aries as I was born on 22nd March. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Favourite Holiday:

Easter! 🐰🥚🌸 Because chocolate. I’m ADDICTED to the stuff! 🍫 Also, Spring is one of my favourite seasons. I just love seeing nature come back to life and seeing more wildlife more often after a long winter period. It brings me so much joy every single time. 😌

Last Meal:

I’ve just eaten homemade toad-in-the-hole for linner (dinner at lunchtime). It was deeeeelicious! 🤤😋

Current Favourite Musician:

Depeche Mode. I fell in love with them ever since they released their latest album Memento Mori (2023). I pretty much binged the whole of their discography on Spotify last year out of sheer curiosity and I’ve now become strangely obsessed with them as a result. I’ve recently learned that fans of DM are called “Devotees”, soooo yeah. I’m a Devotee now! Whoopsie! 🌹🎹

Last Music Listened To:

Meet Me In The Woods by Lord Huron. I like me a good folk rock song to keep me going. This song was just so pleasant to listen to. Plus, it’s very catchy. I couldn’t get it out of my head after listening to it.

Last Movie Watched:

I watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) with my parents on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. For those who don’t know, it’s an anthology film of sorts containing many different stories centred around the Wild West. My dad recommended it to me as he likes watching films made by the Coen Brothers. I don’t have a lot to say about it other than I really enjoyed it. I’m a film buff and I usually have a lot to say about the films I’ve just seen, so having that happen to me was really odd. 🤔

Last TV Show Watched:

I don’t watch a lot of TV and I don’t keep up to date with any shows, so I don’t know if what I’ve put down counts.

I recently finished watching the Fernando (2020–) docuseries on Amazon Prime and I loved it. 🤩 It’s mainly about Fernando Alonso and the many adventures he got up to during his 2-year retirement from F1. It’s really interesting!

Last Book/Fic Finished:

The last book I read was The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum and the last fic I read was a Chalex fic called I Can Feel The Sun On You by mintchocolatechip97.

Last Book/Fic Abandoned:

The book I abandoned quite swiftly was a Dave Grohl autobiography my uncle and auntie got me for Christmas. I was never a Foo Fighters listener and I’m not a Foo Fighters fan. I still have no idea why they thought I’d like it. Sorry to the people who like them, they’re just not for me. 🙁

Currently Reading:

A Pocketful Of Happiness by Richard E. Grant. It’s such a sweet, tender, and heartbreaking autobiography that highlights how he got into acting and how he met and fell in love with his acting coach Joan Washington. ❤️

Last Thing Researched for Writing/Art/Hyperfixation:

“sebastian vettel mark webber 2010 monaco”. Just seeing pictures of these two smiling and hugging each other makes me smile. 🥰 I was also psyching myself up for this week’s F1 Watch Party on Discord, which, funnily enough, will be streaming the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix this Sunday. I can’t wait!!!! 🏎️💨🏁

Favourite Fandom Online Memory:

I love making friends through their interests in the fandom. The F1 community is massive, so it was easy for me to make friends online and in person as a result. I can feel comfortable being weird around them and in turn they can feel comfortable being weird around me. 🥰🥰🥰

Favourite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence:

I used to love the Merlin fandom when it was popular. I still do, but not as strongly as I used to.

Favourite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big “Fandom” But You Wish It Did:

Hmmm, this is a tough question. I’m not fussed with how popular my fandom choices are. If I had to choose one though, I’d say The Beatles. I think a lot of RPFs about certain bands and singers don’t get as much attention as, say, Formula 1 or Super Mario or Supernatural do.

Tempting Project You’re Trying To Rein In/Don’t Have Time For:

I really want to post some more fanfics on AO3, make some more banners on InShot, and do some video editing and gif making on CapCut, but I’m incredibly slow at doing all of them because college work keeps getting in the way of my plans. 😵‍💫 I hardly have enough free time to do any of them. Don’t worry though, I haven’t abandoned them altogether. I will get them done eventually! 🤞🏻

I tag the following peeps: @kaossbells, @hurricane-heatt, @racingliners, @formulaes5, and @wanderingblindly. Feel free to participate if you’d like to. No pressure obviously. 😊

[lauren-no-why]

💎📌💔 for Lord Huron?

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

Ooh ok yes. Fun fact, Peter Mendoza is an absolute treasure and I really am bummed he didn't have more of a role in Vide Noir. He played Alex, Johnnie's brother/World Enders leader, and of course he didn't even have a single speaking line. Which is a DAMN SHAME because he's a fantastic actor! Mostly he does live theater which crushes me as I am not in LA and can't go see it, but he had a lead role in the second season of Perry Mason (HBO) as Mateo Gallardo. He's a big champion of bringing Latino voices and stories to film and TV. He's also a real sweetheart - I think I may be the only person who has done fanart for him ever and he freaked out in the best way when he saw my drawing of Alex and shared it with everyone he knew, haha. Treasure your small time, up and coming actors and let them know how appreciated they are!

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

A friend of mine (@leucrotta, you've done this to me and I thank you) and I were doing memes on another social media site that involved linking songs/playlists back and forth for our favorite characters/stories in an RPG we were in. Meet Me In the Woods was the song sent to me and boy did I love that and have to go listen to more.

And as much as I liked Strange Trails a lot and rocked that album for a while, Vide Noir is the one that really got its hooks into me thanks to Ancient Names pt. 1. The implications of some kind of strange, vaguely cosmic horror thing going on made me really want to know what the heck was going on in this song. I'd also seen The World Ender music video by then and had noticed that Hurricane was specifically written as "(Johnnie's Theme)" so I was like ok, clearly there are characters and related stories going on in here, there must be a write up somewhere. Went to reddit as the first line of searching, where the wiki was linked, and I basically just read everything on the wiki until I had absorbed it all over the course of like a week as my nightly reading. So yeah, that's how I became well and truly obsessed, haha.

💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.

Mmm, most of the characters designed to be unlikable I still find super interesting as characters. I mean, I joke about hating fuckboy stalker Buck Vernon who can't let a girl go, but like, I don't actually hate him at all, it's just entertaining to make fun of him.

I think the only real contender here is Andrew Winthrop. Fuck that guy. But he's super fucking dead as is his entire corporation now as far as we know. I absolutely love The World Ender as a story of anticapitalist and anticolonial revenge. That's the kind of fantasy I'm super here for.

Winthrop himself is barely a character though, he's really just an archetype. But I'm ok with that. I will hate him regardless.

[asknealfire]

What kind of music did you listen to in New York?

I think I've got a pretty wide taste in music - really just about anything I haven't heard before. Part of the reason I liked '80s music so much once I got back and heard it for the first time, I think. Lord Huron is a good one outside of that era though; I like his whole 'classic '50s sound in folk music' thing he's got going on.

[wttcsms]

I'm listening to "the night we met" by lord huron right now and it kinda reminds me of the first time colt and reader met and i was thinking, if you could recommend any songs for any specific scenes in the fic? I really enjoy listening to fitting music while i read so it would be really great to have some (new) songs to listen to while reading daylight :)

Really hope your doing well during all the different changes you're currently facing, just don't stress yourself too much! Hope you know that your works here on Tumblr and Ao3 will always be amazing no matter what <3

hi hi!!! i am SO sorry for the horribly late reply; i think about this msg all the time though, and you're the reason why i revisited the personal playlist i created for daylight!!! there are so many songs i can recommend for you, but first off: thank you SO much for your kind words and the fact that you enjoy daylight <3

black friday (mahogany session) -> i thought about this song during chapter 2, whenever reader goes to the bar with colt

day too soon -> no specific scene in mind, but 'you'll risk all this just for a kiss' makes me think about the end of chapter 2, when reader shares her first kiss with colt!!! however, the idea/imagery of colt holding reader or reader relying on colt's strength... that's something i really want to create/touch on in the later chapters!!!

oblivions -> again, i really love the imagery of colt carrying reader but the meaning behind the song is also really special to me and pertains to colt/reader as well. i think this is fitting for later chapters when reader visits the internment zone with colt, but you could also listen to this during their last convo before his deployment!!

without you - extended -> this song is so dramatic, i love it. definitely a good listen while reading chapter 3, especially during the moment where reader learns colt is going to war.

[nickeverdeen]

Hello! Can I request a romantic matchup for The Hunger Games, MCU and Arcane? Sorry about the other thing I could have sworn that I had sent one in, anyway thank you for doing these matchups they're very fun :D 

Name: Sophie Pronouns: she/her Sexuality: bisexual (female preference) MBTI: ISTP-T Zodiac: Virgo sun, Cancer rising, Sagittarius moon Love Languages: physical touch and quality time - Slytherin

Appearance: finally 5'0 (and probably won't grow anymore 😭), straight and long dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, wasian, slim build, clear glasses (I'm really blind), always in socks 🫶

Personality: quiet most of the time, awkward, kind, patient, a little judgemental, I'd consider myself as smart, not very outgoing and prefers to stay at home, reserved, loyal, generally happy, very talkative at times, calm, black cat, a little stubborn, can and will hold grudges, sarcastic, easily amused, secretly a hopeless romantic

Likes: cats, video games (Minecraft, Terraria, Slime Rancher), films and tv shows, reading, writing, listening to music (favourite songs at the moment are: Wolf - Boy Epic, Setting Sun - Lord Huron, Not Prepared For You - Diane Warren + Lauren Jauregui, Broken Hearted Love Song - The Shoe), cuddles/physical touch in general, playing netball

Dislikes: strawberry yogurt, fish, bugs that can fly, anything to do with horror 🤺, being the centre of attention, people who are overly nice, those who swear every other word

Extra: I usually find myself being attracted to those who are headstrong and confident

Have a lovely day!

Your Hunger Games match is…

Katniss Everdeen

Katniss isn’t really into physical touch

At least not in public, when you’re alone she’d cuddle with you at night

Offers you that she’ll make you a braid

She doesn’t really mind you being awkward or judgemental

Values your kindness and patience

Katniss would be slightly sad by the fact that you wouldn’t want to go hunt or out with her in general

But she also understands you

Two black cats couple

Katniss being also stubborn there would be some tension sometimes between you two

It isn’t really seeable, but she likes your “hopeless romantic” behaivor

Comes to you whenever she’s upset or needs comfort in general or any kind of advice

You’re her comfort person

Likes to see you play netball, but doesn’t want to learn it

Slight teasing about the fact that you hate flies or flying bugs

Gets them outside for you

Katniss isn’t fan of horrors either so no worries, she won’t watch any horror movies with you or anything

She had enough horror in the games

I checked and she never in any of her movies or books cussed

So no worries she won’t cuss and she isn’t overly nice

Oh yeah she is headstrong, but not so confident

Your MCU match is…

Kate Bishop

Kate loves physical touch and will cuddle you whenever she can

In public it’s mainly hand holding and hugs

Maybe kisses on cheek

Like a kid asks if she can try your glasses on

She rambles all the time so no worries, the room won’t be quiet even if you are

Kate is really awkward in most situations

Simp for you

Rambles all about you to Clint and even Lucky

She is also a slightly hopeless romantic

Has access to any game that requires payment so you won’t have to pay

Buys Spotify premium

She is rich so no worries about her waisting money

Will listen with you to your music

No guarantees that she will exactly like your music taste though

She is really glad that you’re so kind and loyal

Whenever you get sarcastic she’ll turn it into humoress jokes from her side

Or at least she thinks they are funny

Tries to play netball with you, but sje just can’t

Teaches you how to shoot with bow and arrows if you’re up for it

Doesn’t force you, though

Kate doesn’t really get why you don’t like straberry yogurt

Will ask why you don’t

Scared as hell of horrors and scary things in general

Will try to shoot the flying bug with her bow and arrows

Please stop her from doing that

Kate Bishop is confident that’s for sure

Your Arcane match is…

Vi

She is very touch-starved so she does long for a physical touch even in public

Despite not being tall herself she’d tease you about your height

Flirting 24/7

Really apprichates you being loyal, kind and patient with her

You get sarcastic? She’s sarcastic back

Respects the fact that you prefer to stay home than go out

Vi knows that you’re smarter than her, but she won’t admit it

Also you might be smarter, but not more cunning than her… it just ain’t possible

Teases you about you being a hopeless romantic, but she likes it

Definetly plays video games with you whenever she can

Vi is very competetive so if you have any game where players are against each other, she’ll definetly play

She will try and listen to your music, but again, she might not like it

Cuddles are always welcomed

Like I said, she really likes physical touch, so cuddles are just perfect

Will learn how to play netball just to play with you

Vi isn’t much of a reader, but would like it if you’d tell her what the book was about

She isn’t really into strawberry yogurt herself

Teasing you about you not liking anything that flies

She doesn’t really mind horrors, but if she’d see that you don’t like them, she wouldn’t put them on ever again

She will try to stop cussing in front of you

Unsuccessfully

But she’s trying okay?

Vi is usually the centre of attention so no worries, you probably won’t be unless you’d want to

Oh yeah, she’s headstrong and confident for sure

Protective girlfriend

Drags you into any kind of trouble she gets in just so you could drag her out

Teaches you self-defence so she’d know that you can defend yourself when she isn’t there

[alltimefail-sims]

I actually understand exactly where you're coming from. I find myself checking the wiki for more info on sims in TS4 and leaning heavily on other people's interpretations sometimes whereas I have a very clear understanding on who sims from TS2 franchise were. And what's crazy is that even the more popular sims in this community are popular not necessarily because of who the sims team "intended" them to be, but because of the fandom's interpretations/ability to fill in the plot holes.

One thing the sims team is going to do every time is give us some underdeveloped, half-baked townies!! (Although for some reason, in my opinion, they really delivered with the Horse Ranch townies for some reason?!)

This is a really interesting question! I think Mortimer listens to mostly wordless music: classical/baroque music/traditional Spanish-influenced instrumental music. Bella would also love instrumental music with traditional Latin/Spanish influence, but I think Bella also enjoys lyrical music/pop music with a good beat as she is a vivacious firecracker who is full of life and the life of the party imo! If they're listening to music with words (Bella does this more than Mortimer), they're probably listening to music sang entirely in Spanish/music by Spanish-speaking artists nearly every time. In fact, I personally think the Goths would speak Spanish mostly at home as well because I've never seen any of them as white people (yes this includes Mortimer!)

As for Cassandra and Alexander, I imagine they both enjoy alternative music in general - early 2000s pop punk is a shared love, and this is mostly Cass having an influence over her baby brother because he was a kid when those bands were popular haha. I could see them both screaming the words to any song off of MCR's "The Black Parade" album. But that's about as far as their similarities go: as they get older the differences in their personal tastes of music are more prevalent.

Cassandra loves classical/instrumental music like her dad. She also loves death metal and screamo, the more avant-garde the better (if most people would find it weird, niche, wild and/or loud, she enjoys it.) I don't listen to this kind of music, so I don't have an example off the top of my head but as a little bonus: I think Yuki Behr turned her onto Baby Metal lmao.

Alexander, on the other hand, likes a wide variety of music. I think he's probably the biggest "music lover" in his family who kind of just enjoys different stuff all across the board. He learned how to play piano through classical and baroque music, but he's not listening to that in his free time: he finds it far too rigid/restrictive. His favorite kind of music would probably be alternative rock that leans more indie/acoustic/folk like Hozier or Lord Huron. I think he enjoys some pop music, so long as it has good lyrics. He also was in drama club in high school and I think he enjoys several musicals! I also see him especially into stuff from the doo-wop and Motown era: anything between the 30s and 60s, and that's why I always say that Stephen Sanchez's music reminds me of the kind of music Alexander would make due to its spanish/doo-wop/pop fusion. (Listen to his new album "Angel Face" and you will get what I mean! I actually would consider Stephen Sanchez's singing voice/songs to be my Alexander Goth's voice claim!)

But those are just my personal takes and how I play them!

I don't have a ton of my own headcanons about Jesminder! I think her and Arun probably cause bisexuals to panic as they're both stupid hot!

All jokes aside though, I think they're criminally underrepresented townies. Jesminder has always struck me as this multi-talented person who lights-up-every-room and has that special kind of vibe that you can't put a name on - she just is charming, drawing people to her. I don't think she's a talker so much as she's a listener; she's wise and when she speaks it's because she actually has something to say (she doesn't just talk to talk). I think because of this, I imagine that as a bartender she has had many people confiding in her/asking her for advice lmao. She's the kind of person that calls you sweetheart and then will drop the most provocative, to-the-point rhetorical question or advice on you and it will change you forever you know?

And Arun is just like this super sweet hipster tech guy who probably drinks kombucha, rides his bike to work, and loves his wife like crazy and can't wait to be a dad. He has no idea how he bagged this woman but he is not about to question it in case she realizes she could "do better" (they're annoyingly in love though and she does not like when he jokes like that lol).

Someone needs to make a story that focuses on them because I think they seem to be an adorable couple with a lot of potential. I just think they're neat! (djservo's "Bros" story with Joaquin and Sergio has given me some Arun and Jesminder content but I need more!!!!)

[lightyaoigami]

Tell us about your inspiration for kompromat! Also -- Do you have any changes to the playlist linked, or mood board for it? 🥰 (From this reblog)

jessy you're the best, i love this question so much! <3

for anyone wondering what kompromat is, it's my beloved fic that i worked really hard on, here's the AO3 link & here's my accompanying playlist.

so essentially the idea came to me in a divine vision while i was spacing out walking my dog lmao. i was listening to i lied by lord huron & allison ponthier which isn't a one-to-one lyrically for this story, but the rhythm and melody injected "lawlight tragically dancing in a dark room" into my brain and i started kind of going into a trance from there. i haven't changed anything about the playlist but i would love to recover my mood board (i accidentally deleted it, tragically)

the line "i swore that i'd become a better man for you and i tried" just got me thinking, so i tried to kind of build a scene around the image of them dancing to this tune. like, where would they be dancing? a dark bar because i always want them in real life type situations. why is it so sad? because lawlight is inherently tragic but also, they are either about to part, or be reunited. while kompromat isn't explicitly a soulmate au i do think that the idea of a soul mate is pretty much a motif of DN. i like the idea of the red string of fate and i think it works here and in canon. also, with regard to memory loss and regretting losing your memories, i love eternal sunshine so much it's probably my favorite movie ever, and i hadn't made the connection until i started writing.

also i'm sure everyone who reads my fics has picked up on this but i'm really invested in everything being really real, so i spent a few hours looking at beautiful london hotels and nice bars. as a fellow new yorker i want to tell you specifically that the bar that is in my mind visually is the nines in noho even though the fic is set at the fumoir at the claridges hotel in london.

i was really, really intent on having kompromat be posted *on* new year's eve. i realize now that i probably hindered my engagement by doing that because most people probably don't sit on AO3 on nye (no judgment here obvi, just seems true to me). but there is always a melancholic feeling on nye to me no matter how much fun you're having. i don't know how to describe this specific melancholy other than the feeling of listening to the song "auld lang syne" and like, the idea of leaving your old life/year behind, for better or for worse, you know?

i just love the idea that in any timeline, in a million lifetimes, the boy best friends manage to find each other because there's nobody as awful as them, and nobody can love them the way they love each other ;_; in funnier terms, this tweet:

i would be remiss not to tag the kompromat cheerleader hive @bi-snapdragon @quicktimeeventfull @thesimstwo @god-of-this-new-blog love you guys sm thanks for always gassing me up about this work <3

[catholickedd]

for the spotify thing: 60, 45, 20, 58, 10

okay!! fair warning though- my mom shares an account with me and anything that’s not like hozier mitski or lord huron is prob her

10- I Like You by post malone

20- The Bug Collector by hayley heynderickx <- this was me, it’s a really good song please go listen

45- NFWMB by hozier

58- pompeii by bastille (BUT IF YEU CLAOUSE YEUR EYES)

60- fluorescent adolescent by the arctic monkeys <- my red lipstick song

[suugrbunz]

꒰ Band of Brother Characters Taste in Music ꒱

Dick Winters— Jazz music is his jam... I could see him enjoying Laufey or Nat King Cole

Lewis Nixon— Either has a similar taste to Winters or he's listening to alternative. Might listen to Lana Del Rey.

Ronald Speirs— Folk Rock... Think of Sedona by Houndmouth or maybe Not Dead Yet by Lord Huron.

Harry Welsh— Probably loves music from the 70s... You could catch him singing to Fleetwood mac or Carly Simon.

Carwood Lipton— he listens to all kinds of music... Old, new, um classical. if he likes it, he will listen to it.

Edward Shames— Klezmer or nigun; He's a mensch.

John Martin—Whatever the radio plays, he isn't picky. He just doesn't enjoy hard rock or certain country music(that's about beer & girls).

Floyd Talbert— It's giving Mac Demarco, TV Girl, Backseat Lovers, maybe Gorillaz.. I don't know if he's a red flag or not.

Bill Guarnere— Alternative Rock; I'm leaning towards Punk by Gorillaz. Though, if he were to have a guilty pleasure song it'd be Mamma Mia by Abba.

Joe Toye— I'm thinking Metal or heavier rock in general though he definitely has guilty pleasure songs. His favourite metal song is Dragula by Rob Zombie. The guilty pleasure song is definitely Brutal by Olivia Rodrigo. He also listens to Lana del Rey, Marina, and Paramore.

Don Malarkey— His favourite band is the strokes, trust me. He also enjoys The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand. Just trust me on this, okay?

Lynn Compton— Wasn't he kind of athletic? If so he definitely has a workout playlist that's full of either really hyper-feminine music or 90s rock.

Ralph Spina— He loves music from the 60s-70s... Southern Nights by Glen Campbell is one of his favourite songs.

Eugene Roe— @chaosklutz helped with this one; Jazz. I could imagine him listening to Let's call the whole thing off by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Babe Heffron—Indie pop or Indie rock... Hes an avid listener of lovejoy. He also listens to Hozier from time to time.

Shifty Powers— Folk... He's from Virginia but if I remember correctly it's a rural area. He definitely likes John Denver and The Oh Hellos.

Joseph Liebgott— Klezmer the folk music of Ashki Jews!! Example; Dona Dona by Nikitov. On the other hand, I could see him listening to alternative/indie like Blur or haim.

George Luz— Classic Rock or Indie Pop— Think talking heads or wallows. However, he definitely loves some cher songs and donna summers.

Bull Randleman— It's giving rock but not heavy... He's not like Toye or Guarnere. I'm thinking of Cheaptrick or maybe Aerosmith.

Skinny Sisk—Probably listens to a playlist that's a mixture of pop, rock, and rap. It's giving red flag.

Frank Perconte— He definitely listens to the fratellis and the maccabees... I mean they have a song called Toothpaste Kisses...

Warren Muck— he listens to anything but he tends to favour the 80s. He loves Come On Eileen but also 500 miles? He'd play that whilst in the car with Penkala and Malarkey.

Alex Penkala— Don't ask me why but I think he'd listen to new wave. Think Duran Duran, Blondie, or B-52s. He might listen to the ramones from time to time.

David Webster— Whilst studying Webster has definitely chosen classical as his go to. He's a big fan of Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky. However, when listening to music on the radio he prefers something a bit more quiet... His taste clashes with Toye and Guarnere. Though, I could see him trying to act as if listening to the smiths is really underrated. As if they're some underground band.

Edward Tipper— I think he likes 60s pink Floyd... Like See Emily Play Pink Floyd. He might also enjoy The Beatles or The Stone Roses. Like Rock that borders being pop.

[fvdani]

Strange Trials, Lord Huron

Heyyy! So, I wanna start this little blog thing where I can talk more about music recommendations because somehow playlists seem not enough, and I love talking about albums and music in depth because, even though I did study music, I do love talking about it and spreading my knowledge. And I thought, what a better way to kick this off than with my favorite album? So, today I will talk about Strange Trials by Lord Huron.

American indie rock band, Lord Huron, formed in 2010 in Los Angeles California, consisting of Mark Barry, Miguel Briseño, Tom Renaud and Ben Schneider, have been pretty consistent regardin album aesthetics. “Formation” and “Lonesome Dreams” their first EP and album, respectively, intruduce you to magic worlds full of folk, love (and all its perks), and poetry. I can almost see how they have their little own world and I really think it is full of magic. Giving it just one listen may be enough, but I promise, you will want to hear more.

“Strange Trials” arrived in 2015. Being their second studio album, Lord Huron had it almost pretty figured out when it came to story-telling, and most of it, thanks so frontman and lyricsist Ben Schneider. You may have heard of it by its most famous song, The Night we Met, in Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, but I think its one of those albums you have to listen from start to end to get the full story.

Althought this is one of those lore-cmplicated bands and albums, and there a lot of holes in the story, just a quick Google search will let you know how much around this album there is. I also think its beautiful that there’s a lot open to interpretation here.

A couple of music videos where released, which, of course, follow the story in order. Through the music videos and story-spinning lyrics, Schneider introduces personas like Frankie Lou, Buck Vernon, and Lily, the object of Buck’s affection who we meet in “Fool for Love,” the first single off Strange Trails.

The album starts off with Love Like Ghosts, a tune that, later on, you’ll realize is the main chord progression for most of the songs, especially with Meet Me In The Woods and The Night We Met. In Love Like Ghosts we get an introduction to almost the whole story of the album, some of the characters, and some pretty iconic lyrics; “Yes I know that love is like ghosts, a few have seen it but everybody talks…”, “Spirits follow everywhere I go, they sing all day and they haunt me in the night.” Yes, you guessed it, its a love story.

We continue to follow the story with throughout the entire album. A story about a man who falls in love so desperetly and everything he does do accomplish his desire, with amazing point of views like Danielle, in Frozen Pines, one of my personal favorites, or The Phantom Riders, with songs like “The World Ender”, “Hurricane”, and “Until the Night Turns”, to mention some.

If you’d like to read a more in-depth lore explanation, there’s a really good Reddit post by MountainGhostsInTrees that I will link down below for thoose of you who’d like to keep reading about this, because as much as I can write, I don’t feel like I could ever do it the right justice.

I will tell you tho, you can listen to this album an infinite amount of times and you’ll never get enough. So I hope you like it as much as I do.

[joe9cool]

Collide-Justin Herbert-14

A/N. Before this chapter starts I want to say I only own my Characters. The LA Chargers, their employees are real people. The gossip is for storylines only. I don't know their stories in reality. This is my story and doesn't reflect their real lives. Thank you.

"Alright, we got everything?" Sara yawned and nodded her head as she got in the car. It was 2am and Justin wanted to be at his parents by the afternoon. She could understand he didn't get to see his family very often during the season and he was excited. Despite the fact that she was exhausted, his happiness rubbed off on her.

Everything was packed up. Nova was asleep in her carrier, still on a high after the catnip she was given. They began the eight hour drive. Justin's phone was navigating, even though he insisted he knew where he was going.

She loaded up on snacks. She packed protein bars, cookies, an uncrustable and Capri suns. (Justin busted out laughing when he saw that one.) He was a bit annoyed when she made him stop at the twenty four hour dunkin donuts. (She placed an order ahead and ran inside in disguise to get it) however the stop was in handy as he sipped the coffee she got him and ate some of the sandwich. 

"Just let me know when you want to switch." Justin rolled his eyes. "Babe, I did this drive all by myself. I'm fine. Also be careful of the liquids, we are going to be hitting a long stretch with no rest stop."

"It's dark, I'll just pee on the side of the road." He sighed. "That's fine. I got my water bottle if I need to go." Sara wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Ewww boys." He laughed. "Hey its extremely effective."

She used the car's Bluetooth to play some music. He didn't have any preferences so she put on Lord Huron. While listening to "meet me in the city" she told him about her upcoming projects with the band. He was genuinely interested in hearing about what she had planned.

Justin felt bad about not paying attention in the past. Truth was he was all science and sports. Yes he watched movies, but he never really thought about the background of what went into it. Sara explaining her being behind the camera and coming up with ideas. It was fascinating.

"I had no idea you selected the music for the scenes of your show. That's awesome." He smiled, proud of his girl. "I'm going to be honest though. I have never seen a single episode. So I don't understand it."

Sara was a little hurt. "Well it's about college kids coming together after leaving their small town, conservative neighborhoods. You know, coming of age. I'm shocked you haven't seen an episode. Have you heard of it at least?" He nodded. "We have to watch it together."

"Oh no I don't watch anything I'm in. Unless I have to, like a movie premiere that's it. I'll never see it again." He looked at her as he signaled to get on the expressway. "Why?"

"I am my worst critic, I cringe when I see myself." She shrugged. "I guess going back to my high-school days where I would do plays and then my family would critique me."

Justin never thought of it that way. He was forced to watch his old games to go over mistakes he made. He didn't care for it, but it was part of the game. It brought him to another thought. "Well on the topic of your family." He began. "You never talk about yours really."

"I love my immediate family. But I don't know. Sometimes I feel like a disappointment."

"Thats ridiculous. You are more successful than them combined." He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Sara nodded. "I guess, but my family is very businesslike, very Wall street. My dad is a CEO of Lincoln Financial, an investment company. My mom is an economics professor at the local community College. My oldest sister Katie is a financial advisor along with her husband. Middle one Brittany is a lawyer, same as her husband. Alyssa is a stay at home mom. But she has her degree in Pre law, and then there's me."

"You have a degree in psychology though."

Sara sighed. "So did Katie, but my dad made her go to business school because he didn't see any potential in it. When I told my dad I was going to do psychology in high school, he was mad. But hoping I would use it for pre med and pre law. When I told him it was a backup because I wanted to be in the entertainment industry my parents agreed that they wouldn't pay for it. Not a dime. They covered my sisters tuition and dorm fully,but not me. It hurts, I think they feel bad about doubting that. But they never said anything to me."

She smiled. "They have my back and are very supportive. But I don't know, I feel left out sometimes. They were all very athletic and involved, whereas I hated playing sports. I hated being put out there at something I wasn't good at. It wasn't until I joined theater in middle school that I found my niche. My parents rarely went to my plays, usually because it fell around nationals for Alyssa cause she was in dance.

"Not to be rude, but I don't really consider dancing a sport." Justin shrugged his shoulders. "What about aunts and uncles?"

She rolled her eyes. "My aunt is the fucking worst. Always cuts me up when no one is around. She will Make sure to remind me I'll never be good enough like my sisters or small like them" He looked at her questioningly. "I'm the tallest, and the largest in body frame. It pisses her off that her oldest isn’t in show business because she’s prettier.”

Justin was mad. "Fuck them. You don't need them." He grabbed her hand. He noticed she was shaking. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine, we had to talk about it eventually." Speaking of which, she had to talk to him about leaving in January. That would be a topic when they got home, she decided. Wanting to get off sad topics she smiled. "I hope your mom has all the baby books out."

He groaned and she laughed. "As soon as I told her you were coming my dad texted me and said she was in the crawl space digging them out." She giggled. "Aww come on you were probably the cutest kid. She pinched his cheeks. "Baby Justin with the chubby cheeks oh my god." He smiled and blushed. "Stop it."

She laughed. "So it's your mom, dad, and Patrick right?" He nodded. "Yes, Mitch is in New York in med school. Funny though you took a picture with his girlfriend when you were in New York."  

"Really? Wow what a small world." He smiled. After a minute he asked. "Did you tell your family about us?"

There it was. He was worried if more people knew. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything." She said. 

He furrowed his eyebrows. It actually hurt to know that her parents didn't know anything. "May I ask why?"

"Well for starters I know you don't want many people to know about us so I just didn't say Justin understood the first part. He did value his privacy, but he didn't realize how much his comments hurt Sara. "It's not that I don't want people to know. I'm okay with close friends. It's just when it gets revealed to the public I know things will change." He thought back to his and Bella's conversation. "You have to give me time to adjust." She turned towards him, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. Sara I really like you and see this going somewhere. I think it's time we discussed going forward. I don't see this as a casual fling."

She smiled and grabbed his hand, kissing it "I see this going somewhere too." He smiled. "I'm glad."anything. Also my family is very overwhelming. The moment I say I'm seeing someone they will be on the first plane to Cali to grill you. Then the others will know and I'm not going to subject you to scrutiny."

She was quiet for a moment

"Can I confess something?" He looked at her. "I thought you were just going to be a fling." 

He was surprised. "Really?" She nodded. "I kinda swore off dating for a while. Then I saw you at the wedding and thought you were cute and tall." She laughed. "I approached you thinking it was going to be a one night stand thing. But then I just chickened out and called you for a date."

He laughed. "Well I'm honored. Can I be honest as well? I wasn't going to call at all, I was too intimidated." She busted out laughing. "I knew, that's why I called you."

They laughed together. "That was really bold of me. I thought for sure you would go for someone like me."

"What makes you say that?"

She almost said it. It was on the tip of her tongue. She chickened out again. " Well don't pro athletes usually go for skinny blonde girls?" She noticed his hesitation. "I'm going to be honest, I've just always ended up with blondes. But I like brunettes as well. I got a gorgeous one right next to me." She cooed.

She was happy, this was the most honest conversation they ever had since their relationship. It was progress, and while Sara could admit that she was toxic in the way that she never really injected herself in his hobbies she felt really guilty over invading his privacy. She had no reason not to trust him. He was with her almost twenty four seven. There was no reason to suspect him cheating his own teammate backed him up.

A teammate she was stringing along. 

As on cue her phone buzzed and it was Joey.

Hey 

It was four in the morning. What could he want? Her read receipts were on unfortunately. Still she decided to ignore it

She looked at Justin, she needed a distraction. "You know what I'm most excited for?" She asked

"Hmm."

"To see your childhood bedroom."

"Why?"

"I don't know, because of the memories you have tied to it. Where you had your struggles, how you celebrated the highs and dealt with the lows. Photos of your friends and family. Also I'm sure you have jerseys hung up. I want to thank you for trusting me with that "

He smiled. "I'm happy to reveal it to you. I know I'm not the most open guy and I struggle with feelings, but this is important to me, you're important to me."

Sara's heart was going to burst with joy and love. "Well technically I got the hard part over, I met your parents." He laughed. "Yeah now you get to meet my youngest brother. Which is easy, he's a pain in the ass though. I'm sure he would say the same for me."

"What would he have to say about you?"

Justin laughed. "That I beat up on him a Lot, which I did when I was younger. Also I was a neat freak."

"You still are, you got me containers for my makeup and toiletries to keep them separate."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay? And you find what you're looking for faster." She was silent for a moment. "Okay, point taken."

Another couple hours went by with some playful bickering about the music. (He joked that her music was depressing and she said he had the taste of a dad going through a mid life crisis.) They settled into a comfortable silence. Finally Sara saw the 'Welcome to Oregon' sign. She squeezed his hand tighter.

It was nice to see the change. Even though they just crossed the border she noticed Justin looked more relaxed than he had the past couple of weeks. She knew how stressed he was, so she hoped he could truly relax and reset, seek comfort in his family. The weather changed to dark and dreary. "I love it" She said.

"What?' She blushed as she realized she spoke her thoughts out loud. "This weather. I love it, perfect weather to be in bed, reading a book, sleeping. Or making love."

They came to a red light and he glanced at her. "my house in Oregon isn't as glamorous as LA. But I love it "

"Justin because I'm a Hollywood actress doesn't mean I have people waiting on me hand and foot. I don't need fancy things, my house is pretty modest for LA isn't it?"

He nodded "yes. I'm sorry. I don't mean it offensively. My idea of Hollywood starlets is completely different." He paused. "Still can't believe I met Bella Hadid." She laughed. "Crazy isn't it? When she was up and coming I was still in my college dorm."

"Yeah and I was starting at Oregon." She felt bad. This is his trip for him, and she wanted this to be about him. This territory was for his stories to tell.

It was still a bit before they hit Eugene, but Sara was already in love. It was gorgeous and the scenery was perfect. The fall really brought that out, completely atmosphere from the busy Los Angeles. Justin looked at Sara as she took in the sights. As they were on the road she offered to switch many times, as they initially agreed to share the driving responsibilities. But Justin had no intention of doing that.  He wanted her to take in the scenery, and he had done this drive many times by himself.

Plus this made him feel like a man, driving his girl to locations. He loved that he was so much bigger than her. He loved that she comforted him during hard times, that she validated his feelings. Everything about her was perfect. He loved watching her get ready in the morning. He loved that she was the first person he spoke to in the morning and the last one he spoke to before he fell asleep

It was in that moment he realized he loved everything about her

He loved Sara Christine Wozniak.

The realization hit him so hard that he didn't start driving until the car behind them honked and startled them both. Embarrassed, he began driving while Sara laughed at him. She was scrolling instagram and decided to post photos she took in LA the other day while out. Just in case she had to cover her tracks.

It's a good thing she did.

Twitteruser: My dad just saw Justin Herbert in Oregon! Looks like he's taking a break

 I would need a break from Lombardis offense.

Probably re enrolling in OSU to play ball there.

Was he with anyone?

Twitteruser: he said there was someone in the seat next to him. Looked like a girl with dark hair, had a baseball cap on.

Are you sure it was him? I thought he was dating that blonde reporter.

Twitteruser: yeah long hair, silver Porsche with the Oregon plate. He said he couldn't get a look at the girl, who was very secretive.

He probably has a secret girlfriend and is using Taylor as a cover up

Twitteruser7: what a player.

Yeah dude needs to focus on ball and not pussy.

On Tumblr.

Anon message : have you seen this? [Link to tweet] interesting. I like the theory that he has a secret girlfriend she probably lives in Oregon

Interesting anon. However we don't know if this is legit. Let's not make this a thing and go through all of his followers with dark hair and message them.

Anon2: what are your thoughts?

I'm not going to add any fuel to the fire. I have my own opinions but he's a twenty four year old guy having fun. I'm thrown for a loop cause I was pretty sure I knew who he was seeing, and it wasn't a brunette.

Anon: Maybe it's Sara?

I know for sure it isn't Sara Wozniak. She was posting photos of Los Angeles.  I can't see them together. Sorry. Now unless there's photo evidence  I really don't want to talk about this.

Anon: great another girl to add to the list for these crazies to stalk. He's home, maybe it's a fucking relative.

True, he has plenty of female relatives with dark hair. I'm surprised he went home though, he told the media he was just going to treat it like any other week.

Anon: he didn't want any scrutiny. He needs to reset and I feel that this is good for him. See family and recharge, glad to see he has a support team. 

Yes this will be a good mental reset before next week. 

Sara’s anxiety began to spike as Justin got off the main roads and turned on a residential  street. She could see Autzen stadium in the distance and smiled thinking of how Justin played there. 

"we're going to my house first to drop off our stuff. Maybe get a nap in." He yawned and saw it was 11am. He looked over at Sara. "That sound good?" 

"That's perfect. We would have gotten here a lot faster If I drove." She teased. He was a rule follower, only going the max five over.

"Okay hun, and you had how many speeding tickets?"

She huffed. "Only two and the cops in Pennsylvania are jerks. I was running late for school." He laughed as he pulled into his driveway. She took in the sight, it was alot smaller than his home in California, but it was nice, and homey. Perfect home for a family to grow in. They pulled into the garage and once the door was closed He jumped out and opened the door for her. She grabbed Nova’s carrier and litter box and made sure to set it up as soon as he unlocked the door.

They had a brief back and forth about the bags. (She reminded him he was still injured.,) and they settled in. "I'm going to assume you have nothing." She opened the fridge and was surprised when it was fully stocked with everything. Justin smiled. "My mom stocked up on everything when I told her we were coming. Also Patrick uses this place when his girlfriend comes to visit." She nodded in understanding before she unpacked everything in his room. It was a similar setup to Los Angeles. Once that was done she smiled as she took in the photos. He had his trophies, memories of his time at University of Oregon. There was one trophy she was memorized by.

"Thats the Campbell trophy." Justin came up behind her and caressed her shoulders. "It's awarded to the most academic athlete."

Sara leaned into his embrace. "You're so smart. Tell me something, I found an article that said you were looking into med school if the NFL didn't work out."

"That's crap. People assumed that because of Mitch. I didn't really want that. I probably would have been a biology teacher like my dad. I was a teacher's assistant and I really liked that."

"Hmm so you would have been the hot guy sitting next to the professor. I would have tried to hook up with you?" He smiled. "You would?"

She laughed. "Naw this was at college. I would have stared at you like a weirdo and stalked your social media."

"Jokes on you, I didn't have social media. Plus we probably wouldn't have had any classes together." Acknowledging the two year age gap." Sara nodded. "When you were at UCLA did you attend any football games?"

Sitting on the bed she thought about it. "Yes, my roommate freshman year was dating someone on the football team so I went. But I wasn't really interested, so I went to a party with the team. Told one of the guys I wanted to be an actress and he laughed before he tried to fuck me."

Justin sat next to her. "What happened?"

"As soon as the show took off he was in my DMs, he also told the press that I fucked him and was a 'wild animal in bed'

"Asshole."

"I mean what are you going to do? My friends stood up for me, it was a back and forth on twitter. I don't want to talk about that though " She laid on the bed. "I want to take a nap and maybe have a snack later. Then we will meet everyone."

He began to strip off his clothes, "that sounds like a good plan to me." Sara followed suit, and when they were stripped down to their underwear they crawled underneath the covers. Justin pulled Sara to him. Content and relaxed, they fell asleep, ready to enjoy their mini vacation.

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

It was 2 o'clock when she woke up to an empty bed, slipping on her glasses, she sat up and stretched. She heard commotion in the kitchen? She heard voices, however it wasn't Holly or Mark's.

"Bro I'm sorry I didn't know you were here already."

"Shh you're gonna wake her up." She knew Justin's voice.

"Who?"

"My girlfriend, dipshit. Besides, don't you have practice or something?"

The unrecognizable voice. "Well you get certain perks when your team has a winning record, you remember that don't you?"

"Shut up?"

"Wait a second, girlfriend? When the fuck did this happen?"

"Four months."

"Mom and dad know?

She could tell her boyfriend was irritated. "Yes they know they met her when they visited LA. So does Mitch too."

Wait, Mitch knows? That was news to her, in a good way. But he never mentioned that.

"So you're telling me you just show up here with a girl that the whole family knows about except me? Well dude I want to meet her!"

"Not now! When she wakes up and gets ready we will be over Mom and Dad's for dinner!"

A laugh. "Oh so you had to break in the bed first huh? Ceremonial first girl in the house." 

She heard a slap and then an "ow" following. She stifled a laugh, knowing how red Justin probably was. "Shut up Patrick."

Oh so that was Patrick, the youngest of the Herbert brothers. She should have figured that out. She wanted to go out there and meet him but not like this. It was best to pretend she was still sleeping.

"Well you're in luck cause Carly surprised me as a late birthday gift."

She heard the panic in Justin's voice. "She's here? You didn't tell me she was here. I wasn't planning for that."

"I know, that's why I said surprise genius. She got here last night."

"Well, she isn't coming tonight is she?"

"Uh yeah she's staying with me. You never had an issue with her being over. What's the deal?" Oh he was worried about her knowing. God forbid one more person knew about them.

Anger flared up inside of her, but then she thought rationally. She was a big Star, and if someone blew their cover that was it. However, she would think Patrick's girlfriend would be trustworthy. 

The rest of their conversation turned to Oregon games. They had come off of a win vs UCLA so there was a lot of trash talking on Pat's end. Once he had left she heard Justin head towards the room and she quickly laid back down and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She heard him enter and felt the bed move. His large arm wrapped around her stomach. He kissed her cheek. "I know you're not asleep." She could hear the smile. She steadied her breathing, putting on the performance of a lifetime. "You can pull that with anyone else but you can't with me. You don't like to sleep on your back." Still, she persisted. 

His finger slid down her side, creeping up on her side, he moved towards her arm Pitt and she held her breath. One night he discovered her weakness that she was extremely ticklish and used that to his advantage. Of course he was going to use it here and she felt his hand move off of her and she thought she was in the clear, but to no avail as he went to the other spot which was her neck. He began to poke at the sides of her neck. Her lips moved, then she gave up and began laughing really hard. Justin joined in. "Gotcha!" He kept up the antics and Sara tried shoving him away. "Jerk! That's not fair." He kissed her.

"How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to know Pat came." He rolled his eyes. "You can ignore him, he's an ass." She smiled and kissed him, he responded. Soon enough their tongues were battling for dominance. Of course he had to win. He grabbed her neck and she moaned. The kiss was broken "so, if you want." Justin breathed. "I never gave you a tour of the house." 

"I want a tour of something else." She reached underneath his shirt. He grabbed her hands and held them to her sides. "I think the house tour is more important." The smile on her face told her everything. Jerk was teasing her. "Besides, patience is a virtue."  He got off the bed and motioned for her to follow him. Upon stealing one of his shirts she followed him.

He took his sweet time explaining each room, how each appliance worked. She tried so hard to pay attention when he would go into detail explaining something significant that happened to him or a memory. It was hard to focus when he looked delicious. She had known before the conversation with Patrick he must have showered cause she noticed his hair was wet. Also he was shirtless, a massive weakness for her and he knew it. Again, what a jerk. Justin took her into the basement and she gasped. It was a guy setup with a bar, a pool table, a video game setup with a big television. That wasn't what grabbed Sara’s attention, there was a piano in the corner collecting dust. She noticed he was looking at her. "I didn't know you played."

"I don't. I bought it for decoration from my buddy. You play?" She nodded. "One of the first things my parents enrolled me in. I always thought it was such a beautiful instrument. My brother in law plays too." She walked over and ran her hands over the keys. "Have you thought about taking lessons?" He shrugged. "Not really. It's just for decoration.

"Such a shame, I think you would look hot. If you want I can show you some basics." He smiled. "I'd like that a lot." He walked towards her. "You want to see the backyard. "

"You got a swing set?" He raised his eyebrows. "A swing set?"

"Or a hammock?" He shook his head no. "Come on Herbert!" 

"What? I only grill in my backyard, and it's not hot enough for a pool." He smirked. "I do have a hot tub. Which Patrick uses for recovery."

"Really Justin? You should have told me! I didn't pack any swimwear!"

"That shouldn't stop you. I mean, we can just skinny dip." She turned to see the mischievous smile on his face. "Hmm I don't know. I'm saving myself for marriage."

He busted out laughing. "Yeah okay. You call what you did something a virgin would do?"

"I'm a woman of many talents." He let out a "hmph" sound and grabbed her hand to lead her back upstairs. Once they reached the top of the stairs Sara thought about the time they needed to be at his parents house. "I should start getting ready."

"It's only three we got a couple of hours."

"Thank God I made those cookies yesterday." 

"You know my parents wouldn't care if you brought something or not."

"And I told you this before Italians never show up empty handed." She thought about that comment she made to Joey. While Justin and Patrick were talking, she saw he had messaged her a couple times wishing her a good trip and to let him know how it goes. She wasn't going to respond to him. "I need to get ready." Before Jusgin could respond she went back to the room and began sorting through her bags to find her makeup. Once she did she plugged in her curling iron. Her hair wasn't due for a washing but she felt her body did, so she quickly did once over in the shower and got out. It was nice and cool in the room, so she decided to just get ready naked.

She was doing skincare when Justin walked in. He was enjoying the view of her bent over the bathroom counter. Their eyes met in the mirror and she knew the look on his face. "Justin, no we do not have time. I need to get ready."

He leaned against the doorframe. "It's not going to take you the whole two hours to get ready. I only need ten minutes." She pushed out of the way to grab something from her bag and he followed her like a lost puppy. "Baby."

"Justin, not now. Once we stop we won't be able to stop." He smirked. "I could just say you're too tired from the trip." She rolled her eyes smiling. "You can't wait a couple of hours? Patience is a virtue." She used his words against him. He groaned. "Damn it Sara." She laughed and shooed him out the room so she could get ready in peace.

He sat on the bed and watched her routine as she applied her skincare. As much as he fussed about her doing the facial on him, he secretly loved it. "We can do another facial night if you want." 

"I knew you would love the skincare routine!" She called.  He couldn't resist and smirked. "Who said anything about skincare." She whipped around and playfully glared at him. "Oh I have a dirty mouth huh? You got photos of me with your baby gravy on my face."

He wrinkled his face. "Well I'm not turned on anymore. What I meant was you could sit on my face." He noticed she stopped her makeup application. Justin smirked as  the tables turned. She glared at him. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not working." She looked down at her phone. "Times are ticking. I don't want to be late."

"Okay I'm done." He took out his phone and began to browse instagram. "Hey Sara, do you have a personal account on Instagram?"

"Yes, it's ChristopherW14. He typed it in and found it. The profile was locked, and it showed a picture of a guy overlooking the sunset. "Who is this?"

Her makeup was done and she was spraying something on her face. "It's a random picture I found on Google. So far no one has detected it being me. It's a I don't even follow it on my page " He hit the request, and a few seconds later her phone buzzed with the notification. She accepted it and headed into the room to get dressed. It was cool, so she decided on some light jeans and a gray t-shirt with a checkered sweater. She looked at Justin who was in his usual Nike attire. It was him, it was charming. He noticed her stare and he was self conscious. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. You look good." He blushed. "Stop, I feel like a slob compared to you." She walked up to him and stood on her tippy toes to kiss shit chin.  "I would still smash." He smirked. "Gave you the opportunity, but noooo you said we will be late. My parents are down the block." She rolled her eyes and went to grab her purse. "Let's go". He led her to the garage and she was confused before she could ask if they could just walk. She remembered he didn't want the neighbors to notice. While he was not a big star in Los Angeles, he was a big celebrity here.

She couldn't help but laugh though as he backed out of his driveway and pulled into his parents driveway in less than two seconds. Their home was set up exactly like Justin's, except there were female touches to let her know that his mother was there. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door and Sara took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves

The first thing she noticed was a large black dog bounding towards her at full speed. Before Justin could yell or stop the dog she found herself on her ass and laughed as the dog excitedly sniffed and barked while his paws where on his shoulder.

"DYLAN!" Holly rounded the corner as Justin grabbed the dog's collar to pull him off of his girlfriend. "Oh my god I'm so sorry he gets so excited around new people." Sara got off the ground. "It's okay, I love dogs. He's a good boy." She scratched his tail and that calmed him down. Once he recognized Justin he was excited and began whimpering and trying to jump on him. "Yeah now you noticed me. Miss you buddy." Justin patted the dog. "Pat must have forgotten to lock him up "

"What kinda dog is he?"

"Lab mixed with Pyrenees." Holly and Sara embraced. "So nice to see you again."

"Same to you. I love your house." It was warm and inviting. You could tell a loving family lived there. "Oh thank you, Mark is outside finishing up lawn work. He does these things at the silliest times. Come on, everyone else is in the kitchen." The young couple followed Holly as they entered. Sara could see Patrick and a blonde woman, their backs facing her.

Patrick turned around, and as soon as he made eye contact with Sara he froze. It was comical really. 

"Pat what's wron-" the woman who was presumed to be Carly, turned around and froze. Shock flooded both of their system as they came face to face with the woman who was on the big screen and their TV screens

Sara was used to this reaction, however coming from someone she was trying to impress was a bit nerve wracking " she smiled awkwardly and waved. "Hi I'm Sara." She addressed Justin's brother first. "You must be Patrick." She held out her hand for him to shake. "It's really nice to meet you." Carly snapped out her daze first and grabbed her hand. "Oh wow! It's nice to meet you! Wow, um Patrick told me Justin was seeing someone but… wow." Sara had to laugh. "I'm so sorry, we are just a little star struck right now. Aren't we?" She hit Pat in the ribs with her elbow and he suddenly remembered where he was. "Oh yeah where are my manners? I'm so sorry! Hi I'm Pat." He shook her hand. He looked at Justin. "How the hell did you land her?"

"Patrick!" Holly slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry Sara, I wish Mitch was here, he is the less obnoxious one out of these two." Justin feigned hurt. "Hey now don't lump me in with Patrick"

Carly rolled her eyes. "You are both idiots. Even Mitch has his moments. You can ask Isobel." They were interrupted when Mark came in the back door. "Oh you guys arrived. Hello Sara. I'd hug you but I got to shower first." She smiled. "That's okay, good to see you again Mr. Herbert " "It's Mark remember" He winked. Patrick interrupted.

"Wow so this is why you guys didn't say anything. Well welcome. Sorry I acted a little off putting, it's not everyday my brother brings home a movie Star, or a girl for that matter." Sara laughed, and her fears sorta melted away. So far The rest of the Herbert family was cool, and if Mitch was like this, then that would be a breeze. 

"Holly, do you need help with anything?" Sara set the container of cookies down (which almost were crushed by the massive dog) rounding the corner she could see Holly was sautéing vegetables. "No thank you Sweetie. Everything is almost done." As on cue the oven beeped. She put on the oven mitts and opened the oven to reveal a small turkey. Justin saw it as well. "Gosh mom, I didn't realize it was thanksgiving." He joked

She put the turkey on the counter. "Oh stop it, it's rare to have you home so I thought it would make it special." Patrick smiled. "See? And Mitch isn't here. Obviously we are the favorite sons."

"I never said that." Mark came downstairs, hair wet from the shower. "Looks good babe," He kissed Holly, and Sara smiled. They reminded her of her parents and how they interacted. She noticed Justin looking at her and they met eyes and smiled.

Holly finished up the sides and announced to everyone that they can fill their plates. Mark carved the turkey while everyone helped themselves. They took their seats and began eating. Sara had to say, the food was delicious and she complimented Holly on it.  Conversation was flowing and she loved it. It felt like family. It felt like home.

"I'm sorry I have to ask. How on earth did you two meet?" Carly looked between her and Justin. "He is the most shy guy I've ever met. When I came over for the first time. He was just in his room, barely said hi. I thought he hated me."

"I was preparing for the rose bowl! I was really focused. Justin defended himself. "Anyways. We met at Joe Grant's wedding in July."

"Didn't know you had the game or the confidence to approach her." Patrick smiled.

Justin closed his eyes. He knew what was going to come next. Sara chimed in with a smirk. " I was the one who made the move. I approached him, gave him my number, called him, and set up the date."

Patrick busted out laughing. "I should have known! I knew he didn't have the balls." He slapped his older brother on the back. "I can already tell she's too good for you "

Mark chimed in. "Hey! Don't scare her off I like her" Sara felt warm at that comment. When she first met Mark he was nice, but he wasn't open like Holly, and being emotional with anxiety it worried her. She was still incredibly nervous and as much as tried not to show it Justin picked up on it. She was twisting the ring on her middle finger and under the table he noticed her leg Bouncing. At one point he put his hand on her knees to steady her. She looked over and he met her with a reassuring smile.

Meanwhile The Herbert family (including Carly) were noticing these things. Justin was attentive to Sara, asking if she needed anything or making sure to include her in the conversation. The glances he stole were filled with adoration and…. Love. Patrick and Holly met eyes many times and they spoke a thousand words without saying anything. Mark was taking it all in, smiling to himself.

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"I love your family." Sara couldn't stop grinning as she got into bed. Justin looked up from his book. Setting it down, he kissed her on the cheek. "I'm glad. They love you too, you know."

She looked over. "You really think so?" He knew she was looking for that reassurance. He smiled. "I wouldn't lie about something like that." And he wouldn't. "My mom likes that you call me out on my shit."

After dinner, they got on the topic of board games in which it led them to a loud boisterous game of Jenga, and then Sorry! (In which Sara finally beat him to Patrick's happiness." They didn't leave his parents house til about midnight. Patrick was leaving Friday for his game at California. However Justin and Patrick were going to the Oregon practice facilities early before everyone else to get some throws in. Holly and Sara echoed the same concerns. They didn't  want Justin getting hurt while attempting the throws not being under supervision of the Chargers. "Are you sure you want to throw tomorrow?"

He laid down and faced her. "I'll be fine, you really think I didn't clear it with the medical team before we left?" His tone had 'duh' written all over and Sara felt dumb "Well when you say it like that I feel stupid." He kissed her cheek. "Don't feel that way. Now let's get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. She raised her eyebrow in questioning. "Make sure you get your golf stuff ready while I'm gone. I got the course where I held my event closed down for me, you and my dad." He saw the apprehension on her face. "Don't worry you will be fine."

She was a little bit worried. Golf was still athletic and she wasn't the best person to explore athletics. Maybe that's why she insulted him and put golf down a little bit. However it was important to him and she wanted to show him that she would at least try.

Justin turned off the light and cuddled next to her. With a sigh she settled against him and closed her eyes.

A.N. Welcome to the adventures in Oregon! 

[lykegenia]

Nine people you want to get to know better

Thank you for the tag @agentnatesewell!

Last Song: I’m not a big music listener, but I do have a playlist that helps keep work boredom at bay. It’s every genre under the sun, and the most recent on it was Ends Of The Earth by Lord Huron

Currently Watching: I’m finally getting around to the Willow series. I have such fond memories of the film, and even though I’m halfway through the first season I’m not sure I like it. It’s not meant to be as gritty and serious as something like GoT but at the same time it doesn’t quite know what tone it is going for, and the dialoge is constantly brushing thr fourth wall as if this is still 2017 and meta jokes are funny. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but nothing spectacular either.

Currently Reading: Since finishing Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton (think Victorian comedy of manners but with dragons) I’ve started on Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian. Does this have something to do with the past life of a certain N Sewell? Maaaaybe. But so far it’s really good, and Stephen Maturin has leapt towards being one of my favourite characters of all time. I’m really glad I’ve already seen the film, though, because it means I can put some faces to the many, many names in the book.

Current obsession: My writing, for one - I have my Prince Alistair AU, a spicy NatexLeah oneshot, and a third, secret fic in the works -  and Planet Crafter, which is what’s actually taking up most of my free time

tagging: @deathandindignitybedamned @mutantenfisch @mysterious-cuchulainn-x @vulpixen @serenpedac @pepperpatrol @pushingsian @obi-wan-cannoli