#revolving them in my brain like a microwave

[sea-buns]

On the chance.of things getting 'messy' with Orym. I think they already sort of have started hitting a building crisis point, if we're truly at the point that even among his friends he's now resorting to losing still more sleep just so he can sneak off in the middle of the night to genuinely pray to a light aligned being in order to ask for help without feeling like he'll be judged for or otherwise condescended to for it. That's actually kind of alarming honestly in how it shows another way he's feeling isolated/set apart from the rest of them and I am very curious is Tal made Ashton's perception role and caught he was doing so because I want to see how they in particular will respond to that decision, not because of what it says about about how Orym feels about the Gods but because of what it says about how isolated emotionally Orym still feels from them.

He and Ashton have a great restart at supporting each other from their chat last week...I loved it. But they are no where near done with the things they need to discuss. I mean I very much doubt Ashton or Laudna understand the breath of what happened back there with Vax and what it means to Orym personally just yet...

Yes, god, there are so many moving parts and concerns that I am constantly re-remembering another heartbreaking detail about how he's doing. And specifically the "feeling the need to isolate/not feeling safe enough to express yourself" hits home so hard. It rings like a kid who hides their totally normal interests from their friends and family, out of fear of being ridiculed or punished for it. It's that distinct paranoia you get from strict parents when they make any sort of acknowledgment about your hobbies or views.

It is devastating that he's resorted to secrecy and private moments in the dead of night. Always looking over his shoulder. Tensing up at the start of every gods-related conversation. Discussion and debate are fine and normal, in fact I think it'd be insane if nobody was talking about or questioning literally everything right now. But the constant reminders he had to give to Bells Hells were weighing on him enough. Now, more than half of the group that should have been a safe-space for him have been replaced with complete strangers. And his two remaining companions are dealing with a lot in their own right. Introspection is important, but he has no way of knowing what "coming to a conclusion" is gonna look like for these people. What if they side with Ludinus? What if they turn violent? What if they keep him from getting back to his family?

All of that is why Ashton reaching out has been SO goddamn important to me. Out of everyone right now, they've been the least oppositional and argumentative towards Orym's takes on the situation. I really can't think of a moment where they made a comment, not even directly at Orym, that had any sort of underlying hostility towards believing in the good of the gods. They've expressed that it's the people who are the problem, while still leaving that door open for the belief that good worshippers exist. I love that Tal is making those perception checks. It's the absolute perfect way of saying "if my character sees this something is gonna get done" without like metagaming or anything. It makes even more sense cuz we've already established that Ashton is actively keeping on eye on him and Laudna. They understand more than anyone that no one is the "stable" one anymore, and all they can do is help each other.

Orym very clearing feels backed into a corner right now and he would have NEVER said "if you see me fall, pick me up" if Ash wasn't purposely trying so hard to make sure he knows that they are a safe-space for him.

[torao-chan]

my coworkers: you're always so serious and focused when you're working. how do you do it? me: ... i guess. i just find a good rhythm? my brain, constantly, in the middle of the work day:

[barkilphedros-hat]

yeah hey what's the interest in beetlejuice? 👀 ( in other words, please gush about your funky little fixation 🫡 )

Oh hey lovely!! 💛💛

Short answer: hearing Alex Brightman in Hazbin Hotel awoke the goth/musical nerd in me like a damn sleeper agent

Long answer: I’ve always loved the film (my parents used to put it on because they liked it and would tell me when to shut my eyes when Barbara ripped her face off lmao) and I actually plan to get a tattoo inspired by the funky bug ghost man in time for the sequel 🤩🤩 I’m also super excited for the new movie! I have high hopes but I’m also trying to manage my expectations 😅💀

I’m also revisiting the 90’s cartoon, because even though I loved it as a kid too, my memory of it is shaky as hell 😂 I only really remember the Edgar Allen Poe episode because it freaked me a bit when I was little 😂😂

BUT, the musical…the MUSICAL??!! Goddamn I love it (am I deeply in love with Alex Brightman? I cannot possibly comment….), I went and bought the OBC vinyl and a tie-in makeup palette because I have absolutely zero idea how to consume media like a normal person. The score reminds me of a weird mix of Book of Mormon and The Rocky Horror Show because of the slight rock sound to it. The three note guitar riff in the first few lines of “The Whole Being Dead Thing” revolve in my brain like a potato in a microwave.

Side note; absolute travesty the musical hasn’t really left the US, I know so many fellow theatre nerds who would eat the shit up-

I think it all really ties into my adoration for quirky supernatural trickster characters with a Pick Your Own Backstory who are insanely powerful but just use it for Shenanigans™️ until someone pisses them off enough 😅 If I could, I too would just hang around in a snazzy suit causing Problems for middle class suburban people.

[snow-lavender]

character impressions centross

First impression: I actually couldn't stand them at first! I thought he was needlessly melodramatic and not a very compelling villain. Maybe part of that comes down to me being an archival viewer of S1; it seems like some of his POV from then wasn't saved. But then I started watching S2 and went ohhh. and then the prison and castle arcs happened and i went ohhhhhhhhh.

Impression now: Brain go brrrrrrr. I grab him on either side of his head and go "You. You my beloved exploration of evil and devotion and justice and redemption and love and forgiveness and family. You dumbass jackass angst-riddled sorry sack of a person. You search for love without knowing what it looks like until you do. You." Actually not my favourite Fable character, that's a tossup between Wolf and Ari, but definitely the one I have the most Big Thoughts and Feelings TM about. In case you couldn't tell lol.

Favorite moment: Might be recency bias but I think it's got to be their talk with Haley in An Oracle's Truth. The subtleties, the looming tragedy, the foreshadowing that his death isn't quite the end, i rotate it in my head like a microwave. Also literally any breakfast stream.

Idea for a story: I actually have two that i'm in the process of brainstorming! One that revolves around him and oscar post-cathedral, when the loss of innocence is inevitable and you don't know what on fucking earth to say. And another that's a wolftross hurt/comfort twoshot about nightmares.

Unpopular opinion: S1 centross isn't very interesting. Killing a bunch of people isn't compelling to me; trying to be a person again afterwards is.

Favorite relationship: Can I cheat and say all of castle trio? The three of them together work so well, emotionally and narratively. They can all serve as another one's foil and parallel at the same time and they're idiots and i love them.

Favorite headcanon: In the first part of S3, their focus on Epros was him trying to find a new god to worship. Because he couldn't in good conscience worship Enderian anymore, but he didn't know how to function in a non-religious worldview. And then Epros let them down and the whole thing fell apart.

[blossoms-and-petrichor]

I was listening the the folger library shakespeare podcast and there's this one episode on disgust in shakespeare. and one of the first things the guest says is "disgust is the gatekeeper emotion" and that has been revolving in my brain like mac and cheese in a microwave ever since.

My favorite bit of the podcast episode talks about how Iago constantly uses disgust and revulsion to undermine Othello from the very first act. He uses this revolting racialized language to describe Othello's relationship with Desdemona, turning their love into something disturbing to Desdemona's father. And the episode goes on to discuss how disgust is treated as a pathogen, and by being Othello's wife, she too is implicated in this disgust Iago utilizes. Whats worse is that he even manages to convince Othello that Desdemona could not be true to him. And man is disgust so crucial to the minority experience. Then the podcast talks about this disgust as a weapon in the modern day.

Because anti-immigration and racist rhetoric relies so deeply on disgust. It describes these humans beings as sneaky or vermin. It describes literal people as an epidemic, a plague. This rhetoric treats everywhere--from schools to workplaces to city streets--as places that should not be corrupted by immigrants or people of color.

Disgust is one of the best weapons there is to oppress someone. Because its the first step to ostracize someone, to render them unworthy of speaking or interacting to and therefore unworthy of learning what their actual lives are like!!!!

So many people--on EVERY political spectrum--use disgust as a shorthand for if something is moral or not. Conversely, they use disgust at physical features as a reason for hating an immoral person, rather than, you know, the actual bad thing they did. And it's just...so damaging. If you're grossed out by someone, you don't want to see them, so they shouldn't exist.

I can't stop thinking about disgust!!!

Also, I deeply deeply appreciate the guest making it so point blank clear that the reason Iago's going after Othello is race. Literally so sick of academics beating around the most obvious answer in the text.

[77338-fr]

been rotating these two in my mind's microwave all day. I.G.Y. / The Nightfly slash fiction. would you like to hear some select trivia about them. (could easily all change later, but fun for now)

Background- In Current Lore;

Seiht (tundra) is an employee/enforcer for the remains of the lightning flight government (there was this world war- don't worry about it). I'm still working on her plot- she stole Something to do with Computer, I need to think more on what I want it all to mean and what I want to happen to her in the end. (Colonel Flagg and Revolver Ocelot vibes midpoint is how I first started conceptualizing her, very fun very contradictory)(silly)(cowboy flavoring)

Eizekiel(/Eizek/Eiz) (noct) is a "lighthouse" keeper in the sandstorm surrounding the Spire. Eiz keeps the building ready for travelers, knows all the possible directions to give, but spends the vast majority of the time putting out various tunes on the lighthouse's radio signal for lost dragons to pick up and move towards. Very isolating brain-melting work. Eizek can basically handle it(definitely for sure this is fine don't worry), and in fact prefers to work alone whenever possible. (chain-smoking makes the days go by a little faster at least)

They stay in occasional contact. Like to be slightly mean to each other. Rude strange little dragons.

(no marigolds in the promised land / there's a hole in the ground where they used to grow)

Background- Background;

They both started out in the Fortress of the Ends over in ice! It did not do their developing brains any favors.

Were brought in together, roughly speaking. They were able to get along and lean on each other a lot, while they were still together. Outside of each other, they couldn't trust anyone around them.

Seiht was a promising agent, but left for lightning before she could really climb the ladder. She admired their (tech-assisted) ability to seemingly do ice's whole control freak bit better than ice could.

She started off in those early days simply believing in what she'd been taught was good and Ideal, but over time and experience her ideas began to shift into something more abstract.

<seeking a perfect machinery> <a path of perfect logic> <a mechanism of fate>

<every new ruleset finds a way to break under the strain of reality>

(you get the idea. post-traumatic predictability and order of reality copium. an unreachable ideal)(options: do something really messed up, adopt determinism, actually try to be a better person with healthy coping strategies. What Will she Do)(probably find a 4th)

Result: she's that "chaotic lawful; I have a strict moral code but nobody can figure out what the hell it is" tw**t. She is, throughout, very much an idealist! She has principles! She only ever does what she thinks is Right, whenever she has any possible choice. (just, yknow. its seiht)

Eizek stayed behind in the Fortress a good while after Seiht left. The Fortress had been gradually moving its focus towards controlling Itself over paying attention to the average ice citizen for years(instinctive pull of the path of least resistance), but it got really bad while Eiz was there alone. (-the more intense the scrutiny grows at the center, all eyes on all others, every word, every action, every step a possible mistake,)

Eizek most likely resents Seiht for not staying longer, as much as Eiz also admires her for it. Seiht would most likely laugh it off as the consequences of Eiz's cowardice. Not entirely wrong, if not entirely decent either.

Eiz is much more of a simple survivor type, sticks in one place until it is absolutely impossible not to move. Ran, in the end.

Seiht was already established in lightning by the time Eizek caught up. She may have helped Eiz slip into a comfortably mundane new niche, or Eiz may have found one alone, I'm still deciding but both are possible with them.

As I mentioned, they're back in contact, but it's strained now... they've both done a lot of growing up without each other, and developed odd little resentments and differences and unknown murky corners of their lives. Still, they're friends*.

*given that too much of the old trust has washed away for them to think of each other as anything closer. they can have a little dishonesty. for safety

As an added note, I promise Seiht isn't The Worst Ever lmao. Not the greatest either, but. Hm. I am figuring her specifics (of her midlife crisis) out. She's interesting. Has several more little character connections besides this to figure out too, I've got a ways to go.

(ah. literally just now hit on another thing that's been influencing me here. time to watch a SOMA lp again)(Big DNA source of Seiht&co's plot is 2001aSO but that's a puzzle for another day/post/whatever)

[gravelyhumerus]

Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter 2

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Summary:

Jennifer Jareau is having boyfriend troubles. Emily Prentiss tries to help and offers her cookies. 

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue

Jennifer Jareau tossed her phone down onto her bed and grit her teeth.

“What do you mean I can’t come visit?” He had texted her, “I’m your boyfriend.”

JJ huffed.  She couldn’t deal with this right now, it was too much. Classes were kicking her ass, and she barely had enough time to breathe let alone entertain her long-distance boyfriend.

She glanced at her whiteboard calendar, noting how the next week was absolutely covered in deadlines, tests and games all written in different colours in her small, neat handwriting.

She had this essay to do tonight, a midterm to study for tomorrow, close to two-hundred pages of readings and a dozen other commitments. On top of that she had promised her friend that they would apply to work in student government next week and she had some applications to fill out for that.

He didn’t seem to understand that she was balancing her increasingly challenging full course load, playing varsity soccer and trying to maintain her friendships with people who were actually still in the same city as her.

Finding herself working up to a panic, JJ realized she needed to calm down or she was going to have a full-blown anxiety attack and that was the last thing she needed.  

She was alone in her dorm room, feeling particularly alone without Penelope Garcia’s cheery presence on the other side of the room to keep her company. Penelope was currently at the library, working on some sort of group coding project and JJ didn’t expect her home until much later.

She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, held it in, and then let it out through her mouth.

She reached under her blankets and retrieved her stuffed animal, a bunny she had named Fluffy when she was little, and clutched it to her chest, falling back into her bed. While she debated bringing him to college, JJ hadn’t slept a single night without the toy by her side, and she wasn’t about to start any time soon. She still remembers the time Rosaline helped her sew a shirt for him to wear. After her sister died, JJ found herself clinging onto Fluffy as much as she did when she was a kid.

She stared at her ceiling and her rows of fairy lights twinkled back to her. To her left, a photo of her and William LaMontagne Jr. smiled mockingly at her. He had his arm thrown casually across her shoulder, and she was leaning into his chest. It was from prom. Her hair was in long curls and a deep navy dress made her feel like a princess. Will matched her pocket square. He was looking at her with utter adoration while she smiled into the camera.

Things were so much simpler in high school when she had one goal, one focus: getting out. Last year was a rush of excitement, with everything feeling new and exciting that she blamed all her relationship problems on being overwhelmed with the transition. She promised Will, back when she was home this past summer, that things would be different this year, that they would have more time for each other.

What she meant was that she would make more time for him.

So far, she had not held up her side of the bargain. It was already October and she had not come home once, despite how she had promised to visit whenever she had a spare weekend. He was right to complain that he was always the one to call her, and not the other way around.

Now Will was coming to visit her, and despite her placating words, she really wished he didn’t. She couldn’t handle it.

She bit her lip. Why couldn’t she just be happy with her nice boyfriend who springs surprise visits on her? She understood why he was upset with her. He already bought his ticket and JJ did say that she wanted him to visit.

But now that it was happening she felt overwhelmed with the prospect.

She had noticed the weight lifting off her shoulders this fall, as she spent more and more time away from home. Away from him.

Which was so, deeply, incredibly selfish of her. They were nearing two years. Two perfectly nice years together. He always dealt with all of her baggage with such grace, her family loved him, and they had all these mutual friends who were talking about how JJ and Will were definitely going to get married.

Here, at college, JJ was just JJ. She wasn’t JJ and Will or JJ with the dead sister. He tethered her back to her life, her town. What she was desperately trying to get away from.

A hot, angry tear fell out of her eye and dripped down her cheek. She sat up.

Pulling a zip up sweater over her current outfit of sweat pants and a sports bra, JJ decided that tea would make her feel better. She tugged her long, blonde hair up in a high ponytail, wiping the last of the wetness of her face with her sleeve. She put her lanyard with the key around her neck, not really caring how she looked.

She needed to get back to her essay as soon as possible. She had wasted too much time on her fight already. Tea would help. Tea would get her brain working again and calm her down.

Whenever she couldn’t sleep, or she was up late studying for a test, her mom would always knock on her door, softly, and smile as she brought in a large cup.  When she sent JJ off to college, it was with a bright pink tin full of assorted tea bags and a new mug with a rabbit on it. Holding onto it made JJ smile.

Walking down the hall in her socked feet, with her tea, mug and packets of sugar in her arms, JJ made her way to the communal kitchen. JJ found that she was quite angry with herself for not listening to her mom and buying a kettle so she didn’t have to leave her room for hot water.

She made a mental note to order one online.

In the meantime, she passed through the common area and walked into the kitchen, which smelled amazing.

The air was filled with the warm scent of freshly baked cookies. It surrounded her like a hug, reminding her of baking with her grandmother when she was little.

She looked around the tiny kitchen, which was on the smaller side, populated with a round table, a couple of fridges, a microwave, the oven and stove top and the old kettle, which was the target of JJ’s visit.

JJ opened the oven and peered in, peeking at the beautiful cookies which looked about halfway done. Not quite golden brown yet, but definitely melting into shape.

She wondered who would be baking cookies at—she checked her watch—eleven at night on a Tuesday, but I guess it was college and anything goes here.

Seeming to answer JJ’s question, the kitchen door opened, revealing her neighbour Emily, who was wearing a baggy black shirt that was for a band that JJ had never heard before and colourful, cat patterned, PJ pants. She seemed startled to find JJ gazing down into the oven.  

“Admiring my handiwork?” Emily said, and JJ pulled back from looking longingly at the oven.

“It’s a bit late for baking, isn’t it?” JJ blurted out, then immediately kicking herself, worrying that she may come off as rude.

Emily took her comments in stride, laughing and sitting down at the table. JJ turned and began to fill the kettle with water from the sink, flustered at her own accidental hostility.  

She hadn’t seen Emily for a while, since that house party last weekend, despite their dorm room doors facing one another.

The other girl was a bit of an enigma to JJ. They travelled in similar circles, at least the ones that didn’t revolve around soccer. But, by some twist of fate, they had only really talked beyond pleasantries for the first time outside of that bathroom.

“No,” Emily retorted, “Midnight is the perfect time. I usually have the kitchen to myself.”

“Oh sorry,” JJ said, feeling bad for interrupting and kicking herself for being so bold, “I just need the kettle, then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“I don’t mind a visitor,” Emily said, “I just meant that this floor is always so busy and loud during the day. It’s peaceful at night.”

Emily was right. Their floor, while not that bad of a party floor, had really thin walls and people were typically more than aware of each other’s business. JJ found that with some people, she either had overheard enough of their conversations or had been told most of their business by her very nosey roommate, Penelope.

But Emily seemed to keep to herself, mostly. Her room was decorated with band posters, a few photographs that JJ had always been a bit too far away to examine in much detail, and a fun tapestry hung over the head of her bed. She knew she often heard loud music from her room, long past quiet hours, but never too loud that it was annoying. She mostly saw her hang out in Derek Morgan’s room, and wondered if the two were dating. Their relationship looked a lot healthier than JJ had with Will, at least, whatever they were.

JJ clutched her tea cup as the kettle heated up, leaning against the counter. JJ bit at her lip as she realized she had left her phone upstairs, mid-fight with Will. The sinking feeling that was overwhelming her upstairs was beginning to settle back into her stomach after the momentary distraction.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.

JJ didn’t realize that her expressions were that easily legible.

“I had a fight with my boyfriend,” JJ admits, surprising herself with sharing the information.

Typically she likes to lean into the put together perception that people have of her. JJ liked to keep the messy details to herself.

But, even in the cold glow of the fluorescent flights, there was something warm and friendly about Emily, despite her edgy aesthetic, that drew JJ in. Maybe it was the smell of cookies surrounding them that made her relax.

“Oh!” Emily says, “I’m sorry. What’d he do?”

“ He didn’t do anything. He’s wonderful,” JJ explained, “Uh- He’s too wonderful. He booked a surprise visit for next weekend but I have a midterm that Monday.”

“Ah shit,” Emily commiserated.

“There are a couple people who he knows in town so he wouldn’t be bored or anything, I just worry that I wouldn’t be able to focus on school if he was here.”

Emily nodded.

“I just wish he checked first.”

He did that a lot. He made decisions for her, all in the hopes of making her happy or making her life easier, and often at the expense of her plans or feelings. She just wished he had spoken to her beforehand this time.

The kettle boiled.

“Do you want any tea?” JJ asked Emily, secretly hoping she would be offered a cookie in exchange. “It’s uh-” she checked the label “-sleepy time.”

Emily smiled and nodded.

“I think there’s some spare mugs here,” JJ said, retrieving one from the drying rack.

JJ filled the two mugs, letting the hot water mix with the fragrant tea, watching the water turn a warm and rich brown. The slightly minty blend of chamomile and various other fruity teas competed with the cookies for JJ’s senses.  

“That smells amazing,” Emily commented. “What kind of tea is it again?”

“You’ve never had sleepytime tea?” JJ giggled. “I feel like my mom made me and my sister drink it any time we had bad dreams or were up past our bedtimes.”

“I didn’t know you have a sister,” Emily said, trying a sip of her tea.

“Yeah,” JJ said, sipping her warm drink and bracing herself for the other girl’s reaction. “I did.”

“Oh,” Emily said, stunned. “Oh gosh I’m so sorry.”

Emily’s phone went off, her alarm for the cookies blaring through the tiny speakers, interrupting the pity before it started. Emily smiled at JJ softly before waking over to the tiny oven and lifted the baking sheet out, using a bunched up dishcloth as an impromptu oven mitt.

“So why cookies?” JJ asked, changing the subject. “Is there a bake sale or something?”

“No reason,” Emily replied, “They’re better than the cookies from the café. Sometimes you just gotta do things that make you happy.”

JJ nodded.

“Anyways it lets me de-stress. An hour out of my room when all I have to do is make sure I don’t burn cookies.”

“That is important,” JJ said, “I would rather not have to stand out in the rain in the middle of the night because someone burnt some cookies down here.”

“I would never,” Emily said, “Scouts honour. If I set off the fire alarm, I’d do it with something better, something more interesting, like actual arson.”

JJ choked on her tea, giggling at the other girl.

Emily was funny. And nice. She never got the chance to thank her for helping out at the party last week, getting her teammate Kennedy some water and keeping JJ company in the hallway.

Emily grinned, scooping the cookies off the tray and onto a small plate. She returned to the table they were sitting at and placed it in the middle of the table, tilting it towards JJ, offering her one.

“For me?” JJ asked.

“It’s the barter system,” Emily said, “tea for cookies. We’re making our own economy here on floor two.”

“That makes sense,” JJ said through a mouthful of cookie. They were delicious, gooey and chocolatey and oh soo warm.

“Good?” Emily asked.

“Very good.”

“So,” Emily said, “What are you going to do about your boyfriend thing?”

“I have no idea,” JJ admitted, “I don’t think long distance is working.”

Emily nodded, and JJ could feel her eyes watching her, waiting for JJ to say something.

“He was my high school sweetheart, you know? I didn’t want to do what all the other people going away to college and just break up because we were far away. I thought we could do it.”

She sighed.

“Sometimes,” Emily said softly, “People just grow apart. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

JJ looked into her cup of tea. Maybe she and Will were just growing apart. Maybe that’s what it was. He was at the police academy and seemed to have endless free time. He was always calling her, checking in, his focus was entirely on her and JJ felt so torn. She wasn’t just busy, she felt like she was missing out on her new life here every time she spent the evening on FaceTime with him.

She sighed, it was too late to be thinking about this too much, she still had work to do, she still had to get some semblance of a night’s sleep before her practise the next day.

“What really matters,” Emily continued, “Is if you enjoy spending time with him.”

JJ looked away.

“I mean,” Emily said, “Isn’t that the point of dating someone?”

Her heart thudded with the feelings that tied themselves into knots in her stomach. Did she even want him to come? Did she even miss him?

The answer was clear to her, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to admit it.

“Thank you for the cookies,” JJ said with a smile.

She stood up and collected her things.

“I should probably go back to my fight with him.”

Emily opened and then closed her mouth, visibly confused.

“I am currently mid-fight,” JJ explained. “I left my phone in my room. I just needed a break.”

She paused and sighed.

“I also have an essay due tomorrow morning that I have to finish.”

“That's a lot,” Emily said frowning in sympathy, “Another cookie for the road?”

JJ accepted the gift and left Emily with her cookies, hoping that she didn’t bother the girl too much with her relationship drama. Emily waved at her as she left.

She went back to her room and found her phone buzzing with missed calls from her boyfriend. Gone was the peace and calm that surrounded her in the kitchen as she ate cookies with her new friend Emily. JJ fell back into a pit of frustration as soon as she picked up her phone.

Her thumb hovered above the call button, as she instinctively went to call him back. She hesitated, and instead, she turned off her phone.

Placing it on her night stand, JJ opened up her laptop and began to edit her essay.

[grizzardsden]

I just woke up from a Twilight Zone episode

We were in his lab, he was on break, drinking coffee from his big mug, sitting in his chair. I was looking around. - Come on, tell me what's that big secret. What is Project Microcosm? - You couldn't handle it. - Is it this? I said while picking up a flask. He took the cap off the flask, put his finger on it and popped out what looked like a hidden microphone so it would be visible. - I didn't say anything. He declares. I was a bit confused, are we monitored? And what is that in the flask actually? It looked empty a second ago. That looks like... a town very much like ours. Then it's like my brain woke up in a running microwave oven. - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Told you you couldn't handle it. It's a town in a flask, inside our town which is also in a flask, inside another town inside another flask, and on and on. It is all an experiment. It's unnatural. I'm trapped. We all are. How did we get here? How long as it been? Can we even get out? Why can't we remember how it happened? A military project? We all knew what we signed for? The flow of informations is going too fast. The simple knowledge of it is twisting this glass dimension. The mountains and the hills have my screaming face over them, we can even perceive my gaping mouth on the surface of the sky? Simple knowledge of the situation we are in is enough to put us all in danger, one person could doom us in an instant, but control or comprehension of it is impossible for our little brains. Then peace. - So what are you working on? I calmly said. - Oh, just the town. - What about the town?

We force ourself to forget, it's a defence mechanism, I am not sure if it is an effect of the experiment or our own brains, or both. But the scientist looks like he has no problem with it, he is in the know. __________

I didn't feel good, I got out of the store and started going back home by taking a detour into the woods, to walk it off. Paul and Sammy caught up on me. - Hey man, don't just walk off like that. Is everything alright? Said Sammy, always the kind one. Before I could even answer, a limousine going very fast and certainly not piloted by someone sober barged in on the path and stopped in a weird angle in front of us. A bunch of party girls with a couple of jocks got out. - Hi, want to party with us? - I... I didn't have the time to process what was happening, I didn't know what to answer. - Or want to die? She said while pointing a revolver at me. - Oh wow wow wow wow wow! Look at me shirt, look what it says: DON'T DO IT! On my shirt was actually written "DO IT" but I was in panic and I don't think any of them was thinking straight, maybe drunk, maybe worst. - So, you want to party with us? We're always looking for more people to add to the group, it's more fun! What was going on, what is she talking about, what are they even doing here? Ah! My head, I'm starting to remember, the Microcosm, I'm disconnected from everything around us for a second, I look at the situation from a bird's eye. They're unstable, they're trying to not remember it, but their mind is weak, so they drown it with any poison they can get their hands on. Maybe that's what I need right now. I flash back in my own body. - Yeah, yeah okay I'm up for it, I'm in. She pulls the trigger while moving the gun away, it wasn't loaded, they all let a laugh escape. They didn't even know the gun wasn't loaded, then go back to the limo like drones. - Are you alright? If you're going with them then I'm going with too. Sammy was worried. - I won't stop you if you want to go, but be careful. I went with them a few times before, until this. Paul lifts part of his shirt and pull down the side of his pants, revealing multiple big scars going from his ribs to almost the knee. That one time we were in an apartment, I think? And we ripped down a microwave from the wall for fun, it broke and the plastic just shredded through me. Nobody reacted, not even me. I almost bled out.

So, this is the dream I just woke up from. It felt insane. I was relieved to wake up, convincing myself none of that was even real. If you’re wondering why I was in a lab, then got out of a store, well, you know it’s just a dream, I left out an irrelevant part of it, there was no transition whatsoever anyway.

[smolfangirl]

A little fresa story V

This is it. The last fresa part. It’s been taking ages to finish, but it’s here now, and I might be a bit emotional. I have lots of people to thank and credit tho, so I’ll save my breath :D

Thanks and/or credit go out to:

@huffletiika for the date night idea and the patience with my attempts at Spanish

My roommate for the actual, very true quote about answering a phone

@miris-xo for, well, everything

A gif from the TV show Bones that I can’t find rn even though I tagged it for this purpose :( but it was my inspo for the scene where Matteo comes home

Also @lutteoheart for the basic idea for the last scene with Aurora, I changed quite a bit, whoopsie

And, dear mortals and bots, one last time: @ac-ars and @sky-girls used the name Rory first. I used my own brain to end up with this name (also because of my roommate who is obsessed with Gilmore Girls and keeps trying to talk me into watching it), which is why I didn’t give them any credit.

Word count: 5.6k

///

“Can I say something weird?” Her voice is nothing more than a whisper. Luna leans against Matteo’s chest, so close to him that their conversation moves on quietly and calm. His hand softly ruffles through her hair while their favorite movie flickers over the TV screen. He ordered their favorite pizza and even lit some candles to set the mood for this special evening.

But somehow, Luna isn’t feeling any of it.

“Weirder than your comment last week? What was it?” Matteo pretends to think, the amused snort impossible to miss. “It’s strange when you pick up the phone and someone answers?” Her idiot fiancé chuckles and wiggles away from the finger she tries to poke him with. “Hey, you have to admit that was priceless. High-quality comedy, even.”

Luna grunts. Moves away a bit, until he pulls her back into his arms with a laugh as warm as her hands when she hides them in the sleeves of his hoodie. “Okay, okay, I’ll let it go. What did you want to say, little moon?”

With a sigh, she stares at the empty crib by the sofa. “I miss her.”

Glancing up at him, she discovers a sad smile on his face. “I miss her too.”

“Does this mean we’re a horrible couple or just good parents?”

Matteo rests his chin on her head, releasing a heavy breath. “I don’t know… but is it too bad if we drive to your parents and pick her up?”

She wants to answer immediately, she wants to grab her jacket and the car keys and walk out of the door. Her leg already twitches towards the ground, because she misses her little sunshine this much. She wants to hold her in her arms and cuddle with her until one of them falls asleep.

But something holds her back.

Something; the dreams, the ideas, the plans that added up for this night during the past days and weeks. It doesn’t matter that none of them received the luxury of turning into reality. As long as she can indulge in his voice when it drops as he’s almost breathing the words, as long as his touch fuels her heart, Luna is fine with whatever they do in those few sacred hours alone.

Or that’s what she thought.

Because in this moment, the house feels empty. Lifeless, almost. Every decision, every minute is about their daughter since she was born, she’s the fixpoint they both revolve around. However, now that she’s being spoiled by her grandparents tonight, Luna’s mind runs all over the place like a Ferris wheel on the loose.

“I don’t know,” she finally mumbles. “I miss her, but this is our first date night.”

“I don’t know either.” A pause. “You know what’s funny? Gastón was so sure we couldn’t keep our hands to ourselves, but we haven’t even made out like lovesick teenagers yet.” His lips hover over her, way too pointed. He’s being dramatic, like he loves to be, but it makes Luna giggle, and when she catches a breath a minute later, her shoulders are less filled with tension.

“How about this, chico fresa? You can try to kiss me, and in an hour, we’ll see if we still want to give up and get her?”

Matteo raises an eyebrow, the hand in her hair frozen. “Try to kiss you? Are you planning to resist me?”

“Well, there’s some popcorn waiting in the kitchen…” Luna explains while she struggles to get up. However, his grip on her tightens and with his best smug grin, he leans in to press his mouth on hers, a slow, savoring kiss that says, ‘I know you’re not serious about resisting me’. The second one steals a sigh from her and by the third, she surrenders to the soft movements of his lips.

///

When Matteo lets go of her to finally prepare the popcorn, the last minutes of the movie play. Luna sits through the credits without seeing them. Her mouth tingles from kissing him endlessly, but also from smiling so much. It almost hurts – or maybe that’s just her stomach protesting for a snack or two… (Since when does she feel snacky only two hours after dinner?)

Eventually, she gives in and follows the sweet smell into the kitchen.

Wrapping her arms around Matteo’s waist, she asks him how much longer they have to wait to get the bag out of the microwave.

“Always so impatient, munchkin,” Matteo teases her, without giving her the satisfaction of an answer. She snuggles closer to him and grins, “Except when it comes to marrying you.”

He shakes his head. “Rude and uncalled for.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, my chico fresa. But see, I wanted to talk to you about that anyway, and you just gave me the perfect set-up.”

In a smooth twirl, he faces her to lift her on the counter, so they’re eye to eye. Luna hurries to send him a smile, because if she wants to avoid one thing, it’s any doubt in his mind about her love for him. “I was thinking, what if we, hypothetically I mean, hired a wedding planner? One of these fancy people with lots of connections and the weird talent to make literally anything happen, no matter how extraordinary. Like these tv shows? I mean, we could still focus on Rory without having to postpone the wedding again. It might strain our budget a bit but,” she says, although Matteo doesn’t let her finish.

“You know the budget is no problem,” he replies before he caresses her cheek.

The noise of the microwave cuts through the silence, mixes with the obnoxious pop song from the movie credits. Yet his gesture alone turns this moment into something precious, intimate. Like the popcorn or the DVD-player don’t matter. Don’t exist.

“If you think a wedding planner can help us, we’ll hire one,” he adds.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

This time it’s her who pulls him close for a kiss. And when the microwave gives off a little pling and he attempts to break apart, she waves him off, whispering the popcorn can wait.

Eventually, they stumble back to the couch. Too lost in each other, it’s a miracle already that they’re not dropping their snack left and right. Luna selects her favorite scene from the movie but looses track of it quickly when Matteo starts feeding her and rewarding her for every bite, with a peck on her hand, her shoulder, her neck. She pays him back by throwing a piece of popcorn up in the air for him to catch.

He throws one for her next. Back and forth, it soon turns into a competition filled with laughter until her stomach hurts and her lungs plea for more oxygen.

“Try one more time,” Matteo instructs her, barely breathing after her last failed attempt. The piece of popcorn he catapults into the air hits her nose and falls on her cheek from where she catches it with her tongue. “Not bad,” he presses out in between more hysterical giggles, and in revenge, Luna threatens to hide some sugared corn in his hair.

Shrieking, he ducks. “Mercy on me, please!” he begs, hands lifted in surrender. (Luckily for him, the bowl is almost empty anyway.)

“Hmmm…” Slowly, Luna moves closer to him until his breath tickles her skin. “What would I get for giving you peace?”

“Always so demanding, little moon.”

She rests her head on his chest again to glance up at him with her best puppy eyes. “That’s not an answer, Matteito.” For a moment, he returns her gaze, speechless. Then, a smile unfolds on his lips. “You know, I could show you the final cut of the music video. But only if you promise to not get any of this sticky stuff close to my hair.”

“Deal.”

///

Contigo todo cambió

Veo un mundo diferente

Dejé de sentirme solo

No cerraré mis ojos nunca mas

Estás siempre en mi mente

///

“What do you think?” His voice cracks from all the excitement. His left leg shakes a bit, and the way he looks at her, Luna can’t help but think of Simón’s dog when he watches his leash being taken off the shelf.

She chuckles. “Honestly?”

“Always.”

“I bet you my left skate that there’s at least one gossip magazine that thinks the sunrise after the moon means you dumped me for some other girl. But other than that, I absolutely love it. Your ass in those outfits will have the fangirls go crazy.”

Dumbfounded, Matteo stares at her. His face mirrors the turns and jumps his brain takes, and if Luna concentrates enough she can see smoke coming out of his ears.

A few seconds later, he catches himself and grins slightly. “That sounds like a safe win for you. And horrible news for Rory. Who would even be the one to tell her?”

Silence.

“Oh my god.”

“Did we really just forget about our daughter?”

Helpless, Luna throws a glance at the clock on the wall. 9pm. Way past bedtime for little Aurora, and almost two hours after their mini-breakdown as well. “I think we did,” she whispers.

Matteo looks like he bit into a lemon. “We’re such horrible parents.”

“Oh god, we might be,” Luna agrees, cheeks paler than a moment ago. Guilt takes over, she can’t believe she didn’t think of their chica fresa for one second while goofing around with Matteo, when usually not a second goes by without her daughter being in the back of her mind somehow.

But when her parents bring her over not even half an hour later, a part of her decides this has been the best date night in easily a year.

///

It’s not the right weekend to sit alone in a hotel room with an overpriced bucket of ice cream from the room service while crying to the rhythm of the rain on the window pane. There are other weekends, other days for Luna to sob into tissues until they cover half the floor.

This isn’t the weekend. This shouldn’t be it.

But here she is, lonely yet not entirely alone, while everyone important and famous in the skating community is celebrating in the lobby. If she takes a deep breath and remains silent for just a few seconds, she can hear them shouting and cheering from downstairs.

In a mindless gesture, her hand rests on her belly. Maybe her absence will cause rumors, a drop of gasoline in a flame that’s already smoking. No, it will definitely cause rumors. Since her planned break from the work as Argentina’s most promising skating trainer leaked to the press, they’ve been watching her every breath. Day for day she wakes up to new theories and emails begging for an interview, and the desperate need for a vacation and more time for her family are the nicest speculations the media had to offer.

And the ones closest to the truth.

Luna sighs. If Matteo was here, maybe she’d have a laugh over all the stupid gossip, or maybe she wouldn’t be so exhausted from crying. But he’s back home while she’s here, and there’s nothing she can do to stop the tears from rolling over her face.

Without wanting to, her mind jumps back in time to a competition years ago, the last test leading up to her first ever world championship, where she found herself in a situation painfully similar to her current one.

Back then, she sat in a hotel room just like now, crying on the floor. Back then, she doubted everyone and everything, and mostly herself. She leaned against the bed, sobbing and shaking until her eyes burned and throat dried out. Because of Matteo, because of a fight with him and the break they hastily agreed to take. She cried because she missed him, and because her skate at the final rehearsal for the most important sport event of her life went terrible. Catastrophic, even. Jumps she couldn’t stand, turns she began too late for the music, a fall.

Leaving the rink, she didn’t even know how to look her trainer in the eyes.

And then she cried because that just made her miss Matteo more.

(A week later, Luna had cried once again, tears of joy mixed with the sadness that he wasn’t with her for her victory and that he hadn’t even send a text.)

Now, it’s different. There’s been no fight, no competition and still… the result remains. Luna cries because she misses him, she misses her sunshine of a daughter, she misses all the little drama coming along with having a young family.

With her hormones all over the place, indulging in a distraction seems impossible. No colleague, no idol in the world could make her feel better now. This mood swing demands to be felt, so she’s staring at the hotel ceiling, trying to come up with a solid reason to call her husband during dinner time. Maybe he’s breaking the rule of no phones by the table to wait for her number to light up on the screen?

Luna still ponders over his opened contact when a call comes in.

Matteo.

“Chico fresa, hey, oh my god, what a surprise!” Her tongue almost trips over the letters, earning her an amused chuckle from the end of the line and another teardrop on her cheek. “Hi, my little moon, how are you?”

Her sniff ends in a deep breath ending in a sob, and she’s not sure she can speak. “It’s so nice to hear your voice, you have no idea how much I miss you and… and I…” She stops, blowing into a tissue.

“Luna, hey, are you okay? Hang on, are you crying right now?”

She pauses. Nods. “I miss you, chico fresa. I want to be home, with you. With…”

“Mommy?!” A high-pitched voice filled with excitement creaks through the speaker. Hurried little footsteps follow, and Luna wonders how a heart can both heal and break more at the same time. “Mommy! Mommy!”

“I’ll put you on speaker,” Matteo announces and a second later, Luna can hear their little chica fresa giggle. “Hello Aurora, darling!” She keeps her voice steady, tries to smile. Her baby girl doesn’t need to deal with her homesickness, besides, smiling is almost easy when she imagines Rory’s face beaming with happiness. “Is everything okay? Is daddy being nice to you?”

“NO,” Rory shouts at the top of her little yet powerful lungs, making Matteo wince. “Aurora, you're hurting my feelings here.” Then, her husband declares, “Just for the record, that is still her favorite word that’s not gibberish. She’s a liar.”

A hint of a laugh hushes over Luna’s mouth. Her mood already lifts, the weight on her chest fades and as her hand finds her belly again, gently stroking it, she thinks that perhaps she’s done crying for today.

Little Aurora, however, isn’t as happy anymore. “Coglio!” she yells at her dad, once, twice.

Luna frowns. She waits for a second, allowing her brain to catch up on the meaning, and when realization hits, it’s not so surprising anymore that Matteo remains silent.

“Matteo?”

“Yes, my love?” A casual tone, too casual in fact.

“Was that supposed to be an Italian curse word?”

Silence. Then, a groan. “I used it for Gastón once, okay? Once. He annoyed me so much with his stupid puns and it just kinda… slipped. But since then, she keeps repeating it, while ‘please’ is just too hard for her to say, I guess, since she only heard that one about a million times.”

“You’re…” she takes a breath to scold him, half-serious about the annoyance she’s intending to show. But he cuts her off with a smirk that she can hear all through the phone, which sounds dangerous enough all on its own. “No, no, no, don’t act like you’re all innocent here. I first thought I’d let it slip, you know, to be a nice husband, but now you asked for it, chica delivery. Would you mind explaining to me why your daughter keeps mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like baby talk for your favorite curse word, hm? Because I definitely don’t use it, so you better not give me shit right now.”

Speechless, Luna listens to his ramble.

Matteo has a point, of course, maybe she used cabrón one too many times in front of her baby girl. But to be fair, she never expected him to find out…

“Don’t you have anything to say to your defense?” her husband inquires, chuckling.

She clears her throat. “I mean, I can still blame Simón for teaching her naughty words. You’ve got nothing on me, chico fresa.”

“Ah, that’s where Rory has the whole lying thing from.”

“While it’s your fault she’s as dramatic as you are. If you could keep your dignity while throwing tantrums, you would never stop.”

By the time Matteo gasps in pretended offense, Luna’s grin deepens. The few days apart from him made her long for these silly banters more than she ever deemed possible. At home, not a day goes by without at least one teasing comment in the other’s direction, and over the years she grew as used to it as to the comfort of his touch. Since she arrived here at the conference, stepped into halls too crowded to get reasonable internet connection to chat with him, it becomes more and more obvious to her how much they both enjoy gently mocking each other.

When Matteo begins to argue he’s not that dramatic, therefore his daughter can’t be either, said little troublemaker cries out. He sighs. “Can you hold on for a minute? She’s ready for dinner now and…”

“She won’t eat unless you sing to her?” Luna finishes the sentence. “I told you, she learned from the best.”

“Aww, thanks, babe,” he giggles in a pitched voice, before he pauses and adds, “She is so damn extra. Hm, you tiny troublemaker? Insisting on your demands like the cute diva you are?” In a sing-song Matteo tells Aurora how soon she’ll outdo every spoiled starlet he ever met in the course of his career, but from the content babble that follows, Luna figures dinner won’t be a problem for today. Or for as long as Matteo sings, really.

The next time her husband takes a short break from feeding their chica fresa and complains about Rory’s eating habits, Luna suggests calling his best friend. “You could ask him about spoiled toddlers, I’m pretty sure he can tell you a weird habit or two about Felicia as well.”

“Hm, yeah… no. This is really weird. And I’m not talking about the singing.” He sounds horrified, which brings back pictures of one particular evening where Rory decided to be extremely picky.

And a bit gross.

“Oh boy, please don’t say she wants to eat her veggies with chocolate yoghurt again.” With a glare into the ice cream bucket in front of her, Luna notices her dessert melted and now resembles that yoghurt way too much.

She pushes the bucket away.

“Nope,” Matteo replies, to which Luna breathes in relief. Maybe she can still enjoy her sugar treat, after all. “Trust me, this is worse.” (Or maybe not.)

Taking the spoon out, she licks it, while she wonders what could be worse than veggies and chocolate yoghurt. Nothing comes to her mind, although she’s sure Matteo will explain whatever it is in great, disturbing detail.

Of course, he doesn’t let her down. “Remember when you were full of pride that our baby will be half Mexican and half Italian and said that it will be so cool?”

“Oh boy, please, just make it quick. What did she do?”

“She put spaghetti in a tortilla. Or, forced me to put spaghetti in a tortilla for her.”

“Ugh, what? Gross!” Luna gasps, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. It’s not that late, but she isn’t exactly keen on provoking any attention from other hotel guests, or worse, be heard by the paparazzi lurking outside. Sighing, she gets up to close the window.

Spaghetti in a tortilla, that must be the weirdest and most cliché combination Aurora has come up with so far.

“I know,” Matteo says. “It’s such a disgrace to the pasta.”

///

They stay talking on the phone for easily an hour more. Matteo puts her on speaker as he changes Aurora into her pajama and with a smile, Luna listens to the lullaby he puts her to sleep with.

However, as nice as being part of the nightly ritual is, his silence warns her the moment he closes the bedroom door behind him and walks back into the living room.

“Luna,” he whispers, her name as fragile in the air as a floating bubble. “Are you okay? I didn’t expect you to be crying when I called you.”

“Yes,” she mumbles back. “I just missed you and it got a bit too much.” Laying on the bed, her legs dangle from the edge, draw circles into the air that give her thoughts a calm rhythm to think to. It’s a bit embarrassing to look back on all the tissues she wasted with her crying, especially when the reason was so… not exactly meaningless, but simple.

“Aww, little moon, is the convention that bad? That you can’t be three days without your favorite fresa?”

Luna snorts, although it comes out weak towards the end. “Let your pregnant wife be emotional, okay?”

“But you’re having fun, right? Meeting some cool people who you can show off to with your medals and titles?”

He’s only half serious, but sometimes, Luna wonders if Matteo forgets that she’s not the center of the figure skating world. So far Luna felt like the others were the ones impressing her, not the other way around. She got introduced to people who won everything there was to win, who competed in three, if not four Olympics, who dedicated their whole life to this sport since they were little kids. And yes, she claimed the title as world champion for a few years, and she’s infinitely proud of her Olympic gold medals. But she’ll never be close to achieving legend status like the skaters around her, and that’s okay for her.

“I am having fun,” she admits, quickly smiling, yet carefully as to not let it slip into her voice. “You know, it’s actually nice to be more than just your wife for once. No one really cares about you here, or only very little.”

No reply, not even a snort. Just silence.

“Your ego can handle that, right?”

///

When Matteo unlocks the door, he swears he’s going to fall on the sofa and won’t move again until it’s time to go to bed. Interviews tend to be fun, but Jazmín didn’t interview him, no, she interrogated him. Squeezed him like an orange for breakfast juice, and now he feels drained of every last bit of energy. Not even blasting his favorite songs on the ride back home helped to forget her over-excited laugh or the never-ending questions, about the meaning of each new song, about Luna, about his family.

Just the thought of having to promote this episode next week makes him want to delete every single social media account he has.

With a sigh, he slips out of his jacket and loudly announces to Luna that he’s back. No answer, instead, silence greets him. Perhaps she’s napping somewhere, wouldn’t be the first time, although jealousy stings him at the mere thought. Not only can Luna spend more time with their chica fresa, she also manages to doze off before dinner, yet doesn’t struggle to fall asleep at night while Matteo can only dare to dream about day-time naps.

If you ask him, it’s not really fair. (But he chose this, after all.)

He trots into the living room. Knowing his sleeping beauty, he needs a solid plan to wake her up, but all ideas fall short as soon as he discovers her on the couch. The view in front of him surprises him, charms him, all while a warm fuzzy sensation lingers in his chest.

He might have expected his girls to be asleep, but he didn’t expect them to be asleep together. Luna’s hair is spread out over her shoulders, head supported on the cushions and her mouth opened just enough to give his wife a peaceful (and maybe a little bit dumb) expression. On one side of her, Matteo spots an open book, little Aurora’s favorite, a story full of tiny adorable animals and terrible rhymes. Too many times did they read it to her until her eyes slowly fluttered shut, too easily can he recall those lines. But it doesn’t quite matter, not when his daughter rests against Luna’s still growing bump, snoring gently.

It’s the cutest thing he has seen all week.

They neither wake up from his soft hello kisses nor from the picture he snaps for the next family collage. Only when dinner warms up in a pan and the delicious smell of risotto fills the room does Luna join him.

“I didn’t notice you were home,” she mumbles, hugging him from behind the exact moment the baby decides to kick. Right into his back. It doesn’t really hurt, but Matteo winces anyway. “Damn, this one’s definitely a troublemaker.” A short kiss for his wife and he leans down to gently follow their little one’s movements. “Hm, tiny peanut? Hello to you too.”

“You know it’s weird how you say peanut when it feels more like a watermelon.”

He chuckles and checks how much the risotto heated up. While he feeds her a spoonful, he replies, “I’m not gonna call our baby a watermelon just because it’s more accurate. You were the one who suggested to wait with the name and all. So, peanut it is.”

“But why peanut? Why don’t you say… I don’t know, raisin?”

“Because raisins are gross, duh. They’re the wrinkly grandmas of grapes, I’m not eating that.”

Luna chuckles as she shakes her head. “You’re not supposed to eat our baby.”

“Sometimes I get the feeling you think I’m stupid,” Matteo pouts, earning him a soft pat on his cheek. It’d be a cute gesture if it wasn’t for her answer. “Only sometimes?”  

“Haha, you’re so funny, Valente.”

She sticks out her tongue at him.

Matteo sighs in surrender, then changes his mind. “So, since we’re talking names now, what do you think about Violet Drizzle? Or Sven Olaf?”

“Sven Olaf? Like from Frozen?” With the nod he gives her, his wife seems to realize where this is going.

She pops her finger bones like she’s about to step in the ring.

“Sure. Why not Misery? Or what about Ben Jerry? Unicorna?” Rolling his eyes, Matteo tries to shake off the laughter. Fails. Coming up with ridiculous baby names isn’t hard, he knows too many celebrities and their children, but he didn’t expect Luna to play along so quickly. (And fairly, so brilliantly.)

Within the blink of an eye, he follows her suggestions with five more. In the span of three minutes, they’re bickering like it’s the most important competition of their lives. Ideas are traded back and forth, and so is their laughter.

But none of their names clearly outdoes the others, and they’re both too stubborn to surrender. Except when he’s about to suggest a draw, Luna makes him laugh so hard he almost burns dinner.

His wife snorts, although the huge grin on her face gives her away. “Jeez, chico fresa, if you’re as careful with Fresa Risotto as you are with our dinner I might have to raise my kid alone.” Snatching the spoon out of his hands, she shoves him towards the sofa. “Why don’t you just go and wake Aurora up? She asked about you all afternoon.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes before he caresses her bump one last time and leaves the kitchen, grinning. His daughter already blinks her eyes open at him.

She’s tired. Still tired and clearly confused and not quite landed in reality yet. Once the last shreds of sleep let go of her, though, she squeals and claps her hands in excitement. Just like her momma, Matteo thinks as he picks her up to press a kiss on her forehead.

Aurora beams with joy.

“Hello, my sunshine, did you sleep well?” When she babbles something that he assumes to mean yes, he asks if she wants to be a little airplane. Of course, Rory nods – she’ll never say no to her favorite game after all.

When Luna calls him for dinner, he’s still whirling his baby girl around and around and around.

///

“Did you call Simón today?”

He’s sitting in front of the couch, Aurora on his lap. Since her favorite toy disappeared without a trace, she’s been whiny, but cuddling with him distracts her enough to give Luna time to find it.

His wife nods. “Yeah, he sounded really excited to be back on tour. Greetings from Pedro, by the way.”

“Thanks. Did you talk to him, too?”

“No,” she replies, and sighs when Rory’s little plush cat remains nowhere to be found. “We weren’t on the phone for long, Simón seemed kinda… busy.”

Matteo sends her a look. Usually, they ended up chatting for hours especially on a day like this, with no concert in the evening. “Huh?”

His chica fresa plants her hands all over his face. When he kisses her little sneaky fingers, she giggles. “Come on, Matteo,” Luna meanwhile groans at him. “I told you about Emma and him. You said he obviously had a type and all. Now, if I could just find this stupid kitty…” Before he gets a chance to remember Emma, Luna waddles out of the room.

Matteo prays she finds the plush toy quickly. He wants his intel, after all.

///

She’s clumsy. Not normally, all this training to become a world champion wasn’t for nothing. But her bump makes it hard to navigate her own body sometimes, and she can barely spot her feet. Can’t spot them at all, to be correct.

So, of course she stumbles over the bright red plastic car on the floor.

Matteo blinks at her confused, then breaks into laughter. She tries to catch the kitten in her hand, almost catches it. Accidently throws it up into the air again, reaches out again. Ultimately fails, because it’s keeping her balance or the plush toy.

Her husband still laughs. “Don’t bother,” he manages to get out once she tries to bow down enough to grab it. (Her belly. Naturally. She feels like a walrus.)

But it’s not Matteo who picks the kitty up or presses it against his chest with a cry of joy. It’s her daughter, who must have escaped her daddy’s grasp and now clutches her fingers around the worn out plush. Dragging her regained treasure along, she crawls back to Matteo before she sits down to stare at Luna.

A frown appears on her forehead.

“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Luna asks. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find Mr. Whiskers earlier.”

Rory stares. And frowns. And stares. The grin on Matteo’s face slowly dies.

“What are you planning, fresita?” he whispers, although too late. One last skeptical glance and their baby girl tosses her cat into the air and watches it fall down.

Matteo is rolling on the floor. “I can’t believe I have two Lunas now,” he pants before losing his breath from all the laughter.

Rory beams with pride and repeats it a second and a third and a tenth time.

///

He makes it up to her with a massage. Their little sunshine is dozing off in her bedroom, their favorite show flickers over the TV screen and he even prepared a hot chocolate for her.

“Didn’t you want to tell me something about Simón’s new blondie?” he asks so casual that she’ll probably figure he’s been thinking about it for at least an hour.

Rolling her eyes, Luna gently slaps his arm. “Rude, chico fresa. Emma might be blonde too, but she’s not like Ámbar.”

“You still meant to tell me.”

“You’re right, I was.”

He presses a kiss on her neck. Maybe she’ll scold him for setting her up on a distraction without letting her finish, but her skin is warm and soft and he’s just a man who loves his wife a bit too much. (To his surprise, she even robs backwards on the couch until she lays against his chest.) “So,” he whispers into her ear, “how do I know Emma?”

“She spent a few weeks in the Roller back during my last year of school, remember? I think they met up during the promo gigs or something.”

“And they’re good together?”

Luna tilts her head for their eyes to meet. She smiles. “I’m pretty sure they’ll marry each other one day.”

His hands wrap around her bump. Carefully traces the baby’s little kicks, while he thinks if Simón was half as happy as he feels, the guitarist would get incredibly lucky. “You believe he might overthink what he said about not wanting to get married ever?”

“Sure,” she smiles, again, and steals a kiss from his lips. “That was after Ámbar, after all. Emma is different. And you know him, he’s an old romantic.”

“Like me.”

“Nah, you’re just cheesy.”

Offended, he gasps. But in the totally not fake dramatic argument that follows, they both think how they wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the whole wide world, because as long as they’re together, everything will work out fine.

[tonypostt]

every now and then i realize another thing about my life that is actually a part of an OCD ritual. i remember talking with a friend about how i couldn't sleep because i had only been up for around 6 hours and they're like "you don't have to be up for a certain amount of hours in order to sleep," in which the concept of that kinda blew my mind because obviously it was something i Knew just by the general flow of logic but my brain had it set in stone that i had to be up for a certain amount of hours (usually like, 12-14) in order to go to sleep or else i didn't have a productive day, or something like that bc the reason varies a lot and sometimes there's like No Reason my brain is like "This or else BAD"

another thing that's semi related to the above is like . it's currently 6:30-ish around the time i'm writing this, and i've stayed up for probably over 24 hours at this point (i can't remember when i woke up) but my brain is screaming that it's not late enough for me to go to bed yet. it legit wants me to stay up for another 4 hours despite me being so exhausted that i could pass out any minute, really.

and it's just sort of . Funny how i'm absolutely helpless to the intense pressure of my own mind. you'd think that i could just shake away the thoughts, especially since that even I Myself know that they're irrational, but it really does feel like i'm trying to fight my own body in order to have a rational response to even the weirdest things like a Singular Hot Dog in a package. earlier today i had to choose between eating two and four hot dogs (i inevitably picked 4 and had a stomachache) because my brain will Refuse to acknowledge them if there's only one left. in that moment, i literally chose to give myself a stomachache rather than not eating enough food in one sitting or having a singular sausage be in that package.

AND IT'S AN ONGOING THING TOO like i've observed this very thing for like . probably a year and a half even though it's likely happening for way longer (a lot of my observations are more recent because i only Recently found out i had OCD and how it affects me) . i think i also have something similar with The Ends Of Breads as well back when i made sandwiches for myself and stuff, i would outright avoid the end pieces entirely to the point where i just wouldn't eat if there wasn't anything else. i mean that very thing happens on a Much larger scale nowadays that spans across nearly all foods (and its also funny because i'm so paranoid about food waste and then my brain literally . Forces me to contribute to it) due to some really unfortunate complications. another thing is like , eating something more than once in a day is usually a no-go because my brain will be like "you have already eaten this today . Singular Allowance Of This Type Of Food Has Been Redeemed" . and its like dude it's not like my diet is mostly restricted to microwave meals anyway /hj

i did not expect this to be a whole rant sorry but i think it's interesting documenting me navigating through my own OCD after living in a world where i was only shown the extremely-watered-down and stereotypical interpretations caused by lack of proper education. also there are like 4678564379856438795643798654798365478396593 more examples of my brain having a fit over whatever . like an even more recent development is a weird fear of turning my lights on because of things i'll see (like sp/ders . primarily sp/ders idk why my OCD revolves around them so much) because otherwise im checking Literally Every Corner almost constantly when im not focused on something and am just trying to chill. and dont get me STARTED on all the checking when it comes to going outside ,

i could name more but i'm way too exhausted and also there's literally just . Way too many that i couldn't get all of them in one go . it's funny bc sometimes i have doubt and am like "man i'm a normal human being, i'm fine, i'm just acting selfish" and then immediately obsess over corners in the room and who is watching me and what song is playing in my head and where am i ,

[butterflies-orgasms]

Screw it. If you're anti via vaccine, you are a brainwashed moron, and I no longer trust your opinion on anything technical.

"I wanna be sure about what I put in my body" (whiny Karen voice)

Yeah? You horse paste, boot licking mother fucker?

You soda drinking, fast food eating, tylenol popping, airplane riding, car driving, diet asperatame loving, microwave food consuming piece of shit? Your body a temple now??? You check the ingredients and warnings on those? Or did you make fun of California for labeling everything a carcinogen, saying "well everything causes cancer, hur hur"?

Did you say we can throw pollution anywhere as long as we dont see it and pump as much greenhouses gases into the air as we want, saying climate change aint real despite even oil companies own scientist said FUCK back in the 70s, ya fucking sheeple?

Or did you listen to some talk radio host getting six figures or more to spoon feed your barely educated, science and research paper failing brain?

Youre not just dumb as what comes out of Trump's mouth and ass (hard to tell the difference). But youre selfish too.

Lick public stalls and cough in your grandmothers face, you conceited fuckin corn dog.

Don't quote me percents or say "it's just old people, likely to die, hur hur". Yeah. You know who is SUPER fucking likely to die? Soldiers. And y'all at least have the decency to pretend to give a shit when even "just" one or a handful die overseas. Stfu, or admit you're thinking the same way as someone who wants to round up all the old and weak, unhealthy people and shoot em or drop them in a pit Sparta style.

You're ignorant. And vile. And self ABSORBED my GOD the world doesnt revolve around you or America this is happening world wide, and they dont bitch about conspiracies as much as our brain dead population.

You violate every known morality code that calls on you to love other people, and God or any diety except the pestilence ones, would be ashamed of you.

[fuckyourlist-blog]

15 Irrational Fears ‘All’ Guys Have In Relationships (According To These Three Guys Who Fucked A Microwaved Banana Peel)

Relationships, ah that old song and dance we’re all forced to endure if we ever hope to sneeze our dick gravy into a welcoming hole and birth a small version of ourselves. Why are they so hard though? Why are they so hard in particular for men? As women, we grow up completely entitled to our Disney prince, one who lets us eat from their plate of fries, one who will buy us tampons AND insert them, one who will hold our hair back while we’re throwing up on the penis of the man who is cucking him. 

So why are relationships LITERALLY the n word of social interaction? “How do talk to laaaady” grunts the primitive man as he drags his knuckles off the floor just long enough to yell at the burning sky egg in exasperation.

Well, we decided to ask three guys whose first and last sexual encounter was fucking a microwaved banana peel for the top 15 reasons why they’re too scared to slam down on some gash, rather than a warm hollowed out fruit.

1. She Will Use His Vulnerability Against Him

The problem is, men are like video game bosses. They have glowing spots on them you’re meant to drive a knife into for them to lose hit points. Shit, it’s NO WONDER they are terrified of showing this to women, they probably didn’t get to pick up the first aid kit in the barrel on the first level, and will be absolutely FUCKED into a black hole of weeping and silence if you expertly aim the knife of “I don’t know what I want for dinner but let’s avoid KFC because you’re getting a bit thicc” at him. Poor fella.

2. She Will Change After Marriage

It’s completely ok if he changes into a complacent sentient garbage bag after you marry, but don’t you DARE think of unzipping your back skin and crawling out to reveal the shrieking ballbusting demon you really are. I swear to god if you don’t remain as the fun loving party girl he fell in love with at 19 (before you realised he was obsessed with Magic:The Gathering) then I will turn this damn car around.

3. She'll Ask Him What He's Thinking...

Bitch are you cray cray?! who said communicating was a part of this?! Don’t worry your pretty little head though, just put your mouth back where it belongs (back on his dick).

4. She Will Turn Out To Have Ulterior Motives

Such as falling in love with him when he wanted to spend his life exclaiming how much of a shitbag undeserving of love he is. You’re going off script! You might push him into having a feeling! Once again, this is on YOU. You’re the only one who could do wrong here or have something up your sleeve. Not him. Because banana peels don’t chew him out for leaving stained underwear on the couch.

5. She Will Blackmail Him Into Doing What She Wants By Threatening Divorce

Because 4 points in and 10 minutes into your first date you’re wet enough to host an Olympic swimming team, and he’s skipped past marriage and right to how you’ll fuck him over in divorce. You wonder how long he spent thinking of the good times before jumping this far ahead, it was zero long, his brain just went right here. Ask him what he’s thinking right now and he’ll respond “If I saw our children in half do we have to do a custody battle?” and a laugh track will play because this is actually some dumb shit.

6. She Will Not Come Back Home One Day

When you come home from work it’s cute when a pet comes running up to you because they’ve missed you and are glad you’re home. To be fair, their concept of a ‘year’ is different to ours, and yet they still keep their proverbial shit together. Men like this though? They’ll make themselves unemployed so they can sit in a darkened room peeking from behind a curtain down the driveway. Every minute it inches closer to your usual home time his heart races faster. He pees a little, tears swell in his eyes, and at 5.29pm he slowly begins to close the scissor blades on your sexiest pair of underwear. How dare you do this to him. 

7. He Will Find Out That She Was Comparing Him To Her Last Boyfriend

Who gives a shit. I compare cups of coffee from different cafes and I assure you coffee has provided me with more comfort and warmth than a great number of my relationships. It’s not that I’m comparing you to ex boyfriends, I’m comparing you to a $4 cup of coffee that I still think about, unlike you.

8. He Will Wake Up And Realize He Doesn't Like Her Anymore

Notice once again how this one is about how she has undesirable qualities. Women never wake up and decide men are terrible. Never. Because they’re the best and if it weren’t for the scientific law of queues we’d be fighting each other to slurp down your balls daily. I mean, aside from that nobody has any agency to just walk away, it’s impossible. We’re referred to as the ‘ole ball and chain’ because we literally are weighing them down to the floor, and they skipped leg day.

9. He Will Be Financially Ruined By Divorce

From Scrooge McDuck to Scrooge McCuck

10. She Will Leave Him For Someone Richer

...From Scrooge McCuck to Scrooge McDuck

Ah, it’s the circle of life. Just like Simba said but not in the bit where his dad dies. We all know Mufasa killed himself cos bitches ain’t shit anyway.

11. They Will Have A Child Who Needs Extra Special Care

If this list has demonstrated one thing it’s that men hate competition.

12. He Will Go From Happily Single To Unhappily Committed

As we all know, happily single men definitely frequent toxic subreddits revolving around how to interact with women. Happily single men totally post online feverishly wanting to know whether a woman being nice to them wants to skin them and live in their flesh in a sexy way. Happily single men send dick photos to strangers for validation. Happily single men were not the people being asked this. They will be unhappy no matter what because at no point have they understood that happiness in a relationship (or outside of a relationship) is LARGELY about them and their own demonstrable value. A woman or man cannot turn your world into a happy fun filled existence unless you put in the work on YOURSELF. 

People like this see commitment as a swear word because they want to keep being able to fuck their way through people who will not add anything of worth to their lives, to self destruct and self abuse without punishment.

13. She Will End Up Pregnant Unexpectedly

Well it’ll be unexpected for one of you. While you were studying the blade, we were doing a handstand in the bathtub pouring a used condom into us.

Birth control definitely isn’t a choice that involves two parties. It’s entirely on the woman to ensure her vagina infested with evil doesn’t clamp down on your dick during those final moments of intercourse and force your balls empty into her uterus. Did you know when this happens we also steal one of your superpowers?

14. She Will Turn Out To Be A Worn Out Shell

This is blatant miseducation. When this happens, guys, you just need to go find us in our jelly form hanging out on the couch waiting for our new shell to harden. Don’t worry! We’re certainly not worn down to an internally crying husk because you’re a dreadful example of humanity, we’re just molting. 

15.They Will Be The Family The Neighbors Gossip About

“Hey honey check it out, that rich brooding manchild is banging his withered old bitch out in the poolhouse again, while leaving their handicapped son to play with a sanding belt unattended.”

“Oh weird, I thought they were getting a divorce?”

[iamvegorott]

A Small Glitch Chapter 19 (Final)

Settling In

“This itches,” Jackieboy whined as he messed with the bandage around his neck.

“If you complain as much as Anti did, I’m putting you in a cone.” Dr. Schneepelstein threatened as he double taped the end of the bandage.

“My nose isn’t going to look ugly, is it?” Bim asked as he poked his wrapped up nose. “Ow...Ow!” Bim said the second one after Dr. Iplier slapped his hand.

“It will if you mess with it.” Dr. Iplier warned, earning a whimper from Bim and the show host sat on his hands.

“I’m still really sorry for getting blood on ya,” Chase said for the tenth time in ten minutes as he blotted the blood stain on Marvin’s shirt with a wet rag.

“I can get a new shirt, it’s fine.” Mavin took Chase by the wrists and lowered his arms. “You should rest.”

“I’ve gotten shocked by alarm clocks, controllers, microwaves, this is nothing.” Chase chuckled. “Although I never imagined I would be tasty cooked up.”

“Most humans taste like pork.” Bim stated, getting strange looks from everyone. “What?”

“He is technically correct according to research.” Google said, the looks turning towards him.

“Canadolism aside, I think we should talk about how fucking dope all of that was!” Bing threw his hands into the air. “Fucking wings and shit!”

“Anti also came back from the dead.” Wilford said as he stretched, his joints popping loudly.

“Did you see that in your prediction, Host?” Chase asked.

“Host could only see harm for Anti, but was unable to see the specifics and could only say so much about it.” Host answered.

“Your future seeing is kind of a dick.”

“Host has holes for eyes because he attempted to look into his own personal future, he does not wish to tempt fate more.” Host’s mouth stretched out to a flat line.

“He can prod at it thought.” Wilford chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Marvin asked.

“Someone had a prediction about Anti and Dark, as we all know, but you guys don’t know is that Host knew that if Dark went to the Septiceye house that night, it would kick-start their relationship.” Wilford wagged a finger towards the Host.

“Host will not dignify that with a response.”

“I knew it.” Dark said as he entered the room. He patted a gentle hand on Host’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

“How are Anti and Annalise?” Chase asked.

“They’re both out.” Dark sighed. “I should inform Mark that all of his devices are currently dead and he’s going to need to reboot his computer.” Dark took out his phone. “I also need to ask where his chargers are.”

“They got mine, too.” Wilford laughed a little after checking his phone.

“I’m shocked Mark let them on his bed.” Bim said.

“I was not going to let my husband and daughter sleep on a couch after everything they have gone through. Has anyone been able to contact the Jims? The Iplier house is probably on fire right now.”

“All of our phones are dead, how were we supposed to get a hold of them?” Jackieboy asked with a raised brow.

“Oh yeah, of course, I just…” Dark pinched the bridge of his nose.

“There’s been a lot of trauma today, take it easy, Dark.” Dr. Iplier said.

“Alright, I’m back.” Mark said as he came back into his house, grocery bags in his hands. “I got the pain meds, extra band-aids, and bandages. I bought a couple of pizzas I’ll toss in the oven and I even got a coloring book for Annalise. I got her one with princesses and one with cute animals, I’m not sure which one she’d like, but I’m sure she’d like something to do.”

“She likes butterflies.” All of the egos answered together.

“Okay, don’t do that...ever again.” Mark said as he unpacked the bags. Dark went over to Mark and helped him. There was a tense silence for a moment before Dark spoke up.

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Dark said, taking out the coloring books.

“You guys literally just saved the world. I can spare some money to help you recover and get out of my house in one piece.” Mark said as he stacked the pizza boxes.

“Again, thank you. I’m sure Annalise will adore these.” Dark held up the coloring books before setting them aside.

“There should be crayons in that bag as well.” Mark noticed that there was a strange look on Dark’s face. “Yes?”

“Are you sure you’re Mark?” Dark asked.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Never mind.” Mark made several sputtering sounds as Dark walked away, handing the medical supplies to the doctors.

“Fine. Whatever…” Mark started to chew on his lip. “Why do I have a feeling that I forgot something?”

“Dude! I thought you were gonna pick me...what the fuck?” Jack stood frozen at the front door, suitcase in hand and was greeted with a view of egos in the living room.

“Oh, that’s what I forgot.” Mark said, going over to Jack. “Well, things got a little crazy here.”

“I can see. What the hell happened?” Jack rolled his suitcase in with him.

“Long story.” Mark sighed.

“Did I just hear a loud Irishman?” Anti chuckled as he came into the room.

“Anti!” The egos all cheered while Dark rushed to him and grabbed his face, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

“Alright...”

“That’s a little weird.” Mark and Jack said.

“Is it cause they have a resemblance to you?” Google asked.

“We can make it worse.” Anti rubbed his hands as his body changed, slowly becoming an exact match to Jack’s. “This form’s really easy to do.”

“As is this one.” Dark said, becoming a clone of Mark.

“And now to...” Anti grabbed Dark by his shirt and yanked him into a kiss.

“Okay!” Both Jack and Mark yelled, covering their eyes.

“My offer still stands on letting you know everything about Mark’s dick.” Anti said with a wink.

“I’m going to go start cooking the pizzas!” Mark said loudly as he walked away while Jack just made sounds.

“You are not going to discuss my genitalia.” Dark said in a lower tone.

“So, there’s this vein right at the-” Anti was cut off by Dark picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder.

“No fair!” Anti laughed. “Top of the mornin’ to ya ladies, my name is, put me the fuck down!” Anti kept laughing as he lightly hit Dark’s back.

“Hello, everybody. My name’s Markiplier and today we’re not going to do that.” Dark chuckled and started walking around the living room.

“Cranky crew!” Annalise cheered as he jumped into the room.

“Ann!” Anti started slapping Dark harder and after getting put down, he and Dark both went over to Annalise, crouching down to hug her.

“Aw, she watches Ethan.” Jack chuckled.

“We should give him a call and let him know that the child of a literal demon and a virus watches his videos.” Mark laughed from the kitchen.

“Daddy look funny.” Annalise said. “And papa.” Anti and Dark both went back to their normal form in a blink.

“How’s my princess?” Anti asked.

“Good nap.” Annalise said with a nod.

“Do you know what happened today?”

“Daddy got hurt. I help him.” Annalise puffed out her chest. “I use glowy.” She held out her hands and orange pixels started to dance on her palms.

“Our daughter...brought you back from the dead.” Dark straightened up.

“Sweet.” Anti said as he did the same.

“How? Just...how? I don’t-” Dark stopped when Anti put a hand on his arm.

“Virus’ are weird.” Anti turned his hand over and his own palm had pixels on it. “I can heal myself with my pixels, Annalise must have used hers to bring me back. My brain must not have fully died before she got to me.”

“Okay…” Dark shook his head in disbelief.

“What else happened today?” Anti asked.

“Rus and others get time-out.” Annalise looked around before cupping her hands around her mouth. “Forever time-out like mommy.”

“Do you want to color?”

“Yes!” Annalise clapped her hands.

“I am one step ahead.” Dr. Schneepelstein said, holding up the coloring books and crayons from the couch he was sitting on.

“Sheep!” Annalise waited until Dark and Anti nodded their head before rushing over to the doctor.

“So, she’s kind of aware of what happened.” Anti said.

“Our child is going be in desperate need of therapy when she’s older.” Dark sighed.

“Nah, she’ll be fine. She’s one of us, but I’m sure if worse comes to worse, we’ve got enough money to bribe someone to keep quiet and help her.”

“Can we please talk about the wings?” Bing asked.

“Wings?” Jack and Mark both said as Mark left the kitchen and came back into the room, only hearing the last word.

“Yeah! It was so cool!” Chase said.

“Dark was like a stain-glass angel and Anti was a glitchy bat and Annalise was a butterfly!” Bing added.

“Extreme emotions cause extreme reactions.” Dark stated.

“We could probably work on making them pop out whenever we want.” Ant said, joining Annalise on the floor. “Ann’s our little butterfly.”

“The wings fun.” Annalise said. “But I no fly.”

“Next time.” Anti chuckled.

“So...Anti and Dark are married, they have a daughter and now they can grow fuckin wings?” Mark said.

“Language.” Dark warned.

“Eat my ass!” Annalise shouted, making Dark but his lower lip.

“I bet I know where she got that from.” Jack chuckled.

“If we get a call from the school saying the Annalise cursed, it’s your fault.” Dark said to Anti.

“Eat my ass.” Anti stuck his tongue out.

“I already do.” Dark said with a smirk, making everyone in the room but Annalise groan.

“I did not need to hear that in my home.” Mark huffed.

“I no get.” Annalise looked up at Anti.

“Later.” Anti patted the top of Annalise’s head.

“Or never.” Dark added, crossing his arms.

“So, Dark’s the one with the shotgun when Annalise brings a boy home.” Jack said.

“That’d probably be uncle Wilford.” Mark pointed at the man he spoke of.

“Revolver, not a shotgun.” Wilford corrected.

“Papa, lookie!” Annalise held up the coloring book.

“That looks amazing.” Dark went over to Annalise and joined her and Anti on the ground.

Dark listened while the others started talking, their voices being nothing but noise as he watched Annalise color and Anti giving her suggestions for which color to use. Anti looked up at Dark and gave him a smile when he saw that the demon was already doing so.

This was it. They were finally happy. Dark and Anti were both filled with joy as their daughter had fun and the others were all safe and sound. They could finally move on with their lives. They could live in peace, or as much peace as a family of two virus’ and a demon could have. They were excited to continue a journey that they never expected to begin in the first place.

Raising Annalise.  

I hope all of you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! This series is not over and more is to come. There may even be a sequel in the near future.

Tag List: @readeatfightlove13 @kenzie-110101

[mygarage]

10 Things A College Student Can Rent To Save Money

Money never comes easily, especially for college students, or any kind of student for that matter.

Usually only living off of minimum wage salaries or off of parent’s allowance, it can be quite the challenge for the average student to budget and save.

Nothing screams economical more than renting. In contrast to buying, renting is most certainly the cheaper approach.

Whether you’re a college student or a parent of one, this list might just be for you. As you read on, we hope that you find something useful to take away from this article.

1.  Laptop and Tablet

An obvious essential for every student; and yes, laptops and tablets can be rented.

If you already own a laptop and/or a tablet, renting may not come to you as something useful yet at the moment.

But when the time comes and your device unfortunately breaks down, you may want to consider renting, just until you get your old one repaired or have enough to spend on a new one.

2.  Books

Every student will eventually have to read and study a book, whether that’s for reference or just for something to enjoy and pass the time.

While books can be conveniently read digitally nowadays, there are still plentiful benefits to reading them the old-fashioned way.

For instance, there is no UV lighting to expose your eyes to radiation; and then there’s the satisfyingly smooth feel of the ivory paper’s texture and the crisp sound of every page flip.

Here are a few rental platforms you can utilize to rent out a book: My Garage Rentals, Campus Books, and E-Campus.com.

3.  Musical Instruments

Whether your course revolves around music or not, it’s always a good idea to have a personal musical instrument within arm’s reach.

Learning to play a musical instrument exercises the brain by creating new neural pathways to help improve brain growth, which can result in creativity and motivation for productivity.

Playing the guitar and other musical instruments can also help calm the mind, alleviating stress, and depression.

Here are a couple of platforms, including our own, that provide rental services for musical instruments: My Garage Rentals, RocknRoll Rentals, Rent My Instrument, InstruRentals,

4.  DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras

DSLR and Mirrorless cameras are expensive and don’t even get me started on lenses and the vast variety of camera accessories.

Owning a camera is a real investment, it’s not something you just throw your money at willy-nilly. You have to make an extensive thought first before pursuing photography or film.

While you’re still saving up for a camera of your own, perhaps consider renting first and observe whether or not this field certainly captures your passion.

Including our rental services, here are a few online platforms that offer photography gears for rent: My Garage Rentals, Borrow Lens, Lens Rentals.

5.  Gym, Sports and Athletic Gear

The expenses that come with buying sports gear might discourage a lot of students, especially those looking to get fit and try out sports for the first time.

You shouldn’t let this hindrance stop you from getting in shape and staying healthy. You can always opt to rent sports equipment first until you can finally afford to invest in your own gear.

Visit our website or any of these other online platforms for sports and fitness rentals: My Garage Rentals, Fairent, Fitness at Home, Fitness Plus.

6.  Live-stream Equipment

We’re living in an age of streaming. We stream our movies, concerts, music, and our favorite shows; students even now have to attend their classes through live-streaming.

With the help of platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming, students can stream their creative content online with the potential of earning.

A full live-stream equipment can be costly overall, but with the help of renting, students can begin their live-streaming dreams much sooner than they think.

Have a look through My Garage Rentals for live-streaming gear rentals, or you can also check out FairRent as well.

7.  Video Game Console

We can argue all we want on whether or not video games are a bad influence on the youth, but it won’t dismiss the fact that a ton of research shows there are great benefits in gaming.

Other than some of the mental and emotional benefits of playing video games, students can also profit from it by pursuing a career in E-sports and video game live-streaming.

8.  Portable Fridge, AC, Microwave, Vacuum, and Other Appliances

Some dorms and apartments may already provide appliances like microwaves and refrigerators, but this is not true for others, those that don’t may encourage you to rent appliances.

If you’re one of those, already provided with these appliances, you may resort to renting when the time comes that these machines suddenly give in and break.

When this unfortunate event does occur, do not go and buy one brand-new right away. Having it sent to the repairman and renting one as you wait for it can help you save more.

Make use of our platform, My Garage Rentals for all things rental including appliances. Feel free to also have a look at Fairent.

9.  Decorations

Decorating is a great way for students to express their creativity in their own respective dorm rooms. Tell me, when was the last time you saw a dorm room without any decorations on it?

The only hassle in constantly decorating is that it’ll cost you, especially when there’s another holiday coming up in the succeeding month, or if you suddenly needed a new backdrop for a vlog you were recording.

Thankfully, there are websites like My Garage Rentals that offer neighbor to neighbor rentals, making it easy and affordable to switch from one holiday decoration to another.

10.  Bike or Car for Transportation

Just because your friends have cars doesn’t mean you should go and spend all your savings on one in one fell swoop.

You have to consider your priorities first and if buying a car isn’t on the top of your list, you might want to re-think getting one right away.

Fortunately, you can still enjoy good and comfortable transportation without having to compromise your savings, and yes, that’s by renting.

Our Platform:

My Garage Rentals is an online platform that offers neighbor to neighbor rentals, allowing its users to connect with a community of lenders within their local area, making finding the perfect item to rent easy.

Unlike the rest of the rental platforms mentioned in this article, My Garage Rentals offers its users the ability to rent almost anything, boasting not just one specific category but a wide variety to rent from.

You can also earn and start your own rental service with us by enlisting your items up for rent. You can earn each day your item is used; you control the duration and the security deposit, and sign up is absolutely free!

Take advantage and earn from the things you already own which are just lying around your room wasting precious space!

Click here to visit My Garage Rentals today to start renting: www.MyGarageRentals.com

[rilesandlucas]

BYE|one exception au| rucas week

ONE EXCEPTION AU!! Girl meets goodbye. What if Lucas and Riley went outside to Topanga's then left before Maya came!! This is gonna be a hard to do for 3000 words so it's gonna draggggg. 'Can we go to the bay window ?' Lucas hesitantly asked Riley who was leaning on his shoulder. Riley thought about all her friends inside for a moment, and then she thought about the fact that she was loosing him. Someone that she thought she might even love. She nodded eagerly and he stood up offering his hand, Riley happily took it and followed his lead. They walked hand in hand onto the street and Riley lankily walked along. Lucas laughed at her dorky behaviour and absorbed her behaviour. He didn't know what the future held, but he knew that he was going to absorb anything he could. Even if she didn't leave he would still have the thought of her all the time, and he didn't mind that one little bit. 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' Riley spoke out of no where and Lucas smiled brightly. 'Eleanor Roosevelt, I think.' Lucas replied. It was a game he and Riley always played, they would say a quote and the other one would say who it was. Usually it would be something memorable and meaningful but sometimes it would be a cartoon quote. It kind of depended on their mood. 'I was gonna say princess diaries but they mentioned her there I think.' Riley joked and Lucas rolled his eyes, that stupid movie that Riley always wanted to watch. He didn't really mind because it reminded Lucas of the fact that Riley was a princess, and anything Riley liked he liked as well. 'You should always remember that Lucas. Don't let people get you down so easy.' She queered stopping and looking up at his green orbs. He stared back down at her brown round eyes and leaned in pecking her lips and then pulling away smiling at him. 'Hey my foot didn't pop.' Riley joked hitting his stomach. Lucas rolled his eyes and kissed her again more passionately. Just as Riley went to move her foot up Lucas moved his foot up and Riley pulled away bursting out into a fit of laughter. Riley couldn't stop laughing so she had to crouch down onto the pavement to try restrain herself. Lucas didn't even care about the people passing by he just pulled out his phone and took a photo and started videoing. Memories become blurry but pictures and videos would never leave, they would never become blurry. Well they might be kinda blurry on his iPhone 5 but he brushed that aside. Riley gave him a death glare and finally composed herself. She stood up and sped up in front of Lucas. Lucas chased Riley down towards her house for two blocks until he finally caught up to her. He grabbed her tall frame and pushed her towards himself. They both huffed and puffed trying to catch their breathe and Lucas lessened his hold a little. 'Riley Remind me to get those long legs shortened. No one should be able to run so fast. That is ridiculous.' Lucas said in a mockingly formal voice as they continue to walk along. Riley's fire escape came in sight and she held her hand up to Lucas chest to stop him. 'Race to my bay window.' Riley threatened and Lucas got down into a sprinting position. 'Does that include the stair climb.' Lucas smirked and Riley stretched her arms. 'Does that include the stair climb. You've seen Maya and I do this billions of times. Of course it includes the stair climb.' She exasperated and reached down into position. 'In 3, 2.' Riley yelled and ran off. Lucas started sprinting caught off guard and raised his hands at his head start. They both reached the stairs at practically the same time. One final stare off and They raced up the stairs. Riley shoved Lucas a little on the second stair and continued her climb up the stairs. She dived into her bay window hitting her head slightly on the fall through. She had no time to care though as she stood up spinning around in victory. She threw her hands up in the air and cheered as Lucas slumped through the window behind her. 'I win you lose. But I have got a big bruise.' She cheered wincing slightly from her head pain. Lucas jumped onto her bed and hit her with a pillow. 'You totally cheated.' He groaned like a child. Riley hit him back with a pillow before prancing into her bathroom and grabbing a bandaid and a panadol. 'Hey. I never said the game had to be fair did I.' She shrugged and Lucas hid under her covers. Riley quickly darted out of the room only feeling slightly dizzy, she pulled the chocolate out of the fridge and the packet popcorn out of the cupboard. She mushed the popcorn, then popped it in the microwave and started cutting up the chocolate. She never understood why she put chocolate in the fridge and not the cupboard. In reality though she didn't understand a lot of things. She finished cutting up the pieces and folded the wrapping over the left overs and placed it back in the fridge. She heard the popping of the popcorn slow and she turned off her microwave, waiting a few moments for it to cool down she pulled it out, opened it and placed the chocolate in, then she got the sticky tape, sealed it and put it in for 10 more seconds. It had become so custom for her and Lucas to make this she barely had to think about what she was doing, it was like muscle memory but not. So essentially it was just, memory. She heard the final beep and ran back into the room, she sat beside Lucas who was already waiting for her at the bay window and placed the popcorn in between them. 'So.' She hummed and Lucas turned towards her. 'So.' Lucas mocked and Riley laughed lightly. 'As much as I want to explore the world. I don't want London, yet. I want to go with you, Maya, Zay, Farkle, smackle.' She sighed tears welling up in her eyes. She looked down in embarrassment and rubbed her knees. Lucas pulled her closer to him and kissed her temple. 'Sometimes that's just how things are. Things don't go as planned. I think it means something.' Lucas ranted and Riley stared at his eyes. 'That's the way it's gonna be little darling. Well go riding on the horses yeah yeah.' Riley sung and Lucas pulled her in a little tighter once again. 'Was that the horses by UGHH Daryl Braithwaite.' Lucas thought and Riley nodded eagerly. 'He's a wise man.' Riley nudged him in the chest. 'We were having a serious discussion.' Lucas nudged her back his eyebrows raising. 'Yes yes sorry.' Riley seriously said in a basic tone. 'How do you feel about it.' Riley questioned and Lucas looked away slightly. Riley caught onto what he was doing and pulled his back to face hers again. 'You can't ignore your feelings. You can't ignore everything Lucas. I'm your first girlfriend, this is all new, we need to be open and honest with each other.' Riley soothed lightly and rubbed his shoulder. 'I don't want to have to say goodbye. ' he cried and leaned into Riley's shoulder. He healed as many tears as he could but some crept through. Riley didn't mind one bit what was happening, she knew that stereotypes would eventually fail and equality would prevail. 'Lucas you might not even have to.' 'I know that change is good and all. But I don't know if I can keep my anger and stress under wraps without you. Even when we weren't together , even when we were in that God forsaken triangle. You were still and always will be my calming influence. I don't know if I'll be calmed if you're half way across the world. You'll make new friends and I don't want to hold you back from that at all. Princess, I want you to run this world and I don't want to hold you back from that.' He cried lightly and fumbled with his hands. Riley stared at the flowers outside the window. The rosy red blaring back at her. 'Lucas. I don't know what will become of us. How long we will last. All I know is, right now I don't want this to end so soon. I mean do you. I like New York. New York is my home and my life. Everything I have is here, taking me to London is holding me back from growing. My mum was forced to move to Pittsburgh when she was younger, she came back when for my dad. I don't see what is stopping me from doing that. For Maya, for you, for my life. This, this place is my environment. Lucas the Matthews do not do change.' She pleaded frustrated. She threw her hands in the air and groaned moving her head into her lap. 'Woah. I don't know if I like this Riley. Well that's a lie I like every Riley I just don't know if I like seeing you upset.' Lucas rambled and Riley had already moved over to her bed and grabbed one of her stuffed bears. Lucas glided over to the bed and moved next to her. 'You know why don't we just take advantage of the time we do have, well not knowing, right now the situation is Schrödinger's cat. You are neither leaving or staying, it's both, yeah don't think about it to much it will hurt your brain. Anyway let's reminisce on all the memories we do have.' Lucas offered and Riley smiled thinking of all the memories they have together. 'Well there was that time I fell on your lap on the subway.' Riley teased and Lucas smiled taking it back to when things were easier. 'Yes yes. I remember that. What about when we connected at the library.' 'Oooo yes of course and skip forward to the end of middle school. When I realised the world didn't revolve around me, but you knew this.' She grunted. 'When you found out about my past in Texas but you sill supported me.' He wrapped his arms around her and she sniffled into him. 'Also when you snuck out and didn't take me with you.' He said acting offended. 'Oh like you would've wanted to come mr perfect.' 'Says the Mrs perfect.' Lucas retorted and Riley moved away from him. 'And then remember the triangle.' Riley spoke smirking slightly. 'I remember Maya not knowing who she was. I am aware of what triangle is as a shape. I don't know this triangle you speak of though. ' Lucas dead panned. 'Oh yes if we ignore it, it did not happen. One of my favourites.' Riley seethed. 'And my favourite memory of all. When I chose you and you chose me too.' Lucas romanticised his eyebrow raising. 'I hate to agree but that is one of my favourite memories too.' She whispered leaning in it kiss him on the lips. Just as they were millimetres away from each other the door burst open. 'Riley. Where did you go! I thought you had been kidnapped, or died, or---. Oh sorry to interrupt.' Maya yelled and slowly started backing out of the room. Lucas sighed and moved towards the window, he knew that Maya was Riley's extraordinary relationship. If you see an amazing relationship you do not ruin it, you keep it. 'No it's ok Maya I was just leaving. Riley I bid you, goodbye.' He croaked his voice cracking on the last note. Before anyone could protest he shuffled his way out the window leaving the two girls in the dust. After a small moment of silence Maya turned to Riley and said. 'Well I need an explanation for that.' -------------------------- 'This store is my bay window. We aren't moving to London.' Topanga spoke and Riley pulled Maya into a massive hug. The rest of the family followed along and hugged Riley back. It clicked in Riley's mind that she wasn't going and she wriggled her way out of the group hug. She ran towards the door and saw everyone looking at her in confusion. She stopped slightly and turned around, she faced the stares she was getting form everyone and took one final breathe before speaking. 'May I be excused. Please please please.' She jumped up and down excitedly and mr Matthews huffed stomping his foot. By sheer coincidence his foot hit Topanga's and she turned to him giving him a death glare. 'Go sweetie, go get married do what the kids do. I will just be here, supporting you along side my oh so gorgeous wife. Wow isn't she just radiantly intelligent and wow just wow.' Mr Matthews blurted very scared. Before he could back out Riley darted out of the bakery. On the way out she heard a faint 'go get Lucas' but she was too determined on her journey. She raced down the busy New York streets running into someone every couple of seconds but no one could stop her. After three blocks of racing she finally arrived at Lucas house. She raced up the 4 steps to his house and calmed herself before knocking on his door. She anxiously waited outside his door, her foot tapping upside down and hitting the wooden balcony. After a few moments the door swung open and Lucas' radiant mother stood before her. Her hair bounced up and down and she beamed seeing the young girl at her doorstep. Riley pulled her in for a quick hug before releasing her and moving around her. 'Hi Mrs friar. I really have to see Lucas, I would love to chat later though.' Riley rambled and mr friar release her and laughed at the excited girl. She made her way towards the kitchen to get them some snacks as Riley darted up the stairs. She swung his door open and Lucas' poked his head up hearing his door open. 'Mum I told you to kno-Riley.' He gasped and Riley smiled tears creeping down her face. She sprinted over to Lucas bed and jumped on his torso enveloping him in a Massive hug. Lucas happily accepted her embrace and hugged back tightly. 'Riley what are you doing here.' He mumbled into her shoulder. She shivered at his embrace and inhaled his scent. Her eyes were shut and she just took him all in. Lucas took her silence as a bad thing and instantly pulled away to look at her. 'Oh no you're leaving aren't you. Well it's ok I talked this over with Zay and Farkle. We can work it out, we can FaceTime and text and we won't date cause that's a lot of pressure you know even in the same place. But we will be good friends and then when college comes you can decide where to go and I'll follow you. Zay says England cause you can drink there at 18 but America is pretty cool as well. This doesn't have to hinder our friendship at all, it will just make it stronger if anything. If it makes you feel better. I will not date until you are at least able to come back there. Is no need for running away we can work this out together.' Lucas continued and Riley had tried Several times to interrupt him, about halfway through she realised that it was very entertaining. She just left him he go continue his rant. Lucas noticed that she wasn't listening and creased his eyebrows. 'Why aren't you taking this seriously.' Lucas bellowed and Riley couldn't help but laugh. 'Riley why are you laughing do you not care. Just before you were so upset I mean I'm happy you'll be happy but are we not even good enough-' he started but Riley pinched his lips with her fingers. 'Lucas. Lucas. I am loving this whole thing but please hush hush hush. We do not have time for this.' She hushed and Lucas tilted his head. 'Do not have time for what. Are you leaving now?' He yelled standing up and pacing around his room. 'You know Lucas. We used to be very good at this communication thing. Us talking is your favourite thing in the world. Usually a conversation involves two people.' Riley calmly spoke and Lucas stopped pacing and looked at her. 'You're right. You're really really right. I am being so so so so so and a thousand more so's selfish. You speak.' He rushed and Riley grabbed his hand and pulled him down. 'First breathe a little. And second, I just got back from talking with my family. She made a very big decision. Lucas we are not leaving. We are staying her in New York. My mum wants to continue running her bakery and I want to stay here anyway.' Riley happily cheered and Lucas got up off his bed, opened his window and screamed. 'Thank you God. You finally heard me bro.' He screeched and Riley giggled. 'Ok so that whole stress rant before ya know yeah. No need to mind that one bit. Just ignore that and me of course. I am really happy you're staying Riley.' He whispered and moved towards her. 'I whispered underneath my breathe, but you heard it, darling you look perfect, tonight.' He sung slightly and Riley perked up that. 'That is Ed Sheeran I believe young sir.' 'Yep one of my favourites. I can't wait to tell you a thousand more quotes, in real life right now.' Lucas honestly spoke and kissed her hand elegantly. 'There is one quote I'd like to tell you though. It is my favourite.' Riley asked hopefully. Lucas lowly nodded his head and Riley proceeded. 'I choose you, and I really want you to choose me.' She choked and Lucas breathed in. 'I do.' A/n BAM BITCHES

[starf]

StarF’s Top Ten Albums of 2016!

OH BOY ANOTHER TOP TEN LIST THAT EVERYONE CARES ABOUT SO MUCH!

Whatever, I always have fun putting this list together! 2016 was tough! There were a ton of amazing albums released last year and sorting it out was really hard. What was actually even more difficult though was coming to the realization that my top three this year were so unbelievably good that they all completely overshadowed everything else. Seriously. I love all the albums on this list, and there were a ton of other great releases, but the amount of time I spent on the top three albums here far and away took up most of my listening time in 2016.

The last year was also, unfortunately, not a super strong year for hip hop music - at least for me. There were some great releases that definitely were contenders for the list but at the end of the day they didn’t make it. So I’d like to give a quick honorable mention to the following albums: More Than Ever by Sims, Cut The Body Loose by Astronautalis, and Floss by Injury Reserve.

AND COMMENCE!

10. Microwave - Much Love

Sitting at number ten is an album that took me completely by surprise! I had never heard of this band before purchasing this album. I simply bought it on a whim because it was coming out via SideOneDummy Records, and I trust them to put out good music! It turns out my blind purchase was rewarded with one of my favorite things I heard last year!

Microwave reminds me of a more alternative version of PUP in some ways, blending aggression and self-deprecating lyrics with catchy melodies and incredibly well composed music. The entire thing ebbs and flows very naturally and is simply a joy to listen to. Plus the song Lighterless may be one of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

9. Chris Farren - Can’t Die

Well would you look at that, another perfect record from Chris Farren! For as much as I love Chris and his music this record didn’t immediately grab me in the way that I figured it would, but over time it’s been growing more and more on me. This isn’t to say that I didn’t like it when I first heard it, but it definitely took a little bit of time to solidify as the wonderful piece of art that it is in my mind.

Seriously though if you want to hear some light-hearted power pop songs that are incredibly enjoyable look no further than this record! Chris also has managed to write the most honest love song ever written on this record with the track Flowers.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

8. Marc With A C - Unicorns Get More Bacon

A true mainstay of my top ten lists, Marc With A C is back again with yet another wonderful record. This time around there some sense of balance between the crowd-pleasing efforts of Popular Music and introspection of Exactly Where I Am. The new record, Unicorns Get More Bacon, blends these two perspectives into a product that is fun, thought-provoking, and often very self-aware in the most entertaining of ways.

Whether questioning the state of the future in tracks such as Where’s My Giant Robot? or breaking down the fourth wall in I Hate This Song, this record will not let you down if you’re looking for an entertaining listen that you can sing along with.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

7. Get Dead - Honesty Lives Elsewhere

This is another band that was completely new to me in 2016! I discovered them while reading New Noise and decided to check out their new album only to be completely blown away by it. Honesty Lives Elsewhere certainly delivers on its mission statement to simply say something plain and simple, to the point. Mired in a world of contradictions, fluff, and flat-out lies Get Dead works to find something a little more real on this record.

This is honestly a very refreshing punk record to come out recently and I’m stoked to see where these guys go from here. They also provided one of the most standout lines of the year for me in the song She’s A Problem with the lyric “you’re home alone, she’s in the back of a car // using her mouth like an ATM card.”

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

6. The Nighty Nite - Until The Horror Goes

Have you ever heard an album that actually terrified you? Because if you haven’t you may not be prepared for the ride you’re in for with the new album from The Nighty Nite. Born out of the ashes of the pAper chAse, John Congleton’s new band picks up where the last left off and manages to be just as disturbing as ever.

Seriously from the very moment that you start this album it just goes, and it doesn’t stop. The true surprise from this album is that it appears to be the long lost sequel to the final release from the pAper chAse, Someday This Could All Be Yours, Part One. Finally getting clarity after all these years was incredibly satisfying, even if this album totally creeps me out. I don’t think I’ll ever be more uncomfortable listening to music than I am when I hear the song Just Lay Still. Don’t get me wrong though, this album is a fantastic listen and a true piece of art.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

5. Lemon Demon - Spirit Phone

When I heard that there was finally a new Lemon Demon album coming out I couldn’t contain my excitement. Then when it actually did come out I think I continued screaming in joy for another month or so. Lemon Demon has always made such a unique variety of pop music that plays to every one of my sensibilities. The quirkiness, the bizarre humor, the subtle dark undertones, everything about it is fun in the most ridiculously infectious way.

Lemon Demon has always had a way of transitioning seamlessly between making a serious point and a ridiculous joke, and that is no different on Spirit Phone. Going from a song like As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It to I Earn My Life should cause major emotional whiplash but Neil does it in a way that not only feels logical, but natural. The album also explores topics and stories that no other music has touched, such as an arcade cabinets that are actually sentient, a man made of clouds looking for love, among other things. It also contains what may be the most insanely catchy song of the year with Touch-Tone Telephone.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

4. Direct Hit! - Wasted Mind

In late 2015 I was turned onto the band Direct Hit! with their album Brainless God, which was a really cool record that was only enhanced by the fact that there were music videos detailing an entire narrative story running through the album. When I heard that they were releasing a new concept album I was already on board, and boy did Wasted Mind deliver. This time around instead of being a narrative the concept is simply that this entire record is about drug use.

Now I’ve heard a lot of songs and even records that revolve around drugs in various ways, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything come close to being as good as this one is. Examining all sides, from parties to drugs created in government labs to rehab to strained relationships and more, Wasted Mind wraps everything up inside masterfully crafted pop punk. Whether it’s the in-your-face delivery of Paid In Brains or the singalong infectious hook of Hospital For Heroes, this album is gonna grab your attention and keep it.

CHECK IT OUT!

3. PUP - The Dream Is Over

Oh boy here we go, the top three. These are the three albums that completely overshadowed everything for me in 2016 and to be honest these are all my number one pick. Don’t be fooled, these top three are all just as good as each other and I’m only ranking them out of necessity.

The Dream Is Over is an incredibly impressive album that somehow not only met my expectations but exceeded them. After I fell absolutely in love with PUP’s self-titled release I had no idea how they would match it, let alone top it. And yet here we are with The Dream Is Over, an album that had me screaming along with it mere hours after it had released. I probably had this album alone on repeat for two straight weeks after it released.

PUP is the ultimate in blending aggression with pop sensibilities, forging a record that is both angry and fun. Something that is both down-to-earth and outrageous. Whether they’re literally tearing each other apart on a track like If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will, or lamenting the reality of life as a twenty-something fuckup in Can’t Win, the constant here is that every song is as engaging as it is well-executed. For an incredibly high-energy record that begs you to join in look no further. And if you want to see some of the best music videos ever created, check out literally every one by PUP.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

2. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid

Here you have it: The only hip hop album that 2016 needed. And like I said that’s not to say that there wasn’t some excellent hip hop that came out last year, but literally none of it comes even close to touching the masterpiece that is The Impossible Kid. Aesop Rock has always put out tough records. His style isn’t necessarily for everybody, and even I took a long time to really dig into his discography. But something about this album specifically grabbed me immediately, and then continued to drill into my head all year.

I feel like this is really the album that Aes has been working towards creating ever since the unfortunate passing of his friend Camu Tao. It’s always been talked about in his music ever since, but this album seems to be the ultimate reflection on what it’s really put Aes through. A 48 minute therapy session with the world that even takes a moment to step back and examine itself on a song like Shrunk, or even briefly in Kirby where his therapist advises him to get a kitten.

The Impossible Kid is an impressive album by any measure, and easily the best hip hop album to come out of 2016. On first listen the songs are punchy enough to get your attention, but on subsequent listens there is so much to dig into and decipher. Just getting to the bottom of what’s going on in the opening track Mystery Fish took me at least a week, and I’m still noticing new things all the time!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

1. Jeff Rosenstock - WORRY.

Is it any wonder that this was going to be at my number one spot? I SWEAR IT’S NOT EVEN DUE TO BIAS, I genuinely believe that this belongs here (alongside PUP and Aesop Rock because like I said these are technically all tied). I’ll never understand what magic Jeff Rosenstock uses to somehow make literally every record even better than the last. You’d think that at a certain point one of them would have to fall flat, and yet here we are. Jeff’s millionth billionth album and still something to marvel at.

Perhaps it just has to do with the climate of the world in which the album came out in. While Jeff generally sticks to music that is quite introspective and often self-deprecating (Which was essentially the entirety of the album We Cool?) he takes more of an outward look approach to WORRY., which examines not only the self but the world that self occupies. WORRY. is just as much about worrying that you’re not doing the right thing as it is about worrying about what the world around you is doing, which is exactly where most fans of this record are probably standing right now considering the political standings of the US.

This album is the rallying cry of a generation afraid that the world is going to fall apart. It is the nostalgia for a simpler time, the struggle to find footing in an increasingly troublesome world, and a call to action. It’s realizing that maybe we don’t need to try to be perfect, because hey, perfection doesn’t exist.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

(You can also download WORRY. for free here!)