#she got on a drunken bender for a while and decided she's going to grow weed for sale now (i got the basemental mod at that point ajdnbfbb)

[drakonovisny]

why do my sims playthroughs always turn kinda fucked up :'D

[monsterywriting]

Thenerius - pt 1

masterlist

word count: 4,555

male tiefling x female reader

AN: this is planned as a two-parter, like Adam, just super long because i want to make “shorter” (i.e. not a bunch of parts) stories so i can keep up better.

The Deep was a small inn with an attached tavern overlooking the ocean about an hour’s ride from the nearby port city of Alfore. The location was not entirely by accident, or so your boss claims, and it definitely was not a miscalculation of Alfore’s outward expansion when purchasing the land.

Nevertheless, against all odds, Mr. Thistle’s business managed to prevail despite the city’s outer limits remaining largely unchanged for the better part of a decade. His secret to paying his taxes on time was largely thanks to his clientele, taking in those not traditionally welcome within the city limits. To put it bluntly, pirates.

It was your second year working at The Deep but your entire life had been spent within it’s pine walls, your mother having worked here before you. Though you weren’t quite used to being a worker there, there was one thing of which you were certain: you have made more gold in these two years than you had with the salary of a scribe for the capital’s archives in five.

Whenever a pirate crew blew in with the with the sea breeze, the drunken tips of coin and jewelry of dubious origins were almost worth the whirlwind of destruction left in the wake of their days-long benders.

But at present, that period of prosperity was still months away and you were currently struggling to clean the tavern when all you wanted was to curl up in front of the fire on the far side of the room.

There weren’t many guests staying overnight this time of year, whatever handful of travelers entering Alfore by land were willing to stop so close to their destination, but the tavern was never truly empty.

You relaxed slightly as you approached the fireplace, taking your time dusting the mantel as the heat thawed your freezing body.

It was about two-thirds of the way into your third straight shift, the night before having started off promising. A rare merchant ship’s crew stopped by the tavern for the evening at the end of your first trip, but the tips hadn’t been impressive so you had agreed to stay and help the morning shift expecting the clean up to be worse than it actually was.

With over an hour left in your shift, everything was spotless and you had little else to do but pretend to dust as close to the fireplace as you could.

A tap on your shoulder nearly made you topple over the old trinkets on the mantel, Lenora giggling at your reaction behind you. She was a pretty young woman, clearly descending at least in part from the sea, though you never asked her any specifics.

“I hope winter ends early this year,” she sighed, setting down an armful of cleaned mugs on the bar counter, “I hardly got any tips last night, and those assholes ran me ragged filling their ales! Even the pirates would at least leave a gold coin a piece for that!”

“Tova willing,” You snort, slipping behind the bar and stowing the mugs away in their place underneath the counter, inclined to agree with Lenora before a yawn escaped you, your hand quickly covering your mouth as you were unable to contain it.

“You should go sleep in my room for a bit,” she suggested gently, wiping down the wet spots where the mugs had been with her rag, “We’re pretty much finished and you had a long night.”

“I’m fine,” you replied tersely, unwilling to admit how tempting the offer was, “my shift’s almost over.”

Before Lenora could argue with you, Thistle poked his head out of his office and called you into it.

By the time you entered the cramped room - once an extra supply closet - he was already behind his desk, writing something furiously that you couldn’t see over the towering stacks of papers surrounding him

Mr. Thistle was a halfling, the only one you’d ever seen even among all the people at the port. You didn’t know much about them, other than what you observed from your boss. Despite his youthful appearance, you knew for a fact he was much older than he appeared. And, in his case, his personality very much fit his namesake, his tongue and wit both sharper than perhaps was wise.

“What are you still doing here? Your shift ended an hour ago,” Mr. Thistle didn’t look up from his paperwork, his voice sounding almost bored, though you had known him long enough to recognize that it wasn’t a rhetorical question.

“You agreed to let me take on more shifts last month, Mr. Thistle,” you answered.

“You have been here for twenty-four straight hours,” Mr. Thistle frowned, “Rose will kill me for overworking you once she’s well enough to visit.”

You swallowed a growing lump in your throat, shaking your head emphatically, “Please, sir, at least let me finish this shift. You know I’ll work hard and I need the money…”

“Sir? When have you ever called me that?” He spat, but you knew him well enough to know he was cracking, “Fine, finish your shift. But you’re out of here by noon! And I don’t want to see you again until next weekend.”

“Thank you!” You said as you walked out the room, deciding to get one last word in over your shoulder before slamming the door shut behind you, “You’re the best god-dad, sir!”

Just as you returned to the bar with a new vigor, the bell hanging above the tavern entrance rang as it was struck by the opening door.

You and Lenora glanced at each other before turning to see who had arrived at such an odd time of day and season.

“Thenerius!” You cried out once you saw exactly who was ducking down to pass through the entryway without his horns knocking into the doorframe, exaggerated cheer masking your shock at seeing the pirate captain in the middle of winter.

He smirked as he strode up to the bar, his purple hand lifting to dig around his breast pocket for a bag of gold he dropped on the counter for you to take. You quickly hand it off to Lenora to put in the inn’s safe, ignoring her not-so-subtle wink at you and practically skip into the kitchen to help pass out the first round of ales.

You weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, all too happy to greet any customer you knew had gold and play the part of eye candy for them.

Any boredom or exhaustion you felt from your back to back shifts vanished as the solution to your stress magically appeared before you.

Thinking ahead, you save Thenerius’ table for last and no sooner do you set down the four pitchers of ales you’d been carrying is the tiefling pulling you down to sit on his lap. You quickly slide off to sit at his side, allowing him to keep an arm around you. You feel a bit self conscious, knowing you probably smell worse for wear after three straight shifts, but he doesn’t seem to mind as he downs his first mug of ale.

Glancing around, you note that the other crew members didn’t look nearly as jovial to be here in the snow as their captain did. It was definitely dangerous to be navigating the waters this far north this time of year, the winds less reliable and ice tending to form bergs out where there was no hope for rescue, not to mention that pirates tended to stick to the beaches in the south while they waited for winter to pass.

“What are you doing here so early?” You ask, unable to hide your curiosity at how two out-of-season crews managed to stop at the inn, this one more surprising than the merchants.

“The winds were favorable,” Thenerius beamed down at you, though that still didn’t answer the question of why they’d want to leave the south now of all times. Seemingly sensing your dissatisfaction with the answer, he flung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close, his voice lowering to a hushed whisper that tickled the shell of your ear, “and I simply had to come see my treasure as soon as I could.”

You giggle and pretend to turn your head in a bashful display, inwardly cringing at the nickname. You’re all too happy, however, to accept Thenerius’ hand slipping into your skirts and feel gold pieces clinking together as he drops the coins into your pocket. You accept his flirting and flirt back yourself, tolerating his occasionally hand fondling as he laughed and drank all night. Well, that made it sound more lecherous than it actually was.

Thenerius was obsessed with your hands, feeling the pads of your fingers and rubbing circles on the back of them. You had asked him why when he first asked you if he could hold them, having stared at them constantly before then. He said because they were soft, and you understood. Your hands were no dainty things, the beginnings of some callouses here and there, especially where you held your pen, but they were like a newborn’s in comparison to his, roughened from working on boats his entire adult life.

He also demanded a lot of your attention, constantly keeping conversations with you going when you wished nothing more than to just sit there and fall asleep from his ministrations. Nevertheless, you’d complement Thenerius and look impressed as he recounts the harrowing adventures he’d experienced in the past year and dutifully feel his new scars on his already scar-riddled body in feigned awe.

The man had an ego the size of a small island, an easy enough thing to stroke in order to get a better haul of tips at the end of it all. Other’s also provide company as you are, you even catch Lenora’s eye with a smile as she leads a minotaur into the inn portion of the building. You resist the urge to shake your head, unable to believe she was turning in so early in the day. Mr. Thistle definitely wouldn’t approve, but you were no snitch.

Though, you never let Thenerius get that close to you, drawing the line whenever the tiefling attempted to push the envelope of acceptable public behavior, acting coy when you needed to and sometimes only narrowly managing to avoid his attacking lips by keeping his mouth busy downing more ale.

He was even more clingy than the ones who just wanted to fuck you, but dealing with Captain Thenerius of the Red Night was second nature to you now, well worth the flirting game you two have played for the past two years. Just keep him company until he was piss drunk, and then it was easy enough to extract yourself from his grasp and actually help the others run the tavern. He was by far the customer with the loosest purse strings, always throwing gold around like he were some purple holiday saint.

The constant boasting and drunken attempts at kissing were turn-offs even with his admittedly handsome features when sober. But, he was about as harmless as you were willing to think a pirate, never demanding more of you in the carnal sense, and he was constantly slipping you extra coins, so you remained pleasant.

Realistically, you knew the gold was more likely than not blood money, given his occupation. However, it made no difference to you where the money came from so long as it ended up in your pocket, and the tiefling only ever sought you out when he visited.

You coo at Thenerius’ virility as he flexed before you, your hands on his bicep and nodding along with whatever he told you, both of you ignoring how his crew was gagging and groaning at your cavity-inducing display.

You truly had one person to thank for your position as the pirate captain’s favorite in The Deep: Paloma, a former worker at the tavern herself before she fell pregnant and got married. Once she knew she would no longer be working at The Deep, she had introduced you.

Frankly, the tiefling had shown no interest in you at first, his eyes never straying from Paloma as she worked bringing out supper. It had been awkward - you had barely started working at the inn after emerging from the archives where your only contact with another soul had been through books written by long-dead authors. You had not yet perfected the art of flirting with customers, and you definitely weren’t one to fight for a man’s attention.

It was by pure luck you happened recognize the origin of one of Thenerius’ rings, and even more luck that his attention had actually been on the on the table shuffling a deck of cards when you commented on it, the ensuing conversation what finally got you on his radar.

However, even as you grew comfortable falling into the role of companion for the pirate whenever he blew into town, you were never so foolish as to fall for him or any of the other pirates from different crews that took a shining to you, as some of the other girls were prone to do.

You held no illusion that the Thenerius that would cuddle you like a child would their favorite toy after a few pitchers of ale was born out of anything more than loneliness from a pirate who was likely holding his first warm body after months at sea. And who knew whose body he held after months going back to the other side of the world.

Even if the visits were like clockwork, it was only a few weeks out of the year and their free spirits and lifestyles only spelled heartbreak for those whose lives were spent on land.

And even you could appreciate the fun of the pastime. It definitely wasn’t torture; Thenerius was on the handsomer end of the pirate spectrum, meticulously looking after his appearance and general health even on long stretches at sea. It was hard to tell how much older than you he was, his appearance both rugged from the sea and boyish from his mannerisms, and his choice in outfits were… colorful, to say the least, always wearing the most expensive fabrics he acquired during his travels - which somehow always tended to be the gaudiest.

Though you would never allow yourself to fall for him, maybe you would have at least bedded him had he not ended every night shitfaced, though that bit was partially your doing.

After an hour, and Thenerius is relying on the wall to stay upright more than himself, you try to slip out of the booth as quietly as you can. However, just as you’re about to stand, arms suddenly snake around your waist and pull you ungracefully back down. An undignified yelp escapes you, and it takes all your willpower to not let your instinct to fight against your captor win.

Once you turn, he is staring quite intensely at you, though he fortunately makes no attempt to kiss you. Involuntarily, you begin to turn red at his scrutiny, knowing pretty words won’t placate the tiefling on the rare occasions he goes completely silent like this.

“My shift is almost over,” you whisper, awkwardly pulled an arm out from Thenerius’ hold to pat his cheek gently, “I have to go.”

To your surprise, Thenerius actually lets go on the first try. However, he also rose to his feet and followed you out the tavern and to the stables. He was silent as he watched you ready your horse, so quiet you may have forgotten he was there had you not felt his stare upon your so sharply. Just as you passed him leading your horse out into the courtyard believing Thenerius to just be drunk, he calls out to you.

You stop in the courtyard, looking up at the tiefling in curiosity as his hand dove into his coat pocket to pull out a beautifully intricate golden ring with emeralds encrusted along the braided band.

Normally, your weren’t a fan of such gifts, preferring more liquid assets over something so valuable that you were expected to keep and wear in front of the giver. However, you found yourself making an exception as the ring was so breathtaking you needed to put on no act as you thanked Thenerius and took it carefully from his calloused fingers.

“I love it,” you smiled, trying the ring on each finger until it slid snugly down your right index. You presented the ring to the pirate captain, laughing as you watched his tail swishing behind him and the way his entire expression lit up seeing you wear his gift.

“Actually,” Thenerius cleared his throat, sounding almost nervous as he took your hands in his before you could climb onto your horse, and you cursed your heart for leaping into your throat as his thumb stroked lazy circles over your knuckles.

You manage not to wrench your hands out of Thenerius’ sudden grasp, watching as his thumb and forefinger slowly pull the ring off your right hand. The confusion must be apparent on your face as he chuckled and whispered reassurances as he transferred the ring to your left hand, the fourth finger before your pinky.

It took you a moment of staring to register what was happening, your body only kickstarting into action when Thenerius was in the process of kneeling before you, “I was hoping to do this tonight in front of my crew, but if you’re leaving now-”

Like an automaton finally kicking to life, you took in a gasping breath and closed your fists around the collar of Thenerius’ coat, not caring how you appeared as you pulled him back up before his knee could touch the dusty ground and there was evidence of what was about to transpire.

He fought against you at first, but when you growled out a stern “stop!” he allowed you to haul him back to his feet.

“What’s wrong?” Thenerius had the nerve to look hurt as you yanked the ring off your finger and shove it back into his hand.

“What’s wrong? You’re proposing to me, damn it!” You nearly shouted, managing to curb your temper despite doubting anyone inside would be able to hear you.

You were teetering a dangerous edge, yelling as you were at a pirate of all people, and who knows what he did to get the damned ring, but you were too caught up in your own anger to care that he could easily kill you where you stood. You were too busy feeling as though your world was crashing around you. Things were good. Why did he have to go and ruin it all by doing this? Why couldn’t he just… continue your game in perpetuity. It wasn’t the first proposal you’ve gotten at work, but it was definitely the one that hurt the most.

“I love you,” Thenerius croaked, “I thought-”

“Love? You must be out of your damned mind,” you scoff in disbelief, “You’ve only seen me three times in two years. less than four weeks total. And you’re proposing? You love anyone who bats their eyelashes at you for gold?”

“That’s not true,” Thenerius said, appearing so stricken by your episode you had to avert your eyes to the sheer pain in his own, “You didn’t do it for the gold. You care for me as deeply as I care for you.”

You turn to your saddle, pulling out a burlap sack from your bag and forcing it open. You pull out a tangle of jewelry, necklaces, earrings, even a ring or two.

“I needed the gold, that’s it.”

Thenerius stares blankly at you, and you take his distraction as an opportunity to jump on your horse and ride off.

You don’t slow until you knew The Deep was far behind you, finally allowing your mare to walk the rest of the way home once you’re confident you put enough space between you and the pirate. You didn’t relax until you saw the familiar barn roof above the treetops ahead.

“I’m home!” You called from the doorway, immediately struck by the stillness of the house as unease settled deep in the pit of your stomach.

Pushing back the unpleasant thoughts, certain it was rooted in what had transpired at work, you ventured deeper into the cottage, making your way to the bedroom.

“Mother?” Your call goes unanswered as you enter, smiling softly when you saw her still wrapped up in the bed.

The fire on the far side of the room was burning low, so you threw another log in it before going to sit on the chair at the side of the bed to remove your work clothes.

Just as you were about to crawl into bed, you notice the open book still by your mother and walked around to grab it. It was an old book you immediately recognized, the hand-drawn illustrations and worn pages all too familiar from your childhood. You carefully mark her place with the torn piece of paper she always used and set it on her bedside table.

Glancing at your mother, now closer, you couldn’t help the uneasiness that crept back to the forefront of you mind as you realized how peacefully she was sleeping.

No rattling breathing, no tossing or turning, none of what had plagued your mother’s nights since she first fell ill. A chill ran up your spine as you reached out a tentative hand to brush against her cheek, relief making your legs weak when she grunts at your disturbance and rolls over onto her back.

“What is it?” She yawned, starting to emerge from her blanket cocoon.

“Nothing, I just got back,” you whispered, smoothing back her hair from her eyes, “Have you taken your medicine today?”

She nodded, already drifting off again. You sighed, any thought of sleep gone from your mind from the scare.

You decide to spend the rest of the day outside, finishing all the chores that had piled up while you were gone. First, you had to clean your horse’s hooves, then feed the chickens and gather their eggs, milk your goats and finally take the cured meat our of your small smokehouse.

It was still strange being home, even after so much time had passed since leaving your life at the capital. You had once swore you’d never return to the tiny cottage, leaving to make your own way in this world.

But circumstance led you back home, despite making many offers to have your mother move in with you at the capital. She insisted, however, that she preferred the peace and quiet the country offered her, though you knew in truth she couldn’t leave the home your father had built, the memories and perhaps some buried hope that he may one day return for her keeping her firmly rooted.

By the time you were able to turn in for the day, you were completely drained of all energy. In truth, your exhaustion had begun to catch up to you once you went into the barn to bring your horse out, but you had persevered to finish everything that needed to be done.

Rather than immediately knock out as you wanted, you sat at the table and counted your coins from your past few shifts.

“That’s a lot more than I ever made in two days,” your mother hummed, glancing over your shoulder as she made her way from the kitchen to set two plates filled with steaming food in front of you.

“It was a busy couple days,” you smile. If she notices how strained it is, your mother makes no comment, “I’ll have enough to buy enough medicine for the next few months.”

“I hope that means you’ll finally take some time off,” she huffed, “I’m beginning to forget I don’t live alone anymore.”

“Mr. Thistle banned me from going back to The Deep until next weekend,” you chuckle, feeling a small bit of tension release from your shoulders at how your mother’s face lit up at the mention of her old friend.

“Oh, how is Aedan?” She asked excitedly. She was the only person brave enough to cll Thistle by his first name, or at least the only one he allowed to live afterwards.

“You know, we’d all feel better if you moved into the inn,” you said, not looking up as you deposited your final coin into your purse, knowing your mother’s response before she even spoke.

“For the last time, I’m not leaving my home and neither you or Aedan are going to convince me any different,” she said, her voice rising until a coughing fit overtaking her.

You grimaced as you watched her body curl in on itself, her entire frame shaking with the coughs. Still, you made no move to help, knowing she would only wave you off.

You bit back everything you wished to say, fighting the urge to shake her and tell her the man who abandoned both of you was never coming back, that it was dangerous for her to stay here by herself.

“I’m going to bed,” you say instead, taking your half-eaten plate to the sink and dropping the rest into the scrap pile for the chickens.

As you lay in bed, you turn your head to look at the book your mother had been reading. It was a collection of fairytales, the same book she used to read to you to sleep as a young child. You had loved it back then, the stories of a wily pirate crew’s adventures in far off lands.

Once you grew older and could read the dedication on the blank space of the cover page, you’d refused to listen to the stories any longer, though your mother would still stay up late to read its pages alone.

It had been a gift from your father to you as a baby, before he stopped showing back up. He couldn’t resist the call of the sea, a pirate at heart, your mother had said, but he would return to the two of you one day. You scoffed.

Reaching over, you pull the book onto your lap, flipping the cover open in the lamplight. You stared down at the elegant ink script, the looping cursive rivaling that of even the senior scribes in your prior occupation but remaining as secretive as ever.

You once wondered what your father thought as he wrote the small paragraph, if he knew he would leave your mother at the same time he professed his love and hope for you. Now, you had too many other things to worry about to remain bitter over someone who may well have long since forgotten you.

You mind wanders for a moment, a purple face with lovestruck eyes crossing your consciousness for a moment you quickly stifle, an underdeveloped question cut short before it could fully form and haunt you. You place the book back to where your mother kept it, finally able to keep your eyes closed once your head hits your pillow.

Would he leave, too? And then, nothing.

part 2

[hotpinkrathian]

The Adult Party

(Kyalin)

Lin sat by the dwindling fire, waiting for someone to add a log before eventually doing it herself. She tossed two pieces in and returned to her seat next to her sister.

“Lin, do you want another drink?” A very drunk Suyin managed through her hiccups.

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Oh come on Lin, one more for old times sake!” She turned to see Kya, who had her hand outstretched with a beer clasped in her palm. Lin sighed and took the drink, offering Kya a weak smile.

“We should dance!” Su cheered while she stood up and began to dance. Kya laughed, watching Lin’s sister do a very un coordinated dance next to the fire.

“Su!” Lin and Bataar said simultaneously.

“Okay okay fine. Sheesh when did you two become so boring. Lin likes to deny it but she was quite the rouse at parties growing up.”

“What are you talking about?” Lin asked angrily.

“See, you never knew I was there, but I would I see you. I mean you were like a champion when it came to beer pong. You were so accurate.”

“The trick was sobriety.”

“Oh so you were sober the time you made out with that brunette in the elevator of Haru Jr.’s apartment building. Lin felt herself blush. Su got her there.

“Oh do tell more Su,” Pema laughed from across the fire.

“You know Bataar it might be time you take her home.”

“Hey I made out with someone in the elevator of that party too. She’s was good, damn good. Eager in all the right ways. She left in a rush though. I was so high on lily weed I don’t even remember who it was.” Kya added. Lin shot her a glare referencing the Lily weed and Kya just shrugged.

“Tenzin wasn’t it you and Bumi who found her running out of the elevator and into the backyard.”

“Yeah and she fell into the koi pond!” Bumi laughed. Lin put her palm to her face, attempting to hide her embarrassment.

“Can we talk about anything else please.” Lin begged.

“Lin we’re just teasing you.” Su said, “it’s been a while since you had a good time that’s all.” Lin furrowed her brow, finding it hard to disprove her sisters statement.

“You’re right...” Lin murmured quietly before taking the can Kya had handed her earlier and chugging it.

“Lin!” Kya exclaimed, shock evident in her voice. Lin then took the half full one out of Su yin’s grip and did the same.

“Better?” She asked her sister, who stared at her with a blank, drunken smile.

“Much, but Lin,” Su said.

“What?”

“That one had Chaichee berries in it.”

“So?”

“You’re allergic to Chaichee berries.” As if on cue, Lin began to cough as she felt her throat began to swell up. She scratched at her neck, trying to free the air.

“Oh my god!” Kya jumped off her chair and pushed Lin to the ground. Lin’s back hit the grass with a thud, but Kya saved her from hitting her head. “Lin this is going to hurt I need you to stay still.” Lin gurgled and took hold of Kya’s wrist. Kya called to Pema to hand her a small needle from her purse which she used to prick Lin on the collar bone. The pain that came next was excruciating and Lin might’ve passed out, if it weren’t for the comforting words and the contact Kya was making with her. Her eyes moved around to Suyin who sobered up enough to be concerned, and Tenzin who stood in the back, his expression wide eyed and in shock. The pain subsided as a new substance over came her body, and slowly Lin felt her throat retract. She released a heavy breath and Kya’s hands fell to her side.

“Su you’re going to kill me one of these days,” Su smiled nervously and bent down to hug her sister.

“Kya,” Su started, “that was incredible. How did you do that?”

“Little trick my mom taught me off-record. Blood bending doesn’t have to be used as a weapon, it can be used to heal.” Lin shook her head in attempt to clear it, she decided she’d un pack Kya’s explanation later.

“Thank you,” Lin said, and she blushed slightly when Kya took her hand in her own and massaged it gently.

“Any time Lin.” Lin gulped. Everyone’s eyes were on her, but she was so focused on Kya. Perhaps it was the alcohol making her exceptionally bold or perhaps it was the years of repressed feelings that just couldn’t be caged anymore, but Lin leaned in and kissed her. It was short, and Kya pulled back, staring at Lin in awe before kissing Lin herself. Lin gripped Kya’s chin as their mouths interrupted each other. Lin could feel Kya’s body pressing against hers and she smiled, pulling away.

“Holy flameo,” Kya whispered. “It was you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“At that party, in the elevator. Lin it was me you were kissing!” Lin blushed, she feinged surprise.

“What? No I would’ve known!”

“Lin I have never forgotten that kiss. It was you.”

“Oh my god,” Tenzin said breathlessly, sitting down on one of the chairs.

“Lin! I am so proud of you!” Suyin laughed, and Bataar gripped her arm. Kya started at Lin, suspicion creeping in her eyes.

“Lin?” She asked sternly, “did you know?”

“Kya of course she didn’t kn-“

“Yes. You were there, so was I. And you were just so... that was the day I caught feelings for you. Of course then I repressed them until much later and dealt with them after Tenzin and I ended things-“

“I ended things with you-“

“And I just never got the nerve to tell you until now. When my throat is swollen and sore and my sister almost killed me. Again.” Kya smiled and pulled Lin into one more kiss. Kya laughed when she pulled away and Lin tilted her head.

“What?”

“Nothing it’s just...”

“Spit it out.”

“You jumped into a Koi pond because you kissed me. That’s one for my wall.”

“I hate you.”

“That kiss would say otherwise.” Kya smiled and stood up, offering Lin her arm. Lin took it and pulled herself up, brushing herself off.

“See Lin, good things come when I injur you,” Suying said, prodding Lin with her elbow.

“Don’t touch me.”

“This has been a great night, and eventful but I’m taking Tenzin to bed.” Pema said, holding Tenzin who was still incoherent.

“I’m going home,” Lin said, turning away from the fire.

“I’m coming!” Kya called, running up to Lin, freezing the metal bender in her tracks. She could see Su yin from the corner of her eye, biting her lip to keep her mouth shut. “What? Did you think you could kiss me like that and there be no follow up?” Kya whispered into her ear before walking ahead. Before Lin could leave Su called to her one last time.

“Hey Lin,”

“Yes Su,” Lin sighed.

“Clean your cables before you stick them anywhere.” Tenzin fell to floor and Lin blushed with embarrassment.

“Bataar you can take her home at any point,” Lin said threateningly, a smile creeping to the corner of her mouth. As much as she despised what her sister had said she had to admit, it was good advice.

[rustbeltjessie]

TRUST YR STUPID FUCKING HEART (a playlist)

[This playlist and accompanying text were made for Witchsong in March 2016. But Witchsong has since gone dark, and 8tracks, where the playlist was hosted, has also gone dark. I still love this playlist/piece, so I decided to post it here in its entirety, and round up links to the songs. (I tried to remake the playlist on Spotify but unfortunately a few of these tunes aren’t available there!)]

Lizzo - En Love

M.I.A. - Fire Fire

Little Esther - I’m A Bad, Bad Girl

The Last Shadow Puppets - Bad Habits

Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes

Worriers - Unwritten

Colleen Green - Whatever I Want

The I Don’t Cares - Just A Phase

Thurston Moore - Psychic Hearts

The Kills - Fuck the People

Pixies - The Holiday Song

Dum Dum Girls - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

El Vy - Need A Friend

The Cars - Dangerous Type

The Make*Up - White Belts

The Mo-Dettes - White Mice

Thee Headcoatees - Ça Plane Pour Moi

Huggy Bear - Pansy Twist

Bikini Kill - I Like Fucking

Mika Miko - Sex Jazz

Dresden Dolls - Dirty Business

Screaming Females - Triumph

(+ a bonus track that isn’t on the playlist: Jolie Holland - Springtime Can Kill You)

It is springtime, and springtime can kill you (just like it did poor me). The light is clearer and hangs on longer in the sky each day, the birds are all singing riotous songs in the treetops. A few days ago, it was seventy degrees; I drank iced coffee and resisted the urge to cut the sleeves off all my t-shirts. It is springtime, and I am so damn restless I’m about ready to tear my skin off. I can’t focus on anything. I pick up a book, read a few pages, put it down again. I start a poem, write a few lines, quit. My notebooks are full of Jenny Holzer-esque truisms that I write in all caps. YOU WILL GET SO TIRED OF WEIGHING THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES. SOMETIMES YOU WILL BE READY TO SAY “FUCK IT” AND FOLLOW YR HEART. BE A DRUNKEN SLUT. STOP THINKING. IT’S SO TIRING. TRUST YR STUPID FUCKING HEART.

I just want to trust my stupid fucking heart. Or maybe I just want something that makes my stupid heart beat faster.

I am so tired of weighing the potential consequences. When I was younger, I usually leapt into things without caring what the result would be. (And now I can’t believe I didn’t put that Shivvers song on this playlist: when I was younger, when I was younger, when I was younger.) I went for what felt good, or even bad, as long as I was feeling something. As long as it made me feel alive. But there were enough adverse consequences that I began to grow afraid. I was often on the verge of eviction, because I did things like spending my rent money on road trips. I hurt people. I disappointed people. Friends and family started telling me that I was wasting my life.

…some might say that you and I have wasted our lives so far. Yes, we have had our hearts broken more than most. (We’ve broken some hearts, too.) We’ve had brushes with the law; and we’ve dealt with pregnancy scares and unemployment and spent many mornings too hungover to even move. But we have also experienced so much poetry, seen so much beauty, received so much love. We have had more fun in our short lives than most people ever get to have; so how could we ever consider it a waste?

-from something I wrote in 2006

Maybe I still want to waste my life, if wasting my life is what it takes to feel alive. To paraphrase Dazed & Confused, a movie I watched over and over when I felt those first reckless, restless stirrings in my teenage body: I need some good old, worthwhile, visceral experience. I want to go out into the wild, twisting night, want to take drugs, get laid, maybe get in a fight. Except I don’t do drugs anymore and I don’t get in fights anymore and no, I won’t spend all my rent money on a road trip. There are certain things I’m not willing to risk, and that’s for the best. But I am tired of worrying about what other people think; tired of not doing what I want to do because it might hurt or disappoint someone in my life. I don’t want to hurt anyone, of course not, but it’s my life and it’s springtime and my heart is saying go. I want to fuck. I want to dance. I want to smash it up. I want sudden intense connections with interesting strangers. I want to take long drives in search of coffee and trouble. (Remembering that spring so long ago when I drove the seven hours from Chicago to St. Louis just to get coffee at a Waffle House.) I want to rip my tights, walk along the train tracks, get my boots all covered in good mud. I want, I want, I want. No, I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I am tired of not being myself. And I’m bad news, baby, I’m bad news.

I’m just a traveling girl with a wild mane of wavy red hair, holes in my tights, all my clothes smelling of smoke. I can roll a cigarette while driving down the freeway at eighty miles an hour. I can get drunk as shit and get two hours of sleep and drive from one town to another, then do it all again the next night. I can find my way anywhere. I can get lost anywhere.

-from something I wrote in 2007

I dye my hair red again every spring. No matter what other colors I might dye it the rest of the year, in spring I metamorphose back into a redhead. I was born with red hair but it faded to a drab brown when I hit puberty, some shitty twist of fate, so I became a bottle redhead. Red hair is fiery, brazen, witchy. (Redheads used to be burnt at the stake as witches, because it was believed they had magic powers.) Red is the color of anger and lust, love and rage. The color of blood and lipstick and my stupid, wildly beating heart. Girls like me are meant to have red hair.

It’s springtime, and I’m a wild redheaded girl for life. So take me out tonight. Take me anywhere, I don’t care, I don’t care. Take me to where the rough edges of the night meet the back alleys. Take me to the rooftops and fire escapes of your town. Take me to all-nite diners, where we can get coffee-buzzed and plot to take over the world. Let’s walk around. Let’s drive too fast on backroads. I don’t need your love, I just need a friend.

I still want all the same old dumb shit I’ve always wanted. Spontaneous adventures, crushes, mix tapes. Music I can feel in my guts, in my bones, whether it’s hip-hop or the punk rocks. Sneaky eyes and sleeveless t-shirts. Sex and danger. In the immortal words of Henry Rollins: I want to fuck on the floor and break shit. Yeah, I like fucking. I’m always restless, and next to wandering, sex is one of the few things that eases my restlessness. And I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure, babe. I do, I do, I do.

I’ve lost some friends because I’ve failed to grow up properly. These friends used to be just like me (you fuckers used to be just like me), but they went straight. I don’t mean straight as in heterosexual, I mean straight as in normal. They became capital-G Grown Ups. They got advanced degrees and nine-to-fives and stopped making zines and got their tattoos removed. I’m an adult, too. I have a kid, and a writing career; I pay my bills instead of going on ill-advised road trips, I don’t go on benders or do drugs anymore. But I also haven’t given up crushes or adventure or art or punk; I’m still making zines and giving myself stick ’n’ poke tattoos. I’ve still got that steel-toed spark and that teenage j.d. twitch. Maybe they’re bitter because they thought growing up meant giving all that up.

We can have all of it! We can be mamas and healers and have love and morals and sweetness and good things in our lives, but we don’t have to give up the rest—we can also be wild punk rock goddesses of destruction and fuck and fight and drink and smoke and swear and make mad art, goddamnit!

-from something I wrote in 2013

I should’ve known something was up the last time I saw M.—before she decided she hated me, when I still thought we’d be friends for life—when she said: “I’m over Amanda Palmer. It’s not cute to tell young girls that it’s okay to be fucked-up.” That stunned me, because she was once a fucked-up girl, just like me. She and I used to listen to Dresden Dolls albums and talk about how eerily close to our own lives they were, how it was like AFP had looked into our souls and made songs out of them. But maybe that’s the other thing. It’s not just that M. and the others gave up their former passions. They also regret that they ever lived that way. They regret the days of chronic unemployment and ill-advised road trips, the crazy-mad love affairs, the all-nite diner marathons, the epic meals we made from what we found in dumpsters. And I don’t. No matter how I’ve changed, or how many of those things I don’t want anymore, I could never ever regret those days. They made me who I am, and they gave me so many stories to tell. To all the ones who thought they knew me best, a test to prove your prowess. Who was mine in ’99? I want last names, and current status.

No, I don’t want to wind up on the verge of eviction, or have my electricity shut off. I don’t want to hurt anyone. But it is springtime, and I am so tired of weighing the potential consequences. And I’m just a redheaded restless punk rock goddess of destruction for life, and I still want all that shit that makes my stupid, reckless heart beat faster. Loud music, caffeine, adventure, sex. If you’re like me, you’re feeling the same way. So:

WHO CARES WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. STOP THINKING. IT’S SO TIRING. TRUST YR STUPID FUCKING HEART.

Get out, get out of your house.

[tfcrp]

THIS IS YOUR GAME

Name: Emmett Ashford Age: Twenty One Class Year: Junior Position: Goalkeeper, #12 Hometown: Paducah, Kentucky

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

TW: abuse, alcoholism

Emmett Ashford was born in the backseat of the car he would spend the next thirteen years of his life in. His parents were self-proclaimed free spirits. Nomads. The idea of settling down and starting a family, living some mundane life, had never appealed to them. They’d been traveling the West Coast for years, rarely putting down roots for longer than a few months, skipping town when the bills piled up too high or they got that familiar itch in their bones. They were perfectly content going from one dying little town to the next or living out of the back of their car—and for Emmett, when he was with them, that was all he’d ever know. Emmett had been a surprise child and, in some respects, rather unwanted. There wasn’t much room in his father’s life for a screaming infant as they traveled the dusty roads of America; and his mother never really wanted to be a mother in the first place, far more interested in her paintings than in her son. He was never outright neglected but child services were the reason they’d moved on multiple occasions. 

Emmett’s father was a man of big dreams with an even bigger personality. He could enrapture a whole room with one of his tales and he often did so. But he was also broken. Emmett never knew how or why but he always knew that his father’s moods tended to shift like the tides of the sea. One day he’d be out teaching Emmett all he knew about the world and the next his mother would be sending him to fetch him from the local bar, too drunk to stand and meaner than a pissed off hornet. Emmett hated those days. His father wanted to give his family the world but never quite figured out how to get the world to bend to his will. His mother, on the other hand, was a gentle soul who saw beauty in everything. Often, she’d stop the car to paint a tree or run-down car. 

Where his father dreamed big, his mother dreamed small. She found pleasure in the smallest victories, especially those that she considered the most unexpected. But she was also weak. When his father stole what little money they’d managed to save up to go one of his benders she’d simply sigh and shake her head. Another few days of going hungry wouldn’t hurt anyone. And there had been a lot of nights Emmett had gone hungry. Emmett didn’t mind his life, though, and would look at the people strapped down to their dying little towns and pity them. Sure, he missed out on dinner and his clothes were full of holes, but he was on adventure with the two people he loved most in the world. At least until he was thirteen and his mother and father packed up his meager possessions and left him on the doorstep of his grandmother’s. He’d met his grandmother a handful of times before, but only rarely and never long enough for Emmett to get to know her very well. All he knew was that she was a stern, no nonsense sort of woman. His mother rarely spoke of her and his father never spoke of his parents. And then they’d left him there without so much as a backward glance. He never saw them again. 

He didn’t adjust to life with his grandmother well. Deeply wounded by his parents’ decision to leave him behind, Emmett pulled back from the world, rarely leaving his room for anything more than meals and the bathroom. When school started it was all his grandmother could do to get him dressed and to school most days. He hated it. He loved learning, but the strict and rigid structures of his classes left little to be desired and despite being a bright child growing up he found he was woefully behind the rest of his class. While his classmates were off learning about different theorems and equations he was still struggling with basic math. Before long school became something to be dreaded. The only part of school he liked was Exy. 

There was something soothing about the sport for Emmett and it was on the court that he flourished. Seeing his raw talent in gym class the school coach asked Emmett to try out for the team. So he did. But despite his skill on the court, his inability to keep his grades up made playing for the school team a forgone conclusion, at least at first. As did his grandmother’s refusal to let him waste his time on an extracurricular team: she’d lost her daughter to fanciful dreams, and she decided she was not going to lose her grandson to them, too. It took him a year to get his grades up to par, and he joined the team his sophomore year as a goalkeeper despite his grandmother’s protests. After a while she gave up, but things between them never went back to what they were—not that Emmett minded, though. 

By his senior year Emmett had gotten good at Exy and was recruited to the Wilkes-Meyers University Hornets with a full ride scholarship. He was ecstatic…but his grandmother wasn’t. They weren’t a big-name team but Emmett didn’t care about that, he just cared about being able to play Exy. But he only lasted half a semester before everything started snowballing out of control. Between practices, classes, and the parties Emmett wasn’t keeping up. He flunked out in a very public, rather dramatic, and mildly drunken fashion and returned to his grandmother’s with his tail between his legs. He found the doors locked and his things sitting in a pile on the front lawn. She’d had enough of his nonsense to last her a lifetime and she was done. She’d tried. She’d failed. She was washing her hands of him. And that stung almost as badly as the day his parents had left him here.

SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

He hung around her place for a few days before she called the cops on him and Emmett was forced to spend an uncomfortable night in jail. And with nothing to his name, Emmett floundered. Part of him ached to get back on the road, find his parents, and resume the life he’d known as a child. The other part of him just wanted to get back on the court again. Go back to feeling like he belonged somewhere again. He couch surfed for a while before getting a job and later, a place of his own. He tried out again for Wilkes-Meyers but they told him to take a hike. He tried out for other teams, but no one wanted a half-talented kid like him—at least, no one until Wymack came along. He was washing dirty dishes when Wymack appeared in the kitchen, arms crossed and face practically unreadable. He’d been blunt and to the point about what he wanted from Emmett and, for a fraction of a second, he’d considered saying no. But then he felt the racquet in his hands and heard the cheers of the crowd in his ears and he said yes without a second thought. 

He didn’t play much his first season, too busy trying to get his footing at Palmetto. School was never easy for him and learning to find a balance between that and the grueling schedule of Exy proved to be difficult. And, even into his junior year, it’s still a struggle for him to balance his studies and Exy. But he’d expected that much. He’d failed once, he wouldn’t waste this second chance by failing again. He wants nothing more than to bring the Foxes to victory for the first time in ten years—he’s not about to lose control like last time.

EMMETT ASHFORD is portrayed by NOAH CENTINEO and is TAKEN

[peach-punch-satan]

AFTER SO LONG I FINALLY FINISHED UP WHAT I NEEDED TO DO FOR MY TAZ AMNESTY MOODBOARDS AND PLAYLIST! 
To be honest I had everything done except I just got lazy with uploading lmao. Now wait as I take forever to finish my TAZ Dust playlist! (Moodboards are done though)
As always here’s the link to the playlist and under the cut is the tracklist with 9 songs for each member of the trio and 5 songs each for Barclay, Mama, and Dani (Danny?) as well as a lyric to each song that I felt fit each character in some way!
Tracklist is written in order of the moodboards above so it should go: Aubrey, Duck, Ned, Barclay, Mama, and Dani (Danny?)

Please enjoy!

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDQk0bABGzY7uCZPnDYY5tBYBvGGtcbty

Aubrey:
She’s A Rebel by Green Day
- She’s a rebel
She’s a saint
She’s the salt of the earth
And she’s dangerous
She’s a rebel
Vigilante
Missing link on the brink
Of destruction
From Chicago to Toronto
She’s the one that they
Call old ‘whatsername’
She’s the symbol
Of resistance
And she’s holding on my heart
Like a hand grenade
Is she dreaming
what I’m thinking?
Is she the mother of all bombs?
Gonna detonate

Youngblood by Green Day
- I want to hold you like a gun
We’ll shoot the moon into the sun
Alright, alright
Are you stranded, like I’m stranded?
Do you want to watch the world fall to pieces?
Are you broken, like I’m broken?
Are you restless she said: “fuck you, I’m from Oakland!”
She’s my little youngblood
(Youngblood)
Punch-drunken youngblood

Make Me Feel by Janelle Monaé
- It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender
An emotional, sexual bender
Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
There’s nothin’ better
That’s just the way you make me feel
That’s just the way you make me feel
So real, so good, so fuckin’ real
That’s just the way you make me feel
That’s just the way you make me feel
You know I love it, so please don’t stop it
You got me right here in your jean pocket (right now)
Laying your body on a shag carpet (oh)
You know I love it so please don’t stop it

The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy
- Strike a match and I’ll burn you to the ground
We are the jack-o-lanterns in July
Setting fire to the sky
Here, here comes this rising tide so come on
Put on your war paint
Cross walks and crossed hearts and hope to die
Seal the clouds with grey lining
So we can take the world back from the heart-attacked
One maniac at a time we will take it back
You know time crawls on when you’re waiting for the song to start
So dance along to the beat of your heart
Hey Youngblood doesn’t it feel like our time is running out
I’m going to change you like a remix
Then I’ll raise you like a phoenix
Wearing all vintage misery
No I think it looked a little better on me

Young and Menance by Fall Out Boy
- Woke up on the wrong side of reality
And there’s a madness that’s just coursing right through me
And as far as the time, far as the time
Not sure I’m there yet but I’m certain I’ve arrived
Oops I, did it again, I
Forgot what I was losing my mind about
I only wrote this down to make you press rewind
And send a message, “I was young and a menace”

Cherry Bomb by The Runaways
- Stone age love and strange sounds too.
Come on, baby, let me get to you.
Bad nights causing teenage blues.
Get down ladies, you’ve got nothin’ to lose.
Hello, daddy. Hello, mom.
I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!
Hello world! I’m your wild girl.
I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!

Caffiene by Jeff Williams (Feat. Casey Lee Williams and Lamar Hall)
- I’m a cheetah on the plains, I’m a highway star
A supersonic princess in a million dollar car
Blood on fire pumping through my veins
Weaving in and out while I’m bolting through the lanes
I’m hyperdrive, overdrive, hit the gas at fifty-five
Break neck, trainwreck, in my presence genuflect
Track-roundin’, speed-a-soundin’, electrifyin’, pulse-poundin’
Heart-pumpin’, brain-thumpin’, watch me get the party jumpin’
Caffeine
I’m Caffeine (Caffeine)
Caffeine
I’m Caffeine (Caffeine)
I’m a bad dream
I’m a rad scene
I’m a tad mean
But I’m not afraid to take you out (afraid to take you out)

I Burn by Jeff Williams (Feat. Casey Lee Williams and Lamar Hall)
- You’re standing too close to a flame that’s burning Hotter than the sun in the middle of July
Sending out your army, but you still can’t win Listen up, silly boy, ‘cuz I’m gonna tell you why
I burn! Can’t hold me now You got nothing that can stop me
I burn! Swing all you want Like a fever, I will take you down!

Take Your Time (Do It Right) by S.O.S. Band
- You know you ought to slow down
You been working too hard and that’s a fact
Sit back and relax a while
Take some time to laugh and smile
Lay your heavy load down
So we can stop and kick back
It seems we never take the time to do
All the things we want to, yeah
Now, baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight 
Duck:
Wake Me Up by Avicci
- I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
Hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don’t have any plans
Wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life’s a game made for everyone
And love is a prize
So wake me up when it’s all over
When I’m wiser and I’m older
All this time I was finding myself, and I
Didn’t know I was lost

The Moss by Cosmo Sheldrake
- But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon?
Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon
Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune
And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom
Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few
From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe
Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup
Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers’ droop
Legend has it that the moss grows on
The north side of the trees
Well, legend has it that when the rain comes down
All the worms come up to breathe
Well, legend has it when the sunbeams come
All the plants, they eat them with their leaves
Well, legend has it that the world spins round
On an axis of 23 degrees

Alien Days by MGMT
- Must’ve skipped the ship and joined the team
For a ride
A couple hours to learn the controls
And commandeer both my eyes
Hey!
Be quick dear, times are uncertain
One month crawling, next year blurring
Decades in the drain
Monograms on the brain
Decide what’s working and what’s moved on
To the last phase
The floodgate alien days
I love those alien days
Mmm… the alien days
When the peels are down, it feels like traveling in style
You don’t need wings to hover forty ton stones for a mile
And in the summer, virgin visions
Mindless humming
Numbers can’t decide if the day’s supposed to smile
Today find infinite ways it could be
Plenty worse
It’s a blessing but it’s also a curse
Those days taught me everything I know
How to catch a feeling
And when to let it go
How all the scheming, soulless creatures
Can’t find dreamer’s honey in the hive
If it’s right beneath the nose

Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta Haynes
- And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin’ on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound
And it starts up north from Hollywood, water on the driving side
Concrete mountains rearing up, throwing shadows just about five
Sometimes you can smell the green if your mind is feeling fine
There ain’t no finer place to be, than running Lake Shore Drive
And there’s no peace of mind, or place you see, than riding on Lake Shore Drive

Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
- If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see
But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn’t be the same
Cause I’m as free as a bird now
And this bird you can not change
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
And this bird you can not change
And this bird you can not change
Lord knows, I can’t change

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye (Feat. Tammi Terrell)
- Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high
Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough baby
If you need me call me no matter where you are
No matter how far don’t worry baby
Just call my name I’ll be there in a hurry
You don’t have to worry
'Cause baby there ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow
I’ll be there when you want me
Some way, some how
'Cause baby there ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe

Believer by Imagine Dragons
- I was choking in the crowd
Building my rain up in the cloud
Falling like ashes to the ground
Hoping my feelings, they would drown
But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing
Inhibited, limited
'Til it broke up and it rained down
It rained down, like
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
(Pain, pain)
You break me down, you built me up, believer, believer
(Pain)
I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from
(Pain)
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Fallout by Catfish And The Bottlemen
- So I spent my yesterday
Ducking your calls
And in fear that things would change
So I tidied up my place
'Cause you always told me
It got me thinking straight
Oh, but no, you still had to call
Oh, but no, you still had to come
But we just always
Seem to just fallout
When I’m most in need of it
And you just always
Seem to just call out
When I’m up for leaving it
You see now
I’m sorry if I drove, your matches to my clothes
But you know how I can get sometimes

Save Rock ‘n’ Roll by Fall Out Boy (Feat. Elton John)
- Whoa
How’d it get to be only me?
Like I’m the last damn kid still kicking
That still believes
I will defend the faith
Going down swinging
I will save the songs
That we can’t stop singing
No, No
Wherever I go, go
Trouble seems to follow
I only plugged in to save rock and roll, rock and roll
No, No
Wherever I go, go
Trouble seems to follow
I only plugged in to save rock and roll 
Ned:
Trouble Comes A Knocking by Timber Timbre
- I want your money
But your money ain’t right
So I’m packing it in
I stay at home every night
And, our place had cleared out
The bad luck had fallen
And no one came knocking
No one came calling
And when things got real bad
Oh, people got scared
Well I got worried
So we took what we could get
And all you fair-weather watchers
Watch out and beware
When your trouble comes knocking
I hope you ain’t there

Troublemaker by Weezer
- I’m such a mystery as anyone can see
There isn’t anybody else exactly quite like me
And when it’s party time, like 1999
I’ll party by myself because I’m such a special guy
I’m a troublemaker, never been a faker
Doing things my own way and never giving up
I’m a troublemaker, not a double-taker
I don’t have the patience to keep it on the up

Movin’ Out by Billy Joel
- Sergeant O'Leary is walkin’ the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore’s down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
He’s tradin’ in his Chevy for a Cadillac
You oughta know by now
And if he can’t drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
It seems such a waste of time
If that’s what it’s all about
Mama if that’s movin’ up
Then I’m movin’ out
I’m movin’ out
You should never argue with a crazy mind (mmm)
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money
If that’s what you have in mind
If that’s what you’re all about
Good luck movin’ up
'Cause I’m moving out

I Fought The Law by The Clash
- I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I lost my girl and I lost my fun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I left my baby and it feels so bad
Guess my race is run
She’s the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won

Should I Stay (Or Should I Go) by The Clash
- This indecision’s bugging me (esta indecision me molesta)
If you don’t want me, set me free (si no me quieres, librame)
Exactly whom I’m supposed to be (digame que tengo ser)
Don’t you know which clothes even fit me? (no sabes que ropas me queda)
Come on and let me know (me tienes que decir)
Should I cool it or should I blow? (me debo ir o quedarme)
Split
Should I stay or should I go now? (yo me enfrio o lo soplo)
Should I stay or should I go now? (yo me enfrio o lo soplo)
If I go there will be trouble (si me voy va a haber peligro)
And if I stay it will be double (si me quedo sera el doble)
So ya gotta let me know (me tienes que decir)
Should I cool it or should I blow? (me debo ir o quedarme)
Should I stay or should I go now? (tengo frío por los ojos)
If I go there will be touble (tengo frio por los ojos)
And if I stay it wil be double

Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
- Got another mouth to feed
Leave her with a baby sitter, mama, call the grave digger
Gone with the fallen leaves
Am I coming out of left field?
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
I been feeling it since 1966, now
Might’ve had your fill, but you feel it still
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still
We could fight a war for peace
(Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now)
Give in to that easy living
Goodbye to my hopes and dreams
Stop flipping for my enemies
We could wait until the walls come down
(Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now)
It’s time to give a little to the
Kids in the middle, but oh 'til it falls
Won’t bother me

Highway To Hell by AC/DC
- Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme
Ain’t nothing I would rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too
I’m on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I’m on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobody’s gonna mess me around
Hey Satan, paid my dues

Gold On The Ceiling by The Black Keys
- Clouds covered love’s
Barb-wired snare
Strung up, strung out
I just can’t go without
I could never drown in
They wanna get my
They wanna get my
Gold on the ceiling
I ain’t blind
Just a matter of time
Before you steal it
It’s alright
Ain’t no guard in my house

The Ballad of Bull Ramos by The Mountain Goats
- Drive a great big truck When I’m old, when I’m old Haul the wrecks down to the wreck yard Help the boys unload
Keep my hair nice and long Because I can, because I can
Any of my old friends who have no place to turn to They know to call me any time they come through
Never die, never die
Stand with a bullwhip in my hand
And rise, rise
In the desert sand

Barclay:
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
- Listen to the wind blow down comes the night
Running in the shadows damn your love, damn your lies
Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light
And if, you don’t love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain (Never break the chain)

Float On by Modest Mouse
- I backed my car into a cop car the other day
Well, he just drove off - sometimes life’s okay
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, ah what did I say?
Well, you just laughed it off and it was all okay
And we’ll all float on okay
And we’ll all float on okay
And we’ll all float on okay
And we’ll all float on anyway, well
A fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam
It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand
Bad news comes, don’t you worry even when it lands
Good news will work it way to all them plans
We both got fired on, exactly, the same day
Well, we’ll float on, good news is on the way

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra
- Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky’s up there waitin’
And today is the day we’ve waited for
Oh mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long (so long)
Where did we go wrong?
Hey there mister blue
We’re so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Everybody smiles at you

Come A Little Bit Closer by Jay and The Americans
- Then I heard the guitar player say
“Vamos, Jose’s on his way”
Then I knew, yes I knew I should run
But then I heard her say, yeah
“Come a little bit closer
You’re my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I’m all alone and the night is so long”
Then the music stopped
When I looked the cafe was empty
Then I heard Jose say
“Man, you know you’re in trouble plenty”
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And out through the window I ran
And as I rode away
I could hear her say to Jose, yeah
“Come a little bit closer
You’re my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I’m all alone and the night is so long”

Black Water by Timber Timbre
- You’ve fallen barefoot past the treeline
Peeping boned-eyed, birches sway
And a thousand whitefish floating belly up
In the spirit that I crave
And we threw ourselves right into it
Where lay the bodies had been claimed
We dove a third, a fourth, a fifth
Banned to the spirit that I crave
All I need is some sunshine
All I need
All I need is some sunshine
All I need
I found empathy from madness
Deliverance from malaise
My heart is filled with gladness
And you’re the only spirit that I crave
All I need is some sunshine
All I need
All I need is some sunshine
All I need
Black Water (pull me down)
Black Water (pull me down)

Mama:
Come to Mama by Lady Gaga
- Dude in a lab coat and a man of God
(Come onto mama, come on, mama)
Fought over prisms and a forty-day flood
(Come onto mama, come on, mama)
Well, I say rainbows did more than they’ve ever done
So why do we gotta fight over ideas?
We’re talkin’ the same old shit after all of these years
Come to mama
Tell me who hurt ya
There’s gonna be no future
If we don’t figure this out
Oh, come tomorrow
Who are you gonna follow?
There’s gonna be no future
If we don’t figure this out
Psychic guru catches minnows in the harbor
(Come onto mama, come on, mama)
Everyone tells him he should work a little harder (hey man get to work, catch up)
(Come onto mama, come on, mama)
They all tell you that freedom must be bought
But, baby, he’s already caught them
So why do we gotta tell each other how to live?
The only prisons that exist are ones we put each other in

Similau by Peggy Lee
- Spirit in the wood beat the hollow cane
Spirit in the wood take away the pain
Make the body ripe and alive again
I Similau (I Similau, I Similau)
Spirit in the heart make the blood flow fast
Spirit in the heart make the beauty last
Keep the hope alive when the youth go past
I Similau (I Similau, I Similau)
When my lover comes upon the scene
Drop a petal from the tree
Fling the mountain up into the sky
Fill the river with the sea
Spirit in the wood let the hollow cane
Echo in the afterglow
Waiting for the flame to burn again
I Similau (I Similau I Similau)

On Your Way by Alabama Shakes
- On your way to God,
Did you think of me?
On your way to heaven,
Did you say “I’ll see you again”?
It wasn’t me, why wasn’t it me?
On your way to to the promised land, did you say
“Oh, she was such a friend”?
Then they took you higher and
I don’t know if I can follow…
It wasn’t me, why wasn’t it me?
On your way, I said to the air,
I don’t know if I am strong.
So I climbed to the mountain
And I don’t know what I did wrong
And it was just me, just little ole me…

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand
- So if you’re lonely
You know I’m here waiting for you
I’m just a cross hair
I’m just a shot away from you
And if you leave here
You leave me broken, shattered, I lie
I’m just a cross hair
I’m just a shot, then we can die
I know I won’t be leaving here with you
I say don’t you know
You say you don’t know
I say, take me out!
I say you don’t show
Don’t move, tide is low
I say, take me out!
I say you don’t know
You say you don’t know
I say, take me out!
If I move this could die
Eyes move this can die
I want you to take me out
I know I won’t be leaving here (with you)
I know I won’t be leaving here

Jackie and Wilson by Hozier
- She blows out of nowhere, roman candle of the wild
Laughing away through my feeble disguise
No other version of me I would rather to be tonight
Lord she found me just in time
'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done
I need to be youthfully felt, 'cause God I never felt young
She’s gonna save me call me baby run her hands through my hair
She’ll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn’t care
We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin’ up clues
We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson, 'raise em on rhythm and blues

Dani (Danny?):
Dance Apocolyptic by Janelle Monaé
- You’re going crazy, the hitmen always finds you
Do that dance, smoking in the girls room
Kissin’ French, it’s over like a comic book
Exploding in a bathroom stall (AH!)
She’s so freaked out, worrying about the bomb threat
You bought a house, but I’m allergic to the house pets
Credit cards
They bought a new wife for shiny little lonely men
But I really, really want to thank you for dancing 'til the end
You found a way to break out
You’re not afraid to break out
But I need to know if the world says it’s time to go Tell me, will you freak out? Smash, smash, bang, bang Don’t stop Chalang-alang-alang
But I need to know if the world says its time to go
Tell me, will you break out?
Smash, smash, bang, bang
Don’t stop, chalangalangalang
Smash, smash, bang, bang
Don’t stop, chalang-alang-alang)

Stand By Me by Ben E. King (Florence + The Machine cover)
- If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won’t cry, I won’t cry
No I won’t shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darling, darling stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you’re in trouble won’t you stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Oh, stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Bmblb by Jeff Williams (Feat. Casey Lee Williams)
- We’ll sit for a while
As I drink in your smile
It feels like a dream that’s come true
My head starts to buzz
And my heart fills with love over you
Baby can’t you see?
You could be with me
We could live inside a garden of ecstasy
You could be my queen
I could be your dream
Life’s like a fantasy
Maybe set me free
Let me be your bumblebee
Now the flowers are in bloom
And you’ve chased away my darkness and gloom
When the wind blows through the trees
And your voice is like a song in the breeze
My doubts disappear every time that you’re near
Clouds seem to run from the sky
The thought of your kiss sends my soul into bliss
I get high

Take Me To Church by Hozier (Neon Jungle Cover)
- If I’m a pagan of the good times
My lover’s the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That’s a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We’ve a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
Take me to church
I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

Angel of The Morning by Juice Newton
- Maybe the sun’s light will be dim
And it won’t matter anyhow
If morning’s echo says we’ve sinned
It was what I wanted now
And if we’re victims of the night
I won’t be blinded by the light
Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, (angel)
Then slowly turn away
I won’t beg you to stay with me
Through the tears of the day, of the years
Baby, baby, baby

[laurakinneywrites]

PATRICIA POTTS;

fc: margot robbie | counterpart: mrs potts from beauty and the beast full name: patricia potts née bouilloire goes by: patricia birthday: 26th march 1991 sexuality: heteromantic demisexual parents: patrick bouilloire (father), margaret bouilloire (née croft) (mother) pets: jangles (becuase of the bell on his collar, thanks chip) – previously philippe, but chip couldn't pronounce it (cat) occupation: waitress/caregiver/maid

With a French father, and an Australian mother, Patricia grew up in Sydney, Australia. Her father, a businessman, spent a lot of time travelling, which is how he ended up in Oz, and that's where he fell in love. He stayed, totally devoted to Margaret Croft, who then went on to become Margaret Bouillore. The two were incredibly happy, and eventually Margaret discovered that she was pregnant with a little girl. Patricia was named after her father, Patrick, and grew up in a really loving, kind environment. That was, unfortunately, until the age of 9, when her mother sadly passed away. She grew incredibly ill and succumbed to her illness, and left Patrick and Patricia alone to mourn. It was only then that Patricia discovered the truth about her father, who was a recovered alcoholic with a gambling addiction. Having met her mother, he'd fought to better himself and, with her support, had admitted himself to rehab and sought out the help that he'd so desperately needed. Unfortunately, the grief drove him back on the drink, and he eventually became the same man that he'd always been years prior. Overcome by his alcohol abuse, and with a penchant for gambling, Patrick would drag Patricia along to the casino, to race tracks, poker matches, alike, from a young age, making her endure his addictions in silence. She could usually be found sitting under poker tables, drinking juice and hoping that the evening wouldn't end in her father hastily grabbing her and the pair of them scurrying off the premises, before he could get himself into more trouble.

From a reasonably young age, Patricia tried her best to help out where she could. She never had pocket money for school, and would even go so far as to sell her belongings to other kids on the playground, or set up lemonade stands to earn tiny amounts of cash where she could – all of which would feed her father's alcoholism and gambling addiction.

One day, however, things took a turn for the worst. After driving himself into debt, with their home squandered, the two of them living in filth, their doorway littered with letters inquiring about Patricia's ever slipping attendance at school, Patrick managed to outdo himself. After a poker game gone wrong, and various bad encounters with people far bigger, richer, and scarier than himself, Patrick found himself owing a lot of money to all the wrong kinds of people. When people showed up at his home, he took Patricia and ran, the two of them fleeing the country entirely and landing themselves in NYC. Patricia was only 15 at the time, and still young enough that she had no choice but to stay with her father, no matter how much she hated it. He never dared to lay a finger on her, but there were certainly times where he grew close, and he was always emotionally and verbally abusive, manipulative, and cruel. He often blamed her for her mother's passing, despite it having been out of anyone's control, and grew angry whenever she wouldn't provide him with money for drink/gambling – even at a young age. His close call didn't deter him, and he picked up all the same bad habits the second they moved to New York. Patricia found work where ever she could, mostly to pay bills so that they could have a roof over their head, though her father took full advantage of her wages when he could. It wasn't until she was 17 that she met Adam's father, and took on a job in the family mansion. She took advantage of the staff living quarters when she could, opting to stay there rather than to go home, but that didn't stop her father from showing up unannounced. She was always terrified that one day she would lose her job because of his outbursts, always showing up scruffy, stinking of booze, and screaming the walls down for his daughter's money. Aside from the times that he needed her money, Patrick Bouilloire rarely acknowledged his daughter, treating her like dirt and abandoning her for days, maybe even weeks, on end for his stints at the races and in casinos, or endless benders and his drunken haze.

Luckily for Patricia, she hasn't seen her father in a few years – though he does, on occasion, still get her voicemail – and she developed a close bond with Adam who always looked out for her and, for a while, was her only friend at all – and, admittedly, became the one boy she harboured quite the soft crush on as a teen. That same year that she started working for the Valois family, Patricia thought that perhaps everything was looking up, as that happened to be the same year that she met Chadwick Potts, who would go on to become her husband and the father of her child. She fell madly in love with Chad, and she truly thought that he was her soulmate. He was sweet, handsome, and he made her feel like a princess. However, Patricia was often so blinded by her feelings for Chadwick, that she often failed to see how unkind he was. He would make comments, often belittling her, and he and Adam never saw eye to eye. Oblivious to the way that his eyes would constantly roam up and down the bodies of women he wasn't dating, and completely unaware of just how often he would cheat on her, Patricia was blissfully in love, and often felt like she deserved his cruel worlds. He'd mask his manipulative, bullying nature with flattering smiles and gentle tones, a guise to convince Patricia that he meant it all with love.

When Patricia was 19 she grew pregnant with Chadwick's child and, quite honestly, was terrified. She knew nothing about raising a child, but thought that perhaps she could do it with him by her side. He proposed to her out of obligation, though Patricia was still blind enough to think that he truly loved her, just as she loved him. The two married fairly fast, neither of them wanting Patricia to be showing, with Adam walking her down the aisle, coupling up as her best man/maid of honour. Patricia gave birth to one Charlie Potts, naming Adam as Godfather, and Ophelia – who also worked at the Valois estate – as Godmother.

Fast forward a few years into their marriage, they're living in Cherry Grove, Charlie is 5, Chadwick owns the Potts 'n' Pans diner, and Patricia works there as a waitress. They're not happy. Chadwick plasters a smile on his face and displays himself as the perfect husband and father in public, but behind closed doors everything is terrible. He's not only rude and spiteful, but he's physically abusive too. He hits Patricia, and often Charlie too. Patricia tries to take as much of it as she can, to protect Charlie – who the other waitresses lovingly refer to as Chip – but sometimes she can't. One night, however, when Charlie was left alone with Chadwick, it went too far. Charlie was restless, and his father was uncaring, and was growing impatient, and tired with the young boy's whining, he lashed out and hit the boy. Charlie, who couldn't quite fathom why his father hated him so much, started to cry, and tried to get away from his father and back to his mother – who was downstairs working in the diner. Things escalated, resulting in Charlie earning a long gash across his cheek, that eventually scarred and never faded. Patricia was horrified that even Chadwick could do something like that, and she packed her bags and took Charlie away immediately. She threatened to go to the police, but he continued to have a hold over him. She was terrified of him and desperate to quit her job and divorce him, but he continued manipulating and threatening her. He insisted that if she tried to get divorce him, or tell the police what had really happened, that he'd tell everyone she was lying, that he'd take Chip away from her and gain custody of his son. He knew that with his money, and his deceit, that he could win any custody battle over Patricia – who came from nothing, and no longer had a roof over her head. Patricia was too terrified for what could happen to Chip that she folded under his threats, finding herself a small, crummy apartment, and she's still working for Chadwick. The two don't interact if they can help it, and she can't stand to have Charlie near him – and so she doesn't. Chadwick pays no benefits toward his child, and has no interest in maintaining a relationship with his child, which suits Patricia perfectly as she doesn't want him anywhere near them. Nobody knows of what she endured with Chadwick, not even Adam, and she finds herself constantly lying about what really happened to her little boy's face.

Now, with Étienne in Cherry Grove, Patricia decided to take on the extra work – desperate for the money – and is also a part time caregiver for his father. Juggling work at the diner, working for Gaston Sr, and raising her little boy, she barely has any time for herself, and struggles to find people that can take care of Chip, meaning she often has to bring him to work with her. A happy boy, he's always eager to join her in the diner, clambering over the booths and excitedly greeting the patrons, despite Patricia's insistence that he behave. She never brings him to work on days that she knows Mr Potts will be there, however, a fact that even Charlie is grateful for, given that he's still terrified of his dad.

Despite all of the above and everything she's endured, however, she's a fierce woman with a lot of fire. She rarely backs down, and will always put herself in the line of fire should she need to. She's not afraid to stand up to even Adam, despite him being her best friend, when he's being his usual grumpy, or entitled self. She's got a lot of heart, and while she doesn't get the opportunity to go out and enjoy herself anymore, she's still able to share a laugh and a smile with her close friends, such as Adam, Tiana, and Holly. She loves to bake, and she loves tea. All of her years of having to take care of her father, and then working for the Valois family, meant she has mastered the perfect tea, and is quite the chef – though baking will always be her favourite thing of the lot. She spends a lot of her time at the diner baking pies and cakes for the customers, though the truth about who makes them is a secret that the other staff like to keep for her.

She likes to remain upbeat, and enjoys chatting and getting to know the customers that come into the diner, and she'll do anything for the people she loves. She'll go to the end of the earths for Charlie, and she never gives up. She still has a sense of humour, and a strong and loving heart, but overall she's exhausted, and a little lacking in regards to her faith in men. She's not incredibly well off, she struggles, but she puts her all in. And, if she likes you enough, she'll be certain to sneak you an extra slice of pie when Mr Potts isn't looking.