#she was T-posing with miracle before it was cool

[fourspiceblend]

Only got the little meow meow to +4... Better luck next year I guess. 🥲

[thenigotthisfamily]

Start

Summary: Everyone’s life starts somewhere. Natasha and Yelena’s start in an apartment in Budapest. Again. 

Word Count: 2,851

Natasha had heard the cliche of how your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die.  Personally she always thought that was absolute bullshit.  She had thought she was about to die a million times and never once had her life flashed before her eyes.  

However, as Nat is falling off a cliff on Vormir, she is surprised at how many thoughts do run through her head.  The first is for Clint and his family, a pang in her chest realizing she’ll never have a family dinner with them again.  The second is about Tony and Steve, hoping they can keep it together to pull off one last miracle after they get the stones.  But it’s the third thought that Nat sticks on: Yelena. 

Natasha had been an absolute wreck the last 5 years without her little sister.  When the snap had first happened, she had spent months searching every part of the globe for her, hoping that Yelena had somehow just lost track of time again and forgotten to call.  But Nat always knew, she knew the instant Thanos snapped his fingers, could feel it in her heart, that her sister had been turned to dust. 

Natasha had lost a lot in her life.  More than even most of her avenger comrades. She thought she knew all there was about pain, but losing Yelena was a whole new level of pain for Natasha. 

It took Nat months to be able to function with the hole in her heart her sister had left.  She couldn’t even bare to wear her vest anymore since the pockets reminded her so much of her little sister.  But she kept it hung on her door, not ever ready to let her hope go that Yelena would once again barge into her room and pretend to be sad that Nat wasn’t wearing her vest.  It was this hope that Natasha clung to that led her to lead the remaining group of vigilante avengers after Steve and Tony gave up.  She desperately hoped that somehow, she could still bring Yelena back.  And despite him being worried about her, even Steve didn’t dare try to get Nat to move on.  He knew how much Yelena meant to her.  

So when the 1 in 14 million chance came 5 years later, Natasha was immediately all in.  Whatever it took.  

And as Nat stood there in her suit getting ready to be thrown back in time into space she thought of Yelena.  Of how for the first time in 5 years there was real hope in getting her back.  And for the first time in 5 years genuinely smiled at the thought, looking at Steve. 

“See you in a minute”.  

When red skull describes what needs to happen between her and Clint, she already knows the outcome.  She was a better fighter anyway, but more than that, she needed to do this for everyone, for Yelena.  And if she had had more time to think about it, she would’ve laughed at the irony of her doing whatever she could to get Yelena back only to never see her again.  But as she looked into Clint’s eyes and silently begged him to take care of Yelena and told him it was okay, she made her peace.

Her last thought was about all the times she had fallen and landed on her feet, or in some fighting pose that Yelena would tease her about for the next week. She smiled at the thought.  She missed her sister’s teasing. Would miss it. But this would all be worth for her.

Yelena was always talking about cool ways to die.  And dying to save her sister and half of the universe? Well, Natasha couldn’t think of a cooler way to die than that.

————————————

When Yelena is snapped back into existence, she immediately knows something is wrong, well, other than the fact she materialized from dirt.  The world is different, colder, missing something important.  When she calls the number she knows by heart for the first time in five years and gets no response, she knows. Natasha always picked up, always.  

Yelena can’t bring herself to move from the safehouse floor in St. Petersburg she collapsed on.  She hears from Alexei and Melina who also just got snapped back.  But hangs up after only minutes.  They know about Natasha, they cry for her, but they will never understand the pain Yelena feels. 

Steve calls two days later confirming the news Yelena already knew. He’s crying when he calls, feeling like he failed Nat. And Yelena knows the feeling all too well. He says Nat left all the stuff to her and she can get them whenever. She can’t bring herself to say anything else to him and he understands. 

She sneaks into the avengers compound a few days later which is completely unnecessary because half of it is demolished anyway.  But she didn’t want to risk running into anyone and having to talk about Natasha.  She picks her way through the debris to what is left of Natasha’s room.  There isn’t much.  Yelena had bought most of the stuff after begging Natasha to let her decorate it.  But now most of that is gone.  Yelena understands.  She can only imagine what Nat did to cope for the last 5 years.  It hurts more than getting shot a million times when Yelena realizes she’ll have to cope with that feeling the rest of her life. 

She stumbles around Natasha’s room when finally she sees it.  She pulls the vest out from under the debris and holds it close.  It doesn’t smell like Natasha.  She hadn’t been wearing it.  But she did keep it.  And Yelena knows that is the sign from Nat that she never gave up hope on Yelena. She hugs it close when she feels something in her favorite pocket.  She pulls it out. A note.  

“I love you little one.  Stay strong.”

Natasha had known even then that Yelena would find the vest.  Sobs shake Yelena.  She can’t even remember what it’s like not to cry.  And she clutches the vest note close.  The last of her sister. 

It’s only through the help of Melina and Alexei who found her in Natasha’s room barely still alive a week later, that Yelena moves forward.  It’s been 6 months now without Natasha and the pain is still as strong as day one, but Yelena has learned to live with it, just as she’s learned to live with pain her whole life.  

She and Melina have a tombstone engraved for Natasha and placed in Ohio.  Yelena visits every week.  And every week she touches her forehead to the tombstone and whistles.  And every week only silence follows.  

Except Yelena doesn’t make it this week. This week she gets caught in a mission with Antonia that ended up being way more dangerous than either of them expected.  It’s Wednesday, the day she’s supposed to see Natasha, and she’s thousands of miles away from Ohio.  

It’s in Budapest that Yelena realizes she’s going to die.  Sure, she’s thought that a million times, but this time seems final, because this time, she’s not sure she has the will to live.  She had separated herself from Antonia to lure the men chasing them away from her so that Antonia could escape back to the widows.  Meanwhile, 20 or more men had cornered her in a back alley in Budapest, and they weren’t going to let her live.  

She almost laughs at the irony.  Only a few blocks away was the safe house that her and Natasha fought in all those years ago.  It was in Budapest that her life actually started.  Where she was reunited with her sister, her best friend, and finally got to know what happiness felt like.  And now, it is in Budapest where her life comes to an end, or maybe it was already over when Natasha died.  

She uses the rest of her bullets and takes out more men with her hand to hand combat skills.  She wasn’t going to go down without a fight.  But she knew she wouldn’t win.  The moment comes when a man slams into the side of her leg, and she drops to her knees in agony.  She feels the barrel of the gun on her temple and knows that was it. She hears the shot.  

But doesn’t feel it.  

It takes her a minute to realize she’s actually still alive. She opens her eyes, blinking slightly in confusion.  Surely Antonia hadn’t come back.  And yet there’s someone in the middle of the crowd fighting all the men at once and winning in a way only a widow, no, an Avenger could.  But that doesn’t make sense because none of them know she’s here.  And that’s when she sees it. 

A flash of red.  

She rubs at her eyes again.  She had thought she had seen that red before a million times in the last 6 months.  For the longest time, every time she saw even the hint of red she’d chase after it, hoping it was her older sister.  But none were even the right shade.  But this, this was the right shade, with platinum blonde streaks.  Yelena drags herself to her feet to get a better view of the figure who’s back is facing her.  She sees the figure in a black suit and a vest. Her vest. Yelena forgets how to breathe.  Maybe she really did die.  Maybe she could see Natasha on the other side. 

The last man falls, taken down by what had been Natasha’s signature leg grab move. The figure’s back is still turned to her.  Yelena picks up a gun and aims it at the figure.  This couldn’t be real.  This had to be some sort of trick.  

“Are you really gonna blow a hole in your vest Sestra?” The figure still hasn’t turned around yet.  But there is a twinge of amusement in the voice and also pure happiness.  And holy shit, it’s her voice.  Not some fake nanotech imitating her voice.  To anyone else they wouldn’t know the difference.  But Yelena knew.  She knew the specific raspiness and inflections of warmth and love in her sister’s voice that only her real sister could ever pull off when talking to Yelena. 

But no, that couldn’t be.  Her sister was dead. In space for god’s sake.  This, this was an imposter talking advantage of Yelena’s pain.  She clicks the safety off the gun.  

“Turn around imposter.”

The figure drops their weapon and raises their hands.  And the movements are so much like Natasha it makes Yelena ache.  Finally, the figure slowly turns around and Yelena forgets how to breathe.  It’s her sister’s face.  The one she had spent years memorizing every detail of since they had been reunited.  The one that contained the softest smile Yelena had ever seen that brought her happiness she had never known.  The one that had the greenest eyes that would look at Yelena with more love than she ever thought possible.  Like how they were looking at her now.  

“Don’t you mean poser?” It’s said as a joke, but it comes out with such sincerity and love that Yelena’s hand shakes holding the gun.  Her hand never shakes.  

“My sister is dead.  Whoever you are, I’ll kill you just for pretending you could be a fraction of what she was.”  There are tears in Yelena’s eyes now.  If this is an imposter, this had to be some form of hell she had not known, and she had known a lot. 

“Rooskaya,” The figure steps forward slowly, hands still in the air.  Yelena’s heart burns at the name but she can’t bring herself to move. “Little one … it’s me”

Tears run freely down Yelena’s cheeks.  She desperately wants to throw herself in this figure’s arms.  But can’t bring herself to hope yet.  “Prove it” she states harshly, despite the tears on her face.  

The figure stands there for a minute with a soft expression in her eyes and Yelena almost caves right there.  Seconds later Yelena finds herself disarmed, with the figure now holding her gun.  She instinctively moves to counter it but the figure drops the gun as soon as they have it in hand and holds up their hands again.  Yelena feels more tears in her eyes as she realizes what just happened. 

“We reunited 7 years ago in my apartment that is exactly 2.5 blocks from here. When I first saw you I could barely contain my smile at how you’d grown, even though you were holding a gun at me and I was doing the same to you.  We disarmed each other using the same move at the same time.  The same move I just did to disarm you now.”  The figure takes a step closer.  Yelena’s lip trembles.  “We battled it out to a truce, and even then, I was so proud of you.  Though we both know I would’ve won that fight.” The figure laughs slightly but quickly grows serious again.  

Yelena is too overwhelmed to even move or say something so the figure steps closer.  Close enough to reach out and touch Yelena.  But still Yelena doesn’t move.  So the figure continues.  

“And even in that moment of us strangling each other, I knew I could never leave you again.  And I know that I just did for the last 6 months.” Yelena flinches at the mention of the past 6 months but still doesn’t say anything.  “And I’m so sorry for that.  But it was all for you Yelena. Because I couldn’t stand to be without you” The figure pauses, and Yelena could see the tears in the green eyes she loved so much.  “I had to bring you back.  And I’m sorry I was gone so long after I said I’d never leave you again, but I went through space, and time, and hell, even universes to get back to you.  Because you’re everything to me Yelena. And I love you.” 

The figure is crying now.  And finally, finally, Yelena breaks down.   She knows who this figure is.  It’s not an imposter.  It’s her poser.  Her sister. Natasha.

Seconds later Yelena is throwing her arms around Natasha and both end up on the ground sobbing in each others arms.  They stay like that a long time.  Surrounded by a group of men knocked out cold who had dared to get between the two sisters that not even death could keep apart.  

Finally Natasha pulls away slightly to lean her forehead against Yelena’s and whistles.  Upon hearing the whistle, Yelena starts to cry more, but finally manages to get out the response before throwing herself back in her sister’s arms.  

When even more time has elapsed and sunset starts to fall in Budapest, the two sisters finally pull apart but only slightly.  “Come on little one, let’s go home.” Natasha pulls Yelena to her feet, supporting her with her bad leg, and leads them back to that Budapest apartment from all those years ago.  Mason couldn’t fully bring himself to give it to someone else, he knew it always belonged to the widow sisters. 

They enter the apartment and collapse on the couch without a word, snuggled up together.  They had a lot to talk about, a lot to catch up on.  After all, it had been 5 and a half years since they last saw each other.   But for now, none of that mattered.  

Yelena is about to fall asleep in Natasha’s arms when suddenly she remembers something and she whips her head up, startling Nat in the process. “You would NOT have won that fight!” Yelena huffs indignantly.   

Natasha just throws back her head and laughs.  Laughs for real  for the first time in 5 and a half years.  And it’s the most beautiful sound Yelena has ever heard. Yelena joins her in laughter, while still insisting that Nat wouldn’t have won.  Nat just shakes her head, god how she’d missed this.  

Finally the laughter dies down and they lean back into each other.  Years of pain slowly being washed away in each other’s embrace.  Sleep begins to take over Yelena as she cuddles into her older sister.  She can’t remember the last time she felt peace like this.  For a moment Yelena doesn’t want to sleep because she’s afraid Natasha won’t be there in the morning and it would have all been a dream, but something about her sister’s grip on her makes her confident that this is real. She knows what nightmares feel like, and this isn’t one of them. Natasha is really there, alive. 

Meanwhile, Nat is feeling tired as well, but vows to stay awake, not wanting to take her eyes off her little sister for the foreseeable future.  She smiles and kisses Yelena’s temple and pulls her close. 

And the last thought Yelena has before falling asleep is that 7 years ago, her life started in this apartment, and today her life restarted in the same place, alongside her sister.

[thedeathdeelers]

juke + fairy lights

again, this was supposed to be shorter but like..you know. hope you enjoy tho 🥺

——

He knew she was miserable.

She had caught a cold a few days ago, and she was going through it. Her nose was clogged up, her throat so sore she barely had a voice, and whenever Luke watched her try to get up and out of bed, she would lose her balance, nearly toppling over. Thankfully he had been there every single time to catch her, steadying her before leading her back into bed.

But now, sitting on the beanbag in her bedroom watching her as she scowled up at her ceiling, he knew he had to do something. Anything. He didn’t like seeing her like this, understanding all too well what she was going through - he remembered how awful it felt being stuck indoors doing absolutely nothing for days on end while watching everyone around you go about their day. She was a kindred spirit - he knew exactly how she felt.

Luke sneaked a look at Julie again only to find her staring out her window, a slight frown taking over her features.

Over the last few weeks, before Julie had gotten sick and had gotten stuck indoors, they had started spending their nights lying down side by side on the roof terrace outside her window, watching the stars twinkling away against the dark inky expanse of the night sky. Luke had seen the way Julie watched the sky, a look of wonder in her eyes followed by a smile that transformed up her face, conveying the unadulterated happiness she felt surrounded by the miracle of nature.

But now she was stuck inside, hidden from the lights that brought her so much joy.

Turning his head towards the window, Luke peered up at the night sky littered with stars stretching out as far as the eyes could see. For a fleeting second he had thought of suggesting they sit by her window on the floor and watch the shimmering spectacle from there, but had thought better of it. He knew it wouldn’t be the same, and he definitely didn’t want to move her from her bed or risk make her more tired than she already was.

He racked his brain trying to think up of an alternative, of a way to make her day a little brighter, when he suddenly remembered a picture Julie had shown him of her and Flynn posing in Flynn’s bedroom a while ago. He remembered being completely focused on the Julie in the picture at the time in her cropped Double Trouble t-shirt, but now that he thought back to it, he vaguely remembered seeing a string of lights twinkling away behind the girls in the background.

Hm, maybe...

With a tentative idea forming in his mind, Luke shot up from his seat, bouncing over to where Julie was lying on her bed. He kneeled down beside her, coming face to face with a sorrowful looking Julie.

“Hey,” he whispered, his fingers grazing her cheeks.

“Hi,” she mouthed back, her voice still absent after days of coughing and a sore throat.

“I’m going to go check on something with the guys, but I’ll be right back, okay?”

He watched as the corner of her lips tugged down, a slight pout forming.

She nodded at him, even though he could tell she wasn’t happy about him leaving her.

“I swear I won’t be long, just need to do something real quick.”

She nodded again, her bottom lip jutting out a little more. He chuckled, dropping a kiss to her forehead before getting up and poofing out of her room. He knew if he had spent a second longer looking at her pout, he would have caved and stayed put.

But no - the idea in his head was now fully formed and he wanted to do this for her. He was getting excited just thinking about the small chance that he might be able to make her feel a little better. He had to at least try.

He poofed into Carlos’ room, happy to find the littlest Molina playing on his iPad - communicating with him this time ‘round would be easy.

He moved in closer, clicking the lock screen button 3 times, just as Reggie had instructed him to. As soon as the third click sounded, Carlos’ head whipped up in his direction.

“Reggie?” Carlos quickly swiped out of the game he was playing, and switched to the program Luke knew how to use.

Holding out his iPad in Luke’s general direction, Luke grabbed the fake fancy pen attached to Carlos’ iPad he was told to use, and started typing out his message.

Watching the screen as letters and words started to appear, Carlos corrected himself.

“Ah, hey boy band.”

It usually got on Luke’s nerves when Julie’s little brother still insisted on calling him that, but right now he had more important things to focus on.

He finished typing out his request, and waited. Not a minute later, Carlos reached for his phone and started dialling the number Luke needed.

“Hey Flynn...no everything’s fine. What? How could you say that...I always call just to say hi...no.... Okay fine yeah, boy band needs something. No, not Alex. He’s drumstick. Yeah. Hers.”

Hers?

“Yeah, she’s still pretty sick, I think. Hasn’t really left her room for a few days, but neither has he, according to Reggie.”

Luke could hear Flynn’s eye roll all the way from the other side of the line.

“Yup, pretty much. Uh yeah so he- uh, I think he’s asking if he can borrow your star lights? I don’t know he just said uh-” Carlos referred back to his iPad, rereading Luke’s request. “Yeah, that’s what he said. I don’t know Flynn. Fairy-” Carlos turned his head back towards Luke, and asked “Do you mean fairy lights?”

Luke wasn’t entirely sure what they were called, but he figured they were on the right path.

He typed out his quick reply onto the screen, and watched as Carlos relayed his message to Flynn.

“Okay, yup. Cool, I’ll let him know. Okay okay, yes. Ok bye Flynn!” Carlos quickly hung up even though Luke was pretty sure he could still hear Flynn talking on the phone.

“So boy band, Flynn said the lights will be ready in like 5 minutes. She’ll leave them on her windowsill. She said to just grab them and leave, but she’ll want them back once Julie’s feeling better. She’s assuming they’re for Julie so..”

Carlos shrugged, and went back to his game, losing any and all interest in the ghost still standing in his room.

Luke reached out and quickly ruffled Carlos’ hair, poofing out just in time to hear an indignant yelp escape Carlos as he attempted to swipe at the space Luke had just vacated.

He reappeared outside Flynn’s house, taking his time walking around the perimeter of her house, keeping an eye on each first floor window he saw, unsure of which one led to Flynn’s bedroom. On his third walk around the house, he spotted a bundle of cables with stars attached to them sitting on the outside ledge of one of the windows on the North facing side of the house.

Luke poofed up, balancing precariously on the much smaller rooftop terrace as he grabbed the lights, waving them in the air once he noticed Flynn watching from the other side of window pane.

“You better take good care of her, lover boy,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “And don’t break my lights!”

With one final wave of the lights in his hand, Luke poofed out of there, quietly landing back in Julie’s bedroom. He hid the lights behind his back as he checked on her, making sure she wasn’t looking at him.

Once he was assured that she was asleep, Luke started setting up.

He started by hanging the lights around the top of her bed frame, the higher up, the better. He strung them across her ceiling, making sure to hook up the end of the fairy lights onto the hanging rod of her curtains. He then proceeded by wrapping the rest of the lights down the sides of her bed posts, leaving a couple of the soon-to-be blinking lights to pool onto the foot of her bed.

Satisfied with his work, Luke switched off every single light in her bedroom, plugged in the fairy lights and settled himself next to her on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he watched her sleep, a peaceful expression on her face.

Now all he had to do was wait.

——

A few hours later, while Luke was working through a difficult bridge in his head, his eyes closed as he rested against the headboard, he felt Julie shifting next to him.

He opened his eyes and found that she had turned to face him, her stare fixed on him.

“Hey sleepyhead,” he whispered, a small smile appearing on his lips.

Julie’s lips twitched, her hand appearing from under the covers to wave at him.

“You feeling a little better?” His fingers reached out, pressing against her forehead to check for any signs of the fever that had finally gone down yesterday.

At her nod, his smile transformed itself into a grin.

“Good, ‘cause I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

He could already feel the ball of worry in his chest getting lighter at the way her eyes lit up at the mention of a surprise.

“Come on, close your eyes. I just need you to sit up a tiny bit, though.” At his words, her eyes slid shut, her arms coming out from under the covers to push herself up into a slight sitting position. Once there was a little bit more space behind her for Luke to fit, he took his spot, slipping in between her and her headboard. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her back towards him as they both settled themselves into a comfortable position, his legs on either side of her.

Once they were set, she leaned back against his chest, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, her eyes still closed but her smile a little wider.

“You ready?” He whispered in her ear, his hands lightly squeezing her sides once.

She nodded.

“Alright. You can open your eyes, boss.”

At his words, Julie’s eyes fluttered open, immediately followed by a small gasp escaping her as she took in their surroundings. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth before they landed back down into the bed a few seconds later in search of his.

He shifted his hands from her sides, moving them to rest on her stomach. Her hands instantly followed suit as she covered his with her smaller, softer ones, her fingers gripping onto his.

He watched her as she took in the show, the glimmering lights above and all around them reflected in her eyes.

Luke nudged her temple with his nose before placing a kiss on the soft skin under her ear.

“I figured since we couldn’t go outside to watch the stars, I’d bring them to you,” he whispered.

Julie’s hands tightened their grip on his, her eyes not leaving the spectacle in front of her.

As he continued to watch her, her eyes flitting from one dancing light to the other, he noticed a lone tear making its way down her cheek.

“Jules? Jules! Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Why was she crying? Did he do something wrong? Was it because he had moved her? Wha-

But before he could start to fully panic, Julie simply shook her head, before turning to face him.

“It’s perfect,” came her quiet whisper. “Thank you, Luke.”

At her words, Luke let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding in. “Of course Julie, anything for you. You know that.”

She stared at him for a few more minutes, the look in her eyes morphing into something that had his stomach erupting into thousands of fluttering butterflies.

“I love you,” she mouthed, her lips tilting up at the corners.

Three simple words. Three simple life changing words.

Luke could do nothing but stare at her, his mouth hanging slightly open, as his brain tried to process what was happening. Sure he had been head over heels for her from the moment he laid eyes on her, the moment he heard her sing. But to have her here in his arms, actually saying these words to him - he felt like he had somehow crossed over, finally making it into Heaven.

In his momentary daze at her proclamation, he had barely noticed Julie shifting again in his embrace, just enough so that she could cup his cheek with her hand.

“Luke?” She whispered questioningly. The sensation of her thumb brushing against his cheekbone jerked him out of his stupor, his hand coming up to press hers closer to his face.

“I love you too.” His voice was low, quiet & soft, but still full of all the conviction he could muster. At his reply, her eyes crinkled up with the force of the smile that was taking over her face.

He loved her. He loved her. He loved her.

He brushed her hand against his face, moving his head just enough so that he could place a kiss on the palm of her hand. The smile on her face didn’t budge as she withdrew her hand, turning her head around so that she was facing the lights in front of them once again.

She settled herself back against his chest as Luke wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, bringing her closer to him, closer to her place in his heart.

FIN

[halfway-happyyy]

Sleep on the Floor

AN: I’ve thought about this concept on and off for a while now, and finally decided to write it down. Alexander and a rather unfriendly acquaintance cross paths again at a music festival, and end up handcuffed together for the day. Under the cut because it’s lengthy 💖

tw: nothing but fluff, friends.

As always, feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

It was the bright glare of the sunlight glinting off the metal object in the back pocket of her best friend’s denim shorts that initially caught Daisy’s attention. After an hour of scouring multiple maps of Montreal’s many metro lines- (“Well do we need to take the orange line or the green one?” and “Can’t you just google maps it?” and perhaps Daisy’s personal favourite- “We should have just spent the sixty dollars on an uber.”) The trio of friends had finally made it to Parc Jean-Drapeau, where the three-day Osheaga music festival was being held. “Bea, what’ve you got in your pocket there?” Daisy reached toward her without an answer or invitation, and produced a pair of weighted, silver handcuffs. 

Bea lunged for the cuffs back, a smirk in place on her features.

“What on earth could you possibly need handcuffs for at a music festival?” Daisy asked, eyebrows raised in genuine confusion.

Returning the cuffs to her pocket, Bea shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, the smirk from moment’s ago still tugged the edge of her lip upward. “It’s been my experience that you just never know when you’ll need ‘em. Be good Daze, or I’ll use them on you.” And Daisy supposed that after a couple of choice alcoholic beverages that could start to sound like one hell of a fun proposition.

“I literally don’t see him anywhere Bea,” Hannah sighed heavily.

Daisy glanced at Bea’s better half; a hand shielded her gaze from the onslaught of the sun’s rays as she stood on tiptoes to scan the expansive park around her. “Who are you looking for?”

Hannah dropped back onto the balls of her feet; her bottom lip wedged between her teeth like she was anxious about something. “Did Bea not tell you?” She peered over at her girlfriend, expectantly. “Did you not tell her?”

Bea rolled her hazel eyes and murmured “shit.”

Daisy’s vision narrowed. “What’s going on?”

Hannah squinted over at Daisy, kicking aside a stray pebble with the toe of her pink platform sneaker. “We uh… We invited Alex and some of his friends to join us for the weekend.”

Her mouth suddenly devoid of all moisture, Daisy wished that she had a bottle of beer in her hand, or some other ice-cold alcoholic beverage to distract her from the heat rising steadily to her cheeks. Tongue thick in her throat, she turned to her friends. “You invited Alex Skarsgård to our Osheaga weekend?” Shifting from side to side uncomfortably, Bea eventually nodded her head in the affirmative. Daisy took a deep breath. “I just think that might have been good information to know before now.”

“You wouldn’t have come…” Hannah interjected.

A humorless laugh bubbled up from the base of Daisy's throat. “You’re probably right.” Hives of people from all over the country milled about the green hillsides, a myriad of accents and languages- mostly French, echoed throughout the vast park. Daisy raised her face to the heavens, reveling in the feeling of the late July sun on her skin and sighed heavily.

“What is it about him?” Bea asked quietly.

Daisy's eyes fell shut. “Where would I even begin?”

“Alright, here they come.” Hannah murmured.

Bea offered her dearest friend a sympathetic look but knew better than to touch her just then. “He wants to make it up to you, Daze.”

Daisy swallowed hard and followed Hannah’s gaze to the quartet of men currently striding towards them. He bore a striking resemblance to the man she had known a year ago, though his dark blonde hair was longer now, and stubble shadowed the underside of his chiseled jaw. Clad in a pair of dark jeans, a grey t shirt and a pair of black converse high-tops, a round pair of yellow tortoise-shell sunglasses sat perched atop his head. “I don’t need him to,” Daisy murmured. “Just try and help me keep my distance from him today, alright?”

Bea was apprehensive, but nodded her head in agreement. “Alright.”

“Good afternoon ladies!” Alexander exclaimed jubilantly once he had caught up to them. He greeted both Hannah and Bea with bear hugs like he’d known them his whole life, and not a mere couple of years. When he got to Daisy, she was surprised to see that his grin hadn’t faltered at all. “Hello Daisy. It’s nice to see you again.”  

She offered him a wilted smile. “Hi, Alex.”

He faltered a beat before turning to the three men next to him. Daisy knew by the sight of them that they had to be related to Alexander in some way, each one a wide-eyed and giraffe-like carbon copy of the other. “Ladies, this here is my good pal Oskar, my kid brother Valter, and my other brother Bill.”

And God said, “Let there be Skarsgård’s,” and there were Skarsgårds.

Bea cleared her throat. “Alright, gang. Shall we check out the rest of the park? Find a watering hole?”

Alexander held out an arm before him. “Lead the way, friend.”

“How long are you guys here for?” Hannah asked as they made their way into a beer tent on the platinum grounds.

“Just for the weekend. Then I'm back to New York for a couple of meetings and then uh… these guys and I,” He winked at the three men next to him. “Are supposed to be in Stockholm for a wedding next week.” Alexander reached into his back pocket for his wallet and approached the bartender behind the counter. “Hey there. How are you?”

"Fantastic." A miniscule fan in the corner of the tent did little to blow any actual cool air around, and a slick sheen of perspiration bloomed over her neck and forehead.

“You must be pumped to be able to hear all the music from here!” Bill beamed at her.

She smacked the wad of pink bubblegum in her mouth, her expression deadpan. “Absolutely ecstatic.”

Valter cleared his throat to keep from laughing.

“Alright then. Uh,” Alexander squinted at the black chalkboard drink menu above him. “What have you got in the way of alcohol for shots?”

“Vodka. Gin. Tequila.”

He turned to the group, gaze expectant. “What are we all in the mood for?”

“Vodka!” Had been the resounding answer, and Daisy didn’t think she’d ever been more ready to shoot straight liquor in her entire life. The alcohol was rough, and it stoked the fire already roaring in the pit of her belly, causing beads of sweat to bloom on her forehead. They milled about for another fifteen minutes, and Daisy was awed by how much alcohol the seven of them had been able to consume in such a short amount of time. Some drinks came in the form of grotesque shooters- “We drink these all the time back home!”, others had taken the shape of ice-cold beers beneath the salvation of another tent. It occurred to her that the breakfast she had consumed a couple of hours ago was insufficient for the poison now in her system, and that down the line, it might pose a bit of a problem. For now, Daisy was simply content to sip whatever she was given, and to enjoy the first full day of her vacation.

Their first set of the weekend was the Foo Fighters- and by some stretch of a miracle, the festival gods had blessed her with a spot in the crowd that made for a fantastic vantage point of the stage. She was naive to assume that it would happen again, so she watched Dave Grohl dominate the crowd in unbridled awe, and without a care in the world. And when they played My Hero- she joined along with the sea of people around her and sang her heart out to every single word.

After the set ended, the seven of them managed to touch base again beneath a patch of glorious shade. “It’s come to my attention that you and I have some unfinished business, Daisy.” Alexander had to yell to be heard above the roar of the white noise around them.

Even surrounded by hundreds of strangers, Daisy felt inexplicably naked beneath his gaze and she shifted uncomfortably on the spot. “You don’t owe me anything, Alex.”

“I owe you an apology, Daisy.”

A sigh exited her mouth in the form of a puff of air, and she eyed the people walking past her with mild contempt. “Just for one day, just one, I want to know what it feels like to be tall at a concert.”

“I know how you feel, Daze.” Hannah fanned a hand in front of her face in a useless attempt to keep the sweltering heat at bay.

Valter laughed and traded sheepish expressions with Bill. “Unfortunately, we don’t.”

Alexander clicked his tongue and glanced down at her, azure eyes glittering mischievously. “View from down there not so great, huh?”

His tone brimmed with mirth and Daisy’s skin prickled under the heat of it; the urge to smack the smirk from his face was all-consuming. She stared up at him, pointedly. “As someone who probably shares- at least most- of their genetic makeup with that of the Brachiosaurus, I wouldn’t expect you to understand what it’s like.”

His guffaw was loud and booming, and it caused Daisy’s heightened blood pressure to soar beneath the scorching Montreal weather. “Yeah, well, every woman in your maternal bloodline for the past one hundred years was probably four foot eleven, tops. You take what you’re given, kid.” Silence hung between them and Daisy shot Bea a look that simply said, ‘you did this to me, and eventually you will pay for it’. Alexander cleared his throat, oblivious to the mounting tension. “Look, if you want I can hoist you onto my shoulders for the next set and then you’ll know exactly what it’s like to be tall at a concert.”

Daisy took a deep sip of her beer, her defiant gaze trained on something unseen before her. “Your concern for my experience here is heartwarming, really it is, but believe me when I say that I’d rather suffer down here.”

Alexander shrugged and shook his head in mild amusement. “Suit yourself then, half-pint.” Venomous words threatened to erupt from her throat, but they stayed lodged where they were, because just then and with the expertise of someone who was inexplicably well-versed in the act, Bea had managed to clasp a silver handcuff around Daisy’s left wrist. She stared at it in alcohol-induced amusement, and suddenly everyone around them was laughing. She lifted her arm to try and shake her wrist out of it, but a heavy weight dropped it back down to her side, and the realization that the other half of her cuff was bound to Alexander’s right wrist, was sudden and all-consuming. She swallowed hard. 

“While admittedly funny for the first few milliseconds, I’m going to have to insist that you unlock us now.”

Bea levelled her honeyed gaze with Daisy’s and smiled sweetly. “Relax Daze. You’ll be free of each other by nightfall.”

All Alexander could do was howl. “Nightfall? Good luck-" He managed in between fits of laughter. “Getting the kid to last half an hour!” When his laughter had subsided, he cleared his throat and glanced down at Bea, his blue gaze twinkled roguishly. “C’mon Bea. Let us out, hm?”

Bea shook her head and patted the miniscule outline of the key in her pocket. “Last set of the day. Nightfall. I promise.”

There had been protests from both sides, but for as strong-willed as Daisy knew her best friend to be, she also knew that she wasn’t in the business of giving in easily and the pair of them gave up trying while they were ahead. While mind-numbingly irritating for the first few hours, the all-consuming heat eventually zapped Daisy of her ability to care about anything except for cold drinks and air conditioning, and she supposed, begrudgingly, that there were worse people to be chained to for a day. It was only after their lunch of tacos and beer from a local food truck- Daisy and Alexander sat atop a bed of grass, knee-to-knee, that they realized they had managed to get split up from the rest of the crew. But if either of them had been worried about it, they didn’t let it show. “Who are you most excited to see play here?” Daisy asked for no reason, other than she could think of nothing else to say.

Alexander tipped the neck of the beer bottle to his lips with his free hand and took a hearty gulp. “Who am I most excited to see? Who are you most excited to see?”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t answer a question with a question. Besides, I asked you first.”

He pursed his lips together as if he were thinking hard about it. “The person I am most excited to see, have been waiting all year for… has to be Cardi B.”

She stared at him, deadpan. “You’re kidding.”

“Actually, I’m not. I’d tell you to confirm with Valter but he is, very conveniently, missing in action.”

Daisy laughed suddenly, and it was a laughter that came in waves and spurred on his own, each of them nearly doubled over as they gave in to their fits. “Gonna to do the WAP?” She breathed out when she could manage it, wiping away traces of saltwater with the pad of her thumb.

Alexander feigned solemnity. “Listen, I would do the WAP dance right this very minute if it weren’t for these cuffs.”

“I believe you.” She giggled.

"I'm glad." His face broke into a beam that put sunshine to shame. Draining the rest of the bottle, he set it back onto the grass and cocked his head to the side. “And you? Who are you most excited to see?”

Daisy stared up at him, the answer had been ready on the tip of her tongue, but something in his eyes stopped her dead in her tracks. “You have the loveliest flecks of gold in your eyes, did you know that?”

Alexander’s gaze fell to the grass beneath him, his smile painfully shy. “Let’s find us some more beer then, hey? Up on three.”

“Good plan. But we have an issue to resolve first,” Daisy murmured.

Alexander faltered; his head cocked to the side in question. “You mean- apart from the one where we are currently joined at the hip until Bea decides to take mercy on us?”

Daisy nodded. “Right. Besides that one. I have to pee… really bad.” He opened his mouth to say something, but a chuckle roared from the base of his throat instead, and Daisy swore it was like hearing laughter for the very first time. There was an infectious joy to it that made her want to make him laugh like that for that for the rest of her days.

“Alright. Let’s find you a washroom.”

It hadn’t been a difficult venture; platinum tickets holders benefited from the use of private on-site washrooms, and it occurred to Daisy that the astronomical price for the ticket was worth it, solely based on that luxury itself. “I’m sorry that this a thing you are being privy to.” Daisy muttered as they squeezed into a stall together.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, I’ve been privy to worse things, kid. I’ll turn away.”

As Daisy hiked her sundress up her frame and squatted above the toilet, she reminded herself that revenge was a dish best served cold, and that one way or another, Bea would pay.

Alexander and Daisy’s afternoon continued in the same fashion; they attended whatever sets piqued their interests, lost track of how many people commented on their unusual predicament, and satiated their parched throats with lots of cold alcoholic beverages. Finally, the golden sun began to sink low over the Montreal skyline, and the temperature drop that came with it was a welcome reprieve to the day's stifling heat. They found themselves amidst a healthy crowd of people, all breathless and ready for one of the final sets of the evening. As she waited for the band to take the stage, Daisy suddenly felt exhausted beyond all measure, but also satisfied in a way that she hadn't been accustomed to in years. She could pin it on the alcohol, or the heat, or that she had finally allowed herself a couple of days off to do whatever she pleased. Deep down, she knew it had nearly everything to do with her current company.

“Where did you go just now?” Alexander asked.

Daisy glanced up at him, confused. “What do you mean? I’m right here.”

He seemed unconvinced. “You were a million miles away.”

A shiver wracked her body that had nothing to do with the current weather, and she gestured to the stage. “The Lumineers. These are the guys I'm most excited to see.”

Alexander beamed down at her. “Well then how lucky am I that I get to see them with you.”

Two men entered the stage just then, one stepped up to the microphone, and the other took a seat behind a drum set. Daisy didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until the opening beats of Sleep on the Floor rang out into the humid air before her. A cacophony of cheers erupted from the concertgoers around them, and goosebumps bloomed in patterns over her arms when the bearded man began to sing.

Pack yourself a toothbrush dear

Pack yourself a favorite blouse

Take a withdrawal slip

Take all of your savings out

‘Cause if we don’t ever leave this town

We might never make it out

I was not born to drown

Baby come on

~

“The key is gone.”

The day’s final concert had done Daisy in, and she was inexplicably tired now; her legs heavy like lead, eyelids threatening to shut on their own at any second.

“What do you mean the key is gone, Bea?” She heard Alexander ask. His voice was level, but there was an underlying tinge of frustration to it that made Daisy’s stomach sink.

“It’s… it’s gone. I had it in my pocket earlier and now it’s gone.”

Daisy yawned wide, the urge to lay down on the patch of grass beneath her was almost too tempting to bear. “I’m tired, Alex.”

“I know, kid.” He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Where did you last have it?”

Bea tugged the edge of her lip into her mouth and shrugged her shoulders, helplessly. “I last had it in my pocket.” Dozens of people pushed past the group on their way out of the park; on their way home to waiting bathtubs and beds and Daisy was unbelievably envious of them.

“Alright. This is what we’re going to do,” He sighed. “The four of us are going to get into a cab, we’re going to head back to the hotel, and Daisy and I will meet up with you guys right here tomorrow morning. If the key still hasn’t turned up, we’ll have to figure something else out.”

“I’m really sorry about this, guys.” Bea muttered lowly.

You absolutely should be, Daisy thought.

Hannah cleared her throat, her arms crossed tight across her chest. “Are you alright with this Daze?”

She nodded, wordlessly.

Their uber ride back to the hotel only spanned the entirety of fifteen minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime to Daisy. She drifted off on Alexander’s shoulder to the lulling sound of muted Swedish between the three men, and when she was gently tapped awake by Alexander, the car was parked outside of the Four Seasons. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you into bed, hm?”

“This is fancy…” She murmured, as she slid out of the open car door and into the humid evening air.

Valter laughed heartily. “Just wait til you see where you’re staying, Daisy.”

The boys bid themselves goodnight, with Alexander slinging his free arm around each of their shoulders in a half-embrace. He waited until he knew Bill and Valter had made it into their elevator safely, and then led Daisy to a discreet elevator off the lobby, which they rode to the top floor wordlessly. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when the doors opened, but her breath hitched in her throat as she drank in the room in which Alexander was calling home for the next three days. “This is-

“A lot, I know.” He murmured. They wandered past the single king bed, into the next room, whose expansive bay windows offered a breathtaking view of Montreal’s twinkling downtown lights. Daisy gazed down at their entwined wrists, at the small metal chain that bound them together, and marveled at how a mere twelve hours had the power to change everything. “Daisy, I’m sorry.” Alexander spoke above a whisper now. “I’m sorry for leaving you behind last year.”

She took a deep breath, the words thick at the back of her throat. “I never should have put you in a position where you felt that you had to choose between your career, and me.”

Alexander’s fingers found hers, and he squeezed them thrice. “You waltzed into my life when I least expected it, Daisy,” An incredulous sigh pushed past his lips and he shook his head. “A breathtaking hurricane of a woman. I made the decision to ask you to dinner, I should have showed up.”

She smiled tiredly. “You showed up today, Alex.”

He leaned towards her, pressing his lips to her temple, and his laughter rumbled through her and warmed her in ways sunshine never could. “And look where we are now.”

She gazed up at him, at the deepened creases next to his eyes, and the subtle flecks of gold among a sea of blue, and in that moment, she hardly cared if they ever found the key at all. There was an effortlessness to that truth that felt akin to breathing. “Nowhere else I’d rather be, Alex.”

When Daisy's eyes opened in the morning, the weight of Alexander's impossibly warm arm hung snug around her clothed stomach, the cool metal of his cuff a stark contrast to her warm inner arm. The Montreal sunlight pouring in through their bay window glinted off a miniscule key-shaped object on the rug a few feet away from where they lay, and a small smile tugged her lips skyward.

[artxyra]

In Her Darkest Moments

Note: So this story came from me listening to the song “The Bully” by Sody. If the last part seems kind of lost it because I started this on a whim and took a break to work on other projects (both school-related and personal). There might be more added to this later but I’m not sure yet. Anyways, enjoy.  

Part 1 | 2 | 3

Trigger warning: thoughts of suicide

Anger can manifest in multiple ways, but it’s what you do with that anger that can change the outcome of a single event.

~*~

Marinette may have grown used to the Lila and her classmates’ bullying towards her, but that didn’t mean she was slowly shattering. Every day was a war zone for her. Looking behind her back every second of the day, hoping that she wouldn’t stand out. But this has been going on for two years nearly three now. She can’t take it anymore.

Suicide was the easy way out, and she knows this. It was confronting her bullies and saying goodbye that was the hardest.

Gripping onto her sleeves, she covers the marks of cutting, forcing herself to acknowledge she was okay when she clearly wasn’t. No one knew she was doing this to herself, and she wants to keep it that way. No longer did she wore pink capris with a white blouse and blazer, but now a grey knitted sweater with a pair of skinny jeans and low-heeled wedges. It was a nice change, but she didn’t feel like herself in her own skin.

Walking into her high school, Dupont’s sister school, she ignores the glances coming her way. Making her way to her locker, she quickly grabs the items needed for class and scurries down the halls. Because of the lack of akuma attacks, she’s often on-time to class and gets a decent night of rest when nightmares aren’t plaguing her mind.

Her books fell from her arms. She staggers in her steps.

“Oh my god, Marinette! Why did you purposely drop your books on me?” She dreads the familiar Italian accent female. Lila could only internally smirk at her work because it wasn’t long before Alya made her voice known.

“What the hell, Marinette, that’s the fifth time this week. What is wrong with you?”

A hard jab came to her shoulders. Marinette counts to ten. Her breathing evens just enough for her to gain her bearings. She grabs her books and pushes through the growing crowd of Lila supporters. No one is never on her side anymore.

Taking her seat, she barely acknowledges the disappointed look she was receiving from Adrien. Adrien, oh sweet Adrien, the blonde model manages to convince his father to let him continue with public school under the intention of doing more photo-shoots. They barely have spoken since collége and he unknowingly played into Lila’s greedy hands.

“Good Morning class,” The teacher greets as she walks in. Marinette doesn’t acknowledge today’s lesson as her mind started to doodle in her worn-out notebook.

Lila made sure that everything good in Marinette’s life was a diminished flame. Turning the former bluenette’s parents against her was the tipping point of it all.  She would copy Marinette’s work, turn it in before the latter could get up from her seat. That would then turn into a long meeting with the school’s dean about plagiarism and dishonesty. It was a miracle that Marinette was still able to attend the school with the constant amount of this occurring.

Marinette’s safe place slowly became this Ladybug and Chat Noir theme café. She goes by there every day after school instead of heading home. It’s a great place for her to work on her projects without the fear of being judged, bullied and copied from. The owner, an older woman, grew to love the teen’s company and told her that she was welcome at any time of the day. She’ll forever remember the day that Marinette gave her the most heartfelt real smile instead of the dull, barely reaching her eyes smile. Those were the days that the two of them will cherish forever.

She sighs, pushing the unfinished work of a new design away from her. The owner notices this and looks around. There was no need to take orders; she quickly makes her over to the struggling teen.

“Is everything alright dear?” She asks, placing a comforting hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

A gentle gesture was all it took for her to breakdown. Tears stream down her face, red watery eyes glance up to the older woman breaking the owner’s heart. She hates seeing Marinette like this. Pulling the young woman into a comforting hug, Marinette cries into her chest.

“Shh, everything will be alright one day.” The owner repeats into the teen’s ear, rubbing on her back.

When Marinette couldn’t cry her eyes out anymore, she lifts herself up from the older woman’s lap to look around. The sky has darkened and there was no one in the café beside the two of them.

“I’m so sorry.” She immediately apologizes.

“Nonsense, Marinette. You clearly needed to let it all out.”

Marinette couldn’t help but look down in shame. She doesn’t deserve any of this comfort. To her, a mental breakdown went weakness and weakness is something that has been affecting her in all aspects of her life.

“I should get home.” Marinette murmurs holding herself.

As much as the owner didn’t want the teen to leave, she knew she couldn’t stop Marinette from leaving. Sighing, she hands Marinette her bags and wishes her goodbye.

Dread fills Marinette as she returns home, but something stops her from entering. Perhaps it was because of her parents and their lack of trust for her. Maybe it was the cool protective breeze of the night’s air. Biting her bottom lip, she pushes against the door and quickly makes a be-line to her bedroom.

Her room lacks its usual luster. Over the years, she slowly became dissociated from her room leaving it frozen in her middle school personality with only pops of colors representing her now.

Not wanting to go to sleep, she finds herself on the balcony watching the stars.

“You could have asked me if you wanted to stargaze tonight.”  Her frown deepens hearing one of many voices she doesn’t want to hear.

“Go away, Chat.” She demands; caring less that it will hurt his feelings, but she knows him well enough that the word “no” isn’t in his vocabulary.

“Meow-ch, Princess—” He begins but Marinette turns to him with a glare on her face.

“Don’t call me, princess. I hate it.” She states getting up from her position. Chat Noir touches her shoulder only for her to push him away.

“No, you don’t.” He tries to counter, giving her his cat-like smirk, “Your heart wouldn’t have fluttered if you didn’t.”

Marinette scrunches her face. A single tear slides down her cheek. Chat, being the heroic knight he is, pulls her in for a hug, she tries to break free but due to her fatigue, she couldn’t. Instead, she wiggles in his arms.

“Let go of me.” She demands.

“You’re kidding me?” Chat slightly pushes her away, only to take in Marinette. Her body’s shaking, her arms hugs her torso, and tears ran down her face.

“Goodbye, Chat Noir.” Marinette rush towards the trapdoor and enters it.

She wants it all to end. To be fear from the nightmare that is her life. Collapsing onto the floor, the waterworks began. Tikki finally making her presences known and cuddles next her chosen knowing it was only time before Marinette gives up.

Marinette barely found the energy to wake up the next morning.

“Marinette, breakfast is ready!” She heard her mother’s voice carry out from the lower floor.

Trudging down from her bedroom and into the kitchen, Marinette sits down and stares silently at the plate of food in front of her. This felt odd. It’s been months since her mother made breakfast for the family. Her excuse has been that the store needs more attention and earlier opening time. When was the last she saw her mother’s bright smile and not the disappointed look? Marinette couldn’t remember for the life of her.

“Um…merci, maman.” Marinette murmurs taking a small bite.

Sabine either ignored the appreciation or she didn’t hear it, causing Marinette to feel even more out of place. It was after her tenth bite, that Marinette gave up on breakfast and walk out of the room. Looking at her phone, she realizes that class was going to start soon. Opting to ditch today, Marinette changes into a simple tee and a pair of denim shorts. Maybe today will be a better a day than the rest.

~*~

Marinette was enjoying her day away from school, but that all ends when a notification came through on her phone. It was the contents in that notification that made her want to hide, to throw up, and never show her face again. How could someone be so cruel to photoshop a photo of her doing explicit poses and send it to everyone in her class? How did they even get her new phone number?

The comments surrounding the post was a mixture of good and bad. Some, those who know her, wrote that it was clearly photoshopped, critiquing the image while others were expressing their shock and disappointment in Marinette for taking such photos.  

Everything’s ruined. Her reputation (that was already on the rocks), her dreams, her life.

Locking herself in the nearest bathroom, that she could find, she collapses to the floor. Breathing became a challenge, her mind making thousands of scenarios, causing her to spin around confused and dazed. Reality began to shift into nothing. Grasping for air, she uses the sink to balance her, but no strength came to her aid.

“Marinette!” Tikki worries for chosen. She felt useless. Useless that to help her chosen, she must reveal the three-year secret that they’ve kept hidden. “I will get help. Please stay strong.” Tikki cries out, flying out the bathroom in search for help.

Marinette didn’t know how long she stayed in a fetal position on the floor. Minutes, maybe even hours there. Because the next thing she knew was the loud banging on the bathroom door. Someone’s calling out her name from the other side. The loud sound made her want to curl, even more, anything to get away from the torture that’s she experiencing.

“Marinette,” The voice calls out more clearly.

Arms surround her fragile body. They pull her in closer to their chest. She clings to the person’s shirt as it was the only tangible object that was grounding her to reality.

“I got you. You’re safe, Nette. Come back to me.” The voice whispers into her ear.

Her breathing evens.

The voice continues to repeat the same phrase as it was bringing her back to reality and calming her down. Her grip lessens on their shirt.

“That’s it, Nette. Come back to me.” He murmurs.

“Is she alright?” Another voice asks. It was feminine, something that allowed Marinette to feel safe and loved. Another pair of hands wrap around her body.

Darkness begins to fade away allowing the bright colors of images to flood her senses. Blinking, Marinette looks around and sees Kagami and Luka holding onto her. Her eyes make their way to the door where Felix stood with concern in eyes stoic eyes.

“W-w-what happened? H-h-how did I get here?” She stutters clenching onto Luka’s shirt even more.

“You’re okay, now, Nette. If it wasn’t for Tikki, we probably wouldn’t have known to be here.” Kagami says rubbing the small teen’s blue hair. Marinette welcomes it and cuddles closer to the woman.

“It was Rossi that caused this mess. I’m sure we can charge Rossi with slander and defamation.” Felix voices his opinion.

“Let’s ignore, Rossi, for a moment and focus on Nette. From what Tikki told me, this kind of behavior is becoming a regular occurrence. Which would explain why she doesn’t come to school from what Agreste been explaining.” Kagami declares with a heavy sigh.

“Should we call Bourgeois and ask for her input?” Felix suggests as his body dance subconsciously with the idea of going into the bathroom.

“No, not yet. Right now, we need to focus on bettering Nette.” Luka speaks with authority.

Felix and Kagami agrees and turns back to their now sleeping friend.

~*~

A week has passed since Marinette’s breakdown. Kagami refuses to let the bluenette be alone, so she offered her place. Marinette at first refused, but after a long talk with Felix, Kagami, Luka, and their kwamis, it was decided that she would stay.

As the days went by, the three friends to could a change in their beloved bluenette. She’s eating more and getting a good amount of sleep. Granted, there were akuma attacks during some of those days and if it wasn’t an akuma, it was Lila’s lying her way out of any situation.

Heal is always the hard part; as much as Marinette wanted to move on from this, she knows that it will only stop when Lila’s luck runs out.

Sitting down at the Ladybug and Chat Noir theme café, Marinette silently sips her coffee. The owner makes her way over to the teen and offers her another round. Marinette declines and apologizes for all the pain and concern she caused the older woman. To which the owner denies and told her that she reminds her of her own granddaughter that was bullied when her daughter and husband were living in Italy.

“I’m so sorry, what happened to your granddaughter?” Marinette asks, secreting cringing at such a question.

The owner answers with a sad sigh, “She nearly killed herself, if it wasn’t for the pets, she wouldn’t be here. Today, she’s following her dream by attending a private school across sees. You two would have gotten along very well if she was here.”

Marinette smiles, “I’m glad that she’s alright.” She replies, but the lingering thought of death managed to sneak up into her mind.  Perhaps, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my friends. Shaking her head, she focuses on her coffee.

“If you need to talk, I’m always here.” The owner quickly gestures to the café before returning to the counter to take the orders of new customers.

Marinette finishes her coffee and exits the café.

“So, this is where you sneak off to.” Felix notes with Luka and Kagami behind him.

“What are you guys doing here?” Marinette asks, hugging the blonde before the two dark hairs.

“Well classes got out early and we wanted to spend the rest of the day with you,” Kagami answers pushing a strand of hair behind Marinette’s ear.

Marinette rolls her eyes, “Well the day is still bright and I’m feeling rather famished.”

The small group of friends laughs at the grumbling sound of Marinette’s stomach.

All it takes is for one grand action to make someone feel loved in their darkest moments.  

Part 2

[thewhaatever]

BE MORE CHILL LONDON

My brain was very bad at processing things that day but seeing the show on Saturday was honestly the best experience of my life and here's why:

First of all: Joe Iconis was sitting two rows in front of me.

I was freaking out a little and my friend was laughing at me but I didn't want to annoy him so I tried to chill

But then he was standing behind us in line for merch (he was buying a whole bunch of his own merch which was kinda funny) and some other people talked to him so I did too and I'm not entirely sure what I said to him but he was SO nice and then I got a picture and... yeah I was just really happy.

Now to the show:

The set was incredible. Absolutely amazing.

The screen was used so perfectly and made everything seem like a videogame, honestly.

It was basically the only set. The only furniture they had was a desk for Jeremy's room, chairs for the school and some other minor things (I have to say it did seem a little bit empty at times and I wish that would have used a bed at least - didn't make sense to me that Jeremy falls asleep at his desk - but I'm probably just too used to the Broadway set)

More Than Survive was SO good! Scott puts so much emotion in his portrayal of Jeremy... I can't really describe what exactly he did but something about his Jeremy felt so real and yeah I might have cried a little... (I honestly think he’s my favourite Jeremy so far)

Also: Blake's Michael is very different from George's but in such an interesting way. I loved him the second he entered the stage. He really did capture the "Doesn't care about what anyone thinks, but deep down he does a little" - Energy.

Play Rehearsal was.... wow.

Miracle's Christine had no chill. At all. She was so unbelievably weird and quirky. (Also, she seemed much colder / not interested in talking about anything except theatre and when she didn't want to talk about something she was really showing that by acting uninterested... I thought that was an interesting take that definitely worked for the character) Every normal person would have been a little freaked out by her energy during the song probably but Jeremy was just staring at her the whole time with heart eyes it was really cute.

Favourite part was how Jake said: "Rich is doing it cause he's MY BOI!"

Squip Song was great, his VOICE!! WOW. I love James's Rich. Like, you could really see that even though he's the school's bully, there's something underneath that's not right. Everything he did felt very forced and I loved it (also, I told James at the stage door that Rich is my favourite character and that made him really happy apparently)

Now that I am thinking about it, I think they changed that scene a little and Rich didn't pee (so that conversation was missing) but that was probably due to the set bc the toilets were just projections on the screen so it would have been weird if he pretended to pee on the screen 😂

Also really loved the use of the screen during that whole scene, it was flashing and glitching when Rich's Squip was acting up

They brought back the bean bags for Two Player Game!!

The staging for this was so cool because at the end when Jeremy and Michael were dancing the screen made it look like they were the characters in the game (but differently than on Broadway) and I loved it (I'm sorry I'm really bad at explaining this)

Also, Blake's 'Is it really true, I'm your favourite person' was so funny, he did like a model pose or something and was sliding off the bag.

Scott was basically sitting on the floor the whole time because he somehow didn't manage to properly sit on that bag

Also, I think they changed the dialogue about Jeremy's mum a little bc when Michael asks him if he's heard from her Jeremy said "A little" and I'm pretty sure he didn't say that before

I feel Blake's Michael is that kind of person who's really bad at expressing how he feels... like, you could see in his face that he didn't like Jeremy's idea about going to the Payless and that he was genuinely scared about being too uncool for Jeremy afterwards but he really tried to say the "will u be to cool for... videogames" kinda jokey and yeah I'm overanalysing but I loved it

One thing in general: Everyone seemed really young on stage, definitely much younger than the Broadway cast. Especially Jeremy and Michael. I really believed that they were teenagers!! And I really love that.

Scott was fidgeting a LOT with his hands and I feel like that was very in character for Jeremy. I thought so often that he would drop things.... (like the money in the scary stockboy scene.. it took him so long to give it to Michael)

Jakes favourite restaurant is Pizza Hut now

When the Squip was activated Scott was screaming and rolling across the entire stage and it would have been funny if it didn't look like he was actually in pain

Because the stage was different the Squip had to walk on for his entrance and somehow that was incredibly funny to me but I can't explain why

Stewart Clarke. Holy shit. I'd totally swallow a supercomputer if it looked like him! I loovveeed his take on the role. I've seen interviews with him where he was talking about how he has to think of so many weird questions like how does a computer act, does it feel, how does it feel etc. And I really saw that he was thinking about those things. At the beginning his Squip was very robot-ish, simply focused on making Jeremy cool, without any secret plan or anything. But throughout the show, the Squip clearly evolved and became more... human, I guess? Like it was showing more and more human traits/emotion which peaked in The Play (later more on that)

In conclusion: I loved the Squip so so much

Squip: "Everything about you makes me wanna die!"

Jeremy: "Uhhhhhh this is intense!!"

The Brooke/Chloe scene in the mall was so funny and the part where the Squip tells Jeremy what to say (u know, in bmc pt.1) might have been my favourite part of the show. Scott looked so awkward and confused by everything but he did his best to mirror the Squip (they did identical movements the whole time which I don't remember from Broadway but my memory is shit so...)

Millie's Chloe was so over the top I love it.

They changed the dialogue a lot here, so that there's no mention of Madeleine at all so Chloe wasn't pissed or anything (I'm not sure if I like that) Jeremy just said something along the lines of "Oh you wouldn't know her because she's French" and that's where Brooke picks up her trying to speak French- thing

I THINK (not 100% sure tho) that Millie said "Jeremy?" Instead of "Jerry" At the beginning of that scene and that Scott was a bit confused for a second but he just continued with "It's Jeremy" and then Millie had to duck away because she was laughing (but maybe she did say it right and was just laughing at Jeremy in character idk)

I loved how Eloise's Brooke was so awkward. From the second that Jeremy noticed her she tried SO hard to impress him and it didn't work very well but it was so cute. Chloe tries to show her the whole time what to do but that doesn't make it better.

During Do you wanna ride, Jermey got so scared of the girls that he climbed onto the table with the t-shirts (actually now that I'm thinking about it he was climbing on things a lot)

Guy That I'd kinda be into was so cute!! I never particularly liked that song but Miracle somehow gave it a very different flair and I loved that. They changed the staging a bit and there weren't other people with hearts (there were hearts on the Screen) but at one point Rich was coming on stage with a helium heart balloon for like a second and then he disappeared again 😂 that was a bit weird but...

now lets get to the Act 1 Finale which was SO GOOD

Okay, so they changed it up quite a lot: After the whole "Eminem is dead?!" The Squip tells Jeremy that Brooke likes him (and Christine doesn't, yet) and Jeremy is so shocked that he turns to Brooke and says "You like me?" And she's like confused but nods and he's like: "Why???" (I loved that, Scott delivered that line really funny) and then Brooke explains the whole thing with Chloe, that she always gets noticed first etc. (That whole scene was really cute Jeremy and Brooke really seemed to actually like each other and I was really able to relate to Brooke - good Job Eloise!)

Then Brooke starts singing the "I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am" Jeremy repeats it and then she starts Upgrade with the tres magnifique bit. It's like on the OBC until Jake's and Christine's part. They do their verse but run off after "Gotta get an upgrade" (Miracle was singing this up the octave which sounded SO cool) so they didn't have their conversation about Jake's parents (I did miss this a little but I get why it was cut) and then Jeremy ran back on stage followed by the Squip (you can see in Stewart's performance that he's already much more persuasive in a human way than before) who starts to sing the aggressive "C-c-c-come on Jeremy can't you see we got a plan, now be the man..." From the original cast album (I loved this SO much). Everyone came on to sing the "Christine" part in that and was surrounding Jeremy. He then shouts "Arghh too many voices in my head" the Squip leaves, Michael comes on, they do their "Jeremy that's amazing" dialogue, the Squip explains optic nerve blocking and says that he has to cut Michael off if he wants to be popular (Squip: "Cut your ties... or you'll both drown" I remember that because it sounded so unbelievably dramatic), Michael asked "Are you coming" and leaves the stage for Jeremy to sing Loser, Geek, Whatever.

I loved all of that so much because Scott puts so much emotion into this song, it nearly made me cry!! He really conveyed Jeremy's inner struggle without making him look like an asshole, more like a stupid kid that's going to make a really stupid decision

The second verse and chorus of LGW were cut (the "Dad taught me follow your instincts..." part) which I really liked (I never enjoyed the chorus of this song tbh).

"THE PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN.... .... me" the way Scott sang that truly broke my heart.

AND THEN (Loved this SO SO MUCH) after "ever agaaiiiiinnn" He went straight into that part that I guess you could call an Upgrade reprise from the Original Cast album ("And I wasn't sure before but now I wanna go all the way and more so give me that upgrade" etc.) AND it tied in so perfectly with Michael then asking again "Are you coming" and "Optic nerve Blocking on" and as much as I loved the "I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am" chorus, this was SUCH a great way to end act one, I might even prefer this.

I just love how they mixed in the old parts from this song that I was really missing on the OBC.

When the Squip came out in his first dress (is it a dress?) Costume people were cheering, loved that. (I mean that costume IS gorgeous and Stewart Clarke looks absolutely fabulous in all the costumes)

That was Act 1!! (I am so sorry if you actually read everything up to this point...)

Act 2

Halloween had such an amazing energy!!! The dances!! Ahh

At his "I don't have a machete but a loaf of bread will do" line, James threw the bread up in the air but didn't catch it and just hit his head as he went to pick it up as if he was blaming his Squip (not sure if that was supposed to happen but I loved it)

I loved how the Squip joined the dance, it looked so fancy with his costume 😂 I know he did this on Broadway too and I never really understood why (the others can't see him after all) but there it kinda felt like it was hinting at the fact that the Squip was becoming more human-ish??? (I'm definitely overthinking this) Like he was having fun maybe??? Idk

Millie's Do you wanna hang was so hilarious!!!

Like I said they didn't have a bed so she was just dancing around him (which looked good but I missed a bed here tbh) and they added a bit of dialogue (I think, maybe it was in the Broadway version) where Jeremy asked her "Are you jealous of Brooke??" And she was like "I'm not jealous I just don't understand why everyone likes her and no one likes me." (Or something like that) and the way Millie delivered that line really gave Chloe a whole lot of character depth. She sounded so heartbroken, I just wanted to hug her.

When the Squip shuts off (it looked really funny), Stewart just trust-falls backwards off stage and someone has to catch him and I was just thinking what if whoever catches him forgets about it??? 😂😂 (No seriously, dear catch person, don't forget this, ever... we need him as a Squip)

And now, the moment we have all been waiting for. MITB

Ahhh I was having so many feeling during this scene. I already told you that I love Blake's Michael and I really loved how rational and smart (?) He sounds in the scene before the song compared to Jeremy who kept insisting that the Squip isn't bad.

They added a bit of dialogue here too I think, because Jeremy said something along the lines of "You said technology isn't dangerous-" "Yeah unless someone uses it like you do!" (Something like this), really loved that as people somehow keep insisting that this is a show about the dangers of modern technology (It's definitely not).

Blake and Scott both did such an incredible job in this scene (and overall obviously), you just knew something bad was about to happen...

At the "Leave me alone" (not sure if that's what he's saying) line Jeremy steps reaaalllyy close to Michael (like there noses were almost touching close) and he looked so intimidating towards Michael and Blake sounded actually a bit scared when he says "Or you'll what?"

Then they just stand there for some seconds, not moving, before Jeremy says the "Get out of my way, loser" and Scott says this with so much hatred, my heart was actually hurting. Michael then just steps away and he looked sooo sad I almost cried.

MITB was absolutely amazing. Again very different than George's version but with just as much emotion and Blake's voice was sooooo beautiful, I can't!!

He sang the last "Michael in the Bathroom by himself" a bit different (can't really describe it but the note on "bath" was higher than usual? I don't know much about music sorry) and I loved loved loved that

The scene with Christine and Jeremy was so sweet. They were so unbelievably weird, I love them.

When the costumed person between them leaves, Christine pulls Jeremy across the stage by his legs and places them on top of hers (like in the promo pic) and it looked so cute!!

After that when Rich comes on and says the "I'll burn you out" I was soo sure somehow that there used to be a voiceover of his Squip but I can't find it anywhere so idk I'm confused... But it's definitely not there anymore.

Smartphone Hour. Holy shit, that was SO good. Renée Lamb's voice OMG!! Absolutely incredible.

(I just had to notice once again how much I hate the costumes in this scene... like the colours are great but what teenager wears THAT to sleep???)

The screen was so cool here again!! It obviously showed Jenna's selfie with the house (which I want printed to hang on my wall tbh) and then at the end it was full of fire that changed its colour and all of that was so fitting for the colour scheme!! The entire set design is just so incredible.

Also, Brooke is eating a banana when Chloe calls her and when she tells her about the fire Eloise just yeets it across the entire stage

They all looked like they were having so much fun!!

Back to Jeremy: For the scene with Mr Heere, Scott was switching back to total asshole mode... Internally I was like "Uhh that little shit" but yeah, great acting!!

I LOVE the pants song! It's so underappreciated!

The "You're burning incense" line got a lot of laughs

"Say it like you're in the army!"

"NO, SERGEANT, SIR!!!" *salutes*

Loved that

Pitiful Children was actually SO intimidating!! The use of the screen here and in The Play was almost overwhelming but like in a good way, I really felt the seriousness of the situation.

Again great acting skills from Scott and Stewart. Jeremy was so torn between giving in and knowing that it's wrong and the Squip really felt humanly evil at this point.

Renée Lamb's riff!! Omg! She did it very different than in the press videos but it sounded so cool!!

Also, I felt so bad for Jenna. Her "No one's ever asked me that before" really hit me.

"Michael makes an entrance!!!!!" was perfect, I love Blake!

The fight between Jeremy and Michael looked SO violent 😂 at one point towards the end Jeremy punched him and he was just lying there on the edge of the stage for some minutes and only woke up to join everyone screaming at the end.

I loved how everyone acted when they were squipped!! They were very obviously not themselves.

Especially Christine was acting very very differently. Her voice sounded completely different and you could see that Jeremy made his decision to give her the mountain dew red the second she opened her mouth.

Jake's "God I love me!" Was just really wholesome. He sounded so surprised about that.

They didn't have the "My Squip says I can go all the way to Broadway" :((( but I can live with that...

The part where the Squip “Died” was SO good!!! This was really the moment where the Squip felt very much like a human being. He was screaming and begging and sounded actually terrified. His acting here was absolutely incredible. I almost, almost felt bad for him a little.

Also, the projections were amazing, it looked like the screen shattered when the Squip died. 

Again, one thing that really bothered me: What kind of hospital doesn't have beds??? Jeremy and Rich were just sitting in wheelchairs which was fine but like... Why no bed???

I loved James' acting in this scene!!! He was a COMPLETELY different person and everyone noticed that right away. Even without the l lisp, you would have noticed simply by the way he was talking. James really did a great job with Rich!!

His "I'm totally bi now!!" Sounded so surprised and got a lot of applause.

Voices in my head is my favourite song and made me cry 😂

Christine's Squip is now Greta Thunberg!!!!

I loved how Jeremy was totally his old self again when he was talking to Christine. He was stammering and fidgeting with his hands a lot and only managed to bring out the "Bowling Alley performance art?" Because Christine kept encouraging him which was so cute. If there are somehow still people out there who think that their relationship is underdeveloped they should watch this version.

The kiss was so cute!! Miracle and Scott have amazing chemistry!

I really think that's all I have to say... It's a lot I'm sorry 😂😂😂 just had to write those thoughts down.. I hope it makes a little sense I was a bit sick in the last few days so excuse me if anything's worded in a weird way...

I loved it so so much and I'm so happy they got the well-deserved extension! I'm definitely going again sometime soon 😊😊

[fotiathymos]

I liked your headcanon backstory for Lio, when you have the time would you share your idea for Galo's?

Galo's story time! According to random thoughts that occur in my brain to make me upset at night!

Once again, thank you for the interest. And I guess it comes off that I enjoy writing so I hope you enjoy reading. Even when its said. >.> I'd love to discuss with people their ideas still. And once again again... its LONG.

TW emotional abuse, parental death, small racism mention, transphobia mention, bullying, self harm via over working, and again I apologize if I miss anything.

Galo's parents were city dwelling young teens that fell in love and got married months later after dating at barely 19 years old. And it was rough. 

His mother was loud, out spoken, take no bullshit kind of girl. She grew up all her life in Promepolis, poor and dirty. She'd get drunk at gay bars, fight with her parents, make out with random people and claimed it was living life to the fullest and if you can't handle that then you are just a prude!

His father recently moved into the city with his father (Galo's grandfather). They lost their home and was moved to Promepolis' shelter.

The recent events of the World Blaze caused many people to be displaced and homeless across the world. And welcoming new comers in the city scared the locals, what if they were Burnish? But with a majority of livable land reduced to deserts, people had to go somewhere.

Galo's father was training to be museum curator assistant. He was well versed in many cultures histories, educated, introverted and always got his way through social interactions via jokes. Upon arriving to the city he was currently jobless, the museum and city he previously called home was burned to the ground. His father was his only family and unfortunately wasn't handling old age well.

Sort of an opposites attract but 'were not so different, you an I' way. They met through friends of a friend. Galo's father wasn't fond of clubs but went anyway. She made him let loose for once in his life and he fell head over heels for her. They connected real fast. They were just 19 and impulsive, but it worked out in the end sorta, and decided if the world is this sucky lets just get married right away.

The reason why Galo was never taken in by any other family members was because 1. Galo's father only had Galo's grandfather, who was living in a home for his health. and 2. Galo's mother was disowned by her parents after hitching up with Galo's dad. She was from a large Italian family. Tight knit. They disapproved of her not dating or marrying an Italian boy from the city. She married a Japanese man. They excommunicated her from the family. Even when Galo was born they refused to see him. 

Galo was their 'miracle child'. Kind of playing off how in the movie he was always is in such danger he should've died, it was a miracle Galo was born! His mother went through unfortunate miscarriages before she suddenly had Galo. And even then he was born premature and was held in the hospital on and off for the first 3 years of his life. And he survived! He was their miracle.

The family mostly lived a quiet life. Working multiple jobs in a shitty city apartment, caring for an elderly man and a small child. They knew of the politics and horrors going on in the world but they had no time to think of it. They were just trying to survive day by day. They had no outside support. They had friends but even then, they were busy too. There were fights about money, who is staying home with Galo, why don't we have any food in the fridge, whose taking him to school. They made a rule to never fight in front of Galo but kids still felt tension.

Galo didn't quite know he was different from other kids. He just felt.. wrong. It was discovered he was a boy early on though. Really, his parents had suspicions. Galo would hate being referred to as girly, lived for the idea of tomboy. Even when it conflicted with things he did like, like dolls and dresses. The moment someone said he was a pretty girl in that dress, he threw out the dress, tore it to pieces. He would get irritable when people used words and terms for him he didn't decide for himself. He only ever wore his dresses at home, played with dolls at home. At school he begged to wear baseball t-shirts, have robot notebooks, he'd point to anything in the boys section without much care to what it was, as long as it made him appear 'boy' to the world. His parents sat him down to talk about all this. When it all clicked that their child was transgender, they did all they could to make his life easier. They poured their money into puberty blockers for the time being. Before any further steps would happen. 

Galo was bullied heavily at school. He was the 'weird' kid. The 'ugly girl', the 'freak'. Even to teachers who were asked to respect him, they just found him to be a 'troublemaker'. Never paying attention in class, always fidgeting, he'd talk too loud, always asking to go to the bathroom. 

'Look at adults when youre talking to them.' 'Stop drawing and pay attention.' 

He'd try to go by the rules but the rules always didn't make sense to him. Gender was confusing but school was even more confusing. He was always frustrated. All his attempts at fitting in were hit by walls. No one seemed to understand him. Kids stepped all over him, stealing any cool pencils or books he had. His back pack thrown across the school yard.

And just as his parents hid their worried and hard life from him, he made sure to not worry them about his own struggles.

When the fire happened Galo was around 13 year old. Galo was in bed. There were suddenly flames everywhere and his instincts made him run to his parents room. His mother was trapped inside the bedroom, his father outside. Galo was told to make a quick exit out of the house on his own. And in a panic he fled out the front door and into the worst possible human being. 

Everything was pretty much a blur. Galo fell hard into shock when his parents weren't coming out of the building. He honestly was clinging to anything nearby to just.. hold something.. feel something. It just happened to be Kray Foresight. 

The news was on the scene and sirens were blaring and Galo was anywhere but on earth in that moment. He was placed in an ambulance with a shock blanket, Kray sat beside him, muttering to himself. The only words Galo caught were something along the lines of ‘how unexpected the world gives things.’

In Kray's world, his sudden fame gave his sabotage and manipulate plan more speed. In Galo's world. Before he could even start his life, it ended.

Galo was sent to live in foster care. His Grandfather unable to support him. Galo got heavy into history when visiting his grandfather. The man had Galo's father history books in storage and Galo was instantly pulled in. Especially in his father's culture which he never got to learn much about. He discovered the history of Hikeshi through the books and it became his biggest interest. some foster care nurses were worried about him getting into firefighting history after suffering from a fire. 

Galo would also visit a reluctant Kray very often. The media always ate it up. Kray would pose for pictures and Galo loved the attention. A break from thinking anything bad, he could run around a large empty office while Kray was on calls. Okay, maybe, sometimes he'd get yelled at for being too loud. And Kray would kick him out of the room. But thats just cause he was busy! Galo would talk and talk and talk to Kray about the new things he read in his books, he'd even bring by the books some days! His back pack full. It has to do with firefighting! Kray is working on ways to help prevent burnish fires! Kray would so be interested in Galo's research! So he'd spread out all the books all over Krays desk. Kray would let in some tv people during Galo's visits, maybe so they could see how even Galo, a kid, can be working so hard for a better world! 

Galo would notice how different Kray got when it was just them two. Kray would mutter under his breath a lot. Stress from the job probably. Krays outbursts toward Galo only happened when they were alone. clearly Galo was being a bother to him. Kray was a busy man. Galo wasn't helping as much as he should be for Kray. Galo started being more quiet during his visits. He went from jumping around to sitting in the corner of the room, watching Kray work, till he was yelled at to stop staring. Galo would pace the Foundations halls, people watching. How they acted and how he could do the same to impress Kray finally. Show he isn't a kid anymore. That he’s normal.

But Kray wasn't always so stressed out with Galo, sometimes he'd pat Galo's head, buy him a new clothes and video games, have someone drive him back to the foster home in a big fancy car. And one day Kray even started noticing how interested Galo was in firefighting! He even offered to pay for schooling! 

Galo hated the foster home system. Instead of dealing with his problems he ran away. He'd run to Kray's office. To visit his grandfather. Just mindlessly wander the city. Being an older child with trauma, adoption wasn't really on his plate. Ageing out seemed to be his only option. But no one ever wanted to just tell him that was the case. Giving false hopes for a better life. 

Being bullied in school was easy compared to being bullied by other foster kids. They all hated Galo for being Krays 'favorite'. Galo was given a special room because Kray paid for it. Galo was bought clothes and video games and taken on drives in fancy cars! It was common for Galo to come back to his bedroom trashed. The first Matoi made out of card board and scrap fabric... suddenly found burning in the buildings front yard. 

Galo would try and try and try to fit in. To be accepted. To have friends. So he started letting other kids come join him in the fancy car rides. He'd give others his clothes, pretending they were gifts. He'd help others by doing their chores. And suddenly everyone needed Galo.

When Galo's grandfather passed on due to old age. Galo felt more hopeless. His Grandfather was having memory issues in his old age, so Galo visited less, he could handle being mistaken for his mother, or asked who he even was. Galo felt so useless. And then the last piece of his family died and he, once again, was useless. 

He was 16years old now. And felt so very stuck. As he was getting closer and closer to aging out of the system Galo was slowly accepting he had his own dreams of being a firefighter now. To help people who befell such a horrible situation that he himself suffered. He also wanted to impress Kray with his studies and maturity. He got to work. He got a job at the foster home, secretly got a front desk job at the Foundation, did small odd jobs around the city. All at 16-17. 18 years old was moving closer and closer. He wouldn’t eat or sleep and his body would ache everyday. But. He didn't want to be stuck and be useless.

Galo wanted to talk to Kray about helping him with top surgery. After the fire he got off puberty blockers, and after many many therapy sessions with the foster homes nurse did he start hormone replacement therapy. He honestly thought Kray already knew Galo wasn't cis from when he was 13 years old. But it seems he keeps forgetting. Kray was told about it by a nurse but he didn't mention it again. So Kray must not care that Galo was trans! He'd surely be excited and proud when he finds out how hard Galo worked up the money and how mature he was for all his research. 

Kray was livid. 

Calling Galo impulsive as always. Galo was working 2 years on this, and was researching for even longer. But.. I guess it was still 'impulsive' of him. Kray said it was too huge a thing to do to ones body. Galo understood that. Does that mean he can't go through with it? Yes, it was a big change but thats what Galo wanted. Kray just stated the obvious. Galo just wanted support for it. Galo explained as calmly as he could to Kray. Kray didn't seem to budge. Galo was too nervous about doing it without Kray's support. So he just sulked for months. Til one day, Kray said he found a surgeon. And Galo was elated! The news the next day had a big article on how Kray was still being a hero to the small boy he saved years ago. 

Galo had some extreme abandonment issues. He conformed all his life to fit into a role, a job, a way he was expected to be for whoever he was talking to. He struggled with his own identity from a young age and with how different the world continued to act towards him it was hard for him to find his own place of comfort. It was always someone elses comfort he had to focus on. Joining Burning Rescue enhanced that feeling. He was meant to save and help others. And he was happy with that. It gave him purpose, pride, and reason to keep living. 

Night terrors and sleep paralysis started immediately after the fire. During his foster home days, he was known to be awake at all hours of the night. Playing video games, reading, wandering around, doing exercise. anything to think of anything that wasn't that night. That wasn't how he's failing, how he wasn't liked, how he wasn't 'normal'. 

He'd apologize after every time he got too excited and his voice got loud. Kray would always yell or give him a look from that. Kray wasn't subtle about how disinterested he was in Galo's interests. Galo would talk and talk and Kray would grunt and mumble under his breath and then slam the books off his desk nonchalantly. Galo would shut up. Galo had trouble understanding when the right time to speak was, what if he was too loud, what if he said something wrong.

Self deprecating humor was his go to in social interactions. If he said how annoying and stupid he was first then when they say it, it won't hurt that much. Or well, its just a joke, he doesn't really hate who he is! Right?

Galo's self harm was in working too much. Sleeping too little. He'd appear as a workaholic, invested in his passions. He'd be important and useful and he convinced himself that the aches werent there or werent too bad. His forgetfulness from lack of sleep was just him being stupid. 

After Parnassus. He dealt with his issues more. Sort of. He'd become invested in helping Lio in helping the Burnish. Helping Lio with Lio's traumas and aches and lack of sleep. 

But Lio was also invested in helping Galo. 

Lio.. listened to him. Galo would talk and talk and talk and Lio could repeat the information back days later. Lio asked to hear more about certain subjects. Lio snap at Galo everytime he made a self hating joke. Galo still suffered nightmares and traumas but he wasn't alone this time. Truely wasn't alone. He finally had someone, and even more then just Lio, actually checking in on him, visiting him. Instead of Galo running to find someone to connect to and meeting brick walls.. he was slowly starting to have someone run to him. 

Lio was the first person Galo would talk to about his parents. About the fun board game nights they had together. How his mother would let Galo wear make up and dresses but still refer to him as a boy when asked. How his father would let Galo stay up way to late watching old movies with him. 

Galo had his own issues to deal with but he was in love with Lio intensely. Someone understood him when no one else would. But he couldn't always trust his own head, it always seemed to give the wrong answers about how others felt. But he just felt Lio loved him back. Lio just needed time. And there were days and months where Galo felt it was entirely one sided. That no one could love a fool like him. 

But Lio would always end up doing something, as if reading Galo's mind, that showed he cared for Galo and that Galo's negative thoughts were just that, negative thoughts. 

--

OKAY I feel like i could write forever and I def went all over the place. Im def missing some big points and thoughts. I hope this is at least readable. I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed.

I hope it wasn't too long or too weird or too much. idk where i was going with it and well i started writing with out a goal in mind. Just getting thoughts out really. Enjoy??And please talk to me about your thoughts. Anon or not anon. But thank you again for being even vaguely interested!! I know its not like.. fun or prob a popular idea for the most part.

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

I love the growing friendship between Y/N and Valdo in the punk!au and now I'm thinking about JaskxReader and ValdoxAev double-dates that maybe end in Valdo and the reader chilling and watching Jask and Aev antics. Also have I mentioned lately how great your writing is? Makes me happy every time I get a tag.

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Punk!Jaskier x Reader, Punk!Valdo X Punk!Aevryn, Platonic!Valdo x Reader Word Count: 682 Rating: T Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak​ @whatevermonkey​ @mynamesoundslikesherlock​ @kemmastan​ @magic-multicolored-miracle​ @writingstudent​ @mlleecrivaine​ @coffee-and-stories​ @amirahiddleston​ @ultracolorfulnerdcollection​ @astouract​ @your-not-invisible-to-me​ @mycat-is-mylove a/n: It’s on the short side but I really enjoyed playing with this dynamic. Thank you! And I’m so glad you enjoy my writing, the feeling is very mutual xo

“I suppose we should have seen this coming,” Valdo said, taking another sip of his gin an tonic. His emerald eyes gazed in the direction of his wife and your husband. You rolled your eyes and shook your head before stirring your Moscow mule, crushing the lime into the copper mug.

“They’re having fun though,” you said. Right at that moment Aevryn stepped on Jaskier’s foot and he cried “COCK” so loud he disrupted a nearby birthday celebration and the pair began squabbling over whether that had been an accident or not.

Aevryn and Jaskier were both covered in sweat and red faced but unrelenting in their pursuit of a perfect score as they continued to dance.

“I didn’t even know DDR was a thing anymore,” Valdo said with an incredulous smile as Aevryn landed an especially tricky step.

“Well that’s the joy of this place, a lot of games that we thought were just hiding in someone’s basement get a second life,” you mused.

“What’s your game, then?” Valdo asked, tearing his eyes away from his wife to meet yours. You were standing on the little outdoor balcony section where you’d wandered to find Valdo when he went out for a smoke. You loved Jaskier but he could become a bit single-minded when he was competing, especially with Aevryn who was the only person you’d met who held the same level of competitiveness, and you knew he was blind to all but the game. You’d stayed with Valdo when he finished and the pair of you had looked through the large glass windows in silence for a while just smirking and chuckling and arguing whether or not Jaskier had intentionally thrown his arm in the way of Aevryn’s eyes.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you answered offhandedly, “We didn’t have a lot of video games growing up. I liked Crash Bandicoot. And Rock Band was fun. Also, don’t be too intimidated but I can kick ass at Wii Tennis.”

Valdo laughed, dark curls bouncing as he shook his head in amusement.

“What about you?” you asked, realizing you had an unprecedented opportunity to get to know him. Though Valdo was certainly a member of the family there was still some underlying tension between Jaskier and Valdo so you didn’t really spend time with him unless Aevryn was there and she usually held his attention. Valdo considered your question, taking another pull from his drink before answering.

“Darts,” he said.

“Of course it’s darts,” you smirked.

“What does that mean?” he asked, looking very intrigued by your response. He leaned on the ledge, lanky frame draped in a pose as though he were modelling. You’d thought for a while that he was extraordinarily extra but that was just Valdo. Wherever he went and whatever he did he looked as though he was ready for a photoshoot.

“That’s just a very Valdo game. It’s classic but with an edge of danger,” you explained. His eyes twinkled, ego thoroughly stroked.

“You are very perceptive, Y/N, Jaskier doesn’t deserve you,” he quipped with a roguish smile.

“You don’t deserve Aevryn but you work it out,” you said with a wry smile, taking another drink. This drew a wider grin from the man and his eyes sought his wife who was now in a shoving match with Jaskier.

“We need to put a stop to this, don’t we?” he asked as Aevryn made a rude gesture to Jaskier whose face contorted into shock and hurt.

“Eh… they haven’t pulled out the knives yet,” you said with a shrug. Valdo laughed and then did a doubletake at your cool, casual expression.

“They don’t… they don’t really have knives though, right?” Valdo asked, a note of panic in his voice.

“Of course they do,” you said in surprise, “Geralt gives everyone knives.”

“He hasn’t given me a knife!” he protested.

“Oh shit, well, act surprised on your birthday.”

“Right this is ending now,” Valdo said, hurrying towards the door. You took another sip and followed in Valdo’s wake to retrieve your respective spouses and make them both make nice.

[heystuckstuck]

doll parts part one

eridan ampora x reader

part one ==> HERE

part two ==> coming soon!!! <3

YOU ==> WAKE UP

You do. You are sprawled out on your own bed, which is soft, softer than anything you’ve slept on in awhile. You are lying on your stomach, your arms crooked under your pillow to support your head. This is the way you almost always sleep. Your phone dings to the left side of your head, and you blearily shift to your side to check it. It would appear that someone is trying to get ahold of you.

cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trollling chumHandle [CH]

CC: )(-Ey t)(-Er-E, Y/N!

CC: )(ow ar-E you f-E-Eling today?

CH: im feeling fairly pleasant atm

CH: just woke up

CH: you?

CC: I’m FINTASTIC!!!

CC: )(-E-E )(-E-E

CH: cute

CH: glad to see youre still doing the fish pun thing

CH: why exactly do you do it?

CC: I lik-E fish

CC: SO!!!

CH: :?

CC: ar-E you coming to my party tonight?

CC: I r-E-Elly hope so!

CH: shore

CH: ;)

CC: Aww )(-E-E )( -E-E!

CC: You us-Ed a fish pun

CC: )(ow glubbing cut-E!

CH: thank you, fef

CC: And don’t fr-Et!

CC: W-E’ll have som-Ebody watch out for you!

CC: So what )(app-En-Ed last tim-E won’t )(app-En again!

CH: …

CC: I’m sorry!

CC: I shouldn’t )(av-E brought it up

CC: 38(

CH: no, that’s ok

CH: it happened

CH: it’s okay to talk about it

CC: )(ow was it?

CH: how was what?

CC: T)(-E )(ospital?

CH: it was ok

CH: im totally better

CC: I’m sure as s)(-Ell glad to )(-Ear it!

CC: Sollux and the cr-Ew will b-E t)(-Er-E to pick you up

CH: the crew?

CC: I’m not shor-E who it’ll b-E but Sollux is driving a bunch of our fri-Ends ov-Er

CC: I asked )(im to pick you up too!

CC: 38)

CH: thanks feferi

CH: youre the best

CC: I c-Ertainly try

CC: T)(-Er-E’s no way to wink at you wit)( my -Emoticon

CC: So just picture t)(at in your )(-Ead

CH: ;)

chumHandle [CH] ceased trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC]

twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling chumHandle [CH]

TA: y/n

CH: sollux

TA: thii2 ii2 gonna be a really weiird que2tiion

TA: plea2e don’t get mad

TA: but

TA: would you fuck ed

CH: what why

TA: becau2e seniior year is almo2t here and iif he doe2nt lo2e hii2 viirgiiniity before hii2 biirthday ii can’t be hii2 friiend anymore

CH: what makes you so sure he’s a virgin

TA: y/n

CH: fair point

TA: ii ju2t know that you have 2ome pretty lax 2tandard2

CH: are you calling me a “2lut”

CH: is that what’s happening right now

TA: god no

TA: ii ju2t wanna get the ba2tard laiid

CH: fine, i’ll do it

TA: y/n you are a 2aiint

TA: 2eriiou2ly

TA: nobody el2e would touch that ugly fucker with a ten foot pole

CH: you and i both know that eridan isn’t ugly

CH: he’s actually quite handsome

TA: god gro22

TA: ju2t thank you

TA: you’re doiing u2 all a favor really

TA: ed fuck2 you and then he’ll 2hut hiis fuckiing iidiiot mouth about not fuckiing anythiing

CH: how many times are you gonna say fuck

TA: fuck

CH: that’s fair

CH: yeah i’ll do it

TA: cool

TA: fiinger gun2

TA: ii’ll piick you up at 6

twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling chumHandle [CH]

Sollux is there for you promptly at six o’clock. You’re standing on the curb, waiting for him, when his familiarly tiny rusty red car pulls up alongside you. The music is so loud you can hear it through the closed doors and when you glance in the passenger’s side window, Aradia gestures her thumb back behind her. She must’ve called shotgun, or maybe Sollux got her first. You open the door to the backseat and clamber inside.

Karkat is on the far end, smushed into the door. He looks as disagreeable as always but he offers you a softer-than-usual smile as he adjusts his traditional black t-shirt. Eridan, in between the two of you, looks far more uncomfortable. You notice the way he is desperately trying not to look at you and in retaliation, you put a soft hand on his thigh. He looks as though he might faint, cheeks flushed and forehead beaded with sweat. He doesn’t say anything to you, but Karkat does.

“Alright, Y/N?”

Yes. Why wouldn’t you be?

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

Karkat shrugs although from the hunch of his shoulders, you can tell he wants to argue. Everyone knows that he’s lying. You know he’s lying. You know why everybody wants to know if you’re alright. And frankly, it’s nobody’s fucking business.

Not even if they stroked your hair and whispered soft little nothings to you all the way to the emergency room. Not even then.

As you walk into the party, you notice a tall, slim figure posed at the front of the grand entrance hall. He’s smoking a cigarette and he has sunglasses on indoors. Dave Strider. He greets your friends casually but when he gets to you he falters and peers at you over the top of his shades.

“All better, Y/N?”

“Yes, I’m totally better. I eat almonds and yogurt and soup.” He nods curtly, but you can see the tension in his face. It would be difficult to miss, as difficult to miss as those reddish brown eyes of his. You remember the last time you saw them.

You were lying on your back with the left side of your face caked in vomit. Your limbs were seizing up and you wanted to scream but it was like your voice was invisible. Dave knelt over you, eyes as wide as saucers as he begged you to stay awake, please stay awake, oh god, what did you do, why did you do this, god no, please no, no no no no no nonononononononononono.

And you put your hand on his face and said, “Hello David.” Or tried to. You’re sure that what came out was a flubbed version.

“What did you take?” He’s begging you please tell him, tell him so he can get you to the hospital and they can pump your stomach, god please.

“13 valiums and a bottle of gin.” You try to tell him that you were just trying to float and stop your misery and stop the not eating and stop stop stop stop stop. But he can’t hear you. He screams out a feeble and watery Karkat and then you’re in a car with Karkat petting you and his mouth was moving but all you could hear were sirens. You wanted to sleep more than anything but Karkat kept shoving you awake and talking to you and telling you stories and begging you don’t go to sleep, no.

So you suppose if anyone has the right to ask you if you’re okay, it’s Dave, and you’d better tell him too. So you do, but you can tell that he doesn’t fully believe you, but to your relief, he leaves it.

The music is loud. It makes your ears numb. You see Feferi but you don’t go and say hi because she’s kissing Sollux on his mouth and tracing her fingers up his arm and you know you shouldn’t interrupt, so you don’t and push your way further through Feferi’s house. The lights are all pink and blue and hazy and you can’t see through the smoke in the air and you can taste the acrid tang of cigarettes in the back of your mouth, which makes it feel like cotton. You stumble and trip over something-someone lying on a beanbag on the floor, who doesn’t try to catch you when you fall into his bony chest.

“Well hey there, little sis, how’s it motherfuckin’ hangin’?” It’s Gamzee, with his dark, splotchy face and lazy looking eyes and dopey grin. He doesn’t help you up, the idea doesn’t even seem to occur to him. His eyes are bloodshot and his left hand’s slender fingers grip a short, lit blunt, which he offers to you.

“You want a hit?” Nobody except him in your friend group smokes pot. They drink and snort crushed up pills but they don’t smoke weed. You’ve tried it before, but only a few times. You didn’t like how it stung your throat and made you cough.

“Nah, that stuff makes you hungry.” That was your least favorite thing about it. The last time you smoked pot, you’d woken up naked on John’s couch with your hands and chest smeared in food goop and no memory of how it got there. You didn’t need that again. Gamzee doesn’t seem to mind, and just takes another drag.

“It’s no problem sis, more for me.” You watch him as he puffs on it again, noting the way the slight orange glow offsets the neon lights in the room.

“Anyway, chica, long time no see. How’s it been?” You shrug and Gamzee laughs.

“That’s so motherfuckin’ righteous, sister. Seriously, be all up and motherfuckin’ careful. Don’t want anything bad happening to you or anything.” You’re dumbstruck by the fact that Gamzee of all people, slow-witted, slow-reacting, oblivious, with a brain half-ruined y marijuana knows. God, how does Gamzee know?

“I saw you, all up and covered in that puke. Shit, y’know, it fuckin’ scared me. I love you and I don’t want you to die or anything. You were shaking and crying and everyone was all just sitting there, not knowing what to up and do. It was the opposite of a miracle. But maybe the fact that you’re not dead is a miracle and whatever god exists kept you alive for us. I’m motherfuckin’ happy about that. I’d miss you if you were dead. I think everybody would, even if they pretend they wouldn’t.”

Gamzee then punctuates his profound statement with a soft belch and he gives you a watery, peaceful smile, close-lipped, with his eyes shut. You return the smile, though yours is more strained than his because god just stop fucking talking about it.You get it. You don’t really want to be dead anymore but you wish everyone would stop reminding you of it. You want to forget as much as anybody else. You never wanted everyone to see you, shaking on the floor, eyes rolled up into the back of your head with foam oozing from between your lips all over your white tanktop, staining it pink. You want to forget. You want to forget Feferi screaming and and Sollux saying, hush, hush, FF, it’s okay, and Dave’s tears dribbling onto your face and getting into your mouth. They were salty on your numb tongue.

Gamzee’s hand begins to snake down the front of his sweatpants and you decide to leave before this gets awkward. You abandon Gamzee and trip on your way to the stairs, which you clamber up, on your way to Feferi’s second story bathroom. You don’t have to go, you just want to inspect Feferi’s mom’s medicine cabinet, see if she’s gotten anything new since the last time you were here, before. Before. Before you took John’s grandmother’s pills out of the kitchen and fell on the floor and Feferi screamed and Dave cried and Karkat crooned in your ear and you felt more loved than you ever had before, which was bullshit because of course everyone loves you when you try to die.

She doesn’t have anything new, you note with mild disappointment, pocketing some old pills that haven’t been touched since the last time you were here. You read the label before hiding them. Oxytocin. Pain pills. You shove it, along with your hands into your oversized maroon jacket, and just in time too, because the door you were certain you locked opens to your right. You turn and meet an abashed-looking Tavros, his face alcohol and embarrassment-flushed.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that anybody would be in here. I just needed to, um, well, yeah, you know.” He stumbles over his words and looks flustered, so you smile at him.

“Oh, that’s alright, I was just leaving.” You grab a tiny white paper cup, designed for mouthwash and fill it with water before exiting the bathroom, brushing past Tavros’s shoulder. He closes the door and you pull out the pills and take two with the shot of water you have. You aren’t addicted to popping pills, but it is an outstanding interest of yours. You wait a few minutes and then you feel fuzzy and it’s a bit like you’re walking on the ceiling as you trample down the hallway. You walk back down the stairs on watery legs, trying admirably not to fall on your face, which you don’t.

You walk to the kitchen, where Vriska is leaning with her back and elbows resting against the counter. Terezi and John are with her and you notice them eye you suspiciously as you open up all of the cabinets and count the cans inside.

“Hungry?” John asks, voice shaking a little bit. You remember seeing him, driving the car, speeding down the freeway, pedal to the metal. He kept frantically glancing back at you, blue eyes enormous, even more so than usual. Hs too-large front teeth were worrying his bottom lip and his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. You know why his voice is shaking. You’re starting to get tired of this.

“No.”

“What’re you doing then?”

“Counting.”

“Okay,” he says, sounding uneasy. God, why can’t people just stop being fucking worried about you? Why does John have to quirk his perfectly arched and adorable eyebrows at you like that? Why does he have to bite his lip and why does goddamn Vriska of all people look worried about you? You know perfectly well the reason why, but you don’t care. You don’t care that they all saw you. That everyone knows. You couldn’t care less.

You exist through the backdoor in the kitchen because you need some air, jesus. You can’t stand the way they all look at you, with such pity and fear. It was a mistake and you’ll never live it down because you scared everybody shitless. You take a deep breath of untainted air and somebody sighs right after you exhale. What the hell?

“What the hell?” You glance around and huddled at your feet is Eridan, his floral short-sleeve button down too tight in the arms. He’s wearing slacks too, which is such an Eridan thing to do and you are filled with an overwhelming surge of affection toward your friend. This is all he is, your friend. Your friend that might fuck you later, according to Sollux.

You flop down next to him. He doesn’t react, just takes a long sip from his red plastic cup. It’s probably beer, which you’re sure upsets his sensitive palette but he’s actively not complaining in dramatic, emotional theatrics for once so you don’t question it.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“What’re you doing out here, ‘Dan?”

“Everywhere else was full.” It’s true. All of your friends are rambunctiously partying in every corner of Feferi’s party. Except the bedrooms, you suppose. But maybe Feferi and Sollux have already made their way there, you know they will eventually and Feferi will call you tomorrow and tell you all about it. You know every detail of her sex life. She knows every detail of yours and while you are always supportive, sometimes she frowns at you and shakes her head.

“Ah.”

You’re both silent for awhile, the only sounds being of your breath and Eridan sipping his beer solemnly and yet, delicately. Feferi has a trampoline in her backyard and you haven’t jumped around and just had fun in god knows how long so you get up and offer your hand to Eridan. He accepts, although with a cocked eyebrow, and his hand still firmly in yours, you guide him to the trampoline.

“Really, Y/N? You wanna play on the goddamn trampoline? That’s fairly, just, it’s juvenile, don’t you think?”

“Yes, absolutely.” And you take off your shoes and fling your body onto the black netting and bounce a few times. Eridan hesitantly follows you.

“What if someone sees us?”

“Let them. We’re young and you’re drunk and I want to fly,” you say, leaping into the air and coming down with a spring. Eridan doesn’t jump at first, not until you grab his sleeve and tug on it and oh, Danny, I’m having so much fun, I’m flying, this is like the fucking Notebook, I’m a fucking bird, tell me I’m a bird like the Notebook. You’re laughing hysterically at yourself and Eridan is fucking giggling at you and then he starts jumping too and you dance in circles with only the soundtrack of summer cicadas to keep a melody. You grab his hands and his fingers twine with yours and suddenly he’s falling and you’re bouncing your back against the trampoline, narrowly avoiding hitting your head as Eridan lands on top of you and bounces off but only after squishing the life out of you.

You’re laughing so hard no sound is coming out and you’re gasping and so is he and you grab his hand from where he’s laying beside you.

You look up at the stars. You haven’t seen the stars in over six weeks. You missed them.

“So, how are you, Y/N? I’m sure sorry that I couldn’t come an’ visit you.” You do the best shrug you can while lying down.

“Nobody was allowed to visit me, except in the ER.”

“Still, I should’ve come. Fef went. John went.”

“They’re the only ones that did.”

“Really?” His voice is incredulous.

“Everyone texted. Until I had to go to the psych ward. Then I wasn’t allowed texts anymore.”

“Yeah, I know.”

You don’t want to be sad anymore so you change the subject.

“Eridan?”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to fuck me later?” He chokes, a loud spluttering cough, and jerks up to lay on his arm, staring down at you.

“What?!”

“Sollux told me that you were going to.”

“God, oh fuck, he told me-he-he said-he told me you didn’t know!”

“I know.”

“Well, I know that now!”

“It’s okay. If you want to, I’m okay with it.”

“Okay with what?”

“You fucking me.”

His face flared red, which was a feat in and of itself because his skin was soft brown. He looked beautiful in the starlight: his eyes, a gorgeous golden-hazel with long, dark lashes, his nose sturdy and strong, his lips fairly thick and soft and most especially the freckle he had, on the left corner of his bottom lip. His hair fell in his face, dark brown and highlighted by a thick bleached streak in the front. He wasn’t just pretty, not just beautiful, he was gorgeous. You wouldn’t mind snagging his virginity. Not one bit.

“I don’t think-I mean-well-I-I-I want to but I just think that maybe we should wait on that.”

“Okay,” you say, staring into his eyes, fighting down a pang of disappointment, “But if Sollux asks, you can say you did.”

His eyes narrow a bit and then he’s nervously looking at anything but you.

“But I wanted to know. Could you, maybe-I don’t-just-kiss me?” You smile, a full grin with teeth showing an everything.

“Yes, Eridan.”

And then you get up to your knees and pull him up to meet you and your lips are together and his lips are soft, a bit firmer than you imagined, and they’re clumsy and he accidentally clips your teeth together. You wrap an arm over his shoulder and he puts his hands at your small waist, pressing on your hips with his fingertips. You reach your other hand down and take his. You guide it over your breast and his whole body stiffens. His fingers begin to itch around and grope at the soft flesh under his hand and you slip your lips down to his neck. He makes a noise that is a cross between a purr and a croon and you push him down beneath you. The two of you break apart and he stares up at you, fingers touching his swollen bottom lip like he can’t believe what just happened. You realize suddenly that you just bagged his first kiss. You gently kiss his cheek and roll off of his abdomen.

When you wake up in the morning, you’re inside on the couch with Eridan spooned up behind you. A shirtless Equius lays across the floor with Nepeta’s head on his belly. Terezi’s legs are sprawled across her chest. Everyone else is still asleep but you can feel Eridan start to stir behind you. He nuzzles into the crook of your neck and mumbles a quiet good morning into the skin.

“Morning.”

“Mm.”

“Eridan?”

“Hm?”

“Your stiffy’s digging into my back.”

“M’sorry.”

“S’okay.”

[golde-n-childe-blog]

After the Fire Dies

Smoke hung thick in the air, though it didn't pose much threat. The smoke in hell was thicker and stunk of more than charred wheat fields and betrayal. Still, if Blue asked, she would have blamed the plumes for the tears in her eyes. Anything to avoid the truth, right? The reason her lord picked her for the task. Ursula dodged the truth and walked the thin line of the little white lie like a tightrope acrobat. Misdirection worthy of applause like a handstand split. Half-truths were her ring of fire; they were captivating, dazzling despite the certainty of destruction. She played the crowd better than anyone, Blue could attest to that. The heat from the fire as it licked at her back during the battle was nothing compared to the searing cold of his glare. 

He sat across from her, sand colored complexion smudged with soot, dirt, and streaks of blood. The same combination turned his short, dark curls a dusty gray. Nothing dulled his sharp, gray-green eyes as they cut through every layer and lie she'd ever built between them.

"Was any of it real?"

Of course, that was the question he killed the silence between them. And he did kill it. Each word that slipped from his full lips carried enough muted fury to fill the entirety of their three-year friendship.

How could she answer?

It would have been easy to tell him no. To sit and ramble off a dramatic monologue about her evil scheming and his role as a pawn. She could weave an entire web of reasons for him to hate her more, against her own desires. Better than telling the truth.

"Nothing to say, then?" he snapped, "Maybe the question was too hard. Let's try this: Why did you bring me here?"

The little stone cottage on the outskirts of their battlefield had long since been abandoned before their clash came to fruition. A handful of wooden structures dotted the wheat field, but wood didn't make a safe shelter during a demonic wildfire. Which left the tiny, stone building as the only cover while the flames raged outside. Ursula believed it to be logical reasoning at the time, considering the sizable wound in her side. And she could have volleyed that reasoning across the room to him and see if he'd accept that instead of the less logical reason he searched for. A quick glance into his grimacing face and she knew better than to offer a distraction. But that, once again, left her with nothing but the truth burning in her throat, hurting more than the smoking hole under her arm. The worst part... she wanted to tell him everything. All of it threatened to spill out of her like the black blood oozing down her hip. But Ursula learned a long time ago. Sometimes the truth is harder to believe than a lie. Her silence stretched between them and Blue stirred, shifting his weight from one side to the other, wincing when he twisted the broken leg stretched out in front of him. The pain mixed with his anger and his thick brow furrowed as he clenched his jaw.

"You should have left me there," he hissed through grit teeth, "I'd rather face the fire than look at you."

"You would have died."

"Oh, so you can speak?" There was no avoiding him anymore, not his frown, nor the sweat beading on his forehead, nor the blood on his cheek. It wasn't his, she'd made sure of that. "Since my first two questions were impossible for you to lie your way through, I have one more. Why didn't you kill me?"

"I couldn't."

"You... you couldn't?" Brows raised, he tilted his head. "Why not? You didn't seem to have any trouble with my brothers. My uncle. My little cousin-"

"I didn't-"

"You didn't what?" Blue shouted, his fingers went white as his hands rolled into tight fists. "I swear to God if you say you didn't kill them, I will limp over there and strangle you where you sit."

"I didn't lay a hand on any of your people!"

"No! You're right. All you did was lead us into a massacre with no warning."

When the first tear fell, the second followed quickly. She hadn't blinked, but they fell anyway. One after the other. Until the tops of her legs were soaked through the heavy, black jean material.

"Don't you dare cry," Blue spat, his own eyes welling with tears, "You don't have the right. You can't cry for them. That's my responsibility, since you were so merciful as to save my life."

"I didn't want-"

He held up his hand, silencing her as he closed his eyes and turned away. "Stop. I thought I wanted to know why you did this, but I can't stand to hear your voice right now."

That was fair. At least, she knew she was supposed to think so. That would have been the acceptable reaction for her to have. It was fair he was angry with her. Beyond angry. Well into furious. It was fair he hated her for what happened to his family, his hunter clan. That was her mission. These were the casualties and consequences of her obedience. Except, they were also her friends. And none of it felt fair. Biting her bottom lip, Ursula winced as she shifted and attempted to apply pressure over her wound. Too large a space for her to cover it all, if she could slow the bleeding, she might heal enough to get them both out of the cottage and away from one another.

"I hope it hurts." He said it without looking her way. "I hope it hurts you for the rest of your life."

Bitterness painted her thoughts in dreary shades. It would. Even with the pressure, her tarry blood ran steadily from her ribs. The fact she got them both to the cottage without collapsing was a miracle. Without a proper bandage and some stitches at the very least, she would lose the body and return to hell. Where her real judgment awaited. Defeated, she chuckled silently at the thought of her lord staring down at her. Sentencing her to yet another death. More gruesome and final than the one she was experiencing. Physically, anyway. Emotionally, Blue was doing a fantastic job of making her suffer.

"You think this is funny." His gaze trained back on her, the same ire burned in his eyes. "You came into my life with the sole purpose ending me. And you have the audacity to laugh now."

"I'm not laughing at the end of your life." Her tired eyes met his before slowly dragging over towards the window. The harsh glow outside eased as the hellfire ebbed. "I'm laughing at the end of mine."

"What?"

Ursula lifted her arm and exposed the damage in all its severity. As Blue studied the injury, Ursula's vision wavered. That had to be the reason his expression seemed to shift and soften. Her human form was delirious from blood loss. There was no way in hell he'd care if she died. Shaking her head, she lowered her arm and massaged her temples before letting her arms drop to her sides.

"I was laughing because... you'll get your wish. Like I got mine."

"To destroy my clan?" he asked, voice tight with something more than fury and close to heartbreak.

"To keep you safe," she confessed. The swimming feeling in her head made the truth easier to speak without fear he'd rebuke it and her. Demons, apparently, weren't impervious to the morose and liberating effects of death. "What are you talking about?"

"During the fight, did you ever pause and wonder why you hadn't got hit once, until after they blasted me?" she snorted and let her head fall back against the cool stone. "Just think for a second."

"I don't-"

"Or maybe think back to before we got to the field tonight," she started and was interrupted by a coughing fit. When she finally drew air again, she continued through the burn gnawing at her ribs. "H-how many t-times... did I beg y-you to s-stop the car? Turn around? Go h-home?"

When he spoke, his voice was small. He looked small. The room shrunk around him. "I thought you were scared."

"I was."

[fourspiceblend]

She's cool :)

[eturni]

Day 26 - Cider

I’m running a little late and will hopefully have Day 27 for today as well but for now here’s Day 26 of @drawlight​‘s advent calender prompt list https://drawlight.tumblr.com/post/188869931294/aziraphale-crowley-for-half-an-hour-youve-been with Cider.

Fermenting apples has been a tradition as old as both fermenting and apples have been known. The apples from the last harvest have long been used to wake the trees ready for the spring to come. It’s also common to just get drunk around midwinter, and home made scrumpy is easy to come by when the ex-Antichrist has an interest in stealing from orchards.

Midwinter around Britain has old traditions around apples and the harvest. Crowley remembers the early days, the Gauls, later with the Normans and later still as the West Country and East Anglia set to each other on the right way to do cider.

Wassailing had been big in the early days as a gift to the green man and a way to start waking the trees ready for the next year’s harvest. Crowley still had some very fond memories of his first time wassailing and arriving back amidst the fires to a slightly baffled but surprisingly relaxed angel. Then the joy of a very short season in a house built by angel miracle that had made his superiors too uncomfortable to come in for his yearly check in despite not knowing why they were so put off by it.

It had grown from mead with roasted apples and spices into something more like the French cidre and Saxon aeppelwin with sour apples and plenty of honey. Aziraphale had been more of a fan of that than Crowley, who had a surprisingly sweet tooth compared to the angel. It still reminded Crowley of Twelfth Night and of poor families making their way up to mansions with the hope of warmth and sustenance.

Getting the sweeter apples in had made things much more to Crowley’s taste, given that it let the humans really lean in to the fermentation process without having to worry about balancing the sweetness of it. There may have been a little more encouragement (tempting) of it into an art form at this point; which had of course resulted in the usual British pass-time of making schisms out of the way your neighbour does things for argument’s sake alone.

This naturally had the knock-on effect on Crowley’s reputation in Hell, though it was definitely something that humans would always do on their own. Like fighting over where you put the cream in a cream tea.

In any case pressing down apples to get drunk was a long-standing tradition for both the Brits and the horses that they kept. And alcohol, especially warmed and with any spice that could be found thrown in, was always popular over midwinter.

It does not come as a surprise to a certain principality that Crowley makes ‘grudging’ attempts to stay in contact with the Antichrist post Armagedidn’t. Ostensibly it’s to ensure that the boy remains safe after refusing Satan as his father and that there are no issues from any residual powers that may remain. It would be a lot more believable if he hadn’t also made sure to locate young Warlock, or if he didn’t dote on the boy in his own way when they visited to ‘monitor’ him.

Crowley made a habit of ensuring the kids got a present each over the holidays and took no small amount of delight in the arguments that it had caused for Pepper to get hers first for the Solstice. The kids had almost rioted and decided to go pagan with Pepper’s family just for the earlier gifts.

When they arrive in the winter of 2022 they find that Anathema has installed a small press outside in the garden and was trying her hand at some traditional scrumpy.

Continue reading on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638803/chapters/52472869 or:

“The most traditional. As I understand, it’s supposed to come from stolen apples and Dog still has a habit of getting into the orchards and somehow leaving with enough apples for Adam to have an armful.” She smiles sideways at the young man who gives an offhand shrug.

He’s leaning against a wall with his phone out on some game and would look very much like any other teenager trying to be cool if he wasn’t also half a mirror to the 6000 year old being who was in a similar pose at the other end of the living room. Aziraphale is in two minds as to whether this made Crowley look like he’s trying to play the moody teenager or whether it said something about beings that came from Hell and chose otherwise. He’s certainly leaning towards teenager.

“You know, you really shouldn’t steal.” Aziraphale tuts, knowing that the young man won’t be listening to him regardless.

“Well, actually-” Wensleydale starts, to the groaning annoyance of Pepper “scrumping is technically an old tradition he’s keeping alive. It’s all in the books, and you really only take the apples that have fallen and won’t get picked for the harvest anyway.”

“I don’t think I’m quite convinced by that, but it’s amazing what you can do with fallen apples.” Aziraphale hums thoughtfully, it gets Crowley to look up for just long enough to give him a sour look before he goes back to what he’s doing.

“Well it’s all very interesting really.” Anathema smiles, going to pour out a couple of glasses. “Actually tried to see if it would work for something other than drinking at first. You know, fruit of knowledge picked from the fallen by the… by Adam. Seemed like it might have its own power of a kind but it just ended up being decent to drink.” She toasts over to them.

Aziraphale gestures back distractedly, watching Crowley closely as the other presses thin lips together and looks at the drink over the rim of his glasses. As though he were looking at the apples from beyond the grave and judging the trees wanting.

“The Them had a go of it yet?” He finally asked.

“Well, no. I mean, you can’t just give kids alcohol. Looks weird enough that they spend so much time over here anyway, never mind us getting them drunk.” Newton pipes up like the world’s nerviest meerkat.

“Y’know, as long as it’s with adults they’re legal to. We count as adults.” Crowley gave a half shrug, ignoring Wensley’s nervous glances around him in favour of the intrigued looks that Brian and Adam cast between them.

“They are children Crowley.” Aziraphale tuts in annoyance, mouth a thin line.

“Naaah. They’re teenagers.”

“And still not old enough to drink.” The angel glowers, flexing out his hands in a familiar gesture indicating ’And that’s final.’

Things were rarely ever final when Aziraphale declared them to be. In fact, Crowley took great delight in ensuring those words were the start of a great many temptations.

“Well-” Newton steps in uncertainly, almost stopping altogether when two sets of intense supernatural eyes settle solely on him. “They can with a meal. At home. We’re not really eating so much, though,-” he trails off, as though suddenly realising it was more of a couple’s argument than a discussion that he’d unwittingly wandered into.

“Little help in the kitchen, Newt?” Anathema calls through with impeccable timing, having disappeared back there at some point in the conversation.

Suddenly alone with four teenagers and a freelance demon with a bag of presents, Aziraphale doubles down. “It’s simply not right without their parents’ permission, Crowley.”

The demon huffs and pulls himself up to full height. “C’mon angel, it’s hardly more than apple juice anyway.”

“Then they can have some proper apple pressé. It’ll be hardly different from the real thing.”

“Aww c’mon. They’re hardly gonna get drunk, angel. ‘Tis the season and all that, I’ve seen younger kids go out wassailing.” Crowley points out, angling himself so that most of the table is obscured as a couple of cups appear on the table.

“That was with their parents and I can feel you doing that so don’t you dare think about playing coy with me you foul fiend.” Aziraphale huffs in exasperation as he steps around the demon only to find Brian most definitely flipping the cups upside down. “My boy, what on Earth are you-”

“Shh, trying out a magic trick. I’ve got to focus though. Doesn’t work otherwise.” Brian waves a little, face scrunching up in concentration.

“Oh! you’re learning magic? How wonderful, do show me.” Aziraphale practically vibrates, the glow of love from inside him that even Crowley could feel as a demon.

He settles himself in to watch the trick as Brian produces a partially melted chocolate coin from a pocket and slides it under one of the cups before showing off that he has nothing in his sleeves. Crowley watches in rapt attention as Adam uses the sudden distraction to gently pull the bottle off cider off the table.

Brian gamely keeps Aziraphale distracted as Pepper and Wensley finishes off their rather more innocent drinks and Adam refills the cups with cider. For a moment Crowley is the proudest he’s been since hearing that Warlock told Hastur he smelled of poo. He can immediately see how wrong this is going to go the moment one of them doesn’t like the taste and has a full cup left to drink and it only makes it all the more exciting for it.

Crowley has to force the grin down as Brian’s trick wraps up with a suitably encouraging clap from Aziraphale, despite mixing up the cups, and the cider bottle goes back into it’s place.

“Well,-” Crowley interrupts any further magic attempts with a brief clap of his hands, reaching to hand over the bag to Adam, who dutifully hands the presents out. “no use in just standing around then you’ve got presents to open. Happy holidays.” He raises a hand to toast and downs some of his own drink.

Watches Aziraphale’s smile around his glass quirk into an equally self-satisfied smirk as the Brian and Adam pull faces down into their cups.

“That might teach them to try things they aren’t ready for.” He murmurs, suddenly very close to Crowley’s ear.

This time Crowley has no hope of hiding the grin, faced with his beautiful, absolute bastard of an angel. “Oi, book girl. We’re toasting our health in here, you gonna come out or too busy snogging?”

Adam’s annoyed mutter that it’s gross and no one even calls it that anyway are ignored as the witch comes back into the room with Newton, and some spiced cookies, in tow.

“I hope you aren’t up to any mischief?” She asks knowingly, even as Adam vehemently shakes his head.

“Well then, Wæs þu hæl.” Aziraphale toasts warmly.

Crowley smiles with a shake of his head and leans in just for enough to brush a kiss against the angel’s cheek “Drinc hæl, and may it continue into the new year.”

[silver-kitsuneneko]

Conventions Are NOT Consent

I hate making rants. But because of this shit with Momokun, I have a few things I would like to say. First, I’m not going to bash her or anything, the internet has done that enough and she’s seriously not worth my time but will use her as an example to  talk about why she and people like her are what’s wrong with the convention community. It has become more and more of a problem in the recent years. Whenever you have to have signs all over a con saying something that you any adult SHOULD know is not only sad but troubling. Cosplay is NOT consent and Just because you’re at an anime convention; all social etiquette is still in play! Look I get it, going to a con is a chance for people to be themselves. It’s a de-stressor where you can sit back, relax, geek out with old and new friends and then go back to the grind. Yes, a convention is a space where you can dress up, be weird, or whatever, hell even vendors and artists get into it. What job can you have where you can walk to a person for hours about your favorite TV show and get paid for it! However, there are a few idiots who think “I’m at a convention! This means I can do whatever I want!” Yeah no, just because you’re at an anime convention or event, doesn’t mean you can do whatever, common sense is still in play. And it’s sad that this has to be stated but here are a few things you should not do at a convention

First, Keep You Hands to Yourself! This is a phrase that most of us have learned in preschool, kindergarten, first grade, and by second grade it’s literately drilled into our heads that unless someone says it’s okay, DON’T TOUCH ANYONE! Though there are exceptions to the rule, like spontaneous hugs and things but if you don’t like someone to hug you, PLEASE tell them. Personally, I like getting hugs but some people don’t like being touched at all. We are also taught in school, at home, and early 90s PSAs that we have all no-no areas. For women there’s three no-no area, for men there’s two no-no areas and no one has the right to touch you in YOUR no-no area without consent. So things like groping a woman’s breasts, pinching a man’s butt, or putting something in close contact against or near someone’s private parts without their consent is sexual harassment and violation of that person’s space. Men: if you see a woman in a sexy cosplay, breasts out, ass out, posing and jiggling her breasts, this does NOT give you any right to touch her. If she’s fully clothed and you think she’s attractive and want to talk to her and she’s into you and flirt with you, this does NOT give you the right to touch her. If she’s at a convention or anywhere minding her business, this does NOT give you the right to touch her. If you wouldn’t do it outside of a convention, then don’t do it at a convention. Women: Contrary to popular belief, men are not 24/7 sex addicts. They don’t crave sex and constant stimulation and this should be an excuse to harass them either. If you see a hot guy dressed as a dead ringer of your family anime character, this does NOT give you the right to touch him. If he’s not in cosplay and looks like you average or handsome joe, this does NOT give you the right to touch them. If they are at an anime convention minding their business, this does NOT give you the right to touch them. It’s sad to say but if Momokun was a male cosplayer and doing the things she has done, she would have been blacklisted and jailed by now. But there are other ways people have started to harass others at cons. Also, making a cosplay costs a lot of time and a lot of MONEY. Whether someone gets it custom made, made it themselves, or bought it, money was involved.  What does this mean? This means that if you do touch someone’s prop or cosplay without permission and ruin it, you made that person lose money or have to figure out how to save it. It’s not fair to that person that they want to fix YOUR mistake because you didn’t ask for permission and messed up weeks or months of work.

Do NOT take photos of anyone or anything without consent. Now taking pictures to capture a moment is not anything new. It’s actually a fun pastime.  But with the way cameras have evolved within the last decade, it’s easier than ever before to have take a photo and upload it and share it. This is a good thing but when it’s used to harass and bully, it’s a problem. In the early days of the internet, there was a website dedicated to making fun at bad cosplay. And their definition of “bad” were people who did do the effort but were overweight, underweight or the “wrong” ethnicity to cosplay the character. Now, the many people just randomly go to cons and take photos of people and use for sites and things. Once again not bad but many people do NOT want their pictures taken. Some are camera shy, some people are sensitive to lights, some may not be in their best look, and some cosplayers know that if someone is chasing them down for a picture with them in a revealing outfit, it’s not for a good reason, so in that case “ask before you take!” It became so much of a problem that for awhile, there were incidents were men were ejected from cons and banned because they had cameras and taking lewd photos of female attendees and cosplayers alike. Because of this, security has been amped up became some of these people have been blacklisted from all conventions. Case in point, there was an incident where one of these people slipped through the cracks. I was at the event and the event itself was disorganized from the get go but because someone stole something they had security roaming and this man came out of nowhere, got down on the ground and took a few up skirt shots of a friend of mine. She of course screamed and tried to restrain him but he got away but thankfully because of the previous incident, security was on high alert and he was immediately apprehended. Because of this and many incidents, taking photographs were added to the cosplay is not consent movement. This also extends to artist and vendor wares as well. I have seen and was a victim of people taking photographs without permission. For artists who draw, they know it’s because they don’t want to buy the print so they’ll take a picture instead. For makers, many take pictures just to see how it’s made but in rare cases, to t come back for it later. In any case, it doesn’t to ask before you snap. It’s just common courtesy. Once again, if you wouldn’t do it outside of a convention, don’t do it inside.

A convention is not your personal anime fantasy and use common sense. Many people go to conventions. Once again, fun and de-stressing however, it’s not like you’re living in a real life anime or a protagonist in an anime. So what does this means? Don’t treat anyone like literal shit because you want to be funny or edgy just for one day. Don’t ask or be tsundere because that’s what you identify as. Tsunderes are assholes on anime and they are assholes in reality. Don’t run after someone and assault them because you’re a yandere and that person is with your “senpai”. Don’t go up to people cosplaying as certain characters and attempt to carry them off insult them because they are like this character in this show. Sadly in the Hetalia fandom, there were a lot these instances from the Nazi salute with Germany cosplayers and randomly calling Spain cosplayers pedophiles. Or an incident where a group of cosplayers kidnapped a young child because she was dressed as Chibi America. Don’t insult or roast guests or voice actors because you want to look cool in front of your friends because once again, you look like an asshole. It’s a no win solution for most because if a voice actor or actor have a reputation for being rude or mean to fans it can damage their career. A good example of this would be a recent convention with the actors of Infinity War with a group of disrespectful fangirls. As I said, playfulness or okay but roasting and being a complete jerk is not funny or cool. It’s one of the reasons why actors and actresses or voice actors don’t go to conventions. It’s a miracle that Josh Keaton still tries to connect with his fans after all of the hate and backlash he’s gotten. Also, anime girls are different from girls in real life so don’t think “I saw in a manga where a boy meets a girl and he fondles her and she get aroused and he took her virginity and now she’s his girlfriend because of this so it should work with other girls” or “if I compliment her breasts and she’s nice to me, it’s her right to have sex with me” is something that happens. If you saw it in a manga KEEP it in your head, if you try to replicate anything you saw in a hentai manga or any manga of that nature you are not only the problem but you will get arrested. I added this in because there are some people who thing like this and it’s disgusting.

Finally, do NOT blame your behavior on any mental disorder or condition or upbringing anything really. This is something that I’ve seen before and Momokun is just one of many who have done this.  Having ADHD, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, autism (high functioning), or bipolar disorder is NOT an excuse for inappropriate actions! I have known MANY people who have used excuses like these as an excuse for being assholes or doing something idiotic and it needs to stop. My toxic booth mate often used her upbringing and bipolar disorder as the reason for being asshole, I knew of an incident where a friend’s coworker was acting obnoxious and loud and when called on it they stated “I have autism so I don’t know any better”. I have a few friends who are high function autistic and when I told them the story they even said “yeah no, you don’t scream and act out if you’re high functioning”.  Being “smart” doesn’t give you the right to spout racial slurs or jerking off into cups. Not knowing any better is also not an excuse because you DO know better. If someone is  telling you or giving you a sign of being comfortable, STOP your behavior. Being female, LGBTQ, male, or anything does not give you the right to do anything and don’t use it as a reason why you’re acting in a socially unacceptable way. It’s making yourself and anyone with those conditions, upbringings, and groups look bad and it’s not fair to them!

In conclusion, remember to always have fun at a convention. That’s the sole purpose of a con, fun. As attendees you al can make things easier by reporting any wrong doings, calling someone out when you see something not right, or just following basic social norms. Just use common sense people.

[lickstynine]

⭐️ ⭐️ all your ocs please!

I’ve been working on this for literally a day. I have 25 active OCs, so here’s FIFTY FUCKING FACTS because apparently you’re trying to kill me

Asher-He’s the only one of Vody’s sons who doesn’t grow up to be super tall. It’s a combination of poor eating habits and unfortunate genetics.-He eats spicy food when it’s offered because he wants to look tough, but he actually can’t handle his spice well at all.

Felix-He can solve a rubik’s cube in under thirty seconds.-He once singlehandedly cleaned his family’s entire house in one weekend.

Luke-They want to get a tattoo, something cute and floral on their collarbones, but they’re afraid it’ll hurt too much.-They’re considering dyeing their hair, but they’re torn between peach and lavender and light aqua.

Nate-He used to wear his hair in braids, but when he came out, he cut it all off, and he decided to leave it loose when he grew it out again.-He can grow a beard, but prefers to keep his face clean-shaven.

David-He’s read every Star Wars novel ever published, and has a spreadsheet ranking them based on quality.-He has a series of freckles on his shoulder that look like a blobby turtle.

Kazu-He naturally has a lot of effeminate mannerisms, but they’re hidden under a thick layer of forced masculinity and bitchiness, cause acting girly used to get him beat up.-He’s actually really good at sewing, cause he couldn’t afford to buy new clothes when they tore, and it’s hard to find clothes that fit right when you’re v tall and v thin.

Min-He likes to use either buttercream or modeling chocolate to decorate cakes, cause he thinks fondant tastes like sugary play-doh.-He once spent an entire weekend in a bondage harness and handcuffs.

Takao-He has several friends at school, but they’re starting to worry that he’s homeless or something cause he’s terrified to introduce them to his parents.-His cat is named Nostradamus, but Kazu can’t pronounce that and just calls him Noodle.

Kit-He’s considered getting contacts, but thinks he looks better with glasses.-He has such good hearing, he was once woken up by a maid knocking over a vase on the opposite side of the house.

Ellery-He only dyes the sides of his hair because it’s technically against dress code at his job. He parts his hair in the middle and combs it down so it hides the colour at work.-There’s like three girl nurses who have a crush on him. He has no idea.

Lucy-He’s been kicked out of a Hot Topic for trying to draw a pentagram on the floor with a red paint pen.-He finds bubblegum pop very catchy and is aggressively in denial about it.

Russ-He seems big and strong, but he lowkey just wants a stronger guy to sweep him off his feet.-He’s slightly crosseyed, and even though almost no one notices, he’s very self-conscious about it.

Cody-He keeps a sort of stubble-beard not for the aesthetic, but because he’s way too lazy to shave daily. His laziness was only encouraged when Hayley told him it looked good. These days, he only shaves a couple times a month.-Hayley picked out most of his wardrobe for him. Before she took him shopping, he owned like four t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and a pair of shorts. It wasn’t cause he couldn’t afford more clothes, he just didn’t care.

Hayley-She’s super obsessed with musicals, and makes Tamara and the boys learn parts so they can sing with her.-She’s the shortest of the triplets, and by far the widest, but all three sisters have the same shoe size. They share and borrow shoes constantly.

Tamara-She’s been wearing the same pair of glasses for about four years. Her prescription has changed, but she can’t afford new ones.-She really likes watermelon-flavoured things, but she tries to avoid them cause she feels like she’s being a stereotype.

Jace-He has a very broad vocal range. Think Brendon Urie, but he can go a bit lower and not *quite* as high.-He has a YouTube channel where he posts covers of songs he likes, and he also runs the YouTube for his band, Funeral Crashers. He’s the creative (read: insane) mind behind their music videos, and he actually has the budget to do some pretty cool shit.

Wren-He hasn’t cut his hair (save for trimming split ends) since elementary school. It’s about halfway down his back, but gradually nearing his ass.-He likes the flavor of cinnamon, but its slight spiciness bothers him, so he rarely eats it.

Silvan-He’s had the same jacket for about six years. At this point, it’s more patches than original fabric, but he’s still too broke to replace it.-He changed his last name when he moved to the (then Royaume, now République) de la mer du Sud, to fit in better and to feel more detached from Schwaerzenscheid.

Yves-He has a total baby face, and since he’s also short, he gets mistaken for a kid a lot. He stays clean-shaven anyway, because he can only really grow about half a mustache, which looks even worse.-Even though he’s an avid follower of the national religion, he’s an aggressive advocate for religious freedom, as the République is less than kind to citizens of other beliefs.

Serafino-He has a septum piercing, but that’s a fairly common thing in his home country of Estado de Ocaso. It’s a somewhat dated tradition at this point, but it’s def not looked down upon by stuck-up fucks like it is in our world.-Even though it makes him stick out like a sore thumb, he still wears traditional Ocasan clothes while he’s in the République. He refuses to ignore his heritage just to make other people more comfortable.

Désirée -She works at a biotech company, where she’s designing more functional prosthetic limbs. However, work has pretty much ground to a halt since the second revolution, so she’s taking an unofficial hiatus to join in the fighting. -Despite being the only girl in the group, she’s the second tallest. She’s shorter than Silvan (though most people are, he’s 6’2”), but at 5’10, she’s an inch taller than Serafino (which he h a t e s), and she’s got a solid four inches on Yves.

Ryan-He tends to take selfies in a really awkward pose, cause he loves to show off his heterochromia but doesn’t want to draw attention to his birthmark. As a result, most of his pics are at like a ¾ MySpace angle.-He’s a bit of an arrogant douche, but he has a decent Instagram following, where he posts lots of videos of him dancing and photos of him trying on new costumes and shit, so he has a handful of internet friends cause they don’t realize what a pain in the ass he is irl.

Siofra-She kinda wants tattoos, but is afraid they won’t look right with all her freckles.-She goes on walks/hikes with Finny at least five days a week.

Riagán-He once broke his arm on a homemade zipline. It’s a miracle that’s all he broke.-He’s incapable of shaving/trimming his beard without making tons of stupid faces in the mirror.

Cillian-He’s the only one of his siblings who needs glasses. Riagán likes to hide them just to be annoying.-He once ditched school to try out for a musical, only to barely make the chorus. It’s one of his most embarrassing and frustrating memories.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

I Believe In A Thing Called Love, Chapter 2: Touching Me

Schneider’s not the only one who is good with his hands. Blatant wish fulfillment, the sequel. 

Penelope x Schneider, One Day At A Time. Also on AO3. Chapter 3 will go up on 2/26.

“Maybe I can help you another way.”

“If you’re offering to put me out of my misery...not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, but I’m really looking forward to the next Deadpool movie.”

“Shut it.” She squeezed his hand. “I was talking about professional help. I might be able to ease up that muscle spasm, at least enough so you can breathe.”

Schneider blinked teary eyes at her from behind his glasses. “If you could, I would be eternally grateful. I’ll buy you lunch. No, dinner. No--a pony. Do you want a pony?”

Penelope was studying in her empty apartment when the knock jolted her out of her reading.

Well, it wasn’t a knock so much as a thud. The sound alarmed her enough to have her off the couch immediately, leaving her books splayed across the cushions.

“Schneider!”

He was breathing hard, holding himself up with a hand braced against the doorframe, and even whiter than usual.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong?”

“Can...can I come in? I need to sit. Or lie down. Yeah, lying down sounds better.”

Schneider staggered past her when she stepped out of the way, dropping gracelessly onto the free couch cushion as she shut the door.

“Schneider, why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Because I’m dying.”

He groaned, and Penelope gathered up her papers to make space next to him.

“You’re not dying. Are you sick, though? Because I have a major math test coming up and I’d rather not add a fever to the mix.”

“No, I’m not contagious. Just in pain. I thought I could make it back from the McGurbs’ but I couldn’t walk any more.”

“Too much spinning again? Are your...” Penelope decided to leave that question unasked. “Are you numb?”

“I wish.” He tried to take a deep breath, but winced and hissed the air back out. “I think I pulled a muscle in my Bikram yoga class this morning. I never should have tried to hold that handstand for so long.”

“Handstands? Isn’t that more like gymnastics than yoga?”

Schneider sighed, clutching his torso. “It wasn’t an official pose. More...aspirational.”

“Stupid.”

“Yeah, not my proudest moment. There were pretty girls there, in clingy athletic wear. Anyway, I thought I was fine, I figured it would work itself out.”

“And?”

“Now I can barely walk. It’s like...it’s like the muscle knotted itself around all my other muscles and keeps squeezing tighter, and tighter...I just want to stay in the fetal position until it stops. Or I die.”

Schneider squeezed his eyes shut. “That would also be acceptable at this point.”

“Well, like I said, I have a test,” Penelope replied firmly. “You can’t die here.”

“Can I stay in the fetal position?”

“You mean, moaning and crying in my living room? No. Studying, Schneider. Reading and highlighting and attempting to retain information. What part of that says ‘please come disrupt the process with your whining?’”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I never should have--” He tried to stand and fell over, half on top of her. “Oh, my god. It’s bad, Pen. It really hurts.”

“Oomph. Get off me, you Canadian maple tree.” She helped him back down to the couch cushion, listening to his labored breathing.

“You’re not kidding, are you? It’s really that bad.”

“It’s like I’m being stabbed with one of those grabber claw machine things, and then it’s twisting--”

Penelope clapped her hand over his mouth. “Okay. I get it. No more word pictures.”

Schneider sank into the couch, slumping a little while she frowned in his direction.

“I think you need to go to the ER, Schneider. If you’re having trouble breathing, it must be a really bad cramp.”

“No hospital.” He shook his head. “It’s just a muscle thing, it’ll stop eventually.”

“Will it stop in the next twenty minutes? ‘Cause that’s all the time I have before Mami should be back with the kids and my quiet study night is over.”

“Probably not,” he admitted. “I’ll go.”

Schneider managed to stand, visibly sweating from the wobbly effort. Penelope couldn't ignore the sharp pang of guilt.

“No, don’t do that. You’ll pass out in the elevator and Mami will find you stuck there in the morning when she leaves for Mass. You’re sure you don’t want to go to a doctor?”

“They have so many questions at the ER, Pen. 'What’s your insurance company?’ ‘Do you have any allergies?’ ‘Why did that pain pill we gave you result in your arrest for public nudity and vandalism?’ I don’t want to have to go through the whole thing...again.”

She nodded, resting her hand over his, where he was trying to push the pain back by force. “I get it. No hospital.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to wreck your night, though. Could you just help me up to my place?”

The thought probably wouldn’t have occurred to her if it were any other man on her couch, but when it did...she realized it wasn’t as crazy as it sounded in her head. Schneider had been there for her when she needed it.

“Maybe I can help you another way.”

“If you’re offering to put me out of my misery...not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, but I’m really looking forward to the next Deadpool movie.”

“Shut it.” She squeezed his hand. “I was talking about professional help. I might be able to ease up that muscle spasm, at least enough so you can breathe.”

Schneider blinked teary eyes at her from behind his glasses. “If you could, I would be eternally grateful. I’ll buy you lunch. No, dinner. No--a pony. Do you want a pony?”

“I just want my living room back,” she replied dryly. “Okay, easy now.”

Penelope pressed him into the back of the couch so that he was leaning away from her. Slowly, she pried his hand off his side, then tugged up the bottom of his t-shirt.

“Is this where it hurts?”

Her fingers were hovering near the skin he had reddened with pressure from his hands, but not touching. He flinched anyway. “Yeah. That’s the spot.”

“Okay. I’m not gonna lie to you, Schneider. This is going to hurt. But then it should get better. Ready?”

He squared his shoulders a little and nodded, fixing his trusting eyes on hers. “Ready.”

Later, she would tell that part of the story by comparing his scream to a wounded hyena. ‘A female one,’ Penelope insisted on adding, each and every time.

In the moment, Schneider nearly blacked out. But she was right, he could breathe again, after a few moments of her careful attention to the group of muscles that were seriously pissed at him.

“Okay. Okay--I’m okay.”

“I know you’re okay.” She smirked at him, with a fond sort of amusement. “It’s just a muscle cramp, Schneider, it’s not like you got shot.”

“A really, really bad muscle cramp.”

“Yes.” She brushed her thumb over his side, checking out the area now that he was taking deeper breaths. “Very bad, but I think you’ll survive. Just maybe lay off the handstands for a while.”

Penelope rubbed slow, firm circles around the place he’d hurt, noting his sharp intake of breath. “Just need to make sure it’s not going to go back into spasm. There, how does that feel?”

His voice was tight when he replied. “It’s fine. Thanks, Pen.”

“Are you sure?” He didn’t sound fine. The edge in his tone worried her.

“Yeah. I’m good now.”

When she frowned and angled her fingers down a little, brushing them testingly over his skin, Schneider reached up and gripped her hand.

“Stop. Please.”

“What...”

Her eyes moved past his lap on their way to their joined hands, and Penelope was suddenly very aware of a different muscle group that was clearly in perfect health.

“Oh.” She pulled her hand back like he was on fire and stood up.

“Yeah. Um, sorry. I didn’t-I don’t--”

It didn’t have to be weird if they refused to make it weird, she decided. And she desperately wanted things to remain not-weird between them.

So Penelope ran a hand through her hair and chuckled. “Schneider, you know, it’s no big deal. You’re a guy; it happens. If I had a dollar for every patient that reacted that way during a basic physical exam...well, I’d be you.”

“I...” His brow furrowed, but he changed his mind about whatever he was originally going to say. “Okay. Um, I think I can walk now. In a minute.”

She nodded. “Good. I’m glad. You’re not sweating anymore,” she added, pleased.

“Nope. That I am not,” he agreed. “You’re a miracle worker, Penelope Alvarez.”

“Ha. I’m just a nurse.”

“Miracles,” he countered seriously. “Working them. Often.”

Penelope waved it away, but a happy flash of warmth spread through her. "Alright,” she declared after giving him another minute to recover. “Let’s get you home. Can you stand on your own?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Slowly, Schneider straightened up to that ridiculous height of his--offering her a weak smile when he succeeded.

“Good. That’s good.” She led the way to the door, holding out a hand just above his waist in case he decided to do something terrible, like fall over.

“I highly recommend a heating pad,” Penelope advised him as they walked down his hallway. “No ice--you don’t want the muscles to cool down and tighten up before they’re ready. But a low heat, that will help them stay relaxed while you recover. And not too much moving around. You hear me?”

“Yeah, Lupe, I hear you. Heat good, cold bad.”

They were outside his door before Schneider realized she was staring at him. The familiar nickname had fallen off his tongue by accident; he called her that in his head sometimes, though it felt too personal to actually say out loud.

He blamed the pain. Clearly, it shut his brain right off.

“So...thanks. I’m feeling much better. I’m gonna buy you that pony,” he added faintly when Penelope just kept staring.

That seemed to snap her out of whatever she was thinking. She smiled when she registered his words.

“No, thanks. What would I do with a pony?”

“I don’t know. Braid its tail? I thought every little girl dreamed of having a pony when she grew up.”

“Some of us prefer flowers,” Penelope told him, grinning, before she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek in farewell.

“I’m not kidding, though, Schneider,” she added as she backed down the hall, facing him until she disappeared around the corner. “Put some heat on that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Yotsuiro Biyori 1 | Kakuriyo 2 | Lupin 3 Pt 5 2 | Saredo 2 | BnHA 40 | Boueibu HK 2 | Mahou Shoujo Ore 3 | Golden Kamuy 2

Yotsuiro Biyori 1

I memorised this show’s name as being “Rokuhoudou”, so I almost didn’t recognise it at first when CR got it! I’m only taking it on because of the SoL aspect, which I’m normally not too sold on. However, there was a lot of slice of life this past winter, so I can see this being moved to the on hold pile already…

Mitarashi (dango).

Why do I get the feeling there was something fishy (time travel, a death or something) that happened to make the Rokuhoudou the way it is? I say “time travel” because of what I read about this show on ANN.

Is it just me, or does the background around this woman look kind of flat? The bins seem pretty flat, at the very least…

I can see what the woman means when she goes “This is a café?” It sure don’t look like one, it’s more like a temple or something.

I almost expected the woman to mangle the name of the café and go “Shika-kaede-tou” or something. How do the Japanese manage to get all these kanji combo pronunciations right???

“Don’t dodge my question, you king of BS.” – Just another quotable, alongside “Just Google it, asshole.” (Boueibu HK)

I thought the latte art was a dog at first, but yeah, if I look at it differently, it’s a bunny!

Kusamochi. By the way, I was thinking this show is really charming. Sure, I had more than enough Cute Boys Doing Cute Things in the winter, but these guys have quite the rapport. Now if only I could figure out what their names are (properly)…

Wait, so did that board/sheet/whatever inside that inspired Redhead refer to Kinako (cat) or kinako?

Lemme get this straight – black hair is Tokitaka, brown hair (latte) is Gure, desserts boy is…shoot, I don’t know…Update: Gure has black hair, not brown. It’s just shorter than Tokitaka’s.

I got no Google hits for Koubai pink, but Yurushiiro pink I did…so here you go. Yurushiiro pink was a pink that wasn’t banned by the emperor of Japan back in the day where he had more power. It seems to be a shade somewhat similar to cherry blossoms.

Tokiiro pink = rose gold and Yoshino cherry white = a pinkish-white.

Nerikiri is a type of wagashi.

Some of the subs got cut off! Grr, CR! So, here’s my attempt to translate what they have on that board of Redhead’s: after “butterflies”, there’s “plum” (ume), “bamboo shoots” (take no ko) and “new leaves” (wakaba). CR definitely used a longer word combo in place of “new leaves” though, so I could be wrong. That writing’s pretty scribbly, after all.

Redhead is Tsubaki (see? I have a horrendous memory when it comes to learning things for the first time)…so who am I missing?

Sakuramochi. It’s that grainy sort of pink, leaf-bound mochi you often see in shows like this.

Gure seems to like his Italian, doesn’t he? Is he half-foreign or is this just being a fan of the language of pasta?

“…think about the spring sunshine.” – So why the cat background?

Okay, I’ve found whose name I’ve forgotten. Sui (brunette).

Tokishirazu salmon. LOL, that salmon’s perfect for Tokitaka!

I don’t think they showed the chopstick holder earlier, but it’s a heart. It really is cute!

Interestingly, this woman brings to mind the idea of meiwaku when she says that it was her fault.

Oh, they weren’t heart shaped, they were cherry blossom shaped! That makes a lot more sense! (The shapes are similar though…)

Makunouchi bento…that sounds familiar, for some reason.

Hanami dango. I’m sure you know them, even if you’re not familiar with the name...so long as you’ve watched enough anime to see them at least once.

Ah, I bet Gure is a happy drunk, LOL.

Hah? There’s Sui (when he was younger)? Not in this episode, no…There was also a Tsubasa Fujita who was voiced by Hibiku Yamamura. I assume that’s the woman we were following today, but it might’ve been her friend or someone in a later episode…

Manjyu chazuke. I had to use the Japanese words to get some hits (as opposed to the romaji I just used), but whoever said that thing about Ougai seems to be correct.

Omusubi seems to be another name for onigiri.

Sencha.

That seems like less of a drop than I first thought...it’s going to be tough to cut down on all these shows. I’m clearly being affected by how much I opened up my watchlist, because remember those days where I’d only take on two shows a season?

Kakuriyo 2

Wow, the oni really has it in for her now...or is it really that hard to get a true read of him?

I somehow wagered the tengu was going to remind Aoi of her old man a few seconds before she did just that. That’s a bad sign...

Would a tengu have been too heavy to fly if it were drowning?

Seriously, this tengu never thinks of flying. I’m laughing, but I’ve realised this show’s strength seems to be its humour more than anything.

The airship has the kanji for “Ten” (from Tenjinya).

The pace of this show goes like molasses, so I think I’ll put it on hold here.

Lupin III Pt V 2

“Did you finally start caring about the environment?”

Holy helicopters, Batman! The AW609...exists!

“...Lupin used to escape!”

They’re being chased and yet still have time for hotpot, LOL. Never change, Lupin. Never change.

I never thought I’d see the day where a situation like the one Ami’s in could ever be talked out of in anime. Normally a scenario like that one is played for drama...

I guess even Lupin has a moe instinct, LOL.

That social media service looks a lot like Twitter, eh?

Apparently Shinpei Mayama is new this episode...Keep watching.

The Flea? He looks more like a hikikomori monster to me, LOL. (Boueibu reference, don’t mind me...)

I get the feeling I should know these people that are all showing up, but I feel like I don’t need to know about their backstories to appreciate them going forward. Thus, I will keep this show. Once again though, it’s a tentative keeper.

Saredo 2

I’m zoning out...I need to drop this show, don’t I?...

Soleil? Is that Gayus’s surname? (Basically, I got roped back into watching it with one reveal, LOL. I’m such a finicky person.)

One Hundred Ways to Train Your Dragon, more like it, LOL.

Oh great. Every time they have a religious figure, the show always seems to go downhill...(thinks back to Vatican Miracle Examiner)

Wow, “pessimistically optimistic”€. That’s quite the paradox!

The power of politics is to back up one voice with lots of voices, so...uh...about that, Cardinal Mouldeen...

“Come on, you slaves of authority.” - LOL. What a name.

“[Gigina’s] a sword dancer...” - Oh, so that’s why sinners dance with the dragons! A “dancer” is a magician in this world.

Okay, seriously. How did I not see how bad this show was in the first episode? If your side characters are more developed than your main ones, you’ve got a problem.

I’ve never seen a man more dedicated to fantasy-style IKEA than Gigina, LOL. At least that’s fresh.

I don’t think I even want to document this for later, but who the heck is Diorg?

I completely regret praising the rapport between Gayus and Gigina now. You can have some great convos when one member of the convo’s drunk, but this is a bit of a mess of a convo, tbh.

Even without the big names, I suspected the woman was connected to the black dragon...

This is a show where property damage counts, right? Gayus’ll throw a fit later, eh?

Okay, I think I’ve complained about this show way too much. Once I start seeing something in a negative light I start to sound really critical, and a lot of the time it’s actually not as rewarding as hatewatches should be, which is why I haven’t tackled anything for hatewatch purposes yet. It’s just a fun-sucker, if that’s the case, and that was definitely the case with this show.

BnHA 40

Wait, why is the camera-oh, it’s just Mineta. Get off the audience’s case, Mineta.

Is it just me, or is it that every time I read “Wild, Wild Pussycats” I get this song in my head?

I love how the Pussycats are basically magical girls with those poses!

How did they not censor Dragon Quest??? (LOL)

Aizawa likes cats? That’s new, but it’s also very in line with what we know of him already.

Oh, I see. She’s a Christmas cake!

What does GG stand for in that context, huh? “you GG bastard”, hmm...

Between BnHA and Tiramisu, you’re definitely in luck if you like muscular boys!

I feel like Kota’s a hypocrite. After all, he’s at his aunt’s and his aunt is a rescue hero...

Kota is very much like Midoriya in a few ways, don’tcha think?

Kota’s name has a lot of water in it, doesn’t it? (Both kanji in his name have water radicals.)

Boueibu HK 2

For some reason, Wakura actually seems happy about his outfit...even though he criticises it.

I’m kind of confused about that “hammer and pigeon”€ thing myself, although hato = pigeon which you can vaguely hear in Furanui’s sentence.

I love Wakura’s serious face...seriously, I need to figure out who best boy is soon, eh?

LOL, I said platypus was kamonohashi, yeah? Kamo can mean duck and it can be short for “maybe” (kamoshirenai).

Wahey, Binanshi Contest! Was it no. 1704 last ep as well?

Well, spoilers beat me on this one, but Tawarayama was a principal after the other guy...but then what are the HK DC gonna do about an advisor?

Ehhhhhhh? This I didn’t see! Shuzenji calls Ata by that name!

The student council room hasn’t changed at all, I see.

“Get fat!” - Wow...(LOL)

Calling it now - Unazuki is a yes man. Very Arima-like...

Strangely, Maasa’s sentence doesn’t specify Furanui is “shrimpy” at all. He just calls Furanui “this thing”€ (konna).

Does this mean Maasa has a thing for cool belly dancer guys? Hmm? Or is it just the magic he’s impressed with?

That board on the wall of the student council room hasn’t changed at all, which is what tipped me off to my earlier comment.

Ritter = knight. So our ES are Diamond, Rose Quartz and Amethyst. There’s not as much of a pattern going through these guys as there was with the CA, but it’ll have to do.

Oh wow, that summary took almost half an episode! No wonder the DC ran off!

The massage thing really calls to mind the manga...

108 is a Buddhist number. I wonder if there’s any significance to that...

July 18th? Boy, another July baby (thnks back to En)...

Getanha are cakes from Kagoshima, where the Kirishima onsen is.

Lorbeerprinz says ”druck” is pressure...but...well, I never thought I’d see the day I regretted not learning German, that’s all. Sorry. I got nothing on this.

This shabu shabu stuff reminds me of the chikuwabu talk in LOVE! s1 ep 1. (nostalgia washes over everyone)

They definitely upped their 4th walling this season, eh? First the layout artist thing, now this “cut off by the frameâ” thing.

The river I’d assume is the Sanzu (river you have to cross before you die) and I guess the flowerbed has to do with that. Kyotaro is Fiore Kiss though...which seems somewhat ironic.

At least they’re fully clothed prior to this transformation...but I didn’t mind seeing them transform from their birthday suits last episode, either...

What is that? *squints* It appears to be Taiju’s phone. Atsushi’s last season was green so I can see why this one’s plum.

Applying self destruct boosters is a lot easier than it looks. (thinks to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, where cake makes a character explode)

There’s a list of ground rules, including “let’s protect morals and manner”...whatever “manner” is. I guess the Furanui Knights, who aren’t actually on the ground, wouldn’t be subjected to “ground rules”, eh?

This one was clearly a case of “didn’t think of something for himself”, huh...

Do they have hot baths in Honyara Land???

Kamopapa’s VA was someone with the surname “Nishimura”...gotta look this guy up later, I guess. Seeing the actual visuals of the ED for once is so exciting, though!

The statement on the scroll in the back means “scholarship and the martial arts”, which is just another way of saying Ata’s a perfect student and is continually striving to be one.

Maasa’s hair antenna is a heart in the ED. That’ll get him charm points for sure.

Lookit them badass swords! They even have corresponding gems on them!

A-ha! I thought the final defeat song was Happy Ready. These marketing guys are too predictable...

For some reason, this ED is a lot more Detective Conan than the last one. I can’t quite put my finger on why though...

This next ep preview’s the best! I wanna quote it! “You know how there are things you see every day, but you don’t actually know what they’re called, so you just say “the thing” or “the whatever-it-is”? The next episode’s about that sort of stuff.” Update: It really is about that sort of stuff, this preview’s just uber-vague...

Mahou Shoujo Ore 3

Wow, they’re really leaning on the 4th wall this week, aren’t they?

The lyrics by and large really don’t make sense, so I feel quite thankful I’m not listening to the audio track right now, LOL.

(at “This way, squirrel!”€) What in animals’ name is this Pokemon? (LOL)

Hey, uh...is it just me or did both magical boy shows opt for the flashbacks this week, too?

What’s the age difference between Sakuyo and Mohiro? Kid!Mohiro doesn’t look older than 12 here.

“Thus concludes Sakuyo’s Thrilling First Love.€”

One thing I’ve noticed with lots of magical girls is that they have earrings. Arima (Boueibu) had them, but these guys do too.

“...looks so much like Mohiro-chan...”€ - Now that I look at Sakuyo’s magical boy form, he does kinda look like Mohiro eyes-wise...

God of Conquests? That refers to the main character of The World ____ Only ______, right?...Yup, I think so!

Have we been watching the same fight scene for almost an episode? Geez, flashbacks.

Can I like Mohiro-chan too? Because this eyecatch completely sold me!

The pixelation’s probably going to give me motion sickness one of these days (exaggerating), but if they overuse it, I’m definitely gonna go on about it.

Max Heart? I wonder if Astral’ll get it? I sure do, but I don’t know if he will.

I think I spotted a chick design on Mohiro’s jumper...?

Wow! Self-deprecation, much? (somewhat sarcastic) (The magazine this series ran in deals with BL, according to the blog header here. Mahou Shoujo Ore flip flops over that boundary, so you can see how it got into it...)

”Wherever there’s a magical girl, that’s where you’ll find me!”€ (Or should that be plural?)

Oh no, don’t even try going there, Sakuyo (laughing as I type this)...thank goodness they didn’t compare their...uh, hand grip. Yeah, the strength of their hand grip! (sweat sweat)

What was Saki drinking, wine? (somewhat sarcastic, somewhat skeptical)

Asano Shinbun is a parody of the Asahi Shinbun, one of the 5 biggest publications in Japan in regards to newspapers.

If you don’t remember from Mob Psycho 100, “mob” in this case means “just another face in the crowd”. Like the name ”Jane Doe”€ in English. The henohenomoheji style is a distinctive touch, though.

They’re being serious about the TV appearance thing? Never would’ve thought that, considering how that was a parody of Superman changing outfits in a telephone booth. Either that or some other superhero...

Golden Kamuy 2

Those pinecones sure look like prawns to me...

Ooh! OP! much hype, such wow. Also, a Man With a Mission OP is definitely something to keep an ear out for.

(in the OP) The letterboxing effect is cool here.

Sugimoto’s asking about tattoos because people with tatts wouldn’t be allowed into baths. At least, that’s the rule nowadays...

Karafuto.

This guy reminds me of Kaiji...or Akagi...or whatever the guy’s name is.

Gah, enough with the fire! This isn’t Blingee, for gold diggers’ sake!

Well, at least Sugimoto and Asirpa can take the skin nowâ...

The Ainu cooking show strikes again. Not that I’m complaining about it, it’s strangely interesting in an odd way. Not to mention the action mitigates any weirdness these parts might give the show.

Squirrel brain. Never in my life would I have dared to type that…until now. (Or eat it, but please don’t make me harm cute squirrels...)

I think Iâ’ve seen so many Shokugeki no Souma parodies/variations, I kind of expect every (pseudo-?)cooking show to do something like it. The fact Golden Kamuy didn’t do it surprised me in that way.

This guy! He did a Valentine’s promo for the show! His nameâ’s Shiraishi!

What a regular Houdini, eh?

This show is so comical in such a way you’d never see in another show. I love it.

Shiraishi with a raccoon on his head, LOL.