#shoutout to my period for making it worse but i will win

[pebblesmustard]

One of these days I'm going to stop overthinking after any type of social interaction (whether in person or online) and not even entertain the thought that people I talk to actually hate me after talking to me because I somehow made the conversation weird or said something wrong... I mean...it's not going to be today...but, like...one of these days for sure.

[kirschteinoir]

just thinking about kuroo after the battle of the dumpster...

saw the haikyuu movie and cannot stop thinking about this man!!! kuroo is such an important character to the story and i'm glad his boobs are as big as his love for the game <3 when i tell you i was giggling kicking my feet in my chair whenever he appeared on screen... (≧◡≦) ♡

warnings; teensy bit angsty but has a happy ending i promise!!! mild spoilers for the battle of the dumpster movie and the timeskip

didn’t allow himself to be upset about losing to karasuno until he was alone late at night. for the first time in a while he allowed himself to stay up until the early morning, taking a leaf out of kenma’s book. after everyone else had gone to sleep, he snuck downstairs and re-watched the TV highlights of the match, scrutinising every detail (against his better judgement). he probably doesn’t even realise he’s crying until he can feel snot starting to drip down his lips and he momentarily grosses himself out. but he just lets himself cry and cry, horrible choking sobs that he has to hide behind the sleeve of his jacket so he doesn't wake anyone up. god forbid his team (or coach nekomata) see their giant jokester of a captain expressing his emotions!!!

the ride back home the next day is awkwardly silent. he does his best to remain chipper but he also knows his team needs time to recover and gather their emotions. he makes idle talk with kai since yaku is constantly in tears, who seems to be much calmer than everyone else, and kinda just stares out of the window, chin against his palm, until they pull up outside the school.

he doesn’t see kenma for a few days after the match. partly because kenma has a fever and is sleeping it off, but partly because he doesn’t know what to say to him. especially after the whole ‘thanks for getting me into volleyball’ moment… how do you even begin to talk about something like that? should he even talk about it? or is it something that should be preserved in the moment?

he spends the next few days resting his sore muscles, dodging questions from his dad about how the game went, thinking about how he was going to go to school next week and act like a normal high-schooler again despite feeling like a part of him has died. no more practice, no more volleyball at nekoma high.

of course, everyone at school congratulates the team. they get a shoutout in the school assembly on monday morning and have to awkwardly face the entire school as the principal describes how close they were to winning. it takes a lot for him to not burst into tears again on stage.

a lot of fellow students were cheering them on in the stands and kuroo makes sure to thank everyone sincerely for believing in them as they approach him in the school corridors. people always mention that it was such bad luck that the ball was covered in sweat, causing it to slip in kenma’s hands. kuroo’s smile is strained as he laughs it off, not knowing whether it was worse that their final mistake was something they couldn’t have ever controlled or if he would have preferred it to be a matter of bad technique.

unknowingly he regresses into himself, becoming less talkative and more serious for a short period after the game. it would be especially bad at the end of the school day, when he and kenma would usually meet up and head to the boy’s changing room together for practice. he instinctively packs his gym bag for a while, always realising too late that he didn’t need to bring it with him anymore and then being stuck with it for the rest of the day like some cruel taunt.

eventually he graduates, and real-life problems start replacing the loss of volleyball in his life. he knows the world moved on and now so must he. he speaks to his dad a lot about where he’s going to go after he graduates - he’s always done well in school and performed strongly in the entrance exams he took so he ends up at a decent university in the city, moves away from home (and kenma) to make new friends and start again

on his first day in his new dorm all alone, he feels the introverted, timid kid from his childhood start to resurface again. he thinks he might vomit but he shakes himself out of it momentarily by unpacking his sparse belongings, including his nekoma jacket. it’s comfy, he thinks to himself, and it would be a waste of a jacket if he’d left it to collect dust at home.

thankfully, his lectures and assignments keep him busy for a good month or so once semester starts. at first he texts kenma almost everyday but the younger boy starts to see how kuroo's replies get further apart and much shorter. kenma is still the team’s setter so he doesn’t exactly have free time either, but he wishes kuroo would maybe video call him soon, or at least come home to visit every now and then.

on the whole, kuroo enjoys his first year of university. he’s studying business and joined the uni’s volleyball society and team, through which he made a few friends. people recognise him too, as the captain of the red guys that played that one intense match against karasuno last spring. he’s like ‘yep that’s me :D’ before he thinks about the last time he contacted yaku, kai, kenma or anyone from his life one year ago. he feels guilty and that night, over a bowl of rice and some grilled mackerel, he replies to all of kenma’s awaiting texts (three of them) AND shoots yaku a message about his latest inter-university volleyball match. he also calls his dad, who tells him his sister is back in town and to come home and see her if he can spare the time.

let’s be honest, there probably isn’t a human on earth that kuroo tetsurou doesn’t have chemistry with. he’s definitely fairly popular and the guy that everyone wants to invite out because he always makes it a good time. also had a girlfriend or two (maybe even a boyfriend???) but wasn’t really looking for anything solid so graduated single, much to many peoples' despair.

university got easier when kenma joined him a year later. he helped the younger get acquainted with campus and all the ins and outs of what the students like to do but kenma was never going to be a party animal or a socialite so their dynamic from high-school was largely unchanged. it was just that kenma was now becoming famous and was making shit-loads of money… kuroo was in awe of what kenma had made of his life so far and i feel like he inspired him once again to pursue something he was passionate about, no matter how unconventional it may be

stopped playing volleyball for a while after graduating to work some odd jobs, constantly looking for that one thing that he would do until he would die

one of his uni teammates told him about an internship at the JVA and pushed him to apply for it. of course his application was stellar: interest in volleyball from a young age, outstanding academic performance, captain of his highschool VB team? he was their dream hire

the day he got the internship he invited coach nekomata out for drinks. just the two of them. kuroo still reveres nekomata like a god, despite the older man telling tetsurou he has far surpassed him by now. kuroo remains humble, unconvinced that his future work at JVA would even hold a candle to what nekomata did for him when he was younger. they talk about the nationals match and how it could’ve ended differently, they talk about the nekoma high volleyball club as it is currently and nekomata laments that under kuroo’s leadership it was truly the strongest they’ve ever been. they talk about hinata and kageyama and bokuto and oikawa and all these names from their past excelling in their professional volleyball careers and kuroo realises in his heart of hearts that he wants to be in that world too. maybe not on the court itself but definitely on the sidelines pulling the strings, connecting people. lowering the net.

about me. 

[teamhappyme]

to care for you

rafael barba x female!reader

referenced cases from S17E04 and S17E16

word count: 4k

a/n: this is my first fic that I’m letting the world see and I’m... terrified. i hope whoever reads this gets some joy out of it. shoutout to @qvid-pro-qvo and @hurricanejjareau , y’all got me roped into loving the SVU boys, and this would not have been created if I hadn’t found your blogs. big inspiration over here. alright, here we go friends.

****

“Well you’re going, right?” 

“I haven’t decided.” “Haven’t decided? It’s Liv and Noah, Barba. A christening for the cutest little boy and the most deserving mother. They’ve been through hell this year, they deserve our support. Besides, you’re a devout Catholic, you should be all in for this.”

“First of all, he’s getting christened in a Unitarian church. Second, I wouldn’t exactly use the term devout. The last time I went to church was with you and Carisi after that trafficking case last year.” He said while grabbing another slice of pizza. In your three years since joining the SVU this was the first time you saw Rafael Barba eat a slice of pizza. 

“Careful. You might get some grease on that thousand dollar suit, Counselor.” He glared at you before taking a bite. “If you’re worried about the priest smelling your absence out, Carisi and I have enough devotion to pass on to you.”

“I don’t want any of Carisi’s Catholic guilt.” “You need me to take your confession?” You asked with a smirk. 

There weren’t many people that could get away with pushing Barba’s buttons without getting chewed out by the ADA in his next breath. And when you first started out with the squad, there were many occasions where you and Barba had some heated arguments.

Getting transferred to SVU was an overwhelming experience. You were thrown into the understaffed department right along with Carisi, so the two of you had to step up pretty quick for the unit. There was no adjustment period, trust wasn’t built, it was forced upon the squad. It took about two months for you to really trust the other detectives, but once you did, the unit got into a groove. Cases were being solved left and right and you started to understand the routine of the SVU. 

Until you had to testify. It was six months in, and it was your first testimony with the unit. It was also the first rape case you worked with minor victims. There were four fifteen year old girls accusing their history teacher of rape, two of which disclosed to you. 

You prepped with Barba for an hour the night before, making sure you knew the case inside and out. You felt confident in your answers, and were ready to take the stand. Until the following morning. On your walk down to the courtroom with him, you rushed into the ladies room to vomit up your coffee and your anxiety. Public speaking was never one of your strong suits, and Barba had cautioned you to be prepared for Buchanon’s toxic cross examination.

As you washed your hands and cleared your face, Rafael stayed outside the door, even deterring a woman from coming in. Once you exited, he was waiting at the side, pulling a granola bar and stick of gum out of his blazer pocket. You took the food, as he gave you a nod and waited for your okay to continue the walk down to the courtroom. A slight nod of your own and weak smile got his feet moving again. 

That trial was the first olive branch extended between you and Rafael. He wasn’t one to offer warm greetings, and since you were often glued to Carisi’s hip, it was hard for him to separate you from the enthusiastic detective. There were passive aggressive comments relayed back and forth while trying to indict a perp, and long nights spent deliberating probable cause at the round table. But it wasn’t until you accompanied Liv to One Hogan Place, in a particularly bad mood when you sassed the ADA back after he made a comment about your witnesses being incredibly unreliable, not having time for the shenanigans. 

After that moment, Rafael knew that he could trust you. The passive aggressive comments yielded, but the sass continued. The repertoire the two of you were slowly building drew quite the audience, Carisi and Rollins almost always feeding the fire with more topics to discuss. 

About a year into your tenure here, you started to check in on Barba. The first time you stopped by was originally a business call. Liv needed a warrant asap, already staking out the apartment of a suspect. You rushed over to the courthouse, trying to find any ADA’s secretary when you saw Barba still in his office at midnight. According to Carmen, he rarely went home before 9:00. After that night, you made it a habit to check in on him at least once a week. The DA’s office was a cutthroat environment, and Barba’s office was an even lonelier place. 

Thursday nights were penciled in for your unofficial drop ins, almost through the week but still burning the midnight oil. You would show up around 10:00 with pizza for you, and sushi for his expensive taste every time, knowing neither one of you had time to eat dinner yet. Most of the time, the two of you would work on your respective cases, sometimes sharing notes if the work overlapped. But if it was a slow week, sometimes the two of you would just, talk. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who understood the demanding nature of the job. Your family in particular couldn’t understand why you loved this career so much, but your squad could. It was reassuring to have their support.

“Alright, enough with the holier than thou attitude, Detective. I actually wanted to talk to you about the case.” Sitting up a little straighter in your chair, you wiped your hands on a napkin as he pulled out a manila folder. “I’ve been encouraged by the D.A. to drop the charges against Bobby D’Amico and Noel Panko.”

“What?” “And I have a motions hearing scheduled for Friday morning to dismiss the charges.”

After everything the squad had done for this case, what you saw Amanda put herself through. It was all for nothing.

“Barba, you can’t be serious. We have three victims, two willing to testify. We have footage of them attempting to rape Rollins for crying out loud.”

“Kristi Cryer has changed her story too many times. She was raped, then it was consensual, it was Panko, it was Panko and D’Amico. A jury will never believe her story.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “The jury won’t believe her or you won’t?”

“Hey, you know this isn’t about what I think. This isn’t a case we can win. We have to look at the optics.”

“The optics,” you muttered as you stood up from your seat. “Multiple women were raped by two well-known men in New York society, and the D.A. doesn’t want to make any enemies, right?” 

“You’re taking this worse than Liv did.” You scoffed. “Am I? Good. Because for the rest of their lives, those girls will have to live with the fact that their rapists are still out there. Not to mention their reputations will be ruined. People are going to call them liars, and whores. Their lives are never going to be the same. All because you won’t stand up to the D.A. and do what’s right?” 

Rafael stood up now, his loosened tie swinging from the sudden movement. “If this goes to trial, it will not go our way.”

“What about when you went after DCFS? You went after Musio, Grayson, Sheridan,”

“That was different,” “Why because it was Liv?”

“Because the department was a mess, and there were months worth of evidence of neglect and backdating reports. You were there, and if I remember correctly you were fighting alongside Liv to get me to prosecute.”

You ran your fingers through your hair, not willing to accept that this case was over. “These girls deserve justice, Barba. You were there when Panko went off at Dodds, he knows he’s done.”

“I want these guys just as bad as you do, Y/n. But we do not have the evidence. It’s a he said she said case, with one other accusation from a year ago without a rape kit. Not to mention Rollins went undercover without notifying a superior, tainting the whole investigation. We will make a fool out of ourselves and lose this case in court.”

“And it’s all about winning for the D.A.’s office, isn’t it. Can’t do anything out of the kindness of your hearts, can you?” You knew you crossed the line as you saw Rafael’s shoulder’s drop the slightest bit, his jaw clenched in place. 

“Maybe if you passed the Bar instead of failing three times you could understand why we can’t pursue this. We can’t bring a case to trial based on our emotions. This isn’t your tissue loaded desks, this is a courthouse.” 

You broke the tense eye contact you were holding after his statement. Insulting your academic failures and empathetic tendencies in one foul swoop. That was a low blow, even for the counselor.

Rafael knew his words pierced you. He pushed his chair back and let out a breath, getting ready to back track. But you beat him to the punch. 

“You know, my capability of empathizing with victims is the reason why you’ve put so many rapists away. If they had to speak to you, there would be no cases for you to even prosecute.”

This wasn’t a normal spout between the two of you. Things rarely got personal, and if they did, they were never this spiteful. 

“Then I guess there’s a reason I’m prosecuting in front of the judge and jury and you’re dealing with the victims.”

You scoffed at his final statement. You knew he was cocky, but you didn’t think he would use your insecurities or shortcomings against you. Especially not the fact that you failed the Bar Exam three times, which was only disclosed to him once Carisi opened his big mouth.

Covering your head with your beanie, you made your way to the door before either one of you could do more damage. You fought the urge to apologize, knowing you would need space before you could think of a response.

“Have a good night, Counselor.”

****

“Oh my goodness, Benjamin! Look at that tower you made with Maura! Did you show Luke?” “No. Mama saw it!” You smiled at the two year old through the phone, his own grin lighting up the room even over facetime. “Benjamin, is mama there? Y/n/n wants to talk to her for a minute.”

“I can bring you to her!” Maura took the phone out of the toddler’s hands, but you quickly protested so you could say goodbye to your godson. “Bye Benny, I love you buddy.” He blew you a kiss and you caught it as your little cousin brought you across the room. 

“Auntie Leah! Y/n/n wants to talk to you.” She handed the phone over while settling in next to her aunt. You saw your older cousin’s calming face, and couldn’t help the tears in your eyes.

“I haven’t even said anything and you're already crying,” You let out a laugh and took a sip of water. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.” 

“Y/n, are you at the precinct? It’s 8:00 your time on thanksgiving, what are you doing there?”

“There was some work I needed to get done. If I can’t be with you guys, I can at least get a head start so I can come home for Christmas.” The squadroom was empty now, but it had only been filled by the desk sergeant and a couple uni’s until five. You’d been here since noon, not succeeding in spending the holiday alone in your apartment. “Besides, I’ve been able to ignore all of my mother’s phone calls with the ‘I’m working’ excuse. Has she called you guys yet?”

“Just mom once. You know she doesn’t mean it to hurt you, she just wishes you could spend time with family for the holidays.” “I know.”

Your family meant the world to you, and having missed the last two years of holidays was hard on you. Sure, you saw them eventually, but Christmas and Thanksgiving weren’t the same alone.

“Since I’ve already started Christmas shopping, is there anything Benjamin needs or wants from his godmother?” “He has requested, and I quote, ‘y/n/n’s nummy cookies’.” The smile that spread across your face was so big it almost hurt. That baby boy was probably your favorite person on the planet, besides your own nieces and nephews. “Alright well hopefully he can help Y/n/n make those nummy cookies in a few weeks. If not, I’ll send a box out, along with an amazing present.”

“What about me?” Maura asked, and you just shook your head. “Hey, I’m not made out of money here girlfriend.” She laughed at that.

“Have you at least eaten anything today?” Leah asked, trying to steer the conversation into a more meaningful direction. She could read you so easily. “Yes, I have. I’m not going to be here much longer, so I’ll grab something for dinner on my way home.”

“Y/n/n,” The eight year old interrupted again, and you couldn’t help the smile that etched across your face as you rolled your eyes at the silly nickname. 

“Yes, Maura.” 

“There’s a fancy man walking towards you.” 

You turned your head and saw Barba walking through the squadroom. “I gotta go, Leah.” 

“Is everything okay?”

He pulled over Carisi’s chair, raising a brow to make sure it was okay. You nodded.

“It’s okay. Just a colleague. I’ll talk to you later.” “Okay. We love you and miss you.” Tears pooled in your eyes again as Maura hopped on. “Love you Y/n/n!” A tear fell from your eye as you let out a laugh. “Love you too guys. Bye.”

You ended the call, quickly wiping your eyes now that you had an audience. It was only last night that you had your rather animated argument, and neither of you had reached out. Being stubborn was one of many traits the two of you shared.

“Can I help you, counselor?” 

He held up a brown bag with a receipt stapled to the fold. “It’s thursday night. It’s usually you making trips to the office, but I figured I could take the field trip tonight.” 

He opened up the bag, pulling out cartons of Chinese food. Your hand immediately reached for the fortune cookies, ripping the plastic wrapper off. 

There was a lingering tension in the air, unresolved conflict, and hurt feelings, but it still felt okay. Mainly because the two of you knew you were both to blame. 

“How did you know I was here?” You asked while grabbing the carton of lo mein. “I called Carisi. He said you were supposed to be in Minneapolis for the holiday, but got wrapped up in the case. Said he offered his family to you, but after hearing the commotion over the phone, I understand why you declined.”

“I didn’t decline because of their raucous personalities. I just wanted to get some work done.” 

He digressed, retreating into his carton of fried rice. “What about you? Why aren’t you eating pie and decorating for Christmas with your lovely mother?”

“She volunteered this year. Since Abuelita died, she hasn’t been a big fan of holidays.” You nodded, knowing how hard it was for Rafael to grieve his abuelita last year. 

“How has she been doing?”

He shrugged. “She has good days and bad days. She blames herself most of the time, but she has her school, and her kids to keep her upright.” “And you.” His eyes met yours for a brief second, the corners of his mouth turning up the slightest. He always wanted to do more for his family. 

“Was that who you were on the phone with? Your family from Minneapolis?” 

“Yeah. I was supposed to go out there for thanksgiving, but when we caught Kristi’s case, I cancelled. I thought,” You stopped, knowing any mention of the case would bring up last night’s conversation.  

“We were going to trial.” He finished the sentence and you nodded.

If everything had gone according to plan, Panko and D’Amico would’ve been indicted this week and the trial would’ve begun the following week. You’d already started prepping Kristi with Rollins, making sure she knew her story backwards and forwards. But it was all for nothing it seems.

“Y/n, what I said last night,” You shook your head. “We both said things we didn’t mean. I started it, and was completely out of line.” 

“You weren’t. You were fighting for Kristi, and your case. I just, I didn’t want to hear it.” He ran a hand through his hair, not perfectly quaffed like usual. “I shouldn’t have brought up the Bar. It was low, extremely low, and you didn’t deserve it. You and Carisi could take me out in court in a day. And if you ever tell him that, I’ll deny it until I die.” You laughed while taking an egg roll, crossing your finger over your heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

You let the apology sink in for a minute before starting your own. “I know you would’ve brought this to trial if we had enough evidence. I know that you care about the victims just as much as we do. I’m sorry that I said you didn’t.”

Poking around the container, he let out a scoff. “You weren’t that far off. I’m the D.A.’s puppet, letting him decide which cases I prosecute or not. We don’t have a lot of room for an emotional influence. I know how cold I can be with vics and witnesses.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t care.” 

“Tell that to Kristi Cryer. She posted a vlog today, ripped me a new one for not believing her. Called the D.A.’s office, and I quote, ‘a bunch of spineless jellyfish.’ She’s not wrong. I mean,” He let out a humorless laugh. “I went to law school so I could help people. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself the last twenty years. But in reality, I’ve been climbing the bureaucratic totem pole, pushing myself further and further away from that kid in the Bronx.”

“You don’t seriously believe what Cryer said do you?” He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. You sighed, placing the carton on your desk, leaning over to rest your hand on his arm. “You are the Assistant District Attorney for the Sex Crimes division. People do not last here if they don’t care about the victims. I’ve seen you in court, in testimony prep, hell even in interrogation. You care about every single person that needs our help. Does it suck that the law is not the most accommodating to rapists and pedophiles? Yeah, it’s really shitty. But you didn’t write the law books, as much as you like to believe you did.” A smile crept onto his face. “You care about your mom, your abuelita, everyone that helped you in the Bronx. I know you care about us, even Carisi, although you’d never admit it. You are not a spineless jellyfish, no matter how fun it is to say.”

“You really believe that?” He still couldn’t meet your eyes. It always amazed you how easily the most put together people could fall victim to their insecurities. 

“Rafael, I would not be spending every Thursday night for the past two years with you if I didn’t believe that you were one of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever met. I care about you.”

His green eyes finally met yours as he moved to gently hold your hand that was previously resting on his forearm. He gave it a soft squeeze as you smiled, trying to ignore the butterflies that started blooming in your stomach. The same butterflies that rested there every time your hands brushed when you were walking down the hallway, or when his hand rested at the small of your back to escort you into the courtroom. And after tonight, and the way he was looking back at you, you knew he felt them too.

You spent the next ten minutes finishing off the takeout, sitting in a comfortable silence, not needing to fill the moment with anything else. The two of you kept sneaking glances at one another, breaking out into a sheepish grin if you were caught. 

Once you were done eating, Rafael cleaned up the food as you got all your belongings together for the long weekend. It wasn’t until that moment you realized he wasn’t wearing an expensive suit; he had on a navy blue quarter zip, black jeans, and some loafers. A smile crept up on your face knowing that you got to see him in casual clothes.

“Ready?” He asked as you slipped on your gloves and pushed your chair in behind you. “Ready.” 

You lived close enough to the precinct that it was only a ten minute walk. Rafael lived in the other direction, but still insisted on walking you back to your apartment. An Uber could pick him up from there, he said, because that man would not be caught dead walking across the city in his loafers.

He called for a ride as you approached your block, not wanting him to wait in the cold too long. As you approached the brick walk up, you started to fidget with the keys resting in your pocket. 

“Thank you for dinner. And a double thank you for not making me eat your sushi.” He smiled. “You’re welcome. Thank you for being such good company.”

“Anytime.” A sharp gust of wind hit you, causing you to duck your head into your coat for a few seconds. When you looked back up, Rafael’s cheeks were rosy red and wind burnt, and absolutely adorable. “I’ll see you next week for a warrant, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure. Make sure to get me a coffee on the way, listening to you list the legal reasons why you need the warrant always makes me sleepy.” 

You smiled.“Deal. Goodnight, Raf.”

“‘Night, Y/n.” 

Despite the farewell statements, neither one of you moved. You couldn’t bring yourself to look away from his warm eyes, and it wasn’t until you felt his fingers brush against yours that you moved closer. 

His eyes flickered to your lips for a second, before looking back at you. You took another step towards him, waiting for him to close the gap between you. When he did, all you could feel was the warmth of his lips on yours, and the cold tip of his nose resting against your cheek. 

It was short, the two of you pulling away after a few seconds. But one smile from you had him leaning back in, resting a hand on your cheek as he kissed you again. It was slow and careful, but full of adoration. You couldn’t help but smile into him, bringing your hand up to rest against his own. After a few more seconds, his own smile made it impossible to stay connected. 

This time when you pulled away, you rubbed your thumb across his red, wind burnt cheek, not even trying to suppress the stupid smile on your face. And you were happy to see him grinning the same way.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” He said, shifting his head just enough to press a kiss to the palm of your hand. Neither one of you is willing to ruin this moment with any talks about what this means. “Okay. Get home safe.” “I will.”

One more look at his rosy red cheeks, and you let out a laugh before you let yourself pull away.

“What?” He asked, completely dumbfounded by his affect on you. You shook your head in response. “Nothing.”

He returned your laughter before lightly kissing your lips one last time. You could get used to this. 

“Goodnight, counselor.” You said once you pulled away, lightly shoving him toward the ride that just pulled up. 

“Goodnight, detective.”

****

[croatian-nt]

Mario’s snippet

I recommend reading through my high school AU masterlist(in the notes since tumblr fucked uf links) first for this to make sense 

Word Count: 2293

Warnings: again, some violence, fighting(do @domo-no-domo-yes and I have a thing for injuring main characters and them having anger issues? Perhaps. 

Notes: So this is Mario’s introduction post. Some things you should know about him:

he’s the star striker of the local football club

has an unexpected interest in fashion

Is 18 and in fourth year

Seems very intimidating to most people a lot admire him but keep him at arm’s length

his best friends are Dejan, Mo and Leona(important to note mo and Leona are gender swapped football players. You’ll learn more about them later ;) )

Also big shoutout for @wordpuddle as always for editing our works 

That’s about it. Enjoy :)

For Mario, it was bad enough that he had to be stuck in detention instead of going out or playing football. This wasn’t his first time, and he knew that he technically broke school rules, but the fact that he got detention and Santini got away scot-free for doing something at least equally bad just pissed him off. However, hearing the news that another student was going to join him in detention only made his mood worse.  

He knew that he was supposed to be thankful. Less work and an extra pair of hands did sound like more than a good deal. However, he did not exactly like the idea of someone bothering him as he worked. Also, even if he was supposed to have someone who was going to be serving detention alongside him, they seemed to be running late, and Mario didn't plan on getting in more trouble because he waited for that idiot.

Mumbling “no good” under his breath, he wiped some sweat off his brow, soaked his rag and squeezed out the excess water. Just as he was about to start cleaning the first table, the canteen doors swung open with a loud bang.

Mario quickly turned around, nearly jumping as he was startled by the sudden loud noise. His eyes fell on a certain smirking, blond punk, who looked him up and down as if they never met each other before… even though both of them knew otherwise.

“Not you again.” Mario groaned, fighting the urge to rub his forehead. His detention companion was none other than Domagoj Vida - inarguably the most notorious troublemaker in the entire school, and all too proud of that fact.

Vida's shit-eating smirk only grew at that as he approached Mario with intent, like a panther stalking its prey. Still, Mario refused to budge. Instead, he put down his rag and returned the smirk with a grim, hard expression of his own. He wasn't about to be intimidated that easily by a guy who wore black eyeliner and had a stupid lip piercing.

“Aww...did you miss me, Mr. No Good?” Vida's eyes playfully flashed. Mario rolled his eyes and curled his lip with disapproval. If the idiot thought he could get under his skin quickly, he was in for a rude awakening.

“No, I didn't miss someone who almost ran me over with his bike because he doesn’t know how to fucking drive.” Mario gritted his teeth together, stopping the rest of the insult from pouring out. If he went on, he wouldn’t be able to stop, and he knew that things would inevitably end up as more than a fight with just words. He also knew that while Vida was shorter than he was, he wasn’t a pushover.

He turned around to face the table again, huffing. He couldn’t believe that he was going to be spending detention with Vida for the next month. From the way the punk was dressed, it seemed as if he didn’t even care that he was supposed to be at detention and was going to be cleaning for a couple of hours. In contrast to Mario’s own simple navy tank top and faded jeans, Vida wore his usual all-black - ripped skinny jeans, combat boots, fingerless gloves, at least two necklaces, and a black leather jacket with spikes adorning its collar and shoulders.

“Just leave your stuff and start cleaning...and for fuck’s sake, wear something more practical next time. This is detention, we’re supposed to be working, not fooling around. This is not the time for your stupid pranks unless you want even more detention time.”

He could hear Vida laugh, and he looked back. The blond had taken off his jacket, his tattooed arms in full view now that he was just in his black shirt, and was now pulling his long hair back into a high ponytail. He then gathered the rest of the things he had taken off and set them aside. Mario tried to fight the urge to roll his eyes or say something sarcastic as he tore his eyes away and tried to focus on the task at hand.

“What did you do to end up here? You don't seem like the sort to enjoy having a bit of fun anyway.” Mario didn't have to turn around to know that the fucker probably still had that stupid smirk plastered on his face as he tried to get a rise out of him.

“Who the hell said that it was a stupid prank that landed me here? It’s none of your business.” Mario’s patience was wearing thin, though he didn’t exactly have much of it, to begin with. Vida’s remark, however, made him recall the events of two days ago that led to him getting himself into trouble.

========

“Santini, enough!” Mario roared as Ivan Santini’s fist connected with the jaw of Alen, one of the new recruits. A sickening crack followed, and Mario swiftly grabbed his fellow striker’s wrist, gripping it tightly.

“WHAT THE FUCK?! What does this stupid hazing achieve? What we need are uninjured players to win our games! Are you trying to fucking sabotage us?!” His eyes blazed with anger and hearing Alen whimper in pain, as well as seeing all the other new team members’ bruises only made him more furious. Santini, however, only returned Mario’s glare with a cool expression of his own.

“How many times have I told you that these harmless little exercises are meant to build character? Football is a man’s sport, Mandžukić, and wimpy little boys don’t belong on this team. Do you understand?” Santini’s smile was cold and cruel as he carelessly regarded the players in the locker room. “Or are you too soft?”

Santini laughed, but Mario cut it short by throwing a hard punch at his face, followed by another. Santini’s rough hands grabbed Mario by the neck, but Mario ducked, before elbowing Santini in the gut. He stumbled back, and Mario kicked him down. Before Mario could make another move, however, another voice cut them off.

“MANDŽUKIĆ! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!” Mario, realizing that they were in the school’s locker room rather than the club locker room, looked towards the doorway and saw Coach Lopetegui. The man’s expression was stormy and his arms were folded. Two bad signs. Rather than defend himself, Mario remained silent, his face hard. Frankly, Santini deserved it.

“To the headmaster’s office, Mandžukić! This is not proper behaviour befitting a star striker!” Coach Lopetegui ordered, clearly meaning business.

========

Mario noticed Vida glancing pointedly at his bandaged knuckles, and it almost looked like something akin to understanding flashed through his eyes. It was a brief moment, however, as Vida’s usual smirk crept back on his face a few seconds later.  

“No stupid prank huh? I knew you weren't the fun type. Shame. Doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like you though.” Vida remarked, flashing a brief, impish grin before proceeding to grab one of the rags hanging above the sink.

“Just because you probably got detention for a stupid prank yourself, doesn’t mean I did. Let me guess, were you the one responsible for the beers?” Mario had heard about Mr. Čačić’s outburst after finding beer cans glued to the walls of his office. It was difficult not to, actually, considering that Mario was in the chemistry laboratory, which was right next to Mr. Čačić’s office when the old man discovered that somebody had vandalised his space. The math teacher was known for his short temper after all.

“Hmm...what makes you think that, Mr. No Good?” Vida chuckled as he held his rag under the running tap until it was soaked, then proceeded to choose a table to begin working on.

Mario expected Vida to keep talking and that he will have to try and mute him out during the whole detention but to his surprise, Vida pulled out headphones, quickly selected a song from his playlist and continued cleaning. Mario heard the faint yet distinctive beat of aggressive, hard rock music.  

He wondered exactly how high had Vida set the volume. Even without wearing headphones, Mario could already hear the loud, heavy music. He also wondered exactly how loud it was for someone listening through headphones. He also wondered if Vida could even hear his own thoughts with such loud music. Assuming that of course, Vida was capable of thinking for extended periods of time, which he highly doubted.

As the time ticked, Mario couldn’t help but harbour suspicion towards the blond punk, and he regularly looked over his shoulder to see what Vida was up to. He didn’t want to admit it, but part of him felt as if he was going to spring a trap on him anytime soon. Yet, for some reason, nothing happened. Aside from offering up his headphones a couple of times, and as well as the occasional grin, there was absolutely no indication that Vida was about to do anything that Mario was dreading.

By the end of their detention, Mario found himself seriously considering his impression of Domagoj Vida to be partly wrong. He seemed rather different from his usual, annoying prankster self, at least while serving detention. Of course, part of him was still reluctant to accept this. That part of him was giving him that nagging feeling that, if what he knew and heard about Vida was true, Vida wasn’t going to let him get away that easily.

“I guess I should be going now. See you around on Monday, Mr. No Good?” Vida had shrugged his leather jacket back on and was now buckling his choker around his neck. Mario noticed that the blond was smiling warmly, but he could’ve sworn that he noticed a hint of mischief in his smile. It was fleeting, but Mario was certain that he saw something. His suspicions only heightened when Vida swiftly took his leave. Wondering if something had happened when his back was turned, he reached for his bag and unzipped it. He dug around for his wallet, his keys and his phone, and when he found them, he was secretly relieved to see all of them there, and that none of them had been stolen. He still checked the rest of his bag’s contents, however, not fully trusting the punk. Nothing had been touched either.

Grumbling to himself, he slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder, hung his rag near the sink and left the canteen. When he reached the parking lot, the first thing he noticed was that Vida’s motorcycle was still in its usual spot. He furrowed a brow, remembering all too well that Vida had left earlier than him.

Mario then went over to his own car, thinking that perhaps, Vida was probably just squatting and drinking a beer somewhere in the parking lot. What he didn't expect to see was a familiar black-clad blond leaning over his car and attempting to place a cracked-glass prank sticker on his windshield.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed, letting annoyance slip into his voice. This caught Vida by surprise and nearly made him fall into the car, as it didn’t have its roof put on. Mario couldn’t help but be the tiniest bit amused at the sight, as well as a bit proud of himself for catching Vida in the act. He bit back his laughter, however.

Vida caught his balance and momentarily leaned against the red Bentley to steady himself. He then quickly turned around, the sticker still in his hands. There was a look of surprise on his face as if he did not expect Mario to show up that quickly.

“...Decorating?” Vida’s smirk was its usual cocky self, but Mario knew better. He saw a hint of sheepishness in Vida’s expression, one that someone who had been caught in the act would have.

“Nice try. Give me that.“ Mario quickly snatched the sticker from Vida's hands, tucking it into one of the pockets of his bag. He gave Vida a dark, warning look. “Now get lost before I decide to run you over like you almost did to me.”

Vida rolled his eyes but Mario could see his pierced lip twitching in amusement and the corners of his mouth raising. As if his look had not fazed him the least bit. In fact, Vida was looking into his eyes a bit too intently. As if he was intrigued, rather than intimidated. It was something that Mario wasn’t exactly used to. Most people looked at him with equal parts respect and intimidation, but here was someone who didn’t. Someone who wasn’t intimidated by him, for some reason.

“Just wanted to make your life a bit more fun, Mr. No Good. But I guess you’re still too boring...or at least, making a valiant effort to resist my efforts,” Vida laughed as he threw a mock salute in his direction before they parted ways.

Mario shook his head before getting into the car. That guy really was as much trouble as he originally assumed. And yet, why did Mario take his words as a challenge? He knew that he could’ve easily just ignored them and act maturely, yet here he was, thinking about his next move in the strange but oddly exciting game that Vida had unwittingly started. The thought of wiping the smirk off Vida’s face rather appealed to him.

As he drove home, he momentarily looked at the cracked glass sticker he had swiped, and an idea wormed its way into his mind. He was going to have to head to school early on Monday. If Vida dared mess around with him, he wasn’t going to make things easy, or go down without a fight.

The game was on.

Taglist:

@lovren-la-vida-luka

@ohmylovren

@synne-sol

@loodalo

@croatianstan

@living-lovren

@zadarskabagudina

@marice-marice

@pinessa

@igecko1320

@sejan-is-love

@childsmokers

[tyresso]

Questions tag

I was tagged by @gwencharlottepixels​ a literal MONTH ago lol im so slow

Is your window in your room open? girl no it’s february

Do you like bleu cheese? No & i’m not rying to cheese shame here but imagine liking foot smelling moldy fungi cheese 

Have you ever smoked? No cause my shitty dad always used to blow smoke in my face and now the smell like..triggers me lol

Do you own a gun? I have a nerf gun and it’s lethal Do you like the American or British way of spelling words? i like britain but i rly don’t have the energi to be writing ou when i could just go with o Do you get nervous before going to a doctor’s appointment? Yeah but leaving my house period makes me nervous

What do you think of hot dogs? literally haven’t had one since kindergarten but hotdog water is an iconic beverage

Favorite Christmas movie? that drake & josh christmas special not even joking What color of hair do you like on the opposite sex? Dirty blonde bois for the win What do you prefer to drink in the morning? it used to be coffee until someone called out my coffee breath which shook me to my core so now it’s water:)

Can you do a push-up?

Literally my arms can’t pick up my phone sometimes so like Do you hate celebrities with big boobs that have had plastic surgery? No big tiddies is the seed of world peace

Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry? don’t have jewelry:) too broke fa dat

Favorite hobby? sims hehe What’s the one thing you hate about yourself? can’t take anything seriously it’s so cringy

What’s your middle name? don’t have one Name three drinks you drink everyday? water, coffee and caprisun Current worry? Breaking in my new doc martens cause it’s been like two weeeks and they’re still uncomfortable Do you own slippers? yeah ive actually had the same pink fur slippers isnce i was 8 Would you ever want to be a pirate? Lol! that’s for dweebs!!(pirates don’t come for me) Where would you like to go? to ikea bc my pillows have fucking holes in them. HOLES What type of songs do you sing in the shower? the hannah montana soundtrack just like everyone else If you could make everything on earth one color, what would you choose? Gray bc it matches my mood & it’s my fav color

Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I tried once and glided off the bed maybe six times How do you bring in the new year? I don’t i’m actually stuck in 2008 LOL!!*XD* Favorite place to be? not be an edge queen tumblr lonewolf slut..but my room. or maybe bill skarsgards dick Would you rather live in 1980 or 2080? the 80s cus i could just do everything that i do now.. but with like a book instead of tumblr or smth Favorite color? gray  What color of shirt are you wearing? gray sweatshirt Favorite girl name? Jean (shoutout to the animated xmen show i was obsessed with age 3-11 jean was hot i wanted to be her so bod) Current hate right now? the fly flying around my room like it’s not literally winter & it’s supposed to b dead

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? yesterday this dude in school that literally went to the principal’s office (where i was sitting) just  to ask why penises stand up in the morning man i fucking died

  What artist do you find yourself singing a lot of? ladyhawke’s Paris is burning and maroon 5′s Can’t stop have been stuck in my head for ten years Can you whistle? nope! can’t ride a bike or swim either!

Where do you wish you were right now? i am right where i belong - on tumblr When you were younger, did you ever have cartoon sheets? I had them winx club sheets for so long.. What’s in your pocket right now? not even wearing pants or anything like i literally patted my thighs just now smh

Do you love where you live? I see fights break out everytime i leave the apt it’s wonderful this place is a utopia Do you care about the William and Kate wedding? is this like a pretty little liars or vampire diaries reference or smth? like who

Does someone have a crush on you?

No one sees me I hide in corners Favorite boy name? Dean cus it rhymes with jean What song do you want played at your funeral? amigas cheetas by cheetah girls. i feel like it’s the proper way to mourn my death and it’s how i should be remembered . Worst injury you ever had? i got 3 pieces of glass in my foot all at once one summer. That’s actually worse than like amputating half ur body

Have you had any candy today? I never eat candy bc my teeth are the only thing ppl compliment me on

How many TVs are in your house? Like one hehe we’re broke.

I tag @girl-just-simming-around @ethnicgoddess @itsoceansecret @littlesims2chick (pls ignore this if you’ve already been tagged or just don’t wanna do it)

[thebestplltheories]

Pretty Little Liars 7x20 Til Death Do Us Part - Thoughts

I literally just finished watching the finale and A-List Wrap party right now. I have not seen a single comment about the finale, I don't know how it was received, at all. Sorry if these comments are just reinforcing what everyone else has been talking about for the past several hours, because again, I have no idea what everyone is saying. Here are my thoughts! 

- It did not feel like a series finale to me and I cannot pinpoint why. I felt the goodbye scene at the end was not strong enough. Sasha said that they had to keep re-filming that scene because she was crying too much when she said “this feels like the end of something” - well, I think they went with the take that had not enough emotion, to the point it felt like a regular line and it lost its power. Not just this line, but in general, I never got a sense of “farewell PLL” from this episode, unfortunately. Not saying it’s a bad episode, but, I didn’t get that sense of “thank you and goodbye Spencer, Hanna, Aria, Emily, Alison and Rosewood”. 

- Marlene said that there is one question she cannot wait for fans to find out, but she can’t tell us what this question is without telling us who AD is. What the hell could be this question?

- THEY ALL DID THE SHHHHH TOGETHER, I LOVED THAT

- DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE DURING THE INTRO THAT THE CASKET OPENED, RATHER THAN CLOSE???

- I’ve always said Pretty Little Liars is a two-part show: half a romance show, other half a mystery show. They really demonstrated that tonight, by having almost a very equal divide between the romance and mystery. The entire first hour was romance, and the entire second hour was mystery (plus farewells). The first hour, I was shaking my head. “This is not good. Not good at all.” Sure, there were some cute scenes, like Emison’s proposal, but there was too much fluff in the first half. The second half, it really kicked off. 

- So, my theory ended up being so damn accurate, what the hell! I can't believe it! Even though Spencer’s twin was my foremost suspect going into the finale, I still ended up being shocked, because of the simple fact that they went with it almost exactly exactly exactly how I said! Not just the who, but also the why! I even got the name Alex Drake! 

- Okay, so I got the part wrong about the twin having helped Charlotte play the game from season 3 onwards. And honestly, that is my biggest complaint about the finale: AD started playing the game after Charlotte died, period. Again this is my biggest complaint and this is where the finale fell flat for me. Technically, PLL could have ended with Charlotte’s reveal in 610. Everything we got with Alex Drake’s story, was purely an extension because we got renewed for more seasons. I just know there will be people saying “ugh I’m so mad that AD has no connection to pre-time jump” and yes I fully agree, and that’s my biggest complaint too... but my response is: weren't the extra 2 years nice? Sure AD is irrelevant to seasons 1-6A, sure that is incredibly underwhelming and no where near as good as the fan theories... but we got an extra 2 years of PLL in our lives because of this extra, final A story? I’m grateful? #alwayslookingforthepositiveside

- I do not understand Ashley’s comment. Quote “you finally get to find out who A is, who’s been torturing us for the last 7 years”. Girl... it was just a month or two, in Rosewood time. 

- Am I the only one who never really felt a sense of danger, or intensity? Weird, since it’s the series finale, and literally anyone could’ve died. It’s not like we had another season, and I knew Spencer was safe from dying. Yet, I never truly did feel like Alex would win the fight. I can't take PLL villains seriously for some unexplainable reason.

- I really liked the flashbacks that explicitly showed us the scenes where “Spencer” was actually Alex. That was great. I wanted more flashbacks to earlier seasons, however. (I did appreciate that they played some music from the pilot, though!)

- THANK YOU MARLENE for not doing another Charlotte reveal where A sits around crying all episode, trying to make us feel sorry for them. Sure, Alex (nearly said Twincer!) had a sad story, but she embraced her sadness, and it fuelled her anger to take over Spencer’s life. That was really good. I loved seeing Troian walk around with an axe. Bless. 

- I was surprised we didn’t hear of Radley (as a sanitarium). Honestly, thank god.

- I think the motive is the strongest we’ve ever had, of all the A’s so far: Alex was so jealous of Spencer so she wanted to break up the girls, yet her threats only made them closer. Therefore, she decided, “why break them up, if I can just become Spencer?” That is so evil and I love it. 

- I EVEN CALLED IT that there will be a scene where someone holds a gun to Spencer and Twincer, and they have to prove who the real Spencer is. I LOVED that! 

- I have a feeling that once I finish typing this, the first word I’ll be seeing people use to describe the motive is cliche. Especially the above mentioned scene about not knowing which Spencer to shoot. It is a bit cliche. (”I’m Buzz Lightyear!” ... “no, I’m Buzz Lightyear!” Toy Story 2.. anyone? That’s where my mind went, lol) An evil, jealous twin is a tad cliche. I can't defend that. But within this world of PLL, it worked well I guess. 

- Sorry Troian, I wasn't too convinced by the British accent unfortunately. But my gosh you slayed the rest. WHY COULDN’T WE GET AT LEAST ONE SCENE WITH TROIAN IN THE HOODIE!? That was a real shame. I get that it was set one year later, but... still, Alex should’ve wore the hoodie for a scene or two. For satisfaction’s sake, and it’s also just iconic for PLL. 

- SHOUTOUT TO A FOLLOWER OF MINE WHO MESSAGED ME AFTER THE AIRPORT SCENE IN 715 SAYING THAT TWINCER SOUNDED BRITISH. HOW DID YOU GET THAT PART TOO!? “Are you going someplace?” sounded very British, I agree, but I never picked it until I was told to listen for it. Genius.

- We even got it right as to who Wren was shooting: Twincer, so that she can look like Spencer. Gosh, is there anything we didn’t predict?

- Bethany who? Eddie who? Seriously though, I’m going to spend hours editing my unanswered questions list. We got a lot. You can say whatever you want about the finale, but you can't say we didn’t get answers. Like, c’mon. If you’re saying we didn’t get answers, you’re the type of person who complains over nothing and is just impossible to please. Every word that came out of Alex’s mouth was golden. We had rapid fire Q&A with Alex and Spencer. I’m not saying this finale answered 7 years worth of questions; I’ll probably find some unanswered things once I start going through my list. But... You. Can. Not. Say. We. Got. Zero. Answers. I hope that when I finish this post, I don't see people spreading such stupid negativity. 

- Wren died? How? Why? That was unnecessary. This finale really lacked a major death. I wanted to say OMG to at least ONE thing, and unfortunately, I couldn't. Not one thing shocked me.

- Am I the only one who thought Wren’s involvement seemed a bit forced?? What are the actual odds of Wren running into Alex at a bar in London? Seriously? But whatever. I’m so glad he played a role in this, and a damn big one too. 

- So ALEX was the British person Mary was talking to on the phone in 701!!!

- I loved the scene between Alex and Charlotte!!

- I found it really really random that Alex started messaging Mona 1 year later. They had just moved on and all of a sudden Alex is back to start to reveal herself. Maybe I’m forgetting something because that was just weird.

- I was disappointed that there wasn't a major reason Alex took Ezra. I was waiting for them to reveal a mind blowing alliance between the two but then it slowly became obvious that he had just been kidnapped and wasn’t on the friendly side with Alex. 

- Melissa’s mask was just pointless. That was pure fan service to MelissA theorists. (And also to throw us off for a bit.) And I knew Melissa wasn’t AD since there’s no way they’d reveal Uber A so randomly at a picnic like that. I knew it was a mask.

- I got dollhouse vibes when Spencer (or Ezra?) said “we’re still underground”. I thought that was creepy!

- Seriously... they make reference to the mums getting out of the basement, without actually giving us an answer??? “Do you remember how we even got out of there?” said Veronica. It would’ve been better to leave that dialogue out completely. Teasing fans over something they’ll never get, is far worse than acting like it was just forgotten. 

- Did Veronica know that Spencer has a twin, since she made a comment in 4B about not knowing who is coming down for breakfast; Spencer or her evil twin? They really made it out as if no one knew about Alex.

- Wren is the father of Emison’s baby!? That was so subtle, the way Alex said it. WHY!? That makes no sense. I’ve noticed that this show is really big on “who” but not so big on the “why”. I’m just going to assume that Wren was the only male she had “access” to, to pull off the stunt, so she used Wren simply out of convenience. That’s all I can think of.

- So Ezria got married, Haleb is having a baby, Emison is engaged with twins, and Spoby is??? I was really really shocked actually that one ship is still left up in the air. It’s not a sad ending, but it’s not happy either. Maybe that’s the one thing that doesn’t get answered that Marlene was talking about.

- That last scene with the recreation of ‘that night’ should NOT have been the last scene of the entire show. If Freeform wants to launch a spinoff, fine, go ahead, but how dare you cut to the end credits after that scene. Call me fussy, but I call it passion. The final scene of the show should have been Mary and Alex stuck in Mona’s dollhouse. Cut to the credits after that closeup on Alex (Which, was brilliant by the way, and aligns with Janel’s comment of Mona having her own unique happy ending.)

- The wrap party was boring. Just saying. It should’ve been the 6 liars (yes Mona too) with Marlene, sitting in Spencer’s barn, talking about the making of the finale, any questions that couldn't get wrapped up, favourite episodes, etc. I finished the finale and thought “it’s okay, I still have one more chance to farewell the show since the last scene didn’t do it for me!” and nope, this third hour was no better.

- FULL CIRCLE HOW??? Can someone name one thing that happened, that can be classified as “full circle”??? In my mind, full circle means Alison dying and the girls having a sleepover in the barn!?

- Overall, this is how I summarise the finale:

It did not feel like a finale. The first half was boring, even for a series finale. The goodbyes were not strong enough, and I did not feel like I properly said “thank you” and “farewell” to my favourite fictional characters ever. The scene with the girls at the end was far too short. The AD reveal was very predictable for me and other dedicated detectives, but I think other fans across the world will be pleased since it wasn’t actually that obvious. The motive was great. Troian slayed. But, coming from a person who also has a non-rhotic accent (Australian), I felt put off by Alex’s accent. The final scene was just stupid, I’m not watching a spinoff - the final scene should’ve been Mary and Alex. We got a shit ton of answers, but, as I’ll soon see when I go to my list, I don't feel like it was everything. But absolutely, most things, yes.

In 3 words: slow, predictable, fun. 

Here’s my theory where I correctly solved Alex Drake

Here’s my farewell letter

[leafbabies]

TOR vs OTT 10.21.17

I had a feeling the leafs weren’t going to win this game. They had been on a winning high for a while; it was about time they lost a game. The first two periods were horrific to watch. It was like they weren’t even there. Then things started to pick up in the third period and that’s when the leafs gave me something I needed: hope. Things were looking bright again, only for the leafs to fall back down slowly but surely. That’s probably the worst feeling. I went into this game thinking we would lose, then they made me think we had a chance at winning, and Ottawa replies with a definite Nope. Only the leafs can make me so emotionally worked up lmao. And we can’t ignore the elephant in the room named Mitch Marner. I really don’t know what’s going on. I’m not upset or disappointed in him. I’m just confused and concerned. It’s obvious that his playing has changed compared to the start of last season. He might just need a confidence boost, but knowing Toronto media, he’s not going to get any, and will probably feel worse. I just hope he figures out what he needs to do, and is ok first as a person, second as an athlete.

What started out as a boring game that was only played by one team turned into a wild ride. The leafs have a lot to take from this game. A point or two would have been nice, but learning a lesson will be worth it in the long run.

Take Aways

-Auston only shows emotion and/or has a celly when he scores Big Goals™

-William loves to hug people

-Connor Brown is the happiest hockey player I have ever seen

-Those guys with the “AUSTON ❤️” sign are my spirit animals

-Shoutout to Josh Leivo 

[solienna]

I AM BACK WITH MANY NUMBERS, 1, 5, 8, 10, 16, 17, 21, 22, 26, 28, 31, 35, 39, 43, 45, 46, 48 and 49!!!

1. Your current favorite song: as of right now, the song i’ve been listening to most is probably “i found” by amber run BUT LIKE. the acoustic version. the acoustic version is so much better in my opinion. runner up has gotta be “landslide” by oh wonder

5. A song that reminds you of another period in your life: “the kids aren’t alright” by fall out boy, shout out to the summer of 2016 for making this one of my happy cry songs and shout out to the person who made it this way8. A song you loved when you were a little kid: “you belong with me” by taylor swift. okay look y’all, i’ve talked your ears off about my Thing, which is writing. but my other Thing is singing and music. and like with writing, i took a HUGE break with singing bc i don’t know the fuck why, apparently i hated having fun back then. but before i took that break, i had a singing instructor (who i still have today!! shoutout to him he brought out my real voice and now i won’t shut the fuck up bc i love the sound of my own voice). and we sang a whole bunch of other songs like “somewhere over the rainbow” and like “part of your world” and stuff like that but if you asked me to name a song from pre-hiatus singing lessons this is the one i would name you because it was fucking JAMMING okay, fucking groovy and i loved it. runner up would have to be like “who says” by selena gomez bc that song is BOPPIN’ too. love that song what the hell  10. A song that reminds you of your childhood: “just a dream” by nelly BUT. not by him. by sam tsui and christina grimmie. i listened to this song SO MUCH. in general i loved all of christina’s covers when i was younger but this is the one that STUCK with me. i remember when she was on the voice, i used to religiously watch that show and keep up with it just for her and when she didn’t get first place i was DEVASTATED. i was like WHAT. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! THIS IS A FLUKE WHAT THE FUCK!!! SHE DESERVES FIRST GET BACK HERE AND COUNT THOSE VOTES AGAIN, THERE’S NO WAY SHE LOST, WHAT ABOUT HER CHEMISTRY WITH ADAM LEVINE!!! i legit called my mom in the room and i was like CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS, and she was like “no mija i can’t” just to humor me. i used to listen to all of christina’s “with love” album and even nowadays i hear the chorus to “absolutely final goodbye” ring out in my head just bc that song was bopping as hell, but that’s beside the point. rest in peace christina grimmie, you were one of my main inspirations for singing, and i always tried to emulate your voice when i sang, i owe a lot of my love of singing to you. runner up song has to be “my dilemma” by selena gomez bc that’s the first song i sang in front of real actual people, first in front of my friends and then at my school talent show. i fucking sucked but you know what i was real narcissistic back then too and i thought i was the hottest fucking shit and that i’d win (i didnt but i had higher self esteem back then too so i didnt really give a shit) 16. A song that makes you want to cry: LMAO i read this one and i was like “ok what sleeping at last song are we gonna pick here adri” but for this one i think i’m gonna go with “west” by sleeping at last, it’s such a soft reassuring song and it just. it just gets me my guy17. A song that makes you want to slay your enemies: “this is war” by 30 seconds to mars. WHEN THAT CHORUS DROPS YOU’RE LIKE W H A T  T H E  H E L L WHAT IS THIS MAJESTY. and the way he sings “a brave new world” at the end just gives me SHIVERS. this could also be considered one of my cry songs just because of how much PASSION is in this song and also bc i’m fucking weird, but this song just gives me a lot of strength idk22. A song that motivates you to work/helps you focus: this is technically an instrumental but WHO CARES, if i can’t conjure up the peace of mind to focus then i just pull up the credits song for unravel. i have never played that game once in my life but the CREDITS SONG. it’s so peaceful and like…. vibrant. idk i’m not very good with words but this is one of my “let’s buckle down and DO SOME WORK” song. especially if i can’t listen to any of my regular songs when i’m writing, this is my go-to writing music.26. A song that reminds you of your favorite fictional character: “superheroes” by the script reminds me of wash and preston a lot28. A song that represents “your aesthetic”: “we’re still here” by sleeping at last. it’s a very soft and reassuring song and it’s why the little name thing on my blog is “we’re still here.” coincidentally its also one of my cry songs because i like rubbing my sad little hands on everything 31. A song that you want to cover (regardless of how much talent you have): “the parting glass” from the assassins’ creed iv: black flag soundtrack. LOOK. LOOK HERE ALL OF YOU. THIS GAME STUCK WITH ME. THIS WAS THE FIRST AC GAME I EVER PLAYED AND IT STUCK WITH ME SO BAD. THE ENDING. IT HAD ME IN TEARS, AND THIS SONG JUST MADE IT 10X WORSE. I WAS STRAIGHT UP SOBBING AT 3AM BC I STAYED UP LATE JUST PLAYING THIS GAME AND I WAS CALLING FEEBLY OUT INTO THE NIGHT “NO…..! NO IT CANT BE OVER! NOT LIKE THIS!” don’t even ask me how many times i’ve listened to this song, it’s gotta be like 1500 times at this point, i used to listen to music on repeat on this site that COUNTED how many times you repeated that song just to SHAME you with how small your pool of music was, and this was my most listened to song. i just LOVE her voice in this and i love the lyrics to this song. unfortunately i can’t sing any fucking high notes bc im a useless alto but thats beside the point 35. A song that sends chills down your spine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZS0WIQI7UU, when you hear this….. you know nothing good can come from it39. Your favorite instrumental (no lyrics/singing) song: i don’t have a favorite instrumental but like…. the whole skyrim soundtrack is composed of instrumentals so i’m just gonna say the skyrim soundtrack. this is my main writing music btw43. A song that makes you laugh: //runs into the room, DONUT: THE MUSICAL FROM THE S9 SOUNDTRACK, //runs out of the room46. A song that you wish more people knew about: https://soundcloud.com/bangingdonk/sick-airshot i lied this is actually my favorite song, i wish more people knew about it. nah but like. probs “do it” by tuxedo, its a fucking bopping song and i love it. lucio would listen to this song48. A song that you can’t help but sing along: I  G O T  S P U R S  T H A T  J I N G L E  J A N G L E  J I N G L E

49. A song whose lyrics you have memorized: “always” by panic! at the disco. this is probably like my second favorite song ever and its so soft and i’ve listened to it so many times, dont test me i love this song

[emotionsbecomeart]

“Some stories are hard to tell.”

And this is definitely one of them. ***MILD TRIGGER WARNING*** Much like most of you, grade ten for me was a hard year. Piles of homework, little to no sleep, and so. much. stress. As you probably noticed, I wasn’t at school for two and a half months last year. During which, I fell apart. A lot went down during those two months but I'm going to focus on one aspect of it. I wouldy can break you. Haunt you forever. Graphic images or phrases repeat in your head over and over and over again, like a broken record. At first, you fight back! You tell yourself that “It’s not my fault. That’s not true. I am not those things.” But these memories, these harmful things, they will keep repeating in your head until it’s you saying those things to yourself. And worst of all, you believe t like to introduce you to an old, toxic friend of mine. Her name? Anorexia Nervosa. Ana to those who know her. I have found, with the worst things in your life, my anorexic journey started with something normal. Or, normal to me. You see, the females in my family have really low self-esteem. They constantly complement one another, while criticizing themselves. Saying things like “awe, you have the prettiest legs! Mine are fat and disgusting.” This was the environment I grew up in, and the one I still live in now. I was about ten or eleven when I got dragged into it too. My friend group in grade five to seven were the thin girls. They were pretty and popular and so skinny. And so was I. I was one of them and I loved every second of it. And then everything that was stable in my life completely blew up in my face. My step-dad was forced into bankruptcy by his corrupt business partners and we lost the seven skate surf snow shops he owned. We were forced to downsize and move out of our house in Victoria, which we had lived in for three years, which to this day was the longest I have ever stayed in one house in my entire life. Our move was chaotic and stressful for everyone. That's the exact moment when everything got real bad, real fast. I felt like I had lost control of anything and everything in my life. I started to drastically control everything I could, just grasping at straws, trying so desperately to hang on the tiny shreds of stability I had left. Anorexia became my best friend. I would restrict my eating because I found comfort in the predictability of being hungry. Feeling starved made me feel safe. I counted calories obsessively. I would chew and spit to feel like I was eating, without actually eating. I would last days were all I ate was a good apple and a package of dried seaweed. I would eat nothing for as long as possible, and if I ate too much, I would purge. I quickly fell down a slippery slope into a downward spiral, which only got worse and worse. A year ago on Halloween, I hit my all-time low; sixty-seven pounds. I was so proud of myself, but I still felt so unsatisfied. I still hated my body, even though I had hit all my ana milestones. I had a huge thigh gap and a flat stomach and silver dollar arms. You could see my bones, my hips and ribs and jawline looked like they could cut you. My collar bones p o p p e d. But I still hated myself. At the time, I had a boyfriend who low key supported the whole thing. he would say "haha nice!" when I would tell him I haven't eaten in four days and he was proud of me when I hit my lowered weight goals. My Step-dad, on the other hand, enjoyed finding the things that really hurt me, and using them against me to control my life. Saying things like "Whoa there Egan. One is enough. Look at you! You could stand to lose a few pounds. And another brownie isn't going to help... that." "Look at the flab on your arms. That's disgusting." I'm sure he thought everything he was saying was freaking hilarious, but I sure didn't. I couldn't get any skinnier without having to be sent to the hospital, like most of my friends from grade five were being kept now. So I turned to other ways of controlling myself. Controlling my sleep, only falling unconscious for an hour and a half each night. Or controlling my pain, by burning and scratching and hurting myself. My skin had lost all colour and was freezing cold to the touch. My hair was once soft and long, was breaking and splitting and dull. I cut it off so that you couldn't see the damage, and I bleached and died it so you wouldn't know that something was wrong. My body was bruised and scarred. I felt like my lungs couldn't get enough oxygen into my brain, and I feared I would faint if I stood up too quickly. My eyes grew tired and had circles of darkness surrounding them, and my skin was dry and yellowed. I would have panic attacks and burst into tears which would leave me gasping for breath and feeling like I was drowning, simply because I hadn't checked my weight, or because I was one ounce heavier.  I developed anaemia, and I stopped getting my period. The thinspo models looked so beautiful to me, and I longed to be the girl that someone else thought "I wanna look like her." It was bad. I knew it was bad. Anorexia and self-harm became my new toxic boyfriend. I just sat there watching this terrifying monster tear apart my life and push everyone away from me, but at the same time, it was so warm and soft and comforting. Like being slowly suffocated with the fluffiest blanket in the world. I needed to get out, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to. It was the only stability I had. My parents (who don't know basically any of this by the way), decided that I would be ok to go back to school after spring break. I was terrified that people would think I looked gross and sick and would look at me with that look. That one look that is disgust mixed with pity. Shoutout to all y'all in the crowd who know that look. I am so sorry. But when I came back, I was treated with such godlike love. I hadn't talked to my friends in months, and still, they picked me up and held me long and tight, and I realized I had forgotten how important it was to have people in your life who really care about you. My boi Luke over here bought me food every day for at least a year, but he never forced me to eat it. He made me choose myself to eat it, teaching me to make the right decision on my own. He literally walked arm in arm with me on my path to recovery. I thank him for that. Being back at school brought the much-needed stability back into my life, and really helped me break out of these old habits. Surrey Christian, my friends, and all the eating disorder recovery stories I have heard from other students either here or from other schools, I thank you. You quite literally saved my life. But, I am not cured. There is no "cure". I am a fighter. I am a survivor. When cancer sufferers fight, recover, and go into remission we commend their bravery. We wear ribbons to celebrate their fight. We call them survivors. Because they are. When Anorexics fight, recover, and go into remission we rarely even know, simply because so many suffer in the dark . . . ashamed to admit something they see as a personal weakness . . . afraid that people will worry, and more afraid that they won’t. When you finally start to fight back, and start to win there is an incredible feeling of being almost free, like your in the homestretch, but not good enough that you feel allowed to celebrate. Instead, the feeling of victory is replaced with anxiety that it will happen again. We come back to life thinner, paler, weaker . . . but as survivors. Survivors who don’t get pats on the back from our peers who congratulate them on making it. But they deserve it. Everyone deserves pats on the back for getting out of bed this morning and making it through the day so far. So pats on the back to you all. And remember, everyone has their own demons weighing them down. My demons hurt me as much as your demons hurt you. You can never know someone's demons until you listen to their stories. And you can't possibly listen to everyone's demon stories, and that's ok. Just give everyone some pats on the back anyway. - (el❤)

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Oshie, Luongo Injured; Smith Shines (Dec 5)

Ramblings: Oshie, Luongo Injured; Smith Shines, plus more…

I complete my trade with Steve by taking over the Tuesday Ramblings for him this week. The Monday schedule was a little lighter than what I’m used to with only four games, but there was some interesting news and film nonetheless.

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Monday’s matchup between the Sharks and Capitals wasn’t one where many stood out boxscore-wise. Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 20th goal of the season and added an assist. The goal was the 578th of his career, passing Mark Recchi for 20th in league history in just over half the number of games that Recchi played. Following a rare season in which he had more assists (36) than goals (33), Ovie has tipped back to his goal-heavy ways (20 goals to just 8 assists).

This was an eventful game, though, as it will be known more for the dirty headshot that Joe Thornton delivered on T.J. Oshie during the second period, forcing the Capitals’ winger to leave the game. As expected, Oshie will be re-evaluated tomorrow for what I would think would be a concussion.  

Joe Thornton should be suspended 40 games for this pic.twitter.com/ghomQGMcnL

— NHL Insider Dinger (@atf13atf) December 5, 2017

In the NHL, you’d have to kill or dismember someone to receive a 40-game suspension. Still, there’s the possibility of supplemental discipline for Thornton here, particularly since Thornton did not receive a penalty. Thornton was forced to answer the bell in the third period, taking one on that hard-to-miss beard from Tom Wilson.  

Tom Wilson fights Joe Thornton pic.twitter.com/2m9K379Gwa

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 5, 2017

Believe it or not, those weren’t the only highlights worth showing in this game. Check out not one, but two potential goals getting waived off on the same sequence. The first goal to Brett Connolly eventually counted.  

COUNT IT! #CapsSharks #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/f3Fd2tFVwj

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 5, 2017

With Oshie gone and the game getting chippy afterward, Connolly received 6:39 of power-play time with the big guns. Should Oshie miss games, don’t be surprised if Connolly’s fantasy value receives a major boost with this added responsibility. As it stands, Connolly has scored goals in back-to-back games, although his season total (6 points in 19 games) and icetime (10:25 per game) haven’t been anything to get excited about to this point.

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The Panthers/Islanders matchup also saw a prominent player leave with an injury. Roberto Luongo was helped off the ice early in the second period after making this save.  

Luongo injury: pic.twitter.com/RdroiMslfJ

— Cats On The Prowl (@Cats0ntheprowl) December 5, 2017

James Reimer took over in net, allowing three goals on 17 shots before eventually taking the loss in the shootout. Although we don’t know how serious the injury actually is, Luongo could be out for a while based on the way this looked. Reimer should receive considerably more starts over the near future, but his season 3.64 goals-against average and .894 save percentage combined with the Panthers’ team 3.35 goals against per game may make you think twice about adding him.

So it’s not a great state of affairs for Florida, who have lost three games in a row. But it wasn’t all bad for Panthers that may be on your fantasy team. Vincent Trocheck and Keith Yandle each recorded three points in this game. Even with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau having great seasons, Trocheck leads the Panthers in scoring with 27 points in 27 games.

Another shoutout to Nick Leddy, who with an assist is now second among defensemen in scoring with 22 points in 26 games. I mentioned him last week, but I’ll just say again that he’s been one of fantasy hockey’s greatest steals this season.

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We all know about Matt Duchene’s struggles in Ottawa so far. Meanwhile, it’s been a different story in Nashville with the addition of Kyle Turris.  

Since acquiring Kyle Turris in a three-team trade on Nov. 5, his line, along with Kevin Fiala and Craig Smith, has produced a combined total of 32 points (13g-19a) in 12 games, in which the #Preds are 9-2-1.

— Nashville Preds PR (@PredsPR) December 5, 2017

On Monday, this line combined for seven points in a 5-3 Nashville win over Boston. Craig Smith scored two goals himself in the first period and added an assist on Kevin Fiala’s goal in the second period. Smith now has 11 goals on the season, placing him second on the team. That’s probably not something you expected, considering that Smith scored just 12 all of last season. But Smith is a three-time 20-goal scorer and appears to be well on his way to a fourth 20-goal season. Oh, and he’s available in less than 20 percent of Yahoo leagues.

In case you’re wondering about Turris, he has 10 points (2g-8a) in 12 games since the trade to the Music City. In 11 games since the trade, Duchene has two points… total.

Ryan Johansen was absent for Monday’s game with an upper-body injury, so Peter Laviolette seemed to put his other lines in a blender:

21.69%  EV           ARVIDSSON,VIKTOR – BONINO,NICK – SISSONS,COLTON

15.81%  EV           ABERG,PONTUS – FORSBERG,FILIP – JARNKROK,CALLE

15.81%  EV           FIALA,KEVIN – SMITH,CRAIG – TURRIS,KYLE

9.56%    EV           GAUDREAU,FREDERICK – SALOMAKI,MIIKKA – WATSON,AUSTIN

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Brian Elliott had a homecoming to remember in Calgary, stopping 43 of 45 shots to earn the struggling Flyers their first win in 11 games. During that dubious stretch, Elliott posted a 3.07 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. That could actually be worse when compared to some of the other numbers that we’ve seen from goalies this season.

Elliott is currently on pace to play just under 60 games this season. Elliott has not even played 50 games since the 2009-10 season, his second in the NHL. But you’d probably feel more positively about him if the Flyers were a better team.

With three assists in this game, Jakub Voracek is now tied for second with 26 assists. He didn’t miss a beat in spite of being recently moved off the top line with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. Here’s how the Flyers’ lines looked on Monday:

26.14%  EV           FILPPULA,VALTTERI – RAFFL,MICHAEL – VORACEK,JAKUB

20.75%  EV           COUTURIER,SEAN – GIROUX,CLAUDE – SIMMONDS,WAYNE

13.69%  EV           LAUGHTON,SCOTT – LEIER,TAYLOR – WEAL,JORDAN

13.28%  EV           KONECNY,TRAVIS – PATRICK,NOLAN – WEISE,DALE

In Voracek’s place was Wayne Simmonds, who scored a power-play goal on Monday. This appears to be an attempt to get Simmonds going, as he has scored just one other goal dating all the way back to October 21.

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Remember when Matt Moulson was a must-own on the John Tavares line? Then he was traded to Buffalo in the Thomas Vanek deal and it all went downhill from there. On Monday, Moulson was placed on waivers after scoring no points in 14 games. All to make room for Scott Wilson, who was acquired from Detroit on Monday. Moulson is owed $5 million both this season and next, a contract that is an anchor for a Sabres’ team that is now residing in the NHL’s basement.

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Finally, this news could pave the way for the NHL’s 32nd team. And if you’re hoping that it’s Quebec City, sorry. Gary Bettman probably has other plans.  

BREAKING: @SeattleCouncil votes 7-1 to approve $660m #KeyArena MOU package with @OvgSeattle.

It clears the way for a NEW Arena at Seattle Center by 2020, and potential #NHL franchise.

More details to come on @KING5Seattle.#Seattle pic.twitter.com/UQVPAaxGBH

— Chris Daniels (@ChrisDaniels5) December 5, 2017

If an NHL team does in fact come to Seattle, the Vancouver Canucks would finally have a true geographical rival. I don’t have actual numbers in front of me, but I believe the Canucks have the farthest distance to travel of any NHL team to the next-closest team.

Would hockey work in Seattle? Here are my thoughts included in a roundtable article published in 2014 at The Hockey Writers (back when I was writing more general hockey articles as well as fantasy hockey). Since that time, my thoughts haven’t changed much.

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For more fantasy hockey information, follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-oshie-luongo-injured-smith-shines/