#tell me April wouldn't start bar fights.

[deadtiredghost]

Can we make Team Red a thing?

i think they would get along like a house on fire. we need more fanfic of this trio.

^^ how i think they might bond.

[lorkonsghost]

Here's a sneak peek into April dating a Wayne kid au I'm writing. Title work in progress

The Red Hood, The Red Head, and The Big Green Turtles

He just wants to be Jason again

Jason has no idea why he’s fighting alien robots with almost 6ft tall turtles, or why the girl he started dating a month ago dating is also fighting said alien robots but he wasn’t really going to question it. He was fighting alien robots makes a lot of things easier if you don’t question them wait are those fucking ninjas and why did the turtle in red say their name like it’s a bad thing. Jason really rethinking coming to New York to go drinking by himself was a bad idea maybe if he at least brought Roy he wouldn't be in this mess.

 

1 month ago, and 2 weeks after Jason’s 21 birthday

 

Jason was getting sick of always having someone tag along everytime he went drinking, for his 21st birthday wasn’t the problem, but the 4 times he tried after that doing it solo was the first time he tried it Dick showed up not 10 seconds after his first shot the next tine he did it was in star city and Roy showed up before even his first shot. The third time it had to be a joke because why did Rose fucking Wilson show up at the bar he was drinking at in central city she normally never even visit central city. The fourth time he knew it was joke because he went to the most swear rat bar in Gotham and for fuck sake why was Bruce their wearing a fucking fake mustache. Jason wasn’t really annoyed at not drinking alone if he actually wanted to do that he would just stay home and buy a few beers with Bruce’s credit card but it was the fact that he kept running into people he new he just wanted to get drunk and make a few mistakes but no now somebody he new was their and he can’t go embarrassing himself in front of them he had reputation to up hold. So that’s why he’s in New York he knows almost no hero’s who even touch New York so he thought no problems.

 

Jason was a few drinks in when he first saw her it looked like the first time she ever been in bar by herself and Jason thought why would she choose such a warn down bar like this. Jason took a shot for confidence and approached her thinking the most he could do is keep her company.

 

“Hello their beautiful looking kinda lonely mind if I join.” Jason say with his buzzed confidence

 “Hmph ha ha ha are you serious my ex had better pick up lines.” the red headed girl says

“Sorry I never been the kind of guy to try pick up a girl this way.” Jason says with a slightly bruised pride

“Oh so how you do it mister aren’t you look lonely miss.” Her blue eyes smiled behind her glass

“honestly most of the time we just start dating or they fall for bad boy charm” Jason with a cocky smile

“Sorry dated one bad boy don’t know if I need another” her red hair drops a bit but she says with a cheer in her voice

Jason doesn’t know actually why he tried flirting with her Jason knew it wasn’t good to get involved with a civilian Isabel taught him that he missed the flight attendant. But maybe it was the alcohol In his system, or it was the fact he wanted to ignore the hero stuff that’s also probably why he wanted to drink  without anyone he new he just wanted a night where he’s okay to be somebody other than Jason Todd the red hood son of Batman in somebody’s eye just Jason.

 

“I never introduced myself I’m Jason I’m not just a bad boy I also happen to read pride and prejudice.” Jason says in half cocky smile with another swig of his drink

“Okay mister Jason tell me your favorite quote and I’ll tell you my name” Her smile softens

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun. I know the original quote is about falling in love but it’s like I lived my life by it”  Jason says trying to hide the emotions he feels when he says it

“My names April so you where telling the truth about reading it” April say with a reassuring smile

Jason collects himself for a moment he’s kinda surprised how far he’s come along in this conversation. Jason really was only Jason right now no baggage to unravel yet and he’s okay with that right now it only him, April, his slowly blurring vision, and the hope maybe he could get a date out of this.

“So miss April tell me something other than your name please”. Jason say with a half smile

“Well currently I’m trying to be a journalist but get the last 5 credits of my degree I need to intern under another journalist for a year.” April says with a slight annoyed frown on her face

“so what’s the problem can’t find respectable enough journalist or something else” Jason says trying to offer A chance to vent

“It’s not that it’s just any intern ship I apply for needs me full time and my home life just doesn't allow that right now* April says with happier expression

Jason wants to call in a favor from Clark or Lois so bad right know he really could solve this girls problems with a phone call. But Jason was taught by Bruce, Ras, Dick, and Talia you can’t solve all the problems even if two them he would stab and not regret it and Bruce and Dick have been off his shit list for a good minute. But all of them where right he can’t just solve her problem for no reason but Jason wanted to do he makes a compromise.

“Okay that’s problem I could possibly help with” Jason says with cockiest smile yet

“Oh how so” April says with curiosity

“So a family friend is a journalist I could put in a word for and give you a chance at something buuut with it would be uup to you to convince them to agree to whatever youuu propose” Jason say with seriousness but with slurring

“Are you serious why would you do that for me” April says questionably

“Well I could ask you for a date as compensation but instead here’s what in going to do I give them a word if they give you a chance you go on date with me as celebration if they don’t drop my number we never talk again” Jason says with a smile

“Well mister Jason you got a deal and if don’t get I might stillll give you a chaaaasnccce for at least not being a creeeep” April tries to say a little flirty

Jason grabs a napkin and calls the waiter over to closes his tab and ask to borrow a pen and writes his number down

“call me in the morning I’ll set up an interview” Jason say as gets and walks over to April

Jason kisses the back of April hand and says as looks into her eyes once more ”Did you admire me for my impertinence?”

April laughs “yeah I did.”

Jason offers to pay for April’s tab as well but she’s says it’s okay and as Jason leaves he wonders if he’s doing the smart thing involving April in his life.

[dash-the-guitar-ghoul]

Ghost OC Week Parts 4, 5 and 6

April 6th - Somewhere in between - What steps did this character take to get to where they are now? Feel free to choose a specific time/era to focus on and describe what your oc was doing.

Fuck, I'm behind again...

Well, I guess I can start with how I got to were I am now. My life obviously changed for the better when I met Swiss, but it wasn't just him that made my life better..he taught me how to be better for myself, not just for him. 

Before we got together, I was a mess. The best thing I did was to tell Dew to fuck off, but I still worked for him and still held a grudge towards him and my self esteem was shit.

But probably one of the worst times of my life was when I got involved with two people in a row that were completely unavailable. First…was Mountain's boyfriend. I thought I was in love with him so I kept pursuing him, I didn't give a shit about Mountain and I realize now that I was being incredibly jealous. Unfortunately, it led to both me and Mountain losing the one we loved when he decided to leave the church. I still feel bad about that sometimes, but Mountain has forgiven me at least. 

The next was someone I, luckily, was able to stay friends with, but probably just because I didn't let him know that I had feelings for him. His name was @brother-raul (made by @popias-gloves ) he was one of the prettiest humans I had ever see. Problem was that he was already desperately in love with a man who eventually became his husband, @father-iosif . (made by @sushiwestern )

To be fair to myself though, Raúl also made the mistake of getting involved with me, but we only were together a couple of days while Iosef was gone on some dangerous mission (it's a long story, but he's quite the dangerous guy if he wants to be.) To make this a short story, Raúl was distraught and lonely when his lover was away and I was still hurting over the last guy and well..we fucked. I suppose that's why we ended up friends, we used to be kinda similar like that and had a tendency to turn to self destructive means when we were having a hard time. I personally liked to fuck the pain away but, not like it ever really worked though. And in this case, it made it worse to be honest. 

I think that might have been why Raúl got in some trouble the day after..or maybe he was just trying to be good and stay away from me, I don't know. But, he went out to a bar with some red headed fuck and damn near got himself killed when someone drugged him. Luckily they were able to get out of there, but Raúl was in really bad shape and wouldn't wake up. I think I stupidly told Raúl I loved him when he couldn't hear me as I sat at his bedside, but now that I look back on it..I was just so lonely that I just latched on to anyone that gave me affection. That's probably why I damn near sacrificed myself to heal him when I thought I was going to lose him. 

Luckily everything turned out ok, I didn't die, Raúl was forgiven (eventually), and it took an all out fight between me and Iosef that made me realize I should probably keep away from Raúl for a bit. Obviously, I met Swiss eventually, so once I wasn't a threat, Iosef sort of warmed up to me, but I think he does still keep one eye on me sometimes lol. 

April 7th - Where are they now? - How is this character doing with the current state of events for Ghost? Do they like Impera? How do they feel about Papa Emeritus IV?

As for how I am right now..well, the album turned out pretty great. Me and Swiss are better than ever, especially after a little involuntary trip to Hell and back. 

However, I will still never forgive Papa for coming up with those ridiculous as fuck masks he makes Swiss and my friends wear during rituals. I really don't know how in the hell he came up with that idea, but I hate them. Luckily, we don't have to wear them much when at home, but it still annoys me. He's been acting kinda weird since he became Papa..I don't know what's going on with him. Maybe it's Sister Imperator, but..who knows. 

April 8th - Endings - How do you think this oc’s story will conclude? Where do you expect this character to be in ten years? Will they have a happy ending?

I'm gonna leave this one to my creator because I don't know my own future..

As for how Dash's story will end, I'm not sure. I would like for him to be able to start his own band and have some success, but as a ghoul, there is obviously only so much he can do. It would be nice if I could have him and Swiss maybe have some online success together. Maybe release some songs in their human form. Or, considering how much I am getting into Vtubers, it would be kinda fun to see Dash as a Vtuber avatar, and little would his fans know, he actually kinda looks like that in real life lol.

At the moment, I've been adapting Dash to other worlds outside of the Ghost fandom, even if his life will forever be connected to Ghost. 

I've brought him to the Red Rising book fandom. (pictured below in art by @sushiwestern ) Even Swiss got to join him there but it was basically a reason for me to have more adventures with Swiss and also to pair Dash with my favorite in the books, Tactus au Valii-Rath (the man on the right of Dash.)

And eventually I want to have him drawn as a Kindred who belongs to my favorite Vtuber, Vox Akuma. 

He adapts so well to many different fandoms so I will probably make him join more in the future.

(added an image of Vox because he's pretty and if you understand Vox, you can understand how Dash would fit well with his aesthetic lol)

[movienotesbyzawmer]

April 26: Rocky V

(previous notes: Rocky IV)

A fifth Rocky movie if you can believe it! I saw this in the theater when it came out in 1990. My movie appreciation had become exponentially more sophisticated since the previous movie, but I remember thinking that they were going for something less formulaic when they came out with this. They even brought back the Oscar-winning director of the original Rocky, John Avildson. And surely this character was way too old to still be able to win fights against professional boxers, right? I must say, I don't remember what the story of this movie is.

The intro does a brief throwback to the original name-scroll-plus-fanfare, but now we're showing a recap of the previous movie's final fight during the credits, which promise an appearance by no less than Burgess Meredith.

Do you think there was a conversation where Sylvester Stallone condescendingly told Avildson, "hey, trust me, start the movie with three and a half minutes that is just the end of the last picture, easy money baby, cha-ching ya know?"

The story begins immediately after the Battle of Cold War Symbolism, and we see that he is experiencing physical trauma as a result of Soviet Boxing Technology.

Then we see that they had the idea to introduce a Don King-type character, a really irritating boxing promoter blindsiding him in public to get on his case about a new challenger. Do you think the promoter character will have a nuanced arc.

After a chill father-son catch-up chat, there's an awkwardly-blocked expository scene about how Paulie made some stupid mistake and got tricked into signing away millions of Rocky dollars to a sinister accountant. And then he goes to the doctor who tells him he has irreversible punch damage and can't fight any more. Conflict is looking dire. Do you think Robot Character will arrive soon to cheer us all up.

After selling all of their possessions at an auction, Rocky goes to his old hangouts. He leaves the corner bar looking defeated. They don't show how he was defeated in the bar, but that bar clearly humiliated him.

Then he goes to the old gym, and here's where we have a flashback scene of Burgess Meredith giving him a pep talk. It's kinda nice. But it still feels like we're at the point in the story right before the tide turns and suddenly Rocky is inspired to become supernaturally good at boxing once again. But that's not gonna happen; we're just twenty minutes into the movie.

Rocky has to move back into his old neighborhood. It's dirty and run down, and people gawk.

0:32:00 - For the third time in this movie, Rocky tries to charm his family with a LOOK WHAT I PULLED OUT OF YOUR EAR gag. The characters are barely charmed by this gag. We, the audience, are way way way less charmed.

Fake Don King is buzzing around a lot. He is a dick and he is annoying to every single person alive. It's effective at driving the conflict because he is so persistent at needling Rocky into maybe fighting. But the acting is cringey. Kinda the point, though, right?

Just like that, the old gym where we saw the flashback, which was abandoned and run down, is open for business and full of people. How did that happen?

0:43:30 - Okay now it is me - Zawmer! - who is about to be an unappealing bad guy because I must now report how little tolerance I have for this scene with two child actors. Rocky's son, who got bullied at school earlier, is having his first maybe-we-fancy-each-other conversation with a girl. The dialogue has no chemistry with these kid actors.

I should mention that there is a character named Tommy Gunn. He is a spirited young boxer who has found Rocky and wants Rocky to help him. He is bemulleted and earnest and good-punch-y.

Rocky is going to manage Tommy, but his son wants some attention. Feels like an artificially manufactured conflict. Plus the dumb bullies at school beat him up again. It is hard being the newly-poor child of Rocky Balboa.

0:53:25 - I probably wouldn't have caught this if I hadn't watched the first movie kind of recently, but we cut to a fight, Tommy is fighting someone and it's in the same church that started the first movie. He wins that fight and it becomes a montage of Tommy becoming increasingly successful under Rocky's coaching, plus there is evidence that Rocky's son is trying to get his dad's attention by using some of the gym equipment.

It does seem like it would be fun to make boxing-improvement montages.

Oh, the kid learning boxing was so he could get back at the bullies. Mission accomplished but he clearly thinks his dad was supposed to be even nicer about that, even though he was kind of nice. But he was in the middle of something with Tommy, I mean, come on!

Ooh, and that was just a brief interruption in the boxing-improvement montage, it keeps going. This movie is pretty generous with fun montages.

The falling out scene between Rocky and Kid is not better than a similar scene in an after school special. And it's way worse than that one anti-drugs commercial we all remember, "I LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU"

Oh, but then Kid runs away and starts hanging out with Ivan Drago! Drago starts teaching him how to beat up his dad, and says something about "If he die, he die". No. No he doesn't. That doesn't happen. I was just getting a little bored there. What's true here, what's actually true, is that Kid's increasingly rebellious personality has yielded a very, very stupid looking ear chain. It is an earring… with a chain hanging off it at the exact perfect length for no human being to think it looks good. The length of that chain is the chain-length equivalent of the amount of time that Talia Shire closes her eyes that one time.

A new conflict emerges where Tommy is going to sign with Fake Don King. It turns out Rocky had no interest in making any money. You can't blame him really. Rocky's all "don't sell out". But. Dude.

Okay so Tommy Gunn, having divorced Rocky and married Fake Don King, wins the title fight and becomes the new champion. The crowd boos, and they also cheer "Rocky". Rocky is not there. Rocky is watching the fight on TV in the basement and also punching a thing because he can't help it, but the crowd at the fight is like "Rocky" and "boo". I don't quite get it.

This press conference is kind of clearing it up, see, no one thinks it was a legitimate fight, it seemed fakey. There is pandemonium and insultation! It is clearly building to some silly insistence that he, Tommy, should fight Rocky.

Tommy shows up at the bar and he's hopping mad because he ain't nobody's robot and will you accept my challenge Rocky! Fake Don King thought this would turn into an actual arena event, but it's turning into just a back-alley fight like in that Fight-y movie about that Club.

It escalates thusly. As Rocky endures cinematically beautiful flashbacks to fights from earlier movies, they punch each other beneath rumbling trains. I sound mocking but some of it is pretty visually interesting.

Interesting enough to serve as an abstract explanation for how, once again, Rocky is supernaturally good at punch-game. It may be a street brawl this time, and we may have to do without Adrian closing her eyes Just So, but once again the Rocky movie ends with him winning the fight and everyone being very very excited about that. He punches Fake Don King because of how smarmy he is, and even the priest is delighted.

There is a denouement of Rocky and Kid bonding genially by the famous steps, and then the credits roll in front of touching stills from all five movies, and an Elton John song that didn't have as much cultural impact as some other songs we've heard recently.

I guess I like the montages and the quick cinematic choices that are to be found here and there in these movies, but mostly when I think back on them it seems like they are arrangements of familiar modules. In this one, the modules were held together with more flimsy material. I was wrong to think that this movie would be less formulaic. Soon I am done with this project. Soon. SOON.

[ghostxofxartemis]

OC Interview - Alexandra Shepard

@theoriginalladya left an open blanket, this looks like fun so decided to do it!

Tagging: @mai-nonsense (for your Shepley couple since you asked for asks last night -which I'll send you some later, my dear!), @occorner (for Grant). @mallaidhsomo (did you do Eric? I'm sure he'll have a grand ol' blast with this 🤣) .

(I seriously need to get her commissioned)

name ➔ Alexandra Destiny Hope Shepard, aka: Alex... Nickname: Girly (Lauren gave me that nickname. I'm anything but girly)

are you single ➔ nope. Recently engaged, actually. Can't seem to get rid of this guy since high school *smiles mischievously at Jason*

*Looks at Ashley: "Dad still knows how to dance after you taught him for your wedding right?!"

*Ashley, snorting: "your father dance?"

*John: "Oh c'mon! I'm not that bad!"*

*Ashley: "you're right. You're terrible! Don't worry it'll be fine. *

are you happy ➔ Yes

are you angry ➔ not often. Dad taught me many breathing techniques to calm myself when getting angry. Comes with doing martial arts really. 

are your parents still married ➔ yes, they are disgustingly adorable - puking rainbows kind of adorable. 

NINE FACTS

birthplace ➔ Space. *laughs* I was born on The Normandy, mom wanted a homebirth, but dad got a last min urgent mission and had to turn the Normandy around, they were half way back to the Citadel. Mom's water broke in bed 24 hours before the mission, I was born 3 hours before they arrived at the designated location. Don't think dad got much sleep before hitting the ground.

hair colour ➔ Dark Brown almost black.

eye colour ➔ Blue

birthday ➔  April 15, 2188. Yeah, a lot of birthday parties goes on during that month. 

mood ➔ Happy

gender ➔ Female

summer or winter ➔ you're joking right? Do you know how cold it gets during winter? Give me summer please 

morning or afternoon ➔ morning, best time to get your workouts or a good sparring session in and be fresh for the day. 

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ Yes

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ He was so dorky, referencing Superman/Supergirl, when he first came to speak with me. I knew we'd end up together eventually. Only took 4 years and 4 relationships in between… So, I guess...yeah?

who ended your last relationship ➔ Me, guy tried to come on to me when we went out to the arcade. He almost ended up with a broken arm...oh dad was furious… at him not at me, just to clarify.  

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ oops, my bad. Sorry not sorry.

are you afraid of commitments ➔ no. 

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ yep.

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔  is this a serious question? How the fuck do I know, it's a secret. People don't just come up to you and go "hi, I'm your secret admire".....*mumbles*....dumbass....

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔  uh… you running out of things to ask aren't you?

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ both

lemonade or iced tea ➔ Coffee

cats or dogs ➔ I wanted to keep that goddamn Toad I caught when I was eight. Dad said no. But he's got fish and a space hamster… so...not...fair.   The mech dog in the cargo hold is fun to play with. 

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ Both, made a lot of good friends at school, then basic.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ one usually leads to the other 

day or night ➔ Night

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ have you seen how long of a drop the Citadel has? Where the fuck am I to go when in space? 

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ yes

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ No, maybe. I don't know.

wanted to disappear ➔ No.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ Abs. Err... I mean both, all three. Shit.  *hides behind hands*

shorter or taller ➔ Me or them?   Me, shorter. Them; taller

intelligence or attractive ➔ Intelligence is sexy. It's a bonus if they're good looking.  I got both. *winks at Jason*

hook-up or relationship ➔ relationship

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ Absolutely. Couldn't ask for better parents and little brother, though he can be a pain in the ass at times. 

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ no. It's not a normal life, both parents being Alliance and the only human Spectres, lived in space for most of it. But it's always been good. Full of unconditional love.

have you ever run away from home ➔ to run where? Space? I don't know about you, but I've been told it's not a pleasant experience getting spaced… I only know one person who survived to tell the tale.  Though, technically he did die.. first.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ I don't think people want to deal with my father so they prefer not to kick me out when I accidentally get into bar fights? Hey, I didn't start it. 

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ what kind of stupid question is this. If I hated them, they'd know and wouldn't be my friend anymore 

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ yes. Otherwise they wouldn't be considered a friend

who is your best friend ➔ Lauren and Jason.

Lauren and I got into all kinds of trouble back at Grissom together. We'd stay awake all night building pillow forts in our room and read. Teachers finally caught on and put her in a different room.

[stanbillyhargrove]

Ghosts chp 13

Billy x Katrina

A/N: this is a multi chapter series that will contain smut, angst, fluff, substance abuse

This is a sweet fluffy Steve chapter, boy deserves it 💜💜 also we get little hints of what's to come next week 😈

Steve's POV

"Oh, hey! Do you guys mind if we pop in here for a minute?" I asked, pointing at a little apothecary.

Katrina glanced around, noticing a coffee shop across the street, "yeah, sure, we'll go get some coffee."

They took off across the street as I ducked into the little shop. Plants filled the deep windowsills, except for a little spot cleared for a plush, purple pillow. All around the shop were white shelves filled with all sorts of soaps, lotions and little bags filled with flowers and herbs. I could have spent all day just soaking in all the different smells.

I was holding a bag to my nose, inhaling deeply when I heard a voice.

"Love charm, smells good, doesn't it?"

I whirled around to see a girl who had just come out of the back of the store. Long brown hair hung in waves down her bare shoulders when she leaned on the counter.

She stared at me, waiting, "hello?"

"Oh, I, ah..yes, smells...pretty."

She smiled, "you trying to attract someone?"

"What?"

"The charm. You looking for something to attract love?"

"N-no," I stammered, putting the bag back on the shelf, "I just...like all the smells."

"Follow me," she said, leading me to a different shelf.

She pulled out a bar of soap and handed it to me, "smell this. I just got the recipe right."

I held it up to my nose, inhaling deeply. A warm scent filled my nose, deep woodsy musk and sharp spices. I hummed, my eyes closing.

"Good, huh?" She giggled, "it's one of my new favorites."

"This smells amazing, you made this?"

"Yeah, I run this place with a couple friends. I make most of the soaps and charms."

"Wow, that's...amazing. What is this one?"

"Cedar, clove and cinnamon for prosperity, protection and love."

I looked up at her, "but...I'm not.."

She smirked, "who doesn't need a little love in their life? And even if you don't need it, it still smells great, right?"

"Yeah," I murmured, "it does...my name's Steve, by the way."

"Riley," she answered, extending a hand to me.

Her hand was so small and delicate in mine, soft like rose petals. Our hands lingered for a moment, neither wanting to let go.

"Hey, uh...are you, would you like to get coffee or something later?"

Her cheeks flushed a light pink, "yeah, yeah I would."

--

"Steve?"

I hummed, glancing up from Riley's cup, away from the stick that seemed to spin around the cup for too long on its own.

"I said, what brings you to Salem?"

"Oh, my friend Katrina. She's looking for someone to help her."

"With?"

"Ghosts."

"Oh? Is she haunted or is she a medium?"

"A medium, I guess? She sees them, talks to them. She's trying to find someone to help her control it."

She was quiet for a moment, thinking to herself, "I might be able to help, I'll have to ask."

"That would be great, she'd really appreciate it."

--

"Oh! A Scream marathon!"

I looked over at Riley, who was smiling from ear to ear, "you're a horror fan?"

"They're my favorite!" She wiggled her eyebrows at me, "are you a scaredy cat, Steve?"

I could feel my cheeks heat up when she giggled, "don't worry, Riley's here to protect you."

--

We'd been here for a little over a week now and I'd spent every moment possible with Riley. Slowly getting closer and closer until.

"Steve," she murmured.

I pulled away from her, just a little and opened my eyes.

"I think we should talk."

My heart sunk to my knees when she leaned away from me, "oh, okay."

I was preparing myself for the heartbreak of 'I think you're a nice guy but...I just don't like you like that.'

But what I wasn't expecting was, "I really like you...but I don't know if I want anything physical. I, we...I just don't know if I want to be in a long distance relationship y'know?"

I let out a relieved sigh, "I thought you were about to tell me I had misunderstood, that you didn't like me. We don't have to start anything if you don't want to, I can deal with us just being friends if that's what you want."

She smiled and leaned into my shoulder, "thanks, Steve."

--

"Dude, you gotta fight for her! Prove you're worth the distance!"

I rolled my eyes, "Billy, I can't force her into a relationship."

He grabbed my shoulders, "we leave in two hours, Steve. You make it sound like she's the love of your life and you're willing to just give up on that?"

I shrugged, "if that's what she wants."

"Screw that. What do you want?"

I knocked his arms away, "it doesn't matter."

"It does matter, what do you want?"

I felt my eyes starting to sting and looked away from him, clenching my jaw.

"Steve!" He yelled, "what do you want?"

I glanced back at him, my eyes watering, "I want her to choose me...I want to try."

His expression softened and he smiled at me. Smug bastard.

"Then go tell her. Tell her that's what you want, that you're willing to go the distance. That you care about her."

But, I didn't. Couldn't muster up the courage to lay myself bare before her.

--

We were just finishing packing up the Camaro, shuffling around our bags in the truck to make them fit. Katrina and Billy moved out of the way so I could close the trunk and there, standing in the door of the house staring at me, was Riley. I gave her a tight smile and moved around the car but was stopped by her yelling.

"Wait! Steve, wait!"

I looked up just in time to see her running at me, dark hair streaming behind her before she jumped into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her waist and felt her legs tighten on my hips, holding herself up. Her hands were warm on the side of my face, her lips soft against mine. She broke away after a moment, moving just far enough to tip our foreheads together.

"I couldn't just let you leave," she murmured, "if you still want to try, I do too."

"Yeah," I murmured, a slow smile stretching across my face, "yes. I want to give us a shot."

I could see Billy's smug grin from the other side of the car. He must have said something to her, the bastard.

-- March

"Hey, it's okay, Riley. I understand. We'll see each other next weekend though?"

"Of course," she replied, voice soft and sleepy, "we'll have a movie marathon?"

"Anything you want, I'll load up on snacks just for you."

She hummed, "ice cream too?"

I smirked, laughing softly, "super fudge chunk?"

"You listen so well."

I smiled, "night, Riley."

"Night, Steve."

I hung up and walked out into Billy's living room, still smiling. He was sitting on the couch, fiddling with the Xbox controller in his hands.

"Took you long enough," he teased, "thought this was boy's night."

"Sorry, Riley was just letting me know she can't come this weekend. Family stuff."

"Well, you can hang with Katrina and I. She's been a little spacey so we're just staying in."

I flopped down beside him, "she okay? Do you think it's cause of what happened?"

He shrugged, "she says she's fine, thinks it's just stress."

--

I could barely contain myself as the minutes ticked down to when Riley was supposed to be here. I had taken forever to set everything up. Snacks covered my kitchen counter, dinner was waiting on the stove, ice cream was in the freezer. I'd even built a blanket fort in my living room, though I was starting to second guess that decision. Whenever I'd done things like this for Nancy, she always said it was too much. Too childish.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a knock at the door. There was no backing out now.

I swung the door open to see Riley, a duffel bag over one shoulder and a big smile on her face.

She dropped her bag inside the door to wrap her arms around my neck and give me a soft kiss before murmuring, "it smells amazing in here."

I stepped backwards, leading her into my apartment and closed the door behind her, "I made breakfast."

She hummed, "breakfast for dinner? I love it."

She broke away from me and stopped, staring at the living room, "oh my god."

"It's too much isn't it? I'm sorry, I can take it down."

She shook her head and turned to smile at me, "no, it's perfect."

I kissed her again before going to the kitchen to start dishing up our food.

Riley padded up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist, "so, what did you make us?"

"French toast, I used Katrina's recipe, Billy swears it's the best thing he's ever had, scrambled eggs and sausages. I hope that's okay. I have snacks and ice cream too."

"Steve," she soothed, running her hands up and down my chest, "everything is perfect. Relax."

I let my shoulders drop, let out a long breath and held a plate out to the side for her, "what movies did you bring?"

She let go of me to grab the plate, "I figured I'd start you out with a funny movie so I brought 21 Jump Street to watch first. Then I have Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

I smirked, "isn't that a little backwards? Don't you leave the funny movie for after the horror?"

She shook her head, "if I did that, you wouldn't need me to comfort you."

-- April

"Thanks for coming to get me," Katrina murmured, wincing when the seat belt of my car put pressure on her bandages.

"Yeah, no problem."

We were quiet as I started to drive towards Katrina and Billy's apartment building. We were about halfway there when I cleared my throat.

"Why didn't you call Billy?"

"I didn't want to give him another reason to worry about me."

"He's worried anyway, he called me saying you were hurt and disappeared. Maybe I should call Riley, get her to talk to Audrey.."

"No!" She turned to me, "no, don't do that. I'm fine, I promise. It's just stress or anxiety or something."

I glanced over at her and huffed, "okay.."

-- May

"Bye, Audrey! Bye, Brooke!" I called from the the front door of their house.

I could hear them call back as I backed away from the door, Riley trailing behind me. She followed me to my car and leaned into my chest after I'd thrown my bag in the backseat.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "it's just a few weeks, it'll go by fast, you'll see."

She sighed, "I know, it just sucks."

I ran my hand up and down her back, "I know, but Billy said Katrina needs to get away from the city for a bit and we planned for the three of us to go."

She looked up at me, "call me though?"

"Of course. I'll call you so much you'll be sick of me."

She smiled, "love you, Steve."

I leaned down to kiss her gently, "love you, Riley."

I made a mental note as I drove away to get something delivered to her house every weekend we were apart, just to make her smile.

@charmed-asylum @champagnesugamama @alias-b

[asbigastheskybook]

The one where Tak and Emory go to a party in their kigurimi

Spring break had come and gone and on a foggy night in early April, the Shark and the Hedgehog sauntered up the dark streets of Berkeley, walking from Shattuck BART to Haste, up to College Avenue. They held hands as they walked in shadows, enjoying the quiet spring night once they were above Telegraph. They were headed to a place near the Julia Morgan building for a party put on by the Pan-Asian student union. It was to be an Animal Onesie themed party to raise money for a member of the union who was battling leukemia while trying to finish her masters degree. They wore the onesies Emory’s aspiring fashion designer little sister had sewn them. Emory hadn't wanted to go at all but Tak pointed out that nearly everyone there was going to be an Asian nerd which made Emory feel a little less out of place than he did at other college parties full of red cup woo-bros.

Neither of them wanted to be sober, and neither of them wanted to try to find parking in Elmwood, and neither of them wanted to shell out for a driver so they walked, choosing to wear the onesies instead of carrying a backpack and trying to keep track of it all night. They had just reached College Avenue and were nearly there when some asshole in a yellow hummer screeched to a stop where they were crossing the street, revved his engine, rolled down the window and screamed,

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY YOU FUCKIN CHING CHONG FAGGOTS!” And as soon as their toes touched the sidewalk on the other side of the intersection he peeled out, fishtailing over the narrow suburban streets.

“Jesus what the fuck?” Tak glared at the tail lights.

“Well he does drive a hummer.” Emory shrugged and looked at his shoes.

“I hope he chokes on a bag of sweaty dicks,” Tak grumbled.

“Hey,” Emory stopped and looked at Tak “Don't let that shitbag ruin your night. He means nothing.”

“I am trying not to. I was a little scared, Em. I forget that not everyone, even in Berkeley, is cool with gay dudes or Asians. Or gay Asians.” Tak kicked at some leaves on the sidewalk.

“Gaysians,” Emory corrected.

Tak laughed so hard he snorted. “Emory, I don't know what I would do without your smart ass.” He draped his long shark fins over the stout hedgehog.”We’re almost there, lets get baked.” He brought out his vape. Tak had brought an Indica, super stupid and stoney, not meant for anyone who had anything important to do today or probably tomorrow either. The plan was to get as high as possible in order to tolerate the crowds of other Asian students in fuzzy animal suits dancing to K-Pop. Tak had originally planned not to go, despite being regularly involved with the organization, but then someone had made a comment about him not really being that Asian and he wasn't about to take any shit from some third gen kid who didnt even speak his own language fluently when Tak, despite mostly appearing black, spoke nearly fluent Japanese.

They strolled another block to the party, several animals outside chatting over loud music emanating from inside. There was a gaggle of Japanese girls in matching unicorn onesies, a kangaroo, a corgi, a giraffe, two Pikachus, and a Totoro.

“I didn't know we could wear character onesies.” Tak pouted.

“Yeah that's bullshit, they said animals. I wanted to be Cthulhu.” Emory scowled, but not seriously. The Indica was taking over, and shuffling into the building was taking concentration. They shouldered their way inside and headed straight to the makeshift bar where they got juices, Ramune for Tak and grass jelly for Emory. Nearby tables held all sorts of snacks from the Asian market. There was dried squid, onigiri, rice crackers, wasabi peas, dumplings, etc. Not even the worse case of the munchies could convince Emory to eat party food that other people had touched and then put their hands to their mouths, and then back to the bowl. Gross.

The plan was to make a loop to say hello, then make another loop to say goodbye and then get the fuck out. Tak knew most people here and Emory knew a fair bit as well, but this was the first time they had gone to a college party as a couple and Emory gave no fucks what people thought, but he could tell Tak wasn't completely there yet, and considering the incident with the hummer bro, he tread carefully.

So it was a bit of a jolt when Emory introduced Tak to two vietnamese guys, Tu (Husky dog) and Rithi (racoon), as his boyfriend. Tak froze up when Tu offered out a fist to bump, and Emory caught a glimpse of Tak’s hesitation. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, but he was a little indignant. He tried to remember that Tak and he were both super high and not to trip out and what-if the hell out of a little hesitation for a handshake. It wasn't until after they had finished chatting with Tu and Rithi and Tak still wouldn't meet his eyes that he started to get pissed.

Emory spotted a back hallway leading to a door and without a word grabbed Tak’s fin in his paw and dragged him to it. He lugged the shark into the hall, glowering, before opening the door and yanking Tak inside.

It was not a back door to the outside as Emory had hoped, it was a closet. There was a mop and bucket, some big box size packages of toilet paper and paper towels, and other relevant miscellany. A bare bulb glowed from the ceiling. Emory, flustered at this development, quickly reached to lock the door behind them.

“Tak, what the fuck. I can't tell people you're my boyfriend here?” Emory asked, hurt and accusatory.

“I'm sorry I did that. I really am. I don't know why I did that.” Tak said, clearly grappling with being just a little too high for the conversation.

“If you don't want to be out at a party, you have to tell me before we get there. I don’t have a problem keeping it under wraps, especially if you don't feel safe, but you have to let me know, Tak,” Emory breathed hard through his nose when he finished speaking.

“ I do. I did. I do.” Tak stammered. It was unlike him to drop his eyes and struggle. “I,.. Emory, that was the first time anyone ever called me a faggot. I'm not joking when I say that Hummer dude scared me. I don't want to get beat up and murdered just for being in love with you. I started spacing out on the walk over here thinking about what I would do if someone tried to fuck with us. I thought about what I’d do if someone hurt you. I started just spiraling into worst case scenarios and thinking about how I take our safety for granted here. I was buggin’ out and I shut down. I'm a little too high, Im sorry,” he heaved a heavy sigh.

“For being in love with you” played on a loop in Emory’s mind as his eyes traced over Tak’s countenance, his slumped shoulders, tucked chin, arms hanging at his sides. He’d never get used to the way those words made him feel.

“UGH I can't be mad. There isn't anything to be mad about. I just want you to tell me if you don't feel safe or it there is something you need from me before we go places. I don't want to push you to be out everywhere we go but you do need to give me the heads up. I feel like an asshole for assuming without asking if we were out here,” Emory folded his arms across his chest but his eyes were soft.”I cant fight with you while you’re wearing a shark suit.”

“I want to be out here. There’s no reason to hide here. We aren’t even the only queers here. I want to show you off to people and make them hella jealous...I think being super stoned just made me paranoid. One toke over the line, man,” Tak shrugged.

Emory covered his mouth and his shoulders shook.

“What?” Tak crowded his eyebrows together.

Emory started to laugh behind his hand. “Its just that Im locked in closet with a giant in a shark suit, having a serious conversation about my relationship while Im dressed as a hedgehog, and Im super high.” He started to laugh harder, “You can’t make this shit up.”

Tak took a moment to view the situation from outside himself and yes, it was very, very hilarious. He began to giggle, then laugh, then gasp between bouts of belly laughs.

Emory watched Tak laughing and felt all warm and gooey in his chest. He want to kiss him, right now. He stepped closer, grabbing a fistful of shark suit in each hand and yanked Tak close. Tak’s laugh stopped but his smile went on for eons. Emory had the look. That look. Tak knew that he was going to do anything Emory asked when he saw that look. He leaned in to kiss Emory, one hand keeping his balance, which was intermittent right now, on a shelf. The other hand slipped into Emory’s hedgehog hood, and held the back of his neck. He could feel the heat coming off of Emory through their fuzzy suits as he pressed his body into Emory. Emory was avoiding his kiss, teasing him, making Tak chase his lips, snapping his teeth at him and smirking.

“Give me that!” Tak growled, pulling on Emory’s neck harder until his lips crashed into Emory’s. He felt Emory’s smirk fade under his own lips and his posture softened as he kissed Tak back with sensual and deep open mouth kisses, making Tak want to pitch himself into the abyss of Emory’s touch. After many moments, as kisses turned into lips on necks and ears and throats, Emory whispered into Tak’s ear,

“I really can’t wait to get you alone.”

Tak grinned. Emory knew all the buttons to push and Tak wondered how soon they could ditch this party. Tak’s hands wandered into his hood and into his hair. Emory could play cool, but not when Tak played with his hair, that was when he lost all thought being stealthy or tame. Emory’s eyes simmered and he flashed a grin before claiming Tak’s mouth again. Tak rested one long hand on Emory’s shoulder, the other in his hair, tugging close to the scalp, eliciting a rumble from Emory’s throat.

“More.” Emory demanded, digging his thumbs into Tak’s hip bones in an almost painful and insistent way. Tak pulled harder at his hair and Emory bit down viciously at his neck. Tak moaned and his head tipped back, making a loud noise when it landed on the shelf behind him. He heard someone tapping on the door, jiggling the handle. He didn't care.

“Fuck off!” he managed to shout to whomever was on the other side. The knocking stopped. “Goddamn Emory your mouth is going to kill me,” Tak murmured. Emory nipped again and pulled back to see the mark he had left on Tak’s neck, which was not discrete or small. He laughed louder than he expected to and jumped when another banging knock came from the door.

[slayingallthesewomenwithmypeen]

[Title in the Works] - 01

;hey guys! this is for a story I'm writing, and it's something I've had in mind for almost a year now, so I've decided to share the first chapter! i hope you enjoy. if you have any title suggestions please don't hesitate to share.

thank you all!

-Daisy💕

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️

This chapter includes violent themes and driving while intoxicated.

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

April 12th, 1987

__________

If you were to ask where people usually are on a Sunday night in Boston, they'd almost all unanimously reply with watching the Bruins.

If not then they likely had something better to do.

But based on the rumbling and roaring of the crowd in the small pub downtown Boston, that didn't seem to be the case.

Cheering ran throughout the large room as a hockey game played on four different T.Vs, with men and women gathering around them to cheer for their boys in yellow and boo at Montreal aggressively.

Granted about half the crowd was completely wasted.

Waitresses walked around the establishment with tray-fulls of cheap beer to hand out to the customers as they continued to yell at the game, some getting mad as the people on the screen didn't do what they had yelled at them for the past half hour to do.

Eyeing one of the waitresses from the bar was Kate, the one with the more blonde in her hair, and her skin bearing a fairer complexion compared to her friend.

A cat-like look danced in her eyes as she scanned the crowd, then at the Bruins who weren't doing so hot.

She chuckled to herself.

Next to her, paying no mind to the waitresses (or let alone the game) like her friend was Phoebe.

She instead idly stirred her mixed drink with the tiny black straw that came with it.

Phoebe had noticeably tanner, freckled skin, sporting ginger hair and grey eyes.

Sitting next to Kate, the two did not at all seem like friends if one were to guess.

Kate twirled around on her barstool and faced her friend, smiling, "I knew the Bruins were gonna lose. Now that fat guy in the Hawaiian shirt over there owes me $50."

Phoebe didn't seem to have any reaction towards her friend's statement, continuing to stir the drink and staring blankly at it.

Her friend raised a brow, clearly understanding how out of character her ginger pal was and reached over to pluck the straw from her hand.

"I think the Alabama Slammer's mixed enough dude." Kate commented.

Phoebe looked up at her, seeming to snap out of the trance, "Sorry..." she apologized quickly, "I guess I'm just not feeling it tonight."

Kate leaned on her hand as she looked at her friend, "Feels weird being back here, huh?"

The ginger nodded, "Little bit." she said silently as she sipped her drink, "At least I haven't bumped into them yet."

"What, your parents?" Kate asked, scrunching her brows as she glanced around the bar, "Your blue-collared folks in this shithole?"

She shrugged, "You never know."

"Yeah, but from what you've told me about them they wouldn't even piss in the toilets in a place like this." Kate replied, a swig of her beer following her words, "So I wouldn't worry."

"I wouldn't really say I'm worried," Phoebe replied, "It's just weird."

The blonde sighed, "Just relax man. S'not like they're forming some kind of witch hunt for you still even after all this time."

Phoebe stayed silent for a moment, letting the cries of the hockey fans drown out her unspoken reply.

Kate rolled her eyes and nudged her shoulder, "C'mon, I'm gonna get my 50 first from the Pillsbury dough-boy over there and then we can bounce. Just go wait in the car."

Kate tossed the keys at Phoebe, who caught them with her two hands and nodded in reply.

She got up and walked out of the bar, the parking lot surprisingly enough being barren despite the large crowd of people inside.

Phoebe got to their 1978 Ford Mustang and unlocked the car.

She got into the front seat, slamming the door next to her shut, and threw the keys onto the dashboard.

Though she tried, she just couldn't shake the awkward feeling of being home back so easily as Kate had tried to.

Her parents may not enjoy places like these as she may, but that doesn't mean the people here don't talk to one another.

Especially since Phoebe's father was a pastor of one of the largest churches in the city.

The thought of that by itself made her head cloud from the embarrassment.

Nothing would make a juicy story for every ear in this drunken city like hearing the pastor's daughter running around town making a fool of herself.

'Great.' she muttered in her head, 'As if me ditching hadn't made things worse before.'

Interrupting her silent scolding was laughter, and footsteps that sounded like running towards the car.

Phoebe turned around and looked out of the back window of the car to see Kate with a handful of cash and a wild grin plastered onto her face as the man in the Hawaiian shirt chased after her along with a buddy of his.

The second man, based on what she could get a glimpse of in the dark, had such a shiny bald head she wouldn't have been surprise if he had a marble where a skull would've been.

The fat man's mouth was covered in blood, his expression was one of pure anger.

His pace- while still fast- wasn't fast enough for Kate as she made it to the car in time, and quickly got into the driver's seat.

She threw the cash onto the dash, grabbing the keys and starting the car, her laughter subsiding as she caught her breath.

Phoebe hadn't had the time to even ask what had happened yet as Kate whipped out of the parking lot with a sharp turn and hit the gas.

The mens yelling and cursing in the background faded when they started going farther down the road.

Phoebe glanced at Kate, who looked at her as if she had just experienced a glorious high.

"Dickhead over there said he knew your dad," she explained, a pit in Phoebe's stomach already forming from the guilt, "He said he'd tell him he saw our plate unless I gave him a little something. Told him no, he tried to grab me, and so I broke his tooth and took whatever was in his wallet."

Kate had described the whole ordeal in a tone where she acts as this happens to her on a daily.

Which frankly, Kate getting into fights wasn't something out of the ordinary for the two of them to go through.

Phoebe chuckled nervously, her anxiety worsening, "Shit, he saw our plates?"

"Don't worry," Kate assured nonchalantly with a giggle, "We can always switch em."

Phoebe could feel her organs sinking into a pit, "How did he even recognize me?"

"Hell if I know."

The ginger turned to Kate, looking at her overall demeanor as her friend swerved a little on the road.

"Kate..." Phoebe reached over and put her hand on the wheel to guide the car in a safer way, "Dude you're drunk off your ass. Let me drive."

Kate blew a raspberry, "I'm not drunk'" she objected, smacking Phoebe's hand away, "I can drive just fine, don't be such a worry-wart."

Phoebe was just about to object when her eyes darted over towards the road for a second and saw a person crossing the street.

"Kate- KATE-" she cried as the car drew closer to the person, "Pump the breaks someone is crossing!"

Kate squinted at the road, her head nodding a little shakily, "I don't see anyone-"

"STOP THE CAR KATE STOP THE CAR-"

Phoebe pushed herself over towards the drivers' side and slammed her foot onto the break.

The tires squealed on the road, twisting and turning as Kate drunkenly tried to hold the wheel still.

Which was about as beneficial as a duck doing taxes.

Phoebe yelped as she felt the car stop, a loud thud from the front following after.

Her eyes were shut closed, shaking as she still stood with her feet on the brake pedal.

"Holy shit." Kate murmured, her feet sliding off of the gas and staring ahead from the window.

Phoebe slowly opened her eyes, her breathing quickened as she quickly got out of the car from the shotgun's side and made her way towards the front.

Her eyes widened in horror, her hands reached up to clamp over her mouth as she rushed over to the body.

A young man laid before the car, his dark brown hair held down with a bit of blood and sweat.

He wore a grey shirt and a blue jacket, both of which were covered in some leaves and mud.

She knelt down towards him, freezing for a second as she wasn't sure on what to do, but then immediately checked his neck for a pulse.

"Is he breathing?"

Kate called as she got out of the car, looking over at Phoebe and the body.

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"He's still alive!"

"What?" Kate asked, surprised by him not kicking the bucket due to getting hit by a car, "No way...props to him."

"We gotta take him to the hospital," Phoebe said hurriedly, "He needs an ambulance- call 911!"

"Yeah, you try explaining to the doctors that you hit some homeless guy with your car."

Phoebe glared at her, "It's not my car! It's yours! You drove!"

"I could've been drunk and you would've had to drive me home. Don't lie and say you can't smell the whiskey on me."

Phoebe was absolutely appalled.

"Why can't we just tell the truth for once?!" she demanded, their current situation making her more stressed than ever, "Damn it, Kate, he could be dying!"

"Okay, one," Kate responded, definitely much calmer than Phoebe, "You think that me driving drunk is gonna make this situation better for the cops? You really want your parents to find out after all this time ignoring them, you got arrested for attempted murder?"

Phoebe didn't answer, she didn't even look at Kate, she just continued to have her hand on his pulse as reassurance that he's okay.

"...Two," she continued, "He'll be fine. Let's just go back to our motel. We'll put him on ice, I'll call a guy, we let him rest so we can avoid this whole mess."

"And what if he doesn't get better?" Phoebe shot a glare at her friend, questioning her morals.

Kate shrugged, "I got a shovel in the back."

Her eyes grew big, "Jesus Christ, Kate!"

"He'll get better!" she said a little louder, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Fuck sake, just help me get him into the backseat."