#the song was too sweet and the vhs realness called to me

[faunandfloraas]

-promise that I'll love you plenty.

[witchwyfe]

fool for you | sh

| pairing: steve harrington x female reader

| précis: steve's in a bad mood until you show up, fluff, cursing

| word count: 856

Steve slaps another VHS tape onto the floor, sighing dramatically.

"Jesus Steve, Keith said to reorganize the horror section, not take your anger out on it." Robin chuckles.

He flips her the bird, not even bothering to turn around and look.

Robin rolls her eyes before heading into the back office to unbox something Keith had asked her to.

During the week, Family Video wasn't as crowded, especially on a Tuesday morning. Boredom fills the air like a thick heat, the two employees desperate for a customer or at least something interesting to happen.

"Harrington!" Robin calls from the office. "Come here,"

Steve huffs, stepping away from the mess he created in the floor, and almost tripping over Poltergeist, on his way to Robin.

"What do you want?" He wonders, rough tone lining his words. He's not mean--never mean-- but comfortable enough around his best friend that he doesn't feel the need to hide his mood.

"What crawled up your ass this morning?" Robin asks, a smirk lining her lips.

"What do you need help with?" He grits his teeth, hands settled on his hips.

"Can't reach that box up there, you're taller, you do it."

He huffs, but moves forward, lifting up and grabbing the box. He bites back another complaint--something about how Robin never has a problem climbing on Keith's desk to get shit, on any other day.

"Anything else you need?" He forces, smile obviously fake and eliciting a laugh from Robin.

"Nothing else right now, besides an attitude adjustment maybe?"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

Steve sits back on the floor, and doesn't move for another hour--when the horror section is reorganized to what he hopes are Keith's standards. He swears he just did this last week but he knows better than to bitch about it to Keith.

Robin knows it's a bad mood when she decides to give Steve his break early, scared about him scaring customers away. He'd slammed the register shut a little too hard before she was pushing him away and threatening to lock him in the break room.

And he sits back there, fiddling with the radio until the static goes away, and he smiles when he realizes it's one of your favorite songs.

He's calm for a few moments, the thought of you driving out any annoyances.

The bell rings, alerting him that someone has entered the store. He doesn't give a shit, Robin can deal with whoever came in.

Until he hears something sweet and familiar.

Your voice.

The sound is like a light breaking through the dark cloud above his head, and he's up and out of his seat before he misses too much, the sound of your sweet laugh making his heart clench.

He's shoving through the door, crossing the threshold out into the store to see you, to make sure you're real and not a figment of his imagination.

"Hi," He's beaming, breathless in your presence.

You turn from where you're speaking to Robin, your smile growing unbelievably large when you spot your boyfriend.

You're trying to be polite and finish your conversation with his friend before running into his arms like you want to. He doesn't care, he saunters over and engulfs you in his grip, breathing in the comforting scent of your shampoo and perfume.

"Missed you," He murmurs into your hair.

"I was just saying," Robin starts, a wicked grin on her lips. "____, thank god you're here, Steve's been in a foul mood all morning and he--"

"That's enough," He cuts her off, blush rising on his cheeks. "She doesn't wanna hear about that."

"Actually she would love to," You pipe up, looking up at him fondly. "You miss me bub?"

"Oh he totally did!" Robin snorts. "He was being so pouty and--"

"Shut up Buckley," He groans, letting his forehead fall onto your shoulder.

He nuzzles into you for another minute before Robin makes gagging sounds, eliciting a soft giggle from your lips.

"Alright go finish your break, you're gonna scare the customers away."

"You'd love that," Steve argues, raising an eyebrow.

"I would but I don't think Keith would."

She argues. "As much as I don't care what that motherfucker wants, he writes the checks Steve-O, so that's the way it is."

You share a laugh with your boyfriend until Robin shoos you both away and Steve tugs you into the break room.

"M'serious," He whines, lips at your forehead. "I missed you."

"I know bub," You stretch up to peck the tip of his nose. "I missed you too."

"Didn't think you'd come here. You said you had that group project."

Steve won't admit it because he'd never try to hold you back, but he hates Tuesday's, because it's the one day your schedules don't line up. So while he's at work, you're taking classes nearby at the college.

"Simon canceled." You wrinkle your nose and Steve watches with stars in his eyes. "I swear we're never gonna get that fucking project finished."

"I'll help you with it." He murmurs, lips back on your head, soft against your hairline.

"Okay baby."

© witchwyfe 2022. absolutely no reposting, translating, or modifying, even with credit.

[princesssarisa]

Cinderella September-through-November: "A Tale of Cinderella" (1995 filmed stage musical)

I had almost forgotten about this Cinderella's existence, but then I remembered having noticed it on various video store shelves in my childhood. Why I never bought it or rented it I don't know. It's a filmed stage production of a musical produced by the New York State Theatre Institute, with music and lyrics by George David Weiss (known for such pop and jazz standards as "What a Wonderful World," "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), and additional music by Will Severn. It was videotaped in 1995, then released on VHS in 1997, and aired many times on PBS too.

The first and foremost way A Tale of Cinderella sets itself apart from other musical versions of the story is by setting the scene in 19th century Venice, and by peppering the lyrics and dialogue with Italian words and cultural details. The heroine is referred to interchangeably as "Cinderella" or as "la Cenerentola"... and just as in Rossini's opera La Cenerentola, her real name is Angelina. But this adaptation has other creative details too. It features an extended role for Cinderella's father Paolo, who loves his daughter and isn't weak-willed by nature, but whom the beautiful yet wicked stepmother Pulchitruda commands with a magical crystal amulet, which makes him hopelessly enthralled by her charms. Thus Cinderella has no defense against Pulchitruda or her bullying daughters Moltovoce ("much voice," or "loudmouth") and Seppia ("squid"). But she does have an ally in her beloved grandmother, La Stella, the mother of her own late mother, who urges her never to give up hope... and who is also her fairy godmother, stirring up magic with a wooden pasta spoon instead of a wand.

The handsome Prince Nicolo also has a fairy godfather of his own, a slightly pompous and bumbling yet benevolent gentleman called Il Compare, who carries a magic sword. The Prince and Cinderella first meet in the town square, he disguised in an elegant Venetian mask, and are instantly smitten with each other; after she departs, Il Compare's magic lets Nicolo hear Cinderella's singing from afar, which makes him fall even harder. This inspires him to extend the invitations of the already-scheduled masked ball from only princesses to every unmarried maiden in Venice and to have them all sing for him in hope of finding her. But when Cinderella finally steals and hides her stepmother's amulet to free her father from its spell, Pulchitruda refuses to let her go to the ball unless she returns it, and she sadly gives up the ball for her father's sake. Fortunately, La Stella conjures up a gown, crystal slippers and a gondola so she can go after all. And when Prince Nicolo searches for the foot that fits the slipper she lost, just as Pulchitruda lies that there are no other young ladies in the house than her daughters, Il Compare's magic makes everyone hear Cinderella's singing yet again, revealing her presence. Meanwhile, La Stella and Il Compare share an adorable, teasing December/December romance that unfolds at the same time as their godchildren's love.

The songs are numerous: "Buon Giorno," ""The Tale of Cinderella," "Hear Us," "Cinderella," "Poor, Poor, Poor," "In The Air," "These Graceful Hands," "Showoff," "Have Faith," "Make Magic," "Demons and Devils and Witches," "Peliculo," "Unmarried Women," "Out of the Ashes," "Bring My Porridge," "Some Sweet Day," "Can You Believe It?" "Love, Love, Love, Love," "Bells/Mi Dispiace," "The Amulet," "Don't Mess With La Stella," "Be Back By Midnight," "Compliments," "No One Ever Told Me," "The Prince," and "You Are My Love." While they don't equal Rodgers and Hammerstein in quality, all the same they make a tuneful, charming score. The Venetian-flavored costumes are equally appealing and the simple yet effective stage sets and magic effects serve their purpose well.

Christianne Tisdale, a veteran Belle from Broadway's Beauty and the Beast and Christine Daaé from Yeston and Kopit's Phantom, is an engaging Cinderella. Her voice is equally at home in sweet operatic tones and in powerhouse belting, though it can be thin at times, and she does a fine job of portraying the feistiest, most "modern" Cinderella since Libuše Šafránková in Three Wishes. While still kind, selfless, and vulnerable to sadness and yearning, this Italian Cenerentola is also witty, smart-mouthed, angry, and more than capable of defying her stepfamily or fantasizing about revenge. The rest of the cast is likable too, particularly Sean Frank Sullivan's lively Prince Nicolo with his bright tenor voice, Joel Aroeste's poignant, fatherly Paolo, and perhaps most appealing of all, Lorraine Serabian's warm, sassy, exuberant La Stella and John Romeo's endearingly swaggering yet insecure Il Compare.

This underrated Cinderella musical is definitely worth seeking out. It might not outshine the Rodgers and Hammerstein versions or Disney's animated film, but it's still charming from beginning to end.

@superkingofpriderock, @ariel-seagull-wings

[billiejs]

A Christmas Carol (or a Phantom story of Christmas

Julie and the Phantom Drabble, 1k, Julie/Luke, general fluffiness involved

“You’re not serious about this.” Luke stares Julie in the eyes, disbelief heavy in every word. 

Julie holds out three scripts and an ancient candleholder with a hopeful smile. Luke already knows he’s going to crumble. 

“Please?” She says, making a show of batting her eyelashes. “I know it’s a little…” 

“Insensitive?” Luke arches an eyebrow. 

“Viciously ironic?” Reggie adds.

“Downright offensive?” Alex supplies, looking at the scripts in Julie’s hands as if they’d personally insulted his drumming skills. 

“Guys, come on!” Julie stomps her feet, losing her pleading expression in favor of the trademark scowl she exhibits whenever she thinks they’re being unnecessarily difficult. Luke is half intrigued, half terrified by that scowl. “It’s for Carlos! You love Carlos, right?” 

She looks straight at Reggie, whose determination predictably begins to falter within the second. 

Low blow, Julie. Low blow. 

“Of course we do!” Reggie’s voice is an octave too high. “He’s like he’s our little brother too, you know that…” 

“And you know how excited he was about playing the lead in the Christmas play…”  

“Yeah Jules,” Luke sighs, “We helped him rehearse, remember?” 

Alex smacks him in the chest with one of the scripts and ouch, being human again hurts. Then again, Luke has just dug their own grave. 

“Exactly!” Julie’s eyes ignite with conviction and Luke has just given her the silver lining she was looking for. “You already know the lines! And he will be thrilled to know that you are the ones who will fill in for the kids who got chickenpox…”

Reggie is already flipping through the script, reading through the highlighted lines with a focused look. Alex looks ready to commit murder. Luke is just busy imagining how happy he would make Julie if he supported her little brother in his school play.

“You realize the irony of asking us, three people who have come back from the realm of the phantoms no more than six months ago, to fill in for the roles of the three ghosts in A Christmas Carol?” Alex says. He gestures heavily at the three of them as he speaks, and Luke has to bite back a smile. 

“There’s a song, too.” Julie, in turn, is doing nothing to hide her own amusement. “The kids wrote it. It’s called ‘Trust the ghosts (cause they know best)’.”

“Okay I’m doing it!” Reggie raises both his hands in surrender, “These kids are legit. Which one am I? The Ghost of the Christmas Present? Sweet!”

“Trust the ghosts cause they know best, put aside your interests, it’s Christmas Day, that’s what they say: put all greediness away.” Luke sing-songs along with what he supposes is a rip off of a classic Christmas song. “This puts all of Sunset Curve’s and Julie and the Phantoms’ lyrics to shame.”

Julie’s grin is infectious as she punches him lightly on the shoulder.

“Come on. I think Carlos helped with that.”

“Of course, the Molina talent shines right through.” 

This time Luke catches Julie’s fist in his hand and tugs her forward. She’s blushing heavily, but doesn’t step back. 

“So, does this mean you’ll do it, Ghost of the Christmas Past?” She breaths on his lips, and Luke gives his answer in the form of a kiss. Julie cups his cheek in her tiny pianist hand and he knows that there is no end of the Earth he wouldn’t walk to, if it means making her happy. 

“I cannot believe this!” 

Alex indignant screech kind of ruins the moment, but it’s nothing they haven’t dealt with before. Julie briefly touches her forehead on Luke’s with a laugh, before looking back to Alex. 

“I can tell Willie to come and give you a kiss too,” she says. “I pitched him this idea yesterday and he loved it, he told me to let him know if I needed backup to convince you.”

Alex’s eyes bulge out, but for once he’s speechless. 

“Betrayal,” he finally hisses. “This Ghost of the Christmas Yet to Come will have his own musical number with a song about the importance of having real, loyal friends.” 

“That’s kinda what the Ghost of the Christmas Yet to Come is all about, actually.” Reggie intervenes, nose buried in his script. “Making sure you have people who will actually cry at your funeral instead of exploiting the access to your room during the reception to steal your collection of Star Wars VHS.”

Julie, Luke and Alex exchange a silent look that spells INTERVENTION in blazing red letters, but they put it aside for the time being. Luke wraps his arms around Julie and flips the script open, putting his chin on her shoulder to read through it. 

“Ebenezer Scrooge! I am the ghost of the Christmas Past and I have visited you tonight to show you the wrong of your ways…” he proclaims in a cavernous voice, making Julie giggle. “What? You don’t like my ghost voice?” 

He can only see the profile of Julie’s face but he knows she’s giving him side eyes.

“I have met you as a ghost, and I know what your ghost voice sounds like,” she says matter-of-factly. “Spoiler: it’s not this pale imitation of Batman you’re trying to do.”

“Hey, I was bringing perspective to the character!” Luke laughs. “You’re never happy with me.” 

Julie turns in his arms and the script falls from his hands as he instinctively places them on her hips.

Julie is smiling at him like he’s just hung the moon in the sky for her, Reggie and Alex are discussing how to harmonize a song written by fifth-graders in the background and Rey Molina is going to film their performance at Carlos’s school like he’s shooting the live at Broadway Hamilton opening night.

“I am always happy with you, Luke.” Julie says, “So happy that most days it doesn’t even feel real.” 

And she touches his shoulders and his arms a little nervously, almost hesitant, as if he could slip away from her grasp at any moment. Luke holds her tightly. 

Life is good.

_____________________________________ Thanks for reading! Feel free to drop a prompt in my askbox if you’d like more stuff like this <3 

[selfcareparker]

yesss the letter format 💝💓💘💖💞💕💖💞💓 (lovely anon)

my dearest aria (a hamilton reference lmao),

i’m home alone (bc i wanted the house alone to get my head together after my brothers were mean to me 🙃) and i’m so hype LMAO but i’m watching chloe x halle’s tiny desk concert and honestly just vibing. (this is so random) besides zendaya like they are my badass black women role models. my one accomplishment would be to learn to body roll like them LMAO

oh nevermind i can’t have anything nice, my dad just came home 🙃 WHAT A WAY TO START OFF THIS ASK WTFFF

i’m liking tfatws, the second episode was veryyy intense imo but WANDAVISION IS SO GOOD😭 i knew it was going to be my favorite from the really old trailer but it’s really good and i promise it’s not just sitcoms, girl especially cuz you’ll have all the episodes already out- we were having to wait every week😭 BUT ITS SO GOOD I PROMISE HDJSHDJSH lmao reading this i was like “i- the episodes aren’t an hour long” but i feel that, it’s hard for me to watch tfatws bc they are an hour long and i’m like 😐 but wandavision episodes are less than 30mins bc I KID YOU NOT they have the damn 10 MINUTE CREDITS DHDJSJ no i don’t think we’ve talked about this b4 lol but it all depends on the series for me. i binged love island uk in less than a week bc i was so invested and LITERALLY LOVE IT but uh those episodes are like an hour and a half, but say i was binging tfatws (it’s so hard to type that ohmigosh) i honestly would not be able to do it bc of the intensity (you may be like what intensity but if you’ve seen episode 2 by the time you’re reading this.......... isaiah and the scene afterwards is all i have to say, esp me being black it was so tough :/)

girl you’re fine, as long as you’ve experienced it once hahaha i think the reason why it’s so important to my family (this letter feels so personal and extreme HSJSJA IM SORRY) is bc my grandmother loved it and in my family i guess it’s just important to us lol like my mom and dad love it too and we have the literal VHS tapes LMAO, but it only came up recently cuz my youngest brother was watching lion guard HAHA and he wanted to see the originals :) and fun fact (unless you already know) but there’s a lion king part 2 and 1 1/2 and i have all three ON VHS HAHAHA but i love lion king 1 duh (the og) but part two’s music and love story..... is so good. anyway. 🦁

I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING DURING THE WHOLE MOVIE THEATER ENCOUNTER THING HAHAHA AND WHEN SHE WAS SAYING AWKWARD I WAS LIKE WTF THE NOISE LMAOOOO i don’t think there’s a better way to describe that whole situation than ZKDHDJSHAJAJSHDJSNAHA. yeah. yeaaaa at the cinemas (i like the word cinema more than movies 🥰) here they have chips (fries), some have ice cream, nachos, drinks, hot dogs, the cinema we were at had pretzels and like BURGERS I WAS LIKE HUH OKAY and ya know obviously popcorn but i don’t know why the theaters (or cinemas) here do that, it started a long time ago though like yearsssss

PLEASE i have the longest movie watchlist and uhh haven’t seen any of them JDJSKA (istg i use HSJSSKSH as a period - like . ) i’m still hype for cherry but very hesitant (idk if i can handle it) but i’m thinking about watching it in the next couple of weeks? i know it’ll take me forever bc i’m gonna have to keep pausing and shit but idk. i’ve asked around for very specific trigger warnings and time stamps so i REALLY know what’s coming (even if it spoiled the film a bit for me) but i do really wanna see it (i think? writing this now i’m not so sure lol) so whooooooo really knows lol, but chaos walking YES i was really excited about it :))) and about my friend uhh dude you don’t sound mean at all i was literally thinking the same thing but worse HAAKL idk what she was there for???? she bought my ticket tho so 💁🏾‍♀️ whatever

“SIMS ahh, BUNK BEDS ahh” had me cracking up lmao and you know my sims status JAJAHHAJ but i’m gonna become like you, saving every 5 minutes 😭 but that’s exactly what happened to me, i really didn’t know whether to shut it off or not but after 2 hours i was heartbroken lol i’m literally making a list of things i need to redo that wasn’t saved lmao

CAN I JUST SAY UR A MASTERMIND THOUGH??? UR SIMS GAME SOUNDS SO *chefs kiss* IM CRINE university is PAINFULLY long and LITERALLY I FEEEL THAT like you can’t do anything else without failing, i had my sim go to a party once for like a few hours and i felt so dumb afterwards like urgh he should’ve been studying LMAOO just cracking down on work honestly. UR NEIGHBOR!AU IN THE SIMS PLEASEEE i am very much in love with it, yes. (pouring rain has just suddenly begun where i am rn wow ok) i love that you put them on the same lot, that was really really smart and i love that ur living out your sexuality in the sims😭 i was abt to say “now you can say you’ve got experience bc of the sims” but ANYWAY IGNORE ME fhdhs THE ALIEN BABY DHSJSK i hope it’s not a dealbreaker for enisa. that’d be tragic. IM BACK IN UPPERCASE THO BC YES MAKING OUT IN THE SIMS IS SO HOT TO ME??? I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE STFU OH MY GOSH- all the stuff, whispering sweet nothings, and the making out, and JUST ALL OF IT!!! AM I TOUCH STARVED????? there was this time i made my sim just continue to woohoo bc it was turning me on big time. ANYWAY

half way through that i had to go to my grandmothers house (not the one that likes lion king, but uh hmm idk if you remember but i was talking abt my shit family so yeah that grandmother lol) so now i’m finishing this 🥴 and instead of chloe x halle i’m watching a tom interview lmao & if this takes me longer than 30 minutes.... imma cry

I REALLY WANNA ASK- IS IT BC UR GERMAN LIKE YOU CAN JUST WRITE OUT THAT LONG ASS WORD???? i mean i can’t write out supercalafrag- anyway, but that word is a bit nonsense, UR WORD IS A REAL WORD DUDE HDJSHS i love how ur like “maybe i mixed up these words” YEA OK.

lol i had to google what are waveformers lol (lol makes a comeback) and they look like curlers that you would sleep in (here we would call them curlers or uhm i forgot uhhhhhhh rollers i think) but ur fine when am i ever making sense?? i think the best part about these is the chaos yet we understand what the other means 😌

H20 H20 H20 OH MY GOODNESS SHE BROUGHT UP H20 OK MY LIFE WAS H20🥲 I HAVE THEIR LOCKET NECKLACE AND (short storytime) when i was younger i thought they were american despite their accents (idk i was dumb) but then i figured they weren’t when lewis went to go study in america HAHAH ALSO FAVORITE COUPLE CLEO AND LEWIS UGH WATCH ME REWATCH THE SHOW NOW THANKS (also i hated elizabeth so much) but anyway back on topic, when lewis went to go study in the US i looked up where the show took place and all that good stuff and i found out they were australian HAHAH and that started my obsession with accents LMAO the uk :’)) (i’m proofreading AND AUSTRALIA IS NOT A PART OF THE UK LMAOO IM SOO DHSJSSHS) also it is now one of my many goals (besides the body roll HAHAH) to go to mako island (that’s what it’s called right??)

about music, i googled stormzy and i might listen to a song of his.. LOL I WANNA GIVE IT A TRY IMMA DO IT FOR YOU NFDVSFSG lmaoo the german rapper had me cackling (autocorrect once again being helpful and said raper and i’m like nOO) i mean we all have that one person. can’t lie, won’t lie. my one (IM SORRY BUT AUTOCORRECT HAD “MY ONE TRUE ACCOMPLISHMENT” SITTING AND READY HDJSJA I DONT EVEN TYPE THAT wHAT) person out of my white soft boy with brown hair and brown eyes type would beeeee pete davidson. love me some petey. i was gonna say rex orange county as well lmao but i don’t really loveeee him i’m just in love with his music... and wanna be friends with him..... so 👉🏾👈🏾 (i never do that fdshsh)

oh my goodness, i love tattoos too- GASP what are you thinking of getting 🥺 i want tattoos too but i’m too indecisive to figure out what to have & where. especially in my family... idk they aren’t frowned upon but my mom’s not applauding the thought lol, if i got one it would have to be meaningful but i am absolutely in love with (for example) ariana grande’s finger tattoos !! they’re so cute and simple :’) i don’t even know if i can get tattoos? my skin is... interesting. not in a bad way!! just like.... idk how to explain it??? keyloids run in the family & i got a piercing once and it got infected soo :/ the doctor also confirmed that if i wanted tattoos they couldn’t be in color so LMAO

ONCE AGAIN THIS WHOLE THING FEELS SO TMI DHSHSSJ IM LIKE OHMIGOSH SHUT UP SHE DOESNT CARE JESJSKS

in regards to you not sleeping, i wanted to mention that dumb bird, what was the reason it was up so early aT 4AM???? SIR WHO YOU CALLING TO??? also it’s 11:30pm and idk why i’m tired???

yeah i was never SUPER into justin so i don’t know exactly what albums you’re talking about lol, i do know yummy though.. but everyone did hahaha also i listen to so much pop 🙈 i mean maybe... idk what would count as pop and what wouldn’t. that new person feeling though.. i get that. it’s like who is this new person..? i kinda feel like that with taylor swift (i was never THAT into her either though so it’s like oh wait i didn’t know you from the beginning instead of hello old friend but you’re different lol)

about the concerts, thanks 🥰🥰 that’s so sweet what you did for your mom too, it’s nice seeing them so happy like 🥲 awh AND GLEE IS AND WAS MY LIFE FOR A V V LONG TIME, i’ve been meaning to rewatch it for the longest time lmaooo but i’m just so lazy and it’s such a commitment... i’ll have to get emotionally involved again and idk if i want that rn. but i have a friend on instagram and she runs a glee fan account and it’s such a big part of her life i really don’t think i could ever be THAT obsessed with something. like another one of my friends loves tom holland so much that she changed her mom’s name in her phone to what tom’s mom’s name is in his phone (that was confusing lol) and obviously i’m not judging them AT ALL, it just couldn’t be me lol

CONCERTS LOOK LIKE SO MUCH FUN 😩😩 LIKE THE EXPERIENCE AND THE FEELINGGG URGHSJS i wanna see a few people live like ari and chloe x halle and- hmm.... idk who else FJDSJ rex orange county i guess huh anyway, the experience just sounds so amazing and the atmosphere is just ✨✨✨ yeah

aria do it do it do it do it do it- watch hamilton!! but with subtitles bc you won’t catch half of the things they’re saying without them LMAO (me and my family watched it and they all didn’t like it bc they didn’t know what was happening lol) BUT DONT WATCH IT AT 4AM LMAO ITS LITERALLY 3 HOURS LONG

yes!! superior peter fics 🥺🥺🥺🥺 and it just shows how much of an incredible writer AND PERSON you are through your fics that you can turn a blurb into 2k....... like what.

LMAO the annoying thing, sometimes i feel like i’m bothering people (like right now HAHAH) but i think it’s my antisocial side being like yeaa no one wants to talk to you like you wanna talk to them :’) idk it’s strange!! sometimes i get really ✨insecure✨ and overthink everything LOL like is this too long, im talking too much, i’m swearing too much, oh lord i’m a pain, all that good shit lmao so that’s fun:))

ALSO YOUR BLOG IS SO FUN TO ME HAHAK LIKE ITS JUST YOUR OWN AND I LOVE THAT!!! like you talk about everything and anything on here lol,, and i say that bc what you said lmao how if i was someone else i would want to fuck me so bad😭 i honestly don’t understand how i don’t have people lining up though..... but if no one’s gonna tell you... then you tell yourself, period (and sometimes telling yourself is fucking yourself HSHAJKS OK NEXT)

ohmigosh the realization you had that you graduated last year and are going to uni this year🤧 but the fact that you had a teacher who LEFT THE GROUP CHAT bc she was mad at y’all i- 😭 but yeah about your maths (i always wondered why you guys call it maths and the US calls it math. like i know so many people out of the states, not just in the uk that say maths) teacher- i saw this post that said online school is looking a lot like dora the explorer😭😭 “you have any questions?” 🦗 “okay bye then” lmao and please i love when tests have nothing to do with what you studied like ??? thanks? sometimes i get scared that my teacher will somehow find out that i googled everything? or like my answer is too close to the answer sheet or something. i get sooo nervous lol but i’m already past that point of not being able to do anything myself DHJS i mean i’m still learning like i said!! read the question, read the answer. boom. now i know the answer to the question and i learned!

THANKS 🙈🥰🤧 idk how else to explain my feelings LMAO i feel it’s cool that you find my dance lessons and voice lessons cool so thanks :’)

oh god not headache season 😭😭 allergies are the worst like it’s not even funny. is headache season just when the seasons are changing or is it like... all throughout the summer? cuz i love the summer lmaoo i love the winter too but i just love wearing as little clothes as possible LMAO

GIRL IF THAT BIRD DONT STOP CHIRPING- i am 100% convinced that it is the same bird trying to give you headaches and no sleep and it needs to stfu 😤 and pLEASE ur theme is adorable and pretty and cute but also it just feels like you? idk if i’m explaining this right or if it’s bc i’ve been talking to you for a bit but it’s cute but not innocent in a way that i’m surprised that you write smut and- yeah, that didn’t make sense!! but ur new theme is gonna look pretty too and as long as you like it, it’ll be amazing🥰

yessssss the fact that megan is gonna be ur pfp YES JUST YES

edit: ok i just need to 🥺😭 sometimes u make me wanna cry cuz i feel like you’re just a kind person. i truly mean this, the fact that you celebrate yours & others stretch marks makes me so 🥺🥺🥺 i honestly don’t know anyone who has said they want need more stretch marks and it’s just all very lovely to me :’)) OKAY IMMA STOP BEING SAPPY

#yes my fake tags are back #by popular demand #aka me #and look i have actual tags this time! #i’m seriously craving water ice rn....... huh #but it’s past midnight and i fr fr want a snack #aw man #i wrote that last paragraph while doing my tags yes #and i hope you become responsible for that anon’s orgasm #assuming they had one #and i saw your response to the tom thing and yeaa when they only look like that for something and it’s like aw bae be yourself #i’m gonna shut up now and find a snack but goodnight!! morning?? IDK #IF THESE TAGS END UP AS ACTUAL TAGS I AM SO SORRY HAHAHA #alright proofreading done and i’m gonna go eat cereal

okay i‘m on my way to a driving lesson rn and afterwards i have a zoom uni thing, and then another uni thing lmao. but hopefully i can reply to this in between because i‘ve been dying to talk to you since i got this ask dldjds💘💘💘 (i really like this heart. i had a 💖 phase for a while and now it‘s 💘 (seems like a very romantic heart but.... it is what it is idk dkddj)

^okay that was literally all i wrote before my lesson lmfao. just had the worst driving lesson ever dbdvsnylkxsksj i think i‘ve gotten too used to being good at driving and now i‘ve gotten too cocky with it 🥴 anyway i‘ve had such a stressful day and overall week but tbh i‘m already feeling better bc i can (indirectly) talk to you <333

omg i went to chloe or halle (i don‘t remember who out of the two)‘s instagram the other day and found out that they are not twins alejeleksjsksj but yes oh my god their voices are literally angelic and i can‘t wait to see Halle as Ariel (Arielle??)🥰 and omg it‘s literally 2021 and we‘ve only had......... one(?) black Disney Princess like it‘s about fucking time (I might be forgetting someone, I‘m not too familiar with the new Disney films, but as far as I remember there‘s only Tiana right? (who is literally a frog for 3/4 of the film 😭😭) so yes i‘m here for it too😌😌😌 (obviously she‘s not a cartoon like tiana ekdlek but she‘s a disney princess you know what i mean ddkjdh)

pfkejdj i‘m already overwhelmed with my parents i can‘t imagine having siblings too 😭😭 (sometimes i wish i had siblings but then other times (like after reading what you wrote dksjj) i‘m glad that i‘m an only child lmao like your brothers being mean to you and i remember when you cried and he was just like 👁👄👁 ok. like i’m totally okay being an only child sksjsj———and he doesn‘t listen to music 🤧🤧🤧 (although i guess that‘s good for you because at least he can‘t annoy you by listening to loud music that you hate dmdn)

okay okay i might watch wandavision then??? I‘ll definitely let you know!!! and yes omg i‘m loving tfatws (that really is so fucking hard to type omg) but same i totally get what you mean, i‘m not used to watching action series at all and every episode so far has been like a little movie so i‘m glad that i didn‘t wait until it was all out cause there’s no way i could binge watch that lol) and yes last episode was really intense. i‘m glad that marvel are talking about racism because (from what i‘ve seen) they haven‘t been the best in that department, and i‘m really curious to see what they‘ll do in the next episodes (curious isn‘t the right word but excited isn‘t the right wort either, like i‘m excited but in a neutral way ? i‘ll shut up dslsksj i hate that german has so many words that you cant translate because theres a really good german word that describes how i’m feeling but i cant think of a good translation ugh)

okay i absolutely need to watch lion king (and part 2 and 1/ 1/2 dksksj) AND hamilton, i might even do it soon 👀

BURGERS AT THE CINEMA? EBEEISNDBEKSK i‘ll come to the US just to go and watch a movie lmaooo, i think all the popcorn sizes and drinks are bigger as well, i‘ll come and watch chaos walking with you 😌😌 does next week work?

and yeah i‘ve seen posts with specific time stamps and trigger warning for cherry too so if you haven’t looked on tumblr yet i’ve def seen some! (but ive also seen some on twitter and yeah- i mean idk youve probably looked on tumblr but yeah- then there’s also imdb which doesn’t have time stamps i believe but quite specific warnings, mostly without spoilers!)

Tbh i don‘t think i would have even considered watching cherry if tom wasn‘t in it... (i’m personally fine with most of the triggering topics/things like for some reason i’m just stoic when i’m watching the most tragic films ever dldldldlbut the plot just... idk if it‘s for me you know? just entertainment wise?).... and even with tom in it i‘m unsure skeldls, i‘d totally get if you decide not to watch it but let me know if you do i‘d want to hear your thoughts! <3

SKSLSJJ my sims both finally graduated!! i think i played sometime last week, and i literally got the achievement/notification that i‘d been playing with this household for 24hours.... and that was BEFORE they graduated dldjdldkdksjjs

oh no my tumblr broke and three paragraphs of me talking about sims were deleted 😭😭😭

WAIT NO I TOOK SCREENSHOTSSKSK because i couldn’t press save so i knew they might be gone okay okay okay i‘m a genius

*move out

oh no idk if the quality is too bad to read... idk how good your eyes are dkdkdjjd (also sometimes it will be really bad quality for some but not for others so i hope that the you can see the pics in a normal/good quality)

Okay let me continue

OMG THE ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL STUFF IS THE BEST PART ABOUT THE SIMS DIDLDKJIkdkj i kind of miss how in the sims 3 they would be making out basically lying on top of each other if they were on a bed— but in sims 4 when they‘re sitting next to each other and everything that‘s definitely hot too 😌😭 or with hot tubs dkdkdk how one sim climbs on the other sim‘s lap before they woohoo (i used to make them skinny dip in the hot tub and then make out and woohoo so they’re like naked on top of each other even if you can‘t see anything- en e waysss)

Dkdkdkdj so @ Rindfleischet.. blah bla. so it‘s basically just loads of individual words put together/connected and that‘s a really big part of german. so yesterday i had an online Einführungsveranstaltung for uni (like it was a zoom meeting where they just talked about general stuff about the uni and i was really anxious before, idk why, but it turned out absolutely fine so) and that words consists of the two words Einführung (introduction) and Veranstaltung (event) which are also two individual words but you can make a new word (Einführungsveranstaltung, so in english that‘s basically “introduction event“ lmao) by combining those two words. there are obviously some rules like you can‘t just combine random words in a random order but you can basically make infinite words (technically). for example (i feel like i‘m teaching a class just skip this if you don’t care 🙃🙃🙃djdjdkdlns)

for example i could say Einführungsveranstaltungsteilnehmer (which is not underlined with red by tumblr because it is a grammatically correct compound word (i think that‘s what they‘re called?)) which is the words introduction + event + participant, so that word just means “participant of an introductory event“ but instead it‘s one word? i hope that makes sense? dkdkkdksks i mean it makes sense in german but idk if it makes sense to you cause idk if i‘m explaining it very well lmao,

(I just deleted a really really long paragraph that i wrote about gender in the german language and grammar, you‘re welcome slsksksj)

my capacity to think has now been used up for the week 🥴🥴🥴 i absolutely do not blame you if you just skipped over that part or can‘t be bothered to (re)read my awful explanation edkflsksjdjdj (again, i had double the amount of words but i just deleted it dkdkdlslsl but what‘s left lf my german lesson is probably confusing enough already😭i‘m sorry🥴)

so to answer your question LEJDKSKJ: it‘s really common to have long words in german, words that are just word+ word+ word + word made into one long word. obv rindfleischetikettierung..... is a very extreme example and it‘s normally just 2-4 words made into one! So yup i think that comes mostly from german and talking german and growing up here and going to school here and everything dmdfnsksx

i think the best part about these is the chaos yet we understand what the other means 😌— YES. YES. Yes. I love that about us 😌😌🥰🥰/ I love us. Yes.

okay but your friend changing her mom‘s name into tom‘s mum‘s name (was that right? Dkdkdjh)—— so Justin Bieber once posted something where you could see that his Dad‘s number was saved as „Daddy Cakes“ (which, thinking back, sounds very weird ekejjej) and till this day I have my Dad’s contact name as Tata (which is serbian for Dad lmao), “Tata🍰“ in my phone because of it 😭😭😭😭🙃🙃🙃 it‘s not because of justin anymore like i‘ve just gotten used to it by now but at first i did it because of justin lol........ but nowadays i don‘t think i‘m THAT type of fan of anyone- like you know how people have fandom names (Justin‘s fans are the Beliebers, One Direction fans are Directioners (writing that hurt my soul💔💔💔)) and I wouldn‘t consider myself a fan of anyone like that. like even with tom i wouldn‘t call myself........ does tom even have a name for his fans??? Well if he does, I wouldn‘t call myself that. Like i used to be such a hardcore stan for any celebrity that i liked and now it‘s just... okay, i like em. (She says on her blog where she writes fan fiction about Tom Holland — WJDJEJDKELSKSKKSNSNDXB🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃)

Omg rex orange county!!!!!! I don‘t know that many songs like I‘ve only listened to the album pony, but i love it 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

thanks again for what you said about my fics/writing I‘m🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Pete Davidson Pete Davidson Pete Davidson I‘m-🥰🥰🥰🥰 and I can‘t explain why. But as blissfulparker said the other day (i don‘t want to tag her and make her read through all of this lolll) “I like my men when they look like they are on the brink of death 😍“ (or something along the lines of that) eskkejs okay pete isn‘t that bad, he looks quite good on some days but other days you‘re like... is this man alive? Like i don‘t want to be mean I love Pete so much The King of Staten Island is literally my favourite film ever (although it‘s not my #1 because of how he looks, but i mean he does look good) VUT ALSO

(Okay i was gonna look for a terrible picture of him but he really doesn‘t look as bad as people say??? like. i think he‘s hot. can‘t necessarily explain why. so that‘s that on that.)

i‘m not going chronologically right now (i just keep scrolling up to your ask and replying to whatever i see first sksksksh) so i might miss a thing or two that you said

Okay Stormzy, you really really don‘t have to dkdkdjd like i think you said you don‘t really listen to rap, and uk rap is a whole nother thing from us rap because of the accent i feel like??? (That sentence did not make sense) BUT if you‘re looking for a few songs that aren‘t like RAP rap, then I‘d recommend One Second (feat HER), Superheroes, Own it (which you might know?), ummm maybe the song Lessons?, he has a ton of Lion King references by the way dkdjdj for example in Rachael‘s Little Brother but that‘s like more RAP again if you know what I mean?😭 and it‘s also like 5 Minutes long and tbh i only started liking that song a year after that album came out lmao but Rachael‘s Little Brother is possibly my fav Stormzy song, then there is Shut Up which you absolutely need to listen to just for fun dldjdjd like it‘s just pure fun and also a little funny lmao, especially if you‘re not British (i imagine so at least) cause he‘s like shuTTTT up idk dldkdjdldkjdhdhfjfbfldlsksksks

Vossi Bop is one of his classics, and then maybeee - ok so there‘s Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2 lmaoobdjsj it‘s very (Christian/) religious but i like it a lot even though i‘m not really Christian (at least not practicing or anything) so idk about your views on religion but i do like the song a lot just by like the sound lmao

Okay so again you absolutely DO NOT have to listen to any, especially not for me dlskdj but I really do recommend the songs Superheroes, One Second and Rachael‘s Little Brother (and all the other ones i mentioned but if you don‘t listen to a lot of his songs you should at least give these three a try <3333) also let me know some of your songs? 🥺 like i dont care who they‘re by but i‘d love to listen to some that you like and Recommend 🥰🥰🥰

Okay so skdjdjdjddhhddhdhjsk... I used to watch all of my series in German (like H2O) bc obviously they were on german tv so they were german- and i knew that most of these actors i saw on tv were american and i was always SO fascinated that they all learned german for this show??? Like I actually thought they were the people‘s real voices and that these English and American actors were learning german so they could re-record the whole ass show and do everything in german dkdkdldjdjjd... i swear I thought that until I was like 14 omg. And then the first time that I watched H2O in the original version i was sooo confused about their accents because to me all actors who spoke english were American?? I mean MOST of those shows are American so I wasn‘t completely off but yeah i was definitely caught off guard when I heard all of their Australian accents for the first time 💀💀😭😭😭

@ math vs maths, math actually makes more sense in my opinion. like you have the word mathematics, then the abbreviation would obviously be math... why would English people randomly add the s from the end??? Or maybe it makes more sense after all because it‘s like plural??? Now I‘m unsure dkdkdkdj but i do say maths because that‘s how i was taught to say it and i hear the word maths more than math but yeah dldkdjs i think math might even make more sense (okay i just tried saying math and maths is easier to pronounce but again tjat might just be me, oh god i‘ll stop talking about that disgusting thing (mathematics).)

not the crickets and dora LMAOOOSNSNSMDNBS yeah that teacher was... a lot. a lot a lot a lot didjjd but she kinda liked me so she always gave me good grades/marks but the people she didn‘t like..... ooft. OOF.

Fksksjsj idek about headache season like i just know that i get headaches from the sun and i‘m allergic to only one.. type of...pollen??? (I don’t understand the science of that whole pollen thing and idek if it’s called pollen in english i just know sex pollen from fan fics😔)and yeah we have this weird wind that makes a lot of people get headaches yeahd dkdkdj. i loved the i just love wearing as little clothes as possible LMAO lllioool i love that i really do. i always struggle so much in the summer cause i never have anything to wear. i feel like i buy so many new summer clothes every year but when i end up looking for an outfit i don‘t ever find anything 😭 (so i just go naked— lmao jk jk) but i‘m generally not the biggest fan of summer so-

OMG THIS FUCKING BIRD ISTG, okay the first time i heard it i went to sleep at like 5 am, so the next day i was like let me go to bed earlier so the bird doesn‘t keep me up, so i went to bed at 4 am (🥲) and THE BIRD JUST STARTED FUCKING CHIRPING SO LOUDLY, so the next day i went to bed at 3 am AND IT FUCKING STARTED AT 3 AM and it‘s still there 😁 every. night.

and since you said you‘ve gotten used to my theme and everything (idk where this transition came from😭) so tomorrow (2nd april) we have our... wait what‘s an anniversary but for a month.? I think month is like mensus in latin OK NO THATS DEF WRONG DKDKDJ wait

So Tomorrow is our... mensiversary💘💘💘💘💘💘 or at least from the first time you sent an ask. i couldn‘t find it on my tumblr anymore because tumblr is a bit of a bitch but i remember the first thing you ever sent (in an ask) was something lovely about my writing and i always take screenshots of stuff like that, and i found it in my gallery. and i took that screenshot of your ask on the 2nd of march so i‘m assuming that‘s when you sent it 🥰🥰 i feel like i‘ve known you for a week not a month like how is it a month already????? (i mean this in a good way lmao but i really can’t believe that its been a month wtf)

omg no you make me want to cry because i just love you so much 😭😭🥺 but about the stretch mark thing it‘s just.. it‘s not even me trying to empower other women (or anyone else who has stretch marks) to shake off these dumb insecurities that the patriarchy and capitalism have instilled in us— ok no it‘s definitely that too lmao. But i mean I‘ve always loved stretch marks, i‘ve just always loved loved loved them so much so it makes me genuinely sad that people don‘t like them. so yeah. i dont really know how to explain it lol, like i‘m not (only) hoping that people realise that hating your stretch marks is giving the men and the patriarchy what they want per se- (that made no sense) it‘s just because i love stretch marks and think they‘re beautiful and also sexy. idk dldkdjls and omg the fact that you called me kind 🥺🥺🥺 like i don‘t really have a goal in life or anything, but if i had to choose a ‘goal‘ in life it would just be to be kind. (i‘ll end this here otherwise i‘m gonna talk about being kind for 30 more lines—)

And please. Do not ever feel like you‘re annoying me or sending too much. never ever ever. I get so happy when i see that you‘ve sent me an ask. No matter if it‘s a long one like this or just a short one where you‘re saying something about a post that i reblogged or something. I love hearing from/about you and talking to you 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

P.S: i‘m so sorry for the tags you‘re about to read they make even less sense than this post, also i reached the tag limit dkdkdj but i said some butterfly tattoos look tacky... and the next thing i said was since we‘re already speaking about Ariana- I DID NOT MEAN THAT SHE WAS TACKY dldkdjsj, i meant since you already mentioned some of her tattoos lmao

[hiremeyuehua]

Get to know me tag

tagged by @hoseom Can always count on them for some tagging entertainment. (Even if I also forget to do these...)

Thankkyouuuuu. ♡

when is your birthday? - 2nd July baybeeeeeeee which I share with my birthday twin @obligatoryidolblog Hehehe we’re like Seungyoun & Yibo.

what is your favourite colour? - Red.

what’s your lucky number? - 2, 3, 4 & 7... I like to think...

do you have any pets? - Aye, I have 3. A Cat, a Bearded Dragon & a 25 yr old African Grey Parrot.

how tall are you? - 5″5′ aka cute height.

how many pairs of shoes do you own? - I have 5 that I use on the regular, then probably 5 older pairs I keep for different activities. (I use shoes until they have holes in them before throwning them away, or else it’s a waste.)

favourite song? - I have many, I should probably insert a playlist or something... but atm N.Flying- Let Me Show You.

favourite movie? - I’m a cinephile & majored in Film... That question is N/A... but anything by Wes Anderson... also my favourite childhood film is Matilda because I am one with Matilda.

what would be your ideal partner? - ♡ Kang Daniel... ♡ Goofy, foodie, & a highly introverted nerd that likes Spiderman & LEGO... but I can’t just pick someone like him off a supermarket shelf... So I’ll go with soft & trustworthy with a sense of humour. (Preferably a dark haired one, but I’m not picky. As long as we can lounge around reading manga & snacking, we good.)

do you want children? - Nope. However, if I did, I’d like to think I would adopt. Just makes sense. Thought of growing a sprog & popping one out it weird.

have you gotten in trouble with the law? - ...not yet... see A. to Running Q.

what colour socks are you wearing? - Currently none, my feet are warm... Please... No pictures...

bath or shower? - Shower, but occasionally I’ll soak in the bath. (It’s a must as I suffer from Hypermobility.)

favourite type of music? - Hmmm probably Rock/Indie/RnB.

how many pillows do you sleep with? - *sigh* Not enough... but 2 under my head with a memory foam plushie. Then 2 body pillows on either side of me & a shiba plush to hold whilst I sleep. (I can’t sleep without the latter, not for security purposes, hypermobility is just no joke peoples, the act of sleeping is very painful sometimes. & also I have boobs... if you have boobs too, you’ll understand.) 😬😬

which position do you sleep in? - 1 arm under a pillow, the free one holding something, 1 leg straight, 1 bent & sideways. (If I can sleep that is... lmao) 🥴

what don’t you like when you’re sleeping? - Noise. & Light. I’m an extremely light sleeper. I can’t sleep without earplugs & an eye mask or else I will murder someone, so please do not try to talk to me as I fall asleep. Also warmth. If we be hugging whilst sharing a bed, do not be offended if I take breaks. ♡

what do you have for breakfast? - I don’t like breakfast, but it’s important to eat it so I usually have a Nature Valley biscuit & a bottle of water, does me fine til dinnertime. (& by dinnertime, I mean lunch. Not dinner, as I call that tea. Don’t ask questions, I’m from Jon Snow land.)

have you ever tried archery? - Nope, I was banned from ever trying but I’ve always wanted to. It’s badass. (L.S.S: I used to own a paintball gun & was a VERY good aim...)

favourite fruit? - Strawberries & Cherries . My party trick is the thing with the stalk... FYI.

favourite swear word? - B*stard. My family is part Scottish 🇫🇮 so it’s fun to say & hear. Also I grew up watching Sean Bean in ‘Sharpe’ so it feels right as he wasn’t born too far from where I live.

do you have any scars? - Aye. Oh boi do I, but people barely notice them until I bring them up. I have a Harry Potter-esque one from when I split my head open as child that’s mostly covered by freckles... a pretty cool one on my right ear from when I fell into a stack of VHS tapes that I’d made into a castle... several on my knees... a small one above my upper lip & the most recent one is on a boobie from when I had my heart monitor implanted. It sorta looks like a ‘W’ or a little butterfly... Kinda cute I must say.

are you a good liar? - I have been known to spin a tale or two for comedic purposes.

what’s your personality type? - INFJ (It hasn’t changed in years, so I stand by it.)

what’s your favourite type of girl? - Human. & Alive & Nerdy.

left or right handed? - Right, but slightly ambi depending on the task.

favourite food? -  Cake. Or an English roast.

are you clean or messy? - Clean, but if I’m stressed, you bet my room will be a mess.

favourite foreign food? - Korean Seafood Pancake & pork buns, basically any kind of sweet or savoury buns. GIMME.

how long does it take you to get ready? - Depends on the day, but 30mins if I’m showering & dressing & drying my hair. (It’s pretty long, I need a haircut)

most used phrase? - “Gotta risk it. To get the biscuit.” Amongst many others.

are you a good singer? - Who knows. I hate Karaoke.

do you sing to yourself? - If no-one is around, then yes. But when with friends you’ll find me singing my own parodies to popular songs for my own amusement. The most popular is Jealousy (KFC) by Monsta X.

biggest fear? - I shall not reveal this incase my enemies are reading... but I’ll say humans. They’re very scary.

do you like long or short hair? - On myself... long, but I am jealous of people that can rock the short hair.

are you into gossip? - Nah, aint got time for it. Have too many films & dramas to watch in my free time & himbos to simp over.

extrovert or introvert? - Ambi, but highly introverted. Humans irk me & drain my mental battery. I need all the juice to get through a single day.

favourite school subject? - Art & Media.

what makes you nervous? - Everything & Nothing.

who was your first real crush? - Ooof. Hard pass.

how many piercings do you have? - I used to have my ears pierced as a kid, but they’re closed up now, I would like the top of my right ear pierced though. I think that looks really cool.

how fast can you run? - Very fast. Faster than The Flash. Probably even faster than Koro Sensei. Definitely Mach 20+. My brain thinks even faster than that. It’s a gift. Fast & Furious who? Fast & Furious Me is what it is.

what makes you angry? - People without manners. Also people who aren’t open minded & do not think before they speak. Words scar.

do you like your own name? - Aye, I do. It means ‘to bind/snare’ & also ‘noose’. In Scottish Gaelic it’s ‘Beathag’ [Bey-ahk] which means ‘Life’. Which I find pretty cool. I like all my names. Middle & last name include. They have nice meanings.

what are your weaknesses? - My own feelings.

what are your strengths? - My own feelings. I’m also extremely loyal. I’ll do anything for my friends.

what is the colour of your bedspread? - Currently black & white. Chic.

colour of your room? - Cream, but I’m moving soon, so who knows.

-le fin-

tagging: @24hoursofdaisy @ceruleansoleil @summerstormsandbacon @wdzday6 @mypansy @lovelyeo & anyone else that wants to join.

[texastheband]

Texas V Wu-Tang Clan

Interview by Steven Daly Photography by Peter Robathan Taken from The Face - December 1997

It’s the pop story of ’97, the most unlikely end to a weird year: TEXAS collaborating with the WU-TANG CLAN. First, a Scottish rock band on the verge of slip-sliding away into a tasteful obscurity was reborn via a slew of hit singles and a glut of stylish imagery. Now, in New York, their Brit-cool meets hip hop in a mutually beneficial deal. For everyone concerned, it’s all they need to get on…

Sharleen Spiteri took the call in her front hall. "Yo, Peach," growled a strange voice over transatlantic wires. The gentleman caller was none other than Ol’ Dirty Bastard, court jester of New York hip hop dynasty the Wu-Tang Clan. Apparently Mr Bastard fancied working with Spiteri and her band, Texas. It all started in August, with one of Texas’ managers discussing Land Rovers with someone called Power in New York, who turned out to be the manager of the Clan. A video of Texas’ "Say What You Want" was dispatched, and prodigiously gifted Wu-Tang chieftain RZA signed on to do a re-recording of the single for a prospective single project. Original rapper OI’ Dirty Bastard was replaced by Method Man, the next Clan member with a solo album scheduled.

The hook-up with the Wu-Tang Clan is the perfect climax to a year that’s seen Texas rise from a tumbleweed-strewn grave to grab the pole position in British Pop. A year in which Glasgow’s Sharleen Spiteri has stared out, defiantly remade and remodelled, from every magazine cover and TV show. From a media point-of-view, Texas’ – Spiteri’s – reconfiguring of music and fashion has been the year’s dream ticket. Ever since Bryan Ferry took the innovative step of getting Anthony Proce in to design Roxy Music’s wardrobe in the early seventies, successive phases of pop’s history have thrown up performers who use the fashion photographers, stylists and designers du jour to present The Package. It is these performers who most often capture the youthful mood of their time: that’s why you can see the vulgar glamour of the Seventies in the cut of Ferry’s sleazy lounge-lizard jib; the naive aspiration of the early Eighties in the box-suited and pixie-booted "style" of Spandau Ballet; and the onset of the late-Eighties mixing and matching of different cultures in Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance. When we look back at 1997 we will see in Texas’ sound and vision a new mix, all to do with living the high life but keeping it real. Catwalk and street, the designer and the understated, Prada and Nike; the slick and the cred. Ten years’ gone Scottish guitar outfit and this season’s bright young labels (in both senses). The setting too, has helped. Fashion, again, is big cultural business. Clever pop stars (Goldie! Liam!) want to be seen by the runway and hanging out at fashion parties; young designers yearn to be visible on the stage or the podium (viz. Antonio Berardi’s autumn London show at Brixton Academy). Factor in a paucity of self-motivating, button-pressing, songwriting, photogenic women in British music, and you have a ready-made media phenomenon.

Sharleen Spiteri is holding court at a New York restaurant with a gang of Calvin Klein employees who’ve just accompanied her to the VH-1 Fashion Awards. The annual ceremony is a mutually convenient arrangement, a TV cluster-fuck where the music and fashion industries exchange credibility and cachet. Texas are contemplating just such an exchange themselves, having recently been given the OK by CK. (Tommy Hilfiger has also made overtures.) Spiteri is to have an audience with Klein himself; she’s already been bribed with a trunkful of CK merch, including the streaked black dress – "inspired by [the artist] Brice Marden" – she’s wearing tonight.

Someone suggests that Texas would be perfect for Fashionably Loud, an MTV special where models strut on stage as the hot bands of the moment rock out. "Forget it," quips Spiteri. "there’s only room for one star up where we play." If Spiteri were to join Kate Moss and Christy Turlington on the Calvin Klein payroll it would not, as she sees it, detract from Texas’ music. "Fashion and music have always been connected, and now more than ever," says the singer. "You couldn’t have one without the other. If there’s shit music at a runway show it just doesn’t work."

Meanwhile, there’s the songs. With "White On Blonde", Texas’ fourth album, the music takes care of itself. Radio-friendly unit-shifters abound, helped on their way by producers Mike hedges (manic Street Preachers) and Manchester’s Grand Central. The singles have been, in sequence, nu-soul fresh ("Say What You Want"), springy pop ("Halo"), Motown-sunny ("Black Eyed Boy") and winter warming ("Put Your Arms Around Me"). The B-side remixers have covered all bases in these dance-savvy late Nineties, ranging from of-the-moment talents like the Ballistic Brothers and Trailerman to old stand-bys like Andy Weatherall and 808 State. Texas, patently, lost their dancefloor cherry by cherry-picking the brightest and the best.

Of course, while the singles have all enjoyed heavy airplay and gone top ten, and while "White on Blonde" has sold two million copies (more than its two predecessors put together), the remixes haven’t necessarily helped those sales. As the go-faster stripes of credibility on the solid saloon car, though, they’ve still been essential to The Package; all part of the thoroughly modern mix.

So now, the Wu-Tang Clan. To many, though, this latest development could smack of opportunism. One group are renegade roughnecks who mythologise themselves in epic hip hop anthems; the others are fastidiously tasteful Scots with an eye for perfectly modern consensus-pop. The Wu-Tang Clan are certainly among the aesthetically correct names that Texas always drop in interviews, but can there possibly be a legitimate connection between the two? "A lot of the Wu-Tang backing tracks have the feel of soundtracks, and we’ve always gone for a cinematic sound," says Johnny McElhone, Spiteri’s genial songwriting partner and bass player. "And I’ve always liked Al Green, and they use a lot of Willie Mitchell, Al Green, that whole Hi Records sound, and make it modern. And Marvin Gaye: Method Man, in that duet with Mary J. Blige, used ‘You’re All I Need To Get By."

Having dominated the charts in Europe this year, Texas are now, logically, turning their attention to America: the country that has always inspired them, whether it’s the dusty, pseudo-roots sound of their first three albums, or the iconic-soul and post-soul sounds of Memphis and Staten Island that they give props to now; the place where success has always eluded them. Yet given the commercial momentum of "White on Blonde", their approach to the Wu-Tang Clan is surely not driven by desperation. They are, then, viewing the collaboration with a combination of fan-like wonder and disbelief.

"Method Man is just a wicked, wicked rapper," enthuses Spiteri. "I can’t wait to hear the combination of my vocals and his – I‘m really excited about it. I have a kind of sweet, virginal thing going on, and he’s got this dirty sex vibe. It could be the perfect marriage."

It’s a Saturday night in Manhattan, and ten storeys above Times Square, Sharleen Spiteri sits on the floor of a recording studio, tinkering with her latest high-tech gadget, a Philips computer about the size of a TV remote. Across the street, three ten-foot high electronic ticker-tapes provide testimony to Monday’s stockmarket crash. No matter how much Spiteri plays with her new toy, there’s still that nagging worry: what if the Wu-Tang Clan won’t show? They’re supposed to be on a tour bus returning from a gig in Washington, DC today, but these, after all, are the original masters of disaster. The crew whose normal modus operandi seems to be chaos. The band that recently quit a national tour because only five of the nine members could be relied upon to turn up.

The studio has been booked since six, so Spiteri and McElhone breathe signs of relief when RZA and his posse finally roll in around ten. Among the dozen-strong throng, they’re surprised to see Wu-Tang member Reakwon, a stout fellow with a Mercedes cap and a Fort Knox of gold dental work. Several cigars are hollowed out, their contents replaced with weed; bottles of Cristal champagne and Hennessy are passed around as the air grows thick with smoke.

Half an hour later, method Man makes his entrance. Stooped over, he looks deceptively short – maybe only six-four in his Hilfiger fleece hoodie. "I’m John-John," he tells Sharleen, referring to his alias, Johnny Blaze. Pulling out the big blunt from behind his ear, Method Man considers the job at hand. "She got a nice voice," drawls the laconic giant. "This band not exactly my type of listening material, but they going in the right direction, if you ask me, by fucking with us. I’m waiting for RZA to put down a beat, hear how the vocals sound melded with the track before I come with ideas. I’m one of those guys."

As his friends get on with the serious business of partying, RZA goes to work, feeding a succession of sample-laden discs into a sampler. He has a diffident, genius-at-work charisma about him as he sits with his back to the room, keyboard at side. With a flick of his prodigiously ringed hand he reaches out and conjures up a brutal bassline. The speakers pulse violently. RZA takes a sip of Hennessy. "Record this, right here!" he tells the bewildered-looking engineer.

RZA has decided to dispense with the original master tapes, shipped over from Britain. He wants a completely new version, recorded rough-and-ready without the standard safety net of a time-code. This convention-trashing, wildstyle approach to recording elicits some consternation from the studio’s engineer, a central-casting white guy who warns RZA: "You won’t be able to synch to this, you know." RZA waves him away and turns to Johnny McElhone. "This riff is in E," McElhone tells RZA. "Maybe we should try it in the original key, D." "What are you saying? I understand no keys," says RZA. "You want me to sing the whole song straight through?" asks Spiteri, trying to divine RZA’s intentions. He orders the lights turned down, and offers Sharleen some herbal inspiration. She politely declines and walks to the vocal booth. "What’s her name? Sheree?" asks RZA as Spiteri warms up. The engineer wants to know if he should maybe start recording. "Always record everything!" exclaims RZA. "Ready, get set, go! Play and record, play and record!" Spiteri rattles of a perfect new version of ‘Say What You Want’, grooving along by herself and passionately acting out every word, even the ones borrowed from Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing". Now it’s time for Method Man, who at this point is so herbally inspired that he can hardly open his eyes. He jumps up and lopes around the main room, running off his newly written rhymes and clutching a bottle of Crystal. Method walks up to the mic and opens his mouth, and that treacly baritone sets a typically morbid scene: "Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest…" The Texas duo just look at each other, shaking their heads in awe.

The hours and the rhymes pass. Around 6am, things are starting to get a little weird. As Method Man snoozes on the sofa, RZA bounces off the walls, dancing like a dervish. "These are the new rhythms," he yells. "These are the new dances from Africa. I learned them when I was there last week!" McElhone and Spiteri crack up. The engineer probably wishes he were in Africa right now; he further draws RZA’s ire by making a mistake as he runs off some rough cassettes. As everyone says goodbye, RZA decides that he’s taking the studio’s sampler – he already has two of the $3,500 items, but at this point it’s all about the wind-up. The engineer, though, having last seen the end of his tether a good few hours ago, has had enough. By the commencement of office hours that morning, the rest of the session will have been cancelled and the band and Clan banned from this studio.

After a few frantic phone calls later that morning, a studio is found that is prepared to let the Wu-Tang Clan through the door. With one precondition: only two of them are allowed in the studio. Now it’s midnight, and four-fifths of Texas watch a trio of RZA-hired session men go through their paces. They shift effortlessly through a handful of soul and funk styles, and the Scots mutter approval. These are the kind of players that are so good they can get away with wearing questionable knitwear.

Soon, another couple of Wus pop in. Then another couple. In the control room RZA orders up a bottle of Hennessy and talks about hearing "Say What You Want" for the first time. "I didn’t fully understand the sound of it," admits the soft-spoken maestro. "It was obviously a popular song, a radio song, and my sound is the total opposite. But I thought that the artist had something, so I thought: "Let’s take her and rock her to my beat."

"Sweet soul, that’s what her stuff sounded like to me. Smooth. It reminded me of the Seventies: in those days, they did songs that would fit anywhere. If you went to a club getting high it would fit; if you was cleaning up your house it would fit. That’s when you’ve got a real great song right there." Whether or not "Say What You Want" is a great song, it’s not quite coming together tonight. Despite the best offers of the studio management, a full complement of Wu posse members ended up in the house. As the night drags on the trio of musicians don’t get with the track, and by eight the following morning there is little in the way of usable material. But everyone stays upbeat. Texas will work on the track in Glasgow, and send it back to RZA to finish, along with a new song based around one of his samples. After vowing to stay in touch, everyone stumbles out into the Manhattan morning light together, the Scots with an American name, and the Clan without a tartan.

From a distance the collaboration will continue. But it’s only a different kind of distance. Culturally, creatively, the gap between the Wu-Tang Clan and the old twang clan is considerable. Yet so it goes, this cross-cultural exchange programme. Whether it’s The Stones copping blues movies, Bowie digging the Philadelphia Sound, Lisa Stansfield getting soulful with Barry White, Sting getting doleful with Puff Daddy… Whether it’s Todd Terry reviving Everything But The Girl or Armand Van Helden making Sneaker Pimps the unwitting jumpstarters of speed garage, naked opportunism and risk-taking innovation have always been confused. Now, with genres blurred and tricknology proceeding apace, anything is possible and everything is permitted. Perhaps it is this, the sheer unlikeliness, that makes the Texas-Wu experiment the most illuminating collaboration of the year. Whether it works or not.

"If you play her stuff in a club, everybody be dancing, but it’s a clear room and you can see everybody’s face," RZA reflects on the departing Sharleen Spiteri. "But if you play mine, the room is smoky." And perhaps it is here, among the clouds and the clarity, between the smoke and the mirrors, where a new sound and vision lies.

Text originally posted on texasindemand.com

[themurphyzone]

Nova Ch 4

AN: Just in time for the A!countdown! Looking forward to those sneak peeks next month! 

Ch 4: Extraterrestrial 

New Selenian Date 3015.4.21

 Though our voyage through space was more volatile than I expected, we’ve successfully approached Terra’s exosphere. Under other circumstances, it would be cause for celebration, but…

 Well, Snowball has only spoken to me for essentials during the past few days. Usually so he can update me while he raids the pantry for maza or to catch up on sleep.

Our argument has only served as a reminder that we’re not…as united in our mutual goal as much I want to believe.

It must the length of the journey. Access to only four rooms in a one week period can give anyone a serious case of cabin fever. He’ll get better once we land on Terra’s surface, I’m sure.

Signing off for now, the Brain.

o-o-o-o-o

Was it really April 21? Pinky hurried to the Mickey Mouse calendar pinned to the wall next to his cage. He really loved that picture of Mickey giving flowers to a blushing Minnie. They really were the perfect couple!

Pinky imitated Mickey’s pose, dropping down on one knee as if he was offering a bouquet of pretty daffodils…wait, no those were lilies. He rubbed his head, confused by the yellow flowers in the picture. Maybe it was the type with the really long name.

What was it again? Ah, yes! A lovely bouquet of Chris-and-his-moms for Minnie!

Egad, the picture was so pretty that he’d forgotten about the reminder he’d penciled in the box for April 21!

“Granny Smith at 9 pm?” Pinky tilted his head, trying to make sense of what he’d written. He didn’t know any grannies that well, nor did he know any Smiths. Besides, Pharfignewton was leaving the ranch tonight at 9 pm, and he was going to see her off before she was off to the races. “Poit! Oh yeah, the apple! An apple a day keeps the vets away!”

Pharfignewton needed the energy for the journey too. Kentucky was a long way from California. About nine inches according to his placemat of the United States.

Before he left, he needed to leave a response for his space pen pal. But they weren’t exactly using pens. Maybe space radio pals was better.  

Pinky went back to the Walkman. It made a bunch of crackling noises, like the Brain hadn’t turned his equipment off yet.

“Hi, the Brain!” Pinky grinned. The was such a funny first name. “Glad you could make it to Earth! Or Terra! Whatever you wanna call it! Wherever you land, I hope you and Snowball enjoy yourselves. Definitely try strawberry cheesecake sometime. It’s delicious!”

The static continued.

“Anyway, Pharfignewton’s leaving for the Kentucky Derby tonight, so I can’t chat for long. Maybe tomorrow? I’ll spend twice as much time talking to you tomorrow! Fig’s been practicing super extra hard. She’s gonna win the Derby and get that Triple Crown! That’s her dream, you know! Dreams are a wish your heart makes, zort! Cinderella said so!”

Pinky put his hand over the Walkman’s speaker. “Your dream is taking over Terra, and mine is being surrounded by cheese from around the world! Or maybe that’s just my stomach. I can never tell for sure.”

The clock chimed eight, its little pendulum swinging to and fro in a dizzying pattern.

He had to say goodbye now.

And say goodbye again later.

“Alright…well, I’ll let you go. I bet you have some important Conquesowhatsit things to do. Bye, the Brain. Glad you could make it to Terra. You and Snowball are gonna love it. Ooh, there I go again. Bye for real this time.” Pinky slowly turned the dial down, past tinny classical and pop music stations, until the Walkman was off.

Dreams were always nice, even if Pharfignewton and the Brain had to travel far away to make them come true. Pinky’s parents were probably making their own dream of eating gourmet food pellets real as well. Sis didn’t have one yet. She was still torn between professional hairdressing and getting a cooking show on Food Network, but she was young and had plenty of time to grow up.

Now that he thought about it, maybe Sis was right. He didn’t have to decide on a dream for himself yet. Well, surrounding himself with provolone, cheddar, mozzarella, camembert, and all the other yummy cheeses was still a wonderful dream for now.

“A world of cheeses, deliciously made for you and me…” Pinky sang, the air conditioner providing a nice background instrumental as he went to the breakroom to fetch Pharfignewton’s apple.

o-o-o-o-o

Carting the Granny Smith apple to the ranch took more time than Pinky imagined. Running on his wheel along with those upper body strength VHS tapes helped him for most of the trek, but there’d still been one scary moment where he’d leaned back too far to see the pretty full moon. Luckily, the apple wasn’t too bruised from tumbling downhill.

By the time Pinky arrived, Pharfignewton was already in her horse trailer. Her owner sat on a nearby bench, his brow furrowed as his thumbs tapped rapidly on his cell phone. A white pick-up truck sat in front of the trailer, though the latch to connect the vehicles hadn’t been hooked yet.

The door to Pharfignewton’s trailer was wide open, the ramp still on the ground. Delays were good. It meant he could hold off on saying goodbye a little longer.

“Fig, I got you an apple! A sweet and healthy Granny Smith!” Pinky exclaimed as he ran up the ramp. Before he could get to the top, Pharfignewton bent down and grasped the apple in her teeth, nearly chomping down on Pinky’s hands as she lifted her head. Pinky’s feet left the ground, and he gripped the apple with both hands, almost sliding off the smooth surface.

He couldn’t resist a tiny nibble. Pharfignewton wouldn’t mind.

Pinky climbed onto her muzzle just as the apple was crunched into mush. Pharfignewton whinnied in delight, her eyes shut from sheer happiness. He stroked the fur between her eyes and hummed Camptown Races because it was her favorite song. She always got excited to race when she heard it.

Pharfignewton’s hooves clopped against the floor rhythmically, her head bobbing up and down.

“-gonna run all night! Gonna run all day!” Pinky sang, grabbing her soft mane and hauling himself up. He clung to her ears for balance. “I’ll bet my money here on Fig, cause she’s gonna win this May!”  

Pharfignewton neighed, her tail raised proudly.

Her owner looked up from his phone. His bushy beard quivered as he chuckled and waved at her. A van pulled up to the curb, the window sliding down to reveal a man in a funny white cowboy hat. The owner shouted and pointed to the newcomer’s hat.

“What a fashion icon, Fig! Rodeo style hats at the Kentucky Derby. Why didn’t I think of that?” Pinky asked. “Egad, I need to make my own hat for the Derby! A derby hat! With fancy ribbons and dandelions and those little beads on sombreros!”

Cowboy Man clapped the owner on the shoulder as he climbed out of his van, the owner playfully shoving him in return. The back doors of the van were opened, and they started loading the pile of heavy feed bags and horse care equipment into the hollowed out space, trading good-natured jabs while they worked.

Pinky glanced at the starry night sky, scratching the back of Pharfignewton’s ear. “I almost forgot. The Brain made it to Terra. He said so in his message tonight. Told him he should try strawberry cheesecake. I don’t know if they have that in space.”

Pharfignewton snorted.

“Oh, you and your homemade apple strudel,” Pinky grinned. “Tell you what. Win the Triple Crown and I’ll bake the most scrumptious, most mouthwateringest apple strudel you’ve had in your life! Oh wait, no, how ‘bout I just bake it when you come back? Whenever that will be. Maybe soon?”

However long she’d be gone, Pinky hoped she’d call or write or keep in touch some other way. Well, sending a postcard might be a little tricky with hooves. How was she ever gonna apply the stamps?

Pharfignewton neighed, her front hooves knocking against the floor in worry.

“I’ll be okay, Fig. I can wait ‘til August. There’s lots of fun things to do in the summer. Like playing water polo, air hockey, capture the flag...”

Except those games all needed two players.

And while Monopoly game pieces and dominoes made for great substitutes when he couldn’t round up the checkers and marbles, it just wouldn’t be the same without Pharfignewton.

Pinky’s tail started to cramp.

He hadn’t realized he’d wrung it between his hands so hard. It wasn’t the fun sort of pain either.

Outside, the men finished loading their supplies. The van doors were shut, and Pharfignewton’s trailer was hitched to the truck.

Their boots loudly thumped against the ground with every step.

Pinky slid down Pharfignewton’s long muzzle, his feet resting against the back of her nostrils. He gripped her face and looked at those gorgeous blue eyes. They were the same shade as his turquoise crayon. He wanted to remember that.

Pinky rested his jaw on Pharfignewton’s fur, trying to keep the tiny quaver out of his voice. “Well…guess this is it, huh?” he murmured. “You have a good trip now. You’re the best racehorse I’ve ever met. Course I don’t know any other racehorses, but you’re gonna win the Derby, Fig. I know you will. Just keep in touch, ‘kay?”

She knickered softly, her breath stirring Pinky’s fur as she lowered him to the ground outside her trailer. Her breath smelled just like applesauce. She carefully rubbed the underside of her jaw against Pinky’s head, nuzzling away tears that made his vision a little blurry, then slowly raised herself to her majestic height.

“Poit. Really, Fig.” Pinky tilted his head back so the tears just pooled in his eyes instead of trailing down his cheeks. “You’ve got a dream ahead of you.”

Pharfignewton stomped her hoof.

But Pinky shook his head. True, he could go with her, but who was gonna keep his cage clean and his wheel oiled if he wasn’t around? Besides, Pharfignewton would have so many new horse friends. She was gonna be a celebrity by association.

Pinky wiped a tear away with his tail. “I don’t wanna distract you or anything. Meet someone new! Who knows? You might even be fast friends!”

Then Cowboy Man and the owner walked past, too engrossed in their conversation to notice Pinky. Pharfignewton craned her neck, trying to see above Cowboy Man while he folded the ramp. Before she could reply, her owner gently shooed her further into the trailer while Cowboy Man finished up.

Once the trailer door was shut and locked, the owner and Cowboy Man took some time to stroke Pharfignewton’s face. The window bars were wide enough to allow almost her entire muzzle through.

They promised good things for her, win or lose. She’d be eating her fill of apples and carrots for sure.

She’d be happy out there, running like the wind to her heart’s content.  

Ten minutes later, Cowboy Man drove away in his supply van. Pharfignewton’s owner started up the truck.

Pinky quickly climbed up a fencepost and waved to Pharfignewton, wishing he’d brought along a handkerchief to blow his nose into or flutter in the air like a proper movie goodbye.

Pharfignewton stretched her neck as far as she could.

“Bye! Adios! Sayonara!” Pinky called, cupping his hands as the truck slowly inched onto the side road’s pavement. The trailer turned slightly with the movement, and Pinky quickly hopped to a fencepost within Pharfignewton’s line of sight.

She looked happy enough to get the show on the road, but her whinnies were still worried.

He had to cheer her up! She couldn’t travel to Kentucky with that frowny face!

“Camptown ladies! Sing this song! Narf!” Pinky panted, taking only a moment to catch his breath, the song choppy as he ran the length of the fence. But even with the truck’s slow crawl, he couldn’t keep up, and the truck disappeared over the hill, pulling the trailer and Pharfignewton along with it.

He didn’t slow down in time. Pinky stumbled over the last fencepost and fell into the springy grass below. The thud knocked his breath away for just a moment, but he shook it off quickly.

It was nothing really.

“Camptown racetrack’s fi-five thousand miles away…”

Pharfignewton shouldn’t worry.

He had the small, boxy TV that the lab couldn’t afford to upgrade to a flat screen. The NBC channel always showed the Derby.

And it was enough for him.

o-o-o-o-o

Had the stars always been that far away? They seemed much lonelier than usual.

Pinky tilted his head as far as he could, taking in the navy sky above. There was no moon and no way to spot the Brain’s old home tonight. He was probably somewhere on Earth by now.

Paris was nice at this time of year. Maybe the Brain would get all the cheese and baguettes he could eat. The city of light and love was absolutely splendid and heavenly. Pinky had never been there, but the landscape seemed so pretty at night in Ratatouille. Parisian rodents must be excellent chefs. Pinky would have to find one someday.

If only he could walk into a giant cabinet that would magically transport him to a riverboat cruise on the Seine. He’d only gotten a mouthful of cobweb the last time he’d tried that.

Oh dear.

Pinky twirled in place, taking in the enormous apartment complex to his left and the grassy hillside across the street, both of which he didn’t recognize.

“Narf! Silly me.” Pinky bonked his fist against his noggin, leaving a slight ache behind.  “One of these days, I’ll definitely remember that ol’ left turn on Albuquerque Street!”

Well, the only thing he had to do was retrace his steps.

But he didn’t have sidewalk chalk or a pencil.

Pinky scratched his head. This was a lot harder than he thought. He was outside, so he couldn’t exactly follow the left wall of the maze until he got un-lost.

His stomach growled, and he had a sudden craving for between-twilight-and-midnight food pellets.

“Hush now, tummy. You’ll get your food pellets as soon as I find the lab again,” Pinky said, patting his growling belly.

A bowl of smoked food pellets seasoned with paprika and rosemary sounded good right about now. With a side of smoked cheddar too!

Pinky laughed. “You’ve really got a craving for smoked food, tummy! Can’t blame you there. Those smoked chicken wings on Food Network were absolutely mouthwatering yesterday. I’m so hungry I can smell those food pellets!”

And the food pellets smelled delicious indeed.

Pinky took a deep whiff, standing on his tippy-toes to drink it all in.

Until the scent changed and it smelled more oily than the yummy sort of smoke.

Pinky’s nose wrinkled. A faint plume of smoke rose from behind the grassy hill, but it was still a little early in the year for anyone to hold a campfire sing-along with s’mores.

There didn’t seem to be a fire. Or slightly burnt marshmallows for that matter.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Pinky crossed the street at the crosswalk because he was a good pedestrian and not a jaywalker. That was just silly. He was a mouse, not a blue jay.

He ran to the top of the hill and perched on a tree root, heels rocking back and forth for a moment until he found his balance. Then his jaw dropped at the sight of a gray and silver futuristic-y UFO just beyond the hill’s base. It had to be the size of two cages combined, maybe a little more.

He wasn’t really good at judging size, but the UFO thingy was ginormous.

Dirt piled high around its battered surface, like it plowed right into the ground at Pharfignewton-like speeds. Smoke trailed from two long cylinders that arched above its back, though there were no flames.

At least Smokey the Bear wouldn’t have to worry about any wildfires.

Pinky approached the wreckage, circling it twice out of sheer fascination. He didn’t see any string though. No wonder the UFO crashed. It didn’t have any string to hold it up.

“Hello, Mr. Alien!” Pinky shouted, hoping his voice carried through the metal to whoever was inside. He leaned against the UFO with both hands, placing all his body weight on his tiptoes. It felt great. He hadn’t stretched his shoulders like this in a while. All his focus had been going to strengthening his thighs recently. “I just wanted to let you know that your UFO string is missing! But it’s okay! I have an extra long ball of yarn back at the lab! Will that do?”

There was no response, though Pinky heard a plip-plop of dripping water when he pressed his ear against the UFO.

Suddenly, the metal hissed and shifted under his palms.

“Narf!” Pinky yelped as he pitched forward into the opening. His jaw thwacked against the floor, and he giggled at the tingly sensations that shot to the top of his head.

Propping himself onto his elbows, Pinky found himself in a room that was just as big on the inside as it seemed on the outside. Except everything seemed a little smashed up. Broken computers tilted against one wall, the screens cracked and displaying a random string of numbers and letters.

Orange soda dripped from an open panel to his left, forming a bubbly puddle on the floor. Pinky almost drank it, but figured it was a terrible idea because of the little metal bits mixed in. Orange soda went with pizza, not metal.

Pinky stood up and dusted himself off, then walked over to what seemed to be a smashed-up bedframe. There was an upturned mattress and a crumpled white blanket next to it. When he tried to turn them over and arrange them into a less messy position, he found they were rather scratchy and definitely uncomfortable for sleeping in. Whoever used this bed must’ve woken up every morning with a backache the size of Alaska.

As he tucked the last corner of the blanket into the mattress, several tiny blue things slipped out from the folds and bounced off his foot. When Pinky glanced down, he found there were a lot of tiny blue things scattered throughout the room.

He picked one up out of curiosity.

No, it wasn’t a thing. More like a tiny blue star. He touched it with his tongue, a sweet flavor taking over his taste buds entirely. It really packed a wallop. His tongue hadn’t felt this tingly since the time he’d eaten two entire packs of lemonheads! He popped several more tiny stars into his mouth, hugging himself from sheer bliss.

For a moment, it seemed like there was another voice agreeing with him on how fantastically delicious these tiny stars were.

Then it cut into a low groan, which didn’t sound like someone enjoying a snack at all. Pinky quickly swallowed the tiny stars and listened for the source of the noise.

“Narf! Hello?” Pinky called. “Are you an alien ghost? Or a ghost alien, Mr. Alien?”

Another groan. Maybe Mr. Alien didn’t know how to play Twenty Questions.

One of the computers shifted and crashed onto its side, a blue screen flickering in and out of existence. Parts of the splintered bedframe laid among the mess. A small, black-gloved hand poked out from among the tangled wires before falling limp again.

Pinky poked the hand.

It twitched.

“Awful hard to sleep under all those wires, don’t you think?” Pinky asked. “I mean, it would be so electric-y under there! Unless you’re an android ghost alien! Electric sheep only works for androids, I think. The rest of us count woolly, fluffy sheep.”

The mass of wires trembled, the hand closing around Pinky’s wrist. Though it was probably meant to be a tight grasp, it wasn’t a very good hold. A single movement could shake off the alien’s hand.

But Pinky stayed still. Something didn’t seem quite right.

The alien lifted his head, a pair of antennae with bouncy red orbs perking slightly.  

Antennae was a good name now that he thought about it.

“N-no’all?” Antennae murmured, the wires slipping off his large, chubby head. His bleary pink eyes stared through Pinky with desperate hope. Soot stained his messy fur with varying shades of gray, his pointed ears drooping and floppy.

“Poit. Do you not speak English?” Pinky asked. Antennae continued to stare, not seeming to understand. “I could get my language book from the lab. It’s got Spanish, French, Sea Lion, and Legalese! I’m learning a lot! Maybe it’s got your language too?”

Then Pinky snapped his fingers. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner? “Wait, no! Maybe kissing would be much faster? That way my English flows into your mouth and voicebox! Is that how it works? I’m pretty sure that’s how it works…”

Antennae’s grip tightened, his lower half writhing in the wires until he shook himself free. From the neck down, he wore a sleek black bodysuit with red highlights that really made the color of his antennae and tail orbs pop.

Egad, he was tiny. Even Antennae’s antennae barely rose above Pinky’s chin.

Something green and golden glinted in the hand that wasn’t holding onto Pinky. Antennae stumbled as he got to his feet, wincing as he tried to put his weight on his heels. His eyes widened in panic, and he quickly let go Pinky, breathing rapidly as he wrapped both hands around the weapon’s handle.

Balancing on his toes, he shakily pointed the weapon at Pinky. He was trying to shove the red bulb into Pinky’s nose, which was a little rude to be honest, but couldn’t do much more than a light tap.  

“Are you okay?” Pinky asked, lifting his head so the bulb wasn’t smushing his nose. “Soot’s not really good for your complexion. Gives you all sorts of pimples and zits. That’s what Dr. Oz says, anyway.”

There were several clicks as Antennae repeatedly pulled a switch on the handle, but nothing happened. It clearly wasn’t working the way he expected. He growled in frustration, lowering his weapon and opening a compartment along the top. Then his eyes flicked to the puddle of orange soda on the floor and back to Pinky.

For the first time, Antennae noticed all the tiny blue stars that littered the ground. He whipped around in surprise, staring since he still didn’t understand, but the sudden movement made him lose his balance. Pinky caught him by the arm before he fell flat on his face.

The weapon slipped out of his grip, clattering to the floor. He cried out and swung his crooked tail into Pinky’s side.

“Zort!” Pinky yelped, more from the literal shock he’d received, than actual pain. His fur stood on end, like he’d just rubbed a balloon against it. When he pressed it down again, several tingling tickles lingered on his hand, making him giggle.

When he looked up, Antennae had limped over to the damaged remains of a shelf. But even walking across the room was too much, and he collapsed again.

The bodysuit had rips along the heels, exposing several painful looking cuts. Pinky couldn’t blame him for trying to stay on his tiptoes, even if it was a very awkward way to walk.

Antennae needed help. Pinky would have to carry him to the lab.

Pinky followed. He knelt and picked up Antennae, who weighed only slightly more than the small batteries Pinky liked to use as weights, since dumbbells were unfortunately too large for him. Antennae loosely held a baggie of the tiny stars close to his chest. There were several ripped baggies surrounding them. This seemed to be the only one that remained whole.

Cradling his head and back, Pinky set the baggie on top of Antennae’s chest, making sure the baggie was sandwiched between them before he set off.

Antennae’s head lolled against Pinky’s neck. The antennae orbs lit up with tiny sparks for just a moment, though Pinky didn’t get another burst of static. They faded back to a normal red within a few seconds.

He seemed…almost relaxed. At least his face wasn’t scrunched anymore.

As Pinky exited the UFO with his bundle, something bonked into the back of his head.

“Ouch!” Pinky nearly dropped Antennae and baggie in surprise. A tiny camera with a spinning propellor zipped into the night sky, recovering from its collision course quickly.

Some sort of alien tech too otherworldly for a regular genetically altered Earth mouse to understand? Pinky longed to ask, but he didn’t want to disturb Antennae.

Besides, he looked adorably pudgy while he slept.

Antennae made a small noise in the back of his throat, but he didn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon.

The camera didn’t matter as much. Not when he just discovered that aliens snored.  

Pinky set off for the lab, determined to get the directions right this time.  

o-o-o-o-o

Good thing the dark, narrow alley filled with dirty cardboard boxes had been there! Pinky never would’ve known it was a shortcut to the lab if it hadn’t been for that stray cat. It was a miracle that Antennae hadn’t woken up once, or that the baggie survived the chase without any rips or spilling tiny stars.

The cat had given up the chase, deciding that whatever was in the dumpster would be more of a yummy meal.

Really, Pinky didn’t imagine he’d taste too good. He tried to lick his elbow a few times and all he got was a mouthful of fur.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to try to climb up to the mail slot. The door was slightly ajar, just enough for him to squeeze past, even with Antennae’s chubby head.  

Pinky shifted his hold to one arm, then grabbed the handle of the nearest drawer to pull them up to the counter. He had to set the baggie down, but Pinky could easily grab it once Antennae was settled comfortably in the cage.

It took a few unsuccessful tries of hauling himself up while holding onto Antennae before he realized it wasn’t going to work.

“Psst, Antennae,” Pinky hummed, gently shaking the alien’s shoulder. It would be a lot easier if Antennae clung to his back. “Wakey-wakey…”

Antennae’s face scrunched again, then he yawned and nuzzled into Pinky’s chest instead.

He looked so peaceful. It would go against Pinky’s little shoulder angel to wake him up now. What had he been thinking?

After a few minutes of searching through bottom drawers, Pinky found a soft kitchen sponge that hadn’t been removed from its packaging yet. It would make a perfect bed. Pinky pulled it out of the package, carefully maneuvering it out of the drawer while trying not to jostle Antennae too much.  

Another drawer had several white, fluffy hand towels. They seemed clean enough, so Pinky slung two towels over his free shoulder and climbed out.

He laid one of the towels on the floor, then pushed the sponge on top. Cold feet weren’t fun in the morning nor in show business. Then he laid Antennae on the sponge and covered him with the second towel.

Antennae’s hand clung to Pinky’s fur, so Pinky loosened the grip and tucked the wayward hand under the towel.

“You’ll be alright,” Pinky whispered, stretching out his sore arms. Maybe he’d carried Antennae for a bit too long. But Pinky’s arms would be ready for more wheel-running tomorrow.

Now that both of his hands were free, Pinky grabbed a bandage roll which had been lying near a Bunsen burner. He’d have to thank Mr. Bunsen for letting him borrow these bandages later.

Pinky carefully removed the socks – maybe they were more shoes? Oh, well. He removed the shoe-socks from Antennae’s feet and laid them on the towel-rug. Since Antennae hadn’t been on his feet since the UFO, the cuts seemed to be healing just fine.

Pinky carefully bandaged the heels and folded the towel-blanket over Antennae’s feet once he was finished. Then he brought the baggie of tiny stars over and placed them next to the shoe-socks.

He climbed up to the counter briefly to wash his hands, humming Happy Birthday as he lathered with the honey-scented soap.

“Thank you, Silver’s Anatomy,” Pinky said to the TV remote, which teetered over the edge of the VCR. He turned to Mr. Button, still lying on his straw bed in the cage. “Sorry, Mr. Button. I’m sleeping elsewhere tonight. Here, you can have Nicholas so you won’t be lonely. Try not to keep him up too late, okay?”

He rolled Nicholas the Nickel into the cage and settled him near Mr. Button. They seemed happy. Mr. Button would no doubt be gossiping about the ballpoint pens again.  

Pinky yawned and went back to the floor. It had been an eventful day, and he was very tired.

The towel-rug seemed very inviting…

Pinky buried his face into the towel fluff. Antennae had been twitching throughout Pinky’s counter business, but he stilled again once Pinky curled up.

Pinky fell asleep, dreaming of cheese and Pharfignewton and a deep, faraway voice. It was a lovely dream, except the voice couldn’t join Pinky and Pharfignewton in their little cheese and apple picnic. It seemed unwilling. Pinky made sure to save a few slices of cheddar and provolone for him. Maybe he’d take it afterward.

o-o-o-o-o

When the sunlight hit his eyes, Pinky leapt with joy. Early wheel runs were the best! So were mid-morning runs, and noon runs, and evening runs!

Except he couldn’t move. He could still wiggle his fingers and toes, but his hands were tied behind his back, purple yarn binding his ankles as well. His entire tail was still free though. He swished his tail just to be sure.

He shimmied over to the drawer and pressed his back against it, managing to sit up. Though he wanted to run on his wheel, being tied up was a fun game too.

Antennae wasn’t on the sponge bed though. Where was he? He was missing out!

Pinky wondered if he should just untie himself and find Antennae. The knots didn’t seem that hard. Though it was hard to tell for sure if it was a slipknot or an overhand knot. He really should’ve paid attention in knot-tying class.

Five minutes later, Antennae stomped over in his ripped shoe-socks, though little strips of bandage poked out.

Pinky smiled. If Antennae was stomping, his feet must be healing fast. And then he’d be okay again.  

However, Antennae didn’t seem to think so.

“Wipe that ridiculous expression from your face, Terran,” Antennae scowled, his foot tapping impatiently. “Hand over all the information you know. I want answers, and I want them now.”  

AN note: I’d like to give credit to @pluto-art for her wonderful drawing of Brain as a cute little alien.  With the way she posed him, I knew I wanted to incorporate that somewhere and this chapter seemed like a good place to do it! I meant to credit her last chapter for the blaster idea but I forgot so I’m rectifying that now.  

Fig’s off to the races! Literally.

After the wringer I stuck him through last chapter, Brain seriously needed some cuddles. He’s a little touch-starved. Also, he’s a bad guest. Don’t tie your friend up, Brain. That’s just rude.

[laws-hat-headcanons]

10 + 10

I realised after I had posted this that I did it on a reblog that was already pretty long... so I have now done a separate post to try and make it smaller! Sorry! 

I was tagged twice to do this and was writing out my answers when Coop tagged me AGAIN!! So I am sorry to all of you, this is long and you're going to learn more about me than you probably wanted to!!

Answer 10 questions then add 10 of your own: 

@lucynnamonroll thank you for the first Tag flower!

1. A dream that you still remember?

I dreamt once that someone was chasing me and my dog and they bit me, took a big chunk out of my arm. And then my dog gave me this big blue fruit and my arm grew back. My dreams are always very strange.

2. What job did you want to do when you were younger?

I wanted to be a vet but I am way too emotional around poorly animals and also not smart enough to learn how to treat them haha!

3. And now? Did it has changed?

Yeah, I don't think I was ever cut out to be a vet. I'd like to work with animals though, maybe kennels or something? Zoo Keeper would be cool.

4. A favorite game?

I'm gonna take this as video game... There are a lot. I love Mass Effect and Dragon age, Gears of War... but Horizon Zero Dawn was amazing. I loved every single thing about it. Beautiful game, great story – just.. chefs kiss

5. Where did you have traveled? (Either it’s in your country or not)

I've been a few places- France, Spain, Somewhere else hot but I can't recall where... Ireland, Scotland. I was supposed to have gone to Bulgaria at the beginning of May but Coronavirus done fucked me over.

6. Did you have a totem animal/a favorite animal?

Ever since I was about 6 wolves have been my favourite animals. I originally started drawing so I could create a wolf fursona …. siiigghhh

7. Did you/Do you have a teddy bear to help you to sleep? How it was looking?

Yes, a little dog called Custard. He is a beige colour with brown ears but is still in pretty good condition. He sits on my desk chair when I'm not using it.

8. THE animated (or not) serie of your childhood/teenage years?

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – heroes in a half shell, turtle power!! I was also hella into Dragon Ball Z on Toonami when I was a kid. I remember we went to see some family up north and they didn't have Toonami and I cried because it was mid way through the Buu arc and I was gonna miss it.

9. Do you have anime/series/movie/whatever things merch?

I have a few bits. A Hatake Kakashi figure, one for Katakuri and Zoro. A heart Pirates hoodie. I think I have Kid's wanted poster somewhere...

10. How was your day?

Oh. It was a day. I slept through most of it. My energy/motivation levels are pretty low at the moment. But it was sunny, so that was nice.

@luffytarhoe thank you for my second tag!! 💙

1- What’s your favorite show/anime of the moment ?

I don't watch a huge amount of anime despite the focus of this blog. So probably One piece on that front. Otherwise I am watching Outlander atm, which is pretty good but there is sooooo much sex. An ungodly amount of sex.

2- What type of music are you into?

My music tastes are quite varied. I like stuff that you can listen to and put into a situation, so usually sad stuff where I can imagine I am the main character weeping over the bodies of my fallen comrades. Also Goo Goo Dolls!

3- If you could have one superpower , what would it be ?

Probability, or luck. Like Domino in Deadpool. That's always been such a cool concept to me.

4- What’s your favorite color ?

Blue and all it's hues. Maybe teal if I had to get specific.

5- Do you prefer animated or live action shows/series ?

I am happy with both. Though some animated shows should stay animated – looking at you ATLA...

6- Do you believe in ghosts ?

I believe that energy never disappears, only changes forms and I don't think that's any different for whatever happens to people energy once we die. I'm a big wimp though so it's easier for me not to believe in them!

7- Do you speak any foreign language(s) ? if yes which ones ?

No, sadly I never had a talent for languages. I'd love to speak Gaelic though.

8- Your n°1 fictional character ?

Probably Stone from the Raksura book series. He's just a fun grumpy old shapeshifting man.

9- Would you say you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert?

Definitely an introvert. I like me time. And all my hobbies are single person hobbies so that doesn't help haha.

10- What was the best vacation you ever took and why?

I haven't been on holiday in over 10 years but we went to a zoo in Spain once and a Monkey sat on my head. That was pretty rad.

@doctorgerth and finally, thank you for my 3rd tag!!

1. What are your zodiac signs (sun, moon, rising, if you know them) and do you think they fit you pretty well?

I am an Aries and that is pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject. Aries are meant to be pretty hot headed and outgoing and I can only really claim to be one of those thing and only when I need to be. So no, I'm not sure it fits me.

2. What is your favorite clothing item and/or accessory?

I don't reallllly care a lot about clothes and or stuff. So I guess either my glasses because I need them to see long distances (and to drive) or my phone if that counts as an accessory because that has all my crap on it.

3. Any future children or pet names?

Noooooooooooooo and no

4. If you could meet anyone (can be past, present, future, real, or fictional) who would it be?

I would have liked to have met Steve Irwin I think. He seemed pretty chill and I grew up watching Crocodile Hunter on TV so he was a big hero of mine for a long time. Also the Rock or Jason Mamoa because of reasons....

5. Brag on yourself! What’s something you love about yourself?

I am passably amusing and guess I write okay too haha

6. What is a movie or show that you could rewatch a million times and never get tired of?

The film Evolution is endlessly funny to me and it makes me laugh every time I watch it. I used to have it on VHS and I kept a video player in the house to watch it until my cousin got it for me on DVD (Yes I am old.)

7. What is your favorite album of all time?

I haven't listened to it in a long time but I really loved Maroon 5 – Songs about Jane.

8. Do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens? If you have stories to back up, plz share.

I want to belllieeveeeeee! Ghosts, yes, hesitantly but I think I answered that in a previous one. Aliens 100% because I refuse to believe that we are the only sentient life the universe. It's just... statistically impossible.

9. What do you do/who do you look to for inspiration?

I guess human being wise my mum is my inspiration for a lot of things? She's just a lovely person and she's very kind and sweet. I am very aware that we are not much alike, but I look to her as the sort of example of a good person. Creativity wise it's just a clusterfuck of books and badly organised pinterest boards.

10. What is your happiest memory?

Practically anything that has my nephews in it I guess. They're just... hilariously weird little dudes and I love them so much. They always make me laugh.

And here are my questions!!

1. What is your favourite book?

2. What is you most loved item and why?

3. If you got the chance to travel to another planet (knowing you would never see your friends or family again) would you do it?

4. One song that makes you cry?

5. Do you believe in supernatural stuff? Ghosts and Monsters and Fairies? Any experiences with it?

6. What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever witnessed or had happen to you?

7. What one thing would you buy if you had the money?

8. What is your worst habit/personality trait?

9. If you could alter your body with one cool feature, what would it be? (camera eyes, monkey tail, etc)

10. Do you have the patience to play a full game of Monopoly with no breaks?

I'll tag @pinkhatlizzy @nakunakunomi @lirulee @one-piece-dumpster-fire and anyone else who wants to answer my dumb questions!! Tag me because if you decide to do it so I can see your answers 💙

[kikimcras]

( melissa barrera. cis female. she/her. )  /  LETICIA VILLALOBOS ORTIZ has been with the group for one week and is currently doing their part in the community as a scout. while here, thirty year old has created the reputation of being irreverent & capricious, but can also be known as solicitous & coquettish. in a sticky situation, they will resort to flight mode and their current weapon is a ka-bar. 

trigger/content warnings: parental death, murder, traumatic birth, drug use ( brief mention ), abuse.

everyone calls her a miracle as if somehow being born from the body of a dead mother is a celebration more than it is a tragedy. she is called miracle so often that she thinks it’s her name until the age of five when she goes to school and no one calls her name at attendance. thank god her mother had written out her name--leticia--plainly in the baby book she was saving, or maybe her grandmother really would’ve named her that–miracle, milagros.

leticia sounds like another girl’s name. a girl whose mother is alive and well. a girl whose mother tucks her in at night with stories and songs and goes to sleep in a bed with a father instead of lying six feet underground in a cold box of wood trying to outlast the worms and moles. leticia has a grandmother who puts silk ribbons in her hair and makes her pozole on cold, winter nights. she buys her love with pretty dresses and a doll each time she makes an appearance on the latest tv special with her grandmother. it takes years before she learns this is not a normal way to grieve. there are so many vhs tapes of interviews on oprah and specials on court tv in abuela’s closet that they trump the years she’s been alive on earth. yolanda ortiz makes a monopoly, a dynasty, atop her daughter’s suffering.

it’s not until leticia is twelve that she learns the full story. she’s made so many appearances on television that she’s practically a celebrity–a child star–but she has grown up knowing only that she sprung from her mother’s dead belly like pegasus from the slain body of medusa. so strange, it was almost immaculate. her grandmother had always compared her sweet mother to santa maria. it only lived to serve that in childbirth, she shared that magic. instead, leticia learns that her mother had answered an ad in the paper for free baby clothes and supplies. so clever in its innocuous offer, even the most cynical of her mother’s loved ones would have fallen into that sweet trap–flies to honey.

this is what she learned.

the canonized gabriela ortiz went to 241 nw westbrook dr at 1100 on a tuesday in september. she parked her car in the visitor space of the apartment block and went upstairs to meet ana hernandez and was greeted with a hug and the scent of fresh coffee when she entered the apartment. the two sipped their coffees and talked about the challenges of pregnancy and, for gabriela, impending single motherhood ( oh, but she had her mother to help ). for ana, her husband was anxiously awaiting the birth of a son–if that’s what they ended up having. neither woman knew what she was expecting.

when gabriela told ana that she had an appointment to keep, the generous woman left the kitchen to grab the things she’d promised her–things, she explained, that were doubles of hand me downs from her sisters. ana hernandez returned, not with a box of baby things, but with a knife. leticia shuts the tape off then and does not revisit it until the age of fourteen, where she learns two things. one, that her mother was a fighter. and two, that she was cut from her mother’s stomach with the clumsy skill of a woman who’d never deigned to carve her own turkey. it explains the scar that runs through her hairline, just above her ear. it explains her grandmother’s obsession with tragedy. it tells her nothing about herself and she refuses any more interviews or appearances. she refuses any of her grandmother’s plans for her future. she learns, like her mother, to put her trust in people who are as clever as they are unworthy.

the only thing that makes leticia villalobos feel like she can breathe is running and getting high. she doesn’t give a shit about organized sports, but she loves the feeling of the wind blowing the salt of sweat and rain off of her face. she falls in love several times. she gets her heart broken several more. every person is an opportunity to find some piece of herself. every person is an opportunity to be loved for some other reason than being a miracle. girls like leticia are symbols. like the virgin she represents hope; like the virgin, she is given no identity of her own.

tired of her antics and disobedience, her grandmother sends her to live with some cousins out of state. leticia thinks that her grandmother will have a much easier time controlling her narrative without the burden of a teenage girl. their cousins don’t have a lot, but they at least have their own business–one that’s not built on immortalizing her mother’s death. there are so many kids there already, that everyone just seems to act like she’s always been there. she misses her alone time sparingly, more than overjoyed to have found unconditional love in a house that is always full.

high school is an easy place to make the same pitfalls and mistakes, but leticia survives it. she helps out at the family store and avoids her grandmother’s calls. there’s no real desire or funding for college--though she could go on her grandmother’s dime if she wanted to drown in so much blood money. instead she makes her own way, working at the local gym until she can afford to pay for yoga and personal trainer certifications. she runs everyday and gets her own apartment. life is, despite her propensity for betting on the wrong horse and searching so desperately for love, pretty great.

until she gets the call.

yolanda is much older than she remembers upon her trip back to the hospital. she is not the intimidating matriarch that once rapped her nails on leticia’s shoulder during interviews to prompt a correct answer to a question that was meaningless to a little girl. instead, she lies in a hospital bed like a husk or a ghost and it’s almost enough to make leticia regret leaving until she goes to the house and sees the shrines to gabriela ortiz and not a single shred of evidence that gabriela’s miracle ever lived at all. 

she packs up the house, making it ready to sell as yolanda’s remaining days lesson. she doesn’t take calls from her loved ones or turn on the tv after she passes. her grief, as different from her grandmothers as the sun and moon, necessitates solitude. she doesn’t touch the phone, tv, or internet for three days and, when she does, it’s too call 911 in response to the sound of someone breaking in. there is no one on the other end.

leticia survives by doing what she loves best. she runs. she spends days running and sometimes it feels as if that is all she does. by the time she reaches the woodbridge safe zone, she has been running for years. running away, running for her life, running to feel like a person again. now she runs for a new kind of home. and, she wonders, if it will ever feel as full of love as her cousins’ house once did. she thinks, perhaps, those things are long gone.

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

athenas or the new ign videos... hmmm

im gonna go for the ign videos (moze gameplay and sanctuary-iii, no guns yet, i have a reason for that) because athenas hasn’t gotten its sweet instagram video yet. once that’s released i’ll do a full post on it. by the time i got around to finishing this post, they had released the video. oh boy... gonna do the gun post then the athenas post, i think. alright, off we go.

tl;dr: we read the entire end user agreement DAHL thrusts upon us for using the ECHO device, talk about some stuff like how (spoilers) it seems like Lilith will be getting her powers back at the end of the game, and a voice line Lily says that sounds like “Tyreen took my powers. it’s like Tannis said: [inaudible] Siren” (altho im not 100% sure on the [inaudible] part because 1) it sounds weird and 2) there’s a drum beat and also the devs are talking over her, the Siren part seems fairly accurate because of the way her mouth moves). so you know. im gonna be agonizing over that until i can hear what she says. ive already spent an hour just repeating it over and over. i nearly fell asleep lol

we’re gonna start with the moze gameplay (the first 14 minutes of bl3) because chronologically it’s first in both timeline and release date

i love the license plates on the right there

also it looks like they added in claptrap’s old welcome sign from windshear waste! time to stand in front of it for 30 minutes to see if any messages pop up like bl2

fast travel station as well, definitely going to see if/where i can teleport and going there immediately. i imagine this is more for DLC stuff and grinding tho.

also! i do believe we saw Covenant Pass previously. good to know this is actually where it is!

Marcus saying “And Welcome to Pandora!” in the beginning confirms that, yes, they’re going to be on a bus!! i wonder if there will be a fight scene before that though. it’s interesting Clappy mentions that “those jerks who tried to murder you are the children of the vault!” so i mean... there’s gotta be... right?

im also convinced this intro is going to be a mirror of Borderlands 1. i stg if it starts out with the first few notes of Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked and then swaps songs I’m going to lose my mind

also also, the order is totally going to mimic the bl1 one. Fl4k = Mordecai, Amara = Lilith, Moze = Roland, Zane = Brick. We even have Lilith taking Angel’s spot as the mysterious voice in our heads, and probably Marcus driving, AND being dropped off at a bus stop.

bet the reason they changed it from ‘Moze as the Bot Jock’ to ‘Moze as the Gunner’ is because it fits under ‘Roland as the Soldier’ better. Also, ‘Zane Flynt as Himselfs’ would be a play off ‘Brick as Himself’. Amara as the Siren is obvious, and ‘Mordecai as the Hunter’ vs ‘Fl4k as the Beastmaster’ is pretty similar as well, given Fl4k has all those Hunter skills.

the 4 basic emotes im guessing. im so glad we have the option to boop our friends in the face with emotes.

also moze’s little bunny skin is adorable

the ECHOnet used to be called “Riftspace”, “the Spline”, and... “MercTel: A Cyber-Dahl Joint” lmfao

specifically calls out Pandora. also, “artificial megastructures”??? THAT’S SO COOL

AND FUCKING

SENTIENT MEGASTRUCTURES???? 

gearbox. please. i have never ever wanted anything more in my life. please. it’s probably my birthday. PLEASE GEARBOX

also interesting that the user agreement specifically notes ‘Respawns’. I assume this is a joke because New-U stations have been confirmed not canon

“Core law”. Core law? Core... daddy? ... ????

core as in like a core government somewhere that’s not the border worlds? that’s interesting...

“The Legion”, okay, acknowledging TPS, that’s dope

“Project Blackrakk” ... im interested

“Thresher Company” lmao

im curious if Axton was apart of any of the mentioned ones. i don’t think it’s been stated, but i could be wrong

“Chieftain Oort”. also ‘Recently Legless Gary’, lmfao poor dude.

oh yeah im sure this is fine. also holy shit did they google the synonyms for ‘change’ and just start listing them? lmfao

“implicit subscription to the Digby Vermouth ‘Dig’s Gigs’ secret concert subscription service” 

sorry, what?

if this doesn’t come up again in the future- if we don’t get a spam letter or 3 in our mailbox about this concert subscription thing i'm gonna be so disappointed

Dahl hates you if you’re not a fan of hyper-jazz, “you snob” lmfao

my brain hurts, they’re good at writing these 

damn phones exist? i thought everything was ECHO. aight, that’s good to know. i guess there just aren’t any phone networks around the border worlds

also “shared dreamspaces” sound really cool

hm. that’s no good lmfao. also i love that the buttons are ‘Agree’ and ‘OK’. there is no escape, once you agree, you can’t even leave because you’re agreeing that you’re trapped with these rules even if you cancel.

that’s fucked up, DAHL. can’t believe you treat your user base the same way you treat your employees. i guess i shouldn’t be surprised.

anyway, shoutout to literally the only TOA I’ve ever fully read in my life.

also, clicking through this TOA too fast WILL end claptrap’s voice line early. so be careful if you want to hear what he has to say!!

oh shit lmao I gotta go edit that Fl4k post

ok im back ~time magic of being able to save things in drafts and post them at a later date~

sliding preserves momentum, so you can actually slide (nearly) the entire way down! i love this.

small, but claptrap bends his antennae when trying to be stealthy. i thought that was a pretty cool detail

“and some guns include an alternate shooting mode~! try it out!”

player: `immediately shoots claptrap in the face`

i died lol

a very nice look at this sign.

good to know that the twins really are tempting people to join with promises of food. i mean it makes sense, i imagine most of the cultists are desperate for stability and a reasonable life on pandora.

also, Shiv calls himself “holy influencer of the children of the vault” lol. i love that. gearbox really is going for the internet’s throat, isn’t it?

i do like that hovering over an NPC will give you their name only and not name/healthbar.

a better look at one of the signs referencing the Mother!!! i was waiting for this, the only real look we got at one was in that one scene with Moze and IB

“Behold the Mother strength surrender to the truth” 

yeah that’s not ominous...

i assume the mother and father are intended to be tyreen and troy? but idk how i feel about that implication...

i like the new little gear/spring effect for the magnet lol

new lilith! i know a lot of people don’t like it, but i do. she looks better than the bl2 vers. altho i think it’s weird they swapped both bl1 and bl2′s ‘AI’ effect to those dots and then didn’t bring it to BL3. the dots effect felt cleaner. curious why they’re not applying it to bl3 when they went thru all that effort in 1 and 2.

... back up please.

i like that there is a changing icon for long pressing now

“time to check out our slay of the day!” sounds like Tyreen but tbh i legit thought this was moze’s reaction to opening the chest at first lol 

you can hear someone start screaming in agony while she’s walking up the stairs, so i know it’s not moze, but im so used to the VHs talking when they see a new piece of loot my brain just assumed.

also THE MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND IS A REMIX OF BANDIT SLAUGHTER!!! IM SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS I WAS FREAKING OUT THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT

also, claptrap when dropping health yells “this could save your life! then, you’ll owe me a life debt!” bullshit im pretty sure you already decided we owed you a life debt the moment we stepped off that bus

“i see it... the great vault” - a line from a cultist you kill

i know i mentioned in this post that the Great Vault may be already opened, but it could also just be a Vault they’re planning on opening and using the propaganda to convince the cultists to help them find it. 

“if you help us get this vault open, you’ll be handsomely rewarded! you’ll get superpowers! you’ll get regular meals! you’ll get money and guns and dates!” you know, the usual stuff. 

either way, elevating the Vault to a higher state (god/heaven/whatever) makes sense if you’re running a cult.

btw there is a hidden chest in the scaffolding to the left of the door, if you’re interested in grabbing some better guns before shiv. personally, i’ll be using the toy guns.

also the TVs are actually playing propaganda now!!

this one is asking questions that i cant understand due to the sound effects of the chest and claptrap talking, but it says something about “... the dust? ... join the Children of the Vault!”

“hey shiiiiiv all your dumb friends are dead!!”

shiv be like

“all my friends are dead”

some cool level-up art! I notice these are the same pictures as used on the japanese site. i wonder if they change depending on which VH you’ve picked (If you’re playing Amara/Fl4k, do you get pics of Amara and Fl4k? the player is playing moze, afterall).

also also “it’s a KIA on the knife wielding maniac. suuuper dead.” 

it’s cool that the VHs have specific lines for the deaths of bosses. i hope that continues and it’s not just a ‘15 min of intro gameplay’ thing. you know, where everything is super detailed in the beginning and then slowly gets less and less as the game progresses? anyway, moze’s little chuckle is fuckin adorable lol

ah. the door closes now so you can’t even explore Shiv’s room before Lilith shows up. gearbox plS you know me too well, i was looking for a g l i m p s e

claptrap’s voice line for getting released is SUPER off time, he hits the ground before going “you did it! i’m sa-ahhhhhhhh!” it’s weird, wondering if that’s just a glitch.

also also we get a nice listen to the revive ally sound. i could’ve sworn it wasn’t in the first look at this mission we got, because i heard it for the first time during the coop Zane/Amara gameplay on Promethea. i might be wrong, tho.

im very curious what these symbols are claptrap is beaming up

i mean you know what im gonna say

they look eridian

and they do

so wtf clappy why u beaming up eridian letters to Lilith

i assume maybe Tannis gave clappy some weird upgrade or something so he could communicate with the crimson raiders without the CoV listening in? it could be that Tannis or someone is decoding this message since Tannis does know how to translate Eridian (as shown in her bl1 ECHOs)

... or at the very least she gave Lilith a translator

the darkening makes it so that you can see the crackening. also this COULD just be a beam that lilith can see from wherever she is, but i want to believe there’s more eridian stuff. bc eridian stuff is fun.

this is so fu cking crisp im dying i love it

lilith’s tattoos spreading down her fingers

same symbol as her chest tattoo. maybe the symbol denotes new powers? like how lily has one on her chest for phasewalking, and a new one on her hand for teleportation

i love how her wings look like actual fire. i fucking love this

lilith is looking so fucking good in the new engine

im glad they got rid of her super red eyes, tbh it looked a bit weird

i think they are really pushing her fire affinity, im sure we’ll see Maya has an elemental affinity as well (im calling corrosive) and im sure Tyreen will too (slag). Amara looks to be Shock because that’s her ‘default’, but who knows until (if) bl4 comes out. but corrosive wings on maya would look SOOO fucking cool. please. please please please.

god she looks so good compared to bl2. i love how the tattoos softly glow in the dark, too. i gotta play this mission late in the day...

“you’re... the voice in my head, right?” i love this so much, i really hope my shitpost comes true.

lilith gives you a grenade mod for completing her mission! im really glad they are PUSHING through the tutorial/intro so you can get right into the game. bl2′s ‘intro’ of all these tutorials was brutal. especially waiting to unlock your action skill.

in 3 you get your action skill automatically at level 2!!! which is insane, i love it! they’re jumping right into it, it’s great. and they seem to be pushing for you to get all the stuff you need right away. 

it’s curious to note that in bl3 we get our class mods at the end of the Promethea demo (after Gigamind), since in bl2 you get your first (usually?) after the hunting the firehawk mission and both seem to take place immediately after we get to the ‘base of operations’ of the game (Sanctuary vs Sanctuary-III).

yep that quest is 100% in line with the quest marker. 

i imagine From the Ground Up may be discovering where the Vault Map/Key actually is? maybe bringing people to the Recruitment Center (notably Tannis)

for this scene. i hope this takes place after the HBC, because i seriously... can’t imagine the twins showing up, taking the Vault Map, bringing it to the HBC, and then NOT taking Lilith’s powers/trying to kill Lily and accidentally taking her powers. it just doesn’t make sense, Vault Hunters be damned, we are level 2 they could melt us easy peasy. 

If anything, it feels like we COULD find the Vault Map in the Recruitment Center, Tannis tries to activate it/fix it, we find out it’s mega broke, and then the Sun Smashers show up and take it. but i seriously can’t imagine Lilith nor the new VHs allowing that to happen while they’re still there. maybe if Tannis sends us to do something while Lilith is gathering other CR members? then it could make sense if they attack while Tannis is alone with the Key...

OR

we end up finding something in Shiv’s room that shows/helps us realize the Sun Smashers bringing the Vault Map to the Calypsos. tho this would mean the quest From the Ground Up is SUPER short and I imagine it’s not. Maybe we raid a camp of theirs like the one in front of Sanc-III with the bridge/ramp? We need to be about level 6 before we go and we start From the Ground Up at 2 so there’s obviously something DEEP we’re missing here. maybe this is a mission where we go gather the other Crimson Raiders? HMMMMMMMM...

.... oh.

nevermind lmfao

she opens her ECHO immediately after this LOL i feel kinda dumb now

raiding their camp it is! the Droughts sounds like a fun location. Very much like the dust. you guys think there’s a Shade situation going on there? i’m excited to see it. Still think we’re going to use Shiv’s room to get that lead, though. i just really wanna watch tv lmfao. i hope this means the bandits run from the camp to the HBC, or we find info that the bandit warchief sent a party to the HBC with the Vault Map. either way, i just don’t want the twins showing up until after the HBC or i will have so many questions. “why didn’t you kill lilith?” being the first. “the god queen wants her head!” ur goddamn right she does, so why doesn’t she (try to) kill lilith???

85% already?! hot damn

also

that’s one badass description there, Moze

also also

while having gun slots locked is pretty normal, im surprised they’re locking class mods and relics, too! i wonder when we’ll be able to equip relics. maybe when we first go to eden-6 or smth. or maybe after we meet up with Rhys. shit maybe he’s just handing us an artifact (im gonna interchange these a lot, sorry!) in that Promethea video lmfao

“ready to chuck some boom and frag some maniacs” lol moze i love you

if you’re playing Zane... `equips grenade mod for checkmark` `immediately equips second action skill and never actually uses grenade mod`

“it’s the firehawk! the god queen wants her head!” 

like i alluded to before, i would not be surprised if Tyreen doesn’t know she can absorb Siren powers... when she goes to succ lilith in front of Sanctuary-III, it’s totally possible she actually was trying to kill her. That could explain why she looks so intrigued at her hand like “oh shit okay lets see what this can do”

might be why she was okay with sending her cultists after her instead of showing up herself.

“alright, we got a foothold. maybe things are turning our way. come on killer, you’re with me” we are going to explore the SHIT out of shiv’s room.

alright alright alright

let’s move on to the Sanctuary-III stuff

yessss

i love the quest objective thing, it looks like we will be able to swap through our quests with the push of a button! also im curious why exactly we’re going to promethea right away. i wonder if the twins say something about moving there after getting the vault map/lilith’s powers, or if we hear from rhys. im expecting something about the vault map, since our vh will admit they don’t know rhys at all when talking to lorelei. but for some reason we need to be within the city limits? since lily says ellie got us within the city limits. 

hmmmmmm. okay, okay, maybe the map was trying to lead us to promethea for vault reasons during that short amount of time that we had it and it was working. maybe promethea is what we see when tannis is activating the key during that one cutscene? ohhh shit how dope would it be if we got that fucking easter egg message? omg “Children of the Vault. Come to Promethea. We are not on Pandora anymore. Tannis is not what she seems. Do not open the Vaults.” and everyone is like ‘uh did that thing just mention Tannis by name??’ and now it’s REALLY important to get the map back just so we can figure out wtf it’s trying to tell us. 

i will question how ‘Tannis is not what she seems’ would affect character relationships, especially if it’s said so early in the game. so perhaps we only hear the first part of the message. maybe it’s corrupted because it was recently broken. iunno. just playing around with ideas. the canon of this game is like flarp putty until sept. 13th

anyway moving on because this is literally the first f r a m e of the video

i like that you can see pandora’s eridian scar. if the destroyer is speaking through eridium to people, it’s gonna bust outta the side of this planet like you wouldn’t fucking believe lmao. eridium is a window to the soul and if you stare long enough into its glossy, shining sides, the destroyer stares back

that or it’s just like a beacon, slowly spreading its influence across the universe. but i like the idea that the destroyer can waltz out of a big enough hunk of eridium. so it will bust out of pandora’s eridium scar. F in chat for pandora but also lmfao the amount of tentacles and rage would be unparalleled.

reality is that the twins are probably farming this scar for eridium to turn into slag for multiple purposes. like brainwashing their cultists, giving them powers, and ensuring their guns have their manufacturer’s quirk (im getting to this in my next post bc im just gonna compile all the ign gun videos into one big post)

the floor art is different from the actual sanc-iii demo. i mention this first in my behind closed doors panel analysis, but im gonna mention it again because this is ~official~. the floor list on the first walkthru of sanc-iii we got had the names of all the crimson raiders and lines leading to their shops. so we had the infirmary/tannis, marcus, moxxi, etc listed on the floor. i imagine this new sanc-iii will change as we get more people on board or if we do a sort of re-decoration of the ship.

also also, it’s cool to see that we have 4 rooms on the minimap, likely one for each of the VHs (and your coop buddies). ive seen speculation that the other, non-played VHs will hang out in their rooms when you’re not playing them, and tbh i really hope this is the case.

we also know this version of sanctuary-iii is after pandora, so there are no promethea citizens aboard yet. which makes me double certain the first sanc-iii video we got takes place either after endgame (explaining why Lily has her tattoos back) or right after Athenas (explaining why Maya is there). which... i mean... spoilers, guys. 

that’s one good lookin fast travel station, holy shit

im in tears over here because “Caution: no steppy”. this is so fucking funny to me

no steppy on me

okay moving on because i will cry laugh over this for forever im allowed

moze’s room is so much different than amara’s

also i notice she’s on the left of the two on the top, which makes me hope the other 4 are reserved for the other VHs (or your coop buddy).

compared to the official sanc-iii demo video

and amara’s room

moze’s is so barren oh my god

someone get this girl like... a colorful throw pillow or something

baaank. also doubles as the secret stash. kinda upsetting, because that is infinitely less loot i can store when i make a lot of characters. also if i upgrade the bank once, is it upgraded across all my other characters too? or are the guns i put in storage slot 11 locked up until i buy the upgrade?

either way, i am saddened because no more mule characters. and way less space the more characters you make and more gear you find, because all gear you put in here is there across all characters. i hope this means our backpacks will be a lot bigger this time around!

supamax mfg shows up again

ppm/04-02 matches up with the number behind the fast travel station. i wonder if this will come into play. if the number changes later in-game im going to freak the fuck out bc that means wherever we are isn’t actually sanctuary-iii

ppm/04-02. remember that 👀

also, the wall behind the golden chest changed from red to steel/greenish. can’t tell the actual color. same as the floor

you know. that color.

“golden keys are popular. you can get some in-game and also get them online”

in-game you say??? im interested! i wonder if there will be some sort of arena (like moxxi’s) where if you complete it you get a key as a reward. i saw people speculating about some sort of randomized boss rush, that could definitely be a way to get gold keys, as well.

oooo engine room! im excited to explore here.

original size is 16. so, we have 40 backpack slots! still... you know... only 1 above the max of bl2, but hey. at least that’s an upgrade. as small as it may be

on the bright side: bank upgrades increase capacity by 5. with a base of 10, and 8 upgrades, we have 50 slots to fill. which is a big leap from the original 24. it is still a shame we have to share these across characters, tho

offline cultist stream? makes me think the CoV really was trying to steal/take over sanc-iii from the crimson raiders and we went to go take it (back?) in Taking Flight. either the CoV found/ordered Sanc-III, or the crimson raiders were building it/fixing it up, their stronghold got taken over, and the CoV were prepping it for takeover.

the shooting range. and if you notice that little CoV symbol in the bottom left there? yeah pretty much backs up my previous theory

all those red bits are tied to ellie’s crew challenge. so we’ll be collecting things for her!

an altar for scooter 😢

“we’re gonna get those cultism sumbitches, believe you me”

where you get yeeted out of Sanc-III. im definitely going to try jumping in it to see if it kills me. doesn’t look like the drop pods are available yet

that’s not clappy, pretty sure he’s hanging out on the bridge right now

schematics for veronica

the thing i was most excited about in this video!

loooots of customizations! which excites me because i know eridium used to get useless late game when you’ve grinded all the raid bosses. it looks like eridum is going to be in ultra high demand. but u can bet ur ass im gonna be unlocking all those fucking customizations asap.

veteran rewards is also super super interesting

hgggggg i wanna know what the shields do!!! 

i like the vault symbol at the top of the item card as well, shows you its a special type of weapon/item. im honestly surprised we’re able to buy ‘veteran rewards’ so early in the game? i mean obvi we won’t have enough eridium (look at the costs!) but it’s wild it’s even accessible. im personally a fan of the first bonus ‘anointed: gain life steal on action skill end’

looks like these guns have been chosen

to give them those special bonuses

i do see that just anointed is not class specific, but the ones that say anointed gunner or maybe anointed siren will be (confirmed by the devs in video).

you pay with eridium, so maybe the vending machine has some way to confer the power of eridium to the guns. or some shit. iunno. it’s possible this won’t be available until the end of the game, hence veteran rewards, and is only being shown to us right now since this is a showcasing video.

pandoran civilian. no promethea civilians today folks! i am CONVINCED that the old sanc-iii demo takes place after the end of the game. at least after athenas.

it’s weird seeing moxxi hanging outside her bar.

is also cool to know that the 4 slot machines are actually available. seems like npcs can play them, but we can use all 4 if we want to. which is really nice

the one on the far left is called the ‘loot boxxer’ and it gives mostly guns lol. i see they are taking jabs. good for them

better pic of the leftmost machines

Zer0 seems to have a bounty board? not sure if this is like a physical bounty board or if they will contact you when they want something dead, but it is cool to note. this isn’t shown in video, just the devs speaking about it.

similarly hammerlock has ‘big game hunts’ where you find “rare, challenging creatures” and kill them for him

apparently we’ll be killing something known as a manvark

this book

i fucking recognize this book

HAMMERLOCK NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

in all seriousness tho

hammerlock probably isn’t in his room because we haven’t rescued him from eden-6 yet.

a cool thing about the crew challenges: as you progress through the game and do these challenges, sanc-iii will ‘grow and change to reflect the things you’ve accomplished’. altho another dev says “sometimes these are optional things, like challenges” 

so now im like oh shit we’re gonna change sanc-iii as we play the game. i wonder if that means we’ll be changing the hull, too. because you know. the blue paint job. we gotta go STEALTH. sneaky beaky into the calypsos fleety

tannis doesn’t have the saurian on her table. also, interesting note, she DOES have the eridian log in the corner. meaning she must have had that before eden-6. interesting... maybe we’ll find more on Pandora.

she is still covered in blood tho. idk i don’t have an explanation for that. don’t think i want to think of one, to be quite honest.

oh no. (those are skulls next to all the gurneys)

“tannis plays a much bigger role in bl3 than she has in past games”. bigger than borderlands 1? that is... impressive. she’ll be running the health vending machines (which is weird bc i could’ve sworn in the promethea demo, zed was still running them... hm.)

another angle of sanc-iii

clappy? you good there?

the devs said they’re using him to plug a hole. i assume the calypsos shot at the ship as we’re leaving or smth.

lily with no tattoos, who also looks significantly more pissed than her other sanc-iii demo counterpart

you know. because she got her tattoos.

also

fucking

lilith says something right here. all i can make out is “Tyreen took my powers. it’s like tannis said. ..... [inaudible] Siren.” maybe some weird word i haven’t heard before? i swear she’s saying ‘like tannis said: a ‘m...’ Siren” but i am not 100% sure. if someone could help me out, that’d be rad.

so its sounding like lilith rushed in with explicit warning from tannis about tyreen stealing her powers, and tannis knew tyreen was some sort of Siren and warned lily, but lily didn’t listen. it could also be that lily is saying something like “im not a siren” but i can’t really hear it if she is. it sounds like she saying a word that starts with m to me. if someone could help me with this i’d owe you my life

whew. i am. fucking TIRED.

im gonna sleep for like 3 hours and then wake up and make food before the fl4k streams start.

[southboundhq]

MEET LETICIA,

FULL NAME › Leticia Magdalena Villalobos Ortiz AGE › thirty GENDER › Cis female (She/Her/Hers) FROM › Puyallup, Washington RESIDENCE › Miracle Mine Mobile Home Park (Outskirts) OCCUPATION › Trainer/instructor at Iron Fitness, Clerk at Chuy’s Auto Service NOW PLAYING › Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me by The Smiths

BIOGRAPHY,

trigger/content warnings: parental death, murder, traumatic birth, drug use, abuse

everyone calls her a miracle as if somehow being born from the body of a dead mother is a celebration more than it is a tragedy. she is called miracle so often that she thinks it’s her name until the age of five when she goes to school and no one calls her name at attendance. thank god her mother had written out her name in the baby book she was saving, or maybe her grandmother really would’ve named her that–miracle.

leticia sounds like another girl’s name. a girl whose mother is alive and well. a girl whose mother tucks her in at night with stories and songs and goes to sleep in a bed with a father instead of lying six feet underground in a cold box of wood trying to outlast the worms and moles. leticia has a grandmother who puts silk ribbons in her hair and makes her pozole on cold, winter nights. she buys her love with pretty dresses and a doll each time she makes an appearance with her grandmother. it takes years before she learns this is not a normal way to grieve. there are so many vhs tapes of interviews on oprah and specials on court tv in abuela’s closet that they trump the years she’s been alive on earth. yolanda ortiz makes a monopoly, a dynasty, atop her daughter’s suffering.

it’s not until leticia is twelve that she learns the full story. she’s made so many appearances on television that she’s practically a celebrity–a child star–but she has grown up knowing only that she sprung from her mother’s dead belly like pegasus from the slain body of medusa. so strange, it was almost immaculate. her grandmother had always compared her sweet mother to santa maria. it only lived to serve that in childbirth, she shared that magic. instead, leticia learns that her mother had answered an ad in the paper for free baby clothes and supplies. so clever in its inncouous offer, even the most cynical of her mother’s loved ones would have fallen into that sweet trap–flies to honey.

this is what she learned.

the canonized gabriela ortiz went to 241 nw westbrook dr at 1100 on a tuesday in september. she parked her car in the visitor space of the apartment block and went upstairs to meet ana hernandez and was greeted with a hug and the scent of fresh coffee when she entered the apartment. the two sipped their coffees and talked about the challenges of pregnancy and, for gabriela, impending single motherhood ( oh, but she had her mother to help ). for ana, her husband was anxiously awaiting the birth of a son–if that’s what they ended up having. neither woman knew what she was expecting.

when gabriela told ana that she had an appointment to keep, the generous woman left the kitchen to grab the things she’d promised her–things, she explained, that were doubles of hand me downs from her sisters. ana hernandez returned, not with a box of baby things, but with a knife. leticia shuts the tape off then and does not revisit it until the age of fourteen, where she learns two things. one, that her mother was a fighter. and two, that she was cut from her mother’s stomach with the clumsy skill of a woman who’d never deigned to carve her own turkey. it explains the scar that runs through her hairline, just above her ear. it explains her grandmother’s obsession with tragedy. it tells her nothing about herself and she refuses any more interviews or appearances. she refuses any of her grandmother’s plans for her future. she learns, like her mother, to put her trust in people who are as clever as they are unworthy.

the only thing that makes leticia villalobos feel like she can breathe is running and getting high. she doesn’t give a shit about organized sports, but she loves the feeling of the wind blowing the salt of sweat and rain off of her face. she falls in love several times. she gets her heart broken several more. every person is an opportunity to find some piece of herself. every person is an opportunity to be loved for some other reason than being a miracle. girls like leticia are symbols. like the virgin she represents hope; like the virgin, she is given no identity of her own.

tired of her antics and disobedience, her grandmother sends her to live with some cousins in boot hill. leticia thinks that her grandmother will have a much easier time controlling her narrative without the burden of a teenage girl. the nunez’s don’t have a lot, but they at least have their own business–one that’s not built on immortalizing her mother’s death. they don’t even seem prepared for her arrival, but they accommodate her quickly and soon it’s as if she’s always been there. boot hill feels more like home than life with her grandmother. boot hill just feels more like home.

boot hill may be a reprieve from the press and the papers and the goddamn interviews or dateline specials, but it’s not without its own semblance of purgatory. it’s hard to be the new kid, but she does a decent job of keeping her business to herself. no one learns that little leticia villalobos is the miracle baby phoenix, born from the ashes of garbiela ortiz. her cousins seem to know very little about her mother’s tragedy or else, that they’ve forgotten. some days it makes her tremble with anger, but she tries to remind herself that they never knew her. they barely knew yolanda and her family at all until leticia came to live with them.

the small town is an easy place to make the same mistakes, but leticia finds some good things too. she does odd jobs around the auto shop to help out the family that took her in and treated her like a real daughter. she starts teaching yoga and spinning classes at iron fitness after it opens. she still looks for a dream or for her heart in other people. it’s gotten her into trouble with a long list of exes who should’ve been buried in the desert or left for dead in the mines. stolen from her mother too soon, there is a hole in leticia’s heart that hungers. even in boot hill, where she doesn’t have to be a miracle to everyone she meets, she wonders if her heart will ever be full.

❝ i killed a plant once because i gave it too much water. lord, i worry that love is violence. ❞

CENSUS,

FACECLAIM › Melissa Barrera AUTHOR › Lucia

[lorewytch]

A 80′s Gushing Rant

Sorry I just spammed everyone with 80s cartoons XD (Well.. sorry, not sorry?) As a child born in the 80s, I have a special attachment to these cartoons. I mean doesn’t everyone? Nostalgia sells for a reason after all. We all at least have one fond memory of one cartoon or TV show or book that touched us. I was born a only child so often I only could play with myself. I was shy and much different than my other classmates. I was awkward a lot and often did my own thing. But one thing I loved was my parents giving me VHS’ to play which I would watch over and over until the tapes warped. I had many favorites over the years. And the 80s and early 90s were a peek time for several different companies to open their doors and unleash a barrage of toys, videos and books at young kids. I of course loved the popular shows. Shows like TMNT, Tiny Toons, Care Bears, My Little Pony, etc. I had a special spot in my heart for them all. But there were a few that were widely unknown. Most of these were popular but only really had one animated episode created. I kinda just wanted to gush about them a bit. Because these were underrated and I felt needed more recognition. A few of these did have a few episodes out on VHS but most only had one or two episodes. Some you may recognize, some not. Granted I didn’t watch everything that aired in the late 80s and early 90s. But these are some I just remembered.

Rose Petal Place

This one had only one episode, several dolls and apparently a board game XD. Rose Petal Place was about a group of flowers. They were given life when a little girl cried over them, wishing to stay with her flower garden forever. But the family was forced to move and she had to leave her poor garden behind. The magic behind those tears transformed the flowers into real magical beings whose sole duty it was to protect the garden per the young girls wishes. Rose’s voice is the only thing that can keep the flowers blooming in the garden. Her singing brings life back and her spunky and upbeat personality kept me intrigued as a child. I loved girl heroes fighting bad guys as a child. It inspired me and showed me I could be as strong as her. Rose never backed down even when her voice was stolen from her by Nastina the classic spider villain in the series. She still tried to sing even without her voice. One of the very first lines we hear from Rose Petal perfectly defines what kind of character she is. Nastina: Rose Petal. You think you can restore the rose garden with your singing? Rose Petal: You know I can. (hands on hips) She was pretty classy too for a cartoon character. I loved her voice and singing was very on point. The episode itself was rather cliche and dated by todays standards. But the voice acting I felt was mostly on point. It did struggle a bit, but it kept it entertaining even as I watched it a few months ago. Sadly it didn’t really define the characters all that well. But I think given the chance it could have been a nice series. Maybe even with more colorful villains. It was very similar to Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite. I think also with the limited setting and semi unbelievable background story was probably a few of the reasons it didn’t do so well. However, the character designs were pretty cute and I loved the creative concept. “Friends, would you like to be friends? Would you like to share the day with me? We can be anything we want to be!” -Rose Petal  Pound Puppies (1980s)

Okay this one is a bit more popular than the others on this list. But honestly, I forgot about it until recently. The series itself is nice, but the one thing I remembered most about it was the movie.

I think the best part of it was the music. While some songs were meh, Songs like “All In your Mind” and “At the Pound” were pretty good and I found myself singing along. Also it was pretty dark for a kids movie. If you really think about it, the villain was creepy and him turning those puppies into those vicious dogs reminded me a bit of dog fighting and how people turned dogs into killing machines. Plus the background design on these were pretty impressive as well. At least for me anyways. This is really all subjective anyways. But I liked the concept. Who wouldn’t love singing Dogs and cats going on adventures? XD But I feel like a lot of that vanished in the TV series. I got to say I don’t remember the TV series that well. And while it was popular, I think if you think of the 80s cartoons, this one takes a while to come up. It’s not forgotten totally but its not one of the first ones you remember. I certainly didn’t. I remembered the movie more than the TV show. But I also think it was a important show/movie. Because it was the show to bring more awareness about Pounds and shelters. Adopting kitties and dogs from shelters seems common now. But it wasn’t so back then. And a lot of animals were treated very badly at these places. I feel like this had more promise. And I’ll always remember Cooler and his gang from back then. The voice acting was meh most of the time. But some of the characters were pretty interesting and I loved the movie. Also, can I say I love the whole 50s/60′s theme they got going on?! Poodle skirts! YES!

Lady Lovely Locks

Okay for this one, I only remember two episodes in particular off the top of my head. The Dragon Tree, which I loved because of the creative way dragons were born in this world. (Born from flowers the dragon tree bore) and the cute little baby dragons that emerged from them. Plus you got to see Lady Lovely Locks in black of all colors. The second episode being the first one. We get to see first hand at how Lady Lovely Locks can make her kingdom beautiful. Its literally in her hair. Magical girl hair. She was also rocking colored hair before it was popular. The voice acting can be cringe worthy and there’s not much music in this series, which is probably why it never got SUPER popular. It was semi known enough. Again, not one of the first ones I would think of. But I loved the character designs. I think in the 80s there were a lot of creative people wanting to create new and prettier dolls that stood out in one way or another to sell the toys to girls. But the world itself was very creative too and I appreciated that. So yeah the writing and stories kind of fell flat, especially by today’s standards.

But it was a series that doesn’t get nearly enough credit. It was one of the first American magical girls we had really. Lady Lovely Locks was a lady true to every word and not afraid to get her hands dirty to stop Ravenwaves. Also those Pixie Tails were so cute! Peppermint Rose

“Listen... to the legend... of Peppermint Rose...” Can I just say how much love I have to this lesser known cartoon girl? Okay, I admit, this girl at the beginning of her one episode debut was a bit of a brat. Hey they even admit it in the cartoon! Rose is the typical spoiled teen. She has a bit of a attitude problem and is more the hesitant hero than anything. But she has personality!

The writing on this episode is some of the better writing I feel on this list. Not to mention the music in this animated episode was pretty, flowery and I fell in love with many of the lyrics. Here’s the title song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEy536JeVEc “ Sunshine, Rainbows A breeze that gently blows A garden filled with magic The home of Peppermint Rose Daydreams, Laughter A sweet and Fragrant Glow As Four enchanted Maidens Help their gardens grow. There’s lemon Drop Lily So pretty and frilly Miss Vanilla Daisy Kind of Cute And kind of crazy And Dreaming ‘neath a sky of blue Merry Mint Violet dreams here too Someone Special And so the story goes A rose whose a rose Who’s much more than a rose And we call her Peppermint Rose Listen to the Legend Of Peppermint Rose..” Yeah no I had that stuck in my head for weeks.. couldn’t get it out. Despite Rose’s sour personality, she manages to cross a dangerous river, out wit the Bubba Beetle and magically sing the evil Queen turning her good as well as her henchmen because.. y’know...magic! XDDD The ending did seem rushed and the bad guys were very typical bad guys of the time. But I loved that Rose had a lot of negative traits. It goes to show people can change and her transformation into Peppermint Rose only proved that she could be stronger, braver and kinder. I admit the story does not age well. But I loved the music and character designs of them all. The story was also very cute. This was a decent cartoon for the time honestly and I was sad that there was only one episode of this. It had potential to be more. Again, another one like Rainbow Brite. “What’s that Smell?” “Begonia!”

Now I didn’t put Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, Jem and the Holograms or any of the other more popular 80s cartoons here because while I did love them to death.. this list is for lesser known cartoons that others may not be familiar with. Granted the 80s and 90s were quite the decades themselves with a ton of cartoons. Both good and ehhh. But these always stuck out to me as a kid. Yes, I was a very girly girl. Still am in a few aspects. But each of these had something I appreciated and carried with me. And all had really cool designs for characters. I just wanted to show how much I appreciated them even as a adult. Even if they are dated and slightly cringe worthy today. I just appreciated the magic they brought with them, the music and the characters. I would love to see great remakes of any one of these. (The new pound puppies is kind of meh to me honestly) But I’d also love a great revival of Rainbow Brite and Jem and the Holograms too. Sorry this got so long. Whew... I think I will wrap this up. If I think of any more I may post something separate. Now remember, keep singing to bring life to those around you, never lose your bone of scone, let down your hair and let it shine and remember this beyond all else: A rose, whose a rose, who’s much more than a rose... And we call her.. Peppermint Rose.

[clevercatchphrase]

You Monster Chpt. 34

(This story is also available on ao3, under the same username as here~! I am no longer linking the chapters here, or else tumblr would hide the results in their search engine. Sorry for the inconvenience!) 

It’s a couple hours before all the amalgamates are back with their rightful families.

With you, Sans, Papyrus and Undyne as her moral support, Alphys makes her way through each of the Underground’s main regions, returning Reaper Bird, Lemon Bread, Endogeny and Mrs. Drake to their respective homes.

While there were a few harsh words given to Alphys, mostly from Astigmatisms and Snowdrake Senior for not telling them what had truly happened to their loved ones, most of the monsters seemed so overjoyed at having their relatives back, they couldn’t have cared less if their appearance had changed, or if they now shared a mind with a dozen other monsters. All that mattered was that they were alive and they were home.

It’s almost midnight when you finally get back to Hotland.

“Hey pal,” Papyrus says when he catches you yawning on the couch near Alphys’ huge monitor. “While we were in Snowdin, I ran by my house and got your things.”

He hands you a plastic bag with your yarn and green sweater.

“Thanks Papyrus. You didn’t have to.” You smile. “I was gonna trade them back for your cellphone, remember?”

“Yes, I know, but…” Papyrus trails off. “I figured giving them to you now would make the inevitable goodbye a little easier… in the future.”

“That’s really thoughtful of you.”

“I also took the liberty of washing your shirt. I remember you remarking how it felt nice to change into clean clothes, and figured it was a small kindness I could do to make your day a little easier.”

“Yeah, I could REALLY go for a shower right now,” you say. “I think I saw one in the basement lab-”

“W-wait, I do have a bathroom on the ground floor, believe it or not,” Alphys says. “It’s the first door on the left by the front entrance.”

“Thanks, Alphys,” you yawn a second time, suddenly drained as all of the day’s excitement catches up to you. “Guess it’s too late to go to the king again, huh? But tomorrow for sure, yeah?”

“Y-yeah… Say! Let’s have a slumber party!” Alphys suggests. “I’ve still got the movies queued up, a-and we’re all already here, a-and… there might be more things I need to get of my conscience. It would be nice to have some friends nearby.”

“Hey! Yeah! A slumber party sounds like fun!” Undyne agrees.

“I second that notion!” Papyrus says. “We can tell secrets and make friendship bracelets! It’ll be great!”

“I dunno, guys,” you interject. “I should probably get some sleep if I want to see the king first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Kid, you’re within spitting distance of the stinkin’ castle now!” Undyne points out. “All the elevators are fixed, so it’ll be a straight shot up there tomorrow. I think you can afford to watch one more movie with us!”

“Y-yeah! You can’t go back to the Ruins before I can get a chance to introduce you to anime!” Alphys pleads. “Please? Will you watch just one with us?”

You shift your eyes to each of the puppy-dog faces and sigh in defeat.

“I guess just one more movie wouldn’t hurt…”

“Great! F-feel free to take a shower while I go g-get some sleeping bags!”

Thirty minutes later you’re sitting on the couch with Papyrus, freshly washed and fiddling with the new features on his phone while Alphys rewinds the deer movie you had left off on, and while Undyne makes a fresh round of snacks. Together, Papyrus and Sans introduce you to the world of texting, showing you how to make faces out of the letters and symbols while the movie more or less plays as background noise.

The deer movie ends, and the third one, the one with the lions, starts to autoplay. Alphys perks up excitedly. The royal scientist says this one technically isn’t anime, though it’s argued that it might be a rip-off of an anime with a similar name. Undyne asks why they don’t just watch that one instead, and Alphys explains with a bit of nervous apologizing that she doesn’t have that many episodes on VHS.

You shrug it off, and turn back to the screen to give the movie your full attention. Based on Alphys’ reaction, this was one of the better movies she had and you wanted the best experience, but as you watch the movie, that curious sense of familiarity begins to tickle the back of your mind. There was something about these characters and songs…

“I think… I’ve seen this movie somewhere before…” you say vacantly, staring at the screen.

“Impossible!” Papyrus interjects. “You confessed yourself you didn’t know what TV was until two days ago!”

“I… didn’t see it on tee-vee…” you trail off.

That strange déjà vu feeling was beginning to rear its ugly head yet again, and this time you weren’t going to let it get away. Sensing it coming, you mentally grab it, and focus on it until-

You see flashes of darkness and a bright screen in front of you. There are other kids around you, laughing, crying, screaming. The air smells sweet and savory, much like the popcorn you’re eating- JUST like the popcorn you’re eating. There’s an adult on each side of you, telling you to sit up, listen up, SHUT UP, you should be happy They’ve given this treat to you, you should be thankful because They’re being nice to you when you haven’t earned it, but the room is too cold and the noise is too loud and you don’t like it, so you hum nursery rhymes to yourself until it’s all over, and on the car ride home all the streetlights blend in with the stars above, and the air smells like cigars and alcohol, which you don’t like but don’t mention, because if you complain then They will give you something to REALLY cry about-!

You don’t realize you’re convulsing until strong arms are holding you in place. People are yelling at you, but their words are meaningless. It’s just noise, noise, noise, too much noise-

“Kid! Kid!” A concerned voice breaks through to you. “Deep breaths! Stay with us!”

You force yourself to inhale and blink until the halo of faces staring down at you come into focus. Everyone is staring at you in fear and confusion.

“A-are you alright?” Alphys asks.

You roll your eyes to see the legs of the couch beside you. Cold tile presses against your cheek.

“Why am I on the floor?” you croak.

“You tell us, kid,” Sans sighs, rubbing his neck. We all thought you were super into the movie the way you were just staring at the screen. The next thing we know, you’re eyes are rolling back and you’re having a seizure. What happened?”

“I… don’t know…” You admit. You touch your face to find your cheeks are wet with tears. You don’t remember crying. “I… I don’t think I want to watch this movie anymore,” you sniff.

“Th-that’s okay! All these Disney movies are kinda wearing me out too. W-would you like to skip to anime now?” Alphys asks.

You shrug, not really caring as you cradle your pounding head.

Alphys skips ahead to her last movie while you snuggle between Papyrus and Undyne on the middle cushion of the couch. You try your hardest to read the captions on the screen translating what the characters are saying, but your mind keeps drifting back to the vision you had, struggling to make sense of it. What was that place you saw? Who were those people? And why did thinking about it fill you with such dread?

You shake your head, trying to force yourself to stay focused on the screen in an effort to distract yourself, but it isn’t working all that well. Your most recent episode seems to have drained you to absolute zero with how heavy your eyelids feel. Blinking several times, you struggle to stay awake and look back to the movie. You forget what it’s called, but it’s about a goat and a wolf who become friends despite being natural enemies. The animation gets a little weird now and then, but the colors are nice, you guess. You have no idea what the story’s supposed to be about since you keep nodding off. Before long, you decide to rest your eyes and just listen to the movie, despite not being able to understand a word. It’ll only be for a little while. Just until your eyes stop stinging. And at least the music is calm and soothing… and without even realizing it, you’ve fallen asleep.

________________________________________________________

Sans is first to notice that they’re out cold. He nudges them with one slippered foot, but they don’t respond.

“Welp, looks like they’ve finally checked out for tonight,” he says. “It’s nearly three a.m. With any luck, they’ll sleep through the whole day and give us a few more hours to come up with a better plan for what to do next.”

“Phew, I’m glad they feel asleep during this,” Alphys says pausing the VHS. “The only other movies I have that don’t have humans in them are the Ice Age sequels and I wouldn’t want to force anyone watch those. That would just be cruel and unusual torture.”

“I’ll put them to bed,” Undyne offers, carefully cradling the child in her arm as not to wake them, and takes them upstairs.

“So… What do we do now?” Alphys asks. “W-we can’t just let them go to the king. He’ll exicute them as soon as he sees them.”

“Should we call ahead and let the king know?”

“And what would we tell him? ‘Hey, Asgore! We’re bringing the last human soul needed to break the barrier to your place because they need a favor of you! Could you be so kind as to let them live, pretty please? They’re a real good kid and we like ‘em, so we’d prefer you don’t kill them on sight?’ Get real.”

“We could go with the kid and meet him there?”

“Oh, and have him say, ‘thank you my loyal subjects and royal scientist and guard for personally hand delivering me this human. As a special treat you can watch me take their soul?’”

“We could always tell the kid the king got sick and he doesn’t want us to catch it!”

“Do you really think they’d fall for that?”

“We could say he’s out grocery shopping!”

“No, that won’t work either.”

They toss ideas back and forth, bringing up dozens of potential scenarios and shooting down why each one wouldn’t work. Soon their arguments become circular and repetitive, with still no solution to be found.

“The thing is, none of the ideas will work ‘cause the kid won’t believe us.” Sans says. “They’ve caught wise to us and know anything we try now would be a ploy. We can’t try to hold them back now or they’ll cut us off and go it alone, which would be a certain death sentence. We gotta find a way to make ‘em choose not to go to the king.”

“We’ve guided ourselves into a corner…” Papyrus nods glumly.

“Nothing else much we can do at the moment…”

“And if anything… we can at least say we tried.”

“Well… th-there is one last option we have…” Alphys says. Undyne, Papyrus and Sans look to her, waiting for her answer. “W-we can tell them the truth; let them know the s-situation, gently break it to them.”

“Alphys, you know we can’t do that.”

“A-and why not?” Alphys argues. “They’re g-gonna find out sooner or later! I-if not tomorrow, then for certain when they meet Asgore! What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? If they go to the king tomorrow unaware or not, they’re going to die. I-I let a lot off my chest today. I came clean with all my secrets, but being a part of this one m-makes me afraid I’m going to relapse into a fibbing mess again! I can’t keep making exceptions like this, or I’m just going to go back to my old ways.”

“Maybe… maybe we should just go to Asgore first without the kid and explain the situation,” Undyne suggests. “I’ve trained with Asgore for years, and I know the guy. Sure, he can fight when he needs to, but he probably doesn’t want to. He’d spare an innocent child… right?”

“He didn’t the last six times,” Sans points out.

Everyone looks down solemnly at their feet.

“Say, we’re all p-pretty tired,” Alphys says. “L-let’s sleep on it a-and see if we can come up with any new ideas tomorrow before the kid wakes up. You know, it’s always easier to tackle a problem with a clear head and fresh eyes.”

The four agree, seeing no better solution in the moment, and reluctantly head upstairs to join their sleeping friend, and secretly praying tonight’s dreams wouldn’t be their last.

_______________________________________________

You sleep. You dream. You see your reflection.

And yet…. The closer you look, the less it looks like you. You know your skin is not that pale, and your hair is not that light, and your eyes are not that RED. The reflection tilts its head and you find yourself copying it, and that’s when you realize with rising panic that this is not your reflection-- you are ITS.

“You have come so far,” the doppelganger mouths, and you startle when it’s YOUR voice that comes out of YOUR mouth though you didn’t put the words there.

“I realize what you are trying to do,” the voice says against your will as the replica in the mirror speaks. They look straight at you while they force you to talk, yet you cannot help but feel as if these words are not for you, but are instead directed at someone else. “Your plan is noble, but ultimately it will not work. They have impressed upon too many.”

You want to look away, but you can’t. Your actions are left to the mercy of the onlooker, whose movements you are slave bound to. As long as they stay focused on you, you have no choice but to return the notion.

“But maybe…” the person in the glass blinks at you, as if seeing you for the first time. “Maybe… if I can take it NOW… I can make a difference.”

The reflection raises its arms and you’re forced to do the same. They bring their fingertips up to the glass, until they’re touching. Your hands stop against the cold surface, but the copycat’s don’t. You can only watch passively as your mind yells in horror as the hands phase through the glass while yours are stuck in place.

The apparition’s arms pass through yours, and then violently grab your sleeves and start pulling, pulling, pulling you forward, trying to force you to go through the mirror, trying to take your place, and with every ounce of will power you can muster you scream in your mind, desperate to move even a single muscle but to no avail.

The hands are clawing up your shoulders, grabbing at your shirt, at your chest, at your SOUL-

You jerk awake. Your eyes fly open and you almost scream. Beside you, someone grunts in annoyance, your spasm apparently disturbing their rest.

You try to sort out where you are and the memory rushes up to you like a tidal wave as it all comes flooding back. The amalgamates, the slumber party, the movie. You sigh in relief. It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real. Already it was quickly fading from your mind as if it had never happened, and you decidedly chose not to think about it to let it be forgotten even faster, but when you close your eyes you can’t help but glimpse the bright red afterimage of two eyes staring back at you on the inside of your eyelids.

Geez, you hadn’t had a night terror that bad in years. But you were admittedly close to the CORE. It wasn’t unlikely that stray magic could reach this far in high concentrations and mess with your dreams. Unfortunately you were far too awake now to go back to sleep.

You sit up carefully and look around to find your friends dogpiled around you on the bed and half hanging off the sides. You exhale with a smirk at how tightly everyone is packed on the mattress. Who thought it was a good idea for all five of you to share one bed when Alphys got sleeping bags for this very reason? You had to admit, though, with friends packed together so close, you certainly did feel safe and secure.

Gingerly you untangle yourself from the pile, trying your hardest not to disturb the other sleepers until you extract yourself from the mess. You stand up and stretch and search for your borrowed phone. It’s just past six a.m. You know you didn’t receive a lot of sleep, but you feel remarkably rested regardless. The rest of the Underground should be waking up in the next hour or two.

You look back at your friends, heart panging with melancholy. Right from the moment you met each one of them you knew you would be dreading the minute when you’d have to say goodbye, but for now they were at peace with serene faces, blissfully unaware of your fast-approaching departure. At least they weren’t looking at you with sadness or worry anymore. You decide to cherish this moment of tranquility by letting them rest a bit longer. They would wake up when they were ready.

As quietly as you can, you pad over to the escalator and make your way downstairs. Alphys has packets of instant noodles in her fridge along with a few cans of soda and a carton of ice cream in the freezer. You take a packet of noodles on the assumption it was the healthiest of the three options and try to read the cooking instructions, but it’s all written in a language you don’t understand. Out of famished curiosity, you try eating the noodles dry and discover that they aren’t half bad uncooked. You throw out the flavor packet, though. You can pick out enough context clues to decipher the nutrition label and would rather not ingest something that contains enough sodium to kill a small mammal in one little bag.

Nibbling on dry noodles, you go back to the television, turn it on and turn the volume down way low so you don’t wake the others. Inside the tape player is still the movie about the goat and the wolf. It seems Alphys and the others paused it right after you fell asleep, so you continue watching from where you left off. You still have no clue what’s going on, but thank goodness for subtitles so the TV isn’t too loud and noisy.

Wrapped up in a blanket burrito, you passively watch the movie while you wait for your friends to wake up, but apparently you were a lot closer to the end of the movie than you realized, because the next thing you know, the names of the cast are rolling. You search the couch for another movie, but all the ones available are the ones you already watched last night, and after your episode yesterday, you don’t really want to risk triggering another one by watching the same thing that caused the first. Wait, didn’t you see a room filled with video tapes down in Alphys’ true lab? You bet that’s where Alphys is keeping some more. Surely she won’t mind if you browse for another movie? She was very adamant about introducing you to anime after all.

Dragging half of the couch blanket with you, you shamble over to the elevator door and stumble sleepily inside. The doors close behind you and lower you down. Alphys’ true lab is a lot brighter now that the amalgamates are gone, especially Reaper Bird with their photosensitivity to bright light. The place practically felt hospitable.

You retrace your footsteps, even following the arrows Undyne had carved on the walls until you stumble upon the video room. There’s a television ready and waiting on a table in the middle of the room. Four tapes are scattered in front of it, with one tape already in the player. You scan the shelves for a potential movie, but nothing catches your interest. Every title is either a documentary or in a language you can’t read. You skip over them without a second thought.

When nothing the shelves have entices you, you turn to the TV and push in the tape just to see what Alphys was watching last, grab the remote, and hit play. The screen flickers from a dull grey to black, and muffled audio crackles from the speakers. Huh. Either the TV or the tape was on the fritz. You’re just about to hit ‘eject’ when suddenly the audio pops and comes through loud and clear.

“Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!”

You freeze, finger poised over the button, and listen closer.

“Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason!”

Your heart skips a beat and a strong sense of foreboding grips you. The speaker said your name. They were talking to you, but you don’t recognize the voice. You don’t remember this conversation. Heart pounding, you shift your fingers away from the pause button and hit rewind instead. The gears inside the tape player cough and chug as they scroll back the tape, and you watch the screen closely for any clues, but the video remains dark until-

There’s a flash of white, a blur of green, and suddenly two kids are on the screen, doing rapid movements in reverse. Your fingers fumble with the remote, mashing the play button repeatedly until the TV finally gets the message.

The tape stutters and chokes and then at last a grainy image comes on the screen. At first you can’t tell if the recording is out of focus or if it is just the kid; a young monster with white fur and long ears. Looking at him fills you with a sense of apprehension. Half a thought forms in the back of your mind that this is what you’d imagine your mom would have looked like when she was younger, but you’re far too focused on the other child in the background. That kid- that kid with the brown hair and pale skin. Something about that kid is making alarm bells go off in your head. You’ve SEEN them before. It’s the same kid you’ve seen in your dreams. In your nightmares.

That kid... there’s something unsettling about that other kid. You realize with horror and awe that they look just like you.

Well, maybe not exactly- their hair was lighter, their skin paler, and their eyes were unique shade of brown that bordered on being red in the right light, but you looked so similar you could have been siblings. What’s worse, they have your NAME. But why?

The furry child smiles, his face far too close to the camera. “Okay… the red light is blinking. I think that means it’s working now…” He mumbles to himself, before turning the camera around onto the other kid. The recording bounces in time with the filmmaker’s footsteps as they get close to their subject who’s reading a book.

“Hey, Chara,” the filmmaker snickers. “Look over here.”

The other child looks up, semi-annoyed at the request. When their eyes meet the camera they flinch and throw their hands up to cover their face.

“Stop it, Asriel! I don’t want to be filmed!”

Asriel… You’ve heard that name before, but where? Didn’t… didn’t Kid say something about a monster named Asriel once?

A cold, nervous sensation starts to grow in your gut and spread up your spine.

You pause the video and take several deep breaths. Something ominous lingers on the edge of your awareness. Something warns you not to turn your head to see it clearly, because once you see it- once that connection is made it can’t be undone.

Curiosity and caution war within you as your trembling fingers hover over the play button. Who was this monster who looked like you and had your name? You… you want to know, you have to find out- and yet, something deep within you warns you you’ll regret it if you do. You hesitate, thinking and thinking… and against your better judgement your curiosity wins out. You hit ‘play’.

“C’mon, Chara! You promised me you’d make one video with me after I got the camera fixed!” The child wielding the camera whines.

“Oh, alright, put it on the table and I will be in your silly vlog. Let us get this over with.”

The camera is set on the table and faces a blank wall.

Wait, you’ve changed your mind. You don’t want to watch this anymore. Shaking, you grip the remote and hit the stop button, but the TV doesn’t respond.

The goat kid jumps in frame from the right. “Howdy! I’m Asriel! Prince of the Underground!”

“Greetings, I am Chara,” says the other kid stepping in from the left.

You desperately hit stop again and again, but the TV’s sensor is old and unresponsive. You don’t want to see what happens next, intuition tells you that you already know. Something bad was going to happen if you kept watching, if you kept pushing. You had to stop it, stop it, stop it now!

“And together we are the future!”

“-Of humans,”

“-And monsters!”

The children clasp their hands together and raise it triumphantly over their heads before dissolving into laughter over how silly it looks.

The remote control falls from your hands and hits the floor with a hollow clack. The tape finally stops and jams on the frame of them together.

“No…”

Humans... and monsters. Humans and monsters. Prince Asriel. You remember now, the story Kid had told you in Waterfall, how he had befriended a human who fell here years ago.

“No.”

A human child that had gotten sick and died which in turn led to the death of the prince. A human child named Chara that looked like you, because-

“No, no, NO! IT’S NOT TRUE!”

The room around you begins to spin and you’re stumbling backwards as you lose your sense of balance, but dare not take your eyes off the TV, all the while shaking your head in denial. Your knees give out at the same moment your back hits the wall, and you slump to the ground, grabbing your head as the world falls apart around you.

_______________________________________________

On the ground floor, the credits finish rolling on the VHS left unattended, and the screen fades to black before flickering to a soothing blue. Despite the TV’s volume being turned down to nearly zero, when the tape hits its last inch of film, the blue cuts to static that thunders like a thousand avalanches crashing at once.

Upstairs, the four monsters jolt awake, and tumble off the bed in a tangled heap of bones and scales.

“Whaszat!? Where’s the fire?!” Undyne demands in a drunken daze.

“Did someone turn the TV on?” Alphys says.

“Hey, where’s the kid?” Sans asks.

Everyone scrabbles to their feet to check if one of them accidentally flattened the kid in their sleep. All eyes turn to the bed only to find it vacant. A wave of dread washes over them.

“Q-quick! Downstairs!” Alphys says. Papyrus and Alphys dive for the escalator while Undyne vaults over the loft’s railing and Sans winks himself down. The couch in front of the TV is empty.

“Look!” Papyrus points to the blanket trailing off the couch. It’s pointing to the elevator.

“They went back down to the lab?” Undyne asks. “Why?”

Beside her, Alphys gasps. “I have more tapes down there.” She says. “B-but If they’re not careful, they could end up seeing something they shouldn’t!”

“Well then what are we standing around here for?” Sans says. “Let’s go stop ‘em!”

The four monsters pile into the elevator and travel down. Alphys takes the lead when the doors open, dashing off straight to the tape room. The four monsters sprint through the halls, skidding around corners until they all close in on the open door.

No one speaks when they get there. The TV is on, a tape frozen on a scene Alphys has re-watched more times than she could count.

The sound of erratic breathing draws their attention to the side. There. Huddled against the wall is the kid, curled into a tight ball. They’re staring at their trembling hands, their tiny body hyperventilating so hard it makes it looks like they double to twice their size with each breath. Their eyes are wide and wild. They turn to the monsters in the doorway.

“I… I… I’m… I am…” They try to speak between exhales, but either they can’t find the words or they don’t want to say them. They swallow hard and try again. “I’m… human?” The choke out at last. They stare at them, silently begging one of them to say it wasn’t true, that the film was wrong, but no one says a word. No one looks them in the eye. Instead they look to one another, lost for words, and then off to the sides or at their feet.

The kid watches them unblinking, a horrible realization clicking in their mind when no one replies. Their eyes go narrow, and then alarmingly wide as all pieces begins to fall in place.

“You… you knew…” They accuse. “ALL of you? And you didn’t say anything? Why-” They cut themselves off from finishing the question. They already know why.

“Pal, it’s not what you think,” Papyrus says.

“Not what I think?” The kid spits back, their voice laced with venom and hurt. Slowly, they unfold themselves and stand. “No… No, I get it now. I GET it. You all lied to me!”

“We were doing it to protect you-”

“Protect ME?” The kid shouts, their face sneering in disgust. “Are you sure it wasn’t to protect anyone else? Because as we all know, humans are malicious! Humans are violent! Humans do nothing but destroy!” They look at each of the other monsters in turn.

“Is this why YOU wanted to study me?” They glare at Alphys, who cowers in shame. “So THAT’S why YOU cut the bridge.” They snarl at Undyne, who flinches like she’s been slapped. “And that’s why YOU attacked me in the kitchen,” they spit at Sans, who eyes go dark as he tries to shrink into his hoodie. “Because I’m human and that means I’m inherently dangerous! Is that why you don’t want me to go to the king as well? Because you all think I’ll hurt him?”

“No! That’s not why at all!” Undyne interjects. “Well, i-it was at first, but not anymore-”

“All this time… All this time I thought you were trying to help me when you really only wanted to stop me. I TRUSTED you, but you NEVER trusted ME! Better not tell them or it could make them unpredictable! Just like I‘m feeling right now!”

“Kid, we were trying to help-”

“I can’t believe you,” they cry as hot, angry tears rolls down their face. “I…I...! I hate all of you!”

The human surges forward. For a split second, it’s everyone’s worst nightmare coming to life; the kid knows the truth and now they’re turning on them, but no one can find it in themselves to fight back. Everyone is frozen to the spot they stand, unable or unwilling to put up a defense. They brace themselves for an attack, but a blow never comes. Instead the human roughly shoves them aside as they make a break for it.

“Kid, come back!” someone shouts, but they don’t heed their words and vanish from sight.

“Shit! Catch them!” Undyne commands. Nobody needs to be told twice. All four monsters leap for the doorway at once and successfully end up bottlenecking themselves.

“Sans, you’re stepping on my tail!” “Undyne, you’re kneeing me in the spine!” “Papyrus, get your elbow out of my eye!” “Alphys, will you stop clawing my ribs?”

Precious seconds are wasted as the four untangle themselves painstakingly slowly until they at last squeeze out the door and race back to the elevator, only to arrive too late. The elevator has closed and was on its way to the ground floor.

“Quick! The emergency exits!” Alphys says, pointing to a door for a nearby stairwell. They burst into the hall and climb the steps two at a time.

Everyone is breathless by the time they get back to the ground floor, but Alphys’ upper lab is empty. Together, the monsters race out onto the streets of Hotland, only to find them vacant.

“Where’d they go?” Papyrus frets.

“Sans, can’t you just do your weird space jumping powers to find them?” Undyne demands.

“It doesn’t work like that, Undyne!” Sans complains. “It’s not a homing device! If I don’t know where they are, I can’t magically find them!”

“M-my access card is missing!” Alphys gasps, catching up a minute later. “Th-they could be heading back to the CORE!”

“Or they could have used it to ride the ferry back to Snowdin!” Papyrus suggests.

“I think I saw something running towards Waterfall!” Undyne says.

“We need to split up,” Sans says turning to the group. “Alphys, you search Hotland. Put the entire region on lockdown if you have to. Undyne, you know every inch of Waterfall. Rally the other royal guards. Papyrus, you and I will take Snowdin.”

“W-what if we can’t find them?” Alphys questions.

“We will find them,” Sans assures, refusing to let doubt enter his soul. “We have to, before they end up hurting themselves.”

“And if they end up hurting someone else?” asks Undyne.

Sans pauses, his eyes going dim for just a second. It was a possibility they had all considered, but didn’t want to acknowledge. “We can’t let that be an option. I hate to say this, but the kid was right. Their entire world view has just been shattered, and right now they’re unpredictable. Do whatever you can to stop them, but proceed with caution. We may have a volatile human on the loose.”

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

Villainous Heroics - Bound by Wild Desire

I promised this so long ago, but finally,,, the smut work I was oath bound to eventually write,,, I’m sorry it took me so long I’m a giant weenie who had forgotten how to write decent smut scenes. Taken from a bunch of asks I got when I told people ‘quick send me a smut prompt to write.’

Rating: Explicit  Content Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content. That’s it. It’s just smut.  Relationship: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Tags: Established Relationship, Former Villain Present Mic

Summary: "Early," Shouta repeated. Hizashi often woke him up in the early hours of the morning to wish him a good day before heading out for the radio station he now worked at after everything had settled, so there was nothing odd there, except the fact Hizashi was going to be late. It took a moment before he shot up, startling Hizashi into almost falling off the bed. "Hizashi, the station-"

"Knows that I'm taking a mental health day." Shouta scrunched his nose up and stared down at Hizashi as he tried to understand the words that just weren't making sense. "Aah, Shouta! You're so sweet worrying that I'll be late!"

Hizashi squirmed back over and caught his balance before he was soon wrapped around Shouta like a particularly friendly octopus, Shouta's hand already settling on the back of Hizashi's head as they settled back down on the bed. "Oh! You also have a day off from your agency."

"I what?" Alright, a day off from the radio station was odd enough, but Shouta's agency giving him a day off? Impossible. "Since when? Did they call while I was asleep?"

"Well, they didn't call, really."

(A Villainous Heroics drabble that is nothing except smut that I was oath bound to write.)

              Click here to read the work on Archive Of Our Own.

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                                       Bound by Wild Desire

send smut prompts you ask??? Remember how you wrote VH mic as "probably having a thing" for being called a good boy? You could do an extra/drabble for villainous heroics and address some of those innuendos ;)

Things I don't see often enough in smut: the people involved are so comfortable with each other than they start laughing over something dumb in the middle of sex. All the smut I see just takes itself too seriously lol (if you want yo use that as a really broad prompt, then go for it, otherwise, I thought I'd share)

" 'You can wear your capture weapon,' Mic said. 'The students won't be able to tell,' Mic said," Aizawa grumbled, as the whole class continued asking about the big bruise his neck was.

*panics* uh uh dicks???

                                                               ::

Soft sigh leaving him, Shouta knew he was on the edge between fully waking up and drifting back off into the delightful dream he had been woken from. He was trying to figure out why he had woken up willingly on his own when he felt warm hands rub down his bare back, a sensation soon followed by lips pressing against the divot under his ear. It was close enough to his dream that it took a moment to realize he really was awake and hadn’t just fallen back asleep.  

“Always so sleepy, my hero.” Hizashi’s tone was teasing and soft, touches even more so, and Shouta felt his body lose whatever tension there had been, another breath leaving him as he felt Hizashi press more kisses against his skin, arousal starting to make itself known again when Hizashi squirmed closer, half-hard cock rubbing against his own and dragging a soft groan out of him. “Someone had a good dream, hm? And before you try to weasel your way out of taking, I have my hearing aids in already.”

“‘S too early for talking,” Shouta managed to mumble out, words slurring together into what was no doubt gibberish. It seemed fine enough, however, when Hizashi laughed and kissed at him some more, Shouta relaxing into the touches and kisses that had him dragging his eyes open to see Hizashi looking at him warmly and softly. Shouta couldn’t resist tugging Hizashi over into a soft kiss, Hizashi humming and moving closer to where he was practically rutting against him.

“Shouta,” Hizashi whined as soon as they parted, low and soft as Shouta felt the other’s cock grow harder against him. Taking a moment to enjoy Hizashi’s growing gasps and arousal, Shouta finally moved to wrap his arms around the man before rolling onto his back and pulling Hizashi on top of him so they were chest to chest.

Sliding his hands past Hizashi’s boxers, which were loose and barely hanging on anyways, Shouta dug his fingers in and encouraged him to press down against him, biting his lip as their cocks rubbed against each other properly.

As usual when the two woke up horny and needy in the early morning, Hizashi was quiet and calmer, body still loose and drowsy from sleep as he let Shouta set the pace, moving and thrusting against each other as they tried to find a good rhythm. There was nothing more than two thin layers of fabric between them and Shouta knew that Hizashi was as close as he was.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who had a good dream,” Shouta finally managed to mumble out, vision still blurry, but clear enough that he could see Hizashi’s blissed out expression as they rubbed against each other, the pressure and fiction too much for when they were half asleep and already so close.

As typical with mornings where they woke up half-hard and needy, they fell apart soon, Hizashi shuddering and going still with a soft whine of Shouta’s name, Shouta only a few thrusts behind before he was the same.

After a moment to catch their breath, Shouta wrapped his arms around Hizashi’s waist, rolling them over to the side and burying his face against Hizashi’s chest, mumbling a soft, “Sleep.”

Hizashi laughed again in a low rumble that sent warm shivers curling down Shouta’s spine, Hizashi following up the noise with a kiss to Shouta’s cheek, mumbling a soft, “It’s already past ten, sleepyhead.”

“Early,” Shouta repeated, body twitching and squirming as he tried to figure out where the sudden sense of unease that washed over him had come from. There was nothing out of the ordinary, so far. Hizashi often woke him up in the early hours of the morning to wish him a good day before heading out for the radio station he now worked at, and sometimes their early morning goodbyes were a little… involved.

Going over their daily schedules, Shouta took a moment to mull over the fact Hizashi was going to be late before it fully hit and he shot up, startling Hizashi into almost falling off the bed. “Hizashi, the station-”

“Knows that I’m taking a mental health day.” Still full of too much unexpected adrenaline for such an early hour, Shouta scrunched his nose up and stared down at Hizashi as he tried to understand the words that just weren’t making sense. “Aah, Shouta! You’re so sweet worrying that I’ll be late!”

Hizashi squirmed back over and caught his balance before he was soon wrapped around Shouta like a particularly friendly octopus, Shouta’s hand already settling on the back of Hizashi’s head as they settled back down on the bed, still warm and sated now that the adrenaline was fading away. “Oh! You also have a day off from your agency.”

“I what?” Alright, a day off from the radio station was odd enough, but Shouta’s agency giving him a day off? Impossible. “Since when? Did they call while I was asleep?”

“Well, they didn’t call, really.” Oh, hell, Hizashi had gone and done something stupid, hadn’t he? “I didn’t do anything bad!” Said the former villain.

“Hizashi.” Taking a moment to suck in a steady breath, Shouta scrunched his eyes a few times to try and clear up some of the blurriness, looking down at Hizashi and catching sight of the man looking up at him with big, puppy dog eyes. Luckily for Shouta, he had always been more of a cat person. “What did you do?”

Instead of panicking and flailing, Hizashi’s lips tugged up into a small, tired smile, still warm and pliant and relaxed on top of him. With the sun that was filtering through the curtains and falling on them, Shouta was finding it hard to stay even a touch angry.

“We’ve been stretched far too thin, Shou-chan. We’re both doing full time patrols, teaching work, and we’ve been finalizing Hitoshi’s adoption papers and a million other little things. So, I worked out a plan!”

Shouta groaned, letting his eyes drift shut and taking a moment to enjoy the little kisses pressed to his jaw. Unfortunately, Shouta had to be the responsible one, pointing out the obvious. “Hizashi, the last real plan you made involved kidnapping me and singing a stupid song like a crazed cartoon villain.”

“Hey! You enjoyed that song! Don’t forget that you requested that on the radio more than once! And that was before you turned me good!” Alright, Shouta couldn’t stop a snort of laughter at that. He had ‘turned’ Hizashi good as much as Hizashi had turned him evil; which was to say not at all. “Oh, hush. Now, are you ready to hear about my brilliant plan?

“Alright, alright. What’s this oh so brilliant plan of yours, then?” Because truth be told, they had been stretched a bit thin. Being a pro hero meant there was always work to be done, but with the last few months of Hizashi getting licensed, the increase of crime in the city, the usual exhaustion that came with teaching, and officially moving on from fostering Hitoshi to adopting him? Busy was an understatement. “It had better not involve singing.”

“Not unless you want it to.” Hizashi sat up to where he was sitting on top of him, Shouta automatically setting his hands on Hizashi’s thighs to hold him in place, thumbs pressing into the exposed skin from bunched up boxers that were now wet and would need to be taken off soon. “Since we’ve been so busy, I decided that we needed some time off. My agency has given me the day off, the radio station has a guest host for the day, there’s no classes today, your agency gave you the day off- I think your receptionist said, and I quote, for you to get some goddamn rest because you look like a raccoon.”

“Receptionist, huh?” Shouta made a mental note to ‘talk’ to the student-turned-receptionist who once feared him.

“Yep!” Hizashi chirped, looking down at Shouta before leaning over to kiss his cheek, Shouta trying not to laugh at all the early morning affection. “And Hitoshi is staying with Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka for the weekend at the Iida’s.” Oh, right. They were having some sort of sleepover. Tensei hadn’t stopped screaming about his little brother making friends since then, either. “So, it’s just you, me, and a full day of nothing to do!”

Taking a moment to think over all the new information, Shouta nodded and closed his eyes, moving a hand to drag a pillow over his face to block out the annoying sunlight that was starting to fill up the room.

“Shouta?” Hizashi gave his chest a little pat, tone edging towards accusing. “Nuh uh, no way, no can do, you are not going back to sleep, Shouta!” Doing his best to smother a smile, Shouta felt Hizashi tug on a lock of his hair this time, whining even more loudly, “Shouta!”

“If we have the whole day, then we can afford to spend some of it catching up on sleep, Sunshine.” Like usual, the nickname had Hizashi falling silent, Shouta knowing if he opened his eyes, he would see Hizashi’s flushed cheeks.

A few peaceful moments passed that Shouta thoroughly enjoyed before he felt Hizashi slump down on top of him with his full weight, knocking the breath out of Shouta with a little grunt. That seemed to be Hizashi’s plan since the man sounded particularly smug when he said, “Fine.”

Feeling the pillow tugged off him, Shouta managed a halfhearted whine before he was pulled into Hizashi’s arms, the sunlight blocked out of his eyes before he felt hands gently tugging off his own ruined pants that would need to eventually be washed. A few moments passed of Hizashi squirming and no doubt doing the same before Shouta felt a thumb brush under his eye, Hizashi’s hand warm against his cheek.

“Fine,” Hizashi repeated, a little softer. “How late were you up last night, baby?” Shivering a little at the pet name, and trying not to show it, Shouta gave a mumbled response, feeling himself start to drift off when Hizashi only responded with quiet humming after a few moments.

Shouta caught the faintest edges of singing before he felt himself drifting off, tension and stress no longer heavy on his body and worries near gone from his mind as the last thing he felt was Hizashi’s thumb brushing at the scar under his eye.

Falling asleep in Hizashi’s arms was the easiest thing in the world, but waking up, Shouta decided, was absolute and complete hell.

Shouta could admit, if only to himself, that he was on complete autopilot as he shoved himself into a pair of sweatpants and dragged himself to the bathroom to properly wake up, Hizashi long since gone from the bed. He would not admit, however, that he almost choked on his toothbrush when he started dozing off again. That would be knowledge that he would take to his grave; and possibly Recovery Girl. It was possible his medication needed to be adjusted again.

Making a mental note of it, Shouta trudged his way to the kitchen, trailing to a stop when he saw Hizashi, still dressed down in a loose tank top and a fresh pair of boxers, dancing around the kitchen while singing to whatever cheery song was on the radio and cooking whatever was making delicious smells.

“You know, I still can’t believe I fell in love with such a morning person.” Watching Hizashi jump and give a small, startled squeal at his voice, Shouta snorted, not even phased by the ‘glare’ he was given. “You’re supposed to be a pro, you know.”

“I’m still new at it,” Hizashi muttered, petulant and pouting. “And you should wear some kind of bell if you’re going to be sneaking up on people like this,” Hizashi continued, flipping whatever was on the skillet as he blew a lock of hair out of his eyes, most of it shoved into a messy bun.

It was the complete opposite of ‘Present Mic’ and Shouta couldn’t feel fonder as he slipped over to wrap his arms around Hizashi’s waist, lips pressing against the back of the man’s neck. Hizashi didn’t even try to swat him off, instead shivering and pressing back against him with a soft, aching sound as if it was the first time he had ever been touched. It was a noise that made Shouta wonder how badly Hizashi would mind burnt food.

“Y- You know, as a hero, shouldn’t you be concerned about safety and all of that? I’m still cooking, after all!” Mm, that was a good point. Distracting Hizashi with another little kiss under his ear, Shouta snuck an arm around him and flipped the stove off, grinning at the offended noise Hizashi made that quickly changed into a stuttering exhale when Shouta’s fingers settled on his hips and slipped under the edges of his boxers. “Shouta!”

“Come on, Sunshine,” Shouta mumbled softly, skimming his fingertips against soft skin and feeling Hizashi’s weight sink into his, another shuddering breath leaving him as Shouta nipped at the back of Hizashi’s neck which was, delightfully enough, very sensitive. “We can stand to have a late breakfast.”

Hizashi whined, high and on the edge of too loud, as Shouta nipped at his ear, tongue flicking against one of the stud piercings that were already in. While Hizashi rarely wore all his piercings at once, especially around the house, he usually had a stud or two in just to fidget with. The reaction was immediate, Hizashi’s knees buckling as he made one of those high, loud sounds that he could never fully control. Shouta didn’t bother to shush him.

What he did do, however, was spin Hizashi around and tug him into a messy kiss, biting sharply at Hizashi’s bottom lip before he was deepening the kiss and backing Hizashi up at the same time until they bumped into one of the counters. A quick parting to let them both breathe and Shouta couldn’t help his smirk at a flushed and dazed Hizashi, teeth sunk into his lip to try and stay silent as shudders wracked his body. It really had been far too long since they had the day and the house to themselves.

“You could’ve at least let me finish breakfast,” Hizashi finally mumbled, jerking Shouta close before kissing at his jaw and down his neck, teeth sinking into a soft spot of skin, Shouta biting his own lip at the feeling.

“Hey, hey, I teach tomorrow,” Shouta muttered, biting the inside of his cheek at the way Hizashi’s tongue traced over the marks slow and sweet. “‘Zashi.”

“You can wear your capture weapon,” Hizashi hummed, kissing at the very side of Shouta’s neck before there was the skimming of teeth and heat. “The students won’t be able to tell.”

Before Shouta could try to argue, Hizashi was continuing, voice soft as he said, “And I like leaving marks on you. It’s proof that it’s true.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shouta cupped the back of Hizashi’s neck, shivering at the warm breath that ghosted over his neck. “What do you mean it’s proof that it’s true, Hizashi?”

“When I see these marks on you, marks that I left, it’s proof that you’re really here and that this all really happened. It’s proof that I’m here with you.”

Ah, well… He couldn’t really argue with that, especially when Hizashi bit down particularly hard at a more sensitive spot, Shouta biting his lip to hold back a sound at the sharp sting of pain that quickly faded for pleasure, Hizashi working at the mark until Shouta was sure it would be bruised and noticeable before the night was out.

“You know, you did a lot to get us this day off,” Shouta finally managed, pulling away and kissing at Hizashi’s cheek sweetly before he was ducking down enough to hook his hands under Hizashi’s knees, lifting him swiftly until he was sitting on the counter with a startled little squawk that turned into a pout. “My poor Sunshine,” Shouta cooed, making the pout disappear in favor of a bright flush as he nipped at Hizashi’s ear again, keeping his voice low. “Were you lonely?”

A babbling of broken words was Hizashi’s response, Shouta delighted at how little it took to reduce the man to panting and babbling. He should probably relent and let Hizashi return to cooking so they could eat breakfast sometime before noon. Instead, though, he ducked in to press a kiss against Hizashi’s neck, right over the healing scar that still gave them both nightmares some days.

“Were you lonely, my hero?” Shouta was never much of a talker during any event in his life, really, but he found it was much easier to talk when Hizashi gave the best reactions as he did now, hands shooting out to curl around Shouta’s shoulders and drag him closer, near smashing their lips together to muffle his whines - something Shouta was all too happy to help with.

He didn’t let it stay that way for long, though, instead tugging at the collar of Hizashi’s shirt to kiss at his skin again, leaving little bites and marks that held more pleasure than they ever would pain, as evidenced by Hizashi’s squirming and whining. “Oh? It sounds like you were tense, too.”

No kids running around the house, no agencies to report to, and no students to teach meant that Shouta felt no shame in dropping his hand to the bulge that was already forming through the thin material of Hizashi’s boxers, fingers pressing against the wet spot that was gathering until Hizashi’s hips were bucking into his touch as his arms snapped out to wrap around Shouta’s shoulders tightly, panting loud and heavy as he tucked his face against Shouta’s neck.

“Oh? You were very tense, then.” Rubbing his fingers in small, circular little motions, Shouta leaned back enough to watch Hizashi’s expression shift from flushed and embarrassed to dazed and wanting. “Seems like I found a way to help with that, though…”

Removing his hand, and taking a moment to shush Hizashi’s broken whine, Shouta lifted Hizashi up enough to slide his boxers off until they were bunched up around his ankles. Appreciating the view, and amused at the grumbling hiss from the marble, and cold, countertop, Shouta ducked in and began kissing his way down Hizashi’s body again, pushing the shirt out of the way to do so.

“What do you think, Sunshine? Would you care if I helped you relax a little bit?” Maybe it was a bit cruel, but it was so nice to watch Hizashi unravel so quickly, squirming and shaking as Shouta worked his way down his body before bypassing his cock completely, instead biting at the inside of the man’s thigh and pinning him down when he jerked at the action.

Taking a moment to admire the quivering muscles and the sound of sharp, rapid panting, Shouta waited patiently until Hizashi choked out a quiet, rough, “Please.”

“Mm, good boy.” Shouta felt his own cheeks flush as he said the cliché phrase, but it was worth it for the way Hizashi sucked in a sharp breath, eyes blown wide as he stared down at Shouta with an expression that was utterly wanting.

Shouta didn’t bother wasting anymore time after that, dropping to his knees fully and ducking in to press his lips against Hizashi’s cock before he took a quick lick, shivering a little at the overwhelming taste and smell. He had never been a big fan of giving oral, himself, but it was hard not to enjoy it when Hizashi was always so responsive, as proven with his body curled over and hands tangled in Shouta’s hair as if needing something - anything - to hold onto.

It had Shouta smirking even as he licked a long, slow stripe up from the bottom of Hizashi’s cock to the tip, tongue flicking out to lap at the head as he glanced up at Hizashi to see he already looked wrecked. Suppressing a chuckle, Shouta began to wrap his lips around Hizashi bit by bit, careful of his teeth as he gave small, slow sucks, tongue flicking out at heated skin that felt hot and heavy on his tongue, a weight that had him giving a low moan of his own in the back of his throat.

Hizashi’s noises that were full of begging and pleading became a rhythmic background, Shouta working his way down more and more as he sucked and swallowed around the cock in his mouth, not stopping until his nose was brushing against blond curls and the musk of sex was near overwhelming. It didn’t stop him, much, Shouta giving another noise in the back of his throat that had Hizashi giving a ragged moan in return above him, hands clutching at Shouta’s hair even more and yet being so, so careful not to tug.

Pulling back slowly and steadily, Shouta released Hizashi with a little pop, tongue darting out to lick at his lips as he wrapped his hand around the wet, slick cock, pumping his hand slowly and relishing in the feel and weight as Hizashi squirmed.

“Feeling good, Sunshine?” The answer was a broken, jagged moan, Shouta grinning as he turned his head just enough to press his lips against Hizashi’s cock in a soft kiss. “What’s that baby? You want to cum?”

Twisting his wrist on the upstroke and tightening his grip just a touch, Shouta grinned as Hizashi already looked so ready to fall. “So sweet… You’ll beg for me, won’t you, ‘Zashi?”

Just like that the floodgates were open and Hizashi was begging, a mess of, “Please, Shouta, please, please, please, baby, please hero, Shouta, Starlight, please-”

Taking a moment to enjoy Hizashi, ragged and shaking and so ready to fall apart after only a few minutes, Shouta ducked back in and swallowed Hizashi down in one smooth motion. The effect was instant, Hizashi near screaming his name as he fell apart, thick, hot cum sliding down Shouta’s throat and sticking to the back of his tongue for a moment as he pulled back slowly, stroking Hizashi’s cock to let him ride through the last of the aftershocks.

While Hizashi had a low tolerance for teasing and a frankly ridiculously high refractory period for being their age, that was quick even by his standards, especially after their early wakeup that morning. He must have been stressed and frustrated for longer than he was letting on, Shouta figured.

“Shouta, I was making breakfast, you’re supposed to eat in the mornings!” Hizashi was panting and shaking and looking more than a bit embarrassed, flyaway hair plastered to his face that Shouta gently and carefully pushed back behind his ears.

“So?” Shouta gave a little shrug of his shoulders, continuing with, “I did eat something.” The yell of his name was almost instant, Shouta hiding a grin as he stood back up and ducked in to give Hizashi a long, slow kiss, working him down.

“You’re awful,” Hizashi mumbled, tugging at Shouta’s own sweats, low riding and worn and the only thing he was wearing. It was doing an awful job at covering his own need, but Shouta just batted Hizashi’s hands away before linking them with his own, kissing at Hizashi’s forehead this time.

“Breakfast first.” The irritated scoff he got was delightful, Shouta smothering it with another kiss. While he would love nothing more than to pin Hizashi to the counter fuck him until he was screaming, they did have the whole day. Besides, whatever Hizashi had been cooking smelled good. “Then a bath.”

“You’re awful,” Hizashi grumbled, wiggling around to try and reach his boxers. Shouta let him struggle for a few moments before helping him out and lingering maybe just a touch longer than he needed to. “You sure you don’t want to just go straight for that bath?”

Shouta snorted, helping Hizashi off the counter before turning the stove back on, Hizashi scrambling to save whatever he had been making once his attention was brought back to it.

Wrapping himself back around Hizashi, and not bothering to stop himself from touching and kissing, Shouta decided that not all of Hizashi’s plans were awful. He would have to make a mental note to never tell him that.

                                                         ::

“You know, this is probably what we would have been like as teenagers,” Hizashi finally managed to get out, words dazed and slurred and thick in his mouth through the pleasant, building arousal that came from being pressed up against his boyfriend in a bathtub that was just big enough to give them room, and just small enough to press them close together.

It was made better by the fact that, ever since they had settled in, Hizashi had felt Shouta’s cock rubbing up against him slowly and lazily, as if they had all the time in the world. Hizashi probably could have gotten lost in the feeling entirely before he heard Shouta’s quiet snort, followed by a mumble of, “Where’d that thought come from, then? The fact that we danced around each other for months or the fact that you never seem to get enough?”

There was still almost that urge to flinch at the words, but Hizashi had long since known that, unlike some of his exes and flings, Shouta meant the words teasingly and warmly. Besides, Shouta had no room to talk whatsoever considering it was the third time in a single day that he was driving Hizashi crazy.

“There is that,” Hizashi mused, rolling his hips down and moaning softly at the feeling of the hard cock rubbing up against his hole, Shouta swearing softly and gripping him by the hips even more tightly. “I was more thinking about the fact that the second we’re alone we can’t keep our hands off each other.”

Which was all too true. Even when they were together in public Shouta was remarkably tolerant of Hizashi’s antics, letting him lace their fingers together and not arguing when Hizashi cuddled up to him and near hung off of him. He was starting to think a part of Shouta actually enjoyed it, to some extent.

“You think too much,” Shouta mumbled, words soft and quiet and almost immediately forgotten when Hizashi felt fingers dig into his hips and pull him down, Shouta’s cock thick and hard and pressing right up against him in some of the best ways possible.

If someone told him even a few months ago that he would one day be in a relationship with Eraserhead where they had slow, lazy sex in bathtubs, he would have laughed in their face. As it was, Hizashi slumped back into Shouta’s hold, breath rushing out of him as he felt arousal stir low in his belly as he felt the taunting tease of Shouta being so close to pressing inside of him.

“C’mon, Sunshine, just relax, today.” Shouta’s voice, so much like a low rumble, seemed to vibrate through him, Hizashi shuddering and doing his best to focus as he felt wet heat and sharp teeth mark him in spot after spot, hands pinning him down and keeping him from moving. Hizashi was about to try and muster the strength to point out that they hadn’t even finished washing their hair before he felt fingertips brush against a spot on his side that had him jerking in the water with a high, startled laugh.

Hizashi froze the same moment Shouta did, both of them deathly silent before Hizashi heard the damning question. “Hizashi… Are you-”

“No!” And like a fool, Hizashi revealed his hand too soon. He didn’t need to look behind him to know that Shouta was grinning. He could hear it well enough in the man’s voice.

“Is that so? Then you wouldn’t mind if I just…” Shouta’s words trailed off as his hands moved back to Hizashi’s sides, fingers flexing threateningly.

While Hizashi knew he wasn’t the brightest man there was, it was even worse when he was panicked, and it was especially bad when he was panicked over something as silly as getting tickled. As such, neither he nor Shouta should have been surprised when he pulled himself out and over the edge of the tub, hitting the floor with a grunt and then darting up and running.

It took until hearing Shouta’s startled call of his name for Hizashi to burst into laughter over the fact he was running away after almost being tickled. At one point he would have worried about Shouta’s reaction and Hizashi would have panicked over making a fool of himself, but instead he just ran towards the bedroom, still wet and dripping, as he heard Shouta call out with a laugh, “You’re not getting away that easily!”

“Catch me if you can, hero!” Hizashi shouted back, ducking around a corner and running into the bedroom and trying to stifle his laughter.

He had a moment where he thought Shouta might have given up and gone to get towels to clean their now wet floors before a flash of movement ended with Hizashi being scooped up into Shouta’s arms. Hizashi didn’t even get to fully finish his shout of surprise before he was dropped onto the bed, bouncing once before Shouta was pinning him down.

“You are utterly ridiculous,” Shouta huffed, smile too real and too fond to be anything other than sincere and amused. “We were in the middle of a bath, you know.” As if to emphasis, Shouta gave a little shake of his head, the ends of his hair dripping wet and adding to the already soaked wet patch on the bed.

Hizashi hummed, tugging his hands free and wrapping them around Shouta’s neck, hands tangling in thick, curly hair before he pulled Shouta down for a warm, soft kiss that was beginning to feel so familiar. Shouta didn’t even try to pull away to keep scolding him, instead deepening the kiss and tracing his hands down Hizashi’s body, still wet and warm from the bath.

A featherlight stroke against his cock had Hizashi breaking the kiss to bite his lip sharply, all of his arousal leaping to the forefront of his mind as Shouta worked him up like he had been doing earlier. Shouta seemed to know exactly what he was doing, one of those low, rough chuckles leaving him as he ducked down to press his lips against Hizashi’s temple before murmuring a soft, “Are you going to be a good boy, now?”

Like always, the effects of the words were instant, a shiver running down Hizashi’s spine like liquid heat and oh, yes, he would love to be a good boy for Shouta. The other seemed to sense it, too, grip getting tighter on Hizashi’s cock as he gave long, slow strokes, Hizashi fighting to keep himself quiet.

“Come on, Sunshine,” Shouta crooned, grip tightening for just a moment. “Let me hear you. Will you be good for me?”

“Ye-s.” The word burst out of him, cracked and broken as Hizashi almost sobbed at the overwhelming heat and touch that he felt like he would never get used to. “Shouta, please, Shouta, please, I’ll be good, I’ll be good, please-”

Shouta shushed him with a long, deep kiss, touch still so light and slow to the point it was driving Hizashi crazy. The man didn’t even seem phased, only parting with a soft, “Then relax and let me take care of you.”

While Hizashi would normally have no problems letting Shouta dote on him and take him apart slowly and methodically, it had been weeks since they had more than a passing conversation and it had been months since Hizashi had been properly fucked, so, really, Shouta should have expected Hizashi to pout at that.

He also should have expected Hizashi to use the same move he had learned from Shouta at their last sparring session to put the man on his back and pin him down by his wrists, straddling him and biting his lip as their cocks rubbed against each other.

“Sorry, Shouta, but I really, really don’t want slow, right now,” Hizashi managed, rolling his hips to get more of that delicious feeling that was made all the sweeter by the sound of Shouta’s quiet, bitten back moan. “Sorry, baby, but I just really, really, really need your cock in me right now.”

Hizashi cut off Shouta’s swearing with a kiss of his own, distracting the man until he was completely focused on him; which was perfect. It gave Hizashi the moment he needed to grab Shouta’s binding cloth off the bedside table where he had dropped it the night before. Pulling back and rolling his hips down and rubbing their cocks together again gave him another moment to loop the essentially large scarf around the headboard and then tie it around Shouta’s wrists in quick, deft motions.

By the time Shouta realized what had happened, Hizashi had his wrists tied tight enough to keep him bound, but not in a way that would cut into his skin. Taking a moment to enjoy the flash of Shouta’s expression looking wrecked, Hizashi gave a soft hum as he opened the bedside drawer and pulled out the bottle of lube stashed in the back.

Shouta flexed underneath him, testing the bonds even as Hizashi cooed out a soft, “I know, baby, I know. You love opening me up so much, but you take so long.” Hizashi didn’t have the patience for long. He barely had the patience to slick his fingers up before he was reaching behind him and starting to work his fingers inside him, panting heavily at the weight and feel against slowly loosening muscles.

After going so long without any sort of release besides their morning, Hizashi felt like he could come from just his fingers alone, especially with Shouta twitching and shifting underneath him, straining against his cloth and swearing quietly when Hizashi let slip a louder moan.

Hizashi took a moment to glance down, shivering as he saw Shouta staring up at him with rapt attention, eyes almost entirely black with how wide his pupils were blown. It was hard not to make some noise when Shouta’s attention was completely on him.

“Shouta,” Hizashi whined, working another finger in and letting his hips jerk down, Shouta biting his lip sharply. “Want you inside me, Shouta. Want you so bad. Wanna ride you, baby, wanna make you feel good.”

“Hizashi.” Shouta gasped and sounded more wrecked than Hizashi felt, which was all the encouragement he needed to drag his fingers out of him and sit up enough to start slicking up Shouta’s cock, unable to resist the urge to linger for a few moments. Shouta always made the best expressions, after all.

Hizashi couldn’t help a shudder as he saw Shouta strain against the binding cloth, body going taunt as he gave a harsh pant and jerked hips up as if trying to fuck up into Hizashi’s hand. Spending a few more moments to make sure Shouta was nice and slick and hard, Hizashi shuffled up onto his knees and used a hand to guide Shouta against him, pressing down softly and unable to stop the moan that tore its way out of him as he felt Shouta’s cock start to slide inside of him.

“Baby, it’s been too long, Shouta, it’s been way too long, Shouta, baby, you feel so good, you always make me feel so good, Shouta.” The words poured out of him as a high-pitched babble, Hizashi whining and panting as his shaking body sunk down more and more, Shouta’s cock filling him up and stretching him out in the best way possible. “Shouta it’s been too long.”

Hizashi thought Shouta might have been saying something, but it was impossible to hear over the rush of everything as he fully settled, breath leaving him in pants as he shook at the perfect feeling of being so full. It could be better, though. Hizashi could be fuller, though.

“Shouta,” Hizashi moaned, soft and quiet as he gave his hips an experimental roll, groaning as Shouta’s cock moved in and out of him. “You’ll fill me up, baby, won’t you?” They hadn’t used condoms since their health checkups and Hizashi, for one, had never thought he could love the feeling of dripping with Shouta’s cum so much. He was very glad Shouta seemed to love it just as much, as proven when his hips snapped up and his cock hit something in Hizashi in just a way that almost had him screaming.

“Is that what you want, Sunshine?” Shouta’s voice was as ragged as Hizashi felt, moving against him in small ways that drove Hizashi crazy. “You want me to fill you up and fuck you until you can’t move anymore?” God, please. “You want me to fill you up, Hizashi?” Please. “Want me to make you feel good, ‘Zashi?”

“Please,” Hizashi near sobbed out, tensing up when he felt Shouta’s binding cloth start to wrap around him. Hizashi jerked his head up and saw Shouta had a wide, dark smile on his face, wrists free and remains of his cloth wrapped around his neck and fingers as the rest of the bands were wrapped around Hizashi tightly and making him almost unable to move.

“Mm, you’re pretty clever, you know, using my cloth like that.” Shouta’s words were a low drawl, fingers twitching and the cloth around Hizashi tightening. The simple action had a spike of need and want shooting down his spine like a lance, Hizashi shuddering as he felt Shouta roll his hips up into him again. “I don’t think I ever would have thought of this, without that.”

A twist of movement and Hizashi grunted as his back hit the mattress, almost screaming as Shouta near pulled out completely before slamming back into him, repeating it again and again until he was fucking into Hizashi at a fast, brutal pace. The feeling of Shouta’s cock, thick and heavy, sliding in and out of him was enough to drive him mad, but the fact that he couldn’t move and was wrapped up in Shouta’s scarf and made completely immobile only made it so much better.

Hizashi felt his breathing pick up as everything seemed to hit at once, the sounds of their harsh panting and the slap of skin-on-skin, the pressure of the cloth binding around him and keeping him from moving, and the lips pressed against the scar on his neck as Shouta thrust just right that Hizashi could feel the edges of his quirk start to flare up.

“Come on, ‘Zashi.” Shouta’s voice was a soft purr, a shift of his body making him hit a spot that had Hizashi seeing stars again and again and again. “Let me hear you.”

A hand around his cock and three quick jerks was all it took to drag him over the edge, Hizashi falling apart with a scream of Shouta’s name and the edges of his quirk bouncing around the room. Hizashi didn’t even get to fully come down before he felt Shouta speed up before burying himself deep inside, a high-pitched whine leaving Hizashi as felt slick, hot liquid start to fill him up.

It wasn’t until Shouta, softly whispering praises against his skin, slowly and carefully removed the binding cloth that Hizashi realized his quirk hadn’t been erased when he had screamed.

Somehow, it was that, more than anything, that had Hizashi flushing and hiding his face against Shouta’s neck. Honestly… he had gotten stupidly lucky when it came to falling in love.

“You know,” Hizashi finally managed. “Now we need another bath, or a shower, at least.”

Shouta hummed, laying them down and kissing Hizashi’s cheek softly with a quiet murmur of, “Sleep first.”

“Shouta!”

                                                      ::

“‘You can wear your capture weapon,’ he said. ‘The students won’t be able to tell,’ he said,” Shouta grumbled as the whole class continued asking about the big bruise his neck was. While his capture weapon may have been able to hide one or two of the larger bruises, there was nothing that could be done when there were dozens of them because Hizashi was insatiable.

 His students were too curious and nosy for their own good and there was little doubt in Shouta’s mind that it was a trait that would come back to haunt them all. Of course, Shouta mused, Nemuri would only be worse. Hizashi, at least, had his speaker. Shouta was living on borrowed time.

Feeling his phone buzz, and glancing at his class to see they were poorly hiding the fact that they were staring at him and talking about his love life again, Shouta decided that hiding behind his phone was a marvelous idea.

He soon regretted it when he saw a row of texts from Hitoshi that read, ‘OwO’ ‘heard rumors abut u & mic’ ‘lol’.

Closing his phone after finally deciding to ignore the message, Shouta decided that for as much pride as he felt for his students, he also hated his kids, somedays.

[filmsthirteen]

Finding Myself through Cameron Crowe Films

  *Minor Spoilers*

    There are a handful of directors, writers, artists, and singers who have influenced my life. Yet there is only a handful of them who consistently released art that contributed to the person I have moulded into, (despite only being 19 and thinking this is the final version of myself). But one filmmaker in particular, resonates as having created films that were pressed play constantly as a teenager. That filmmaker is the man, the myth, the legend, Cameron Crowe. If it were up to me, he’d be Sir Cameron Crowe. An artist who had managed to shape multiple generations and accurately reflect on generations that once existed. From the early eighties, Crowe has contributed to the films that teens flocked to the theatre to see when they were released, and many years later, those teens would show their kids those films. Thus, I was thankfully brought up by brilliant films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Say Anything, Singles, and Almost Famous. All those films manage to capture adolescence and young adulthood, through numerous characters, eras, and most importantly, through the use of music. Now that I’m in my final year of being a teenager, and entering the next phase of my life, I thought it was time to thank Cameron Crowe for guiding me through these seemingly treacherous years. 

    I was raised on eighties films. I always had the blessing of having parents who were really into films, and so I was constantly shown film after film. Many of them were teen films of the eighties. So, of course, there were many late nights of watching Pretty in Pink, Heathers, and Risky Business. Though Crowe's films obviously ended up in the mix, the first time I remember sitting down to watch one of his films ended up being around thirteen. My Dad got me one of those three pack special DVDs from Walmart, with Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Both of them I was absolutely obsessed with and made me long to be a teenager. Despite John Hughes being the legend he is, the third film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, was the one that stuck with me through all four years of high school. I watched the film on my own the night before my first day of high school. I was starting that year off fresh; all my friends were going to the public school, while my parents shipped me off to the Catholic school the next town over, where I’d have to wear khaki cardboard material like pants, and polyester shirts in either green, white or blue. I worried my entire summer about the first day of high school; walking down halls I didn’t know, sitting beside people I never had the pleasure of knowing since kindergarten. On Stacy's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) first day of high school, American Girl by Tom Petty plays. Immediately I grabbed my iPod touch, added it to my iTunes, and played it on repeat on my hour and a half long bus ride, and into the doors of the school. Minus doing it with an older dude, getting pregnant, and brushing up my blowjob skills with a carrot in front of the cafeteria, I wished I was like Stacy. Having a cool job in the mall, somehow being gorgeous all the time (even during exam season?) and having a really sweet guy like Mark take you on a date to a really fancy German restaurant, seemed like an experience I deserved. But Cameron wrote about things in this film so painfully realistic to the high school experience, even thirty years later. I knew girls who went out with weird guys way too old for them, having plans for the future destroyed, and of course, having a teacher who thinks that everyone is on dope (which they're totally right about). It doesn't exaggerate the experience of a teenager, making the film so close to the truth as a film can get. Perhaps its due to Crowe actually spending the year as an undercover student, and honestly, all teen films should've been fact-checked like this one. 

     Less than seven years later, Crowe came out with Say Anything. Though my Mom loves this movie, and used to watch it whenever it would come on TV, it was the 2010 film Easy A that actually got me to watch the movie. I made it a point to go back and watch all those films that Emma Stone’s character lists off when discussing if chivalry is dead. Thus I ended up watching Can’t Buy Me Love, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and of course, Say Anything. I wanted my life to be like an 80s movie directed by John Hughes, but I got it so much better, I got a life unintentionally directed by Cameron Crowe. And because of that, I fell in love with wanting to be that smart girl like Diane Court. I look back now on how much studying I did in high school, and how it paid off to where I am now. It’s important for filmmakers to add these characters, ones were they say that girls can be pretty and smart, not settling for the cliched pick and choose scenario. So I worked hard, writing endless essays, studying late at night for a math test, and juggled clubs and activities. But still, I wished to also have that and be wanted by someone. Like Lloyd Dobler, who wants Diane so much, its all he thinks about. But listen, for once I can say the character of Lloyd isn't some creepy dude, who has an obsession and is purely motivated by this girls essence. Again, there are way too many films with the lead guy being solely provoked by a woman's body. But when he gets her, he holds on, noting that her feelings are reciprocated. She could go off to Oxford, and he’d be right there. Perhaps love at this age is rare, but when you know, well you know. And that's a huge difference that my generation can see. Though many of us have grown up with divorced parents, constant cheating, and unreciprocated feelings, at such a young age, we shouldn't keep that from the actual emotions that we are meant to feel for another human. Maybe we are supposed to give it all, and as I watch this film, I’m not wondering what if Lloyd didn't go about the relationship as he did, I wonder how Lloyd and Diane are. Because like I said, he wants her so bad that he stands outside of her house after a fight, holding that boombox up high, blasting the best love song of all time, In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve had that song on an endless repeat, but I can promise that I most likely broke the record the summer of ‘18. I longed to be sought after like Diane (cause who honestly doesn't want to be so enormously desired by someone you love?). By the end of the August heat, I laid awake at night, waiting for that song to be played outside of my window (actually would've freaked me out but still, the thoughts nice). But that song ended up being played during the fall, plenty of times in the cold winter days, and in the early spring, all the while so content with listening to it at this very moment. Sometimes boys and girls, it's good to just say anything (add wink emoji here). 

     Despite still being totally obsessed with all things of 80s culture, it's time to bring up that phase that wasn't ever a phase, but the depths of my soul. The tenth grade brought about my “grunge phase.” I got my nose pierced, splurged on Doc Martens, stocked my closet with various coloured flannel shirts and band tees. I wanted people to know that I listened to Nirvana, Guns n Roses, and Pearl Jam, despite it being on my shirt that I’d wear under my uniform sweater. My eyeliner was thick black, and my tweets were usually lyrics from some band part of the Seattle Sound. My Dad was in his teens when the Seattle sound came about, and thus as a kid, I spent many car rides hearing Alice in Chains ‘Dirt’ album, Pearl Jam’s the ‘Ten’ album, and Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’ album on the radio. For me, I was the real shit when it came to this era of my life. And that became the perfect opportunity for my dad to introduce me to Crowe’s ‘92 film Singles. A group of young adults who all live in (a now extremely famous) the same apartment complex, during the height of the Seattle sound. Surprise surprise, they reside in Seattle. Honestly, there could've been no better film for my dad to turn on. With cameos from my bae Eddie Vedder and the late Chris Cornell, the film brings so much to the group of young adults who chose to immerse themselves in real boy bands, compared to whatever the other ones who sang with earpieces paired with synchronized dances did. No offence. Dealing with the idea of relationships, whether we are to settle or have fun in our 20s, Singles is supposed to be about Gen Xer’s, yet, I can see how many millennials still have this issue. There are plenty of girls I know who have used their ex’s t-shirts to clean their toilets, and though we aren't making dating VHS’s, they are perfecting their tinder profiles, hoping that actual human connection exists on the other end. The biggest point in the film that got me, (despite being sixteen trying to imagine myself in four years time), was the whole fear of what if you commit and what if you don’t? There are many ways you can mess up potential, and still, it lies within not calling after a date, or in our case, texting after hanging out. Sometimes we just need people to say and do the right things without having to tell them what is the right thing to do or say. And if it all works out, we’ll end up like Steve and Linda who move out the single bedroom apartment, and into never having to be labelled again as a single. 

     Eight years came about the semi autobiographical story of Crowe himself, Almost Famous. The film with the best soundtrack of all time, due to it having a budget of 3.5 million, compared to most films with budgets of about 1.5 million. Honestly, that's the best use of money in all of human history. And thanks to Zooey Deschanel’s duffel bag, we get to hear Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, and everyone's favourite, Elton John. You cannot tell me you did not get goosebumps hearing Tiny Dancer being sung in unison by Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Jason Leigh, and well I could go on forever about the well-casted film. Before watching the film, I remember that Fool in the Rain was my favourite Zeppelin song. But after watching it for the first time, I had probably had listened to Led Zeppelin’s song Tangerine a hundred times. If a film has such tangible (see what I did there) scenes, and a song contains such a powerful presence, then that is mastering filmmaking in my opinion. Thus, this film was watched during all sorts of moments in my adolescence. The time I wanted to work as a journalist for Rolling Stone, when I was in need of a change, and when I was absolutely alone and only a Cameron Crowe film understood me. And each time I was damn near tempted to be a roadie for a somewhat known band, who hopefully was opening for Black Sabbath. Actually, it was very much this film that got me more obsessed with concerts than I was before. I’d buy tickets as soon as they’d go on sale, mostly to smaller bands, that way I’d have a chance of being up close, and even meeting the band. Like William, I’d wait by the stage doors for the band. Dragging my friends to the concert at least twelve hours before the show would start, just so I could meet bands like Peach Pit, Pale Waves, Colouring, and well other indie bands that I’m sure slim to no adults know. Believe me, I’d wait a week for Black Sabbath if I could. But beyond that, I think that every young person deserves the life, encapsulated in this film; of just going out there and being absolutely free. You know, before life kicks in. And that's really what this film, amongst nearly all of Crowe's films, demonstrate. Get out there kid, put on those headphones, blast some Lynyrd Skynyrd, and just live before you die. Being obsessed with listening to classic rock, I devoured the only season of Paul Feig’s Freaks and Geeks, and had Almost Famous’s soundtrack on repeat. I owned a long green army jacket, and also a faux sheepskin sherpa coat. I was both Lindsey Weir and Penny Lane. I was walking down the two hallways of my high school, and the one street of my small towns downtown, earbuds in, Fleetwood Mac blasting. And through the many characters of these films, they reminded me that I’m here for the art. For the music from the Bookends album, the score of a Tim Burton film, and the tracks of a Tarantino picture. Like Kathy and Paul who went off to see America, Lindsey who goes off to a Grateful Dead concert with her best friend, and Penny Lane who is off to her dream destination of Morocco, I myself am off to see and hear the world. 

      It's odd to look back on these films that meant so much to who I was and who I’ve become. I’m in my last year of being a teenager, and I’m almost done university’ yet I still feel so attached to these characters I feel that I someway embodied. But that's not because I based my life off these characters Crowe created, it's really because Crowe based these characters off of people that exist in life. In those years of watching any teen film out there, Crowes (and of course Hughes) inspired me to look around constantly, taking notes on the friends I had spent lunches on Thursdays, discussing films with, just in case I’d make a film reminiscent about them. In my seemingly ordinary life, Crowe told me to go out and grab those who write seemingly precognition notes in your yearbook. Most importantly, Crowe told me to just let the music guide me through life. And for that, I got my life to be directed by Cameron Crowe. 

INT. Credits being to roll, as ELTON JOHN’S TINY DANCER plays. 

FADE OUT