#ty for the ask zai

[paradiserotting]

pssst

one time i got super high in tennessee and went to flavortown

okay bye -🐁

i bet you looked cute doing it aswell love

[zaimta]

Hey. How are you doing? Congrats on the followers. I'm a huge fan. I wanted to put something in for your event. I was hoping to have Ace with the prompt "i’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while." please? I don't know how much detail you would like. But I think it would be cute if they were childhood friends. But whatever idea you want to use it okay with me. It will be great no matter what. Thank you and congrats. <3

zai: i love me a good childhood friends to lovers it itches my brain just right! the actual event was a year ago but imma still write this bc why not lol ps everybody say ty bochi for the fire manga cap

ˏˋ«────── « 𓆩♡𓆪 » ──────»

growing up together the two of you were basically inseparable. he always found himself by your side, he couldn’t help himself there was something about you. maybe it was the way you never backed down when he argued with you, or the way you cared for luffy and got along with sabo, or definitely how you called him stupid for letting his name define him.

sabo elbowed ace with a small smile on his face “you’re staring at them. again. everyone knows you like them you know you’re so obvious.”

ace stammered over his words, his face quickly turned red as the blush creeped up his neck “im not! i was just lookin out for luffy. you know luffy plays rough and i didn’t want him to injure y/n. yeah that’s it.”

sabo’s grin gets wider and becomes smug “oh so you’re worried about y/n?”

“shut up!” ace yelled feeling embarrassed and with his pipe raised as if he was going to swing.

it’s been years since that conversation. the quartet, unfortunately, became a trio. although the conversation ace had with sabo was years ago he remembered it as if it was yesterday. he’s been crushing on you since you were kids he’s not the shy type but for some reason, you have that effect on him. anytime he tried he always chickened out.

but today was the day he was leaving to sail the world so it was now or never.

“are you sure you don’t wanna join my crew ace? you can be first mate!” luffy smiled widely at his brother. he asked the same question hundreds of times and got the same answer.

ace laughed and smiled “please we both know that i’m the captain and you’re first mate luffy. i’ll see you later yeah? try not to cause too much trouble while i’m gone luffy.”

ace’s gaze landed on you, his eyes visibly softening when he looks into yours “how do you feel about an adventure on the seas y/n?” he extends his hand to you “it’d drive me crazy to be apart from you.“

“what? come on ace you can’t steal my first mate!” luffy protested with his arms crossed.

you raised a brow and smiled at luffy “first mate? i thought ace was your first mate luffy?”

“he’s a captain now so it wouldn’t work get with the program y/n!”

you laughed and gently nudged luffy with your shoulder “im gonna miss you luffy.” ace’s eyes lit up and he smiled like a love-sick fool “y/n..”

you put your hand in his. he pulled you into him, his free arm snaking around your waist “welcome aboard first mate.”

luffy stuck his tongue out at the two of you “traitors!” he then laughed with his usual infectious grin on his face.

“oh great he took the only one with sense.” dadan grumbled and rubbed her temples it was going to be a long few years with no one to keep luffy in check.

as you sailed off with ace you watched as the island became smaller and smaller, he cupped your face in his hands. his touch was gentle yet rough “there’s something about you. you drive me insane always have and you always will.” he leaned closer your lips mere inches apart. he wanted you to close the gap he wanted to see if you wanted him as much as he wanted you.

you leaned in and closed the gap, your lips gently molding with his. one of his hands moved down to your hip to pull you closer when you unfortunately had to pull apart for air he bruised his lips against yours and pressed a kiss to your lips.

“i’ve always wanted to kiss you…we’re gonna burn the house down baby just watch.”

[secondhandlovers]

ana secondhandlovers!!! hello my treasured oomfie... I have stabilise, Day 7.5093, and Heat Rises by Nilüfer Yanya on loop rn... <3 I listened to a bunch of her other songs as well, and I like most of her music tbh :> the blend of soft rock and indie rock genres ... ugh yas ... and her voice is so rich and overflowing with emotion... ty for the wonderful recs !! i hope u have a restful weekend ^_^

Well hello my dear Zay <333 it took me a while to answer this ask but OMGG I'm so glad you're enjoying her music 😘😘🤧🫶

[lifesplits]

OMG LIFESTEAL???!!?!?! ik this isnt following the form...but could I ask for a completely dealer's choice squiddo?!?! /NF ty if you do!!!!

YESSSS it's totally fine!! we love squiddo a LOT soooo we may have gone a bit overboard w it :33 ty for being our first request!!!!

⁀squiddo, squiddy, silly, zay

⁀she/her they/them it/itz silly/sillies ehe/ehes troll/trolls XD/XDs sci/ence/sciences octo/octos card/cards rq/rqs 🌈🍓/🌈🍓s

⁀epographic cosmainull lovirium altumoceanic notgirl bouquet dagger neu-ish tranny-boy cariadore

⁀weirdo4weirdo nonhuman4nonhuman platoweird freak objectum hypersexual lovime hyperromantic aro aro-spec self-fetish r@pesexual

⁀inhuman

⁀lifestealsmp / mcyt

⁀doomed by the narrative prince agere clingy low empathy horrority

⁀tranfangs transinnocentharmful transrqfamous permablush transcryptid transcontrolling transmarysue transoctoling sick-fuck trans2000s trans²plural

⁀subject fascination disorder permadissociated cisplural dollqueer

art credit!!

[aarcanechaoss]

Hey :)

Ty soo much for the part 2.If your still up for it..then a part 3?

The ada and pm are on a mission together..Suddenly Mai comes running up(aparently there was a field trip that day abd she got seperated from her clasz).They recognize her as higuchi's daughter and bring her back to her class.Higuchi appears and scolds her but hugs her.

Some of the members get touched seeing such a motherly display and some feel kinda conflicted wondering if they'll ever be able to have a family

(Can you zoom in on kunikida,chuya,louisa,atsushi,hirotsu(people who wish to have a family someday) )

Eyy back for more ha-ha- you should def write some of your own Fics too these ideas are great. I didn't add Louisa since she's a Guild member and had no clue how to put her in this lol and I changed up how Higuchi finds her LOL.

Higuchi in mama bear mode

Atsushi had expected a few things while he was out and about with a select group of ADA and PM members.

He expected arguments, to want to pull out his hair and even a few complaints. What he hadn't expected was the young teary-eyed girl who had slammed into his legs.

Atsushi was quick to crouch down, hands gentle as he grabbed her shoulders and moved her out of the walkway.

"Hi are you okay?" He'd asked, focused solely on the young girl.

She sniffled and shook her head. "Lost."

"Alright, I can help you I'm a-"

"'You a 'tective." The girl looked up at him and suddenly it was like he'd been struck with vague familiarity. "Kitty."

He's certain his face just turned bright red.

"Mai." Hirotsu appeared behind him, now crouching alongside the weretiger. "Hello Mai, I'm a friend of your mother's."

"Mum?" Her brown eyes widened in surprise before she tucked herself against Atsushi's side- yes, he absolutely was confused. "Hir'tsu?"

Hirotsu laughed, pulling out his mobile. "Yes, I'm Hirotsu shall I call your mother?"

Mai just nodded before turning back to Atsushi. Her little arms raised up, gripping Atsushi by the neck as she looked at the people behind him and so he craned his neck around too. Kunikida, Chuuya and Dazai were just watching them while Hirotsu stepped away to call Mai's mother.

"Up." And so he did.

"He knows her mother?" Chuuya asked, looking at Mai as if trying to figure out who she could belong to.

"Oh!" Dazai exclaimed, purposefully elbowing Kunikida as he did. "Higuchi's daughter."

Oh, that's why she looked familiar.

"Dazai!" Kunikida growled.

"Na'hara!" Mai grinned at the Chuuya, her little arm reaching out to him.

"How do you know me.... wait Higuchi?" The executive was confused. Atsushi's eyes widened a bit- oh he hadn't been there at the park that day.

"Mum keeps pictures of safe people in case of 'mergen 'emegen... bad things." Mai pouted. "Auntie knows too."

"What about me?" Dazai waved at the little girl who's nose scrunched up.

"She don't like you Zai."

Dazai stumbled back, mouth agape.

"You're so smart." Atsushi cooed and his mind wandered for a second- would his future kids be this cute or smart? He hopes so.

"Mai!" A blonde woman rushes around the corner chest heaving as she makes her way to the group. Higuchi.

"Mum!" The girl wiggles from Atsushi's arms- who is quick to place her on the ground- to run to Ichiyo.

"Thank you for finding her- and calling me." Higuchi says, hugging the young girl tight. "Never do that again Mai."

"How'd you lose her?" Dazai said, still pouting.

"We were on an excursion and she just vanished..." Higuchi states still holding Mai tight. "You nearly gave me a heart attack sweetie."

"Sorry mum. Didn't mean to." Mai sniffled again. "I ran into Kitty and stayed like you said 'n look Mr Na'hara is here too."

Atsushi's face flushed again and seemingly so did Higuchi's.

"She likes cats." Is what she offered, before spotting her superior. "Hello sir."

"Higuchi." Chuuya greeted. "How old?"

"Four!" The girl giggled.

"Cute." He replied. "Guess I know who to look to whenever I have kids huh?"

Higuchi's face turned a vibrant shade of red.

"Yes, you do seem to be a loving mother any suggestions would be wonderful." Kunikida already had his notebook in hand as he stared down the Commander.

"Oh please... some days I don't even know what I'm doing just doing what I can."

"You're doing great. I wish I had settled down and had my own children." Hirotsu admitted. "In our line of work it's hard."

She just nods.

"Thank you again. For keeping her safe." She lifts the girl up so her arms are under her little legs. "Best be off and back to the school trip."

"Okay. Bye Kitty bye Mr Na'hara, bye Hir'tsu." She waved, Higuchi following suit before hurrying back down the street.

"Why were none of you surprised she had a kid?" Chuuya grumbled.

"We saw them a few weeks ago on that bonding trip." Atsushi supplies. Nakahara just grunts before turning on his heel.

"C'mon let's get back to the mission."

[z-mizcellaneous-z]

ZAY!!! Green screen, ocean blue, jrwi purple and ice blue!! 💚💙💜

AWEEEEEEEEEEE THANK YOU KIYA!!!! I will add the seashells to my seashell collection and YES I AM SO RIGHT ABOUT MY BLORBOS ACTUALLY. also ty for the blanket <33333 ilyyy /plat

Which Am I? Ask Game

[incohorace]

🎶✨️when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️

(hope i don't bother you with this ask ! have a great day/night/whatever)

ooooh omg ok so

higher power – zay lewis

fly on the wall – zay lewis

hell n back – bakar

de selby pt. 2 – hozier

for crying out loud – bat out of hell the musical

im not gonna send this to people because i dont have the energy but ty <3

[whitechocolate]

top 5 exo moments !!!! (like if u were trying to get ppl to like them what would u show them..) ^_^

HOLA ZAY 😁😁😁 TY FOR THE ASK ABT MY FAVE LADS

1. pantiesgate- iconic, showstopping, CLASSIC exo immortalized for eternity

2. compilation of chanyeol laughing - like? nothing has EVERRRRRR been that funny. except it has. love someone who is full of wonder and loves to have a giggle….

3. kai being clumsy - likeeeee just watching him spill and break shit? yeah that what lifes all about…

4. whatever this interaction between sehun and chanyeol was…

5. this 😋

HONESTLY!! i forgot everything about exo as soon as i got this ask LOL but tbh just give me 30 minutes and i can turn anyone into an exo-L truuuust me 😎

ask me anything about kpop!

[postsofbabel]

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[paradiserotting]

hi mil and real moot. feeling:

god. when is it my turn to be a guitar 😞😞

[zaimta]

彡HAIR CARE

parings: usopp, jinbei, brook, x black!reader

zai says: i actually have nothing to say but yk i’m on a grind

ˏˋ«────── « 𓆩♡𓆪 » ──────»

˗ˏˋUSOPP

i don’t know what kind of growth oil he used during them 2 years but he got inches and loves his hair

with usopp wash day would be the most fun, y’all are always like “i’ll wash my hair when you wash your hair” and then y’all just never do because y’all don’t feel like it or the straw hats run into trouble

the moment y’all have no excuses y’all dread every second of it, usopp helps you part your hair in the places you can’t see so your parts aren’t all tangled when it’s time for you to wash

detangling for usopp is a big hell no, y’all would fight and the amount of combs he’s snapped with his hair is insane, at some point, you got tired and stuck to brushes permanently

he loves sitting in between your thighs when you’re doing his hair, when you’re done he kisses your inner thigh as thanks

cracks jokes about your thighs on either side of his head and you pop him with the comb instead he laughs because it didn’t hurt but he swears the joke was worth it

give him twists!! he would love them as long as they last something about waking up and not having to touch his hair he enjoys it but he goes back to his normal look of wearing his hair out because he loves it

matching bonnets, he made them for y’all because he saw some bonnets at a store and they were so damn expensive

adores your hair and if you have dreads he helps you with your retwists, i feel like he would know how to braid hair so he would pop off on cornrows if you wanted those

˗ˏˋJINBEI

takes great care of his hair i mean have you seen what this man is workin with

if you don’t feel like tying up your hair he’ll do it for you, master of slick back buns he did it for you once and you never went back

you cannot make the “i’ll wash my hair when you do” promise with this man because when he says this he’s going to wash his hair so if you’re planning to stall another day it’s simply not happening

his scalp massages are top fucking tier, makes you completely forget you’re washing your hair and you feel so relaxed

he has no problem washing his hair but if you decide to wash his hair for him he is very grateful

sometimes he swears he can’t do certain things with his hair so you could do it for him, either that or he completely gets straight to the point and hands you the hairbrush

he is a decent braider, because of his thick fingers he can’t get a precision braid but he can do twists and bigger braids

when you’re sleeping on him and your bonnet slips off he adjusts it for you while your sleeping, ever since y’all got together your bonnet stopped going on vacation

˗ˏˋBROOK

it would be the simple acts that get him sentimental like he hasn’t had someone help him out with his hair in decades so it does get to him a little

you’re the only one he trusts to touch his hair, his hair is very precious to him so that says a lot

you would sit there and detangle his hair and the comb goes through so easily you think you’re crazy you sitting there like

“what…” every time the comb goes through because somebody gotta be lyin

when it comes to wash day he’s on top of it, there’s a specific day when he washes his hair and whenever he’s going to he asks if you want to join him

his hair would absorb water like it’s nothing but his hair would also be very soft like his hair is out here shining

when it comes to picking out fros he’s the best, usopp comes to him when he wants his puff to look nice he be bringing out inches you didn’t even know you had

bonnet believer, usopp made him one and he never went back he doesn’t know how he lived without it

[userpoe]

the only good thing to come out of being reminded how young Poe is in TFA is I get to remember the other side and how good he looks post war and in peak dad-Poe mode with the greys 🤌🏻

(never not thinking about married, father to two girls, General Dameron)

hECK ELLIE I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS ASK,,, you know how soft I am for that visual 🥺 he’d be the best, softest dad ever and I’m 🤧  just thinking about it

(he does look really good post war though you’re absolutely right) 

in conclusion, i am

[cherryhub-remade]

LOL wait i forgot the three idols: beomgyu, taehyun, ryujin

LOL ur good

6. send three idols and make me choose who to: have as a TA, be on a board with, drop out of school to start a company with

ill have ryu as my TA bcs i feel like shes smart , tyun as my board buddy bcs we wld have a good time i think , and ill drop litrally everything to start a company w gyu bcs . its gyu .

send creative kpop asks !

[kingkatara]

Girl Meets Waitress: Opening Up

Disclaimer: I don’t own Waitress. I don’t own Girl Meets World. This is a fanfiction written just funsies.

Looking around, seeing the same things every day brings

          Maya woke up to darkness every morning. Her eyes peeled open after a mere six hours of sleep and were met with nothing. For a split second, there was only darkness in front of her, around her, within her. It was then that she and the world had their daily battle of wills, the war over who would break the stillness first and stir the other into motion. And always it was Maya who surrendered. Her eyes would adjust to the low light and a hot puff of breath would warm her face, still partly under the covers to avoid that first shiver of a New York morning that was always chilly no matter the season. She sat up in bed and surveyed the smoking battlefield of her bedroom, taking in her losses from the night before and wondering which of them would show on her face for the rest of the day. Beside her, the world’s weapon lay dormant, harmless unless she were to challenge the demands for peace. If she came quietly as the world beckoned her, he would slumber on. She didn’t look at him as she swung her legs over the bed and tapped her toes against the smooth hardwood floor beneath her. Her white flag of surrender was the tug on the long curtains that shielded the sunlight from shining into the apartment through the wide window on her side of the bed. This was her cry out into the world that she would not fight. And then the day would begin.

           Wake up, use the toilet, brush the teeth, comb the hair. Put the hair up. Makeup over the dark circles and fading yellow-green lump above the eyebrow. Panties, bra, uniform. Socks, then shoes. Purse. Nametag out of the purse and on the uniform. Every day, the routine was the same. There was ease to it, but it would be a lie not to admit that it was also repetitive. She didn’t know what her life was supposed to be like, but she couldn’t help feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was as though there was some missing ingredient that she had long ago forgotten to include in the recipe, which always left the dish edible, but unsatisfying. A ritual she had not shared with anyone in the six years of living in her Lower East Side apartment was that the last thing she did before giving in to the reality of her life was standing at her window and waiting for the first rays of light to peek over the buildings in her neighborhood. She never watched the sun fully rise up into the sky. She simply waited for it to appear and then raced it to work. She never won.

           The ride across town on the subway would have been daunting at best for a tourist, but for a born New Yorker like Maya, the odd little scenes playing out right before her eyes, even as early as six in the morning, were just as natural to the routine as tying her shoelaces. On the way to work, swaying gently along with the subway car, Maya would pull out her sketchbook (which wasn’t a sketchbook at all, but a pathetic server’s pad on which she took down her orders) and mimic the likeness of what she saw and sometimes, on her lowest days, what she felt. Today, there was a particularly amusing picture of an eccentric woman with some sort of hat, though Maya couldn’t quite bring herself to call it that. It was tall, a violent shade of purple, and topped with hot pink feathers. These feathers were of great interest to a small little girl, whose mother, wearing the scrubs of a nurse, was snoozing against the window of the subway car. The little girl was standing up on her seat, using the handrail for balance, and blowing on the feathers of the woman’s hat. The woman gave no indication of noticing this invasion of personal space and was instead muttering to herself about some sort of building with her name on it. The two of them were immediately transcribed into her notepad in short, quick lines of ink.

           From the subway, she made her way through the streets of the Lower East Side, weaving in and out of passerby with an expression that was as equally bored as it was underground. She didn’t look up at anyone and instead chose to keep her eyes down on her white sneakers. The less she looked open to communication or interest, the greater chance she had of making it to work having avoided any unwanted attention—because yes, some men really were in the mood before seven in the morning. Then finally, there was the diner. Where her life played out day by day, where the routine really began and always finished; the diner was more of a home to her than her own apartment, which, of course, wasn’t really hers at all. But the diner? It was the closest thing to belonging that she felt since being held in the arms of her mother so many years ago. She entered through the door in the back of the building that led to the kitchen.

           “Is it a woman thing?”

           “Excuse me?”

           “The being late. Every damn day. Is it a woman thing?”

           “Oh, shove it up your—”

           “Good morning! Who’s ready to start the day?”

           Of course, no home was complete without its inhabitants. Maya supposed she could have had it much worse when it came down to the universe selecting her partners for this life thing. She didn’t hate the people she worked with every day and she guessed that they didn’t hate her either. With that being said, however…These partners were no picnic either.

           There was Zay Babineaux, the cook. All Maya knew about him was that he was from a small town in Texas and he came to New York when he was a teenager. He still had a slight drawl to his snarky voice, the stubborn southern streak within him that refused to be beaten down by the hustle and bustle of the north. He never offered any detail into his personal life, like why he chose to be a cook or how he ended up at the diner, and Maya never asked. When he wasn’t flipping pancakes on the griddle, he could be found grumbling to anyone who would listen (and that was exactly no one) about how nothing in his life made sense and why women were the reason for that. Though he was technically her boss, he and Maya had an ongoing feud over who should be giving who orders within the unhallowed walls of their place of employment.

           Riley Lawrence was a young woman of thirty who was made up of sunshine and daisies. She married her high school sweetheart right on the heels of graduation and went to NYU for a degree in political science. A year into law school, she dropped out to start working at the diner in order to care for her husband, Charlie, who had suffered severe brain injuries in a freak bus accident. Though all of her dreams were now wasted, she still smiled like sunshine in the rain and danced like a daisy in the wind. It was for Riley’s sake that squabbles between Maya and Zay were quickly put to bed—neither of them had the gumption to disappoint a soul like Riley’s, who had endured so much already and never uttered a single complaint.

           “Me. Thirty minutes ago. Why are you women always late?”

           “Perhaps it’s because we know you can’t afford to fire us.” The newest addition to their band of misfits was Isadora, who for some reason allowed them all to address her by her ridiculous surname: Smackle. Even her nametag introduced her as such to the customers. She was a twenty-three year old grad student living the dream that Riley had once chased and for that reason, Maya and Zay tolerated her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t likable; she was nice enough. It was just that Maya had never met anyone who was more tightly wound. Smackle had a particular way of doing things and though the diner had never been cleaner, more organized, and more efficient than when Zay took her on, Maya simply didn’t appreciate changing her way of doing things just to fit Smackle’s compulsive need for order.

           “Actually, I can. I don’t own the place. I just run it. I wouldn’t lose anything but the weight of carrying this business if I had it my way and kicked you three to the—"

           “Business? It’s a diner. And it didn’t miss us for the fifteen minutes that we were late. But it will miss us for thirty if you keep us from actually doing our jobs with your whining.”

           “Alright, you know what? Get out of my kitchen. Get out.”

           Snickering, Maya led Riley and Smackle through the swinging door that led into the dining area. Though Riley sighed unhappily as they left Zay to his dramatics, the girls easily fell into their habitual duties for opening up. Riley got to work on the register, counting bills and setting up the front desk. Smackle wiped down each table and sorted the condiments in whatever order made sense to her otherworldly brain. Maya got to work on the pastry display case. The first thing she did every shift was rearrange it so she could display her creation of the day, which was dreamt up sometime before going to bed every night and arriving at work each morning. What made all the elbow grease she put into the job worthwhile was found underneath the diner in its basement: the bakery. Each dessert, particularly the pies, was made from the imagination of her mother. Every dressing coating its recipe, particularly the cakes, was designed from Maya’s. Serving the sacred combination to the diner’s patrons, who had no idea that they were seeing into the very essence of her being with every bite, was the most gratifying thing Maya got to experience in a montage of diner meals that left her secretly hungry for something more. In another life, perhaps Maya would have liked to be an artist. But she was living in this life and if she couldn’t be that, she supposed being a waitress that got to bake the cakes was the next best thing.

           “What’s the special today?”

           Maya’s fingers twitched towards her apron’s pocket where the sketch of her subway ride lived frozen in time between the pages of her server’s pad. She was planning on using it as inspiration for some kind of cake resembling that crazy old woman’s hat, but Riley’s hopeful expression was especially sweet this morning. Her brows lifted in the direction of her hairline ever so slightly, creating the barest traces of wrinkles that were not yet etched into the still youthful skin across her forehead. Her lips parted in a preciously premature smile of delight. Maya never wanted Riley to know the harsh truth that she did, that hope was for suckers, and so she never let Zay put Riley’s pie on the menu even though it was continuously requested by the regulars. As long as it wasn’t on the menu, Riley still got to hope every morning, for just a minute or two, that that would be the day that her pie was the special of the day.

         “Why, Aren’t You a Peach Polka-Dot Peach Pie, of course.” Maya painted on an indulgent smile and admired how Riley beamed sunlight at her.

         “Peaches, you shouldn’t!”

         “Too late, I already did. Today’s a good day to serve everyone a little Riley, I think. I know I could use a little of whatever it is you got.”

         “Well, I’m happy to share.”

         “Go check the stock downstairs and make sure we have enough kosher salt. We were running a little low the last I checked and I don’t think Zay is ordering new stock until tomorrow.” Riley abandoned the hostess station where she was organizing the trio’s sections as if they ever changed and raced downstairs into Maya’s sanctuary.

         “When am I going to get a pie made for me, Maya?” Smackle asked without accusation, just curiosity.

         “Maybe it’s not a pie. Maybe it’s a cake. Or a cookie.” The blonde answered thoughtfully, to which Smackle snorted and shot her a grin from across the room.

         “I am at least a brownie by now, thank you very much. How did Riley end up with a peach pie anyway? Because she calls you Peaches?”

         “Nah, she calls me peaches because that’s what the pie is.” Maya explained, “I don’t know, she’s just so nice. It kind of threw me off when we first met, being New Yorkers and all. When she learned about how I make the desserts and dress them up, a peach pie is the first thing I thought of when she asked me what kind of dessert she would be. The polka-dots came later when I thought about how she dresses out of uniform. That’s what makes it Riley.”

         Smackle hummed in understanding. “And what makes it yours, with that kind of personal touch. No one can bake like you can, huh?”

         “No one but my mother. I just try to do it like she would.” Maya answered with a casual shrug and brushed her hands against her apron as she finished up with the display case. Smackle was obviously done with the condiments as she had moved on to adjusting the number of napkins at each table. Maya regarded her for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to say so, but the spectacled girl had unwittingly stirred a feeling of warmth in her chest at the astute (and the very gracious, at that) compliment—the kind of warmth that spread slowly, like a pie crust in the heat of an oven. So she said nothing at all. Maya got through each day by watching the people she saw and jotting her notes down into her art, be it on the dish or on paper. She had never considered that Smackle might do the same. Dimly, she wondered where her coworker took her observations. Perhaps a scholarly notebook; that was presumably what a good NYU student like Smackle would use in her classes at school. Or maybe she just kept it all in that great big brain of hers. It probably was time for Smackle to get her own dessert by now, wasn’t it?

         Without Riley around to peer over her shoulder and ask questions, Maya pulled out the server’s pad from her pocket and flicked through its pages until she found her sketch from the subway ride. Some of her glimpses into inspiration never quite revealed their whole picture and without that, she couldn’t transcribe their stories into a cake. Maya had a gnawing ache deep in her gut that this lady and her crazy hat were one of those torturously brief peeks into something special that she would only ever wonder about for the rest of her life. Sighing, she walked over to the hostess stand, tore the sheet from the pad’s binding, and slid the sketch between the thick cardstock page of a menu and its plastic cover. This was the eulogy of all the subway sketches that never went on to become something more. The idea of one of the diner’s patrons finding it out of the blue and seeing what Maya saw, even if it was only for an instant, was exactly what Crazy Hat deserved. She deserved the chance to connect with a stranger who was not looking for her and make them wonder just like Maya did; if she was lucky, that stranger could do something to tell her story more truthfully than Maya ever could.

         Riley had returned from the bakery downstairs. “I think we should have enough to get through the day!” She announced joyously, waving a carton of the last of the kosher salt they had left over her head just to show them she was sure.

         “Great, but why did you bring it up here?” Maya chuckled, sliding the menu back into the stacks that would be passed around to the customers throughout the day. Riley’s smile faltered for just a second as realization came to her. As quickly as it left, her smile sprung back into place as if it was never gone, albeit the accompaniment of sheepish awkwardness was an endearing new factor in Riley’s sunshine.

         “I…I just…I’ll go put this back.”

         “No need.” Maya offered her a gentle look of reassurance, the expression well-rehearsed for the times that Riley, feeling especially Riley, looked to her for permission to go on exactly as she was. She did this as though Maya would ever want her to change. “I should probably get started anyway before the morning rush gets in. There’s some crust defrosting in the fridge, but I’ll have to make the filling from scratch. I’ll just bring it back down myself.”

         “Well, then get to it! I want my pie!” Riley pitched her the kosher salt that was not even in the same vicinity as her direction, which Maya had to scramble to catch in an almost cat-like maneuver. Smackle made a move to shoo her away in jest, but she was already hurrying along down the narrow spaces between tables to get a move on. She skipped the stairwell leading to the bakery and headed straight for the single bathroom in the back of the building.

         She couldn’t get the door open fast enough and she still had to find the dexterity in fingers that were not so nimble as they were when baking to lock it. The kosher salt was forgotten, carelessly thrown to the floor and forced open upon impact with the ground. Hard flakes of it dug into her bare knees as she dropped and flung her head into the waiting toilet bowl. It was the fourth time this week that Maya had emptied her insides at work. She didn’t think that anyone had noticed this theatrical display of her stomach’s hysterics, but if it went on, it would be impossible to keep hidden. She didn’t want to deal with that intervention, because that’s exactly what it would be with those two goofballs for coworkers, and she certainly didn’t want to have to deal with Zay. She didn’t want to deal with any of this, not at all. She didn’t know how. All she knew was the diner, the customers, the girls and the cook. The desserts. All she knew was being a waitress. If Maya added anything more to her plate, it would not be a matter of whether she would break, but when.

[bandaged-writer]

LAURA YOU REACHED 700?! Why are you not at 1,000 yet?!? Tumblr must be glitching out your actual number~ Either way, congrats~~ (*˘︶˘*).｡*♡

you do know i could ask you the exact same thing, right? but you're very flattering, ty zai 😚💕

[ambitionsource]

S2 Rewatch - Maggie’s Take [ 207 ]

oh honey we’ve got a big storm coming...

Favorite scene

We’re getting to the point now in the season where all these questions become a million times harder to answer. All the scenes have an oomph to them. All the characters are at their richest. All the performances go off. So forgive me for cheating and giving multiple answers from here on out most likely. So in 207, three answers jump to mind. 1) The sequence where Farkle is having his true meltdown, before “Santa Fe.” From a writing standpoint, I remember I was really proud with how that scene turned out. It was a fun challenge, trying to capture that anxiety and panic and loss of reality. A fun fact that you may or may not know is that nearly all of the lines of dialogue said by the hallucinated characters are repetitions or variations on dialogue that has actually already been said in the show, meant to highlight how Farkle’s brain has taken these (usually offhand) comments and held onto them obsessively and in some cases even warped them into something more antagonistic than they were. Then there was the pattern of tying the sentiments together into one overarching monologue of sorts, repeating that thematic word over and over, “enough.” It was just so fun to write, and I’m really happy with how it came together. 2) The Dylan, Lucas, and Asher argument in the booth. Ooh, buddy. This was a true turning point, both for the narrative and for Asher and Dylan as characters. To me, that is the scene where they rise from supporting characters to mains, and in some ways it’s a long time coming. I love how it highlights the imperfections at play between that trio, and the way that Lucas and Asher know exactly how to get at one another, but nothing gets me more than Dylan’s “HEY” and stepping in between them. How Dylan snapping seems to be what pulls Lucas out of his anger, and how Dylan’s anger only lasts seconds before it shifts into like shock / concern... ugh I love him. I love them! Definitely a standout scene, even back when I first wrote it, but even more so now that Dylan and Asher have such larger roles in the third season. 3) The unintentional coming out scene between Riley and Charlie. The whole thing is just rich with tension, like I love the moment where Charlie is like you can’t tell anyone you can’t -- and she just interrupts him and it goes dead silent until she’s emphatically like I would never tell anyone... like chills, bro. Chills. And the relief that comes from Riley finally understanding why he’s been acting the way he has... so good. The follow up to this choice is the Zay and Charlie scene at the end where the freedom of someone knowing seems to allow him the strength to kiss Zay in their studio... I love them. I love it all. Whew. 

Favorite performance

It’s getting hard... it’s getting tough to choose... like “Santa Fe” is up there because of the raw emotion of it and what it represents for Farkle and his arc. “Loser” is great too, mainly in concept, as we have Dasher acting as Lucas’s subconscious mind essentially and all of the cool choices in the production of the number. But I think I will have to go with “Waving Through A Window,” as that is such a standout performance in my opinion. It delivers emotionally, it has a cool flow and concept, there’s snow... whenever it comes on AMBITION shuffle I’m like oh yeah. Now we’re talking. And I love the visual of Isadora being stuck on the acting block / courtyard table, always inches from falling off the ledge but managing to avoid disaster. It’s just a really cool visual in my head. So that’s the top for me I think.

Favorite character (within context of the episode)

I literally can’t choose. I don’t know what to say. I think I’ll say maybe Charlie and Zay? Both in their storyline together as well as individuals. They’ve both got great solos (“Consideration” and “Exhale”), Charlie has his devolution emotionally and Zay finally (righteously) snaps at Angela. They find refuge, in Riley and Harper and of course each other. There are standout moments throughout the episode for their relationship -- holding hands at the top in the studio, Charlie hugging Zay in the hallway to comfort him and telling him it’s okay, the fraught moment of Charlie snapping at Zay about being at his locker which feels like a tiny unintentional step back, Charlie’s frazzled kiss on the cheek in public, the ending scene with another handhold and the softest kiss... ugh I love them. They were at a peak this episode, which makes sense considering what’s about to come...

Favorite line(s)

“You know what, you’ve got a lot to think about. Let me just get out of your hair. Best of luck with this next phase in your life, sir. Save a little social security for the rest of us provided climate change doesn’t kill us first!” --Lucas James Friar, to Eric

“I mean, but what am I going to do instead? Follow in the footsteps of my mom? I won’t survive veterinary school, Mister E. And you can only cure lung cancer once!” --Darby Winters

“Might be nice to help combat the impending danger of climate change and issues with renewable resources by studying environmental sciences or maybe aeronautical space engineering in pursuit of space materials that could be used as new energy sources. Ooh, or a rodeo clown!” --Dave Williams

“Actually, I’m near-sighted. But I wear contacts.” --Dylan Orlando, in response to Eric asking if his future plan is “short-sighted”

“I looked into “space cowboy,” but as it turns out you need a degree in aerospace engineering as well as a license to boy cows, and that seems like a lot of work. So then I thought, well, if I don’t have the capacity to work, what else is there in this capitalistic hell we call society? Sure, I could probably enter myself in human cage fights and scrap to death for spare change, but I think that would hurt after a while and to be honest, I think I’d feel a bit like a piece of meat if I took up that mantle. Who would I be fighting to impress? The bourgeoisie? Hard pass. But after some deep, probing soul-searching, I finally hit the one. Trophy husband. Now, I know what you’re thinking. To accomplish such a grand ambition, I’d have to get someone to like me. And that’s a pretty hefty task, believe me I know, but I’ve devised a work around. This is, as Dave would say, galaxy-brained thinking, Mister E. I’m going to put an ad on Craigslist.” --Lucas James Friar

“It’s easy to say you believe in someone. Showing up for them is a different story.” --Zay Babineaux

“We’re friends, Lucas. We care about you. Asher wasn’t lying about that. And when you decide you want to do something about this, we’ll be there. When you need us... we’re going to be there for you. No matter what.” --Dylan Orlando

“I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but the truth is it all comes down to endurance. How long you can take it, how long you can stick it out until it ends up being your shot. The true test of who lives the dream is who hangs on… and who gives up.” --Harper Burgess

An underrated moment

There are so many it would be so hard for me to pick one if I thought about it too hard, so I’m gonna go with my gut. My favorite mini moment in the episode is during the end montage, when Dylan climbs in the window to comfort Asher. There’s a lot of small details I like about it that occur just within like 30 seconds -- Asher’s routine with crushing up his anxieties (a thing elaborated on in Cruel Summer), how commonplace it is for Dylan to climb in the window, and how he jumps into comfort mode and they both fall into that without any words at all. I just love it. And I can picture the way Dylan kisses his cheek and then his shoulder and then rests his head against him so perfectly... I adore them. They are angels.

First impression vs your reread impression

Obviously, even when I wrote this last year it felt major. Because it is. This is the turning point episode, literally and narratively. It’s smack in the middle, and from here I knew everything was going to be bigger and more, especially since we pulled the (metaphorical) trigger with Farkle. We knew that was a narrative risk, but we felt strongly about it, and we took every method we thought possible to set it up well, be cautious about it to y’all (with trigger warnings and hotlines, etc.), and then follow through on it in a way that balanced realism with care and attention. I think we managed to pull it off, but it was a great relief that you all reacted so well to it (in terms of the narrative, not like joyously LMAO) and trusted us to carry it forward. That kind of trust in a writer means a lot, and that’s what I’ll always remember when I think about this episode. Thankfully, we all survived it, and now here we are on the cusp of S3. Insane. And now onto 208... the storm is here...