#whatever too much work and i don't care i was just curious about my dad's dad's side of the family

[softgrungeprophet]

genealogy always one of those things i'm curious about but is too much of a pain in the ass to bother with

[justyouraverage-simp]

she's in good hands// t.s, s.r

pairing: steve rogers x reader (romantic), tony tark x daughter!reader (platonic)

warnings: tony being a bit of a douche to steve, tooth rotting happy relationships

summary: tony was very protective of everyone he cared about but his daughter meant the most to him out of anyone so when he has to face the music that shes growing up he finds it hard to accept especially when it comes to boys but not just any boy captain america

*gif not mine*

Y/N swore she could never love anyone as much as she loved her dad, he was the only man she needed in her life. The two were peas in a pod, they were best friends and after Y/N got her heart broken who was there to pick up the pieces? Her dad.

Everyone swore Tony wouldn't be a present father, that he would send his child off the first chance he got. Just like his parents did to him. But Tony used that to be better, he became the worlds best dad at least in Y/N's eyes and to him that's all that mattered.

****

When the avengers were formed they all was told to keep their hands to themselves when it came to Y/N. No one risked to see where the line was because Tony had never been so passionate about something in his life. His little girl (although she is now 24, she will always be the little girl he used to play tea parties with and dress up with her like princesses) was his world, she saved him when he lost his parents, she gave him a reason to keep going and he will always protect her.

What Tony wasn't prepared for was her getting to the age where she was interested in boys and becoming more curious about them and her feelings. She didn't have a mother figure in life really other than Pepper then eventually Nat became an auntie/ older sister to her, so it was down to him to teach her everything and it was the first time Pepper had seen Tony unsure of himself.

Y/N went through her fair share of rough relationships, the worst being a three year relationship that ended with her being cheated on. Tony was furious seeing his girl crying over someone. She swore to him she was done with men, that he was the only man for her, the only one she needed. She was happy being single and free. That was until 2011 when she met Steve Rogers.

*****

Y/N and Steve both agreed to keep the relationship a secret to start with so the two could find their footing without the whole world watching their every move. And also so they could work out how to tell Tony without putting him or Steve into an early grave.

"Hey, how would you feel about telling my dad about us?" Y/N said looking up at Steve who had his arm draped over her shoulder as they cuddled into the sofa.

"As long as you want to I'll do whatever you want sweetheart you know that" Steve says.

"I know I'm just nervous"

"I know you are but we love each other right?"

"Yeah"

"So your dad will see that and how he hasn't noticed yet I don't know but we will show him that I'm not like the others" Steve says placing a kiss onto Y/N's forehead.

It was a few hours later and Jarvis had made Y/N and Steve aware Tony was back from his mission with Nat and Clint. Everyone meet in the living room to welcome the three back when Tony looked up at his daughter suspiciously.

"Why are you being weird?" Tony says bluntly.

"Wow nice to see you too dad"

"Honey you know what I mean, your quiet and your not as happy to see me" "I just need to talk to you when you get a minute"

"You can talk to me whenever you need, I'm your dad"

"In private please?"

Tony and Y/N walk to her bedroom, Steve following behind sneakily to be there for Y/N.

"What's going on kiddo"

"I'm just going to come out and say it" Y/N says running a finger through her hair "I'm dating Steve"

"As in Captain America?"

"No Steve from down the road, yes Captain America"

Steve takes this a time to walk through the door and wraps his hand over Y/N's.

"No" Tony says quickly

"No?" Steve says "What do you mean no?"

"I mean nope, not happening, over my dead body. How else do you want me to say it, I can say it in another language if that helps you Cap"

"Dad, I wasn't asking you if I can, I'm telling you because I don't want to hide him. I want to hold his hand or sit next to him on the sofa without having too worry someone will catch on. I want you to be able to accept that I'm not your little girl anymore I've grown up" Y/N says getting more annoyed at her dad.

Seeing how passionate his daughter is makes him realise she loves Steve, not in the same way she loves Tony but the way he loves Pepper. It made him realise he will always be the man who taught her what to expect from men, to not accept anything less than 100%. Steve however he showed her what 100% is, he showed her the meaning of true love. He chose her and he would risk everything to make sure she knew how much she loved him.

Tony looked between the two of them "Rogers promise me something?"

"Yeah Tony?" Steve says unsure of what he's signing up for.

"Promise me you'll look after my girl, she's my world and if you hurt her I will not be held responsible for what happens"

"I promise, I will always protect her and I will always do what's right by her" Steve says looking down at Y/N lovingly, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

"Just because I know your together doesn't mean the PDA can come out thank you very much" Tony says as he leaves Y/N's bedroom shacking his head.

*****

That evening Y/N is cuddled back up to Steve on the sofa dozing off slightly as the Avengers all have a movie night which was tradition when someone came back from a mission.

"Tony I'm surprised you haven't blasted Steve to another planet for touching Y/N" Nat says looking over at the two.

"Nope, she's in good hands and I'm okay with that" Tony says as he watches Steve admire his girl sleeping.

[capricornsims]

Some headcanons featuring screenshots from my Sims 3 Strangetown game.

PT9 and Jenny met in 1985. Based on the Sims 2 memories, she found him drowning in the pool since he dived head-first into the shallow end. While everyone was running away in fear - she rescued him and fell in love at first sight. PT9 vowed loyalty to his savior and gifted her with knowledge about Sixam.

Jenny and Lyla were roommates until she married Buzz Grunt. She doesn't get Jenny's attraction to PT9 but she was supportive. Meanwhile, Jenny tried her hardest to break up Lyla and Buzz because she deserved so much better!

The Curious Brothers were forced to cut contact with Jenny since she 'betrayed' their father by marrying PT9 ( valid honestly - thinking about it makes my head hurt )

Pascal having Tycho brought the family back together.

5. Glarn was an emotionally absent father who paid no attention to his kids. Pascal was Glarn's favorite which was why he went to private school. He was also responsible for looking after his younger brothers when they moved out.

6. Pascal is " Well achually" incarnate. He loves to talk about theories and science. Aliens and Astro physics are his hyper fixation

7. Vidcund and Lazlo spend their time joking about how Pascal takes himself way too seriously. They were best friends throughout school and Vidcund was the one who helped Lazlo get his degree.

8. Lazlo is a genius, he passed school with no effort because he was just that smart. Glarn didn't see his genius because he was too busy scolding him for being messy.

9. Lazlo takes Vidcund out to hang out with his friends and works overtime trying to set him up on dates so he can get over Circe.

10. The Curious Brothers weren't that close - and often butted heads but since Tycho was born they are closer than ever. ( UNTIL VIDUND SOLD TYCHO)

11. I know Vidcund was mind-controlled, but imagine if he wasn't. He's in serious debt and these blue aliens offered him like a billion dollars if he sold his nephew. The Dudes in Black wanted to run experiments on him idk.

12. Pascal never really recovered after his kid was stolen and was overly protective of Tycho. Tycho grew up anxious because of the overarching threat of being kidnapped again.

13. Olive Specter is not a serial killer (allegedly) - she just has really bad luck, but she kept up the bit so people would leave her alone! She is really superstitious because she's connected to the supernatural. She makes good luck charms and ensures that Ophelia is really cautious and wears all her charms.

14. Ophelia has a serious anxiety disorder - partially because Olive raised her to be scared of everything for her own safety. She makes sure Johnny and Ripp don't go under ladders, cross poles, or step on cracks. She gets really stressed out when Ripp makes dark jokes.

15. Olive was a good mom until she was wrongly accused of being unstable which led to her baby being taken away. She tried to get him back but there were too many roadblocks and Nervous was already given away.

16. She loves the Grim Reaper and longs for the day she can see him again. Her partygoer job entails her going to funeral memorials.

17. Nervous met Annie Howell in foster care and they are really good friends to this day. He missed her because she was adopted by her older brother and left alone in the orphanage. 18. Nervous was a constant runaway and ended up in the Beaker's house as a teenager with the promise that he wouldn't have to go back to a group home. Unfortunate :(

19. I like how most people agree on how rude and not nice Nervous actually is. He's standoffish for good reason and gives Vidcund a lot of snark for being into Circe. He's chill with Lazlo though.

20. Nervous is the fun dad, and lets Tycho do whatever they want. Meanwhile, Pascal is pretty strict about his schooling ( which doesn't matter because Tycho has alien intelligence) and being safe. 21. Tycho grows up to follow in Pascal's astrophysics footsteps, mostly to build a ship and hunt down his Pollinator dad.

[unabashedpeachgentlemen]

genshin parents!

mondstadt edition, liyue edition here

cw: pregnancy, afab/fem reader in some

Diluc had always been an overprotective parent, even before the first of his children were born.

Took any kind of morning sickness wayy too seriously.

For the first few months, he wouldn't let you do anything on your own.

Shopping? Servants had it handled. Cooking? Are you insane, he had his own chefs for a reason! Cleaning? Hello, maids? Going out for a walk? Don't you know there are thieves and bandits and who knows what out there?!

One day, you sat him down and had to tell him if you were stuck inside for one more day, you were going to lose your mind.

Growing up, nothing was too much for his kids. They wanted a pony for their birthday? They got a pony.

His kids could also do no wrong. His kid punched yours? Well, what did yours do to upset his? Of course, once they got back home, he would teach his kid more efficient ways to deal with their feelings.

I can't see Diluc having a small family, I just can't. He has to have at least ONE set of twins.

Kaeya was the parent that all the other kids wished they had.

Sure, Diluc spoiled his kids with toys and ponies and whatnot, but Kaeya was the cool dad!

Probably let his kids go out on small "missions" with him, day or night

Slow, boring paperwork days were always bring-your-kid-to-work days for him, much to Jean's dismay

His kid wasn't as mischievous as Kaeya, but archons were they curious. Even if Jean was sure she locked the door, somehow they ended up in rooms they definitely were not supposed to be in

Kaeya knows what a dangerous world it is, so he makes sure to train his kid in at least the basics with a sword.

Believe me, Kaeya makes sure his kid knows his parents love each others. Constant kisses and hugs and snuggles, enough to make any kid go "bleugh, so gross!"

He's still affectionate to his kid, of course. More often than not the 3 of them share one bed.

Often times takes his kid to play with his cousins. He's the uncle that's always telling stories that you're not sure really happened, but they just might've.

"Have you guys heard of the legend of the Darknight Hero? Well what if I told you guys that I knew him personally?" type beat

Venti is definitely a "go do whatever you want" kind of parent.

He stood by your side the whole pregnancy, but once that kid was out, he was irritatingly more carefree

He still took care of his little family, don't get me wrong, but at least in the beginning he probably wasn't there enough

He would come back every night and sing his child to sleep, but often times during the day he was off doing who knows what

That is until, one day he completely forgot his kid had a performance at the church that day! By the time he realized, it was already over and his child was giving him the silent treatment.

From that point on, Venti made sure to make it up to them. Constant affection, hugs, kisses, reassurances, songs about how amazing they were, and he was never late to any of his kids musical performances.

Of course, he made sure to make it up to you as well. He knew you had to do so much without him, and he would do everything to make it right

Takes you both out to see the most beautiful spots in Mondstadt. While you're admiring nature, he's admiring his family, singing about how you're his beautiful windblume and your child is his wonderful and free dandelion

Jean is a very caring (if not overprotective) mother

While she wants her kid to be happy, she also wants them to be ready for what life throws at them

How to care for themselves, how to defend for themselves, how to clean up after themselves, how to cook for themselves...

You often have to gently remind her that kids will only be kids once and to ease up on them

Jean is a very busy woman, but she loves her kid and wants to give you a break as well, so she often brings them with her to HQ with her.

"So it's perfectly okay for you to bring your child, but when I bring my darling little angle there's a problem?" Yes Kaeya, because Jean actually watches her kid and they're not wandering the building unattended! Kaeya has the audacity to act offended over being told this.

While Jean's kid is naturally curious as well, they prefer to stay in the mothers office chatting or just reading a book.

Definitely takes her family out on picnics on any days off she gets to have

Lisa already has the MOST mommy energy, do you know how she'd be as an actual mother??

Her kids are getting lunches with handwritten notes EVERYDAY!

If you were pregnant, she would remind you of how lovely you are everyday and how cute your kid would be!

Would be just as excited if she were the one pregnant, although her cravings and constant nausea in the beginning would be quite challenging

If you chose to adopt, the first kid you meet is the one to her and she decorated their room for them that night.

"Oh, honey! I saw you playing with the eldest Ragnvindr boy earlier~!" "EW MOM WE'RE JUST FRIENDS-" would totally tease their kids for their crushes.

But when it came to get serious, she gave THE BEST relationship advice for her kids.

Once they're older, her kids help her out at the library with simple jobs.

She thought about having them help out when they were younger, but just thinking about what such young children can make out her perfectly organized library...the thought still makes her shudder to this day.

Once again, Kaeya is salty nobody says anything to Lisa about having her kids here. ("They're WORKING Kaeya! Do you even know where your child is right now?!" "I'm sure they headed towards the barracks, they've been awfully curious about our armory lately." Jean is about to explode.)

[ufolliegy]

how would benrey transformer meet gordon?

Ok, I have to preface this by stating I am not a writer. So if any of this sounds dumb. That’s why.

Anyway, I'm gonna infodump to you about my tf au now. This is gonna be kinda like an outline for a fic if I ever would write a fic about it. Don't take it too seriously.

Benrey is a defected Decepticon living on Earth. He arrived on Earth with a couple other bots, but they found him annoying and ditched his ass pretty early on. Not that he really cared much, he prefers to be on his own anyway. 

Benrey hangs around on Earth for a while. He finds human culture fascinating and decides to observe it from a distance. 

Unfortunately for Benrey, Energon is pretty hard to come by on Earth. He soon realizes that being a Cybertronian living on his own on Earth is almost certainly a death sentence without a proper source of Energon. 

So, he begins searching for a source. He knows he can’t really go back to the Decepticons, after defecting there's no way he’d expect any sympathy from them. Going to the Autobots is obviously out of the question. He’s desperate, but he’s not low enough to go crawling to the Autobots begging for help.

Through his searching Benrey eventually catches wind of a certain research facility located in New Mexico, USA. From what Benrey is able to gather, Black Mesa Research Facility has either located a rare on planet Energon source, or has developed technology similar enough to Cybertronian technology that they are able to synthesize their own Energon. 

While this is wonderful news to Benrey, he also learns that Black Mesa may have captured several other Cybertronians that had been living on Earth similar to himself. He has no doubt that whatever Black Mesa is doing with these Cybertronians, it doesn’t seem pleasant. Unfortunately, this is Benrey’s only lead, he has no choice but to go through with it. Carefully. 

Then like a dumbass, on his way to Black Mesa his Energon reserves run dangerously low. This forces him into a semi-comatose state in the middle of an abandoned desert freeway.

Enter, Gordon Freeman. Gordon is a 27 year old new hire at Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico, USA. He has just recently moved across the country, leaving behind his friends and family to grab this once in a lifetime chance to work at the mysterious research facility. He’s finally found a use for the stupid degree that he worked so hard on. By god, is he gonna use it. 

Just a little while after getting settled into his new life, his trusty old "dad car" finally kicks the bucket. A begrudging and sad Gordon gathers up what little savings he has and heads to the nearest used car lot. 

When he arrives Gordon is less than thrilled. He wasn’t looking for the fanciest car in the first place, god knows he can’t afford that, but so many of these poor old cars look beat to hell and back. 

Eventually, Gordon does find something that catches his eye. It’s a big dark blue SUV. It’s absolutely caked in dust and has a couple good scratches and dents, but other than that it seems to be in alright condition. It drives and that’s all Gordon’s really looking for. Though, he does notice a strange looking purple logo on the steering wheel. He decides not to pay it much mind. 

When Benrey wakes up he’s somewhere he’s never been before. Not that he’s been to very many places on Earth, but this place is completely unfamiliar. It's an uncomfortably tight space with gray walls and a cold concrete floor. He figures he’d been offline for at least a couple weeks, his Energon reserve’s weak attempt to keep him from burning through it completely.

He decides to stay put, not wanting to waste what little Energon he has left, and also because he’s genuinely curious about where he’s found himself. He assumes it could be some sort of human domicile?

After a few hours of waiting around, Benrey hears a door swing open and the overhead lights flick on. Standing in the doorway across from Benrey is a human.

This human has long frizzy auburn hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, a scruffy beard, cute little square glasses, and oh. Oh man. Are those freckles? Aw, he’s kinda cute. Haha- whuh, oh shit, he’s walking over here?

Gordon drives Benrey right into Black Mesa, unaware that his new car is a sentient alien trying to steal from the facility. 

Benrey is thrilled that he’s made it into Black Mesa and he didn’t even have to do anything. But, his excitement is short-lived. Now comes the hardest part, actually getting to the Energon source inside. 

After observing his human captor(?) enter the depths of the facility without problem Benrey devises a fool proof plan to get what he wants. 

While on his way home from Black Mesa Gordon notices when his new car starts to act strange. Very strange. Abruptly, all control of the vehicle is ripped away from Gordon as it veers off the road on its own accord. Speeding through the sparse foliage and rough terrain of the New Mexico desert, Benrey takes Gordon far away from prying human eyes. 

Once Benrey is certain there are no other humans around for miles he unlocks his doors and boots Gordon out of the driver seat onto the dusty desert ground.

Gordon stares up in terror, shock, and genuine confusion at the sight unfolding (literally) in front of him as Benrey transforms. Benrey looms over Gordon as he puts on his very best “scary Decepticon looking to get what he wants” face.

Benrey tries his hardest to get Gordon to fear him, to submit to his master plan of forcing the human to grab the Energon for him. For a bit it works, Benrey is HUGE compared to Gordon and could easily squash him like a bug. Not that Benrey would really wanna do that, that would be kinda icky. 

Then, in classic Benrey fashion, he says something ridiculous that has Gordon going from cowering in fear to doubling over with disbelief and laughter. 

'Benrey: C’mon man, i'm trying to be scary here. Stop laughin’ at me. You even got the credentials to be out here driving, man? Pretty shit at it. You got the papers? You got a, uh- a passport? 

Gordon: I- I’m sorry it's just- Wait, passport? Do you mean like a- a driver’s license? 

Benrey: huh?

Gordon: What the actual fuck are you talking about, man?'

The two of them eventually calm down enough that Gordon isn’t screaming in fear or babbling in disbelief. Benrey explains to Gordon his predicament and why he needs him to go through with his “expert plan” to get to the Energon.

Gordon, for one, isn’t buying it. Gordon argues that there’s no way he’s putting the dream job he just got on the line to help the weird terrifying evil car that kidnapped him. 

Benrey looms over Gordon again, Benrey’s metal face coming closer to Gordon’s than ever before. He leers him down at him, which Gordon very much takes as some sort of threat. 

Then, Benrey stands, stretches his metal joints, and turns around to start walking the other direction into the desert. He tells Gordon that’s fine, and to have good luck making his way home on his own. 

Gordon sputters and yells out after Benrey, shouting for him to wait. He considers his options, as much as he really does not want to help Benrey, dying alone in the middle of the desert is not on his bucket list. Not to mention that even if he does somehow make his way home on his own there's no way he could afford to buy ANOTHER car after he just bought this one. So very cautiously and begrudgingly, Gordon agrees. 

In the end the two form a sort of symbiosis.  Gordon gets to risk his job to help Benrey get the Energon he needs to survive, and Benrey gets to have fun driving Gordon around on cute little trips to the grocery store and stuff. The two of them might get caught by Black Mesa for their crimes in the future, but it will be fine. They should be able to handle it.

[yagirlwrites]

(Not) My Baby (2)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Synopsis: Y/N demands answers about his strange request. Rafe struggles to explain his reasons without revealing too much.

Warnings: none so far

A/N: Part 2 babies!! A College!AU Rafe Cameron. Enemies to lovers trope. A wedding date needed and a desperate Rafe willing to do whatever it takes to get his way. A fake dating trope. What more can we want, right? If you'd like to see more of these two nemesis let me know! I'd love to know what you thought of this part :)

Series Masterlist

My work is my own; it's not to be copied, transferred or translated (but reblogs are welcome).

Happy reading! 🥰

(Not) My Baby (Part 2)

"You're serious?!" Her volume caught the attention of a few patrons and they both quickly ducked down. "Are you seriously asking me to be your date?" This time a semi whisper as to not invite any more curious glances. As if it was a shameful subject they were engaging in. Illegal, almost. And frankly it felt like it was.

"Yes. I'm serious." His face was still red, voice low and raspy. She had to refrain from cringing at how awkward he looked, how uncomfortable this whole situation was.

"No offence, but it seems to me like maybe I should call 911. Right? I mean the only explanation that makes any sense is that you're having a psychotic break." She wasn't sure how much of what she said was a joke and how much was genuine. She felt worried.

His face got even redder. He looked like a tomato. It would have been quite funny if it wasn't so concerning.

"I'm not-" He had take a deep breath to calm himself down. "I am not having a psychotic break. Can you please cool it with the theatrics?"

"What else am I supposed to think, Rafe? You literally told me you hated me this morning and now you're asking me to go to a wedding with you? Can you see how insane that sounds?" His brows were furrowed and he felt himself growing more and more impatient with her.

"Look, I'm just gonna go. It's fine. We don't have to ever talk again-" she was moving to stand when his hand met hers and she froze in her seat.

"I need you to calm down and listen to me." She looked unsure of weather she should stay or bolt. "Please..." She sank back into her seat at that. She'd never heard him sound that desperate before.

"Let me explain?" He was nodding his head encouragingly, like he was talking to a small scared child. It didn't feel that off in that moment. She had no clue what to do or how to act - well and truly lost.

She just sat there, frigid, waiting for him to speak. He was still half way embarassed and exasperated. His nerves were making a reapearrance and he was playing with his hands on the table again.

"Look." A deep breath. A sigh. "My dad... he uh - he has certain expectations of me. And I know that he wants me to have a date to this wedding because he always thinks he knows what's best. And what's best is what looks good to everyone else. You know?"

"I know he's gonna set me up with some girl I have no interest in and I'd have to spend the whole thing entertaining her and playing the part of the perfect son. It always happens at these events." Another deep breath and exhale.

"And this is the one time that I actually wanna just be there. Like it's the only wedding I ever felt kind of excited about. If that makes sense. You know, Lexis - the bride, she's so happy. She managed to actually find someone she wants to spend her life with. That's rare in my experience. And I wanna be there for her and be happy for her and celebrate. But I can't do any of that if I'm stuck with some annoying chick I don't care about. You know what I mean?"

She had to refrain from commenting on the 'chick' part but managed to give a small nod.

"I know you're thinking I can do all that if I just don't get a date but that's not how it works. I'm... expected to have someone on my arm. To look like I'm mature and understand my responsibilities." She was very confused with how any of those things were linked in his mind, but chose to stay silent in hopes he finished the story sooner.

"And I am! I am taking them seriously. So I can't show up looking like I'm still the same Rafe everyone always thought was going nowhere." A deep frown made its way onto her brow as he spoke.

"I need to look responsible! Right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "And well, you're exactly the kind of person that would make that happen!"

"How?" She finally broke her silence. He looked like he was blushing, almost as if he'd forgotten she was there in front of him.

"You're at the top of your classes. You're going places. Everyone knows it. You're gonna be someone some day. And I need that. I need someone hard working and interesting and capable. Someone who knows how to work these crowds of people and I know you can - I've seen you do it." He was looking at her with big eyes, noddding his head as if trying to convice her of his words.

"Rafe... I can think of at least a dozen girls on campus who'd look better at your side. With far better pedigrees and most importantly - who'd want to go with you!" He was chewing on his cheek and she thought he might break skin soon. But she was completely certain of her words and he knew she'd come to that conclusion too.

"My dad always mentions you, you know that?" She shook her head, absolutely taken by surprise at his words.

"Yeah, yeah. Every formal college function he makes an appearance at. He always talks about you. How smart and responsible you are. How you have a vision for your future and you're working to get it. How much he respects people like that. How much he wishes I was one..." The last part was almost a whisper but she heard it. She heard it and it broke her heart a little.

She had had no idea Ward Cameron even knew of her existence, let alone praised her to his son. Although she suspected with the way Rafe was acting, that it was more to shame him than it was to admire her. It made a sliver of anger course through her body. She hated people like that.

Nothing Rafe had said was untrue. She was all of those things. But she never thought he noticed them, or cared. It seemed she was wrong. About many things, she was realizing.

But the fact remained that they couldn't stand each other, so him expecting her to say yes to being his date to a wedding was absurd.

"So let me see if I got this right. You think, because your dad seems to have some kind of respect for me that having me on your arm would... make him respect you too?" The words weren't meant to cut, she wasn't saying anything except the truth, but the ache in his chest was still there all the same.

"Rafe, you don't even like me! We can't be around one another other without getting on each others nerves. Why would I want to go to this?" His moment of silence gave her an opportunity to keep going.

"You said yourself you wanted to enjoy it. So why would you ask me - a person you literally hate - to be your date?"

He knew she was right. It didn't make sense. But he was in a big predicament and he needed her to agree. It was vital. So instead of answering her valid questions, he opted for a diversion. A way to smooth things over. Give her something appealing to consider.

"Because this is an opportunuty for you." His smirk was back and she hated it.

"Is that so?" Her tone was exasperated and she was seriously considering just leaving. What was she wasting her time on?

"I said everyone who's anyone is gonna be there and I meant it. All the major players are going to be at this wedding. Think about it. You're getting into Harvard, everyone knows it. You wanna be a supreme judge?"

The fact that he knew that shook her. Before she could question him though, he continued.

"You need connections. Big ones. You need to know the right people to make it and you know it. So if you wanna make a difference in the world - this wedding? Your golden ticket to those connections."

Now she was thinking. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. She was torn. That was exactly what he was counting on.

She did in fact know he was right but the idea of him flaunting her off to a bunch of rich people made her skin crawl. She wasn't stupid, not by a long shot. She knew damn well that her aspirations were high and that the road there would be treacherous at the best of times. But it was her dream. And she needed to reconcile her goals and the fact that the mere idea of schmoozing a bunch of entitled assholes who spend more money in a day than she would in a year made her feel physically sick. But this was in fact how the world worked. And if she wanted a shot at ever getting to where she needed to be, she had to deal with it.

She hated to admit that this was a good opportunity. She wasn't like the other people who usually get to those places - wasn't born with a silver spoon or a trust fund. She had to work for everything she had. And she worked harder than anyone around her. And she knew she'd work five times harder than most people who are usually at Harvard, who already have a set system of connections without even trying. She did need to meet people like he was describing.

She also knew that his offer wasn't made out of the goodness of his heart. And no matter how much he tried to sweet talk and butter her up, she wasn't going to lose sight of that. She still wasn't satisfied with his reasons for approaching her with this offer and she wasn't letting him get out of telling her the truth.

"Katherine." She finally broke her silence, confusing him.

"Sorry?"

"Katherine Newberry. She's top of her classes, heading places, gonna be somebody someday." She was repeating his words back to him.

"She's the golden girl on campus. Everyone adores her. You know her! So why not ask her? She'd be the perfect date."

Her words seemed to be making him red again. He knew it was all true. She wasn't letting his offer distract her from the real question.

"Why me?"

This was it. All the excuses and reasons he had come up with to try and justify himself were gone. She put him right on the spot and he didn't see a way out. The only thing he could do, the thing he was trying so desperately to avoid, was tell her the truth.

"Because it has to be you!" He was flustered and embarrassed and wanted nothing more than for the earth to open up so he doesn't have to say more.

"Why!?" She was not letting up.

"Because they think we're together."

Silence. You could pratically see her brain trying to process his words. The tension from their table was thick enough to spread over the restaurant.

"I'm sorry, what?" She had hoped to God she had misheard him.

"My family thinks we're a couple." This was not her day at all.

"Why would they think that?" She was trying really hard not to freak out in their public setting. He mumbled something under his breath she couldn't hear.

"What was that?" His face was redder than ever. It was as if awkwardness was seeping from his pores.

"Because I told them." There it was. The most embarrassing moment of his life.

---

Taglist: if anyone wants to be tagged in future work let me know; @r0und3bitch @lurkymurker @tianotfound @wannabestarkeysgirl @wishing-i-was-rafes-princess @goldenjo @emeloyy @kanib45 @clinelyn @storytellingwitht @magnificantmermaid @chiara2dg @mannstarkey @harringtonstudios @totallynotkaibiased @popcrone818 @fangirlwithlou

[bengiyo]

Hidden Agenda Ep 11 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Zo went home to take care of some paperwork, and that allowed us insight into the difficult relationship he has with his mom. She's been extremely hard on him since the Puen situation, and it's created a perfectionist streak in Zo that is all too familiar for me as the son of two educators. Joke came to see Zo at his home, but Zo wasn't ready to come out. Still, the two of them are back to rolling around on the couch together. Meanwhile, Jeng has quit his football club, and Pok is worried.

Oh, starting with a dream of winning? I just know Zo isn't gonna win.

Curious why Joke seems to be only close to his grandmother.

I do like the boxes they tap for the debate.

These new juice cans Oishii is pushing are just too much.

I like that their team won, but Nita won the best speaker award. She's not tied to a romance, and it lets us get two levels of drama. So succeeded as president by leading his team to victory with a sound strategy, but he failed to meet the standard for himself.

Hello, Arm! Glad to see you acting and not just presenting.

They got Zo doing a surprise for Nita when he's so disappointed right now.

I feel for Zo. It's difficult to work as hard as you can and it still not feel like enough. But, Zo, baby, you are kenough.

I like the continuity of showing the rain and having the boys' shoulders be wet when they reach the hospital bed.

I like Zo's mom. This is the kind of complicated relationship I have with my family. They would absolutely hide information from me in the middle of a major event so that I could focus and then tell me after.

Joke is a good partner, and Zo's mom is perceptive. I think they would be great in laws someday. My dad's mom loved my mom. They were really close.

Joong and Dunk are huge. They are towering over the actress playing Zo's mom.

I'm not sure what the deal is with Joke's family this episode.

Okay, I liked Joke holding firm on the small argument about Zo's mom. Whatever Zo may be feeling, his mom was trying to encourage him.

I don't like Joke's shirt. It's been bothering me since he changed out of his uniform.

They all just left all this food out in the table? They didn't wrap it or anything? Thailand is humid and hot. I just know there are bugs everywhere.

It's interesting how Zo and Joke feel kinda distant with their families, and are receiving these awkward offerings from them.

Joke's shirt looks like the movie era TOS Star Trek uniforms.

Very impressive that they made Dunk's big ass look small on this bed without Joke.

Sepsis is very scary. Zo's mom is usually so tough that it's really sticking out how worried and shaken she is.

Okay, Joke silencing Zo to tell him he's not leaving this time was kinda hot.

Wow, this final preview doesn't look that dramatic.

This has been such a strange show. I wish I had watched it more like Horiimiya and not as some sort of mystery implied by the hidden agenda stuff. This has been a rather light experience about two people getting closer and their friends.

[kzele]

Cold Hard Truths

Disclaimer: this story is not for fans of the Peter/Gwen ship! If you are a diehard shipper of them and dislike anything that pokes holes in that ship, do not read! On the flip-side, this is not a story that bashes anyone. It does, however, cast a critical light on Gwen Stacy and her canon choices.

Summary: Peter has very different feelings about the kiss on Thanksgiving than in canon and as much as he cares about Gwen, there are some things to air out if either of them can move forward.

As Peter continued to skate a little more away from Liz and Flash, he heard the scrape of approaching skates and looked up to find Gwen coming near him. He started to wave but the look on her face stopped him.

"You've been avoiding me all week long!"

"What?"

Peter recalled when he had tried contacting Gwen earlier only to get told she wasn't available by her dad when Peter could clearly hear her voice in the background. Didn't she not want to talk to him? He was already getting more confused by the second as to what this was all about.

She crossed her arms and glared a little, "I won't be your second choice."

 Peter really didn't feel like chasing her down to tell her his side of things AGAIN so he grabbed her shoulder, "Okay, look. I was going to tell you this over the phone but maybe this works out better doing this in person. . ."

She turned to look at him with curious, hopeful eyes.

He internally cringed. Saying this was going to SUCK. He took a deep breath and formed the words, "I don't see you as anything more than a friend."

Gwen's jaw dropped, "WHAT?!

People started to look their way, so she hunched her shoulders and dropped her voice, "I mean, you-you don't. . ."

Peter rubbed his eyes and sighed, "No, I don't. I'm sorry."

Gwen looked away, "Then. . .the kiss and the hints I gave. . ."

"Hints? I didn't realize you felt anything like that until you kissed me on Thanksgiving. And I was kinda too much in shock when you kissed me to say anything, " he stated, rather bluntly.

"Oh. . .I see."

She clearly didn't.

Peter felt awful seeing the hurt in her eyes, but it had to be said. The one good thing about the avoidance was that he had some time to review what he felt and ask May for advice. Surprisingly, his aunt was very supportive of his lack of feelings towards Gwen.

*flashback*

"Dear, you don't need to feel guilty about not returning someone's feelings. There's going to be no easy way to say something like this, especially to such an old friend."

Peter frowned, "But what if I say the wrong thing and end the friendship?"

His aunt shook her head, "Peter, unless you say something intentionally cruel and further trample the poor girl's feelings, it won't be you who ends the friendship. Whatever flaws in your upbringing or in you, I know for a fact that you are not naturally cruel nor did we raise to be so. Be straightforward but also be as kind as you can afford to be."

His shoulders deflated, "And if she ends the friendship? Won't it still be my fault?"

At this, May Parker took her nephew's face in her hands and spoke, "That would rest entirely on Gwen's shoulders. If she can't handle being 'just friends' then maybe she was never a friend in the first place. Friendship has a very special place in life and should never be undervalued or tossed away lightly. When Mary-Jane told you she wasn't ready for a serious relationship, did you stop hanging around her or enjoying her company even though you were a little hurt?" 

"No. You're right, Aunt May. Thank you."

She patted his cheek, "Don't mention it, Peter. It's what mothers do."

*end of flashback*

 "I-Gwen, I've always appreciated your friendship and I hope we can keep that going still! Just because I don't feel anything romantic between us doesn't mean I don't still care about you," Peter said while gently gripping her shoulders.

She remained silent both her head and eyes turned downwards.

He looked at her pleadingly, "Forget thinking about me in that way and move on, alright? You'll find that someone at some point and I'll support you 100%. Well, maybe not if they're a serial killer or abusive or something. Other than that I'm behind whoever you choose."

Peter thought he saw her lips twitch at that last part and gave her one last squeeze before letting go.

"Give yourself some time to adjust, alright? I'll see you. . .when I see you," he awkwardly stated before skating away. 

Great note to end that on, Parker, he thought. Gah! He could have kicked himself for making THAT his conversation ender. However, before he could further berate himself on his choice of phrasing. . . 

"Tiger, can we talk?"

Since only one person calls Peter that nickname, it wasn't exactly hard to guess the next person coming up to him. 

"Oh, hey MJ. Sure, I guess. What do you need?"

Mary-Jane Watson looked much less carefree than usual and her next words showed this. 

"What'd you say to Gwen? She looks like you told her Christmas was canceled."

He grimaced.

Wonderful, the rumors are practically starting already. Knowing how gossip mills love a bad guy, Peter will probably be made out to be the next Satan by the time the week is over.

"To make a long story short: she likes me beyond our friendship and I. . .had to explain that I don't see her like that."

MJ's eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms in shock.

"Peter," she said slowly, "she's had feelings for you since the third grade."

Oof. Now he feels worse.

"Oh, wonderful. That's not the best thing to hear when you're hoping for someone to move on quickly."

MJ frowned, "Do you really think Gwen's the one you should be writing off? She's been waiting for you for years and Liz only just started giving you the time of day. And even that still seems divided between you and Flash."

Peter shook his head. "First off, they literally just broke up this fall so of course they aren't over each other yet. Point two, Gwen could have told me much earlier than this year and we could resolved all this ages ago. Point three, neither of those previous points compare to the fact that I can't FORCE myself to like her like that."

"No one's saying you have to force yourself, Tiger. I'm just wondering if you've thought this through enough. You're not a neanderthal by a longshot, but you don't always know how to go about things like feelings. Maybe you should be giving yourself some time to really think before talking like that."

Her voice was set in a soft, coaxing tone but Peter was so done with this conversation and everything else today.

"I've had since Thanksgiving to think about it since she wouldn't return my calls. AND she had her dad stonewall me when the phone was picked up. I heard her talking in the background when he answered the phone, MJ. All she had to say was 'hey, I need some time to think before we talk' and I'd have been happy to wait. But I had no idea what was going on with her at all. If she's loved me since the third grade and we've been friends for even longer than that, why is it SO HARD for her to communicate with me what she wants?"

He knew it was kind of unfair, venting at MJ like this, but he couldn't say this to Gwen after he already took a sledgehammer to her feelings.

She had paused for a long moment and Peter was tempted to skate away like he had previous conversation, when she opened her mouth once more, "She didn't want to ruin the friendship she has with you."

He looked away for a moment before speaking, "I don't want that, either, but it's kinda hard to keep a friendship alive if it's this painful for us to talk to each other. As the social expert between the two of us, Mary-Jane, how much more difficult is it to keep a long-term romance alive if this kind of thing happens all the time?"

Dead silence was his answer as he pinned her stunned face with a searching look, ". . .Yeah. That's what I figured."

His voice held no hints of mockery, just tired expectance.

This time he didn't even bother with excusing himself; Peter just skated in the direction of the hot chocolate stand. Solitude and hot chocolate would really go a long way to improving his mood.

It would be not long after this thought that a lightning bolt hit the ice rink.

[usaigi]

Important question: if we assume that Claire Temple is Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican like Rosario, how does Mexican!Matt relate to her when she fishes him out of a dumpster? I don’t know if her specific heritage is a factor; I'm just kind of curious how you see two Latinx people meeting as opposed to when Matt was broadly Irish.

Omg what an amazing question thank you thank you

If Matt was at all conscious while Santiago and Claire were carrying him up and he heard them speak Spanish, I think Matt would instinctively tell Claire not to call in the cops in Spanish. Then they'd have the following conversation in Spanish until they both simultaneously realize that the other also speaks English.

But, I think Claire would subsciously see Mexican!Matt as someone from her community trying to help their community instead of an well meaning outsider and trust him sooner. And while I won't call canon!Matt a "well-meaning outsider," it's based on first impressions. Claire doesn't know Matt was raised by a single dad in that same neighborhood who struggled to pay the bill and worked his way through law school, Claire just sees some white dude in her dumpster. She's heard the rumors of the guy in a black mask fighting crime but she doesn't know what his motivates are. As far as she knows, it's just some rich dude chasing fame and hoping to be recruited by the Avengers.

I think the show does an good job as showing class solidarity in Hell's Kitchen. The people most vulnerable to violent crime are poor people, not one specific ethnic group. Mrs. Cardenas and her neighbors weren't targeted because they're POC or lack English skills or are predominately undocumented workers, they were targeted because they were poor. Still, even when there is class solidarity in a community, it doesn't erase racism. A poor white person life experience will be different from a poor Latino or Black person.

Speaking from my own community (undocumented Latino) there is a great fear of calling the police due to fear of deportation and the involvement of ICE. Cops in LATAM are notoriously corrupt as well, so it's reasonable to believe that a lot of immigrants are generally distrustful of cops in the states because they're so corrupt in their home country. If you had a traumatic experience in your home country, you're not going to trust cops in the US. Because of this, I feel like the Latino community would be more support of vigilantes like Daredevil simply because they're not associated with law enforcement.

I don't think Matt and Claire's relationship would change too much since I don't think it took Claire too long to realize that canon!Matt was fighting because he cares about his city/the people (and not because of a white savior complex or ego or whatever). I have to assume that Claire had some discussion about race and crime with canon!Matt beforing fully enforcing his vigilante ways. You can't really be anti-crime without being actively anti-racist.

Mexican!Matt relationship with Luke Cage (and Danny because I hc him as Washian in my AU) might be different. Maybe there some unspoken solidarity. Or maybe there just more room for comedy

*Karen, Foggy, Jess and Trish talking in a circle*

Colleen: Are you guys better not start singing Sweet Caroline.

Matt: 🤭

Claire: Don't laugh canelo, you're already on thin ice

Matt: Hey! >:(

[capybaraonabicycle]

Dragon's teeth🦷 and fire🔥

Thank you so much!! I will send you one, too, if that's alright <3

Still gonna talk about the cat fic because that's on my mind like every day right now.

Teeth: share a snippet that was difficult for you to nail down/required a lot of revisions.

Since I have not really done any proper editing yet, I can give you something I am not happy with yet? I might completely cut it from the work, actually, but it has changed already and probably will again. The main points are

I need to do a lot more research on dyspraxia because I want River to be a little supportive at least and not completely out of her depths like I am feeling

I should maybe not have Ryan talk about Yaz's love life behind her back? I know he's bound to be curious but I think he'd let her have her privacy and try not to get involved unless she asks him to. Idk I might keep it but make River bring her up instead? But like, I also don't think River would talk about Yaz to him behind her back and it could very quickly come off as objectifying - which she definitely isn't above but not with someone like Yaz who she genuinely cares about and who does not know her very well. Teasingly to her face? Maybe. But not behind her back.

"Mate, I'm just not sure I should be shooting a weapon" Ryan admitted. "Not that I don't want to, but - real life isn't GTA and I have not had proper weapons training - not like you or Yaz. And if you're actually going to shoot these aliens - I am not sure I can do that." There was a small pause, then River said: "The Doctor would be proud of you." "Yeah" Ryan said and Yaz could tell her was uncomfortable with the subject but secretly pleased. "Whatever." "I'll just fetch you some defensive weapons then" River decided. "To be safe. And you can be the one to apply the memory stick while Yaz and I distract them." "That means creeping around their station unseen" Ryan figured. "There were a bunch of ledges and ladders there." "I know" River's voice was more gentle than Yaz had heard it before. "But you can do this. You'll take it slow and if you stumble, you get up again. We'll give you plenty of time. Yaz is good in a fight, I can tell." "Thanks" Ryan said. He didn't sound completely convinced, but a tad reassured. For a while they were silent, the only sound their rummaging around, then he asked something that made Yaz's heart stop. "Do you fancy her? Yaz?" "Obviously" River answered. "I have not been subtle, darling." "Sorry if I originally assumed your taste in romantic partners was strange, being married to the Doctor and all" he deadpanned and she laughed loudly. "Be careful, kid, don't disrespect your dad." Ryan spluttered. "I don't think of the Doctor as my dad!" he insisted. "Oh, you do!" River said and Yaz had to bite her hand to muffle her snickering. "I've seen you two together. It's adorable!" "Whatever" Ryan huffed. "Why are you asking about Yaz?" River asked. "Want to give me the shovel talk? You should remember that you're talking to the most dangerous assassin of the 52nd century. I don't think you could threaten me if you tried." "I could hide the whiskey?" he offered. "And I was wrong" River claimed good-naturedly. "See? I know all your weaknesses" Ryan said. "No, but seriously, I'm not giving any shovel talks. I know that Yaz can look out for herself. I guess I was just curious, her being my best friend and all. Don't want her to get hurt. But like, she can make her own decisions, of course. I'm merely ready to hold you still so she can punch you when push comes to shove." "Noted" River said. "You're a good friend to her." "I try."

Mmmhya, Idk. I think there is ample reason for Yaz to eavesdrop on them and I like the opportunity to show them together a little. I like to think that they would be best friends immediately, seeing as how they spent so much time together when River was a cat. So to generally HAVE this scene is a good idea imo. But I'm really unsure about the execution.

Fire: share a snippet with some dialogue you’d like to show off.

To be fair, I am not entirely sure, Yaz would say 'no biggie'. So I might have to look for an alternative there. But I had so much fun writing that bit of dialogue:

"Great" Yaz muttered. "The Doctor's wife has kissed me. No biggie." "And she would do it again if you asked her to" River winked, pushing herself off the clothing rack and past Yaz, closer than would have been necessary. "Come on, darling, let's go save our wife, then!" "She isn't my wife" Yaz called, hurrying after her. River threw a glance over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling. "-yet." "Stop it" Yaz huffed. This was all giving her way more hope than was good for her. "Hah" River tipped her head back again, grinning at the ceiling. "Make me!" Yaz shook her head to herself. "And here I thought you were insufferable as a cat." "Oh, honey, you haven't seen the half of it yet!"

Just to clarify : Yaz loves Siren very much. The 'insufferable' refers to her aggressively shipping thasmin. Also, they haven't actually kissed. I mean, not like that. Really, for a shipping fic there have been precious few kisses so far. (but loads of platonic handholding and platonic (?) cuddling ❤️)

Hope you liked the snippets! Despite one of them being - let's say unfinished. But I am kinda thriving, having sent the Doctor away and giving Yaz and Ryan some time to get to know River before seeing them together. I think that was a good decision, for me personally mostly :)

[dredshirtroberts]

Everyone in here is already in the phone tree for when we go kill my parents, right? (for legal reasons this is a joke)

echocardiogram provided a few revelations for me. Well... it provided one, but then there followed several stemming from that one so you know. six a one, half a dozen a the other, etc.etc.etc.

I need to schedule to see the cardiologist for real this time (so far it's just been cardiology-related tests and therefore mainly techs and nurses i've dealt with there), because they found an Anomaly in my heart wall that allowed a little of the red color to go where only blue color was supposed to go, and also that anomaly was really the only physical thing they could see, which doesn't explain the tachycardia symptoms i'm also having. This is a very fun ride to be on, in case you're curious, by the way (sarcastic).

There are better tests with which to diagnose whatever the anomaly was, but one of the things we floated around was a possible hole allowing blood to go where it wasn't supposed to go yet. Because i have brain beasts that get feisty when I don't know information about medical stuff, I finally decided to look up potential causes for holes in the heart, or other wall-related weaknesses.

Almost all heart-holes are there from birth. the symptoms for children match up really scarily well with my childhood (and also for my today me).

The symptoms also match things my mother would frequently complain about. And her father - who i was at one point told had a heart murmur? but i cannot confirm this at this time, and i keep forgetting when I'm on the phone with him and grandma to check if that was a real thing i'm remembering or if i've cross-remembered onto him from someone else.

Did you know if you already have a congenital heart defect or a family history of them, your child is likely to have one too?

Did you know this makes me furious because I've spent my life hiding my shortness of breath because I was told the only reason i'd breathe like that after small bouts of exertion would be because i was out of shape or fat. yes. even while i was running half marathons, and swimming, and tap dancing, all at the same time. yes even as a child who - i've gone back and seen pictures of me as a kid - was not a large child. (and if I had been, that still would not have warranted the teasing and scolding i would get about eating too quickly and breathing so hard, or exertion, or about a million other things related to me feeling poorly and unable to control it - fat is not a bad thing to be and doesn't mean you deserve poor treatment, and it does not mean that you don't deserve care and it doesn't make you a bad person, and none of us deserved that).

I've made bad health decisions. I've done shit to my body that is 100% my fault. I've done shit in my *life* that was bad for me and 100% my fault.

I know when to take blame for shit that's my fault. I also am VERY good at taking blame for things that are in no way my fault nor do i have any control over them whatsoever.

I'm getting slowly better at finally placing blame where it belongs when necessary. Not getting care as a child was not my fault, and I am not to blame for the issues caused because of that. My parents are. Specifically my mother because she was the primary parent who was stay-at-home and also shared the symptoms i have the biggest problem with now. I mean I know it's hate on my mom week but like. I was not expecting to have a whole new reason to be upset with her like this.

My dad's an ass, and he sucks for a lot of reasons but he wasn't home a lot when i was a kid and he was very much Working when he was home more later. It's an explanation not an excuse - he should have still noticed shit. but i get why he didn't.

I think i'm hella fucking lucky the strep throat+cold combo i had for like 3 weeks in fifth grade that the doctors initially thought might have been mono didn't kill me. I think i'm fucking *amazing* for having done as much physical activity as i did for as long as I was able to keep up with it considering i was not allowed to "slack off" because no one believed I was experiencing the symptoms i was having.

I think i'm a goddamn warrior for getting to the point where i could actually take care of myself and frankly i think i'm doing a hell of a lot better physically than i could be considering all of the contributing factors to how i feel most days.

I am surrounded by love and affection and it's more than i can bear sometimes, especially looking back at how alone I used to be. I pick that smaller me up in my arms. I hold her and I tell her it's going to be okay.

And then I sit down because i should not be holding anything larger than a cat for anything longer than a couple seconds or my heart goes nuts.

[piss-stained-jorts]

list of notable customers from my job working at Dollar Tree for a year, in no particular order

Handsome Cashier from Electronics Express who is always polite. loves to come in for snacks and a quick hello

Old Bald Man who liked to complain about being old. doesn't complain about it as much anymore. fun to do that midwestern dad bit of "aaaay who let you in here old man?" with

NEWCOMER to the list just met today! honest and polite Candy Cane Man. let me take my time finishing a task i had been doing. i "accidentally" rang up 15 candy canes instead of 16 as thanks for this politeness. he returned to the store, gave me the candy cane and a dollar, and told me I had rang him up incorrectly. also handsome

Green. that's what he said his name is. rides a bike and just recently got himself a job! good on ya, Green!

Kid Who Stands Next To Me. doesn't come around anymore. i pretend she's annoying me and she "annoys" me on purpose. both of us are committed to the bit

Quarter Boy (ft. Question Sister). two curious kids with parents who do not give a fuck. no sense of boundaries, so me and the other cashiers kept wondering if he belonged to one of us. he doesn't. just kinda runs amok in the store shaking people down for quarters. i probably shouldn't enable him by giving him quarters, but it's funny. Quarter Boy and Question Sister love to ask questions about literally anything and everything they see

Balding Gay Man. slightly extra and kind. would be sassy if he weren't a total sweetheart, i think. always has a smile for me and calls me things like "honey" and "love." broke as the rest of us. has a balding spot in his 20s/30s. he's either just naturally very friendly, or he's worked retail before and wants to make my life easier. not sure which it is, and i don't care because i win, whatever the answer is

Old Man Who Likes To Guess The Total Before I Give It. doesn't do this much anymore since the new taxes have made guessing the total more tricky. he's either a wretched, unwavering conservative, or the kind of guy you could have a nice lemonade with. hard to tell

Lady Who Might Be Flirting With Me. the first time she met me, she called me "pretty face." She also calls one of the other female cashiers this. not sure if socially awkward and kind, or flirty and kind. not gay myself, but would prefer it to be the latter. a currency i can't spend is still valuable!

Stationary Lady. freckly ginger lady who shares my love of stationary. she bought me a highlighter!

Guy Who Works At The Dicks Sporting Goods Next Door. not much to say about him. he's just a regular, so i recognize him whenever he comes in

DISHONORABLE MENTION: Hug Man. he always wants a hug, and I'm too conflict-avoidant to say no. he's not a jerk, but i don't like hugs from men i'm not close to. that's dangerous. i'd rather endure physical contact from a stranger than ever make someone mad or awkward at me, so I just kinda go with it

HONORABLE MENTION: Every Old Man Who Wears A Particular Kind Of Hat. there's a style of hat that reminds me of someone I used to know. big cool internet guy who thought i was cool and told me i'm good at art. wore a hat like that

[sea-side-scribbles]

My Friend Norbert

link to ao3

Chapter 6

Norbert could only wonder about that strange boy. When they sat on the roof and Arthur told him stories about the ruins in the district, he was completely immersed in his own world. All of a sudden the shy boy was talking without pause and he seemed to enjoy that somebody listened. Norbert had to admit that he made his stories sound very fun and he wished they could look into some of these ruins right away.

On the other hand, he knew that they would actually dig into other people's secrets. And some of these people probably met their death during the bombings and now people rummaged through their stuff, read their diaries, laughed at their pointless squabbles, looked at their holiday photos of better, far away days...

Norbert was glad he didn't live right next to the ruins, even though he felt just as curious about them as everyone else. He just didn't like sad endings. Arthur didn't seem to be bothered by this. The ruins were his home, so it seemed. And Norbert had to wonder again. Why would a boy like him spend so much time here? Alone? There was no reason he couldn't bring a group of friends to play cops and robbers or whatever. Unless...

He thought back to the first moment they met. Arthur had been surprised and also a tiny bit afraid...He had been about to bolt and at first, Norbert had assumed he was just shy. But what if he mustn't be found? He was thirteen.

But otherwise, why would he then stroll around in the ruins with him? And why would he go home every evening? Well, he didn't know about every evening. Still, it didn't make sense.

“Hey, Norbert? Do you listen to me?” Startled, he jerked his head around to see a devastated Arthur. “I bore you, right?” His voice was about to break. “No”, Norbert was quick to reply. “That sounds like fun.” “Yeah...”, Arthur rather sighed than said. He hugged himself and gave the landscape a gloomy stare. “Don't be like that! I was just thinking about...something...” “Your band?”, Arthur asked into the blue. Norbert was happy to catch the straw. “Yeah, that's it! We're having another gig soon...” Arthur didn't look at him. He just huffed.

“You know what's funny? I see it when you're lying. It looks the same on everyone...” He knew how his dad looked when he pretended to listen or made up a story why he needed to leave the house. When he cared enough to explain anything, that was. He lied on good days. But he lied. Arthur wondered why the Bobby at the train station hadn't caught him lying. It would've changed everything. Perhaps for the better. Perhaps he was just too good at lying. The only thing he was actually good at. That and being stupid. He deserved everything that happened to him. And now Norbert would make up a story about why he needed to leave him. Because it didn't work. And he would never come back.

“I'm not lying!”, Norbert protested, but Arthur's expression didn't change. After saying it out loud, the words even sounded hollow to himself. “Okay, you got me!” He threw up his arms. “I was thinking about something else, okay? But not because I'm bored.” “Yeah”, Arthur sighed again. Otherwise he didn't move at all. Norbert tried it with a nudge against his sides. “Hey...” The touch gave Arthur goosebumps, but he was determined to resist. The older boy didn't give up, though. “What's that long face? Are you bored? Is it me? Am I boring? Come on, say something, Arthur...” His constant teasing and tickling forced a smile into Arthur's face. Then he giggled and winded, fighting off Norbert's hands. They play-fought for a while, then there was that paralysing second of them holding hands before Norbert let go. Arthur's heart was pounding and he was sure his cheeks were bright red.

“You're so mean...”, he gasped. “Nah...maybe a bit”, Norbert half-confessed with a grin that Arthur couldn't view for too long. The older boy was glad to see Arthur smile again. It felt wrong to hurt this boy even more. Because he looked hurt. When he wasn't shy or scared or even cheeky when he had the courage. Who would hurt him?

“Soo...”, he glanced over the landscape. “Where were we?” “You really want to hear it?” “Yeah. Just go on.” Arthur dared to view him and he liked how the wind ruffled his already messy hair. “Er...” He needed a second to remember. “I guess that's all I had for this area. There are more houses that we can't see from here. I know them too but it's perhaps more interesting when we can look at them...” It wasn't that Arthur had nothing to say about them, but it suddenly felt difficult to dive back into his adventures. As if Norbert woke him up. And now he was afraid to say more. “Well, if you say so...” the older boy gave him a teasing look. “Yeah, I think that makes sense...”, Arthur rambled.

Norbert chuckled - and then spat out his bubble gum. It flew over to the neighbour's house, almost landed on the window and got stuck on the wall underneath it. “Ah, close enough”, he commented his own skills and wiped his mouth. Arthur found that his bubble gum was tasteless now, too. He gathered his courage and spat it out. Sadly, it didn't even land close to the wall. “Aww...” Norbert followed it's fall with his eyes. Pitifully. “I had headwind, okay?” “Oh, sure...” Norbert nodded weightily. “These awful sudden garden winds...Ruins every spitting-career.” “You're mean again.” “You're welcome.”

Arthur just laughed helplessly and Norbert sat beside him and smiled. After a while, he said the painful words: “It's getting late, Arthur. We should go home.” “U-huh...” He couldn't pretend to be enthusiastic about it, but to his luck, Norbert didn't dig deeper. They climbed down, Norbert shouldered his guitar again and they made their way through the district as always.

“Arthur?”, Norbert suddenly asked with a very worried tone. “Yeah?” Arthur braced himself for the following. “Is...something wrong?” “No, no...I mean...school's tomorrow, that always stinks...”, he explained quickly. It wasn't even a lie. Norbert's chuckle didn't sound as joyful as usual. “It's not...about your home, right?”, he went on. Arthur now was rather confused than nervous. “No. Everything's fine there. As fine as it can be...” He stopped himself. He shouldn't tell Norbert so much about his family drama. Would just sound...weird. And Percy. He should never talk about Percy.

Norbert nodded and fell quiet. Of course, with the mother dead...it wasn't a happy situation. But it didn't mean that there was something especially off about Arthur. Perhaps he just ran off into the ruins because he wanted to...forget? “Is your father...mad because you stay away for so long?”, he asked quietly. He didn't want to give up yet. “Nah.” The answer came quickly and confidently. “He's fine with it.” It was enough to drive him mad! Arthur sounded honest but there was still something weird about all this. Also, Arthur became taciturn and very...sad. Of course it could've been because it was Sunday evening and he could have problems in school that had nothing to do with his age...But still...

“Sounds like your dad is really cool, huh? Lets you stay out all day...”, Norbert tried it from another angle. He surprised Arthur with it. He had never seen it like that. To him, a 'cool' dad, if that was possible, would be rather nice and less indifferent. “I guess...”, he said slowly. “I mean, why not?” Norbert deflated again. There was just no way to get into this boy's secrets. Not the subtle way at least. And in the end, it was none of his business. “Yeah, why not...”, he sighed. He had underestimated his tone. Arthur downright flared up. “What? What's wrong with my dad?

He made Norbert wince. “Nothing! I didn't mean to...suggest anything.” “U-huh.” The younger boy didn't believe him. “Really! I'm sorry if I sounded like that!” A tiny feeling crept through Arthur's anger. The words. He was sorry. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he didn't know why. Because of his anger or because it was so...strange? Who had ever been sorry for him? He eyed Norbert who looked honestly sorry, who shouldn't be because he was older, who should just laugh it off and move on. “Arthur, there's nothing wrong with your dad! I was just wondering...And I don't even know why! Just forget it, okay? I don't know what I'm talking about anyway! I don't know how dads are because I don't have one!”

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Norbert again who stared at the muddy pathway under his feet. “I'm sorry”, he said quietly. “Don't be. I'm fine. But sometimes I ask weird questions, okay?” “Okay.” Arthur fell quiet again and Norbert was sorry for his outburst. His questions had nothing to do with his dad. Arthur shouldn't feel guilty about it. But he couldn't turn back now. After all, at least he created a believable reason for his strange interrogation.

“Is your dad gone for long?”, Arthur suddenly went on. He didn't now why he brought it up. He felt as if it was something they had in common and they could talk about it. As if he could tell him how much he missed his mum. “Yeah...he was drafted for the war and never came back...”, Norbert answered while still eyeing the ground. He had told this story a few times already and he almost always used the same words. “The weird thing is...I barely remember him. Sometime I think I remember his voice or...his face. I don't know what he would be like now.”

Arthur still couldn't help but feel that Norbert was better off. If he could send his father away and get his mother back, it would be a good deal. Then he felt bitter about his thought. Once, he had liked his father just as much. In a way, he could also barely remember how his father had been in the better days. “My mum...she was sick...A few years ago...”, was all he could produce. “I'm sorry.” Norbert thought it was harder to lose someone who had been around for a long time. “Yeah, but my dad lets me do what I want at the weekends, so I guess that is pretty cool”, Arthur tried to turn the conversation around. “Yeah...” Norbert smiled at him. There was a bit of sadness in it, but it was nonetheless a friendly gesture. Arthur had to crack a smile as well.

He had to fight back tears again because he wanted to say so much more. About everything. But he couldn't just burst out like that. He would chase the older boy off. Norbert was still a stranger and had no reason to care about a wailing child. Be strong, Arthur, he told himself. Sometimes your dad is right. Don't cry.

Norbert had different thoughts now. Perhaps Arthur's dad just felt sorry for him and let him handle his mum's death his own way. Perhaps he wanted to be alone, too. Also, Norbert felt relief since the most horrible option became less and less probable. He acted out that relief by slapping Arthur's shoulder. The boy smiled back, warmed up a little. “Care for a race?”, Norbert asked. Arthur gave him a surprised stare. “Ah, nevermind, I'm faster than you anyway.” “To my house?”, the younger boy asked. “Yup.” “I'll destroy you!” With that, Arthur dashed away.

Norbert almost regretted his decision. The younger boy was really fast and in addition, he had his precious guitar on his back. Luckily, he had longer legs, so he could keep up well enough to not lose him. They earned stares and insults by some bystanders that were still out on the street, but despite that, they just had fun. One time, Arthur turned around to shout at him: “Come on, slowcoach! Or do you want me to carry you?” Norbert didn't mind the tease. He was glad that the shy boy warmed up. He liked him cheeky, not on the verge of tears.

Eventually, they reached Arthur's house and the younger boy waited for him in the front garden, heavily panting. “You're okay?”, Norbert asked a little concerned. “Me? What's with you? Turned your ankle or something?” Well, at least he still had a big mouth. “I had to hold back to protect my guitar”, Norbert explained pompously. “Ah, yeah, how convenient.” “Shut it, you...” He took revenge by poking the boy's sides. Arthur chuckled. “Stop! That's unfair!” “Aww, you're right. You won! You're just too fast for me.” Norbert surrendered with his arms up. “Maybe you do better next time.” “Maybe.”

Arthur became nervous. “So...you do come back next weekend? There is still a lot you didn't see”, he promised without having anything in mind. He would promise Norbert a trip to the moon if only he would see him again. “Sure thing. You made me curious already.” “I'm glad. I mean that's great.” Arthur couldn't help smiling his widest smile and blush. Norbert returned the smile before he said: “Good night then, Arthur. Have a good time.” “You too, Norbert. You play with your band?” “You bet.” “Aww, I wish I could hear you.” Arthur poured his heart to him. He wished Norbert would say 'Come with me'. But of course he didn't. “Perhaps you see me in a concert one day.” “That would be cool.” Arthur had the feeling that he'd dream of this now. “Alright then...”

Sadly, Norbert wanted to leave and Arthur had to let him go. He watched the older boy walk away until he vanished behind a corner. The urge to run after him was strong. But what good would that do? Would just creep Norbert out. Reluctantly, Arthur put a hand on the cold latch of his front door and went inside. The floor was dark, but there was light in the living room and the faint sound of music filled the air. The radio. He didn't try to talk to his dad. He wouldn't care anyway. Instead he grabbed the leftovers from the kitchen and went upstairs.

The entire night, he thought of Norbert. Sometimes him with the band, sometimes him alone. But he always paid attention to Arthur, his favourite listener. It was a good dream.

[silentsundown]

Saw the trailer for the horse pack. Curious about the townies. But most importantly ARGH I MISS RIDING SO MUCH.

I just so badly want to get on a horse right now and just ride a trail or have a walk, or simply spend time around horses, smelling them, and hearing the sound of hooves, but I miss riding so much. There's a pony club in my town that I used to attend years ago but first, I'm not sure adults are very welcome there (it's mostly kids who ride), and second, the owners aren't great people. Besides I hate the equestrian world. It's so full of arrogant, vain and mean-spirited people who only care for competition, and my favourite thing about horses is the bond I share with them and going on adventures with them, not the lessons nor jumping or whatever. Unfortunately those who like this side of horse riding seem to be the minority. I also don't have my driving license.

I wish I had the money to share a horse, not sure how it's called in English but basically when you can ride and take care of someone else's horse without being the legal owner. I did use to have a horse kinda, but legally he was my dad's and I haven't been able to see him in years (since I was 16 or so) because my mother hates the ranchers who he was borded at and it's a 60km drive from here, and she hated going there anyway because that would mean having to wait for me while I'm done taking care of him + riding him potentially, really impractical and I felt guilt tripped kinda. I think he was rehomed by my dad anyway. I never got to say goodbye to him and it breaks my heart. I hardly had the chance to have him all to myself already, because he was on a half board in the clubs I rode in and ridden by other riders. Money issues. I wish I had the chance to have a horse for real, with the responsibilities. I was just too young then.

I'd love to actually have a couple horses during my lifetime, for real. One for me and a second one, an old or disabled one, who keeps the other company. The thing is, I'd need the space and the money.

What I love about horses is, when you talk to them, they listen. In every club I've been in, I was the only one to talk to my mount pretty much. I even had instructors tell me to shut up and use my legs instead. But those ears always listened. I'm pretty sure this is partly why in 7 years of riding almost no horse has tried to send me off their back, except for two. One was a pony who generally wasn't fond of being ridden, the second, I suspect she was abused by riders at my then club, because she was entirely normal when she arrived, and then her personality changed and she became the kind of horse to throw riders off her back. Also, I wasn't hard on them. I learned to be just firm enough, and I was always patting them on the neck during the lesson. In short, I think they could feel the love.

I also would take care of them before and after the lesson when possible. Sure, that would get me called weird or even get disliked by fellow riders, but honestly, I'd 100% be the weirdo of the club rather than treating horses like a mere commodity. We may ride them, use them for work, eat them also, but they deserve to be well taken care of regardless.

[clownpi]

Hey Clown, I've got an idea!

So, instead of Powder going with Silco at the end of act 1, she just books it away from everyone, like she just runs till her feet have blisters, she can hardly breath and her legs give out. Powder basically ran all the way to the outskirts of Zaun and she passes tfuck out as you do.

Powder wakes up to be in this small camp that seems to be something of magic and nursed back to health, and guess who helped her out. Bard on request from Janna (Another divine intervention au, my beloved)

I was reading up on Bard lore and saw that he saves people not because they are in danger but because they are important to the world in some way and Powder’s destiny is to free Zaun and Bard being a god that focuses on the bigger picture would definitely save Powder.

Bard being a god with a bigger picture approach doesn't want to baby Powder, so instead to make sure she survives to fulfil her disterny,(Bard is the definition of divine intervention, saves your ass and you blink and he's gone) he gives her some stuff to help her survive out in the wilds (not to sure what he give her, but its stuff you need for these things)

So Powder with her destiny set and no Silco to fuck her up in the head more than she already was, sets out into the wild with a few godly presents keeping a keen eye on her

I'm not sure where Powder’s mental state would be in this due to not having Silco be around her and the state of Zaun being part of her day to day life.

In this au I also want her to somehow be friends with Fiddlesticks, like Janna is like “Powder is a very small child, and I can't really help her too much on her journey coz i dont have much worship, but I could give her a companion that will keep her safe” Looks at the fear demon eating people in Demacia’s countryside “Ah yes. The perfect companion” And Janna just scopes them up and basically threatens them to keep Powder safe or she’ll yeet him into a maze game with Zoe.

So we have this tiny traumatised child that has the gods looking out for her and her best friend, a terrifying unholy fear demon that kills without remorse as our focus.

The thing is, Fiddlesticks actually somehow cares for Powder and is very soft for her, (best Dad Fiddlesticks)

This is also very funny considering that Powder has to go back to Zaun and split the two cities and this 5 foot 3 blue haired teen just rolls up back in Zaun after everyone thinks shes dead with a fucking demon and his murder of crows as her companions, with saying, “Janna sent me here to kick piltover’s ass and get us indpendanse, dont get in my way!” and Fiddlesticks is just leaning over her giving everyone who opposes her a death glare.

Whatcha think?

I like Fiddle getting more love, reminds me I still have to work on that Jinx/Fiddle Soulmates/Reincarnation Fic...

It's a bit hard to fit Fiddle into the role of protector or being soft with anyone just based on how he's written (though canon lore has never stopped me from getting what I want). Though I could see a way of making it working being Bard giving Powder the missing Key that was stolen by Zoe.

She'd have no idea why he gave her this key or what to do with it, Bard just dumps her in the Demacian countryside with an "lol, good luck." He wouldn't care to explain because he already knows she'll be fine, so Janna steps in (in a huge huff about his poor care).

Janna could be the one to give her cryptic messages of what to do with the key. Like "Don't let fear consume you, let the key guide you to where it's meant to be."

Something could happen when Powder puts the key where it should be (maybe connected to the cage?), but it would be after fighting a whole bunch of trauma inducing 'fun' from Fiddle. They wouldn't be going all out for the simple fact she has the key and Fiddle wants it.

Does make me curious as to what Zaun Fiddle would look like, I assume more mechanical like his Praetorian skin? Their main body is made up of whatever garbage they find lying around.

Would actually laugh if they end up killing Silco and Powder just steals his jacket to give to Fiddle, like "Look Fiddle, a new coat!" as Silco bleeds out.

No idea how the fic would progress tho, but it's a fun idea!

[illmetkismet]

Oh god, thank you so much for your time to reply my ask about Leon and Chris settling down. I have to admit, i wouldn't hold any hope for Capcom to do it, especially with the way things are headed with remakes.

I used to love Ada and Leon and i still do in a way but seeing as how they took a completely different route on their "romance" or lack there of, it saddens me that Ada just doesn't look like this person that would ever wanna plant here roots somewhere and actually be happy. And i think for as much as Leon cares about her and ends up trusting her, he does deserve better. I think she knows this too.

So all in all, with the power of fanfic writing and creativity, i'm gonna be a bit corny here probably and i'm sorry for that but i just love giving Leon stability, if that makes sense? I want him to just be happy with someone who will always have his back and be there for him. I want him to grow old and before all that, i'd love for him to become a dad. I think he'd be a good one, and i think it would give him alot of piece of mind and hope. I also wanted Luis to live so badly, i loved his chemistry with Leon. But again, like you said, it's just not what Capcom envisions for their main protags i suppose. Ah well. We don't need a green light from them to explore these characters in numerous ways we'd like, right?

Thank you so much for your time, you're such a lovely and warm person here on tumblr that it's just a delight to see your opinions on this franchise. 🥰

Aw hey thanks anon! It was such a surprise to me to even get your ask, cause I kinda keep to myself and don't really participate in the fandom, but I'm more than happy to talk resi on here :)

As for Leon and Ada - there's a lot of potential there, to me. I love Ada in the 4 remake specifically. They took her in a really cool direction: she's mysterious and sexy, but there's an authentic emotional core to her, where you can feel how fond she is of Leon (and, eventually, Luis) and how conflicted she is about her work. The voice acting and the fantastic subtle facial animations in the cutscenes really sold me on her. I think if they remake 6 with the same sensitivity with which they remade 4 there could be a future for Ada and Leon, because there were some touching moments between them in 6 that started to feel reconciliatory to me, like they're growing to understand and care for each other on a new level. I think if the two of them had a chance, if they felt like they had a choice, they might choose each other, eventually, and I'd be really curious to see what that would look like.

Re: wanting to give Leon stability, that's not corny at all! He deserves peace and quiet and love, however he gets there and whatever it looks like for him. I've read so much fic and have seen so much art where he gets to grow old and content in so many different ways, and it's all very cathartic for me... I guess Capcom could surprise me and come up with a darker ending for him that still feels right to me, I'm not discounting that outright, but for now I'm having a nice time with softer scenarios for him, whether that's with Ada or Luis or Chris or whoever else!

Thanks again for your asks :) There's so much I adore about these games and characters, and that's what I like posting about here. Glad it resonates with you!