#when money is tight the training I'm paying for is the stuff that keeps me from dying sorry

[doberbutts]

Also it's a really fucking dick move to take a post talking about how money becomes an accessibility barrier even if the 'product' is overall worth the price and deride it by pointing out the person saying so has never titled a dog competitively. Maybe because the point of the post was that titling competitively costs more money than many novices make and so of course 'pet titles' that cost ten bucks with training anyone with even mild experience can do at home are going to be prioritized over training and titling costing into the thousands.

Maybe that's why someone who understands the worth of the expensive option but doesn't actually have the money for it buys the book written by that person and takes a cheaper class from someone adjacent to that person instead 🤷‍♂️

Anyway I loved it when I had a conversation with the mondio club I'm checking out after the holidays regarding club dues etc and the very first thing they said was 'we understand novices often cannot afford dues and we will work with any novice experiencing financial barriers to good training to ensure accessibility and inclusivity'. It's the conversation I keep having over and over. If people want these sports to survive then there is going to need to be a serious discussion regarding cost and availability to the people you're trying to get to buy. I can afford dues now but I used to not be able to. You know why I could afford to train in MD and not in PA or CT? Because the clubs in MD said I didn't need to start paying until I started trialing.

People *are* being prevented from getting their feet wet with novice level titles if the training is so expensive it costs more than rent. It can be well worth the price but it still costs more than rent. If you want novices and especially disadvantaged novices to be interested in your sport it needs to not cost more than rent or you need to work out a scholarship program or something.

[bokutoslittlebird]

Request : Omegaverse headcanons for Ushijima, Daichi and Kuroo with there omega is in distress?

I chose different scenarios to cause distress (Ushijima - fear, Daichi - relationship problems, Kuroo - financial difficulty)

Ushijima

> I decided on fear for him because he doesn't understand it. He knows fear exists, but he doesn't fear anything, therefore it is a bit of an enigma for him. It doesn't matter the fear, whether it be ghosts, heights, or bugs. He doesn't get it.

> Let's say you're afraid of heights. He, as a very tall person, doesn't understand that the smaller people (aka smaller than him) tend to not like heights. So, it can be something as simple as walking in a store and being close to the railing on the second floor and suddenly he smells that you're stressing out? He's confused, why are you in distress? Is someone trying to harm you?

> He whisks you away to a different part of the store, away from crowds of people and the railing. With only his scent around you and him scenting you, holding you tight to his body, you find yourself calming down. Then, he asks if you're okay and what happened. "I was too close to the railing, I'm sorry," and he's confused cause what? Why?

> Then you have to explain that you're afraid of heights and seeing the floor below activated that fear. He is still confused, but he thinks he understands that you don't like heights. Of course, he makes sure you're not close to the railing or that he's right beside you so you don't panic and stress out again. He doesn't like it when you're distressed, especially when he can't immediately take the stressor away. So he'll stay beside you to prevent it (or try).

Daichi

> Relationship problems, not with Daichi, but family! Maybe your parents are being really hard on you about getting pregnant because you and Daichi have been together for two years. Maybe it's them having a problem with you doing stuff, like a job or going to school. Either way, there's a rift in the relationship between your and your parents.

> Daichi has a good relationship with his family, so he isn't able to be like "oh, yeah, I get that," but he does understand that families have problems. As a police offer, he has gone through training and is able to take care of any domestic issues (not really but shh). This also includes making sure he can calm down Omegas who are stressed or even Omegas that happen to need advice. Right now, you're both.

> He wraps his arms around you and lets you vent. If you wanna walk around and scream to vent, he'll let you, but he will still hug you when you're done. As his mate, he scents you to calm you down until your scent is less anxious and stressed. When it is, then he talks to you. "What do you wanna do?" "Where do you want to go from here?" "Should you talk it out with them?" etc.

> The main thing is that he's there for you, through it all. If it gets worse, if it gets better, if nothing changes, he's still there. But he will tell you to talk to your family about it, your feelings and your distress. Problems that are never solved don't go away.

Kuroo

> Financial difficulty. Everyone has it. Maybe not now, but maybe they had it in the past. You're working a minimum wage job and struggling to make ends meet and Kuroo offers to pay, but you don't want to depend on him. You can hide the looming problem and hope he doesn't ever learn of them.

> And he probably wouldn't have because you're good at putting on facade, but he decided to visit you in the middle of the day because he got off early/had the day off. So, he's there and you're excited to see him, but then he enters your apartment and you're like "ignore the mess". He's not focused on the mess, but rather the lack of things ? Like he goes to put some sushi he bought in your fridge and there's like four things. Why?

> Then your boss/landlord calls you and suddenly he smells you're in distress. He goes to your room and you're arguing over money. Not getting paid enough/not being able to pay rent and Kuroo is upset at you, but he's also worried because you've been keeping it from him for a reason, obviously. So, when you're done, he goes comforts you.

> "Why not just ask me for help? I have plenty of money to help you," but you don't want his help. You don't want to be dependent on him, but he just continues to scent you and tries to explain its not going to be hurting your independence if he gives you some money to catch up on bills. It's not healthy to deal with it alone and your comfort is much more important than pride and money, in his eyes.

[woolieshubris]

Aquarium Date Fic !! Kagehina, but kag!asd. Kageyama pov. 2k words, oneshot. Tw : Sensory Overload! (it's present throughout the whole fic) Made partially for @spixi and partially so i could prove to myself that i can If there's a typo no there isnt <3 If you are an IRL this post doesn't exist <3

I typed out my message and pressed send, throwing my phone onto my bed.

Maybe I should go grab a snack or something... I think to myself, when I suddenly hear my phone buzzing against my pillow, and I dive to grab it. He replied to my message. That was fast.

Me : Hey we should go to the aquarium tomorrow.

Hinata : Okay :D sounds good 2 me!

Quickly, with my face quickly going beet red, I drop my phone and go to the kitchen to grab something to stuff my face with. I'm shaking, but as long as I walk quietly, I doubt my family will notice I'm even out of my room.

How should I reply? A thumbs up might be good, but it might be too cold. Any other reply is probably too much... Whatever. I'll go with the thumbs up.

I head back into my room and pick up my phone, typing a thumbs up emoji before covering my face again.

F/ck, I need to come up with something to wear, don't I..?

---

I arrive at the train station, feeling like I probably packed too much. I brought a backpack with an extra phone battery, 2 charging cables, (because Hinata has an apple phone,) and a bunch of snacks, as well as a water bottle.

Did I put on deodorant today??? I can't tell... If so, I'm probably already sweating through it. I start to feel sick to my stomach, but I don't have time to finish that thought when I spot Hinata walking in from a distance. He seems to be wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and suddenly I feel overdressed in my jeans.

"Hey! Don't worry, I already bought my train ticket. You ready to go?" He asked while walking up to me. He didn't bring as much as a backpack, and I'm suddenly relieved that I brought so much.

"Yeah. It's coming in 2 minutes. I half expected you to be late." I stated, before realizing what I said. Sh/t! That was rude, wasn't it? I have to be nicer. Ugh. Hinata punctures my worries with a laugh.

"I'm not late that often, am I?" He states. This makes me feel a little worse about my comment.

"Hm. Just often enough." I state, carefully picking my words. I can't backtrack now, but I can try to redirect my speech to seem less biting.

"You only say I'm late because of last time!" He keeps laughing, keeping the mood light. I wish I could speak as easily as him.

"And possibly the time before that?" I reply. This is probably what he wants me to say.

"Shhhhh. What matters is I got here on time AND I have my ticket ready. Don't worry, I also brought enough for the aquarium ticket too!" He states, smiling. His smile is adorable, almost cute enough to distract me from what he just said.

"Oh, I was planning on paying for that." I reply without thinking.

"Ehh? Do you owe me or something? Should I be asking you for money?"

"No, no. I just thought...?" I'm really confused now. I was the one who asked HIM out, right? He knows how these things usually go, right? Maybe he just doesn't know...

"By the way, where are the others? I thought they would have arrived by now."

The... others? What others? The team??? This is a date, right? Wait...

I DIDN'T TELL HIM. I DIDN'T TELL HIM THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DATE. F/CK.

"I didn't invite them." I respond, my subconscious taking care of what my brain is trying to catch up to.

"You really find them that annoying? I know Tsukki and Yamaguchi can be a bit much sometimes but...?" Confusion flashes across Hinata's face.

"I just wanted to hang out with you. Is that a crime?" I answered before my brain could filter out that last comment. It would be useful in getting him to stop pushing, but it's far too rude for a date. Not that Hinata knows that last part anyway. I wish I could take my words back.

"You should be honored that I said yes in the first place." Hinata teases, my face turning red.

If only he knew what he said yes to.

---

Hinata and I managed to keep from fighting on the 30 minute train ride, which was a feat in and of itself.

I can't ruin this date.

"Hey, Kageyama? It looks like there is a student discount, and it also seems like there is a discount for groups. What do you think would be cheaper?" Hinata elbowed me, bringing me back into focus. I look up. He and I are both equally sh/t at math.

"Uh... Let's do the group discount? I'll pay for it. You can pay me back later." As if I'd let him do that. Hinata bought my excuse though.

"Okay! I can buy you lunch or something." He quickly walked up to the desk, and I followed him. "Can we have 2 tickets?"

Wait. Wasn't I supposed to buy them? If I was the one paying, aren't I supposed to ask? Is Hinata planning on paying???

"Oh, sorry, He'll be paying!" Hinata stated, gesturing towards me.

"Yes. Here's the cash." I quickly press down the bills that were almost getting damp from stress. I had already looked online at ticket prices, and made sure to set aside the perfect amount of money for two tickets in my pockets.

"Great! Let's head inside!" Hinata grabs the tickets, holding mine for me. We go up to the metal detector and I get my bag checked. Hinata, possibly because he has my ticket, or possibly out of kindness, waits for me.

"Can you hand me my ticket real quick?" I ask, throwing my bag back onto my shoulder.

"Sure, let's go in." We walk into the main lobby area, waiting to get our tickets checked. The aquarium is beautiful, and oh so huge. The high ceilings, and smell of saltwater, the giant whale sculpture that I can only assume is life size, and the concrete flooring, these things that on a glance are grand, start to give me a pit in my stomach.

"Kageyama! Come on!"

I look at the horizon line, and recenter myself. A quick yet deep breath and I'm ready to go. I walk up, and turn in my ticket in order to get a wristband.

"Kageyama?" Hinata states, causing me to look over at him. "Can you help me put this on? I can never do it by myself." He holds up the paper slip.

"Yeah, sure." I say without thinking. I wrap it around his wrist.

"Hey, make sure not to make it too tight. They are a pain to get off if you don't give them enough breathing room." I nod my head, and make sure to give him a gap.

"There you go." I let go of his arm, realizing just then how warm my hand is. I can feel my face getting warm too.

"Okay, let me do you now." He quickly fits the bracelet to my arm. "It's perfect! Let's go inside. I wanna see this penguin exhibit that I've been hearing so much about. I keep seeing ads for it and I've wanted to see it forever-"

Hinata kept talking. I don't think he ever stopped talking. It's nice though. It makes it easier to not focus on the huge building, or the shifting lighting, or the crowds, or the ambient music that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Yup. I'm not focusing on any of that. Not. At. All.

My feet keep walking, despite my worrying. Hinata eventually slows, stopping before the largest piece of glass I've ever seen in my entire life. A giant tank filled with fish. The glass is taller than my house, longer than 3 busses, and blue and endless enough to make my heart stop in my chest.

F/ck.

Hinata turns around, and finds a bench to sit on, patting the seat next to him, while staring into the blue void. You feel like you have to bow down to its majesty. It is terrifyingly blue, terrifyingly enormous. I have never feared the ocean before, but I fear it in this very moment. A spotted whale shark swims past, paying no attention to the many people standing right against the glass.

"I could sit here forever." Hinata practically whispers. The giant tank orders your complete and utter silence. Even amongst a giant crowd, even with the littlest of children, everyone is quiet. The large speakers playing calming bass tones over the crowd of people, barely vibrating the floor.

"Hm. Me too." I reply. I could sit here forever, I feel like I already have sat here for infinity. Like its presence is something I could never escape. The pit in my stomach grows further. I break eye contact with the tank, reaching in my backpack. The zipper can barely be heard over the ambient noise of people shuffling. Was there always that sound? I bend down to look in my backpack. What was I going to get?

"Do you want a snack? I brought some granola bars." I state as I feel Hinata's eyes looking down at me.

"Actually, that sounds really good right now. I was just thinking about food." He states, bringing his head down to meet mine. I rustle around in my bag, and grab out a bar. It is barely bent. Passing it to him over my shoulder, he grabs it and unwraps it, sitting on the bench with his legs crossed.

"Sooo, what exhibit did you want to see?" He asks, taking a bite after.

"What do you mean?" I reply, choking down the pit in my stomach.

"Like... you invited me out here. So, what was it that you wanted to see?" He takes another bite.

"Uh. I just like fish, I guess." I look over at the tank, trying to avoid his gaze. I doubt he'll buy it, but it doesn't really matter.

"Me too! Let's go into the jellyfish room next? I can see the entrance to the penguins here and it looks packed. Explains why it's so much emptier here." He set his feet back on the ground and stood up, waiting for me to join him.

I leaned back down to zip up my bag, and we walked through a doorway into a smaller, darker room. Blacklights lit up the moon jellies as they calmly glided across the tank. Hinata seemed to drift off, but I didn't mind. It would probably be a good idea to be apart for a bit. I could calm down and collect myself quickly.

I walk up to the tiny seahorse exhibit, and look into the tank. I can't see them at all... I thought, when suddenly, I felt my forehead bump up against the glass.

How did I get close enough to bump up against it?

I go to look for a wall to lean up against. Leaning against something should help keep the pit down. I do a quick glance around the room. There are no walls. Only glass, and only fish. I hate fish.

Taking yet another deep and quick breath, I go back to meet up with Hinata. He was looking at a different kind of seahorse.

"Okay, I think I'm ready to go to the next section now." Hinata said, glancing away from the fish and over to the exit door. I nodded, and lightened up the scowl that was forming on my face. I didn't even notice it was happening until I felt my eyebrows aching from the effort. I just hope he didn’t notice.

The exit of the jellyfish room led to a balcony overlooking a lower floor. This must be the back of the aquarium. Below us there seemed to be a small cafe overlooking the sea.

"Here, let's go get some food! I can pay you back for the ticket that way." Hinata pulled my arm over to the down escalator. I step on right after him, and look down at the cafe.

It was very large, and honestly reminded me more of a cafeteria than a cafe, with lots of seating. After we reach the end of the escalator, he walked over to stand in line and stare at the menu. Looking for a good seat, I grab one right by the large window facing the water and set down my bag. I pull out the small amounts of snacks I've already brought to claim the seat and go over to Hinata.

"Hey, so I'm thinking about getting a sandwich. What do you want?" He stood, facing the menu.

"Honestly, just get me whatever you think I'd like." I state. I can't focus on the menu right now; I just don't have the energy to.

"Hmmm... Okay!" Hinata walks up to the register, while I go back to our seats. I'll probably regret that choice very soon, but I have backup food anyways, and I'm sure he'll eat whatever I don't, so it's not like the food will be wasted.

---

What the hell did he order??

I look at my plate, not quite understanding what the dish is even supposed to be.

"You said to get you whatever." He said with a smile, taking a bite of his sandwich right after.

"Whatever I might LIKE. What even is this?" I poked my dish with a spork, and it seemed to swallow it whole.

"No idea. I just pointed at the dish in the buffet." He shrugged. "I thought it might be funny, but it's less funny than I hoped. I expected more of a reaction." He looked up with the last sentence, making eye contact with me, which I broke a moment after.

"Sorry."

"Sorry? What are you saying sorry for? Since when did you say sorry anyways?" There was slight worry behind his voice, though it was hard to tell through his wide grin. To avoid answering, I quickly shove the food in my face. It's not great, but it's not really all that bad either. It's a little cold from sitting out.

"It's.... good." I say with a stuffed face. This causes him to start laughing again.

"You look super angry! That's the sort of reaction I was expecting." When did I even start scowling again? When I took a bite of the food, probably.

"You try it." I say, stealing a chip from his bag.

"I was the one who bought it anyway. I was half expecting you to make me eat it." Am I really that predictable? He took a bite, and made a variety of expressions, before settling on confusion.

"I wouldn't call it good. Maybe okay? It's definitely at least okay." He nodded to himself, taking a sip of water after.

"So, where to after this?" I ask.

---

We ended up on the train home while the sun was setting. It's almost to our stop. It felt so short, but we ended up hanging out for 5 hours. I almost forgot that I wanted it to be a date. I had to give up on that a while ago.

"Hey, we have to get off soon, get ready." I say, tapping his knee.

"Hm? Oh." He wakes up, blinking a few times and leaning forwards in his seat. He glances out the window.

The train stops, and we walk off onto the station platform.

"See you at practice tomorrow!" He says with a large smile, walking backwards towards the exit.

"See you." I reply, gripping the shoulder straps of my bag. I looked down

"I had a nice time on our date!" and with the last word, he turned around, running out of the station.

My head immediately turned upwards to where he was, as I feel my blood starting to rush to my face.

He... HE KNEW?!?

[hexpea]

Ch. 17 - Kechizu

The next morning, you were jolted awake by Choso's cell phone ringing. It was quite the rude awakening considering he chose the most annoying out of all possible choices. You groaned and threw a pillow over your ear and held it tight against your head until he finally rolled over and answered it.

"Hello?" His groggy morning voice answered. He was sitting up, still shirtless and eyes closed. All along his body were pressure marks from the sheets, a sign of a good night's sleep. He let out a deep yawn as he listened to whoever it was on the other line. "Shit..." Choso suddenly snapped awake and tossed the sheets off of his lap. "Okay, I'll be there." He started awkwardly putting on a sock with one hand but was then able to hang up and properly dress.

"What's going on?" You slowly sat up and watched as he quickly tripped over his own feet to find clothes from his suitcase.

"It's Kechizu," he said quickly, finding a shirt and tossing it over his head. His eyes began scanning the floor for the hair ties that you had tossed away. As someone who had this as a regular routine, you'd figure he'd keep more than just two hair ties around... "He's gotten worse, they're going to take him to the hospital."

"I thought your dad tried to avoid doing that stuff?" You wondered, getting up and joining him in getting ready. He had finally found the hair ties and grabbed his brush from the suitcase.

"He only does it when it's too much to handle anymore," he explained while feverishly brushing out the tangles in his hair. "That means that Kechizu's in a lot of pain so he just wants to take him there for pain management."

"I can't believe how fast this all happened," you mumbled, slipping on your socks. "He was fine before dinner and now, not even forty-eight hours later, he's practically dying." Your voice was soft as if to try and navigate the situation with care.

"No, he is dying," Choso's gaze pierced yours as he held one half of his hair up and began tying the tie around his locks, "these are all the same symptoms my brothers had before they passed, too. It doesn't take long."

"Why haven't the doctors done anything when they saw them? It just...doesn't make sense to me," you shook your head as you slipped on your shoes.

"I think he's paying them off," Choso refused eye contact as he tied his shoe. He had hissed through clenched teeth as if that pressure was the only thing keeping him from exploding with anger.

"You think Noritoshi is killing your brothers and is paying off the doctor's to look the other way?" You tried to capture his thoughts. He simply nodded and stood up from where he was seated. "Why would he do that? You're his sons..." This wasn't the first time this idea was brought up, but you still couldn't wrap your head around it.

"He cares more about his money and his pride and joy than he does us," Choso explained, grabbing the liner and heading to a nearby mirror that hung above a liquor cabinet in the den that you stayed in.

"Why would he have so many then?" You watched Choso as he steadied his hand and began applying the line across his nose. "I'm just having a hard time with comprehending this."

"What's there to comprehend?" Choso pulled away, the line halfway across his nose as he looked over at you. "He's a piece of shit. He's going to do piece of shit things." He turned back and continued applying.

You stayed silent as he threw his wallet into his back pocket and stormed out of Satoru's house. You trailed behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides as he traveled to the train station.

It took some time to get to the hospital and find where Kechizu was staying. When you took your first glance of the boy, he was in terrible shape. Noritoshi, your mother, Eso, and Toshi were all at his side when you both arrived. Tension filled the space immediately.

"What's going on?" Choso asked his father who stared at him with a snobby expression.

"It's some kind of blood disorder," your mom was teared up as she stood at Kechizu's bedside. The boy was out cold and very pale. Choso gave your mother an exasperated look before turning his attention back to his father.

"They say he might not make it through the night," Noritoshi answered through a large sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his dying son with very little emotion.

The group gathered around Kechizu silently for quite some time. No one knew what to say, if anything. The room was still but incredibly tense. Choso sat next to you in two of the hospital chairs at Kechizu's side staring at his father who sat in his own chair across the way. Choso's foot tapped against the floor at a quick pace, the frustration building inside.

"Let's go get some dinner," Noritoshi stood from his chair and looked toward his wife. "Come along, Eso." He gestured toward his son who then stood with him. "You're on your own," he then gestured to you two. "Are you coming, Noritoshi?"

"I think I'll stay here for a bit, don't worry about me," Toshi answered, looking up from his seat.

"Very well," his father sighed before exiting the room with the rest of the family.

"You should leave," Choso glared at his younger brother.

"I'd rather stay," Toshi said quietly, his demeanor unaffected by his elder brother's aggression. "And I think you'll let me stay if I tell you that I think Father's behind all this." Choso's eyes widened and all aggression left the room. "In fact, I bet the doctor he's paying off is still leaving genuine notes." He motioned to the clipboard that hung at the end of the bed.

Choso silently leaned toward the end of the bed and grabbed it, eyes scanning the documents and flipping through the pages. Toshi was right.

"He even put the total bribe he's accepting," Choso's face paled as he handed the clipboard to Toshi. When he took it from his hands, Choso's head hung into his palms as sobs wracked his body. You placed a caring hand on his back as he heaved into his hands.

"Ricin poisoning," Toshi said aloud as his eyes scanned the pages. "No antidote."

"So he's been doing this all along is what you're telling me?" Choso looked up from his hands. His eyelids were red and swollen, his cheeks wet.

"Sounds that way. The only way to make it is through deliberate acts," Toshi explained, "it sounds like it may have been in his food from dinner. Usually these symptoms take longer to appear."

"Great," Choso rolled his eyes and stood, pulling his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and beginning to leave the room. You sheepishly followed him, leaving Toshi alone with Kechizu.

"Are you okay?" You struggled to keep up with him as he moved through the bright, white hallways of the hospital with an unlit cigarette in-between his teeth.

"Peachy," he grunted, reaching into his pocket again for his lighter. He used the other hand to push the door open to head outside. You quickly snuck through the door before it snapped shut.

"Are we gonna' tell the authorities? That'd be the right thing to do, right?" You asked quickly, trying to remedy some of the rage that was emanating from his body.

"No point, he'd just pay them off, too," Choso flicked the lighter repeatedly until the flame stood steady against the tip of the stick. He took a few puffs as usual and then pulled it from his lips. "You should go home." He changed the subject rather quickly.

"No, I'm staying with you," you insisted, a bit offended he would bring up such a thing.

"Go home, Y/N," he gave you an angry look, "you don't need to be with a low-life like me." He said that as if it were a warning of some kind. He looked as though he was about to snap.

"You're not a low-life," you mumbled, your chest beginning to ache as you watched him take another hit.

"Just shut up," he nearly hissed at you. "Go home and be with your mother. Get her out of there, go back to your normal lives before he gets you, too."

"You think he would..." you trailed off, bringing a hand to your lip in thought.

"Who the fuck knows what his prerogative is at this point? It might just be his fucking hobby. Your mom's young, right? Only twenty years older than you, right? She can still have a kid."

"I can't believe what you're saying right now," your voice continued in its quiet tone as your mind began thinking of horrible things.

"Oh believe it, and welcome to my life," he said with the cigarette between his lips, hands outstretching to give a light bow. "Get out while you can."

"I don't care," you swallowed hard, "I choose you. We'll work together and get everyone away from him...no matter what it takes." Choso rolled his eyes again.

"No, Y/N," he sighed, "we're not something that'll work. I don't want to put you in a position where you have to choose me over your own mother. I want you to get away from my family, don't get swept up in this."

"I don't want to..." you said almost inaudibly, looking down at your feet sadly.

"Take your mom and get out," Choso ground down his teeth, jaw tensing between words. "When she gets back, tell her what's going on...get her to take you home or something and tell her there. Then you can go back to your normal lives."

"I don't want to," you repeated again, a little louder.

"Leave!" He shouted at you, the full rage coming out. You took a few steps back, a bit frightened from his volume. "I don't want you here!"

"But...you said you loved me. People who love one another stay with one another through the hard stuff," you said sternly, voice still coming off as strong despite its urge to waver from the knot building in your throat.

"I was just playing," he mumbled, eyes falling to the ground to avoid eye contact.

"What do you mean?" Your voice shook a little at that point, your hands balling into fists.

"I was playing," he repeated but with a more hostile tone, enunciating it to purposefully irritate you. "I don't love you! I don't want anyone! No one! I just wanted to fuck you and I got what I wanted!" Veins popped from his neck as his tone increased. It was becoming harder for you hold back the tears.

"I don't believe you," you clenched your fists harder, nails digging into your palms.

"Go be with Mahito, you've already cheated on him enough," Choso scoffed, sucking hard on the cigarette - it visibly receded with the bright orange flame.

"I...don't...believe you," you whimpered, small tears forming at the corners of your eyes.

"Go," he said again before shifting his body away from you.

You clenched your teeth, the grip on your palms reached its maximum. You stormed in his direction and ripped the cigarette from his mouth before aggressively pressing your mouth to his. You dropped the cigarette on the ground and clenched the fabric of his t-shirt tightly. He was taken aback for a moment before his eyes slowly snapped shut. He lightly whimpered at your sudden touch and his hands found your cheeks. You didn't realize it, but his heart ached. It ached for you. It ached for your mother. It ached for his brothers. He hated that you all were forced to live this life you didn't ask for. He hated that he couldn't do anything about it. His helplessness was his greatest weakness.

"I'm serious," he whispered when you pulled away, his eyes lowly looking into yours. You searched his face for any hint of lying. You wanted him to be lying, that he actually wanted you to stay - but you couldn't find any of that in his expression.

Your emotions were conflicted once more as you silently left him. You couldn't determine if he had really been playing or if he was just saying that to protect you...or at least think he was protecting you.  You had walked back to the room after leaving Choso alone. You explained to your mother that you needed to head back and that you would begin to make plans to leave the home. She quickly let you know that you were permitted to stay, but you insisted finding a place of your own.

You had quite a bit of money saved from years of holiday gifts and allowances. It allowed you to rent a small studio in the city. You would then start your search for a job - a job that would hopefully be flexible with your last semester of university.

That night, you collected your things from Satoru's and slept one last night in your bed. The others had remained at the hospital which made the empty house feel all that much colder.  At about three in the morning, just hours before dawn, your mother called to let you know that Kechizu had passed.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

One quick question, why do you hate Before the Storm? I actually really liked it. It could be because I'm a hopeless romantic, but I just want to see your opinions on it

Oh boy, where to even begin...? I cannot stand bts... it actually hurts my insides to think about how much I hate this game haha.

[note: yeah hi uhhh... this is long because of course it is, it's coming from me but listen, my feelings for this game are not nice and I have a lot to say so.... my bad]

One of the bigger reasons, though not the biggest, is Chloe... I'm not exactly a big fan of Chloe. At all. Not in the first game, nope. I understand that so many people love her and they have their reasons for that, that's fine, she's just a character who doesn't appeal to me. If anything, she pisses me off because I can see the foundation for such a compelling character, but it all gets thrown away for the sake of bullshit.

So then they plop bts in front of us with Chloe as the playable protagonist in a prequel story about her and Rachel Amber. This is an opportunity to expand on her character, to tie into the first season and make me feel more positive feelings about her character, to do what the first game failed to do..... and to be fair, they DO have a few of them sprinkled in... but then they're overshadowed by the garbage.

It's just... the ideas are there, and they're ideas that I like but they're executed so poorly. I want to like Chloe Price, I can see that there's something good here.

Like okay.... lemme do a thing:

Chloe Price. She's going through some serious shit after her dad dies. He died unexpectedly in a car accident, something Chloe had zero control over, it's not fair, and even though it's not like the universe singled her out and said "fuck you," it feels that way to her.

On top of that, her best friend who she adores? She moves away. Not something that's in either of their control, they're kids at this point. However, Max stops contacting her and that hurts Chloe. Chloe tries to stay in contact, but eventually Max stops responding.

Then you have her mother, who's also grieving after losing her husband and dealing with her daughter pushing her away and on the wrong path. She meets a man and falls for him after realizing she still has a long life ahead of her and that's too long to be miserable over her husband's death, William wouldn't want that, and David is a source of comfort for her... something she's not getting from her daughter. The problem is that David and Chloe don't get along in the slightest... which leads to Chloe feeling like her mom is trying to replace her father by moving on, not understanding why Joyce's timeline of grief isn't the same as hers, y'know?

Oh, and can't forget that Chloe has fallen onto a not so great path of drugs, booze, bad grades, lying, staying out late without letting her mom know where she is, pickin' fights, making friends with drug dealers, stealing money and other items, all that. She's bitter, angry, unable to understand most of her own complex emotions and that only makes her even more upset. She's unable to express them in a healthy way, she doesn't ask for help, and denies it whenever offered.

So... Chloe's starts out as an extremely entitled, rude, obnoxious character. She insults the bouncer in the cringiest way possible because these adult men writing her don't know how teen girls talk, she steals money and a t-shirt from a dude who works for the band because $20? how dare? even though bands don't make a lot of money and a lot of profit comes from their merch but who cares about supporting artists you like, right? Chloe sure doesn't. She probably buys some weed from Frank because yeah, she's got a dependence on the stuff now. She gets into a fight with a couple of dudes after spilling beer on them.... but what's this?

Oh look, it's Rachel Amber. Y'know, the pretty, popular, talented, smart, perfect, charismatic girl from Chloe's school?? yeah, she's at the concert and saves Chloe from the dicks who attacked her, and the two girls spend the rest of the concert together.

Now, for some reason, Chloe isn't sure but Rachel has taken a special interest in her. Rachel is flirty, she wants to know who Chloe is, she asks her to skip school with her, and the two take a ride on a train to a park and... honestly? pretty romantic, and it plays into that escapism fantasy thing of having the pretty girl who everyone likes single you out, making you feel special.

Over time, the girls grow close. Rachel has some family problems and seeks comfort in Chloe. They spend nights walking together down empty streets at night, holding hands. They hang out and talk about the stars, they discuss Shakespeare and what it's like to actually be your true self, if there's actually such a thing. They get tattoos together, and Rachel helps Chloe color her hair. They have a special hideout they decorated together in the junkyard. Rachel spends the night at Chloe's enough that she ends up leaving a lot of clothes there. They daydream about running away together, long road trips and living big in LA.

Chloe starts to see Rachel as her angel because for the first time since Max, she feels like she has someone she can be open and honest with. Rachel almost seems too perfect to be true, y'know?

And hey, over time Chloe actually starts to kinda get her life on the right track, if not in an unconventional way. Sure, she's still dealing with losing her father. that's not something she'll just get over... but she does start making an effort with her mom, and yes, even David after he told her about his time in the army and gave her that photo. They both know they'll never be friends, and they'll still have arguments, but they'll at least keep the peace for Joyce's sake.

It's not all perfect, though. Chloe's still smoking and Rachel isn't always the best influence. They get into trouble here and there, but nothing super serious.

She dropped out of Blackwell so that her mom didn't have to keep paying her tuition and because she's fixated on this fantasy of running away with Rachel. Chloe's feeling good about herself, about her future, for the first time since her dad died.

Until Rachel disappears.

And everything goes to shit pretty quick after that. Rachel's gone, she's not answering calls or texts, and everyone keeps saying that she probably ran away, but Chloe knows better. She knows Rachel wouldn't leave without her, so something must've happened. She makes posters and puts them everywhere, but things only get worse.

Money is tight. Joyce isn't making as much as she needs at the diner, David isn't making enough as a security guard, and hey... they might lose the house... the house that was once Williams, that's a piece of him he left behind. Not only that, but where will they go?

Chloe doesn't want them to lose the house, or for her mom to be this stressed out over food and bills. Chloe borrowed money from Frank in hopes of using it to run away with Rachel, but with her missing... Chloe decides to give it to her mom in order to save the house. Joyce is alarmed that she has this much, but Chloe manages to lie her way out of it to give her mom some peace of mind.

Except now she has another problem- she can't pay Frank back and he's getting more aggressive about it as the weeks go on. Rachel's still missing, Frank's breathing down her neck with threats toward her mom, money is still an issue at home, and she's not in a good place. Chloe's desperate enough to steal... so when she makes it into a bar that doesn't card her and she sees rich boy Nathan Prescott drunk off his ass and flashing bills, she thinks it'll be an easy score. It's wrong to do this, it's dangerous, but Chloe justifies it to herself. She needs that money.

She didn't expect Nathan to drug her drink, and she wakes up to him taking pictures of her. She manages to get the hell outta there, but she still has no idea what the hell happened to her. Like.... that reeeally fucks with her, it doesn't even feel real. She can't tell anyone, she can't tell her mom, and the police won't do anything since they're under the Prescott thumb.... and well, she decides to blackmail him.

And we all know how that goes.

So... we have the highs and lows of Chloe Price. She's flawed, even starting out as unbearable, but over time she becomes more nuanced and you're invested in what happens to her. You want to see her better herself, you want her to work through her grief and get help, you understand why she hates David but when you see him and Joyce happy together and him make an effort to be better, you want to see them make amends. You know David doesn't want to replace William, hell HE knows no one ever could.

You want Chloe to keep going, to find purpose in her life and realize her own potential. You saw her at the beginning when she was broken, when she was lost and didn't see a future for herself, and it's satisfying to see her come this far to where she knows she has a future... something that becomes all the more tragic when you remember her fate in the first game.

You're invested in Chloe and Rachel's romance, you get giddy watching them flirt and do dumb, romantic, cliche things, and you're just as compelled by Rachel as everyone else. No, she's not perfect, she's not a stereotype, she's much more layered than that and it only breaks your heart when you realize that she's killed later on, that of course she's going to go missing... you already know that! So you're watching Chloe, who has gotten pieces of her life back together and is genuinely happy.... fall back down the pit, fall back into the habits she had at the beginning, and you know it will lead to her downfall.

.....TOO BAD BEFORE THE STORM DID FUCK ALL WITH THAT RIGHT?

Nope, you don't get any of that. Well, except Chloe being cringy. You get a lot of that.

No, no, we got edgelord, flanderized Chloe who thinks her wit is much greater than it actually is, whose terrible moments outweigh the good, and who doesn't grow or change no matter what influence you try to have over her.

Rachel could be replaced with a literal barbie doll and little would change. She has no charm, she's nothing like what she was described in the first game, and she's just so fucking unlikable. When she finds out that her mom isn't actually her birth mom, she claims that her whole life is a lie and her parents aren't real and she wants to meet her druggie mom who chose drugs over her for 15 years because she's the one who actually squeezed her out.

Which, by the way, WHY is this the goddamn plot?? Why did they feel like they had to shove in this "oh hey Rachel's dad is the bad guy, oh wait now this drug guy is the bad guy because he stabby Rachel, no wait now her dad is the super bad guy because he put a hit out on Rachel's REAL mom, oh no wait it's fine because Frank murdered drug man off screen" WHY YOU DO THIS??

You have three episodes. THREE. And in those three episodes, you have the opportunity to explore Chloe as a character, and her relationships with Rachel, Joyce, and David. But instead of dedicating the story to that, something you could've created a compelling narrative out of, you threw in this dumb mom plot and fire-

HOW THE HELL DID I FORGET THE FIRE????

What- why did- does she have- Rachel just- RACHEL SETS THE FOREST ON FIRE??? WHY THOUGH???

I get it, "Rachel is the fire" yeah yeah and it's dumb.

Oh and because we didn't have enough going on, here's a side mission where you gotta deal with getting money from this other kid who's running drugs for big bad drug man because he wants to help his dad who lost his job.

But WAIT, there's more- In a series where several girls were drugged by Nathan and Jefferson, forced to pose for pictures, and some even killed or driven to try and take their own life? something taken so seriously...? Victoria gets drugged and it's treated like a joke. Even worse, there is a path that has Rachel drugging her, and no one cares.

ALSO.... Rachel cheated on Chloe with two adult men, remember? One of which fucking murders her?? and we're just... we're just not gonna do anything with that??? Nothing??? Maybe a little stinger at the end but that's it????

I just..... I hate this game so much.

It had so much potential. Not only that, but it had the first game to look at and learn from. Learn from the mistakes that game made and improve upon.... but instead, they fucked up even worse. It's just a game of fanservice that has way too much going on, is trying to do too much, and loses focus on the most important things.

Three episodes could've been enough to explore different points of Chloe's character before the events of the first game. They could've crafted a story that gave more insight into her life that make sense of the choices she made, that turn her into the Chloe we see in the first game. You don't need a forest fire, you don't need evil lawyers. I know the first game had the storm and time travel and big dumb Jefferson, but you wanted to tell a story that's grounded without shit like that... y'know, before the storm.

I could probably go on and on if someone doesn't stop me, so I'll stop myself here... I hate bts because it's potential was there, I could see it in a few key moments, and it was wasted.

The romantic ideas fall flat because being pretty and gay isn't enough for me, I need more than that. I don't care if they kiss because I don't care about their relationship, and frankly, they've done very little to make me care about them as individuals.

UGH

.......does that answer your quick question? haha sorry for the not so quick answer, but like I said, this game makes my brain mad and once I get going, it's hard to stop.

[snarkwrites]

first; jimmy darling | ahs:freakshow [ m]

Notes:

So.. I am.. quite rusty. It's been a while since I sat down and wrote anything at all, let alone anything smutty. Recently, I got back into watching American Horror Story and naturally, I started with one of my personal favorite seasons, Freak Show.

I'm not saying this oneshot is going any further than that.. But I did do certain things to leave the door open for that. Only if you guys think you'd like to see more. If not, this smutty first time idea is OUT of my head, rust is being written off... Hopefully.

Warning:

18+ only. This is sexual content. It is not meant for children, m'kay? If you're under 18+ you need to navigate away from this post because it is absolutely not meant for you.

If you're sticking around, here are the things you need to be aware of:

First time / virgin OFC, body fluids, unprotected sex... Very.. emotional.

Tagging:

There's actually nobody on my American Horror Story taglists. If you'd like to be tagged in the future, go [ here ] and add yourself or you can hit me up, tell me where to add you and I'll happily do that.

Other stuff:

[ faq | tag list doc ]

“ It’s your turn, Jenny… downstairs.”

Anna’s words drew me out of my own thoughts and I swallowed hard, staring at the basement door for a few seconds; unsure of what I’d let Anna and my friends talk me into. Trying to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal and that girls like me = the plain ones, the shy ones, we didn’t have many options when it came to becoming a woman. Reminding myself that I was the one who wanted this. That it was either Jimmy Darling or Dandy Mott and I’d rather die than let Dandy Mott within a foot of me.

,, Then there’s the fact that when you saw Jimmy in the diner last week, there was this magnets pull. That feeling like you’d known him your whole life… Not to mention the dreams it stirred up after.”

Bearing the thoughts in mind, I took a deep breath and stood. My legs were shaky and my heart was pounding away at my chest like it wanted to break free. I reached for the doorknob and Anna called out with a gentle, teasing laugh, “Oh come on, don’t back down. If it helps… He’s real gentle. Real sweet.”

I swallowed hard again, nodding. Turning my back to the other girls and reaching for the doorknob all over again. It felt like everything was passing by in slow motion, from stepping through the basement door, walking down the stairs, but finally, I stood in the basement.

The brunette male glanced up at me. The others had been whispering all night about his magical hands… The things he could do with those webbed fingers of his, but all I could do was stare at his eyes. Drown in the molten brown depths silently.

“C’mon doll. I don’t bite.” Jimmy spoke up, flashing me the teasing grin of a charmer. The kind of grin that normally, I’d think was too easy, too relaxed. The kind of grin that spelled trouble most of the time.

His smooth coaxing tone when he spoke caught me off guard, making me focus on what was about to happen and not just my own thoughts. My heart sped up just a little more.

I took a step towards him, twisting a mousy brown strand around my fingertips. “Yeah.. Anna, she told me you were gentle.” I managed to mumble as I gazed up at him.

He stepped closer. Smiled down at me.

During all this, I hadn’t gazed down at his hands a single time. He hadn’t dropped my gaze a single time, either, those eyes locked on mine. Almost as if he were staring right into my soul. I took a shaky breath.

He eyed me for a few seconds. Swallowing hard. I watched his throat bob as his eyes settled on my lips and he cleared his throat and asked me quietly, “Do I know you? You remind me of somebody.”

I shook my head no. Despite the very vivid recurring dreams that started after I saw him in the diner. Because there wasn’t any way I could know him, I’ve lived in Florida since I was born.

,, but what about the dreams you had when you were a kid? That you lived in a little travel trailer?”

Jimmy didn’t seem to believe me, but he didn’t dwell on it. “Anna told me you were wantin’ more.” he chuckled quietly. Raising a webbed hand, raking it over a soft mess of brown curls as he looked me up and down. Waiting on an answer.

That answer felt like it was stuck in my throat. My mouth opened and closed and all I could do was nod.

He stepped closer; continued to speak. Calm and quiet, soft. “You sure? Because you don’t look real sure right now, doll.”

His hands skimmed over my sides. I didn’t flinch away or anything. I just stood there. Staring. Trying to will myself to answer. Trying to reconcile both this magnetism I felt pulling me to Jimmy and the fact that despite having never met him before in my life, he felt so familiar, as if I’d known him a lifetime.

“Anna told me I was gonna like you.” he stepped just a little closer, our bodies brushing. His hands still skimming over my sides, going still at the hip. He stared me down, waiting. Chuckling quietly. “C’mon, doll. You gotta talk to me.”

And finally, I managed to speak.

“I’m sure. I… I want to do this.” I stammered out quietly. I managed a smile. Reaching down into the pocket of my pale pink dress for the money I’d bought with me. “I’ll, uhh.. I’ll even pay extra.” I stumbled over my words, keeping my eyes trained on my feet.

He laughed quietly. Reaching up and tucking webbed fingers beneath my chin as he made me look at him. He shook his head no. “Keep your money, doll. Normally, I’d take you up on it. But I’m feelin generous tonight.”

I started to protest. I knew he needed the money, that was the whole reason Anna was throwing this party. She’d talked to him when he stuck around after her mom’s Tupperware party the week before and he’d mentioned money being tight.

Despite my attempt at protesting, he caught hold of my hand with his other hand. Shaking his head no all over again. “Relax.” he coaxed gently as he closed the distance between our bodies. The contrast of hard muscle against my softness had me exhaling sharply. Staring up at him quietly, in awe.

“Just curious here.. How far have you gone before, doll?” Jimmy asked.

I bit my lip and took a shaky breath. “Kissin. And I wasn’t so good at that, either.” I mumbled quietly.

“Maybe you were kissin the wrong man, doll.” Jimmy muttered as his fingers tangled in loose waves, using his grip on my hair to pull my mouth into his. Rough lips bumped against my mouth clumsily, latching on to my bottom lip as his free hand lowered, settling on my hip. He rubbed me against him and my breath caught in my throat, a gasp breaking free and lingering in the space between our mouths before being swallowed, Jimmy’s tongue tracing the outline of my lips as it slipped between them.

“ Anna was right.” Jimmy muttered breathlessly as I raised my arms, slipping them around his neck. Molding myself against him even more. “Oh?” I mumbled in a daze as the kiss deepened and my teeth latched onto his bottom lip, tugging, making him growl quietly as he continued, “When she said I was gonna like you, she was right.” and chuckled to himself quietly as the kiss broke and we pulled apart to breathe.

My thighs were starting to get slick and this dull throbbing ache was settling in. He scooped me up and stepped over to the mattresses nearby, dropping me on top of them carefully. Lowering himself to settle on top of me. One rough webbed hand caressed my cheek as he rocked himself against me.

I whimpered quietly, feeling the way he strained against worn denim. My hand disappeared between us, shaking fingers trying to pull the button of his jeans free. He chuckled quietly, burying his mouth in mine all over again as he lowered the hand placed on my cheek, guiding my hand away from the button of his jeans. I whined and rocked myself against him clumsily and he muttered softly against my ear, “We got all night, doll. I’m gonna take my time with you, sweetheart.”

The warmth of his breath against my skin sent an electric tingle racing through my body. My fingertips dug deeper into broad shoulders and I met his gaze, nodding.

The music from upstairs drifted down and the door at the top of the stairs banged shut quietly as it faded away, leaving nothing behind but the sound of our heavy breathing. Jimmy pressed into me a little more, carefully. Pulling his face away to stare down at me.

“My hands scare ya?” Jimmy questioned quietly. The tension that crept into his body as he waited on me to answer had me trying to get closer. Pulling him down on top of me completely. Raising one of my hands to his cheek and rolling my thumb over his bottom lip. Trying to relax him as he’d done for me earlier. I shook my head no. Gazing back up at him. Reaching for one of his hands. Wrapping mine around it. “Not at all, Jimmy.” I answered.

My answer seemed to have him taken aback. For seconds that seemed to stretch to hours, we lie there, staring at one another. His eyes searching mine. Maybe he thought I was lying. I wasn’t. I was being totally honest.

“Anna told me somethin else, doll…” Jimmy muttered at last, breaking the silence between us. Dragging his fingers over my cheeks as he gazed at me thoughtfully.

“Yeah?” I breathed out the word heavily, reaching up to caress his cheek. Pulling his face down, putting his mouth closer to mine. “What’d she tell you?” I breathed out as my lips brushed against his clumsily, latching onto the corner.

“She told me about what you said. When you saw me at the diner last week?”

I felt my cheeks heating up. Oh, I remembered exactly what I’d told Anna. It wouldn’t do me any good to play coy, I knew I couldn’t hide it if I tried. There was just something about those deep and thoughtful brown eyes as they locked on me, waiting on an answer.

“Which part?” I asked, my words coming in short and breathless pants as I dared to graze my lips against his.

That handsome and charming smile was back as his mouth crashed against mine all over again and he mumbled softly, “ The part about you saying I was a handsome guy. Oh, and my favorite part, me havin the kinda lips you longed to kiss… Color me curious doll, is it turnin out to be everything you imagined?”

I let out a ragged breath. At least she’d told him the tamest of the things I’d confessed to her when she kept bugging me about why I was staring so hard at the guy. I smiled up at him, gasping as he pressed himself into me a little more, pinning me flat against the bed. “ You are. Too handsome for me, actually. As far as the kissable lips,” I breathed out the words as I pulled away slightly to stare at him, “ Beyond what I imagined.”

Rough and webbed fingertips pressed against my soft lips as he shook his head and hushed what I’d been about to say. “Don’t say that, doll. Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are? Do ya?” as he bucked himself against me. Grabbing hold of my hand, guiding it down to the bulge strained at worn denim. “Do you feel what you’re doin to me? Trust me, doll. When I say you’re gorgeous and I want you real bad, I mean it.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not, I’m really not.”

I wanted to believe him, but I was smarter than that. When you hear enough people tell you otherwise, you start to accept what you hear as fact.

His lips strayed from mine, dancing down my neck. I rubbed against him and he growled quietly, one of his hands drifting down to squeeze my hip, rocking himself into me. Catching my gaze and licking his lips as he took several shaky and drawn out breaths. His mouth brushing against mine just barely. Enough to tease. “You are.” he rocked himself against me all over again and I lowered my hand, palming at the front of his jeans. Whimpering as that needy ache built to a fever pitch.

I could feel myself starting to drip. The more his mouth and hands roamed. The harder he pressed into me and the more he rocked against me, the wetter I became. He crashed his mouth against mine again and muttered into a deep kiss, “There’s too much keepin us apart right now, sweetheart.”

I nodded in agreement, despite knowing that nobody had ever seen me naked before.

,, You were the one who said you wanted to change that… Remember? And tonight feels special. Better than you thought it was going to feel. He’s being so gentle and thoughtful.”

He tried to unbutton the front of my dress and untie the tie at the waist himself, but I could tell he was having problems. I sat up. Jimmy was agitated with himself, apologetic with me, sitting on the edge of the mattresses, staring at his hands as he grumbled quietly about not being able to do something as simple as undress me. I tapped his shoulder and caught his face in my hands, crashing my mouth against his. “It’s okay. It’s fine. I… I can help.” I offered in a quiet whisper.

“If I wasn’t a freak, you wouldn’t have to, sweetheart.” Jimmy muttered, shaking his head. Dropping his gaze. It hit me then, just how insecure Jimmy Darling, the man with the magic fingers, truly was. I bit my lip and took a few shaky breaths, pulling myself together. Gathering up the nerve. I’d come too far to be talked out of what I wanted, my reason for letting Anna set this up for me tonight.

All I had to do was follow through.

“Could you turn around?” I asked the question timidly. Jimmy chuckled. Biting his lip as he stared at me for a few long seconds before nodding and turning to face the wall. I unbuttoned and untied the dress, letting it fall to the floor at my feet. Leaving me in my pale pink slip.

I slipped off the mattresses, walking up behind him. Pressing against his back. Jimmy turned around, his eyes roaming hungrily. “You sure you wanna do this? With me?”

“For the last time. Yes. It has to be you, okay? I… I want you.” I muttered as I rose to tiptoe, pulling his mouth against mine. My hand dropped between us, tugging up the white tank top over his head. Letting it settle on the floor as soon as I got it off him. I drug my fingers down his chest, giving a soft giggle when I heard him growl quietly and felt him shiver a little at the soft touch. My fingers hooked in the waistband of his jeans and I paused, staring up at him. Swallowing hard. Trying to keep my nerve.

He gulped and stepped into me. I took a few steps back as he nodded towards the mattresses behind me, standing still when the backs of my knees brushing against the edge of the mattress. He pushed me down gently. I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, letting them pool to the ground. Jimmy tugged his boxers down, his thick cock springing free. Making me stare, my eyes widening at the sight of it, standing at attention, the tip glistening with precum. I swallowed hard, muttered mostly to myself, “It’s so big, I…” as I wondered if I could take all of him.

Jimmy chuckled. Settling between my legs to keep them spread as he leaned down and crashed his mouth against mine. “It’s not gonna hurt long, doll. I promise. I’ll be real gentle, okay?”

“O-okay.” I muttered. Jimmy tugged the slip up my body, letting me sit up so he could pull it off completely. Then he gently pushed me flat against the mattresses all over again, his thick cock rubbing right against my throbbing, wet center and making me gasp and writhe against him, desperate for friction, for anything that might help the ache.

“No panties, huh?” Jimmy mused in awe as he worked his mouth down the side of my neck.

“I…” I whimpered, fingers curling against the mattress and carding through his hair as he rubbed against me all over again and gazed down at me. “I knew what I was coming to do tonight.. Wanted to make it easier for you...”

Jimmy chuckled. “Good girl. Such a good girl.” his voice was velvet and gravel and a stubble lined jaw brushed against my skin, sending shivers through my body all over again. One of his hands captured both of mine over my head, holding them against the mattress as his mouth latched onto my neck carefully. Too carefully.

“Jimmy, c’mon.” I begged breathlessly.

“What do you want, doll? Use your words. C’mon, talk to me.” Jimmy coaxed, locking eyes with me as he tilted my face so that I couldn’t look away.

“Kiss my neck… Like you were before…”

“It might leave marks behind, doll… You don’t want me doin that, do ya?”

“I do.” I gasped as his the tip of his cock teased against my opening, turning a dull throb into a pounding ache that had my stomach coiling and had me dripping even more. “If I leave marks, doll.. Means somethin. Somethin a little more than what you came down here for tonight… Ya understand, sweetheart?” Jimmy’s eyes settled on me expectantly and he licked his lips as he let them roam.

“What’s it mean?” I asked quietly. Clinging to him as best as I could. Pulling him down on top of me even more. I wanted him closer. What I really wanted was to feel him buried inside me, but given my lack of experience, I felt it was for the best if I let Jimmy take the lead here.

“Means you’re my girl.” Jimmy’s mouth caught against mine, his lips locking on my top one. I felt his hand slip down between us, fingers dragging slow over my wet sex as he gave a quiet growl. He stared me down, curious gleam in his eyes. “I don’t think you want that, doll. Trust me.”

“ What if I do?” I asked, rubbing against him. Begging for more. Repeating my question when he didn’t say anything because I wanted him to know that I chose him and tonight for a reason. Otherwise, I’d have kept on the way I’ve been living. I just wanted him. I needed him. “What if I do, Jimmy Darling? Is that so bad?”

Jimmy blinked in shock. Bit his lip as he seemed to mull it over. His fingers slipping inside my throbbing sex, working me open carefully. Slowly. Stopping quickly when I tensed and grimaced at the sharp sting of pain that came with being stretched out for the first time. Waiting until I started to relax and tried to rock myself against his fingers, desperate for some kind of relief, anything to dull the ache.

“You’re jokin.” he muttered as he pressed into me, his mouth against the shell of my ear, nipping at my earlobe. “You can’t want that, sweetheart. I got nothin to offer. Nothin.”

“Maybe I do. There’s something about you, I… I can’t explain it. I don’t want things, okay? I don’t want empty words. I want you.”

“There’s something about you too, doll… But the life I live.. My hands…” Jimmy countered, stubborn. His fingers worked me open even more. Thrusting deeper inside, scissoring. I gasped and arched my back, clinging to him.

“It’s better than what I have going on. Quiet little librarian. No family. Nothing keeping me here. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you in the diner. I even dream about you, Jimmy Darling.”

He chuckled huskily against my neck. His lips finally latching on, suction forming. His fingers slowed and I got a chance to catch my breath, relax a little. I could feel a mark forming on my neck. “We’ll see, okay? If you don’t try and find me after tonight, guess I’ll have my answer.”

I had no doubt in my mind. I was going to take any chance I could to try and find him.

Things happen for a reason.

“Jimmy, p-please.” I stammered out, rocking as best as I could against his scissoring fingers, “I need you now.”

His mouth dove against mine all over again. Needier. Deeper and more frantic. “Now, huh?” he muttered lazily as the kiss finally broke.

“Now.” I begged, rocking myself against his fingers as they scissored in and out of me faster and faster. My stomach coiled tight and my breath caught in my throat. I dug my fingers into his shoulder and the mattress and I tried to dig my heels in too, but nothing helped. I needed friction. I was so close to getting off that frustrated tears stung my eyes. “Please, baby?”

The term of endearment seemed to make something within him snap.

“It’s gonna hurt a little. I can’t help that, doll.” he groaned against my neck as his lips moved over it erratically. His cock teased against my sex and I tensed a little as it buried inside me. He stilled on top of me, peppering kisses and gentle nips against my face and neck, dragging his tongue over the outline of my lips as he stared down at me with a tender gaze before muttering quietly, “You okay now, sweetheart?”

“Mhm.” I mumbled, grazing my lips against his neck as I rocked myself into him, determined to get friction, one way or another. “Jimmy, c’mon. Please?”

He flashed me a tender smirk. “Like I’m gonna deny you anything, doll.” he mumbled as he started to slowly fuck into me, a hand moving down to my hip, stopping my movements. “Let me take care of ya, okay?”

I nodded, pouting up at him. His hips crashed against mine slow and steady and when his mouth found mine, my tongue slipped past his lips eagerly. The kiss deepened to a point where I felt myself getting light-headed. Clinging to him as I moaned his name over and over, making him smirk each time I did and it got a little louder. When the kiss broke, I muttered softly, “When do I get to take care of you, huh?”

“Later, sweetheart.” Jimmy promised as his cock buried inside me completely, stretching and overfilling me, making me grip onto him tighter. My lips grazing against his neck and latching on, leaving a small mark behind and making him growl, start to pound away at me a little harder and faster before he had to slow down all over again.

I clung to him, whimpering. Begging him for my release.

“Not yet, doll. Not done with you yet. You feel too fucking good.” Jimmy groaned into my mouth as his lips engulfed mine. His cock strummed against my spot and I writhed beneath him, dragging my fingers up and down his back, stopping when he tensed up just a little and winced.

“Sorry.”

“ ‘S okay, doll.” he muttered into the deepening kiss. My orgasm built to an almost blinding ache that had me shaking, barely able to hold on as he fucked me deep into the mattresses beneath me, his hips slamming into mine erratically, his hands and mouth all over me.

“Fuck. Oh fuck, doll. Don’t wanna stop.” he breathed against the shell of my ear, “But I can’t hold on much longer… Let go for me?”

I needed no coaxing at all. My orgasm tore through me, leaving me shivering and shaking as I struggled to keep the pace he set. His hips stammered and he rose up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, driving him even deeper inside, “Don’t stop.. C’mon, baby. Let go.” I coaxed breathlessly.

He bit his lip, staring down at me as he slowed down, tried to pull himself back from the edge. I clung to him, rocking my hips up to meet his thrusts and despite him trying to still my hips, I managed to keep going, making him shiver and melt against me as the warmth of his release flooded me, making me moan all over again as he settled on top of me, capturing my hands in his and burying his mouth against mine.

He collapsed to the mattress, pulling me against him as his arms wrapped around me. I went to say something but he shushed me, muttering quietly, “Let’s just lay here. I just…I wanna lay here, hold you and pretend.”

I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to pretend anything, but I knew he wouldn’t hear it. I knew I’d have to prove him wrong.

And honestly, I was fine with it.

[6rookie-writer0110]

Let's watch the thunder together

Sam Arias x Male Reader

Request- Story starts where R was hanging out in Kara's loft and R ask who's coming for game night and kara told him who's coming and when she mentioned sam. R said "Oh fuck no man And I'm taking this" he took the wine bottle and use the interdimensional extrapolator to go to universe 7. Kara said "what just happened".

Then Goku said their goodbyes and R said "I'm am so sorry about him, I didn't think he would be more of a dumbass than he already is. Fast forward he and sam got along sort of.

Sam moved back to National City not long ago. She is close friends with Lena and Kara and she is happy to be home. Kara invited everyone for a game night in her loft, she is excited, everyone is coming. Sam has been working hard at L-CORP, tonight she is ready to have fun with her friends.

You arrived early because you bought the food and drinks. Kara is happy that you got everything. You help her set up the drinks and food. Kara showed you the board games that everyone will play.

”Lena is coming over with her new friend Sam,” Kara said.

”I once knew someone named Sam but it didn't end well” You said.

”What happened?” Kara asked.

”Long story short, I was the punchline of a cruel joke,” You said.

Kara felt bad for you and she rubbed your arm. Kara was going to say something to cheer you up but Alex and Lena arrived with Sam. You and Sam stared at each other but you are not happy.

”Oh fuck no man and I'm taking this," You said.

Everyone is confused and wanted to ask questions, but you took the wine from Alex and used an interdimensional extrapolator to go to universe 7.

”What just happened?” Kara asked.

Sam sighed.

”We used to know each other. In high school, I went with Y/N to prom has a prank, and my friends used to bully him. I fell in love with him, when he found out that I had to go out with him on a bet well... He didn't want to hear what I had to say. Since then I haven't seen him since” Sam said sadly.

”Give him time, he will come around,” Alex said.

Sam nods and she still feels bad.

---

You are on universe seven. You went to see Vegeta like always he is training in the capsule corp. You start to train with Vegeta and he is always hard on you.

”What are you doing here?” You asked.

Alex came to see you.

”Vegeta, hi,” Alex said.

”Alex. You two are ruining my training section leave or join me” Vegeta said.

You and Alex looked at each other.

”So that is Sam,” Alex said.

”Remember when I told you I was bullied in high school and I dated this girl that had a bet with her stupid friends well that Sam,” You said.

”Yeah, she told us what happened and she stills feels sad about it. I think you should talk to her” Alex said.

You and Alex start to train with Vegeta, it's two against one. He won't go easy on Alex because she doesn't have powers, he wants Alex to get strong. Alex tries to dodge Vegeta’s attacks but he is faster.

”I don't want to speak with her,” You said.

You start to kick Vegeta.

”You should talk to her,” Vegeta said.

”See, even Vegeta agrees and he isn't much of a talker,” Alex said.

”I will think about it,” You said.

Vegeta punched you in the stomach and you fall.

”See, thinking about problems you didn't block my punch,” Vegeta said.

You are on the ground gasping for air.

”Y-you-”

You couldn't finish your sentence.

”Oh, and Kara will have game night this weekend so you better come,” Alex said.

Much later~

You, Alex, and Vegeta are taking a break. Bulma gave you and them more water to drink.

”Y/N, where is the four dragon ball star?” Bulma asked.

You start to think and you scratched your head.

”Somewhere on earth-38,” You said.

She started to yell at you because you're being careless with the dragon balls. You and Vegeta get scared when she starts to scream.

”You better go back and get it!! You know how hard it's to find it! If you don't get it, I will make your life a living hell!!” Bulma screamed.

”I’m sorry!!! I will go get it! Alex let's go!!” You said terrified.

You and Alex ran away from Bulma.

---

Before the night ended, you took Alex back to her home. And you almost forgot the 4 dragon ball star, but you had to go back to Kara’s loft. Sam is talking with Lena and Kara.

”So, you two know each other?” Lena asked.

”Unfortunately” You mumbled.

You see the dragon ball on the table you grabbed it. Before you left, you went to the kitchen and started to steal Kara’s food. It's not the first time you steal food from Kara’s Kitchen.

You left and went straight to Bulma’s house and gave her the dragon ball. You went home, you lie in your bed and think about Sam.

✫ ✯ ✧ ✬

You are jogging in the park. You caught the soccer ball and the girl walked towards you.

”I’m sorry I almost hit you with my soccer ball,” She said.

She reminds you of Sam a little bit. You see Sam walking towards you and she smiled at you.

”Hey Y/N,” Sam said.

You give back the soccer ball.

”Hi Sam,” You said.

”This is my daughter, Ruby. Y/N can we talk?” Sam said.

Ruby went to play with her friends.

”Yeah sure,” You said.

You and Sam sit on the bench.

”Y/N, I'm sorry what happened in high school. I should have done something but I didn't, I know you hate me and I don't blame you” Sam said.

”Sam, saying sorry it's not enough. But... There's no point holding a grudge against you. I forgive you and I want us to move on and start over” You said.

You and Sam smile at each other and she hugged you.

”Maybe we can go out tonight?” Sam said.

”Yeah, we can do that,” You said.

----

You and Sam just finished eating at a restaurant. You and Sam are having a good time and talked about everything. She is making you smile more and she can't stop smiling at you.

Trunks and Goten are eating at a restaurant, the table is being filled with empty plates. They have a huge appetite and keep eating a lot.

”Trunks, you have the money?” Goten asked.

”Money? I don't have money” Trunks said.

”We need to pay. I don't have money” Goten said.

They start to think. They sneaked out of the restaurant but the manager saw them. Now the manager is chasing Trunks and Goten. The boys just kept running without looking they crashed into you.

”You kids better pay now!” The manager yelled.

”Trunks and Goten what are you doing here!?” You said.

”We are at a restaurant and we don't have money,” Goten said.

You stand up and you offered to pay and the manager accepted the cash.

”We found the interdimensional extrapolator, we touched the button and it took us here. Is she your girlfriend?” Trunks said.

”No, I'm his friend Sam,” Sam said.

”You are pretty. You should be his girlfriend-”

”Goten shut up,” You said.

”Y/N and Sam sitting on a tree-”

Trunks and Goten kept teasing you and Sam, she just giggled. You are telling them to shut up but they won't.

You took Sam home. Trunks and Goten are jumping on your bed

”Did you ask her to be your girlfriend?” Goten asked.

”No, I didn't ask her,” You said.

They keep jumping on the bed.

”You should ask her,” Trunks said.

”Try not to break anything and don't eat my food,” You said.

You left the bedroom to take a shower. Trunks and Goten grabbed your phone and found Sam’s phone number and called her. Trunks try to mimic your voice and think Sam will fall for it.

”Sam, it's me Y/N I want you to be my girlfriend,” Trunks said.

Sam is smiling hard and tries not to laugh.

”Wow, Y/N I had no idea you want to be my boyfriend,” Sam said.

”You are pretty so you are my girlfriend. Bye! I have to give my stuff to Trunks and he is really cool” Trunks said.

He hangs up the phone. Much later, the boys fell asleep on your bed. Sam sent you a text and told you what Trunks did. You couldn't help to laugh.

---

Next-Day...

You were going to spend time with Sam alone, but Trunks and Goten tagged along. Sam thinks it's cute how you get along with the boys.

”Pizza!!!” The boys yelled with joy.

You arrived at your apartment with pizza. They just grabbed it and started to eat like pigs.

”They sure eat a lot,” Sam said.

”They train a lot so huge appetites. They will leave you broke all the time” You said.

Goku arrived and he gave you a bear hug. Goten is happy to see his father, then you introduced Goku to Sam.

”Oh is this your girlfriend?

”Goku shut up!” You spat.

Sam didn't know what to say.

”Oh she is your girlfriend! Y/N she is really pretty-”

You punched Goku in the stomach. You felt he was embarrassing you.

”Take the boys with you, they are eating my food,” You said.

”Dad!!” Goten yelled with joy and jumped on his dad.

”I should take them home, Bulma and Chi-Chi are worried and angry at them,” Goku said.

Trunks and Goten are scared now and they hold on to Goku tight.

”Bye, Y/N’s girlfriend!!” They all yelled and left.

You sighed and Sam can't stop smiling.

”I'm am so sorry about him, I didn't think he would be more of a dumbass than he already is” You said.

”They are nice and funny. I don't mind seeing them around” Sam said.

✫ ✯ ✧ ✬

You and Sam have been spending a lot of time together. Your feelings for Sam.has gotten stronger and Sam wonders if you want to be her boyfriend.

You invited Sam, Ruby, and super friends to a party on universe 7. Bulma is throwing a party on the Capsule Corp ferry. You introduced everyone to each other, they are getting along. Everyone loves the food and the party is going great.

You are spending alone with the guys, you thought of an idea along with Yamcha, Master Roshi, and Oolong. Two women walked into the room, the music starts to play.

”Guys, what is going on?” Goku asked.

”Oh, you will find out in a little bit” Oolong has a huge grin.

”Y/N, are they here?” Master Roshi asked.

”The show will start now” You smirked.

The two strippers start to take off their clothes.

”Why are they taking off their clothes?” Goku asked in confusion.

You and the others are watching the two strippers dance. Goku closed his eyes then Chi Chi walked and she started to yell. Everyone blamed the idea on you, she glared and she yelled at you again.

”Chi-Chi it's harmless. Goku barely looked at them” You said.

You give her thumbs up and she gave you the finger. She smacked your head

”Hey that hurts” You whine.

You start to rub your head.

”That's what you get, Y/N,” Chi-Chi said.

She dragged Goku out of the room, while you and the other guys watch the strippers dance.

---

Still, on the ferry, you went to spend time with Sam alone. You and Sam stand by the balcony and watch the beautiful sunset, you take a selfie with Sam. Your hand is on top of her hand and she kissed your cheek, you blushed.

”Having fun?” You asked.

”Yes, I'm having fun. Goku is like a huge kid in a men’s body but he sure can eat a lot. Where does the food go?” Sam said.

You and Sam laughed.

”Are you dating anyone?” You asked.

”No. I have been single for a while now, what about you?” Sam said.

”I have been on dates but I haven't been in a relationship,” You said.

You and Sam stare at each other, she bites her bottom lip.

---

You and Sam went to check on Ruby and the others.

”How did you and my mom meet?” Ruby said.

”We met in high school, she was the popular girl and I wasn't popular. A teacher made us work together on a project, we had to take care of a game baby” You said.

”We couldn't agree on the name so we named the baby, baby,” Sam said.

Ruby laughed.

---

You and Sam joined the others to eat. Goku again is eating a lot and he put his arm around your shoulder.

”Can you turn Super Saiyan 4?” Goku asked.

”Why do you ask?” You said.

”Whis said you can do it. I want to see” Goku said.

”What is Super Saiyan 4?” Kara asked.

”Super Saiyan 4 is, the form gives the fighter the super strength and speed of a Great Ape, but with a calm, clever mind. But for others, it can make them very cold and aggressive. Y/N would have different hair color, also would have a tail and his body is covered in red fur. His eyes possess a shadow to trim around their eyes and over the eyelids that vary in color, such as crimson. The hair is lengthened while becoming wilder, reaching down to the middle of their back, while two long pointed bangs of hair appear on both sides of the neck. It also makes the individual considerably larger in height and muscularity ” Whis said.

”Sam and Ruby are here,” You said.

”I want to see you transform,” Sam said.

”Me too! Y/N you should do it” Kara said.

”Okay, I will do it,” You said.

You moved away from everyone, you get in your stance. Everyone watches you change into Super Saiyan 4, everyone is impressed and they like your new form.

✫ ✯ ✧ ✬

You are at work sitting at your desk, you get mail. You opened the package, you take out an old picture of you and Sam back in high school.

”I can't believe I thought that was cool,” You said to yourself.

You are talking about your fashion style. Sam sent you a text...

Sam- I found this and the old mixtape you made for me. Also, I made you a mix cd. I know its old school 😜

You take out the cd and you read the playlist. You can't stop smiling.

---

You come out of work and Sam is waiting for you.

”Hey, you,” You said.

”Y/N, I thought we can go on a date right now,” Sam said.

”Wow, you beat me to the punch. I was going to ask you over the phone” You said.

You and Sam smile at each other.

”I’m sorry... If I ruined the moment” Sam said.

You shake your head.

”No, you didn't ruin anything. Yes, I will go out on a date with you” You said

You and Sam can't stop smiling at each other.

”Do remember that go-kart place we used to go. We had a race and I almost won but you cheated” Sam said.

”I remember winning and it wasn't my fault that you lost,” You said.

”Well, I want a rematch,” Sam said.

”Oh, I will give you the rematch and you will lose again,” You said.

--

You and Sam started to race and did three laps, she won. You wanted a rematch but she didn't want the rematch. You and Sam have dinner at the snack bar.

”Best first date I had in a while,” You said.

”Me too. And no you won't get the rematch” Sam said.

You and Sam laughed. You kissed Sam and she kissed you back.

[duskydestra]

Second Chances — Thick as Thieves (Chapter 1/6)

Fandom: RWBY

Pairing: Ilia Amitola/Emerald Sustrai

Rating: Mature

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Art Heist, Fake/Pretend Relationship, be gay do crimes, Anti-Faunus Racism, OCs as Plot Devices, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Series: Part 4 in the Reclamation AU.

Summary: When an Atlesian art gallery takes an influential piece of Faunus artwork through deception, Ilia volunteers to retrieve it. But this isn't a job she can do alone. Who else does she turn to other than Emerald Sustrai, thief extraordinaire?

If you'd rather read on AO3, click here.

Ilia overlooked the training room, occasionally correcting students’ forms to keep them from hurting themselves. Most of them were receptive, but one was not.

A girl, not much younger than Ilia, was having trouble rationing her strength. Each strike of her double-sided morning star extended too far forward. They were propelled with the kind of power drawn from a well of anger.

Immediately, the worry made itself known in the tightness of her temples.

Ilia’s brows furrowed as she tried to recall the girl’s name before approaching. As soon as it came to mind, it came out of her mouth.

“Slate!”

Slate’s eyes snapped up. “Uh, yes?”

“Hey. Your drills are a little off. Everything alright?”

Of course not. What a dumb question. Ilia worked to keep that thought off her face.

“Yeah. It’s just personal stuff.” Slate pushed her silver hair behind a spiky, fin-shaped ear.

“Hm.” Ilia cast another look over the class. “If you don’t wanna talk about it here, we can step out for a sec. And if you don’t wanna talk about it at all, I won’t make you.”

Slate shifted to her other foot and sheathed her weapon. She nodded, then headed for the double doors.

Outside, they took two seats at the edge of the community garden. The day was overcast, no glaring sun to bear down on them.

“Oh, boy." Slate crossed her legs on the bench. How do I start?”

“From the beginning would be nice.”

Slate sighed deeply and with a bit of lingering agitation. “So, my mom made this painting, right? It’s of the Brothers. Really nice, has their horns and antlers, and a publisher even used it in a book.”

Ilia nodded. A second later, her eyes widened as she recalled that very painting. “Your mom did that? Wow.”

Slate smiled, pride shining in her eyes. “The one and only Marlin.” That smile faded. “But. Some hoity-toity art gallery in Atlas offered to pay for the original canvas. Said they wanted it to be their first exhibition of a Faunus artist.”

Apprehension crept into Ilia’s limbs.

Slate balled her fists. “They sent the lien and she shipped it off. But once it got there, they told the bank it was forged and got the money refunded. No one even questioned it. It’s such bullshit.” Her jaw set in anger.

Ilia glared. No bar has ever been too low for Atlas.

"I'll get it back." She declared.

Slate’s eyes went wide. Her voice wavered. "What? I can't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to; I'm offering. Trust me, I'm good at this kinda thing. Don't worry about it." Ilia waved vaguely.

At once, the worry cropped up on Slate’s face.

"Hey, now. Don't gimme that look." Ilia reassured. "Consider it done."

Slate wiped her tears before they fell. "Thank you."

Ilia grinned, mind racing with ideas. "Don't mention it."

~~~

Ilia tapped her finger against the refrigerator door handle. This was sure to be dangerous, so making it a solo mission was out of the question.

Who could she call? Better yet, who would say yes?

She pulled the handle and peered into the fridge.

The fewer connections to the new members, the better.

She collected some leftovers and preheated her favorite stovetop burner (front right side, of course). Ilia dug deep through a mental catalogue of faces, massaging her temples in hopes it would jog something loose.

What about that girl? Green hair, good at illusions. The hell was her name?

Back in the day, she’d heard about the humans Adam struck a deal with. Folks at the camp told Ilia to stay away from them. As a gesture of goodwill—for whatever that was worth—the girl had never taken anything from them. But still, everyone around Ilia made it sound like it’d be light work.

Emerald. That’s right.

Between then and now, Ilia had only ever laid eyes on the girl once. After the brawl in Haven, some guy carried her into the woods.

It was a retreat.

Ilia’s brow furrowed. “Hm.”

Emerald might not be on board with this, after all.

Ilia squared her shoulders. The only way to know for sure was to ask first. If Emerald said no, she’d just have to come up with something else.

After dinner, Ilia cast her eyes toward the living room. That old scroll in there must have some contact info on it. It was from so long ago, Emerald might have a different number by now.

But it’d be a start.

The memorabilia box was as heavy as ever, but Ilia didn't lose her grip on it. She pushed aside a flag, some flyers, and many dusty folders before grabbing Adam's scroll.

Ilia propped her own scroll up against the box and copied the relevant info into her contact list. She held her breath, finger hovering over Emerald’s name. Ilia pushed the button before she could chicken out.

The call rang once, twice, thrice. On the fourth ring, Ilia realized she'd put no thought into how she was supposed to pitch this. Before a wave of self-consciousness crashed into her, the video connected. Ilia snapped to attention on the couch.

Emerald looked different, much better than a year ago. A lot can change in a year; Ilia would know.

She cleared her throat. “Hi.”

Emerald raised an eyebrow.

Fucked it up already.

Ilia drew in a deep breath through her nose and tried again.

“Hey, I’m Ilia.”

“What do you want?”

That’s fair.

Ilia’s mouth twisted into a grimace as it fully dawned on her how absurd this request was. "I have two questions."

"Okay?"

"Are you still running with that woman in the red dress?"

Emerald’s shoulders pulled back. Her eyes flicked away from Ilia’s face, then back to the screen. "She doesn't wear that anymore. And no. Next."

"I took on an extracurricular mission, so to speak. There’s a painting I need to retrieve from a gallery in Atlas. And to pull this off, I need a plus one."

A bit of interest flashed in Emerald's eyes. Ilia reminded herself not to get her hopes up.

"Your Semblance is extremely helpful and you have no connection—public or otherwise—to the new White Fang. So. Are you up for that?"

Emerald leaned back with a palm against the mattress. The way her eyes roamed over Ilia made her feel like she's been appraised.

"Whoa, we need a cover? Sounds fun. Well. I knew that when you needed my help stealing something."

"Hey. They stole it first."

Emerald grinned, a sly reveal of teeth. "Fair enough. But what's in it for me?"

"A good time?" Why the fuck did I say that?

Emerald looked like she was one second away from disconnecting the call.

"And 2,000 lien." Ilia rushed to clarify.

"Double it."

"Fine, 4,000."

"There we go." The grin relaxed, seeming more friendly this time. "Cash and a chance to keep from getting rusty. Not bad at all. How long’s this gonna take? It helps that I’m already here."

"Two weeks. Bring something fancy."

"Obviously."

Emerald ended the call, and Ilia slumped back in relief. Despite everything, it was all coming together. Before Ilia got too ahead of herself, she sent Ghira an email to let him know she’d be on vacation for a couple weeks.

Bright and early the next day, Ilia boarded an airship to Atlas. She had nothing more with her than a plan, her trusty tools, and an absurd amount of luggage that should not fit in as few bags as it did.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.3k

Warnings: swearing

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 15 Part 17

Part 16

Liam cooked us a chicken stir-fry with Asian vegetables for dinner. I was mildly surprised that he was such a good cook and told him so. He said he had to learn pretty quickly in the early days of his career when he would go months without a paying job.

"I was lucky. My parents were supportive, so I knew I wouldn't starve, and they would give me money if I asked. I didn't want to, though. I felt like if I had to ask for money, then I was a failure. It motivated me to go to more auditions, prepare better, take some classes to get more skills, perfect my accents."

I admired him for that. From what I knew about his family, they seemed to be wealthy. It would have been easy for him to rely on them while trying to make it.

Liam had told me a lot about his family. He was very close to his two brothers. It seemed like he was a bit of a mummies boy, and I supposed that comes from being the youngest. He seemed to credit his Dad for his love of stories and his desire to act.

"Have you told them about me? Your family, I mean." I asked a bit hesitantly, unsure how I'd feel if he said no.

I shouldn't have worried though, his huge smile said it all. "I told Mum about you over a month ago."

"We hadn't even met yet."

"I know," Liam sounded a bit bashful as he continued. "My Mum kept saying how happy I sounded. I kept dropping hints that she thought I was seeing someone. She's very good at reading me. She hounded me until I told her."

"What did she say?"

"She was surprised we hadn't met. I spoke to her during the week a few times and told her we'd met, and it went well, and we'd seen each other the whole weekend. It was a bit awkward like I said. She knows me too well. She said, 'You mean you spent the weekend shagging.'"

"Oh, my God!" I was so embarrassed. "What did you say? She's going to think I'm the town bike."

"She wasn't judging, by the way. She was worried about how you would react to me. She was happy because she felt like I shouldn't have used Simons photos."

"She's not wrong," I said.

"I know, I know. Do I have to apologise again?"

"No, just don't do it again."

He briefly grinned but then looked at me, his face and tone serious. "Hopefully, I'll never have to."

I didn't know how to respond to that. What did he even mean by that? I didn't ask. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. I cleared my throat. "Is that all she said?" I asked, instead.

Liam opened his mouth and was about to say something before closing his mouth and trying again. "Well, then she saw the photos and stories about us. I tell her not to read that stuff because most of it is rubbish. But she does. Anyway, she said we looked lovely together and..." he paused before continuing. "And she can't wait to meet you in a few months. She's coming for a visit in late June early July for my two-week hiatus."

I almost asked what he was going to say, but I changed my mind. "What about your brothers? Your Dad?"

"Well, my Dad isn't much of a talker when it comes to relationships. But he did say Mum had shown him your picture and that you seemed like a nice girl. Other than that, he didn't comment. He rarely does unless he thinks someone isn't good for me."

"Is he coming with your mum?"

"Only for one week. My mum will stay for nearly three. My brothers well..." he grinned. "You know what brothers are like. We are rarely serious together. Also, we rarely call each other. We mostly keep in contact through group chats." His lip twitched as he said, 'there were a lot of ginger jokes this week."

I could only imagine what those chat logs contain. I rolled my eyes at the thought. "The bastards," I said.

Liam laughed then asked, "what about your family?"

"I haven't told them much. Dave knows a bit. I haven't told Mum anything." I shifted in my seat. "Dave knew I was seeing someone after I asked him to watch Perrin. But he didn't ask questions. Then on Friday, he found out it was you. He seemed ok with it." I brightened and said, "they will know all about you next week anyway."

Liam returned my smile.

After dinner, we went to bed. We both read for a while. Liam sat up with his back against the headboard while I laid on my back, using his chest as a pillow. I read until I fell asleep.

I grew to hate Sundays.

Sunday's meant my time with Liam was coming to a close. This Sunday had a silver lining because I would only have to wait until Thursday to see him again. This only partially comforted me because it was also the premiere. As the time drew closer, I knew I'd regret saying yes.

I sat with my head in my hands in the store's dressing room. Just picking which dresses to try on had been an ordeal. I had done a quick google search that morning to see what kind of dresses people wore to premieres, and it was almost no help. The range was too extensive. It seemed nearly anything was acceptable, from cocktail dresses to full-on evening wear.

Some articles made me feel sick, especially the articles about the actresses. So many articles talked about how many women found it hard to find dresses in their size because they were size 6 and too big to fit into most designers dresses. I checked out a size conversion chart and found that size 6 was a size 10 here. I was usually a size 10, but sometimes my arse needs a size 12.

I started thinking I was too fat. I kept thinking about my huge arse and thighs, which got me spiralling into thinking my breasts were too small, my hair was too frizzy, I had too many freckles, and I was too pale. The list of my faults just grew in my head until I was sure I'd end up at the premiere looking like a bush pig in a dress.

I started to breathe deeply, in through my nose, hold it, out through my mouth. After several breaths, I opened my eyes. I could do this. I picked up the first dress the assistant had helped me pick. She knew it wasn't going to wor. It was a loose short black lace dress with puffy sleeves that would make me look like the only shape I had was round. The other picks she made were dresses that looked like they were for the bride's grandmother. She also looked at Liam too many times for my liking. She was very helpful if you call taking us to dresses sold out in my size useful. Or if directing all her questions at Liam was helpful. I'll bet she's out there right now being helpful...

Fuck me dead! I think I'm jealous.

That was an emotion I hadn't felt in a while, and I didn't like it. Fuck that. I don't need to be jealous. I picked through the dresses until I found the one I already knew would be the winner.

It was from Australian designer Maticevski. The gown was black with a high neckline, and the beautiful fabric gathered on the left shoulder. The dress was pulled from the hips and cinched in the waist. It had a thigh-high split, revealing just enough skin to be sexy and a small but elegant train. I loved it the moment I saw it and knew I wanted it. But it was $2,500. I loved it so much I almost didn't care. I mean, I knew I wasn't the one people cared about. They wanted to see Liam. This time was different because it would be our first official event together, and the story right now was who was he dating. This time I would get attention. But I still thought it was too much money. I had almost put it back, but the assistant smirked. Liam, bless him, took it out of my hands and said he would love to see it on me.

I wriggled my way into the dress and looked into the mirror. It was the winner for sure. I had brought my heels from Friday night to try the dress on with, and though they weren't quite right for the dress, they gave a good idea of what I would look like. It was slightly too tight around the hips and too a little big on the top. I could get it altered, though. It wouldn't take much. Maybe even a bra with a bit of padding would fix it. I flipped my hair to give it some bounce and a sexy 'just been fucked' look and stepped out.

I was right. She was hitting on Liam hard. I wanted to punch her in the face. But then Liam saw me, and the way he looked at me made me forgot about her. I took a few steps over to him and posed in an over the top way.

"What do you think?" I asked Liam.

He didn't say anything, but his eyes did. He had the same look when he approached me on Friday night. This is definitely the dress.

"It's not too dressed up? I could try something else if you think it's too much." I said to Liam.

"It doesn't quite fit. Perhaps the..." the assistant didn't get time to finish before Liam spoke.

"No." He said firmly, cutting her off. He cleared his throat and approached me. "It's absolutely perfect." He kissed me, and his lips were so soft. He ran his hands over my waist and stood back, looking me up and down. "Perfect. We will take it."

"You don't want to try..." the assistant tried again.

Liam didn't even look at her. "I said we would take it. The other dresses can go back. Thank you for your help." I loved it when he spoke in that authoritative tone, which made me weak.

She went into the dressing room and took away the ten other dresses I was going to try. I wasn't sad to see them go, none of them would be as good as this, but I still wasn't sure.

"I can try another dress. I mean, this one is stupid expensive."

"I don't care if it was a hundred thousand dollars, you look amazing, and you like it, so you will have it."

"I just don't know if I can afford to spend money like this for one night."

"I invited you. I'm paying."

"Fuck. I should have said I need matching earrings." I joked.

"Do you?" He asked, sincere.

"No, don't be silly. Shoes and a handbag will do. I'll buy the shoes you buy the bag. Deal?"

"Nope." He was shaking his head, "I want to get everything for you. Think of it as an Easter present."

"I can afford to buy things for myself, you know. I make pretty good money considering I own my house, and I only have to take care of myself and Perrin."

"I know." Liam ran his fingers through his hair. "Call me a misogynist if you want, but I want to buy you things, pretty things, things you'd never buy yourself. I want to take care of you."

I decided to let it go. I didn't think it's misogynistic to want to buy your girlfriend a present. It's misogynistic if you think you own her because you chose to buy her things. And it did feel nice to have him want to buy me pretty things.

"Ok, Liam," I said.

His smile came back. "Good. Get changed, and let's buy you some shoes." His lip twitched. "Do you need help taking it off?"

"Get out of it." I laughed and got changed.

When I had come out, he wasn't waiting for me. I looked around and couldn't find him in the shoes or the bags. A thought came to me. I hated that I thought it, but I wondered if the shop assistants come on had worked. I didn't believe it, not really, but once the thought was there, it wouldn't leave.

I didn't want to, but I looked for the shop assistant. As I looked, I felt sick from fear and disgust with myself. I found her putting away the dresses from the dressing room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I hated myself. I wasn't usually like this. It wasn't fair on Liam either. He had given me no reason to suspect him at all.

Then I started to panic. My breath came out shallow and rapid. I felt smothered. There were no windows, and I needed to get out. There were too many people.

I felt warm hands slide under my t-shirt and rest on my belly.

I jumped and spun around. It was Liam. "Ready for shoes, Sweetheart?" He asked.

"Where were you? I looked everywhere."

"I went down to menswear real quick," Liam said. "Now that I know what you're going to wear, I know what I'm going to wear, and I needed a new shirt. It took longer than I thought."

"No worries. I just, I didn't know, it's ok."

"You ok?"

I nodded. "Let's go."

Part 17

[thebraingremlinsaremad]

Daily Blog #15: August 22, 2021

Dollar Tree is honestly pretty fucking awesome 👌👌👌

I set my alarm for like 6:25 this morning, but it took 6 minutes for the "Horsin' Around" theme song instrumental to wake me up. I was pretty tired lol. I just dismissed it and went back to sleep.

I only went back to sleep because I knew I had another alarm set for 7:00. That got me up.

I should mention that this was still in the RV over an hour away from the house.

After I got up, I went to go get a shower, and did so successfully.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten my brush this time and had to do it afterwards after my hair had a bit of time to dry, which did make it a little more difficult lol.

I got dressed and grabbed my stuff, putting it into my car.

I made it a point to see and say "see you later" to my grandparents before I left for the flea market.

My dad insisted that I stayed to say goodbye to my mom, so I left.

I did NOT have cell service up there, as was mentioned in my previous 2 blogs of which I could only post today, so finding my way was a tiny bit difficult until I got some service to ask Google to take me to "...".

It worked and I got there.

On my drive, I listened to 1 by Simple Kid, a CD I had previously purchased at a Dollar Tree location.

I got a call from the guy at the flea market saying that I had some people there waiting for me. He asked how far away I was, to which I said "about 10 minutes." Ironically, that call made me miss my exit, as Google couldn't talk during the call, and added about 3 minutes to my arrival time lmao.

I did sell the Xbox that he said someone was interested in. I got $40 for it. I spent 27¢ on it. Pretty good return if you ask me.

I couldn't sell it with anything other than a power cord because the controller and AV cables I had been using to play it there were for my personal console. I'm just glad I can actually hook my Xbox up and stop having to drag them to the flea market along with a small library of games.

Not too long after I sold the Xbox, someone came in and asked if I wanted to see some electronics he had in his car. I went out with him. It was a pair of 3ft speakers and a Pioneer audio system with dual cassette decks (although neither of them works) and a 25 Disc CD-changer, as well as the standard AM/FM tuner. Additionally, there was a Fisher amplifier and AM/FM tuner as well as a Fisher Direct Drive turntable. He said he wanted $60 for em, but before that he casually, and probably accidentally, dropped that he was just gonna take em to the thrift store.

Big mistake.

I got em for $35 lmao. THERE GOES MOST OF MY PROFIT.

Oh well.

I tested everything. As I mentioned, the cassette decks don't work, but everything else does apart from the turntable needing a new stylus.

I posted some new photos of the shop to Facebook, and someone soon DMed me about a stereo system.

I priced everything, and it turns out I have about $300 worth of equipment from that deal, the Fisher amp and tuner being worth about $150.

The buyer will hopefully show up next weekend, for he wants to buy the Fisher stuff ($185 with the turntable), the 3ft speakers, an 8-track deck, and a Kenwood deck we've had for a week or two.

The speakers are listed for $50 (and are worth around $100-150), the Kenwood Deck for $50 as well, and the 8-track for $35. That makes it about $320 in equipment. Since he's buying so much, I'll knock it down to $270 and essentially give him the speakers or cassette deck for free lol.

Apart from that stuff, not much happened at the flea market. I sold some records, cassettes, CDs and I think 2 DVDs. One person bought a VHS tape? That money was the other guy's though. Oh well xD.

I can't say that I didn't miss my wonderful partner while on the trip. I actually brought along the stuffed animal they gave me (who's name is Greg) and snuggled with him both nights.

I was very happy to hear from them UwU.

They let me rant and I let them rant.

I honestly give them too much responsibility over me xD. I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna do this. HOLD ME TO IT."

I know I can't hold myself to anything I personally say (this blog being the only exception apparently), but I listen to them pretty well I think 🤔. If they tell me, "No, you don't need that VCR," so long as it's not some weird specialty thing, like a worldwide VCR 🥵, I'll be like "Yeah, you rite bro."

I love you man xD. You control my craziness pretty well. I'm so thankful for you UwU.

#relationshipgoals

So part way through the flea market day, I went over to Dollar Tree to buy some snack, but ended up looking through the CDs to see if there was anything good. I took photos of about 18 CDs and flipped through them online for the remainder of the flea market day.

I deleted the photos of the ones I didn't want and kept those that I liked. Surprisingly, I ended up buying 13 CDs there, but not before dropping them on the floor like the dumbass I am.

Also, sorry for all the nerd shit I spilled on your lap earlier. No one cares about amps and tuners xD.

I'M LISTENING TO ONE OF THE DOLLAR TREE CDS RIGHT NOW THO.

I already transferred over to my online library on iBroadcast and put the disc into my CD changer, which is now holding 164 CDs.

Its max capacity is 300 discs 🥵

WHY AM I NERD

Oh well

I like being a nerd gurl

Also maybe a technosexual 👀

I get really excited over some electronics. Like. REALLY excited.

Some editing VCRs are like "Holy shit that is SEXY. Look at those goddamn VU meters 🥵. And hhhh there are like 7 inputs on this thing and individual controls for left and right audio gain, not to mention Hi-Fi S-VHS recording. Hhhhhhhhhhh please gimme 😭. Why are you so expensive?"

I uh, mean, uh, *cough* look, pretty lights.

Oh yeah, I was gonna say the album I was listening to xD. MAN I GOT SIDETRACKED.

It's 37 Everywhere by Punchline. Def give it a listen; it's pretty heccin good.

Another notable album I picked up was Page One by Steven Page. I very much like the first track, "A New Shore." It's quite catchy and he has a great voice imo.

Also at dollar tree, I bought a regular bag of Fieras and 2 bags of Fieras Sticks, which were marked down to 75¢/bag because they're expiring soon.

I honestly like the generic Dollar Tree version of Takis more than actual Takis. They're a lot more flavorful when it comes to the lime, but also hotter at the same time.

Don't get the hot nacho ones tho. Hot nacho? More like hot pile of shit.

HAH

Goteem.

They're not that good xD.

THE REGULAR ONES ARE FIRE THO

"How do you do fellow kids?"

I got home and started working on putting the CDs onto my computer, and then onto iBroadcast, but not without first adding The Music Man to my digital library, something I had neglected for a month or two. The CD had just been sitting there lol.

I also switched my digital file for "The Black Parade" to that of the uncensored CD, which I had purchased before I event started working over 2 months ago.

MAN I'M LAZY

I eventually get around to shit tho lol. I guess it's just a matter of priority.

What usually takes priority is digging through everything to find something that I forgot about but then remembered, making a mess in the process that I would then have to clean up, at least partially.

I think the album just ended. I've been writing for a while xD. I'ma start "I Made You Something" by The Island of the Misfit Toys.

I'll tell you where that album came from in a minute.

In the meantime, where was I?

I kinda lost my train of thought despite reading up to see where I was. Oh well. On I go.

I ate dinner and kept working on those CDs, eventually putting my clothes from the week into the washer.

I FORGOT TO PUT MY SHAPING UNDERWEAR IN. FUCKING HELL MAN.

I wanted to wash em for this week 😭

No tight pants for Leonna I guess qwq.

Meanwhile, the box of my CD album cases is overflowing. I need another box.

I keep all of the album artworks in a big CD folder. That's almost full.

I wanna fill my entire CD changer. That's one of my big goals in life. Idk why, but I just wanna legitimately fill the entire thing.

My clothes are in the dryer now. I don't think I have the time (or energy) to fold them tonight. I'll leave that for tomorrow morning before work.

And God. Fucking. Damnit. I start school again on Wednesday. NOT looking forward to that, and neither are my 2 coworkers. We already have low enough staff, but only the two of them working is gonna be a pain in the ass.

I'll still work Saturdays.

I need to contact my guidance counselor to get out of the gym class I signed up for. I scheduled this shit before I found out I was trans, and I don't wanna deal with the fucking locker room situation 🙄 I have far more important matters.

Okay so anyway, the album I'm listening to came from a cassette. I bought this cassette a few months ago at the flea market along with a few others. The reason I bought them? They were all newer cassette releases from the 2010's, and they're all actually pretty good music from very indie bands.

Currently getting mad at iBroadcast's compression algorithm. It's unnaturally fucking anything over -10db up. Oh well, there's not really anything I can do about it.

I have like 13GB of music on my phone btw. That's about 3.5k songs on 268 albums.

I'm kind of an audiophile, but I'm too cheap to pay for a lossless service. Oh well.

They do actually have a lossless service on iBroadcast, but once again, too cheap.

Someone just sent me a friend request who legitimately posted that BLM and the democratic party are hate groups.

BLOCK.

Goodbye ho.

I don't get that. They call the democratic party a hate group when they hate people like me, and I, being more of a democrat although not fully because the 2-party system is fucked, think nothing more of them than they're very wrong about certain things, especially, as shown, that black people, as well as asian, Indian, native, and people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, are not equal to white people.

Yeh.

Totally.

You go buddy.

Anyway, yeah, I can, and do, convert music and video from analog formats to digital files in order for me to archive and listen to whenever and wherever I please. I've actually made a bit of a business out of it, but I don't get too much work from it. At least I'm not overloading myself xD.

I honestly have so much more to say, but I should probably go to sleep soon.

A few final shoutouts to the following people and companies:

-Dollar Tree

-Steven Page

-Broken World Media

-The Island of Misfit Toys

-Simple Kid

-Punchline

-My incredible partner QwQ I love you so much. Thanks for being the best all the time. I hope I can give you the best life ever.

Anyway I suppose this is goodnight. Lmk if you want a full list of the CDs I bought today! I'll link that song by Steven Page here.

And here's a good song from Simple Kid

I really like music lol. Enjoy these pieces.

Anyway, goodnight lol.

Lots of love,

-Leonna.

[zebra-warrior]

Five things I'm greatful for and then some.

1. My parents. I honestly couldn't ask for a better set of parents than I have. As a kid we didn't have much money. My parents wanted to purchase a nice house to raise me in so I had the best environment to grow up in possible but in choosing the home they did everyting else was very tight but they never made it feel that way. Back in the day when crafting and building things were less expensive than buying them (boy have things changed with crafting) if we didn't have someting they would make it. I remember a lot of my friends would have birthday parties at places like Chuck E. Cheese, Magic Mountain, the Zoo or a skating rink. My parants didn't really have the money to do that and what they had they would have rather spent on a nice present for me so my mom would decorate the house and my dad would go out and mow the grass really short. They would dig holes in the ground and put PVC pipe in the holes that my dad would get at work from the dumpster and turn our back yard into a put put course. They would put up a vollyball net and crochet set and we would use big workshop vice grip clamps and turn them upside down as putters. The house they bought already had a swing set and swimming pool so I would have pool parties and with magic mountain in my own back yard. It was a lot of work but not a lot of money even though to me it felt like they spent a fortune. Everyone always looked forward to my birthday parties as a kid. They were always a bit hit. Not to mentuon sidewalk chalk was someting they also would splurge on so setting up the driveway with lots of fun stuff was something my dad liked to do. He used to like drawing with chalk as much as I did. As I got older they always made things work. When I began getting bullied at school I was switched to a private home school coop. Which my great grandma who was also the best grandma ever paid for knowing my parents couldn't and she couldn't stand seeing me hurt the way I was but my mom would drive me 35 minutes to school, drive almost an hour to work then after work wound drive almost an hour to pick me up and then 35 minutes back home every day for 3 years until I got my driver's license. She was so excited for me to get my license she took me a month early for my T

temps. I told her it was too early and she said it wasn't and whan I got there they said come back next month lol. I never wanted to drive. I was always afraid but she couldn't get me to the BMV fast enough lol. My parents also taught me a lot about the value of money and work ethic and now say they taught me too well because I'm known to shop for several months for something more costly that I need like contact lenses in order to find the best price, all coupons and all rebates and sales available. I got my first job at age 11 and was able to buy my first car myself, pay for college myself without taking out one loan and buy my first home outright and as a foreclosure to remodel and fix up how I wanted it to look. My second car was the only thing I've ever taken out a loan on. When I got sick and OSU tried to put me in a nursing facility my parents offered to help me sell my house and take me back in with open arms so I could be cared for in their home instead of a long term care facility. They still help me to this day cooking for me, driving me to appointments when I can't use transportation services, cleaning and helping me bathe myself. I now pay them rent and utilities as well as half of groceries and personal needs of my dog and myself not because I think for a second they would dump me into a long term care faculty if I didnvt but because it's the right thing to do. This ties in with family but I'm so very greatful and thankful to still have my mom. She was on life support after having her liver cut into during a botched surgery which resulted in a full blown liver rupture. It was the hands down the scariest moment of my life. We weren't sure she would make it and her doctors couldnt even give us that reassurance but she did everyting ahead of schedule and all I had to hold on to was her promise that she wasn't going anywhere. She kept that promises and on the day she was released the nurse that called when she began crashing came into the room shocked she was alive and admitted that she was sure my mom wasn't going to make it and that was the end for her. She was completely amazed my mom was still here. My mom was caught in the battle of her life, a battle she should have never had to fight and now has PTSD because of the experience but she's alive. My mom is here. I know a lot of adults have already lost a parent and I can't imagine the pain. Having my parants bring really the only family members I have a close relationship with and being my caregivers, I don't know what I wouls do without them. I would probably be in some nursing home somewhere without them. With my dad has Autism, though he was able to work, my mom paid bills, did most of the shopping as my dad can't use a debit card. But my mom does most of the money, paperwork and phone call related stuff for him so I can't imagine how life would even be able to continue without her. Or my dad. They both have two totally different rolls and being disabled I need them more than ever so I couldn't be happier this is in the past but couldn't be more upset or had to happen to begin with. In Ohio doctors are protected against medical malpractice and though she almost lost her life and will have life long physical complications and likely somewhat shorter of a life due to these complications she will never get the revenge she deserves and the doctor didn't even get a slap on the hand for what he did to her body and with now having PTSD, her mind.

2. Maggie: This dog has rolled with the punches and adapted flawlessly. She's my best friend and fur daughter. She picked up cardiac alert from my last baby Sandy and took to training to be able to use that ability as a career line a champ. I have seen her blossom from the puppy from heck. (no offend Ma-mag) but she would literally rip wallpaper off the wall with her teeth, it took 8 months to housebreak her and there was no such thing as no in her dictionary. She got into everything but I've since learned that was only because she was so intelligent and always curious because once she began training she excelled and grew into the most trusting and obedient dog I've ever had. Not only that but she thrived on structure. When working she walks on the leash beside me just fine but when I put her on my lap at that point nothing can stop her. She sits up all straight, sticks her chest out and thinks her poop doesn't smell. My lap is her thrown. I don't mind because she can alert just as well up there as she can waking, if not better because she doesnt have to try as hard to get my attention in loud and busy places. Not only is she obedient but when she's not formally working, even at 8 years old she's still very playfil and silly, always doing things to make me laugh or my heart melt. She's a velcro dog so I've always got a snuggle buddy and someone to keep me warm and my face coated in a layer if dog spit lol. I got her the day before I got my first pacemaker and she was the first one to sit at my bedside when I came out if surgery for my second one. As I went from a much closer to healthy individual who would take her on long walks and when stuck in a terrible relationship I would walk she and Sandy some days for several hours a day, sitting around the pond eating snacks, going into every store in walking distance that allowed pets and exploring the neighborhood to much sicker, in a chair with her only real walks occurring when she worked outside the home and a much more stagnant lifestyle Maggie never loved me any less, if anyting she loved me more because to my surprise she fell in love with my wheelchair and head over hills for my powerchair. When I turn my power chair on it makes a chiming sound and whan she hears that sound she makes a mad dash for the room I'm in begging for a ride. In her mind these changes in my life had made me no less the mommy to her as I was before. She is one person (yes I will call her a person) who I can count on to always love me no matter what. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I woukd he here. This conditon has made me want to go to bed and not wake up more than once and she's saved me every time and I can't thank her enough for being such a good girl.

3. My neighbor Pam has been my neighbor since I was 5 years old so she's been in my life most of my life and much more than any family member outside my household has ever been. She's basically my aunt or a second mom to me. As a kid she helped in reaching me the value of money and hard work my giving me my first two jobs at age 11. She has me clean her primates cages and prepare food for them not only teaching me the values of good, hard work but further fostering my love for animals. She's always had the primates as well as dogs and cats I would take care of when she was out of town. I was the first kid I knew to have a real job even if it was part time. It wasn't much later that I began babysitting her grandson who even now that he's grown and I no longer talk to him, I think if him as a little brother to me. He was the most well behaved kid I ever babysat and boy was it an eye opener when I started babysitting a lot of other kids in the neighborhood and saw how some kids can really act lol. Pam has always been there for me and my family. She would take me on summer trips sometimes like I remeber a trip to Wyndot Lake that really was a blast and she has always treated me like family. We have a key to her house and she has one to ours. When I got to the age I could stay home alone I never woried too much about if I couldnt find my key or the screen door was locked because I always knew she was just a short walk away if I needed help. She watchs our houses and we watch hers contacting each other if we see anyone or anyting unusual. She comes over each year for Christmas dinner and will occasionally surprise my parents by bringing over a soup she made or some cookies she baked and last summer sent a Chimney Sweep to our house because she knew my mom needed a break and we like to have fires in the winter but haven't had our Chimney cleaned in a while. For my 16th birthday she took my awe dry car to her business at the airport to clear coat it with the same material used to clear coat jets and whan I got sick I didn't have to worry because she is always nearby. Before I got transportation services she was always willing to drive me to my medical appointments and with Corona, she helped with shopping. Over the summer we could pick anyone in our family to go on a trip to the zoo with us my dad's last year of work and we chose my neighbors and had a great time. We may not be family by blood but my neighbor is my family. Not many people are lucky enough to have a neighbor they get along with or even care for yet ours is closer than extended family and for that I'm thankful.

4. My home. I couldn't be more lucky when my parents bought this house. It's almost as if they knew that when I grew up I would be in a chair. We live in a one story floor plan with a kitchen. That has an island in the middle so if I have someting I hand its still easy to just grab the counter and zip around in a circle to any part of the kitchen I need to get to. Before the passing of my grandma, she used a walker and wheelchair so my dad had already installed a ramp in our garage so I went into this journey with access to my home. My home is also set up so my dad found easily set up a ramp onto the back porch. I have always had a large bedroom, bigger than most people I know. It's similar in size to a master bedroom and being in a chair, thats very much a necessity now. In a chair you need a lot more room to navigate an area efficiently. Of course my home is far from perfect. The bathrooms are much too small to be truly accessable so I have to make due with what I have and my bathroom. Needs despiratly to be remodeled. Unfortunatly the bath tub that was put into my bathroom could quite possibly be the most unexcwssable bathtub for someone in a wheelchair in existence. I don't have a pull down closet nor do I have pull down cabinets in the kitchen or appliances I can easily use. I don't have a stove that rises and lowers or countertops that are at my height it an elevating powerchair to be able to reach those areas. Even the microwave is a Hazzard but as far as manuverability we have that. I can access every too. In our home except our basement and one part of a bathroom we have. It would be easier to menuvour here if my parants didn't have so mucb stuff and such big bulky furniture it I think that's also part of living with my parents. They have more life experience and more stuff but it's doable. Not everyone is lucky enough. After becoming disabled to have a home that's usable or has porential. Many were forced to move after getting sick or disabled. I was forced to move out of my home but my parents home is usable and I can't be more happy for this home.

5. Doctor Joseph and his staff. I went 30 years of my life unable to get help for this condition slowely robbing more and more from my body. When I came across Dr Joseph they were something I had never seen in the medical community. This was all new to me. I entered into a facility of four of the most caring and compassionate individuals I've ever encountered. I finally found a doctor who specializes in my conditon and he was just over a half hour away. But only was he familliar with the disease but also the comorbidities, Misconceptions, PTSD we have all faced from others who hold some form of medical degree and how we likely have no one to advocate for us and we have been on our own literally fighting through the pain and suffering. For appropriate medical treatment to only be dealt more pain and suffering. When he took me on I was the sickest I've ever been in my life and I so much pain I frankly can't believe I hadn't taken my life much before even hearing about him not only did he take me on as a patient knowing how big of a project I would be after over 200 doctors in the past saw me and just pushed me off but he never gave up, hasn't given up and I don't see him giving up on me in the future. His staff has fought tooth and nail with insurance companies on my behalf, files formal complaints about hospital care for me, brought me in on days they were fully booked to try to help me and spent weekends and holidays on the phone with my mom and the hospital angerly fighting with them to do the right thing and provide appropriate care. They may have not listened to him, learned to hate him and failed me terribly but at least I can't say my doctor and his staff didn't try. His wife came in on her day off to fight with my insurance company and they have helped me find the right goverment officials to contact with problems. The goverment officials may not have done anything but again, at least I can say they tried and that says a lot about a doctor. I. Not on the best treatment and the battle still continues to get me into a surgeon, gst testing completed and fight for more than the fifth or sixth best medication. They treat me no different than they would treat their own family members and that is something I've never seen in a doctor. I have seen improvement. It may not be as much as they would like but every bit of improovment is because the continue to fight to me, continue to teach me to advocate for myself and refuse to give up on me just because I'm a complicated case. I couldn't thank his office more for what they have done and continue to do each day.

I know that's five but just to list a few, I'm thankful for my late dog Sandy, my late Great Grandma, nature and other non harmful animals that cross my path, my local church, my online friends and the availability of support groups, the internet, with the virus I'm thankful for the new door that has opened for those of us who are homebound with all of these vertual tours and other New online resources that open the world up to us from our beds and couches, that I still have my mind, my manual and powerchair as I would have no way to access anyting, including my own house without them, the nice days after the ground has dried up and I'm able to roll around my yard and around the garden. To re-establish a love for crafting. My cricut and sewing machine and mich more. So just because there are things I'm very upset with in this world doesn't mean there aren't things I'm thankful for.

#myEDSchallenge #myHSDchallenge

[thirstyfortom]

I have been thinking of this Headcanons for a while now and I hope u can bring my imagination into light! what if rfa+v+Searan first meeting with MC at an aquarium where she works as a diver and saw her for the first time behind the glass diving with sharks and small fishies and stuff~ maybe she looked like a mermaid :P I'm sorry if it's complicated and it's ok if u don't want to do it~ love u~

I love these scenarios when they meet before RFA

I wrote this when I was really sleepy and slightly drunk, so I have no idea if any of this makes any sense lololol. Anyway, hope u like it! ^^

RFA + Saeran and V meet MC at an aquarium

Zen

He was there for a photo shoot and decided to take a look at the place

You passed by his side wearing your scuba suit, talking to a colleague about checking on the sharks

He followed you, he just… felt this urge to go after you.

And he watched you mesmerized, you were so elegant… and so brave for being that close to the sharks!

“Isn’t it scary?” he had to ask when you got out, you looked at him puzzled. “The… sharks?”

“Oh… no, not at all! They don’t do anything if they’re fed properly and… if you’re not bleeding.” you say this so naturally and with this huge smile, it’s adorable! “Don’t tell anybody, but… they’re my favorites!”

He felt warm inside about you sharing this secret with him. “Wh-why is that?”

“I don’t know, there’s something exciting about fearing them, you know? Being around something so majestic and dangerous. It’s like…” “Liking someone and being afraid of hurting them with all of your passion?” SHIT! What is he saying? This isn’t one of his musicals!

“Yeah… something like that…” you chuckle. Oh, did you really get it or are you just being polite? “Hey, do I know you from somewhere? You look familiar…”

“I get that a lot, actually.” nah, he wouldn’t brag right now, it was time to know more about you. “So… what’s y-?” one of the sharks bump into the glass and he yelps.

“Oh, shit, Hercules! He’s a little blind, I… I should go, he gets all disoriented when this happens. See ya!” you run without even looking at him.

“Yes… see ya.” Well, he would actually see you a few weeks later standing at his door.

Yoosung

He’s there on a tour promoted by one of his teachers

He’s not really interested in any of this. Sea animals are not really his thing. Then he gets to the dolphin area.

Then you show up and greet his class, and the tour guide introduces you. “This is MC, she usually works with the dolphins and the other mammals.”

“Do you feed them?” somebody asks. “Well, that too, but I mainly provide activities to stimulate their brains. You see, dolphins are extremely smart creatures, and…” you go on talking about dolphin’s brains, and Yoosung is… really interested in all you have to say, he’s even taking notes.

“But enough talking, do any of you want to see how we do it? Let’s see… hum, how about you in the back? The blond one?” he’s so taken aback by your face he doesn’t even notice you’re talking about him, his buddy nudges him and he notices you’re looking straight at him… SHIT

He goes to you hesitantly, your smile is so beautiful and… your curves on this tight scuba suit… wait, what? “What’s your name?”

“Y-Yoosung.” “Cool! So our friend Yoosung here will shuffle these numbers and our other friend Chi Chi will put them in the right order. Here you go, buddy.” shit, you’re so nice! He’s trembling while shuffling the cards. “Okay, Yoosung, you can give to her.”

“M-me?” “Yeah! Don’t worry, she won’t bite! Well, she does sometimes and it hurts as hell, but…” you see his eyes widening. “I’m kidding!” he hears his mates laughing, ugh…

He hands the cards to Chi Chi and she quickly puts them in order, then you explain this isn’t training like in the circus, it’s just a method to stimulate their memory.

After the demonstration is over, the teacher calls a a little break for the students to explore as they please, but Yoosung wants to stay right there.

“Good job, she really liked you!” you say enthusiastically, are you just being nice or are you genuinely this bright? Either way, your smile is beautiful. “I’m so lame for being afraid, I… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Yoosung! It can be a little intimidating at first…” oh, you remember his name! He wants to know more about you, but then you get a call and run quickly. Well, he would have another chance pretty soon in the chat room.

Jaehee

Well, this was the oddest meeting Mr Han’s associate could ever come up with

Then she sees the jellyfishes and this diver swimming right beside them.

It’s… beautiful! And the diver moves as flowing and elegant as them.

And then the diver looks through the glass, straight at… her? And waves for her? She awkwardly waves back.

“Hey! Did you like the jellyfishes?” you ask her coming from behind. You’re still on your scuba suit. Oh… were you that elegant diver from before?

“Yes, they’re… beautiful! Isn’t it dangerous? I mean… don’t their tentacles burn?” “Oh, my suit protects me, see?” you grab her hand and make her squeeze your arm. She blushes.

“It’s made of a special material, they just bought it thanks to this new investor.” “Yes, it was… my boss, actually.”

“Oh… cool! Your boss is sickening!” is… that a good thing? Judging from your huge smile, it is, she frowns her forehead and you chuckle. “Oh… maybe not?”

She gives this weird smile. “Yeah, my boss is a pain in the ass sometimes too.” how can you talk so easilly to a stranger? But she can’t stop listening to you, for some reason…

She would like to hear more, and talk more. Maybe venting to an outsider about how stressed she was would bring her some relief?

“Oh… speaking of the devil…” you fidget your walkie talkie on your hand. “Gotta go!”

Well… too bad! It wasn’r right now she would have the chance to vent. Gladly she does much more than that when you two meet again.

Jumin

He heard about this aquarium getting closed and thought about investing in it.

He has his aquarium at home and… well, he really appreciates these creatures, he doesn’t like to think what could happen to the animals if the aquarium gets closed.

So he goes there to see what exactly he’s dealling with. And then he sees this diver surrounded by colorful seahorses.

It’s almost like a mirage, and this diver is apparently having lots of fun. Yes, working with something you love is really fulfilling.

“Hi! We’re… closed right now.” “I’m here to see the admnistrator, actualy.” “I’ll take you there, come on”

He’s a little uncomfortable about walking side by side with this woman all wet, aren’t you cold? “So… may I ask why do you want to see the boss?”

“Well, this is… I would rather not talk about it for now.” Yes, he shouldn’t be discusing this with one of the employees.

“Okay… just know we’re doing our best here, but it’s really hard to keep things in order with such a low budget, I’m saving up as much as I can with the seahorse’s food, for example and…”

“Don’t worry about it. Keep doing your best and it will pay off, I can guarantee.” “Okay, I guess…” he wanted to know more, what were your position here exactly, your name…

“Here you go, sir!” you patted his shoulder friendly and turned around.

He was impressed at how much you cared for this job and for the animals, if every employee was this hardworking, he would be more than happy to buy the place.

And he did, but you just got to know that when you went to his penthouse a couple of weeks later.

Saeyoung

That was a weird mission, the thugs were getting more and more creative about places to do money laundering. An aquarium?

He wasn’t sure where to start looking, so he was just strolling around, looking for places he could infiltrate.

Then he saw this girl feeding the seals. Five of them all around you.

He couldn’t hold back a chuckle when he saw you doing this weird dance and the seals mimicking you.

You heard him chuckle and quickly turned around, looking straight at him and blushing. How… adorable!

“Hi! Can I help you?” “Oh… I’m… I’m from supervision, they sent me… to supervise?” WTF? He usually comes up with good stories, why couldn’t he lie properly staring at your curious face?

“So, uhm… about the seals. Are they getting the right treatment?” and you suddenly started talking about their feeding, their meds, even some biology jargons, it looked nothing like the girl who blushed before noticing she was being observed.

“Do you… like working here?” “Well, I… I’m a little worried about the new administration, but sure. I love this so much!” you eyes gleamed. Shit! Now he was the one blushing.

“About the new administration…” “I shouldn’t probably talk about this. Be careful on what you write on your report.” were you… worried for him? You didn’t even know him!

He knew he shouldn’t, but he really wanted to catch at least your name. Hell, now he was worried for you working for thugs! Was there nothing he could do to protect you?

Well, after the background check, he took the liberty to send your resumé to another aquarium, one with honest administrators. You didn’t remember sending any resumé to that place, so you knew it could only be his doing. Yes, even pushing you away like this at Rika’s apartment, you knew how much he cared about you…

Saeran

He heard about the ice cream they were selling at this aquarium

But the restaurant there would open a little later, ugh… crap!

Well, since he’s here, why not take a look at what these children are making such a fuss about?

Then he sees you explaining to the kids about the starfishes and other animals at these interactive tanks.

“Be gentle, guys! Though it doesn’t show, they can feel everything!” he could see you were trying to be nice to the children, but you were more concerned about the animals.

“Yay! Now let’s take a look at the turtles?” they ran away from the tank.

“Why do they let animals like this for these brats to touch it?” “Well, it’s a… sensorial experience or… some bullshit like this.” Oh! Did you just swear? How feisty! “If you ask me, I think this is ridiculous and just stresses the animals, but… I don’t make the rules.”

“So why do you follow them?” “Well, isn’t it how society works?”

“What if there’s a place you don’t need to follow those rules?” “Well, this sound very utopic, but… I think it would be nice to me…and to the animals…”

Well, he couldn’t do much about the animals, but about you… did he just find his target to help him destroy RFA?

Yes, as he managed to hack into your phone, he knew! You were perfect to be taken to paradise!

V

He felt really inspired to take some pictures of this wonderful place with such wonderful creatures.

Well, he didn’t expect the most wondeful one to be a human.

He took pictures of this diver moving with the rays like they were all floating, it was amazing!

“My camera loves you… miss.” he took the initiative to talk to you when you came down, you looked puzzled, so he showed you the pictures.

“Oh, the rays are the fotogenic ones, actually.” “Yes, they move beautifully, it’s a shame I can’t really capture the whole movement of them.”

“Dude, are you kidding me? Look at this! You can feel the motion! It’s amazing! You’re… amazing!” and you blushed, he smiled softly, you were even more charming like this.

“Thank you, I’m just really lucky that sometimes I find just the right model.” “Oh yeah, the rays are great models!” he laughed, in addition to all of that, you were still funny? You were the amazing one here.

“You’re the guy they hired to take the promo pictures?” “Oh no, I’m just doing this for fun…” “So you’re a tourist?”

“I guess you can say that. Aren’t we all tourists when it comes to getting involved with these creatures?” “I don’t feel like a tourist around them.”

“Yes, you really look like one of them, look at this, it’s almost like a mermaid.” you blush furiously, and he grins, you’re definitely enchanting as a mermaid, at least.

He could talk to you all day if you let him, but then you got a call and ran without even saying goodbye. Well, maybe you two could meet up again one day? Who knows?