#which is kinda funny given... ah nevermind

[picspammer]

No squealing, remember that it's all in your head

[goose-duck]

🥧 Class Trip 🥧

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Maxley?? Fanfic oneshot thingy, idk, I'm sick and felt inspired. I say "maxley??" Bc it's Max and Bradley for sure but I dunno if it'll come off as romantic or not I actually have no idea what I'm writing...why am doing this when I'm sick? Oh well, enjoy ✨

~~~~~~

Our class is going on a trip today, I can't tell if I'm excited or not. We're going to a museum which isn't particularly entertaining...especially given its the one I'm employed at, but anything's better than class I suppose? I don't know why the professor decided to take us on a trip, he's usually so...uh...how do I describe him? Lame? Boring? Old? Decrepit? I should stop...before my inside thoughts become outside thoughts...though im sure everyone else is thinking the same thing. Maybe it's because it's the end of the year and he just kinda gave up? I don't know...why am I even still thinking about this?

I'm sitting where I usually sit with Bobby and PJ. We're waiting for the rest of the class...or at least most of the class, to show up so we can leave. Bobby and PJ are talking but I'm not overly interested. I started being friends with Bradley a few weeks ago...its been good...but it started off really weird. We don't talk much but there's less animosity between us now and we occasionally make light conversation. Bradley also sits with us now so that's cool I guess?? He's on the other side of me, my left side, the side of my dominant hand. Makes it difficult to write sometimes because we'll bump elbows. He's also here, he was here before everyone else, as always.

I lay my head on the table and look at him, admiring his sharp jawline and beautiful blue eyes...what..? Nevermind, he's got a nice face, it's not weird at all to think that. Right? Right! I'm not...uh...feeling things...at all. Totally normal thoughts and feelings here. I look down at the desk, silently judging myself before looking up at him again, meeting his eyes. Bradley's giving me a strange look, probably because I have my head on the table after having been so excited a few minutes ago. I'm just bored of waiting for the rest of the class. He gives me a soft smirk before rolling his eyes and going on his phone. I just continue with what I was doing.

I finally decide to say something, I say it every morning to him, "good morning, Brad." I say. He normal says good morning back but today he just looked at me before pulling out a bag of cough drops and popping one in his mouth. Ah, his throat must be sore. "You sick, Brad?" I question. He nods at me. I giggle a little, our professor's name is also Brad, it's funny, kinda.

Eventually most of the class shows up and we all start on our way to the museum. It's close enough to walk to but we have to walk down a steep hill which we all know will be miserable on the walk back up. It's a hot sunny day, 25°c, and it's only the morning. Bobby and PJ and ahead of me and Bradley by a little bit on our walk. I think Bradley is walking slower than usual because he's sick, he'd normally be out walking me and I'd have to run after him. On the walk down me and him share a few words and joke around a bit. We come to a crosswalk and a few people jaywalk instead of using the crosswalk, not a big deal but Bobby makes a joke about it being illegal before soon following suit and also not using the crosswalk.

A little further on our walk and we're on a flat spot before the next hill we have to go down. Somehow me and Bradley ended up in front of Bobby and PJ, I guess we were walking quicker than I thought. Bobby walks up to Bradley holding out a $10 bill, "Hey, Brad?" He says laughing a little. "What, Bobby?" Bradley responds, his voice sounding hoarse from his cold. "I'll give you $10 to carry me the rest of the way." Bobby suggest, holding the bill more out to Bradley. Bradley laughs, taking the money and stops walking to Bobby can get on his back. Me and PJ stop walking too to watch this. Bobby hops up on Bradley's back and Bradley let's out a huff, walking a little ways before dropping Bobby and giving him his money back. "You're heavier than you look!" Bradley says sounding a little more tired than before, "how much do you weigh!?" He quickly adds on. Bobby tells him he doesn't keep track then retorts my asking Bradley how much he weights. Apparently Bradley weighs 220 lbs...double the amount I weigh, literally, I weigh 120. Bradley then says, "fuck, you're probably heavier than I am, Bobby, no wonder you're so hard to carry!" Bobby gets offended but doesn't deny it. I laugh a little, as we all continue walking.

Eventually we get to the museum, it's a historical museum full of old artifacts from the native people of the area. I got my job here three years ago, I got in on account of being indigenous myself. They wanted indigenous people to work here with these artifacts rather than the people who colonized our land. Fair enough, and it got me a job that pays more than minimum wage, so, win for me.

When we get inside my boss introduces herself and tells us all what we'll be doing. A scavenger hunt. I already know where everything is as I helped set it up, but I don't say anything, I'll be the secret weapon to whoever decides to work with me as we're told to get into teams of two. Bobby and PJ group up and so does everyone else, leaving me and Bradley, which I'm not opposed to. My boss gives everyone their clipboards giving me a look when she got to me and Bradley. "Why'd she look at you like that?" Bradley inquires. I giggle a little, signalling him to come a little closer so I can whisper to him, "I work here." I whisper into his ear. He gives a look, "ah, how convenient, so we'll get this done in no time?" I give him a snide look, "nope, if you were a cute girl maybe I would have, but you're Bradley Uppercrust iii, I'm sure you can do this without my help." I joke, making it clear I'm not letting him use me as an advantage. Bradley sighs, rolls his eyes, then gets started on the scavenger hunt.

While Bradley does the scavenger hunt I go find some of my coworkers and chat with them. Mostly just talking about how school's been for everyone. Some found university easy, others said it was miserable, one said she didn't have the money to continue. I felt bad for her, but there's not much I can do right now. Bradley gives the clip board with the scavenger hunt sheet to our teacher, Mr. Bradley, then walks over to our group to join in on the conversation until we get told we have to go back to campus.

About an hour later Mr. Bradley calls us all to meet at the front of the building, telling us it's time to go back now. A student asks who got done the hunt first, Mr. Bradley says it was Bradley. Huh, looks like he didn't need my help after all. Good for him. A few students groan and glare at Bradley but I give him a high five. "Good job, dude! Told ya you didn't need my help!" Bradley smiles at me in response to that, ruffling my hair and giving me a thumbs up. His throat must be hurting again, poor guy. Being sick is miserable. Sick on a trip where you have to walk everywhere? Even worse.

The first part of the walk back is fine, but it's definitely a lot hotter out now. I have Bradley check his phone, it's 31°c. Holy fuck...we're gonna die on the big hill just before the school.

Once we get to that hill Bradley gives me a worried look putting his hand on my back. I'd been breathing quite heavily, I didn't find it strange, I'm used to it, it's always like this for me, anemia kicking my ass at all times of the day. I look pale and I'm sweaty and can barely think, but I know I just have to make it back to class and sit down and get a drink. Bradley doesn't seem to think I'll make it though as I stumble around the sidewalk almost falling a few times. Bradley's hold on my tightens a bit when I almost fall into an oncoming vehicle. "You sound like you're dying.." Bradley says saying stressed. I laugh before coughing a little, finding it humourous that he's sick yet I'm the one having such a hard time. Bradley offers to carry me the rest of the way but I'm too prideful to let him, telling him I can make it on my own.

Once we get to the top of the hill there's a bunch of little kids and a few adults, I recognize them from the nearby daycare center. They're adorable, this one in a pink bucket hat waves at me and Bradley so I wave back. Bradley also gives the child a small wave before pulling me along so we actually make it to the school rather than me just being distracted with the adorable children. I'd never want kids of my own, but if a friend of mine had kid's I wouldn't mind babysitting for them.

Once we get into the foyer of the school Bradley quickly tries to pull me over to a vending machine and buy me a bottle of water. While he's doing that one of my friends walk by and asks what me and Bradley were up to, point out how we both look a mess. I can't get my words out because I'm still breathing heavily from the walk so I just wave and give a thumbs up. I'm sure that'll be a satisfactory answer, right?

Bradley comes back over to me with the bottle of water, opening it for me and shoving it up to my mouth. I guess he doesn't trust me to do it myself...do I really look like I'm in that bad of shape right now? Maybe I should just take the water. I drink the water Bradley is holding up to my mouth until I swat his hand away a little so I don't drown. He pulls the bottle of water away from my lips, allowing me to breathe and screwing the lid back onto the bottle. He then hands me the water and puts a hand on my back before pushing me along back to the lecture hall so we can sit down. I give him a nod as a thanks and he smiles and nods back.

[shyficwriter]

Temporary Home: Chapter 3

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!)

Summary: Just as things start looking like they'll get better, Rocket seems to ruin it. Hopefully this time he learns something.

Previous Chapter here | Next Chapter Here Or click here to: Start From Beginning

Author’s Note: Shorter chapter this time.

Word Count: 4,075

You might have slept in after having taken a middle-of-the-night walk, but your body had other ideas, waking you up right at seven A.M. Probably had a little something to do with eight strange people living in your house. Who's to say?

Breakfast today went smoother than yesterday. Nothing was spilled, no one was bit. It was almost nice.

However, afterwards you found yourself at a loss for what to do. You knew the garden was already free of weeds from where you weeded the day before, so there went that idea.

Sure, you could sit and relax, maybe try to get to know your new house guests, but you were still feeling too antsy and irritable to do that. You wanted something to keep your mind busy.

Eventually you settled on laundry. The machine was half full anyway and so you went upstairs to grab the hamper from the bathroom and threw it's contents in. Unfortunately you'd need to wait for the clothes to finish washing before you could hang them or fold them, but you supposed maybe you could sweep the floor while you waited.

You finished the kitchen much faster than you would have liked, and so you decided maybe you'd sweep the upstairs landing and work your way down.

You had swept about halfway down the stairs when Peter and Gamora decided to walk up the stairs about the same time as Mantis decided to walk down the stairs, hugging her bear. Upon seeing Peter and Gamora, Mantis then further decided to show them the "wonderful bear" you had given her before bounding down the rest of the stairs and out the front door.

They looked to you as she left, and you blushed and looked down at your task at hand. "Don't read too much into it. Just- you know... Thought it'd keep her from crawling in my bed at night... Seems to have worked."

"Right," said Peter, throwing a cheeky grin at Gamora. His tone was overly inquisitive when he spoke to you next, "Say, would you know anything about the toy car Groot found waiting in his room last night?"

You quickened your sweeping down the stairs. "I should really finish up here. Got other work to do."

Gamora looked pleasantly intrigued, and Peter lightly chuckled as they continued up the stairs.

You were grateful the sitting room was empty when you went to sweep in there, but you were also soon dismayed to have finished the chore so quickly. The washer still had a good chunk of time before it'd be finished and now you were once again left wondering what to do.

Might as well clean the bathroom.

More dismay befell you when you entered, however. Someone hadn't flushed. Again. Know who doesn't have to worry about house mates not flushing? People who live alone.

In disgust, you flushed for whoever the offender was, making a mental note to make a general callout to whoever it was to stop it, before getting a start on cleaning the bathroom.

The washer was finally done by the time you finished, and you jumped on the chance to grab a basket and bring the clothes out to the line. Sure, you had a dryer, but hanging them would keep you busier for longer. You put in your earbuds so you could listen to music while you worked.

Once outside you noticed that's where most of the others had gone. All but Peter and Gamora where in the back yard enjoying the sunshine. Yondu, Kraglin and Drax were shooting the breeze while Rocket pushed Groot on the little wooden car, which was just big enough for him to sit on, down the stone garden path. Groot would squeal in delight until he reached the end, then he would cheerfully run back carrying the car for Rocket to do it again. Mantis had discovered the rope and plank swing hanging from the old oak tree and was gently swaying as she cuddled her bear.

You made your way toward the clothesline on the other side of the yard and faced away from them as you went to hang the clothes on the line.

You were about three towels in when Kraglin taps you on the shoulder, making you jump. You turn to face him and pull out an earbud to hear what he was saying.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya, ma'am!"

You frowned, embarrassed. You were usually never this jumpy, especially not on the job, but this whole new situation has been playing with your nerves.

"Would you like some help, there?"

You shake your head, reaching down to grab a shirt to hang on the line.

"Well, would ya like some company?"

You come back up from the basket with another garment and raise your eyebrow at him.

"Not much of a talker, eh?" Kraglin said, starting to feel a little awkward. He was trying to make nice with you, but you weren't giving him anything and he didn't really know what to do. He told himself it'd be easier if you were someone he was trying to steal from. Cap'n was better at stuff like this.

You shrug.

"Well, I just wanted to say it was real nice what ya did for the little fella and the girl."

You look at him, already feeling a blush returning, and repeated what you said to Peter and Gamora earlier. "Don't read too much into it." You reach down to pull another garment.

Now Kraglin frowned. He tried to think of something else to say. Maybe he could break the ice with a joke? "Say, you ever hear about the guy who couldn't get his blaster to fire?"

You raise an eyebrow.

"He had to read the trouble shooting section in the manual."

You tilted your head. "Was that a joke?"

Kraglin made a grimaced grin and rubbed the back of his head, "Ah... yes?"

"Hm." is all you offer and you return to work.

Kraglin tries again. "What about the one about the constipated Krylorian?

You didn't look up. "I think your friends are calling for you."

Kraglin, missing the hint, "I didn't hear-"

You look up, the look in your eyes sending a chill through the former first mate. "Oh yes, they did."

He got the hint.

***

"She turned you away so fast!" Drax laughed when Kraglin returned.

Kraglin shook his head. "Apparently she's not a big talker. Actually almost kinda scary." He glanced back toward you briefly as if to make sure you stayed there.

"Scary?" Drax asked, perplexed. "But she looks all small and weak like Peter, or you?" He shook his head. "You are terrible with women."

"Hey!" Kraglin objected.

Yondu grinned.

"And I wasn't trying to get her into bed! I was just trying to break the ice is all."

Drax looked at you then back at Kraglin in confusion. "It's too warm? There shouldn't be any ice to break?"

Yondu shook his head and said, "No that's- Nevermind."

***

When hanging laundry you noticed some white mushrooms were starting to spring up around one of your clotheslines poles, and unfortunately you couldn't quite tell if it was the safe type or the poisonous type. You might have left it alone, but knowing the little tree child was running around now, you wanted to be sure. Just in case. You told yourself you just didn't want to clean up his vomit if he ate them and got sick.

You knew you had a book on mushrooms, so after you finished hanging the wash you headed inside and towards the sitting room to find it.

Everyone had long since come inside and now Yondu, Drax, Kraglin and Peter were already in there, playing a game of cards at the table while Mantis curled in the rocking chair reading a book of children's fairytales.

You stood there looking through the titles of your books, trying to find the right one, when suddenly you felt a pair of hands fluttering at your sides. You jerk with a gasp and spin around to grab the hands of your attacker and see that it's Mantis.

"Mantis- what are you doing?" You say, your tone laced with a gentle warning. You didn't release her wrists yet.

"You seemed grouchy. I wanted to make you laugh!" She replied cheerfully, not alarmed in the slightest by your tone.

You raise an eyebrow at the innocence of her answer. Eyeing her you say, "I'm not ticklish," before cautiously releasing her and making a shooing gesture. You turn back to the books.

Peter quietly catches Mantis's attention and with a grin nods in your direction, encouraging her to do it again. Yondu sees this and shakes his head softly, grinning at the mischief.

Not twenty seconds go by before you feel her hands at your waist again, and again you jerk with a gasp before spinning to catch her again. "Mantis," you say more warningly. Now Drax is grinning.

You hear snickers coming from the table and Kraglin says, "I think you are." It was funny to him. Just awhile ago you were almost scary in your stoic-ness, now you were jumping and shying away from Mantis's attempts to tickle you.

You glare at them but ignore him. "Mantis, go back to your book," you say firmly.

Mantis just giggles but finally starts backing away as you eye her.

Assuming you're safe you turn back to the bookshelf. You soon find the book you were searching for and reach up to pull it from the shelf when you feel it yet again, this time along your ribs. You jerk your arm down with a small squeak and turn to grab Mantis's hands again, your eyes wide. "I swear I will turn you over my knee!" You threaten, a faint giggle in your voice making you sound a whole lot less threatening than you wished at that moment.

The guys are snickering again and Mantis innocently asks what that means.

You sigh and release her. You had no intention of doing it anyway, it just came out. Something that your elders used to threaten when you misbehaved as a child. "Go." You say, pointing at her forgotten book in the rocking chair. "Read."

Seeing mirth glistening in your eyes despite your threatening tone she obeys with a happy giggle and you turn once again to retrieve the book you had come for. Louder snickers could be heard from Peter when you stopped your motion halfway to turn and check that she wasn't coming back. You narrowed your eyes at him before finally grabbing your book and leaving to do your research.

You found the mushrooms weren't poisonous after all.

***

The next day you decided to practice your archery.

Rocket was still being a shit, being rude to his friends and to you, and he kept fighting with Gamora and Peter. Kraglin somehow managed to break one of your favorite mugs. You found out that apparently Drax had been the one not flushing, and that was super awkward. You left Peter to deal with him. You tripped over Groot's vines at least five times. Mantis managed to startle you so bad you nearly had a heart attack (Though in her defense you had your music in so you didn't hear her approach to ask you a question) Then there was Yondu, who you felt like he was watching your every move.

Needless to say, you were looking to blow off some steam.

You had a target set up behind your work shed and along the wood line of the forest. You pulled about 20 practice arrows and your bow from the shed and walked behind to aim at your target.

You had been out there maybe an hour or two, just shooting the target full of arrows, gathering them up, and then shooting them again, all while you listened to your music.

You had emptied your quiver again when you felt a hand on your shoulder and nearly decked Peter, catching yourself just in time when you saw it was him.

You caught your breath and scolded him. "Don't DO that!"

"Sorry! Sorry! You couldn't hear me with your music in so I waited until you ran out of arrows." he reasoned. To be fair, it was a good idea. You probably definitely would have shot him with one if he snuck up on you like that before you ran out.

You sighed. "What do you need?"

"Nothing. Just, we hadn't seen you for awhile. I thought I'd see where you went. I know it was a little rough with everyone today."

You only grunted in response, going to collect your arrows.

He followed. "Look, I just want to apologize for everyone. I know you didn't need to let us stay-"

You cut him off. "Didn't I? Seems like Fury made the decision for me."

"Cut the crap."

You turn to give him a hard look that said, 'The hell did you just say?'

Peter backtracked slightly. "I mean, I was clearly there the day Fury sprang this on you. You offered before he told you he had already decided. You can't try to tell me now that you don't give a crap."

You narrow your eyes before turning to continue on toward your arrows. "Hell if I can't."

"Well I know better."

You reached your target and started pulling arrows. "You don't know me at all. You haven't even been here four days."

"Ok, that may be true, but we can still try to be friends since we're all stuck together, right?"

You stare at him a couple moments while you pulled the rest of your arrows, before huffing a breath through your nose and looking down.

"You need some time alone with the thought. That's ok." Peter said, relenting. "Just know the gang's not normally like this. They're still adjusting." He lied. He knew they were totally like this, but he was still hoping maybe they'd settle down enough to not make you hate them.

You sighed. He had a point. Maybe you shouldn't be avoiding them as hard as you had been. Maybe if you made an effort to be friendlier this whole situation would go smoother. "I suppose..." you began, "that maybe I have been a little..." you struggled for the right word.

"Grouchy? Scary?" Peter offered lightheartedly. "Like the crotchety old person they try to make you think is the masked monster in Scooby Doo, but it turns out to be some other guy that wants to scare them out of their house?

"Watch it." you say eyeing him, but your mouth twitched. He was right. Perhaps you had been a little 'crotchety.'

"Careful, that was almost a smile." Peter teased.

You broke your gaze toward the ground so you wouldn't actually smile. You weren't ready to let your guard completely down yet. It only half worked.

Peter grinned. It seemed like his plan to chip your shell away was working. Slowly, but still. Progress was progress. He turned to walk back towards the house.

"Hey," you spoke up.

He turned back to face you again.

"You hungry?" you ask. You offered to cook again. Stipulating that it was just because you were bored again, nothing fancy, and you weren't going to make a habit of it or anything, of course.

Peter nodded and smiled, accepting the offer as you joined him to walk back to the house, stopping just long enough to put your bow and quiver back away in the shed.

***

Peter offered to help cook again, and again you declined, stating that you were only cooking spaghetti and it was like the easiest thing to make as you pulled out a pot and filled it with water.

He didn't press it. Baby steps. He had already succeeded in getting you to (almost) smile, he wasn't going to push his luck. However...

You place the pot on the stove and turn on the flame when Peter says, "Ok, but one thing before I go."

"What's that?" you ask, stepping away from the stove to grab the salt container from the cupboard.

Peter took full advantage of you reaching up to quickly aim a poke to your sides, making you jolt with a squeak.

He quickly went to run away, almost knocking into Yondu who had walked into the kitchen for a drink.

"Dammit!" you cry out, unable to hide the surprised laughter from your voice. "You behave or I'll put you in that pot!"

Peter laughed. It was totally worth it.

Yondu just looked at him with a 'What the hell!?' expression, asking, "Why is it funny when she says it?"

***

The pasta was nearly done and you had started working on the sauce when you realized you had run out of dried basil. Knowing you had some fresh out in the garden you decided you'd hop out for a quick second to grab some. The flame under the sauce hadn't even been turned on yet, and you lowered the flame under the boiling pasta just out of habit before you went outside, so you trusted that leaving the stove unattended for five seconds would be fine.

However, fate had other plans.

While you were cooking Groot had convinced Rocket into another game of tag. Whether he deliberately disobeyed or simply forgot, you'd never know, but as he was running from Rocket he ran straight through the kitchen, and Rocket didn't stop him.

Didn't stop him has he climbed on the counter.

Didn't stop him as he jumped over to the table.

Certainly didn't stop him as he hopped onto the vent over the stove, though he most definitely should have.

Maybe it was arrogance on Rocket's part that he could make the jump, or even just sheer ignorance over his ability to keep a grip on the sloping metal, but as Rocket pursued Groot, always just slightly behind the tree child, and he made the jump from the table to the vent hood, he slid, and tried to correct by pushing off the (thankfully cool) saucepan, which knocked the pot off sauce off the stove as he lifted off with a loud clatter as it hit the floor.

Groot was fine, having by now hopped off the cabinet onto the floor. Rocket regained his footing, clinging to the cupboard above the stove as he surveyed the damage.

He knew he fucked up.

That's when you came back inside. He saw your face as you took in the mess, looked over to Groot, and then looked up at him.

He really fucked up.

The rest of the team also heard the clatter from the sitting room a few quickly came to see what had happened.

You didn't notice. You only saw red.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Rocket started to reply with something snarky about not getting your "panties in a bunch" and how it could be cleaned but you cut him off before he could.

"He's made of wood!"

Rocket was slightly taken aback. "What?"

"That stove was- IS fucking lit." You reach over to shut off the burner under the pasta, side-stepping the mess. "What if he had caught fire? Or what if you knocked over the other pot? What if that fucking pot of boiling water had landed on either of you?! Do you even understand what that would have done to you?!"

By now the rest had heard you yelling and came to join the others in standing in the doorway to see what all the commotion was about. You still didn't notice them, you were too angry.

Rocket attempted to speak again. "I-"

You weren't finished. "I get it, he's a baby, he's still learning, but YOU most definitely should know better! But no! You think it's ok to play with him around a lit fucking stove! What the actual fuck! I swear, you're about as thick as manure but only half as useful!"

Rocket looked at the others in the doorway with wide eyes, not quite sure what to say. There was no way around it. This one was on him. They wore shocked expressions but also didn't say anything. Little Groot looked terrified at the (to him) giant angry lady screaming at Rocket.

You took a step back and finally assessed the mess. "And then there's all this!" you say, gesturing at the red tomato sauce now splattered all over your floor, your cupboards, the table & chairs, your stove. There was even sauce splattered on the window above the sink and the curtains, not to mention the walls. It was as if a tomato bomb went off in your kitchen.

You pressed the ball of your hand to your forehead. "You know what? No. I'm not dealing with this. Nope." You open the fridge, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. It was only then you saw the others standing in the doorway. You look to them, gesturing toward the pantry with the bottle. "Figure out your own damn supper." is all you say before walking out the back door and slamming it behind you.

Peter was the first to speak. He skipped asking Rocket what he had done, it was obvious by the red splattering the kitchen. Instead, what he said was more of a statement. "You really fucked up, man. You made her leave her own house."

"Should we go after her?" Drax asked. Mantis just stared at the giant mess as she hugged her bear, eyes wide. You had been very angry.

Yondu and Kraglin could see you out the back window, taking a swig from the whiskey bottle as you headed for the forest, much like you had the other night -minus the drinking of course. "No," said Yondu, "Probably a bad idea. Let her go."

Gamora agreed, and turned to glare at Rocket, demanding that he get down and help clean up the mess he had made.

Rocket actually looked kind of guilty looking toward the back door you had just left through. He didn't even argue back anything snarky, just did as Gamora asked without a word, which didn't go unnoticed as odd to the others.

He could have handled it if you had just yelled at him for making a mess. Could have shot back that you were uptight, had a stick up your ass- it was just a mess. Messes could be cleaned. Shit happens. Get over it.

But what he couldn't handle was that your first words, your first instinct, was to be angry that he had endangered Groot by allowing him to play near the stove. That he couldn't snark at- because you were right. What if Groot had caught fire? Or fell in the boiling pot?

He'd never forgive himself.

***

Hours had passed and half the bottle was gone before you finally returned.

Even in your drunken haze you saw that the kitchen had been cleaned, every trace of the tomato explosion gone. Even your curtains had been washed, dried, and re-hung.

You went to put what was left of the whiskey bottle back in the fridge, and saw someone had been kind enough to plop the pasta in a covered bowl and set it in the fridge so it wouldn't be wasted.

Not that you gave a shit.

Right now you wanted to sleep, and so you made your way to your room and collapsed on the bed.

Sleep didn't come right away. You faced the wall and covered your mouth, trying to hold back sobs from your anger, frustration, and sadness over everything. Even still drunk you had the presence of mind to know you didn't want anyone to hear you cry, especially since one of your new housemates was currently sharing your room and sleeping not two meters away.

The raccoon was a right asshole, the worst of the bunch. You wanted to strangle the little fecker, but knew you wouldn't. What you really just wanted was to be alone again, to bury yourself in work like you had before all this happened. Anything to keep your mind on other things-to push down the painful memories of your past that were now rudely breaking through your whiskey-addled brain and out your eyes.

Sleep did eventually come, and if you didn't know better you could have sworn you heard a gentle voice softly whispering, "Sleep," just before you passed out.

[ggukkiedae]

[vlive 210522] Seri’s Seritonin 🥝🐱

9pm kst

italics = english; seri answering questions!

the vlive starts with seri logging on and waving

she’s playing new rules in the background and staying quiet for the first two minutes

“moa! how are you all?”

she smiles and reads through the comments

she reads a few out loud and sees a few comments asking her to say i love you in different languages, to which she complies to

she turns off her music first and fixes herself in her chair

“bet you guys are wondering why i’m live today, huh? we’ll get to that in a bit. for now, let’s answer questions”

she looks through the comments carefully until she reads one out loud

Seriiiiiii! 5 Beomgyus or 5-year-old Beomgyu?

she laughs at this

“maybe a five year old bammie. he always makes a big deal of being older than me by a few months, so it would be good pay back”

she then pulls out her phone and scrolls through it before turning it towards the screen. it was a picture of beomgyu as a kid

“see this? he sent this to our groupchat the other day. tiny gyu is cute”

how are youuuuuu?

she claps her hands together and smiles at the live

“i’m doing great, thank you! i’ve been practicing harder, and i feel pretty good”

she scrolls through the comments again and takes a sip of her drink. she lightly mixes her drink around and places it back down

“you guys should try peach tea. it’s a godsend. oh, what’s this?”

shall we go on a date?

“you didn’t turn up at our last date”

she pouted a little and laughed

“i waited at the rooftop for a while, but you didn’t show up! but i guess we can go again because you’re moa”

she shifts a little and shakes her head amusedly at her own words

“do i sound like gyu?”

Hi Seri! I have a couple questions 😊 What has been your favorite era music wise and style wise? What hair style/color do you want to try? What's your current favorite song? What are you looking forward to most?

her eyes widened a little before she looks up trying to come up with answers to the series of questions

“oh, wow, i guess you could say i really liked our songs from the minisode album, but my favorite title track is run away for sure. actually, i take that back. i like the songs on dream chapter magic the most! in terms of style... dream chapter magic as well! i really like new rules’ styling especially”

a small smile makes its way to her face as she’s about to answer the last question from that comment

“right now, i’m really looking forward to our new album, and i hope you’ll like it as well! so far, the tracks are amazing!”

any plans for a comeback with the royals?

“i don’t know” she laughs and looks off camera “what do you think?”

yoonmi’s giggle can be heard while seri just laughed

“you exposed me! anyway, we’ll see when the three of us get an opportunity again” “you guys heard yoonmi”

seri takes the live and points it to the side, revealing the magenta-haired girl peacefully sitting in the dance studio near her while working on something on her laptop

“yoonmi is working on school stuff even if she just released a song yesterday” “responsibilities”

Seri baby are you aware that Seri sounds like berry? Therefore you are now berry Seri or Seri Berry 🤔

“oh, that’s cute! seri berry... i love it! i’m a berry now! i can replace strawberries, i don’t like strawberries”

she wrinkled her nose at the thought of the red berries as the sound of a chair moving came up. seri looked off camera and waved to, supposedly, yoonmi

“yoonmi has a meeting right now, so she’s off. anyway, back to our live”

Hiya Seri how are you liking the new building? What do you think has changed the most about you since you became an idol? And out of the members who do you think has changed most since you debuted?

“the new building is actually the best thing ever, i swear! there’s a lot of space, and the facilities are all high quality! honestly, i’m the only txt member who doesn’t get lost, so it’s pretty funny when the others have to ask for my help to walk around”

she then pressed her lips into a tight line while thinking about her next answer

“since becoming an idol... i think i became more confident. the others tell me this a lot. they say every comeback my stage presence gets better, and i look more comfortable? i also became a better dancer for sure. not the best yet, but i’m working on it. also maybe kai? first of all, he’s gotten way taller now. second, he’s been more mature. yes, he’s still our baby, but he handles things a lot more maturely now. sometimes he acts like he’s older than me as well”

hi bestieeeeeee! what do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t an idol?

“hey, bestie! musical theatre for sure!”

seri immediately perked up at this. she jumped back in her seat a little with the biggest grin while remembering her experiences

“i loved it back in school! honestly, my parents were pretty supportive about my involvement in theatre and my little brother kinda brags to his friends that his sister goes on stages to perform. it’s kinda cute”

would you consider acting? or maybe starring in a musical?

“oh for sure if i were given the chance!”

you dance amazingly! your artist of the month video with studio choom was absolutely perfect!!!!

“oh my god”

she covered her face and groaned before pulling out her phone and looking for the video on youtube. before pressing play, she looked back to the camera

“thank you, but i’m a little embarrassed about this. i wore red lipstick on stage for the first time after debut, and i showed a side of me that’s pretty different…”

she pressed play and watched the video, cringing at herself. it took a whole 20 seconds before she gave up and hid her phone behind her

“nope. nevermind, i can’t watch that. thank you, i’m glad you enjoyed it”

thoughts on the people you’re being shipped with? 👀

she burst into laughter upon reading this

“ah, yes. shipping. i see you guys on stan twitter with your little edits and headcanons and aus! honestly, it’s amusing. apparently most of you ship me with gyu and seungmin? and a few other people, too?”

she was quiet for a while like thinking about who moas shipped her with. she shook her head with and began talking again

“gyu... well, bammie’s my best friend, and i love him a lot. it’s been us from the very beginning, so i like to think we’ll be as close as ever until the end”

“seungmin is the bane of my existence”

she laughed at this before waving her hand

“kidding! he’s actually really nice, and i love hanging out with him, it just so happens our friendship is based on bickering. we do support each other though. seungmin, if you see this, you did well on love poem”

she then lit up as if just remembering something

“some of you guys ship me with chaeryoung! interesting considering you all see me as ryujin’s sibling, but please, i’m not worthy of the queen herself. i love chae with all my heart honestly she’s such a sweet child”

her phone buzzed and she glanced at it a little bit before turning back to the live

“perfect timing because hyunsuk just messaged me and some special ship mentions are hyunsuk and jeno oppa. i think it’s because i hang out with hyunsuk’s little siblings a lot. but jeno oppa? we just met earlier this year, it’s a little funny how apparently a lot of people ship us when we haven’t really shown our friendship much”

she typed something one her phone before chuckling and shutting it off once again. she looked through the comments until she found the topic she was looking for

What’s up with you and Dino? 👀👀👀

“ah, this. this brings me to the reason i went live. recently, you guys have seen me and dino oppa hanging out, right? well, we’re not dating. i wanted it to be a surprise, but he’s helping me with something for my birthday, and i agreed to do something with him for their youtube as well”

her phone rang, and she laughed before picking it up and putting it on speaker

“hello? you’re on speaker” “seri-yah! how dare you deny our relationship?” “oh? you’re watching?” “look up, stupid. i’m standing by the door”

she looked off camera and laughed

“yah! oppa, what are you doing here?” “miya told me you were gonna talk about the scandal, so i thought why not come early?”

dino appears next to seri in a mask and a hat. he nudged seri over to the side so they could both be centered on screen, making her raise her eyebrow at him

“meet my new dance partner” dino points towards seri whose eyes widen as soon as he said that

“they don’t know yet!” “you said we were working on two things together!” “but they didn’t know one of them is dance!” “might as well tell them so we can clear up this rumor before i get attacked by moas”

she sighed at him

“i’d get attacked by carats. anyway, fine. dino oppa’s helping me with a song, and he’s making me dance with him for a video. you can look forward to this in july”

dino adjusted his hat and leaned forward a little

“no need to panic, we’re not in a romantic relationship. she’s too tall for me”

“... you’re literally taller than me though?” “not by that much. if you wear heels, we’d be the same height, and i don’t think i’m up for that”

she playfully rolled her eyes

“looks like i’ve discussed what needed to be cleared up now. i’m single. single.” “yes, they get the point” “oh, would you just go already?”

she was pretending to push him away while he laughed at her failed attempts. he moved off camera but stays in the room

“no way, we’ve got to work the choreography out today”

“this is gonna be a while,” she muttered before smiling at the live once again “well, time for me to go. i’ve got a lot of work to do to be on par with a member of seventeen’s performance team”

dino’s groaning could be heard from the side

“this again?”

she laughed

“bye moa! hopefully that cleared things up, and hopefully you enjoyed this little tmi session”

-end-

[if-the-crown-fits-translate-it]

Discord pt 92

[Date: 17/03, 07:42 PM GMT - 17/03, 09:29 PM GMT]

jayyyyyyyy: “fetch, come on, cant you see this isnt doing anything to help?

just take the damn ointment”

Little-K1ng: “he... what?”

Marcus: “I back read a little bit”

Marcus: “Just not here”

fetch: “fine. you want me to be honest huh. go on look at the fucking doc. just another place where my problems turned into everyone else's.”

Little-K1ng: fetch.... you really, really need to stop lying to me. im doing my best here, im trying so hard to let things slide in the name of giving you what you need. but you are far from making it easy on me”

fetch: “we're gonna forget all this happened in 3 days time anyway. it doesn't fucking matter what i tell you or what i dont.”

Little-K1ng: “you get angry when you're stressed, you stop responding, you stop listening to reason

but-.. wait, whats going to happen in 3 days?”

Maxwell: “....prince told us that faer family is coming back in 3 days”

fetch: “the beginning of spring.”

Maxwell: “spring officially begins then”

jayyyyyyyy: “we'll get you guys back, if you somehow go back in the first place”

Little-K1ng: “so.... so i get warning, this time,

thats.... almost too cruel”

fetch: “whatever. i honestly can't be asked to care at this point.”

Marcus: “You’d really say that to Mona of all people?”

Little-K1ng: “i..... i wouldnt ask that of you”

Marcus: “...three days huh”

Little-K1ng: “i would simply fucking EXPECT IT FROM YOU. HOW THE FUCK. AM I MEANT TO FEEL. WHEN I CANT STOP GRIEVING SOMEONE. WHOS RIGHT IN FUCKING FRONT OF ME, FETCH?”

donti (e): “... mona u alright...?”

Marcus: “Is that really a question you’re asking right now?”

donti (e): “ah.. sorry.”

jayyyyyyyy: “honestly at this point im willing to chuck a bucket of weedkiller at fetch's head”

Marcus: “Jeight.”

donti (e): “hey hey lets not get hastyy”

Little-K1ng: “i... [huff] i .... [sniff] i just.. i shouldnt have yelled i....”

Marcus: “This isn’t helping”

fetch: “i... you're expecting too much from me. i mean. you expect me to care at this point? when death is coming to our door and all we can do is throw on a little sprinkler? when all we can do is sit in a huddle and wait until these vines in our skulls fully bloom?”

donti (e): “... we discussed possible solutions to the buds if you.. want to change subject.. or not”

jayyyyyyyy: “fetch, the thing about this is that we have a fighting chance

we lose that chance if you stop fighting”

Little-K1ng: “im expecting you to fucking try, fetch. im expecting you to understand that we're all going through this, and every time you lie to me, to us, you cost us more time we could have spent trying to fix it”

fetch: “how would it help, by piling on more and more to the shitheap we have already? you're not supposed to worry about me. ive always been able to handle myself.”

Maxwell: “please ⌇⏁⍜⌿arguing....why are we arguing.....”

Marcus: “..”

Void: “...”

Little-K1ng: “wh... what did you just...?”

Maxwell: “....what....”

fetch: “...”

Maxwell: “why are...”

Marcus: “Max..”

Maxwell: “why are you staring at me what”

Marcus: “Can you say what you just said again”

Little-K1ng: “that sounded like...”

donti (e): “max...”

Little-K1ng: “say that again, max”

Marcus: “Please”

jayyyyyyyy: “actually maybe dont”

Marcus: “Max say it again”

jayyyyyyyy: “that. i think fighting is causing the process to speed up”

Maxwell: “please stop arguing....why are we arguing.....?”

Little-K1ng: “i... thats not what i heard”

donti (e): “... lets stop arguing”

Marcus: “That’s..that’s what I thought you said

You just

Didn’t say it like that”

Maxwell: “but i did”

fetch: “...yall still think I need to be priority right now?”

Maxwell: “thats what i said”

jayyyyyyyy: “you, uh, said "stop" in enderspeak”

Maxwell: “what no i didnt”

Marcus: “Fetch. This is going to be you so kindly shut the fuck up about not being a priority”

Little-K1ng: “fetch, you fail to recognize that you're always my priority, even if you're kind of an ass”

Marcus: “Max it’s okay

I told you it would be okay”

Little-K1ng: “max, hug?”

Maxwell: “why....why are you all acting so weird?”

Little-K1ng: “its alright, max”

jayyyyyyyy: “we're all just stressed mate”

Maxwell: “are yall okay?”

donti (e): “weere fine its fine..”

Maxwell: “its?

look im not a child you can tell me whats going on”

Marcus: “We told you”

fetch: “you spoke in ender.”

Marcus: “You denied it”

donti (e): “you spoke ender.”

Maxwell: “you....youre kidding right?”

jayyyyyyyy: “nope”

Maxwell: “ha funny joke”

jayyyyyyyy: “we're not joking”

fetch: “for once im not lying.”

Marcus: “You told us to tell you.

We told you.”

Little-K1ng: “here, come in for a hug, wont you?”

Maxwell: “no no no no no”

Little-K1ng: “ive got you, max”

Maxwell: “i couldnt have no”

jayyyyyyyy: “hold on, hes panicking”

Little-K1ng: “its the stress, max

its alright, im here”

jayyyyyyyy: “mona, give him a little space”

Maxwell: “no no no stay please”

jayyyyyyyy: “i never said for anyone to leave

are you okay with being given hugs, or would you rather not?”

Maxwell: “im okay with it”

LLyr: “they’ve kind of established max likes the contact at this point i think”

jayyyyyyyy: “yeah, but you can never be too careful”

LLyr: “fair enough”

Little-K1ng: “i appreciate the concern for max, jayx8″

fetch: “I. i would offer a hug but I'm not feeling up to it. i think I'm just gonna go for a walk.”

jayyyyyyyy: “its

Little-K1ng: “fetch...”

jayyyyyyyy: “​hm”

Maxwell: “i dont wanna go back no no please no”

Little-K1ng: “i would rather you not go out where the court roams

you got in one good bite, let it be enough”

fetch: “i'll stick nearby.

i just need to get out of the house.”

Little-K1ng: “stay where you can see the road, alright? text me if you need a pickup”

jayyyyyyyy: “stay near the neighborhood. go to the mineshaft if you need to”

fetch: “yeah. got it. later.”

Maxwell: “I'm scared”

donti (e): “...”

Little-K1ng: “oh, max...”

Maxwell: “oh no oh god oh merde”

donti (e): “sh shsshshh max its fine.

calm down its alright.”

Little-K1ng: “tell you what, we can destress with some hot cocoa? with the tiny colorful marshmallows you like?”

Marcus: “I can go make it

I don’t think max wants to be alone right now”

jayyyyyyyy: “maybe watch some movies? ones that uh, dont have kidnapping in them, too. moana would be good?”

Little-K1ng: “i dont actually.. own any movies

i dont watch them”

donti (e): “youtube videos ?”

Little-K1ng: “that works”

[They watch a video of an otter for a while, and discuss the events from earlier this day. Max thinks that the wreathe mayn’t be as bad as everyone thinks it’ll be, as it will have calendula marigolds which are good for helping to heal.]

Little-K1ng: “....ah.. they are, but maybe..... nah, nevermind.... ill let you enjoy the thought”

Maxwell: “they may be fully metal but still...maybe then can help the family....”

Marcus: “...”

Little-K1ng: “.........”

Maxwell: “what?”

Marcus: “..yeah max, that’s a nice thought”

Maxwell: “i thought so too!”

Little-K1ng: “i cant believe.... im staring down the barrel of either losing all 3 of you... or going with you and not remembering any of this... that hurts, and it hasnt even happened yet”

Marcus: “Well

I don’t know if this will comfort you or not

But you might not entirely forget this”

Little-K1ng: “true! this is honestly the happiest thing to happen to me in an incredibly long time, there is a chance itll stick”

Marcus: “Baron and Prince remember their childhoods a little bit”

Maxwell: “stick...sticky...ha honey is sticky but not good

tastes yucky”

Marcus: “...I remembered Elizabeth and I learning codes

....max?”

Maxwell: “hm?

something wrong?”

Marcus: “What was that about honey just now?”

Maxwell: “oh!

well mona said stick

and stick is one letter off from sticky!

and hony is really sticky

but i dont like honey”

Marcus: “...got it

Maxwell: “bleh”

Marcus: “Okay yeah that

That makes sense”

Maxwell: “yeah!”

Little-K1ng: “i wish i hadnt snapped at fetch like that... maybe when he comes back i can give him a proper apology”

Maxwell: “hm perhaps that would be good

family should get along”

[this message was deleted shortly afterwards]

Marcus: “....”

Little-K1ng: “i...?”

Maxwell: “what?”

Marcus: “M..ax?”

Little-K1ng: “max?”

Maxwell: “god damn it did i speak fucking ender again or some shit???”

Marcus: “N..no”

Little-K1ng: “n..no.....”

Maxwell: “the fuck happened then? yall look freaked out”

Marcus: “Um”

Little-K1ng: “nevermind! :)!!”

Maxwell: “hm.....if youre sure...”

Marcus: “I must be tired, it’s fine Max! :)”

Maxwell: “youve been sleeping a lot man you sure?”

Marcus: “Yeah, gotta be tired to sleep a lot right”

Maxwell: “I guess”

Little-K1ng: “are you guys...... hungry?”

[The conversation switches to the topic of making brownies and other baked goods. There was also small talk about methods of removing the growing wreathe buds that had been suggested earlier in the day. Mona suggests cutting one of the buds off, if Max could handle it. Jack and Marcus argue over their priorities: their concern for Max and their family respectively. After snipping off a small part of the buds, the following conversation ensures:]

Marcus: “...he’s not bleeding”

donti (e): “can you guys take a look at what mona cut off?”

emuhlee: “well, that part is good?”

Maxwell: “theres some time of fucking liquid ow”

Marcus: “It looks like that...cellulose that comes out of dandelions”

Little-K1ng: “Hhhhhhhhh”

Marcus: “Mona?

donti (e): “is max alright??”

Marcus: “Uh..in pain?”

dreaming: “uh get a towel?”

Marcus: “It’s not a lot”

Maxwell: “that really hurt jesus fucking christ”

Marcus: “Have you never picked a dandelion?

It’s like that”

Little-K1ng: “That's kinda. Gross”

Jack the Observer: “it's not blood though, right?”

Maxwell: “my headache is much worse....”

Little-K1ng: “No not blood”

Marcus: “It’s..

Huh”

donti (e): “blood substitute?”

Marcus: “It stopped”

Jack the Observer: “huh.”

Marcus: “......”

donti (e): “hey what happened to the bud”

Marcus: “Mona

Mona look”

Marcus: “Mona there’s two more”

Maxwell: “God damn it is this fucking Hercules or some shit”

Jack the Observer: “pft”

donti (e): “well.

we can at least look at the bud that was cut off.”

Marcus: “It’s just sitting there”

[The conclusion from this experiment was that the buds have nerve endings, which is why it hurt Maxwell and worsened his headache when it was cut, even after being numbed with ice prior to cutting. People ask about Fetch’s whereabouts. This was his last known update to the document:]

[With this information, people begin to speculate that Fetch might not be back for a while…]

[jack-irallie]

Chapter 2 - Lost and Found

Slice of life story about gay couple and their daughter, but whoops the new biology teacher at the daughter’s school is an old boyfriend of one of the dads!

I’ll be posting chapters as I finish, I hope you enjoy!

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

Before he knew it, there was a knock at the door that made Grant jolt awake; the sudoku book that was laying across his face slid to the floor as soon as he sat up. 

He rubbed his groggy eyes, giving a weak wave to his boyfriend as he reached for the crank to roll down the window. 

“Did someone have a nice nap?” Richard cooed, leaning in for a peck on the cheek.

“Ew! Dad!” 

He glanced back at his daughter, who was fake gagging as she climbed into the backseat. “Am I not allowed to kiss your father?”

When he only got a huff in response, he chuckled to himself before turning back to Grant. “So, am I meeting you at the theatre?”

“Oh yeah...that…Is it already six?”

“Mhm. And we should get there early; I told Amber if she came we’d let her get whatever snacks she wanted, isn’t that right, dear?”

She gave a shrug, more focused on whatever was happening on her phone. 

Richard was about to give some parting words before the hesitancy in his partner’s face kept him planted in place. “You okay?”

“Had to wake up and remember that my ex is back in town, but other than that, yeah.”

“Is that why we’re meeting Mr.Moore?” Amber asked, suddenly giving her full attention. “You’re not going to start dating him, are you?”

“Amber…” Richard said in a scolding tone. “Of course not, he has a wife. They’re just catching up is all. But we better get going; at least the traffic is calming down a bit.”

“Drive safe. I’ll see you there.”

Richard was right, it wasn’t like a theatre was a good place to have that sort of conversation. But it was a good place to enjoy a soft kiss and an amusing bad horror movie, that was for sure.

The only noises that filled the car as they drove away was the lull of the radio and the occasional bloop of a phone. 

That was, until Grant decided to say something. “So...how was cheerleading practice?”

“Good.”

“Just good?” He could see his daughter’s perturbed expression through a mirror he was adjusting as they sat an unusually long red light. “Something the matter?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Is this about the movie? I can take you home-”

“Dad. Seriously.”

“Fine…” He threw up his arms as he caught her eyes in the mirror, just in time for him to miss the green light and get honked into moving. “It’s just...you know I’m here for you no matter what, right?”

“I know, dad…” She sighed, though her tone started to sound more genuine than before. “I guess going to the movies sounds kinda fun. I just can’t believe you used to date Mr.Moore; he’s such a nerd.”

“How so?”

“Well, uh…we had this huge group project on his first day; everyone was given a different type of creature or whatever; it was something about adaptation.”

“What were you?”

She scoffed at the question, rolling her eyes. “Algae. Which is apparently super important for like, photosynthesis and stuff.”

Grant chuckled, feeling a wave of nostalgia run over him the more he thought about Alan. “You know, that man is actually really smart; last time I talked to him he was running off to some fancy school with heaven knows how many scholarships and honors. I’m sure you’ll learn a lot in his class.”

“He told us that he went to our highschool when he was a kid; is that when you dated?”

“Oh...yeah. We actually got together when I was about your age.” He sighed bittersweetly. “Time sure flies.”

“Does that mean you won’t get mad at me if I get a boyfriend?”

He went to argue to the contrary, but she did have a point, so he bit his tongue on any weak rebuttals he could come up with. “Sometimes I forget you’re getting old enough for that. It’s crazy.”

“Don’t get all sentimental on me, dad.”

“It’s true! You used to be so...ah, nevermind; I’m sorry.” He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as a nervous tick as he stared forward. “Just...don’t bring this stuff up when we’re at the theatre, okay?”

“I wasn’t going to.” She flopped back in her seat, her eyes trailing the scenery passing behind the side door mirror. “Can I ask one more thing?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Why’d you break up?”

“Well...like I said, he went off to college, but I had other plans. Our lives were just different at the time; that’s all. It happens.”

The conversation petered off from there, Grant turning up the radio as he started to zone out.

That is, until Amber broke the silence. “I’m just nervous about actual tryouts; that’s all. We’re all really good, but what if I don’t make it on the team? What if one of my friends doesn’t?”

“Oh, honey…” Thankfully the theatre parking lot wasn’t too packed, so it was easy to find a spot near the front. “You can’t worry about that before it even happens. I know you’re going to do great. And if something happens; we’ll figure it out.” 

Now parked, he turned to face her, offering a comforting smile. “Besides, you have bigger things to think about right now, like stuffing your face with popcorn.”

She huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes as she stepped out. “Whatever.”

Once Grant had joined her, he hurried over to Richard, who was already waiting near the front door with tickets in hand. “How’d you get here so quickly?”

He gave a small shrug, his face lighting up into a small smile when he saw his daughter. “Come on, let’s go grab some snacks before Alan gets here.”

They shuffled past some large groups, the overwhelming smell of buttered popcorn hitting them once they stepped inside the tackily decorated movie theatre. 

Once they had made it through the bulk of the concession line, Grant felt a tap on his shoulder, knowing who it was before he had even spun around. “Hey...Oh, is this your wife? It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs…”

“You can call me Janet.” She replied in a soft, friendly tone. “Al has told me loads about you; I’m glad we got to finally meet.”

“You have? Like what?”

Alan got a light blush as he nervously thumbed at the bridge of his glasses. “Just some stories about when we were kids, that’s all.”

“Hey, Grant! You want anything to drink?”

He turned to his partner’s voice, realizing that they had been left behind while Richard and Amber were already ordering. “I’ll just take a water. You guys want anything?”

Alan snickered at the proposition, leaning in to whisper, “Jane’s got everything in her purse; you didn’t have to buy anything.”

She gave a lax thumbs up, giggling to herself as her husband shot her a playful look. 

“Dad! Are you going to help us carry this or what?”

“Yes, I’m coming!” Grant paced to the front of the line, grabbing the large popcorn and a couple of the water bottles. 

Alan walked up to help as well, though when he noticed everything had been picked up, he got some straws and napkins from the nearby dispenser instead. “I didn’t know you were going to join us, Amber. I heard this movie is hilarious; I’m sure you’ll love it.” “Isn’t it a horror movie?”

“Kinda…Al got recommended it from some of the kids he’s been tutoring; I almost didn’t believe him when he told me the plot.”

“Oh, you tutor?” Richard asked as he handed off their tickets to the usher. 

“Yeah, everything from Ecology to Physics. Though, I do have a fondness for Chemistry; I was planning on teaching it this year, but there was a mix up with the staffing, and...I doubt you want to hear me ramble.”

“It shows passion; I can respect that.”

He simply nodded as he glanced at some random set of cardboard cutouts displayed behind the counter; it was Janet that picked up the conversation when they started making their way to the correct theatre. “Where do you work?”

“We actually own a little diner, Henry’s...it’s down on North Street.”

That caught Alan’s attention; he caught Grant’s eye with a grin. “Like that one your dad used to run? How’s that going?”

“Pretty good.” He felt a swell of pride at the words that was evident in his own smile. “I think he would be proud. Hope so anyway.”

“You sell yourself too short, dear.” Richard patted his boyfriend’s back, reaching for the door handle to lead everyone into the mostly empty theatre. “I think we’re doing amazing; it’d be great to have you two visit sometime.”

“That sounds lovely.” Janet put her purse down on an end seat, moving aside so that everyone else could get seated. “I’m going to go use the restroom before the movie starts, excuse me.”

Grant only went to speak up after click of her heels faded out of earshot, chuckling when he glanced over to see Alan already rummaging through the bag of snacks. “Hey, I’m sorry about my comment earlier; I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Oh, the husband thing? It’s really not a big deal; you know how gay I am.” He laughed awkwardly before clearing his throat. “It’s just that...I met Janet, and, well...we became instant best friends, really clicked.”

“That’s very sweet.” Richard interjected as he stood up. “Actually, I think I need to use the bathroom too...you want to come with me, sweetheart?”

Amber nodded, following close behind her dad until they were out of sight behind a swinging door. 

It was tempting for Grant to just run off to the restroom as well; without his boyfriend there his confidence about the situation started to dissolve. But it wasn’t like he needed it anyway… what was so scary about hanging out alone with a man he used to be madly in love with?

“Remember when this place only had like three theatres?”

Grant turned to the other, realizing that he had ended up zoning out and staring ahead at whatever ad was playing on screen without even realizing it. “I also remember when we were stupid enough to try and sneak in.”

“Sure the janitor ratted us out, and our moms didn’t let us go to the movies for months after, but...you gotta admit; it was quite funny. Thinking back on it.”

Alan’s laugh was infectious, Grant soon joining in. “Yeah, it is…”

His voice petered off, picking up once the silence between them started to become tense. “You know; I’ve missed you. It’s um...it’s great to have you back in town.”

“I’m glad to be back. I really am.”

They shared a nostalgic smile, that was, until Janet returned and snatched up the now half full box of candy that Alan was snacking from. “Hey! Those are my favorites, lay off.”

“Not my fault you took so long.” He teased back, putting a hand on his chest in mock offense as she grabbed his soda and took a swig of it. 

“Now we’re even.” She said as she screwed the top back on and plopped it back into the cup holder. “Oh, where’s everyone?”

“They should be…” But Grant got his answer when Richard and Amber came walking back in. “There you are.”

“Just in the nick of time too.” Once Richard sat down, he threw a lazy arm around his partner’s shoulders as he got comfortable. “Do you need to go?”

“Nah, I’ll live.” He muttered as he leaned into the embrace. 

“You guys better not start making out or something.” Amber muttered as she sent a last text before silencing her phone and shoving it in her bag.

They glanced to their daughter with raised eyebrows, though Alan was quick to throw in a teasing remark. “Yeah, Grant. No one wants to see that.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the comment, making his scolding not hold much weight. “I’m just enjoying your father’s company; why would we do that? In public?”

“I dunno.”

Grant sighed, even as the theatre darkened for the previews, he could see the grumpiness in his daughter's face.

Richard noticed his boyfriend’s unease, whispering a quick, “Are you alright?”

“Oh...yeah. Amber just looks unhappy; do you think something bad happened at her practice?”

“I was wondering that too; did she tell you anything?”

Grant shook his head, adding, “Just that she was nervous about tryouts; could that be it?”

“Maybe...but let’s just enjoy the movie, no use dwelling over it right now.”

[shadowlink720]

FE: Birthright Randomised Chapter 3 and 4

(aka ‘Azura has no chill. At all. Ever.’)

It’s Time for more of this madness lol

We gon’ do at least chapter 3 this time aroooound

ah yeah we start with a really vanilla cutscene w/ Garon being like ‘hey i don’t care if i adopted ya, i’ll literally kill ya if ya step outta line, so do this thing at the Bottomless Canyon and i may forgive ya this time’ n’ all that Also Iago >:Y Did u guys know that Iago has the same English VA as Subaki? I didn’t until I looked up Jaffar’s FE Heroes va, who’s also the same guy Though nothing can compare to Hayato and Saizo having the same va tbh-

Ah yeah, there’s Hans, one of the only dudes in this game to not wear trousers :V then Xander’s like ‘nah, don’t trust them, m8′ ‘k, bruh’

Onward to the Bottomless Canyon! .... I just realised this may be a little difficult without a healer ahahah;;;; oh well >:V aaaand there’s Gunter complaining about how he doesn’t like the Bottomless Canyon well at least he won’t need to look at it for long :3c >:3ccccc

there goes Hans being a suicidal idiot Just think; literally none of this would have happened if Hans didn’t kill that generic samurai, but nah, we gotta have plot, yo

FORCED TUTORIAL ABOUT BATTLE FORMATIONS GOOOOOOO

Hans only has 1 luck as a level 2 Beserker lMAO WEAK he has the same base strength as Kaze tho;;;;

yeah just gonna.... let Hans die from those Samurai on the bridge there, while I sneak around their range

Free stuuuuuff >:3cc

aaaand there goes Hans he Ded Time to use this Dragon Vein! c:

Another level up for Corrin! Much better this time; HP, strength, magic, speed and res

.... ok I’m glad she dodged that archer, because that would have been rather troublesome seeing as I have no healers- Also I’m gonna trade Gunter’s steel lance to Kaze at least before I end the chapter and see if he still has it when he comes back later? Or maybe I should just give it to Corrin to hold on to, idk ..... wait I can’t trade items yet gdi fates

It’s only just occurred to me how many samurai are in these chapters lol

“You’re quite skilled” yeah Kaze, they’re also quite dead

aaand the reinforcements come along blech- ...... I don’t like how low Kaze’s hit rate is against Omozu- Or Corrin’s for that matter ahahah;;;

Oh... nevermind then it wasn’t a problem

yet another level for Corrin, this time HP, strength and speed

.... I think I’m gonna wait for these sky knights to come over to get Kaze some more exp, idk ... wow, he got a basically blank level up except for Defence that’s a surprise Anyway time to seize!

time to see who Azura’s retainers are >:3ccccccc

..... holy shit

... This basically sums up the entire randomiser, tbh //inhales IZANA IS SAIZO and therefore Rinkah’s brother .... well they both have white hair soooo......? Hair colour genetics-wise, it actually kinda works???

I’m sorry but look at this madness I’m

Aaaand here comes the vanilla Nohr siblings again

I wonder who Kagero is; we’ll find out very soon, at least :’’’D There they are!

.... it’s Hayato it’s hAYAT O AND I WAS JUST MENTIONING HOW HE HAS THE SAME VA AS SAIZO EARLIER-

Azura ‘No Chill’ coming to kick some Nohrian ass right here I love that she’s Ryoma tho, have I mentioned that? It’s perfect idk about you guys but I’m having a blast with this so far

Anyway time to continue the plot

I can’t believe Gunter is freaking dead bYE THEN Time for dragons I do quite like the design for Dragon Corrin tho, it looks quite different from usual dragons, and it’s pretty darn neat

welp off I go down the Canyon lol;;; aaaand there’s Lilith the fishdragon thing

off to the astral plane ayyy

with it’s explanations that we’ve already heard and whatnot and the fact that it puts the quarters right in the middle of the path -3-

Jakob ambush Jakobush ... that was terrible, sorry

Anyway that’s the end of Chapter 3! :’D Time for Chapter 4! >:3ccc

So Jakob, what are ya looking at that’s so interesting? :o

ah yeah then they talk about ‘o ur gonna execute me, aren’t ya?’ ‘nnaaaaaaah’ HOLY HECK I COULDN’T GET IT BUT LIKE His model went weird because his model doesn’t have the right animation and then he just- floated for a little bit It’s... really something you’d need to see for urself asfdauiudhusd .... Jakob what is so interesting about the roof?

ayyy there’s Rinkah again :D Oh my farore- Corrin said “We meet again. Rinkah, right?” and Rinkah’s voiceline was ‘Not even close!’ so I just imagine it’s like ‘wow ok who else could ya be then-’

Off to Castle Shirasagi we gooooo

oooo there’s Azura ‘No Chill’ (ok well she’s pretty chill now but w/e) :D

She’s a Spear Master :o wait that means she can’t use the Raijinto heck- Maybe she can heart seal into a class that can?? idk, hopefully? I mean I do love Spear Masters, but we can promote Rinkah into one soo :V

Aaaaand there’s me mum, Mikoto ... I just realised Jakob and Rinkah disappeared hahaha

wait nvm Jakob’s back, I can see his hand right in the corner

Right theeeere

There goes Azura humming again lol

Heck yeah, man Yeah I think I’m just gonna call her Azura ‘No Chill’ from now on, because she really doesn’t have any o<o;;;;

~~~Flaaaaaaashhhhhbaaaaaaaack~~~

oh hey another generic samurai, yeah sorry I kinda killed a lot of your identical twins; but it was self defence, man, they attacked first-

.... Azura, Shigure doesn’t exist yet, do you just yell that name sometimes knowing your going to give it to your future son or whuh-

Anyway time to help Mozu and Takumiiiii

oh my farore, Mozu, it’s not nice to say someone smells like a goat like that like, who are you even talking to? Takumi? those Faceless surrounding you? tbh I’d think they’s smell more like rotting flesh or just... mould and dirt, tbh, something repulsive idk

Ya know what? I like the thought of Takumi being a good older sibling to Mozu, it’s an interesting dynamic

lol, Azura’s sprite still says she’s a Swordmaster (for stability b/c she isn’t joining us yet-)

oooOOOOooo Rinkah has a Beast Killer :o that’ll come in handy I do believe, given how many mounted units are in the Nohrian army >:3ccccc And Jakob has a Brass Katana

Let’s look at Jakob’s stats and stuff, shall we?

Not bad; he’s got Pragmatic (+3 to damage dealt and -1 to damage taken against injured foes, pretty darn sweet) as a personal, and he also has Shurikenfaire which is.... kinda useless with his current class lol But a C rank is swords is pretty darn neat! :o E rank in Dragonstones not so much, but they only go up to C rank anyway, right? Nothing grinding can’t fix, if I decide to keep him this class :V His bases are pretty even which is pretty good, they aren’t exactly great but this is still early game :V He’s gonna be interesting to use, at least :’D (Growth rates are HP = 25, Str = 45, Mag = 40, Skill = 20, Spd = 45, Lck = 15, Def = 45, Res = 20, so yeah skill and luck are his weaknesses but we can work around that)

(Can’t really look at Rinkah’s stats yet b/c technically she isn’t in the army at this point since I haven’t branched off into Birthright yet hahahah;;;)

Anyway let’s go! >:D

ah yes, NOW we can trade items where were you when I wanted to give Kaze a free steel lance, bruh?

oo that Goddess Icon will be handy, either for Corrin or Jakob; given their lower luck growths

Takumi about to kick some Faceless ass lol oddly fitting for him to say something like that

obligatory auto-battle tutoriaaaalll

also Azura looks great w/ Raijinto, just saying

Rinkah levelled uuuup, she got HP, Strength and Luck c: And she learned Seal Defence awwwww yeeeeaaaah soonnnnnnnnn

Azura, please chill, that’s a little overkill, isn’t it??

all right, just one more Faceless remaining >:3 Oh hey! Corrin’s weapon level went up!

dang it, Azura got the last one >:V AND IT WAS A CRIT HOLY HECK

oooh we get to see Mozu’s class now!

... I can’t tell if it’s a Merchant or Apothecary, but we’ll find out soon! :’D

Ok but Diviner!Takumi looks pretty cool, ngl

anyway an obligatory explanation of Faceless later

oh yeah and a cutscene talking about Corrin’s old room idk

oooooh! Now we get to see who Azura is! :D Hah, because it’s not Azura there’s no song at all :p

oh my Farore-

It’s Kagero holy heck- Hopefully she’s showing up as a ninja for stability, and she’s... not actually randomised into a ninja- (Nope; glancing at the output folder she randomised into a ninja. What are the odds of that happening, am I right?? >:V Oh well, she’ll still have different heart seal options we can mess around with :3c)

it’s funny because she’s a Hoshidan ninja-

yadda yadda yadda, talking about Nohr and Hoshido and Mikoto, stuff like thaaaat

Aaaand that’s Chapter 4! :D I also think I’m gonna stop playing here so it doesn’t get too long Next time I do believe we’ll be doing chapter 5 and maybe chapter 6 as well! therefore officially branching off into Birthright, and hopefully not breaking the game! :’’’D

ahhh but this is so fun ashfudhfsuhdf I love just being able to ramble on about this tbh, hahah

[bornfromscarletcords]

Words Like Shattered Reflections

Hello Beautiful People, I'm Sure Feeling the Christmas Cheer, or Holiday Feels. Either Way I'm ready to Celebrate the Depths of this Winter World We Find Ourselves In. Here's a story with a little bit for everyone.

It was Harmony or something like that. Nebraska was having a strange moment, a thing quite outside of itself if you will. One he couldn’t reconcile was this sense of universal oneness he was suddenly feeling and how it paired with his inability to describe said feeling. Like a cosmic muzzle or a celestial straight jacket. “I must be crazy” He said, but in truth he was only half crazy. You see the world was one big jumble of contradictions. A unity of the absurd, one moment playing into the next and then repeating itself ten years in diameter. Like a merry go round, interesting to look at but, strangely disturbing when examined at a close glance. Like do the horses like that you ride them. These are the questions I guess? Nebraska was looking at a ring. Well was it a ring or an oddly shaped line, he couldn’t tell and the thoughts made him drift off into ideas of flatness and bubbles in his head, and worlds not so far since every moment is here and now and space is a very strange thing. So here we are, right. The infamous crossroads of destiny Nebraska must make a choice of sorts. It’s the age old To be or Not except with the odd twist. Like a torquing trolling merry go round, up and down to smiles unbound. Sorry, sometimes you just have to complete the rhyme. But anyway, there was Nebraska; he must decide to move this moment. Time is ringing in his ears like cathedral bells, and even the best of us get a little afraid to pass on that “holy ghost” so to speak, but balance and all that. Tit for tat. He’s sitting there watching not seeing how eloquently time has unwoven around him. Did you know that radio waves are always present in the air. That sound just ferries all manner of things into existence, sometimes you just have to wake up, open your eyes, and take a long look. Did you know that faeries can’t lie, but they love rockin tunes. Did you know that nothing dies, or was it that we’re constantly dying every minute of every day. Oh well, when I get stuck I just like to say “It really doesn’t matter” in that oh so strange way. It’s like the writings written on the wall, all jumbled and jambled into endless, what was it, love? No it was harmony, right lost track, but sometimes you just have to bring it back. So round and round we go, dancing between the saints in the sin, but little do we ever know, that we will always win. Even if we lose? Well especially. Something I like to do is always turn right, because even the darkest night runs with a sick might when the feelings...Aw lost it, but that happens sometimes, it’s all about hearing the rhythm and resounding and pounding. Did I mention I like to run, that time is like one giant race to its edge and whoever jumps off first wins, or something like that. But we always win, so you might as well know what you’re doing. Nebraska got hit by lightning a time or two, he doesn’t remember all of them, but he suspects five. Like that otherness that hovers at the edge of perception, like a phantom psychic scar that he can’t quite place. We talked a time or two ago and I asked him if life was a game and he could see all times, all possibilities, what role would he play. He said he’s be the board on which it was played. He doesn’t remember of course, it’s just the way it is, we are forgetful things you know. I like “I”s because it’s very personal, like even if we are all just caught in an eternal oneness isn’t cool that we could just say I and mean a thousand different things. A thousand and one messages in one word written so fine. Wine and dine me don’t you, indulge in this mad macabre of the bubbled galleries of creation. We’re always listening, always waiting, and I know it sounds strange, but love loves you and she is the king that makes the game. Checkmate or something. “Sometimes you just have to put the pieces together” Said a man. A man who was quite like Nebraska though Nebraska thought him superior. In the way one sees a shadow of himself, knows it to be his, but can’t quite see how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the light carries all shades, and that God breathes through us all. Breathing is always important. “I just feel so lost.” Nebraska said vaguely ignoring the sense of cosmic rhythm he felt permeating off this person who seemed to carry his own internal song so well. You ever think that the body is just an instrument and that light is the cord at the edge of the horizon. “You know the answer, we all do.” The man said. “I’m not so sure about that.” “You say that but here we are talking,” “Is talking the answer?” “The notes have to flow, every solo its complement. Every heart made whole.” “To what end?” “Do you want to know who you really are?” “What?” Nebraska said. “It’s not always about why something has to be done, but what needs to be done. Line up the pieces.” The man said, and Nebraska watched him walk away all dressed in in white and red, or was it black and red, and he carried sapphire hearts in his earings.

Does a moment exist outside of its inception. Does anything?

Nebraska thought the ring should have hearts on it. He was an artist in soul if not in practice, but in reality, we would love to tell him, there isn’t much of a difference. What does it mean for a creation to gain life. Can it ever forget that life that was given to it, or better yet, its absence. You ever thought that there were souls walking around without bodies, or bodies without souls, I find the postulate to be an interesting exercise? Like is a question really a question or just the necessary note to keep the rivers flowing to the sea and the sky wedded to the clouds. Like is water really real, and if it is, does it have to be. Nebraska thought about people drinking liquid air, age old alchemist style. Like what is air really, does it have a life of its own, does it like when we think kindly of it? I just get the feeling like, words just have more power than you could ever realize. Isn’t it wierd how world just has an extra L in it, I like to think it is the light that was missing. You ever think that we were all just scattered, different verses all paying homage to the infinite one, like we were blurred or obscured in such a way that everyone’s famous. Like we all matter, all signs of a grander design. But this grandness is made because of us like we all just have to shine the right way and, bam it’ s finished. Like one day we just see ourselves and understand, we are dreaming stars, cradled in the void. Nebraska’s aura was blue, something someone insisted one day or another. He didn’t know exactly what it meant but it made him think of blueberries, of wild winds and snow storms so fine. He was cold, colder than cold; subzero. Like 00000000000000000 and then below that. There was a wolf walking the world. But that is beside the point as wolves have a habit of doing this from time to time. The humans didn’t see it of course, well not all of them, just little pieces. It gave them chills. This wolf looked like a very attractive young woman, and though Nebraska was looking at a ring he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration and almost lunar kinship. Wolves have a habit of inspiring such habits. “You see I’m chasing a rabit. White as winter snow, but you know, I got some time to spare if you would dare to care.” the wolf sort of sang sort of smelled, sort of tasted. “I’m not sure if I understand.” Nebraska said. “Ah nevermind, whatcha hunting.” Howled the wolf. It was a very polite howl, almost like a humming smile. “I’m having trouble figuring out if love exist outside of the symbols.” “Oh, that’s understandable. Symbols are odd that way, like life, constantly radiating. Where many people go wrong is trying to track them like a human, instead hunt them. Like a beast might.” the wolf smiled. “I’m not sure I understand but it sounds like you're saying we all just sort of radiate.” “Yeah kinda, it’s like everything comes full circle, it has to. Debts have to be settled and such. So things can continue.” “You know I don’t think I know many beasts” Nebraska hummed. “Course you do, everybody knows some, some don’t want to, but life has a way of making itself. See right there, that’s a t- rex over there.” The wolf shined. Nebraska only saw a very nervous store clerk with a dragon watch on his wrist, unfortunately missing the great and ancient jungle rising around him as a procession of prey stumbled by to escape that great king lizard. “It feels like you’re telling me we all translate as best we can and that every moment is now, like everything that could ever exist does because now is a gateway of impossibility.” Nebraska said. “Sure, why not, or was it yes and no. I don’t know, you guys are so strange.” The wolf said rubbing his head. Nebraska thought it truly weird that his inner brain was telling him that polite young woman beside him who could have been a ceo with the way she demanded his attention was more or less, wearing wolf paraphernalia. Like, was it a suit, almost comical, really funny make up, or just some sort of tribal headdress. He settled that he’d decide before and after. Like reaching around a round sense of absence. It made him wonder what vibrations and dimensions and bubbles love speaks in. A very delicious looking person walked by wearing a white hymn, or was it a white coat and soon the Wolf mosied on, all smiles and shines, and Nebraska began to realize that inside she would never really leave him, all the pieces had to come together, as it was. Nebraska was beginning to see a little bit of everything in everything, like everything was yearning to be, like everything was alive, like if life could exist then it deserved to. Like we were all made precious and with a destiny all its own. Nebraska’s head once wrote fire and it shined “You may not believe in destiny, but it believes in you?” and he began to wonder about the odd nature of repetition and cosmic reversals. Like a reach around, like some people open doors, some are doors, and others just kind of slip over them. Like Like, you know. Nebraska thought that in the beginning it all just kind of shattered but only so that it all could come back together again. He thought there might be a third part missing, but he was never really sure. Nebraska thought that god said everything unironically and he remembered how it was once said that “The Wolf Never Blinks”. It made him want to start a forest hunting party or something. Speaking of parties, it was once said, and or done. I always lean on the ands, makes things a little easier to wrap up by the end you know. And or done that Love, Life, The Omega, and Satisfaction threw a real banger that shook us all into a dance. Then they flipped it and no one knew where it would land. Hallelujah right. Nebraska saw time in simmering waves, constantly washing and jolting, changing tunes at just the oddest moments. Made talking to people so odd, which is probably why he shined with beasts. He once heard that heroes are found between the mirrors, or was it lines. Oh well, he couldn’t help but think that there was some cosmic contract out there, and that some people might say that God stacks the deck, but that implies the game is fair, and that god is pretty chill. Sore losers lie, but God being the foolish child, speaks very honestly, just very loudly. So loudly you might have to go deep into the edge of darkness where the silence is a little more chatty. Nebraska once heard of people who didn’t dream, and he thought, well they must be dreams themselves. Like when does the dreamer become the dream? Perhaps only heroes could tell. Nebraska had a habit of reading books whose pages changed constantly like it was as much written in the windows of his soul as the world around, and he wondered if we create and break the world every second of every day. Nebraska wanted to win back the day, but we always win don’t we. Nebraska thought god could be seen in time. Like we were all just inverses of one another, passing forward and backward through the currents of existence. Like God made opposite day for a reason, because God really just likes us, thinks we’re all swell fellas and sometimes it’s just really good when they are shuffling the cards. Nebraska thought that we were all just wishes someone dreamed up one day, and that we all had to be nurtured because wishes know when they’re being ignored, and sometimes we all just need somebody to lean on. And did I mention that God says a lot of things Unironically. Still Nebraska wondered if somewhere in the recess of this existential contract there wasn’t a vaguely obscured summary detailing the ironic nature of existence. Oh well, everything starts to look the same eventually. For example if the world is forward and backward, possibly at different times of the day, then one shouldn’t be surprised if you start speaking like a shattered mirror, or was it a glass eye. Hell, I don’t know. Perhaps true mastery required commanding all sides of the board. As if we all had to hold each other. Nebraska passed by a baby in a stroller and upon looking at its face he realized that the world wasn’t a set of rings, but a set of hearts like piercing arrows, all hunting one oddity or another and he thought that strange. Everything started to look like hearts, like an infestation of love bugs but here or there he saw blue wolves tenderly stalking and singing and dancing like woodland knights. “Strange isn’t it.” The baby said. “Oh Definitely.” “Do you know what I mean?” “I know somethings around it.” “Good, then you’re starting to get it. You see words are things of delicate power, and commanding light is like commanding fire. Know these things with care and carry them to love.” “It sounds like you’re suggesting that this world “strange” is in fact a boundary in itself, like an sort of philosophical or even existential barrier or bubble.” “And you begin to wonder what lies within and around the “strange’” “Is that true, could we be spelling truth.” “How the hell, who could tell, maybe I should go, maybe you should dig low, I don’t know.” The baby. “What?” “Sorry I was laughing.” The baby said. “Why do you guys cry so much?” “Babies cry unironically. We sense the great divide and its strangeness, we mourn, we love, and we cry for all the things both happy and sad, neither good nor bad.” “That’s very mature of you.” “I suppose. we enjoy a sort of purity for those that can’t. It’s the cross we bear. “Truly?” “Everyone has one.” “Truly.” “You seem at odds.” “Yes I’m feeling a little strange yes. It’s like I keep getting this sense, like voices singing like everything just works out a-ok at the end, but I keep encountering things that clear the rhythm.” “The songs are always there, it’s more about what you’ll do to find them. I’d listen to the positive side.” “To what end?” “At the worse, if you’re going to get punched in the face, you might as well not be ashamed of it. Second You have to think about what your life is worth, like who are you, and why are you here. Everyone has a destiny. Everyone has someone in their corner, perhaps more than we’re comfortable thinking about.” The baby said. “You seem so confident, but your life is only just beginning.” “No my life is just continuing, existing in its infinite radial pulse. I’ve done this before, you have too, hell we’re doing it a thousand times over as we speak. But everything has to come together, all the puzzles must fit and all the stories aligned.” “How? It’s like you’re talking about wronging all rights. I mean righting every wrong.” “Well look at it like this, if there are multiple worlds and possibilities just sort of bouncing on top of each other, it would make sense that they could be harmonized to the best possible option. Like a wave coasting forward and backwards until everything is nice and clean. Like a cosmic janitor. Us babies helped create it for all the peoples in exchange for shedding their tears. We call it the Santa Clause.” “You mean like Saint Nick.” “I don’t know. Does an idea exist outside of its presentation. Regardless eventually people start calling it the God Clause except wolves of course, they’re pretty well rounded.” “What is the Santa Clause exactly?” “It’s like, in a world of infinite possibilities, everything is at a standstill because there’s a fifty fifty chance that anything will happen and not happen. The santa clause tips the scales. You could say that it comes from the fire of miracles, the last bump that pushes one racer past the finish line just before the other. It’s like people said it was fifty fifty, but no one said how the fifties would be split. A matter of semantics yes, but most things are. And then it effectively keeps doing that until some cosmic balance is achieved or something really cool is made and no one cares any more.” “Santa Clause.” Nebraska said rubbing stubby chin and feeling jollier already. He bid the baby farewell. Nebraska felt, old, and foolish, and strong, and almost sinfully adorable all at the same time. He spun round and round as if the world didn’t exist until he finally landed next to his love. He got her a candy ring from her favorite candy shop but he could swear that it shined like a real diamond. Hell he could swear it shined.