#yeah i'm still here. just a little busy with real life stuff

[middleofnothing]

click for better quality [2073x1599]

BONUS 🔽

3d models ported by DazCover, metoria and middleofnothing (me). Created in XNALara XPS/DAZ studio, edited in photoshop/procreate.

[aestherin]

KEEP MY HEART

goal 09: do you like sweets?

You are fully self-aware that you have delusional tendencies, but you know yourself well enough to think that you weren't that far gone yet to the point that you will start seeing your long distance crush right in front of you.

He's probably real.

Taking notice of your presence, Scaramouche then turned towards you. His face was hard to read, other hand holding his phone and the other inside the pockets of his denim pants. His oversized black shirt was tucked, highlighting his good figure.

'Holy. He's got good style too,' you thought. It was simple, yes. But he carries outfits so damn well.

But what is he even doing here in your uni?

Since an eye contact has already been made, you flashed a sheepish smile and a light wave. Your loud personality online was such a huge contrast in comparison to how you're actually behaving now.

He just stared. 'Oh. So he's the cold type. God, he's exactly my type.'

"Aren't you going in?" You snapped out of your musings upon hearing his voice.

"I was about to. I'm starving," you chuckled. He scoffed. "I could use a bit of food, too."

"We should eat at the birthday party then."

"Kazuha's?"

You nod.

He looked away. "Go and eat inside. I'll find another place to eat at."

You flashed a look of disbelief. Scaramouche raised a brow in confusion. "Dude, you're literally already at a restaurant and you still want to go somewhere else to eat?"

"And you're hungry, aren't you?"

He sighed. "Look, I don't know if you know this, but the one holding a party — well, we're not on the best of terms."

Oh. Yeah.

There's that thing.

How the fuck could you forget that the love of your life is from the rival of your brother's team?

"Ah," You nod again. He seemed to take it as you understanding his reasoning and turned the other way, attempting to head off.

If only you hadn't tugged at his shirt.

"What the?!"

You led him to a lone bench at the parking lot, lit warmly by the streetlight just directly above it. "Sit there and wait for me."

"Excuse me?" He hissed. "What am I? A dog?"

"Your words, not mine." You grinned. "Just do as I say, okay? It won't be long, I promise."

He was about to retort but you cut him off by hurriedly entering the lively restaurant.

When you got back, you easily spotted Scaramouche who was sitting comfortably on the bench where you left him. He immediately scooted over once he saw you.

"Wow," he remarked. "You know I actually doubted if you would even come back."

You chuckled as you sat and handed him his plate. "Do you have trust issues?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Oh, so you do."

He rolled his eyes.

Your late dinner with him was mostly filled with a comforting silence, with some bits of small talk in between. The only ones left on your plate were delectable desserts, as well as the little pieces of food you left out.

"Do you like sweets?"

"No," Scaramouche speedily replied. "They're disgusting."

You subconsciously frown. "Shame. I like them."

"You can have mine then," he says as he picks up his portion of desserts and transfers them to your plate. Unbeknownst to you, his observant gaze failed to miss how your eyes sparkled in delight at the sight of mouthwatering sweets.

As he did so, Scaramouche also spotted some leftovers on your plate. "Do you not like bitter stuff?"

"My tongue can't handle them."

"Give it to me then instead of wasting food, idiot."

You let out a laugh. "Is that your way of saying you like bitter stuff?"

The man just let out a quiet "tch" before taking a bite.

KEEP MY HEART — scara x reader smau

previous . masterlist . next

SUMMARY —you find plenty of guys around you attractive, but there is only one you’re willing to make the first move on: the guy you first saw during your older brother’s soccer game. spoiler: he's a player from your rival university.

NOTES -> a lot has happened lmaoo i was so busy aaa -> i graduated hs finally :P -> i also submitted my requirements for college haha -> also can u guys believe i'm gonna be in college while my college smau is on going omg -> and apologies for ghosting HASDHADHA (also wtf fontaine livestream tomorrow already whaaat time flies so fast omg)

TAGLIST I (closed)

@lady-elodie @krnzysh @syriiina @unsterblich-prinz @xiaosonlybeloved @xiaomainlmao @cindywasneverhere @coquettemaiden @sunsethw4 @lunavixia @calickoh @arealistonao3 @lowkeyivorie @zyilas @mondaymelon @yukiipc @heartswonder @st0pthatsgay @ozzierenato @astreaa-express @shewolfmiko @lovelyycherries @myaaones @countessqin @aloveablechaos @letthewindlead @lunaavity @local-blueberry-boy @luminestars @layla240 @useless-potatho @atlaszi @alatusorrow @lahsram2201 @sakiimeo @user11918163805279 @vqazx @neigesprincess @kunicrush @yoursockstinks @hotgirlshit5 @mikctp @crucnhice @apotatouwu @yuaenri @sammybeefangirls @miko1ly @deffenferofjustice @etherisy @sagegreenthinks

[cephalonheadquarters]

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

hi, orca! it’s been a while since i’ve visited alterna. i’ve been pretty busy with life stuff...turf practice, school, things like that, y'know? ever since i saved the world, life just hasn't felt the same for me after that. 0_0 i mean... i saved the world! what could possibly top that? haha

so...anyways, how are you? i figured you must be sorta lonely down in alterna...i'm not sure if i'm gonna be able to see your response or if you'll even get this, but i just thought it'd be nice to talk to you.

i miss you, 3

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

hello again!! still unsure if these are going through, but that's okay. i like to think you can see these. i was wondering, have you ever seen the surface? probably, because there's pictures of the big crater thing in your alterna logs.

do you miss the surface? are you even able to leave? you're a computer, so like, could you just...jump to another computer on the surface? i think that would be awesome if you could, there's all sorts of things here in splatsville you can record! i assume you've just been recording the same things over and over again, and it sounds like it can get boring down there. i would love to show you what life on the surface looks like now!

i miss you, 3

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

i'm alive!! sorry it's been a while since i've written (typed?) to you. i hope you didn't think i just abandoned you! i got caught up in a lot of stuff. oh! that means i haven't told you that i finally reached evp for my salmon run job!

speaking of salmon run, what'd you think of mr grizz? were you happy to see that at least one mammal survived..? did he ever even acknowledge you? do you think he's still out there, floating around in space? gosh, he must be so lonely...

i miss you, 3

P.S., little buddy already knows about my job. he doesn't really mind, for some reason..??

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

do you know about the judds? i mentioned i still work a salmon run job last message, but you were probably confused about how it was still going when mr grizz is gone. well... turns out, li'l judd is running the whole thing now! i don't know why, but it's pretty funny to imagine such a little animal runs grizzco now. or would it be called juddco? li'l juddco?

oh yeah, the judds are also mammals! they're called "cats," and i was wondering if you know what cats are? did anyone have cats in alterna?

i miss you, 3

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

did you ever have a best friend? was it the person that made you? i don't really know a lot about humans besides from what i've learned in school, but it surprises me they can be such compassionate creatures sometimes. not to be cheesy, buuut if they were able to be nice to animals, i don't know why they couldn't use that kindness to not fight each other all the time. haha, that's a little ironic coming from me, actually. considering i like to play turf and ranked. but those are real sports played for fun, so, nevermind! LOL

i miss you, 3

mY dEAR O.R.C.A,

do you like the music in alterna? you probably hear it a lot, huh. do you ever get tired of it? i could listen to it 24/7... did the humans purposefully make some of the entrance terminal music have bird noises? to remind them of the surface? whatever the reason, i think it sounds beautiful.

i miss you, 3

P.S., what's the song called, anyway?

[loupy-mongoose]

Another writing that got long, so putting a Read More~

I wish I could've continued this interaction as a comic, but I ran out of energy. Life got busy, my mood fluctuated. So this one's written. X3

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START | CHRONO

~~~~~~

Lavender woke in her bed with a gasp. She sat up, gulping air as the dream vision invaded her waking mind.

It wasn't real... It was just a vision... It wouldn't have hurt you, Lav. It wouldn't have hurt you...

As she calmed down, her attention shifted to something else.

She reached out with her mind.

...Nico?...

Nothing.

Lav's face scrunched up in anger. Dang it...

She flopped back onto her pillow, her arms sprawled out beside her. Here eyes were shut tight. Rrrrrrgh... Sorry, Nico, I didn't mean to wake up!

Something tickled her attention in her mind, but she didn't dwell on it.

Curse the flimsiness of our connection!

This time, she couldn't ignore it.

.a...v..nder?...

Lav froze, listening intently and focusing with all her might.

...Nico?

...u.. s....ll ..ear m....?

Lav smiled and mentally shouted as strongly as she could, careful to not connect with her family's mindscapes. I hear you, Nico! I hear you! Can you hear me?!

Lav? Lav!? I heard you!

Yes! Lav clenched her fists in her spike of joy. YES! Finally! We can talk without the worry of it collapsing at the slightest breath!

I'm... Kinda surprised you still want to talk... I'm sorry about the visions. I got carried away...

No, no, it's fine! It just startled me!

...It seemed like a strong reaction for just a startle...

I'm fine, honest! Lav tried to ignore that he was right. Anyway, that’s not the end of the story, right? You said you didn’t feel guilty then… But you clearly regret what happened.

...I do... His voice was subdued. Yes. I now regret what happened. But... Back then, I was truly the monster they wanted me to be. I was their good little weapon, until I decided they didn't see me as an equal.

After I d... d-destroyed the lab... I roamed Kanto. I challenged people and Pokemon alike... I attacked them... I...

His mental voice broke.

I killed them...

Both Lav and Nico fell silent. Lav could tell she was getting more adept at this connection thing, as she faintly felt that they were still linked.

What changed?

You said Fuji taught you gentleness and kindness, but you still... She shivered, hoping that he couldn't sense her apprehension. What made you change your mind from "monster" to regretful?

...Jovie.

Lav couldn't help smiling at the pure warmth in his mental voice. Your mate?

He spoke with a wistful tone. If Fuji planted the seeds, Jovie watered and nurtured them.

I, uh....

I stumbled into her home town. A little hidden place called Shadegrove. I... I attacked... And she defended.

Looking back... she was amazing.

So brave, and strong. Determined to save the town and people she loved.

And she succeeded.

I couldn't overpower her, so I left. Exhausted. Embarrassed.

And Furious.

First my parent, then this...

Lav felt a jolt.

I figured Mews wanted nothing to do with the Monster they had created.

Woah woah woah, wait! Your parent? Did you know your parent?

...

I saw them leave. Before I left my incubation tube.

Incubation tube? Lav took a mental note of the strange phrase.

I'm sure of it... It's my earliest memory.

A Mew's tail vanishing into the distance... Either my parent, or a Mew who knew me...

It abandoned me.

And after Jovie attacked me, I thought... I thought it was me. Mews hated me.

But I was wrong.

She followed me.

And I would be dead now if she hadn't

She found me after a challenge I'd made went wrong, and healed me up. And she did the unthinkable.

She was kind to me.

She worked to get to know me.

She cared about me.

And I found myself returning those feelings.

She made me laugh.

She made me care.

She made me happy.

And eventually... we fell in love.

That's... pretty much all the important stuff...

Lav sat quiet, contemplating the rest of the story she'd heard. Is that how you got that scar?

...Yeah...

You ever hear about Zapdos?

She felt her heart skip a beat, remembering stories her dad had read to her of the powerful electric-type legendary bird. ...Wow...

Yup.

They both went quiet.

Nico...

Lav's mental voice was soft.

Thank you. Seriously. For being brave enough to share that with me.

Wou... Would you be okay with me telling it to my dad?

Nico was silent. Lav could almost feel the buzz of his mind as he contemplated. Finally, he spoke up.

If you think it'll help. I... I worry it won't, but... You know him better than I do.

Do what you think is best, Lav.

Lav tried to form the question; Why are you afraid of him? But a yawn broke her concentration. She looked at the time.

Shoot. I should go back to sleep, or I'll be hurting tomorrow. Catch ya later?

If you want to!

Yeah! She smiled. Good night, Nico!

Good night, Lav.

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START | CHRONO

[fandomnerd9602]

Proposal

Wanda Maximoff x Male Reader

For @lifespectator

Things were finally slowing down for the Avengers, Earth finally had a little bit of peace. Tony had retired, Steve went back in time. But for Wanda, there was still one thing that alluded her.

Wanda always wanted a family. It always alluded her. She had yet to truly fall in love. No real dates or engagements. But yet she always had you, her best friend. You were her support on most field missions.

The two of you hung out after missions. Little lunch hangouts, times at the movies, the record shops. Wanda always felt normal with you. Honestly it surprised her that you didn’t have anyone in your life yet.

“Surely you could find yourself a girlfriend” Wanda found herself laughing one night.

“Hey if I’m not too busy saving the world, I’m saving you” you respond with a smile.

Wanda always looked forward to hanging out with her best friend. You were there for her thru every heartache and painful memory.

But now things were changing. The Avengers were coming to an end. The world was safe and Thanos was gone. Tony had settled down. Steve went back in time to be with Peggy. And all Wanda could think about was her next step.

“You are you don’t wished to be trained?” Wong asks Wanda as she packs up her things.

“I-I think it’s time I retire,” Wanda states, “I-I want to be a mother. I want a home in the suburbs and…I can’t get that as an Avenger”

“Motherhood” Wong smirks, “some would say it’s more dangerous than being a superhero”

“The hardest part is trying find a donor. Someone to be the father of my kids” Wanda rubs her neck shyly. “I-I did think of someone”

“Who?”

“(Y/N)” she gives a nervous laugh.

“Y/N?” Wong simply summons a portal and leaves, “good luck Maximoff”

Wanda finishes packing her belongings from her room. She couldn’t help but smile. You were her first choice. Her only choice really. Honestly she couldn’t think of anyone else, she didn’t want anyone else.

Wanda’s thoughts were disrupted by the sudden sound of her ringtone. A simple glance to her phone reveals your name on her caller ID.

“Hey Red” you smile from your end of the phone call.

“Hey” Wanda smiles.

“I bought a little house in Westview, a couple miles from the compound” you explain, “I was wondering if you’d come and see it with me”

“Y-yeah” Wanda found herself giggling. A little house hunting with her best friend.

You and Wanda drive to the address, as you told her, a couple miles from the compound in the cozy little town of Westview. It was still trying to recover after the Snap, like all towns were. But it's property costs were low and the value was only rising.

"And here we are" you smile as you pull outside a two story suburban house. It had a classic brick style to it with a white picket fence. Wanda couldn't help but gasp. It was everything she ever dreamed of, like a long forgotten desire.

"You have a great eye" Wanda whispers.

You pull out the key, "Wanna take a look?"

Every step, every moment that Wanda spent in that house. It made her fall in love with it, more and more. Spending each moment with you, how you talked about your dreams for the place, it all made her fall for you more and more too.

Wanda found herself dreaming of the life she could have in this house with you. Your children taking their first steps. Your first Christmas in this house with her.

"I-It's a lot of room for just one person" Wanda remarks as your guided tour came to an end.

"Well I'm gonna need a roommate" you rub the back of your neck, "figured you might be interest?"

Wanda nodded so fiercely, "yes! I'd love to."

Moving day was fast approaching and yet Wanda was still unsure of how to approach you with her little proposal. She never thought it'd be so difficult to ask someone such a question. But even practicing it in the mirror left her tongue tied.

You finished moving all the boxes of your stuff and hers into the house. You gave Wanda the master bedroom, you were more than happy taking the guest room. Wanda glances down the hallway from the master bedroom. There was still two empty rooms. Perfect, in her mind, for two kids.

You rolled out a sleeping bag in your room. "Where's your bed?" Wanda asks

"Still in the mail." you huff, "never had to buy one when I was an Avenger."

"Well mine's already assembled, you can sleep with me" Wanda said nonchalantly, she immediately found herself going beet red. "I-I mean we can share a bed...I-I-"

You laugh, "I got what you mean, Red. Come on downstairs, I got take out ready for us"

You got the fireplace lit and a little TV set up for Wanda. It didn't take her long to locate a network playing the Dick Van Dyke show. You and Wanda spend the better part of the evening talking about old memories at the compound.

"Y/N" Wanda found herself swallowing hard. "I-I think I know what I want to do with the rest of my life."

"Alright Red, tell me" you smile at her.

"I want a family." Wanda takes a deep breath, "I want kids. I want a white picket fence. I-I want to be a mother"

"Wow" you reply, "I think you'd be perfect at that"

"Really?"

"Yeah" you smile, 'you'd be an amazing mother. I can see it now, you'd cheer for your kids at every game. You'd be an amazing guide for them. Knowing you, you'd be perfect at that. Any kid would be lucky to have you as a mother. I just hope that I'm there to see it"

Wanda blushes and blurts out, "I want you to be the father of my kids"

"Me?" you find yourself in shock

"I shouldn't have said that," Wanda tries to get up but you take her hand

"You want me to be their father?" you can feel some tears forming in your eyes.

"I-I mean we can go through a fertility clinic" Wanda tries to explain, "but honestly you're so kind and loving and I can't think of anyone else that I'd want to be the father of my kids. I-I love you."

"I've always loved you" you whisper back. "I-I was okay just being your friend. I-I thought that's all you wanted."

Wanda wraps her arms around your neck. Your hands move instinctively to her waist.

"So will you?" Wanda smiles, "please?"

"I want strings" you smile back, "I want to be there for you through it all."

Wanda giggles, "I'll take it. You, me, strings and all" She laughs with pure joy.

You pull her into a kiss. Her breath hitches. It felt so small and yet so perfect too. She kisses you back. First once then twice.

"Y/N?" she asks you in a gentle whisper

"Hmm?"

"Will you take me upstairs?" She wraps her legs around your waist as you hold her tight. Her eyes stare into yours with all the intent in the world.

"Oh? Oh." you figure it out before nodding and carrying her up the stairs and to her room. Wanda giggles the whole way.

Friends become lovers and lovers eventually become parents. The pathway for Wanda to find her family was a long and painful road. Luckily she met you, her best friend. The one who made that little house in Westview feel like a home.

[nights-at-crystarium]

on authenticity

My mood in the recent months keeps going from bad to worse. Today I randomly fell into the rabbit hole of checking out other patreon artists, which always grounds me in reality and cheers me up, perhaps in a weird way. Essay incoming \o/

Authenticity is a blob of a word that sounds almost pretentious nowadays. It gets sneered at. You either sell your soul, or you don't earn with your art.

What's authentic, being true to yourself, will vary from person to person. It's like a sliding scale of suffering that you will tolerate in exchange for a coin, while convincing yourself that you have fun.

The harsh truth of modern world is that if your art pays for your living, you've already reached success, no matter how you may feel about the type of content you actually make for that money. Insert the meme furry nsfw art here. Or not furry. Or even sfw, but comms, lots of comms every month. Or merch. Anything that sells. Products first, art second.

Marrying passion and profession is virtually impossible, yet I'm doing it, only thanks to your support. I'm acutely aware that, even as I choose to be "real" and talk about an artist's money-making in a raw way, it's still patreon talk, and yes, I'll plug the link as well, so technically this entire post is an ad *fingerguns*

I just feel so privileged being able to create whatever the fuck I want, literally, I take no comms/requests/guidance on what and how should I draw/write, I post experimental, sometimes provocative stuff, and still make enough to survive. This sole fact should get me through the day, whatever other struggles I may be facing currently (I am. I don't wanna talk about it rn, instead I distract myself with this text), I should always remember the unique place in life I managed to carve for myself.

There are madmen (gender-neutral) who toss $10-20 at me every month. The majority "only" pledges $1, the notorious tier that gets treated as a tip jar with no rewards by many other creators. All of my rewards are the same at $1 and $20 (save for the one-time digital artbook download at $10, just to be perfectly clear), it's a conscious choice and a risk I continue taking because it's how I am. I used to split rewards between tiers in the past, before xiv, and it was a lot of busy work while it made me treat my art less as art and more as product. This pic goes into the cheap box, this pic goes into the expensive box. Every month. It's. Definitely not for every artist.

Logistic hell of splitting and delivering rewards, different posts with less comments per post, also my discord roles/channels would have to be split, nowadays it's just patron, whether you give me $1 or $20, there's no visual disparity, you're hanging out in the same cool kids' club, and collectively making happy noises on Fragments Fridays.

Could I be making more money if I got rid of the $1 tier? Yeah. But, mercifully, after 2 years I don't need to. I legit make enough currently, my only worry is to keep what I have. Patrons don't stay forever, 2-5 people would leave every month, about the same number would join (hence my patreon ads, I need to keep people reminded of it, even if it makes me feel guilty every damn time). I did Research (tm) in the past to find out that my "bleeding" numbers are below average, i.e. it's good, people generally tend to stick around.

I put a lot of emphasis on the $1 because I'm kinda proud of what I managed to accomplish while staying self-detrimentally humble. Literally doing an impossible thing in a world that keeps burning down. So yeah if you've been feeling bad for only giving me $1, what matters is that there's enough $1s to make a difference. Together you're creating a phenomenon, and you should be proud.

There are many stupid little principles, hills that I'll die on, that make up my authenticity. I chose to speak of it here and now in order to sorta sell myself, so it feels hypocritical x'D But if I don't shine a spotlight on this, who will. I'm old and jaded and increasingly terrified of how insincere the internet's becoming. Everything's fake, sugarcoated, polished for sale. My art's always been a scream of defiance against all that, now that I'm more or less established, I wanna scream louder. Thanks for hearing my screams. You can scream with me too if you want.

[weebsinstash]

I've talked about romantic/sexual yandere Miguel being goaded on by an alternate of himself or another you, but, I'm also thinking about platonic yandere parental/guardian Miguel getting a little 'push' to realize he wants you to play a more central role in his life, either from being in competition with an alternate of his or outright being told by his alternate that it's what he should do

You're just in the Spider Society minding your own business and you see Miguel talking to, Another Miguel, but this one has glasses or a beauty mark or some distinguishing feature. The two of them are discussing anomalies and "the fate of the multiverse" and other such serious topics when you stroll by, giving a wave and such as hello when the second Miguel actually pauses their conversation to greet you, actually being, well, much like YOUR Miguel with his occasional sarcastic snark but, friendlier, introducing himself to you, shaking your hand, asking you questions like how old you are, how long have you been a Spider, etc, amd you're ready to start cracking jokes about how, maybe you'll start spending time with this new Miguel instead since 'yours' is suddenly so grumpy, when. Oh dear, the awkward thing happens. Here comes the other you, bounding right up to the other Miguel, "Papá, there you are 🥰 this place is like a maze and I got lost looking for you, dont leave me behind again 🥺"

Both you and Miguel are watching your alternates interact, actually silently internally in some weird sort of agreement with "this is kind of weird but also oddly wholesome... what the fuck, why do I want what they have..." but it's just. It's also just a little weird. You're literally watching another you cuddle up to another version of your boss, calling the man their dad, acting like they're legitimately his child, with the other man actually being genuinely caring and considerate back. Eventually in private Dad!Miguel asks Miguel about his relationship with you and is basically met with "what relationship. That's just my coworker" as Dad!Miguel rolls his eyes at his emotionally constipated alternate who's apparently going to need a little encouragement

Part of me is like, what if some bullshit happens like, Dad!Miguel is all "oh yeah well if you have such a handle on things and think they can take care of themself without any support or guidance, what are they doing right now" and Miguel is all huffy and all FINE LETS SEE, IM SURE THEYRE FINE and goes to, use his monitors or whatever to spy on you and, you're having like a mental episode, a real crying session, some real boo hoo sobbing and maybe even cutting yourself as Miguel is "coincidentally" having an epiphany that, hey, maybe you DO need an extra mentor figure in your life... maybe he can... ask you about your day and stuff? Dad!Miguel over here ready to rip his hair out as he realizes your Miguel went through all the second universe stuff and is now an emotionally bottled mess and, in a way needs you as much as you need him

Whether to encourage his alternate or help you since you resemble 'his child', despite all awkward differences, Dad!Miguel sees that you're lonely and struggling and, kinda partially adopts you, becoming something of a mentor, checking in on you, scolding you to est something when his advanced hearing picks up on your stomach growling, making small talk, little things like that, but routinely, becoming a bit of a fixture in your life

Months down the line your Miguel is minding his own business having a pretty ok day and he rounds the corner and. It's Dad! Miguel, convincing you to let him comb your hair because you ran out of the house without doing anything with it first and you've been kind of stressed and tired. Miguel just starting to kind of feel what can only be identified as envy and jealousy as he watches Dad!Miguel spending time with you, "so, are you graduated by now? My child (the other you) is still in university right now" "oh no, I'm not really doing college" "what, but you're so smart! I think you can do anything you put your mind to--"

Miguel turns his back and next time he turns around, Dad!Miguel is getting you gifts for your birthday and it turns out he regularly visits you. The original man's strolling through the lobby and suddenly he sees you with his alternate that he's really starting to hate and, are you speaking Spanish? Since when did you learn Spanish? Did he TEACH you? Have you been spending so much time together that the other him even had that opportunity?

He's just standing there watching Dad!Miguel like, braid your hair or help clean your glasses or do something that's like, platonic but personal, caring, affectionate, and suddenly your Miguel is having the realization, "did this bitch just steal you right under my nose. Did he just baby code MY baby 😤"

Miguel overhears you happily call his alternate Tío and, that's it, he gets so mad he confronts the other him about it in private basically then and there, the other man basically just like "well clearly YOU weren't giving them the support they needed--" and proceeding to give advice on how to get close to you, things you're stressed about and struggling with, things you were too shy and scared to open up about to the original Miguel or anyone who isn't a trusted friend

An alternate version of the YouTwo disaster where YouTwo wants to steal your life because you "stole their dad" when Dad!Miguel spends time with you and they assume they're being replaced out of jealousy, or maybe he even outright wants you for himself, or maybe Dad!Miguel outright meets his unfortunate end in an unrelated villain thing and YouTwo comes to steal YOUR "dad". YouTwo who's more unhinged than ever because their Miguel kind of "broke them in" to be their loving little child and doesn't handle either being replaced or losing the only loved one and source of support they cared about

Of course this is to say, it would DEFINITELY be "unfortunate" if you and Dad!Miguel got so, so close and, then suddenly the man dies and is violently ripped from your life just when you're starting to heal and be happy again and, suddenly you're so heartbroken and vulnerable and, THIS is the moment when your Miguel finally steps up to the plate to truly take care of you amd fully assimilate into your life. You're breaking down sobbing, literally the kind of crying where you can't even stand, you just collapse, and, here he is to pick you up and hold you, embrace you, shoosh you gently and rub your back and let you cry while he helps you feel safe again. He's sorry he's late, but he's here now, so let Papá give you nice big hugs while you cry and then take you back home, ok? His home. Technically YOUR home now, that the two of you share. You'll get served all your favorite foods and made sure you're looked after and, when its time for bed and you get those violent nightmares and images of how your beloved Tío was killed right in front of you and can't manage to sleep, your Papá is there to help hold you and comfort you until you're finally softly snoring in his arms. he looks at you, how heartbroken and, in his eyes, helpless you are, and vows that if anyone ever tries to hurt, or wrong you, or some punk who doesn't deserve you tries to taint your purity, that he'll rip them apart like a wild animal

After all, that's just what good fathers do

[rayshippouuchiha]

Thank you! So here I am to infodump, full of gratitude, and you can post this if you want no problem it's just a bunch of scattered ideas so yeah. Feel free to chuck suggestions at me too! I really don't know what to do with these... building blocks just yet.

Akatani Mikumo is Midoriya Hisashi.

Toshinori gets sandwiches by the Midoriya couple and it turns into an OT3 but that's much later down the line.

Hisashi is a journalist, keeps getting into everybody's business and Knows™ more than he frankly should.

Hisashi is a Cryptid™. But of a different energy from his son who is all lightning-in-a-bottle jittery On The Verge Of Throwing Hands feral sort of cryptid, Hisashi is mostly of this... supernaturally unflappable blank-faced chill entity.

Who keeps spooking people bc No Footstep sounds.

And might possibly be partially mute or just ridiculously soft-spoken bc when he tries to speak at normal volumehis fire-breathing quirk goes ballistic.

Might or might not have bloodline relations to AFO. Origins ambiguous, Inko just literally plucked the (then) teen off a back alley like he was a stray cat.

Also might or might not have more than one quirk, see the probable AFO connection.

Izuku got his mumbling thing from Hisashi.

A cryptid man who seems normal enough except a little off-kilter, like two inches to the left of what's a “normal” man? Weirdo but nobody can pinpoint how or why. That's the sort of vibe I want with this Hisashi.

And some Wack™ backstory lore I came up w for Hisashi, I dunno what I'll do w it but:

Cw: mention of infant murder, bc I'm Me™ and I was thinking about Yotsumegami (it's my favorite game) and how my version of Hisashi would tie in with it.

Yanno how in Yotsumegami “unwanted children” (children with disabilities, the younger of a twin pair or every sibling except the eldest in triplets or higher, etc) would be killed (it's a real historical practice in Japan, mabiki, they called it) or something like that? Would be kinda fun if an offshoot of that variety existed in the BnHA world, even if it's not outright child murder kids would be abandoned, especially in the chaos of the Dawn of Quirks. People who were scared of quirked people would abandon their quirked child, quirkist folk abandoned their quirkless children, it's chaos.

It would be more prominent during the initial chaos, though I guess laws and stuff would've been passed later on to prevent it or at least cut down the numbers— and the practice fizzled out but there's still a few remote rural villages who accept “unwanted” children.

One such secret community could be like, giving the surname “Akatani” (red valley, for the red of spider lilies used in mabiki in times past) to the children that were discarded at their metaphorical door. Do they still practice mabiki? Debatable. But it's like a giant secret orphanage with questionable, cult-like mentalities.

Akatani Hisashi was one of those until he miraculously escaped and tried to survive in the outside world.

Or maybe he didn't have the Akatani surname at first bc nobody in the remote village had any surname but once he got out he might've created the surname as a way to hm, not quite honor but carry his origins into his new life.

(maybe Yoichi was almost mabiki'd too, like I said I'm still not entirely sure where I'm going with this)

So Izuku gets to grow up w two parents who care a great deal for him. Maybe they move away, resulting in Izuku not having to deal w Bakugou in his childhood. Maybe Izuku makes friends with some other future 1-A classmate.

The Commission keeps trying to track down this one rogue “vigilante reporter” whose name is unknown. And they keep failing because Hisashi (along with his son and excessive gaggle of... comrades? followers? does the Midoriya family accidentally create an organization of rabid info gatherers?) is a certified cryptid.

Izuku has his hands in so many pots. He's a lot more nosey than in canon probably?

Endeavor had better be prepared bc his entire way of life is about to go up in smoke

I don't know why but I just have this very strong feeling that Stain doesn't like Hisashi for one reason or another.

I... wouldn't be entirely opposed to the AU just chucking Bakugou out the window so that he's not in 1-A (or in UA at all, fuck that pomeranian) and instead is replaced by another loud blond...

Fucking Monoma, LMAO.

A lot of the AU is just ?????? for now and most of it is Hisashi backstory but hnnnnng I want to do something with these jigsaw pieces I just don't know what

Also I'll be sending in Hisashi's design in a non-anon ask but could you append it to this ask's answer instead? Thanks!

I adore everything about this!?!?!

Also I didn't get another ask, anon or not, so Tumblr might have eaten it

[snitchesnsneeds]

First Half of Miraculous Season 2 Done. Here's my thoughts:

The Collector: A pretty good start! They made the teens smart while still being dumb teens!

Despair Bear: Chloe needs a therapist, arguably moreso than a redemption arc and especially a downward villainous spiral. Also Dangit Grandpa

Prime Queen: Wow, this was a lot more chill than expected. Even Cat Noir was left aghast at what Nadja was doing, Nadja seemed to be pressuring Ladybug and Cat Noir more for views than anything else, and I'm not entirely sure Akuma personalities can be trusted.

Befana: Fun fact: This was the episode that got me into Miraculous in the first place because of how shocking it was. And then I discovered even more. In hindsight from watching the other episodes, it was relatively darker, but mostly because it's Marinette's friends and family that are getting G-rated killed instead of random civilians like every other episode.

Riposte: Kagami is here! I don't see too much chemistry with her and Adrien yet, but she's cool and I like her and feel like I could be friends in real life. Also this feels like a relatively uncommon trope, but I wish "X is blatantly a woman but no one notices" was spedran through by someone with brains.

Robustus: Pretty good, all things considered. From what I've heard about Miraculous lore, creating sapient or at the very least semi-sapient AI isn't that uncommon for weirdness hotspots, and I'm putting Max in the list of characters I think should have figured out Ladybug and Cat Noir's identity. (There's four now!)

Gigantitan: It turns out my favorite parts of Miraculous are the slice-of-life bits instead of the superhero bits the show is about! We got to see more of Marinette's friends! Alix! Mylene! Julie! The Eeby Deeby herself! Also it was really sweet to see Adrien's bodyguard calm down just by looking at the kid. Adrien's true daddy.

Dark Owl: No wonder these two aren't allowed to know eachothers' identities, considering how much of a loose tongue Marinette has!

Glaciator: Alright, it's finally time to talk about the sins of Marinette and Cat Noir, considering the fan content I osmosed before watching the series was heavy salt stuff, and I wanna see how much it holds up. So far Cat Noir has acted as if he's already dating Ladybug previously, and in this episode he got mad at Ladybug for not showing up at a date when she herself said she might not come due to having other plans. Isn't he supposed to be used to not-showing-up disappointment as Adrien due to his dad? Is it different because he's Cat Noir? Is this a breaking point? No matter, he eventually calms down and is ultimately the less bad member of the relationship. Marinette, meanwhile, doesn't have as many misdemeanors to her name but they're a lot worse. She stole Adrien's phone to get rid of an embarrassing message and got away with it too, what the hell, and also owns the schedule. Although I don't believe she stalked Adrien and made it herself due to how busy she is as both Marinette and Ladybug, that's just weird and wrong. I'm reluctant to call her a stalker, but her actions are still wrong. Ultimately, this relationship is going to need a lot of therapy and counseling to not crash and burn. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah. The ice cream episode. I think the ice cream guy can be wrong and he doesn't understand that.

Sapotis: Silly little fun episode, also it introduces the first new Miraculous holder! I'm honestly fine with it so far if it means more screentime for side characters. I honestly really like seeing Marinette's classmates. They're neat. Also I was this close to putting Alya on the list but she proves time and time again that she doesn't actually know Ladybug's identity.

Gorizilla: In this episode we are introduced to Adrien's deranged parasocial fanbase. I'm starting to understand some of his father's decisions at this point. This is what I was talking about with the schedule, by the way. These obsessive stalker creeps make Marinette look reasonable, and I wouldn't be surprised if the one guy who I'm pretty sure becomes Party Crasher discreetly stalked Adrien to get his schedule. Restraining orders need to be filed.

Captain Hardrock: One of the funniest episodes, up there with Dark Cupid. Also Luka is here! And he already has great chemistry with Marinette! And more Rosie and Julie content even if it's crumbs!

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Other Parts: Part One, Part Two, Part Three (short version).and Part Four.

Luckily the first few days after the visitors got back were manic so you didn't have to think about how your life had changed. You shut yourself away with Johanna and monitored everything about her condition. You slept at the foot of her bed, fetched her meals, helped her walk to the bathroom and just basically let your life revolve around her in a similar way as you had with Finnick. You supposed you had a pattern of throwing everything into fixing someone's life when you felt your own was falling apart.

Your sister was smart though and knew something was up. She'd asked you how you'd been but you only gave vague answers. When she mentioned you to other people they looked away and she was beginning to think you'd done something horrendous based on the reactions. She was so proud but getting a little tired of all the secrecy. She'd finally managed to convince you to take her on some walks so she could leave her room and her hope was she'd see someone who would actually be honest with her about what was happening. So she was ecstatic when you bumped into Finnick, you not so much. "There he is!" Johanna said "the real-life merman, where have you been I've hardly seen you!" Johanna said as Finnick walked into the infirmary. He jumped at her voice and you seemed just as nervous. "Johanna we should go get you sat back down" you said but she pushed your comments away and looked to Finnick, expecting a reply. "I've just been busy" he said awkwardly and Johanna smiled "oh yeah with Annie? I bet you're having fun being back together?". You felt your cheeks go bright red and Finnick wrung his arms out of the sheer awkwardness. He shrugged at Johanna and looked right past her to you.

"Y/n" he said softly "please can we talk?". "Sorry we've got to go, Johanna's late for an appointment". "No I'm not, what's going on?" your sister asked but you just looked at her and in your best big sister voice said "Johanna, come on!". She could see the fear in your eyes so she nodded to Finnick and followed you out.

"So" Joanna said after you'd gotten her back into her room and finally stopped chattering on about random stuff in a failed effort to distract her from what she witnessed "are you going to tell me what that weirdness with you and Finnick was or am I going to have to break out of here and ask him?". You shook your head, you'd managed a few days pretending it hadn't happened and she'd hear it sooner or later so better it came from you. "The two of us had a thing" you shrugged and Johanna grinned. "Alright Y/n! He's a total upgrade from that last girl you were into! So how did it happen? Did you go for it first or him? Is he as good in bed as we all think". You blinked "I'm not sure I want to answer any of those questions" and Johanna could see your expression and knew you were upset. "What happened?" she repeated "you said you had a thing, how much of a thing". "We were dating" you admitted "publically, everyone here knows or I guess knew". Johanna's brows furrowed and then it clicked "until Annie came back". You nodded "Finnick thought she was dead, that's the only reason he was with me". Johanna shook her head "not the only reason, he's not like that". You shrugged "well what does it matter? She's back and I'm dumped". "Did he actually say that?" Johanna asked and you shook your head "no, he's been trying to talk to me since she got back but I've been avoiding him. I already know what he's going to say so what's the point?". Johanna hit you with surprising force and you moved your arm away from her. "Ow!" you cried "bitch". "Well bitch is better than coward! Go speak to him! You don't know, he might still want you". You shook your head "he won't she's the love of his life. I know his decision, it's pretty obvious and I just don't want to hear him say it to me". "You won't be able to face him until you do" Johanna argued. "Who says I want to face him?" you asked "honestly, I just want to forget that Finnick Odair ever existed".

You meant that 100% but your sister also meant what she said and she knew you'd regret not talking this out with Finnick, or so she thought. So she came up with a plan to make you face him. Basically, she told Finnick she desperately needed to talk to him about you. Then when he arrived she popped out to nip to the toilet, waited for you to come for her "check-up" appointment, watched you go into her room and locked the door. "You're not coming out until you talk to him Y/n!" she yelled.

You really hated your sister sometimes. It was just like her to ignore what you'd said and do what she thought was best. She was so stubborn too and you knew there was no way she was letting you out until she did what you said. "Johanna!" you grumbled under your breath before turning back to Finnick "okay fine, you want to talk so talk but I have some rules. No apologising, no telling me how great I am or asking if we can stay friends. Okay?". Finnick blinked just as surprised by this situation. He'd wanted to speak to you for days but now you were in front of him, he was a little nervous. He nodded, taking in you and your rules and the words came easy to him because he'd been thinking over them for the past few days nonstop. He still felt so much emotion when he looked at you though so he needed a few breaths to compose himself. "Well I just wanted to say I never meant for this to happen and that I'm...you got me through everything this past year and I wanted to thank you for that. You meant a lot to me Y/n and nothing will change that, I will always care about you and every moment we spent together was real for me okay?". You nodded "got it, we done?". Finnick couldn't think of anything else he could say to make this right so he nodded "okay". "Great, see you around!" you said and banged on the door "Johanna he says we're done" and Finnick yelled for her to let you out. "That was like 20 seconds!" she complained and you nodded "I told you, here's nothing left for him to tell me" and you stormed off to sulk.

You refused to speak to Johanna after that and you suspected she sent Katniss after you. The Mockingjay appeared at your door and asked if you wanted to talk a walk outside. You walked through the rubble aimlessly before stopping by some trees. Once you sat down it began.

"I'm sorry" Katniss said and wanted to choke her but considering Peeta just did that you thought it might be a bit harsh. "It must be difficult" she said, unaware of your inner monologue "to have someone appear and take everything away from you". You knew she was speaking more through her own situation so managed not to get annoyed. "How are you coping?" you asked her "have you seen him since...?". Katniss nodded "a few times, it's still the same". "Well if someone did that to him it can be undone. It's just like computer programming, they'll work out a way". Katniss didn't look convinced and you weren't really good at comforting sad people. So you did what just felt natural. You rested your head on her shoulder. Katniss stiffened and you wondered if you'd overstepped but then she leaned back on you. "Thanks Y/n" she whispered and you nodded "no problem" and just sat in silence.

You first saw Annie a few weeks later. You were eating in the dining hall and went to put your plate away as she walked in...with Finnick. You of course stopped like a deer in headlights and stared at them. Annie noticed you after Finnick and her gaze turned icy which made sense. Everyone here knew about you and Finnick, it couldn't be a nice welcome to receive. Everyone at District 13 was used to you and Finnick so even though Annie was with him first, it was like she was the new one in their eyes which anyone would hate. The whole room went silent as she walked in and stared at the three of you which didn't exactly help. You had no idea what they thought was going to happen. You and Annie weren't going to start fighting or having a slanging match in the middle of lunch. There was nothing to fight about, she had him and you didn't. End of story. The situation was so tragic it was like a soap opera and you didn't do tragic. So you raised your head, pretended neither of them was there and walked right past them.

You felt quite proud of how you'd handled yourself but not everyone did. Finnick followed you out and when you wouldn't respond to his calls he ran after you. He quickly caught up with you and you couldn't pretend you didn't hear him anymore. "Y/n come on it doesn't have to be like this!" he said and you rolled your eyes "like what? Were nothing Finnick". "I know and that's the problem! I don't want to pretend you don't exist" Finnick said and you sighed "well we can't exactly go back to how it was before so this is our only opinion" you replied. "But why is it?" Finnick asked "is there really no hope of us being friends or at least acquaintances who say hello to each other". You raised your eyebrow at him. With as much malice as you could muster you spat "grow up Finnick" and walked away.

He didn't follow.

After that Finnick didn't try and talk to you again. He and Annie avoided you, if you passed them on the corridor, they'd look away. He started training in a different space and moved his room away from yours. You told Johanna you were over it but that was a lie. It hurt every time you got a reminder of them and you had no idea why the pain wasn't going away. Nearly two months had passed and you still felt as shitty as the first day you realised you lost him. You weren't sure how much more you could take and then one day you found Finnick waiting outside your room. "I need to tell you something" he said and you didn't even have the strength to fight it. You figured the sooner he started the sooner he could leave and regretted your actions almost immediately.

"Annie asked me to marry her" Finnick started and a reaction literally burst out of you without any control. "Jesus christ Finnick!" you yelled "why are you telling me this? Why did you think I should hear this personally? This is exactly what I want to hear right now, this is just what I want. Did you really think I'd prefer it over Johanna telling me what day to stay in my room and avoid the ceremony? I know you think you're helping but you're really not!". "No see that's the thing!" Finnick said "we're not getting married! I told her no!".

You had another long rant ready but that threw you off guard "no? Okay...so why tell me?". "Because it made me realise how different my mind and Annie's are. It made me realise I don't feel for her like I used to...I'm not in love with her anymore. I'm in love with you".

You blinked your eyes several times but Finnick didn't go away so you just asked "I'm sorry?" and Finnick smiled. "Y/n I'm so sorry for all of this and that it took me this long to say it but I want you! I miss you so much and I'm at my happiest with you. I don't want to marry Annie, I want you. So will you please take me back?". "Take you back?" you asked "but Annie...she's you're soulmate, you're the Katniss and Peeta of District 4. You saved her!". "She helped save me too but she's not my soulmate, that doesn't exist and I don't love her that way anymore. My feelings for you are stronger than my feelings for her and I can't hug or kiss her without wishing it was you. I tried to press on at first but it's not fair to anyone. I know I've hurt you a lot but can you consider it" Finnick asked "I need you Y/n".

In retrospect, considering all Finnick knew about you he should've expected you to throw a punch at him. However, he didn't and you caught him on the jaw.

"You need me?" you yelled throwing a punch and Finnick groaned in pain. "You need me? Are you joking! What do you think this has been like for me?". "You needed me? I needed you Finnick" you said choking up and he nodded also tearing up. "I know I'm sorry, Y/n I'm so sorry" he said and hugged you. You melted into his touch and cried as he held you tightly against him.

Even after you'd calmed down, Finnick kept his arms around you and you didn't mind. You'd missed him so much you didn't want him to ever let go. "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight" you told him and he looked at you with a frown "why?". "Because I'll wake up and this will go away, it will have been a dream". Finnick shook his head "this is real Y/n, I'm not going anywhere...again" and for good measure he pinched you. When you jumped he smiled "see, not dreaming". You were going to push him when you saw the red mark on his face.

"Shit I did that didn't I?" you asked and Finnick worked out what you meant "yes you did". "Does it hurt?" you asked and got your answer when Finnick jumped as you touched it. "I'm so sorry, let me get an icepack," you said and ran from the room before Finnick could respond.

You returned quickly after and Finnick let you lay him down and apply the pack. "I'm sorry for hitting you but that really came from nowhere". Finnick frowned "well it wouldn't have if you'd have let me talk to you". "You didn't want to talk to me at the start, you still thought you wanted Annie". "Did I though?" Finnick asked "you never gave me a chance to tell you otherwise. The second Annie got back you ran away from me and wouldn't speak to me". "True" you agreed "but what was I meant to think? That you'd choose Annie over me? If I'd have come to you and told you I didn't want to lose you that night she got back, would you really have considered me over Annie?". "Yes" Finnick said without hesitation "100% and I think part of me was desperate for you to" he admitted "I wanted you to tell me you wanted me so I could say it back".

Your jaw dropped to the floor. "I had no idea I had that option" you admitted "I thought I couldn't hold a flame to her". Finnick shook his head "Y/n, you're the person who saved me after I was rescued. You were the reason I got out of bed each morning and the reason I'm still alive. I think the day I left the capitol the old me died and here I became a new one thanks to you. I was happy with you and so when Annie appeared it was surreal. When you retreated I tried to carry on as before but I couldn't because I was different. The truth is I'd accepted her death and I'd moved on. I will always care and love Annie but it's so different with you. With Annie, it came from our shared experience and trauma...which was important, I needed that but I didn't realise there could be more in a relationship. I got that from you. We had shared trauma but it wasn't dependent or dishabilitating, being with you made me strong" Finnick smiled "you made me feel so powerful and valuable as well as feeling so loved and supported. I wasn't a victor, a District 4 golden boy or a mentor, it was almost like I was the pre-games Finnick. You made me feel human again and helped me forget. You're...pretty special" he finished and you smiled. "Finnick I..." and you paused. You'd never told anyone you loved them before. Even Johanna and you didn't say it often so you were scared to say it to Finnick. You thought you were in love with him but didn't want to make yourself so vulnerable. Finnick seemed to sense this and he took your hands "it's okay Y/n, you don't have to say anything" and he hugged you. You settled against his chest and closed your eyes.

Finnick said you held a candle to the love of his life! Maybe one day, you could be his new one. Maybe you were already on your way there?

"So do you guys have to make an announcement retracting your breakup or something?" Johanna asked the next day "or do you just announce you're together again?" she asked. "I think neither" Finnick said and you nodded your head "they've had enough fun with our private life". "Yeah but how will they all know you're not with Annie anymore?" Johanna asked. "Well considering I moved out of her place, settled back into Y/n's and we've been seen pretty much everywhere together I think they'll get the message". You nodded "they have, I've had quite a few girls smiling at me today". Finnick laughed "maybe they were just being friendly?" and you and Johanna both shot him a look. "No, it wasn't a casual smile it was like a well-done smile. A you got the prize smile". "You got the prize?" Finnick asked "do you need me to wear a little bow or something from you?". "Maybe if that's the only thing you're wearing" you agreed and Finnick grinned "evening plans". "Eugh, I didn't realise how gross this was going to be, can you two stop undressing each other with your eyes while I'm sat right here?". "No" you and Finnick responded at the same time and Johanna stormed away. "You're way too sweet and cute you know?" she called and you smiled "we know".

"Were you and Finnick like this from the start?" Johanna asked later when Finnick had left and it was safe to be in the room again. You smiled "like what?" and she rolled her eyes "all gross and all over each other. So happy and horny". You went to argue before realising you didn't have a leg to stand on and nodded "yeah actually that's a pretty accurate description". Johanna shook her head "I just had no idea the two of you would work so well together, I mean I knew you were attracted to one another but this is something else". "Wait go back, you knew we were attracted to one another?". Johanna nodded "duh! The first time you saw Finnick you couldn't take your eyes off him and yes he was half-naked but it was different. You were looking at him how you used to look at Sophia Grey back home". You smiled at the memory of her and shrugged "that's probably accurate, I still think Finnick's the hottest man to ever exist but you said you could tell he was attracted to me too?". Johanna nodded "yeah he liked your charisma and charm. People usually got tongue-tied around him but you were the belle of the ball and he was attracted to that. Not to mention you were a pretty young female who had just won her games, I didn't think Finnick would do anything because he had Annie but I still wanted to separate you so others didn't get any ideas". You nodded "Finnick mentioned that, I never realised how much you did for me, how you've been protecting me even since I got out of the games". "And now you've got Finnick to take my place" Johanna said not hiding her bitterness and you smiled "I'll always need my big sister. Plus we're Masons, from the womb to the tomb!". You could tell you took Johanna by surprise with that one and she burst out laughing "what the fuck is that? Where did you hear it?". "It's good right?" you asked and she shook her head "it's fucking terrible!".

"Now back onto the topic of you and Finnick because I still have questions" Johanna said "how did that even happen? Especially if he thought Annie was dead". You explained how you cared for him and became friends that way. "There was always an attraction there and then one day he saw me naked. He stared and was pretty obvious so I came to his bedroom at night and asked if he wanted to have sex". Johanna laughed "you just went up and asked?" and you nodded. "I'm impressed" she smiled "and I bet Finnick was too". You nodded "he seemed it. From there we spent more time together, bonded, emotions got involved, Annie came back from the dead, Finnick came back to me and boom. Present day". Joahnna nodded "and he makes you happy right?". You smiled without even thinking and nodded. "Good" Johanna said "and if he ever hurts you again I'll kill him".

The war really started speeding up after that and before you knew it Katniss was spotted in the capital. When you heard, Finnick sat up straight in his seat and you could tell what he wanted to do from the look in his eye. So the two of you were on the next ship out to join Katniss. Johanna couldn't come because of her injuries and you refused to help smuggle her out. She claimed she was never going to speak to you again but hugged you tightly before you left. "Come back" she told you forcefully and you nodded "I will, we both will" but felt like you'd cursed yourselves the second you'd said that. You got a horrible sinking feeling and realised you'd rather not come back at all than come back without Finnick.

Things weren't too bad at first when you got to the capitol, you used Bogg's tracker thing to safely navigate your way through the capitol but then everything went wrong. Bogg was hurt and died in seconds. Then one of the soldiers triggered a trap trying to get to her sister. A black tar-like substance began to pour down and you were one of the first to react. You grabbed Finnick, pushed him in one direction and headed for the girl who couldn't walk. You and her sister were carrying her to a house when you heard Finnick shout and go back. "Finnick!" you yelled and wanted to go after him but you couldn't abandon this girl. "I'm okay. We're here!" you heard him yell a few seconds later and you breathed out in relief. You broke your way into a building and carried the girl upstairs. The substance was getting closer and you realised there was nowhere else to go. You put the girl down and began to assess the area. You kicked open one of the doors and began moving her through there. The others followed you and that was when you noticed Finnick had Peeta in a tight grip. "What happened?" you asked and then you saw the body hanging outside. "A bit of trouble" Finnick told you before smiling "but we're fine, especially now that stuff has stopped". He was right, the tar was retreating and draining away as if it had never been chasing you.

You moved to a new building where you found out you were all dead! Finnick laughed at the death announcements until yours appeared. That sobered him up but you just smiled "wow they remembered my name? I'm famous!". Katniss rolled her eyes at you and Finnick, who still didn't like you talking this way, passed you some food and sat next to you. You all ate and rested before working out the next steps. You realised after that the streets were a no-go and decided the sewer was a better bet because nothing bad ever happens in the sewers!

You navigated your way down the tunnels and then stopped to sleep in an alcove that seemed safe. You and Finnick woke at Lieutenant Jackson's shout at the same time. You grabbed each other's stuff and were out of that tunnel first. It was antagonising, walking through those tunnels while hearing animalistic noises and having no idea if they were getting closer or further away. Gale led in front with his gun and you were behind him, helping pass on Pollux's directions. You could tell something bad was going to happen, you could almost feel it in the air and so did Finnick. When the two of you climbed through the tunnel, he subtly grabbed your arm and pulled you away from the group. He was already backing away when the first swarm appeared and killed Lieutenant Jackson before she could even scream. Gale opened fire and you worried Finnick might try and go back to grab Peeta but luckily he didn't. He had a hand on Pollux and was practically dragging him with you as he ran. Pollux pointed and Finnick would yell the direction to you urging you to go faster. You could hear the others behind you and were glad they were still alive. You felt a little bad for not checking they were okay before you ran but survival skills are a bitch and the only thing you wanted from this was for Finnick and hopefully, yourself to survive.

You reached a ladder and pushed Pollux to the front, the others appeared closely followed by those things. You finally got a good look at them and you were horrified. So much so you were frozen to the spot until one charged at you. You threw an axe at what you assumed was its face and then threw two more as others took its place. It was chaos, you saw Cressida go up the ladder and were looking for Finnick to tell him to go next when you were tackled by one. Its jaws were horrible and it was trying more than anything to bite you. You just had an axe ready when its neck was slit was a trident. "Come on you're next up!" Finnick cried yanking you onto your feet and pushing you to the ladder. "Not without you!" you said and he shook his head "I'm right behind you" so you started to climb. You made it up and realised Holmes was up here too. You could hear more of those things down there and tried to see what was going on but it was a mess. A figure appeared and you got hopeful until you realised it was Peeta. You yanked him up and then climbed back down the ladder. "FINNICK!" you yelled and it took you a few seconds to spot him. He was further away than Katniss and Gale who were right below the ladder. He was alone and the obvious one to be left behind unless something happened now!

"Finnick!" you cried again and Katniss looked up at you but Gale just pushed her towards the ladder and she started to climb. Gale called to Finnick but didn't make any moves to get him. He was going to die. Katniss had nearly reached you and was yelling a you to climb but you couldn't. There was no way you were going up that ladder without Finnick, so you let go.

Katniss tried to grab you as you fell but luckily she missed. You managed to grab one of the bars near the bottom to slow your fall but still hit your knee on the way down. Pain exploded in your leg but you didn't care. It could've been broken and you would've forced yourself to stand. The creatures were trying to swarm Finnick and you threw yourself, literally, into them. You knocked two down before decapitating another two with a spear Finnick had dropped. You kicked one into the water and buried your axe in another three. "Y/n what are you doing? You were up and out!" Finnick cried as you fought your way towards him. When you were near he grabbed your arm and pulled you beside him. "Yeah but you weren't!" you replied "we both get out or neither of us!". In the middle of all of that, Finnick smiled at you "Katniss and Peeta who?" and you couldn't help but smile back.

You worked together fighting side by side and were doing well but they just wouldn't stop coming. "We need a way to stop them or slow them down" Finnick panted and you nodded "but how?" when something came to you. "Finnick throw the trident!" you cried and he locked eyes with you and got it. "Duck!" he said and threw it into the larger tunnel, pressing the button that would make the whole thing explode. It was similar technology to Katniss' arrows but as Finnick's trident was bigger than her arrow, the explosion was also larger. The whole tunnel collapsed, killing all of those creatures down there. One down, one more to go you through as more came from the other side.

The blast had destroyed the concrete leading to the ladder so there was no way you were escaping that way and you stopped trying. You and Finnick were both injured, covered in water and these things blood but neither of you stopped and finally got to a lul as Finnick killed the last one. "Come on, we've got to push forward" Finnick said taking your hand and running through the tunnels. It was fine for the first few seconds and then you heard sounds of more. "There's too many of them for us to kill one-on-one we need to get somewhere high!" you told Finnick "Somewhere out of the water and I can deal with them". Finnick looked at you and got it "I think I saw somewhere on the map" and you nodded trusting him.

You ran for what felt like forever and you spotted the ladder at the same time you heard the creatures. "Come on let's go!" Finnick yelled and you both started sprinting. When you reached the ladder Finnick literally picked you up and tossed you halfway up it before scrambling up after you. You could actually hear the creatures' footsteps now and their claws reached the ladder just as you got up. You immediately turned around and yanked Finnick up. He fell on top of you and you pushed him onto the floor. "Finnick stay down!" you yelled and activated your own weapon, lobbing it down the hole, right past the creatures on their way to you. However, instead of staying down, Finnick leapt up and rugby tackled you away from the hole and used his body to cover you as the electrified axe exploded. You both cried out as the electricity hit you too but Finnick had shared the charge with you and after a few seconds you could breathe again.

You heard screams of agony as the creatures were basically fried alive, as well as everything close in the tunnel. The sparks lit up the whole space and the stench was awful. You could taste metal in your mouth and you both kept spasaming as some extra electricity escaped you but you were alive. Finnick had saved your life and to thank him you leaned over and kissed him. Finnick jumped at the contact but soon relaxed at the sensation and when you broke away opened his eyes. "Thank you" you told him and he shot you his beautiful smile "you said it Y/n, both of us or neither of us" and he took your hand and ventured out of the tunnels.

You and Finnick climbed higher and ran through some more of the underground tracks. You came across a few peacekeepers but managed to take them out easily. After the monsters you'd just dealt with humans were easy. You got one of their guns which solved your weapons running out problem but you couldn't hold the whole capitol off indefinitely. "We need to find the others" you said and Finnick shook his head "no we need somewhere to hide". You didn't ask where because there would be no point in that, so you just nodded and kept going. You didn't want to spend any more time underground and even though it was a risk, you and Finnick followed a tunnel above ground. You began gathering rocks to throw to test for any traps but stopped when Finnick began to laugh. When you asked what was going on, he picked you up and swirled you around in a hug. "We're going to make it" he smiled "come on, I know where we are". You didn't have any follow-up questions and followed Finnick as he carefully led you to a house.

Finnick knocked on the door heavily and on the second time it opened. Finnick wasted no time forcing his way inside and dragging you inside. You slammed the door shut behind you and blinked to see an older man staring at you. He was in a bright pink dressing gown with feathers on the collar. "Finnick?" he asked and Finnick smiled "don't tell me you forgot your most profitable worker?".

"You worked for him?" you hissed when you and Finnick were alone "as in he let people do those things to you and actually encouraged it?". Finnick nodded "yes but believe it or not, Feather was one of the good ones. He always tried to protect me and made the clients treat me...well not nicely but to a standard. He also helped me escape it all and return to my district". That did sound better but you still put a hand on Finnick's arm when the man, Feather, returned.

"I can't see any guards but it's still best I hide you but I can only hold you for a few hours". Finnick nodded "I know, if we could just rest for the night that's all we need". Feather sighed "you're lucky you were my favourite" he said and then spotted you glaring at him. He smiled "friend of yours?" he asked Finnick, looking down at how your hand was clamped over Finnick's arm and you'd angled your body so you were in front of him protectively. "Something like that" Finnick smiled "do you have any supplies? We're a bit banged up". Feather nodded "of course, let me grab some things and I'll show you to your room. I'm sorry to stick you in the basement but it's the safest place". You tensed at the idea of going underground again and struggled when Feather opened a trap door that led to darkness. You weren't sure if you could down it but Finnick took your hand. "It's be okay" he told you and taking a deep breath you went down the steps.

The basement was small, cold but filled with things so at least it didn't look bleak or scary. There was a sofa in one end which Feather placed his supplies on. "So this is your bed for the night. It's my old one, nothing wrong with it I just had to move it once a stain got on it. Velvet is so hard to get stains out of!" he complained and you blinked. You couldn't tell if you were more annoyed that he was genuinely mad about stains in a world that killed children or more disgusted about what the stain might be. Luckily Finnick was a social butterfly.

"Thank you so much Feather, this will be great". Feather nodded clearly fond of praise "I will go get you some blankets, I've given you some warm clothes but it is awfully chilly down here. Be back in a few!" and he disappeared cheerily up the steps.

"Right okay so lets assess your injuries" Finnick said turning to you expectantly with his hands on his hips. "I'm okay" you said and Finnick shot you a "really" look making you roll your eyes. "Fine, I hurt my knee earlier and think it could swell, I also rolled my ankle and it's still bothering me a bit, my hip also took a knock and I'm missing two fingernails that were ripped off". Finnick nodded "let me take a look at your legs first". You nodded and Finnick peeled off your trousers before wincing. Already your hip had a nasty bruise on it and your knee was swelling. "Yeah there's no way you're walking tomorrow" Finnick winced "good thing I've got experience carrying people". You shook your head "no way! It leaves you exposed! I'll walk just fine after a bit of rest". Finnick shook his head "maybe with a wheelchair yeah because by tomorrow this ankle will be huge and painful. There's no use arguing over it, I saved your life remember so you owe me". "I mean technically by jumping down that ladder I probably also saved your life so aren't we even?" you tried to joke but Finnick wasn't in a joking mood.

He grabbed you and kissed you sharply and passionately. When he separated he didn't let go. "I am not losing you Y/n, we just got through the craziest night of our lives and I am not surviving all that to lose you tomorrow. Don't do that to me" he demanded but it sounded more like he was begging. His eyes were ablaze with anger and sadness and you immediately backed down. "Okay" you agreed "okay, we'll work it out tomorrow" and you cradled him to you. Finnick buried his head in your neck taking some deep breaths before nodding and pulling away.

He sat back and nodded to you "now let me help you get cleaned up". Finnick cleaned the cuts and wounds you had and then helped you get changed. He bandaged your ankle the best he could and put some soothing gel on your hip and knee before helping you get dressed. You then switched and did the same for him. His body was okay but he was covered in scratches and bruises. Some of the scratches were quite deep and you disinfected them hoping they wouldn't need stitches. Finnick was just getting changed when there was a knock at the door.

"Delivery service!" Feather called "so I've got several blankets" which he tossed to Finnick "and also some food". "Feather you're amazing!" Finnick gasped grabbing a bowl and passing it straight to you. "Oh it's nothing! Just some soup and bread my chief made. I figured it might warm you up". "It will thank you" Finnick smiled sinking next to you and Feather smiled. He genuinely seemed pleased to see Finnick again and you supposed there must be some good in this man deep down despite the things he did. He waited for you both to finish your soup which didn't take long and then took the bowls.

"Right so it's mandatory lights out in 10 minutes do you guys need anything else before I lock you in". "Lock us in?" you asked panicked and Feather looked at you "It's a trap door I can't just keep it open! If the peacekeepers break in they'll find you straight away and we'll all be dead. The safest way is to hide the door completely and yes lock you in". You still didn't like the idea of it but Finnick touched your arm "that's fine, we'll be fine. Thank you again". The man nodded "see you in the morning" and left. Seconds later the sound of a sharp click told you, you were sealed in.

"Hey Y/n it's okay" Finnick said reaching out for you and pulling you into his chest "we're fine, we're safe and we're not in the sewers". You buried your head against him and he repeated this a few more times before you stopped shaking. When you lifted your head you realised it wasn't exactly pitch black. You could see some outlines of things and Finnick. You played with his hands and nodded "we're okay, we're alright, we're safe and have somewhere to sleep for the night". Finnick nodded "exactly" and kissed your head "and I know this sounds horrible but I'm so glad you're here". You chuckled and Finnick laughed too "I just mean, if I could have anyone here with me I'd want it to be you". You nodded "yeah I get that, even though it's terrifying I feel better because you're here". Finnick nodded pressing his face into your hair. "We'll get through this" he said "we'll survive it and when we do, you and I are moving far away from all this and just living". You smiled "tell me more about this great escape we're going on". Even though it was dark you could tell Finnick was smiling.

"We'll move near the ocean" he told you "we'll live just off the beach and spend our days fishing, surfing, swimming and doing whatever the hell we want. We'll spend our evenings sitting around a campfire, listening to music and we'll have the ocean to lull us to sleep every night. You'll see the most amazing sunsets and sunrises and have the most amazing beach make-out sessions. Trust me beaches are the best places for that". "You've had lots of experience with that huh?" You asked and Finnick shushed you with a kiss. When you were too breathless to speak he continued "we'll workout on the sand, build sand castles, float for hours on end and the best part? It will be just the two of us and it will be perfect" he told you. "I like that" you whispered "I want that, especially the nobody else being around part...but we'll probably have to have a spare hut for when Johanna gets bored and decides to appear at our doorstep". Finnick nodded "oh yeah there's no way we're keeping your sister out". "She'd come through the door with an axe like that old movie, here's Johanna!" you said and Finnick chuckled. "Well as long as you're there too I think I can handle your sister". You smirked "those are bold words, I'm related to her and I can't even handle her" and Finnick laughed. "We'll double team it there, figure it out together" he turned you to face him and you could just make out his eyes in the dark, "Together" you agreed and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. You separated and lay tightly together, praying the sun would never rise.

[steamberrystudio]

03/12/2023

Hey everyone! Time for the bi-weekly tumblr update for Steamberry stuffs!

Summary

Finished editing Chapter 5 (WSC)

Decided an additional chapter was needed to fix pacing/plot stuff.

Received some new BG art (WSC)

Worked on the GS lore book including adding profiles and short stories

Ramble

Okay so in my last update I was in the middle of editing chapter 5 and was nearly to the start of chapter six in editing Asher's route. I finished up chapter 5...

At that point when I was looking ahead, I started feeling like I wanted to add in a transition scene to move between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.

As I started plotting out this scene, one of my ideas took on a life of its own and I realised that it might be better to interject a new, fleshed out story incident that would allow me to slow the pacing as well as flesh out the setting and universe a little more. This incident would also let me tie into some earlier events and connect them to something that occurs in chapter 6, also foreshadowing the chapter 6 incident.

 Ultimately, this became too much to call a "scene" and I decided to branch it off into a supplementary chapter (IE a chapter a bit shorter than the others and meant to be released along with another chapter.

That is what I've been working on since the last update.

This chapter has now served to set up multiple important things.

And is currently 17000 words long (it's going to end up closer to 25k by the end I think. There is a pretty significant story branch that happens at this point based on a specific player choice (That is or is not available based on other factors). If the choice is available and if the player makes that choice, it leads to an entirely different flow of events for a substantial portion of the chapter. That's what I'm currently working on writing.

I have it plotted out in a very detailed way and just have to write it.

Chapters with heavy branching are always a bit of a doozy to write and the WSC chapters are pretty long in general (the longest chapter is 62,000 words right now). So yeah.

Adding new content is still a part of editing I suppose. At least sometimes. I was so excited to cut 4000 words of content in chapter 5. 

Then I added 17000+ more. So.....

That sounds accurate for me. 😱

I've been having a lot of health struggles the last couple of weeks mostly related to chronic fatigue and pain. That, in addition to some really irritating "real life" stuff. But things are still moving forward.

Current word count is 440,000 words.

Regarding the GS lore book - I've been adding character profiles to a "people" section and have also been working on some of the short stories/drabbles. It's close to 300 pages at this point. 💪

Other Stuff:

As usual, I have received a completed BG and sketch, acquiring the game environments at a steady pace.

Upcoming Weeks:

This is getting into a busy time of year so I have a lot of real life distractions even apart from HEALTH. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 Progress always slows a little for me during this period since we have a lot going on.

But here is the plan.

Try to finish adding the profiles to the lore book. (Noooot sure I will. There are still a lot to go and the formatting for them is tricky. And I'm alternating between adding profiles and finishing writing a few side stories I've had ideas for for a while)

Try to finish chapter 5.5 for WSC

That's all for this week. There should be on more update here before the end of the year. See you then! 💪💪

[kimberlyannharts]

So I may have been slightly hyped for this book the past few months

For the three of you who haven't heard about this, MMPR: The Return is a story set in the future of an alternate universe of the MMPRs; one where Jason, Zack, and Trini didn't give up their powers upon the eve of the Peace Conference, and thus the team stayed together even after high school. But fast forward twenty-two years later, and the team has broken up due to some sort of tragedy - we know from the Re-Imagine prologue in the 30 Year Anniversary book, Zordon and Alpha were destroyed by Zedd and Rita. But other stuff seems to have happened too. What is that stuff? I guess we're about to find out!

Oh, and I should mention this was written by the original Pink Ranger herself, Amy Jo Johnson. (and her partner, Matt Hotson.) That might be important to know.

It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1!

= Three pages in and Jason's already getting his ass kicked. You're forty-five years old, man, you should be at the club

= I know this was debated a bit when the book was announced - how it would line up with Thuy and JDF's passings, especially after coming off the heels of Once and Always, where the focal point was Trini's daughter taking up her powers after Trini's death. (For what it's worth, this book was first conceived pre-pandemic, long before OaA. Making comics takes a long time.) And while Tommy is still a bit up in the air (despite what we'll see in a few pages) Trini does seem to have definitively passed due to illness.

While I definitely get the frustration of Thuy's passing essentially sealing Trini's fate - especially in a comic book, where you don't have to worry about actor restrictions - I'm a little more generous towards it here because Amy and Thuy were close friends and she actually dealt with her death personally compared to how the OaA writers, well......didn't. And this issue is clearly paralleling Kimberly's motivations and feelings to Amy's real-life ones, so this just feels like another part of that.

(Also to contrast OaA's handling of Trini - a) her passing here isn't caused by a graphic onscreen explosion, proving the whole "well they HAD to show it onscreen for more impact!!!" was bullshit b) her friends AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY are actually grieving and talking about her impact on everyone as well as using the non-actor-restriction to SHOW it and c) The book actually gives her a JOB. TWO jobs!!!!!!! Yeah OaA why the fuck did you send ZACK to Congress WHEN IT CLEARLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRINI

also I like her middle-aged design. prettyyyyyy)

= onto lighter topics HEYYYY IT'S THESE GUYS!! Bulk and Skull are married and you just can't see the ring through Bulk's gloves, it's real and true

= speaking of which this whole flashback is adorable and nostalgic but I want to point out some background details

= Ernie is just trying to run a fucking business here

= go white boy go

= ZACK/KIM HAS FINALLY COME BACK TO ME MY FUCKING BELOVEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God, when WAS the last time they actually talked one-on-one in the main series

= FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

= so along with some other stuff I'm definitely taking this as foreshadowing that Trini wasn't cut off from Kim like the boys were. That's the power of WOMEN (and also if we get Aunt Trini flashbacks with Olivia I'll fucking CRYYYYYY)

= Absolutely obsessed with Billy's face here

= D:

= So besides the Trini stuff I want to the keep the Once and Always comparisons to a minimum but it's very funny how both storylines involve Billy using a company as a front for his embezzlement schemes. At least his telecom company PROBABLY isn't war profiteering

= also Alpha's rose <3

= so anyway Jason's gone rogue and was pretending he's the main character until he suddenly went missing, as shown in the first few pages. And Billy and Zack want to become Rangers again to try and find him.

= but the thing is guys, Kim has won the idgaf war. She's depressed, she's traumatized, she spent twenty-two years raising a child with Tommy's genes all by herself, she's tired. She does NOT want to be wrapped up in Jason's midlife crisis drama

= Zack getting so mad and wanting to risk it all for Jason hell yeah those are my Jason/Zack crumbs

= Mysterious shadowy figure watching the old people drama from a distance, you are just like me fr

= OLIVIA THAT'S FUCKING OLIVIAAAAAAAAAAAA and she already sounds so CUTE. If you go back to the diner scene you can see the phone constantly buzzing until Kim finally puts it away. She's like mom. mom. mom. MOM

= also just because the tragic Tomberly family storyline already makes me want to kms do you think that ring is kind of small and plain because Tommy and Kim were so young when they got married and it's all Tommy could afford. And Kim still wears it to this day. I want to die

= It's already been confirmed that Selena is indeed referring to Sylvia here, so I won't talk about that. What I DO want to talk about is Kim's casual momwear. Those sweatpants!!!!!!!!!!

= It would be really funny if Kim just. immediately slammed the door shut

[sherifftillman]

busy streets and busy lives • ralph penbury x reader

A strange day at work gets even stranger when you meet a man who claims he's from 1926. With no certainty as to when he can get back, you decide to take him in until that time arrives.

masterlist | prev. | next

Tags: Timewasters (series), modern!au, slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love™, fluff, some angst, swearing and mentions of adult themes throughout, eventual adult content, alcohol content, penbury is a fanon surname

Word count: 4.2k

A/N: Aaaaaand THIS is where the real good stuff starts! Sorry for all the other posts, just had to start getting the ball rolling. I am aware that since this is taking place in modern London, there may well be slang used that people don't necessarily recognise. If you'd like me to make a glossary of some kind, hit me up!! I hope you enjoy Ralph In The Future as much as I do <3

"Bet it feels strange being behind here again, doesn't it?" the customer asks you. It's an older woman, you don't particularly recognise her, but she certainly seems to know you well enough to know you've been promoted since you first started working here.

You force a smile, "Not really! Sometimes the floor just needs an extra pair of hands, and it helps me know what's working and what isn't for my staff and my customers, so," you shrug.

"Yeah, I don't envy you, still working at a time when nobody wants to work," she shakes her head.

You press your lips together tightly. There are so many arguments you could make right now, but already trying to juggle two roles is taxing enough. Instead you simply tell the woman her total and ring her through. Once again adorning your best customer service smile, you thank her for her custom and send her on her way.

"D'you think she's ever worked a customer service job in her life?" Your shop floor assistant asks as they re-fold their display shirts.

You shake your head, "I think… Cushty little secretary job at her dad's business, at first. Never had to pay rent, got married to the first guy at that job to pay her attention, got a council house nice and early and spawned a couple of kids just to stop him from walking."

They let out a wide-eyed, long-drawn breath, "Daaamn, someone woke up on the salty side of the bed this morning!"

You chuckle humourlessly, "That doesn't even make sense. And yeah, sorry, it just… Really sucks that I've got major shit to do this week, but I can't just let you do all the work out here on your own, not with Karens like that around."

"Can't you get your friend to come down and cover? Or to do your manager shit on their next shift?" 

"Nah, it's gotta be me. And they can't come in today because of their other job, so I'm gonna do it as overtime," you explain dejectedly.

"You're doing great, champ!" they sidle up to you to gently punch you in the shoulder encouragingly.

"Hey now, kiddo, I'm the manager here, I need to be motivating you!"

"Nah, you're sales right now. You're just as good as the rest of us common muck," they tease, and you stick your tongue out at them.

The day drags, and the quality of customers certainly doesn’t improve. A man who thinks he can return an item without a receipt. A woman who insists on ordering an item that’s no longer available because she saw a friend wearing it just last week. Children. 

And sure, maybe now, at 5:40pm, the customer of your dreams could walk in through the front door. But you and your coworker are exhausted, and this is the kind of shit you always wanted to become a manager to do. Taking one last look up and down the almost empty high street, save for the ones who are heading to the Wetherspoons on the corner, you decide to start the closing process early.

You manage to finish a little after 6pm, and you consider just getting all of your admin stuff done while you’re here, but also, you really can’t stand the sight of these four walls much longer. You figure you’ll just go to the coffee shop nearby, get yourself an iced latte for the walk home and think about what kind of takeaway you’ll be craving once you get back to your flat. No cooking. Not tonight.

You’re well into a mental debate about whether you’d rather have a chow mein or a biryani when something else piques your interest. There’s a man in front of you in some kind of costume. It’s either really old-school military, or… Safari explorer. Maybe he’s one of those live re-enactors. Maybe he works at the zoo. Maybe he’s just one of those quirked-up little guys. You get your phone out to text your friends, ready to ask them if they’ve seen anyone dressed similarly before, but as you continue walking you collide with something.

Someone. Your flimsy plastic cup gets crushed immediately upon the impact, pouring ice cold coffee down the strangely-dressed man’s back. Your first instinct is to shout, “Watch it!”

The man jumps out of his skin, either at your words or the ice cubes soaking his back. He spins around to look at you like a deer in headlights. Eyes like giant chocolate buttons stare you down. If he’s supposed to be dressed as an Army boy, he does not have the face to convince me, you think. Unless the message they’re sending is that literally anyone could get drafted.

“You alright?” you ask, eyes narrowing and head cocking as you study him.

“Ah - um - oh, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! This was absolutely my fault, I’m just - I’m so lost, and I was trying to find a man and now he’s gone and - oh, blast, stupid Ralph, you’ve really gone and done it now!” the man flusters, looking in every direction except at you.

You whistle and click your fingers at his eye level. “Hey, Bambi! Focus. It’s okay.”

He moves his head back to scrunch his face at you in confusion. “Bambi?”

You smirk, “Yeah, you’re like a baby deer right now. You said you’re lost? Where’re you trying to get to?”

“Uh, well, I suppose I should try and find my home, um… Penbury House?” he asks tentatively.

You kiss your teeth a few times as you think of where you’ve heard that name before. “Oh!” You look at him, puzzled. “You sure that’s your house?”

“Well, my name is Ralph Penbury, so…” he wiggles his shoulders from side to side before shrugging. You appreciate the extra flair.

“Right, but Penbury House is the name of the place they turned into a Waterstone’s,” you explain. He looks lost again, so you explain, “Waterstone’s is a bookstore.”

Ralph scoffs, “Oh, pish-posh, my home has not become a bookstore! That would be quite preposterous!”

So far your entire interaction with this strange man has been a tennis match of bewilderment, just exchanging expressions back and forth. “Are you, like… On something, mate? Do you need me to get you somewhere safe?”

“I want to go home, please! And not a… Bookstore, my real, actual home!” He’s starting to sound quite overwhelmed now, so you take a step back.

“Okay, okay. It’s okay. We can calm down. You mentioned looking for a man? Do you know this man?”

“Well, not personally, but I travelled here with him. About yea tall,” he holds his hand just in line with his eyebrows, “very old. Silent man. Hair just past his ears. Looks, um. Unwashed.”

Your eyebrows raise in realisation. “Ah, Homeless Pete!” Makes sense that Pete and his crew would be involved somehow. “Shall we go and find him?”

“Do you know where he is?!” Ralph asks, his expression lighting up. He may be dressed like an absolute twat, but you can’t deny his adorable little puppy-dog face.

“I know where he hangs out, we can go see if he’s there?” you ask, and Ralph nods. “C’mon,” you jerk your head in the direction towards where you know Homeless Pete tends to hang out when he’s not walking the streets. You wonder what ol’ H.P. (as your friends call him) could have given his poor boy to make him trip like this. “So, uh, quick question. Sorry, I completely forgot. What’s the full date today?”

“Well, the last I checked, it was September the 7th, 1926,” he replies simply. You stop in your tracks, and he looks back at you with a frown. “What’s the matter?”

“N-nothing, nothing,” you shake your head and carry on walking. This poor boy must be on something pretty damn strong. “Let’s get you to H.P, yeah?” Just to find out what he’s taken. Then it’s straight to the hospital.

Ralph inhales so loudly that a guttural sound forms in his throat. “Oh my goodness! Do you think - am I in - the future?” He grips your arm tightly. “Was the lift a time machine, perhaps?”

“Maybe,” you tap his hand lightly with your own as you keep walking with him, "considering that it's September the 7th, 2022." Normally, you would be throwing any stranger that hugged your arm like Ralph now is to the ground, but there’s just something about him. Either he plays the innocent human puppy role far better than any indie boy that’s ever tried to hit on you on a night out, or he really is just going through it.

You eventually reach the underpass where a large part of the local homeless population gather, and sure enough, there is Pete himself, sat between two shopping trolleys. He spots the two of you and immediately bursts into laughter. “What the fuck, H.P?!” you yell. “You’re usually chill, what have you done to this poor boy?!”

“‘M not a boy, I’m a grown man, thank you,” Ralph mutters into your shoulder.

“‘Course you are, babe,” you murmur sarcastically as you nod at him, before once again turning to Pete. “Well?! You’ve got him talking about - about time machines, and the 1920s, I mean, just look at how the poor sod’s dressed!” Pete’s eyes widen as he waggles his finger at you, as though you’re both in a game of charades and you’re on the right track. You turn to one of the people Pete lives amongst, “What’s he been on today?”

The other person shakes their head. “Nothing, swear down! Besides, he’s a proper tight-arse, he wouldn’t go ‘round drugging any fucker going. ‘Specially not a toff like that,” they snort with laughter as they point to Ralph.

You look back to Homeless Pete. “So, you’re telling me. Time travel is fucking real.” Pete nods. “And you were in 1926, and you dragged this sad sack of shit out here with you, with no context.”

“You know I can hear you,” Ralph points out indignantly, but still quietly and still from the safety of behind your shoulder. His arms are still wrapped around yours, too.

“Yeah, but look at you, mate. You’re not exactly getting us answers as to how to get you back to… Wherever we get you back to,” you explain before once again turning to Pete. “Where is this… Time machine? Ralph said something about a lift.” Pete snarls as he gestures over to a block of flats you vaguely recognise. “So we go there, get him back in the lift, and then what? Is there a button, or a combination, or -?” Pete moves his hand from side to side. “And what does that mean, is it a random button each time?” Again, it feels like you’re in a game of charades as he silently tells you you’re on the right track. “Is the random part right?” Nod. “So, it’s not about the button, but… The floor you get on?” A shake of the head. “Is it just at random times?” Nod. “So, how do you know when to go back to it?” He shrugs, then points to his temple. “What, you get some kind of vibe, some Spidey sense?” He nods with an upside down smile. You sigh. “So we don’t know when Ralph here can get back.” A shake of the head.

“Do I have to stay here with him, then?” Ralph asks you sadly.

You sigh again. “No, c’mon. I guess you won’t want Chinese or Indian, we’ll just get a chippy dinner on the way home.” You start walking in the other direction, and Ralph quickly paces to catch up with you.

“A chippy dinner?” he asks, baffled.

“Yeah! Like fish and chips? They had that in the 20s, surely?” you reply.

“Well, yes, I suppose, but we only ever had it at the seaside,” he cocks his head as though reminiscing fondly. It only accentuates the cuteness of his whole face.

“Think you can be a big boy again now, or do you still wanna hold on?” you ask, outstretching your arm. He doesn’t appear to blush in the conventional sense, but his ears do flush a bright pink. Even more adorable. Fuck. Remember, he’s technically like a hundred years older than you. He slinks one arm around yours and you pull him in tightly by pressing your own arms towards your torso. “There we go. Now I can make sure I’m guiding you so that hopefully you don’t get bumped into anymore.”

“I think I’ve certainly learned my lesson in not standing still in front of people!” Ralph jokes, making you genuinely laugh for the first time all day. It feels strange, you can feel every muscle in your face move with it. But you also feel the weight on your chest lifting, too. You’d been at boiling point all day at work, and discovering a time-traveller wasn’t exactly helping you to simmer down. But you can make this work. He’s just an… Eccentric, extremely sheltered family friend who’s staying with you for a short while. That’s what you’ll tell anyone who asks.

“Yeah, you’ve learned that if you do, some dickhead’ll throw their iced coffee all over your back!” you laugh.

Ralph frowns, “You’re not a - a one of those, at all! You’re very nice to take me in like this. Most people seemed to think I belonged in a jungle.”

“Yeah, the old school military uniform kinda looks more… Safari explorer, these days,” you explain.

Ralph’s eyes light up. “Someone finally recognises the Army uniform for what it is!”

“Yeah, I thought I recognised it from when we went to the War Museum for school once. That was the kind of get-up they used to wear in the First World War.” You trip over your own feet a little as Ralph once again halts to anchor you to him, despite what he’s just said. He looks… Distraught. “Alright, mate?”

“Why did you say… First World War?" He asks with fear in his voice. "We won the Great War to restore the - the balance of power, how long did that last?!” He looks at you, dumbfounded.

You hiss air through your teeth. “Oh, boy. Yeah, there’s a lot that’s happened in the last century. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea telling you all of it, since once you get back, it’ll be your future, so…” You contemplate. “We’ll just keep all the questions you have to stuff you’ll need to get by in the here and now, alright? Anything you learn about history, just try and let it go over your head,” you pull him forwards gently and he falls back into step with you.

“One question I have about the here and now,” Ralph starts, and you look over at him. He makes eye contact with you to ask, “What exactly is your name?”

Laughing again, you tell him. “Sorry, I really should have led with that, shouldn’t I! It’s been a long day."

“I’ll say. About a hundred-odd years long!” A giggle bubbles out from Ralph’s lips and it makes you snicker, too.

“You’re a funny one, Penbury. For an old sod, at least,” you push your shoulder into his before leading him into the chip shop. “So, are you a fish guy, sausage, fishcake, pie?”

Ralph looks at all the options in the serving counter with an upturned nose. “What’s that one?” he asks, pressing his finger against the glass.

You look over and answer, “Battered sausage. Sausage, but in the batter they cook the fish in. Bloody lovely,” you smile wistfully. 

“I might just stick to the classic cod and chips, thank you,” Ralph mutters under his breath as he stares around the small room in fascination. You order on behalf of the pair of you and take the bag from the server with a grateful smile. Ralph notices and plasters one on as well, though his definitely comes off as more fake. He basically attaches himself to your arm again the second you’re out of the door, as though you’re bound together magnetically, and you guide him to the tower block that contains your pokey little flat.

After spending several minutes convincing Ralph that the lift isn’t going to suck him into another time period, and that he’s more than welcome to traipse up all the stairs that lead to the ninth floor, he relents and stands in the lift with you, though he stands so close that you’d think his goal was for you to wear him. Brushing against his chest feels nice, though. Shut up, you’re just touch-starved. This is not your ticket out of your dry spell. This is a fever dream.

Once you’re in your flat, you quickly dig out whatever men's clothes you have laying around - some sweatpants and a white T-shirt, and you throw them at him. "Just to get out of your dirty clothes while I plate up, eat before this gets cold, then you can go shower. I'm sure there's some boxers in my pyjama drawer you could use, too, I'll find those for you in a bit." You point to your bathroom and he quietly complies.

You could've just eaten the meals straight from their wrapper, the way you always do. But you figured Ralph has had enough culture shocks as it is, you'll give him the decency of eating from a plate. Besides, spending your night with a man dressed in 1920s army gear who's eating fish and chips out of some paper on his lap might just be enough of a sight to tell you to get yourself checked into the psych ward at the earliest convenience. At least you can try and create some kind of normalcy in this moment.

A quick Google search tells you television wasn't around in 1926, so you don't want to expose him to that tonight, too. Give it a day, maybe. You could play some old-time-y music on your Echo but you're not sure what he'd want to listen to. Instead, once you're both sat on the sofa together, you make conversation with him about his past as you eat. He tells you about how the Penburys were known socialites, how he and his sister had pretty much the same group of friends, how they had recently found friends in a rather special group of people, one of which he'd fallen head over heels for, just for her to reject him, and his heartbreak caused him to join the Army, which he hated.

"It's rather funny, you know," Ralph adds. "People here talk very similarly to Lauren and the others. I wonder if they exist in this time, too."

You start piecing things together. "Lauren… Plays jazz… She the drummer in this little quartet?" Ralph nods, his eyes wide. "Kinda short, has a brother called Nick?"

"Nicholas, yes! He's tall and he wears thick glasses! You know them?!" Ralph asks excitedly.

"Yeah, Nick was in my class all through high school! Always used to fancy him," you reminisce happily before stifling a laugh. "Wait, wait. So you mean to tell me that this Lauren you're besotted with is - is Little Lauren? Oh, you poor, sweet boy."

He looks offended. "Why would you think that that’s such a bad thing?!"

"Mate, I've known you five minutes and even I know Lauren would chew you up and spit you out," you look at him sympathetically. "And you're not gonna be able to change her on that. Unless you're into all that kinda stuff," your nose turns up a little as you joke, just to get a reaction from him.

Sure enough, there go the illusive colour-changing ears. He sputters, "W- I - I don’- I’m no- That is no appropriate discussion topic over dinner!” and you collapse into a fit of giggles, falling into him a little.

“Oh, lighten up, Ralph. Things are far less proper round here, that was nothing,” you explain, to his horror.

Once you’re both finished eating, you grab a clean pair of boxers from your pyjama drawer and toss them into the bathroom, gesturing to Ralph with your head that that’s where he ought to go. “Sorry you’re gonna have to use your finger as a toothbrush tonight, I’ve not got any extras of those, but -”

“Oh, all of this is already above and beyond! Even taking me in, I - I hope you understand how truly grateful I am, and with your patience acclimating me to… All this,” Ralph gestures around with his hands.

You nod with a soft smile. “Uh, give the shower a few minutes to run, though. Goes from freezing to scalding and then you’ve just sort of gotta… Keep fiddling with it. You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”

The various screeches you hear from behind the closed door suggest that he is not as successful in figuring out the shower as you’d hoped. While he showers, you do a little more digging. Thankful that your mum’s weird obsession with your family tree may finally come in handy, you ask for the login to her online ancestry account. Tapping through to the census search, you type the name ralph penbury and set the dates between around 1890 and 1930 to look for any documentations of birth - or death. Sure enough, an entry pops up: 

Ralph Penbury - Date of birth: 01/02/1901 - Parents: William and Delilah Penbury - Occupation: Private in the Armed Forces - Death: Announced 19/09/1926 - MIA, presumed dead

You frown at the result. Was Ralph always doomed to go missing in action, you wonder? Is he only presumed as such because he’s travelled through time? His existence hasn’t been completely erased by the trip, obviously, but how much of this was affected by it? It hurts your head to try and think about. But at least you know when his birthday is. It’s still a few months away by all accounts, you may not even get to celebrate it with him. You still make a note of it in your phone.

Ralph soon emerges from the bathroom, and the sight causes your breath to catch in the back of your throat. He already had a certain cuteness about him, but as he rubs his hair dry with the towel, his damp natural curls stick out in all directions. Some facial hair and a neck chain or two, and he’d be exactly the kind of guy you’d let break your heart in a smoking area. He studies your face carefully as you’re staring at him. “Is there something wrong?”

“No!” you snap yourself out of your trance quickly. “No, not at all. Um, you can - you can take the bed. If you want. Get a good night’s sleep.”

Ralph gasps in horror, “I could never! I am simply a guest, I must insis-”

“And I must insist that you’ve literally travelled almost a hundred years to be here. Who knows when you’re gonna be here until, so… I don’t mind. I can sleep on the sofa for now, I promise,” you smile. “Just let me get in there real quick to get changed myself too, yeah?” Despite still standing in the bathroom doorway, and therefore not in the way of your bedroom, Ralph still steps aside and gestures towards it for you.

You change into a tank top and trousers combo, grab a blanket and some cushions out from your wardrobe, and head back into the living area. “Are you decent?” Ralph asks, his eyes squeezed.

You laugh, “Down, boy, I wasn’t exactly going to come out in my birthday suit, was I?! Yes, I am, you can look.”

He opens his eyes, takes one look at you, and yelps before covering his face with his hands. “You said you were decent!”

You look down at yourself, confused. Sure, the top is well-fitting, but you don’t think it’s indecent at all. You walk over to him and pull his wrists down. His eyes are once again shut tightly. “Ralph. It’s okay. I promise. Again, this is absolutely fine and modest in these times. Unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb, you’ll have to get used to it,” you shrug, letting go of him. He opens his eyes slowly and his breath shudders as he quickly jolts away.

“Okay, very well. I’ll try my hardest,” he nods, though he seems to be making the effort to keep his jaw up to maintain a high eyeline. “Are you sure you’ll be okay sleeping out here?”

You sigh, repeating once again, “Yes, Ralph, I’ll be fine. Go get some rest. You’ve had a big day.”

“Yes, very well. Erm,” he ducks his head down and to the side for a split second, as though to kiss your cheek, before stopping himself and once again raising his head high, his eyes wide and his ears pink. He clears his throat. “Thank you, again. Good night.”

“G’night, mate. Sleep well,” you pat his arm and start setting up the sofa for the night as he enters your bedroom and closes the door behind him.

You stick the TV on, not really caring what’s playing as it only really serves as background noise, and turn your lights off. The glows of the television screen and your phone screen illuminate the room as you search for any other evidence of time travel. Nothing that matched Ralph’s story comes up. You’re somewhere deep into a conspiracy theory about someone with a mobile phone being spotted at a Charlie Chaplin premiere when you finally drift off to sleep.

next chapter

[pardi-real]

Tarot of Destiny / Chapter 2 - Tarot Reading

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Hanamaru: "So, what's Maginaria like?

......Any famous local alcohol or something?"

Teddy: "Mr. Hanamaru! We're going there on business, don't forget."

Hanamaru: "I know what you mean, Teddy. I'm just asking."

Berrien: "I'm not sure about the local alcohol, but… as I mentioned earlier, this town thrives on fortune-telling. They value spirituality a lot... Anything disruptive to the ambiance is frowned upon. Particularly during the festival, they prefer more dignified attire and behavior."

Yuhan: "I see… Dignified behavior, huh.... Then, I guess Mr. Hanamaru can't come."

Hanamaru: "Wait, wait, wait, wait. If you leave me here, I'll cry for real, okay?"

Flure: "Speaking of which... What's dignified attire?"

Berrien: "Fufu... Don't worry. I mean the kind of 'proper outfits' that Flure always makes for us."

Lono: "I see... Then I guess I'll be fine in this tailcoat."

Flure: "What– no way! You can't wear your usual clothes for a festival. I'll design something suitable for the festival in the city of fortune-telling!"

Lono: "Oops… Looks like the fire in Flure's soul is burning again."

Haures: "I'm looking forward to your designs, Flure, but... don't push yourself."

Teddy: "Let me know If I can help!"

Flure: "Yes! Thank you very much. Fortune-telling… I wonder what design would fit~…"

Berrien: "Ah, yes, speaking of reference... Lady Elvira gave me these 'envelopes', it might help."

> " 'Envelopes'…?"

Berrien: "Yes. It is addressed to all of us, including the lord. I've checked mine, and if my assumption is correct, the contents might give us clues for the costumes."

Berrien handed out the envelopes one by one to the butlers.

Berrien: "Three left... one for you, my lord."

> "Thank you"

Berrien: "Yes ♪ And this one... 'To Mr. Talking Cat'... It's addressed to Muu, isn't it?"

Muu: "What! There's one for me, too? Ehehe… This might be the first time I've received a letter addressed to me!"

Berrien: "Fufu.  The last one is for Haures."

Haures: "Thank you. Without further ado… let's see what's inside. Hmm... this is…  Some sort of a 'card' is attached to a piece of paper... underneath it, there are sentences.

'This is the tarot card that represents you.' 'I hope this card will guide your actions… Hence, I hope it will be a guidepost for your life.'

This card... represents me? What does that mean?  I know that what is pasted on the paper is probably a tarot card… and appears to be pasted upside down. Is there a meaning to this?

Hmm... I don't know much about fortune-telling…"

Teddy: "Me neither... I only know what my lucky color is today."

Yuhan: "I know a little about Feng Shui… but I'm an outsider to tarot."

Hanamaru: "I see... no tarot hobbyist among us, then. So, Fennesz. Over to you."

Fennesz: "Huh… M-me...?

Hanamaru: "Yeah, you know, the knowledgeable Fennesz. I thought maybe you knew something about tarot readings… My bad. Bit much to ask, wasn't it?"

Fennesz: ".............. Uhm… I can tell you a bit… The card Haures got... is 'Justice' in 'reverse'.

In tarot reading, there are different types of cards and the concept of upright and reversed positions. Even if you draw the same card of 'Justice'... the meaning of the card will change depending on its position.

For example... the meaning of 'the card of Justice in reverse position' is 'to judge others harshly' or 'violence'... also 'excessive harshness' or something like that…"

Hanamaru: ".......Wow.  How do you even know all that stuff...?"

Fennesz: "D-don't set me up and act surprised now… I just happened to have read about it in a book and remembered it…"

Hanamaru: "Hehe, my bad, my bad. Just honestly impressed."

Haures: "But still... It didn't seem to have good meanings.  So, the reversed Justice card represents me…? Err… but I don't understand why."

Fennesz: "Uhm… but tarot cards have multiple interpretations... I don't think what I just said defines you, Haures…"

Haures: "Phew… Thanks, Fennesz."

Fennesz: "No, really... There's more to you, Haures...."

Haures: "Anyway... tarot cards are sent to all of us. If we refer to the pictures on these tarot cards.... It could help design costumes, right, Mr. Berrien?"

Berrien: "Yes… that's the idea."

Flure: "I see… That's right… I keep coming up with new ideas. Alright everyone, if you don't mind... Let me know your cards later!"

Hanamaru: "Yeah, got it.  By the way… I wonder which card is in my envelope~ let's see. ……… Ergh. The heck is this… 'DEATH'... It says 'death'. It's obviously an unlucky card."

Teddy: "Hmm~... It is true that it has an unlucky vibe, but... this card is 'reversed', isn't it? Maybe it doesn't mean what it looks like…"

Fennesz: "Yes, Teddy is right, Mr. Hanamaru. Death in the reverse position means 'rebirth' or 'change'... a reversal of fortune.

You will be able to get out of the pain of not being able to move forward and move on.... I think that's what it means. 

On the other hand, when it is in the upright position, it can mean the end of something, or farewell… and there are also many other meanings…"

Hanamaru: "Hmm~ I see. Well, if anything, I'm glad it's not upright."

Muu: "Fufu, regardless.... It's the same card, but the position changes the meaning... Tarot reading is so interesting, my lord!"

> "Yes, indeed"

Fennesz: "By the way... Which card was in your envelope, my lord?"

Fennesz asked me, and when I opened the envelope addressed to me... there was… the same card I had seen earlier....

> "It's Death in the upright position...."

Fennesz: "What…"

note: at least in English-speaking tarot, reversed Justice card means "dishonesty", "denial", "be careful with your emotions", and "injustice/unfairness/bias".

Reversed Death card means "fear of change", "refusing rebirth", "inability to let go/move on", "decay". While Death in upright position would mean "rebirth", "new beginnings", "transformation".

Well, I can find what Fennesz said in several Japanese websites though.

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[jezabatlovesbats]

Like I said already, I graduated high school this year. So naturally, because I'm somehow both lazy and busy at the same time, I don't draw anything for the occasion like I wanted to until the literal DAY before I start college. (Yeah, I'm not joking- my first day of college is tomorrow.)

Just because I've come this far since I joined Wattpad as a 7th grader doesn't mean I know how I did it. Oh, wait- yes I do. I do know. I guess I don't know my own brain. Anyway, it's because I had, and still do, a burning desire to reach out to you and tell you about all the silly little stuff I had on my mind. I also wanted to get to know people all around the cyber world who liked the same stuff I liked. (I hope I can find someone who does in my art college.) I wanted y'all to know that Unikitty and Minecraft: Story Mode were (and still are) my two most favorite things ever. For months, I begged my parents for it, and I eventually got it for Christmas. Over the years, I've come to like more shows, games and movies. I even realized that I liked doing musical theater, too. Since I joined Wattpad, I've expanded my posting to DeviantArt, this site, YouTube, and more.  I've probably told you all of this many times before, but I say it for a reason.

As I also said already, high school was as fun of an experience as it was... interesting. I couldn't finish my freshman year, and I missed my entire sophomore year, and if you survived 2020, you probably know why. I still passed, though. I think that junior and senior year made up for that. I was in the school musical both of those years, I got to attend my first prom junior year, and I went to Thespian Fest senior year.

Maybe the real high school experience was the friends we made along the way, as I've joked. But I wanted to surround myself with people I could get together with. As SpongeBob said, "I only want to hang out with my friends." And I did, 'cause we made every day the best day ever, especially the night we graduated. (The trampoline park we went to afterwards had some killer chicken tenders!) I took one of my friends to see Elemental before she went out of state for her college. I still keep in touch with a lot of them. Still, I'm really gonna miss everyone, and I wish them luck in their future endeavors.

As soon as school let out, my family took me on a trip to celebrate the fact that I graduated, and I made a video about it. You can watch it on my channel if you'd like.

But, I digress! There are a bunch of people here who I've just gotta show my gratitude for. You guys are part of why I keep going in life.

For @joyseer24, @agent-egg, @sundove88, and @pinkiemeowstic89, some of the earliest people I remember interacting with me.

For @erin-the-epic and @clg-artisa, who never fail to put a smile on my face.

(Also, special thanks to all the Unikitty fans here and on YouTube who called me out on my BS back in 2021.)

To @nevaehjwilliamsvaeh, a fan of Mao Mao and Six. I always love seeing you in my notifications!

@pocketlad, thank you for being my lad.

For @federthenotsogreat. It's nice to have a fellow Mario & Luigi fan to chat with.

@generalfoxy21, thanks for liking my posts and tagging me in your picrews.

To my fellow lovers of WALL-E: @cosmo-naute, @ohthewhomanity, and @defineshitposting. Computer, define friendship- the love that we shared.

For folks like @hazed-miner, @tailsofairies, and @milliemakesmistakes. Thanks to all of you cube kids for liking my Minecraft: Story Mode stuff.

To @choupiee. Anybody who likes both Unikitty and MC:SM stuff is a friend in my book.

There are also more Unikitty fans I have to thank, including @glitzycatart, @passionatepinkkittynew, @lizatheeddsworldaddict, @theunikingdom, and @doomlordsbutfunni.

@keith-neil, thank you for your Unitober challenge! I had a great time participating!

@askthechronoverse, I've got you to thank for liking my posts, reblogging them, and asking questions on the Big Bright World blog. And, thanks for keeping the Unikitty and Lego Movie fandoms alive. It's come to the point where I consider you a true friend, Fabri.

And to all my other watchers who weren't mentioned here, thank you for watching me and sticking by me. I don't know how to end this, so I'm gonna say that life is weird. 

[tarabyte3]

A year ago today, I posted my first Andy Serkis character fic, Reprieve, which is a retrospective Kino Loy ficlet. So I figured it would be fun to do some reflecting of my own.

In the past year, I've completed 2 more fics, I have 2 ongoing series, 4 unpublished drafts that I'm working on, and 4 documents that are still just ideas and chaotic notes for things I plan to write. All of which amounts to a word count of 169.5k in posted material, and around 191k including drafts.

That's, frankly, completely insane to me (and is so much smut).

Before this, I wrote fanfiction, I just rarely finished it or published it. This was also my first real attempt at writing Reader fic, which I barely even read before. Usually if I read fic, it's because I like a ship and the romantic chemistry between two characters, not because I'm particularly attracted to them (grey ace). Kino was the first time I thought, "No, I need that man for myself."

Now here I am, arguably decent at it.

There were a few months life got busy or my headspace wasn't particularly conducive for writing, so I slowed down getting chapters up, but I never stopped writing.

And I have no intention of stopping the Andy Blorbo content anytime soon. Not when I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head and thirst in my heart. However, I do think I'll be focusing more heavily on oneshots or fics that are only a few chapters long in the future because the 29 chapters of "I Want You to Show Me Weak" are trying to kill me. Why did I do that to myself.

I am so appreciative of all the support, encouragement, kindness, and feedback I've gotten on my silly little fics, as well as the very dear friendships I've made because of them. Thank you to everyone who read, liked, and reblogged my stuff. It means the world to me. I literally never expected anyone to see, let alone enjoy, anything I wrote.

Let's do this again in 2024, yeah? ✌️💖