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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 259: Jakku General Hospital

Previously on BnHA: We chilled with Hawks and Twice, who filled us in on the various different facets of Pliff’s plan to fuck over the world. For starters there are like a dozen new bad guys who are each heading different Pliff regiments, just in case anyone forgot that this is a literal army we’re dealing with here. Hawks also reminded us of the fact that Twice can clone basically any one of the bad guys as many times as he wants now, so that’s a nicely terrifying thought to sit and mull over. We learned that once Tomura is done powering up, the villains intend to attack all over the country simultaneously and basically destroy society as we know it. Oh and also kill all the heroes of course. But I think we already knew that. Anyway, so the one bright side in all of this is that Twice naively let it slip to Hawks where Tomura was currently undergoing his Frankenstein procedure. And so the chapter ended with basically all of the heroes in Japan launching a surprise attack in the mountains of Kyoto, while the kids waited on standby to help with the evacuations. And I know that doesn’t sound very safe, but... well... shit.

Today on BnHA: A quiet morning in the Kyoto suburb of Jakku. All is peaceful -- or so it seems. Little does the elderly CEO of Jakku General Hospital (a stand-up citizen, philanthropist, and caretaker of orphans all across the country) know that lying in wait just outside his doors is a group of wicked and immoral HEROES ready to -- okay lol you know what, I can’t. Not sure what I was really going for there anyway. So! Meanwhile in the woods outside the ol’ villain hotel, a second group of heroes led by Edgeshot and featuring several child heroes in training, including KAMINARI WHO WAS LITERALLY JUST BORN YESTERDAY AND SHOULD BE AT HOME IN HIS NURSERY WATCHING PAW PATROL AND NOT OUT HERE IN THE WOODS WHERE HE IS IN TERRIBLE DANGER, is gathered and ready to attack the League’s main forces. So things kick off with Death Arms apprehending the traitorous Slidin’ Go, while elsewhere the heroes bust into Jakku General Hospital to capture Ujiko. Show of hands, who here thinks this is going to go smoothly? ...Yep. Yeah. That’s what I thought.

okay guys, before we get started I’m gonna answer a couple of relevant asks from last week. first:

I’m almost hesitant to talk about this, because I’m paranoid that Viz and co. could pounce on these sites again at any moment, and so I feel like this sort of thing is better left to private messages and discord servers. but I guess one little mention of it won’t hurt. so the site currently doing the scanlations is readheroacademia.com, which has been around for a while. and there are several other sites which also host the new chapters and have all of the old chapters archived as well. kissmanga is a big one which I know a lot of people use, but my personal favorite is readmha.com (idk, I just feel like its layout is... cleaner? if that makes any sense)

also do keep in mind that all of these sites are pretty ad-heavy, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting without a good adblocker at the ready (I generally use Chrome on both desktop and mobile, and have uBlock Origin and Disable HTML5 Autoplay enabled on my desktop browser). that being said, I’ve never had any issues myself

good question! I was actually thinking about doing a weekly follow-up post on Sundays after the official Viz translation comes out, but obviously I did not end up doing that last week lol. so now I’m thinking it might be easier for me to just post any subsequent thoughts/remarks in the following week’s chapter recap, since I’m already committed to doing those anyway and so it makes it harder to flake out

so that said, my one follow-up thought about chapter 258 is that the fan scanlation seems to have mistranslated that whole “AFO’s resurgence” part. in Viz’s version Hawks was instead saying that the PLF’s plans would “throw the world into chaos and enthrone Shigaraki atop the rubble.” and he then referred to Tomura as the second coming of All for One. sooooo, pretty much exactly the opposite of the other translation lol. this is a big blow to my continued effort to search for evidence that AFO is gonna come back and be the final villain, but I am still not deterred. we will continue to fight on until AFO either actually dies, or does come back like I keep predicting he will! please try to work with me a little better here, AFO

one other thing, instead of “New World Movement”, Viz used the same “Vanguard Action” regiment name that was used during the forest training camp arc. Caleb said that the wording (“kaibyaku koudou”) was exactly the same. so I’ll be using that too moving forward. I guess that means that Pliff is still on the menu though, pity

anyway so let’s get started now

so it’s a house... no, holy shit, wait, it’s the house!

THE NEW TODOROKI HOUSE OH MY GOD. ahhhhh lol what the fuck is this. Todofeels coming up to slap me in the face out of nowhere?! here I thought we were gonna just dive right into the Shigaraki raid and the resulting carnage

I’m... not really sure how I feel about this? like, right now I’m not trusting anything Horikoshi does lol. “quiet beginnings” you say? this is just a sneaky new way to bring me more pain. isn’t it

(ETA: I guess “quiet beginnings” also summarizes the other activities of this chapter pretty well. also is that Natsuo’s girlfriend??! at first I thought it was Rei, but those look like quirk-related ears? so Natsu then really is living his best college life huh.)

oh hey everyone it’s a brand new character!

(ETA: wait, is he actually quirkless? or is that just another LIE. you big LIAR.)

I’m so curious what the kanji is for this latest name. can’t wait for Caleb to enlighten us. I wonder if it’s “shi” as in “death”, just like with Tomura/AFO’s name. and no idea at all what “Maruta” means. basically I just want to know if there’s some pun or something, since yet again he’s obviously using a fake alias here

(ETA: so someone informed me in an anon ask that this is a reference to Unit 731, which was a Japanese unit that undertook lethal human experimentation during WWII. basically the people who conducted the experiments referred to their human subjects as “logs” to dehumanize them. and the Japanese word for log is, you guessed it, maruta. so that’s an extremely powerful and disturbing association for this name, and it’s obvious now why Horikoshi went with it.

that said, the anon said that some people were really upset by this name choice, and while I guess I can understand that, I also think that’s kind of the point, though? like, it’s supposed to be horrifying. anyone with a human conscience and any kind of empathy whatsoever should be horrified. and atrocities like that shouldn’t be forgotten, and I actually think that for someone born and raised and living in Japan like Horikoshi to be making a reference to this is fairly ballsy. because my understanding is that, like a lot of Japan’s other war crimes, it was more or less hushed up by the government afterwards, and isn’t really taught in schools or mentioned in history textbooks other than in passing. so while I can understand people maybe finding it disrespectful, I don’t think it was meant as such. it seems to me that if anything, Horikoshi wants people to look into it and be educated about it. and again, obviously he’s associating it here with easily the most reprehensible and morally sickening character in the entire series, which is fitting I think. anyway so those are my thoughts on that.)

anyway, guess what guys? looks like we’ve got ourselves another Star Wars reference! let’s just hope this particular Jakku doesn’t wind up as wrecked as its namesake when all’s said and done. it’s gonna be a loooooong day

you guys. Maruta is such a nice guy

he’s a philanthropist! and he runs orphanages all over the country! wow! what a great person!! and nursing homes as well, where residents presumably die on the regular (of old age and other natural causes no doubt), at which point they are presumably cremated, and I wonder who runs the cremation facilities? I’m sure whoever it is is definitely on the up-and-up

and “quirk-based community healthcare.” I wonder if they’re selective about who they treat based on what their quirks are. all the better to make sure people with particularly strong and/or unique quirks get the specialized treatment they need!

anyway. see, this is more like what I expected. some super dark shit, and finally some answers to a few long-established questions as well, but not without a price. that price being the churning feeling in my gut right now lol. oh man. well I just ate, so that might have something to do with it. but I tell ya, nothing makes you vaguely queasy like trying your best not to think about a massive conspiracy to kidnap and torture innocent children in the pursuit of ultimate power! so anyways I sure do hate this!

fffff like, really hate it. I HATE IT SO MUCH

[reluctantly goes ahead and slides AFO down one notch on my list of people I need to see die the most] well there it is. we have a new champion

so now we’re cutting to a hero briefing!

y’all is that THE SHERIFF. PLEASE. IT’S BEEN SO LONG. BUDDY I MISSED YA

so Nao says he had one of his guys go undercover to investigate, and they found that this hospital’s blueprints included a giant suspicious unlabeled place that nobody knows anything the fuck about

oh my god. you guys. forget Tomura, could that also be where they’re keeping the Noumus?? omg. omg omg omg. omgggggggggggg. omg

-- AHHHHHHHHHH

IF THE NEXT PANEL ISN’T JUST A CHORUS OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM ALL SAYING “WHAT THE FUCK” SIMULTANEOUSLY, I’M GONNA DEMAND SOME ANSWERS, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, HAVING ALREADY KNOWN ALL ABOUT POOR JOHN-KUN AND ALL THIS FUCKED UP SHIT MYSELF, I STILL AUDIBLY SWORE OUT LOUD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M GONNA DO IT AGAIN TOO, BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK

come on, is Pixie Bob the only one of you here with normal human reactions or what?!

RIGHT?! YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT A TINY MOUND OF FLESH WITH VEINY BULGING EYES JUST OGGLING BLANKLY OUT FROM ITS EXPOSED BRAINS. NOT TO MENTION IT’S GOT TWO OF WHAT VAGUELY RESEMBLE EARS, BUT WHAT I’M PRETTY SURE ARE ACTUALLY NOSES?? AND A SEVERED SPINAL CORD TAIL DANGLING OUT FROM BEHIND. ALL OF WHICH IS PLASTERED TOGETHER LIKE A LUMPY MOLD OF CLAY ATOP TWO CHILD-SIZED LEGS, which are wearing fucking sneakers, with fucking velcro and shit. fuck. fuck

lol Nao

oh yes, not difficult at all. I’m sure he’ll come along real quietly. hey, let me know how that one works out, okay

“we have the trauma of Hosu and Kamino still haunting us.” thanks for that reminder. gonna have another city to add to that list real soon aren’t we. preemptive r.i.p. Jakku

oh man you guys. can you feel this tension building up

interesting how he says “destiny.” I wonder if that’s the actual dialogue. at any rate this overconfidence is terrifying and I would really like for you all to stop jinxing shit my dudes

-- WHAT DID I JUST SAY

holy shit. please tell me this is a separate group from the Endeavor group we saw at the end of the last chapter

but that doesn’t make any sense though, because this group has Midnight and Kamui, two of their deadliest and most efficient capture specialists. not to mention Edgeshot the literal ninja who can break into anywhere. so this really should be the vanguard here based on what I’m seeing, but if that’s the case why are the eighteen-year-old Tamaki and the sixteen-year-old Toadette right there with them?? can we not, you guys. can we not

fucking shit. at least they’ve got Ms. Joke there too to back them up. if we actually get to see her quirk in action I can die happy. and so, presumably, will the villains

so the “hospital team” (is that the Endeavor team??) said they’re gonna eliminate the villains’ warping ability, which presumably means John-kun. do they even know it’s him that does it?? they don’t seem to actually know who Ujiko fucking is so I have my doubts?

on the bright side though, it seems like this Midnight team is actually going to be raiding the mansion, and won’t be involved in the hospital raid. but on the less bright side, the mansion is arguably almost as dangerous. :/ that’s where Twice is!! and probably most of the League! but at least they don’t have a dozen Noumus in the basement just waiting to be unleashed

god. people, if we don’t get moving on this action soon I am going to give myself a damn heart attack. this is way too much suspense for a chill Friday night

son of a bitch that guy behind Toadette is Honenuki, I just realized. what the fuck, U.A. ?? “hey kids! guess what! we’re going on a field trip!!” ...

-- NO!!!!!!

IT WILL NOT BE ALL RIGHT!! DON’T YOU LIE TO THEM!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!! Tamaki, fine, okay, he’s experienced, and arguably more powerful than half the people there. Toadette, she’s just a kid, but she also tried to kill Tokoyami back during the joint training arc and I’m still not sure how I feel about that so whatever! Honenuki is probably the most responsible person in this entire group so fine. Tokoyami needs to be there to have a lot of angst about Hawks

but Kaminari. Kaminari fucking Denki. no. no, sir. excuse the fuck out of me. how fucking dare you. he is a five-year-old boy in the body of a high-voltage adolescent. and he’s maybe, just maybe, more powerful than anyone else in this fucking group but that still doesn’t give you the right to put this little baby boy RIGHT ON THE FRONT FUCKING LINES!! holy shit! HIS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!! I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS

OH MY GOD

RIGHT?!?!? omg omg omg omg omg

he’s literally wailing “I miss class 1-A” so loudly that it’s echoing all the way through the forest. see now that’s why you DON’T TAKE KAMINARI WITH YOU ON YOUR SECRET STEALTH ATTACK MISSION!! would somebody please point me towards whoever’s fucking idea this was so that I can go kick their fucking ass please and thank you

and here are the rest of them oh my god

Momo, Mina, Jirou, and Kiri at the forefront. okay, fine. this, I do like

so Edgeshot says they’ve surrounded the villains on all sides. man, no wonder they’re so worried about their warping capabilities. this is basically their one chance to capture all the bad guys in one fell swoop. I guess it makes more sense why all their capture specialists are in Edgeshot’s group, then

now I’m starting to wonder exactly what task lies in store for the Wonder Trio’s group, though? because they said evacuation, but is that really all there is to it? it’s no secret that Bakugou, Deku, and Todoroki are the three strongest interns they have. so you’re really expecting me to believe that they put baby Denki there on the front lines and yet plan on keeping their heaviest hitters in reserve? Nao is there more to this plan that you’re not telling us

oh shit Endeavor wants to know where his adopted chicken son is at

it genuinely does warm my heart to see Endeavor worrying about Hawks. I’m glad Hawks has at least one person out there who actually gives a shit about him. even if that person is mister father of the year here. the plot thickens

I wonder if Enji would actually die to save Hawks, if it came to that. which I’m not saying it would. but we all know some fucking shit is about to go down so I’m just having these thoughts here okay!

Nao always looks so tired nowadays. man

so he clearly does know who Endeavor’s talking about, though. one of these days I’d like to get a clearer understanding of what exactly Naomasa’s rank is and how high he is in terms of clearance, because the idea that he’s actually privy to more information than the number one fucking hero is kind of bonkers to me, ngl. this guy is literally just a detective, right?? not even a commissioner or anything. and yet he’s involved in everything. I used to suspect that he might be the traitor lol, and while I’m pretty sure by now that’s not the case, I’m still curious as to exactly what his deal is. does he even have a quirk?? anyways

so now Endeavor is hmphing and stomping off, and meanwhile there are some closeups of Mic and Aizawa

is that a whistle. do you guys think Mic could literally kill a man with his voice. shit. why do I kind of want to see it happen

as for Endeavor, I wonder if he was the one who made sure that his son and his friends weren’t on the front lines with the rest of them. sometimes it’s good to have some influence in these things

looooooool as if on cue

well. that sure doesn’t sound like he intends to keep them out of harm’s way. does he really have that much faith in them??

serious question, why exactly are all of the heroes seemingly so confident that this is going to work? it scares me because it makes me feel like in spite of Hawk’s intel they still don’t have a clue what they’re truly up against

so now we’re cutting to some random street somewhere and WOULD YOU LOOK WHO IT FUCKING IS

Slidin’ Go Suck An Egg. oh how I hate this man

look at him

I hate his stupid face!

OH SHIT

TRAFFIC CONE MAN, ARE YOU FINALLY GOING TO REDEEM YOURSELF FOR NOT RESCUING KACCHAN ON THAT DAY TWO YEARS AGO BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID OF A LITTLE SLUDGE? BECAUSE I’M HERE FOR IT! IF YOU WANT TO JUST GO AHEAD AND SNAP HIS NECK, I WILL TURN THE OTHER WAY AND ACT LIKE I DIDN’T SEE, I PROMISE

wow, Burnin’s team really is just evacuating people

I mean they’re obviously going to run into a Noumu, and just like that they’ll be in more danger than anyone, but at least for now it really does seem like the minds behind this raid wanted to keep them relatively out of danger. so yeah, for now I’m gonna chalk that up to Endeavor’s influence that they’re here rather than in the forest with the rest of their class

and here comes the hospital team!

well that answers my question about Nao’s rank. so he’s not even a chief. that really is fucking ridiculous but whatever

and why do I feel like this poor undercover subordinate is mere seconds away from becoming the first casualty in what I think is about to become the most violently snafued situation we’ve seen in this manga to date. like this shit is going to make Kamino look like the fucking state fair. fuck

...

I really wish I could believe that he was about to go down and it really was going to be just that easy

HERE WE GO!!

(ETA: so then they do know that he’s the guy who made the Noumu? including the one that nearly took him out in Kyushu? and they’re still acting like this is going to be a walk in the park? ?? what??)

knock knock, who’s there, JUSTICE

YESSSSSSS

(ETA: sure hope Endeavor’s light here doesn’t go summoning any darkness. welp.)

YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES OF BEING TOO HORRIBLE TO EVEN FUCKING CONTEMPLATE, LET ALONE JOKE ABOUT! YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET FUCKED

oh my god. we’re really just gonna end it like that. well I guess next chapter we can all play a fun game of “let’s all count the pages until everything goes horribly wrong.” won’t that be a laugh. 10 to 1 the Noumu really are in the secret room and they’re all gonna be set loose by next week’s cliffhanger. remind me to have “Into the Trap” by John Williams cued up and ready to go lol

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farelian · 4 years

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Galactic Quarrels: The Grand Tour

Welcome back people, this one took sooooo long to finish, and I think I’m happy with the current results, tell me your opinions and critics. I’m working with several artists to bring some original art to the fray, but for the next few writing pieces, I will be using someone else’s art, credited of course. Hope you enjoy

Cold, bland, and emotionless. Those are the only things Michael could think about the apartment he is living in. No decoration, no wallpaper, no color, he does enjoy minimalistic designs, this is too much.

He woke up to the same morning alarm from his phone, covering his eyes from the seemingly never-ending bright light on the ceiling of his bedroom.

Hopefully, today will be different, the last three were unexciting, to say the least. Just cooped up in his residence is not the way to getting used to things.

“Agh… well, they tried at least…” He repeated that sentence to himself again. He doesn’t like anger, especially because of something the Zarqons have near no knowledge about.

Putting on his sneakers he walked out from his bedroom into his kitchen lazily, piles of dishes in the sink, dirty countertops, and yesterday’s leftover cooking.

He got nothing better to do, and he starts to clean up his entire apartment and have a little breakfast while watching tv.

Same old news, he’s surprised he hasn’t died from boredom. He looked behind him out the window towards the landscape of the megapolis, perhaps the view was the thing keeping him sane for the longest time.

The door suddenly opens, startling him nearly launching the bowl of cereal off his hand as his head snapped at the door. A Zarqon, no, Yaku entered his residence. “Good morning sir Michael '' She greeted him.

Fixing himself back onto the couch and checking his clothes for any spilling, he sighed and looked at Yaku. “Can’t you knock first?” He asked with a little bit of an attitude.

She tilted her head. “I’m sorry but I do not understand the concept of tapping my hand on the door to notify you-”

He cuts her off, waving a dismissive hand at her. “Yeah yeah I know, you don’t understand that concept no need to explain it in full detail”

He noticed himself getting a little angry, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He looked back at Yaku again.

“So what are you doing here?”

Taking another step forward letting the door close behind her, she speaks again raising her hand. “I am your guide, so let us explore the city”

“Huh…” He wasn’t expecting that at all. “Well alright then” It made him excited and energetic once again.

He stands up finishing his bowl of cereal quickly placing it in the sink and put on his jacket with Yaku’s eagle eye watching his every movement. “I’m in, alright!”

~~~~

Stood tall inside the crowd of Zarqons, Michael looked up and around his surroundings, excited, and filled with enthusiasm. As an expert navigator, he is eager to learn this city’s layout and the ins and outs of how things worked.

Michael felt something poking him by the leg and looked down to the sight of Yaku offering him a small PDA, fit for a Zarqon, but big enough that he could use it.

“In this tour, I will briefly explain every single landmark we pass, that PDA in your hands will show you the full information regarding the landmark” She explained waiting for confirmation.

He understood as he swiped and tapped the PDA, already translated to English he nods to Yaku. “Affirmative”

“We could go to one of our digital vaults, but I’ve decided to give you a tour since humans tend to be bored easily when not moving” He couldn’t tell if Yaku said that sarcastically or seriously. “Let us move”

He actually doesn’t mind going to one of those vaults she mentioned, but oh well, he followed through with Yaku’s plan and head on down the road on a tour of the city.

“I must also warn you, please do not urinate or spit on any plant life we have here. They are very vulnerable to human urine and spit”

“Have you had some kind of incident that made you *have* to warn me not to piss on plants?”

“No we have not, but we know humans can be reckless.”

He chuckled and shook his head, smiling as he looked down at the PDA browsing some of the landmarks here.

They’re all very unique, a Hypercomms Unification Center, a ‘hub’ of communications to and from Zarqons all over the galaxy. Mostly used to inform or warn colleagues.

Drone Hub, so they know the concept of drones and air travel. Seeing this he looked up and continued to look up. After five minutes all he could find in the sky were the alien birds that peacefully flew by without being disturbed.

Strange, if they do have a Drone Hub, and the document explained that there are two on every city, then where are the drones?

Walking up to the first landmark they came upon this massive canal with an arch bridge connecting the two sides. The canal is flowing with purple water, or liquid, he honestly doesn’t know.

It looked watery with how fast it’s flowing down the canal, like a river but at the same time, it looks very gooey. He turned to Yaku that looked at the water before turning towards him.

“This is the Zealot Canal, it’s a solution our scientist created that enhances our growth and resilience” And Yaku began to walk away.

Michael was about to ask but had to catch up and walk beside her. “Wait so do you absorb it? Or do you drink it?”

Looking straight ahead she answers. “We consume it yes”

He sighed, getting such a straight-forward answer, not even small talk. He continues to follow Yaku with the tour, seeing several more landmarks that he honestly forgot. It’s such an underwhelming and, dare I say boring tour.

Contrary to what Yaku believed, when they returned to Michael’s residence, Michael flopped onto the couch letting out a sigh. Looking unsatisfied.

“What is wrong Michael?”

“No, it’s…” He let out a sly sigh. “It’s nothing, thanks for the tour Yaku” Michael responded quickly looking at Yaku.

She nodded and left the room immediately after.

Michael sighed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if getting a genetic mod for killing boredom is worth it or not.

#humannature #humans are awesome #HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are crazy #humans are strange #humans are space oddities #humans are insane #humans are space australians #Alien #sci-fi #sciencefiction #writing #writers #galactic quarrels #galactic quarrels series

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whumpallday · 4 years

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Whumpee’s-R-Us VS Whumpee Barn: First Impressions

So, this post was inspired by @shameless-whumper‘s Unboxing and @my-whumpy-little-heart’s Defective. We always hear about the rivalry between Whumpee’s-R-Us and Whumpee Barn, but why not end the argument once and for all?

TW: Dehumanization, mild physical abuse.

“Hey guys, welcome back!” A blue head of hair pops up on-screen, smiling at the camera. “It’s Starr here, from This-Or-That, where we compare to see what really works!” The camera cuts to another angle, highlighting her short haircut. “Sooooo, over the past couple weeks, we’ve had a new trend take the internet by STORM. Box Boys!!” A couple pictures of advertised Box Boys show up to the left of her face as she holds up her hand, pre-choreographed to look like she’s holding them. “Yep! These little cuties have been all over the place, so naturally I was dying to do a video about them!”

“However, you know me and you guys know I can’t do something without comparing to see what’s good, and what’s better!” The camera angle changes again, this time showing her as she sits at her desk, talking with her hands. “So here’s the dealio guys. I talked with Whumpee’s-R-Us and Whumpee Barn, the two main companies that I’ve heard about. They were both super helpful and they each agreed to send me one, so I could take it to the test, and see whose product was actually better!”

Starr leans in, cupping a hand to her mouth like she’s telling a secret. “Don’t tell them, but I think they both just wanted to show each other up.” She laughs, and pulls away. “So, I’m way excited for this, so let’s get right into the video! But before we do, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and hit the little bell so you get notified on all my updates!” She winks, and then the camera changes again.

The camera switches to a full-studio view, showing the white backdrop and a couple of shelves. In the center of the camera is a bar-stool, and sitting to either side are two big boxes. Starr walks on camera from the left, and sits down on the bar stool smiling.

“So guys, I know you’re all so excited to get to the unboxing, I know I can’t wait! Unfortunately, you guys know the drill.” She looks to the left and the camera slides to a familiar thumbnail, with the words Website and Customer Service Review on a blue speckled background. Her fingers come from the right, pushing that away and revealing a close up of her on the camera.

“So, first impressions of each website." The camera shows the Whumpee's-R-Us website as it scrolls down the page. "Whumpee's-R-Us had a really great layout, it was easy to find everything I wanted, and their customer service was eager to answer any questions I had. Their website was also really modern, with tons of examples of Box Boys."

The view switches to the Whumpee Barn website. "Whumpee Barn's website was a bit harder to look through, and there definitely weren't as many options. The website had a more rural look to it, a bit more rustic. But I guess that's what you get when barn is part of the title, eh?" She laughs, then continues.

"I ended up going random for both my boys, there were just so many options!" The camera switches back to Starr, smiling into the center. "But back to business. For websites, I give Whumpee's-R-Us a 5-Starr rating, because of the clean, sleek look, and it was really easy to navigate." A small counter pops up on the bottom of the screen, with five little pictures of her face, all of them colored in.

"I'm giving Whumpee Barn a 4-Starr rating. It was really good, but it could be a bit more up-to-date on the current styles and trends.” She flips her hair, revealing a purple layer underneath the blue. “Okay! Now it’s time to start on the unboxing, which I’m excited for, and I know all of you are too!!”

The camera cuts to a full-room view again, with Starr standing between the two boxes. She waves. “So we’re about to open the boxes, and I couldn’t decide which one to open first, so I flipped a coin and we’re opening the W-R-Us first!” She claps her hands, and walks around one of the boxes, labeled Whumpees-R-Us. She grabs some scissors and starts opening the box, grabbing the instructions.

“Okay guys, here are the instructions for the W-R-Us Box Boy. It says to start with water, and then...” She squints. “Percussive impact with the palm or back of hand.” She smiles at the camera and shrugs. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out!”

She removes the rest of the packing, then shoots the camera a big smile and it zooms in. “Guys!!! Look at him! He’s so cute!!!” She pulls up a thin, pale and blindfolded boy, dotted with freckles and with a mess of bright red hair. She grabs a water bottle and undoes it, gently holding it up to his lips. “Hydrate him, remember? Probably hasn’t had any water for a while.”

The boy barely reacts to being pulled up, but as the water is put to his lips, he starts drinking. Quickly, like it was going to be taken away. Starr lets him drink as much as he wants, until the bottle runs dry. She turns to the camera with wide eyes. “Wow! Sure was thirsty! Okay! Onto step two. Percussive Impact.”

She gently taps his cheek with her hand, increasing the pressure as he doesn’t respond. She looks towards the camera and shrugs, then slaps his cheek, making his head turn from the impact. After the slap, his head turns back towards Starr hesitantly, as if looking for her.

Starr smiles, then takes off his blindfold revealing bright green eyes. They look wildly around the room, trying to take it all in. She squeals a bit. “Awwwww.... He’s even cuter!!” She takes his face in her hands, smiling up at him. “Aren’t you the cutest thing ever?” His eyes go to her, and the corner of his mouth twitches up in a hesitant, almost smile.

Starr drops his face, leaving him in the box as she stands up and goes over to the Whumpee Barn box. “Okay! So we’ve done one, and he’s adorable, let’s see how the other one compares!” She smiles widely, walking to the other box and starting to open it up.

She pauses as she brings up these instructions, on a booklet. “Wow! This is quite the user manual! W-R-Us had one of those too, but it wasn’t as big.” She starts flipping through it. “Hmm... User warranty, disclaimer, etc and legal stuff... Ooo! Found it! Opening the product. Step one: Remove packaging from Product.” She takes off the top layer of bubble wrap, revealing the back of someone kneeling in the box.

“Step two. Use collar to bring product to kneeling position. Hmm, this is new, the W-R-Us one didn’t come with a collar, they just came with a blindfold.” She shrugs, grinning at the camera and grabs the collar around the boy’s neck, yanking him up. The boy flinches at her touch, but comes up, kneeling upright and breathing heavily.

“Oooo! He’s a cutie too!” She turns his head towards the camera, showing off an olive toned skin, with brown wavy hair. His jaw is clenched, and the blindfold doesn’t conceal a frown on his face.

“Next they say to give him water too, so here goes!” She holds the water to his lips and he pulls back at first, then realizes what it is and starts drinking. His lips are slightly chapped.

“Okay! Now we can take the blindfold off so here goes. Let’s see how this guy compares to the other!” Starr reaches for the blindfold, untying it and not being too gentle. The blindfold comes off, and she turns his face towards the camera. Blue eyes stare back, eyebrows furrowed and a glare on his face. Starr doesn’t seem to notice, turning his face back to her.

“Another cutie!!! Honestly guys, I’ve got the real haul right here!” She stands up, looking between the two boys sitting in the boxes. “I’m gonna cut to review, and we’ll do the rest of the unboxing in another video!” She waves, and the camera cuts to her, sitting at the desk again.

She snaps her fingers, and a tally board comes up on-screen, with two sections. One with W-R-Us and one with W-Barn.

“Soooo, First-Impressions-Tally! You all know how this works! Since this is a multi-video review, we’ll keep track of the tally’s and the one with the most at the end is the winner! This test will go on for three months, so I’ll try to give them out sparingly.” She winks into the camera, referencing her love of showering the coveted “tally-marks” in previous videos.

“So, right off the bat I noticed that both W-R-Us and W-Barn tried to keep quality high, and sent adorable boys. That gets them both a tally mark.” A line appears in each box, and a picture of both of the boys pops up. The redhead, looking into the camera with hunched shoulders and a bit of a hesitant look, and the blue-eyed boy, sitting up straight and glaring into the camera. The pictures shrink and move to the bottom right of the screen.

“However, I did notice that the W-Barn Box Boy is going to need a bit more training. I definitely did not like the way he was looking at me. So that’ll give one tally to W-R-Us." The tally appears in the corner, in a little sparkle of glitter.

Starr flips her hair, showing the purple underneath. “That’s about it for the initial review, I’ll be uploading more content and reviews soon, so make sure to hit the notifications bell if you want to see more W-R-Us vs W-Barn!”

She leans back, and the two pictures of the box boys come back up, filling the screen.

“I’m so excited to finally have my box boys, but I’m so sure it’ll be totally worth the wait! This video is getting a bit on the long side, but I’m just dying to know! What do you think I should name them? I’ve got two, and I wanna hear all your suggestions! So, leave a comment in the comment section down below, and I’ll announce names in my next video!”

The pictures disappear, and the camera focuses back in on her face. “As always, this isn’t possible without you guys and I love you all to bits! Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and click to get notified of all my new uploads! We’ll see you next time, on This Or That!”

Next one here.

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sea-dragon-pride · 5 years

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☕☕☕☕☕ (KIDDING, 🌟🌼🌗❓!)

☕☕☕☕☕ WELL IF YOU MUST KNOW,,, my deepest darkest secret… my BIGGEST shame… is that I can’t get Calico’s cats to like me. I KNOW! I’m a fake druid, but I try talkin to them and I chase them around and they’re not havin’ ANY of it. The cats on this boat are anti-Tiller ghskgh;skgsgds

(ALSO THIS GOT LOOOONNNGGGGG, so I’m putting it under the cut, I’m So Sorry For Getting Carried Away)

🌟When your OC loses all hope, who do they turn to first? What helps make them feel better? What calms them down and reassures them? Why?

I think when all hope is lost, I would always turn to Roy! I know I should probably say something like my real dads but I haven’t seen them in so long and I never want to worry them with things they don’t need to know about…. Roy always knew how to keep up a brave face, and somehow had a plan for everything, even when failure seemed inevitable. All the Sea Dragons for that matter, made me feel that way! I could never stay in a sour mood after an evening meal with Bingo or Codec, or hell, even Skiff! They’re practically my family and I know they accepted all parts of me into their ranks, so I can’t help but feel better if we’re all together. Though nowadays, that’s not an option, so… to calm down I usually like to hang out in the crow’s nest and chart stars. You can see the sky and the ocean for MILES, when everything is so grand and beautiful, things can’t seem so bad. Something about being up there reminds me that life is always moving, like the ocean! So if things are bad now… then they can’t stay that way forever, because that time will have to move somewhere else, somewhere in the past. On a simpler level, I really appreciate hugs and snacks. I’m the perfect form for cuddling! It’s not bragging, it’s a fact!!! So if I’m ever sad, just squeeze the life out of me and I’ll feel better.

🌼 Write a short drabble from your OCs POV meeting their LI

I see the red sails being raised at the end of the dock. Black skulls with a sun burst pattern decorates a number of them. The whole ship is made from stained black wood with red trim. The wood even smells burned.

Jeez, these guys are the ostentatious types, huh?

Everyone looks like they’re bustling about, doing the prep work for an extended time out at sea. They’ll be expecting me anytime now, but when have pirates been punctual?

Okay, okay, new boat, new story, don’t sweat the small stuff. No one can ask you too many questions if you just keep up your overly-friendly small talk. These guys are supposed to be more dangerous than the last crews, which means a bigger haul. Roy’s counting on you.

I look around the main deck and spot an older woman with an intricate braid and a wide-brimmed hat. That’s gotta be her. I run up and say:

“OH! Ahoy there!!! I’ve never been on a ship this big before wOOWW! Love the color scheming, it really brings out the whole ‘murder-y’ vibes you guys seem to be going for haha! You must be Captain Rhea!”

The older woman looks perplexed (like they usually do), and responds: “That would be me, aye. Though I don’t remember ordering for an interior decorator aboard my vessel.”

“Hehehe no! But you DID send for a navigator and that’s me! Tiller Jakobie, at your service! I’ll tell ya where ya are, where ya goin, where ya wanna be, and how to get there! I also brought my own maps!” I lift them out of my bag proudly. These babies took ages to chart, but no one appreciates map craftsmanship nowadays.

Rhea sighs: “Ah, I did put Beremy in charge of recruiting didn’t I? Remind me not to do that again…. But yes, unfortunately, our last navigator has seemed to desert us for his own misadventures. If you’re the best we can do for such a short time, then so be it. Boys, get her set up in a room, I have business to attend too.”

Yeah… the misadventures of their old navigator mostly involve spending the next few weeks in the brig of The Quick Silver. If Franz is on guard duty, the poor guy will have to listen to him while he practices new songs. Hehehe that’ll make him WISH we threw him overboard!

I turn to my new alleged crew members: “SO! Miss Captain said something about accommodations? Do you guys have room service?? OH! What about those complimentary little soaps??!! Where am I stayin!! You’ve got a five star suite for me, right?”

Most of the reactions are as expected; a couple a furrowed brows, eye rolls, a few smirks and chuckles. I’ll have em head over heels for me soon enough, I mean, come ON! I’m adorable!!! They look around at each other, and one pipes up:

“Well I know someone who don’t have a bunk mate right now…”

The group kind of snickers and mumbles to each other. I hear some whispers - “That’s a lil mean for her first day, ain’t it?” “With HER, are you serious?” “Well, I ain’t gonna be the next one with a fresh scar for waking her up by accident!” They talk back and forth some more and come to an agreement of some kind? “Alright, we got a room for you, follow us!”

I trail behind them, trying to note down the layout of this ship. It IS bigger than The Quick Silver, more in width than in length. The mizzenmast is fortified and I can see spots for snipers to sit up by the topsails. That’ll be a problem to deal with later… We continue below deck and I’m practically pushed towards a room at the end of the hall. My welcome party already starts backing up toward the hold and they shout:

“Alright, get cozy in there!” More repressed laughing. “Dinner’s served around dusk, see you then!”

Okayyyyy… whatever these guys think they got against me, I’m sure it can’t be that bad. What’s a little hazing between new crew members, right? I’ve faced worse.

“Uh hello?” I knock and open the door.

Oh Fuck. It is that bad.

In the room, there’s a girl, sitting on the lower bunk, sharpening a pair of swords. She doesn’t even flinch when I enter. Her hair is covering a lot of her face, since she’s looking down. It’s so long… Golden hoops dance under her ears. She has bandages around her hands and scars up her arms. Who IS she???

“Are you lost?”

I jolt back. SHIT, I’ve been staring!!! “Wh- huh?”

The girl looks up at me and her hair falls back. Oh NO, she’s PRETTY,,,,!!!!! My face feels hot, WAIT, is this room hot? DON’T tell me you’re blushing right now, Jakobie,,,

She asks again: “Are you lost? This is my room. What are you doing in here?”

Your mission. Remember your mission, dumbass.

“AHAHA OH RIGHT! N-NO WAY! In fact, it’s my job to be Not Lost! I’m Tiller, the new navigator aboard the ship, it’s SUPER nice to me you!!!”

She puts away her whetstone but doesn’t say anything.

I close the door, as I default to rambling over silence. “Well... ANYWAY, your friends said you needed a roomie so here I am! They seem like a fun bunch huh? They mentioned something about you stabbing someone, not that that’s important to me haha! D-Don’t answer that! Those are cool swords you have there!! Where’d you get them? Can you fight with them at the same time!!?? That’s CRAZY! But in a good way! Not that you’re crazy!! Also, I didn’t seem to get your name??” I take a seat on the chest across from her.

She starts to polish her swords. “I didn’t give it.”

Ohhhh one of THOSE types.

She glances up briefly and squints at me. “Why are you wearing a sleeve on only one arm?”

To hide my tattoo.

“OH haha! THIS??? It’s uhhh… to cover a… birthmark! It’s- It’s really gross and ugly and I, uh- hate it so I don’t like looking at it.”

She furrows her brow and kind of scoots further away on her bed after hearing that.

Smooth.

I start putting my stuff away. “Sooooo, I heard someone on the boat is named Beremy?? What’s up with that? That doesn’t sound like a real name.”

“Tiller doesn’t sound like a real name.” She mumbles.

“OHHHH SO SHE HAS JOKES!!! Miss Mystery over here has jests and japes for the the new girl, okay, I’ll take that one. I’m glad comedy is allowed in this room.”

She seems to eye me more closely now as I empty my backpack. She responds: “Just don’t touch my things and you won’t be sleeping in the galley with your namesake.”

“The other crew members seem to be kind of scared of you. Should I be worried, or are you all bark and no bite?”

I feel a whoosh of cool air whip past my ear. One of her swords is suddenly embedded in the wall behind me, inches from the side of my head.

Whoa…. she’s Perfect.

She sounds a little irritated when she says, “I like for people to make their own judgements about me and not listen to rumors from people they’ve just met.”

My heart is racing. (Probably from the sword, right??) I yank it out of the wall. “That… was SO COOL!!! I didn’t even see you throw it. You’ve gotta teach me that!!!””

She looks a little taken aback.

I continue, “Also have you ever thought about pulling your hair out of your face with something??? Then maybe you can aim better!! Plus… I think your eyes are really pretty...”

“I-”

Suddenly, there’s a bell ringing down the hall.

The girl looks away to the side. Was her face always that pink? She stands up and makes for the door. “That’s the dinner bell. You can… come with me if you want. It’d be weird to just stay in here.”

I hop up. “Alright Miss Mystery, if you INSIST!”

“It’s Mayday.”

“What?”

“Mayday. That’s my name. If I am stuck with you, then you at least ought to know what to call me.”

Mayday.

Aw man… how am I gonna figure out this one…?

🌗 Early mornings or late nights? What do they spend their time doing during these hours?

Early mornings all the way! As much as I LOVE sleepovers and gossiping over pillow talk, there’s something AMAZING about seeing the sunrise and getting to run around before the rest of the crew has woken up! Usually, I like to sneak food from Mr. Biscuit while he’s still making breakfast and I try to hide stickers in Selim’s armory. I chat with all the animals around the boat too! You know, catch up with the seagulls and dolphins following along side. I usually find a rat or two, and they always have the best jokes!!! Miss Shih says I should get rid of any rats I find, but what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt my loyal subjects. And then my favorite, I GET TO WAKE EVERYONE UP!!! Miss Shih’s always awake, so she’s the exception! You really bond and get to know a person once you’ve seen them at their most annoyed and delirious state, A HA I LOVE IT!!!

❓ A random fact or short drabble! Or make up your own question to ask the OC!

My question of choice: If you had a personalized Captain Hat, what power would it grant you?

THAT’S A REALLY HARD ONE!!! Part of me almost wants to inherit Roy’s hat because his power is really cool and he’s never let me USE IT!!!! >:///

But part of me also feels like it would be fun to just enhance the druid powers I already have! Like basically just become a water-bender and control the weather when you’re out at sea!! OH! Or maybe it could be a shape-shifting animal hat!!! (But how would that work in animal form?? Would they all get little hats?? That’s not intimidating!!!) Maybe it could be navigator related, and I would always know where I am and never be lost! OR MAYBE! It could track the thing you desire most!!! That seems kind of heavy for me though haha! Regardless, I can’t make up my mind! I want them all! The solution is that all captain’s should give me their hats and that’ll be the end of it!!! It’s only fair, and I deserve it of course!!!

#anon #anonymous #GOSH THANK YOU IF YOU READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH....#I KNOW I WENT A LIL BUCK WILD ON THE MAYDAY QUESTION BUT HGKDJSHG:SDKGG WOWEEEE #i apologize for my jank writing but it was FUNNNN!!!!#it's late now tho so I'm going to bed lmao!!#tiller talks!!!#Anonymous

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kirawritesaboutevanstan · 6 years

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The anchor in their lives - Chapter five

A/N: Thanks for 250 followers guys xx

Also, this is sooooo long sorry about that, but I couldn’t help myself and I didn't know how to shorten it. It all just fit in this chapter and I didn't want to split them up because I couldn’t be bothered so here is a long ass chapter. And it changes pov a lot which might be annoying.

Also cursive writing is a memory is that isn't clear? this is shit, im sorry.

Summary: When two super soldiers lives get turned upside down, they move into an apartment in Brooklyn, trying to deal with their past and figure out their futures. So what happens when the apartment next door gets a new resident, one who has the potential to change their lives in ways they could never imagine. The question is; Will they let her?

Pairings: Stucky x Original Character Annie (eventually)

Disclaimer: This story may contain strong language, polyamorous relationships and eventually smut, mental health talks( anxiety, depression, PTSD and so on. If you’re not comfortable with any of those, you might not want to read this series.

Interested in reading more of my stories? Well, you can find them right here.

Looking for the masterlist for this series? Well, look no further. It's right here.

Warnings: I don't even know. Cute fluffy broken Bucky.

Word count: 5k (My hand slipped?)

TAGLIST IS OPEN, for this series and my permanent one. Currently, those are the only taglists I have. Contact me either by an ask, message or comment specifying which one you prefer x

Previously...

Chapter five

BUCKY'S POV

“Don't leave me, Stevie. Not for her” Bucky whispers almost inaudible into his neck but Steve does hear him, and his heart does a flip and then sinks.

Steve pulls back a little and places his hand on his cheek, trying to get him to look at him and when their eyes meet Steve does something he never knew he would, something that takes him by surprise but feels natural at that moment.

He leans in and ever so softly presses his lips to Bucky’s, and even more unexpected Bucky kisses him back. His lips react to him, and the kiss deepens. Their warm mouths exploring each other for the first time. Bucky grips Steve’s t-shirt and pulls him into him, and he grabs his neck deepening the kiss further.

Steve pulls back ever so slightly to mumble “I’m yours if you want me” against his lips and Bucky growls, grabbing his neck and pulling him into him again slamming his lips to Steve’s in an angry kiss that is all teeth and tongue. Their tongues dance with each other until Bucky suddenly pulls back, pushing Steve away from him so hard that he stumbles.

“Get out” He snaps, and Steve’s head is spinning around at the sudden change.

“What?” He asks in confusion, and Bucky repeats it this time louder.

“GET OUT!” Steve’s heart breaks into a million pieces in his chest as he walks out of the room not looking at him.

The memory of last night spins around his head like a broken record playing over and over again. It makes Bucky feel dizzy and nauseous. He was also baffled about what had possessed him to, first of all, let Steve hug him and even crazier kiss him. His best friend had kissed him, and all he wanted was to kiss him harder and never stop. He felt sick to his stomach, not because of the kiss but because of Steve's expression when Bucky shoved him back and told him to get out. He had never seen him so broken and sad, and Bucky wanted to hurt himself for being the reason for his pain.

God, why was he such a fucking mess? He didn't know what to do with himself.

He wanted to grab Steve and kiss him again, but he also wanted to run away and never see him again out of embarrassment and guilt. But he settled with neither one of them instead he pretended it never happened.

When he saw Steve in the kitchen like always, he felt the guilt burn inside, but he pushed it down greeting him like he always did to which Steve sighed and greeted him as usual.

STEVE'S POV

Bucky seemed unaffected by last night which stung a lot more than Steve would like to admit. He quietly walked out to sit on the balcony watching over the city seeming without a care in the world.

Today was Steve's first day off since he had gotten his promotion, and he had promised to spend it with Bucky who now seemed a lot more interested in being alone than to be in his company. Steve was about to walk out to him when he heard a knock on the door. Instead, he walked out to open.

Annie was standing there wearing a grey sweatshirt and pajama pants with little pineapples on them, she had an apologetic smile on her pretty face as she greets him.

"Hi, Steve. Um, I didn't wake you did I?" Steve smiles softly at her.

"No not at all, what's up, Annie?" She grimaces and plays with her fingers looking up at him those big brown eyes staring into his soul, and he feels the warmth creep back underneath his skin completely overshadowing last nights heartbreak and replacing it with butterflies.

"Well, um, I was kind of hoping that you knew how to fix my radiator. I asked the landlord, but he claimed that he's too busy and that I have to it myself, which I would if I knew how." Annie rants her cheeks getting all flushed and pink, which Steve finds utterly endearing.

"Uh, sure. I'm not the handiest of guys, but I can take a look." Annie's eyes light up, and Steve realizes that he is willing to do just about anything to see her like that. He has it bad for her which only confuses him more. Because what about last night? He had kissed Bucky, and he could try and pretend it hadn't happened as much as he wanted, but that didn't change the fact that it did happen which left Steve confused and hurt.

"Are you okay?" Annie asks pulling him back to reality, and he remembers that he was talking to her.

"Uh yeah, M' fine." Annie nods a little uncertain, but she doesn't push the matter further. Instead, leading him to her apartment.

Her apartment is impressive, the layout is the same as theirs, but the interior is so different. Instead of the various brown colors that filled theirs, she had a lovely mixture of bright and light colors. Her walls were covered with beautiful paintings or cut-outs of what looked to be old newspapers or books. Speaking of books, she had a whole bookcase that covered an entire wall filled with books. She had this charming old red chair with a vintage lamp above it, it looked very similar to one Steve had in his childhood home. The spot was perfect for reading and judging by the stack of books and a mug of coffee that was probably what she used it for.

She had a decent size tv but no DVDs he noticed, in front of a small brown couch that had a ton of pillows and blankets on it.

Her apartment was beautiful, a bit messy but that was to be expected from someone who had only just moved in about a week ago.

He followed her down a hall into what must be her bedroom.

In the middle of the room, a huge bed stood in front of a maroon colored wall. Annie walked over to the radiator that must be the problem picking up a box of tools and grinning wide at him.

"I have a toolbox that I don't know how to use. My dad insisted on buying me one. Claiming that any respected woman has one, so yeah now I do but no knowledge of how to use anything in it.” Annie explains laughing, and Steve smiles at her.

“Clever man.” Steve points out, and Annie looks a little sad when she replies. "Yeah, he was.” but then clears her throat and moves to sit on the bed. Steve walks over to the radiator and prays that he knows how to fix it.

Turns out he did know how to fix it and actually managed to do so rather quickly, but he had started talking to her about the forties, and she got so excited that Steve couldn't bring himself to tell her that he was done, so instead he pretended to work on it whilst answering all her questions. It was a nice distraction as well, and a very welcome one. He enjoyed talking to her and found himself relaxing and letting his guard down around her very quickly.

The nagging feeling of hurt crept back into his mind, and he found himself having a hard time focusing, Annie noticed of course.

"Are you sure you're okay? you seem a little sad." Her brown eyes stare into his with such kindness and warmth, also a little worry, that he feels overwhelmed for a moment. He never expected him to open up to her so easily, but the words seemed to stumble out of him before he could stop himself.

"I kissed Bucky last night" Her eyes widened in surprise, but quickly returned to their normal size and yet he still only found concern and kindness in them.

"And that's a bad thing?" she asks, not sure how to read him. Steve sighs and walks over to sit down next to her. She turns to face him, and he meets her eyes.

"I don't know. I don't even know why I did it." Annie frowns a little, lost in thought for a moment before asking.

"Did he respond badly?" Steve nodded before elaborating.

"Not at first, he kissed me back but then out of nowhere he shoved me away and told me to get out. And now he acts as if it never happened and I don't know what to do." He huffs and continues "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." Annie reaches out and grabs his hand in hers, her brown eyes looking up at him and he feels the butterflies again, which only confused him further. Steve looks away, and Annie squeezes his hand.

"It's okay Steve. I'm not judging you. You two have a lot of history. And I can't say that I'm surprised." Steve's eyes widen in shock, and she chuckles at him.

"Oh come one, you think I hadn't noticed? It's pretty obvious that you two are more than just friends."

Steve sighs "Honestly, I don't even know what we are. It's so messy and confusing. Sometimes he looks at me, and I think that maybe he wants to kiss me but then the next moment he is distant and cold. I don't know what to do with that."

"I'm sorry. I wish I had some good advice, but I'm afraid I'm pretty lousy when it comes to anything love related" Steve meets her eyes, and he smiles softly at her.

"It's fine. I don't know why I told you."

"I'm glad you did Steve. It means a lot to me that you did." She smiles at him, and he can't help but smile back a little.

"I should get back. Bucky can't be alone for too long." Annie looks down at her watch and curses at how many hours had passed without her noticing.

“Shit I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have kept you here.”

“It’s fine, it's not your fault,” Steve reassures her and holds onto her hand until he clears his throat and she releases his hand.

He gets up and walks to the front door, and Annie follows him.

"Steve" He turns around to face her, and she walks over to him, grabbing both of his hands.

"This might be too forward, but I'm going to say it anyway. I have early classes which means that I'm usually done around 11 every day. That means that, if you and Bucky want it, I could come over and keep him company while you are at work. I spend that time doing my homework but I can do that anywhere, so I could easily do it over there instead. And who knows maybe get to know him." That took Steve by surprise.

"You would do that?"

Annie smiles and gives his hands a squeeze.

"Sure, I mean if it could help. I imagine it can't be easy knowing Bucky is alone all day if he hates it so much."

"It's not that he hates it really, it's more that it makes him panic and freak out that's the problem. I think he feels abandoned."

Annie nods and chews on the inside of her cheek.

"I can't imagine going through what he has, but I want to help if I can. I like you Steve, and I want to help if you will let me."

Steve's heart swells, and he feels whatever he feels about her grow stronger.

"That would be amazing Annie. Thank you. Is tomorrow too early?"

Annie lights up and shakes her head "Tomorrow is perfect."

"Great and uh thanks for listening," Steve tells her with sincerity lacing his words, and she grins at him.

"Anytime Steve. And thanks for fixing my radiator." He walks out of the door but she calls his name, and he turns to face her. She is standing in the doorway with a serious look on her face.

"Talk to him. Tell him how you feel Steve." And with that, she waves and closes the door.

Steve stands there dumbfounded for a few moments before gathering himself and walking home.

Next day:

“No way” Bucky growls, his shoulders tense.

“Come on Buck, this might be good for you, you know? Seeing other people, it might even be healthy for you.” Steve argues, but he keeps shaking his head.

“I'm not some kid that needs a babysitter Steve” He snaps at him, and Steve sighs, taking one step closer to him.

“I know Buck. That’s not what this is.”

“Oh yeah?” He challenges him taking a step back away from him.

Ouch, that stung a little.

“It’s not like that, Annie is being nice and offered to keep you company. She isn't here to babysit you. I know how much you hate being alone and this is a way to avoid that.”

Bucky shakes his head again like a stubborn kid making Steve sigh, he is tired of arguing and he has to leave for work.

“Well, too bad because she is coming over at 11:30 so you better behave.”

That gets Bucky’s attention, and he scowls at him.

“And I don't get a say in this?” Steve shakes his head.

“It kind of sounds like she is my babysitter then. Why are you doing this to me?” He complains sending him an angry and anxious look.

“Because it will be good for you to make some friends and Annie is very nice. You two will get along great Okay? Just please behave. And try not to scare her off” He says as he walks over to the door, Bucky still scowling pursing his lips.

“Buck” He looks over at him. “I’ll be back later okay, give her a chance and if it’s awful after a few days, I will drop it okay? Just please try.” Bucky takes a deep breath and nods.

BUCKY'S POV

At 11:36 he hears a careful knock on the door, and he stops in his tracks having paced back and forth all morning counting down the minutes until this very moment happened. The one that had made him feel even more anxious than he had in a long time.

He slowly approached the door with careful steps, unlocking it and opening it.

Annie stands on the other side a bright but kind of shy smile on her face.

“Hi, It’s Annie. Your neighbor” She says sounding nervous.

“I know” He responds but doesn't move.

“Can I come in?” She asks, and he opens the door fully letting her pass him.

He follows her taking her appearance in.

She was wearing flowy black floral pants, the pants leg wide and move with every step she took. She was wearing a black and shirt with a white collar tucked into the waistband above her belly. And black vans, her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She was carrying a yellow backpack, which she placed on the couch and stood there for a moment before she turned to face him.

“So, what do you like to do?” She asks him smiling at him. Bucky sighs internally and walks past her out into the balcony, leaving her in the living room confused and a little hurt.

ANNIE’S POV

It's been two hours since she arrived at Steve’s and Bucky’s place in the hopes of getting to know the supersoldier but so far he had ignored her every attempt, and she ended up walking inside leaving him alone on the balcony. He did not seem interested in talking to her and refused to answer her questions.

So here she was, alone on the couch working on an assignment trying to convince herself that he would warm up to her eventually although he made it very clear that she wasn't really wanted. Steve had given her his number and texted her a little while ago asking how it was going, she had to tell him that he was refusing to talk to her and he just replied with “Give him time, he wants this. He is just shy.”

She somehow doubted he wanted this at all, it felt more like Steve had forced him into his to please her and she felt kind of guilty.

She heard movement behind her and saw Bucky standing in the kitchen looking out of place and if possible, even more, uncomfortable than she felt. He had an angry little pout on his face, he looked kind of adorable actually, as he stood there with pursed lips, eyebrows scrunched into a frown and his feet kicking the ground. He looked more like a little kid than a dangerous assassin who could kill her at any minute. He looked so vulnerable that her heart clenched and she wondered who could ever want to hurt him.

He looked around, and his gaze fell on the fridge. Was he hungry? Could he not cook for himself? Steve hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Was she supposed to cook for him? I mean, she would gladly if it could make him like her.

“Hey, are you hungry?” She asks him, and his eyes meet her swiftly, before going back to the floor, he nodded gingerly, and she had to will her excited smile back.

“Do you want me to make you a sandwich? I’m very good at it.” Annie offers and Bucky nods again, and she gets up from the couch walking over to him in the kitchen.

“Okay then, let's see what we have” She looks inside and Steve has left a little note that said.

Annie, thanks for doing this again.

I usually make a BLT sandwich for Bucky, but I thought it might be an excellent way to bond if I didn't. You can find all the ingredients here, but a tip is to ask him what he wants and make him explain how he wants it. That can get him to talk to you if he is refusing, which he probably is if I know him. You can take anything you please, don't be shy to make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa as they say. There is also coffee in the cupboards, and pretty much anything else you could want. If something is missing tell me and I will buy it next time.

- Steve

She smiled at the note and wondered if Bucky had seen it, she doubted it, she had a feeling if he had it wouldn’t be there for her to find. She puts it in her pocket and turns to him.

“So what would you like to eat?” She asks him smiling sweetly at him, he sits down on a chair and seems to think for a moment.

“BLT sandwich,” He says simply. She nods and walks over to the cupboard finding at least five different kinds of bread and tons of other things, Steve wasn't kidding about the" we have everything you could possibly want."

She takes out all the types of bread placing it on the counter in front of him, Bucky looks at her confused.

“Choose one,” She tells him, and he frowns. He gestures to the whitest type there was with his head. Sneaky.

But she is determined to get him to talk to her, so she isn't planning on making this easy on him.

She removes the other types and looks for a cutting board and a knife. She was hoping Bucky would help her find things, but he merely watches her, his blue eyes burning into her skin.

“Do you want it toasted?” and then internally curses herself for asking him something where he could nod in response. Which he did.

“How many slices do you want?”

“Four” She then cuts four slices for him and two for her, when he looks at her in wonderment.

"I’m hungry too” she explains, and he nods once in response.

She goes to grab the other ingredients and gets another idea.

Turning to face him “Do you want low fat or normal mayo?”

“Normal,” he says. Annie puts the toast in the toaster and goes to grab the regular mayo. She grabs some bacon and prepares to fry it on the pan.

After all, the toast is made, and the bacon is cooked, she turns back to him and reaches for the lettuce and tomatoes.

"How would you like the lettuce cut?" She asks him, Bucky sighs and looks at her like she is a complete moron.

"Some people like whole leaves others cut into pieces, I'm just trying to make it how you like it" She explains ad he sighs.

"It's not rocket science. Just put it together for christ sake" He snaps at her, and she frowns.

"Well, you're welcome to make it yourself." she bites back harsher than she meant it and he cringes practically curling in on himself, and she feels guilty.

"I can't," He mumbles and storms off into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Annie sighs and leans her head on the countertop groaning loud.

"Great job Ann, just piss off the guy you're trying to get to know. Oh yeah, why don't you hit him as well? That will surely make him open up to you. Idiot." She mutters to herself as she continues making the sandwiches, hoping she can use them as a peace offering.

She very carefully knocks on his door, no response, she feels brave and opens it a little.

"Bucky? I uh brought your food and some water, can I come in?" Still no response. She sighs and pushes the door open further. He is sitting on the bed his back turned to her, shoulders slumped and head down. She places the plate and water bottle on a table and says.

"Bucky, I'm sorry for snapping at you. Please don't hate me. I just want to get to know you." He ignores her, and she takes that as a "leave me alone." So she walks out closing the door behind her.

After about an hour or so Bucky comes sneaking out of his room and stands in the kitchen again staring at her, she looks up and smiles at him. Hoping that he has forgiven her.

“You’re welcome to sit down if you want. We don't have to talk if you don't want to.” She tells him, and he shuffles over to the couch sitting in the opposite end still staring at her. She picks up her mug of coffee that she had made earlier and looks over at him.

“Do you want some? there is a fresh brew on the pot” She offers, and he shakes his head.

She thinks to herself for a moment trying to figure out what he could want. Then she remembers Steve mentioning that he likes to watch movies.

“Would you like to watch a movie?” His eyes light up a little, and he nods carefully. She smiles and turns on the tv looking for Netflix, but she can't find it.

“Do you guys not have Netflix?” Bucky looks at her like she had asked him whether he had eaten a puppy before. She grins and says “Let me teach you the world of streaming movies then.”

As she teaches him how to use their smart TV and signs in on her Netflix account, Bucky listens carefully and observes her. He seems very interested in it and even asks a few questions, he chooses a movie, and she continues working sometimes feeling his gaze on her but never looking up.

They spend the rest of the day like that until Steve comes home before she leaves Steve stops her to ask how it went.

“It went okay." She decided to leave out the yelling at him part for now.

"Although, He didn't seem to want my company at all Steve. Did you make him?” She asks him, and he looks a little guilty.

“Yes, but in my defense, this will be good for him. He wasn't exactly into the idea but I know he will be, he just needs a little time to warm up. Please don't give up on him”

Annie chews on her bottom lip “I don't know Steve. If he doesn't want me there, then I feel like I'm intruding.”

Steve puts both hands on her shoulder looking into her eyes intently.

“Trust me you aren't. If Bucky really didn't want you there, he would have scared you off by now. Bucky is a challenge, but he will warm up to you. Give him time” She sighs and nods.

“Thank you. This will be good for him plus I have a feeling that you two will get along well.” Annie smiles and tells him about the smart TV to which he grins.

“Also, doesn't he cook at all? I mean I don't mind making him a sandwich and such, but he seemed almost scared of the idea of cooking.” Steve frowns and scratches his chin.

“Well, he used to. But he uh, has had too many nightmares about accidentally hurting me or others so now he refuses to hold any knives or anything dangerous.” Steve explains making Annie’s heart sink.

That man really is a broken one, she just hopes that she can help him in any way.

“That explains it. Crap, I might have snapped at him, god, now I feel bad."

"Don't. He is fine, don't worry about it. He deserves to be told to behave." Steve reassures her, and she chuckles.

"Yeah well, he was rude."

"I bet."

A week later:

BUCKY’S POV

He watches the brown-haired girl sitting behind a laptop with a frown on her face as her fingers move around on the keyboard. She makes occasional little huffs and grunts, but otherwise, she is silent. He noticed that she had given up trying to get him to talk after a few days and he couldn’t figure out whether he was grateful or disappointed with that.

He also noticed that today she had forgotten to make herself her usual coffee, which was unlike her. He had spent the whole week she had come over to keep him company observing her carefully, and she always made coffee. He had watched her so closely that he knew exactly how she liked it and for some reason, he found himself in the kitchen trying to figure out how to use the coffee maker. Annie didn't seem to notice his presence being so caught up in her own little bubble.

The coffee brews and he finds the mug she usually uses, he sees the milk she likes and puts it all on the counter waiting for the coffee to be made.

He had done it exactly as he had seen her do it and hoped that it was correct.

A few minutes later and the brew is done. Bucky pours it into the cup filling it a little over halfway, he then grabs a spoon finds the sugar and puts two spoonfuls into the brew before stirring it for about 30 seconds. He then adds the low-fat milk filling it almost to the brim but leaving enough space for it not to spill when he carries it. He then takes a deep breath and makes his way over to the couch carrying the mug as if its the most precious object to him. Annie looks up at him and smiles softly at him as he approaches her, he feels the butterflies in his stomach but ignores it.

Bucky tries to hand her the mug but she doesn't take it, she simply stares at him in confusion. She looks from him to the cup a small frown on her face.

Bucky sighs and tries again, this time more insisting and she understands now. "Is that for me?" He nods, and her whole face lights up in the most endearing smile he has ever seen. She grabs the cup from him and takes a sip before humming in delight. "It tastes fantastic and exactly how I like it. Thank you Bucky, that's really sweet of you." She beams at him, and he feels proud.

"How did you know I like my coffee that way?" She asks him, and he shrugs, he didn't know how to answer that.

"Well thank you. Would you like to watch a movie? You can choose" She offers, and he nods before sitting down on the couch.

Hours passed and a few movies later.

Bucky had been so caught up in the film that he hadn't noticed that she had fallen asleep until he heard soft snores coming from her. He grabs a blanket and covers her sleeping form with it he found himself feeling kind of protective of her. He watches her for a little while until he decides to go to his room he didn't want to wake her.

Way later than what he had planned Steve finally arrives home, he walks in to find Annie asleep on the couch and Bucky nowhere to be seen. That explains why she hadn't replied to his texts telling her that he had to work overtime. He decided not to wake her since she looked so peaceful, so he walks into his room instead. Passing Bucky's door on the way and hearing his snores from the other side he walks into his room and goes to bed.

Waking up covered in sweat and his mind disoriented he jumps out of bed breathing heavily. He takes a deep breath and walks out into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. The man in the mirror staring back at him looks familiar but also like a stranger.

His eyes wild and wide, hair soaked in sweat and sticking to his face. His mind is racing, and he needs some fresh air.

He walks out into the living room and finds Annie still sleeping peacefully on the couch, he stops in his tracks and instead of stepping out into the balcony, he sits down on the couch.

He observes her, her curly locks spread in a crazy mess around her head. Eyes closed displaying her long eyelashes, her mouth is slightly open as soft little snores leave her lips.

Bucky finds himself relaxing as he looks at her his racing thoughts being overpowered with a sense of calm and his racing heart slowing down to a steady rhythm.

This was new; he never felt anything like that from just watching someone. It was as if everything about Annie soothed his whole being. Slowly but surely started to heal his broken mind and soothing his soul. He stayed like that all night until morning came and he turned on the TV knowing his favorite program was about to start.

ANNIE'S POV

She wakes up to the sound of people talking which confused her immensely. She opened her eyes and was met with a view she did not expect, she was still at Bucky's and Steve's place. She must have fallen asleep, and they hadn't woken her up for some reason. She looks to her left and sees Bucky sitting on the couch all wrapped in a blanket, his hair is a mess, and he looks very adorable and relaxed. She hasn't seen him like that before, and it warms her heart. He is watching something on TV, a cooking program. He seems completely engrossed in it and hasn't noticed her being awake just yet.

He huffs and frowns as he watches the people running around on the screen.

Suddenly he exclaims, rather loudly. "God Damn Jackie, just put the goddamn eggs inside, you jerk can't you see you're running out of time!" making Annie giggle at his expression. His head jerks to the side as he stares with wide eyes at her. She sits up, and he looks to be freaking out, his cheeks have turned pink, and he looks so bewildered and adorable that she can't help but giggle and smile at him.

He panics and is about to stand up when she reaches over and places her hand on his metal hand, he freezes and stares at her with even wider eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Please don't leave." She begs him, and he seems to contemplate it for a moment before settling back down on the couch. Annie smiles and makes herself comfortable as they watch the cooking show side by side in silence.

Fin x

Next chapter...

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49 notes · View notes

hasufin · 5 years

Text

On refrigerators

Our refrigerator is dying. We had a guy recharge the freon in it last month, because it was just not keeping cool. And suddenly it worked again!

Which meant eventually it is going Not Work. Modern refrigerators are closed systems and sealed units. They are meant to never need their refrigerant recharged - if they need it, that means there’s a leak. And being a sealed unit, that leak is not fixable. The repair guy said it might last a day, or it might last two years.

Seeing as the thermometer on it is slowly creeping up, I’m guessing we’ve got maybe three months before it’s once again essentially nonfunctional.

Now, also: I hate this refrigerator. It’s a side-by-side, the refrigerator is one side, the freezer is the other side, and if you want to put a big platter in it well you’re screwed. It also has in-door ice and water dispensers. I thought those were sooooo cool when I was seven, but since then I’ve realized they take up a lot of useful space for a thing you don’t use that often, and the filters are hella expensive (you do replace the filter, right? Right?). This refrigerator is exactly NOT what I would have bought.

Because of the layout of the kitchen, we have certain limitations. The space is as tall and wide as the biggest residential refrigerators... but there’s a cabinet where the door would open. To avoid that, we can only have a French door or a side-by-side. Did I mention I hate side-by-sides?

Thus. We’re looking for a refrigerator which: - Is as wide as we can use (36″)

- Is as tall as we can use (~70″)

- Standard, not counter, depth (counter depth is apparently a thing now. Pretty but you lose a lot of space)

- French door

- She wants a double-door freezer, but there are maybe three of those on the market and they all suck for other reasons. Sadly, it’s a new deal and maybe in another year but not now.

- Does not have an in-door ice or water dispenser

- Does not have any other expensive features which will break later. I mean, seriously, Internet connection? Knock to make the door transparent? We want a box that keeps our food cold.

Turns out, that’s a tall order. EVERYTHING needs to have so very many bells and whistles, or else it’s the bog-standard “freezer on top, refrigerator on bottom, single door for each” type.

But, being so particular, it should be easy to pin down what we want, right?

HahahahahahaNo.

There’s apparently a norm with kitchen appliances, that every variation is a different model. Stainless steel? That’s a unique model number. Fingerprint-free Stainless steel? That’s a different model from just stainless steel. In-door dispensers? Unique models for stainless steel and fingerprint-free stainless. Oh, and also for white, black, bronze, etc. There are dozens of unique models which are all just variations on the same thing. Makes keeping track super annoying.

But the big issue is how hard it is to find a simple box that keeps food cold.

I swear, when we remodel the kitchen, I’m gonna get a small business license and buy commercial hardware.

2 notes · View notes

lost-your-memory · 6 years

Note

Hey boo! How about 61 for Supercat NC x

Sooooo … you guys remember the sexy librarian!cat prompt I wrote for @racheltuckerrr? Here’s what you can read as a follow-up piece. It isn’t quite a highschool AU but well … close enough I guess!

61. “Hey, have you seen the..? Oh.”

It was raining in that soft and gentle way only summer days could pull off. As the long and thin drops of water fell straight from the thick, sombre sky, it created a dark curtain over the world, blurring the grey buildings of the campus, soiling the dust of the paths to turn it into mud and bending the vegetation into an odd angle, making the leaves and the grass bow to the weight of it all. The air smelled that distinct scent of a summer storm day, a mixture of wet dust, bloomed flowers and the earthy, yet metallic, smell of the rain.

Kara liked this typical August weather, with the way the world seemed to become almost poetic and nostalgic at once. She liked the faint glow of the rain under the rather dim daylight, the regular splashing sound of the drops in the puddles, the intense green of the grass and tree leaves and she especially loved how soothing it was, after the suffocating heat wave that had crushed the world for the past three weeks.

“Earth to Kara, are you listening to me?”

Her sister’s voice suddenly broke through her reverie, abruptly bringing her back to reality. She blinked a few times before remembering she was in the middle of a phone call with Alex, who sounded a little annoyed now.

“Sorry, I was watching the rain and I got lost in my thoughts, you were saying?” Kara apologized, making sure to sound sheepish enough to soften her sister.

“Wait, it’s raining in Midvale? You have got to be kidding me!” Alex exclaimed, loud enough to make Kara wince and pull out one of her earbuds, in a vain attempt to lower the impact of her sister’s voice volume on her ears.

“What? Why, why are you yelling?” Kara groaned, tentatively putting the earbud back but keeping her hand up just in case.

“We’re on week four of the heat wave here in Metropolis, with no storm in sight for another four days …” Alex whined, sounding dejected indeed. Kara could only sympathize. She was a superpowered alien with an enhanced metabolism and no sensitivity to most human temperatures but even for her, the intensity of the sun’s rays during the last few weeks had been a little too much.

“Sorry sis’, but yes it’s raining here. The storm has been gathering above town for the past two days, with low and dark grey clouds hanging around, but it only burst today, around noon …”

“Urgh, this is so unfair. Wait,” Alex suddenly asked, making Kara wince but not because of the volume this time. She knew what her sister was about to ask but she didn’t think of a plausible answer beforehand. “Are you on your way to the library again? In the middle of summer break?”

“Uh, well, you know … I’ve been meaning to … I mean … French books, I’ve run out of them …” Kara stammered, wincing even more as she realized how terrible this sounded. She cursed her inability to lie, and not for the first time since she landed on Earth.

“French books, riiight,” Alex sassed and Kara could basically hear the smirk in her sister’s voice. “Nothing to do with the librarian then?”

“Well, uh, no, I mean …” Kara let out a frustrated huff before taking a deep breath. “I mean, I’m sure she’ll be there, of course. She’s the librarian and I am going to the library.”

“I feel like I should mention there is a perfectly well-furnished public library next to city hall …” Alex started, clearly amused. Kara swallowed and tried to think of an excuse but before she could speak, Alex sighed. “But don’t worry, I get why you would prefer the campus one.”

“Uh? You do?”

“Oh, Kara. I think every student who went to the Midvale High School developed a crush on Miss Grant, at some point. I know I did,” Alex chuckled but Kara didn’t. The realization that her sister had a point darkened her mood and made her feel a little heartbroken, even though she didn’t exactly understand why.

“Anyway, I should get back to work, and you need to go take care of that crush of yours,” Alex added, with another sigh that betrayed how unhappy she was at the thought of returning to her lab.

“Urgh, shut up. You’re the worst,” Kara groaned but she then smiled. She had missed Alex, ever since the older Danvers went to Metropolis to work for LuthorCorp. “Say hi to Lena for me and call Mom sometime soon, she’s been asking about you lately.”

“Yeah, yeah I will. Lena says hi back, she’s sprawled on the couch in the break room at the moment,” Alex replied and Kara heard a muffled voice speak behind her sister. “She says you should come visit for a few days.”

Kara considered the offer for a few seconds before nodding to herself. She’d been a little lost, without her sister and her best friend, lately. It might actually be a good idea to go pay them a visit and she might even jump on the opportunity to see her cousin while staying in Metropolis.

“Actually, that’s a good idea. Maybe I will, when summer ends,” Kara replied and she heard Lena’s excited squeal of joy, as well as her sister’s enthusiastic ‘awesome!’. She smiled and looked at the time on her phone, spread in big, bold numbers at the bottom of the screen.

“Guys, I gotta go, the library is going to close in about an hour and I really want to get that Fred Vargas book.”

“Sure you do, sweetie,” Lena said, her voice low and raspy despite the amused edge in it. Kara guessed Alex must have put her on speaker. “Say hi to the queen of the library for me and I guess I’ll see you soon then!”

“See you soon Lena. Bye Alex, I love you!” Kara added before punching the red button on her phone, hanging up with a relieved sigh. She removed her headphones and put them away in the inside pocket of her raincoat, along with her cellphone and her library card.

Midvale High School was a rather pretty and well-built campus, for such a small town.

It had the merit of hosting students of all the little towns in the area and as such, it had several buildings in which classes were dispensed, a small but cosy auditorium, a nice sports complex with a swimming pool, two fields for the Lacrosse and Football teams and an athletic ring. The best part of the whole campus, however, was the library.

It wasn’t exactly well-located, for the building was at the very end of the campus, well after the sports complex and far removed from the buildings where classes happened, but it was bordered with well-maintained paved paths with benches on either side, and the many trees around the edifice and the little stone-roads provided an odd kind of intimacy, making the landscape look like something straight out of a fairytale.

The building itself wasn’t remotely the kind that evoked Snow White’s little cottage; however. It was a very well-thought-out blending of old and new material, with a rather modern look that still didn’t seem too out of place in such a natural setting. It was a two-floor edifice. The first part, made of the entrance porch, stayed on the ground floor but a little further on, the second floor went up. The frontage was made of clear red brick but the industrial style was broken by a good number of high-windows with a dark grey-steel frames, placed at a meticulously regular intervals from each other. Kara loved that building, despite having secretly wished it could look more like the Oxford library for all of her time in high school. It had been her refuge for a long, long time, when the drama of a student life had been too much, when her senses had been overloaded with talk of sex, of parties and drugs even, when she’d experienced her first heartbreak because Imra told her she was in love with a douchebag and not with her.

She pushed one of the double entrance doors and ventured toward the reception area, after having swiped her feet on the rug to avoid dragging too much dirt on the marble floor. The front desk was empty and clear of any books, which made Kara feel a little guilty when she pulled off her backpack to retrieve four of them. She gently placed them on the spot reserved for returns and walked further into the building.At some point, the marble floor disappeared, replaced by a dark but warm hardwood floor that contemplated the lines and lines of bookshelves coursing through the whole length of the building. From time to time, the regularity of said bookshelves was broken to show either a lounge space, with leather couches, armchairs, coffee tables, nightstand and lamps or a study space, with long wooden tables, matching chairs and working lamps.

The dim daylight outside wasn’t nearly bright enough, and to remedy it, the whole library was also lit up by spotlights strategically placed in the ceiling and along higher shelves. Still, it was rather dark in here, and Kara liked it that way.

She knew the layout of the place by heart and she instinctively moved through the English literature aisle to get to the French one. She hadn’t lied to Alex, she truly wanted to find the next adventure of the French cop she has become hooked on, a saga she had discovered during her last trip to France.

She was so engrossed in her search for the right book that she didn’t fully process the noise in the background, a quick heartbeat paired with high heels clicking on the floor, all coming her way. Worse, she took it for granted.

“Hey, have you seen the …” Kara asked, absentmindedly, before looking to her side and trailing off, with only one sound escaping her lips. “Oh.”

Cat Grant was even more stunning than in her memories, and God knew she had a lot of them. Like the burning image of the librarian standing atop a classical wooden ladder, in a pencil skirt and a white fitted shirt, which was still firmly implanted in Kara’s mind and often resurfaced at random moments of the day and the night.

Today, however, it was a whole other kind of fantasy, for Cat Grant truly was a vision. She was draped in a sleeveless black dress, the kind made for cocktail parties or charity galas, and the soft fabric hugged the librarian’s silhouette in such an indecent way, Kara’s mouth went dry. A pair of classic Louboutins topped the whole outfit off, black as well but with a hint of the signature daring red underneath.Cat had aged a little since Kara was a student here, and the recent crinkles of time around the sparkling hazel eyes gave the woman a healthy glow. Her hair, still as blonde and silky looking as in Kara’s memory, was longer now, practically brushing the shoulders despite the natural waves and tiny little curls showing here and there.

“Miss Danvers, fancy seeing you here,” Cat said, the shadow of a smirk tugging at the corner of her red painted lips. Kara absentmindedly noticed it was the exact same shade as the one from underneath the shoes. “I wonder why, though, since you are now a renowned author yourself … I think your books are somewhere on the shelves of the historical fiction aisle. So tell me, are you walking down memory lane?”

There was a teasing edge in the woman’s voice that made Kara’s knees feel a little weak. She’d been dreaming of Cat for a long time, despite the fact she was now twenty-six years old and had left high school behind ten years ago, a little before she turned seventeen. The woman had left an imprint on her, without Kara ever being able to understand why. She only knew it ran deeper than a simple crush and no matter how much she had tried to move on, everything always brought her back to the Midvale High School Library and the woman who ruled it like an empire.

“Actually, I only wanted the next book of the Adamsberg adventures …” Kara managed to say, her voice sounding strange to her own ears. How was she even able to speak was beyond her and she swallowed, thickly, against the lump of anticipation lodged in her throat.

Cat arched a brow but didn’t say anything. If she was surprised or disappointed by the weak comeback, nothing transpired as she only took a few steps closer, making Kara’s breathing hitch and her heart race. When the librarian reached a hand to her face, Kara thought it was a dream and she held her breath.Only, Cat’s fingers, long and deft, like the ones of a pianist, slid past her left cheek and then Cat moved even closer, almost touching Kara’s body with hers. She smelled like pine wood, dusty old books and a hint of something spicy, heady and strong. Kara’s senses, already enhanced because of her superpowers, were overloaded and she felt like she was when she had a hangover, head dizzy and swimming, unable to focus on anything else but Cat.

Eventually, Cat took a step back and brought back her hand in front of Kara, with a book in between her fingers. Kara instantly recognized the black and white cover, a chiaroscuro picture of a forest with a boar going down a barely visible path.

“How did you …” Kara swallowed, her heart still beating too hard in her chest and drumming like a tambourine in her ears. She still felt disappointed that nothing happened. “I mean, thank you… How did you know I wanted this book and not the new one?”

Cat’s smile was amused when she answered. “I read the latest interview you gave to the Planet, where you explained you were slowly catching up on the saga. Now, the exclusive was from January and you were still reading ‘L’armée furieuse’ … I figured since it’s August, you couldn’t be so up to date as to want ‘Quand sort la recluse’ … Which means you wanted ‘Temps Glaciaire’.”

Her French accent, when she enumerated the titles, was perfect and Kara internally swooned a little, before realizing something.

“You read my interview?” she asked, trying not to let it go to her head and failing already.

“Oh yes, I’ve been following your rise with attention, ever since you first got published at the tender age of eighteen,” Cat nodded, her smirk morphing into a genuine and somehow proud smile.

Kara blushed and to avoid being too awkward, she gently took the book that was being handed to her. Her fingers inadvertently brushed Cat’s when she did so and she blinked a few times before looking down at her feet, trying to recompose herself. It took a few seconds before she could find the courage to meet Cat’s eyes again.

“Oh, uh. Thank you. You … hm you look beautiful, by the way,” Kara let out in one single breath that left her panting a little. She thought she heard Cat’s heartbeat quicken but it might have been just hers, given how loudly her own heart was racing again.

“Why thank you, I am on my way to a play and I thought I would close early today …” Cat said with a pleased smile, still staring right into Kara’s eyes. The younger Danvers had a little experience with plays and she knew one wasn’t going to the theatre without being accompanied, especially not dressed in such a beautiful dress as Cat’s.

“Well, your date is one lucky person,” Kara stated, ignoring the way her heart dropped in her shoes as she managed the words out. She should have known someone like Cat Grant wouldn’t be single but still, the brutal realization was painful.

“I’m not sure he agrees, seeing as my date is my fifteen-year-old son, who begged me to go see this Moliere modern mise en scène,” Cat replied, a hint of amusement lining her voice and Kara’s heart suddenly returned to its rightful place, instantly resuming its fanfare even louder than before.

“Oh, you guys are going to see ‘Le malade imaginaire’?” Kara asked, remembering her mother saying something about the play and how it was surprising that such a prestigious troupe would play in Midvale.

“We are indeed! Have you seen it?” Cat asked, looking both surprised and curious.

“I haven’t, no, but I’ve heard a lot of very nice things about it,” Kara shook her head before realizing she was keeping Cat from leaving. “Oh Miss Grant, I am so sorry! I’ve been delaying you I’m so sorry. I’m on my way, so you can close after me if you want.”Kara pressed the book against her chest and crossed her arms over it, blushing again as she tried to walk around Cat’s silhouette to reach the exit. The bookshelves were rather close and two couldn’t walk side by side, which mean that when Kara tried to brush past Cat, she accidentally collided with the woman’s hip and nearly send her into the Fred Vargas book collection.

Thankfully, Kara had quick reflexes and super strength and in the blink of an eye, she dropped the book and reached both hands to close her fingers around Cat’s waist, pulling the librarian closer without realizing it. It was only when the agitation settled down that she noticed she was pressed against Cat’s front, her head swimming with her heady perfume and her skin tingling from the warmth radiating from Cat’s body.

“I’m so sorry, I’m incredibly clumsy I’m sorry,” Kara rambled, another shade of red colouring her cheeks as she blushed, and tried to take a step back. To her surprise, Cat seemed to hold her in place for a split second, before letting go of her forearms.

“It’s quite alright,” Cat waved the apology off with a flourish of her wrist. ”The shelves are not spaced out like they should be, it’s pretty narrow in there. Thank you, for catching me before I could stumble into the wooden bookshelves, by the way. They tend to leave nasty bruises …”

Kara tried very hard not to think of another kind of bruise she wanted to leave on Cat’s skin as she carefully extricated herself from the narrow space, picking up the book and then striding towards the exit once she was free.Cat’s heels followed her and they met again by the front desk.“Here, give me the book, I’ll process it before closing,” Cat said in that authoritative tone that had lulled Kara all the way through high school. Kara did as she was asked and their fingers touched again during the exchange. This time, Kara’s ears did pick up on the quickening of Cat’s heartbeat, not confusing it with her own, and she wondered what had caused the sudden change.

Once the book was correctly registered under Kara’s name for the loan, Cat turned off the computer and punched a few buttons, closing the metallic curtains on every window and switching off the lights in the whole building, aside from the reception area.

“It’s raining even harder …” Cat noticed as they approached the front door. She grabbed her beige Trench coat and tried to wrestle with it while balancing with her purse, a few books and an umbrella as well.

“Here, let me help you,” Kara offered, having already put her own book away in her backpack. She gently took the coat and held it out for Cat to put it on, draping it properly on the shoulders and pulling the collar up.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet of you,” Cat said with a smile and Kara blushed again. “Would you like to accompany me to my car? You’ll enjoy the umbrella until then …”

Kara almost said no. She almost let it slip that she’d fly right back home, but she bit the inside of her cheek at the very last second, before nodding. “That would be very nice, yes. Thank you.”

Kara got out of the building first and waited under the large porch for Cat to close the doors and turn off the few remaining lights.

The rain was getting pretty heavy, having lost its previous charm since the day had started to fall to let the night take over. The few lampposts lighting the path towards the campus were glowing rather dimly, making the whole landscape appear almost sinister.

“Here we go,” Cat announced as she opened the umbrella. Kara gently took it and as much as she tried not to touch Cat, their fingers brushed again and she lingered, a few seconds longer than strictly necessary.

“I’m a little taller, it’s only fair I carry it,” Kara explained once she had placed the protection above their heads.

Cat nodded, before asking “Shall we?”

Kara smiled and stepped out from under the porch. Cat followed instantly, staying very close to Kara to avoid being drenched by the unforgiving rain. They made their way across the whole park, along the sports complex and in between the buildings before finally reaching the parking lot.

Cat guided Kara towards a night-blue BMW car, a small urban SUV that seemed a little too big for her. Kara would have guessed a sports car, something a little fast but nowhere that close to a soccer mom car. Then again, Cat did have a teenager son.

“Thank you, for walking with me,” Cat said as she unlocked her car, the flashing of the warning lights piercing the relative shadows of their surroundings.

“Sure, no problem,” Kara replied with a smile and she opened the door for Cat to slide in behind the wheel.

“Would you … “ Cat paused and Kara tilted her head, slightly startled by the fast heartbeat that was echoing from the woman’s chest. “Would you like to come to the Lacrosse match, next weekend? My son has been bugging me to get an extra place for his friend Jason but the young man broke his arms two days ago, while doing something reckless, and he is grounded for a few weeks.”

Kara frowned and mentally went through her program for the next few days. She didn’t have anything planned, other than spend some time with her mother and do some writing. She still didn’t want to sound too eager so she took an extra few seconds to think, before smiling.“I would love to, yes. Who’s playing?”

Cat’s smile was wide and joyful and Kara forgot about her question, staring abashedly into a pair of hazel green eyes that sparkled intensely, despite the almost non-existent light.

“I think it’s Midvale against some nearby town, I’ll have to check. I’ve never been a huge fan of the sport, I must confess …” Cat explained and she was still smiling, so Kara didn’t quite catch the answer. When the silence lasted long enough for Kara to realize she should say something, she blinked a few times and mentally racked her brain for a comeback.

“I am. A fan, I mean. I miss playing, sometimes. Anyway, I’d be happy to come, yes,” Kara finally blurted, a little too fast. Cat didn’t seem to mind though, she looked surprised instead.

“You played?”

“Whoa, you really didn’t pay any attention to the high school sport events, over the years … I was captain of the Lacrosse team for three years in a row and we won like, 95% of the games, yes,” Kara laughed and then winked at Cat, in a bold move she almost instantly regretted. Almost, because she heard Cat’s heart jump and then race, betraying the impact Kara’s gesture had on her.

“I never really cared, no. A mistake, I realize that now,” Cat nodded, before checking the time on the dashboard of her car. “I’m sorry Kara, I should get going. I have to pick up Carter before we head out to the theater … Here.”Cat pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and then rummaged around to find a pen. Once she had one, she scribbled down a series of numbers and handed the paper to Kara.

“That’s my number, send me a text so I can have yours and I’ll text you the details of Saturday’s game. It starts at 7pm, in the campus’s stadium …” Cat explained and it seemed as if she didn’t want to leave, for a few seconds. The way her blonde waves gently fell around her features made her look like an angel, and under the lights of her car, turned on to allow her to write her number, she was more beautiful than ever.

“Thank you, Miss Grant. Have a nice evening with your son, I hope the play lives up to the reviews I’ve read,” Kara offered, folding the umbrella and placing it on the backseat of the car before closing all the doors. She took a few steps back and watched as Cat maneuvered a U-turn. After one last wave, the librarian was gone and Kara watched the tail lights drive away and then disappear.

Kara stood there with a stupid smile across her lips, despite the fact she was standing in the pouring rain. She only had one thought, circling over and over in her mind.Oh gosh, I’m in love.

#Supercat #Kara x Cat #sexy librarian!Cat #HighSchool AU #sort of #supercat ficlet #supercat fanfic #supercat fic #Cat Grant #Kara Danvers #Alex Danvers #Supercat AU #I had so much fun writing this #and look it's totally angst free #can you believe it?#NASCAR anon #thank you NC #Anonymous #sentences prompt

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mc-rupige · 3 years

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So i will overshare about my mess of survival world because i have so much mental energy and need a way to throw it away (it doesn't make much sense as express but i can't think to the word i needed)

Anyway :

I have this world since i think February but anyway i decided to play in it hoping to be my longest played world (it is)

i created a new world wanting to have a village near so i don't have to leave spawn when creating my base (.fun fact about it i spawned in the middle of a village but i didi it in 1.16 and re-creating the world in 1 17 give me a different village layout! (didn't think about that and honestly it wouldn't have change that much probably but the generation was kinda cuter))

I wanted to create a home for every village occupation but can't do it in a way that i like so i constructed something like a dozen of prototype of villager houses. The last is the where a few lives (i have gone near having 0 villager so much times I'm jot even sure if i have an original villager from this village) and a few live near my spider spawn... Oh don't worry i will talk about it

Anyway i have 0 knowledge of Redstone the only Redstone automatic thing i have are a pretty pathetic bamboo and sugar cane (i have a non automatic sugar cane farm i get 3 times more harvesting it manually also i really like sugar can farm for some reason) taken by a video tutorial and MY OWN try to to entity craming(?) of chickens... (I did while in online class it's so fucking simple but it had taken me like 1 hour and half to finish it) and i tried to create a super smelter or at least an automatic thing for ores (?)

but GUESS WHAT.. you probably couldn't guess so I'm jyat gonna say it but before i need to talk about the spider spawner

Sooooo basically my spawn is also over a big ass mine qnd it's was so cool because i really like explore them. Anyway i destroyed every near spawner luckily i found 3 (now 2) cave spawner just a bit more far. There is a weird tunnel that i use almost no more because i have elytra(?) anyway i tried to watch like 3 videos and didn't understand it how to do it. I died so many fucking time and dig out an area 2 times bigger than needed. After understanding that i finally did it! And it works! (so proud for that). Anyway part of what i didn't end up using i transformed in another room (aka the smelter room) but i haven't finished in months because 1 i wasn't home 2 i really love using the new blocks and because thia world was created in 1.16 i had ti travel distances to find blocks. Today/yesterday i finally decided to do it AND a creeper exploded and had to adjust the size of the room because the spawner is under the sea and water start to go in the room. So i decided to change completely the design of the roonm (and also the spider spawner because i wanted them to be cool together). And while trying in creative witch light would go better in the room i decided it was time to drain the monument.

Anyway let's go a bit back because i haven't talked about my home. So i changed home at least 6 time. I started by using a old villager house as base then decided to change every block of the house to be more edgy (fun fact was building this version when bad first talked about the starset stream). Then while foolish workerd on tubbo and ranboo house i tried to do a similar thing (unfortunately it was horrible) i decided to transform that in the villager house (other fun fact the big house at the time of the villager was then destroyed and i was listening to sam qna about c!sam!) and create a stone house. But felt too bland so i recreated it but with jungle wood creating a small addiction just below for storages... Then that became more of my house that the one over. Also THE UPDATE so i decided to scratch all of that CREATE A BIGGER AND COOLER HOUSE WITH ALL NEW MATERIALS... it's pretty much empty because i took too much time building it i decide to make the first below as a cute room to sleep and under this i have 2 other spaces for storage..

Then not mucj that i remember in this moment. A few buildings that don't seems to much, an abandoned enchanting space (really proud of it when i built that) when i created the spawner space horrible nether because i don't care that much about a PLACE THAT KILLED ME AND MY ARMOUR AND MY TOOLS AND LIKE 4 SHULKER(?) BOX....

Oh yeah in this world i lost 2 full set of max out tools and armor 3 set of enchanted diamond armor, 1 elytra and like probably near 15 shulker box because i tend to misplace and/ or die with shulker in my inventory. Lost 2 skull skeleton nether

Honestly i wish i had documented all of this... I can try search for some screenshot maybe.... I WILL TRY.. Maybe later because it's ALREADY 4 AK WTF WTF AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ahahahha at least I'm much calmer now also sorry for any mistakes i legit spelled my own nick wrong juat a second ago I'm too tired to care 👍 myself fron later will probably so... Hey future me

#Long post #Rupigeinmc #tw caps #Anyway chaos #Love y'all going to bed... Maybe.

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missguomeiyun · 4 years

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☕ in Korea #18 - Cafe Antoinette

For my few days on Jeju Island, my home base (hotel) was in Jeju City, which is located on the northern coast of the island. The make-up of the island is quite easy to understand; Hallasan Mountain, a shield volcano, is located in the center of Jeju Island & basically, the elevation flattens outward to the edges of the island. Osulloc Tea Museum I had visited the day before is like middle-ish. The places I’m taking you tomorrow #19 & #20 are located on the southern coast, ie: on the opposite side of the Island as Jeju City.

Cafe Antoinette is located in Jeju City, with close proximity to Black Pork Street & in fact, 2 streets behind the cafe is the coast.

Exterior. It was sooooo bright & blinding that day that I didn’t realize till I was reviewing photos that I had left out the “C” in coffee :(

Entrance.

To the left. The cafe wasn’t very deep, but it was very wide. The entrance was approximately in the middle.

They have a long table of pastries (with tongs & trays available), as well as fancy pre-packaged goods like these.

The furniture on this side of the cafe seemed very European boutique-ish. Due to its large area, without the baked products, I would’ve thought it was a furniture store, tbh. Just like the layout of it furniture too; they had some tables/chairs, & also couches.

Along-window seating. The mix-match of the chairs felt weird =/ but it worked!

Now let’s head to the ‘right’ of the cafe (view from entrance after you step in).

Waiting in line to order. Here’s the view of the center section of the cafe. They have a handful of large group tables, or if you want, you can spread your stuff out & do some studying here / work on projects here. It felt very school-like. The set-up of the tables & the type of chairs that they had reminded me of my university days - the cafeteria of one of the buildings I had classes in looked like this, but bigger.

Their counter.

Cool apparatuses.

Menu.

This is what I came for! Have coffee & chill with Marie haha the entire “wall” of the right section was actually an area of beanbag / floor / no-shoes seating. It was like a mini version of the Dirty Trunk stair-seating [if you haven’t read that post yet, here is the link! https://missguomeiyun.tumblr.com/post/189537551521/in-korea-7-dirty-trunk]

Selected a spot & got my drink. I ordered one of their new menu items: the brown sugar latte.

I didn’t realize you had to stir/mix it at first so I took a big slurp (bcos it was so hot that day!) & it was soooooo sweet lol. Notice the layer of the brown sugar at the bottom of the cup. Anyway, I stirred it & took another slurp. Ahhhhh so satisfying. The brown sugar flavoured reminded me of brown sugar milk tea. Sadly, I am not a fan of the brown sugar hype in bubbleteas bcos I find them too sweet for me. As such, I hesitated when I ordered this latte. ..

However, they’ve proven me wrong! The coffee flavour was so strong! Well, not soooo strong. There was a high proportion of milk/cream content but the drink was very balanced & ended up not being too sweet for me. Highly recommend it! You won’t feel like you’re drinking syrup :P

I chilled here for a bit, taking advantage of the time & recharging my electronic devices. This was my view. You can see the entire coffeeshop from one end to the other. The floor above has a store called Butter.

After I finished my drink, I went upstairs. This library section is an extension of Cafe Antoinette. You’re free to take your drinks up here & pick a book to read (can’t take it with you, though!). This is a silent floor/area so would not recommend if you’re with a group.

The back is Butter; it is essentially a fancier Daiso / Miniso type of store. I went & walked around a bit but was told I wasn’t allowed to take photos. In any case, they have some cute things that are worth checking out if you’re ever here. Like I said, they’re like Daiso / Miniso (have stationary, home things, small selection of toys, etc) but their price points are higher.

Had a lovely time here~

#blogmas #korea #jeju #jeju island #jeju city #cafe #coffee #coffeeshop #brown sugar latte #cafe antoinette #coffee lover #i need coffee #coffee in korea #love

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blackforestbasilisks · 5 years

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This tag was originally created by Jenn @ Jenniely. I was tagged by Keikii at Keikii Eats Books and figured I’d participate with a post of my own. I’m a sweater person in every weather, since I am secretly a lizard person who is incapable of generating my own body heat. Other people without this deficiency seem to have some fairly radical ideas about how high the air conditioner should be turned up during summer, so I’m all about sweaters and cardigans year round.

HOT CHOCOLATE – WHAT IS YOUR COMFORT BOOK?

I adore comfy slice of life style books when I’m looking for a pick-me-up. Sourdough by Robin Sloan is a particular favorite – it’s just so ridiculously optimistic and pleasant to read! I may or may not have a sourdough kit at home waiting to be started so I can bake my own from scratch bread… though hopefully mine is a bit less temperamental than Lois’ persnickety little starter.

Although it’s heartbreaking, I think The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes also deserves a mention here. It’s about a stuffed triceratops detective in the Stillreal, where imaginary friends who are still real exist. It’s tragic, but it’s so wholesome to see everyone truly trying to do their very best by one another. It’s so very kind in the face of fear and pain.

PUMPKIN CARVING – WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE OUTLET?

Outside of blogging, I really enjoy creating pixel art! It’s a hobby I don’t have quite as much time for as I’d like, but here are a few examples of my art. A few are still WIPs, but I figure that okay for this post 🙂

FALLING LEAVES – CHANGES THAT APPEAR BAD BUT YOU SECRETLY LOVE?

Probably new reddit. Although I detest most of new reddit’s layout, I adore the fact that I can now copy-paste formatting in to a text post. It has made cross-posting reviews to r/Fantasy sooooo much easier. I still use old reddit for my normal browsing, however.

PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE – SOMETHING YOU LOVE THAT OTHERS TEND TO JUDGE

Not so much my immediate friend group, but I’ve definitely seen judgement elsewhere towards playing video games – especially the type that I tend to love. I simply adore Stardew Valley, but some folks in the broader world view it as a time waster. Too bad, since I’m gonna grow by turnips with or without their approval!

BONFIRE NIGHT – WHAT MAKES YOU EXPLODE WITH JOY?

I work as a project manager in the audio visual industry. There is absolutely nothing better than a project that pulls together exactly the way it should, with everyone working together to integrate it without a hitch!

FRIGHT NIGHT – FAVORITE SCARY BOOK OR FILM

I’ve already been gushing about it elsewhere, but I looooooved A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs. It’s frankly incredible. It’s eery, unsettling, and utterly seamless. I was filled with revulsion, yet I couldn’t look away. Highly, highly recommended.

HALLOWEEN CANDY – FAVORITE THING TO EAT

Favorite Halloween Candy: Werther’s Original Hard Caramels. They’re so good, guys. I know they’re the quintessential “grandma candy” but by god do I channel my inner grandma when I eat them.

If we’re just talking food in general, I think I’d have to go with a perfectly seared lamb chop.

SCARVES – YOUR AUTUMN ‘MUST HAVE’ ACCESSORY

Uh. Well, this one is easy, and appropriate to the section title – it’s literally just scarves. I love scarves. They are wonderful.

FIRE – A BOOK OR FILM THAT BURNS YOUR SOUL

Perhaps a cliche answer, but Grave of the Fireflies is a film that will always destroy me. It’s so tragic and horrible. The characters face everything with so much optimism, yet they’re crushed down again and again by the oppressive war machine.

On the books side, I’d have to go with The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It burns, but in a wonderful way. It broke me, but it also picked up the pieces and patched me together again by the end.

TOFFEE APPLES – A BOOK OR FILM THAT SEEMS ONE THING BUT REALLY HAS A DIFFERENT INSIDE

Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe is one hell of a ride. For the first half, I was convinced I was reading a typical space opera. By the time the second half rolled around, I was in full on holy shit I did not expect that mode. To say more would spoil, but yes, excellent book.

I TAG:

Timy @ RockStarlit Book Asylum

Kristen @ superstardrifter

Beth @ BeforeWeGoBlog

And anyone else who would like to join in!

Autumn Tag: Sweater Weather is Every Weather When Your Office Loves to Turn Up the AC... #bookblogger This tag was originally created by Jenn @ Jenniely. I was tagged by Keikii at…

#bookblogger #tags

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okinawa-girl · 7 years

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So you got a Tokyo placement? My advice to incoming Tokyo (private) JETs

This post is basically my advice to anyone with a Tokyo placement, mainly for private schoolers since that’s where I’m coming from but its applicable to general Tokyo JETs as well.

In short, I wanted to write a post because I see a lot of misinformation out there or just a lack of info at all because Tokyo placements are some what new and unique. I also sometimes see other JETs bashing on Tokyo placements or I see incoming JETs apprehensive and/or disappointed about being placed here. But like any other placement, there are good points and bad points. And as the old (annoying) saying goes, every situation is different. Just like in other places in Japan, your experience is going to vary greatly depending on the school(s) you work at- almost every other private school JET has a slightly different situation than myself.

HOWEVER that being said, there are some general points, both positive and negative, that I would like to discuss in this post; in order to give a realistic look into what Tokyo placements can be like.

So let’s start off with…

THE BAD

-The Apartment Situation

Ah yes the dreaded apartment situation. Tokyo JETs do really get the short end of the stick when it comes to accommodation. There is no teacher housing or any type of housing already set up for ALTs, and we are not allowed to pass down apartments to our successors (as far as I know). We are pretty much on our own. Although we are put in contact with real estate agents and are provided a temp apartment for two weeks at first, other than that our schools have little to do with our housing. I was lucky enough to snag a place before I arrived in Tokyo and all I had to do was sign for it when I arrived, so I cannot stress enough that you need to be proactive- start looking at apartments now. Even if you don’t know where your school is exactly yet, start researching what kind of apartments are out there, get familiar with Japanese housing lingo, figure out what your (reasonable) deal breakers are, get an idea of your budget, get familiar with the layout of Tokyo itself. When you do know your school- start looking up main train lines, what stations will allow you easy access to school and/or other places in the city, figure out how long of a commute you’re willing to take (which is a whole other can of worms but I’ll save that for another time), think about if you want to live in a livelier area or more laid back- Tokyo literally has it all so you need to narrow down your options. I was very prepared for the apartment search and even with my preparedness, it was still a stressful situation- the market moves quickly, the options for foreigners are somewhat limited, and on to my next point…

-The Cost

Unfortunately rent in Tokyo is more expensive and on top of that we do not receive any type of subsidy either like some JETs in other places do. Depending on the location, age, and size of the place, a 1R apartment not including utilities, can range from around 70000yen to 100000yen (but of course there are exceptions that can be higher or lower). Then there’s the actual set up costs which can run as high as 3-4months rent due upfront (usually consists of first month’s rent, a deposit, nonrefundable “key” money, fire insurance, sometimes a cleaning fee, agent fee, and a guarantor fee). My personal start-up cost for my apartment was about 3,000 US dollars. And then we have to dive into furnishing the apartment. Most apartments come with almost nothing- when I moved in, I had a ceiling light and a stove-top. That’s literally it. I highly recommend going to recycle/2nd hand shops for appliances like fridges and washing machines- they are so much cheaper, most are still in great condition, and the stores will usually deliver it to your place so no need to worry about a car. Nitori, IKEA, 3coins, 100yen shops are all great places to look for other cheap basic items you’ll need- maybe someday I’ll write a whole other post about how to furnish a bare apartment for cheap.

In general, the cost of living in Tokyo is higher than other more rural places. This isn’t to say that Tokyo is soooo sooooo incredibly expensive though, it’s still definitely doable on the JET salary- we just may not be able to save as much or have as much disposable income. Our wages are still livable and I can still afford to travel (both locally and internationally) and the occasional big “treat yo’ self” purchase.

-Harder to connect with the “local” community

Because we don’t live in a small town, you don’t get as many opportunities to connect with people outside of your school. I will admit, I don’t know any of my neighbors, and besides the connections I had made prior to my time on JET, I have not met any new Japanese people outside of my school community. Everyone is not going to know your name, you’re probably not going to be featured in the newspaper, and you definitely will not be the only foreigner. And it can be easier to fall into the “gaijin bubble” too. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to connect with a local community. I know lots of JETs that have gotten really involved in specific communities within Tokyo- whether that be through hobbies, religious groups, classes, and/or clubs. Just because you’re not in a small town doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to connect with local communities- it may just take some more effort to find them.

-Maybe not as much support

Now this point is mainly coming from my own perspective and the impression that I have, but I feel that Tokyo JETs get a less amount of support for our COs. My school at least, has taken a fairly hands off approach (however I’m sure that someone at my school would be more than willing to help me with something if I asked). From what I know, a lot of us had to set up our phone, banking, internet, etc. on our own. Some schools I know didn’t even help with going to the city hall to register your address. And as I stated before they don't really assist us with housing as well*. I think the reason for this lack of initial support, is that for most of the private schools in Tokyo this is the only first or second JET they’ve ever had. There is no precedent of how things are supposed to be handled or they aren’t completely aware of what they could be doing to help. So, I would say if you’re worried about something, ask about it because chances are your school isn’t aware of the situation or don’t know you need help. If no one at your school is willing to help, ask other Tokyo JETs because we’ve all literally been there before so we can help you out. Again you have to be proactive in your situation.

*also noted we are on our own for setting up utilities like gas, water, and electric in the apartment- although if you use the agent provided by the school they will help you with this.

But don't worry! Because after all of that there’s also….

THE GOOD

+ The city itself

Tokyo is a massive city; there is always something going on, something to do, people to meet. I’ve lived in this city for about 2 years now and there is still so much that I haven’t done or seen yet. Every area has a different feeling and vibe, it’s like having a bunch of smaller cities jam-packed into one. It may seem daunting at first but it really is an amazing place to live. Everything is at your fingertips and it’s easy to find something to do, something to see- it’s hard to be bored in a city like Tokyo. Also, you may think Tokyo is only urban, but that isn’t true- there are great outdoor areas just a short trip from downtown and even within the urban sprawl there are so many beautiful parks to relax in. It’s also easy to travel to other places in and outside of Japan from Tokyo since it's the country’s main transportation hub. Overall I think it’s an amazing experience to live in a city like Tokyo. We may not get the small town experience that many other JETs do, but life in Tokyo is no small feat either. Don’t let others who say Tokyo “isn’t real Japan” get you down! Sure, it may be different from other places, but it doesn’t mean its any less “authentic” (whatever that means- I have so many issues with this line of thinking that I will probably detail it in another post) and you can have an absolutely amazing time here.

+Public transport is amazing

I love Tokyo’s public transport system. Granted I come from a place in the US that has about zero public transport, but Tokyo is really something else. You can get just about anywhere by train, subway, bus, etc. And it’s really easy to understand as well- after a few weeks you’ll pick it up in no time. Passmo/Suica makes it easy to get around too- just put some money on your card and your set to go, no worrying about buying location specific tickets. I love the freedom that a great public transport system in a city designed for pedestrians and not cars, gives you to go out and explore. Also, you don’t have to worry about buying a car, car insurance, or getting a driver license, so in that aspect we do save some cash compared to our more rural counterparts.

+English services when needed

This mainly goes for things like doctors. The first year I came to Japan, I had two incidents where I had to go to specialized doctors and it was so nice to be able to find English speaking services. I speak conversational level Japanese, but for things like medical services, I felt more assured and comfortable talking in my native language. Tokyo has no shortage of English services if you need them, especially with the influx of foreign travelers its seen in recent years. Besides medical services, I know certain bank branches, phone service shops, some ward offices, provide either service in English or provide translated info in English. HOWEVER, this does not mean that the majority of people you encounter will be able to speak English- this is one misconception I see a lot from JETs/people who have not lived (emphasis on the lived not just visited) in Tokyo before. We may have more English services than other areas in Japan, but it’s still not that many- you specifically have to seek them out, they are not the norm. Also I do not use English on a daily basis for most of my interactions (outside of school and friends)- most retail workers, waiters/waitresses, station attendants, ie. the general population, do NOT speak English.

+Closer relationship with your school

In comparison to other JETs who have multiple schools, most if not all Tokyo JETs work for one specific school. For private JETs that means we don’t even have a BOE, everything goes on at your specific school. This makes it easy to integrate into your school’s community- you get the chance to see the same students every day, the same coworkers and JTEs. Because of this, you are in a position to be able to easily develop relationships with them, compared to if you worked at multiple schools and/or were based at a BOE. I’m like a (semi)normal staff member at my school, which is nice because it makes up for the fact that I don’t have that “local” community which comes with living in a smaller area. My school is my community. I can’t speak on behalf of other JETs because I don’t fully know their experiences or situations, but the fact that I teach at one school is one of my favorite things about my job. Of course I can still feel like an outsider at times, but because I’m like regular staff here it really feels like I’m truly a part of the school.

+Possibly more time off (private school only)

Now let me preface this by stressing the “possibly”, everyone’s school is different but for the most part I believe us private school JETs get more time off than the average JET (I cannot say anything on behalf of public school Tokyo JETs because I’m not 100% sure of the situation for them but I believe it’s a bit more than average as well). Basically, because we don’t have a BOE we are not required to do (some of) the desk warming that comes with that. For example, once the kids are off from school, I am not required to come into work. So I get like 2 ½ weeks off during the holidays in Dec/Jan, another week and a half in early spring, and also a considerable amount of time in August. But that’s on the lower side, I know other JETs that get even more time off than that- they are only required to come in when regular classes are in schedule (so no work during testing periods, supplementary classes, etc.). But to balance this, I know most Tokyo private school JETs only have 10 days paid leave and no sick leave.

+Can choose where you want to live

The silver lining of the apartment situation is that we have the freedom to choose where we want to live. Wanna save some yen and live a bit father from school? You can do that! Wanna live 2 minutes from school? You can do that! Wanna live in a more urban area in the middle of the city? You can do that! Wanna live in a rural area? You can do that! Wanna live in sharehouse? You can do that! You can do whatever you want- you are in charge. You make your budget, your list of wants- you decide what will work the best for you! You also don’t have to worry about moving into an old dirty apartment that 20+ JETs have lived in before you. Your school doesn’t have a say in where you live but they will reimburse you commuting costs, so really the choice is all yours!

To sum up: I guess my main advice to incoming Tokyo JETs is to BE PROACTIVE. Be proactive with the housing situation, with getting involved in local communities, and with seeking support because often these things will not just fall into your lap nicely on their own. If you do that, Tokyo can be an amazing placement. It’s understandable to be disappointed at first about being placed in Tokyo if you were expecting something else, but don’t judge it too harshly before you get here. Even if you’ve been to Tokyo before, visiting here and living here are two very different things. And as I’ve said before, the city is full of endless possibilities- it’s definitely not all like the bright lights and busy streets of Shinjuku. It may be a bit tough at times, but living in Tokyo is an experience like nothing else- embrace it, run with it, and have fun!

#jet program #jet programme #Tokyo jet #tjet

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