#honestly i want psychotic friends i need someone to relate to on that front and complain and joke ab it with
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Wanda Maximoff/Reader - The One Where You Punch Tony Stark - Part One
Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || AO3 (Complete)
Summary: When the rumors that you punched Tony Stark in the face spread around your school, some interesting events unfolded. Or enemies to Lovers in high School.
Warnings: 18+; Enemies to Lovers/ Angry Sex/ Underage Sex/ High School AU/ Violence/ Fights/ Inappropriate language.
Words: 19,905K (Complete)
//-//
Sometimes it is just a punch “ - Chapter One
Rumors at your high school were spreading like the plague. No one would really admit to talking about it, but everyone knew they were gossiping. Everything about this place seemed to irritate you deeply, from your stupid and petty classmates, with their idiotic social circles and narcissistic behavior, to the body of psychotics professors who seemed to take pleasure in embarrassing the students.
Fortunately, it was your senior year. You couldn't wait to get out of this place, to get away from this troublesome town. You let out a grumble when you noticed two teenagers pressed up against your locker. Fucking hell, you thought impatiently as you walked up to them. Then you noticed who they were, and your irritation increased even more.
Golden boy, captain of the soccer team, arrogant pain in the ass, Steve Rogers, was kissing Sharon Carter against her locker. Sharon was a cheerleader, human barbie, and honestly, she used to be a nice girl in elementary school, then you guys grew up and she became an arrogant bitch.
- Really, Rogers, don't you have your own locker? - commented a voice next to you, before you could say anything. It was Natasha, your locker-mate, with whom you had at least three classes together. She was very closed off and didn't let anyone near her, always alone at school. But if you could guess, she was the closest thing you had to a friend in this place. Steve stopped kissing Sharon when he heard Natasha, and throwing his arm around the girl's shoulders, he smiled wryly at Nat.
- Take it easy, Romanoff. We were just making out. - He says, and then adopts a debauched expression. - You know what this is, right?
- Screw you, Rogers. - Natasha says without hesitation, Steve laughs ironically and then his gaze falls on you.
- What are you looking at? - He threatens, you roll your eyes. He then leaves, dragging Sharon through the halls.
- Fucking idiot. - Nat grumbles when you are alone. You don't really know what to say, so you just stay silent as you open the locker to get your chemistry books. - I heard about Stark's party.
That's the problem with rumors. You didn't look at Nat, but shrugged.
- What about Stark's party? - You tried to play along, but Nat let out a little giggle.
- Everyone is talking about how you punched him in the face. - She said, turning to you as she leaned against the now closed locker, two notebooks in her hand. You finished picking up your books and turned to her. - I just think it was cool. - You smile awkwardly, looking at the floor. Nat speaks after a moment. - Are you going to the game on Friday?
You blink in surprise at the question.
- I don't like football.
Nat chuckles.
- I'm not going to the game. - She says, and seeing your frown, she adds. - You know the skate rink a little way past the bleachers. I'm meeting some friends there. You can come if you like. - Nat says finally, winking at you before turning away, walking in the opposite direction of the corridor.
You are very surprised that you have been asked to go out with Natasha Romanoff and the friends you didn't even know she had. Ignoring how awkward the interaction was, you make your way to the classrooms, heading towards the chemistry lab.
Professor Agatha Harkness has been your chemistry teacher since the first grade. She is extremely strict, and demands that her students work hard and cannot stand, or rather absolutely detests, sycophants. You laugh with the memory of the day when Steve Rogers tried to buy a higher grade by bringing her a Teachers' Day gift, and Ms. Harkness simply threw the package in the trash at the front of the room, saying that if he wanted to pass her class, he better study.
You took your place in the last chair, yawning slightly as you sat down. You were startled when your colleague in front, Darcy Lewis, turned in her chair to look at you.
- Can I help you? - you asked.
- I heard that you punched Tony Stark. - She said. - I think it's awesome. Finally someone wiped the pretentious smile off his face.
You smiled wryly. Darcy was one of the smartest girls in the class, and she had never really talked to you before. She returned your smile before turning forward again.
You were distracted by the landscape outside, but you noticed when the room suddenly fell absolutely silent, and turned your face to find out what had happened. You felt your body tense with the intensity of anger you received in the gaze of Tony Stark, entering the room at that moment, a large purple mark in his left eye. He didn't stare at you for long, taking a seat in one of the front chairs with his friend James Rhodes. Many of the classmates began to whisper about the party, glances running between you and Tony. But the room fell silent as Ms. Harkness entered, and the students began to rush to their seats.
If there was one thing that Harkness hated more than sycophants, it was tardiness, so you weren't surprised that everyone in the room held their breath as they watched the Maximoff twins arrive late to class.
- What an honor the Maximoffs have decided to join my class. - She sneered as they walked to their seats. A few giggles were heard.
Pietro Maximoff was a member of the football team along with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and you guessed that's why he gave you an angry look before he sat down. You didn't really know the twins very well, but you knew that everyone knew them.
While Pietro was extremely popular, and changed girlfriends like he changed clothes, his sister, Wanda Maximoff, was a member of the student council, as well as being the captain of the cheerleading squad. She was ridiculously beautiful, the kind that would bring boys crawling to her door. But you had never seen her date anyone, not that you really paid attention to Wanda anyway.
When Ms. Harkness started class, your mind wandered to lunchtime.
Your week went by too fast, you realized. With the final exam period approaching, you were spending a lot of time studying. Natasha didn't speak to you again all week, and you were beginning to imagine that the invitation to go out was your imagination, but then she smiled at you and told you that she hoped you could make it on Friday, and you just nodded, too surprised to say anything.
The school seemed to get even more unbearable on game days. The players were agitated and noisy, and disrupted all the classes. Also, the cheerleaders seemed to occupy every bathroom you entered, taking over the sinks with their makeup.
You grumbled when last period finally came around. It was literature with Mrs. Hill, and she was probably the only teacher you liked.
It was hot, and you put your leather jacket on the chair as you stretched your body and raised your arms, lifting your shirt a little. You blushed in surprise as you noticed a girl you didn't know staring at you mischievously, her gaze drifting down to your waist tattoo, which had been visible for a moment.
She continued to stare at you brazenly, biting her lip, and you felt very uncomfortable.
- Do you need anything? - you asked snidely. The girl was startled, and rolled her eyes in embarrassment, then turned to look away. - What the fuck was that. - you muttered to yourself, as you opened your notebooks.
You heard laughter, and raised your eyes, frowning as you felt your stomach flip at the vision of Wanda Maximoff throwing her head back as she laughed at something her partner said to her as the two of them entered the room. You blinked in confusion at your own reaction, quickly looking away.
And then your lab partner for two years, Jessica Jones, with whom you had never exchanged a word that was not subject-related sat down next to you and asked how you were doing.
- I'm sorry, what's that? - You asked in surprise, but Jessica smiled.
- What's up with you? - she repeated, causing you to frown.
- Why are you talking to me? - you retorted, and Jessica just shrugged.
- I want to be friends with the girl who punched Tony Stark in the face. - She says simply, and you stare at her for a few seconds, not knowing exactly what to say.
- All right, then. - You say, turning your attention back to your materials. Jessica smiles before adjusting her posture to rest her head on her arms on the table.
Professor Hill begins her class shortly after, and you reprimand yourself for letting your gaze wander to Wanda and then looking away. What the fuck is the matter with you today?
You were particularly focused on an exercise that didn't seem to make any sense when your classmate in front of you passed you a piece of paper. You looked around, seeing a small commotion, which indicated that the paper had been passed around the room. You frown, opening it.
- Ulala, you have an admirer. - Jessica teased, leaning yours shoulders together to read the paper. On it was simply written "want to make out? girls restroom, second floor". You laughed ruefully. - Are you going to accept?
- I don't even know who sent it. - You comment, looking around, but no one is looking at you. You quickly hide the paper to prevent the teacher from seeing. - Besides, it might just be a joke.
- Maybe. But the whole school is talking about you, so I think you might have suitors. - Jessica commented, writing in her notebook. - Besides, you're hot. It's not like no one notices you.
- Thanks. - You laughed, returning your attention to the exercise.
The class finally came to an end, and Jessica patted you on the shoulder, wishing you a good date even though she knew you weren't going, and you laughed, realizing it was a joke.
You were putting your notebooks away in your locker when school counselor Nicolas Fury approached you.
- Hello, Miss Y/L/N. Could we talk for a moment? - He asks, leading the way to his office. You sigh, knowing exactly what this is about, before nodding in agreement.
In Fury's office, you sit in the armchair opposite his desk, while he assumes his typical thoughtful position.
- I'll be straightforward, Y/N. - he begins. - I heard rumors about you getting involved in a street fight outside of school hours.
- Great choice of words, Fury. - You counter. - Out of school hours, and even off school grounds so I really don't understand why I'm here.
Fury smiles, crossing his legs.
- So you admit you were in a fight? You know as a counselor I need to warn your mother...
- I admit nothing. - You cut without patience. - It's my word against the other gossips.
The man lets out a chuckle before continuing.
- I imagine Anthony Stark's black eye was a domestic accident then?
You smile wryly, shrugging your shoulders.
- I think Tony Stark would rather say he hit his face against a wall than admit he got beaten by a girl, so I would put that in your report.
- Please, Y/N. - Fury asks with a serious expression. - If you tell me the reason for the conflict with Mr. Stark, I can find a way to help you.
You laugh, crossing your arms.
- The reason is that Tony Stark is an arrogant jerk who thinks he can do and say whatever he wants without consequences. - You say, and then stand up. - I don't have anything to tell you, and school hours are over. Excuse me, Mr. Fury.
You say before hurrying out of the room, annoyed by all the talk. Leaving the hallways, you roll your eyes at the excitement of your classmates, all of them heading for the soccer field, while the remaining team members in the hallway were applauded and patted on the back as if they were war heroes.
You were happy to remember your date with Nat and her friends as you walked out of the school.
Good thing I brought my jacket, was your first thought as you headed out to the skate park to meet Nat. You could hear the noise from the stands, which must have been packed since everyone in the school seemed to love football.
You had bought some French fries from one of the stalls set up for the game, and walked alone toward the park, around the iron bleachers.
A few minutes later you arrived at the skateboarding rink, observing the small group of people that was there. Nat waved to you as soon as she saw you, and you smiled.
- Hey, you made it. - She remarked as she approached. You waved. She turned to the group. - Guys, this is the girl I told you about, Y/N.
You waved to everyone, who smiled at you.
- This is Clint, Laura, Thor, Valkyrie and my boyfriend Bruce. - Nat said, introducing everyone. You have never seen them at school. - They are owls.
Oh, that makes sense. You thought. They were all students at the state school that was two blocks away. Their mascot was an owl, and their team was your school's opponent in today's game. That's why they were all here.
You sat down with them, offering them some of the fries you had bought. You smiled as you noticed Nat sitting with Bruce, it was different to see her like this, completely comfortable and smiling openly.
Thor then stood up, a skateboard in his hand.
- Hey, Y/N, want to give it a try? - He suggested and you hesitated. You didn't really know how to skate. But Thor seemed nice and willing to teach you, so you nodded and stood up.
It was fun to learn from him. You laughed about the times you fell on your buttocks, and Thor seemed concerned about checking to see if you were all right. And when you got tired of that, you and he joined the group again, talking about various random things.
You eventually found out that Clint and Laura were already engaged to be married, and intended to move in together after college. You thought Thor and Valkyrie were boyfriend and girlfriend at first, but she commented that she hoped to meet more interesting girls in college. Also, Thor told you that he was applying to colleges outside of New York, wanting to be closer to his brother. Bruce wanted to go to medical school, and he and Nat were looking forward to sharing an apartment together. You told them that you had applied to colleges all over the country, that there was nothing really keeping you here.
You spent the whole period of the game talking, and having fun. And then, when the fireworks went off from the stadium bleachers, you thought it was time to go.
The vast majority of the people had already gone home by the time you reached the stands, and then you thought you heard a noise. Investigating the source, you walked slowly around the iron construction, letting out an exclamation of surprise at the image you saw.
Tony Stark was wrapped around Steve Rogers in the passionate kiss. You wanted to laugh at the hypocrisy. You were going to leave in silence, because you didn't give a fuck about what these two were doing, but Tony pushed Steve away and opened his eyes, and then he saw you.
Assuming an aggressive posture, while Steve looked worried, he advanced toward you.
- What the fuck are you doing there girl? - He shouted, and you took a few steps back in surprise.
- You must be looking to get punched in the face again. - You retorted angrily, hiding your nervousness. You could fight, but being alone against Stark and Rogers, you might push your luck.
- I think you'd better not tell anyone what you saw here. - He threatened when he approached you, Steve following close behind.
- You think I care if you're banging Rogers behind the locker room, Stark? Screw you. - You retorted in a provocative tone. Stark advanced on you, his fist raised, but Rogers held him back.
- You're out of your mind, it's a girl. - He spoke, shoving Tony away from you.
- Listen to your boyfriend, Stark. - You teased last, reveling in Tony's anger.
Tony let out an irritated snort and jumped toward you again, but when Rogers grabbed him, he punched him in the face. You blinked in surprise, and then they started to fight, rolling on the ground.
What the fuck, you thought, frowning at the scene, and taking a few steps back to avoid being bumped into.
And then someone shouted, and you looked up from the fight to see Pietro Maximoff coming out of the locker room along with Wanda, and another boy from the team who you thought was named Bucky.
The boys ran to separate the two, and Pietro held Tony by the arms as Bucky stood in front of Steve.
- What the fuck are you guys doing? - shouted Pietro.
- It's all this crazy bitch's fault! - Tony shouted, pointing at you. You rolled your eyes as Pietro looked at you in confusion.
- Are you fighting over her? - he asked. And you burst out laughing when you understood.
- Oh, Maximoff, that's not the kind of fruit they like. - You sneered and Pietro had to hold Tony back to keep him from jumping on you.
- Let's get them out of here. - Said Bucky dragging Steve away. Pietro nodded as he dragged Tony to the opposite side.
You frowned when you were left alone with Wanda, and she looked at you.
- Do you need something? - you said snidely, and Wanda let out a wry laugh.
- I don't know what your deal is, girl. - she said, stepping closer. - But I think you'd better leave my friends alone.
You laughed.
- What friends, Maximoff? - You countered. - Those kids are narcissistic sociopaths who will fuck anything that wears a skirt. And your brother is an asshole. You're just a trophy to them.
- You don't know shit. - Wanda spoke angrily.
- Try to stop behaving the way they want you to. - You provoked by taking a step forward. - One day of not being the perfect little lady that everyone thinks you are.
- You shut your mouth. - She retorted with fury in her eyes, and then she shoved your shoulders, making you laugh ironically. - Stay away from me.
- Oh but I can't wait to get out of this fucking school! - You shouted back, laughing wryly. - And I'll never have to endure Stark's little group ever again. But mostly, I won't have to deal with Miss Perfect Girl here, with her fake smiles and annoying comments. - You punctuated your sentences with your finger, as you approached Wanda, who was staring wide-eyed. You let out your breath through your mouth as you realized how close you were, and stared intensely at Wanda. - I hate you.
- I hate you too. - She whispered before breaking the distance between you.
You closed your eyes tightly, lifting your hands to Wanda's waist and squeezing. Wanda sighed against your mouth, and you took the opportunity to push your tongue against hers, moaning at the new sensation.
Feeling her whole body respond to the kiss, you pushed her, until she slammed her back against the locker room wall. You pressed your knee against Wanda's center, and she moaned against your lips, lifting her right leg and entwining it around your waist. You felt your body tremble in anticipation, and the new friction made you press Wanda tight against the wall.
You weren't thinking about anything. All you felt was Wanda. Her tongue circling in your mouth, stealing all the air from your lungs. You pulled your mouths apart to breathe, and moved your kisses down to Wanda's collarbone, which made her sigh. You kissed the skin, hard, marking her. The thought of her trying to hide those marks after that, stimulated you to suck. Wanda let out a loud groan, pressing her nails into your shoulder.
You brought your mouths together again, and let your hands run up the inside of Wanda's blouse. She was still wearing her cheerleader uniform, and you tried not to think about it so much.
Your hand reached her right breast, and you squeezed without hesitation.Wanda moaned against your mouth, and you kissed her hard as you pressed your bodies together.
She whimpered as you pushed your knee up, breaking the kiss to rest her head on your shoulder. You let out a wry chuckle, lifting her chin with your hand and forcing her to face you as you brought your mouths together again. This time you let your tongue play with hers slowly and sensually, making her shiver.
And then you reached down into her blouse again, pulling down her bra. With her breasts exposed, you played with her hardened nipples, feeling Wanda rub against your knee.
You lowered your hand around her waist, pulling up the fabric of her skirt. Your hand moved down to her now exposed ass, and you squeezed the flesh, pressing Wanda against you. The contact made you both moan with intensity.
When you interrupted the friction with your knee, Wanda grumbled at the lack of contact, but you kissed her firmly, one hand squeezing her neck, and she trembled completely. You released her ass, to run your fingers up her thigh, until finally you reached her pussy.
Reaching up with your fingers to pull down Wanda's panties, you kept up the pace of the kiss, wanting to keep her distracted.
You found her pussy soaked, and moaned as you felt it. Massaging her superficially with just one finger, it didn't take long for Wanda to whimper, moving her hips in search of more contact.
She broke the kiss with a moan when you penetrated her without warning. You moved your hand from her breasts to grip her leg around your waist, seeing that the intensity of your touch was making Wanda shiver and lose her balance.
You withdrew your finger and then sank in again, and Wanda rested her head on your collarbone, sighing breathlessly.
- I'm sorry, Wanda. But I won't be gentle. - You whispered against her ear before sticking two fingers in without warning.
Wanda cried out against your skin, completely surrendered. You didn't wait for her to get used to the sensation, moving your fingers immediately afterwards. She bit your shoulder to keep from moaning, and her hips began to move frantically against you next, trying to increase the speed. You smiled mischievously, following her request.
It didn't take long for her body to quiver in spasms, you delighting in the feel of her pussy tightening against your fingers. A thrust or two later, and she came apart against you, letting out a sultry moan against your ear that made your own intimacy pulsate.
You continued to stimulate Wanda's swollen clitoris even after she came, and she bit your shoulder, trying to normalize her breathing and stop shaking. She quickly lowered her hand to yours, asking you to stop your touch, and you gave her a dirty smile before moving your fingers up to your mouth, tasting Wanda's sweet flavor on your tongue. She looked at you with dilated pupils, and then moved forward, kissing you again and tasting herself in your mouth.
Kissing like this, she was soon ready for another. But you were interrupted, a hissing noise in the distance. You grumbled, pulling away, as you helped Wanda fix her clothes.
- Who's there? The game is over! - says a voice. You knew it was the janitor, he had probably come to lock up the locker rooms.
You and Wanda laughed as you ran past him, holding hands, while he yelled that you couldn't be there.
When you reached the parking area, you caught a glimpse of Rogers' car parked next to Pietro's car. The four boys were there, talking. They didn't see you.
Wanda also looked and then pulled you to the corner of the wall of the school building, hidden from the rest of the place.
- I guess this is good-bye. - You commented, letting Wanda press you against the wall, as she slung her arms around your shoulders. You kept your hands on her waist. - It's a shame really. I wanted to make you cum in my mouth.
Wanda bites her lips, holding back a giggle as her eyes sparkle with mischief.
- It doesn't have to be the last time. - She says, bringing your mouths closer together.
- No, it doesn't. - You agree, closing the distance, meeting her in a slow kiss, while your hands press her ass into you.
- Hmmm, I should go. - She grumbles, breaking the kiss without pulling away. You bring your mouths together again, biting her lip gently, which makes her close her eyes and chase after your mouth, but you don't kiss her.
- You can go. - You play, squeezing her flesh again and pressing her against you.
- Fuck. - She whispers before kissing you again, one last time.
You separate amidst giggles and stolen kisses. Wanda gives you one last look before walking toward the parking lot. You stand there against the wall for a while, your heart racing, with the promise that this would not be the last time.
#wanda maximoff x reader#wanda maximoff#marvel imagines#wanda x you#high school au#enemies to lovers#sub!wanda x reader#wandaxreader#wanda x reader#The One Where You Punch Tony Stark
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Kenji Kishimoto
Okay, so this is honestly kind of an appreciation post of Kenji Kishimoto, but we all know he deserves it, so. (Also, this definitively has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that I spent nearly half an hour talking to myself after reading both Kenji Novellas in less than an hour.)
1. So, when I started reading the Kenji Novella (aka the novellas told in Kenji's perspective), I was so very prepared to like laugh my head off the whole time, while reading both of these books, when in reality I was on the verge of tears, literally ready to sob over my man Kenny.
2. I feel like we all probably just assumed that everything in Kenji's POV would be jokes and stuff (or maybe I'M just an insensitive ass, idk), and I'm actually really ashamed for being one of them, and I was being really shallow considering Kenji's character and I legit feel so guilty about that.
3. But jokes and sarcasm and comments so stupid, they're funny weren't what happened at all in Shadow Me and Reveal Me. And honestly I think Tahereh is so clever for doing this, because it just goes to show how even the side characters in a series can have so much depth, it's crazy.
4. We were all expecting Kenji to be the funny clown even in his head, but he's actually so much more complex than that. He makes it so very explicitly clear that he has no one to turn to in his life. Which, as someone who is part of a big friend group, can relate to. When you're friends with everyone, you don't really have that one person to go to when you're not feeling...good.
5. And how Kenji's always working his ass off to make sure the people he loves are safe and happy and comfortable, but when it comes to his needs, no one seems to give a shit. "What about me? Why don't my feelings matter? Other people get to experience a full range of emotions without judgement, but I can't be anything but happy without making most people uncomfortable."
6. And it's here that I realized that everyone thinks Kenji is a goofball, funny guy, and no one seems to think about him in any other way. It literally makes them uncomfortable. Like, these people are so fucking selfish that they can't let this kid unload onto them for just a few minutes. All he wants is for someone to listen to him. Not share experiences, not "get itchy" and run away, not give him a fucking motivational speech. He doesn't want any of that, he just wants someone to hear him talk for five fucking seconds without being selfish. Just for once.
7. And this is also when I realized how important Juliette is to Kenji, like, previously I thought that only Juliette considered Kenji as someone to talk to, that only she needed him not the other way around. I was like, Kenji's got loads of friends, he must have someone willing to listen to him, right? umm, wrong. Despite the fact that Kenji is EVERYONE'S morale booster, EVERYONE'S motivator, EVERYONE'S fucking therapist. but the MOMENT he wants to take off his mask, and let go of his insecurities for one minute, everyone just automatically thinks it's THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD OR SOMETHING. like, give the poor boy a second.
8. And, this, fangirls and fanboys, is when I realized why Juliette and Nazeera are SO GOOD for Kenji's mental health. Like, he's losing his fucking mind trying to make everyone he loves happy, and no one gives two fucks except Juliette and Nazeera. (ok, but disclaimer I was kind of angry at Juliette for a little bit in Reveal Me, because Kenji was like spiraling in the same room as her and Warner and SHE LITERALLY DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT HIM, but then I remembered she just came back from being tortured and brutalized more than once and finally getting the love of her life back after having to pretend she lost all her memories in front of her psychotic parents, one of which she killed (super badass btw), and then I forgave her)
9. Juliette is the only one who listens to Kenji without being selfish and actually giving a fuck about how he feels. And I know that some people might jump on me for thinking Nazeera is bad for his health because she's "ignorant" or whatever, but if you really think about it, Nazeera is basically Warner without the empath powers. She was raised by the Supreme Commandant of Asia, who, if you hadn't already noticed, is evil. She's never had to deal with these feelings before and they are confusing her. Kenji is definitely more open about his feelings than she is. So he doesn't get it when she pushes him away. She was probably fucking terrified that they would lose and her father would find out about her attachment to Kenji and kill him, or worse torture him then kill him. Not to mention she probably thought she was a monster after that talk they had in the beginning of Reveal Me when Kenji told her she was just a machine. And she probably felt even worse after finding out that the drug she gave him was a reason for his collapse. Also: "You okay? she says." "Hey. What's wrong?" "Something is obviously wrong." "Hey. You can tell me, you know." "Tell me what's wrong." She seems genuinely worried. "Kenji? You're scaring me." And that was all IN A FEW PAGES. that wasn't even the whole book.
AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH HE WAS LITERALLY WORKING HIMSELF TO UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND POSSIBLY DEATH. if that doesn't speak volumes about how lovely he is, then I don't know what does.
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Humans are Space Orcs, “Keeping Secrets.”
Wrote another for you all. Hope you have a good day :)
“But I’m HUNGRY.”
“We don’t have time for that.”
“I’m the commander, I’m your boss, and I say I’m hungry.”
Ramirez turned on his heel going toe to toe with the taller man, “I don’t give one shit if you’re hungry or not, something is wrong with you, so I am taking you back to Dr. Krill and Katie, so they can to a scan of your dumbass skull.”
Commander Vir bared his teeth in a feral snarl held back only by Sunny, who had two of her arms wrapped around his chest. He was being absolutely impossible to control. First it had been other people, largely women, but with Ramirez in the crossfire once, and Sunny taking the brunt towards the tail end. Then it had been the aggression, the heightened need to fight absolutely everyone for the smallest infraction, and then had come the hunger, which he hadn’t shut up about for over a mile now.
Ramirez would have gotten them a taxi, but everything here tended to fly, which made Adam assume that it was his since he was “the best pilot in the known galaxy, so it should be me that flies everything.”
Yeah right, like he was going to let commander jackass fly the plane.
But deep down he was worried. Whatever this guy was, it wasn’t Adam.
Adam was….. Well how about the exact opposite of everything this person was doing, he was shy, and polite, and friendly, and humorous. Even when he got angry or indignant, his actions were usually justified for some sort of reason.
But whatever that thing in the alley had been, it had definitely done something to him.
He glanced down at his implant, and pulled up the tracking device that Krill had managed to weld to the commander’s ribs and found that it did indeed say that the commander was right behind him.
Up ahead they were just stepping onto the docking bay platform where ship shuttles were constantly rolling in from the sky above. Noctopolis didn’t have a station big enough for entire ships to land, so they were going to have to take a shuttle back to the ship. It would be best not to take their shuttle as the other marines would need a way to get back when they finally finished with their carousing, so he finally hailed another shuttle, which pulled to a stop in front of them.
“This piece of junk.” The commander snarled, “I’ve seen better shuttles in junkyards. Look at it, the D-4 coupling. Only some kind of bitch drives a shuttle with a -”
Sunny clamped her hand over the commander’s mouth and Ramirez sighed as the shuttle ramp opened and allowed them to step inside.
“To the station?” the pilot asked turning around in its seat to look at them.
“Yes please.” Ramirez said scanning his implant under the reader for payment.
As soon as that was done, he helped Sunny to strap the Commander into place getting a fat lip for his troubles when the man snuck in an angry knee to the face. Ramirez contemplated ‘accidentally’ closing the five point harness on the man’s junk in retaliation, but assumed it wise not to piss the man off more than he already was.
Sunny still had her hand over the Commander’s mouth, as the roar of the engines started up nearly deafening the.
Sunny yelped in shock and drew her hand back from Adam.
“He bit me!”
He barred his teeth at her, complained for a couple more minutes, though, luckily it wasn’t loudly enough for the pilot to hear. Eventually his messed up brain moved on to a quieter activity, pressed against Sunny head resting on her am.
Ramirez wasn’t stupid.
Had he guessed that Adam had a thing for sunny. Totally, who didn’t, but he doubted that Adam wanted anyone to find out like this. Ramirez honestly didn’t care about what he did in his free time, but he was worried about what would happen to his friend when he came down from whatever freaky psychotic behavior this was.
So, what did he do?
He decided to piss him off some more.
The commander could more easily come back from anger than he could from the humiliating of letting everyone know he was in love with an alien.
“Adam, Fuck you.”
It wasn’t his most eloquent diatribe he had ever given, but it worked pretty well.
Adam turned to look at him face twisted into an expression of murderous rage. Sunny was forced to hold him back as the cursing began and the struggling. Ramirez stayed very calm. He just had to keep him pissed like this until they made it to the infirmary.
They made it off the shuttle without incident, and walked through most of the station. Aside form the man hungrily eyeballing a couple of passing people, and a couple of passing food carts, they made it to the ship.
People came to approach them but Ramirez vigorously shook his head waving them off and out of the line of fire. Commander Vir glared them down as if he intended to fight each and every last one of them.
Sunny practically carried him up the corridor and through the ship towards their final destination.
Along the hallway up to the medical bay they ran into Conn, who took one look at Commander Vir and floated backwards a bit. Whatever was inside the man’s head, the starborn wasn’t to keen to be apart of.
Ramirez ignored that little fact and shouldered the next door open with gusto practically bursting into the medical bay with sunny close behind.
Dr. katie and Krill looked up from their work frowning in confusion as Sunny struggled to make the Commander do what she wanted.
Krill floated up.
“Is everything alright?”
Ramirez shook his head, “Something happened to the Commander. I think he was attacked?”
Both Dr. Krill and doctor Katie stepped forward in concern as Sunny forced him to sit down.
Krill moved forward, and so did doctor katie until eventually the man’s eyes fell on her. They all watched as his head tilted slowly moving up to her face after passing over her body. The look on his face was so uncharacteristic of him that Dr. katie and Krill took a step back.
He licked his lips.
Dr. Katie’s eyes narrowed, and she walked over grabbing him aggressively by the face and turning his head this way and that.
He mewled in pain.
“You are definitely right, something is completely wrong with him. Sunny pinned his hands down as he tried to fight Katie off.
“He got all weird like, started going after everyone, and then he tried to fight the, and then he got all hungry. And he's been aggressive and pissy ever since. I have never seen anyone behave like this ever, and I joined the army.”
“Yes the behavior is completely out of character. What did you say happened before he started acting like this.”
“I think someone may have used a device on him. It was dark, and I didn’t get a good look of the shadow, but I saw some metal, like there was a contraption on his head. Sunny continued to hold the commander down as doctor Katie looked over his head. She completely ignored whatever he was saying, though it did happen to be rather alarming coming from Adam.
“Here, on the scalp, what do you make of it Krill.”
Krill moved forward to take a look leaning in closely for an examination, “Hmmm, yes. Puncture wounds on the temples and under the eyes, very minuscule. Almost microscopic in fact.
Adam bit at Katie’s hand and she pulled back.
The look on her face was one of complete no nonsense as she stepped away grabbed something and then came back.
Adam looks almost shocked when she stabbed him in the back with the syringe.
“What did you give him.” Krill wondered
The concoction was self-evident a moment later as the man lost all muscle tone. Sunny grabbed him and lay him back.
“Combined sedative and paralytic. That should keep him still she said.” Behind her glasses her warm eyes had changed to one of worry. She wasn’t mad at the commander knowing that something had been done to hi to make him behave in such a barbaric manner.
“Call in Dr. Adric will you. He might be able to help us explain at least some of this behavior.”
It wasn’t long before the man slipped into the room honey tones of his dark skin washed out by sharp overhead light. He walked forward and stopped with the other two doctors.
“Something is wrong with the commander.”
“Increased libido, hyper aggression, and hunger to the point of not being able to control himself. We had to sedate him.”
“Strange, sounds like you just gave me the textbook definition of the Id.”
“The what now?”
Dr Adric shrugged, “Oh nothing it was simply a theory proposed by a psychologist more than two thousand years ago. His methods have since been questioned and greatly disproven, but Freud did coin the idea of the Id, or the subconscious driving for of the human mind that encompasses all our base desires, food, sex, aggression, and so on.” he glanced down at the commander, “In this case, i might suggest something in causation with the function of the brain stem (including all base drives) and an inhibition of the frontal lobe and limbic system.”
“Why those in particular?” Krill wondered
“The frontal lobe, as you know is in charge of executive decision. Whatever function has kept these drives and habits suppressed, is not working. With the limbic system down, he has no way of controlling his emotions which might explain the aggression, though I have never seen anything manifest in this way.”
“So you have seen it?”
“Alzheimer patients can experience similar behavior towards the end stages of the disease as their executive function and limbic systems break down, but he doesn't appear to be having any related memory involvement. I would suggest an x-ray fMRI and CT scan to begin.”
“Why the x-ray?” wondered Ramirez pretty sure that that could show you the skull and not the brain.
“Looking for metal of course.”
It was probably a good idea as the first x-ray image lit up like a lightbulb. Gathered around the screen, Sunny and Ramirez looking over their heads they saw the skull was packed full of shiny white dots. The skull was intact, and the dots were on the outside of his brain, but they were small, very small.
“Think you can get those out, Dr?” Katie asked turning to look at Krill.
“Yes, they are very small, a large magnet should do the trick.”
Dr Adric made a joke about putting him in an MRI to do the work quicker, and received a look form Krill while Katie laughed.
By the end of the hour all oft hem were staring at a minute grouping of microscopic electrodes that had been pulled from the man’s head.
“That would explain it.” Dr Adric muttered
“Explain what?”
“Generating a magnetic current through areas of the brain can disrupt its function. We’ve known that for thousands of years. Continuous stimulation of the occipital lobe, for example, can make someone go blind. So whoever did this intentionally shut off his executive functions, or stimulated his base drives. I believe what we just saw is the hardwired, natural human instincts.
“How very comforting”, Krill said, obviously not very comforted
“Well, lets wake him up and see if the problem resolved.
Nervously, the group gathered around the man who had been mostly sedated for the entire procedure. He wasn’t fully asleep, but he was only half conscious. The reversal agent woke him up pretty quickly, and he lifted his head sort of groggily.
He blinked owlishly at them, his face neutral.
They waited worried.
“What…. Happened?” He groaned hand to his head
His single eye slowly focused in on Dr Katie, and then he blanched absolutely white. Eyes widening he put a hand over his mouth.
“Yep, that’s him.”
“Commander, are you ok? What do you remember.”
He grabbed Katie by the arm stammering, “Katie I… I’m so sorry I-I dont know what came over me. I’ve never done anything like that in my life I swear to god.” he looked near close to panic, “You know I would never intentionally ever do anything like that to you ever, and I am so sorry. I have no idea why that even happened.”
She grabbed his hand, “Adam, it’s alright. I know you wouldn’t. It wasn’t your fault.”
He turned his head, and as he saw sunny and Ramirez his face went from bleach white to pale pink, to bright red.
Ramirez grinned and threw in a wink just for fun.
He thought the man was going to stroke out and die. He dropped his head into his hands. Even his hands were red.
“Do you remember what happened, commander?” Dr krill asked
“I…. I don’t now I was waiting for Ramirez and sunny but then…. I saw something in the alley. Next thing I knew everything was dark, and I was being thrown around. It pinned me to the ground and did something…. That’s when ramirez and sunny came out. After that I remember….. I remember feeling, so angry and, and hungry and….” He went quiet as his neck blushed and even deeper shade of red, “I’m so sorry”, he moaned.
“Are you sure you don’t remember anything else, Commander.’
“Well I mean…. I’m not sure, but maybe...I thought it might have said, the Kree, but I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“The Kree. Didn’t the GA make contact with a race that called themselves the Kree.”
Te commander lifted his head, “Yes, though it was only by long distance communication, otherwise no one knows anything about them.”
“Well, rest, Commander, and we will figure this all out later.”
He nodded dejectedly as the doctors stepped from the room all the while discussing what the device could have been.
Ramirez followed after them having taken a step out the door when.
“Sunny, I am so sorry. What happened, I didn’t meant to do any of it.”
He paused beside the doorway knowing he should move on, but being unable to do so.
“None of it?”
There was silence.
“I…..”
“So I shouldn’t expect anything like that ever…. Even in an appropriate context?”
Stammering
He really should go
“It’s fine, Adam, but that is something I just needed to know.”
“But I didn’t say that, Sunny I…. I just.”
“You just…. What?”
“Eventually yes of course…. And I want to…. But I….”
Ramirez shook himself and pulled away. He shouldn’t be listening in. It was wrong despite how much he wanted to shove it in maverick’s face and claim his two hundred bucks.
He wasn’t going to rat out his friend to everyone.
He knew what being a friend meant, and often that included keeping secrets.
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Kermit and Friends: Regulus
This week’s special guest was Aaron Ozee, author of the very popular children’s book Regulus. The book was such a hit that it was made into an animated film, also titled Regulus. You can purchase the book here and rent or buy a digital version of the film here.
Regulus is about a ‘Rat King’ who refuses to share his cheese with the mice he considers beneath him. Unfortunately for the Rat King, he loses his King status and the bully then becomes the bullied.
The book has a very strong anti-bullying message, and Elisa’s first question to Aaron Ozee was about that. Aaron would explain how he was bullied growing up and how it deeply affected him in a bad way, only then to use it as motivation in an effort to help others going through the same kind of bullying he suffered as a kid.
Bullying would be a strong theme throughout the rest of the show. Elisa got bullied for the shirt she wore, she was verbally abused by her fiancé, accused of exploitation by a moron, dogged by multiple KAF Wrap-Up show hosts... I mean, Elisa was catching flack from all angles this week for little to no reason. It was unbelievable and a bit disheartening if you’re like myself and care about Elisa.
Andy Dick is simply out of control. After trying to con Elisa out of $650 earlier in the week, he called her a “Fat whore” among other horrible names at The Grove in front of strangers and children on Saturday. He even got his ‘boyfriend’ Lucas to join in on the harassment. Just an awful situation that no one deserves, especially Elisa who has treated Andy like absolute gold these last couple of months.
Elisa finally seemed fed up with Andy’s abuse, but it wouldn’t last long. After claiming she was done with him, Andy actually appeared on the show just as Elisa was getting ready to end it. He was being nice and I could tell right away that Elisa would let him back in her good graces.
Andy would give a half-assed apology for his actions from the previous day, only then to call Elisa crazy and psychotic, only again to apologize after that. Elisa not only accepted his apologies but then offered to take him out to eat after the show. It seemed like she wanted to shift all the blame on to that Lucas guy, letting Andy completely off the hook.
People who don’t like Elisa will look at this behavior and call her weak, or they will say she’s hanging on to Andy no matter what he does just because he’s famous. The idiots who say that would be very wrong.
Elisa doesn’t have an angle. She’s been in abusive relationship after abusive relationship. I’m afraid Elisa doesn’t love herself so she’s more attracted to people that treat her like crap. Elisa will turn 33 in June so she’s old enough where this isn’t some wild young woman phase. My theory is subconsciously Elisa believes she deserves the abuse. It could possibly stem from her parents shipping her off to a demonic boarding school where it stuck with Elisa that sort of treatment is what she deserves in this life. She doesn’t deserve it, though. Not at all.
Elisa may not agree with me but I feel I’m right about this because I’m speaking from personal experience. I deal with the same self-loathing issues I believe Elisa has, but it’s easy for me to sit here and say Elisa should start loving herself more than to look in the mirror and tell myself the same. One of the many reasons why I will never look at Elisa in a bad light is because I can relate to the inner-struggle she’s been going through all these years. I just wish there was a way Elisa could see herself in the same spectacular light I see her in.
Elisa talked about these grandiose visions she had of herself and Andy, being featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, creating hit music, starring in movies... the works.
Just think about this... if you’re reading this blog, you already know how talented Elisa is, even if you don’t like her. You know she’s already achieved a level of success that not 1% of the population will achieve in the entertainment industry. So why does she need someone like Andy freakin’ Dick in order to vision herself on the cover of Forbes magazine? Imagine if Elisa set the goal without a man or anyone else’s help by her side... could she do it? I 100% believe she could if she gave it her all. I understand success isn’t anywhere near as fulfilling when you don’t have anyone to share it with, but you should at least strive to share your success with someone who treats you well.
Anyways, I apologize for jumping out of the review to share my personal feelings. I’m not happy with Andy, I’m not happy with that relationship. I want Elisa to have fun and create a show she can be proud of. It’s easier to accomplish that with a wacky outgoing famous guy like Andy Dick, I get that... but at this point, in my opinion, it’s not worth it if this is how Andy is going to treat Elisa.
Elisa is a grown woman though capable of making her own decisions. I will always love Elisa and wish the best for her because I know she has a beautiful heart/soul and her intentions are always good. There’s more I want to say about the situation but I’ll move on.
Back to Aaron Ozee... he gave a fantastic interview. He’s a very positive guy with big goals but also humble and polite. T-Bob tried to ruffle Aaron’s feathers with a couple of asinine questions about Black Lives Matter, and Aaron couldn’t have handled it more eloquently, even winning Trumpster Bob over (no easy feat). I was extremely impressed. On top of that, Aaron was respectful and non-judgmental to every KAF regular he talked to. Just a truly swell guy and I hope to see him more often on the show.
Kermit made a couple of new friends this week. One was Johnny B’s alter ego, Joannie B. Think Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire and that’s Joannie B. Very humorous stuff. A guy in some kind of Star Wars helmet named White Kanye also made his debut on Kermit and Friends. Apparently he’s been in some escapades with Andy Dick and told some stories. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell if he was being truthful.
Chris Christine blessed the show with her presence again. She opened up about the 20 years she spent in the American military and how it led to some traumatic mental anguish. Chris credited an Andy Dick Cameo she received as to why she didn’t commit suicide a couple of years ago. She was incredibly sweet and even offered to pay Andy that $650 I mentioned above. Chris also said a lovely prayer for Elisa and Andy. What a sweet soul Chris is all around, she’s easily one of my new favorites.
Sharmin and Dr. Roy joined us in Miami. They’ve been having a vacation together and they helped Elisa sort through her feelings regarding Andy. It was awesome to see them having fun and looking so happy.
Eric Riggs had another sex video presented on the show, this time involving a pen and his rear end. Eric called in and made Elisa shut off the video before the conclusion. He was fine with last week’s sex tape but I guess this week he felt embarrassed. Eric would later read a poem about some woman named Mindy that owes him money, which also somehow involved Elisa’s vagina and horseradish. One of the weirdest poems I’ve ever heard but hey... that’s Kermit and Friends.
Barry “Boss” Mezey called into the show to accuse Elisa of exploiting Kermit’s friends. Barry fails to realize that Elisa gives a platform to literally anyone who wants to make use of it, and the people who garner the most interest from the audience are the people Elisa will feature the most, just like every other reality show in human existence. Barry’s phone calls could not have been more wrong, shame on him.
Lastly, Elisa sort of snapped this week on a chatter by the name of Nikki. Nikki criticized Elisa’s shirt and then said she could have a more popular show than Kermit and Friends if she tried. I think Elisa had some pent up frustration regarding Andy and sort of it took it out on Nikki, which by my estimation Nikki honestly deserved anyway. I just wish Elisa had that same fire not to put up with Andy’s BS. But Nikki has said some very mean things about Elisa in the past, both on Discord and on other Kermitarian related streams, so it’s not like Elisa attacked some innocent princess who made one bad comment. Nikki can be funny but she’s not a nice person at all, so while I commend Elisa for apologizing and feeling guilty over her words to Nikki... sometimes the bully gets bullied just like in Regulus.
The show ended with Elisa playing yet another tremendously creative music video from her talented co-host, Sugar. Overall it was a good show. The interview with Aaron was very professional and well done, and the Andy stuff I’m certain was entertaining for most people. KAF continues to deliver every week, just as I’m sure it will next week. 'Til then, I sincerely thank everyone for reading and I hope you all have a superb week... well, unless your name is Andy Dick, in which case you deserve a very bad week with another bite to the face from my main man Fozzie.
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Susie chests on Sammy and Norman finding out. What does he do?
Susie isn't the cheating kind, so I've got something worse in mind.
Summary: After a rather messy breakup that Sammy had hardly any time to process just yet, Joey Drew makes matters worse by exploiting two emotionally compromised people. Norman finds himself unable to keep his promises.
---
Times like these were getting rarer and rarer, as Norman barely found himself without any overtime anymore. Not with Joey Drew descending further into madness thanks to his poor life choices and zero management skills. So really, he should be enjoying listening to his brother reciting the usual instructions of what to do or who to call in an emergency, or what the kids were or not allowed to eat.
But really, he was tired and wanted to sit in that comfy recliner where he usually spent a good part of an hour reading a book, while his niece and nephew behaved like the little angels they were. It wasn't like he already didn't know what to do anyway, he was a father himself, plus the two were 16 and 15 respectively. They could be left alone, instead of being mothered by their father.
"Alfred, it'll be just fine. Now you run along and gets some work done." He practically shooed his younger brother away, smirking at the rather comical expression on his face. "They is well behaved, no need ta baby 'em."
"They've got their friend over, so don't go thinkin' I don't gotta worry! That brother o' hers is freaky scary for a scrawny cockerel of a man." He made a show of clearing his ears. "Nearly dang blew ma hearin' out b'fore ta curse did!"
"Sammy gots that effect on everyone. Just don't go callin' him a cock ta his face. Then I'll be ta one ta finally lose my hearin'!" Not that his hearing range hadn't begun taking a hit. A mixture of the hereditary defect and being subjected to hours of loud music, shrill instrument tuning sessions, and the constant droning of the projectors. He was lucky to not be completely deaf by now.
"Yeah yeah, I'm off now. Nelson, Lydia! You two behave now for ya uncle Norman! And be good hosts to Abigail, no runnin' about gettin' messy up there!"
"Yes sir!" The two called in unison from upstairs.
As soon as Alfred was out the door, Norman found himself in the living room falling back into the welcoming embrace of the recliner. He swore he might take it up to his apartment one of these days, just not when he was too tired to clamber up to the last floor dragging a massive piece of furniture with him.
Two sets of quiet footsteps on old creaky wood immediately informed he wasn't alone anymore.
"And what are yous up to now?" He glanced over the backrest and smiled at the three teens that had been plotting to catch him by surprise. "Couldn't hear ya this time Nelson. Remembered the creaky ones?"
"I practiced." Nelson smiled, sticking his tongue out at his sister, who huffed in annoyance.
"I don't like being sneaky anyway..." She grumbles. Beside her Abby chuckles but it doesn't reach her eyes which is... Odd. She's a pretty happy kid in general so its definitely strange for her.
But, sure enough, watching her fiddle with that doll of hers that's not quite Bendy, not quite Boris, she seems concerned about something. Fidgety with unrest.
"Somethin' on your mind Abigail?" He prompts. Both his niece and nephew seem to know what's up as they give her a pleading look when she goes to deny it.
The girl frowns then nods slowly.
"My brother's been very upset. I think it's because his lady friend isn't with him anymore..." She hugged her doll close. Still so very attached to it that she was only comforted by having it with her at all times "He didn't say this, but I know it's gotta be that, because he never complains when he's tired or aching, but now he just looks...Sad."
"That so?" It was Norman's turn to frown. Yes, Sammy had been considerably worse since his and Susie's rather confusing and messy breakup. The two had gone from happy excited couple, to a pair of hostile angry messes. But the worst wasn't even the lashing out, it was the obvious sadness the two felt at the unresolved issues they practically avoided.
Jack had related to him his worries that the stress and personal blow would tip Sammy over at any moment.
Wally had in turn said that Susie was acting weirder and weirder and it was honestly scaring him.
Because of course those two lovebirds were so repressed they couldn't even deal with their own emotional baggage. It could only get worse if they ignored it, and it clearly had an impact on others.
Specifically, and right before his eyes, on Sammy's sweet little sister who was fretting over her brother. That wouldn't do.
"It don't surprise me none. Their argument got real ugly... I don't think they wanted ta break it off, but they is both very...Err..." How to say it without sounding crude to a young lady? His ma would murder him if he resorted to cursing in front of a teenager.
"Dumbasses?"
"Lydia!" Nelson elbowed his sister on the ribs, getting a punch to the arm in return. "Don't gotta be rude about it!"
"But I'm right!"
"You ain't wrong, but ya shouldn't be rude 'bout it Lydy." Norman sighed. He looked back at Abigail. "No offense, but your brother kinda is a dumbass 'bout what he feels."
"Sad but true." Abby nodded with an amused look. "I think he doesn't want people to know he's actually very sensitive. My old nanny, Mrs. Harrison, said it was because our daddy taught him all sorts of backwards things about how he had to act. It's a little strange to me."
"Bless ya for knowin' better than ta not be honest 'bout what ya feel then. Can't do no good pretendin' bad things don't bother ya."
Nelson made a face and glanced at Abigail but said nothing.
"Either way... If it's botherin' ya, I could always talk ta Sammy. Might do him good ta vent about it ta someone who's in no position' ta judge."
"You'd do that Mr. Polk?" Abby smiled up at him. This girl was melting his heart like butter out in the sun, bless the heavens for at least giving Sammy one little ray of sunshine in his life.
"Sure would. Now let's go prepare somethin' ta bite. Yous got classes in the mornin' and I got work."
-
He'd missed something big the previous night, that Norman could tell from the moment he stepped foot into the studio. For one, Sammy was nowhere to be seen, and the band was a disarray of gossip. Then there was also the lack of Miss Campbell's presence, with some murmuring she may have finally gotten fired after pushing the wrong set of buttons. And then there were the worried looks on Jack and Wally's faces that greeted him in his booth.
"What in ta name a' heaven happened this time?" He sounded exasperated.
"Joey took Susie out for dinner." Wally replied.
"Sammy found out and confronted him." Jack added. "Drew... Said something along the lines of... Norman it was bad."
"How bad?" Norman's skin was crawling with anticipation. What happened and how bad?
"Sammy drank a whole bottle of whiskey and went apeshit, is how bad." Wally replied. "It was like looking a rabid wolf in ta eye Norman! If that weren't no psychotic break I don't know what is, but fuck!"
"He broke stuff, screamed, he strangled Whitaker the cellist... Johnny wants to file a restraining order... Norman I don't trust one word out of Drew's mouth. What he said couldn't be true..."
"What did Joey say?!" His blood was boiling at the thought of that devil purposefully setting off the music director for leverage. It was honestly something he'd do.
"That he's been banging miss Campbell since day one? Bangin' her harder than the drummers can drum a tune... Behind Sammy's back no less. All talk, miss Campbell ain't like that sort!"
"And Joey isn't into women. That lying bastard is antagonizing his own workers like we were... Like puppets on a string." Jack shuddered. "And last night he cut Sammy's strings off just to let him fall and flail. I don't know what to do..."
"... Have ya tried askin' Susie ta dispell what he said?"
"That's just the problem... Sammy never left work, just ran off to hide wherever it is he goes. But Susie left and never came back." Jack explained.
"I even went and called her landline, but she ain't answerin'. Like she got outta the country or somethin'..."
Norman bit his lip, closing his eyes and mulling over what to do as he felt his bad eye swivel around beneath his eyelid. The only part of him allowed to run around in circles from this madness.
He had a feeling his promise to Abby about talking to Sammy to sort his feelings wasn't going to be so easy to keep. Not when Drew was back to pulling his tricks.
But at least it couldn't get any worse, right?
Wishful thinking on his part...
#Eps Writes:#Bendy and the Ink Machine#BATIM#Norman Polk#Sammy Lawrence#Susie Campbell#Joey Drew#Wally Franks#Jack Fain
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@dooplissss about your reply (if its not too much trouble, could you write some suggestions for creators on how to address/write characters with psychosis/schizophrenia? I now know what to avoid, just not what to aim for) on this post; I purposefully didn’t give specific advice on how to write schizo-spec/psychotic characters because I don’t really feel qualified to do so. I’m not schizophrenic, I do not have a schizo-spec/psychotic disorder diagnosis, and I haven’t had hallucinations/delusions for about eight years now (one or two notable times exempt), and as a result I’m not actively involved in the psychotic/schizo-spec community (idk how welcome I am, if welcome at all, and I don’t really have the spoons to research it much), so I absolutely do not claim to be an expert on the matter of writing schizo-spec/psychotic characters. It’s very possible (and in fact likely) that my information on this matter is not entirely accurate and that I still have internalized ableism on this front.
I’m gonna list some things that I would have personally loved to see in a character when I was experiencing psychosis, but if you’re planning on writing a psychotic/schizo-spec character, I strongly encourage you to hit up blogs more involved in the schizo-spec/psychotic community with your questions and to do more research on the topic in general. The following list is more of a list of things that would’ve really helped me to read while I was a kid experiencing psychosis, than a list of Objective Writing Advice™ that I’d be able to offer you if you asked the same question about autism. It’s entirely personal and subjective.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s some thing I would/would’ve liked to see in a character with psychosis:
A character who experiences psychosis living a happy life. This one sounds so basic, and yet I’m literally getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Psychotic/schizo-spec characters are always portrayed as eternally suffering (if they’re not outright dangerous, obviously), and while psychosis can absolutely suck and portraying this isn’t wrong per se, knowing that there is a future for people like me would’ve helped me a LOT as a kid. Just like. Give psychotic people a cute pet, or a hobby that they get immense joy out of, or a job they love, or friends/family who love and support them, or all of the above! I cannot stress enough how much I want to see this.
Hallucinations that aren’t there because of some Thematically Appropriate Reason, but just because hallucinations exist. Literally just hallucinations that don’t have any Deeper Meaning and don’t necessarily relate back to the character’s mental health state or something. Just basic hallucinations.
Note: it’s definitely possible for hallucinations to be connected to someone’s state of mind, and that has happened to me a couple times, but it’s such a massive trope in media that I’m sick and tired of it, especially since it’s always treated like a gimmick more than anything else.
Related: hallucinations that aren’t necessarily scary, just wildly annoying. Honestly the majority of my hallucinations probably weren’t that scary? There were definitely some that were terrifying, don’t get me wrong, but for the most part, they were just kinda there, annoying me. Like the voices in my head who constantly argued over petty shit. Was that scary? Not beyond the realization that there are voices in my head, no. Was it annoying? Oh god yes.
Reality checking. Please show your character reality checking. Reality checking wasn’t just a lifesaver for me, it was an absolute necessity to get through daily life. I never had any kind of formal training in reality checking, so idk if my methods would’ve been therapist approved, but I used a lot of grounding methods such as stimming with a comfort object, touching things in general, and talking to other people (sometimes trying to get them to confirm that the Thing wasn’t there, if I was feeling brave enough).
Also (and you should definitely check this with other people before going ahead and writing it), my reality checking methods were tailored to fit my needs. My hallucinations were pretty much always based on the supernatural and/or religion, meaning that they were generally easy to distinguish from reality (unless I was in a delusion that was connected to/reinforced them), so to reality check I would often use logic like ‘does x exist in real life?’ and if the answer was ‘no’, then it was a hallucination. This method does not work if I’m in a delusion, obviously, and it wouldn’t work for hallucinations that could be real. I also touched things a lot to remind myself of what reality is when I was experiencing hallucinations, because my hallucinations were never tactile (despite tactile hallucinations being among the most common). So like. What I’m getting at is maybe consider how your character’s hallucinations manifest, and what type of reality checking would work best for them.
Anti-psychotic meds that actually work, or at least are not actively harmful. While meds can definitely be harmful, useless, have terrible side effects, or all of the above, meds meant to improve your mental health tend to be very demonized in media, with a lot of media portraying them as things that will make you change your entire personality and/or go into a catatonic state. And this is absolutely possible (I know people this has happened to), but this portrayal has become oversaturated in the market, imo, and it was one of the primary reasons I postponed asking for meds for literal years (I eventually requested them, but the hallucinations I had asked them for stopped before they got prescribed (although the psychiatrist had granted my request and was looking into possibilities, the hallucinations I’d asked them for stopped before they made any decisions, and that was my last real psychotic episode, so I never did end up getting them). So I’d just like to see a portrayal of anti-psychotic meds where, even though they’re not a miracle cure and may suck on some levels, they do actually help as well.
A character who experiences psychosis in a story that’s not about their psychosis. Give me a high fantasy story with a schizophrenic protag, or a romcom with a schizoaffective protag, or a magical girl show with a girl who experiences psychosis as the protag, or literally anything among those lines. Don’t always make it About The Psychosis.
You’ll also notice that all of my character wishes in the above point are protagonists. This is because I want schizo-spec protagonists. Not a one off side character in a Very Special Episode, not little siblings or children who function as character motivations for the protag rather than characters in their own right, not creepy villains, not comic relief sidekicks whose psychosis is ~hilarious~, protagonists who are heroes.
Show the character with loved ones who know about the psychosis and who are aware of how to deal with it when the character starts experiencing delusions/un-ignorable hallucinations. Not that I’d know what the correct way to act in those situations would be (lord knows nobody ever told me or helped me through any of that lmao), but showing loved ones aware of psychosis can a) help people recognize appropriate ways to act in these situations and b) shows people who experience psyshosis that there’ll still be people who love them.
Honestly? Write a character who can see supernatural things. Now take away the presence of those supernatural things, and keep the way everybody treats them, the way they feel isolated and scared, and the arc where they find friends and people who understand them, and you’ve got a 99% chance of having at least a semi-decent psychotic character imo.
Example: the anime Natsume Yuujinchou is about Natsume Takashi, a teenager who has seen youkai for as long as he remembers. As a result, he’s been consistently bullied because he’s weird for screaming at nothing, and passed around from relative to relative because nobody wants to deal with him and the ‘fits’ that he supposedly throws to get ‘attention’. One of the main themes of the show is him finding friends and family who love him, even though they might not understand him and his strange behaviour remains. The way the show presents Natsume’s childhood is honestly painfully relatable, and the way it presents him finding new friends not just in those who see/believe in youkai, but also those who don’t know what’s up with him and just take the fact that he sometimes yells at nothing or sees things that aren’t there for granted.
It’s obviously not a perfect 1:1 narrative or anything, but it’s genuinely miles above anything else I’ve ever read with deliberate psychotic characters, and it’s really funny to me that people can understand that being treated like a crazy person who deliberately causes people harm for their own gain/entertainment is shitty when it happens to ‘normal’ people, but can’t parse it when it happens to psychotic people. And by funny I mean ‘fucking infuriating’.
What I’m getting at in these points is this: be sympathetic towards your psychotic characters. Don’t give people a pass for treating them like shit just because they’re psychotic. If they’re isolated/bullied/abused, don’t make it seem like it’s their fault because they’re ‘difficult to deal with’. Don’t treat people who are their friends/family like saints for ‘putting up with them’. Literally just write psychotic characters like people worthy of compassion I don’t get why this is so hard.
that’s all I can come up with on the fly, and they center around delusions/hallucinations heavily because those were the primary symptoms for me, but remember that delusions/hallucinations are not the only things that can pop up with schizo-spec/psychotic disorders, and in fact, the diagnostic criteria for many schizo-spec/psychotic disorders show that delusions/hallucinations aren’t even necessary for a diagnosis, as long as other symptoms like disorganized speech, negative symptoms, and/or ‘grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviour’ are present.
also, it could very well be that I’m reading too deep into this, but the wording in your reply (”I now know what to avoid”) kind of lead me to believe that my post might’ve been the first time you’ve encountered the subject of proper representation of psychosis in media, in which case, you are DEFINITELY going to want to do more research on what to avoid. my post didn’t even scratch the surface of the negative stereotypes around psychosis in media.
also sorry for doing the reply like this, it’s... Long and I didn’t want to do this in the comments of the original post.
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Depression
Depression –
Let’s talk about the different types of Depression that are out there. Once I’m finished, if you are someone who suffers from Depression talk to me. Tell me what you Suffer from. And if you’re so inclined to do so, tell me about what made you this way. Because we didn’t get this way from birth, TRUMA happened to make us this way.
Clinical Depression –
Being sad most of the time, so much that it effects your daily life, you may or may not have this.
Treatment – Talking to your doctor, talking to a Therapist and medication. You may also want to consider making changes in your lifestyle. I know it’s hard, but even the smallest change, might make your Clinical Depression, less noticeable to you.
Major Depression –
Major Depression or as often called by doctors “Major Depressive Disorder” (It’s technically the same thing). To know if this is something that you suffer from, you’re going to feel or should be feeling depressed most of the days during the week, and nothing that you can do will bring you out during those days.
Symptoms –
- Loss of interest or pleasure you once felt in activities.
- Weight gain is most common for us Stress eaters & depressed eaters, but don’t be alarmed if you lose weight. It is more common than you think.
- Not able to sleep at night or able to fall asleep, resulting in you feeling sleepy all day.
- Feeling Worthless. (Which means in your mind, nothing you can do makes anyone happy) It’s not true, but in your mind it really is.
- Restless, Sluggish and Agitated (ALL. THE. TIME.)
- Slowed down physically and or mentally. (But typically if you’re slow physically, your mental state will be slow also.)
- Always tired with lack of energy.
- THOUGHTS of Suicide (BUT no action).
- Can’t concentrate or make decisions.
If you go to your doctor with FIVE or more of these symptoms, and they last more then 2 to 3 weeks, you have a chance of being diagnosed with Major Depression.
Treatment –
Antidepressants, Talk Therapy (Which never worked for me.) Mental Health Specialists that you will be asked to see, they will help you find a way to manage it. (I highly recommend it.)
If medication barely helps – then you can also try ECT & rTMS (Electroconvulsive Therapy & Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)
Consult your Doctor before considering the above treatments in Bold.
Persistent Depressive Disorder –
Depression lasting more then TWO years. The Term “Persistent Depressive Disorder” is used to describe two conditions, previously known as Dysthymia (low-grade persistent) & Chronic Major Depression.
Symptoms –
- Change in appetite (Over eating or not at all.)
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Fatigue or lack of energy.
- Low Self-Esteem.
- Trouble Concentrating/Making Decisions
- Always feeling Hopeless.
Treatment –
Psychotherapy, Medication or Both.
Bipolar Disorder –
Someone who is Bipolar – or often called “Manic Depression” Has a mood episode. It can range from Extremes of high energy with an “Up” mood to low “depressive” periods.
When in low Phase, you will have symptoms of Major Depression.
Meds will help bring your moods under control. Whether you’re in a high or low Period. You might also need a mood stabilizer. (Talking with your doctor is the best way to figure that out.)
Bipolar is something Serious and needs to be treated right away.
Traditional antidepressants are not always going to be recommended as first-line treatments for bipolar depression, since there is no proof from studies that these drugs are more helpful than a placebo(sugar pill) in treating depression in people with bipolar disorder.
Not to mention that for some people with bipolar disorder (like me), some of the traditional antidepressants may increase the risk of causing a “High” phase of illness, or speeding up how often you have these episodes over time.
Psychotherapy can also help you and your family with support.
I can honestly tell you, that my Bipolar Disorder, puts a lot of stress on my husband and child. It’s really bad. When I’m having a “High” day, it’s a bad day for everyone. I don’t even want to work on those days. I can’t focus. But employers don’t understand someone with mental disabilities, so unfortunately in this world, you can’t not go to work because of it.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD or Seasonal Depression as most often heard) –
It is a period of Major Depression that most often happens during the winter months, when the days grow shorter and you get less and less sunlight. It typically will go away in the spring and summer.
If you do have SAD, antidepressants will help. You can also do light therapy. You will need to sit in front of a special bright light box for about 15-30 minutes each day.
Get it treated. Don’t let it go because you know with spring your mental state will clear, if you get too far down the rabbit hole, there’s no coming back out of it with the change of the season.
Psychotic Depression –
People who have psychotic depression have the symptoms of Major depression along with “Psychotic” symptoms, such as:
- Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
- Delusions (false beliefs)
- Paranoia (wrongly believing that others are trying to harm you.)
Treatment –
A combination of antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs can treat psychotic depression. ECT may also be an option for you.
Peripartum (PostPartum) Depression –
Women who have major depression in the weeks and months after childbirth may have peripartum depression. Antidepressant drugs can help similarly to treating major depression that is unrelated to childbirth.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) –
Women with PMDD have depression and other symptoms at the start of their period.
Besides feeling depressed, you may also have:
- Mood Swings
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue
- Change in appetite or sleep habits
- Feelings of being overwhelmed
Treatment –
Antidepressant medication or sometimes oral contraceptives can treat PMDD.
‘Situational’ Depression –
Situational – is not a technical term in psychiatry. But you can have a depressed mood based on what is going on in your life, a stressful event that you’re having trouble managing. A death in the family, a divorce, losing your job. Your doctor might call this “stress response syndrome.”
Treatment –
Psychotherapy can often help you get through a period of depression that’s related to a stressful situation.
Atypical Depression –
This is different then the persistent sadness of typical depression. It’s considered to be a “Specifier” that describes a pattern of depressive symptoms. If you have “atypical depression,” a positive event can temporarily improve your mood.
Other symptoms of atypical depression include:
- Increased appetite
- Sleeping more than usual
- Feeling of heaviness in your arms and legs
- Oversensitive to criticism
Treatments –
Antidepressants can help. Your doctor might suggest a type called SSRI – Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, as the first line of treatment.
They might also sometimes recommend an older type of antidepressant called MAOI – Monoamine oxidase inhibitor – which is a call of antidepressants that studies state work well with atypical depression.
Some of you are reading this & thinking, “I’ve been depressed my entire life” that very well maybe true. No doubts about it. It is highly unlikely for you to have every single type of depression, but it is not unlikely for you to have had, experienced each one in your life.
I myself am Bipolar. I suffer from Major Depression & I very often do get Seasonal Depression.
I suffered from Postpartum after I had a miscarriage. I didn’t know that, that was possible, all I knew was my depression was worse. So I seen my doctor he treated me and it finally went away, it went back to my normal Highs & Lows.
My depression started when I was in High School and it has not gone away.
Somedays my depression doesn’t get the best of me, and somedays it does. I can feel myself slipping into depression now, when the bad days are coming. Lately they are more often then not, because I lost a friend that I loved very dearly.
That is her own fault, and I am partly to blame, but I’m not the one that wants everyone to feel bad for me. I think it’s because she suffered a great, great horrible loss in her life and hasn’t found the right way to overcome that, resulting in pushing everyone else away from her. Then making someone else the victim.
I’ve done it before. It’s how I can figure it out.
So, I did what I had to do for me. I stopped talking to her, and ever since there’s been stuff said about me that isn’t true, and it’s making my depression even worse. So, I’m cautious.
I watch what I say and do, I watch what I eat, because I need to eat healthy to keep me in a positive mood. I focus on the things that keep me happy. My husband, child and close, close friends. I read trashy romance novellas because they make me happy, I binge watch Grey’s Anatomy (because who doesn’t love a good cry) and I try to get the best sleep possible.
I’ve recently had an increase in medication, and I do think that is helping. I can’t say that I will ever be okay, and I can’t explain how I’m feeling to people that don’t understand because they will never understand.
Credits -
Thank you to WebMD, for helping me fact check and make sure that I provided the correct information, treatment and diagnosis.
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To the Anon, who Asked the Asks
1) what was your first delusion
Honestly, I think I might still be working through it. But like it might not be, so like...
Welcome welocome, the answers get better I swear
2) have you ever had your choice taken away by the psychiatric system
: Not really, I never really spent to much time in any systems due to paranoia of the system, probably because of the stigma around it and pop culture fueling a strong sense of danger in it, and just my lack of any real wealth in my past and present
3) how do you cope with your hallucinations
: Painfully ignoring them in almost everyway I can, which, has often lead to me ignoring something happening around me, or directed at me cause I thought It wasn't real. Other than that I find physical grounding, and specifically martial arts helps make my overall disorder more positive in tone
4) are you professionally diagnosed with a psychotic disorder
: I was professionally diagnosed back when's was about 14 or 15, after a few sessions the doctor said I probably had schizophrenia and prescribed me some anti psychotics
5) how often do you shower
: About once (1) or twice (2) a week honestly, I need to take more. But I've been getting better
6) to what extent are you "out" as psychotic
: I'm about half way, most of my old friends and family have no knowledge, but my current living people all know, my boyfriend knows, and a couple people the I've had some long nights with know, and my entire blog
7) have you ever had a funny or cute hallucination
8) how old were you when you were first diagnosed (or figured it out yourself)
:when my sister went to North star when I was in like 3rd grade, and my mum tried to explain it to me why my sister was inpatient, I specifically remember that imentioned i thought something might be wrong with me too, but since I was outwardly disruptive, just "quiet" my mum found no need
9) how old were you when you first started having symptoms
So issues with Speech is a commonly overlooked symptom of schizophrenia, as a in my case I feel more cognitive issue, and I think that my early childhood and that I had a speech therapist cause of my young selective autism, and just inability to speak right might've been my first symptoms
10) do you reclaim any words associated with your disorder
: I honestly don't really think I do, I want to though -> Paranoid, I use a lot though, caus like Fuck am.I paranoid, and psychotic, but I use that more clinically,
11) do you feel emotions intensely or hardly at all
: Harldy at all, I just, I may only be 22, but I'm just really tired and old, but if an emotion can start shining through strongly it kind of starts to engulf me, especially at night
12) do you have a hard time making yourself understood
: so much, it's lessened some over the years, but so many times after trying to get words out, (I tend to speak fast and with a sometimes interesting vocabulary) and I'm just still really bad at using English to express specifically emptions, which only makes me feel worse cause wow have I fucked things up trying to say something and someoneisunderstanding me
13) which symptoms of your disorder impair you the most
: negative symptoms, that cause me to just be very distant as a person mentally and presently, and I think overall paranoia, or even sometimes like, meta-paranoid <-
14) do you usually have some insight when you're actively psychotic
:When I'm hallucinating, I'd say I generally do, but when I am delusional, I usually don't, but I kinda always think that there is a chance I'm being psychotic so I try and stay on my toes. If ya know what's mean
15) is there a situation you can laugh at which was a scary time
16) do you think your psychosis is related to trauma
: it possibly could be, but I don't believe that if I didn't have trauma that I wouldn't still be psychotic
17) do you have any co-morbid disorders
:probably, I try not to worry to much about what's all wrong. I just try and make it all work together
18) what is you're exact diagnosis if you have one
Do to the people who diagnosed me as schizophrenic loosing their thing. Due to.insurance purposes, I have no diagnosis on file. Last time I went in a couple years back to a new doctor they said I should get evaluated, but like, I could barely afford what I had already been there for
19) when did you start think you might be psychotic
Before I can remember
20) is there a history of psychosis in your family
:I've don't know to much of my family or their histories, but my mum is paranoid and has anxiety. And my older sister is autism spectrum, and so mental health is in the family
21) do you have inappropriate emotions or reactions
Less inappropriate as in lewd, but more of, absent, or like, when I first was told someone close to me (human) died, I didn't ever cry once for them, I don't think I have to this day, not to say I wouldn't cry for everybody close to me, but like yeah, and like when answering personal questions I think I react a lot more deflectively. Or like, hell, my partner told me they loved me for the first time, and though I honestly wanted to say it back, I just didn't, I honestly don't remember what I said. And Tbh still kinda feel shitty about that interaction..
22)do you relate to any characters bc they might have a psychotic disorder
Fucking,
River tam from firefly, (like yeah, she has like actual powers and shit, but Damn, it kinda affects her similarly)
23) do you have a song you listen to when.you need to calm down
Lullaby for a stormy night, ever-changing by rise against
24) do you have a song you relate to psychosis
:first one I could think of is "World in a bottle" by Anavae
25) what traits do you want to see in a canonically psychotic character
Negative symptoms, dissociation, And a few happy Fucking stories for us please
26) do you have a recurring delusion or hallucination
:oh boy do I, I'm honestly still coming to terms with a long time life held delusion, and that's a fun thing to do without therapy let me tell you, here do come Nov. 17
27) would you get rid of your psychotic disorder if you.could)
: if, it could be a little more manageable that would be nice, but, honestly, not being psychotic ever again.. now that sounds kinda scary too
28) do you take anti-psychotic, why?
:no prescription grade, but I do my best to self medicate, if you can, don't follow my example
29) how is your memory
:well I've been going back and forth writing the numbers and questions now, and I read the ask, switched form my photos to the tumble app, and then forgot, so. Bonus fact, this is the first ask i answered in this line
30) what how through your head when you hear "cute but psycho"
Honestly I see hear the Word psycho and almost every time I get upset, but like unless they're psychotic, and okay with you referring to them as such. It just makes me upset
31) do you experience time distortion
According to general laws of physics time dilates, so yeah I do what of it?
Serious answer though, yeah,
Like say my first 4 month into being in my current city, I had a mental fall back, and went back home for a 2 maybe three months,
That first fronts in this city, was actually 4 days, and part of my waking routine is checking the date and time to make sure that I am in the know on what year and day it's supposed to be
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So I just broke up with Gabe and I’ve had a realization that I’ve been in an emotionally abusive shit show for over a year. I need to process everything that’s happened and honestly it’s an interesting story so more down below about a year and a half long relationship with someone who is an archtype of person to avoid from now on.
I really should have seen the thousands of red flags, but I refused to acknowledge them because he would feel bad about them and as a girlfriend I thought it was my duty to comfort him and assure him I don’t care about those things. I was used.
Initially when me and Gabe got together it was bad. My best friend was in a relationship with him first and I figured we could all just be the best friends. However, he shared a lot of common interests with me that no one else did at the time. At my college dorm he was the only one into homestuck and the convention scene and that gives people a lot to talk about. However, I later found out he only went to conventions with his ex girlfriend and therefor was done with going to conventions for himself and he only read up to act 6 in homestuck and vehemently hates spoilers so homestuck talk was kept to a minimum and he never was interested in going to a convention with me because of “memories” and planned one with his friends instead saying I could go, but without him. He didn’t end up going and I was hurt and of course didn’t plan to go see a convention alone.
Back to the first point I was a horrible person for doing what I did to my best friend. Gabe and I talked about pokemon throughout winter break and I was the first person he told when she broke up with him. I was in a relationship at the time. No one believes me, but I did not end the relationship I was in so I could have a shot at him. Seeing a relationship I thought would work out just end made me look at my own relationship and realize I’m not fullfilled and happy in it and I’ve been keeping some stuff that happened to me in the woods under lock and key. So I ended it. When winter break ended I got together with Gabe when we got back to school. He told me he loved me while he was crying. I was so touched and I had liked him for a minute so I skipped to that stage and told him I loved him too while comforting him. I lied to my best friend about liking him at all and she told me that she wanted a chance to be with him again. I lied to her and we started seeing each other behind her back. It was wrong and when the truth came out I lost all my friends. So it was just me and Gabe and everyone else in the dorm was calling me a whore.
We started dating regularly, but he had a habit of just saying really mean things about me out of nowhere. When I would ask him not to or say that something hurt my feelings he fought me and said that that’s just how he talks to his friends. It was me that should man up. However, he was hurt by the smallest things. 90% of what I said was questioned and he would get so quiet so quick. It came to a point where I had to consider if I was abusive while he would constantly bring things up to ridicule me. But I was alone. Eventually he got it in his mind to break up with me and I spent the entire night writing things down to repair our relationship. First thing he did that morning was come over to my room to hug and kiss me before cuddling me and going through the list. I have begun to think he never wanted to break up with me but to just make me know that he could and that I would be alone if he did.
Eventually we started hanging out with my old friends again and I couldn’t express how much I missed them. However, they weren’t talking to Gabe as much as me at first and he hated that. He would constantly bring up the point that they weren’t talking to him whenever I was distracted from him, planned something else, or was generally happy to have people back in my life. So instead I would have to comfort him and spend m energies not repairing relations but getting them to like Gabe. He constantly said he hated the group and wanted nothing to do with them, too. Eventually we had a fight where I told him to get over that attitude and they’re just people who are willing to forgive if an effort is made and I had been making extreme efforts. He almost broke up with me that night too. There was a lot of times we almost broke up.
He had a panic disorder. He told me on the first date he had told his ex he would kill himself if he broke up with her and I told him that if he self harmed or tried to kill himself to keep me in this relationship that we were through. So that’s why he started punching himself really hard during fights to make points instead of cutting himself. He would rip hair out of himself and scratch down his arms and take up my whole bed. He has broken my umbrella, ripped apart my shoes, and broken my sunglasses off of my face during these episodes. All in an effort to not let me leave. Sometimes we’d be nose to nose and I’d be trying to comfort him and he would say something horrible to me and I would tell him that was horrible to say and he would just punch himself super hard out of nowhere. It was like he wanted to punch me, but knew that would actually call of the relationship.
I missed the New Years party at my own house to go back to my room to comfort him for hours. I missed out on so many parties and friend moments because he didn’t want me in them. I couldn’t go out and dance with my friends countless times. And if I did he would make a huge show. I had to ask for permission to do anything besides hang out with him. Even then he wasn’t satisfied. He hated that I wasn’t into video games or computer science as much as him and would treat it as negative qualities I had. I felt stupid because of him constantly. Because he wanted me to.
This final one that involved Cisco getting involved because I was terrified of him after he smashed his phone and kept punching himself and kept grabbing me and ripped off my shoes and was screaming crazily in my fae as he ripped out hair was just the final straw. I thought I would have to drive him home and when he got in my car he tried to get back to my house. When I threw all of his stuff on the driveway he was refusing to let me close the trunk by putting his hand in the way. He would do that whenever I tried to close a door to get away from him, too. He tried to throw himself in front of my car and I was just on tumblr until he moved.
I kissed someone on the fourth of July and it actually felt good. For the first time in a long time there was genuine care in it. Ever since I’ve just come to realize how important my friends are and how they wanted better for me since the beginning. I didn’t even mention when he molested one of them and kissed the other and then blamed it on me saying he wasn't happy in our relationship and I should have stopped him if I had a problem with it. I didn’t even mention how he broke up with me for a week, destroying me, just to wiggle back into my life by saying that he had gone psychotic at home and his mom realized he was cutting himself because he was so low without me. When I said I needed time to think because I had other suiters at that time he said it was either then or never.
It’s hard losing someone you thought was your best friend, but I keep coming back to the point that it should be harder losing someone that genuinely cares about you. Losing Amanda was heartbreaking and I’ll never forgive myself for it even if she did. Losing Gabe is so liberating. Huss taking me to shoot a gun afterwards totally cleared my mind and made me realize this truth. I think in an odd way Gabe did care about me, but it was because of his own selfish reasons. I was supporting him financially through food, weed, the place he stayed; everything.
Only mourn for those that actually cared about you.
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Story in progress
Eddie was in the back seat of his mother’s car. His sister Isabelle was right there next to him. She look bored, and had her headphones in looking out the window at the passing cars. He was doing something similar. Every now and then he looked out the window. The pitter patter of rain against glass caused him to tense and grip the railing of Izzy’s cage that rested on his lap.
The bearded lizard looked up at Eddie and licked its lips. Eddie like to think that she liked him. He always did relate to animals more than people. The Voice of his mother was blurry like a sheet of fog that had invaded his head. He felt dizzy and nauseous.
Eddie would often space out like this, but today was different. Today there had been a reason. Their small car was packed with boxes, suitcases, and all their belongings. Their whole lives were in that car.
Today they would start a new period in a new town. Eddie hated it. He tried his best to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. If Isabelle saw she would call him a baby again. He missed his best friend. He missed Toronto where he could go and do anything, and there was always something to do. He missed his dad.
Eddie didn’t know anyone in this new place. What was the name of this town? Eddie thought to himself then he remembered. “ Riverdale” that’s what it was called. It had a population of 1200. Not 12000 but 1200.
“Edd, Eddy. Don’t look so glum. Mrs. Perkins said. I know you don’t want to be here. But this is a fresh start for us. A new place”.
“ I hate it”. Isabel said.
“ young lady language. And Eddie please don’t make this harder than it needs to be”.
Eddie bit his lip and tried to hold back the tears.
Mrs. Perkins followed close behind the movers truck. Well because she had to make sure they didn’t steal anything or broke anything. When they finally arrived at their new home, and everything was loaded into the house it was 9:30 p.m. Eddie’s mother shouted the entire three hours at the Young 20 year olds on exactly where she wanted everything placed. So on the account it was late Eddie’s mother didn’t have time to cook. So the three of them headed into town to grab something to eat.
They didn’t have to wait long the drive only took 5 minutes at the max. Riverdale was small. Mrs. Perkins parked her car in the parking lot of the local mall. It was at the very most 10 p.m. so it was closed on the account it was a small town in everything closed early and it was also Sunday.
But there was a small Diner across the street. It reminded any of his favorite painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.
Eddie and his sister saw it one summer when they visited the art gallery of Chicago. Their father took them but he was always busy and never spent a lot have time with him or Isabelle. But that summer his dad Caldo de of the blue, and said “Hey Eds why don’t you and your sister come spend some time with me over the weekend”. That’s what his old man called him Ed’s. And it was something that carried over to his mother.
It was the most time he spent with him in his entire life. They went to a baseball game. Isabel didn’t seem to like that part very much, but she did like the hot dogs. And afterwards they went to the art gallery.
As they we’re walking on the sidewalk up to the diner Eddie spotted engaged into the window display of a nearby shop. His blue eyes grew wide. The display reminded him of his dad. The red bike. It was glossy and perfect. Just like the bike his dad gave him, and taught him how to ride. But unfortunately it got stolen just before they moved.
“Hey mom”… but before the words could fully leave Eddie’s mouth the answer was clear.
Mrs. Perkins stood there on the sidewalk Crossing her arms. She looked at her son with his long blonde hair and tattered Army pattern jacket. And then she said. “ Eddie we’re not made of money. Your father didn’t exactly leave us well off now did he”.
“ Yes ma'am” Eddie said looking down at his feet and pulling the sleeve of his jacket.
Mrs. Perkins sighed. “Eddie if you want something why don’t you get a job. Nobody’s going to give you a hand out in this world. After all it’s still fall break you have another month before school starts. Honestly I wish you would let me cut your hair you look like a delinquent”.
…
Eddie was laying on his bed looking at the ceiling and he was bored. As much as he disagreed with his mother she was right. Nothing was free. But it also wasn’t his dad’s fault. The more he thought about it the more he came to realize he didn’t know the first thing about his father. He wanted to know. But then the voices he started hearing the voices, and all the doctor’s appointments, therapy, and pills. Pills and list pills. Of course who wouldn’t want to leave. He was angry he felt like screaming. the whole world was messed up and nobody could understand him. everyone just thought he was violent but
He wasn’t and his head hurt. Eddie decided he wasn’t going to spend all his time inside. That’s what he did all summer break and the brake before that and the brake before that. Maybe he could get that job. But he didn’t know anybody, or Riverdale for a matter of fact. He would change that though. No more feeling sorry for himself he jumped out of bed and grabbed his coat. His stomach rumbled but as usual his mother wasn’t home, and he didn’t want to bother his sister who was upstairs. He could hear the music coming from her room.
He opened the fridge nothing good he thought to himself. An empty carton of milk some eggs in 3 slices of stale bread there was some ham and cheese too. Eddie quickly made himself a ham and cheese. Not wanting to announce to anyone he was leaving not that anyone would notice no one ever noticed him.
The house where Eddie lived was three stories tall. It was Gray with Victorian moulding. Hard wooden floors, hexagon shaped windows, and 6 balconies. The house was over a hundred years old from the late 18th century it was divided into four different floors. Each one rented to a different tenant. Eddie and his mother along with Isabel lived on the third floor.
The little bell on the front door chimes when he exited. Did he forget anything? Coat, Keys, backpack, sandwiches. It looked like it was all there. Looking back from the far end of the street the house brought chills down his spine. No one would ever know anyone was living there it looked abandoned and in fact the whole neighborhood did.
“ Eddie. Eddie”. He heard his name being called, but no one was there.
“ Not again”. Eddie muttered under his breath. They wouldn’t leave him alone. He kept walking but two blocks later again. “Eddie, Eddie”. It was coming from the direction of a house down the street. The host was calling him the voice with sweet like a woman’s. Different from the ones he normally heard different from his mother’s different from his sisters. They were different from the ones he heard in his head the ones that told him he was useless and the ones that told him to hurt himself.
All his instincts told Eddie not to go but his feet just moved it was like he lost his free will. The house on Wilson Street is where he found himself. He crossed the gate it was rusted and it creaked when he open the latch. Eddie stood on the front steps so close to whatever was drawing him. He reached for the handle so close he could almost feel the brass.
With a Smash he fell back and landed on his ass.
“What the hell are you doing kid” he heard. They’re standing above Eddie was a boy no older than him. He was shorter but that wasn’t a surprise. Although Eddie was only 14 no one came close to his height.
“What the hell who jumps out like that, and what’s with the stupid mask”?
Indeed whoever he was had a mask on and not just any mask it was a mask of a white wolf. It reminded Eddie of Okami.
Then he said “oh you know scaring kids not much else to do in Riverdale”.
“You’re psychotic”. Eddie said as he got up and brush the dirt from his torn jeans.
“Wait seriously you shouldn’t go in there. The guy in The Mask said. That house has been abandoned for years people go missing in this town”.
Eddie had walked past him as his arm was reaching for the door like before. “ you believe in that stuff he said”?
“ Not really he said, it’s just it’s common sense you know.”
Eddie looked. “ yeah I guess you’re right. This isn’t a horror movie. It’d be pretty stupid if I just walked in there. Say what’s your name?”
The boy stood up for a moment then he pulled the mask over his head. Eli my name’s Eli".
I know that Eddie got a closer look at him. Eli was shorter than he thought. With an olive complexion and short black hair and green eyes.
“ I’m new in town me and my mom and sister just moved here yesterday”.
“ sister huh she hot? Chill I was just kidding what was your…”
“ Eddie the name’s Eddie”.
“ Eddie that has a nice ring to it you know you can tell a lot about someone just by their name. Where exactly do you live Eddie”?
“The the house on 22nd Street”
“ wow that old piece of junk the four Story one. Interesting. Interesting”
“What’s interesting about it?”
You know you got some interesting characters who live there. Don’t worry you’ll meet them you’re new in town. My dad works there. He’s the janitor".
…
Eddie was sitting down at the dining room table for dinner. He didn’t have much of an appetite but he did his best to eat his lamb and brussel sprouts. He hated brussel sprouts and he had a creeping suspicion that his mother gave them to him on purpose to screw with him. Isabel was there sitting across from him and again listening to her music.
“ Eddie how was your day”? mrs. Perkins asked.
“My day well uh”…
“ that’s right son of mine did you do anything”?
“I guess you could say I made a friend”.
“ see what did I tell you a fresh start. Everything will be better you’ll see. She said picking up the empty plates and taking them to the sink. By the way I pulled some strings and if you still interested in that bike”.
Eddie was anxious he had never been very independent. For the most part he relied on Isabel she would help him with his homework, she would help him order food, she would help him with anything that involved human interaction. So it was no surprise that Eddie was panicking. A job he’d never had a job before.
He pulled out the sleep of his shirt and bit his nails. Both bad habits so that were clear signs that Eddie was stressed. He paced back and forth. Any minute now his mother would come home and introduce him to his future employer.
“ Hey Isabel” he said barging into his sister’s room. And immediately she got up from where she was sitting in the corner of her room, on her bed.
“Ed what is it now”?
Eddie was in full panic mode. His breathing was irregular. Up and down in and out his chest rised as he struggled to get the words out.
“ You want to do the thing Ed”? Isabel said.
Eddie nodded.
She got up off her bed and laid down on the floor. The carpet was shagging green. It had been there since the late 70s.
“ No cheating” Eddie said.
Eddie got down on the floor and kicked his legs up into the air. Isabel smiled and did the same. They played this little game ever since Eddie was 4 and Isabel was 6.
Their feet touched, Eddie’s bright green socks clashing with his sister’s equally as bright neon pink socks. The game was a tug of war Eddie trying to push Isabelle back, Isabel trying to do the same. The loser would be whoever said Uncle first or whoever knocked the other against the wall. It was a heated match, but then Eddie shouted “ ouch” cheater". It was no use his sister had always been stronger. and today was no exception she had pushed him back and in the process already had smashed his head against the back of his sister’s desk.
“Feel better Ed”?
“ Yeah thanks Izzy”.
“I wish you hadn’t named your lizard after me”.
Eddie simply smiled.
“You have that job thing today right”?
“ Yeah just waiting for Mom to come home”.
“Don’t worry about it it’s all in your head. A job isn’t so bad. It’s like school just the same boring routine once you get used to it you won’t even notice. You taking your pills”?
Eddie nodded. “ Yeah but there’s so God damn many of them”. He took out the transparent orange container which housed the pills. “One , two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… wait to you see this ninth one”? Eddie said.
“ 9th. His sister looked at his brother’s hand and saw the blue, white and orange capsules. Nope only eight Ed. You must be seeing things again”.
There were only eight pills. But Eddie only Eddie could see the invisible 9th pill. He could see a lot of things no one else could see. Like the Shadows that shifted in and out in the corners of his vision just barely out of reach. They followed him for as long as he could remember. He could see strange things that no one else could perceive. When a dog barks and nothing’s there to an ordinary person it’s nothing, but animals have a sixth sense.They sense danger and some say they can see what’s beyond in the Supernatural Realm perhaps they see what’s beyond death.
Eddie could certainly see something but what he saw weren’t ghosts or the Grim Reaper the common things associated with death. What Eddie saw he always saw eyes. The pills helps and he hadn’t seen them for over a year now but now he remembered when he was at the abandoned house on Nelson Street Wilson Street. Elie was there and he saw a pair of eyes looming in the shadow they had purple irises Did they belonged to that voice that lured him to that place?
Eddie. It called him. The eyes that led to despair that reveal what’s not there. The Crimson eyes see what’s not there. He couldn’t remember where he heard that from but he had always heard it. maybe it was something one of the many voices said to him.
“Ed you’re spacing out again”. Isabel snapped her fingers. And then he heard the door downstairs turn. It was Talia.
“It’s mom”. Eddie said in Rush downstairs.
It was indeed Eddie’s mother. Talia was Dripping head to toe in rain she hung her trench coat on the hook near the front door and after shaking off the excess water from her umbrella she tucked it into the umbrella stand right beside where the guests put their shoes.
And speaking of guests Talia wasn’t alone. A man in his mid-30s accompanied her He Wore a Yellow Slicker that was drenched in rain. He had red curly hair and a thick beard in Eddie’s mind the man look like how he’d imagined a fisherman to look. He was like the man on the box of fish sticks his mother would sometimes buy.
“Eddie, Eddie don’t just stand there gawking come down here and meet Mark”.
“ Hello son. The man said. He had a kind voice. So you want a job” he said.
“Yes sir. I’m willing to work hard whatever it takes”. Eddie said.
Mark Daniels worked at Cedar Manor he was the caretaker. He looked after the garden, fixed what needed fixing. When the lights went out or there was something like a busted smoke alarm that wouldn’t shut up he was the man the folks at Cedar Manor Estate would call.
In the summer time the garden was full of red blooming roses. The garden was the one thing that kept mark sane. He was happy to help anyone who’d ask. These days anything he could do to preoccupy his time was a blessing. It seemed everything that could go wrong this year had gone wrong. His wife had run out on him she often said he was too busy with work. His father refused to talk to him in fact he refused anything from Mark. His dad had left the reservation and was living here at the Manor. So now it was just him and Elie. And it seemed he didn’t even know what his own son was thinking. Did Elie hate him? Did he blame him for his own mother running out on him. Elie never lashed out like Mark would have done at his age. He only kept quiet and bottled up his emotions deep inside.
On one occasion Elie even suggested that Mark should date. There were no women on the reservation or even in the rest of town that interested him, and he was no good at dating Lord knows how he snagged Elaine in the first place.
Mark would often stop off after work at the Old Dublin and irish-style Pub if it wasn’t already clear enough from its name. But he’d been sober for a year now ever since Elaine left to the very second. Whenever Wendy the waitress would walk by doing her rounds mark would say just a cup of coffee please. And she’d smile she knew him by name. He was practically her father from how much he’d hang around.
It was raining Thursday night and their Mark was at the Dublin work was done with for the night, and not wanting to head home and face Elie’s silence he was here in the corner Booth looking out the window watching the rain.
It never stopped with the rain in Riverdale, Mark thought to himself as he watched the rain drops Sizzle and evaporate on the neon sign of the strip club across the street. It was like the rain had everyone in Riverdale trapped in its endless sorrow, a bubble in which time repeated in a never-ending cycle. He was about to head home when a woman in a long gray coat walked in. She was soaked from head to toe and it looked like her umbrella she was carrying didn’t do her much good. it was almost torn apart from the howling wind outside.
She sat down two booths from Mark. He had never seen her in town before she must have just moved or was passing through. Wendy greeted her “what y'all have” the woman only ordered a cup of coffee and a fried egg. Some may have found that odd at almost 1:30 in the morning. Personally Mark like breakfast for dinner.
“Looks like you’re having a rough day” he said as he walked up to her.
“Thats putting it lightly it seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong”. I just moved here seems like my kids there growing further and further apart. My first day of work let’s just say it could have gone better. This was supposed to be a fresh start".
Mark looked at the woman and slid in the seat across from her.
“I hear that I have a son of my own he doesn’t say a word to me”. She smiled at that I knew you looked out of place I never seen you before and I know everyone in Riverdale"
“He sure does”. Wendy said pouring a glass of beer to a customer sitting at the front of the bar.
“So whereabouts do you live” Mark asked.
“The old house just up the road, Cedar manor” she said. Marks face lit up.
“Small world I’m actually the caretaker at that old place um… I didn’t catch your name.
“Talia. Talia Perkins”.
“And I’m mark. Mark Daniels”
That cold rainy night was the first time they meet, and mark didn’t know what it was about Talia, but there was something missing from her. There was loneliness in her eyes. Just like there was loneliness in his. They may have only just met but it seemed she trusted Mark at least enough to ask for a ride.
The motor of his pickup rumbled and the white exhausted it made stood bright against the black backdrop of the pitch black sky.
“I know I don’t know you she said. But my son he has trouble fitting in. Maybe since you’re in charge here.. She stumbled with her words. Maybe he could help you around. I’m sorry my English isn’t very good”.
“You mean a Job”.
Eddie was tall skinny and lanky and fast oh he was fast Mark couldn’t leave out that fact. Everything Eddie did seemed Todd from how he moved. He had a nervous demeanor he cracked his knuckles he would always check if there was someone behind him, and his eyes would always shift back and forth.
One week 14 hours and 36 minutes that’s exactly how long and he had been working for Mark Daniels. Mark called him down which was odd because to Eddie’s knowledge marked showed him how to do everything, and for the most part mark left him on his own to get things done. The job was simple. Sweep the Halls, rake the leaves in the courtyard, and help with anything that needed tending to down in the maintenance room.
Eddie hated going down there it was dark creepy and there were spiders everywhere. The humming and clicking the boiler made brought a chill up Eddie spine.
“Eddie. Mark called him into the room where he was busy stocking the shelves of the Supply Closet was light bulbs. His back was turned. I have a new job for you Ed. Aside from what we usually do around here there are a lot of older folks who live in the manor. These tenants need help even if they’re too stubborn to admit it”.
“ what kind of help”? Eddie asked.
“Well Ed some of them don’t have family and can’t go out to buy their groceries. They need a little help. I want you to go up to the third floor room 306 and take this to mr. Daniels”.
“ Daniel’s isn’t that your name”?
Mark looked a little embarrassed “yes Ed he’s my father”.
Eddie thought it might be rude to pry so he only took the two plastic bags of food and made his way up the old stairs up to the third floor. It took Eddie 10 whole minutes to knock on the door. He never was good at Social things.
“Yeah, who’s there”. A voice came through the door. It sounded tired and rough.
“ My name is Eddie mr. Daniels I got some things from Mark”.
The door swung open and in front of him stood up man with white long hair down to his waist. He was maybe in his 70s to mid 80s but he was in good shape considering his age.
“You tell that useless pile of crap to mind his own business”! The door slammed in Eddie’s face. The old man smiled behind the door thinking that was that but then he heard Eddie small voice.
“Please sir if not for Mark at least take it from me. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you dying or anything”. Eddie stood there staring at the door until finally a full 10 minutes had passed the door slowly creaked open.
“Well you might as well come inside. Come on don’t just stand there looking stupid. Take off your shoes put the bag over there on the table by the couch”.
Eddie did what he was told and sat down. Mr. Daniels was in the kitchen he could hear the clicking and clanging of pots and pans and the boiling of steam in the tea kettle. Room 306 was much smaller than theirs it was basically all one room besides the kitchen and what Eddie assumed was the bedroom. The living room was cluttered there were things everywhere. Things that a normal person wouldn’t dream of keeping. Piles and piles of old newspapers some of the dates going as far back as 1975. There were eight cartons and pizza boxes colorful glass. Things that someone might find laying on the street like a crow might pick up shiny objects that catch its eye. but the thing that most intrigued Eddie was the wall by the window overlooking a dense forest shrouded in fog. There were endless newspaper clippings and strange pictures pinned to the wall and all connected to one another like a web with butcher string.
“They’re missing people. Eddie jumped at mr. Daniels voice. I’ve lived in this town my whole life he began to say. I remember when I was your age my best friend disappeared. It would stop for a time but eventually it would always happen again. The police never cared eventually they forgot about all these people all these kids someone’s family lost souls. They never found my friend. His name was Allen we both decided we were going to run away. Leave the reservation run away from her abusive home from our drunk fathers and neglectful mothers. no one would miss a couple of Indians like us”.
“ What happened”? Eddie asked his eyes bright but anxious.
“We went into those woods over there mr. Daniels looked out the window. Our elders always told us to stay out of those woods. They told us the legend. my grandmother called it the skin taker but it has had countless names some know it by the Wendigo”.
“What’s that”?
A spirit a spirit of the forest. It takes many forms but it’s most well-known to infect a person’s thoughts. People close to it it breaks their mind fills their thoughts with a ravenous hunger that makes the person go mad. They here it’s voice and kill each other. But I know better. It takes the Flesh in devours its victims lures them in".
Eddie remembered what Eli said and the sweet voice of the woman that lured him to that abandoned house. He always heard the voices but he always thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him he had gone to many doctors and they told him he was schizophrenic. But he would always see things and not just see things he would feel them he would wake up certain mornings when he was four years old with bruises on his chest in the shape of handprints. he glanced at the jumbled web of pictures and string. All the faces of missing children no older than him. but there was one picture that caught his eye that stood out more than the rest. it was a drawing done in charcoal it was abstract and didn’t have much of a form. It was some sort of blob covered in eyes.
“ I’ve seen this before” Eddie said pointing to the charcoal drawing.
“Where”! Mr. Daniels asked with a troubling tone.
“In my dreams” is what Eddie replied with.
It was 7:40 a.m. twenty minutes until Kevin Parker had to get ready for school. He yawned and shambled to the bathroom mirror. His short black hair was a mess, and matted like a tattered birds nest. Again he yawned, brushed his teeth and looked into the mirror. Starring back was the same nerdy boy with the thick horn framed glasses.
When he made his way downstairs the sight he was meet with was all to common. An empty house. Kevin opened the fridge, at least there was food today. He made himself a couple of eggs and a cup of black coffee just the way he liked it. Maybe it was a little odd, most kids his age thought coffee was gross but not Kevin. He liked the dark bitter flavor. He grabbed his backpack and headed out the door but as he open it his father stepped in. His toolbox hanging from his left hand.
He wore his denim overalls soaked in the old oil from the mechanic shop where he worked. “ Hey Dad you stayed all night again”.
“ sorry Kev I know I’ve been busy it’s that time of year. I worry about you Kev I know those kids bullying you be careful”.
“ Thanks Dad”.
Kevin’s mother died when he was only 4 years old. He couldn’t really remember what she looked like. There were no pictures of her anywhere his dad didn’t like to talk about her. All his dad would tell him was “it was a car accident”. When he mentioned to his father he should put himself out there all Mr Parkers would say was “ Not today kev too busy”. And he was he never missed a day of work in all of Kevin’s life. But he didn’t need to worry Kevin Parker could take care of himself. He had Bean at Riverdale High almost a year and in all that time he hadn’t made a single friend. He probably could if you wanted to but Kevin was happy to be with himself. Other people always would flock together in crowds but Kevin was fine with being on his own. He valued the time he had to himself. every day when most kids his age would eagerly awaited the Bell to hang out with their friends, but not Kevin he would stay hours until the school closed until mrs. Hawkins the school librarian with glare and tell him to leave.
He could take care of himself he had being for years.
That day was like any other Kevin was taking notes as their science teacher Mr. Hale shuffled through the slides on the overhead projector. The shutter the ancient machine caused a smirk to appear on Kevin’s face.
“ mr. Parker mr. Hale looked at Kevin with a Stern expression then it broke. Mr. Hale was always the jokester. He was everyone’s favorite teacher but behind that comedic expression was a hidden sorrow. All the students in room for a new that mr. Hale had a daughter and that she passed away the year before. It was does a brain tumor which cost a blood vessel to rupture she almost died instantly. And for that reason they are forced to smile at his lame jokes.
The hierarchy of the class was simple the smart kids aka what people would call nerds set in the front row. The kids that eagerly answered the teacher’s questions the moment they were called upon. The other group were the ones that set at the very back never did their homework and prayed that they were never called upon.
Trevor Duvall was exactly one of those some buddies. He sat why the back window surrounded by his friends. Unbeknownst to him Trevor stared at the boy with the thick frame glasses as he carved a skull and crossbones into the ancient desk with his Swiss Army knife which he kept hidden under the sleeve of his shirt.
Just as quickly as class begin it ended in like usual Kevin headed to the library to fill his head with research to escape the troubles of his life. Here there were no worries no responsibilities. Just Kevin and his books. He headed down the hall avoiding the Swarms of teenagers the 10th and 12th graders. He had to. It was a common practice to Haze the 9th graders . Travis was in the 9th grade but he was the oldest he had repeated the 9th grade two times already. His mother would always say he wouldn’t amount to much. ” dumber than a sack of rocks" that’s what his mother would say.
Travis could never live up to his older brother no matter what he did his brother wood outshine his every effort. But when he disappeared even with him gone would always bring up if Michael was here he would do it right. Why can’t you be more like Michael.
Kevin thought he was so smart teacher’s pet. It made the anchor in Travis grow he grit his teeth. Kevin Parker took his time removing his things from his locker. His coat, his textbooks for science math and history. Then Kevin like always quietly made his way out through the back door of the school where no one would see him. No one did he was never very noticeable that is every day but today. He was almost at his place of Refuge the library when Travis and his three friends Pete, Zack and Jeff came up behind him and surrounded him from all sides.
“ Hey Travis Kevin nervously said. I don’t want any trouble”.
Travis laughed and all three of the other members of his group began to laughed as well. It was nervous laughter like the three of them were afraid. Afraid of what Travis might do. He had gone over the edge before. His daddy always use to tell him people who were different weren’t to be trusted. That their very exsistance tainted the rest of the good hard working folks around them. And so Travis believed that to. It was his daddy and why would his daddy lie.
“I don’t like you parker. In fact no one likes you. You and you’re dad are freaks”.
“Yeah your dad looks mexican and is too poor to feed you”. Zack laughed.
“Look his clothes"Jeff also began to laugh.
Kevin stood there in his clothes that his dad got from his aunt and thrift stores. He clenched his fists. So what if he was poor his dad was a good person more than he could say for any of them.
“And don’t forget he’s super religious to” Peter the last member of Travis group chuckled in his moronic voice.
“THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT”!! Kevin shouted.
“What’s wrong slant eyes baby gonna cry. Word around town is that your old man murdered your mom”.
Kevin bolted at Travis and try to slug him in the gut but the boy who had at least 60 pounds on him narrowly dodged.
“ did we get you mad baby boy. What even are you anyway you’re white yellow? You’re just ugly muddy trash”.
They had a saying in Japan for children who were half Japanese half something else. They would call them hafu. I’m pure there blood was contaminated muddy. No matter how hard they tried they would never live up to the nobility of a pure Japanese. Kevin’s father had met his mother during the war when he was stationed in Hiroshima. He fell in love with the tall Slender Woman and brought her back to Canada to their little hometown of Riverdale. Kevin could almost pass for Canadian but there was something different about him his mother knew this and told his father to never mention his culture. She tried to hide the fact that he was different. People would just think he was an illegitimate child and it would bring shame to her family. But Travis picked up on the fact that he didn’t look quite like everyone else his fair skin his slightly slanted eyes. Travis’s father said those type of people we’re better off dead. And his daddy was never wrong. When he was five he questioned this to his father and he made himself clear and told Travis to take off his shirt. And like the innocent five-year-old he did so. His father took off his belt and with the Brass Buckle he beat him. The sound of the leather thrashing through the air and breaking Travis skin what’s deafening. He learned his lesson never question. If a man reacted so savagely over a simple question it must have been a universal law. That these people weren’t human.
Mr. Dubell was a police officer he dealt with criminals murderers rapists but that wasn’t the reason he hated them, People who were of different race. The reason was they were different. And since the beginning of time humans feared what was different. The eyes watched and grew relishing in the suffering a smirk appeared on the Shadows face it fed on the negativity and grew stronger.
Travis was Furiously grabbed Kevin and pushed him up against the brick wall in the courtyard where the 12th graders smoked. No one would see because it was the last period of the day and everyone either skipped or were already in class. Travis three friends looks nervous until finally Zack was the one who spoke.
"Hey Travis don’t you think this is taking it a little too far”.
And at that Travis lost what little restraint he had. He pulled out the Swiss Army knife from his jean pocket and at the same time he was holding up Kevin he grabbed Zack’s shirt.
“ Don’t ever tell me what to do. I’ll tell you when it’s too far”.
Kevin’s eyes grew as he saw the gleam of the metal reflect in the sunlight followed by an intense burning. Travis had plunged the blade of his Swiss army knife into Kevin’s Temple it dragged down cutting the side of his face from the top of his head to halfway down his cheek. But in Desperate situations people who ordinarily thought they had no strings found it deep down. Kevin kneed Travis right in the balls, and he ran. Without any regards to his things he ran. His bag full of his belongings that were most precious to him, his books his Spider-Man comics his countless hours of research all Left Behind in the water drenched pavement of the school basketball court.
Travis quickly chased after him he screamed at his friends to go after Kevin has the small teenager ran across the street almost being hit by a passing car. The people in the car saw him they saw the Panic on his face but they just kept driving. Kevin muttered under his breath “bitch”. He fell to his knees and there he was standing on the edge up the Willow Creek Woods, the only thing between him was a flimsy railing that separated the woods from the road.
“Nowhere to go now baby”.
But there was yes. Kevin jumped he plunged into the Ravine the palms of his hands were torn by the gravel in broken glass his jeans which were brand new and a birthday gift from his father we’re torn to shreds. Kevin heard the leaves crunching in the Twigs breaking in the distance. Travis and his friends were coming after him. Their voices getting louder and louder. He did the only thing he could do and that was hide.
Kevin landed in knee-deep water in the small Creek that ran through the woods. He ran faster and faster hoping he could get away then he saw it. There was a cave. In the back of his mind he thought there was something strange about that cave but he went in anyways. He thought there probably were Bears inside but he took the risk because this was a sign it was a miracle that this cable was even there.
Inside it was dark and wet so dark that it was Pitch Black. The kind of dark that he rent a boat in the National Geographic Magazines at the library that he loved so much. He read an article in one of them about the creatures that lived at the bottom of the ocean floor we’re not a sliver of light would reach. The animals there were born without eyes or if they did have eyes they had no purpose anymore.
His heart was racing in his chest. “Please God don’t let them find me. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’ll be a good Christian. God I didn’t mean to skip church last Sunday. And I’m sorry I got a boner when Henry Thomas showed me his brothers 30 magazines with the naked ladies. Please don’t let Travis find me”.
Travis was so close that Kevin could almost feel his voice on the back of his neck.
“ Come on let’s go he must have slipped into town”.
Kevin’s Hart settled back down it was a miracle. “ what a dreadful child” a voice came from the darkness. Kevin turned but it was pointless he couldn’t see anything even if he wanted to. But much to his surprise a pair of violet colored eyes appeared in the Darkness. They glowed bright showing what was behind them. Standing before Kevin was a deer, but it wasn’t a normal deer and one could tell as much from its eyes. But what made this year different was that it’s good on its hind legs.
Kevin jumped back. “WHAT THE HE’LL ARE YOU”
It looked at Kevin and walked around him in a circle its Hooves clattering against the stone ground.
“ Don’t be afraid Kevin Parker”.
“How do you know my name”?
“Kevin I know all in this world you are a high school student in the 9th grade do you live with your father Matthew Parker. And deep down Even If you deny it you are lonely and wish to have a best friend”.
The deer was right no matter how much Kevin tried he was lonely.
“ I can make it happen it began to say. Whatever your greatest desire is I can make it so. All I ask from you is to come with me”.
And as soon as the deer spoke those words the came was brought to life with light. Hundreds of thousands of eyes begin to open all around them on the moss covered walls. They were pure Scarlet with light green pupils that shifted from side to side. But there was one gigantic one in the center of the cave. It opens and there was a blinding light stronger than the Sun. It was a gateway.
“Come Kevin”.
“I’m sorry” I can’t he finally spilled the words.
“ I thought as much your time hasn’t come yet but my offer still stands return to me when you have made a decision”. The deer turned away and made its way to the portal.
“Wait what’s your name”?
“My dear boy my name matters not but you may call me Gremish”. And as quickly as he appeared in a flash of light it was gone. The eyes the deer . Kevin felt around but there was nothing no portal no nothing it was just an ordinary cave.
When it saw through the trees it knew everything about Emily.
It was cold and the little girl shivered in her torn pink winter coat. No one noticed that an eight year old girl wandered from her home to the isolated park just beyond the forest. Douglas Spencer the girls father was a drunk. There were many fights between him and his wife Alison. Bruises, black eyes, and broken bottles was all there ever were in Emily Spencer’s home.
Emily although covered with bruises and broken blood vessels smiled as she swung back and forth on the swing. She was hopeful that one day everything would be alright. That her daddy would stop drinking, and her and her mom and dad would be a family again.
It knew what Emily’s greatest desire was.
She looked up into the dark sky as snow fell on her face. It accumulated on her eyelashes. Creek crunch. Creek crunch. The sound of footsteps in the snow. When she looked in the direction of the sound she saw her mother. Emily was slightly confused. Her mother had come to get her. It was what the girl had always wanted from her mother, for her to care.
She held her hand as they walked, and Emily looked up at her. “Where are we going”? Emily asked. But her mother did not respond. But the girl knew it wasn’t the way home. She knew the way home. They had walked it together every day when Alison would pick her up from kindergarten.
The full moon hung low and bright in the night sky, but tonight it had a red hue to it. This girl would do it, it thought to itself as it read every thought in Emily’s mind, every desire that was ever in her head. Every fear,every joy was known to it at that moment.
“Emily what do you want in the whole world”. Her mother asked.
She thought about it for a moment then she looked into her mothers eyes. “I wish you and dad would stop fighting so we can be a family again”.
Alison smiled and answered That’s why i’m here everything is going to be alright now. Lets gets some ice cream.
Emily smiled at that as she remembered the Rock Cold Creamery, and how she would see all the happy families having their ice cream. She wished that could be them.
It seemed that they had been walking for hours, and Emily didn’t recognize anything around her. “Mom are you sure were going the right way”? she cried. But all Alison would say was.
“Just a little further; its a shortcut”.
The moon continued to shine bright through the thick trees.
“Emily you do want to be a family forever. Isn’t that your greatest desire”?
Something was wrong they were nowhere near town, nowhere near anything. And the expression on Alison’s face . Emily knew something wasn’t right. This wasn’t her mother. Her skin had turned pure white, and the look on her face wasn’t Alison. Still time slowed as minutes felt like days. But soon enough they had come to the center of the woods. Not a sign of anyone or civilization to be heard or seen.
“Emily i’m going to take you to a place where everything will be perfect like when your dad and i were happy. It promised me. Alison said.
“Mom who promised you, what are you talking about, where we going”? Emily’s voice rose with panic as each word left her mouth. Then she saw something peculiar. It was a deer. Not like anyone she had ever seen. It’s eyes glowed pale like moonlight, and it stood on its hind legs like a man. It bowed moving its hoofs down gesturing for the two females to come over to it.
It stood in the entrance to a cave. The cavern Emily remembered it somehow from a dream.
Inside was not what one would expect from the inside of a cavern. The walls were perfectly smooth and pure white. There were no doors, entrances of any kind. In fact the space Emily and her mother had used to come inside had vanished. All there was , was a blinding light in the center of the room, and that was all there was to the room. A room, space that seemed to stretch out endlessly. Light poured from the portal. It was the very thing staining everything white. Emily’s mother was standing next to it. The figure of the deer had disappeared into the light. There was a feeling of warmth, comfort.
“Come Emily, come everything will be alright”. Her mother held out her hand as she began to disappear as well into the portal.
The girls instincts told her not to go, but she ignored them all as every one of them were overwhelmed by the feeling of warmth the light filled Emily with. It was too late then. She had stared into the void. Poking her little face through the light. And what she saw was something indescribable. Her mother told her it was a perfect world where all dreams came true. Where her, her mom, and her dad would be happy again. But what she saw in the light was none of those things. She was completely submerged in the light now. It felt like Emily was deep underwater. It was heavy and suffocating, and there was nothing around her. Emily floated in the void that stretched into infinity. She cried out “Mom, mom where are you”? But there was no answer.
In the blackness they appeared, three rubies. Perfect spears of red light. They fickered fading in and out of exsistance. Until finally it was clear what they were. Eyes,eyes as big as planets, and when the girl saw who or what they belonged to her blood ran cold. It was a shapeless mass that somewhat resembled an angler fish. A type of fish that dwelled in the darkest depths of the sea where not a shred of light would ever reach. Like the angler it had an antenna that protruded
from its forehead, with a gland at the end that produced a light. It opened what would be its mouth was the closest way to describe it. For it was a creature not of this world, and was formless and indescribable to mortal eyes. Inside was spiral that stretched to infinity with rows and rows of jagged teeth cascading down like a stairway. In its center was the light. The light that Emily saw before. It came from the inside of this creature.
The girl was in a trance her eyes clouded in a pale hue of white. She saw what she most desired in the void of the creature’s mouth. Her mother, her father, and herself as a family.
“Come Emily join us” the creature called out. Emily heard the words, but not out loud but in her mind.
She could not control herself, and was drawn to the creature. And as quickly as it appeared the angler pounced tearing the girls head from her body.
The three perfect spears glowed as the creature had absorbed another victim. At that moment Eddie Perkins awoke in his bed, sweating, his heart pumping so violently he thought it would exploded in his chest. Not sure if it was a dream.
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Jojo and Lolo, Ch. II
Chapter II of "Jojo and Lolo," a Joseph's ToonTown story.
(Originally part of Chapters I and II of the original story of the same name.)
And so, the story continues, with all the more weirdness, silliness, and fun you'd expect from a romantic fox and silly bunny.
Yeah, I got nothin'.
Word count: 7,027 – Character count: 40,050
Originally written: December 23rd, 2016
Slightly revised: June 6th/7th, 2016
Revised further: September 2nd, 2017
With emotions sorted and thoughts collected, the two head out to have some fun, together.
Lola Bunny, The Looney Tunes Show, and related characters
and properties created by and © Warner Bros. Animation
Winnie Woodpecker, The Woody Woodpecker Show, and related
characters and properties created by and © Walter Lantz Productions
[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷ ]
Lola listened to Joseph as he told her about his life and his home world. She gasped as she heard about his awful childhood as a laboratory test subject and awed as he told her about the rogue scientist that had acted as his surrogate mother. She stared, wide-eyed, as he told her about his first true crush and best friend, Kaiya, and she frowned in sympathy when he told her about the day she’d moved away. She tilted her head as he moved to his ex-girlfriend, Kris… how they’d met… their relationship… even the secret they shared… and, she offered another sympathetic frown as he told her about three years prior to modern times, when she’d broken up with him.
The monologue continued further, well beyond the scope of his friends, love life, and on to other things. He told her about what he’d done for a living… what sort of place Planet Ragnarok was… He confided in her what gave him the most joy and told her of his greatest regrets. He made mention of his time in ToonTown… how he truly felt about Winnie and Woody… but, neglected to mention that there had been times where he had acted on those feelings – at least with the former. And, finally, he wrapped everything up by telling her…
“I appreciate you taking the time to listen to everything. I really do.”
As Lola lay there next to Joseph, just as she had been for an hour earlier and beyond… she honestly wasn’t sure what to make of everything she’d just learned. It was true that she was the one who’d prompted him to unload… but, she hadn’t… truly hadn’t… been expecting the volumes of information, about her friend. It was a little overwhelming… knowing as much as she did about him, then… but, the thing that bothered her more than anything was…
“I wish I had something to tell you, back…”
The fox gave a blink. Lola was offering a soft, somewhat unconvincing smile.
“‘Something to tell me?’” he repeated. “I don’t understand.”
“I haven’t lived life like you have,” she explained. “I was only made a few years ago… and, really, I’ve only done one or two things, since! After my contract with Warner expired, they just kind of… let me loose into the world. I almost feel like they forgot about me…”
The rabbit looked down toward the bedspread.
“They didn’t even call me in to do Rabbit’s Run, last year… They got some other bunny, to do that movie… You can tell, because of the different voice! So, I’ve just kind of… wandered around ToonTown. But…!”
The fox’s ears perked as Lola’s tone and expression turned angry.
“Do you know what the most annoying thing is…?”
Joseph shook his head.
“The most annoying thing… is that, I’m not even the real me!”
She gave a scowl.
“I’m just a cheap knock-off of some eye-candy from a crappy movie made back in ‘96!”
The fox gave a blink. “Wait, what?”
And, that caused Lola to give a long, labored sigh…
“Do you remember that ‘sister’ I keep bringing up? The one who’s also named ‘Lola?”
“Y… yes?”
“Well… actually, wait, here.”
Lola brought her cell phone back up, typing something into the keypad. A moment later, she turned it toward the fox and… he couldn’t believe what he saw.
Image-after-image was listed on a search display reading “Space Jam, Lola Bunny…” and, all of them seemed to be of her. But, at the same time… it wasn’t of her, at all… No, the rabbit on the screen was a little more… “pandering.” At least, that’s what he thought. It was true that she had the same creamy-orange and light-tan fur as the Lola he knew… the same platinum-blond hair and a similar look… She even wore ears back in a hairband the same way. But, the Lola he was looking at, on the cell phone, seemed more streamlined… more, well… sexy, depending on one’s definition.
Compared to the Lola he knew, she had blue eyes, a smaller nose and teeth, and a slightly larger bust… From what he could see, she also had a much different personality, too. But, there was no mistaking it… If he hadn’t known better… hadn’t met the Lola in front of him, first… he would have had to say that she… the Lola Bunny he knew… was a knock-off of the one on the cell phone; a parody, or deconstruction, in a way… And, he could tell.. that upset her greatly.
“It’s been tough, living in the shadow of not only Bugs but this… this bimbo!” Lola said, showing genuine disdain for the furry pin-up on the screen. “But, at the same time…”
She reached up, closing the cell phone. Joseph could see how hurt she felt as she spoke…
“I have to face the facts,” she sadly stated. “I’m the copy. I’m the double. I’m the one who doesn’t belong. And, that’s probably why Warner let my contract expire, after The Looney Tunes Show was done. Because… they were done with me.
“And, why would they need me,” she continued, starting to rant, “when they have this ‘Lola Bunny’ around to push more products or keep my Bun-Bun happy…?”
The fox gave a blink, his ears half-folding at the nickname.
“So, that’s why… that’s why…” Lola said with genuine happiness, “I decided to try and become friends with ‘Real Lola!’”
“What…?” Joseph felt more than a little confused by that point…
“Yeah! It’s the perfect plan!” she said with a nod. “Once Warner gets tired of ‘Ms. Don’t Call Me Doll…’ when her curves and B-Ball skills stop selling products… I can step right back in and take her place! Just like I… did…”
She paused, a sudden look of realization coming over her.
“O… o-oh. Oh, oh, no.”
Realization set in as she blankly stared at her companion. She then asked…
“A… am I… the bad-guy…?”
Joseph gave a jolt as he felt his chest fur being grabbed by the ‘toon’s gloved hands. Her black eyes were filling with tears, again, as she desperately looked to him for reassurance.
“Am I the bad-guy…?” she whimpered. “Do… do you think she hates me as much as I hate her…? What if… what if…”
Lola’s breathing turned a little ragged. She was starting to freak out…
“What if she’s planning to do something bad to me, right now…? I took her place, not the other way around! She’d be justified…! No one would blame her…”
Her grip tightened on Joseph’s chest fur, causing him to wince.
“It’s the perfect alibi…”
“Lola…!” He gave a grunt. “You’re… hurting me…!”
“Huh? What?”
She blinked as she looked back at Joseph. A moment later, she snapped back to reality, letting him go with a simple, one-word apology.
“You’re fine…” the fox sighed, straightening his fur. “And… no.”
She gave another blink of her wet, black eyes, her full attention on Joseph.
“You’re not the ‘bad-guy,’ here. But… neither is she.”
Lola raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “Come again?”
“Alright… from what little I know about the two of you… ‘sex-bomb Lola’ was made for some movie called ‘Space Jam,’ back in 1996, of this world, whereas you were made for The Looney Tunes Show a few years ago. You guys have a lot in-common, design-wise… but, clearly, when they were making your show, they didn’t want a blond bombshell as a character. Maybe her personality was wrong for the ideas they had… or, maybe they were just aiming at a completely different demographic. Either way, they ended up making you – a cuter, less provocative version of the ‘Lola Bunny’ you just showed me.”
Lola continued to listen… though, she wasn’t sure where that train of thought was going.
“Now, from what I gather… the Lola from Space Jam was more… uh, well…”
“‘Sane?’” she interjected.
“What? I…” Joseph paused. He noticed the soft smile Lola had on her face.
“I know I can be a handful,” she reassured him. “It’s okay. You wouldn’t be the first to tell me I’m crazy. Or psychotic. Stalker-ish… weird… a lunatic – not the ‘Loonatics,’ mind you. Those were a completely different attempt at a redux! The version of me– er, us – Lola and I – from that show is really nice, too! But, boy-oh-boy, don’t ever get her mad!”
The fox gave a blink…
“A-anyway…” he continued, “‘wacky,’ is how I’d put it. You’re wacky. And, the other Lola? From all those screenshots and fan art I saw… it didn’t look like she was all that wacky. Or, really, even funny. She just kind of looked like she was a filler character… ya know, just kind of there. Maybe they were trying to appeal to perverts, like me… or, maybe they were trying to empower women. This planet seems to have a problem with gender-roles. And, prejudice…” he added with a scowl. “I mean, so does Ragnarok… But, ah, I’m getting off-topic.
“In any case, even if she had a nice personality… she just kind of seemed to be an attempt to pander to… someone. Whereas you?”
Lola gave a blink, noticing the fox’s warm smile.
“Sweetheart, you have personality for days! You’re eccentric, silly, funny, cute… You can be feminine just as easily as you can be ‘one of the guys…’ In short, you’re a perfectly well-rounded character. Don’t get me wrong… Space Jam-Lola is fine if you’re looking for sex-appeal… but, if you want someone with some real character…” Joseph smiled to the confused, alert bunny in his bed. “Here she is!”
Lola blankly stared at the fox for several moments. And, then… she brought a hand to her chin, her brow furrowing and a thoughtful look coming over her face.
“If I get what you’re saying…” she started, “you’re saying that neither one of us is ‘The One True Lola;’ that we’re both ‘Lola Bunny!’ Just… different Lolas! Me and her and Baby Lola and Lexi, too! We’re all ‘Lola!’”
“I, uh… More-or-less, yeah.”
“Hmm…”
She thought for a moment longer before looking back at Joseph.
“Hey, question. Which ‘Lola’ do you like better?”
That got a smirk, from the fox.
“Don’t you think I’d be a bit too biased to answer that”
“No. Why?”
The fox grinned, a light blush showing under his fur.
“Well… I do have one of the Lolas in my bed, right now…”
“Oh? Oh! One sec!”
The fox gave a blink as Lola pulled her phone out yet again, his ears twitching as he heard her pressing buttons.
“Uh… what are you doing?”
“Calling myself– I mean other-Lola– eh… what do I call her, now?”
“Probably the same thing everyone else calls her: ‘Lola.’” he said with a chuckle. A moment later, he jolted, asking, “Wait, why are you calling Lola?”
“To invite her over so she can get in your bed?”
Joseph blanched, at that, immediately snapping the rabbit’s phone shut with one hand.
“Hey!!” She gave a scowl. “Rude! I was trying to do you a favor!”
“Lola! J– no!” He frowned in return. “You don’t just call someone and say, ‘Could you get into my friend’s bed? He won‘t answer my question, unless you do.’”
“Wow.” The rabbit’s eyelids lowered, a look of disbelief showing plain as day. “What kind of a low-life do you think I am, Joseph?”
He frowned again, his ears folding back. “I didn’t mean–”
“What I was going to say was, ‘Hey, other-me? Can you come over to my friend’s bedroom? I want to see which one of us he likes best!’”
Joseph sputtered at that. At least, until she added…
“Only kidding…”
He paused to notice the huge grin on Lola’s face. And that put a smirk on his own.
“Really, though,” he started again. “Who were you calling?”
“Other-me– er, Lola.”
“Why?”
Lola gestured with one hand as she explained, “I wanted you to talk to her a little… see if you liked her more than me… stuff like that!”
“And, once again…” He offered a smile. “Don’t you think I’m a little biased, at this point? I’ve known you for far longer and we’ve hung out much more. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen her, before today.”
The fox brought his hands up, squishing Lola’s face with a grin.
“A cute face like you guys’ is pretty hard to forget.”
“Anyway!” Lola smiled as she took back her head. “Other-me is real great! She’s teaching me how to play Basketball and I’m teaching her how to shoot Pool!”
“You know how to play Pool?”
“Well, yeah!” The grin returned to her face. “I have to eat, too, ya know!”
He was about to ask what she meant by that… but, he suddenly realized…
“You’re hustling people at Pool, now?”
“Only a little!” she said with a gesture of her hand. “Besides… It’s not like I’m playing for much! Just a little here-and-there, to make ends meet… Two… three-grand, tops!”
“Per-month?”
“What, are you kidding?” She chuckled. “Per-game, Mr. Fox!”
But, “Mr. Fox” was not amused…
“Oh, I’m kidding,” she said with another chuckle and a hand-wave. “It’s per-month.”
“Right, well…” Joseph crossed his arms. “I guess anyone dumb enough to make a bet with a stranger…”
“Oh, no, people know who I am. They just think they can beat me, at Pool!” She proudly beamed. “I don’t ever lose, though!”
“So… wait.” His head tilted to one side. “You’re saying you’re not hustling people? They’re just… lining up, to play you for money?”
“More-or-less!”
“Huh…” The fox was speechless.
“Anyway…” He gave the rabbit a curious look. “Do you feel better about everything now, Lola?”
“I do!” was her cheerful response as she gave her friend a hug. “But, I have to admit…”
“Hm?”
There was a bashful grin on her face as she said, “It’s gonna be weird seeing Lola as a friend, now, instead of someone I plan to leave for dead, later!”
“Weeell… Just… ya know… maybe, don’t tell her that,” he chuckled. “Still, though, it probably won’t be much different, than before. Just… less negative thoughts about Lola!”
“And, less jealousy…”
“Eh?”
Lola leaned back with a scowl.
“You saw the curves on her! She’s hot!” She looked down, then, and quietly murmured, “No wonder Bugs likes her, more…”
“Well… maybe, if you just let Bugs get to know the real you, instead of the Lola that’s madly in love, with him… he’d like you, too?”
Lola looked up at that, disbelief on her face.
“Now, that’s just crazy-talk, mister.”
Joseph gave a blink, at that… before cracking a smile, around the same time she did. The two then shared a bit of laughter before settling back down.
“Sooo…”
Lola perked as Joseph spoke up again.
“I have to ask, uh…” He was blushing again. “Did you really… I mean… earlier, when we–”
And, just like earlier that morning… Lola silenced him with a gloved finger.
“Yes,” was her simple answer before she let him speak again. However, he remained silent, just taking in her face…
She was smiling… but, it wasn’t her usual smile. It wasn’t a particular shy smile, either… It was something different… It was a beautiful kind of smile… one that he thought she only brought out for special, intimate occasions and one… that he genuinely hoped he’d see more of.
“As much as I like layin’ around in bed all day,” she suddenly said, pulling back, “now that you’re awake, let’s go do something!”
“Huh– mm…” was all he could say as he watched her slide out from under the covers and stretch. For some reason, he felt the urge to say something… rather odd.
“I like your tail.”
Lola’s upper-half turned to look at him. She had a perplexed look on her face… like, she wasn’t bothered by the compliment… but, she didn’t exactly know how to respond, either. At least, not at first.
“Maybe, if you’re good, I’ll let you touch it!” was the cheerful response Joseph got. And… that response made him grin… albeit, a little bashfully. A moment later, he slid out of bed and stood beside her.
“Nice shorts!”
The fox gave a blink… He’d somehow forgotten he wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of boxer shorts, then.
For a couple of seconds, he’d almost felt the urge to wrap his tail over his lap… but, when he noticed Lola was genuinely smiling at him, rather than smirking… he decided not to bother.
“Yeah, sorry,” he said with a chuckle. “I wasn’t expecting company, so…”
“So, get dressed, already!” she cheerfully requested. “We’re burnin’ daylight!”
“Heh. Alright, alright…”
Joseph took a few minutes to clean himself up before joining the eager rabbit in the living room. As he prepared to head out with his eccentric companion, he found himself wondering just what the girl had planned for them…
“It’s a secret!” was all Lola would tell him even as they left his apartment minutes later. That made him a little nervous, given her track record… but, it was also kind of exciting.
Whatever she planned… he knew that they wouldn’t be bored.
After leaving the Rubber Arms apartment complex, the first stop on Lola’s tour of ToonTown was to get some breakfast, at Denny’s. The service was fairly speedy, that morning, since there was what Joseph called “a serious lack of people,” in the building. As he ate his eggs and toast, though, he also noted that the food seemed even better-than-usual – which was high praise, indeed, considering he always liked that Denny’s food. Lola seemed to be enjoying herself, as well… although, she did manage to embarrass the fox by asking some odd questions.
“Does the 55+, in this section, mean you have to order 55 items or more? Or, do you get one of these as a freebie, by having 55 or more dinners, here? Oh! Maybe it means everything costs 55 dollars! Oooh… that seems a little steep for more of the same…”
She seemed pretty disappointed to hear Joseph explain what the 55+ really meant… but, she didn’t stay that way too long, when the prospect of a morning dessert came up.
With breakfast in their bellies, Lola decided the two should work off the excess calories by going ice skating. Joseph didn’t even know there was an ice rink, in ToonTown, but Lola was quick to drag him onto a bus… heading to the Red Light District, of all places! He was highly suspicious of her motivations… but, his suspicions were discarded the moment he saw what looked to be a perfectly normal, perfectly-tame ice rink sitting close to a Thai food restaurant.
“What in the world is this doing here?” was the first thing Joseph asked as Lola lead him to the building – a place called “The Skating Edge Ice Arena,” judging by the sign.
“You can find ice rinks just about anywhere, in the country!” was her explanation. “If I had the money, I could probably make my own! In the Sahara!! Oh, wouldn’t that be fun?”
“What? No, I mean…” The fox gestured to the surrounding area. “Here. Specifically. In, ya know… the Red Light District?”
“What do you mean?”
He was about to answer… but, then, he noticed something. The surrounding area really didn’t look much like a “Red Light District,” to him… It wasn’t dirty… there weren’t any adult novelty shops in the area… and, aside from the fact it looked hand-drawn… it just looked like your average block in any given metropolis. It was almost like a smaller version of Muramasa City, back home, in a way.
“Wait…” The fox gave a blink. “We went south, right?”
“You mean ‘southeast?’” Lola tilted her head. “I think we went mostly south, though!”
“Uh… Well, anyway, isn’t this the Red Light District of ToonTown…?”
“What’s a ‘Red Light District?’” she asked with a curious glance.
“Wait, what?” Joseph tilted his head in confusion. “It’s… ya know… where all the bad ‘toons go… Isn’t it?”
“I dunno about that! I mean, some ‘toons aren’t bad! They’re just drawn that way!”
He gave another blink. There was something funny about Lola, who was a rabbit, quoting a character named “Jessica Rabbit…”
“Anyway,” she continued, “don’t they call this the ‘Fox District?’”
“Fox…?” Joseph’s ears twitched, his brain processing that name a little differently than Lola had intended.
“Ya know! 21st Century Fox! Like this one!”
She gave the fox a slight shake before giving him a bright smile.
“But, more… corporate! Like this!”
Joseph found himself suddenly enveloped in a whirlwind. A few seconds later, Lola stood nearby, with a large mirror in her hands. When the fox turned to look at the mirror, he noticed his appearance had changed… He was wearing a blue business suit, red tie, and what looked like a toupée on his head that, he thought, resembled radioactive road-kill. He also had some weird, spongy material on his eyes, for some reason…
“I’m familiar with ‘20th Century Fox,’” he said as he casually ripped the ‘toon suit off, revealing his normal clothes, underneath. “I guess they would be ‘21st Century Fox’ these days, though…”
“For the last sixteen years!” Lola commented in a chipper tone as she watched Joseph toss the suit and hairpiece in a nearby prop recycle bin. “Where’ve you been?”
“I’m an ‘alien,’ remember?” Joseph chuckled before crossing his arms, a thoughtful look coming to his face. “So, huh… There’s five districts, of ToonTown… Well, five specifically-named districts, I mean. I’d always known the Fox District as the ‘Red Light District.’ That’s what Woody told me it was called, anyway.”
“Well, now you know!” She gave a cheerful smile. “Now, let’s go skating!”
With the brief history lesson out of the way, Lola finally led Joseph inside the skating rink… and, it became painfully clear that Joseph had never skated a day in his life, given how bad he was at it. But, he was trying and, even with the rabbit skating circles, rhombuses, and other fancy shapes around him… he seemed to be having a lot of fun.
“Do you want me to teach you how to skate?” Lola asked on one pass as she watched the fox fall on his tail. “It’s really easy, once you know how!
“Maybe, some other time…” he said with a chuckle. “I’m just trying to get the basics down, right now.”
“Well, if you change your mind…”
And, with that, she slid backward and did a fancy pirouette, followed by a graceful hop, much to Joseph’s, as well as others’, enjoyment. He had to admit… she looked pretty good, as she glided across the ice…
While the two were still in the Fox District, Joseph decided to treat Lola to a movie. He was a little surprised when she’d picked something he was sure would be violent and gory… but, when she’d explained she always found the CGI special effects to be hilarious, he understood exactly what she’d meant, and the two went on in.
Much to their amusement, the movie – some story about a war Joseph had never heard of – provided some of the most cheesy, unconvincing special effects that the fox could remember seeing, in some time. It was almost enough to make him laugh… and, unfortunately, more than enough to make Lola laugh… very loudly and very frequently! It wasn’t long before the ushers intervened, physically throwing Lola out of the theater building.
“See if I ever spend money on snacks, here, again!” Lola shouted from the seated position on the curb where she’d landed. She looked and sounded angry, shaking one fist while the other held onto a large cup of soda… which she loudly slurped, a moment later.
“I don’t think they really care,” was Joseph’s reply as he calmly walked out from the theater with his hands in his pockets.
“Why did they get so mad, anyway?” she asked as she accepted Joseph’s hand up. “All I did was laugh!”
“You were laughing during a part that was supposed to be sad,” was the fox’s explanation. “That guy’d just watched his best friend’s head explode.”
“I knooow!” she laughed as she got back up. “That low-quality CGI was hilaaarious!”
“Yes.” He gave a grin. “Yes, it was.”
Joseph glanced at his watch after the movie fiasco. It was getting close to dinner time… When he’d made the offer to take Lola out, she quickly turned it around on him, deciding she should treat him, instead! He decided to let her, not being one to turn down a free meal, and the two soon headed back to the central part of ToonTown.
To the fox’s surprise, Lola had ended up taking him to some place that was well within even his budget… as well as hers, he assumed – McDonald’s. He also wasn’t too surprised when she ordered a Happy Meal, instead of something from the normal menu.
“I’m this close to completing my collection!” she said as she unwrapped her toy. “All I need is those last two and I’ll have all of this month’s toys!”
“You know…” Joseph said after finishing a bite of his double cheeseburger, “you could probably just ask them for the toys you’re missing.”
Lola gave a blank stare, at the suggestion.
“But, then I wouldn’t get my choice of apple slices or Go-Gurt! It’s the yogurt you eat with your hands, not with a spoon!”
“I’m pretty sure you could just ask for either/or along with the toy.”
“But, look!” Lola brought up the little paper box housing her meal. “It comes in this neat little box with a smile! Does your burger wrapper have a smile on it?”
Joseph gave a blink.
“I don’t think so!”
With that, the discussion was closed… at least, as far as Lola was concerned. The fox couldn’t help but be amused by how strongly she’d defended her position on the matter, too.
She really is a funny girl… he thought with another bite of his burger.
Joseph and Lola left the McDonald’s in high spirits, the latter playing with her newest possession and the former sipping on a soda.
“I had a lot of fun today,” he said as he leaned against a nearby bus stop. “I kind of wish it didn’t have to end… but, as always, I have work tomorrow, so I should probably head home.”
“Really?” The bunny rolled her glove up, revealing a colorful children’s wrist-watch. “But, it’s only 7:33 and 19 seconds. No, 20 seconds. 21. 22. 23. 24…”
“Well, ya know…” he said with a shrug, watching the bus pull up a moment later. “I should probably wash up, then wind-down, before I get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see ya later.”
“32… 33… 34…” she continued, seeming oblivious to the fox.
“Lola? Lo– ah, whatever… Goofball… heh.”
Joseph took a seat facing the curb, immediately looking out the window to his friend. Unsurprisingly, she was still counting the seconds on her watch…
She’s a funny girl… he thought as the bus pulled into motion. But, an awesome one, too.
A moment later, he was on his way home.
The rest of Joseph’s evening consisted of a shower followed by Internet videos and a light snack. By bedtime, he was feeling pretty tired… though, still pretty cheerful.
It kind of sucks that I have work, tomorrow, he thought as he brushed his teeth, but, I guess someone has to pick up the slack, while Woody’s on vacation! I still can’t believe that’s what he was doing with all that overtime money! Oh, man, the look on Winnie’s face when he showed her those cruise tickets…
He spit into the sink before grinning to himself.
And, the look on his face when she tore into him for being so secretive and making her think something was wrong, in the first place!
The fox swished a bit of water in his mouth, mentally chuckling from the memory.
What a weird misunderstanding… and, what a happy ending! I hope they’re having fun.
With his mouth clean and other bathroom activities finished, Joseph drank one more glass of water and headed out, passing through the main room and into the bedroom. He gave a tired yawn and stretched as he slipped out of his t-shirt and lounge pants, then he slipped into the bed. It had been a fun but tiring day, for him, and he was ready for some well-earned sleep.
It’s really warm, tonight, he thought as he shuffled in his bedspread. It’s almost like there’s a heater, here, blowing warm air on me…
He gave a squirm, reaching back to rub himself… but, he made contact with something, a little further back… something that didn’t feel like his neck. It felt softer… smoother… except for one particular area, where he was rubbing his thumb, anyway.
“Ha-choo!”
Joseph gave a startled wince, as he felt something wet splatter against his neck and hand.
“Eaugh…!” was his knee-jerk utterance.
“Sorry,” called a feminine voice prior to the sound of a sniffle. All-at-once, Joseph knew a certain someone was in his bed… just like they had been, earlier that morning.
“Lola,” he blankly said as he turned to face her.
“It’s ‘later!’” was her grinning reply.
“What are you even doing here? And, why are you in my bed again?”
“Well, you said, ‘See you later,’” she explained, “so, I waited until it was later!”
“Generally, when someone says that… they mean the next day, or… well… later.”
“Well, that’s dumb!” she countered, crossing her arms under the sheets. “If you meant tomorrow, then you should have said ‘See you tomorrow!’”
He really couldn’t argue with that kind of logic… nor, did he really want to. It was 10 PM… and, he was tired.
“What are you doing here?” he asked again, having been ignored the first time.
“I wanted to see you, again!” she brightly answered. “We had such a good day and you said you wished it didn’t have to end, so I asked myself, ‘Lola, why does it have to end?’ So, when I remembered you saying ‘see you later’ and combined it with ‘I wish it didn’t have to end,’ I put the puzzle pieces together and figured it out!”
There was a pause before she finished her thought.
“You were inviting me to a sleep-over! And, that’s why you said ‘see you later,’ instead of ‘see you tomorrow!’ So, I came over as soon as it was ‘later!’ But, I guess I came in early, because you were still in the bathroom… so, I decided to wait in your bed, again!”
“O… kay,” Joseph said, “but, why in my bed?”
“Silly Mr. Fox!” She gave a grin in the dark. “If this is a sleep-over, it wouldn’t make much sense for me to be anywhere else! A bed is where you sleep, after all!”
The fox gave a grumble, then a sigh, and then rolled back over, closing his eyes. He was really in no mindset to argue with Lola… and, really, he didn’t see any harm in her being there, if all she wanted to do was sleep, anyway.
“You’re welcome to stay in the bed,” he told her, “but, only if you actually sleep.”
Joseph waited for a response. However, none came.
“Lola? Did you hear me?”
Again, the ‘toon rabbit said nothing.
“Lola…” The fox rolled back toward her. “I said–”
But, as he looked at her in the dim light of his darkened room, he noticed…
“Oh.”
She was already asleep. At least, that’s what it looked like. Somehow, he wasn’t entirely convinced she’d fallen asleep so quickly, given how perky she’d sounded… so, he decided to keep an eye on her, for a short while. As she lay there, softly breathing through her mouth and keeping her eyes closed, however, he slowly became convinced that she really was asleep. As he watched her, though, he also found himself thinking…
She’s sure cute, when she sleeps. But… she looks cute, just about any other time, too.
He warmly smiled, giving her cheek a gentle brush with his hand. That caused the rabbit to squirm and wave him away before rolling toward the wall. He had to fight the urge to laugh. It was such an adorable reaction…
“Good night, Lola…” he whispered, turning back over and settling in for the night. It didn’t take long after that for the consciousness to escape his own body, leaving him sound asleep beside her.
–––––
Two sets of lips touched for the millionth time as Joseph held his partner close, basking in her warmth and reveling in her noises. She shyly squirmed in his arms as his hands coursed over her body, tenderly touching every soft curve. His lover trembled with his every touch…
“You’re so beautiful…” the fox whispered as he touched her, again, causing a shudder and a moan. “Especially when you’re in my arms, like this…”
“P… please, don’t say such things…” the familiar voice of his lover shyly whispered.
“I can’t help it…” he replied with a soft grin. “Every time I feel you tremble… every time I listen to your little gasps… every time I hear you call my name…”
He gave a shiver of his own.
“It fills me with such excitement…”
The fox watched his lovely prey’s face brighten…
“You’re even more beautiful when you blush… Winnie…”
“I’m still not Winnie,” she replied with a grin. “But, um… you can keep doing what you’re doing, if you want…”
The fox perked.
“I kind of like it…”
Within moments, the illusion of his dreams vanished from Joseph’s eyes. The heavenly place where he’d previously held his best friend’s girlfriend was replaced by the familiar darkness of the apartment bedroom. However, the warmth in his arms remained real… Then…
“Oh, Ash damn it…”
Lola turned her head toward the cursing fox, giving him a hug with her back to his front. He may have been upset… but, she certainly didn’t seem bothered, by his misdirected affections…
“You were having another Winnie dream,” she commented. “Do you have a lot of those… or, just when you have someone in your bed?”
He blushed in the darkness, embarrassed by his dreaming brain’s antics… then, he gave a sigh before snuggling up against the rabbit’s backside, closing his eyes with his head against hers.
“Wanna talk about it, Jojo?” she offered.
“Not really. Not much to talk about, anyway…” He gave the bunny a friendly nuzzle. “She’s just… really cool. And, cute.”
He paused before lowering his voice.
“And, sexy…”
“You have a pretty strange idea of ‘sexy!’” was Lola’s response.
“Says the lady who has a crush on a ‘wittle gway wabbit,’” was his teasing reply.
“That’s the worst ‘Elmer Fudd’ I’ve ever heard!” she laughed. The two then settled back into silence for a little while longer…
“Hey, Lola?”
“Yeeeees?” she cheerfully answered.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You just did, silly!”
The fox rolled his eyes before continuing.
“How come you don’t seem to mind when I, um…” His ears folded back. “Use you as a ‘Winnie analog…?’ I mean, I’ve only done it twice, now, but…”
The fox gave a blink as he felt her arms pull his a little tighter around her small frame.
“Everyone needs someone to love,” she simply said. “If I can be that person for someone… then, I say, ‘Why not?’”
The fox’s pulse heightened at that answer, his body tensing… It was such an easy answer, he had a hard time believing it was true.
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” he decidedly pressed.
“Everyone needs someone to love, sometimes…” she repeated before going silent.
“Even you?” Joseph asked a moment later.
Again, silence filled the room…
“Don’t worry about that,” she answered, after a while. “Just, enjoy yourself, Mr. Fox…”
There was another long pause where neither of them did or said anything. Eventually, though… Joseph leaned in and gave her a startling kiss on the cheek.
“W… what was that for?” she asked, reaching up and touching where he’d kissed.
“Don’t worry about that…” he whispered into her ear. “Just… enjoy yourself…”
Lola gave a slight squirm as she felt the fox starting to nibble at her neck and shoulder. She kept perfectly quiet, aside from the occasional gasp, completely happy to let him do whatever he’d wanted, to her… When he’d started to kiss her neck, again, she tilted her head up, allowing him to gently peck and nip at her throat.
The rabbit was feeling an odd mix of sensations as Joseph’s actions continued. On the one hand, every nip and kiss… every lick and nibble he gave caused her to shiver… while, at the same time, his gentle caress down her side and over her belly made her feel completely at ease. Sure, he was probably taking advantage of her in some way… but, it seemed like he was taking the time to make sure she was enjoying herself, as well… and, that filled her fast-beating heart with happiness…
Lola gave a light blush as he felt the fox’s soft hands slide upward… For a moment, she assumed he was going to go after her modest chest… When he continued upward, however, she found herself momentarily confused. She could feel him pawing at the collar of her dress, tugging at it… It seemed like he was trying to find something, in the front… or, maybe, on the back – something that simply wasn’t there.
“Are you looking for a button?” she casually guessed.
The fox paused his actions and she felt him grow tense again… Feeling that made her grin, a little. He knew he’d been caught!
“It’s okay…” she whispered, turning around to give his head a soft little stroke. “This dress doesn’t have any buttons, though… It doesn’t have a zipper, either!”
For a moment, the fox debated actually asking how it opened… Before he could even convince himself not to, though, he felt the rabbit shift and squirm in his arms. His embrace eased and eventually released as she pulled away. A moment later, he heard some fabric rustle… then, he saw something that caused his heart to skip a beat!
“It’s a pull-over!” she proudly proclaimed, holding the garment in one hand, brightly smiling as she faced the fox. “I just pull it over my head, pop my arms in the holes, and presto! I’m ready for a night on the town! Or, a day! Whichever!”
The fox had become tense, all over again. He could see that Lola was keeping herself covered with his bed sheet… but, the thought that she had removed her sole garment right in front of him was kind of… exciting, in a way. Maybe, a little… too exciting… As far as he knew, she wasn’t wearing anything but a smile, then. Well… and, probably some kind of underwear… Preferably, some sort of cute underwear, he found himself thinking…
“Anyway!” she said, casually tossing the garment on the floor beside them. “That’s how I do that! Brrr… Did it just get chillier, in here?”
The bunny tugged at the bed sheets, snuggling into them a little tighter as she continued to smile over to her bedmate.
“This room must be terrible, during the winter!”
“I… it’s… a-actually not so bad…” the fox said, trying to start a conversation. “Woody k-keeps a little space heater in the closet and…”
“Say, that reminds me!”
The rabbit sat up slightly. For a moment, Joseph thought she would lose the sheet… but, she seemed to be completely aware of where it lay on her body, at all times as she had no problem keeping herself covered herself, from the chest down.
“How does the sleeping arrangement work, around here?” she continued. “I’ve seen Woody, in here, a lot… but, I’ve seen you, in here, too! Do you guys swap around, a lot? Have you ever shared the bed? What do you like more: The bed or the couch? Which does he like?”
“Uuh…” Joseph’s ears perked, a look of mild confusion on his face. “We… swap out, once-in-a-while. Or, like… if he’s had a really hard day at work, I might just give him the bed. Sometimes, he does the same thing for me, even though he gets home later and works longer…”
“I see, I see!” she said with a nod.
“Honestly… I’m pretty good with the couch or the bed but I think Woody prefers the bed. The mattress is a little more firm and there’s a lot more room.”
“Room enough for two people!” she cheerfully added. “Maybe, even more!”
“Heh. Ye–”
The fox tensed, again. Those questions had done a good job of distracting him… but, when she’d made mention of how many people she thought would fit in the bed, he was suddenly reminded of the fact that she was there and, more specifically, that she was not wearing much of anything, other than the sheets.
“I had a roommate, once!” Lola commented. “Porky and I– oh! Do you know who Porky Pig is?”
He gave a stiff nod…
“Great! Well, anyway, Porky and I went to this con, over on the east coast, and we had to share a room, together. I wanted to watch movies with him between con days but he always passed and headed into the bathroom… I dunno why! All he ever did in there was sleep or shower! I guess he liked sleeping in the tub! Maybe I should have offered him the bed, though… But, it seemed like it never came up! He was almost always in the bathtub or somewhere in the con… Have you ever had a roommate? Before Woody, I mean! Roommates are great, if you have a great roommate! But, sometimes, they’re not so great. Like, this one time…”
And, before the fox knew it… he was listening to Lola ramble.
#fiction#Jojo and Lolo#commercial characters#The Looney Tunes Show#Lola Bunny#The Woody Woodpecker Show#Winnie Woodpecker#Essence of Ragnarok#Joseph Lithius#comedy#slice of life#romance#drama
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