#i don't think that's the best scene to look at and gauge whether they got his deeper characterization correct | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pixelnrd · 4 months

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hello! ive binged your blog this past week and have been so invested and impressed with how professionally everything has been done. I particularly liked the snippets of your 'process' you've hinted at in other asks. I havent been around since the beginning so i wanted to ask what inspired you to undertake such a large project! or, rather, did you expect it to be as big as it became? each generation has 70+ daily posts, their portrait headshots, family portraits... i love it! were you trying to build an audience when you started out? was it a covid project that you had time to build a huge queue for? i think ill be starting my own narrative simblr here soon and i'd love to hear your thoughts or advice about your journey with it, if any.

Hello and thank you for such a lovely message, it's so nice to receive feedback on the quality of my Decades Challenge because I do put so much effort in behind the scenes thanks to my agonising perfectionism!

As a project it has grown beyond what I thought it would be, to a point that I had to reign it back in in early-2022 because I couldn't keep up. I'll put more detail under the cut ✨

The Langstons started as a covid project in 2020. I was an unemployed student with a lot of time on my hands. I'd done legacies before and was pretty good at getting close to the end so that was the 'project', to do the Decades Challenge. And while looking for inspiration like cc and builds etc I found simblr and discovered people were posting their Decades Challenges here with narrative attached. By this stage I'd already played a fair bit into my Langston family (they had 4 kids by that point) so I decided to start posting my sims as well, which pushed me to put a bit more effort in with shots, story, editing etc because I had imposter syndrome. I didn't intend for there to be much narrative or story, and I think that's pretty obvious when reviewing the 1890s Langstons, but it started to grow as I was posting because I wanted to give my sim characters justifications for their life paths I was sending them on... and it all kind of took off from there, as a Decades Challenge story.

Covid over 2020 and 2021 in my country forced us into hard lockdowns, and over those 2 years I had heaps of spare time for home-based hobbies - so I just kept pushing myself to keep going with my Decades Challenge for something to do. I got really into creating storylines and costuming and wanting to do the project 'justice' because of how much effort was going in and how many generations I needed to cover to finish it. Then I stared doing lookbooks, creating portraits and character pages, and then making cc (which was a fun side project).

I wanted to build an audience at the start because I wanted to gauge whether anyone was as interested in my sims as I was in others', and when I stared getting feedback and responses to my posts it was very validating and flattering, so that spurred me to keep up. I never dreamed it would get the audience it has now! It's nice being told that something you are making is good. IRL at the time, I was pretty miserable - I graduated my Masters without a job, I was trying to conceive and failing, I was lonely due to covid and lost some of the best years of my 20s - but simblr made me happy and was a distraction from those hard things and so I really poured effort into the thing that brought me happiness.

2022 and 2023 forced me to pull back from my Decades Challenge project due to pregnancy and becomming a parent. It felt very natural to drop it at the time, but since finding my groove with parenting and my new life I still want to finish this project because it's been nearly 4(!) years of effort and I'd hate to leave it so close to the end. So that's why I'm still here - in a reduced capacity to what I was in 2020 and 2021 at my peak - trying to get it done. I don't post lookbooks or do cc anymore, because I just don't have the time anymore. But everyone is so encouraging, I have made some nice friends here and I'm constantly in awe of and inspired by the sims, content and stories others are creating. There is so much more potential for historical gameplay in the years since I started my Decades Challenge - farming! horses! infants! - and I hope that my project has inspired others to have a go! That's the best legacy I could hope to leave...

#asks #answers

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years

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actually yeah if you wouldn’t mind talking about what to expect from a crash, that would be helpful. but you don’t have to

I don't mind at all! I think it's useful information to have, and there are some things I wish I'd known to pay attention to/to do before I got into a crash. So for background, a few months ago I got into a car crash as a minor in an intersection that was the fault of the other driver, resulting in no injuries, which totaled my car. Police were called and statements taken, then insurance dealt with. This obviously is not all crashes, but this is the perspective I have.

I'll try and go mostly in chronological order, but if you have questions about any part please don't hesitate to let me know so I can answer it to the best of my ability! I've mostly explained things from the perspective of getting in a crash with another vehicle, but the questions are easily adaptable to other situations

(this is long, like 3.7k words long, so I'm putting it under a cut, but hopefully it's helpful!! and it's in sections to break it up)

Immediately After

So you've just gotten into a car crash a few seconds ago, the very first thing to determine is are you okay? Can you move? Are you in any immediate danger where you are (e.g. the car is on fire)? If you are, that's great, and you can move on to assessing the car. If you aren't, gauge the severity and whether you're going to need emergency services. If you do, contact emergency services. Or if you need to get out, get out.

Let's say you're okay and in a condition where you can move around and assess the car. First look inside the car: did any of the airbags go off? If so, how many? If a lot of them have gone off, you may have trouble getting out of the vehicle because they are hard and may partially block the door. They're also going to stink, and there's going to be a vague smoke in the air. It's possible you won't be able to see anything to do with the car until you get out. When I got in my crash, all the airbags went off and I couldn't see anything at all.

If you can get out of the car, then you can assess the outside. This is where you'll determine the severity and whether or not it's in a drive-able condition. If it isn't, don't worry about moving it. If you could drive it, then look around at where you are and see if you're blocking any traffic. If you are, you can consider getting back in and driving to a spot out of the way so you can deal with your situation without being in the way of or in traffic. If there are nearby parking lots, those work well. I was unable to drive away due to totaling my car, so I just left it where it was, and that is okay.

Medical Aid

A consideration is whether or not to call the police. If the crash looks bad, you may want to to have statements to give to insurance. Also, look into what kind of car you have and whether it has a feature to automatically contact authorities in the event of a crash. I crashed in a 2017 Subaru Outback and was very surprised when the dash loudly announced "Crash detected!!" then started dialing 911 for me before I'd even registered what'd happened. If you have a vehicle that does that, the person will start talking to you on the phone and contact people on your behalf to send to the scene.

In the event police show up on the scene (you call them, another person calls them, your car calls them because that's something they can apparently do), they may also have emergency medical personnel. For me, this was a firetruck. There will be several people in bright vests asking you if you're injured, so that's why it's nice to have made that assessment earlier. If you are, you can tell them so and let them treat you--depending on severity of the issue you may be transferred to a hospital or something and deal with all the insurance claims later. I cannot detail how that part works out as I didn't need medical, but whatever the process for a hospital is, that's probably about how things will proceed.

If you deny medical help, like I did, you'll need to sign off saying that you did so. You will likely be asked a few questions before doing so including what happened, your name, age, whether or not you could be pregnant, and if you're hurt. These are basic questions, easy and quick to answer. After that, if you're not receiving care, they can leave and you can deal with the police.

Police

The police are going to want to see your information and have you tell them what happened. They'll want to see the paperwork for the car (most people keep it in the glovebox, but ask your parent(s) where it is so you know)--and don't worry if you don't know exactly what paperwork to grab. The police know what they need, so they can figure it out. They'll also want your license (make sure they give this back to you when they're done).

And then we start to get into the questions

On Scene Questions

Police are going to ask less questions than insurance, but they still have some questions. Mainly, what happened? This will be broken into smaller questions. Where were you going? Was anyone else in the car with you? What direction were you heading (north, south, east, west)? Did something distract you? Are you under the influence? Was the road in a certain condition (if it's raining, icy, snowy)? Where did you hit the thing/other vehicle? They probably won't ask you all of this directly, but will instead get most of it from your story. Just detail what happened at the crash, why it happened (if you know), tell the story. If they're missing essential details, they'll ask you for them and help you figure it out if needed (e.g. I'm awful with directions and road names, so they helped me detail what direction I'd been facing).

Keep in mind, car crashes happen all the time. You may be entirely out of your depth, but the officers won't be.

They'll likely also ask you about the vehicle. Who does it belong to? They can see this on the paperwork, but will probably ask you to confirm. After all, you're right there and probably know more things than a piece of paper.

Essentially, you're going to be asked what happened, where you were going, and who you are. They'll write this all into a report and tell you how to access it if you need to. It may take a day or two before you can, but it'll be there.

Going Home

So you've gotten in a car crash. You've answered a bunch of questions. You want to be not there anymore. Before you leave, you'll want to exchange insurance information with the other driver. You can just take a picture of each others paperwork. You may want to exchange phone numbers as well for insurance purposes. If you do, give the number that will most likely be dealing with the insurance. For me, that was my mom.

Now that you have that, if your car is in functional condition, you can drive home. Simple as that.

If your car is not in functional condition, it's a little more complicated. You'll have the opportunity to take everything out of the car that you need to, and you may find things you didn't even realize were in there. I personally didn't have a lot, but I had my backpack (I was driving home from school), the garage door opener, and a crate full of things like jumper cables in the backseat. If you have parking passes on your windshield or anything, take those as well. If you're able to, get the license plate off now, but you probably don't have the tools to so don't worry about it. You'll have the opportunity later.

Afterwards your car will be towed. The police can take care of that and contact who needs to be contacted, upon which the car will be removed from the area. They'll either tell you where it's being taken, or tell you how to find out. That way, you can go down there later and take anything you didn't get the first time (like the license plate)--your parents may do this part. Mine did, and that way there's another set of eyes looking for things I might've forgotten in the stress of the moment.

Then there's the matter of getting home now that your car is gone. If you have someone who can come get you like a parent, that's great! They can come a get you and police will leave and you can go home to deal with insurance. If you don't have anyone who can (I didn't), the police may be able to give you a ride. I got driven home in a police vehicle because that was what worked for my situation. You may also be able to call an uber, or take the bus, or walk home if there's no other option. My point is there are options, and you'll be okay.

(note: it's possible you'll have another person present with you throughout the process. If you call your parents early on, they may have time to arrive and help. If you were with another person, then they'll also be able to answer questions. Witnesses may even step forward to help. When I got in my crash an older guy helped me for a few minutes when it first happened to ensure I wasn't hurt, then left me to it. Later on, the school nurse walked down to the intersection to be an adult present because her daughter had seen the crash and let her know about it and I was alone).

Insurance Questions

Now you're home. Congratulations! Please drink water and feel free to collapse and do nothing for a few hours. Or if you need to do things to take your mind off of it, do so. You can expect the event to play in your head a fair amount now, as with any traumatic thing.

As a minor, odds are you're not going to have to do the initial insurance contacting, you'll have to answer many questions though. They'll have some different questions from the police. This will probably happen same day as the accident--for me it was only like two hours later.

Expect to be on the phone for a while, and during this part you'll once again tell the story. More detail is better this time to get the full sense of the accident and who is at fault. They also are insurance, so they didn't see the scene and will be getting their understanding of everything from you.

Questions are something like: what happened? Where were you? What street(s) were you on? What street was the other vehicle on? How many lanes are in those streets? What direction were you going? Where was the point of impact? What's was the damage to your vehicle? What was the damage to the other vehicle? Did you have time to take any evasive maneuvers like hitting the brakes or swerving? Did you see the other vehicle swerve? If you were at an intersection, what color was the light? Did you see the light the other vehicle had if that's relevant? Was the vehicle towed? Were you injured? Was anyone with you? Do you have a dashboard camera? What was the weather like? Were you on an incline? What's the speed limit in the area? How fast were you going? Did the other vehicle look like they were trying to evade someone/thing? Do you know how many people were in the other car? Who was the other driver (age, sex, observable things)? Were there any witnesses? Were there other cars present? If you look at a map of the streets, where were you when you first saw the other vehicle/the object/the danger?

Essentially, they're going to have you answer a bunch of questions. Answer them the best you can, and be assertive in your answers. If something happened, say it. Be clear. I know the situation is scary and that you don't want to say something and get in trouble for it, but they just want the information and the more confident and assured your answers are, the more they'll believe you and everything will be easier.

Afterwards, they'll assess and determine who/what they think was at fault so they can determine how much money to give you for your troubles. For example, my insurance determined the other driver to be 100% at fault for the accident so my family was reimbursed for the value of our now destroyed car in the current market. They do some funky calculations, but this is stuff your parents will be dealing with.

The other person's insurance may call you as well and ask you to give a statement to them as well, the same as what i just described. it's possible the other insurance will determine something different than yours based on different information. For example, for me the other person's insurance made a different call because the other driver gave conflicting information (they lied). This is why it's important to know your story and be clear with it so you can contest against incorrect information. That sounds like more work than it is, what I'm basically saying is just be confident and straightforward with your story.

As a minor, all that will be expected of you is answering questions. Logistics of dealing with claims and buying a new car (if you do) and loans and reimbursements and such will fall to your parents.

What to expect following

Okay, now you've gotten in a car crash and dealt with insurance. It's possible they'll call you back wanting more details, but you know how to do that now. Now you've gotta look for a few things following the crash

Over the next few hours to days, pay attention to your body. You were pumped full of adrenaline and that can make some injuries undetectable. Areas to look out for are the wrists (from holding/bracing the steering wheel), right foot (from slamming the brakes), tailbone (it's not very padded when you're sitting down. you can check right now, it really just sticks out), chest (from the seatbelt), neck (whiplash can occur from the sudden stop), and chin-chest (where the airbag hit--they are not soft).

That's not to say any pain at all is an emergency, just be gentle with yourself. It may hurt to take a deep breath for a few days and your wrists may ache. You may have a bruise or two, maybe a cut. Minor injuries are normal, but if you notice something more serious please seek medical attention. You may not have noticed it immediately and it could need addressing--it's not a bad thing to have not noticed it, it's 100% understandable and even expected, so please don't be embarrassed about deciding you need to go to urgent care or something.

Aside from medical things, you may need a rental car. That's something for your parents to worry about, and if you're driving yourself again immediately afterwards, please try out the car around your neighborhood before going places. Being more jumpy on the road and in an unfamiliar car can be uncomfortable, so familiarize yourself.

You may instead be driving a different family car. Either way, you may be driving a car you're not familiar with, so please get a little familiar with it.

Your mind will also probably focus on this traumatic event for a while. I know for the rest of the day the moment of impact kept playing on repeat in my head and I'd just watch it again and again. Be gentle with yourself. These are traumatic experiences and your brain is adjusting.

You also have to decide who you need/want to tell. For example, I needed to tell my parents because it's their car and I can't deal with all this stuff on my own. I wanted to tell my partner (who has also been in a car crash, so they made an edit of our two totaled cars next to each other with a heart because they're in gay love if you want to see that <3) because they're a huge support for me and I wanted to let them know. I didn't tell anyone I knew at school because I'm a private person--however, some people had seen the accident because it happened literally 20 seconds away from the school building. In that instance some people found out that I didn't necessarily mean to, but it was okay. Everyone was very concerned and nice about it because they wanted to make sure I was okay. i also told all of tumblr because I like you guys

You'll also probably have more anxiety about driving/being in cars in general. You may get triggered while driving and start thinking about the crash. You'll be more alert on the road and more things will make you uneasy. There's no one simple way to deal with things like this, but I personally have found exposure to be the most helpful (I'll talk about that more in number three of the next section)

Things I personally suggest

Okay, now that we've gone over mostly everything (I've probably forgotten a thing or two, but this is still pretty detailed) that's involved in getting in a crash (from my experience), here's a few things I wish I'd done or known to look for when I got in my car crash.

One, I suggest you, as soon as you are able (a break before is fine), make a detailed recorded account of what happened. Everything you know. Either write it down, type it up, record yourself talking, whatever works. Everything that happened, take record of it. The street, the weather, if you hit the breaks, take the crash and break it down as much as you can in that recording. This way, as time goes on and you're giving more and more statements and talking to people, you have something concrete to reference. I remember enough about my crash to answer the important questions, but as time goes on there are parts that I'm not as sure of anymore (like how many other cars were on the road with me) that I wish I could double check. having a detailed account helps keep track and answer questions

Two. On the scene of the accident, if you can remember to, look at how many lanes are in the roads. if this applies to you, look at the light to commit it to memory because lights change and this is your chance. For me, I did so accidentally out of disbelief like "but I thought I had a green!" so I looked a few moments before the impact and saw that yes, I did have a green. That's one of the most important things, so hold onto that knowledge tighter. It also helps be confident when answering insurance questions, because while I don't know how many other cars were on the road I know without a doubt I had a green light because I looked as it happened. Also if you can see what kind of car the other driver has, color and brand and such. Essentially, on the scene commit as many of the small details to memory that answer the example questions I gave you and be certain about them. no matter what you forget you know those things are true so you can fall back on and rely on them.

Three. Expose yourself to driving again, preferably sooner rather than later. I know that it sucks to get back on the road, that the last time you were you got in a crash. But if you don't do it again, it'll build up into this huge insurmountable thing in your mind that's so much worse than it is right now. Give your mind an experience that doesn't end badly so it doesn't keep making those scary situations in your head. If you push through that anxiety and drive somewhere again, you're showing yourself that you can drive and that it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. Doing it sooner prevents the anxiety from getting a foothold. For me, this was driving back to school the next day. I had somewhere to be so I drove there and proved to myself that I still could do it, that while bad things can happen there's not something to be afraid of. Exposing yourself to driving again (and specifically in the same place) can be extra anxiety inducing, but it helps you get back on the road. If that's not your goal, don't pay as much attention to this, but I drive myself most places so it was crucial for me. For others, you can rely on others to drive you places until you work yourself up to being able to drive again and that's okay too. There's no shame in it.

Final Note

You're going to be asked the same questions over and over again, just letting you know out of the gate. I've told the story so many times by now, and I'll undoubtedly tell it again. It's just how the system works. But it's manageable, and you'll get through it. Keep your story clear and keep moving forward. You got in a crash. Okay. That sucks. You're still here though and it's not the end of the world, you've still got tomorrow. You'll get through it

This turned out to be a lot longer than I meant for it to be, but hopefully it helps with some of your anxiety to have a more detailed explanation of about what will happen. This is based on my personal experience getting in a car crash by myself as the driver as a minor. Not all crashes are like this or will play out like this, but these are the things that freaked me out not knowing about before, so even if you don't ever get in a crash (hopefully!!) you now have a better idea of what to expect.

You'll be okay, and I believe in you <33

#quil's queries #solreefs #tw car crash #driving #driving tips #car crash #i remember my first thought when I got in the crash was 'did that really just happen?'#and then 'aw fuck that just happened'#because if that just happened that meant I had to deal with it #car crashes are fast paced #you can't put off dealing with them until later #which I especially hated because I didn't know what was going to happen #I didn't know what to do #so hopefully I have eliminated some of that uncertaintly in you #with this. very long explanation of car crashes #if you or anyone else has any questions please don't hesitate to ask!#whether that's about the process #or about my own crash #i don't mind talking about it :)

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nekomapi · 4 years

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suggested listening: I Fall Apart by Post Malone

“Another.”

The bartender gauged the pro hero's current state and hesitantly obliged his request. "Think maybe you should slow it down a bit, eh?"

"The purpose of your job is to serve me alcohol and get paid in return. I didn't ask for your advice on whether or not I've had too much." He growled as he threw his head back to gulp down the shot, slamming the glass down on the counter. Ignoring the annoyed glare from the bartender, he ran his hand tensely up his face and through his damp hair, gripping the ends and squeezing them for a moment before letting go. It was late afternoon and sweat was accumulating around his forehead, making him more uncomfortable than he already was.

It had been a few years since Class 1-A graduated. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu worked hard to convince everyone to reunite for a week on this tropical island getaway. Shoto wasn't in the mood or right mind frame to renew the bonds with his former classmates, but he wound up agreeing to end their nonstop pleading.

He reluctantly flicked his eyes back to the lagoon pool, catching another glimpse of what had first driven him to start drowning his sorrows. You were right there, in a small rock cavern behind the cascading waterfall. His best friend who had always been by his side and never failed to comfort him when darkness was holding him down.

The past few years, things between you two had drastically changed. It started at graduation, when you had confessed your strong feelings to him and he told you he didn't see you in that way. Shoto clenched his teeth, cursing himself at the memory. He had been so dense and selfishly involved with his own personal bullshit that he hadn't recognized what his affection towards you really meant. After that night, it had become more difficult for you to continue as close friends, and you both began to drift apart. This hadn't been your intention, but lying to yourself about your feelings was something you weren't about to carry with you.

Your absence had become a gaping hole in his heart that felt more and more painful each day that passed and seeing you in this moment with your legs tightly straddled around Bakugou's waist, made him sick to his stomach. Your body was hugging the rock wall as he leaned into you, his hand squeezing your butt as you both were melted in a deep, rough kiss. Your suggestive body language made it look like you had been used to each other's bodies for some time now.

'How could they be doing this so freely in public? Don't they know everyone can see them?' But that wasn't what bothered him at all. What bothered him was the fact that it should be him who's holding you under there. He should be feeling your warmth pressed up against his, while he explored your wonderfully curved body with his hands. Just him. He dropped his head into his folded arm on the bar counter. It was rare for him to publicly display emotions like this, but at this point he didn't care.

"Bakugou and (Y/N) are going at it again!" A loud and familiar voice from behind Todoroki spoke. "Damn, he's one lucky dude. I'd get down on that so hard if I could."

Kirishima slapped the back of Denki's head, causing him to shriek loudly, "WHAT THE HELL MAN?!" The red-head shook his head in disgust. "Don't talk about her like that! That's totally un-manly!"

"But, you can't say you don't agree? She's only gotten better looking since high school. And that ass is so——"

Todoroki’s hand slammed down onto their table, silencing whatever crude remark was about to follow. Ice crystals littered the surface, causing everyone at the table to quickly retract their hands. His breath was heavy and his eyes were glowing with rage. "Shut your fucking mouth, Kaminari." After a moment of glaring at him fiercely, he stood up straight and walked out of the pool bar a bit unsteadily, towards the hotel.

"Damn, I....I've never seen him that worked up," Kaminari finally stuttered out after having been glued to his seat in terror.

____

Shoto's eyes fluttered open slowly, awoken by the stream of moonlight sneaking through the small opening of the curtains. His head pounded like it was being stuck with an ice pick as he squinted to read the clock. '1:30 am.'

His legs clumsily hit the floor as he sat himself up. The fog from his drunken sleep started to dissipate causing memories of the scene he witnessed earlier to come crashing over him. Suddenly, the room felt suffocating.

He went to open the minibar, finding that there were a few small unopened bottles of alcohol staring him in the face. He picked up the ice bucket from the dresser, along with his hotel key and walked out the door.

Heading down the hall and towards the loud buzzing of the ice machine, he heard the faint noise of someone touching the buttons. 'Great.' He looked down at his disheveled appearance. His tank top felt almost painted on due to sweating in his sleep, his basketball shorts were wrinkled and he was sure his hair was a tangled mess of crimson and white. 'Quite the classy look for a pro hero,' he thought.

Once he got close enough to the door, he stopped abruptly, as the faint smell of something made his whole body tense. That cinnamon vanilla aroma that drove him crazy started to flood his senses and his body suddenly felt weak. He forced his last few steps forward as quietly as possible, setting down the ice bucket and stopping once he was in the doorway.

His cheeks felt hot as he took in your late night appearance. You were wearing an oversized t-shirt— he recognized quickly as Bakugou's from earlier. Your long, silky (h/c) hair lightly touched the ground as you bent down to retrieve your drink. The tiny, plaid pajama shorts you wore were doing nothing to hide the curves of your perfect shape. His chest suddenly felt tight, unconsciously moving him to lean into the doorway. The metal panel creaked softly causing you to jump, dropping the drink you were retrieving as you turned to face him.

"Oh!” Your hand slapped over your heart, a faint smile forming. “It’s just you Sho.”

Your tone and how you addressed him was so familiar and warm that his mouth went dry.

"Y/N... I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay." You looked at him, your breath calming down as you awkwardly scratched the back of your neck, "Can't sleep?"

He shook his head, those beautifully mismatched eyes completely fixed on you. It's been a while since you two had been alone together, and you shifted uncomfortably at the memory. The last things you said to him, all the feelings you poured out at once came flooding back to mind. Your cheeks suddenly felt flushed. "How... are you?"

He didn't respond, too mesmerized by the sight of you. You couldn't help but look away while feeling something inside you stir, a fluttering sensation you had worked hard to push out a long time ago. The distance between you two suddenly felt heavier and the room started to feel like it was closing in. You fought the urge to reach out and hug him... just feel him...

‘No, (Y/N).’ You know how hard you’ve worked these past few years trying to move on and you refuse to go through it all over again.

You cleared your throat. "I'm sorry, I have to get back. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow?" Still no response. The silence was unbearable and you needed to exit. You started towards the door but before you could get there he reached his arm up, grabbing the other side to block you. His breath became heavy and you were now close enough to notice the slight tremble in his hands.

"(Y/n)....please." His voice sounded desperate and it made your knees weak. "Don't leave me.... again."

You reached your hand up, dropping it lightly on his arm and held it there. It was so warm and you couldn't help but grip it a bit tighter. Before you could say a word, he grabbed your shoulders and pushed you up against the side of the door. His eyes looked like they wanted to scream something as they bored into yours. Your mouth gaped open at his actions as he brushed a few loose hairs behind your ear with his fingers. 'What is he doing?!' He brought his thumb slowly down to your lips, tracing them back and forth. They felt so soft and every part of him ached to feel them pressed against his. He leaned in to close the gap, but stopped right before he reached them, noticing your eyes that were starting to leak uncontrollably.

"You—you’re doing this now?? After all this time..." you choked out between sobs. "I....I.... wanted this for so long. Years, even. To forever be the one who saved you from yourself, from everything that weighed you down." You looked to the side, unable to face him with what you were about to say. "But I can't save you anymore. Not in this way. Because the truth is, he was the one who ended up coming to save me when I was broken. And ... now I love him."

Shouto’s grip on the door loosened. His body lost whatever adrenaline was left and he dropped his forehead, resting it heavily against yours. You welcomed its weight and his feelings that poured into you from it. A tear streamed down his cheek as you let him use your presence for a little longer.

Your hand squeezed his arm as you kissed his cheek and quickly went out the door, leaving a piece of your heart behind... for a second time.

xo n.pi

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sumeshi-t · 4 years

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past or present— a haikyuu smau

[oikawa x y/n x atsumu]

a/n: next update on friday! also would like to apologize if i keep missing out people in the taglist 😩 i'll do better i'm sorry

part 18B > part 19 > part 20 | nav.

iwaizumi waves his hand once as he sees you approaching. he's already bought two tickets for both of you, and his eyes immediately dart over to the blonde setter walking not too far behind.

iwaizumi knew who this player was, notorious for being the best, if not, one of the best setters in their generation; so he was quite taken by surprise to know that you were accompanied by him and it wasn't just some coincidence as he’d initially thought.

as you stop before your high school buddy, you wasted no time introducing the miya twin to aoba johsai's ace.

"oooh, the one who stood ya up last time?" atsumu comments, causing a chuckle to erupt from your lips; you were amused at how sharp his memory was because even you have nearly forgotten about that. "yes, the one who stood me up."

iwaizumi frowned slightly, cheeks a bit tinted with a nice pinkish hue. "you're really not going to stop saying that now, huh y/n?" he sighs, then he turns to atsumu, "good seeing you. you're a pro now, right?"

in return, he smiles his usual cocky smile, before nodding once. the blonde puts a hand in his pocket, "see ya in a bit," then without averting his eyes from yours, atsumu continues, "ya better make sure y/n is in one piece when she returns to tokyo,"

at this, you hit atsumu's shoulder with a clenched fist, making sure the knuckles made contact pretty spot on. you roll your eyes when atsumu winced, rubbing himself where you hit him. he gives you your bag and as you took it in your hand, you say, "do good in the practice matches, atsu. or else coach won't be the only one pissed. byie!"

without turning back, you practically drag iwaizumi along, despite your height difference.

while in the train, you two felt comfort in the silence the other friend offered. however, iwaizumi couldn't stop stealing looks at you. it’s like you can hear what he was thinking.

"he's not my boyfriend, iwa. at least, not yet... maybe... i think. but you get the point." you murmured, eyes watching the passing scenery. "he's the first person after... oikawa; thought i should give dating at least, another try." you pursed your lips, trying not to look so glum.

iwaizumi was a bit relieved that you chose to open this topic instead of him. "well, as long as he's not an asshole to you 24/7... besides, you're the one who knows him better than i do, so i can't really say much."

this remark makes you smile, leaning your head onto his shoulder, which iwaizumi just lets you be. "you're still as sweet as ever, iwa. i hope you know that,"

"shut up, i mean, as long as he doesn't deliberately spike a ball straight to your face..."

his words caused you to straighten up and look at him with eyes widened. iwaizumi continued his statement where he trailed off, immediately explaining, "i happened to pass by the park after jogging in the morning, when i think i heard your voice. i was about to approach you, then your face got hit by the ball and saw you with... someone who looks like him; was just trying my luck to see if my guess was right."

“for real, i thought you were some kind of stalker or mind reader just now, i don’t know...” you chuckle, then recount the recent memory, "atsu doesn't really hold back; he has the mind of a five year old sometimes, despite the cocky exterior. so when i taunted him..."

"oh god, y/n, what were you thinking?"

"nothing. the thing is, i wasn't really thinking. but i moved too far forward. which i kinda admit was my fault," then you messed with iwaizumi's hair, laughing at his reaction having caught him off guard with that. "don't worry, he took care of me right after. you still should’ve said hi,"

"also... what's with the threat?" iwaizumi slightly relaxed after having eased into this conversation.

you simply sigh, "oh come on, doesn't he kinda remind you of someone? but this one has more of asshole flowing in his blood. don't let it get to you."

iwaizumi actually shakes his head in disappointment, "why do you keep attracting guys like them? and really, a setter too?"

you only shrug, a look that tells him ‘i don’t have a choice, do i?’ evident on your face. "it's better than not attracting anyone, i guess. tough luck maybe. but he can be sweet, rea~ally competitive too. he’s been nothing but good company,"

iwaizumi tries reading your emotions, gauging the reactions you were giving him. then, you look at him finally, "you seem worried about something, iwa. is there something you’re not telling me?"

for him, it feels like the both of you has yet to tell him anything. that’s why it feels like he has something that he’s not telling you. he’s been meaning to ask you whether oikawa was aware of what you have going on with atsumu, but decides against it. because if oikawa knew about this, he knew he’d be the first to know and all of this wouldn’t be a surprise to him.

the ace only heaved a helpless sigh, "for some reason i don't want your ex and that miya to meet. it’s gonna be such a scene, but i'll really pity you if that were to happen."

it’s a lie if you say that you’ve never thought of that at all. it’s also a lie if you say that when such a situation arises, you’d know exactly what to do. you didn’t like dwelling on it, you dreaded for that to happen. you never really mentioned either of them to the other, since it was never a topic for discussion in your chats.

or was it because you just didn’t want to talk about it. because deep down, you were scared.

but scared of what?

somehow in the pit of your stomach, you knew iwaizumi was right.

you also sighed, "that's a big ass headache, for sure. but i guess for that to happen... don’t you think it’s too much of a stretch?"

you looked at iwaizumi who was texting matsukawa that you two were on the way already. when he was done, you call out his name, “hey, iwa?”

he tucks his phone in his pocket, “yeah?”

“i know this sounds crazy but... me and atsumu, this whole thing i told you? please don’t tell anyone–especially oikawa–about it. if there’s someone who’s supposed to do that, it’s me. think you can do that for me, iwa?”

there’s a lot he didn’t know, but iwaizumi was sure of one thing: oikawa tooru wasn't over you, at least, not completely. or perhaps, has no intention of getting over you. but he wasn't sure if you were really aware of that. so if you were already dating someone, it was only right to tell his friend to back off.

but you were looking at him so intently, screaming through your eyes that you wanted him to trust you with this decision you were making.

so he does. and he reluctantly nods.

then, he leans back and closes his eyes, remembering the text message he received from your friends, "matsukawa says hanamaki had a place reserved for dinner. we'll be heading there soon as he picks us up. so we better rest because i think it's gonna be a lo~ong night,"

taglist: @tamcitrus @nerdyphantomlady @haikyuuincorrect @aurorahoneybuns @zoppzoop @takingyouruwus @jesquisser @blushinggray @keigosbitch @emailandpassword @mephistominion @90s-belladonna @thannael @maravillamin @hideewrites @kiwigore @2sj2 @firsthandembarrassment @akaashit-baeji @astrrnmy @deathcab4daddy @littleblackpheonix

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu!#haikyuu #haikyuu smau #haikyuu social media au #oikawa tooru #oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa tooru smau #Miya Atsumu #atsumu miya #atsumu miya x reader #atsumu miya smau #oikawa tooru x reader x atsumu miya #iwaizumi hajime

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spicycreativity · 3 years

Text

A Place Where I Can Breathe - Ch 7

Chapter: 7/7 Additional Notes: See Ch 1 for more information. Read on AO3 under "WizardGlick." Any formatting/italics errors are holdovers from AO3 that I was too lazy to fix. Chapter Content Warnings: N/A; ask to tag Excerpt: "Cats is one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time," Logan said. "While there is no objective way to gauge a musical's 'creepiness' vs 'cuteness,' Patton's interpretation does seem to be the more popular one."

"I want to watch Cats!" Remus said.

"It's supposed to be Virgil's turn to pick the movie, Despicable Thee," Roman said, elbowing his brother in the side.

Virgil kicked his legs so he could sit up properly and look Remus in the face. "Cats?"

"Cats the Musical?" Patton asked hopefully.

"No," said Remus, "The other Cats."

Janus hummed his approval at the sarcasm, reaching an arm over Virgil's shoulders so he could ruffle Remus's hair.

"You like Cats ?" Patton asked, staring down the line of bodies on the couch. "But it's so… cute and fluffy."

"No, it's not!" Remus said. "It's about a bunch of creepy nightmare fuel cat people lining up to die in a fire."

"Cats is one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time," Logan said. "While there is no objective way to gauge a musical's 'creepiness' vs 'cuteness,' Patton's interpretation does seem to be the more popular one."

"Show of hands," Janus said just to stir the pot, "who finds Cats creepy?"

Remus' hand shot up, followed shortly by Roman's and Virgil's.

"That's three for 'creepy.' Now, who finds Cats cute?"

Patton raised his hand. "It's just a cute little musical about cats!" he exclaimed when no one else raised their hands alongside him.

"I have no feelings on the matter one way or the other," Logan said.

"What about you, Dee?" Virgil goaded. "You don't have nightmares about Old Deuteronomy waxing philosophical about the moments of happiness?"

"Of course not," Janus said. "Everybody knows Macavity is the scary one."

"Are we gonna watch it or not?" Remus demanded. "Trash fire death cats! Trash fire death cats!"

"They're not death cats!" Patton insisted, hopping up to sort through the shelf holding all their VHS tapes. "Logan, I thought these were supposed to be in alphabetical order."

"They are supposed to be in alphabetical order," Logan said, already turning his accusatory gaze on Roman.

Roman refused to be intimidated. "That's so predictable. I arranged them in a color gradient."

"What color is Cats ?"

"I dunno, black or purple or something."

"I got it," Remus said, watching the scene of impending bickering with disinterest.

A tentacle snaked out from behind the entertainment center and pushed Cats closer to Patton, who tried and failed not to flinch. "Thank you…?" he said, unsure whether to address Remus or the tentacle.

"Stick it in already, Daddy, I'm getting bored."

Blushing furiously, Patton turned on the VHS player, inserted the tape, and fled back to the couch.

Roman, eager to change the subject, declared, "Commercials are boring."

The overture began to play.

It wasn't until The Naming of Cats that one of them spoke up, and to his own surprise, it was Virgil. He had been sitting in uneasy silence, trying to relax so Remus and Janus wouldn't feel the tension in his muscles. The in-unison chanting proved a much better distraction than his own attempts at subtle meditative breathing, and soon a new thought had all his attention. "Are we sure this isn't, you know, sinister?"

"It's not sinister just because the costumes are creepy," Roman said.

"No, but--" Virgil gestured at the legion of chanting cats. "Trash fire death cats," he muttered, half to himself.

"They're-not-death-cats!" Patton insisted all in one breath.

"You keep using the phrase 'death cat' like it means something," Logan said, looking down the couch at Patton, Remus, and Virgil in turns. "But it is a nonsense term. In order to determine if the characters in Cats the Musical are, in fact, 'death cats,' you would need to establish a working definition of the term."

Roman opened his mouth to retort, but went silent at the sound of Remus chanting along with the cats on screen: "-- the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name; his ineffable, effable-- Hey, Roman is an in-F-able thot!"

"Cheap shot," Roman muttered, flicking Remus in the forehead.

Patton put on his best 'stern dad' voice. "Settle down, you two."

The silence lasted for a while, only broken by the odd comment from one of the twins. Patton watched in silent delight; Logan and Janus in a state of polite boredom. But Virgil was deep in thought, frowning at the screen and chewing absently at his thumbnail.

"The Jellicle ball is an orgy, right?" he said without meaning to.

"No!" Patton cried, just as Remus showed all his teeth and said, "Yes."

"Hmm…" said Virgil.

They all quieted down again, but it was short-lived. Virgil had an idea in his head that he couldn't seem to let go of, and while his fixations were nothing compared to Remus', he couldn't help but give voice to it.

"So magic is real… And these cats all worship Old Deuteronomy…"

"You think he has them under some sort of thrall?" Janus asked, catching Virgil's meaning. "To what end?"

"Why," Patton said, fidgeting with his glasses, "are you so determined to make the cats creepy?"

"Sorry, Pat," Virgil said with an apologetic shrug. "This is how I work."

"To what end, Virgil?" Janus prompted him, desperate for something more interesting to lend his attention to than Grizabella's lament.

"I dunno… Maybe he, like, steals their life force."

Roman gasped and threw an arm out, striking Remus in the chest. "That's why they send cats to the Heaviside Layer!"

"Ow," Remus muttered, shoving Roman's arm away.

Roman continued, unbothered, "It's a yearly ritual that lets Old Deuteronomy steal a cat's life force."

"That's totally it," Virgil said, still biting at his thumbnail. "We solved it. We solved Cats."

"There's nothing to solve!" Patton insisted. He gestured helplessly at the screen, where the cats were all happily singing the praises of Bustopher Jones. "They're just buddies who meet up once a year to dance and hang out."

"Death cats!" Remus sang, reveling in the chaos.

"Things can just be nice, you know," Patton said.

Janus swept his bangs out of his face. "I think the brainwashing angle makes it more interesting," he said, purely for the sake of having the last word.

They were silent after that, Virgil and Roman out of a slight sense of shame; Remus and Janus pensive.

Between the three Dark sides, things had never been 'just nice.' Virgil was always looking for the hidden threat, the thorn among the roses. With Janus, nothing was ever 'just' anything; he dealt in obfuscation. And Remus never allowed himself 'nice.'

There were no more interruptions. Virgil surprised himself when he noticed that he had relaxed; no spiraling thoughts threatened to whip up a storm of panic in his brain.

That might come later, in the aftermath of some great conflict, or when he thought too hard about all the little wrongs he had committed tonight.

But for now, he had the comforting familiarity of Cats the Musical. For now, he had his family, whole and harmonious. For now, he could breathe easy and relax. And for now, that was enough.

#sanders sides #this is as close to dlampr as we're gonna get lmao #virgil sanders #spicywrites #spicywrites a place where i can breathe

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