#it's also eight years old and should maybe get touched up now
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The final poem in my collection is called “semicolon.” At the start of a new year, maybe my own reminder is something to share.
#semicolon tattoo#and my blood sang#it's hard to take a picture of the back of your neck#sorry that it's a bit blurred#it's also eight years old and should maybe get touched up now#hopepunk#semicolon#neck tattoo
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For the ghostlights drabbles!! Slow dancing + aged up? Maybe it’s their wedding, maybe they’re just having a slow night, maybe it’s an all-Wayne’s-must-show-up gala event and Danny tagged along but I’m just thinkin like. Older Danny and Duke so in love with each other everything else just. Fades away
Danny’s been fidgeting all day.
He can’t help it, being so full of restless energy that he has to keep moving somehow. It’s enough to be noticeable, and though Duke gave him a curious look, he didn’t push when Danny insisted he was fine.
It’s just that he’s hyper-aware of the small box tucked away in his pocket. And judging by the excited, gleeful looks on the other Bats faces when he had lunch with them, they are also aware of his plans to propose. He just hopes Duke doesn’t have his suspicions so he can surprise his boyfriend properly.
Throughout their walk through Robinson Park, as Duke had wanted for their weekly date, Danny keeps brushing his hand against his pocket, thoughts drifting as he wonders when he should ask, how everyone would react, how difficult wedding planning would be…
“Seriously, are you okay?” Duke asks, pulling Danny to the side where a few trees hide them from view. “You’ve been distracted all day.”
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Really.”
“Sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything.”
Danny looks at him, takes in the sincerity of his words, the softness in his gaze, and smiles. He can’t help but pull Duke closer by his collar, leaning down a bit to kiss him. “I know,” he whispers against Duke’s lips. “I promise everything’s fine.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“It’s a secret,” Danny says, a giddy grin spreading across his face. “But I’ll tell you soon. Very, very soon.”
Duke looks into his eyes, gauging how honest he’s being, then nods. “Alright. Take all the time you need, honey. I can wait forever for you.” He presses a kiss to the corner of Danny’s mouth, then pulls away, taking hold of Danny’s hand. “Ready to head back home?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.” Danny squeezes Duke’s hand and follows after him as he begins walking, wondering how he got so lucky with the sweetest, bravest, most considerate person to be his boyfriend. And more, hopefully. He really wants to keep Duke forever. He wants Duke to keep him, too.
He considers proposing right then and there, too full of nerves to survive keeping it secret for another few hours, but the park isn’t empty and he knows Duke wants something more private. So he lets Duke lead them home, their steps falling in sync as they make their way to the streets.
Gotham is as busy as ever, full of noise and people as everyone goes about their day, trying to get from this place to that. But with Duke, everything feels quiet, as if the rest of the world can’t touch them when they’re together. He rarely ever feels so comfortable in silence, but like in most matters, Duke is the exception.
Danny swings their hands between them as they walk the few blocks to their apartment, heart filled with so much love he doesn’t know what to do with himself. So much has changed over the years; Danny is barely recognizable as the fourteen year old who just had a lab accident and took on the responsibility of protecting Amity Park. He was smaller, then, and struggling to figure out a way forward when everything seemed determined to ruin him.
At some points, he didn’t think he had much a future at all. His parents had found out that he was Phantom, and rather than attacking him, they were heartbroken to know that he had died so young and they never noticed. His parents have never stopped seeing him as a dead kid since, always grieving him and too guilty to really see who he is now. He hopes inviting them to the wedding won’t be a mistake, because he does want them there so they can see how happy he is.
He can hardly believe that it’s been nearly eight years since he met Duke. They had gotten together after being friends for a year, working together to handle any ghosts who needed help or were causing trouble in Gotham, and helped each other through college and getting their first jobs.
Duke has been with him for most of his happiest memories. He had been by his side through so many milestones and and quiet moments.
If there’s a life for him without Duke, he doesn’t want to live it.
So overwhelmed by his feelings, Danny can’t help but cling to Duke, wrapping him up in a hug as soon as they step into the elevator of their apartment building. Duke doesn’t ask any questions, just holds him gently and helps walk him to their door, making sure he doesn’t trip.
Danny hears the key slide into the lock. The door opens a moment later, and then Duke is slipping out of his arms, kneeling to help Danny out of his shoes at the entryway.
It’s little things like this that make Danny feel like his heart is going to burst. Duke loves in such quiet, gentle actions.
“I’m going to go change real quick,” Duke says as he takes off his own shoes. “What do you want for dinner?”
“We have garlic soy sauce pasta in the freezer.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He heads off to their bedroom, already stripping out of his shirt to change into more comfortable clothing, which tends to be either sweatpants or pajamas. Danny goes to the kitchen, pulling the pasta bag out of the freeze and setting it on the counter to thaw a bit.
He bites his lip, thinking, then pulls out his phone and texts Barbara.
caspar: hey babs, are there any cameras in our apartment that you can hack?
big brother: Only at the front door and windows. Why?
caspar: can you hack my phone and record a video for me? i’m going to propose to duke tonight
big brother: Danny! Yes of course I can!!
caspar: thanks babs :) pls also send it out to everyone else tomorrow so we can have a quiet night in
big brother: You got it Danny. Can’t wait to share the news!! Go ahead and get your phone in a good place and I’ll be ready to start recording.
Danny sends her a quick thumbs up emoji, then glances around to find the perfect spot that wouldn’t look too suspicious. He settles on the dining table, which looks into the kitchen. The island isn’t in the way, thankfully, so as long as Danny stays in front of the counters that are in the camera’s sight, he should be able to get a good video of the proposal to send to everyone.
Besides, he knows Duke loves collecting memories like these in every way he can. And while Danny considered asking Tim to stalk them with his camera to get good proposal photos, that would have meant proposing outside to ensure he got a good shot and Duke has never been into public proposals.
He’s just set his phone up when Duke reappears, wearing gray sweatpants and a large dark blue sweater, knit by Jason a few years ago.
He looks so soft and comfortable that Danny can’t be blamed for falling onto Duke for another hug, burying his face in his shoulder.
“Hey, there, honey,” Duke laughs. “You sure you’re feeling alright? You’ve been really clingy today. Not that I mind, or anything.”
Danny nods. “I just really love you.”
Duke kisses his temple, and Danny can feel his smile against his skin. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
“Dance with me?”
“Alright.”
They start to sway softly together, just moving side to side, then Duke brings out his phone to play a few quiet songs from one of their many playlists. He recognizes the song as coming from their ‘heart to heart’ playlist, because they very much are that cheesy couple that make playlists for each other and for every occasion. This one is for quiet nights together, full of soft love songs and ballads.
With music to guide them, they start moving more, pulling apart to properly dance. They twirl in small circles, still swaying slowly as they dance, just happy to be together.
Danny sinks into the comfort of this quiet joy, slow dancing in the kitchen with Duke for a few songs. He’s already looking forward to dancing together at their wedding.
Duke pulls up his hand to lead Danny in a spin, and Danny returns the favor.
Just as Duke begins to turn back around, Danny takes out the ring box from his pocket with his free hand and drops to one knee.
Duke completes his spin, smiling softly, then freezes when he sees Danny kneeling.
“Duke,” Danny begins, and then Duke lets out a startled laugh, grinning wildly.
“Wait!” he says, “Wait, I can’t believe this. Do not move, Danny, I swear—” And then he’s turning and rushing away. Danny watches him, confused and just a little hurt, wondering what’s going on as he watches Duke move a few knick knacks on their shelf aside. He hides something in his hands, then returns to Danny and also drops to one knee.
He opens his hands to reveal a ring box. “I was going to propose later tonight,” he says, laughter in his voice, “But you beat me to it!”
Danny grins, elated, all but tackles Duke in a hug. “Oh my God,” he laughs, “I love you so much. More than anything.”
“I love you so, so much. Give me my ring, I can’t wait to marry you.”
Smiling so hard it hurts, Danny slips the ring onto Duke’s finger. Duke does the same for him, then lifts Danny’s hand to place a kiss against his knuckles. “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
“And I’ll love you beyond the rest of mine.”
He cups the back of Duke’s neck and kisses him sweetly. It doesn’t last long when neither of them can stop smiling, laughing together breathlessly.
“Come on,” Duke says, pulling Danny up to his feet. “I want to practice for our wedding dance.”
And Danny follows his lead, falling back into step with him, twirling slowly through the kitchen. He already can’t wait to be married to Duke.
.
.
.
[send me ghostlights prompts!]
#ghostlights#dc x dp#dp x dc#dcxdp#dpxdc#dc x dp fic#prompt fill#my writing#they are so in love here!! as they should be :)#the slow dancing doesnt take up much of this fic but hopefully the cuteness of them makes up for it#the bats and dannys friends + jazz are absolutely going to lose their minds once babs sends the video out#and then it spreads around and by the time they get to wedding planning the entire justice league and the titans and a bunch of ghosts#want to be invited and are doing all they can to be on the guest list. bribes are involved. people are going ALL OUT#there is indeed a few physical fights over who gets to be best man/woman and in the wedding party
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Near-future, black mirror esque AU in which Nancy, stressed college student with loads of childhood trauma, gets recommended by her psychologist to get an emotional support robot. That's what they're called, yes. They're sold to very lonely people to pretty much look after them emotionally. Nancy has always hated the idea, and doesn't really like androids or robots of any kind. Plus, she thinks it's quite sad that she's so lonely she needs an android to keep her company. She also couldn't possibly afford it.
Her friend Steve, though, who hasn't seen her in a year despite living 15 minutes away (she has a tendency to isolate herself and use her studies as an excuse), got her one. It's a second-hand unit, a slightly older model that's seen several repair shops in the past, but it works, and it was half the price of a new one. He shows up to her apartment with the box, looking smug and proud of himself. If anything, Nancy feels insulted.
She doesn't touch the box for a few weeks, and doesn't get rid of it either, because her studies take her so much time, she can't bring herself to keep her apartment clean. When her mother visits and sees the mess she's living in, with a perfectly functional android willing to help her, she finally caves, and as soon as she's alone, she decides to see if this thing can at least help her clean up.
It surprises her that it looks so... human. Its skin is soft and warm, with all the natural imperfections of a human's skin. Same as her hair. She's dressed in old worn-out clothes, and she curls into herself, in fetal position, inside the box. Only the button under her skin on the back of her neck reveals her as an android. Nancy reads the instructions, presses there for 10 seconds, and waits.
Or she planned to wait - eight seconds in with Nancy's fingers pressed on that spot, and the android's eyes flew open. She cried out, screambled out of the box and looked around, breathing heavily and hugging herself. Her eyes fix on Nancy, look her up and down with a frown, and asks:
"Who are you?"
Nancy opens her mouth to reply, then looks down at the instructions, hoping they'd say something about this kind of scenario, and that her new robot didn't go rogue and try to kill her.
"Wait, are those my instructions?" The robot asked. She looked down. "I really don't mean to complain about my living situation going from extremely fucked to simply fucked, but that is not my original box. Mine was smaller, and it had a bunch of little dots on the side. Did they sell me again?"
The instructions said nothing about this possibility, so Nancy decided it was time to improvise.
"I... my friend got you at a garage sale, I think."
"Oh. Well, that is low, even for me," the robot said. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Should my neck hurt this much?"
Nancy blinked.
"Shouldn't you know that?"
"Honestly, I don't even know what levels of pain are normal for me. It always hurts just a little bit somewhere, like, right now, my whole spine really hurts." She laughs. "At least I think it's supposed to feel like pain? I don't think we're wired to feel pain, exactly, I mean, that would be just sadistic. Talk anti-natalism to me. But I swear this spot right here just feels really really bad. Or maybe it's anthropocentric to... perceive it as pain, don't you think? It's very existentialist, actually, the whole... perceiving thing - I bet Berkeley wrote something about it, at some point, but I haven't read him in ages."
"You read books?"
"What? Oh. Oh, uh... I - I think I'm offline? Like, I don't have access to the database, so I kinda have to do it the old-fashioned way if I want to learn somethin," she said. "It's cool, though! I like reading a lot."
"...Okay. So, um... here it says your model is..."
"Robin," the android said. Nancy looked up.
"I'm sorry?"
"That's my name," she said. "I came up with it, I - I thought it sounded nice. Do you like it?"
Nancy stared at this... thing, a million thoughs coursing through her head. The first one was a newfound understanding of her low price.
She made a movement with her head that could be understood as both a shake and a nod at the same time.
"Yeah, yeah, sure" she said, brows knit together. What the hell did Steve get her into? "It's... nice."
"Oh, thank God, because Mom and Dad hated it."
"Mom and...?"
"My first owners - Richard and Melissa, I always called them Mom and Dad. They... they, uh, they hated that, too."
Jesus Christ.
"So... Robin," Nancy said. "I was wondering if you could help me put away some of my things while I study."
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure." She stood there, eyes wandering, around, until they fell on Nancy's bookshelf "Holy shit, you have Dostoyevski! Is it in Russian?"
Nancy blinked, opened her mouth, took a step back and shook her head. Robin was already striding towards her bookself, tracing the spines of books with her fingers.
"Actually, why don't you read after you clean this up?"
Robin turned to see her, eyes wide and a growing smile, like a kid in a candy shop.
"I - I can read all of this?"
Nancy was going to kill Steve.
She shrugged and shook her head.
"Sure," she said. "After you clean this mess."
"Aye aye, cap!" Robin chirped, making a quick salute with her hand and getting to work.
Nancy was, for certain, going to murder Steve for making her responsible for this... thing. There was something wrong in her system, and that was very much obvious. She looked down at the instructions manual - surely there would be a way to turn her off for the night. She wouldn't want Robin to murder her in her sleep, or worse - wake her up at 4 am to talk about books.
Or she could just tell her to shut up. She was a robot, anyway. It's not like she could feel anything.
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For The Children That’ll Never Grow (Hope Should Have Left Humanity)
part 1: When The Wolves Come (Family-- Before)
My name is Jason Grace , he reminds himself, and I have been encumbered with an empyrean intention.
This is what Lupa always told him. What the Praetor has always told him. What they all have always told him, and…
He is Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, son of Rome. But he is also Jason Grace, child-killer, monster-killer… And he is Jason Grace, self-killer.
Jason Grace is born with glowing gold hair and piercing electric eyes. He is the right size for a newborn, but not the right weight: people holding the child think that he might just float away.
He is, after all, heavenly; half god.
He grows up in a matchbox house with a mother who drinks all day and a sister who parents him while still learning her letters: from a young age, he understands life is tragic– his story will only ever be tragic.
His mother is nice one day, and his sister is suspicious, but he is so, so very young– he knows maybe 40 words now. Thalia, who has consumed parenting books despite struggling with words, knows he is a little behind, but that is to be expected. He isn’t quite fed enough– his mother does not like chubby children.
So they go to the Wolf House and Jason feels at home, the way he only does in his sister’s arms, but Thalia feels oh so cold. They are, after all, only half siblings.
When his mother leaves, Jason cries and cries, wandering into the brambles, thorns cutting his skin. To all the world who knew him, he is now a ghost.
When Mother Wolf finds him, he is hungry and out of tears. When he leaves Mother Wolf, he is five, and more wolf than human or god. He doesn’t quite have all the words he should, or the hand dexterity, but he can hold a sword, lift a shield, and hunt his own food.
When he makes his way to camp, Mother Lupa by his side, they do not know what to do with him. He is five, and speaks still only 40 words. He cannot hold small things, and does not understand human touch. Alexander, then Centurian of the Fifth Cohort, says We will take him . The other cohorts want a son of Jupiter– but not this one. He is too young, too weak, too wild.
We will take him . Alexander is kind. He tells Jason stories, and gets Jason hot chocolates. He takes Jason to his sister, a speech pathologist, where he learns to make sounds.
As he grows, more cohorts want him. He is stronger now, older, less wild. Outside of Alexander’s arms, Jason is meant to be perfect. It’s stifling. So when another boy his age joins the Legion, he rejoices. Octavian, they call him. Legacy, they call him. Powerful, they call him.
He is still only eight years old.
Jason Grace’s life, after all, was never anything but a tragedy. Still he grows– how terrible is that?
#pjo hoo toa#pjo#riordanverse#pjo series#pjo fandom#jason grace#grace siblings#thalia grace#lupa pjo#heroes of olympus#beryl grace#hoo
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It's all academic darlin' EPILOGUE
~39k+ Hangster AU. IceMav established in background.
Bradley is a professor but living his best life with IceMav parents. Jake is a pilot. Maverick sort-of tries (and fails) to play matchmaker, so he tries again. Touch of epistolary and sprinkling of one-sided unknown/mistaken-identity.
PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7 PART 8 PART 9 PART 10
This is a very fluffy feel-good epilogue. Didn't quite manage to shoehorn in more of Bradley lecturing and Jake being in there, or as much epistolary as I would like. ENJOY! (~4.5k long)
EPILOGUE
Bradley was meant to fly last night, but he’d ended up being kept back with something drastic in the lab, so he’d missed his take-off timeslot. Instead it’s fucking ass o’clock and Jake is watching the little six-seater come in to land and he’s pretty sure the swooping in his stomach is because the man he’s pretty sure he loves is inside that plane. It’s been a week of revelations and he can hardly believe it’s only been a week. He watches as Bradley follows the directions of the ground crew before he’s walking toward him, bag slung over his should and he looks great. His legs and ass are gorgeous, but he’s walking with a little jump in his step like he’s immensely happy and Jake’s pretty confident that he’s the reason.
There aren’t any words, just soft-slow smiles and Bradley has dropped his bag, is pushing Jake against his rental car, hands on his ass as he presses himself against Jake’s front and then kisses him for a solid three minutes, maybe five, and it feels so good to be touching him again, to have him there after just talking to him on the phone in spare moments during the week when they’d both been free.
“Hi there sailor...”
“You are such a dork.”
“Guilty as charged. What are you going to do about it?”
“Suffer, apparently. Come on, we can go back to bed…”
“Really now? When I went to all this effort to look good to meet your family?”
Jake doesn’t mention how his hair is squished from wearing the headset in the plane, his shirt rumpled and buttoned incorrectly. He looks like a wet dream come to life and Jake wouldn’t want him any other way. He throws Bradley’s bag in the backseat, shoves him toward the passenger side and starts the drive back to the house they’re staying at.
“Adam and Michelle are your brother and sister. Adam’s married to Kelly, they’ve got three year old twins. Michelle is married to Lachlan and they have the five year old, three year old and the baby…”
“Yep.”
“I’m not going to remember this right.”
“You’ll be fine, it’s not like they’re going to quiz you. Also my sister is going to go so easy on you, pretty sure she’d given up hopes on me finding anyone. Bachelor for life.”
“Yeah, when you’re so ineligible and everything…” Bradley snorts.
“Maybe I was just waiting for perfection to come along,” Jake replies and catches the immediate flush to Bradley’s face at the compliment.
Of course his sister is awake when they arrive, his eight month old niece, Emily, passed out on her shoulder and she looks half asleep herself. His industrial strength earplugs have come in handy this week, but parents can’t ignore their screaming offspring.
“Oh hi, Bradley. It’s nice to meet you…”
“Hi, you must be Michelle.”
“Here, let me take her so you can go back to bed…” Jake offers.
“The other two will be awake in less than an hour –”
“All the more reason to try and get some sleep now. She’s teething,” Jake says to Bradley, taking Emily from his sister’s unresisting arms and giving her a gentle push toward her own bedroom. Emily doesn’t even stir in his arms.
“Nice to meet you Bradley, maybe I can have a proper conversation when I’m actually awake,” Michelle says, ambling off and only bumping into one wall as she goes. He shifts slightly, makes his hold on Emily a little more secure and one he can maintain for longer.
“Do you want kids?” Bradley asks, voice quiet and somber and Jake meets his eye, suddenly terrified he might answer this wrong. This isn’t something they’ve ever discussed.
“No. Uh. Sorry, is that a deal breaker?”
“No, it’s definitely not a deal breaker,” Bradley says, and if Jake was going to put money on something he’s say he looked a little relieved. “You just look good like that.”
“Bradshaw, I look good all the time. I though we’d already established that fact.”
“We had, this was just one I hadn’t been expecting.”
“Well, I’m more than happy playing the cool uncle. And helping my brother and sister out. No desire to add any mini-mes to the world.”
“You’d make very cute babies…”
“Bradshaw, our babies would be too hot for the world, it’s a good thing they’ll never come to fruition. You want to hold her? She’s dead to the world…”
“Yeah, sure thing…”
Surprising him Bradley scoops Emily from him with easy confidence and Jake knows he doesn’t have nieces and nephews, or cousins, or…
“Plenty of my friends have kids. I’m also the go-to cool uncle,” Bradley says, clearly seeing the surprised expression on Jake’s face.
“Our powers combined…”
“And people think I’m the geeky one,” Bradley mutters, but he’s grinning at Jake. His stomach-heart-brain are on that three-seater roller coaster again and he can’t hold it back.
“I love you.”
He feels like he might throw up, suddenly nervous he’s said it too soon, or Bradley will run. That something bad will happen. It doesn’t. Bradley gives him a slow smile, it grows wider and wider, his eyes crinkling, his hand reaches up to cup Jake’s jaw and he’s pulling him close, his lips brushing over Jake’s and the kiss is gentle but firm, feels full of meaning somehow.
“I love you too.”
Okay then.
… … …
“Bradley, nice to meet you. Haven’t heard much about you of course, he saves all the good gossip for Michelle.”
“Hey! Michelle and I both like – oh crap… hi kids.”
Bradley snorts into his coffee, stares up at the ceiling for a brief second in the hope it’ll stop him from bursting into laughter. This has to be Adam and his wife Kelly, each of them holding a toddler.
“Were you being gross again?”
“When isn’t he gross?”
“Hey! I take offence to all of this! It’s slander!”
“I had to watch your teenage years. You were gross,” Michelle says, looking more awake than this morning.
“Oh! Do you have photos?” Bradley asks, and Jake squawks with alarm.
Michelle does indeed have photos and later Bradley enjoys looking through them, although he can see that Jake wasn’t exactly brimming with the confidence and happiness he has an adult. Knows a little more now how his parents don’t talk to Jake; effectively disowned when he came out. The fact that his brother and sister walked away as well tells him that there’s probably even more to it but he’s not going to pry. Jake will tell him if he wants to. He’s smiling down at the photo of Jake on his USNA graduation day, his brother and sister on either side of him when he feels Michelle settle down beside him on the sofa, Emily in her arms.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” Bradley asks, a bit confused.
“For giving my brother what he deserves.”
“Oh. Easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
She smiles and gives him a one-armed hug before passing him Emily.
… … …
“You look like a natural holding that baby…” Mav says over the phone and Bradley frowns before spying Jake over in the doorway, phone in hand and grinning at him. Traitor.
“Jake’s sending you photos.”
“Hangman appreciates my desire for grandchildren.”
“Hangman knows how to direct your obsession toward something actually feasible. I think Ice is lucky you couldn’t knock him up. Jesus Mav.”
“I like kids okay? They’re cool. Anyway, he could’ve knocked me up. We’re equals like that.”
“Ugh. I don’t need to know.”
… … …
Jake hasn’t felt this happy, this settled, since he can remember. Maybe when he was a kid and didn’t have any worries in the world. Now he has his family, Bradley, a formal screening process to begin for the test pilot position and everything feels so good. So right. He doesn’t even have an impending sense that something bad has to happen to balance it out. He simply feels secure and content and it’s heady.
… … …
“Hey, you think you could ask Michelle and Adam whether they’d mind a couple more visitors this weekend?”
“Did you want to bring friends?” Jake asks, because there is a spare bedroom, but depending on who Bradley wants to bring might mean they don’t have the space. They have the house until Sunday, but they’ve got long drives ahead of them so will be leaving early.
“No. Mav and Ice want to come. I don’t have labs this Friday and I can rearrange someone to take my lectures…”
Jake grins at the idea that Bradley’s family wants to meet his, that Bradley is rearranging his work to help that happen. He knows this isn’t normal but it’s also not usual for his family to all be in one place.
“You want to come a day earlier? Yeah, that’d be great.”
“Earlier and with extra people.”
“It’s fine. We’d nearly out-number the kids and be able to let the parents have a date night or something…”
“Or something huh? You angling for more nieces and nephews?”
“No! But they might like to have some time together without their kids there. They’ll probably just sleep if their conversations are anything to go on.”
… … …
He watches the plane come in and just waits, the feeling far more familiar now and he’s hopefully going to be watching Bradley fly into and out of his life regularly and he wouldn’t want it any other way, except maybe living together but one step at a time. He watches and then laughs, realizing that Bradley didn’t fly this time, is stalking toward him from where the plane is being towed into a hangar with a slightly annoyed look on his face and Jake kisses him, glad to see it wipes the annoyance clear off.
“He didn’t let you fly huh?”
“Of course not. You think I’m allowed to fly when he’s in the plane? He’s far too much of a control freak for that. I don’t want to know what he promised Ice, because there wasn’t even the hint of an argument this time. By the way, Ice is the same with cars. It’s a whole thing. You’ll get it as well.”
Sure enough Jake is hip-checked out of the way as soon as they’ve exchanged quick hellos and hugs. Jake sure isn’t saying no to sitting in the back with Bradley, but he’s not going to not be an annoying shit about it, tosses a wink at Bradley and links their hands together; waits until they’ve been driving for a minute before speaking.
“Are we there yet? I’m hungry… Bradley’s breathing too close to me.”
“I need to use the bathroom!” Bradley adds in, realizing what game Jake is now playing, and he’s laughing.
“You two are such shits. Can you not act your age?”
“We’ll start acting our ages when you two do the same…” Bradley says, laughing.
… … …
“Adam, nice to meet you again. Much nicer circumstances this time around.”
“Pete, good to see you. And yeah, definitely much better. Can I get you a drink?”
Bradley looks between them, a little confused as to when their paths could have crossed.
“When did you guys meet?”
“At the hospital, after Jake’s accident.”
He remembers Jake mentioning an accident, hadn’t realized it had maybe been serious enough to require family to fly across the country. He’s going to need to ask Jake later, is suddenly filled with the worry that something might happen and he won’t know about it until well after the fact. Hates the idea for so many reasons but it’s definitely the idea of not knowing which is the worst. He needs to add Jake to his own emergency contact info so he’s not left in the dark either.
Ice is using his text-to-voice app to talk with Michelle and Lachlan, before Mav drags Adam over to introduce him as well and Bradley feels like he can maybe leave them to it and drop the bags in their room.
“This is a little surreal… my nephews are trying to climb the legs of the COMPACFLT so they can play with the device he’s holding,” Jake says, coming up behind him and wrapping his hands around Bradley’s waist.
“Ice loves kids, but usually kids are scared of him because he can looks so serious and he can’t talk very well to reassure them now, but he won’t mind…”
“Oh, I know he won’t mind. He puts up with you and Mav, and now me… he has the patience of a saint.”
“The patience maybe, but nothing else is saint like and we all know it.”
… … …
Bradley watches as Mav settles himself on the ground, pushing some of the blocks to the side. He remembers Mav playing with him a lot when he was a kid, remembers him bringing him presents, nearly always toy planes, but they’d changed, once his dad had died. He’d gone from being excited about the presents Mav bought to simply being happy to see Mav. And okay, he doesn’t want kids but he does feel a little sad that Mav’s not going to be a grandfather.
Except… except he can. Mav and Ice both are his dad in every sense that is important, and he knows Mav loves Jake. Their little family unit of three can easily grow to encompass Jake and his siblings and their families over time. Especially given that their own parents are not in the picture and likely never will be.
“I’m still not having kids Mav, but I’m pretty sure if you wanted to step into the role of grandfather for Jake’s nieces and nephews there’s a couple of positions available for you and Ice. If you wanted them.”
Mav nods once, simple acknowledgment that he’s heard him, but Bradley doesn’t miss the dampness in his eyes.
… … …
He’s made himself comfortable in Bradley’s apartment as much as he can. Has permission to use his office while he’s on campus during the day and Jake lets himself lounge around and get comfortable. He pours himself a coffee and takes the mug and re-examines the bookshelves, wonders if any of the texts might prove useful to what he’s reading for the test pilot position.
He’s not really paying attention to anything when he hears a quick knock on the door, before the door is opening and he freezes, sense of déjà vu so strong he has to double check he’s actually fully dressed this time. He is thankfully but he’s wondering how many people have fucking keys to Bradley’s apartment.
“Oh my god! You’re not Bradley.”
“Ah, no. Uh…”
“Oh! You’re the boyfriend! Jacob right?”
“Jake. Yeah.”
“Kezia. Nice to meet you.”
“Uh. And you…”
“Bradley didn’t warn you I was coming over?”
“No.”
“Typical. I’m here to make sure his indoor plants don’t die. I’m his plant person.”
“Plant person?” Jake asks, a little confused, but he vaguely remembers something Bradley said, about how he couldn’t keep plants alive and maybe that’s why he has a plant person…? His phone rings then and he pulls it out, sees Bradley’s face on screen and accepts the call.
“Hi.”
“Hi. I forgot to tell you –”
“She’s already here.”
“Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s fine…” Jake says, but Kezia is moving closer, clearly aware that he’s talking to Bradley.
“Nice work Bradshaw!”
“Fuck’s sake…” Bradley mutters and Jake grins, but knows he’s also maybe blushing a little. “I was a little distracted this morning okay, then I was running late.”
“Got distracted huh? Wonder what caused that?”
“Yeah, you’d have no idea huh?”
“None at all. You go do your teaching shit, I’m going to make Kezia a cup of coffee…? Tea? And ask all about your ineptitude with house plants.”
“He’s useless,” Kezia says loudly, but she’s already heading to the kitchen to make herself a hot drink of some description and Jake thinks he’ll get on fine with her too.
… … …
“Hey kid! I bought you something!”
“Uh, you didn’t have to do that Mav…”
“Oh no, I did.”
Jake opens it and inside the cardboard box is a muzzle, and he looks
“Are you making a comment about their sex life?” Ice asks, and Jake snorts, glad he can follow the most of the signing now. Wonders if Tom would be so risky with his conversations if more people understood what he was saying.
“No! Well. I guess I am actually.”
“Well, hate to break it to you Mav, but that mark wasn’t left by me.”
“What? What do you mean?” Mav asks, suddenly concerned and Jake will never get sick of being able to wind him up knowing that he’ll think it’s funny at the end of the day.
“It’s a rope burn…”
“What!” Mav flushes red and Jake keeps his expression deadpan.
“Your fault for asking about their sex life,” Ice says, his expression delighted.
“I wasn’t!”
“You mean you didn’t want me to wear this in the bedroom?” Jake asks, holding up the muzzle.
“I meant it as a joke…!”
“Ah… what the hell did I just walk into?” Bradley asks, looking between them. Ice is laughing so much he has tears at the corner of his eyes, breath coming in rough gasps.
“Mav bought us a sex toy.”
“No I didn’t!”
“A muzzle for me because of that new mark on your neck…”
“A rope did this…”
“I don’t need to know!” Mav exclaims, and Jake wonders if he can start turning purple with how red his face is.
“From climbing Mav. Fucking hell. A rope got caught on a hold and scraped over my neck and gave me friction burn.”
Jake has joined Ice in laughing, the expression in Mav’s face caught between relieved and embarrassed and Bradley just looking resigned.
… … …
A YEAR LATER
He’s finished his test-pilot training, managed to maintain a long-distance relationship with Bradley in San Diego and himself in fucking Maryland. Now though he’s enroute to Fallon, beginning as an advanced Top Gun instructor in five weeks. First though he has five weeks uninterrupted with Bradley and a piece of land he bought that he has plans for, sitting adjacent to the same piece of land that belongs to Tom. He’s meeting Bradley there, his family coming for two weeks of camping and he can’t wait to have them all in the same place.
Once he lands in Fallon he immediately rings Bradley, and he’s going to have to reward him for this phone lasting almost nine months when he sees him. The last one had survived over a year, which had been a record when it had slid off the wing of Bradley’s plane and crashed onto the airstrip. Something that’s happened before apparently. Mav has shared a spreadsheet with him for sole purpose of roasting Bradley and he can’t wait to be closer to them all again.
“Hi…”
“Hi. God it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Well, we’re lucky we don’t have to deal with grossly different time zones anymore. Are you going to come up this weekend?”
“Ah… Yeah. I guess I’ll be this weekend. Although my plans for my romantic weekend away are being crashed by Ice and Mav. They heard about the work you want to do and want to help.”
“Bit presumptuous of you thinking it was going to be romantic…”
“I said my romantic weekend, not our romantic weekend. If you’re good you can watch…”
“Really now?”
“I guess you can touch if you really want to.”
“Trust me, I’m going to want to. Been too long.”
“We’ve gotten very good at phone sex though.”
“We have. Still prefer you in person.”
“Of course you do. Anyway, do you need me to pick you up or you got a car organized?”
“I thought you were still at home?”
“Not so much…”
Then Bradley’s walking around the corner of the building where he’s clearly been watching from and Jake drops everything and is kissing him, desperate to remind himself of the planes of his face and body and he pulls back suddenly.
“What the fuck happened to your moustache?”
“It’s called shaving?”
“I thought we were meant to consult each other on major life decisions?”
“I slipped with the clippers and took one third off. Trust me, this was the better option. I’ll grow it back. Not having one makes Emily cry when I video call…”
“Fuck I love you.”
Bradley smiles, kisses him breathless and Jake doesn’t need to hear the words anymore to know he feels the same.
… … …
Bradley’s nervous, because this isn’t the only surprise he has up his sleeve. He knows Jake has plans for their summer, building a cabin similar to Ice’s but a bit away on his own piece of land. Somewhere his family can come and stay, a place for him to call home. Except… he hadn’t particularly wanted to spend their five weeks building, and laying foundations and priming. Mav had fortunately jumped at the chance for a larger project, and between them they’ve laid the foundation, erected the walls, paid to have the roof and outer walls all installed by professionals.
It’s a much bigger place than the three-bedroom cabin belonging to Ice and Mav. Once finished it’ll easily host Jake’s siblings and all his nieces and nephews, at least while they’re small. He just hasn’t exactly told Jake that he and Mav have been working on it, sometimes under the careful supervision of Ice. Some rooms he’s gone ahead and finished off, getting professionals in again to do the bathrooms and kitchen, glad he hadn’t had to live in the building while it was being built and finished.
Jake’s bedroom, their bedroom, has been left untouched. Needs paint and drapes and light fixtures. He wants to do that room with Jake, hopes that gesture will help Jake accept that he hasn’t been involved with the rest of the build. He drives past the entrance to Ice and Mav’s cabin and Jake makes a little sound, glances back before realizing that maybe Bradley is taking them to his piece of land first. As far as Jake knows there’s the concrete foundation that he organized to be laid several months ago. That not what awaits him when he turns down the rough drive.
“Holy shit…”
“Yep,” Bradley says, agreeing, because it does look impressive. Two stories with wide wrap-around porch, finished so it blends into surrounding forest. It’s much bigger than the original plans Jake had made, but Bradley had taken them and still based all the decisions on them. The internal fixtures are all still the ones that Jake had chosen and he’s still nervous that Jake is going to be upset. He stops the car and gets out, follows as Jake stands there and stares around.
“What… what happened? Did you do this?”
“Yeah. Me and Mav. With help from quite a few professionals. Been a busy few months.”
“Holy shit Bradley.”
“I mean, happy belated anniversary and congratulations on finishing test pilot training?”
Jake lets out a little sound that may be a half-hiccup half-sob and Bradley is pretty sure he likes it. He wraps his arms around him, hugs him tight and presses a kiss to his cheek.
“I love you… so much.”
… … …
“You sure about this?” Javy asks as Jakes stares down at the display case.
“You know, I’ve never felt more certain about anything more in my life. I can’t imagine a better relationship than what we have, except getting to call him my husband, so… yeah. I’m sure.”
“Good for you man. So happy for you.”
… … …
He’s an hour overdue his usual second cup. His morning lecture having a student stop him afterwards with a question, and then an online meeting stopping him from just nipping into the breakroom like usual, so it’s much quieter when he walks into breakroom and does a double take.
What the fuck.
Hanging from the ceiling vents are mobiles of fucking origami roosters. Lining the windowsills, the edges of the coffee machines, the little tables and benches, lips of the whiteboard where the markers usually sit, the arms of the chairs (at least the ones that actually have arms, it’s a pretty eclectic mix of chairs). Everywhere he looks there are just more and more hiding and he wonders how many students got involved with this. There have to be thousands. There are a few people sitting, seemingly unconcerned they’re surrounded by origami roosters and can’t really move without standing on them or knocking them over. Then he spies Michael in the corner, phone held up and no doubt filming. He stalks over, culprit identified.
“Dude. What the fuck?”
“Not my idea actually. I just helped implement it. What do you think?”
“I mean… points for literal creativity but why?”
“Jake. Being a sappy romantic.”
“Jake made these?” Bradley asks, looking around.
“Only some of them, but definitely that mobile over there. It’s for your cabin apparently,” Michael says, expression dry, but Bradley doesn’t care. He’s flushed with warmth knowing that Jake has somehow managed to pull a prank like this off, gotten his friends and work colleagues and likely his students all secretly folding origami roosters…
“Man he’s an asshole…”
“An asshole that loves you. Bradley Bradshaw, will you marry me?”
He spins around and Jake is there, down on one knee by the shitty coffee machine that never works, there’s a crowd of people now, standing and watching and he gapes in surprise. Jake is meant to be in Fallon, not here. But he’s not… he’s here. Proposing to him.
“No! I was going to propose this weekend!”
“Not the answer I wanted to hear Bradshaw. You’re just too slow…”
“I’m just the right speed when I need to be and you know it.”
Jake smirks and nods his head slightly in agreement, stands up and moves toward Bradley, wrapping his arm not holding a ring around his waist.
“You still haven’t answered me darlin’…”
“Yes you asshole, of course I’ll marry you.”
… … …
Jake stares at the email in front of him and feels an intense flood of déjà vu. He’s emailing a guy about his research into materials for the new plane he’s going to be involved in testing and he’s asked a difficult question apparently.
Thanks, I’ll check with my supervisor and get back to you. He’s got a lot more experience than I do in this area.
It’s a highly confidential project. He’s signed a lot of forms which he painstakingly read. He cannot talk to anyone about the project unless they’re already in the know and while he suspects that this is exactly the field that Bradley consults on he can’t fucking ask without giving it all away.
… … …
“Hi there…”
“Hi. What’s got you in such a good mood?”
“Well, just got reminded how smart my fiancé is.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmm… test pilot, consulting with the US Department of Defense Research and Engineering group…”
“Has it been you I’ve been emailing again? I’d swear it’s not you, but he said he had to check with his supervisor…”
“Yeah. I’m his supervisor. Mentor really. He’s doing his post-doctorate. He forwarded me your emails and it just got me all nostalgic…”
“You mean it made you horny.”
“That too.”
… … …
Bradley is giving a public lecture, a taster for the University Open Day because he’s apparently always a hit with the crowds. It’s not long, only fifteen minutes and is meant to touch on the different engineering disciplines and their applications. He spies Jake about halfway through and stumbles, his words just failing as his brain stalls at the sight of his fiancé.
“So, when it comes to materials science, often when you know the properties of each material, when you add them together they form something stronger, something better, because they’re added together. Working together. So in this case one plus one is not two. One plus one is greater than two.”
The grin Jake gives him is blinding.
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A few people - @badgirlforeddiemunson @thefreak0fhawkinshigh @ilovecupcakesandtea - have asked me things about my hair; routines, products, hints and tips. And I figured it'd be easier to make a generic post with everything included and people can pick and poke at what they want.
I'm not a vain person, but I will freely admit that my hair is my pride and joy. It is my baby. I have told my mother that my hair is the only grandchild she's ever gonna get from me, and now when she helps me with it, she calls it "babysitting my grandkid".🤣
I have quite fine hair but I have a lot of it, so it's quite thick. Holding it in one fist is a bit difficult and it knots very easily. This post includes routines, products, hints, tips, and things I think are relevant. My hair is my baby and a lot of my leftover energy between my job and my degree goes into my hair. I've dreamed of having hair just like this since I was a child - maybe seven or eight - and now as a twenty five year old, I am living the dream.
I hope those of you who are curious about my rather extensive hair care find what you need in here! I am open to questions about it, as well.💖
TW; in the 'basics' section, there is one mention of actual physical assaults related to non-consensual hair-cutting which happened in my home town about a decade ago. Not to me, but I worry about it every day as a lasting point of anxiety. If you want to skip this, it is the LAST BULLET POINT OF THE FIRST SECTION RIGHT BELOW THE CUT.
Okay, so... where to start...
The basics/equipment I use
I sleep on silk pillowcases and I secure my braids with silk scrunchies. It helps to prevent knots and tangles (it's not perfect, but my hair is much more manageable thanks to silk).
I use a wooden comb and a boar bristle brush which moves natural oils from my scalp down to the ends of my hair. I would never be using a plastic brush or 'normal' elastic ties in my hair. The thought makes me shudder.
I wash my hair once a week unless it gets rained on. In which case, I will wash it more than once a week, but neither me nor my hair will be happy about it.
I pat-dry my hair with a plain white cotton t-shirt and I let it air-dry, which takes about twelve hours to become damp-but-dry-enough-to-safely-brush. (Hair wash day is a whole ordeal, I need a day! More on this to come.) T-shirts are gentler and less damaging than towels; wet hair should be treated like glass because it's very fragile.
I never go outside of the house or go to sleep without first brushing and then braiding my hair. I never go outside with it down. This is because, honestly, I'm terrified someone will come up behind me on the street and assault me by cutting all my hair off (I have severe anxiety but also, this actually happened to a few girls in my town as a series of three assaults when I was a child and I've never forgotten about it) but also, doing this helps to prevent knots and tangles, which minimises damage to your hair.
I eat a lot of meat and dairy but I also take a generic multivitamin every day. Protein and fat are super good for you in general but also, what your body doesn't use, goes to your hair!!! Happy body = happy hair.💖
I am very precious about my hair, very few people are allowed to touch it. If I let you touch it, you are trusted. It's pretty much an "I love you". My mum helps me with my hair every day. I'm very grateful to her for it, and I make sure she knows how much I appreciate it.
My hair only needs a half-inch trim every eight months or so; dad measures it out with a ruler, mum watches him to make sure he's doing it right, he shows me what he's cut off after the first snip and I'll approve it and then he's allowed to continue. I cry a lot when it has to be trimmed, I hate it, and I grieve that half-inch until it grows back in about three weeks.
My different hair-care routines (these are extensive)
Hair wash day!
Number of stages: 4
Duration of all four stages: 13 - 14 hours🥰 (I have to schedule an entire day to do it and it can be tricky because my job doesn't always align with my preferred wash day, which is a Sunday, so sometimes I have to go 10 days without washing it and that can make me very irritable. It's the little things, you know? It has to be an all day thing because my hair takes twelve hours to become damp-dry enough to brush without damaging it. I never use heat on my hair; pat-dry with a t-shirt and then air-dry only. And then I have the brushing routine on top of it, which takes an hour if I do it myself, and ten minutes if mum does it for me, which she often does).
Brushing routine:
I brush my hair before I wash it. This is the first stage of hair wash day, and I do this routine after work. It takes me an hour to do it alone or ten - twenty minutes if mum does it.
I section my hair in two, over each shoulder, and then section it again so that my hair has been quartered. I always brush from the back first (I tuck the front section underneath the back section, which has been pulled forward to the front). Whichever side isn't being brushed, I secure into a side-ponytail with a silk scrunchie to hold it there while I work on the other half of my hair.
Starting from the bottom, I finger-comb first and manually untangle any big knots or tangles. If this part goes wrong, I will cry about it. It's instant panic attack if I can't get a knot undone with minimal effort.
Once that quarter-section is finger combed thoroughly, I then use my wooden comb to go through the section again and I alternate as needed back to finger-combing if I find a section I missed the first time.
Once that quarter-section is done, I put it behind me and start on the other section, same process as above. Doing one half of my hair usually takes me a half hour.
Once one half of my hair is brushed, I use a boar-bristle brush, going from the top of my hair down to the tips; this moves the natural oils through the hair. The oil normally comes down to just below my ear, and obviously the further away I am from wash day, the more oil there is, and so from the nape of the neck down to the very ends of my hair, I apply Mielle's rosemary and mint scalp and hair strengthening oil (£8.99 for a 59ml bottle; half a pipette is sufficient for one half of my hair, so it's expensive but does last a while).
Once the hair is finger-combed, combed, brushed, I then pull that section back as well and braid it in a simple three-strand braid and loosely tie it with a silk scrunchie. The first few patterns are tight to hold the braid, but after that, I loosen it off so it's a loose braid and loosely tied. In the morning, I'll redo my braids as needed before I go to work without brushing them - I don't have that time in a morning to do my whole routine before work. To secure it, I tie the silk scrunchie around one more time so it's tighter and will hold longer (bedtime braid: tie it around three times / morning braid before work: tie it around four times).
Repeat this whole thing again for the other half of my hair, and then I can go to bed. A normal night, this takes an hour, a bad night as in really knotty hair or I'm tired, two hours. Unless mum helps me with it. I can and will cry if I find a knot I can't immediately undo and it's not unusual for me to be swaying at the bathroom sink because I will not go to bed unless my hair is fully brushed, oiled, braided.
If it's wash day, I don't braid my hair or apply more oil, I just finger-comb, comb and then brush it and then get in the shower...
Washing routine: Okay. This is the most in-depth and complicated part of my entire thing I do for my hair, and I have to get it right or I will have an anxiety attack thinking I've just fucked all my hair up and I have to cut it off (I catastrophise a lot, especially with my hair). This is the second stage of hair wash day.
So, hair is brushed, shower time!
I have the water lukewarm - too hot will burn your hair and damage it, but too cold and you won't be able to get the oils out properly.
I get my hair wet so it's plastered to my back, and then I use L'Oreal's Dream lengths shampoo; I apply it to my scalp and to the surface of hair up to the nape of my neck, giving myself a gentle scalp massage (treat wet hair like GLASS!!!!). I rinse it all out once it's all in there, and then I use the same brand of conditoner, which is applied from the nape of my neck down to the very tips. Leaving that conditioner in, I then shampoo the scalp up to the nape of my neck a second time (it's like a greasy pan - the first lot of washing up liquid lifts the oil, the second lot of washing up liquid actually cleans the pan - same concept applies here to hair, especially because I only wash it once a week). And rinse that off too.
Then, I apply conditioner for a second time from the nape of my neck to the very tips of my hair, wiping off any excess on the top of my hair (just below the scalp so I don't clog my pores). I leave it in there while I wash my body, which takes a few minutes, and then I wash it off again. I let it all come out, and then I change the shower temperature so it's now COLD, to effectively close the pores in my hair.
My hair is washed! I pat it dry with a cotton t-shirt, then from the nape of my neck down to the halfway mark of my hair, I apply a leave-in conditioner, then from that halfway mark through to the ends of my hair, I use one pipette of the oil to cover everything, and then my hair air-dries for twelve hours until it's damp-dry enough to safely brush, as above!
Using oils and leave-in conditioner:
I use the oil every day from the nape of my neck to the ends of my hair, and every few days I apply leave-in conditioner from the nape of my neck to the ends of my hair. The top section of my hair (scalp to the nape) will be fine, it has the natural oils from the scalp, which is evenly distributed by using the boar-bristle brush.
Brushing routine: After twelve hours, I brush through my hair as in the first stage of wash day, so this is now stage three of wash day for me, and braiding it is stage four!
And finally, a picture of my baby!!! This was taken about two weeks ago and I believe it was the day after wash day!😍💖
I love it (her) so, so much. I bitch and complain often about the knots, but nothing fills me with instant grief and abject horror quite like thinking about having to cut off more than a half inch. That, in itself, is already cause for tears. My hair is my pride and joy, my favourite body part, and something I cherish as a very real, long-lasting childhood dream. I hope you find what you need in this post; I know it's not applicable to everyone because we all have different hair types and budgets, but hopefully something is useful.💖
I'm pretty sure this is everything but I might reblog with additions if needed, and I'm open to questions as well! My hair was jaw length in late 2019 when I started to grow it out, so it's grown quite quickly and I'm very in love with it.🥰
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Fallen Through Time For You Masterlist:
Synopsis: Eddie Munson had his life turned upside down, literally. While he and the gang are dealing with the aftermath of Vecna, a new problem literally falls into their laps. Sydney Thompson, a twenty-year old from the future. The only explanation? The soulmark on her wrist tying her to Eddie. The only problem? There are no soulmarks from she's from. How will Eddie and Sydney interact? Will she stay or will some other power ruin the only good thing to come into Eddie's life?
Prologue: She Fell From The Sky
(Our group of mismatched heroes meet Sydney Thompson. What happens now?)
Chapter One: A Phone Book From The 80's?
(Sydney wakes up and the party discovers why she might have fallen into their laps.)
Chapter Two: It’s Kind Of My Thing To Pick Up Strays
(Hopper and Joyce show up. Sydney learns more about the group and learns that maybe landing in the past wasn’t so bad.)
Chapter Three: I Hate Pickles
(Sydney spends more time with the party. How hard is it to let someone in when you've spent your whole life pushing them away?)
Chapter Four: Can I Hold Your Hand?
(Is it really a night with the party if crazy shit doesn’t happen?)
Chapter Five: Conspiracies for Breakfast
(Is Sydney who she thinks she is?)
Chapter Six: Cafeteria Confessions and Palace Punches
(Sydney meets a new face in Hawkins. Will this person be friend or foe?)
Chapter Seven: A Little Bit of Government Hush Money and a Lot of Self Doubt
(Eddie is scared and has doubts. Sydney's trying to ground herself in the new life she has. A sprinkle of our favorite Uncle Wayne.)
Chapter Eight: Meeting the Parents, Meeting the Uncle
(Sydney finally gets to meet Uncle Wayne. A sprinkle of self doubt and plenty of fluff that will give you an overdose. Also both of our babes gets flustered.)
Chapter Nine: So You Think You Can Read Me?
(Sydney learns about Eddie's scars and gets to meet the famous Murray. )
Chapter Ten: Ladies and Gentlemen, Steve Harrington
(Sydney and Steve spend the day together. Slight angst that we all know and love.)
Chapter Eleven: Is It Illegal If She Deserved It?
(Sydney and Eddie get harassed in a supermarket. Will Eddie try to push her away?)
Chapter Twelve: We Built This House of Memories
(The story of the holidays with our lovely two characters. Sydney gets to spend Halloween with Eddie, Thanksgiving with an actual family, Christmas feeling like she finally has a home, the New Year with the man she loves, and a new look on her birthday. )
Chapter Thirteen: You Won't Embarrass Me Again
(Sydney has an altercation with Jason while waiting for Eddie. What happens? Will he retaliate?)
Chapter Fourteen: He's Not Going To Touch You Again
Eddie’s POV of the attack. How bad is she?
Chapter Fifteen: A New Normal
The aftermath of the attack. Sydney and Eddie have their first big fight.
Chapter Sixteen: It's Been A Year Now
Chapter Seventeen: A Place She Shouldn't Be
Chapter Eighteen: Through His Eyes
Chapter Nineteen:
Chapter Twenty:
(Chapter Length about 40 Chapters!)
(All links should be up and working!)
#masterlist#wip#eddie munson#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson series#stranger things#stranger things series#eddie munson fic#time travel au#eddie munson x oc#eddie munson x fem!reader
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Leo Valdez in Ceaseless Eve: Let's Discuss
⚠️ The following contains spoilers for any & all of Ceaseless Eve ⚠️
How can I begin to talk about my boy??
To start, I should probably give some context or lore about me:
I started reading the books when I was nine. I was sick in bed one day, and my dad wanted to read me something to make me feel better. "It's just like Harry Potter!" he'd said, holding up a copy of The Lightening Theif. (My ill feelings towards the wizard books now, I had inhaled the series when I was eight and read nothing else. Thank goodness I expanded my horizons, right?).
So, he started to read Percy Jackson while I laid in bed...
And I hated it, lol.
What can I say? I was a brat. Or maybe I just wanted to be left alone with my stomachahce or fever or whatever I was sick with. So, one chapter in, my dad gave up and left me alone.
When I felt better, I picked the book back up...and I went through the entire first series in a week. Even now, my dad jokes that I just had a problem with him reading them, not the book itself. (And yes, we watched the show together, he enjoyed it--I'm still badgering him to read the books himself though...maybe I should read it to him when he gets sick...)
So, I got into pjo. The details are a little fuzzy on when exactly I read the sequel series, though I believe it was sometime in middle school. All I know was that the moment I first read about Leo...I had the biggest fictional crush on him, lmao. I remember a time in 2016 where 13 year old me would watch Viria's "How Far We've Come" video and I'd write Leo x readers in the notes app of my iPod touch (unfortunately, those fics have all been deleted, otherwise I would not hesitate to share that horror with the world. But rest assured, the reader was very much Not Like Other Girls lol).
I'm not sure when exactly valdangelo first became an interest to me or where I found it, but I remember reading the books and feeling like we were robbed of those two interacting. They were always something in the back of my mind, though I was always working on other projects and had no idea where to start in the event that I did write something for them.
Until the hype for the show was starting, and I thought that it would be cool to explore a bit of an AU quest between Leo, Nico, and Piper. I thought about the one-off line about how a "confused pizza guy" had found his way to Camp Half-Blood once and ran with that. Also, ever since I started working, I give my favorite character my job if applicable. At the time of writing, I was a food delievery person, so that's why I went with that. The fic was really a character study of Leo more than anything, so I really appreciate all of the people saying I got Leo's voice right :')
So, there are a couple big changes that were made with Leo's character in the ceaselessverse that differentiate the character from canon:
1.) Leo doesn't make mean jokes about his questmates.
This is a change that I actually regret making, and I might toy with a sort of compromise in the sequel. At first, people who were anti-leo made comments on how rude he could be, and I saw that as something that needed to be "fixed" in CE.
However, now that I think about it as a neurodivergent person...I can't help but wonder if that is connected to him being neurodivergent? Like with me, especially as a teen, I was anxious in social situations and often didn't know what to say, so I would make jokes, and a lot of them didn't land. Sure, I shouldn't have made those jokes, and Leo shouldn't have made the jokes he did, but the neurodivergent nature of it all as well as him being an awkward teen sort of explains that, it doesn't excuse it. I think the rise of purity culture and the lack of desire for nuanced characters has (pardon my lack of professionalism) fucked up the vibe. Like a lot. I think it's fine (great, even!) for a character you like to have flaws, especially if they stem from an aspect that makes them more relatable. If you want neurodivergent characters but hate them for exhibiting traits that are frowned upon, well...you might just want neurotypical characters with quirks and labels.
2.) Leo isn't a "ladies man"
I don't regret this change at all. That shit was weird, Richard.
That being said, I think it was fine to have a character who has romance on the brain and is flirtatous. Hell, it's even fine to have a character that's weird towards women and tries to "jokingly" sneak a peak at a female character changing (sorry if you were trying to repress page 114 of mark of athena)--that's just fiction, but you can't expect us to root for that character (especially in their goal of getting a girlfriend).
So, while Leo is observant of the girls around him and thinks they're cute, I think this was a change that was adjusted to age better, yk?
3.) Leo was (accidentally) responsible for his mother's death (sorry, Esperanza)
This was the first change made to accomodate the lack of Gaea.
Of course, you'll notice how most all of the character's (outside of those from the og series) backstories were altered to accomodate that, but this was something I was particularly interested in exploring. I'm not going to pretend to be a better writer than our buddy Richard (though I think some of his decisions were really weird...and he'd probably think the same thing about me, tbh), but I think it was a bit of a copout to have Leo think he killed his mom only for it to be Gaea's fault, so he's, like, "redeemed". I wanted to explore a route where Leo was responsible, even by accident, and what that would mean for his greif and healing process. I hope that was explored thoughtfully to you guys in CE.
4.) Leo was a bully to escape bullying
This one was a little controversial lol, but I think it's more interesting.
I can see where it'd make sense in canon to have Leo use his comedy to escape bullying--he does a bit of the same thing in the ceaselessverse, though I believe it works too well. Leo is welcomed into becoming almost like friends with his bullies, though there is clearly a power dynamic at work. I have had "friendships" like this in middle/high school, and I thought it would be interesting to show how lonliness can lead you to make stupid decisions in order to feel, at least a little bit, like you belong somewhere.
This is, of course, stopped as Leo became closer with his sister, Sarah. He finds that caring for someone outside of his own survival starts to make him feel like a person again, and he wants to become better for her sake. It's really sweet to me and highlights yet another great type of platonic relationship dynamic to be explored, but more on Sarah later.
---
Of course, there are several other little changes made to Leo's character for a variety of reasons--if you notice any and had any particular feelings about them (hopefully positive, but it's up to you), please let me know by sending a letter via carrier pigeon directly to my house (or by, like, commenting on ao3, tumblr, or whatever etc if you're weird like that).
what was i saying. anyways.
I could talk about Leo's character all day--about how his arc of controlling his abilities instead of fearing them mirrors Piper's, about how his sexuality is (and probably will) never be stated directly in the text, so it's up to reader interpretation (he's vaguely bi but mostly queer To Me but also idc). If you ever wanna hear more of my thoughts on him with any specifics, feel free to send an ask! Or Whatever !
A favorite tool in Leo's toolbelt: The Dormio
Leo has a lot of cool little knick-knacks, some canon and some not. His wristwatch with the hidden message was a strong contender, but ultimately the Dormio wins for sure. What can I say? I would love to see dreams--maybe not my own (Hypnos plagues me with stress dreams :') ), but other people's.
The Dormio was originally called the DreamViewer, which was kind of a placeholder name because, frankly, it's dumb as shit. I have to credit @heavens-vault for coming up with the new name, thank you <3 The name is based on a dream interfacing system by MIT.
(Did some of the editing get lost in the sauce, and the device is still called the DreamViewer sometimes? Maybe. No further questions without my lawyer lol. I plan on doing a mass edit some time in the future. Save me mass edit, mass edit save me, etc)
All that to say, the Dormio is not a one-off. We'll just have to wait and see what role it plays in Ivory Rain...
Bonus Character!
Sarah McAllen: Let's Discuss
So, my first pjo OC...
Sarah is first foreshadowed in chapter five, when Leo and Piper are discussing the quest at Nico's cabin door:
"Us?" now it was Piper's turn to look confused. "You mean...you understood that line in the prophecy, the 'daughter of doves' thing?"
"Sure I did!" Leo replied, feeling his heart skip a beat, his smile a tad nervous. "There's more to me than good looks, Beauty Queen." Hopefully, that settled Piper for now. Sure, that orientation video was not very informative, but he didn't have to explain to everyone why he knew these things about Greek mythology.
After reading through chapter nine, it should become clear that Leo has a little bit of background knowledge on Greek Mythology due to Sarah's loud interest in Mythomagic. Although their background has been covered in the text, I thought I'd mention a couple things about her.
I realized kinda late in her development that I actually did the same thing in an older longfic for a different fandom I wrote when I was 15--giving the main character a younger sister, motivating him to be better and take care of her. I'm not sure if there's any psychology behind me wanting to write my faves as older brothers, but it's interesting!
I did give Sarah a couple things in common with me, even if she's not a self-insert. She's a writer, one of the reasons she falls into the Apollo cabin. She also has what Nico describes in chapter 18 as a "medical brace" on her knee. This will be further addressed in the sequel, but I gave her the same disablity that I have with my knee. I don't want to delve too deep into the medicality (medicality?) of it all just for my comfort, but I wanted to show a chracter that has a disability but can also be a hero, like they did in the tv show. I hope you guys read that and it made you happy :-)
I will say that Sarah is not going to be too much of a major player in the sequel, I don't want to put my OCs too much into the spotlight when I already have a lot of canon characters I want to work with. Still, she will always be really important to Leo, and their relationship will always be really important to me.
Also! To tell you a secret...she will not be the only OC in the ceaselessverse, but I guess you will have to wait and see what I mean in Ivory Rain...
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※ RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY ( 2021 )
lines through the movie because - hello - i adore just how well done it was. feel free to adjust pronouns/phrasing if needed. May include nsfw material.
“s/he's here again. s/he was watching me.”
“try and get back to sleep before (name) finds you in my bed.”
“what are you doing out of bed, little girl/boy?”
“s/he sleepwalks sometimes since our parents died.”
“you're a good boy/girl for taking such care of your sister/brother/sibling.”
“that must have been quite some dream.”
“i almost shit my goddamn pants.”
“if i knew you were gonna be screaming in your sleep, i would've left you at the side of the road.”
“you know, one might have nightmares heading back into that shithole town.”
“hey, why don't you just take a seat and leave the poor kid alone, huh, (name)?”
“ten bucks says you can't shoot that off from here.”
“twenty says i can knock the bottle without even looking.”
“you snooze, you lose- it's (sender's name)'s sandwich now.”
“i heard that you shot your partner in the ass during training.”
“heard that your daddy, some big shot on the force, had to bail you out.”
“what's the 'S' stand for? stupid?”
“sooner they shut this whole town down, the better, as far as i'm concerned.”
“we're nice people once you get to know us.”
“s/he's only got eyes for the big fella, and I don't fancy your chances against him.”
“you really shoot your own partner?”
“still pining after (name), i see.”
“never gonna happen, bro.”
“i see you wax your chest now.”
“after you ran away, (name) was the closest thing i had to family.”
they raised me, put me through school, the academy-- they were there for me.”
“where were you? i haven't even heard from you in five years.”
“they've been trying to contain that shit, but the genie is out of the bottle now, and i don't think it's going back in.”
“what kind of person can pick a lock like that?”
“it's kind of impressive, but also, what the fuck?”
“i'd never let anything hurt you.”
“lock-pick the door behind you when you leave-- and don't touch the bike!”
“what would the worst way to die be? to be swallowed whole by a snake or eaten alive by a great white shark?”
“you're a freak, (name).”
“i plan on dying peacefully in bed, snuggled in (name)'s big burly arms.
“you said 'everyone into the briefing room,' so- here i am.”
“i didn't mean you, you moron. not you, (name), everyone else.
“what if someone wanders in and there's no-one behind the front desk? an old lady's looking for her cat or something.”
“i'm sorry, (name), is that important? a new girlfriend?”
“maybe you could take her out to eat at Planet Hollywood.”
“they have a new one in Gatlin- oh, they got a great salad. little wine.”
“maybe just take her back to your apartment, rent a movie at Blockbuster, get cozy on the couch, or put on some Journey.”
“Steve Perry's voice, what it does to a woman's heart, huh? am i right?”
“sounds like i might be getting laid.”
“leaving, that's what they want. so they can destroy my life's work.”
“it's okay, little girl/boy, because we've found you a new family.”
“don't worry about your brother/sister, s/he'll be coming along as well, in due course.”
“we would never separate the two of you.”
“who are you gonna call? you're the police.”
“i'm no medical expert, but i think that guy might just be beyond saving.”
“congratulations, rookie, on the promotion.”
“i'm sure your father would be incredibly proud that his pathetic specimen of a child is rising so quickly through the ranks.”
“someone should confiscate that.”
“the faster we find them, the faster we can get the fuck out of here.”
“so you're (name)'s little sister/brother, huh? i didn't think the two of you spoke.”
“my parents died in a car accident when i was eight.”
“my brother and i grew up in an orphanage here.”
“i ran away a long time ago.”
“i had to learn to handle myself quickly.”
“you're probably wondering what a guy like me is doing as a cop, right?”
“oh yeah, no, he's fucking fine, yeah. who doesn't cough up a little blood on the floor when they're feeling sick? just a little cold.”
“of course he's not fucking okay, man, look at him.”
“you're no einstein, are you, buddy?”
“get your shit together, or you're not gonna make it through the night.”
“i just really want to get out of this town.”
“i don't know who they are. i don't know, and i don't care.”
“they're just some people with a vested interest in getting hold of whatever dirty secrets Umbrella are keeping down there and exposing them.”
“come on, (name). don't look at me like that. it's just money, alright? and they have plenty of it.”
“it was just a way of getting out of this . . . small town, dead-end life.”
“you were just gonna leave us?”
“we have to find (name 1) and (name 2) and tell them (name 3) is dead.”
“come on, these are your friends!”
“they bought you off, didn't they? they paid you to keep quiet about all the shit they were doing in here.”
“now they've left you to rot in the gutter like the rest of us.”
“don't be so damn naïve.”
“you got some weird friends.”
“(name 1) betrayed us, (name 2). s/he was gonna leave us here to die.”
“we have to follow him/her, 'cause i think it's our only way out of here.”
“this is my life's work. i'm not giving it to anybody.”
“i'm not really offering you a choice here, pal.”
“you didn't have to make it like this.”
“what the hell is wrong with you?”
“this is so fucked.”
“jesus, (name), you and that fucking gun.”
“i wouldn't have pulled the trigger, kid.”
“did you really believe you could be part of my family?”
“oh, such a sweet little soldier. such a loyal drone.”
“how could you be so dumb when your sister/brother's so smart?”
“i almost feel sad having to kill you. almost.”
“i should have taken you and your sister/brother down to the lab. you would have made excellent specimens.”
[ to an attacker ] “get. the fuck. away. from my brother/sister.”
“this is really nice, but i think i broke some ribs.”
“we got to get the fuck out of here, Umbrella is gonna level this place.”
“trust me, i'm as surprised as you are, buddy.”
“i should've listened to you a long time ago.”
“i may have scratched the paint on your bike.”
[ to a monster ] “hey! you ugly fuck!”
“a rocket launcher? Found it in first class.”
“i don't understand, i thought i was dead.”
“what happened to my eyes? i can't see.”
“it's a side effect, one of the things we had to do to bring you back. there will be others.”
#ask meme#resident evil rp meme#indie rp#inbox meme#rp meme#rp ask#rp ask meme#askbox meme#askbox starters#rp sentence meme#sentence starter meme#rp sentence starters#inbox memes#indie starters#rp inbox meme
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I’ll be completely honest with you, I’ve had Speak Now TV on repeat since it came out and allll my thoughts are surrounding Steddie with Speak Now.
Like, imagine Steve’s being forced to marry some rich girl. Eddie crashes the wedding and during the ceremony speaks up 😏
Ok I’ve also had Speak Now TV on repeat since it came out (can we PLEASE talk about Electric Touch what the fuck I’m in love) and. Dude. Speak Now was an ERA. Every single song is so freaking good and I’m flashing back to being like 11 when it first came out and screaming along to every song (seriously, an 11-year-old should NOT have sang that hard to Dear John or Better Than Revenge! 😂) so I’m eight million flavors in love with this prompt so thank you 😂
Also side note: I read one like this (I think it was here on Tumblr?) where Steddie was together but broke up for some reason, I think when Eddie made it big? And Steve was being coerced into marrying a girl he didn’t want to marry. The Party called Eddie home, smacked some sense into him, and Eddie burst in and gave this whole big speech and Steve ran away with him. Also I think Nancy shot someone. If anyone knows what I’m talking about PLEASE direct me to the fic ❤️
On to the fic: modern era because I don’t want to deal with homophobia more than I already do ❤️
Sometimes, Steve looks at his life and wonders how he ended up where he was. He did that a lot with the Upside Down. He did it with his friends in high school.
He’s doing it now. Looking in the mirror. In the suit he’d asked for, about to marry a girl that, by all means, should be the love of his life. She’s pretty, smart as a whip, kind.
He even thinks she loves him.
He can’t love her. Not in that way. He loves her like he loves Nancy, like he loves Robin.
She knows. And she’s willing to marry him anyways. She’s entirely fantastic.
He’s watching his life slip away.
Their marriage is one borne of convenience. It’s one step from arranged.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket, hands shaking. Dials a number he knows by heart. “Robs? I don’t think I can do this.”
“Steve, we’ve been over this. I can’t tell you what to do. If you want to cancel the wedding, day of-”
“Shit.”
“-then that’s on you. Abigail will understand.”
“That’s just it, though, isn’t it? I’m doing this for both of us.”
She’s silent, thinking about her words. “I think you just want encouragement, so here it is: you can do this. You can walk out there and get married and say your vows and dance and be happy. Or you can keep searching.”
Steve takes a breath. Another. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am. You got this, Dingus. And I’ll be there the whole time. I’d better get first dance after her, though.”
Steve laughs. “At the rate I’m going, you’re going to get first dance in general, Robs. Thank you.”
“Anytime, you know that. Now go fix your hair, I know you’ve been running your hands through it.”
He freezes where he is, one hand in his hair. He sighs. “How do you know?”
“I know you. Go fix your hair then get out here.”
“M’kay. Love you, Robs.”
“Love you too, Steve.”
She hangs up before he can overthink things again, and he fixes his hair before making his way to where he needed to be. “You’re late,” Jonathan says.
Steve smiles tightly at him. “Sorry. Nerves.”
“You’re gonna do fine, man.”
“Yeah.” He takes a breath, releases it. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”
The ceremony goes by in a blur. The preacher says that famous little line, “Speak now or forever hold your peace,” and Steve looks up when there’s a smattering of gasps from the audience.
Eddie Munson is standing.
“Hi. Sorry. Um. Abigail.” He swallows. “You’re a great girl, and you’re gonna make a fantastic wife one day. I think everyone here knows that. But I- I don’t think Steve’s the right guy for you.” He swallows again, clears his throat, turns to Steve. “And Steve, man, you’re the best guy I know, and you’re smart, so I don’t understand why you’re marrying someone who isn’t meant for you.” He shrugs. “Maybe I’m projecting ‘cause I’ve been half in love with you since we were kids. I’m not saying I’m the right person. But I couldn’t sit through the rest of this without saying something, so.” He shrugs. “You’re both fantastic people, but you’re not right for each other.”
Steve gapes at him, then slowly turns back to Abigail. She’s got tears in her eyes. “Abi?”
“Go,” she whispers. She’s smiling. “Call me after. This is what you’ve been waiting for, Steve.” She steps back, grabs for the hand of her maid of honor, Taylor. They both smile at him.
His eyes find Robin in the crowd. She’s got her hands covering her mouth, but slowly nods when he asks with his eyes.
Steve can’t help the incredulous chuckle that bursts from his mouth. “Oh my wedding day? I knew you had a flair for the dramatic, but this is something else, even for you, Eds.”
Eddie smiles weakly. “Surprise?”
Steve steps off the dais. Walks closer. “I love you, you ridiculous bastard,” he says, grabbing for his hands and pulling him close. “I have since we were kids.”
Eddie grins, grips his hand, and together they run out the doors.
(You can stop there, or we can finish with this):
“Cut!” Nancy yells. “Great job, Steve, Eddie… and they’re gone. Someone tell them we need them for one more take. Taylor, Abi, great, great emotion, I know you’re lesbians, but the camera doesn’t. Let’s try a little less heart-eyes next time. Where in the hell did my leads go?” An intern whispers in her ear, and she groans, stomping out of the building. “Steve, Eddie, I swear to god if you’re not back in there in five minutes—and if makeup has to cover anything—you will regret being born!”
#I don’t know where that last bit came from#I don’t completely hate it honestly#that song just always feels like a scene straight from a movie to me#stranger things#steve harrington#eddie munson#steddie#Abigail is Taylor’s redheaded best friend#(I’m very proud of myself for adding her in)#asks#prompts#thank you friend!#starambles
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last tuesday of 2023!
i thought about making this my Yearly Roundup for last tuesday of the year but i think instead i will make this a normal tuesdaypost, and do a big yearly reflection on friday or saturday for last shabbos of the year :)
listening: twilight mirage, still in that holiday special, episode 23. the way that there are eight fuckin episodes for that special........in part 1 or 2 they make a comment how they might have to do three parts and i was like. lol. lmao, even. i'm in the bit right now where they're doing an election and it's very funny. thisbe as the debate moderator made me laugh out loud.
reading:
the best part of the game awards this year was the fashion, alyssa mercante: i looooved some of these looks. love the art corset on slide 4, jay-ann lopez on slide 15, the pleated dress on slide 17, the MATCHING BABY ON SLIDE 19, and the author's whole everything on slide 20.
sff's big fat problem, r. k. duncan: i was already aware of some of the stuff talked about here but i am definitely guilty of having less overt things - i.e. goblin emperor reference in there - totally fly by me. i feel like i saw a lot of people talking about rowling's fatphobia after she went mask-off but she is definitely on the more malicious end of the spectrum, it's a much much much more baked in problem than people give it credit for. thinking also about the locked tomb, which i love, but also makes some very weird comments about ortus that i did not clock at all until someone else pointed it out. just something i'm thinking about lately.
the world is hard, dinner doesn't need to be, julia turshen: what it says on the tin. some recipe ideas, cut down to mental bare essentials.
old growth, brawlite: saved the fanfic for last. obsessed with this. it's so so good. the format is a really neat idea that i don't know if i've seen done before. like, using the 'comment section' to point out 'things in the background of shots'? genius. i am eating it up. i should have signed up for this exchange. maybe next year.
playing: fallow. i might buy some games that are on sale tho lol, i've seen both pyre and ghostwire: tokyo recommended this week. latter is no longer on sale unfortunately but i am noting it down for later.
watching:
the fashion industry hates older women, mina le
history of bathing, bernadette banner
aaaand a short film that a grad student in my department made as a project. it's. not good. like i'm happy that he's doing hobbies or whatever but this short film commits the cardinal sin of being neither good nor bad, Just Boring. 2/10.
making: the [redacted project] is almost done!! i have 10 rows left. each row takes me about 15 minutes. i will definitely finish it by the end of the week, fringe and all. no pictures yet for obvious reasons but it will be in the first tuesdaypost of the year for 2024! the biggest challenge now is the point of contact on my left hand where i rest the knitting needle against my middle finger is aggravating on a sensory standpoint from overuse, so i have been knitting with one glove on that hand which has helped a lot.
there was a preview of these last week, but i added finishing touches to my gavle goat holiday cards! i used a metallic sharpie to add some horn embellishments and wrote a little note on the back, and mailed out a bunch :)
misc: the first christmas eve/day of my life where i didn't get chinese food!!! shock, horror, etc. i'm at my roommate's family's place so i experienced a real christmas situation. it was fine. her family & their home is like ... hallmark card vibes and idk how i feel about it. i want wonton soup :(
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Seafam week 🐚👑
Day 2: Imaginary friends
Triton hadn't meant to be seen by the brat, but no matter where he hid, he was always found.
Gods he hated 'Hide-n-seek'.
Not only did he hate the childish game that he kept losing in, but he also hated the little urchin that insisted the two of them play it.
Triton's father had been acting suspicious for the better half of eight years. Time is irrelevant to creatures like him, timeless Gods that have little interest in what lives above the surface, but he just couldn't handle the sniffling hours his mother spent in the grand hall wondering what could be holding her husband's lingering attention.
So maybe it was the state of his mother, or the rumors floating across the schools of fish, or even his pain-in-the-ass cousin that gossips just as much as the seahorses that line the castle walls the next thing he knew he was above the surface searching for...something.
Triton almost felt silly standing in the middle of New York with a pair of legs he hadn't used since before the death of his daughter. The lunch rush crowd ignores him for the most part, the mist doing him a favor by covering up his divine presence, the crowds naturally flowing around him giving him a wide berth as he walks down the filthy side, passing by the pitiful Hudson River and ignoring the nymphs that call for him pleading for his help.
He walks around the big apple until the crowds settle down, and he finds himself alone on a park bench. Next to him is an elderly woman who is seated next to him, knitting what could either be a large sock or a small scarf.
The grass is moist on the heels of his feet and tickles his ankles. The small park is filling up with small screaming children and tired parents who look dead on their feet. It takes him thinking of his parents and all the mischief he and his siblings used to get up to. The fawn feelings that were once rising in his chest are squashed down like water bugs when he remembers the reason he's even there to begin with.
Quiet and airy laughter starts up beside him. "Are you looking for someone, sweetheart?"
Triton turns to see that the old lady has put down her knitting needles and was now firmly grasping a walking can in her brown wrinkled hand. Triton takes a moment to stare at her. The mist should be hiding him so the lady must be speaking to someone else, but when he looks around, there are only children who aren't giving either of them the time of day.
"I'm talking to you, young man. You seem troubled." She reaches a handover and places it on Tritons bouncing knee, stilling it to a halt. Her hair is graying and pushed back by a black bandana. Triton looks down at where they are connected. Normally, he would never allow a mortal to touch him so casually, but there's nothing the old woman can do to him, so there's no need to snap at her over nothing.
"Rest assured ma'am that I am fine. I was simply looking for someone but have yet to find them." Triton keeps his answer vague enough to appease the woman and end the conversation, but sadly, she didn't seem to get the memo.
"Well, that seems awful. Are you looking for a friend of yours? A young man as handsome as you ought to have all sorts of them." The corners of her lips lift in an engaging smile. In her youth, Triton has no doubt she'd been a beautiful woman cunning enough to get her way, and even now, she seems to still have a few tricks up her sleeve.
Before Triton can decide if he's going to answer or simply leave, a foul smell has risen into the air. If Triton was a lesser being, he would have gagged instead of choosing to dig his toes into the dirt. Whatever it was, it smelt like dirty gym socks and old cheeses similar to the ones Dionysus would have on display during Olympian parties.
Scanning his eyes through the crowd, Triton saw a man tugging a small boy through the open gates of the park. The man was large like a walrus; only he lacked the tusks of one and was much uglier. Three strands of hair laid limp on his shiny bald head and were the source of the offensive smell. Triton wanted to vaporize the man for the sole purpose of daring to smell this bad while living on earth.
Following or more, like being forced to follow behind him was a shrimpish boy. It was obvious the two shared no blood relation; in fact, the kid looked downright terrified of the older man.
The lady next to him huffed an annoyed sigh. "There that brute goes again, always tormenting that poor child like its sport."
The man continued to drag the kicking boy until he practically threw him into the wood chips in front of the slide. He didn't stick around long enough to do anything else but yell at the small child about how if he wants to go home, he better hope his mother picked him up herself.
The boy doesn't move until the awful-smelling man walks through the gate and around the corner, when he does the practically leaps off the ground like a flying fish and makes a mad dash towards them. When the bot is standing in front of the bench, Triton can get a better look at him. He's covered head to toe in scrapes, band-aids, and bruises. He has a missing tooth in the back of his mouth and a front one that wiggles when he talks.
"Aunty, aunty," the small boy jumped up and down in front of the elder woman. "You're here today!"
The warm palm has yet to leave Triton's leg and moves to pat the younger boy's head. "Of course, Percy. I'm sorry I missed you last week but my niece was sick."
Percy climbed up the bench and sits in between the pair, not once acknowledging God's presence. His skin was dark like the woman's, and he had shaggy black curls that looked over for a haircut. Percy smelt overwhelming like the man he came in with, but underneath the stench was the smell of something more pleasant, like chocolate chip cookies and toasted marshmallows just like the ones his Aunt made whenever he could be bothered to show up to Olympian events. But even further underneath all that was something more interesting.
"Are you Auntie's friend?" Triton was brought out of his steady concentration when the little boy put a tiny hand on his shoulder. The boy couldn't have been older than 7. The boy was staring at Triton, waiting for an answer, but the old God was too focused on the colors he was seeing.
Sea green.
Sea green.
'Oh father,' he thought. 'How foolish.'
The boy continues to stare, but Triton is too full of rage to think, to speak, to even move. This is what has stolen his father's attention. This is what he's been looking for. This is proof of a broken oath.
The bench is quiet for a moment before Triton can find it in himself to answer. "No, I was just...looking for something."
Percy cocks his head to the side. "What were you looking for?"
"Percy," The Aunty beside him speaks up, shutting Percy down. "It's not nice to ask so many questions."
"But isn't your favorite game 20 questions?"
"Don't get sassy with me, little prince."
Aunty dug her hands into the crook of Percy's neck, causing the demigod to snort. His teeth are white, and his nose is small and flat but curved at the top in a traditional Greek fashion. Triton was certain that by the time he hit manhood, he'd lose most of his Hispanic features and look like a mini copy of his father.
Their father.
Triton tries to ignore how much the idea stings.
When Percy can gather enough air into his small lungs, he looks at Triton as if what he's about to ask only has one answer, and it's not 'no'.
"Do you wanna play with me?"
Three hours.
Three long miserable hours of playing various children's games until the insistent barnacle got too tired to even stand on his own feet making Triton carry him back to the park bench and back to the old lady who is now knitting a hat or a pot holder.
"Well, would you look at that? It seems as if you found what you were looking for, after all."
Triton doesn't hide the unamused look that easily slides on his face. "Don't give me that look, Aunt Hestia. After all, you knew from the beginning, didn't you?"
"Of course. It is my job to know of all things family," Hestia puts down her knitting needles and yarn, her form melts and flickers like Hershey's inside of a s'more until she takes the form of a little girl Percy's age. "And speaking of which, we should be heading back, the boy's mother is on her way."
Triton lays Percy on the park bench and watches their aunt gently kiss his forehead before turning around and kissing him as well. "I know you are upset with your father, but please don't try and take your anger out on him and his mother. They are already going through so much."
Triton thinks about the man who had first dragged Percy inside the park and back to the old and new healing injuries on the demigod's body.
The breeze subtlety changes directions and waves in the scent of chocolate chip cookies and saltwater taffy, and before she's even in sight, the two immortals have flashed away.
Triton stays hidden miles away in a secluded forest, but he is still able to see.
He watches Sally Jackson come into view, a beautiful woman. Dark skin and dark hair, wrinkles on the edge of her face, not from age but rather years and years of smiling, and with the sight he has of her now as she gently shakes her son awake he can see why his father would stray.
Percy is on his feet and in his mother's arms. Despite how fatigued he still is, he starts going on and on about all the fun he had with his aunt and new friend.
Now that he's seen what he was looking for, Triton allows his body to turn to water and sink through the soil and towards Atlantis, not even upset over being dubbed Percy's new imaginary friend.
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Okay, I know everyone’s kind of moved on to the midseason but I still wanted to get my thoughts on “Tribe” out, so:
1. Oh. My goodness. I love the design of this space station. That shot of Omega sitting on the marauder steps with space stretching out behind her? Gorgeous.
2. Echo—Echo, I love you (please come back soon), but please for the love of all that is good and holy do NOT walk away from Omega. She will take off and explore. She will gosalyn mallard all over.
3. I also love the design of these droids. And I’m not sure, but I think they’re similar or identical to the droids in the trailer from the shot where Hunter is leaping off that wall to stab something that looks like one of these droids, so I kind of wonder if they show up later. They’re trafficking people, apparently, so maybe that slave trade angle from season one comes back. Could be wrong, though.
4. Do I find it suspicious that Omega feels like something’s just a tad off and then investigates only to run smack dab into a jedi in trouble? Yeah. I’m leaning hard into the theory that Omega’s force sensitive. Honestly, I’m leaning into the theory that all of the clones are just a teeny bit force sensitive because Jango was just a teeny bit force sensitive, and that Omega was an attempt to augment what was already there. But I have thoughts on how that might play out lower down.
5. Gungi! Poor kid!! I hope at least some of the other kids from that padawan arc in TCW made it out okay.
6. Gungi’s reaction to Echo and the other adult batchers broke my heart. And the way Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker all backed off and gave him space did, too. And the fact that the droids had to know he was a jedi, since they had his lightsaber and wanted to sell him alive—I don’t think they were selling him to a spice mine. That would would be bad enough, but…I don’t know how far along the inquisitor program was, but I think that might have been where poor Gungi would have ended up if Omega hadn’t wandered off.
7. I loved how much attention was paid to the way Gungi really didn’t know much about his people’s culture. He was always looking around at the other wookiees to see what he should do and it—honestly, it was a beautiful touch to the episodes. He belongs on Kashyyk now, but he doesn’t really know how to be there. But he’s learning! It’s…it’s sweet and sad and everything in between.
8. I don’t understand how a man already diagnosed with terminal fatherhood can get more fatherly, but Hunter did somehow. Fatherhood looks good on him. The way he was instantly on board with finding a way to help Gungi out? Your hand in marriage. Sir. I am on one knee. Sir.
9. Seriously, though—after how down Hunter’s been since everything that went down last season, it was good to see Hunter actively invested in helping someone out. He’s so protective of children in general, and having another chance to help a young Jedi when I think he feels like he failed with Caleb lot a fire in him that we haven’t seen for a while. And there’s something so sad about Hunter being so determined to make sure Gungi gets to be with his people and has a place to belong when that’s something the clones don’t really have anymore. They don’t have a place to belong or where they fit, and even before what happens in episode eight happens, that’s something so think Hunter knows, about his family, at least.
10. Branching off of that, I LOVE the emphasis this season has had on culture and history, and in culture and history outside of (and sometimes pre-existing) the war, the separatists, the republic, and the jedi, and contrasting that with the the bad batch and the rest of the clones and the way their culture revolves (or revolved) entirely around the war, the separation between the republic and the separatists, and serving under the Jedi. It’s all they’ve ever known. They were never allowed to be have anything else. Their entire culture is, at most at this point, fourteen years old. I sort of wonder if, at the end of the series, any of clones are going to be able to establish a place that they can call home, have a future, maybe have families of their own, and continue their culture in a way that’s derived from but not dependent on the war. I’d like that to be possible. The thing is, it’s looking like being a clone in the GFFA is going to start being just as dangerous as being a jedi. Maybe. I don’t know. I have sort of a pet theory that the batch (the whole batch) and a whole lot of other clones are going to end up settling on some uncharted planet in the outer rim or even further out, in a new galaxy even, where they can just be. Or something. I’m kind of rambling at this point.
11. Speaking of culture and clones and swinging back to the force sensitive Omega/all the clones are slightly force sensitive theories: I don’t think we’re going to see Omega try to train as a Jedi somehow even if she does turn out to be force sensitive. You know what would be cool, though? If the clones developed or established their own force tradition. After all, there are plenty of non-Jedi non-Sith force traditions in the galaxy. I don’t see why the clones can’t have one of their own, if enough of them manage to make it to the end of the series alive.
12. I love seeing Omega get to interact with other kids. She’s always surrounded by adults and never gets to interact with people her age.
13. Tech’s growth from, “Primitive is being kind,” to explaining, without any trace of irony or condescension, that, “They believe this planet belongs to the trees, and that they are allies in this fight,” was really nice to see. The boys are just extremely respectful of the wookiees’ traditions all the way around and I’m here for it. (Also the trees’ plan totally worked, so…yeah. I love it when Star Wars gets weird.)
14. Wrecker going from zero to kinda sort of speaking the language in about a day? Good for him.
15. Every moment of interaction between Hunter and Echo in this episode was gold. They trust each other implicitly and I am here for it.
16. I’d like to know who on the bad batch creature design team loves extinct prehistoric animals, because the ordo moon dragon looked kind of like a type of synapsid, the saberjowl looks kind of like a coelacanth crossed with a mosasaur, there was that skinny ankylosaur from hell in “Entombed,” and the netcasters from this episode look like one of these little opabinia dudes, but huge. And with legs.
17. This is completely unimportant, but what is this?
Is any of it any good? What’s the green disc? Is it like an algae cookie or something? Are the rectangles bread? Mini space burritos? Was this Omega’s lunch?
18. Tech noticing that Yanna walking over to Hunter and joining them so he could translate and then that last exchange I’m 🥺🥺😭😭🫠🫠🥺🥺
19. I don’t know what the Kiners put in their music this season, but hook it to my veins. They’ve been on point every episode.
#the bad batch#tbb spoilers#tbbspoilers#the bad batch spoilers#the bad batch season two#sorry this is even more incoherent than normal
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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Stepping Stone
Summary: Shōyō Hinata loves volleyball! There is no doubt that all he really thinks about is volleyball. His sister, however, isn’t the same way. Sakura is ready to start her first year of high school at Karasuno with her twin brother and doesn’t really want to do anything, unlike Shōyō. Though she can’t help it when she gets dragged into the antics of the volleyball club.
Word Count: 3738
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A/n: HAPPY NEW YEAR WELCOME TO 2024! I got back from a family vacation to Aruba so my mind is still on vacation mode lol I finished a chapter tho!
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THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD WAS HAPPENING in the Karasuno photography club. Wada Katski and Ito Miki were arguing, not surprising. It had started with Shimada telling the club about the finishing touches for the set up and layout for the gallery that was about an hour away from starting. Then Wada had made a suggestion, one that Ito disagreed with, and then the bickering ensued.
Sakura had already tuned the pair out as she’s gotten used to it by now. Besides she had her own internal debate to deal with right now. When she had first been given the topic for this gallery, there was an instant idea that popped into her head. Who did she really find inspiration? Who did she see as her hero? That was obviously her brother. People might think that it was cute for her to think of her twin brother as her hero and looked up(more like down) to him and his passions. Though after their fight, after her own realization, she found herself seeing that her constant need to have him a part of every aspect of her life and vice versa was not too healthy.
It left quite a bit of a bitter taste in her mouth, if she were to be honest. She was obviously going to keep this topic for her entry into the gallery. It was too late for her to change it. Though it wasn’t like she really wanted to. Even if they had this fight, it didn't mean she didn't value him any less.
If anything, she was using this moment as a stepping stone, at least in her eyes. One of the last odes to her brother before she finally goes all in on finding who she is as a person. A dedication to him, going to the Tokyo practice camp as her one last volleyball adventure for them both also being a part of that. Perhaps she should have said that she wasn’t going to go. Just like the last training camp, she didn’t really think that there was a need for her to be there. Getting a few photos would be nice, but she didn’t have to be there the entire time.
That was something she usually wondered about. Why Ukai and Takeda let her tag along for so long. It wasn’t like she was a manager or anything. She didn’t provide all too much, in her eyes, to the team besides helping Yachi and Kiyoko with some managerial stuff. Perhaps she made some comments about the guys and how they played, but nothing more. Maybe they had her there because she was a good way to reign in her brother and Kageyama sometimes. Whatever the reason is, she didn’t really care. She got the opportunity to be with her brother, and she was grateful for that. Though she certainly wouldn’t be asking to go along after this one. Doubt she’d really be missed, she might miss getting to see Kiyoko and the others she tolerated most days, but it would have to happen. The real question was whether she would miss it herself.
Just as Sakura was going to continue over-thinking things about her and her brother, it seemed like the bickering that had been happening in the background had suddenly become nonexistent. Looming over the once arguing pair, the angelic Mori was giving them a closed-eyed smile. Quite a menacing aura surrounding her and stealing the breath from the others in the room.
“I think that the layout would look better with Yokoyama placed here, Ito, Shimada, Wada, Hinata and myself.” She gave them all an angelic smile that had an edge to it. Despite giving them a pleasant expression, they all knew that she was daring any of them to speak up again. A silent threat that no one wanted to see her make a promise. It caused them all to shiver, even Sakura who never really gets scared by anything.
Shimada clapped her hands loudly, causing the others to jump, “well, with that settled, we should get these to the art club too. Wada take these to them, please.”
The boy pouted, “Oh, why me?” Though he did just take the papers from her without saying anything else.
“Because you annoyed me the most, now let’s go!” Wada, sulking just a little bit, but doing as he was told. As he left, Ito stuck her tongue out at him, just being as childish as possible. Shimada then spun to scold her, “Ito! Stop antagonizing him! Now you and Yokoyama make sure that the displays are all set.”
Yokoyama stood up and saluted, “yes, ma’am.” So they grabbed Ito and started to drag her away to do as they were told. All the while, the mousy second-year was complaining about Wada as they went. Though after the two start going, it’s normal for Ito to start whining about him.
So that left Shimada, Mori and Sakura in the club room. With most of the preparations more or less done, besides some odds and ends that have to be taken care of, things were going smoothly as usual. That meant that the president and vice-president could relax. So while the others were tying up those loose ends, Shimada took this as an opportunity to slide over to Sakura.
“So are you excited?” She asked the younger girl, “Last time you were obviously quite anxious about it, so you must have gotten over your nerves this time!”
Sakura pursed her lips, “That’s not entirely how it works. But I am less nervous this time.” The initial fear of showing others her work was more or less overcome last time. She had grown confident enough in herself and her photography to be in the gallery. So it certainly wasn’t like she was going to be nervous about it this time.
“Great!” Shimada smiled, nearly jumping for joy. Obviously, she was happy for her underclassmen and her getting over her nerves. The last thing that she would want is for Sakura to end up as nervous as she was last time. “You’ll definitely enjoy this one more, I think.”
She shrugged her shoulders, “maybe.” Though she knew that Shimada was right. However, she wouldn’t want to admit that Shimada was right to her face, that would just cause the older girl’s ego to grow bigger. Sakura definitely doesn't need that, in her opinion.
Shimada nodded her head, content with her underclassmen’s lack of nerves over this. “I’m gonna finish up anything and make sure the set up is the right way.” With a short pat on Sakura’s head, Shimada skipped out of the room to supervise anything that she could find to keep herself occupied.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mori’s angelic voice asked, now that it was just her and Sakura in the room. She sat down on the chair in front of Sakura with a slightly apprehensive, yet encouraging, expression on her porcelain face. “I know that your subject is probably going to be a bit… awkward to talk about.”
Sakura thought for a moment, really trying to think about this. Yes, the subject of her photos, her hero, really was going to be awkward to talk about. Even more so if he did actually show up to the gallery. It certainly was a thought that had crossed her mind. More like it hadn’t really left her mind all too much. She cleared her throat, “I’m more than happy with who I chose as my hero. It's not like I could lie to myself about who I have viewed as my hero for basically my entire life, you know.” She drummed her fingers on the table in front of her. “My hero has always been my brother. He’s resilient and stubborn, determined and certainly never one to back down from a challenge. He’s also quite an idiot, but he has his moments.”
Mori gave her a sweet smile, “having a brother you admire is adorable, you know.” There are times that Mori wished that she had siblings. Younger or older, brother or sister, it didn’t matter to her. Though she then hears some stories about her friends and their siblings that makes her glad to not have one. Still doesn’t stop her from thinking about what it would be like.
She supposed that she could see her closest friends as siblings. Shimada was very much a sister to her, since they had joined the photography club in their first-year. The others who have come and gone in their little club held a place in her heart. She values her friends as much as she would family. Sakura certainly was a part of that sentiment too, even if they weren’t that close with each other. Mori was more than aware that Sakura liked to keep to herself, only opening up every once in a while. Shimada had really taken the younger girl under her wing, and Sakura really confided in her the most. So attempting to have a bit of a heart-to-heart with her, Mori figured that it was going to be a bit more difficult than with others. Though it was going pretty well for the time being.
Sakura blushed at her words, “Well, it’s not like he’s actually going to come to see it.”
There was a bitter undertone to her words. One that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit to. Either way she could still taste how sour her mood and words were. It definitely wasn’t pleasant. She did want her brother to be there for her, to support her in the same way that she has supported him. He has encouraged her and been to the first gallery, but who knew if he was going to be at this one. They hadn’t been talking to each other, at least the way that they usually have. So there was no telling if he would come to this. Sakura really hoped he did, even if she was still a bit annoyed with him.
Mori nodded her head, “Still, whether he’s there or not, you’re going to do amazing. He should be proud of you regardless.”
It wasn’t necessarily about if Sakura thought her brother was going to be proud of her or not. She is more than assured in the idea that no matter what argument or disagreement that the two could be in they would never stop supporting each other. No matter what he might say to her, or vice-versa, they would help each other achieve their goal. This misunderstanding wasn’t going to stop them from being family. They really just needed a moment. Though that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less.
So this was that moment, a stepping-stone for both of the teens to skip their way onto a new chapter of their lives. A time where they could develop themselves in the right way as individuals. It could be hard right now, however, it certainly would have some happy outcomes at some point.
Sakura let out a heavy sigh, “I just figured… This is a point that we can move onto a new point in our life. After this and the Tokyo camp, I think it’s best that Shōyō and I… do our own things. Actually, do our own things.”
“A good step forward.” Mori cheered her on. While she didn’t completely know how Sakura was feeling about this or her brother, she really hoped that this was a good thing for the both of them. The last thing that they would need is for something like this to just hurt them further. Mori didn’t want to see her good friend hurt or worse because of the relationship with her brother deteriorating further.
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Tsukishima shouldn’t be here. Really he shouldn’t. Whatever had possessed him to walk towards the commotion by the art club, was completely unknown to him. He already knew what was going on there, since he had been here for the last gallery that they had. Though that time he didn’t really have a choice. The entire team had wanted to go, and Yamaguchi had asked him to come with. Of course, he went.
Perhaps that was due to his own curiosity. He had wanted to see what Sakura had done, and how he could bully her for it. Then again, his mind flashed to the last gallery when he tried to do the same thing.
He wasn’t exactly expecting her to stand up for herself. It kind of annoyed him. He couldn’t really get too much of a good gauge on what she was about. Yes, he knew that she was protective of her brother, that she would stand up for him no matter what. However, after having her stare him down and tell him that she was confident in herself and her work definitely threw a wrench in his mind. He thought that she would be an easy target, much like her brother, and he hates that she’s quite the enigma.
So maybe it was his curiosity gnawing at him again, or some sadistic part of his mind that wanted to try and bully her again. Still there was a smarter part of his mind yelling that it really wasn’t going to work. So why the hell was he peaking at the exhibits that people were gushing about?
As usual, there weren’t all too many people at the gallery, but that didn’t mean any of the students were less than excited. Art students were explaining their work to others, enthusiastic to show off their work. Just about everyone was more than happy to explain their work and process to anyone who was willing to listen. The only one who seemed to be not as enthusiastic was Sakura.
He watched as she talked a bit to an eccentric third-year next to her. If he remembered correctly, that was Shimada-senpai, the president of the photography club. He doesn’t know much about the older girl, never really caring to know about anyone in this club. Then again, he could care less to know about anyone else that he didn’t deem necessary. Hell, if he didn’t have to know most of his team, he knows his life would be easier.
He did his best to spy into the room and see her work. Not wanting to be seen by her and questioned why he was there, he needed to make sure that she wouldn't see him. The last thing he needs is her smug face looking up at him because he was caught.
He rolled his eyes when he saw the few shots that she was displaying. Her brother. Of course they were of him. Who else would they be about? Apparently there was something about Heroes for this gallery's theme. Not that he was really paying too much attention. Though it didn't surprise him that it was her brother that she used for her hero. Everything in her life was about him, so why would this be any different?
“Why don’t you go in?”
Tsukishima jumped a bit at the sudden voice next to him. He certainly wouldn’t admit it but it nearly gave him a heart attack. Perhaps he was too stuck in his own head to realize anyone could walk up on him. He turned to see that it was Yamaguchi.
The green-haired boy smiled at him and asked again, “Do you want to go in?”
Tsukishima grunted and turned away from his friend, “No.” He could see Yamaguchi’s expression and didn't like it all too much. It seemed like he was going to tease him about something, and it bothered him.
“I'm sure Sakura would be glad to see people she knows coming to see her work!”
Tsukishima scoffed, “I'm not here to see whatever she's done.”
Yamaguchi blinked, a tad bit confused, “so why are you standing out here like a creep?”
“I'm not being a creep!”
“So you’re just watching Sakura from afar for…?” He raised an eyebrow, proving his point that Tsukishima was being a bit creepy.
“She’s annoying,” Tsukishima clicked his tongue.
His friend gave him a look, one that frustrated Tsukishima. Yamaguchi pursed his lips, “That isn’t an answer.”
He huffed harshly trying to say the right thing. “I don’t get how she’s able to annoy me so much. Her idiotic brother is easy to read… But I can’t understand her.” Even after being around her for a few months, he still hasn't come up with exactly how she worked. She got into
Yamaguchi tilted his head, “So you came here to understand her?”
Had he come here because of that? Then again what was he going to understand from her by watching her from outside? “It just felt strange that she wasn’t at the practices.”
His friend’s eyes widened, “Have you been missing her?”
Tsukishima glared at him though he didn’t say anything. No. He wasn’t missing her. What was there to miss?! Though if he did go in, she would undoubtedly pester him about him showing up. Tsukishima didn’t want to have to explain himself since he wasn’t even sure why he was there. Sakura got under his skin in a way that no one else has. Tsukishima sees most people as idiots, especially the likes on his team. However, Sakura wasn’t really an idiot. He could admit that she was smart, perhaps as smart as him, though he couldn’t pinpoint why she was just… different.
“Well,” Yamaguchi said, breaking Tsukishima from his thoughts, “I’m going to go and say hi to her. If you want to keep admiring her from afar, you can.”
Tsukishima jumped at the implication, “Yamaguchi.”
“Sorry, Tsukki.” Though with the tone of voice and teasing smile on his lips, Yamaguchi didn’t seem to actually be apologizing. He seemed to be happy in this moment to tease his friend, which he rarely ever gets to do. Though he knows just how funny Tsukishima can get sometimes about Sakura. There was an inkling that Yamaguchi had a feeling as to why. Though he was going to leave it alone for the time being, since he isn’t even sure.
Tsukishima was then left to stew with his own thoughts. He watched as Yamaguchi walked up to Sakura, and the two shared some smiles as they talked about the gallery. The way that Sakura’s face brightened at the sight of her friend didn’t sit right in Tsukishima’s head, and he wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps he was envious. Sakura had a great relationship with her brother, if not a bit too good. Was that something he wanted? Was that why his chest was tight when he thought about her smirk and narrowed eyes? Not that he should care. He gritted his teeth before marching off. Tsuikishima didn't need to worry about this. It would just annoy him further. Though it wasn't like she left his mind right away. She lingered behind in his mind and he hated that. She really was annoying him.
While on the court, Tsukishima knew that he couldn’t compare himself to Shōyō. That little ball of sunshine was the star of the court, while Tsukishima was just a stand in until Shōyō was needed again. However, when he found out about Sakura, he had thought that he could say that he was better than her. She wasn’t athletic, so he could say that he had that over her. Academic-wise, they were more or less on the same level. However, after at least figuring out that she was insecure about her photography, he felt gratification to know he could bully her for it. Maybe it was wrong of him, he only ever really did it to take his frustrations about her brother out on her. Though he didn’t care. Why would he? Though after time has passed and he’s had a moment of time without her snarky remarks in the gym… he missed it. And he couldn’t put his finger on why…
Elsewhere, also doing his best to go unnoticed, a certain decoy was hiding amongst the small crowd in the gallery. He thanked his height at this moment as he was able to keep himself from being spotted by his sister. He had wanted to come here to see what she did since she had been excited the last time they properly talked.
Shōyō knew the theme of the gallery. How serious Sakura took these topics to heart and how important they were. He wasn't going to miss out on it, even if they weren't exactly on talking terms. He is always excited to see her happy about her work, so why would he miss out on this? Though it certainly warmed his heart, yet struck his chest with a wave of guilt, as he saw the photos that she had taken of him.
He knew that Sakura looked up to him. As she should, in his mind. He’s the big brother, so he wants to be a hero for both of his sisters. To make sure that they are safe and happy was one of his greatest goals in life. Of course, he had his personal journey to become the next Little Giant, however, his family also came first.
Their argument was taking a toll on him. Shōyō had been reflecting on their childhood most of the time. Wrapping his head around what Sakura had said about wanting to be her own person seemed to be a bit more difficult than he thought. Their whole life, he thought that Sakura was happy. He thought that she was content with how they were never really apart. How bad of a brother is he to not have seen that?
Though after this, he was going to try. He wanted to try to completely understand what Sakura was feeling, how he could help her, and what they would do going forward. Sure, he doesn’t really see her issue all too much, but he wants to. Shōyō wants to listen to her and see where things went wrong. Maybe then she wouldn’t want to abandon him. So with the last fleeting look at his sister as she talked happily with Yamaguchi, Shōyō headed to find his bike. He had to head home to get ready for their trip for the camp. After tomorrow, he definitely was going to do what he could to make sure that Sakura really was okay.
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A/n: Ngl the chapter feels disjointed. I had something, then rewrote it entirely because it just felt wrong, and then I tried again but I wrote some of it a different times. So this chapter isn't that good. Has to be one of my worst lmao Either way next chapter is finally the Tokyo camp arc!! WOOO! Really my favorite arcs from the anime! I'm so excited! Let me know what you thought. Until the next chapter, my friends!
#ocs#fanfiction#multiple ocs#fanfic#oc#female oc#female!oc#male oc#male!oc#anime fanfiction#haikyū!!#haikyuu!!#haikyu#haikyuu fanfiction#haikyu oc#haikyuu#anime
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For the ship game. 😊
Hopefully it's not too much, sorry, I got a little over excited. 😅
Morey; 5, 10 & 12
Scira; 5, 8 & 13
Thiam; 3, 5 & 39
💜
AAAHHHH no are u kidding this is perfect
morey
5. nicknames? pet names? any in-jokes?
i wish i did but i don’t have any nicknames/pet names headcanons omg but i’m def gonna think about it now. i like the ‘cor’ and ‘mase’ fanon nicknames but idk hmmm
i feel like they don’t have inside jokes
10. who drives? cooks? does the handiwork? cleans? pays bills? handles the public?
mason drives! mason also cooks! corey can make stuff to save his life but he’s not great at cooking and mason doesn’t mind cooking at all. they split house work but neither really enjoys doing it. mason pays the bills but that’s because corey is really forgetful and can’t be trusted with those things. mason handles the public haha but they’re both pretty competent at being extroverted when necessary.
12. is there a wedding? what was the proposal like? any kind of honeymoon?
omg sorry in advance but it’s time for sadness. i have several headcanons but the one i’m going to share with you now is where morey doesn’t last. they split up in their second year of university and it sucks. so there’s no proposal or wedding or honeymoon. corey breaks up with mason and it destroys them both. corey essentially gets cut off from everyone in the pack but somehow theo is the one who reaches out after everything kind of settles and corey wonders if maybe mason asked theo to check up on him and he’s secretly hoping that’s the truth but it’s not, it just felt like the right thing to do considering their history. anyway morey is bones theo and corey become sort of friends and theo drifts from the mccall pack a little because of this new friendship with corey and it makes liam feel weird but they never talk about it. mason and corey bump into each other at some pack gathering eight months later and it’s really awkward and everyone’s so sad over it because wow they should have lasted this isn’t fair. anyway mason dates again but corey doesn’t
scira
5. nicknames? pet names? any in-jokes?
kira calls him scotty when she’s teasing him. scott calls her babe around their apartment but never outside of it. kira says ‘poor baby’ when he’s sad and she’s running her thumb over his eyebrows because it soothes him.
8. what do they like best about their partner?
scott loves how smart and strong she is. he loves how strong she is. and he loves when she decides to use her powers in tiny ways, and i have a headcanon that she learns how to shock people when she touches them and she does it to stiles all the time so every time he visits their apartment he steers clear of her and if she’s the one who opens the door he curses. kira loves how kind scott is. and she always comments on his deliberate kindness, which he feels bashful about. like he’ll say ‘it’s nothing’ and she’s like no of course it’s not nothing. and he’s kind of confused because it’s not like she’s not used to kindness, she grew up in such a loving home she’s been surrounded by these purposeful acts of care and compassion her whole life but somehow she’s still awed by him choosing to be kind.
13. what do they do for fun? do they have a favourite activity or do they like to switch things up?
oh they love hanging out and watching movies. bike rides are super fun and they go for rides all the time and somehow it never gets old.
thiam
3. are they open about their relationship? how do they feel about public displays of affection?
so many headcanons but today’s is that no, they’re not open to anyone or even themselves about what their relationship is. they’re just kind of existing together always. the most is that they’ll hold hands at random times in public but say nothing about it.
5. nicknames? pet names? any in-jokes?
okay again idk the fanon nicknames are okay but i haven’t accepted any of them completely. they have so many inside jokes because one of them always does or says something weird/stupid and they reference those incidents allll the time to the point where everyone thinks they’ve developed some secret language.
39. who initiated the relationship? who kissed who first? when did they realise they were in love?
so for today the headcanon is (always is tbh) this undefined thing that’s just them existing together. they never name it. oh hmm first kiss i’m going to go with theo initiates. probably on some random evening when theo is sitting beside liam on a park bench and nothing happens and they both realise wow this could be my life for the rest of eternity, just sitting here listening to you talk, making fun of something i said, pointing out how impossible i am to deal with, and i wouldn’t even mind. we’ll sit here and then we’ll have to fight together and we’re not dying for each other but we’ll always try to save each other’s lives and i wouldn’t mind.
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top 5 tmg lyrics
ok they have like 400 songs so this will be a gut reaction more than anything else but yes I love talking about their lyrics.
1:
Thunder clouds forming, cream white moon
Everything's gonna be okay soon
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
"Game Shows Touch Our Lives" Tallahassee
This was a mantra for me for a couple years. Tallahassee is my fave album and this song is sweet and tender within the context of the Alpha Couple's impulses to do bad things and their completely toxic relationship. I'm not an optimist, but I am the kind of person that believes in the Law of Large Numbers and that statistically you can't keep running into bad luck and that you're luck will turn eventually and that's what these lyrics mean to me. Obviously that law is for probability and data sets but what is life except a giant data set. I will continue to believe this even though it truly makes no sense, but this is my belief system.
2:
And the dull pain that you live with isn't getting any duller
"The Young Thousands" We Shall All Be Healed
Sometimes I hit a depression spell and I just try to power through it because again, I believe in some sort of cosmic balance and that everything will run its course, but this line is for when the dull pain is not getting any duller :/ Also I needed them to put a song from We Shall All Be Healed in Breaking Bad, both are about meth.
3:
We were here once, me and my friends
But we destroyed all of the evidence
And vanished into the night
At least we got that one right
"Steal Smoked Fish" Bonus single from Transcendental Youth
I became very obsessed with this song after graduating college. All my friends I had just spent 4 years with nearly every day were suddenly far away from me, I couldn't find a damn job and I had to move back home, my ultimate flop era. But also realizing how fleeting friendships and moments can be is so bittersweet and this is a song that gets that. Its subject matter is more serious than no longer being within walking distance between friends since this is John reflecting on the people he knew when he struggled with addiction in Portland, but there is a part of going through a really tough time with people and looking back at that time with some longing. I'm so much happier now and would never want to go back to that stress and depressed anxious state I was fucking stuck in for 4 years, but that camaraderie is something I don't have in my life anymore.
4:
And then you're singing in Dutch to me
And I recognize the song
It seems so old and so fragile
And I haven't heard it in so long
"Minnesota" Full Force Galesburg
I love this song so much, when they played it live at a show I went to I started full on sobbing as they danced and sang. I think this song is not supposed to be a love song but it feels so tender and vulnerable to me. The occupants of the house are lost ("not as far west") and the house seems to be on the verge of something terrible ("house is throbbing"), but in the moment they have this old and fragile thing to hold onto. It's so so tmg to find these moments before the storm and to just occupy them for a little and in some way that feels deeply comforting to me. Also it's just a really beautiful song!
5:
Yeah, you and me and a table set for three
Just in case our assassin should finally come through
Anhydrous and matches, why don't we cook up two more batches?
With the time closing in on me and then on you
"You and Me and a High Balcony" Unreleased
There's something so brain stimulating to me the way he pronounces "Anhydrous and matches, why don't we cook up two more batches?" like it's just so good. Not to ignore setting aside a spot at the dinner table for your assassin.
Misc ones
Let's do a funny one:
see I'm
Perfectly aware of where our love stands
But the plain fact is that you owe me eight grand
"Alpha Desperation March" Bitter Melon Farm
This shit is so funny. Babe I am perfectly aware of where our love stands but you owe me eight grand, you probably forgot because of all the drinking we've been doing.
I mention this constantly:
I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
"The Recognition Scene" Sweden
I mention this song pretty frequently because I love the concept of using the Greek play "recognition scene" in the concept of seeing the breaking point of a relationship and that it's over. So while this line isn't unique, the whole song framed by the narrator's understanding they stand in a relationship that's now over makes it so interesting to me.
No Children:
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
"No Children" Tallahassee
No, he's right, sometimes I do hope it stays dark forever and that the worse isn't over.
#ask#lot more personal and revealing than i thought this would go but you know sometimes it's like that
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