#out of a year group close to 200 kids
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Fated Mates Part 3
Synopsis: you, a vengeful vampire slayer, cross paths with the devious and handsome Astarion. Instead of a stake through the heart, Astarion finds something he thought impossible for vampire spawn. A mate.
Astarion learns more on vampiric mates while you do odd jobs in town. Scraping up enough money your merry gang gets to rest well tonight. Though there’s only one problem, there’s only one bed.
It took another two days before your merry band finally made it to the first town. More hours of Gale’s snores and sleep talking of magical items. Or the way Karlach randomly set fire to something now twice in her sleep. Wyll played some tune non stop on a ukulele you swear just to annoy you. Not to mention the bickering and fighting when they were awake. After getting no sleep you demanded to the group that you would all pitch in and do some odd jobs to afford a stay at a tavern for a night. Anything to give you a chance at relaxation and a soft mattress. Everyone agreed to meet at the town square at the beginning of sundown. The hours before that were up to each entirely.
You first went into the town square in hopes of finding someone to offer you an easy quest for a fee. Perusing the marketplace you find a dressmaker eager to find someone for help.
“My my my! You’re perfect for the job! I was just in need of some help, thank the Gods! I need you to run to this store and grab the fabric on hold for Marteen, then meet me at my shop after the market closes.” He hands you a wrinkled piece of paper with the name of the shop on it. You nod your thanks and head out to said shop.
Astarion immediately abandoned the idea of doing some side quest and instead goes to find the local bookkeeper. The town was quaint in size but he hoped large enough to have some of a selection on what he was looking for. 200 years as a vampire and still his knowledge of vampirism was slim to none. Most of it from passing mouths. Fellow spawn were more than likely in his similar predicament and just as naive to the ways of the vampire world. Anyone higher on the food chain wasn’t keen on educating. Here and there in his travels for prey he heard whispers of things. Knowledge of vampire mates was mostly rumor, common gossip with no real evidence. Astarion had only met one other vampire to have met his mate. At the time the bond seemed weak to him. A cause for a future exploitation. A bother. He never believed himself to be plagued with such nonsense and had not thought to ask more of it. Astarion made his way up the old brick library steps and into the establishment. Years of neglect were evident in every crevice of the place. Spiderwebs littered every corner and shelves of books were caked with years of dust. Astarion tried his best to hide his disgust and made his way to the front desk. An old human woman sat slouched in her chair dozing off. Astarion cleared his throat, waking the woman. She fixed her overly large glasses before squinting up at Astarion. He gives his most award winning smile in return.
“How can I help you stranger?” She croaks.
“I was wondering if you had anything on a special type of creature? A vampire perhaps?” Astarion asks nicely. Her bushy brows furrow in confusion.
“Sorry, things of that nature need special clearance given by the governor. Something about too many impressionable kids trying to bite one another.” She waves her hand away as she finishes talking. She goes to turn away from him as Astarions hand darts across the desk. His thumb and forefinger caress the old woman’s chin as he gently turns her head back to him. Astarion leans close, breath mingling with the librarians. With his best bedroom eyes Astarion pleads once again.
“Please dear? I swear I shan’t be more than a moment.” The woman’s face lights up beet red as she flusters under his touch.
“I mean- I- well I mean- if if if you really won’t be more than a second than I guess it’s okay.” She stutters out.
“Perfect. Just point me in the direction, love.” Astarion purrs. The woman scuffles from behind her desk and grabs a set of keys from her pocket. Astarion follows as she leads him further into the library towards an old vault door. With a turn of a key she guides him to the shelving labeled V.
“Please don’t be long, my boss will be around any moment!” She giggles behind her wrinkled hand. Her blush still evident as she walks away. Astarions face drops back to a resting neutral once she’s out of sight and he makes his way through the novels. There are only a few books pertaining to vampires. His fingers slide over titles of “How to Properly Slay a Vampire” and “Vampire Bites for Medical Use”. None contain anything about mates. A growl of frustration leaves him before he’s manically ripping through books across the shelves. Books and scrolls fly through the air before Astarions rage stops in its tracks. Mid throw Astarion reads the title of the small book in his hand. “Mates in Five Different Species: Fate Driven Partnership”. Astarion just about rips the book open before he hears the patter of the woman’s footsteps coming closer. He rushes out the door and slams it behind him. The woman jumps at his sudden movements just outside the chambers.
“You have been so lovely, thank you. I must go, good day!” Astarion shouts over his shoulder before dashing outside. The woman’s shriek at his mess is the last he hears as he makes for the door and rounds the corner. Finding a secluded alleyway, Astarion makes himself comfortable on top of a wooden crate and cracks open the book.
Vampiric Mates:
Vampire mating is a rarity within the species. Only about an average of 31% of vampires have mates. Of that 31% only 3% of their mates were non-vampire in manner. Courtship of mates in vampires comes within three stages: sight, taste, consummation. The beginnings of the mating correspond with the first mutual stare between the partners. Mating is then felt in its entirety with a touch of either lips or genitalia. Finally, the mate bond is accepted for eternity with consummation of the partnership.
Astarions eyebrows shoot up as he reads. He had already completed two damned steps without even realizing.
Though the “feeling” of a mate may differ slightly from vampire to vampire, similarities are shown throughout each recorded mating. Feelings of a something similar to a cord “tightening” is usually the most common sign. Feelings of falling, fainting or loss of emotions momentarily have also been recorded. It is believed to be innate to each vampire to recognize a mate once seen.
Astarion thinks back to the shared bargain kiss you had made a few nights earlier. The feeling of a band wrapping and tightening in his core. The way he felt his stomach drop. He had thought himself nauseous from not drinking enough but in reality he knew he was denying it. Denying the feeling he felt with that first look. Something so ingrained biologically he couldn’t shoo it away. He flips to the section labeled “Vampire Mates: Other Species Mate”.
Mates of a vampire not already afflicted with vampirism upon meeting may be at a disadvantage. Though similar feelings may be present they will not be as strong as they are for the vampire mate. The mate also may not feel the same feelings of possessiveness and aching as the vampire mate will. Non vampire mates may not inherently realize what has happened without further education.
Astarion reads the last sentence several times over. You didn’t even know. He could continue on this little adventure and you would never be the wiser of what was unfolding between the two of you. A large part of Astarion was glad, gleeful even, to not have to worry about this further. But a small, quiet and forgotten part of his brain felt remorse at the thought. Astarion was about to continue to read through the entire section before he noticed the beginnings of the sunset. Realizing he would be meeting back with your party shortly, Astarion leaps from his seat on the crate and moves through the alleyways. He knows if he shows up empty handed you won’t let him hear the end of it. He knows your still deciding on whether or not you want to plant your stake right into his heart anyhow. Moving through side streets and back alleys Astarion moves with grace between drunks and gamblers. Swift and nimble, his hands dip into their pockets and empty them of any useful change. With a bit of money to his name, Astarion takes a main road back to the square. Though an image to his right stops him in his tracks, you.
A bit earlier -
Fabrics in hand, you huff down the street to Marteens shop. The fabric store was on the very outskirts of town. Nothing more than an old witch with a spindle, calling it a shop was a bit excessive. Though the lady was kind enough, you spent far too much time to get there as well as listen to the old woman gab as she got your order together. You finally step up to Marteen’s Dress Shop and softly knock on the door. Large floor to ceiling windows show the interior from the front. Mannequins dressed in beautiful floor length gowns adorn the left and right side. A small podium sits in the middle awaiting a blushing bride to try on her future gown. Marteen opens the door and beams at you.
“Please come in, come in!” He waves you in. He helps unload the several bits of fabric from your grasp. Luxurious rolls of dark blood red fabric, black lace, and golden trimmings leave your hands. You help bring everything else into the shop. Marteen unloads the rolls onto a long table next to the front podium. You stand next to him admiring the cloths.
“It really is beautiful.” You whisper, more to the fabrics than the man. He smiles at you as he grabs a mostly made dress from his back room. The same fabric is made into a long gown in his arms. A tight black bodice corsets the top as gold accents the sides. Crimson fabric layers on top of eachother at the bottom as it bellows out into a sweep gown.
“Before you go, could I ask you one more job? I’ll throw in a few extra coin!” Marteen asks.
“Sure, what can I get you next?” You ask.
“This dress, it’s for my daughter. It’s nearly complete save the sleeves and a bit of patching in the back. You look about her size, mind being my model? I’d ask her, but it’s a bit of a surprise.” You really hadn’t expected that. It had been a very very long time since you worn something so exquisite. Back before your parents had been murdered. Back when your father threw elegant balls for nothing more than to fill the manor with good company and better wine. Back before life became what it is. You shake the thought before they take hold.
“Sure why not.” You shrug.
Cinched into the velvet fabric feels like a dream against your skin. Marteen expertly sewed beautiful bell bottom sleeves with black lace endings onto each arm. Gold is hemmed in the sides to accentuate your curves. Flowing black ribbon ties in the bodice tightly. Marteen smiles broadly, proud of himself. You do a small twirl at his command and watch the fabric flow with your movements. You can’t help the giggle that takes over you as you sway.
“It’s perfect! Absolutely perfect!” Marteen glows.
“It is! It’s absolutely perfe-“ your words die half way through your throat when through the front glass you see a gawking Astarion. Shame and anger sweep over your momentary glee. You clench your hands and jaw as you stare him down. A smug look takes over his face as he watches you. Marteen comes and looks over your shoulder.
“Oh, is that your betrothed?” He asks innocently. You can’t help the sarcastic laugh that leaves your lips.
“As if! Never in a million lifetimes.” You reply coldly, eyes narrowing. Marteen gives you a puzzled look.
“By the way he looks at you in that dress, I would have thought otherwise.” Marteen tosses over his shoulder.
—
Astarion had good intentions, brilliant and easy intentions. Seduce you, con you, but never fall for you. To overcome the illness of being mated. He was determined, arrogant even in his belief that this mating was nothing more than a silly joke from the universe. He could get over a few fleeting feelings, he had endured much worse in centuries of slavery and solitude. But those resolutions all but melt away at the sight of you. He watches you twirl in a dress fit for a vampiric queen. Blood red accentuating your body, long fabric flowing with your movements. An easy smile gracing your lips. That familiar coil in his chest begged his attention once again. An ache fills his long canines to sink into the soft nape of your neck. All he could do was stare at your form, the way your lips looked so mesmerizing in that easy smile. An animalistic urge shook him with the thought that that smile should be for him, not some gown maker. The thought vanished as quickly as it comes as you find his stare and match it with a look that could kill. Gods, this was going to be harder than he thought.
-
Redressed, you collect your payment and meet Astarion out in the front of the shop. He gives you a fake saddened look.
“Here I was out doing honest work and you’re trying on gowns. Really, (y/n) you outta be ashamed.” He tuts at you. You wag your finger in his face.
“I was doing work blood sucker! Besides, there isn’t a way in the 9 realms of hell you did any honest work.” You accuse him. At your words Astarion pulls the money he had collected from his pocket. Your finger stops mid wag as you look at the coins in his hand.
“Now now now, nothing to say little killer? What will the others think when I tell them?” Astarion muses. He starts to make his way towards the center of town. It takes you a moment to catch up with him.
“You are not to tell them anything! Do you hear me, or so help me-“ you threaten.
“Or what, drive a stake through my heart? Last time you tried that you ended up kissing me. Really you need to learn better threats.” Astarion teases. You swear you see red. You just about open your mouth before Astarions face comes smack dab in front of yours.
“Besides dear, we both know you need me more than you want to kill me.” He whispers to you. You stare him down fighting the urge to hit him with all your strength. All it does is make his cocky smile grow bigger. An awkward throat clearing brings the two of you apart as Gale stands in front of you.
“Hmm well if you’re all done with your lover's quarrel, we were going to put our money together.” You want to argue that a lovers quarrel was very very far from the truth but you instead take role. Counting the money together you think you have enough for all of you to grab a bunk for the night. You had spotted an inn earlier and lead the group towards it.
-
The inn was one of the larger buildings in the area. It hosted a tavern on its first floor, home to beer drinking and dinner. The next two stories were dedicated to rentals. Thankfully, there was just enough space for two to a room with a small bed for each. Everyone argued who was going to bunk with you. Given your earlier appearances everyone had already voted you and Astarion to a room. You just about lost your head in front of the kind old inn woman.
“Come on, the lovers can share a romantic evening together!” Karlach teased.
“There is no lovers and there will be no romance!” You seethe.
“Honestly, I mean Gods knows I can do better.” Astarion chimes in.
“Now what is that suppose to mean-“ you turn your attention to the white haired Vampire. He raises his hands in mock defense.
“Aw the lovers are fighting again.” Shadowheart replies. The old woman behind the desk gives a small chuckle.
“Oh deary, I completely understand. You two need a special room. Here darling, on the house. Last door on the right.” The woman gives a set of keys over to you. You thank her for her understanding and set off in the direction she gave you. Astarion is on your heels as you ascend to the rental rooms on the third floor. The rest get together with their designated partner for the night and set off to their rooms for the night. You set the key to the lock and turn it.
“I hope you know I’ll be getting the largest bed, beauty sleep needed and all.” Astarion quips. You don’t have the function to respond as you peer into the room. The room is massive. There’s a beautiful fainting couch overlooking large windows peering into the valley below. Velvet curtains hang in the windows. A fire roars off to the left corner in a stone fireplace. A plush bear rug lines the middle of the space. And right there, dead center, is only one large king bed.
Part one here
Part four here
#smut#reader insert#astarion#astarion x mc#astarion x reader#astarion x tav#astarion x you#bd3#mates#baldurs gate wyll#baldurs gate gale#one bed trope#soul mates#balders gate 3#bg3 astarion#bg3
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Runaway
Batfam x batsis!reader
info: growing up in the spotlight does some damage especially when you can’t catch a break, reader was adopted by bruce and this takes place in the last year of highschool
F/F/P = favorite food place
part: 1 2 3 4
Four girls walked together being escorted by a few staff members, flashing lights from students holding up their phones went off. The tallest one shielded the shorter girl’s face from the cameras until they arrived at the principals office. “Thank you Marie.” The girl smiled, “No problem. Is your dad coming or is he in some fancy conference?” She asked you, causing a laugh to escape from you. “He cant even make it to dinner I doubt he would make it to this.” You told her as the four of you sat in different chairs. “I wish my parents were chill my mom is going to kill me.” Camilla said, hugging her legs to her chest. “You’re so lucky that your dad never bothers you Y/N.” You forced a smile, “Yeah.”
Time seemed to move slow in the office. Nobody spoke to the girls, making them more nervous. The secretary that everybody knew was hooking up with their principal even though he was a married man would give them dirty looks every few minutes. Her name was Cheryl and she was one of the people who always managed to get your friend group in trouble, trying to get into the principal’s good graces. Eventually one by one each girl was called in until it was you. Your heart broke at the sight of Loralei coming out crying and her mom dropping a smile, immediately yelling at her in french. The secretary came out “Y/N Wayne.” She called your name with distaste. “L/N.” You said standing up and following her to the office.
The principal, Mr. Anderson, sat at his desk with a grim expression. “Take a seat Miss Wayne, you can leave Cheryl.” The old door creaked as it closed. “Miss Wayne-” “L/N.” You corrected him. “Miss L/N, are you aware of the trouble that you are in?” Then he continued, “Here at Gotham Academy we have a reputation to uphold. It seems you continuously try to tarnish that even though you come from a good background.” “Just because some rich dude adopts a kid does not mean they had a good background.” You said those last two words sarcastically. “Your father hasn’t answered any of our calls. Do you have a second contact that we can inform of the situation to come down here?” Mr. Anderson asked. You didn’t want to call the golden child but your first option was legally dead. “Dick Grayson, I’ll write down his number.” You tuned everything out when he called your brother.
Three knocks rang out before Mr. Anderson spoke, “Come in.” “I have Mr. Grayson here.” Cheryl informed him. You wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. The uniform you had on felt suffocating. “Mr. Anderson, Hi.” Dick greeted, taking the seat next to you. He looked at you weirdly which you couldn’t understand why until you inhaled the scent on your clothes.“Thank you for being here on such short notice.” Mr. Anderson shuffled some papers in front of him. “Y/N was among a group of girls who were caught by a staff member skipping classes in the girls lockeroom.” “Don’t you guys usually give detention for these things?” Dick asked, hoping you weren’t participating in the activity that caused the smell. “Mr. Grayson this isn’t her first offense. That’s not all they were also smoking the female staff member who walked in caught your sister with this.” He took your cart out to show him. Dick sighed, “What’s the punishment?” “We can kick her out of the school and this will be on her permanent record. It would make it quite difficult for Y/N to attend another school up to these standards.” He paused for a second as an idea crossed his mind, “$200 for this incident to be erased and for her to keep attending. This deal will be void if she manages to break the rules again during the last three months of school.” Dick took the deal and grabbed your arm, dragging you out of your seat.
The ride home was quiet until he parked in the driveway. “How old are you now?” He asked sarcastically, resting his hands on the steering wheel. “18.” “You need to act your age I don’t know what’s going on but what you pulled today was stupid. What would have happened if he wasn’t greedy? You wouldn’t be able to get into any colleges with that on your record.” You stared out the window at the suddenly intimidating house, “I’m getting suspended from patrol aren’t I?” You knew it was pointless asking, once Bruce heard about what had happened today you would be lucky if you were only suspended for awhile. “Just go inside.” Dick said, not meeting your eyes. So you did what he told you. As soon as you were out the front door you saw him through the windshield looking upset then he pulled out the driveway, quickly speeding off.
The house seemed empty you just locked the door and went up to your room, finally checking your phone. There was an active facetime call in your friends group chat so you joined. They all greeted you then Loralei asked, “So what happened?” You took a seat at your desk before speaking, “That greedy bitch wanted a bribe and my brother had to pay him.” “So that’s why he said it was taken care of and wouldn’t be on our record they had you pay.” Camila stated, clearly disgusted. “Way to take one for the team.” Marie joked. “I don’t even want to be here right now. When Bruce finds out what happened I am screwed.” You were afraid of what could happen then again how does somebody go from being an unwanted 17 year old in an orphanage to some famous potential heir to a company. Suddenly the group chat with all your siblings started going crazy. Then a phone call from crowbar chomper came in. “Hold on my brother is calling me.” You accepted it, “Hello.” “My dear sister it seems that you have gotten into some trouble.” Jason said. The sound of wind could be heard in the background so you assumed he was on his motorcycle. “Yes it appears that way.” He laughed, “If you want to lay low for the weekend come to my apartment. I already spoke to Roy he’s cool with it.” The offer was tempting so you took it. “Sounds good, I’ll pack a bag.” “Roy will be there in ten minutes. We planned to kidnap you if you didn’t say yes.” Jason informed you, causing a smile to grace your face for the first time that day. “Love you too.” You said. “I’ll see you later Cliff jumper.” He said then hung up. The name came from the amount of times you have been thrown off of a cliff or just even high places in general. You finished packing your bag then grabbed your backup cart.
Time passed quickly and soon Roy called you. “I’m out front.” He said. “I’ll be down in a sec.” You hung up then left your room. However on the couch downstairs was Damian. “L/N, making your escape?” He words held distaste, which was new. You and him got along pretty well since he was only a year younger than you. “Yes and I would appreciate it if you don’t tell Bruce until he realizes it.” You explained, hoping he would agree. “Okay.” Damian looked like he wanted to say something but just went back to looking at his phone, probably texting Rachel. You quickly walked out the front door, jumping in Roy’s car. “Wanna stop and get food? We have to go grocery shopping tomorrow morning.” He told you. “Sure, can we get something from F/F/P?” You asked. “Sounds good.”
At the apartment you two sat on the stools in front of the counter, talking about the most random things. The topic of father figures came up. “Does it ever get easier?” You asked him. Roy took a sip of his drink then answered, “Sometimes, other times shit can happen. You can still fix things you know? You haven’t even spoken to Bruce yet.” “He is always in some fucking meeting even when I finally see him he just suspends me for a week or two. It’s like I’m just something he quickly tries to deal with and then ignore it until there is a problem again.” You explained to him. “Kid you still got years to figure this stuff out, but you will.” He took a bite of his food then spoke after he finished chewing, “And hey maybe the family dynamic just isn’t working, it’s not your fault. The Batgirl mantle can become something else.” Suddenly you weren’t interested in your food anymore. “I can see it but that’s the problem, I don’t know who I am if i’m not her. Everyone else who had the title did so much but I keep making mistakes.” Roy had this knowing look on his face. “Your 18 now I say let Bruce suspend Batgirl, pick up a new mantle, and figure it out from there. Or you could start a regular life who knows, it may do wonders.”
The front door opened and Jason walked in, taking a seat across from you. “So what are we talking about?” He asked. “I think it’s time this bat flew the cave.” Roy said. “Now that sounds like a plan.” Jason stated, stealing some of your food. You picked up your phone to see the time, they would all be out on patrol right now. You took the time to update your friends, choosing the larger group chat first; arkham escapees. They thought you faced the wrath of Bruce. Once being informed of what happened Eunwoo complained, “Who’s going to set me up with her hot brother now.” When asked who he meant the junior replied with, “All of them.” But then also added how he hoped you were okay and didn’t get sent off to some reform school upstate New york or some rural midwest one. You sent a quick text, “guys i am ok i didn’t see bruce yet i’m staying w my brother at his place 🫡.” Then you checked the news. Jason and Roy talking to one another while you scrolled. Texts came in from your friends Kim, Callan, Thalia, Jake, Evan, and Naomi. “next thing you know they got her on the news as a runaway.” Naomi joked. “#FREE Y/N 2023.” Jake said. “retweet” Thalia replied. “Ok but what if the news actually does coverage on this?” Eunwoo asked. “Don’t speak that into existence smh.” Kim told him.
Suddenly your phone started ringing and you threw it down on the table. Jason took a look at who was calling and said, “Just answer it they can track your phone so they know your here.” You turned you phone off, Taking out your personal one that you have under an account with a fake id. You texted the other gc they had with this number. “ou she’s on her burner phone guys.” Camila said. “it’s an iphone 12 pro goodbye.” you told them. “Since when did you have that? Jason asked. “Around six months after I moved in.” You replied.
It was 11:00pm and you were growing tired. Jason noticed and said, “Take my room I will take the couch.” “No it’s fine I can sleep on the couch.” You said. “Y/N, I will put you in there and board up the door. There’s enough granola bars to last you a month and the bathroom is connected to there so you will be good.” He joked. “Okay Okay I’ll take the bed. Goodnight.” You got up and grabbed your bag and went to the room. It was very clean which surprised you but then again, they usually were sleeping at their safe houses or on missions somewhere. The group chat had a call going for an hour or two then you told them goodnight and left to try and sleep. Unlike other things today, sleep came easy for you.
Someone was banging on the front door. You texted the group chat to see who was awake. “bitch someone is at my brothers front door knocking like crazy.” Evan responded immediately, “prob eunwoo tryna get his man.” “I know I thirst over her brothers but keep in mind me and Drew are dating plus we both do so it’s okay.” His text was followed by a picture of him and his partner together on the couch, Drew holding up a picture of Tim and Dick. “tim is literally 20 and dick is even older also how does this help nobody seems to have woken up do i go check.” You texted. “everything aside i think your family probably sent the search party by now.” Drew said, they were being realistic so you decided to get up to go check. “wish me luck.” You sent your last text.
The apartment was dark, dimly lit by the street lights from outside and the moon. You kept your footsteps quiet and checked the peephole. Out of all people you did not expect him. You texted the group chat, “speak of the devil and he shall appear it was tim guys.” “Then who’s place are you at? I thought Dick lived in Bludhaven.” Drew asked. Time to play sibling roulette. You typed up a response, “at dukes place with his friend.” The knocking started up again. This time Jason woke up asking, “Who’s at the door?” “Tim.” You told him. “I’ll answer it go to the room.” He told you, instead you stood in the hallway by the two bedrooms out of site. Roy opened his door, rubbing his eyes, “Do you know what time-” You shushed him, “Tim is here keep it down I wanna eavesdrop.” Jason opened the door, “How much coffee did you drink that you had to come here at four in the morning?” “Y/N didn’t come home and never responded to our group chat. I know she’s here.” Tim said. Jason pretended to be annoyed, “She left yesterday a little bit before midnight, sorry.” He went to close the door. “So you wouldn’t mind if I took a look around?” The younger one asked. Roy came up with an idea, opening his bedroom door so you could go in then he normally walked up to them. “What’s going on I’m trying to sleep.” You could tell Roy stayed here more often based on the state of his room. “Jason I’m tired and don’t feel like playing games, where is she?” Tim asked again. Roy started talking and trying to sympathize with him by saying, “I understand how worried you all must be. I’ll shoot Y/N a text seeing if she wants to hang out to see if she responds.”
Two figures stepped out, one on each side of Tim. Dick and Damian. Dick pushed the door further open and walked inside, looking around. The other two followed. “Tim stay here with them, Damian check Roy’s bedroom I will check Jason’s. It sounded like people were getting closer and you looked around. There wasn’t much hiding space and you knew you were being irrational at this point. You just did not want to go back there right now so you hid in a stupid place, the closet. Footsteps could be heard in the bedroom you had accepted your fate by now. The closet door opened, “You know you could have left through the window.” He said. “Wanna do me a favor?” You asked. “No, father is actually extremely upset about the stunt you pulled in school.” Damian told you, grabbing your arm to get you out of the closet. “Sorry.” He said.
The three men in the entry way looked up when Damian and you came into view. “Thought she wasn’t here?” Dick sarcastically questioned. “Can we go now? I want to sleep.” Tim stated. Jason and Roy looked at you sympathetically as they your siblings escorted you out and to the car. After being on the road for awhile in silence Dick spoke up, “B said he will talk to you after the gala tomorrow.” You had forgotten all about that event. Once again when Dick dropped everyone he sped away very quickly. When you all walked in everyone parted ways. They didn’t even look at you. In your room you changed into fluffy pants and a hoodie then left to go to Cass’ room. Reaching the outside of her room the door opened sometimes you are still surprised by how easily she senses someone being there. She let you in and you cried in her arms. There were many nights like this where your sister comforted you even without saying much, “It will be okay sleep now.” You were almost sorry that you planned on leaving once school ended but decided to push that thought away, falling into a dreamless sleep.
#dc comics#dc imagine#batfam imagine#batfam x batsis#batfam x reader#batfam x batsis!reader#batsis!reader#dc x reader#jason todd x batsis!reader#damian wayne x batsis!reader
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meet the sims-blackwood family!! this is set post-200 in a new world where the fears are weaker and more hidden in the shadows, but quickly building strength as more avatars and artifacts are born. meet blaire and not-adam, two students in jon’s homeroom and english class!
worldbuilding and brainstorm notes under the cut :D
the student ocs i created here are
-a transfem student who straight up doesnt have a name. you can call her anything but her deadname. its a fun game the class plays. it started as a gag but jon went “yeah okay ive seen weirder and kids deserve a chance to explore” so he comes up with a different name every day during roll call. shes v chaotic and inspired (personality wise, not funky name lore) by an irl friend of mine
-the student she has a crush on and is best friends with, an AP art student who uses they/she pronouns
they both eat lunch in Jon’s classroom, where they eventually notice that he never really eats much? just. reads a book in his free time, maybe has cereal bars occasionally
they form really close bonds with jon and he sponsors their lgbt club,,,, the second student realizes she’s agender when hes explaining the ace spectrum,,,,,, they come across The Horrors that were released when jmart moved on to Somewhere Else and he saves them,,,,,,,,, after they start to understand that “something spooky is here bc of mr sims but he was a victim in it” they sneakily start categorizing what they call “The Horrors” into 9 groups and get into shenanigans. they save jon at some point
their romance follows the plot of jmart’s but jon notices student B treating student A like he did martin at the start of the year and intervenes
so theyre healthier
(maybe jmart adopt student b, as they’re in a rlly unsafe home environment and thats why they started lashing out at their buddy)
at the beginning of the year student A knows shes trans but isnt sure what name to use. her buddy suggests not-adam (as she isnt suuuper uncomfy with her deadname, just that its too masc for her) so they call her that for a good bit and it comes up occasionally until they learn about the fears and the joke kinda. sours.
jon called her anything but that. not-adam thought it was because he didnt want to deadname her (and she insisted she was cool with it and thought it was funny) but she said that he can use a name that isnt adam, just not to stick to one bc she didnt want to feel boxed in
so the joke of her being anything but adam began
!!! WHAT IF NOT ADAM HAS AN ENCOUNTER WITH A STRANGER OBJECT THAT MAKES EVERYONE UNABLE TO SEE OR REMEMBER HER??? AND (character B) IS THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS HER BUT STILL CANT SEE HER!!!! AND THIS IS HOW JON REVEALS HE KNOWS STUFF ABOUT THE SUPERNATURAL
student b breaks down only a couple days in when she realized something was deeply, truly wrong, earing lunch (seemingly) alone with jon in his classroom. she says something with “not-adam” and “nobody remembers her but me” and jon’s trauma plus eye powers helps break his illusion, even though he doesnt remember her still
WHAT IF THIS IS AROUND WHEN NOT ADAM IS STARTING TO SEE HIM AS A FATHER
he adopts her bc she still legally doesnt exist and her family doesnt remember her , and its not like jmart already have fake identities anyways. they break the curse but everyone but B and Jon are completely wiped of her memory, just can finally see her now. its a mush of stranger, spiral, and lonely bc the horrors work different here
…she eventually settles on a name because she desperately needs to be reminded that they know her, they remember her, and that they remember all of her. (jon doesnt remember *everything* still, but most. every now and then she or B references something and they pause when they realize it was another memory lost to The Horrors)
oh also jon wears combat boots bc of daisy now. unrelated but important
im realizing my plan of them adopting B is a little funky with them adopting not-adam. however, unconventional found family prevails in tma. B just stays at their house most of the time bc she is neglected a lot at home so it usually isnt noticed when she disappears. theyre both 16 so fighting for custody when they can move out so soon is deemed too much stress on the teens. not-adam’s family actually are v loving and great, they just. dont remember NA. they dont remember how to love her, that they ever did
(thats why B needed to remember her. also, the effect intended of the horror was to torture NA until she died unnoticed and she will either be remembered by everyone when her body is found or will rot unseen until shes gone. or become an avatar, if she chose to embrace it. B was an intended victim of the leitner, the fear of nobody believing you and losing someone you love feed the Horrors)
(jon and his funky eye powers are likely the only reason NA didnt die)
in the end A picks the name astrid, but jon still calls her any name he can think of that starts with A when calling her down for food n stuff
anyways jmart unofficially adopting queer teens bc found family is so themcore but i *know* the fates would never allow them to do anything conventionally or fully legal
(all of this copy-pasted from me infodumping in a tma chat in the past couple hours)
#tma#the magnus archives#magnusposting#ramblings#tma fanart#magnuspod#jonmartin#somewhere else#tma family au#my art#mine#art tag#digital art#artists on tumblr#art
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Another LU thought:
Time, Twilight and Wild are Honorary Gorons
Let’s start with the ace of the chain: Wild. He got to prove himself to the Gorons numerous times, by calming Vah Rudania, doing side quests and shrine quests (like the gut check challenge). Not to mention he was already an honorary member of the tribe 100 years ago through his friendship with Darunia. He definitely visits Yunobo and the boys at Death Mountain to vibe and eat rock roasts.
[Training at Death mountain in Twi’s era]
Darbus: I think we should take a break for lunch.
Wild: [excitedly] Are we having rock roast?
Dangoro: What’s that?
Wild: [running off] A really good dish made from rocks. Sit tight you two, I’ll make some!
Darbus: ...Can Hylians eat rocks?
Twilight: We can’t, but that doesn’t stop him.
Twilight’s approach to making friends with the sentient rocks was unconventional in a traditional sense. Typically when trying to get on someone’s good side you don’t go on a rampage through their home fighting and throwing around all their friends. But the Gorons are tough so in this case that worked, and after Twilight beat one of the Goron’s most respected members he earned their trust and was permitted entrance into their sacred mines.
[After Twilight told the story of how he climbed Death mountain]
Warriors: Is there a Goron in your era you haven’t assaulted?
Twilight: They were fair fights.
Wind: Like hell they were, you used iron boots that’s cheating!
Twilight: ...
Twilight: Well, I haven’t fought any of the kids or elderly.
The chain: ( ಠ_ಠ)
After saving their patriarch and helping them reconnect with the people at Kakariko they would’ve definitely considered Twi as one of them. I can imagine him taking trips to Death Mountain post TP to train with the Gorons, chuck rocks around, rock climb and of course sumo wrestle.
Ooh what if Twi teaches Wild sumo so that they could pass it to the Gorons in his era. The sport must have died out by that time since I don’t think it comes up in BotW. I imagine that Time already knows it. Since it was stated to be something of a tradition for them and his era is less than 200 years behind Twi’s.
Speaking of Time, during his adventure he got really close with the Gorons, although he didn’t do any official challenges like Wild (I think) or brute force his way through their territory like Twi. He just kind of showed up as a kid, solved their problems and then did it again 7 years later.
In the child timeline the adult part of OoT means diddly squat, but I’m pretty sure a little kid strolling in and doing what grown ass members of your tribe couldn’t would be enough for you to respect him. Plus Time has Biggoron’s sword in LU, meaning he did that side quest for the master craftsman. If that isn’t one brother helping another then I don’t know what to tell you.
Going over now to LU, the three of them would spearhead the shenaniganery that would ensue if the chain were ever let loose in the Eldin region (in any era). Wild would be climbing around all over the place making friends and Twilight wouldn’t resist a few friendly sporting matches and yeeting half the population off the mountain.
Also I’m thinking that the chain would meet up after an afternoon of doing their own thing only to walk in on Time winning an arm wrestling match with a really strong Goron. Whether he’s using the golden gauntlets or not doesn’t affect how hyped the group are seeing their leader kicking ass with the biggest grin on his face.
~~~
Thanks for reading.
Masterlist
9th place in the LU character design ranking
Character analysis posts:
Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors
Parkour team - LU drabble
How each member of the chain laughs - LU headcanon
Remember that Wild eats rocks. Never forget this vital information.
I’d like to include Wars but I don’t think he connected much with Darunia during the war and he’s too busy being a high ranking soldier to take trips to Death Mountain.
#timber and pup and cub#child timeline squad#i'd consider wild the chain's ace#linked universe#lu#linkeduniverse#linked universe fanfiction#lu fanfic ideas#lu fanfiction#lu headcanons#lu time#lu twilight#lu wild#lu warriors#was inspired by a cheems meme to make this#72nd post#my fave number!!
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Of Fire and Ice - Chapter6
Melissa Schemmenti X reader X Larissa Weemes
Summary: tensions is rising
Words:6763
Notes: (y/n) is struggling here
Warnings: clear tension between the trio, slight argument, and possessiveness and marking, slight thigh riding but barely there
The both of you walk in holding hands and you pull her to the side. “Hey before we go all the way In let me just tell yo-what are you doing?” She is unbuttoning an extra button and adjusting her shirt. “What? Don’t you want to impress?” She smirks at you “eyes are up here hun.”
“Oh um sorry.” You shake your head and look back at her sheepish. “What I was going to say was don’t worry about her you are my date so just don’t do anything drastic.” She places a hand on her chest. “What could I possibly do?” She is smiling at you with a twinkle in her eye that sends shivers up your spine but also makes you nervous. “Mel-“ “come on love” she drags you into the mixer. Straight onto the dance floor.
She had her arms wrapped around your neck looking up into your eyes smiling. You place your hands on her waist holding her close as you dance to the music. “You know, I didn’t get to fill you in on the types of people that are going to be here.”
“You should have woke me up.” “No you looked so peaceful. But I can fill you in now.” She nods at you to continue, resting her head on your shoulders as you continue to slow dance. “Nevermore is a safe haven for our students to learn and grow no matter who or what they are. For over 200 years we have welcomed outcasts of all kinds werewolves, vampires, witches, sirens, gorgons, psychics, and shapeshifters.”
She nods against your shoulder humming to let you know she understands. “I’m a witch specifically a Strega. You nod at each group listing them off and then you land on Larissa. She smiles at you and you return it. “Larissa is a shapeshifter.” You don’t notice both women are glaring at each other. But you unintentionally turn them away from each other.
“Melissa?” You ask softly “Hmm?” She responded looking up at you. “Are you okay? This isn’t to much is it?” Suddenly self conscious you stop moving just holding her. “No love it’s not to much I’m just enjoying your company is all. Come on let so get a drink” she leads you of the dance floor to the bar only a seat away from Larissa.
As you both put in your drink orders you notice that Larissa has moved to the chair closest to you. “You know I’m curious about how you 2 met.” She is gesturing between the both of you. Her hand landed on you forearm resting there. Melissa doing the same on the other as they make eye contact.
“Oh well it all started when (Y/N) here started at Abbot.” You nod along trying not to pay attention to the hands on your forearms. “Yes I took over Melissa’s 3rd grade class for her. You should’ve seen her, she is a bad ass teaching both 2nd and 3rd graders in 1 class.” You look at her smitten. Feeling the small squeeze from Larissa’s hand. “You know (y/n) I’ve missed talking to you. They way you were so passionate about things.” You suddenly feel like a toy that 2 little kids want.
“I agree she is VERY passionate.” Melissa raises her eyebrows at you, and you gape at her like a fish. “Oh believe me I know.” Larissa smirks back.
You can distantly hear footloose playing in the background deciding to use that as an exit strategy. “Oh I love this song care to join me.” They Both stand following you. Well at least it’s a line dance to they won’t have to interact much.
As you are dancing you can’t help but think about why Larissa keep the ring. Why is she wearing it. It’s been years and not once has she tried to reach out to you. Would you have come had she? You do your turn now facing Melissa’s back. And you decide that you don’t know what you would have done.
—*—
As the night comes to an end you are all walking to the elevator getting in with a small group of people. Melissa standing in front of you your hands on her waist as she leans into you. You unintentionally leaning into Larissa, making more room in the crowded elevator her hands now on your shoulders.
As the floors tick off and people start to leave. You 3 remaining in the same position till finally it’s just y’all. You realize just how comfortable you are between them. Does that make you shitty?
“Hhh looks like my floor is coming up” Larissa says from behind you none of you move from where you are standing. “Ours too.” Melissa responds to her “13 is my fa-“ “favorite number” they say together.
IT’s suddenly very tense in the small compartment all 3 of you pressed together. The breathing shallow. The door dings and opens in your floor making all of you jump apart like you’ve been burnt. And for you you have.
All 3 of you walk in the same direction realizing your rooms are right next to each others.
“I um can i speak to you (y/n)… alone?” Mel kisses you hard before going into the room. No doubt that she has her ear pressed to the door.
“Hey” you put your hands in your pocket unsure what to be doing with them. “Hey” she responds looking equally unsure. “Larissa I-“ “she is beautiful. I had this idea that we would see each other again and fall back in love and get back together. (Y/N) I never stopped loving you.”
“Stop” you wrap your arms around yourself all the words like a punch to the gut. “I only left because you asked me to. YOU broke up with me. Larissa I loved you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Obviously” you grab her left hand looking intently at the clearly loved ring. You both have unshed tears threatening to fall.
Every happens so quickly you don’t know what happened. One minute she has pushed you against the door her thigh between your own her tongue fighting your own. The next she is closing her door behind her as yours swings open behind you. And you get pulled into a body.
The door closes behind you and you get pushed into it. This time the thigh between your own belongs to Melissa she is kissing you hard before she starts on your neck. You let out a moan as she bites into your flesh. “Mine! let her know who you belong to”
The frantic knocking on the door scares the both of you. The bruise on your neck already showing she smirks pulling you into her then opening the door. “Yes Larissa can we help you?” And suddenly you are pressed between them again
#larissa weems x reader#larissa weems#melissa schemmenti#melissa schemmenti x reader#gwendoline christie#lisa ann walter
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Back in this poll I did, Wall of Handprints and gargoyle lore tied for an infodump. The Wall of Handprints info is here (it's basically a communal art piece in the Hidden City that's been continued for several centuries), now on to the gargoyle lore. (Gonna be completely honest, I forgot which of the seven different phone documents I use for writing fic stuff I originally wrote this in, so it took a while to find.)
Huginn and Muninn's species (which I've named pygmy gargoyles due to the fact that all other gargoyles we see are HUGE compared to them) live in large groups, called warrens or hives, usually anywhere between 50-200 members. As a species they reproduce asexually, basically through enchanting rocks to create a sentient lifeform, not unlike a homunculus. In fact, certain parts of the scientific community argue that pygmy gargoyles should be considered homunculi, but since classification as homunculi would seriously mess up their legal status as something of an independent colony not directly governed by the Council of Heads, most pygmy gargoyles don't like the term.
Doing the enchantments to create new gargoyles is actually a very intensive and complicated process, usually involving the whole warren, because enchanting rocks to bring them to life takes a lot of mystic energy (and since gargoyles are maintained as living beings purely through mystic energy, they don't have much to spare). They tend to do these enchantments in batches for the sake of energy efficiency, so the vast majority of gargoyles are automatically born with same age peers that they call hatchmates. Usually these groups are of about 4-7 new goyles at once, but they occasionally are larger for warrens that do the enchantments less frequently (usually ones that have a larger population).
After the goyles are 'born', a small handful of adults will take responsibility for raising them (this is determined before the enchantment is started so that only gargoyles interested in becoming parents will become parents). You have easily three to six direct caretakers--parents--and the rest of the community steps in as needed, something like uncles/aunts, grandparents, or cousins. Gargoyles are not born able to fly, and not all of them develop that ability. For the most part, though, it's a marker of development similar to puberty that they develop around their adolescent years. As a result, gargoyle children are most often called walklings, then flightlings as they start learning how to fly and gradually get better at it.
Pygmy gargoyles, as a rule, address the adults most involved in their upbringing with parental terms, and other less involved adults with familial terms. However, the exact titles are up to the individual kids. One might call someone 'Mama' and one of their hatch mates might call that same person 'Aunt'. Also, it's not uncommon for a kid to switch the terms the use for a given caretaker, so someone might be "Dad" one day, and "Uncle" another. Again, there's no biological connection, so the exact title isn't super important, but more or less indicates a level of closeness.
When gargoyles reach adulthood, they have a coming-of-age ceremony where they pick a new name for themselves. Hatchmates do not always have this ceremony together, as 'adulthood' is defined fairly nebulously based on several factors (flying strength/skill, educational level, social skills, etc), and in fact it's more common for them to have individual ceremonies over the course of several months or years. This ceremony is usually attended by a gargoyle's parents, hatchmates, and close friends. Huginn and Muninn had theirs together, so they picked matching names.
Some random facts: as inorganic beings, gargoyles don't have all the needs as organic ones. Yes, they can eat, but they don't need to. They also aren't capable of truly sleeping; it's more like napping, zoning out, or purposely ignoring the world around them. Most of them have a very good sense of direction (usually as a result of some magnetic material like magnetite or hematite being included during their creation). Also, they do have their own flight-based language, but this post is already massive so I won't go into that right now.
#rottmnt#rottmnt au#rottmnt headcanons#minor interference au#minor interference lore#rottmnt fanfiction#rise of the tmnt#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles#i love writing up a lore post and going 'wow this is barely scratching the surface' lmao#i'm so normal about worldbuilding you guys (wrote massive post about the completely invented cultural background of two minor characters)#fun fact i also have a separated au somewhere that draws heavily on all my gargoyle lore#because one of the turtles gets raised in huginn and muninn's warren (an organic being raised by very much inorganic ones is very fun)#but like. the au low key doesn't make sense without all the lore (and this isn't even all the lore)#anyway i love writing a 700 word post and then rambling in the tags lol
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The Rival
When I heard our principal call Jason’s name out at graduation, and saw him walk across the stage to get his diploma, that was the very last time I thought about him.
For twenty years, that is.
Let me start by saying, yes, I did grow up to be gay, but I wasn’t your typical “doesn’t know he’s gay yet” high school kid in the 90s. I was tall for my age at 5’10, blond, blue eyed, and a twink or maybe even a twunk before the term existed. I didn’t think about girls at all, but I told myself that’s because I was so happy and busy with my other school activities. My freshman year was amazing. I was in all the advanced classes getting As, joined school clubs, was in the band, and made varsity in track and field as a freshman. Being in varsity sports, because I was fast as fuck, also meant I gained access to the periphery of the popular kids’ circle. Life was pretty great.
Then sophomore year, he transferred to our high school. His name was Jason and he was practically my doppelganger in every way except for his light brown perfectly-mussed hair. He was smart and in all the same advanced classes as me. He joined clubs, and being the new mysterious kid, fell right in with the popular kids. At first, the rivalry started subtly. So much so, I wasn’t even aware of it. The first time I noticed it was in class one day as he leaned over to see that I got a 98 on our trigonometry test. He said, “Oh nice. ninety-eight isn’t bad. I got a hundred.”
A week or so later, we were standing in front of our lockers, both doors opened as we exchanged books between classes. He closed his door to the left of me and said, “Hey Logan, are you running for any class offices?” I said, “Yeah, I submitted my petition and signatures for class president already.” He just raised an eyebrow and said, “Hm. Maybe I should run.” And. The. Fucker. Did. I won’t lie, it was a close race. The mysterious, new kid versus the guy people were friends with for a year. We each drummed up support in our different branches of friend groups. In the end, I just scraped by with 10 votes to win. I was never one to gloat so I didn’t say anything about it. Also, deep down I think I wanted him to be my friend. But him losing the vote made that impossible. Of course, he shrugged it off like it was no big deal. “I didn’t really want it anyway. Seems like a lot of work.” But the months of glares that followed proved he was hiding his anger at losing.
Then January came and track season started. This was my world. I was entering sophomore year as the fast kid who was already on varsity. The top dog on the field. But as I walked up to the field on the first day of practice my stomach sank. There he was. Jason. Doing warm ups and stretching with my teammates. He just looked at me and said, “Hope you’re ready to have another fast guy on the team this year.” Damn it. This was my place to shine. And he was inserting his competitive streak into my world, yet again. To be fair, the cocky bastard had a right to be cocky. He was fast. Really really fast. Luckily we were fast in different races. I could beat him at short distances like the 100 meter. We’d pull close to each other on the 200 meter. But he could blow me away in the 400 meter. Like our grades and everything else about us, we were evenly matched.
Because I’d suddenly had a rival thrust into my life, and I was still a decade away from coming out of the closet, I never thought about him sexually. Except for that one time after practice. We both stayed later than everyone else to do extra sprint drills. The whole team had to do the same drill over and over until failure. Most of the team gave up around the end of practice. But not me and not Jason. Neither of us wanted to let the other “win” by giving up. Finally, after an endless sprint, walk, sprint, walk routine, the coach came back out to the field as the sun was setting and said, “Alright, you both win the gold medal. Get out of here. I need to close things up.” Who knows? If the coach hadn’t come out to settle things, we might still be out there doing sprint drills.
Because everyone else had gone home long before, we were the last two in the locker room. Which also meant we were the only two in the showers too. At the end of most practices before this, the showers were always packed with the rest of our team. But tonight it was just the two of us. Hard to avoid the awkward rivalrous tension. We tried to keep our backs to each other but once in a while one does have to turn around to wash the soap off his back. And I’d lie if I said I didn’t sneak a glimpse. Like me, he had a lean tall body and a runner’s bubble butt. But as we pivoted, I thought I saw something. Maybe something big! So I looked again when his back was to me once more. From behind, in between his taut, sinewy legs, I thought there was something hanging well below his balls.
Could his dick be that big? Did mine hang down that low too? Was he bigger than me? Why was I even wondering this? Was it because I liked his dick or just because he’d made me so competitive? I was staring at his naked body from behind, half in disbelief and half out of curiosity when he started to turn toward me. Shaken from my trance I started to turn too, but I caught a better glimpse of what looked like a big, long dick swinging around with his body motion. I heard him let out a short exhale. Surprised, I turned my head over my shoulder and he was staring in my direction. So I turned back around to face him. His eyes dropped down to my dick right as my eyes dropped to his. Confirmed, it was large. Not that I’d seen a bunch of other dicks besides mine and a few in the locker rooms. His balls seemed big too. Bigger than mine? Were big balls even a thing to be proud of? I had so many thoughts going through my hormonal teenage brain as I stared at this kid, my rival, naked and on full display in front of me. I looked up and my gaze met his. Both of us had surprised looks on our faces. We’d clearly sized up our competition in the most literal sense and both had been impressed.
The face-to-face stare felt like it lasted an eternity, but it probably lasted five seconds or less. Suddenly it dawned on both of us that we were staring at each other’s naked bodies and dicks, so we quickly turned back around. I washed the last of the soap off, grabbed my towel, and headed back to the lockers as fast as I could without looking like I was running away. He stayed in the showers longer, probably to let me get dressed and leave to avoid any more awkward moments. Or maybe for other reasons. Who knows. I was freaked out. Heart pounding, sweating, confused. So I booked it out of there. I did my best to avoid him in the lockers or showers again that season.
Track season and the school year ended without much ado. The following year was more of the same. Little competitive jabs. I’d grown accustomed to it. Maybe I was even secretly trying to best him too, without admitting it to myself or anyone else. Then as January approached again, I was preparing myself for another track season with my rival. Would we still be evenly matched? Would we have more encounters in the lockers? But much to my surprise, he didn’t show up to the first day of practice. The coach asked where Jason was and another kid answered, “He’s going to play volleyball this year instead.” “Phew,” I thought, “finally some peace and quiet around here.” I had no idea just how wrong I was.
One week after track season started, my best girl friend, Ellen, asked if we could hang out at McDonald’s after practice – the only hangout in town that was walkable from campus. Ellen and I had been inseparable since freshman year after we met the first week of advanced English. We were platonic besties who shared everything together. Which is what made it so difficult to hear the news she shared that night and Micky D’s. As we dipped our fries into a shared chocolate milk shake, she broke the news. Ellen said, “So, Logan. Don’t be mad. I’ve been keeping something from you.” In my innocent best-friend-brain, I thought she was going to tell me about seeing the Jurassic Park movie that we’d been talking about for a week, without me or something. “So, I’ve been talking to someone recently. And he asked me to be his girlfriend today.” My stomach sank. She’s been seeing someone and didn’t tell me all the time? Wait. Why wouldn’t she tell me? Unless… No… Unless it was…
“It’s Jason. I know, I know, I know. He’s so competitive with you and he can be a total asshole.” My stomach lurched. My heart stopped. Blood rushed to my face. My head spun. Was I going to spew chocolate milk shake fries all over the table? “I just think he’s misunderstood. He’s sooo sweet when he’s not trying to impress everyone. And he’s kind and has such a soft side. Did you know he likes poetry? He wrote me a poem!” The pale, blank look on my face must have spoken volumes. Ellen finally asked, “Are you in there? Are you ok? Are you mad?” I wasn’t mad. I was numb. In shock. But she was my best friend and I could see just how excited and happy she was. And I didn’t actually hate the dude. I just didn’t like him because he was always trying to get under my skin and beat me at everything.
Finally, the shock wore off and my heart started beating again. I feigned a weak smile as I said, “Wow, that’s a lot. Like. Uhhhh. Ok. Are you happy?”
She squealed, “Yes!! He’s great and I really really like him. And I promise things won’t change between us. Maybe you two will even become friends!”
We did not become friends. And everything did change. At least for a semester.
Jason and Ellen spent all their spare time together. I saw Ellen in classes and that was it. Every other waking moment she spent with Jason. To say I was crushed would be the world’s biggest understatement. And it showed. My parents asked if I was sleeping ok because I had circles under my eyes all the time. They worried because I’d been running a little slower in track meets. I assured them I was just a little burned out. But when school was over I’d be fine. I just needed to get through the last month of the semester.
And then everything changed again! On the very last day of school Ellen and Jason broke up. It wasn’t really one or the other’s fault. They didn’t fight or have drama – which wasn’t the typical high school breakup. They just found they didn’t have a lot in common after a semester’s worth of infatuation; the honeymoon phase wore off. Ellen started calling me every night again and hanging out with me on weekends. And as the platonic best friend, I was there to pick back up exactly where we had left off.
The following year, senior year, passed in what felt like a blink of an eye. And either I’d somehow psychologically insulated myself from the rivalry, or Jason had just stopped trying. Either way, we weren’t really on each other’s radars that entire year. We got into different colleges and went our separate ways. I went to the East Coast and he went North to Oregon.
…
It was 2015 and I was 38, living in San Francisco with a boyfriend. I had a steady job that I enjoyed, my boyfriend was handsome and kind, we had a great house, had lots of gay friends, and we traveled to gay parties from time to time. My physical appearance had changed dramatically too. Now I was a dirty blond, with a dark red beard, but still had the same blue eyes. I’d also shot up in height to 6’2 and weighed in at 195 pounds with a physique that gay gym culture demands. Tight, with abs that peeked through when I flexed really hard and had a muscular leanness that comes from morning jogs, and dancing all night long from time to time. How things had changed since my twinky closeted years in high school.
One day as I sat down at work, I opened up Facebook like I did every morning, so I could say “Happy Birthday” to friends. On this particular morning I also saw a few friend requests. I clicked the link and scrolled through some friend requests from some generic-looking guys that I’d probably met at some club or event. And then I saw it. A friend request that I never thought I’d see. It was him, but older. More rugged than I’d last seen him. But there he was in my friend requests. Jason.
I didn’t even know what to do. Was I ready for a rivalry to reboot all these years later? If I ignored the request, was that playing into the rivalry by suggesting I wasn’t confident enough to let him into my social network? With a quick glance at his photos and bio info, I determined that he looked taller, lean and fit, with a beautiful wife named Jenn, and two kids – a boy that looked just like he did as a kid and a girl who looked like Jenn. While some things were different, some things were still the same. That jawline was still etched like marble and his perfectly-mussed light brown hair hadn’t changed a bit. He looked older, but in a way that made him hotter. Like an older Josh Duahmel, subtly but perfectly aged by parenthood and straight life. A hot dad.
So I thought about it for another brief moment and… Fine. Let’s do it. It looks like we’re both happy and a lot can change in twenty years. So I accepted the friend request and went about my day.
Later that night, right before bed, I got a notification from Facebook that I had a new message. I opened the app and there it was, a new direct message from Jason. I cautiously opened it, curious to see if he would open with a familiar salvo from those competitive days.
“Hey man. Long time. I was reminiscing with some friends from high school recently and you came up in conversation. They said you lived in San Francisco and were doing great. I just moved my family back from Oregon to the Central Coast. I’m a math professor at Cal Poly. I love being back in California and the family seems to be really happy here too. Anyway, looks like you’re doing great. Hope to hear from you. Maybe we can catch up sometime. - Jase”
I read the message over easily a dozen times. Searching anywhere for a hint of our old rivalry. But I couldn’t find a single hint of it. Maybe twenty years, a family, a career, and life really did change him. So I decided to respond.
“Hey Jase (is it Jase now, not Jason)? Not sure I would have expected to hear from you in a thousand years. Glad I did tho. I’m really happy to hear you’re back in California and happy. Life is good for me too. We should definitely catch up sometime. Take care, Logan.”
And I thought that would be it. We had exchanged the ceremonial “hi how are you, great, I’m great too” greeting of distant high school connections that never tend to lead anywhere again. But then my Facebook app dinged again.
“Here’s my number. Let’s catch up for real sometime. I’ve wondered about you from time to time.”
I had to read that last message again. Because now I was intrigued, to say the least. He wants to actually talk to me? We hadn’t spoken a single sentence to each other in high school that wasn’t dripping with competition. But now he seemed genuinely trying to make a connection. So I sent him my number too and said, “Sounds great. Would love to catch up sometime.” And I closed the app, put down my phone, and went to bed.
The following weekend, as I was enjoying an unusually warm San Francisco summer afternoon in the park with my dog while my boyfriend gallivanted at some daytime realness party with friends, my phone buzzed. It was a text from a number I didn’t have saved in my contacts.
“Hey Logan. It’s Jase. Are you free to chat?”
Surprised and laying on my blanket doing absolutely nothing, I replied, “Sure. Call?” I hit send. And the phone rang instantly.
“Hey Logan! How are you, man? Did I catch you at an okay time?”
“Jase! Hey. Yeah, I’m just having a lazy afternoon in the park with my dog while my boyfriend does his social butterfly thing at the bars. What are you up to?”
“My wife and the kids went to see the new Pixar movie Inside Out. I wanted to go see Antman so I’m boycotting and playing hooky at home. I figured it would be a good time to catch up with you without the chaos of the family in the background.”
I said, “Damn, I want to see Antman too. Love the Marvel movies! I love all sci-fi but I’ve really been loving the Marvel stuff.”
“No way man, I love sci-fi too! My family doesn’t share the love though,” he said as he chuckled.
“I know the feeling. My boyfriend Darren begrudgingly goes to the Marvel movies with me, but he always seems lost and confused. It’s not as fun when you’re constantly explaining who someone is or what happened three movies ago.”
We both laughed and Jase said, “It’s too bad we don’t live a little closer. We could go see the Marvel movies together.”
“Honestly, that would be awesome. We’ll have to make that happen sometime,” I said.
Once we had a shared common love for sci-fi and Marvel movies, the conversational floodgates burst open. We talked about everything. How college had been for each of us. What led him to be a math major and professor. What led me to consulting. Fun things we’d done in the last 20 years. People from high school we still stayed in touch with. The last time we visited our hometown. We even had similar stories about how we’d met our partners, his wife an almost-missed connection at a concert and mine a random flirtation at a bar that I never thought would go anywhere. Even our political views were nearly identical. The time flew by and it felt like we could talk like this forever. Then Jase shifted the tone.
“Hey, man. It’s getting late and I’m sure my family will be home soon. This was great catching up with you. But I wanted to say something I should’ve said a long long time ago.”
I braced myself.
“I’m sorry for high school. I don’t know why I was such a dick to you. It’s just… I don’t know. I guess I arrived at a new school sophomore year and at my old school I was just like you. Good grades, sports, clubs, popular. You know, man?” I gave a short “mmmhmm” reply as he continued. “Then I got to our school and you were already all of those things. And I don’t know what happened in my brain, but I saw you as having all the things that should be mine and it made me so competitive. I wanted to beat you at everything so bad. And I know it fucked with you, man, and you didn’t deserve that. And honestly you never did or said anything mean to me, even though I was constantly fucking with you. Anyway, I’m sorry. I hope you know I mean it. Obviously I’ve had a lot of years to think it over and settle down. I’m happy now and I’m really glad you are too. Do you think we can put that stuff behind us and be friends?”
I was silent. At a complete loss for words. Jase finally said “Are you still there? I hope the call didn’t drop, because I really don’t want to have to say all that again.” And he chuckled again. The warmth of his chuckle snapped me back into reality.
I took a deep breath and said, “Jase… um, thank you. I think I just needed a minute because I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear you say those words until you said them. I really appreciate you saying all that. And yes. Absolutely water under the bridge. It’s actually really nice to talk to reconnect with you and find out we have so much in common.”
He said, “You know, we always were more alike than either of us probably wanted to admit. I guess it’s even more obvious now. We could practically be brothers or twins or something. Well, except for the part about you liking dudes.”
And we laughed together at that.
Jase said, “Alright, I see the headlights in the driveway. Let’s stay in touch. And Cal Poly isn’t that far from SF. Maybe we can meet up sometime. You could meet the family or something someday.”
“I’d love that. Let’s keep in touch and figure it out.”
I ended the call with the biggest grin on my face. My high school rival had just become my friend.
Over the next year or so, time passed quickly but we texted from time to time. We also commented on each other’s social media posts regularly. Which is how Jase saw my post about being single again in early 2016. He sent a supportive text message saying, “Hey man, sorry to hear about things ending with Darren. I hope you’re hanging in there. I’m here if you need anything.”
But it wasn’t until November of that year that we talked on the phone again. It was election night. Things weren’t looking good for Hillary Clinton. Everyone I knew was in a shell-shocked state of disbelief. None of us could sleep as we were glued to the news channels watching the states update their electoral votes. Then the race was called and Clinton conceded. My phone rang. It was Jase.
“Can you even believe it, man? What the actual fuck is happening right now? Are you doing ok?”
I wasn’t, but I replied, “I think I’m ok. Just in shock. You?”
He said, “The wife and kids went to bed. They were freaked out but I don’t think they worry about it the same way I do.”
So we talked for two more hours as we watched the map on CNN get redder and redder. We talked about life, our fears and hopes, escape plans if the Nazis took over, and more. Finally, after hours of chatting, at 3am Jase said, “It’s late man. I should try to sleep. But I’m curious. I have a question for you. My wife and kids are going to be out of town next weekend. Would you be interested in meeting up for a hike? There’s this hike in the Redwoods, about 3 hours north of you and I feel like some time in nature would help me forget about this whole mess.”
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t had someone invite me on a hike in ages. My gay friends invited me to clubs. The last thing I wanted to do as the world burned was dance in a dark club. I said, “Yes. I’d love to go hiking with you. That’s literally exactly what I need right now. Get some sleep and we’ll text to figure out all the details over the next few days.”
“Great, man. Sleep well. We’ll get through this shit show. ‘Night.”
“Night,” I said as I put the phone down and laid my head on the pillow filled with a mix of dread and excitement, As I desperately hoped for sleep to wash away that night’s living nightmare.
The Hike
We agree to meet at my place in the city bright and early on a Saturday morning and strike out north. If all went well, we’d be on the Redwood trail by 11am.
Jase arrives at 8am, and as he gets out of his car, it feels entirely surreal. I still see elements of the 18-year old rival walking toward me. But there is also a new softness in his gait as he approaches my house. I can’t help but gawk a little, even if briefly. He’s my height. Fit for a father of two and professor. Sure, I’d seen the pictures, but in person, he’s even more striking. He’s wearing hiking shorts that reveal his extremely fit runner’s quads and calves. His light sweatshirt over a t-shirt still shows off his broad chest and his toned arms and shoulders. I snap out of my brief reverie, open the door and say “Jase!”
He embraces me with the biggest, warmest hug. He holds us there for a good long moment – years of tension melting away in that embrace. He pulls back and says, “It’s nice to finally see you. It’s weird, you know? I feel like I’m seeing an old friend and meeting a new friend for the first time, all at once. Are you ready to hit the road?”
I say, “I am! Let’s see if we can beat the traffic. We have hours of car ride to talk each other’s ears off.”
We stash our hiking backpacks, filled with sandwiches, water, snacks, and layers of clothing, in the trunk of his car and we head out.
It turns out the three-hour car ride was ambitious. We hit traffic an hour north of the city, as the 9am breakfast crowds and other weekend adventurers set out for the day. Which means that we have plenty more time to chat. The conversation on this mini-road trip is just like the last two times we’d chatted on the phone. So natural. So effortless. And we seem agree on everything. We constantly laugh at how one of us brings up a topic he likes and the other says, “Me too!” We really do have so much in common. Except, as Jase would say, for the “liking dudes” part.
We arrive at the trailhead an hour behind schedule, but we set out on the 5-hour hike all the same. Unlike our chatty car ride, we spend most of the time on the trail in peaceful silence. We both need this dose of nature during this turbulent time in the world. The sounds of the forest, the crisp Fall breeze, the rhythmic and lockstep crunch of our four feet on the damp trail, all fill the void left by our silent vocal cords. What little conversation we do share happens only when we want to point out things to look at along the hike.
We stop for lunch in a meadow about two hours into the hike. It’s 2pm now and the sun is just past its peak; daylight savings time has recently ended. We eat and chat briefly before picking the trail back up. Shortly after we begin walking again, the sky darkens ever so slightly. We look up to see a slight cloud cover roll in. We agree to quicken our pace in case there’s rain coming. And sure enough, with about thirty minutes left of the hike, the first drops of rain begin falling. We laugh at the fact that neither of us brought rain gear. We trudge forward quickly hoping the rain doesn’t come down any harder, but our hopes are in vain. By the time we reach his car at 5pm it’s dark out and the rain is really coming down. We stash our bags in the trunk, jump in the car, and crank up the heater to warm up our soaked bodies.
“Well, that was unexpected,” I say. “That was not in the forecast!”
“I know, man. I was not prepared for rain at all.”
Back at the road, we have cell service again. Jase futzes with his iPhone. He lets out an exasperated sigh as he informs me, “Google Maps says the traffic is snarled on 101 all the way back to the city. It says it’ll take five hours to get back to your place.”
“We’re fucked!” I say, always being one to enjoy dropping the f-bomb.
He just laughs, “Easy there, buddy. We have options. How flexible are you about getting home tonight?”
I tell him the dog is already at the sitter until tomorrow and I ask what he has in mind.
He offers a solution. “There’s a motel nearby. Let’s go see if they have some rooms. We’re soaked and I’d rather not sit in stop and go traffic for five hours while we’re sopping wet.”
“Sure, why not?” I say. “The rooms are on me since you drove. Worst-case scenario is we can still drive home if there aren’t any rooms.”
The motel is nearby and is one of those two-floor places where the doors open out onto the parking lot. We run from our car through the rain into the reception area and ask if they have two rooms available.
The elderly woman behind the counter has a faded name tag that reads Delores. Delores says, “Sorry fellas, I can’t help you with two rooms. We only got the one room left. Queen bed. It’s yours if you want it, though.”
I look at Jase. This is totally his call. Sleeping in the same room and same bed with a gay friend is a big deal. “It’s up to you. I’m down if you are.”
I see him mulling it over in his head. Finally he says to Delores, “We’ll take it. Let’s not drive home in the rain at night.”
I sign the papers and give Delores my credit card. As she hands us the key, she says, “By the way, there’s a pizza place nearby that delivers. That’s about all we got ‘round here that’s gonna brave these roads in the rain. It’s real close though.”
We thank her for the tip, grab the number of the pizza place, and run to our room through the torrential rain. Jase fumbles with the key, desperately trying to get into the dryness of the room. We laugh hysterically as Jase drops the key, further prolonging our exposure to the wet cold downpour.
Finally the door opens and we scramble inside. We find the light switch, and the room is exactly what one would expect. Wood paneling on the walls, a queen bed with a nightstand and lamp on either side, a small dresser with a tv, a tiny table with two chairs, and a bathroom.
“Hey man, it could be worse,” Jase says.
“This will be just fine,” I say. “At least we’re out of the rain. Let’s order a pizza. I’m starving.”
Surprising neither of us, we both agree on the exact type of pizza – an extra large combination with extra pepperoni. As I start to dial the number on my iPhone, Jase says, “I’ll shower first while you order. Is that ok?”
“Sure thing,” I say, as he walks toward the bathroom. While he moves across the 20 feet toward the bathroom, he starts peeling off his drenched sweatshirt and t-shirt, placing them on the dresser to dry. I figure that will be it before he moves into the bathroom to finish undressing. But, to my complete surprise and delight, he takes off his dripping wet hiking shorts too and hangs them on the chair. I’m still slowly giving the person at the pizza place our order over the phone as I take in his body for the first time since high school. He’s lean and muscular just like he was in high school. He’s hairier now, a thick mat of salt-and-pepper hair covers his chest and thins out as it approaches his tight waist. As he turns around, his wet skin-tight boxer briefs cling to him. I see he still has the runner’s bubble butt that I spied all those years ago in the shower, too.
“Hey. I hope this is ok,” he says as he motions toward his clothes laid out on the dresser. “I left a little room for you to hang your stuff up later too.” He seems unfazed. Like being nearly naked in front of a gay guy is no big deal. It’s probably the locker room mentality all straight guys seem to have. Just bros, friends, buddies, teammates undressing before the showers.
I nod at him as I’m finishing giving the pizza order. “Wow, that’s fast. 15 minutes?! Great, we’re starving. See you soon!”
He’s already in the shower, the door closed and the water running. Almost five minutes later he cracks the door and says, “This water is taking forever to heat up. This might take a minute.”
“Ok, I’ll save some pizza for you if you’re still showering when it arrives.”
The pizza does arrive on time and while Jase is still in the shower. I tip the delivery guy $20 because I’m so thankful for the steaming hot disc of cheese and meat in my hands. I set the box down and dig in. I’m already on my third slice when I finally hear the water stop and Jase emerges. He has one towel wrapped around his waist, but his torso is still covered in water. He’s using a second towel to dry his hair, giving it that perfectly-mussed look, as usual.
“Whoa whoa whoa, easy there, buddy. You said you’d save some for me,” he says as he sees three slices missing. I just grin with a mouthful of pizza and shrug my shoulders at him.
“How about you go shower now and let me have a crack at this pizza?”
I nod as I shove the last bit of crust in my mouth. I walk into the bathroom, peel the wet clothes from my body, and turn on the shower. The water heats up more quickly after Jase’s first use. And one aspect that is not lacking in this small country motel is its hot water. The water pelts my skin and warms my bones, instantly erasing the chill I’d felt for the last hour or more. My shoulders drop with relief even as my mind races with anticipation and excitement for what’s waiting right outside the bathroom door. I’m in a hotel room with my high school rival. My new friend. My straight friend. Who’s hot as fuck. And we have to share a bed.
Whatever, I’m sure it’s not like that. He’s married with kids and we’re friends now. We’ll get some sleep and get back on the road tomorrow, our friendship becoming even closer from having shared this wild detour in our hiking trip.
I finish my shower, dry off, and wrap a towel around my waist as I enter the bedroom again. He’s already eaten his half of the pizza, leaving me two more slices of my half. He’s sitting upright on the bed, propped up with pillows behind his back, his towel still around his waist. After I drape my sopping wet clothes alongside his on the dresser, I dig back into the pizza.
I sit down on the foot of the bed, scarfing down another slide of pizza, and Jase says, “It feels nice to be warm and dry again. I tried cranking up the heater, but it says it’s on the maximum heat as it is. I hope it gets warm enough to dry our clothes by tomorrow morning.”
I’m eating my last bite of pizza and respond with a half full mouth of cheesy crust and say, “Could stand to be a little warmer, but I guess you take what you get when you’re stuck in the woods.” We both laugh and he looks at his phone.
I ask, “Do you need to call your family to check in? Say goodnight or whatever?”
“Nah, I already texted Jenn with our situation while you were showering. And besides…” he trails off.
“Besides what? Everything ok?”
He hesitates another few seconds, and says, “It’s just. I was going to tell you but it’s weird, you know? I know you’ll probably understand because I think this is pretty normal for gay guys. But this is still new for me, man.”
My mind is imagining a million different scenarios for what comes next. “Ok, I’m listening. You can tell me anything. I won’t judge. Promise.”
“Oh, I know you won’t. That’s why I wanted to tell you at some point. Hm. I guess it was about a year ago. Jenn and I decided to be poly and open up.” He must have noticed my eyebrows hit the ceiling with surprise. “With some rules of course. We’ve only played apart twice so far. We choose a weekend every few months, we send the kids away to my parents’ house for the weekend, and we make plans with someone we trust and approve of, for a play date.”
I’m shocked but impressed. “First of all, thanks for sharing that. And you’re right. That’s a big thing to share, so I'm really glad you felt like you could confide in me. But I have to ask, why are you out here with me instead of with your lady lover friend?”
He laughs. “Lady lover friend? Is that what you gay guys call your fuck buddies?” We both laugh as I shrug my shoulders. He continues, “To be honest, I just wasn’t feeling it after the whole election thing. The woman I’ve had sex with twice so far is great. She’s sexy and understands the arrangement. She hasn’t once tried to ask for more and doesn’t make things weird in between. The sex is amazing. My wife knows about her. And I know about the woman my wife is having sex with too.”
My eyebrows shoot to the sky for a second time. “Really? Your wife and you both have women lovers. This is wild. Also, I can actually relate. My last boyfriend and I were open on occasion with some rules – similar but different to your rules. I’m just impressed, is all. I only have a few straight friends who are poly. Are you enjoying it? Are you handling it all pretty well? Sorry, that’s a lot of questions.”
Jase says, “I think I’m good with it. It was Jenn’s idea at first. She said she’d always had bisexual curiosities and she wanted to explore them. We talked about it a lot. It took some getting used to but I also wanted to make her happy. And not going to lie, I was secretly excited about my own opportunities too.”
I crawl up next to him on the bed, sitting side by side, propped up against the headboard. I’m looking eye to eye with this handsome high school rival of mine who has a far more interesting life than I could have ever imagined. We talk for another hour, mostly me asking him questions about the poly dynamic. I pepper in some observations from my own experiment with being open too. This turns out to be yet another thing we share and have nearly identical views on.
At this point it’s 8pm. I can see him stifling some yawns between his answers to my questions. I say, “Hey, it’s getting late. Or, well, it’s late for you. You got up so early to make up to San Francisco by 8am. Want to turn the lights out and get some sleep? We can talk about this tons more on the drive back tomorrow.”
He smiles and nods, “You’re right. I am getting tired. Let’s save the rest for tomorrow.”
He swings his legs over the side of the bed and pulls his damp towel off as he slides under the covers. He looks at me as I stare quizzically. “What?” he says. We can’t sleep in wet towels and our clothes are still soaked.”
“Okay, okay. I’m just trying to take my cues from you. I’ll be a gentleman, I promise.”
We share a chuckle as I pull a similar maneuver as his, ending up under the covers naked. He reaches for his lamp and I mimic the move. “Lights out,” I say.
“Sleep well, man.”
We lay there on our backs respecting each other’s side of the bed. A queen bed doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for two 6’2 guys with some width to their frames. He turns to face away from me, and I can’t help but think of his bare bubble butt facing me. I wonder if it’s hairy like his chest. My mind is torn between a state of excitement about a hot, naked dad in the bed next to me, and being chill and not wanting to do anything to ruin this new friendship on our first adventure together.
Eventually our eyes adjust to the darkness. The glow of red light from the “no vacancy” light outside dimly permeates the room. I can’t sleep. I’ve always been like this. When I have so much on my mind, I can’t turn it off. Even when my body is completely fatigued like it is tonight after our hike. I look at my phone for the time. It’s 9:57pm and I’m still wide awake with no prospect of sleep in sight.
Jase has been turning from his side to his back periodically. But I can’t tell if he’s just a really quiet sleeper or if he’s secretly struggling with sleep too.
And then it happens. As he turns from his side to his back again, this time his hand brushes my butt just a little longer than it should have to be an accident. I’m facing away from him and my eyes flash wide open. Is that what I think it was? Did he just intentionally touch my butt? I mean it’s a nice butt – I have decades of squats to thank for that. But he’s straight. C’mon, think! If he meant to touch it, then he’s waiting for me to make a move to reciprocate. If it was an accident, and I initiate something, it could freak him out. Or maybe he really is asleep. Fuck it. I roll over on my back, and let my right hand touch his left hand, which he’d clearly left on “my side” of the bed. Our pinky fingers and ring fingers are overlapping, touching. I wait for a sign. And wait some more.
Then I get the signal I was hoping for. His pinky finger wiggles a little. My brain breathes a silent sigh of relief. This is it. So I wiggle my fingers just a little in return. With that, Jase starts to move his hand more fully. I assume it’s to pull back completely. But what he does next surprises me. Jase puts his hand fully underneath mine and wraps his fingers in mind. He’s holding my hand! Warm electric energy runs from my fingertips, up my arm, to my chest. I’m exhilarated. He has just given me a hint, but I realize that he might need me to take the lead a little.
So I start slowly. Gently.
First I slowly pivot my body so I’m on my side facing him. I haven't let go of his hand. And then I wait. Once this new position feels comfortable for us, I slowly move my other arm toward him, placing my left hand on his hairy chest. I wait for a reaction. Finally, he inhales and exhales with a deep sigh that speaks volumes.
I say quietly, just above a whisper, “Is this ok? Are you ok?”
I hear his head brushing on the pillowcase as he nods and says, “Yeah. I think so.”
I begin massaging his tight chest muscles. His heart is beating faster, pulsing so hard I can feel it through his chest. He starts to turn toward me, moving his face to mine.
I put my finger on his lips and say, “First things first. Is this ok? You know, with your poly rules? I don’t want to be a homewrecker.”
I feel his lips tighten into a smile. “Yeah. This is ok. In fact, a few months ago Jenn asked me if I like you ‘like that.’ Ever since we had our first phone call she says all I ever do is talk about you. Jenn says she’s happy to see me so excited about someone else.”
“I guess we have the green light then. Have you ever done stuff with a guy?”
Now with our faces inches apart, I can see him shake his head no in the faint red light of the room. He asks, “Is that ok?”
I just nod, move my finger away from his mouth, and bring my lips to his. I leave our lips pressed together, mouths closed, to savor the moment for a long moment. My beard brushes against his three-day scruff. His lips are softer than I expected. Then I open my lips and go in for another kiss. He matches my moves and opens his mouth too. Our tongues cautiously cross into each other’s mouths and when they touch it feels like lightning strikes. By the reaction of his (body slightly convulsing, I know he feels it too.
We kiss more, slowly at first, tongues exploring each other. I bring my hand behind his head and begin slowly massaging the back of his neck and head as we kiss. He must like this because he lets a weak moan escape his mouth and echo into mine.
He seems more comfortable with what’s happening, as he suddenly grabs my head with both of his hands and starts kissing me with abandon. Intense, fast, tongues everywhere. His body seems to be going into autopilot and taking something that it has wanted for far too long. I’m matching his pace and actions with equal intensity. He’s a phenomenal kisser. I can’t help but think how lucky his wife is to have a husband who kisses with such passion.
We rise to our knees on the bed, lips locked and hands roaming all over our upper bodies. His flesh is searing hot, releasing all that pent-up desire. I want more but I’m still torn about being too forward. I want him to give me another sign. And he does. He takes my hand in his and moves it down his stomach toward his crotch. “Touch it.”
His wish is my command. I reach my hand out in the darkness and grasp his dick. And exactly as I’d suspected all those years before, it’s huge. I can’t see it clearly, but by this point in my life as a gay man, I can tell a big dick when I feel one. This thing is a monster. It’s so thick that my hand doesn’t fully reach around it. And it’s harder than rebar, which tells me that he’s very into what’s happening right now. So I slowly begin to stroke from the base to the head. When I reach the head, his body shudders and buckles a little. I pull my lips from his long enough to spit in my hand, lubricating it with my saliva, and placing it back around his massive cock.
He sighs and quivers as my lubricated hand begins to jerk him off in earnest now. His hips buck and thrust as he fucks my hand around his dick. We keep our lips locked as I alternate using my hand slowly and quickly, base to head. Suddenly he stops. Pulls back from my face and hand abruptly, and says, “Will you… uh…suck it?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” I teasingly reply.
I push him back onto the so he’s laying down with his head propped on the pillow. I reach over and turn the lamp on.
“Is this ok? It might be more fun for you if you can see your dick disappear in my mouth.” The smirk on his face is the answer I need.
I arrange my body and lower my face to his crotch. With the lights on I can see his dick in its full glory. It truly is remarkable. The glimpse I caught in high school was absolutely an accurate depiction of the giant member standing upright in front of me now. I reach my tongue out and lick the tip of his head. He gasps. This is going to be fun.
I lower my mouth over just the tip and close my lips, leaving them there as I swirl my tongue briefly around. I look up at him, the tip of his dick in my mouth, As our eyes make contact, his dick twitches. Ok, so he likes seeing me take his cock inside of me. Good.
I lower my mouth further down his shaft, then back up. I could take more, but I want to pace myself. Or rather, I’m pacing him. I want him to feel the anticipation and full range of sensations of a proper blowjob. I pick up the pace a little, taking about six inches into my mouth of what must be an almost nine inch Goliath. The head of his dick has swelled so big with all this excitement that I start to doubt if I’ll ever be able to get it fully down my throat. But I commit myself to it, knowing this is what he needs. So I inhale and punch my face downward. His fat head catches on my uvula and tonsils at first, but I persist and consciously push away my gag reflex. And just like that, it slides deeper into my throat. As my nose buries itself in his pubes and my chin rests on his heavy balls, he lets out a loud groan. I lift back up gagging a little, gasping for air.
With deep-throating tears in my eyes I look at him and grin as I ask, “Did you like that?”
He looks amazed, shocked, bewildered, and in ecstasy all at once. He reaches up to wipe the tears away and says, “Oh man, Yeah I liked it. A lot. Can you do it again?”
I respond by moving my head back down toward the tower below me, granting his wish. I deep-throat him over and over. Saliva coating his dick and pooling around the base. I do this for a few more minutes – as long as my poor throat can take it. Finally, I need air and a break from the pummeling my throat is taking.
I lift my mouth off his dick and move up to kiss him deep. The taste of his dick is all over my lips and beard. He seems to enjoy it as I feel his dick throb again in my hand as we share the taste of my saliva and his precum.
We stop kissing and just stare at each other. Electricity sparking between every part of our bodies. He finally looks down at my dick. I’m harder than I may have ever been in my entire life. And, while I’m about an inch shorter than him, I’m still pretty sizable.
He grins a devilish grin, and I respond with an inquisitive look. “What’s that look about?”
He says, “I think I finally found one thing where I’m finally the winner! My dick is bigger than yours.”
I let out a huge laugh and say, “Ok, wise guy. I guess you’re right. It only took 20 years and getting me naked to finally beat me at something. But who’s really winning here? Look at you. I’m the lucky guy who gets to suck this giant dick on a sexy fucking man.”
“You could do more than suck it, you know?”
I stop slow-stroking his dick. “What do you mean? I’m no expert here, but wouldn’t you have some safe sex rules or something? Did you bring a condom?”
He grins. “I think I’m about to surprise you again. Jenn and I really researched this stuff when she first brought up the poly idea. We learned about PrEP and so now I take it in advance of our play dates. Are you on PrEP too?”
As he predicted, I sat there staring at him in utter disbelief. This is not at all what I expected when I agreed to go on a hike with my old high school rival.
“Yeah, I’m on PrEP. Do you think your wife is going to be ok with you putting your dick in a guy’s butt, though?”
“I think she’s going to love it. But I want it too. I want to be inside of you.”
There is nothing hotter Jase could have said to me at that moment. I kiss him hard and deep, my tongue and his tongue doing battle in an effort to express our desires. I pull back and return my mouth to his pulsating dick, doing my best to repeat my deep-throating magic from before. My saliva begins gushing again, lubricating his dick.
I jerk my head up and say, “That should do the trick.”
I crawl up toward him and straddle his hips with my legs. I can feel his dick desperately seeking its target. But he’s new to this and needs some guidance. I spit on my hand, reach behind myself, lube up my hole, and lean back ever so slowly. I can feel the glistening head of dick touch the lips of my hole. Thankfully, I’m pretty well versed when it comes to riding big dicks. I should be able to take his impressive member with spit only. At least for a little while.
As his head pierces the outer ring of my hole, I let out a moan. His eyes stare at me intently with a mix of curiosity and anxiety. I just smile down at him and nod empathically telling him, “it’ll be ok, I’ve got you.” After a minute of teasing his head with my ass lips, I push all my body weight downward and engulf the entirety of his giant cock. His eyes bulge. My eyes bulge. For different reasons and the same reasons all at once. It’s a lot for me to take. Especially without proper lube. But I’m not giving up. We both want this. We both need this. So I slowly lift my body up all the way so just the tip is in me and fall back downward in one rapid movement. As I bottom out and feel his balls against my tight glutes, he lets out a guttural, feral moan. I know he’s feeling every bit as connected to me as I feel to him.
I ride him a little more slowly and reach my face down to his for a deep kiss. He begins to whimper into my mouth, clearly letting all his inhibitions go as he gives himself fully to this act he’s been wanting for so long.
Riding him and kissing him blurs into an endless loop. Time has no meaning. He’s so deep inside me that our bodies feel like they’ve become one. After what feels like an eternity in this perfect place, I pull my face back from his and lean my body fully back as I grind on this giant piece of my friend, impaling myself on it to my very core.
And then, without any hesitation, he reaches for my dick that has been creating a slick puddle of precum on his tight, hairy belly. I look back down at him and moan. He grins, clearly enjoying that he has found a way to make me groan too. As he has my dick in his hand, he also takes control of the action and starts thrusting up into me. We meet in the middle, my downward thrusts and his upward thrusts making loud slapping noises that echo off the wood paneling. He’s a goddamn natural at this. His instincts are kicking in and he’s taking more and more control. He’s taking what he wants: me and my hole.
His hand on my dick starts to feel too good. So, I reach for his hand and say, “I’m getting close. Be careful.”
He brushes my hand away and says, “Good. I’m close, too. Can I… cum in you?”
“Fuck yes, please. Cum deep in me.”
This is clearly what he was hoping to hear. He thrusts into me with abandon, never letting go of my dick. I’m moaning and grinding, he’s thrusting and jerking. For a second time we get lost in what seems like an endless loop of pure magnetic hedonism.
Then I feel it. He feels it. Our dicks swell in unison – mine in his hand, his in my hole. We both know it’s coming. That moment where you just know it’s close and unavoidable. We quicken our pace and our intensity of thrusting and jerking. And then… everything just explodes. Our dicks, our bodies, our minds.
I grind down onto him hard and squeeze my sphincter tight as my dick unloads rope after white gooey rope of cum onto his chest. His head is thrown back, eyes shut, grunting and panting gutturally. I feel his fat dick pulse over and over again, his huge load starting to drip out of me, down around his dick and onto his balls. I pull his head back up, his face to mine, and I kiss him as our dicks convulse their final geysers of cum.
I press my forehead against his. We stay in that position, heaving, catching our breath. His dick softening inside of me, mine resting on his cum-soaked hairy abdomen. After our heart rates return to a somewhat normal pace, I lift my head and he lifts his. We stare at each other for a long time. I scan his face for any sign of post-nut clarity, fight or flight, paranoia, regret, etc. I sense nothing but contentment in his droopy, fuck-drunk eyes.
Even with his dick semi-hard, it doesn’t fully slide out of me on its own. It’s too big. So I climb up and off of it. As I do, the rest of his pool of cum exits along with it. There’s so much I can hardly believe it. I shot a big load, but I think his load was even bigger. It doesn’t matter though. All things considered, I’m pretty sure I think I ended up the winner of this rivalry.
Epilogue
We grab a towel and clean ourselves up enough to crawl back into bed. It’s almost midnight at this point and we finally feel the waves of exhaustion sweep over our bodies. We’re side by side holding hands, and I have a million questions. But I think better of it. He’s happy. I’m happy. Let that be enough. But as if he could read my mind, Jase moves closer and lays his head on my chest. Feeling deeply connected to my friend, I nod off.
When we wake, we’re cuddled together for warmth in the not-quite-warm-enough room. Oddly enough I’m the big spoon and he's the little spoon. He has both of my arms pulled tight and wrapped around him. His entire body is pressed into mine, including his perfect bubble butt into my very hard dick. The thought crosses my mind of initiating round two, but I think better of it. Last night was enough intensity to last a lifetime. And maybe he’s not ready to bottom yet. So I just grind slowly into him as I start kissing his neck. I hear him let out a sleepy yawn as his body tenses and shivers into wakefulness.
We get up together admiring each other’s bodies and rock hard morning wood. He pulls me toward the shower with him and we make out while the shower takes its time heating up. Then we climb into the shower together, kissing and jerking each other off. We both want more but we both know there’s plenty of time for more in the future. We wash the mixture of dried sweat and cum off each other’s bodies and enjoy our hard dicks pressed up against our bodies.
Out of the shower, our clothes are finally dry, so we climb back into our hiking attire. The rain has stopped so we pile into the car and head to a diner for a quick bite before the drive home. We grin and stare at each other over eggs, bacon, and coffee.
On the ride home we mostly sit quietly. About half way home, Jase asks, “Was I ok? Was that good for a first time fucking a guy?”
I turn my head dramatically and say, “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were lying about that being your first time. You were amazing. Top ten… no, top five experiences of my lifetime. And your dick… I may never stop thinking about your dick until the last day of my life.”
He’s blushing. “Thanks. I don’t know if you could tell, but I’ve wanted that for a long time. I think I wanted it even in high school but didn’t realize it then. You were so cute and I hated you. But I think it was just easier to feel competitive and angry at you than it was to feel attracted to you. Anyway, last night was really special for me.”
Now I’m blushing. “We’re totally on the same page. And just to be clear, I’m no home wrecker. Just like your other play friend, I won’t be weird or cause drama. I want you to know that.”
He smiles, “I know. It’s why Jenn and I agreed that if this did happen it would be ok. We both trust you.”
“Wait a minute!” Now I’m curious. “Did you plan this?” I laugh at the thought of him planning out our trip and running late and needing a motel.
He stammers out an answer, “No! No, not at all. It’s just that Jenn knows shit and she said if the opportunity ever arose between us, that it would be allowed. I laughed it off at first, but I think she saw something I wasn’t quite yet ready to admit to myself. Anyway, I know you won’t cause drama. But I was wondering. Do you think…” He trails off again.
“Yes.” I answer, not fully knowing the question. “But go on. What were you going to ask?”
“Well, I was wondering if you would, uh, be interested in doing this again the next time we have our open weekend. I really want more of you when it’s allowed.”
As my face erupts into a smile I answer definitively, “Absolutely.”
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'Get Some Rest, My Little Rockstar'
Hobie + Child!Reader
THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE, I also cried writing this (multiple times)
TW: Character death
ANYWAYS ENJOY!
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This was supposed to be a normal day in hobies universe swinging around doing patrol, then a villain struck tearing apart a building. He managed to save a lot of people, but something felt off when he was pulling the last man out of the rubble, his spidey senses were tingling. He followed them. The stronger they got, the more he could hear it. A baby sobbing and screaming. He pushed a large chunk of rubble away to find a little baby in a carrier thrashing around.
He picked up the baby and gently rocked it. "Hey, little rockstar. Dont cry, ill be okay I promise. Spider-Punk has got you" He picked up the carrier and carefully walked out of the rubble. The first thing he did was take you to the hospital to make sure that this little baby was okay. the hospital said that either hobie could keep you or register you into the foster system. Hobie took you with him, he took some cash he had stocked away out. He looked at you, you were gonna be the only thing in his life he wanted consistency of. "C'mon rock star! Let's go find you some punk clothes."
Now, hobie wasn't the type to enjoy dressing up, but finding little baby punk clothes to put you in warmed his heart. You were his pride and joy now. A few months later your first word was 'punk' and after learning a few more words, hobie was called 'papa punk'
You grew up like a chaotically smart devil. Hobie constantly encouraged you to try things, you weren’t a spider person, but HQ loved having you around. Hobie enjoyed watching you try everything, and not stand by and be a cookie-cutter kid. You were allowed to wear whatever you wanted and do what you wanted (Within reason)
By the time you were 8, you had earned a black belt in karate, you could play your mini electric guitar pretty well, had been kicked out of 3 different schools for starting fights, and you could read just under 200 words per minute, and you had a secret cat that Hobie hasn’t found out about for 2 months. People thought that hobies yes as much as possible method would you into a monster, but it didn't you were often extremely kind and well versed in etiquette.
Hobie loved rocking out with you, he enjoyed time with you. He was a classic dad at times, making fun of you in front of your friends, or trying to embarrass you in front of your crush. Watching you grow up was his favorite thing in the whole world...
Until 4 years later, an anomaly villain reached his universe, you were doing as you normally did helping old people and little kids evacuate the area. Hobie and then the entire squad including Miguel were helping out. Then it happened, a torn-up pipe the villain had thrown slashed a large cut through your side. Hobie heard you scream and immediately ditched the group to run to you, run to his kid, his pride and joy.
You fell down not having the strength to stand, he caught you in time, "Hey kid, cmon keep them eyes open okay? Im gonna get you to HQ and the nurses are gonna heal you up. hold still." he tried to lift you carefully, he sat you back on the ground after he heard you scream in pain, "Kid, I can't lose you, Stay awake"
you weakly pull his mask up, wanting to see his face one last time. "Papa punk, You lived 20 years without me, I'm sure you can do it again" Hobie teared up and hugged you close "Im not gonna let you die." "Hey Dad, can I ask you somethings before I go??" his heart shattered. "Yeah, kid, anything"... he pulled away and kissed your forehead "At any point, even for a second....Did I make you proud?" that question made hobies heart hurt so bad "Every single second of every day you were in my life I was proud of you." you nod. "I don't want to go to Valhalla looking like a loser.... can I borrow your leather jacket for a bit?" hobie took off the jacket and slipped it on you. "Papa punk?" he stares at you, "Smile, I'm your canon event. Events are meant to be fun. Smile once last time for me papa" Hobie forced a weak smile at his child's request, ignoring the tears slipping out of his eyes. "Papa don't cry... You'll ruin your eyeliner" You laugh weakly and hobie smiles a small bit at your laugh... "Im sure you are tired kiddo" he kissed your forehead again as the last breath slipped from your lips
"Get Some Rest, My Little RockStar"
Bonus: Hobie had you cremated and put your ashes in a bunch of resin art so he could walk around his boat and you'd be there with him. He keeps a necklace on him with your ashes inside, every mission he completes. he kisses the small vial and say 'we won'. He still plays the guitar, mostly your favorite songs with a guitar pick he had you paint him when you were little. He made sure you were never alone. He missed you so much, and on the anniversary of your death he didn't take any missions he just sat home and talked out loud about all the amazing things you've missed in the past year, in his mind believing you could hear him.
#hobie headcanons#atsv hobie#hobie spiderverse#hobie brown#im not sorry#spiderpunk#spider punk#spider man: across the spider verse#heavy angst
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Power Armor Punch Part Forty Nine
Masterlist
Teshteal: Ah. We’re here. *hides behind Gardio*
Nick: *sour look at the smaller man*
Gardio: *sees Jas finally and smiles* Directly, what a sweet looking child!
Jasmine: (Snuggles closer to Nick in her sleep, still clutching him tightly with her fingers gripping his coat. She feels warm and safe right now, better than she does awake. Her commands can’t reach her, she’s momentarily free from the terrible trance she was put in)
Lucille: Dad… are you okay?
Gardio: I’m fine. Why?
Lucille: “Directly, what a sweet looking child” is not a normal sentence. Even for you.
Gardio: *thinks about the word salad he responded with just a second ago* Oh- that is pretty bad. Sorry- the radiation must have gotten to my head for a second there, sweetie. *sheepish grin*
Teshteal: *clinging to Gardio’s back, peaking around at Nick*
Nick: *at Teshteal* What’s he hiding from?
Gardio: You. Don’t know why but he’s scared you’ll kick him out of the group.
Jasmine: (Still sleeping like an innocent baby who didn’t just brutally kill three raiders with a dagger and pure strength)
Nick: After what he did? I’m tempted to.
Gardio: Oh? What did he do?
Nick: He suggested a command knowing fully it would make her relive gruesome memories.
Gardio: *pointedly* Was he trying to help?
Nick: I- *pauses* Could have been. I’m not sure. The place they were taken to tried to turn them both into heartless killers.
Teshteal: *slight whine at the mention of that place*
Gardio: *notices* You think that’s a good reason to turn him away? *eyes narrow in suspicion* Because he might be a “heartless killer”? How is she any different?
Nick: *pauses then recovers* That doesn’t excuse what he did.
Gardio: He suggested a command. Suggested. You didn’t have to use it. The way I see it, you’re just as at fault as he is.
Nick: *frowns but doesn’t say anything. He’s right. He should have thought twice about the Command*
Jasmine: (Sniffs in her sleep, whining while she tightens her fingers around Nicks coat and mumbles desperately for someone to leave her alone)
Gardio: So? What say you, Nick? Does he stay?
Nick: I guess so… but I’m keeping an eye on him.
Gardio: No need. Focus on your daughter. I’ll focus on Teshteal and Lucille.
Lucille: Dad, minus 200 years, I’m still in my late 20s. You don’t need to treat me like a child.
Gardio: True. You’re still my daughter, though.
Nick: *questioning why he suddenly feels like he lost custody of two of his kids*
Jasmine: (Whimpers quietly in her once peaceful slumber that’s turning into a nightmare, releasing Nick of her death grip to cover her face and chest with her hands)
Gardio: *has his arms out in front of him as a gesture to the group* Now if we’re ready to go-
Nick: *sets Jas suddenly in his arms* I think you need to get to know your new Daughter, Chapel. She’s a real firecracker.
Gardio: *already being very careful not to drop the teen*
Jasmine: (Whines again in her sleep when she feels that Nick is no longer holding her, kicking her legs like a little toddler while squirming)
Gardio: *keeping a firm but gentle hold on her regardless* I- *sighs in defeat and starts trying to comfort the girl with a soft lullaby*
Lucille: *would say something about dumping kids off on other people but she already does that with Shaun so she stays silent*
Jasmine: (Covers her face with a scared cry at the unfamiliar person holding her, but she’s too worn out and still under the mental effects of the reset command to actually try and claw out Gardio’s eyes. She just scrunches up as small as she can with frightened sobs, tumbling between nightmares and reality)
Gardio: *softly rocks her as they walk* It’s alright… I’m not going to hurt you.
Teshteal: *mumbling apologies to Jas guiltily despite her not being able to hear*
Jasmine: (Stays asleep but keeps softly whimpering and crying out occasionally. She can’t understand where Nick went or that he’s the one to hand her off. All she knows is that Nick’s not close to her anymore and she wants him back)
Gardio: *just keeps walking* I know I’ve seen you somewhere before… Is my memory that bad…? *trying his best*
Teshteal: *staying close to Gardio like a child following his dad*
Lucille: *still leading the way*
Jasmine: (Hiding her teary face with her hands, wishing for her dad right now as the anxiety builds up in her chest)
Gardio: *sings her another lullaby as sweetly as he can*
Lucille: *trying not to get drowsy as she walks. Even now her dad’s soft but deep singing voice puts her to sleep*
Nick: Hey, you slowing down for a reason?
Lucille: *jumps* Sorry. Dad still has that charm when it comes to lullabies.
Gardio: *small smile creeps in between lines of the song hearing that*
Teshteal: *also fighting sleep. He just has a very soothing voice. Kinda wants a piggyback ride, now*
Jasmine: (Her hands creep up her face to tug on the roots of her her while she shuffles in Gardio’s arms, messing up her neatly done braid in the name of soothing herself)
Nick: *reaches into her bag and pulls out her bear* Here. This might help.
Gardio: *raises an eyebrow wondering why he waited so long to give it to him. They’re literally about to leave Boston* Thank you. *lets Nick set it in Jas’s arms*
Jasmine: (Clutches Winnie to her face while she whimpers at the nightmares, nearly smothering herself with how tight she’s holding it. You’d think that the bear is her only friend with how closely she holds it, in her mind it is at the moment)
Teshteal: *quietly humming to himself*
Gardio: *slowly blinks at Jas. Taking a guess at who she is- the kid that he tried to safely escort home but outran him in the woods?*
Jasmine: (Cries out then twists harshly, waking herself from the nightmare to spare herself from more horrors. She blinks, realizing that Gardio is now holding her and she can’t sense Nick’s presence despite him saying he wasn’t going anywhere, the pent up anxiety and fear of being apart flooding out all at once. She immediately starts throwing a huge toddler tantrum, kicking, screaming, wailing, and hitting with no restraint to how strong or how loud as tears go down her face)
Gardio: *doesn’t even flinch. He scruffs her jacket like a mother cat picking up a kitten and holds her out in front of him to avoid injury* Nick.
Nick: *stops and turns, pausing at the display. He can’t help but smirk at the angry teen mirroring the image of a feisty kitten* Good to see you still have some fight in you, Rosie. You can set her down, now, Gardio.
Gardio: Alright. *softly but almost jokingly to Jas as he sets get * Try not to bite anyone…
Teshteal: *nervously at Jas, mostly still over the command* Please don’t actually bite Gardio.
Jasmine: (Went absolutely feral with her hissy fit when Gardio held her up, seconds away from grabbing her knife until she saw Nick. Once he sets her down, she gives the towering man a death glare that could alone kill someone then catapults over to her dad, jumping up and clinging tightly onto him like a baby koala again) (Quietly and brokenly) “You said you would not go!” (Buries herself in the crook of his neck while she cries from the overwhelming and confusing emotions she’s getting)
Lucille: Wh- Jasmine- he never left-
Nick: Luce, I’ve got this. *to Jasmine* Rosie, I was walking right alongside Gardio. I didn’t leave you at all. Just let Gardio hold you for a bit in case we ran into any trouble. That’s all.
Teshteal: That’s right. I know cause I was avoiding his line of sight the entire time.
Gardio: Does she hate me that much…?
Lucille: I would say something crass here but I’ve made a promise not to do that.
Gardio: Write it down and show me.
Lucille: Fine. *pulls out a paper and writes* “It’s not you. She only likes Nick and Teshteal. Everyone else is evil until proven otherwise.”
Gardio: Hm. A little assumptive don’t you think?
Lucille: So is you thinking she hates you.
Gardio: True. *nods quietly*
Jasmine: (Doesn’t say anything to Nick in response but she quiets down while she tries to sort herself out, starting with calming down so she can think rationally. She doesn’t give a shit on what they think about her reserved and sparse trust she has in people. Nobody protected the little girl that the world had rejected from day one, so why does she have to trust them after they kicked her to the curb over and over again?)
Nick: Look, Rosie. I know it’s hard for you to trust people but sometimes a little benefit of the doubt could be afforded to some. There will be times I won’t be around.
Lucille: And you’ll be stuck with someone you don’t like but you have to work with. Like me.
Jasmine: (Whispering to Nick, her voice barely audible) “I let myself believe that too, then I got broken again and four kids died in my care…” (Closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, clutching her Dad tighter while she thinks of all the times her trust was played with in different ways even after she decided to keep herself reserved) “I am not doing that again, it just keeps repeating.” (If they want her trust, they better damn well earn it. Plus, she’s coding to never make real relationships, she’s suppose to fabricate them with fake smiles and laughs, willing to drop them at a wave of her hand)
Nick: I want you to try to trust someone. Even if you have to fake it at first. *looks out into the burned out woods they’re in* There’s a lot of bad in this world, but there’s also a lot of good in it, too. If you don’t trust anything at all, you’re only gonna short yourself of that goodness that’s out there.
Lucille: *nods but doesn’t say anything. Anything she does say won’t make a difference to Jas- or if it does it’ll be for the worse*
Jasmine: (Blinks. She’s nearly damn breaking herself just by trusting Nick as a father and Teshteal as a brother. It’s one of her biggest problems right now, it’s tearing her programming apart then stitching back together awkwardly. She pulls back to look at Nick, pointing at her face that filled with hurt, pain, and exhaustion) (Blankly) “I am tired of this shit about trusting people, they make everything fucking worse. Try me, they all rejected me first.”
Nick: *dad lecture tone* I’m not saying to trust everyone. In certain cases, you gotta have a bit of faith in people. Do your due diligence then trust if you gotta. *sternly* What are you gonna do if I or Teshteal suddenly kick the bucket, huh? Who the hell are you going to turn to, then, Rosalinda?
Lucille: *flinched hearing Nick drop into his more parental lecture voice*
Gardio: *staying out of this. If he was going to say anything, he certainly can’t now that he’s heard Nick’s tone shift like that. What he does know is that he’s gotta be on standby if she makes a sudden break for it*
Teshteal: *already on all fours*
Dogmeat: *sitting nearby, tilting his head in confusion*
Jasmine: (Flinches and looks besides her at the empty air, letting go of Nick and standing on her own, feeling challenged and defensive. She backs up a good few feet and throws up her arms at the group with her dagger in hand) “The fucking ghosts that have been keeping me alive all this time, Daddy, that is who! I am sure yours would haunt me a considerable amount too.” (Bites down on the tip of her thumb, remembering seeing her mother when she tried to end her life by jumping off a building. God, what if that becomes Nick too?)
Nick: Hate to break it to ya, toots. I don’t got a soul. You won’t be seeing me around. *shakes his head* You’re gonna live a much more lonely and miserable life if that’s your plan after the inevitable happens- *freezes suddenly, his system encountering an error before blinking and resuming* -and you’ll regret closing yourself off- *another glitch, this time twitching* -off-off-o- *shakes his head* You know what I mean.
Gardio: Are you okay?
Lucille: Yeah, Val. You’re acting a bit glitchy.
Nick: I’m fine. I’m sure it’s just a minor-minor-minor fix.
Jasmine: (Just kinda blinks, biting back a laugh of hysteria because of course something like this has to happen right now. God, she really is cursed, and now it’s passing on. She takes a few steps closer to Nick while lowering her knife, concern on her face)
Nick: I’m alright. Really- Just a-just a- just- *suddenly his eyes go dim and he collapses*
Lucille: Nick!! *runs over to check on him*
Jasmine: (Already diving forwards to catch her Dad before he hits the ground, never mind that he’s a synth as she gently sets him on the ground. Her entire face breaks while she stares down at his lifeless form, shaking her head in disbelief as her breathing starts to quicken and her heart shatters, remembering what she did to him at the hospital)
Lucille: *kneeling next to him, taking off his coat and shirt to open up his casing* Hold on, Val. You’re not going to the junkyard, yet.
Teshteal: *softly as he walks up beside Jas* Can I hold you…? *knows Nick’s probably going to be alright*
Gardio: What happened to him?
Lucille: Don’t know- I’m going to wager his air filter and fan is clogged. *poking around inside and manages to find the air filter… but in doing so her hand comes out pretty dirty* Gees. He’s overdue for some proper maintenance in there.
Gardio: What do you mean “overdue”? He doesn’t get maintained regularly?
Lucille: No… he’s always working a case or helping people. He hardly visits a proper mechanic. *looking at the air filter. It’s caked in tar and gunk from all his smoking* I bet there’s more of this… *pulls out a thing of water and an old toothbrush and starts scrubbing away*
Jasmine: (Is shaking while she hold her fathers hand, swallowing a lump in her throat when she remembers her mothers coffin, and her prewar adopted fathers grave. “He was right, this was a mistake.”)
Lucille: Okay. That’s as much as I can clean. We’ll have to get him to Faraday in Arcadia. He’s pretty good at this stuff. *clicks the airfilter back in place after giving the fan a light scrub*
Nick: *the fan starts whirring but it sounds a bit off. His eyes flicker a little bit. Then, as Lucille shuts his casing, stay on- solid this time. He stays silent but his mouth at least shuts*
Lucille: Nick…?
Nick: *face has defaulted to a neutral expression. Still nothing*
Lucille: *softly, desperately* Come on, Val.
Jasmine: (Trying not to burst into tears from the stress thats threatening to tip over all that she has pent up, squeezing Nicks hand gently while she silently prays that he’ll be alright)
Nick: *mouth doesn’t move but suddenly his voice comes through his speakers almost in a panic* Damn it- will something work- *hears his own voice* Well that’s a start. Huh. Seems like I’m stuck in some sort of safe mode. Can’t move a thing. *the only indication he’s talking is that his eyes flicker in brightness*
Lucille: *sighs in relief. The important parts are still functional at least* You had a lot of gunk on your fan and air filter*
Nick: Ah- that would do it. Must still be partially clogged. I don’t think my system will let me do any extraneous movement until that’s fixed- one of you are going to have to carry me.
Lucille: *looks up at her Dad*
Gardio: *looks back, then sighs* I’ll carry you, Nick.
Jasmine: (Doesn’t break face, just squeezes Nicks hand gently again with partial relief. She lowers her head and takes a deep breath, slowly standing up. “He should’ve told her to leave it alone, now look at us.”)
Nick: *his hand remains limp. Not even a twitch*
Gardio: I’ll carry you, Nick… Lucille, help me get him on my back.
Lucille: *nods and picks him up*
Gardio: *crouches so she can drape Nick over his back. He holds Nick’s legs around his waist so he won’t fall off*
Lucille: *manipulates the Detective’s fingers so if Gardio loses his grip or ends up leaning back far, Nick won’t go slipping off*
Gardio: *trying his best not to blush. He hasn’t been this close to someone in quite a while*
Nick: Well this isn’t awkward at all. Hope the radiation doesn’t make things worse.
Gardio: Too small to hurt electronics fortunately. *smirks*
Jasmine: (Slowly blinks and steps back, crossing her arms over her waist to give herself a hug. She’s ready to do just about anything to get Nick back in working order, that’s why she hasn’t broken down into tears yet)
Teshteal: *very lightly puts a hand on her shoulder. There’s a hint of caution despite his effort to comfort her- he’s still not sure if she’s mad at him*
Gardio: *to Jas* Don’t worry, kiddo. We’ll get Nicholas here some help. *mutters to Nick* This is why smoking is bad for you.
Nick: I’d roll my eyes but sadly you’ll just have to settle for indignant grumbling.
Lucille: *packing up Nick’s outfit* I think we can imagine it quite well, Nick.
Jasmine: (Doesn’t react to Teshteal or answer Gardio, she’s more focused on keeping it together and resisting the urge to cut or scratch herself)
Lucille: *Soon they’re crossing through a dangerous canyon and fighting a pack of mongrels*
Gardio: *firing from the hip with his pistol at the wild dogs*
Teshteal: *making short work of them*
Jasmine: (She’s boiling with pure fury, not even using her knife to kill the dogs. When they lung at her with snarling growls, she grabs them by the jaw and rips open apart their face, slamming their bodies on the ground as hard as she can. Violence is her first answer to all negative emotions, this is how she’s channeling it) (Muttering to herself) “She should have just forgotten about me, now this is the price she pays.” (As she tears open another dog and slams it down with a growl of both hurt and anger. She doesn’t mean for the other to hear any of this) “I am sorry, I should not have been born…”
Teshteal: *found a some rocks and is using his tail to bludgeon a lot of the dogs coming at them. Occasionally he bashes their skulls in with the one in his hands*
Nick: *did pick up what Jas is saying. Internally frowning despite his static expression*
Lucille: *tearing them apart with her ripper. They don’t really hurt her thanks to her power armor…*
Gardio: *sighs as they wrap up the fight* Anything else-?
Mirelurk Hunters: *pop up suddenly smelling the fresh blood*
Gardio: *tired look at the lobsters heading their way*
Teshteal: *already running to them and using his method with the rocks to dispatch them*
Jasmine: (Charges head on, this time with her favorite combat knife out. She uses it to declaw them before she rips out their face with her bare hands and the same amount of kitten fury) “You should have listened to them and left me there, you would still be alive if you did.” (Stops and stares at her bloodied hands) “I am sorry, I will never be worth the cost. I can try, but it will never be enough. I should have died in that trash can, but I guess I am stuck living like this forever.” (Resumes taking out whatever sea creature she can)
Lucille: *inspecting the area so there aren’t anymore surprises*
Teshteal: *sniffs the air then shrugs* I think that’s the last of them.
Gardio: We shouldn’t be far from where we’re going, right?
Nick: *laughs* We still have to cross the ocean and take the long walk to Acadia.
Teshteal: So how are we getting across when we get to the ocean?
Lucille: We have a boat a previous client let us use for a case. They don’t mind us borrowing it from time to time.
Nick: *referring to Teshteal and Gardio specifically* I’d stay close to each other in Far Harbor- not just because the locals are a bit uneasy around new folks. It’s the fog and the wildlife that’ll do you in.
Lucille: *vigorous nod*
Jasmine: (Standing close to the group and wiping herself clean with a rag, undoing her messed up braid to get rid of anything that may have gotten caught in her curls. That’s the consequence of forgetting to put back on her hood and mask)
Nick: It might he best to split up when we get to Far Harbor. Teshteal, Gardio, and I will go to Acadia. Rosie, you go with Lucille to the old lighthouse.
Lucille: Wait- why the lighthouse?
Nick: If Donny’s smart, he’d hole up in an easily defensible locale with a high enough viewpoint to pick off raiders. If he ain’t there, wait. Gardio and I will catch up in a few hours.
Teshteal: Why are we splitting up? You just said to stay together-
Nick: Yeah, but there’s also the essence of time. Plus it’ll give Jasmine something to do while I’m in the shop. Besides, I still expect us to stick to our groups. *directed at Jas and Lucille* That means no running off without notice.
Jasmine: (Sighs heavily and looks down at her feet, crossing her arms over herself. She doesn’t want to be apart from her Dad, even if it’s to give her something to do while he gets patched up. The very idea pounds dread in her heart, damn the separation anxiety. Also in the back of her mind, she knows Donny won’t have good news for her. It’s hard enough keeping it together right now, and if what she suspects is true…)
Nick: And when I say “notice” I mean “being upfront about why you’re running off and what you’re going to do about it.” *talking directly at Jas now*
Lucille: What if one of us does run off?
Nick: Then you better go after them.
Jasmine: (Keeps walking in the right direction without looking back or responding to Nick, taking in deep breaths to keep herself calm from the current thoughts. She has to have hope and faith, not assume the worst possibility in this scenario just this once)
Lucille: *resumes walking*
Gardio: *is being filled in about Jas’s case some more via Nick*
Jasmine: (Starts humming and vocalizing the start of a song she liked to help distract herself, continuing to ignore everyone when she starts the lyrics) “Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something….” (Her head is definitely not agreeing with this choice, it started screaming at her even more the moment she opened her mouth. But to hell with it, if she doesn’t do something she might go spiraling down)
Teshteal: *starts singing along* Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused…
Nick: *Kind of a dark song choice but if it helps he’ll go along with it. Starts humming the tune*
Jasmine: (Doesn’t acknowledge Teshteal or Nick as she keeps singing then harmonizes the notes just as the singer does, sounding like a siren calling out from sea. She had singing lessons from the vault and learned proper breath control. Why? Maybe to seem more alluring when she wanted to) “Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody’s looking for something….”
Gardio: *humming along with the others*
Lucille: *singing the “moving on” segments specifically*
Jasmine: (Echoing her voice in such a way that it sounds like there is multiple voices, a neat little trick she learned prewar) “Hold your head up, keep your head up, movin’ on. Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on. Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on. Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up…” (Whistles and hums in place of the music, still ignoring everyone who has joined in)
Lucille: *Kind of stops cause it’s hard to keep up with the tune sounding so disjointed- especially with Jas ignoring everyone else singing, too. If there was any harmony, it’s kind of crushed by that fact alone*
Teshteal: *just joyously singing the chorus. No thoughts just Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This*
Jasmine: (Repeats the lines, wondering how far off they are. She has to ignore them and tell herself that they can’t hear her singing, otherwise it’s a violation to her programming and that has proven to be a catastrophe) “Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused….” (Looks down at her bloodied hands) “Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody’s looking for something….”
Lucille: *climbs into the boat at the dock and helps everyone aboard wordlessly. Even extends a hand to Jas, not that she’d need it… or even want it*
Jasmine: (Helps herself onto the boat without even looking at Lucille and her kind offer, pausing to adjust to the sensation of the gentle swaying while she hums the rest of the song)
Lucille: *sighs. Trying to not let Jas’s aloofness get to her. She’s starting to come off as stuck up to the older woman, though*
Jasmine: (Not allowed to accept help by her programming, “Help yourself” was always her answer when she walked around battered and bruised. They tried to trick her sometimes too, used to stick out their hands to offer help, then make things painfully worse for her)
Lucille: *staying silent about it. Isn’t going to say anything- she made a promise after all. Unties the boat and starts it up. She pulls out of port and sets sail to Far Harbor*
Gardio: *sets Nick down and sits with a sigh, looking out at the water*
Teshteal: *sitting really close to Gardio, just a bit uneasy about the ocean*
Jasmine: (Sitting in the furtherst corner from them on the small boat with her head in her knees, fighting the voices in her mind. She can’t help but to keep speculating and putting the pieces together) (Quietly to herself) “It is all one big lie, but you are not even suppose to be here anyways…”
@lucilleandherrobots
#fallout#fallout 4#fo4#nick valentine#fallout original character#fallout oc#fallout roleplay#fallout rp
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ok this is for anyone but i think @newsiesfixation @crutchie-69 @toffyrats and @ftm-megamind have asked more times than i can count an im rly sorry i keep forgoring to do it <3
personalities of my newsies ocs, shoe and eel!! my little guys<3
ill start with shoe ig
shoe is kind of a davey. he's trained himself to be quiet.
his parents are irish, but he got bullied so much in school for having an accent that he tried so hard to get rid of it, and now it only comes out when he's really angry. his family, being irish, was big, and had a lot of kids, and he was left on a curb when he was 12, told there wasn't enough food to go around, and went to the queens lodging house.
i decided on a whim last week that he has a stutter when he gets nervous, and relies on eel to get him to slow down and take his time with his words. (also lmk if i ever write his stutter wrong, i really don't want it to be bad)
he was kind of shoved into the back of the group of his siblings as a kid, being the middle child, and he knew his parents really did love him, and they were kind, but he was always the last to eat and they were too busy with the babies to pay much attention to him. he's kind and compassionate, and is very sarcastic and funny. he has a loud voice, but knows when to speak softly. he still speaks a little irish gaelic, but not much, only the pet names and little commands his mother would say.
he's intelligent, but he's not always smart. (does this make sense?)
he and eel adore eachother, despite eel's understandable hesitance to let him get anywhere close to him, because shoe's like. really tall. and chubby. my lil chunky guy<3 but like, most of it is muscle mass? like. hes built like a blacksmith's son if you know what i mean. he's like 5'11 and 200-odd lbs and is. just. so gentle.
he's really good with kids from having so many siblings, but gets frustrated easily. the newsies who have been around for years know not to tease or provoke him too much, because he'll either lash out, or you'd better watch around the corners for his bf, because he can and will forcibly remove you from this plane of exsistence.
eel my buddy. my boy. who was totally not based on me why would you say that.
he's loud, he's funny, and so. so. sad.
he's had a lot of bad experiences with older men, hence his hesitancy to let shoe near him. he adores the feeling of being onstage, and works for medda when he has free time, sometimes as an acrobat, sometimes as a bowery beauty (cus he's kinda short and can pass as female if you give him a wig and a few minutes with a makeup bag.)
his parents were horrible and his brother even worse, and he's terrified of the people he loves leaving him because his brother left him alone in an abusive house to go to univeristy. eel's parents never bothered to look for him after he ran away. his family were fairly well off, so he knew what general comfort was until he ran away, and then quickly learned the rules of the streets.
he sometimes feels like he's too much for shoe, that he's too loud, too touchy, too everything, and tries to distance himself, which just ends in shoe bein like "bbg i dunno why you ever think i would leave you, im too stupid to pull anyone else, and youre also stupid because youre great stfu and come cuddle me"
he loves the stars, and always wished he could get a real telescope.
this boy is smart. like you give him a problem and he has it solved in a minute, he knows how to handle situations, he knows how to lie, he knows how to manipulate, but he's also book smart. he loves history, and while he may not like doing math, he's good at it.
he thinks of dimes as his son, despite there only being a two year difference between them, and he would never admit it to anyone. "little brother? nah, he's a little bother" he is so. so protective over him, because he wants to be the father big brother he never had for dimes. he treats him like any brother would, teasing and joking, but knows when to lay off and when to genuinely ask if he's ok and if he wants to talk or ask for a hug.
he never knows when to ask for help, and has gotten in a lot of trouble for it, be it fights or injuring himself trying to do something alone.
he broke his ankle once, and it never quite healed right, so it hurts when he gets stressed and makes a sick crunchy noise when he rolls it around (which he finds funny to do around the newer newsies and see the horror on their faces)
chiara! who i came up with at like two am!
eel found her in a basket in an alley with a note that said that her parents couldn't care for her, and he was like "aight bet imma be a father at the ripe age of sixteen and imma be the best father there ever was"
she was like. a month old when he found her, and he had literally no clue how to take care of her so he turned to eden (the lodging house keeper shes so nice) and she showed him the ropes of taking care of a baby
once she gets old enough to emote and show preference for things, chiara is very opinionated, and clings onto eel with a death grip, and is very mischevious.
eel and shoe raised her together, so she calls them babbo (eel) and papa (shoe) and doesnt know that dimes isnt actually her brother, and the three of them teach her to sell papers once she gets older. she's also really smart, and starts talking early. eel teaches her italian along with english, and she absolutely adores eden, or 'nonna' as she calls her.
oh my god just thought of this (why am i thinking of aus for characters that dont even technically exsist LMAAOO) in a modern au she'd call dimes/charlie 'char char' or 'charizard' please-
i'll draw her l8r today maybe so you can all see what she looks like
shoe n eel call her fia/fiadh instead of her first name like 90% of the time, and after she becomes a fully fledged newsie, her nickname is nickles, partly because her brother is dimes and the rest of them thought it was funny, and partly because she can wheedle a nickle out of anyone for a pape, and also partly because whenever she and the boys play poker, she bets in nickles.
anyway theyre a horrible little family<3
#lmk if you have questions i love talking about them<3#newsies oc#ezekiel 'eel' 'zeke'#harvey 'shoe' sellers#chiara fia cattaneo
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I’ve spent two years thinking about how these numbers are a bit fucky and then never posted anything about it, so.
“Infant” is usually defined as 0-12 months/less than 1 year old, and sometimes as less than 2 years old. “Children” is then either 1-12 years or 2-12 years. “Teenager” is probably 13-18 or 13-19 depending on what counted as adult for the purposes of necromantic mass murder.
Anyway. Assuming Harrow’s numbers are accurate (and I think they are, even with the Gideon Problem, because it adds up to exactly 200), something is majorly fuckin weird here.
Teenagers, counting 13-19 years or a span of 7 birth years, gives an average of ~9.3 kids per year.
Children, counting 1-12 years or a span of 12 birth years, gives an average of 6.5 kids per year (and 7.3 per year if you count ages 2-12). That’s pretty close to the average for teenagers - a bit lower, which could be chance, but we’re repeatedly told that the birth rate on Ninth was falling for a long time so that also tracks.
Infants, counting 0-12 months, tells us that there were 54 children born in a single year. More than a quarter of the victims!! If we define an infant as younger than two years, that’s still an average of 27 babies per year.
And then, none. No pregnancies in the nine months before the genocide, or at least no live births, and apparently none conceived after.
An extremely high infant mortality rate could sort of explain the disparity, maybe, a bit… if it only affected infants and the risk dropped to virtually zero after age 1-3ish, and was never mentioned in the text, which seems like a massive cultural touchstone relevant to some of the central worldbuilding, so I’m just gonna disregard that option out of hand. Or maybe tazmuir just threw out specific numbers per age group adding up to exactly 200 for no reason except flavor and never checked the math and the children/teenagers groups just happened to come out approximately the same, which also feels improbable.
So.
If this was part of preparation for the genocide, where did they come from? Did Ninth even have that many people able to conceive? If so, why was the birth rate so low before that, and what happened to them?
My top theory is that the tech for vat incubation was either provided by lyctors (in addition to at least part of the theorems used by Harrow’s parents) or it was scavenged from Wake’s ship, and maybe making it possible to use the theorems that had been gathering dust for… years? Millennia? Except math-wise that might not work out, I’ve forgotten exactly how much older Gideon is than Harrow.
To summarize: AAAAAAA
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An Unambiguous Love [2/10]: Meeting Munson
1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 ::
alternate AO3 link
Pairing: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson x f!Reader
Genre: fluff
Summary: Your favourite customers really make it easier returning to the town you never went to school in. If only your friends at work would stop trying to play matchmaker between you.
Chapter 2 word count: 2288
A/N: Thanks for the love on chapter 1! This chapter also introduces my favourite non-shippable character to write, see if you can guess who that is lmao. I'll be updating these daily, thank y'all for sticking with it! <3
It’s the morning after your first shift on the shop floor, and you’re getting yourself ready for your next one this afternoon. You’re really being thrown in at the deep end with a triple threat: new issue day, D&D supply launch day, and your first ever closing shift out on the floor. Thankfully, as long as your schedule still aligns, you’re paired with Ralph, who certainly wouldn’t abandon you no matter how quiet the day may be. You consider getting to the strip mall a little early so that you can perhaps get some extra encouragement from your new friend(? Can you call him that already?) Steve, but you realise that perhaps food is more important. Besides, when you do finally park up, you don’t see him directly in the window anyway. Perhaps he isn’t even working.
You head on in and see an already-exhausted Ralph tidying the comic crates. As you cause the doorbell to chime, Ralph looks at you with a resigned smile. You grit your teeth. “It’s been that bad, huh?”
Ralph shakes his head. “Ahh, it’s helped the time go quicker. Thankfully, we’ve got a little calm period now before the next storm… The after-school rush. Now, I’ll take the register for that, if you could just try and keep on top of keeping things as organised as possible.” You nod and take a deep breath in. Ralph notices and calls, “Hey.” You look up at him and he smiles reassuringly at you. “We’re gonna do great today, alright?” You nod again, more relaxed than your first. Ralph continues, “And I promise I won’t get a random migraine as soon as it’s convenient for me.”
Your eyes widen. “How did - Did Jesse get in trouble? I swear, I didn’t want that to happen, I didn’t mean to squeal -”
Ralph laughs, “Relax, kid.” Bold words from someone only three years older than you. “It didn’t come from the top. Not that Cam would risk having to punish his friend. Word travels fast amongst us here, just a heads up…” He walks over to you to bend down to your ear level and murmur, “Future Mrs Harrington.”
“Okay,” you step aside and hold up a finger while Ralph laughs. “That one, I am nipping in the bud. If a man being nice to someone one time means they’re bound romantically, then I feel sorry for all the women of Hawkins.” Ralph’s laughter intensifies.
The next couple of hours are an absolute flurry of teenage chaos. Comics are being thrown around, as are tantrums over the lack of issue 200. One kid, with curls falling out of his baseball cap, is instead parading around the brand new D&D section proudly, while loudly reassuring his friends that they can read his copy when he is done with it. A red-haired girl asks through stone-cold eyes how he could have possibly gotten a copy early, to which he simply shrugs and says, “I got connections. What can I say? I’ve been telling you all, I basically run this joint.”
The group surrounding him scoffs in disbelief. Remembering the names Steve used yesterday, and putting two and two together, you decide to have a little fun amongst the madness. You tap him on the shoulder, “Sorry, Dustin Henderson?”
He whips around and looks at you like a deer in headlights, swallowing hard. “Y-yes?”
“I take it that our exclusive deal for our most prestiged customer yesterday was to your liking?” you ask, raising your eyebrows slowly, silently willing him to play along.
He shows silent understanding by copying your expression. “Yes! Very much so. You’ll continue to have my patronage for a long time yet. Especially with this new section! I can’t wait to make new characters to use these dice on.” He takes handfuls of them and holds them up gleefully.
You interlock your fingers and place your hands on your heart. “Everyone here is thrilled to hear that you’re satisfied, Mr Henderson. Please, do not be afraid to call on me for any of your needs. I promise, I will deliver to you myself if that is what's needed.” You look around at all the flabbergasted faces of Dustin’s group, then once more at him to catch him mouthing a ‘thank you’ before he turns to face his friends again.
As you walk away, you hear him gloat, “You see? I am the nerd king! Bow down, bitches!” You take extra care in making sure the rest of the kids don’t see you accidentally laughing at the crack in his voice at that last part.
Eventually, things die down a little again, around the time most of the kids are going back home to their parents for dinner. Ralph looks almost completely wiped out, and you frown, “When was the last time you ate?”
Ralph shakes his head. “It’s fine, I told you I’d stay, I’m a man of my wor-”
You interrupt him, “You can’t teach me if you’re passed out. Just go grab a burger and some fries from the diner, as long as you’re back to teach me how to close up, I’ll be fine for a while yet.”
Ralph thanks you profusely as he leaves to go eat. Having to switch between tidying and ringing up really isn’t as bad as you were anticipating. A few angry people demanding certain issues that have already sold out don’t even phase you too much.
As if by fate, you have a split second where it is just you and the stock out on the shop floor. You bask in the silence, the sheer amount of space without so many people crammed in every aisle… And then, in he walks. Grungy style, long dark hair, rings adorning every finger. He makes a beeline for the D&D section, immediately picking up a Player’s Handbook and skimming the pages delightedly. You watch him gleefully explore the store before eventually emptying his arms onto your checkout counter. His vibe is somehow nothing you’d expect from someone with his aesthetic, but also it all seems to… Fit him, somehow. He’s got the book, several dice sets, and a tray. “Just a few things, then,” you muse.
He chuckles, “Yeah, well. My old tray has not been holding well over my last campaign. The Hellfire club sure know how to cause total destructive mayhem even in this realm.”
“Ooh, Hellfire. Sounds official. You guys play for like, any special reason, or…?” You ask, but he shakes his head.
“Nope, I’ve just had waaaaay too much time to run my little old high school campaign. Being held back a couple years sure has its perks!” He takes a long, lingering look at you, and the tip of his tongue pokes out to lick his lips. “Sorry, uh, should probably introduce myself since you’ll probably be seeing me a lot around here now. I'm -”
You cock your head in curiosity, narrowing your eyes and smirking smugly as you figure out who he must be. “Eddie Munson?”
Eddie’s face falls. “Uh-oh. You don't know of Hellfire but you know of me? That can’t be good.”
Your eyes widen, “Oh, no, no, no! I promise it’s nothing bad, I - You helped Steve Harrington create a D&D character here the other day, right?”
The corners of Eddie’s lips twist into a smile, “I don’t think you could quite say that. I certainly tried to, but with little success.”
“Oh, well, yeah, but I - I found the sheet and I got bored so I…” You pull out your sketchbook you’d left tucked in the drawer beneath the counter and show Eddie your drawing.
He takes the book from your hands and starts running around the store, basically pressing his face into it. “Oh my god! This is incredible! And you did that based on what Stevie gave you? Oh, wait until we talk about my current party - Would you do commissions? Could you draw my current party’s characters and then also every one of my NPCs? I need your art to bring this campaign to life, now!”
Your cheeks flush a dark pink. “Oh, well… I’ve never been paid for my work before, and even then, this was just a bit of fun… I even had to get him to pose to get the hair just right since he wanted that in the drawing, too.”
Eddie stops his pacing and returns to you at the counter. He slides the sketchbook back over to you, rests his elbows on the counter and his chin on his fists as he looks to you. “And how much would it cost to have you draw me, then, huh?”
You finally get to talk to him undistracted long enough to get a proper look at his face. His eyes are dark brown, almost black, but not in a cold and uninviting way. His smile is infectious, crinkling the corners of his eyes as he does so. You eventually snap out of your daydream, clear your throat and say, “It wouldn’t be fair to charge you and not Steve… But then technically I didn’t draw Steve himself, just basically him as a half-orc, based on a few things he wrote.”
Stil resting his head on his fists, Eddie gently rocks his head from side to side, “So what’s my D&D alternative?”
“Hmm… You take your pencil out and tap it on your lower lip in thought. “I wanna say… Half-elf fighter who eventually becomes a bard. You got that sort of energy.”
Eddie grins. “Are you sure you haven’t done your research on me? You can’t have just guessed that I’m a musician.”
You gesture up and down in front of you, “I mean, look at you, dude.”
“Touche,” Eddie nods, moving to hold onto the counter with both hands and lean on it. “Yeah, I’ve got a band. Corroded Coffin. We’ve rocked the hell out of venues such as Gareth’s garage…” His tone suggests he’s about to list a number of venues, as does the way he taps one finger with the other, but he trails off after the first while pulling a face to show there’s no more. You laugh, and that goddamn smile of his returns. “Nah, we also have a regular spot, I shouldn’t complain. Suppose I should probably pay for all this, huh…” Eddie squints to read your nametag out loud.
You slap your palm to your face. “I've got to stop forgetting to introduce myself.”
“Hey now, I didn’t even get to, so now we're even!” Eddie points out. He looks at the dice towers situated next to you and lets out a low whistle. “Man, I’ve always wanted a tower, just for like… Real dramatic rolls. But I don’t know if I can justify paying that much in one go.”
A smirk creeps along our face as you come up with an idea, “How about a little bet?” You take out a random d20 from one of the jars on the other side of the counter, and pull a dice tower up in front of you, between you and Eddie. You hold the die between your finger and thumb, hovering it over the tower. “If this crits, you have to buy it right now.”
Eddie’s smile returns, “And what if it’s a natural one?”
“Then I pay for it for you,” you shrug. “Anything else, we leave it here.”
“I like those odds,” Eddie nods. “Let’s do it.”
You drop the die. It clatters between tiers of wood until…
“20?! No way.”
Your eyes widen. “Oh no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to put you out of pocket! Let’s just forget the whole thing, it was just a joke -”
Eddie shakes his head. “I’m a man of my word. Guess I’m finally upping my game today.” He gives you a reassuring smile as he takes his wallet out. “So, uh, the party’s kinda full now, but if you ever wanted to just come watch a Hellfire game, we’d be more than happy to have you. We could even put you down as a reserve in case someone can’t make it, if you ever wanted to play!”
“We’ll see,” you give him a small smile. While this Eddie guy does seem sweet, you're still a little apprehensive from the last campaign you were in.
“I’ll just keep coming by every day, as long as it takes to convince you,” Eddie singsongs, in a tone you’re comfortable enough with believing that it’s got friendlier intentions rather than insistent.
“That’ll be a waste then, since I’m not in every day,” you point out.
“Eh, then I just get to visit my good pal Stevie at the video store instead, I’m still good,” Eddie smiles before handing you an entire wad of cash. Your eyes widen, but you don’t ask any questions. You simply ring him up, give him his change and bag up his items for him. He grabs the bag and lifts it up in a farewell greeting. “See you ’round!”
You sigh wistfully to yourself, and hear a familiar voice pipe up next to you. “Alright, I believe you, perhaps Harrington’s not your man, after all.”
You jump at the sound of Ralph’s presence being so close before shaking your head, your face turning a deep shade of pink. “Shut up, so I’ve made conversation with two separate guys. That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. I’ll remember that one at your wedding,” he smirks.
“What is it with all of you and assuming I’ll find my future husband while working here?!” you ask exasperatedly before noticing some comics that had fallen behind a shelf that clearly need your full and urgent attention.
#steve harrington x eddie munson x reader#steddie x reader#steve harrington x eddie munson x you#steddie x you#steddie imagine#stranger things fanfic#stranger things fic#stranger things imagine#stranger things x reader#fluff#aul#*myfics
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15 years ago when I was half the age I am now, on 23 December 2008 I made an account on a forum. It was bulbapedia's forum, called BMGf for short, to discuss all things pokémon on. While I initially only made my account to win a fanfiction contest with what must be the most cringe story ever written (needless to say I did not win the contest), I started posting regularly and must have been an active poster on there for about 5 years. I feel like by the time XY rolled around I wasn't that active anymore. I made over 10 thousand posts, was personally responsible for popularing the mafia forum game, got made a mod and made over 200 friends if my friendlist was to be believed. They were some very formative years for me on the internet before the advent of social media.
I thought it would be a fun excercise for myself to see which people I am actually able to remember from that website. What impression did they leave on me looking back, who can I even remember from that long ago? Maybe 2 of my followers will read this and not know any of these people, maybe no one will read this at all. But I still feel like it's more fun to post this online on the off chance one of these persons actually reads it than to just keep it in a word document where I know for a fact I will be the only person to ever lay eyes on it.
I will go on an alphabetical order for readability, though this is not the order I started recalling in.
Aladar - I don't know his first name. He was a regular in a chat thread I frequented, he loved star wars and I think we had the same brand of humour. Though he must have become inactive on the forum years before I did and never played mafia with me, it's interesting he left an impression on me nonetheless.
America - Killi, I think this was her username but she'd change it so much I don't remember. I think we mostly bonded over the forum game mafia, but we also watched all of fmab together and were pretty close for a while, chatting often. Apparently she was manipulative and a bit of a gremlin to other people (called abusive etc.), but she was normal around me so I didn't let it bother me. I guess she felt a bit like a younger sister to me in that regard.
Archaic - Liam, as the website owner I was never really close with him but I've spoken with him a few times and in hindsight he was the most normal person on the entire site. He would host contests on the websites that I'd win, over the years I've gotten like three pokemon games from him.
Baron Brixius - an enigmatic kid with an odd sense of humour which overlapped a bit with my own, I liked egging him on. He ended up breaking the forum by naming himself <undefined> and got permanently banned when he did it a second time. He clearly had some issues going on but was never too open about it.
Buoy - don't recall his first name. Some of my friends were obsessed with him for his really weird sense of humour (and the fact he was a few years younger), though in mafia games he could be surprisingly sharp. I think we never really liked each other but we could get along if a mafia game needed us to.
Crackfox - Hayley, I feel like she was a bit mischivous in personality on the forum, but Hayley was brought into a chatgroup I was in a bit later so I remember her more from that. To me it seemed like she always felt like she was a bit of an outsider. I feel like she felt closest to me out of anyone else, I at least dm'd with her a lot on skype. In mafia games on the forum we would also team up almost always. In hindisght I feel like I maybe never truly understood her, one day she just upped and disappeared and I lost a close friend.
Croag - Emily, I guess she came across as kind and a bit reserved? I was in a skype group with Emily for multiple years and got to know her a lot better thanks to that, making it harder to remember my initial impression. Emily presents herself a bit distant with an ironic sense of humour in these group chats but I've met her irl and she where is very genuine and kind. I still talk to her to this day, though not as much as I maybe should.
Emi-chan - Another sister-I-never-had to me as she was a few years older, I really looked up to her and her artistic skills when she started frequenting the chat thread. Though we got along just ok, unfortunately I always felt some distance between us and couldn't really get close to her, before she moved on from the forum. She was into a touhou-esque series called .hack and to this day I've never encountered another fan of that.
Falcon Doveowl - Cara, another person who frequented the chat thread that I got along well with but was not super close to I think. I feel like I may be mixing her up to some extent with Luminosity in my mind, though I chatted with cara a bunch on skype as well I think which I don't think I did for luminosity.
Feralize - I forgot their name, they were always really calm and a force to be reckoned with in mafia games. I think I talked to them a few times on tumblr but I can't recall if they're still active.
FinalArcadia - Haley. I think she was the older sister of two twin girls one of which liked me and the other didn't, but I don't remember their usernames. I believe we got along ok. Someone who frequented a thread where people were all hetalia obsessed and would also play mafia occasionally. We're still mutuals here!
Gaskhan - or was it Ghaskan? I don't remember her name but she was from Portugal, she was a bit of a wallflower whose calm demenure got her promoted to supermoderator. She played mafia a bunch and posted in the chat thread occasionally, but in hindsight I wish I had gotten to know her better.
Gatorage - Axel was generally cocky, though I was in a chat group with him for years I don't recall his personality beyond that all that much. From what I recall while we weren't that close we barely ever got into arguments with each other either, which was rare for me at the time as I got into arguments with everyone.
Ghetsis-Dennis - The most obnoxious person I ever met online, he had a very strong belief system about what characters would be added to the next smash bros (Dawn and Zoaroark among others) and would not shut up about it. The only person I blocked on skype because he would not leave me alone.
Ghost - don't know his name, I feel like he looked up to me as I was a bit older. He was always rather stoic in how he expressed himself but as a chat thread regular we became friends. We both got really into gpx+ at the same time and would talk a lot about that, but I think eventually we just sortof stopped interacting as much even though we were both still active on the site.
Greece - Erin. Was her username actually Greece or am I mixing people up? I think she was a bit demure and we chatted sometimes, but I don't remember her that well. There was a lot of hetalia fans on the website who would change names and avatars so much I wasn't always able to tell them apart that well. I still feel like I'm forgetting someone I talked to a lot on this list, but I can't remember them. Maybe it was Erin, who knows.
Hellion - Don't remember his name. Incredibly cocky know-it-all guy during mafia games, was made a moderator together with me and seemingly always disgreed with me. Awful personality really, I still don't really understand how some people liked the guy.
Humonity - Ruben, from Malta. I felt like he looked up to me for a while, perhaps for my stylish way of playing mafia? He could be a bit eccentric at times but still very fun to talk to, I still talk to him about eurovision every year.
Hunter Blade - don't recall their name. A chat thread regular with a good sense of humour that I got along well with, they're one of the few people from this website that still follows me on here and reblogs my posts occasionally. I should talk to him again sometime.
Hurristat - David. Someone I got along really well with unti he became a moderator and went mad with the power. One day in a skype chat unrelated to the forum (it just had a lot of people from the forum in it) we got in an argument and he tried to to use his authority as a moderator to get me to shut up, which the angry teen I was I refused to give into and caused him to have a meltdown over his own powerlessness. Served him right, jerk.
H-con - Hakon from Norway. Someone from the chat thread I was befriended with, but I can't recall too much about them. I still have them on my switch friendlist (imported from the 3ds friendlist) as I do with some others on this list, and see him online playing games sometimes.
Ino-chan - Tony. Frequented the same chat thread I did. Had a unique deadpan sense of humour which I thought was hilarious. Posted a picture of herself once, and never again. Had a male first name and a male mii on the 3ds and wiiu. I still wonder once in a while, is she trans or did she catfish us for all those years. I think I was sort of close with her, but her distant personality made it hard to really get to know her.
Insana Dana - Dana, I don't think I was that close with her but we got along in various skype groups. I feel like she's one of the few persons who despite being in various fandoms would never get into arguments with others.
jda995 - Joel. Funny guy that I played some mafia games with but mostly know from being in a skype group together with. Very sassy, sense of humour comparable to Croag.
Leafeon800 - Alex is my bff to this day. On the forum we got paired up once in a program meant to introduce new people to each other. I thought our conversations were a bit shallow, and eventually we both got put in a skype group for people who owned mario kart 7 on the 3ds to race together. At first Alex was one of the people in the group I felt least close to, but as hormonal teens the people in that group (including me) were constantly creating drama and fighting. One day the drama was among the other members and I messaged Alex along the lines of "get a load of these guys", starting a trend of us dm'ing each other more and slowly becoming the best of friends. I can't even really remember what caused us to have such a good connection with each other, but I'm really glad it happened.
Leggo - don't remember her name, leggo was always very kind but a bit enigmatic in how she presented herself. Like she was both full of quirky personality but also rather stoic at all times. Such an odd combination. I wonder if she's still like that.
Luminosity - Not Clara, did I ever know her name? She didn't stand out too much, but enough for me to remember her. I think she was older than me and got along quite well with themissingno. I may have gotten some older sister I never had vibes from her, but my memory is fuzzy. I played mafia with her a few times.
Mariowie - Mario? A pretty reserved personality, I chatted with him in the chat thread a few times and the main things I remember is that he's Dutch and lives on an ostrich farm. I still interact with him on twitter, where he often ends up being the only person liking the single tweet I make once every 6 months.
Midorikawa - Ariana, a girl with such a strong personality that we would constantly argue with each other. However when we were on the same side arguing together with someone else I would feel a rush like nothing else. Almost developed a crush on this girl, but thankfully we disagreed more with each other on things than we agreed. She was very conservative.
Mintaka - Hyemin or Min was one of the people I felt closest to on the forum, a girl a few years older than me. She was a student in Seoul, very kind and a bit quirky sometimes and I actually feel bad I don't remember as much about her as I feel like I should. I met her and her family irl when they were on holiday in the Netherlands.
Neonsands - don't remember his name. A lot of mafia board frequenters would eventually start talking to each other on skype but I think neonsands was never one of them. I mostly talked to him during mafia games and he was either an opponent to fear or my favourite ally, a game where I was mafia with neonsands and sourcandy remains one of my favourite and most succesful ones ever. In hindsight I wish I had gotten to know him better.
Neosquid- I don't remember his first name. Neosquid was a bit of a weird kid who was a few years younger than me and appeared to look up to me. I chatted with him a lot and I think we shared similar humour, but unfortunately it's not the clearest in my mind anymore. I think he was dealing with some mental stuff, like how when he was 16 he dated someone 8 years older than him who then broke up with him because he was allegedly being abusive. Hope you're doing ok neosquid.
Paperhorse - Claire, she was like everyone's mom friend. Very warm and kind, but unfortunately I can't remember that many specifics about her. She loved harry potter I think and got married a few years ago, if she has children now I'm sure she'd be a great mom to them.
Phoenicks - a young republican who loved debating more than anything else and therefore also mafia games. We liked each other but weren't really friends, I think he respected me as a player but did not really show it a lot during games. Would write the longest post indicting someone as mafia which annoyed me a lot. It still annoys me when people are making arguments in really lengthy ways when they could be much shorter about it tbh.
pkmngreen - Frank, another person who I chatted with so much I don't recall my initial impression of them. In chats he was a bit cocky and I got into arguments with him sometimes. Thinking back I think Frank was more emotional than he'd like to let on and the jerk that I was I would sometimes take advantage of that to push his buttons. All done with love of course.
Pokemoll - Molly was 10 years old when she joined the forum and got made a moderator at 11, insane in hindsight. After I left the forum I followed her on tumblr and twitter a bit (and still do), watching her grow up in that sense made her a bit of a distant little sister to me. She's kind and not afraid to stand up for herself and while we don't talk to each other that frequently I think we have a mutual respect for each other. I always like seeing that she's doing well when I happen to catch a glimpse of her social media once in a while.
Pichuboy - don't recall his name, he was like the rival of buoy and I didn't like buoy so I liked pichuboy better. He was cocky but in a more serious way than buoy, but I never got that close to him. He was a bit younger I think and babied by some staff members.
Rayne - don't know his first name, rayne pushed for me to become a moderator which I could not hold onto long due to my online anger issues. But it was nice to have a guy trust in you like that. He was older than me and always came across as very chill, apparently he is a hardcore furry.
Revolvingscott - Scott, this guy must've been on the forum for a year at most with only around 800 posts (noob numbers) but as he posted in the chat thread I frequented he left an impression. He was gay and flamboyant about it and I loved his sense of humour, I think we liked egging each other on. One of the few people who would compliment my selfies which did wonders for my self esteem.
Ryuutakeshi - I feel like his name may have been Kevin, but it may not have been. He was a theater kid and though he was a few years older than me I never got older brother vibes from him. It was ok chatting with him but I don't think we ever got that close. He ended up dating someone from the forum who I also chatted with sometimes but wasn't that close to, I think her username was kayori-chan.
$aturn¥oshi - Steve, this guy was like 30 years old moderating the chat thread, always stoic and chill with seemingly almost no sense of humour of his own but happy to go along with the flow set up by others. He was gay, lived in a basement, owned two cats and was obsessed with michael phelps to the point I thought those were pictures of him. I wonder if I ever knew what his day job was.
Secretive Trainer - Danny, whose personality I don't remember that much on the forum, I think just pretty normal and down to earth in general. I've chatted with him more directly and I remember he's gay and loves all things nintendo, so we get along just fine. He reminds me a bit of my brother.
Shiay - Don't remember he name, didn't interact much with her but am including her for the female represntation of this list. She was obsessed with Morty from pokemon gold/silver, a big fujoshi and into brother/sister incest despite having an older brother herself. One of the first persons that made me realise there are some weird people on the internet.
Shiny celebi - Brenna was a lot older than me and always rather demure on the forum, like she had no personality of her own at all. I think that was a symptom of her autism. She seemed rather fond of me, as she would often send me messages on discord with her concerns about sjw-ideology making me hate myself for being a man. It felt a bit smothering.
Sourcandy - Don't recall her name if I ever knew at all, Sourcandy was feisty and a truly genius chaotic mafia player. I would often clinch with her during these games and people on the forum would jokingly ship us for it. I think we were rather fond of each other and could've been good friends, but due to mental health issues she would unfortunately often disappear for months at a time and we could never really become close with each other.
System Error - This guy used the blog add-on of the forum like social media before social media existed, writing multiple short blogs every day. Meanwhile I put effort in all of my blogs, making them all funny like some sort of amateur stand-up comedian and I'd consider my blog failed if it got less than 7 comments on it. These blogs truly were the social media of its time.
TheCapsFan - I chatted with him in some threads, he played mafia sometimes, and now he pretty much runs the forum I think. Unfortunately my final few years on the forum are a bit fuzzy to me and that includes what I talked about with Caps.
Theflamingbooger - Zach, I think. A chat thread regular, I idolized this guy for reasons I can't quite recall. Maybe a brother I never had kind of deal as he was like 8 years older older than me. He had a bad webcomic and became really into mlp later. He didn't really have a great sense of humour from what I remember, but was just averagely himself in the chat thread which was a nice chance of pace from the other whackos who posted there.
Themissingno. - Steve, a regular in our chat thread on the forum. Steve was truly like the older brother I never had, often teasing me, egging on my emotional outbursts (which would cause the mods to warn me to his enjoyment) with an odd sense of humour. But I don't think he ever did these things in bad spirit and was actually very fond of me. When I was whisked away into a skype mario kart chat he was actually a bit jealous which is pretty cute in hindsight. I met him irl once which was very fun.
Unown Lord - Guy who would only be in speculation forums for new games and post entire essays about how the next games should be prequels featuring apricorn pokeballs. If you told him his ideas were insane he'd write another essay on why you were stupid for disagreeing with him. He must've jizzed his pants when arceus legends was announced. Wish I didn't remember this guy.
Zeb - Liam, this guy hated my guts. I don't know why, I think he had issues. But by hating me he just gave me considerable power over him, any argument he started with me would inevitably lead to him having a meltdown. He was added to a skype group chat I was in and left after some time, probably because he couldn't take being around me any longer. I doubt he got far in life.
Zenax - a good mafia player who had the same age and birthday as my brother. Unfortunately I don't remember much else about him, I think he was a moderator at some point as well.
Zima - Zima might be the most wildcard person I've met on the site, obsessed with hetalia and I'm pretty sure she had some mental issues. They'd leave, come back, leave, changed her name constantly. She frequented a different chat thread than I did where I think people disliked her, but I was always quite fond of her.
While it's surprising to see I still remember a lot of people, it's also sad to see how many memories of those people have faded away. Some people have even blended together in my mind, making differentiation harder.
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Rant #1
finally, the time has come for the first rant of bookgirlrants. for today's rant, i want to talk about dark romance and the issues i've come across while reading it.
to start, i just want to say that i'm new to the genre while also not being new at all. i used to write dark romance a lot growing up, used to read dark romance fanfics, and my favorite book has been flowers in the attic since i was 16! i just haven't started reading newer dark romance until very recently.
now, the rant. my intro to this genre has been with haunting/hunting adeline. i had heard incredible things about the duel series and finally decided to give it a go. for reference, i usually read horror and more taboo type books. i figured dark romance would stay pretty close to what i read usually (and was proved right!) so i bit the bullet and started reading.
it honestly took me about 200-300 pages into haunting to finally start liking it without cringing at least a little bit. the writing reminded me a lot of those fanfics i read as a little emo kid, which...is both good and bad. nostalgic, but a little off putting now that i'm an adult woman. however, once i started liking it, jesus christ, i started like it! i ended up caring for and falling in love with the characters.
hunting adeline on the other hand. good lord. i knew people said it was darker, but i truly was not expecting what i got with that book. incredibly action packed and heart wrenching and i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. i found a whole different love for the chracters and the books in general after finishing it.
now listen, this rant is NOT about the cat and mouse series. this rant is about the disappointing way people react to dark romance novels...actually, difficult topic novels as a whole. after finishing hunting, i put in my little star rating on goodreads and thought, shit, why not read some ratings? good god, i forgot why i always ignore ratings on books.
at the beginning of haunting adeline, i noticed the author specifically asked people not to give bad ratings just for the dark parts of the DARK romance novel. i thought it was strange, but overall didn't think much of it after that. that was, until i looked at these god foresaken reviews.
damn near every dark romance novel i've looked at has a list of trigger warnings or has a link to where you can find the content involved. personally, i don't have a problem with content/trigger warnings for books. i am absolutely the type of person that the more fucked up a book is, the more i love it. however, i know most people do not feel the same way!! there is not one thing wrong with that.
you know what there is something wrong with though? completely ignoring those warnings, proceeding, and then throwing a bitch fit of a review because it was too much for you and your standards. i am such a strong believer that just because a form of media makes you feel something negative, does not necessarily mean it's a bad thing.
if i had a penny for every review i've read over the years that are people being mad that a disturbing book...disturbed them...i would be a fucking millionaire. i've seen it with damn near every favorite book of mine/books that have truly made my stomach churn. and i have now seen it with every popular dark romance novel. it's now made me start thinking twice when i stick my nose up at a badly rated novel.
sometimes, i'll see people reply to others who have DNF'ed a dark romance because they are upset when they trampled over trigger warnings and then lost their marbles when the book triggered them. sometimes it's people who completely agree or say that they're no longer going to read the book. other times, there's people who think and feel the same way i do. people who call them out for shaming an entire genre of books and a massive group of people.
one of the reasons i love reading horror and taboo and dark romance is because of traumatic things i've been through, and i know it's the same reason a lot of people read them too. even for the people who just love a little bit of fucked up shit in their life, i get it. i just don't think i'll truly ever get why people feel the need to leave bad reviews and shame readers and authors because of something that made them feel uncomfortable. embrace the darkness, and if you can't, don't blind the ones that do with your giant fucking flashlight.
thank you guys for coming to my first rant, see ya next time! and you know where to come for questions, comments, concerns and to rant back at the void!
#rant#haunting adeline#reading#hunting adeline#book tumblr#booktok#spicy books#booklr#cat and mouse#zade and adeline#literature#book rant#dark romance#mine#goodreads#book review#bookgirlrants
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UPDATE: I realized recently that so many of my characters have purple shadow fog/smoke power visuals, which was kind of repetitive, so I'm now changing the color for some of these characters. Hanma's shadow smoke is now bluish instead of purple.
The parents of Kouka & Kuromoya, they're both shorter than their kids, given those two are both around 200 cm tall lol. They also don't look that old cuz both are beings that don't age like humans/I struggle making characters look old OTL
More info below: (unfinished, I'm still not entirely sure about the story with Hanma's family, its just some rough bits and pieces. Also no name for his little sister/Kiryo's mum yet)
Name meanings:
Rikka's name means "snow," and Hanma tends to write his name in two different ways; either so it translates to "Squad demon," or "Judgment demon," depending on the context of the situation.
(The OG version of his name is the first one, the second meaning actually comes from the moment he fought his family to save his baby sis and Rikka, where he called himself "the judgment demon" because he's a dramatic bitch)
Age:
They're both around 150 years old in human years. Rikka is considered to be in her late forties/early fifties among Kitsune, and Hanma's body is roughly equivalent to someone in their fifties as well.
(Murasaki family members aging speed/how long they live varies between individuals, which is common for elemental soul eaters.)
Powers:
Rikka has your typical kitsune abilities from fox fire to being able to shapeshift into a fox, creating illusions and possession. Rikka specifically uses her possession ability on inanimate objects for information gathering purposes, or to send messages to people.
She's also an excellent swordswoman, able to cut stone and metal, and even fire. She's also a good mentoring figure and as patient teacher.
Hanma can control shadows, his primary ability being forming arms or humanoid "soldiers" from it as an offensive ability. These soldiers typically share his inhuman physical strength and are capable of tearing people apart with their bare hands. His shadows can change consistency from mist/smoke to a more solid substance, and aren't vulnerable to most other elements, apart from sacred light.
He can also pull people's souls out of their bodies/see into them as a Soul Eater. He's learned how to use a sword too thanks to his wife, and is fairly skilled though not on the same level as her.
Personality:
Rikka is a calm, gentle individual who is very patient with people, willing to see other's perspective. This does not mean however that she's a pushover, and just because she might understand, it does not mean she agrees.
She is more than willing to put her foot down to defend what she believes is right, and call out one's wrongdoing, even at the expense of her own safety. She's good at reading people, which enabled her to become close with the seemingly arrogant and kind of antisocial Hanma; lot of his behavior stemmed from need to prove himself to his overbearing parents, who expected so much from their eldest.
Being bit of an optimist, Rikka wants to believe there is good in absolutely everybody, but also acknowledges that sometimes that can be impossible to reach within a person.
Hanma tends to come off very quiet, kind of aloof and dismissive individual, who's also quite arrogant. This was true for the majority of his youth, but nowadays he's learned some humility and is able to laugh at his own mishaps and mistakes, as well as take people's criticism a bit better.
He's very fiercely protective and caring towards his loved ones, and they tend to be the only ones whose opinion truly matters to him. He can be kind of curt and rude to people outside this specific select group.
While he's no longer a smug asshole, Hanma is still kind of impatient and can get easily annoyed by someone's incompetence. He tries to be patient with children, though.
Family Details:
Their kids ended up reminding Rikka more than Hanma, which he's actually thankful of, because he's 'kind of a terrible person' as he sometimes puts it.
Rikka taught her daughter how to swordfight as well, Kuromoya was less interested because he prefers more "hands on" combat as he calls it.
Rikka's family were generally known among the kitsune and spirit folk as exceptionally good fighters, often hired and serving as bodyguards for important people, or guardians for sacred places.
Rikka was assigned to be Hanma's sister's bodyguard by the family in fact, which led to their friendship and her eventually meeting Hanma and becoming close with him overtime.
Hanma's nicknames for Kouka and Kuromoya are "little fox cub" and "little shadow cub." (He does sometimes call Kuromoya a brat too though, namely because he is one lol)
Hanma is sometimes called "Grandpa Kitseru" by his kids adoptive son Yago in reference to his pipe. Yago calls Rikka Grandma Kitsune, naturally
Hanma actively tried to make sure Kuromoya wouldn't make the same mistakes he did when younger, once noticing the boy had inherited some of his more unpleasant personality traits. He mostly succeeded (with help from Rikka and Kouka of course)
Hanma was locked away as a prisoner by his own family at one point, due to basically doing his own thing and solving issues they had with murder. (specifically unauthorized murder, his family was okay with murder, just not him doing it without permission)
He later ends up killing them for trying to kill his baby sister and Rikka. The sister because she was seen as "too weak and useless" to be part of the family, and Rikka because she tried to protect her.
Th only reason the family had a dojo was for financial benefit/to discover strong souls to devour. None of them thought highly of using weapons, and being sent there to manage it was seen as punishment (except by Hanma's little sister who enjoyed being there)
Notable friends/Staff:
Erena: A Head priestess of a healing water temple they occasionally visit
Ayame: A snow woman living in the small mountain area their kids' run bathhouse is close of, Hanma saw her 'human death' while visiting Jade Town area, though he never brings it up openly, given his reasoning for sparing her soul and thus allowing it to transform into a snow woman wasn't that merciful.
Kiyoi: honorary adoptive child, a nature magic wielding witch boy they mentor
Yoruga: A moth spirit that works as a messenger for the staff
Yume: A shadow witch/young mother to whom Rikka helps to the best of her abilities as the more experienced one
EXTRA FACTS:
Rikka's aura color is yellow, whereas Hanma's powers have a bluish hue. This is why their kids' auras are green.
Hanma sometimes smacks/taps people with his pipe when he's annoyed with them. The only people he doesn't do this with even if irritated is his wife and daughter
Rikka's food preferences somewhat reflect her being a fox spirit; rabbit, duck, frog legs: her favorite berries are carrion berries too. She does eat other things, but these are her favorites.
Hanma doesn't eat human food that much as he's nourished by souls mostly, but does prefer vegetarian food/fish
Hanma basically taught his kids, that its okay to kill people if they're bad ones, which eventually sort of led them into doing the whole set-up with their bathhouse.
Rikka doesn't fully agree with this set-up, but understands her kids have to devour souls at some point, as they do need it to nourish themselves. She accepts this as long as her kids vet their targets properly and don't harm innocents/cases that might not deserve it.
You can tell how much Hanma loves his family just from the way he tends to look at his wife and kids; its typically the softest his face will ever be.
Rikka has tried to teach Yago some sword-fighting skills too, though so far he's kind of clumsy with long sharp pointy things.
If Kuromoya didn't have vitiligo, his skintone would be fully dark like his father's.
Rikka's main sword that she can summon has a green and gold handle with a swirly pattern on it. It is called "Kazeheki" which rougly translates to wind-piercer. In her dojo/while training she of course only uses wooden swords.
While Rikka is also a white looking fox, she is not an Arctic type like Taiga (another character in this story) and the main difference between the types comes mainly from their elemental power. Arctic kitsunes use ice and wind instead of fire/have those elements on top of fox fire.
Hanma despised most of his birth family, minus his baby sister he was always protective over. In a way this tendency was inherited by Kuromoya, who's also equally protective of Kouka.
The burn on Hanma's arm is from the time he had to save Rikka and his baby sister; he actually did it purely by using the swordsman skills he learned from Rikka/his baby sister who was also pretty good at it, as his powers were sealed away at the time.
This was an ironic twist, given the family used to look down on using weaponry at all (which was the source of his arrogance towards using swords in the first place)
Hanma sometimes smacks/taps people with his pipe when he's annoyed with them. The only people he doesn't do this with even if irritated is his wife and daughter
Rikka's food preferences somewhat reflect her being a fox spirit; rabbit, duck, frog legs: her favorite berries are carrion berries too. She does eat other things, but these are her favorites.
Hanma doesn't eat human food that much as he's nourished by souls mostly, but does prefer vegetarian food/fish
Hanma basically taught his kids, that its okay to kill people if they're bad ones, which eventually sort of led them into doing the whole set-up with their bathhouse.
Rikka doesn't fully agree with this set-up, but understands her kids have to devour souls at some point, as they do need it to nourish themselves. She accepts this as long as her kids vet their targets properly and don't harm innocents/cases that might not deserve it.
You can tell how much Hanma loves his family just from the way he tends to look at his wife and kids; its typically the softest his face will ever be.
Rikka has tried to teach Yago some sword-fighting skills too, though so far he's kind of clumsy with long sharp pointy things.
If Kuromoya didn't have vitiligo, his skintone would be fully dark like his father's.
Rikka's main sword that she can summon has a green and gold handle with a swirly pattern on it. It is called "Kazeheki" which rougly translates to wind-piercer. In her dojo/while training she of course only uses wooden swords.
While Rikka is also a white looking fox, she is not an Arctic type like Taiga (another character in this story) and the main difference between the types comes mainly from their elemental power. Arctic kitsunes use ice and wind instead of fire/have those elements on top of fox fire.
Hanma despised most of his birth family, minus his baby sister he was always protective over. In a way this tendency was inherited by Kuromoya, who's also equally protective of Kouka.
The burn on Hanma's arm is from the time he had to save Rikka and his baby sister; he actually did it purely by using the swordsman skills he learned from Rikka/his baby sister who was also pretty good at it, as his powers were sealed away at the time.
This was an ironic twist, given the family used to look down on using weaponry at all (which was the source of his arrogance towards using swords in the first place)
#artists on tumblr#oc reference#character reference#digital art#lumi’s chaotic creations#lumi's chaotic creations#lumi’s art scribbles#lumi's art scribbles#Telepaths#Murasaki family#Rikka Murasaki#Hanma Murasaki#manga#anime#my ocs#kureshima bathhouse
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50 Years of Island Books: The Staff
This 50 Years of Island Books series is about to reach the grand finale, because November is only a few weeks away and it's almost time to pop the champagne. Since April, I've talked to booksellers and owners from years past, sales reps, and many beloved local authors to paint a picture of what Island Books has meant to the community and how it evolved into the place it is today.
Now, I'm turning my attention to the people who show up hour to hour, in the here and now, to make the store the living, breathing wonderland that it is and will be in 2023 and beyond. On a rainy Monday when the store was closed for cleaning, I pulled them aside for some heart-to-hearts.
So many times we come in and say a quick hi to these friendly booksellers, the face of a familiar place we know and love, but it's rare we think about who they are as people and what they think about as they work. I've known many of them for years and have watched the staff evolve. From my little perch, I can honestly say that they put so much love into what they do, and that our island community wouldn't be the same without them.
Side note: since I already cornered the longest tenured Island Books employee for a separate blog, Cindy only makes a tiny (and fun) appearance via Caitlin in this post. If you want to learn more about Cindy, click here.
To our Island Books booksellers—we love and appreciate all of you. Truly. Now let's get into it.
Miriam: I'm so happy to have a chance to talk to each of you. Let's start with, which book category excites you the most, and why?
Brad: Any day I can turn someone onto the Russians, like Checkhov, Tolstoy, or Dostoevsky, or someone less read, like Pushkin, is a great day. Jorge Luis Borges is a favorite for customers looking for a literary blend of fantasy and science fiction literary. He's Argentinian, and his voice differs from many other classic authors. There are so many large and small presses putting out reprints.
Becca: I'm largely a sci-fi, fantasy, and romance person. I’m not averse to other categories, but the books that I drop everything to read tend to be one of those genres (or fairy-tale retellings). I also love curling up with a good Middle Grade or Young Adult fiction.
Lori Robinson: The genre I get the most energy around right now is romance. I read widely, but I have my favorite places I like to land, although every once in a while something different catches my eye.
Caitlin: I love to sell the books I like to read: short story collections, literary fiction, translated fiction, poetry, some memoirs, and art and ballet history. When I first started at Island Books, a lot of people said, “Oh, short stories don’t sell here.” But I'm happy to say that isn't the case anymore.
Nancy: I like to read literary fiction and good narrative nonfiction, generally science and history.
Lillian: I think people would assume that I read a ton of kids books, but I’m around them so much and read them for work—at least 600 picture books a year (!), so for my own pleasure, I read mostly mystery, romance, and fantasy.
Miriam: As a group, you have a wide variety of tastes, which is great for customers. Now, tell me about your proudest accomplishments at Island Books.
Brad: I love to draw signs. I’m a part-time illustrator with a cartoony style, maybe because I’m a big graphic novel fan.
Becca: It’s fun to have become a person that customers ask for book recommendations. -- I still feel fairly new (2 years under my belt now), but to have become an integral part of something I love so much is awesome.
Lori Robinson: Mine would be the year we sold over 200 copies of Amy Snow by Tracey Rees in six months because I kept hand selling it. It was the first time I realized the impact a bookseller could have on the success of a book that wasn’t getting all the media attention.
Caitlin: Mine would be proving that our customers do like short stories.
Nancy: I'm proud of the many stories over the years that I could bring home to my family, and tell them how we found the perfect book for a customer’s dying mother or a kid having an issue, things like that. And the funny ones—we used to have a customer who loved to give a certain book to his lady friends. Whenever we saw that title on order, everyone knew he had a successful date! I think he single-handedly kept that book in print. I sure didn’t have those kind of stories when I worked as a web designer.
Miriam: There's no job quite like bookselling, is there? Those are great answers. Can you give an example of when you felt a deep connection with a customer or the community?
Becca: When a kid comes in and says they like fairy tales and you realize that kid is exactly who you were as a small child. Then you give them a pile of books and they buy all of them and you’re like, yes, I’ve found mini-me! Or having someone call back or come in the next time and say, "What you gave me for my grandkid was exactly what I needed and they loved it".
Lori Robinson: I have a certain customer who I remember coming to our door during the pandemic and saying, “Just pick two books out for me, I’ll read anything you want." That trust is challenging. When I don’t know someone, I really want to take care of it and give people good choices. Anytime someone buys a book that I write a blog about, that warms my little heart. And I love when someone comes in and I think, I would never guess you’d read this book, and then they say, “I love this book!” I just love that we all get to like what we like.
Caitlin: One of our customers who loves short stories—having that customer come to me for recommendations is really nice, and an honor because she’s also a big reader, a school librarian, and a mother. I love sharing a common love of certain books with individual customers.
Nancy: Here's my quirky fact - This will be the second 50th anniversary of a bookstore I’ve attended this year. The other one I went to recently was for Red and Black Books, where I used to work with former Island Books bookseller Kay Wilson. I saw her there. Talk about long-time connections.
Lillian: I actually have a really clear one. Earlier this year, a mom came in and said that her queer child felt welcomed and happy to be at the store, and she was so thankful that her child had thought to mention how welcome they felt. I almost started to cry on the spot and it makes me tear up thinking about it.
Miriam: That's amazing. It's nice to know that your experiences in the store are just as meaningful to you as they are to the customers. I love hearing this good stuff, and I’m also interested in hearing about a challenge you overcame.
Brad: At first I would have said, wrapping, and it’s something I didn’t expect. I had no idea! People on Mercer Island really know how to give gifts. Drawing quickly is also a challenge.
Caitlin: I wish more people would give books I like a try. People will come in and want to read whatever is the bestselling book. What I say is, “What are you in the mood to read?” and then go from there, because not everyone needs to read bestsellers or classics. They’re not in school. Read what you want.
Nancy: There are a lot of books! We like a lot of books, but more and more books come out and we don’t have the space to shelve everything. We can order it, but we can’t stock everything. So every quarter, it’s a huge challenge to say, these are the books we’re going to commit to.
Lillian: The honest challenge is to stay interested after reading so many books over so many years. What I realize after I go through another season is that the books are different, that’s the great thing about books. Sometimes customers want the same thing over and over, and those things become classics and that’s fine, but for the majority of customers and definitely for me, I have to see what’s different, otherwise, it can get repetitive.
Miriam: Great answers that speak to so many years on the job. Here's another question. How would your colleagues describe you?
Brad: Friendly and kind, I would hope. A good listener.
Becca: Enthusiastic and willing. Laurie says I’m sassy. I'm also the youngest and got sucked into the social media part of things pretty quick, so I get a lot of the, hey, younger generation, technology, things.
Lori Robinson: I know that I’m pretty calm and unflappable when it comes to dealing with whatever you’ve got to deal with.
Caitlin: Oh, ha, here’s a note from Cindy about this question. She said I’m literary and quirky, and a name-dropper. And I was like, “Yeah…I think that’s pretty accurate.”
Nancy: Brilliant, friendly, kind to everyone, no-nonsense. You know. All the good stuff.
Lillian: I’m definitely the squeaky wheel. I guess what they’d say is that I get things done. That’s the thing. I get things done.
Miriam: These answers cracked me up (including the ones that aren't making it to print!). OK, let's do a fantasy question now. What would you do with it if someone gave you one million dollars to improve the book business and/or promote literacy?
Brad: Open more dream bookstores and do them the way I always wanted.
Becca: The industry is already diversifying the characters and cultures in books, and I’d find ways to support that. Everyone deserves to see themselves in what they read.
Lori Robinson: I’d love to do something to fight book bans. Working at the bookstore has opened my eyes to what banning books does, and I appreciate that it’s changed my view on experiencing things rather than being afraid of them.
Caitlin: I’d start with free nationwide healthcare for people earning under a certain amount of money. I grew up in a household filled with books, and I think it’s important for kids to grow up with their own books, and that takes parents earning a living wage.
Nancy: This is because I’m such a nuts-and-bolts person, but I’d get rid of dust jackets and have everything be paper on board so that we have less damages to deal with. Saves money and they’re annoying.
Lillian: I’d reverse this trend of prices going up because that would make independent bookstores more accessible to people who shop online because it’s cheaper. There are people who can’t afford to shop in independent bookstores, and if you remove that barrier, it would just open up that handpicked-for-you element that can be so special for kids, and adults too.
Miriam: Ah, if only booksellers ran the world. How about this. If I were to work with you in the store for a month, what would I learn about bookstore life that I can’t possibly gather from a brief interview?
Becca: A lot of people don’t know that we get new releases every single Tuesday, or that we get books sent to us a week before they come out so we have them on the actual release day. So many books, all the time.
Caitlin: Customers are pretty savvy. Obviously, there’s that old idea that booksellers and librarians are just sitting around reading all day, but it’s not true, there’s a lot of work. It’s physical work, you’re constantly bending and putting things away.
Nancy: Well I’m sure everyone says, we do not have time to read while we’re working. They also might not know just how much we really know our customers. Sometimes when we’re going through a catalog, we’ll say, “Oh, I know who will like that book.” And we get that book for that particular person in our community. The two big trends in the past years are the normalization of queerness in fiction and nonfiction, so we really have a tiny LGBTQ section, because, there aren’t really any queer novels anymore—they’re mainstream. I love that. The other thing is Tiktok. It’s been crazy for us getting younger women and girls in the store. And we wish Tiktok could work that way for boys too. We now see these backlist authors getting a second wind because of Tiktok and that’s so interesting as a trend. The third thing that everyone is talking about is AI. One of the things that we have on our radar and it’s been coming up in the book world is fake books. We’re seeing them more and more in the travel and cookbook categories. Our job as curators is more important than ever. We’re working with reputable publishers, we’re looking at every book that comes in the store, we’re recommending books. I think with AI, people are becoming even more important.
Lillian: How much time we spend just putting books away and tidying up and keeping things alphabetized. I can’t tell you how much we hum the alphabet to keep bookshelves in order. And working with me in particular, I’d say that I come across much more serious than I really am.
Miriam: You all have to be so organized. Let's move on to my final question. What does being part of a small business within a community mean, and how do you play a role in it?
Brad: One of the best things about working at Island Books is how the community supports the store. And it’s not just about books. We’re a hub. About six months after I started, a woman came in and said her car wouldn’t start. Does anyone know how to jump a car? And I said, I can help. She didn’t know me, but she knew I worked at Island Books, so she knew we'd pitch in.
Becca: People are so committed to the small-town vibe here, everyone knowing each other. It’s so cool to see my colleagues interact with all these customers and they know their names and who they are. I also admire the way we work with other small businesses in the community. Everyone is invested in each other.
Lori Robinson: It’s funny for me, because I went to middle school and high school here, and I worked on the south end for longer than I care to admit, but all of that built a lot of relationships for me, the kind where you see people every day. It’s strange to have people to come in who have kids who were four when I met them and are now graduating from college and starting their careers. When I think about being part of a bookstore, I hope that there are some kids and regular customers who have felt like we’ve offered them a safe place and that I’ve personally been a safe person to talk to who they know won’t judge them or what they like to read. It means a lot to people when we remember them. I hope we offer a warm moment and a good experience.
Caitlin: With the exception of Laurie (and Becca, who is moving off-island), none of the staff lives on the island. So I guess we feel we’re representatives of the store and the community and it’s our responsibility to make people feel welcome.
Nancy: I feel like I have really grown with Mercer Island. I don’t live here, but I feel like I’ve really gotten to know this community. I worked for Roger for six years and I’ve worked for Laurie for almost seven, and we see kids grow up, we see people age, we have a lot of customers who have died over the years, and you’re kind of going through life cycles with people. We’ve seen the build up of Mercer Island, the businesses who are all working together now—it didn’t used to be like that. The community feels more like they appreciate their community too. I think our customers really stepped up during Covid and realized, we love this place, and we need it. They’ve been great.
Lillian: As the kids’ specialist, it’s different, because I spend a lot of time chatting with the community kids. I get to watch them grow up. There are people that come in who are going to high school that eight years ago I was recommending chapter books to. So, to have a hand in helping kids become life-long readers, and enhancing how important it is, is great. I always say I’m lucky to not be the teacher or parent because I don’t have to worry about the academics. I worry about, how can I make this kid love books so much that they will be a reader for the rest of their life?
Miriam: Right? That makes so much sense. Thanks, everyone. What a cool crowd. I adore all of you and am so glad you're in my life, and everyone else's!
Next week, for my final installment of 50 Years of Island Books, I'll be talking with the owner, Laurie Raisys, and it'll be a good one. See you soon.
—Miriam
#island books#Miriam landis#bookstore staff#lori robinson#Becca Oman#Cindy corujo#Caitlin luce baker#Lillian welch#Nancy Shawn#Brad Beshaw#50 Years of Island Books
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