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#this was so outside of our comfort zone and we went for it and I'm so glad we did
nipuni · 7 months
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Last weekend we had the most wonderful day doing 1900 historical reenactment with these lovely ladies we had the pleasure to know! 🥰 We walked around royal gardens, watched the air balloons take off, played with the horses and chickens and had an amazing picnic in a beautiful estate! It was such a dream 😭 I look forward to more incredible events with Anacronicos ❤️
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Finally Mine-Luke Patterson
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(not my gif)
A/n: Thank you so much for asking for part 2. I hope you like this one just as much as you liked the first one. 
Taglist: @mallory69
-Samantha
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Your POV
I was watching Julie on stage, when I saw the guys popping in. I felt myself smile until I noticed Luke having trouble. I grew nervous just watching him until I heard his voice. " I'm going out of my mind!" 
I was cheering them on from the crowd. I noticed Luke glancing my way a couple of times, which made me blush. I knew I shouldn't be nervous with him looking over at me, but I am. I was having the best time dancing and singing along. 
Once the show ended I felt a wave of sadness because I knew Luke, Reggie and Alex left for good. I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun around to find my dad. 
" Let's go find your sister." he said 
I smiled a little and nodded kind of zoned out since all I could think about was Luke right now. I followed behind my brother still thinking about how we didn't get a proper good-bye. 
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When we found Julie I couldn't help but run over to her. "Omg! You did amazing on that stage." I said while wrapping my arms around her. She chuckled a little and thanked me. She then hugged everyone else while I stood back to get ready to leave. 
Julie's POV
After the hugs I could tell Y/n/n was thinking about the boys as much as I was. I knew she was feeling down for not getting to say good-bye. 
I waited until the three other members of our family was in front of us before I linked our arms to comfort her. She just gave me a smile before holding my arm a little tighter. 
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We all were singing on the way to the front door until I paused looking over at the studio. " I'll be inside in a little bit." I told them
They nodded, but before she could sneak away I grabbed her wrist. "You want to come with me." I asked hopeful 
She looked over at me and I could tell she was hurting. " I can't walk in there, I'm sorry." She pulled her wrist out of my grip and rushed inside. I let out a deep sigh feeling bad for her. I just wish I could help her, but I know she just needs time to heal. 
I then decided to go to the studio to go and talk even though they're gone now. As I was talking I heard a grunt so I immediately flicked the light on to find all three of them on the ground in pain. I felt overwhelmed with sadness. I kept telling them to go since they did their unfinished business. 
Your POVI left Julie outside to immediately rush inside to my room to let my emotions out. I closed the door and crumbled to the ground not having the energy to stand anymore. This felt like the worst pain ever and I didn't like it. 
Julie's POV
I could feel tears falling down my face and when Luke went in for a hug my brain forgot that it wouldn't work, but what shocked me was that I could feel him. I pulled away and saw that he was glowing so I called...
" Alex, Reggie!" which made the both of them come over to me and we all did a group hug. We then started to jump around in a circle making me laugh. 
We then pulled away to find their marks that they got from the club were disappearing. " Julie, where's your sister?" Luke questioned 
I totally forgot about her. I looked over at the three of them. " She went to her room. She is pretty devastated because she thinks you guys are gone." I explained, but right after I finished Luke disappeared. I glanced at the other two confused where they looked more concerned. 
Luke's POV
I popped into her room feeling my heart break from the sight in front of me. I was super hesitant to walk over to her. I didn't want to startle her in any way. I quietly walked over, " Y/n/n...." I softly questioned 
I could see her freeze. " You're not real, it's not real." she mumbled 
I was now behind her. I gently tapped her shoulder making her jump. She stood up and spun around. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I went to ask her something, but she immediately started spitting words out. She was making it hard to answer them so I softly placed my hands on her shoulders. " How...how?" She questioned 
I looked amazed again. " I'm honestly not sure myself, but I'm right here." I whispered 
She started crying again making me nervous not knowing what to do. " Hey, hey, it's okay." I whispered, wiping her tears. I smiled some when she calmed down and then admitted. 
" I heard the song you sang to Julie." 
She immediately started blushing, making me laugh. " You were not supposed to hear that." She whispered 
I pulled her into a hug. " It's okay cause I actually really liked the song. I whispered 
Your POV
I couldn't believe I had my arms around Luke. This felt like a dream to me. He rubbed my back some. " What's on your mind?" he questioned 
I pulled away, " Just how all this is real. It feels like a dream." I whispered 
He smiled, " Well I'm here plus I'm still in my clothes from performing." He stated 
I nodded, " Luke about the song..." he interrupted me
He placed both his hands on my face. " Your song was amazing, plus no one's ever written me a song before." He said 
I blushed at his words and got lost in his eyes. I saw him lean in which made me nervous. " Is this okay?" he whispered only like an inch from my lips. 
I took a deep breath to get rid of the nerves. I then nodded, but he automatically said...
" Use your words Y/n/n." 
I immediately folded and whispered, " Yes it's okay." 
He then smiled and closed the gap. Feeling his lips on mine is making me get dizzy. He pulled away, but kept his forehead on mine. " How was that?" he whispered 
" Amazing." I mumbled 
He smiled down at me before kissing me again. All I'm saying is I could get used to the feeling of his lips. 
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I hope you once again enjoy and I made her as Julie's sister not sure if I had her as one. Plus she's older than Julie by the way, so feel free to comment or request anything. Thank you guys for all the love and support. 
-Samantha
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major-mads · 3 months
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Chapter 3: Listen to Your Heart
John "Bucky" Egan x Ruth Morgan (OFC)
Series Masterlist
A/N: I'm so glad y'all are enjoying the series!! Thank you so much for reading!! Us Callum girlies sure got some...cough cough...quality content in episode four, that's for sure! Let me know what you think, and go read the other half of the story using the link below!!! this wonderful gif is by @zsuo!
Collab: On a Wing and a Prayer by @footprintsinthesxnd
Word Count: 4.7k
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August 3rd, 1943
Ruthie, Since Saturday night, you have rarely left my mind. I replay the dance in my head, trying to commit every detail to memory. I love being around you, Ruth. I couldn’t imagine the night going any better than it did, and I’m so glad that you stepped outside of your comfort zone to come with me. Curt’s been giving me a hard time about embarrassing you when I sang, but I told him you loved it, even if I sound like a “dying animal” in Buck’s words.  Speaking of Buck, I’ve decided to never let him live down Saturday’s condom incident with Hope. Hugh sure isn’t letting it go, so I can’t help but join in on the fun. Despite that, I think he had a great time with her, even though he’s a total stick in the mud. I can’t believe they didn’t dance, Ruthie! Our dance was my favorite part of the night, besides how we said goodnight, of course.
I would really like to see you again soon, Ruth. It’s no secret that I’m taken with you, and I think you feel the same. We’re spending the next few weeks replacing crews and forts, so we won’t be too busy. If you’re able, please stop by and pay me a visit. At the sight of your sweet, kind smile, and the feeling of your hand in mine, my worries seem to disappear. The only worry left in my mind is that my efforts to convert you to a Yankees fan won’t be successful. I hold onto the hope that you’ll see that the Braves are terrible and that the Yankees are the better team. The Braves went 11 and 18 this past month, and my amazing team went 21 and 11. You can’t argue against stats, slugger. I hope this won’t affect your feelings toward me because then we might have a problem. I can’t wait to see you again soon. Please stay safe up there for me.  Your Hotshot, Johnny Egan
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August 6th, 1943
Dear John, I am happy to hear that you and the boys are finally getting a break. When we were at the dance, I knew y’all were exhausted, but you sure didn’t show it, Major. You danced and sang like there was no tomorrow, and I had more fun than I had in a long while in your arms. Don’t worry about what Curt or Buck said. I loved your singing, even if it was slightly off-key and very loud. You might have embarrassed me, but seeing you in your element was worth it.  Every time I think back to that night, my heart begins to race and I can’t help but smile at the thought of you. I’m so very grateful that you decided to bring me along. Somehow you manage to turn me into a giddy, blushing teenager every time you cross my mind. Our kiss is a cherished memory of mine, and forgive me for being forward, but I hope that we can make more of such memories in the future.  Hope had an amazing time with Gale at the dance, and apparently, he wasn’t as much of a “stick in the mud” as you think. I’m sworn to secrecy, but know that they are very fond of each other already. When we got back to Grove the day after the dance, we told Frank what happened with…the incident, and he thought it was hilarious! He even said that he “did his job well,” whatever that means.  I would love nothing more than to come see you, but sadly, I don’t know when I’ll be able. Casualties from Italy are getting worse with the invasion of Sicily underway, and we’ve been on runs almost every day since we got back from the dance. Regardless of this, the first chance we get, Hope and I will make our way up to Thorpe Abbotts.  I can’t wait to see you again, Johnny, but the blatant slander against the Braves might damage your chances of getting another kiss. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this because I promise you I am not going to be converted. After all, a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone, right? Don’t hurt yourself falling off your bike during your break. Yours,  Ruth Morgan P.S. I would like to meet Meatball the next time I visit the base!
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Sunday, August 8th, 1943: Thorpe Abbotts AAF Base, Norwich
The mess hall buzzed with energy as Buck and Johnny sat at breakfast with Curt, who slowly moved his powdered eggs around on his plate with his fork. 
“I can’t eat this shit anymore,” he groaned, pushing the plate away from him.
John took a slow sip of his “coffee,” raising an eyebrow at the man. “Then don’t eat it.”
“Oh wow,” Biddick quipped. “What a great idea, Bucky. I’d never thought of that.”
The major smirked behind his mug and shot his friend a wink. Buck watched on in amusement, used to the two going back and forth as he and John did.
Leaning his elbows on the table, Curt leaned over the table toward John with a teasing glare. “Have you heard anything from Ruthie? Has she mentioned me? I thought I made a good first impression the other night.”
“Hmm,” Johnny hummed, pursing his lips for a moment before pointing at Biddick. “That’s Nurse Morgan to you, you dodo. I’m surprised you even remember anything from the dance with how drunk you were.”
“Oh I couldn’t forget a face like that,” he chuckled.
John’s eyes narrowed playfully as he clasped his hands together and leaned on the table. “Well it’s a good thing for me that she could forget yours, then,” he clapped back. “And you’re not the one she kissed goodnight.”
Buck rolled his eyes and continued to eat his breakfast as Egan’s loud, wide-mouthed cackle echoed through the mostly quiet mess hall. Curt then turned to Gale with a raised brow. “How about Hope-”
“Nope,” Buck interrupted calmly, raising his cup and taking a sip of his steaming coffee.
The other two men watched him as a tiny grin formed on the Major’s lips. Although he didn’t talk about it much, they could tell Buck had already developed deep feelings for the woman. 
Raising his eyebrows at Curt, John grinned. “Oh boy.”
“You’ve got it bad, Buck,” Biddick laughed, his hand landing on Gale’s shoulder roughly. “You gotten a reply to your letter yet?”
Thinking of the perfectly folded letter from Ruth he’d picked up that morning sitting in his breast pocket, John smiled down at his food, warmth spreading through him at the thought of the blonde. Buck, however, pursed his lips and shook his head at the question.
“I actually haven’t written her yet,” he sighed, running a hand down his face. “I want-”
“What!?” Johnny all but yelled, his eyes widening as coffee almost spewed from his mouth. “Why the hell not, Buck? I already sent one to Ruth and got a response.”
Gale groaned and put down his fork with a clink. “Because of Hugh.”
“Why are you so worried about Charlie?” Curtis asked, wearing a confused expression.
“Because he’s in my squadron. And he’s her brother.”
John pointed and leaned over the table at him. “Hope’s a big girl, Buck. She can make her own decisions. Screw what Hugh says.”
“But-” Gale started but was once again cut off by Bucky.
“He’s gonna hate you even more if he thinks you're leading her on. You not sending Hope a letter isn’t making anything better,” he said, a smirk beginning to tug at his lips as he continued. “On top of the condom situation.” 
John and Curt busted out into chuckles as Buck just groaned, closing his eyes tightly. “Oh, please don’t remind me.”
The ideal chatter was disturbed by the door to the mess hall swinging back on its hinges with a crash, followed by heavy footfall as Hugh all but stormed through the building like a tornado. He snatched a mug off a table and poured himself a steaming cup of black coffee before marching past the trio, staring daggers at Gale who looked up worriedly from his breakfast. 
Curt’s eyes followed the man as he walked in, muttering under his breath, “Speak of the devil.”
"Good morning to you, too, Sparky," John called out with a small wave as he walked by, only to be met with deafening silence from the other pilot. 
Hugh's harsh glare was burning a hole in the back of Gale’s skull and he thought any second now he’d come into his brain and it would be lights out. 
“You’ve really pissed him off this time, Buck, and you didn’t even get his sister into bed,” John laughed heartily, taking a long swig from his whiskey and coffee, it was most likely more whiskey than coffee but Gale humored him. 
“Will you give it a rest? I’m already getting it from Hugh without your added input,” Gale stabbed aggressively at his scrambled eggs, willing the eyes of the room to stop looking at him. 
Curt snorted beside him, waving his fork around. “Well, I’m telling you boys, if I’d have had Hope in my arms and she’d bought condoms with her, let’s just say she wouldn’t have been going back home with them.” 
That was the final straw. 
Gale slammed his fist down on the table, ignoring the way Johnny jumped in his seat, spilling his coffee over the table, and the way several chunks of his scrambled egg disappeared onto the floor.
“You say anymore slander about my girl, Biddick and I swear…”
“Your girl, Buck?” John raised his right eyebrow, an amused smirk on his lips as his mustache twitched. “She’s your girl and you haven’t even written her yet?”
Sometimes Gale wished he could rip that stupid mustache off John’s face, but he kept his cool. 
It would seem that Hugh had heard the whole commotion. His chair screeching back from the table, he stomped up between the tables once more, his glare never leaving Gale until the door slammed shut behind him. 
Buck groaned, unsure if it was in relief or at the impending doom that he was likely to suffer if this debacle continued. Without a second thought, he excused himself from the table, ignoring the calls of protest from John and Curt, and hurried after Hugh. 
“Hugh! Hugh, wait up. Please, I want to talk to you,” Gale jogged after the tall brunette whose face turned sour the instant he noticed him.
The door quickly closed behind him, and Curt looked at the major across from him with a guilty expression. “I was just joking, Bucky. I would never-”
“Ahh don’t worry about it,” John said as he sipped on his coffee. “He knows that. Like you said, Buck’s got it bad and this thing with Hugh has been eating at him since Saturday.” 
Biddick nodded to himself, his eyes lingering on the door. “Do you think Hugh’ll let it go?”
“For Buck’s sake, I do…I think he will. Doesn’t mean I won’t still rag Buck about it, though.” 
“Yeah,” Curt mumbled, staring down at his plate.
Neither man spoke for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts until Bucky wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up. “I’ve got a letter to write. See you later, Curt.”
“I never thought I’d live to see the day,” Biddick replied. “Bucky Egan writing a love letter. Looks like Buck isn’t the only one who’s got it bad.”
John tugged his white-fleece jacket back into place and chuckled at his friend. “Don’t go all soft on me.”
“I think it suits you, John. Really,” he urged, a soft smile on his lips. “You seem happier.”
Staring at him for a moment, Bucky didn’t quite know how to respond. He felt happier. He had something to look forward to other than getting drunk at the bar or the adrenaline rush he got when the sound of .50 cal brownings echoed through his fort. John placed his cap back on his head, and with a curt nod, turned toward the door.
His tie suddenly became too tight around his throat as he pushed through the doors into the cool English air, and he quickly loosened it, letting it hang limply as he took a deep breath. In that moment, John Egan had a profound realization.
Since he came over to England in May, he had been simply going through the motions, replaying the same days over and over: Wake up…Fly forts…Bomb targets…Get drunk…Show a woman a good time…then start the cycle again the next day. For someone with such a passionate personality, he lacked the feeling that he so deeply desired. Curt could vouch for this, being the one to knock some feeling back into him a few months back on the wing of Mugwump.
But since that day in July when the nurses landed on their small base in East Anglia, feeling had slowly been creeping back into his life. He first felt it when Ruth caught him staring, and was soon captivated by her dimpled smile and capable personality. The numbness that had become so familiar to him faded into the background when she was near, her laughter shaking free his heart a little more each time it left her lips. 
He was alive with Ruth. More alive than he felt when ME-109s whizzed past him or when flack shook his fort. More alive than when he unbuttoned a woman’s dress and laid her down. More alive than the burning sensation that traveled down his throat when he downed another shot at the bar.
Over the past few weeks, the blonde nurse had somehow burrowed into his jaded exterior and broken down the walls he didn’t even know existed. 
John’s mind reeled as he silently mounted his bike and rode to the base HQ. The ride passed in a blur, and before he knew it, he was sitting at his desk, staring down at the blank sheet of paper before him. He hadn’t had a problem writing her before, so why was this any different?
How was he supposed to convey such profound feelings in a letter?
He started simply, letting his mind imagine her there beside him.
“Dear Ruth.”
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Thursday, August 12, 1943: Termini Imerese, Sicily, Italy
“You ready girls!” Frank called over his shoulder, glancing as Hope and Ruth took the stretcher from the medics below them and loaded the last wounded soldier onto the rack. Hope pulled out her flight manifest and checked off the final patient to board. The young boy reached out, grasping her hand. 
“Nurse,” his voice cracking as he tried to grab her attention. He was so young, barely eighteen years old. His bright blue eyes, glossy and hazy, gazed up at her. 
“Yes, My Love,” Hope crouched down, clasping the boy's hand in one of hers while her other brushed away his brunette locks from his face. She tried to stop her eyes from drifting down his body to where only stumps of his legs remained, the burnt flesh wrapped neatly in crisp bandages. 
“You’re an angel,” he whispered and Hope smiled sweetly at him, squeezing his hand. “When I write home, I’m gonna tell my Momma ‘bout you.” 
A single tear trickled down her cheek and she leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead and watching until he drifted off to sleep. His delicate, young features were no longer etched with worry, and the hard lines across his forehead softened as the morphine began to take effect. 
Hope turned, watching as Ruth comforted one of the other young men further down the plane who had managed to remove some of his bandages. 
“Hey, don’t do that, you need those,” Ruth tutted quietly, helping the Private sit up a little so she could secure fresh, white bandages around his bloody arm. The poor boy grumbled under his breath as Ruth tucked in the end. “Now leave ‘em be, okay?”
The young boy nodded, shifting uncomfortably in his cot. They weren’t the most comfortable racks, just cool metal bars lining the hammock-like beds that swayed as the C-47 rocked through the sky. 
Hope took her seat beside Ruth, who had finished trying to redress the soldier's wounds, smiling briefly at her friend, who wore the same exhausted expression she did.
“I can’t wait to get back to the Grove. I need a warm bath and my bed,” Ruth mumbled, stretching out her aching muscles that screamed against the tension in her body. 
“Oh don’t say that, Rue. We’ve still got to drop these poor boys off at the hospital in Mateur.” Ruth just groaned in response. 
The dance with the boys had been their last outing in a while. It was the last time Hope hadn’t felt completely exhausted. She’d been relaxed, able to let go, and safe in Gale’s arms. 
This trip had been hard. The plane was at full capacity and when they arrived on the airfield at Termini Imerese, Sicily, they were instantly thrown into action. The girls disappeared into the makeshift hospitals that lined the airfield, the white tents flapping in the harsh wind that did little to cool the heat from the scorching midday sun. 
Hope and Ruth conferred with the surgeons, assessing and stabilizing patients that were safe to fly, meaning that many of the young men with head injuries or who had suffered significant blood loss would be unable to fly due to the unpressurized aircraft cabins. Many of the men didn’t have emergency medical tags, so the girls had to make their own assessments for many of the patients. 
The thrumming roar of the C-47’s engine erupting to life always brought a great sense of comfort to Hope, along with an impending sense of fear in unison. This job, while rejuvenating her youth through the exhilarating flights and the lives they saved, aged her with each passing moment spent in the air, because after every successful landing she was left with the feeling that although they had saved lives, they couldn’t save them all. This weighed heavily on both of the women.
Frank and his fellow pilot chatted hastily in the cockpit, their muffled voices cracking through over the radio. As soon as the plane leveled out Hope and Ruth stood, each taking a side of the plane and beginning the checkups on their patients, recording their temperature, pulse, and respiration as well as checking there was no strike through of blood from their dressings. The girls worked quickly, only conferring on their patients' conditions. 
It always amazed Hope how quickly their work changed them, on the flight over Ruth had been once again telling her about the letter she’d received from John. Hope feared she could probably quote Ruth’s letter herself by now, but she never complained, pleased that Ruth was finally coming out of herself. 
Hope had her own letter from Gale tucked into her top overall pocket, over her heart. His words burned into her flesh and she felt as though he was right there beside her all along. 
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Having dropped off the soldiers at the large US hospital in Mateur, Tunisia, the C-47 headed home. The mood was somber as the large metal bird rattled its way across Europe towards England. 
Ruth’s eyes had closed about half an hour before, and Hope didn’t have the heart to wake her up. She looked so peaceful, the wrinkles that normally appeared when she smiled were smoothed away, and her blonde locks fell softly from where she had so lovingly pinned them that very morning. 
Hope took Gale’s letter out of her pocket, smoothing out the creases that had poked around the edge of the page. Words of affirmation sprung out at her and a smile was instantly cemented to her lips as she relieved the last moments with him. 
The flight home always seemed quicker, and soon ‘The Angel of Death’ was touching down on the runway. Hope helped a rather sleepy Ruth off the plane and waved goodnight to Frank, who chuckled in amusement at the blonde’s incoherent murmurs, some of them sounding an awful lot like the name of her beloved major.
 “Goodnight Ladies.” 
“Come on, Rue. Let’s get you home,” Hope wrapped her arm around her sleepy friend, leading the way to the Nissan huts they were billeted in. 
Some of the other nurses were still stationed in Africa and so they currently had the hut to themselves. Hope lay Ruth down on the bed, smiling as she snuggled closer into the pillow.
So much for a warm bath…
Hope would rag her about it later, but she couldn’t deny that the stress of the day was getting to her too, but something restless kept her from falling into her own bed. Instead, Hope sat at the small desk in the corner, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. She pulled Gale’s crumpled letter from her pocket, smoothed it flat onto the desk, and began writing her reply.
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The following day, the girls finally had a day off, and as much as they wanted to make the trip up to Thorpe Abbotts, the nurses were so exhausted that they barely got out of bed. 
“What time is it?” Ruth groaned, turning onto her side to hide from the bright sun peeking through the curtains. 
Getting no response, she cracked her eyes open, and a smile tugged at her lips at the sight before her. In the corner of the room, Hope’s cheek lay smushed against the desktop, her messy black hair splayed around her as she slept soundly. The corner of a paper could just barely be seen under her hair, and Ruth immediately knew what she’d fallen asleep doing.
Sighing softly, she pulled back her covers and padded over to Hope, wincing at the sting of her feet against the cold floors. “Hope,” Ruth whispered, rubbing the woman’s shoulder gently. “Come on, let’s get you into bed.”
She awoke slowly, allowing the blonde to sit her up off the desk. “Five more minutes,” Hope mumbled.
Ruth chuckled, the sound echoing through the silent hut. Luckily, Hope’s bed was directly beside the desk, so the smaller woman didn’t have to maneuver her around too much to get her onto the mattress. 
Gently laying her extra blanket over her best friend, Ruth smiled down at her. “There you go. Snug as a bug.”
She then walked over to her bed and snuggled under the covers again, but not before closing their blackout curtains, causing darkness to envelop the room once again. The warmth drew her back into her peaceful slumber, her eyes fluttering closed as her mind repeated Johnny’s latest letter:
Sunday, August 8th, 1943
Dear Ruth, I can’t wait to see you again. I know I said that in my last letter, but I’ve recently discovered that absence actually does make the heart grow fonder. I find myself waiting in anticipation for your letters the moment I send off my own, and I long to see you…to have you here next to me. Hopefully, your missions will ease soon and you’ll finally get a break, too. I understand how tiring it can be to fly day after day, and that’s without even having to take care of patients. Please take care of yourself, alright? As much as I would love to see you, please rest if you get the chance. Don’t worry about me. We’ll see each other soon enough. Today Buck finally wrote Hope back. I tried to tell him how stupid it was to wait, but he was adamant about getting Hugh’s approval. He’s a bigger man than I am, Ruth. Regardless of this, we can never let him live the incident down…ever. In response to your threat to withhold your affection from me, I say bring it on. Like I said before, you can’t argue with facts. The Yankees are the better team, and I’m going to convince you of that, so I cannot agree to disagree. I’m too stubborn to let you win, and if I’m being honest, I don’t know if you’ll be able to resist my charming personality…or the mustache. I know you love the mustache, Ruth. If you decide to follow through on your threat, I’ll shave it off. Just for you. Don’t stand between a man and kisses from his girl. It doesn’t end well for anyone. But it’s like you said, a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone, right? Please be safe, Ruthie, and know I am thinking of you. Yours, John Egan
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Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Hope! Ruth! You alive in there?” a voice hollered through the hut’s door, rousing Ruth for the second time that morning. She opened her mouth to reply, but Hope beat her to it. 
“Go away, Frank!” she groaned, covering her ears with her pillow.
“It’s almost noon,” the man chuckled. “I know you’re tired but you both need to get up. We’ve got stuff to do.”
Sitting up abruptly, Ruth grabbed her watch off her small side table, her eyes widening when she read 11:43 am. She looked over to Hope who was also staring at her watch in utter disbelief.
“I haven’t slept in this much since I was a teenager,” Hope muttered under her breath before turning to Ruth, almost breaking into a fit of laughter at the blonde’s wonky curls from the day before. “We look terrible.”
Frank pounded his fist against the door, yelling, “Get up!”
“WE ARE!!” They both hollered back, unable to keep the frustration from lacing their voices.
Throwing off her covers, Hope stood to her feet and marched over to the door, swinging it open. Ruth clamored quickly out of bed to follow her, stopping right behind her shoulder as they glared at Frank. His eyes scanned the women before him, and a grimace appeared on his face at their ragged appearances. 
“Okay,” he started, raising his hands in surrender. “Go back to sleep. You look like shit, and I’d rather do things on the plane by myself than deal with your grumpy attitudes.”
They narrowed their eyes at him. “Nope. We’re awake now,” Hope retorted, smiling sweetly at him.
Sighing, Frank stepped back from the door with a barely concealed smirk. “Meet me at the hardstand.”
As Hope shut the door, Ruth flopped back on her bed, her eyes following Hope’s figure walking across the room to the desk in the corner. “How’s Gale?” she asked, propping her head up with her hand.
Hope began to neatly fold up the letter, smiling softly as she talked over her shoulder. “He’s good. Said he didn’t write because of Hugh causing problems, but he’s got his blessing now.” She turned toward Ruth with dusty pink cheeks, giggling to herself. “He even signed his last letter with ‘your Gale.’”
“Hope!” Ruth squealed, sitting up and covering her mouth with her hands. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve someone like Gale, and I’m sure Hugh sees how much he adores you.”
Hope looked down at the letter in her hands, her heart swelling at the thought of the man. “He’s amazing,” she whispered as her eyes traced over his name on the paper. After a few moments, she shook her head, seemingly clearing her thoughts, and raised an eyebrow at Ruth. “How’s John?”
It was now Ruth’s turn to blush, the tips of her ears heating up at the mention of the major. “Great…amazing…wonderful. I feel like I’ve known him so much longer than a few weeks, Hope. You know how I can get sometimes, but when I’m with him, I don’t feel nearly as anxious. And when he kissed me…I wished it could’ve lasted forever. I can’t wait to see him again.”
Sighing softly, Hope plopped down onto her bed. “Look at us, Rue. We’re like a bunch of lovesick teenagers.”
“Yeah, we are,” Ruth giggled, her mind replaying her and John’s laughter, soft touches, and tender looks from the dance. The way he held her face so delicately, how his lips-
“Come on,” Hope called, her mattress squeaking as she got up, breaking Ruth from her thoughts. “Let’s get ready so we can go annoy Frank.”
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Tag List: @xxluckystrike @precious-little-scoundrel @bcofl0ve @violetdaze25 @docroesmorphine @kmc1989 @gfofsadie @artlover8992 @karashaw99 @dustyjumpwjngs @camicanos-blog @storysimp @b00ks1ut @sunny747 @leopard-skin-pillbox-hat-ok @yoongiscxr @blueberry-ovaries @sidneysidney123
message or comment if you want to be added to the tag list! <3
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iridescentpull · 10 months
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Letter from Anthony to Ian (August 24, 2017)
**NOTE: There might be a few spelling mistakes so I apologize! This is a transcript of Anthony's letter put together for your reading!**
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Ian,
Hello old time friend. I have a lot to say to you that has remained unsaid for many years.
First, I want to thank you for being such a great friend to me in my very fragile teenage years. I came from a broken home with very little money and no means to explore the world outside of suburban Carmichael. You introduced me to your loving family, who welcomed me and loved me with open arms. They helped me travel and showed me a way of life that I hadn't been exposed to. You personally were supportive and overall were a very good friend to me who I felt could share anything with. 
I'm not sure why, but something changed. I feel our best friendship ended around 2009, and a resentment started growing between us. I started feeling a judgment in the tone of your voice. A sense of hostility in your actions. Did I do something that upset you? Did I treat you poorly? Did I make you feel insignificant- downplay the importance you had in our company and imply you were not as responsible for our success as me? 
I know I struggle with many things, and I'm so sorry if i ever put you through emotional turmoil in order to fulfill my own quota of self-importance. I always wanted everything I made to be just that- something I "made" with your help. I considered smosh to be something you only tagged along for, and I'm deeply sorry if I ever made you feel like you didn't deserve as much credit as me. You may not have done some of the heavy lifting I did in the early days, but definitely encouraged us to keep going and you kept things light and full of laughs as we did it. We accomplished so much and I am now just realizing how important you were in making that happen. 
I have so many things I have treated that I regret and so many things I wish I could apologize to you for doing- I really wish you would give me a chance to speak with you. There are also so many things I wish you would explain to me. 
Why have you consistently made me feel ashamed to be myself in front of you for so many years? The time I asked you what you thought about my shoes when we were seventeen and you told me you thought they were hideous- and I could tell you only said it to hurt my feelings. The time you talked shit behind my back on facebook to the girl we were friends with that I introduced you to. The amount of things you said behind my back to our high school friends about me and my relationship. The snide remarks you made about me being vegan. The times you made me feel stupid for making any content whatsoever that was not directly smosh-related. The snide remarks about anything I made that put my true emotions out there for the world. I just wished you were better at communicating.
I know I'm not any better but i feel like i tried with you. I tried to break out of my comfort zone and talk about things that made me feel uncomfortable. When we were in New York for our "Ghostmates" tour we got drinks and I opened up about how embarrassed I was that my previous relationship was so obviously bad to the outside world and how naive I was to think I would actually marry someone like that. I was vulnerable and breaking down all my walls in hopes you'd return the favor. But nothing. The conversation was once again one-sided.
Am I just horrible to open up to you? Have I made you feel uncomfortable to open up around me? Have I made you feel all the ways you've made me feel? Are the ways you treat me nothing but an echo of how I treat you? Am I the one at fault here? Did I create a problem that went way further than the point of no return? Is this all because of me? 
PERHAPS.
But I don't think there is a point of no return for friendships as deep as ours was. I am reaching out to you as an ex-best friend. I want to talk about things and lay them all out there so we can possibly mend things. And if we don't become friends again, at least we can say we tried. But why avoid trying all together? 
What are you afraid of? I know I've been callous in the past, but please give me a chance. I've changed and I'm now a more understanding person. All I ask for you is for you to stop being a fucking asshole. Just kidding. I had to say it. I just want you to treat me with respect again.
After everything I've observed in the past few years, I'm starting to truly believe you may not be a good person anymore. Do I even want to know the bitter, grumpy, vengeful person you've become? Is it better that I keep my distance to ensure I don't get even more hurt by you in the future? 
I feel like you've become the bully. You are so upset by so many things but you keep it all to yourself. No one knows what's really going on inside your head, but you take the easiest route and put a fake smile on and walk around like you have a life to envy, but deep down inside you're hurting. There's more going on than you even know, All things that slowly come bubbling up to the surface through your skin, they boil under the surface and fester until they finally burst with a shitty loaded comment or a passive aggressive outburst. 
I feel like I haven't known the real you for so many years. Does anyone know the real you?
Do you know the real you?
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jenxsaiv · 1 year
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[One Shot] JJ Maybank - Forbidden love
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PAIRING: dom!jj maybank x fem!reader
SUMMARY: JJ eating you out for the first time during beach night. But JJ is a pogue and you are a kook and that's the only problem.
WARNINGS: smut, kissing, hickeys, oral (receiving)
A/N: so this is my first time writing something like this and also english is my second language so im sorry if I wrote something wrong
..........................................................................................
It was dark outside. You were laying with JJ on the beach alone. You went there to surf and after it you decided to stay for a whole night. You both were a couple for almost one year. He loved you so much as you do.
Your relationship was a secret. Your parents had their own hospital in outer banks so you born as a kook. JJ were a pogue with family issues. And it was the reason why u met.
Two years ago he saw your brother screaming at you and almost hit you. He decided to stop him and yeah it was the moment when he wanted to protects you. You became friends but no one aroud knew it at the beginning. After a few months he introduced you to his friends.
You were so happy. You finally had someone in your life who you loved so much. He was your comfort zone. JJ was the first person who really protected you.
''JJ I want you to know that you are my favorite person and I appreciate everything you do for me'' you said looking into his eyes. He looked at you back and hugged you.
''Y/N you know I love you. I hate that we have to hide us" He was right. It was sick. But you were from two different worlds. You were tired of hiding your relationship.
''We should move out to Miami. " He added and kissed you. You and JJ spend do much time at talking about your future and you planned to move out together somewhere you can life as you should.
"When we end our school I'm ready to do it" you answered to him. He kissed your lips and then started kissing your neck, leaving there hickeys. You were laying under him on the sand in empty beach. He was the first person with which you felt comfortable and you didn't have to act ''perfect doctors' daughter''.
His lips felt amazing. He knew how to do that stuff. JJ put his hands on your hips. He loved your body. You were insecured about so many parts of your body but he literally didnt know why. He found every centimeters of your body perfect.
At the moment when he touched your bikinis bottom he looked at you. Of course you were kissing but that's all. You wasn't ready to do something more and he understood that and he told you he will wait until you were ready.
"Y/N can i? Are you okay?" He asked you. You loved it how much he cared about you. Were you ready? Yes, you were.
"Yeah JJ you can do it" You answered him. He took off your bikinis bottom. It was a middle of the night and everything was dark. You werent feel that much shy and insecure because of it.
''Sweetheart I dont think this is a perfect time and place to do all this stuff because it can hurt you. But im gonna feel you good." he told you kissing your thighs. Hes touch and lips were made you feel incredible. JJ slowly started kissing your clit. He definitely knew what he was doing and how you felt. No one never did this to you.
"JJ-" you sighed. He smiled when felt how good he was doing to you. You never dreamt about being eating by your amazing boyfriend on the beach in the middle of the night. Every minute you felt better and better. You heard about being eating out never thought it can be that good.
"You deserve it" He said when you came. It was feeling unreal. You expected that your boyfriend knew how to make you feel good but this was awesome.
"I love you y/n, you're so pretty" He whisped to you while dressed you in your bikinis bottom and his tshirt. The sky with stars was perfect tonight. Perfect as everything what happend a few minutes ago.
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my-soupy-brain · 8 months
Note
ted being all like “did you eat today? let me cook for you, baby”
I am notorious for skipping meals when I get busy or anxious. And I always scold myself when I feel lousy like, well duh - you didn't put anything in your body. Stupid bodies. Ted would make sure you take care of yourself. And I need this today. Let's gooo!
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Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader
Warnings: None, all comfort
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When Ted went to the club that morning, you were in the dim light of your office, clunking away on your keyboard to the light of your screen.
He leaned down to kiss your head and not disturb you.
When he came home, he found you still hunched over laptop, in the same chair, with the same blue light.
"Sweetheart?"
You didn't answer, your earbuds were in on full volume.
He came closer to place his big, warm hand on your shoulder.
"Sweetheart?"
You jumped in shock as you felt him touch you. He pulled his hand back. "I'm so sorry to scare ya, darlin'. Have you...?"
He looked around your desk, seeing nothing but an empty coffee cup. He noticed the kitchen looked the way he left it this morning.
"Have you eaten?" he asked, his eyebrows bunched in worry.
You sat and thought for a moment, looking at the sun going down outside your window. The dim light of the room. It feels like...it did this morning.
You shake your head.
Ted kneels in front of you, his hands on your knees.
"I know you're workin' hard there, sugar, but you need to eat," he says softly. "I worry about'cha when you get this in the zone."
You nod solemnly, feeling guilty for worrying him. Feeling foolish for letting work suck your life away like this.
"Are you at a good stoppin' point?" he asks, glancing at your screen with a thousand windows open.
"Yeah, I think so," you say softly, still feeling singed with guilt.
"C'mon, sugar. I'mma make you dinner," he says, holding out his hand. You take it and follow him into the kitchen.
Without asking, he starts making you a bite to eat.
Whisking eggs. Grating cheese. Cutting a slice of your homemade bread.
Breakfast for dinner is your favorite comfort when you're in a state like this. It's your favorite dinner when you don't feel well. You simply love breakfast.
Ted works his way around the kitchen, whistling. Pulling down bowls, cooking over the stove. You watch him with a smile, all the care he gives you.
You wonder how well you'd do alone if he wasn't here. And in the exact same moment, you make a promise to yourself not to send him into a worry spiral, where he's coming home from his own long day to take care of you.
"I'm sorry, Ted," you mumble, watching him work his tush off to make you a meal.
"Whatever for, darlin'?" he asks, turning his head over his shoulder.
"For making you worry."
"Oh, hush 'yer butt. I worry about you whether you ate or not," he says with a chuckle. "I love you, that's why I worry."
He turns around and sets a fresh omelet, toast, and orange juice in front of you.
"Oh! The bacon," he says, pulling it from the plate and plopping it down, nibbling on his own piece.
"I will say, I miss American bacon but this is just fine," he jokes, and you smile in agreement.
You nibble your food and sigh at how delectable the omelet is.
"This is...heaven, Ted," you say, smiling at him. He smiles back, working on his own meal.
"I'm glad, sugar," he answers. "You done workin'? Can I steal ya away for some snuggles and our shows?"
You nod and smile brightly. "Yeah, I'm all yours."
He holds his orange juice to cheers you.
"To us, and being all each other's," the dimple in his cheek appeared with his grin. "Now go get in some cozy clothes and we'll snuggle like two bugs in a rug."
---
Short n' sweet but I also need a Ted to help me take care of myself sometimes. He's such a love. Such a swoon. May we all be so lucky to have a friend or partner who's got our health in mind. Thanks for this delicious prompt, friend!
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“This opening night was a long time coming,” says Sky Lakota-Lynch, who stars as Johnny Cade in the new Broadway musical The Outsiders. “I’ve been with this show for six years, I began working on it in 2018, and it’s been such a long journey to get to this point—it’s unreal that it just finally happened!”
Six years isn’t such a long time, however, in the lifespan of the story. S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, about rival gangs of greasers (including Johnny) and rich kids in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was first published in 1967, and it was 16 years later that it was adapted to make a beloved film. Still, after years of working on the show, the cast was ready to share it with the world.
“It was a total celebration” Lakota-Lynch says of opening night. “There’s something blissful about seeing the show come to life and having audiences embrace it in such an amazing way. What more can you ask for?”
Here, Lakota-Lynch shares his opening night diary—with photos by Jenny Anderson—with T&C.
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"I do have an opening night ritual: I meditate before every single show. For this character, I have to act with my energy, so it helps me to ground myself and not be worried about the outside world. Just having a moment of complete silence is so important for me."
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"Shockingly, I'm not that nervous in The Outsiders. I was really nervous in Dear Evan Hansen because it was new to me and I was stepping into the role someone I was replacing. With The Outsiders, our director, Danya Taymor, builds such a comfort zone for people that cast feels like brothers and like we aren't necessarily acting every night. So, the nerves don't really come for me in The Outsiders. Honestly, I get more nervous after the show having to say hi to people than for the show itself."
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"Before every show, we do circle up and one person makes a little speech, and then we all break to think about the theme of that speech, which could be freedom, peace, or love. Every single show we do this, no matter what."
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"My friend and cast mate Tilly Evans-Krueger got this amazing thing called the Legacy Robe, which is a tradition in the theater. She puts it on and runs around us three times clockwise, and we all touch it for good luck, and then she visits our rooms in the robe and it blesses the show."
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"I've known Brody [Grant, who plays Ponyboy] for five years. I knew Brody before he was even in the show because my understudy at Dear Evan Hansen was Brody's roommate in college. Lo and behold, here we are and Brody's one of my best friends. It's so rare that you get to work with people who you actually love, and there's not a singe person in my cast who I dread seeing."
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"I got to be close with Angelina Jolie, who's our producer, because we went to Tulsa, Oklahoma together, and she asked to design my opening-night outfit. She and this amazing tattoo artist named Mark Mahoney designed the jacket and all the little patches. Next week I'm going to get a tattoo from Mark."
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"This is our fight call, which lasts an hour every single day. Because the show is so physical, we have to make sure that no one gets hurt. So we get called an hour before curtain and we run through the physical numbers just to make sure that everything is set and that everyone's body is OK before we actually run it full speed during the show."
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"Our stage door has been really crazy. People love The Outsiders, and the response has been wild. Every single night a crowd gathers and is screaming outside of our dressing room windows. This lady has been there every single night, and though I've been skipping the stage door because I've been so tired leading up to opening, I finally got her picture with me, which was awesome."
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"Right before the curtain, before I got into my wig and makeup, Jenny was like, 'let me get one last picture of you before you go inside.' The Jacobs Theatre has this really cool indoor-outdoor alley and it connects to the Majestic and the Golden. It's historic, so we just took pictures there and it was awesome."
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"After we did the show, we had an after party. There were a lot of cool people there: Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jeremy O. Harris. It was very overwhelming, and I didn't stay too long. I had gotten a hotel room with my family and I was just like, you know what, I'm going to enjoy it for as long as I can and then I'm going to go home."
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xxfangirl365xx · 1 month
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Question: "What is a day you'll never forget?"
Ghoul's answer: The Day we met Show Pony
NOTE: Written in my wattpad a few months ago, i posted Jet's and Kobra's here so here is Ghoulie's (:
Mine predates all of the other guys' stories and it's kinda sappy but why not. Mine was the day I met my fellow prankster Show Pony. Despite popular belief they didn't just roll up and start hanging around with us.
The four of us ( Poison, Kobra ,Jet and I) had been in the zones about a year and had pretty well adjusted to life out in the middle of nowhere. We were on patrol by ourselves, one of the first times Dr.D let us do that alone. Basically we got to drive around all day, nothing usually ever happened. On this day in particular we were on our way home and spotted something off in the distance...Dracs? Possibly. We drew out ray guns and headed over only to be met with a horrifying scene of three people, all fairly young, seemingly dead.
"Dear Destroya" Poison remarked observing the sad scene
They definitely had just escaped the city and made it pretty far into the zones...unfortunately they were unarmed and didn't stand much of a chance.
Jet went to the three and looked to see if by some miracle they were alive. First two were a sad head shake no.
The third person had long dirty tangled black hair and was maybe about 17 years old...about the same age as me. Jet gently grabbed their wrist expecting nothing and were were all shocked when he found a pulse.
" Guys! This one's alive!"
" They're bleeding from somewhere on their head" Kobra noted, hiding behind his brother, scared for who knows what reason.
It's not a secret that I hate blood, I get a paper cut and nearly pass out and the guys make fun of me for it a lot, but this time it didn't bug me, I was much more bothered by the fact this poor kid was now hurt and alone laying next to their dead friends. I wasted no time In gently picking them up and we headed back to the car so we could go back to the diner and hopefully help this kid. I rested their head in my lap to keep them as comfortable as I could on the ride home. I took my vest off and covered them with it because it was getting cold. I felt really bad, you know, I was so lucky to have found a good group to rely on and call my family and I think this made me realize how fortunate I really was. This kid needed a friend and I decided to be that friend.
We got home and I carried their limp body in the diner and laid them on an extra mattress we had.
" YO DR.D" Poison yelled
" What's up boys?" He asked coming into the room a few seconds later ( this was before he hurt his leg)
"We found this wanderer on the route home" Poison explained " Their buddies were dead but they're alive for the time being"
He stood over my shoulder looking at the kid
" Should I call a doctor?" he asked after a second
" Aren't you a doctor?" Kobra asked confused
He laughed, realizing he had never clarified where that title came from
" It's just a name, I ain't got a degree to back it up. I don't know shit about medicine" he continued
" Ohhhhh..." we exclaimed in unison
"I'll call someone" He said leaving the room
I sat next to the kid for a while, just watching the rise and fall of their chest for what seemed like hours until an actual doctor came.
He looked them over before coming to the conclusion they were in perfect health other than a head injury.
" Just keep a close eye on them for the next few days,once they wake up they may be a little out of it but I'm sure they will be okay." He said before him and Dr.D went outside to smoke a cigar and gossip for a while.
" Well, you heard him. I guess they're gonna be alright" Jet said. "Well' I'm gonna go change the tire on the Trans-am, it's got a leak."
" I'll come watch." Poison said , Kobra following right behind his brother
Jet poked his head in the doorway after a second.
"You coming Ghoul?"
" Nah, I'm gonna sit with them." I said
" alright"
I sat for a while enjoying some silence until the kid began to wake up. Of course I had never been in a situation like this before.
I sat next to them and gently moved the hair out of their face.
"Ugghhh-shit" they mumbled groggily
'"Uhhh...Um.." what are you supposed to say in this situation?! " He-y?"
They looked over at me and the first they they said...I kid you not was
" Why do you have a bee on your sleeve?"
I looked at my shirt sleeve..I do have a bee on my shirt. Huh...good observation.
" Who...are you? You look funny." They said again
" I'm Fun ghoul, I'm Killjoy." I explained " what's your name?" I asked, unsure if they could answer that question. To my surprise they answered rather quick
" I've been waiting foreverrr for someone to ask me that. My name's Show Pony." They said slurring their speech.
" Nice to meet you, Show Pony... How ya feeling?"
"I dunno" they giggled
"Looks like you hit your head pretty bad huh?"
" I think so" they said continuing to giggle like a crazy person
" What's so funny?" I asked starting to laugh too
" The room's spinning it's like a carnival ride"
" Oh yeah that is fun- do you like carnivals?"
"Yeah...no clowns though"
" Oh you don't like clowns?"
" nu uh they're creepy and smelly...am I smelly? The dessert is gross." They thought for a second before they started crying
" Am I a clown? I'm weird looking and I smell" they said in between tears
I forgot the kind of wack mood swings that happened when you were going through withdrawals from BLI brainwash drugs.
'"Hey, you're not a clown, don't cry" I said, trying to comfort them.
Without a second though I knelt down further and hugged them.
They stopped for a second and were perfectly still.
" I overstepped and made them uncomfortable!" I said in my head " Oh Ghoul you idiot!"
To my surprise they hugged back and quietly whispered
" Thank you"
I spent the rest of the night doing my best to take care of Show Pony and just chatting and giving them a hard time while they tried to tell lame jokes such as this fun one at 2:07 AM
" Hey Ghoul Knock Knock"
"Who's there?"
" Boo"
" what?"
" Nooo you're supposed to say boo who!"
" Aww don't cry Pony"
" Your a jerk"
Show Pony became very good friends with us all and impressed Dr.D with their intense knowledge of music and when he started his station he made Show Pony his official helper.
So yeah, I love Pony, they're one of my best friends no matter how annoying they can be, one of my favorite people and a part of my large Zone family.
Anyways that's my story, see ya later
-Fun Ghoul
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eggbagelsjr · 2 years
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How To Plot Romance (in fanfic)
Today I realized I've been plotting my romance writing all wrong. Oops! Lucky for you, I think I figured out how to solve this problem. *Gestures to the camera* come along with me and let's figure out how to write romance plots together!
When I'm sketching out a story idea, I generally use some simplified version of Dan Harmon's story circle (ok so this link is not an endorsement of Dan Harmon as a person, but I have found this plotting device helpful), which is itself a simplified version of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. The double-simplified version looks something like this:
You (character in a zone of comfort)
Need (want something)
Go (venture outside the comfort zone)
Search/Adapt (adapt to the new situation)
Find (finally get what they wanted)
Take/Sacrifice (but sacrifice/pay a price)
Return (go back to the comfort zone)
Change (different than they were before)
The problem I keep running into is that I never know what goes where, especially as the number of characters and side plots increases. It's also a little hard for my brain to translate this tool that came out of adventure epics to what I need for a romance/rom-com plot. Usually I look at this list, get overwhelmed, and zoom way too far out, filling in these answers based on what I, the all-knowing author, think they should be. The end result looks a lot like (we're using Dramione as our example, but any characters will do):
You: Hermione Granger
Need: To find love.
Go: To a place where you can find love.
Search/Adapt: For/To love!
Find: LURVE
Take/Sacrifice: The love????? But sad now????
Return: With love!
Change: Loved 😍
And. Uh. That's not a plot?
Where I went wrong is that people in the story don't know they're in a story (unless they do, in which case you should probably sleep with one eye open because your characters know what you've done to them). Your characters are unreliable. They only see what's in front of them. By zooming all the way out to LURVE, I erased everything that's fun to read that gets us to our HEA (or, if you're devious, non-HEA).
So, it stands to reason you should fill out this story circle (story bulleted list?) from the perspective of your character, not you. (This is probably very basic science and congratulations if you got there way before me. You don't need this post. You should be writing this post.)
But even more important in a romance? That need, the thing your main character wants, is kind of a red herring. The character thinks this is their primary need/goal to get them out of whatever slump they start out in, but you, the author, know that what they actually need is to fall in love with the Love Interest.
Then, during the Search/Adapt phase, when your main character is looking for that thing they need or trying to achieve their primary goal or whatever, they start to learn more about the Love Interest. Their perspective shifts, and they realize they were wrong before. The Love Interest is what they actually need. This is probably where most of your story will happen. During this step, there's only one bed, the characters are fake dating, they get trapped in an elevator, etc.
Sadly, just when we think the main character has come to their senses, they are offered the exact thing they *thought* they needed the whole time. Bonus point if the thing they thought they wanted is in direct conflict with accepting the affections of the Love Interest.
During Take/Sacrifice, the main character has to choose. Are they going to pick love or the thing they thought they wanted at the beginning of the tale? In a multi-chap, you might let your character choose the original need/goal (or struggle for a while with the choice). In a one-shot, you might not have enough space for this and the character chooses love.
Next, in the Return, if it isn't the consequences of the character's own actions. A character who chose their need/goal over love during Take/Sacrifice needs to make amends to the Love Interest. The character who chose love has to deal with not getting the thing they needed at the beginning of the story. Depending on your fic's vibes, you might invent a magical solution for the character to get everything they want here. Alternately, maybe the character suffers and loses everything. This seems like a lot to cram into the end of your tale, and it is, so try not to drag it out too long. Your reader has gone on a long journey with your characters and they don't want to read fifteen chapters of sadness before the end (or maybe they do?). If they aren't already, the characters want to be together at this point, they might just need a little shove to get there.
In the final step, take a moment to show us how the character and their life have changed as a result of going on this journey. They are now in a new comfort zone / status quo and are ready for further adventures, should you so choose.
To clarify how these steps work for a romance plot, I changed the labels and made you a little graphic. Please ignore that I don't make graphics and a 12 year old on Canva could have done better.
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The formula looks like this now:
You: Hermione Granger is in her comfort zone. Note: in fanfiction, you don't have to do as much character development with an established character who is behaving as expected. Use this time instead to highlight the limitations of their comfort zone. You can also use this space to set up their romantic foil, especially if that character is behaving in an unexpected way. For example, if Hermione is being very driven and high-achieving, the reader doesn't need a lot of context for her behavior; they already know this version of her from canon. But if her would-be paramour Draco Malfoy is acting kind and considerate, the reader is going to want more information since in canon his behavior is usually presented as rude/entitled/etc. Don't spoil the surprise of why he's different, just show us the ways he's not what we expect. (Reveal his secret in Step 4 - Learn).
Need: Hermione has The Wrong Goal (pass legislation, solve a mystery, avoid sleeping in the room with only one bed). This might be a very noble goal, but it's at odds with Hermione's true, secret, hidden goal of being in love with Draco Malfoy. Why? Because she doesn't know that being in love with Draco is where she's headed yet.
Go: To the place that Hermione's Wrong Goal requires. Pass legislation? Lobby all the Sacred 28s sitting on the Wizengamot! Solve a mystery? Go undercover to find out who did What in Which Room with What Object. Avoid sleeping in the hotel room with only one bed? Go to the concierge and ask for a new room. What's important is that wherever Hermione goes, she's forced to be near Draco Malfoy, the object of her true, secret, hidden, goal (to fall in LURVE).
Learn: This is where Hermione and Draco are forced to work together to solve the problem of the finding/achieving the Wrong Goal. Through this process, Hermione realizes Draco's exactly what she didn't know she was always looking for, etc. Unfortunately, her original goal is still at odds with being in LURVE with him. Cue tension. Example: They're at the concierge desk begging for a new room; he's offering all the money in his vaults, she's trying to appeal to the hotel staff's sense of human decency. She admires his tenacity. He realizes she's witty and a little bit underhanded. He likes this. She has a fleeting curiosity about how the tenacity would manifest in bed. Oh no.
Find: In this step, Hermione is confronted with an opportunity to obtain her original Wrong Goal. Example: Well what do you know? The bribe and the appeals worked. The concierge has found one other room in the hotel. Dramione are no longer forced to sleep in the room with only one bed.
Choose: Unfortunately, lurving Draco is still at odds with Hermione's original goal, so she must choose between him and what she originally thought she wanted. She might have a lot of introspection here, where she considers the merits of different choices. Maybe she even talks it out with him or someone else. If this is a one-shot with a happy ending, she has grown and developed sufficiently by now to make the right choice and choose Draco. She sacrifices the original goal for him. If this is a multi-chapter fic, she chooses the wrong original goal over him and loses him as a result. Example: They both go back to the room with only one bed. He's going to collect his things and go to the new room. They hesitate. Is it really necessary for him to move rooms? Draco has so many items, and some of her stuff is mixed in with his stuff. He looks at her with eyes full of newfound respect. "What do you think, Granger?" Hermione sacrifices her original goal, calls the concierge back, and lets them know that they won't be needing the new room after all, but "Please enjoy whatever ungodly massive tip Mr. Malfoy left you. I know I sure will."
Reap: Now it's time to reap the consequences of the choice Hermione made in Step 6. In a one-shot, maybe Hermione's all done. She heads back to her old comfort zone with her new relationship. Depending on the tone of this story, maybe there's some way that she gets to have her original goal and her relationship. However, in a multi-chapter fic, this is where Hermione has to do some work to make amends for choosing wrong (that is, for not choosing Draco). If it's a multi-chap with a happy ending, she succeeds, Draco forgives her, and they smooch. Example: They're back in the room. There it is - just the one bed. All those slightly naughty things they thought during Step 4? Oh yeah. They're going to try them all out. Fade to black, etc.
Change: Some final scene showing how things are different now that Hermione has what she really needed (the D). Example: They wake up the next morning way past check out and have to extend their stay. Bummer!
A fully worked example:
You: Hermione Granger is bored at her job at the Ministry of Magic. She unexpectedly bumps into her former archenemy, a now polite and reserved Potions Professor Draco Malfoy. She learns that Minerva McGonagall, the current Hogwarts Headmistress, is retiring.
Need: Hermione needs to prove to Minerva, Hermione's longtime mentor, that she's the right person to hire over the other candidate, who just happens to be polite and reserved Professor Malfoy, even though Hermione has never taught students a day in her life.
Go: To avoid her obvious bias, Minerva sets up a series of practical trials to determine which candidate will win the job. Hermione and Professor Malfoy enter the obstacle course.
Learn: When the practical trials start turning dangerous, Hermione and Professor Malfoy must work together to stay alive. Unfortunately, working side by side shows them they have more in common than they thought.
Find: Hermione is presented with an opportunity to sink Professor Malfoy's ship: she learns that he never finished his Potions Mastery. If she reveals this information to Minerva and betrays Draco in the process, the job of Head of Hogwarts will be hers, and the dangerous practical trials/threat to her life will be over. But what about the romantic "something" budding between Hermione and Draco? Well, that's just an acceptable loss. Hermione's career trajectory is on the line!
Choose: Is this a one-shot? Then Hermione chooses "right" at the last minute and decides to sacrifice the job for love and keeps the information to herself. Is this a multi-chapter fic? Then Hermione chooses "wrong" and decides to sacrifice love for the job. She tells Minerva. Draco is devastated.
Reap: If this is a one-shot, Hermione returns from the trials holding hands with her new boyfriend. While they were in the trials, Minerva figured out a way for them to both get the job somehow! If this is a multi-chapter fic, Hermione returns from the trials alone, with her brand new job and a hefty side of guilt. Realizing her error too late, she works to make amends to Draco.
Change: A year later, the Co-Heads of Hogwarts Hermione Granger-Malfoy and Draco Malfoy-Granger celebrate the one-year anniversary of the trials and their relationship by burning Minerva's horrible obstacle course to the ground.
I've written all this out in list format because, well, you saw the circle I made you, but the circle has the benefit of helping you visualize that where your character is in Step 8 (Change) becomes the new Step 1 (You, character in zone of comfort). If you are writing multiple scenes, you can apply this plot exercise to each scene, even if these little micro plots are very small (e.g., Hermione forgets her quill and has to ask Draco to borrow his). Hermione obviously won't have big revelations about how she doesn't really need a quill and is actually in love with Draco each and every scene, but you can still play around with your characters pursuing one goal only to realize their true aspirations mid-way through a scene using the story circle framework. Plotting this way will help you make sure everything you write leads to some sort of change in your character. And that's character development baybee!
When you're ready to level up your story circle skills, remember that in a romance you probably have at least one other main character whose needs you'll have to service. Your new job is make a story circle for the love interest! Note the ways that the two characters' needs/goals align and the ways that they are in opposition. When the characters' story circles are in opposition, you get tension, when they're in alignment, you get softness! Just make sure that whatever is keeping your blorbos apart is actually forcing them together. Meaning, if they have opposing Wrong Goals (Step 2 - Need), make sure that they still have to work together or be near each other somehow (Steps 3 & 4 - Go & Learn) to be able Find (Step 5) what they thought they were looking for. Also make sure that their true, secret, hidden goal is the same (at least for a happy ending fic): they want to end up in love with each other. The characters may come to this realization at different times, and that may guide whether they choose the Wrong Goal or Love during Choose (Step 6) and who has to make amends during Reap (Step 7).
Finally, if you're an alpha or beta reader, try making these circles/lists for the fics you're reading. It should clarify what's going on in each scene and help you identify what's missing from a story.
Happy writing!
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cir-papi-di4bl0 · 16 days
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Speed Dating Storytime...
So, I downloaded this app the other day to find some kink events for a group calendar I help manage. I found this event for Virtual Poly Speed Dating, and didn't really know what to expect, but I was curious. I've never even been to ANY speed dating event, really... virtual or physical. 😳
Anywho, the event came and went. There were like about 30 individual screens, some couples, some solo pplz. It was interesting since I seemed one of maybe a handFull of Enbies present. (If i'm BEing totally G about it, maybe there were 3 of us, judging by intros.) Also, can't help but notice I never crossed paths with the 4 other melanated people in attendance. Mind you, there was like 5 of us, and none of the times we shuffled rooms did I run into them. Sadness since I saw one of them (We'll call her Susie) on the app's RSVP list, and she seemed pretty dope.
To My surprise, Susie actually ended up messaging Me after the event, and expressing similar sadness for not being able to sit in company with Me during any of the shuffles. HA! 😅 We love a little synchronicity with our awkward-ass, preliminary speed dating experiences, right?! Thanks for that sprinkle of hope and irony, Universe. ✨ Well played.
Outside of that, the experience was koo, but the crowd wasn't My flavor. Many seemed to InJoy My dark humor, and Goth Boi presentation, but some (like Azzholes) talked over Me, and even grilled Me on My pronouns, making thing extremely awkward. All pale, all males, all cis. Even with that, ya Dude still handled it graceFully, redirecting the ignorance, and returning to the conversation prompts. While there were some there that were familiar with Gender Non-Conformity, and even some kinky F/folx, I just didn't feel it for Me in that space. Ugh. It would be koo though if some of them hit Me up and we walked away as new friends. Especially that other Rope Top I sat in space with. They were pretty hilarious.
In summary, ugh... I'm still working out how I feel about dating in general, and it's not that I'm not connected, (Queer Platonic local partner and LD Life Partner). Happy with them, I've just been feeling like I need to explore connection a bit differently outside of those relationships. (Did I mention I'm a bit of a comet at times?) And since I've been InJoying a brand new outlook on relationships and what healthy connection actually is for Me, I need to be able to apply this knowledge so.............. dating.
yay. 😶
In other news, Susie and I may be connecting soon to "see where we fit" with each other. Interesting how we both felt something from the other, in such a small window of exposure, right? The transmission of vibes, even virtually/remotely cannot be underestimated, yo. I've been called to do new things and step out of comfort zones and this experience definitely feels like it. Is this what the Ancestors were hinting when that "Song of the Wild" card nudged Me this morning?
In other news, at least I know a couple of swinging, Reiki-practicing, former attorneys in Florida, who live at a nudist resort, and say I'm always welcum. 😅🤣👀 LOL!
Ah... What is life if not hilarious?
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trashpandafiction · 10 months
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We Survive (1)
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Summary: What happens when the Behavioral Analysis Unit comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? When the dead begin to roam the Earth, it challenges the BAU to something they’ve never dealt with before: the apocalypse. Along their journey for survival, they come across Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Among the survivors is Jocelynn Russo, who thinks that the new group could be helpful to them. Things seem to go well until an unexpected enemy appears. Will Negan and the Saviors be the one thing to break the groups, or will they be able to defend themselves? All anyone knows is they have one common goal; to survive. Pairings: None yet. Word Count: 2,483 Warnings: None A/N: I decided to just start posting this story. I'm reworking the first 5 chapters and then continuing the story from there. Feedback is always welcome! The first chapter is mainly an intro but hopefully it's a good one anyway. If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, just let me know! Please do not redistribute my work without my permission! Reblogging is fine with credit in tact.
One - The Beginning
          No one was sure how much time had passed since all of this started. The whole team had just returned to Quantico when the outbreak hit. To keep as many government officials as possible safe, they were ordered to stay put until further instruction. The instruction never came, and eventually, some of the other workers started leaving to go find their families and take their chances with the undead. Eventually, the team decided to take their chances, and headed towards the next nearest safe zone, which was the CDC building in Georgia. Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, and David Rossi all packed what they could; loaded two SUV’s and headed towards the CDC.
          When they arrived at the CDC, the building was demolished, along with their confidence that there would be a safe place. They regrouped and headed out to try and find a place to stay. That became their entire way of life; finding a place to stay, waiting there until it became somewhere they needed to leave, and then they would move on. Some of the team members did better than others, but overall, they survived together. That was all that they could do in this new world that they were living in. Now they were headed to their next shelter, just trying to find a safe place to go.
          They walked down a Virginia road, not quite sure where they were or how long they would need to keep walking. They had lost their maps when they ran into a group that was less than friendly. Now supplies were low, and morale was lower. They had been through plenty, and when they saw a small cabin, that looked like it had been vacant for some time, their spirits were lifted a bit.
          Derek looked at the cabin and then turned to Aaron. “Looks untouched. There might not be any supplies in there, but that would be a place we could hole up for a few days until we refuel.” He said with a shrug.
          Aaron nodded, putting a hand on his gun holster. “Why don’t you and Emily check the perimeter? I’ll take Spencer, JJ and David inside with me, Penelope, keep an eye on the outside so you can let us know if anyone or anything comes to our camp.” Even after the world went to hell, Aaron kept a leader position. It was comfortable for everyone, and he knew that he could do it.
          The group headed towards the cabin, breaking off into small teams for their investigation while Penelope held the handgun she was given, and looked around to make sure that nothing came at the team. Derek and Emily went around opposite sides of the cabin to make sure that there were no traps outside, and no people, living or not, that could harm them while their backs were turned. They both had their guns drawn, carefully sneaking around the cabin.
          Inside the cabin, Aaron and JJ got the door open, and checked the inside of the room. Spencer held his gun, looking around the room with David, checking the corners and blind spots. The cabin was run-down, and there wasn’t much furniture, but there weren’t any squatters or undead in there either. The four of them moved around the cabin to check the other rooms to make sure there weren’t any surprises hidden from them.
          Outside the cabin, Derek and Emily had met back up in the front of the cabin, where Penelope was. They hadn’t found anything, so they waited for the signal to go into the cabin. Emily put her hands on her hips and let out a sigh. “Maybe we can stay here for more than a day or two.”
          “Under normal circumstances, I would highly suggest we wait for another opportunity, seeing as this cabin looks like plenty of our crime scenes.” Penelope said. “But, given out current situation, the place might as well be a Holiday Inn.” She added, putting her gun back into the back of her jeans.
          Derek crossed his arms and gave a half smile. “Better than taking our chances on the road again.” He said, earning a nod from both women.
          After a moment, Spencer poked his head out of the cabin. “We’re all clear in here.” he said, waving the other three into the cabin.
          Derek, Emily, and Penelope all followed Spencer into the cabin where David and Aaron were already trying to formulate a plan. They were low on supplies, and they were going to have to make a run. When all of them were in the room, Aaron looked over at the rest of the group.
          “There has to be a gas station or something nearby. If not, there could be nearby houses that might have something left over.” He explained. “We’re going to have to find some sort of food, water, and ammo if there is any, but since that’s unlikely, right now we need to focus on water and food because we need some sort of sustenance.” Aaron explained.
          “It’s unlikely that anyone would leave behind anything worthy of being taken, and even if they did, the chances of there being anything left after all this time are slim to none.” Spencer chimed in. “Our best chances are going to be finding some MRE’s or learning to hunt.”
          JJ looked at the doctor and smirked some. “Spence, I doubt that anyone out here has any MRE’s unless we come across a doomsday prepper’s house.” Everyone appreciated Spencer’s statistics when the time was right, but sometimes, he wasn’t sure when to bite his tongue.
          “We haven’t seen a town for miles, there must be one coming up in the other direction. Maybe we’ll have some sort of luck there, we could even find a camp.” Derek suggested.
    ��     Aaron nodded and looked at Derek. “Why don’t you, Emily, and I go see what we can find?” he spoke up.
          “Shouldn’t we have more people out on the run?” Penelope asked, looking over at Aaron. She wasn’t volunteering herself, that was for sure, but she thought that three of them weren’t enough.
          “It’ll be easier to get in and out of situations with fewer people, three will be enough. We won’t be gone long, and we’ll make sure to get back before the sun goes down.” Emily said. “Are you sure you’re gonna be able to keep Rossi and Reid in check?” she joked.
          David smirked at the joke. “I’m sure the previous owners have a chess board around here somewhere. We’ll keep him busy.”
          Aaron, Derek, and Emily got ready to go out, making sure they had enough ammo and an empty bag in case they came across some supplies. As they were getting ready to leave, Penelope and JJ both took turns hugging each of them. Normally, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but with the world in the state that it was, no one was ever sure if their friends or family would return after leaving a camp or house. After saying some temporary goodbyes, Aaron, Derek and Emily headed down the road to find anything they could before the sun went down; a task that was easier said than done these days.
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          Jocelynn Russo was sitting on the porch of the house she stayed in with Glenn and Maggie Rhee. She worked on cleaning her gun as she waited for Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Glenn to come back from a run. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and let out a sigh. There was something on the gun that just wasn’t getting off, and it was starting to agitate her a bit.
          “Son of a bitch.” She mumbled, shaking her head some.
          “That’s why I don’t bother with guns.” Michonne spoke up, stopping to check on Jocelynn while she did her patrol duty. She sat next to her and smirked some. “What’s the problem with this one?” She asked.
          She let out a sigh and shook her head again. “There’s something in there that just won’t budge.” She said.
          Michonne took the gun carefully and started trying to clean it out herself. Whatever was on there, it was really on there.
          “Do you think they ran into trouble out there?” Jocelynn asked as she looked at the gates of Alexandria. She had been with Rick’s group for almost a year now, after Glenn found her on a run. While the group were skeptical about taking on another person, she had proven herself to be a strong group member, and even became a close friend of Rick and the other members. Now when the group would go on runs, she would worry about them.
          “If they did, they’ll get out of it. They might have found another location to scout.” Michonne said before letting out an annoyed sigh. “I think this gun is just broken.” She said and looked over at her.
          Jocelynn smirked and nodded. “Maybe I’ll just convince one of the guys to try and clean it. Give ‘em a little ego boost.” She joked, earning a chuckle from Michonne.
          “I don’t think any of them need an ego boost. If anything, we need to tone their egos down.” Michonne joked back. When Jocelynn had first gotten to the group, Michonne seemed very guarded, and almost seemed against the idea of her staying. But in the time that she had been in the group, she and Michonne had grown quite close, and Michonne was someone that Jocelynn looked up to in this world.
          She laughed and shook her head, looking over to the gates as they were opened by some of the group members, and a truck and a smaller car pulled in. She let out a soft sigh of relief as she saw Rick, Glenn, and Daryl climbing out of the vehicles. “Speak of the devils.” She joked, putting her gun back together for the time being before she headed towards the guys.
          Daryl and Glenn started to help some of the other group members unload the truck and the car of the supplies they had found. Rick gave Maggie an explanation of what they had found, and how the run had gone. He touched her shoulder before heading towards his house, but when he saw Michonne and Jocelynn, he headed over to talk to them first.
          “Good to see that you made it back in one piece.” Jocelynn said with a smile.
          “We always do.” Rick replied with a smug smirk. “How’s everything holding up here?” he asked.
          Michonne gave a shrug before replying. “Other than Joce finding another reason to give up guns, I think we’re doing alright. I’m gonna go help Glenn and Daryl. It’s good to have you back.” she said, patting Rick’s arm before heading over to the truck.
          Rick raised a brow and looked over at Jocelynn with a grin. “Another reason not to use a gun?” he questioned.
          She let out a sigh and shook her head with a smile. “Well, I can’t use it if it refuses to be cleaned, now, can I?” she asked.
          “I guess you’re right. You know, I don’t know if anyone told you, but I do know a thing or two about cleaning guns. I might be able to look at that if you’d like.” Rick said, trying his best to keep a straight face.
          “No, no one told me that. I didn’t think that an ex-sheriff would be good with guns. If it wouldn’t be any trouble to you, I’d love you to look at it.” she smiled.
          “No trouble at all, ma’am.” Rick replied before smirking at her. He followed her to her house and sat on the porch with her to try and get the gun cleaned.
          Jocelynn would be lying if she said that she didn’t harbor any feelings for Rick. Ever since she had gotten to their group, there was something about him that made her feel safe. Maybe it was his law enforcement background, or the fact that he was a father, but whatever it was, she was happy to have it. It wasn’t like the feelings were unrequited by any means. There was something about her that drew Rick in as well. He wouldn’t admit it though because she was quite a bit younger than him. Plus, he wasn’t entirely sure if he was reading her correctly and didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for her by jumping the gun. Things were alright the way they were, and neither of them seemed to be in a rush to change that.
          “There we go.” Rick grunted, managing to get the clog out of the gun. He started to put the gun back together and smirked to himself.
          She looked at him and shook her head with a small grin. “I’m pretty sure you’re some sort of gun whisperer or something.” she teased.
          Rick handed the gun to her and smiled. “Yeah, maybe I was in another life.” He teased right back.
          “Well thank you.” She joked, taking the gun from him, and loading it back up.
          “You’re welcome, Miss. Russo.” he replied. Rick watched her load the gun and then looked over at the cars that were just now being moved back to their parking spots. The run had been fairly successful, and with their haul being added to what they already had, they would be good for at least a couple days before they would need to make another run.
          Jocelynn put her gun back into the back of her jeans and looked over at Rick. “As much as I’d like to bother you about how the run went, I’ve got guard duty to get to.” she said and stood up with him.
          He smiled and nodded. “Well, then I’ll see you later.” he said, giving her a nod before heading over to his house to check on his kids, Carl, and Judith.
          Jocelynn waved and headed over to the guard post where she had a watch shift until sundown. She climbed the ladder and took over duties from Abraham. She stood on the tower and looked out at the area around Alexandria. There were a couple walkers that were headed towards the gates, but the outer perimeter of wooden stakes would take care of them without a problem. All she really had to do was keep an eye on the perimeter and make sure that she was watching out for any threats. It was boring work, but it had to be done, and everyone had to do their part. Thankfully, the area had been pretty quiet, except for a few straggling walkers here and there, so they weren’t on high alert; although, if they knew what was coming in just a few short weeks, they would have made changes to their strategy.
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maxiscoolongg · 5 months
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"What! I cant do that!?"
💌; Chooch Bambalazi
Warnings: nothing much
—♡—
We successfully got candy on the plan, anyway right now we were getting ready for the dance and I was wearing a dress since there was really nothing but at least It fit the color scheme, me and chooch jumped off his bed and walked to Hash "hurry up with liceman outfit hash, we were supposed to have them outside his door an hour ago" chooch said as hash gave us the outfit them we walked out the door "Man I'm nervous" I said chuckling "Why?" He asked "I have to pretend I wanna sleep with lice" I said as he chuckled "At least you can sleep with someone else after" he said smirking as I made a surprised face "Chooch!" I said as we put the outfit out his door.
We walked into the dance a slow song was playing and I looked at him "May I have this dance?" I said smirking at him "You may " he said as he put his hands on my waist and I put my hands on his shoulders then I put my head on his chest as I put my hand In his as he put his free hand on my waist "you know this is my first dance with a guy" I said shyly "Really? Am I lucky" "Yes" I said in a chuckle "I didn't think you were much of a dancer chooch" "I'm not, but I will be for you" he said smoothly as I head my head in his chest as he grinned
When we went our ways I saw candy "Candy!" I said to her "Oh my! Y/n look at you" she said as I smiled "stopp I'm blushing" I said sarcastically smiling, then we saw hash I waved at him and he looked at us and came towards us we all started dancing then a bunch of bad singers came on me and candy covered our ears then they stopped "Shit that was bad " I said as another slow song came on I looked at her and smiled "May I?" I said to her "You may" she said back in a polish voice, we chuckled and we started dancing. I would definitely get with candy if she wasn't with Oliver and I wasn't dating Chooch, but not in a weird way!
Then everyone made a gasping sound and we went over there was a shit in the punch. I did a chuckle and looked at candy then at chooch "Help your self sir" he said as he turned around I made a smiling face at chooch then me and candy saw liceman and walked to him "Hi!" Candy started he then looked at us and I smiled at him winking "Its a nice dance ain't it?" I questioned him "it's alright. I particularly like te singing group, i thought they had a very fine style of their own" he said then I looked over and saw the guy chooch looked jealous sorta I giggled at him and blew a tiny kiss
"Tickle your asses with a feather?" Liceman asked "Maybe later" me and candy replied
Then us three walked away outside "Just have to get my over night bag" candy said pointing at her bag "Oh allow me miss.laura, you guys did say my room?" "Why not" I said grabbing his arm trying not to vomit, we followed him to his room he tried to unlock it but he was shaking so I grabbed it "Allow me" I said winking as I opened it I zoned out because I blinked and candy was draging me to the bathroom "But this on" she wishpered once we were in the bathroom my eyes widen "i- uh- ok.." I said sighing as I took my clothes off we both changed into the same stuff "Oh baby! That music is so sexy" I said on a tone as I made a uncomfortable face
"Get ready lover we'll be right there!" Candy said as we both looked uncomfortable "now don't start without us baby" I said "Keep your motor running baby!" Candy said "Here we come ready or not!" We said walking out he pulled us to the ground "Vaughn! Wait Vaughn! Not yet" I said "why don't you slip into something more comfortable" candy said "I do.. I doo... I doo.. have fairly nice legs" he Said as I did a fake chuckle "we really wanna be turned onn" i said to him as he got up and went to a cheast he started saying stuff like rope, string, feathers then me and candy pulled out a pink outfits for him
"Okay, Vaughn if you don't wanna turn us on.." candy said thus we started walking "Wait! I'll do it" he said as we turned back around. He went to the bathroom to get changed and me and candy ran to the door and opened it up "Come in come!" I wishpered as I noticed chooch staring at me up and down i smiled at him as candy pointed behind the couch i kissed chooch before he hid with Oliver. Then he came out "Ohh babyy~ it's so sexy" I said to him "Sexy?" He said chuckling as we nodded "whip us" candy said I looked at her and she looked at us.
He was about to do it before a flash came I got out and sighed in relief then Rodney came in "Uncle Vaughn, I think..those guys are up to something" "Ya think," I said sarcastically his eyes widen
That's where we are now I'm liceman office "That's right sir, might I add you look quite fetching in pink" Hash said making me chuckle "Doesn't he ike?" "Luscious." Ike said "I want my pictures back. And I want em' now, you stop playin' with my things and get out from behind my desk" liceman said as chooch nocked down hus soldiers "This is no way to treat your friends sir." Hash said "That's right. Friends would settle this in a sporting manner, sir" Oliver said "Like how?" Sir said as chooch got an idea "Like the winner of the soccer game gets to keep all the pictures" he said as I grabbed his hand "Now lemme get this correctly now, who ever wins the soccer game gets to keep all the pictures?" Liceman said as ike grinned "Say it again chooch." "Oooo... gentlemen and women you drive a hard bargain" I sighed at the women part again
""My friends... I will see you on the soccer field." Liceman said to us "Lookin' forward to it, sir" chooch said as we all walked out of his office.
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Hi
I’m the anon that asked pack parents with their parents interact and here is the thoughts i wanted to talk about Chris’ parents but my english is not so good (the reason of started to read fanfic in english) try my best to explain my thoughts. That means i’m sorry if there’s a nonsense sentence 🥹
1. After pretty move in to Chris flat they were cuddling and scenting her that means also her scent lingering on him too right (but not too strong but more than just a roommate way bcs in my head he is alpha his scent too strong and stubborn to goes weak or disappear idk if it’s wrong or). The first time he visit his parents house after she move in they notice that scent it’s obviously not his packmates it’s new and his father like questioning directly like “do you got into relationship” Chris confusing “no, why?”, ”that scent lingering on you?!” He goes blushing but act fool “idk what are you talking about dad” his that don’t push too much bcs that obviously his son don’t want to talk about whatever that is so he just leave it. His MOM knows pretty’ scent too well but also act fool like in outside “anyway how’s your new roommate? Is she kind? Is she kind to your pack mates?” But in the inside her brain goes crazy like ”NDJDJSJDHDHWKAIDNDXO IT IS A POSSIBILITY OF THEY GOT TOGETHER?!!”
2. When after they got together visit his parents house to sleepover. They eating dinner together and little bit chating just a usually goes how their visiting and they go to his room to sleep pretty and chris lying on the bed kissing, cuddling that makes Chris so worked up (i can’t blame him 🤷‍♀️) when he goes too deep pretty like “no baby, I don’t want to disrespect your parents, they literally sleeping in same house” and he reassure her that room is soundproof he went trough his rut in this room (he was teenager where else he go) until he move out (i mean it’s werewolves house so they went trough their rut and heats in their room it must be a soundproof no one wants to hear their parents or children’s rut or heat sound) and in here idk how she act. Is she turns him down and he pout, whines little bit but if she doesn’t feel comfortable ofc he respect her and turns himself down or on the other hand she seduced by him. If that happens HERE IS THE POINT I WANT TO SAY soundproof doesn’t mean scent proof his parents know by the scent and they don’t react at all outside BUT HIS MOM’S BRAIN “PUPS, THEY GONNA HAVE PUPS SKDJDRNFJK” after they leave the house she runs to her husband “WE’RE GONNA HAVE GRAND PUPS HONEYYYY” he also happy that his wife happy “honey don’t get too excited, they are still young and they didn’t even mated yet but yeah eventually we’re gonna have grand pups”. Other day mom calls Chris and ask not too obviously, goes like “you guys are been together pretty long right,don’t you think it’s time take your relationship on a next level?” ofc Chris get his mom’s point also don’t want to pushed by other people but can’t snap at his mom so just respectfully goes “we’re happy what we are now mom, you don’t have to worry”
Ughhh it was the longest writing in english for me. It was hard i have no idea how you write this masterpieces i’m in love with you 🥰. Sorry again for my english, bad grammar and vocabulary i tried my best.
And have a good day or goodnight (I don’t know your time zone)
aaaaa, back in the day i also used fanfiction as my reading practice for english, so i get you skjdfhskjdf i'm proud of you, bb. keep up !
is sooooo cute. like, imagine Chris' mum all fangirling because her son is finally has a competent partner kjsdhfskjdhsdf Chris' dad looing at her like: "really? this is what we're doing now? speculating on our son's love life?" and then when they found out she's right she's gonna be super annoying to him about it "UHUM TOLD YOU SO"
KJSAHFSKDJFH i honestly don't think either of them will be too prude when it comes to Doing It in his childhood bedroom. Chris might, he'd be all like "you know, this is my parents' house..." but he doesn't feel as inclined to "respect" their territory because, in a way, that room is his territory still. they're definitely desecrating that room. his parents aren't dumb, they'll Know even if they can't Hear Them. and yes, they'll get excited over having grandpups sdjkfhjksdf (pls i love the concept of grandpups....). alsoo he'd definitely Ignore that pressure his mum is trying to put on him just like you said sdkjfhsdkjf
this was really cute to read, thanks for sharing it with the class !
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Boarded Up Paradise pt 6
Nash tries to figure something out. Everyone tries to help.
Warning: extremely minor character death
song: Salt in Our Wounds-HIM (Both versions because I can't decide which one I like better)
Warning: Nash is still underage and some sexual-ish things do happen in this fic. Certain non-consensual actions are implied here and there.
@cardwrecks @captainbaddecisions @whocares-idont
“Huh.” Narci said, staring at the steaming corpse.
“Yeah.” Nash said, echoing his consternation.
“Kinda disappointing, honestly.”
“I expected him to last longer.” Nash approached, poking the body with his cane, to confirm its state of death. “Not to win, of course, but not to just die instantly either. Is the cube defective?”
He turned his cane on the puzzle cube, but it was inert.
“I'll have to take it apart and check. In the meantime, we need to get him to the harbor.”
It was easy to find enough junk to tie to the corpse in order to make him sink instantly under the waves, and it was no more polluting than anything else that went into the water around there. The dissatisfaction sat in Nash's stomach like a bad meal.
“Hey Narci, you...does it ever bother you? When they die?”
Narci draped an arm awkwardly over Nash's thin shoulders. Narci often acted like someone who had just been introduced to the concept of touch; like it was something that he wanted, but did not know how to do. In a way it reassured Nash; Narci obviously cared about him, if he was so willing to step outside of his comfort zone to offer Nash affection in a way unfamiliar to him. Nash was also unfamiliar with affectionate touch, but they would learn together.
“Sometimes.” Narci admitted. “Not really though? When I'm on a heist, I try to avoid people. If someone gets in my way, they're dead, and that's that. I can't afford to be seen most of the time, or Nightwing will be on my trail. No witnesses. When it comes to traps though...well, the spectacle is part of the point, isn't it? They aren't supposed to die fast, so it's disappointing if they do.”
“Yeah...Maybe?” Nash murmured, uncommitted. He wasn't so sure that was it. Well, that was partially it, but also...
Wasn't he supposed to feel something?
Wasn't there supposed to be horror? Regret? Wasn't there supposed to be satisfaction? Why did he still feel empty?
“Do you want to go get a snack?” Narci asked. Nash shook his head.
“No. I...I think I'd like to go to bed actually. This was all kinda tiring.”
“Oh. Well yeah, and you've got school still too, don't you? Are you still going?”
“Yeah. Keeps me in a warm place for most of the day, even if it does feel kinda pointless.”
“So you'll need your sleep. Just...just be careful okay? If you ever need me for anything at all, just say so. Nothing will get in my way.”
Puzzles helped him dismantle the cube, Nash examining every little part. A misaligned wire, a tiny mistake on his part, had cost a man his life. Nash was of the opinion that he probably would have died anyway, but the point was to at least give him a chance. Make him confront his inadequacy, come to understand where he went wrong. Nash was perfectly willing to free his targets if they performed adequately, it was just rare. But the chance was still there, it had to be. It had to be, or he was just another mundane murderer.
They were murderers, Nash knew and accepted this, even as some tiny part of him knew that very acceptance was concerning. They were murderers, but they were not mundane. They were not brutes, or madmen. They were principled. They all had their reasons, and Nash knew, if nothing was done about the state of his world, nothing would change. Things had gotten so bad...it would take something equally as extreme to even begin to address it.
Puzzles agreed with him.
“People at the top of the heap have no incentive to change their ways.” he pointed out. “That incentive needs to be forced on them. Look at every revolution ever. Kings and Tsars, colonizing states and business owners given chance after chance, plan after plan to make things better. And each time, they ignore, they imprison, they slaughter anyone who dares to suggest things aren't already perfect. Then they are so surprised when those changes become written in their own blood. It isn't wrong to fight back against what's trying to kill you. Even insects do that.”
“But...shouldn't I feel guilty?” Nash asked. “Even a little bit?”
“Maybe. Maybe if you hadn't seen the rot beneath the bricks, you would. There comes a time in everyone's life where they become disillusioned, it just happened early for you. That simply means you have that much more time to become what you want to be. Initial mistakes like this-” Puzzles held up the dismantled cube. “-can be ironed out early.”
He had a point. Maybe not feeling that guilt was a blessing, rather than an indicator that something was terribly wrong with him. He'd been filled with guilt since his mother had died; maybe he had reached capacity.
Puzzles offered him a meal and a bed for the night, and this time Nash took him up on the offer. He was tired, and though he couldn't finish the meal-not just because he couldn't eat much in one sitting, but also because Puzzles liked his food blisteringly spicy-the awkward and overly formal care Puzzles showed him filled the emptiness inside just a little.
Nash kept his head down at school the next day, diligently taking his notes, and doing his best not to get on anybodies nerves. The girl who had been noticing him kept stealing glances his way. Normally, he would have ignored her, but right now...
Did she suspect him? She'd been paying so much attention to him lately. What did she want?
She caught him after school, just as he was leaving. What was her name again? Amy? Yes, Amy.
“Eddie! Hi!” she called, her voice sounding falsely chipper. She definitely wanted something from him, and it put him on edge.
“Er, hi Amy. What...what is it?”
She frowned slightly, just for a moment.
“Annie. Anyway, I was thinking, I've gotten a bit behind in class, and I noticed, you're really smart. You always do really well on the tests. I'd love to know your secret.”
The clumsily sly tone on the last sentence. She did suspect him, didn't she? Accusing him of having a secret. How much did she know?
“Well, actually, I was wondering if you'd like to study together, say tonight?” she continued, looking up through her eyelashes at him. “We could maybe be really helpful to each other, you know?”
Oh. He understood now, what her intentions were, and nearly blushed at the audacity of it. No one had ever tried that with him before, though he supposed it wouldn't be the last time someone made the attempt.
“O-okay. Well...Meet me at around six?” He gave her the address and she hurried off to her extracurriculars, a lively spring in her step.
Nash hadn't expected anything like this to happen for a while yet, but it might be interesting. In the meantime, he had someone he needed to talk to.
“Hey Swag? How do I flirt?” Nash asked, lightly sipping a small glass of ginger ale. It was before business hours at the club, so he was allowed inside. Those were the rules.
His elder counterpart leaned against the bar, his face splitting into a charming, weathered smile.
“That's so cute. You're growing up.”
“Don't talk down to me.” Nash sulked. “ I just figured you're probably the best at flirting.”
Swag shrugged.
“Maybe not the best ever, but damn good enough. Well...at your age? I'd say just be yourself, but...”
“But I'd point out the hypocrisy immediately.” Swag put on an act around other people, and everyone knew it. It was part of the draw. But Nash couldn't do that, not yet.
“Nail on the head. Flirtin' ain't necessarily something that can be taught. It's not just a series of pickup lines, though that can work if you play it right. It's a bit more like exaggerating whatcha got. Playing to your strengths. Me, I like to gas up my looks, and maintain that delicate balance between bragging and humor. Keeps people on their toes, and they love it. You though...”
“I'm not very humorous.” Nash stated. He knew that already. There were class clowns, and there were charmingly witty people, and he was neither of those things. Too serious, too weak, too focused on whatever he was doing. He stretched his thin brown hands out in front of him, and placed them to his cheeks, the only part of him that retained any of the round softness of childhood. They would probably melt away soon too, just as the rest of his body had.
“Looks, huh? I don't have that going for me either.”
Not when compared to the others, the unearthly perfection of Detective, Puzzles and Narci's sculpted beauty, Arkham's rough masculinity, Swag and YJ's warm, mature handsomeness. He wasn't even done growing yet! He was short and ungainly, and far too thin. His eyes were sunken, his skin neither dark enough to be striking, nor pale enough to be conventional. And people didn't find intelligence attractive when it was in the wrong body, when it used words awkwardly, when it was shy and hostile, and wounded.
“Ehh, well. It's not so bad.” Swag interrupted his musings. “At the risk of sounding weird, you've got some good points. Nice smile, nice hair, beautiful eyes. You're prolly gonna grow up pretty handsome. You maybe won't knock 'em dead right now, but you've got potential. Anybody getting in on the ground floor now might be in for something good. Just be responsible, okay? You need any, uh, supplies, you can ask me, it's fine.”
Nash made a face.
“Yeah that does sound kinda weird.”
“I figured. Sorry little man, I'm still working on this big bro/weird uncle thing. So, it maybe depends more on what you want out of...whatever it is that's on your mind.”
“Well...something came up kinda suddenly, and I thought I might need help. But maybe I should just be myself. If somebody wants me, then I'm what they're gonna get, after all.”
“Not a bad philosophy.”
“And I'll have a gift for them too. Everyone likes gifts.”
“Sounds like a plan, little man. Good luck.”
Shadows surrounded Nash the instant he stepped inside, a whirlwind embrace of worried demon.
“~You didn't come back~” Lust exclaimed. “~You went out after that officer of yours, and you didn'tcome back! I remembered that these officers sometimes carry guns, and the human body is so fragile. You're not hurt are you? He did not hurt you~”
“No, I-I'm fine! He's dead, it's nothing. I just got caught up in what I was doing and crashed at Puzzle's place. And then I had school, and...you were really worried about me?”
“~Yes! Why wouldn't I be? Do I not know all the terrible things that can befall a mortal soul? And with no contact from you, how could I know you were safe~”
“No, I just-I mean...I didn't know you cared about me that much.”
The demon pulled back, eyes as blue and round as always.
“~Well. It looks as if I do. You and I, we have no one else in this world, do we? Currently, all our allies are in other realities, and are not always available. But the two of us have this domicile, and this shared space feels better with you in it.~”
“Oh. I...um...” he should say something, he thought, but the words clung to his tongue, refusing to be released.
A tentative knock at the back door saved him. He rested his hands on Lusts shadowy shoulders, stepping out of the demon's embrace.
“Wait here.” Nash said. “I've brought you a gift.”
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sylvyspritii · 9 months
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Why I'm Leaving Twitter and Joined a Better Website
This is a Tumblr version of the essay i wrote on why i am leaving Twitter, you can read the original version on Google Docs here: https://tinyurl.com/sylvybyemusky That's right, it's over, i've made my decision, you can read (the short version of) my full reasoning right here The original text will start now (keep in mind it won't be formatted correctly because Tumblr handles pasted text strangely):
Tl;dr: I will still keep my existing accounts and i will check my DM’s so that clients can still contact me easily and also to save my @ from being stolen I’m done with Twitter
Refresher: i am a professional freelance video game music composer, hobbyist artist, and hobbyist Vtuber Everyone has a limit to how much they are willing to tolerate before it becomes too much, before it starts breaking our principles Under the leadership of Elon Musk, we have seen Twitter be transformed from a flawed platform of the masses, to something that resembles a circus of incompetence, hatred, and untrustworthiness
I made my first Twitter account back in 2015, back then, it was important for every freelancer to have a Twitter account, because “everyone was there”, and it was an easy way for clients to contact us Eventually, i grew to around 2000 followers, and then i decided to delete my account in around 2020 because i was unhappy with the direction the website was going in I came back, because i noticed that people kept asking me to “come back to Twitter” Already back then, i started to dislike the platform a lot, i have multiple reasons for that
Reasons why i already disliked Twitter before Elon Musk
All your likes are public now, it didn’t used to be that way, so you can say your privacy goodbye, so if you liked some controversial tweets, even before this update went live, everyone can see it now, even if it was 5 years ago, all your like history is saved, nothing is private, and there is no option to make it private
Your following list is public, and this means that everyone can see who you follow, this is also terrible for privacy, and you can be judged depending on who you follow, this is very bad, especially if you have stalkers
Not only are the last 2 points a danger for freedom of speech, but they are also a danger to freedom of assembly, and freedom to learn, because it discourages people to connect with people that are “not acceptable”, this can reinforce prejudices and discourages people from learning about things outside of their comfort zone, in fear of being “found out”, for example, people discovering LGBT+ identities and wanting to follow people to learn more information about it, can now be stalked and discovered by their peers and parents, and even punished for it, but this also counts for politics, art, and many other things
It discourages straying away from “the norm”, because everyone can now judge who you follow, and what you like, so if you are interested in broadening your horizons, you always have to be aware that you can only follow and like “acceptable things”, this is especially bad for business as well, because it makes it so that your work and life balance is more difficult to separate if you accidentally liked some tweets 5 years ago when you were not a professional yet I have heard multiple stories from my friends and fellow freelancers that people have stalked their likes and who they follow, and have used it against them to judge them, this is not the type of behaviour i want a website to encourage, options should be given to users to make them decide for themselves 3. “Recent tweets from x”, a notification in your notification tab that is purely designed to keep you engaged on the platform, it is not a real notification, and you cannot disable it, because it is designed to be annoying, to keep you on the platform for as long as possible, to maximise potential ad revenue
4. The many “unwritten rules” of Twitter, for example, if you post a link or a hashtag in your tweet, then the tweet will get deboosted in the algorithm, this means that, for example, if you put a link to your music, your commission sheet, or your Twitch channel when you’re streaming in a tweet, the tweet will appear less in people’s feeds, even if they follow you (I have heard this often from people that followed me, “i missed your tweet about the stream even though i followed you”, it is very common)
5. Twitter is not a space for reasonable debate, the short tweets lack context, and therefore, are often spread into threads of multiple replies, but only 3 of these replies will appear on people’s feed, this means that a lot of the times, a lot of the context of a longer text is missing, because Twitter hides many of the tweets that are part of the text Not only that, but the fact that every tweet in the thread is separate, means that people can take some tweets out of context and quote retweet it to cherrypick a specific sentence to argue with to make themselves look better, this encourages constant negative engagement focused on “dunking” on people for likes, retweets, and more followers (clout), rather than reasonable debate and discussion This has affected politics as well, and it becomes very obvious to see how this benefits populist parties, who are focused on fearmongering and short, memorable quips, a platform that promotes dark patterns for optimising negative and shocking engagement (for ad revenue of course) benefits them, and does not benefit political arguments that require more nuance, this makes screaming and dunking matches on Twitter a chaotic circus
6. Twitter boosts negativity and shock to optimise engagement for ad revenue, it does so by constantly sharing “recommended tweets” in the timeline for you to engage with, and often, these tweets are negative, an argument, or a controversial opinion, it is often bait, whether the original poster knows it or not, their tweet is boosted in the algorithm in order to increase the amount of engagement it gets, this is to ensure that users stay on the website, or think about the tweet, because negativity often sticks more in people’s mind that positivity, this is a psychological trick to keep users thinking more about Twitter, and thus using Twitter more, and the goal of this strategy is simple; ad revenue, it’s all designed to show metrics to investors and ad companies, to show them how much people use Twitter, so they can justify receiving more and more money by exploiting the misery of others
There are many more reasons. And this is just the beginning, this was all before Elon Musk came to power I do not have faith in Elon Musk
I consider Elon Musk to be an irresponsible businessman, unfit for leadership He is unpredictable, sporadic, pushes his national, moral, and political values in his website, does not respect his employees (he fired 6000 employees, which were kicked off with no warning, leaving them vulnerable without a job), does not respect freedom of speech (it’s just a marketing term for him, he has been banning journalists left and right from the platform for criticising his decisions, and not just journalists, but normal users as well, even criticising Twitter Blue (Twitter’s new subscription service) is not allowed anymore), he is short-sighted, petty, transphobic (he refuses to support his own trans daughter, and even blames “neo-marxists at educational institutions” (a conservative national populist conspiracy) for making her transition), he is manipulative, a conspiracy theorist, NFT supporter, crypto supporter, untrustworthy, and a liar
I could go on, there are many more reasons why Elon Musk has lost my respect
If you’d like to read more about Elon Musk’s mistakes, i recommend reading these articles; https://www.freepress.net/blog/elon-musk-worlds-worst-businessman And this one is especially important for my fellow LGBT+ followers: https://www.them.us/story/elon-musk-pride-month-tweet-likes-anti-trans
I’d like to make it clear that my arguments here are in no way, shape, or form, meant to be political They are criticism of Twitter and Elon Musk, as a platform, and no matter where you belong on the political spectrum, the direction of Twitter has undeniably become more negative for almost everyone Making music is my job, i require clients and reach to do my job properly as a freelancer, and Twitter has become more and more of a platform that discourages that, both for users and businesses Just to make it extra clear just in case: i do not talk about politics or drama, i am merely sharing info
Elon Musk has automatically disabled DM’s for everyone, except if they are Twitter Blue subscribers Twitter Blue is a subscription service that directly supports Elon Musk I consider the people that subscribe to Twitter Blue to be a part of the problem, they willingly support the undeniable negative actions of Elon Musk, and i firmly believe that if you are currently a subscriber to Twitter Blue, you should consider ending your subscription, because Elon Musk does not deserve your money Elon Musk introduced a limit to the amount of tweets you are allowed to see per day, encouraging dark patterns of you coming back every day since that’s when your limit gets reset, this is to keep you addicted Elon Musk has changed the company name to X, resulting in multiple legal disputes, and a lot of confusion Elon Musk has supported racist and LGBT+phobic people and politicians And there is so much more I’m leaving
I am just done I am done tolerating all this madness just for my career I don’t want to be on a website that does not respect me, my mental health, or my career The only reason i am still on Twitter is because it is “required”, because “everyone is there” Twitter is popular, this means that for freelancers like me, it is expected of me to be there, and i cannot deny that a large part of my clients have approached me through my Twitter DM’s, rather than email (potential clients, if you’re reading this, consider emailing me! I check my email every day!)
Twitter has become a hostile and unsustainable environment, both for personal and for business reasons, and i am leaving By “leaving”, i do want to clarify that i will not delete my accounts, i will keep my accounts, but they will not be active anymore, they will serve as a way for clients to contact me through DM’s, but i will not be active anymore on all of my accounts (@sylvysprit @sylvyspritart @sylvyspritii)
Instead, you can find me on Cohost and Tumblr, 2 social media websites that i prefer over Twitter My Cohost can be found at https://cohost.org/sylvysprit My Tumblr can be found at https://www.tumblr.com/sylvysprit (I also have personal accounts there, you can find them pretty easily, but they are not meant for my casual music fans or clients)
I have many reasons why i like Cohost, i’d like to share a short post about why i have decided to subscribe to Cohost Plus, a subscription service to support Cohost’s development financially https://cohost.org/sylvyspritii/post/1763282-yeah-i-did-it
There are many more reasons why i like Cohost Cohost is a website that respects the privacy and mental health of its users, their principles are strong, and their leadership is transparent and easily contactable Twitter’s downfall is inevitable, and it is up to you to decide which platform deserves your attention and/or support, and personally, i do not believe that Threads or Bluesky will be better than Twitter, because they do not fix the inherent issues of Twitter regarding its algorithms, business model, or negativity spiral for engagement, and i do not have much faith in the Fediverse either, because it is too difficult to understand for the average user Tumblr is alright, it’s popular, and has a strong legacy and track-record, it’s still going strong in 2023, but they tend to make too many unexpected and unwanted changes (NOTE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE TUMBLR VERSION OF THIS POST: I'm talking about the 2018 stuff, if they can get that fixed, Tumblr will be the obvious winner in the War of Twitter Succession) Cohost is the platform i have decided is the most aligned with my desires for what a social media platform should be, so i have decided to support them
You can join Cohost right here: https://cohost.org I recommend reading the manifesto of the Cohost developers as well, so you can understand exactly what i mean when i am talking about the clear principles of Cohost as a platform: https://antisoftware.club/manifesto.html Cohost’s transparency regarding their finances is also something i respect: https://cohost.org/staff/tagged/financials
It’s up to you to decide which website you want to support, i am not forcing you to do anything, but i do hope that i have informed you properly about my decision to leave Twitter, and hopefully, you will consider joining other social media websites as well, it’s good to future-proof, in case things come crashing down
If you have come this far, then i’d like to thank you for taking your time to read this I wish you a very nice day, and the best of luck in your life
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im-mariart · 3 months
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The Gospel of The Bringer of Death | pjm (+18) synopsis:
Park Jimin is the star of the Seoul High volleyball team, handsome, intelligent, surrounded by friends and extremely loved in the community.
But what would they think of him if they found out who he really is? That the golden boy is nothing more than a character?
What would they do if they found out that Jimin's destiny is to bring doom to Earth?
…………………………………………….….................................
temporary synopsis and cover
inspired by set me free pt.2 and like crazy
jimin with imposter syndrome
all of bts, but jimin focused
cosmic horror apparition (Lovecraftian mythology)
jimin and oc
first published fic a/n: Hey how's it going? If you're reading this, know that this story was made with great care and a lot of late night work to write something that I thought was worthy of posting. I had some trouble with it since english isn't my first language, so feel free to correct me... Me and this story's Jimin share the trait that we push ourselves way too hard searching for some kind of perfection, so I decided to try to get out of my comfort zone and see what happens. And I'm still learning how to use Tumblr as a content creator (if you want to share any tips, i would be really glad :D)... To start our story, I recommend to read while listening to "Sharks" by Imagine Dragons, even the lyrics seem a bit like Jimin's paranoia, how he thinks others see him and so on… Anyway, see you down there :D
#1 The Beginning of the End - Prologue The voices in his head were too loud that night.
Evil and random whispers, not even the voices that lived in the boy's head knew him. He didn't even know himself.
Outside of his room, Park Jimin was the neighborhood's favorite. Always engaged with the school, the community and especially with the Seoul High volleyball golden team. There wasn't a place where his name was mentioned everyone wouldn't shower him with praise, be it for his angelic appearance, his talents in whatever his new hobby of the month was, his grades, his performance in Thursday's games…
Jimin really was the perfect golden boy. And he wanted his fame to stay that way…
But sometimes, in the middle of the night, when he couldn't sleep while tossing and turning in bed, he would sit in front of the large mirror in his room, looking at himself , his reflect and closest confidant, in a kind of telepathy between he and himself.
This was one of those nights.
Jimin couldn't get rid of the whispers. They had started in the middle of the volleyball match, his blurry vision and wobbly legs caused him to take a serve right in the face. He remembers a dark blur in the audience before falling to the ground in a daze. His teammates ran to support him and the coach asked for a pause on the game, but Park didn't give up, and after 5 minutes on the bench, he led his team to victory once again, suppressing his pain in face of public's celebration.
Each time he heard the whispers, it was as if a lascivious pain in his ear pricked his brain, for the first time he didn't stay for the celebration party with the boys and asked his parents to take him home, despite their insistence that Jimin went to the doctor. His stubbornness getting the best (or worse) of him, pushing the pain away with “It must be just stress, I didn't sleep well last night, I just need to rest”, which made his friends look at each other worriedly and start their speeches saying that they would always be there if he needed anything.
Jimin had really good friends. Or the persona Jimin created had really good friends.
His reflection looked back at him with an irritated expression, he almost ruined everything, what if he had really ruined it? What would become of him? Would they discover that the golden boy was nothing more than brass painted gold?
Jimin didn't know what irritated him more, the pain, the pressure, the poisonous whispers, or those whispers with his voice that his own mind had created.
He was never good enough.
Not for him.
He owed a lot to many people he loved.
And he couldn't be a third of what they deserved him to be.
Jimin said things like that to himself, receiving back the judgmental look from his own reflected eyes. Then Jimin started crying, hugging himself in the dark, creating a thousand and one scenarios in his anxious mind where it could and should be better.
Maybe it was the post-crying tiredness followed by sleep; but he didn't remember how he got back to bed, nor when the whispers stopped. -------------------------------------------------------------------- -You were awesome yesterday Jimin! Congratulations man! - Some brute hugged Jimin in the school hallway, delivering two friendly yet painful slaps to the back of the younger man who genuinely thought he had broken something.
-A-ah thanks man… thank you… you can take it easy… please… - That's what the smaller managed to mumble out with his excited fan's hug making his lungs lack of air.
-Hey…Take it easy Jae, yesterday was difficult for him. - Namjoon, his personal brute, spoke up to save his friend, pushing away the man's heavy hand, who walked away with an awkward laugh.
-Thanks Joon, I think it’s going to make a mark…
-Marks of victory my friend, of our victory! I think we must have broken some record… We are invincible! - Taehyung said, making the team laugh.
-Those victory marks hurt like hell… Seriously guys, I think if you look you'll see his fingerprint right here…
The group laughed at Jimin's drama. Yoongi was called his "savior" when he revealed his pharmacy arsenal to his friend, and in the second period, whatever Yoongi gave to Jimin, eased his pain and his mind.
It was almost in the last class when the whispers returned, with a unknown force that snatched Jimin from his chair straight to the floor, writhing in pain. The pain was so intense that he only remembered the screams of his friends and the teacher calling the school nurse, before he blacked out.
When he opened his eyes he was greeted by the white ceiling of the school infirmary, muffled voices in the background almost indistinguishable. He was in too much pain to listen, to think, to exist, but at least the sedation made the discomfort bearable.
It was when he heard a soft cry that Jimin became worried, gathering all the strength he had in his forearms to lift his torso and see what was happening. -Are you guys okay? What's wrong? - Jimin's low and weak voice filled the silent place for a few seconds. Until the crying gets louder.
-He woke up! - The tallest shouted, receiving a sharp and reprimanding “shh” from the nurse. The group of boys ran towards their newly awakened friend, the youngest with his face red and swollen from crying was holding his friend's hand, crying even more. One of them told Jungkook to stop being so dramatic, taking him off of Jimin who needed space to breathe.
-Kookie calm down, can someone tell me what happened? What am I doing here? Didn't we have a chemistry test?
-You don't remember anything? - Jin said worriedly.
-No. - Jimin looked at his friends confused.
-You passed out in the middle of the room and you were babbling some weird stuff, it sounded like you were having a seizure, and Kook took you on horseback running to the infirmary shouting help, he even took us out of the classroom. - Namjoon points to himself and the other 3 older in the group.
-Is everyone here because of me? - Jimin looked worriedly at his friends. - I-i'm sorry…
-No apologies little bro, it isn't your fault. - Hobi ruffled Jimin's hair in an affectionate gesture.
-And besides, you are my hero! Mr. Carlton was so scared that he said we can hand in the English assignment next week… and I haven't even started! - Yoongi showed two thumbs up with his hands with his typical evil genius smile.
-Oh, and don't worry Minie, Mrs. Lee locked herself in the teacher's room and has been praying until now. You even released us early, I love you man… - Tae holded Jimin's plump cheeks in both of his hands and gave an extra dramatic kiss to his friend's forehead.
And Jimin laughed. His friends laughed. It seemed like nothing happened, that everything was fine and it was just a feeling of discomfort after the game.
It was okay.
"Jimin, get out"
Not that okay, it seems.
"Jimin they will hurt you if they find out"
The whispers came back, quieter, but still audible in the boy's mind, who gave their friends his brightest smile, they were so worried about him, they really were like brothers. And in brotherhood, we tell each other everything, right?
“Jimin, they will leave you if they know who you are”
Maybe not today.
When he returned home with the school nurse's note, Jimin's parents insisted on taking him to the doctor, this time using force. The load of tests and exams didn't indicate anything really out of the normal, so it was confirmed as something psychological, Jimin returned home with a week's leave due to burnout and his parents crying to him to listen to them.
He felt like a nuisance to them.
During that week his parents didn't let him make any effort. Jimin ate, slept, played cards with his parents, watched TV and did a homework or two before his mother caught him and called him to do something else more fun. It seems perfect, right?
The lump in his throat ruined his recovering time. That feeling of "I shouldn't be doing this, I shouldn't deserve this, I need to do something, I need to be useful" was as present as the quiet whispers.
Until the night of the fifth day he heard a different whisper after winning an argument with his parents that he would at least take out the trash. As he was putting the trash away he heard it loud and clear:
"Follow me"
"What?"
"Come with me"
"I'm not going to follow a strange voice talking in my head" thought Jimin
"I'm not a strange voice, I'm your destiny"
Jimin was fed up, if the cause of these damn problems had a common source, he was going to take matters into his own hands. He took a empty glass bottle of wine from one of the trash bags and followed the direction of the voice to a small square with a playground, a few meters from his house. Jimin was small but athletic, he had enough agility to both attack and defend himself.
-Whoever is making this joke, better explain yourself soon, otherwise you'll eat glass!
He was angry, uttering threats loud enough for his mysterious “companion” to hear him, looking like a upset madman on the street in the middle of the night with an empty glass bottle in his hands.
Maybe it would have been better if he had sent whoever was pulling this prank to fuck themselves and gone back inside the house.
"Behind you"
Jimin jumped back and armed himself. A few meters away, a hooded figure with a dark aura was watching him, strangely familiar. The boy felt the blood in his veins run cold in contrast to his racing pulse, whatever that was indicated danger and Jimin was no longer so sure he wanted to take that risk.
-What do you want from me? Spit it out.
“I don’t want much from you Jimin, I just want you to be what you were always destined to be, just come with me…”
-Do you really expect me to disappear in the middle of the night with some hooded crazy guy? And how do you know my name? Or rather, who do you think you are to think you know me at this point? - The bottle held in his hands was shaking, his nervousness showing in his hands, but his gaze was as firm as ever.
“I know you better than you think, I know who you really are…” -I'm tired of this nonsense. - He walked with quick and aggressive steps towards the man, getting close enough to catch a glimpse of his face in the shadows being reflected in the base of the bottle aimed at his jaw. - So tell me who I am, idiot! Come on! Say it!
“You are our bringer of death Park Jimin.” a/n:
It was short but it was meant to give you a taste of this story, if you're interested, tell me what you thought of the beginning and if you're curious to see what the fuck is going on with our poor Jimin…
Bye :D
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