#but surprisingly the one i can remember was relatively normal

[wandering-aloneo-o]

okay so yesterday me and my people who are on vacation went to universal studios. as you may or may not know (i did not) there are quite a few rides where you're in a moving thing (chair, cart, tram, etc) and that thing will move based on what it happening on a screen in front of you (it's a bigass screen too)

anyways, me and the peoples did quite a few of these rides, (we were at the park from opening to closing, don't really know how this relates but i wanted to add it) and once we had left and got in thr car, i shit you not it genuinly felt like said rides.

like it was such a weird experience because obviously i know it's not one of the rides, but it felt really freaking similar. it was like out of the windows is the screen, and the car is the thing.

there's nothing you can do to control your surroundings, so you just have to sit and watch. i'm also wondering if this might have been a dissociative thing, because based on how i've heard it be described, it was pretty fucking similar.

#so anyways #park was fun and we had some foods #also the water world one doesn't splash you HALF as much as i thought it would so i was quite sad about that #but i did buy a dino mug and a jurassic park rain coat which was an extra large #(my being a literal long string bean makes it 10x better) #also expected to have some bizarre fever dreams after that due to all the brain brrrrr from the park #but surprisingly the one i can remember was relatively normal #anyways #universal studios #california #vacation #tw swearing

[morgana-ren]

Hi i had an idea that popped into my head, because I (vaguley) remember that the game talks about a sacrifice in the forest lake someone did (me thinks its the church who sac'd someone) and they may have became the ivory wraith.

So you think the town is cursed, maybe something that amplifies lust or 'sins' because of it?

Oh, something is definitely wrong with the town. Something dastardly and dark happened and is currently happening, though I'm not sure of the extent that the lore goes into it.

The Ivory Wraith actually has a very interesting backstory, if you manage to get them to show you.

To make it quick, it seems like they were some kind of priest or priestess for an early facet of the Faith in ancient times, and they along with others of their ward were kidnapped by some dark, esoteric order and sacrificed in some blasphemous ritual involving monsters and tentacles and some heinous offences to God or whatever.

I don't know if their spirit was corrupted or perhaps consumed by some eldritch lord, but either way, the Ivory Wraith is trapped beneath the ruins of the lake, able to wander the town, seemingly only caring for two things: Its own rare offspring, which it can impregnate the player with, and the lovely ivory necklace that dangles gracefully from its pale neck.

Now lets take a look at the faith.

On the outside, it seems relatively benign, seemingly modeled after modern day Catholicism. Strict and unforgiving, to be sure, but basically just a mirrored image of what we know the more stern sects of Christianity to be.

But take a deeper look. The prayer room, where devout priests are known to go into fits of hysterics and speak in tongues, hallucinating for hours on end as the prayer becomes so intense and somehow, virginity stays intact even after the most defiling of carnal acts. The dark ritual that can take place to an unsuspecting and unconscious player should they pass out at the lake. The fact even the priests and nuns aren't immune to your charms, and will often try to have their way with you against your will and you are expected to be fine with it.

The fact that the church will whore you out against your will if your purity is weighed and found wanting during your chastity exam.

These are the good guys.

Now the town itself, something is very, very blatantly wrong.

On the outside, it's a seemingly normal little town. A little costal paradise that is surprisingly self-sufficient for a small-town community. A lovely little haven cut off from the rest of the world--

For a reason.

It's meta-implied that this town is wrong, and it knows that it's wrong. The people in charge make an active effort to keep their affairs secret from the outside world. There's this lovely facade of a normal society, but the rotting, seedy underbelly is the world's worst kept secret.

If you tell any outsiders what is happening, they don't believe you. It sounds so absurd and so outlandish that they just outright think you're a mentally unwell, attention seeking person. The 'innocence' and 'awareness' bar allude to the fact that people who don't indulge themselves in the darker parts of life in the town are purposefully kept in the dark, so much so that it just flies right over their heads, or they just accept what is happening as normal.

Sirris, for example. They very much love their child. Do you think they would ever raise their child here if they had any true idea of how bad things are here? Chances are that they think this is just life, or they're so kept in the dark about the truth of it that they don't understand what they're subjecting Syndey to.

The people who are unofficially in charge of the town, such as Remy, Quinn, Bailey, and to an extent, Leighton, all have a direct hand in the worst aspects of it. The underground brothel, the underground farm, the asylum, etc.

Every person that heads one of these awful facilities also just so happens to be the only person in charge of such affairs. Harper and the hospital, Remy and his farm, Leighton and his school, Bailey and his orphanage, and so on.

There's a titload of supernatural references here that certainly come into play. The moors, Blackwolf, all the hallucinogens that run rampant, the tentacles, the blood moon-- it all fits together somehow.

We don't have all the pieces quite yet, and your character is gaslit and made to feel crazy if they start to put them together.

Something very, very wrong is happening, and it all fits hand in hand somehow.

#Degrees of lewdity #dol #morg analysis

[lightlycareless]

What are something the kids do that get on Y/N and Naoya’s nerves?

Hello anon!!

Ngl I had no idea how to answer this ask initially because I just kept going back to the same situation over and over again of “well, I don’t think they’d like if they were being loud or disobedient” but that’s kind of expected from any young child and I think they might not really find it that irritating/upsetting, grown used to it by the 3 babies they have by now.

So, I did some research, eventually going with my mom to ask her about, you know, firsthand experiences, and she gave me one that I was completely convinced would be the #1 situation Naoya and you would absolutely hate when it happens.

warnings: none. just family dynamics :> Naoya being a surprisingly good father, he got all kinds of bad examples to not follow, after all.

The one thing that always gets on Naoya’s and Y/N’s nerves (or more like upset them) is … when their kids fight with one other.

And I don’t mean “playfully”, whining because they want what the other has or so, but rather making them cry, angry… and maybe even hit them.

This is undoubtedly the most painful thing Naoya and Y/N had experienced as parents.

The two always pictured having a loving family, strived to do everything in their power for it to happen, and even if there were some bumps along the way, it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle—until reality reminds them that not everything was to be smooth sailing: with clashing personalities, and the unwanted occasional intervention of the Zen’in clan, it was only natural problems like this would arise.

And while both try to comfort each other by saying that sometimes siblings argue, have discussions, or do things to get in the other’s nerves… it isn’t until one of them strikes the other that they actively put a stop to this.

It breaks Naoya’s heart to see that this aspect of his personal life has unwillingly befallen them; and he has no doubts that this is learned behavior, replicated from some of his unruly relatives which he has threatened to keep away from his family…

He doesn’t how they do it, how they have this unspoken talent to stick their noses in what does not concern them, and no matter what he does, Naoya can’t make them stop, infuriating him every single time he remembers this fact!

Nonetheless, he doesn’t give up, and understanding the best he could do is refocus his efforts in what he can change.

Thus, you and Naoya teach the kids on how to deal with these emotions, explain that while its normal to feel frustrated and there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s not okay to take it out with others, specially towards close ones such as family, because it can be very hurtful.

At the end, this turned out to be a very informative and fruitful situation, just another step in their growth, having learned how to apologize, understand why certain things are not right to do, as well as assertively communicate their emotions (to the best of their ability, anyways.) or do activities to let out their pent-up frustrations before they get the best of them.

Aside from this progress, two more things develop from here.

First, amongst the activities they could do to deal with their emotions, Naoya begins to train them in jujutsu. I cannot describe how excited he is to spend time with them, teaching them all he knows of his technique (maybe I’m too greedy, but I like to imagine they took after Naoya’s technique in that matter 🤭) and encourage healthy competition and self-improvement.

Secondly, because these behaviors eventually quieted down, the kids having understood a new sense of what a family means, they all grew protective of one another (specially Naomi, who is the oldest of the 3—no one messes with her baby siblings!) an adorable sight that plants the seed of wanting a bigger family in your and Naoya’s mind, eventually welcoming a 4th member to the family ❤️

:') I like answering questions like this because I end up unwittingly developing their family, from their timeline, personalities, and how naoya and you are as parents 😭❤️

Thank you so much for sending in this ask!! I really wouldn't mind answering more things like this hehe, or if you have general hc's, just let me know!! 🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️ we gotta spread the domestic side of Naoya please 🤭

Take care and hope to see you soon!!

#ask #naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #prompt series: jujutsu kaisen

[possibilistfanfiction]

Oh my gosh! How have I just found this amazing tumblr? Please can I ask for any prompt from the AU in which they’re surgeons? Maybe domestic with their child or building to the ‘I love you?’ and maybe anything extra from 🐸?

[lil smth w their kiddo from surgeons au]

//

'hello, little dr. choi-silva.'

you roll your eyes with a laugh. 'hey, aunt cam.'

sometimes, when your moms are on overlapping shifts, you'll come to the hospital from school when you don't have violin or judo or tennis or something planned with your friends; you're old enough now to take the train, and they always let you hang out in the attendings lounge while you do your homework or watch something on your phone.

your aunt camila — a very fancy researcher, as you've come to understand as you got older, mostly because you've known her as your funny, kind, cool aunt since you were little — sits down next to you at the table.

'oh cool, trig. my favorite part of ninth grade.'

'ew.'

'hey, you can't drag math that much. i do all kinds of cool things with it, and your mom and i —'

'yeah, yeah, stem cells and rebuilding severed spinal cords. blah blah.'

'you were way nicer when you were four.'

'do you want to do my homework for me?'

your aunt camila laughs. 'i'm happy to do it with you, if you want.'

you, like, really don't want to do your math homework, but nora had wanted to come hang out at your house tomorrow and she makes you so nervous it's hard to focus. 'i want to get it done fast, so that would be sweet.' you scoot your chromebook and graph paper closer to your aunt. 'thank you.'

'does this speeding through math have anything to do with —' she looks around to make sure no one is listening, even though you're the only ones in the lounge — 'your girlfriend?'

horrifically you feel yourself blush. 'nora isn't — she's — ugh.'

'have you told your moms yet?'

'suddenly, trig seems so appealing.'

your aunt laughs but grants you a little grace, thank fucking god. you work for a while and, with your aunt explaining things patiently and clearly, you're just about to finish when both of your moms, a little surprisingly, come into the lounge.

'hey, tai,' your mama says, kissing you on the top of the head softly.

'what's up, kid?' your mom grins and squeezes your shoulder. you don't remember being adopted — you were just a baby anyway — but every time your mom smiles at you like that, or your mama gently corrects your form when you're sparring, or they both listen to you clumsily practice a new piece on the violin, before your fingers have gotten the hang of the notes you don't know yet — you think you're the luckiest person in the world.

your mom glances over your shoulder as your mama goes to, presumably, gather their things. 'one, my surgery got canceled — my patient had a fever, so you're stuck with both of us tonight.'

'however will i survive.'

your mom rolls his eyes. 'you're lucky you're cute.'

you know he knows you're kidding, but you still nudge his hip anyway and he ruffles your hair. 'two, did you finish your math?'

'i have, like, two more? but aunt cam helped a lot.'

'you knew your stuff all on your own,' she says, which is relatively generous but makes you feel better about your test in two weeks.

your mama comes over with her neat overnight duffel and your mom's messy cotton tote. 'does this efficiency with math have anything to do with your girlfriend coming over tomorrow?'

your aunt cam laughs — total traitor — and your mom grins, tapping. your chair with her cane when you groan and hide your face in your hands. 'i was gonna tell you guys, i swear.'

your mom rubs your back gently. 'you are your mother's daughter.'

'i'm adopted,' you whine.

your mama laughs. 'nurture is so strong, my love.'

she starts gathering your things too, straightening your backpack, and normally you would scoff and ask her to stop, because you're fourteen and way too old for that. but you love them both, a lot, and, like. your folders were out of the order you like — your class schedule, which your mama has memorized too — so you don't say anything.

'tai, since we're both off now, want to go get some pizza at roberta's?' she asks you, slipping into a fleece that's definitely your mom's — department of neurosurgery embroidered on it, but whatever. it's an enticing offer; your favorite.

'what's the catch.'

'we gotta put olives on half,' your mom says, handing you your coat as you stand.

'deal.'

'and you have to tell us about how you got together with nora.'

'i'm gonna run away. i swear.'

your moms and your aunt laugh — you love them so much you don't want to go to college out of the city; they're your favorite people in the whole entire world — but you pout for posterity. you grumble as you go to the car, and then while you're waiting in a booth for your order.

'out with it.' your mom grins.

your mama pats your hand and amends, 'if you're ready.'

you take a deep breath, but then you smile. 'okay, i've been dying to tell you guys.'

your moms grin.

#wn #wn fic #avatrice #avatrice fic #surgeons au #man idk don't expect too much from this one lmao but #giving them a daughter...... the sentiment!

[pharrell-the-formation]

Let me be clear: I love Emma Hazer with a tender love, but not exactly for who she is, but for who she could be.

I kind of wish to rewrite her and my solution is surprisingly simple: remove her “easy accessibility” as a woman and focus on something else. Hazer is a single mother, taking care of two boys, whose existence is hidden due to a directive prohibiting mothers of many children from working, after losing her husband at the front. The only other relative she has is her mother, who isn’t really emotionally supportive (this is information from the game, I’ll dance from her from now on). She loves her children with all her heart and wants to provide them with a good life and therefore makes workaholism a priority in her life - after all, more work, more money and authority, right? For the same reason, she is applying for a promotion and is one of the three competitors for the protagonist on the first floor. However, even so, she understands that it is hard for her and she is suffering from the stress. This leads the woman to find another goal for herself - to find a spouse who could help her and her family survive in their debt-ridden society. Fortunately, she is pretty, but right there also lies the problem - in her beauty and desperate desire to find a young man, people see a lady of the evening so to speak. Hazer is disgusted by this and most likely the topic of sexual relations kind of repulses her now, because it reminds her that she is perceived as an object. She can be a living demonstration of the destructive influence of the State’s sexism and stereotypes on a person, while still being the chatty lady, who loves to discuss TV series and claims to have a good intuition.

The scene where she and Evan are having fun in the back room can happen provided that the recently met Redgrave pulls her leg for some time, talking about love, deep feelings and lies to her about being single, so that the truth for Emma is revealed later. Most likely, after this story, you won’t be able to build a normal friendship with the character, because choices should have consequences.

There is no quest where she hands over her children to an orphanage, because that would completely go against her character.

She does not call Ferguson the ideal man in the dialogue. Just shows her respect for him and that she thinks good of him.

The "big joke" could still happen, but it has an even darker context, as Evan's only methods of persuading Emma to help them would be to commit blackmail, in that way or the other. After what happened, she deeply regrets what she did, and when the next day Peter does the unspeakable she probably blames herself.

As for her story with Peter Dong.. mm, I suppoooose we as players should consider their relationship as a kind of “endgame”, and Dong as a man actually suitable for her, whom she simply has not yet seen, so I guess I would probably try to make their connection more genuine, if that’s the case. Peter’s love is built not only on his colleague’s appearance, but also on some of her qualities. Let’s say he saw and appreciated how hard she worked, or one of the few noticed how sad she’s been looked recently. Let’s say that when they start dating, Emma doesn’t limit herself to “I hope everything works out for us” in the dialogue, she probably also says something about how she didn’t think that Peter would be such a sweetheart, she is surprised how she wasn’t noticing him before. This, as a bare minimum.

It seems that these are all the changes that I would like to see, maybe if I remember something else I’ll add.

Bonus headcanon for those who read to the end: Emma was the best informant on the floor before Evan came into the game, it’s not for nothing that she hangs around that office phone so often.

#beholder game #beholder #beholder 2 #emma hazer #evan redgrave #peter dong #I wrote this back in November last year #I don’t know why I didn’t post this here back then but well it’s good #Reworked some points

[dailyoyo]

GGs ranked by how quickly they would resort to murdering their friends if they were stuck in a timeloop (Real edition)

my sincerest fucking apologies to pseud for what ive done to their blog.

THAT SAID: on account of this being very long and very grim to the point that most of it is too grimdark to even be funny anymore i am putting it under a readmore. This is a half-joke half-serious post about the ggs getting stuck in a time loop and murdering each other so like. you get what you click on.

also these are all specifically based aroudn our interps/jet set radio paradox obviously so bear that in mind lol

RULES TO MINIMIZE VARIABLES: only one of them knows they're in a time loop, each is a separate scenario where the listed character is the one who knows and remembers. they do not know why the loop is happening and they do not know how to stop it. the span of time the loop happens is relatively normal, though dangerous enough events happen (maybe just normal jsr stuff) that people may accidentally die during it depending on the exempt character's actions. everyone who dies during a loop is alive again when the date rolls back over. everything is back to square one. no consequences. 14. Pots pots is a dog, even if a highly intelligent one. assuming he can even grasp the idea of a time loop (unlikely) i believe it is even further unlikely that he would recognize it as a bad thing. very possible he just stays in the time loop contentedly forever 13. Soda it takes like a week (or until the first "someone dies and comes back") for him to even notice he's in a timeloop (general apathy/depression?). but when he does notice he's pretty together about it. obviously he wants out but he's literally got all the time in the world, he doesn't need to do stupid traumatic shit just to see what happens. he's got this.

12. Jazz WHY WOULD MURDER EVEN BE PART OF THIS EQUATION WHAT THE FUCK? shes not gonna kill anybody and would think its super fucked to even raise the idea. how is that supposed to help. That said. she does keep repeatedly explaining she's in a time loop almost every loop and it is getting to the point that she kiiiiinda wants to strangle someone or two as stress relief because by god is she stressed. she Won't, she's got more sense than that, but. But…

11. Boogie i think she never really goes full murdermode or anything and the very idea of that happening would shock and disturb her, but surprisingly early on she gives into the impulse to push one of the other ggs into traffic (it doesn't matter anyway, right?) and watches them get ran over. and she's like O_O oh jesus fuck that was horrible. and she never kills anyone again during the loops but it HAUNTS her and makes her nervous abt the idea that she COULD do it again.

10. Gum she's mostly level headed, i think, so she wouldn't be quick to resort to madness. but give her enough time and she starts feeling desperate and does some scary shit in the hopes that maybe somehow they'll at least remember next time. like more than anything i think it's the isolation of it that gets to her. maybe she doesn't progress to outright intentional murder, maybe she only tries it once or twice to see if it fixes anything (it doesn't). while she doesn't go full-blown axe-crazy she DOES become incredibly dangerous and desperate to just not be the only one who remembers.

9. Garam while his nerves end up aaaabsolutely shot and he loses all his patience to see the same day happening over and over, i think it would honestly take a while for him to become a danger to the ggs. he'd rather take out his stress on Literally Anything Else. that said he'd reach a point where he accidentally kills someone for real (whether a gg or an unrelated party) and it fucks him up reallll bad, but whether it fucks him up in a "fine whatever i can kill people who cares" way or a "I NEED TO BE CAREFUL THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN HOLY FUCK" way depends on the circumstances.

8. Beat honestly? unless something in particular causes him to suspect one of the ggs is responsible for the loop, it takes a while for it to even occur to him that killing his friends is an option. like maybe he might end up killing the GGs' enemies and maybe even rivals, but if you brought up the idea of killing his FRIENDS to him he'd be like "wait huh??? but why even????" that said, though, keep him in there long enough and he might develop a severe god complex and start doing it purely to power trip.

7. Combo putting him in a time loop i think would really be the last straw in his miserable life. maybe he deserves the right to kill someone at this point really. while he focuses intently on trying to find a way to break the loop, as it all begins to grate on him he really just stops giving a shit about much of anything. the murder isn't a constant thing, more like one or two good ol' kill em all style breakdowns, and obviously it only makes him feel sick to his stomach when the date rolls over, but what can he even do about it?

6. Clutch he tries to play it cool at first and not think about it too hard but it isnt long before a sort of prey animal panic is invoked in him and hes like. I gotta get outta here. I gotta get out of here. Oh my god i gotta get the hell out of here. and it doesn't help that hes really not close with these guys yknow. and any concern from the ggs he reacts to with escalating violence until he reaches the point he's killing them multiple times in hopes that gives him a way out. eventually he just gives up

5. Corn at first the thought of killing his friends doesnt even cross his mind but he becomes increasingly desperate to understand what's happening and soon enough it's a last resort. it's all very methodical testing the limits of the loop and himself, not explaining anything to anyone else because they'll forget anyway and becoming increasingly hostile and isolationist. he doesn't want to but He's out of options. He has to FIGURE IT OUT.

4. Roboy what bothers him more than anything else is the feeling of helplessness over the whole thing and even if the others COULD help him he's not going to try to get their help. he kills the other ggs to feel less powerless, like he has any sort of control over the situation, and all it does is make him feel worse and worse and worse. maybe eventually reaches a point where he starts deleting his memories of the resets in the hopes this breaks the vicious feedback loop but all it does is ensure the cycle never ends.

3. Yoyo If you put yoyo in a situation where nothing he does matters and none of his actions have consequences he will do increasingly crazy dumb shit because it's not like it matters anyway. and he will undergo EXTREMELY RAPID psychological decay that DOES end in him killing members of the ggs just to see what effect it has both on the loop and on others' psyches. and he will just assume that the loop is forever and ever with no way to ever break it.

2. Cube cube upon realizing she and she alone is in a timeloop will rapidly come to the conclusion that she is in actual literal hell. everything wrong with her will come to the surface at once. she will suffer a severe psychological break SO fast and the streets will run red. maybe she's enjoying it. maybe she isn't. but she is convinced this HAS to happen. and that she deserves it. 1. Mew As soon as Mew finds out that deaths don't stick she's going to massacre all of the GGs just to see how it feels. just once. to try it. it's fine. it doesn't matter. Where did she get that higurashi cleaver

bonus: with the way i joke about zero beat maybe he doesnt even notice hes in a time loop until After hes maimed someone to death. i dont know man. im lying. who fucking give a shit

#mod noname #do i fucking maintag this. #jet set radio #jet set radio future #Fine. i maintagged it. go to hell @me #blood #horror #ask to tag #i spent an unfortunate amount of time thinking this through despite the fact it was supposed to be a joke post #whys most of my content so evil. whats that about #in my defense one of my friends has a horror project which prominently features a time loop #hence why they're on the mind. #vreepypasta

[ameagrice]

Capsize

chapter twenty | back to camp

—

Camp covered in snow was a strange sight, but not an unwelcome one. Since the climate inside the border was controlled, it always had been pretty sunny and warm. This winter, snow fell lightly like icing flour through a sieve on a cake. The cabins in the far distance were decorated with tiny flickering lights, with no visible strings, so you guessed they were some kind of magic. If camp had done this before, you hadn't been around to witness it.

The woods lit with the same circular balls of light, giving the trees a warm but slightly eerie glow. Nico, however, seemed to think everything was amazing.

"Woah!" he said, clambering down the bus steps. "Is that a climbing wall?"

"Sure is," you nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"You bet! Let's go now!" He grabbed your sleeve, and you hummed.

"Uhh, we should wait a bit. I think Chiron might want to talk to you..."

"Who? Oh, awesome! Is that real lava?"

You gently pulled your arm away from Nico's hand. "Go ask Percy. I'm sure he has the patience."

Percy's deadpan brought a sly smile to your face.

The Hunters headed off to the Artemis cabin, the reason behind having it finally making sense.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after them. One of the girls turned and pretended to vomit. Apollo turned to Percy, still standing next to the bus. "Watch out for those prophecies, guys."

You pulled a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Apollo hopped back in the bus, standing in the doorway. "Later, Thalia. And you...I can't remember your name." Your mouth dropped in slight offence. The guy gave you serious nightmares only to not remember your name at the end of them? "Be good!"

You all looked away as he drove off. Looking back, the bus was a red Maserati instead.

Nico sighed childishly next to Percy. They both looked as equally upset, Percy a little more downtrodden than sad.

"Who's Chiron?" Nico mumbled. "I don't have his figurine."

"He's a talking horse."

"He's the activities director," Percy corrected, giving you a look. You couldn't help snickering. "He's...well, you'll see."

"If those Hunter girls don't like him, that's good enough for me," Nico grumbled.

You turned and started walking, hands in your jacket pockets. "Those Hunter girls don't like anyone."

--

You set off walking up the hill. Halfway there, you caught Travis and Connor thinking they were being sneaky, attempting to pick the lock on the camp store door. You didn't shout for Travis, just wanting to see how far he would actually get into the store.

The last two winters since being introduced to camp, you had spent with your family at home or in Sydney. Compared to the summer, camp was relatively quiet. All you saw on your walk to the Big House was a couple of Ares kids having a snowball fight at the edge of the woods.

The Big House had been turned into the perfect lounging pad. It smelt of hot chocolate and was decorated with red and yellow lights which, upon closer inspection and a humoured "try not to touch them, child," from Chiron, you figured out were real fireballs.

Inside, he and Mr. D. were playing a card game in the parlour. Mr. D. as usual was pudgy, red-eyed, and drinking a can of Coke, dealing cards like his life depended on it. Chiron's brown beard was shaggier than in the summer. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid the wheelchair he sat in completely.

"Ah!" He smiled. Mr. D. rolled his eyes. "You're back. And this must be--"

"Nico di Angelo," Percy said. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."

You chuckled humourlessly. "Well..."

His smile melted away when you turned your eyes back to him. "What's wrong? Where is Annabeth?"

"Oh dear," said Mr. D. in a bored voice. "Not another one lost."

He talked as if this was a perfectly normal case as a sock going missing in the laundry. Surprisingly, it filled you with anger.

"What do you mean?" Thalia stepped forward, a harsh line between her brows. "Who else is lost?"

The door behind you flung open, and a cold bout of air hit you in the back. You all turned. You couldn't help the laugh that escaped you.

"What happened to you?" you smirked, looking him up and down.

Grover had a black eye and a mark on his cheek that looked unmistakably like a slap mark. Just imagining it forced you to hold in your giggles. You met Percy's eye above Nico's head, and his solemn expression twitched. He looked away quickly.

"The Hunters are all moved in," he grinned crazily.

"The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about."

"Which one slapped you?" You asked, still grinning wickedly. You couldn't help it.

"The tall one, Zoe. Ah..." he sighed, smiling like a lovesick fool.

"Grover," Chiron frowned. "Perhaps you could take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"But...Oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked, looking between the elders in the room. "Is it a G or PG? 'Cause Bianca's kinda strict."

"It's PG-13," Grover said.

"Cool!" Nico dove under Grover's arm holding open the door.

When it closed, and quiet took over again, Chiron turned to you. "Now, perhaps you three should sit down and tell us the whole story."

—

You hadn’t ever taken much of a fancy to being under scrutiny. Nobody really did. But there was something about the way that Chiron blinked at you as Percy explained your poisoning and Annabeth’s saving trick that had you uncomfortable in your seat.

“Look,” you said. “I know I shouldn’t have wandered off—”

“You young ones never listen,” Mr. D. sighed, dealing out some more cards.

You side-eyed him. “But Nico and Bianca wouldn’t be here otherwise. If I had left them with Thorn, they’d have been either killed or taken to some army the guy talked about. I did us all a favour.”

“You made us lose Annabeth,” Thalia sneered. “If you had just waited for us—”

“Like I said!” You burst out, leaning forward in your seat to look at her on the other side of Percy. “If we waited any longer the kids wouldn’t be here! I mean, Bianca joined the Hunters, yes. But at least she’s alive, right?”

Chiron nodded slowly, in thought. Percy was weirdly quiet. He had this odd, solemn look on his face, and you had a feeling it had to do with Annabeth.

“Come on, guys,” you leaned back, resting your elbow on the armrest and setting your head on your clenched hand. “Annabeth’s smart. She can survive. But until then, I say we go look for her. Why wait?”

“Yes, we should start a search for her immediately,” Chiron agreed, looking to Mr. D.

“I’ll go!” Thalia burst. “The three of us will. That’s enough for a quest, isnt it?”

“Certainly not!” Your attention fell back to the old god in the corner. Your eyes narrowed. Instantly, Thalia and Percy began complaining, but Mr. D. simply held up his hand for them to fall quiet. He had this angry look in his eyes that said if they didn’t quit arguing with him, something bad and godly was going to happen. “From what you have told me, we have broken even on this escapade. We have—ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—”

“Annabeth,” Percy bit sharply.

“Yes, yes, and you have procured a small, annoying boy to replace her.”

“She’s not an object!” You fumed.

“So I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue,” he raised his voice to cover yours. “The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead.”

“Annabeth may be alive,” Chiron said, but you could tell he was having trouble sounding upbeat. He’d practically raised Annabeth, Percy had told you one day. “She’s very bright. If...if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate.”

“That’s right,” Thalia said. “Luke would want her to be alive.”

“In which case,” Mr. D. said. “She will likely have to be smart enough to escape on her own.”

Percy got up from the chair, running his hands through his hair. Something wasn’t sitting right with you. He and Annabeth had been on the quest last year together. They were bound to be closer after that. But he was acting like Annabeth was more than a close friend, here. The stress on his face told you a tale.

Something twinged in you, and it wasn’t worry.

“You’re glad to lose another camper!” He exclaimed, waving his hand at Mr. D. briefly. “You’d like it if we all disappeared!”

Mr. D. stifled a yawn, looking at him with bored eyes. “You have a point?”

“Yeah,” Percy ground. “Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn’t mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilisation too! Maybe you could try helping out a little!”

For a moment, everything turned still. Mr. D’s expression changed from boredom to anger as quick as match could be lit. Just as he opened his mouth to say something—

The door flung open again, hitting the wall. You and Thalia turned.

“SO COOOOOL!” Nico roared excitedly with a lot of hand movements. He held his hands out to Chiron. “You’re a centaur!”

Chiron managed a tense smile. “Yes, Mr. di Angelo. Though I prefer to stay in this wheelchair for, ah, first impressions.”

“You didn’t for me,” you lazily cast your gaze to him.

“That was—”

“Woah!” He yelled, “and you’re the wine guy!”

Mr. D. turned his head slowly. “The wine guy?” He didn’t sound impressed. He gave Nico a look of pure loathing.

“Dionysus, right? I’ve got your figurine!”

“My figurine?”

“Yeah, in my game Mythomagic! And a holofoil card, too! And even though you’ve only got like five hundred attack points and everyone totally thinks you’re a loser, I think your powers are sweet!”

“Ah. That’s…gratifying.”

“Percy,” Chiron said quickly, while Mr. D. was caught on Nico’s comment. “All three of you go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we will be playing a game of Capture the Flag—” You groaned, and he smiled gently. “Tomorrow evening.”

“But we don’t have enough—”

“It is a tradition,” Chiron said. “A friendly match whenever the Hunters visit.”

“Friendly?” You jabbed your thumb in Thalia’s direction. She glowered. “Have you seen Thalia talk to them?”

“Yeah, they’re real friendly,” she looked like she was about to smash you with her shield.

Chiron jerked his head to Mr. D. who was caught up with Nico, still frowning as the kid explained his attack powers. “Run along, now.” He turned his eyes to you as yourself and Thalia stood. Your back popped as you stretched. “I believe Travis Stoll has been looking forward to your arrival. I suggest you drop by the Hermes cabin first. It would do all of our ears some good,” he smiled.

Percy was the first to burst out the door.

Thalia went next, and then you, rushing after your friend. You couldn’t get his anger off your mind. Anyone would be able to even feel the waves rolling off of Percy. He was livid inside, you could tell.

“Don’t listen to the old bag,” you ran up to him. “Who really gives a—”

“Why does he act like a life is disposable?” Percy fumed. “Annabeth is a person. She’s our friend. She’s not something that can be thrown out like—”

“Alright, dude.” You set your hand on his shoulder. It was hot under your own colder one. “Getting angry over things isn’t going to help. We need to use our brains and figure this out.”

The three of you slowed to a stop outside the armoury. Thalia joined your side. Percy sighed, looking out over camp.

“Sorry. I just couldn’t help it. It’s so unfair.”

The pine tree guarding camp was covered in snow, and the Golden Fleece glittered settled on its lowest branch. Your hand came up to your camp necklace, two painted beads on it now. One for Percy’s appearance, and the other for the quest they went on last year to get the fleece.

“Percy, lots of things are unfair. Sometimes I wish…” Thalia trailed. You looked at her, but she didn’t look at either yourself or Percy. She seemed in lost in a trance, some kind of memory.

“Let’s not get mopey, guys,” you settled on, trying to lighten things up. “We’ll find Annabeth. A hundred percent. Things always work out, don’t they? She’s my sister. We’re not just going to leave her wherever she is.” You looked between he and Thalia.

“You’re right,” Thalia agreed for once, shockingly. “We’ll find a way.”

The basketball court in the distance was raging. Some kids were arguing, a taller boy shoving a younger one.

“I’ll go sort that out,” Thalia said. “You guys circulate around the cabins and spread the news about Capture the Flag.”

“Alright. You should be team captain.”

You tried not to let your emotion show, but it almost always slipped on your face. Why Thalia? It felt a little childish, but why should Thalia be team captain when you were stood right here, holding the brains and the smarts strategising capabilities. Thalia had never faced camp games before—and simple as they could be, she didn’t have experience with them. If anyone had the best bet at getting the team to win, it would be someone from the Athena cabin.

Why purposely pinpoint Thalia to be the head of something, when you were standing right next to her?

“No, no. You two have been at camp longer than me. You should pick between yourselves.”

You couldn’t help yourself. You waved a hand Thalia’s way, looking at Percy.

“Right. We’ll…co-captain or something.”

CO-CAPTAIN?!

“Sure, Percy. Whatever floats your boat, man.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” you drawled. You stepped around them, heading off down the hill. “That I’m going to find Travis.”

“You’re not coming with me?” Percy frowned thoughtfully. “Meet me after?”

You threw up a peace sign and turned back around, starting your hike to find your friend.

—

Travis could be found in the most random of places. He’d told you once that maybe his love to wander was something inherited from his dad. The outdoors was a love of Travis’s.

Which was probably why, you thought, he looked bored now. You’d both retreated to your empty cabin, laying on your bed with your back to the mattress and feet on the wall. It was a bit of squeeze to try and fit Travis’s taller figure out the way of the ladder, but with your sides pressed together and your elbows knocking, you managed.

“I thought you joined them, at first,” he said, unafraid to be loud in the empty space. You guessed your siblings were out there doing something, some class. “The coat sort of sent me into shock.”

“Well,” you said, wriggling to try and get more comfortable. You hit Travis in the ribs and he knocked his bony ankle with yours. Boys were always skinny at this age—along with having great eyebrows and eyelashes. It wasn’t fair. “I heard they have to swear off of boys for life and I thought nope.”

“That’s good to know, Brains.”

You turned your head to look at Travis. He had his eyes pinned to the wall. You had one blue sock and one yellow one, while Travis’s were a plain black. The meaning of his words settled on you, and your heart jolted.

“Is it?”

He hummed. Since you’d been gone his voice had changed too, like Percy’s had. Except Travis’s was definitely deeper than the last summer. You missed his fifteenth birthday, unfortunately, but there was no negative emotion on his part. You had shipped over a kangaroo plushie for laughs, with one of those detachable hats with the corks on the edge, and a letter. He wrote back and said it was the best gift he’d ever had.

“You can’t get rid of me,” you muttered, trying to change the tension. “I’m here to stay, sorry to say.”

“Oh man, I was starting to think I’d finally gotten rid of you.”

“No such luck, I’m afraid,” you smiled.

“Damn,” you looked at him, eyes widening; he was already looking with a peaceful expression. “Guess I’m stuck with you.”

You smiled. “Guess so.”

I didn’t know where to end this, so have some Travis action. The interactions with Travis does add to the plot, don’t worry guys. It’s not completely random :D Percy x you is 100% this fic, it’s coming.

Taglist:

@bl6o6dy @embersparklz @lilyevanswhore @rottenstyx @hawkeye12 @rory-cakes @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @marshmallow12435 @luckydragontriumph @lantsovheiress @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol @bugsys-bubble @twsssmlmaa @gayandfairycore @padsfirewhisky @emu281 @mrswang17 @jessiegerl

#capsize #percy jackson #pjo #leo valdez #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #jason grace #trials of apollo #hoo #nico di angelo #percy jackson x reader #pjo x reader #travis stoll #connor stoll

[autumnteawithfriends]

Hairstyling

Pairings: MusicArtist aka Jumpin Johnny Jumble/Colora Contour(OC), Mentioned PsychoConductor aka Professor Rocket/Melody Maestra(OC)

I now bestow the Crashbox fandom with a fluffy OC x Canon oneshot fanfic

If you want to learn more about my Crashbox OCs Colora Contour and Melody Maestra, check out my art account @art-tea-chill

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, let the fanfic begin!

It was a relatively normal day off for Jumpin Johnny Jumble, especially so considering how chaotic Crashbox can be normally. While the crew doesn’t really have day offs, the situation at the factory made it an exception. Johnny didn’t really know the whole story, all he remembered from his conversation with Dora Smarmy was that most of the machines broke down during maintenance and thus the robots are still trying to figure on how to replace and/or fix some of them.

Johnny was in the kitchen making himself and Colora their morning drinks. He was making battery acid flavored coffee (he can’t exactly drink liquids normally) and made Colora her favorite, cold sweet tea. While both of them don’t require drinks, heck, Johnny doesn’t even have a mouth and Colora can’t move hers, hers is just painted on her wooden face. Both of them still find it nice to do.

While Johnny put Colora’s tea in the fridge for it to cool off, he spotted something on the table. Upon closer inspection, he figured out it was a magazine. A decently thick one at that. He assumed Colora bought it since he didn’t remember buying anything.

Johnny held the magazine in his wired hands, analyzing the cover. The magazine’s title was “Top 50 Hairstyles Throughout The Decade! FT: Models” Despite not being spelt out, Johnny assumed the magazine was referring to Women’s hairstyles. Considering there were pictures of three women on the left side of the cover. All three photos of the women were vertically aligned on the left of the front cover like a photo strip, only thing that was missing was the iconic black reel to go with it.

The woman in the top left photo was a young blond, she had an athletic high ponytail hairstyle and also had clumps of hair on the sides. The sides reminded him of Princess Peach’s hair and her photo was done at a 3/4ths angle with her facing the right.

The second woman was a brunette and looked older, but still pretty nonetheless. Her hair was more vintage-esque since it was fancy ringlets with a smoothed out top and bangs. Her photo was also at a 3/4ths angle, but she was facing the left instead of the right.

The final woman on the cover had black hair and her hairstyle made it look like she came straight out of the 50s. Her hair was short, not even covering half of her neck, yet it was bobbed up all fancifully. Unlike the other women, her photo angle was more akin to a headshot with as it was front view.

Johnny didn’t really know why Colora bought a hairstyling magazine of all things. It was maybe because he expected her to get something art-related, but to be fair, only doing art stuff all day during multiple day offs does sound maddening. In fact, Johnny thought Colora would probably look gorgeous in most of these hairstyles (not that she already is).

However, Johnny’s train of thought was interrupted when he heard a feminine yawn.

Colora had finally woken up and had walked into the kitchen. Instead of her usual fit, she was wearing a oversized grey t-shirt Johnny bought once and never wore and black baggy pants.

“Good morning sweetie…” Colora said drowsily.

“Mornin’ Babe” Johnny remarked flirtatiously, Colora sleepily giggled at it. “I put your tea in the fridge, I know how you like it cold.”

“Aww…Your so sweet…” Colora remarked before going to get the tea from the fridge, she was usually very drowsy after waking up. Tea helped get her energy back up.

Johnny skimmed through the magazine, all the pages were showing a random hairstyle from a specific decade and a guide on what you need to do to achieve it. Admittedly, it was surprisingly boring considering the content.

“Baby, I’ve gotta question to ask…” Johnny mentioned.

Colora looked back at Johnny, already having finished the tea.

“What’s the question honey?” Colora replied, she started looking at Johnny intently. Just in case it was something serious.

“Were you the one who bought this magazine?” Johnny answered, showing Colora the hairstyling magazine. Colora was relieved to hear it was just about that.

“Oh! Yes I did!” Colora replied excitedly, “I figured since we essentially have a mini summer break because of the machines, I thought hairstyling might help!” Colora then switched to a disappointed face, “But sadly, that book was boring! I guess it’s true of what they say, check out the market before you park it!”

“Yeah…” the content was pretty crummy.” Johnny responded. “Although we don’t have to return that magazine exactly…”

Colora switched to a more confused face, “What do you mean?”

“Colora”, Johnny continued, “Do you want me to style your hair?”

Colora switched to a more happier face on the flick of a dime.

“Really?!” Colora exclaimed excitedly, “Thank you!” Johnny chuckled at her enthusiasm, he genuinely liked her goofiness.

Both Johnny and Colora moved to the living room, with Johnny sitting on the couch and with Colora slightly propped up against the cushions. Johnny figured a low, loose ponytail would suit her.

“Hey babe” Johnny asked, “Do you have a hair tie on you?”

Colora shook her head, “Sorry honey, I don’t. But! There should be some in the bathroom!”

“Thanks babe” said Johnny as he went to the bathroom, he came back into the living room with one hair tie around one of his wired fingers.

Both of them had a very fun morning to say. Whilst Johnny was doing Colora’s hair, Colora was chatting with him about random topics: Art, painting, Melody Maestra and Professor Rocket having recently discovered romantic tension, etc.

In the end, Johnny was right. Colora looks very beautiful in a messy low and loose ponytail.

#crashbox #crashbox oc #romantic #romance #fluff #just shipping in general i guess #shipping #fanfic #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 author #dora smarmy #Crashbox MusicArtist

[kyistell]

I have Jersey headcanons and gosh darn it, it's a tad long, so I'm only doing like one page at a time, I'll post the other ones later probably...if I remember. ANYWAY HERE!!

New Jersey

Constantly moving, either tapping his foot or moving his legs, always dancing too, if there’s music he’s moving

He also tends to sing whatever song is on his mind, whether it’s English or not

He knows all of the states comfort foods

Controls the entire StateHouse garden, and is the reason there is a flower garden, if you want a flower in that garden you talk to him to figure out where said flower needs to go and what conditions it needs

He and New Mexico managed to convince Gov to let them have a pool at the StateHouse

When he was learning the south’s comfort foods, he managed to convince Texas to teach him how to make a brisket, yes it’s not really any of the south’s comfort food but it’s a southern thing so of course he needed to learn

When angry he’ll switch into different accents, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, and surprisingly to some, southern

South Jersey is pretty southern, one of his comfort foods is grits

When he hosts NE dinner at his home, he makes sure to add in dishes that are shared favorites

Any and all produce that can be grown in NJ climate, is grown in his back garden with all the accommodation they need

Mafia boss, he doesn’t partake anymore and technically the guy he was is dead but still, the power remains

Used to be a show boy, occasionally still is with Nevada

Just mildly obsessed with roller coasters

During the summer, if he’s not at the shore then he’s most likely at Great Adventure

While it’s not his favorite game, he LOVES to play Just Dance

His room is actually in the south hall instead of the north, he’s between Texas and Oklahoma, he switched with New Mexico because he would have had to be between Penn and Mass and he would rather die than be between that warzone

Has lots of animals on his farm but his favorite are his horses, a few of which he was given by Kentucky

Taught Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio how to play poker and blackjack, the only thing is, is that Jersey taught them how to cheat without them knowing

Jersey never actually cheats in card and money games, he just knows how to play

Stopped talking to Nevada in the 80s because of Atlantic City, Nevada understood it was because they were rivals and also the mafia but it doesn’t stop Jersey from feeling bad about it

Despite what everyone tends to think, Jersey likes to keep to himself and is relativity quiet for the most part, it just so happens that he is normally around people that he either likes (NY, NM, NH, Cali, Rhode, Del) or has strong feelings about (Mass, Penn, NY, Connecticut, Virginia), which makes him loud

#welcome to the table #wttt #wttt new jersey #wttsh new jersey #so #is it clear that jersey may be my favorite #it very much is because i live here #i wont deny that #but hes my favorite bipolar boy and gosh darn it if i wont make that clear

[unhonestlymirror]

Rating food of the countries I've been to, from West to East:

Disclaimer: it's veeery subjective

***

Spain🇪🇸 : 7/10. It's okay. I expected their fish and seafood to be better, tho. A LOT of relatively cheap fresh juices, 10/10 for health. They also make surprisingly amazing pasta and surprisingly average paella.

France🇫🇷: 9/10. Never visited cafes or restaurants there, but Carrefour has an incredible variety of good meat. I love their pineapple pie, too. There are a lot of products for vegetarians, Muslims, and, in general, different people who have different eating styles. There's a lot to see. And omg, their bazaar days are something worth attending: I still regret that I never tried clams with white wine.

UK🇬🇧 : 6/10. Not impressed. Something tells me that they deliberately make fish-n-chips that terrible. But I absolutely loved the strawberries under hot chocolate, which was sold by two cheerful Polish girls near Madam Tussaud museum.

Switzerland 🇨🇭: 6/10. Migros has nice buns with spinach and those Japanese "sandwiches", overall, your whole salary is gonna be spent on food. (Lithuania core lol😭) McDonald's there SUCKS.

Norway🇳🇴: 4/10. I expected a lot for some reason. Prices gonna cause you a heart attack, the quality is gonna give you a second heart attack. Also!!! THERE WAS NO FISH IN THE SHOPS EXCEPT THE CANNED!!! I was deeply injured. Norwegian salmon is super popular in Ukraine, how can they not have any normal fish in the big supermarkets...

Germany🇩🇪: 1/10. I may be just unlucky, but every time I visit Germany and pick a random cafe with lots of people(!), it has the worst food I've ever tasted in my life. It's like that scene from Desperate Housewives: "Really? A woman who orders Chinese food for Christmas dinner cooked a pineapple pie?" I understand now why Ukrainian women often marry Germans. My heart bleeds when I see what exactly you eat. I want to cover you with a blanket and cook you a normal soup.

Czech Republic 🇨🇿: 7/10. The soup was nice, ставлю вподобайку👍

Poland🇵🇱 : 8/10. Soup in bread, my beloved. Doughnuts were some kind of overcooked in oil, tho.

Montenegro🇲🇪: 10/10. I love you. I love your salads, your seafood, and I LOVE YOUR LEMON ICECREAM!!!!!

Slovakia🇸🇰: 7/10. I don't really remember what I ate, I am sorry. But I was really impressed with your supermarkets for some reason. Gotta visit it again.

Hungary🇭🇺: 6/10. It was my first time I've ever tried street food, and I liked it. You guys know how to cook meat.

Greece🇬🇷: 7/10. One day, I'll find the guy who can cook Karavidopsiha and beg them to cook it once again. Nice fish!!! I remember your arbutus honey as old women remember their best lovers. But. One time, a man served my family with unpeeled shrimps in batter. :/ What the hell was that? Is that some kind of a national dish I'm not aware of? Minus three points for such bullying.

Cyprus 🇨🇾: 7/10. I shouldn't be obsessed with your carob tree pastille that much.

Lithuania🇱🇹: 10/10. I love you. Although, I'd love to spend less money on food too. I love your Maxima and Rimi and Iki. I love your cafes. I love your bakery, I love your cocktails, I looooooove your soups, and I love your Asian food too. It's very easy to become an alcoholic with such delicious wines and tinctures.

Latvia🇱🇻: 11/10. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm on my knees. Your cream chanterelle soup and Lidl croissants and marinated onion and šašlyk and fish and dairy products🛐🛐🛐. You guys know how to serve. I've never seen such pretty food designs anywhere. And of course, Lido. It brings me in tears of joy and makes me remember Puzata Hata. No, for real, is there any dish you don't know how to cook?

Finland🇫🇮: 7/10. That's okay. Nice street food.

Belarus ⚪️🔴⚪️: 9/10. Oh my dear Belarus, you're gonna be the best chef in Europe once you're free from russia. I wish I ate more machanka and drank your pine tincture when I had the chance. I love your chicory, it's a bit greyish, but it's much more delicious than an average chicory. Delicious meat in the shops. Other food is soviet-like, which makes me nauseous.

Ukraine 🇺🇦: ♾️/10. Вітчизно моя! Ти як здоров'я, наскільки ти цінна, тільки той знає, хто тебе втратив. I don't know if my favourite shops still work. I loved every single cafe I've been to, yes, even that shitty prorussian Mafia and Eurasia. I loved Puzata Hata. I loved Khlibna Kava, and its amazing cherry cupcakes. I loved Moloko Vid Fermera. I loved little kiosks with fresh Makadamia nuts and huge variety of vegetables and fruits. I loved Flagman and Silpo, Lvivśki croissants, and chocolate shops. I loved my seafood store. I loved giant frappes in Shevchenko Park. I loved my Continent with its old classical French background songs. I love my Japanese food stores. There are so many places I love. I used to find my bazaar so ugly and dirty, but I would give everything to buy the sea ​​buckthorn jam from the cheerful old lady. But it's not gonna happen. My bazaar was shelled by russians to the ground.

Turkey🇹🇷: 9/10. Your Katmer, seafood soup and baked shrimps(?) are something 🛐.

Jordan🇯🇴: 7/10. Nice! You cook paella better than Spain, be proud of yourself. Although, I'd love to not be scared for my life as a woman all the time. Your bazaar seemed very interesting, but unfortunately, I don't speak Arabic. And I am a woman, which also sucks, I guess. I was totally covered in black, except for the face and hair, and people still stared at me like on a zoo exponate. McDonald's kinda sucks too, but not as much as in Switzerland.

Egypt🇪🇬: 7/10. It's okay. I've tasted only hotel food.

Sakartvelo🇬🇪 : 10/10. Our guide forgot about our existence, and we had to find any source of food to not die from hunger, so we went to your local bazaar and asked to fry some cheap fish. It had lots of bones, and I hate fish with bones, but I ate it all, and it tasted amazing.

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦: 6/10. Most of the week, I just cooked some simple spiceless products like pasta and eggs from the small store. You are far from the level of grocery stores in Turkey. Although, your cold orange juice bottle saved my life from dying in the middle of the desert.

Qazaqstan 🇰🇿: 7/10. I don't really remember your supermarkets, I guess they were okay. But your bazaars are definitely something worth attending. Millions of varieties of honey with millions of tastes and very salty hard cheese Kurt.

#rambling #countries #food

[caitlynnrosespn]

Another Rant. More Like A Response.

So I was going to make a video about this because I have a lot to say. But I realized that the stutter I thought I had gotten rid of Freshman years comes out heavily if I'm pissed, which I currently am, so I'll just save use the headache and type this out.

Also tagging @apexious cuz they wanted to see this.

Look. I could totally tag people. I could name names. But I'm not going to. Because at this point everyone has probably either seen this post or knows who this person is. And goddamn do I have a lot to say about them.

Number 1: If you're gonna call me out call me out bestie. Coming after me for a post I made expressing discomfort at a NSFW self ship is fine and all, but then you go ahead and say stuff like "adult people can have adult thoughts about other adults" when my post was referring to a fanfic written by a KID? Get your facts straight before you say anything that's public. Here's the thing, was my post in poor taste? Quite possibly. Was there an adult way to handle it and get the results you wanted? Oh yeah. Did you do the adult thing? Nope! Instead of either A. taking it to a private message and explaining what was wrong or B. making a respectful post that highlighted what was wrong in a mature way, you made a disrespectful, arrogant, self righteous post bashing an entire fanbase despite the fact that only a few people were at large. So now, instead of placing the responsibility of accountable parties, which I would have been included in, and allowing to own up and apologize, you have now not only included yourself into the problem, but also blown the problem wayyyy out of proportion. May I remind you that we are a fairly tiny fandom based on a video game directed at children? I've been playing since 2012, so believe me when I say these games have come a long way. Hell, these characters now in fanfics didn't have names until The Traveler season happened. Remember the days of referring to characters as "the coach from One Kiss" or "Jessy's guy in Swish Swish" or "P1 in Lean On"? Yeah, that was surprisingly not that long ago. So it is responsible to believe that the concept of NSFW or self shipping in a fandom is relatively new to us. Shit, we are not going to act like a normal fandom! This fandom is very different then others, so if we make a mistake like bagging on things that are all normal in other fandoms, then be fucking patient! Call it out in a respectable way, and let us fix it! We always do!

Next, the other problems you discussed? Are they currently in the room with us? I have not seen these problems like, at all. There is no mass shitting on people who have comfort characters. People who fetishsize and disrespect characters? Hell yeah (we took care of people like youngjackissohot and others), but not genuine comfort/kinny characters. The vast majority of us have a comfort character and that's why we are in this fucking community in the first place! Maybe i'm just blind as a bat, but I have not seen anyone tear apart anyone watching maps on Youtube. Bitch, most of us don't have a Switch so those maps on Youtube are our saving grace to stay in this community. Is this happening on another site, like Reddit or Twitter? Cuz if so maybe you should have gone and bitched to them instead of complain on here.

And you don't think we should benefit from your presence in this community? Ok Jesus, sorry you're leaving! Seriously though, while I appreciate everyone in this community and think you make an impact no matter how big it is, this is a classic case of "someone got a little too big for their britches". Sure, we hate to see you go. But like you said, you haven't been active since Lover Coaster (which you couldn't even remember the name of btw-how in the absolute fuck are you going to get involved with Fandom matters if you can't even name the last season you remember?) and we all survived without you. So don't pretend all of a sudden you're some hotshot celebrity whose mere absence in this community will affect anything. I have a few good fics that I am updating frequently that I know people will enjoy, and I've active for a good while, but I know if I fell of the face of the earth right now my absence in the fandom won't cause any major issues. Get a reality check.

Lastly, you're dealing with a fandom here. A group of humans who are all flawed and all make mistakes and all have their moments. If you're not happy with the ugly sides of that, then I'm sorry but you don't deserve to benefit from the many good sides. We are by far the least problematic fandom I have so far heard of. For the most part, we are kind to each other and care for each other and we love each other. If we make mistakes we make sure to fix them and then we carry on. If you have a problem with us not always getting along and us sometimes having our moments then don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I'm sorry you have to see this side of me, but come after this family and call us nothing more than a group of fucking assholes and see what happens next bitch. Cuz next time I won't hesitate to nane names.

#just dance #love you guys #sorry for that

[rainesol]

Apollyon’s childhood

Made using this prompt sheet

(CWs for child neglect/abuse. The rough parts will be in red)

Simple as, Apollyon wasn’t born. He has zero relatives. He was made using EXTREMELY taboo and illegal magic. It’s very difficult to accomplish, and takes multiple people to do.

Polly doesn’t remember much from his childhood. He can hardly recall his host parents faces, despite last seeing them at 16. His earliest memory would probably be from age six, in his early school years.

Surprisingly little. Disturbingly little. Apollyon sat and stared a lot. Also, changeling infants bite. Imagine the worst place for an infant to randomly grow barbed teeth and bite at. He was bottle-fed.

Apollyon didn’t start speaking until he was four or five. I imagine he went straight to full sentences.

He started walking EARLY. 7ish months?

I imagine later than most kids. Maybe 3/4 years? He didn’t stop wetting the bed until he was ~12.

Yeah. It’d be a little bitten, but it’s his canines you’d worry about. I don’t know when he’d stop using it :0 Either older or younger than average. Apollyon retained similar(?) behaviour into adulthood though. He will suck/chew on his sleeves or hoodie strings when anxious.

Pretty often. And it’d be about anything. Changeling children are designed to react like this more often than a typical human child.

Could probably use a post of its own. He was a lot quieter as a little kid, and then as an older child-young teen he was more volatile.

Very hard. Changelings exist to cause distress in this universe.

Walking. Gets him out of the flat.

No. Going with some myths, he’d have had a decent appetite. He lost it though, and now eats little, as he’s accustomed to.

He taught himself to cook young. He’d normally eat raw ingredients before he could. Like dry pasta.

As a baby/toddler, he’d have trouble going to bed. Currently he’s a bit of an insomniac. He can fall asleep if someone is soothing him to sleep though.

Yeah. He was scared of his host parents and would dream about them. This also meant he couldn’t go to them for comfort. Sometimes he’d stand in their doorway but being a creepy changeling kid, he’d just get yelled at to leave. Sometimes he’d dream about strange cloaked figures in the woods, too. Wonder what that’s about.

Only really the stuff the original child got from the baby shower/pre birth.

Interesting to look at. Like those sparkly water timers.

He found a lost ‘ds’ as a kid. He totally would’ve given it back, but the kids parents just got them a new one the next day, so he took it home and pirated some games for it. He still has it.

Apollyon was physically abused. As a child, he would have had very severe punishments, many of which he wouldn’t have realised weren’t normal (hitting, kneeling on rice/etc, having glassware etc thrown near or at him).

Typical day would depend on if he went to school or not. He’d spend most of the day on in school suspension.

He liked feeding pigeons and ducks. He tries to ignore bad memories. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. One memory was of him being left in the underground. He waited for hours but his dad never came back. Eventually the police took him home. He was 7.

N/A. I doubt much celebrating happened in his household.

Apollyon had an extremely poor relationship with his host parents. He says that his father was scarier than his mother. He’d be on the receiving end of serious physical and verbal abuse from then until he was ‘big enough to fight back. Then they’d mostly ignore him. However, his adoptive mother (her name’s Maya), has an excellent relationship with him. She’s incredibly kind and understanding with him, and helps heal his poor inner child.

No friends. An acquaintance gave him his industrial piercing, though. He can’t remember her name.

His parents had a bearded dragon. It wasn’t kept very well and they gave it away when he was young.

Casual, comfy stuff. Most of his clothes came from lost and found or charity shops. One time on a non-uniform day someone pointed out he was wearing something they’d donated and he ‘just went home’. Totally not one of my experiences I’ve forced on him lol

Other than teachers, no. They weren’t any help to him. Until the age of 16, ‘every adult in Polly’s life had failed him.’

Public primary/secondary schools. He liked art class. He didn’t like much else.

N/A

I don’t know. Probably not.

Nothing friendly. That. It. Him.

Yeah. He was abused and isolated the whole time. I won’t delve too deep into specific scenarios. He tends to assume everyone just doesn’t like him.

This will probably be updated. I was sleep deprived writing it :(

#he needs a detailed post on how he was as a kid #cws for neglect and abuse. I’ve not gone into a lot of detail but it’s there #asks open #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #apollyon belladonna

[galaxyseclipse]

been a bit since I loredumped on y'all

Ivory's turn!

-21 years old as of Splatoon 3(or at least she assumes herself to be, it's complicated)

-she actually wasn't a member of the NSS until Tsunami took over as captain, when she requested to join, to their dismay

-she very regularly swaps between introducing herself as Eight and Ivory

-is very adept at ISL(Inkfish Sign Language); sometimes uses that to talk instead of speaking

-she wasn't actually given a real name until she met her unit(none of them were, to be fair), she was simply 83-023388-B, which was essentially just a call number. they all came up with their own names from their favorite things in the material warehouse they were assigned to guard

-she actually didn't talk much during her time in the Octarian military. she was very strict and solemn, really only speaking when she wanted to spar; none of the others knew why. she doesn't either and assumes it's something having to do with her past, which she doesn't remember(it does ;)

-didn't really talk in the metro either; only to Marina when she was teaching her Inklish, which was in private(as private as you could get there, so whenever Pearl and Cuttlefish weren’t in whatever call they were on)

-once she got up to the surface she started opening up a bit and talking more

-now she's still a bit quiet, but much kinder and more pleasant to be around in general when her old unit got to the surface they were shocked that she was so normal

-has a pretty large scar on her lower back from failing tests in the metro

-she’s the tallest official member of the NSS, as well as the most physically strong. she’s kinda based on the giant pacific octopus, so she’s just built very large in general

-her swim form is also quite large

-she has a numbing/paralyzing venom in her bite

-has two tattoos, one of which is her military call number on the inside of her wrist. she’ll usually wear bracelets or gloves to cover it

-mains shooters and chargers, but can use just about anything with relative ease. she tends to dislike fighting and only does when necessary, but when she does she’s surprisingly fast and very strong

-works as a model, primarily for Annaki. she used to compete in inksports for them too but quit because she didn’t like her teammates

-she enjoys singing a lot and is quite good at it. she sings/hums when she’s in a good mood as well

-when she isn’t modeling she works at the Inkopolis Square branch of Ammo Knights

-has a very large appetite, with a preference towards anything sweet. prone to getting grumpy when hungry

-her favorite food is sweet clam mochi

-she still writes frequently, mostly poetry

-still gets nervous while riding trains

-very particular about the organization and cleanliness of her room and belongings, gets grumpy when something’s out of order

-was basically adopted by Pearl and Marina after getting to the surface and lived at Pearl’s house for a couple years

-dislikes that she can’t remember her past before joining the military

-her tentacles are very mobile, especially when she’s excited, she uses them to grab and hold onto things as well(such as her gf when she gets out of bed prematurely)

-didn’t really understand why Four didn’t like her so much when they first met and just thought they were mean

-fiercely loyal to anyone she has an attachment to, and makes said attachments fairly quickly

geez, this one doesn’t seem like it has a bunch of points but it’s a bunch of really long ones

there’s probably more too that I can’t think of (or don’t want to share just yet ;)

#as usual you can ask me stuff if you want #or you can ask on my character ask sideblog :3c #eclipse’s oc lore #splatoon #splatoon 3 #agent 8 #ivory(agent 8) #splatoon oc #splatoon octo expansion

[rayshippouuchiha]

More KHR recs!

Still not done with ffn yet lol, sorry. I swear I'm giving you the best ones on the list!

Adoption by Memory25

I have to scream about this fic a little bit. SIOC Izumi adopts Kyouya after his grandmother dies. Distant relative and newly emancipated minor herself, if she doesn't take Kyouya, he'll go into the system and have his inheritance stolen from him. Not if Izumi has anything to say about it. So cute with kid!Kyouya. He's already using his animal metaphors, though, lol. Very realistic look at what happens in this kind of situation, but doesn't linger on them. Izumi is such a great mom in this. Some of the shit she's willing to pull for Kyouya is amazing.

Trinisetre, Unleashed by Syrlai

The Mare rings and the Arcobalenco are missing. Changes suddenly happen in the past and the 10th Gen have to fix it. They end up mistaken as runaways and are adopted by the 1st Gen.

Scorched by RenagadeWarrior

Hilarious. This whole fic left me feeling thrilled. Tsuna finds a baby bird in the grill one day. He decides to raise it and .... hmm... I don't think normal birds catch on fire. Tsuna gets a Phoenix as a friend. Nana names her Tsubird and is more involved in Tsuna's life. Tsubird doesn't care who sees her be a Phoenix. She will set herself on fire, teleport herself and sometimes another person away, use her Phoenix song. She also hates anything that hurts Tsuna. She left a peice of trash on the stairs once and Tsuna fell so now she hates litterers and will absolutely savage people for it. Kyoyya was in awe. Crazy adventures ensue. Love the more mythy part of it.

Ayakashi by Kyogre

Tsuna is half youkai and his Gaurdians aren't all human either. Kitsune Nana, rich worldbuilding, immersive. A unique spin on the Curse of the Rainbow Arc.

Contract by Metamorcy

Tsuna/Reborn Earth and Meravigli are connected to one another. A contract can be formed with a Summoner from Earth. Summoner Tsuna hates being forced into the high end Summoning college by his controlling family who destroyed every path he tried to take. One day when he has to visit Meravigli to tey to form a Contract, he meets Reborn, a native of Meravigli. Surprisingly humanoid, Reborn saves his life and is eventually charmed into a friendship. Them they Fake A Contract so Reborn can come and go. Then the other Arcobalenco get involved.

A Fairy-Tale of Two Idiots by Dandelion-san

King Iemitsu has had enough! All of these perverts need to stay away from his son! So he locks Tsuna in an isolated tower. And hires a dragon to gaurd it! Dragon!Reborn/Tsuna sort of crack

Athena by Autore Raita

Alice must have done something real good in her past life. How else could she be a witness of Reborn's disgraceful early years? OC with KHR knowledge grows up with Reborn and "trains" him. Just like Tsuna.

School Days by AwedByAwesomeness

Outsider PoV of the Vongola Gaurdians picking Lambo up from school. So good

I Am by skygem

Warning! Aftermath of Suicide By Main Character!

Set as a poem, it shows all the lives that didn't change for the better because they never met Tsuna. Reflects on the effects of bullying.

Learning for Life by Santoka

Tauna was going to make his high school years better than his middle school years! A new start! Or it was until the police stormed his classroom.

Heat-Haze Days by Metamorcy

Reborn/Tsuna Reborn hates this. He's been stuck looping August 14th for far too long. Nothing he does changes it. Something always kills him. Then someone takes his place. And does that stranger really remember the loops?

You Don't Mess With the Decimo by Anelli di Tempesta

Partial identity reveal fic. Tsuna's class has to get an interview with a high ranking company member of their choice. The class that interviews the highest position wins. Luckily, their classmates mom is pretty high up there. Then she starts insulting her new CEO and his family. Tsuna puts her in her place. Two-shot

Thrown into the Past by skygem

Really good series where the 10th Gen, at various ages popped into the past and was partially raised by them only to return to their own time. The 10th Gen desperately try to find everyone.

I Promise by skygem

I cried so much! Super Hurt/Comfort fic. 18 yr old Giotto's parents just died, leaving 4 yr old Tsuna in his care. But he can't support Tsuna, who was taken into foster care. Then comes the day they can meet again.

Ghostly Interferrence by phoenixtears07

Giotto comes to spend time with his newest descendent. He accidently influences Tsuna's first word. Two shot!

To Make A Carnivore by phoenixtears07

9 yr old Kyouya finds cute 7 yr old Tsuna one day. He decides that he will teach this fluffy little thing a carnivore. It goes... not well. Hilarious. Super cute.

Rapunzel is Secretly an Assassin by miikka-xx

Squalo gets stuck in a magical tower and Xanxus has to break him out. Squalo/Xanxus. Hilarious. Parody-crack

Bail by Zessei

Once again, Tsuna is spending his Saturday bailing Hibari out of jail. One shot

Snapping Point by JapanManiac

Even the most gentle and patient people reach a breaking point eventually. Tsuna's gaurdians and the Varia learn that the hard way. Humor

That is officially all of my ffn list! I hope you'll love these just like I do.

!!!!!

#RayRambles #Long post #KHR #Fic Rec #katekyo hitman reborn

[roaringup]

Eventful day yesterday!

I think I want to start trying to use emojis to designate people I’m seeing who aren’t themselves on tumblr, because initials are getting confusing when the letters are the same and I’m increasingly feeling a little odd about full names. So I’ll say I saw both 🐦‍⬛ and 🪐, we’ll see how that works out for me. I didn’t get home until late.

In the morning I left for 🪐’s (beautiful, it turns out) house, which I’ve never been to before; it’s relatively far away and would normally just be a single hourlong train ride, but was complicated by an annoying shuttle bus situation. I met zir husband and a housemate. Zie made me brunch and we walked in the woods nearby.

I’m going to put the rest of this under a readmore because it’s a long diary entry kind of thing and some of it is about BDSM

Then we played. It was only the second time we’d done that, and the first time I saw/used their stuff. 🪐 has a nice big bag of toys, including the same Wartenberg wheel I do—I was so tempted to use one in each hand, but didn’t on this occasion—wooden paddles, which I do not have; and this delightful thin metal cane meant for impact that was great for doing nasty temperature stuff, because it was long and already cold to the touch. I did a little bit more non-pain mindfuckery, first tries with some ideas I want to refine and deepen and try again.

Then I went straight to 🐦‍⬛’s. We walked the dogs (they have one and are sitting one), got pizza, and just talked for a long time. They gave me some needles and two more needle hammers and a gua sha, and taught me how to use the gua sha. It isn’t painful if you do it as you’re meant to, with enough oil, slowly enough to let the sensation subside before the next stroke, etc. I didn’t do it that hard or attempt to use it in painful ways because it was my first try.

The way you hold this tool is that the divot in it sits in the web between your thumb and index finger. You scrape it along the skin, following the lines of the muscles, and it brings blood flow to the areas you scrape, which can feel good and warming if you’re stiff, etc. Done hard enough it causes beautiful and surprisingly intense bruises—that was what interested me!

It was so fun to be taught about the gua sha, and fascinating how all these things 🐦‍⬛ told me about it are things I already know from SM, or things that immediately made sense based on prior experiences. The big one was that if you give intense and not entirely pleasant sensation to a small area, it often feels nice to finish by to massaging that spot plus the broader area around it afterwards, because doing so sort of draws your sensory awareness back into that body part in a way that makes the pain-specificity subside. Some other details about muscles and bones and bloodflow and how people process sensation.

Anyway, that was an enjoyable day overall despite the transit not going well. Today I talked to Robin in bed for a long time, talked to a friend on the phone, had some leftover saag paneer I made, did a bunch of jigsaw puzzling, and wrote this up so I remember. I might bake some cookies later with some weed butter that’s in the fridge.

[soft-humming-moon]

THE SUMMARY OF DANI TORIMOSA

Work was exhausting. Every weekday starts before the sun rises and ends just as the natural light of the world fades upon the city. Most of my hours bleed away within the confines of a wholesale warehouse where I move boxes and direct customers and retailers alike. Nothing new happens within the scaffold-like walls, and sometimes I like it this way.

Personally, there’s a sort of satisfaction I get from the long hours. While my lineage prides itself on the inheritance of their hardly-working ancestors, I’ve broken that in a plea for satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong—I haven’t shunned myself from their generosity. I’d much rather gather my worth as a man by my own hands than what was provided to me. However, my name, Danilo, remains a part of me granted by my heritage.

Normal—love this town. Everyone here prides themselves on the extraordinary fact that nothing differs in this town. Once, this town was named Celeste—based on the founder of the city. Of course, this recently changed in favor of a surprisingly active tourism scene. Traps and attractions all surrounding the novelty of normality sell themselves as a getaway to the towns around them. I mean, I can’t blame them. Where else would I go to get away from it all when there’s a federal-enforced barricade around the Penumbran Strip.

The roads are packed most of the time. I remember nearly fifteen years ago when the roads were newly paved with asphalt. The procedure was slow and methodical. My father once told me about a time in the town’s history when dirt roads snaked through the town to small grocery stores and underfunded amenities. Now, this place is different. Sometimes I envy my father for living in his time. Yet, it’s hard to place if my envy is on a cause of these roads or for something greater.

I hear an onslaught of chatter among coworkers and customers alike in my hours. Some customers drive all the way to Normal due to the price of the goods. Why spend your money in a grocery store barely surviving against the town’s mandated horror than to spend it in bulk in a town known for its relative paradise? This process of thought feels rational, yet I can’t help but shake the thought of inevitable instability. At what point will this town remain as the only habitable location?

I can relate to the pride the residents share with this town. Imagine waking up one day and learning the rest of the now-called “Strip” was affected with this mysterious affliction—and you weren’t. You would assume you just won the lottery. Fate and divine alike marked an unfathomable amount of men to a newly created Hell in America and here you are—a blindspot in its wrath. At the end of the day, all of this clamoring reduces itself to a game of superiority. “Fate favors the wealthy”; a phrase which many men place upon this town. God bless it.

This town has yet to be hit by the suburban plague. The lack of an infrastructure and a desire has left most of the towns within the strip as immune. Yet, plagues mutate. Idle conversations and local news segments discuss the benefit of suburban neighborhoods. We have the budget—they state—we can support a project like this. I can’t wait to imagine how they pull it off.

In the meantime, I’ll spend the foreseeable future in my small one-story house nestled in the haphazard sprawl of individualized homes. The exterior is nothing to write home about—bland colored walls with windows closed off from the inside. A mailbox awaits at the edge of the concrete driveway, leading to a garage where I park my two-seater car within the protection of the elements. Once I shade my only vehicle within the garage, the bulky, metallic door slides down to hide it away from the sins of the world.

Waiting in the small fridge next to the entrance to my house is a set of carbonated beverages ready to grab from a brightly-colored box. With my canned drink in hand, I snap open the thin cover to release a swarm of bubbles to the top of my drink. I wasn’t expecting much to change with the house—why should it? But, there’s always a nagging feeling that something should change. The same routine of unwinding from a long day at work.

Yet, nothing would change. The house remains in one piece. I can hear the distant noise of the television’s broadcast from the living room all the way from the exit from the garage. If there’s any type of noise in the house, then my roommate, Dani, is asleep. The inverse to this observation is true, as well. With this information, you can infer how unsurprised I was when I found her asleep on the couch.

It’s hard to summarize who Dani is through a brief synopsis. Firstly, she’s my roommate. The summary could end there. However, there’s a lot more to her that provokes some further explanation. The reason she’s my roommate is through the efforts of my cousin, Laque. Those two have been friends ever since elementary school; they’ve been through thick and thin. When he proposed the idea to me, I never really understood where he was getting at. Out of all of the people, why me? Why not let her live in the mansion if you believe it so?

Of course, this was Laque. Sometimes, he has a hunch on certain ideas and insists it’ll work out in the end. I don’t think I’ve seen a premonition of his that hasn’t worked well. That, or he really wanted to see us get along well because of our similar names.

Secondly, Dani has an unusual connection to everything outside of this town. She’s developed a name for herself as a “persona”. Which, subjectively, I don’t particularly care about. If anything, I’m a little envious on how her prospects online pays better than my grueling full-time job. At some points, she’s offered to cover some of my expenses so I can work a part-time job. I’ve declined this, of course. It feels like she’s a projection of my family—some distant relative that’s still influenced by their arcane touch.

Thirdly, she has no sense of fashion or anything beyond basic hygiene. Thankfully, she showers often enough. From what I’ve last checked, her pointed teeth are whiter than my own. Her dirtied brown hair throws itself into a cacophony of shapes, yet it all remains unnaturally curly. All of her clothes are a mixture of white t-shirts, some sweatpants and an occasional jacket or two. From her minimalist wardrobe, there’s this style to her that would allow her to fit in to the slums of a metropolitan city.

Her favorite shirts—above all—are esoteric in-jokes involving unfathomable words. She tells me they’re all designed by her friends. It’s nice—I adore the charm—but it feels too “avant-garde” for me. Most of these shirts are covered by an orange hoodie whenever she goes outside, so I don’t believe most of the town sees the shirt’s displays.

Fourthly—and most distressing—Dani’s very touchy. If there was any indication of heritage, it would be her nonverbal body language. She always reaches over for hugs when she’s happy. She always wants a high-five for something that excites her. It’s strange, really. I’ve hailed from a family where contact between each other was kept for situations where it couldn’t be avoided. With her, it’s a completely different approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate how she displays herself. It’s always an aspect of her that catches me off guard. Over the time we’ve spent together as roommates, we’ve kind of bonded together more of friends if anything. She always indulges about her life with me—what she does and the history behind it all. Admittedly, I don’t have much to share back. It’s nice to sit down and listen, though. I’ve grown to enjoy the simple act of mildly caring for her. Not in a familial way, but something that draws compassion from somewhere I never knew was there to begin with.

When she first moved in, I was a little concerned with the adamant usage of blackout curtains. Every window in the house has a set of its own, and she always draws them shut around 4 pm. She told me I could open them whenever I wanted, but she couldn’t be in the same room.

Over the years, these little things compounded on themselves in a noticeable pattern. The next idea that struck me odd was her sharp teeth. Once, we were both in the bathroom cleaning it out and she briefly stopped to check her teeth in the mirror. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Though this small detail slightly compounded.

Eventually, I realized how much she cared about eating meat. Dani had these specific preferences towards individualized brands, and there’d never be a deficit of any sort no matter the time of day. Alongside this, she always sleeps in her bed in a curled-up position. Obviously, the television inside her room would play a documentary of various subjects to keep her asleep.

It all compounded—the distaste for the night, the limited social gatherings, among others. Personally, I didn’t care. I’d be an ass of a person if I disliked how a functional adult lived their life. Over the months, I’ve debated with myself if I should even confront her about it. Especially now, she was very secretive about her external life. In contrast to her tendency to divulge every last detail of herself, it was the complete opposite when she first moved in.

One night, while we were both situated on the couch in the living room, I found myself unable to keep my eyes open while watching a familiar rerun of one of our favorite cartoons. As I sat myself up from the couch and yawned, I could hear Dani stuttering with her words for a little bit before sitting me down.

She disclosed the fact that she’s been meaning to tell me something for months. Dani planned out all of the reactions to what she was about to say—with her tidied bags, I admittedly thought she was going to move out soon and this was the heads up. But, she would bring up a question which completely blindsided me, “Do you know how each town has its own curse?”

I remember how puzzled I was at the question. Over the next minute, I thought of all of the curses each town had and how our town—Normal—was devoid of it. Within her shaking body and pre-planned words, Dani spoke about how she was the curse and how no one else in the town ever knew about it. The sharp teeth, hatred for the night, the fixation on meat—I was surprised how I didn’t catch on earlier. Fifthly, she was a werewolf.

In the moment, the information was a lot for me to process. While it had certainly replaced my views on this town and its stature, it would slowly dawn on me how significant the concealment of her secret would be. What if the town knew? They’d certainly ostracize her. Or worse, kill her. The damage she could cause on the town’s reputation was a palpable feeling, and it was clearly something on her mind behind her warm tears.

I couldn’t find myself sleeping that night. The next morning, I crammed as many caffeinated beverages within my system as my body could allow. But, throughout the night, I stayed awake to comfort Dani. With a blanket wrapped around her body and a box of tissues nearby, I could only assume this was what Laque meant when he wanted us to live together.

#n79 penumbra