#for legal reasons this is a joke and i promise you I did not think that deeply about it

[wlntrsldler]

poisoned mercury | lifestyles of the rich & famous

i. lifestyles of the rich and famous by good charlotte (introduction)

a/n: introductory chapter! introducing the dynamics of the band, luke's relationship with his mom, and teenage boy antics. pre-reader and pre-chb. things will pick up quickly after this, i promise! bear with me as i set the scene :)

series masterlist | previous | next

“why the fuck am i seeing tabloids on top of tabloids with my kid’s plastered face on the front page of all of them?” 

luke winced at the sound of his mom’s voice echoing through the empty event space. chris covered the bottom half of his face with his shirt, trying to hold in his laughter. may castellan was in her usual pantsuit, high heels clacking against the floor, as she waved around trashy magazines. she was furious. 

“ignoring the fact that you are not 21 years old and cannot legally drink, what were you thinking, luke?” travis dropped his drumsticks on the ground, motioning for chris and connor to follow him backstage. they’d seen luke get chewed out by his mom more often since they started their world tour. as the three boys walked toward the side of the stage, may turned to them. “none of you are off the hook either. you may not have been on the front page, but care to listen to what they said about you in one of their glorious articles?” 

“i would actually prefer not to, mama castellan,” chris mumbled, suddenly feeling caught. all traces of humor instantly drained from his face. luke couldn’t help but scoff, the boys always gave him shit for getting yelled at by his mom, so he was glad that this time around they were all on the sinking ship. 

she dramatically cleared her throat, opening up one of the magazines. luke grimaced at the sight of him on the front page. he was sitting on the curb, his sunglasses askew, with a girl awkwardly patting his back. he doesn’t even remember this. may shot daggers at chris, who was cowering behind his mic stand, “bassist of poisoned mercury, chris rodriguez, was photographed away from the band when he was caught outside smoking something that wasn’t a cigarette, if you catch our drift. hopefully, his habits don’t catch up to him anytime soon.” 

she stared at the stolls next, “drummer and lead guitarist of the rising band, travis and connor stoll, didn’t miss out on the fun. they walked out of the club with two models, who looked like twins, along with a bottle of dom perignon before heading into their suv.”

“and my darling child,” her words were sweet but her tone was anything but. luke chewed on the peeling skin of his bottom lip, “superstar, teen heartthrob, poisoned mercury lead singer, luke castellan, had a great night as seen in these pictures. the resident bad boy had one too many, it seems, as he walked out of the club stumbling with a mysterious blonde under his arm. castellan couldn’t make it into the car and had to sit on the curb to puke his guts out. let’s hope his actions didn’t ruin his chance at a budding romance.” 

may closed the magazine, arms on her hips. she waited patiently for one of the boys to speak up. 

“in our defense, this was in canada,” luke tried to reason, scrunching his face up. “legal drinking age is 18.” 

that was the wrong response, luke realized, when his mom’s eyes lit up in anger. she let out a breath, “you were in toronto where the drinking age is 19, which you weren’t until yesterday.” 

“i did not know that the drinking age in canada varied by region. i always learn something new whenever i talk to you, mama castellan,” travis said, trying to lighten the mood. connor shot him a look, motioning for him to quit talking. may castellan was clearly not in the mood for jokes. 

“i am tired of you guys acting reckless,” she roared, dropping the magazines. they fell with a heavy thud. she rubbed her temples with the pads of her fingers, “your parents trusted me to take care of you guys while you chased your dreams and this is what you’re doing under my watch?!” 

seeing his mom at her wit's end made luke feel sick. 

“mom,” luke hopped off the stage, ignoring the sound of the magazines ripping under his feet as he landed on top of them, “we’re sorry. i’m sorry.” 

“sorry’s not gonna cut it anymore, luke,” may said, shaking her head. “after this tour, you guys are taking a break. no touring, no public appearances.” 

“what?” connor exclaimed, joining luke off the stage. the other boys followed, looks of bewilderment evident on their faces. “w-we can’t take a break now!” 

“yeah, c’mon, mama c!” chris added, shaking his head, “we’re just getting really big. if we quit now, we’ll lose this momentum.”

“you’re not quitting. it’s just a tiny break– three months,” she cut them off, raising a hand in a stop. “we’ll release a statement to the press saying you guys will be taking some time off to work on your sophomore album so people have something to look forward to when you return.” 

“okay, so that’s the cover story,” luke ran a hand through his curls. he knew that there was no winning against his mom when she made up her mind. he looked at her and spoke before the rest of the band continued their protests, “but what are we actually gonna be doing?” 

“you’re going to spend your summer in montauk, just like old times,” his mom explained, voice still stern. “you’re going to camp half blood.”

-

“what the fuck is a camp half blood?” chris asked, plopping down on the couch they had inside their dressing room. rehearsal was cut short following the news delivered by luke’s mom. 

“it’s a music camp,” luke explained, fidgeting with random things sprawled across his desk, trying to find the pack of cigarettes he hid. he really needed to clean up. “my dad used to take me there over the summer when i was younger.”

the topic of luke’s dad was a sore subject for him. his dad left him and his mom when he was 7 for some young waitress from their hometown diner. one second, he was signing up for little league with his dad as the coach; the next, he was sitting in the hallway listening to his mom cry after his dad packed a bag and left town with wendy the waitress in the passenger seat. luke hasn’t heard from him since then. last he checked, his dad was lounging beachside in santa monica with his third wife who was definitely too young for him. as far as he’s concerned, his dad was dead to him. 

but he couldn’t deny that his time at camp half blood was the place of origin of some of his best childhood memories. he got his first taste of what it was like to be on stage at camp half blood; the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the pounding of his heart at the applause, the wild images in his head about what it would be like to be known for his music-- it all started at camp half blood. he was his happiest at camp, at least before his dad ruined it for him. 

“is it fun?” travis asked, twirling a fresh pair of drumsticks between his fingers. 

“used to be, yeah,” luke chuckled, hoisting himself up to sit on the desk. “haven’t been there since i was seven.” 

“dude, i do not want to hang out with a bunch of little kids all summer,” chris groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall. 

“relax, rodriguez,” luke lit a cigarette, inhaling the smoke before continuing. “there’s two sides to the camp. we’ll be with the older kids.” 

“oh shit, is camp half blood mr. d’s music camp?” connor asked. the name of the camp was starting to sound familiar to him.

luke took another drag, nodding, “that’s the one.” 

“dude, i fucking love mr. d. he always has the wildest stories,” travis laughed, “he’s so mellow and chill now, i wouldn’t’ve ever guessed he used to be like that.” 

“it was the 90’s,” chris shrugged, “pretty sure everyone was like that at one point.” 

“paid off for him though,” connor replied, opening a bag of doritos. he offered a chip to his brother, who in return, snatched the bag for himself. connor rolled his eyes, reaching over to grab another one. he was used to this. “i mean being a ceo of a multi-million dollar recording company isn’t too shabby.” 

luke hummed along, mindlessly, letting the chatter of his bandmates fill the air. the three boys fell into a conversation about the last time they saw mr. d at the recording studio when they were finishing up the vocals for their debut album, but luke’s mind was far away from the topic at hand. he couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment from his body. he knew the way his mom looked at him would haunt him for the next few nights.

it wasn’t like he was actively trying to disappoint her– really, he wasn’t, but he just gets so caught up in the noise of fame that he forgets how to act under the pressure. there was something about his mom breaking down in front of him because of him that tore him apart. he felt guilty. his mom didn’t ask for this life, she didn’t even want it. she was content being a suburban mom in westport, connecticut, but she gave up her comfy life to let luke live out his dreams of being a musician. 

he was lucky, he knew that. not every mom would be on board with her kid dropping out of traditional high school to perform rowdy songs about teenage angst, but may castellan was okay with it because she loved luke so much and wanted him to be happy. so when poisoned mercury got a record deal with olympus records, she didn’t hesitate to drop everything and go on the road with four unruly teenagers, promising their parents that she’d take care of their sons. 

sometimes, he thinks about what his mom sees when she looks at him. he wonders if she still recognized him, the him before all the fame got to his head. 

he was may castellan’s little boy. the boy who used to beg his mom for chocolate chip cookies after a bad day at school, who used to knock on her door in the middle of the night wondering why he wasn’t enough for his dad to stay, and who cried when she got him his first guitar on his tenth birthday. for most of his life, it’s always just been him and his mom. 

now, at 19, luke didn’t know who he was anymore. he was just going with the flow, doing whatever, doing whoever, his fame and his status threw his way. he did what any teenage boy would do in his position– he drank, he smoked, he had fun, maybe too much fun, sometimes. it’s a rockstar’s life, his wildest dreams come to life, but it was a distraction, mostly. luke wasn’t brave enough to face the music just yet, so he dove into this fantasy head-first, too afraid to look back.

except sometimes, he fucks up really badly, like in toronto, and he’s forced to deal with the consequences of his actions. one time, his mom cut the band off from playing video games on the tour bus for a month after a heated argument between the four of them caused them to cancel a show. the argument was stupid. luke was adamant that scorpions did not have the same mental capacity for understanding pain that humans do and that did not bode well with travis. rehearsal ended in a brawl because travis kept doing impromptu drum solos to drown out luke’s voice. his mom was pissed that hundreds of fans were disappointed over the canceled show and it was all because they couldn’t agree over a damn scorpion. 

another time, she banned them from driving the golf carts around the venue when they crashed it into a very expensive sound system in portland. they ended up owing upwards of $4,000 for the damages and were banned from playing at the event space ever again. the four of them laughed about it when the chaos of it all subsided, and they were fine not playing at the house of hades again, but they did miss the snack bar they set up for visiting talents. chris said he still dreamt about the pomegranate juice ‘til this day. 

luke can look back at the punishments over the years fondly now. in the grand scheme of things, none of it really mattered. but going to camp half blood? this was a different type of punishment. 

luke didn’t want to go to camp half blood. the last memory he had of camp was not a welcomed one. plus, after what he experienced on tour, he could think of a million other ways to spend his summer months, and living at a camp with spotty cell service and designated arts and crafts time was nowhere near the top of the list. 

“yo, castellan,” chris’ voice snapped luke out of his thoughts. “you comin?”

luke put out his cigarette against the wood of his desk, “huh?”

“we’re grabbing food, do you wanna go with us?”

luke hopped off the desk, slipping on his black, puffer jacket, “yeah, i’m right behind you.” 

as luke was walking out of the dressing room, adjusting his t-shirt, he saw his mom talking to teddy, their publicist. they were engaged in a serious conversation, no doubt talking about the press release regarding their second album and their hiatus. luke stood in front of the door for a brief moment, a stutter in his steps, not knowing if he should interrupt.

 luke pursed his lips, deciding to jog over to his mom. 

“i think we should post it on the band accounts first before the boys announce it individually. it make–” may furrowed her eyebrows, noticing luke coming closer to her. she turned her body to face him. she looked much calmer now than she did during rehearsals, “hey, what’s wrong?” 

luke shook his head, “nothin’, mom. i just–uh, just wanted to say sorry again.”

“let’s talk later, may,” teddy gave the two of them a small smile before walking away. 

“i’m not changing my mind about camp half blood,” she frowned. “sorry, luke but i can’t have you guys running around all sum–”

“no, no, i know, mom. i-i didn’t come here to try to convince you,” luke looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling like a little boy again. “i just– uh, shit. okay, i’m sorry for toronto. it was a bad time and it’s not fair that you have to deal with the fall out of our shit. and uh– thank you for sticking by us even though we drive you kinda crazy.” 

may laughed, smiling at her son, “you’re my kid. you know i’ll always be there to set you straight.” 

“thanks, mom,” luke chuckled, backing away to catch up with his bandmates. may waved goodbye, making her way to teddy’s makeshift office. before luke left the tunnel, he turned around, “wait mom! last thing!” 

she raised her eyebrows, “what?” 

luke raised his hand in a thumbs-up motion, grinning from ear to ear, “love you!” 

“i love you too, kiddo,” may replied, a hand over her heart. “now scram, i gotta clean up your mess.” 

#frances writes #hermes will never beat the deadbeat dad allegations #poisoned mercury #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan fanfic #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan pjo #luke castellan x you #luke castellan x yn #luke castellan x y/n #luke pjo #percy jackson fanfic #percy jackson

[qqueenofhades]

All jokes aside, Americans do owe a seismic debt of gratitude to Jack Smith, especially if it is true (as has been reported) that the DOJ initially slow-walked or stonewalled the investigation into Trump himself (at least until the J6 Committee). He was only appointed to the job last year, and he's already secured indictments for two separate sets of federal crimes, in two different (and wildly politically different) jurisdictions, with felony charges numbering in the dozens. These charges include espionage, conspiracy, obstruction, etc -- aka all the things we saw Trump do in real time, but have been relentlessly brainwashed ever since to try to make us forget that he did.

So it's just... Nice that our collective trauma of 2016-2020 has been legally validated, yknow? That grand juries of private citizens in both DC and Florida, when they actually have to look at the (overwhelming) evidence, do really, empirically agree that the son of a bitch is in fact really fucking guilty. These indictments were not easy to get, we should and must thank Jack Smith for working at speed to get them, and now especially with the trial in DC being assigned to an Obama appointee who won't favor Trump endlessly like Cannon in Florida, there is actually a real chance he goes on trial before November 2024. And while we don't know what will happen, there's no reason to think that Smith and his team will stumble at the last hurdle and somehow fail to secure a conviction. That, especially considering the magnitude of the threats and MAGA rage he has been faced with, takes considerable courage.

And that, all reflexive Dooming and Glooming and endless (and at this point, profoundly inaccurate) moaning that Trump will never see an actual systemic repercussion quite aside, means something. We will still have to deal with his crazed fascist followers, but it's been a string of three high-profile indictments now and nary a peep, far less the promised rioting in the streets. It's almost like bullies are cowards and fold when you challenge them, and that we might actually get through this terrible, terrible time by the skin of our teeth and still have a democracy, however flawed, in the future. And I don't know about you, but I think that is, and remains, incredibly fucking important.

#hilary for ts #politics for ts #the giant orange monster

[calliesmemes]

IN-CHARACTER QUOTES FROM DISCORD

UNHINGED SENTENCE STARTERS FEATURING THINGS SAID BY MYSELF AND MY FRIENDS WHILE WRITING AS OUR MUSES IN A CRACK-BASED NONCANON GROUP CHAT. This post is dedicated to Em, Liz, Tanny, Nellie, Mel, Ange, and everyone else in the server who recognizes these quotes — you know who you are 😈

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed.

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

“   Have you forgotten that you should not steal someone’s property? ”

“   I could slap that smug look off his face right now! ”

“   Your ears are a lie. ”

“   Woah woah that's - that's a bad word. ”

“   I don’t know if it’s allowed and quite frankly I don’t care. Fuck the rules. ”

“   Time for gremlin activities! ”

“   I hate this man. Let's prank him. ”

“   We are all going on strike today I swear ”

“   Looks like I need to invest in a kid leash. ”

“   DONT BE COWARDS!! JOIN THE STRIKE!! ”

“   I support her saying what needs to be said! I am done with the silencing of women!!!! ”

“   I like the dramatics. ”

“   I did not ask for a second opinion. ”

“   You seem to be doing a great job at being a nuisance. ”

“   NO BITING MY EMPLOYEES! ”

“   do you want me to bring you cheese? ”

“   Next move, start chewing on the door frames ”

“   I like crumbs. They are like a little midnight snack in my bed at night. ”

“   if he wants to be a worm, LET HIM BE A WORM ”

“   the rest of you suck my toe ”

“   To be fair I am simply vibing. ”

“   I am going to commit a war crime! ”

“   I am manifesting being happy. ”

“   Am I gonna talk shit WITH you guys? because im down to talk shit about pretty much anyone ”

“   Who says? We shall revolt without question. ”

“   Let's just start burning stuff. ”

“   Did you just call me... small? ”

“   Can I convert you with my kazoo propaganda? ”

“   We were radicalised by The Little Mermaid. ”

“   Penny in the swear jar, now. ”

“   My last words are, bros before hoes. ”

“   The old men are trying to be trendy. ”

“   I can do whatever I want too! ”

“   Can we go one day without an interruption from an American? ”

“   I am so sorry. He enjoys conflict. ”

“   Why is he so tall? ”

“   For legal reasons, kids, that's a joke. ”

“   Would you like to fight the adults? ”

“   You're not meant to bite people, it's frowned upon. ”

“   He’s a fun killer, don't listen to him! ”

“   Ow! Stop kicking me! ”

“   I have quite literally begged you not to kick, hit, or bite today. ”

“   BUT I thought we were buds, pals, amigos, chums, friends. ”

“   Oh shiiiii someone’s in trouble ”

“   How much caffeine have you had in the last hour? ”

“   I'll be honest they wouldn't be so bad if they didn't speak. ”

“   Is this goof meant to be dead or what? ”

“   I am a witch. ”

“   This one reeks of self confidence when he clearly doesn't think before opening his mouth. ”

“  I call bullshit on that rule! ”

“   The point is I have a cane and I’m not afraid to use it. ”

“   If you slap me, I’ll cane you. ”

“   Yippee for women. ”

“   FUCK THE PATRIARCHY ”

“   Sorry for being British. ”

“   Oi who's playing that ominous music? ”

“   I'm strong because I eat carrots. Oh wait or is that to see in the dark.... it's for something. ”

“   I will say sorry when i'm caught, don't you worry. ”

“   AND YOU CALLED ME UP AGAIN JUST TO BREAK ME LIKE A PROMISE! ”

“   ... He's done for. Broken beyond repair. Someone play Taylor Swift. ”

“   Please refrain from punching one another. ”

“   He is becoming one with the spider I believe. ”

“   If anybody asks I will say I made you, then you will not get in trouble! ”

“   Can I be a girlboss too? I am not rude to women and I do what i like ”

“   Yippee for patriotism! ”

“   … i could make you guys rat costumes ”

“   Do you think if we started stealing bread we would lose our jobs? ”

“   why do British people ”

“   … you all need therapy. ”

“   Do you ever feel if you breathe the wrong way he will bite you? ”

“   I actively avoid whatever this is. ”

“   CARRY ME. ”

“   What if, and hear me out, they both promise not to do it again? ”

“   I wanna steal all his socks. ”

“   My socks were stolen! ”

“   Hey, watch it now. Only I'm allowed to insult me. ”

“   You couldn’t whisper to save your life. It’s pitiful. ”

“   Both of you are insufferable. ”

“   The law is overrated. ”

“   I’m afraid. Miss, you aren’t my type. ”

“   No. I swear on my life. I am being a gentleman ”

“   I support women’s wrongs. ”

“   ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE!!! ”

“   GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW ”

“   He bites? Are you .. joking? Please say you're joking. ”

“   If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain ifyou're not into yoga if you have half a brain if you like makin' love at midnight in the dunes on the cape then I'm the love that you've looked for write to me and escape 🎶🎶 ”

#askbox meme #askbox prompt #rp ask meme #ask box #roleplay sentence meme #sentence starters #roleplay prompts #roleplay sentence starters #* sentence meme #rpc help

[shrenvents]

The Element of Surprise

Chapter four of the Miracle Aligner series

Alex's POV

It didn't take me long to arrive at the pub. Practically sprinting in, I spot Mickey raising a chair off a table. "Mickey?" I call with uncertainty. His head shoots in my direction. Upon seeing me, a blinding smile envelops his face and I nearly spin back out the door. "Alex Turner!" He shouts and I immediately recoil. Realizing his mistake of announcing my name, he slaps a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he apologizes in a muffle, stalking towards me. "It's alright mate." We both then stand there awkwardly, unspeaking. "The guitar Mick," I voice plainly, snapping him out of whatever trance he's in. "Shit sorry!" He gestures widely, pivoting away from me.

When he returns, handing me the guitar, I don't move. Mickey gives me a once-over quickly. "Uh- can I have your number?" "No." "Thought so." He pouts. "So why're you still here?" I frown at his words and he lifts his hands in protest, waving them. "Not trying to be rude, just like, why?"

"Is Jennie here?" I pronounce while looking over both of Mickey's shoulders. He stares at me, looking puzzled, before clearly grasping my motives. He smirks. "No. Should I leave a message for you?" I ignore his mocking tone. "When's she in?" His face twists, "Not sure I can give out that kind of information buddy." His previous smirk creeps onto his face, "Unless there was a specific reason I should?" Mickey states suggestively. I roll my eyes and click my tongue. "No reason," I spit out.

Obviously regretting his decision to provoke me, Mickey sighs deeply. "I'm joking." Patting my forearm he admits, "But seriously, I legally can't give out staff member’s information to customers, even if they're Alex Turner." My temper eases when I survey his honest and sullen expression. Thinking, I rotate my head, taking in the pub's interior. Did I really come to this shithole last night?

"Does this place sell anything edible?" I doubtfully ask. Mickey visibly loosens.  "Yes, we do." He pulls out a chair for me, "Take a seat and I'll fetch you today's special." I barely nod in affirmation before he speeds off to the kitchen.

...

Two days later

Growing tired of checking my phone's clock for the seventh time tonight, I shove it back into my jacket pocket. Rising from my chair, I adjust my cap, dejected for the third time this week. Red was a no-show again.

"Leaving so soon?" Mickey exclaims from behind the bar. I swivel my neck and reply with a shrug, "I'm not really interested in finding out Friday's special, sorry Mick." He snickers. "It's not like you to give up so soon. I almost have the urge to give her a call." At this, I nearly flung my body over to Mickey. "You would do that?" I ask in disbelief.

"You've been here for the past three days." He laughs, "Some may find it creepy, maybe she'll find it charming." "Why haven't you offered to do this before?" I snap back.

"You never asked." He states plainly. I almost lay one on him then and there, but the promise of a call stops me from punching him. "Well?" I implore him, clasping my hands together in a plea. He nods meekly. "My phone's in the locker room, wait here if you can," he teases, making his way to the back room.

Five minutes later he returns, phone in hand, ringing her up. I glance at the screen which reads Rogen. "Rogen?" "Last name." He replies fleetly before the ringing ceases. "Heyyy J." The compulsion to snatch the phone from his hands rises expeditiously when he has the nerve to look at me and grin. "Yeah. He's here, again." He taunts. I nearly snarl.

Thousands of thoughts fizzled in my head. "Yeah sure," he babbles before delivering his phone to me. I hesitantly clutch his phone, mumbling, "Hello?" "Alexander?" "Alex." I correct, sighing with relief at the sound of her melodic voice. "Have you been coming to my place of employment for the past three days?" She questions me like I'm a toddler who got caught drawing on a plaster wall. "Yes I have, thank you for noticing," I retort humorlessly. Her laughter echoes through the phone.

Now smiling, I glance at Mickey, who carries the same look, and I spin away from his gaze with a sneer. "Sorry I've just been busy, and I like to stay as far away from that nasty place as I can." She states matter-of-factly.

I chuckle till my smile withers. "You left, without leaving your number Jennie." I resist reprimanding her, and she sighs quietly. "I know, sorry." She pauses. "I can be such a guy sometimes." I snort at her words. "May I have your number now Red?" I look to the ceiling for help while awaiting her answer. After a beat, she replies, "Hand me over to Mickey sweetie." My face flushes and I distractedly hand the phone to Mickey who looks equally confused. His expression then resolves and he states, "You might wanna get out a pen and paper sweetie."

...

"Get your head outta your arse Al! Focus." Zach demands with a shout. My eyes lift from my phone screen reluctantly.

Texting back and forth with Jennie had become a weekly habit. Two weeks to be exact. With my album's writing, recording, and everything in between, we haven't had the chance to connect properly. The desire to see that red hair once more was becoming overwhelming, so, my latest text entailed a "will you" and a "go out with me?" Said text also had yet to receive a reply for the last three hours.

The anticipation was killing me and I could hardly focus on my bandmates. "You disappear for days and come back with incredible songs, but somehow have lost the ability to count." Zach bellows in anger. "You missed your bit again Turner!" I stare blankly at Zach after his outburst, causing both Jamie and Miles to erupt with laughter. "Mate, what is wrong with you?" Miles questions while laughing. "Nothing," I grumble. They all give me a look of skepticism.

"Well snap outta it, we just gotta finish this last verse." Jaime dumbfoundedly shakes his head. Embarrassed, I plunge my phone into my jeans pocket and place my fingertips on the strings of my guitar.

...

Six hours later, our second song is finally done and I head out towards my hired car. At that moment, an incoming text staggers my step.

11:43 p.m. Jennie "Red" Rogen: Did you just ask me on a date Alexander? May need to think this one through XXX

Entering the car, I religiously read over her text. Feeling both rejection and bliss was a hell of a lot for one man alone. What's she playing at? All week we've been flirting, and now she's refusing me, sending kisses via text.

I'm at a loss for words and clearly hard of hearing as the driver repeats "Where to." His voice carries more of an edge the second time 'round. "Sorry mate," I pause, rethinking my destination while the driver's eyes leer at me through the rearview mirror. "Take me to Les Cactus." He nods a huff and instantaneously hits the gas.

...

As soon as we reach the curve, I hop out the vehicle and march towards the pub's entrance. I was done messing around. Now, a rather witless decision to confront Red head-on has become my top priority.

Beelining towards the ever-present bartender, I freeze. Red's back faces me and her scarlet lips brush Mickey's ear lightly, whispering. Her side presses against his while her hand clasps his shoulder. Stunned, I simply watch their interaction, scrutinizing the smile that consumes half of Mickey's face. My fists and jaw clench as various speculations of their conversation adorn my thoughts. I didn't like a single one of them.

Suddenly, Mickey detects me, eyes widening. "Alex?" As soon as my name leaves his mouth, Jennie's hand drops from his shoulder and her body whirls around. Like Mickey, her eyes enlarge and fill with confusion. Composing myself, I continue forward. Confidently striding to her, I get close enough that I have to peer down quite a bit. Maintaining eye contact I assert, "I did, so what's there to think about Red?"

I clock how she tenses, face unreadable. I audibly gulp. It's strange seeing such a woman speechless. But that silence didn't last long. "How bold of you to assume it would be so simple Mr. Turner." A sly smile grows on her face. I blow out the wind stuck in my lungs. "Nothing seems to be simple with you Jennie." I'll never get enough of saying her name, though, I like how calling her Red seems to rattle her.

A grunt is the only reply she gives before speaking again. "I don't even know you," she giggles. "Don't you think it's a little late to worry about that Red?" I clap back with humour, to which she grins knowingly. "How do you I don't regret that?" Her question nearly makes my assured demeanour falter. "I know you don't regret that night Red," I state with indifference. "And why's that?" "Because I was there." She stills, again, left speechless.

"Tomorrow night, I'll text you when and where," I mention nonchalantly before turning towards the exit. "Goodnight Red," I chuckle over my shoulder, glancing back one more time to drink in the priceless look on her face.

Chapter Five

#smut #alex turner #alex turner smut #arctic monkeys #arctic monkeys smut #matt helders #miles kane #romance #tlsp #tlsp smut #alex turner x reader #alex turner x oc #alex turner x y/n #alex turner fanfic #alex turner fanart #arctic monkeys x reader #jamie cook #james ford #imagine #fanfic #alex turner series #miracle aligner

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT FOLKS, SINCE I’M INSANE MY REACTION WILL BE SPLIT INTO FOUR PARTS FOR READING CONVENIENCE FOR Y’ALL BUT I AM GONNA WATCH IT IN ONE SITTING I AM FULL OF FEAR BUT LETS GET STARTED

PT 1 OF THIS NONENSE “THE EMPERORS WRATH”  THAT IS INSTANTLY CONCERNING

OH WAIT THAT’S THE NAME OF THE FULL SPECIAL THIS IS “A LIFETIME OF MISTAKES” I’M BEING KILLED

OKAY LETS SEE WHAT THESE LUNATICS ARE UP TO

MONKIE KID THEME SONG MY BELOVED

OH I’M EXCITED

FEAR 

OMINOUS MUSIC AND REALITY ITSELF SEEMING TO BE TEARING APART AS AZURE TRIES TO STITCH IT BACK TOGETHER? HORRIFYING

HE LOOKS LIKE HE’S HAVING SOME TROUBLE THERE

YELLOW-TUSK LOOKING TIRED AND CONCERNED

WHAT ARE YOU DOING OLD MAN

I confess I did watch the first like ten seconds yesterday which was funny cause Yellow-tusk showed up and my brain completely ignored Azure to go “ A GRANDPA :D” 

SCREAMS

ITS THE CREW

MY BELOVEDS

I WANNA KNOW WHAT YELLOW-TUSK THINKS OF ALL THIS

AND IF AZURE’S REMAINING BROS ARE GONNA TRUN ON HIM

“AT LEAST ITS PRETY” MEI ILY

“yeah if ya ignore the strong end of the world vibes” Pigsy,  you ave my entire soul, i love you I LOVE TIHS MAN

THE PIG MAN IS RIGHT

I love how like, killing the Jade emperor apparently means you get to take his place, like dang alright, the Santa Clause movies vibes, all you gotta do is push Azure off a roof-

and exactly no one will understand that reference but i swear i’m funny guys i promise-

Azure @ the Jade Emperor: ALL YOU DO IS SIT AROUND ALL DAY AND MOOCH OFF OTHER PEOPLES SUFFERING Azure, after sitting in the Jade Emperors seat: oh shoot hol up this is so much harder than i thought I’d be breathing is hard-

That’s hilariousGH;LASF

NEZHAAAAA BLESS FOR BANDAGING THIS DUDE UP HE NEEDED THAT HE’S NOT DOING SO HOT BUT GODSPEED YOU REALLY FOUGHT FOR THIS STUFF YOUNG MAN

MONK

I LOVE HOW EVERYONE IS CALLING TANG MONK THIS SEASON DESPITE THE FACT HE’S NOT REALLY ACTUALLY A MONK RN HGL;F;JAOWIEFJSDF (or is he...?)

wait  wait

before they turn around he’s asking about the scroll

are they like, putting bandaids and bandages on the scroll pls it’d be so funny-

YUP

YUP AWFUL TAPE JOB

WELL DONE

ILY TANG

THERE AINT’ NOTHING A BIT OF TAPE CAN’T FIX (they can’t say duct tape for legal reasons- /j /j /j)

NEZA UDNERSTANDABLY OUTRAGEDHGL;SDKFJ

NEZHA FEELS LIKE HE’S THE ONE GUY WITH A BRAINCELL HERE AND HE’S RIGHT

MK

I MISSED YOU SM

LOOK HOW FLOOFY HIS HAIR IS

BLESS YOU MONKIE KID ARTISTS

MEI

WHEEZINGNS;DLFMSDF

MK PAYING V CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT SHE’S SAYING BUT NO IDEA WHAT SHE’S TALKING ABOUT

SHE CAN’T EVEN FINISH THE SENTENCE PLS HGLSDJFD

HER FACE

WHOEVER DREW THAT EXPRESSION I’M SHAKING YOUR HAND

I

I’M

I’M WORRIED NOW

HECK I’M WORRIED NOW

ITS MONKEY KING HE’S FINE THAT GUY IS INDESTRUCTABLE

IS HE THO??????

I SURE HOPE HE IS BUT THE MUSIC THAT WAS PLAYING ALONGSIDE WHEN HE SAID THAT MAKES ME SO SO VERY CONCERNED

WOW I’M WATCHING THE SPECIAL THAT JUST HIT ME

HOLY CRAP THE SPECIAL IS OUT

HOLY CRAP I HAVE IT

OH MY GODS I’M INSANE

this season is my fave for how they draw these guys they are just so shaped and so wonderful

MAGICAL TAPE

HELPGLSKMFSD

NEXHA LOOKS READY TO FIGHTOHHMYGODS MACAQUE

RIGHT

HE’S HERE

OH HE’S STILL HERE LETS FREAKING GO

I DONT’ KNOW WHY I WASN’T EXPECTING HIM TO BE THERE MY YOUNGER BROTHER IS GONNA BE SO EXCITED HE LOVES MACAQUE I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL HIM HE’S MAKING AN APPERANCE THIS SPECIAL  LETS GOOOOO

MACAQUE’S FACE

IS SO PUNCHABLE

WHATCHA THINKING ABOUT THERE MONKEY

ABANDONMENT?

its nice he doesn’t come out and tell Mk he’s wrong tho y’know? THAT’S WHAT WE CALL   G R O W T H !

NEZHA IN

SCREAMS

MACAQUES COMING??? FR??

OH MY BROS GONNA LOSE HIS MIND WE GET MACAQUE

.

I can’t believe Macaque is actually making sense, who are you and what have you done with the monkey- /j /j /j JOKING

HE MAKES A GOOD POINT! I LOVE HOW HE BELIEVES HE’S ENOUGH TO POSSIBLY TRIGGER WUKONG’S MEMORY LOVE THAT

Ngl it’d be super funny if like, macaque being there didn’t help at all it’d be so funny, but i’m rooting for it does help but also if Wukong has to like, relive a bunch of stuff in order to remember OH BOY LETS SEE HOW THIS GOES

HELPGN;LKMSD

MOOD

I’M MK

THO MAC BOI I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE MUCH BETTER BUT WE’LL SEE

BIASED PERSPECTIVE CAN WARP EVENTS THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED QUITE A BIT AS TIME PASSES SO GL WITH THAT I’M VERY INTERESTED TO SEE IF HE REMEMBERS THINGS RIGHT OR IF WUKONG REMEMBERS THEM RIGHT OR IF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IS LOST TO TIME  WE’LL SEE HOW THIS GOES

“Your criticism is harsh but fair, ALRIGHT-“ MACAQUE’S FACE IN THAT SHOT PLEASE WHO DREW HIM THERE I’M CRYINGL;SDMKFDS

LEGOOO THEY’RE USING THAT SO MUCH THIS SEASON I NEED TO MAKE A COMPILATION MY GODS

Tang’s got some confidence with his powers now that’s great!!

So…

Wait is it just Mk and Macaque?

HOL UP IS IT JUST THEM GOING??

OH MAN

OPH MAN WAIT

OH MAN WAIT THIS IS FIRE ITS MK AND MACAQUE

WHAT A CHOICE

OKAY

OKAY YEAH

HERE WE GO

CANT’ TAKE TANG HE’S GOTTA BE THERE TO GET THEM OUT OF IT

OHHH I’M SO NORMAL

OHJ MY GODS THEY’RE GONNA RESCUE WUKONG I’M GONNA CRY

hello transitions for AMV’s <3

SNORTS

“wuuukoong, what have you done-“ WDYM HE’S TRAPPED IN A SCROLL CHILLAX BRO

o

oh ;-;

t

tearing his way through-

HOL UP IS THAT GONNA HAVE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON HIS MEMORY???

IS HE TEARING THROUGH HIS OWN MIND TO TTRY AND GET BACK TO MK??

SCREAMS??

OH THIS SPECIAL IS GONNA WRECK ME I’M NOT READY

Also, one again, Macaque voice actor, nothing but respect, he’s doing really well

You have got to be kidding me i’m only two minutes in I feel like this has been a whole episode already I am not mentally well HG.,SDJFSKLDF

HELPGNSDFNA;OWEMF

THE DRAMATIC

ATTEMPT AT TAKING OFF AND JUST

OOP THERE HE IS! :D

RIP MACAQUE WHEEZINGSKLMF

Actually Macaque hanging with Mk and the team and being subject to the slapstick that hits the heroes is so freaking funny, welcome to being a hero-warrior macaque, you are now the butt of the joke- HGL;KSADJF;JWEF

I will cry right hecking now

IS A MONKEYYYYY

MK’S BIG SMILE PLS

SOBS LOUDLY

HELPGJSJKF

THAT’S JUST A MEMORY

HE’S JUST A SILLY LI’LL MONKEY

IM WILL CRY RIGHT NOW

RIGHT NOW YOU’LL SEE ME SOB

HELPGN;DFM

I REALLY WISHED THEY’D USED MAGIC TAPE THAT’S SO SILLY

CHOKES

“I’ll know the real wukong when we find him” OH YEAH MACAQUE? WILL YOU? KNOW HIM THAT WELL DO YOU?? Again what an interesting choice to make them so close

very funny Macaque, you look like you smell worse I’M JOKING I’M JOKING- HGKL;SADJF;AWHEFM

i GASPED

I ACTUALLY GASPED

FIRST PROCESSING HOW EXICTED WUKONG WAS TO SEE HIS MONKEYS AND THEN

BAM

MONKEY SO EXCITED TO SEE WUKONG ONL FOR HIM TO DISSAPEAR

ITS

HECK ITS ONE OF THE MONKEYS I’M GONNA CRY

CHOKES

HELPGNSLFMSD

MACAQUE’S FACE

I’M GONNA CRY AGAIN HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MONKEY SO EXCITED TO SEE SOMEBODY

MONKEY KNOWS AND LIKES MACAQUE THAT’S SO SILLY

MAN

YUP

WELCOME TO SLAPSTICK MACAQUE

I’M SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS

MK’S ARM SUDDENLY TEN FEET LONG I’M DYINGNSDL;KMSD

YEAAAHHH RIGHT INTO THE SMASH

HELPNMSLDKMSDF

MACAQUE TRYING TO BE FUNNY

ABSOLUTELY DEADPAN THIS WHOLE TIME

I’M SO INTERESTED IN HOW THIS’LL TURN OUT HECK

Wow thanks for catching him Macaque- HGL;KZSJFL;ASF

…looks at who drew the jump through the cracked yellow light

ily

aNOTHER MONKEY

PROBABLY EXCTIED TO SEE MACAQUE TOO

BARRELS WORTH

HELPGKLMSD;OFEWF

.heck

that

that hurts for some reason heck

“dont you like it :D?”

OH BOY

HE’S SO CUTE

YEAH

REALLY GOTTA READ THE BOOK

I LOVE HOW MUCH THEY’RE SAYING THIS HELP

(Crew’s not so subtle wink wink nudge nudge at the fandom READ THE BOOK (joking joking)) (but no seriously read the book its a banger)

ITS MACAQUE

MAN THE ALMOST SHRILL SOUNDING MONKEY KING

MACAAAQUE! DOIN OKAY BUD? :D

MK MAKING FUN OF HIM HELPGMLSDFLKM

THE MONKEYS HELPGNSDF;AFE

MONKEY KING PLEASEJGLDF

THIS IS KILLLING ME Y’ALL

HE’S SO

HYPER

I LOVE HIM

NOOHOHOOOO maybe a little

THE CREW REALLY HAD A  BLAST ANIMATING THE SILLY LITTLE GUY

heck dude “thats not the point! its so we can never worry about anything or anyone every again!!”

THEY’RE SO SILLY

THEY WERE SO SILLY

.

yeah that’s fair

Okayyyy

OKAYYYYYY

NOT BAD

STILL MACAQUE’S OPINION THO WHICH I DON’T FULLY TRUST STILL

ITS SO HAAARDDDD

CAUSE MACAQUE LIKES TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT WUKONG WAS THINKING IN FEELING BUT HE DOESNT’ ACTUALLY KNOW SO HE MAKES HIM OUT TO BE THIS HYPER AWARE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS LEAVES HIS FRIENDS BEHIND GUY, WHILE AZURE MAKES HIM OUT TO BE THIS LITTLE GUY WHO’S COOL AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT LEADER BUT DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE WNATS OR WHAT HE’S DOING AND NEEDS GUIDENCE SO WHICH IS THE REAL MONKEY KING HUH? MY BET IS NEITHER OF THEM REALLY KNOW

Rn tho I’m definitely leaning towards what Macaque’s describing because ITS NOT INFANTILIZING HIM SO I’LL TAKE IT

HOLYU CRAP IS THAT HTE MOUNTAIN

HOLY CRAP IS THAT THE MOUNTAIN

THEY SHOWED THE MOUNTAIN?/???

THEY’RE SHOWING THE MOUNTAIN???

HOLY CRAP??

MACAQUE CAME  TO VISIT HIM IN THE MOUNTAIN???

HOLY CRAP???

Small beef here, but the whole point of Wukong’s punishment was so that he could see the world move on without him like, the worst case of FOMO (fear of missing out) you ever done experienced, watching stars die and new ones be born and landscapes change and people pass and not being able to be a part of that. Being totally underground kinda defeats the purpose of that bUT THAT’S SUCH A NITPICK FOR ME TO MAKE BUT I ALWAYS DO WHENEVER THERE’S A VERSION WHERE HE CAN’T SEE THE SKY OR TIME PASSING- DANG WHATS WITH THE CHAINS I’MGBSDLFKMD

man its how angry

HOLY

WOW

HE’S SO BITTER

THIS IS AMAZING

THIS

YES

OKAY

YES, WUKONG BEING THIS BITTER? YES ABSOLUTELY, HE’S IN TIME OUT AND HE’S ANGRY  ABOUT IT

AND OFC YOU TAKE IT OUT ON THE ONE PERSON WHO ACTUALLY COMES AND CHECKS ON YOU BECAUSE THEY’RE THE ONLY PERSON NEAR YOU THAT YOU CAN BLAME [BANGS FISTS ON TABLE] M A N

OKAY NOT BAD

WE VIBIN

HOLY

THAT WAS SUCH A SATISFYING EXCHANGE TO SEE ACTUALLY

OKAY FINALLY WE’RE GETTING UNBIASED NARRATION I’M GONNA CRY

OH MY GODS THIS IS SUCH A RELIEF I’M SCREAMIGNFL;KMSF

THIS SHOW IS REALLY DRAGGING ME AROUND LIKE A CHEW TOY I SWEAR

ONLY THING I WOULD HAVE ADDED WAS JUST

WUKONG DOING LIKE, A SCREAM AFTER HE LEFT Y’KNOW?

JUST REALLY LETTING OUT THAT ANGER AND BITTERNESS AND DESPERATION YEAH WOULD HAVE LOVED THAT

HECK

MAN WHAT’S WITH YOU MACAQUE

ITS SO FUNNY

BELIEVED AS IN PAST TENSE

OH FINALLY

FINALLY

OKAY MK FINALLY HAS SOMEONE WHO’S NOT TRYING TO PUSH THEIR VIEW OF WUKONG ON HIM SURE ITS SOMEONE WHO’S DONE IT LOTS IN THE PAST BUT HECK I’M ACTUALLY OKAY WITH THE FACT ITS MACAQUE Y’KNOW??

ALRIGHT FOR NOT VILLIANIZING WUKONG SO MUCH LETS GOOOOOO

I am so basic my gosh hGLK;SAJDF

Macaque’s suddenly got such quiet open narration here its heck

WOW THAT

THAT’S QUITE THE POWER THEY GAVE THE TANG MONK IN THIS

OH

OH THEY JUST HAD HIM SLAP IT RIGHT ON BEFORE HE’D EVEN GOTTEN A CHANCE TO ZOOM AROUND

.

Tbf it did look like he was lunging for the monk- HGKLSDJFJ

OH WWO THERE’S A SCREAM

YEAH OKA Y

HOLY CRAP DUDE

WELMCOME TO MONKEY KING LETS GO

MAKING THOSE GOOD LIFE CHOICES

A

ARE WE

FINALLY

GETTING

THE FOR REALSIES BACKSTORY LETS GO MK IS ALL OF US FOR FOUR SEASONS SCREAAAMS

Okay heck i gotta process some of that, path of self destruction we all were that’s great, the monkeys all there jsut as curious as mk, the shots of the jttw crew vibin, Wukong looking more and more carefree as they go AO LIE IS STILL JUST LOOKING AT WUKONG Y’ALL I THINK THAT DRAGON BRO IS ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT HIM AND I STILL DESPERATELY WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING FOR THEM THEY’RE SO GOOD

“Every choice has consequences kid, for someone” MANS IS JUST ANGSTING OVER EVERYTHING HE CAN WE LOVE TO SEE IT

its so funny cause its like YAY GOOD STUFF!! o-orrr noooott noooooo WHEEZINGLSDFMS

THIS IS GREAT I’M ACTUALLY ENJOYUING THIS SO MUCH

HELPGMLSFMSD

MK IS US FR

MACQQUE JUST WALKING OFF

HM

CAMEL RIDGE

WE BACK

NICE

NOW WE GOT THE

OHHHH

OKAY

WE’RE USING MACAQUE AS THE

GUY FROM THE SIDELINES SEEING THE CONSEQUENCES OF EVERYONE’S ACTIONS WHILE ALL THEY SEE IS THE GOOD HE SEES THE EFFECT AROUND IT NICE NICE INTERESTING APPROACH OKAY COOL YES NICE

NICE

OH WE SAW

WE SAW HIM FOR A SEC

HANG ON GOING BACK

HECK

WHAT IS THAT THE JADE EMPEROR OVER HIM??

HECKING

HOLDING HIS HEADL IKE THAT SCREAMS THE MONKEY THE MONEKYT HE MONKEYGDFMSJ;BHGA;OIWEFB;EF

THE SNIFF

HELPGNSDLKMFSD

JUST MAKIGN SURE HE’S REAL

I WAS GONNA PROCESS MORE AZURE AND CHAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW HE’S EVEN CONVINCED HIMSELF LINE BUT HECK IT ITS’ MONKEY TIME SHUSH

AAA ITS HIM ITS HIM WHAT IS HE DOIN GIS HE JUST SITTING THERE IS HE OKAY I’MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LOOKS LIKE HE’S RELIVING MEMORIES IN FLASHES

OH HE LOOKS SO TIRED

I’M GONNA CRY RIGHT NOW

HELPGMNSDLMF

SORRY THE FLASH BETWEEN HIM AND MK IS JUST SOME GUYS RIPPED PECS I’M WHEEZINGNSDLKF;MWOEF

.

actually that hair- I think that might be azure’s ripped pecs- \DOESN’T MATTTER MOVING ON

HE SOUNDS SO TIRED

MACAQUE STANDING THERE WITH THE MONKEYS, WUKONGS MONKEYS, MACAQUE WITH WUKONGS MONKEYS IN THAT AREA ALL STANDING THERE WATCHING

HECK HE SOUNDS SO TIRED AND BROKEN?? VOICE ACTING?? HELLO???

HOLY CRAP DUDE

THE LITTLE GUY APPEARING IN FRONT OF MACAQUE

AND MACAQUE REACHING FOR

HECK DUDE

HE MISSES HIS FRIEND SO MUCH HUH

HE REALLY

SEEMS TO ACHE FOR THOSE TIMES WOW

NO LONGER EXIST THO

THAT SIGH

WUKONG

WHAT IS THIS

WHO DREW THESE SQUISHY GUYS

Wukong, having a moment where he’s so so tired of messing up

Mk, absolute ball of nothing but sunshine and good vibes: GOOD THING YOUR’E IMMORTAN THEN HUH :D LESSGOOOO

I DON’T THINK HE REALIZED MACAQUE WAS ACTUALLY THERE TILL HE CAME AND STOOD BEHIND MK

HECKING

WE JUST NEED TO LEAVE THINGS A LITTLE BETTER THAN WE FOUND THEM YEAH

WORDS I LIVE BY GENUINELY

MK’S FACE

WHEN HE SAYS HE’S NOT READY TO NOT HAVE A MENTOR

SOBS LOUDLY

STAFF BACK

SOBS THE

I’M SORRY I SCREAMED

THE LOOK AT MK

AND THEN THE LOOK AT MACAQUE

BECAUSE HERE’S SOMEONE WHO HAS FAITH IN HIM FOR THE FUTURE AND SOMEONE FROM HIS PRESENT WHO BELIEVES IN HIM AND WANTS HIM THERE, AND THEN THERE’S SOMEONE FROM HIS PAST AND HECK DUDE IF ANYONE REALLY KNOWS HE CAN DO BETTER IT’D BE SOMEONE FROM THEN RIGHT? SOMEONE WHO’S SEEN EVERY MESS UP HE’S EVER DONE BUT STILL CAME?? EVEN AFTER TRYING TO KILL HIM?? KILL EACH OTHER?? SURE?? AND THE

HECK THE SMILE???

THE

HECK IT WAS LIKE HE WAS JUST LOOKING FOR SOEM KIND OF REASSURANCE AND DESPITE RELIVING A LOT OF HIS OWN TRUAMA AND HURT MACAQUE STILL PUSHES THAT ASIDE JUST A BIT SO HE CAN GIVE HIM A SMILE CAUSE HEY, THEY ARENT’ PERFECT OR EVEN IN A GOOD SPOT, BUT ITS BETTER THAN BEFORE AND HE KNOWS HE NEEDS THAT LITTLE EXTRA SUPPOT AND REASSURENCE I DON’T KNOW MAN I’M JUST YELLING WORDS RN I’M HAVING A MOMENT

THE SMILE BACK

HE’S BACK BABBYYYYYYYYYYY

THE BREATH

OKAY

WE FINE WE FINE WE FINE I’M FINE I’M GONNA CRY OH MY GODS WHAT AN EPISODE THAT WAS EVERYHTING I WANTED OKAY I’M SO GLAD HECKINGSDFL;AWOF STILL NITPICKING TINY THINGS BUT ALL TOGETHER THAT WAS GORGEOUS

I’M STILL LIKE, HAVING MACAQUE AS BEING SO CLOSE TO MONKEY KING IS STILL KINDA NEW FOR ME EVEN THO ITS BEEN YEARS BTU THIS IS STILL THE ONLY VERSION IV’E SEEN WHERE MAC PLAYS SUCH A BIG ROLE, BTU THEY HANDLED IT PRETTY WELL THE HIM SHOWING UP UNDER THE MOUNTAIN TO BRING HIM FRUIT AND WUKONG JUST ABSOLUTELY HECK DUDE THAT WAS

THAT WAS AWESOME

NICELY DONE

MAN

I just spent like half an hour talking about this ep to two different sibs and hecking i’m insane MY ENTIRE SOUL IS DEVESTATED, THE VOICE ACTING IN THIS EPISODE IS INSANE

MAN OKAY INTERESTING THAT THEY LIKE

PUT AZURE IN THERE KAY CAUSE

ITS BASICALLY BIG OLDER DUDE SAW YOUNGER DUDE THAT PEOPLE LIKED AND WHO’S FAMILY WAS DEDICATED TO THEM BECASUE THEY WERE STRONG AND A PROTECTOR AND WANTED MORE THAN ANYTHING TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILY AND AZURE SAW THAT AND WENT “i can use this” AND PUSHED HIM INTO SOME STUFF WHICH IS INTERESTING BUT WORKS SO WELL WITH THE DIRECTION THEY CHOSE TO TAKE THIS I’M INSANE

OKAYOKAY I GOTTA GET WATCHING THE OTHER EPS IF I WANNA FINISH THIS ALL TODAY WISH ME LUCK THIS EPISODE WILL BRAINROT ME FOREVER

KNOX OUT

#knox rambles #Knox reacts #Monkie kid season 4 #Monkie kid season 4 special spoilers #Lego monkie kid season 4 special #WHAT A WILD RIDE THAT WAS #OKAY I HAVE WATCHED THE FULL THING #BUT I DON'T WANT TO SPAM ALL MY REACTION POSTS SO I'M GONNA POST ONE AT A TIME OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS #OH M A N #DUDE

[plushii-gutz]

Part 1 of 5 for Thorns - note that a couple of days have passed by now. A huge segment of this will be taken directly from Viola's profile, so I'm sorry if a lot of this has already been seen ^^" A familiar face is owned by @bear-cubs-art-things

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶

Viola had finally arrived home after the long walk from the hospital.

The incident back at the bar had made her become nervous about any illness that could have been spread through a bite. The monster world had faced an epidemic of a human disease known as rabies long ago. As often as it was joked about, it was commonly fatal with little known survivors. All three members of the bar fight had been tested, each luckily coming back negative. Their wounds are treated, as expected, and they were set to leave the following morning.

Viola paid them a visit the following day, both to offer support to her friend and to agree to disagree with foes. Blue was smart enough not to press charges, much to the dismay of Twig. Creature had promised to work on her actions, so long as Viola offered support. Though reluctant, she agreed.

All she needed to do now was settle into her bed, and god, was she excited for that. She doesn't really recall walking into her house that night - just waking up on her couch the next morning feeling just as exhausted as if she hadn't slept at all.

Waking up that morning felt unreal. Maybe it was because she was still tired. Maybe because she wasn't used to having others within her home. The living room had a soft, sweet scent that Viola couldn't recognize right away, but it was certainly familiar. Perry had made a simple bowl of oatmeal for Lily, who seemed to enjoy the additional strawberries and sugar added in as she sat on the floor and enjoyed the morning cartoons.

"Well, g'morning there sleepin' beauty," Perry teased. "Feels like I haven't seen you in days. Well, other than last night."

"Two days," she corrected, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Some crazy pompom bit a few monsters that I knew. I had to get them tested for any kind of illness and work out legal actions. You would think having your medical license revoked would lessen the number of monsters you have to take care of, but no. Silly me.. Wait, what happened last night?"

"Well, after makin' the nastiest Mac and Cheese I've ever seen, you stubbed your toe and laid on the floor for a couple of hours while crying about a relationship with a pango or something. You also managed t' make lemonade, which I find fascinating for how messed up ya were. Once I felt it was safe, I just moved you to th' couch. Didn't want the little one to see you like that."

Viola hid her face in her hands, grumbling about her head and regrets and embarrassment of the previous night. She hadn't gone drinking again, had she? Why was she so disoriented? A lack of sleep could be an explanation, but it hadn't been that bad. Has it?

"Have you been sleepin' well? or at all?"

"I've just been busy."

"Alright," Perry sighed, helping Viola sit up. "What's goin' on in that fuzzy head of yours?"

"It's nothing. I'm just worried for my friend."

"Well.. Didn't seem like nothin'. You were quite th' mess."

"I.. I don't know. I've felt off since I left with Jaiden. I'm going to hope she didn't poison me or something."

The barrb took a seat on the couch, listening.

"What makes you say that?"

"Perry, you don't - you don't need to 'help' me or talk about anything with me. We both have a lot going on, you know, with the kid, and you don't need any more stress."

"Honey, I can handle takin' care of a monsterling. Sure, it's a risk, but I've accepted it. I can tell there's more on your mind than stars in th' sky."

Why did Pereskia want to help so bad? Sure, it could just be common monster decency, but she had more than one reason to hate the bowgart. Shouldn't this be the other way around? It felt unfair.

"Could ya maybe tell me about your friend? You seem to be close with 'em."

".. His name is Blue. I've known him for a couple of years. I haven't spent a lot of time with him, really, but his friend Twig was one of my first patients. He was at the bar I went to a couple of days ago, though, so we.. caught up. Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Well, the whole biting incident I mentioned earlier happened. Ended up cutting our conversation short to get everyone treated and settle differences to avoid legal actions. Twig wouldn't shut the hell up, though. Seriously, I want to smack him with a shovel."

Pereskia couldn't help but give a small chuckle to the last comment. Wouldn't that be funny!

"It feels weird," Viola continued, "having known him for so long but not.. knowing him."

"Have you thought about talkin' to him more?"

"Sometimes. But he has his own stuff to worry about. I'm not saying he'll worry about me in any way, but I'd rather not take the risk. He's one of those monsters that you rarely come across who you can trust instantly and have no whiplash from it. After what happened that night, I'd be surprised if he chose to still talk to me."

"Have ya tried?"

"Not exactly. I gave him the option to visit before leaving the hospital, so it's up to him if he wants to come back."

"Well, as long as he knows the door is open. By the way, there's some oatmeal left over if you'd like some."

"Oh yeah, sure. Didn't know I even had any."

"Viola, you have the saddest kitchen I've ever seen. I mean this with all the kindness I can muster, but have you ever used your oven?"

"My microwave has done more for me than anyone ever has."

"That explains it. C'mon, I bought some strawberries to mix in."

Viola draped the blanket over herself, dragging it as she walked into the kitchen. She went ahead and brewed some coffee, adding milk and sugar. She usually didn't have anything additional with her morning cup, but she didn't care much for following whatever schedules she used to have.

The day carried on with a palpable heaviness that rested on everyone within the house. Perry managed to keep a calm tone, which certainly helped with whatever rattled in Viola's mind. The barrb knew she couldn't get the other to talk, and it was the least she could do.

Lily had chosen a classic game that even Viola had played in her past. She laid out one of the many blankets that resided on the couch, setting up small porcelain cups and an old teapot that Viola simply never used. As there was pre-made tea readily available, their game was ready to begin!

The bowgart was hesitant to join at first, as she always seemed to be, but she wasn't as tense as she had been before. Whatever Perry was doing, it was working pretty well! Getting to know the kid better wouldn't hurt. As the game went on, Pereskia debated on baking something to add more. Perhaps later. For now, they grow to know one another.

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶

About an hour into their tea party, there's a knock at the door. Viola's fur stood up, a sudden rush of cold fear coursing through her body. She stood up, having the group hide within her room and lock the door.

Shaking off her worry, Viola opened the door a smidge to get a better look of who stood on the other side. Their deep blue pelt seemed familiar.. she opened the door, greeting the other bowgart.

"Oh. hey, Blue."

"Uh - hi!" Blue stuttered. He felt awkward already. "Just. Checking in to make sure you're doin' alright. And to thank you for.."

He does some gesturing with his hands, clearly referring to the treatment after the bar incident. Blue's leg nearly seemed like nothing but bandages. Whatever message that pompom wanted to send, it definitely had gotten across. Would have been easier to just use words, but that would be expecting too much, wouldn't it? Maybe Creature could be visited another time.

"Ah. Yeah, no problem."

Viola thought back on her talk with Perry. Blue knew the door was open, so he came.

".. Hey, do you want to come in? If you're not busy, that is."

She moved aside, giving him the option to enter. He agreed, walking with a slight limp and looking through the new surroundings. His eyes fell to the blanket resting on the floor, the ceramic playset still filled with tea and crumbs sitting on old plates.

"Am.. am I intruding on something?" He asked, motioning to the cups. "I-I can leave if I am, I don't mean to interrupt."

"Uh -"

Viola was quick to bundle everything up, likely making the mess bigger, but at least it was within the blanket. She simply tossed it aside, climbing back over the couch.

"That was from earlier, I was.. watching a monsterling. Or something. Please, do come in."

Definitely not the strangest of excuses, but Viola had been vocal in her past of her disliking of children. It had been a while since the two had talked, though. Perhaps she had a change of heart? It reminded Blue of the monsterling of his own, Tweedledee the maw. He gave half a sigh, half a laugh, and made himself a seat on the couch.

"Didn't know you got into babysitting," he commented. It was lighthearted. He was happy to be in the presence of a friend. At least, one that wasn't constantly getting into fights.

"Anyways, how've you been? It's..it's been a while since we've talked.

He gave a smile. That smile alone told Viola that Blue was kind, with a big brain and an even bigger heart. Filled with empathy, no doubt. She didn't know if she could step through the door he had opened.

"Well, I had to do something with my time. It's better than being flooded with diseased monsters."

She returned the joke, though a bit less of a funny one. Viola took a seat as well, thinking of her answer to Blue's question. Her debating between truth and lie was more obvious than she would have liked, and she knew it.

"I've been.. existing," she shrugged.

There was just something about Blue's soft expression that assured her. Even so, she just didn't know how to talk. She sighed, pushing her glasses up. That collected, informative doctor persona took charge.

"If I'm being honest, my mind has been all over the place. What I told you back at Barry's was hardly even a summary of what all happened back at the hospital."

"Oh?" Blue shifted a bit, allowing his friend to know he intended on listening. "Well, what happened? If you don't mind me asking."

That shell was growing back. It grew around her, ordering for her to keep her mouth shut and her chin up. The bowgarts eyes flickered between her friend and the floor. Honesty is annoying damn it. Is it too late to call quits? The door is right there. She doesn't have to do this. Does she? Viola took a breath, treating the situation as any other doctor would.

"Plant Island's weather has been scrambled recently, if that wasn't obvious enough. Unsurprisingly, it's affecting other islands as well. If you've noticed more monsters walking the streets, that's due to the fire monsters moving to this area to avoid the cold. Amber is a wreck right now, and I thoroughly believe Plant will be next."

She fixed her position, fidgeting with her hands.

"Of course, all those patients were dumped onto me and my hospitals, which was severely understaffed at the worst possible time. After a good amount was diagnosed with nothing more than Chills, we treated every monster accordingly. Unfortunately for me, I was given the one monster who had underlying illnesses."

Blue nodded, acknowledging every word being said. He would've asked who, but being that patient information was confidential between the patient and the professional, he figured it was best not to ask. Right now, he just needed to listen to his friend. He wanted to.

"I don't know what he had. But It was enough to kill him."

Her voice grew ever so slightly coarse. Her eyes seemed to look through the other bowgart, almost as if she were looking into the past. She could see it again.

"I've lost many patients in my time working there. Monsters die. I know that. But they've never died by my hands."

Blue's soft look turned more serious, acknowledging the circumstances and expressing his worry. This took a sudden shift, but he was determined to help. He knew almost nothing of Viola, but that wouldn't change his empathy.

"I'm a murderer, Blue."

With those words, she seemed to crack. That tough outter shell started to cave in.

"His wife wouldn't leave his side. She tried to find a doctor, she tried to find me, but I had left. I left to work with other sick monsters because I was stupid enough not to check him thoroughly. There were so many monsters, I.. I didn't know what to do. I just - I just went from room to room with no direction! She watched him die. She lost her husband that night. She lost the family she had never started. She lost her lifelong love, and she even lost her home. And I took it from her. I took everything from her because I was fucking selfish."

It was almost unnatural seeing Viola break, a visible stream of tears starting to fall from her eyes. The monster who couldn't seem to care less about herself and others, the one that always spoke with a sharp tongue and sarcasm. A sharp-toothed grin forced itself through, determinded to keep her emotions stable to what she was willing to show. It only made her feel worse.

"Hehe, and I think 'Hey! Isn't this famililar? Isn't this exactly what they did? You really are no different than where you came from!"

Why was she telling him this? This is too much - she needed to stop. She needed to. There was a pause. Blue looked at Viola, concern written all over his face. He decided on his next words, trying to provide some comfort to her. He swallowed, unsure of what to say

"Monsters make mistakes, Vi. It's not your fault that you didn't know what he had. You're not a murderer."

He placed a gentle hand on hers, trying to give some reassurance.

"Monsters make mistakes. Doctors shouldn't. I'm supposed to give monsters care, I'm supposed to figure out why they're sick and not throw everything into one category. I know how she feels, Blue Watching the killer get away with taking your world. Taking all you had. It isn't fair."

Her sorrow shifted to frustration. She had told him of her second mistake. Would she be able to speak of her first?

"I would have let her kill me if she tried."

If she tried? You really are a liar.

"Let her kill you?" Blue furrowed his brows, worried. "Even doctors make mistakes. No one is perfect, not even a doctor. That's what makes us monsters."

"Mistakes are different between monsters and doctors. The consequences - they're so, so different. It wasn't just a mistake, Blue."

Her forced smile became crooked. She began to hiccup. Then sob. It wasn't pretty. Her glasses fell to the floor as she hugged herself, a mixture of horrid crying and jagged laughter coming from her mouth. She shouldn't speak, but it was too late to go back.

"It was fate, wasn't it?"

Blue bent over to pick up her glasses, wishing he had something to clean them with. He held them for a second, looking at them, trying to think of - no, searching - for something to say. Some action he could take to help her calm down. He swallowed, turning his attention from Violas glasses to her shrimped up puddle of a body. Heart-wrenching sobs shook through her. Definitely wasn't pretty.

Blue didn't reply right away. He was a bit stunned at her words, to say the least. They rang in his ears like bells that wouldn't stop chiming

".. what do you mean by 'fate'?"

His words were soft, barely audible. He knew something was very wrong, yet he didn't shy away from it. Why did he care? Why was he so.. nice? Viola questioned it over and over. He offered her galsses back.

"I.. I'm sorry, Blue. This- this has never happened before.. not in front of anyone."

Viola took her glasses, looking over the teary stains that coated them. God, she was a mess. She sat them aside, rather having blurry vision than seeing Blue's reaction to this. They had another pause, giving each other time to gather their thoughts.

"Fate.. my family has a history of repeating itself."

Viola's powdery blue eyes met the other bowgart's. She wants her words to stay with him and no one else.

"What I'm going to tell you.. I haven't said to any other monster. It was all over Cold Island, but as far as I'm aware, nothing has reached here."

Blue's hand rested on her shoulder, assuring her he was paying attention fully.

"I'm listening," he said in an almost hushed voice. Viola took in a long breath.

"I come from a wealthy family. Cold Island, to be exact. My parents didn't earn anything they had. It was just handed to them after my father's grandparents passed. They owned diamond mines, so it brought in a lot. Despite doing nothing but sitting on their asses, they were always busy. Honestly, I don't know what went through their minds when they chose to have kids."

Blue nodded.

"We were watched by the monsters who they hired, though my brother, Arlo, did more for me than anyone. Hell, I think he said he was the only one who watched me take my first steps. I have no idea how he remembered that - he would have been 4. Guess that just happens when you're given that much responsibility."

"I presume you and Arlo got along pretty well?" He asked.

"We did," she said, wiping her eyes. A smile formed - a real one. It wasn't like her pesky smirk or forced toothy grin from earlier. Blue couldn't help but smile, too. "We used to cause all kinds of trouble. One time, we copied a movie - I think it was over Festival of Yay? And used a sled down the stairs. It was late, and we weren't allowed to go outside, so we made the best of it. That's how I lost my first tooth! A baby tooth, of course."

Viola wanted to linger on those warm memories forever. There were plenty to do such. But she knew she needed to continue.

"Our parents wanted to put us in a private school. We weren't really up to it, and they didn't care enough to fight back. I.. wish they had."

"..care?" Blue asked. He felt as though he was being a bit insensitive, the word lingering on his tongue. Despite that, he could see the longing and genuinity of Violas expression. The first true smile that he had seen on her in ages, albeit a small one. And with that smile, he could see a little bit of Viola for who she truly was for the first time instead of seeing who she was forced to be. It was different, definitely, but it was a change for the better, no doubt.

"Yes," she answered simply. It was than she could - or would - express. "Most of our years were normal. We stood out a lot, though. Everyone knew of our wealth. At least, they knew of Arlo's. Obviously, I was just the annoying little sister with purple hair. I wasn't picked on for it or anything - it's just not a common coloration. Shades of blue? Yeah, it makes sense. Purple? Weird, but not impossible. I'm getting off topic. All that's needed to know is that it made me easily recognizable."

Viola froze. She hadn't spoken of anything yet, but it saddened her already. She could see the school hallways in her mind as clear as day.

"Arlo was awkward. We didn't have much of an established social circle. Monsters just came and went. I think he just wanted someone to hold on to, so he wasn't alone. He.. got into the wrong crowd. They were selfish monsters. They only knew him because he was the first to have everything. He had a car first, the latest phone first. He didn't even like the stuff he got - he liked how others thought he was cool. They wanted him in their group for the advantages. It was embarrassing, really. Their way of telling if someone was in their circle or not was through wearing black beanies. Everyone owned at least one! I mean, come on! If you want to be at least a little unique, at least choose a better accessory! Ugh."

As annoyed as she was, Viola still humored the tale. The other monster gave a short laugh, but it didn't distract him from the whole story.

"I guess he just wanted to fit in?" Blue asked, regretting the words the second they came out. Viola's fur stood up, but she accepted his curiosity. She's told him this much - it wouldn't hurt to tell more.

"He had been alone for a long time. Having your sibling as your friend only does so much. I can't blame him for wanting more - he deserved more. I just wish I could have done something."

She shook her head her head, almost as if she were trying to shake it of the thoughts. There was no use in fighting.

"They changed him. A lot. He didn't like himself anymore. But he was still my big brother."

"Was..?" Blue whispered.

Viola's throat felt as if she had swallowed needles. Her voice lowered, a last attempt to maintain a steady tone

"End of his senior year. They wanted to go out, to party or something. I asked if he could stay, if I could go. He didn't want me to see them. He said goodnight and left. He let one of his friends drive. They took him farther than he thought. He took things he'd never seen. He drank a lot that night. He hated alcohol. He saw who he was made into, and he hated it. I don't know what he said to them, but it was enough for them to steal his car and leave him to walk home."

She took another shaky breath.

"He never came home."

Silence. Uncomfortable, suffocating science. Blue felt his heart sink to the floor. He took notice of Violas tone, her expression, everything. The realization dawned on him, feeling as if he had been hit in the gut.

"Vi.." he found it hard to breathe, Viola's grief becoming his. "I.. I'm so sorry."

"I can remember everything from that night," Viola allowed herself to cry. "He stopped answering my messages. He wouldn't answer any calls. I even messaged the people he was friends with. Nothing. It wasn't until I hunted down my parents that I got a response. We found him hours late, frozen to the sidewalk. He didn't come off in one piece. I saw him. No one kept me from seeing him. He wasn't wearing that damn beanie. I think he threw it away. I'm proud of him. I wish I could tell him that.

The tears didn't hide. It hurt so much. Blue looked at the floor, then back to Viola. He had never seen her in this state, nor had he ever expected to. He moved his hand to her far shoulder, bringing her closer to him, trying to provide ease and comfort for her in a friend's presence.

She seemed to sink into Blue immediately, bawling. No laughter. No hiding. Not anymore. She didn't need to hide it. She was safe, and she knew it. For the first time in years, Viola had a shoulder to cry on. it couldn't have lasted longer than a few minutes. As did everything, it felt far longer.

All the years of bottled up feelings were being spilled into the drain at last.

"I wish it ended here," she hiccuped. "It didn't. The same parents who gave little to no attention to their kids suddenly realized they had any at all. They kept the funeral hidden. covered everything with their money. I'I never forget seeing his "friends" faces as they put him underground. I wanted them dead. Arlo deserved to live, not them. No one ever looked into what happened. But I knew. I knew my brother. I knew the crowd he was pushed into. I couldn't show my face at school. Everyone knew who I was. Everyone wanted to know what happened. No one wanted to know how I felt. I returned to homeschooling. Another mistake I made. My mother wanted me to make up for his death. 'Make something of yourself. Don't disappoint us, Viola. You cared about him, didn't you?'."

She mocked her mother's words, bearing her teeth with spite.

"Medical school. They pushed plenty of their savings into it, moving me farther ahead than I was ready for. I can't stand hospitals. Fate," she recalled the word. "My family repeats its past. Those animals murdered Arlo. They took away everything I had. And I.. I did the same. I killed that monsters husband. She lost everything she had."

Viola looked to blue. For half a second, she seemed like nothing more than a kid. A confused, mourning kid.

"I know how that monster feels. She wants me dead. Just how I wanted his 'friends' dead. I can't pay her back with anything but my life."

Blue moved his hand, wiping a tear from his friends cheek with his thumb.

"Wishing for others' demises won't make things better, Vi. It'll only continue the cycle. That said.. I don't think you deserve to die because of the monster you were forced to be. That's unfair. You can't change your past, but you can change your future. Become the monster you want to be, not the monster you were forced to be."

He gave a smile. That damn smile. It could light up any room.

"Just know that when the world's against you, I'll be right here. I'Il be your biggest supporter if it comes to it."

He opened his arms a bit, offering. Viola hid her face in the hug, giving a sigh that let away to any remaining pain. It's been far too long since she felt the honest and true care of another monster. The edges of her mouth curled into a smile, comforted. Blue was real. It's almost impossible to grasp.

"You remind me so much of him.. Maybe that's why it took me so long to really know you. I wish it could have been different."

She let go, her thankfulness present in her expression. Still, she worried.

"I.. I'm sorry I put so much of my past on to you. I know you wanted to help, but it feels.. a bit much. This is the first time you've even visited me, other than needing Twig to get patched up again.. Is there any way I can pay you back?"

"There's no need, Viola," he assured. "I'm glad I was able to help you out.. actually, there's one thing you can do."

Blue set a playful hand on her shoulder.

"Just promise me you'll stay true to yourself from now on, yeah?"

He welcomed the change at full, glad to see one of his closest friends happy. Truly happy.

"I promise," Viola agreed. She doesn't know how much of it she can hold up, but she was more than willing to try. They shared another long embrace, Blue making sure Viola would be ok on her own. They said their goodbyes, promising to keep in touch. Her doors are always open, as are his.

Viola sat with her back against the front door, wiping her face off. God, that was.. a lot. Her mind tried to deny her ever speaking, but she was well aware of her actions.

Most of them. Her bedroom door opened, Perry walking out. She had this look - this unreadable look. Viola doesn't think Pereskia herself knew what it meant.

"Hey!" Lily yelled, running to the mess that once was their tea party. "You spilled the tea!"

"Boy, did she," the barrb sighed.

"Perry, I'm sorry, I got caught up and -"

"Honey, it's.. it's alright. As much as I hate hearin' about it again, it seems I'm not the only one who got hurt."

Pereskia offered her hand.

"Come on. Your talkin' isn't done yet."

#fanfiction #thorns msm #msm oc #msm au #my singing monsters #msm

[theserpentsadvocate]

Flipping The Script (Jade/Eli)

I promised @feeisamarshmallow that I would work on my depressing longer project all weekend and then I wrote this instead. It's my first fic for this fandom so I do take concrit, but, like, accompany it with hot chocolate or something.

Summary: Jade gets her mother's car fixed. She meets a guy.

*

All Jade wanted was to get her mother’s car and drop it off with enough time to get to the library before it closed, and since the library was open late on Thursdays and she’d stopped to pick it up at 4 PM, it hadn’t seemed that difficult. But somehow it was starting to seem impossible that she would make it, because she’d spent the last seven hundred years staring blankly at the high-school-age garage employee while he badly flirted with her by implying she was a car thief, and that meant the library was definitely closed.

“I mean, not that I really think so,” he said, laughing at his own joke. “But you could sure get away with it! Nobody would suspect you.”

She forced a pained smile, cursing herself internally. Her coworkers said she was just the sweetest, because she was too nice to ever say the kinds of things they did about annoying guys or bitchy guests. Really, it only meant she got just as pissed off on the inside, but she’d had ladylike manners drilled into her so deeply that she always ended up standing there and letting it happen. Three years in customer service didn’t help either, any more than the fact that she was used to dealing with this kind of thing from the other side of the counter.

One day, she thought a little hysterically, she was going to become some kind of crazed murderer, stabbing every guy who came onto her while screeching “That’s not polite!” And on that day, she might actually get her mom’s car.

“If you could just check?” she asked for what had to be the fourth time. “I know she spoke to someone about it.”

“Sorry,” he said, not checking. “There’s nothing under Jade.” A smirk. “But I–”

She cut him off before he could say but I could be and make her actually throw up. “Did you try ‘Gutierrez’, because–”

“Listen, we got these policies for a reason,” he went on. “I know it’s a pain.” The condescension was almost worse than the lechery. “Maybe you call your mom and let her know she’s got to come in herself, but hey, if you need a ride somewhere, I could take you. I’m off soon.”

Oh, God. “I really need to pick it up today.” She leaned on the firmness in the way that always surprised guests who thought being pretty and polite meant she had no backbone at all. “I know she cleared it with someone, so could you get your boss, please?”

“Fred’s not in on Thursdays,” he said blithely, and Jade could have screamed.

“Then could you call him? Or just get a supervisor, maybe?” She forced another smile so he wouldn’t think she was trying to get him in trouble. “If they authorize it then you’ll be in the clear, right?”

“He doesn’t like to be bothered at home.” The man eyed her up and down in a way she would have objected to even if he wasn’t barely legal. Jade took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself to go around the whole carousel again, but –

“Mike, what the hell are you doing?”

One of the other employees was frowning at them from the side door, annoyance plain on his face. “I need you on that Camry; Luis is busy with the bikes and we already told the owner he can pick it up tomorrow.”

“I’m helping a customer!” Mike insisted, seeming to actually believe it.

“For almost an hour? Is it a flying car?” Her saviour came a little closer, and Jade could see he wasn’t as old as she’d initially thought, maybe her age – one of those young guys who shaved their heads, rather than a thirty-something with unfortunate follicular genetics.

“She wants to pick up the car, but it’s not hers. I’m trying to explain it, but, you know…”

Only her utter disbelief prevented Jade from saying something really terrible that she would have regretted later. Was he really suggesting that she was stupid?

Mike winked at her. “I bet she doesn’t get a lot of people saying no to her, and I mean, can you blame them?”

His coworker – his boss? – stared at him in a way that blessedly reminded her that sanity existed. “Are you kidding me?”

“What?” Mike indicated Jade’s entire body with a wave of his hand, as if she was Exhibit A, and she felt her face burning in spite of herself. How was she the one embarrassed right now?

“You know we can’t give out the cars to just anyone,” he went on, and then turned back to Jade, seemingly oblivious to the other man’s incredulous displeasure. “But since I gotta get back to work, maybe I can trade it for your number, beautiful?”

“I don’t think so,” Jade told him stiffly, but it went unnoticed, since his coworker chose that moment to exclaim, “Are you fucking serious?”

It wasn’t very professional, but she decided to forgive him, especially when he followed it up with, “You can’t fucking talk to the customers like that!”

He took a couple steps over and dragged Mike out from behind the counter by one arm while the younger man protested the injustice of being denied whatever opportunity he’d somehow thought he had. Jade was polite enough to pretend to look elsewhere, as much as she desperately wanted to gawk, but even with several feet between them for the illusion of privacy she could hear the resultant conversation.

“What the hell, man, you’re not my boss!”

“Yes, I am, you dumbass. That’s why it says supervisor on my uniform! You think I’ve been chasing your ass all day for the hell of it?”

“Look, just because you’re always sucking up to Fred–”

“Fred’s not here, genius, that’s why he made me a supervisor, so he could take a fucking day off! Do think you just have no boss on Thursdays?”

“Man, you’re gonna screw things up for me here, will you quit it? I don’t have to listen to some loser who never finished high school.”

Jade risked a sideways look at them, and she saw Mr. Supervisor take the kind of deep breath that was an alternative to punching someone.

“I finished high school,” he snapped. “In fact, I’m about to teach you something. Listen up. Number one, you never had a chance with that girl because you are a dumbfuck who couldn’t even get into an automotive course and is about to get fired from the only shop in town that does on-the-job training because he doesn’t do his goddamn work and hits on the customers, and she is someone who wears pantsuits to work. Number two, you wouldn’t have had a chance with a girl like that anyway because she’s…” He inclined his head in a much classier version of Mike’s wave, which Jade probably should have been offended by, but wasn’t, “and you...” He snorted. “Number three, if you lived in some fucked up universe where she was somehow into you, you still don’t ask for her phone number, because you’re on the clock and it’s un-fucking-professional. Stand still and don’t say anything while I try to fix your mess, and you better watch closely because this is how you speak to every goddamn customer until Fred comes in on Saturday and fires your worthless ass.”

He took a breath, forcing his shoulders back and clearly trying to put the Customer Face back on – Jade had done that particular shoulder-roll enough times that her back straightened in sympathy even as she looked away for real to give him a moment of privacy. This man was her new favourite person and she had no intention of making him pay for Mike’s crimes, but he didn’t know that, so she could at least make things easy for him.

“Excuse me,” he said with a straight face, replacing his coworker behind the counter. “Unfortunately we had a miscommunication. Let me see what I can do for you, ma’am.”

The painstaking professionalism felt incongruous coming from someone who had dropped at least five F-bombs in the last two minutes, and all the more so when they both knew he was blatantly lying, but it was also pretty delightful after slogging through all of Mike’s nonsense, enough so that she even forgave him calling her ma’am. It was about making a point, anyway.

“Thank you,” Jade said graciously. “My mother brought her car in on Monday, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to pick it up, so she arranged for me to get it for her. She told me she spoke with the owner, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Absolutely,” Mike’s boss returned, almost brightly. It felt a little like having a conversation with an exaggerated version of people who did her job at places like the Grand, who spent all day honing their obsequiousness on rich people, except that the concierge was a Latino guy with neck tattoos and slightly wrinkled coveralls that said – she squinted for a moment – Eli. “If I can just get your mother’s name, I can access our file and see if there’s a note attached.”

Points to him for saying access the file when there appeared to be one oversized notebook planner and a lot of loose paper on the desk, and no computer at all.

“Certainly!” Jade said, matching his tone with the same enthusiasm she’d use on a particularly stubborn guest. She thought she saw him hide a smile. “It’s Rita Gutierrez, and the car is a Fiat Cinquecento.”

“One moment, please.” He flipped open the notebook, paging through with enough purpose that it had to be organized in some coherent way; Mike had only shuffled the loose pages around. “Gutierrez, came in on Monday. Oh, yes!” He said the last part with such overacted eagerness that she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “There’s a note right here.” It was a sticky note; Jade knew this because he peeled it off the page and held it up so that his coworker, still sulking where Eli(jah?) had left him, could see. “From the owner. ‘To be picked up by daughter Jade Gutierrez’ – do you have identification, Miss Gutierrez?”

“I do.” She’d had her driver’s licence ready since she entered the building and finally handing it over was a relief. “Do you need anything else?”

“This should cover it,” he said, actually looking at the ID and at her face. Then the ultra-professional façade slid back down. “I have the breakdown for you here –” He removed one of the papers Mike had been sliding around and handed it to her. “Your mother paid our estimate when she dropped off the vehicle, so there’s only a small amount outstanding. It’s in good shape for being ten years old.”

“She has it serviced regularly,” Jade said with affected gravity, skimming over the details. Forty-eight dollars and sixty cents over what her mom had already paid, mostly for also changing the serpentine belt as well as the alternator, which was a relief. Her mom always spun out about car repairs, and she’d had Jade half convinced they’d be demanding a few more hundred dollars.

“I can take care of the balance right now,” she told him. Her mom would probably insist on paying her back, but it was worth it either way. The first forty-five minutes might have been torture, but the catharsis of seeing someone actually yell at the creep, paired with some appealingly collaborative back-and-forth with, honestly, a pretty attractive guy – she’s noticing right now that he has very nice eyelashes, which is almost as appealing as the tattoos – has been satisfying enough that it might have actually raised the tone of her evening. She’s definitely calling Trish and hashing the whole thing over later, and she’s actually looking forward to it.

Mike sighed and huffed as Eli(as?) ran her card, thanked her with elaborate courtesy, and asked if there was anything else he could do for her.

“No, thank you so much,” Jade said, taking the keys from him – and then, halfway to the door and wanting to do something to show just how much she appreciated all this, wanting a little bit to piss Mike off, and definitely wanting for once to be the kind of person who did that kind of thing, instead of thinking wistfully about it later, she doubled back, heading him off before he could re-engage with his less-than-abashed coworker. “Actually, excuse me – I’m sorry, I know this is inappropriate, but since I’m not really the customer, and since the transaction’s been concluded – I was wondering if I could get your number?”

Mike produced an outraged squawk that made them both avoid eye contact for a moment, trying not to ruin the moment by laughing. Then Eli(ott?) cleared his throat. “You know, I think that would be okay, just this once,” he told her, grinning, and if she wasn’t sure a moment ago how much of this was about proving a point, well, that was definitely coming in a distant second now.

She waited for him to write something on the flipside of one of the business cards on the rack, took it with a smile, and strode out before her nervousness could catch up with her. She didn’t look at it until she was safe in her mother’s Fiat.

Eli Navarro, 555-3407. No frills, no flirty message underneath, and it seemed like his name was just Eli.

She liked it.

#veronica mars #weevil navarro #jade navarro #fanfic #eli navarro #my own work #i couldn't get it in explicitly but jade is in hospitality #she's twenty-one or so and eli is twenty-three #and the shop is called Fred's Automotive Repair #('we go FAR') #i have some follow-ups to this in the works but mostly i wanted to prove that i am Actually Writing Stuff #i should dig out that 5 things brandir fic i've been sitting on too #eli/jade #the jade/eli chronicles

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Chapter 5 of The Teenage Mutant Phantom of the Opera!

@daboyau

“Hello? Earth to Yuichi?”

Usagi jumps as Donnie’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“They’re asking for us to practice the next song.”

“O-Oh, right, I’ll be there in a second.”

“What are you even doing up here?”

Usagi was looking over the railing of the catwalk and down at the stage.

“Just….thinking.”

“About what exactly?”

“I upset my friend the other night and I don’t know how I’m going to fix things.”

Donnie leans on the railing.

“This is the same friend you said you’ve upset before?”

Usagi groans in frustration. This new situation added onto that growing list.

“Yes, him. At least I think I did? I don’t really know, he left before he said anything. I’m not sure he’ll see me again.”

“I can offer you advice but I can’t promise that all of it will be legal.”

“Ha ha, funny.”

“I am, but that wasn’t a joke.”

Usagi straightens up and frowns.

“You’re really trying to catch me doing some bad? Again? I saved your life! You should know that I’m innocent!”

Donnie also stands straight.

“I was offering my own services.”

“…..Excuse me?”

“The reason I was trying to get a confession from you is because if this opera got shut down, Mikey would force me into something else to express myself and I do not have the energy for that. I’m not the goody two shoes of the family, that title belongs to Raph if it belongs to anyone. What I’m saying is, I can and will help you. I have certain methods not many people would be willing to use.”

“Wow, Donnie….that’s really nice of you.”

Donnie smirks slightly.

“Nice has nothing to do with it. I’ve been dying to show off my inventions! I tried getting the tech crew to incorporate my ideas but they said it was handled already.”

“Thanks anyway for offering. I don’t know if tech can help in this situation though….”

“It can help in every situation! Just leave it to me and I can create an entire apology program for you to text him!”

Usagi opens his mouth to say something but then quickly closes it.

He doesn’t have Leo’s phone number.

He’s not even sure where he lives.

How is he going to explain that to him without looking stupid!?

“I don’t actually…..have his number. We always just met up….here, at night. He ran off backstage and I still couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Donnie stares hard at him, completely silent.

“So you lied about why you were staying late, just like I assumed.”

“Y-Yeah, but to be fair, I’m still not sure where we stand. I thought you’d assume he was the phantom!”

“And you haven’t come to that conclusion? At all?”

“Of course I asked him about it!”

“Who in their right mind would admit that?”

“I trust him a lot more than I trust you.” Usagi crosses his arms to hold back his foot from thumping.

“How long are you going to hold that recording attempt against me?”

“Should I hold how you treated me otherwise against you instead?”

Donnie clicks his tongue in frustration, knowing he’s right.

“Fine, whatever, as long as your mystery friend isn’t ruining the opera it doesn’t matter anyways. I couldn’t care less what you two are doing. I can still help.”

“Really?”

“I just want to use my tech.”

“Other than the program you were talking about?”

“Duh, what genius only has one card in his deck? If this is the last and only place you see him, then I can just track where he went from here.”

“That would be great! You’re a life saver, Donnie.” Usagi smiles.

Donnie desperately tries to hide his tail beginning to wag as he starts walking away.

“Let’s just get going before the director complains about us taking too long.”

“Right!” Usagi follows behind him quickly.

They continue their practice for the day, but Donnie can’t help but feel yet again that someone is glaring at him from somewhere each time a scene or song has him touching or even getting near Usagi.

After what he’s heard today, he’s starting to suspect that it’s not just a simple feeling.

Once everyone else has left, Donnie taps on his wrist device and a battle shell flies in.

“It’s a good thing I keep my most useful inventions hidden near here for safe keeping.”

Usagi’s in absolute shock, jaw dropped as he watches it land right near them.

“Donnie! You made this!?”

“This shell isn’t my best even though it holds my best tech since I had to sneak it out without Mikey noticing, but it serves its purpose.”

“What are you talking about? It’s amazing! I don’t know why the tech crew wouldn’t let you help!”

Donnie blinks in shock.

“You….you like my tech?”

“Yeah? This is basically a freaking jet pack! Why wouldn’t I like it?”

A blush starts making its way across Donnie’s face that he covers by turning away, clearing his throat.

“I mean, of course you like it! It is incredibly cool, isn’t it?”

“Are you kidding? The coolest!”

Donnie’s tail begins wagging again.

“You can keep telling me how great I am as we look for your friend.” He opens up his shell and grabs a device.

“How does it work?” Usagi bends over slightly, leaning in to look at it.

Donnie can feel his fur brush against him and nearly drops the device as his blush deepens.

“A little room to work would be nice!”

“Sorry!” Usagi takes a step to the side.

Donnie takes a breath.

“The way it works is that it picks up mystic energy signals. If he suddenly left with no obvious way of getting out, he must have used a portal.”

Usagi feels stupid for not realizing it sooner.

It would make a lot of sense.

“Wouldn’t it pick up mystic energy just given off normally by us?”

“Portals use more so the traces are higher, even a day later. Once I have his energy signature I can use it to track it wherever he went. Also though, there is no us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not a yokai. I don’t have mystic powers. I don’t even live in the Hidden City.”

Usagi’s jaw drops again.

“What!? H-How!?”

“How what? How do I exist?”

“I….I guess?”

“I’m a mutant. I have been since I was a baby.”

“So….your brothers….?”

“Also mutants. So is my rat father.” Donnie pulls out his phone.

Usagi sees a photo of them all together.

The only thing his brothers share with him is the fact that they’re turtles.

Raph, or who he assumes is Raph, is massive and clearly a different species.

Mikey is much smaller, but also has his own obvious distinctions.

Usagi had noticed the marks on Donnie before, and while he had never seen them on other turtle yokai he also never gave it a second thought.

He now knew why, seeing Mikey’s spots.

It is odd to him that Raph doesn’t have any but he wasn’t about to ask a potentially rude question.

He also was just going to avoid the fact that a small rat man was raising several turtles since families come in all shapes and sizes.

“I had no idea…..I heard mutants were showing up lately, but those were all pretty recent.”

“I wasn’t made with a bug if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I’m not! I promise! I appreciate you telling me about all this.”

Donnie shrugs.

“You make too big of a deal about things. Being a mutant isn’t some kind of secret to me. It’s just who I am, and who I am is someone who wants information in exchange for this favor I’m doing.” He puts his phone away and turns his attention back to the device.

“Oh, sure, what do you want to know?”

Donnie turns around as his device beeps.

“While I get the mystic signature, tell me about your friend.”

Usagi starts following him.

“His name is Leo, he’s named after the constellation, and he’s our age.”

Donnie narrows his eyes slightly.

“Leo. No nardo after that?”

“No, it’s his full name.”

“Couldn’t even get the rest of it.”

“Please don’t make fun of his name. It’s important to him.”

“Whatever. Is there more? I’m picking up so many portals around here it’s making the device act up.”

“He’s a turtle yokai.”

Donnie stops.

“Like you thought I was?”

“Yeah, I assumed you guys were the same type of turtle yokai honestly. Guess I was wrong.”

Donnie grips the device tighter.

“Yuichi, does he have any markings?”

What he’s asking finally dawns on him.

“He….he has a red one on his face, I’m not sure about the other side. He wears a mask. There’s also some on his arms and legs.”

Donnie bites the inside of his cheek.

His brother is long dead, isn’t he?

He has to be.

There wouldn’t be mystic traces from a mutant, right?

Unless he was using some kind of technology for this portals!

The device beeps, saying it finally locked onto the signature.

“Got it! Let’s get searching! One of his portals was at a store near here!” He grabs Usagi’s wrist and rushes out with him.

The battle shell flies after them and follows out of the building.

Leo grips the railing of the catwalk tightly.

How dare he get to be so close to Usagi?

How dare he drag him along with him?

How dare he come to this special place and their special time and act like it’s just okay!?

The railing bends under the anger directed from his hands.

He should have seen it coming.

Even if he was already jealous of the dammed eyes Donnie kept making at Usagi throughout the entirety of their practices, he never thought he could actually steal him away.

Now though, it was becoming far too much of a possibility.

He desperately wanted to put the entire blame on Donnie, but it was him.

Running away like a coward led to this whole thing.

From now on, he’s going to do things differently.

Pulling his punches would only make it worse for himself. He really should have been this way from the start, but the fear of losing Usagi was too great.

If the danger of that was looking anyways, why not go no holds barred?

Donnie apparently didn’t bat an eye at spilling his guts and Usagi was just eating it up!

He hated how he could just say anything and because he was such a jerk before, Usagi saw it as some kind of olive branch.

Leo is the one who’s helped him be better!

Leo is the one who made that other lead leave!

Maybe he should just show Donnie up, reveal his own secret.

His greatest secret.

His hand moves up to his mask.

Despite the red hot anger bubbling away inside of him, it’s still not enough to actually want to go through with it.

This mask was one of the only reasons he still hasn’t lost just yet.

Maybe he doesn’t need to level the playing field if he just gets rid of the other player.

He sighs, knowing he can’t do that just yet.

Usagi hasn’t had the opportunity to perform in front of everyone.

He’ll let him have his time, then, he’ll get to work on securing his attention.

He fixes the railing as best he can and then heads to his room to allow his wall calm him down.

Usagi and Donnie tracked tons of portals halfway across the Hidden City before it got too late and they knew they had to go home.

Even though this started as something for Usagi, he could see how upset Donnie was that they couldn’t find him.

He blamed himself, his tech, the quality of tech, himself again.

“Hey, it’s not you or your tech’s fault. We aren’t giving up, just taking a break. I can go back tomorrow by myself and see if that helps. Maybe he did come back but got shy seeing you there and left!”

Donnie grumbles.

“Fine. I don’t feel like facing any wrath from my family anyways…..do you promise that you’ll update me as soon as you see him again?”

Usagi lifts his pinky with a stern expression.

“Of course I do.”

The corners of Donnie’s mouth perk into a small smile before hooking their pinkies together.

“You know this means I get your pinky if you don’t do it, right?”

“I’ll cut it off myself in that case! Try to get some good rest, Donnie.” Usagi smiles and takes his hand back.

“Take your own advice too.” Donnie turns around and waves as he leaves.

Usagi waves back enthusiastically despite Donnie not being able to see it.

Donnie walks towards the exit back to the surface with purpose.

If this Leo really is his brother, he’s going to find him no matter what it takes.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #2018 tmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt 2018 #rise fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #rise leo #rottmnt michelangelo #tw manipulation #the teenage mutant phantom of the opera #rottmnt seperated au #tw emotional manipulation #tw gaslighting #tw obsessive love #tw obsessive behavior #tw obsession #tw obsessive thoughts #tw stalking #leoichi #donsagi

[peterlorres21stcentury]

I honestly wish I had saved more of the interactions, emails and so forth from those days. It still disgusts me how the then-dominant community members turned on me and my friend, and we didn't even do anything to them. It all started over some imagined beef with the author of The Lost One. In those days the dominant community was, for some reason, hyper-protective of Peter's legacy (self-proclaimed gatekeepers, in other words!) and anyone who dared to defy them was branded the enemy. Keep in mind that "defying" the gatekeepers may include such things as "jokes" and "enjoying stuff." There is only Approved Flesh here (phrase stolen from the play Equus, but I apply it to the gatekeeping phenomenon because it seems right).

In any case, because my friend was closely involved with the editing of The Lost One, and the fandom ringleader just didn't like the idea of what was going into the book for some reason--like seriously, who cares what you think, you're nobody--that somehow made my friend the enemy. And because I was friends with her, well, that made me the enemy too. I was 14. I barely knew what the fuck was happening.

And here's what really gets me: the leaders liked me at first. They gave me nice compliments on my art and we had fun discussing Peter's movies and so on. But then everything turned on a dime practically overnight, and it scared me. It was my first taste of the real harm cyberbullying can do, and for someone as anxious as I am already... well, I didn't like it one bit.

Later on, after thinking about it, some of this behavior may have been driven by fear. The group often talked about adult things, sexual attraction to our favorite star, and themes of that nature. I was a minor, and I ignored the 18+ warnings for the fan fiction and so on, because OF COURSE I WOULD. What teen would not? What young person is not curious? Even if I did make a pest of myself, it's no excuse to bully me out of the space.

Keep in mind, many years have passed in the interim and I tried to forget a lot of it. I deleted the email correspondence and bogus legal threats tossed around (yes, I was threatened with legal action for... god only knows what). Therefore it is ENTIRELY possible that some of these details are mis-remembered, or wildly exaggerated in my frightened teenage mind, but that's just it. I was a teenager. The fandom leaders were in their 30s or 40s. They abso-fuckin-lutely knew better. To this day I am filled with rage that they would believe their bullying was in any way acceptable. Their behavior, to put it mildly, was an utter disgrace. I can only hope that Peter himself would be exceedingly angry with them, and perhaps deliver a sharp stinging smack to each of their craniums all the way from the afterlife, but that is my wishful thinking at work.

Now I am 36, approaching solid middle age. I can't exactly call myself the dominant force in the fandom today, but I am olde, and I remember shit, and y'all are stuck with me. Know that I would never, never in a million years, treat anyone in this community the way they treated me. That is my promise.

#I did not mean to write this much #but whoops I did #peter lorre #fandom #memories #thank you for your comment #and congratulations if you finish my tl;dr spiel #but you do not have to

[cassicaendra]

HashiMada 31-day challenge!!

Topic: Deal with the fake Satan

No one remembered when the so-called "Halloween" appeared in Konoha.

But they decided to celebrate it properly - it won't be superfluous, the children will have fun, distracting themselves from the war..

Therefore, the main person of Konoha and Hokage Hashiram Senju decided for himself and his adviser that they would definitely take part. At least they are.

Tobirama rejected his older brother's pleas and locked himself in his office... Just not to celebrate.

- I'll try to convince him, Senju-sama! Just give me time. - Izuna also promised in spite of his brother and the prohibition on it.

Hokage only crossed himself and let him go "with Amaterasu by his side." And how else? Once again, after all, they will fight under the walls of the department.. And Izuna was just trying by hook or by crook to "whiten" the reputation of the Uchiha by participating in public life. Even if he didn't love Hashirama's brother so much in return..

- This... Do you really want me to appear like this in public? I know that's how they see me.. But not directly.

- Madara.. Hashirama laughed, turning around.

He did not notice how Uchiha Sr. came to him quietly like a cat and also quietly disappeared by the evening. But I was always sincerely glad of his company..

Sometimes, jokingly, the man even thought that they could swap brothers: the eternally naive to the horror of Izuna resembled him with his degree of awkwardness, and Tobirama with his practicality and external coldness to Madara, which, by the way, irritated both of them in each other. But if he makes a joke like that, Madara will definitely spit in his face. It happened very often that Hashi walked on the fine line of his best friend's patience.

And now, too.

- Fuck you know where..

- Please, for the sake of the children!

- Whose children? None of us have them!

Not without fear, the Hokage took him by the shoulders and looked imploringly into his face. Either they will hit him now, or they will agree..

Madara looks at the suit, then at Hashirama. Silent..

- Why should we participate?

- Well, today you could dress up as Satan and bully someone as part of the holiday..

- You won't let me. - Uchiha snorted, already knowing.

Hashirama sighed, and gathered all his eloquence in his hands. Did he incline Kazekage himself to the world with words, and will he not be able to convince his best friend with them? Yes, he must!

- Yes, but.. You could get a reward for a good suit, for example..

- Hm.

- Okay... What could make you, if not a gift?

The adviser thought about it. Indeed, what could he get absolutely free of charge for this humiliation, if offered?

He needs to take it big and right now. Yes, only..What?

- Um... let me think.

Hashirama was genuinely delighted. Although he understood - he will surely regret it later. And the promise must be fulfilled.

- You'll let me take it out on Tobirama. Otherwise, there is nothing to answer his eternal fines legally. - He grins slyly.

-..What kind of fines are these? Hokage asks suspiciously. Had some new nonsense been introduced behind his back?

- For the fact that Shinobi pretty much drive so that they only come home to sleep. Well, what about it? They are men, they must comply with the load! They probably complained.. And I even know who it is.

Senju Sr. sighs wearily. And why is Uchiha so vindictive? Soon he will be charged for a comb that was accidentally stolen a couple of days ago.. And the reason for that poor Shinobi is probably scanty.

But he'll probably figure that out later.

- So you are.. Agree?

- Clear the office. I'll change.

At this, Hashi quickly nods and almost flies with happiness, closing the door. Yes, he will then again convince Madara and Tobirama to maintain neutrality not only on paper. But then they still like to work up! ..

..When Dara comes out, he can't look away: a tight-fitting red kimono with a neckline and horns on the rim make him look like a work of art. Senju swallowed..

- You..

- How is the girl dressed?

- No. It suits you...

He takes him by the arm, already knowing the further route: the horror festival is very close to the control house. Madara only looks away, and goes with him for a fee..

People are whispering around, not expecting that the head of the Uchiha clan is participating this year - a serious Shinobi after all. And Senju himself presents himself as Izanami - the goddess of creation and death at the same time. Uchiha - is Izanagi, the personification of life itself. They are equal.

He does not resent being dragged to a theatrical performance.

- I wanted to, but I did.. They didn't want to sell tickets.

Hashirama pats his hand, expressing sympathy and buying tickets for both of them. The performance, by the way, was no worse than in the capital.

By the evening, he notices that Izuna comes to meet them first, briefly greeting them, and immediately getting carried away with shooting for a prize: the younger one definitely knows how to handle a bow. Tobirama, surprisingly in a festive kimono, still clearly calls out to his brother on business, even showing by his facial expression that he would not like to speak in front of Uchiha.

Hashirama is distracted from listening to the flute of a street musician, throwing a decent amount into the bag for that.

Noticing someone else's reaction, Madara immediately asks..

- Did you allow it earlier?

..And he kisses in front of the crowd, an albinos and his own brother.

As expected, Tobirama, having also corrected all his natural patience and politeness, says something obscene and then turns around, walking away. Izuna runs after him, reminding him that he does not know the way back...

-..It's not because of Tobirama, right? - Moving away from the shock and still holding his hand, asks Hokage.

Madara snorts, which means "think what you want" in their sign language.

#hashimada 31 days challenge #hashimada challenge #hashimada #madara uchiha #hashirama senju #hashirama x madara #yaoi fanfiction #yaoi #team 7 naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto

[georgierre]

Can we hear about the george fic?

HI ANON THANKS ANON FOR ENABLING ME YOU HAVE FREED ME FROM MY CHAINS

okay so i've wanted to write some sort of fic about george feeling wonky about his career in f1 for a. LONG time. i have outlines for different fics — one where it's an introspection on his bitterness towards lance, one that's more like perfect blue where loses grip on his identity, one that's dialogue heavy and bojack-inspired with existential conversations — but none of them really Clicked and it just ended up becoming drafts on my shelf.

then, i had a very like. peculiar idea of george running away impulsively. like, he outright Quits and fucks off somewhere because he doesn't want to pursue f1 anymore. i have this planned after george has 2 world championships, because i want george to realize how empty he feels after reaching his peak (first win). like, the depression is Real, he really can't find anything worthwhile in f1 and feels trapped and overwhelmed, so he just goes "fuck it!", packs up and isolates himself from everyone.

(i'll put this under the cut because it is Long + intro to the first chapter is here too!!!)

the fic is actually HEAVILY inspired by daremebyday's fic "for all the honest world to feel" with is drag race rpf of trixie and katya (this is an rpf friendly space yes) wherein trixie hits a mental low, lies to her manager about needing time to write an album, then just rings a random friend to bunker up away from LA. it's such a raw and sad and just Real fic, probably one of my favorites (drag race writers are no joke) and i wanted to adopt some of the story elements of it (think of it like, i'm making an au with this as the basis) but some of the central themes and character introspection are much different. i don't intend to plagiarize anything, i promise, but some events and characters will mirror the original fic.

in my fic, george leaves after the imola gp, packing his bags and heading for london. he has no particular plan. there, he accidentally bumps into nicky who is still studying in the london business school, and he allows george shelter for as long as he needs. these two are two sides of the same coin in my potential fic, but for how, you'll just have to wait til i make it. the main reason i picked nicky as george's roommate and main Bestie for the fic is bc 1.) the dynamic seemed interesting since they both have experienced being stuck in the worst possible team in f1 for two years but having to act like nothing's Wrong. i am a SUCKER for two people stuck in bad situations they have to make do in, especially when they become good friends just because they have no choice. 2.) since george is literally throwing away his f1 career, i thought nicky would be an interesting guy to volley with because he chose to study instead of pursuing driving elsewhere.

other factors of this fic include: this is a georgierre fic! because i like georgierre! they're not gonna be the central theme of the fic until like, a while, but if george and nicky are like two sides of the same coin, george and pierre are sort of like narrative foils. in the fic, george doesn't bother informing pierre about running away because he knows pierre wouldn't run away with him. it's not toxic per se but pierre is everything george thinks he's not, and it hurts for him to think about it. pierre's definitely not doing okay though my god, imagine your favorite person in the world cutting contact from you without saying anything. no closure no reassurance no whatever, just gossip about how george somehow ended up with nicky, and you're thinking about what you possibly did wrong

the fic is definitely inaccurate in a sense that, i don't think george can legally do that without fucking up sponsors and contracts and whatnot, but if it's any consolation, toto has picked up on george's defeated mannerisms a year early, so he IS responsible for george being allowed out scot-free. toto's not mad, maybe frustrated but not mad, and the one thing he tells george is that, the only time he will be disappointed is if this decision of his amounts to nothing. if it turns out george was just wasting this privilege of being let out, toto will never allow him back into merc.

so, central theme! george has to figure out what he wants to do. he's literally pressured into making his impulsive little run away scheme something worth it, which is HEAVY, because george is not mentally okay either. he explores it through going around london, talking to nicky, ignoring all the messages from colleagues and family, blah blah.

i have the first half of the fic already outlined, but the second half i still need to work on. the first chapter, though, is finished, and i can give u all a LONG sneakpeak of it (aka the intro):

[The moment George picks up his new iPhone and heads home, he knew it was over.

There's not much of a difference between this phone and his old one. When he turns it on, it displays the default, aurora-like backgrounds Apple utilizes, and it dawns on him for the first time that, he's really doing this.

He adds important contacts from his previous phone, then downloads all his necessary apps which, actually, is not a lot, since he doesn't plan on redownloading any social media. There's the obligatory WhatsApp (although he doesn't bother syncing his old account), Puzzledom (he needs something to keep his jittery hands busy), and Spotify.

Once he manages to find a radio of upbeat songs, he gets packing.

All his clothes are hastily pulled from his hangers and tossed like basketballs into his luggage. All his toiletries are put into little ziploc bags he conveniently prepared last night. He funnels in a couple of pens in a small pocket inside his backpack, then his diary and important documents. He doesn't clean the mess he's made as he fumbles around, too invigorated with this unique kind of adrenaline he's feeling.

Finally, he gets his old phone. He opens up his Notes and copy pastes a few messages he's made days, even weeks before, into some WhatsApp chats.

To his coworkers,

I know this is incredibly sudden, and I apologize, but I won't be racing anymore. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill myself, nor am I going to do something else crazy like join a cult. I am just going away to self-reflect. Please don't send anyone after me, nor look for me yourselves. 

Thank you for everything. George Russell out.

To his friends,

I'll disappear for a while— I need to settle some new realizations I had. Not any stupid ones (I know what you're thinking Lando), more life-changing ones. I'm not going to do anything crazy like murder someone (again, looking at you Lando), but I'll get back to you all in a couple of weeks or months. I hope you understand, and bye for now.

To his family,

Hi, I'm very sorry for how sudden this is, but I'm going to take an indefinite time off from everyone to find myself. I won't do anything crazy, and I'm not getting abducted, don't worry. This is none of your faults, and I promise I will get back to you soon. 

To his team,

I know this is going to be a huge hassle for all of you, but mentally and emotionally, I cannot continue racing. I am not going to do something horrible, don't worry, but I'll be going away. Please don't look for me.

I need this.

I hope whoever replaces me does well. Thank you to everyone for everything you've done, especially Toto. I wouldn't be here without you all. But respectfully, I feel like I'm missing something, and I'm going to find it. I hope you all can understand, and I hope that I see you again someday.

Use the remainder of my salary to make up for lost net worth. It should be enough. I calculated.

And to Pierre,

I'm sorry. This is not your fault.

I love you.

After a long press and a sigh, George's old phone vibrates violently as it finally shuts down. He thinks he saw a part of Pierre's name displayed in his notifications.

He still brings the phone with him, just in case.

With a suitcase and backpack on hand, he skims different available flights out of France, selects one headed for London, and books a taxi to the airport.]

#ame rambles #my writing #wip

[rachelsfav-queer]

(my original apology, not really relevant anymore I guess)

Hey!

I uhh disappeared for a little while, huh? Sorry about that. I just needed some time to recollect myself, work through some things, and just generally better myself enough to feel like I was ready to return.

So, this is already gonna be wordy enough and I know large texts of speech aren’t for everyone, so I’ll do my best to be concise, but no promises.

I want to say before I get into the meat of the issue that I in absolutely no way condone abuse in any way. Physical, emotional, verbal, or any other form. It is despicable and it is unacceptable. I myself know the effects of abuse as I’ve not only been on the receiving end of it for a large portion of my life, but I’ve also been witness to it happening to people I love. Most significantly, my mom. When my biological father pushed her and she hit her head on my metal bed frame, a fight I did not see firsthand, but experienced the aftermath. I have seen many forms of it, including when my legal father had spanked me, only once ever, but I felt the effects of that experience change me in small ways. All of this I say not for pity, but to make very clear what my stance on the topic is. Especially with a certain “comedian” making a “joke” about the topic and how intense arguments online have been about it.

Okay, now to why we’re here. On Monday, December 4th, I made a post here that included a question about fictional characters involved in a caregiver/little relationship engaging in a certain form of physical abuse, specifically spanking. Now, all characters are 18+ in this fictional scenario and are all fully consenting. But that does not change the fact that spanking or any form of physical violence is not acceptable between caregiver and little. And an anonymous asker pointed that out in a harsh but correct response to the question I had posed.

Now, if this was under normal circumstances, I would’ve felt guilty but would have just apologized and then moved on. But, at the time, I was deep in little space and had gotten excited about discussions related to the fictional characters mentioned prior. That led to me asking an inappropriate question that at the time, I didn’t fully understand the weight behind it. Now, none of this is an excuse for my actions, simply an explanation and I take full responsibility for any harm I may have caused.

But, we move on to my side of the story and I explain what happened and why I disappeared. So, as I said, I was deep in little space when I received the anonymous ask and when I read it, I immediately dropped out of little space, and hard. I was already feeling immense guilt but that was piled on by the intense experience of a headspace drop. I was not in a good mindset at that time and I couldn’t deal with any of it. And then I received yet another ask addressing the previous one that straight up defended child abuse. I obviously blocked that anon as I was not going to allow my blog to yet again become a nest for anger and arguments.

But, it was then that I realized that I needed a break, badly. So, I said goodbye and left with no explanation. I worried a lot of you and for that I am sorry. I am genuinely sorry for all of my actions that night that led to others getting hurt. But I left for a reason. As it became clear that night, I was getting far too deep into all of this. I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing anymore and again, that led to someone being harmed.

Now, I want this to be very clear. Absolutely no hate is to come to the anon who called me out. They were correct, abuse of any form is not acceptable. It was simply a matter of bad timing and that is not their fault. So any negativity towards them will get you blocked, no exceptions whatsoever.

And as for the future of the blog, I want to get back into the VampRavenWolf stuff, if everyone is still interested in talking about it. I understand if it’s been too long or if everyone saw what I posted and have decided that it was too much to forgive. If this ship is over, then I guess that’s just how it’s going to have to be. I’m sorry that my actions have destroyed something so amazing. I know how much this meant to a lot of people and to think that I could’ve ruined that, the thought destroys me.

But, if there are still people who want to talk about it, then I’m ready to get back into the fold! Either way, it’s been so much fun interacting with everyone this past month or so and nothing can ever come close to the amazing experiences I’ve been gifted here. Thank you all, so much.

Much love, Rachel❤️

#rachel talks #apology

[void-botanist]

Character interview: Hoven

@autumnalwalker tagged me for this a while back, and before I got swamped with finals I tried doing it for Dez. It was kind of lackluster (this poor droid doesn't even know what there is to have opinions about) but Hoven worked nicely.

I'm going to leave this one as an open tag.

Are you named after anyone? No. When was the last time you cried? That's a bit…personal, don't you think? Perhaps you don't, since you're asking. Well, it was recent, I'll say that much.

Do you have any kids? No. But Syndy arguably is, in some capacity. It was unreasonably difficult to make me Syndy's legal guardian, so officially I have no relationship to her, but…Gweltsen used to joke that they should marry me to expedite the adoption process. If that had happened, I would be Syndy's parent, legally. I would also be a widower. (<- is going to be thinking about that forever now)

Do you use sarcasm? Sure, but it's usually not necessary.

What's the first thing you notice about people? Their species, which I suppose is normal.

What's your eye color? Amber.

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings, but only if they're earned. I cannot stress enough that there is no genre that requires happy endings, despite what some insist. And a happy ending can and perhaps should be complex. Regardless of whether it's realistic, a uniformly happy ending for all parties is rarely interesting.

Any special talents? I'm reasonably fluent in six languages. I have also been told that I have an uncanny ability to translate requests into resource call numbers. But I can only do that in a limited domain, and I'm sometimes wrong and look an absolute fool who does not believe in catalogs. It's really just the result of being a librarian using the same classification system for the better part of two decades.

Where were you born? A birth hotel in River City. Another translation is 'birth hospital', but I think the meaning comes across either way.

What are your hobbies? I suppose most of my hobbies boil down to reading, somehow. Reading books, reading museum placards, reading finding aids, reading an unbelievable number of emails…but that one's perhaps not a hobby. I watch TV shows on occasion. Lately I've gained a new appreciation for experiencing architecture firsthand. I've also been promised a trip into the mountains for some hiking, though I admit I don't have the fortitude to make it into a camping trip as well.

Do you have any pets? I haven't had a pet since…well, Ozen has a fishtank, but I think I was simply a participant in Ozen having pets.

What sports do you play/have played? It depends on what you consider a sport. Most I've tried I'm mediocre to middling at. I still do try the local sports when I move somewhere new, but I've never stuck with one for long - with the exception of orienteering. Sal and I have done the events in the region most years, and I do sometimes beat him.

Oh, but what you probably expected me to say was something like 'I'm excellent at trivia'. Well, I am, but I can't see how that's a sport.

How tall are you? 5' 1". You don't count the horns.

Favorite subject in school? Language, especially foreign languages, and especially Esailla. I learned more about orea-nawwenn from my Esailla class than I ever did in interspecies studies.

Dream job? Well, it used to be 'archivist at Niievosk Palace', but that dream is past for a lot of reasons. Now, I…I don't really know. But I'd like to return to archival work.

#maybe a questions game that Dez could play will come around. maybe I'll make one #Sal's job literally requires camping trips & Hoven always thought he could manage one too #turns out he's more of an indoor goat than he thought #also I imagined Ozen as Mr. Rogers feeding the fish and I can't unsee it now #it's really fucking cute #normally I'm not much of a torture-the-blorbo writer #but the deeper I get into planning Hoven and Syndy's story the more I know they're going to have a Bad Time #it'll be great (my heart hurts for them) #writing #rose brambles #interview/15 q tag game #tag games #c: Hoven #wip: tfa

[ryuichifoxe]

He sceptically raises one of his eyebrows at Emery's first sentence, but doesn't interrupt, just lets him work through his emotions and paintently waits for the verdict. He appreciates Em not pushing about his motives or what he gets out of coming here.

It would be fucking embarrassing to admit that you are so fucking lonely you are willing to risk everything for just company's sake. How do you break this to someone without losing face anyway? That you are so far removed from society, you can no longer connect with people truly. That you crave the closeness but feel like a false, broken thing immediately once you start interacting with others. That you live under, so you wouldn't have to compare.

The screwdriver is rudely snatched from his grasp, shocking him out of his thoughts but he still allows him to rattle on and just listens with a smile slowly appearing on his face as the insults start coming. "Look, I'm not going to apologize, I needed those parts and used them for good. But for what it's worth I am sorry for the inconvenience I caused and I promise to make it up to you."

He gently positions his hand and arm so Em can have better access to the parts that are difficult to reach, paying close attention more because there is nothing else to do other than talking, which Emery clearly is not in a mood for and less so that he can monitor what he is actually doing. He occasionally glances up and watches him play with something in his mouth

Once he starts talking Stray looks up, head casually tilting slightly to one side. When he hears the word he doesn’t blink, swallow, look away or make any facial reaction to it, but his flesh hand twitches just once. He doesn’t think too much into it, it’s just a phrase nothing else but the knee jerk reaction is still there when he is called a thing right to his face. " I mean more like all of the above really, I am trouble all around, a poor excuse for a vigilante if you will. " he actually smirks at how true it is. "What about you? Telepaths are pretty rare as far as I know and I've never met one who is just a civilian. Are you in some shady business that I don't know of?" he smiles jokingly. " Is this a front for something else?"

Of course it's all of the above. Fuck me. And fuck you too. Make it up to me, my ass.

It's not as if he's never worked with clients in and outside of the law. Not that they paraded that fact around for all to see. Well, some did and he persuaded them to seek out other technicians for second opinions or legal reasons. The latter not entirely a lie. Being liable for what should be routine government maintenance isn't ranked high on up his list of fun activities.

None were telepaths though.

He also doesn't like that Stray neither confirms nor denies his suspicions, but that's intentional. The twitch could be chalked up to nerves too but Em files it away in his mind anyway. Not like he's revealing all the cards in his hand either. At least there's plausible deniability in both their favors right now.

“Are you admitting you couldn't dig up any dirt to blackmail me with?” A knowing grin.

The answer is no. Besides the odd review online or forum post, Emery Becerra doesn't exist in any official capacity. And something tells him this man is the same, if he ever felt like digging.

“Honestly, this wouldn't be a terrible front if I were up to no good. I'd probably hire someone else to look more official. But, no, nothing shady. Just hiding in plain sight instead of underground, that's all. Trying not to draw too much attention so I don't up and disappear in the night.” It's meant to be a joke, but the laugh is strained to even his own ears. Em clears his throat and taps the screwdriver to Stray's wrist. “You should be have mobility back by the way.”

#emery becerra #mod repair au #✘ anon #ryu writes #ryu plays fallen hero #long post #nooOOOO #you don't get to drop the loneliness bomb like that how fucking dare you #keep those smiles to yourself #the audacity #didn't think I'd have time before running errands to reply #but I did

[grimescum]

other oc development thoughts (raymond, pam & fran, a little bit of jerry and a wip oc named mike)

raymond,

- debating having him be from new york, the accent doesn't really suit him. he's definitely a city boy but probably from somewhere a lot smaller

- has glasses, doesn't wear them (unless absolutely necessary) due to him getting teased for them as a kid

- definitely did some sports in his youth. he was the dorkiest jock you'd ever meet ngl

- slightly insecure about a lot of things. namely his nose, his guitar skills and his tendency to be a pushover. he gets a little defensive when teased about them but plays it off as a joke

- his confidence rises by 500% whenever he's on stage for some reason. he's wrecked a few guitars before because of it

- he's very scared of doing things that're potentially dangerous. he'd love to ride a motorcycle if they weren't so scary. he actually used to skate when he was younger, but he stopped after hurting his ankle

- he was a bit more rowdy in his youth, trying to play tough to combat his insecurities. he actually knows how to throw a punch or two because of this, but he'd never fight anyone again

- he gets his softness from both of his parents. loves them both dearly. they supported him throughout his school years and continue to do so through his endeavors in music

- don't know if I've mentioned it before, but jerry is his boss. he's kinda like a weird grandpa to him. jerry thinks he's a fucking badass and raymonds just kinda like eeeuh?!?! jerry is an honorary band member because he'll tag along to their rehearsals and offer advice, encouragement or background vocals. they dont take his advice. he sucks at advice.

- speaking of their band, right now it's compromised only of billie (the drummer) and another oc i've yet to flesh out but is up on my toyhouse. i might add more but idk how bands work really. no name as of yet, and they do all their rehearsals in raymond's garage

pam,

- very shady businesswoman, but doesn't actively scam people unless she's in dire need of money.

- doesn't have an actual business either. she just sells stuff she finds at a higher price. her sister, fran, is largely unaware of this, but if she knew she'd scold her and tell her to just let her do all the work. pam's only doing it to help support fran since she's basically the man of the household and very overworked

- hates the taste of cigarettes but wouldn't deny one if offered

- hasn't had a stable relationship in years. she mostly takes part in one night stands to quench her thirst for intimacy. she's very sleazy with how she goes about it, too. sees is like a game that you need a strategy for.

- she does have one friend though. mike steel (an oc that's still a work in progress) from the bar she frequents. they've sworn not to date, knowing the both of them were horribly unprepared, but it's debatable how much they really plan to uphold that promise

- she's okay friends with the bartender. fran actually sought out the bartender and very politely demanded that he bring fran home, had she ever passed out drunk, and that he keep an eye on her. she also very politely threatened legal action if he didn't

- pam was always pretty social and had a habit of dumping her problems onto others even as a kid. her friends would leave because they thought of her as a leech and a complete bummer. rather than working on changing this part of her, though, she blames herself and drinks herself into a stupor almost every night. assumes that that's just the way she was made.

fran,

- habitually masks her southern accent for business related reasons (wanting to be taken seriously) and for personal reasons (it reminds her of her parents)

- horrible anger issues that haven't been treated in the slightest. not even pam is safe, but she at least knows that fran doesn't mean whatever she says or does when she's mad. fran feels horribly guilty whenever she has an outburst and will isolate herself in her work for days at a time.

- may or may not have accidentally severely injured someone in a fit of rage before

- she's actually the youngest. pam used to care for her when her parents didn't, and now fran feels obligated to return the favor. even if pam is a freeloader. she still loves her regardless :'o)

- she may act like it, but she's not actually that much of a bitch. just incredibly awkward and socially constipated. doesn't know how to react to casual comments outside of talking to her sister, so she either doesn't say anything at all or responds in a very matter of fact business talk kind of way

- she has to remember pam's birthday for her, but she won't tell her since pam gets depressed and uses it as an excuse to get completely sloshed. fran will still give her a gift, but under the guise of something else

- hates alcohol but, with encouragement from her sister, will dabble in it every once in a while. she's a sad and sensitive kind of drunk.

- fran was quiet, shy. she never told anyone about her issues and hardly does to this day. kinda had to carry pam through school, but she ended up failing regardless. fran sees her success as an obligation so that she can care for her sister.

- idk what her job is still. i was thinking accounting? but still idk man i dont have a job im a freeloader /j

#flea's ocs #oc: raymond simmons #oc: pam baker #oc: fran baker #flea talks

[kieuecaprie]

KieueCaprie's 2022 Games Complete List #2 (6-10)

#6: Banjo-Kazooie (N64 Online re-release)

Started 🚩: 21/1/22 Finished 🏁: 21/1/22

I LOVE Banjo-Kazooie. I love this game so much that I seem to keep revisiting it each time there's a chance to legally replay it again. First through XBLA, then through Rare Replay, and then through N64 Online.

Only downside to the N64 Online edition of this game is that it uses the old system as opposed to the XBLA one, which is to say that your Note Score won't be saved and the game will use the highest amount of Notes collected instead. This means that Rusty Bucket Bay gets even worse to play through.

I suppose there's save states but that's a QoL enhancement I miss dearly. Still a good game, just that I think the XBLA version is the superior version of all of them.

#7: Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)

Started 🚩: 27/1/22 Finished 🏁: 29/1/22

At first when I went into this game, I was expecting it to be "mid as fuck" as the kids say these days. What I got instead was a game that was actually pretty good for a spin-off title that plays like the mainline games.

Story was pretty good, it was actually challenging at some points, and the gameplay loop it presented was a complete breath of fresh air from the whole "run into Pokemon, wait five minutes for all the text to resolve, start battle". Heck, the battles were much more streamlined!

#8: Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS)

Started 🚩: idk lol Finished 🏁: 8/2/22

While I was looking through my 3DS library (the battery on it has transformed into a mildly spicy pillow so my 3DS won't stay on unless I leave it plugged in), I found Final Fantasy Explorers, so I played it.

I kind of liked the ideas that it presented with the combat system and the whole making your own abilities from mutations and it just makes me wish there was another game that could replicate it and perform significantly better...

#9: Earthbound (SNES Online)

Started 🚩: 10/2/22 Finished 🏁: 13/2/22

I played this game before through... 100$% legal means but now that it's on SNES Online, I get to experience it again for the first time. I really think Earthbound holds up pretty well today, although I will say that it has a lot of that SNES JRPG jank, from the inventory system being cramped to having little direction on where to go next. BUT I will say that this game has a unique battle system in rolling health numbers and being able to outright defeat enemies that are too weak for you so you don't have to waste time menuing.

The story is still very good too for its age.

#10: No Man's Sky (PC) - Artemis Path Ending

Started 🚩: idk Finished 🏁: 3/3/22

I honestly don't know how long it was when I started playing No Man's Sky but I did know when I was finished with it.

It's gotten pretty good these days and the developers really worked hard to bring the game up to the standard that they promised it would be many many moons ago to the point where I don't really call it "No Man's Buy" outside of jokes anymore.

I think the biggest reason why I couldn't "finish" the story was a certain choice that I'll spell out in a separate post (or something once I figure out how to best handle these). Nowadays, I only log in to do explorations and set up bases, which is pretty fun in and of itself, for someone like me, at least.

---- [Return to Top of List] ----

#kieuecaprie gaming