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#lawn hack
batcavescolony · 1 month
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David: Tommy's a speedster so he gets bored really easily and he's prone to doing weird things sometimes.
Someone: oh o-
David: *gets up* anyway I have to go check on my dead bodies in the lawn, I'm testing the rate of decomp in mutants!
Someone: ...
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traditionalaviator · 3 days
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A blazed AI "Art" post on my dash, simply cannot make this up, AI "Artists" forcing their wasteful, lackluster, soulless bullshit on my dash.
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vaugarde · 3 months
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i need to find another pmd project to love on relentlessly to make up for that. i almost feel bad hating on a fan project like that
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scrumpyfan43 · 1 year
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Still a scything newbie with a lot to learn and less than optimal conditions, but I'm having a good time and making/keeping the trail passable
This was actually better for birdwatching than going for a brisk walk, I guess the birds figured I was an herbivore rather than a predator
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i NEED to write for my main fic, but the inspiration fairy said *no*, work on this other unrelated project instead
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ffsg0jo · 18 days
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uncle sukuna whose snores sound like a lawn mower but is the only person who little yuuji can sleep peacefully in a bed with. stays asleep the whole night in sukuna's arms, foot against his chest, and bits of hair blowing with the strong gusts of sukuna's snores.
uncle sukuna, who shadowboxes little yuuji when he's sitting on the sofa, trying to watch his shows. yuuji remains unfazed but is slightly annoyed at sukuna constantly blocking the TV. sukuna probably shouldn't pretend to punch the kid, but they both know he'd rather slit his throat and die than hurt a single nerve on yuuji.
uncle sukuna who dresses yuuji in matching outfits whenever they go outside. women flocked to him when they saw the kid in his arms, and suddenly, having the snotty little brat was worth it. he was a sweetheart and smiled shyly at them all, but sukuna would hit them with the 'he likes you, he isn't this affectionate with most people'. works every single time.
uncle sukuna, who does that weird hacking up phlegm thing that scares yuuji half to death. the poor toddler immediately starts tearing up at the noise.
uncle sukuna who makes sure yuuji always has the best and most fashionable trainers. he doesn't care if it's pointless because yuuji's constantly growing. no nephew of his is allowed to have dead shoes. it's embarrassing for him.
(every time he buys himself new shoes, he always buys two pairs, one in his massive size 13 (14/49) and one in yuuji's cutesy teeny size. turns his heart into goo)
uncle sukuna who gets yuuji a mini version of his motorbike (or one that's similar enough) and helps the cutie decorate it however he wants with stickers and paint (even though he's dying on the inside). yuuji begs and begs sukuna to let him put stickers on his, but he vehemently refuses. they both settle on decorating sukuna's helmet instead <33
here's another post in the same universe, kinda like a pt 2 :))
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© ffsg0jo 2024 — do not plagiarise, repost, modify, or translate any of my work, in any way shape or form; i will piss in your cereal if you do. all work belongs to me and me only.
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reportsofagrandfuture · 10 months
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oraclememehacker · 1 year
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"It's my mun's birthday. She's old as dirt. Go make fun of her for being OLD."
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headspace-hotel · 9 months
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I was reading about foraging in the school library because i really want to eat plant but you really gotta know what you're doing with that
In discussing Dandelions, the author said that many people have awful first experiences with foraging because they eat plants that were growing in very bad conditions.
Dandelions particularly taste very bad when you try to eat miserable and struggling dandelions because their leaves get very bitter.
The author said sunlight makes them bitter, and also that the bitter chemicals build up in the plant with increasing age, but I have a hypothesis that it's a little different...
Plants make themselves taste bad when they are being heavily munched upon by herbivores, and even send chemical signals to other plants so they can prepare as well! Really amazing. I already knew that part. But I thought to myself...wait, if mowing has a similar effect as grazing, that would make the plants respond in a similar way...which means that mowing and weed-whacking and other forms of indiscriminately hacking and chopping down plants will have them all like "Ahh fuck! It happened again! I need to taste WORSE!"
Dandelions can grow back from being mowed down or even partially ripped up many times, and they're perennials. So my hypothesis is that people are getting into foraging by trying to eat a dandelion from their front lawn...but that dandelion has been trapped in an endless cycle of mowing for possibly years, and in the process has ascended into the World's Worst-Tasting Plant
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staenless · 1 month
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STEDDIE OMEGAVERSE LUNCHBOX FIC PART 2
He put the kettle on to boil, then set the ingredients out on the counter. Kiwis, left over chilli from last night, a wrap, quarter of a cabbage, cheese, the special trail mix he has to travel across town for, yogurt. Was that enough protein? Carbs?
The kettle finished boiling. He steeped his teabag in silence, eyes fixed beyond the kitchen window to that small patch on the lawn. He had taken a hand shovel to it yesterday, swung up and down and chopped up the kikuyu until a neat square had revealed itself to him. The back of his neck stung from sunburn when he'd lain down beside Tommy last night. Today he'd hack and slash a second square, then buy the seeds and sow them before Tommy could get up in arms about it'd look to the neighbours-colleagues-friends that they were growing their own vegetables. How it would look, common and subsistant, and that store bought was fine, better actually, since it came with a label and price tag. He should stick to store bought tomatoes.
Steve thought about the note in the lunch box. Tommy hadn't brought a note back since Steve had started making him lunch, when their parents decided on their courtship. Steve had once thought Tommy kept them, saved them in a memory box like the lovesick fool Steve thought they could both be. He'd felt sick watching Tommy crumple it up without reading from across the cafeteria, had left in a fuss and a hurry to stare at himself in the school bathroom mirror and drown himself in self loathing. He had been stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. And stupider still when he wrote the notes every morning since, unable to give up on the charade to himself or others. If he couldn't have that life then he'd fake it.
He drained the last of his tea, then rinsed the mug. He began to chop the cabbage. The note, safely tucked in his grandma's recipe book, heated the burn on the back of his neck. Tommy had given his lunch away. He'd done it before, no doubt, but for some reason the Alpha who'd gotten it this time returned the note. Had scented the note and returned it, and Tommy hadn't even noticed when he'd tossed the lunch box onto the breakfast bar when he'd returned last night. He layered the cabbage onto the centre of the wrap.
He began to grate the cheese. Steve wasn't mad at Tommy, for passing on his lunch or not noticing the other Alphas scent. Tommy had probably been passing off his lunch for years, Steve wasn't so naive to think Tommy cared about handmade lunches. And in a twisted way Steve was glad the note had traveled safely to his kitchen, had sat patiently till Tommy was in his office having a tumbler of whiskey before making itself known. Had told him someone ate his meal, and had enjoyed it. If the only acknowledgment he'd get was from a stranger, he'd take it. He layered the cheese over the cabbage, then the chilli over that. He folded the wrap closed, sliced it in half, then neatly packed the two halves in the first tin.
The kiwi needed peeling, and he slowly worked his knife round and round under the soft furry skin. Tommy complained about the hair on kiwis the same way he complained about the hair on Steve. Got stuck in his teeth, was offputting and disgusting and had no place covering up something - someone - so sweet and meant for his consumption. The kiwi was neatly sliced then stacked and tilted into the second tin. The trail mix went into a reusable cupcake shell, and the yogurt into a small Tupperware next to it.
Steve's notepad sat patiently on the counter, pen poised above it and tensed with thought. The alphas scent had been soft, likely from scent blockers, yet unmistakably peppery and dry. It reminded Steve of the dry grasses in fields beside his grandma's old farm house. In autumn, when hot dry winds beat the land dry in preparation for winter. Hed run out to the fields, uncaring for the cuts the sharp grass left, and huffed the scent up. It smelt different from anything in the suburbs, more alive than the rickety farmhouses thatch, but ancient in comparison to prickly autumn lawns. Beneath that dry grass sat a distinct peppery smell, like spices heated in warm oil. Pepper and... Lemon rind? Steve wanted to fetch the note out and sniff at it again, but reigned himself in. It was still early morning, he was still packing Tommy's lunch and he was still a doting hustband.
His notepad stared up at him, large and white and questioning his hesitation. He could write anything, Tommy wouldn't read it and there was no guarantee the other alphas would get it. Still, as pen went to paper and he carefully looped his letters, he hoped someone would read the note. Would acknowledge him and his effort, his love that went to strangers and came empty and uncaring home. Just for someone to read his note, to know that he existed, somewhere out there, and he made this lunch with his own to hands. He slipped the note into the tin, then clipped them together with a clack and set them aside for Tommy to grab on his way out. Time to make breakfast.
Sorry this took forever to get out lol, I was lazy and avoided writing. As someone who hasn't written creatively since highschool launching myself into a full multichapter fic was probably kinda a bad idea... But I always was more of a deep-end kinda person so I will persevere.
Taglist: @xxbottlecapx @goodolefashionedloverboi @stevesbipanic @monsterloverforhire
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iamumbra195 · 8 months
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Random One Piece incorrect quotes cause I'm bored
Some of these are modern au though
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
*Sanji's not there*
Usopp: HELP! I TOLD LUFFY I’D COOK DINNER TONIGHT BUT I CAN’T COOK!
Zoro, pouring alcohol directly into a cereal bowl:
Zoro: And you thought I could help?
...
Luffy: In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
Nami : Wasn't Zoro with you?
Zoro: In my defense, I was also left unsupervised
...
Law: I trust Mugiwara-ya.
Penguin: You think he knows what he's doing?
Law: I wouldn't go that far.
...
Sabo: Dandelions symbolize everything I want to be in life
Ace, confused: Fluffy and dead with a gust of wind?
Sabo: Unapologetic. Hard to kill. Feral, filled with sunlight, bright, beautiful in a way that the conventional and controlling hate but cannot ever fully destroy. Stubborn. Happy. Bastardous. Friends with bees. Highly disapproving of lawns. Full of wishes that will be carried far after I die.
Luffy: edible
...
Nami: We need to get through this locked door. Usopp, give me your credit card.
Usopp: Here.
Nami, pocketing it: Thanks. Luffy, kick down the door.
...
Chopper: You know those things will kill you, right?
Zoro, pouring another glass of whiskey: That’s the point.
Sanji, smoking a cigarette: We’re trying to speed up the process.
Luffy: *Nods while eating raw cookie dough*
...
Robin: Why is Luffy so sad?
Nami: He took one of those “Which Character Are You?” quizzes
Robin: And...?
Nami: He got Buggy
*Zoro cackling in the background
...
Zoro: Self care is actually getting into fights with randos in dark alleys.
Nami: No, self care is stuff like taking a bubble bath, or putting on a lot of makeup if you like it, or taking a nice warm nap!
Kin'emon, trying to be poetic: Self care is the burning heat when rage washes over you!! Self care is when you feel the bones crack under your powerful fists!! Self care is the fear in your enemies’ eyes!!!
Usopp: Lmao self care is taking Luffy's birthday meat cake just so I can eat the frosting.
Luffy: If you touch my meat cake I’ll make you eat your hands.
Sanji, losing his mind: WHY IS THERE FROSTING ON MEAT?
...
Franky, about Jinbe: Apparently we’re getting someone new in the group.
Robin: Are we stealing them?
Brook: New or used?
Franky, cackling: Wonderful responses, both of you.
...
Smoker: You’re receiving a ticket for having three people on one motorcycle.
Sanji: Shit.
Usopp: Wait, three?
Smoker: Yeah?
Nami: OH MY GOD ZORO FELL OFF!!!
...
Kin'emon: Tonight, one of you has betrayed us.
Ashura: Is it me?
Kin'emon: No, it’s not you.
Denjiro: Is it me, Kin?
Kin'emon: It’s not you either.
Kanjuro: Is it me, Kin'emon?
Kin'emon, bleeding from several debilitating injuries:
Kin'emon, mockingly: Is IT mE kiN'eMOn?
...
Usopp: Can I be frank with you guys?
Luffy, confused: Sure, but I don’t see how changing your name is gonna help.
Chopper: Can I still be Chopper?
Franky, snickering: Shh, let Frank speak.
...
Sabo: You lying, cheating, piece of shit!
Koala: Oh yeah? You’re the idiot who thinks you can get away with everything you do. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
Sabo: I’m leaving you, and I’M TAKING ROBIN-CHAN WITH ME
Hack, picking up the monopoly board: I think we’re gonna stop playing now.
...
Law, walking into his submarine: Hello, people who do not belong here.
Zoro: Hey.
Sanji: Hi.
Robin: Hello.
Chopper: Hey!
Law: I gave you my vivre card for emergencies only!
Luffy, grinning: We were out of meat.
...
Sanji: You know, I'm starting to regret showing you how that blender works.
Luffy, drinking meat: Why do you say that?
...
Zoro: Do you take constructive criticism?
Nami: I only take cash or credit.
...
Koala: Why are you on the floor?
Sabo: I'm depressed.
Sabo: Also I was stabbed, can you get Ivankov, please.
...
Robin: If I accidentally sat on a voodoo doll of myself, would I be trapped forever in that position, doomed to starve to death?
*everyone looks ay Karasu
Karasu: What? How am I supposed to know?
Lindbergh: You say, as if we don’t use you as a source of knowledge of the occult.
Karasu: *sighs*
Karasu: You wouldn't be trapped
...
Vivi: I love you guys, you're the best thing that's happened to me.
Nami: We're the best thing that's ever happened to you?
Vivi: Yes!
Usopp: ... I'm starting to feel a little sorry for you.
...
Usopp: WHY. why did you give Luffy a KNIFE?!
Zoro, shrugging: He said he felt unsafe.
Usopp: Now I feel unsafe!
Zoro: ... would you like a knife?
...
Dragon: What did you do with the target's body?
Sabo : What didn’t I do with the body?
Dragon:
Sabo: Okay, that sounded more sexual than I intended. I disposed of the corpse respectfully.
...
Luffy, texting Ace: Ace! Help I’m being kidnapped
Ace: Where are you?
Luffy: I’m with some strange person. In a car. Help.
Ace: I’ll call Gramps.
Garp, answering their cell: Y’ello?
Ace: Where’s Luffy? He texted me that he was being kidnapped.
Garp: Luffy? Whaddya mean, he's right next to me-
Garp, who shaved his head:
Garp: I’ll call you back. *hangs up*
Garp: THE NEW HAIRCUT ISN’T THAT BAD!
Luffy: WHO ARE YOU?!
...
*Ace, Sabo and Luffy sitting in jail together*
Sabo: So who should we call?
Ace: I’d call Gramps, but I feel safer in jail
...
Roger: Garp, my old arch enemy.
Garp: ... I thought I was your only arch enemy?
Roger: I have a life outside of you, Garp
...
Zoro: Sometimes I drink milk straight out of the container.
Luffy: The cow???
Zoro: What?
Sanji: *disgusted shudder* LUFFY, W H Y?
...
Usopp: Would you stab your best friend in the leg for 10 billion berry?
Zoro: Nami can stab me, and then when my leg gets better, we buy a big-ass house and erase my debt
Luffy: You can stab me too, then we'll have 20 billion.
Zoro: Good thinking.
...
Kin'emon: Come on, I wasn’t that drunk last night.
Denjiro: You were flirting with O'Tsuru.
Kin'emon: So what? She's my wife.
Denjiro: You asked her if she were single.
Kin'emon:
Denjiro: And then you cried when she said she wasn't
...
Marco: What time is it?
Ace: I don’t know; pass me that saxophone and we’ll find out
Ace: *Plays sax loudly and extremely out of tune*
Izou: WHO THE FUCK IS PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE AT TWO IN THE MORNING
Ace, proudly: It’s 2 am
...
Luffy: I can’t believe you live nearby, and you won’t let anyone crash at your place.
Law: You people already know too much about me.
Kidd: I know exactly three facts about you, and one of them is that you won’t let any of us crash at your place.
...
Sabo, an enabler: Tell Ace about the birds and the bees.
Luffy: They're disappearing at an alarming rate.
...
Brook: Schrödinger’s cat is overrated. If you wanna see something that’s both dead and alive you can talk to me any time of the day.
...
Zoro: With great power comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.
...
Law: When someone points at your black clothes and asks whose funeral it is, having a look around the room and saying 'Haven’t decided yet' is typically a good response.
Bepo: Captain, no.
...
Law: Nothing in life is free.
Chopper: Love is free!
Luffy: Adventure is free!
Robin: Knowledge is free.
Nami: Everything is free if you take it without paying.
...
Usopp: We’ve been conducting an ongoing study to see what Luffy will and will not eat.
Franky: Grass? Yes!
Usopp: Moss? Yes!!
Franky: Leaves? Ohh, yes!
Usopp: Shoelaces? Strange but true!
Franky: Worms? Sometimes!
Usopp: Rocks? Usually nah.
Franky: Twigs? Usually!
Usopp: Zoro's cooking? Inconclusive!
Chopper: How did you… test this?
Usopp: You just hand him stuff and say ‘eat this’ and if he eats it, he eats it.
Chopper: ... I don’t know how to feel about this.
Nami: IS THAT WHERE ALL MY SHOELACES WENT?
Robin: What about humans? He tried to eat Crocodile once
Everyone: ...
Usopp: I think I might be too afraid to ask
(Someone pls draw this one XD)
...
Betty: In your opinion, what’s the height of stupidity?
Koala: *turning to Sabo* How tall are you?
...
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
That's it, this took forever to write lol
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amongemeraldclouds · 1 month
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spoiler alert
Life can be complicated when you possess a rare kind of magic: the ability to see your future with someone upon meeting them. A chance encounter with Mattheo Riddle reveals more than you bargained for.
(Choose your own ending)
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Mattheo Riddle x f!Reader
Warning: Mostly angst, some fluff, no use of y/n
✿ Masterlist | 1k words
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You cradled the warm cup of tea in your hands as you made your way up the Astronomy Tower, careful not to spill any drop. It was a clear evening, the cool breeze floated lazily through the sky and the stars twinkled brightly. It was the perfect spot to unwind from the pressures of the day.
As you neared the arched balcony, a small orange glow caught your attention. Someone else was here, smoking. He turned upon hearing your footsteps approach.
“Hey stranger,” he called out. You took in his features, curly hair and bright eyes with a lopsided smirk, he was adorable.
“I’m Mattheo, care to smoke with me?” He asked, offering a fresh one from his pack of cigarettes.
You felt it then, magic coursing through your veins from the encounter. Time slowed down as it always did, vague images flashed in your mind and the all knowing voice of your future self spoke to you:
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I tried to find all the words to tell you about this boy and how much you’ll love him. Oh the adventures you’ll have together and all the ways it will break your heart. One day you’re sixteen and you’re falling in love for the first time. Everything feels new and exciting. The warm buzzing in your veins when Mattheo bumps into your shoulder and runs his hand through your hair to brush off a leaf that fell. As if, as if. You’ll know it’s just an excuse but you won’t mind it at all. You’ll spend countless evenings in the Astronomy Tower, you with your tea and him with his cigarettes. You’ll talk for hours even though you’ll never remember every word you exchange. It’s enough to get to know him and hear his voice, a melody you’ll want to keep as the soundtrack to your life. You’ll find yourself spinning at the Yule Ball in a lovely dress feeling like the most beautiful girl in the world. You’ll laugh with him, his hand placed perfectly on your waist, bodies flush as you danced in sync, as if you were made just for each other. His other hand in yours, firm and warm as if he’ll never let go. Of course you had grown up with magic, it belonged in the air like oxygen and it sang in your bones. So you’ll wonder how it’s possible that the world is even more magical when you’re around him? Fast forward to when your wedding dress is tucked away at the back of your closet and his vows are on a crumpled paper in a drawer somewhere.
He’ll be good at forgetting dates and breaking promises. Too busy with his plans and ambitions, none of them will seem to include you anymore.
You’ll be good at forgiveness and do overs. After all, his jagged words and actions will be served in bite sized pieces so you’ll think you can stomach it all. You won’t realize it until your friend tells you that you smile less and stopped talking about your goals. You’ll figure out too late that you hacked away who you were to fit into his life, a wild hedge now perfectly manicured in his front lawn. You’ll tell him what you need, afraid you’re asking for too much. That you are too much. He’ll reassure you he can do better and for a while he does. Spoiler alert: it never lasts long. But here now, you are sixteen and evergreen. The stars are bright and so are your eyes. Your heart burns with dreams unrealized and passions you have yet to discover. Don’t take it for granted. My love, life is short but if you stay where you’re unhappy, life becomes insufferably too long.
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You blink as the quiet returned and time resumed its course. The cool wind caressing your face brought you back to the present. You took a deep breath, warding off the looming nausea in your head. You’ve never seen that far off in the future before, someone potentially so significant in your life.
A crossroad: Do you choose to stay or leave? Scroll down for your answer.
Stay
“Well hi Mattheo, it’s nice to meet you,” you say as you walked towards him and introduced yourself. You take him up on his offer and held the cigarette in between your lips. Mattheo lit it for you so you inhaled the smoke, the first of many, and watched the wind carry away your exhalations. The air hummed with possibilities, romance, and heartbreak. That’s the thing about your visions, there was no way to know for sure if it would play out exactly as you’ve seen it. Where does one draw the line between destiny and our influence on the outcome? If you considered yourself seriously, you could say you’re an adventurer aspiring to chart her own course. But if you were more honest, perhaps you were simply in denial. Either way, you made your choice. You turned to Mattheo and watched him expertly take a drag from his cigarette. You studied the flex of his jaw and the curve of his lips. How can one stranger grow into something more and take up so much space in your life? Soon, you’ll be in love and dancing at a ball. You’re about to have some of the best years of your life and some of your worst. But maybe it’s worth it.
Leave
“No thanks,” you replied to the boy with curly hair and eager eyes and waved goodbye. You walked away without glancing back. Mattheo simply shrugged and returned to his cigarette, lost in his own thoughts once again.  You retreat down the stairs, each step distanced you from a future of bliss and grief. No boy had to be worth your dreams, you thought. It was better this way. As you swivel back to the corridor, your mind swam in the power of choice as future regrets faded from your periphery. You yelped when you stumbled onto someone’s hard chest and warm tea spilled down his shirt. “Shit, I’m sorry,” you exclaimed, far too exhausted with the evening’s surprises. “It’s okay, nothing a little magic can’t fix,” said the boy with perfectly wild hair and a kind smile, already casting a spell to return his shirt to its once pristine condition. You didn’t know him personally, but you recognized him as Lorenzo Berkshire. 
“Now about your spilled tea, can I help you get another one?” he asked. You smiled back at him as magic thrummed in your veins and time started to slowed down.
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✿ Masterlist
Author's note:
✿ Based on the question, “if you knew how things would turn out, would you still make the same choices?”
✿ Another moment I was in my feels and spilled ink instead of the alternative. May have spilled the alternative anyway.
✿ If you chose to leave, of course I had to sneak in my sweet and lovely Enzo in there ♡
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eleanor-bradstreet · 1 year
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Locked Out (Anthony Bridgerton x Reader)
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Anthony Bridgerton x fem!Reader Modern AU Rated: 18+, explicit sexual content, language, mentions of blood Word count: 4.2k
Summary: When you find yourselves locked out of your house in the middle of the night, Anthony has some ideas for how you can kill time.
Author's Note: Inspired by true events that involved all the frustration but none of the fun 😜 This was just an idea that rooted itself. A silly little fic outside my usual style. Thanks to @faye-tale for chatting with me while I waited for a locksmith. 😊 And thanks to @colettebronte who always has the right JB pic for the job. 💜
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You knew this would happen. You had never trusted the smart lock ever since Anthony had installed it. Either some criminal masterminds would hack the whole network of them, or the battery would die and leave you precisely where you were now, standing on the stoop in the chilly air as midnight approached, the moon and your phone as your only light sources. Again you wondered what was so bad about traditional locks as your phone flashed the error message. But Anthony had to get his way, as usual. One news story about a burglar three towns away and the next day he had bought every ‘smart’ home security device on the market.
Well now the stupid lock didn’t work. The first time you had pressed the button you assumed you had tapped something wrong, given how distracted you were. Anthony was crowding against you, one hand slithering over your backside while the other moved to wrap lightly around your throat. He was breathing heavy in your ear, licking your neck with his untamable tongue, a move that always made your eyes cross a bit. But now you had tried three times to unlock the door and it clearly wasn’t working.
“Anthony…”
He just rumbled in response, biting your lobe.
“Anthony!” You nudged him back with your hips, trying to snap him out of it. “The damn lock is broken.” 
“What?” Of course he then had to inspect it himself for a full five minutes, trying every trick on his phone that you had, to no avail.
You stood with your arms crossed. “Where’s the spare key?”
Even in the dim light you could see his jaw set with aggravation. “Inside.”
You scoffed, “You didn’t hide it outside like you said you would?”
“I don’t want to leave a key to our property lying around for anyone to find. This thing was supposed to be top-of-the-line.” He growled.
You couldn’t help your eyes from rolling. “Anthony, that’s why you hide it…”
“Let me try the back.” He jogged off the steps and around the house through your garden gate. You both knew full well that he had rigged your back door with the same space age lock as the front and wasn’t likely to have any success. All you wanted was to get inside, to get warm and have a glass of wine. You looked up at the glare of the full moon. That must be to blame for your misfortune.  
You weren’t going to wait forever and searched the number for a 24-hour locksmith. You were just about to dial when the sound of shattering glass echoed over your lawn followed by a loud curse. Oh good lord…
Before you could even detect which side of the house it came from, Anthony stepped out of the shadows, holding a forearm aloft.
“Anthony Bridgerton, what the hell did you do?” You hissed as loud as you dared, mindful of disturbing your neighbors.
But you knew exactly what he had done when he drew closer and you could see the bloody pulp that now constituted his knuckles. More alarming was the long, jagged tear in the sleeve of his shirt through which you could see the matching slice on his skin, blood already seeping out to darken the fabric.
“Broke the side window,” he grumbled. 
“And how did that work out for you, genius?”
His eyes flashed. “The damn latch is too high. I couldn’t reach it inside.”
Excellent. Now you would need to replace your window as well as hire a locksmith. Your simple date night was turning into quite the misadventure. The cold was starting to seep in. Not expecting to spend time outside, you wore only a dress and no coat. You were so tired and irked you were bordering on a tantrum. But your husband was bleeding, quite a lot, and you couldn’t bring yourself to ream him out while he was injured.
“Jesus,” You huffed, taking his good arm and pulling him over to your car in the drive. Fortunately this piece of your property had a keyfob, making it your only form of shelter at the moment. “Sit down,” you ordered, opening the driver’s side door and pushing him into the seat. You crouched next to him and turned his wrist to inspect the damage. It was ugly, the whole sleeve from the elbow down stained red already. 
Before you even suggested it, he tugged the cuff of his other sleeve with his teeth, slipping his whole shirt up and over his head until it hung only on his bloodied limb. 
“Haven’t you ever watched movies?” You chastised as you began to wind the fabric around the gash. A gorgeous knit shirt ruined forever. “You wrap your arm with your shirt before you punch through glass.”
“Well I’m sorry for trying to solve our problem.” He snipped. You responded by pulling a tight knot, causing him to hiss. 
But your frustrated energy threatened to redirect into something else entirely as you surveyed him. Even after all this time together, you went a bit speechless whenever you saw him shirtless. It really was obscene for someone to be so attractive. Broad-shouldered and muscular, with the most perfect patch of soft hair across his chest. Running your hands over him had reached the level of compulsion, beyond mere desire. Seeing as his torso was streaked with blood from his haphazardly bandaged arm, you gave in under the pretense of tending to him. You drifted your fingers up his carved abdomen and onto his chest where his movements slowed under your palm, his breaths deepening. 
“I don’t have anything to clean you up with.” You were more agitated than apologetic. How fast were you going to devolve into naked, bloodied neanderthals all because you didn’t have a house key?
“It’s fine.” He laid his good hand over yours, holding it in place. You could feel the strong thrum of his heart. He knew what he was doing. Trying to dissipate your anger by turning himself into a distraction. But you wouldn’t let him. Someone had to remedy this situation. 
You quirked a brow. “Should I call the paramedics or the locksmith?”
His pursed-lips look of annoyance was one you saw often and always relished. It was usually the only way he admitted you were right in a spat. Nudging him a few inches, you perched next to him on the seat.
“How long will they take?” he asked when you hung up.
“Half an hour.”
“What are we supposed to do until then?” You knew that silky edge to his voice and turned to look at him. His eyes, always dark, glinted most dangerously at night. Darkness suited him much more than daylight and even though you knew your husband was putty in your hands, one flash of those eyes made you feel like prey.
You shivered, due to him as much as the wind. “Whatever we do, I’m staying in here. It’s too cold.” You wouldn’t give in that easily. You stood and moved to walk to the passenger side but an arm curled around your waist and tugged you back onto his lap, then the door was pulled shut beside you. 
“Imagine how cold I am without a shirt on.” His low voice reverberated through the enclosed space and soft lips landed on your shoulder. His arm was still banded around you, holding you tight. The devil. 
You twisted to face him again, already knowing you would lose this battle. He smirked, just a glimpse of teeth in the blue glow of the fading dash lights lending fangs to your predator. Wasn’t he the wounded one? How did he gain the upper hand so quickly? You rested your hands on his chest again and knew he was lying. He was warmer than you and heating up by the second, his breath gusting over your forearms as you stared each other down. Each time you touched one another in places otherwise typically clothed, it brought out your animalistic tendencies. But seeing him like this, cast in shadow and roughed up, was causing something especially carnal to simmer inside you.
“We can turn the car on for heat.” You argued, never wanting to grant him the last word.
But then he pressed himself against you, hands spreading wide to grasp your bottom as he nuzzled his jaw against your cheek. He knew all of your buttons. One pass of his short beard across your skin and it was over. 
“Mmmm…” he hummed in your ear, the baritone he reserved to devastate you. “Bad for the environment. We can keep each other warm.”
Then his tongue resumed its journey up your neck, leaving you gasping until he traced it into your waiting mouth.
Damn him. You hated and loved how easily he made you go to pieces. If you were being honest, the feelings worked in tandem. It was often when you were the most aggravated with him that you reached the highest peaks in your lovemaking. As your tongues swirled around each other, you knew this would be one of those times. But you’d have to be quick unless you wanted to put on a show for the locksmith. This was reckless, juvenile, but you didn’t care. 
“I suppose you’re right.” You murmured over his lips then pushed him roughly back against the seat. His eyes lit with excitement as you maneuvered to straddle him, hiking your skirt up your thighs, kicking off your heels and underwear as you went. His splayed hands ran up to your back and crushed you to him for another hungry kiss. You moaned into one another, overcome with the rush of it all, with the risk you may be seen. As you held his jaw possessively, you wormed a hand down to the seam of his trousers.
“Do you have enough blood left to power this thing?” You smirked, nipping at his lower lip.
“See for yourself,” came the husky reply. Pressing down, you felt the bulge and rocked your palm against it. His responding noise caused a familiar jolt of desire to shoot through your every cell. You knew you were already soaking, aching and ready for him. In a flurry, the two of you fought off his belt and buttons and shoved his clothes down his thighs until his cock sprang free, rigid and hot in your hand. Positioning yourself, you swiped the head across your entrance, gathering the slick then swirling it around your throbbing clit. Anthony groaned, biting his lip and gripping you tight by the hips as you lined up and sank down onto him, your cry seeming all the louder in the small, insulated cab.
There was a reason you had given him the private nickname ‘Logsplitter’. Getting far too candid over too many drinks one night, you had told him how fantastically split open he made you feel. Had described that meniscus seal between pain and pleasure and how his body drove yours to it perfectly and kept you dancing upon it until it fractured and plunged you into liquid bliss. The next day you had been mortified but he eased your anxieties by making it the most enduring joke in your relationship. The bastard had even woven it into his wedding speech, announcing that he would still find joy in life’s mundane tasks with you, whether it be laundry, dishes, or log splitting. Public mentions of it sent heat rushing to your cheeks, but in practice behind closed doors it sent heat rocketing under every inch of your skin. He was so stiff and formidable, stretching you so splendidly. You began to move so that you could savor every inch.
Planting your hands on his shoulders for leverage you began to ride him at a steady clip, reminding yourself that you couldn’t dally. His fingers pressed deeper into your hips as his breath turned staccato with whispered curses. You gave a passing thought to the fact that his injured arm was probably streaking blood across your dress, but thankfully it was black and therefore might be saved. 
As much as you were enjoying yourself, this was still a ridiculous situation. Bleeding and rutting in the driver’s seat of your car like you were criminal lovers on the lam and not just idiots who hadn’t kept a spare key to the house. And you were on a timeline. Fueled by a potent blend of frustration and arousal you began to move faster, pistoning on your knees as the leather squeaked. There wasn’t much extra space on the seat for your legs and your increased pace made you slip, pitching forward as one shin fell off the side.
Anthony caught you, hands moving up to your ribs as he chuckled. “Woah. Do I need to strap you in, baby girl?”
You could have slapped him. He only used that name for you when he really wanted to get you riled. Clearly he was enjoying your little tryst, finding the fun in this mess that he caused.  You’d like to see him try and fuck you in the front seat. Glaring, you stepped on the recline controls and he stuttered in surprise as he sank backward until he was supine beneath you. Steadying yourself again you doubled your efforts, riding him hard as you held him pinned at the chest.
“You’re enjoying this too fucking much.” You ground out.
“What?” He played the innocent.
“We could be inside,” You panted, every word bouncing with your movements. “In bed. Uninjured. If you had just hidden the key…” Your breath caught as you tilted your hips and felt him strike against the deepest part of you, a twinge that increased your ache. “...and not changed the stupid locks.”
“So this is my fault?” His voice was all seduction, no remorse to be found. His eyes, what little you could see of them, gazed up at you as a hand moved to knead your breast.
“Yes.” You moaned, starting to climb the ladder as his fingers and his cock simultaneously found all the right spots to make you mindless. 
“And you’re mad at me?”
“So fucking mad.” You gasped, leaning forward into his palm and angling yourself just so, feeling the ridge of him deep inside start to massage your center of sensation.
He craned his neck to ghost his lips over yours and whispered, “How can I apologize?”
Then his hand moved below your skirt and his fingertips found your clit. Pierced with sensation, you screamed some garbled syllables of his name.
He chuckled, warm and dark. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”
Oh, he was awful. Driving you to delirium even when you were the one on top. You had found your rhythm, rolling your hips to sink him perfectly into place over and over. Coupled with the press of his circling fingers, you were shooting up the ladder, your blood beginning to hum with anticipation. Maybe you could pull this off in time after all. 
“Fuck you…” you hissed.
“You certainly are.”
“Anthony, shut up!” You clamped a hand over his mouth, bringing the other to claw into his shoulder. You had assumed Anthony Bridgerton, man of refined tastes, would have found this all as debased as you did, but he was evidently having the time of his life. Maybe the laugh riot was precisely because he knew you were so flustered, which just made you angrier. But the anger was consigned to your mind only, as your body delighted in him. Warm and firm beneath your palms, he started to move with you, thrusting ever so slightly while his mangled hand pulled you down at the hip, slamming your bodies together as tight as he could on your every descent. His fingers swirled faster, just where you needed them, and soon enough you reached the top rungs, everything surging within.
Anthony mumbled something against your fingers, his breath hot and short, matching yours as you hovered over him. You released him, your mind too clouded with pleasure to fight him anymore. Your thighs began to quake while the rest of you started to tense.
“It feels like you’re about to forgive me.” He purred, and all you could do was whine, squeezing your eyes shut as your hips bucked against him desperately. “Come on then,” he coaxed. “I think I’ve earned it.”
One more thrust and circle of his fingers and you peaked, crying out as your nails sank into the flesh of his shoulder and your other hand scrabbled for purchase in his thick hair. Release radiated out from the epicenter of his touch, spasms clenching around his cock which now felt impossibly huge, fanning out through every muscle. You writhed, circling your pelvis against his as you rode it out and moaned.
“Oh, fuck yes,” he growled from the darkness. “That’s my girl.”
Gasping, you collapsed on top of him, basking in the warmth of his bare skin and the caresses of his hands across your back as aftershocks curled your spine. As you floated, you trailed your fingers into his chest hair. You contemplated extending your forgiveness verbally too, but when you propped up to look at him you saw a flash of headlights through the back window. A truck was turning down your street. 
You cursed under your breath and glanced a kiss across Anthony’s lips before pulling yourself off of him and opening the door, stumbling out into the driveway, your mind still swimming. You tugged your skirt down and tried to smooth your hair as Anthony scrambled to hitch his clothes back over his stark erection. 
“Stay here,” you cautioned and closed the door.
The truck was indeed the locksmith, a very beatific fellow named Lumley. He didn’t cast any judgment as you explained your situation. He professed to having seen it all and you believed him. But you might have been added to his list of unusual encounters after he deftly popped the door lock and let you in to turn on your lights. That’s when his eyes widened and he asked if you were alright. You looked down and realized he was gesturing to the blood streaks on your exposed arms. The way he fixated on your chin, you suspected you had a streak there too.
You laughed to calm him, explaining that your husband had cut his hand (you elected not to tell him how) and that you were both perfectly fine and would clean up now that you could get inside. A little shaken, he politely wrapped up your transaction and drove away. You were too relieved to be embarrassed and went to collect Anthony from the car.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” You swung the door open to find him still reclined. His trousers were back on thankfully, but he was slumped, eyes closed, cradling his raggedly wrapped arm. “Anthony?” You put a hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”
He blinked his eyes open and looked at you blearily. “Feeling a bit woozy.” He mumbled.
Fantastic. Not only had he lost blood, he had sent whatever remained shooting down to his cock and now there was none left in his brain. You didn’t think you were strong enough to carry him indoors if he collapsed, but you wouldn’t leave him in the damned car any longer. Tugging him by his good arm to slowly stand, you then draped it over your shoulders and steered him inside. He could walk just fine even if his head was drooping a bit. 
You kicked the door closed behind you and walked to the sofa, easing him onto it.
“Aright, sit down. I’m going to get the first aid kit.”
You turned but were immediately halted by a hand around your wrist.
“There’s only one thing that’s going to make me feel better.”
The next you knew, you were on your back on the sofa, Anthony pressing you down as his lips consumed yours. He vocalized his want down your throat as his beard rasped against you. What happened to woozy? Maybe being horizontal was the only way he could function at the moment. He rocked his hips between yours, his unsatisfied stiffness insistently seeking entry. Within seconds you were ignited again, helpless against the weight of him, the taste of him, the smell of him. 
“Anthony, if you stain the couch too, I swear…” You mumbled as he sucked at your neck. Tallying the cleanup that remained between the shattered window and your ruined clothes, you would not sacrifice your plush upholstery too. Reaching behind your head, you dragged the throw blanket from the arm of the sofa and quickly bunched it under his blood soaked shirt bandage. He didn’t seem to have heard you, or perhaps he just didn’t care, as he balanced on that elbow and used his other hand to tear open his trouser buttons. You lifted your skirt and helped him, as eager for this as he was. 
You groaned in stereo as he sank into you once again, the sensation more overwhelming now that he was on top of you. His tongue dove into your mouth as well, the most delicious parts of him penetrating you as deeply as they could simultaneously. Vanilla as this position may have been in comparison, you loved it. Being completely underneath him, crushed, consumed and controlled by him. You had taken your pleasure and now you wanted to be a ragdoll in his arms. You didn’t know if your desires were romantic or perverse, but you didn’t care. The feeling of being filled and surrounded by the man you loved made you wildly aroused. 
With no pretense, Anthony went to work pummeling you, chasing his release as urgently and selfishly as you had chased yours. You opened your legs wide, locking your ankles around his back and letting him plough even deeper. You still found this entire ordeal comical, but the man deserved some relief. In the span of an hour he had been chastised, injured, exposed and now blue-balled. This was his only reprieve until you had to undertake the ghastly business of dealing with his wound. And he was bringing pleasure to more than just himself. Predictably, his every thrust teased your clit, his sizable cock pulling all of you so tight that every feeling was heightened. While he panted harsh in your ear, you ran your nails down his rippled back and pert bum, leveraging with your wrapped legs to push up into him, the two of you grinding into one another as you whispered encouragements.
He was splitting you, sending you back to that place where all of your focus zoned in on the feeling of him inside, the relentless pounding of his body into yours that promised to quell every need of your flesh. Your whispered filth turned into small cries and then into silence as he drove harder and harder, his movements frenzied as he started to growl, pushing for the finish. All you could do was hold on as your whole body shifted beneath him, wearing tracks into the upholstery under your shoulders. You held your breath as your mouth fell open, unfailingly stunned at how he could propel you to the edge so easily. He shifted to look down at you. His hair was growing damp with sweat, a chestnut curl falling beautifully across his forehead.  His dark eyes locked into yours, molten. You could read it in each other’s faces - you would come undone together.
Sparing Anthony the balancing act, you brought your hand between your legs and in seconds were breaking, tossing your head back as you succumbed. While the rest of you trembled, you clung to him with your limbs, luxuriating in all the hallmarks of his orgasm, triggered by your own. The way his back arched under your hands as his hips stuttered between your thighs. You loved how his whole body went rigid just before you felt the pulsing inside. He made the most beautiful gasping sound, so contrasted with his animalistic growls leading up to it, his mouth hanging open against your cheek, hot breath stirring your hair.
Absorbing each other’s tremors, he melted into you, resting his head in the crook of your neck and going full dead weight. You tightened your hold around him before he rolled onto the floor. You wound a hand into his hair, tracing patterns across his scalp as you both caught your breath. You looked over at his maimed arm and grimaced. It was a bloody mess. How he had been in the mood for not one, but two romps without a single complaint about an open laceration was a level of stubbornness and libido possessed only by Anthony Bridgerton. Now playtime was over. You had to be adults and handle this.
You kissed the top of his head. “Anthony.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t even grunt in acknowledgement.
You felt a stab of alarm and shook him lightly. “Anthony?”
Then he groaned, nuzzling closer into you. “I think you’re right,” he slurred against your neck. “I need stitches.”
You rolled your eyes but rubbed his back reassuringly. It appeared the adventures of the evening would continue. You just hoped he could still stumble back to the car.
“Okay. I’ll get you another shirt and then drive you to the hospital. And we are taking the spare key with us.”
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Tagging: @angels17324 @bridgertontess @broooookiecrisp
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finntheehumaneater · 4 months
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I owe you a black eye and two kisses (pt 16)
(Part one) ao3 | Pinboard | playlist
comments/reblogs/follows are appreciated, I’m an attention whore
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The girls were in the lawn with Eddie, El sitting next to him while he tried to show her how to play a D-chord on his guitar—not the one he hung on his wall—and Max was sitting on the grass, drawing with a sharpie on the toe of Eddie’s converse. Eddie’s one condition to letting her do it, even though he had suggested that they needed re-decorating, was that it needed to look cool. Max wasn’t all that good at art, and Steve couldn’t see what she was doing all the way from the steps up to the trailer, but he hoped it would turn out okay.
He felt the stairs creak as Wayne sat next to him, a gruff sigh and a hand on his shoulder. “Steve?”
Steve looked over, panic immediately seeping into his chest. Had he done something wrong? “I—I’m sorry, I—“
He was glad Wayne silenced him, squeezing his shoulder gently, because he didn’t even know what he was apologizing for anymore. “S’okay, son. Just wanna talk. M’not mad.”
Steve didn’t believe him, but he sank in on himself, letting Wayne touch him without protest. He looked back over at Eddie, who was laughing, El’s face tucked against his shoulder as she laughed, too, the guitar half falling out of her lap with Eddie’s hand holding it still. 
Steve knew he and Eddie wouldn’t last long enough to talk about getting a house…getting married…getting kids…but he was so good with them. Patient with El and just letting Max vandalize his shoes…
He liked to drive, too. It was perfect. Perfect to fit in Steve’s little fantasy he’d been having since he and Nancy started dating, and even now, after they had broken up. Six kids and long road trips on the coast, somewhere far away from Indiana and all of the shit that had happened here.
“Eds said you were at the mall when it fell-in,” Wayne said quietly, his voice more scratchy the softer it got. “Never understood why you kids were there. It was closed, wasn’t it?”
Steve sighed, feeling tears prick at his eyes. His faded-bruises and scars stung at the memory of it all. There were still bruises on him, up his thighs and down his shoulders, but they were from something softer—something nicer. 
Eddie liked to bite, Steve had found out. And that was fine, if that’s what Eddie wanted to do.
“How are you holding up?” Wayne whispered.
Steve choked on a sob, shaking his head, opening his mouth to apologize but Wayne cut him off, his hand rubbing at Steve’s shoulder, and right then that was the only thing keeping him from breaking down.
“S’okay. You don’t have to be okay,” Wayne murmured, knocking his knee against Steve’s. “I was goin’ to ask if you were okay with Marge and Sunny coming over for dinner. Maybe Ken if she was up for it.”
Steve didn’t understand. It was Wayne’s house, he shouldn’t get to decide whether or not people came over—and that just made the guilt of bringing the girls there without asking crash down on him again, and Steve sobbed. It was quiet and barely-audible, but Steve felt his cheeks flush anyway. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”
“You know you don’t have to say yes, right? I won’t be mad, son, promise. If you’re not up for company, they won’t come.” Wayne’s tone was too gentle. Steve didn’t deserve this. He needed to leave—he needed to go somewhere, anywhere.
“No, it’s fine.”
Wayne sighed and then nodded, standing up and ruffling Steve’s hair, gentle enough that it didn’t mess it up too badly. 
Steve just wanted them to be happy when he was here. He didn’t want to be disruptive, like he had been this whole fucking time.
He’d take the kids back in a minute and apologize for bringing them over when he got back.
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period cramps are fucking killing me, sorry for the lack of updates
(Taglist is open)
@estrellami-1
@randombibitch
@insteviewetrust
@anne-bennett-cosplayer
@hack-saw2004
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lakesbian · 8 months
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the undersiders need to play minecraft together so bad. heres my opinions on undersiders minecraft server as someone who effectively never plays minecraft
taylor: having an autism moment (beating the game in the most terrifyingly efficient manner possible and then clearing out mass amounts of terrain for resources in what is also the most terrifyingly efficient way possible and then creating an excessively large chest library of the obtained resources but forgetting to actually build anything because she is having so much fun creating a very large square hole in the ground)
brian: also having an autism moment (helping taylor with her square hole and then meticulously building an endearingly poorly designed house and then spending several consecutive hours carefully doing interior design and traveling the world to find ideal flowers for his front lawn)
rachel: collecting one million dogs and nametagging every single one and feeding them every day and then getting really upset in real life and quitting when one of them dies in battle
aisha & alec: "redecorating" brian's endearingly poorly designed house and making fun of him for how it looks bad and cringe (which makes him mad and flustered because he recognizes the merit in their critiques so he spends 6 hours looking for minecraft interior design hacks online and then redoing the entire house but good this time and then he tries to show aisha the new house to prove he can be good at video games too but she's too busy using cheat commands to fuck around in caves with alec to come look and it makes brian kind of sad. 🙁.) also they build the world's least aesthetically coherent little house on the planet together and brian gets really mad when he sees it because it demonstrates that CLEARLY they have NO BASIS to insult his.
lisa: the one who set the server up. i know she's Spectating Things and standing there watching taylor's autism moment like. are you having fun. but i know not what Funny Thing she would do. lisa understanders please assist
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hannahssimblr · 25 days
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“What?”
“I said, you tore me out of this photo. I was there too,” I unpin it and hold it out to point to the crooked edge next to Jen where my eleven year old self once stood, tanned and grinning in red swimming shorts, “There, I was there.”
She looks at it, then me, but says nothing. 
“You can still see my shoulder.”
“Yeah.”
“You tore me out of it.”
Again, nothing. 
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I let my arm drop, limply holding the photo between two fingers, speechless I just stare at her as though she might explain herself, give me some reason that makes sense, but she doesn’t, she just stands there chewing on her lip. 
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I tug my shoulders sharply toward my ears, “Why did you do that? That was a nice day. We went swimming in the sea, I rescued you from a jellyfish, remember? I grabbed a piece of driftwood and flung it out of the water for you.”
“Yeah,”
“And later your mam brought us back to my house and we had a water fight on the lawn and made ice cream and coke floats,” I hold the photo out to her in a last ditch appeal, “It was a great day.”
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“Yeah it was nice, we had fun.” She won’t meet my eyes and looks everywhere but at me, like acknowledgement is unbearable.
“What, Michelle? I don’t get it. What did I do that was so horrible?”
She scoffs and turns away. 
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“C’mon, just tell me. I’ve had enough of all this bullshit between us, I’m serious. What is it?”
“Oh come on.”
“No, what?” I toss the photo onto her desk and approach her, my hand on her arm makes her flinch as I spin her to look at me, eyes livid, as I insist upon her, “What?” 
“My God, you’re awful,” she hisses, “Why do you need to hear me saying it? Is it an ego thing? Is it because you’re all single and sad again?”
“What are you on about?”
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“You already know what this is all about, it just gives you a thrill to bring it up.”
“No! I don’t know!”
“Oh cop on,” She slaps my hand off her, “That stuff with Holly, you just don’t remember? That’s convenient.”
“Holly?”
“Oh my God,” she tries to twist away from me but I stop her, “What did Holly say to you?”
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Michelle glares right into my face with a fury that would make a lesser man cower, but I don’t budge. “Tell me!” 
“That you don’t fancy me,” she grinds out, “and that I’m not even pretty.”
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I hesitate. 
She tosses her hand at me and hacks out a laugh, “See, you don’t even deny it.”
“Yeah, I was thirteen and stupid, she was jealous and I suppose I was just telling her what she wanted to hear. Shell!” she backs off and I follow, trying to insert myself into her eye line, “I didn’t mean it, she just didn’t get it, the way it wasn’t like that between us, but I don’t know why she told you that.”
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“It’s because she knew I fancied you, and she thought it was funny how you didn’t fancy me back.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You didn’t, you fancied Holly.” 
I sigh, “Holly was… everyone expected that of me.”
“What does that even mean?” 
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“She liked me, and she was the sort of girl that all the other boys talked about all the time, I felt like I should just go out with her because it’d be the most normal thing to do.”
“Oh my God, that’s ridiculous.”
“Yeah, I know, but I was still a kid and, I don’t know, you, Jen and I had a good thing going, I just didn’t want to risk ruining it.”
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“Well obviously you did, by saying I was ugly and throwing your birthday gifts back in my face.”
“I never said you were ugly, and the birthday gifts… she told me I couldn’t have them because they were from you, but I still liked them! Those pens were better than her gift, you know, I didn’t even like the movie she took me to see,” my attempt at a laugh sounds very weird and tight, “It was actually so shit.”
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Michelle is unmoved, with her arms crossed over her chest she says, “You read what I said in the card and you still threw it away like it was nothing.”
“No, I didn’t- I skimmed- I barely read it.”
She reels back like I’ve spit in her face, “Is that supposed to be better?”
I don’t answer. 
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“‘Dear Jude,’” She recites, “‘Happy thirteenth birthday! I hope you have an amazing day! I just want to say that being your friend is the best! You’re so nice and funny and talented, I’m glad all of the time that you started going to our school because you make our friend group so much better. I hope you like the gel pens, I know you hate drawing with yellow colours because they don’t show up on the page, but I couldn’t exactly take it out of the packet or it would look pretty strange! Maybe you can use them to draw more comics. I look at the one you drew for me with the cowboy cats every day and it still makes me laugh. Is that weird? I hope not. Anyway, I hope you have an amazing birthday because you’re an amazing friend! xxx Michelle.’” She glares at me. The way she positively spat that message at me threw me off a bit, but the essence of it still comes across and makes my stomach sink with shame all of the same. It really was a nice card, and I wish for the millionth time in my seventeen-and-a-half years that I wasn’t such a fucking idiot. 
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“I remember the cowboy cat comic,” I mutter, “Do you still have it?”
It seems as though my stupidity is confounding her, “No, I fucked it into the bin. Obviously. I was heartbroken.”
“Heartbroken?” A bit dramatic, surely. 
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“Yeah. Holly and her friends bullied me for years, and you just went and abandoned me for them.”
“That’s not fair, I didn’t. You pushed me away, remember? You accused me of choosing them, I never chose them. You chose not to be my friend.” 
“Yeah, I wonder why.”
“Why are you being like this?”
“Like what?”
“So stubborn. You can't let this go.”
“Uh! Yeah! Because it’s humiliating.”
“What is? That you fancied me?”
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She brings her hands to her cheeks, burning not with rage, but embarrassment. She takes a shaky breath, “did you know?”
“About you-”
“Yes.”
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I chew on my lip. Of course I did. It was written all over her, the way she was so eager to sit next to me in class or in the car, squeezing into the middle seat just so that her leg could rest against mine. How she jumped at the chance to help me out with something before anybody else could, her laugh, a little bit harder and longer than everyone else's when I told a joke, but not addressing it was always easier. Maybe I liked the attention a little bit, enjoyed being admired by a cute girl, or maybe it was easier, less disruptive than admitting my own uncomfortable, friendship-group-ruining feelings. 
“No, I had no idea,” I say. 
Her eyes are fixed upon the carpet between our feet as though by looking so intently at the looped fibres she can transport herself anywhere other than here with me and my interrogations. 
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“Hey, look at me.”
“No.”
I sigh, “Look, Michelle, I did think you were pretty. That’s why Holly was so jealous. Our friendship made her insecure, and she hated how much I liked hanging out with you. She could sense that I liked you.”
“Oh, come on, that’s the kind of thing you say to those stupid girls at school so that they’ll let you borrow their homework or something.”
“I really did!”
“You used to throw potato wedges at me outside the deli!”
“Yeah! That’s how you show a girl you fancy her when you’re twelve!”
Her laugh is humourless, “Please.”
“I’m telling you I did,” I take her wrist, with her pulse jumping under my fingers and hold her like that, for reasons I’m not sure of, perhaps just for connection. Close like this I can feel the heat of her body. I am desperate to show her how serious I am. “And if I wasn’t so stupid I might have done something about it.”
“Too late.”
“It’s not.”
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I bend and kiss her before she can argue any more. Once, just once, but insistently, and I pull back hard with a smack expecting outrage on her face but I find only surprise, desire, and eyes that flick from my eyes to my mouth and back. I kiss her again, slow this time, deep, sure, as my hands hold her hips close to mine, willing for this kiss to wipe it all away, all of the years of hurt and anguish between us, and she lets me kiss her, and she kisses me back with hands that thread through my hair and lips that part so I can slide my tongue inside her mouth.
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My knees knock against hers in our clumsy waltz towards her bed and we come down on it together, my body pressing against hers and my fingers finding the warm skin beneath her t-shirt. I draw back to look at her again, dark eyes and full lips and skin, as is mine, blushed amber with the first rays of dawn that stream through the window. 
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“Do you want to stop?” I say, and she shakes her head. 
“No.”
And outside, as the sun creeps up over Clontarf, the branches of the cherry blossom trees hold their leafy arms up in surrender. 
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