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#I posted this earlier and then accidentally deleted it right afterwards
sarahsandoesart · 4 years
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“Friends, huh? Just friends?”
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cooki3face · 3 years
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My post-shower routine 🧸✨
I typed this once before and accidentally deleted it, but I'm going to attempt to type it again, maybe even better this time for you guys. This is the part two or second half to my first post on this topic where I went over my in shower routine with you guys, it did so well overnight thank you so much by the way, I really appreciate your support and I hope you enjoy my post. <33 You can find the first part, where I talked about my in shower routine right here. If you haven't, please read the first one before you read this one so that you can get my complete regimen.
♡ Facial Skin Care ♡
I often remove my makeup as soon as I get home so breaking down my makeup depending on how much I have on and removing it isn't always included in this part. I start by using my Conair True Glow facial spin brush to wash my face and make sure I'm getting it extra clean and removing anything else that may be leftover on my skin from my day. I use Mary Kay's Clear Proof Acne System as my go-to. I'll begin with the Clear Proof Clarifying Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin then move onto the Clear Proof Pore-Purifying Serum, Clear Proof Spot Solution, and last but not least, the Clear Proof Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin in that order.
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♡ Moisturizing & Prepping skin for the night ♡
I know what you're thinking; "why did you stand there in your towel or butt naked to do skin care when you could've done this part first?" Lol I don't know why I do it this way I just do. But this is my most favorite part of my whole post shower routine I love to stay moisturized and smooth especially if I've just shaved or removed any body hair. First I start with this really lovely Lavender and Chamomile infused Petroleum jelly from Amazon. I apply it all over my body, when it comes to using petroleum products less is more and a little goes a long way. And then I top it off with my Hempz Spun Sugar and Vanilla Bean Herbal Body Moisturizer I adore this lotion, it smells so good and it has glitter in it. My peers compliment me on my glowing glittery skin all the time 💖 it's definitely my staple lotion now. And now, because I'm extra, I like to dap a little bit of vanilla scented essential oil on my wrist, behind my ears, and on my collar bones. I highly recommend that you invest in some essential oil of your choice if you're not into perfumes, they last all day long and come in a variety of beautiful and yummy fragrances to choose from. I've been using the one that I have at the moment for quite a while and a friend of mine told me that my signature smell was so nostalgic to them that it reminded them of the very first year we spent with one another. I'll never forget that compliment <333
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♡Oral Hygiene♡
First, I begin with floss because if I don't my dentist will surely have something slick to say and attack my gums with her sharp metal tool. Then I like to use my Hello activated charcoal toothpaste, then I make sure to rinse with mouthwash for 60 seconds, and afterwards I use a special LED whitening light that has a built in timer just to make sure my smile is extra pretty.
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♡Hair Prep♡
I am a black girl so wrapping my hair and protecting it throughout the night is highly important to me. Whether I have braids, a wig, or I'm rocking my natural I always tie my hair down and put on a bonnet before bed. If I have braids a ponytail and a bonnet will do just fine, If I have a wig I'll tie down my lace to make sure it's laid in the morning and put my bonnet on top, if my hair is out in an afro I'll use a rubber band/hair tie method and put my hair up in sections to be sure it doesn't shrink over night and if I've styled my natural hair earlier that evening I'll tie down my edges and put a bonnet on as well. Remember, if you have curly hair, always choose a bonnet that makes you feel pretty and special. I've got a silky pink bonnet, princess vibes for sure.
♡Vitamins♡
I take three different vitamins/supplements before bed. Cranberry pills for urinary tract health (take care of your 😻 it's the only one you'll ever get to keep.) A biotin pill because my external beauty is just as important as my internal beauty and I stand by that, and a melatonin gummy so I'm promised a good amount of beauty sleep before the next day, being sleepy/drowsy and productive don't mix.
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As always,
Stay pretty, - 𝓑
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seacottons · 4 years
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uni!au with ateez — [ part one ]
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—[ san - performing arts ]
ironically, you met when you helped him after a taller male shoved him down whilst in a heated argument.
he burst out laughing when you asked if he was okay.
“don’t worry, we’re just practicing our lines!”
you quickly glanced up at the building and grimaced once taking sight of the gleaming silver ‘performing arts building’ plaque.
of course.
to say you were embarrassed was only scratching the surface.
you had no regrets, because the incident was the catalyst that formed your friendship and eventual relationship.
will never let you live that moment down.
“remember when you tried to save me from mingi?”
“i thought we promised not to bring that up again-”
“why can’t i? i was saved by an angel that day?”
san invites you to both his dance and theatre shows.
will appear to be very professional on stage, but you catch his eyes frantically darting to the crowd to try and spot you.
and once he does, he will repeatedly smile and wink in your direction.
you’re always early, so you manage to snag a seat in either front two rows.
likes when you bring him bouquets as a congratulation gift after his performances.
gets very loud backstage just to let everyone know you bought him a gift.
a huge show-off.
is very good at facial expressions.
you fall for every time he pretends he’s crying or hurt when you don’t give him attention.
he will imitate different characters and repeat after actors while you two watch movies together.
“it sounded sexier when i said it, right (y/n)?”
is a very clingy cuddle bug.
and a leech.
will always have his arms around you while walking at campus.
loves to give you back hugs.
is the type to wait outside for you until you finish class.
and takes you to the cafeteria afterwards for lunch.
embarrasses you in said cafeteria by spinning the lunch tray while waiting in line.
also likes to spin your phone just to freak you out.
also the type to excitedly text you about the donuts and coffee they’re giving away at the library’s breezeway.
likes to refer to you as ‘angel’.
will beg you join the different clubs he’s in.
and then brag about you to the others once you do.
will hype your choice of attire even if he’s already seen you earlier that day.
the type to also sneak you a latte in the middle of your class.
also the type to sneak in with you during your auditorium classes.
you regret it sometimes because he leaves no room for you to pay attention to your professor.
often times, so much so that you have to lightly pinch his side in protest.
“do you want me to fail this class?”
he likes to participate in the many events held at campus.
everyone knows him.
challenges you to dance offs in the middle of campus.
you refuse and push forward a startled mingi instead.
“mingi wants to have a turn this time!”
also likes to lay in your arms whilst you play with his hair.
“were you a cat in your previous life?”
he will then proceed to meow in your ear.
“i’ll take that as a yes.”
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—[ hongjoong - fashion design ]
dating him would consist of always admiring his new projects.
supplying him with unhealthy amounts of coffee.
trying out new pieces he made.
offering to carry his overly large portfolio binder sometimes.
sitting down and listening to him rant about how his roomates fail to wash clothes properly.
he has a guide taped to the washing machine with the different symbols of clothing labels.
“no, san, you can’t use shampoo as detergent.”
“but seonghwa finished all the detergent!”
using seonghwa’s lint rollers to remove all the fabric fibers stuck on hongjoong’s clothes.
you scold him while cleaning the bleeding scratches on his fingers from his sewing needles and pins.
“don’t worry, it’s nothing i can’t handle.”
“but i don’t like seeing you get hurt, you bum.”
you bought him strawberry bandaids because he thought they were cute.
sometimes, when he has time, he’ll custom make clothes just for you.
he insists on having multiple matching outfits.
will ask you to model his work for his social media page.
thinks you look best in skirts.
you’ll be the source of comfort during presentation week.
he’ll be a wreck whilst making a new collection.
but you’re always there to pick him back up.
most of the time, you’re the source of his inspiration as well.
you insist he shouldn’t sit for hours writing essays or sketching numerous ideas for future work.
but he’s stubborn as a mule.
nights with him include binge watching fashion shows or cute cartoons.
or painting your nails.
you both enjoy coffee dates when you have time.
he tells you he wants to open a fashion line one day.
you’re trying to stand still as he plucks numerous pins into the dress you’re trying on.
“what do you think i should call it?”
“hj couture? does that sound too basic?”
he pauses momentarily before spooling the leftover red thread.
“(y/n). i’ll call the line (y/n).”
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—[ wooyoung - culinary arts ]
invites you to his dorm and cooks for you.
his apartment always smells of warm spices and comforting meals.
pretends his roommates’ teasing doesn’t affect him, but the tips of ears always glow red.
will always bring over leftovers he made in class.
“i just thought you wanted to try this mille feuille.”
“which one is better? the salted rosemary loaf or the oregano and olive oil one?”
loves to bake and cook with you.
will make your birthday cake from scratch and will go all out decorating it.
has an annoying habit of taking pictures of you mid-bite.
“delete that right now.”
“but babe, you look so cute.”
“jung wooyoung!”
will wrestle with you as you attempt to take his phone away.
“okay, look! i swear i’ll delete it!”
he saves it in a hidden folder.
calls you his ‘cupcake’ or ‘sugarplum’.
teases you nonstop when you fail at something in the kitchen.
“babe! no! gentle folds! you pulverized those poor blueberries!”
“but the instructions say to mix!”
“the dough isn’t supposed to be blue!”
he’ll whine nonstop about how much he hates baking bread in class.
“do you know how abnoxiously long the fermentation process is!? i’m losing my mind.”
will wave and yell your name to catch your attention if he spots you nearby at campus.
you hear him every time.
he’s just that loud.
drags you to new restaurants just so you can rate them with him.
also drags you to go cutlery shopping.
accidentally dropped a plate in the store.
and when the employee came sauntering in the aisle suspiciously-
“(y/n) did it.”
once gave you food poisoning by accident.
you never wanted to eat scallops again.
you don’t mind his hands smelling like garlic or ginger most of the time.
or stained with spices.
“turmeric is a bitch.”
“woo, who wears white while cooking with turmeric anyway?”
will show off and brag about his knife skills.
demands to race with you to see who can chop the vegetables the quickest.
“you’re going down, (y/n).”
“uh- i don’t think i ever stood a chance to begin with.”
he lets you win sometimes though.
will beg you to visit him at his part time job at the cute cafe not too far by.
you always try to when you have the time.
and when he finds out you went to the rival cafe across the street one day..
“on a scale of 10 to 10, how bad is kang yeosang’s cooking?”
“what?”
“answer the question, (y/n).”
“woo, it’s 3 a.m.”
the next day, you explained that you were merely invited by your classmates to that particular cafe because one of them was a former employee there.
he childishly ignored you with crossed arms and a subtle pout.
“your jajangmyeon is much better. they didn’t even like the food there!”
he finally perks up with a large smile.
“wait, really?”
you think he looks endearing with his apron and chef’s hat.
will post cheesy captioned pictures of you after serving you delicately decorated plates of food.
‘two delicious meals for tonight, hehe.’
“gross. did you really have to say that?”
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—[ jongho - kinesiology ]
you met him at the university gym and instantly clicked.
found yourself months later agreeing to go out with him.
a giant goofball.
sometimes makes faces at you while you exercise across the gym.
makes sure you watch him when he deadlifts.
loves when you hype him up.
opens all the jars for you.
and cuts all the fruit for you.
“why use a knife when you have my hands, love?”
you nearly choked on your saliva when he punched open the watermelon.
“can we ever just have a perfectly sliced watermelon!?”
“no- unless i break my arm one day.”
insists you jog with him around campus early in the morning.
likes to practice wrapping elastic tape on you.
you own half of his hoodies.
takes you to watch basketball matches.
then challenges you to a match when you go on dates to the park.
will persistently tease you about your poor aim.
and will absolutely not let you have the ball for more than a few seconds.
“stop cheating!”
“i’m not cheating! you just suck!”
joined you in some of your elective classes.
will also wear sleeveless shirts because he knows how flustered you get while his sculpted muscles are on display.
“what did professor kim just say?”
“what?” you tore your gaze from his biceps to glance at his face.
“are you staring at my arms again?” he snickers.
“no,” you say too quickly, face heating quite considerably.
despite his teasing, he’ll always baby you and take care of your needs.
has the cutest gummy smile.
you like to call him your gummy bear.
he hated the name at first, but grew to accept it over time.
likes to randomly pick you up.
sometimes will throw you over his shoulder.
has a habit of patting your thighs.
sometimes asks you to sit on his back while he does push-ups.
your eye bulged at the sight of a mop of ruby hair.
“don’t say anything.”
“you like apples so much you dyed your hair red?”
“i lost a bet.”
“you look cute though.”
you tugged at his tresses, smiling as you admired the shade against his tanned skin.
“baby?” you brushed his bangs away to display his forehead.
“hm?”
“you’re the apple of my eye.”
“i’m-,” he sucked on his teeth and pursed his lips, face scrunching in a mock grimace, “i’m going to throw up.”
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Daily Blog #15: August 22, 2021
Dollar Tree is honestly pretty fucking awesome 👌👌👌
I set my alarm for like 6:25 this morning, but it took 6 minutes for the "Horsin' Around" theme song instrumental to wake me up. I was pretty tired lol. I just dismissed it and went back to sleep.
I only went back to sleep because I knew I had another alarm set for 7:00. That got me up.
I should mention that this was still in the RV over an hour away from the house.
After I got up, I went to go get a shower, and did so successfully.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten my brush this time and had to do it afterwards after my hair had a bit of time to dry, which did make it a little more difficult lol.
I got dressed and grabbed my stuff, putting it into my car.
I made it a point to see and say "see you later" to my grandparents before I left for the flea market.
My dad insisted that I stayed to say goodbye to my mom, so I left.
I did NOT have cell service up there, as was mentioned in my previous 2 blogs of which I could only post today, so finding my way was a tiny bit difficult until I got some service to ask Google to take me to "...".
It worked and I got there.
On my drive, I listened to 1 by Simple Kid, a CD I had previously purchased at a Dollar Tree location.
I got a call from the guy at the flea market saying that I had some people there waiting for me. He asked how far away I was, to which I said "about 10 minutes." Ironically, that call made me miss my exit, as Google couldn't talk during the call, and added about 3 minutes to my arrival time lmao.
I did sell the Xbox that he said someone was interested in. I got $40 for it. I spent 27¢ on it. Pretty good return if you ask me.
I couldn't sell it with anything other than a power cord because the controller and AV cables I had been using to play it there were for my personal console. I'm just glad I can actually hook my Xbox up and stop having to drag them to the flea market along with a small library of games.
Not too long after I sold the Xbox, someone came in and asked if I wanted to see some electronics he had in his car. I went out with him. It was a pair of 3ft speakers and a Pioneer audio system with dual cassette decks (although neither of them works) and a 25 Disc CD-changer, as well as the standard AM/FM tuner. Additionally, there was a Fisher amplifier and AM/FM tuner as well as a Fisher Direct Drive turntable. He said he wanted $60 for em, but before that he casually, and probably accidentally, dropped that he was just gonna take em to the thrift store.
Big mistake.
I got em for $35 lmao. THERE GOES MOST OF MY PROFIT.
Oh well.
I tested everything. As I mentioned, the cassette decks don't work, but everything else does apart from the turntable needing a new stylus.
I posted some new photos of the shop to Facebook, and someone soon DMed me about a stereo system.
I priced everything, and it turns out I have about $300 worth of equipment from that deal, the Fisher amp and tuner being worth about $150.
The buyer will hopefully show up next weekend, for he wants to buy the Fisher stuff ($185 with the turntable), the 3ft speakers, an 8-track deck, and a Kenwood deck we've had for a week or two.
The speakers are listed for $50 (and are worth around $100-150), the Kenwood Deck for $50 as well, and the 8-track for $35. That makes it about $320 in equipment. Since he's buying so much, I'll knock it down to $270 and essentially give him the speakers or cassette deck for free lol.
Apart from that stuff, not much happened at the flea market. I sold some records, cassettes, CDs and I think 2 DVDs. One person bought a VHS tape? That money was the other guy's though. Oh well xD.
I can't say that I didn't miss my wonderful partner while on the trip. I actually brought along the stuffed animal they gave me (who's name is Greg) and snuggled with him both nights.
I was very happy to hear from them UwU.
They let me rant and I let them rant.
I honestly give them too much responsibility over me xD. I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna do this. HOLD ME TO IT."
I know I can't hold myself to anything I personally say (this blog being the only exception apparently), but I listen to them pretty well I think 🤔. If they tell me, "No, you don't need that VCR," so long as it's not some weird specialty thing, like a worldwide VCR 🥵, I'll be like "Yeah, you rite bro."
I love you man xD. You control my craziness pretty well. I'm so thankful for you UwU.
#relationshipgoals
So part way through the flea market day, I went over to Dollar Tree to buy some snack, but ended up looking through the CDs to see if there was anything good. I took photos of about 18 CDs and flipped through them online for the remainder of the flea market day.
I deleted the photos of the ones I didn't want and kept those that I liked. Surprisingly, I ended up buying 13 CDs there, but not before dropping them on the floor like the dumbass I am.
Also, sorry for all the nerd shit I spilled on your lap earlier. No one cares about amps and tuners xD.
I'M LISTENING TO ONE OF THE DOLLAR TREE CDS RIGHT NOW THO.
I already transferred over to my online library on iBroadcast and put the disc into my CD changer, which is now holding 164 CDs.
Its max capacity is 300 discs 🥵
WHY AM I NERD
Oh well
I like being a nerd gurl
Also maybe a technosexual 👀
I get really excited over some electronics. Like. REALLY excited.
Some editing VCRs are like "Holy shit that is SEXY. Look at those goddamn VU meters 🥵. And hhhh there are like 7 inputs on this thing and individual controls for left and right audio gain, not to mention Hi-Fi S-VHS recording. Hhhhhhhhhhh please gimme 😭. Why are you so expensive?"
I uh, mean, uh, *cough* look, pretty lights.
Oh yeah, I was gonna say the album I was listening to xD. MAN I GOT SIDETRACKED.
It's 37 Everywhere by Punchline. Def give it a listen; it's pretty heccin good.
Another notable album I picked up was Page One by Steven Page. I very much like the first track, "A New Shore." It's quite catchy and he has a great voice imo.
Also at dollar tree, I bought a regular bag of Fieras and 2 bags of Fieras Sticks, which were marked down to 75¢/bag because they're expiring soon.
I honestly like the generic Dollar Tree version of Takis more than actual Takis. They're a lot more flavorful when it comes to the lime, but also hotter at the same time.
Don't get the hot nacho ones tho. Hot nacho? More like hot pile of shit.
HAH
Goteem.
They're not that good xD.
THE REGULAR ONES ARE FIRE THO
"How do you do fellow kids?"
I got home and started working on putting the CDs onto my computer, and then onto iBroadcast, but not without first adding The Music Man to my digital library, something I had neglected for a month or two. The CD had just been sitting there lol.
I also switched my digital file for "The Black Parade" to that of the uncensored CD, which I had purchased before I event started working over 2 months ago.
MAN I'M LAZY
I eventually get around to shit tho lol. I guess it's just a matter of priority.
What usually takes priority is digging through everything to find something that I forgot about but then remembered, making a mess in the process that I would then have to clean up, at least partially.
I think the album just ended. I've been writing for a while xD. I'ma start "I Made You Something" by The Island of the Misfit Toys.
I'll tell you where that album came from in a minute.
In the meantime, where was I?
I kinda lost my train of thought despite reading up to see where I was. Oh well. On I go.
I ate dinner and kept working on those CDs, eventually putting my clothes from the week into the washer.
I FORGOT TO PUT MY SHAPING UNDERWEAR IN. FUCKING HELL MAN.
I wanted to wash em for this week 😭
No tight pants for Leonna I guess qwq.
Meanwhile, the box of my CD album cases is overflowing. I need another box.
I keep all of the album artworks in a big CD folder. That's almost full.
I wanna fill my entire CD changer. That's one of my big goals in life. Idk why, but I just wanna legitimately fill the entire thing.
My clothes are in the dryer now. I don't think I have the time (or energy) to fold them tonight. I'll leave that for tomorrow morning before work.
And God. Fucking. Damnit. I start school again on Wednesday. NOT looking forward to that, and neither are my 2 coworkers. We already have low enough staff, but only the two of them working is gonna be a pain in the ass.
I'll still work Saturdays.
I need to contact my guidance counselor to get out of the gym class I signed up for. I scheduled this shit before I found out I was trans, and I don't wanna deal with the fucking locker room situation 🙄 I have far more important matters.
Okay so anyway, the album I'm listening to came from a cassette. I bought this cassette a few months ago at the flea market along with a few others. The reason I bought them? They were all newer cassette releases from the 2010's, and they're all actually pretty good music from very indie bands.
Currently getting mad at iBroadcast's compression algorithm. It's unnaturally fucking anything over -10db up. Oh well, there's not really anything I can do about it.
I have like 13GB of music on my phone btw. That's about 3.5k songs on 268 albums.
I'm kind of an audiophile, but I'm too cheap to pay for a lossless service. Oh well.
They do actually have a lossless service on iBroadcast, but once again, too cheap.
Someone just sent me a friend request who legitimately posted that BLM and the democratic party are hate groups.
BLOCK.
Goodbye ho.
I don't get that. They call the democratic party a hate group when they hate people like me, and I, being more of a democrat although not fully because the 2-party system is fucked, think nothing more of them than they're very wrong about certain things, especially, as shown, that black people, as well as asian, Indian, native, and people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, are not equal to white people.
Yeh.
Totally.
You go buddy.
Anyway, yeah, I can, and do, convert music and video from analog formats to digital files in order for me to archive and listen to whenever and wherever I please. I've actually made a bit of a business out of it, but I don't get too much work from it. At least I'm not overloading myself xD.
I honestly have so much more to say, but I should probably go to sleep soon.
A few final shoutouts to the following people and companies:
-Dollar Tree
-Steven Page
-Broken World Media
-The Island of Misfit Toys
-Simple Kid
-Punchline
-My incredible partner QwQ I love you so much. Thanks for being the best all the time. I hope I can give you the best life ever.
Anyway I suppose this is goodnight. Lmk if you want a full list of the CDs I bought today! I'll link that song by Steven Page here.
And here's a good song from Simple Kid
I really like music lol. Enjoy these pieces.
Anyway, goodnight lol.
Lots of love,
-Leonna.
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Survey #252
my personal laptop has to be fixed, so therefore i don’t have games to play, so expect plenty of these to pass the time lmao.
Have you ever said something just to see what kind of reaction you’d get? No, not that I remember. Have you ever confronted someone about using too much chat-speak? ??? No??? Have you ever revealed someone’s secret, after promising not to tell? No. Secrets are one thing I'm very serious about respecting. What is one emotion that you experience regularly? STRESS, MOTHERFUCKER. Describe the last major change you made concerning your hairstyle? Lopped it all off, lmao. It's been like, two years now though. Who was the last person to walk out of your life, and why? It feels like my friend Alex. She's kinda just... left me hanging for months. I think she's active online, but not with me, despite reaching out. She's also deleted her b.net account or just removed me from her friends list, idk. Absolutely nothing seems like it would've prompted that, though. Are you less likely to approach people that look/dress a certain way? I was going to say no, but the last person's answer inspired mine to yes; like, I'm not going to go talk to people with some crazy or offensive shit on their shirts, nor am I going to just go walk up to someone covered in blood. Name one embarrassing activity that you take part in? I don't know. Like I say enough I'm VERY self-conscious of revealing I RP, but only because I'm sensitive to how the person will respond. I'm in no way like, ashamed I do it. I'm just terrified of judgment over something "unusual." Ever been told that you can’t understand love due to your age? Not that I remember. I only claimed to "get it" (to my recollection) at a point in mine and Jason's relationship, and I very legitimately would've guffawed at and honestly nearly slapped you if you claimed I "didn't understand" love. What is your favorite Starburst candy flavor? THE PINK ONES. Do you think that you act like yourself while online? I act more like myself online. Have you ever lied about something to get someone to like you? No. Who is the fakest person in your life right now? I don't keep those people in my life. Have you ever laid down in the grass, and made shapes out of the clouds? As a kiddo. When someone’s constantly negative, how do you deal with it? It depends on the person, but ALMOST in all cases, I really really try to support the person as best I can. It may start to bring me a bit down, but I feel I'm just like... hardwired to help those I love. I think it's what my relationship with Jason did, as he left because he couldn't handle my depression anymore, and with how that absolutely and utterly annihilated me, I don't want anyone else to feel that pain. Now, for people I don't have much of a bond with, it's easier for me to say "I'm sorry, but I can't handle this right now," but even then, I prefer to help. Does Christmas make you feel like a kid again? No. I'm really most excited for aunt reasons, lol. Do you have any artistic talent? Some. Would you ever shoplift from a store if you knew you wouldn’t be caught? Absolutely not. When one of your pets dies, how do you react? Usually cry. I've only ever not done so if I hadn't at all formed a bond with the animal. When you go to the movies, where in the theater do you sit? Close to the front, in the middle. When was the last time you lost your appetite? I don’t know. Have you ever neglected to take care of yourself? Er. Quite badly during '16, in the depth of my depression. I'll just say my teeth are kinda yellow because of it. I want to whiten my teeth at some point if I can afford that kind of luxury. The last song/poem/story you wrote - what was it about? In RP, the most recent section being written now is my main protagonists receiving a visit from their allies before getting their asses torn up the next day lmao. After a fight, who apologizes first - you, or the other person? Usually me, but it does depend. If I genuinely feel I didn't do jackshit wrong, no, I'm not apologizing. When you’re feeling creative, what do you do? Write. Do you mind being in your house alone overnight? Not really by now. Done so a number of times. Are there any dreams you remember from childhood? Nightmares, yes, and one very realistic dream. What worries you most about death? Not knowing what happens afterwards. Do you watch really old tv shows or movies from the 1970s or earlier? I love The Munsters, I Love Lucy, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Addams Family. I'm sure there's more, considering I liked to watch stuff with my mom as a kid. Who’s your celebrity crush(es)? HHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Ever been to a rave? No. Are you afraid to name the person you talk the most shit about? I don't really do that. Like I'll vent about people occasionally, but "talk shit" seems like the wrong word. I don't like gossiping. Are you a jealous person? Envious, rather, sometimes. I get VERY envious when it comes to photography, but otherwise, I don't feel it much. Who do you text the most out of your friends? Sara is like the only friend I text, lol. What would you do if you saw a complete stranger dealing drugs in public?
 Honestly, call an authority. I don't fuck with that. I'm not watching it happen. How often do you play video games? What are some of your favourites?
 I played World of Warcraft daily until my laptop took a shit. Need to get that fixed. Now I play actual video games very rarely... but mostly just because you can only replay the same ole game so many times before you've had enough of it for like a year. There are a great number of new games I want to play, though. I want a PS4 soooo badly. What are a few things that get on your nerves when it comes to Facebook (or your social networking site of choice)?
 More than anything, posting something that's crying for attention only for the person to be like "ugh I don't wanna talk about it." Then don't fucking post it. What are three things you’ve started to like lately? I feel like I haven't found new interests in a long time... Wait! I do feel The Handmaid's Tale and the Wings of Fire book Sara lent me have revived my love of reading! :') I want to go to the book store when I can and get both the new sequel to THT and the next WoF book. What was the last reason for having butterflies in your stomach?
 *shrug* Do you need a lot of space in relationships, or are you happy to spend a lot of time with your SO?
 I need SOME alone time, but for the most part I love being together. Once we're really close, anyway. What was the last thing you cooked from scratch? Scrambled eggs. Have you ever won anything from those games in arcades?
 Yeah. Funny story, there was this one time my sister won a stuffed duck from a claw machine, and it was the one I wanted after trying many times, and I cried so hard that one of the employees literally got one out for me lmfao. I probably still have it in the attic. When was the last time you went out to a fair?
 Not since right before the breakup. How far is the nearest zoo or wildlife park from your house? Do you go often?
 Like, two hours. We almost never go because of the distance. Are either one of your parents retired? If not, what do they do for a living?
 No. My dad's been a mailman all my life, and Mom is currently on disability because she has cancer and obviously can't work because of chemotherapy and all that. She was a pharmacy tech, though. If you could change one physical trait about yourself, what would it be?
 Can all this weight like vanish please. Have you ever gone out with someone you didn’t like?
 ????? Why would I do that???? Well, I didn't yet like-like Tyler because we hadn't been reunited as friends long enough; dating was kinda like... a dumb way to re-get to know each other? Thank fuck that was only two weeks. Would you ever take a bullet for your significant other? I'm single. Would you ever work at a fast food restaurant?
 No. History shows I can't work with people. Are you good at haunted houses, or do you scream your head off?
 AHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! If you’ve seen it, what did you think of the Twilight movie?
 I never watched them. Have you ever gotten your tongue stuck on a frozen pole?
 No. Are you a cat or a dog person?
 Cat. Does the movie Titanic make you cry?
 Ha ha, yes. I watched it on movie day while at the psych hospital and all of us were lil bitches almost sobbing, lol. Because it's a long movie, it went past our allotted time, but the nurses decided to let us finish it because we were so into it. I do have some good memories from those times... Do you think that fat people should wear skinny jeans? I think people can wear whatever the fuck they want without fear of judgment. Do you prefer game systems like Xbox, or older ones like Super Nintendo? The former. Do you enjoy indie music? Yep! What is the most strange piercing you’ve ever seen? Those ones people were getting on their fingers instead of rings... just huh. What do you do when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store? Look around, I guess. Think. What is your favourite beach to go to? I haven't been to enough to know. Have you ever been to a country club? No. Have you ever seen an animal die in real life? Too many times. Animals have been euthanized in my arms, and a kitten slowly died in my hands once. One of the most heartbreaking things I have ever experienced. Teddy accidentally punctured its lungs or broke ribs, I think, or something like that. I'm pretty sure he was trying to bring it back to its siblings because it wandered off, but he held it too tightly. I was home alone, too. It was fucking awful. Do you live on a Rd, St, Blvd, Ln, Way, or Ave? Road. Do you have naked pictures of someone saved on your phone? No. Would you ever go see an opera? Bitch I played Parasite Eve, I don't trust that shit. But seriously, no, not my scene. Do you own anything John Deere? No. Do you have a push mower or a mower that you ride on? Neither. A friend mows for us; he has the latter. What is the longest amount of time you’ve been stuck in traffic for? No clue. I think during a trip to New York. Would you consider joining the air force, army, etc? No. Who was your first crush and what made them special? This kid named Dylan. I thought he was super cute and cool. What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask? I dunno. Who did you idolize growing up? Steve Irwin. Do you believe that we are all here for a reason? What might the reason be? No. Have you ever carved your name or initials into a tree or stone? No. What were your best and worst subjects in school or college? Best: English. Worst: math. Name something you would like to devote more time to seeing or doing. Writing poetry. Drawing. Do you like to get your nails done? No. Do you remember the last movie you saw while on a date? Yeah, IT. Do you like to wear dresses? Hell no with my current body. Do you like any ‘manly’ activities like hunting, fishing, or camping? I find fishing to be fun and relaxing, but because of morals, I can't stomach doing it anymore. What was the name of your first boyfriend? First with the title, Aaron. First *real* boyfriend, Jason. Your first kiss? Jason. Are you still with either of those people from the last 2 questions? No. Have you ever used your bra to hold things like you would a pocket? Ha ha no. I think. What is your longest relationship to date? Three years, 7-8 months. I don't remember if the breakup was in August or September. Who ended the last relationship you were in? It was kinda like... mutual-ish, but moreso her. Have you ever gotten back with an ex? No. Who was your first prom date? Jason. Do you cry during romantic movies? Sometimes. Who was the last person to see you cry? Mom. Have you ever been used? I don't think so romantically, but in other ways, I know I have been. Have you ever felt violated? Yes. Do you like when a guy takes you by surprise and kisses you? Not everyone likes guys, so what an assumption. But anyway, only if we're very serious and have heavy trust in one another. Do you ever leave the house without makeup? Pretty much always. When was the last time someone gave you flowers? Been a few years. What kind of gift can win you over? BITCH buy me something Mark-related and you earn like 20 points. Has anyone ever sung to you? Yes. Do you like massages? Depends on who you are. In almost any case, no. They're awkward. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No. Do you sleep naked? No. Is smoking a turn-off? Yes. Is there a certain tv show you get upset if you miss? No. When was the last time you spent the night at someone else’s house? When I was at Sara's a year or so back. What is one food you always crave? Ice cream. Are you an exercise freak? Hunny- What scares you more, spiders or snakes? Snakes don't scare me, so spooders. Do you expect to be married in the next two years? No. Would you ever get implants? Nah. Have you ever had a crush on a sibling’s friend? No. Have you ever had a crush on a friend’s sibling? No. Are you more of a 'girly girl’ or a 'tomboy’? A tomboy. Have you ever dated someone with a child? No. Are you addicted to texting? No.
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destielfanfic · 5 years
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Group Ask #177
Relevant links to find lost fic
previous group asks 
spnstoryfinders
Guide to Finding Fic
Guide to Finding Lost Fic
Ask #1 ( @thepoodlepack​ ): there’s this fic…#1
There’s a fic where castiel is a child and everyone’s looking after him and I think it’s post s4 and Cas draws a picture of the church Lucifer is rising from but I cannot for the life of me find it please help it’s driving me crazy.
Ask #2 ( @buck-spring-soldier ): there’s this fic…#2
hey, can you help find a fic? it’s a/b/o dynamics, dean is an alpha and he’s looking for a mate, cas is his true mate and it’s working on the ball dean’s throwing. cas was abused by his pack for some reason and dean helps him.
Check out our a/b/o tag
Ask #3 ( @alrightydean ​): there’s this fic...#3
oof idk if you still do these but I need help finding a fic!! Dean works as a repairman/janitor for a circus and Cas is the new act from Europe , an acrobat and Cas choses Dean as his partner. It’s mostly about Cas teaching Dean how to be an acrobat. I think Charlie and Jo are together too, if that helps the search. Thanks!
Found by @freetobecasdean: The Cost of Falling by JinxedAmbition
Ask #4 ( Alex on gmail ): there’s this fic…#4
It was Dean/Cas, and the first chapter takes place at a Christmas Party they got invited to. Sam notices Cas being flirted with by one of the girls at the party and then notices Dean is getting super jealous about it, to the point where Dean demands that they all leave. They end up going back to the motel, there’s something about them managing to get some free Christmas Dinner from a family at a gas station that realized they didn’t have any Christmas meal. Sam is subtly (not-so-subtly) trying to pair Dean and Cas up since he’s realized it’s obvious that they have unresolved tension. I also remember a scene where Dean and Cas are alone watching TV and Dean ends up laying his head on Cas’ chest/lap? If I remember right, it was on FF.net a number of years ago, but I worry it got taken down or removed because I’ve never been able to find it again! Thought I’d try to see if you guys know if it!
Check out our jealous!Dean tag as well as the Christmas tag
Found by @thursdaysfallenangel : 
This, And So Much More by rockstarpeach on LJ [NC-17, 80,000 word count] It happens to start out over the holidays, but it's not a holiday fic. It's sort of the story of how Dean and gets over himself already and admits to how he really feels about Cas. It takes Cas even longer than Dean, if you can believe it, but he eventually gets with the program.
Ask #5 ( Sylvia on gmail #1 ): there’s this fic…#5
Hello! I saw on your tumblr guide that we could email you if we needed help finding something, and I definitely do... Castiel is some kind of creature (not angel, but has wings) and Dean is sacrificed/offered to him by John (maybe to protect Sam?) Anyways, in Castiel’s society of whatever creature they are, he’s some kind of prince I think? Dean is given to him as a pet/slave/consort/something and is transformed into the same kind of creature. I remember they are described as being winged, and coated with a gray fuzz/down all over the body. They derive energy from sex. They look down on humans as being inferior, and I remember a scene in which Dean is being taught their language, which is very songlike and melodic. Something like that.
Check out our wing!fic tag - it includes non-angel fic as well as the creature!cas tag.
Ask #6 ( Sylvia on gmail #2 ): there’s this fic…#6
Dean somehow ends up in an alternate dimension where Castiel and the other angels are a species called Birds (though I don’t think they differ much from angels in Deans universe) and humans are kept as pets. Somehow Dean ends up with Cas, who tries to treat him like a pet before realizing he’s smart and definitely not a pet in his own universe. But for whatever reason they try to keep the fact that Dean is from a different dimension a secret until they figure out how to fix it. I remember that all the Birds live in very tall tower-like houses, and there’s a scene where Dean tries to escape by making a rope out of fabric and going through the window. There are also demon-equivalents in the Bird universe, and I think they’re called Rats or Moles or Shrews or something like that.
Found by @mittensmorgul: Bird Song by elidiablito_sf (unofficially recced here, but the fic seems to have been deleted. UPDATE!! the fic is back on AO3!
Ask #7 ( @shugrina ): there’s this fic…#7
Hello awesome people! Hoped you could help me with the name of another fic. It starts with Dean, overwhelmed by the Mark, torturing and ultimately killing Castiel — crucifying him on a cross in some church or a barn. Before the end Cas manages to tell Dean that he forgives him. Later Dean comes to his senses and is overtaken by guilt and grief. I don't think I've read further but if I recall correctly it's a rather long fic. And of course Cas ends up not being dead after all.
Found by @savannadarkbaby and @helianthus21: 
Into the Fire by NorthernSparrow [M, 259,000 word count] Dean accidentally kills Castiel, and is tormented by grief and guilt afterwards. Dean becomes convinced Cas still exists somehow, and that he will be resurrected; Sam's not so sure, but is determined to help his grief-stricken brother recover. Meanwhile the Darkness is eating away at Creation, and soon both brothers realize they may have to embark on their longest and strangest journey yet. This time they might not come back. Will they have to fight their last battle without Castiel?
Ask #8 ( @theimportanceogbeingvictoria ): there’s this fic…#8
Hi all! Looking for a fic where Cas dies and Dean visits him in the empty through Jack's powers. Dean is pretty much a broken shell while Cas is dead. Cas is eventually brought back to the real world. Endgame destiel with an extra bit of angst when Dean realizes being with him is inadvertently making Cas fall. I was reading this fic via PDF and accidentally deleted it and can't find it again.
We are not reading much post S12 fics as described in an earlier post, but maybe our followers know this fic!
If any of our followers have anything to suggest, drop it in our ask box (mention which ask you are talking about by number or bolded title). Our anon is switched off for good, if you know the lost fic but don’t want your url to appear on this list, let us know and we will call you an anon! If you don’t see your ask here, it is because we have quite a few in the inbox. Thanks!!
And sorry if formatting is wonky, we blame tumblr!
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rhianbwatts · 5 years
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Endgame Spoilers
Sorry, had to delete the original version of this because I tried to make an edit on my phone and it messed up my formatting. So this post is full of massive spoilers for Endgame. Seriously. Don’t open it if you’ve not seen the movie yet - it’s not going to make sense to you anyway. If you have seen it and you’re confused by some of the sci-fi mechanics of the movie, this might help...
Alright I’m seeing a lot of confusion around what is happening with the time travel in Endgame, so I’m going to do my best to explain my understanding of how it works. This is based on one viewing that took place at midnight, so there are almost certainly mistakes. I hope you’ll forgive me for them.
Time travel in stories works in many different ways, here are some of the main ones:
A. Back to the Future style – changing events in the past changes the future, BUT doesn’t change you. So when you go forwards in time again you might find you no longer exist or your Mum has married an asshole, and you’re aware these things have changed. B. Almost Back to the Future style (sorry can’t think of a good example for this) – changing events in the past changes the future and does affect you. This could mean the future version of you just vanishes or you become a different person. Basically that future is wiped out but the actions relating to time travel that you took in that future still must have happened. It’s a paradox but we roll with it. The possible negative consequences of this for the time-travelling version of you are pretty limitless, but on a positive you’ll never know about them.
C. The Azkaban Approach – this is how time travel exists in the Harry Potter universe (we do not speak of Cursed Child). Basically you cannot change the past/present/future by time travel. Whatever happens has already happened. You may, however, have to make sure those things happen.
D. The Discworld Dilemma (sorry, I can’t resist alliteration) – basically history wants to happen how it’s supposed to happen, although you might try to change things it will basically begin to heal itself one way or another – unless wizards, Death, gods or mystical monks living in the mountains get involved. This is more or less how Doctor Who works too.
E. Multi-verse Mechanics – basically every possible action every person in the universe is taking is creating infinite other alternate versions of that universe ALL THE TIME. When you change something by time travel you end up in a different alternate. I guess this is really similar to A/B depending on what happens to the you skipping between the universes – it’s just a different way of thinking about it.
In the movie they specifically say that A and B won’t work – because this movie-verse won’t allow time-paradoxes. Version D also clearly doesn’t work. And we can rule out E based on the Ancient One’s comments to Bruce about parallel realities being BAD and damaging your current universe (although that in itself raises issues with a lot of other comic-verse stuff). I’m going to come back to C later. Which leaves us with what Endgame is doing:
F. Personal timelines must be linear – i.e. your personal timeline may take place in lots of different timeframes, going backwards and forwards in time, without issue UNLESS you affect a past version of yourself. In that case the A and B paradox issues kicks in and, as you may end up not being the version of you that went time travelling in the first place, you (and the universe) is probably fucked.    - This is why they can’t bring the dusted back until after they complete the actions to reverse Thanos’ actions – i.e. you couldn’t have them dusted and un-dusted instantaneously. Because if you did that none of the things that happened in the intervening five years would happen and you wouldn’t become the people with the capability to undo the dusting and then you have a massive paradox.    - Obviously it’s more complicated than just your personal actions, because any person who’s actions you change could end up altering the course of the future. Even moving an object a few feet could have massive unseen consequences.    - This means that during the time travel heist the least interaction with the past they can manage the better. For example, if Steve had gone into the lift and killed or seriously hurt any of the hydra agents – that could easily change the future, because that person could have done something in the future that contributed to the circumstances in the present etc...    - Because of this there is absolutely no way for people, primarily Steve, to go back and alter historical issues in his own timeline - i.e. he can’t stop the rise of Hyrda or save Bucky any earlier without fucking up the entire universe.
The team’s inability to not alter anything in the past and (possibly) their active decisions to change things obviously presents us with some issues, here are some of the ones I’ve seen discussed/was confused by myself and how/if they’re resolved in the story: 
- Thanos and his chums – Thanos going forward to the future before he ever used the infinity stones and then being destroyed obviously creates a massive paradox. Luckily Tony is more than smart enough to realise this, so we can assume that what he actually did was send Thanos and his army back to before they intercepted Nebula’s consciousness. This puts all of Infinity Wars/Endgame into a fixed time-loop that will always play out the same. Although I can understand the symbolic significance of making what happened look like the dusting, I sort of wish they’d given it a green glow or mentioned the time loop or something to make this clearer. [RESOLVED – though not firmly stated in the movie]**
- The stones/Mjolnir not being where they need to be. Presumably we just need to accept Steve’s mission has put all this right, although I don’t remember him having anything big enough to be carrying the sceptre (it was 3am though, so maybe there was) – so we’re going to just have to imagine how he restored all the stones to their former states. [RESOLVED]
- Present-Steve telling Past-Steve about Bucky – luckily this was an easy fix as he was holding the mind stone at the time and we see him use it to wipe Steve’s memory of the encounter. [RESOLVED]
- Loki vanishing with the tesseract – both versions of the tesseract we see in this movie need to be put back and whilst the Shield base version is *relatively* simple (let’s not ask how many Steve Roger’s are running about New York at a time), Loki’s is not - this one we don’t see resolved in this story. We could assume that Steve fixes it during his mission, using the tesseract he has to track down Loki before returning it to the Shield base. However, I think it’s more likely we will see the solution to this either in the Loki tv show or Guardian’s 3. [UNRESOLVED]
- Impact of knocking out Quill/Tony’s heart attack/the lift people thinking Steve is Hydra etc. – basically I could see ways that all the “small” changes we see in the movie could have fundamentally important impacts. Tony thinking his heart is failing? Wouldn’t that impact his behaviour afterwards? Quill waking up and realising he was randomly unconscious for an unknown length of time? None of this is really resolved in the story, but we’re just going to have to assume it didn’t really as the universe didn’t explode. [RESOLVED???]
- Steve marrying Peggy – I think this is the one I’ve seen most people frustrated by, because it seems the hugest change, and this is where I’m coming back to C. I think the Azkaban Approach is in play here, with a side order of Doctor/River weirdness. Steve ALWAYS married Peggy. I went back and watched their meeting in the hospice again last night and if you look at her pictures on the bedside table, there are pictures of her with her kids but not her husband, BECAUSE her husband is Steve and they knew they couldn’t risk having photos of him on display/anyone finding out. The Peggy we see in that hospital bed knows she can’t tell that version of Steve they were married, because he hasn’t defeated Thanos yet. And she knows she has to allow him to suffer and lose everyone and defeat Thanos because the future-Steve that came back in time to marry her, told her about it. There’s the River and Doctor weirdness for you, their timelines are not in sync, they meet each other out of order (for Peggy at any rate) but with secrecy and carefulness they can make it work. And they know they can make it work because they already did. I love it but I can understand it’s a bit of a head-fuck. And, of course, there are cruelties to it. Steve can’t tackle Hydra taking over Shield or Bucky being tortured because if he does it causes a paradox and the universe is destroyed. That must be terrible but at least that version of Steve knows how it all works out, knows he left Bucky healthy and happy and as much at peace as it is possible to be. [RESOLVED – at least for me]
OK – what did I miss? What still doesn’t make any sense? Any other thoughts? – Although please be careful to tag things properly if commenting, so people don’t get accidentally spoilt.
** Extra note – I have seen a lot of discussion about where Endgame leaves Gamora and basically we don’t know. Which is cool. It all comes down to how Tony worded/understood his use of the infinity stones. If he wished everyone who was out of time back to their correct times, she’s gone and probably trapped in the time loop (although now time travel is an active super hero skill, who knows). If it was more along the lines of him sending the people they were fighting against back to their correct times, the fact that she had already switched times might have saved her. She’ll still be past-Gamora but she’s out there in the present somewhere.
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artificialqueens · 6 years
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Gone Tonight (Trixya) - Pichitinha
A/N: back by unpopular demand, it’s me! This is a bit different from what I usually post but it’s still full of cliches! I hope you like it even if some parts might feel a little unrealistic (it’s fanfiction y'all). You can as usual find it on AO3 and I’m here on @pichitinha
When Trixie is faced with the facts, she does her best to ignore them. They aren’t pleasant, they are the very opposite of everything she wants to be aware of right now, and she really isn’t going to entertain her crappy reality becoming crappier.
She’s never seen so much chaos in the city before. She’d left work maybe an hour later than usual, the last song she was working on taking a little while longer than she expected, and the storm she was met with outside scared her to death. She knew things were bound to be bad, but not to the level she’s seeing now.
It’s been an hour and a half and the rain seems to only be getting worse. Traffic is a mess and public transportation is completely unreliable and she’d decided half an hour ago that waiting would only lead to waiting all night, so she might as well just try to leave and get anywhere else other than the studio she was crammed in with several of her coworkers.
No ubers or taxis or anything want to take her to where she wants to go. Her apartment isn’t that far away, but it’s on the other side of town and apparently the bridge was blocked.
She called all of her friends, asked all of them for shelter and having the ok from all, she said she’d try to go and would let them know where she was headed once she finally got a cab.
The bridge to the other side is also blocked.
Apparently she’s pretty much stuck in a very small radius of the city with no access to anywhere else and she doesn’t know what to do. She’s managed to get a taxi and she asks the driver to just take her to a hotel. He tells her he will if she really wants to, but that he can assure her they won’t have a vacancy - he’s been dropping people off all night.
She lets a bit of rain fall on her face as she talks to him through the car window and she uses that to let a couple of tears fall as she goes back under the roof and takes her phone with shaking hands. She only knows one person that lives in that area. On a normal day it’d be a ten minute drive, today it might be an hour, but it truly is the only place she could even consider going. She takes deep breaths, tries to calm her now fast-beating heart, and presses call. Part of her wishes she won’t answer.
“Trixie?”
Her voice is, as Trixie expected, confused. Surprised, even.
“Katya, hey. How are you?”
“Uh, good. I’m good. How are you?”
It’s awkward and formal and Trixie can feel her gut twisting already. She almost regrets doing this, but the she remembers she has no other option.
“I’m ok. I’m… I’m stuck at the studio and all the bridges are blocked. I can’t make it home.”
“Oh?”
Given her tone, Katya still doesn’t get what Trixie wants. She’ll have to say it.
She takes a deep breath and tries to fish some courage right from deep within.
“All the hotels in the area are booked. I… you’re literally my last option.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She leaves out this horrible laugh, clearly forced and not funny at all, and Trixie realizes how rude she was - especially when she’s asking for such a big favor.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“You did.“ Trixie’s sure there’s a smile on her face, but it’s definitely humorless. "But that’s okay, I get it. Do you wanna crash here?”
She doesn’t. But she also doesn’t have any other option.
“Unless you can’t. Or don’t want to. I’ll figure something out.”
“I thought I was literally your last option?”
Trixie is quiet, can’t find the words, thinks back of the old crappy chairs at the studio and thinks that maybe she could just sleep there.
“I-”
“I’m kidding. Of course you can stay here. I’ll text you the address and I’ll fix the couch for you while you’re on the way.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“It’s the least I could do.”
Trixie’s heart skips a beat. Before she can even think of responding, though, Katya is ending the call.
“See you in a few, I’ll order chinese.”
And then the tone is dead and Trixie feels like she is a bit dead too.
Katya texts her address like she promised, but Trixie doesn’t even glance at it. She hates herself, but she knows it by heart, has never been able to forget it. The taxi driver she was talking to earlier is still there, and he opens the door when he sees her exit the building. She’s extremely grateful.
She tells him where they’re going, knows all the references and places around and feels a bit sick at how nostalgic it all is to her.
It takes them half an hour, but soon she starts to recognize the neighborhood and knows they’re close. She closes her eyes and tries to calm herself down, feels her hands shaking a bit and her breathing uneven.
It’s just Katya, she tells herself. You’ve slept on her couch several times before. It’ll be fine.
Her phone vibrates with a message from Shea when they are just a couple of streets away.
Shea: you figure out what to do?
Trixie: … yeah
Shea: where are u staying?
Trixie sighs and looks up, sees the last corner before they reach Katya’s street fast approaching.
Shea: … ur staying at katya aren’t u?
Trixie: it’s the only place available
Shea: ok. i’m here if u need anything
Trixie: what could you possibly do all the way there in chicago?
Shea: call and interrupt if anything that shouldn’t happen, happens
Trixie sighs but before she can think of replying, the driver calls her up, “We’re here.”
She pays him and exits quickly, finds shelter at the reception where she tells which apartment she’s visiting. She waits as they call Katya to let her go in, and texts Shea.
Trixie: nothing’s gonna happen
Shea: that’s what you said last time
Trixie lets her fingers hover on the keyboard, types a few letters and then deletes them. She doesn’t know what to say. She really doesn’t want to to relive all of this now.
“You can go up, ma’am,” the receptionist informs her and she makes her way to the elevator, her heart beating out of her chest as she tries to pull herself together.
She hasn’t seen Katya in three months. Before that, she hadn’t seen her in six months.
It has been nine months and she isn’t over it yet.
The door to the elevator opens when she reaches the tenth floor and Trixie has to put on a normal face sooner than she expected, because Katya has the door open and is leaning on the frame, waiting for her.
Trixie doesn’t miss the way a deep breath leaves Katya’s body, as if she was not ready to see her.
Trixie isn’t either.
“Hey,” she says for lack of a better thing, doesn’t know what else she could possibly put into words right now that would be light and normal, and not deep and heavy like she feels.
“Hey,” Katya replies, nods weirdly before moving to the side and giving her passage. “Come in.”
Trixie thanks her quietly, makes her way past her and tries not to let her wet hair drip everywhere.
“I found a few clothes that might fit you, if you want to take a shower? I’ve left some towels in the bathroom.”
“Uh, yeah, a shower would be great, I’m kind of cold.”
Trixie smiles a bit at her offer and immediately feels like she overshared with the cold information. It’s not much - it’s isn’t anything, really, small talk she might do at a bus stop - but she feels like she didn’t have to - shouldn’t - share that. It’s odd.
“Oh, I’ll turn up the heater.” Katya starts moving immediately towards the little table besides the couch where she apparently still keeps all of the remote controls for the house.
“You don’t have to, it’s fine-”
“Trixie, go take your shower. I’ll warm up the house and wait for the food. I- I ordered the same as you always did, I hope that’s ok.”
Trixie can feel the pang in her chest like a knife. She remembers, of course she does, they’d eaten together so very many times before. And that’s what hurts the most, the weight of their history together, the ghost of the laughter and hushed conversations they shared in the past, the heavy silence that’s been sitting on Trixie’s head for the past nine months, an empty space where Katya’s voice used to be.
“Yeah, that’s ok.”
She nods and Katya nods back and they just stand there, quietly, looking at each other from opposites sides of the room without anything to say or do. It’s pathetic, but at least Trixie’s not pathetic alone. It fills her with some twisted guilt the fact that Katya’s discomfort gives her some satisfaction.
“Uh, I’ll go shower now,” she announces eventually, when the tension in the room is too much to bare and she knows Katya will end up breaking and talking about things, which she definitely doesn’t want. She turns around quickly, doesn’t give her time to react, and makes a beeline to the bathroom.
The scent of Katya’s shampoo hits her as soon as she’s inside, closing the door quickly behind her. She closes her eyes for a second, tries to find a breath inside of her so she won’t go insane.
She remembers the first time she slept over at Katya, back when Katya still lived in Boston and she was visiting. They’d been friends for a few months then, met through friends of friends, and she had booked a job in Boston and asked Katya to host her - or maybe she had booked a job in Boston because she wanted to ask Katya to let her stay there, but that doesn’t matter, not anymore. She remembers realizing she forgot her shampoo and using Katya’s every morning before the waffles filled breakfasts, and she remembers getting faint smells of it for a few weeks afterwards every time she’d wear an outfit she’d worn in Boston.
She opens her eyes, urges herself to ground herself in the present. It isn’t much more helpful, this bathroom is one she’s much more familiar with, and the thought makes her turn to the bathtub and search for the red dots that have been there since Katya accidentally dropped nail polish one day and never bothered to clean, always saying she’d do it “next week”. It’s still there.
She turns on the water and while she waits for the cold droplets to become hot, she removes her damp clothes. She avoids the mirror, is weary of how she looks right now - not in appearance, per se, like it or not Katya’s seen her in her worst days, but she fears for her expression. She doesn’t know what her face is telling Katya and she’s scared of finding out.
She stays under the water for longer than she should, urging it to wash away her worries and her heartache. She knew that coming to Katya would be a bad idea, but she didn’t think that she’d feel like that after mere minutes of interaction.
She takes her time drying her hair and body, looks at the loose shirts and shorts that Katya had put on the counter for her until she finds the one that looks to be more comfortable. They smell like the brand of fabric softener that Trixie had convinced her to start using and it’s with that feeling that Trixie realizes that nothing about this night will be easy, even if they eat in silence in separate rooms and pretend the other isn’t there. Memories linger on the walls of Katya’s place, and even if they didn’t, Trixie’s mind has that in check as well. She’ll just have to toughen up and go through this, however the night might unfold.
She exists the bathroom just as Katya is closing the door with the food in hand, and for a brief moment Katya smiles at her and it’s just like it was a year ago, when things were good and easy, not broken like they are now.
She clears her throat and sits down on the table and Katya follows her in silence. It’s weird and mechanic, they’d usually eat on the couch or the living room floor with the TV on on some movie or show that they’d only pay attention to for five minutes before getting distracted. She wants to say something, to cut the silence that seems to hurt her more and more at each passing second, even if she knows that talking will hurt just as much.
“So, how have you been?” Katya ends up asking, her face clearly as uncomfortable as her own. She tries to remind herself that no matter how much she resents what Katya did, she’s the one that put them in this situation tonight. She’s part to blame as well.
“Good. Busy.” She doesn’t really know what else to say, if she’s honest. She has been busy, has been focusing more and more at work every time her free time gives her time to think. And she has been good - well, ish. She’s been as good as she could, since Katya left. But she can’t say that.
Truth is that Trixie knows that what affects Katya about the situation is guilt. She’s not sad about what happened - she can’t be, she’s the one that did it - but she feels bad for Trixie. And Trixie hates that it affects her this much, hates that it’s been months and months and she can’t let it go. She hates that Katya pities her.
“That’s good.” Katya replies after a long silence, like she finally accepts that Trixie won’t say more. “I’m glad you got the job at the studio, I know how much you wanted it.”
She should, Trixie gushed about it to her several times in the past, told her how much she’d love to work there, how that was her dream job and she’d do practically anything to get it. She thinks back to those time and can now see that Katya was always supportive but never enthusiastic. She knows why, now.
“Yeah, I’m glad things started falling into place.”
Katya opens her mouth then, but closes it after a second. She looks back at her food and Trixie realizes that as long as they’re talking, as long as there are words leaving their mouths, she has less time to focus on Katya’s face and wonder how she feels. And that’s good, so she makes an effort.
“What about you?”
Katya considers her, takes her time in chewing her food and swallowing it down with her juice. It looks like she’s trying to decide on what to say, and Trixie worries for a moment about what she will hear.
“I’ve been… I don’t know. Not good. Not busy.”
Trixie nods, feels her mouth go dry. She’s being honest, she’s opening the floor for discussion and Trixie doesn’t want to enter that, she doesn’t want to allow for a scenario in which they could potentially talk things over. Trixie’s not ready to talks things over. She doesn’t know if she ever will be.
“Oh?” Is all she manages to sound out, can’t find it in herself to even be polite and ask her why. Katya responds anyway, though, always much less worried about societal conventions. And Katya probably does want to talk it over. She always does, and that’s one of the issues, isn’t it?
“You know I like to keep busy and all so I thought it’d be fine to take the reigns and be my own boss and book shootings whenever I want. But I’ve been slacking lately. I want to be busy, but- but I haven’t been feeling good and that doesn’t help.”
Trixie understands that. She only started overworking herself a few months ago, because at the beginning she was the complete opposite, calling in sick several times and just overall not giving all of herself.
She knows why she’s like that though, she knows why she was broken and needed time to heal. Maybe she doesn’t get why it hit her so hard, but she gets why she was heartbroken.
She can’t figure out why Katya’s like that though. Not after she went after everything she wanted.
“Do you miss Europe?” Trixie asks before she can stop herself, finds it to be only plausible reason. She’s never understood why Katya came back, if she’s honest.
Katya shrugs, acts much more nonchalant about it than Trixie would’ve expected. “I miss certain aspects of it. But not really, I’m much better here.”
Trixie bites her lips, doesn’t want to speak without thinking again. Why is she back? Why did she leave?
“Have you visited your parents since you came back?” Trixie decides to shift the focus a bit, knows it’ll be safer to talk about her family - and knows specially how important it is to Katya.
Katya smiles lightly at that. “They were actually here two weeks ago, they went back to Boston last saturday.” She stops, considers again, and averts her gaze. “They asked about you.”
Trixie swallows. “How are they?”
“Oh, you know them. Excited about life, worried about the future.”
“That’s you.”
“True.”
They laugh a little and for those small seconds it’s almost like they’re okay. But then the laughter dies down, way quicker than it would have in the good ol’ days, and silence is their only company again.
They’ve both finished eating so Katya gets up and starts clearing the table. Trixie gets up, unsure, starts moving to help.
“No, it’s fine. You can sit down, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Trixie doesn’t want to be rude and leave her to take care of the mess by herself, but at the same time she’d love a few more minutes to herself, to maybe try to pull herself together again. Looking at Katya she thinks that’s exactly what she wants as well.
She agrees and sits down, gets her phone for the first time since entering the house and the only new message she has is from Shea.
Shea: sorry trix, u know i worry. hope everything goes well, pls call me if u need ok?
She sighs and locks her phone again, sets it down on the little coffee table. She might be a proud person but right now, if there was any way Shea could help, she’d ask. Unfortunately, there isn’t.
She looks around the place with attention, tries to place the details she can notice are different. She has on different curtains now, but that’d been way overdue anyway so she’s proud of her for finally buying new ones - even if they are horrific.
Then her eyes fall on her shelves and her heart skips several beats when she sees herself. It’s in the back, sort of hidden by other pictures and paintings, but it’s definitely there, a picture of the two of them that someone - she thinks maybe Jinkx, but she isn’t sure - had snapped on the beach without them noticing. Katya looks happy in that picture - and so does she. She was happy, she remembers it vividly.
She diverts her look, tries to focus on the other pictures that are displayed. All of her friends are there, some of them repeated several times, and even though she knew that Katya hadn’t cut ties with anyone when she left, it stings to see it. She isn’t mad at them for talking to her and she isn’t bitter about it either, what truly gets to her is that for years no one knew Katya better than she did, and now she’s met with the knowledge that Katya’s life went on when they stopped talking and that probably several things happened that all of her friends know and she doesn’t. She feels clueless, excluded, doesn’t know what to do with all the space in her brain that’s still there waiting to be filled with every tiny detail about Katya.
And then she realizes that that probably goes both ways, that maybe her friends talk to Katya about her - she’s fairly certain Katya didn’t have a “no Trixie talk” rule like she did for Katya - but definitely not that much, not as much as she’d tell Katya otherwise. There’s no way Katya knows what she’s been up to, these are a few months of her life that Katya probably will never know about. She can’t pinpoint exactly how she feels about that, but it for sure isn’t a good feeling.
Katya comes back into the room right then when Trixie’s about to have a crisis and the jump scare that she causes is enough to ground Trixie again.
Until she realizes that they’re together again and that things are still - obviously - weird.
She sits down at the other end of the couch and they both look in the direction of the turned-off TV, shoulders straight, posture correct. It’s late enough that they could technically just go to sleep, but Trixie knows she hasn’t slept before midnight in at least five years and Katya is most definitely the same.
“Do you work tomorrow?” Katya asks eventually, probably tired of the quiet - or the noise in her head which is usually ten times louder when no one’s talking - but without looking at Trixie.
“No, I only work Saturdays if we’re running late on a project or something. Do you? Cause I’ll be out really early!”
“No, no, don’t worry.” She looks at her then, sighs audibly and forces herself to relax her back on the couch. “I had a yoga class but that’ll probably be cancelled because of the storm.”
Trixie nods, knows that she’ll for sure wake up to the sight of Katya doing yoga somewhere in the house, knows that she needs the movements to ease her morning anxieties, especially now that she quit smoking.
Unless she picked it up again. The thought leaves Trixie breathless and she doesn’t know why.
“Are you still… hm… an ex-smoker?” She tries to phrase it as best as she can.
Katya smiles a little, seems proud. “Yeah. My last cigarette is still the same one as it was last time.”
Trixie smiles for real for the first time that night, remembers how hard it had been for Katya to quit - remembers how hard Katya had tried for her. “I’m proud of you.”
And maybe those had been the wrong words because Katya averts her gaze immediately and Trixie’s sure they’re watering a bit.
“Thank you,” she manages to say and Trixie gets a bit choked up, too, maybe because of everything and not just how emotional Katya sounds.
“Katya…” she starts but closes her mouth before she can figure out what to say next. She regrets it immediately, knows that she just opened the gate for precisely what she didn’t want and can feel her heart speeding up and her breath getting irregular.
It’s too soon. It’s been nine months, but it’s too soon.
“I always thought that you knew why I did it,” Katya says, like Trixie knew she would. She didn’t know what she was gonna say, but she knew she was gonna say something. Knew she was going to dig into the wound with the alcohol soaked cotton that everyone tells Trixie is necessary but she’s been avoiding at all costs in fear of the pain. “But since I came back, I’m starting to think you don’t.”
Trixie doesn’t want to engage, wants to tell her that she’s tired and they should go to bed, wants to lie down and think about it while she tries not to cry because she is pathetic. And yet, a small part of her yearns to understand what happened, wants to hear Katya explain, wants to see if there’s anyway she has a patch that will fit perfectly into the void she’s left on her heart. And this part is really loud.
“I don’t. I really don’t.” The words leave her mouth choked up and she’s horrified when she realizes that tears are pooling in her eyes and dropping faster than she ever wants anyone to see it happening.
“Oh, Trix,” Katya says and starts moving closer, but Trixie raises her hand, stops her. She’s full of pity on her voice and this is the last thing Trixie wants right now. She feels sick to her stomach, can’t believe it all went downhill so fucking fast, can’t believe she’s crying out her heartbreak to the person who had broken it. “Sorry,” Katya apologizes for trying contact, goes back to the other end of the couch but keeps her figure turned to her side.
Katya gives her time and she takes it. She lets the tears fall, lets her breath get ragged and her chest feel impossibly tight as she tries not to focus on how stupid this is, on how Katya must think she’s ridiculous for acting like this. She buries her head on her hands until her sobs subdue to hiccups and only when her eyes are dry does she take a long breath and looks back at Katya.
Her face is stained with tears.
“God, Trix, you need to understand-”
“I do understand,” she cuts her, feels the weight of her emotional breakdown winning over her need to know. She’s so tired of feeling like this, she just wants to pretend nothing’s going on. “And it’s fine.” It isn’t, really, nothing about this is fine, it hasn’t been since the day she left. But Trixie can’t blame Katya for not loving Trixie like Trixie loved her. Trixie resents her leaving the way she did, but she doesn’t blame her for their fall-out. Trixie always knew that this was a possibility, that letting herself fall for someone she knew so well - and therefore knew how she was - would very likely end in heartbreak. So it isn’t fine, but Trixie doesn’t want Katya blaming herself for not loving her back. Not much could have been done about that, and Trixie knows it. “I get it, I really do, and I don’t blame you. You aren’t the first one on the list. But I need you to understand why for me it’s impossible to ‘be friends’ or whatever it is that you said on Violet’s birthday. I hate to think that our friendship is over but I can’t. Please understand that.”
Katya looks taken aback and Trixie looks away. She knew that eventually they’d talk it out, that they had to, and she also knew that for her that would only lead to reascending something in her chest that she had fought for a long time to diminish. All of their friends kept telling her she needed closure, that she really should talk to Katya, that it would be good for her. Oftentimes they’d act like they knew something she didn’t, but she’d made it clear that talking about Katya was not something she wanted so they respected it. Now she’s there, following their advice, and it’s like the hole in her chest is brand new. She fears the prospect of yet another nine months tirelessly working to close it. She doesn’t know if she has it in her.
“Trix…” Katya’s voice is quiet, earnest. She moves closer and this time doesn’t stop when Trixie flinches, even if she stills keeps a couple of inches in between them. She seems to not know what to say and Trixie can’t blame her. She’s in an awkward position, Trixie wouldn’t know what to do if she was her either. So she takes this opportunity, embraces the fact that she’s already cried and said more than she thought she would, and goes on. Maybe it’ll be easier if she gets everything out.
“You were my best friend.” It’s a quiet statement and it reverberates in the room, followed almost comically by a loud thunder. She doesn’t know exactly why she’s saying it, what she’s trying to convey here - because Katya knows that. She nods, even, looks at Trixie as if she’s waiting for her to say more. Trixie feels there’s more she needs to let her know, but she has no idea what. Has no idea how. “It’s been hard without you. As a friend, I mean. No one else in the world knew- knows me the way you do. Even after all these months, unless you suffered memory loss, no one else even comes closer. You know everything about me.”
“I do,” Katya states before Trixie has time to continue. “I haven’t forgotten anything, how could I? And the same goes to you.” She chuckles a bit, even if it doesn’t sound funny at all. “Who else would it be?”
“You knew me,” Trixie accuses, then, even if she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to be the bitter ex, she wants none of this to ever have happened at all. But it’s too late now, it did and the words are out. She’s constantly stuck between completely understanding Katya’s actions and feeling bitter and betrayed by them. That’s why she didn’t want to talk - she knew she’d fuck it, and she also doesn’t know what she feels.
But Katya is nothing if not understanding - and again, she knows Trixie. She doesn’t seem surprised at all at her words. “I did. And I fucked up.”
Trixie bites her lips, feels her eyes tearing up again. This is not what she wants. Katya’s back to the guilt and pity and that’s not what she wants. But what does she want? She doesn’t know either. She wants this dull pain in her chest to finally subside, she wants to feel free of this and start over, she wants to be herself again, but she has absolutely no idea of what to do to get there.
She wants to not have fallen in love with her best friend. She wants to never have acted upon her feelings. She wants to never have loved her so deeply.
But she can’t change that now, can she?
“I don’t want you to feel bad.” This much is true. Through all the pain and the hardships there are few things she wants more in life than for Katya to be happy. However that might come to be.
Katya snorts, shifts a little and her thigh scrapes very lightly against Trixie’s. She shivers, tries to push past that, but it’s the first physical contact they’ve had in nine months. When Katya had gotten back and they met at Violet’s party Trixie had simply nodded at her, too frozen on her spot to even shake hands. She feels the ghost of her skin lingering, wishes something so minor wouldn’t affect her so much. “How can I not, Trixie? I know I did it all wrong, I know I hurt you and I think about it everyday. I hope you know this already, but I truly am sorry.”
Trixie gets up then, needs air and knows she can’t go out in the balcony because it’s still raining heavily, she can hear it against the glass. She takes a deep breath, tries to remember the breathing techniques that Katya taught her all those years ago and then when she remembers Katya touching her back and stomach to guide her, she tries to forget it. “Uh, I need some water.”
“Of course.” Katya starts getting up, but Trixie denies quickly.
“I can get it. I-I’ll be right back.”
She moves quickly to the kitchen, feels like the walls are closing in on her and hopes against hope that she won’t have a panic attack. She’s never had one before but she knows the signs. She refuses to let it happen over a heartbreak. A heartbreak that happened nine months ago.
She finds the glass and fills it with water mechanically, barely thinks about what she’s doing and where she’s moving, and when the familiarity of it dawns on her she closes her eyes forcefully again. There really is nowhere safe in this place.
She leans against the sink, sips the water slowly, tries to even her breathing with each gulp of water she takes. She thinks about the time when the rain stops and she gets to leave, thinks about what will happen then. Will this be it? Will she never talk to Katya again? The thought is like a double-edged sword because she doesn’t know what answer to that is more frightening.
Trixie knows, of course, why this is harder than it’s ever been before. Why this time she can feel the pieces that her heart broke into, why it’s hurting and hurting and it never seems to heal. She’s thought about it endlessly over the course of these months, tried not to but found it impossible.
She’s never dated a friend before. She’s always met someone through someone or at a bar or online. She always met them with the intent of dating.
Katya had been her best friend for seven years when she first noticed how she felt. By that point, well, she already loved Katya more than almost everyone else in her life. Maybe platonically or maybe not, but she did. Katya was already someone she could never see herself without.
She should’ve listened to Shea, and Kim, and Pearl and pretty much everyone else when they told her that it was a bad idea. It really had been.
“Hey,” Katya’s voice scares her enough to get her to drop the glass on the floor, tiny pieces of glass flying around and one of them landing on her foot, making a tiny cut. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing,” Trixie dismisses. She can barely feel it, leans down with Katya to try to get the bigger chunks. “Sorry for breaking your glass.”
“It was my fault.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was.”
Trixie feels they aren’t talking about the glass anymore.
They put all the pieces they managed to gather away and turn to the sink to wash their hands, side by side. It’s silent as the water runs and they take turns slowly.
Katya clears her throat. “You said… you said I wasn’t the first one on the list. What does that mean?”
Trixie dries her hands, can’t look at Katya as the words she feels pathetically weightning her down leave her mouth. “You weren’t the first girlfriend who didn’t love me back.”
Katya freezes so fast, so true-to-the-word full freeze, that Trixie glances back at her for a second, worried. She’s staring at Trixie, looks heartbroken and at a complete loss for words. She blinks rapidly, eyes searching through Trixie’s entire face for seconds on end.
“You’ve spent the last nine months thinking I left because I didn’t love you?”
Now it’s Trixie who feels at a loss, maybe more heartbroken than before. Katya asked that as if she was wrong. Her heart is beating at a mile per minute.
“I’ve seen you jump from relationship to relationship, three months each, for years. I’ve stood there as you said time and time again that you don’t believe in love and forever. I knew where that was going, Katya, I don’t blame you for that.”
Katya fully touches her then, envelops her upper arm with her hand. She isn’t gripping at it, it’s a light touch that Trixie could easily free herself of. But she doesn’t, stares at the hand and back at Katya’s face several times, alarmed by her sudden movement and her expression. “God, Trixie, I did everything wrong.”
“Kat-”
“Let me speak, please. You don’t have to, but I’d love if you’d listen. Just this once.”
Trixie nods then, Katya’s hand still on her arm, her bony fingers digging lightly into her flesh. Katya looks lost, a bit, uncertain of what to say, and Trixie’s worried that whatever it is will just break her further.
“I left for you. I wanted to travel and to photograph the world and to live freely and you wanted a nice job and a family. You were fast-tracking towards your dream job, you were house-hunting hand-in-hand with me. I wanted to love you in Rome, and Paris, and Lisbon and you wanted someone that wanted to settle down. I wasn’t ready.”
“I wanted you,” Trixie barks back, can’t stop herself. Katya’s words are buzzing in her ears, but she won’t let her throw that last sentence like that. Trixie didn’t want someone, Trixie wanted her. She’d made that perfectly clear.
“And I wanted you.” Katya’s eyes are honest and Trixie knows she isn’t lying because she knows her. There’s a lump in her throat and her skin burns where Katya’s touching her. But she still hurts.
“You left.”
“I left.”
They stand in silence, eyes interlocked, both clearly fighting back tears.
“I couldn’t give you what you wanted, Trixie. The easiest way was to go.”
“That’s exactly what you said back then, we want different things. You didn’t know what I wanted. We dated for five months, Katya, I never asked you for forever.”
Katya denies with her head, looks up when a tear forms up anyway. “That isn’t it, Trixie. I wanted forever with you, too, I just wanted it in a different way.”
“You never asked me. You never gave me the choice.”
“I know.”
Silence falls again, and this time it stretches. They don’t move, don’t look at each other, do nothing but take deep breaths and pretend - to the other, to themselves - that they aren’t crying.
“You didn’t have to leave. We didn’t have to break up, I would have understood that you wanted to travel, we could’ve been long-distance, I might even have gone with you for a few weeks or visited or- I don’t know.” She runs her hands through her hair, exhaustion screaming inside all of her limbs. “It’s like… it’s like you didn’t fight for me.”
“I was scared. You know me, you know I panic and let anxiety have the best of me. But you know me, so tell me you can’t see how much I regret it, how much I regret every week that passed that I didn’t try to make things right.”
Trixie looks her in the eye, and she can feel how Katya is urging every bone in her body to remain still and stare back, truthfully. It’s quiet and it’s heavy and the tension is clear.
And then there’s a thunder and the place goes dark.
“Shit.”
Katya squeezes her grip on Trixie’s arm, grounds them both together in the pitch dark of the place as it appears the whole neighborhood has powered out.
It’s in the quiet of the darkness that Katya finds the courage Trixie knows she’s been searching for.
“I don’t know if it changes anything. And I don’t know if it’s good or if it’s bad or how it’ll make you feel or even if I have a right to say it. But I still love you. I love you just as much, maybe even a bit more, than I did the day I left.”
Trixie doesn’t even try to hold the words in, knows she wouldn’t be able to. “I love you, too.”
She feels Katya getting closer, can feel her warm breath on her face and as her eyes are slowly adjusting to the darkness, she thinks she sees the contour of Katya’s face.
“I know what I did was wrong. I thought about coming back several times, but I thought you’d be better off without me. I shouldn’t have left the way I did, but I swear I thought that was the best for you. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you, Trixie. That’s why I came back.” She pauses. One second, then two then three. “I thought I knew what I wanted, but in reality everything falls second to you.”
Trixie doesn’t say anything, doesn’t know if there’s anything she could say. This is so, so much for her brain to handle. She feels exhausted from the night already, feels like all the emotions she could’ve possibly had overloaded her. But she stays still, feels Katya’s warmth in front of her, her other hand now ghosting its fingertips on her arm. She loves her. Nothing’s gonna change that and she knows it. Her words echo in her brain.
“Can I kiss you?”
Katya asks softly, doesn’t move an inch as she waits for an answer. Trixie knows that if she said no Katya would immediately back off and give her space. More than anything, first and foremost, Katya is a genuinely good person. That’s one of the reasons Trixie loves her so much.
That’s also one of the reasons that instead of replying, she’s the one that closes the gap. Her hands find Katya’s face and pull her in slowly, their lips meeting tentatively, calmly. Trixie can feel warmth spreading through her entire body, like spring has just come and blossomed all of the flowers. The familiar feeling sets on her chest, the smoothness of Katya’s lips are like coming home. She feels all the cliches and the songs from romance movies circling inside her, she feels like this is what she’s been waiting for the past nine months.
In a way, it is.
They kiss slowly, innocently, neither moves their hands from where they are currently, but Trixie pulls her in a little more and puts her right foot back at that, trying to ground herself better.
And she manages to step on a remaining tiny shard of glass. “Ow.”
They break apart, breathing not heavy but uneven, and search for each other’s faces that they still can’t see in the dark.
“You ok?”
Trixie nods before she realizes she won’t see. “Yeah, it’s nothing.”
They stay there, locked in an embrace, until the sound of the rain on the window is louder than their breathing. The clock on the wall is ticking and Trixie revels at how in sync it is with her heart.
“We should go to bed,” Katya suggests, and Trixie gulps to herself. Maybe Katya hears her or maybe she just knows, but she adds, “We can both go to my bed and just sleep. Or I can go to the couch or you can to the couch. Whatever makes you comfortable. I just think we should rest.”
Trixie agrees and they start moving through the dark apartment, their hands clasped so they won’t lose each other and also so they won’t lose each other. Katya hits her knee on the bed and hisses, but then she sits down on it and pulls Trixie to sit besides her. They move in the dark, the moonlight filtering in through this window making it a little bit easier to see, and soon they’re settled on the pillows, Trixie on the same side she always slept whenever she and Katya shared a bed both before and after getting together.
Katya finds her hand again, squeezes it, and Trixie looks at her. She waits for a few seconds, hopes the moon will allow her to at least see Katy’s eyes, and it does. They’re shining.
“Give me another chance?” Katya whispers into the night, the words flowing over to Trixie’s already calm, sleepy brain.
“Yeah,” she replies softly, squeezes Katya’s hand back before closing her eyes. “We can talk more in the morning - if there are waffles.”
She falls asleep immediately, doesn’t know if Katya replied or not.
But in the morning she finds Katya doing yoga - and there are waffles.
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Rec This Thing: Interactive Introverts
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Interactive Introverts in Amsterdam RAI, evening show on June 2nd
Story: Dan and Phil decided to give the people what they want.
My Story: Okay, fun fact, I bought my ticket on June 1st. When they first announced their tour, my friend Sammy immediately bought tickets for her and her sister and she asked me to come along.
I declined.
After all, I wasn’t that big of a fan of Dan and Phil and I decided that people who are actual fans of them could have my possible ticket. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I became fan of them and both shows were sold out. Yup. Bummer. Instant regret. Total sadness. So Sammy promised to tell me everything yada yada since I couldn’t go. Then just over 24 hours before the show, Sammy sent me a message that there were five seats left for €55.
Crap.
Okay, I decided to do it. Fuck work the day after. Let’s go. And boy, am I glad I did.
Rating (1 to 10): 9
Why?: QUITE DETAILED SHOW SUMMARY UNDER CUT, SPOILERS!
Alright, yup, I’m just going to write down everything, including the entire show. Or at least what I remember cause holla, this is done from memory.
Basically, we arrived in Amsterdam after a lot of panic because my bus didn’t drive so we were about to miss our train. I ran back home and yelled to mum to grab the car (called Snuit) cause HOLY FUCK MY BUS IS 6 MINUTES LATE AND WITH THE NEXT BUS I WILL MISS MY TRAIN FOR SURE.
But okay, Amsterdam. We got there around four? First we checked out the venue, which wasn’t hard to find because their matinee show had just ended, so we just had to follow the stream of fans who were leaving, and then we had dinner at this Japanese place. Then around 18:30 we were back at the venue. Only VIP was allowed to go in already, so we decided to buy merch. The place was packed, so they decided to already open the merch stand. Good thing we got merch (I got a poster) before the show, because other merch was sold during intermission and after the show. Almost no one got merch during intermission, because it was only 20 minutes long, and after the show the line was insane. Probably 2,5+ hours wait time.
We found our seats. We got split up. Sammy and her sister had a great seat (row 9) and I sat on the other side of the theatre in a balcony seat which was fucking great as well. They put on Dan’s playlist and that playlist was banging. Sometimes, Dan’s Siri interrupted. I mean, they were playing Hard Times when I entered the theatre- great start.��
And of course they came on stage after Welcome To The Black Parade.
First we had a video kinda introducing danis not on fire and AmazingPhil and then they came in on a moving plaform. Like, their set was so minimalistic but also so great?
After the “Hello! Hi!” stuff they talked about being in Amsterdam (”Amsterdamn” - Phil) and how Phil is feeling a bit sick because he decided to eat tons of stroopwafels (strupwaffles, they called it). Dan called him out, because when you buy a pack of stroopwafels, they are obviously not supposed to be eaten at the same time.
Oh, and those poor foreigners aren’t used to shit ton of bikes in Amsterdam (or in the entire Netherlands tbh) so they were talking about how they almost got killed by bikers while crossing the road. 
They were obviously telling us what to expect and all of that.
Then first, What are we not going to do. They acted out everything they were not going to do. I only remember the erotic roleplay, because they did cop roleplay and it was fucking hilarious (”Please be gentle with those handcuffs, I have sensitive skin” - Dan), and the part where they dressed up as their cute pastel versions.
Truth Bombs came next. Phil got asked something among the lines of: “What Olympic sport would Phil excel in?”
Keeping houseplants alive
I forgot.
SPORTS??? LMFAO!
(If anyone’s reading this… if you happen to know the missing parts cause you were at the same show, hit me up.)
Phil said something about how avoiding bikes in Amsterdam is a sport and then he procceeded to jump over the small hexagon on stage. He chose the houseplants.
Dan’s question was: “What is in Dan’s browser history?” 
Fursuits (I think???)
I also forgot.
Something with Shrek 
Which was ironic, because Shrek the Musical played at the RAI. I don’t remember what Dan chose.
Then, “How will they die?” 
Demonetization
They fall off stage in a few minutes
I forgot….
Honestly, they kept talking about demonetization during the entire show. Every time they said something too raunchy, they’d say something like “We’re getting demonetized.”
I think the Simulator came next? Anyway Phil started out with ordering a unicorn frappuchino and he ended up being killed by Satan cause he tried make a deal with him to restore his twitter account after accidentally posting a sexy photo of himself in his pants. We cheered for Satan, and they kept reminding us of that during the entire show. 
Dan was outside for once and got approached by a furry, did body shots of an otter, and ended up dying in an underground furry rave after he decided to use the ladies’ restroom.
After that, Phil synced us all as Linda, so hooray, we were all Linda. Now as Linda, we could continue to the magic trick and the audience participation. What is hidden in the mysterious box that Dan hid under his bed? Our three answers were: cereal, a panda, a fursuit. 
I still don’t know how they did this trick. The box was unopened on stage all the time. Sammy and I first came up with this special electronic paper, but then we realised Phil gave it to audience members to rip it up and fight about it.
I only remember three questions asked during the Survey. There was apart about their favourite content and Dan was very happy to present it as a pie chart. Also “Do you think you know Dan and Phil?”
Yes
No
Who is Dan and Phil?
After joking about how all the parents answered the last answer, they noticed a small percent still answered no, and they talked about authenticity on YouTube and sure, they put themselves out there because they want to entertain people, but that they are still genuinely themselves and that they’re not faking it. But if you wanted to see the non-entertaining version of them, you’d be bored. (”On my sofa, with an overheated laptop on my crotch and a bag of crisps under my chin and me trying to eat them with my tongue cause I’m lazy” - Dan).
Then, of course the “Dan or Phil?” question and they presented the wheel and they made the most dramatic act one exit I’ve ever seen, and I am a Broadway fan.
During intermission, the two women next to me were talking about merch and I told them where to find it. Then I exited the theatre. Sammy’s sister bought Pringles and I bought M&Ms and the three of us were kinda shocked to see the queue for the merch stand. Those poor fuckers.
We went back to the theatre and I talked about the merch again, because I happened to know the whole merch stand and its prices by heart after looking at it for 45 minutes (hoodie €40, sweater €30, wristband €5, poster €10, Dan and Phil plushies €25, denim jacket €65, two t-shirts €20 and €25, keycord or whatever it is called €10, cap €15, woops I still know it).
Back to the show! Phil was on the wheel and Dan used a slingshot, a bow and arrow, and a bazooka. And afterwards Phil was showing off his ass while taking off that white body suit. He said he was dizzy and Dan dared him to jump over the hexagon again, but Phil refused.
Okay anyway the next thing I remember is the wholesome Daniel and X-Rated Lester part (”I’m already feeling naughty” - Phil). In the beginning they had this whole talk about authenticity and how they are still humans bla which was really cool. Since I am a recent fan, I completely missed the actual wholesome Daniel craze, but yeah, they talked about how they are actual people and sometimes, they don’t meet certain expectations of fans.
Also, at one point in the show, Dan was talking about God and he yelled “Spite me, daddy!” and I think it was around this moment. The entire crowd yelled.
Alright Dan had to sweet talk disturbing fan fiction, Hello Internet, and another thing uuuuhm. I don’t remember. Anyway, he kept saying “Oh for God’s sake!”, especially at the Hello Internet one.
Phil had to bad mouth cute animals, endless kittens (he failed), and ugh I have also forgotten his last one. The person who sent in cute animals sat in front of me and it was just absolutely amazing to see how happy she was to see her submission on screen.
Then the Dan vs. Phil friendship game. There was a lot of stuff, but I remember some. I can’t believe they shocked each other, but maybe that is because I’d read the Milgram Experminent earlier that week.
First, psychic connection. They both had to name the same number between 1 to 20 and they failed. 
Then a dilemma. Dan got the dilemma: “Guest star in Infinity War 4 or Phil gets thrown in a pool of cheese?”
Phil had to choose between: “A billion dollars or Dan will never be able to see dogs again?” According to Phil, he’d buy two big airplanes and then merge them together for an ever bigger airplane.
Then the Dan or Phil or Rat. They both got it right. Phil just got a photo of something white, but he guessed that it was his own pale skin and Dan got some hairs and he guessed that it was a rat.
Trivia. Dan needed to name 3 pre-2008 Phil videos and succeeded. Dan thanked Phil for uploading his newest video about his his old deleted stuff. Phil needed to recall the kind of cake that Colin ruined and failed.
There was probably more to Dan vs. Phil but I am blanking. Phil got the big shock (”I’m Phil trash no. 1!″ - Dan).
Then the intimate moment. Or personal. Phil called it intimate and Dan just went “PERSONAL? DON’T CALL IT INTIMATE, IT’S PERSONAL” and then proceeded to point out that Phil has a degree in English language.
It was just so down to earth. There were three questions, and I remember two. The first person asked for an appropriate name for their zoo animal YouTube channel. I forgot the name they recommended, but they said it was great that this person had a clear theme.
I remember one person saying that she wants to be a singer but her parents want her to go into medicine and well first they were like “hey singing doctor!”. But they talked about how passion is important and how they both didn’t do what was expected and how they are much happier now (“Lawyer Dan is as awful as a singing doctor!” - Dan) but I unfortunately forgot the other two questions. It was just a really nice moment where both Dan and Phil just sat down to have a chat. Oh and they also talked about Phil’s apparent awful handwriting.
Then the power came back on and I think that is when the Awards happened? Glitter jackets af and a self-made statue (”Two naked men in bondage really represents Dan and Phil” - Phil, or something like that.)
The first category was: Best dressed pet as Dan and Phil.
A lizard wearing a flower crown while watching the video of Black Parade won.
A cat wearing Dan’s merch.
I don’t even know but it looked like Dan was riding Phil so that was that. I suppose it was a dog.
And then Most inaccurate expectation of the show
I fucking forgot first place.
Two hour long Hamilton reenaction with Chris Evans.
Them giving birth on stage.
Also the most annoyed parent was just incredibly funny. I remember the winners but hey I don’t feel comfortable just sharing their names cause… privacy. I know the winner sat on the second row and all kids were pointing at her and I guess Dan and Phil saw her and said: “This was probably the worst day of your life, thank you for sharing it with us!” “You probably thought you were seeing Shrek the Musical.”
And then back to the scripted part, aka the Big Finale. A dog video that has nothing to do with the show, PHIL’S DISS TRACK, Dan at the piano, and them singing a duet. This ain’t Broadway, but it was still kinda nice and just sweet.
And well, that is it. They runned around on stage, waving at everyone, saying goodbye. Then they stepped on their moving platform and they disappeared.
Some random things:
Phil kept calling a part of the set a “flap” which annoyed Dan.
Dan… just… couldn’t… stop… dabbing…
They hinted at a new gaming video that involves a lot of Dan’s screaming - coming next week.
So many pride flags in the crowd.
Phil and Dan sounds wrong.
There was one moment where a picture of Dan’s had pasted on a horse from My Horse Prince appeared with a text bulb saying “Ride me, senpai” but I don’t remember when that happened. I think before the Simulator?
Interactive Introverts kind of reminded me of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. There’s clearly a format and a script, but thanks to audience participation, no shows are the same.
But in all seriousness, as my friend Rowan @rothetree pointed out, the entire message of this show was about how Dan and Phil are just human. As Ro put it: “On a serious note, there’s a whole underlying theme to this show, which was them basically going “Hey, we’re real people, stop objectifying us"”. This felt so in line with what the three of us were talking about. Me, Sammy and Sammy’s sister had to endure a two hour train ride and we talked a lot about fandom’s perception on real life people they stan and how they sometimes reduce those people to the image they have in their minds.
Cause we were talking about stuff like real life shipping, and about how celebrities are being seen, and how the moment they do something the fans don’t like, you get all those moments of “X is not real anymore!”
Newsflash asshole, they are people with feelings, and just because you don’t want to see those feelings, doesn’t mean they don’t have them. For example, Sammy was talking about how one K-POP star basically got stalked at an airport and when he clearly showed his dislike of it, people were all “OH MY GOD HE DOESN’T LIKE HIS FANS HE IS SO RUDE HE’S NOT WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS” and I gave the example of people saying Darren is “no longer himself” after he called out the people who are seriously threatening his fiancée and all that stuff.
Before the show started, we overheard two other fans talking about how they should come out bla bla bla, and just… no? That is so personal and we are not entitled to that at all? 
To quote Ghostly, they are not our dolls. We can’t dress them up in whatever way we want.
I recently read I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman, which follows a band from the fans’ POV and through the band’s POV and how sometimes those things clash, and I feel like with Interactive Introverts, Dan and Phil wanted to show people who they are to avoid a clash like that. That’s why they kept talking about how they value authenticity, while they are aware of the fact that they are also putting on a show. Or how, when people have certain images of them, how unrealistic those images can be and that they cannot live up to the expectations, and therefore it is important for fans to realise that. The tagline is: “Giving the people what they want!” and they did that without having to change for the fans’ sake.
As Rowan (rothetree, not Rowan from the book I Was Born For This) said: "we don’t own their image or expect too much from them. Something about their interactions with us is changing in a really good way."
Because that exactly.
Since I am a recent fan and I got my ticket one day before the show, I wasn’t aware of the questions, but in the “Do you think you know Dan or Phil?” (as they said: or do you think we’re people putting up a whole show) I would’ve answered a solid “no”, because I always think it’s dangerous to say that you know a celebrity, but after this show, I’d vote “yes”, because the way they acted on stage and the way they conveyed their message of “yes, we’re putting on a show right now because we want to entertain you guys, but we still care about authenticity” was well done.
And that is what made this show so great and enjoyable. Yes, it was a show and there were scripted parts, but it was still very genuine.
Recommend?: Yes, please, just like TATINOF, put it online for sale!
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feverhalo · 6 years
Text
So. Heres this old fic from uhhhhhhhhhhhhh I really don’t remember how long ago. Originally I had it split into 3 parts on the posts that inspired it- and it was my first attempt at writing anything along the lines of stuffing, but it kind of ended up more like he was already coming down with something. It was on my first attempt at a fic blog- way back when and it got deleted because I didnt know how sideblogs worked back then and goofed. Thought I lost everything, then I found an old disc with a whole whack of it on there.
At the moment I can only find 2 of the 3 posts of the art that inspired it here and here. I’ll link the missing post as soon as I find it.
so um, warnings for vomit, cussing, and over-eating-ish and mentions of drinking. and I also am not editing it because im super lazy so its in the same glory as it was when i posted it years ago (2012 apparently)
2,864 words, apparently.
“Come on people! When I say I want you all mobilized in fifteen I don’t mean in half a damn hour. I mean twenty minutes ago.” Fury fumed over the intercom from his station on scene. His voice bounced off the inside of the transport van and rung through each individual earpiece. “Rise and shine, ‘cause we are in a fucking war against some baddies if you haven’t all noticed. You are my agents and I am expecting you to do your damn jobs at my order.”
“Load of fucking shit,” the sniper agent to Clint’s left mumbled, “two a.m. wakeup call is horseshit. I just finished a mission and got back at ten last night.”
“Yeah, welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D brother, what did you think this was? Day camp?” Clint double checked his packet was still together. He’d read it once they got to their positions, it was too dark inside the van. He shook his head a bit when the other agent went back to fuming. Running on low sleep was nothing, sure the headaches and fuzziness were a pain in the ass sometimes but it’s not hard to get used to. You have to get used to it in this job. Same with messed up schedules on basically everything. They would get an hour tops to set up and get ready for a long haul on their stations.
What he managed to make sense of before climbing in the back of the vehicle through his sleep-fogged mind was that they needed to be ready for anything by three thirty, three forty five at the latest with the other crew up ahead of them set up. He rubbed his face trying to wake up more, must be all the time he’s spent on normal schedule lately, it was causing a real issue. He wasn’t looking forward to the no doubt shitty and militant type food they were all going to have for breakfast within the next hour either. He was getting soft on the new routine of near-normal sleep and actual tasteful food instead of vacuum packed crap made for boosting endurance.
He leaned back to try and get into the mindset for the day. It was going to be a very very long one. Someone mentioned they might be stuck out there until seven that night. By then they’d have relief agents come in to give them a break, but as Hawkeye, well he was probably expected to stay around. Most teams wouldn’t shelf their best shooter if they could help it. He’d probably get a nap in at some stationed area. Though the accidental nap he got on the way there wasn’t something he completely cursed even though he didn’t like the fact of it.
“Alright, come on move out you all got a lot to go over and not much time.” The voice crackling into his ear is what startled him awake, and the hatch of the van swinging open definitely helped make that happen faster. Keeping near silent, everyone filed out and headed into the building while Agent Hill took control of their transport and directed it to their station a little ways away hidden in a different building.
Everyone was handed a pack; filled with the shitty food and bottles of water for their posts, their weapons if they hadn’t brought any and extra ammo and pieces if they did, additional intel for their briefing packages according to pay grade, and some quick hushed instruction to where they were all to be.
Clint took his without a word and made his way to his post. Abandoned, or purposefully emptied, industrial building and the usual sort of interior. Too much moving about would give away his position on the metal catwalk. He had a few windows to observe through and a railing to his back. He dropped his pack as lightly and quietly as he could and set himself facing the railing to observe everyone being dispatched while he read over his briefing package.
Exact sort of thing he expected since they woke him up. Nothing too big, but big enough to require a lot of force if anything went bad. He was given another radio code with instructions to call the other Avengers if things turned too ugly. And it was going to be a long-ass day. No break in sight until afternoon if they were lucky. He ripped open the first package of… well. He opened the first nutritional packet and set to work on it mindlessly while he kept reading and rereading. This was coded, but memorizing it and burning it was always his procedure.
By the fourth read through he was nearly done the second pack. Best to eat as much as he could, as much as he hated it and was off-put by eating at such a strange time after the Avengers got together. Professional agent Clint Barton, code name Hawkeye, sharpest shooter as they came- but totally useless without a sugar rush to start him at this time of night, and hell to deal with if he crashes afterward. Carbs, protein, sugar. The three biggest and most annoying things to eat right now, low on time and rushing to compensate for his mental sluggishness at this hour.
He startled himself with a small belch and nearly dropped everything. He did a quick scan and everything seemed normal. Confused for a second longer as to the origin of the sound, he came to the realization when he hiccupped. Ah. Right. He was eating, and apparently at the speed he was reading if the blooming discomfort in his slightly distended abdomen was anything to go by. He took a swig of the only soda from his pack, no doubt put there as a favor from a very sneaky woman. He let it fizz up in his mouth before swallowing it.
New diet. That’s another thing he reminded himself to update S.H.I.E.L.D on before the next mission. He downed some more soda and let the carbonation work its way back out in a few more small burps. It was definitely a good feeling. He just had to work the rest of the air out before the mission started. No big deal.
“Relax Barton,” He shifted in his new ‘nest’, “nothing you haven’t had to do before. Good to know I can still get mission jitters, heh. Maybe this’ll be fun.” He wanted it to be. He definitely wasn’t expecting this call when he decided to turn in early last night. He tried to tell himself the slight trembling feeling, not that he’d let his hands shake at all if it could be helped, was from nerves. Big man in the world now, sure, but unexpected missions always had excitement to them. Sometimes it left you a little shaken in the best ways. Not that he was sure how good this sort of shaken felt yet, all he could say for certain was that it was strange.
He shrugged his shoulders and straightened out before packing away the left overs and digging out a lighter to burn the paper with. The wind howled a little outside, bringing to his mind the chill of the night.
--
An hour later had him leaning lazily at a windowsill; nothing happened yet that needed his attention or intervention. He kept flitting his eyes about in a restless sort of way, glancing about but never focusing too long and trying to keep that trembling, tingling feeling filling him up at bay. He thought back to the night before, and about being so tired.
“See anything?” Another agent’s voice crackled through his earpiece. He pressed down on his microphone button to reply.
“Not a damn thing,” he drawled, “Anything from your sights?”
“Nothing yet,”
He let up off the mic and sighed. He felt his body buzz again in a wave under his skin and couldn’t help but shake his shoulders trying to get it out. Part of his mind nagged at him with a reminder of feeling distinctly unwell last night.
Drinking. Stark roped us all into it. Thinks just because he has a miracle liver means we all do.
Though it was harder to remind himself of that when he had to shake his shoulders and head again to fight off a wave of fuzziness.
--
It wasn’t for another forty-five minutes, and three updates from Fury himself, until Barton had something to hold his attention. He was crouched low at his post and grabbed at the shirt over his stomach as another wave of pain and sudden nausea shot through him. Sure he’d started idly rubbing his stomach a little earlier; he was getting butterflies was all. Usually something happened by now when they got this many people out that fast. He was getting more nervous the entire time, who didn’t when it came to performance issues? He was still having trouble focusing on the vast nothingness happening today by the time the butterflies started. But now this was throwing him off.
“Any news yet? Getting real bored up here,” he clicked the mic off after and waited.
“Nothing. Should be another hour at most. Getting antsy there, a little flighty? Ha.”
“Ha. Leave the jokes to someone who can handle them, Keith.” He turned down the radio and double checked the microphone was off when he curled up tighter into himself and put his head against the sill as another wave of discomfort washed over him.
Eventually, he had to get back up and in proper position. He felt a bit better after some time elapsed and figured as long as he didn’t over do anything and stayed relatively well hydrated he’d be good enough. He turned the radio back up and opened his water bottle as he slid back into the favored hiding position he found where he could stand full height without being seen. Another hour tops and he’d have something in his sights…
Hawkeye swallowed hard and backed away from his post. This was getting a little ridiculous. He stepped back until the guard rail pressed into his back. He hazarded a quick glimpse over before having to go back to staring at part of the wall to calm his roiling stomach, but his eyes didn’t miss a thing. All S.H.I.E.L.D’s other snipers were still focused at their stations. No other agents or personnel were in the area. He figured it was safe enough to sit down for a little and wait this out. Again.
He dropped slowly and cautiously, trying not to upset anything further, and dropped his legs over the side. He pressed his forehead to the cool metal of the guard rail and tried to focus on breathing evenly. At least if it all went to hell, it would go right the hell off his platform. Damn, even some personal snark wasn’t helping anything.
He shut his eyes tight and willed himself not to moan out-loud. Getting seen and getting heard were two ways to royally fuck up in this job, and now were also two ways to grab unwanted attention and ridicule over his gastric distress. His snaked one arm around the bar running at chest level and pulled his head down to lean heavily on it, holding it for dear life if his whitened knuckles were anything to go by. Clint’s other hand rested lightly on his stomach, too nervous to even try and ease the nausea by rubbing or curling up this time. By how ragged his breathing sounded, even trying to call in now wouldn’t work. His jaw felt glued together anyway, he really didn’t trust opening his damn trap for anything. Static fizzled over his earpiece and some other agents gave short updates.
After a few minutes with no relief Clint resigned that he might just actually lose it here. He shoved the microphone back and double checked it was switched off. Still on the right channel so just in case they did need him it was easy to radio back, he couldn’t back out but like hell he could get up right now. His stomach lurched and gurgled, leaving him coughing a little into his hand to stifle the sound and hopefully to help keep everything down. He felt a rush of stifling heat and sweat beaded on his neck.
Did he mention this was going to be a long-ass night?
“Got someone moving.” Clint perked up as best he could in this situation. Not the best idea, he shuddered and folded forward a bit more. He groped blindly for the water bottle he had been taking sips from to help quell the nausea with until now. He popped it open with his teeth and waited for someone else to give up more information. Nobody would realize he wasn’t looking right now, they’d all be too busy searching their own areas and figuring he was either doing the same or trained on the target already.
“Can’t see them.” Clint groaned aloud, unable to help it. He took another sip from the bottle, but just ended up spitting it out.
“I swear I will never say anything bad about anyone ever again…” he started mumbling to himself disjointedly. Promising things to any deity he ever heard of, cursing them all out.
“It’s the Director. No worries, everyone,” Agent Hill came over the comms. “He and I are double checking parts of the perimeter. The targets shouldn’t be this far back at all.”
“Fuck. Fuck everything and the damn horse it rode in on,” he swallowed hard and tried to ignore the burning at the back of his throat.
“Confirmed. It is Director Fury and Agent Hill.”
Radio silence returned for another stretch of time. Felt like almost another hour. Clint spat down on to the floor below again. Finally giving in to the urge to wrap his arm tightly around his middle, he rocked himself slightly to see if it helped. It did for a small moment. He let out a shaky sigh and glanced back over at the windows where the sun was now creeping up through the clouds of dirt and grime on the glass. He considered moving back a bit and laying down before radioing in his distress, but not before he was sure it was something he could handle. After a few more intense seconds he decided that was the best plan of action.
After about four more seconds his stomach decided that was a stupid idea and he needed to keep his ass very still right the hell where it was. And less than a second after that, Barton was parting with a good portion of his stomach’s contents. There was no elegant or quiet and stealthy way to cover that. He retched. He shut his eyes and shook a little harder after the fact. Resting his head, defeated, on the railing again, he Clint tried to work up the strength and his voice well enough to call it in if someone wasn’t already beating him to it.
“Damnit Barton,” Fury’s voice vaulted up to where Hawkeye was slumped, “What the hell?!”
Clint opened his eyes slowly, he shook a little more in some vague form of terror that filtered through his sickened mind. He scooted back a bit, ignoring the wet dripping of his own vomit onto the floor below. He pulled the mic piece down and flicked it on.
“Sorry sir, Agent Hawkeye reporting,” his voice shook, wavered and cracked a little, but still carried over the radio and down from his nest, “I think I’m a little under the weather.”
“Well no fucking shit.” Agent Hill had retreated a number of steps from Fury and the mess surrounding him. She pulled her clipboard up and started flipping through pages while putting out a radio call for a med truck and a replacement. If he had felt any better, Clint would have laughed at the absurd sight, but unfortunately he was back to fighting to keep down what was left in his stomach. “If you’re gonna do that again I’d like some damn warning.”
All Hawkeye could manage for warning was a quick ‘move-aside’ hand motion before leaning through the gap in the rail again and vomiting once more. By now everyone in the building knew what was going on and were switching radio channels and trying to ignore the sounds of Clint losing it all over the cemented floor.
After a third bout of being sick, Clint was left dry-heaving and limp against the fever-warmed metal. Too shaky to even hold the water bottle that hadn’t left his side today, leaving it to fall below him too when he tried to grab it. Within minutes two medical technicians were helping him down from his nest. He felt so shaky and wrung out he didn’t even attempt to fight them over being taken out on a stretcher. He just laid on his side and curled in on himself as they pushed him past Hill and Fury, who was still cleaning himself up.
“Next time spare us the damn show and call it in before the firework finale, alright?”
“Got it.”
--
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Day 6: Iasi- Grumble Warning
Ok, so, I've fallen a bit behind on posts and the one I was working on just deleted itself in a fit of selfishness, so I plan, over the course of today, to upload three mini-updates of significantly reduced length, in an effort to not send myself mental, trying to catch up. Don't worry. You won't be missing much.
So, let's speed through day 6; for the first time on the trip I had managed to let myself wake up naturally, without my alarm or (despite their best, snore-laden efforts) room-mates prematurely rousing me. Consequently, I slept until 12 and had managed to waste a good portion of my first full day in Iasi.
I shared my room with an odd Romanian man, who we will get to later and another, eerily quiet, fairly creepy man who had sat stock still, the previous night, not moving, even to check his phone when it went off, save for one incident, where he sauntered directly over to my bunk to thrust a piece of melon into my face, to ask if I wanted some. I did not. Melon is gross. By the time I had woken up, however, both men had vacated the room, with my melon based assailant seemingly having done so permanently. I was very glad of this fact.
After a genuinely infuriating experience of trying to drag my incredibly low-end laptop through the relatively demanding experience of trying to book accommodation for Cluj-Napoca; my next destination, through AirBnB, who had also arbitrarily decided that I, all of a sudden, needed to scan my passport into the website in order to make any further bookings, for some mad reason, I finally managed to get out into Iasi, to explore the city properly. Sort of.
The sky was badly overcast, meaning, that once again, despite it being pre-sunset, my jaunt into the surrounding area would be undertaken essentially in darkness. Regardless, I pressed on to my first objective of the day; to hoover up souvenirs, like a mad tat-vaccuum.
I stopped, for what I hoped would be a flying visit, though actually ended up taking up a good portion of what remained of my day, at a gift shop I had spied on my way in to the hostel, the previous day. A timid little man greeted me upon my entry and asked what I was looking for, for whom and what my budget was. I told him and he considered for a moment, before demonstrating at wearying length each piece of stock he felt fit the bill, which, as it turned out, was nearly every piece of stock he owned. After an awfully long time, he stopped talking and I picked the piece of tat I most felt would make an appropriate gift and attempted to pay. He insisted on gift-wrapping it, despite the fact that I told him I did not need it gift wrapped, nor did I expect the structural integrity of the wrap to hold up, during my flight home. But, no. He did it anyway.
I left and, after a quick stop at a nearby mall to pick up a fridge magnet, upon which my demanding (though still nice) girlfriend insists I bring back for her, I was finally ready to explore the city. Like, for real this time.
I sat in a nearby park and pulled out the comically huge map I had been given by the hostel
Tumblr media
I mean LOOK at it...
before feeling a bit embarrassed and putting it away, after taking a quick photo of it to take note of the highlighted areas of interest. I decided, in lieu of a better plan, to saunter between them, despite the fact that most, if not all of them just seemed to be old churches.
The walk was nice enough, with my podcasts filling my ears to distract me from the low-key mundanity and creeping cold that was setting in, though probably not of any huge interest to the blog, as it can be summed up in the single sentence “I saw some churches”. I nearly went to a museum which featured exhibits on life in the area at around 4000BC, which sounded interesting, but by the time I had arrived, it was getting close to its closing time, and so I did not.
I ended up, instead, in a nearby park, which my giganto-map had told me, I my memory served, had inspired numerous romanian poets to create their best work. It was, however, by the time I arrived, a little after sunset, and so I was only really inspired to leave.
Finally, I made a quick stop at LIDL to buy far, far, far too many pastries to make my nine hour train ride the following day, less shit.
The LIDL, though quite nice, had the curious flaw of not having any baskets for me to use, hanging around. People had trolleys, but I had no idea from where they originated. Instead, I was forced to just sort of fill my pockets, tuck under my arm and otherwise clutch onto the not insubstantial amount of things I wanted to buy. It was awkward and uncomfortable and for some time afterwards, my hands more resembled talons, but I powered through, little soldier that I am, and made my pleasingly cheap purchases. I remembered to buy a bag for the walk home.
I returned to the hostel and set about my evening bibble before being interrupted by my strange Romanian room-mate, whom I had previously mentioned. He stumbled into the room.
“...Deed you see the city?”
“Sorry?”
“...Deed you go and look at thee ceety?”
“What, today?” I asked, feeling vaguely affronted, like he was judging me for being in the hostel so often, when I could be outside exploring this gloriously mundane town. “Yes, I just got back.” I challenged, adding “I was out walking around for like five hours”, just to make him feel like a real piece of shit.
He seemed to drop the subject and wandered over to the window.
“You know eet was snoweenk earlier?” he said, desperate to prove that I wasn't paying enough attention to the outside world, apparently.
“Oh” I replied. “No, I didn't.”
“Yeah, its stopped now, theenk you meesed it”
Oh, fuck off.
“Ah, well, there'll always be more snow...” I said, philosophically.
“Who knows, man” he answered back, also philosophically, but at the same time, stupidly. “Weenters are getting warmer, you know”
“Yeah, true...” I mumbled back, out of politeness
“When I was a keed, always such huge snow in weenter, but nowadays, not so much”
“Well, that's global warming for you...”. My stock reply to people talking about weather I'm not interested in.
“...I don't believe so much in global warmeenk”
...Oh, no.
“Oh?” I queried, knowing full well that I was getting dragged down this rabbit hole, whether I wanted or not.
“Yeah, I mean it maybe happens, but its effect is like a drop in the ocean, compared to the governments weather controlling”
“...Wat.” I thought, and also accidentally said out loud.
“You know, chemtrails etc, you know government controls weather right?”
I wanted to just nod and smile, but I couldn't bring myself to. I had never actually come face-to-face with someone who harboured such a stupid belief. You hear about climate change deniers, flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, but you don't honestly believe they exist. They're like Santa, or happiness.
“...I actually think that's a very dangerous opinion to hold, let alone spread. There's literally no evidence or science behind it, whatsoever.”
“Ah, you know science isn't always right? These scientists theenk something and then, a few years later, eets replaced by a new thing”
“Yes, but it's always replaced with more science...not just a wild, mental guess”
I don't remember exactly what he said after this, but  I recall it being stupid. Something to the effect of “oh yeah? Then why do we have less snow now?”
I decided, at that point, just to drop it and be angry.
We talked a short while longer, before he vanished back into the common room to study for the university course he was undertaking while living here, which was also weird. Psychology, if you're interested, because of course it was. I have know idea what kind inperceptible mentalist lure has lodged itself at the heart of that subject, but, my god, it is there.
I bibbled a while longer, before sauntering down to finally use the shit, hostel kitchen to make some sandwiches; both for tomorrow's trip and tonight's dinner.
The climate change denier was in the kitchen, talking to some girl wearing a rough, loose fitting jumper, with her hair pinned up in neat dreadlocks.
“Oh, wow.” I thought to myself. The conversation I'm walking into is going to be fucking ridiculous.
“...You know why you're not supposed to eat fruit after a meal?” the man, let's call him Mental Andrei, said.
“Yeah, of course...” the girl replied, seemingly trying to make herself seem knowledgeable about a subject which was categorically mental and had no underpinning in facts.
“Because” Andrei continued “the food is already in your intestines and so the fruit goes straight through the stomach and go to the other food and it ferments and makes you feel sick. Maybe even make you vomit!”
I wanted so badly to tell him that what he said was fundamentally ridiculous; that a) food does not move from the stomach to intestine immediately after you eat it, that b) adding more food afterwards doesn't immediately mean that that food bypasses the stomach, like there's a big open plug-hole going straight through to your colon, which slowly closes again several hours after a meal and most crucially c) that humans have been eating and drinking fermented fruits for probably thousands of years, however, I kept tight-lipped, reasoning that to correct them would at best be a waste of breath and at worst, be an inescapable portal into their conversation.
I set about making my sandwiches, which were awful. Normally, I'd do a long description about how they were like someone throwing up into my nose and me snorting it into the back of my throat then swishing it around my mouth and that's what they tasted like, but because I'm trying to be brief today, I will simply say eating these sandwiches was like being kicked in the mouth by a shoe made of rotten meat. It was a sad, dry, gristly affair and I did not like it. Good thing I had just made four of them for tomorrow.
I then turned in to bed, eager to sleep, which which I did, after tossing and turning for a while, for at least an hour or so, before some absolute thundering prick decided the following things constituted acceptable behaviour; checking in at 3am; having a tour of the room and its amenities by the receptionist at this time; switching the room's lights on while he put took his stuff in; loudly and clumsily putting all his clothes away on /hangers/, directly next to the bed of someone, whom, for all intents and purposes, he could have happily assumed was still asleep; leaving the room, lights still on to have a shower, in the bathroom located directly through the wobbly cardboard wall from my bed and finally, coming back to bed to sit up, lights still on for a good hour or so afterwards, loudly coughing, turning the pages of his book and chuckling to himself.
It was a good thing I didn't have anything strenuous to do the next day.
...Oh, wait.
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rainsonata · 7 years
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A Day Off
Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; hints of VCBH Rating: K Word Count: 1,626
Summary: With no missions and chores to be done, Elesis was bored when she caught Raven walking back to the inn. Birthday fic for @blazingsnark.   
Edit: Oops, deleted original post and reposted to add a Read More bar.  Sorry for taking up space!
Shouts and murmurs overlapped one another, swords clattered against the blacksmith’s hammer, and wind chimes clang with the sea breeze carried over from the ports.  Foreign spices overwhelmed one’s sense, a mixture of everything that made it hard to pinpoint its components.  Even the air felt different, sharp and salty to the taste if one was to close their eyes and breath in.
It was hard to believe this was the merchant’s area.  Everything about the city was pristine, sculpted out of white marble with gold and blue stones decorating the exteriors. There were cracks on the floor and several of the buildings, but not many.  They contrasted against the ruined buildings in Hamel’s outskirts, where the demons’ influences had spread.  
Bouncing in her heels, Elesis stopped when she caught a familiar face among the crowds of merchants, civilians, and soldiers.  She pushed through the packed streets and waved with both of her arms, happy to see him.  
“Heya, Raven!”  
The Veteran Commander did a double take when she approached him, but gave a steady smile, “Hello, didn’t expect to see you.”
Why?  Because most of the group was out, there was no need to upgrade weapons, shop for equipment, or any of that because they were already completed on their last free day?  The redhead crossed her arms and twitched.  
“Shopping for dinner?” She noticed Raven holding grocery bags that could feed two or three households for a week, although with how big the Elparty had grown, it wasn’t an exaggeration. It was already hard to balance the party’s money without including living expenses like eating and resting at inns.  Would it be ungrateful to ask Aisha to conjure food out of thin air?      
“Yeah,” Raven chuckled, “Elsword ate the last bit of leftovers for lunch.”  
“Let me help!” The Blazing Heart didn’t wait for an answer and stole three bags to carry with both hands.  
There was a bounce in her footsteps when she almost skipped back to the inn they were staying at.  Elesis counted her lucky stars that their destination was close to the marketplace, a few minutes’ walk at most, but the extra weight made it feel longer when they stopped to take a breather.  
“Are you done with training already?” Raven asked.  
She shrugged, “There’s only so much training you can do in a day.”
He nodded in understanding, “It’s hard to stand still when it’s quiet, isn’t it?”    
“They’re missing out on the fun we’re having,” Elesis joked.  Her voice was steady, but was it convincing enough?  The look Raven was giving her gave her the feeling that it wasn’t.  
Although none of them said it out loud, the red sparks threatening to erupt from her fingertips seemed to express the sentiment the most.  Hamel was partially submerged because of the demon invasion, leaving their recent missions to involve investigating the depths of the sea.  Being fire users, that meant she, her brother, and Raven were for lack of better word, useless.  Even before she joined her brother and his friends, she was rarely alone because she had her men to think of and worked with them through many of the missions assigned to them.  It was unrealistic to think she would never stumble on obstacles that would block her ability to fight, but watching the party leave without them felt wrong.
“You think those four know how to swim?”  Elesis mused at the funny image: a mage, elf, nasod, and child wading underwater in search for clues to the El’s whereabouts.  Could nasods swim?  When she asked the nasod queen, she was provided with a long explanation she couldn’t make head of.  She was going to assume it was a yes if Eve had no qualms about going near water.  
“Chung and Rena should,” Raven said.  “I don’t know about the other two.  Do you?”  
“Of course!”  No child from Ruben grew up without learning to swim at Lake Noahs.  Among house wives’ whispers were rumors that the water had special property that could heal the tired and the sick.  “Do you?”
“Yes, but it would be unwise for me to.”
It took Elesis a moment to understand the statement until Raven waved his nasod arm for her attention.  Oooh, right, nasod arm.  Waterproof or not, the additional weight would slow them down.  
When they returned to the inn, the front lobby was packed with travelers and soldiers lined up at the front desk.  Squeezing past the crowd and making their way back to their rooms, it took them several tries to get the key to work so they could open the door.  Once they stored most of the food, Elesis followed Raven to the chicken to see the Veteran Commander wearing a pink apron.  
Was it already time?  Elesis glanced at the stove clock to see it was half past four, then turned her head to see the sun high up and gleaming down through the windows.  The sun here felt different too, less intense and cooler than Velder.
“They’re not back.”  The redhead rested her eyes on the empty main room connected to the kitchen.  It was a suite styled rooming with a hallway leading to multiple rooms for different people, perfect to house full parties such as themselves.    
“The enemy must be hiding the duke well,” Raven opened a bag of flour to pour into a bowl with a plastic cup.  He dug through the pantry for the paprika, salt, and pepper to toss with the flour to make the seasoning.  
“Some mission,” Elesis scratched the back of her head.  “All this to save someone who can’t keep his head above the water.”  She grabbed a knife from the drawer to open a bag of vegetables on the counter.  A number of questions spurred in her mind as she began chopping them on the cutting board beside raven.  Unable to control the panic from the demon invasion, going missing, being rumored to be kidnapped by mermen of all things… was Duke Rod Ross worthy of his title?
A smile tugged at the corner of Raven’s mouth at the play on words, “It’s hard to sympathize when his secretary said this wasn’t the first time.  Nobles in Hamel aren’t too different from the ones in Velder, it seems.”  
“It seems so,” Elesis laughed.
Despite the struggles she had when she was stationed in Velder, nostalgia overwhelmed her when she was thought of the people she met and the places she traveled to with her men.  Hearing Raven’s occasional comments about the army made her happy to see she wasn’t alone.  
“It’s hard talking to them sometimes,” she admitted.  “It’s like they’re talking another language!”
“They do say things differently than the common folk for certain things,” Raven agreed.  “Didn’t you live in Velder for a time?”
“I did, but it was mostly teaching my men how to fight more than talking to the nobles.”  
“We’ll have to cooperate with them more in Hamel,” he said.  “Are you okay with that?”  While he appreciated Elesis’ enthusiasm, he knew Hamel was different from the experience Elesis must have had with Velder holding less emphasis on nobility but was more military based.  
“Me? Nah, I’ll be fine!”  The Blazing Heart shrugged it off, but paused when she thought she heard someone walking down the hallway.  That must be Elsword, she noted.  
Raven must have heard the footsteps too and said, “Well, Elsword seems to represent us and I worry if we encounter someone who won’t be as forgiving if he accidentally steps out of line…”
Her expression wavered.  Elsword did use a Ruben slang a merchant mistakened as an insult when the Rune Slayer tried to make a bargain the other day.  Perhaps she needed to talk to him. She pondered on what to tell her younger brother.  
“You seem fluent in doing this sort of thing,” Elesis made her decision.  “Teach me how to talk to nobles then!”
“H-hey, I’m no expert!”  He made a choking noise she assumed as surprise…of happiness?  Raven coughed, “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon-”
“And that’s why you’ll be a great teacher!”  She beamed, “You tell me the common folk equivalence with the fancy talk and I’ll teach Elsword afterward!”
“Fancy talk?”  The older man blurted out a loud laugh before controlling himself and stifle a smile.  Raven finished mixing the eggs with water in a separate bowl and a bit of salt and pepper.      
She finished cutting the last slices of onion and bell pepper, stringing them together on a kabob and was pleased with herself.  It looked like Raven was almost done too with washing the chicken and covering them with the seasoning he made earlier.  All was left was to cook them on a frying pan and wait for them to cool.    
Elesis grinned, “I’ll pick it up, no problem!”    
Raven returned one and chuckled, “I’ll see what I can do then.  Tomorrow?”
She beamed, “Tomorrow, after breakfast.”  Elesis watched Raven heat up the stove in preparation to fry the chicken and had a gleam in her eyes when she offered to add extra paprika to the first piece.    
“Be careful,” he said.
“Hey,” she said with a wink.  “Just a little.”
Raven stared, “You poured at least two spoons.”
Elesis waved it off, “This isn’t for me.”
Color drained from Raven’s face before he realized when she meant when he caught her with a devious expression.  
“This is for Elsword eating the last sandwich,” the redhead cackled while Raven groaned.  It looked like Raven did have a soft heart after all as Rena claimed.  She couldn’t wait to tell the elf the good news tonight when the rest of them came home.  
Author Notes: Thanks being a good friend and going over my writing over the years!   I’m glad I found your fics long ago and got to talk to you u v u/.   Don’t let the hot summer melt you!    
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spicynbachili2 · 6 years
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On Jamal Khashoggi Killing, Trump Administration Sends Mixed Signals
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration, confronted with additional proof of a cover-up within the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, veered on Monday between defending the worth of its alliance with Saudi Arabia and urgent the Saudi authorities for solutions.
The White Home despatched the director of the C.I.A., Gina Haspel, to Istanbul to assist the Turkish authorities with its investigation into the killing, in response to an official. However in Riyadh, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a wide-ranging assembly with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who’s suspected of enjoying a task within the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident.
Mr. Mnuchin, who canceled his attendance at this week’s Saudi funding convention within the wake of Mr. Khashoggi’s killing on the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, traded views with Prince Mohammed on financial ties and counterterrorism initiatives, in addition to on the investigation into Mr. Khashoggi’s demise, in response to a Treasury Division spokesman.
There are additionally contemporary doubts in regards to the Saudi authorities’s declare that Mr. Khashoggi was strangled unintentionally after he bought right into a fist combat with 15 Saudi operatives, with video of a physique double surfacing on Monday. A Saudi operative donned Mr. Khashoggi’s garments after he was killed and left the constructing to create a deceptive path of proof, surveillance pictures leaked by Turkey present.
[The Turkish president says a team involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing included Saudi generals.]
“I am not satisfied with what I have heard,” President Trump said to reporters before flying to a rally in Texas.
But Mr. Trump reiterated the value of the $110 billion arms deal he announced with Saudi Arabia, as well as other American business ties with the kingdom. “I do not want to lose the investment being made in our country,” he said.
The meeting between Mr. Mnuchin and Prince Mohammed was unplanned and came at the request of the Saudis, according to a person familiar with the situation. But it added to the portrait of a White House eager to move on from the killing of Mr. Khashoggi to a more routine relationship with its key Arab ally.
The timing, as well as the unusual decision to send Ms. Haspel to Turkey, underscored that the furor was far from over. On Tuesday, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has promised to give a full, unvarnished account of what happened to Mr. Khashoggi.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, who has been the key contact with Prince Mohammed, likened the doubts about the truthfulness of Saudi officials to the run-of-the-mill perfidy that the White House deals with in Washington.
“Every day we deal with people who are trying to deceive us in different ways,” Mr. Kushner said during a CNN forum in Manhattan. “But our job is to see through it, but also to stay focused on what’s best for the American people.”
The administration has shifted its tone repeatedly on the Saudi response to the killing. But Mr. Trump has stopped short of pointing a finger at Prince Mohammed and has steadfastly defended the 33-year-old heir to the Saudi throne, whom the White House has cultivated and views as a critical partner in its efforts to isolate Iran.
Mr. Mnuchin was the first senior American official to meet face to face with Prince Mohammed since the Saudi government confirmed on Friday that Mr. Khashoggi was killed. It had earlier insisted that he left the consulate and disappeared afterward.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry lost no time in publicizing the session, posting a photograph on Twitter of Mr. Mnuchin sitting across from Prince Mohammed in an opulent reception room, listening while his host made a point.
Prince Mohammed stressed “the importance of Saudi-US strategic partnership, where it holds an important role in the future in line with the Kingdom’s #Vision2030,” the tweet said, referring to the prince’s ambitious program to modernize his kingdom.
A Treasury Department spokesman said the meeting was focused on combating terrorist financing and corralling Iran’s influences in the region and that the two men discussed the Khashoggi investigation.
Mr. Mnuchin withdrew from speaking at an investor conference taking place this week in Riyadh because of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death but said he still planned to meet with Saudi officials to discuss economic issues and joint efforts to stop illicit terrorist financing.
In an interview on Sunday in Jerusalem, Mr. Mnuchin said that Saudi Arabia needed to do more to demonstrate that Mr. Khashoggi’s killing was unintentional. But he defended his decision to travel to Riyadh and meet with Saudi officials, saying his trip was aimed at reinforcing ties at a critical moment, as the United States tries to ratchet up pressure on Iran.
Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who over the weekend said he believed Prince Mohammed was culpable in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing, criticized Mr. Mnuchin’s decision to meet with the royal.
“If their talks were about financial matters, I certainly think they should not have gone forward,” Mr. Schiff said in a telephone interview. “If they were about counterterrorism issues, it’s hard to believe how fruitful those could be.”
The meeting occurred hours after Mr. Kushner said the White House was still engaged in “fact-finding” into Mr. Khashoggi’s death but that it had its “eyes wide open” as the investigations into his killing continued.
The grounds for skepticism only seemed to deepen on Monday. The revelation that the Saudis deployed a body double added to the multiplying doubts about the Saudi explanation of how Mr. Khashoggi, 59, died.
It suggested there was a premeditated plan to make Mr. Khashoggi disappear, through death or abduction, and to cover it up — possibly contradicting the Saudi insistence that his killing was the accidental result of an altercation.
Mr. Trump, in an interview with USA Today, called it “a plot gone awry.”
On Monday, CNN showed images, leaked by the Turkish authorities, that confirmed the physique double strolling round Istanbul, apparently sporting Mr. Khashoggi’s garments. The person was recognized as Mustafa al-Madani, described in his now-deleted Fb profile as a Saudi authorities engineer.
Mr. Kushner, a key adviser on the Mideast peace course of, has developed a powerful relationship with the Saudi crown prince.
He has talked to Prince Mohammed a number of instances within the final week, and has come beneath criticism amid reviews that he has suggested Mr. Trump to attend earlier than leaping to conclusions about Mr. Khashoggi’s demise.
“I believe that, once more, the president is targeted on what’s good for America, what are strategic pursuits,” Mr. Kushner mentioned. “The place can we share pursuits with different international locations — let’s work towards these.”
He made the remarks in his first televised interview because the 2016 election, carried out by the political activist Van Jones, on the “Citizen by CNN” discussion board in Manhattan.
Mr. Kushner mentioned that the president was aware of getting solutions, however he famous that the Saudis have been a strategic ally of the USA.
When Mr. Jones famous that even Mr. Trump had mentioned that there had been “deception” and “lies” from the Saudis in relation to the Khashoggi case, Mr. Kushner provided a extra muted response.
“We’re getting information in from a number of locations,” he mentioned. “As soon as these information are available, the secretary of state will work with our nationwide safety group to assist us decide what we need to imagine.”
When Mr. Kushner was requested what recommendation he personally had given the crown prince, he replied, “To be clear.” He added, “The world is watching.”
Dismissing criticism of his ties to the crown prince, Mr. Kushner mentioned he didn’t take note of his critics. At one other level, he mentioned he heeded criticism provided that it was from somebody he revered.
from SpicyNBAChili.com https://www.spicynbachili.com/on-jamal-khashoggi-killing-trump-administration-sends-mixed-signals/
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kookiejiminbts · 7 years
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Then jikook 40 pleasee ❤️
I’m sorry it took so long, I was in a bad mood lately and coudln’t force myself to write. And this would be posted like 3 hours ago but I accidentally closed my browser and everything got deleted. I hope you’ll still like it tho!40.“Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?”
The whole BTS could see there was something wrong with Jungkook lately. He was grumpy and snapped at everyone including their managers. He would start fights cuz of little things and honestly they all had enough of it. Both Seokjin and Namjoon tried to talk with him but Jungkook refused and just told them to mind their own bussiness. Jimin had a feeling it had something to do with him as the younger kept avoiding any contact with him but he too didn’t know why. Right after their practice ended the maknae stormed out of the room and went back to their dorm alone. “Jimin-ah” Seokjin called to younger “Please talk to him, maybe he’ll listen if it’s you” he asked. “I’ll try, hyung” Jimin promised. He went to the dorm earlier than the rest, Jin assuring him they’ll give them some time to talk. Once he arrived he went straight to Jungkook’s room. He knocked but there was no reply. The door weren’t locked so he just opened them and walked in. The maknae was laying on his bed, occupied with his laptop. “Jungkook-ah” Jimin called but the younger refused to acknowledge his presence. Jungkook was laying on his stomach so Jimin literally plopped on his back, resting his chin at the boy’s shoulder and checking the screen. “Whatcha doin’ Jungkookie?” he asked, making himself comfortable. “Nothing of your concern, Jimin, go away” the younger surprisingly replied. Jimin let the lack of honorific slip, it’s not like it mattered that much at that moment. “I’m not going anyway. I’m staying here as long as I want unless you tell me why you’ve been acting like a lil bitch lately. Be prepared cuz you won’t move for so long your whole body will be numb and you’ll be hungry and won’t get to pee!” Jimin warned him. Jungkook stayed still for a second but then he smiled slightly and snorted quietly. “Oh, have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?” the elder asked, tickling Jungkook’s sensitive neck. Kook tried to shake Jimin off of him but the hyung didn’t budge so he focused back on his laptop. “Are you giving up already? So dissapointing, I thought my Jungkookie was better than this” Jimin commented. The maknae turned around quickly and sit up, the elder now straddling him. “Yours?” he mocked, being his tsundere self but tbh he loved it. Jimin smirked at him and cupped his face. “Mine” he agreed and leaned down to kiss the maknae. 5 minutes of kissing later Jungkook was all melted and dazed, Jimin satisfied with the effect he had on the younger. “Will you be a good boy now and stop snapping at everyone?” Jimin asked, stroking Jungkook’s hair. “Fine, I won’t do it anymore” the younger promised. “Will you tell me the reason tho?” Jimin added. “No” Jungkook refused. “Yah you little….” Jimin slapped him but they both started laughing afterwards.
Send me a pairing and a number and i’ll write you a drabble!Requests from this are closed, sorry guys ^^ I’d love to write some more but I unfortunately don’t have time for that.
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I never write any of this down.
I started being scared that anyone would see it.
But today I can’t stand it anymore, so I’m going to fucking write it down.
Thank the whiskey.
About five years ago, I met you for the first time. I was talking to your best friend. Although I never talk about this, I was very nearly in love with him. He stopped talking to me, and I actually thought to myself that no one would love me, and I should kill myself.
You Facebook messaged me. It was cute. You still maintain the habit of drunk texting when you shouldn’t. So do I.
We talked. Became involved. I helped you to decorate your family’s Christmas tree. You posted an Instagram photo; a vague reference, nothing serious. We chatted about cats and the universe. I was a dreamer then.
I do not think you know this, but I was at my ex boyfriend’s house when you texted me and misspelled “herpes” (you said “herpies”) and I cried. There, at his house. I was afraid to lose you, already. I had just slept with him for the last time, and he had recently told me he could never be with me due to my having it.
Your friend, the one I saw everyday for nearly a month and cared about a lot, had told you this when he found out we were talking. I was furious. Embarrassed. You told me you did not care. And I loved you then.
On New Years’ Eve, you asked me to be your girlfriend. We were at a certain friend’s house, one known for having parties. I had with me one of my longer standing friends, whom I still value more than she knows. We popped champagne, ended up back at our friends’ house. The guy I had originally been talking to brought some girl, and the girl’s friend was a nightmare. Dramatic, bitchy, etc. Apparently it was crazy.
But I only remember hearing about those antics, because we were cuddled together for the first time. Your chest was hairy; you said it made you self-conscious, I told you I loved it. I did.
On the way home either that day or the next, I can’t remember…your car hit some number in mileage. You took a picture. I remember that much.
Over the next few months, you learned about me and I learned about you. We drank, partied. I met your friends. Although it didn’t happen so drastically at first, they became my friends too. I still miss them.
One night, we were lying in my bed at my dad’s house, a twin. This was maybe March, or April? We’d been drinking (shocker) and you told me you loved me while crying your eyes out. And I loved you too.
I had a pet rat named Lola. You came over. I had a paper due for my final semester of community college, for history. It accidentally got deleted, and I knew I’d have to start all over. You’d brought orange vodka of some sort. I cried from stress, and you told me it’d be okay. I woke up at 7 a.m. and rewrote that paper, because it was indeed okay.
You are one of the only people in this world that can make me jealous. During this time period, while you were working for the “patient first”-type clinic, there was a girl you knew who was bitchy and just a little too close for comfort. I regret my pettiness towards her, just so that you know.
Around this time, we went over to a friend’s house to roll molly and drink a little. Our friend proposed an orgy…I didn’t hear, but saw him suggest it. Knowing what I had, and both of our comfort levels, you declined for us. Thank you for that. It was still a blast. We went to sleep together, and made love. And I loved you so much.
On April Fool’s Day, we were at your parents house, in the basement. Large flowers painted over heated floors. You played a joke on me: “It’s not working out.” I said okay and got ready to leave. You stopped me, “No no no, it’s a joke.” I didn’t get it, and I don’t now. You said, “You were just going to go!” or something to that effect. I told you I didn’t like to stay where I wasn’t wanted. It’s true.
Over that summer, I felt awkward about being friends with what would become our mutual friends. I felt judged. This wasn’t without warrant; the girls in this group had been harsh to me, and at one point even found out what I had and used it to slander you to your friends. And you loved me anyway.
Eventually, we did all get together. A girl in the group that you had previously talked to treated me like shit but then was friendly. I was uncomfortable, but tried to make it work. I so badly wanted to be liked, to be someone you could have around their friends. It took so long, but it ended up okay.
In the beginning of August that year, we went to Cedar Point in Ohio. It was a blast, if not a little bit dramatic when our friends that were a longtime couple argued a good deal. They’re not together now. Then again, neither are we. I still have that dinosaur hat at my dad’s. You took a video while on one of the roller coasters.
Shortly afterwards, we went to Mexico. You’d bought the trip earlier in the year. It was something to look forward to. And it was so much fun. We took very few pictures, and drank very much tequila and rum. Your drink was madras, mine was mojito. Five at a time, up to the room. Tipping the bartender in pesos like it was going out of style. We met a few older couples, vowed to come back at the same time of year to see them. We never did.
We came home, to the house we had just moved into together with a friend of mine and a few of her friends. She and I were working at the same restaurant, and for the most part it was alright. I started drinking way too much. Our house got broken into (but that’s its own story.) Tensions built over my extreme allergic reactions and my inability to cope with the idea that I could die.
My friend’s birthday was in the fall, and we went to the club. You were invited, but declined the offer. I came home to nearly 15 Bud-lights next to the bed. Several days later, I found in your computer a search for finding “women in your area” or some shit. I was so upset. I showed my friend, and she told me she didn’t trust you with me. She would tell me that again, too. I asked you about it and you lied.
That New Years’, we had a party at our house. I got so drunk that I threw up everywhere and had alcohol poisoning until 8 p.m. the next day. Since New Years’ day was our anniversary, that was really shitty of me. I’m sorry I ruined it like that.
But the thing is, you just turned on a movie and made me stuff to eat or drink. The movie was Elysium. You made me hot tea to drink even though we both knew I’d throw it up. I was a mess. I loved you.
Things got worse. “The confrontation” (and I know you know what I mean) occurred and I called out of work to move out. You did not follow suit. You stayed living with my friends for the final couple of months they were willing to have us. Three days after I moved out in February of ’14, I told you that I felt as though you didn’t care about me as much as I did about you. You said you thought I was right.
I told you you ought to come do this in person, because I refused to have a text exchange. We cried in your car for ages.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“I just loved you so much.”
I came inside, to my new basement room at my dad’s, and was unaware for a while afterwards that you had come in and told my dad that I was wonderful and it was you, not me. Of course this did not un-break my heart, and the rest of our relationship was predicated upon this incident.
I talked to a couple of guys while we were apart, one old one new. Slept with both of them, was very unfulfilled. Missed you.
During this time, I was the most sober I’ve been before or since for years. Sadness overcame me, I couldn’t eat or sleep. I was waiting tables full-time. My manager told me I looked like I’d lost weight, and asked if I was okay. I said yes. I lied.
I sat in that basement, listening to “Don’t think twice, it’s alright” on repeat. I didn’t care about anything at all, except for the fact that you didn’t care about me.
Sometimes, you would come over with beer and have what felt like pity sex with me. It was a glimpse of hope and a terrible wash of grief.
Just as I started to get over you (not truly, but I mean that I was eating again) there you were. Back again. I loved you so fully it was an obvious choice. This was in April or May.
At a party:
“It’s so good to have you back.”
“I was an idiot.”
We went to a party at our friends’ house, and took a small dose of mushrooms. It was a beautiful summer day and a great time. I started to really become close with our friends that summer, and as a consequence of that, I was drunk a lot. But I was so happy.
In July, your retina detached. It was scary. I met our friends at a local bar to talk with them about it and hang out. The friend I used to talk to got way too drunk and I drove him home. Actually, to our friends’ house. We sat in his basement, and this guy said to me “No one would know if we had sex right now.” I said, “I would know…”
I told you about this, and although you weren’t happy you weren’t displeased enough to say anything to him.
August that year, I went to a festival with our friends but not you. You never wanted to go do things with everyone. That was fine, but I just missed you when you weren’t there.
That fall, we went to the Renn Fest. It was fun, but we were very drunk; and that same friend of yours was extremely flirty with me. I don’t remember this part, but I heard from others he kissed me. He was dating my sister’s good friend. We walked back to your car, and you drove us home. You didn’t care to say anything to either of us.
Since I didn’t remember him kissing me, I didn’t think much of this. But later, I did hear. And besides being upset with myself and the situation, it occurred to me that you didn’t care that it had happened. I was deeply hurt.
That winter, we did a lot of drugs. That New Years’, we missed the ball drop because we were in the bathroom doing coke. My sister was there that night, I believe, and at another party at that friend’s house shortly thereafter. You all rolled together and took pictures. She called you her brother, and you called her your sister. It warmed my heart. I still look at those and want to cry.
Not long after this we laid in bed in the upper level of our friends’ house. I started a dialogue that would have been heartbreaking, if I wasn’t already so numb.
“Do you still not love me the same as I love you?”
Silence.
“I don’t think so, no.”
“I can’t even cry. I’m out of tears.”
“I’m sorry.”
Also that winter, there was a party at which I left with a few people to go to a different house. That same friend I used to talk to kissed me, but this time I didn’t stop him. I felt guilty but knew you didn’t care about me, so I drunkenly came back and told you. When I didn’t remember telling you in the morning, you wouldn’t come near me. I asked you why you cared so much when you’d made me want to kill myself before.
“You’re right.”
“I know.”
You left, and later we met back up. All returned to “normal.” Somehow.
At this point, it’s March 2015. Things were decent again for a while. My sister and I attended our grandmother’s memorial service, and her friend found out while we were out of state that her boyfriend had kissed me at the Renn Fest. It was a whole big thing. It made me seriously question why I was part of this friend group.
That summer, you came to a festival with us. The first day was great. We have so many great pictures from that day. I still really love them. See some of them on your Instagram, if I’m not mistaken.
The second day was a different story. We argued before we even left the hotel. You didn’t want to go. I didn’t know how to help. We weren’t good at working things out. Obviously.
That summer, I had had a talk with our friends late late at night about my potential and my plans for my life. I had decided to go back to school. Shortly after the festival, I did just that.
The stress of school really got to me. I was also doing too much Adderall. My classes were difficult for me considering the fact that I had been out of school for two years. You were living farther away, and never wanted to visit me at my house. I came to you a lot of the time.
I felt like our friends didn’t like me anymore. Really, I felt like you didn’t like me anymore.
I was hanging out with a guy that really liked me, that I had to turn down. I had had a few drinks, but I couldn’t be around him anymore. I got a DUI leaving his house. You picked me up. You held me all night on the floor when I said I wanted to die. And even though I knew we would never be all that we could be, and that I never would get through to you, deep inside where the true you lived, I loved you. And I needed you, and you were there.
A week later, I broke up with you. I brought a frozen pizza to your house. For the first time in so long, ironically, you came up behind me and hugged and kissed me and I actually felt you loved me. But it was too late. I knew what I was going to say, and couldn’t hold back.
“I’ve been sad for a really long time.”
And so it began. The first night of us crying and just sitting there not knowing how to fix our relationship or ourselves. It didn’t feel like missing you, because I had already been missing you for a year and a half.
I came over a few more times, and we’d cuddle or have sex. Once we rolled and I told you loving you was like loving a black hole. It was honest, but I still regret it. You should have seen your face.
Eventually, this stopped. You found a girl, and dated her for a while. I also found a guy. I didn’t think we wouldn’t be able to be friends, but I was wrong. She didn’t like us being friends, so we weren’t.
We had a long talk on Instagram about all of this and then you dropped off. I was furious. I listened to Adele on repeat for weeks. I couldn’t handle it. And I realized that I loved you still.
I was in Atlanta with my boyfriend when you texted me again.
“I broke up with her, I was wrong. You were one of my best friends” etc., etc.
I was overjoyed of course. I missed you a whole lot.
I saw you so much these past five months that I don’t remember the first time I saw you again, but it was relief embodied. You don’t know how much someone means to you until you’ve considered them dead and gone, and then there they are. It nearly stops your heart.
You helped us move. You met my boyfriend. We’ve talked so much. Some of it has been sad, and some happy. The main takeaway is that not a whole lot has changed here in terms of the fact that we’re pretty important to each other. I’ll spare you the details you already know, but tears have been cried. Three weeks ago after your birthday celebration I cried the hardest I have in years. Things were said. Neither of us has a solution.
Today, two years (in two days) after my DUI, and almost two years after our break up, you went out of your way to tell me you’ve been talking to someone. I stand by my assertion that I want you to be happy, but I think that I have found a new threshold for heartbreak.
We have missed each other again and again for five years. I cried today and felt pathetic. I don’t want this feeling, but I know how I feel. It’s not fair to you or to me or to anyone in my life.
When I said I wouldn’t say things that weren’t “fair,” I meant that it’s not fair of me to be sad that you have someone new. It’s not fair of me to love you so much I feel sick to my stomach, because I moved away and I have a new life. I tried to let you go, and damn it, I thought I had.
When I almost crashed my car, and you cried on my floor all night; I loved you.
When we went on vacation to a resort in the mountains, and all we needed was each other and the bitter cold; I loved you.
When I soaked your bed through with my wet bathing suit and you put up with me; I loved you.
When we had to pretend we didn’t cuddle all night because we weren’t “allowed” to sleep in the same bed; I loved you.
When we walked to the beach in the cold to smoke, and looked at the stars; or drove home from the airport listening to the Killers; or walked in on your mom crying on the floor; or you had to park your car at the bottom of my dad’s street and they left a snarky note on it; or you gave me your high school picture with your baby picture attached when we moved in; or you told me that if you weren’t “good at sex” I wouldn’t want to be with you…I loved you.
I could not begin to actually remember all the good and bad things that have happened between us. It’s just so much. I spent so much of my time drinking myself into oblivion because I thought you didn’t give a shit about me, and then today you went out of your way to tell me you were talking to someone new.
It’s fucking funny, because I still don’t know how you really feel. And I love you still.
xx
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