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book-place · 2 years

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How to Get Fired

Warnings: allusions to violence, Spanish comes from google translate, chronic back pain, let me know if I messed up :)

Pairings: Marc Spector x reader platonic, Steven Grant x reader platonic

Requests: Platonic moon knight?? The exact thing I need after ep 6 T-T I have this idea.. You're free to change anything you like. All 3 personalities x museum worker reader. Generally the reader just has to deal with the rapidly changing personalities in the middle of the day and prevent marc.. Or steven... Or jake from getting fired again.

Hi! Can I make a platonic moon knight request? It would be headcanons or an imagine for Marc/Steven with a best friend who deals with daily chronic pain? Just something really sweet and wholesome and purely platonic! I deal with that and I'd love to see your take on that! Thank you! And if you don't want to do it, that's also fine! Have a wonderful day!

(Sorry these both took soooo long; if they aren’t what you wanted then just lmk and I’ll try to fix it!)

(Also, again I’ve never experienced chronic pain so I’m so sorry if I messed this up!!)

Requests by: @tokiloki @luminouslywriting

*not my gif*

Summary: Being friends with Jake Lockley, Steven Grant, and Marc Spector was honestly a full time job

A/N: This is definitely not what I had in mind when I first got the idea to combine these two, I thought that one of the requests would make for some humor! :( Sorry; translations to Spanish are bolded; also, I’ve never written Jake Lockley before so this was kind of hard for me to do

Please don’t plagiarize my work, you may reblog if you like but I’m asking that you don’t steal my hard work

Letting out a tired groan, you lifted your head from the counter to come face to face with Steven Grant smiling down at you symthimaticly.

“Morning, love.” His British accent rang out from above you.

You hummed in return, moving your head back and letting your eyes flutter shut once again.

“Hey, none of that.” A now American accent came from the same place that Steven had just been standing, and you felt a hand lightly slap you upside the head, causing your eyes to fly open.

Snapping your head up, you glared at Marc Spector who smirked down at you slightly, a smallest bit of amusement dancing in his eyes.

“We’ve got work to do, Enamorado.” The accent once again switched, this time to a Spanish one, and Jake Lockley stood with his arms crossed. Then he paused, eyes flitting upwards towards the ceiling slightly, like they always did when he was listening to one of his alters, “Besides, Steven says it’s bad for your back.”

(Sweetheart)

You winched slightly when you realized the man was right, just feeling the regular stabbing pain in your upper back.

After meeting Steven when you had been hired as another gift shop worker at the museum, you both quickly became good friends.

It didn’t take long for you to meet his other personalities, and though they were all very different people, you got on with them well, accepting them all for who they were.

He hummed when he realized that what he said was right, and turned to go to his spot at the counter, his relaxed and cocky stance immediately forming into a slightly hunched over and timid one that you knew to be Stevens.

“Not enough sleep last night?” He asked gently, beginning to reorder some little nick nacks in front of his register.

You shook your head with a sigh, “My back was killing me.” You replied simply, not wanting to go into why it was hurting in the first place, watching as Steven quickly glanced at the closest reflective surface- something he did while talking to his alters.

“Marc’s guessing it’s because you forgot to take your medication again.” He proved your thought when he spoke up.

You winced slightly, this time not from the pain, “Well it’s not like I meant to.” You could practically see Marc roll his eyes at your statement even though he wasn’t fronting.

Before Steven could open his mouth to rebuttal, a voice cut through the almost-silence of the Tuesday morning in the museum, “Stevie! N/n!” Donnas ever so annoying voice practically shrieked as she came into view, carrying a box of new pyramid paper weighs, “What are ya doin’ mopein’ ‘round for?” She looked between the two of you suspiciously, as if one of you were planning on jumping out and turning into a clown at any second.

“Nothing, Donna.” You mumbled, using every last bit of strength you had to not snap at the woman due to your bad mood.

“Ay!” She was the one who snapped, dropping the box on the counter in front of you, “No need to get all snippy with me!” She huffed when you didn’t answer, “Jus’ for that, you can bring these down to the basement.”

With that, she turned on her heels and stalked off in another direction, no doubt going to bother some other poor worker.

“Oh, why that little-“

You looked over with wide eyes as Jake let out a string of words, and even though you didn’t speak Spanish, you had a pretty good idea that none of the words being let out were PG.

Just before he was about to stalk off after the woman, you quickly caught the back of his collar, yanking him back from jumping over the counter.

“Stop it, Jake.” You hissed, “Its fine, I’m just gonna bring this downstairs.”

He turned to look at you, slightly glaring, but you knew it wasn’t directed towards you, “But your back is hurting, let me just do it-“

You cut him off and stood up straighter, “It’s fine, Jake. Besides, someone has to be up here if there’s any customers. And Donna would blow a gasket if she sees that you went instead of me.”

He gave you a bored look and pointedly looked at the entirely empty museum, before looking back at you and rolling his eyes, “Whatever.” He said, then began mumbling things under his breath that you couldn’t quite understand.

With an eyeroll of your own, you leaned forward to pick up the box, wincing ever so slightly as you did so as another pain shot up your back. But if Jake noticed he didn’t show any sign of it.

You brought the box downstairs, with much pain on your part, dumped it on a random table, and made your way back up to your friends.

When you arrived, you immediately noted the stance different from the other two, this one slightly tense as if always ready for a fight to break out. With one foot slightly before the other in a subconsciously guarded stance.

He was munching on some food, which you were one hundred percent sure was from the candies in your gift shop.

“What are you doing, Marc?” You looked at the man suspiciously as you got closer.

He immediately whipped around with wide eyes and a slightly guilty expression, “Nothing.” He denied, his full mouth giving him away.

You let out a sigh, running your hand down your face, “I don’t suppose you paid for that?”

He coughed awkwardly, shuffling his feet as he looked anywhere but you.

“Marc!” You dragged out his name as you groaned, “How many times have we talked about this? You can’t just take food from the shop whenever you want!”

“Well it’s not like anyone else wants them!” He defended, “They taste like shit!”

You stomped over and snatched the bag out of his hands, tossing it into a nearby bin, “You can get Steven fired for that!”

“Speaking of,” He ignored you, already back to messing with some of the Knick nacks around the counter, “Why should Steven get all the credit here? Jake and I have been talking and we both agree that we do more around here then Steven does!”

“Oh my god.”

You loved Marc, you really did. He was one of your best friends. But god he could be annoying.

“You know, I agree with this statement.” Jake then said, choosing to front as he leaned against the counter.

“What are you two lollygagging for?” Donna yet again cut in before you could say anything else.

Jake turned to look at her, unamused.

“Why’re you lookin’ at me like that for?” She demanded, eyes narrowing, clearly not liking the way her employee was looking at her.

He answered before you could step in and tell him it was a bad idea, “You just made Y/n carry a heavy box downstairs even though you know about her chronic back pains.”

Donna appeared to be too focused on the fact that he had talked back to her, to even notice that the man had a completely different accent then normal.

“You’ve got no right talking to me like that, Stevie.” Her eyes were narrowed, and you could practically feel the dangerous shift in Jake's mood.

“What did you just say?” He asked angrily, and you didn’t even need to hear Steven and Marc to know that one of them was trying to calm the man down while the other just sat back and watched with a laugh.

“Listen, Donna, maybe we should just-“ You tried, only for her to turn her glare to you.

“Oi! I wasn’t speaking to you!”

That seemed to set the men over the edge, “Oh that’s it.” It was Marc’s American accent now.

Just as he was about to lunge over the desk, you quickly caught the back of his collar and yanked him back, ignoring his efforts to fight free from your grip.

“Okay, you two need to go take- like- a chill pill.” Donna said in disgust, “Go take a twenty minute break and come back to me when you’re done.”

You didn’t need to be told twice, not letting go of Marc’s collar just in case as you dragged him along until you were both out the museum doors.

As soon as you let go of him, Steven stood in his place, seeming to shrink under your gaze, “What were they thinking?” You hissed at him, “They could’ve gotten you fired! All day you’ve been doing things that could!”

Steven shrugged, fidgeting with his hands, and you signed, running a hand down your face, even though you knew for the most part it wasn’t him.

Suddenly, pain exploded in your upper back and you let out a little grunt, hand flying up to the area and Stevens expression morphed into one of horror and worries.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong? What can I do to help?” His words came out rushed, and even though you appreciated how much he cared, you waved him off.

“I’m fine, Steven.”

He looked at you suspiciously before being the one to sigh, “Come on, Marc suggested that we go get you your medicine.”

Wincing slightly, you nodded your head, “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” You agreed.

As the four of you walked away, you couldn’t help the feeling of relief that washed over you. You had three of the best friends in the world that you could have. People you knew would watch after you and take care of you for as long as they could.

And even though they were a lot to handle sometimes, you loved them.

MCU Taglist: @lovanitu @jvdethirlwall @ineedmorefanfics2 @sambucky8 @spidyyparker @irethepotato @femalemarvelself

#platonic #platonic imagine #x reader #marc spector x reader #mcu #marvel #mcu x reader #moon knight x reader #marc and steven #steven with a v #steven grant x reader #steven grant #Steven Grant x reader platonic #jake lockley x reader platonic #Marc Spector x reader platonic #mk imagine #mk #mk x reader

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lightpeak · 6 months

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a totally original shower thoughts video - script

I have a personal vendetta against the number 7. It’s the oddest of the odd single digit numbers. It’s just… there. That, and it’s the only single digit number, other than zero, with two syllables. I remember as a kid, hating it when a number was something like seven hundred, seven thousand, seventeen. It just felt crowded. But I suppose it’s a hopeless endeavor to hate it. It’s not like I can change it.

But what about hopeless? I think it’s the most despicable word in the English language.

Not because of some arbitrary linguistic property. But because of what it means, and the fact that humanity has deemed it necessary to express its meaning. That suffering perpetrates life in such a way to extinguish, however temporarily, a person’s hope.

What about the obviously dumb words? Like how we park on driveways, and drive on parkways. Shipments are carried in trucks or cars, but cargo is carried on ships.

Or what about discombobulate? Well actually, that one makes sense. It means to stun or confuse, and I pretty much always feel that way when faced with that word.

And then there’s taradiddle. This more or less means that something’s pretentious. Does that mean that my entire personality is taradiddlous? Taradiddleful? Taradiddliousious?

Have you ever looked out your window in the morning and seen canines and felines plummeting from the heavens? No? Then why is “it’s raining cats and dogs” a phrase? And what about buckets, and striking them with our feet, makes us think of death? And is breaking your leg not the worst case scenario during a performance? Why do we wish that upon others?

English is a giant… joke.

Speaking of falling animals, why do we say we are falling in love? What about a growing fondness for someone, makes us think of helplessly succumbing to gravity? Maybe it’s something to do with the duality of falling. How, thanks to relativity, falling is indistinguishable from floating, other than the air rushing past you.

This is because gravity is not a force within the universe, but a distortion of the universe itself. All lines are straight lines, except where gravity bends the space those lines occupy. This is also due to how acceleration works, and how movement is irrelevant without a reference frame. Long story short, we say we’re falling in love, because we also feel like we’re floating. We feel free. Yet we’re reminded of how helpless we are in the things we can’t control. Love is not a thought. It’s not something you have conscious control of. You will love, whether you like it or not.

Gravity is all fine and dandy, until someone wants to get off the planet. That someone being a selfish billionaire whose only goal is self preservation and destroying twitter. But I digress. It’s so interesting, how there are so many jobs, whose workers hope for the worst. Phone companies love it when you break your phone. Or when its ability to function correctly suddenly drops, due to no fault of the manufacturer. Or how cops want people to commit crimes to fill their quotas. Mostly people who are already in desperate situations, totally not systemically by design. Mechanics want your car to have problems, so they can charge you extra for repairs you didn’t even know you needed.

Going back to that billionaire that ruined twitter, he wants to install chips in people’s heads. Supposedly, to allow people to use technology just by thinking about it. Which I guess is cool. Except when you realize that we already have brain to technology interfaces. They’re called our hands, using keyboards, or controllers, or touchscreens. I swear he’s like a League Of Legends player, trying to get his input lag down to zero.

Speaking of video games, some games can be kind of like therapy for people. Just a way to escape the world, or be a cuddly wholesome environment to make your own. Others, however, might make you need therapy, with how dark and gritty their worlds are. All forms of media can inform us of who we are and what we care about. Others are just fun, and you shouldn’t really think much more about it.

Some may say that getting entrenched in a story can be meaningless. You’re just wasting your time in a fantasy land you’ll never visit. But they forget that these worlds are inspired by our own. Or are idealistic versions of the world we inhabit. Maybe it’s not so bad to hope for our world to look a little more like the one on the screen or between the pages. I don’t think it’s ever a bad thing to hope.

Now if someone can make a world where the number 7 doesn’t exist, you’ll know where to find me.

youtube

#Youtube

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having-conniptions · 10 months

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I don't know who needs to read this but you have probably made such a big (positive) difference for someone just by being yourself, just by being kind or even just by being there.

Let me tell you a little story that I've been dying to share because it has impacted me so much.

Half a year ago, I changed workplaces as a trainee because the place that I worked at was slowly but surely eroding my self-confidence, my motivation to do the job I love and my will to keep going. There was one coworker in particular who must have felt threatened by me because I was "only" a trainee but she was "only" part-time help. And she had it out for me. She constantly criticized me, patronized me, berated me, scolded me for mistakes I didn't make and regularly raised her voice at me. The person who was in charge of my training didn't do anything about it and also didn't really know how to train me. Other workers jumped in to fill in those responsibilities but unfortunately those were the ones that were barely there due to health problems or part-time or because they just worked in a different part of the building most of the time.

I sat in my car during my lunch break and cried nearly every single day for weeks. I felt like I was just not good enough, like I could never get it right, like I would never learn what I needed to learn.

Now, I hear you asking, where is the feel-good story you promised?

Well, we had an intern. A 17-year old kid. He was suffering as well, probably as much as I was. He also usually didn't work close to me BUT sometimes we got assigned tasks together that we could do without everyone else looking over our shoulders the entire time. Those were the only times we didn't feel judged or scrutinized or looked down on. We took our sweet time completing those tasks, often goofing off until we thought people might suspect we weren't actually working.

One time, he found two huge bottles of bubble liquid (or whatever it's called) while we were working on something in the pretty isolated break room. He opened one and started blowing bubbles. After approximately 15 seconds of "that is definitely not allowed", I grabbed the other bottle and joined in on the fun. The childlike joy I felt in those five minutes that we spent just blowing and breaking bubbles felt like a freshwater spring in the middle of a desert. That kid really saved me a little bit with those bubbles.

Another time, we were supposed to carry old boxes filled with books and photo albums from one floor to another, and we just started looking through the photo albums and showing each other what we found. It was so mundane but wholesome and most of all it gave us a fucking break from everyone else.

Every time we crossed paths during our regular work we'd vent to each other if we had a couple of seconds alone. He noticed that that one coworker was targeting me specifically and I felt so validated. He told me he couldn't bear working there anymore and I let him know he was not alone.

I don't know if this kid (I'm still calling him a kid even though he should be 18 by now) knows how much he saved me just by being there and being a kid and reminding me that in my heart I was also still a kid. And I hope I managed to return the favor even just a little by being there and listening.

We never talked outside of work and I wouldn't say we were friends but we kept each other going. Saved a little bit of each other's sanity.

I got out of there six months ago and shortly after I left his internship ended. I hope he's okay wherever he is now.

You don't have to be a hero in order to save someone. Most of the time it's enough to be kind and to be yourself.

#that experience has changed me forever #just my faith in humanity being restored bit by bit #and let me just say #the kids are all right #even a partying teen living his best wild teenage life had more emotional intelligence than the boomers i worked with #wholesome #true stroy #workplace bullying #bullying cw

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thescrapbookingscientist · 1 year

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Biweekly Media Roundup

- Trigun (Anime) - The current trend in the fandom is to draw Knives as a McDonalds worker to “Make his desire to kill all of humanity reasonable as a customer service employee” which. Hilarious, I love people.

- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game) - Obviously I’ve been having a blast with this, I love exploring the sky islands and caves, the Zonai and new monster designs are awesome, and the memes of messing with the Koroks and creating batshit machines have been wonderful. My main complaint so far is how they handle the NPCs memory of Link, I’d be fine with the main ones remembering him and the rest having a Tony Hawk-esque knowledge of Link without realizing he was in front of them, but it’s kind of sad to run into NPCs that Link definitely helped in the first game only to have them forget him - Like the people of Tarry Town and Hateno village. Ganon’s design is incredible though, amazing job there.

- Monster High (Cartoon) - Finished up the Monster High TV series and while it’s definitely aimed at a pretty young age group, I thought it was cute enough. I like a lot of the new designs with their differing heights and body types, I like how the characters hang out with multiple friend groups and seem to generally get a along with the whole class, and I like the LGBTQA+ and Autism representation being handled well in a show aimed towards children.

- SSS Class Revival Hunter (Webcomic) - I was really craving more S-Class adjacent content and was led to pick up the next few series since I could get through the chapters in a couple days. This one was okay? I liked the time travel by death mechanic and the brain roommate force ghost, but the series lost quite a bit of momentum in the recent arc with it’s protagonist purposely dying of starvation to learn fighting techniques so that two groups of people could go back to happily murdering each other which. hmm. yeah I’m not feeling it homie, I basically disagree with all of your philosophies here. I might pick it back up after a few months of updates as I do appreciate the larger cast of largely unsexualized women, but ehhh It might just not be for me.

- When the Third Wheel Strikes Back (Webcomic) - I picked this up for the same reason as the previous series, and while there's very few chapters out I am enjoying it as an opener. As tropey as it is the world does at least seem interesting with several mysteries and complicated intrapersonal relationships mixing with political ones, which is fun. I also like the protagonist is a confessional Priest as that’s a pretty fun way to have him hear interesting lore and meet oddballs, so that’s cool. Honestly I’m biased because I always appreciate the “love triangle but the axis is not who you think” dynamic., but I’m looking forward to updates.

- Trash of the Count’s Family (Webcomic) - Reread this as it’s the Holy Trinity series I’m least familiar with. I do still like it quite a bit, and Cale in particular is a fun protagonist, but so far the rest of the characters are cute but a bit flat. Obviously that could change as the story goes on, and it’s possible they are more fleshed out in the novel, but for now I’ll still rank this as the least interesting of the trifecta, if not still an enjoyable series on it’s own. There’s also some great fanfic out there if you’re looking for wholesome found family stuff.

- The Locked Tomb Series (Books) - Harrow is really going through it huh. I miss Gideon.

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (TV) - As I mentioned before, this series is turning out to be way better than I thought it would be, and honestly that it has any right to be considering it aired on the CW. I’ve been listening to the songs on loop, I love all the different styles, the rhythms, and the humor.

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Still having a great time.

Listening to: A bunch of Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs, including I’m a Good Person, After Everything You Made Me Do, Nothing Is Ever Anyone’s Fault, and The End of the Movie, The Herse Song by Rusty Cage, Hey I Don’t Work Here by Tom Cardy, Jet Lag by Simple Plan, All Things End by Hozier, Lent by Autoheart, The Sound of Silence cover by Disturbed, and Holy Water by Michael Ray.

#weekly roundup #My posts #late again but we are back to Tuesday so eh

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skipperdee · 2 years

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Laura is the one.

aka my interpretation of Twin Peaks that I want my husband to read with the visuals but its not the same in word or on messenger. HMPH.

Sooo According to Mark Frost…Sarah Palmer = the girl in “Got a light” (the one at the end who has the frog crawl in her mouth) and I accept that. To me it’s part of a greater metaphor of the show, about how life or the society we have created, eventually dims or turns off that bright light inside of all of us. We are all born pure and filled with light.

I read this interpretation today where someone said they felt that season 3 retconned the ending of FWWM out of existence and that they didn’t want Laura’s death to “have a "purpose* or larger role. Thematically speaking, Laura was just one of many women this could and does happen to - that's why the original run went out of its way to put other women in a similar situation to her. Making her some being of pure light and goodness as a reaction to Judy and human evil and making all that rape and murder part of The Cosmic Plan is, imo, a misstep so egregious and offensive that the only words I have for it are in Anglo-Saxon.”

Obviously this random person on reddit is entitled to their opinion but...it really surprised me that they saw it that way because I didn’t get that at all. Laura isn’t some pure being full of goodness...we saw her flaws plenty of times. They were highlighted quite well and very purposefully. I don’t think the rape and murder was part of the cosmic plan…or was it? I think that’s a question many of us ask ourselves all the time. Is there some grand creator and if so, why does he or she allow us to suffer? Is it all part of some larger “plan”? Are we just pawns in a greater game?

They explain in the show a few times how time isn’t really linear and how the past dictates the future. I think it’s a loop. Maybe Laura was created in that golden orb and sent into the world because that’s what they’ve always done. It’s like a bootstraps paradox. I think we see that same image of Laura…the prom photo in the orb for a reason.

The same reason why this one image is so prevalent in the show and in all the promotional material. She is often portrayed by those who knew her as this wholesome, selfless and pure angel when she’s only human. How could she be expected to destroy Bob when he ends up possessing her damn father?? No one gives her any clear information on what she’s supposed to do. It’s all so cryptic like dead Annie showing up in her bed and saying “the good Cooper is in the lodge” Laura doesn’t know who the hell Cooper is! What is a teenage girl who has just (or is just about to) find out that her father has been raping her for years, who has a cocaine addiction and works as a sex worker to support that habit…supposed to do with that information? She likely just thought she was losing her mind. I think there are also some metaphors tied to the amount of pressure and responsibility that is put on victims of not only sexual assault but all of the awful things that can happen to us in life. Like even just how people put the onus on homeless people to just “get a job” when life is a lot more complex than that. It’s like so many people are afraid to admit that we have very little control over our lives and that when there is a huge influx of homeless people, that means we should change society…not tell people how they should just “be better”. Some people seem to think we are all robots who should constantly do the right thing when we are all so damn lost in this world, I think many people just refuse to believe it. That’s why I love so much of the absurdism in Lynch’s work because to me…that is life. A collection of bizarre, confusing, profound, beautiful and terrifying occurrences.

The way I see it is that…we are all basically just children when you really take a step back and see how broken and confused so many of us are. And who wouldn’t be? We all live on a giant rock floating in space and we don’t even fully understand how or why gravity works. Some dead dudes made up a bunch of societal rules and laws and we all just convince ourselves that it all makes sense, even when it sometimes doesn’t. We all want there to be a grand plan…but realistically there just isn’t one. “Laura is the one” to me means the one that sets it all in motion but the “beginning” and what or where that actually starts is hazy so we don’t even know if that’s true. The only time Laura achieved a sense of peace was in death and then Dale just rips her out of that. Why? To save the world? Why can’t he do it or find a way to make a tulpa of Laura or use the dude with the strong hand!? Why is it all up to this broken, confused and traumatized girl who doesn’t even understand her place in all of this? I think that’s very intentional and why the show ends in such an abrupt and alarming way. Laura is not the savior of humanity. None of us are. I think we get so many “random/mundane” scenes of people just talking in this show or the scene when the boy is run over and then the old dude from FWWM just sits with the woman because it highlights the humanity within all of us.

Sorry, back to Laura. I think both of her parents (like many of our own parents, and ourselves) were “corrupted” in their youth. Their lights were dimmed more and more over time. Be it from abuse or something else. Leland was probably sexually abused too (I always took Bob possessing him as a child as a metaphor for this) and her mother was possessed by whatever crawled down her throat (Judy, perhaps). Her mom has visions and other bizarre things seem to happen to her.. To me the reveal of that dark entity in Sarah is just revealing how corrupted she has become or that she just stopped fighting it.

She lived in a town where they did nuclear testing. To me the nuclear explosion was the creation of Bob (that’s a lot of negative energy) and the “woodsmen” are representations of the people left behind/the ones who suffered the most from the fallout. I have no idea if those people (the ones in real life who were exposed to high levels of radiation) ever received any healthcare or compensation for the testing of a tool whose sole purpose is to kill as many people as possible and left so many people with permanent ailments, children born with birth defects, etc. Even just living with that knowledge and how many people suffered and continue to suffer such senseless violence is enough to make someone “unstable” like Sarah. Let alone the fact that her child is raped and later murdered by her own husband. The woodsman reads this “poem” (or whatever you want to call it) on the air after murdering the people at the radio station: “This is the water, and this is the well. Drink full, and descend. The horse is the white of the eyes, and dark within” I don’t completely understand the horse part (unless it’s a reference to the pale horse and…I’m not getting into that but the Bible verse about it is pretty relevant imo) but the part about the water and the well to me is a reference to all of the awful things (like nuclear testing) that so many people just seem to accept or later accepted over time. I don’t want to get too deep into politics but…the amount of people who have been slaughtered or “disappeared” in order to create the society we live in…a lot of people drank from that well and descended into a place where they either directly reaped the benefits of all of that murder and exploitation and/or they descended so far down it’s almost impossible for them to find their way out (whether they want to or not). I’m from the US so just domestically I think of the nuclear testings, the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, MK Ultra, how many majority black towns were intentionally flooded and new towns were built on top, the Tulsa riots, how every damn treaty between indigenous people and white settlers/colonizers were broken…to so many other awful things we have done to each other, or, more importantly, that people in positions of power have done for power and greed while we all suffered from the “fallout” be it figuratively or literally. Instead of embracing one another and trying to heal, we just keep drinking and then we descend even further into the abyss. Into this dark place where we can’t even see in front of us. We’re just stumbling around like the woodsmen, doing the bidding of evil and corrupt people who want us to remain in this place of suffering and complacency. People like to act as if none of these things that happened so long ago still effect our present but they do and you can try to bury them, but they will always resurface. Because “the past dictates the future”. Maybe that’s why his chanting or what have you…put the people listening to it to sleep, including Sarah Palmer, and she becomes possessed by the frog creature. Maybe it was something related to the woodsmen? Another entity that was also full of anger and rage and wanted to corrupt something/someone pure or to make her feel it’s pain (Judy). Maybe multiple people in the vicinity who heard there broadcast were possessed or consumed those creatures and it led to them becoming bitter and awful people or they became so overcome with the guilt and pain that they numbed themselves with drugs, alcohol, nicotine….etc. I think a lot of this is metaphorical and obviously open to interpretation. That’s why I love this show so much…because it can mean just about whatever you want it to mean and we all interpret things relative to our own reality. I will say that the biggest thing I took away from the show, the movie and the third season combined was this quote Bobby says to Jacoby or somebody like that...in the 1st season: “She said that people tried to be good. But they were really sick and rotten on the inside, her most of all. And every time she tried to make the world a better place, something terrible came up inside her and pulled her back down into hell, and took her deeper and deeper into the blackest nightmare. Each time it got harder to go back up to the light.”

People try to be good but we are constantly mistreated, abused, exploited, and put into a corner or pitted against one another when we should be working together and helping each other. Life/the way society operates turns a lot of us into awful people or versions of ourselves that we detest. I think the movie is the most straight forward in this regard…and the ending is a beautiful tragedy. This girl is in so much pain and is terrified of turning into a monster like her father that she sees death as the only way out. The phrase “fire walk with me” is about that temptation we all feel to allow ourselves to be consumed by the flames. To succumb to the ills of society and then project that pain and misery onto others. Laura fights this part of her so hard but feels hopeless. I think most of us feel hopeless because it’s so hard to do or be good in a society filled with so many bizarre and contradictory rules. Where appearances are more important than actually solving the problems we have within our families or within ourselves. Laura didn’t want to pretend anymore. “Your Laura disappeared”. She wanted to be free and I think she saw the Angel in the Black Lodge as a symbol of this freedom. She’s brought back in season 3 without anyone even asking her what she wants…and she’s brought to a much scarier world. The real one.

Yes I think that’s where they ended up in the end. The woman who answers the door in the last scene of the show actually owns the Palmer house in real life. That had to be done on purpose. They moved dimensions and in this one…their lives aren’t real (although that doesn’t make them any less real to each other, maybe our version of reality is just an absurd tv show in another dimension).

In short, I think the meaning of all of this is that humans want to do good, feel good and feel safe. We all want that and none of us are born “bad” or evil.

But all of the bullshit in our lives, the pressures of society and people’s refusal to talk about these very real and damaging issues kills the soul, literally and figuratively. No one helped Laura because they either didn’t know how or they couldn’t fully accept this “version” of her that wasn’t perfect, kind and pure. Instead they chose, even in death once they learned her secrets, to see her in that prom photo, to remember her that way, as this everlasting wholesome, kind angel when she was always just…Laura. A person like me and you with hopes and dreams. Maybe Sarah is trying to destroy the photo of Laura because she knows its a lie. Laura screaming at the end is the realization that this will never end. That she will always exist somewhere, somehow and that she has been destined to this role of a savior when she couldn’t save herself…let alone humanity or whatever they expected from her.

I love how meta the third season felt. To me the very last scene represents how Laura will never truly live or die. We keep bringing back Laura Palmer. By “we” I mean the fans, Lynch, Frost, etc. She will never rest. She will continue to be exploited and shaped in the eyes of the writers, producers, viewers, Laura’s friends, family and the fireman and that woman (don’t know her name) who continue to create her and send that golden orb out into the world. We will continue to do so in a way that is pleasing or satisfying to us. That knowledge is worthy of that last scream in my opinion. But this is also heavily based on my own feelings surrounding life and death. That I personally have wanted out of this “game” for as long as I remember…and part of me is terrified that there is no ending. We will never get to rest. Through the darkness of future past The magician longs to see. One chants out between two worlds Fire walk with me.

#twin peaks #laura is the one #fwwm

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fifiophobia · 3 years

Note

Please do Soriel for the analysis:3

Alright gamers

My time has come.

Its time to find out why goat mom X funny sad skeleton dude a popular ship (romantic or platonic). Why is their relationship so endearing to many people? And; more importantly, what can their relationship tell us about ourselves?

Chapter 1: Aesthetics (for the shippers who ship them because they look cute together)

Let's start with aesthetics, because why not?

In general, height differences is a pretty popular trope within shipping.

Some popular ships with height differences include:

- Joyce and Hopper from Stranger Things

- Kokichi Ouma and Shuichi Saihara from Danganronpa

- Yaku Morisuke and Haiba Lev from Haikyu!!

Sans and Toriel are no exception, since they are shown to be completely different heights.

On another note, the two work well together compositionally because you have a tall, aloof (I know it's not presented above, but anyone who's seen her fight knows what I mean), feminine figure put against a small, lighthearted, chill guy. At the same time, the two share a similar softness in their appearance that ties them together despite their differences.

In a way, its kind of funny how one of them is this god of dank memes and the other is a soft, mother-like figure.

Chapter 2: The Dynamic

Typically, with the right amount of differences and similarities in two or more character's personality are; their pairing will become popular because their personalities balance each other out. As an example:

Toriel and Sans are both hardworkers for their family BUT this is shown in different ways. Such as Toriel working harder in an obvious manner (like baking pies, making a learning schedule for Frisk, etc) while Sans works in more subtle ways (like working multiple jobs to support his brother, and silently looking after Frisk).

(If you want a better explanation on Sans hidden worker side and why he appears lazy; check out ♡Miss_Ruby♡ post: Why Soriel Works, right here.

(In fact, the following post goes into more details about their relationship rather than why people ship them. I fully recommend checking it out as their post helped give me some insight into soriel)

Another example of their dynamic is:

Toriel and Sans act like dorks around each other. Undyne revealed in the winter clock anniversary that they played hockey together like two idiots via hitting their sticks together playfully. Also, Toriel and Sans have some silly banter about Papyrus's favorite food (like how Toriel refers to Sans as a goblin in an endearing way) in the Undertale Post Pacifist Ending Q/A.

(Side note: other characters appear to view the two as having a close bond. When Asgore sees Sans getting chummy with Toriel, he starts crying. Undyne soon comforts him by using the good old phrase: "There are plenty of fish in the sea.")

Moving on from that, lets talk about green flags. A green flag in relationships is when you improve yourself for the other person (as in changing your unhealthy habits for each other. Not changing who you are as a person to appease a hypocrite) The wholesome change made from their relationship is present in Toriel and Sans.

Some examples includes:

- Sans being inspired by Toriel to bake even when he might not have the motivation or energy

- Toriel cheering up from her personal demons after adopting San's sense of humor

In a way, their relationship actually reminds me of Jessica and Rodger rabbit

As in: a tall, calm lady with a hidden sense of humor who becomes close with a short, goofy man because of their personalities and humor.

(Side note: Rodger and Toriel both deal with chaotic children, while Sans and Jessica both bond over their respective buddy because they think they are funny. Evidence for this includes the comment San's made about Toriel's Old Lady yodel joke shown below).

Chapter 3: The Shippers Themselves

A while back, I read an interesting post on tumblr that stated that

"The real ship dynamic is yourself X your type"

Sadly, I forgot who made the post (if you can find the original creator please tell me so I can credit them)

OP has a point with shipping. I've noticed that active shippers tend to have a "type" that strangely correlate to something in their lives

(Though, please be aware. Not everyone who has the same ship is going to act or think the same. Everyone has their own reason for liking a certain ship. I just wanted to point this out)

So, what does this have to do with Soriel?

Well, the following post reminded me of another post where a soriel shipper explained that a major reason they loved the ship was because they could relate to both characters. They explained that, in a way, the ship gave them hope for themselves. If two lonely and grief stricken characters could find happiness (and potentially love) in each other, then maybe they could find love.

(Like the previous post: I couldn't find the post that talks about this. If you know who made that post please tell me).

Based off of how well received the original post was; it seemed like a lot of people resonated with OP's statement.

TL;DR: Soriel became a popular ship because a lot of people resonated with the wholesome aspects in their relationship.

And you know what? I'm not complaining! It's an adorable ship that makes me laugh.

(PS: I'm sorry if this post seems jumbled. I just had so much on my mind for this post that I had difficulty putting my thoughts together)(Also, if you don't ship them or you think that it would be impossible for them to get together; that's perfectly ok! I just made this for fun and because I like analyzing stuff).

#soriel #shipping #undertale #shipping analysis #sans x toriel #toriel x sans #otp #otp analysis #because why not

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nobodycallsmerae · 3 years

Text

Hello, Hello!

Soo, a few days back, I had shared a post asking for some BBRae AU fanfiction recommendations, so, let's put the fact aside that it didn't really help... but now, I'm here to share some stories that I've read, and I recommend reading!

So, this list only consists of AU (Alternate Universe) stories where they aren't superheroes, so you can skip it if you want ^^

So... I won't rank them, because I think every story is amazing, (and I'm pretty easy to please,) so, I'm just assorting them as I keep collecting the links :) Also, I'll try my best to review the stories without giving away any spoilers...

Firstly, there are too many good fics to count, but here I am mentioning the ones which stood up in my mental folder. (Also, it only includes completed stories.)

This list includes all types of stories, high school, co-workers, roommates and all... the ratings are between T-M.

(Links lead to stories on Fanfiction.net.)

The Butterfly Effect -by Light NS | Rated M for semi-sexually explicit material and topics of depression and suicide.

This story definitely comes in my top-5 list blindly, and it deserves so much more! The story is about Gar and Raven, who are adults now... and let's just say there are far too many coincidences in this one! It's a lovely story with also a healthy amount of tension... because, I personally believe it can't be BBRae without some arguments *shruggs*. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already!!

Broken -by LightNS | Rated T

Oofff... okay, so this story is actually one of the first BBRae stories I've read and it's really close to my heart...

First of all, I want to say that the characters in this story are freakishly accurate. I mean, the personalities are on-point. In this story, the Titans are high schoolers, but this isn't exactly a high school romance kinda book. To be honest, this isn't exactly a romance book..(?) It's more like an action/thriller... And... it isn't heavily a BBRae book... I mean, yeah, it is based on those two characters, and Gar spends most of his time crushing on her... but, y'know, it's a book that shows both of them growing... and learning about each other -and themselves.

The writer does an amazing job to portray the character's feelings and personalities, and I'm sure her writing won't disappoint you.

The only drawback this story has is... well, it has a discontinued sequel named "Glass", so, it's kinda sad that, I mean, I've fallen in love with those characters... but, they don't really have a happy ending soo…

This writer is also on Tumblr, @lightns881 , so you can also visit her blog and support her!

By the way, there're also really great BBRae communities to be found on Fanfiction.net and you can check them out for more fun stuff to read. The ones I thoroughly recommend are:

"Best Of BBRae" which basically has all the goodness, IU and AU (but, it's a bit old so... you might not see newer fics there.); and

"Best Of BBRae AU's" which is a collection of one of the best AU stories.

Moving on...

Everything Has Changed -by Chibi 1309 | Rated M for Mature themes and language.

This story also comes in my beloved top-5 list!!

I don't really know what to say about this story without ruining it, but if you're on the lookout for an adult Titans BBRae fic, this is definitely your stop. Well, let me just say that, Gar and Rachel are best friends, a troupe I personally adore, and they live together in an apartment in Jump City.

This story has a lot... I mean, A LOT of feels, and the writer... *chef kiss* She really knows what she's doing. May it be the setting, the characters, the emotions... the author could deliver it wonderfully.

It also has a lot of other Titan members, so I like the fact that it also gives us an insight on what's going on in their lives too, rather than just Gar and Rachel.

Hands up in surrender, I won't say anything else, because I don't trust my mouth (or fingers), but this work is definitely a must read.

"Spy vs Spy" by Caitastrophe8499 | Rated M for mature themes, violence, and adult situations.

This... is a masterpiece people. You should definitely read it... like RIGHT NOW!

In this story, Gar and Rae are from rival agencies, Doom Patrol and Titans, and as fate has it, they're forced to work together. Neither of them are happy about it, because of each other's cocky and standoffish attitude and as both of them work best solo... and also... both of them hate each other... at first. This book, it includes lots of action, and if you knew me, you'll know that I am a sucker for crime and thriller. I mean, this story in itself is so great, it could be adapted into an ACTION MOVIE!! Or maybe a graphic novel to start with. :)

And what's best about it is, it doesn't only show two people romance each other, it shows a group of people working together to catch a deadly villain. I won't say much more to build suspense, but all I'll say is, it's entertaining, spicy, and the character dynamic fit perfectly with their relationship and situation, and if you haven't read it, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! CHECK IT OUT NOW!! This will probably be one of the best recommendations of your life.

Assuming -by magisterquinn | Rated T

This is a feel good, light-hearted BBRae story that I very much enjoyed. So, basically, it's about Raven (or is it Rachel, I forget), and how the (dashingly handsome and) annoying employee won't leave her alone. She also gets a series of mail that sparks her interest, and I don't trust myself to say more without spoiling it.

Magisterquinn, the author, has an amazing collection of the BBRae (AU) stories they've written, "Chivalry Isn't Dead", "Making Mr.Right" (a must read) and "In Paris" to name a few, so, I definitely recommend checking out their profile for amazing and clever reads.

The Malchior Widow -by beautifulpurpleflame | Rated M

...this story...all I wanna say is... if you haven't read it, you're missing out on something wonderful in your fangirl(/boy) life.

This story is based on my favorite troupe, which is where all Gar wants is for Raven to open up to him. It's like, Raven is a reserved, "untouchable" person, and Gar, being Gar... feels an urge to talk to her. After many, many attempts, when Gar finally talks to her, his friends are like, "How'd you get her to talk?" or "How's she open up to you?" and the response is, "No one's ever even tried before."

"The Malchior Widow" goes at a satisfying, feel-good pace... and it's one hell of a journey. I mean, as the title suggests, Raven's a widow, and she isn't exactly open to the possibility of loving... or trusting someone else yet. It shows not only both of them falling in love... but also understanding, knowing, and learning to trust each other.

Another good AU story by Beautifulpurpleflame is "The Beach House", so you can also read that.

Honorary mention::

"How To Save Her Life" (Rated T) by "Beautifulpurpleflame"

If you're looking for a wholesome, toe-curling good, filled with feels, amazing, awesome, family Titans BBRae story... this book will give you everything... or any of Beautifulpurpleflame's stories really...

I mean, that girl... is a legend... Her stories are so great.. just... I'm speechless

Don't forget to check 'em out.

You can also follow this amazing writer on Tumblr, @beautifulpurpleflame , and show her some love and support.

Okay, another story... Now this may be considered cheating, as I'm only including completed stories... but I couldn't stop myself from not mentioning this story...

Nevermore Records -by LilyTimbers | Rated T

According to the author, only one chapter and an epilogue is left... so, I guess we could wave it off with a yellow flag?

I, myself, can't go on a single day without music. And the idea of my favorite team of superheroes... being a Rock Band..? Boy, ya' don't gotta tell me twice!

This is a slow burn story, which includes Gar in his mid-twenties, along with the other Titans (except Raven), being a part of a Rock Band, which plays gigs at different places just as a side hobby. But, as they have real talent, they get a once in a life-time chance to be an officially labeled band, they're ought to be super hit. Here, we also see some other Titans, which is a real sight for sore eyes sometimes... But, just being good doesn't mean that everything's out for them in a gold platter. The team itself faces lots of challenges which is, truth be told, really entertaining. And the fact that Gar's love interest is his own manager? Oooh... you're up for a real good ride...

I'll keep the rest of the reading to you... and believe me, the story is waaay better than my small review.

The author is also an amazing artist, and has many beautiful BBRae fanarts on her Tumblr profile @lilytimbers , so you can follow her for updates! (though tbh I think you already do... but I felt like saying it, soo...)

If you're also a sucker for musical band based BBRae story, don't forget to check out

Harmony -by Kid Walker | Rated M

Here, Raven joins a singing group which does covers, and quite willingly, she can't seem to keep her eyes off of their leader/director, Gar Logan... and looks like he can't either. It's an amazing story, and I believe you'll really enjoy reading it!

(The story itself is complete, just some extra bonus chapters that the Author posts are yet to be updated, so I guess this story qualifies.)

There is also a huge collection of amazing BBRae AU stories on Wattpad, too many to count, but here are two stories that I remember... and had a good time reading...

(On Wattpad only: (and only completed ones.))

High School -by anssoftball94

Soo... as you might've guessed from the title, here Gar and Rae are high schoolers. They live together with Rick (Dick/Robin), Kory and Vic in the Tower. I guess we could call it a slow burn, and what I enjoy is it also has the other Titans in a satisfying amount.

What I love about this story is that Gar and Rae don't just jump into a romantic relationship (like most teens do, I'm just sayin'!) and start a romance, no. In this story, first, they understand each other... and in a subtle manner, fall for each other. It's a really sweet and practical story, and I really enjoyed it... (even though I had to wait for the ending for decades!!)

Just one thing that makes this story a bit weird is that instead of "Gar" or "Garfield", Beast Boy is mentioned as "Logan" throughout the whole story... so... it was a bit... y'know? *shruggs*. But otherwise it's a must read.

A+ -by NikolaDabrowska

This story, to be honest, will definitely qualify as a cliché high school romance, "popular basketball kid falls for introverted bookworm nerd", but I really enjoyed reading it.

I mean like, you know what they say about Disney Classics, right? Even though we've read Beauty and The Beast or Snow White, we still like to watch the movies..? This story's like that.

Even though the troupe is kinda cliché, the story itself is executed in a very engaging manner, with interesting character dynamics and some original plots, so, I would definitely recommend reading it. (I, myself, have read it more than five times...)

So, that was a list of the BBRae AU stories that I highly recommend! There are more amazing (and incomplete) stories out there to read, but these are just the ones I've thoroughly enjoyed (and remembered.)

Also, feel free to share your BBRae story, if you have written any, and I'll happily read and support your story!!

Happy Reading!

Quick endnote, if you've read this post till here, do me a favor and check out my stories too! ;)

On Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.

All of my stories are complete, instead of "Tease Is Just The Cover" on FF.net (which I don't think I'm gonna work on any time soon), so feel free to check 'em out!

Sorry for the advertising, but I also want an audience y'know?

THANK YOU! And I hope you have a good day/evening/night ahead!

#bbrae #garchel #garrae #teen titans #fanfiction #au #alternate universe #recommendations #fanfic recommendation #titans #raven #rachel roth #raven roth #beast boy #changeling #gar logan #garfield logan

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jenomark · 3 years

Text

Part 6: WinWin, The Catch

➔Pairing: WinWin x Reader (Female) ➔Other Members/ Characters: Lucas, Ten, Hendery, Xiaojun, Kun, & YangYang ➔Genre: Smut (+ angst, + fluff, + plot) ➔Warnings: angst, mentions of sex, yelling, cursing ➔Word count: 6,455

➔Summary: You don’t know what you do. You don’t even know who you are. Some would call you a whore. Some would refer to you as a sex worker. All of your clients would say you’re damn good at your job.

MASTERLIST

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Life is a whirlwind of many things: emotions, disappointment, new beginnings, and things too complicated to understand. It’s years of fuck-ups, of getting lost in the shit that hurts you, and finding out that sometimes the truth should stay buried. We’re meant to live life like it’s the last one we have, but a lot of us can’t even choose what to eat for dinner. Maybe that’s the joy in living, in just being. Maybe we should all be proud of being fuck-ups, instead of trying to be something we’re not.

“I don’t think life can get any sweeter than this.” WinWin said.

You tapped your glass against his, the frozen, pineapple liquid spilling down the sides. The taste of the drink is refreshing and so sweet it makes your teeth hurt, but you don’t care. You’re sitting on the beach in a plastic chair, the sun dipping into the ocean, and the company of a man you enjoy right next to you. Life, through its ups and downs, was finally looking up.

“I don’t want to go home.” you said. “Do you think people at work even miss me?”

WinWin laughed quietly, just a little wind through his nose. “I would miss you.”

“I bet you would.”

Since coming to the island for the past week, you and WinWin left the hotel room many times. You went snorkeling, exploring different parts of the culture, ate gourmet dinners, and got massages by professionals who avoided your sunburnt shoulders. On the days when you couldn’t seem to make it out of the door, you both fucked on the beautiful white linen bed, sometimes with the sliding door open, and every time without any inhibition.

“I miss you every day.” he said. He leaned over to kiss you, the taste of the drink on the edge of his lips.

When he brought out his phone to text his family back home, you let your eyes gape openly at his body. He was so pretty on the eyes, every muscle put to good use. You didn’t regret the order of the way things happened to fall together, just that you hadn’t met him sooner. It seemed lifetimes ago that you were hitting him up for one last bang of the century. You smiled at the memory, letting it salivate in your mind until he was done texting.

“Is everything okay?” you asked.

WinWin took your hand, which was something he did whenever he was feeling affectionate. You liked the attention, the way he put his phone down and focused on answering your question. “My family are asking what time our flight home is tomorrow. And if I’ll stop by on the way back to my house.”

“Did you tell them yes?” you asked. “I miss your mother. She’s just the face I feel I need to see.”

“You don’t know how happy that makes me feel.”

He leaned over and kissed you again. There was a cheeky look in his eyes, as if asking how easy it would be for you to straddle him on the beach chair and take his cock right there. Neither of you were sex fiends during your regular life back home, but vacation time meant making time for your relationship.

Luckily for the public, you were both interrupted by the waiter asking if you’d like a bite to eat. After declining, you both gathered up your things and practically ran back to the hotel for a night of fun and pleasure.

It wasn’t love, exactly. You would be the first to admit that love was hardly a driving force in your life. At first, though lust was an option, you ruled it out fairly early. Your entrance into WinWin’s life was less about pleasing someone sexually and more about pleasing yourself. You stayed around him because he was different. Deep down, you hoped it wasn’t because he was a culmination of all the boys in your life- Ten and his safety, Hendery and his optimism, Xiaojun and his hunger for life, Kun and his stability, and YangYang’s wholesome friendship. He even had Lucas’ taste for laughter and fun.

For a while, you wanted it to be love. You wanted love at first sight to be a real thing so badly. You saw WinWin, you knew he was the one, and you fucked him real good. You chose to let it be more. Still, months later, you chose to keep the relationship because there was always the possibility that you were both lovable. You could be normal, even get the 9-to-5 job and stop fucking people for money. It could happen for you.

The car ride home from the airport felt a little off. Being away from the ocean made you feel stale. You didn’t know how to face normalcy again, how to ease your way back into a city that held so many awful memories. But WinWin held onto you like he could solve everything, made you feel like you could be the adult you needed all your life.

“We’re here.” WinWin said as the car pulled up to his mother’s house.

She didn’t know her son paid for someone like you, or that he was the last one ever. As far as she knows, he met you out with friends, and the rest was history. She didn’t know about your past, didn’t seem interested in it either. She was the kind of woman that judged no one, that welcomed everyone through her door with a hug and a feast fit for kings. It was far removed from the family you had grown up with.

“You both look sun-kissed and beautiful.” she said, hugging you, and then tugging on the edge of WinWin’s ear. “ Welcome home. I made you a nice home cooked meal. I know it’s not as good as the 5 star food you’ve been eating for the past week.”

“Mom, I’m sure it’s delicious.” WinWin said. “And I am starving.”

“Me too.” you said. “It’s really nice for you to cook for us. I feel so thankful.”

Being with WinWin’s family made you feel safer than you’d ever felt. They truly welcomed you into the fold. It was easy to imagine the rest of your life like this: taking vacations, coming back to meals cooked by a mother who cares, and being lovingly accepted into another family like you were one of their own. Your past could easily melt away, along with any of the bad taste that got stuck in your mouth.

You felt yourself getting misty-eyed. Thankfully, WinWin’s mother didn’t notice. She walked away to tend to her meal, leaving both of you in her living room. Unfortunately for you, WinWin was also an attentive boyfriend. He noticed you were on the verge of tears right away. He wiped them away for you, his brown eyes looking concerned.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine. I think I’m just tired and overwhelmed.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“No, no.” you said quickly. “I’m happy to be here.”

The smile WinWin gave you lit up your soul. He brought you in for a hug, his excitement growing in the childish way he had. You held him tightly, too afraid to let go.

No, it wasn’t love, but it wasn’t not love, either.

That night, you made love.

In the beginning of your relationship, all the men before him would pop into your mind. There was the roughness of Lucas, the tenderness of Ten, and the intensity of Hendery. Every so often, you wished WinWin was as good as Xiaojun was at oral. You incorporated the carefree attitude YangYang taught you into your sex life, taking WinWin for a wild spin. You avoided Kun, and every feeling he brought up within you. Every so often, you would dive back into the deep end and meet WinWin, and you would merge all the men together. He would never know, and you’d never ask if he had any inclination.

Something changed a few months in. The sex got better, and you were more present. You were with him for the whole time, pressing down on his chest and riding the high that belonged to only him. You fell hard. You two were good for each other, matched up right in all the best ways. He didn’t need help in any department. He was whole and complete, and he made you feel like a goddess.

“You’re thinking.” WinWin whispered, kissing your forehead.

He pushed his cock deep inside of you, the words out of your mouth coming out breathless. “I’m not.”

“Okay.” he said, giving up before he started.

He fucked you so well that you both forgot about everything. It was only until you were dreaming that everything came rushing back. You dreamed of the men, of the paradise lost, of WinWin’s mother wishing you were her daughter-in-law.

Office jobs on a Monday never once seemed glamorous, but it was all you needed to feel ordinary. You stayed at your desk and watched the screensaver on your desktop fade in and out, like a heartbeat. Cheek resting against the palm of your hand, you sighed. You waited for lunchtime like the rest of the office girls. You didn’t gossip, didn’t show anyone your new nails. Your desk wasn’t decorated, but you were settled in for a while. The company liked you so much that you moved on from being a temp really quickly, which either made people love you or hate you.

“How was vacation?” a colleague asked.

You had become one of those people that shows vacation photos on her phone. There was WinWin laying on the beach, his toned stomach covered in sand. There was a photo of you posing by the sign of a restaurant, your arms thrown around him and your leg popped up. You hardly recognized the girl in the photos, though you’d spent 20+ years in her body.

“I wish I were in your shoes.” she said. “Your boyfriend is dreamy.”

“Thank you.” you said. It was hard to keep the amusement out of your voice. You were used to women fawning over him because he was so handsome, but when it was a married women with five kids, it made you hope you’d never be like that.

“It looked like such a nice little vacay.” she said. “So luxurious. How did you pay for all of that?”

“Savings.” you said.

Though you weren’t doing sex work anymore, the money from your secret apartment felt like it was never ending. You had sold so many things that reminded you of the men you saw over the years, choosing the money and a better life for yourself. It didn’t bother WinWin that you had more money than him, though he wouldn’t let you buy him a damn thing.

“Lucky.” she said before moving back to her desk.

Your eyelids were heavy, and the bottom of your feet sore. You dragged your feet through the doorway of your new, modest apartment, and threw your stuff down on the floor. You didn’t check your phone, just sat down on the couch and let your head fall back. You drifted off to sleep and only woke up to a knock on your front door. Picking yourself up, you walked over, swung it open, and screamed when WinWin picked you up and spun you around.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

He kissed you passionately, letting your body slide down his before he let your feet plant on the floor. You felt breathless, and could tell that your face was hot just from seeing him again. There were days you kind of wanted to share a home with him, to see him every single day. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so taken aback by him every time you saw him in the flesh.

You didn’t fully get a good look at him until he moved away from you and went over to the fridge for a drink. He was wearing a dark blue suit and his hair was slicked back from his forehead. He looked expensive, and the smell trailing behind him reminded you of the vacation you’d just left.

“What are you all dressed up for?” you asked.

“You and I are invited to a party.”

“A..party?” you asked. “On a Monday night? I’m exhausted. I just had my full day of work after a week of beauty and sunshine. Baby, the last thing I want to do is party.”

Then, as if everything suddenly made sense, you remembered that your birthday was in a few days. Your mind was whirring. You didn’t want WinWin wasting money on some nice party when he’d put up more than his share for the vacation.

“Please.” he said, pouting. He took a drink from inside the fridge and set it on the counter. “I wouldn’t go without you.”

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I’ve seen your closet. You have plenty of dresses.”

“I won’t know anyone there.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t tell you who was going.”

“I’m running out of excuses, aren’t I?” you asked.

WinWin smiled and came over to hold you. “Yes. I’m not a party animal either, but for some reason, I really want to go to this one. It’s at that nice hotel downtown that was just built. Imagine a night full of cocktails and dancing, coming home and collapsing in my bed. Fun, right?”

You closed your eyes. When you opened them, you said yes. After all, you didn’t want to ruin a possible surprise. WinWin picked you up and spun you again. ‘Round and ‘round in circles you went.

The dress you wore was too tight. You felt so bloated in it that, on the car ride over, you kept fidgeting. WinWin calling you beautiful didn’t help, but the sulking definitely did. Arriving at the party made you so nervous that you forgot about the ill-fitting dress. You weren’t ready to be in front of people you loved, if it was a birthday party. You were stressed about who would attend, and who would not.

“Holy fuck.” you said, looking up at the hotel it was being hosted at.

In another life, it felt like you had been there before. It was much too swanky for your new taste, but there was something so familiar about the exterior that you couldn’t help but stare at it. The cream of the building and the black marble accents were stunning to look at, even more so than your date.

“We’ll stay no longer than two hours.” he said. “Does that sound good?”

You were unsure, but you did agree. He took your hand and led you across the street, the red satin dress you were wearing flying up with the wind. You smoothed your hair down with your free hand and walked through the revolving door with him. Inside, the building was even more gorgeous. It must have cost a pretty penny, and would have taken years to import all of the textures.

“Who invited you here?” you asked. “Someone from work?”

“My cousin.” he said. “ You’ve met him before.”

You were whisked into a ballroom full of people. It was clear that, by the lack of people you knew, it was not a surprise birthday party for you. It made you a little sad, but you tried not to show it.

Being among crowds was never fun for you, but feeling his hand on the small of your back relaxed you. You were thinking you could enjoy the night anyway, but WinWin walking away to fetch drinks made the fear creep up your spine again. You sat down at an empty table and scanned the hoards of people dressed in expensive designer clothes, your eyes raking it all in. You assessed that the reason you were so uncomfortable is because the environment reminded you too much of the life you had four months ago.

“Here.” WinWin said, setting your drink down.

You took a big gulp and set it back down, watching strangely as the condensation from the glass formed a ring on the tablecloth. For a bit, WinWin sat with you and held your hand, his eyes watching people laughing and chatting along.

“I can’t find my cousin. He’s not answering his phone.” he said, not able to peel his eyes from the crowd.

“Should we go look for him?” you asked.

There was a weird tension in the pit of your belly. You pushed the drink away and vowed to not drink anymore. You joined WinWin in looking for his cousin, even though you didn’t know which one he was referring to. His family was big, and they all looked so different from each other, but they all had the same cute laugh and love of ordering things online.

“Let’s dance.” WinWin said, rising to his feet.

You looked at the hand stretched out before you. He was speaking and moving too quickly. You felt like you were being pulled in every direction. The lights of the ballroom chandeliers were too bright, the air too humid. Still, you took his hand and let him bring you to your feet.The heels were killing you, but they were the only shoe that matched the dress.

“Are you okay?” you asked. “You’re acting really weird. “

“Weird?” he asked. “How?”

“I don’t know.”

You wiped sweat from your forehead and felt nauseous as he led you both around the floor. It was the first time you wished you were anywhere but with him. Being at home and sleeping sounded much more exciting than the truth of where you were.

“Can I spin you?” he asked.

Before you could tell him that he couldn't, WinWin spun you around. You held onto his shoulders and caught your breath. He spun you one more time, your body losing slight control, and then he let you go.

All you could see were the lights in a blur before they stopped. You were too aware of the arm that had caught you. You looked down at the floor, at your feet crammed into your heels, then you closed your eyes tightly, and opened them again. You looked up and was met with a chest that didn’t belong to WinWin. Clutching the arms tightly, you used the body to bring yourself up all the way.

“Lucas.” you said, your voice shaky.

Dressed in a white button down and a light blue suit jacket, Lucas was there. His face was a little slimmer, but the same eyes were looking back at you. They were wide and hard, not a lick of concern in them. For a moment, you were transported back in time. It was where you were supposed to be, with the man you thought you were going to marry. You blinked and started looking for WinWin.

“You like him?” Lucas asked.

You removed your hands from Lucas’ arms and he dropped them to his sides the same time you did. You looked into his eyes and tried to muster something to say. The last time you saw him, you couldn’t get the right words out. Your storyline was very much unfinished.

“Does he check all the boxes?” Lucas asked. “Safe. Able to pay. Puts up with your lies and insecurities.”

“What?”

You looked over at the right time to see WinWin moving up to your side. You felt relief. You waited for him to berate Lucas for talking to you that way, a hero to save the day. Instead, he held out his hand to Lucas, as if asking him to dance.

“Four months.” WinWin said to him. “I want extra for having to sleep with her so many times.”

Lucas opened his jacket and took out a wad of bills. He peeled out so many pieces of paper that you lost count of them all. “Here is half. You get the rest of the money in a while.”

WinWin took the bills without counting them and tucked them into his own jacket. He gave you the tiniest apologetic glance before walking away. Confused, you started to walk after him but was stopped by Lucas' big arm.

“What are you doing?” you asked. “I’m following my boyfriend. Let me go.”

“Your boyfriend?” Lucas asked. “Wow, you really bought it. The con artist gets conned.”

Your brain was trying its hardest to make sense of what Lucas was saying. Any minute now, you would wake up from your nap on the couch and you wouldn’t be standing in the middle of a hotel ballroom with your ex-boyfriend. When that didn’t happen, you stormed off across the dance floor, your eyes searching for WinWin. You took out your phone and began texting, but a big paw of a hand snatched the phone from you.

“He won’t text back.” Lucas said.

“Give me that.” you said, swiping at him. “Why are you here? Did you follow us?”

Lucas laughed. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what? You’re a psycho.” you said. “You broke up with me, remember? You left me. Let me live my life. I’m happy.”

Without your phone, you walked outside, through the revolving door and down the rabbit hole. You could hear Lucas’ heavy footsteps behind you. When you were out of earshot, he placed his hand on your shoulder gently and spun you around to face him.

“Give me my phone, or I will call the police.” you said, not enough bravado in your voice.

Lucas handed you the phone, but you yanked it from his hands anyway. There were no messages from WinWin, and nothing of note. You looked for the car you arrived in but it was gone. You swallowed the lump in your dry throat and closed your eyes again.

“Why did you hand him money, and where did he go? What was he talking about?” you asked. It was the question you’d wanted to ask all along but was too afraid to ask. “Please, nothing snarky. Tell me the truth.”

“The truth? Like you told me the truth?” Lucas asked.

“Lucas, please.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

You were facing him head on, tears rolling down your face. Everything felt too chaotic, too blinding. Your thoughts were swimming in your mind, each one making no sense from the last. If what you believed to be true was true, you needed to know how it all went down.

“I set you up.” he said. “Sicheng, that’s his real name, was never interested in you. I paid him to like you, to fuck you. “

“He was my client.”

“Wrong.” Lucas said. He moved out of the way so that people could pass by. “I paid him to pursue you. It wasn’t easy, I’ll give you that. I had actually given up hope, but then you came right in at the end.”

“You’re lying to me.”

“I’m not.” Lucas chuckled darkly. “I paid him thousands of dollars. I paid for your vacation. I’m thousands in debt, but hey, who cares. I finally did it.”

“Did what?” you asked, wiping a hot tear from your cheek.

“Humiliated you the way you humiliated me.” he said. “Fucking guys for money behind my back? Why couldn’t you just cheat like normal people? Fuck, I wanted to marry you.”

It was quiet, the traffic from the sidewalk dying down. You leaned against the side of the building and felt how truly tired your body was. The fire in Lucas’ eyes calmed down a little bit, too.

“I know.” you said quietly. “I saw the ring.”

“Shit, you really fell for everything.” he said. “I planted that ring. I thought that if you believed I was going to propose, you would catch yourself in the lie. I thought you were smarter than me, but tonight proves that theory. You’re not smart at all. You should have seen your face when you saw the house key. ”

“Why would you do this to me?” you screamed, grabbing the attention of someone waiting in traffic.

“You did this to yourself, sweetheart.”

You turned around and put your arm against the wall, leaning your head down against it. “I don’t understand. WinWin and I are a real couple. I’ve been with his family and his friends. I love him.”

“The family thing wasn’t my idea.” he said. “I had nothing to do with that, but I find it funnier this way. How does it feel being so blind-sided that it’s ruined your life?”

“Fuck you.”

“No.” he said. “Fuck you. Exactly, how many people have you slept with? Did you get tested before you fucked me?”

You walked away, walking down the street to God knows where. You groaned when he kept following you, and you stopped in front of a well-lit display window. In the light, you could see how beat your reflection was. The dress was pretty, but your insides were shining out and they were ugly.

“You thought you could fool me.” Lucas said. “I followed you to some places, you know? Saw all the freaks you were with. That one guy? Hendery? I talked to him, acted like I was a stranger. He was so fucking in love with you that I was jealous. Can you believe that? I was jealous of someone who had you about as much as I did. It’s a real shame what you did to him.”

“Shut up.”

“He thought you would be together forever.” Lucas mocked.

“You don’t know a thing about Hendery.”

“Wrong again.” he said. “I know a lot about men like Hendery. The sad, rejected men that tried to love you. I was one of them.”

You checked your phone again, your last attempt at hope. All you wanted was to see WinWin’s name pop up, to text you that he was bringing the car around, and that he was going to take you away from the crazy man before you.

“If you knew....” you began, feeling dejected. “...why did you let it go on for so long?”

Lucas seemed to really think about the answer. In the light, he looked so handsome and young. You were reminded of the man he was when you first met him. You felt a little pang in your chest where your heart used to be.

“I guess I wanted to see if you would change, if you would love me.”

“I did love you.”

There was hurt and anger in Lucas’ eyes. “Loved me enough to cheat on me?”

“It was just a job.”

“Was I just a job, too?” he asked. “ I knew about the extra apartment. I really meant nothing to you.”

“This conversation is going nowhere.” you said. “I’m sorry I did that to you. I should have been upfront about who I was and what I was doing with my body. I fucked up, and I fucked your life up. And you, in return, fucked me up for the rest of my life.”

“This isn’t my fault. This is your fault.”

“I don’t care whose fault it is, Lucas.” you said. “You and I were done. We never would have lasted.”

“So, you strung me along to make yourself feel better?” he asked.

“No I-”

“-Like you did with Sicheng.” he said. “I’m not an idiot. I know the ins and outs of everything that happened in the last few months. It’s a cycle. The people you fuck keep you feeling better about yourself long enough for you to move on to a new one. I was just the unfortunate asshole getting caught in the middle.”

“I’m not talking about this right now.”

“And there it is, the denial.” he said. “Look at how you turn away from me when I tell you the truth. All those men and not one of them could ever call you out on your bullshit? Where is the love there, huh? Where are any of them now?”

You threw your hands up into the air. “I don’t know. They’re not here, Lucas. You hate me so much, but you’re the only one here. The last man standing. Congratulations, you did it.”

A car pulled up to the curb. You texted a friend for a ride, someone you didn’t know quite well. You didn’t have anyone else. While Lucas was talking, you were figuring out how best to run away from him. The knowledge hit you hardest where it hurts. You didn’t think anything could ever be the same again.

“I have to go.” you said. “I can’t be here anymore.”

“Yeah? Just like that?”

You held the car door open. “Yeah. Just like that, Lucas.”

“And you don’t have anything else to say?” he asked.

“I do, actually.” you said. “To those I’ve fucked and fucked over, I’m sorry.”

THREE YEARS LATER- LUCAS

He stood very still, so still that he could hear the tiny giggling coming from the other room. Lucas smiled to himself and tried to ignore it as best he could. If there was one thing he was good at, it was acting.

“Ready or not, here I come!” he yelled, his voice booming. He loved pulling silly voices. It was something that brought him so much joy. “You better not come out until I find you-u-u-u-u-u.”

With the heaviest of footsteps, Lucas walked across his house. It was dramatic the way he walked, and it only brought out another tinkle of laughter from the east side of the house. Lucas walked into another room and made fake footsteps like he was walking away.

There, in the corner, the top of a tiny head peeked out from behind a toy box. As if sensing him, the head poked back down. Lucas fought the urge to laugh. He played dumb and moved around the room, loudly checking behind places no human could hide behind.

“It’s very difficult to find her.” he said. “I wonder if she is in this room.”

Another giggle, another pull at his heart strings. Before he could move over to the toybox, a little girl ran out from behind it and into his arms.

“Daddy! Daddy!” she yelled, giggling as her father Lucas scooped her up into his arms. “You found me!”

Lucas swung her around and planted kisses all over her heart-shaped face. His happiness was always with her, even when it was hidden. Lucas set his daughter down and knelt down to her level.

“Now,” he said, his face serious. He tried not to laugh as his daughter put on a serious face, too. “Now, we have to find mommy.”

With her hand in his, they walked through the house to look for the missing puzzle piece of their family.

THREE YEARS LATER- TEN

“What is love to you?”

Ten sat across from his date. There was something in the question that made him cock his head to the side. His smile lit up when the person sitting across from him broke out into a similar smile, a clear embarrassment striking them unannounced.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Ten said. “It’s a fair question. Do you have an answer for it?”

“I don’t.”

“Well, I do.” Ten said.

It was Ten’s assertiveness that got him the date in the first place. That, and the way he was so open about everything. He didn’t know if the person across from him was his soulmate, or if he even believed in that. Still, it was fun getting to know someone. In a way, it was like getting to know yourself.

“I think love is everything.” he said. “I think it’s in everything. It’s in the company you keep, in the weather you wish was different. Love is a painful reminder that not everything can stay the same. It’s the gentle way someone wishes you a good day. It’s an old blanket that smells like memories from long ago. Love is scary, but scary things are fun, too. We all want love, and we all want to be loved. It’s hope, and it’s full. I used to think love is never being left, but now I think leaving someone often means loving them so much that you do what is best for them. Love is...yeah..I love love.”

THREE YEARS LATER- XIAOJUN

He lit the candles, one on each end of the table. Getting lost in the flame was an option, but Xiaojun had many steps to take. He smoothed out the table cloth, the fine linen unwrinkling before his eyes. There was peace in watching everything come together, in the controlling things.

“Perfect.” he whispered.

Moving around the table, he fixed two of everything, even two napkins of the prettiest shade. The dishes resting on the table were cleaned so properly that not even a stray hair found its way there. The drinking glasses were sparkling. He could see his reflection in them both, his handsome face full of content.

“Whaaa, so perfect.”

Xiaojun took a seat in one of the chairs. He felt the wood of the armrest, a seat fit for a king, and he smiled to himself. The dinner jacket he was wearing was a little oversized, but it was pressed in a way that made him feel happy.

A man walked into the room and served food on both sides of the table, the tastiest feast money could buy. A bottle of wine was tipped into the glasses, not a drop wasted.

“Thank you.” Xiaojun said softly.

After the waiter disappeared, he looked at the empty chair on the other side of the table. The steam from the food rose up high, and with it, Xiaojun’s expectations. He took one savory bite of food. After, he took a bow to the seat that would remain empty for the rest of his life.

THREE YEARS LATER- KUN

“Therapy is at five p.m, don't be late.” she said.

“I don’t know why we’re going to therapy if we’re not going to work on our marriage.” Kun said. “Please help me understand.”

His ex-wife looked at him like she saw right through him. She was unbothered, not willing to waste a single emotion on the man before her. “It’s for the children.” was all she said before she got into her car and drove away.

Kun sat by himself on his front porch swing for a long time. His new house was smaller and bought with his own money. There was only enough room for him, and for his children whenever they wanted to see their dad on the weekends. With the end of his marriage, everything else seemed to go, too. He no longer had a job after getting caught having an another affair with one of the real teaching assistants. He figured it was a fair bit of karma for all the bad things he’d done, but it still didn’t make it an easy pill to swallow.

Occasionally, he would call your old phone number in hopes that you’d pick up, but you never did. It was probably for the best.

THREE YEARS LATER- YANGYANG

The massive backpack on his back made him sway a little. He found it so funny that he couldn’t read any of the signs in the foreign language. He’d met a lot of people on his travels, and each one found it charming that he was so carefree and kind. All it took was a smile from YangYang and the citizens were cured.

“Where are you going?” a traveler he had just met asked. He was an older man, way older than YangYang’s grandfather. He’d decided to travel and live a bit after his wife died. He was everything YangYang aspired to be, maybe, without all of the death.

“I don’t know.” YangYang said. “I guess, wherever the wind takes me.”

“Well, that’s a start.” the man said. “The train is here. Best go on your way, then.”

YangYang felt sad about having to say goodbye to the man. It was always like that over the last few years. He struck up conversations with so many good people, all of their stories worth telling, and then he’d have to say goodbye. Occasionally, they would exchange social media and whatever, but it never felt the same.

“This was nice.” YangYang said. “I really enjoyed hearing stories about your wife. She sounds like someone I would have liked.”

“You would have.” the old man said, his gaze on some distant memory. “Have safe travels and remember what I said, kid. Never stop. Take care.”

YangYang accepted the man's clap on his shoulder, even though it made him sway even more. The train stopped before him, windows slipping by. In the reflection as it slowed down, he thought he saw someone that looked an awful lot like you behind him, but when he turned around, no one was there.

THREE YEARS LATER- HENDERY

Since it was raining, the park was empty. Since he considered himself an idiot, he didn’t bring an umbrella.

Hendery approached the park bench like it was a bomb that could explode any minute. He looked around before taking off his jacket and stretching it across the surface to soak up some of the water. Then, he sat down and looked out over the grass. He blinked rain off his eyelashes and looked down at his lap. He did everything he could but check his phone. Over time, he looked up at the sky and let the water droplets hit his face. When he had done all the waiting he could do, he got up from the bench.

“Well.” he said, looking down at his soaked jacket.

Hendery picked it up from the bench and flung it over his shoulders. He took one last longing look at the bench for beginning to walk away. He was stopped by footsteps coming up from behind him. He turned around, placed the jacket back on the bench and sat down again. Hands on his knees, he stared straight ahead.

“You’re late.” he said.

The person sat beside him on the bench, their hands on their knees, staring straight ahead. At the same time, the person and Hendery looked at each other.

There wasn’t an apology you could say that would fit the crime. Hendery knew that. He looked straight ahead again, but he moved one hand from his knee and used it to hold yours. Your clasped hands sat between you on the bench, solid and true.

You looked at him before staring straight back ahead. Though it was pouring now, and your skin was slimy and your clothes wet all the way through, you didn’t seem to mind anymore.

107 notes · View notes

blossom-hwa · 3 years

Note

Could I request . . . best friend!chan + boys' night out, some platonic banter and wholesome drunk escapades?

Okay ngl Javi I have never gotten drunk or anything so like.... I’m so sorry I don’t know how to write this smdkgshg but I wanted to write platonic banter and I started this like texting series in my last drabble game so.... I kinda continued it here but with a reader too?? I hope that’s okay I’m so sorry kjfskdjhguh

(Read the original text aus here: danceracha | 3racha | vocalracha | the boyz | both groups aka a nightmare)

Stray Kids drabble game: send me a Stray Kids member + a prompt (check out the post for ideas) and I’ll write a drabble for you!

Title: Cafe Shenanigans 2: Electric Boogaloo

Pairing: none (all platonic), reader is gender neutral

Word count: 1.3k

Triggers: cursing

quick clarification:

better than tony: chan

chingban: changbin

gremlin: jisung

y/n/wow: y/n

better than tony: we have a new worker joining today please for the love of god do Not scare them off

better than tony has added y/n to the group chat!

y/n: chan why is this your nickname

chingban: and why did you talk about a new worker all serious n shit we literally know y/n

gremlin: probably better than we know chan tbh

y/n: what’s my favorite color

chingban: ...

gremlin: ...

y/n: that’s what I thought

better than tony: I'm regretting everything rn

chingban: ???? nothing has happened ????????

better than tony: something is going to happen I know it is

better than tony: it’s only a matter of time

y/n: chan you still haven’t answered my question

y/n: why is this your nickname

better than tony: I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you

gremlin: I'm gonna do it

chingban: I'm torn between wanting to cease existence

chingban: and wanting to see chan melt into the ground out of embarrassment

better than tony: I swear to fucking god you assholes IF YOU DO IT

gremlin: [ sent 1 audio attachment wow.mp3 ]

y/n: oh my what’s this ??

better than tony: y/n go to work

y/n: I'm taking my break now <3

better than tony: I'm revoking best friend privileges

y/n: that’s fine I can make two whole other best friends right here

gremlin: :D

chingban: :D

better than tony: I knew this was a mistake

y/n: I think my twenty minute break is long enough to listen to a three minute song!

y/n: bye whores

better than tony: jisung say your prayers

gremlin: I'm willing to take one for the team

gremlin: it was only a matter of time before they found out anyway

chingban: you can’t argue with that

better than tony: I’D STILL RATHER KEEP IT UNDER FUCKING WRAPS

gremlin: are those choking noises from the back

better than tony: this was a mistake this was a mistake this was a fucking mistake

chingban: dw I'll go check on them

chingban: make sure y/n isn’t dead on their first day on the job

better than tony: I honestly hope they choke

chingban: update all is well

better than tony: damn

gremlin: that?? is??? your???? best????? friend??????

better than tony: not anymore

better than tony: anyone who knows about wow must be put to death

chingban: so our entire friend group should be put to death?????

better than tony: are you arguing with that

gremlin: you know what I can’t argue

gremlin: I'm surprised the fbi hasn’t shot us down yet

y/n has changed their name to wow!

better than tony: ok you know what fuck you

wow: what the fuck are you doing to get the fbi to shoot you down

gremlin: IT’S ALIVE

better than tony: unfortunately

wow: it ??????????????????????????????????

chingban: idk about them but I've never done anything that merits being shot down yb the fbi

gremlin: wow is an offense punishable by death

chingban: I agree it’s an offense but death ???????

better than tony: stop texting and go back to work I'm tired of you all

wow: I'm still on my break

better than tony: everyone except y/n stop texting and go back to work

chingban: the favoritism is real

better than tony: y/n is my best friend suck it up

gremlin: I thought you disowned them from that position ???

better than tony: unfortunately they’re still more tolerable than you two combined

wow: I'm still reeling over being called ‘it’

wow: bitch ass han jisung you think I'm Frankenstein’s monster or some shit? or the clown from that movie???

gremlin: do you want me to answer that question

wow: say your prayers

chingban: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

better than tony: I regret everything

wow: hey I didn’t know hyunjin/minho/Felix worked at the build a bear at this mall

chingban: literally where have you been

chingban: they’ve been there for at least six months

gremlin: why is only felix’s name capitalized

wow: 1. bitch do you think I come to the mall to go to build a bear?

wow: 2. autocorrect

wow: wow jisung your autocorrect is shit if it isn’t capitalizing Felix

gremlin: what do you come to the mall for

gremlin: also what of it

wow: to bother chan

wow: and mooch off the wifi because the connection at home is shit

wow: oh and work now ig

better than tony: nice to see your priorities

wow: <3

wow: actually jisung. don’t tell me you fucking actually go back and make Felix uncapitalized

gremlin: caught

gremlin: and wait till they find out where seungmin/jeongin work at

chingban: what the fuck why wouldn’t you just let autocorrect do its shit

better than tony: he’s jisung do you really need another reason

chingban: fair enough

gremlin: fair enough

wow: also I've known where the fuck seungmin/jeongin work I used to work at the tutoring center too dumbasses

better than tony: isn’t the pay better there? I still don’t know why you quit

wow: if you mean better by like fifty cents then yeah

gremlin: I-

chingban: I thought tutoring would pay a lot more than working at a shitty cafe???????????????????????????????

wow: yeah that’s what I thought too

wow: and then I found out how much chan was getting paid and I was like what the fuck I'd have so much fun working here even with slightly lower pay

wow: so I quit

gremlin: respect

wow: wasn’t a hard decision

wow: the kids are horrible

better than tony: I thought you liked some of them

wow: “some” is the key word

chingban: ouch

wow: at least I get to fuck around here without getting in too much trouble

better than tony: isn’t sangyeon chill??

wow: Ella isn’t

gremlin: oh I've heard horror stories from seungin

wow: they’re all true

wow: honestly wish you’d burned down the tutoring center when you set fire to the refrigerator jisung

better than tony: HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT

chingban: more like who DOESN’T know about that

wow: seungmin sent me pics

better than tony: betrayed by my own children

wow: he’s more my child than yours and you know it

chingban: does that mean y/n and chan are our parents????

wow: no

better than tony: no

gremlin: oh my god I have more parents now !!!!!

wow: suddenly I feel Regret

better than tony: welcome to my world

gremlin: I'll set fire to the refrigerator again if you don’t say you’re my parents

better than tony: isn't this how you bribed Jacob into giving you hugs instead of giving me hugs

wow: Jacob?

chingban: other worker along with chanhee they’re on vacation for the week

wow: o

better than tony: also please don't set fire to the refrigerator

better than tony: or even try to

gremlin: have my conditions been met

wow: fucking gremlin bitch ass child

wow: fine I'm one of your parents

gremlin: 1/2

better than tony: fine

gremlin: 2/2 :D

wow: let the record say I only ever wanted seungmin and jeongin

wow: and Felix

gremlin: ouch

chingban: ouch

wow: you force me to be your parent you suffer the consequences

better than tony: Felix is MY SON

wow: SO YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU FUCKERS ARE AUSTRALIAN YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC BOND? SUCK MY DICK CHAN

better than tony: I’LL FIGHT YOU

wow: SQUARE UP OLD MAN

chingban: jisung did you predict this

gremlin: in reality no but for the clout yes

chingban: ...

gremlin: I am Agent of Chaos(TM)

chingban: that I can see

41 notes · View notes

mikaze-discord · 3 years

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OG Heavens: Love letters

For these Heavens posts, I had reached out to a few people who just never ended up responding. With projects like these, please at least hear them out, you don't have to do it because I know its a huge project but at least tell them you won't be doing it instead of ghosting them. But apart from that little road block, this project was really fun!!

Please enjoy under the cut!!!!

EIICHI OTORI

From @milkmateartist:

I have always leaned towards megane characters and Eiichi is no exception. However, it's not often you see idols wearing glasses, and that is something I appreciate about Eiichi's design. His color palette also intrigues me since I love deep shades of blue. His royal blue jacket is very attractive, and the way he pops the collar also makes me go "kya!". His voice is also very sexy as well and is pleasing to the ear uwu. I love how egoistic he is too. Being incredibly ambitious he has been able to reach amazing heights that surpass other idols. The one thing that seems to make him unique though is that he really gets zealous and overly passionate when it comes to the power of music, so much that it makes him physically tremble. You could get high off that shit literally. His entire being is centered around being an idol, and all the components of him go above and beyond the requirements. It's not just a job for him or something that simply makes an earning or brings satisfaction. It's pretty much everything to him. For that reason he has made it to the top. There is also the component where he's lonely and isolated emotionally that interests me. Despite being a beloved idol, he clearly didn't get the love he needed growing up. Even though he had Eiji I feel as though his nature was more to protect Eiji and shield him from whatever terrors would arise. I admire his ability to come through all of that and pay attention to the things he really cared about. Eiichi can be himself, his strange, sexy self, but also he acknowledges the lonesome darkness within too. I think that component makes him incredibly powerful.

Extra Details:

While appearing to be a bad guy in the anime (at least), Eiichi seemed to be that typical bad boy idol that would steal away Haruka from the main group. The time when he approached Haruka and took her by the chin is a perfect example. How dare this new guy just think he can have his way with our protagonist! To be honest I liked that aspect about him a bit. While I can't remember my first impression of Eiichi aside from not knowing how to feel about that, he slowly grew on me. He had the appearance of just another selfish idol, demonstrated by swiping the mic away from the announcer at one of his concerts and immediately declaring their foreseen victory. So far that looked rather bland to me, and I was still cheering for STARISH. They really made him out to look like some bad guy who would not play fair and do whatever he could to take the throne (and the girl). It's not surprising his glasses shine adds to his 'freaky antagonist' vibe that the show seemed to try to give off, but however for me I love the glasses beam, thus having the opposite effect.

And then there is the Next Door episode. Now here's where we got to see more of Eiichi aside from when the HEAVENS Dragon demolished the entire stadium. Aside from kya-ing over the EiichiOtoya content (especially where he goes behind otoya and covers his eyes), I got to see more of him here. It surprised me that someone so cocky and confident was actually the same depressed, lonely person that Otoya was. But it was also evident to me as well that he did care about the effect it had on Otoya as well after he sort-of-well mind broke him. I like how he is ambitious but also still caring, as compared to an antagonist that would stop at nothing to achieve their goal regardless of how much pain they cause.

I also enjoy Eiichi because I feel like I can roleplay him well. Usually for me, roleplay has to achieve some kind of goal since I tend to be business oriented. I think to some degree I'm able to practice being a eboy idol through Eiichi, as I do enjoy charming the fans. It also helps that I can naturally play characters with an inflated ego who enjoy charming people.

From @/egoisticCEO on twt:

July 2019. When Eiichi was first introduced to me via his voice, I hated him from the very beginning. His singing, his appearance, his personality – everything about him made me despise him. It’s funny looking back and seeing how quickly my attitude changed towards him, realising I’d been biased against him because of a friend. Finding more about him, hate turned to interest. It seemed like his life hadn’t been the best. Maybe that was why he acted in such a way? Interest turned to liking him more. Maybe I’d misunderstood him. I’d made the mistake of taking him at surface level.

December 2019. Like was slowly turning to love. More and more, I found myself looking at him instead of my current favourites. I found myself wanting him to actually be a part of Egoistic. Once I started devouring HEAVENS Radio and unveiling his true character, it was shocking how quickly I fell. He truly acted like a father to everyone in his band. Giving them what he never received. Everything was for them to thrive.

2020. With how much I was at home, it only made sense I grew more obsessed. I found Life with Thanks’ translation. “We’re irreplaceable to him,” he tells us, and that made me certain that his heart wasn’t as evil as some people liked to believe. He’s a caretaker, someone who wants everyone to feel like they matter. Even at his own expense. Instead of selfish, he’s selfless.

I related to him more than I have to any character – it was comforting. Seeing someone have no choice but to put on a brave face, even when his confidence was at an all time low. 2020 got a lot harder for me, but when I recovered, Eiichi was like a home to go back to. Time and time again, I’d have to break away, but I’d always be invited back in by that stupid smirk and overexaggerated ego and the warmest heart you could ever find. Every scene I watched with him would make me smile. I’d tease him to myself. I still do.

2021. That brings us to now. I can’t see my love for this one of a kind man dying any time soon. I don’t want it to, either. Just looking at him makes me happy! He’s the type of character with so many facets to his personality that you can keep digging and never reach the end. So, in conclusion, I hope I never stop finding new things out about this wonderful idiot. More than anything, he deserves all the love he gives to others, and I’d love to provide it tenfold.

KIRA SUMERAGI

From Anon:

Many have their reasons to love their favorite characters. As for me, why Kira Sumeragi is my favorite character is because there are several things about him that I can relate myself to and there are a few qualities he has that I like about him. If many do not know about Kira that much, they’d look at who he is. He may look intimidating at first and may not talk much, when in actuality, Kira is a considerate, dependable, and mindful guy. Mainly, he is the type of guy that lets his actions do the explaining. He is a hard worker, as an idol, he looks after his bandmates, HEAVENS, like family. It’s like what Eiichi said in HEAVENS Radio about Kira, “he is HEAVENS’ pride!” Although he may not say much, Kira is very observant of his surroundings and never hesitates in his decisions. The members of HEAVENS understand and acknowledge Kira, knowing that he means well.

You can even tell in his solo music! Although there are only two solo songs for Kira, if you read the lyrics carefully, Kira’s thoughts and feelings are shown. Kira always knew that if he cannot explain his feelings through words, then he’ll let his songs and his actions do it for him for you to see. Although the anime doesn’t show much of Kira, the only way to get to know him more is through HEAVENS Radio, also drama CDs like Paradise Lost, and other media like LINE Messenger Japan. There’s still much that I’d want to know about him, but as a start, these things are what makes Kira my favorite character for HEAVENS.

From Anon:

Aside from my huge bias towards OnoD the first thing that drew my attention to Kira was his design. Dark haired anime boys with bright eyes have such a vibe and I loved how mysterious he was set up to be in season 2. But the thing that really hooked me a lot was the found family that Heavens became over the progression of the anime.

Particularly since people in the fandom have a bunch of funky headcanons about Kira being the mom friend in the group, which is incredibly wholesome. Kira’s very quiet and reserved but clearly holds a deep caring for his group members and does what he can when needed which is one of the reasons why he became so loveable for me.

NAGI MIKADO

From @/_PXRFECTIONIST on twt:

If I managed to stan Nagi, so will you.

Greetings. I present to you, once more, a story of how I came to love a character that I wished I threw hands with.

So.

Nagi Mikado.

The possible only utapri character that Shinomiya oshis despise. Thanks to what happened in the anime.

Truth be told, I too was one of them. Until I came to love Both Shinomiya and Nagi. Reason?

Research.

Ya see, it is universally agreed upon that the way Nagi was pushing and pulling at Shinomiya's trauma and DID was… Not okay. So I said "yeah okay what an obnoxious kid i dont think ill ever like him lol" especially since I never come to really warm up to people younger than me.

Boy was I wrong.

My heart really sways easily when I go deep into characters, and why they act the way they are. And also because I chose to roleplay as him, but let's not. Speak of that.

(its actually the main reason i like him in the first place who am i fooling)

Nagi is… Indeed obnoxious, and really has bad manners that are covered up by his cute looks and fame, especially since he's one of the original HEAVENS members, but once you get to really know him.. It makes sense why he's being such a brat. And that is sort of endearing. And knowing how his group is like family to him too, it becomes harder and harder to completely dislike him.

….

He really is a boss man.

He knows what he wants, and how to get it. He knows how to get people to like him without handing over the tiniest sliver of his weaknesses. He acts in his own way that shapes his personality to suit him, yet still manages to be caring and helpful, even if it's hard to see tenderness and good will through his aggression.

Reading his solo lyrics, listening to the drama CDs, even thinking of headcanons due to lack of lore, it all slowly comes together like a lovely parfait to suddenly make you realize..

'Wow…'

'I really do like that rat.

#utapri #utanoprincesama #uta no prince sama #eiichi otori #otori eiichi #Kira Sumeragi #Sumeragi Kira #Nagi Mikado #Mikado Nagi

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neon-junkie · 4 years

Text

The Last of his Kind - Chpt.1

Summary: A handsome young man approaches you at the bar after catching you checking him out. Names are exchanged and drinks are downed, and you seem to have fallen for him a lot harder than you realize.

Pairing: Jack Marston x f!Reader

Word Count: 3941

Rating: SFW

Tags: Post-RDR1, Saloon, Drinking, Flirting, Slow burn, Strangers to lovers, Gambling, First dates.

Notes: finally, some Jack Marston content, because this man deserves some love!!!!!!!!! to clarify, this is set after RDR1 and the epilogue, so Jack has already killed Ross and is now just trying to move on with his life.

To everybody's surprise, you'd done it. You'd managed to move out of your parents' house and buy a small home on the edge of Blackwater, with a chicken coop and a tiny garden around the back of the house. It's homely enough, perfectly decorated and surprisingly warm, even in the winter. The fireplace provides more than enough heat to keep your one-room house cozy, and you always get that wholesome feeling in your chest as you sit against the window, watching the snowfall with a hot beverage in your hands. It was nice to be able to work in the town that you live in, your place of work being less than five minutes away, and sometimes you like to shake up your morning commute and walk along the docks, overlooking the water and the land in the distance. The view is beautiful during the day but even more so at night, as an array of lights dance along the horizon. You'd heard about a city across that lake called Saint Denis, and although people have told you time and time again that it's huge, you can tell from how far across those lights go, as well as how bright they are. Maybe you'll visit that place one day. The furthest you'd ever traveled was up to Strawberry, only because your parents live there, and down south was a complete mystery to you. You're aware of that place called Thieves Landing, and you dare not to travel south because you fear that everywhere else will be as chaotic as that place.

Your closest friend and co-worker, Belle, had told you that the land down south was actually quite nice. Well, the scenery was, but Armadillo was almost always riddled with some sort of plague, and the other town down there was completely abandoned. The name slips your mind, but it's no matter as you'll never head down there. She's been to Thieves Landing many times for gambling trips and has egged you on to come with her one day, but you worry that it'll be your unlucky day and you'll end up in some sort of mess, so better safe than sorry. Instead, Belle likes to play her games at the Blackwater Saloon whilst you mingle and relax. She's tried to teach you before but there are so many cards and so many rules. You've gone this far in your life without getting addicted to a fun way of losing money, and you're happy to continue living your life without it. And that's where you are now, sitting at one of the tables with Belle, having a rant about some customer you served today who has his own nose way too far up his ass. A few drinks have been shared between the two of you and you can tell from the way Belle keeps looking at the Blackjack table that she wants a game sooner or later. Blackjack was the only game you knew how to play, only because the dealer does all the work, though you'd still rather save your money, even if luck tended to be on your side and you'd exit the game with a small profit. "Shame I was in the back when it happened," Belle tells you after you've finished laying out what happened to her. "What would you have done? Barked at him?" you say with a laugh. "I would have!" Belle says proudly, then lets out a bark, a surprisingly realistic one that catches the attention of a suited man at the table next to you. He pulls an odd face but turns his attention away as the two of you laugh. The town knows by now that the pair of you are a little odd, but times are changing and women seem to be asserting themselves more and more every day. Just last week, you saw a woman dragging out her husband after she'd caught him chatting to a woman at the Saloon. Normally, men would step in and try to defend the husband, saying the woman clearly wasn't 'doing her job' as a wife. But a bunch of men had stepped in and told the man off for being unfaithful. You're welcome to this change, and although there's no man in your life right now, you hope that he'll be a kind and gentle soul. Well, you wouldn't marry anybody who isn't, though you'll always have that worry of marrying a man who lets himself go the second the wedding rings are on. Let's hope things are different for you. Belle snaps you out of your daydream as she perks up again. "Ugh," she says as she rolls her eyes. "Another cowboy. I thought they had died out. He must be a wannabe, though I'm unsure why anybody would want that life." You're about to ask who she's on about but your eyes drift over to the bar, fixating on the stranger leaning against it. He's tall with sun-kissed skin, his cheeks a little rosy as he's just walked in from the hot evening outside. For a cowboy, he's clearly got good hygiene, as his hair falls nicely against his shoulders, his facial hair is neatly trimmed, and his clothes are perfectly clean. Maybe he's just trying to look the part but is a little too soft for the lifestyle? Either way, he looks young, maybe around his early twenties. The way his brows naturally furrow brings a soft smile to your face, as he's clearly trying to look a bit tough but he's quite adorable instead. "I'll give him credit, he is handsome," you tell Belle as your eyes stay locked onto him. "He's probably the only handsome cowboy to ever exist then. They're all so dirty and smelly," Belle shakes her hair. She's clearly not had a proper look at him, though you're thankful as you're definitely calling dibs on this one. "He doesn't look it," you tell her, your eyes briefly flicking over to her. "He's only just walked in and you're already planning the wedding, aren't you?" Belle says with a laugh. Belle's laughter has caught his attention, as he looks over to your table, his eyes locking onto yours. You gulp and quickly look away, giving Belle a small kick under the table to stop her from laughing. "What?" Belle asks. "Your laughter's caught his attention," you tell her, your eyes wide and glued to her. Belle looks over at the bar and grins as she looks back at you. "My laughter may have caught his attention, but his eyes are definitely fixed on you, sugar," she chuckles. You can't help but peek over at him once more, instantly looking away as you realize that yes, he's staring directly at you. You see his head move and check again, letting out a sigh of relief as he's now turned his focus to the bartender as he orders a drink. "What perfect timing. There's finally a space at the Blackjack table, meaning you'll be left on your own, looking all pretty and available," Belle says with a chuckle as she stands. "Belle, don't do this," you sigh. "He's just a boy. This ain't the first time you've chatted up a stranger at the bar," Belle replies. "They were different! Well, this is different. He just seems... you know," you attempt to explain. "You've caught feelings already. I understand." You're about to jump on the defensive and say you haven't, but Belle cuts you off as she hands you some change. "How about you go get a drink for yourself and if things go south, get one for me too and use me as your escape route, alright?" A long sigh escapes your lips before you respond with "fine." You stand up also, Belle flashing you a smile before she turns and heads to the Blackjack table. As you walk over to the bar, you count through her change, checking to see how much she gave you but to also prevent your eyes from awkwardly catching the strangers. He's stood at one end at the bar, yourself at the other. The bartender serves you your drink and the leftover change is put into your pocket. After taking a sip of your drink, your look out the corner of your eye at the stranger, noting the way his head quickly turns. He was definitely staring at you again, but you're just as guilty as you're now staring at him. The sight of a pair of guns on his hips tells you that what Belle said was true, that he's definitely a cowboy, or whatever they now call themselves. The gunbelt he wears is worn down and you assume it's been passed down to him, meaning at least one of his parents lived the same lifestyle. "Something catch your eye, Miss?" somebody asks. You shake your head a little as your eyes trail up his body and oh shit, he's speaking to you. "What?" you blurt out, the panicked expression on your face making him softly laugh. "I said, has something caught your eye, Miss?" he asks again, a lot slower and clearer this time. You suddenly realize how awkward you must have looked, staring down at his gunbelt, though he may have thought you were staring at something else instead. "Oh, I was... admiring your gunbelt," you honestly tell him, though it sounds odd saying it out loud. "My gunbelt?" he double checks with you. "Yeah... it looks well worn," you tell him as if he doesn't already know. "It is. Was my Pa's," he tells you, his eyes briefly flicking down to the piece of equipment. "Was that really what you were staring at?" he asks you with a soft smile as he looks back up and draws his focus back to you. "Yes!" you say with a nod. "I promise." "Heh, sure," he laughs again. "I ain't ever had a woman check me out before," the stranger tells you as he bridges the gap on the bar, taking the few steps over to you and leaning against it. His body is turned mostly towards you, but his elbow rests on the bar top. He crosses one ankle over the other, his spurs clinking as they move, sending a shiver down your spine. You've heard many stories about true cowboys and you've seen the odd wannabe or bandit, but something felt authentic about this stranger. "I promise you, I wasn't being perverted," you explain. "I don't view checking somebody out as perverted. You're only admirin' them, no harm can come from that," he says with a shrug. "But I can see how flustered the thought is making you, so how's about I buy you a drink to settle your nerves?" the stranger offers. He adds on a "sweetheart" at the end, the sound of that petname coming from his voice draws you to him even more, and you find yourself agreeing to his offer in a heartbeat. He's polite when he orders, using his manners and checking with you on what you'd like. You finish up the drink you currently have as he pays for your next one. Either you didn't hear, or he snuck this in as you were occupied with downing your drink, but he orders a shot on the side. At least he ordered gin, as despite it still burning, it doesn't burn as much as whiskey does or leave that awful feeling in your throat. "Thank you," you say as he slides your drink over to you, followed by the shot. "May I know your name?" you ask him. "Marston. Jack Marston," he tells you as his attention focuses back on you, the bartender moving away to serve somebody else. "And yours?" "___," you tell him. "Pretty name for a pretty woman," he says with a smile as he picks up his shot. You can't help but shake your head a little at the cheesy comment, but you pick up your shot and clink it against his glass, both of you necking the burning liquid. There's that nasty feeling in your throat, trailing down and settling in your stomach. You lightly cough, placing the empty glass on the bar top and taking a well-needed sip of your drink. Jack doesn't seem phased, taking a much smaller sip of his drink and licking his lips, probably savoring the taste. "You alright?" he asks. "I don't often drink liquor neat," you explain, letting out a small cough and chugging some more of your drink. "I'll get the next round," you tell him, deciding that shots are definitely off the table. "We're doing rounds? I can't take money off you, sweetheart," Jack informs you. "But you can take drinks off me instead," you correct him. "Alright. If you insist," he says with a smile, shaking his head at you. "So," Jack begins after having another swig. "I noticed your friend went straight over to that Blackjack table. You not much of a gambler then?" he questions. "Oh, Belle? Yeah, she loves it. I just can't wrap my head around it, apart from Blackjack because I'm not doing any of the work," you shrug. "I could teach you sometime? Card games just kinda click without you even realisin'," Jack replies, shifting more of his weight against the bar as he relaxes against it. "She's tried to teach me so many times and I just can't figure it out," you say with a soft laugh. "She's tried to take me down to Thieves Landing many times, saying I'll definitely win there as apparently they're a bunch of morons, but I just don't trust a place with a name like that." "I don't blame you," Jack nods in agreement. "But the folk down there are nice, despite the name. It's more of a lawless place but the area has its own morals and codes." "I dunno," you drawl, nervously fiddling with your drink. "Trust me, it's alright. Maybe you'll head down there one day and bump into me," Jack tells you. "Do you visit it often?" "I'd say I'm a regular there, yeah. I tend to visit a lot of places down south," Jack replies before taking another sip of his drink, finishing the bourbon off. "What're they like?" you question. "I've only been up north to Strawberry as my parents live there." "I haven't been Strawberry since I was a kid..." Jack pauses. He's clearly having a flashback moment, though his attention quickly turns back to you. "Down south is alright. There's the occasional bandit that you bump into on the roads, but the town folk are kind." "Occasional bandit?" you question with a concerning laugh. "You make it sound so inviting." "Well, down there is 'uncivilized', or at least that's what rich folk describe it as," Jack explains. "And what would you say?" you question, finishing off the rest of your drink. "Me? I'd just say it's a different part of the land," he shrugs again as he gives the bartender a wave, who nods in return to indicate he'll be right over. Jack turns his attention back to you. "But if you ever want me to take you down there, I'll keep you safe," he says with a wink. "Ain't you a bit young to be tryna keep me safe? 'Specially from bandits?" you tease. "I may be young but I know how to work a gun," Jack informs you. "It's in my blood," he adds on. You're unsure on what exactly he means with that last comment, but you decide not to press into it. Thankfully, the bartender comes over to serve you and you buy the next round, without any shots this time. Your stomach has barely settled down from that gin, and your body feels sickly enough from being chatted up by this handsome stranger. The drinks go down quicker than you realize. Jack seems well-composed, though he's beginning to slur a few of his words and stumble whenever he excuses himself to the restroom. You, on the other hand, are struggling to keep yourself sober-looking. This stranger has scrambled your nerves and you've fallen into the liquor for comfort, and now you're having to deal with the outcome. You stumble back into the Saloon after taking a leak. Jack is still at the bar, leaning against it as he swirls the booze in his drink, fiddling with something to pass the time. Belle had found you moments ago to inform you that she was heading home, giving you a nudge and wink as she tells you that you look very happy with this handsome stranger and that she assumed you wouldn't be needed her back up plan. You'd said goodnight to her after insisting that you weren't just going to take this one home, that something about him feels different and you want to see where it takes you. Jack flashes you a smile as he notices you approaching, trying not to laugh as you narrowly miss stumbling into a stranger. "You alright?" Jack asks as you. You're about to reply that you're just fine, but as you go to lean against the bar, you stumble over your own feet and almost fall flat on your bum. Jack's reaction times are still immaculate, even whilst tipsy, as he manages to catch you before you can hit the floor. Your eyes lock onto his as you realize the pickle you've gotten yourself into, and both your expressions turn nervous once you notice how close your faces are. Jack helps pull you up to your feet, though an arm remains around your waist, your hand resting on his shoulder to keep yourself up. "I'm gonna take that as a 'no'," Jack tells you. "What? Oh! I'm fine, trust me. Just a little tipsy," you reassure him with an embarrassed laugh. "I think you mean 'drunk'," he says as he shakes his head. "Maybe I should get you home?" Jack suggests. "You don't have to walk me back," you tell him, but Jack quickly shakes his head and waves his hand, dismissing your claim. "Not only is it the right thing to do, but I doubt you'll make it home on your own," Jack comments, concerned for your safety, not just from strangers, but from the liquor in your system. "If you insist," you shrug, taking up his offer. "I very much do." Jack gently removes his arm from around your waist, only to offer you his arm instead. You link your arm through his, your other hand holding onto his upper arm as he walks you through the Saloon. As you exit the building, you notice your reflection in the large windows, and your stomach begins to spin at the sight. You quite like the look of yourself and this handsome young man, a curious duo but you fit together like two pieces of a very odd puzzle. Is it wrong to already take a liking to him? Especially when you only met him a few hours ago? You'd heard about 'love at first sight' and all those other cheesy terms from the books you read, but maybe they write about those things for a reason. You're snapped out of your daydream as Jack makes a clicking noise with his tongue. The sound of hooves clopping against the stone floor makes you snap your head over your shoulder, noticing that one of the horses that was hitched outside the front of the Saloon is now following closely behind. "I assume she's yours?" you ask him. "She is," Jack confirms as he leans his other hand out to loosely hold onto her reigns, leading his horse as well as leading you. "So, you don't live in town?" "I don't," Jack tells you. "I live on a ranch in the Great Plains," he informs you, tilting his head down slightly to look at you. "A ranch? That must be hard work," you let out a sigh. "It.. erm... Yeah, it can be. There ain't really many animals there anymore. It's hard to run a ranch by yourself," Jack replies and you notice the darkened tone to his voice. "I won't ask," you tell him, not wanting to pry into his private life. "I'll tell you about it someday," Jack tells you. He catches your eyes and gives you a smile, reassuring you that you haven't accidentally stumbled into anything too personal. "So, who's this lady then?" you comment as you peer over at his horse. "Oh, I just call her nag," he shrugs. "You haven't named her?" you say with a slight laugh. Maybe he'd only brought her recently, but from the way she's sticking beside him and loyally following, you assume otherwise. "Yeah. I ain't really sure why, I just haven't," he tells you. "Well, we've gotta name her!" "We?" Jack questions. "So, you want to see me again?" he says with a smirk and a flirtatious tone to his voice, making you softly laugh. "If you'll let me," you flirt back. "Of course I'll let you, sweetheart. How about I take you out some time?" Jack questions, coming to a halt outside your house. "I'd love that. You know, there's a nice Bistro in town that I've been wanting to try out. We could go there?" you suggest. Your arm slips from Jacks as you talk, standing in front of him instead. You can't help but reach out and gently stroke his mount's nose, picking up on how well-groomed she is. "Sure. When are you free?" Jack questions, watching you pet his horse. He can't help but smile at the sight, his nag warming up to you quickly. "Wednesday?" you suggest, giving you two days to mentally and physically prepare yourself. "Wednesday it is," Jack says with a nod, his eyes trailing back to yours. There's a slight pause as you move your attention back to Jack. You try not to smile too much but you can't help it; this handsome young stranger is making you feel a hundred things at once, but he seems the same, flashing you a smile in return. "Thank you for walking me home," you comment. "It's no problem. Now, you should get yourself inside before you stumble over something else," Jack teases, enjoying the way your cheeks turn red. "Alright," you say as you roll your eyes, walking up the steps to your porch. "Does 5 sound good? for Wednesday?" you ask as you turn back to him. "5 is good. I'll come by here," he says with a nod as he climbs up onto his nag, shuffling about in the saddle until he's uncomfortable. "Now go on, Miss. Get yourself to bed," Jack tells you. "I will. Goodnight, Jack," you say with a smile. "Goodnight, darlin'," Jack says as he tips his hat at you. He taps his spurs against his mount's stomach, his horse slowly trotting away. Jack's eyes remain on you until you enter your home, ensuring you're safe inside. Once inside, you lock the door and lean back against it, holding your chest like a cheesy girl who's fallen in love. You can't help but smile, though you think you're only swaying about because you're still tipsy, but who knows? You get ready for bed, Jack staying on your mind the whole time. It's incredible how one person has made you feel this way in such a short amount of time, though the nerves of your date have already begun to sink in. Hopefully, the date will be just as good as tonight, maybe even better. But you have tomorrow's shift to get through first.

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