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jtl-fics · 1 year

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Fluent Freshman - Part 07

The thing about Nicky knowing that FF knows Russian and therefore understands every single excruciatingly sweet, ear-reddingly spicy, or shockingly mundane thing that Andrew and Neil say to one another is that he is objectively the 3rd worst person to know this secret.

First place is, of course, Andrew Minyard the man who has now asked him about his family 3 times in the last week and a half. FF doesn’t really care if Andrew goes after the majority of his ‘family’ since it’s just his step brothers and step dad but Andrew might go after his Grandma too so he just says “We don’t talk” every time it comes up and deletes his entire chat history with his grandma that way Andrew won’t know how close they are. If that means that Andrew thinks that no one would look for him if he happened to disappear into a shallow grave FF doesn’t know. He’s already doomed so the least he can do is save his gran.

Second place is, of course, Captain Neil. Captain has mentioned quite a few times that a lot of people stay with friends or people they’re close with over Thanksgiving break. It’s meaner than Captain Neil usually would be off of the Court reminding FF that he has friends but none close enough who would want to spend a holiday with him. He plans to go see his Gran for Thanksgiving and she plans to feed him a truly ridiculous amount of food. It’s the same plan he’s had pretty much every year since he was 13.

Third place is Nicky Hemmick. Nicky is a very nice guy who got him a paperboy to hyperventilate into a couple times and would absolutely never intentionally OUT somebody and compromise their safety! Nicky’s talked with FF about some of his background so FF has full confidence that it’s never going to be something that Nicky intentionally outs to anyone. But there are two main reasons why Nicky is the third worst person to find out about this secret.

The first reason is that Nicky Hemmick just unabashedly loves gossip. FF has heard that with the graduation of the girls the previous year had gone Allison Reynolds who had multiple running bets on multiple teammates and a whole cache of gossip. Now Nicky has access to the ultimate accidental gossip magnet in the man who no one notices, who knows any language the Foxes speak and is too awkward to get up and leave when they start talking.

Nicky will never tell another soul his secret but he also HAS to know what Neil and Andrew are saying to one another and when Nicky lies to cover for him the charge is one free conversation translation.

He’s absolutely hooked on getting translations the since the first time he had asked what Andrew and Neil are hissing at one another one morning practice.

FF translated it awkwardly feeling like a creep and like he’s invading their privacy but Nicky had helped him eat the four slavic letter flashcards he had made up to help a friend study the language when Captain Neil and Andrew had come back early from a weekend alone in Columbia.

Nicky had even assured him afterwards that the ink was probably non-toxic and given him floss so he could get the flashcard wedged between his molars out.

So….

“Andrew’s mad that Captain Neil skipped breakfast because they’re working to make him eat something for every meal. Captain Neil’s mad because Andrew’s the one that kept him in bed so long that he didn’t have time to make anything.”

Nicky squeals in delight

The second reason, which is just compounded by the first, is the fact that Nicky had promised not to tell another Soul. However Nicky Hemmick, the romantic that he is, believes that he and his Fiancé Erik share one soul since they are soulmates. Therefore Nicky Hemmic had barely even registered FF’s tears of gratitude before he was calling Erik to tell him about FF.

The sheer number of close calls that have happened because Nicky HAS to tell Erik about something Andrew and Neil said to one another or something someone else is saying is the reason FF started getting ulcers.

Watching Nicky talk to Erik about him knowing Russian is like watching a member of the three stooges walk through a construction site blindfolded. FF nearly kills himself stopping Nicky from outing him numerous times and at the end Nicky’s smiling, unscathed and unaware of the sheer number of close calls he had sauntered through.

FF can’t wait to go home and bury his face in his grandma’s lap, stress eat two apple pies, and tell her about how he thinks he might just become an electrician or a plumber or an underwater welder because one of his language professors wants him to come and speak to a lower level class (a gen-ed with over a hundred people in it) about the usefulness of LATIN for all their majors since they can parse the meaning via root word and he had panicked and said ’Sure’.

***

The thing about being the only person on the team that knows that FF speaks Russian and is riddled with social anxiety is that it’s absolutely hilarious most of the time.

Every once in a while he has to step in to help the guy.

So sometimes he’ll eat flashcards. Sometimes he’ll distract his cousin with a salacious comment so FF can escape a dangerous conversation with his drunk friend. Sometimes he pushes FF to go talk to Abby about his tummy troubles. Sometimes he’ll hand over one of the brown paper bags he keeps in his backpack nowadays so FF can wheeze into it and sometimes he’ll assure his cousin that FF’s passing out after he offered to teach him how to use a knife was probably because of his stomach ulcers not because FF is terrified of Andrew stabbing him.

Nicky is the only member of the Foxes that FF regularly seeks out on his own to hang out with and Nicky just loves how hard Andrew and Neil are trying not to be jealous about it.

“I want to ask Smith if he wants to come spend Thanksgiving Break with us.” Andrew says out of the blue a week before the aforementioned break when it’s just Aaron, Neil, Nicky and himself in Nicky’s dorm room.

Nicky thinks about FF talking about going back to his hometown in Washington State and how he waxed poetic about spending Thanksgiving Break with his Grandma and how he was going to eat his weight in pie and Macaroni and Cheese.

“He’s planning on going and seeing his grandma. He won’t shut up about it.” Nicky says still glad that FF has a family member like his grandma.

Everyone else in the room look at him.

“He won’t shut up about it?” Aaron asks with an eyebrow raised. Aaron likes FF just fine and appreciates how FF has helped Katelyn start to grasp the fundamentals of the German language so quickly so she can understand what’s being said. “So what he said it twice?” He continues.

Nicky remembers FF’s ability for catastrophizing every conversation with the Foxes into one where it comes out that he speaks Russian and Andrew stabs him. As far as the other Foxes are concerned he’s a man of few words.

“He’s been talking about it all month. If I hear about his grandma’s apple pie recipe one more time I might demand he sneak a slice back for me through TSA.” Nicky loves stoking the flames, especially when the fire is harmless. He watches Aaron shrug and the skin around both Neil and Andrew’s mouths tightens. “You can ask him, the worst he can say is No.” Nicky shrugs.

Nicky is there when Andrew does ask him and he can see the prolonged internal scream of terror on the utterly blank face (or maybe he just imagines it.) and in a way Nicky is a little sad when FF shakes his head and says “No, I have plans with my Grandma.” In an utterly blank voice that means he has functionally blue-screened before turning and walking towards the nearest door so he can reboot in solitude.

“The offer stands if you change your mind.” Neil says and Nicky is impressed with the seemingly very casual thumbs up FF gives as he power walks away.

A little less than a week later Nicky finds Andrew next to FF and FF looking down at a cancelled flight notification after coming in from a truly monumental storm.

Andrew offers Thanksgiving in Columbia again.

Nicky tries to stop it from happening he can see that FF is a little lost in his disappointment over not being able to see his grandma and not thinking clearly but before he can snap him out of it.

“Sure.”

Per your requests:

@i-have-three-feelings @blep-23 @dreamerking27 @andreilsmyreligion @belodensetdust @rainbowpineapplebottle @yarn-ace @iwouldlikesometea @lily-s-world @obscureshipsandchips @booklover242

#Fluent Freshman AU #Andrew internally: I was able to help out someone. Bee's gonna be proud.#FF: HE WAITED UNTIL I WAS AT MY WEAKEST TO ENSNARE ME. I'M GOING TO WAKE UP IN A REVERSE BEAR TRAP.#FF spends the next 12 hours watching Saw movies to prepare himself mentally on escaping from any and all torture devices #Nicky: Can't you just reschedule your flight?#FF: No it was the only day she could borrow a car to pick me up from the airport #FF: Any other day my step fam would find out that I was back in the state :(#Nicky not fully up to date on the Step situation: And that's bad?#FF: And that's bad.#FF: Please cremate me so that my granny doesn't have to see my mangled remains #FF: Give her my ashes and let her know my last thoughts were of her.#Nicky: I really gotta find you a girlfriend.#Fluent Freshman #Nicky Hemmick #Andrew Minyard #Neil Josten #AFTG #AFTG AU #AFTG Shitpost #AFTG OC #AFTG Fic #My Fics #FF - Pt. 07

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melxncholyman · 4 months

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arsonist's lullabye by hozier. one of the most songs ever

#BUT MY PEACE HAS ALWAYS DEPENDED / ON ALL THE ASHES IN MY WAKE #AAHHHHHH #sisi.txt #hozier

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ghculism · 7 days

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if you wanted me dead you should've just said... nothing makes me feel more alive.

#𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.⠀ my peace has always depended on all the ashes in my wake. ⠀ 〳 ⠀ musings & mannerism

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traegics · 2 months

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Closed Starter - @fragmcntedsouls (Nicolette)

He had kept his distance since his return, the guilt of her demise still strong as ever within the pit of his stomach. How could he face her knowing he hadn't been there to keep her safe? To prevent her kids from becoming orphans? It had followed him for years after her death, an ache in his chest that yearned for her, the closest he could ever be to her was in the shadows as he watched her children grow up under her youngest sister's roof. It had been nothing more than an ongoing off and on affair since their meeting in France up until her death yet his heart ached for her every time they were apart. The news of her death leaving a gaping hole that he was forced to hide, forced to live with. Another regret, another guilt on his conscious. He should've been used to it by then but there had always been something so captivating about the hybrid. From the moment his eyes had landed on her he had known that she was the one. His deepest desire, his deepest love; no one had ever made him feel the way she had and during a time in his life where he had no recollection of his past, she had been his solace.

Seeing her at the gala had only reignited those feelings. Every last one of them burning through his frame with unrelenting fervor and yet he had fought each and every fiber of his being to refrain from crossing paths. Instead he had watched her from the corner of the room, her elegance unrivaled. His heart ached for her as he watched the scene unfold between her and her son, his every desire wanting to comfort her yet he couldn't. He couldn't look her in the eye, couldn't be near her without being consumed with that guilt. Then everything had gone to hell and any chance he would've had was gone. It hadn't been lost on him, the cries of her oldest son from the stage, the turmoil that spread through the young boys soul as Nicolette consoled him but he had to focus his energy on getting his family out. He'd return to ensure her kids had gotten out safely, even help them if they needed but first he had to ensure that his family didn't cause further chaos to the already chaotic scene surrounding them.

He had fought with himself for days after the gala on whether or not he should finally reach out. The need to ensure that her kids were in fact okay forcing him to fight through his own feelings of guilt and finally cross paths with the woman, stopping behind her frame as his hands shoved into his suit pockets and he gave a clearing of his throat. "It appears not even death was able to hold you down, Nicolette," Elijah mused.

#c. Nicolette #~but my peace has always depended on all the ashes in my wake; elijah mikaelson

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octoooo · 6 months

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Its 3am and I might be talking nonsense but like,,,

Pokémon heights make NO sense to me anymore.

So I’m scrolling through the Pokédex, seeing which ones give Hashira vibes, and I see Weavile.

Weavile to me always seems like a gremlin, a little 3’0 ankle biter y’know.

WHY IS WEAVILE 3’ 07 (1.1m)

That’s not awful just a lot taller than I expected.

That’s not even the worst part

LURANTIS IS 2’ 11 (.9m)

LURANTIS LOOKS LIKE A BEHEMOTH OF A POKÉMON (at least 5’8 in my mind for some reason) BUT ITS 2’11?? SHORTER THAN WEAVILE?

In Pokémon S&M we actually see a Lurantis next to Ash & his friends, and it’s exactly their height! Which means that the Pokédex lied OR Ash is a 2’11 10 year old kid.

Lurantis is actually taller than he is now that I’m looking closer,,

To be fair I believe that was a Totem Lurantis which I guess could explain the larger size. But even then I dunno if can we trust the anime over the game data when it comes to heights (or general knowledge sometimes) ?

Also Nidoking (another behemoth intimidating pokemon in my mind) is 4’7 (1.4m)

I’m just

Im 5’1

How am I taller than these pokemon ? (Weavile I expected to be taller than)

Anyway im going to ignore that Lurantis is tiny for selfish reasons. I need it to be taller than Weavile for something.

#coconut octo (mod talking)#Pokémon #rambling late at night (early morning?)#idk I’m tired #hoping my eyes are playing tricks on me & I’ll wake up to find Lurantis is tall #looked at several websites for height (Bulbapedia Pokémon Database & Pokemon website Pokédex)#the only version of their Dec I didn’t look at was in the actual game bc I don’t have my DS #they all told me the same thing!! I CANT #is every online source wrong please say yes #maybe in talking crazy because it’s 3am now #maybe sizes are just warped in my brain and this all makes sense #or not hdbxjsn #also more cool pokemon heights (or I guess lengths) Steelix is 30 ft Ónix is 28ft and Milotic is 20ft which I thought was cool #Serperior my favorite noodle pokemon is 10’10 <3 #goodnight these heights are making my head spin #weavile #lurantis #nidoking #ash pokemon

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moregraceful · 10 months

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put 712 of the worst words ever put in a google doc tonight BUT! it is 712 more words in the google doc than i had yesterday. this fic will be more than 2k, so help me god

#the past six months have been so weird after posting over 200k last year (including the longest fic i've written since bandom)#i think i would have been fine continuing to post 1-3k one shots all year if i had not just had to request extended time off of school #but between that + having no idea if i have a regular schedule at the library + my nonprofit boss sending a harrowing welcome back #i'm like by god jason robertson we are going to take a couple of leisurely 7-10k+ strolls to get you a boyfriend or two this summer #well all that + being horrendously writers blocked on the other two longer projects lmfao oh my god #10k deep in one and every time i open the google doc a portal to hell opens up in my living room #0k into the other bc every time i open my outline another different portal to hell opens up in my shower #i get no rest. i get no peace. every morning i wake up and 5 more demons are- oh my god #bro my fucken train of thought just got completely derailed by spotify. i know i'm the last person in the world to know this but #3oh!3 and big freedia remixed rebecca black's friday?? and it's completely unlistenable?? girls what did you do #3oh!3 kill me bc no time traveler ever took their faces in hand and kissed them gently on the forehead and looked into their eyes #said ''please focus on coloradosunrise it will literally course-correct the trajectory of your career from frat house gimmick to #rowdy but respectable indie edm artists. you can remain true to your warped tour dirtbag origins but you HAVE to develop THAT sound''#like the chainsmokers are a joke but i feel like THAT + ANGRY EMO GIRLS + THEIR TOTAL DISREGARD FOR MARKETABILITY... could have been THEM #when the piano drops?? hello?? i had so many mental breakdowns in college listening to that song they could have defined a generation #like who else is gonna get noah cyrus and ashe and gayle and olivia rodrigo's vision. only warped tour dirtbags.#me @ myself [so lovingly]: what are you talking about. how old are you #me @ myself: talk to me abt earth 2 in which 3oh!3 remixed i got so high that i saw jesus....and it whipped ass #also. i had to google how old i was. THREE TIMES last week.#the minute i turned 32 apparently i was like i'm in my mid-30s now the rest of this decade is NOT my business until i turn 38 #this post was supposed to be an uplifting reminder to myself to keep pushing forward and trying hard and to not let the rot consume me #but i think i just drove off a cliff like fully my god #i need listen to big freedia more she rules #fresno oilers.txt #another banner day in the tags with kasper moregraceful

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asummersday · 1 year

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pov: you've been cursed but youre handling it just fine (lie)

#i know i literally just posted a meme comp last night #but i just made this one and he must be Shared <3 #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #rise leo #ataimw #all the ashes in my wake #summer post

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asherasgayagenda · 1 year

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oopsie link click angst thoughts hit me. my apologies for the rest of this ask 🙏

do you ever think about a potential ending where lu guang is dead and cheng xiaoshi goes through all the photos they have together just to feel like he's not gone. to spend just a few more moments together. but each photo can only be entered once and eventually there's none left and he has to accept that lu guang is Gone.

or what if they never had any photos together. what if that was an unspoken rule between them. so when lu guang is gone cheng xiaoshi can do nothing.

and they had bunkbeds. it's always strange losing someone when you're so used to having them sleeping in the same room as you. everything feels quiet. too empty. too big of a space for just cheng xiaoshi and qiao ling.

apologizing in advance bc im no fandom theorist i just kinda go woag. feelings

thats like. chefs kiss angst level. cause I think cxs would obviously try to preserve the memories that he has and gain more in the remaining ones, if any, that he has. that kind of ties to a paradox theory—what if cheng xiaoshi took photos in the photo and then preserved them? and then jumped back in time [in a photo in a photo]—would that work? I keep thinking about that one lc comic I saw a while ago that begins with shiguang having a normal day, and lg is oblivious to the odd way cxs is acting.. and his golden eyes. yet he's not really There he's only catching glimpses of his memory and even that is a ticking clock. I think he'd be gripped by that fear and desperation, knowing that he's selfishly using up whatever he has left just for one more moment of peace? calmness? normalcy? with the one that he feels connected to. but I think it'd be character of cheng xiaoshi to fight with whatever he has, tooth and nail, whatever it takes to bring lu guang back to him. disregard lg's rules because he just cannot accept that he's beyong the realm of saving.

I think they would have a few photos since cheng xiaoshi has (canonically? atleast in the shorts... but that's not exactly canon) taken photos of lg before but. I like the way you think. imagining cxs absolutely hopeless., knowing that nothing he can do in the present world can change the fate of lu guang's death. ough. because it's always worst when theres nothing to do. there's nothing more hopeless than knowing a definite fact and having the knowledge that there was AND IS nothing that could alter it. maybe he could convince himself that "it's for the better" if he acted (no matter how rashly) on the small glimmer of hope to restoring lu guang, to restore his memory, to restore the person that he knew. maybe, he could tell himself enough times that lu guang isn't completely gone, there was still some way to capture the "lu guang" he knew, and then do something about it. but all he can do it to settle with his own futile memories , that crack as time goes on.

your last line holy shit that was poetic as hell. thinking about that... how cheng xiaoshi would need to get himself used to the way that it used to be Before Lu Guang. and finding himself absolutely unused to dealing with a silence beside him. because there's a blankness where the 'silence' used to be, you know? it might've been fine with ql in the past, but then again, there's something missing that even his childhood friend can't fill.

#this is like everybody int he lc server . theres like GUARANTEED to be an angsty theory in the theories channel #so whatever im saying is just like gathered bits and pieces from those expert analysts yeaahhh #sorry for the random switching between cxs/cheng xiaoshi and lg/lu guang #sometimes it sounds right in one sometimes it makes more sense in the other #is ashe rambling again #sooorrryy tia i wanteded to gather my thoghts on computer to type it all out #at least you can wake up to this hehe #i think i kinda went off a little i was originally just going to say some thoughts adn be done wiht it but it really spiraled out of contro #no seriously i swear none of this makes sense #.......if it does though. that'ds be neat #lc #link click #cheng xiaoshi #lu guang #LINK CLICK SPOILERS #LITERALLY HUGE GIGANTIC SPOILERS #ah shit maybe i shoudlve put that at the start #shiguang daili ren #sgdlr spoilers #lc spoilers #come back from the dive asks

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