#and went fuck it sketchy marker it is

[bansenshukai]

2.15.23- @tbrmweek day 3, rōnin / teacher / hokage

#tobirama #kagami #tbrmweek #i'd imagine that of the three that's his favorite role (and the one he gets to spend the least time doing) #scribbles #its been a while. trying to focus on not turning things into mush #not mush means that i'm forced to try to design shapes (mixed success). #i meant to do two paintings but i have limits within a day. i finished the first painting looked at my sketch for the second #and went fuck it sketchy marker it is

[ghost-in-the-hella]

Angst prompts: 14 or 20 for LiS

20: “This was never supposed to happen.”

You want angst? You got it.

---

“This was never supposed to happen.”

You don’t even realize you’ve said it aloud until you see the heartbroken look on Max’s face. Those words have been ringing in your head nonstop since last October. You’ve left a trail of black marker behind you all across the country, tagging every stop along the way so that the rest of the world would know; it’s a wonder you’ve managed not to say it to Max before now.

Because this life - this life you and Max have somehow cobbled together from the ashes of your past lives like some fucked up kind of phoenix - wasn’t supposed to happen.

You were supposed to die with a hole in your heart and a curse on your lips, scared and bleeding on dirty bathroom tiles.You were supposed to be forgotten as soon as the bloodstains were washed away. Chloe who? Max was supposed to let you die so that nobody else had to. Max was supposed to be in class, peacefully oblivious to the death of the girl she’d once called her best friend and then forgot for five long years. Nathan was supposed to go to jail, to detox, to a mental health facility; not to end up in his own shallow grave.

Rachel was supposed to live forever. She was supposed to run away to L.A. with you and become a famous model. You were supposed to be her trusty chauffeur, bodyguard, lover. The two of you were supposed to take over the goddamn world together. Or you were at least supposed to share a shitty apartment in some sketchy part of L.A. and scrape together the rent doing whatever menial job you could manage to pick up. It was supposed to be the two of you against the world, always and forever.

Your dad was supposed to come home that day with your mom and too many groceries for one person to carry. He was supposed to dance with you at your wedding and tell you that he’s proud of you no matter who you love and teach his awful dad jokes to his grandchildren no matter how many times you rolled your eyes.

Your mom was supposed to be happy. She was at least supposed to be alive. She was supposed to complain about your antics til her hair went grey and she was supposed to love you anyway. 

Max was supposed to stay in Arcadia Bay. She was supposed to be your best friend forever. She was supposed to be the glue that held you together after your dad died. The two of you were supposed to grow up and move in together and paint everything in your shared apartment gold like you promised when you were younger.

Max was supposed to stay in Seattle. She was supposed to forget that you had ever existed and live a normal life. No super powers, no life and death decisions, no world-changing consequences. She was supposed to have a healthy relationship with a stable person and be a famous photographer and live her dreams instead of her nightmares.

“Shhh, shhh…” Max pulls you into her lap and rocks you like a baby, and you’re crying so hard that you feel like one. “I love you,” she promises, and the thing that hurts most is that you know she believes it. “I love you so much.”

Max was never supposed to fall in love with you. She was never supposed to throw her life away like that. She was never supposed to live in a crappy RV, constantly moving around the country because she never feels safe staying in one place anymore. She was never supposed to cry every time it rains, to wake up screaming every night from dreams of pasts that never happened and futures that can never be. She was never supposed to look in the mirror every morning and see the haunted face of someone who chose to let thousands die to keep one wretched, ungrateful soul alive. She was never supposed to carry this burden.

“I love you,” she repeats, stroking your hair that you haven’t washed in over a week because what’s the fucking point, what’s the point of anything, what’s the point of keeping yourself alive, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Nothing about this is okay!” You thrash and wail and grind your teeth, and Max holds you like she’s trying to calm a frightened animal. And maybe she really is; you’re nothing but adrenaline and instinct and brain chemicals screaming at you to fight or flee or die, or to do all three at once.

“I know,” she says wearily, “but I love you anyway.”

“Why!?” you wail. You cry in her arms until you’re too empty to move, and she never gives you an answer. She just keeps holding onto you, and maybe that’s an answer in itself.

#life is strange #life is strange spoilers #lis #lis spoilers #pricefield #amberprice #chloe price #max caulfield #fanfic #prompt fic #prompt ghost #spoilers below the cut

[aboyandhisstarship]

Kindergarten AU: car crash

Thanks to @dysphoric-artist for the prompt and proof reading

still written in a diary style  and () are still kid adding his thoughts in after the fact 

anyway without further ado lets hop into it 

Ok now, you may not unreasonably say something along the lines of “Mike, you have literally died, hundreds of times. A good chuck of which happened when you were just a kid…how are you not 8 different kinds of traumatized.” And I thank you for your concern (weird guy who is reading my diary…really who does that you would have to broke into my room and stole this thing…which is uncool in every state) to be frank, I am traumatized…but I can’t really tell anyone why, what am I going to tell a headshrinker?

 Headshrinker: so Mike…why don’t you talk to me about the tragic events at your kindergarten….”

Me:  *bursts out laughing* which one…the time I got killed by the principle…or bugs, or monty, or Cindy…or the janitor…or those weird monster things (this would go on for some time)

Headshrinker: uhhh, I think you’re crazy…off to the crazy house!  (ok in fairness I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work this way…but I’m not exactly keen to find out.)

“Ok Mike” you may retort, “They might think you’re crazy…but you could be a superhero! Like the Flash, or Batman! They could call you….Reapto!”  (First off Random guy, Reapto? that’s the best you can come up with?) I tried that once to be the big hero…it can be rather hit or miss.

 High school parking lot:

Nugget said with a smile “if friend Mike, Friend Carla and the Pretty Lilly would be willing to accompany Nugget, we will indulge in some super…”

Nugget was interrupted by the loudest car screech I ever heard, my eyes went wide as felt massive pain and the air forced out of my chest.

I shoot up hyperventling as my alarm went off screaming a little bit too loudly “FUCK!”

My mother bless her soul, responded with an “I know you don’t want to go to school today young man but I will not tolerant such language.” (yea that was embarrassing)

I shook my self-off, and considered putting on a tally before deciding that it was a one off death adding to my journal *Don’t go to the parking lot after school Dummy* (normally I leave myself notes like this…and normally they are a lot more helpful, like don’t mix the red and green flowers it blows up the room you know useful stuff)

 Hallway, My high school:

I had been glancing at my watch about 4 times and Carla (Perceptive as she is) finally snapped “goddamn it Mike you got a date or something?”

I smiled awkwardly “what me no!?”

Lillie frowned “alright you are sketchy…”

Nugget nodded “friend Mike is definitely hiding something.”

A second later a car came crashing into the school slamming through several walls, nailing all 3 of us I paused briefly musing  “man I didn’t think the school was this badly built,” Before hitting the ground hard.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm and groaned grabbing my pillow throwing my face into it saying “not again!”

Before throwing himself out of bed grabbing his marker he added two marks onto my skin

5 loops later:

Ok I didn’t know the school was this badly built, guess what no matter where I was I got taken out by that car, the bathroom, Boom, the library, boom…I even skipped school once…I may have gotten grounded but I laughed thinking I had in fact won, only to get hit by a different car crossing the road, and looping. (I sometimes wonder if the universe hates me…)

But before I died I did get some valuable intel, I saw the death count (the entire school by the way…yea after this I wrote a strongly worded letter to the school board…again) but also the names of the folks in the car, two high school seniors…(now for the sake of timelines I can’t tell you who they are, but mike they didn’t die! Yea yea…just trust me the less anyone knows about the other timelines the better off we all are, tried that once when I first started looping…the planet literally exploded, so no names) so these teens who I dub….Bob and Bertha  crash and kill the whole school…and I need to find out why.

 So I approached the gang saying “alright sit down.”

Monty asked “what this about mike.” His voice clearly impaintent

so I lifted my arm showing the tally’s, that was it they were all ears as I explained “alright in exactly.” I glanced at my watch “4 and half hours, a car comes crashing into school and kill literally everyone, we need to stop that so ideas?”

Jerome proposed “maybe tell them?”

Buggs shook his head “real high and mighty types won’t listen to us.”

Lilly sighed “well they crashed into the building…so they clearly were not leaving it…”

Billy nodded “that’s right, that means they left are coming back for someone or something…we figure out what and bing bang boom.”

I pointed out “has it literally ever been that easy?”

Ted smiled “me and penny can think about cars, figure out what caused it.” Quickly blushing

Penny also blushed “I would love to Teddy…”

Felix cleared his throat “perhaps me and Cindy can get close to them ?”

Cindy smiled brightly (she had grown out of her bitchiness, but she was natural born queen bee, even if she was cool with us all the snobs and assholes in school love her.) “I can reach out…maybe find out what they have going on and more intel.”

I nodded “right find out what we can but tell me before it happens, so I can write it down.”

Everyone responded “right!”

I spent most of the loop with Monty and Carla using their connections to figure out if they were getting any drugs or other fun stuff to explain there “Skillful” driving (got em….yea ok not the best burn)

 Loop 12th:

I woke up with another groan “If I have to read another book about cars I am going to lose it!”

He glanced at his notes the car (a 66 Camaro…I swear those two are like a couple form the 60’s) and the other intel he had gathered from the others (they had indeed been indulging in drugs those bad bad boys and girls…ok I’m not one to talk, seeing  the number of crimes I have technically committed…but those were other timelines…and you know what let’s not go down that rabbit hole)  but the issue was simple, they had indeed nought some weed from Carla and monty’s secretive network (I never asked) but had not in fact gotten it yet, so the question still stood as to what exactly caused it.

 Nugget hole:

The Lair  (Ozzy wanted to call it that)  is what we call our base of operation’s,  I have been spending my time shooting down ideas that we already tried and smiling with evil glee whenever I  make ted and penny work together (honestly I want to yell make out already whenever I see them) but then it hit us, instead of stopping the car crash maybe we should stop them leaving.

 Now mike, you are likely saying, I literally thought of that after like the third loop, first off no you didn’t you liar, (seeing as we didn’t even know who they were then) also, this loop was different normally there are multiple things that need doing to affect a change in the timeline, so it is almost never that easy (ohh jee mister principle, the star athlete and his girl are going to skip class and kill us all ohh geee, yea real convincing huh?)  there was of course the factor, that our group (ok just me) were not exactly popular around school or town, they called us the kinder busters (pretty badass name right?...yea I don’t dig it either) so people consider us bad luck (to be fair…we did end up at two schools run by crazy kidnappers in a row…if that is not unlucky I don’t know what is.)so we needed a couple of people that will actually be believed, now 3 guesses of who my friends who Is the most likely to believed about that kind of thing?

Cindy? Well no seeing as she has her queen bee rep they may think that she is “fronting” (there words not mine…I shuddered just thinking about them trying to street)

Bugs? (HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHA *snort* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA…wait your serious… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA)

Carla or Monty (better, but no joy they are bit to up to something…we need purist faces.)

Ok by now you have either guess correctly (good job!) or are yelling at the page, “stop teasing me mike and tell me!”

And naturally the answer is Ted and Penny, (I mean have you seen those faces! Who could say no to them?!)

Of course I had to convince them to do it.

 Nugget hole:

Ted asked “are you sure about this?”

I smiled “of course I am…ninty percent sure this will work.”

Penny smiled “relax Teddy this will be fine.”

I pulled out 5 dollars “here you go get yourselves some ice cream afterwards.”

Ted pointed out “you know I’m a billionaire right…”

Penny took the five dollars saying “deal! Come on Teddy.”

Now you dear reader may be sitting there thinking “that was easy, that’s it, what no boss fight, no dramatic showdown, no sweet groundhog day style montage where you do whatever you want?” (that was happened…more on that later)

My rebuttal to that dear sir, is screw you  let me have this, alright most of time when I start looping I have to fight monsters and a whole thing so I think I earned a nice break, but you might be sitting thinking “that was anti-climactic! Did Ted and Penny at least go on a date!?”

My answer to that is a yes… and no, you see both told me (under the promise to never tell a soul after the loop) they also sadly made me promise not tell the other person, now you may say Mike…after the loop they would not remember, you can pull a sneaky and just tell them that they like each other, and while you are right I don’t for a couple of reasons, number one being I keep my promises, number 2 is they would think I am messing with them (I know right those oblivious idoits.)

But sadly this journal is not a relationship journal of ted and penny (sorry guys, but this supposed to be a record of loops) but I will quietly disclose that they may have been a kiss on the cheek (I screamed I tell you)  of course they are still claiming to be friends in front of us but I don’t buy it…anyway I should proably end this entry…

So thanks for reading? (I mean you are reading a private journal…so I don’t know why you are reading this)

Mike June 26 20XX

#kindergarten game #nugget kindergarten #monty kindergarten #ted kindergarten #carla kindergarten #penny kindergarten #lilly kindergarten #Ted X Penny #Kid Kindergarten #Cindy Kindergarten #as always feed back and prompts are welcome #this verse is really fun to write for so fire em my way

[vegetacide]

Whump●tober - Isolation

Veg-notables:  ::crawls out from under a rock..clears throat as if nothing happened::  

Little late getting this one out due to...life...food...irritating biological need to sleep.. All that fun stuff.  

@gumnut-logic  - KOALA!!! 

Thunderheads, you guys are a riot.  I love reading your reactions to the crazy sh!t I’m putting these guys through.  I can almost feel the laser beams pointing at my forehead.. Tee he he.. Can defo feel the assault’mallows.. ::bounces one of  @gumnut-logic head::

Obligatory whumptober stuff: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump

Blanket warning:  stuff happens..  O.o; 

Characters:  Scott, Gordon/Penny, Colonel Casey 

Whumptober - TaG’verse

Previous post can be found HERE

7. Isolation

Enjoy…

oOo

Gordon scowled at the transparent 3-D rendering of his Godmother and resisted the compulsion to swear. Foul language wouldn’t get him anywhere with the formidable woman except disapproval from all those sitting within ear shot and a disconnected call. 

“Look,”  Gordon beseeched. “We need Scott back here.  Things aren’t looking good.”

“I understand the urgency,”  The commanding voice of the Colonel softened. “But this is out of my hands. He nearly beat a man to death and we can’t just ignore that.”

“Colonel,” Gordon voice raised as he pushed up from his chair, winced at a twinge in his back.  Fucking plastic torture device. A look from the attending at the nurses station had him gritting his teeth with frustration  “That so called man, has landed my brother in the ICU with a tube shoved down his throat to keep him alive.  At least Scott left that piece of shit still breathing. Which is more than I can say for Virgil. One of ours is rapping on death’s door. You’ll have to excuse us if we don’d give a royal flying fuck what the GDF wants right now.”  

The colonel visage soured as anger sparked in her gaze.  “No organization is an island, Gordon.”  

Gordon eye twitched,  well technically iR’s home base was an island…if the day hadn’t been so ‘arse over teakettle’ as Penny had occasion to say,  he would comment on that little tidbit.  Right now though, it wouldn't get them anywhere

“There are rules in place that have to be adhered to.” She went on. ”Laws, international ones put in place by the World Union that are not kindly suggestions no matter who the individual is or what the cause. He crossed, unauthorized into Canadian airspace without their foreknowledge or direct invitation and attacked someone on their soil. A dual citizen at that.  Yes, it was with provocation but it doesn’t excuse his actions or the handful of laws that he decided didn’t apply to him.”

“Really, with everything we have done? The lives we’ve saved? This is the response we’re gonna to get?”  His voice took on a pleading edge and he looked away.  “Aunty Val,  Virgil is dying.”

The authoritative posture dropped away from his Aunt with the utterance of those three words.. The sternness and anger evaporating to be replaced with the woman they had spent so much time with as children.  “Gordy,”  Her voice underlaid with a fount of  emotions. “I am doing everything I can. This is coming down from the top brass and the odds are stacked.”

Gordon’s expression must have revealed something the seasoned GDF colonel didn’t like because she sighed and gave a brief nod.  “I’ll call in a few markers. Shake some tree and see what falls out.

“Thank you,”  And his gratitude was real. His eyes held hers a moment before skittering away. A hand reaching up to dash away at his face before turning back. 

“I can’t promise anything.  If you have any options on your side I suggest you try them.” Her brow rose pointedly and it took Gordon a moment to understand what she meant.

As realization dawned, he tipped his head in a nod.  “I understand.  Thank you.”  

8-8-8

Scott's pensive stare drilled holes in cold grey, unadorned walls of the interrogation room.  He'd lost track of how long ago he'd been accompanied into this friendly little corner of GDF territory and shifted his weight on the hard, metal chair. Enough time for his legs to go numb from disuse.

The bright overhead panel lighting was unforgiving as it drove a spike through his brain when he rolled his head on his protesting neck. The tension unrelenting with the stark, searing luminescence frying his retinas. 

‘Note to self,’ he thought wearily. ‘Lights suck.’  

He wanted to yell and scream at the GDF to let him out but he knew it was pointless.  He was well aware of how this worked. Making a person 'sweat it out' was an old tactic. One he went through counter intelligence training for back in his military days.  A brief in-counter but one that was necessary prior to a rather sketchy mission that had a very small success rate. 

Let the suspect sit and stew so you could use their mental exhaustion against them.  Throw them off balance.  Then when they reached the point of critical mass, grill them hard.   

His stare shifted to the two way glass.  He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing himself crack.  He was too proud for that.  And his energies were best used elsewhere on other things.  Like getting back to his family...to Virgil.  

The image of the prone figure that flashed through his mind pulled Scott up short and he schooled his features. If he let himself go down that rabbit hole again he was done for.

It was his own actions that put him here and he would have to live with it. It didn’t stop him from yearning to be elsewhere.  Being cut off and not knowing how his family was fairing was slowly killing him but he’d made the decision,  against the colonel’s direct order not to intervene in their ongoing investigation.  

He hadn’t had a choice though.  As Virgil’s status got worse.. as he’d had to watch his family suffer along side...as he’d seen the look of despair pass over his sister, heard the sudden catch in her voice...his decision had been made.  

His family wouldn’t lose anyone else. Attend another funeral, bury another Tracy.   Not if he had anything to say about it.

Time had been short and a plan had been hastily thrown together.  One that avoided putting anyone else in harm's way bar himself.  

Now, thanks to him, the GDF had an illegal bio-weapon manufacturer under lock and key. The makings of a firm case against a criminal organization they hadn’t even known existed and a pocket ace up their sleeve to help them locate everyone involved… once he regained consciousness.  

And Scott had the intel he had hoped would help his brother.  Along with some he wished he didn’t.  

Closing his eyes against the unforgiving light,  he rubbed the bridge of his nose.  Irked as the cuffs that were secured to the metal table, which in turn was bolted to the floor, pulled at his wrist and forced  him lean forward to accomplish the task.

Doubt clouded his mind, made him second guess his every move. Question how things could have been differently and if they had been, would it have made a difference?  Would Virgil be safe? Or would it have just happened to one of his other siblings.   

He didn’t know.  

What he did know was that a greedy individual had panicked when things had gotten too hot. An unsanctioned, hidden bio-engineering lab had been rigged and to cover his ass when the top of the whole thing was about to be blown wide open, this scum had calmly flicked a switch.

No care given to human life.  To his brother’s life. 

A gas filled lab had been remotely unlocked to the smoldering remains just inches outside the door and his brother’s life was now dangling over a precipice with no way back.

Clenched fist came down hard on the metal table just as the interrogation room door opened.

8-8-8

 Gordon braced his hands on his knees and arched his back in the small hope that the crazy knot of muscles would loosen up.  He knew the likelihood of that happening was next to non existent without a muscle relaxant, heating pads and his bed but it was worth a try.

The hand that started rubbing slow circles from the base of his spine up to his shoulders made elicited a grunt of appreciation.  

“Thanks.”

“Darling, you need to get some sleep.” Penny’s voice was filled with worry and he looked over his shoulder at her.

She was perfect. In every aspect of the word.  From her finely boned, aristocratic face, to her intricately twisted champagne blonde halo of hair.  To the slender curves that held so much strength, right down to her Louis Vuitton clad feet.  Every inch of her was perfect and Gordon was goner from the moment he laid eyes on her.  

He didn’t deserve her and would never be able to even touch her regalness and intelligence but for some completely ridiculous reason she loved him.

And right now, he would forever be in her debt.  

“I’ll get some shut eye once Scott gets here until then it’s not going to happen.”

Penelope knew a set mind when she met one and she nodded her understanding.  “In any event, let me get you something.  You are a twisted knot of muscles and I can imagine it is dreadfully comfortable.”

Gordon’s lip tweaked up a bit in a soft smile and he shook his head.  “I’m okay, Penny. I need to wait to hear back from my contact at W.A.S.P.  They owe me one but I’m not sure it’s going to be enough.  If I take something now I’m going to be a useless pile of mush on the floor.”

“Well, that would certainly be something to see.” 

“I’m sure it would.  The hospital staff would be able to mop me up into a bucket.”

Penny lightly nudged his shoulder with her own and her hand continued its circuitous route over his seizing back. 

Gordon dragged in a breath as her ministrations melted some of the tightness, his head lolling forward in the quiet din of their private waiting room. He was flagging in a bad way and he knew he needed to get back up to his feet if he wanted to stay this side of dream land.  Besides the last thing his back needed was for him to fall asleep in one of these God forsaken chairs.  

Giving his head a shake to dislodge the cobwebs he caught the time on the old school analog wall clock..  He wanted to see his Virg but Kayo was in with him.  The idea of interrupting that intimacy was not something that he found very appealing. He would give her five more minutes  than he would offer her a break.  

Calculating if he had enough time to grab a coffee from the little shop the next floor down he patted his pocked down for spare credits. 

He was about to turn to Penny to see if she wanted anything when a sudden disturbance in the hallway had his head coming up sharply.   Frowning, he forced his back to unbend and pushed to his feet.  

Stepping out into the corridor, he was met with pandemonium as hospital staff raced passed.  The alarm blaring somewhere down by the nurses station made his heart skip a beat but it was  his sagging sister being escorted from a very busy and familiar room that had his lungs refusing to work.   

“Oh god...no…”

oOo

Next post can be found HERE

The Master List of prompts can be found HERE

#whumptober2019 #whumptober #no.7 #isolation #thunderbirds are go #thunderbird fanfic #thunderbird fanfiction #thunderbirds 2015 #Gordon Tracy #Scott Tracy #Colonel Casey #Virgil Tracy #Kayo Kyrano #Lady Penelope #virgil/kayo #Pen and Ink #squidy to the rescue #in the brigg #the prompt made me do it #prompt fic #sorry not sorry

[ko-fanatic]

Genetic Emancipation (part two)

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club, Repo! the Genetic Opera AU

Relationships: Kyoya x Kaoru,

Trigger Warnings: Illness, gore, blood, drugs, plastic surgery addiction.

Summary: He wasn't mad. Well, he was, but it wasn't Kyoya's fault. Not really. Okay, it was kind of Kyoya's fault... Love hurts, huh. Oh well, there's always Zydrate and money to be made.

Parts in this series: Part one

The streetlights around the cemetery never worked, and no one ever came to fix them. The sketchy side streets seemed so much more dangerous when they were so poorly lit, but it was the safest way to get to the cemetery across town, which was one of the best places to get their Zydrate. After all, what was the danger of Yoshio Ootori when poverty and starvation were more painful, drawn-out deaths. Besides, if Kyoya could help take his father's attention away, then he would; it's something you do for someone you love...

Or something you love, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew Kyoya wasn't like that. Kyoya was an addict, yes, but he wasn't when they met and they fell in love before he was plastic perfect. Perhaps it was partly out of guilt, also; he was the one to give Kyoya his first taste of the blue vial. He'd just hated to see the boy lying there, face bandaged and almost crying out in pain because of how much it hurt.

It just started a downward spiral. More surgeries, more Zydrate, and he watched as Kyoya's soft face turned to defined cheekbones, the slight bump of his nose being restructured into something smaller, apparently "cuter". If you looked at Kyoya's old photos, you wouldn't recognise him, but... that was the point, however much Kaoru hated it. Now, his eyes were going to change, too.

He was something close to angry when he thought about all of the things Kyoya wanted to replace. His heart was damaged for years, an operation every few weeks as valves decayed and holes appeared. However, that designer heart still beat with common blood, so why the hell did everyone want him to show it off?

Maybe Hikaru had a point when he said Kyoya looked like daddy's little hooker?

He shook the thought away, berating himself for being such a crappy boyfriend in that moment. Kyoya said it himself; in his position, it paid to look a certain way. His outfits were fashionable, they showed off his thin frame and porcelain skin, they drew attention to him. He was only the fourth child, and that made his boyfriend something of an attention seeker, but it wasn't bad. Kaoru liked seeing him in those outfits...

He squeezed through the bars of the cemetery easily, buttoning his black coat up further. His breath fogged in the cold, late night air, and he mused that he might be able to see the outline of a star or two beyond the red glow of light pollution. A nice night, and he was thankful it was dry, even if it was freezing; that was what layers were for.

He strolled around, trying to pick where to dig first. He had to be careful of guards, of course; the PA system announcing "Grave robbers will be shot on sight" as a stark reminder. It was the only warning you got if you were dumb enough or, like he and his brother, desperate enough to do this shit.

Of course, Kyoya had offered him a way out, but... Well, daddy dearest certainly wouldn't approve, and Kaoru wasn't writhing in agonising guilt over this. People threw away perfectly good organs and Zydrate, almost like the world wasn't still in crisis. Hell, in a world where Yoshio fucking Ootori couldn't give their child a full, new heart for years because of the shortage, then what hope did poor schmucks like him and his brother have?

"I'll be quick..."

Kaoru jumped when he heard muttering coming from inside one of the crypts, because that would just about cap the disaster of a dying world they lived in; zombies. Still, he was curious; and you know what they say about that, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.

"I'll just... catch it, and run back inside..." The voice continued. It was soft, almost sweet. There was something melodic in there, behind a slight raspy edge. Whoever it was sounded young, too.

He ducked behind a gravestone, but still began to dig so he could at least say he was being productive, watching as the door slowly creaked open. There was a warm glow from inside, so the voice obviously had some kind of light; but why would anyone hole themselves up in a place like that?

A tall, skinny boy with blond hair crept out of the stone building, the slightest sheen of sweat on his face and his lip clenched hard between his teeth. Yeah, it really was nothing to be afraid of. The kid had a tremor running through his shoulders, and was obviously more scared of everything than Kaoru would ever be of someone that scrawny and sickly-looking.

He couldn't make out the title of the book the kid hugged close to his chest, but it was thick. Some sort of encyclopaedia, perhaps? He wasn't sure, but for now he just kept an eye on the blond as he went about his work.

The kid suddenly pounced, however, the jar in the other hand making clinking noises as the glass clashed against the stone of the grave marker, trapping some kind of bug. So that was what he was after. Kind of a gross hobby, if you ask him, but he was literally digging up a corpse, so he couldn't really judge. Each to their own, and all that.

Kaoru fucked up. It wasn't long before he realised that he was digging right into a trap - literally - but he couldn't do anything about it as the alarms went off and he heard the marching of heavy boots in the too-near distance. Shit. Seems like even Kyoya couldn't help him; but to be fair to his boyfriend, he had warned Kaoru about the traps being placed around to prevent grave robbing... He should have been more careful.

The kid ran straight back to the door he came out of, only for it to close in his face. He pounded on the wood, howled to be let in like some kind of dog, citing over and over again that he - apparently - "couldn't be outside". Did he get grounded or something? Whatever, if they didn't hide fast, then they'd both be pumped full of bullet holes by Ootori-san's delightful guards.

"Hey, dude," He called, though he kept his voice down, trying to be subtle, "Follow me."

Not that he knew where he was going either, but hey. Better than sticking around. He seemed to take the hint too, as he followed without hesitation. Kaoru's feet hit the ground so hard that he swore he could feel shocks of dull ache winding up his legs from the soles of his feet, despite his heavy boots. He ran as fast as he could, but kept visual on the blond. The kid obviously wasn't that fit - panting and huffing as he sprinted along - but adrenaline seemed to be doing its thing.

He scanned the area, trying to look for a way out - he'd take anything at this point. Still, it would be hard going; Yoshio's security meant that everything was shut tighter than the man's asshole. He tried to brush away the thought that these were likely his last moments, trying to focus on actual survival rather than overthinking.

It seemed some deity was listening to his prayers, however, when he spotted a door in the wall. It seemed like it was mostly meant to be concealed, but there was the barest outline there - you wouldn't see it unless you were looking for it, which he was.

He rammed his shoulder into the door, letting out a small grunt of combined pain and effort before trying again. And again. And again.

"Are you just going to fucking stand there kid, or are you going to help?" He snapped at the boy, wide eyes staring out from behind his mussed fringe. Now Kaoru was closer... was that a wig?

"I... I don't think I can..." The boy began, almost a whisper, but he was soon interrupted by a loud crack from the door. Better late than never, Kaoru guessed, but he still gave the kid a half-hearted glare for just standing there.

The smell was rancid, but the sight that greeted him... Well, it was like walking into a mine to find the walls encrusted with diamonds. Bodies piled high, almost floor to ceiling. Gutted, naked, laying there in this little stash, waiting to be found. He couldn't help the smirk that quirked his lips when he thought of all the Zydrate he could get from here. It went without saying, all the money that would make.

"Jackpot," He breathed, almost disbelieving, while the kid only let out a choked noise of shock. Well, this wasn't everyone's cup of tea; or, more aptly, bread and butter. Everyone had to make a living somehow, and apparently Hikaru and he had been missing out on a veritable goldmine.

"This... This can't be real..." The kid muttered, sounding absolutely horrified; as if he'd been living under a rock for years and had no idea what the state of the world was, "This can't actually be happening... Right?"

As Kaoru opened his mouth to reply that, yes, this was very real, the guards finally crashed their little party by physically grabbing the poor kid and dragging him out by the armpits, kicking and screaming. The shitty thing was, Kaoru hadn't had any opportunity to get some Zydrate. Still, his life was more important than drugs. He just had to remember where this spot was so he could hit it next time.

He was fucked now, though. No way out. This was it, and Hikaru and Kyoya would be left alone, which wasn’t fair on either of them. Son of a bitch… If Kyoya weren’t getting his corneas sliced, then he could call off the dogs, but that wasn’t an option.

It got very quiet, all except for a digital voice stating “medicate immediately”. No sounds from the guards, no sounds from the kid. It was like they’d all dropped dead then and there. More Zydrate for him, he supposed, but it was beyond fucking creepy.

Kaoru poked his head around the busted in door, cautiously trying to survey the scene without drawing attention to himself, only to get the shock of his life. What the fuck was a Repo man doing out here, and what did he want with the kid? The blond was so sickly looking, it wouldn't make sense for him to have everything in working order. Even Kyoya, who liked to look as put together as possible, looked like hell when his heart went into failure after failure, arrest after arrest.

Still, there it was. The tall man carrying the limp boy like a doll, arms hanging limp and head cricked back at what looked like an awkward angle. Still, there was something undoubtedly… tender about the way Repo held the kid…

He wasn’t going to run after them – he wasn’t suicidal – but… maybe he could ask Kyoya to do a little digging. Satisfy that niggling curiosity.

#ouran high school host club #repo! the genetic opera #kaoru hitachiin #tamaki suoh #kyoya ootori #kyokao #repo! au #genetic emancipation series #my fanfiction #ohshc

[lilnasxvevo]

I wrote an essay once when it was really late and I was really frustrated

I am not going to send it to my literary journal and I did not even hand it in for the class I wrote it for (the next essay I wrote was passable enough to submit) but I think it is kind of funny so I am going to share it with you

Zoom Zoom

           Draft number four of this FUCKING essay because I can’t FUCKING write. I just through out the last three because they sucked and excuse my language but I’m so frustrated at myself and I typed the wrong homophone in the last sentence and I went back and changed it but then I changed it back so you understand where I’m at right now because I NEVER!! MAKE!! SPELLING MISTAKES!! I was on the editorial staff of my high school newspaper for two years and that shit was flawless! I was editor in chief and that shit was free of god damn error! I do not make! Spelling mistakes!

           I’m so frustrated because part of me just wants to write about a motherfucking TV show and the rest of me is like, “No, Thomas, that’s so fucking stupid, write about something that’s serious, something people can take seriously, something people can respect, but NOT something boring” and I’m like OK!! WELL!! THAT’S A TALL ORDER YOU’VE GIVEN YOURSELF TOMMY BOY!!

           I’ve been trying to copy the style of the essays we’ve been reading in the last three drafts I just started and abandoned. I wrote…lets see…(I will be keeping all future grammar and spelling errors that I make) over 1300 words that way so far today. Fuck it!! I am going to be writing like ME and what I write like is a protagonist from a really sub-par young adult novel. I read a lot of those! But I was already like that before I read all those books. Actually most of the ones I read are pretty great. Holly Black, David Levithan, uh those Girl, 15, Charming but Insane books I forget who writes them but if I look it up I have to stop my timer and that is just not happening—check em out, they’re great. Oh, Eoin Colfer, too. I have his autograph! I actually also have David’s.

           I made a list of all the things I could write this essay about. I didn’t want to write about being queer again because I don’t want you people to pigeonhole me. There’s like 50 items on that list. I’ll spare you. The list sucks. I texted my best friend “What should I write this essay about” and she said “Roman Catholicism” and I was like “Maybe” and she was like “Vampires” and I was like “LMFAO you will never believe what I wrote last time spoiler it was vampires.”

           I have ADHD. Sometimes this surprises people! Sometimes it does not! Usually it doesn’t surprise other people who have ADHD because we go based on our lived experiences instead of stereotypes unlike SOME people. I was diagnosed when I was 17 which is super super late but they literally, and you can look this up, base most criteria off of the symptoms of little white cisgender boys, who are usually hyperactive, and I was inattentive type. My third grade teacher used to slap my desk with a ruler when I spaced out. She never brought up my attention issues to anyone else. I hated her. I still hate her. Curse you, Cathy Sellers!!

           I have chilled out on the caps lock because maybe that was kind of a gimmick. Ok. Well. The ADHD. I actually don’t remember why I brought up ADHD, which is classic ADHD. Oh. I think it was to say that maybe you will be surprised that the inside of my head is this giant mess. Not to be all “welcome to my twisted mind” or that edgy shit. Maybe I’m trying to make an embarrassing essay on purpose. The point is some people think I’m very composed and stuff and the inside of my head has never once been composed. Well, maybe a few times. I miss standardized testing because they don’t really matter and they were fun to focus on and it was fun to fill the bubbles in and they made me feel smart. I am smart. I promise I’m smart. Sometimes people think I’m dumb because I’m a trans man which I don’t understand but I promise I’m smart.

           I just slapped my face to try to get myself to wake up a little bit. I am wiped. That cold that’s been going around is kicking my ass, though not as bad as it’s kicking the ass of other students in this class who I have maybe potentially had to drive to the pharmacy this week.

           I am so obsessed with this show on BBC America right now called Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. In ADHD circles this is sometimes called a hyperfixation—it’s kind of like the special interests autistic people have, surprise surprise ADHD and autism are both developmental disorders and they have a lot in common. Dirk Gently is all I can think about. It’s a really great show and I loved it last season because it has the actor Samuel Barnett as the lead actor and I swore my fealty to him in like 2014 and then he got a lead on a TV show which is crazy because he never gets big roles like that so I was like NICE!!! Yeah, so last season was sci-fi, and the show is really great and it has this big diverse cast and all the characters are really interesting and the show never leans on stereotype instead of fleshing out a character as a unique person and there were electric crossbows last season that were designed by that Adam Savage dude from Mythbusters. So but this season, THIS SEASON, is SO good because apparently the show is planning on “switching genres” every season but with the same main cast so now they’ve been running around trying to find each other after everyone got separated at the end of last season (spoiler) and now they’re all in Montana and instead of sci-fi it’s FANTASY which is my FAVORITE. There’s another dimension that’s this great high-fantasy nation called Wendimoor and there’s a door between the valley of Inglenook and this one town in Montana for reasons that I refuse to explain, just watch the show. Ok and in Inglenook, there’s—it’s kind of sketchy how it works but there’s this guy named Panto Trost who has pink hair (his whole family has pink hair and it’s unclear if it’s genetic or if they dye it as a tribal marker or something, and when I first saw it I was like, HOLY SHIT, WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF THAT), and he’s the prince of Inglenook, and there’s this guy named Silas Dengdamor, who’s some kind of minor prince in Inglenook somehow, and THEY. ARE. A GAY INTERRACIAL HIGH FANTASY COUPLE. THEY ARE IN LOVE.

           And the guy who plays Silas, Lee Majdoub, he’s really active on Twitter and Tumblr, which is crazy because almost no one is active on Tumblr under their real name and it’s mostly just depressed young adults like me, but Lee fields questions about the show all the time and talks about how it was an honor to play a gay prince and he has so much love for Silas and he put so much work into this character which you can tell because he has an answer ready for everything. Has he ridden that train we saw? Is he gay or bi or what? What are his hobbies? If he lived in our world what would his favorite movie be? His five favorite songs? Does he agree with his family’s stance on the feud? (Oh my god I forgot to MENTION that the Trosts and the Dengdamors are TWO FAMILIES AT WAR, which makes Silas and Panto basically gay Romeo and Juliet, but hopefully they won’t die but Dirk Gently is a “don’t get attached” kind of show.)

           And did I mention he’s respectful??? My favorite answer he’s ever given is when someone asked him what it was like to kiss Chris Russell (the other actor), which is a question every fucking presumed-straight actor gets when they play a gay role, and since there is a 4 inch height difference between them, Lee answered something like, “It was a little weird because Chris is very tall, so I felt a little like Natalie Portman in Thor. Natalie Portman and I both have dark hair so we’re practically twins.” Also he is very handsome. It is important that Lee Majdoub is very handsome. Okay, it’s important to me.

           Wow, glad I got that off my chest. It’s kind of all I ever want to talk about. Two weeks ago, before I could do my actual writing assignment for the day, I had to freewrite about Kevin Spacey for like AN HOUR. What I wrote ended up being kind of unusable for this class thus far, I just haven’t been pleased enough with the way it handled a very sensitive topic to hand it in, but it was about Kevin Spacey and Jeffrey Dahmer and OUT magazine and news media and Anthony Rapp and me.

           I wanted to write about a historical figure for this paper but all the ones I could think of that I have a strong connection to were gay. While I was typing that sentence, I thought of Dorothy Parker. Well, shit. Another day, then.

           This paper is what we call a RISK!!! pleasedontfailme

           Here are some excerpts from the other three papers I tried to write today:

·         Sometimes I sing and dance in front of them. Sometimes I scream. One time, I stood on a desk.

·         The last time I told her I was proud of her I could only do it because she had consumed an obscene amount of wine and called me to talk about one of Shakespeare’s history plays

·         I am afraid that I am a husk a husk a HUSK a husK a husk a husk a husk of Corn-ell because

I promise these essays were not good. These were the only good parts. I wanted to include them because I wanted you to understand that I covered a lot of fucking ground before settling on whatever the fuck this is. I am sorry if you feel you would rather be reading one of those other essays, but I did not want to write them.

           I just scrolled back up to the top because I remembered abruptly that this essay doesn’t have a name. It’s called Zoom Zoom now. When my sister is bored while she drives, she says, “Zoom zoom! We’re zooming!” She is 24 and has a master’s degree. This particular catchphrase of hers always comes to mind when I try to describe how my brain works—childish, too fast, bored. Her boyfriend says “Brroom brroom” when he drives. I think he picked it up from her. He calls me Thomathy. Because Thomas can be Tom for short and Tom is like Tim and Tim is short for Timothy. Get it? He says “Thomathy” sounds like a disease. I think he likes me anyway. Even though one time during a heated game of Monopoly I told him I would eat chips at his funeral.

           I have three cats. One is ten years old, the other two are one. I have a rabbit. He’s a jerk. That’s all you need to know about me. Oh, I’m from Wisconsin. My favorite color is orange.

           Yeah so thanks for coming to my TED talk. Please buy a t-shirt on my way out, they’re $20. I know TED talks don’t usually have t-shirts but I want your money. Yes. Now scram.

  Are they gone?

Jesus, I’m so fucking tired.

[cognitivedissonance]

Taking a shower tonight, I decided to put on Spotify’s “This is: Tom Petty” playlist. I hit shuffle and “You Don’t Know How It Feels” began playing. Almost instantly, I remembered being 13 or 14, and hanging out with my friends on a humid summer day. I was likely wearing shorts that were a little too short, and my scalloped-hem, baby doll crop top with cupids and angels all over. I was definitely wearing my beat up platform flip flops. And we were listening to 97.3 WMEE out of Fort Wayne and just belting out that song in the backyard. That was our song. I probably smelled faintly of lemon juice infused with chemicals (thanks Sun-In) and cheap cig smoke (thanks GPCs and sketchy clerks). I was awkward, with a mouthful of braces, and colored the undersides of my hair with washable markers that never actually showed. And at 33 in the shower, I knew all the words. It’s still one of my faves. I’m pregnant with twins and at least one is a girl. She’s gonna have that awkward phase too. And 13-year-old me will always exist to remind me that I won’t know how she feels. But I can empathize. I wish I could tell 13-year-old me that I figured out eyeliner, went to college after all, discovered there’s definitely some drugs not to fuck with, got a driver’s license and a credit card which were stunningly not tickets to adulthood, did my share of muckraking, took a boring cubicle job, and am going to be a mom to two someones. But that’d ruin the summer for her. I grew up like we all did, but as a reminder, every single time I smile, there’s my four bottom front teeth that are still slightly crooked like they were that summer, despite my braces. And I have songs like “You Don’t Know How It Feels”. Some things just stick with you.

#tom petty #you don't know how it feels #personal

[ecotone99]

My dog

I can't believe they gave that bitch custody. Henry was always MY dog, and she was the one who cheated after all.

I tried to plead with her, but she insisted on hurting me. She promised she'd do something like this if I went through with the divorce. What was I supposed to do anyway? She knew what she was doing when she slept with James. Fuck him anyway. I truly thought he cared, but just goes to show a mans dick came first.

So she put Henry down. That's what she told me anyway. I know men aren't supposed to cry, but I sobbed like a baby when I found out. After I found out what James did, Henry was the only thing that got me through it. He was my best friend.

It seemed all I was good for was drinking with my wife, friend and dog gone. After the third day of coming in late with a hangover, I realized I might lose my job too. I needed something, anything else to hold on to. I'd always said I'd never get another dog another dog, but I decided it might give me something else to live for. So I went down to the local shelter when I saw him. It was Henry alright. That same odd tuft of fur sticking out on his head, the floppy left ear, broken after a fight with another dog, the same white socks on his feet with one black spot- he seemed as happy to see me as I him. That bitch lied. She didn't euthanize him, she gave him away so I could never see him again. Joke's on her. Guess she's not quite as heartless as I thought.

I couldn't help gloating, I had to send her a picture. She seemed genuinely confused when she told me she had put him down. She'd given him to someone who'd apparently been fine with it as long as she got her money. It must have been another lie. The dog was sitting right here. She kept insistinging, then gave me the number of the vet. It occurred to me maybe the vet had been the one to lie. Pretended to do it, then gave him away so he would be safe. But when I called her, she seemed confused as well.

"No. I certainly did it. Henry right? Mutt with a broken ear? She didn't tell me why, but said he hadn't been eating and was in pain. Sketchy story, I know, but it's my job"

"That sounds like Henry But he's right here. I found him at the shelter. I know my dog."

"Look, maybe it's a different dog. But the one your wife brought in is dead. I watched him die. He's buried out back. I can show you where if you want. "

She hung up and FaceTimed me. She walked out to a large yard with different stones, marking names of different pets. But when she reached the last row. she stopped. I tried to see what her camera was focusing on. It was a hole, with dirt flung everywhere. To the side was another stone marker, with Henry's name and death date.

I heard that familiar happy bark from behind me.

submitted by /u/imonreditnow_i_guess [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/shortscarystories/comments/gpevjv/my_dog/ via Blogger https://ift.tt/2TBa70Z

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