#anyway this is glorious and cassie's glorious it's fine

[sixmorningsafter]

How Gabi Ruined Me: A SMA Review of Ch. 15

GUESS WHO’S BACK AND READY TO REVIEW THE EFF OUT OF THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE OMG THIS IS STRAIGHT GOLD.

It’s me, hi Gabi, you’re a blessing.

REPLY:

Hi Cassie, it’s me, you’re hysterical. Also, I’m going to start indenting my parts instead of y’alls parts because I’ve realized that’s way easier and I’m dumb.

Overall, I really like this “episode” style you’ve got going on. I know it’s problematic word-count-wise (it’s actually not a problem at all, I have no idea where you got that from, but if you say so). And your style is really unique, so it’s always a delight to see what you’ve created.

REPLY:

lmaoooo I’m glad you benefit from my misery. (No but real talk, this format’s new for me so I’m super happy it’s working for you, man.)

Steroline Sex

Nice. But also, unrelated to the actual sex, how you wrote it without being cringey or too graphic is a great feat. Like good job dude. And forget the sex again, but the intimacy was also nice. Like nice. Like, in the carnality of it, I find it interesting that in this moment, you read Stefan for who he is—the guy who looks for intimacy over physicality, the guy who craves the relational over the carnal. Like, nice, dude, A+ with extra credit. It’s hard to pull off, I think, but it so mirrors what the real world is like? Also your writing style, again, is some really great stuff. Like, maybe you should quit your day job?

REPLY:

LMAO idk why but every time you say nice I just imagine you doing this dude bro nod and the 👌  emoji and I love it. Tyler approves. But also, GIRL, writing smut was friggin’ uncharted adventure time for me so you don’t even know how happy this feedback makes me. I’ve been pulled right out of stories before because things suddenly take a really porny turn (and I start laughing because I’m an infant), so I really wanted to avoid that without skimping out too much on details. And gah, all of your notes on Stefan and his instinctive search for something deeper (even in the face of a sex contract and hot girl on his lap) are so perfect, and I’m happy as hell that’s what came across because that’s definitely what I was aiming for. And AW, girl, psh - right back at you re: writing style! Like I’m pretty sure this review is funnier and better written than the fic itself but whaaaaatever.

Beginning of the Bonkaimon (is this the right ship name???) Date

Kai’s apartment: lol, much like Damon, I was no expecting this Christmas wonderland (horror) either. But also, LOL at what Damon was expecting lol.

REPLY:

lololol I sat in Starbucks and stared blankly into space for like 20 minutes to come up with all the things someone might expect from Kai’s apartment, and I’m pretty sure I terrified at least three people because I’d just suddenly start villain cackling. Imagining a room full of nothing but shelves of blinking furbies made me laugh for like five minutes. 

Kai + Pinterest: not a big factor, but I find it hilarious that he was even on it??? Like could imagine, between gutting a swan, he’s casually scrolling through DIY Christmas décor?

REPLY:

‘between gutting a swan, he enjoys casually scrolling through DIY Christmas décor’ is totally on his online dating profile somewhere

The Bamon back-and-forth is too much. Like way too much, in the best way possible. They are literally children. Bonnie’s “villian origin story” quip is literally my fav. Damon’s “our thing” is sooooooooooooo like him what the heck, you pegged it; Damon saying “Like I know we have a thing and all, but—“ just made me laugh so hard.

REPLY:

Aren’t they the dumbest? So happy you enjoyed that part because it was fun as hell to write. If writing was just zippy dialogue I’d have finished this fic 200 years ago.

KAI’S FREAK OUT ABOUT THE COATS: dude you did a good job with that. Like a really good job. You can really see the distraught.

Kai’s “the stuffed mushrooms are fluffy and delicious… just like me” bit was very cute, like too cute for a psychopath.

The chit-chat: yes, it was a sneak peek, no, it didn’t affect the hilarity of it within the chapter at all.

Sniper love, I kind of love it. Like that Kai has a date at all? Like how did he even manage that? Omg and is his date just as crazy as him? Idk if you watch B99, but Holt and Kevin lol, that’s what I’m imagining.

REPLY:

HOLT AND KEVIN YEEEESSS. Love that. I think in this case, Kai’s pretending to be breezy and confident about his date in front of Bonnie and Damon, like ‘happens all the time just another Saturday in Kai-town’, but he actually has literally no idea what he’s doing and is a little panicky about it, lololol. He was probably just at work looking all cute and brilliant and some hotshot sniper made the mistake of thinking he was just a quirky nerd instead of a legitimate threat to the planet. I have a plan for Kai in terms of romantic entanglements down the road that I think’ll show just how painfully awkward he is in those situations, loooool. Should be fun for sure.  

Bonnie’s true self coming through, and Damon noticing? Damon noticing in general? My heart can’t handle it. You know bamon is my main ship, main otp, main everything? But like, this part is everything (and another part later). I like Bonnie’s true self tbh. Like yeah, she made some mistakes with it, but it’s also a little more interesting than the self she created.

REPLY:

Bonnie’s such a messy tangle of flaws and virtues, and I think her problem is that she’s spent so much of her life living in extremes. Like she’s either pure light or a total eclipse - she’s never actually let herself exist as a collage of light and shadow, or rather, doesn’t realize she even can. I think a lot of that has to do with the degree to which she indulged in her darkness during that teen rebel phase, like her anger and hurt were so all-consuming (and the people she surrounded herself with were so intent on stoking the flames of it) that she feels like she can’t let any part of that in without it taking over. She’s afraid of that darkness being all that she really is, and that’s why her mom left, that’s why her dad was a checked out alcoholic - they somehow saw that in her and it’s only a matter of time before everyone else does, too. I think where Damon comes to play is that he’s an instinctive observer of people, and he’s obviously taken an interest in Bonnie and making sense of her. So far, he’s picked up on the light (brave, empathetic, optimistic, kind, a fierce instinct to help) and he’s picked up on the dark (angry, self-sabotaging, competitive, a taste for danger) and at first glance, the two seem so wildly different that he’s like ‘which one’s real’. But I think what I’m really trying to build toward with Bonnie is that she’s not one or the other, she’s both. In harmony. And that ultimately, letting in her ‘dark side’ wouldn’t take anything away from her compassion and optimism and impassioned drive to make the world a better place - if anything, it’d just make her light side shine even brighter, you know? 

And likewise, Damon’s a character with a similar but inverted complex - he’s somehow grown up with the idea that he’s not a good guy and doesn’t care about anything, but he’s actually done some pretty heroic shit? Like, he turned in his own parents because of the things they were doing to people - parents who grown ass hardened criminals were terrified of. And he was ten. He went through foster home after foster home of neglect and abuse, all of which calcified his alleged numbness to the world, and yet couldn’t help himself from becoming a constant buffer between Tyler and his abusive dad. He was more in love with Katherine than she ever was with him and yet his awareness of that never stopped him from being there for her, even when he kind of hated her, because the weight of their shitty lives mattered more than the weight of his feelings. When he accidentally pushed Bonnie into a spiral, he dove in to deal with it, in large part because it was his fault, but also because he knew he was the best option for her, and he didn’t want to see Caroline and Stefan take that on. And there’s more hero-revealing things ahead for him in the story, which kind of begs the question, ‘why are you so convinced you’re this hedonist who doesn’t care when you actually do more good than a lot of people who do care?’ And Bonnie is absolutely starting to piece this all together, so it’s a similar dynamic on either side.  Anyway, that’s my dissertation on how to go into an entirely unsolicited rambling meta in response to wonderful and pertinent feedback. 

Kai’s “you two must have a crazy sex life”, I think it’s funny ‘cause he could have left it at that and gotten away with it, but continuing with details just killed those chances (and it also killed me).

REPLY:

looool right? Kai’s one of those characters that’s always right on the cusp of having a normal moment and then nope, never mind, hail mary throw to loony land right at the last second. 

Caroline’s Freakout

I love how chaotic you write Caroline’s internal struggle. Because, like she realizes, she’s being irrational, and that’s exactly how her thoughts come across. Excellent work with that. “Everything about him was a goddamn error,” superb line, dude. That’s how exactly how I pegged the sma Steroline relationship (and the sma Bamon one, but on the side of Bonnie being the error anomaly to Damon). Like, honestly, when Caroline’s like “he’d known what he was doing”, I’m like,” y’all were having sex? You must’ve looked like you were liking it???” Caroline frustrates me sometimes, but like, she’s frustrating herself (and Stefan), so that makes sense and also kudos.

And then she lashes out at Stefan, and Stefan’s like, “I know”. Yikes.com. And I like how she realizes the physicality of what they did isn’t much different from what she and other guys did. It’s just him that’s different. And oh man, I love how Stefan’s like, “I didn’t mean to hurt you”, and she’s like “dude wait stop you’re not supposed to apologize for this”.

So many emotions dude. Mainly ‘cause I can relate to avoidance thing (yikes), but also ‘cause you can tell she’s trying to figure herself out, trying to correct her behavior (kinda), but then she reverts. A+.

REPLY:

Gaaah, all of that makes me so happy because that’s exactly what I was going for. You’re frustrated with her, but you know you’re supposed to be frustrated with her ‘cause even she’s frustrated with herself, you know? I’ve always found that I’m really forgiving of flawed characters when they’re aware of their flaws (and when other people are allowed to get fed up with their shit), so going into that scene, that’s what I tried to keep in mind - she’s going to be irrational and defensive and I need to make sure everyone knows that I know that this isn’t cool. It isn’t intriguing or exciting. It’s frustrating and repetitive and I know it, Caroline knows it, and Stefan knows it, and because of that, it’ll be confronted, you know? And yeah, that ‘he knew what he was doing’ line was exactly for that reason - Caroline clearly played a role in what happened, like it takes two to tango gurl, so I hoped that would hammer in how unreliable her narration was in that second. That, and the fact that when he starts apologizing, like you said, she’s like ‘stop’ because obviously he really didn’t do anything that bad and she knows that. Super, super stoked that the scene played out for you the way it did, man. Best feedback ever. Eloquent af. A+ goes to you.

Bamon’s first trip to Wine Cellar

Touching + promixity + commentary = horny Bonnie + smug Damon + heaps of hilarity

REPLY:

They’re like X-rated toddlers.

“You’ve been in love?” conversation was really good. I mean it was short, but I loved it. Like, called out much?

REPLY:

I literally had no idea I was going to write that until it just showed up on the word doc, but it ended up being one of my fave exchanges, so I’m so happy you liked it, too!

And then the “earthworm” argument: LOL.

“Like your entire face is rebelling against it—you look like you’re about to have a stroke.” LOLOLOLOLOLOL. What’s even funnier is I imagine Damon coming back with a doctor comment lol.

REPLY:

‘Uh-oh, better give me a full physical.’

The kiss/attack. Kai’s probably right, their sex life is will probably be crazy.

REPLY:

Definitely won’t get bored.

Bonnie’s flashback. Gotta know more dude. Like, in theory, you wrote it out a bit, but more more more.

REPLY:

More ahead! I have an ask about it that I’m going to answer but more’s coming in the actual fic, too. I think. So excited you want to know more, though!

“Merriam Webster” lol

OKAY HERE’S THE OTHER LIFE-GIVING PART: “Are you worried about me?” and “She turned around to leave and he caught her wrist again./’Seriously. Anything at all.’” YOU’RE MURDERING ME GABI HOW DARE YOU (please keep it coming).

Jesus Crisco lololololololol

REPLY: 

:D

Soon-to-Be Ms. Cuddles

It’s kind of scary how much of myself I see in Caroline lol (that’s kind of fucked up right?) especially when her eyes are shut because the cat is near her omg.

REPLY:

lmaoooo a little scary but she turns out alright so *bonnie voice* there’s hope for you.

My heart at “none of it was worth it”. At first, I was like Caroline’s not worth it? But then he’s like Caroline’s fear/hurt isn’t worth it, and I’m like, Stefan you IDIOT STOP HURTING ME.

REPLY:

LMAO ISN’T HE THE WORST.

And then him realizing what the real issue is with “Like maybe that contract hadn’t just been for him”.

But then him fucking it up with “something stupidly, recklessly hopeful”. BOY BYE WITH THIS DISNEY PRINCE-NESS.

REPLY:

Disney Prince-tervention. 8 o’ clock. Scott McCall can come too.

“It means is there anything on the planet you don’t avoid dealing with?” YIKES STEFAN DO YOU LIKE PLAYING WITH YOUR LIFE LIKE THIS OR

REPLY:

LOLOLOL I laughed when I wrote that line. I was like eating Smart Pop and going ‘BOY’ as if I wasn’t the one writing it, it was all super sane.

Avoiding!Caroline #relatable dude.

“Easy to mistake for serial killers” LOL STEFAN AGAIN ARE YOU READY TO DIE OR

REPLY:

Danger Zone Stefan.

The part with the cat coming near her, lol, is so damsel-in-distress, and it makes me laugh so much at how cliched/tropey this is, but I also love it, and I tried to imagine her with either Bonnie or Damon in the same situation, and Bonnie being similar to Stefan but taking her out of her misery, but Damon being a shithead about it. Ah yes.

REPLY:

LMAO that scene is pure, unadulterated, damsel-ly TROPENESS and I love forcing Caroline I’m a Force to be Reckoned With and Need No One Forbes into those scenes because she tries so hard not to be that way and like, for what? Girl, be afraid of the dark. Run away from cats. Be jumpy and hide behind people. None of that means you can’t singlehandedly take down the Emory football administration, you know? You can run away from spider-rat hybrids in the same stilettos you slam into the toes of drunk dudes harassing girls on the subway. Do you. And LOOOL to Bonnie and Damon in Stefan’s place - Bonnie would definitely let it go but would be subtly trolly about it, like putting the cat on her bed when she’s in the shower or buying it a bunch of costumes to wear around the apartment. Damon would probs be every inch as insufferable as you’d imagine. 

The Not-All-Animals conversation. You don’t have to answer this, but is this supposed to be a foreshadowing, because the window was wide open for you (or Stefan) to state it clearly. And lol I cried when he says “there’s a cuddly little fur ball who seems really interested in getting to know you” and I’m imagining him talking about himself *dies of laughter*

“You’re going to love this cat”. Subtle, Stefan. Subtle.

REPLY:

CAN YOU IMAGINE HIM CALLING HIMSELF A CUDDLE LITTLE FUR BALL ON PURPOSE #BYE. I mean, it’s true, but still. I did the parallel on purpose, which I’m sure you know by now because I take forever to reply and have answered tat a few times, but I think it was more subconscious on Stefan’s part. Like his dedication to getting her to open up to the cat was definitely motivated by his own frustrations with her in that department, but I don’t think he saw the direct parallel or anything. Muahaha. I kind of want him to now though because CUDDLY LITTLE FUR BALL. That’s his street name. 

Bonkai/Damon’s return from the cellar

Kai flirting

Bonnie feeling bad for Kai for not having any friends. (can I just note that Kai doesn’t seem bothered that he doesn’t really have friends—or rather, he seems the type not to mind it. Like I’m sure there’ll be a part when Kai says something ‘jeez Bon, stop being so obsessed with me’ when she tries to be his friend)

AKA ME now feeling bad for Kai, just in general (or that might be the copious amounts of Bonkai fics I’ve been reading recently…)

Bonnie teaching Kai to “flirt” AKA just be a human being

REPLY:

lololol Kai’s just a dude doing his best impersonation of humaning and failing miserably and not being too bothered about it.

“Maybe a little less… carnivorous” lol

Damon calling Kai “bud” (like, him actually picking up on the fact Kai enjoyed that). Too sweet.

REPLY:

I didn’t get a chance to get too into it in 15, but if all goes according to plan, Kai x Damon should be a pretty unexpectedly adorable brotp, so I’m super happy you picked up on that!

Bamon kiss #3 : “his stare was dark, humming, glinting with a hint of self-satisfaction” hehehehehe

“but I feel like maybe I should’ve asked you instead. Cool move.” lmfao Kai is a cutie pie (I know what I said, I’m not taking it back).

“Honestly, he could go back to the murder cellar now” lolololol. You’ve got a lot of golden lines in this one.

Almost Bamon kiss #4: nice

“She exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the buried, messy part of her that was turned on by the idea, that buzzed from the risk of it all.” Same, Bon.

Bless Bonnie’s insane self-control.

REPLY:

Damon’s a smug little shit. There’s just no getting around it, tbh. And YAY for cutie pie Kai (it even rhymes! Destiny.) - definitely trying to hone in on the more delightful sides of him from canon. And lmao, Bonnie must be so tired.

 Caroline vs. the Cat

Obsessive Caroline is something familiar and safe to all. I like obsessive Caroline a lot lol.

Okay, unrelated, but can you expand a little bit on the Maroline situation again because, from what you’ve already explained (sorry if this is ruining the story, you obviously don’t have to explain if it is) Matt was sweet when it suited him, not sweet when he was angry or whatever. So, like, Stefan has none of these telltale features, like not even lowkey. I mean, he gets mad at her that one time, but it’s not malicious, you know? But it also triggered her to breakdown, but I read that as she’s already dealing with internal shit, so the internal is being external, and has very little to do with Stefan. So, I guess my question is, why is she not realizing Stefan is a Disney prince and he’ll always be one? Or is it just the overwhelming fear that’s clouding her judgement? I’m rambling.

REPLY:

GIRL, join the club. Rambling is a way of life. Re: Matt, I think a key thing I haven’t gotten to in the fic yet is that Matt started off as a bit of a Disney Prince, too. He was this humble, small-town star quarterback who was a little shy around girls and didn’t know what to do with all the attention on him, and when he met/got to know Caroline, he fell hard. Like haaaard. She was this confident, brash, outgoing ray of light that drew him in and made him laugh and added so much joy to his life, and he was just totally smitten. Built her things, wrote her crappy love letters that made her smile, etc., and for a year or so, they were this fairytale of a couple that everyone in town loved. And then Vicky got into drugs and his family situation went from not great to really bad - his mom was constantly off with some new guy, so a lot of the responsibility fell on him - and things just slowly started changing. He was angrier. Stressed out all the time, and he wasn’t someone who did well under pressure. He started checking out from school more and more because he didn’t see it as a priority. And in that context, larger-than-life Caroline with her sunny optimism and big ambitions went from endearing and inspiring to naive and a lowkey reminder of everything he didn’t have the luxury of being. Resentment started creeping in, and it’d come in the form of him being snide or putting her down, and it just kind of spiraled from there. Like you said, it wasn’t all the time, he could still be every inch as sweet and loving as he was when she first met him, but the bad moments started cropping up more and more often, and Caroline was just kind of frozen because they had years of magical history to indicate that this wasn’t the real him, and she just needed to wait it out and be supportive. And if she’d only done that to a certain degree, I think she would’ve been okay, but she stayed for way, way longer than she ever thought she would’ve. And she started coming up with insane ways to justify everything because their relationship meant so much to her. And all in all, that’s the real damage for her - the fact that she can’t trust herself to one: see people for they are when she has feelings for them, and two: know when to get out of something. Not when she’s in love. Any other context, sure, deuces, bye, but she doesn’t trust herself in love. So that’s why Stefan, without really showing any real Matt-like flaws, is scaring the hell out of her, if that makes any sense.

SPEAKING OF RAMBLING HI HELLO YES WHERE IS THE SUPPORT GROUP 

Caroline and the cat is really cute. We don’t see many soft moments of Caroline, except the baroline apology scene, so it’s cute to see her just calm down a little bit. Calm in the storm.

And her being like “You’re lucky Stefan’s here.” Oh, dude, that really got me. Like, before she goes into the physicality of him/them, I read that line as like, “he’ll take care of you, he’ll be good for you” and that struck me.

REPLY:

So happy you liked that softer side of Caroline! Definitely going to be seeing more of that now that she’s gotten most of the defensiveness out of her system (in large part because I’m just tired of writing it, lmaaaaaoooooo #authoroftheyear). And yeah, that’s exactly how she meant that line, which I think shows just how much her opinion has changed of him over these past few days. Progress!

“And it was terrifying, because for that brief glitter of a moment, for better or for worse, she’d been Caroline Forbes in all her complete, defenseless, messy glory”: nice.

REPLY:

👌

“And closed hearts, apparently”, awwwwwwww. You know my general feels about steroline, but this fic, man. Well played, Gabi, well played.

REPLY:

lmao you know mine too. thanks, boo. 

Bamon Snooping

Initial and overarching reaction: LOL

Damon saving Bonnie’s life: *heart eyes*

“I’m not talking to you”/”Why ‘cause I didn’t feel you up in the kitchen?” LOL Damon knooooooows, Damon’s got you cornered (you’d like that wouldn’t you, Bonnie) (but also, same)

REPLY:

#READ

Like this idiot really thinks she’s fooling anyone? She’d totally like that. Let’s make another support group.

The flamingo tarts LOL

AND AND AND “Stefan’s not even going to be able to look at yo—“ crying

Kai going to hunt swan. Again.

REPLY:

So rude, pulling the judgy Stefan card. And yeah, Kai’s really into casual evening strolls with crossbows. 

The snooping. Okay, so first, Bonnie’s reaction of “yeeeeeeeeee” and Damon’s reaction of “k let’s do it”. I love it so so so much. This is a moment I can see Matt Daddario being Damon (I started watching Shadowhunters, pardon me). But also the things they find??? Like, if this were a tv show (where’s the petition, my pen is ready), then this would be that one weird/sci-fi episode. Like a musical episode, but sci-fi-y.

Damon “how much you want to bet one of these opens a hidden passageway”/I’m a big nerd too Fell/Whitmore (who tf is this guy)

REPLY:

LMAO coming up with the things they find was another case of me staring dead-eyed into space for 20 minutes and cackling at random, so I’m glad it was entertaining. And yessss, I can totally see Matt pulling off that line. I see him as a slightly sleepier Damon, like his blithe charm goes from obnoxious to a little slyer and lowkey, and he has more of a playful laziness about him. It’s a really fun/unique fit, especially since some of the other actors I’ve imagined as Damon have more of a brash/sharp quality to them that would enhance the showman aspect instead of downplaying it.

Bamon talking about Damon’s job: real bonding about real things!

REPLY:

WOOT. More of that ahead :)

Steroline Avoiding

“He could navigate picky eaters like a pro”:  I love that you made him this way, and that you made her that way, and that their ways are like puzzle pieces.

REPLY:

Ahhh, I love that you put it that way. That’s their new tag line.

And also for this beaut: “the Human Grimace” lmfao.

“I feel annoyed”/”Why?”/”I don’t know.” – is that their tag line or?

REPLY:

JK that’s definitely their tag line. 

Steroline bonding in general, bless.

“I can’t do this”: yikes. At first, I thought this was going to be a repeat of every sexytimez moment these two had before the ultimate one

but I really like how you placed that bit about Elena in there. Nice. Like how he can’t handle not knowing, and that’s very Caroline of him, and he could just tell her this please that’d help everyone???? I’m not ranting.

REPLY:

IF EVERYONE COULD JUST TALK IN THIS GODFORSAKEN FIC IT WOULD’VE ENDED TEN CHAPTERS AGO AND MADE MY LIFE SO MUCH EASIER. lmao but I’m glad you liked the Elena nuance - I’m trying to build their experiences in bits and pieces so that when they finally talk about everything re: the exes, it’s not too much of an information dump. 

Damon’s Panic Attack

Jesus Christ, Gabi. Right in the heart, dude. Like chill out. His avoidance of the very inevitable killed me. And Bonnie not picking up on the signs. Omg and Damon’s “I’m fine”, parallel to Caroline’s, and the whole “I can do this, I can get through this, I’ve only had myself before, and I only need myself now”, but Bonnie’s there and she’s all “I got you, you can do this, we’ll get through this together” and she’s talking him through, but he’s doesn’t want to even talk and  she’s just trying to bring him out of him successfully, but ultimately fails and goes with the distracting that is an old Stefonnie story. BUT THEN, her fourth-grade poem reminded me of The Punisher’s “one batch, two batch, penny and dime” in Daredevil (you watched that right?) and I was like oh shoot, you right. What you were right about, not sure, but it worked, and Bonnie did a good job (but also YOU), and Damon’s “she was a ridiculous person./Tangled and dark and simple and light.” And my heart wept. “He let himself stay”. Oh my poor baby. You wrecked me, Gabi, you really did.

REPLY:

‘and I was like oh shoot, you right. What you were right about, not sure, but it worked’ - LMAOOOOOO, dead. Like 50% of my excitement for posting this review is just people reading it and realizing how hilarious you are and then going to check out B&B. (GO AND CHECK OUT B&B). For real though, gaaaaah, everything about this is making my friggin’ day because this is always the toughest stuff to write for me. I never know if I’m building it well or if the emotions are transitioning fluidly and it makes me want to break my laptop (jk it’s already broken JOKE’S ON ME), so I’M SO HAPPY I WRECKED YOU. All of your observations are perfect. I didn’t even think about The Punisher but shoot, YOU RIGHT, that’s such a great parallel. I’ve always found that angsty situations are super unpredictable in real life, like the things you expect to happen seldom do and it’s always the most random thing that ends up shifting the mood, so I tried to translate that into this scene. Like Bonnie’s pulling out all the stops, all the things she’s trained to do, but what ends up cutting through the air is a random ass poem from fourth grade. And it’s just thoughtful and spastic enough to grab his attention, especially once he realizes why she went for poetry, and suddenly, the situation’s quelling. So I’m super, super happy that it worked for you, and that the ‘tangler and dark and simple and light’ stood out. I think that’s one of the first instances of him starting to realize she’s not one or the other, she’s both at the same time, so yeah, this feedback is all wonderful and now you’re wrecking me so we’re even.

Steroline Confronting

Is Caroline… confronting the problem? Is Caroline… actually fixing this? Is Caroline… actually being a person? Nice, good job, I’m proud of you, girl. Slay.

REPLY:

LOOK AT HER GOOOOO.

I like how she gets how fucked up the whole thing is. Like, she knows she’s being irrational, and that he shouldn’t have to put up with this mess, and damn, I feel for her.

REPLY:

Yesssss, totally what I was going for. Like the person most done with her shit is herself, and she’s likely going to be way harder on herself about it than you or me or Stefan or anyone else, really. So happy that came across.  

“Would it make you feel better if I told you that wasn’t the first time that’s happened to me?”

“What did you do? Actually—don’t tell me now.”/“I’m not telling you ever.”

”Tell me when it doesn’t hit so close to home.”/”Or never.”

”It’s still too soon.”/”It’ll always be too soon.”

These are gems.

REPLY:

Gotta sneak some fluff into every scene you know how I roll.

Oh goodness, but Stefan wanting to know her as a person. Ughhhhhh.

And the ruse of “for the sake of Bonnie.” I’m calling bullshit.

“Who was he, Nicholas Sparks?” Lol, I mean, it worked out, though, dude.

REPLY:

Stefan’s a lost cause.

As always, my friend, you’ve done a phenomenal job. Your writing style is so unique and fabulous, and it just adds to the storyline itself, like, it’s own entity in this whole thing. Bless. So excited for the next chapter. Did I hear more sexytimez for the bamon babes? 

REPLY:

GIRL I COULD SAY THE SAME DAMN THING ABOUT YOURS. Like even in this review alone - hysterical and eloquent af. I know you probably know this, but no one ever thinks that of their own writing (or at least I don’t think they do lmao, if they do LEMME HAVE A HIT OF THAT CONFIDENCE BOO ‘cause I didn’t even know I had a style), so it’s legit amazing to hear that the style stands out to you, and know that I’m boomeranging that comment right back atcha. Next chapter is sloooowly chugging along, by which I mean I’m writing at a regular pace but I’m trying to cram a legitimately concerning/insane amount of scenes into it. Like 15. LMAO. RIP Gabi. But hopefully it won’t take me too long! Also, it’s the last of the intensely emotional chapters for a while (just a lot of big moments I need to get right), so even if this takes forever, the rest should be a little faster. I feel like I say this after every chapter and nothing changes, looooool. BUT ANYWAY, you’re a marvel, this review is everything, I’m feelsy, you’re hilarious, write a book, bye. 

#reply #six mornings after #review #15 #sma bamon #sma maroline #sma steroline #sma matt #sma bonnie #sma damon #sma caroline #lmao I have to tag so much because I launched into so many unnecessary metas #I must be stopped #anyway this is glorious and cassie's glorious it's fine #also this took me no joke two hours to respond to #like my laptop started lagging behind my typing in protest #I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M SO SLOW GUYS BUT I'M TRYING #submission

[har-rison-s]

pray, do tell

request: If you don’t mind me asking, request for Loki asking the other Loki’s if they have a s/o in their timeline during episode 5?

a/n: hi ! i absolutely ADORE this idea and i hope i'll write it out respectfully :)) i loved episode 5 so much, except for SOME scenes, and i especially enjoyed multiple lokis sitting around and talking, chilling, that's like... my dream place to be. YOU DON'T KNOW THE EFFECT PRESIDENT LOKI HAS ON ME. like it should be studied in labs and schools cos ??????? that feeling when he's on screen was just something else. also ! kid loki holding alligator loki my beloved <3. i'd love to be surrounded by lokis, me and loki actually have the same personality type so they're like... my people. sorry for the rant, hahah ! this one is a bit shorter than my other loki works, sorry about that :/ also it took me like 40 minutes to find decent gifs lmao. happy reading !! <3

masterlist

mcu masterlist

warnings: nothing really

disclaimer: lokis mentioned have he/him pronouns !

Weirded out by what he's seeing, and not entirely sure it's real, Loki can't take his eyes off it, either. The way alligator Loki drinks his boxed wine is just so fascinating to him, yet weird and other-wordly (he knows those well) at the same time. And he's weirded out more by the fact that he doesn't find a variant of him being an alligator strange in any way. He's had a few trying days, as he said himself.

Loki manages to divert his eyes off the creature with horns on its head and looks to the grapes he holds in his hand. He picks small dirt away from the berries and takes a grape into his mouth with ease. The taste reminds him of many things. His childhood, his home, his family... Thor, Frigga, Odin, Sif and the Warriors Three. Asgard. The Gardens, the waters, the Bifrost. Heimdall. Visits to the city, the markets, the celebrations.

Love.

Loki blinks, fooling himself and others by aiming to portray that he's not thinking about anything important. But he is. She was the most important thing to him, and now... Well, maybe during the New York heist, she's still fine, but after Ragnarok... Loki fears too much to think about it.

He wishes he could remember everything with her that followed New York, but all he has of their future is some worn-out tape in the TVA archives. Perhaps even pictures... He wants to live through all they had now, he wishes he could do that most of all. Of course, there's the finding Mobius and helping Sylvie burn down the TVA thing, but upon remembering her, it all falls into the background.

His first love. Not a god, like him, but she was a goddess in his eyes. He smiles now, subtly, at the fond memories of her. He noticed the little moments he had with her in the tape Mobius had, about his whole future. How beautiful she always was, her subtle way of laughing and going about her smiles and giggles, how exceptional and different her clothes always were, how her hair shined in any light...

“Did any of you...” Loki starts to say, and sighs shortly before continuing, thinking he'll probably regret asking it, “did any of you leave a... a lover behind when the TVA arrested you? Prince or princess?” He looks between his variants. Young Loki shoots him a stern look. “Apologies, my liege. You seem too young for that.” Loki bids him a polite smile, but his brain whirs. “How long have you been here, anyway?”

“Don't know. Time doesn't really... exist here.” Young Loki says and throws a salt biscuit into alligator Loki's jaws. “But no lovers in my lifetime, Loki.” He pointedly looks at the older variant of himself, nodding slightly.

“Not yet, at least.” Loki points out and gets scoffs and chuckles from Boastful and Classic Loki. He looks at them with a furrowed brow.

“Oh, you and your grand plan,” Classic Loki shakes his head before taking another sip from his huge cup. Loki only rolls his eyes, but still waits for answers to his question, “well,” Classic Loki downs his drink, “it would be no surprise to you that I had countless partners before I chose isolation. Partners of any kind.” He winks. Loki nods, understanding how much alike he truly is with his variants. “But I feel there is no one truly... truly made for me. Like midgardians would say - 'the one'.“

“In my case, there were many 'the ones',” Boastful Loki says, mocking Classic's use of words. All other Lokis roll their eyes, “I actually feel like every person in the whole universe was made to be with me. I'm just that irresistible.” He smiles pleasantly to himself. Alligator Loki growls again.

“That's another “liar” from him to you, Boast,” Classic Loki nods his head towards Boastful, who only shakes his head and frowns.

“I had my fair share of men and women before I was taken,” Boastful says, “must have been the same for you, Loki.” He looks at him. “Asgard was truly a giving place.”

Loki chuckles, but looks away from his variants. “Oh, it was...” he says quietly, “it was.” His voice grows even more quiet. Young and Classic Loki exchange a look.

“Do tell us, your mischievousness.” Classic Loki urges him. Loki shoots him a nervous look, then he leans back into the sofa and sighs, his eyes strictly focused on his hands.

“I had plenty before I met... one,” he starts to say, “me and her share a past, and, it seems, a future as well. After New York, I am taken to Asgard, imprisoned, but she is there. I fake my death and rule over Asgard as Odin, and she's there. I help Thor destroy our evil sister--”

“Oh, she was a nasty one.” Boastful says, shaking his head. “We used to have a connection, but then she just... I don't even know.” He shrugs. Loki eyes him for a second before continuing.

“We destroyed Asgard, but saved its people, and saved her. We make for Midgard, and she's there with me.” Loki sighs, his eyes gloomy. “And then... Thanos attacks, destroys half, if not all our people, and...” he can't even speak further. His variants share a look, each having quite the correct guess for what could follow after that. Boastful drinks from his cup in an awkward manner. “But I feel like that's another life I lived. Or another me. I don't know, I feel so... disconnected from her, from what we had. Must be the TVA and this... void. And all that's happened, all I've learned about my future.” He sighs again.

“Meeting her again would be a wake-up call, no?” Boastful asks. Loki shrugs, a sad expression on his face.

“Rather a sign that you're real.” Classic Loki says with a wide, true smile. Loki looks to him as if looking at a mentor. “I often felt like the people I loved and the love I had for them, even if it was not reciprocated, were a reminder that I am real, I exist and I can feel all these things.”

Loki considers his words, and then nods along, finding a truth in them.

“After all, love and all other emotions are the human part in all of us.” Classic says. “And it isn't always bad to feel like a regular human being.” Loki can also find truth in those words. Love makes one feel alive, makes you feel like you're on the right path, found the right person, found your purpose. It doesn't always have to be glorious, it can be small, but nonetheless important to you.

“I used to think humans smaller than us, more pathetic and puny, but...” Loki shakes his head, “we, gods, are just the same, really.” He chuckles sadly. “Having quarrels over the stupidest things, being as imperfect as humans... Sometimes I even felt like I was too good, too perfect for something like true love, which is a pathetic emotion that makes you feel all kinds of other feelings, but...” he smiles, “often times I felt like that, she told me everyone was deserving of love, even me.” His smile grows wider.

“She sounds lovely.” Classic Loki tells him with a kind smile.

“She was that, and more.” Loki nods along. Young Loki imitates the sound of a snore and throws a crumpled piece of paper at Loki's shoulder.

“You're making me extremely bored.” He announces and sits straighter in his chair, looking over the mess that is his palace. “Love's boring.” Young Loki throws a juice carton across the room, making a face.

“You are just too young to understand and know it, your majesty.” Boastful says with a wink, and the next juice carton is flying over his head with a snicker from Young Loki. Classic Loki keeps Boastful tight in his seat so an argument wouldn't arise, and Boastful hesitantly restrains, his drink almost spilling over his cup. Loki watches them with a sappy smile on his features, and decides this is a good place to spend eternity at, even without her.

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let me know if you want to be added ! or maybe to a loki list !

#loki request #loki x reader #loki imagine #loki series #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson imagine #loki laufeyson imagines #loki oneshot #loki one shot #loki odinson x reader #loki odinson imagine #loki odinson imagines #har-rison-s writes #no but how old is kid loki? #how long has kid loki been in the void? #how long has classic loki been in the void? #how long has boastful loki been in the void? #which of them was the first???

[andromedia5]

What’s in a Dance

They’re speaking.

The ballerinas are speaking with their bodies, so over exaggerated that she understands everything and it takes nothing. None of the words that have to fight through her mind to get to her mouth. Just pretty dresses and quick feet and music without words and it’s . . . beautiful.

She reaches for Bruce’s hand and squeezes, letting him anchor her to the world as the colors and the light and the life wash over her. He’s smiling at her; happy, calm, nervous.

Always nervous around her, but different nervous, hopeful nervous.

Hopeful nervous again, when she opens the ballet studio door to see him, sitting there waiting for her. He gets up, folding his newspaper under his arm.

“How’d it go, Cassie?”

She’s flung her arms around his neck before he can get another word out.

Bruce knocks at her door a few weeks after she starts ballet lessons with Madame Naomi while she’s lying on her bed listening to Tom Petty. Not just listening, listening with both headphones in and the volume up and her eyes closed letting Wildflowers wash over her and block out the rest of the world because she’s safe. He sits at the foot of her bed when she motions for him to come in and tugs at her feet teasingly, so her knees drop back down onto the bedspread. Cassandra pauses her music and takes her earbuds out, pushing back the hair that had gotten tangled in the wire.

“Good morning,”

“It’s not morning,” he points out, tilting his head towards the clock on her bedside table proudly displaying that it is in fact 2:25 and therefore; not morning.

“Happy see today,” That isn’t right, she knows it isn’t, it’s not complete and her mind starts to chase after the right words. Bruce runs a thumb over her knuckles soothingly.

“Take your time, sweetheart,”

Cass tries to slow down the words running through her mind so she can see them clearly. “Happy first time seeing me today,”

His eyes crinkle at the sides and he kisses her forehead “That, I am. Can you come down to the library with me for a second?”

She nods and swung her legs off the bed, following him out the door. Last time they had gone down to the library for a second it had been when he had given her that pair of his mother’s earrings. They had belonged to her grandmother before her and he had thought she would have wanted her granddaughter to have them but if she didn’t want them it was completely fine and they were old anyways and she didn’t even have her ears pierced so- at which point she had stopped listening to his rambling in favor of staring at the delicate gold flowers with the sapphires in the centers. Dick pierced her ears in his apartment a week later with a sewing needle and an ice cube and while he argued with a livid Alfred over the phone about how “It’s completely safe” and “That’s how I got my ears pierced at the circus,” Kory helped her put in the earrings and that glorious sense of belonging had washed over her, again.

The library smells of almond and old paper, sunlight drenching the leather armchairs and bouncing off the old grandfather clock. Cassandra lingers at the doorway watching as Bruce strides over to the old record player, carefully lowering a record onto it and turning to her. “You said you wanted to come to the gala this Saturday?” Something in her brain clicks as she realizes why they’re here and rushes over to him eagerly. “You don’t have to go if you changed your mind” he continues, “But I thought you might want to learn,”

“Different dancing,”

“Alfred made me go to lessons when I was your age but the last teacher filed a restraining order after I tried to send Jason when he was fourteen and he . . . well, you know your brother, you can imagine,” he turns and sets the needle on the record. Piano notes begin to play, simple and elegant like the way Tim’s fingers move across the shiny white and black keys.

“Clair de Lune, it’s a waltz but a very slow one, it’s easier to learn.” Bruce extends one of his hands and she holds it. Their hands look funny together, one tan and small, with uniform circular calluses and the other large and scarred with a thin dusting of hair up the back of his palm. “Now you put your hand on my shoulder,” he instructs as he rests his other hand on her waist and lower back, a bit like a hug.

She does so, albeit a bit impatiently “This isn’t dancing,”.

Bruce laughs and she pokes his shin with her toe as if it would wake his feet up and make them move. “We’re getting there. Now a waltz is mostly just a box step. There can be other elements but at its core it's just a box step. So we move back,” he gestured for her to take a step backward and then followed her with a step forward. “To the side,” they both side stepped in unison, “Foreword for you, back for me. And then to the side again and we’re back where we started.”

Cassandra looks up from where she had been tracking the movement of their feet in an attempt to memorize. It was surprisingly like a kata, or the five positions in ballet, simple. Maybe it was just that what she had seen had looked more like dancing than it actually was.

“That’s it?” she asks, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. He rolls his eyes and begins the box step again but faster this time, and this feels like what she’s seen other people do, the almost rise and fall of it, like a carousel. She trips over her feet a little but he holds her, not letting her fall until she’s memorized the rhythm of the steps. The same rush of euphoria she always gets from dancing comes swooping in as her father spins her into the light shining through the curtains.

They’re whispering, always whispering.

Cass has learnt a lot since leaving Cain. She’s learnt to speak English, she’s learnt to speak. She’s learnt that people don’t like her. Not for the bad things she’s done, not for Cain. Just don’t like her.

Jealousy.

That’s what she’s told causes it, first by Alfred, who merely pats her cheek and makes a passing remark about the green eyed monster coming after kind, pretty girls.

She can tell he’s lying.

Then again by Steph, “Bruce is rich, Cass. All rich people want to be richer. Well, except your dad, but maybe he’s so rich it skips him. That’s why those harpy faced bitches with earrings that could pay my tuition don’t like you. Ignore it,”.

She isn’t lying. But Steph hasn’t seen.

Jason doesn’t say it’s jealousy. Jason doesn’t really answer, just laughs that laugh where he doesn’t really think it’s funny and mutters something in Spanish.

“Gringo cabrones. They never fucking change, do they, Cassie?”

She learns the way she learns a lot of things that no one could even begin to explain to her; a combination of TV and Tim. An episode of Boy Meets World and now she at least knows what questions to ask, which he answers. Cold anger and no small amount of what’s either sadness or guilt (it might be both) in his pretty eyes as he does his best to explain. He has the same look now, knuckles white as the old women sitting at the table near them get drunker and louder. Like birds on a tree branch, but the birds that like to sit outside her bedroom window don’t say her name quite so often or so mockingly. Tim stomps away while one of the board members she and Steph have christened “Mr. Suckup With The Sex Offender Mustache”  is in the middle of saying something and walks straight to her.

“Dance with me?” he asks, much louder than he needs to. Tim’s hand is cold in hers but it’s there and he follows her into a waltz, the four corners of the invisible handkerchief marking out the box step. “Can you let me lead?” he whines and this is that thing Barbara says about the elephant. When people don’t talk about something they both see. But it doesn’t feel like lies and it doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. It feels like that pushing at her chest; the growing pains because she’s still adjusting to loving someone this much.

“Little brother,” she reminds him just in case he wasn’t getting ‘not a chance’ from her face, and Tim grins and squeezes her hand. Cass isn’t sure if the whispering stops or if she just can’t hear them anymore.

#when will cass and bruce's father daughter adorableness return from the war? #cassandra and bruce wayne #cassandra wayne #cassandra cain and tim drake #batfam #cassandra cain #my writing #bruce wayne #tim drake #dickkory #bat siblings #black bat #dick grayson #jason todd

[talkfastromance4]

not going anywhere--ashton irwin oneshot

Copyright talkfastromance4 © All works is intellectual property of the author. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction or any part or all contents in any form is prohibited. You may not, without written expression and consent from the author, distribute works amongst other social media platforms

a/n: hey ya’ll, still taking a break but wrote this little fluff piece. mind you it is very self-indulgent. third person but female reader

donate to my ko-fi here :)

Masterlist

• • • •

Ashton could see the storm in her eyes immediately when she came on their video call. Her eyes were tired and clouded with an emotion he couldn’t quite place but she hasn’t been sleeping all that well. That worries him. He hasn’t been sleeping well either, being away from her and all, but her sleep is more  important than his. When together, they both sleep the best, the feeling of her arm over his waist with her nose buried in his back always soothed him.

“Hi angel,” he tries to make his voice uplifting and she returns with a half-smile.

“Hi,” she responds softly and tuckers her chin on her knees. He notices she’s in one of his long sleeves.

“What’s goin’ on?” his brows come together in concern, his face inching closer to the screen. If he were actually with her he would duck his face to her neck, stamping soft kisses to her skin while he held her in his arms.

“It’s nothing,” she shakes her head. “How’s the trip?”

“Y/N, it’s not nothing,” he frowns.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?” her voice cracked at the end and her lip trembled.

“Why not? Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t help because you aren’t physically here and I don’t really feel like crying on FaceTime right now, okay?” her voice shook as her emotions betrayed her and slipped out, giving away her hurt.

Ashton sighs and he ruffles his hair with his fingers, a sign of distress and aggravation that he can’t be there to help her with whatever’s happening.

“Okay, okay,” he huffs, “I hate being away from you.”

“I do too,” she sighs. “How is the trip, anyway?”

They transition to normal conversation relating to his current trip across the country with the band to do some interviews and late revelations about their fourth album. It’s strenuous and he didn’t realize how hard it would be getting back into the swing of things. Seven months off—seven glorious months of being alone with her—went by too fast and filled him with a new routine.

He’s missing making dinner with her while Friends plays in the background. He misses helping her with the yoga poses he teaches her and the way she grunts when her breathing gets off from his. Yoga isn’t her favorite thing but it’s something he enjoys and she’s told him she likes doing it with him. That bit of information made his heart soar.

He misses having morning coffee with her, in bed, on the patio, in the kitchen. He misses showering late at night only to have her join him moments later, her fingers running down his back, over his shoulders, then into his hair as she shampoos it for him. He misses laying in bed taking funny photos from filters and giggling into kisses that lead to his fingers lifting up her shirt.

He misses their nightly rituals, their skincare routine combined together made a powerful new one and searching up new music artists on his phone that they inevitably end up loving. He misses the featherlight touch of her fingertips tracing over the grooves of his palm, up his arm and over the red and black ink of his moons.

“Trip’s fine,” he shrugs, “it’s hard getting back into it after having all this time off of rest. I miss you.”

“I miss you too, baby,” she smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “When will you be home?”

“Two nights’ time, around eight o’clock I think.”

“I’ll be waiting,” she grins.

Ashton’s heart flips at the sentiment. For so long, he’s left an empty house and came back to it even emptier. Now, knowing she’ll be there is making him feel homesick, something he hasn’t felt for a long time. She’s made his house into a home just by filling it with her presence.

“I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

◦○◦●◦○◦

The next forty-eight hours went by gruelingly slow. At the end of it all, Ashton is left exhausted and all he wants is to go home to her, back in his secular bubble of comfort. His muscles are tensed and his mind is on hyperdrive from the overstimulation of the other part of his life returning full throttle.

When the familiar lights at the end of his driveway come in his vision he’s itching in anticipation of being in her presence again. He gathers his bags quickly, the straps dig into his arms but he doesn’t want to make another trip to retrieve them. If he left something he’d get it in the morning.

He lets his things collapse to the floor in a giant heap and he’s half-expecting to see her on the couch waiting for him but she’s not there. Faintly, he hears noises traveling downstairs and he takes them two at a time until he sees her in bed. She’s sprawled across it on her stomach, her face buried into her arms as her body shakes with sobs.

Panicking, he rushes to her side, touching the back of her head carefully so as not to scare her, but she jumps anyway. She’s gasping for air, eyes clamped shut as tears flood down her cheeks. Ashton shifts her into his lap, he holds her close and hears how long she holds her breath as she sobs.

“Hey, hey, hey, breathe, baby… breathe,” he hushes rubbing large circles on her back.

She tries to exhale and ends up coughing, the lack of air and sudden rush of it caught her lungs off guard. Her cries still fall as she tries to find her breath and Ashton rocks her from side to side, his lips pressing to her temple.

“I’m right here…you’re all right, I’ve got you…” he hums repeatedly in her ear until her sobs start to subside.

After a few more moments, she lifts her head from his chest—leaving a dark spot of her tears on his shirt—and she gazes up at him with puffy eyes and a splotchy face. Ashton rubs away the excess tears from her cheeks.  

“What’s happened?”

“Why doesn’t he love me?” her voice is a whispered crack.

Ashton’s confused, he does love her how could she…? Then realization hits, the ‘he’ in question is her father.

“He loves you, angel,” he tries to soothe by caressing her cheek. She shakes her head adamantly and pushes herself in a sitting position.

“No, he doesn’t. I was never first…he was never around because he was always with friends. Drinking and having a fun time with them. They need help and he goes running, but when I need help it’s the biggest inconvenience for him,” she sniffs. She uses the back of her hand to swipe away at fresh tears. “What did I do, Ashton? Why can’t I…how do I change?”

“No, no,” Ashton shakes his head then scoots closer so she’s trapped between his legs. He holds her cheeks in his hands, making her look at him. “You did nothing. You don’t have to change one bit of you.”

“I don’t know what else to do. I’m tired of vying for his love when it was never there in the first place but I can’t stop…I want to but it’s hard when I want….”

“I know baby, I know,” he kisses her forehead. “You have done nothing wrong, it’s not your fault he doesn’t know how to love you the way that he should.”

“My heart hurts.”

“I know,” he nods slowly then cocks his head until she’s staring into his eyes, “But I’m here and I’m not going anywhere because I love you so damn much. You’ll always be my number one and if there was a number before that, you’d be that as well.”

She sniffs the same time she blinks, and two tears fall freely into her lap then she bites her lip. Ashton smooths his thumb over her lip, pulling it free from her teeth. She lifts her chin a fraction so she’s looking into his eyes.

“You don’t need to change, for anyone. Especially not for someone who can’t see how pretty damn perfect you already are,” he smiles impishly, and it makes her giggle gently. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she nods then holds her hand over his that’s resting on her cheek. “Thank you…for listening and helping.”

He leans forward to give her a soft kiss, once, twice, then before the third he says, “Like I said I’m not going anywhere, angel. I love you.”

She laces her fingers with his on the third kiss, it’s sealed with a promise and filled with love.

• • • •

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#ashton irwin angst #ashton irwin oneshot #ashton irwin #ashton writing #ashton 5sos #ashton 5sos writing #ashton fluff #ashton angst #5sos writing

[lokisrare]

birdie

pairings: ben hardy x ofc.

word count: 4.6k

a/n: i hate this but i love this, also, spoiler: i hate cassie. i don’t really know what it is, but let me know what you think and if you want to know what happens next lmao. oh, by the way this was heavily inspired by break my heart by dua lipa.

June 6th, 2010.

“Well damn, you look HOT.” I gushed when Sydney walked out of the changing room.

She sent a smile towards me while fixing her hair, it must’ve been freaking hard to get on that dress, I think to myself when I look up and down her body, the dress hugging her body just right, but still, the material looked incredibly uncomfortable and her face just confirmed that to me.

“I feel like someone’s pinching my nipples constantly, like here…, ugh it hitches so bad,” she says trying to fix the top of the dress and I laugh at her struggling to make the dress work.

“Syd, why don’t you try something else, you’re going to look good anyway,” all I receive is a death glare and I just know she’s telling me to fuck off while still trying to find a way to feel comfortable.

She huffs and gets into the changing room, closing the pink curtain a little too aggressively, I suppress a giggle knowing she’s having a hard time and I’d probably end up with my hair pulled if I keep making fun of her. “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees is playing which makes me roll my eyes annoyed, it had become my young sister’s favorite song so it was on repeat almost every hour of the day, just listening to it gave me a horrid headache.

“Fine, I guess I’ll just go with the first one,” Sydney says finally getting out. I nod, a very genuine and happy smile plastered on my face, it was 6.30 pm and we had left my house at 4, to say I was hungry and tired was an understatement.

 “I really hate you, Cass, you know that right?” Sydney says as we finally get to my house, most specifically: my room. I run straight to my bed, my back thanking me for finally having a moment to rest after being walking and standing still for three hours straight. “I don’t really know how you choose so easily; I just can’t decide when it comes to shopping.”

I smile with my eyes closed hearing Syd grabbing the make-up bag as she seats in front of the mirror, “I just go for black, that’s my secret, black’s the right decision. Always.”

“Your whole wardrobe is black, Cassie.” I don’t see her but I can tell she rolled her eyes, annoyed. “You could’ve at least gone for something red this time or maroon or grey.”

I prop on my elbows scanning my open (and messy) closet, well… maybe I owned a lot of black clothes but it is just a glorious color, or not actually a color but who cares, black just rocks and it was easily combined.

“I promise I’ll wear something else next time.”

Sydney looks at me with a sarcastic expression, raising an eyebrow.

“No, you won’t.” Nope, I won’t.

I grab the curling iron next to my night table: “Curls, straight or should I just go natural?” Sydney shrugs looking at me intently, her lips pressed together, after a few seconds she just clicks her tongue and turns around.

“Whatever you feel like doing today, babe, you’ll look pretty anyway,” she pauses. “And Ben will like it anyway.”

“SYDNEY, NO.”

“What?” She says smirking at me through the mirror. “Oh, come on you can’t possibly think I don’t realize, the tension is obvious,” she smiles satisfied at my petrified expression. “Besides he’s a Capricorn, Capricorn and Scorpios have AMAZING SEX.”

“SYDNEY” I shout throwing a heart shaped pillow at her while she laughs uncontrollably, “He’s my brother’s friend, your step brother and almost 3 years older.”

“Your brother does not care at all, I don’t either and you didn’t say nothing about the sex thing so you little bastards have been really sneaky about it but I’m the devil and I found a condom on the bathroom trash the other day,” I set a mental reminder to slap Ben when I see him tonight, “It wasn’t mine so it was either from my parents or from Ben. And your face just told me it was from Ben,” she stops and then wrinkles her nose, “Ugh, disgusting. Let’s move on from this topic, please.”

“You started it.”

“I thought he was fooling around with Candace, she’s been after him the whole year, it looks like she knows he’s leaving soon. Besides I heard the rumor they slept together, I’m sure she started it.”

“Yeah, I think she knows, that’s why she’s been so clingy.” I cringe thinking of it. “Well if it’s true then her wish finally came true.”

The disgusted tone in my voice making me feel kind of angry at myself, just as much as the thought of Ben fooling around with Candace and I know Sydney can tell. I wasn’t very surprised when I first found out she’d been trying to get his attention the whole year, her obsession with Ben wasn’t new and she seemed a little too desperate, but she wasn’t a bad person, maybe too much of a bimbo girl but still, a nice person and Ben had always found a way to avoid her.

When Malik came up to me with rumor it made my stomach turn, giving the fact that two weeks ago he had me pinned against a wall at some random party while we had a (very steamy) make out session hoping my brother wouldn’t find us. Fucking. Ben.  

“I don’t think that’s true at all, I totally think she spread the rumor herself with some friend’s help.” I sighed at Sydney insistence, “besides the whole situation is so weird, he is constantly running away from her and just one day they, like, fuck? Uh-uh, that just not makes sense, maybe she’s blackmailing him.” I laugh at her occurrence. Only Sydney, of course. “I truly hope my theory is not true, that’d be, like, pyscho behavior.”

“Yeah, but still, it might be true, we don’t know” I say getting up and throwing the curling iron on top of my bed. Curls it is, I think. “I believe there’s pizza on the fridge, is that ok for you or what do you want?”

Sydney thinks for a few seconds, “yeah, pizza’s fine, I’ll just eat a tiny bit though because I want to get really wasted really fast today and that’s way easier if I have an empty stomach.”

“You’re going to die.”

“Oh well, but it’s not going to hurt if my drunk as hell.”

“Touché.”

The dress hugged my curves just fine but I still felt like I was trying very hard to convince myself I really liked the way I looked with this way too short dress and I hadn’t just bought it because I knew it would catch Ben’s attention; I was upset knowing I was just about to leave my house wearing something just not-me at all to impress a stupid boy.

He’s not stupid and you know it.

“You look gorgeous, breathtaking and completely uncomfortable.” I turned around, Syd was standing leaning against the door frame looking effortlessly beautiful, her blonde hair straight and the loose baby pink dress making her look absolutely angelic.

“I am terribly uncomfortable, and I hate the fact the I’m about to take it off because it costed me good money I could’ve used to buy something I actually liked.” I said raising my voice, feeling angry at myself again, for the same reason, “I hate myself sometimes.”

Sydney giggles as she looked through my closet, smiling triumphantly when she found what she was looking for: a short black skirt and a grey blouse.

“I love this outfit on you, please change, you’re radiating so much negativity wearing that outfit besides the look on your face makes it seems like it’s causing you actual pain to be wearing this.” She stated and then lowered her eyes to my feet, “Oh god, Cassie, take those heels off, those are not even your favorite ones, put on your white vans, do yourself a favor, please.” I groaned as I got up feeling defeated and absolutely ridiculous to say the least.

Once I was changed, I felt my confidence coming back again, I looked pretty and I looked like me, Sydney got up from the bed clapping happily.

“Yay! That’s my Cassie, you look gorgeous!” she grabbed my hand dragging me downstairs way too fast and excitedly, making my chest crash against her back when she stopped abruptly at the end of the stair, turning around violently, “It’s not like you didn’t look gorgeous before, it’s just… now you look gorgeous and your face doesn’t look like you’re in the middle of a funeral.” I scoffed punching her arm but a giggle escaped my mouth making both of us laugh, right before we saw the taxi parking outside.

“Ok, let’s do it giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl.” I opened the door as Syd put two little vodka bottles inside of her little purse. “All done, and just to re-clarify, you look amazing and Ben’s going to love how you look, you really don’t need to try so hard, he already likes you.”

“Oh my God, STOP, let’s go Syd.” I said pushing her outside the house.

“Just saying.”

The house was packed, way too packed for a place so small, the air was filled with smoke from the cigarettes and the smoke machine placed on top of an old couch. I looked around trying to find my friends or at least my brother.

You’re looking for him.

I rolled my eyes annoyed at myself, once again. I wasn’t looking for him, or maybe a little, but it’s not like I was desperate. Or too desperate.

“My niñas, over here mis amores!” A curly haired boy calls from inside the little kitchen. Lucas. He had two girls clung to his sides, fighting for his attention, I smirk looking at him as he excuses himself with the girls and start making his way towards us. Poor girls, if they only knew.

“Ugh, I’m already hating this place and I’ve been here for just 20 minutes.” He states right after kissing Syd and I’s both cheeks.

Sydney takes the vodka bottles out of her purse making Lucas smile widely as he puts his hand on his chest. Oh my god. I already knew I was going to be tonight’s babysitter.

“Yas! You are my Blondie Number One angel, Syd.” Lucas grabbed her cheeks pecking her on the lips, looking behind them I saw the two girls from earlier, both with annoyed looks as they turned around to leave the place, Lucas hand grabbed my arm, catching my attention, “Why so distracted? Looking for Blondie Number Two?” He asked raising his eyebrows repeatedly. “He got in here right before you guys but since Candace the Crazy was looking for him since she got here, he completely disappeared.” He said looking around, his arms resting on Sydney’s shoulders, “Nope, Blondie Number Two’s not around. To be honest I’m kind of worried Candace is blackmailing him.” he stated clicking his tongue.

Sydney let out a very exaggerated high pitched scream, “I thought THE SAME and Cassie won’t believe it.”

“Guys, both of you are insane, completely insane, let the poor girl live.”

Hypocrite.

“Oh c’mon, two weeks ago you were ready to sneak into Daisy Clinton’s room to do the nasty with Benny-Boy for like the 100th time now you just don’t care? I don’t buy it baby, no no, not when you came in here looking like a lost puppy.” I opened my mouth ready to say something but Lucas spoke first also interrupting Sydney whom was about to complain since she was the last person to find out or to figure it out, actually, “And don’t tell me you were looking for your brother. I. Know. You. Cassidy. Peters.”

I just shrugged trying to not show him how fucking right he was, and also trying not to accept to myself I’ve been looking for him the entire time we stood in the middle of the tiny kitchen.  Sydney gave me the finger and then made her way towards the improvised dance floor carrying Lucas with her.

Now I was seated on the corner of the living room watching Logan Lawrence, our school’s quarter back make out with one of the shyest girls from our school. Poor girl. She’s so going to regret it tomorrow… and forever probably. Logan was just that disgusting. I kept looking around when I started cursing at myself, I’ve been sitting here for almost half on hour looking at Sydney and Lucas get wasted just because I was trying to find the boy I was desperately craving for and he was nowhere to be seen, which was bad, but I had seen Candace dance around looking absolutely drunk, which was good, but it also meant Ben could be with any other girl, which was bad. Really bad. For me, of course.

My phone buzzed, three messages from Jonas, also known as my brother.

Jo: bring me a whisky pleeeeeeeease

Jo: no one will realize, I’m on the roof with the boys

Jo: please cass, be a good sis

I huffed but still got up ready to do what he asked me to, I mean, it’s not like I was doing anything better. I grabbed the bottle of whisky and a very drunk boy stared at me, I was ready for him to say something but he just smiled and gave me the thumbs up, I laughed a little and waved him goodbye as I made my way upstairs.

How the fuck do I get to the roof?

Cass: how do I get there?

Jo: first floor, the room with the green door at the right, take the stairs

Jo: be fast, there’s like a lot of people getting at it

Well fuck. Once I got to the first floor the green door was the first one I saw, an AC/DC poster on it, I breathed in and opened it, trying to get used to the dark looking where the hell was the supposed way to the roof; not giving a single fuck I opened the door again learning a lot of lovely words from the people hiding in there, I was about to say something to them when I saw the hole on the corner of the bedroom’s ceiling and the wooden escalator right under it. Of course.

The relieve my ears felt when I reached the roof was glorious, I took a few second to enjoy the feeling when I felt a hand on my shoulders, grabbing harder the whisky bottle ready to snap at whatever drunk boy who was trying to annoy my little moment of peace I turned around but I was met with Blondie Number Two, or just Ben.

“Easy, Cassie.” He laughed grabbing the bottle from my hand and lending it to my brother who was right behind him with a knowing smirk, I sent him a death glare.

“Hi, Cass, having fun?” He said slurring his words, oh my God, obviously Jonas Peters was a lightweight and now I had just brought him a big ass bottle of whisky for him to keep getting drunk.

I looked to him and then to Ben who stood way too close for my liking, I was able to smell his perfume. My mind travelling back to Daisy’s room when I was pressed against a wall, his hands roaming trough my whole body while I left love bites all over his neck, getting drunk on his scent.

Stop it. Answer the question.

“Absolutely not.” Jonas pretended to cry and then blew a kiss towards me as he left to join his others friends, they were just as drunk as him, or even worst. Ben cleared his throat making me look his way taking in his appearance, black shirt, black jeans, black shoes, so good looking. Maybe that’s what I liked him so much, it seemed his closet was also full of black clothes.

He was effortlessly beautiful.

“Well, thank you. “He said, a smug expression plastered on his face just as the color drained from mine. WHY?

I sighed, putting on my best annoyed look trying desperately to make it seem I didn’t care at all. Liar. “Don’t flatter yourself, I did it on purpose.” He nodded, the little smirk still lingering on his face as he stepped closer to me, hooking his arm around my shoulder.

“Yeah, sure, Birdie.” I groaned at the nickname and Ben threw his head back laughing at my annoyance.

“Don’t call me that, Ben. I don’t go around calling you Blondie Number Two.” I tried to let loose from his arms but he just held my tighter, starting to walk and dragging me along with him to sit closer to the edge against a wall, the big tree in front of the house blocking the street lights making it hard to see clearly; once we both were sitting I was finally able to get off of his embrace, looking down trying to ignore the fact that Ben was so close to me, and we were alone in the –almost- dark.

“But I always call you like that, you should be used to it by now… Birdie” He said right after getting comfortable on the floor. I huffed. No. I would never get used to it because I felt embarrassed and angry, angry at myself (as always, of course) for being so obsessed with him since forever.

I saw him light a cigarette from the corner of my eye, before turning back his attention to me, blowing out the smoke, “it fits you, you’re so… free, I don’t know, so you,” I looked at him attentively, lost in the way he chewed on his bottom lip while he tried to find the words, “I mean…, ugh, you know what, nothing. It just fits you because you’re beautiful and birds are also beautiful and interesting and also fucking smart”

I really didn’t know how I managed to not throw myself to him right there. To everyone, Ben Jones was this incredibly confident good looking college boy every girl wanted but to me he was just Blondie Number Two: Ben Jones, the boy whom just had compared me to birds because I, apparently, am: pretty, interesting and intelligent and now just stared at his cigarette nervously waiting for my response.

He was trying to be romantic, cute or whatever about the nickname but we both knew really well why he called me that.

“You’re and idiot, Ben.” I punched his arm lightly, “you could’ve jus explained it that way ten years ago when you started calling me that. Seven-year-old Cassie would’ve have been happy with it.”

He shrugged, “I figured you hated me.”

“I threw myself from a homemade zip line to impress you, I surely did not hate you.” Ben choked on the cigarette smoke looking at me with a funny expression, “I just never talked to you because Jonas wouldn’t let me, it wasn’t cool if his little sister tried to be friends with his friends.”

“The whole zip line thing was just to impress me?” I nodded, “well fuck, Cass, I appreciate it, you almost broke a bone back then.”

“Good to know you do now, finally.”

He finished the cigarette, throwing the filter somewhere and got closer grabbing my legs and placing them on top of his, I felt drowned to sit completely on his lap but held back that need while looking intently into his eyes trying to figure what he wanted, his left hand travelled to my lower back as he stared at my lips, my breathing slowly becoming erratic I just wanted him to do something.

“W-what are you doing, Benjamin?” He smirked, his hand resting on my back pushing me up so now I was fully sitting on his lap, his right hand caressing my thigh making me look up and down, from where his hands were drawing circles on my leg and then back to his plumped lips.

“I’m just trying to show you some gratitude after all these years of you trying so hard to get my attention, Birdie” He said, his voice coming out really low making my insides tingle and my cheeks burn, thank God for all this darkness surrounding us.

“Can I kiss you?” I felt so desperate, our lips gracing as his hands kept caressing my thigh not letting me focus on his question completely.

“Why are you even asking?”

“Just being a gentleman.” He said gripping my waist harder, a whimper coming out of me provoking a smug smirk to creep on his face.

“Oh, shut up.”

I grabbed his face finally kissing him, smirking against his lips when Ben let out a throaty moan breaking the kiss for a few seconds but kissing me back hungrily as I fully straddled him, his hands going automatically to my hips gripping harder when I bit on his bottom lip, licking it with my tongue. Ben captured my lips with his again, I was so high lost in the moment as our lips moved in complete sync I wanted to stay like this forever. He pecked my lips before resting his head on the wall behind him while both of us tried to control our breathing.

“I fucking want you, Birdie.” He said getting closer to my face to peck my lips one more time, “but we are not doing this here, not with your brother and our drunk as hell friends just a few meters away.”

I groaned remembering the fact that I was in a roof and also in the middle of a party and as much I was wanted him, he was right.

“We can go to my house, my parents are gone for the weekend and they took Layla with them,” Ben’s eyes shot open, his right hand brushing the locks of hair falling on my face as he smiled satisfied, “besides Jonas is staying at Will’s today.”

“Then let’s fucking go.”

He grabbed my waist and got up with me still on top of him, I laughed against his shoulder as he settled me back on the floor and took my hand to guide us out of the roof. He walked towards the group of boys, two of them were already passed out on the floor while Jonas and Will vibed to Pursuit of Happiness, the bottle of whisky was empty.

“You two. We are leaving, don’t drive, walk or just take a cab.” Ben said, his voice firm as the two other boys glanced at each other and then started laughing.

“Yes, father!” Will saluted and I couldn’t help let out a laugh. Ben gripped my hand tighter and I looked at him, he was trying to suppress a laugh too.

“I’m serious, Will. Be safe.” Will just nodded as he laid on his back again.

“And I’m serious, Benjamin Jones.” Jonas said stepping into the conversation. If he was slurring words earlier now he was just a mess, I rolled my eyes at the drunk ass of a brother I had, “Don’t make me an uncle,” my mouth opened to say something but the words weren’t coming out, “at least not on my bed or on the couch, if you please, now leave, my children.” And that’s all he said before passing out on top of Will legs. Ben looked at my horrified and I just stood there.

“Does he know?” I asked right after he took my hand to lead us toward the hole on the floor.

“I mean it’s not like were not pretty obvious. You keep looking at me completely stunned every time.”

I scoffed. “Like you don’t do the same.”

“Never said I didn’t.” He winked at me and then started to go down the wooden stair.

Once we closed the green door after another round of cursing from the people inside the room, Ben asked me to wait for him as he went to the bathroom and just then, during my time alone I realized I left and never told Syd or Lucas, and I had been gone for -maybe- longer than thirty minutes and then so suddenly the name Candace came back to my mind; turning towards Ben who was coming out of the bathroom fixing his hair, I got to him and he looked down at me confused but smiling.

“What?”

“Are you and Candace a thing and I’m just being that girl?” I was fuming, not really because I was being that girl but because of the fact that I hated the thought of him with someone else.

Is not like he wasn’t aloud, we’re nothing.

Ouch.

Ben rolled his eyes looking, to my surprise, annoyed. “That fucking girl. I was just being nice to her for once and now she goes around spreading bullshit. NO, Birdie, there’s nothing happening with Candace. That’s why we were on the roof, I was avoiding her, she’s a pain in the ass. In my ass.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.” He said closing the distance between us and kissing me softly, this time was way different than before, and I was loving every second of it, “why can’t you see you’re the one I want, Birdie?” he said against my lips and I felt my legs trembling at his honesty.

“We should go.”

Why didn’t I say something back? Why didn’t I say I wanted him too? Because I did, I knew that. I was stupid. Well no, actually. I was afraid and I knew it deep down, back then, I just didn’t want to come to terms with it. I was afraid of getting too attached to him that when we had to take different paths it was going to hurt so much. That’s why I never said nothing.

After some promises from Syd and Lucas to find my brother and Will and take a cab the four of them together we left the house holding hands, my house was maybe ten blocks away, a little less maybe so we decided to walk, enjoying each other’s presence, none of us saying nothing. I felt Ben’s gaze from time to time but I was too submerged on my own thoughts, drowning in them and hating to be feeling that way when I should’ve been enjoying our little moment.

Both of us knew it probably was the last time we’d see each other but none of us said anything, or I didn’t say anything, Ben had made it clear a few minutes ago. And I wanted him, but I also didn’t want to hold him back and that’s exactly why what I really think and felt was never said.

And after ten years it still haunted me.

Now the same horrible feeling growing on my chest, I was feeling as nauseous as I felt back then when I said goodbye to him knowing I was escaping from what I really wanted out of fear, because I was a coward but I was also seventeen and experiencing a feeling so hard it numbed my thoughts.

Now I stood in the middle of the room, the glass of wine long forgotten on my hands as Sydney’s hand gripped on my arm sympathetically and I felt thankful because otherwise when I saw him entering the place, looking exactly the same just more mature; his cheeky behavior that made everybody love him still present, I felt so out of place, my knees shaking a little, or maybe it was just my imagination.

8 years after.

“Blondie Number Two has ARRIVED!” I heard Lucas yell in the distance.  

And I just had to get out of here. Fast. The world was literally spinning around me as I looked at everyone greeting Ben with a hug, the ones who didn’t know him just stared at the scene smiling. 

“Cass, we can leave, there’s no need for you to be doing this now. It’s fine.” Sydney whispered. 

“No. I’m ok, this doesn’t affect me, not really.” I shrugged and she just stared at me not saying anything but her expression showed concern and tiredness towards this whole situation. “It’s just, it’s been so long and I’m just shocked. That’s all.” 

Sydney opened her mouth to protest but closed it immediately looking behind me, right then, almost instantly, a very well known cologne filled my nose before I could ask her what was going on. 

Oh crap.

 And there he stood, in all his glory. Just as handsome, his confident aura captivating everyone around us, just like always. I extended my hand to him provoking Ben to just smile and roll his eyes taking my hand just to tug me into his arms, hugging me sweetly as my face was stamped against his chest, not reacting. 

Do something. I mentally shouted at my self.

My hands travelled to his sides, finally embracing him. This felt nice, I thought. It felt familiar; way too familiar for two people who hadn’t seen each other for so long. 

Ben moved his head, lowering it so now his mouth was right next to my ear, sending a shiver trought my whole body, the action being too intimate for the place we were in. 

“Long time no see.” He whispered really low for me to hear it properly thanks to the music playing in the background, but still managing to knock the air out me when he got even closer and simply said: “I’ve missed you… Birdie.”

Now I really wanted to leave. Again.

#ben hardy #ben jones #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy smut #bohrap #borhap imagine #borhap x reader #roger taylor imagine #roger taylor x reader

[sarifel-corrisafid-ilxhel]

The Long-Suffering Chapman

In the Seerow's Kindness telegram group, I sometimes post these little things. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Finally got to a PC so I can add a READ MORE button! Added after the first skit.

__________     __________     __________     __________    

V3: <What is this wonderful plant called?>

Chapman: "I believe that's called Poison Ivy."

V3: <Glorious! Tell me, why do they call it ... Ah, I see. Chapman, am I going to die?>

Chapman: "Regrettably not, sir. It will only make you wish you were dead."

..... The Yeerks are watching the movie Independence Day

Chapman: "The whole premise of this movie is ridiculous. Visser, you're being awfully quiet."

V3: <I want all our firewalls updated to prevent this sort of thing from happening.>

Chapman: *Laughs* "Sir I mean no disrespect, but the Humans don't have the computer technology to-"

V3: <Did you forget that our computers are all based off of technologies the ANDALITES use, AND THAT THERE ARE ANDALITES RUNNING ABOUT AS WE SPEAK?! UPDATE THE FIREWALLS!!>

Chapman: *gulp* "Yessir, right away sir."

V3: <AND SOMEONE RECRUIT WILL SMITH. I don't want to take any chances.>

.....

I have this image in my head of the Yeerks trying to access a pond some Andalite ship debris fell into. But there's a flock of geese in the way and the geese won't move. The fact they aren't intimidated by Hork-Bajir and Taxxons is unnerving the Controllers. So the Yeerks call in Visser Three.

Visser Three is likewise quickly unnerved by how frustratingly brave the geese are. So he goes to a giant monster morph. No dice. The geese just don't care. Eventually the Yeerks are so broken by the sheer nerve of the geese that they are about to give up.

Cue Chapman showing up with a loaf of bread and leading the geese away.

.....

Chapman: "They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

V3: <No, we need all of the birds. Mobilize the Taxxons at once! I require those two birds in the bush!>

.....

V3: <CHAPMAN! I was the millionth visitor to this website and it is offering me a monetary reward!>

Chapman: "I wouldn't click on that sir. Anyways it's time for my host body to rest. Please don't spend all night on the Internet again."

V3: <You worry too much Chapman. This Human communication network is primitive, and the only things on here that are worthwhile are the many pictures of cats.>

Later that night

V3: <I am sorry to bother you at this hour Chapman, but my computer has an ominous warning stating that my photo has been taken and sent to the FBI for looking at human pornography.>

Chapman: "What were you doing looking at pornography?"

V3: <I wasn't! I was attempting to claim that prize promised to me by a flashing box! How many people at the FBI should we infest to be sure that we aren't revealed to the world?>

Chapman: "That's just a computer virus, sir. It's not actually from the FBI. Your computer doesn't even have a camera, remember?"

V3: <But it said- >

Chapman: "My host needs to go back to sleep, sir. Goodnight."

.....

V3: <What is the most powerful creature on this pathetic planet?>

Chapman: "Well that actually appears to be a point of contention among the humans. Apparently, the largest is the Blue Whale, but it isn't the most powerful."

V3: <I didn't ask what the largest was! I want the most powerful!>

Erek: "Chihuahua."

V3: <YES! BRING ME A CHIHUAHUA!>

Later that day

Cassie: "Uh...Erek? What're you doing here?"

Erek: "Hiding from Visser Three. He got bit by several Chihuahuas"

.....

V3: <What's wrong with those Taxxons? Why have they covered themselves in black paint?>

Chapman: "Oh god, I was afraid of this. They're what the kids at the school call 'emo'. They're basically depressed and crying out for attention."

V3: <Oh no! Those poor things! HEY! GET BACK TO WORK OR I'LL EAT YOU.> *beat* <See, all they needed was some motivation.>

Chapman: *facepalm*

.....

Chapman: "I don't think this is a good idea."

V3: <Nonsense! This will be an amazing idea!>

Chapman: "Sir, no disrespect, but the last time you were seen in public out of morph, thirty seven kids asked for a piggy back rides."

V3: <And now they're the youngest Controllers ever! No harm done.>

Chapman: "We still haven't retrieved all of the footage of your rampage through the farmer's market! This will only risk exposure even more!"

V3: <I still don't understand this human fascination with clothes. Why are you fine with seeing Alloran's cloaca but not Victor Trent's- >

Chapman: "THIS ISN'T ABOUT THAT!!"

.....

V3: <Why isn't this stuff legal?>

Chapman: "Sir are you...are you getting high?"

V3: <Relax, Andalites do it all the time.>

Chapman: "Sir, Visser One's crack addiction is why she's being hauled in front of the Council of Thirteen next week! They've started mandatory drug testing for everybody! You can't do that!"

.....

V3: "It occurs to me, Chapman, that you cannot ban me from the Sharing cookouts. I am your boss. I am ordering you to let me go to the cookout."

Chapman: "Sorry sir. We all voted. If you come within a mile of the cookout, we release the video to the Yeerk communications network."

V3: "Y-You wouldn't! I'll kill you!"

Chapman: "Also if you kill me, the video gets released automatically."

V3: *incomprehensible screaming*

.....

V3: <What do you mean I have to drive myself there?!>

Chapman: "I'm sorry but my host has a prior commitment. Today is final exams, and we must be there to witness the pain and misery."

V3: <...but nobody taught me how to drive. *sigh* Ok Esplin, you can do this.>

Ten minutes later

Chapman: "HOW DID YOU FLIP A SEDAN?!"

V3: <I don't remember.>

.....

Visser Three: "So this is an Earth dinner?"

Chapman: "Yes Visser."

Visser Three: "Do I eat this ceramic disk?"

Chapman: "No sir, you wait for food to be put on it. The plate keeps the food from touching the table."

Visser Three: "To what end? To protect the food or the table?"

Chapman: "I don't know sir. Nobody does."

.....

Visser Three: "Ah! Meat! A fine meal."

Chapman: "... That's a potato, sir. It's a vegetable."

Visser Three: "Wait... You said there would be meat. You don't mean this brown fungal mat is..."

Chapman: "A cut from an Earth creature known as a cow. It's called steak."

Visser Three: "... You can hardly tell it's from an animal. It doesn't even protest when I stab it."

Chapman: "It's already dead sir."

Visser Three: "What?! But I didn't kill it! How can I be sure whoever killed this cow did it recently?!"

.....

Visser Three: "When they killed this creature, did it die painlessly?"

Chapman: "Probably not. Humans are quite barbaric."

Visser Three: "Ah yes. I can taste the agony."

Chapman: "That's probably the steak sauce, sir."

Visser Three: *considers for a moment, then upends the bottle of steak sauce into his mouth*

.....

Tom: "Do you remember that bet I made that Jake was working with the Andalite Bandits? Well...yeah..."

Chapman: "Oh. The Visser is going to kill us when he finds out we knew."

Tom: "You mean IF he finds out."

Chapman: "If... If is good."

.....

Visser Three: <THIS is Bigfoot?>

Chapman: "It appears to be that way sir."

Visser Three: <...How disappointing. It's just a large bipedal bear.> *huff* <We came all this way for nothing.>

Chapman: "We're literally only fifteen minutes from Los Angeles, sir."

Visser Three: <ALL THIS WAY FOR NOTHING.>

.....

Visser Three: <Chapman, do you remember when I said we came out here to hunt dangerous and terrifying creatures?>

Chapman: "How could I forget?"

Visser Three: <See, this is what we needed! In the past hour we've lost nine Taxxons, three Hork-Bajir, and the keys to the minivan to a single Chupacabra!>

Chapman: "Sir, please, I'm terrified and I just want to go home."

.....

Visser Three: <Mokele Mbembe WILL BE MINE! ARGH! These ants are absolutely horrible! Where are the Taxxons?! They were supposed to deal with these ants hours ago!>

Chapman: "The ants ate the Taxxons, sir."

Visser Three: <...If you weren't so likeable, Iniss, i would kill you where you stand for their incompetence.>

Chapman: "Yes sir."

.....

Visser Three: <I have searched every inch of this stupid body of water and there are NO monsters in it! Other than myself, of course.>

Chapman: "Sir? T-turn around."

Visser Three: *turns an eyestalk* <Oh...Oh, it's absolutely beautiful. How did I miss that?!>

Chapman: "Visser, now might be a good time to run..."

Nessie: RWAAAAAAAAARGH!!

#read more #animorphs #Visser Three #hendrick Chapman #Chapman #surviving your evil incompetent boss is hard #tom berenson #Cassie #Erek king #esplin 9466 #long post #can't figure out how to do on mobile

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Sort of an odd question, I guess, but can you think of what sorts of things helped distinguish character voice in Animorphs? I've wanted to write a series like it since I was a kid, with rotating narrators and the like, but I worry that my characters' narration gets kinda "same-y" and I remember Animorphs being pretty good about keeping them distinct. Any thoughts on the ways the kids' narration voices were differentiated?

I think where K.A. Applegate is an absolute master of character voice is the margin of unreliability within which she operates.  The characters don’t lie to the reader, and they pretty much never lie to themselves, but their attention is drawn to different details as dictated by their own biases and preferences and goals and experiences.  They can watch the same battle happen at the same time and come away with six subtly different interpretations.  One of the many, many great meta-commentaries in #54 is when Marco says:

Jake was too serious and heavy for the media… everyone acted like they wantedJake to do their show, but Jake wasn’t really into that game and the bookers for the shows knew it.Jake did not do good panel… As for Cassie, well, she was worse, if that’s possible. She had the tendency to wander around in all the moral subtext of everything. She’d take some story about a cool, rock ‘em sock 'em battle we’d been in and turn it into this mope about the morality of self-defense.

It’s a great way of summing up the character voices while gently poking fun at them as well.  Jake takes a serious, heavy view of most battles, and he focuses on all of the ways that he could have done things differently to prevent most of the risk.  That means that his perspective is very much caught up in the moment-to-moment question of what’s happening and what he has to do about it.  He doesn’t really ask the deep questions.  That said, he does break the fourth wall and talk to the reader more so than any other narrator.  Usually he’s apologizing, or trying to explain himself, or going “look, I know this makes me look bad, but here goes.”  He has the least distance from whatever’s happening in any given moment, and yet we also get the sense that his narrative voice is an older and more regretful person than the guy we meet in the first book.  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, his focus is going to be on all the ways he could’ve decided differently to avoid this situation in the first place.

Cassie, by contrast, does absolutely get caught up in the major questions and paradoxes implied by the Animorphs’ existence.  She’s the one to worry that controlling a morph is no better than controlling a host, the one who admits that she doesn’t have all the answers but asks the questions anyway.  During the down times, she worries not about the “best” way to fight the war (the way Jake does) but about the individual hosts and yeerks and baby skunks they’re harming in their effort to protect everyone.  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, her focus is going to be on the animals and civilians that are going to be harmed by the crossfire of this particular conflict.

Marco isn’t quite as blasé about the violence of the war as he makes himself out to be in that quote, but then Marco’s most characteristic narration quirk is that he is the least honest with himself and the reader.  Again, he doesn’t outright lie (the wildly-unreliable narrator was cliché in Edgar Allan Poe’s time, and that’s not even getting into the ableist tripe put out by bad Chuck Palahniuk emulators) because having a character outright lie or dream or hallucinate rapidly renders the entire story meaningless.  However, he tends to adopt whichever zoom lens will allow him to make the story funny and glorious rather than the zoom lens that runs the risk of revealing his vulnerabilities.  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, he’s either going to be zoomed way out to comment on the ridiculousness of giant Very Hungry Caterpillars running down a bunch of dumbass fursonas, or he’s going to be zoomed in far enough to complain about the fact that he already got his 10,000 steps today and yet here he is still stepping.  Either way, he’s going to adopt the perspective that almost keeps you from noticing how exhausted and terrified he is the entire time.

Rachel’s narration is all about turning situations into battles, preferably with herself on the side of righteousness and her enemies presented as the ultimate challenge.  Rachel is no bully (*cough* unlike early-series Marco *cough*) because she never ever takes on a weaker opponent, but she wants to fight everyone from her own uncomfortable emotions to God the Ellimist himself.  She tends to cast everything from bickering with Jake or hunting for bargains into a grand struggle, and she is always trying to figure out who is powerful and who is not so that she can defend the powerless through kicking ass on the powerful.  That’s a big part of the reason she’s so good to Tobias — she is gruffly affectionate or tough and defensive depending on what he needs — and part of the reason she often succeeds in supporting Marco when Jake fails to do so.  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, she’s going to be focused on turning the chase into a struggle, some kind of battle that she doesn’t even have to win, just as long as she has the chance to put the hurt on the people who would try and harm the powerless.

Ax is an interesting case in that he’s not necessarily talking to the reader; he’s talking to the Andalite War Council and possibly the entire Andalite Electorate.  A lot of the time his narration also mismatches the reality of the situation, but generally that’s because of biases in his perception rather than deliberate decisions about how to tell a particular story.  Ax has some great dramatic-irony moments during his more humorous scenes, because his narration is all about missing facets of human society that are obvious to every human reader (American ones especially) while trying to explain to his superiors that he’s doing just fine.  He has growing tension between his duty and the realization that the andalites’ imperialist bullshit is a bunch of imperialist bullshit, but he nevertheless toes the line of justifying his decisions through using what he was taught at the andalite academy.  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, he’s going to be explaining how he calmly assessed the situation and decided it would be for the best to run from the army while also noticing that it might not be The Warrior Way but it keeps them all alive and so he doesn’t necessarily care about being by the book at the expense of his team’s lives.

Tobias thinks too much.  I think it’s partially a side effect of the fact that he spends a lot of time alone — and unlike Ax, doesn’t get lonely when he doesn’t have company.  He really tries to get at the answers to the questions that Cassie just asks for their own sakes, and tends to obsess over the idea of there being moral rights and wrongs.  That said, Tobias’s distant and occasionally-detached perspective on the series means that he embraces the cheerful nihilism and darkly absurdist humor of the 2010s way ahead of the curve.  He’s the one most likely to announce casually that it doesn’t matter that the Animorphs lost a particular battle because the Earth is going to be absorbed by the sun in a total-planetary extinction event in a couple million years anyway, and the one least likely to care about needing strict definitions for his relationship with Rachel or his “half hawk, half human, half andalite” status (MM3).  If the Animorphs are running from an army of taxxon-controllers, then Tobias is going to have a literally distant perspective as he watches from overhead and herds all the others to safety, but he’s also going to have a metaphorically distant perspective as he unflinchingly assumes that this will be the last battle the Animorphs can expect to survive.

Anyway, I think that that’s what makes really REALLY good character voice.  It’s not a huge margin of uncertainty where we don’t even know what’s real and what isn’t.  (Again: 99% of those narrators are ableist as fuck, and 99% of those plots are frustratingly nonsensical to try and read.  Dream plots have never not been silly, and psychosis plots have never not been ableist.)  It’s not a tiny margin of uncertainty where we’re essentially reading a reporting of the events of the war without commentary.  It’s a more-or-less faithful rendering of the events of the war, with a focus on the aspects of any given scene that that particular character has reason to care about.  It’s subtle.  It’s complex, but simple and clean on the surface.  It’s masterfully done.

#animorphs #animorphs meta #character voice #point of view #perspective #writing #narration #Anonymous #asks

[vgckwb]

Danganronpa: Away Chapter 3: Only Human (Part 1)

Computer Lab: The Night After the Second Class Trial

“Why does it say ‘Phase 2’?” Asked Tammy

“How am I supposed to know?” asked Monobird. “I don’t work with him.”

“I mean, I guess not” said Tammy. “Ugh.”

“It’s OK,” said Monobird. “We have Cassy and Justin. Maybe they can figure it out.”

“Yeah, but who knows how many of us will still be alive by the time that happens,” said Tammy.

“...I know it’s scary” said Monobird.

“That’ a generous way of putting it,” said Tammy.

“But we have to hold out hope that things will get better” said Monobird.

“But will things be ‘good’ ever again?” asked Tammy.

Monobird looked at her. “...that is something you have to figure out on your own.”

Tammy yawned. “I should probably go to bed.”

“Good idea” said Monobird. Tammy left. “Of course. She’s still a child. They all are. And four of them are dead already.”

Zooming in on Monobird’s eye, the scene changes to a monitor in a dimly lit room where a police officer is staring into it. He then says “...I’m probably not the first one to say this, but if I ever meet The Ultimate Killer, I’m going to make him pay.”

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Tammy yawns again. “I should have gone to bed sooner. Oh hey, there’s Justin. Why is he heading downstairs? Oh well.” Tammy  went back to her room.

Earlier, in Justin’s room:

That night, I had the courtroom dream again. The smiling dream. The smile was as creepy as ever. However, I saw a table. On the table was some peculiar things. There was some broken glass, a pair of wire cutters, a pair of gloves, and a bloody knife. Again I protest in vain that I shouldn’t leave. I am being taken away anyway. I am pointing. Am I pointing at the table?

“AH!” I wake in a sweat. “Is this going to happen every time something terrible happens?” I say. I try going back to sleep, but I can’t. “Well, it worked last time,” I said. I got out of bed and I made my way to the art room. I got out some clay and made two figures, one for Troy and one for Rachel. I then went back up to my room and slept.

I wasn’t woken to the sound of Monokuma’s announcement playing, but a voice screaming in the halls. “EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!”

Without thinking, I get up, put some pants on, and walked out to see Cassy in a panic. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

Cassy said “Well, first off, Justin isn…” Cassy stopped, as her face turned red. “Why are you here?”

“Because it’s where I sleep?” I said.

“But why aren’t you in the art room?!” she snapped back.

“I guess I had the energy to make it back” I said. “I only made two statues this time.”

“Oh… Well, there’s still the matter of Sophie.”

I was now worried “What happened?”

“She’s not in her room!”

“Well, let’s see if we can’t find her” I said.

“I already found her” said Annabelle.

“Huh?” said Cassy.

“She’s in Rachel’s room,” she said. “Sleeping like an angel.”

“Oh…” Cassy’s face grew even more red.

“I guess that makes sense,” I said. I looked at the clock and saw it was around 6 am. “How are you people awake?”

“I’m usually up early to get a head start on the day’s news” said Annabelle.

“And I like to wake up this early just because” said Cassy.

“Well, you do you, I guess” I said. “But since there’s no emergency, I’m going back to sleep.” I returned to my room and passed out.

I woke up to the morning announcement. “Ugh, I’m going to be so tired today.” I got out of bed and got ready for going out. I made my way to the dining area. Everyone was silent. What happened yesterday was horrific to say the least, so I wasn’t surprised.

What I was surprised with was who broke the silence. “So, um, do we have any ideas on how to get out?” Sophie asked. We all looked at her. “It’s just, we kind of discuss these things…”

“No, she’s right,” said Duke. “We can’t keep feeling so down that we don’t find a way out. So let’s spitball here. I’m thinking of making a chemical compound that we serve to Monokuma. It will short circuit him, and hopefully the whole system where we could just walk out.”

“Well, he’s not going to accept it now, dumbass” said Buck.

“Oh, yeah, that’s a good point,” said Duke.

“Do you think that dowsing Monokuma counts as attacking him?” asked May.

“Well, if it is, then let me do it,” said Jay. “I may have the best chance of being gunned down by those security cams. Besides, since I’ve lost Troy already, I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

Right, Jay is also hurting as well.

“Do you idiots actually think that would work?” said Monokuma, popping up again.

“Oh, what do you want?” asked Andy.

“Wow. Blunt” said Monokuma.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t have candor when talking to a psychopath who has killed four of my friends in the past week,” said Andy.

Wow, he's not taking any shit.

“Technically, I’ve only killed two of them,” said Monokuma.

“No, you killed four” said Andy. “I don’t care if someone else killed Maria, or Troy, you are the reason they are dead.”

“Am I?” asked Monokuma. “I just laid the groundwork. You all said you wouldn't do it. And yet two of you did do it. Maybe because you freaks are selfish, greedy monsters who care only about themselves.”

“Well, if we’re going to start insulting each other like children,” said May, “I’m rubber, you’re glue. Everything you say bounces off of me, and sticks to you.”

“Cute” said Monokuma.

Freaks? That’s new.

“Why are you here?” asked Cassy.

“Ah yes” said Monokuma. “I have finally finished reservations on the first floor. I would like you to come and see what is in store for you. Your killing possibilities will go way up.”

We all walked out to the first floor wall. “Are you ready?” Monokuma asked. He put a key in the lock and unveiled what remains of the first floor.

“Wow” I said.

“Thank you,” said Monokuma. “Finally, someone appreciates my work.”

“Are you telling me you built all this?” I asked. “We you the Ultimate Architect and you hated it?”

“What, NO!” aid Monokuma. “I renovated this place.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t build it.” I said.

“IT STILL COUNTS!” screamed Monokuma.

“Whatever” I said. “Let’s just look around.”

There were a few new rooms to explore. I began with the big room on the left. It was a science room. In there I saw Duke pouting. “If only this room was open last time…” he said. “Troy might still be alive.”

“Um, are you OK?” I asked.

“GAH!” said Duke. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I was in front of you the whole time…” I said.

“Well, I didn’t see you” said Duke. “Although I was lost in thought. Whatever. What do you want?”

“Well, what do you make of this room?” I asked.

“What do I think? It’s a science room. It’s glorious” said Duke. “Man, if this room was available earlier, my plan of drugging someone with a chemical that gives the illusion of death and then leave.”

“Oh...”

“Do you think he did this on purpose?” Duke asked.

“Well, if I’m being honest, no” said Monokuma, showing up again. “Although, I’m glad it worked out that way. Otherwise my plan would stop working.”

“You know, for someone who fancies themselves as ‘The Ultimate Killer’, relying on luck doesn’t seem to suggest that you are the best at killing” said Duke.

“Well, remember, he wasn’t actually ‘The Ultimate Killer’,” I said, “he was something else that he hated so much that he resorted to killing.”

“Maybe he should have stuck to that and not half ass this whole killing thing” said Duke.

“You know I can hear you” said Monokuma.

“Whether or not you are actually here, you can hear us,” I said. “It still doesn’t change the fact that this part of your plan was half baked.”

“Well, I’m still a successful killer, aren’t I?” said Monokuma. “I planned everything methodically.”

“Not so methodically that the police interrupted your plan by bringing us here instead of going to actual Hope’s Peak” said Duke.

“Yeah, which you yourself alerted the police that you were doing this,” I reminded him.

“Well, I’m still getting results” said Monokuma. “And RESULTS are all that matter to you Ultimates, now aren’t they?”

I interjected “Actually, my grandpa always said ‘a true Ultimate is not measured by results, but by action.’”

“Yeah, well he’s DEAD!” screamed Monokuma and he pounded his fist on one of the tables, collapsing it. There was a hum coming from Monokuma and then his head popped up. “Oh, I’m sorry, I'm not always in control of my actions,” he said.

He started to fix the table he just destroyed. “What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Oh…um...well…” said Monokuma. “Fine. I was told not to tell you this, but sometimes the Ultimate Killer controls me. However, I have an override feature when things get too heated.”

“Like, he talks for you?” asked Duke.

“Talks, moves, everything” said Monokuma. “Although, 95% of the time, it’s lovable old me in here.”

“You’re not much better” I said.

“Aww, why do you say that?” said Monokuma.

“Cause you still want us dead” I answered.

“Oh, yeah. That thing” Monokuma said. “Well, like I said, I’m a tool. In use by the Ultimate Killer. I don’t really have control over that.”

“So, you're saying that if we met in different circumstances, we could be friends?” asked Duke.

“Well, no, I was built to kill” replied Monokuma. “Unless you’d be fine with me killing other people.” We both stared at him not amused. “OK, fine, I get it. You guys don’t like killing. Anyway, your stupid table is fixed.”

“Is the Ultimate Killer going to be mad that you told us this?” I asked.

“Eh, he’s told you more revealing stuff” said Monokuma. “What’s the worst that could happen? Anyway, seeya.” He left.

“Well...that was something” said Duke. “I think I’ll take a look around here some more. You know, see what I can gather from this.”

“OK then” I said. I looked around and saw that Tammy was also in here. “Oh, uh hi” I said, nervously. “You saw that, right?” She nodded. “Um, are you alright?”

“Um...maybe…”

Translation: No. “Um, do you have anything you want to say?” I asked in a calming voice.

“Well...I do, but I also want to share it with Cassy. Can you bring her back here so we can talk?”

“Sure” I said. I left to see where everyone else was. I entered the room across the hall. I was surprised to see it was essentially a weapons room. “It’s just one surprised after another.”

“Oh, hey Justin” said Pierce. “You don’t look great.”

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well, and Monokuma just exploded on me” I said.

“Oh? What happened?” Pierce asked.

“Well, he showed up while Duke and I were talking. So, we decided to get under his skin” I began.

“Like you do.”

“So, we may have pushed him a bit too far and he smashed a table.”

“Oh, that’s...not great.”

“Yeah, but then he told us that the Ultimate Killer himself was controlling him at the time.”

“So, the Ultimate Killer can control Monokuma sometimes then, eh?” said Pierce.

“Apparently” I said. “So, what did you find out about this room? Why is there an armory in here?”

“We’re not sure” said Jay.

“We think this was an indoor target range, but there appears to be no targets” said Andy.

“...Were you two in here this whole time?” I asked.

“Yeah” said Jay.

“...Man, I’m tired” I said.

“So, former target practice area then?” Pierce asked.

“Well, based on all of this room back here with nothing in it” said Andy.

“And the fact that all of these weapons can be fired or thrown” said Jay. “Like guns, arrows, spears, axes, they even have slingshots.”

“And I assume that all of these weapons were provided by the Ultimate Killer themselves” I said.

“Probably” said Andy.

“Great, just what we need: MORE tools to kill each other with” I said.

“Exactly” said Monokuma, popping up again. “Oh, you were being sarcastic.”

“Of course I was” I said.

“So, who’s in there now?” asked Pierce.

“Why, it’s ME! Monokuma” said Monokuma. “The Ultimate Killer will continue to be locked out of direct control for another 47 minutes.”

“I see,” said Pierce.

“Can you just go now?” I asked. “I’m too tired for this.”

“Sure, but how did you expect school would go?” asked Monokuma. “You gotta wake up early.”

“That fact that you treat this like school still amazes me,” I said.

“Yeah, but you’d still have to wake up early even if we were going to actual school” said Jay.

“Hope’s Peak is open ended” I told him. “I wouldn’t have to wake up before noon.”

“Yeah, it isn’t” said Andy.

“How would you know?” I asked.

“Because I’m the Ultimate Trivia Master” said Andy. “I look these things up all the time.”

“...Motherfucker” I said, under my breath.

“Well, anyway, it seems like I’m not needed here anymore” said Monokuma.

“You’re ever needed” said Jay.

“Toodleoo” Monokuma said, disappearing again.

“I swear, every time I think ‘this isn't too bad’, he shows up,” I said.

Pierce said “I would say ‘it could always be worse’, but I don’t think it can get much worse at this point.”

“Well, assuming we can get out at this point, losing only a quarter of the people we came in with wouldn’t be the WORST hostage situation” said Andy.

“It’s still not great,” said Jay.

“I know” said Andy.

I left to see what was down the hall. The hall was filled with a bunch of loose stuff that assume would go to the gym. “Why is all of this here?” I asked myself.

“To explain” said Monokuma, showing up again.

“GAH!” I said.

“You see, not everything we wanted to bring for the gym could fit reasonably in the storage room of the gym” Monokuma explained. “We have a tendency to overpack, you see. So, we just left it in this hall. It’s close enough to other exercise equipment anyway, so we figured ‘what the heck?’”

“Please stop saying ‘we’” I said. “I get that you want to distinguish yourself from the Ultimate Killer, but it’s kind of creeping me out.”

“Yeah, I see your point” said Monokuma. “Besides, that sounds like something some other villain would do. I need to be original.”

“You know what would be original for a villain? Letting us go” I said.

“Are you kidding?” said Monokuma. “The face-turn is done by plenty of villains.”

“Yeah, but all of those villains were sympathetic” I told him. “You’d still retain your whole unlikable charm while doing the right thing.”

“Hmmmm. As tempting as that sounds, I find it more fun to just watch you all die one by one” said Monokuma.

“Well, I tried” I said.

“And an Ultimate is measured by their actions” said Monokuma. “That’s what you said, right?”

“...Yeah, but how did you know?” I asked.

“Just because I’m not in control, doesn’t mean I can’t hear” said Monokuma.

“Duly noted” I said. Monokuma left.

I went to the end of the hall and I found two rooms. One labeled “Girl’s Locker Room” and one labeled “Boy’s Locker Room.” I went in the Boy’s locker room and had a look around. I saw that each of us had a locker designated to us. I opened mine up to find a swimsuit. Not just any swimsuit though; My favorite swimsuit. Red with a black stripe on each side. “OK, THAT’S creepy.” I saw a sign that said “No casual clothes or Monopads in the pool area. Also, everyone has to shower before entering the pool area.”

“Guess I have no choice,” I said. I put them on and continued. I found the showers and used them. I went further and there was a door. I opened it and I found the pool area. “”Bout time you showed up,” said Buck. It was weird to see him without his sunglasses. His swim trunks were green with outlines of basketballs on them “I was worried you’d never show up.”

“Why did I need to show up?” I asked.

“We need a ref” he told me. “And you’re it.”

“Ref? For what?” I asked.

“Water basketball” Buck said, like that was totally a normal thing.

“Water basketball?” I said.

“Look, I know it’s odd, but it’s fun,” said Buck. “And I knew you’d stop by eventually, and I don’t want you to be sore in the morning, so I volunteered you to be the ref.”

“Umm, thanks?” I said.

“Great” said Buck. “Follow me.” I followed him to one of the pools. It was then I noticed how large the pool area was. There were two water slides, a lap pool with 12 lanes, a hot tube, a sauna, and like three other pools. It could be so easy to get lost in here. “Hey, he’s here.”

“Great!” said May. “Let’s get started.”

I only saw May, whose swimsuit was a red and orange two-piece, where the top looked like a sports bra and the bottom was shorts, Annabelle, whose swimsuit was an aquamarine one-piece, and Elliot, whose swimsuit was a pure white two-piece. “Where are Sophie and Cassy?” I asked.

“Sophie is in the sauna” said Annabelle. “As for Cassy, well…”

“She’s investigating the area, so she couldn’t be our ref” said Elliot.

“I see…” I said. I might as well see what this is about. If Cassy finds anything she’ll tell us. “Well, OK then, let’s get started. What are the rules?”

“Just like regular basketball, but in the water, so we don’t need to worry about dribbling” said Buck. “Also, I added some house rules.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because Buck here is the only one who’s played water basketball,” said May. “He has an unfair advantage.”

“That, and it’s just the four of us playing” said Elliot.

“So, I’m on Buck’s team to even things out,” said Annabelle. “I’m not that athletic, but I can do some things.”

“Basically, the two rules in play is that the ball has to at least be passed once, and a team can’t score over 10 points without both players at least scoring once” said Buck.

“OK. Sounds fair enough” I said. “And how long are we playing?”

“I was thinking just 30 minutes,” said Buck.

“Seems reasonable” I said. “OK, then, let’s begin!”

They got into position. I started the clock and they went for it. Water basketball is actually really engaging. The water adds some depth that wasn’t there before. It looks so stylish. Of course, Buck was styling all over the place and getting points left and right. But the rules were helpful. May and Elliot managed to score a fair amount of point. And even Annabelle scored some points. It was really charming. However, due to the nature of these things, Buck and Annabelle won.

“And that’s game,” said Buck. “56 to 50.”

“Hm” said Elliot. “Good game, but still.”

“Yeah, THAT WAS AWESOME!” said May.

“I’m just impressed with how well I did” said Annabelle. “I’m going to see what else is here.”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you,” said Elliot.

“Well, I’m probably going to do some laps in the lap pool,” said May.

“Want to compete?” asked Buck.

“Not really” said May. “I just want to see if I can beat my personal record.”

“Fair enough. I’ll just hang out here then” said Buck.

“I should go too,” I said. “I need to find Cassy.”

“I bet you do” Buck said, suggestively.

“Seriously, why do people think we should go out?” I asked.

“Because you should” said Buck.

“Whatever” I is said. I left and decided to check on Sophie in the sauna to see how she was holding up. However, it seems I wasn’t the only one to think that, because as I went in there, not only did I find Sophie, who was wearing a green two-piece with olive green accents, I also found Cassy, who was wearing a dark purple to-piece swimsuit with a pink frilly skirt-thing on the bottom half. “Oh. Hi” I said.

“Oh hey Justin” said Sophie. “What’s up?”

“Well, I just wanted to check on you quick” I said. “You know...since yesterday…”

“Right…” said Sophie. “Well, I’ve just been thinking in here. About Rachel. And Troy. And Roman. And Maria. And I realized that what I did was wrong. Me just giving up like that some that everyone else could be safe. The Ultimate Killer has taken away so many people. Now that I see that I don’t want to be just another person he takes away, and cause harm to anyone else. I want to fight him. I want to beat him.”

She’s gone through so much, and yet on the other side she’s still standing. Rachel, if you could see this, you would be proud.

“Well, I should go, my time’s almost up,” said Sophie.

“What?” I said.

“She means in the sauna” said Cassy. “Look.” She pointed to a sign that said “CAUTION: Please do not spend more than 1 hour in the sauna.”

“I see,” I said.

“Well, see you later” said Sophie.

She left and it was just me and Cassy. “Sooooooooooo, what’s up” said Cassy.

“Well, actually, Tammy has something she needs to tell us,” I said. “But she won’t talk to me without you.”

“Why not?” asked Cassy.

“She seemed scared” I said. I explained what happened with Monokuma.

“Oh,” said Cassy. “OK then. Let’s go.” We left the sauna and went back to our respective changing rooms and met each other outside the pool area and headed towards the science room.

We met Tammy, who asked us “Why do you smell like chlorine?”

“Well, we just got out of the pool,” I said.

“There’s a pool?!” Tammy asked, excitedly.

“Tammy, what is it that you wanted to tell us?” asked Cassy.

“Oh, right. I’ll worry about the pool later” said Tammy. “Anyway, last night, after the trial, I decided to look into what Monokuma told us about those devices that would make us forget things. I looked into some of the protected file and I managed to find the device he was talking about.”

“But he never got a chance to use it,” said Cassy.

“Well, I just wanted to see what he was planning” said Tammy. “Plus it might give me insight on how some of the Ultimate Killer’s tech works so I could figure things out faster. But before I got a chance, I saw something.”

“Saw what?” I asked.

Tammy fidgeted nervously. “Well, the blueprint was labeled ‘Phase 2’” she told us.

“Wait, what does that mean?” said Cassy.

“I don’t know” Tammy said. “But maybe the Ultimate Killer already did something to us.”

“But how?” I said. “We got moved before we could enter the school.”

“Hmmmm. It's worth thinking about” said Cassy. “Thank you for finding this. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you want both of us?” Cassy asked.

“Oh, um, ya see” stammered Tammy. “Ho boy, this is awkward.”

“What?” I asked.

“So, you know how my dad was arrested?” said Tammy.

“Yeah” I said.

“Well, soon after my mother became distant. She was there, but she wasn’t really there” Tammy continued.

“Go on” said Cassy.

“So, for the first time in a long time,” said Tammy, “I feel like I have parents in the two of you.”

Both mine and Cassy’s face turned beet red. “Oh,” I said.

“I know it’s stupid,” said Tammy, “but that’s just how I feel.”

“It’s OK to feel like that” said Cassy. “It’s important for people to have someone to depend on. I’m glad you can trust us.”

“Really? Thank you!” Tammy said, giving Cassy a hug. After a second of shock, Cassy hugged back. They broke the hug and Tammy said “Well, I’m going to go swimming now.” She left.

“So, what do you make of that? I asked.

“I genuinely think it’s sweet” said Cassy.

“Wha? No. About the whole memory wipe device being a ‘Phase 2’” I said.

“Oh. That” said Cassy. “Well, I might have something. But I don’t know for sure.”

“Really, what is it?” I asked.

Cassy looked at me. She told me “I’m very unconfident in this evidence as of right now. I don’t even know if it means anything yet. I’d like to wait and figure it out some more. ...If that’s alright with you.”

I sighed. “I guess do what you think is best” I told her. “But just know that two minds are better than one, and we are on a timer here. I know speed isn’t your strong suit, but the sooner the better.”

“I get you,” said Cassy. “It’s not a matter of if Monokuma gives us another motive, but when. Still though, I don’t know what to make of this evidence yet. It could be nothing even. I’d rather have you focusing on what we know for sure than something that could be nothing.”

“Understandable” I said. We just kind of hung around until dinner time. Afterwards we all met up to eat. Cassy and I explained everything we learned that day to everyone.

“Oh MAN!” said May. “That’s some heavy stuff.”

“Yeah. It’s weird enough that he’d try to wipe our memories,” said Jay, “but to know he might have done something else on top of that? That’s disturbing.”

“I agree, that shit’s wack” said Buck.

“Wait a tick, I just thought of something” said Annabelle. “If he had this all planned out, is it possible that he planned out the motives as well?”

“Well, it seems possible, yes,” said Cassy.

“So, couldn’t Tammy also find those motive plans?” Annabelle asked. “So that we can properly defend against them.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that” said Monokua popping out again. “The Ultimate Killer may have planned a lot, but the motives are provided by yours truly. And as such, there are no records of them, until I think of them and announce them to you.”

“So, YOU think up these motives?” I asked.

“Yes” said Monokuma.

“Do you run them by the Ultimate Killer before telling us?” I asked.

“Of course” said Monokuma. “And he OKs them all before I tell you.”

“And what if you don’t agree on the fundamental idea of a motive?” I asked.

“Just what are you getting at?” Monokuma asked, annoyed.

“Well, I just think that maybe the last motive wasn’t as pure as it was intended” I insinuated.

“Wait, what do you mean?” asked Andy.

“Yeah, what do you mean?” Monokuma said, intimidatingly.

“Well, it’s just that the night of Troy’s death, I saw someone among the police who was dressed in black from head to toe” I clarified.

“Did they have guns hidden under their petticoat?” May asked.

“I think that that was the Ultimate Killer” I said. “And he was going to kill whoever walked out into police protection.”

“Oh my,” said Monokuma. “That’s a charged accusation. Do you have any proof to back this up?”

“Well, ya see,” said Jay, “this guy is the Ultimate Killer. And he trapped us in here to kill us. So, it seems likely that he would try to kill us once we got out. So the burden of proof is on you. Now tell us, why would the Ultimate Killer NOT try to kill the children he’s been trying to kill in a horrific way.”

Monokuma looked stunned. “Oh. Well, if you put it like that…” said Monokuma.

“So, the whole last motive was a lie?” Sophie asked.

“Well, not a lie, per say said Monokuma. “It’s entirely possible to protect yourself from the Ultimate Killer, eve if he did sneak into the police vehicle you were in. Just not likely for some of you, I suppose.”

“And if Monobird were to tell us this, we’d have no reason to consider the motive anymore,” I said. “So you would have to cancel the motive.”

“Grrrrrrr” growled Monokuma. “Well, no matter. I’m already thinking up a new motive. And THIS time, there won’t be any of this roundabout, technicality stuff. I want to see you guys play the game!” Monokuma disappeared.

“Well, that was weird,” said Jay.

“What about him ISN’T weird?” said Tammy.

“Well, at least we have something to try and work with” I said. “We know that there is some friction between the Ultimate Killer and Monokuma. We just need to figure out how to take advantage of it.”

We finished eating. I was tired, so I decided to go to bed after dinner, but first, I stopped by the MonoMono Machine. I put some coins in and some interesting things came out.

The first thing of note that came out was a big book about the countries of the world. “This seems peculiar.” The next thing of note that came out was a packet of Lightning Gum. “Now that seems weird.” The final thing of note that dropped was some pool toys. “This could be cool.”

I was on my way to my room when Sophie stopped me. “Um, uh, Justin” she said.

“Yeah” I said.

“Did you make figures of Troy and, um, Rachel last night?” she asked.

“Yeah” I replied.

“Do you mind if you show them to me?” she asked.

“Oh, uh, sure,” I said. I lead her to the art room. I showed her the statues I made. “What do you think?” I asked.

“Well, they look good,” she told me. “I can tell you put your heart into it. I’m sure that if they could see it, they would love it.”

“Thank you” I said. I decided to reflect on those we lost yesterday.

Troy. A man of honor. He was always willing to help anyone. He was colorful, but that made him all the more real. He wasn’t pretending to be anything he wasn’t. I’m sure he could have been a good hero if a foul villain didn’t torture us like this.

Rachel. She was a very wonderful person. Always there, looking after Sophie. She was calm, even in the darkest of situations. She wasn’t afraid to open up when the situation called for it though. Though she can no longer look after Sophie, she trusts us to do so. And I’m not about to break  that trust.

Sophie yawned. “Well, I guess I’m off to sleep,” she said.

“Are you sleeping in Rachel’s bed again?” I asked.

“Oh, so you heard about that?” she said. “I’ll be in my own bed. I just felt like I needed to do that last night.”

“I understand” I said.

“It...felt warmer,” she said. “I needed that. Well, good night.” With that, Sophie left.

I left soon after and headed to my room. I got into bed and thought about what was happening. Despite all of the death and being held against our will, we were all trying to make the best of the situation. We were all trying to find a way out and trying to have fun. We were growing as people. I guess it’s like grandpa always said: “An Ultimate isn’t measured by results, but by actions.” And it’s those actions that will ultimately take down the Ultimate Killer. I just know it. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

#danganronpa #danganronpa fanfiction #Danganronpa away #Justin #Cassy #Tammy #Duke #Jay #Andy #Pierce #Buck #May #Annabelle #Elliot #Sophie #Rachel #Troy #Roman #Maria #Monokuma #Monobird

[pen-masta]

A Midnight Scare

Happy Halloween! Stay safe!

The wind howled and whipped outside beating against the building. It most certainly was a dark and scary kind of night, perfect for halloween. Seeing that they were in college now Castel had no interest in trick or treating like they were little kids, but he was all for dressing up. Joy had been coming up with their costumes from the moment they met, from two kittens to the undead they had been doing couples costumes for as long as he could remember. With Joy at the helm of creativity their costumes were always the bomb, and something their friends and families looked forward to each year.

Castel didn’t mind making her creative dreams come to life, he loved doing just about anything with her. Being together in some kind of costume mix allowed him to be closer to her--not to mention they were seen as a couple when they dressed in a pairs costume. So the dressing up didn’t bother him, it was fun after all and he loves seeing her happy.

Tonight however he had taken charge of. Instead of dressing up and going off to some party, or trick or treating trying to hang on to their last shred of childhood the two were bundled up together in his dorm. The college town was all keyed up for halloween and a lot of families with their kids at the college were bringing their younger children around to some of the dorms in hopes to get a night together as a family and maybe get some treats. Joy had bought bags upon bags of candy to hand out saying that if they weren’t going to get candy they should at least give some away.

Castel smiled at the fact that half of the candy she bought for the two of them ended up hiden away to eat later. Several children have come and gone and now he finds himself dressed in his Hon Solo costume, sitting on the couch watching his Princess Leia kneel in front of the television. She’s been trying to figure out which movie to watch next, they’ve been taking turns for a few hours now. While they’ve been waiting for kids to knock on their door they’ve watched Jaws, It Came From the Deep, and Night of the Living Dead. It was Joy’s turn to pick out the next cheesy scary movie and right now she was torn between The Blob and IT.

“Joy it’s not that big of a decision,” he smirks. “Whatever we don’t watch now we’ll watch next.”

“It matters,” she pouts, her eyes darting back and forth between the two dvds.

He shakes his head when there’s a knock at the door.

“Can you get that please,” Joy asks without looking up at him.

“Sure,” he smiles. “Not like you’re Princess Leia anymore anyways. What with your hair down and all.” He teases and she blows a raspberry at him.

“It’s a lot of weight to hold up,” she says as he walks away.

He chuckles and picks up the bowl off the table opening the door. He smiles at the little kids that stand in front of his door asking for candy--he’s happy to oblige. Once their bags are filled they thank him and walk down the hall to the next door. Closing the door he hears a triumphant “IT!” called from the other room.

“Have you decided then?” He asks putting the bowl back in its place.

“Yes!” She calls as she pops in the dvd. “We’re watching IT.”

“The 1990s version or the new one?”

“Do you have to ask,” she smiles as she skips into the room. “The 90s version. Clearly the better version.”

“Clearly,” he agrees. “You want some coco before we start it?”

“Of course,” she smiles as he heats up some water. Her eyes float to the window, “Sure is a blustery night out there. The kind of night to go fly a Piglet.”

He chuckles at her joke. “It certainly is,” he smiles, “I could barley hear the trick or treaters.”

“Is it supposed to storm?”

He shrugs, “I don’t think so and even if it does you planned on staying here tonight anyway right?”

She nods and smiles when the water starts to steam, “Coco’s on!”

They make up their hot coco and he smiles watching her as she sprays whipped cream into her mug before dousing it in rainbow sprinkles. Once she’s sure her coco is made to perfection she walks back into the living room with him at her heels.

“Are you sure you want to watch this Jo-jo,” he asks. “IT is kind of intense.”

She smirks at him with narrowed eyes, “Are you saying I can’t hack it?”

He smiles and shakes his head, “No no I’m just saying maybe we should watch The Blob or The Shinning before IT.”

“Are you scared Cassie?” She teases poking his side.

He chuckles and bats her hand away, “Not at all.”

“Then neither am I,” she smiles proudly. “I can handle anything you can, so bring it on.”

“Alright,” he shrugs. “Lights on?”

She snorts, “Come on you chicken is that even a question to ask? Lights off always.”

He rolls his eyes and switches the lights off before settling into the spot next to her on the couch. Careful not to spill their coco she drapes the blanket over the two of them before hitting play.

=================

The coco is long gone and the wind continues to howl and moan it’s wailing cry. Joy hugs her knees with the blanket bundled around her, wide eyes glued to the screen. Castel smiles a little at how she looks like a small child scared to death as she sits next to him on the couch. Now is probably not the best time for an ‘I told you so’. It took a lot to rattle Joy and he guesses that watching horror movie upon horror movie finally pushed her to her limit--despite the fact most of them are so cheesy and old and poorly crafted he’s not sure they can even rightful be categorized as ‘horror films’.

Joy shuts her eyes tight, pulling the blanket taunt around her.

“Cassie shut it off!” She demands her voice trembling.

“Alright,” he says clicking the television off. “Lights on?”

She nods with a whimper from somewhere within her blanket shield.

“Thought so,” he smirks and flicks the lights back on. “You ok Jo-jo?” He asks concerned putting his hand on top of her head.

“That movie is so creepy,” she whines.

“Yeah,” he nods. “You wanna watch Hocus Pocus and take a break from the scary movies?”

Another whimper and a nod and he sighs. He gets up to exchange the dvds when his phone vibrates. He picks it up and reads it as he blindly ejects the dvd.

Nate: Hey dude! Scarlet and I are gonna swing by the dorm in a few mins how’s it going there?

He glances back at Joy who is still bundled in her blanket cocoon in hopes it would protect her from the imaginary horrific character.

Cas: It was going good but we tried to watch IT and now Jo-jo is scared to death.

Nate: Can you blame her? That movie is creepy! Steven King gets into a place in your mind he should never be in

Cas: lol that’s for sure

Nate: How scared is she?

Castel smiles and looks back at Joy before taking a quick selfie with her bundled up in the background.

Cas: Terrified clearly

Nate: Ha! Aw I feel kind of bad

Cas: Same here, but it’s her own fault for wanting to watch IT

Nate: Hey! That movie is creepy!

Castel chuckles and shakes his head.

Nate: Hey wanna help me scare her a lil more?

Cas: Nah bro she’s trembling leave her alone

Nate: It’s halloween dude! Come on don’t be a wet blanket, besides you owe her for all the times she’s scared you

Castel rolls his eyes as he pops in Hocus Pocus

Cas: Fine just once you know she’s gonna kill you right?

Nate: Her bark is worse than her bite

Cas: I’d beg to differ with ya there bro you’ve never seen Joy when she’s out for revenge

Nate: Yeah yeah are you gonna help me or are ya just gonna keep talking?

Cas: I’ll help you but if Joy finds out I was your accomplice we’ll both be on target lock

Nate: Calm down I won’t rat you out we’re almost there get her to turn the lights back off and leave the door unlocked

Cas: Rodger that

Castel smiles seeing the Disney logo pop onto the screen. Doing as he was told he unlocks the front door before he walks back to the blanket cloud that is bunched on the couch.

“Hocus Pocus is on J-bird,” he says and pokes her blanket covered head. “You can come out now.”

Joy lets out a small whimper before poking her head out from her blanket shield. Her brown eyes bat up at him like a small child. He almost feels bad for what he’s about to help Nate do...almost.

He smiles, “You gonna come out of blanket town?”

She shakes her head, “No. I’m safe here.”

He nods and shrugs, “Can I come in then?”

She hesitates before nodding and wiggling on the couch until she’s found the ends of the blanket. He smiles as she opens her blanket wall up, holding her arms out for him to join her. He sits next to her, wrapping the blanket back around them.

“Light off?” He asks

“No!” She says with a slight panic in her voice.

He smirks, “Aww what’s wrong chicken, you scawed.” He teasing in the same manor as she had him.

She glares at him and juts out her chin, “I am not.”

“Then turn the lights off,” he shrugs.

He can see a hint of fear in her eyes, but her pride wins out.

“Fine. Lights off,” she says matter-of-factly.

He grins and flicks the light off. They settle in on the couch with the blanket wrapped tight around them. His smile relaxes into a lazy grin as he feels her curl into him, her thigh on top of his, her head on his shoulder, her curls tickling his neck. His heart skips a beat when she lets out the most adorable sigh he’s ever heard her make and feels her hand blindly find his through the blanket waves.

He loves little moments like this with her, they’re what he lives for. Being this close to her, causing the butterflies in his gut the spin so wildly he starts to feel somewhat dizzy. Her hypnotic laughter, her sweet scent, her beautiful smile. He can’t help but indulge in taking advantage of these brief moments of bliss with her.

“Oh look another glorious morning...makes me sick!” Bette Midler’s voice comes through the screen.

The line, being one of her favorites, makes Joy giggle lightly and she relaxes more against him. Her thumb sweeps over his knuckles absentmindedly making his heart pound harder. Her light titters mixed with the gentle touch causes his stomach to twist in a knot. He manages to stay in a relaxed position though, which he’s kind of proud of himself for. He hears a small click in the dark and he’s able to make out a figure...no two figures coming through the front door.

Nathan and Scarlet.

He frowns a little really not wanting to go through with this, but the wheels are already in motion. And Nate was right Joy scares him all the time, a little pay back is in order. He watches as Nathan slinks like a slug up behind the couch perching his head between Castel and Joy’s.

“You feeling better?” Castel asks eyeing Nathan

“Much,” Joy smiles her eyes locked on the screen.

“Me too, Georgie!” Nathan say in his best Pennywise voice--which Castel has to admit is kind of creepy.

Joy’s shriek is so loud Castel is certain all of his glasses are broken. Not only does she scream she reacts. The hand that was once holding Castel’s is now flying back and punching Nathan square in the face. It all happens so fast, Joy’s scream, Nathan’s yelp of pain before falling back onto the floor holding his nose as he writhes on the floor, followed by Castel and Scarlet’s hysterical laughter.

Scarlet flicks the lights on allowing the group a clearer view of a crumpled Nathan as he lies on the floor. Joy blinks and her eyes shift between her three friends. It processes. Her eyebrows scrunch together as her face sours.

“Nathan! What the heck dude!” She barks

Nathan responds with a pathetic moan before slowly sitting up.

“What the heck, me? What the heck you!”

“Fight or flight Nater Gator not my fault,” she says and a small smile breaks onto her face as she realizes she’s just nailed Nathan with such a solid punch he’s fallen off kilter. 

“Told you it was a bad idea,” Scarlet snickers at her boyfriend before lending him a helping hand.

“I didn’t expect her to sucker punch me,” Nathan chuckles and holds his nose as he’s helped to his feet.

“Serves you right,” Joy says and crosses her arms. 

“I couldn’t resist,” Nathan smiles and wipes his nose on his sleeve happy to see there’s no blood. “After Cas told me how petrified you were after watch IT I--”

“You told him?” Joy’s attention snaps to Castel

“Dude!” Castel’s jaw drops at Nathan

“Sorry bro,” Nathan snickers. “She was gonna find out sooner or later that you were in on it.”

“Cas!” Joy squeaks in disbelief.

He throws his hands up defensively, “I’m sorry I’m sorry!”

Joy’s shocks gives way to laughter followed by a menacing grin, “You are so dead Cubs.”

Castel laughs nervously and eyes Nathan trying to change the subject.

“So what are you guys doing here?” He asks

“We’re headed to a costume party on Main Street,” Scarlet smiles. “You guys wanna come?”

“Come on it’s Halloween it’ll be fun!” Nathan chimes in trying to help Scarlet with the persuasion.

Castel shakes his head, “Nah we’re just gonna have a chill night.”

“Movies, hot coco,” Joy smiles. “Plotting Castel’s demise, you know the ush.”

Nathan chuckles, “Alright well we wanted to stop by to grab some stuff and invite you guys.”

“You could stay here with us,” Castel suggests. “Joy stole most of the candy we bought it’ll be like going trick or treating without all the work.”

“Thanks but my bud is expecting us to at least stop in,” Nathan says. “But maybe if you guys are still up when we get back we can chill.”

“Sounds like a plan, Stan,” Joy smiles and shoots finger guns at him.

“Cool,” Nathan smiles. “It’s in my room Scar.”

“Lead on,” Scarlet smiles and follows Nathan to the other room.

Castel smiles and looks back at Joy who is death glaring him. He chuckles nervously.

“Hey Jo-jo.”

“You opted to help Nathan scare me, knowing how I don’t play around when it comes to revenge?” She asks in such a dark voice it causes a chill to run up his spine.

His Adam’s apple bobs viciously as he swallows, “Y-yes.”

Her eyes flash a dark ominous color, “I hope you’re happy with your decision Cubs.”

He gives a challenging grin, “Bring it Curtis.”

She smiles wickedly, “Be on your guard.”

“Always,” he smiles.

She nods, “Can we finish Hocus Pocus now?”

“Sure,” he smiles and rewinds the movie a little bit to the part they had missed. “Lights back off?” He asks

“Yes please,” she nods.

He turns the light back off and smiles more as he feels her snuggling back into him, fixing the blanket around them as she does so. Although he feels bad for scaring her, he is kind of glad that it’s sparked the playful side of her. They’ve had so many no holds barred pranking wars, battles to scare each other, nerf wars, and so on. They are some of his favorite memories with her, both of them laughing having fun, holding back nothing. The enjoyment they share is so pure and so real, he cherishes it so close to his heart.

Nathan and Scarlet leave and the two are left alone again in the quiet of the room. His watch reads that it’s nearly midnight as he feels her relaxing more into him. Glancing down at her he sees her head lulled against his neck, her eyelids drifting closed. He smiles, closing his own eyes, and rests his head on hers, loving the sent of strawberries that encircles him. He wishes he could stay here for the rest of time. But of course that isn’t possible.

He jerks just ever so slightly as he feels something brush against his side. He tries to resist, to hold onto this tiny moment just a little longer. But Joy takes her revenge seriously.

He bites his lip and looks down at her to see her eyes are glued on the television, but there’s just a tiny hint of a smile on her face. He squirms a little in his seat trying to escape her hand, but the blanket has entrapped him.

“Joy!” He snorts before his voice breaks into a string of childlike giggles.

“Hm?” She asks without looking at him.

“Joy, stop!” He laughs and tries to push her hand away.

“Stop what?” She asks innocently

He laughs and manages to find her hand among the blanket, but it’s too late she’s entered attack mode. In a matter of seconds he finds himself fighting against the blanket trying his hardest to escape the comforter, laughing hysterically. He reaches out blindly hoping to find her hands but instead grabs onto her sides causing her to yelp out a giggle.

He chuckles smiling at her as her eyes widen.

“Cassie no,” she says as though she were commanding a puppy.

He grins, “Did you really think I wasn’t going to get you back?”

Digging into her sides he relishes in her jubilant laughter as she fights back against him. In her attempt to escape the blanket that has her ensnared she ends up falling back onto the couch taking him with her. He smiles and laughs himself, he loves hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, seeing the absolute happiness lighting up her face.

Suddenly Joy kicks her leg out against the couch. Two yelps fill the air. A loud thud. Dying laughter. Castel lays on his back on the floor trying to not moan at the pain that shoots up his back. They both lay there, her on top of his, both still caught in the blanket. Joy lifts her head smiling at him as residual giggles still trickle out.

He smiles at her, “You’re such a goof.”

“But you love me,” she sticks her tongue out at him.

Although he knows she’s meant this in the friendly platonic way, it still makes his heart rate increase. He can feel a heat rising in his cheeks as her face hovers over his, her curls tapering his cheeks. His mind begins blooming sweet thoughts of how they were only a few inches apart, and how easy it would be to steal one quick kiss with the hope it would turn into something more. How he could tell her everything he’s been feeling since as far back as he could remember. The love he held for her, once as just a friend had now grown into a burning desire. His heart throbs in his chest so fast he’s terrified she can feel it beating against hers and she’ll ask if he’s alright--that thought causes his nervousness to grow, which in turn makes his heart pump faster.

He could tell her, he should! His brain paints a beautiful image of bliss his life would live in if he were to confess to her. Tell her how he loves every second with her, even if it was just a few short minutes to grab a coffee before their early morning classes. How she’s the reason he refuses to date any other girl. The thought of someday being hers, a pleasant daydream that he is unwilling to let go of just for a basic relationship with some other girl that is not her. An aspiration that is at the center of all his endeavors. He could make them all come true if he were only courageous enough to leap. But if his feelings did not resonate with her...the thought of losing her forever a petrifying plague. He’d rather live his life in the friend-zone than risk never having her there to friend-zone him at all.

So he closes his mouth into a smile as to assure his heart will not get the better of him causing his vocal chords to betray him. But as he closes his she opens hers. The quizzical expression on her round face poses the assumption she was going to ask him a question, but the sudden crash of thunder cuts her off.

The thunder rings out, there’s a flash in the window, and the television shuts off. The unforeseen blackout causes both of them to grip tighter to the other and he hears Joy’s breath hitch assuming she was withholding a frightened scream. Rain pounds furiously against the window as the two lie in the dark allowing their eyes to adjust to their new found environment.

It’s quiet for a long time as they both remain unmoving, listening as the wind whips and howls flaring the rain every which way.

“The power went out. I have some flashlights I can go get.” He says quickly, deciding the silence was too much for him to take given their current position. “Are you alright?”

Joy let’s out a small “hmm” although it sounds almost like a whimper. “I t-thought you said it’s w-wasn’t gonna s-storm?”

He blinks at the tremble in her voice and as his eyes adapt to the darkness and he can clearly see the fear that has riddled her body. A flashback from when he was ten floods his brain. The memory of a shaking Joy huddled under a blanket covering her ears during a thunderstorm fills his memory. There aren’t many things in this world that rattle Joy. Snakes are her favorite pet, she hunts for spiders, she’s swam with sharks, being high above the earth is a thrill, the dark is just another environment for her to explore. But thunder and lightning? That causes her to curl up and hide like a small child who’s afraid of the monsters in their closet.

He blinks again and looks down at her seeing her head is buried in his chest, gripping his shirt tight in her fists. Her body begins to shake as another roar of thunder fills the air. His eyebrows fall as worry is painted onto his face.

“Hey Jo-jo it’s ok,” he says gently and wraps his arms around her. “You’re safe, I’m here.”

Slowly he moves her to a sitting position holding her close as she sits in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, face buried into the side of his neck. Sitting like this he can feel how tense she is, how she trembles and shakes with small whimpers every now and then.

He sighs and rubs his hand in small circles between her shoulder blades, while the other combs through the curls near his hand.

“It’s alright, I’m here.” He says softly and he can feel her release a sigh her warm breath beating against his neck.

“I know,” she says into his skin and he feels her pull back to look at him. If it wasn’t so dark he could be sure, but he almost swears there are tears in her eyes. “You always are.” She says with the tiniest of smiles.

He smiles back, “Always.”

She smiles more and nods, and she leans in to kiss his cheek just as she always has. But at the same time he wants to kiss her nose, causing it to be a strange angle leading to both of their trajectory to be off ending with their lips crashing in a chaste kiss.

His eyes widen and he pulls back immediately to stare back at her surprised expression.

“I-I-I...uh I’m...Jo-jo,” he stutters out his brain struggling to get his mouth to work out the apology. He didn’t mean to do that, honestly he didn’t...although he wanted to he’s been wanting to for years, but he really didn’t mean to do it right then!

She blinks staring back at him as a flash of lightning shines in the window illuminating the room and lighting up his face. Even in the split second of light she had, she can see the redness in his cheeks. She can make out every stroke of panic in his face, she can see the sirens blaring behind his eyes as he stammers. 

Gosh, he really doesn’t get it does he?

Why she wanted to spend tonight with him instead of her friends. Why she let him pick their costumes, let him pick what he wanted to do tonight. Why she said no to every single party invite she got--and there were a lot. Why she didn’t care what they were doing as long as they were together. Why she stationed herself specifically wrapped in a blanket directly next to him. ...although the storm however she did not plan on, but hey it’s worked in her favor. But he’s too nervous and scared to even recognize how she’s been acting.

He’s such a dork.

Her eyes soften and her lips pull into a lose smile as she watches him getting all flustered. After another moment of his broken-nervous-english she rolls her eyes and sighs, gripping the front of his vest.

“Oh for crying out loud Cassie!” She huffs silencing him. “Would you just shut up and kiss me already, you nerd?”

He blinks staring at her in shock, his mouth hanging agape, eyes wide, heart pounding so hard in his ears he’s not even sure he’s heard her correctly. But he doesn’t want to take a single millisecond to over-analyze and question his ability to hear. Instead he grips her arms and pulls her close to him smacking their lips together again, only this time with a whole lot more passion. She’s a little taken back by his force, and she wants to tease him about it not being health to withhold such a powerful appetite for so long...but she can do that later. Soon she melts into the kiss and let’s him take the lead.

There in the dark of the dorm, while the world outside moans and howls and whips viciously the two hearts have found each other. Beating together as one. Finally the galaxy can rest at ease knowing Hon Solo and Princess Leia are finally together.